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Lando blinked himself awake, tiredly prying his eyes open and then squeezing them shut again as he stretched.
To his surprise, his arms ended up hitting something warm on their way down. Looking over, he felt a small smile growing on his face as he was greeted to the sight of one Oscar Jack Piastri, his official boyfriend as of their date last night.
Sitting up, he took a moment to appreciate the way Oscar looked in his bed, how he glowed in the early light of morning.
Oscar’s hair, normally a dark, rich brown almost seemed to glitter as his blond highlights were brought out by the sunlight, a strand slowly giving in to gravity and falling delicately across his face. The light also illuminated his skin, making him seem golden, a better sight than the gold of any trophy Lando had ever gotten before.
The sunlight climbed further and further up Oscar’s face, slowly reaching from his neck to his chin, lips, cheeks, nose. Lando made a game of trying to guess which of Oscar’s freckles would get hit next by the light. He wasn’t very successful, mostly just getting distracted staring.
A small noise brought Lando back into the present, watching with something close to awe as Oscar’s nose scrunched in response to the light finally reaching his eyes. The action made his mouth pull up a bit, revealing his bunny teeth before he turned to the side, now fully facing Lando and slipping back into a restful sleep. Lando looked on lovingly. He could watch his boyfriend all day, probably.
His boyfriend. Lando couldn’t believe that he got to call this man his own, that they’d actually gotten together. If he didn’t know better, he’d wonder if maybe he was still dreaming.
The twisting motion had caused the sheets Oscar was under to shift, falling from his upper body and tangling between his legs, revealing his bare chest. The way he was laying down also meant that his waist was dipping in, Lando admiring how the curve led into his thighs and legs, his arm twitching by his side as he resisted the temptation to hold his boyfriend, not wanting to disturb his rest.
Instead, he looked away quickly, trying not to give in. This wasn’t his best idea, as he was now faced with Oscar’s navel, chest, and shoulders, which somehow made the urge to reach out and grab even worse than it was before, seeing all the new moles and freckles he’d never noticed Oscar’d had, never having gotten the chance to look that closely.
He couldn’t hold back, leaning forward to kiss the junction between Oscar’s shoulder and neck, mouthing on the skin slightly. Once he’d started, he figured there was no reason to stop, moving on to the rest of Oscar’s chest and neck.
It was when he got to Oscar’s jaw that the man beneath him began to stir, Lando pausing to see if he would wake up.
“Mm, morning?” Oscar’s voice was gravelly, still waking up, deeper than Lando had ever had the pleasure of hearing, and it was a pleasure. A squinted gaze was directed towards Lando, being replaced a few seconds later by a content smile that Lando couldn’t help but respond to with one of his own.
“Morning, baby. Sleep well?” He was still right next to Oscar’s face, and leaned in to kiss him on his lips, feeling a soft press against his own as Oscar pushed into him, bracing himself up on the bed by one hand to sit up a bit.
He broke the kiss to bite gently at Oscar’s lower lip, enjoying watching as the other’s face went from a light dusting of pink to nearly fully flushed, though that may have been more due to the hand Lando’d placed on his hip, which he squeezed just to see if Oscar could get even darker. The answer to that question, Lando was delighted to find, was yes.
He took pity on him and let go, though the dazed expression on Oscar’s face remained. Lando smiled and let his thoughts drift to thinking about the rest of the day. Hm, he was feeling kind of peckish.
“Want me to go get us some breakfast? I know this one place, not too far of a walk.”
Oscar sat up, doing a full body stretch that reminded Lando of a cat while he yawned, looking over and blinking sleepily at him before responding. “Too tired to be walking around this early, I think. Can we order in?”
He was too cute. Lando couldn’t resist reaching out to hold Oscar’s face and guide him into another kiss, enjoying the moment until his stomach reminded him of his hunger, rumbling a bit.
He thought back to what Oscar had asked. “We can, yeah.” Breakfast in bed with Oscar didn’t sound too bad, might even be better than going out. “Are you in the mood for something savory or sweet?”
“Savory, I think.” Lando nodded and kissed Oscar again, just a peck this time, telling him to go back to bed while Lando ordered their food. The responding closed eyed smile Oscar gave him had him feeling giddy.
Savory, huh? It was too bad he was in the mood himself for something sweet that morning. Although, as he thought about Oscar in his bed, he smirked and figured he might get what he wanted anyways. Lando picked up his pace, suddenly eager to order their food and then get back to the bedroom as quickly as possible. He had a boyfriend waiting for him, after all.
-
Oscar knocked on the door to Lando’s motorhome, laughing when he heard grumbling on the other side. He laughed even more when a very disgruntled looking Lando opened the door, his curls mussed and a tired look on his face.
“Good morning, Lando.” Oscar’s voice was almost sing-songy, and he grinned wide seeing the frown Lando sent his way.
“It’s way too early to be working out. Aren’t you supposed to like sleeping in, why did you want to do this? Why did I agree?” Oscar followed Lando inside, smiling as he thought about his plan for the near future, shutting the door and leaning back on it. He was unable to keep a hint of laughter out of his voice as he spoke.
