Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Oscar didn't even like parties.

He hadn't planned on going out that Friday night, he'd had a big week filled with exams and frankly, he just wanted to stay home, maybe watch a good movie. But when Lando Norris had invited him to go to a party at one of his friend’s apartment, the Aussie simply couldn’t refuse. 

Oscar had met the Brit just a few months ago, back  when he started his first year at university. They’d somehow ended up in the same history lecture despite the Australian being a year younger. The class was annoyingly early, 8 am monday wasn't on anyone’s dream schedule but it was a mandatory class. He couldn't avoid having to spend three hours listening to his professor explaining the rise and fall of the roman empire when he’d rather just be sleeping. 

The first time he had to attend that particular lecture, Oscar arrived feeling half awake and sat at a table alone in the back, hoping to become invisible and dissuade everyone from talking to him. Unfortunately, it seemed like someone had other plans. Oscar was pulling his notebook out from his bag when he heard the chair next to him scrape the floor. 

“Mind if I sit here?” A boy asked as Oscar looked up. 

He couldn’t help but notice that more than half of the other seats were empty and that this stranger could’ve chosen any other spot but the Aussie shrugged. The stranger took it as a yes. 

He was wearing a bright orange hoodie and seemed way to awake for a monday morning. He sat next to Oscar, his leg kept bouncing up and down. Oscar ignored it and focused his attention forward as the teacher, a relatively old gentleman, started the lecture. 

“Welcome, I’m Mr. Bruce, I’ve been teaching this class for 27 years and I expect the uttermost respect from my pupils. This semester we will cover-” 

Oscar had been distracted by the distinct feeling of being watched and turned to look at the boy sitting next to him, who was undeniably staring. When their gaze met, he broke into a smile. Oscar noticed that his classmate was devilishly handsome, that smile of his was a gorgeous sight. 

“You’re new around here aren’t you? I would have noticed a pretty face like yours around campus.” The boy whispered to Oscar, who blushed at the comment. The professor immediately stopped his speech and stared at the two of them. 

“Do not make me repeat this, boys, I will not tolerate talking during this class,” he’d said in a way that left no place to argue. 

His neighbor sighed before leaning back against his chair, seemingly trying to listen to the lecture with a bored expression. Oscar ripped a piece of paper out of his notebook and wrote:  

You’d be right, I am new around here, this is my first year. I’m Oscar :)

He slipped the paper to his right and himself turned to look at the man talking in front of the class. A few moments later, he heard the boy shuffling around in his bag and the tell-tale sound of a pen scratching paper before the note came back in front of him. 

ofc i'm right mate, i'm never wrong ;) what are u studying? i’m Lando btw  

Oscar had chuckled at the first part of the message before grabbing his own pen and replying to Lando with his mayor.

That was how their friendship had started, a little piece of paper being slid back and forth across a table during 8am history class. For a couple of weeks it was all it was, just papers back and forth. Neither of them listening to the lecture, their own conversation way more interesting. 

Their friendship strengthened after discovering they both lived in the same building, their dorm rooms were just one floor apart. Lando and Oscar walked back together and actually talked. They quickly became very comfortable around one another, Oscar could sit around listening to Lando talk about anything for hours. They’d constantly hung out, sometimes they’d watch a movie on Oscar’s laptop, sometimes they’d just lounge around Lando’s room on their phones, in comfortable silence. 

After a while, Oscar even started having lunch with Lando and some of his friends. 

The younger of the pair was also quick to develop a crush on the other, it wasn't very hard after all, his classmate was extremely attractive and very funny, always cracking jokes and teasing him. Oscar couldn't stop thinking about his soft curls and pretty eyes but he’d never do anything about his silly crush, he didn't want to ruin their friendship. 

And his fatal flaw was that he simply couldn't say no to Lando, so when he’d asked if Oscar wanted to come to a party that his friend Charles was hosting the following Friday, of course Oscar had said yes. 

And now that it was Friday, Oscar was regretting it.

He’d just come back from a 7 to 10 pm lecture and felt like his social battery was empty, already exhausted from his day. Still, he grabbed a clean black t-shirt and a pair of baggy jeans and put them on quickly to at least look like he was making an effort. Then, he quickly brushed his hand in his hair and left his dorm room to meet Lando downstairs in the common room of their building. 

He spotted his friend and forgot how to breathe for a couple of seconds. Lando was wearing a black button down where not nearly enough buttons were done up, exposing a lot of chest. He was also wearing black jeans and sunglasses even though the sun was already set. 

