Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

“Sorry, sir. Your card was declined.”

“Oh, I must have grabbed the wrong card. Try this one.”

The cashier took the other card Lando handed him and processed the payment again. A few seconds later, the card machine beeped once more.

“Sorry, it didn’t work either, sir.”

“What?”

“Yes,” the cashier replied, turning the card machine toward Lando for the second time.

Lando stared at the machine as if it had just committed the greatest insult of his life.

“Then try this one. This one will definitely work.”
The cashier took the third card Lando handed him and processed the payment again.

But the result was the same.

“I’m sorry, sir. This one doesn’t work either.”
What the hell?

Lando had tried all three of the cards he had with him, and none of them worked.

This was so embarrassing.

“Give me a second. I need to call someone.”

Lando stepped away from the cashier’s counter after taking back his third card. His fingers quickly searched through his contacts.
Someone who might—not, definitely—be behind all of this.

The first call went unanswered.

Lando let out a long sigh. He felt like screaming.
It wasn’t until the second call that a voice he knew all too well finally came through the other end.

“Yes?”

Lando let out another heavy sigh.

“Dad, what did you do to my cards?”

“Oh! They’ve stopped working, have they?” Lando’s father sounded completely relaxed. Lando could even hear a small chuckle from the other end. “Hahaha.”

Lando grew even more annoyed.

“You could’ve at least told me first! Don’t just block them without saying anything. I was literally about to pay, and this is so embarrassing, Dad.”

“What else did you buy?” his father asked casually. “Last month’s bill alone could’ve bought a small house on the outskirts of Bristol.”

Lando slapped a hand against his forehead.

“Dad, please, can you save the lecture for later? What about the things I bought?”

“Give your phone to the cashier. I’ll talk to him.”

Without wasting another second, Lando walked back to the counter and handed his phone to the cashier.

After speaking with Adam for a while, the cashier handed the phone back to Lando.

“He said we can wait a few minutes, sir. Your payment is being processed.”

Lando simply nodded.

How was Lando feeling right now?

Don’t ask.

He was absolutely mortified.

For the first time in his life, all three of his cards had failed when he tried to pay for something he wanted to buy. And what made it even worse was that it had happened right in front of the cashier—and several other shoppers nearby.

About fifteen minutes later, a store employee approached him carrying several shopping bags.

“Excuse me, sir. Here are your purchases.”

Finally.

Lando immediately took all of the bags.

“Thank you.”

Without wasting any more time, Lando left the store.

His strides were long and fast. With every step, his frustration with his father only grew.

By the time he reached home, Lando had already made up his mind about one thing.

He needed to talk to his father. Immediately.

───

As soon as he arrived home, Lando hurried inside. He was greeted by the head butler, who had been serving the Norris family since before Lando was even born.

“Where’s my dad?”

“He’s in his study, sir.”

“Thank you.”

So impatient was he that Lando even decided to run toward his father’s study.

The large door swung open hurriedly. Lando wanted nothing more than to immediately yell at his father, but he held himself back when he saw that his father was on a phone call.

Adam Norris, one of the wealthiest businessmen in Britain, was currently standing by the window of his study. His back was turned to Lando, who stood not far from the doorway.

A moment later, Adam turned around and found Lando standing there with a face that was anything but friendly.

“Anthonio, let’s continue this later, yeah? I’ll call you back after this.”

“DAD!!!”

Adam had barely had time to put his phone down on the desk when Lando’s voice thundered throughout the study.

Adam didn’t even flinch. He didn’t look surprised by his son’s raised voice either. After twenty-three years of living with his only child, Adam was more than used to things like this.

“Instead of saying hello, you come in here screaming.”

“You tell me!”

There was still anger in Lando’s voice, even though he was no longer shouting.

“Sit down first. You must be tired after all that shopping, right?”

Lando knew that wasn’t concern.

It was teasing.

His father loved teasing him, even though Lando was long past the age of being a child or teenager.

“You could’ve at least waited until I got home, Dad. I was so embarrassed standing at the checkout while none of my cards worked.”

Adam, now seated in his chair, looked at his son with a smile on his face. To Lando, that smile looked suspiciously like he was making fun of him.

“You were probably going to come home late, and I’d already be asleep by then. So, there you go.”

Lando stomped his foot and ran a frustrated hand through his hair.

Don’t get him wrong. As much as Lando was often annoyed by his father’s antics, he loved Adam dearly.

Adam had been a single father for more than fifteen years. Lando’s mother had died in a plane crash, leaving Lando, who was still a teenager at the time, to be raised with the love and care of a father.

Despite being raised with an abundance of love, Lando didn’t grow up to be an arrogant person. He always tried to do whatever his father asked of him. It might always start—or come with—a little whining, but in the end, whatever Adam wanted, Lando would try his best to do.

One of the ways Adam showed his love for Lando was through the financial privileges he gave his son.

Adam had given Lando debit and credit cards with no spending limit. More than once, Adam had been shocked by the bills he received every month. At first, he simply let it go. After all, Lando was only buying things he liked. It wasn’t anything illegal or drugs.

But this month, Lando’s monthly bill had gone completely beyond reason. It was enough to finally make Adam temporarily block the cards his son had been using.

Lando then sat down in the chair opposite his father.

“How long are you going to keep my cards blocked? I don’t have any cash on me, you know.”

Adam looked thoughtful. He was considering when the right time would be to restore those privileges to Lando.

“Have you finished your college activity report?”

“Yes. I already sent it to your email. You haven’t read it?”

“Haven’t had the chance. I only got back this morning…” Adam replied as he opened the email on his phone.

A few seconds later, Adam began reading the report.

“Oh, good. Your grades are great. Mostly A’s and A+’s.”

Lando said nothing. He simply smiled proudly at his father’s praise. Of course. With grades that good, there was nothing else he could do but feel satisfied and proud.

“…You’re in your final semester already, right?” Adam continued.