“I wanted us to do this because I’m a great boyfriend who wants us to spend more time together. And you’re going to do it because you want to be able to prove that you’re even a fraction as good a boyfriend as I am.”
Lando paused where he’d been packing his workout bag, a shirt in hand, turning to face Oscar. “Excuse me? I’m a great boyfriend, whose date night is it that you just mentioned? Mine, that’s right. That’s lots of time spent together. And, also, look, I’m awake for you before the sun’s even risen, which makes me, I think, the best boyfriend to exist. I set an alarm for this!”
“Wow. An alarm. He must really care.” Lando threw his shirt, Oscar laughing as he dodged it.
Lando sent Oscar a suspicious look, walking over to pick up the shirt. “You’re far too chipper for how early it is. What’s got you in such a giggly mood?”
“Nothing’s going on, I’m just excited to spend time with you.” Oscar hoped his voice wasn’t too keyed up, trying his best to sound normal, which was hard between Lando being so close to him and his building anticipation. Thankfully, though, after one last look of suspicion Lando backed off, talking as he went.
“We’re together all the time. I don’t believe you.” Lando’s tone was much more playful now, sounding amused.
Oscar raised his eyebrow, even knowing Lando couldn’t see him at the moment. “Wow. So that means I can’t be excited about spending more time with you, just because we’ve already had a lot of time together?”
“Not when it involves getting up before the sun, you can’t be.” Oscar hummed in response, letting a comfortable silence fill the room.
He enjoyed the quiet moments like this, when they could exist together with no one else around. When he could freely admire Lando, his hair still slightly out of place from having recently woken up, the stretch of the muscles in his arms and legs as he reached up to grab a towel from an upper cabinet.
Soon enough, though, it was time to go. Checking that nobody else was there to see, Oscar reached out for Lando’s hand, holding it as they walked to the gym.
Oscar wished they didn’t have to hide their relationship, but neither of them were ready to be out to the public, so they worked with what they could. Still, sometimes he longed to be able to express how he felt for everyone to see, which is why he’d been working on his plan for so long, to be able to scratch that itch, even if only just a bit.
When they reached their destination, it was empty. Oscar smiled, seeing that everything had been set up as he’d asked.
Blankets and pillows were on the floor facing the window, a small bag in the middle of it all. He heard Lando gasp when he noticed, whipping around to face Oscar.
“What’s all this?” Lando looked bewildered and completely caught off guard, just as Oscar had hoped.
He said nothing, giving a small smile in response to Lando’s question, leading them down onto the blankets with a hand on Lando’s back. Suddenly a bit nervous, he picked up the bag and gave it to Lando, hoping the faint tremor in his hands wouldn’t be noticed.
“So, um, I got this for you a while ago, actually, but I kept holding onto it, and. Um, I just wanted to find the right moment to give it to you but, it never happened, so I figured I’d make my own moment for us? Which is what this is, and, uh, yeah.”
Lando had been opening the bag as Oscar was rambling. Inside of it, now pulled out, was a keychain with two little charms, one of Oscar’s driver logo and the other of Lando’s. Oscar watched his boyfriend’s face transform into pure joy, seeming gobsmacked. He kept talking while Lando toyed with it between his fingers.
“I hope you like it. It’s small, so you can clip it on the inside of your bag, I figured, that way no cameras or anything will see it but we’d know it was there. When… When we can’t hold each other, you can hold it instead. It can be like I’m with you even when we’re apart, you know?”
Oscar was about to say more, but stopped in confusion when Lando began to open the keychain, watching as he took the charm that had his logo on it and placed it in Oscar’s hand. “Here, take mine. We’ll have to get another clip, but that way we can both be with one another.”
Oscar smiled, overwhelmed by feelings in the best way, bringing Lando into a kiss, then one more, about to go for another when he noticed the light around them changing, signaling the reason he’d had them get up so early. He pulled back, turning to face the window, Lando letting out a noise of complaint which he ignored.
“Lando, look.” The angle of the sky provided by the gym really was stunning, the sky and clouds like a work of art. It was even better than Oscar had imagined. “Isn’t it beautiful?” After a moment or two, he turned to see what Lando thought, only to see he was staring directly at him.
“Yeah, it is.” Lando's voice was soft and he’d started blushing a bit, Oscar sure his own face was much worse. He quickly turned back towards the window.
A hand on his jaw gently pulled his head, turning him and bringing him into a kiss. The look in Lando’s eyes made Oscar melt, going easily when Lando moved them to be lying down, still kissing. His eyes slipped shut. They couldn’t always be together like this, so he’d enjoy the present while they had it.
When he opened them again, he found himself agreeing with his boyfriend’s earlier sentiments. The colors of sunrise were somehow even more vibrant painted across Lando’s skin, a sight he didn’t want to look away from.
He squeezed the charm still in his hand, then placed it down gently before reaching for Lando. No need for a placeholder, at the moment, when he had the real thing.