“Oscar, looking good mate! You ready to head over to Charles’ now?” Lando greeted him with a smile. 

“Yeah sure. You’re not looking bad yourself mate.” Oscar said walking over, remembering how to inhale air. 

They started the short walk toward Charles’ apartment, which was a couple blocks away. Oscar had never been over but he knew Charles a little; they'd had a couple conversations before, mostly about Arthur, Charles’s younger brother and one of Oscar’s friends. The monegasque had always been very nice to him and always made an effort to include Oscar into whatever conversation was happening whenever they ended up hanging out.

The Australian had slowly been spending more and more time around Lando’s friends and he knew all of them well enough to start considering them friends. 

The entire way to Charles’ place they chatted, their usual banther going strong. Oscar was glad for the short amount of time he could spend alone with his friend since being around Lando had the ability to charge up his social battery, instead of draining it like being around others seemed to. It made him slightly more excited about the night ahead. 

They knocked at Charles’ door and the Monegasque answered, quickly ushering them into the crowded apartment. The music was loud and everyone greeted them happily. Most of them seemed to be a couple drinks deep already. 

“Glad you could join us boys!” Max, one of Lando’s friends and Charles' boyfriend, told them and shoved two red cups of an unknown alcohol beverage at them before clapping Oscar on the back. 

They were the last to arrive at the party since Oscar had that late Friday night class but they joined right in. Lando immediately got roped into a beer pong game with Carlos where the two of them battled against Pierre and Charles. 

Not wanting to hover around Lando the entire night, Oscar looked around the apartment to find someone to go talk to and spotted Logan in the kitchen. He walked over to the American who looked delighted to see him. 

“Hey Oscar, didn't know you’d be coming!” Logan greeted him cheerfully. 

The two of them had been friends before university and were both first years. They also happened to have a couple classes together. 

“Yeah, I came along with Lando. I didn’t know you knew any of the guys here though.” Oscar replied, setting down the cup he had been offered on the counter. 

He didn’t intend on drinking much that night, he usually stayed away from alcohol as he didn’t enjoy the sensation it procured. The last couple of times he’d gone out since starting university, he had let loose a little but this time around he really didn’t want to deal with a massive hangover. 

“Well, my roommate Alex is friends with Charles and asked if I wanted to come. You know me, I'd never say no to a party!”  The American said, flashing a smile. 

The two of them kept on chatting until Lando appeared at Oscar’s side beckoning them to come to the living room. 

“We’re gonna play truth or dare, come on” the British said. 

Oscar hesitated slightly, not usually being one for drinking games or making a fool of himself but Lando didn't really give him a choice, grabbed his hand and pulled him toward the living room where everyone had apparently gathered. 

A large amount of bottles were sitting on the coffee table along with many shot glasses.  

Lando sat on the empty end of the couch and then scooted over so Oscar had a place to sit, but seeing how small the gap was between the arm of the couch and his crush Oscar chose to instead sit on the floor just in front of the couch. 

He didn't miss the flash of disappointment on Lando’s face as he sat down but didn't have time to dwell on it as Charles spoke up. 

“So everyone knows the rules, you choose truth or dare and if you don't want to answer or do it, you drink. Alright so, Pierre, truth or dare?” The monegasque started the game addressing his best friend from his spot on the couch where he was casually leaning against Max’s chest. 

The french man chose dare, and it led to him singing a very butchered version of gangnam style on top of the coffee table, a performance, of course, filmed by a bunch of his friends. The game continued on with plenty of stupid actions, truths revealed and shots drank.

Oscar stayed relatively unscathed apart from having to take a shot when Max asked him if he had his eye set on anyone. Obviously, he wasn't going to reveal his silly crush in front of everyone so he grabbed a bottle of vodka and filled a glass before downing it. One shot wouldn’t hurt. 

His avoidance of the question got a few raised eyebrows but he hoped they would think it was because he didn't feel comfortable sharing this type of stuff with people he’d been friends with for such a short time instead of the actual reason. 

He then asked Logan about his first kiss when the American chose truth. He already knew the story but since it was a silly one, he thought the rest of the group would enjoy hearing it. 

The game continued casually until Carlos asked Lando. 

“So, truth or dare Lando”

“Dare, of course.” The Brit chose without hesitation. 

“I dare you to sit on Oscar’s lap for the rest of the game” The Spaniard said with a smirk. 