“Yep!” Lando answered, still wearing a satisfied smile.

“Time for an internship?”

“Exactly.” So pleased was Lando that he even smiled with his eyes closed.

It seemed like his father was finally going to unblock his cards.

“Alright, then.”

The brief response from his father made Lando immediately open his eyes and look straight at him.

“That’s it?”

Adam didn’t answer. He simply nodded.

“What about my cards?”

“Hmm.”

This time, Adam looked deep in thought. His eyes wandered toward the corner of the study, which was filled with a collection of books. Lando himself wasn’t even sure whether his father had actually read all of them.

“Have you found an internship yet?” Adam asked, this time refocusing his attention on Lando.

“Not yet. I’m only applying for internships next week.”

“Where?”

“I’m thinking of submitting an application to PricewaterhouseCoopers, PwC UK.”

Adam thought for a moment, nodding in understanding. With grades that were nearly perfect, Lando naturally had a good chance of being accepted by a company as big as PwC UK. Adam turned his attention back to Lando.

“You want your cards back?”

Lando didn’t answer.

He simply nodded enthusiastically, like a five-year-old who had just been offered as much ice cream as he wanted.

Adam smiled faintly.

“Then intern at Zak’s company.”

“WHAT???”

Adam didn’t react much to Lando’s protest. Judging by his expression and the thunderous volume of his voice, his only son was clearly not in favor of the suggestion.

“Seriously, Dad?”

His father simply nodded.

“You know what Zak’s company is, right?”

“Exactly because I know, I’m asking you to intern there. Besides, Zak’s company is just as well-known as the one you want.”

Lando felt his body turn into jelly. His back could barely support him anymore, so he slumped backward and rested against the back of the chair.

He wanted nothing more than to scream at the top of his lungs.

But what was the point? His screaming wasn’t going to change Adam Norris’s mind.

“I know Zak’s company is famous, but it has a completely different focus, Dad.”

“Yes, and that’s not a problem, is it? I’m only giving you a suggestion. But if you want your cards back quickly, then you know what you have to do.”

Lando’s face fell even further. His dream of doing an internship at PwC was in danger of falling apart.

No.

It wasn’t in danger.

It was already over.

“Alright, then. I’m going back to work. You still have a week to think about it, don’t you?”
Lando didn’t answer. He didn’t move from his position, still mourning the fate that awaited him.
Meanwhile, Adam watched his son with a warm smile.

Adam knew the company Lando wanted to intern at was a major corporation. However, by having Lando intern at his friend’s company, Adam would have more freedom to keep an eye on his son.

───

And this was where Lando found himself now.
McLaren Technology Centre (MTC).

Yes, Adam Norris’s friend was Zak Brown, the CEO of McLaren Racing. With Lando standing at the MTC, it meant he had agreed to his father’s offer.

Intern at Zak’s company in exchange for getting his cards back.

Lando stood awkwardly near the MTC’s lake, which was quite large. He even found himself wondering whether there were any fish living in it. The vast lake looked rather deep, making Lando decide against getting any closer.

Lando slowly walked toward what he believed was the entrance.

“Excuse me.”

His steps came to a halt when he heard a voice behind him, making Lando automatically turn around.

“Yes?”

“Is there anything I can help you with?”

Lando blinked and looked at the man standing not far from him. The man, who appeared to be in his mid-forties, was dressed entirely in black and smiled politely at him.

“I noticed you’re not wearing one of our uniforms, and you don’t seem to have a visitor ID either. So I assumed you might need some assistance?”

Lando only then realized that the man was simply doing his job.

“Oh, yes! I’m sorry. Umm… I’m here to meet someone.”

“Alright, sir. Come with me. I’ll help you. This way.”

The man led Lando toward a small glass room near the lake. From the outside, it looked like there was a reception desk inside.

Once they arrived, the man, who seemed to work as the building’s receptionist, stood behind the desk and returned to whatever he had been working on.

“May I have your name?”

“Lando Norris.”

“And the purpose of your visit?”

“I’m here to see Zak.”

The receptionist typed a few things and focused on the screen in front of him. Then, he took something from the desk drawer and handed it to Lando.

“Here’s your visitor ID. Mr. Brown’s office is on the third floor. Just follow the directions inside the main building.”

After giving the man a brief and polite thank-you, Lando immediately headed toward the place he had been directed to.

From the outside, the building surrounded by glass walls looked magnificent and enormous. Once Lando stepped inside, he realized it was every bit as spacious as he had imagined.

Lando had barely entered the main lobby when his eyes were immediately greeted by a row of racing cars in various shapes and sizes. Several life-sized statues, some perhaps slightly taller than him, also stood at different points around the lobby.

“Whoa… so these are their racing cars?”
It was the first time Lando had ever seen cars shaped like that.

Motorsport wasn’t a field Lando was interested in. He didn’t even follow football, let alone motorsport. He only knew Messi and Ronaldo, without knowing where they were from or which clubs they played for.

The only sport Lando actually enjoyed was golf. A sport that, in his opinion, was far removed from all the noise.

“This car doesn’t look like something that can go 300 km/h,” he commented.

After finishing his little inspection of the cars, Lando walked toward the other side of the lobby and found a statue standing tall among the rows of cars.

He glanced at the statue before trying to read what was written beneath it.

“Da-vid Co-coulthard. David Coulthard? Who’s that?” he muttered to himself.

“Oh… maybe he’s an ancestor of the McLaren owner.”

With his complete lack of interest in motorsport, what else could anyone expect from his knowledge of one of McLaren’s legendary drivers?

Lando decided to end his brief tour of the MTC’s main lobby. He swept his gaze around the building, looking for the elevators, and found them on the opposite side of where he was standing.

He had barely taken a step toward the elevators when he noticed several people dressed in black and orange standing in line in front of them.
Lando immediately changed his mind.

“Umm… maybe I’ll just take the stairs,” he muttered to himself.

No, Lando wasn’t an introvert.

