where do i even fucking start?? this number is INSANE to me! fanfiction writing was always a hobby and ever since i started posting on tumblr i fell in love with it even more. all the support and your comments just open my heart! thank you so so so much for every single one of you❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Lando Norris: ‘Being happy with myself isn’t easy’ | Lando Norris: ‘You don’t have to have a killer instinct to be world champion’ | Netflix, Drive To Survive S07E02
its me and my stressful schedule again😅❤️ id like to remind you guys that i haven forgotten about the fic. theres a lot going on right now (thankfully only good things) but still they take my time right now more than this blog🥹 and since i dont want to upload half hearted chapters i am going to take my time with them.
so! no upload schedule but i will definitely keep it coming thank you sm for your understanding 🫶🏻❤️
⊹ ࣪ ˖chapter 9: and if you call for me, you know i'll run, run, run
⸻A WORD OF CAUTION mafia boss!lando norris x fem leclerc mafia!reader, 2,7k words, no real warnings let me know tho
MASTERLIST
dress bought, cake tasted and ordered. small steps lead to big ones and the wedding is only a week away. were you nervous? not yet surprisingly. but you’re sure it will come over time that your feet will grow cold just seconds before. and yet here you are, making up scenarios how it could happen for the hundredth time of the day.
it’s not a crush. no… it’s worse. it’s checking if he texted you back yet. if he received your email about the venue. it’s painting out pictures of your marriage but you’re not even married yet. and that makes you nervous.
you don’t even know him. basically nothing, yet he is there all the time. the way your fingers felt in his hair, his white dress shirt on the inside of your palms. and you can’t help but wonder how it feels if it’s off and your hands smooth down to his...
"please, for my own sanity! i need to know if he’s okay with this… you need to call him right now!"
the day was meant to be a relaxing one by the pool. just tanning and getting ready mentally and spiritually. well, your mother had other plans. she couldn’t quite believe how lando would let you choose the dress code and she was making it very clear every five minutes.
you sighed, realizing she won’t let you off the hook any time soon, so you grabbed your phone ready to text him. you don’t miss the beat in your hearts cage that is a little louder, a little harder when you see his name on your display already. it’s nothing big actually… just an answer to your previous question (which was fueled by your impatience for exception….)
you realise he is very composed. answering every question, listening to all your complaints. and this time is no different. but when you text him, his answer confuses you first, then it makes your heart race stupidly.
lando: i’m in a meeting. come to the black swan around 6. oscar will let you in.
you stare at the message. 6? that was in like… an hour? and you were still sweaty from tanning. you’d need to shower and get dressed in something decent. but the biggest question you asked yourself is why did you care so much? you wouldn’t have given two fucks about how you looked to him a few weeks ago. but now, somehow it mattered.
you make quick but good work of getting yourself ready and only with a ten minute delay do you arrive to the club. getting out of your white ferrari you look at the club you’re standing in front of, here in monaco. it’s weird to drive into norris territory without being asked if you’re still alive. or tracked down the next second. weird, but free.
frowning at the neon sign you decide to knock twice, getting no answer. you knock again and only then does the door open, revealing oscar in a black suit, with a small smirk and messy hair looking you up and down.
"hello you, come in… i don’t think we had the pleasure to be introduced to each other?" he asks casually, stepping aside to let you in.
you walk in and realise immediately what kind of club you entered. tables, poles, a high end strip club. bar with expensive drinks, black plush chairs and seats and the smell of extravagant perfume. the club was still close but the dancers were already here. laughing and chatting, trying out routines in big heels and even shorter clothes. something burned in your chest at the sight of this. did lando see these girls on a daily basis? did they dance on him too? did he sleep with them? you haven’t even thought about the fact if a man who owns clubs like these could even ever be loyal?
"no we didn’t… you just waltzed into my home and didn’t even introduce yourself," you point oscar with a look, deciding to answer him instead of letting the thoughts run overhead.
oscars smirk deepens at your tone. he knows you got fire, lando warned him about that way before the brit even signed the papers with your father. your name was not a foreign one around here anymore and he knew he was going to meet and deal with you sooner or later.
