Work Text:
It had been a lazy, warm summer day, the kind where the world seemed almost alright. Everyone was lazing in the park, soaking up the sun by swimming pools or wasting time strolling through the city.
Well, everyone except Oscar, it seemed.
He was actually quite happy to have scored his internship at a robotics start-up. It was great work experience for his future career in engineering, and he even earned an, albeit low, salary, so he didn’t need a part-time job like most other students.
But today, he cursed it the entire time he was there.
Sweat trickled down the back of his neck. Everyone kept glancing at their watches, clearly just waiting to go home and spend time with friends or family.
The way home to the shared apartment with Lando felt even longer than usual, the Tube completely overheated and packed with sweaty people, Oscar’s own clothes clinging to him in a way that made him feel vaguely disgusting.
The apartment was empty when he arrived. He decided to take a shower first.
In fresh clothes and armed with a cold drink, he checked his phone.
No news from his family, but that was normal. They were probably asleep; the time difference between Melbourne and London was no joke. His friends had all posted stories about their lazy day: iced drinks, ice cream and sunshine.
A noise came from the door, and a few moments later, Lando entered the room.
“Oscar! How was work?” he asked, plopping down right next to him on the couch, his head dangerously close to the Aussie’s lap.
Before Oscar could even answer, Lando continued, “I went to the park with the guys today. It was so much fun, we got ice cream, and I think you would’ve loved it. You could add so many toppings. We should go sometime, it’s on me. But Alex and Carlos were acting so odd.”
“Sounds nice,” Oscar admitted.
He resisted the urge to reach out and gently card his fingers through Lando’s hair.
Alex and Carlos were probably just flirting with each other again, but Lando could be kind of oblivious about these things. Thank God. Otherwise, he probably wouldn’t have agreed to share a flat with Oscar and would’ve distanced himself immediately.
Funny how Lando was the person he spent the most time with, but also the only one who hadn’t clocked his massive crush.
All their friends made fun of him for his lovesick behavior. They sent him pitying glances whenever Lando talked about dates he had gone on, or when he left the group at a party to make out with a complete stranger.
Even his family had caught on, and they lived on a different continent and had never even met Lando.
But they all had an easy time judging.
His friends were all in relationships, or close to be in one, so they wouldn’t get it. And the stupid advice from Charles to “just move on” wasn’t realistic either. He lived with the guy, after all. Counted him as his best friend.
How was he supposed to just get over that?
He had thought Lando was cute from the moment they met in their first year of uni.
When Oscar first entered their assigned dorm, he had only hoped not to get a complete dick as a roommate. He hadn’t been prepared for the way Lando had smiled at him, open and bright, and immediately decided they were friends, from that first day on.
Over the time they shared a dorm, Lando dragged Oscar out to party more times than he could count and always brightened up his day, no matter how homesick or fed up with classes he was. Oscar grew endeared to Lando’s slightly clumsy behavior, his ramblings that never stayed on the same topic for long, the brightness of him, the softness.
It had been inevitable, really, that Oscar would fall for him.
They didn’t understand. He wasn’t bitter. He didn’t resent Lando for not noticing. He didn’t feel angry about the dates or the strangers or the obliviousness.
He was happy.
He’d much rather have this, these quiet evenings, this warmth, than some half-hearted romance with someone else.
He was happy. Truly.
So of course, when Lando’s silly Twitch channel took off and he dropped out, they decided to move into a real apartment together.
It was much nicer than their dorm had been.
But sometimes Oscar missed falling asleep to Lando’s soft snores drifting across the small room. Missed the quiet certainty that Lando was only a few feet away. Missed pretending that closeness meant something more.
“Do you still need to stream tonight?” Oscar asked.
“No, we can just spend time together. Let’s order some Chinese.”
“Sure.”
Oscar pulled out his phone and opened Uber Eats. Lando sat up and leaned closer to peek at the screen, his curls tickling Oscar’s neck and making his breath hitch. Oscar added Lando’s usual order, then Lando queued up some lo-fi music, perfect for unwinding. While they waited for the food, Lando rolled himself a joint.
He offered it to Oscar, who waved it off. “No thanks.”