He simply didn’t like meeting too many people in a new place, especially when he didn’t even know what he was supposed to do here besides being an intern.

The staircase Lando had in mind was actually one he had already passed on his way to the elevators. So now he had to turn around to get to it. Lando looked up at the staircase, following the steps from the bottom all the way to the top.

At the same time, someone was coming down from above, dressed in the same black-and-orange colors, paired with knee-length shorts.
Even though Lando wasn’t close enough to get a clear look, he could tell that the man was about the same height as him.

Maybe a little taller.

His shoulders looked much broader than Lando’s own narrow ones. His fair skin caught the light from the building’s lighting, making it glow.

His sharp nose looked as though it had been sculpted by the gods of Greek mythology. His eyebrows were straight and defined, accentuating the structure of his face.

His appearance was made even more striking by his wavy brown hair, framing that handsome face perfectly.

Like a scene straight out of a movie, Lando felt as though his entire world had suddenly shifted into slow motion.

Every step the man took seemed to mirror the increasingly rapid beat of Lando’s heart. Without even realizing it, Lando slowed his own steps, simply to prolong the moment and admire a stranger whose name he didn’t even know yet.

Lando stopped walking when the man reached the bottom step and stood level with him, perhaps only a few meters away.

The man took his phone out of his trouser pocket and began looking at the screen, completely unaware that someone had been watching him for quite some time.

“Oscar!”

Both Lando and the man turned their attention toward the source of the voice.

Another man jogged toward the person he had just called.

His name is Oscar, Lando thought.

Oscar Piastri.

The talented young Australian driver who had officially made his Formula 1 debut with McLaren this year.

His racing career had been nothing short of brilliant and flawless. He had won both the Formula 3 and Formula 2 championships back-to-back, with a clean driving style and hardly any mistakes.

Both his racing abilities and his personality had become hot topics in the world of motorsport. His calm demeanor and remarkable emotional control had earned him the nickname The Next Iceman, following in the footsteps of Kimi Räikkönen.

His above-average talent was complemented by his striking appearance, making him a magnet for women who had previously had little interest in a sport dominated by men.

“Have you read the data Andrea sent?”

“Just opened it.”

Oh, for God's sake.

For the first time, the man named Oscar spoke, and Lando immediately found himself liking his voice.

“Good. We’ll discuss it in the meeting room at two this afternoon.”

“Okay.”

With the conversation over, it was once again just Lando and the man named Oscar.

Oscar was just about to return his attention to his phone when he noticed someone standing not far from him.

Judging by the way he was dressed, the man didn't seem to be part of the McLaren staff. And sure enough, Oscar caught sight of the visitor ID hanging from the pocket of the black knit polo he was wearing.

The man's curly brown hair was the first thing Oscar noticed. His tan skin still looked striking even paired with the black outfit. He stood completely still in his place... Oscar wasn't quite sure where the man was looking.

Oscar glanced to the right and left, then behind him, wondering if perhaps there was someone else the man was actually watching.
There wasn't.

It was just the two of them standing in the lobby.
Oscar looked back at the man, who still hadn't moved.

Is he daydreaming?

To find out whether his hypothesis was correct, Oscar tried waving a hand in front of him.
Still nothing.

The only thing left was to call out to him.

“Erm...” Oscar cleared his throat, since he didn't even know who the man was.
His attempt worked.

The man flinched slightly, as though he had only just snapped out of his thoughts.

“Are you looking for someone?” Oscar asked.
This was strange.

Oscar wasn't the type of person who would willingly talk to someone he'd never met before. No, it wasn't because he was arrogant. Oscar was simply a quiet person who preferred not to meddle in other people's affairs unless it had something to do with his work.

But the man standing in front of him looked incredibly confused and... lost?

“Oh! Erm... yeah,” the man stammered before finally walking closer. “I'm here to meet Zak.”
One of Oscar's eyebrows lifted.

This man wanted to meet Zak?

The stranger—whose name Oscar still didn't know—looked far too young to be one of Zak's business associates, but far too old to be his nephew.

“Oscar, we have to leave in ten minutes.”

Both of their attention shifted toward the voice of a woman standing near the lobby entrance.

Not long after his name was called, Oscar turned his attention back to the man in front of him. At the same time, the man also refocused on Oscar.

“Zak's office is on the third floor. Take these stairs and turn left. His office is at the very end of the hallway,” Oscar explained without breaking eye contact with the blue-green eyes in front of him.

“Alright, thank you.”

Oscar merely nodded before walking toward the female staff member who was already waiting for him.

Leaving Lando behind, still watching Oscar's back as he walked away until he finally disappeared from Lando's sight.

Lando smiled, his face growing warm.
Maybe MTC wasn't as bad as he had thought after all.

───

It was Lando's eighth day as an intern at MTC, and so far, he was actually enjoying it.

At first, Lando had assumed he'd be placed somewhere related to race cars or engineering, but he had been completely wrong.

Instead, he was assigned to McLaren Racing's Business Development Department. Partnership and sponsorship management, brand activations, business opportunity research, and helping the team prepare proposals and presentations—these were exactly the kinds of things Lando was good at.

And on his eighth day... He still hadn't seen the man named Oscar again.

Lando had no idea which department Oscar worked in, or even which floor his office was on. Even during lunch breaks, he never once spotted him in the MTC cafeteria.

He desperately wanted to ask one of his colleagues where Oscar was, but he was far too embarrassed. He had barely started his internship. Imagine already asking about a staff member.

Lando was busy working on an assignment Sandra had given him when another staff member—James, if he remembered correctly—walked over to his desk.

“So, how have your first eight days been?”

Lando smiled. So far, everyone had treated him incredibly well. Even though he was just an intern, nobody looked down on him. Most of the tasks he received were already similar to those given to full-time staff, and he was often praised for the work he submitted.

For the first time in a while, Lando truly felt welcomed.

