Chapter Text
As Lando took a large gulp of his tea, his mind finally began to ease itself from a hard day's work of dealing with bridezillas and men doing anything to appease their wives (because god forbid the bridezilla turns on them next). It was Friday, bridal flower delivery day, and somehow Jon ended up being sick. Because of course he did, and it just happened to be on one of the most important days that Lando needed him.
At 9am on the dot, the bride called him to confirm the estimated delivery time on the flowers. And Lando, being the truthful person he was, openly told her that the delivery driver was sick and there may be a delay in receiving them but to rest assure, they would be there that day. Lando was on the phone with her for another hour while she ranted and raved about making sure that the flowers were delivered and at the venue by the end of the day. Then, she started using Lando as her own personal therapist on what else was going wrong with her wedding and how it was all falling apart just a few days before it.
He did learn something for his own wedding day, at least - don’t hire any doves or surprise singing waiters. It doesn’t tend to work out the way you wanted it to.
Lando had closed the shop the moment he got off the phone and drove up to the wedding venue himself to deliver the flowers, only to be greeted by the bridezilla herself. Unsurprisingly, she kept him there way past how long it took him to unload everything. By the time he managed to escape the venue, Lando nursed a pounding headache that kept sending his head spinning and was in dire need of the rest of the day off.
He craved one thing and one thing only- a cup of Alex and George’s tea… and maybe a cheese toastie.
Okay- two things, he craved two things. A little snack never hurt anyone.
The bitter aroma of freshly brewed coffee and sugary treats filled his chest with a fuzzy feeling, and Lando knew the café was exactly what he needed to nurse himself back to good health. The bell of the door, the sound of small chatter and the quiet hum of whatever chill mix playlist Alex threw all seemed like a distant buzzing noise. As the world moved around him and his headache began to subside, Lando took his last swig of the tea. The burning sensation that travelled down his throat kept him grounded as he stood up from the table and made his way to the counter.
“Another one please, barkeep.” Lando placed the empty cup on the countertop with a content sigh. It seemed like an exaggeration, but Alex and George truly did have the best drinks on Harlow Street. He’d been to many café over the years, but nothing even came close to what the two boys cooked up here in their café called ‘The Brewster’.
“You’re acting like Logan’s going to hurl your tea in a harbour. Calm down,” George scoffed with disgust as he picked up the dirty cup and nodded at Alex, who got to work on the second drink.
“What?” Lando asked with a raised eyebrow and leaned forward on the countertop, resting on his arms and swinging his one leg behind him. “Can’t a man enjoy some tea in peace?” His eyes followed the tall boy as George walked to the backrooms and disposed of the cup in the dishwasher. George returned moments later with a tray full of freshly washed cups and started stacking them at the ready for more orders.
“That’s your second cup of tea since you’ve come in here, slow down, no one is taking it from you.” George gave him a pointed look. Okay, maybe Lando sometimes overdid it with how much he ordered, but he was keeping them in business. And keeping his headache from consuming him for a few hours.
“I like tea, so what? Also, what’s Logan and a harbour got to do with this?” Lando furrowed his brows in confusion. Alex handed him his fresh cup of tea, seemingly ignoring the current conversation happening.
“I- tea? An American? Tossed in the harbour?” George blinked at him in disbelief, his mouth parted as Lando shrugged his shoulders.
“Not a clue, mate.” Lando shook his head with a slight frown.
“Jesus, Lando,” Alex chimed in and shook his head, not sparing him a glance before he served the next customer and switched to his customer service mode.
Lando turned towards George, who made his way from behind the counter and to the seating area, ready for an explanation, only to find that George had gathered a bunch of books in his hands. “I’m not even bothering, I’m taking these books upstairs and pretending we didn’t just have this conversation.” George pinched the bridge of his nose and made his way to the spiral staircase towards the back of the store, leaving Lando to his own devices.
Lando took a small sip of the tea and let the burning taste linger on his tongue before making his way towards the vacant table. Thankfully, it wasn’t too busy during this time of day, and he was able to keep his stuff on the table to sort of claim it. It wasn’t as though he had to worry about anyone taking his phone or bag; the people in Harlow Street were too kind for their own good to attempt anything.
Just as he took his seat and placed the mug down gently, his phone lit up and vibrated on the table multiple times. Lando picked it up, only to roll his eyes when he saw it was only Charles spamming his name in all capitals one after the other. He shot him a quick text to let him know he closed the shop and was at The Brewster before settling his phone on the table once more.
He took another sip of the tea and let himself sink into the cushions of the seat, watching as the café moved around him, as though he were stuck in time and everything was moving too quickly, moving without him. His eyes flickered across the room, taking in the features.
The Brewster was a cute place, as all places were in Harlow Street. There were cosy seating areas, unlike your traditional table and a few chairs, with cushioned armchairs, patterned pillows and nook sitting areas in the corners of the rooms. The walls were littered with scenery paintings from the local artist that George had purchased some time ago. The shelves filled with real plants, there were hanging baskets coming from the small bookshelves in the corner of the cosy nooks and fresh flowers in beautiful handcrafted vases on each table. All greenery was courtesy of Lando, of course. The plants were gifts to the couple while the flowers in vases were purchased weekly by George and Alex, all given with a set of instructions on how to care for them.
The last thing Lando wanted was to come in for his daily drink only to see one of the sunrise succulents dying from overwatering.
It was a beautiful place and had come a long way from what it used to be, thanks to George and Alex’s hard work. Similarly to Charles, George and Alex were there in Harlow Street before Lando moved there and opened his own business. Lando recounted when Alex showed him pictures of what the building looked like before the two took over, and let’s just say, it would’ve been a handful for Lando to change and shape it into what it was now.
Eventually, after building their business a little more and putting some money aside, George had decided to fill a gap in Harlow Street, which just so happened to be a bookstore. It was always odd to Lando that the town didn’t have a bookstore, considering the plentiful assortment of other independent businesses that set the tone for the area. But in his eyes, it just meant that George was destined to cultivate it.
The Brewster had an upstairs that they used as storage space, which soon turned into the upstairs bookstore, mostly run by George while Alex mainly covered the café. They’d also hired Logan to do some part-time shifts while he was studying at university. And thus, business boomed.
Lando’s ogling of the shop came to an end once he heard the door slam open and the bell chime. No matter what store he was in, the dramatic entrance always stayed the same.
“Lando!” Charles exclaimed, slightly out of breath as he appeared in front of Lando. His choice of outfit was a little better, but his hair was a mess, and he was red in the face. Before he could get another word out, Alex came over with a large cup of black coffee and placed it onto the table. Charles’ face relaxed with a relieved look and a sparkle in his eyes. “Alexander, you are a star.”
“You literally text me a few minutes ago and told me to get it ready for you,” Alex pointed out and shook his head, his apron ruffling slightly as he moved his hand on his hip. “I’m not serving you any more coffee after this one, you already had your fill this morning.”
Charles stifled a groan and waved him off as pulled out the chair opposite Lando. He bounced slightly as he threw himself down into the cushioned seat, contorting his body underneath himself until he appeared comfortable. “Whatever, I’ll book you in for Tuesday, yes?”
“Hm, see you then, Charlie.” Alex reached forward and ruffled the top of Charles’ hair, who in turn swatted the Thai boy’s hand away. Alex let out a laugh as Charles frantically tried fixing his hair and walked off before Charles could blame him any further.