-
“Hurry up, Oscar, we’re going to be late!”
Their flight to the MTC was supposed to be departing in three hours, and they hadn’t even left for the airport. Lando’s car was waiting with his bags in it, he’d driven over to pick up Oscar.
It was a private flight, of course, so it wasn’t like the plane would leave without them, but they were already set to arrive so late at night that it would be morning, really, and Lando didn’t want his sleep schedule to be even more messed up by a delay. Adapting to different time zones was something any F1 driver had to get used to quick, but that didn’t mean he liked it.
It had already been over thirty minutes, though, and Oscar still wasn’t ready, with Lando having to wake him up upon arriving and learning he’d slept through his alarms, meaning he hadn’t packed or gotten ready at all.
“I’m going as fast as I can, Lan!” The shout came from the bathroom, where Oscar was showering. On a day with more time, Lando would have joined him. “I’ll be out soon!”
Lando had said he’d pack while Oscar got ready, which he regretted as soon as he started and remembered that his boyfriend didn’t organize his clothes at all. All he’d really done was throw a bunch of shirts into a suitcase.
Sure, he was familiar with Oscar’s place, having been over more times than he could count, but that usually wasn’t with the purpose of putting clothes on, quite the opposite in fact. And even if Oscar kept all his clothes in one place Lando still might not have known where they were, so with the way Oscar did actually have them, all over the place, it was a complete lost cause.
He was in the middle of holding up what seemed to be the eighth identical shirt he’d found, only differing by color, staring at it and trying to decide if he should throw that in the suitcase too, when he was brought out of it by the sound of Oscar’s voice.
“Why would you pack that shirt, Lando? That one’s no good for the MTC.” Lando looked from the shirt, to the suitcase he’d been packing, then back to the shirt, and finally to Oscar.
“All of your shirts are the same Oscar, what?” Oscar frowned, walking over to take the shirt and then picking up another one from the suitcase, which looked exactly the same to Lando, comparing the two.
“They’re completely different. See, this one,” he lifted the shirt Lando had just been holding, “has this wavy pattern on it, so it’s too formal for the MTC. While this other one,” now lifting the other shirt, and if he really looked, Lando could kind of see his point, “is much more casual, so that one can come with.”
The intricacies of Oscar’s shirt preferences would have to be learned some other day. “Okay, well, we don’t have much time, so why don’t you take over packing, and I’ll go check everything else? We need to leave like an hour ago.”
Oscar shooed him away, nodding, and Lando smiled as he watched him reach for another suitcase to begin packing with. His boyfriend was so strange sometimes. Lando loved him.
Leaving Oscar to it, Lando got up, wandering around a bit and making sure all the lights were turned off, things like that. He’d just finished making toast when Oscar came into the room, suitcase behind him and a smirk on his face.
“I’m ready to go. Didn’t burn the toast again, did you?” He reached out to take the folded napkin Lando was handing to him, Lando huffing as he grabbed his own food as well as drinks for the both of them.
“For the record, despite your doubt in me, no, I did not burn anything.” The first few pieces Lando made had, in fact, been burned quite badly. Oscar would not need to know that, though, as long as Lando didn’t give him those pieces. It wasn’t his fault Oscar’s toaster was temperamental and refused to cooperate.
“Come on, we’re so late. I still can’t believe you slept through your alarm after making me sleep at my flat last night to try and keep exactly that from happening.”
“Well…” At Oscar’s sheepish tone, Lando looked back, smiling at the blush he saw growing on Oscar’s cheeks as he spoke, “Really, that was so that you would wake up on time, not me. And you woke me up, so? Success?”
Lando couldn’t help the laugh that escaped him, grinning wider and shaking his head as he started to head towards the door. “Next time I’m just going to spend the night.”
Lando was struggling to get the door open with his zero free hands when the sound of suitcase wheels signaled Oscar’s approach. A kiss was placed on Lando’s cheek which he happily leaned into while Oscar reached over to open the door himself.
“I don’t think I’d mind that.” His faint mumbling reached Lando’s ears, though he didn’t understand what Oscar meant by it.
“What are you talking about?” Oscar just flushed lightly, looking away as he responded.
“Nothing. Just, I love you.” His words didn’t help Lando figure out what he’d said at all. He might have pressed more if he wasn’t then distracted by Oscar kissing him, this time on the lips, before abruptly breaking it off and walking away. “Let’s go, wasn’t it you saying we were late?”
Lando was dazed for a second more before he began to chase after Oscar. “Oscar! That’s not fair when it’s your fault we’re late!”
-
Waking up next to Lando was far from unusual for Oscar, considering it was how he woke up most days nowadays, whether in Lando’s bed or his own.
What was new, though, was waking up next to Lando in a bed that was theirs.
They had decided to move in with each other, into both a shared home in Monaco and a flat that they still had to look for that would be in Woking near the MTC. They’d considered just moving into Oscar’s flat for the latter, but it was too small for all of their things combined. Two sim rigs took up a lot of space, turns out.
