Chapter Text
The sound of grand door slamming was the first indicator of a fucked up deal. Loud cursing and a tired voice barking out angry orders followed by quiet shuffling of staff members was the second sign of Oscar needing to pack up and leave. As if those two weren’t enough, having Gabi and Liam coming to his study with pained looks on their faces, telling him that they’re leaving, really should’ve been a glaring reason for Oscar to pack up and leave with them.
‘I’ll stay here tonight.’
Gabi and Liam looked at him like he was signing a death wish; one of the first rules you learn once you get acquainted with Lando’s empire is that you don’t stay when the deal went wrong. Which clearly happened tonight, so Oscar didn’t blame his colleagues for shocked stares.
‘Oscar, don’t be an idiot,’ Gabi admonishes quietly, ‘I have seen our guys, half of them were directly sent to get patched up. Even Carlos is leaving, c’mon.’
Oscar stayed. Gabi and Liam left after not being able to coax any logical reasoning from him and the house fell into a tense, uncomfortable quietness in a span of fifteen minutes after all staff members hid in their respective quarters. The stillness in the air gnawed at Oscar’s mind, but he stubbornly stayed unmoving, listening closely to the sounds from upstairs. Lando’s bedroom was directly above his study room and when he heard faint footsteps, he exhaled slowly.
=+=
In all two years of working as a lawyer for Lando and making sure all his actions were legally covered so everything looked squeaky clean to the public eye, Oscar learned few rules.
First, Lando’s trust issues were severe and only closest circle got moved to live and work in the house. Oscar being one of them, still felt unreal. He stopped expecting to get kicked out only after the fourth month of working from this manor, not from usual office in the city center.
Second, Lando’s not to be disturbed by anyone who’s not Carlos, Max or Daniel. They were the only ones who spoke to him directly, others had to deliver their information to one of them.
And third, no one stays in the house if the deal went wrong.
Oscar, so far, broke only the third rule. But he’s about to break the second as well and he knew it with certainty that rivaled with his usual iron-clad self-preservation and logic. Sitting at his chair, Oscar went over possible consequences of breaking the second rule: getting yelled at, thrown out, fired. He could get killed if Lando was in a particularly foul mood. Which – considering Carlos also left – seemed close to the truth. He wondered what it said about him if knowing all of this he still was dead set on going upstairs. Did it make him crazy? Suicidal?
Oscar bit his lower lip when he heard footsteps from above. Lando moved erratically, shuffling from side to side. Oscar could easily picture him now: white shirt with sleeves rolled up to his elbows, first three buttons popped open, gold chain sways on his neck with each step. There probably was a furrow between his eyebrows, his jaw was clenched, his curls were sticking haphazardly due to him constantly running his fingers through them. Obsessed, Oscar thought. That was the correct word. He wasn’t crazy or suicidal; he was obsessed. And the object of his obsession was the heir to biggest empire of underground drug sales, the one who killed more people than he met in real life, the one who had more money and power that he knew what to do with… Lando Norris.
Lando with his sea foam eyes who stared at Oscar with ice-chilling hostility when Daniel first introduced them.
‘Super smart kid, I’m telling you. I can vouch for him and so can Mark. I promise you, he won’t let us down, Lando.’ Daniel squeezed Oscar’s shoulder painfully, turning to him with forced smile. ‘You won’t, right, Oscar?’
Oscar wasn’t dumb; he knew exactly what Daniel and Mark were doing for work and while it did sound like something no one should be getting into, he was new to the city, recently graduated from his Masters and money was a real problem. Mark cared for him and Daniel too, in his own weird way, so Oscar accepted the offer after being reassured multiple times that he was just going to sit in the office all day, covering their wrongdoings in legally approved ways.
‘I won’t.’ Oscar confirmed although his voice did break a little in the end. Lando’s gaze was laser focused and Oscar repeated one more time, sounding steadier: ‘I won’t let you down.’
And he didn’t. Oscar used his brain excellently, hiding all the footprints and evidence, making sure Lando’s company stayed clean and hidden from the sights of onlookers in the legal world. He worked diligently, quietly and moved from the office to Lando’s house in the shortest span ever known to everybody, much to his own surprise.
‘I told you he’s brilliant!’ Daniel gushed loudly, clearly drunk. He dragged Oscar from his conversation with Liam and Gabi, making him face Lando on his own birthday party. ‘We, Aussies, are known for that, by the way.’