Once Charles was satisfied that his hair was no longer ruffled, he picked up the hot mug and took a long sip. Lando watched him with a grimace and almost gagged at the thought. Black coffee, who does that? His stomach was already twisting in ways it shouldn’t, part of him wanted to forget all about that cheese toastie now.
“You think too loud, stop judging my drink already,” Charles snapped with a semi-false anger.
“Who chooses black coffee? You heathen,” Lando spat and held his own drink closely to him, as if it would be tainted next to the devil's drink.
“I do, after I’ve had my hands all in the hot tattoo guy’s hair as of ten minutes ago.” Charles’ body shuddered, and he clutched the mug tightly, taking another big gulp with wide eyes.
Lando raised his eyebrows in surprise and slowly placed his drink on the table. He crossed his legs and leaned back in his seat, ready for the onslaught of information he was about to receive. “The hot tattoo guy?” He asked curiously, his head resting on his palm as he propped his elbow up on the arm of the chair.
Oscar.
The leather jacket boy with the bright orange motorbike breezed through his mind like it had for days since he met the tattoo artist, but Lando quickly realised it wasn’t that hot tattoo guy he was talking about. It was the Sirocco car guy, the one that Oscar mentioned to him.
It was-
“Max. His name is Max Verstappen. Can you believe it?” Charles gushed, and his eyes lit up with light, a dreamy gaze etched onto his face as he got lost inside his own mind. “Imagine my luck, he walks into the salon and asks if we have any walk-ins available, right?” Charles prompted Lando for a response, making sure the younger boy was paying attention.
Lando gave him a swift nod. “Right.”
“And I knew I had someone booked in that was supposed to arrive in ten minutes, I was just about to say no until they called and told me they were going to have to cancel at the last minute due to a family emergency. It was like fate.”
“Fate is a very strong word,” Lando cautioned him. Charles had a tendency to sometimes run head first into things, and while it usually worked out well for him, he didn’t want to see something come down crashing and burning before it had even begun. “You barely know him.”
“You baby me too much,” Charles scolded him with a pointed finger. “I don’t know him, but I definitely plan to. Lando, his hair was so soft, he takes care of himself! He’s already booked to come back soon for his next appointment. We talked about so much, and he was telling me all about his job and moving here. Max was telling me about his friend too, you know, the other owner? His name is Oscar.”
Lando tried his best to hide his expression; he had yet to tell Charles about the semi-embarrassing encounter. It wasn’t like he was keeping it from him, per se, but Lando didn’t want to mull over how embarrassed and flattered he’d felt at the end of the five-minute conversation.
God, and here he was criticising Charles for being infatuated with a guy he barely knew.
“What’s that face for?” Charles demanded.
“What face?” Lando feigned surprise, he was never known for his poker face, of course Charles caught on immediately.
“You know, that face- like you’re hiding something.” Charles accused him, sitting up straight against the cushioned back of the chair.
“I’m not hiding anything.” Lando lied through his teeth.
“Yes you are.” Charles counteracted.
“I’m not.” Lando insisted. He knew Charles wasn’t stupid, but Charles also knew when to stop pushing on something.
“Whatever you say, but you can’t keep it hidden from me forever,” Charles mused, having one last drink of the black coffee, smacking his lips at the bitter taste. “I have my ways of finding out,” he said with finality, before he grabbed his phone and instantly started scrolling through something.
“I’m sure you do,” Lando sighed to himself.
His fingers drummed impatiently against his thigh as he watched as Charles shifted with a burst of energy opposite him. Just as Charles wasn’t stupid, neither was Lando. The Brit knew there was far more to the discussion. Charles wouldn’t have freaked out, blew up Lando’s phone, ran to The Brewster, and downed the biggest cup of black coffee he could nab his hands on if there wasn’t something more to it.
Lando kept his eyes glued on Charles as he watched for any of his telltale signs, and sure enough, there they were. The Monegasque's fingers reached behind his phone to fiddle with the bracelets on his wrist, his foot planted on the floor tapped rhythmically, and his tongue swiped mercilessly across his dry lips numerous times. His attention
The curly haired boy cleared his throat, grabbing Charles’ attention. His fingers stilled on the phone as he finally looked at Lando, a nervous look glinted in his eyes and he gave him a small smile. “Yes, Lando?” Charles batted his eyelashes.
“And what happens from here now?”
“What do you mean?” Charles replied innocently.
Lando narrowed his eyes at the Monegasque. “I know you, you’re going to do something to see him again. You’re a little crazy like that. So, out with it, what have you got planned?”
“I- um- it’s silly, don’t worry.” Charles attempted to brush off Lando’s interest and turned his attention back to his phone. However, Charles made the foolish mistake of angling his phone slightly so that the Brit could see the images being browsed.
“Charles, why are you looking at tattoos?” Lando questioned knowingly. Lando didn’t even know why he bothered asking, the answer was right in front of him.
Why else would you be looking at tattoos after meeting a hot tattoo artist?
“I may have booked in to get a tattoo done with Max next week.” Charles had the gall to look sheepishly at Lando, his body slightly curled in on itself as he anxiously waited for his response.
Lando fought back the urge to bury his face in his hands, or better yet, bang his head against the table until Charles was nothing but a blurry mess in his vision. Even Lando wouldn’t go that far to impress someone, surely Charles wasn’t serious. With a slow inhale and exhale, he counted to three before opening his eyes to see the Monegasque with a bashful look. Lando kept a neutral expression as best as he could.
“And you think getting a random tattoo is going to impress him, yeah?” Lando asked, disbelief coating his words as his eyebrows raised, the neutral expression vanishing as soon as it came.
“Come on, give me some credit! I’ve been thinking of getting a tattoo for ages!” Charles protested at him, his pout a feeble attempt of pulling at Lando’s heartstrings and winning him over.
Really, Lando knew there was no backing down in Charles. Once the older boy had his mind set on something, it would take a lot to convince him otherwise. Charles, he was headstrong, dove straight into the things he wanted in life and would take, take and keep taking until he was satisfied. Charles wouldn’t back down and quite frankly, Lando had better things to do than try and argue with him all day about it.
Lando would just be the good person he is and be there when Charles is whining about how much he regrets getting an impulsive tattoo. Like the great friend he is.
His hands massaged his temples, attempting to relieve the headache that resurfaced following the short conversation Lando had with Charles so far. With pursed lips, he extended his hand and silently gestured for the phone with the images on it. Charles looked between the outstretched hand for a moment and then back to his hand before handing it over, anxiously biting his lip as Lando began to scroll through the images.
As he scrolled through Charles’ phone, he saw that the older boy had gone on Pinterest and already created a board full of tattoo ideas. Lando felt detestation curdle through him as he looked at the collection of pins which was a mess of random English words in cursive, skull designs, swords, and arrows. The list of awful tattoos went on and on. He went to the search bar as he felt his curiosity peek, and saw that the last item searched was ‘tattoos for men’.
Yep, that’ll do it. The top five results were already in the pinboard Charles created.
“None of these scream Charles Leclerc, now do they?” Lando pondered and began his own research on Pinterest to search for something more suitable. If Charles was really going through with this, he’d be damned if he let his friend go around looking like he’d come straight out of a gang film.
