Work Text:
Artturi sat in the dining area of the McLaren hospitality, various team members and paddock guests all around.
It was busy even though it was just Wednesday, and the noise had been enough to distract him from his work. He was instead thinking about how the past few months had been, since he’d begun to work with McLaren and with Oscar.
He’d learned a lot about Oscar in the few months that they’d been working together.
Oscar liked to sleep in, but on days when they had early training, he’d always beat him there. Oscar loathed having to do hikes, to the point where he’d do twice the cardio on different equipment if Artturi let him skip them. Oscar used good races as an excuse to try and convince Artturi to let him break his meal plan, and he was usually successful, Artturi unable to resist the sad looking face Oscar was able to make.
And, as of late, Oscar liked to mysteriously disappear whenever they finished a workout session. He’d go off into corners where he thought he couldn’t be seen, sending messages on his phone while laughing and blushing at the screen.
So, Artturi had also learned Oscar was probably dating someone. Who exactly that was, though, he didn’t know, because whenever he tried to talk to Oscar about it, he always deflected and changed the topic.
It didn’t really matter who Oscar was dating, of course, but Artturi could admit he was curious. Plus, from something Oscar’d said, he was pretty sure it had to be someone who’d attended every race, so it shouldn’t have been that hard to narrow it down.
Oscar always made these lovesick eyes towards his phone, which Artturi had thought would make things easy, just find the person Oscar looks at like that, but he seemed to make them all the time whenever they were in the garage. So that was no help at all. And the one time he thought he’d caught him speaking on the phone with his mysterious significant other, it had turned out to just be Lando.
He sighed, looking back down to his papers, where he was meant to be planning out a schedule for the upcoming months, what had led him down this rabbit hole in the first place. The papers were pushed to the side as he decided, officially, to take a break since nothing was getting done anyways.
He needed to be able to focus on his work, not on what was essentially paddock gossip. Evidently, though, that wouldn’t be happening until this mystery with Oscar was sorted out, one way or another.
A noise to his left drew his attention. Speaking of him, there was Oscar now, looking tired, though he still nodded in greeting as he sat down next to Artturi.
“Morning, Artturi.” A small yawn followed as soon as Oscar finished speaking.
Artturi checked the time, noting how late it was and wondering if Oscar had eaten yet or if he should begin to adjust the day’s plans. “Morning, Oscar. Did you just wake up? It’s almost afternoon.”
“Ah, yeah, late night.” A late night doing what, Artturi wondered, as Oscar blushed a bit while replying, mind wandering back to his earlier thoughts.
Ultimately he decided not to ask about it, his mind finally snapping a bit more back into work mode as he thought about preparing for the weekend ahead. “Right. Want me to watch your spot while you go get something to eat?”
“Oh, no, that’s alright, you don’t need to, I-”
“Osc! You made it!” Suddenly, Lando appeared, placing two full plates down on the table before sitting. One had a filet cut of steak and several side dishes, while the other looked much the same but with salmon at the center instead. Which was odd, as Artturi could have sworn he’d heard Oscar mention that Lando abhorred anything fish related.
Lando seemed to notice him looking at the plate, sending it a mock look of disgust before pushing it towards Oscar. “Artturi, you should consider changing Oscar’s meal plan, ban him from having fish. Or even being near it, really. For my sake, Artturi, please.”
Oscar now looked much more awake, a small smile forming on his face as he grabbed the plate and looked towards Lando, the smile shifting into a bit of a smirk as Lando finished speaking. “It’s not that bad, Lando.”
Lando groaned, glaring at him from across the table. “It is! Even after you’ve brushed your teeth, the smell lingers.” Artturi hadn’t known they spent evenings together. “And there’s nothing worse than the smell of morning-fish-breath.” …Nor had he known they spent mornings together, close enough to smell one another’s breath.
“Yeah, well, you still-” Oscar paused, glancing over and facing him, Artturi hoping his face was one of neutral, non-suspicion, while his mind was considering things he’d never considered before, “You still, um, hang out with me, so. Plus you’re the one who got me fish.”
Lando huffed, a slight blush appearing on his face. “It’s what you asked for, isn’t it? ‘S not my fault you’ve got bad taste.”
“I’ve got bad taste, do I?” Oscar’s eyebrows raised, pointed, but a teasing grin accompanied it. “Suppose you must be right, since I tolerate you.”
Now it was Lando’s turn to put on a look of mock indignation. “You do a bit more than tolerate me, mate, I think.”
“I’ve told you-” Another look Artturi’s way. “We’ll talk about this more later, Lando.”
Lando, now smiling large, “Whatever you say, Osc.”
The two continued to talk. Artturi almost felt like he was intruding as he sat there listening to them. It reminded him of when he’d gone out with a couple of his friends who had just started dating, him resoundingly the third wheel.
And when he thought about it, the couple times, recently, that Oscar hadn’t seemed distracted by the end of their workout sessions also happened to be the ones where Lando was there with them.