"i’m not the kind of guy for pleasantries," oscar shrugs lazily, walking through the club and shooting two dancers by the pole a wink at what they blush. the black carpet doesn’t let your heels sound so sharp, yet you earn glances right after the blush faded. "and honestly? your brothers looked like they’d stab me if i opened my mouth… i was watching out for lando too."
"right hand man?" you ask, following oscar who opens a heavy, black metal door that lead to a stair case. "right hand man," he confirms with a nod, turning back to you with a smile as he holds the door open for you. "oscar piastri, a pleasure…"
you walk ahead, making sure you follow the right way upstairs to a long floor. small wall scones gave their golden glow around the obsidian hallway and pictures of old cars (models of mclarens of course) were hung up on the wall all the way down to a big door.
you say your name too, the surname leclerc heavy in the air for a moment. "i don’t know if it’s my pleasure yet…"
oscar chuckles, his eyes fixed on you as he approaches the door as well. "ouch… harsh first impression from the bride to be." he doesn’t let you in right away, almost as if he’s studying you like your brothers did him on the engagement party. it's just a big assessing of each other and who's got what on who at this point.
you can already tell that the australian is the exact kind of guy lando would trust completely. charming when needed but deadly if crossed. even if his smile can't compete with the iron in his heart, there is something about the loyalty his eyes hold. the exact same look he has when he and lando entered the mansion. eyes always on your man.
"lando’s in there… i have to leave. just knock and he will come and get you," oscar explains, before turning around and leaving the dark hallway and down the stairs. you stare at the door for a little longer, and decide to open it instead of just knocking.
once inside you spot a big window overlooking the city that will be all under his hand soon. his imperium. lando stands there, back to the door for a moment, talking into his phone. his voice is smooth and low, and all you see is the silhouette of a man who knows his power. then he turns, glancing over and you can swear you see the ice melt in his eyes for a remaining moment when they lay on you.
because there you are. waltzing into his life like you did on day one already. and he hated it how much he loved it. like you owned the place. just how you’re standing here right now too. looking over the cleaned and organized space. so different from what you know from home. it’s not messy or cluttered with unnecessary old stuff. and you feel like you could get used to it.
lando cuts the call short. something about taking over stuff. picking it up soon. tonight. or tomorrow? you don’t know. you don’t care. because his eyes are on you all the time.
"i… i can come back later if you want me to?" you ask, suddenly feeling out of place. you don’t know why you stutter. you never do. but there is something intimidating about being in his space. something you haven’t felt before. maybe because you never were in his kingdom with him alone before. the gun incident doesn’t count….
"no," he says immediately and decisive. tossing his phone on the desk and rounding it to come and stand before you. you make a few steps inside, still taking in the details. or are you just avoiding his intense eye contact?
your eyes lay on a black panther statue. it’s sitting in the corner, his expression roaring like he’s ready to strike. it’s black and sleek and shining with glitter on its paws. you can’t deny the smile that stretches on your lips.
"bougie," you comment, nodding towards the absurd statue in the corner and lando’s eyes follow yours immediately. the emerald eyes glancing back at the two of you and he walks over to place a hand on its head.
"yeah, my mom put it there. said i reminded her of a panther… silent, strong…" you follow him over there, now standing by the window with him and looking at the sharp teeth of this enormous thing. meeting landos eyes, he is smirking too in that stupid amused way. however, it’s lacking any mockery and you know it’s different from all the moments before. "you like it?"
it’s cringe in the sweetest way possible. and he knows it. thats why he’s asking. it’s such a typical mom thing to buy random decor like this. you would know. and any day you would have laughed it off. but meeting lenora you knew she was a resilient woman. and you knew from the first moment on that the panther might even mirror her more than lando. sure, he ran this game ever since his father was arrested, but seeing a mother so protective of her children… it was new.
"really?" you chuckle lightly and his smirk widens, showing his teeth and that adorable gap. "what?" he shrugs. "she’s not wrong."
"that’s cheesy as fuck," okay you can’t keep it in. and he knows it too. it’s ridiculous and too big to ignore.
"you’re judging my mom’s taste?" he asks, voice teasing as he tracks your expression, studying the panther. you have that gleam in your eyes always when you think you’re so smart to reply. with your right eyebrow raised slightly, lips parting already to come back.
"well, does it have a name?" crossing your arms you give him an amused look and lando holds it for too long. it’s too close and suddenly too thick in this room. and as if on a weird cue, he straightens up, smile gone and walking over to his leather chair, his back to you. it feels like he just closed a door in your face.