Charles scooted his chair around the table until he was right next to Lando’s own, peering over his shoulder to check on his own phone. Once he saw that Lando had removed the previous images from the pinboard and replaced them with the images he found himself, Charles grumbled to himself. “Maybe I wanted a skull tattoo.”
“You want it that badly? Then ask Max to put it straight on your forehead or something.”
“That’s not what I mean! Don’t tease me, I am a poor soul right now,” Charles groaned and sunk deeper into the soft cushions. He pulled one of the cushions from behind his back and pulled it close to his chest, hugging the plush. “I don’t know, I just want something that I like and that is cool.”
“I promise you, Charles,” Lando began and looked up from the phone until he locked eyes with the Monegasque. “Max is an artist, meaning he’s very creative and has worked with many people to create multiple different designs. I think the last thing he wants is to draw a skull or write a random word on you when he could do something better.”
“Your point?” Charles countered, giving Lando a pleading look.
“My point is that he’s an artist who can create something special for you rather than something generic that everyone else already has,” Lando explained earnestly. Just as he finished talking, a notification appeared at the top of Charles’ screen, a message from Max. He gave Charles a pointed look. “Even got his number?”
“I cover my tracks.” Charles snatched his phone back before Lando could protest.
“What did he say?” Lando pressed on.
Charles’ cheeks raised as a lopsided grin appeared on his face. “Nothing.”
Lando’s head tilted slightly, and his brows drew together. “That was a long ass message. Tell me!”
“Nothing important, at least,” Charles reassured him. “Max is asking if I have any ideas on what kinda tattoo I want.”
A plan conjured up in Lando’s eyes and his eyes sparkled with excitement. “Perfect, why don’t you ask to meet with him and suggest brainstorming it together?” Lando wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. “You get to spend more time with him and get an artist's input on the design. Kill two birds with one stone!”
“Lando, you are brilliant!” Charles’ hand gripped onto Lando’s bicep tightly, squeezing it with excitement, before he returned to his phone and began to type his message out. “Okay, okay. ‘Thank you for messaging me, I’d be delighted to meet up with you if you’re free sometime. I can tell you about my ideas, and perhaps we can grab a coffee?’ How is that?” Charles beamed at him.
Lando stared at him and resisted the urge to pull at his own hair.
Charles turned to Lando for approval, only to be met with the Brit wrinkling his nose in astonishment. “You’re unbelievable, mate.” His hand reached out and Charles, again, didn’t put up a fuss before he passed his phone over with a pout. “You’re not writing a love letter to your lover in the war.”
He sent a quick message to Max, asking if they could meet up sometime to go over some sketches and talk about the tattooing process. Once he sent the message, a smirk grew on his face, seeing that it was read almost immediately. “Happy?” Lando handed the phone back, and it buzzed with another notification.
The Monegasque read over the messages and his grip tightened on the device, his face was scrunched up with happiness and Lando thought Charles was close to squealing. Charles’ face was tinted red and his teeth were exposed as the corners of his mouth lifted. “Very happy. He said yes! Max is free on Tuesday, and he said that gives him a few days to design it ready for Friday.”
“There you go, all sorted now. No more looking at cursive words and skulls, got it?”
Charles huffed. “Got it.”
Lando took a moment to himself before a thought popped into his head. He turned back towards Charles, who hadn’t moved his chair back and was practically kicking his feet while he messaged Max, and gave him a questioning look. “You know, I seem to remember the last time you were around needles.”
Charles stilled but didn’t raise his head from where it was buried in his phone, instead he gave Lando a side eye. “Let’s not bring that up.”
“I remember we decided to go to the blood donation van and someone fainted the moment they sat down in the chair. Care to tell me who that was, Charles?” Lando asked him tauntingly, grinning with mischief when the older boy scowled at him.
“Well, whoever it was, I’m sure they were very brave for even showing up when they don’t like needles,” Charles said smugly.
“Charles.”
“Lando.”
“You hate needles, you’re scared of them. Are you aware of what’s used for tattoos?” Lando asked with a near mocking tone.
“Of course I know!” Charles sneered. “Which is why I actually have a favour to ask you…” Charles began to say slowly.
Oh no.
Lando already knew where this was going. He should’ve known Charles’ had ulterior motives for coming to find him so soon after meeting Max, instead of continuing on with the rest of the work day.
“Will you come with me? Just- having you there will make me feel a lot more comfortable! I think-” Charles began to practically beg, setting himself off on a tangent, giving a list of reasons why Lando should attend the appointment with him.
Oscar.
Oscar.
Oscar.
The name echoed like a beautiful harmony in his mind, and so did the replays of that night. There was just something about Oscar, something that made Lando gravitate towards him and want to know more. The Australian sure left a good impression on him, because now Lando can’t think of certain things without being reminded of their short encounter. Lando sees a motorbike, and he’s reminded of the bright orange. Lando sees someone with wavy brown hair, and he’s reminded of the soft mess atop Oscar’s hair. Even the sight of roses and orchids in his shop reminded him of Oscar.
Only a few days had passed, but Lando found himself repeatedly peering through the glass panels of the store and across the street to Lasting Colours’ shopfront all in hopes of catching a glimpse of the Australian. His bike was always there, but there was never a sign of Oscar, like his appearances were fleeting glances that Lando just couldn’t quite grasp. Part of him didn’t want to see him again- didn’t want to experience the unsettling feeling beneath his skin again.
But another part wanted- no, needed to know more.
“-So, will you come with me?” Charles' voice pulled him out of his trance, grounding him back inside The Brewster rather than gleaning through his shop's windows.
“Do I have a choice?” Lando asked, but his mind was already made up anyway.
“Not really, no.”
“Fine, whatever.” Land agreed and Charles bounced up from his seat, wrapping his arms tightly around the younger boy’s neck.
“God, thank you.” Lando felt a wet kiss planted on the crown of his head and grimaced. “I owe you one, okay? I have to go now, I do actually have the rest of the day booked in,” Charles giggled to himself. “I’ll probably see you tomorrow or something? If not, I’ll text you how the date goes.”
“Not a date just yet,” Lando swiftly reminded him.
“Yet.” Charles winked, well- attempted to. Lando understood what he tried to do. The older boy picked up the empty coffee mug, moved the chair back to its original position and walked towards the counter. Once he handed in the mug to Alex and ushered a goodbye to him, he turned around to wave goodbye to Lando.
Lando snickered to himself at the sight of Charles’ hair from the back. A poor attempt at a fade that he obviously did on himself, just like Lando suspected. As he waved and walked towards the door, Lando shouted. “By the way, your haircut is sh*t, I was so right about the beanie.”
Charles glared at him angrily from across the room, one foot already out the door and letting in the hot summer air. “You wouldn’t even know what a good haircut is even if it hit you in the face.” And with that, Charles strutted out of the door.
Before the door could completely close, Logan slipped through the crevice and sighed in relief when he was hit with the cool air-conditioned breeze. His eyes scanned the room until they landed on Lando, presumably already aware the Brit was there considering Charles had just left. “What’s up, Lando?” Logan greeted him before making his way behind the counter, where Alex was already holding out a clean apron for him.
“Hey, Logan. I’m just heading out now, gotta catch up on this new show I’m watching.” Lando pulled himself away from the comfort of the armchair, stretching his limbs as he moved. He returned the mug to Alex, who gave him a small smile and rushed back to work, and made to leave.