He thought back to previous moments and interactions, things he hadn’t been able to place before that were starting to make a lot of sense. He watched a moment longer, observing the easy smiles and contentment the two wore, clearly comfortable in each others’ presence.
Well. That was that mystery solved. Artturi returned his gaze to the workout plan in front of him. Maybe he should see about adding more joint workouts into the schedule, then?
-
Jon knew that Lando thought he was subtle. He wasn’t, at all. Especially when it came to Oscar.
Even if they had managed to have a bit more common sense, Jon knew he’d still have figured it out. He’d known Lando for too long, been through so many races and teammates with him, to have anything else be an option.
He’d been able to tell, not long after the two had met, that Lando felt differently about Oscar than he had about his other two teammates, in a pretty significant way. More curious, but also more hesitant. As if he were scared to mess up.
Sure, maybe it could’ve been said that it was just nerves about having a new teammate, a younger teammate. Jon had seen that before, though, and it had never involved Lando sending Jon on various errands to ask around the garage to learn his teammate’s favorite foods and then getting them delivered to the McLaren hospitality while pretending he’d ‘ordered too much to eat alone.’
Further, recently the two had been more obvious than ever before, or at least it seemed that way if you were to ask him.
Sneaking hotel key cards, subtle touches and shoulder brushes, quick kisses behind the motorhome in that one area where nobody ever went unless you were Jon who knew it was one of Lando’s hiding spots and he was supposed to be in the gym for their workout session. He’d decided to let Lando skip training, just that once. The next time it happened he called the other to ask where he was, and ignored how out of breath he sounded.
Yeah, Lando really wasn’t very subtle at all. And as he saw the man in question walking towards him, a familiar look on his face that Jon had come to associate with Oscar related inquiries, he wondered if there would ever be an end to just how obvious one man could be.
“Jon?” He noticed how Lando was picking at his right hand with his left, a telltale sign that he was nervous, and he felt his annoyance begin to fade, concern taking its place.
“Yes, Lando?”
“If, hypo- um, hyper-. If, not for real but in a pretend situation where someone was dating someone else but didn’t know what to get him for their anniversary, what would you think he should do about it?”
Right. If ‘someone’ were dating ‘someone else.’ The concern that had gathered instantly vanished as he realized it was nothing serious.
“Well, Lando,” Jon hoped his face didn’t betray him, “I think it would matter a lot how long these two had, hypothetically, been together and how far away their anniversary was, to begin with.”
“Right! Um, let’s say it was their one year anniversary, and that it was, um, hypothetically next week, and they didn’t have a lot of time to go and get something, not because I- um, not because he forgot about their anniversary but because there just hasn’t been a lot of time as it’s been really busy.”
Jon thought for a moment, unsure of what Oscar would expect from Lando for their anniversary. Lando, undoubtedly, had to have a better idea than he would. So Jon asked just that. “What do you think he would want?”
“That’s just it, isn’t it? Not much he’d need, and so I’m not sure what I should get for him, but obviously I have to get something, but every time I try and think of something, I never have any ideas that seem good enough. So I don’t know what to do.”
“Maybe this person would just like something sincere, or, if both people are usually pretty busy, to be able to have some time to spend with his partner?” He thought about some of the plans he’d seen Lando come up with when left to his own devices. “Or, he could even just talk about it with his partner, and let him know, and they could figure out something they wanted to do together.”
“Ah, yeah, those are really good, um, pretend ideas. Good solutions for a very not real problem. Actually, I’ve got to go, Jon, do you know where Oscar is? I’m supposed to, uh, ask him something for marketing, I think.”
Of course. The marketing event that definitely existed, Jon was sure, despite nothing being on the two drivers’ calendar for the next couple weeks.
“He’s in his driver’s room, I believe.” Lando nodded and immediately started to half-walk half-run off in that direction, but before he could get too far, Jon called out, remembering something. “Lando! Also, just thought you might care to know, Artturi was mentioning to me the other day that Oscar needed to get his padel racket replaced. Maybe you could give him some brand recommendations.”
Lando’s face lit up, smiling widely. “Oh, really? Mint! Yeah, uh, I’ll keep that in mind. Thanks again Jon!”
He couldn’t help the smile that grew on his own face as he watched Lando leaving. It was nice, he’d admit, to see Lando so happy. Even made it worth it to have to pretend not to notice the many, many times the two gave themselves away.
He loathed to think of having to spend the next several years, minimum, pretending not to notice anything. He had no idea how it could be possible, but he didn’t know if he’d survive if the two got any worse than they already were.
For his sake, he hoped they’d let everyone know sooner rather than later that they were together. It would save him a lot of stress.
-
Hiring Oscar had been, in some ways, taking a bit of a gamble.
Not because of his racing ability. He’d had a good record, a great record, and from the few times they’d talked before any contracts were signed Andrea’d found himself admiring how composed Oscar was. He wasn’t concerned at all with the young driver’s ability to perform.