The home in Monaco, though, had already been purchased and was ready for them to move into, which is what they’d spent the entire previous day doing. They’d been moving and rearranging furniture, figuring out which kitchen utensils they now had duplicates of, and slowly weaving the pieces of their two lives together into one.
Towards the end of the day, when they were both tired out and ready to call it quits for the night, they realized they’d forgotten to set up the bed. Oscar had wanted to just sleep on the couch, but Lando had convinced him the bed would be worth it.
He had to admit, now that it was morning, Lando had been right. Even with the several boxes still yet to be unpacked, having a bedroom that was theirs made Oscar feel jubilant.
Not to mention, living together meant that now he’d have even more mornings like this, with Lando sprawled across his back as they lay on their sides, their legs entangled and Lando’s arms wrapped tightly around Oscar’s middle. They usually fell asleep with Oscar holding Lando or just lying side by side, but almost always woke up like this, Lando more prone to moving around in his sleep than Oscar.
Oscar began to gently pry Lando’s arms away, quite adept by now at doing so without waking the other up. So when he heard a grumble from behind him and felt the hands on his waist tighten instead of letting up, he knew it meant that Lando had already been half awake even before he heard him speak.
“Five more minutes, Osc, ‘m not ready to get up.” The lowered pitch and slight rasp of his boyfriend’s morning voice was tempting, encouraging him to let it lull him back to sleep.
They didn’t exactly have anything to do that day, anyways, just more unpacking, which Oscar would gladly delay to get to spend more time in Lando’s arms. However, he was awake enough to want to stretch a bit and change the position he was lying in, which meant he’d have to first break free.
“Let me go for a minute, Lando, need to move around.” Almost as soon as he finished talking, a whine was pressed into the back of his neck alongside a mop of hair.
“Don’t want to. Warm.”
This too was not an unfamiliar occurrence, which meant Oscar knew that nothing he said would convince Lando to let him go. He could take the easy path, and just let himself be a bit uncomfortable and fall back asleep. However, he was in a bit of a playful mood from the leftover excitement of moving in together, and decided to try and break free.
He began to twist and writhe a bit. His legs were easiest to get out, giving him a bit of leverage to try and kick free. When Lando’s arms broke off, he was sure he’d succeeded, until seemingly out of nowhere a leg was wrapping itself over his thighs and hands were pushing down on his shoulders, yelping as his back was pressed flat against the mattress.
Lando, apparently, had been more awake than he’d thought. Oscar felt frozen by the sudden change, offering no resistance when Lando moved to properly straddle his legs before moving forward. Simultaneously, his hands moved, sliding down Oscar’s arms and then pulling them up once he could grab his forearms, bringing them to rest besides Oscar’s head.
Oscar tilted his head back to look Lando in the eyes, contemplating if he could break free, and waiting until he felt Lando readjusting his grip. Then, he jerked one leg up to try and flip Lando, his body half twisting up in the air, but the grip on his arms was too tight as Lando was quick to react, and he only succeeded in making the other fall down onto him so they were chest-to-chest, knocking the breath out of him a bit.
As they looked at each other, amusement built in Oscar and he started to laugh the same time that Lando did, at what he wasn’t sure. Maybe just how absurd the whole thing was, or just because he was so happy it felt like he couldn’t keep it contained.
Lando pressed into him, humming contentedly and moving his arms to once more wrap them around Oscar. Oscar pressed a kiss into the top of his curls, bringing his own arms, now free, up to wrap around Lando as well.
“Let’s just stay here all day.” Lando’s voice, though mumbled into Oscar’s neck, was easy to understand.
Oscar laughed a little, smiling. “We never unpacked your things for the bathroom, you’ll be complaining later tonight when you go to shower if we don’t.”
“Not tonight right now, though, is it?”
“Mm, suppose it is not.”
Lando slumped off Oscar, then, falling down to be by his side, still half on top of him. Oscar felt the earlier adrenaline wearing off, and let his eyes slip shut, relaxing as he felt Lando press kisses into his neck and shoulders.
“C’mon, love, let’s go back to sleep.” Lando’s face, still pressed into his neck, sent vibrations through Oscar’s body that he let himself melt into. That, combined with the warmth against his side, helped Oscar slip back into a state of sleepiness.
He hummed, turning a bit to lean towards Lando and wrap an arm around him, tucking him properly into his chest. Yeah, it wouldn’t be hard at all to get used to living with Lando, he thought.
-
Lando laughed as Oscar kissed his nose, under his eye, on his neck, all over his face, really, occasionally bringing his eyelashes in close enough to bat them against Lando’s skin in a soft flutter that Lando enjoyed more than words could describe. Lando was pretending to resist it, but really, there was nowhere he’d rather be in that moment other than in Oscar’s arms.
Well, maybe he’d rather they were at home instead of in his room at some random hotel for the race that weekend, but that part didn’t matter too much as long as he had his boyfriend with him.