Oscar felt his friend’s knee nudge him in the back and turned around to face Lando. He saw that his friend was looking at him, his eyes clearly asking for permission. Oscar nodded, knowing that his friend hated to back down from a challenge. All signs of hesitation left Lando’s face. 

“Alright, I’ll do it but we are not sitting on the floor mate, that’s for sure,” He said getting up and gesturing at Oscar to take his place on the couch. The Australian got up and then sat back down right where Lando had been sat a few moments prior. Then Lando settled on Oscar’s lap and then proceeded to ask Max truth or dare. 

Oscar could feel that Lando was holding himself very upright and far away from him in a way that couldn't be comfortable. He suspected that it was because the older boy didn't want to bother him. Like he thought that if he held himself extremely straight, his weight would disappear from Oscar’s lap. 

Tentatively, the Aussie slipped his arm around Lando’s waist as an invite. Lando melted against Oscar's front, leaning comfortably on him. Oscar could feel the heat of his friends against him and it took everything not to truly think about how close they really were. The game continued around and Charles got dared to give Max a lap dance, after which the monegasque turned to Oscar. 

“Looking comfortable over there Piastri, truth or dare?” he asked with a cheeky smile. 

Oscar wasn't one to usually choose dares but seeing the directions the game was taking with all these personal questions being thrown around he worried about what they might ask him to reveal and he didn't want to have to drink again. So he chose dare. Surely he wouldn’t embarrass himself too much. 

The party host smirked and he looked not at Oscar but at Lando when he said;

“Oscar, I dare you to give Lando a hickey.” Charles had a glint in his eyes that Oscar couldn't quite place. 

He felt Lando’s breath hitch and he didn't know what to do. He obviously wouldn't give his friend a hickey if the other wasn't okay with it and clearly Lando wasn’t since he was back to being very stiff. 

But then the Brit took a deep breath and turned around to face him.

“I don’t mind if you don’t” Lando whispered, only for Oscar to hear. 

Oscar swallowed hard and then nodded. Lando shifted on his lap and fully turned, now sat facing him. 

“Choose your spot wisely, handsome” Lando announced, this time for everyone to hear. 

It got a laugh from the crowd and made Oscar slightly more confident. He decided that, since it was just a dare and Lando was consenting, he may as well try to make it a little dramatic for the people around.

So he gently placed his fingers on Lando’s chin and tilted his crushes head slightly upward and angled to the right so he could place his lips at the crook of Lando’s jaw and neck. He then kissed the spot and before sucking at it which earned a soft gasp from the other boy. He sucked for a couple of seconds before breaking it off and kissing the skin lightly and then going back at it to make sure it left a mark.

 When he finished, Oscar kissed the spot lightly, as an apology for the hurt it may have caused and then leaned back. He was greeted by Lando’s ocean eyes looking at him in a way he’d never been looked at before. He looked at the boy sitting on his lap and in the dim lighting, Oscar thought that Lando had never looked as beautiful. 

Then someone whooped and the tension was broken, Lando’s gaze switching to something distant and his brows furrowing before he abruptly moved off Oscar and stood up. 

“Fuck… I can’t- I have to go, leave.. I, uhm, keep playing without me guys, I need to go,” Lando rambled, grabbing a half empty bottle of vodka from the table and leaving quickly. 

Worried and feeling awfully guilty, Oscar got up to follow but someone, probably already drunk and missing the awkwardness that had overcome everyone sober enough to feel it - which was to say, not a lot of the people in the room - reminded Oscar that he had to ask someone truth or dare. 

So he quickly did and Alex seemed to take a billion years choosing truth. Then Oscar’s brain couldn't think of anything worth asking because he just kept thinking about Lando. In the end, he just asked something basic like what was his worst date. He excused himself away from the living room to find his friend and hopefully fix his mistake. 

Oscar looked everywhere from the kitchen to the bathroom, checking both bedrooms without spotting his friend. He was about to give up the search and assume Lando had left the party without telling anyone when he saw a flash of movement from outside the window of the bedroom he assumed was Charles’. Sure enough, when he took a couple steps toward it, he noticed it was slightly ajar and he could see the outline of a shoulder in the corner of the frame. 

Just outside the bedroom window was a fire exit and Lando was sitting there, legs dangling over the edge, bottle of vodka in hand. It seemed significantly emptier than Oscar remembered it being. He edged over closer and slid his fingers in the opening of the window and pulled it up. His friend jumped at the sudden noise and turned around to face him. He smiled tentatively.