He wasn’t even concerned about the media or Oscar’s current, nearly up, contract with Alpine. Their legal team was already more than prepared for anything that might come their way in regards to that matter. That was all manageable.
No, the risk, the gamble, the chance the team were all taking was when they’d had to wait to see how well he and Lando would get along.
Lando had done well with the past two teammates, the past two McLaren drivers they’d had, but he hadn’t had a teammate like Oscar before, had never had to be the older one. And he’d gotten along with Daniel so well, it would be a change, a big one, if he and Oscar didn’t click.
He also wasn’t sure how well Oscar would get along with Lando, but then, Oscar was choosing to drive with them, so he knew what he was getting into. Nonetheless, worry lingered.
That first day, he’d felt a wave of relief, watching as Lando took the initiative and made a few jokes, getting Oscar to send a small smile his way. Andrea had thought to himself, then, that they would be just fine.
Now, though, watching as Lando ignored the meeting they were having to instead stare at Oscar, and as Oscar ignored the meeting to try and keep from staring back (usually failing, resulting in the two just smiling at each other until Oscar looked away and Lando went back to pouting in his direction), Andrea almost wished his initial worries had been correct.
The worst part is how the two of them thought that nobody else knew. Andrew was certain that nobody could be so oblivious as to not notice once they’d spent a few hours watching the two of them in the same room. Especially when they did things like this, taking up the little time the upper management of the team was all in one place.
Randy had just finished speaking, the room quieting down and then going silent when Andrea cleared his throat to call the room to attention.
“Lando,” the man in question jerked his head to face towards Andrea as he spoke, eyes wide, “what do you think of using that front wing setup for the next race?”
He sputtered a bit, turning towards Oscar whose face bore a similarly startled look, unable to offer anything to Lando. He glanced over to Randy, then Oscar again, before finally facing Andrea and speaking. “Ah, uh, yeah, it sounded good, we should…. we should definitely go with it.”
“Mhm. And you agree too, Oscar, no?”
“Um.” Oscar’s eyes, somehow, grew wider, a light flush appearing on his cheeks, “Yep. Sounds good, like Lando said.”
Andrea paused, looking each driver in the eyes, watching them shuffling in their seats, before raising his eyebrow and speaking.
“I see. That’s interesting, because we were discussing the tyres, not the front wing.” Twin looks of dread appeared on both drivers’ faces. “Something distracting the two of you? You can share with the room, if it is more important than the upcoming race.”
Oscar was the one to reply and break the very loud silence that had overtaken the room. “Nah, nothing interesting, nothing to share. Sorry about that, just. Distracted.”
Andrea chose to ignore how he could see Lando nodding along a touch too eagerly in his peripheral. He let his eyes shut. “Perhaps, then, we should take a break.” His eyes opened, glancing towards the ceiling as he imagined a world where he had two drivers who could sit through a meeting without getting distracted by one another. “Let’s return back in ten minutes, okay everyone?”
Everyone dispersed off to various parts of the meeting room or went out of it altogether. Oscar stood and tried to look inconspicuous in the corner, but Lando barely waited a moment before heading over to join him.
Oscar was clearly trying to be upset with Lando and failing miserably at it, leaning into Lando’s touch on his arm. Oscar’s own hands came up to hold at Lando’s waist, pulling him closer and prompting Lando to bring his other hand up to Oscar’s face.
The two stood together, embracing, occasionally letting out quiet laughter between hushed whispers and gentle touches. It was like they had forgotten altogether where they were and what they were supposed to be doing. Maybe they had.
Andrea couldn’t help but smile at the sight. He supposed there was, after all, something nice about having two drivers who were so in love. He was even willing to let the missed meeting go.
…Okay. He was, actually, not willing to let it go, but that would be something to deal with later. He could let it go, for now.
-
A few years into it, and Zak thought Lando and Oscar might be the best pair of drivers they’d ever had, at least during the time he’d been at McLaren.
They worked so well together, almost never fought, almost seemed to be in sync. On the rare occasion when they did have an issue, they always seemed to figure it out without needing too much help. Zak figured, it must be at least in part due to his leadership, so he allowed himself to feel a bit smug at how good of a leader he was. I mean, hey, it was his team, right?
He himself had never managed to get along so well with any of his teammates. Just couldn’t bring himself to get past the conflict, the competition of it all, in order to allow for a genuine friendship to form, like Lando and Oscar had managed to do.
Just look at the two now, at the beginning of what very well might be a title fight, still brushing shoulders and laughing together from inside one of the MTC’s many break rooms.
He watched as Lando said something and Oscar laughed, leaning in a bit closer as he did so. He watched as Oscar’s hand came to rest on Lando’s shoulder when he replied, and how Lando seemed to relax completely into the table from where his two elbows rested on it, a large, dopey, full-toothed smile on his face.
He hated to interrupt them, but they were meant to be having a meeting in that very room in the next fifteen minutes, and he could already see Andrea approaching. He called out to him as he strode up and stopped, seeming to wonder why Zak wasn’t waiting inside.