“I’ll see you at the park run this Sunday, right?” Logan started tying the apron around his waist.
Crap. Lando forgot all about that. He’d done well to narrowly avoid the last couple of sessions out of pure laziness and valuing his lie-ins on a Sunday too much. He’d planned on just no longer attending, until he was cornered by all his friends to join because, in their words, it was ‘a great opportunity to meet up as a community’.
Bleh, Lando loved the community, but he could do without running in either 20 degree heat or the pouring down rain depending on how the UK felt that day.
Lando threw his head back with an exaggerated moan before he composed himself. “Sure, I’ll be there this week. I’ll see you then.”
Lando paced towards the front door before he stopped in his tracks. Something clicked inside his brain from seeing Logan, and he let out a sound of realisation. “Oh my god, I get it now! Logan is American, and Americans threw our tea in the harbour! George, I get it now! It’s quite funny,” Lando exclaimed in hopes of reaching the taller boy upstairs.
He chuckled to himself at the joke, and even more so at the frustrated groan that carried down the stairs from the second floor. “Get out of my store!”
*
“How’s your mum and Arthur doing? What did they think of Harlow Street?” Lando inquired as he and Charles strolled side by side, making their way towards Lasting Colours.
It was finally D-Day. The hot summer Friday afternoon was nearing 2pm, and Charles was scheduled in for his tattoo appointment. A man of his word, Lando, being the supportive friend he was, allowed himself to be dragged along for moral support. There was also the fact that a part of Lando couldn’t resist the opportunity to catch a glimpse of the other hot tattoo guy.
That Charles was yet to know about.
After wrapping up their work earlier in the day, the two opted to explore the other shops lining Harlow Street, catching up with their friends and checking out their latest stock for the summer. Lando found himself spending the majority of his time in Lewis’ clothing and seamstress boutique called ‘Needle & Knot’, as Charles finally managed to convince him that he needed a new set of protective gloves. It was high time he was measured for them anyway, especially after his rose thorn cut nearly became infected a few days later.
As the tattoo store came into view, with only a few minutes left before it was time for Charles’ appointment, Lando attempted to ease any nerves that may have crept up on him. Surprisingly, Charles appeared to be relatively calm. In fact, the Monegasque was brimming with excitement.
“Well, the trip ended with Arthur planning to move here by the end of this year and my maman leaving with a heavier suitcase than what she arrived with,” Charles laughed, his tote bag swinging with each step he took.
“That’s good, it was nice to have dinner with them both before they left. Were you sad to see them go?” Lando pressed on.
The older boy tapped his chin slowly in thought. “Partly? I love them and I miss them all the time, but this is my life and I chose this. Besides, there were only so many more times I could handle maman hovering over my shoulder telling me I’m not cutting someone’s hair right.” Charles rolled his eyes. “She means well, at least.”
“And Arthur? He’s actually considering moving here?”
Charles nodded. “He’s finishing his studies soon, and he wants to venture outside of Monaco. Arthur would probably stay with me for a bit until he’s up on his feet and gets a business going, or gets a job in the city.”
“Seems like a good plan,” Lando said, and the older boy hummed in response. They were getting closer and closer to the store and finally, Charles’ resolve started to break down a little. Lando could see the anxious bite of his lip, the fiddling of his fingers, and the halts in his strides.
“What does she think of you getting a tattoo?”
“Huh?” Charles turned to face him.
“Your mum, what did she think when you told her you were getting a tattoo?”
“Oh,” Charles said sheepishly. “Maman did not say much, told me as long as I was sure then there’s no harm. And when I told her what I was getting done, she seemed a bit more excited about it.”
“What tattoo are you having? You still haven’t even told me!” Lando whined, an accusatory tone coating his words.
Charles simply flashed him a smile. “You’ll see, I have only told maman what I’m having, so don’t be offended.”
Lando didn’t bother responding and kept up his long strides until they finally reached the tattoo parlour. A quick glance to his side (and the fact he’d spotted it from miles away) let Lando know that the bright orange motorbike was there. Meaning Oscar was inside.
Suddenly, a wave of nausea hit Lando like a tidal wave, causing him to hesitate at the threshold of the tattoo shop.
“Oh god,” Lando muttered under his breath to himself, his hand instinctively clutching his stomach as he gazed up at the big neon light.
“Well? Are you coming inside?” Charles swung open the front door with ease and sauntered inside, leaving Lando alone for a moment while he gathered his resolve.
Taking a deep breath, Lando summoned a facade of courage and stepped towards the entrance. Fake it till you make it. He silently reminded himself. That’s what the people say, right?
Despite staring down the building every time he had a free moment during work, Lando had yet to see the inside of the building. Which is why it came as a shock to see inside the parlour, the walls were painted white and it was so nicely decorated. Sure, Lando had peered through the window and saw the framed stencils along the wall, but that was through a near blacked out window.
“Charles!” A man, presumably Max, greeted the Monegasque as they entered. The man was clad in a white shirt and black jeans, with his tattooed biceps fully on show.
Lando gave Charles a sideways glance, only to be left amused once he saw Charles ogling at the thick arms. He could’ve sworn the older boy licked his lips looking at them. “Max! Hello, sorry- this is Lando, my friend I was telling you about?” Charles greeted him and gestured towards the curly haired boy.
Max gave Lando a once over, looking him up and down with a hint of something knowing in his eyes. “Lovely to meet you, Lando.” His voice was soft, accented with a slight lisp. Max offered his hand and Lando took it into his own, giving it a firm shake. His hands were big, but soft, much like Oscar’s own.
“Likewise, Max.” Lando gave a half-smile.
“How’s your day been? Busy day?” Charles launched into a stream of small talk, while Max eagerly responded with the same enthusiasm.
Preferring to stay away from idle chatter, Lando discreetly stepped backwards with his hands clasped behind his back until he was away from the conversation. Instead, he opted to explore the reception area a little more. At first glance through the tinted windows, Lando could only see a handful of drawings and pictures across the walls, but the small view didn’t do the rest of the room justice.
Scattered across all the walls were paintings and drawings, with shelves adorned with small trinkets, candles and general items. In the corner was a seating area, two long black sofas with a glass table placed between in front of them. Lando had expected white hospital lighting waking in, but the hanging lights had a warm yellow glow and from what Lando could see from the light switch, it was adjustable lighting. Peering around the corner showed Lando, however, that the private rooms were considerably brighter than the reception area, but still kept the yellow glow.
The room felt cosy. It was clean and organised as places like this should be, it was inviting and Lando felt relaxed just being there. However, Lando did notice a severe lack of greenery in the building. No potted plants, no succulents, no flowers. Every place should have at least some greenery to liven the place up a little.
Lando may have been a little biassed, though.
His gaze instinctively drifted to the orchid flower stencil, the two flowers intertwined in black and white. Lando couldn’t help but feel that these flowers, no matter where he went, would follow him in every waking moment in life. In some way, a flower was there to lead his way.
With a fluid motion, Lando positioned himself in front of the framed orchid stencil, his own reflection mirroring his expression of awe as he stared at the design.
Charles and Max took a seat to go over some of the final details of the design, while Lando admired the artwork on the walls. He could briefly hear footsteps enter the room but paid it no mind while he studied the stencil.