“Don’t fall, mate, didn’t mean to startle you,” Oscar said quietly and Lando let out a small laugh, turning back to look at the cityscape. Oscar hesitated briefly at the window, apology at the tip of his tongue, but then he heard Lando call out “Are you coming or what?” while still looking at the horizon. 

Accepting the invite, Oscar squeezed through the small opening and sat himself next to Lando, legs dangling between the railing. 

“I just needed some air,” Lando said, turning to him and Oscar could see the drunken type of blush creeping up his friend's cheeks. 

“Mhm,” he hummed in acknowledgement. 

Lando was still looking at him, that look from earlier had come back and now seemed even more present as he stared, openly, at Oscar. And god, he was pretty. His eyes, his smile, the casual way he was leaning against the rail as though he belonged there, on that rusty fire exit. His eyes flickered to Lando’s lips and for a brief moment, the only thought on his mind was how nice they would feel against his.

Then he remembered how abruptly Lando had left after the hickey dare and the worry lodged itself back into his mind. He wanted - no he needed - to ask if he’d gone too far, if Lando was mad at him, if he’d ruined everything. But their silence was currently comfortable, as it usually was between them so instead, he looked at the stars. 

He found himself saying, “The sky’s looking nice tonight, isn’t it?” 

He thought that, maybe, if he started some sort of conversation, it would naturally trickle into them talking about what had happened.

“Very pretty,” Lando said, his eyes never leaving Oscar.

The silence settled and Oscar kept looking away, trying to find a way to casually ask if they were alright without making it awkward until he felt the heat of a body pressing against his side. 

Lando had shuffled closer and now settled his head against Oscar’s shoulder. They stayed pressed against one another, quiet in the early hours of morning. 

The city was asleep and nothing disrupted their moment alone apart from the occasional roar of laughter coming from the inside of the apartment. 

Despite knowing the party was still going strong, Oscar had no desire to join back with everyone, much happier where he currently was. After avoiding talking for what felt like way too long, Oscar pulled away from Lando so he could look him in the eye. 

“Are we good? You’re not mad at me for, uhm, for the dare?” He asked quickly, ripping off the bandaid. 

“Of course we’re alright Oscah, why wouldn’t we be?” he said, his words slurring together, his accent thicker than ever, especially on Oscar’s name. 

The bottle of vodka now abandoned, sat empty at the edge of the window. 

“Although, I would have preferred if you’d taken me on a date before getting your hands all over me Piastri,” Lando quietly added before winking. 

Oscar’s heart skipped a beat. Of course, Lando would be a flirty drunk. He should have known really,  considering the fact that he aimed flirty compliments at his classmate even sober. But drunk, there was something in the way he’d said it that made it seem almost genuine. 

Lando’s eyes wouldn't leave Oscar and when he finally brought himself to look at his crush, Oscar could have sworn that he saw Lando’s gaze flicker to his lips, before licking his own.  

They kept their gaze locked, unmoving until Lando brought his hand to Oscar's jaw and pulled them closer slowly.

And fuck, Oscar wanted to kiss Lando but when they got close enough, all he could smell was the vodka on Lando’s breath and he reluctantly forced himself to pull away. The guilt that flashed across Lando’s face made him regret it for a few moments, but his friend was drunk and would probably regret it when morning came.  

“Sorry,” Lando apologized instantly “I just thought… you just kept looking at me with those heart eyes and I just thought…” Lando rambled incoherently, trying to stand up and away from Oscar. It was a poor attempt, his balance was entirely off. 

Oscar got up quicker and grabbed his friend’s arm to stabilize him. 

He quickly reassured, “Don’t apologize Lando, it’s fine! God, you don’t know how much I want you to kiss me, for how long I’ve wanted this. But you’re drunk, you’ll regret this.” He whispered the last part almost more to himself than to Lando. 

“If I asked sober…” Lando trailed off, whispering back with a hint of what sounded like hope peaking through. 

“I would say yes in a heartbeat,” Oscar finished. A promise.

Lando closed the gap between them and pulled Oscar into a tight hug, resting his head in the crook of the Aussie’s shoulder, before simply answering, “Good.”

Oscar hugged him back and then grabbed Lando’s hand. 

“Come on, let’s get you home now.”

Lando let himself be guided back through the window and the two of them walked toward the living room, still hand in hand. 

They found the rest of the group still sitting around the room, only now a lot of them were missing various pieces of clothing. 

