#11pm

"You're flying in with Max tomorrow, right?"

If asked, Oscar would say that he did not — in fact — roll his eyes when Lando asked. He would be lying.

"Yeah mate, we've gone over everything already, remember?"

Lando at least had the decency to look slightly embarrassed, he supposed.

"Right, yeah." He turned back to his phone, scrolling aimlessly with one hand and taking another bite of his sandwich in the other. "So what did you get him?"

"One, stop talking around your food, it's gross. Two-" He paused for a moment, scanning his mind for any recollection of why (or if) he would be bringing Max anything. He came up blank.

"Why would I be bringing him something? It's his home race, it's not like… his birthday or anything."

Oscar shook his head, turning back to his own lunch. Some limp-looking salad he was supposed to be incorporating more frequently into his meal plan. He wasn't a fan.

"You're kidding, right?"

"Huh?"

Oscar glanced back up at Lando, who had now put his phone face-down on the table, and was gaping at him like he had just kicked a puppy.

"Oscar, please tell me you're kidding."

The insistence in Lando's tone was… unexpected.

"Kidding about…?" He trailed off, letting the question hang in the air.

Lando dropped his sandwich back onto his plate, both hands going to cover his face and dragging down until he was peeking through his fingers. Entirely too dramatic, in Oscar's opinion.

"Osc… Max's birthday is on Saturday, you know that right? Please tell me you know that and you're not about to make a fool out of yourself tomorrow when you fly with him and didn't get him something for his birthday."

Ah. Well.

"I- Uh-"

"Oscar!" The whine was drawn out, Lando burying his face deeper into his hands and slumping down in his chair.

"Well how was I supposed to know? It's not like he ever mentioned it!"

"You've been yearning over the guy for years and you don't know his birthday?"

And, okay, that was unfair really.

"I have not been yearning!" Just like he was not being defensive. And just like his face was not becoming redder as the conversation went on.

"Yes, you have, you get all puppy-eyed whenever you see him- but that's not what's important right now!" Lando stood up, slamming his palms on the table and shoving his chair back with a screech. "We're fixing this. Right now."

"What- no wait a second- what about lunch?"

"Right, like you're actually eating any of that." Lando was behind him now, hands on his shoulders like he was about to physically drag Oscar out of his chair. (He probably would.) "Come on, up you get. Let's go get you something to woo that boyfriend of yours."

Oscar rolled his eyes (again), but let himself be dragged out of the chair.

"Not my boyfriend."

"And with that attitude he never will be! Now come on!"

---

Oscar never did like shopping, really. They had been through too many shops now — all very fancy, all very expensive — and quite frankly he was a bit sick of it all.

"I just- how are you supposed to get something for a guy who already has everything he could possibly want?"

Lando shrugged beside him, still in higher spirits than Oscar, but much more relaxed than before.

"You just have to expand on something he already likes really. I got him new padel racquets. He may not ever use them but it's the thought that counts."

Oscar nodded, giving an absentminded hum of agreement. "Right, so red bull and cars. Got it."

Lando chuckled, eyes still scanning the shops around them.

"Oh Osc, look!" He pointed to a small stand across the street. "Pretzels! We should get some. Can we get some?"

They did smell really good. Or maybe he was just hungry from being ripped away from lunch.

"Lando, no, our meal plans-"

The attempt was in vain. He was already halfway across the street, turning over his shoulder to shout back at Oscar.

"I'll get you one too! Don't worry!"

Oscar just shook his head, turning to the shop next to him. It looked nice, and the air-con felt nice spilling from the door, and well his teammate would be busy for who-knows-how-long, so it wouldn't hurt to step inside and look around.

It was nice on the inside as well. The employee behind the counter gave him a half-smile, quickly turning back the drawer she was sorting through, a short "let me know if you need anything." Oscar nodded (though she probably didn't even see it), walking farther in and letting his eyes drift over the different glass display cases.

He stopped in front of one, mainly because it was right in front of the fan, but he let himself study the contents. A few necklaces, some decorative tie pins, a few rings, and- oh.

His eyes lingered on a ring in the center of the display. It was simple, really. Just a plain black steel with a stripe of dark blue stone across the middle. He opened his mouth before he really thought about what he was asking.

"Can I get this one?"

The girl behind the counter come over, seeing where he was pointing and nodding.

"Good pick. Any questions about it?"

Oscar shook his head. Something about it just felt right.

---

He found Lando outside the store a few moments later, box in his hand neatly gift-wrapped with a blue ribbon. Lando raised a brow, voice muffled around the bite of pretzel in his mouth.

"Proposing on the first date Piastri? Didn't think you were that bold, I'm impressed."

Oscar could feel his face warm. He blamed it on the heat.

"Don't you have a flight to be packing for? One that's not on a private jet tomorrow?"