Oscar knew he was blushing under Lando’s heavy stare. He licked his lips, unsure of what to say to the cringiest sentence from Daniel and instead offered a quiet: ‘Happy birthday, Lando.’
Daniel hollered in delight, shaking Oscar like a rag doll. ‘And he’s polite! Polite cat, hah! Look at him!’
Oscar never experienced this level of embarrassment. He wanted to kill Daniel and disappear himself; even tips of his ears were burning. Lando’s gaze pinned him to the spot and his tongue refused to move to form sentences: he was speechless, arrested by a storm in aquamarine eyes in front of him. Despite being shorter and smaller than Daniel and himself, something about Lando screamed of authority and power.
Lando tilted his head to the side in curiosity, like he was observing some rare species, and Oscar never wanted the ground to swallow him more. ‘Good catch on the latest case,’ he said in a calm baritone, staring down at Oscar, ‘I’m shocked that no one else noticed it.’
‘Ah.’ Oscar looked briefly down, swallowed and looked back up. It all felt like a quiz, a test. ‘I, yeah- I would’ve missed it as well but-’
‘But you didn’t.’ Lando cut off. His eyes bore into Oscar’s soul. ‘You noticed. You reported. You fixed it. Brilliantly done.’
The praise shocked him. It sent a jolt of something warm and pleasant down his whole body and Oscar barely resisted squirming, not wanting to appear unprofessional. He knew he did a good job. But hearing this from someone else, from Lando – felt different. It felt… good. Dangerously good.
‘Thank you.’ Oscar let out, hating how shy he sounded. Daniel clapped his shoulder tightly and again began throwing praise, but they all fell deaf to his ears.
In hindsight, he should’ve left at that moment. He should’ve left when he noticed that hearing ‘he’s a genius!’ from Daniel did not make his heart skip a beat. He should’ve left when Lando stepped closer, when citrusy notes of his cologne reached him, when he looked – actually looked – at Oscar. He should’ve left when Lando started asking him his thoughts on several deals, he should’ve never answered honestly. But he was hopeless. Hopeless against curious sparks flying in Lando’s eyes, hopeless against his desire to be seen by this man, by the need to have more of Lando’s attention on him. He had it once and got addicted in the same second.
‘Interesting thoughts, Oscar.’ Lando commented at last. His gaze shifted to a more thoughtful one. ‘I’d like to get your opinion on all my deals from now on.’
Oscar froze. Daniel next to him whooped his fist in the air like it was his personal victory. Oscar simply stared at Lando in shock, trying to process this information. It was not a suggestion, because Lando Norris did not make suggestions or requests. It was an order. One that you could not refuse.
‘He’s going to move in, right?’ Daniel asked and when Lando gave a swift nod, he squeezed Oscar into a side hug. ‘Aw, our polite cat got a promotion!’
Oscar remained mostly immobile, not even reciprocating Daniel’s hug in favor of staring at Lando. He heard about his house, of course. He never entertained the possibility of ever stepping a foot in that place. Daniel turned to engage with someone else and finally let Oscar go. Without his boisterous character the air between him and Lando shrunk, tightened. Clearing his throat, he weakly pushed out: ‘Thank you.’
Lando’s left eyebrow raised. Small smirk tugged the corner of his mouth. ‘Polite cat,’ he mused, watching in fascination as Oscar’s cheeks turned red. ‘More like a kitten, to be honest.’
The zing in Oscar’s spine at hearing Lando calling him ‘kitten’ should’ve been a warning. Oscar should’ve left that day. Daniel made it clear that he could get Oscar out of this if circumstances pushed for it. Oscar’s throat turning dry and his palms getting sweaty at ‘kitten’ in low Lando’s voice was a pushing circumstance.
And yet.
Oscar stayed. He moved to the manor and got closer to Lando and he stayed. Leaving stopped feeling like a need once he got closer to the heir. At one point after four months leaving stopped being an idea that he could entertain. How could he leave when he learned the sound of Lando’s laughter? When he saw deliberate care Lando pushed on those people in his close circle? Oscar witnessed quiet moments of total concentration, of Lando going through system’s bugs, drilling his staff to be perfect, reading through the cases and asking Oscar questions that fried his brain. Lando demanded perfection, strived for complete control in every aspect but he gave just as much back. His protection was an exchange for loyalty and Lando protected what he considered his in a way that left Oscar breathless. Lando did not forgive mistakes and did not have patience. Lando spoiled rotten those who stayed by his side and accepted his ruling. Lando burned bright like a fire that could kill and keep you warm at the same time.