“It's been really great. Thank you for giving me this opportunity,” Lando said.

“Glad to hear that.” James smiled. “Oh, and Zak has a new assignment for you.”

A new assignment.

Lando liked the sound of that. The more responsibilities they gave him, the more it meant they trusted his abilities.

“Oh? What is it?”

James pulled over the empty chair beside Lando's desk. It actually belonged to Brian, but its owner hadn't returned for the past thirty minutes.

“This week Formula 1 is racing at Silverstone, and Zak wants you there.”

Lando blinked, unsure he'd heard James correctly.

“At... Silverstone?”

“Yeah.”

“Where's that?”

James stared at him in disbelief.

“You don't know Silverstone Circuit?”

Lando shook his head.

“Silverstone Circuit. It's in Northamptonshire.”

“Northamptonshire? Isn't that... more than an hour from here?”

“About that.”

“What am I supposed to do there? You're not suddenly making me a mechanic, right? I know absolutely nothing about race cars.”

James burst into laughter at Lando's horrified expression.

“It's painfully obvious you don't like Formula 1. You don't even know Silverstone.” He gave Lando a light pat on the shoulder before handing him the white envelope he'd been carrying.

“This is your paddock access pass. I'm not entirely sure what you'll be doing there. Zak will probably explain it to you himself.”

“Zak's going to be there?” Lando asked as he accepted the envelope.

Inside was an access card attached to McLaren's signature papaya-orange lanyard.

Lando Norris.

And underneath his name, in bold letters:

ALL AREA.

“Zak is always at the circuit during race weekends.”

Lando nodded quietly, still staring at the pass in his hand.

“When do I have to go? The race is on Sunday, isn't it?” he asked, looking back at James.

“Tomorrow.”

“WHAT?!”

Lando's voice shot up several octaves, loud enough for several people around the office to turn toward his desk.

“Oh—sorry! Sorry! I'm so sorry!”

He immediately stood up and apologized to everyone looking at him, while James laughed so hard he could barely stay in his chair.

“Why is it so sudden?” Lando protested. “I haven't prepared anything! Where am I even supposed to stay?”

The panic was written all over the intern's face. Anyone would panic if they were suddenly told they had to leave town for work.

“Relax.” James chuckled. “McLaren has already arranged everything. You'll probably receive all the accommodation and transportation details in your email this afternoon.”

Lando let out a long sigh of relief.

At least he didn't have to rush around booking hotels or trains at the last minute.

“Well then, I'd better get going.” James stood up and gave Lando two friendly pats on the shoulder. “Enjoy the circuit, Norris.”

As James walked away, Lando stared at the orange lanyard in his hand.

“Enjoy what? Aren't race circuits just... hot?” he muttered to himself.

───

After work, Lando spent the evening packing for his trip the next morning. Once he'd finished reading every email McLaren had sent him, he froze.

He would be staying in Northamptonshire... For five days.

“FIVE DAYS?!”

“WOOOOW! Our friend is unbelievable!” Voices exploded from Lando's phone.

While packing, he was also on a video call with his two best friends, George Russell and Charles Leclerc.

The one yelling at the top of his lungs was George. The tall man—standing at 188 centimeters—was currently doing his internship at GSK plc, formerly GlaxoSmithKline, one of London's leading healthcare and pharmaceutical companies.

The other voice, noticeably lacking a British accent, belonged to Charles Leclerc. The Monégasque was doing his internship at Barclays, the British multinational universal bank headquartered in London.

Both of them were interning in London—exactly where Lando was supposed to be if he'd accepted his internship at PwC UK.

But thanks to the great credit-card-and-debit-card disaster caused by his father, he had ended up in Surrey instead, where MTC was located.

“Can you two keep it down?” Lando complained. “You're acting like I'm being deployed to a battlefield.”

“How can we not freak out?!” George shot back. “You've only been an intern for one week and they're already sending you out of town. For five days!”

“So...” Charles leaned closer to his camera. “Where are you interning anyway, Lan? You still haven't told us.”

“Exactly.” George nodded. “All you said was it's a company owned by one of your dad's acquaintances.”

Lando hadn't told them for a reason. The second they found out where he worked, those two would never leave him alone.

“Somewhere.”

“Wow. Keeping secrets now, are we, Char?” George protested dramatically.

“Hehehe.”

“So where are you going tomorrow?” George asked.

“What, is that a secret too?” Charles complained.

Lando couldn't keep secrets from his best friends forever.

Besides, Northamptonshire wasn't only famous for Silverstone.

“Northamptonshire.”

“What?!”

“Isn't that almost two hours from London, George?”

Lando nodded automatically, forgetting they couldn't actually see him.

“Yeah.”

“Wait a second!”

“What?”

“You're going this week, Lan?”

“Yeah. I'm leaving tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow... tomo—”

“Char!”

“Yeah, George?”

“You didn't forget what's happening this week, did you?”

A strange sense of dread suddenly settled in Lando's stomach.

“Hang on, let me check the calendar... Umm... this week...” Charles went silent for a second.

“Oh my God, George!”

“Right?! It's this week!”

“IT IS!”

“Oh my God, Lan! Can I come with you?!”

“Me too! I want to come too!”

Lando stared at both of them in confusion.
Why were they suddenly begging to come along?

“Can you even just take time off like that? And what would you even do there?”

“WATCH FORMULA 1!”

They shouted in perfect unison, making Lando instinctively cover up his ear. He looked at the screen with absolute disbelief. He instantly regretted telling them where he was going.

Lando knew his friends were obsessed with motorsport. He just hadn't realized they were this obsessed. That was exactly why he'd kept his internship location a secret.

George and Charles absolutely loved Formula 1. More times than he could count, they'd tried convincing Lando to travel across Europe to watch races together.

Whenever he did agree to go, he spent the weekend sightseeing around the city instead of stepping anywhere near a race circuit.

“So... can you even take leave?” Lando asked.
The question instantly silenced both of them.