“Lando! Oscar! Come join us, we're playing strip never have i ever,” Carlos invited them. 

That explained why Charles wasn’t wearing anything but his jeans. 

“Yeah no, thanks, I’m gonna take Lando back to his dorm. Have fun guys!” Oscar told the group and Lando followed quietly. 

They left Charles' apartment and walked slowly back toward campus. It didn’t seem to be an easy feat for Lando, who kept tripping over his feet. 

Oscar wrapped an arm around Lando’s waist who leaned against him for support. The silence was comfortable but Oscar couldn’t help but wonder what was going through the brit’s head.    

Oscar himself just tried not getting his hopes up, because although it sure seemed like it, he didn’t want to believe that Lando might reciprocate his feelings. Anyways, his friend would probably forget their conversation by morning. 

“I think I’m gonna be sick,” Lando said suddenly, breaking the silence. 

They were almost at their building, Oscar could see it a few hundred meters further. So he told Lando to hold on a little longer and hurried toward it. They reached it and quickly climbed the stairs toward Lando’s room. 

When they arrived in front of his door, Lando fumbled with his keys, unsuccessfully until Oscar gently took them from his hands and unlocked the room himself. 

The shorter rushed toward the small bathroom and Oscar winced at the sound of vomiting. He still followed into the bathroom and grabbed a glass that appeared clean enough from the side of the sink and filled it with water. He handed it to Lando when the sickness seemed to stop. The brit accepted it gladly and used it to rinse his mouth before laying down against the cold bathroom tile floor. 

“I’m never drinking again” he said and Oscar chuckled. 

“Sure mate, sure,” he said fondly. “You should probably get into your bed or you’ll spend the night here.” 

“So eager to get me into bed aren’t you Oscah?” Lando joked and Oscar blushed, but Lando got up nonetheless and walked out of the bathroom. He started by removing his shoes painfully slowly and then fumbled with the buttons of his shirt before simply giving up and slipping it over his head. 

Oscar couldn't help but stare, but when Lando started to remove his pants, he cleared his throat to remind of his presence and turned around. 

“I’ll go now, goodnight Lando.” He said before making his way toward the door. He felt a hand grabbing his wrist and turned around to see Lando, now just wearing his boxer. 

“Wait, stay? Please?” Lando asked and Oscar hesitated briefly but simply couldn't say no to those eyes. 

So Oscar leaned down to remove his own shoes. That got a smile out of Lando who slipped into his bed. He left some space for Oscar to join him. The Australian quickly removed his own trousers before hesitantly climbing in and pulling the covers over himself. He laid on his side, facing Lando. 

There wasn’t much space between them, which was to be expected from a single bed, but neither of them tried to close the gap. Lando simply grabbed Oscar’s hand and whispered, 

“Goodnight Oscar.”

“Goodnight Lando,” Oscar replied under the cover of darkness. 

Soon enough, Oscar could hear Lando’s breathing evening out and followed suit, exhausted.

Chapter Text

Lando enjoyed parties the night of but hated them the following mornings. 

The rain battered against his window and light was peeking through the blinds when he woke up, his head throbbing, the constant pelting of water against the glass making it worse. 
A headache was already settling just behind his eyebrows, promising to be a real pain in a few hours. 

He couldn’t think clearly, his body ached from everywhere and he was hot. God, he was so very hot. He made a move to pull off the bed covers when he understood where the heat was coming from. 

A body was pressed against his back, an arm draped over his waist. He could feel their heartbeat against his back, their breathing against the nape of his neck. 

Lando suddenly felt a little more awake, way more aware of the sound of the other person’s breathing over the rain. 

He took a deep breath and twisted his neck around to see the beautiful face of Oscar Piastri, sound asleep. 

He had never seen his best friend look more peaceful than right here, in Lando’s bed, holding him gently in his arms. Lando turned around slowly now to face the other boy, and simply lay there observing Oscar for a while, taking in the sight. He gently brushed the boy's hair out of his face, which got a pleased sigh from Oscar and he tightened his grip around Lando’s waist, pulling them ever closer.
Lando had never felt so lucky. 

Truth was, he had fallen head over heels for the Australian the day they had started exchanging messages in the back of their shared lecture. He had even started looking forward to Mondays 8 am, something he would never have believed could happen before meeting Oscar. He couldn’t help it, the way Oscar would always arrive looking like he’d woken up barely ten minutes earlier, hair always messy, was very endearing to him. It made him crazy, how gorgeous his friend was. He could never get bored how his brown eyes twinkled when he laughed. 

