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Lando opened the door.
Whew, at least I am earlier than Alex.
He scanned the room, some familiar faces from his own garage, some from Alex’s. He smiled at whoever looked at him and walked over to his chair.
As he was sitting down, a pair of eyes from the back of the room was looking his way.
This one is new, huh. A man around his age, maybe younger, with brown hair, was looking at him while another man beside him was still talking with animated hand movements, and nudged when he noticed his friend was not listening.
Lando lifted his left eyebrow as a not-so-question, but the man already turned his attention back to his friend.
Alex came into the meeting room not long after, gave Lando a dap and sat down in the chair on the opposite side.
“How was the break, mate? Heard you went to Portugal for golf?” Alex said with a teasing tone, Lando scoffed.
“You heard or saw the pics? I knew I got papped, duh.”
“Nah, I heard from George.”
They chatted about the break for a bit before Zak and Andrea entered the room. Now it is time for the pre-season briefing.
“Good morning everyone, welcome to the new season. First of all, I would like to thank everyone for the last season, without you guys we would not get second place in the Constructors’. Still, there are rooms for improvements this year and we will make sure that we are in the fight for the championships, both Constructors’ and Drivers’.” Zak said, eyeing Alex and Lando at the end of the sentence.
“I’m also really pleased to say that we are still with the same duo from last year, welcome back Alex and Lando.”
“Wouldn’t want it any other way, Zak.” Alex said jokingly. Lando smirked.
“Alright, so we are here today for the new car launch schedule, and the overall concept and design compared to the previous one. Testing is gonna be in Bahrain, as usual, then we will gather data for the sim sessions and further upgrades,” said Andrea.
“And I would like to introduce the new guys for this year,” there were scratched chair sounds and five people now stood in the front of the room.
Turned out three of them were going to be in the engineering teams, two for Lando and one for Alex. Their degrees and experiences were decent, fancy even. Both drivers clapped their hands and said welcome.
Andrea continued, “and here are the new mechanics. This is Oscar,” the brunette who was looking at Lando before the briefing raised his hand, “And this is Logan,” the taller man waved lightly.
“Hi, I am Oscar Piastri. I am really looking forward to working with you all,” said the brunette with a shy smile.
Oh, he has got bunny teeth. Lando mused.
“I’m Logan Sargeant, pleased to meet everyone here.”
“Oscar here is going to work in Lando’s garage, and Logan will be with Alex. Make sure you two get along well with Kyle and James and you will learn so many things from the best mechanics in this sport. Welcome to McLaren and Formula One,” Andrea finished the speech and shook hands with the new people.
They went on to shake hands with the engineers and mechanics from their respective garages. Lando also shook his hands with Logan after Alex, then he turned to Oscar.
“Hi, welcome to my garage. Let’s build the best car together.”
“Um, yeah, nice to meet you,” said the brunette with a slight blush on his cheeks.
—————
Bahrain testing went well, or so Lando guessed.
The new car looked overall promising for both drivers. Alex had a little understeering issue and the team took that in consideration immediately.
Lando noticed that the new mechanic still did not get to do much, because the car was already under development since the middle of the last season before he joined, so he was mostly taking notes and asking questions to learn more about everything.
The man got to practice pit stop, though. Lando saw Kyle handing him a wheel gun and he seemed to light up immediately.
Easy to please, this one. Lando could not help but chuckle a little while discussing the telemetry with his race engineer.
However, the last session was a bit of a struggle when Lando spun a little and went to the gravel. He recovered and reported the issue.
“Car’s a bit shaky. I think the left behind picked up a bit of damage.” Will affirmed that the team would look into it.
The car did have damage so the mechanics got more work to do today.
Lando stayed at the pit wall, discussing the session with Alex and Andrea. He looked in the direction of his number four garage and saw the new mechanic checking the rear wing of his car.
As if he knew, the brunette looked up a little, saw Lando and moved to hide himself behind the car completely.
Lando chuckled again.
—————
Australia passed with an uproar for the McLaren team.
Free practice sessions were still rough. They finished not above P6 but Zak and Andrea reassured that practice made perfect and one-night improvement was entirely possible with the good team they had.
Both McLarens passed to Q3, Lando qualified P3 and Alex P4.
Race day came, and the cars were flying.
“Box, Lando, I repeat, box this lap.”
“Box, copy. Lando pit lane.”
He drove into the pitlane. The mechanics were there, ready to change the tyres. Lando noticed the new mechanic was on his left front one.
Click, clack. The light turned green, the mechanic in the front moved, and he was ready to go back and fight for the win with Charles and Alex.
In the end, Lando did fight for and take it, he was the first race winner of the season.
He lifted the trophy and looked at the team cheering for him not far away. The bunny-teeth man was smiling now, maybe a little too wide, for some reasons Lando did not know at the time.
He turned and started spraying champagne on Alex and Charles. Everybody on the podium was smiling, too.
—————
However, Suzuka was not really kind this time.
Being one of Lando’s favorite race tracks, and the high of winning Australia still buzzing, he was looking forward to winning this one, too.
The car did not seem to agree with him, well, with both of them.
Alex spun off and crashed into the barrier in Q2. Thank God he was safe, but his car did have damage and garage number twenty-three needed to get everything right before the P16 start tomorrow, a tricky mission.
Lando qualified P7 with recurrent understeer issues, he had tried his best and still believed the podium tomorrow was still on the table. He really liked Suzuka after all.
Kyle and Oscar, Lando remembered his name now, were occupied with the front wing of his car. Kyle looked at the blueprint in Oscar’s hand and adjusted the wing a little.
Lando walked over and Kyle looked up, “adjusted it almost two degrees. According to Oscar’s calculation it will help with the understeer you have, still have to fix the other parts a bit and I believe the car will perform better tomorrow.”