“Damn. No chance.”

“I wanted to go so badly.”

“Aren't you going to watch it, Lan?”

“No!” Lando answered far too quickly. “Ahem—I mean... why would I? I'm going there to work.”

“Booooo! You're so boring!”

Lando laughed.

If anyone was going to tease him mercilessly, it was always George. The three of them still had plenty to talk about, but it was getting late, and Lando had to leave early the next morning to report for work at the circuit.

Eventually, they ended the call.

Not before George and Charles wished him luck, hoping everything would go smoothly and that he'd finish his work in Northamptonshire safely before returning home.

───

“Today, you have interviews with Verstappen and Albon at 3:10 p.m.”

“Okay.”

“Besides that, there might be some content filming with Sainz and a few sponsors.”

“Yep.”

“And lastly, debrief at 7:00 p.m.”

“Alright.”

Oscar was sitting in the car, reading through the data sent by his head mechanic while listening to Sophia, who was sitting right beside him, go over his schedule for the day.

They were currently on their way from the hotel to Silverstone Circuit, where this week's Formula 1 race was being held. Today was Media Day, and Oscar was scheduled for several media interviews throughout the day.

“Are you really going to take leave, Atturi?” Sophia asked, this time turning her attention to Atturi, who was sitting in the passenger seat beside the driver.

“Yeah. Starting from the next race, I'll be on leave for the next three months.”

“Who's going to replace you?” Oscar asked.

Atturi was a McLaren staff member assigned to assist Oscar throughout race weekends. From Media Day preparations and Free Practice to Qualifying and the Race, Atturi was the one who took care of everything Oscar needed.

“Don't know yet. But he'll be coming in today. He needs to see what I do before I hand him the marathon baton, doesn't he?”

Both Oscar and Sophia smiled at Atturi's joke, and so did Tom, the driver taking them to the circuit that day.

As soon as they arrived at the McLaren motorhome, Oscar went straight to his room. The drivers' rooms were located on the second floor.

Media Day wasn't particularly demanding, although it could be quite exhausting since they usually had plenty of content and sponsor shoots throughout the day. It became even more draining when they had a full schedule of media interviews.

It wasn't that Oscar disliked being interviewed by the media. It was just that sometimes he got asked questions that were completely pointless.

But Oscar was a professional driver. He would answer every question as politely as he could and, well... in a very Oscar-like manner.

Oscar was sitting on the sofa, doing a little warm-up for his arms with the small dumbbells that were always kept in his room. Soon, he would have to change into his McLaren polo shirt.

He glanced toward the clothes rack.

His orange polo wasn't there yet. Atturi probably hadn't prepared it for him.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK

The sound of someone knocking on Oscar's door made him stop what he was doing.

That was strange. Atturi usually walked straight in without knocking.

“Come in.”

The door slowly opened, followed by a hand appearing first, carrying several of Oscar's McLaren polo shirts and hoodies.

“Sorry I'm only just bringing your clothes.”

That wasn't Atturi's voice.

And the hand appearing from behind the door wasn't Atturi's either.

Oscar knew Atturi well. Even though they'd only been working together for less than eight months, Atturi's tall and broad frame was certainly hard to mistake.

“...and here's your fo—”

The voice suddenly stopped when a pair of blue-green eyes met Oscar's brown ones.

“Oh!”

The owner of those blue-green eyes looked startled.

“Norris, have you met Oscar?” Atturi's voice came from behind him.

Yes.

Lando had just met Oscar again after several days apart.

He hadn't expected to run into Oscar here.

Not at the MTC.

Oscar stood up from the sofa and watched as Atturi helped Lando with the things he was carrying.

After Atturi put Oscar's clothes and hoodies into the wardrobe and Lando placed Oscar's food on the table beside the mini-fridge, Atturi finally introduced the two of them.

“Norris, meet Oscar Piastri.”

The two of them shook hands as they introduced themselves to each other.

Lando felt like he might just melt right there.

It had only been a brief handshake, but the warmth of Oscar's hand still lingered in his palm.

Meanwhile, on Oscar's side, it was the first time he'd ever shaken hands with someone whose hand was surprisingly soft for a man.

“Alright, since you two have met, and I've already explained your tasks to Norris...” Atturi said, stepping back. “I'll leave you two alone. And Norris, if you have any questions, you can contact me anytime.”

“Yeah. Thank you so much, Atturi.”

Flashback — One Hour Earlier

Lando was scrolling through his phone in one corner of the seating area in the McLaren motorhome cafeteria. A glass of lemonade sat untouched on the table, half of its contents still remaining.

The cafeteria wasn't particularly crowded yet, considering it wasn't lunchtime. Besides, Lando didn't know anyone here, so the only thing he could do was play on his phone while waiting for Zak to arrive.

“Hey, Lando. Sorry I'm late.”

Zak's voice caught Lando's attention, making him look up from his phone.

“Oh, hey, Zak. It's okay. I just got here too.”

Zak took a seat across from Lando.

“How are things at the MTC? Everything okay?”

“Yeah, everything's fine and... actually, it's been fun.”

“Glad to hear it. Well... for now, let's stop talking about what's going on at the MTC...”

Yes. This was exactly what Lando had been waiting for—the reason why he'd been assigned here in the first place.

“...the reason I called you here is to help me look after one of our drivers.”

Lando furrowed his brows, clearly confused.

“Umm... I'm not going to be a mechanic or anything like that, right?” Lando asked firmly.

“No, hahaha. Of course not. Adam knows very well how uninterested you are in motorsport. Hahaha.”

Shit. Apparently, he'd been a topic of conversation between his father and Zak.

“One of our driver's managers is going on leave for the next three months, and I want you to temporarily take over his position.”

“So I'm not interning at the MTC anymore?”

“You still are.”

Lando was even more confused. How was he supposed to do two jobs at once?

“Formula 1 races only take place over four days, and they're not every week—roughly every two weeks. So when there isn't a race weekend, you work at the MTC. But whenever there's a race, you come here?”

