Chapter Text
It was just another moment, another ordinary mission. Something so common that the renowned masked hero didn’t have to think much about: he could just trust his instincts and go with the flow. He was effortlessly soaring through the entire city, leaving dozens of skyscrapers behind, eyes fixed on the truck tearing down the city street at enormous speed. The police sirens tightened the atmosphere, but at least gave the civilians a chance to react and get out of the way of the maniacs breaking the law and ramming at everyone and everything in their path. The criminals had to be stopped, and so the Spider-man made sure to close the distance fast, finally landing on top of the roof of the vehicle with a loud thud.
Just as that happened, the hero regained his balance and then immediately charged to the side of the truck, where the robber was already prepared to meet him with a gun to his face. It would be a good moment to crack the joke — something like “Woah, so happy to see me?” — but not today. Spider-man’s mind was clouded with something dark and restless.
“Fuck off!” the gunner shouted as he tried to pull the trigger with zero hesitation.
“No chance”, the man in the red and blue suit parried and shot webs right into the barrel, catching the criminal off guard. The hero took the opening, disarming the enemy swiftly and charging towards the door handle. The robber wouldn’t stop resisting, but the incoming web wrapped around his wrists too fast, forcing him to swing out of the truck and get stuck on some light pole for the police to catch. Way to end the career.
As easy as that went, the driver was still there, still ramming the vehicle at full speed and almost hitting innocent bystanders. The masked hero had to get it under control before more damage could be done.
“You are going down, bitch!” the remaining criminal threatened as he turned the steering wheel hard left at high speed, forcing Spider-man off the roof. Losing his grip, the hero flew off the side but barely made it back, shooting a new string toward the truck and swinging himself up. What he saw was the worst possible scenario. The vehicle was flying towards a building in front and the driver would definitely not make this turn without crashing.
Spider-man had to be decisive and quick: he shot two webs to the side buildings, launching himself toward the front of the car to stop it himself. The impact punched all air out of the hero's lungs, forcing immense pain to his lower body, trying to stop the truck with his feet against the front of it. He barely made it, as people screamed and ran in different directions.
The whole scene lasted just a few seconds, but it felt so insane and terrifying to the masked man that he could barely let the web go even after the vehicle fully stopped. He finally settled his feet on the ground and looked around to make sure that the civilians were fine. He saw many horrified faces, but one so familiar and dear stood out the most: the pained look, messy curls covering his forehead, eyes full of sorrow and dread — and even more so, betrayal. His mouth was half open but not daring to speak or even breathe. Everything was forgotten in a second — even the chaotic robbery that had just been stopped. Spider-man’s whole world was reduced to just them two.
“Oh… oh my god, are you okay? Did you get hurt?” the panic was evident as the hero gently touched the guy’s shoulder, but the latter harshly pulled away. He looked so scared it made the man in red feel so much guilt for what happened. But it wasn’t just about this moment — it was about all the things left unspoken.
No reply followed as the curly guy took a couple of steps back, distancing not just from the incident, but from the hero himself.
“I’m just… happy you are safe”. Spider-man didn’t dare to beg for a chance to talk or explain, seemingly grateful just for the opportunity to make sure that the person he cherished the most was left uninjured.
But the words cracked something inside the other man, tearing open the fresh wound in his heart. He couldn’t be here right now, just couldn’t bear to live through another second of this misery. That’s why he turned around and ran, the whole world in front of him blurring into smudged canvas. The masked hero was left staring at the guy with regret, as the whole world kept moving around with police sirens finally closing in and people making way for the rescue.
But to know how it all unfolded like that, let’s go back to the very beginning.
🕸️🕸️🕸️
Fall in New York tends to be very gentle to its residents with the climate. The sun lets you bathe in its warm light during the day, while a cool breeze gives you fresh evenings. And when Oscar finally arrived here to study, the first thing he noticed was exactly that: just how good he felt here. It was nice to get off the plane and out of the airport after a long flight of doing absolutely nothing. His uncle, Mark Webber, was picking him up and would be looking after him for the next few years of university — the benefits of having relatives in different parts of the world.
“You should’ve told me sooner that fall is so nice here. I wouldn’t have had to spend my summer freezing my arse off at home,” the young man said while driving down the busy streets of the city in his uncle’s car. That earned a small chuckle from Mark and a smirk afterward.
“Mate, blame Australian weather, not me. I hope you didn’t drag any of it here.”