“Thanks, Kyle.”
“And thank you, too, Oscar.” Lando swore he saw Oscar’s ears turned a bit too pink when he mumbled back, “no worries, glad I could help.”
Next day, lights out, and he did help. Lando gained three positions after eighteen laps, while Alex was chasing after P13 behind.
He tried going on Charles’ right to overtake him, but the car was not complying and had to turn the steering wheel to keep the car on track, which caused a part of his left front wing to fly off and landed on the gravel after the collision with the Ferrari.
Charles did go off the racing line, but seemed to recover the car and continued to drive off. Meanwhile Lando tried to keep the car on track but it was really difficult to drive due to the massive understeering the car was having. He called out to Will, hoping for some on-track solution.
“Lando, we’ve checked and that was mainly a battery issue that caused you to lose control of the car. And with the front wing loss, I’m afraid we have to retire.” Will said back after checking.
“God, no! Are you kidding me?”
“Sorry, mate. Please park somewhere safe.”
Lando stopped the car on the side, feeling bitter in his mouth.
He went back to the pit lane, and chose to watch Alex’s race instead. His teammate did take one point for the team. Decent overtake performance.
Lando walked back into the garage, finding Oscar at the damaged front wing, “how’s the damage?” He asked.
“Kyle said nothing new under the sun, a day and everything will be alright. By the way, sorry for that, you should’ve got the podium.” Oscar said.
Lando wondered, “why? I’m the one who should say sorry. Too careless and then more job for the garage, it was on me.”
“But you always like Suzuka, I’m sure you want to do well at your favorite track.” Oscar said and seemed to realize what he had just done because Lando saw his ears turn red now.
“Oh, so you know? Done some work before working in my garage, huh?” Lando teased.
Oscar’s cheeks also turned red now, “kinda. I have watched you race since Formula Three.”
Kyle called from a distance and the brunette seemed eager to move, well, vanish from in front of Lando.
—————
Miami was decent. Monaco ended with Alex taking home P2, Lando P5. Barcelona started strong and they got P2 and P3 behind Max.
Then came Silverstone, the team’s and drivers’ home race. (Alex was half-British so Lando assumed that for him.)
Lando was really determined, even more than in Japan, that he took the win this time.
McLaren had launched a special livery, race suits, and helmets to celebrate this year’s home race. Also submitted some upgrades for the chassis and engine. Lando knew the team was as determined too, he needed to win Silverstone.
Qualifying ended with Lando getting P2 and Alex P4. The team was impressed with how the car upgrades turned out.
Sunday came and Lando was sitting in the car when the mechanics took it to the track. Oscar was on his right front and Lando found himself looking at his back a little longer than intended.
Before leaving the track, some mechanics pat his shoulder, wished him well then left, Oscar was the last one.
He reached for a dap. Lando looked up and thought Oscar’s eyes under the sunlight were hazelnut-colored, and with the bunny-teeth smile he was doing now, the driver could not help but feel a little dazzled from all that.
“You can win this, today is gonna be invincible.” Lando smiled back, muffled a ‘thanks.’
When he overtook Kimi and started leading the race, the home crowd roared behind and he felt the hype in his veins.
And just like that, the race was invincible. Lando Norris felt invincible.
Same as in Australia, Lando found the brunette mechanic smiling from below the podium, too wide, flushed cheeks from adrenaline. Oscar was looking up and Lando felt like those hazelnut eyes were sparkling solely at him.
—————
The after-race party was loud as usual.
They went to a club after getting back to London, many people from different teams joined in, taking some time off the long race week.
Lando saw Oscar there, walking in with Logan. Alex dragged him along to say hi.
Oscar was wearing a white shirt and a pair of skinny jeans, a different sight from the usual papaya-colored clothes, and he looked really fine.
“Hi, you look…good.” The driver said, voice raised a little due to the noise in the club.
“Thanks, you look pretty…good too.” Oscar replied back, then he got dragged by Logan to sit with the mechanics on the other side of the club floor.
The party went on, Lando had a lot of fun.
He was the race winner so he was the center of attention. Many people came to him, whispered congrats and whatnot, he either smiled back or replied shortly.
He saw Oscar sitting at the mechanics’ table, chatting away with Logan and the others. He did not really seem to drink that much, the same glass was on the table for a big while.
The younger looked over at Lando from time to time too. He waved his hand and Oscar waved back, looking a bit shy.
After dancing his legs out on the floor and getting handed almost too many drinks, Lando slipped out the back door, trying to clear his head when he heard the side door open.
“Sneaking out?” Lando teased as he saw Oscar coming down the side stairs of the club.
He went out for a bit of fresh air, alcohol and cigarette smoke in the closed space had made him fuzzy.
“Um, actually yeah. I’m not really good with crowds. Kinda want to go back and rest.” Oscar said, sounding a little tired.
Lando hummed. “Well, I just want to sober up a bit. Care to keep me company?”
“If you don’t mind.” That made Lando chuckle. He was the one to offer Oscar, but the younger one acted like it was the other way around.
Oscar sat on the stair, asking about how the race went in Lando’s point of view, so he started to give a full recap of the grand prix from inside the chassis. The brunette mechanic listened, chimed in here and there, even offered some comments about the car’s (and Lando’s) performance yesterday.
“Pit stop was great, too. Maybe the mechanic on my left front tyre was a whisperer ‘cause tyres were real smooth yesterday.” Lando said, eyes glinting when he saw Oscar was blushing.
“I think that meant your tyre management was great, Lando.” The mechanic said, trying to sound deadpanned. Lando giggled after thinking he failed to do so, adorably.
The conversation started to shift away. Now Lando learned that his new mechanic was Australian (as he would've guessed from the accent, his years with Daniel as his teammate should’ve helped him notice), went to a uni in London then met Logan, the one working in Alex’s garage, there. They graduated with honors and applied to McLaren together.
