Chapter Text
That interview only fanned the flames.
Maybe fanned the flames is a modest way of putting it. Because that interview hit the world like a meteor strike, exploding the internet into a million tiny pieces.
If Lando thought that he was getting way too much attention beforehand, he seriously underestimated how insane it could get. As soon as that interview dropped it became trending worldwide, worldwide news.
WORLDWIDE.
Lando knew it would be talked about, but he really underestimated how many people would go insane about the idea of ‘Landoscar’ being real.
Honestly, Lando didn’t think it would be this big of a deal. Who cares about two guys dating? It’s 2026, come on it’s not that big of a deal anymore is it?
Every time Lando would open Instagram, Twitter, hell even fucking Google; he would be greeted to articles, posts, tweets, edits, timeline posts of this ‘Landoscar’ thing.
It’s insane, Lando can’t believe his eyes most of the time.
Oscar too is flabbergasted by how big this has become.
He saw a lot of posts before, he’s spent most of the last few weeks looking through the ‘Landoscar” tag on every social media platform he could think of; and it was insane then and yet somehow has only gotten more intense.
Some of the posts were nice, supportive, sweet responses. Talking about how proud they were of them for ‘going public about their relationship’. Even though it isn’t a real relationship, it warmed Oscar’s heart to see people be this okay with him being gay.
He kept thinking about how scared his younger self was, how worried he was of this secret getting out. Oscar feels a weight off of his shoulders, and at the same time he feels like he’s got the weight of the world on his shoulders. To be fair, with this job you often do.
Other posts were... Interesting.
Some people have done intense breakdowns of every single moment they have interacted, others have made insanely good art of their ‘future wedding’ which has secretly made Oscar smile.
And others have been downright feral.
He would rather forget the details of the most of it. But seriously, Oscar is never going on AO3 again.
On another note, Zak has been insanely happy with this response.
He called a meeting right before FP1 on Friday, showing another lot of social media posts and Google trends graphs over the last day highlighting the insanity that this has caused.
Apparently it has been good for business, but neither Lando nor Oscar care about that part. They are more focused on the fact that the entire world has the impression that they’re in a relationship, and that they ‘have been for a while now’.
As good as the support has been, it’s still weird for Oscar to be doing this.
Every time he sees an edit, an article, or some compilation of every time they have made eye contact with each other; a pit deepens in his chest. Because it’s a constant reminder that none of this is real.
Oscar sees himself in those videos, with those stupid yearning eyes of his that he thought he was covering so well; and it hurts.
The world thinks he has Lando, but he doesn’t actually have him.
And he wants him, so bad.
Maybe agreeing to this was the dumbest idea he’s had in a while, but he has to try and move on; find some way to go along with this.
Oscar doesn’t have time to focus on his yearning, because he needs to focus on the race weekend. And more specifically, he needs to focus on the second stage to this plan that McLaren have come up with.
They have a date night tonight.
According to Zak, it’s the perfect way to build up hype for the race weekend. Even if they don’t perform well this weekend, Zak wants people to be talking about McLaren.
So, he booked them a dinner at one of the fanciest restaurants in Italy and also tipped off the paparazzi what time they are going to be there; so they can take some photos as they walk out of the restaurant.
Lando argued it was a stupid idea and that they should be focusing on the race instead; but Zak insisted so they have no choice but to go along with it.
As Lando gets ready for the dinner, putting on a nice suit that McLaren got tailored for him overnight; he can’t help but feel nervous.
He’s trying to make himself look perfect doing his hair just right, making sure there isn’t a single wrinkle in the fabric of his suit jacket, putting on his most expensive cologne so he will smell nice.
It’s not like any of this really matters, how he smells doesn’t have any impact on the photos the paparazzi take so he isn’t even sure why he’s bothering with that part.
For some reason tonight he wants to impress Oscar.
He’s straight, he’s only doing this for the money and to make the team get off his ass about how badly he’s been behaving lately.
And yet, here he is. Nervous for a date that isn’t even real.
All of this is so confusing, so Lando just tries to push the thought out of his mind and move on. He needs to calm down and just get this over with.
It’s only one night, not a big deal.
Oscar on the other hand, is trying to impress tonight.
He’s wearing the nicest suit he could get in such short notice, styling his hair perfectly, and wearing his sexiest cologne. Unlike Lando, he knows exactly why he’s doing this all. He wants to get Lando’s attention.
He knows it’s most definitely pointless, Lando is straight after all. Even so, a little voice in the back of his mind is telling him that he should impress tonight.
Because, what if Lando isn’t entirely straight?
Maybe if Oscar makes sure there isn’t a single hair between his eyebrows, using the tweezers given to him in the small toiletries package the hotel supplied; Lando will fall hopelessly in love with him.