When they started hanging out more, Lando always tried to cause laughter from his friend, the sound of it music to his ears. He seemed to be the only one able to make the other smile so much. A good thing since he adored Oscar’s smile, the way it lit up the entire room in an instant. 

He currently did not want to move from the Aussie’s embrace. Especially since the other rarely initiated physical contact, Lando cherished the moment. He still felt like shit, though and couldn’t help but wonder how he’d gotten so trashed. Why he’d gotten so intoxicated was probably the better question to ask, he usually had a good reason to get real drunk. 

It was all very fuzzy, he couldn't instantly remember the night prior.

He remembered waiting for Oscar, who had showed up looking like a goddamn movie star, even just wearing a simple t-shirt. Maybe Lando was biased, he thought Oscar looked amazing in anything but the way that t-shirt fitted him had briefly short-circuited his brain. He remembered complimenting the Aussie and how they had walked to Charles’ place, chatting about their history essay the entire way, complaining about their professor. 

Lando was pulled out of his thoughts as Oscar moved slightly, cuddling even closer to him like he was scared that he’d go away. Lando’s heart melted. 

He kept trying to make sense of the party, a game of beer pong with Carlos flashed to memory and he remembered feeling just a little tipsy at that point, they had won after all. Then Charles had proposed something, a game he couldn't quite remember what and he had gone to get Oscar. 

Oscar who looked so gorgeous when he’d found him laughing with Logan in the kitchen. 
 
Why did they all gather in the living room? Why did he feel like it was a silly reason? Why hadn’t Oscar sat right next to him when he offered up the space? 

That last one wasn’t really a question, he knew really that Oscar wouldn’t voluntarily sit that close to him. The Australian wasn’t much of a physical contact guy, to Lando’s disappointment, who loved hugs, hand-holding and all those sorts of things. Sure, as they had gotten closer, Oscar had gotten a lot more comfortable with little touches like knees pressing against one another under the table during meals or occasional hand holding, but he rarely sought it out. It explained why the Aussie wouldn’t want to spend his evening squeezed between Lando and the couch arm. 
Lando smiled softly as he realized that Oscar was so obviously cuddling him as he slept, the Aussie initiating all the contact when asleep. He couldn't complain, he hoped it might become a regular occurrence, waking up in Oscar’s arms. If only he could muster up the courage to confess. 
 
Much to Lando’s dismay, who would have loved to stay where he was forever, his stomach growled and he realized how hungry he was. He hadn’t eaten since the party and suddenly felt like he was eating himself alive. 

He reluctantly slipped away from the warmth of the cuddle, very slowly and carefully so as not to wake Oscar and slipped on a random pair of pants that was lying around before looking at the time. 

10:27. 

That gave him about half an hour to go get breakfast from the dining hall. He considered waking up Oscar so they could go together but the second his eyes settled on the Australian’s relaxed features, he decided otherwise. He looked so comfortable, he could not bring himself to wake him. 

He found a random piece of paper and quickly wrote; 

good morning handsome! don't really remember what happened yesterday but i’m pretty sure it was fun :) 

i’ve gone to the dining hall to bribe an employee so they’ll let me bring back breakfast for both of us. 

i’ll be right back!

yours truly, 
LN 

He left the note on the bedside table, where Oscar would see it when he awoke. He chucked on a hoodie and left the room after taking one last moment to look at Oscar, still wondering how they’d ended up sleeping in the same bed. 

He went down the two flights of stairs of the dorm building before remembering the pouring rain outside. He could have gone back to his room to get an umbrella but that would have meant risking waking up Oscar and going up the stairs, which his aching body was screaming at him not to do. Instead, he just put up his hood and hurried out the door, walking as fast as he could toward the dining hall. 

He found himself almost enjoying the cold raindrops that hit his face, they made him feel a little more grounded to reality every time they hit him. 

He still felt as though he was missing a big part of the party, he kept trying to remember without much success, he had a vague memory of someone doing karaoke but surely that couldn't be all they had done, right?

He arrived at his destination without remembering anything else and hurriedly swiped his meal pass. The dining hall was practically empty, apart from a couple of students sitting near the large bay windows. 

He shook his hood off and walked toward the breakfast station, which was luckily still open. In an even better turn of events, he saw his favourite employee working at that particular station. She was a gentle old woman who would always give him a larger portion if he asked, and would sometimes even let him get two desserts. He walked toward her and flashed her his best smile, well the best he could muster with his head still throbbing. 

