F1 ONESHOTS

Lando X Daniel - And now you're gone

Lando

When I broke up with Carlos and he moved out and changed jobs, I got a new coworker. He was beyond annoying and the worst part of it was the fact that everyone seemed to love him. He was probably trying to be funny, but he was kinda stealing my job doing that.
Before him, I was the funny one everyone loved. Now I felt like being somehow in his shadow and to be precise, I did more work than he did. I was working for the company for a few years already and he was just a newbie. Everyone could say that he was underperforming.

Few months passed by and we didn't speak a word. I felt kind of offended even though I wouldn't want to talk to him anyway. Still, he talked with everyone so why not me? I assumed that he hated me. I couldn't know, but it was the best option for me, my feelings wouldn't get hurt that way. And my ego...

Daniel

When I got my new job I was insanely happy. It wasn't really dream job, but at least it was something better than the job I was doing before. The first months were difficult. And I even though about leaving, but I couldn't. My mother was sick and I needed the job to make some money for her treatment, they even paid me a lot more then they should based on the amount of work I did compared to others. I wasn't complaining though.

After some time it got better and I at least slept more. The only problem that was still there was my coworker. We were supposed to work on new project, but we didn't even talk to eachother. I assumed he hated me, since he never smiled at me (I have to add that he smiled at everyone) and he always walked away when I was trying to approach him.

When I finally managed to find him at the end of the week to ask about the project, he wasn't even looking at me while I was talking, nor when he was answering. It felt weird and also very childish. I didn't understand what he was trying to prove there, we're supposed to work together even if we don't like eachother. He seemed to have a problem with that.

Lando

Eventually me and Daniel had to talk at some point, the work needed to be done and others couldn't help. I found it increasingly difficult to hate that man. It made me even more angry that I couldn't hate him. But he was just perfect. And that was annoying. Maybe because it made me realize that he's better than I, even though I was better in the work.

Daniel was always smiling like crazy, but I could see that he was hiding his real emotions with the smile. He seemed more tired every week and it looked like its somehow difficult to even walk. I didn't know what was wrong, but I wasn't going to ask. I was supposed to hate him.

It all fell down one day when he didn't show up. At first I thought that he's sick or travelling somewhere. I wouldn't know. But he didn't show up for a few weeks. I was thinking about it like crazy.
What if something happened to him? Not that I would care. I shouldn't care, I hate him.
But what if he's injured or...no it's been to long for just an injury. He's probably on holiday.

It became unbearable for me. I was thinking about all the things that could go wrong, everything that could've happened to him why he's not in work and in the end I realised that I missed him. I don't know what exactly, I hated everything about that man, so why would I miss him?

One day I decided I had enough. I stormed into my boss's office to ask where Daniel is.
"He's gone. He's not working here anymore." Before I had any time to ask more, the phone rang and I had to get out.

It was too much (for little Lando Norris...). I couldn't sleep because every time I closed my eyes I saw his smile. Couldn't eat because it reminded me of the times when I was observing him in the canteen burning him with my gaze or competing at who's going to eat the lunch faster.

I missed Daniel more than I thought I would.
I saw his smile everywhere even though I knew it couldn't be him. I was sad all the time. I couldn't laugh, couldn't even smile. I missed Daniel. And somehow I realised that maybe, only maybe I didn't hate him anymore. But I didn't know where he was. I didn't even have his phone number, nor did I know where he lived.

Probably the fate had mercy when it saw me, because a few weeks later, I saw Daniel with some papers in my boss's office. His hair was a bit longer and to my own surprise, I found it looking better. He was smiling again, it seemed to be real smile this time. He then walked away waving at a few people.

I almost run to him.

"Hey, Dan, where have you been?" He looked surprised that it was me. I couldn't blame him though, I was surprised myself.
"Hey...they fired me you know, I wasn't performing enough apparently. But I have a new job now. I'm quite surprised you talk to me to be honest, I thought you hate me?"
"No. I have to admit that I did, but not anymore. I missed you actually."

He smiled a bit surprised.

"Well, then if you'd like, we can go grab some coffee when you're free?"
"Alright."