Lando fell silent for a moment, trying to process Zak's explanation.

“So... whenever there's another race, I come here again? To Silverstone again?”

Zak burst out laughing at the question. Lando genuinely knew absolutely nothing about how car racing worked.

“Hahaha, it's not quite like that. So, Formula 1 races work like this...” Zak began explaining how Formula 1 worked.

All of this was completely new information to Lando, who had never known anything about motorsport. The only thing Lando knew was that both of his friends were obsessed with the sport. Whether it was because of the fast cars, the incredibly complex system, or something else entirely, Lando wasn't sure.

“Ahhh, I see... Okay, I understand now.”

Zak smiled at Lando's reaction. Young people were always easy to guide.

“So, who am I going to manage?”

“Zak!”

Both Zak and Lando turned toward the source of the voice.

Lando's eyes caught sight of a familiar-looking figure who had just walked past the cafeteria. He couldn't quite tell who it was because he'd only seen the person from the side. But this was a new environment for Lando, and he didn't know anyone here except Zak.

Brown hair...

Lando tried to remember who that brown-haired person could be, but there were certainly more than a few people in the world with brown hair.

Then, as if a switch had suddenly been flipped in his mind, one name popped into his head.

“Oscar?”

Could that really have been Oscar's silhouette?

“Lando?”

Zak's voice snapped Lando out of his thoughts.

“Yeah?”

“Let me introduce you. This is Atturi.”

Lando shook hands with the large man standing in front of him, who was considerably taller than Lando. What caught Lando's attention the most was Atturi's thick moustache and beard, along with the fact that he was completely bald.

“Lando Norris.”

“Just call me Atturi.”

“So, I'm going to be Atturi's manager?”

Once again, Lando's question made Zak burst into laughter, this time joined by Atturi.

“Atturi is the one whose position you'll be temporarily taking over.”

Lando awkwardly scratched the back of his head.

“Well, I'll leave you two to it, then. Lando, Atturi will explain the details of your job later.”

“Okay. Thanks, Zak.”

As soon as Zak left, Atturi immediately began explaining everything Lando would need to do, from when his duties started to when they ended during each race weekend.

“Alright, I understand.”

“Good. Now that you understand, you should probably get started.”

“Okay. I'll go to the wardrobe first to get the team kit for... sorry, I don't know his name yet—”

“Jennie!”

Atturi called out to a female staff member who had just walked past their table.

“Yes?”

“You're heading to the wardrobe area, right? Take Norris with you.”

“Oh! He's Piastri's new manager?”

Atturi nodded.

“Alright, Norris. Come with me.”

Lando followed Jennie.

So, the driver he would be handling was named Piastri. It was a nice name, and definitely didn't sound English. Lando found himself wondering what this driver named Piastri was like.

“Here. This is Piastri's team kit.”

Lando took three polo shirts and one black hoodie with orange accents, then looked at the name label above the wardrobe.

O. Piastri 81

“Thank you.”

“After this, you can just come here whenever you need team kit for Piastri.”

“So I take it from this wardrobe?” Lando pointed toward the locker with O. Piastri 81 written above it.

“Yep. This one belongs to Piastri. That one belongs to Sainz.”

“Alright. Thanks for your help.”

“Do you know where Piastri's room is?”

“Past the cafeteria?”

“Yep, that's right. Past the cafeteria, and it's the one on the left.”

“Thanks a lot, Jennie.”

On his way to Oscar's room, Lando ran into Atturi again.

“Take this with you, too. He asked me to order him some food.”

“Okay, sure.”

Lando already knew who Atturi was referring to. It had to be Piastri.

With four pieces of clothing in his arms and a food bag that felt rather heavy to him, Lando made his way to carry out his first task as a Formula 1 driver's manager.

It certainly wasn't the job Lando had hoped for, but at least he didn't have to become a mechanic. And he was learning something new about the sport.

Lando finally reached the place Jennie had directed him to. There were two doors in front of him, and the names on them matched the labels he'd seen in the wardrobe.

The door on the left read O. Piastri 81, while the one on the right read C. Sainz 55.

Lando knocked three times, then, without waiting for an answer, opened the door on the left.

“Sorry it took me so long to bring your clothes...” Lando said as he stepped into the room.

“...and I also have your fo—”

Lando's sentence stopped the moment his eyes met the brown-haired man he knew.

“Oh!!”

He was so shocked that all Lando could do was stand there, staring at him.

“Norris, have you met Oscar already?” Atturi's voice came from behind him.

End of flashback.

After Atturi left, the atmosphere between Oscar and Lando suddenly felt quiet.

Lando felt nervous after realizing that the man he had met at the MTC last week was actually one of McLaren's Formula 1 drivers.

Oscar, on the other hand, felt awkward too. He wasn't the type of person who easily started conversations with someone he'd just met. It wasn't because he was uncomfortable with Lando's presence; he simply didn't know how he was supposed to act around him.

"Umm... you can start eating first. After that, you'll be filming some content with Sainz," Lando explained shyly.

He couldn't even bring himself to look Oscar in the eye, which made Oscar smile at his behavior.

How could he not?

Lando was looking everywhere in the room except at the person he was actually talking to.

"Thank you," Oscar replied shortly.

Oscar picked up the food Lando had placed on the table and sat back down in his previous spot, while Lando... was still standing where he was.

"You can sit down, Norris. Make yourself at home."

"Huh? Oh... y-yeah."

Lando then took a seat not far from where he had been standing, still unable to look directly at Oscar.

Oscar quietly watched Lando's awkward movements from the corner of his eye. Lando sat stiffly with his hands resting on his knees, his gaze still wandering around every corner of the room without looking at Oscar even once.

Then, at one point, Lando tried to glance in Oscar's direction, only to find Oscar already looking at him.

Their eyes met for a few seconds. Lando immediately looked away.