The two had been getting ready for the day, some meetings and team media work before the race media day tomorrow. When Oscar had put on Lando’s cap by mistake, though, they’d been slightly derailed from their planned departure time by Lando’s sudden urge to kiss him senseless.
Oscar’d given as good as he’d got once he recovered, which was how Lando had ended up in his arms, aforementioned cap on the floor between the two of them.
He moved his right hand to intertwine it with Oscar’s, enjoying how he could practically engulf Oscar, his other hand coming up to wrap around Oscar’s neck. He pulled him down, kissing him on the lips, which Oscar had been avoiding for some reason, probably just to tease him. However, just as he was getting into it, there was a knock at the door.
Lando broke away from Oscar, knowing that he looked as confused as he felt, Oscar looking confused as well, offering a small shrug when Lando tilted his head at him. Lando had no idea who would be knocking at his hotel room, they hadn’t ordered room service or anything, planning on having whatever breakfast McLaren and their trainers had set up.
Wait. McLaren.
Lando’s eyes now widened as he remembered they’d been getting ready for work, the whole reason they were in a hotel at all, before getting distracted. There was another knock, and he hastily made his way to the door, pulling it open and recognizing Ryan, one of the media team members they were meant to be working with about… he glanced over to the hotel clock, thirty minutes ago.
They looked surprised at the abrupt opening of the door, their hand still raised to knock, blinking in place for a moment before speaking.
“Oh! Lando, you’re awake. Ah, the team sent me to come find you, you never showed up in the lobby?”
“Hi! Ryan! Yes, I am here, I’m ready! Just got delayed, is all, caught up in. Something.” More like someone. He gave a strained smile, practically feeling Oscar’s stare on his back.
Ryan just smiled politely, posture a bit awkward as they continued to speak. “Of course, no worries, just we’re a bit behind schedule now, is all. We’ll see you in the lobby in a few minutes, then?”
He smiled back, glad for once for the media training that hopefully made him look at least a bit natural. “Yes, definitely.” Just as he was about to shut the door, their voice interrupted him.
“Ah, one last last thing, sorry. I was at Oscar’s room just before yours, and he wasn’t there. I know the answer is probably no, but would you have any idea where he might be?”
About three steps to the right, giving Lando a wide-eyed look, if he had to guess. “No idea. Might be sleeping, I’ll call him, yeah?”
“Well, we called him, and you, several times actually, but I guess a few more couldn’t hurt. You know, we’ll call, you just focus on heading downstairs.”
“Ah, yes. Got it, got it. Will do.” One last smile, and then Lando finally, actually, shut the door, just standing in front of it for a moment.
Once the footsteps on the other side were quiet enough that he was sure he wouldn’t be heard, he covered his face and groaned.
“I’m sleeping? That was the best you could come up with?” Oscar had walked over, wrapping his arms around Lando’s waist and leaning against his back. The touch was grounding, and Lando sighed as he let himself get back into the present moment.
He turned around, facing Oscar and kissing him, then rolling his eyes before responding. “What was I meant to say? That you snuck over and spent the night in my room?”
Oscar huffed a laugh, squeezing Lando and then walking to get his actual cap, where he’d left off getting ready, speaking as he went. “I don’t know, I just hope they don’t freak out when they realize I’m not where they think I am.”
“It won’t be a problem, we’ll just get to the lobby before they even realize.” And they would. Probably. As long as they didn’t get distracted again, which was very likely to happen.
Lando went to get his cap off the floor, looking it over. Just before Oscar could put his actual cap on, Lando ran over and put his own cap on his head again.
“It looks better on you, I think.” It really did. Oscar should wear Lando’s cap, and the rest of his clothing too, all the time, he thought.
Oscar laughed, aloud this time, adjusting the cap on his head and grinning at Lando, letting him see his full smile, making Lando smile in return. His eyes were still crinkled as he spoke, chuckling, “I reckon you’re right, but the team might not like it.”
“Well, who cares what they like, you’re dating me, not them.” Lando raised an eyebrow as he spoke, though at the same time he took his cap back from Oscar’s head and put it on himself.
“Hm, well, they do pay me, and you, too. So we might have to take their opinion into consideration just a little bit.” Oscar put his own cap on, then, and Lando watched him do it, not even caring how lovestruck he might look over something so trivial.
“I suppose you win this round, Piastri.” Lando kissed him, then grabbed his hand and began to walk them towards the door. “Come on, let’s get going before they send out a search party for the both of us.”
-
On the mornings when only one of them was there, it was quiet in their shared home. It didn’t happen often, since they were usually only home when on break and if they were out they were out together, but their meetings and training couldn’t always overlap, meaning sometimes, like today, Oscar would wake up alone.
Though he missed his boyfriend on mornings like these, it was better than when they were even further apart for sponsor events or other obligations. At least, even if he’d woken up by himself, he knew he’d see Lando again by evening the latest.