“God no. I like it — please let me have this,” Oscar said with a mock desperation. His gaze was drifting from the tall buildings to the people walking down the street. It was Aussie's first time traveling to America, and this was about to become the place where he would live. Oh, the endless opportunities.
“Alright, let me speak to the New York weather forecast program. I’ll get that arranged for you,” the older man winked and rolled the windows down, resting his elbow on the door. Oscar did the same. It felt so relaxing, especially after how sore his muscles were — almost unreal, too good to describe.
“So how’s your business going?” Oscar glanced at his uncle. He was referring to that auto shop that Webber had been running here for a while now.
“You know – the usual. Still haven’t got millionaire clients so won’t be seeing bags of cash any time soon. But also won’t be losing anything if I accidentally fuck up their cars, so…” Mark smirked again, though his nephew noticed the heavy sigh that followed.
“Not bad. No worries, you know I’ll get a job and will be paying my bills,” the young man reassured him, but the older one immediately disagreed.
“Nah, ‘m right. You just worry about your studies for now, ‘kay? That’s why you’re here. When are you starting? Monday?”
“Uhh, think so…” Oscar’s thought drifted to the inevitable: being forced to meet new people. Exciting and terrifying at the same time for someone as quiet and laid-back as him. Mark noticed how the boy started zoning out and recognized the struggles of moving so far from home all too well.
“Hey there, you’ll do good. Talented kids like you never end up lonely or struggling or anything. You’ll get ‘em all, tiger.”
Even though Oscar’s heart still was beating too fast and his stomach felt that strange flutter, he smiled, hearing that support from his uncle.
“Yeah, thanks, I’ll try.”
They arrived at Mark's apartment soon after. Located in a quiet area, it offered a quite different vibe than the main streets of New York. Oscar didn’t mind that at all, but would have to keep transportation in mind — he struggled with alarms and waking up in the morning. The room his uncle offered was pretty cluttered, but it was his own room. Definitely better than renting all by yourself or those random dorms with terrible stench and horrendous outdated furniture. Anyway, the young Aussie had an entire weekend to unpack and get ready for the new chapter in his life — New York’s university of sciences. Whatever worries Oscar had, he knew he’d get over it. Life, bring it on!
Okay, maybe that was too hasty on his part. Out of all that could happen, how on earth was this guy late to his very first class? Sure, he was struggling to sleep because of all the thoughts, but then to miss his alarm on top of that? The young man was so lucky to have his uncle Mark, who woke him up and saved his arse from missing the class completely.
And now Oscar was stuck on a full bus in traffic with no morning coffee, bags under his eyes, messy hair, and sweaty clothes from running all the way to the bus station. What a way to fuck it all up, Oscar. Cheers.
Once he got off the bus, the Aussie glanced at his watch. Okay, half an hour is still salvageable for a 2 hour lecture, right? The blonde rushed towards the building, finally entering and immediately his hopes of getting anywhere crumbled. Why the hell was this hall so big and confusing? Well, at least he wasn’t the only student running around shamelessly late there.
Oscar decided not to waste any more time here and asked a nice lady at the entrance for directions. She gave the younger man this look of hey, happens to all students, and helped him navigate to his lecture hall.
Okay, now all that was left was to walk in, have every eye on him, and get humiliated in front of everyone. Easy, right? Oscar sighed as he was about to grab the handle, but loud footsteps from down the hall immediately caught his attention. Some guy was running up to the Aussie, clearly out of breath. He stopped right next to Oscar, taking his earphones out, which gave the blonde a chance to look at him properly.
Messy brown curls were all over the place, his eyes a warm hazel with those fluffy eyelashes, some stubble on his face, a few moles scattered across the skin like chocolate chips. His outfit was simple yet fashionable: a white zip hoodie with a black jacket on top, paired with grey baggy jeans. For someone who had been running late this guy looked damn good.
“Huff… Door?” the stranger gasped, still trying to catch his breath. Oscar finally looked up, snapping out of his trance.
“Huh?” The Aussie was so lost it was embarrassing already.
“The door? Huff… You mind getting it?” the guy said in a distinct British accent. Not the one you usually make fun of, but the one that makes you wonder how someone as ordinary can sound like royalty.
“Oh, sure. My bad,” the blonde finally pulled the handle and let the stranger go in first. He smiled, said a quick “cheers”, and entered. Oscar came in right after.