It’s most definitely wishful thinking, but there isn’t any harm in trying right?
Oscar looks at himself one more time, the car that McLaren booked for him to take to the restaurant is meant to be here any second now. Before he can let himself go, he needs to do one last look over of himself.
He fixes a stray hair that is threatening to fall out of place. He sprays an extra spray of cologne on his neck, trying his hardest to smell strongly enough that it’s noticeable but not so strongly that he gives Lando a headache.
Oscar smiles at himself in the mirror like a dork, doing one last look over.
Is he good enough to make Lando fall to his knees the second he walks into the restaurant.
No.
But is the idea of going on a date with Lando making him feel like the luckiest guy alive.
Yes, one hundred percent yes.
Even though it isn’t real, Oscar can’t help but feel excited as he thinks about tonight.
This stupid plan of Zak’s might destroy him emotionally and physically from the heartbreak that will most certainly come at some point; but until then, he’s going to at least try to enjoy himself.
----
Oscar has to admit, he might’ve been a little too excited.
The dinner was for 6:30, and Oscar got there at 6:10.
Honestly, he isn’t really sure why he’s so eager. It’s not like any of this matters, this isn’t a real date after all. Yet he’s sitting at the small table allocated for them, tapping his finger against a wine glass as he tries his hardest to calm himself down.
Time felt like it was ticking by so slowly, he feels so nervous that he accidentally downed an entire glass of some expensive red wine, that the ultra serious waiter in a suit with a thick accent poured for him when he got here.
The tab is being paid by McLaren, so it’s not like Oscar is worried. He would just rather make a decent impression instead of drinking like 3 glasses of wine before Lando even enters the damn place.
Drinking is how they got themselves in this situation after all.
Lando honestly thought he would be the first one there, his driver was early so he got to the restaurant at 6:20. But as he walked into their small allocated section, he saw Oscar sitting there looking around the restaurant. After a few seconds their eyes meet, a warm smile forming on Oscar’s face.
For the thousandth time, Lando isn’t gay.
But for some reason, the way Oscar looks tonight makes him pause in the doorway.
He looks good, really good.
Lando feels stupid, he practically threw these clothes on and walked out of the door. He paid a little attention to his appearance, the photos from tonight are going to be everywhere within a few hours. But Oscar doesn’t just look good, he looks perfect.
He swallows, and then matches the smile on Oscar’s face. Lando is trying to act casual but he can feel his heart picking up a bit inside of his chest.
That means nothing right?
Absolutely nothing.
Straight men admire other straight guys all the time. He’s just appreciating another handsome man, one he made out with only 2 weeks ago.
Fucking hell.
Lando takes a deep breath and walks towards the table, sitting down opposite Oscar; who quickly pours a glass of wine for Lando, wanting to beat the waiter to doing so. Lando’s a little taken aback by the gesture, but he appreciates it non the less.
Oscar wants to take care of Lando tonight, as he said he’s going to make the most of tonight.
“You’re early,” Lando comments, a huff of a laugh in his tone, “Thought I’d be the first one here.”
Oscar looks up at him, “Wanted to make an impression.”
The both of them pause in their tracks, Oscar feels just as surprised saying those words as Lando feels hearing them.
Quickly Oscar smirks, trying to make his words seem like a joke. Lando lets out an awkward laugh and takes a sip of the wine that Oscar just poured.
Oscar continues, “I thought I’d come earlier, didn’t want the paparazzi to be here yet.”
It’s a bullshit excuse, Zak made it insanely clear in every one of his ten emails he sent that the paparazzi would only be arriving once they are done with the dinner. But Lando nods anyway, pushing the thought to the back of his mind.
Lando grabs the menu, looking over the dishes as an attempt to ignore the awkwardness that has fallen between the two of them. Oscar follows suit, silently beating himself up for saying that out loud.
“You know, how did Zak even get a reservation here,” Lando comments, breaking the awkward silence that has fallen between the both of them, “This place has a year long wait-list.”
Oscar huffs out a laugh, “When Zak sets his mind on something, he makes it happen.”
Lando breathes out a chuckle, feeling the awkward tension between them wash away.
“He seems to be really set on this idea,” Lando speaks as he’s looking down at the menu, “Zak never seems this passionate about anything else.”
Oscar looks back down at his own menu, “I mean, it has been getting the team a lot of attention.”
Lando’s tone becomes a little more annoyed, “Out of all things, he had to stick to his idea didn’t he?”
He looks up from his menu, looking towards Oscar now. Feeling annoyed again as he thinks over this situation.
Lando rolls his eyes, “I mean seriously, why does everyone think I’m gay? Why does everyone think we would ‘make such a great couple’?”
Oscar’s face drops instantly.