Until then, if he wanted to miss Lando a bit less, all he had to do was look around. Even just from his spot in the kitchen, he could see the paintings on the walls, some that were his and some that were Lando’s, several kitchen gadgets that looked as good as new seeing as they’d never actually used them, the fancy chocolates they’d purchased a while ago that they were slowly making their way through.
It was bittersweet, but more sweet than bitter, to be reminded of Lando like that when they couldn’t be together. He smiled, and began to walk towards their coffee machine, which they did use, though he used it for hot chocolate instead.
He thought about his plans for the day while the machine worked. They consisted of doing pretty much nothing, his calendar empty. Maybe a few rounds on the sim or calling his mom while the time difference wasn’t too bad. It had been a while since they’d last spoken.
When his cup was ready, he took it and sat down, looking out the window. It was a nice enough day out, maybe he’d sit on the balcony for a bit when lunch came around.
After a bit, he heard the door begin to open, immediately taking him out of his tranquil mood and setting him on edge. Lando wasn’t meant to be back for several more hours, is what he’d told him earlier in the week, and there shouldn’t be anyone who was able to get in.
The call of a familiar voice, though, let him breathe a sigh of relief. “Osc? You up yet? I see the light on.” Now, however, he had to wonder why Lando was back so early.
“Over here, in the lounge!” He watched as Lando approached, a large grin on his boyfriend’s face and a bag in his hand. “You scared me half to death, Lando, I thought someone was breaking in or something.”
“Sorry.” Lando’s smile shifted into something more sheepish. He walked over, kissing him and then placing the bag on the table before sitting down on the side next to Oscar. “I wanted to surprise you.”
“Well, you definitely succeeded. What’s in the bag, then?” Lando’s earlier grin returned, pulling the bag towards himself and rummaging through it.
“Okay, so, you never get up early enough, you lazy man,” Oscar opened his mouth to defend himself, but Lando continued to talk too quickly for him to interrupt, “but I,” Lando’s head snapped up, having found what he was looking for, “let the record show, got up plenty early and went to get us some time-limited delicacies.”
Taking the bag away with one hand, his other held a croissant, which Oscar instantly recognized as having come from the small bakery near where they lived.
“The croissant, of course, and then in the bag I’ve got a few other things, even your regular chocolate chip muffin if you just want something more familiar, but you’ve got to try the croissant. It’s as good as I’ve been saying, promise. Here, give it a try.”
Oscar grabbed the croissant that Lando was holding out, feeling himself flush at the thought that Lando had done all that for him. Their talk about the bakery was just a passing conversation, not something he’d ever expected Lando to follow through on, a sweet gesture.
The croissant was still a little warm, and when he took a bite it was perfectly crunchy, slightly buttery and very soft inside. It was delectable.
“Wow, if you’re making a noise like that, I must have done something right.” Oscar blushed properly now, embarrassed as he opened his eyes to see Lando laughing, lightly hitting him on the arm with the hand not holding the croissant.
“Shut it. I’m not giving you any of this now.” His complexion wasn’t helped by the soft look Lando sent his way, leaning forward onto the table on his elbows, nor was it helped by his next words.
“Of course not, baby, I got it for you.” Then, Lando began to look through the bag again. “Besides, I got a second one for myself anyways.” Oscar laughed a bit again, enjoying Lando’s satisfied look.
Eating for a bit, having moved on to some circular, jam-filled and glazed pastry that they decided to split, Oscar decided to break the silence, a growing curiosity filling him.
“So what about your meeting, then? With your trainer?”
Lando finished the bite he’d been in the middle of, and rubbed the back of his neck as he replied. “Ah, yeah, that’s actually next week, I just needed some excuse to be gone so early in the morning without you knowing why.”
Oscar set down his food, a contemplative look on his face as he considered their upcoming schedules. “Mm. Tuesday next week, or?”
“Yep.” Lando nodded while speaking, his curls flopping a bit.
Oscar felt a small grin tug on his lips, self-satisfied. Perfect. “I’ve got my meeting then, too, you’re doing a hike, right? We could go together.”
Lando smiled wide, his eyes lighting up. “Mint, let’s do it.”
“I’ll get in touch with our trainers, then, sort it out for both of us.” Oscar finished speaking and then ate his last bite of pastry, rolling his eyes and smiling when he noticed Lando watching when he went to lick the icing off of his fingers.
Lando then looked at his own pastry, and then looked back up to Oscar with a bit of a wide-eyed look. “Let’s not tell them about the pastries maybe, though.”
Ah. Yep. That would be a good idea, seeing as this many in one day definitely wouldn’t be trainer-approved. Well, they didn’t need to know everything.
Rather than say anything, Oscar just moved in to kiss Lando, savouring it. Pastries had nothing compared to the taste of his boyfriend’s lips.
-
“Lan, I need two more eggs.” Lando looked up from where he was mixing the last of the eggs and toppings together for their omelettes.
“Oh, do you really? Thought the recipe only used two?”
Oscar was currently working on a blueberry muffin batter, the two having decided to try something a bit more challenging than their usual cold breakfast or trainer pre-made meals.
