READY OR NOT - Landoscar

25 - You're Not Alone

Lando sat at the edge of the bed, his hands clasped loosely in his lap, eyes cast downward, shadows pooling beneath his lashes. The weight of the last few weeks had begun to bear down on him, pressing with a suffocating intensity that even sleep could not ease. He felt raw, exposed, as though everything he had held inside was threatening to surface, despite his best efforts to contain it. The room was silent, the only sound the soft creak of the floorboards as Oscar moved closer, a quiet presence in the dim light.

Oscar crouched down before him, just a breath away, his gaze steady and intent as he studied Lando's face. There was a softness in his expression, a subtle shift in his usually stoic demeanour, as if, for once, he'd shed the armour of mystery he wore like a shield. He looked at Lando not with the detached fascination of a ghostly spectre but with something warm, something achingly real, something almost... human.

The silence stretched between them, thick and intimate, like a wordless confession. Slowly, Oscar reached out, his fingers brushing the edge of Lando's hand, a tentative touch that spoke more than words ever could. Lando felt the warmth of his hand, steady and grounding, and he looked up, meeting Oscar's gaze. The amber depths of Oscar's eyes held a flicker of sorrow, a quiet empathy that seemed to mirror Lando's own pain, as though he, too, was haunted by shadows.

"You're not alone," Oscar murmured softly, his voice a whisper, barely audible but carrying a weight that filled the room. It was the first time Lando had heard him speak with such quiet conviction, a gentle assurance that felt like a balm to the turmoil raging within.

Lando's throat tightened, the vulnerability he'd tried to ignore rising up in a swell of emotion he could no longer contain. It felt as if Oscar had seen through every wall, every carefully crafted defence, and had chosen to stay—had chosen to be here, despite it all. There was a comfort in Oscar's gaze, in the way he lingered in that moment with Lando, that was almost painful in its tenderness.

"I... I don't know what to do," Lando managed, his voice breaking slightly, the words barely a whisper. He felt exposed, his fears laid bare in the quiet of the room. "It's all... so much. I don't know how to keep going."

Oscar didn't respond immediately, but his hand tightened gently over Lando's, a steady presence that felt like an anchor. He didn't offer platitudes or false promises. Instead, he simply stayed, his gaze unwavering, his presence solid, as if to say that, while he might not have the answers, he would remain, a constant in the storm.

Oscar's other hand rose to rest on Lando's shoulder; his touch was feather-light, and he leaned in, a quiet closeness that felt like a shield against the darkness pressing in around them. "There is strength in you," he said finally, his voice low and steady. "More than you realise."

Lando closed his eyes, letting the words sink in, allowing himself, just for a moment, to believe them. Oscar's voice held a certainty he didn't feel himself, yet it filled him with a strange, unexpected comfort, as though, in the depths of his own despair, he had found a glimmer of hope—a light that Oscar had chosen to share, if only for tonight.

For a moment, Lando leaned into that touch, letting Oscar's presence be enough. The usual boundaries, the walls between their worlds, seemed to melt away, leaving only the quiet truth of their connection. In that silence, Lando felt the calmness settle over him, easing the ache that had lingered for so long.

Oscar stayed with him, a quiet guardian, his expression softening as he held Lando's gaze. 

Though he was a creature of shadow, bound by secrets, tonight he felt undeniably real, undeniably present.