“Good morning Maria!” He called to her and she smiled back at him. 

“Good morning kid, what can serve you today?” She asked him kindly. 

“I have a small favour to ask…” Lando trailed off. 

“What do you want, boy? I’ll see what I can do,” Maria said with a sigh that seemed fond. Her eyes smiled at him. 

“Could I possibly have two portions of the pancakes to go?” He asked tentatively. He knew that they weren’t supposed to bring food out of the dining hall except if they had a good reason too. He didn’t think “we partied too hard yesterday” would count as a good excuse. 
 
“I can arrange that,” Maria said and got on working on packing their breakfast. “Is the second portion for your boy?” She asked, and Lando looked at her confused until she added, “Your little Australian, the one you’re constantly around?” 

Lando chuckled. It sounded silly to hear Oscar be referred to as a “little Australian”. 

However, the thought of Oscar being “his” made his stomach flip. Lando would have loved to be able to call the aforementioned Australian his boyfriend, but he could never bring himself to do more than flirt in a joking tone. They had a rhythm, Lando would say something flirty sometimes with a wink, Oscar would most likely blush and they would move past it. He couldn't - wouldn’t - try anything more, too scared to mess up their friendship. 

He simply didn’t know if the other felt the same way he did. He tried to make it obvious, but never seemed to work. 

“Yeah, it is for Oscar.” He answered the older woman as she handed him the meals in a carefully packed bag.

“Good, I like that one.” She said fondly.

“Me too,” Lando answered without thinking, he then thanked her and swiftly made his way toward the exit. 

He made his way out of the dining hall, mind running until he heard someone call his name and turned around to see George, one of his good friends walking toward him. 

“Hey, George!” He greeted. 

“Morning Lando!” George said. “Yesterday was a great night, right?”  

“Yeah, it was fun! Can’t remember much though, got wasted,” Lando told the other Brit in a joking tone. 

George laughed. “Same here mate, I think everyone’s pretty much in the same boat,” he said before adding, “woke up at Charles’ and had to walk all the way to my flat without an umbrella, how embarrassing!” he joked. 

Lando turned to look at the rain pouring outside the building and opened his mouth to make some comment about the weather but he heard George gasp softly and turned back to look at him. 

“Oh blimey, Oscar really did a job on you!” George told him with a chuckle. 

Lando looked at him with a confused expression, he didn't understand what George was referring to. 

Sensing the confusion, George added “The hickey mate, it’s a real sight”

Oh.

That’s when it all came crashing down. 

Carlos’ dare to sit on Oscar's lap, how uncomfortable he had felt until his friend had pulled him in close and he’d leaned back onto him. He couldn’t quite breathe properly the entire time, way too aware of Oscar’s hand resting on his waist, Charles looking at him with a knowing look before daring Oscar to give him a hickey. 

The way Oscar had waited for him to say something. How he had whispered permission to the Aussie, not because of the stupid game going on but because he wanted to feel Oscar’s lips on him. Because he was so desperate for something to happen between them, to go further than a couple of flirty comments. He wanted Oscar to stop looking at him with heart eyes and just do something about it. 

And once Oscar had pressed his lips against the soft of his neck it had taken everything for Lando not to let out a little moan. Then when the Australian had pulled away after what felt like only half a second, he had looked at him with those big brown eyes that just looked like they wanted more and Lando couldn’t. He simply couldn’t deal with it. 

He obviously knew it was just a dare and that it meant nothing, but he wanted it to mean something. He remembered grabbing some bottle of alcohol and leaving the game abruptly, downing a large swig as quickly as possible, the need to forget Oscar’s lips on his neck, Oscar’s hands on his waist, Oscar’s smile, Oscar’s eyes, Oscar’s stupidly attractive calves.

He just needed to drink until he couldn’t think straight anymore. It had seemed like the only way to stop his brain from thinking about Oscar’s dumb pretty face. 

“Lando? You okay mate?” George asked, pulling him out of his thoughts, waving a hand in front of him.

“Yeah, yeah,” he answered quickly before muttering some half-assed reason to go back to his dorm and excused himself from the conversation. He pushed the door of the dining hall and welcomed the rain that poured on him. 

He remembered now, hiding himself on the fire escape, hoping to drink until he no longer felt anything but Oscar had found him. Of course he had, he’d found him and had looked at him with sad and guilty eyes and Lando had no choice but to invite him to join him. 