It wasn’t like Oscar never smoked, but he saved it for rare occasions.
Lando shrugged and lit up. He took a drag, leaned his head back, and let pink lips curl around the smoke as it drifted out. Something about it looked like a painting to Oscar, like it shouldn’t have been this entrancing.
Oscar wasn’t sure it was the healthiest habit, smoking a few times a week "to calm down", but he remembered a time when Lando had cried in his arms just as often, unhappy with his courses or later terrified he’d made a mistake dropping out and spending too much time reading hate comments. There was something painfully beautiful about how Lando carried it all now, that fragile strength Oscar longed to shield.
So yes, he’d rather Lando cope like this.
𖤓 ｡𖦹°‧ ⋆☀︎.
They lay on a blanket beneath the skylight, watching the sun slowly sink, half-empty delivery containers scattered beside them.
Lando, already giggling too much, told him about his day.
“So Alex was acting so stupid the entire time. Like, giggling nonstop. And Charles rejected this absolute ten out of ten because he’s still convinced he’ll end up with Max Verstappen.”
Oscar laughed.
Truly such a Charles thing to do.
Charles was a huge Formula 1 fan, most people joked that it made sense, considering how reckless he drove. Lando, meanwhile, had somehow ended up streaming sim racing with Max once, exchanged numbers afterward, and now had semi-regular contact with him.
Which, of course, made Charles believe Lando just needed to introduce them, and he’d end up married to a world champion, with the right to yell at Grand Prix live instead of at the TV every weekend.
And honestly, Oscar wasn’t entirely convinced it was unrealistic.
Charles was as pretty as he was determined.
Oscar let his head fall to the side, still listening to Lando’s ramblings as they slowly faded out.
The sunset illuminated Lando’s tan skin, turning it golden. His hair fell softly into his face, and once again Oscar felt the urge to reach out and brush it away. His green-blue eyes were fixed on the pink sky above them.
Oscar’s gaze wandered over the slope of Lando’s nose, the way his long lashes cast shadows across his cheekbones in the dim light, his full lips.
Their friends would have teased him for the heart-eyes again if they saw him like this.
But he didn’t care.
And then he noticed Lando’s sea-glass eyes looking back at him.
“Hey,” Lando giggled when Oscar met his gaze, lips curving into that heart-shaped smile, showing off his tiny tooth gap.
Adorable, Oscar thought.
Oscar swallowed. “What?”
Lando’s gaze moved over Oscar’s face in that same slow, deliberate way Oscar’s had lingered on his moments before. Like he was piecing something together.
“I think…” he started, almost to himself.
He huffed out a small breath, half-surprised.
“I think I’m in love with you.”
And… what?
Oscar’s heart skipped so violently it almost hurt. Heat rushed to his face, up to the tips of his ears.
“Lando, you’re just high,” he muttered, tearing his gaze away.
“No, Osc. Look at me,” Lando said quietly.
When Oscar didn’t, Lando reached up and gently turned his face back toward him. The smile was gone.
“I really think I’m in love with you,” he said, voice suddenly steady.
The living room fell completely silent.
Oscar could hear his own heartbeat, loud and frantic in his ears.
“You can’t mean that,” he whispered.
“Why not?” Lando asked, almost offended.
“Just… please don’t do this to me,” Oscar pleaded.
“What do you mean?” Lando pressed.
“You can’t say stuff like that, Lando.” Oscar swallowed. “You always say things without thinking. Everyone forgives you because you’re sweet and nice. But this—” His voice cracked slightly. “It’s not fair to me.”
He sucked in a breath.
“I’ve liked you since first year,” he admitted, the words tumbling out. “This is serious to me.”
Lando’s expression softened. He reached up and stroked Oscar’s cheek with his thumb.
“I mean it,” he said quietly. “I promise.”
Oscar was terrified. Terrified this was just the weed talking. Terrified that tomorrow Lando would apologize. Laugh it off. Say he didn’t mean it.
“Tomorrow,” Lando continued, moving closer, “I’ll tell you again. And the day after that. And the day after that too.”
He leaned in slowly, so close Oscar could feel his breath against his lips, could see the flecks of blue and green dancing in his eyes.
