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The post-race media duties are over.
Oscar heads to his driver room.
Opening the door, the last person he expects to see waiting for him is Lando Norris.
The door shuts with a soft click.
Lando doesn’t look at him, continuing to stare at the ground.
Oscar sighed. “Lando.”
No response.
“You almost crashed into me.”
That’s when Lando finally looked at him. “I know.”
Oscar studied his expression. His bloodshot eyes, the curve of his mouth. He looked at Lando’s hands, fingernails raw and bitten.
Oscar felt a pang in his heart.
A beat passes.
Oscar leans against the wall, crossing his arms. “You hit me.”
“I didn’t mean to,” Lando admits quietly, like it would change anything. “I thought there was a gap. I thought I could-”
“You couldn’t.” Oscar’s voice comes out harsher than he meant it to. “You ruined your race, almost cost me mine, too. You don’t always have to be the hero, the one on top.”
“Oscar, that’s not fair-”
“No? Then what was that move? Do you have something to prove?” Oscar’s voice wavers. “To the team? To me?”
They fall into an uncomfortable silence.
Lando swallows, “I wasn’t thinking about the team. I was thinking about you.”
Oscar blinks, trying to process Lando’s words.
Lando continues, “You’ve been shutting me out, giving me cold stares, pulling away every time I reach for you,” Lando’s voice trembles. “I thought if I could beat you today-”
Oscar gave a bitter laugh. “Thought what? Thought I’d be proud? Happy? Wanted me to praise you for crashing into me?”
“I thought maybe..you’d have to look at me. See me,” Lando cut in.
“I just- fuck, Oscar. I don’t know how else to get your attention.”
Oscar’s expression morphed into something unreadable. “You think driving into me is how you fix us?”
“Well, it’s clearly the only time you ever look at me anymore,” Lando answered dismissively.
Oscar snapped.
He stormed across the room to where Lando was standing and grabbed his collar.
“No, you don’t get to turn this on me,” Oscar spit out.
“I’m not-”
“You are,” Oscar growls, voice low. “You’re so used to me forgiving you for everything, that you just can’t take responsibility.”
Their chests are nearly touching, with Oscar still holding on to Lando’s collar. Oscar could feel his own chest heaving, could see Lando’s wide eyes swimming with guilt and hurt.
Oscar’s voice turns to something more gentle. “But this time…you really scared me, Lando.”
Lando opens his mouth like he wants to respond, but no sound comes out.
Oscar looks away. “I thought,” he sighs, “for a second, I thought I was going into the wall. And you were behind me.”
“I’m sorry.”
Oscar could hear the regret in his voice.
“Prove it.”
Lando hesitates. “...How?”
Oscar brings their faces closer, close enough for Lando to feel the rage pooling inside him.
“By backing off. By giving me space. Because what happened today is unacceptable. It ends right now.”
Lando’s face changes into a sad expression. “You don’t mean that.”
Oscar doesn’t answer Lando.
Dropping his collar, Oscar turns around and walks out of his driver’s room.
Lando is left to stew in the silence.