“Andrea! There you are!” He clapped a hand onto Andrea’s shoulder, smiling at the small grin the other sent him. “Looks like our break room is a bit occupied right now, huh?”
Andrea looked over to where Zak had gestured with his head, taking in the sight of their driver duo. Zak watched him, laughing at the almost anguished sigh that the other let out.
“Do you want the honor of kicking them out, or should I do it?” He couldn’t really blame the two for being in there, they almost never had midday meetings, but, well, it was what it was and they needed the room. Someone would have to do it.
“I will let you have this one.” Andrea stepped back a bit, making a small gesture with his hand motioning forwards.
Zak pulled the meeting door open. “Knock knock guys!” The two jumped up and apart, twin looks of embarrassment on their faces. Zak felt himself grinning, unable to keep the mirth out of his voice as he continued to speak. “Well, sorry to break you two up, but we’ve got a meeting coming up in this room soon, so I’m going to have to ask you both to go mingle somewhere else, yeah?”
It was Lando who spoke, standing up and placing a hand on Oscar’s shoulder. “Uh, yeah, no problem. We’ll be right along, right Osc?”
His words seemed to bring Oscar out of his own mind, quickly standing as well and letting Lando’s hand fall off his shoulder to come to rest by his side. Their pinky fingers appeared to be linked together. “Yep, no problem at all. Sorry about that, Zak.” Oscar’s blush, which had faded away, returned in full force towards the end of his sentence, his hand startling away from Lando’s.
“No worries, guys, we’ve got plenty more rooms not in use if you want to head into one of them instead. Seemed like you two were having an important conversation of your own.” He had to keep himself from laughing as he watched the two react to his words. It was a bit silly, Zak thought, that the two were so embarrassed to be friends, but he could understand. He was their boss, after all.
Oscar looked at Lando, who shrugged, and then back at Zak. “Right. We’ll be on our way, then. Um, good luck with the meeting, and all.”
He just nodded as he heard Andrea begin to walk in, while the other two began to head out. He put a hand on Lando’s back to get them to pause before they were gone. “Hey, really, don’t even worry about it. It’s great to see you two getting along so well, you know? Keep it up!”
The two shared a look, before smiling at him, Oscar’s a touch more polite while Lando seemed to be trying to keep from laughing, Lando the one to speak before the two finally headed out. “Will do, Zak, will do.”
Zak watched them a moment longer as Andrea stood next to him, watching the two have a small conversation a few steps away from the door, quickly easing back into how they had looked inside the room a few minutes ago. He spoke aloud to Andrea, not looking away.
“Don’t you think we’re lucky to have a pair of drivers that get along so well? They’re best friends, the two of them.”
“Yes, Zak, they are quite close. Lucky us.” If Zak had been looking at Andrea, he’d have noticed the weary expression on his face.
As it was, though, he was still watching Lando and Oscar walk off, standing very, very near one another, their hands brushing every few moments. He smiled at the sight. Yeah, it really was something special, the friendship the two shared.
-
Being an intern for McLaren had, so far, been a great experience. Kyra was glad to have the opportunity to learn so much, working directly at the MTC in Woking.
It was one thing to study drag resistance and aerodynamic flow using a scale model in wind tunnels, it was another to get to see tests being performed on a full-sized vehicle, and to get to perform some of those tests and simulations herself. It had been, so very, a very exciting internship.
Also exciting was meeting the two McLaren drivers, which she’d gotten to do as they were currently in the middle of spending a couple weeks at the MTC.
Now that she had met them, though, she couldn’t help but wonder if their relationship was just meant to be, like, an open secret?
She’d considered that maybe it was just something already public, since nobody had told her about it or asked her to keep it secret, but looking it up had really only led to social media edits and fanfiction, not news stories or official announcements. She’d considered that maybe she was wrong, but there was no way that what she’d seen was anything but two people in a romantic relationship.
Some of it, sure, could very well be two people who were close teammates, close friends. The always sitting next to one another, when they could. Sharing quiet jokes and laughter, sharing glances across a room, smiling even if it was just ever so slightly when the other would enter a room. But she was pretty sure it was more than just that.
The scene happening in front of her only further confirmed her suspicions.
Kyra was there to do an internship for operations engineering, but her team lead had said it would be a good idea for her to get exposure to the business aspect of motorsports as well, while she was there. So, she’d been invited to watch a filming session that was going to go on their social media.
“Lando! That’s not how you tango!” Oscar laughed, loud and distinct, nearly folding over in his attempts to contain himself. Only nearly, because he was being held up by Lando, who had his arms wrapped around him.
The two were meant to be trying various styles of dance, trying, Kyra thought, being the key word here. They were certainly not getting far in the ways of succeeding.