Once inside, the Aussie could finally see the classroom. It was your typical lecture hall: a bunch of rows with desks, half of them empty. Not surprising as this wasn’t the first lecture this year, and as all students know — no point going after that one, right? The professor was explaining something and writing on the board, but now his gaze fixed on the late arrivals. This seemed to be a regular occurrence, but he still had to make his point.
“Norris, late again. Thanks for disturbing my class for… hey, you think maybe it's an anniversary? 40th time?”
That earned a bunch of laughs from the students. Some people started waving at him — his friends, Oscar guessed.
“Happy anniversary?” the guy just casually grinned and rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. Oscar couldn’t help but stare at the scene with a smile.
“Hope it’s the last one. And you are?” the teacher now eyed the man behind him. And the Aussie noticed that other students were looking at him too. Well, he had to get it over with.
“Oscar Piastri, new student, sir. I’m sorry for running late,” — yep, introduce and apologize, just like he rehearsed it on the bus. The professor sighed and fixed his glasses.
“Sit down and please do not follow this man’s footsteps.”
What a relief. His life wasn’t that cruel after all, sending him this unplanned but fortunate encounter. This Norris guy sure made things easy by taking the heat.
Oscar soon headed up the stairs, trying to find the best spot to sit. His late-to-class-buddy landed right next to this group that seemed to know him well. And the Aussie wasn’t about to make more trouble for him, so the choice fell on the seat next to two guys who, at first glance, were fine with making a new friend.
“Hey, I’m Oscar. You don’t mind?” the blonde waved to them and smiled, sitting down and getting his notebook out.
“Yeah, all good. Hi there, Oscar. I’m Logan, that’s Fred. Good to meet you,” they both grinned at him and gave him a look of both impressed and amused — like they were about to tease him.
“Quite an entrance for your first day. You were lucky that Lando got most of it,” yep, couldn’t agree more. And the Aussie made a mental note: so that was his name — Lando Norris. Not so British and royal after all.
“Yeah, well… I just bumped into him. Saved my late arse. Speaking of that, do you think you could do the same and let me copy your notes?” Oscar looked apologetic, yet these two seemed very chill about it. Reassuring.
“No problem, if you can understand any of it,” Logan passed him Fred’s notes, and oh boy — this writing was something. Now the blonde understood.
“Can I get a decipherer going too?” The joke made Logan smile and Fred exclaim in mock outrage at the disrespect. Well, at least the two of them looked like a good friend group. Not a bad start after all.
The lecture soon ended (it didn’t feel that quick to Oscar), and it was time for lunch. There was a university cafeteria in the building, but who seriously wanted to have food from there? Everyone went their separate ways to nearby spots, and one place was particularly adored by many — the legendary cheap NY pizza. One giant slice for just a dollar! And upon learning that the Aussie still hadn’t tried any, Logan and Fred were decided: it’s a must-have. Well, so thought many other students as well, as the queues grew long fast. The trick was to get a slice of pizza with the ranch sauce and fries on the side and one cold cola can — a gold deal for anyone looking to stuff their stomach for a cheap price.
The trio got their meals and headed back to campus to sit down at one of the tables and eat. Oscar noticed Lando and his friend group there too.
“So, you guys–” the blonde barely started before Logan shushed him with a finger to his lips.
“No-no, food comes first. You gotta try it while it’s hot,” the American looked dead serious as he said it, so Oscar wouldn’t dare protest. Their house — their rules, or something like that.
Oscar got his slice of pizza out of the box. The smell made his mouth watery. The first bite caused a burn because the food was still so hot. The Aussie's face winced. But it was so damn good. Even if that burn would end up killing the man, he at least would die happily eating this top-tier pizza. Greasy and hot but flavorful — nothing beats that.
All three ended up fanning their mouths and nodding in approval as they ate. The meal was basically finished in 5 minutes. Each of them wiped their hands and mouths with tissues and relaxed in their seats, appreciating the break and the gentle breeze.
“Now that– That was a good pizza. Okay, now I know. Cheers, guys,” Oscar smiled and sipped from his can. The sheer contrast of hot pizza and ice cold soda made this meal even better.
“Give it a week and you won’t be able to go back to Australia anymore,” Logan warned, and Fred nodded.
“Dangerous but intriguing.” Oscar paused before finally switching to the questions he meant to ask earlier. “So you guys usually hang out just you two? What’s the rest of the group like?”