Oscar stayed. In the moments of sitting next to Lando and discussing yet another case, he stayed. Quiet conversations first were solely focused on cases and Lando listened – actually listened – to his opinion and countered it with his own takes when he wasn’t satisfied. Then dialogues moved from the cases to more personal subjects and Oscar soon found himself sitting across the heir alongside Max, Carlos and Daniel. In tense arguments and shared laughter over a good meal, he stayed.
After year and a half of working together Lando covered his tuition fee for PhD in university. He didn’t make a big deal out of it; simply presented a check to Oscar during their lunch and told him to do good in his studies. Oscar was so flooded with shock, he barely could react. ‘I- this is-’
‘It’s nothing.’ Lando casually shrugged like he did not just present Oscar a solution of all his financial problems.
‘It’s not nothing,’ Oscar countered, visibly shaking. He didn’t even know if he was allowed to accept this, to touch this check. ‘It’s-’
Lando stared. He watched as Oscar fumbled for words to say and his stare, for the first time, wasn’t heavy. It wasn’t stern or calculating, it lacked ice-biting cold. Oscar, to his horror, only blushed hard at the realization that Lando looked at him fondly.
‘It’s a token of my appreciation for your hard work,’ Lando said quietly. He placed his hand on top of Oscar’s knee, effectively stopping all his thoughts. ‘You moved to this manor because you became a part of my circle. Every single person who lives in this manor belongs to me. Your problems are my problems, because you are working day and night to solve mine. It’s only fair that I helped you with yours, no?’
The possessiveness should’ve scared him. The notion of people belonging to Lando and not to themselves should’ve disgusted him. The shameless confession of controlling character should’ve pushed him away. It only pulled Oscar closer.
Lando squeezed his knee once before letting go. ‘I take care of what’s mine, kitten. Always.’
Oscar stayed. Stayed for the long nights in his study room where Lando grilled him with questions. Stayed for occasional loud and cozy lunches and dinners together with the whole circle during which this mason felt like home. Stayed for quiet conversations with Lando in the living room, where he looked at Oscar like Oscar mattered, like his opinion was important, like he valued Oscar just like he did Max, Daniel and Carlos. Stayed for softly spoken ‘kitten’ from Lando that never failed to make Oscar blush and his heart skip a beat. Stayed, because at one point leaving Lando meant leaving his heart and Oscar wasn’t strong enough for that.
=+=
Screeching sound of glass shattering on the floor broke the silence violently. Oscar flinched, startled back from his thoughts. The situation must’ve been worse than Oscar originally thought if Lando’s throwing and breaking his stuff. The thought of Lando always being alone during those times, the way he consciously built barricades around himself so no one would witness him at the lowest point – it tugged at Oscar’s heart. At the end, that’s why he was still sitting here while everyone with brains scattered from the house. Because he didn’t want to leave Lando alone.
‘Fuck- shit!’ Lando’s agitation is so loud that his shouts bounced off the walls, traveling through the floors of the mason.
Now or never. Oscar walked up the stairs, hearing only his own rapid heartbeat in his ears. Another sound of glass breaking rattled off the walls and this time Oscar did pause right in front of the door, breathing heavily. Even through the barrier Oscar could sense the frustration and anger; they seemed to roll off in waves from Lando’s room.
‘Who is there?’ Lando snapped, almost growling. ‘I told everyone to fucking leave!’
This was Lando. Controlling, emotionally volatile, power-abusive and Oscar thought that he might have been deeper in his crush for the heir than he thought, because this side of him did not repulse him, did not scare him. It only made the ache in Oscar’s heart grow in inexplicable ways.
Swallowing, Oscar knocked twice out of politeness and pushed the door open without waiting for confirmation. He first saw wet stain on the plush Persian rug along with glass shreds and pieces everywhere. The smell gave it away. Ah, he threw his whiskey bottle. The second thing his gaze settled on was marble-carved elephant figure that lay on the floor, while usually it stood amongst other décor pieces Lando liked to bring back home from his travels. Surprisingly, everything else seemed intact. Just like Lando himself. He stood next to the windows, tugging curtains shut jerkily, clearly frustrated.
‘Who the-’ Lando paused, his eyes widening at the sight of Oscar.