Lando continued his questions smoothly, or so he thought. He was trying not to sound too eager to pry into Oscar’s personal life, realizing they were not that close, yet. Though the younger one did not seem to mind and just answered every question Lando threw at him.
“How was your first grand prix as a mechanic?” Lando wondered back to when he saw Oscar’s smile after he got the team the first win of the season.
Oscar was smiling now, all bunny teeth showing and Lando noticed he was staring at them a bit too long. “I was actually overjoyed. Witnessing the team’s first win at my hometown was incredible. I went home way too happy and couldn’t stop talking about it, my sister had to tell me to shut up and eat my dinner.”
Lando felt his gaze turning soft now, maybe too soft for his liking, but the sparks in those hazelnut eyes made him feel easy to get lost in.
Oscar continued, “and all that happened thanks to you. You won at my home, that meant the team I was a part of won, too. I will keep that even after I don’t work here anymore. My first win in Formula One happened because of you, Lando.”
The driver grinned, maybe too wide, but he couldn’t care less with all endeared feelings blooming in his chest.
“Thanks, Oscar. It is honestly my honor.” He said, feeling like he was the one blushing this time.
Lando went on and asked about the life being a McLaren mechanic. He now learned that Oscar flew across continents in economy. He spent most non-race-week days in Woking, sometimes even went to the factory to learn more about car manufactures.
“I actually enjoy working here. I’ve learned a lot.”
“Sure, I can tell.” Lando agreed, “and I have to say I’m happy that you enjoy working in my garage, Osc.”
“It has been a really great experience.” Oscar added.
Lando’s pocket started to buzz. He fished his phone out and saw that Alex and George had messaged, asking him where he was. The Briton bit his lower lip, feeling a little sad that this conversation had to end.
Or it didn’t have to.
“Can I borrow your phone?”
Oscar seemed puzzled, but handed him his now unlocked phone, still.
Lando typed real fast, then his own phone lit up with an incoming call.
He cut the call, handing the phone back to Oscar who was now sitting still with eyes wide.
“I have to go back inside now. Um, get home safe, Osc.”
At that moment, Lando just could not help it, and those brown eyes certainly did not help. He leaned in and placed a light kiss on the mechanic’s still-pink cheek.
“Now that you have my number, text me when you get back. Okay?”
Oscar did text him.
‘Hello, Lando. Oscar here.’
‘I got back safe, thank you.’
‘See you next race week.’
He smiled at the messages and got teased by Alex.
“Woo-woo! We’ve been here for a while and you’ve already exchanged numbers with someone? Boy’s real fast this week!”
“Shut up, it’s just Oscar.”
Alex did stop talking, he sipped his drink but Lando could see a smirk on his lips, way too knowing.
He typed ‘see u too! night osc’, then locked his phone.
Lando could not wait for the next race week.
—————
Formula 1 @f1 — A little game for the drivers! Guess who arrived first today? #F1 | #BelgianGP
[a clip with drivers guessing, the correct answer being Lando]
[💬36 🔄1.3K 🤍4.4K]
> McLaren Mastercard Formula 1 Team @McLarenF1 Our LN is locked in! 💪🔥
> gina³ SPA 🔜 @verrstapgin AND ITS NOT MAX????
> aria⁴ @l4ndarianne where is mister lando ‘i slept through the alarm’ norris???
> charlie is looking for moots @charlno4 omg lando is an early bird this time!
> sebi @sebicooki_ee lando blink twice if jon forced you to wake up early
Yes, Lando kind of joined the early bird club. (If there was already one with Lewis and Max.)
He arrived first every single day in Belgium and Hungary, did mandatory media schedules with Alex, then lingered around his garage.
The Briton stayed around, chatted with his mechanics and engineers about possible improvement for his car. People started to joke about ‘inspector Norris’ but Lando knew he just wanted to stay close to a specific mechanic who changed his left front tyre during pit stops.
Oscar had a serious presence when he was working. But at the same time he also radiated a soft energy, both in-person and through texts. His replies were sharp, but considerate, and kind. Oscar replied to whatever nonsense Lando was bombarding him in their chatroom, and often sent funny dog clips that made Lando giggle in the middle of the night.
In the garage, there were mostly ‘hi’ exchanged and work talks, pats on shoulders here and there. But Lando felt like those brown eyes turned tender when he looked at him.
Damn, I guess I’ve become lovesick.
“After Hungaroring, it will be the long-awaited summer break. What are your plans for the three-week rest before Zandvoort?”
“I’m planning to spend time with my family and the Albon pets. We have just got a few new cats and my sister said they are sweet menaces, can’t wait to play with them.” Alex said with a huge smile, earning some ‘awww’ from the crowd below.
“What about you, Lando? Any interesting golf courses this summer?” The host asked. He scoffed and replied,
“Nah. Since y’all know me as a very serious guy so I’m gonna say sim sessions all the way, baby!”
The crowd laughed, and the Briton showed his goofy heart-shaped smile as he was trolling.
—————
It was Tuesday afternoon and Lando was back in Monaco. He sprawled on his couch, scrolling through his summer schedule: England, Ibiza, then back to MTC.
Lando’s mind wandered and just thought of Oscar. He switched to their chatroom then typed out,
‘yoooo osc whats your summer plan?’
The reply did not come until three hours later.
‘Sorry just woke up.’
‘I don’t know if I can say this, but sleeping?’
Lando laughed then felt his cheeks heated up a little at the thought of Oscar’s sleepy face. He must look so cute.
‘lolol you must love sleeping’
‘are you going back to aus then?’
‘Sadly, no. I’m staying in Woking, can’t really afford plane tickets for both summer and winter breaks lol.’
‘And I think I need some proper sleep in my own bed after all those flights for the races too.’
Fair enough, Lando thought. As a person who had been traveling around the world year after year, almost every week, he himself had adapted now, but somehow it was still exhausting.
‘good point’
‘and what about logan? is he also staying?’
‘No, he’s going on a trip with his girlfriend.’
‘He left the car key to me so at least I can drive around.’
An idea suddenly popped into Lando's mind, he typed,
‘im going to london tmr to shoot smth for quadrant on thursday’
‘wanna hang out???’
And there it was, the blinking typing bubble. Oscar was hesitating, so Lando insisted.
‘come on osc’
‘pleaseeeeee itll be fun!’
He was going to send a pleading face emoji when Oscar replied,
‘Alright, then.’
Lando beamed. He wished Oscar knew how excited he was right now, he was getting to see Oscar during summer break!
‘yea were going karting!!’
Lando had made up a mission; he would get Oscar to go-kart with him after shooting was done.
He was not sure if this could count as a date. Certainly not, but he really wanted to see Oscar having fun on a karting track. Well, he kind of just wanted to see Oscar.
New messages came from the other end of their chatroom.
‘Wow, that’s basically your playground.’
‘Please send me the location of the circuit and the time to meet later.’
Lando giggled at the word please. His mechanic was really like a polite cat.
‘noooooo im picking you up! 8am sharp!’
‘I really appreciate it but there's really no need, Lando. I’ll drive there.’
Lando knew he could just do as Oscar told him, but he did not want to. The Briton could feel a smirk on his own face as he typed back,
‘nahhhh im picking you up n taking you home’
‘youll be my mcl p1 passenger prince’
‘ill buy you dinner!’
Come on. A free dinner, and a McLaren for a ride, who was going to deny these offers from Formula One World Drivers’ Champion Lando Norris?
A smirk on Lando’s face turned into a heart-shaped smile when he saw Oscar’s message.
‘Guess I can’t turn down, then.’
‘which one tho? the car? free dinner? or me?’
‘You guess.’ And no further elaboration.
Lando did guess, but he was not going to tell the other, ever.
‘lol whatever’
‘see you on thursday osc’
‘Yeah, can’t wait :-)’
Lando hearted the latest message, he could not wait too.
—————
Oscar was waiting in front of his flat when Lando picked him up. The brunette was unsure if he could sit with his back fully on Lando’s passenger seat. “I’m afraid I’ll ruin your car,” he said. Lando wheezed and told him it was totally okay.
“Do you mind if I drive fast?” The Formula One driver teased.
The Australian chuckled, then told him, “I don’t really mind, but if you go past the speed limit, I’m not helping you pay the fine.”
The rest of the drive was filled with small talks, music, and some time of comfortable silence. Lando thought he could get used to this, he would like to.
They arrived at the go-kart circuit a few minutes before 10AM. The Quadrant crew were already there, and Max was chatting with Ollie Bearman.
“Max, mate! Ollie!” Lando greeted them, then introduced Oscar.
Lando changed to his race suit and they began shooting not long after. Oscar was standing not far from the camera crew, watching them. Lando teased to get the Australian in frame with him, Max, and Ollie, Oscar only shook his head with a rather fond expression.
“I’m good here. Kinda like watching from your garage while you’re racing out there.” Oscar said, then patted his shoulder lightly.
“Go win, Lando,” Oscar winked. Lando started to consider taking a fun and silly go karting challenge more seriously right then.
And Lando did win, well, once. Ollie won another round with Max came in second after Lando spun off track.
They wrapped up the shoot, Ollie bid goodbye then left. Max stayed behind for a while, discussing their plan for Ibiza next week.
“See you next week, Bob. Bye, Oscar!” Max said before he got to his car.
Lando looked at Oscar now, and asked, “wanna try?”
Oscar squinted his eyes, seeming unsure. “You did look like you were having fun driving these karts.”
“‘Cause I was! Come on, Osc, the circuit’s booked all day so no kid is gonna see you doing worse than them.”
Oscar’s cheeks flushed, he considered for a moment then said, “alright, I’d like to try.”
Lando grinned. “Yes! I promise you’ll have fun!”
He taught Oscar how to control the kart, then let him take off, Lando followed suit.
The first lap had passed relatively slowly as Oscar was still learning his kart, he shouted over his shoulder to Lando. “You can get past me!”
“It’s fine! Just drive, Osc.” Lando shouted back, then spoke at a significantly lower volume, “I’ll take care of you.”
He did not know if Oscar had heard the last sentence, he was not really meant to, anyway. Lando’s smile grew bigger when he heard Oscar’s laugh breezed through the afternoon wind.
Later laps were faster, then eventually became racing. (At Oscar’s speed, of course, Lando did not really mind.) He was driving ahead when he saw Oscar trying to go around the inside, their karts almost touched.
“Oi!” Lando shouted as he was forced to pull his kart away, “bold move there!”
“Reckon I’ve watched and learned from the best.” Oscar winked again, and Lando’s brain seemed to short-circuit itself. Then he found himself trying to speed up chasing Oscar who was already crossing the finish line.
The drive back to Woking was quieter than in the morning.
Lando could tell Oscar was exhausted from go-karting earlier from the way he slumped in his passenger seat with a takeaway bag on his lap.
“Are you tired?” Lando asked, even though he knew.
“Um, yep. A bit.” Oscar’s voice muffled as he tried to stifle a yawn.
Lando chuckled as he took a quick glance. Damn right I am, he is really cute.
“You can go to sleep, Oscar.” Lando said, lowering the speed of his car, “I’ll let you know when we arrive at your flat.”
“I’ll, uh, I’ll just look at the view outside.” Oscar said, he leaned into the seat comfortably, head tilted to the windscreen.
“Hey, Lando.” He heard Oscar mumble after a while, voice now thick with sleepiness.
“Hm?”
“Thank you for today, I had so much fun.”
Lando smiled as he focused on the road ahead, he replied, “me too, Osc. Thanks for coming with me.”
Oscar said something back, but Lando could not make any sense of it as his passenger prince had drifted off to sleep completely, leaving Lando with Taylor Swift’s ‘Daylight’ echoed in the car.
He just whispered, “sweet dreams, Oscar.”
—————
The second week had come, and Lando was in Ibiza with Max and other close friends, very much ready to party.
To Lando, loud music and blinding neon lights somehow muted the voices in his head, ones that were particularly noisy when he went through tough race weeks, messed up strategies, or strict diet plans.
He tried to bury everything with a louder noise, and so far he thought it quite worked.
As Lando stepped into the club, most people seemed to know who he was, some shouted “Lando!” “Champ!” He was the reigning champion of the pinnacle of motorsports, after all.
Max handed him a drink. Lando took it and let the music carry him through the night.
People came up to him, he cheered with them but did not take any drinks from any of them. He was still very much aware that someone could spike the drinks.
The night went on, as Lando was done being a DJ on the stage, a woman came close to him, very beautiful one with blue eyes, plump lips, and silky blonde hair.
“Hi, nice set up there.” She whispered against his ear, keeping close, Lando could smell her expensive perfume.
Lando smirked. “Thanks,” then walked away immediately, not waiting for her next move.
He was sure she was puzzled being rejected on the spot, but he could not care less.
It was almost 3AM and the noises in Lando’s head became more dull, though a different kind of noise popped up instead. This one was not as loud, just a constant hum at the back of his mind.
He missed Oscar.
Later that night, almost dawn, Lando was lying on his stomach in his hotel room, texting Oscar.
‘got bacvk safe’
‘damn my head hyrrtt sooob baaddfd’
‘u alr slept anywssay nighrt osc xx’.
He promised himself to reach out to Oscar again after sleeping through hangover.
The Briton woke up with an empty stomach in the afternoon. Luckily his head was not thumping as much as he thought.
Lando checked his phone after taking a shower, replied to a message from Max asking if he had woken up, then switched to his chatroom with Oscar. Several messages were sitting there, waiting to be read.
‘Morning, sunshine.’
‘I saw your clips on Twitter, you looked properly drunk lol.’
‘Don’t forget to drink plenty of water.’
A knock on his hotel door, Lando peeked through and saw it was room service bringing his food.
He sat on the couch, took a photo of his meal, and sent it to Oscar.
‘breakfast sorta’
Then Lando almost jumped because an incoming video call was showing on screen, though he clicked accept instantly.
“What?” Lando asked as he saw a white wall on his phone screen, he assumed it was a ceiling.
“I’m sorry.” Oscar’s voice came through the speaker, a little distressed, “I was trying to check my battery but my finger slipped to the call button. I can hang up—”
“Don’t,” Lando cut him off, “it’s fine.”
“Really?”
“Yeah,” Lando reassured.
“How’s your hangover?” Oscar asked. Lando still had not seen his face since Oscar’s camera was still facing the ceiling.
“Not that bad, thank God.” Lando angled his camera to show the food on the coffee table. “Look, I’m alive and eating well.”
Lando also heard scratching noises from time to time, so he asked, “what are you doing anyway? You video called me and now you’re only showing your ceiling.”
“I’m doing some calculations.”
“Nerd.” Lando joked.
Oscar’s voice was still calm when he spoke, “nerd for you, then.”
Lando was close to choking on his orange juice when he heard that. “What?” He guessed he failed trying to sound nonchalant.
Oscar’s camera was shifted and switched, now Lando was looking at a notebook full of numbers and variables. The handwriting was absolutely not the most neat he had ever seen, there was a sketch that looked like a rear wing on the page.
“I’m trying to find an optimal angle and closing time for the new rear wing, then I’ll run it with Kyle and the engineers after summer break, hopefully we can get this out in Monza.”
Lando was amazed, fascinated even. “Wow. Amazing work there.”
“Thanks?” Oscar sounded unsure, “I haven’t found the proper angle yet, so—”
“No, seriously, thank you.” Lando said in earnest, “you help us, help me a lot, Osc. I’m sure you’ll find it, and the new rear wing is gonna be amazing. I can’t wait to drive with it.”
“Um, yeah. I’d like to see that, too.”
“Now that I’ve seen your ceiling and notebook, can I get to see your face, too?” The driver asked, almost a whisper.
He heard Oscar sigh before he answered, “sorry, of course.”
The camera was switched again, and Lando voiced his question immediately. “You wear glasses?”
On screen, Oscar was wearing a pair of black-framed glasses, his hair looked more unruly than usual with some strands sticking out. The sight made Lando almost cooed.
His cheeks turned to a nice shade of light pink, “sometimes. Mostly when I’m reading,” he replied.
“Nerd,” was all Lando could manage. However, his mind was spinning. Oh, my God. He looks fucking good with those glasses! Damn it! He’s a nerd alright, a cute and hot one at that!
“As I said,” Oscar spoke, and Lando felt like he could faint right there on a hotel couch, “nerd for you.”
The Australian set his phone down on the table, at an angle that showed his face and the notebook he was scribbling on.
“Do you still feel tired? Wanna get some more sleep?”
Lando shook his head. Having finished his food, now he was lying down on the couch, phone in hand, eyes on the screen, focused entirely on Oscar, and spoke whatever was on his mind, unfiltered.
“I just want to see you.”
Oscar was back to writing down in his notebook, but Lando could see his small smile and red earlobes, that made the Briton smiled too.
“How was your day?” Oscar’s soft voice echoed through his speakerphone, so Lando told him about his Ibiza trip. Their conversation shifted elsewhere, anywhere after that, and the call ended after Lando’s battery went down to 8%.
He texted Max he was staying in that night, then he slept like a log, no distracting noise in his head.
—————
Lando won in Zandvoort. He almost won in Monza with the upgraded rear wing, but Ferrari (read: Sir Lewis Hamilton) in Italy was just something else.
Things were going really well, the voices in his head became quieter, but everybody could not always win.
Baku was cruel to Lando.
Everything sailed smooth at first, a P4 start for Lando turned to a lead after overtaking his teammate and a messed up strategy by Ferrari causing Lewis to lose the lead, unable to take it back.
He pushed when he should, target laps and pit stops went well. The only problem was that he kept losing time in the last sector. So he tried to go with the throttle, it helped but not so much. Tyres were also wearing out like crazy since he pitted before Alex, but he needed to keep going while his teammate was constantly chasing from behind. Unfortunately, the gap just kept narrowing.
Lando was driving three seconds ahead of Alex when his engine stuttered, he tried to push but this time it did not work. The car kept losing speed.
“I’m losing power.”
“It’s a deployment issue, we have to stop the car.”
Lando was stunned. The words died in his throat, he was unable to say anything.
It was the penultimate lap, Alex drove past him as he was slowing down to a stop on the side.
“I’m really sorry, mate.” Will said before Lando switched the radio off.
The race ended under a VSC as the marshals were trying to retrieve Lando’s car back to the garage. He went back with them, then locked himself in his driver’s room. Lando let the noise in his mind bury him down when he heard someone was at his door.
“Hey,”
“Lando? Can I come—”
He rushed to open the door, knowing it was Oscar’s voice.
He wanted to be alone but also wanted to see Oscar very badly, wanted to get lost in a pair of brown eyes with soft sparkles in them.
Oscar’s eyes always gave him ease and comfort, now they were looking at him with worry.
“Hey, how are you feeling now?” Oscar asked with the softest tone he had ever heard.
“Fucking sucks,” Lando croaked out, “everything was going well, then I went and fucked it up. I couldn’t even bring the car home, I, I—,” he felt his lips shaking and bit down, “I’m a failure.”
A soft hand tugged him in, another one rested on his lower back as Oscar brought him into a hug. Like he did not mind the sweat on Lando’s race suit at all.
“Hey, hey.” Oscar whispered, rubbing circles on his back. “You are not a failure, this kind of situation can happen. I will review everything with the mechanics and report to the engineers. We can fix this before the next race, or take it up with Mercedes, whatever choice you like.”
Lando was still silent, face on Oscar’s shoulder, breath still uneven. He clenched his hands on the fabric of the other’s shirt. Oscar continued,
“I know you always want to fight and win every single race. You always go all in, and you will have me and the team to support you from the pit lane wherever the race track is. You are not a failure, never will be, and we are proud of you, Lando.”
Lando looked up, saw a hand moving his messy curls. Next thing he knew there was a kiss placed on his forehead.
“I’m proud of you too, you’ve always been my favorite driver.”
Lando blinked, Oscar was usually the timid one but he was bold today.
He felt better, even felt like teasing a bit. His tone became lighter, “what was that, Osc?”
Oscar had flushed red now, he stuttered and mumbled, “thought you wanted some comfort.”
“I did! I did!” He tried not to sound amused, Oscar tried to look serious but a giggle left his lips instead.
Lando asked, eyes mischievous now. “So, favorite driver?”
Oscar gave his bunny-teeth killer smile before leaning in to kiss the scar on Lando’s nose, “favorite person too.”
—————
Things turned different after Baku.
Not much had changed in garage number four. Lando still looked like an inspector demanding to know every process involving his own car, staying in his garage longer than any other driver on the grid.
People tended to think that he was really determined to win the Drivers’ Championship this year. Statistically, it was still possible, considering he was only third in Drivers’ standing, and the gap had become tighter after Ferrari’s disasterclasses from the previous races.
McLaren was leading Constuctors’. Alex was also driving exceptionally well. They both had taken many points in Singapore to strengthen the lead.
Some things did change, involving soft calls upon the driver’s room door, late-night knocks on hotel doors, from stealing glances in the garage, kisses behind closed doors, to pats on the helmet before race starts.
The words ‘invincible’ and ‘proud’ had become Lando’s soothing mantras before and after races, the way Oscar said those words had made Lando believe he could do anything, everything. Oscar believed in him, so he did too.
“Osc,” he called one night between Singapore and Texas. They spent hours talking about everything and nothing. Lando was on the balcony in his Monaco apartment, feeling the night sea breeze.
The Australian was at his shared flat in Woking. His eyes were drooping a bit, Lando looked at the video call screen fondly.
“Hmm?” Oscar with bed hair looked so soft, so gentle. The sight made Lando want to fly all the way from Monaco to England right now.
“Would you like to do the honor of being my boyfriend?”
Oscar seemed less sleepy now, his eyes went big for a moment then squinted. A familiar smile that Lando always loved appeared, he started to wonder how a person could look that adorable.
“If you will have me,” he stopped for a beat, “baby.”
Lando swore his heart did a flip then exploded. He did not even try to hide the heart-shaped grin that was showing through the phone screen.
He wanted to shout his whole heart out to the ocean before him, hoping it would reach a certain bedroom in Woking.
I am so in love with you.
—————
The crowd was loud when he crossed the finish line at COTA. The chequered flag waved and he saw Oscar holding the ‘LANDO P1’ sign from the fence.
“Chequered flag, and that’s P1, Lando. Congratulations! What a brilliant drive today,” said Will with barely concealed excitement.
“Woo! I won, we won! Thanks so much for the team, the garage, the factory, the fans, everybody! Car was incredible today. Fuck yes! We won!”
He parked his car in the parc ferme and went up, the team was cheering for him when he threw his hands up in the air.
Alex came to congratulate him with a dap and a hug. He finished only three seconds behind Lando. A remarkable one-two finish for McLaren today.
They went to the team next, starting with Zak, then Andrea, Will gave him a big pat on his back, “good job, mate,” he shouted.
Lando saw his boyfriend in front of the other mechanics, he did not hesitate before throwing his arms around Oscar’s neck.
Oscar whispered, “I’m really proud of you, baby.”
Lando pulled back, mumbled, “you’re going up with me today.”
He then continued to celebrate with other people, exchanging hugs and shoulder squeezes. Excited for the podium celebration.
Lando and Alex were having too much fun spraying champagne on Oscar, Arvid also joined eventually. The poor mechanic could only spray his own bottle defensively before starting to run around, Lando following behind.
Then Oscar turned around with the lovely bunny-teeth grin that made Lando’s heart skip a beat. He attacked the left side of his race suit and Lando was ready to launch back when his boyfriend tilted his head in Arvid’s direction.
“Let’s celebrate his first podium,” so they joined Alex who was spraying Arvid soaked with his champagne.
—————
naya #landoforwdc @minaya_4 — ok i have a serious question… who was the one on the podium with lando today??? im not sure if hes new or not but im sure that he is FINE LIKE SO SO FINE WHO IS HE?????
[💬4 🔄33 🤍488]
> ferr⁴💚 @ferrfourln_ he might be a new hire? boy looks really young
> sebi @sebicooki_ee I WAS THINKING THE SAME TOO like who is this fine fine man he even mogged my driver with a papaya polo shirt like????
> leah²³⁴ @albonoriwcctruther omg he is handsome i need names now like NOW
> Daisy is going to AUSGP @ln4daisyliv he is a mech from lando’s garage! don’t know his name tho i just saw him on live tv when they showed his garage
>> claire 🧡🐸🐶 @norrrrisbox this guy’s been building lando’s car?? i’m never saying any bad words about the car ever again. it can blow up every week and i’ll say thank you.
>>> naya #landoforwdc @minaya_4 😭😭😭
chiffon🍰 check pinned for GA! @chiffournor — hi @.mclarenf1 may i ask who was on the podium today? whats his name? whats his qualification? whats his number? is he single? please tell me he is single
[💬1 🔄6 🤍38]
> McLaren Mastercard Formula 1 Team @McLarenF1 👀👀👀
>> chiffon🍰 check pinned for GA! @chiffournor WAIT HOW DID YOU FIND THIS TWEET? before my oomf??? i didnt even tag properly 😭😭 i know youre oomf now so please answer my questions PLEASEEEEE
McLaren Mastercard Formula 1 Team @McLarenF1 — Great efforts from garage number four 💪 #McLarenF1
[a photo of Oscar working in Lando’s garage]
[💬24 🔄380 🤍2.8K]
> naya #landoforwdc @minaya_4 THATS HIM THATS THE ONE ON THE PODIUM
> rina was at cota @marinalalbono admin knows we are going crazy rn so they post this!
> NORBON FOR WCC @norbon234wcc i didn’t know lando’s got a mech looking his age?
> charlie is looking for moots @charlno4 are you sure he is really a mechanic? he looks like a model in disguise here
> Johnny @johncheersformcl Great efforts indeed! Congrats!
> Lando gifs @gif4norris 💪💪💪
>> pinky 🐸 @pinky4lucky the gifs acc???
jackofalltrades081 @jackofalltrades081 — Congrats to Lando and Alex!
Pit stops were perfectly executed, we also won the fastest pit stop and became the current fastest of this season, 1.95 seconds stop was unbelievable.
Thank you everyone who cheered for us today, let’s do well and win more together.
P.S. My first time on the podium. Champagne was really sticky.
[a selfie of Oscar holding ‘LANDO P1’ sign]
[💬49 🔄824 🤍9.1K]
> naya #landoforwdc @minaya_4 THIS IS YOUR ACCOUNT??? IMMEDIATE FOLLOW
> MIR⁴ @L4NDOMIRRR ummm… hi…
> rina was at cota @marinalalbono yea im with my oomf here… hello hi good evening
> aria⁴ @l4ndarianne congrats to you too and thank you for supporting lando!
> pinky 🐸 @pinky4lucky your name is jack? hello jack! hellooooo
> chiffon🍰 check pinned for GA! @chiffournor since the mcl admin wouldnt answer my questions so here we go. how did you get to be on the podium? whats your qualification? whats your number? are you single? research purposes ofc
> claire 🧡🐸🐶 @norrrrisbox i just want you to know that i love the car very much. you’ve built an incredible car, perfect car, best car ever. thank you so much for giving us this car. i repeat, best car ever.
>> naya #landoforwdc @minaya_4 oomf i cant even 😭😭😭 you want this cookie real bad
> Lando gifs @gif4norris great race today! thank you!
>> pinky 🐸 @pinky4lucky 🤨🧐🤨🧐
> sebi @sebicooki_ee im so happy for lando and the garage, thanks jack!
> leah²³⁴ @albonoriwcctruther do you have your own mech number so i can put it on my rep list? or phone number
>> aria⁴ @l4ndarianne be subtle girl
> Marie #GR1ND @m6ri3_gr a merc fan here but i might start rooting for garage no.4 bc of this boy
> ferr⁴💚 @ferrfourln_ i appreciate the garage’s effort so much!!! thank you for always helping lando
“Seems like your fans think my name is Jack,” Oscar said. He showed his tweet to Lando who was lying down with his head on Oscar’s thigh.
They were back from an after-race party, sneaking out early actually. Now freshened up and less drunk, they decided to just enjoy each other’s presence.
“I mean, they’re not totally wrong. You do have Jack in your full name.”
Then Lando scrolled down. “Oh, God. Are these people for real? Some replies are basically love confessions! Look, I appreciate all the love from my fans, but some of them are clearly head over heels for you here.”
Oscar laughed, almost doubled down as usual, “I’m sure they’re just doing silly copypastas on the internet,” then he took his phone away from Lando. The brunette brought his hand up and placed a gentle kiss on the palm, then nuzzled his cheek into it. “I’m head over heels for my boyfriend here, like, for real.”
Lando felt his face heating up, he mumbled, “you sap.”
Oscar looked down with a smirk, voice soft, “you love it.”
The Briton cupped his face and pulled his boyfriend in, “I love you.”
—————
The air in Abu Dhabi felt electric.
Lando was very excited for the last race of the season, scored a podium and he could be world champion tonight.
Still, he wanted to seal this with a win. Racing with all his might to make the world remember his name after this season was done.
“Go win this. Be invincible.” Oscar said before leaving the track, with a pat on his helmet-covered cheek, their own pre-race ritual.
And then five lights were out.
Lando focused on the race, drove with practiced precision and experience. The heat of the race track did not bother Lando at all, if anything, it made him feel more alive.
Ready to fight. Win. Dominate. Conquer.
He went into the pit lane as Will suggested, then went out just ahead of Max, perfect pit stop time.
With confidence and fresh tyres, Lando pushed until he got past Lewis’ Ferrari, then drove away into the night ahead.
Lando felt free. He was invincible.
Tonight, Lando Norris had won the Abu Dhabi grand prix, World Drivers’ Championship, and another World Constructors’ Championship with McLaren.
A reporter asked him how he was feeling after winning everything tonight, and Lando could not stop smiling, a heart-shaped grin plastered on his face, he replied.
“Feels like I just won an Oscar.”
The reporter laughed, then jokingly corrected him, “I’m sure you have just won the Formula One World Drivers’ Championship, Lando,” she continued to ask about the race. Lando let the interview drift away and answered along.
He felt excited, yet peaceful in his mind.
With Oscar by my side, I can win everything.
—————
“Seriously, Lando. Just won an Oscar? You had to be there because everyone in the garage was teasing me nonstop, even Alex’s team!” Oscar said later when they were alone in Lando’s driver’s room, the world champion was sitting on his mechanic’s lap with a laugh that could light up the whole room.
The post-race interview was aired live on the garage TV. Oscar told him everyone who knew his name was laughing and whistling after Lando blurted that sentence out.
“I had no regrets, though.” The Briton shrugged, “that was practically the declaration of my love for you, sweetheart.”
“That, I’m afraid you were wrong.” That made Lando pouted. How could he be wrong if he said ‘I love you’ to his boyfriend almost everyday?
“Not just, you’ve won me a long time ago, baby.” Oscar finished, and tightened his hold on Lando’s waist.
One kiss on the tip of his nose, then another on the corner of his mouth. Lando smiled so wide his cheeks started to hurt but he did not really care about it.
Oscar’s words sounded like a promise, serious but soft, like everything else about him. “Let’s go everywhere together, be it Australia to the US, or Suzuka to Interlagos. Wherever, whenever, I’m always yours, Lando.”
The kiss that followed was enough to melt Lando completely. He felt loved, cherished, even beautiful with the way Oscar smiled into their kiss. It made him giggle happily.
Lando knew that wherever he went, there would be garage number four supporting him, and he would always find Oscar there. A quiet presence in a loud world of racing, yet carried a gentle love loud enough to shield Lando from all the noise outside.
Anywhere, everywhere in the world.
—————
ferr⁴💚 #WDCLANDO @ferrfourln_ — i cannot with my driver 😭 my goat literally won wdc, wcc, and a gp just to say ‘just won an oscar’ on live tv 😭😭 all bro did in f1 movie was just standing there and thought he was part of the team lmfao
[💬4 🔄124 🤍648]
> sebi (finals mode) @sebicooki_ee LOLOLOLOL he is so funny i hope he doesnt go bald
> rina will be at cota @marinalalbono i was ijboling so hard after hearing that 😂
> MIR⁴ #WDCLANDO @L4NDOMIRRR do you think he was actually doing pr for the movie? how much did they have to pay to get him to say that??
> naya #WDCLANDO @minaya_4 the way my dad asked wtf was he saying and i said i didnt know what was going on either 😭 he just dgaf
naya #WDCLANDO @minaya_4 — ok guys i cant help but #nooticing something… seems like the hot mechanics name is not actually jack??? looks like his name on the paddock pass starts with o and not j? (dont get me wrong but i saw a pic of him on mcl account and couldnt help zooming in)
[an original photo of the mechanics in Lando’s garage] [a cropped and zoomed photo of Oscar’s paddock pass]
[💬6 🔄53 🤍312]
> leah²³⁴ norbon wcc @albonoriwcctruther gurl i zoom in too lol he is just handsome
> MIR⁴ #WDCLANDO @L4NDOMIRRR whaaat? an o… how many letters are there? 5?
>> naya #WDCLANDO @minaya_4 i think so? the quality is so bad im not really sure 😭
> pinky 🐸 @pinky4lucky i think the last letter is r
> aria⁴ @l4ndarianne starts with o ends with r… otmar?
>> leah²³⁴ norbon wcc @albonoriwcctruther girl DONT EVEN i love you but im BLOCKING YOU NOW
> Daisy is going to AUSGP @ln4daisyliv hey… i can think of only one name…
>> chiffon🍰 @chiffournor #watdatmean
> ferr⁴💚 #WDCLANDO @ferrfourln_ WAIT A MINUTE. OH MY FUCKING GOD. LANDO. NORRIS.