His boyfriend was no great chef, Lando could say that and Oscar wouldn’t even be insulted, because they both knew it was true, and plus they also both knew Lando was much worse. Which was why Oscar was doing all of the stuff involving heat and precision while Lando mostly did the mixing and cutting.
“Yeah, but I forgot we were doubling it, so I need two more.”
“Um,” Lando looked at the empty egg carton, “maybe we should un-double it? 12 muffins is enough, probably. More than.”
“But we have friends coming over in a couple days, remember? We already talked about this, why do you want to make less now anyways?” Oscar had left the batter now, Lando watching as he walked over and took in Lando’s workstation area. “Ah. I see.”
“Yeah…” Lando laughed, hoping Oscar wouldn’t mind that all the eggs had been used up. “Got a bit carried away, apparently.”
Oscar paused for a moment, and then turned around, walking back over to the batter. “12 muffins it’ll be, then.”
They both went back to preparing their breakfast, though a minute later, Oscar called out to Lando again.
“Lando?”
Lando looked up, glancing over to where Oscar was. “Yeah?”
“Um, what are we supposed to do with this, then?” He looked down to where Oscar gestured with his head. He was holding an almost full bowl of somewhat dry looking muffin batter. “I already mixed everything, except the extra eggs, so the ratio is going to be all messed up.”
“Maybe we can just bake it? Wait, hold on, I’ll look up if there’s a substitute we can use. Um, google says applesauce, bananas, flaxseed?” They definitely didn’t have any of those in their kitchen.
“Anything else?”
He scrolled a bit further, biting his lip. “Do we have baking powder? Maybe they’ll be fine if we just bake them like that.”
“We have some baking powder I think.” He walked over, the two of them looking at Lando’s phone together, Lando not wanting to read a teaspoon or tablespoon wrong and mess the whole thing up.
“Okay, look here, it says mix it with oil and water.” He glanced around, finding the baking powder and leaving Oscar with his phone while he went to bring it over.
Oscar hissed, clicking his tongue. “We… do not have oil.”
Lando froze, baking powder in hands. “Maybe the baking powder will be enough?”
“It’s all we’ve got, so.”
He left the baking powder with Oscar, and then brought over the bowl with the mixed eggs, placing it down next to him. “The eggs are ready once you’re done with the muffins.”
“Thanks. Can you go and fill this with water? I need three of them.” He was handed the tablespoon measure, and dutifully filled it and then brought it over to Oscar three times while he mixed it and the water into the batter.
Once the muffins were in the oven and a 20-minute timer was set, Lando began to clean the dishes they’d used while Oscar started to make their eggs. By the time the omelettes were done and plated and the table was set, the muffins were nearly done. They turned on the oven light to watch as they finished baking.
“Well, they look alright in there.” Lando leaned in further, trying to squint through the pattern on the glass. Sure enough, there were twelve regular enough looking muffins.
“A bit crumbly though, aren’t they? Look, that one on the side there, it’s got a crack.” Lando looked over to where Oscar was pointed, and if he really strained, he could make it out.
“I suppose so. We’ll have to wait and see, yeah?.”
They both watched the timer, less than a minute now, and when it beeped, Oscar took the tray out of the oven. He took two off the tray, cutting them open down their middles to place butter inside. Sure enough, as soon as the knife started to cut them, it fell apart into several large pieces and small crumbles.
Oscar grimaced. “They probably still taste fine.”
At the table, they had a small debate about who would be the first to try the muffins, Lando somehow ending up convinced that he should be the one to do it. He took a chunk of muffin, put it in his mouth, and began to chew. They had not turned out well. When he swallowed, Oscar gave him an inquiring look, which he tried to meet with a smile, able to tell that he wasn’t exactly succeeding.
“It’s… it’s alright. Not the worst thing I’ve eaten. With the butter, it isn’t too dry, either. The blueberries help a lot too.”
Lando watched Oscar’s face go through an array of emotions as he took a bite of his own muffin, eventually taking a sip of his water before he spoke. “We’ll buy snacks for when everyone comes over, then?”
“Definitely.” He cut off a piece of the omelette and gave that a try, letting out a surprised noise at the taste. “Mm! The omelettes turned out quite good at least. Probably because I did most of the work to make them.”
“Oh?” Oscar turned to his own omelette and began to eat it after Lando spoke. “Do you want to cook them as well, next time, then?”
Lando hurriedly looked over to see Oscar watching him, amused. “Thank you Oscar, the omelette is great Oscar, you should definitely be the one to keep cooking them. All yours. Amazing job. Do not make me cook the omelettes, please.”
“Not to worry, Lan. I like it when we can actually eat the food we make.” For that, Lando sent Oscar an annoyed look, and then stole the bite of omelette he’d just cut.
Oscar jumped a bit at the sudden spearing and theft of his food, but didn’t stop him, so Lando decided he’d count that as a victory. The loving look Oscar sent his way was just a bonus.
-
Someone was shaking Oscar’s shoulder.