Those words feeling like an immediate gunshot to his soul, Oscar’s heart drops down in his chest as his mind processes them. The hope he had of Lando somehow falling for him washing away in an instant.
Fuck, he knew he was going to get hurt; but he didn’t think it would be so damn soon.
Luckily, Lando doesn’t notice the change in his demeanor.
“People see what they want to see.” Oscar responds, his words lacking the warmth they did moments before.
Lando lets out an annoyed huff, “They’re delusional, that’s what. I’m straight.”
Oscar looks back down at his menu with unfocused eyes, “Yeah, delusional.”
After another moment of silence between the two of them the waiter comes over, taking both of their orders. Neither of them know what they’re ordering exactly, the menu is entirely in Italian. They are just hoping that they somehow manage to guess something that is decent.
Lando picked the most expensive option on the menu, all he understood is that it had something to do with truffles. If McLaren are paying that bill, he’s going to make the most of tonight.
He might have an entire bottle of their most wine to himself even, hell he might ask if he can take one home. The waiter would probably hate him for asking and mumble something in Italian about how stupid he is, but he doesn’t mind.
Free wine.
It doesn’t take long before they get their dishes, both managing to order some pasta dish. Neither one is something the either of them recognize what is on their plates, but the dishes taste good so that’s all that counts.
Oscar can’t help but watch Lando as he eats, watching as his curls fall down slightly when he leans forward, the way his skin looks so tanned under the warm lighting.
God he looks handsome, so fucking handsome.
He’s wearing his usual cologne, a warm scent that reminds Oscar of home. A cool breezy scent, something that feels so distinctly Lando. He’s got a suit on, that manages to fit his frame so perfectly; hugging his body so perfectly.
At first Oscar was eating his own meal, but after looking at Lando for too long he couldn’t focus on anything other than him.
Oscar went into this hoping he could impress Lando, but if anything Lando is impressing him. He’s so effortlessly handsome, in a way that Oscar has never seen in anyone else.
Out of all people he had to fall for, it had to be his teammate. And somehow, everyone in the world seemed to pick up on it before either of them did.
Every moment, every lingering glance. Every word that came out of Oscar’s mouth that could feel vaguely like flirting.
Oscar wonders if Lando has seen them, he wonders if Lando secretly knows how whipped Oscar is. Because if the world has, maybe Lando has too.
He wishes he would just make a move. Oscar wishes that Lando would say some of the shit that he says to girls at clubs towards him.
Oscar hears how Lando flirts with these girls, he focuses on every word, every laugh. He sees every lingering touch, the way he brushes his hand against those girls lazily, the way Lando leaves absolutely no room between him and whatever girl he is with when they’re dancing on the floor; the heat of their bodies mixing.
It hurts to watch every damn time, but he can’t look away. He holds his glass tight in his hands, trying to wash his jealous thoughts away with alcohol.
Because, god he really does wish that was him.
He’s pictured this moment so many times honestly. Going on a date with Lando, some nice restaurant with a violist or some music to set the atmosphere, finally being able to call him his, smiling at each other with a hint of love behind their eyes.
Oscar isn’t delusional, he knew that wasn’t going to happen tonight. But the smallest part of him had hope that maybe this meant something for Lando too.
It’s clear now though, it doesn’t.
Once this deal is off, this is over.
Again it shouldn’t hurt, but it does.
Lando looks up from his meal after a while, about to make some comment about how good the food is. But he notices that Oscar isn’t even eating, he’s just staring at Lando.
There’s a sadness in Oscar’s brown eyes, a deep yearning that Lando can’t quite understand.
“Mate, you okay?”
Mate.
God that stings.
“Yeah,” Oscar picks up his fork again, “Just thinking about later, the paparazzi.”
Lando huffs, “I’m not looking forward to it either,” he admits as he looks directly at Oscar, who is looking down at his food again, “But hey, you look good tonight Oscar. At least one of us will look good in the photos.”
Oscar can’t help the slight smile that forms on his face.
It isn’t exactly a compliment, but it’s the closest he thinks he will ever get from Lando. At least at the moment.
Fucking hell, he really is whipped isn’t he?
Oscar looks back up at Lando, “You’ll look good tonight too,” he says, his words coming out lighter than before; almost airy, “You look amazing tonight Lando.”
----
The dinner was great, the food was amazing, and once the tension lessened between the two of them it felt light; enjoyable even.
There wasn’t a romantic feeling between them like Oscar had hoped, but he’s happy at the least that Lando seemed to enjoy himself. He may still be entirely against this idea, but in Oscar’s perspective; progress is progress.
But then 7:30 came, the time Zak had told the paparazzi to show up. And as Lando looked down at his watch, he felt a pit form in his stomach again.
If this was just dinner, Lando wouldn’t mind. Oscar isn’t bad company, and McLaren comping the bill after all. But it’s this next part that is what he’s been really dreading all of this time.
