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Lando wasn’t worried at all. That’s what he told himself as a toddler was dropped off at his house by two very tired looking parents. The father of the little girl was one of his older cousins, and the young couple was looking for a much-needed date night. So, the obvious solution was to dump the kid at a high school boy’s house, while he was home alone. Great.
“Hey sweetheart, what’s your name?” Lando stepped forward, crouching in front of the three-year-old. The little girl glared at him.
“Lina.”
“That’s a really pretty name, Lina.” Lando mused, setting the tote bag full of Lina’s toys and clothing on the kitchen counter. “Your parents said it’s almost time for your dinner. What do you like to eat?”
Lina plopped down on the floor, pouting.
“M’ not hungry.”
Lando closed the door of the fridge he had just opened.
“Alright. Um, do you want to–” Lando reached into the tote bag and pulled out a set of wooden blocks. “Play a bit before dinner?”
Lina motionlessly stared up at the older boy.
“I’m going to say that means yes.”
Lando started to stack the blocks, trying to pique the little girl’s interest. She was stone-faced. He started building one closer to her, a pyramid of sorts, before knocking it down. Toddlers liked doing that, didn’t they?
Lina started wailing. Great. Twenty minutes in, and the kid was already crying.
“Um… want to play with this instead?” Lando procured a doll, a princess wearing a blue dress with three tortoiseshell buttons down the middle and a sparkly tiara in her hair.
Lina’s waterworks suddenly dried up, and two chubby fists were reaching out for the doll. Lando quickly handed it over, not wanting to be the cause of a second wailing session. Lina happily cradled the doll, babbling to it and making it walk along the hardwood floor. She seemed entertained enough for Lando to rush upstairs for a second and make her toddler-sized bed. It used to be Cisca’s, but Lando’s mother had kept the pink-and-green candy striped bed, claiming it was “sentimentally valuable”.
Lando laid out a pillow, fluffing it out to the best of his abilities, stretching a fitted sheet over the mattress, spreading a tiny pink comforter over the bed. Cute.
Lando closed the door with a satisfied slam, and headed downstairs to find Lina sprawled on the ground, battling with the doll.
A lock of the poor girl’s long, light brown hair was tangled in the buttons of her beloved doll’s dress, an even larger chunk threaded through the complicated pattern of the doll’s tiara. Lando rushed forward, scooping the girl into his arms.
“Shhh, everything’s going to be fine. Stay still,” Lando murmured, trying to wrangle the strands of hair out of the plastic accessories. “Stay still,” Lando grumbled, pulling at one particularly aggressive knot.
“Ow,” Lina whined. “Ow,” she continued, rather mournfully. Lando continued for the next minutes, before giving up, scooping Lina up and placing her on the kitchen counter.
“So sorry about this, Leens. But what has to be done, has to be done.”
Lando drew a stick of Kerrygold Salted Butter out of the Norris family fridge. Lina saw the bar of hardened fat and immediately knew what was happening. Her eyes widened in disbelief, looking Lando with an almost comical look of betrayal.
“That’s butter,” she stated, poking at the butter with a pudgy finger.
“Yep.”
Lina stared at him for about a second before she was in action, desperately trying to scoot off the countertop and away from the amalgamation of fat. Lando lunged over the marble, pulling Lina back to where he was standing.
“Do you want your doll out of your hair or not?”
Lina nodded.
Lando unwrapped the stick, scooped up a tablespoon’s worth, and got to work.
An hour later, Lando was ready to give up. There were two sticks of salted butter in Lina’s hair, the kid had been sobbing the entire time, and the doll’s tiara was still very much attached to Lina’s head. There was a plethora of combs and brushes on the countertop stolen from his sister’s rooms, now greased up with melted butter. There were slick buttery handprints all over the kitchen, half Lina’s half his.
Lando picked up his phone, dialed a familiar number.
“Lando?”
“I need backup.”
“Oh my god.” Was the first thing that left Oscar’s mouth as he stepped into the kitchen. “Oh my god what did you do to her.”