“Sorry, Oscar, maybe I’m just not used to having someone else lead. We should, as I said from the very start, switch roles, I think.” Another laugh from Oscar, who shook his head and looked at Lando with what, she had learned from her earlier research, fans often called his ‘heart eyes.’ She could understand why.
“Not a chance. I know you’ve just never done this before. Let’s try the video one more time, and then give this another go. If you mess it up again, I suppose we could switch.” Lando took on a competitive edge at Oscar’s words, and soon the two were huddled next to one another, staring down at the screen of one of the production crew’s phones.
“Alright.” It was Lando who spoke, back straight and much more determined than he had been a few moments earlier. “Let’s do this.”
The two moved into position, Oscar’s left hand holding Lando’s right, while their other hands were extended out away from their bodies. Their feet were in a ready position, anticipating when the first note rang out.
Kyra watched as they moved around the room with movements much more fluid than before. It was a classic five-step tango, and while they were still far from perfect and a bit slow compared to the pace of the music they were meant to be following, it was a vast improvement.
It was back and forward, the way control swapped between them, each becoming a bit more commandeering when it became his turn to walk in the forwards direction. Like the change was anticipated, expected, and easily worked into their movements.
It was impossible, almost, to say who was really the one in charge of the dance, even up until the very end, when the last note rang out.
Oscar had still been looking at his feet, fully focused and therefore caught off guard when Lando suddenly tightened his grip and pulled him close, leading him into a dip. He chased after Oscar into it, their faces so close they were almost touching. Then, just a moment later, the two were back to standing, both flushed from either the moment or the dance, though Oscar’s face appeared to be a much darker shade of red while Lando had on a large, proud grin.
Had they been kissing just then, or was it just a trick of the light, a weird angle? Either way, she thought, looking over to the camera crew who appeared unsurprised and begrudgingly accustomed to such behavior, going by their lack of reaction, she was sure that this was one moment which would not make it into the final cut. If the video was released at all.
Well, if she’d had any doubts before, she definitely didn’t anymore.
As they continued to exist in their own world, Kyra thought of her own partner and smiled, already looking forward to the next time she’d get to see her. It must be nice to get to work side by side with the person you loved, to never have them too far away.
Speaking of work, it was back to it for her. If only love could reduce drag forces, or get rid of ground effect. Now that would really be something worth looking into.
-
Spending the season as a reserve driver, though not what Valtteri would have preferred, wasn’t too bad. He got to learn a lot of new things about the different tracks and countries they traveled, the experience entirely different when you weren’t spending almost all your time preparing to race.
He also got to learn lots about the other drivers and people around him.
The media team had him doing a lot of work. And, when they could, they had him working with the other drivers around the paddock. He’d known Lewis for a while, but had only recently learned that he’d written a song, when it came up in a questionnaire they’d given him to do with the other.
There were the rookies, though he’d only really gotten to know Kimi Antonelli, since he was at Mercedes with him and George. It had been quite amusing to see up close one of the new rookies, made him think of when he himself had been first starting out. Certainly, a lot had changed between now and then, which he tried not to dwell on when he considered where his own career was headed.
He’d gotten to know a lot of the team members much better, especially the chefs and catering workers. It was actually quite nice to be close to them at a time when he did not have to have such a strict diet, the combination meaning he’d gotten to try some unique foods and lots of sweets at each of the tracks they’d been to so far.
Then, there was Oscar and Lando, the two McLaren drivers, who he’d never paid attention to that closely before though he’d certainly been aware of the two. But there was a lot more attention on the two of them and on the McLaren team in general, after they’d won the constructors last year. Valterri found himself paying attention as well.
The closer he looked, the more he couldn’t help but try and piece the two together.
He’d had a lot of teammates, himself, and had seen even more pairs come and go in both Formula 1 and other sports. He knew what it looked like when two teammates were friends, when they were enemies, when they didn’t care about each other at all, and what it looked like when two teammates happened to be especially close to one another.
Oscar and Lando seemed to fall resoundingly in the latter category. How long had that been going on for, he wondered? How long would it last?
Strong bonds had been broken in F1 over lesser fights than the championship battle the two were currently going through. Valtteri had seen that happen too, more often than he would have liked to admit. Relationships, he mused, sometimes just fell apart all on their own, with no real reason at all seeming to indicate why.
He thought about what he’d seen. He thought about all that he hadn’t. He got so lost in thought, he almost didn’t notice when one of the two drivers he’d been thinking about began to walk right past him until Lando was almost gone.
“Lando!” He couldn’t keep himself from calling out to the other, previous thoughts still on his mind.
Lando paused, seeming surprised that Valtteri had called for him, but easily came over. “Valtteri? Yeah, what’s up?”
Valtteri thought about what he wanted to say. It might have been better to wait and talk to Oscar instead, he was a bit closer with him than he was to Lando, but he knew if he didn’t say anything now, he never would, and he did feel like he should say something.
“Lando.” Perhaps his voice had sounded a bit too serious, since Lando now looked very concerned. Ah, well, at least he was listening. “When you have something, or someone, who is important to you, very important, it is important to make sure that you put them first.