Oscar never sought him out first. He wasn’t Carlos, Max or Daniel, he had no permission to come upstairs and knock on Lando’s door. Lando always came looking for him whenever he was needed, never the other way around. Oscar swallowed. Breaking the second rule now felt like a horrible, horrible idea.
‘What are you doing here?’ Lando’s voice lacked killing intent, but it held barely contained anger. His hand twitched next to his hip – a reflex for grabbing his gun. ‘I was crystal clear in my orders for everyone to leave.’
Maybe Oscar was suicidal. Because instead of stepping out he only took a step forward, successfully rendering himself and Lando into silence. The heir of empire blinked twice quickly like he wasn’t sure if was seeing correctly that Oscar did in fact just ignore his order. Oscar, meanwhile, looked Lando up and down for any injuries. He looked disheveled in general, but there wasn’t any visible blood on his clothes, and he didn’t look like he was in pain. There only was a small cut on his nose – thin pink horizontal stripe that attracted all of the attention once you noticed it. Oscar noticed Lando leaning more heavily on his right side as he moved to cover second window too and the question tumbled out of his mouth before he could think it through: ‘Are you okay?’
Lando paused. His back tensed and white shirt clung to his shoulder muscles as he slowly dropped both of his hands down. Oscar took one more hesitant step forward and froze, when Lando turned. His gaze pinned Oscar to the ground; unreadable, just like always. He took a deep breath and sighed. This sigh carried so much pain that Oscar couldn’t help but push forward: ‘What happened?’
Second ticked away. Lando simply stared at him and the weight of his gaze started to make Oscar anxious. ‘If you tell me what happened I can help,’ he rushed in unsteady voice. ‘I can- I can fix it. I can find perfect solution to any problem.’
I can ease your worries. I can take the weight on your shoulders and at least take half of it on myself. Please tell me. Let me in. Let me in, let me in, let me in. Oscar was pretty sure that his desperation to help could be easily visible in his eyes. He practically reeked with desire to be helpful – his whole body was strung tight as a bow with burning need to be there for Lando. He stared unblinking at the heir, who slowly moved towards velvet couch in the middle of the room. Lando didn’t say a thing, but his jaw was clenched and he didn’t look at Oscar at all until he didn’t sit, carefully leaning back. Oscar gulped. This sight – Lando leaning on the back of the couch with his legs sprawled and white shirt unbuttoned enough to show off bronze skin and his collarbones – made him shiver. He tried his best to keep his eyes at level, not letting them drift lower to the way gold chain glistened under the light, how veins protruded on his forearms, how his pants tightened on his –
‘It’s not a good time right now.’ Lando spoke quietly. He sounded tired, resigned. The anger was clearly still there, but he controlled it in Oscar’s presence. ‘You should go home, Oscar.’
Go home. Go, meaning he had to leave, meaning he didn’t count this manor as a home for Oscar. Cozy but small apartment close to the river that used to be Oscar’s home never felt more foreign than at that moment. Oscar swallowed. ‘I-’
‘Leave, Oscar.’ Lando interrupted and this time there was an edge at his tone.
A warning. Don’t push, it said. Go while I’m controlling myself, it said.
‘I don’t need your help now either way,’ Lando muttered, sounding exhausted.
Oscar blinked. Don’t you need your help now. Your help. Your. His brain instantly supplied images of from whom Lando needed help now. Beautiful girls and boys, never the same, always new, always petite and pretty. Oscar watched them come and go in certain bad nights at the manor, watched as Lando dragged them to the basement but never to his own room, heard stories of what happened there, sometimes heard moans of pleasure echoing when he snooped out of curiosity. Curling his hands into fists, Oscar tried to control his breathing. So Lando didn’t need his help but he needed – their help. His long nails dug into his skin, but pain did not ease the fire in his soul. Had Lando already called for them? Was someone on the way? Was he waiting to drag yet another boy or girl to the basement to let out his frustration on them? Were they more… needed than Oscar with his brilliant mind?
Oscar felt a bile raise up his throat. Jealousy gripped his heart like a vice, refusing to let go. If this was what Lando needed then… then he could provide it, too. Anything. Anything to be close to him now and not let him be alone.
‘Are they coming?’ he asked in a low voice.
Lando frowned. ‘Who?’
‘Boy. Girl. Maybe both.’ Oscar took a deep breath. His voice trembled. ‘I can… replace them. I-if that’s what you need.’