Oscar smiled.

"When do I need to start getting ready for the content shoot?"

Lando immediately turned his gaze toward Oscar, who was now looking at his phone while taking a spoonful of the tuna melt he had ordered.

Lando then glanced at the wall clock directly above where Oscar was sitting.

"Umm... ten minutes from now."

Oscar simply nodded in response.

Lando got to his feet and walked over to the cabinet, taking the black bag from inside. He then began doing what Atturi had explained to him earlier. He had to prepare everything Oscar would need throughout his activities.

Oscar silently watched Lando.

What Lando was doing was almost exactly the same as what Atturi had done, although he wasn't quite as quick because Lando still had to search for some of the things he needed. But it was enough for Oscar to get an impression of Lando's performance.

After finishing his meal, Oscar reached for one of the McLaren polo shirts that Atturi had hung in his wardrobe earlier.

Without saying much, Oscar began taking off the shirt he was wearing. The simple movement made Lando freeze in place.

His eyes accidentally caught a glimpse of Oscar's body as the man pulled his shirt over his head.

"Oh!" Lando quickly turned around.

His back was now facing Oscar, his hands even clasped together in front of his body.

"S-Sorry. I-I didn't know you were going to change in here," Lando stammered nervously.
Oscar, seeing his reaction, remained silent for a moment and said nothing.

He simply continued changing, but then his gaze accidentally fell upon the large mirror directly in front of Lando.

From where Oscar was standing, he could still see Lando's reflection in the mirror.

And apparently... Lando was standing there with his eyes squeezed tightly shut.

Oscar almost laughed.

The man's cheeks were slightly flushed, the redness even reaching his ears. Oscar had no idea what was going through his mind to make him react like that.

"He's adorable." Oscar held back a smile.

Lando probably thought that by turning around, he wouldn't be able to see anything.

What he didn't realize was that the mirror in front of him was showing Oscar everything.

Oscar hurriedly finished changing. He didn't want to make Lando feel even more uncomfortable by taking too long.

"Done."

Hearing Oscar's voice, Lando slowly opened his eyes but still didn't turn around immediately.

"Are you finished?"

"Yeah."

Only then did Lando turn back around. And when he saw Oscar already wearing a black McLaren polo shirt with orange accents, Lando let out a relieved sigh.

His eyes then traveled down, taking in Oscar's outfit from head to toe.

"Huh?"

Oscar raised an eyebrow.

"What?"

"You're only wearing shorts?"

Oscar glanced down at the shorts he was wearing, then looked back at Lando with a blank expression.

"Yeah."

"But we're filming content, right?"

"Yeah."

Lando furrowed his brows. He still looked confused.

"Then... you're going to film it wearing those?"
Oscar finally realized what was confusing Lando.

"What's wrong with them?"

"Well... I thought you were supposed to wear trousers or something more formal."

Oscar shook his head slightly.

"It's not a formal event, Norris. I'm a racing driver, not an actor."

Lando fell silent.

"Oh."

Oscar continued calmly.

"We usually wear team kit like this when we're at the circuit. Shorts are fine too."

"Oh... I see." Lando nodded several times, as though he had just learned something extremely important.

He had never really paid attention to how a driver dressed while at a circuit. As far as he was concerned, everyone working in motorsport probably had to wear clothes that looked serious and professional all the time.

Apparently, not quite.

Oscar then walked toward the door, but before actually leaving the room, he stopped in front of the mirror.

His hands went through his slightly messy brown hair after changing clothes. He brushed a few strands away from his forehead, then examined his reflection to make sure nothing looked out of place.

Lando, who was standing a few steps behind him, unconsciously watched the whole thing.
For some reason, seeing Oscar from this close felt different.

Lando had already seen him a few days ago at the MTC. In fact, ever since the first time he had seen Oscar, Lando had secretly admitted to himself that the man was incredibly attractive.

But now, with the two of them in the same room and only a few steps between them, Lando realized something.

Oscar Piastri was actually really handsome.
That slightly wavy brown hair suited his pale skin perfectly. His calm features, combined with those eyes that always seemed cool and gave away very little emotion, created an impression that was difficult to explain.

Cool.

Mysterious.

Like the male lead in one of those romance novels Lando had read countless times. Lando almost smiled to himself.

Oh, God.

He never thought he'd get the chance to admire one of God's creations from this close. And without Lando realizing it, all that admiration was actually clearly visible in the reflection of the mirror in front of Oscar.

Oscar could see the way Lando was watching him from behind. The man didn't even realize he was being watched back.

Oscar didn't know why, but instead of feeling uncomfortable, he found himself enjoying the unique expression on Lando's face.

Especially when Lando hurriedly looked away the moment Oscar finished fixing his hair and slightly turned his head toward the mirror.

"Adorable."

Once again, Oscar kept the comment to himself.

He then opened the door.

"Come on, Norris."

Lando snapped out of his daze.

"Oh! Yeah."

He quickly followed Oscar out of the room, trying his best to keep his face as normal as possible.

Meanwhile, Oscar simply walked ahead of him with his usual calm expression.

As if nothing had happened.

Even though, for the past few minutes, he had already discovered one small thing about the new intern assigned to help him.

Lando Norris was surprisingly easy to fluster.

───

Being a manager at Silverstone was finally coming to an end. Oscar hadn't managed to take the win today, but starting and finishing in second place was still a good result.

They were now in the car on their way back to the hotel. Lando had only just realized that he and Oscar were staying at the same hotel. He was gazing out the window, watching the nighttime scenery of Northamptonshire pass by.

The roads had already grown quiet, considering they had left the paddock rather late because the debrief had taken longer than usual. Lando eventually turned his head towards Oscar, who was sitting beside him.

Even in the dim lighting, Lando could still make out the sharp line of Oscar's nose. His brown hair looked soft as it caught the reflections of the lights outside. Dressed in a plain T-shirt and shorts, Oscar looked calm and gentle.

Nothing like he had looked a few hours ago, when that athletic body had been covered in fireproofs that did absolutely nothing to hide the size of Oscar's arms.

"Is there something you want to ask?"

Lando was startled by Oscar's question.

"Huh?"

This time, Oscar lowered his phone, folded his arms across his chest, and focused his attention on Lando.

Lando immediately became flustered. He had thought Oscar hadn't noticed him quietly staring.

"You've been looking at me for a while. I thought there was something you wanted to ask," Oscar explained.

That only made Lando more flustered. He quickly looked away, directing his gaze anywhere but at Oscar.

"Ah... n-no. Nothing."

Oscar smiled at Lando's awkwardness.

"You've done a good job this week."

Oscar's words made Lando look back at him.

The dim lighting inside the car can't hide the softness in Oscar's eyes.

"Thank you for your help," Oscar continued.

Lando's heart warmed. Who wouldn't feel that way?

It had only been four days since Lando started working in a field that was completely new to him. Usually, his work involved dealing with data on a computer or piles of paperwork. But over the past four days, Lando had been constantly meeting new people and experiencing things he had never encountered before.

Oscar's praise made Lando feel something that was difficult to put into words. Happy didn't quite seem enough to describe it. His hard work was being appreciated by someone else. The effort he had put into a job that was entirely new to him was being recognized as something successful, something that had genuinely helped another person.

"Thank you so much, Piastri."

Oscar gave a faint smile at that.

Yet, for some reason, a few seconds later, he spoke again.

"Just Oscar, Norris."

Lando fell silent for a moment. He looked at Oscar, as if making sure he hadn't heard him wrong.

"Seriously?"

Oscar gave a small nod.

"We're going to be working together for quite a while. It feels strange if you keep calling me by my last name."

Lando couldn't stop himself from smiling. A sudden happiness bloomed in his chest over something as simple as that one sentence.

"Then... just Lando."

"Okay, Lando."

For some reason, hearing Oscar say his name made Lando's smile grow even wider. He turned his gaze back towards the window, trying to hide the warmth spreading across his face.

Meanwhile, Oscar returned his attention to his phone, though the faint smile remained at the corner of his lips.

The journey back to the hotel continued in silence. But this time, the silence between them no longer felt as awkward as it had before.

───

When Lando finally arrived at the hotel, he immediately collapsed onto the bed. His body felt a little battered after having to run back and forth several times throughout the day. Strangely enough, though, Lando actually felt happy.

Still lying on the bed, Lando reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. He had just remembered that it had been vibrating constantly while he was at the track. Lando's eyes widened when he saw dozens of messages from his two friends, along with more than a dozen missed calls.

Lando quickly called them both. Oddly enough, even though it was already well into the night, they picked up after only three rings.

"WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?!?!?" George yelled from the other end.

"Lando, we need an explanation!!!"

"EXPLAIN YOURSELF RIGHT NOW!"

"Hey, hey, calm down. What do you mean? What do I need to explain?"

"You haven't checked our group chat?"

"Check it now!!"

All that yelling was, of course, courtesy of George. Out of the three of them, George was definitely the one with the patience of a tissue paper.

Lando opened their group chat. There were already dozens of messages from George and Charles, along with more than a dozen photos that left Lando staring at his phone in utter shock.

Charles had sent photos of his television. On the screen was Lando standing beside Oscar, holding an umbrella. Charles had sent roughly eight photos of nearly the exact same moment, with only a few seconds passing between each picture.

George, meanwhile, had sent even more. Not just photos, but a video as well. The photos George sent were screenshots taken from his iPad, and every single one showed the same thing—Lando and Oscar standing underneath the same umbrella.

Just seeing the photos from his two friends was enough to make Lando's cheeks heat up. But the video recorded from George's iPad made his heart beat even faster.

In the video, Lando could be seen blinking repeatedly, trying to shield his eyes from the glaring sunlight. Not long after, Oscar reached for his arm and pulled him underneath the shelter of the umbrella.

What made Lando's heart pound even harder was the moment Oscar smiled at him before deciding to pull him closer beneath the umbrella.

"DID YOU SEE THAT???" George's shout snapped Lando out of his thoughts.

"Y-yeah, I saw it."

"Landooo..."

"EXPLAIN TO US WHY YOU SUDDENLY ENDED UP STANDING NEXT TO OSCAR PIASTRI?!"

Lando let out a heavy sigh. Tonight was going to be a very long night for him.

After briefly explaining everything, without hiding a single detail from either of his friends, Lando felt a little relieved. At least now he no longer had to hide the fact that he was doing his internship at McLaren.

Although both of his friends continued to protest, clearly disappointed that Lando had kept his internship placement a secret, neither George nor Charles was actually angry with him. They understood well enough why Lando had chosen to keep it from them.

Instead of continuing to lecture him, the two of them began teasing Lando. Quite casually, they threw out a question that had never once crossed Lando's mind before.

"What if Piastri likes you?"

Lando's cheeks instantly turned even redder, perhaps resembling a boiled crab by now.

"You two are insane. There's no way that's going to happen. I just met him for the first time," Lando argued.

But Lando could hear the laughter of his two friends from the other end of the call.

"There is such a thing as love at first sight, Lando."

"George is right. Just like how George falls in love with every man he meets."

"CHARLES!!!!!"

Lando didn't join in on teasing George because George's words had already taken over his mind.

Love at first sight.

Even if it really did exist, Lando should be the one falling in love at first sight, not the other way around. After all, who wouldn't be captivated by Oscar Piastri's perfect face?

But there was absolutely no way a Formula 1 driver would ever develop feelings for someone like Lando—a perfectly ordinary person who was simply trying to finish his degree.

And Lando wasn't even sure whether the fluttering in his chest whenever he was near Oscar could really be called love.

Or was it merely the euphoria of meeting a professional athlete face-to-face for the first time, only to discover that the man happened to be incredibly handsome, too?

───