Finally, Lando asked out loud. “The orchid flower design,” Lando spoke, keeping his eyes trained on the drawing. “The framed one on the wall. Who drew this one?”
“I did.”
Lando felt a chill run down his spine, instantly recognising the Australian accent and cool tone of voice. The footsteps grew louder and Max and Charles’ conversation slowly lowered in volume. Lando could see the man’s reflection in the frame's glass, and he barely resisted the small smile that forced its way onto his face.
“Fancy seeing you here,” Oscar remarked in a surprised tone, his biceps moving beneath the leather jacket as his arms shifted in the reflection. “I didn’t think I’d see you so soon.”
“I just couldn’t resist coming over, especially when you gave me a personal invite last time,” Lando replied with a playful tone. “That, and the fact you offered me a personal podcast about your drawings.”
“Wasn’t expecting you to accept the offer so soon, you’re lucky my afternoon is free,” Oscar said with a hint of amusem*nt. “I think we’ve gotta stop meeting with your back to me though.”
Lando ignored the faint rosy tint that crept up his neck as he bit his bottom lip.
The Brit turned to meet Oscar, offering him a nervous smile while Lando’s hand played with the hem of his shirt. He couldn’t help but notice how the leather jacket wrapped perfectly around Oscar’s arms again, the glass reflection did him no justice.
A small cough from the corner of the room snapped Lando’s attention away from Oscar, his gaze catching the wary eyes of his friend. Charles sat there with his mouth slightly open and his eyes narrowed, while Max’s face didn’t betray a hint of emotions, unfazed by what was going on.
“What’s going on here?” Charles’ expression twisted with confusion. “You two know each other?” His finger waved frantically as he gestured between the two boys.
Oscar, having tuned towards the pair on the sofa, shot a curious glance at Lando with raised eyebrows. His eyes narrowed and stared at Lando for a moment, as if he were searching the Brit’s face for something, analysing him intently.
Max was clearly aware of Lando’s previous encounter with Oscar by the bored expression he held, clearly wanting to return to his work. Which made Charles’ confusion look like Lando was trying to hide something (and honestly? He kinda was, but only to save himself from the embarrassment of telling Charles).
Oscar finally looked like he’d found what he was looking for when he flashed Lando a polite smile. “We’ve met, yeah.”
“Briefly.” Lando interjected quickly, almost letting out a squeaked when Charles’ watchful eyes darted back to him.
The Aussie nodded in agreement. “Yeah, we met very briefly when I was leaving work one night. Thought it might be nice to meet the florist across the road.”
Charles slowly nodded his head with his tongue in his cheek, and Lando knew he was getting an interrogation later. Thank god for the tattoo appointment.
“Well then, it’s nice to see him making new friends, at least.”
The consultation was wrapped up quickly while Lando and Oscar stood there awkwardly watching them. Max eventually led Charles towards the private room. Lando offered to head in with him, maybe to hold his hand or something while he whined like a baby at the needles. However, the Monegasque took one look at Max before shaking his head to Lando, reassuring him that he’d be fine.
Max did let him know that if Charles gets too squeamish, then he’d allow him to take some much-needed breaks, and also call Lando in for some moral support.
After they left and closed the door behind them, Lando and Oscar were left to their own devices in the reception area. Oscar reached behind the reception desk and pulled out an iPad, immediately dashed across the room, and threw himself onto the black sofa. He planted his feet on the leather and rested the iPad on his propped up thighs, making himself comfortable. Lando watched as the Aussie made himself comfortable and made a beeline for the free sofa, feeling an awkward tension filling the air.
His fingers tapped on his thigh in an unorganised manner, rolling his lips back and forth, feeling the moisture from his lip balm. Lando was suddenly all too aware of how his clothes felt on his skin, of how the sofa’s leather felt beneath his fingertips, how the skin of his own lips were slightly cracked beneath the cover of the lip balm.
Lando whipped his head around to Oscar, desperate to break the silence that fell over the room. Just as he opened his mouth to talk, Oscar had pressed something on his iPad, the speakers in the room came alive, and a song started playing through them.
His ears perked up when he recognised the tune coming through the speakers, a shy smile breaking out on his face. It was Reptilia by The Strokes. Lando hadn’t heard it for a few years now, he felt a wave of nostalgia wash over him and his head started moving to the beat.
“So…¦” Oscar finally broke the silence between them and Lando glanced at the iPad in his hands, curious to see the drawing that was currently open on it. The Aussie waggled the apple pen between his fingers in the air, a small tick.
“So,” Lando copied him, relief flooding through him that Oscar finally broke the silence. “What’re you drawing?”
Oscar, who was sprawled out fully on the sofa, twisted his head until he looked at Lando. The Aussie’s forehead was slightly creased with small lines and his eyebrows naturally raised from the awkward angle.
“I thought you didn’t come here for my podcast, as you’d call it,” Oscar said in a casual tone, but his lips curved slightly upwards and gave away the nonchalant demeanour. “Or did you convince your friend to get a tattoo for an excuse to visit?”
Lando rolled his eyes. “I wouldn’t need an excuse, you invited me here. Besides, I wouldn’t need to convince him to get a tattoo, Charles’ found his own reasons to get one,” Lando said suggestively.
“Hm?” Oscar titled his head slightly.
He nodded his head towards the closed door. “You know, he had his own reasons.” Lando tried spelling it out for him without being overly obvious.
Realisation dawned on Oscar’s face, his lips parted with an ‘oh’ before it transformed into a wide grin of delight. “Don’t worry, Max had his own reasons to get his trimmed here in Harlow Street when his regular barber is only minutes down the road. But you didn’t hear that from me.” Oscar remarked, playfully jabbing a finger towards Lando’s face.
“Secret’s safe with me, Piastri,” Lando snickered. ‘Good news for Charles at least’, he thought to himself briefly. “You haven’t answered my question.” He quickly changed the topic.
“Which was?”
“What’re you drawing? I’m nosey.” Lando leaned in closer to Oscar, craning his neck for a better view of the screen. Various sketches were scattered across the page of Saturn, ranging from simple black outlines to intricate drawings that showcased the pale yellow hue and swirling colours of the planet. The rings were beautifully done, standing out even amongst the well crafted swirls. Despite being smaller designs, the amount of detail amazed Lando.
Land couldn’t help but admire Oscar’s drawings and the talent he possessed, evident in the various designs and styles he played around with. From dot work to hyperrealism and even a watercolour design, each artwork told a different story. Amidst the various drawings, in the middle of them all was one that looked like a traditional piece to Lando. It had solid black lines and delicate swirls.
“Nothing special, just been practising some different styles and having a mess around. Finally managed to get one I’m satisfied with, though.” Oscar pointed his apple pen to the drawing in the middle, the traditional design. His fingers moved on the screen until it zoomed in on the drawing.
Upon looking closer, Lando could see that the rings of Saturn were a mix of lines and dots that represented the rocks and dust that collected to create the famous rings of Saturn.
“Nothing special?” Lando gawked in exasperation and gave the Aussie an offended look. “Oscar, these are amazing!” He mumbled under his breath in awe.
Oscar gave a half-shrug. “It’s not my best work, I just needed some more designs that people could choose from.”
“What do you mean?” Lando enquired. Naturally, his body scooted closer and closer until he reached the end, which was right next to Oscar’s head that was resting on the arm of the other. Lando grabbed one of the big cushions, placed it in front of him and leaned on it, his vision now in line with the iPad while Oscar was led down in front of him.
“I mean-” Oscar began and clicked off the page of sketches, bringing him to his files. There were multiple documents, all labelled different things and varying in colours and designs. Oscar’s pen scrolled through the designs, deliberately slow for Lando to have a glance at them all. “I do personal designs for people all the time, but sometimes I just like to draw things I like. Usually, I’ll post them on our website or my Instagram, and put them on the walls.” Lando’s eyes flickered to the stencils across the walls. “But they’re mostly there for people to see my style, and for the people who get tattoos for the sake of getting them.”
Huh, Lando can recall someone he knows that often gets tattoos done for the sake of having them.
“Well, I love them, you’re very good, Oscar.”
“Uh- thanks, Lando,” Oscar mumbled, his voice was quiet and timid and Lando could see from above that his cheeks were tinted with a blush.
“No problem, Oscar.” Lando replied as he beamed at the Aussie from above. As Oscar looked up at him, their eyes locked for a moment. The music faded away and left them in silence, the only thing Lando could hear was the beat of his own heart and Oscar’s quiet breaths. The Aussie had a fond look in his eyes, his lips slightly parted and Lando felt like his stomach was doing twists and turns. Lando tongued rolled out and wet his lips instinctively.
The moment was broken when Oscar snapped his attention back to the iPad. It was only then that Lando noticed the music hadn’t been blocked out by the sound of his own blood pumping, but it turned off completely.
Lando inhaled deeply while Oscar opened a blank page and started drawing small shapes and doodles. “Have you guys been busy since you’ve moved here then?” Lando fully rested his head on the cushion with his arms beneath his chin. His body snuggled into the cool fabric underneath his body.
“Very,” Oscar replied. “It’s been quiet today, but we’ve been non-stop recently. We weren’t too sure if we’d get the business by moving here, but it seems we’re just what the town needed.”
“I suppose,” Lando pondered. “That’s good though, glad it’s all going well for you here.”
“What about you? How’s your flower shop doing?”
“Really good, I get a lot of business being here and a lot of the other shops get their plants from me. Few of them order weekly flowers from me too. Have you been to The Brewster yet? My friends George and Alex have the flowers on each of the tables.”
“Uh, no, we haven't really gone around too many of the stores yet,” Oscar replied sheepishly.
“Really?” Lando asked in shock. Harlow Street was known for the amount of stores it had that were independently run, all loved by the townspeople and all neighbouring towns too. You didn’t go to Harlow Street unless you were planning to see everything it had to offer. “But you’ve been here for months!”
“We’ve been swamped here! Also, we usually just go out of town to where we used to run the shop,” Oscar protested, an attempt to defend himself against the bewildered look Lando was giving boring into the top of his head.
“Nope, no good, you’re gonna have to do a tour around the town, you can’t have a tattoo parlour here and not shop here. That’s- it’s basically illegal! A crime!” Lando squawked.
“Okay, okay!” Oscar giggled and held his hands. “I’ll make sure all my future shopping is in Harlow Street. Happy now?”
“Maybe I should come and visit sometime, maybe pick up a few plants to liven up the place,” Oscar suggested while his strokes of the pen slowed.
Lando’s eyes wandered over the shop, and his visions of what plants were needed and where started to take over. “Yeah, maybe you should.”
“Then maybe you can show me around town? Since you’re so insistent that I need to see everything.”
“I- um, sure! Yeah, I can show you around,” Lando stuttered, silently cursing to himself as he felt his cheeks redden. Thank god, Oscar was paying attention to drawing what looked like stamps with strawberries inside them.
“Great. Pleasure doing business with you, Norris”
Lando snorted at that, delighted to hear the breathy laugh Oscar lets out to himself. A comfortable silence fell upon them for a few moments while Lando observed Oscar as he drew more of the stamps. He was sketching different fruits within them now, this time sketching a bunch of grapes. Patchwork tattoos- Lando quite liked that style.
“Here,” Oscar called out and turned the Bluetooth settings off of the iPad. “Connect to the speakers and pop some music on while I do some sketches, I’m trusting you have good taste.”
He managed to manoeuvre his phone out of his trouser pocket without moving from the pillow and connected to the speakers. “You might regret that decision,” Lando bristled.
“Is- is this speed drive? From Barbie?” Oscar asked, dumbfounded, as the upbeat song started blaring through the speakers.
Lando shrugged to himself. “Good song, can’t complain. Get drawing, Piastri.”
Time passed as Lando continued to admire Oscar’s artwork, song after song playing where Oscar could scoff and say ‘really?’, but Lando could hear the Aussie muttering some of the lyrics under his breath.
As he watched him work, Lando couldn’t help but notice Oscar’s hands, dainty and smooth. Despite their finer appearance, the Aussie’s hand held the pen with perfection precision as it controlled each stroke. There was a sort of elegance to his hands as they moved with such care and ease, and Lando felt something run through his veins each time Oscar flexed his hand and a vein was the tiniest bit exposed.
It was fascinating, watching him draw so many things with such effortlessness. From above, Lando was able to lean a tiny bit forward and had a good view of Oscar’s face. From there, he could see Oscar poking his tongue out between his lips in concentration, with a focus expression as he tried to perfect the sketches. Sometimes, the focused look would soften into a gentle smile when Oscar managed to smooth out the harsh lines or fix whatever had been bothering him.
Really, Lando was no artist and sure, he wasn’t even sure what to look for in terms of criticism, but he enjoyed every piece of work he’d seen and enjoyed watching Oscar create them even more. And who was he to judge Oscar? He was able to create something beautiful with just a few strokes of a pen. Lando couldn’t even imagine drawing a stick figure if you gave him a tutorial on it.
Suddenly, Lando remembered a certain drawing on the wall, one that caught his eyes when he first peered into the store’s tinted windows. The same one that Oscar called his own.
“Oscar?” Lando addressed him, his thick Bristollian accent moulded the boy’s name to something that sounded more like ‘Oscuh’. Oscar gave a hum to indicate he was listening. “Could you show me the orchids you drew? The ones up on the wall.” He was unable to go any longer without seeing where the orchids were created. Lando had loved the drawing since the moment he laid his eyes on it.
“Yeah, of course,” Oscar said in a soft voice. “Wait there, let me just find it,” Oscar replied and immediately abandoned the work he was doing to mindlessly scroll through his files on a wild run.
After what seemed like forever, Oscar managed to find where the orchids were stored and pulled up the drawing. “Here.” His hands came up over his head until the iPad was in front of Lando’s face. “Take a closer look at it, let me know what you think.”
Without hesitation, Lando took the device from Oscar’s grasp. He adjusted himself on the cushion until he was comfortable to prepare for an in depth look at the artwork. Meanwhile, while Lando was zooming in on the details, Oscar managed to gracefully twirl over onto his stomach, his wavy hair flopping in his face as he propped his chin on his hands, which rested on the arm of the sofa.
It was drawn on beige paper, as the one orchid was black while the other was white. It didn’t look too different from before, with the flowers intertwining and only being outlines of what orchid flowers are. Really, it was just another excuse to stare hopelessly at it again. There weren’t many details to the picture, nothing hidden for Lando to find. It looked simple, it was simple, but it still stuck in Lando’s mind like a leech.
“It was one of my first designs, I sketched it back when I was seventeen and waiting for my apprenticeship to start,” Oscar explained with a small hint of melancholy in his voice, feeling a deep nostalgia. “And now I’m twenty-three with it still hanging up in my shop,” he said, keeping his gaze fixated on Lando.
“What was the meaning behind it? Why did you draw orchids?” Lando queried, peering down at Oscar, the iPad acting as the only barrier between them.
“No deep meaning, really. Orchids are pretty and I wanted to draw them,” Oscar maintained a stoic voice.
Lando looked shocked. “What? Surely there’s some like- reason behind it. Like- what message are you trying to convey here? What is the symbolism?”
“No meaning, no reason, no message or symbolism,” Oscar pursed his lips tightly. “Most of my works don’t have any of that. Not everything in life needs a meaning or reason behind it.”
Lando couldn’t help but disagree. To him, everything in life had some sort of meaning behind it, even if Oscar didn’t know it. Lando believed he drew the orchids for a meaning that was relevant to his life at the time that he never fully got to realise.
“Does this mean you don’t know what orchids symbolise?”
Oscar shook his head. “Not a clue.”
“Do you know what any flower symbolises?”
“I know that red roses mean love. They also mean you get a cut on your finger after getting into a fierce battle with one,” Oscar chuckled at his own joke with a dimpled smile.
Lando scrunched his nose up in feigned annoyance, feeling accomplished when it pulled out another laugh from Oscar. “Ignoring that comment, I’m gonna tell you all about orchids. Sit your arse down, Oscar, you’re in for a treat.”
Oscar blinked at him. “I’m lying down, mate.”
“Suit yourself!” Lando shook his head.
The curly-haired boy let himself ramble on and on about orchids and what they mean. He delved into the ancient meanings and what other civilisations once thought. Lando told Oscar all about his own thoughts, how he likes to use them in his own work.
Oscar, being the saint he is, sat there with an interested and focused expression through every word of Lando’s speech. He responded with ‘right’, ‘oh that’s interesting', ‘I didn’t know that’ and ‘why’s that?’ throughout the whole thing, thoroughly listening to Lando talk and wanting to know more.
It was appreciated, having someone listening and hanging off his every word. Lando knew he had the tendency to let himself go on about the things he was passionate about, always willing to share what he knew, and Oscar was now his willing listener.
“I never knew all of this about orchids. Honestly? I never realised there was any historical accuracy to it all, I didn’t think they were actually used for practical methods,” Oscar admitted sheepishly.
“Most people don’t! And most florists you’ll find don’t really know that much either, it’s not really something you have to know.”
“And what about you?”
“I always wanted to know, a bit of an odd one, I was,” Lando added.
“I think my new favourite flower are orchids,” Oscar gushed, taking the tablet away from Lando’s grasp before the Brit could react. He gave the orchid flower stencil once over again before looking up at Lando again. “Thank you for explaining it to me. Maybe I can redo it sometime, try and build in some of the historic stuff.”
Oscar jotted down some words next to the drawing in a hurry, Lando could briefly only see the word ‘hope’ before the screen of the iPad was turned off.
Conversation flowed easily between them, with Lando telling Oscar some core things to know about Harlow Street while the Aussie obediently listened. Oscar spoke briefly about the old town they came from, how he became a tattoo artist, and much more. Time seemed to pass so quickly to Lando while he was absorbed in the way Oscar speaks and the way he had focused eyes when the other rambled on and on.
With the barrier of the iPad no longer between them, the two grew closer and closer as the minutes passed. Lando was unable to keep his eyes off of Oscar, they had locked gazes and the Aussie’s eyes had a twinkle in them. There was a comfort that came with it all, they were in their own little bubble. No one could join them, no one could interrupt. It was just them and the soft sound of whatever was playing from Lando’s phone. Part of him never wanted to break free from the conversation, lest he be reminded that he needed to return to reality and not get lost in the way Oscar spoke.
Lando didn’t want to return to reality, to break free from their bubble, lest he be reminded that he was staring at Oscar with warmth in his eyes and speaking to him with a tone of voice specially reserved for the Aussie.
But alas, all good things must come to an end.
Abruptly, the door to the tattoo parlour swung open, startling them both. Lando practically jumped a mile away from where he was seated, closer to Oscar than he could pass off as just a friendly gesture. Heat flooded his cheeks as he retreated into the comfort of the sofa, far away from Oscar, who also wore a bright red blush on his face. A rush of adrenaline through his body left Lando feeling flushed and light-headed, his heart raced uncontrollably as he struggled to regain his composure.
Lando was puzzled, Max was currently in a session with Charles, and Oscar had the rest of the afternoon off to complete some more sketches. Who could have possibly walked into the parlour so late in the afternoon?
“Guess that’s a wrap up for our podcast,” Oscar pouted playfully at Lando before he pushed on his arms to rise from the sofa and headed towards the front door, greeting the customer.
As Oscar attended to the customer, Lando took a moment to gather his thoughts. What was happening to him? He let himself get so worked up over a man he barely knew. Lando let Oscar crawl under his skin and affect him down to his heart. He craved to see Oscar’s smile, hear the sound of his laughter, to be the star in Oscar’s eyes when he’s looking at something with affection.
At that moment, while he attempted to still his breaths, while his heart drummed in his ears and his stomach fluttered with emotions unfamiliar to him, Lando knew that he needed to get beneath Oscar’s skin too.
Even if what Lando felt scared him.
Lando could hear Oscar briefly talking to the customer, and then he heard something along the lines of ‘I’ll show you my works now’. Lando pulled his phone out and queued some more music, making him look at least a little preoccupied rather than last in his own thoughts. A moment later, Oscar slightly jogged back to the sofa and Lando raised his eyebrow over his phone.
“Forgot my iPad.” Oscar waved the device in the air. Ah- basically his sketchbook. Lando nodded and continued his search for songs to queue. “So, Daniel, what type of style are you going for this time?”
Lando’s head whipped up from the phone, almost dropping it in the process. “Daniel?” Lando loudly exclaimed. The other Australian stood in front of him with Oscar situated by his side, a curious look plastered on his face.
The difference between the two Australians almost had Lando burst out in laughter. Where Oscar was a little bit shorter, soft brown hair, pale skin and soft features, Daniel was the exact opposite. Daniel was lean, tanned skin, dark curly hair with harsher features.
“Lando, mate! How are ya?” Daniel greeted him with a short wave, rested his hands on his hips and beamed at the Brit on the sofa.
“Uh- I’m good, what’re you doing here?” Lando furrowed his brows.
Daniel looked around the place with his eyes narrowed. “Came here for a tattoo, this is the tattoo shop, isn’t it?”
“Yeah, don’t worry, you’re in the right place,” Oscar said. “I’m guessing you two know each other then?”
“Know each other?” Daniel laughed. “Lando’s one of my closest mates.”
“Reluctantly,” Lando added on.
“So he says.” Daniel winked.
Oscar nodded along in understanding. “That’s cool, guess I still gotta meet everyone from around here still. I’ve only met Lando so far.” He gestured to where Lando made himself comfortable.
“Ah!” Daniel exclaimed. “And what a person to start with. Picked a good one here to get to know.” Lando attempted to hide his blush and failed miserably when Oscar’s smile grew. “Anyway, it’s good to have another Aussie around here, where are you from?”
“Melbourne, you?” Oscar asked in turn.
“I’m from Perth, moved over here a few years ago, I ended up opening my own vintage items store called ‘Retro Revival’, you should swing by sometime. It’s crazy to think we now have two Australians here.”
“People move all the time, Daniel. It’s called emigrating.” Lando deadpanned as he finally set his phone down.
“Ignore him, I’m glad to know there’s another Aussie here with me,” Oscar chimed in.
“Am I not good enough for you?” Lando teased with a feigned gasp.
“You’re plenty good enough!” Oscar frowned and damn, Lando wasn’t expecting that as a response. He felt a shiver course through his body and mentally smacked himself for letting Oscar’s words have such an effect on him.
Thankfully, the two to Max’s private room opened and Lando was saved from any further embarrassment. All three pairs of eyes flickered over to the opening door as Charles walked out with Max following close behind. Charles was a little pale in the face with a relieved look, but overall seemed like he was okay. He was probably a little bit squeamish from the needles, but Lando was quite proud of him for not calling him in to comfort him.
“Charles is here too?” Daniel raised an eyebrow. “I did wonder what you were doing in a tattoo place, Lando.”
“Well, he was supposed to come and comfort me, but I think he’s been a little preoccupied.” Charles grinned evilly.
Daniel, who seemed to click on instantly to what Charles was getting at, slowly nodded his head. “Yeah, yeah, I can see that.”
“How was it?” Lando asked, eager to move from the topic at hand.
The Monegasque had his hand hovering over the tattoo, covering it for the time being. “It was… okay, it wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be, thanks to Max.” Charles glanced over his shoulder at Max.
“He managed to keep his whining to a minimum,” Max added light-heartedly, nudging Charles’ shoulder with his own. Charles smiled fondly to himself and oh… that was a development.
He removed his hand from where it covered the tattoo, revealing it to all those in the room. Lando’s mouth opened in awe, and he slowly stood up from the sofa, making his way closer to Charles.
On Charles’ forearm was a tattoo of the sun. Its fiery rays extended outwards, an energy to them as they varied in size and the way they were laid out. Encircled within the ring of the sun itself were fluffy clouds expertly shaded, a calm contrast to the rays outside of it. It was beautiful, to say the least, and it seemed to brighten Charles and radiate him more than he already did.
“A sun tattoo? It’s so good, Max, you’ve done an amazing job,” Lando complimented the artist as his eyes traced the tattoo, taking in every detail. “Are you finally gonna tell me what you got it for?”
Suddenly, a sad smile overtook Charles’ face as he inspected the tattoo himself, itching to graze his fingers over it. “Maranello sun. It’s- my papa, he used to call me the sun of Maranello. I thought I’d honour him by getting something that he knew me as.”
“It’s perfect, are you happy with it?”
“Of course! I think my Papa would be too,” Charles added on with a hint of wistfulness. He shook his head to himself and straightened his posture, seemingly regaining his usual composure. “We should get out of your hair now, I do not want to intrude any further, you have another customer to attend to!” Charles gestured towards Daniel and threw a wink, or at least an attempted one.
“Nonsense!” Max began, taking a few steps forward until he was situated in front of Charles. “I’ve really enjoyed today, please, feel free to text me or something, especially if you’re looking to get another tattoo.”
Lando side-eyed Oscar, only to see him wearing the same expression. A laugh erupted from the Brit, and he did a half-assed attempt of covering it up with a cough. When Lando looked forward, Charles was already shooting him daggers.
“Thank you, Max. Don’t worry, you’ll hear from me soon.”
Lando rolled his eyes, turned to face Oscar while the two were caught up in each other’s eyes and mimicked a gag. Satisfaction rolled through him as Oscar had to stifle a laugh and covered his mouth.
He ignored the pointed look Daniel was giving him from across the room.
“Come on, Lando, let’s go.” Charles’ voice interrupted the moment.
Lando’s arm was taken into the Monegasque’s grasp, allowing himself to be pulled towards the front door. Faintly, Lando could see Charles’ cheeks reddened, and he quickly realised he missed a vital part of the conversation, too busy trying- and succeeding- to bring a sweet laugh from Oscar. He waved his hand in a goodbye and opened his mouth to shout it before Charles could drag him out of the door, but in the corner of his eye, Daniel had a sh*t-eating grin on his face that could only mean bad news.
“Before these two leave,” Daniel said while he shot a wink in Lando and Charles’ direction. Lando’s eyes flickered between Daniel, Max and Oscar, the two tattoo artists looking just as confused as one another. Charles halted in his steps and his grip loosened on Lando’s arm, curious as to what Daniel had to say now.
“I host a park run every Sunday, and a lot of people from the community show up, including Charles and Lando, when he feels up to it.” Daniel nodded towards the door boys hogging the doorway. Oscar turned towards Lando and the Brit felt his heart squeeze inside his chest. “You should join us this week, it’s a good opportunity to meet some others from around here, and I’m sure these two would be thrilled to have you join us.”
“Oh, yes!” Charles gushed in excitement, oblivious to Daniel’s schemes. “Both of you should come! It’s nice to get out, see the park and spend some time with people. You can split off in your own groups too, some people like to make it competitive while others like to just have a stroll.”
“Hm, I suppose I can be there.” Max shrugged his shoulders.
“Sounds good to me,” Oscar shrugged and turned to Lando, a hesitant look on his face and his fingers tapped the iPad sporadically. “Will you be there?” He asked with a hopeful voice.
Lando scratched the back of his neck and bit his lip. He’d attended the previous week's park run and thought he was going to collapse from the heat. Charles told him he was deeply exaggerating (rich coming from him, Lando knows). He really planned on missing the next one. With that in mind, Lando was ready to make up some excuse on the spot. “Actually-” Lando started, but let out a loud yelp when Charles’ grip suddenly tightened and squeezed his arm.
“Of course Lando will be there, he goes every week,” Charles replied innocently, and Lando knew that the Monegasque finally clicked on to Daniel’s plans. And of course, Charles was willing to go along, even if he was also the target of said plan.
“Oh yes, we’ll make sure he’s there,” Daniel added on. “Once you’ve shown me a few designs, I’ll give you the rest of the details for Sunday.”
f*ck Charles and f*ck Daniel too.
“Great, I’ll see you there. Right, Lando?” Oscar’s smile lit up his face.
Lando managed a wry chuckle with everyone’s eyes on him, a sudden nervousness overtaking him, feeling his every move and action watched. The thought of seeing Oscar glistened with sweat and under the sun sent Lando for a whirlwind. “Uh- yeah, I’ll see you Sunday, Oscar,” Lando replied, waving goodbye as Charles’ tugged on his arm once more.
Oscar’s smile remained radiant and he returned the gesture. “Bye, Lando!”
Charles gave his final goodbyes to the rest of them, while Lando was too lost in his own head about Sunday. They finally left the parlour, the door slamming shut behind them, and the two began making their way towards Lando’s place for the evening. The whole way there, Charles talked Lando’s ear off about how kind and tender Max was with him, how he handled him so well and was so calming. He listened and nodded along to each word for the Monegasque, but Lando’s mind was elsewhere.
Lando’s mind was stuck on the stencils and the creator behind them, the details and effort put into each one and the bright smile showcasing Oscar’s bunny teeth.
Sunday wasn’t looking too good.
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