"you came because you had a question?" it’s so infuriating. how can he be all smiles in one moment, and be all business in the next? is he keeping a distance on purpose? or does it really have to do something with you…?
"yeah, uhm… right," you clearly your throat, straightening up as well to not let it show how much this has suddenly affected you. you play with your fingers nervously for a moment before walking around to stand right in front of the mahogany.
"so basically we’ve got the venue i told you about at the engagement party. church is at 10. i organized you a suit already too, you’re wearing a baby pink tie which is matching my shoes.“
lando sits there in his chair. like the boss he is, aquamarine unyielding on your face and he listens. to every word he's hanging on and his full attention belongs to you. it makes something uncanny jump in your stomach. no distraction. just devotion.
the baby pink tie? he doesn’t react, just nods. church at 10 and the suit you picked out? your shoes matching the color? it’s surprisingly detailed for an arranged marriage. and lando? he likes that you thought of it all. not some cold heartless lunch and that’s it. your shaping this day that he promised belongs to you. and it holds something special for him. because you’re having fun.
so you go on and on about details, asking question where he either nods if he agrees with you, or shake his head when he also agrees with your no's. but really, at some point he lost the point. with fingers loosely laced in his lap, he realizes you gesture a lot when you’re nervous. he knows you’re nervous from studying you for long enough. your pupils are a little wider, your words faster and those hand gestures with what you’re trying to compensate so he doesn’t catch on what’s going on in your head. but he did way back already.
"one more thing," attention fully here again. that’s your bossy tone right there. "no fighting! no discussions, no business, no drama! i don’t want blood, i don’t want guns or knives! no warehouse talk, no turf convos, and for the love of god no fighting between my brothers and you!"
lando has to admit it’s kind of hot when you tell him what to do. he doesn’t know why. he would have killed a man for less. but it’s you. and sometimes when you want to hold the power, he has no choice but to hand it over carelessly to you. laying down rules like a queen claiming her throne, his jaw tightens. it seems impossible for a man like him. to loose all these terms and conditions that make out his life.
"done," he nods simply. "no business on that day."
the heat vanishes immediately out of your eyes and they even soften a little. he just agreed. just like that. and you find out more and more how much you like it when nobody argues with you over things that are important to you. just accepting it because it matters to you.
you sink into something comfortable. his promise between you. gentle and foreign. it feels like you were enemies just yesterday and now, oddly your eyes shape into something whenever you’re around him. there is still hostility and distance in so many moments, just staying like an uninvited but important guest.
then you dare to move. to interrupt it and lean against the desk right next to his chair. like getting ready to let him know something he might going to be arguing with.
"i want you to write a vow. just… you know… act like you know me forever. everyone already knows you don't. but since you want it to be the perfect act, i’m guessing it would be appropriate."
you shrug like it meant nothing. like your request was just something lighthearted and casual. lando pondered for a moment if he should ask if this was your mother’s idea. but when you look down at your shoes, avoiding eye contact again, he knows it’s your idea. you want his promises. you want to know you’re safe and listened to. because it’s important to you. and that something in his chest that jumps, could never be his heart.
"okay," he says quietly. just a simple, ’yes I acknowledged it’. meeting his look again, you see reassurance. and maybe even without a vow, you already know he’s got you. on a physical note, and slowly on a spiritual too. "anything else?"
you shake your head slowly, pursing your lips a little. fuck it. it’s time to go. and you despise the need to stay. you don’t want to stay. he promised you freedom so you should take the opportunity and quit all feels while you can.
"no, that’s it" you answer, straightening up again and getting ready to leave. it feels like he’s dismissing you again. then, "good. i don’t mean to rush you. if there’s anything else-"
his phone rings right on cue and you get the sign immediately. it is time to go. it’s bittersweet and petty. but reality. you would have thanked god to escape this ass earlier, now you don’t want to.