“It is important to think about what you want, and what you would and wouldn’t want to do for it. Do not let yourself lose something which cannot be easily replaced because you are too busy chasing things you think matter more.”
Lando looked, somehow, even more concerned than he had appeared before. Good. “Um, thanks, Valtteri? Do you need me to go and find someone for you?”
“Just remember what I said, Lando. Remember who you care about, and do not forget. Ah, and tell Oscar hi for me.” He nodded to Lando, ignored the incredulous look on his face, and began to walk away. Either he would listen or he wouldn’t, but Valtteri had said all that he needed to.
From what he had seen, what Oscar and Lando had seemed to be something very sincere. It would be, he thought, unfortunate for all of the grid if the two were to find themselves drifting away from one another. Though perhaps those who were currently losing to the two would find it fortunate. Either way, Valtteri, at least, would be sad if the two were to be torn apart.
He hoped that the two would make it through, not only this year, but through all of the ups and downs that would come their way.
Though he didn’t really think they needed his hope, or his words. The two of them seemed to be able to work very well together, both on and off track. As long as, like he’d told Lando, they didn’t lose sight of that, they would be alright.
-
Was there any better story than that of the two drivers, the two teammates, fighting it out for the championship? Isaiah didn’t think so, and they were determined that whatever the next big story about the two might be, they would be the one to write it.
He had been wandering the paddock, not even looking for a scoop but instead looking for where he could get his lunch, when the unmistakable sight of papaya colored racesuits came into view, off in the distance. The conversation they were having looked to be intense, if Piastri’s stiff posture and Norris’s large gestures were anything to go by.
He gripped his camera, checking the lens and the settings, before slowly making his way closer. They wanted to make sure they weren’t caught, slowly decreasing the distance between themself and the two drivers.
As he got closer, he could begin to make out what they were saying.
“-never even talk with me anymore! Aren’t we, you know, meant to be there for one another?” That was Norris.
“That’s because you asked me not to bring up racing, so of course I don’t talk about it when we’re together.” And that was Piastri.
The beginnings of a strained teammate relationship, it sounded like. The scoop everyone had been after, the great fight, and it was happening right before his eyes. As close as he dared to get, he raised his camera and began to record.
“Yeah, well, I didn’t ask you to not talk to me at all, to barely even look at me anymore, did I? And besides, you agreed with me that we shouldn’t let things on track affect our relationship, so how come you’re acting like all of a sudden it’s a problem?” Isaiah watched through the camera as Norris crossed his arms and took a step forward, causing Piastri to look away, his hands balled at his sides.
“Did you really think it was a good idea to just never talk about what we do on track? When it takes up so much of our lives, so much of our time, so many meetings and discussions? When so many people keep on asking us both about it, all the time, what else even is there to talk about?”
Norris’ face did something complex, hurt and scrunched up while Piastri still refused to look at him. “I don’t know, Oscar, there’s us, isn’t there? Our families, our friends, all the things we used to talk about before? Isn’t that enough?”
“I guess so. It’s just. I don’t know, I guess you’re right. It’s just, how am I supposed to do any of that when there’s so much going on, so much I want to say to you, but you don’t want me to say it? I don’t want to bother you, I don’t,” The two were eye to eye as Piastri finally turned, his hands coming up to his chest before they splayed open in front of him, “I don’t want to fight, Lando.”
Norris’ own posture loosened at the display. “Oscar…”
Piastri was now holding his own arms, looking down at the ground. When he spoke, it was quiet enough that Isaiah had to strain to hear him. “I get it, I do. Not talking about the races. But…” Norris stepped closer, placing one hand on Piastri’s arm, causing Piastri to glance at him before looking down to where they were touching.
A heavy breath. “It seemed like it upset you, you know? It upset me too. Sometimes, though, it’s all I have on my mind, and we used to be able to joke about it, to have fun with it. Now, it’s just walking on eggshells, like choosing to say nothing at all is better than risking saying the wrong thing. You’re right, though, I don’t like how we haven’t been talking as much lately, either. It’s just that I have no idea what we can do to change that.”
Norris didn’t say anything, just lowered his hand down Piastri’s arm until it reached where his own hand was gripping his arm tightly, gently prying the fingers loose to take Piastri’s hand into his own, then repeating the motion with his other hand. When he was finished, he was holding both of Piastri’s hands against the other’s chest, leaning in towards him while Piastri pushed back into him, too.
Whatever Norris said next was too quiet to hear, but Isaiah could say how both Norris and Piastri let small smiles form on their faces, eyes water. It was as if they were mirror images of each other, whispered conversation occurring for a couple minutes more before their hands dropped as they moved to press against one another in a loose embrace, bodies close.
They watched as Norris looked around and then brought his mouth close to Piastri’s ear, whispering something and then gently kissing the side of his face.
It was as if he was frozen in place, watching the two walk off, slowly, near one another, unable to look away.