They had looked at the stars, or well Oscar had looked at the stars and Lando had admired Oscar, taking in the way his hair waved, how he had a couple of freckles on his cheeks. He had wanted to press a kiss onto every single one of Oscar’s moles.

Then Lando had leaned in to kiss him, too drunk to think it through and for a brief moment he had thought they would. Then Oscar had pulled away and Lando never felt as sober. 

He had fucked everything up. 

Or so he thought because then Oscar had to whisper to him that if Lando really was sober, he wouldn’t mind kissing him. More than that, he wanted Lando to kiss him. 

And now that Lando was fully sober, if only a little hungover, all he could think about was kissing Oscar. He felt hopeful, no, certain, that the other reciprocated his feelings at least a little.  

He rushed back to his building, the rain soaking him but he didn’t care. The only thing on his mind was Oscar Piastri whispering “I'd say yes in a heartbeat” under the stars. 

He ran up the stairs, ignoring his sore muscles and opened the door to his room in a hurry, expecting to find Oscar still in his bed. 

He was, however, greeted by the sight of the bed empty apart from his little note now on the mattress. He rushed over to find Oscar’s messy handwriting below his: 

Don’t worry about bringing me breakfast, I’m not hungry.

Take some time to rest, you got pretty drunk yesterday. 

-OP

Lando then reread what he had written and cringed. He had told Oscar that he remembered nothing, the exact thing the Aussie was worried about when he had pulled away from the kiss. Lando felt awful. 

He abandoned the pancakes on his side table and made his way to Oscar’s room, which was a floor above. He tried to think about what he was going to say. Should he start with a joke? Should he apologize for getting shit-faced? Thank Oscar for taking care of him? 

He reached the Australian’s door without much more of a clue about what he would say but knocked nonetheless. He heard some shuffling from inside the dorm room and the door opened slowly. Oscar was standing there, looking a little confused, wearing a hoodie and a pair of black sweatpants, his hair was a mess but to Lando, he looked prettier than ever. 

“Lando?” Oscar asked quietly. “What are you doing here? Didn’t you see the note? Told ya, I'm not really hungry.” 

The Aussie's face probably would have looked stoic to anyone but Lando had the special talent to know exactly what Oscar was feeling even when he didn't let anything show. It was all in the eyes, those beautiful brown eyes that currently expressed some sort of sadness, pain even. 

“Did you mean it?” Lando blurted out before he could think about it. 

“What? Yeah, I mean I’m not hungry-” Oscar started, confused before Lando cut him off. 

“Not that. I meant the promise, what you said yesterday, did you mean it?” He asked and sounded so much more desperate than he meant to make it sound but he didn't care, he was putting all of his cards on the table and he would see where it went from there. 

Oscar looked at him, shock briefly showing on his face before it was quickly replaced with a soft smile.

“I thought you didn’t remember? You wrote…” He trailed off, his attention now fully on Lando who had taken a couple steps forward slowly until he was right in front of Oscar. 

Lando looked directly at the boy and smiled. He brought his hand up to the other face, cupping his cheek softly. 

“I’m sober now,” he whispered. Oscar smiled. 

“Ask the fucking question, Lando,” He whispered back, one of his hands finding its way to the small of Lando’s back, pulling him impossibly closer. His lips brushed against Lando’s when he spoke.  

“Can I kiss you?” Lando breathed against Oscar’s smile. 

The Australian closed the gap, their lips meeting softly. The kiss was tender and needy, Oscar’s other hand settling into Lando’s curls, slowly playing with them. Lando balled up Oscar’s shirt in an attempt to pull him ever closer. They kissed until both of them needed to breathe, pulling apart reluctantly. Oscar looked at him like he had hung the moon, the largest grin on his face. His entire face was flushed, lips slightly swollen and Lando had never seen anything more beautiful. He brought his lips back to Oscar’s whose smile melted into the kiss. The taste of Oscar's lips was addicting, Lando felt what could only be described as pure bliss. 

When they pulled away again a few moments later Lando didn’t waste a second, pressing a trail of kisses down Oscar’s jaw into the crook of his neck, where he sucked slowly. A wonderful sound escaped Oscar and Lando saw the Aussie’s eyes flutter close. 

“I guess this is payback,” he whispered into Oscar's ear after kissing a trail up to it, and the other chuckled softly before kissing him again. 

“Took you long enough,” Oscar whispered against Lando’s lips.