"it’s fine. i need to go anyways… gotta pick some stuff up on my way home," you reason, watching him look at you then the ringing phone. he doesn’t move a muscle, making sure you were finished talking, then turning and leaving without another word.
he has to physically halt for a moment. closing his eyes, taking a breath and just then he grabs his phone. pulled out of a stupid haze he is connected to the next business partner again and the dream is over for now. and soon enough he will be crushing all your illusions too. single handedly and with no mercy. one by one like he build up your trust.
my loooves, i am so sorry but i can only post the next chapter of your heart in a box beside me tomorrow ☹️ i know you guys are waiting for new parts always and i thank you for your patience💋❤️
had a busy week and i am still working on the chapter🫶🏻
⊹ ࣪ ˖chapter 8: the lily says, i dare you to love me
⸻A WORD OF CAUTION mafia boss!lando norris x fem leclerc mafia!reader, 2,8k no real warnings, but if you have one let me know
MASTERLIST
the next few weeks grab your attention like nothing ever did before besides planning the next secret party. calls here and there, writing emails, visiting nice venues and organizing flower arrangements, then ordering them. you were quite hard to catch and talk to for that time period. and while others had the biggest stress and burn out phases while wedding planning, you lived it.
so much you almost forgot that it’s your arranged marriage. and for those moments you could feel that fact fade more and more into the background. you had actual fun planning and having decisions under your control and in only one month everything was already set and booked. so effortlessly. well, and with all the people that feared and respected lando, of course you got it done as soon as possible. all the connections finally had something in it for you too.
well, not everything. a few things were still left in the open and you pushed it up so much, because you kept thinking about one thing. lando. you two have texted, called but only for the simplest things. it was something about the bills, where to order the decor to since the venue was either closed or booked and your mother didn’t want, quote, ’those ugly pink colored accents everywhere in the mansion’. so now lando had all kinds of pink colored accents in his mansion.
he called you over once for dinner and to quality check the ordered things, but all those weeks that passed have left you drained and you couldn’t really make it. or was it only an excuse? because if you were honest, you were a little afraid of seeing him again.
since the date, you couldn’t stop thinking about the small details that just lingered on your mind a little too long. it wasn’t a crush. no. that’s not it. but quietly something found it’s was into your brain. sneaking an emotion there that made your heart beat just a little faster. your palms just a little too sweaty. and every time you were thinking of those blue eyes, you zoned out. a light shiver setting on your skin, not enough to notice but enough to annoy you mentally.
the evening had been so nice, you were afraid something could ruin that moment. that new perception you had of him. seeing him in a different light and it was something else than what was promised you. but even after all those weeks he was still present. no matter when, no matter what.
you had an issue with confirming the cake order because the website was too complicated? he got it handled. a call from you late at night around 11 pm because you found wedding rings that weren’t silver, but gold? cartier. you preferred those? he got it ordered in that exact moment while you were still on the phone. oh, and that time when you texted him mid meeting that you had problems with a rude photographer who called you crazy for trying to book him on a short notice? yeah, he had a hard time taking clients for weeks now. not that it was necessary to ruin his reputation… you were just complaining really.
but all these things lead you to one conclusion. lando too, wants this to be the best day for you. it made you question it a little though. was this just a reason to keep you busy? you didn’t know why that thought kept circling back. however, you ignored it.
every yes and every amen lead you to this moment right now where you were leaning on the kitchen island, browsing through a catalog and wondering about more details to add. vivienne sat beside you on the marble, pointing out things and enjoying your good mood and questions about her opinions too. she was wearing a baby blue t-shirt dress with white converse that she bound around her ankles. it’s a luck that your mother didn’t see them yet…
the scent of lillies in the air and the sound of staff running around was cool on the flooring today. the mansion was in a top up clean condition, and everything was ready for the mass of guests that were about to come in only an hour. your mother was moving between rooms, scolding servants, bringing snacks out into the gardens buffet and complaining about the drinks not being cold enough.
yes, veronica did plan the whole engagement party. at least that. poor woman almost got a heart attack when you told her in that serious voice that you want to plan the wedding alone and she could only occasionally help you. help you was not on the list of a control freak mother. but the moment you asked about the engagement party, (the one you already knew she was secretly planning) she would not even give you a corner of the mansion to plan for. that was all hers.