“I mean– Fred and I are the same age. The others are a bit older, it just turned out this way. But we still hang out sometimes. Fred is in the same internship program at Mercedes with Kimi and George. Kimi is one of the freshmen this year, and George is that guy in sunglasses — dressed like he goes to work, not to uni.”
Logan pointed in the direction of them both, and Oscar quickly took a look at them. The younger one was in this group with a few other faces the Aussie wouldn’t know for now, but they seemed to be having a great time laughing and scrolling through their phones. And when it came to George — let’s just say it was very easy to notice him, exactly how Logan described. There were a bunch of other guys around him including the already familiar Lando Norris. The blonde’s eyes lingered on that guy. Out of many around their table the curly one was getting all the attention — this guy kept waffling and making everyone around him laugh.
“Can you tell me more about these guys?”
“Them? Well, let’s see… As you can understand George is the rich and posh one, also the best one in our class when it comes to grades. But his attitude? Well... Let’s just say Fred knows how difficult that guy is. Max is the one sitting next to him — also quite difficult. Blunt and competitive, and somehow he and George get along well? Don’t even ask me.”
The two Logan was talking about looked quite nonchalant in the company and discussed things among themselves, rolling their eyes most of the time when others were laughing. Although you could notice both of them were also having a good time and liked some of the jokes.
“Next to them are Charles and Carlos. Both have been best friends probably since childhood? A chaotic duo, I must say. Pierre is another Frenchman and friend of Charles’ — loud, talkative and funny. Somehow he’s besties with this Japanese guy Yuki, who’s a lot of trouble.”
Oscar took a moment, trying to remember their faces and all the new names — one of many difficulties moving to a new place. Charles and Carlos looked like they were enjoying torturing George and Max with their presence, while Pierre and Yuki did the same but mostly to Max. Well, seemed like their friend circle was close enough that annoying each other was mandatory.
“Then there are Alex, Daniel and Lando. Alex is quite funny and charming. Daniel is the one with ridiculous ideas and all about being wild. And Lando — you already know that guy. Talkative party menace. But really kind and nice.”
Finally the last few at their table were introduced, and Oscar couldn’t help staring at Lando a little longer. He looked so carefree and like nothing would make him happier than his friends’ laughter. He’s not the type the Aussie would usually become close with. And yet, part of him wanted to try.
“Sounds pretty chaotic – their group.”
Logan smirked. “Yep, pretty much. But you know — it’s free entertainment, so we do hang out with them occasionally.”
“Also, Fred, I must say: internship at Mercedes — what the hell? That’s so cool.”
“Yeah, I mean, this uni just offers all these good places to try out,” Fred replied so casually as if his achievements had nothing to do with it. Or like it wasn’t worth mentioning.
“Don’t worry, Fred is just pretending like it’s nothing to fish for compliments,” Logan teased, to which his friend immediately responded by making a silly face. “But seriously yeah, this uni is serious business. Next month we’ll get to go to all those different companies to try and get into one of them for an internship too. They even got Oscorp to recruit guys from our department, can you imagine?”
“Wow. That’s a must-visit for sure,” Oscar knew he had to grab every opportunity — especially a chance to become part of the largest, most innovative research company in the world. No way he’d miss that.
“You better work on your timing then. Don’t think they will let late runners work in there,” the American smiled and Oscar looked away. Guilty as charged. “Speaking of must visits though… We are having a party at George’s place this weekend. You know — mandatory start of new semester party. I’m sure these guys would be cool with you coming to be introduced. What do you think?”
Oscar wasn’t the party type, so immediate reply would usually be that he couldn’t care less. But this was a perfect chance to meet the others and get to know them better. Make up for bad first impressions too? Yeah, sounds like he needed that.
“Well, if they don’t mind, then yeah? Why not?” Oscar’s laid-back reply wasn’t something that would stop Logan from going through with his idea. So he quickly grabbed the blonde's arm and dragged him to the other table, where the loudest animal-like laughs in the yard were coming from.
“What’s up, guys. How’s it going?” Logan and Fred each greeted the group and exchanged a few words just checking up on each other. Oscar stayed close to them as they finished their pleasantries. “We actually came here to introduce Oscar, the new guy? Very nice, he already passed the vibe check with a dollar pizza, so he can be trusted.”
Logan pulled Oscar next to him and tapped his shoulder a few times. Now all the eyes focused on the Aussie. It would usually be quite awkward, but Logan’s words meant that everyone already approved of him, cheering him on.