They stopped the camera recording, long after the two were gone, slowly pulling up the footage they’d just shot, and then staring at it, thinking about what to do.
The beginning clip, cut and isolated, would be a sensational story. The largest of his career, easily. The ending clip, their embrace, the kiss, an even larger one. The thought of releasing either into the wider world, though, was one that made him feel sick, like he’d be selling himself and the two drivers out for something that would never be worth it.
His hand hovered over the buttons of the camera. He thought about what was important to him, his moral code, his personal ethos. They hit the button, deleting the footage, permanently, and then let out a deep sigh.
There would be, Isaiah figured, other stories. As far as anyone else needed to know, nothing important had happened today anyways, least of all concerning Oscar and Lando.
-
For some reason, the club was especially busy tonight, when usually it was just the same crowd night in and night out. Alan didn’t mind, though, when it meant that there were more people on the floor for him to dance and look between, trying to find a partner for the night.
It didn’t take too long. One person in particular had caught his eye, a guy who was part of a group that had entered earlier, sitting at some tables.
They’d split up since, the tallest of the group and the one with particularly curly hair on the dance floor, the slightly disgruntled looking one having left earlier, two of them currently sitting at the bar, and the man that he’d been watching still at their original table, leaning against the wall with an almost empty drink in hand.
Alan’d had a few drinks of his own already, had danced with a few people but none who managed to fully distract him. He decided that now was the time to make his move, and began to walk over.
As he got closer, he took in the sharpening details of the other. His hair, a light brown color and fairly soft looking. His numerous freckles, more and more visible with each step he took. The smile on his face, looking almost practiced, as he noticed that Alan was heading his way. Of course, someone who looked like that would be used to people approaching him.
Alan straightened his posture a bit, putting on a grin of his own that he knew was a good mix between casual and confident as he came to a stop in front of the man and began to speak. “Hi. Are you here all alone?”
“Ah, no. I’m here with, um, some of the drivers. You know, celebrating. Did you want to get a picture or something?” While he spoke, Alan found himself slightly distracted, stuck on noticing the details of his face, how his two front teeth stuck out, making him look almost like a rabbit. Cute. It made him want to be bitten by them, or perhaps made him want to bite, as he noticed the freckles and marks on the other’s neck.
He’d missed the last half of what the man was saying, but definitely noticed when he shifted to stand a bit closer. Alan laughed, moving closer as well, not quite touching but nearly there. It was loud in the club, after all.
“I can’t believe they’d leave someone as cute as you all by yourself. Want some company? What’s your name?”
A deep, full flush bloomed on the other’s face. Alan watched as it formed, wondering just how far down it went from where it disappeared into his shirt collar.
“Oh, you’re not- Um, I’m, uh, sorry. My name’s Oscar. Sorry, I just, what did you say again?” Oscar. From the way he said it, Alan finally realized he must be foreign or a tourist, the accent obvious though he couldn’t quite place where it was from.
“Nice to meet you, Oscar. My name’s Alan, but I was saying that you could call me yours, for tonight, if you wanted.”
Perhaps he wasn’t so used to people flirting with him after all, Alan thought, seeing how flustered he’d gotten, seemingly rendered speechless from Alan’s words. As he was contemplating if he should offer to buy him a drink or not, they were interrupted.
“Osc!” An arm settled around Oscar’s shoulders, firm, matching the tone of the man who’d shown up with it, pulling him away from Alan and closer to the other. Alan squinted, trying to work out why he looked so familiar, before realizing it was one of the men from the group Oscar had been part of at the start of the night. The one with curly hair. “Found a fan, did you?”
Though speaking to Oscar, who’d turned to look at him, the man was staring directly at Alan, in a way that was almost challenging. Scratch that, he thought, as the look intensified, cold and sharp. Definitely challenging.
“Hi, Lando. Um, sort of. Me and, sorry, what was your name again? We were talking a bit.” Oscar had looked at him for a moment there, but otherwise, his whole focus was on the new man’s arrival, Lando, apparently. And, well, Alan picked up pretty quickly on what was going on.
Ah, just his luck, wasn’t it? Figures that Oscar already had a boyfriend, and as he looked at how he and Lando were standing, at how Oscar was looking at the other, content to lean into the arm still wrapped around him, he knew that his chances here were just about zero.
“It’s Alan.” He flashed his most charming smile as Oscar looked back over when he spoke. “Well, Oscar, it really was a pleasure to meet you. I’ll let you be, I hope you and your boyfriend here have a good night. If you want to find me, though, just know that I’ll be on the dance floor, and that you’re welcome to join me on it any time. You can even bring him with you.”
He sent an exaggerated wink Oscar’s way, trying to keep his laughter to himself at the positively indignant look that had quickly appeared on Lando’s face. It was all worth it to get one last look at the deep blush that overtook Oscar’s face yet again, and he allowed himself one last grin before he walked off.