“´"mon dieu, personne ne m’aide jamais dans cette maison ! est-ce que je dois vraiment tout faire moi-même ? les invités arrivent dans une heure et cette maison est un véritable champ de bataille ! on dirait qu’une bombe a explosé ici !" (my god, nobody ever helps me in this house! do i really have to do everything myself? the guests are arriving in an hour, and this house is an absolute battlefield! it looks like a bomb went off in here!)
vivienne and you exchange a glance and you both hold a laugh in at your mothers outburst. you cover it by leaning over the counter, hiding your expression in your palm while vivienne bites the inside of her cheek hard, so she wouldn’t even let a giggle sound. that would really be the last string that was left of veronicas patience.
"those lilies smell horrible… and they will make so much dirt all over my floors," veronica complains, pinning you both with a look as she halts with a tray of mini quiches and caprese skewers. right, the lilies. you ordered them accidentally as you tried several flower arrangements and they arrived earlier as well. so now they were decor for the engagement party. pink too, of course. much to your mother’s dismay who loved blue like her first born son.
"blue hydrangeas would have been a way better choice," your mother leaves into the garden with the missing snacks but not before dismissing you two with an eye roll.
as the evening goes on, more and more people arrive. you were wearing a nice black lace dress that was sexy yet elegant too. long sleeved with wide parts at your wrists, and a nice cutout. one more reason why your mom was agitated by the way. that and vivienne's dress shirt of course, the moment she saw it.
you got to know landos mother and sister for the first time. the woman entered like she just got home, complained about the lilies as well and immediately got a drink from your mother. she was nice though, you couldn’t complain. lenora was a woman with class, and a big heart. she was definitely fiercely protective of her son and her daughter, lea who was the same age as vivienne. so those two immediately disappeared in the garden with two big glasses of punch and were sitting under the tree right now, probably talking about books or fandoms… or whatever was interesting for two teenage girls.
she also complained how lando wasn’t here yet and you too, wondered where he was. he seemed to be always on time. never late, never leaving people hanging. yet you haven’t seen a trace of him. and even after a whole hour, he’s still nowhere to be seen.
you start texting, and calling him. but he won’t answer. which is weird since he always answered his texts at least. but you get caught up in conversation and run here and run there. this uncle wants to get to know you, and this aunt has to ask you something, and then vivienne and lea asked to use the tv in your room.
but still no lando. you even find charles and arthur admits the chaos, standing somewhere awkwardly in between and trying to have a conversation with the same guy who alerted lando on that day he held a gun to your head. you found out they call him chain, but his name is max, actually.
it's is strange in the way that no one would understand. no one but someone who lives this world day to day. one day you have a gun hold to your head, the next you’re engaged. funny how live plays...
mid conversation with one of landos cousins (who you found very arrogant by the way, and she kept gossiping to you about the aunts by the pool), you got shooed away from your mother to grab more snacks from the kitchen inside. so you do, excusing yourself with a polite smile and walking inside.
getting the silver trays ready, you hear the rumble of a very familiar car only two hours later from the agreed time. you see the black mclaren through the kitchen window as it parks beside the other cars, two men stepping out in those impeccable tailored suits. moments later both walk in, lando immediately spots you in the kitchen and he physically has to halt.
it’s not the first time he’s seen you in a dress. but right now? you look fine in the most flawless way possible. he meets your gaze, and it’s a little sour. yes, he knows he’s late. and he also knows you’re going to scold him judging by the look on your face.
the other guy, a little taller than lando, light brown hair that looks slightly messy and a confident, almost cocky swagger. only in a white shirt, no tie, brown eyes on you. he brushes past lando and hurries into the kitchen, nodding at you with a small smile. "evening, can i have these? i’m starving," he says, taking the tray right from your hand and shoving a smoked salmon blini in his mouth. he walks past you too and enters the garden, immediately catching up with chain who’s on his third round of whiskey already.
you huff in disbelief and turn back to lando who just moves into the kitchen slowly, unbuttoning his jacket and taking it off, draping it over the kitchen stool. june has its way of being extra hot today even though the evening is cooling down for now. "don’t mind oscar… he’s been up all night last night."
landos simple words make you frown, and you raise a brow. "you’re late…" you state, voice laced with annoyance and disappointment. "you’re late to your own engagement party…" the words are pointed and you see something flicker in landos eyes. guilt? no… he doesn’t do emotions like that. it’s brief before he straightens up.
"i had business to take care of," lando answers, not giving an excuse or adding to the drama. he looks unfazed on the surface but you realise how your stomach jumps when his eyes soften, and his head bows a little to you.
blue eyes meet yours like a cold storm and there is so much more in them. he’s still a little tense, maybe confused and just riled up from wherever he has been before. but nothing beats the intense eye contact you two share, and the ice that melts the fire in your heart immediately. it’s something fragile, but so far it’s there.
"that’s a horrible first impression," you try to argue, watching him reach behind you to grab a crystal glass and the bottle of irish whiskey. landos back is broad, moving in that white shirt as he walks over to the ice bar to fill the glass. pouring himself a generous amount he doesn’t even wait for it to get cold enough before downing it all in one go.
"you’re right… and i know," he answers, and is standing beside you in the next moment again. "i didn’t plan to be late. but i had to meet someone before this party started… it took a turn."
his voice is a little gentler now, and you can feel yourself already melt like the ice in his glass. is it really that cliché that you’re burning up and he cools down? although there is a slight edge to his voice. like he is still irritated from wherever he was. you don’t ask who he met. why he looks chaotic and like a disheveled idiot. curls messy, shirt wrinkled and small bags under his eyes. it has charm, you won’t deny it.
you groan in mild displeasure, putting the snacks and tray down you just picked up and clean your hands quickly with a rag. "your hair is a mess… and your clothes are rumpled… you look horrible."
in the next moment, reaching out and touching him feels so easy and natural. you don’t even think about it when you let your fingers draw through his curls, attempting to bounce them back into their form and making it look a little less like a mop. a cute mop. next you fix his shirt. first the collar, then smoothing your hands down the buttons and tugging them back into their place. it’s so genuine, so unbothered, that you don’t even notice what you just started.
lando halts in his motion. in his breathing even. and while he won’t let it show how affected he truly is, his gaze can’t stay off of you. the concentration in your eyes, the softness of your touch when you try to tame his hair, his shirt, like it makes a fucking difference. any other day he would have pushed your hand away. would have gave you a moody comment, poured himself another glass and left. but this? seeing you satisfied with your work as you double check? yeah, it does something strange to his heart. almost like he too, is satisfied when you are.
"i said you look a mess," you repeat, attempting to be bothered by the lack of his answer but you can't. not when you meet that gaze too and just then realise what you really did. pulling your hands back slowly, you don’t miss the small smile stretching on his lips, dedicated to you. not a smirk. a smile. a small twitch.
"yeah..." he hums quietly. "i do. but i’m here now and ready to play nice fiancé."
you can swear everything around you fades and you can’t help a brief grin. a small toothy one. like you’re amused by this idiot. yet he still hasn’t looked away, and you can physically feel the heat that he was supposed to cool down come back as something else. a different kind.
"good, come on then. and when you come out take those napkins with you!" you command like a little boss, grabbing the two trays and leaving. and damn it, did your ass always have that sway? did your spins always hold this much attitude? and if yes, why does it make something tighten? something he hasn’t acknowledged in a long time. not since he laid eyes on you the first time dancing in his club in that short black dress.
and now? now you’re wearing a lace black dress and boss him around. making him actually pick up the napkins and follow you outside like an obedient little fiancé. which is hilarious considering the man he is. so when you reenter the party with lando behind you, eyes are drawn to you and you can feel it shift in the air. the difference with someone like lando by your side. and you have yet to decide if you like it or not.
once the sun has set, the small golden glow of the lanterns hung up around the trees and the terrace bathe the scene is something gentle. now, with alcohol in a few systems and after a good dinner you could make out more leclercs talking to norrises and the other way around. not that much though. grudge was a word that could have been set on the same pedestal as air. but the energy has been a little less tense that is.
for the remainder of the night, lando behaves exceptionally well and is a gentleman with all of your family members. still you don't miss the distance that is between you two. not necessarily on purpose, just how the nigh goes. and while you learn lando to be polite, you can't help but feel like he makes up space on purpose. or maybe you just fell too much into a cloud to see that after all, it is still a political arrangement. and no love in foresight.
Hii, I saw you mentioned fourth wing in one of your fics and wanted ask if you’re a big fan?
hell yeah i am😩
i read fourth wing and currently i am a lil after the middle of iron flame but it‘s soooo thick like?? i‘m struggling to finish it but if i‘m being honest i liked fourth wing more 🙃
