✓ WORKING FOR THE KNIFE ━ lando norris. ¹

[ 037 ] So Domestic

( ACT III. ── Fearless )
chapter thirty-seven / So Domestic

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They flew to Italy on Sunday night so Annika could spend time with her family. Those plans were nearly sent askew by Lando attempting to drown her on Monday morning.

"I cannot breathe water, you muppet," she scolded, coughing a bit, giving him a small push. Once out from directly beneath the shower head, she wiped her face and blinked the water out of her eyes.

"Sorry, I'm sorry." He stepped back from her a bit. However, he didn't seem to get the point as he went back to scrubbing her soapy hair while her head was still tilted down. Shampoo ran down her face and got in her mouth, tangy and bitter and unpleasantly acidic, causing her face to screw up as she spluttered. Lando laughed and began apologizing. Rinsed his hand, wiped her mouth with his thumb, kissed her and got soap in his own mouth, repeat.

Annika laughed hopelessly. "Just let me do it."

"No, no, I'm trying to help you," he complained. This time he waited until her head was tilted back properly towards the water and wiped the soap backwards from her face. It all started because she had passively mentioned not braiding her hair for the race because of her sore shoulder, and the conversation culminated with his enthusiastic offer to wash her hair for her. Her agreement had been dubious at best, and now she was reminded of why.

He was hopeless, but it was cute. So she allowed him to go on.

As expected, being in Italy was highlighted by a lot of unease for both of them. Annika had decided that she needed to tell Kimi about her relationship in person, meaning Lando would inevitably be encountering him one way or another, even if Annika didn't organize a second-introduction for them. It wasn't like he was scary when it came to this sort of thing. He was actually very relaxed about it all. But, as for Lando's point; revealing to someone you worked with for three years that you're dating his daughter now? Recipe for disaster.

"Are you sure I have to meet him?" Lando asked anxiously as she was getting ready to leave the hotel room. It wasn't as if he was even coming with her yet, but he was an absolute mess watching her leave.

Annika sighed and worked on cramming her foot into her new trainers. "Lando, you worked with him for three years."

"Yeah, but it's completely different now. An entirely different relationship."

"Why are you the anxious one? I'm about to tell him that I completely violated the terms and conditions." She remembered it like it was yesterday, Kimi only agreeing to put her in karting as long as she swore up and down that she would never date any boy she raced against. In his words, they were all bad news.