“Can I?” Lando asked softly.
Oscar nodded.
Their lips met.
Lando tasted faintly of chinese takeout and smoke.
There where no butterlies or fireworks. Instead, it was warmth.
Like a hug after a bad day. Like hot cocoa in winter. Like Tim Tams after dinner.
“Can you stay?” Lando murmured against his mouth.
“Always,” Oscar breathed.
They didn’t talk for the rest of the evening. They didn’t need to. They just lay there, close together, wrapped in the quiet warmth of something new and something that had always been there.
𖤓 ｡𖦹°‧ ⋆☀︎.
The sun tickled Oscar awake far too early.
A faint fruity scent, Lando’s shampoo, the one extra for his curly hair, filled his senses.
He’d had dreams like this before. Similar ones. But this felt different.
Real.
He hummed softly and burrowed closer into the warmth beside him.
Wait—What?
His eyes flew open.
Lando was there. Actually there. Right next to him.
So he hadn’t dreamed it.
Not the kiss. Not the confession.
Oscar lifted a hand and lightly touched his own lips.
But what if Lando woke up and recoiled? What if he panicked? Accused Oscar of taking advantage of him?
Oscar went very still.
He was too nervous to go back to sleep, but he didn’t want to get up either, and just lying there watching Lando sleep felt weird. In the end, he decided the safest option was to shut his eyes and pretend to be asleep.
He lay there stiffly, listening to Lando’s soft snuffles and snores, trying not to move, not to touch him, not to breathe too differently.
It felt ridiculous.
It also felt wonderful.
After a while, the snoring stopped. Lando yawned and shifted.
“Oscar,” he murmured. “Are you awake?”
“Mhm.” Oscar fluttered his eyes open as if just waking. The light genuinely stung, which helped sell it.
“Hey.” Lando smiled at him, hair flattened on one side, eyes still sparkling.
Oscar’s heart did something small and helpless at the domesticity of it all.
“Morning.” he mumbled.
Lando brushed hair off his forehead.
“I’m in love with you.”
Oscar blinked.
Lando giggled. “You seemed unsure yesterday.”
“What did you expect? You just said it out of nowhere.”
“Sorry,” Lando mumbled. “I just… never really noticed before. And then we were lying there and I thought about how nice it always is with you. How you’re always there for me. And I just— I realized it.”
He huffed softly. “I’m stupid.”
“Don’t say that,” Oscar murmured.
“But you’re serious? You like me?” Oscar asked carefully.
Lando rolled his eyes. “Yes, I’m serious, Osc. How many times do I have to say it?”
Oscar let out a shaky breath. “It just feels unreal.”
“I like you too,” he added quickly.
“Good.” Lando smiled.
“Since first year,” he admitted.
Lando stared at him. “Why didn’t you say anything, you muppet? I might’ve realized sooner.”
“I didn’t want to ruin what we had.”
“You could never,” Lando said, oddly sincere.
They smiled at each other for a long, quiet moment.
“So… do you want to try—?” Lando motioned between them.
“Like… a relationship?” Oscar asked, unable to stop himself from smiling shyly at the word.
“Yes, you muppet. Like a relationship.”
“Can I kiss you?” Oscar asked softly.
“My boyfriend can kiss me whenever he wants.”
Oscar didn’t let him say anything else. He leaned in and kissed him again.
This time it was slower. Deeper. Oscar could feel Lando smile into the kiss, the curve of his mouth soft and obvious against his own. He deepened it, licking into Lando’s mouth, his tongue brushing over the tiny gap in his teeth.
When they finally pulled apart, Oscar rested their foreheads together.
“You’re so pretty,” he murmured.
Lando laughed softly. “You’re not so bad yourself.”
He tucked himself against Oscar’s chest.
“Can we stay here?”
Oscar really should work on his assignment. They should probably get up, get breakfast. He’d take Lando to their favourite bakery later, just to see his face light up at the sight of something sweet.
“Sure.”
He wrapped his arms around Lando’s tiny waist and pressed a kiss into his messy hair.
“Love you.”
Maybe the assignment could wait.
He’d already waited long enough for this.