Chapter Text
Chapter 1
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landonorris “Pole Position” is out. Enjoy! @BadBunny
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danielricciardo:
LET'S GOOO!
maxverstappen1:
BadBunny:
10/10?!
Landolove:
It's fireeee
Norrisfans:
Finally!
See more…
22 April 2022
Lando Norris considered himself lucky.
He was hot, rich and famous, with songs that reached millions of views in minutes just to become global hits. He was spending his holidays DJing in clubs and some weekends sitting in the VIP seats in the Red Bull garage watching his friend win races.
He was still menace. Still streaming till the dawn, still doing stupid challenges, still laughing like a maniac.
And he was enjoying his life, leaving bitter ending of his band in the past. It was no longer of any use when none of the boys bothered to reach out.
The recording icon turned on as Lando sat down in his chair, briefly waving at the camera as the stream was instantly flooded with hundreds of new viewers.
"Okay chat. Playing Minecraft today, because I feel like going back to the old days.” Lando smiled at the camera, stretching slightly on his chair.
It was quite late at night and he probably should have been asleep by now, but over the course of his life, his last steam was almost three months ago. And now that his manager has locked the studio door and forbidden him from overworking himself after finishing the album, Lando could finally get back to what he was known for.
Steaming and being a menace.
Lando wasn't thinking of his words but the immediate flood of chat comments alerted him.
‘He said ‘old days’ I'm crying 😭😭‘
‘Lando?!’
‘NOO’
‘I wasn't planning on crying today, but oh well…’
‘I miss 1D’
‘Going back to the old days… man I miss my boys.’
‘Are you in touch with rest?’
‘Lando, you were always my favorite ❤️’
‘When is the reunion, Lando?’
‘Years pass and I still believe they will come back.’
Fuck.
Well, it's not like it was anything unusual. Over the years, Lando has heard enough comments about One Direction, about what happened to them and how much people wanted them back.
He loved his fans. He really did. But 70 percent of them were leftover One Direction fans. And they were delusional, believing that it wasn't over. That eventually each of them will be in the same place to talk and rebuild the band.
Because for the fans they said ‘hiatus’ like they meant it. Like they planned to come back even in years. It was bullshit. Not after Zayn left. Not after their friendship changed into tense and awkward integrations. Not after they started hating each other more than respect.
Lando decided to ignore the chat. Because he already saw it in his head. ‘Former One Direction's Youngest Member Talks About Old Days’. A clip taken out of context, sad music, probably one of their songs and that's how they feed teenagers who in their lives cling to everything they see.
His phone vibrated in his lap and Lando looked at the lit screen to see a new message from Max Fewtrell.
‘No rest from Directioners?’
In his head, Lando rolled his eyes. Max always had something to say, and the fact that he could clearly see what was going through Lando's mind every time he heard or saw the words like reunion, One Direction, or hoping to come back.
The chat has calmed down a bit. Mainly because the hopeful comments have been replaced by irritated ones. Because some people were tired of the One Direction talk. Or the fact that every word Lando spoke must have been connected to it somehow. Some moved on. Others didn't.
“Okay guys, let's go to some server and play something," he said, focused on opening the game.
Lando was a lucky bastard.
Everyone who knew his story knew this.
At just 14, he ended up on the X Factor after crying to his parents that his dream was to become a famous guitarist, but as singers gained more recognition and his voice was impressive, he somehow ended up on X factor. For many he was too young to take part in such shows, but did anyone care when Lando shone on stage, becoming the most recognizable participant.
Everyone was delighted with him and Lando felt he had already won, but then a stranger boy bumped into him and spilled the strawberry smoothie right at his elegant, white shirt his mum ironed him.
And that was how he met Harry Styles. He was young too, just a year older than Lando, with the same aura of someone who was destined to be more than just a singer. Harry was a little messy, funny, and a bit shy, but they quickly bonded.
Then came Zayn and Liam. They talked at rehearsals, and even though they didn't intend to be friends at that point, it was still nice to have someone who didn't look at him like he was a child in the wrong place.
Lando wasn't supposed to be in One Direction. He was way too young, only 14 years old, because he had his birthday in November, so Simon wanted them to wait a little bit till he will be 15. Adding that alone he would have done great in the semifinals, but somehow, in between, ‘Lando plays some guitar for Liam’, and ‘Lando can get along with anyone’, Simon Cowell decided to take a risk.
And Lando, little Lando, much younger and much more delicate than the rest of the boys, was so fascinated by the idea that he immediately agreed to take part not as a soloist but as a group.
Harry named them “One direction”.
And then everyone knew how their careers took off.
Lando took his water bottle from the desk and took a sip as the game was loading itself. In the meantime he looked at chat to see what new they had to him.
‘When will you return to the paddock? Miss No. 1 Max fan.’
He smiled with his teeth at the comments. If Lando loved something as much as singing and playing guitar it was formula 1. He has been a fan since he was a child and his fans knew it very well since he asked the Seattle crowd at one of his concerts back in 2013 who won the race because he was unable to watch it because of the concert. It was one of the best concerts in their career because Lando, when he heard that Lewis Hamilton won in Hungary, was so happy that he had created a real show.
“Um, guys, definitely Silverstone. It's soon and I'm so ready for it. Max will crush Leclerc I'm telling you.”
‘Can't wait to see you, king'
‘I hope for a camera focused just on him.’
‘Lando in the paddock? I'm so down for it’
‘New songs soon, Lando?’
“I literally gave you all a new album two days ago, you gritty bastards.” He joked, rolling his eyes for real this time. “By the way, we're starting our tour in a few weeks, so don't be shy and buy the tickets.”
‘Buy the tickets… there's none, Lando?!’
‘Lando Norris is a state of mind. You're more likely to meet him at a club DJ booth than you are to get a ticket to his actual concert.’
He smiled to himself. Tours usually started in March, but Lando preferred to do fewer concerts but on a larger scale. Even though it was often unfair for many people who had no way to fly to other countries, he was changing his flies every year. His mission was to play a concert in every country in the world, and so far he was doing quite well, even though instead of 100 concerts, he was doing 50 or less per tour.
They were different from when he was still in one direction. Back then, life was incredibly fast, and they flew from continent to continent and traveled all day between states. After all these years, each of them was exhausted, and perhaps that was why Lando preferred to take things slowly now.
‘I've been listening to this album non-stop for two days now. It's been out for two days. Absolutely brilliant.’
' “Take your trophy and leave, they don't know shit about your talent”?! We all know it's for Max Verstappen!”
‘Their friendship is so unique!'
After that, the atmosphere quieted down and Lando and the fans fell into their own rhythm. When he was streaming alone, it was less chaotic than when he had someone to talk to on the other side.
He like that. The feeling when he could just sit down and read what his fans were chatting about. Even though there was always someone who questioned his career and had a negative attitude, Lando was one of the most liked singers and also the one who stood out the most after the band broke up. Harry was right after him, but it wasn't a race so they were respecting each other. “Alright guys, see you soon at the tour opening!” He said to the camera after some hours.
“Remember that at the beginning of May we will have an interview where they talk a bit about the new album, so don't forget to check it out!”