favourite / lando norris

thirty

After I've had lunch and promised once again to bring the car back in one piece, I make my way over to Max's. He'd had the forethought to let his doorman know I was coming so I have no issue getting up to his place. From the moment I step foot in his airy, well lit flat, I'm bombarded with the sounds of laughter and shouting.

I toe off my shoes at the door, silently sneaking over to where the sound is coming from with a slowly budding smile coming across my face. Cracking the door open, I see Max and Lando sitting in front of the computer, snacking on some food and shouting at each other as they play some kind of video game.

Lifting a hand to my mouth in a shush gesture that I hope the stream can see, I sneak closer, coming right up behind them and crouching down. Then, with a slow, calculated lift of my hands, I settle them on their shoulders at the exact same time.

The sudden, unexpected touch sends them both jumping, Lando's scream almost eclipsed by how loudly Max curses. "Fucking hell!" He shrieks, almost toppling out of his chair before righting himself with another curse. "Chat! Did you see her come in? Why the hell did you not say anything>"

Hundreds of comments roll through, each one a different iteration of laughter at their reactions.

I glance up at the camera, giving it a smile and a wave, "Hi everyone. Hi love."

I lift my hand to cover the camera just as I lean over to give Lando a quick kiss, laughing at his blush when the camera's uncovered and all the comments coming in are now teasing him.

Max rolls his eyes, "Don't do that shit in my house."

We both laugh, Lando's arm coming around my waist as I rise to stand and move a bit off camera. "Someone's jealous," I tease, laughing some more as Max starts to cuss me out. "Careful, you've got kids watching."

There's a roar of laughter from Lando when I say that, has hand sliding further down my waist to give my side a squeeze. It's nothing out of the ordinary for the two of us but it must have been noticed by the chat, if their sudden uproar of comments is any indication.

I roll my eyes, stepping out of Lando's hold and giving his head a good shove when he starts to complain. Instead of standing beside him, I move over to the bed in the corner, flopping onto it and giving a loud, put out sigh.

The bed sinks under my weight, enveloping me in a cocoon of softness. I stretch out my legs and let out a contented sigh, enjoying the brief respite from being on-camera. I know I'm still within sight, though, and am mindful of keeping my phone hidden as I go through some work emails.

Max and Lando continue their banter, their voices merging into an indistinguishable symphony of laughter and playful insults as they switch off playing in some kind of competition.

From the corner of my eye, I catch glimpses of their animated gestures as they engage in their ongoing video game battle. The screen and lighting all around it illuminates their faces, casting flickering shadows across the room. It's a sight that never fails to make my heart swell.

I missed watching the two of them together. Their friendship is so different from the one Lando and I have. I mean, they don't even know each other's birthdays (despite celebrating them together every year for as long as I can remember) but they're as thick as thieves. They're Thing One and Thing Two, bouncing off each other with endless energy and mindless chaos.

As the chat explodes with comments about their antics, I switch over to the Twitch app on my phone. My fingers dance across the keyboard, typing out witty replies and engaging with the stream's chat. It's incredible how connected they are, how Quadrant and Lando's career has brought all these people together from around the world.