Lando looked over with pleading eyes. “This is why I called. Help.”
“Okay, okay,” Oscar soothed, stepping over the mess of toys in the living room. “Uh– start with what you did to her hair.” He motioned at the oily rat's nest that was currently Lina’s hair.
Lando took a deep breath. “Got this doll stuck in her hair, tried to brush it out, then tried to put butter in it to slick it up, tried to brush it out again, didn’t work. Tried to rip it out, kid cried, understandably.” Lando turned to look at Lina. “I’m so sorry.” Lina just stared up at him with that mournful expression of hers.
Oscar made his way over to the counter, scooping the very buttery toddler into his arms.
“Let’s go take a bath, sound good baby?”
“Hey! That’s my name!”
Oscar rolled his eyes, contradictory to the smile on his lips.
“Are you seriously jealous of a three-year-old right now?”
They made their way into Lando’s bathroom, filling the bathtub with warm water and making bubbles with Lando’s cashmere-sandalwood body wash. Oscar somehow undressed Lina without a fight, settling the toddler in the water with a gentle splash. Lina giggled, palming at the foamy bubbles.
Oscar turned around to smirk at Lando. “Don’t know why you had so much trouble, mate. The kid’s a delight.”
Lina even laughed as Oscar smacked globs of conditioner into her hair, even as he used a comb to pry the toy out of the brown locks. Lando crouched by the tub, pushing around a bath toy of Thomas the Train for Lina’s entertainment. The doll had to be discarded, since it was waterlogged, buttered, and had strands of hair stuck in the tiara. But, the little girl was squeaky clean, and had managed to keep most of her hair.
“Thank you,” Lando smiled, pecking Oscar on the cheek from where he was toweling off Lina’s hair. “Knew you would come save the day.”
“All you have to do is ask, and I’ll be there any day, any situation, to save your sorry ass.” Oscar leaned down to kiss the tip of Lando’s nose. “Uh– butt. You didn’t hear that, Lina.”
Lina’s eyes were intently trained on the pair.
“You and him, husband?”
Lando opened his mouth to correct her.
“Definitely someday,” Oscar answered, cutting off Lando. His cheeks burned, and he knew Oscar was imagining the same scene as him. Them, someday, married and in their own home, with their own little girl. Lina cut off his train of thought by hopping off the toilet where she had perched.
“I’m hungry,” she announced, little fist grabbing onto Lando’s pinky finger, leading him down to the kitchen.
They trailed down the stairs, Lando occasionally having to scoop Lina up after an almost-tumble.
Then, Lando remembered the butter fiasco had covered the kitchen in oily handprint-graffiti.
“Uh– I’ll cook, you clean?” Oscar offered. Lando gratefully accepted, pulling out a sponge and a spray bottle of kitchen cleaner as Oscar started browning ground beef and onions in a pan. Lina busied herself puttering around the kitchen, pulling open low cabinets and clinging onto Oscar’s sweatpants from where he stood over the stove.
Twenty minutes later, Lando rinsed off the last of his sister’s hairbrushes. He turned to find Lina comfortably seated on Oscar’s hip, a pair of chubby hands fisted in the collar Oscar’s royal blue sweatshirt, Oscar’s own much larger hand cradling the toddler’s back, holding her up as he stirred pasta on the stove. Oscar scooped up a bit of bolognese sauce with a spoon, blowing on it to cool it before lifting it up to Lina’s lips for her to taste. Lando heard Oscar ask the little girl if it was good, the answer came in the form of a nod and a cheek kiss. The scene was painfully domestic.
“Lando–” Oscar turned, surprised to find Lando already looking at them. “You staring?”
Lando shrugged. “Can’t help myself. You’re irresistible.”
Oscar chuckled, cheeks flushing red. “Shut up. I’ve literally got a very young and impressionable little girl on my hip.”
In return, Lina glowered, pursing her lips.
“I’m a big girl.”
Oscar immediately apologized.
“Yes, you’re a big girl. Do you want to go sit in your chair like a big girl, and then Lando and I will go grab our food?”