Sure, anything was possible. And though he wouldn’t mind, as he glanced back to see the two already fully wrapped up in each other, he didn’t think he’d be spending any more time with either of them that night.
Well, good for them. Maybe, Alan thought, that would be him someday, all tied down to someone else and happy for it, already knowing where in the room he wanted to be before he even walked through the door.
He looked around the club and saw someone smiling at him. Someday, maybe, but not today. The night was still young, after all. He began to walk over, a matching smile on his face.
-
Lando looked both ways before knocking on the door to Oscar’s driver room in a specific pattern that had the door opening just seconds later. He walked in, casually, and the door was closed, gently.
As soon as it clicked shut, Oscar had Lando pushed up against it, pulled into a deep kiss, which Lando was more than happy to return. After a few minutes, the two moved apart a bit but remained embraced, holding each others’ arms and smiling.
“Hey, Oscar?” Oscar hummed, letting his head rest on Lando’s shoulder. “Do you think anyone’s figured out that we’re dating?”
Oscar pulled back. He was silent for a moment, a look of concentration on his face. “Nah. Probably not? Someone would have brought it up by now if they thought we were together.”
“I guess you’re right.” Lando paused, suddenly quiet, before wincing softly and beginning to speak again. “It’s just, the other day, I think I accidentally told Jon we were together, and he didn’t even seem surprised?”
Oscar scrunched his face, confused. “You think you accidentally told him? What did you say?”
“Well… A while ago, I asked him for advice about something, and then he asked recently ‘how my boyfriend was’ and I said that you were doing fine. But then I said I had misheard him, and thought he asked how my friend was, and I just assumed he meant you.” While he’d been speaking, Lando had moved his hands up so they wrapped around Oscar’s biceps, squeezing them gently.
Oscar reached up to grab Lando’s hands with his own, gently prying them off and linking their fingers together, a coy look on his face. “Yeah. I think he might know, Lando.”
Lando pursed his lips. “Oh. Sorry?”
A sigh, as Oscar led them to sit down on the couch tucked into the side of the room. “No, it’s alright. Actually, Artturi said something to me the other day, too, about you, and Andrea gave me this list of like, how to get through times of stress with your partner? Which I’d thought he just dropped by mistake, but now I’m not so sure.”
The two sat there for a bit, hands still interlaced, each watching the other to try and see how he might respond. It was Oscar who finally broke the silence, feeling Lando’s hands tighten on his own as he began to speak.
“Well even if they do know, nobody’s actually said anything to either of us, have they?” Gently, he pried his right hand loose, to bring it up to cup Lando’s face instead, where an anxious look was beginning to form.
Lando leaned into Oscar’s touch, letting his eyes shut. “No, you’re right, they haven’t. I’m not sure if that’s better or worse, actually. Should we be the ones to say something?”
“Do you want to?” Oscar’s hand shifted up to run through Lando’s hair.
Lando looked at Oscar, glancing all around his face, brows furrowing. “Do you?”
Oscar’s hand stilled, then continued as he leaned into the arm Lando had wrapped around him from over the top of the couch. The two sat like that for a bit before Oscar finally responded. “I don’t know, I haven’t really thought about it.”
“Let’s let the year finish out, I think, and then we’ll see.” Lando then smiled. “Plus, I think I want some more time to have you all to myself.”
Oscar laughed quietly, sitting up on the couch and dislodging Lando’s arm as he turned to face him, raising an eyebrow. “Oh, do you? You don’t already get enough?”
“Of course not!” Lando sat up, squinting in Oscar’s direction. “Are you saying you’ve had enough of me, Piastri? I’d think carefully about your next words, if I were you.”
“No, you’re right, it’s never enough.” The words came out sincere. The two looked at one another, and then Lando lifted his arm again, Oscar slotting into it with ease. Their hands had found each other again, resting atop one of Oscar’s legs.
“I’m sure it’ll be fine, Lando, if Jon knows. Artturi and the rest of them too. Like you said, nobody’s said anything to us, have they?” Lando began to play with Oscar’s fingers as he listened to Oscar continue to speak. “If there is a problem, for some reason, you know, at least we’ll face it together, right?”
“Yeah. You’re right, I think. I just thought we had been so careful, you know? How did they figure it out?”
Oscar laughed, causing Lando to look at him, confused. He smiled, almost appearing amused, as he spoke. “I mean…”
Lando jumped up, now half on top of Oscar, as he pushed his face to keep him from continuing to speak. “That doesn’t count, I’ve told you that! If you look that good, it’s my right as your boyfriend to get to hold you. If the cameras happened to see it, that’s their problem, not mine.”
“Whatever you say, Lan.” Oscar pulled Lando over so that his hands were resting low on his waist as the other was now fully on top of him. “Now, where were we, earlier? I think someone mentioned something about our limited time alone?”
“Mm, I think I like the way you think.” Lando leaned down, kissing Oscar, who responded easily. This moment, at least, was one that would remain hidden, the door that connected them to the outside world shut tightly.