He watched as realization dawned on Lando. He stopped breathing when thunder rose in the sea foam eyes and when his jaw clenched so tight that he heard the audible click. He stood still when Lando slowly leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees, supporting his chin on his hand.
‘Oscar.’
That’s it. Just his name. But it sounded like the end.
Oscar furiously shook his head, hoping his knees won’t give out now, because the only thing more embarrassing than him practically offering himself up on a plate to Lando would be falling on his ass in front of him. ‘Not Oscar,’ he muttered, shaking his head. ‘I’m not Oscar. Not now.’
Ice in Lando’s gaze was slicing him into pieces. ‘Then who are you now?’
Next words cost Oscar his shyness, his reserved nature, his principles. ‘Kitten. Your kitten.’
He could hear his own heartbeat in silence. It wasn’t comfortable one; it pressed tight against his lungs, shaking him down to the core. He couldn’t believe he said those words out loud. His heart dropped somewhere down to the pit of his stomach first and then down to his feet at lack of reaction from Lando. Oscar bravely looked up from where he was observing the rug and instantly regretted it because Lando looked… murderous. Oscar quickly looked down again and closed his eyes when Lando rose from the couch. His footsteps echoed in the room and when his polished leather dress shoes appeared right next to Oscar’s beige loafers, he felt fingers gripping his chin, forcing him to look up.
‘Look at me.’ Lando commanded in a voice so quiet it betrayed how mad he really was. When Oscar forcefully opened his eyes, Lando gripped his chin harder, vibrating with contained anger. ‘I will never hear that offering from you again. Ever. Is that clear?’
Oscar gulped. His mouth parted involuntarily and shiver racked up his spine when Lando’s gaze dropped to his lips, staring at them for a second too long before looking up. There was authority in Lando’s voice that was impossible to ignore, despite being slightly shorter he loomed over Oscar just in pure presence, in energy that spoke of power Oscar never had.
‘Don’t you ever put yourself on one level with them,’ Lando continued, staring Oscar down.
Oscar’s heart thudded somewhere close to his feet. He knew he wasn’t a model-looking guy, but hell, hearing this hurt. He never had a big ego, but knowing that Lando would never –
‘Don’t you ever disrespect yourself like that.’
Oscar froze. His eyes widened and he blinked rapidly, unsure if he heard correctly. Lando looked furious like the sole thought of Oscar lowering himself to the likes of those he used occasionally made him mad. Lando’s grip on his chin weakened and he carefully swiped his thumb over his skin instead, making Oscar tremble at the sudden change. He looked wistful for a second before he grabbed his chin forcefully again. Lando stared at him intently.
‘You were right about two things, Oscar. You are a kitten. And you are my kitten.’ Lando’s hand dropped from his chin and he cupped Oscar’s left cheek in his palm, smiling slightly when Oscar leaned to his touch. ‘You are not them. They can never be you or get on your level.’
The warmth flooded down his veins. His heart gave two weak pumps and then rose from his feet, settling back in his chest. Oscar nuzzled to the hand on his cheek, scared that Lando might take it away. Oscar knew he was trembling, but he couldn’t stop; he covered Lando’s hand with his own, when it seemed like Norris was about to let him go. No, his mind screamed. No, please, no.
With his eyes closed he didn’t see Lando’s mask of indifference shattering, he didn’t see how he stared at the way Oscar was nuzzling into his hand with soul-crushing longing. He didn’t see how the heir of empire had to get his feelings under control, how he switched back the mask and ripped his hand away from Oscar’s grip, ignoring protesting whine he heard in response.
‘Lando-’
‘Get out.’ Lando cut him off, sounding distant. ‘I want to stay alone tonight. I will pretend that this… offer did not happen.’
Oscar’s heart stopped altogether. This dismissal felt cruel. And Lando had never been cruel with him. He could be rude to Oscar, could be angry with him, but never cruel. Lando offered him small, private smiles and occasional ruffles of his hair. Lando looked at him fondly and praised Oscar’s mind. Lando never dismissed Oscar. Lando never even called Oscar by his name, mostly referring him as ‘kitten’, seeing how Oscar didn’t complain once. The warmth from being told those occasional boys and girls have nothing in him disappeared under the realization that even being Lando’s kitten did not allow him to stay. To be there for Lando. To be close. The despair he felt brought traitorous tears to his eyes.
‘What do you need then?’ Oscar asked and his voice cracked in the middle.