“Ay, ay, arvo, Oscar! Finally more of our people here, I’m starting to lose my mind with all the Europeans,” Daniel was the first to reply. He built up the hype so quickly that Oscar even laughed out loud.
“Hey, good to meet you!” a lively greeting followed by a handshake between the Aussies, and finally Daniel let others steal the spotlight.
“Hey, Oscar. Pleased to meet you,” George said with a British accent. Okay, now he 100% matched the description given by Logan earlier. Max, who was sitting next to him, went with a short “hey”. Then came the rest of the group, each greeting Oscar and making him feel welcomed around here.
“Hey, Oscar. Nice to meet you, although I guess we met already,” Lando smiled and extended his hand for a handshake. The blonde could not NOT compare the shape of that smile to a heart. What in the world?
“Yeah, you saved me back there. I owe you one.”
“You can repay by buying me another pizza slice.” The Brit immediately jumped at the offer, but his voice wasn’t serious at all.
“Don’t listen to him, mate. It was actually you who saved his ass by showing up late too so the professor wouldn’t just scold him alone,” Carlos cut in, ruining his friend’s hopes of exploiting Oscar’s kindness.
“What?! Carlos, shut up,” and the two of them just went at each other, laughing the whole time. Logan had to clap a few times to get everyone’s attention again.
“Guys, we actually came here to ask if you don’t mind having Oscar at our party this weekend.”
“Hell yeah, he has to be there! He’s part of the group now, so no way he shouldn’t come,” Daniel, as decisive as ever, replied quickly and it sounded like he expressed everyone’s opinion on this topic. All eyes now were on George, who was hosting the party and had a final word in it. Kinda.
“Sure, just don’t be late to it,” he smiled back, and Oscar felt a flutter. He did not expect the introductions to go so well, but Logan made it a piece of cake.
“Thanks, guys. Thanks, Logan. I’ll be there and promise to come on time.”
A buzz signified the end of lunch break, and it sounded like every student in the yard synced and groaned in frustration.
“Well, good luck surviving that 3-hour lecture, everyone,” Charles sighed, getting up and heading towards the building. Soon the rest of the group did the same. Daniel made sure to wave at Oscar until he returned the small goodbye gesture — as if they weren’t going to the same class. The blonde’s gaze lingered on the last few of them leaving. As if Lando could sense it, he looked back at Oscar and smiled just like before. They stared at each other for just a second or two before the Brit slipped on something and Alex had to catch his idiot of a friend to protect Lando’s pretty face. That guy’s helpless.
That same evening, while Oscar was having dinner with Mark, his uncle asked how the first day at uni went. You know how parental curiosity goes — same with Oscar’s temporary guardian, except Webber’s prying was tame, unlike his mom, who called later on. Nothing wrong with it — the blonde loved his mom dearly. He actually liked sharing how smooth everything went and that he’d made new friends already. Well, “friends” was a bit hasty, but with time Oscar was sure they would become that.
The week went by fast, with Oscar slowly adapting to his new routine. He even got better with his timing — the guy only came late once. That deserved some credit. Logan and Fred showed all the popular hangout spots after classes, including arcades, karaoke, gaming centres. They also introduced him to the university’s sports clubs. Apparently a lot of people here were into padel. In fact, almost everyone from their friend circle went there. Oscar was only interested in cricket, but now had to play the role of cheerleader for his friends and watch the padel matches. Well, that beats being stuck at home doing your assignments.
Saturday was actually the most exciting part of the week that everyone looked forward to. The party was a nice chance to get to know the rest of the group better. The Aussie was just hoping it wouldn’t end up a disaster. You know — as many things involving drunk students often do.
Mark was nice enough to drop Oscar and his friends off at the place, since it was a whole villa outside of New York’s skyscraper jungle. As soon as the Aussie got a first glance at it, he was kind of shocked, but part of him expected that from George’s whole vibe. Of course he was from a rich family and of course they’d have this three-floor house with a pool and barbecue.
The music was already blasting loud and you could see the crowds everywhere with their beverages. Tables were filled with bottles, sodas, snacks and food. The interior looked a bit too good for a drunk party. Just how did George get permission from his parents to do this?
