Summery: Lando starts his stream with max but there’s someone who steals the show, just by sleeping.
——-The stream went live with the familiar soft click of Lando’s keyboard and the low hum of his PC fans. Monaco was quiet tonight—late enough that the lights from the harbor flickered lazily through the glass doors behind him, the city glowing gold and blue in the distance.
“Alright,” Lando said, leaning toward the mic as the viewer count climbed quickly. “Hi. Um—before anyone says anything, we’re keeping the vibes chill tonight, yeah?”
That alone set the chat off.
CHAT:
WHY ARE WE WHISPERING
CHILL VIBES????
HE SAID UM ITS OVER
SHES THERE ISNT SHE
Lando smiled to himself, eyes flicking briefly to the side.
Just out of frame, pushed right up against his desk like it always was, the couch was occupied. His girlfriend was curled on her side, wearing his hoodie that was swallowed by the blanket she’d dragged from the bedroom. One cheek pressed into the cushion, hair a little messy from when she’d flopped down earlier with a tired, “I’ll just lie here for a sec.”
That sec had turned into sleep.
Her hand was still in his.
She’d reached for him without opening her eyes while he was setting up the stream, fingers sliding into his palm like muscle memory. Now, as she slept, her grip had softened—still there, but loose, warm, trusting.
Lando adjusted his chair just slightly closer so their hands wouldn’t stretch.
“Max is joining in a minute,” he added quietly. “But—uh—inside voices.”
The chat barely heard him over itself.
CHAT:
HAND???
WAIT IS THAT HER HAND
LANDO NORRIS YOU CANNOT DO THIS TO US
Max Fewtrell popped into the call a moment later, camera on, sitting in his London flat with a mug in hand. “Evening, ladies and gentlemen—why are you whispering like you’re in a library?”
“Oi,” Lando said immediately, turning his mic gain down a touch. “Shh.”
Max blinked. “What?”
“She’s asleep,” Lando said, nodding subtly toward the couch.
Understanding dawned on Max’s face, and his grin softened. “Oh. Right. My bad.”
CHAT:
MAX IMMEDIATELY COMPLYING
AS HE SHOULD
SHE’S ASLEEP HOLDING HIS HAND IM GONNA CRY
As the game loaded, Lando leaned back slightly, eyes drifting to her again. Her breathing had slowed, chest rising and falling in that deep, even rhythm that meant she was properly out.
Her fingers twitched once.
Then, slowly, her hand started to slip from his.
Lando noticed instantly.
Mid-sentence, he paused, gently curling his fingers around hers again, thumb brushing the side of her hand. Her grip reformed on instinct, fingers lacing with his this time.
The chat lost it.
CHAT:
THE WAY HE FIXED IT
SHE GRABBED BACK
THEYVE BEEN TOGETHER SINCE KIDS YOUR HONOR
She shifted slightly, face turning toward him. A lock of hair fell forward, tickling her cheek. Lando watched it for a second, then carefully lifted his free hand, slow and deliberate so he wouldn’t wake her.
With the gentlest motion, he tucked the strand behind her ear.
His fingers lingered for half a second longer than necessary.
Max cleared his throat dramatically. “Just so you know, you’re being extremely visible right now.”
Lando glanced at the camera, smirked faintly. “Yeah. They’ll live.”
CHAT:
HAIR TUCKED. STREAM OVER.
BOYFRIEND CODED SINCE DAY ONE
THIS IS MORE INTIMATE THAN DTS
She murmured something unintelligible, brow creasing slightly before smoothing out again. Her grip tightened, and she tugged his hand closer, pressing it against her chest like she needed the reassurance even in her sleep.
Lando leaned toward her, whispering, “I’ve got you.”
Then he looked back at the screen like nothing monumental had just happened.
Gameplay continued. Max talked. Chat spammed. But every few minutes, something small would happen—her thumb brushing his knuckle, her shifting closer, Lando adjusting the blanket when it slipped.
At one point, she stirred properly, eyes fluttering open just a crack.
“You done yet?” she mumbled sleepily.
“Not yet,” Lando whispered, smiling down at her. “Go back to sleep.”
She nodded once, blindly reaching for his hand again even though she already had it.
“Okay,” she said softly, and was out again within seconds.
The chat absolutely imploded.
CHAT:
HER VOICE???
IM NOT OKAY
THE WAY HE SPOKE TO HER
THIS IS WHY FANS LOVE HER
Max leaned back in his chair, shaking his head. “You’re never beating the allegations.”
“What allegations?” Lando asked.
“That you’re the softest man alive.”
Lando shrugged, eyes still on her. “I’m alright with that.”
When the stream finally wound down, Lando thanked chat quietly, promised another stream soon, and ended it without fanfare.
He didn’t move for a long moment afterward.
Instead, he turned his chair fully toward the couch, careful not to pull away. With his free hand, he brushed his knuckles over her cheek.
She smiled in her sleep.
And for Lando Norris, world of racing and noise fading into the background, there was nowhere else he’d rather be.
Summary: Lando telling Ginge and max to be quiet cause your sleeping during the stream.
Warnings: swearing, mentions of killer documentary (if I have missed any please tell me!!!)
Lando had a random message from max f, asking if he wanted to join them on fortnite. A quick stream.
Lando was coincidentally bored, he didn't have much to do - you was watching a serial killer documentary that he found disturbing and boring. he knew damn well you would tell him all the gory things as well once you finished it.
Lando typed a quick thumbs up emoji and a 'sure mate'
You was like lando said, sprawled out on the sofa with some gummy bears. watching the new gory documentary. Lando leant over the sofa and placed a small kiss on your head "i'm gonna go stream, call me if you need me"
you give him a nod and a small mumble, all your attention on the documentary. he rolls his eyes at your intense focus on it.
he walks off to your bedroom, sitting at his gaming setup and putting his headset on. Making sure the stream is all working good and sturff.
Once that's all sorted, he finally hears ginge and max’s voices
Ginge let out a loud "Ahhhhh! Theres me' man." Lando laughs lightly and sits back in his chair "im here. im here."
Ginge sighs dramatically "yeah- finally."
lando rolls his eyes and laughs, Ginge huffs "Right- C'mon, Start the bloody game"
About half an hour goes by. your documentary finished. you let out a tired yawn, rubbing your eyes. they hurt from staring at the tv so long. you could already hear lando's speech about you watching tv too much.
You yawned again and grabbed the blanket that was on the sofa, tiredly standing up and wrapping it around you, waddling to the bedroom where lando was streaming.
You quietly open the door, stepping to him. he had his headset on so didn't notice you until he felt your tap on his shoulder
he softened and let out a small chuckle when he saw you, eyes droopy and the blanket wrapped around you. "You look comfy"
You don't even respond, a yawn beating you to it. making lando laugh
He opens his arms, scooting his gaming chair back a little. He mutes his mic.
You settle into his lap, your chest to his. your face buried in his neck and the blanket now wrapped around you both.
Lando kisses your head softly "you okay for me to keep the camera and mic on?" he asks quietly. letting his hand caress your back under your hoodie.
You hum a yes against his neck and he nods even though he knows you can't see it. Lando turns his mic back on and keeps the camera on. the stream chat was spammed with comments
user1: Oh My GOD
user2: WHO CAN LIPREAD?!
user3: I WANNA KNOW WHAT HES SAYINGGGGGGG
user4:i wish i was her so bad rn
Lando ignores the stream, focused on his game with ginge and max. their voices loud in his ear.
Ginge lets out an amused gasp when he spots lando's screen "Is that my favourite lass?"
Lando rolls his eyes and gives a small nose scrunch at the loud gasp ginge made. lando smiles a little "yep. she's pretty much asleep."
ginge groans "awh- can she hear me?"
Lando looks down to you, poking your back gently, where he was stroking. "can you hear ginge?"
You nod against his shoulder, a tired grin on your face "unfortunately" you mumble which earns an offended gasp from ginge.
Ginge scoffs "UH- EXSCUSE ME? DON'T YOU EVER- EVER EVER. SIT THERE, IN YOUR CHAIR- AND BE MEAN TO ME" (please tell me u get the reference)
Lando was laughing his head off, trying not to jostle you by him laughing so hard. you sigh tiredly but can't help the big smile on your lips...after all, ginge is funny.
Ginge chuckles "Nah i can't believe that. I thought we had somefink going!" ginge jokes, like usual. an inside joke.
Lando scrunches his face at ginge speaking louder than before, so you could hear ginge. "ah!- jesus christ"
Ginge chuckles "what? i gotta let her hear me!"
Lando laughs and rubs his ears, moving one of the headphones behind his ear and not directly on. "she can! i think the whole world can!"
Max laughs and scrunches his face as well at the noise “yeah man- I think I’ll have to get earplugs with my headphones, geez.”
a few minutes go by and you fell asleep on lando, your head rested on his shoulder, your cheek squished and most of your hair covering your face, so thankfully the the stream wouldn't get too many screenshots.
Lando noticed you had fallen asleep, but wasn't deep asleep yet. ginge and max’s laughs or yells making you stir ever so slightly.
Lando interrupts them "oi!- guys quiet down a little" lando says quietly but ginge and max yell at eachother over him.
Lando rolls his eyes with a small grin, and does a loud whisper "SHHHH", moving his finger to his lips jokingly.
Ginge chuckles quietly "Oh shit- is she asleep?"
Lando smiles and nods "yep. out cold."
Ginge nods and him and max quiet down, not wanting to disturb you.
They bite their fists and ginge punches the air when he dies in the game, not shouting because he doesn't wanna wake you up.
"damnit" ginge grumbles making lando smirk.
Ginge rolls his eyes with a grin "why's she so tired anyways?"
Lando tuts as he focuses on the game, "she's been watching this new serial killer documentary for the whole day. literally binged watched the whole series"
Ginge chuckles "ah that makes sense. such a y/n thing. i think out of anyone i know, she'd be the one to watch shit like that"
Lando chuckles and nods "yep. i have to listen to het tell me all the gory details" he says through a grimace
Ginge laughs lightly, "mh. I'd watch your back with her mate."
"looks like a cinnamon roll but could kill ya, ya know what i mean?" ginge says with a funny grin.
Making lando laugh high pitched, his signiature laugh. Lando smirks and jokes "tastes like one too"
Ginge grimaces and groans "Ah! Lando- you pervert! TMI"
Max grimaces as well "i wanna be who i was before i heard that"
Summary— Max and Lando stream together, but when his little girl suddenly interrupts- the chat goes wild.
Warnings— none
A/N— I tried to make it nameless for the daughter and wife, kinda hard tbh but I made it work (I think)
Dad Lando List
Lando had been streaming for upwards of three hours. One of his biggest dilemmas while streaming was his baby girl accidentally stumbling in. No one knew he even had a wife, let alone an 18-month-old. Usually, streaming meant he played with Max, using only his mic and no face cam. However, Max had come to him and streamed. Their wives had been doing household chores and such to busy themselves while their boys streamed.
However, everyone froze hearing a blood curdling scream come from the baby’s room. Lando’s instinct kicked in and he nearly threw his headset down rushing out of the stream room. Max flashed a face of concern before muting the stream and following suit. The girls made it to the room first. The baby in her mums arms crying uncontrollably. Shushing the baby.
“What happened?” Lando’s panic was clear. He turned the lights on and caressed his baby’s hair out the way, seeing a knot on her head. “Love, did she have this knot before nap time?” He asked more calm and concerned. Max returned to his stream and apologized saying a phony excuse to hold them off for a bit longer. P joining as an extra distraction.
“What knot?” She asked, moving her head to see what Lando was talking about. Her baby sobbed quieter now while they examined the newly found injury. “She must’ve tried climbing out, I’ll check the camera.” She sighed. The baby girl pulled back and reached for Lando. He took her without hesitation and she cuddled into his chest.
“Do we have Tylenol?” Lando asked, rubbing the poor girls back while she quietly whined from the headache she’s caused herself. “I’m sure she’s in pain still.” He mentioned while following his wife to the kitchen. She wrapped a cold pack in a towel and had Lando hold it on the baby’s head.
“I’m sure we do.” She reassured him when he felt his baby wriggle as the cold pouch rested on her head. “I know, sweetheart. I’m sorry.” She cooed, looking in their medicine cabinet for baby pain reliever. She found some and poured the right dosage for her to take. The baby hesitated but took it nonetheless.
He tried to hand the baby back to his wife, however she clung tighter and whined. Her face buried in her daddy’s neck. “Max is streaming.” He nearly whined himself. “Is it alright if I just bring her with me?” He couldn’t care less if the public knew. At this point it didn’t matter; he had kept them both a secret for years.
“What do we have to lose?” His wife smiled. “She loves you too much.” She kissed his cheek as he returned to the game room. Max looked up at the tall man with his baby girl star-fished across his chest. Max smiled and covered the camera with a muted mic.
“It’s alright, I meant to come in.” Lando reassured. His friend returned the stream to normal. The chat asking all the questions imaginable when their favorite driver shows up on screen with an almost 2 year old splayed across him.
“Who’s on Lando’s chest? His daughter you muppets.” Max answered like they should know the answer. As soon as those words came out his mouth, Lando let out a chuckle. His baby girl stirred and then relaxed again in his arms.
“Mate the internet is going to go nuts.” Lando said. He sat in the perfect position to play his game comfortably with his baby girl able to sleep comfortably as Max lowered his voice in consideration. “Are we still playing, or are you going to decipher the chat some more?” Lando joked around.
They played some more before his baby girl stirred again and turned her head, having fallen a bit lower on his lap while he played. He may have lost the game immediately, but he didn’t care. Lando caressed his baby’s hair and kissed her head, avoiding the painful knot. She rubbed her eyes and sat back as he admired her. His arms holding her legs so she wouldn’t fall back.
“Still tired?” He asked. She smiled and shook her tiny head at him. “No? Do you want mama?” His heart fluttered with nervousness saying those words on stream. “How’s your head? Does it still hurt, sweetheart?” He held her cheek and he could see her reminded of the headache, leaning her head into his hand. He landed a kiss on her forehead. He grabbed his phone and texted his wife that she was up.
A few minutes later she was at the door. Max looked up and again muted the mic and covered the camera. “Ohh my baby.” She exclaimed. “She just woke up?” She asked Lando, grabbing the little girl from him. She carefully showered her baby in kisses and landed one on Lando’s lips. She left the room and they returned to streaming.
A few hours pass and while Max and Lando weren’t doing any gaming much anymore, his baby girl stumbled by the room and pushed the door, thinking it would open. When it did, courtesy of Max sitting by it, she giggled at his fake surprised face and gasp. “What are you doing?” He asked playful. Lando looked over and smiled.
“Is that a wild baby?” Lando asked playing along. He got up and grabbed her, partially throwing her in the air. “Got to get her with kisses!” Lando said, kissing his baby girl ferociously while she giggled. “Look uncle Maxie has 18k subs right now!” Lando pointed out. She didn’t have a clue what that meant so she giggled.
She threw her hands up and around his neck after shouting “Dada!” Lando about melted. He sat down with her in his lap. She played with his things on his gaming desk while the chat returned to madness. Max had started yelling once she was out the room, so when he thanked someone for a bunch of subs she got startled and looked at him like he was crazy.
“What’s that look for?” Max asked looking at her then to Lando, missing the finger she brought up to her lips to shush him. Lando laughed at her and mumbled a response through his laugh. “What? Because I’m yelling?” Max confirmed. “I startled her because I’m loud apparently chat.” The chat started flooding with agreement.
“Sweetheart, don’t chew on that.” Lando said disgusted really, she was shoving an eraser in her mouth. The girl pouted at him, usually that gets her way, but she cannot be eating erasers. “I’m not giving it back, it’s inedible.” Lando chuckled.
“Lan!” His wife yelled. Lando got up and held his baby girl on his hip. Leaving the game room once again. “Do you think we should take her to the doctor?” She asked, anxiety crowding her nerves. Their baby rested her head on his shoulder.
“I don’t think it was that bad, love. Did you look at the camera feed?” He asked staying calmer than she’d like. Truth is she did look and it was nasty. Their baby tried climbing out and fell back, her head hitting the corner of her crib. It freaked her out, even knowing her babygirl was okay. She had pulled the video up and let him watch it. “Ouch.” He flinched. “I think she’ll be alright, love. Do you want to ask my mum just in case?” He offered.
“I’ll send her the video and ask, but I’m worried about her.” She admitted, giving him innocent doll eyes. He knew that look, she genuinely was at a loss. “She’s never been hurt this bad Lan.” She shook her hands of nerves as his mum responded to her text. ‘She will be alright! Make sure to ice it and give her some pain reliever. Sending love for baby Norris🩷’ She sighed of relief and allowed Lando to read the text.
“As long as it doesn’t get worse, she will be fine love.” Lando reassured his wife. He went back into the game room and played more games with Max. He was always fairly calm while playing. While they were deep in gameplay, Lando’s wife came and grabbed their baby girl, Max having no time to censor her. “Do we have enough food for dinner?” Lando asked her before she left.
“P went out to get a few things but mostly yes.” She answered. “How’s this going?” She motioned to the set up they had. Wires and computers everywhere. Her daughter reached for Lando and she gave in. She looked over Max’s shoulder at the chat. “He’s still live?” She asked.
“Yeah, surprise chat.” Lando said casually. Max died in his game and the camera went full screen. “I’m sure they recognize you, my love.” Lando laughed. She had been at the paddock a few times by his mum in the stands, yet everyone didn’t notice her with his family much. Not to mention her absence because of the baby.
“Secrets out.” She faked surprise and her daughter giggled. She pinched her baby’s cheeks and pried her away from him again. She fussed and reached out for Lando. “You have to eat dinner.” She demanded, holding the little girl by her arms. The pout had worked this time.
“What if you play and I feed her dinner?” Lando offered. She raised an eyebrow. Lando left with their daughter to feed her, trusting his wife with his game and expensive gear. The chat went nuts over her playing with Max. She was as good, if not better, than Lando.
“Jesus, you’re fucking amazing.” Max praised. “Why has he never told me you could play?” She won the raid and took the headset off, hearing protests for dinner. “Alright chat” Max ended the stream, realizing he wasn’t getting away from Lando being there long.
saying his name led you to the best experience of your life. Lando changed your world, being the reason for your calm and at the same time your excitement. Reminding you how valuable and capable you are.
thanks to that event, your friends... and to alcohol.
8,6k words
🚨 fluff, humor, probably cringe, streamer! Lando x streamer! fem reader, inspired by a real drama about two streamers, but with a touch of real romance. 🚨
THIS IS JUST THE FIRST PART, more coming soon.
the first time you said his name was two years ago, on a stream you can barely remember, since you were drinking alcohol with some of your friends; while making jokes, teasing each other, and playing truth or dare like you were still teenagers having the time of your lives.
and you blame it on the alcohol, saying it loosened your tongue, although it could also be the fact that back then you weren't as well-known as you are now, and worrying about drama was the furthest thing from your mind. Besides, you're an honest girl, and when one of your friends asked who your crush was on the platform, you answered without thinking twice, "Lando Norris," as if it were the most obvious and only correct answer.
and that day your friends laughed, already knowing your answer, and some people in the chat shared the sentiment, but nothing more happened. The clip didn't go viral; it was just a fact known among the people who followed you back then.
so... why did it go viral two years later? well, that's thanks again to your friends, who invited you to a silly videogame tournament; something simple, inspired by a famous series, and where the winner would get a lot of money, which had caught your attention when they asked you about it.
of course, maybe you should have assumed that famous people would also participate; maybe not for the money, but for the opportunity to have a good time, show off their skills, and expand their contacts with other communities. And that's precisely where Lando comes in, invited by one of the event organizers, who had to beg him a couple of times until he accepted.
and now, to be fair, you didn't know; your friends hadn't even mentioned it to you. You just logged in that first day, talking to your chat as usual, until you started walking and someone commented
"isn't that Lando?"
blowing up your chat with people who went to check, seeing that he was finally streaming, and that he was actually there, near you; the person who had confessed having a crush on him. And you tried to ignore it, even though your ears turned a little red, but the chat's persistent, accusatory, and they made fun of your reactions while you tried not to smile out of nerves.
now, despite that embarrassing moment, the first day of the game was natural, smooth, and you had the opportunity to group up with some people, like friends you'd recently made.
among them was Ginge, who adopted you into his group, trying to make sure you weren't excluded from certain games and activities.
and still, some people kept mentioning the coincidence in your chat, even when there was no interaction between you two; with comments encouraging you to go talk to him, or ask the redhead about it. But you ignored it, trying to stay focused and act normal, hoping that would dissipate the flame. Which seemed to work when little by little the messages slowed down, and at least half of them seemed genuinely involved on the event now.
what you didn't know tho, was that your chat hadn't only bothered you, but also a certain guy with a head full of pretty curls, who couldn't understand what his chat was talking about when they started mentioning your username; cracking jokes and asking him to come over to you. Someone he hadn't even heard of until that moment.
“the hell is that?” he asked, trying to read the chat. However, he didn't get any answers from it, and unlike you, when the first day of the event ended, he cut off the stream, staying on call with his group of friends, who he decided to ask about what had happened, not quite sure if this had only happened to him or not.
“mate, people were talking to me about a user. They were spamming her, but i don't know why. Did the same thing happen to any of you?” his friends quickly replied no, but were curious, so Lando told them the name, and Ginge immediately responded.
“oh! she's my new friend. I met her a couple of weeks ago, and today she was at some activities with us,” he explained, although that didn't help clarify his doubts much. And although they chatted a little more, Lando still didn't fully understand why they only spammed his chat.
“maybe i was the only one who didn't talk to her,” he tried to convince himself, until he logged on instagram for two seconds and saw the chaos unfolding. Clips were everywhere, especially the one in which you made the confession, taking him by surprise, but also clearing up some of his doubts.
“who's your biggest crush?” a boy asked, looking directly at you as you started to laugh, your cheeks slightly flushed from the heat and your body feeling less tense thanks to the alcohol.
“i think you know the answer,” you said between laughs. “Lando Norris,” you answered in a simple tone, completely sure, confident, as if that wouldn't cause you any drama.
“oh my god, she's obsessed,” another of your friends said now, trying to stop you, while the chat, still at a slow pace, filled with comments like “same,” “honestly, i see where you're coming from.” “Don't encourage her,” he joked.
while another clip had been quickly edited and posted, from that same afternoon, of the exact moment you check your chat and read the first message about Lando. And the message had been added to the video for dramatic effect, but what everyone could see was the way you were trying not to smile, with your ears red, and your eyes darting back and forth to the chat, while you tried to talk about something else, failing; your nervousness all too evident.
and he saw you, definitely not expecting you to look like that, while a small smile appeared on his lips. And can you blame him? even in the old clip, you looked beautiful, but seeing you now, a little flushed, trying to avoid the chat… that was even better. And he couldn't help it; he looked at your posts, your friends, your content. Even though it affected his algorithm, he didn't care. He only knew that once he started scrolling through your page, he didn't stop until there was nothing else to look at.
and you're funny, definitely adorable, and he notices some things in common, like the way you annoy your friends, but at the same time you defend yourself, firm even when you're in the middle of a stream; or the way your personality is growing and you stop caring even about how you laugh. And Lando sees how you've evolved, how your hairstyles have changed, your clothing style more defined and your voice much more confident in front of the screen. He saw every part until he knew as much as he could about you, and at the end of that day he went to bed knowing more than your name, and intrigued by that acclaimed crush you had talked about in the past.
you, for your part, are completely oblivious to this, and you try not to mention it for the rest of the stream, until you finally stop streaming and look at your phone, noticing the chaos that had been created, and feeling your face burn at the sight of your content everywhere, reminding you of events from the past and your own attitude now. And you can't help but wonder: has he seen it? you hope not, because you don't wanna look like a crazy person, like another fan looking for their 5 minutes of fame for something that happened 2 years ago.
you're not gonna deny it either. Lando is still your crush, and you don't think he can ever stop being it, but it's not something people need to know, so you'll do your best to avoid him, to evade interactions. If he doesn't know about you, then you'll be safe.
what you didn't know, of course, is that this chaos would lead to a couple of interesting situations starting the very next day.
[...]
dynamic duo.
the activity was simple: find a partner for the next game, which consisted of guiding the other person, who wasn't going to be watching anything on their screen. And the idea was to work with someone you trusted, but before you knew it, all your options are gone, and you were alone, not knowing who to talk to, suddenly feeling selfconscious, pressured, much more shy than usual, and lost. And the more you walked, the more couples you saw, until you heard a voice near you, arguing.
"and who the hell am i supposed to be with?" you immediately recognized the voice, and apparently you weren't the only one.
user: OMG, it's Lando.
user: ask him!!
user: it's your chance, don't fuck it up.
user: if she doesn't ask him...
user: girl, ask Lando!!
you tried to ignore them, but the comments moved incredibly fast, making you feel even more overwhelmed. Suddenly, the views on your stream started to increase, and you felt yourself breaking out in a cold sweat.
'should i go talk to him?' you wondered for a second, but just when you decided not to, someone came up behind you.
“hey, sorry, are you alone or do you have a partner?” your eyes widened, and everyone watching noticed how your face immediately turned red.
you turned to your character, facing Lando's, who was patiently waiting for your response on the other end. His chat could see him smiling a little, like it's something completely planned.
“um, hi, i'm actually alone,” you replied in a low, hesitant tone.
“can i be with you? all my friends already have partners, so i'm a little lost,” he said, not entirely lying, but you didn't have to know how long it took him to speak and move around so everyone would have time to pair up with each other.
“sure, why not?” you tried to sound confident, even though you weren't at all. After that, you awkwardly introduced yourself, and he laughed without malice, introducing himself as well, as if you didn't know him. As if he doesn't know you know him.
and the conversation between you two flowed much more easily than you expected, although people in both chats noticed how patient Lando was with you, especially when it came to playing. If his friends had been there instead, he would have definitely yelled and insulted them.
and you decided that you would go without looking, which was the expected, but it still surprised some of your fans, who know how much you despair games like that, with a time limit and competing with other duos.
and everyone saw your effort, considering Lando was a little... particular when it came to giving instructions.
"no, a little more to the right, but like... like a breeze to the right." You looked at the chat, which was forbidden to write so as not to give you clues. You saw them sending laughing emotes, because your face showed how confused you were.
"like a breeze?" you muttered, moving a little to the right, until a small scream from the other side made you stop.
"right there, don't move, don't even blink," he instructed, a little hastily. "Click left once." He sighed with relief when you did.
and maybe this strategy seemed slow, but the reality is that many teams were being much more impatient, failing every time due to the vague instructions some of the players were giving. And your character hadn't failed, and together you were close to reaching the end, demonstrating surprising teamwork, something the people watching hadn't quite expected.
user: is Lando being... really nice to her?
user: i just know she's screaming internally.
user: Lando, what's moving like a breeze? 😭😭
user: she's too patient. I would have moved SO much more.
user: isn't this like, really slow?
were a couple of things that people said, until they saw that it was actually working, and that despite everything, you had managed to control yourself and do the best job possible.
user: she's definitely working harder for him
user: i don't know if this is for Lando or for Ginge's insults yesterday
user: i didn't know she could actually win one of these games, to be honest
user: please be with her always Lando, you're making her work hard for you 😭😭
and Lando read some of the messages, maybe not out loud, but to himself, making him smile a little, now more in tune with the context.
"you're doing pretty well," he confessed, and you could feel your brain shut down for a moment, his voice ringing in your headphones, in a low, peaceful, but also playful tone, and with a smile on the other end.
"thanks," you said in a low tone, a little close to the microphone, drawing a slightly bigger smile from him.
“we should be partners more often. I don't think i've ever been so relaxed in a competition,” he said now, with an honest tone. And the people watching your stream did so many clips of how your face turned completely red, right at the precise moment you reached the finish line, being one of the first duos to do so.
and Lando celebrated, clapping, as your chat returned to normal mode and you were back in the game.
at that moment, you approached his character once more. “I think the same thing. I don't think i've ever finished a game without yelling at my partner.”
after that, you talked a little more until the activity ended and everyone was sent back to the start to finish the second day.
you sighed, feeling weird and a little sad that this was all over. Your energy immediately dropped, and everyone knew you'd end your stream soon, since you looked a little sleepy.
once you leave the game you stop for a moment to talk on your stream.
“well, that was fucking crazy. I feel like i'm gonna throw up from the excitement,” you confessed, back in your usual tone. “I had a lot of fun today, and i hope you guys had fun too. I know you couldn't send messages for a while, but that's what happens with these kinds of games; we all know why. Still, if there's anything you liked, or anything you wanna talk about, you can say it now or tomorrow, and we can talk about it.”
obviously, that caused you to be flooded with messages about Lando, but you still tried to pick out a couple of different comments to talk a little more, until finally, tiredness consumed you, and you said goodbye for the day.
after that, you moved around your house, still feeling a bit euphoric while going to your room with your phone in hand, ready to sleep, even though it was still early. And that's when your phone vibrates, catching your attention, making you look at it for a couple of seconds, which was enough to make you open your eyes wide in surprise.
on the screen, there was a notification from instagram, from an account you knew perfectly well, and right below it, another notification. The first one said, "Lando has started following you," but the other was a message… and the message made the blood drain from your body for a moment.
"don't think i don't know, by the way"
[...]
one bed.
it's been a couple of hours since you received Lando's text, and you still have that empty feeling in your stomach, product of the anxiety that consumed you at that moment, even when things seemed to be going... well?
Lando was sweet, making a couple of jokes, but trying to keep it as calm and normal as possible; reassuring you again and again that you have nothing to worry about, and telling you how he found out (omitting certain details, of course).
together, you talked about what interacting a little more might cause, but he assured you that he didn't mind too much, although his pr side wouldn't be too happy if you purposely sparked some kind of controversy.
and you both laughed, texting each other without realizing how time was passing, until you realized how incredibly late it was, having to say goodbye; feeling even more in the clouds, because there was no way this was real.
and now you regret that part a little, because you have dark circles under your eyes, and you feel sick, your body is heavy, and your memory retains nothing right now; making you grumpy, even though the memory of yesterday isn't going away.
and of course, people notice something's up as soon as you go live, so you have to give them a quick explanation, talking about how you haven't been able to sleep well, and how your body isn't cooperating because of that. You felt a little guilty when you saw the sympathy messages, hoping you'd feel better and be able to rest properly afterward.
you know they'd be just as excited if they knew the truth. But they can't. So you just take advantage of the fact that you went live early to talk for a while, reacting to some videos, commenting on some new songs, and even having a quick call with your best friend, who decided to take the opportunity to annoy you, even though you were already a bit angry.
“well, why didn’t you invite me to your wedding, you fucking moron?” he said, making you frown in confusion.
“the fuck are you talking about?” you asked impatiently, reading the chat messages, where people were laughing at your mood.
“you and Lando?” he replied, making your mind go blank for a moment, as if you had stopped functioning. “Oh god, you're not saying no.”
“shut up,” you complained in a low tone, watching your chat start moving faster again because of your friend's comment.
“i mean, i know he's famous and all, but you don't have to forget your roots,” he joked, enjoying every opportunity he had to piss you off.
“you just love causing me trouble, don't you?” you muttered, your face burning as you ran a hand over your forehead, trying to see if you had a fever from this whole situation.
“oh, i'm loving every second of this,” he confessed, smiling on the other end even though no one could see him. “Did you share the same bed too? oh wait, don't answer that…”
“shut up!” you laughed, slightly alarmed, your eyes wide, too embarrassed. “What the fuck are you saying, mate?”
“i'm just asking the questions we all have, don't let me lie, chat,” he said, laughing.
user: LMDFAOAOFAO he's exposing her.
user: you can tell she's so embarrassed, poor thing 😂😂
user: please someone send this to Lando
user: she's in love!! look at her
user: he's wild with those questions 😂
user: where did you go for your honeymoon?
“oh! good question, where did you go for your honeymoon? did he choose it?” he asked you, and you shook your head, sighing.
“i'm gonna mute and block you from everywhere,” you threatened, still speaking in a low tone.
“should we call you mrs. Norris?”
“OKAY, that's enough,” you yelled, cutting off his words, making him laugh once more.
what you didn't know was that, thanks to the fact that you started streaming earlier than expected, Lando had the opportunity to watch this entire interaction from the comfort of his room, without cameras, without chat. Just him and your reaction, while he laughed, feeling a cramp in his cheeks and his own neck turn red.
he loves the way you're clearly in a bad mood, yet a small smile spreads across your lips when he starts teasing you about him. And he wonders if you'd react the same way if he were to talk to you during the event. He needs to know.
so he waits, watching your stream nonstop until it's his time to go live, starting with a huge smile, which raises a few eyebrows in his chat, but nothing too serious. And when they both join the game, he tries to be patient, talking to some of his friends, until the voice that always speaks to them tells them that from now on there will be a small waiting room between each activity to make things easier for roleplaying. And this gives him an idea, causing his smile to grow bigger every time he thinks about it.
user: is he okay?
user: he's starting to scare me.
he laughs at a couple of comments, trying to hide how giggly he feels, but it's a bit unavoidable, so he changes the conversation, talking about how tired he feels and asking for tips on how to get rid of the dark bags under his eyes, entertaining his chat for a while, until the first game arrives.
and this one is played alone, so Lando manages to get a couple of funny clips thanks to having to spell some words. And he just laughs, trying to get it right, but with his mind too distracted to fully concentrate.
the chat full of emotes doesn't do much to help him, but he manages to complete it, watching as the messages start arriving once again.
user: fuckin' hell Lando, i was sweating, SWEATING
user: why did you hesitate on H-T 😭
user: she finished long before you did, mate, how are you gonna impress her?
he mentally read that last message, remembering his plan and suddenly feeling a little embarrassed, knowing there would be clips on social media, and that you would probably see them.
speaking of which, by the way. Lando's phone vibrated a couple of times, so he turned it on, trying not to let his screen show on the stream.
"good fight with the word nighttime, Lan." It was a message from you, and everyone could see him blush, raising his head too quickly, as if you were watching him, even though he knew you couldn't.
he quickly responded, locking his phone once again, watching the chat move so much he could barely read a couple of messages. All of them were people wondering what had made him so nervous.
"nothing, chat. Next up is the waiting room, right?" he asked, just to distract the replies for a moment, which worked.
and when the image on his computer changed, he saw his character being led to a huge room, filled with single beds, as the light went out, making it so that only the people closest to you could be seen. And it is then that Lando manages to get his character to lie down, and at that precise moment he sees you approaching him, jumping from bed to bed, talking about your things.
your conversation with your own chat was interrupted when you heard your name called; that's when you saw Lando. Well, his character. And you gulped, momentarily forgetting how bad you felt, your mind blank again.
"yeah?" you asked, getting closer once more.
"there's still room on my bed, if you wanna repeat the honeymoon," he said, referring to your friend's comment. And it came out so naturally that for a second neither of you realized what Lando had done, until both of you simultaneously widened your eyes.
your face turned RED, and you stuttered, trying to find some way to respond, while Lando began to laugh hysterically, covering his face with both hands, while both chats began to move faster than ever.
you couldn't believe what you'd just heard, and you wanted to laugh, cry, return the comment with an even worse one, and hide under a rock and never come out again. Your heart was beating like crazy, and you didn't even want to look at the screen where your chat was. You couldn't. You knew what you'd find if you did.
and Lando couldn't believe what he'd done, feeling embarrassed as he laughed and apologized, unable to form a coherent sentence while avoiding the camera and the chat.
"oh my god," you finally said, trying to breathe even as the nervous laughter returned. "I wasn't expecting that, you freak." You ran your hand over your forehead once more. "Fucking hell."
"sorry," he replied, still laughing, wiping away his tears, and knowing that after this, there was no going back. People knew more, though not everything.
"i'm not joining you now, you know that, right?" you answered, trying to sound normal, although it was almost impossible. “In fact, i'll be asking for a divorce while the next game starts.”
“no!” Lando whined, his voice several tones higher. “I’ll behave, i promise,” he begged you, making you laugh once more, still amazed.
“you just put us on the spot, sweetie. You’re gonna have to behave” you replied, shaking your head.
and this back and forth continued for the rest of the break, and continuing throughout the rest of the day’s activities, causing confusion and an explosion among your followers, who couldn’t understand the sudden change from your first interaction the day before.
obviously, some were quick to jump on theories, coming up with some that sounded crazy but were actually real, like: that you both slept badly because you were talking all night.
still, neither of you addressed the issue, preferring to continue as if this was normal, even though your phones were vibrating with notifications, and the views on both streams seemed to double, filled with people who love to create stories about this kind of thing.
and that night, when you were both off stream, you stayed on the call for a while longer, talking about what had happened and cracking jokes as if you were friends since forever. Once again ignoring the clock, too entertained by each other's presence, even though fatigue had been consuming you hours before.
and that joke had turned a switch, had activated something, and just as there was no turning back with the chat, there doesn't seem to be between you either, since it gave you the opportunity to let loose, to bond over what you have most in common, which is your sense of humor.
[...]
the end?
it's been a couple of days since the event started, and today is finally the semifinal; the day that will decide which two streamers will face off against each other tomorrow. And to say you're nervous is an understatement.
"oh god, i'm gonna throw up," you said, sighing and very anxious, opening your water bottle and taking a sip, watching your chat filled with messages trying to calm you down, but nothing seemed to be enough. And there were still two hours until the event; you shouldn't have gone live so early, but you couldn't stay calm, and you needed to talk about this, so your best option was your followers, who will always listen and support you.
and this is starting to feel real, little by little. At first, you treated it like any other game, like any other day sitting in front of the computer while talking with your friends. But there's a reality, and that is that these types of events not only bring you closer to the prize (the big financial reward), but they also allow you to expose yourself, open up to a wider audience, trend when a clip is funny or controversial, interact with more people from the same environment, and that creates connections, opportunities; things that two years ago seemed unreal, but were now right there.
god, you've even had the opportunity to interact with unexpected people, like Max, Lando, the Quadrant team in general, as if you were just another person in that world, when two weeks ago you were still the same girl who barely spoke to her best friend and a few friends who occasionally invited you to play.
and you feel the pressure, not only from the money at stake, which would be very helpful, but also from the number of eyes on you, which are now even more due to the people who have been gradually eliminated through the activities. You don't wanna let them down, you don't wanna make a fool of yourself and lose now that you're so close. You can see the posts coming, people making fun of you, sharing clips, talking about you, and sinking you back into the hole you came out of.
the mere thought overwhelms you, and you can feel yourself breaking out in a cold sweat, with your hands shaking a little, and your stomach completely tight, making you feel sick. And you try to distract yourself, but nothing seems to work.
until your phone vibrates on the desk, and you glance at it quickly, catching a glimpse of the notification lighting up the screen.
"breathe, you're gonna pass out"
and you exhaled. You hadn't even realized you were holding your breath, but apparently he had.
Lando.
you've both been talking a lot these days, not only on streaming but also off camera; with long calls, as if there were nothing else to do. As if you didn't have a routine. And it still feels unreal, because you could never have imagined that this would be your life; that things from the past, done in a random moment, would lead you to meet someone you admire, bringing you closer to the point of considering him a friend.
who would have thought it? definitely not you. And your heart seems to jump in your chest every time you talk, while your attention is completely drawn to him, in an immediate effect you've never experienced before, and that you still don't fully understand.
and Lando, on the other side of the screen, feels useless now, and annoyed because he can't be there with you when he can clearly see how much your anxiety is affecting you.
he's annoyed knowing that he was having a peaceful lunch until he received the notification that you had gone live and realized your completely different reality.
for Lando, this wasn't necessarily a normal occurrence, but he's used to the competitiveness, and the financial reward isn't something that motivates him above the mere feeling of winning and forming more connections, more paths, while having fun and being able to spend time with you. But he understands, he knows it works differently for you. That a lot of eyes are on you like never before. And he understands that pressure, that panic, so he sends you that message without a second thought, without regret, just sighing, looking at the screen at the exact moment you realize it. And something in him feels good when he sees how you relax your posture, how your shoulders stop being so tense and you release the breath you were holding.
hell, everyone notices.
and you try to continue, while discreetly responding to his message, thanking him, adding a little heart at the end that made him smile once more.
and he knows it's not a permanent solution, and that maybe in two more hours you'll be like this again, but as long as he can help, he will. So for now, he focuses on continuing to watch your stream, enjoying your comments, the small activities you try to do to relax, like reacting to songs, making rankings, and responding to questions and comments related to what you were watching.
somehow, it feels domestic, normal, as if he's been watching your streams for months and enjoying what you do, and deep down, he scolds himself for not having done so, because now he sees himself laughing with you, reacting in unison, while a sweet warmth settles in his chest until it's his time to turn on his own stream.
now, when it's time to enter the game, it's as if something changes in the air, as if everything becomes more serious, more quiet. Lando refocused, and your face took on a level of seriousness that your followers rarely saw.
the first game was cooperative, and you could play as a duo with Lando. You both won, advanced, and advanced, until you had to be separated for the final activity.
Lando would have to face someone unknown to him, and you would have to face the same situation. The winners of both battles would determine who would meet in the finals. So, to say that both chats were completely crazy right now was pretty accurate.
user: i feel like i wanna throw up now
user: i trust her i trust her i trust her
user: i'm literally praying
were some of the comments you received, until it was time to start.
you moved with agility, with your eyes fixed on the screen and your body completely firm, hard, moving just enough so you could press the keys, move the mouse, rotate the screen, and perform attacks. And people had never seen you so focused, fighting so good until you achieved your goal.
you thought about every move as if you were already in the finals, feeling your heartbeat in your ears, and completely forgetting how to interact with your chat while doing a live stream. It's like everything has disappeared.
you have to win.
meanwhile, Lando moves, trying to be agile, trying not to mess it up, with adrenaline coursing through his veins, his body hard, his jaw clenched, and his breathing heavy. He wants to win, he wants to advance, he wants to be better, so he presses the keys, gets closer to the screen, tries to get into a more comfortable position.
and both chats witnessed how both screens lit up at the same time, giving the final result of the battles.
your screen was illuminated in white, with big gold letters reading "Winner," while you sighed, closing your eyes, finally feeling the sweat on your body, the tachycardia, the pain in your limbs. Everything.
his screen was illuminated in red, with big letters reading "You lose," while he sighed, annoyed, disappointed, tense, gritting his teeth tightly before letting go of his body and leaning back in the chair, now looking at the chat.
user: gg Lando, you did well.
user: gg Lando
user: gg
user: she won btw <3
user: gg
that comment caught his attention, so he moved silently, minimizing the game screen and joining your stream, showing it to his chat, and watching you cover your face with your hands, still shaking, but now happy.
and everyone noticed, though not everyone mentioned it. The way Lando's body relaxed significantly, as he stared at you.
"that was a good try, chat. Go give her your congratulations, i'm sure she fought incredibly hard," he said, still without taking his eyes off you.
and you found out, of course you did. Not only from his chat going to your stream, but also from the messages he sent you while you were still coming down from that cloud; congratulating you.
he ended the stream early, but he stayed watching until the end of yours. And maybe he didn't call you that night, but believe me, he watched every second just so he could enjoy your happiness a little longer.
and the next morning was chaos. You felt like you might faint; you weren't hungry, you could barely drink water from your bottle without having to go to the bathroom every 5 minutes. And Lando seemed to know it, because he waited until you went live, early again, to call you. And it surprised you, of course, since he barely gave you time to talk to your followers; but its effect was immediate, again.
"helloo" he greeted you from the other side, his voice excited. You smiled, still surprised, and without realizing how your shoulders relaxed and your breathing calmed a little.
"hi? i wasn't expecting your call, it's good to hear from you," you said sincerely, in a soft, calm tone. Contrary to how you felt 5 minutes ago.
and your chat was forgotten for a couple of minutes, but no one seemed to mind. You were enjoying this unexpected interaction, which lasted until you were forced to hang up.
and all the while, Lando was your best companion; making jokes, distracting you, reacting to things with you, inviting you to little online games, fake flirting, and just being himself. Probably the sweetest, nicest guy you'd ever met.
you don't even have a complaint. You had the best time of the last two days, and you barely had time to get anxious when it came time to log onto the platform for the last time.
and this would be the moment of truth, everyone knows it, so Lando goes live, clarifying in the title that it'll only be to see how you're doing, that being his main priority and topic of the day. Although his chat already knows, because a big portion of it was watching your live from the start, so they took the opportunity to tease him about you.
user: should we start calling you mom and dad?
user: hey dad, i'm just coming from mom's live
user: you're not even denying the accusations anymore
user: he's in love
user: a kiss if she wins?
but he couldn't even read them or follow their jokes, because suddenly Lando found himself feeling nervous, looking at his computer as if he were going to play the game.
and he wants you to win, he needs you to, and now thousands of viewers would watch him go crazy from start to finish until you win.
and your screen lights up with animation, welcoming you, congratulating you on being a finalist, while they introduce both players who are about to face each other.
and today would be a single game, a single 1v1 battle, so you only have one chance to make it.
they explain the rules to you, but you just respond out of inertia, feeling disconnected from your body, moving automatically. And when the battle finally begins, you transform, you start moving, analyzing, thinking fast.
“oh fucking hell,” Lando whispered, too caught up in what was happening. Watching how you move, how you attack, how you are attacked, and the way your eyes follow the animation. "Oh!"
there are clicks of keys, your mouse moves precisely, and you're barely breathing. Your character punches, defends, retreats, and advances, and you try to remember every time you played this same game with your friends, the things you can and can't do, and every piece of advice anyone ever gave you to make you better.
everything feels like slow motion for you, and Lando notices it, sees your precision, your analysis, and sighs, occasionally glancing at the chat, which is equally nervous and cheering. As if both communities have united for you.
and your opponent is good, he defends himself, knows how to move, but he leaves certain spaces, certain moments he uses to think, and where you just move, attacking, taking advantage. And the people in his chat insult you, cheer him on, but he doesn't see it, he's just trying to defend himself, even though his life marker indicates he's about to lose to you.
you only need a few more hits.
before Lando's eyes, and those of thousands of viewers, you press the right keys, attack when you should, and in seconds your screen lights up, showing a crown, a 3D animation with the word "Winner," now definitive.
Lando screamed, you sighed with joy, and your face began to flood the media with gaming news.
and suddenly, for a moment, people saw you. They really saw you.
and the congratulations, the comments from the organizers, your friends. It all happened so fast. You barely remember the moment your family called you, or when you finally spoke to your chat. Your heart is pounding, you can barely hear anything other than your own breathing.
when the stream ends, you're still shocked, overwhelmed, excited, and thrilled. And you sit there processing what you just did, your body shaking and so many feelings you don't know how to control. Until your phone vibrates, and your body relaxes, knowing it's him.
your newfound calm.
[...]
and having won your version of a Grand Prix filled you with euphoria, happiness, and motivation.
some of the money remains safe and saved, but another portion was invested in projects, foundations, and things you never expected to be able to do.
now a couple of weeks have passed, and your chat has calmed down a bit. At the same time, they've gotten used to a new guest who occasionally comes to sweeten up your streams, and that's Lando.
sometimes he doesn't even go live himself; he just calls you, saying he "missed hearing your voice" or that he "needed his girl to play some games," just to see you smile on the stream. And people love this, just as it gives both of your groups of friends a chance to tease you, while little by little, everyone begins to form a larger, closer group, and probably the most genuine circle you've ever been a part of.
and this led you to new experiences, with more guests, with more variety, while every night, almost religiously, you connect to talk with Lando, like it's now a necessity, almost as important as breathing, until you both fall asleep, in each other's company even though you're not physically together.
and all these changes lead you to experience not only new things, but new challenges, new jokes, and moments that people love to see, like for example...
[...]
the challenge
weeks after the event, you find yourself on a relatively normal stream, although you have a guest at home. Ginge. And he's smiling, as if he knows something the chat doesn't, while he waits for the right moment to go wild.
and for a while, you both joke around, react to things, and enter online games just to annoy each other, until your red-haired friend decided it was the perfect time to drop the bomb, something he'd been thinking about for a couple of hours, when you were both looking at your tiktok and noticed some interesting things about your algorithm.
"okay, whoever loses the next game has to do a challenge," he said, making you raise an eyebrow, interested.
"what challenge?" you asked, knowing full well you were going to accept anyway, because something had woken up inside you.
"i can't tell ya, you'll have to find out later," he said, smiling as he raised both hands. And you hum, squinting as you look at him suspiciously.
“fine, but we'll play whatever the chat chooses,” you stated as a condition, wanting things to be fair, until you both ran into a small problem. The chat had chosen one of those online air hockey games, and of course, you'd played before, but it'd been like years, and you wondered what the outcome would be.
before you started, you tried to joke around, to tease Ginge by telling him to watch out, that you were going to beat him, but from the second the puck started moving, you knew you were lost. Meanwhile, your friend was close to screaming, feeling victorious even though it wasn't official yet.
“my god, what the fuck!” you screamed, watching as you once again let the puck go, earning the redhead another point. And he laughed. Your chat enjoyed it, but you feared, remembering his terrifying smile, full of evil and a secret you were about to learn.
you kept trying a little longer, but it was useless, so eventually the game announced what everyone was waiting for: Your defeat.
“jesus, who can believe that you recently made a lot of money with that reaction time?” Ginge mocked, standing tall, proud. And you groaned, leaning back in your chair, accepting your fate.
“just tell me what i have to do,” you said in a hopeless tone. You imagined changing your social media description, or your profile pictures, or maybe posting something embarrassing, but you weren't expecting his words, which made you frown, confused.
“oh, you're gonna watch tiktoks… while you have an eye tracker,” he declared.
and at the time, you didn't understand. Not immediately, until you both installed the eye tracker and you opened tiktok on the main screen, seeing a Lando edit as the first video.
“oh fuck no,” you sighed, closing your eyes for a moment, until Ginge hit your arm, forcing you to open them again. “You just love getting me into trouble,” he laughed, reading the chat, which began to move quickly.
user: prepare the clips
user: i just know Ginge is gonna love this
user: she's not gonna live that down, let me tell ya
user: Lando's editors must be screaming right now
user: she's secretly going to enjoy it
the first video felt eternal, like torture, even though deep down, you were trying not to smile at a video of Lando celebrating his victory in Miami. Your excuse was that it was an adorable video, and the Taylor song in the background gave it a different feel.
the next one was funny, a cat compilation that momentarily made you feel safer as you watched those five minutes of video, briefly forgetting what you were doing, until you moved on to the next video and Lando appeared once again, this time with an... special trend. And your eyes tried to stay focused on the word "Nasty" the editor had added, but it soon disappeared, and you moved your eyes around the screen, trying not to look at the videos of him shirtless, or in a shirt that made him look too good. Your eyes tried not to travel over his body, but everyone could see how for a second you seemed to want to stare.
by the fifth video, Ginge was crying, and you were so red you couldn't stand it anymore. It was edit after edit, as if everything today had turned against you. You'd pass the video, but your friend added a rule at the last minute that you had to watch the full videos unless it was something sensitive, so you wanted to be a good loser and watched them.
of course, people didn't miss how, despite your obvious nervousness, you kept liking the edits, scrolling down to the next video without saying a word. In fact, they took advantage of this situation to flood social media with clips, and in the middle of your torture, a clip popped up that someone took of the exact moment your eyes darted all over Lando's body in a matter of seconds.
Ginge pretended to throw up, then continued laughing, accusing you of being a "cheeky and dirty bastard" while you sighed, trying not to smile, though at this point it was almost impossible.
“what do you want me to do, mate? you can't blame a girl for appreciating good edits, that's unfair,” you complained, your voice coming out in a high tone, as if you were holding back laughter.
and Lando was missing all of this because he was in a meeting with McLaren, having received the notification that you had gone live but unable to jump in to watch. Even so, his phone filled up with messages, tags, and his friends sending clips of what was happening since everyone was apparently watching your stream.
user: IT'S HOT IN HERE
user: SHE'S RED
user: please tell me y'all are sending this to Lando
user: please let him do this next
user: Ginge i love you, thanks for this
were some of the messages flooding your chat, with everyone clearly entertained by how your crush was once again too noticeable, despite how hard you tried to sound normal every time you went live together.
it's the perfect opportunity for everyone who's been thinking for weeks about what a cute couple you'd make, how fun it would be to tease you, to see you shy around him. And Ginge jokes that there'll be fanfics about this soon, which doesn't help you calm down.
you can't even pretend it doesn't affect you, because each video is better than the last, and you can't pretend you don't like what you see, because you clearly do.
it's Lando, the same man you've been a fan of for years, and who's now your friend. You can't be normal with this.
so you just accept your fate once more, until the redhead feels satisfied and you decide to end the stream.
later that night, when Ginge is gone, you get notification after notification just as you're about to go to bed, so you check them, hoping it's another tag, or maybe more group messages with some of your friends. But no, it was different.
"you couldn't even pretend!!"
"that was cute"
"you look pretty with your face all red for me."
and you feel like you might have a heart attack.
this man would be the end of you. Even though you haven't even met in person yet.
you wonder if you'd be able to survive that. Maybe not, but you don't know that yet. And Lando, for his part, feels on cloud nine, his ego higher than ever and his heart beating too fast.
he spent the last hour reviewing each of the clips, at first believing they were edited, until he watched them all, and then he went to your VOD for a moment, just to check he wasn't getting emotional over something fake. And to say he's overjoyed is an understatement, because right now he wants to scream, while he smiles hugely and stays glued to his phone, waiting for your messages, your reaction. Imagining you completely blushing once again. Nervous for him.
and that feeling, that idea... it does things to him he doesn't even know how to begin to explain. He only knows that he wants to be the only one who does that to you. The only one who makes you happy just by seeing him, and who makes your body relax just by hearing him.
he's obsessed with the dynamic you two have, the connection you've created. And he can't ignore it, the way he's gotten more involved in streaming again just so he'll have more excuses to spend time with you. It's like it's the only thing he really wants to do in his free time. Talk to you.
and it's hard not being able to see you in person yet, but he loves the idea of making you nervous even with a screen in between, increasing his curiosity about what the day will be like when you're face to face.
because that's going to happen. He has to make sure of that. Even if he has to fly you to his place himself, or travel to yours himself. It doesn't matter.
norstappen, e, 44k, slow burn, streamer lando au, chapter 4/5
summary:
Everybody has a celebrity encounter they can brag about. Lando’s is that, for years now, Formula 1 World Champion Max Verstappen hangs out in his Twitch chat.