He knew Lando’s patience with him was thinning but he had to push. What did Lando need? How could he be so sure that Oscar wouldn’t provide it? Cause he would. In a heartbeat. Just to not feel like he’s being blocked, rejected. Oscar looked up, bravely meeting Lando’s gaze. He could spend forever looking in those eyes, he never saw a more gorgeous sight. He wanted to decipher the emotion behind them, he wanted to know what it meant when they turned darker, or greener, or bluer. He wanted to know everything there was to know about the man in front of him and for the past month he thought hat maybe it was mutual. When Lando started spending more time in his study room, asking him more and more personal questions – Oscar thought this interest meant something cause Lando didn’t behave like that with anyone else. Was he wrong with that assumption?
‘I don’t want to leave you alone.’ Oscar continued, blinking fast to not let the tears fall. ‘Tell me what you need, Lando. You- you once said that you liked how quiet the world turned with me. I can just… stay. Sit on the couch and not talk.’
Oscar didn’t know how else he could possible articulate that he didn’t want Lando to be left alone without sounding incredibly pathetic. What he said already bordered on high levels of embarrassment scale, but if this was his only chance to be honest and speak up he couldn’t miss it. Maybe this was the end. He finished his last project, maybe Lando would just fire him on the spot, seeing how Oscar crossed every single line. Maybe –
‘God,’ Lando breathed out.
He leaned and in a move that knocked the breath out of Oscar’s lungs, he pushed their foreheads together, closing his eyes. His hand gripped the back of Oscar’s neck preventing him from moving, but Oscar wouldn’t have moved even under the gunshot. Lando breathed heavily, gripping Oscar’s neck tighter and tighter – bruises in the shapes of his fingers would bloom tomorrow for sure. Oscar gulped, unsure what caused this reaction. They were never this close, and he wondered if he could touch too, if he could lift his arms and carefully place them around Lando, if he could just feel him –
Lando’s eyes snapped open. Oscar froze, caught in the brewing storm of green-grey-blue and he couldn’t possibly look away. Lando smiled, but it was sad, a wistful one. He leaned back as his grip on Oscar’s neck weakened. ‘How are you so perfect, hm?’ he murmured, looking at Oscar like he was someone unreachable, which was laughable – the only unreachable between them two was Lando. ‘Don’t want me to stay alone? You make it very hard to not… take, Oscar. Very, very hard.’
Oscar could feel the heat emanating from his cheeks at those words. Lando stayed close and his other hand found its place on Oscar’s hip, scorching his skin with just a touch.
‘You ignored my orders and came to my room. I killed people for less.’
‘But you won’t kill me,’ Oscar said with confidence. He looked at Lando, repeating with the utmost decisiveness: ‘You’ll never hurt me.’
Lando’s eyes narrowed. ‘Dangerous assumption, Piastri.’
‘But it’s true. I’m here. And don’t call me- I’m not-’ Oscar huffed, frustrated and ashamed of what he wanted to say. ‘I’m not Piastri to you. You never call me that. You almost never even call me by my name.’
Oscar belatedly realized that he sounded a bit like a brat. Lando seemed to get it too, but if Oscar’s response to that was to blush and turn the shade of beetroot, Lando only seemed to be amused, judging by sparks dancing in his eyes. ‘What do you want me to call you?’
It’s a stupid question. Oscar stared at Lando, trying to figure out if that was a game. He said out loud once. He did not have emotional capacity in him to say it again. He already admitted that he liked it. How humiliating could this conversation be?
‘You know what,’ Oscar breathed out, hanging his head in shame.
He felt defeated. This conversation was not moving anywhere, and it just felt like Lando was dragging out rejection as far as he could. Two strong hands grabbed him from both sides of his face and lifted, making him meet Lando’s gaze. He stared intently at Oscar, looking for something in his eyes and Oscar could only hope that he saw all the desperation, desire, shame. Hoped he saw that Oscar pushed himself to the limit by coming here and starting this. Couldn’t Lando meet him halfway?
‘You are brilliant, Oscar.’ Lando whispered, holding Oscar’s face firmly in his hands. ‘I am- don’t you see? You are standing here now. Alive. Instead of throwing you out I’m standing here, telling you that you’re perfect.’ Lando paused and his voice finally cracked, ‘I- can’t you see the obvious? You’re too smart, Oscar. Use that big, brilliant brain of yours. Who else in this manor gets the same treatment as you do? Am I calling someone else ‘kitten’? Am I letting anyone in, am I letting anyone else sit beside me, Max, Carlos or Daniel?’