The main attraction was the DJ booth next to the pool, and Oscar noticed Lando operating it. Seemed very fitting. Daniel had dragged Max into the water fully dressed — Oscar could already depict the murder scene, but somehow the Dutchman looked happy in there. All it took was Ricciardo’s chaotic energy to melt the guy’s heart. George could be found raising an eyebrow at the sight while talking to Kimi and his friends. He was definitely saying something along the lines of, “Kids, don’t end up like these two individuals here.” Although Kimi’s company would likely join them too. Charles was dancing with Carlos, as the Spaniard kept begging Lando to switch to his playlist. Pierre was rolling on the floor from laughter as Yuki did those silly drunk challenges. The Japanese guy actually had quite a crowd around him cheering. There — a fine contender for the “king of the party activities” title.
“Seems like we crashed right as the party’s just getting started,” Logan smiled.
“That’s just the start of it?” Oscar’s eyes were filled with worry. Just what were these people capable of?
“Don’t worry, you’ll get used to it. Oh, and Daniel will make you take part in everything, so you better run while you can.”
“Nah, I can survive that, right?...”
Logan and Fred gave him a look of oh, this pure innocent soul.
“Hey there, guys! Oscar, welcome to your first party,” Charles dragged Carlos with him to greet the newcomers. Both seemed slightly tipsy already. “What do you think so far?”
“So far I think — how the hell is George allowed to throw a party like this here? It’s like a palace,” the blonde joked,earning a few laughs.
“Don’t worry about it. Just don’t puke anywhere other than the toilet, and don’t break anything.”
“Or blame it on Daniel or Lando,” Alex joined their conversation. He spoke with knowledge of at least 10 parties where it must have happened.
“Hey, don’t use Lando like that. He’s my excuse already,” Carlos protested. What a supportive friend group.
“Oh? I guess I’ll go and let him know,” said sly fox Alex. As soon as he took off in that direction, Carlos was about to grab him. Both disappeared into the crowd soon enough.
“Oh god, here he goes again — stirring trouble. I’d better not miss that. You have fun guys!” Charles had that here we go again look, but you could see it in his eyes — he was enjoying being part of it.
Oscar couldn’t help staring, wondering how all of that was going to end. Alex did what he wanted, and Lando gave the best how could you do this to me impression before starting a fake fight with the Spaniard. The whole group was laughing.
Oscar watched them a bit longer before Daniel — all wet but happy — appeared right in front of him, with Max by his side.
“OSCA-A-AR! You made it!” his presence was just as loud as ever. “I don’t see a drink in your hand, what are you doing? Guys?!”
“We’re working on it,” Logan reasoned, but no reason was good enough for Daniel. He swiftly danced around the crowds towards the tables with drinks and came back with a few cups. Oscar had no idea what that potion contained, but had a sip… It wasn’t that bad. Sweet and burning.
“Okay, that’s better! Come on, drink up, we got more coming!” Daniel put his arm around Oscar and dragged him towards the main spot for all the activities. As he was getting kidnapped, his friends Logan and Fred just stood and grinned. Traitors!
“Woah, guys? A bit of support here?” Oscar helplessly begged.
“Don’t worry, we will cheer you on! Beat them all!”
And that’s how Oscar became a participant in every game: from beer pong to limbo, twister, and even a dancing competition. The worst part of it all — he sucked at it. Or it was the fact that Max and Yuki were kings of drunk contests. Anyway, the Aussie had plenty of drinks in the process — the only thing that helped overcome his social anxiety. But he had to admit that he had fun watching others go at it.
“Alright, people. Smooth operator and his loyal knight Perceval are on the decks. Let’s rip it, you all!”
And so came the reign of the most random Spanish and French music for the night. Which also meant that Lando was off his post, free to party.
“Barbecue is here, everyone!” Kimi shouted with excitement, and all the eyes were on George, Fred and Logan, who had been working on the sausages and patties for homemade hotdogs and burgers.
The food was god-tier. Well, they had an American on the case, so of course it was chef's kiss. Oscar sat down by the pool away from the main crowd — his social battery ran out from all the games earlier. And here was the much-needed peace and quiet. It was just his food and him, until a familiar figure stopped by.
“Hey, do you mind if I crash here?” Lando asked softly, noticing how the Aussie had zoned out.
“Oh, hi. Yeah, no problem…” Finally his head started working again. Out of all the places where the Brit could be right now, he chose to be there next to him?