Zak wants them to walk out of here holding hands, he detailed it very specifically in that email; hell he underlined it and put it in bold text. If they don’t do this, Zak will be pissed. He would probably paper shred Lando’s contract right in front of him at the next meeting if he even dares to let go.
Lando isn’t exactly fond of any of this, but the idea of holding Oscar’s hand is making him feel inanely nervous.
He’s telling himself it’s the gesture behind it that’s making him nervous, that it will make people see chemistry that one-hundred-percent isn’t there between them. That it has nothing to do with Oscar, that he would be uncomfortable holding anyone's hand like this.
But that is a lie.
For some reason the idea of holding Oscar’s hand specifically is making him feel nervous, sick to his stomach levels of nervous even.
As he stands right behind the large front doors of this restaurant, right in the lobby; Lando feels like he’s about to scream, throw up, and run his way out of the back exit instead.
He’s trying to comfort himself.
It doesn’t matter.
None of this means anything.
This isn’t real.
It’s all for publicity. This is one big publicity stunt.
Once Zak is happy with them they can stage some break up, they can move on. Lando can go back to kissing girls at clubs, and Oscar can go do whatever Oscar does.
Lando is looking at Oscar’s hand, thinking about how it will feel against his.
Oscar’s hands are slightly calloused, his veins ever so slightly visible on the back of his hand too. Lando’s thinking about how it will feel run his thumb against them, feel the ridges of his knuckles. How it will be to hold another mans hand.
He doesn’t know why he’s so fixated on this, but he can’t stop thinking about it.
Honestly, tonight he’s been thinking about Oscar a lot.
Oscar has been sitting in front of him of course, but it isn’t just that.
Lando’s been thinking about this relationship, how the public will react, how long this will have to go for. How Lando is going to handle having to do this all, because he knows that this is only the start.
He can’t think about the race, he can’t think about anything.
All he can think about is Oscar.
“Ready?”
Lando comes back down to earth, forcing himself out of his head as he looks away from Oscar’s hands and instead towards his eyes.
“I guess.” Lando responds, not sounding enthusiastic in the slightest.
Oscar huffs out a laugh, trying his hardest to ignore how Lando’s hesitation makes his heart ache in his chest.
“Lets get it over with,” Oscar states, holding his hand out for Lando to take, “Yeah?”
Lando looks at it again for another moment, taking in how perfect the back of his hand looks; so smooth in contrast to the faint callouses on his palm.
He takes a deep breath and then takes Oscar’s hand into his own, intertwining their fingers and giving him a weak smile.
“Yeah, I’m ready.” Lando responds, trying his hardest too sound confident.
Oscar can’t help but feel a spark shoot through him as he holds Lando’s hand.
His mind focuses on the warmth of his skin against his own. Lando’s hands feels smoother than his own, it’s smaller too. It feels perfect, like Lando’s hand belongs against his own but it also makes his heart ache harder, because he knows that none of this means anything.
Oscar sighs and pushes the doors open in front of him with his free hand, seeing a swarm of paparazzi at the bottom of the stairs of the restaurant.
Right as Oscar opens the door flashes of the cameras blind the both of them, paparazzi start yelling commands at them; which drown out in the noise of the city and of each other.
They slowly walk down the stairs, smiling faint smiles at the paparazzi, trying to let as many photos as they want; Zak’s orders of course.
Even though the world is so busy around them, Oscar can’t focus on anything other than the feeling of Lando’s hand against his. How perfect it feels, how intimate he wants this moment to be.
Oscar feels sparks between the both of them, undeniable sparks; even though he knows that most likely Lando doesn’t feel the same way as he does.
Maybe this doesn’t matter to Lando, but it matters to Oscar. And again, at least for tonight, he’s going to soak up for the attention. He’s going to let the world believe that they are actually in love with each other.
Lando feels blinded by the flashes around them, all the commotion around them makes it hard to think.
But then he looks back down at Oscar and his own hands intertwined together, Oscar’s grip so firm, so confusingly comforting. Yet it helps him feel grounded to the moment, like that gesture is somehow the only thing that actually matters right now.
Even though Oscar’s hands are calloused, they somehow feel so soft too. Like they’re meant to be against his own.
As he focuses on that feeling it’s like the camera’s don’t matter anymore, that the paparazzi yelling commands at the both of them don’t matter either. The only thing that matters right now, is that warm feeling spreading through him.
This is both making Lando’s head hurt, yet making him feel secure in a way he’s never felt before. He’s been so focused on Oscar tonight.
When he thinks about it, tonight he hasn’t really missed girls. All he’s been able to think about is Oscar, about this moment between the two of them.
It doesn’t matter though, Lando is straight.
Right?