Oscar blinked. Cogs in his brains turned. Hope flared in his chest like a tornado. The conclusion sounded almost surreal, saying it out loud did not feel right and it came out with notes of disbelief and awe: ‘You want me.’
Lando chuckled self-deprecatingly. His hold turned gentle and he stared at Oscar lovingly, nodding. ‘Wanted you from the moment you blushed when I called you ‘kitten’ for the first time.’
He looked at Oscar helplessly: ‘I’m a strong man, but I’m just a man. How do you want me to not take when you come to my room because you didn’t want me to be alone? When you want me to call you ‘kitten’ all the time? I’m looking at you and all I want is to take. Take what’s mine. Take what wants to be mine.’
‘You can,’ Oscar licked his lips, sounding tad bit too desperate for his liking but not caring about it anymore, ‘you can take. It’s yours. All yours, Lando.’
The shift in the air was impossible to ignore. Lando’s hand moved to his neck, covering it fully with his giant paw, making Oscar feel small in comparison. ‘You don’t even know what it means,’ he admonished with a stern look on his face. ‘You don’t even know what it means to be mine.’
The grip tightened and Oscar’s breath hitched. Lando’s hand on his neck was a claim of possession and a warning of what’s about to come. A small glimpse into what it meant, into what it felt like to belong to Lando Norris. And just this gesture made Oscar’s head spin. Excitement swirled up and down his body like a molten lava, lighting up every single nerve cell.
‘I thought,’ it was harder to talk with a hand cutting down some of his air, but he persisted, ‘I thought I already was yours. You said so yourself.’
‘You want to be mine like Max, Daniel or Carlos are? Because they are also mine, Oscar. But they don’t warm my bed.’
Oscar’s eyes widened. The implications were clear and his heart thumped against his ribs. The thought of him on Lando’s bed flooded his mind, heating up his skin like a furnace.
Lando caressed his Adam’s apple, looking like a sin, like every desire one can have wrapped in a tan skin and breathtaking eyes. ‘They don’t get my affection. They don’t get the lover version of me. The gentle, loving version.’ Lando leaned in, touching Oscar’s cheek with his nose, smirking at boy’s audible inhale. ‘They don’t get obsessed version of me either. Version that keeps his lover in bed for hours, for days. Version that spoils, adores. Jealous version. Possessive. Controlling. You want this version, Oscar?’
Oscar’s knees threatened to buckle under the weight of Lando’s stare and his own need to have this man. ‘Yes.’
Lando’s lips curled into a pleased smile. ‘I’m going to take, kitten. So much. Everything you have.’
Oscar’s hand finally woke up from their slumber, and he fisted both of them in Lando’s shirt, tugging him impossibly close. He delighted in the look of surprise from his boss and muttered right into his mouth: ‘You can. You can take everything. I’m yours, Lando.’
Oscar’s breath got cut by Lando’s grip tightening on his neck. He was properly choking him now and yet Oscar stayed, trembling out of need and want; not out of fear, never out of fear.
Lando’s eyes sparkled with something satisfied, with darkness that promised Oscar more than he was ready for. ‘You will be my Oscar in front of everyone else,’ Lando said in a voice that left no room for arguments, ‘my brilliant Oscar, who solves all the problems from legal side. But when it’s just you and me, you’ll be my kitten. Is that what you want? Would you like that, baby?’
Any pet name from Lando made Oscar want to melt. Baby. His throat hurt, his head started to ache too from oxygen cut, but he still managed to nod. ‘Yes. Yes, please, Lando.’
Oscar was not sure what else he needed to agree on for Lando to see that he was down to practically anything. Anything if it meant having Lando to himself, if it meant being the one and only for Lando. His fingers flexed on the shirt he was holding and he gingerly moved them upwards, settling on Lando’s shoulders.
‘Polite kitten,’ Lando murmured, carefully letting go of Oscar’s throat. ‘But those eyes won’t help you now. You still broke the rules, haven’t you?’ Lando smirked, seeing the way Oscar froze at those words. ‘Being mine comes with punishments too.’
Before Oscar could process that sentence Lando pushed his hands off his shoulders and took a small step back. Fondness was wiped from his face as he stared at Oscar with nothing but dizzying possession.
‘Hands behind your back. On your knees, kitten. And open that pretty mouth for me.’