“Cheers,” Lando smiled and sat down. The blonde couldn’t ignore his party outfit: stylish shirt with a leather jacket on top, paired with baggy jeans. It fit him just right, highlighting the Brit’s athletic body. Wait, what? Was it the alcohol that made Oscar’s thoughts so shameless?
“What do you think of the party so far?” Lando continued the small talk.
“I’m not the biggest party guy out there, but this one is pretty impressive. You guys have organised everything quite nicely.”
“I figured the first part from your performance in all the party games,” the Brit teased with a small chuckle.
“Oh, god, you saw that too? Oh no…” Oscar covered his face with his hands in embarrassment. That was the LAST time he ever let Daniel drag him into it. Today would haunt him long enough.
“Don’t worry, everyone’s just trying to have fun. You shouldn’t think too much about it. We all got history here. If you ask around, you’d know how unbearable I become when drunk.” Lando grinned as if being a chaotic menace was something to be proud of. What a weird guy. Yet, Oscar’s heart fluttered from the comforting words.
“Thanks, I needed to hear that.” He’d stop there, but all the alcohol must have made him pretty daring at the moment. The Aussie looked at the older guy with interest and determination to learn more about him.
“You have seen how bad I am at those games, so now I have to know what you did. Hit me with your worst.”
“I don’t even remember half of it, that’s probably the worst part,” the Brit laughed awkwardly, then adopted a thinking pose. “Okay, there was this one time when Carlos dared me for a golf duel. My ball ended up flying right into that window on the third floor.” Lando pointed in the direction of that very same panoramic window. “Yep, I paid for all of it. The glass is not cheap.”
“And just how exactly George still allows your arse in here?” Oscar smiled.
“I’m just that charming,” he proclaimed proudly. “But also George is actually a really nice friend. He may be all serious and like a big nerd on the outside, but he’s kind and funny when you get to know him.”
Right as they spoke about the group, they could hear loud cheering coming from their direction. Apparently, Max and Daniel were stuffing their mouths full of burgers, while the rest were placing bets on who could finish more.
“Oh, here we go again.” Both couldn’t help laughing while watching the action from a distance.
“What do you think of them all so far?” Lando wondered.
“I mean, they’re… pretty unique? And it looks like university days will never get boring with such a company.”
“True, true. I think you will fit in, Osc. You seem like a nice guy, can’t wait to get to know you better from Daniel’s Q&A game.”
Hold on, that was a lot to process. First of all, Osc? No one had really addressed him like that before, at least after the move. But there was something charming about the way it sounded. Short and sweet. And personal. After that, the blonde just lost the ability to process information, so he just stared at Lando’s lip-biting smile for a few seconds.
“What now? Don’t tell me Daniel has more torture prepared for me…”
“It’s innocent, trust me. You will love it,” the Brit reassured, but the mischievous grin didn’t help the case.
“Now I’m even more scared, jeez,” Oscar replied, looking away bashfully. Of course all this teasing made him blush, but he didn’t want to show it. Luckily, Lando suddenly rose from his seat as the music switched to some energetic pop.
“This is good,” the older one started moving his arms from side to side in sync with the rhythm. “Wanna dance?”
No-no, Oscar is a terrible dancer. His moves would only make people die of cringe, especially himself.
“...Sure. Let’s go.” That’s the total opposite of what he just thought about! Curse his light-headed drunk arse. He was screwed.
The dance floor was full of people. The air was suffocating with the scent of alcohol, and eardrums were blasting from loud music. The Aussie already regretted his decision about a hundred times, but Lando’s firm grip on his wrist brought him out of the dizziness. The touch was warm and grounding, secure.
The pair reunited with their friends, dancing in their own circle. Max, Daniel, Pierre and Yuki were goofing around. The freshmen did silly TikTok dances with Logan and Fred filming. Even George was dragged into this by Alex.
Lando finally let go of Oscar, smiling at him and moving to the music. Feeling the rhythm, the younger started copying his movements with some success. The whole thing quickly turned into a flash mob, with Carlos and Charles playing the most hyped tracks and Daniel leading the rave.
Oscar enjoyed the sideline role much more, so even the social awkwardness didn’t stop him from genuinely having a good time. He liked the comforting presence of Lando around, who wasn’t pushing the boundaries, but instead made sure Oscar was okay. They kept dancing, song after song, with the two of them enjoying each other’s company. The whole thing felt like a fever dream with the sheer heat, the radiating energy and joy everyone shared.
“Alright, last song, everyone. