♡

It wasn't even a good sandwich, so Lando didn't know why he was mourning or why the dog seemed to be enjoying it so much. The thing was constructed from bread that had lingered at the bottom of the loaf that he, George and Alex had bought at the start of the week. Lando had scraped the last of the butter from the tub and stole the last piece of thin ham.

Really, he had just wanted a snack to have while chilling after a busy morning of exams.

"Is it good?", Lando removed his headphones to ask the dog who paused in its munching to boof at him as if to say it was, "Okay, you're welcome I guess"

The dog, he was starting to think it was a dauschund, ignored him. His golden tail still wagggin as he tore chunks of bread only to spit it out, creating a little crime scene out of the pathetic sandwich.

It was quiet amusing to watch. Lando couldn't fault the little dog when it seemed so happy with it's bounty. He even took out his phone, snapping a picture to send to the groupchat with George and Alex and to Max.

Max was replying when Lando heard someone calling out a name that had the dog pausing in his munching. His little head tilted and he moved as if to run towards the sound before the sandwich was more important.

"Leo!", a man stumbled over a tree root as he spotted them.

The first thought that crossed Lando's mind was that the other man was pretty. His cheeks were flushed from panic and exerition. A lead was held tight in one hand. A disappointed look crossed his face when he noticed what his dog, Leo, was doing, but somehow it made him look even prettier.

"Oh my god, Leo. What have you done?", the horror in his voice had Lando laughing, making the stranger turn to look at him as if just noticing he was there.

"He's stealing my lunch", Lando laughed, unable to help himself, "I didn't even see him coming but he seems to be enjoying it more than I would have"

The pretty stranger seemed flustered and embarassed. A little groan leaving him as he smacked a hand over his face as if to hide.

"I am so sorry", the man mumbled, "I let him off his lead as usual but he took off. He's a menace. We are working on it, I promise. No more lunches will be stolen after this because he is never being let off lead in public again"

Lando had to bit his cheek to stop himself roaring with laughter at the situation and apology, especially when Leo decided he was done eating and promptly walked over to Lando and flopped in his lap.

The dog looked up at him with expectations in his eyes and Lando couldn't resist the urge to pet him.

"It's okay, he's cute", Lando smiled, scratching behind one floppy golden ear as Leo let out a happy grumble, "He can steal my lunch any time"

The man stared at Lando and Leo for a moment, and then he smiled. He smiled and shook his head, sitting down once he realised that expecting Leo to move right now would be a battle.

"Still, I am sorry", he apologised again, holding a hand out to Leo who sniffed it but didn't budge from Lando's lap, "Maybe I can make it up to you.....?"

"Lando"

"Lando, I'm Charles", the way Charles said his name had Lando's stomach fluttering, "And you've met Leo. Maybe we can treat you to lunch to make up for his theivery?"

Lando felt his cheeks flush a little at the way Charles was watching him, waiting for an answer.

"Yes" Lando surprised himself by answering before he could even think.

Charles's smile, bright and flirty, had his heart thrumming, skipping a beat.

Charles snickers out an apology and maneuvers Lando around the chair he just cracked his shin on, moving toward the living room at the same slow, awkward pace as before, refusing to take his hands off Lando’s eyes. The sun is sinking into the Monaco horizon and Lando’s fresh off a long flight home from God knows where. New York, maybe. Charles lost track of Lando’s continent hopping sometime over the last week and a half, but it doesn’t matter much, not now that Lando’s right back where he should be. Home.

“Okay, okay, almost there,” Charles says as they near the couch.

Lando holds out his hands in a show of downright distrust for Charles’ ability to get him where he wants him unharmed. “‘There’ better be a freaking bed so you can rail me into next week, I swear to God.”

Charles flushes and clears his throat. Later, he tells himself sternly. Later, he will flatten Lando out and reacquaint himself with the way Lando’s breath hitches when he kisses his collarbone. Now, he has a surprise to inact.

“Not now, amour,” he says. “It is the Valentine’s Day and I want to treat you.”

“You could treat me with your di—"

“Lando!” Lando let’s out that high-pitched cackle that’s never once failed to brighten Charles’ day. “You are a menace.”

“Thank you— ah, couch! I will take getting railed on the couch, but you’re cleaning it.”

Charles rolls his eyes as Lando pats the back of the couch like he’s greeting a friend in the paddock. “You are…I forget the word.”

“Insatiable.”

“Yes, that. You are insatiable.”

“You’re no better.” Lando holds out a foot, clearly searching for the coffee table so he doesn’t hit it. “Where’s our coffee table?”

A pleased shiver shoots up his spine like it always does when Lando refers to something as “ours”. It still holds some novelty to it even after three months of living together. Like discovering a new comfort meal with a taste that doesn’t get boring.

“Happy Valentine’s Day, Lando.”

Charles drops his hands and brings his thumbnail between his teeth. Watching Lando, one of his favorite past times, has never felt so nerve wracking. Perhaps thats a lie, he muses. Nothing will ever surmount the nerves that gripped him when he kissed Lando on a whim because Lando was yelling at him for throwing a tomato on the ground in Overcooked instead of slicing it, and Charles remembers laughing himself hoarse until he couldn’t take it any longer and pressed the sound against Lando’s lips. The way Lando froze, the Switch controller tumbling to the hotel room carpet, and stared at Charles like he was a corner he couldn’t quite figure out how to take correctly, had stopped his heart. Until Lando threw himself at him and they made out on the couch in some hotel room in America like clueless 16 year olds.

Charles has cleared out the coffee table and the love seat to make enough space that they won’t accidentally knock each other out, and set up the VR sets that have been collecting dust in their sim room since they moved in. Lando’s always mentioning how he got some VR version of some survival game that had a forest and crazy, naked cannibals you had to fight. Or something.

“It’s disgusting and terrifying, you’ll hate it. We have to play it,” Lando said months back, looking far too delighted by the faces Charles made at his description.

There hasn’t been time, though. Not between them moving in together, races, and team duties that sent them around the world. But, they have one more week before car reveal season begins and he’ll be damned if he doesn’t spend it giving Lando anything he wants.

“What?” Lando mumbles, staring at the gaming setup.

“I set up the VR stuff. Max, your Max, was very nice and sat on Discord with me for ages getting everything set up,” Charles says, feeling a little too warm and tight-skinned. “I thought we could play that horrible game you talked about and have dinner. We did not get to spend Valentine’s together last year, so, I thought—"

He’s cut off by Lando taking his face in his hands and kissing him. His whole body sighs and he threads his fingers through the hair on the back of Lando’s head. It’s longer right now. His favorite.

“You’re a muppet,” Lando says softly, fondly, as he pulls back slightly with bright eyes and a gap-toothed smile. “I really like you.”

“I am glad for this since we have been together for over a year.” He kisses Lando again, quick and gentle. “I really like you too. Welcome home.”

Lando hums and noses under his jaw. “You’re still railing me tonight.”