She nodded, scampering off to clamber into her booster chair. Oscar spooned the spaghetti bolognese onto two plates, then cut the noodles of one portion before putting it in a silicone bowl.
“Dinner is served,” Oscar announced with a flourish, placing a plate in front of Lando and then the bowl in front of Lina. The little girl immediately dug in. “Well, she’s not a picky eater. Unlike somebody,” Oscar sniped.
Lando pouted.
“Hey. I love your spaghetti.” Lando ate a forkful, sighing as the taste melted onto his tongue. “It’s always so good, and you won’t tell me your secrets.”
“You wouldn’t cook either way, mate.”
“Hmm. True.”
The dishes were washed, leftovers were stowed in a tupperware, and Lina had been put to bed. The little girl was adorably sleepy after her meal, falling asleep in Lando’s arms as he carried her upstairs, putting on her princess pajamas and tucking her in after plaiting her hair in a single braid down her back. No hair-tangling risks here.
Lando flopped into his own bed, stripped down to a pair of boxers and an oversized seaside shirt, both Oscar’s. The ensuite bathroom leaked light into the dark bedroom, where Oscar was brushing his teeth, getting ready for bed. He was staying overnight, and Lando didn’t even have to do that much convincing.
Something about seeing Oscar with a kid today, gently shampooing her hair, dressing her, cooking with her planted on his hip as if she were his own, had lit a spark in him. It was hot.
Oscar stepped out of the bathroom, flicking off the light as he exited. Oscar’s only items of clothing were a pair of gray sweatpants slung low over his hips, an orange beaded bracelet on his right wrist, and a couple braided ones on his left, which left the entire toned expanse of his torso on display. Lando’s mouth was watering. Oscar settled on his side of the bed.
“You wanna watch something?”
Lando wanted to do more than that. But whatever Oscar was in the mood for was fine.
“Sure. Brooklyn 99?”
Oscar turned on Netflix, logging into his own account, since his was the one they always watched shows on.
The episode picked up, but Lando couldn’t focus. He could only concentrate on the rise and fall of Oscar’s bare chest beside him, the way his shower-damp hair was drying fluffy, the moles dotting his boyfriend’s veiny wrists.
“You okay?”
Oscar had caught Lando staring. He paused the show. Lando swallowed.
“Yeah.” His voice came out pitchier than expected.
“Yeah?” Oscar parroted, pulling Lando flush to his side, nuzzling into the top of his curls. Lando wondered if he could feel his heartbeat pounding against his ribcage. Oscar restarted the episode.
Lando couldn’t help but notice Oscar smelled like his body wash, his shampoo, was wearing his bracelet on his right wrist. It sparked something deliciously possessive in the pit of his stomach. Lando squirmed, stilling immediately when Oscar’s hand snaked under his shirt, traveling up to rest on the nape of his neck, cradling his upper back. Lando shivered at the contact. His boyfriend’s fingers played with a couple stray curls there, his eyes still trained on the show playing on the TV. Was Oscar just truly oblivious to what he was doing to Lando? Lando shifted restlessly from where he was laying on Oscar’s chest.
Oscar turned to look at Lando, not even bothering to pause the show this time.
“Sure you’re okay?”
Lando closed the space between them, fisting a hand into the waistband of his boyfriend’s sweats. His lips tasted like minty toothpaste. Oscar tore his attention away from the screen, sitting up and dragging Lando into his lap. Straddling Oscar’s thighs, Lando’s hands slid into his boyfriend’s hair, giving an experimental tug, finding purchase in the brown strands. Oscar made a pleased noise into Lando’s mouth. Oscar’s hands were sliding up Lando’s shirt, rubbing distracted circles on the tan planes of skin, gripping hard on his waist when Lando slung his arms over his shoulders, deepening the kiss before pulling away. Panting, Oscar immediately mouthed down the sharp angle of Lando’s jaw, traveling down his neck, nuzzling at the powdery laundry-detergent scent of Lando’s shirt.
“Off?” Lando whispered, voice breathy and high.
Oscar blatantly ignored his question, opting to hike the bottom hem of Lando’s t-shirt all the way up to his collarbones, disappearing under the tent of light blue material. Oscar’s hands were gripping his ribcage, digging into the divot of his spine, mouth sucking and licking bruises onto the unmarked skin.
Lando threw his head back against the headboard, letting himself revel in the sensation of his boyfriend’s skilled tongue.
“Oscar–”
There was a light knock on Lando’s door. Oscar withdrew, looking up at Lando with wide eyes.
“Is that–”
The door creaked open, revealing Lina standing at the doorway, pink blanket wrapped around her little body.
“Lina?” Lando unfroze first, scrambling out of bed to crouch in front of the toddler. She was crying, eyes rimmed red and nose snotty. “Baby, what happened?”
Lina shook her head, clinging onto Lando as he carried her over to the bed and Oscar.
“Sweetheart,” Oscar murmured, wrapping Lina into his arms, a steady hand cradling the back of her head. “Do you want to tell us why you’re sad?”
“Bad dream,” came her answer, broken by hiccups as she curled further into Oscar.
Lando settled beside his boyfriend, tucking a strand of hair behind Lina’s ear where it had fallen out of her braid. Oscar held Lina, rocking the little girl back and forth until the tears stopped.
“Lina, baby, do you want to sleep here with us?”
She nodded, and Oscar laid down, Lina still clinging to him. Lando settled behind Oscar, pulling his boyfriend into his arms from behind, tangling their legs together. Lando placed a gentle kiss on the back of Oscar’s neck, then another on his lips as Oscar turned to face him, Lina happily sandwiched in between them.
“Goodnight.” Lina’s voice was small, muffled by the duvet she had pulled over half her face.
“Goodnight,” Oscar murmured.
“Sweet dreams,” Lando finished.
The morning started with Lina shooting out of a bed like a rocket, poking at Lando’s face until he woke up with a groan.
“Lina?” Lando rubbed the sleep out of his eyes.
“Lando! Breakfast?”
Lando checked the clock on his nightstand. It wasn’t even seven yet. But, the kid was hungry, and it was Lando’s job to keep her fed and happy.
“Okay, okay,” Lando agreed, taking Lina’s hand so she could drag him down the stairs. “D’you want pancakes? Or eggs?”
Lina responded with a happy noise, sitting on the kitchen floor as Lando started puttering around, making one of the only foods he could actually pull off. Pancakes from a box mix.
“What’s this?” Lina stood on her tiptoes, peering over the edge of the counter.
“You want to help?” Lando dragged over a kitchen chair, boosting the toddler onto the cushioned platform. He cracked an egg into the mix, pouring in a cup of milk and half a stick of melted butter. He and Lina both eyed the butter with suspicion. They hadn’t forgotten what went down last night. Handing the mixing spoon to Lina to stir with, Lando started on the eggs, the way he knew Oscar liked, with cottage cheese mixed in to meet his protein goals for football. (He knew it sounded gross, and he thought it was until Oscar forced him to try it a couple months ago.)
Spooning the cooked eggs into a serving plate, Lando turned his attention to Lina and the pancakes. He shifted the chair over to the stove so Lina could stand there with him, not super confident in his skills to balance a child on his hip like Oscar was. He added about a quarter cup of batter to a heated and buttered pan, the pancake spreading out to a near-perfect circle. Lina nodded in satisfaction, grabbing the measuring cup to make the next one.
Oscar woke to the smell of pancakes and the sound of quiet giggles floating up from the kitchen. Throwing on a t-shirt, he made his way down the set of winding stairs, stopping by the archway entrance of the kitchen to admire the scene. Lando, guiding Lina through the process of making the perfect golden-brown pancake. Them giggling, Lina peering over the edge of the pan, standing on one of the dining room chairs.
“Good morning,” Lando greeted. “There’s coffee if you need any.”
Oscar grumbled his thanks, filling a mug and downing it.
“Oscar!” Lina greeted, waving a spatula in the air. “Pancakes!”