“Oscar, baby, wake up.” The hushed whisper of his boyfriend’s voice felt quite loud in the quiet of early morning, or was it still night? A glance towards the window showed it was still completely dark out, the only light that of the moon.
“Lan? Why’d did’ya wake me up so early?” The first three or four words he spoke had all slurred together, his voice heavy with sleep? “Wh’ times it anyways?”
“It’s, um, 4:30 in the morning. I have a good reason for waking you up, though.” Lando leaned over and kissed the side of his cheek, and Oscar could just barely make out the soft smile on his face. “Happy birthday, love, I wanted to be first.”
Oscar frowned. Wasn’t today…? He groped for his phone, finding it and wincing at the light, lowering it and then looking to the screen, still squinting a bit.
“Lando, it’s the fifth. My birthday isn’t until tomorrow.”
“Yes! But,” Lando had quickly gone back to whispering after Oscar winced when he yelled out the first word, “it’s your birthday in a few hours in Australia, so I had to beat them to it. Wanted to be first. Boyfriend privileges.”
“Lan.” Oscar’s voice was a mix of adoration and exasperation, waiting until Lando was looking at him before continuing to speak. “You could’ve waited. It won’t be my birthday in Australia until, like, four in the afternoon here.”
“Oh. Oops?” Even if he had wanted to, Oscar couldn’t stay upset when his boyfriend looked at him like that, with his loving eyes and the small quirk his lips only got when he was embarrassed about something.
“C’mon, let’s go back to sleep. You can tell me happy birthday again in a few hours when it’s actually light outside.” He reached his hands out and made a grabbing motion towards Lando, wanting to hold him.
Lando willingly let himself fall into his arms. “Yeah, alright.” Oscar hummed, pressing his head into Lando’s upper chest, quickly falling back asleep.
When he next woke up, it was to a small, decadent chocolate cupcake being handed to him, Lando grinning as he stood next to his side of the bed.
“Good morning, Osc! Happy early birthday, again. I turned off your alarm and let you sleep in, sorry about last night again.”
Oscar sat up, placing the cupcake down on his nightstand and instead bridging Lando into his arms, bringing him into a kiss that led into another, Lando moving to sit on his lap as they spent the next couple minutes enjoying each other’s embrace.
When they parted, Oscar felt how he was warm all over, unable to restrain himself from smiling. “Thank you, Lando. And don’t worry, you’re definitely the very first person to say so to me. You probably even beat all the fans.”
“Well, good.” Lando kissed him again, and then stood up, handing the cupcake over once more. “I was going to bring you breakfast in bed, but thought you might like this more, since it came with a zero percent chance of me messing it up.”
He laughed, Lando was right, and plus the cupcake itself, now that he looked closer, appeared to be a rather fancy one. “Thank you, I’ll eat it now, then.”
After a few bites, when only a bit was left, he held it out to Lando. “You have some.”
“No, it’s yours, Oscar, I couldn’t.” Oscar just moved it closer to Lando, who’d taken half a step back.
“If it’s mine, then I get to decide what I want to do with it, and I want you to try some. It is my almost-birthday and all.”
With reluctance, Lando finally moved in and took a bite, all negative emotion melting away from his face as he tasted it.
“Alright, you were right, that was definitely worth it. I won’t have any more, though! You can’t make me.” He backed away again, fully leaving the bed, and therefore leaving Oscar. He frowned internally, setting his jaw. That wouldn’t do.
He pulled his face into a small pout, knowing it was a look Lando found hard to resist. “How am I supposed to kiss the chocolate off your lips, then?”
Lando froze. “Well, I can’t argue with that, can I?” Suddenly, Oscar was being kissed again, an open mouth encouraging him to let his tongue taste the chocolate that lingered on Lando’s own, though it ended all too soon, if you asked him.
“Give me another bite.” Oscar held the cupcake up, Lando taking a small nibble off of it, and then immediately returning to what they’d been doing just seconds ago. This repeated a few more times, until the cupcake was gone. “I’ve got even more set up in the kitchen, if you want to head over that way.”
Oscar licked his lips, getting the last traces of the chocolate, and then closed his eyes, leaning against the headboard. “Can’t we stay here? I don’t want to get up.”
“Haven’t you slept enough? It’s almost two in the afternoon, you know.” Cracking an eye open, he saw Lando with his head slightly tilted, giving him an amused look.
Oscar smiled and shook his head. “No such thing as too much sleep.”
“Alright then.” Lando laughed, but moved to sit down next to him on the bed, leaning into his side. Oscar took one of his hands and began to play with his fingers. “I’ve got all your presents in the lounge though, you know.”
Oscar wrapped his arms around Lando, feeling the fondness in his gaze as he looked at him and waiting until Lando was looking back before he spoke, not even caring about how he could feel himself blushing. “The only gift I need is you.”
Lando began to blush too, faintly, hiding his face in Oscar’s chest, a service he was glad to provide. He could only hope there would be many more mornings like this in their future together.