Oscar smiled, affectionately ruffling Lina’s hair. “Lando makes the best pancakes. But, it seems he has competition.” Lina nodded in agreement, smacking Lando with the spatula in the process.
“Ow,” Lando complained. “Anyways, eggs are on the table already if you’re hungry. Also, cut some strawberries, will you?”
Oscar obliged, pulling out a cutting board and a carton of berries from the fridge. The berries stained the board red, the sweet juice leaking their garden-fresh scent into the air. Oscar finished cutting, dropping the knife into the sink to wash later. He grabbed the cutting board, gaze trained on the window looking over the Norris's pool. It looked like good weather today. Maybe they could swim later.
A pudgy hand was stealing strawberries from the cutting board.
“Hey! Lina!”
The little girl giggled, smushing the sweet fruit into her mouth.
“Thief!”
Oscar scooped up Lina by the armpits, depositing her at the kitchen table, the two of them laughing so hard they couldn’t breath.
“If you want strawberries, you’re going to have to wait until we bring everything to the table, sweetheart. Patience is key.”
Oscar made his way back into the kitchen, grabbing the syrup and strawberries and sliding them onto the table, right next to Lando’s pancakes and eggs.
They took their seats at the table, digging into the meal.
“It looks nice outside,” Lando noted, getting up from the table to open up the french doors to their balcony. “Feels nice, too.” A gentle spring breeze blew in from the lake and the sun was shining, bright and cheery.
“Should we swim later?”
Lando thought for a second.
“Sure. We’ll stay in the shallow section though, and we’re using those toddler floats. No accidents are happening here.”
Oscar gave a thumbs up, stacking dirty plates and utensils.
“So I’ll clean up the kitchen and you get Lina in her bathing suit?”
“Sounds good.”
After Oscar finished the dishes, he stepped out to the Norris’s pool area, turning on the pool heating, dusting off a couple lounge chairs and setting out towels. He had borrowed a pair of Lando’s swim trunks, an offensive neon green color.
“Lina! Slow down or you’re going to fall!”
The little girl, wearing a purple polka-dotted bathing suit, sprinted at him, almost knocking him over.
“Whoa there, no running around the pool or you’re going to fall.”
Lando finally caught up. Oscar turned, motioning to where Lina was wading in the shallow end of the pool
“You’re literally a track athlete signed to a D1 school next year, and you’ve been outrun by a toddler?”
Lando glared up at him, poking him in the chest.
“Hey. I’m distance, not sprinting. And that kid right there, she’s definitely a sprinter.”
“Yeah, sure.”
Oscar settled on a lounge chair, content with reading his novel and watching Lando and Lina splash around in the water.
Around the thirty minute mark, Oscar called out,
“Having fun?”
Lowering his book, Oscar found Lando being mercilessly splashed by Lina.
“Yep. Having loads of fun,” came Lando’s response.
At the hour mark, Oscar hauled the pair out of the pool, muttering about reapplying sunscreen and staying hydrated.
Uncapping the lid, Oscar rubbed the white sunblock into Lando’s back, much to Lando’s protest. Something about–
“I need to stay tan!”
“Yeah, but you don’t need skin cancer.”
That had shut Lando up. Oscar swiped two stripes of the suncream onto his boyfriend’s cheeks, cradling his face to bend down and plant a kiss on his forehead from where he stood.
“Love you,” Lando whispered, wrapping his arms around Oscar’s hips from where he was sitting on a pool chair. He watched Lina, who was already uv-protected, play with her color-changing magnetic tiles by the pool house, far from the water’s edge.
“I love you too.” There was the steady weight of Lando’s head against his stomach, the rise and fall of his breath, the steady sunshine on his back and the sound of happy babbling from Lina. Oscar felt at peace.
“D’you think we’ll be able to have something like this someday? Our own little girls, our own house with a pool that’s filled with the sound of our girls laughing and talking?”
“I’ll do everything in my power to make it happen.”
Lando closed his eyes, basking in the sun, but mostly just Oscar.
“Me too. We’ll make it happen together.”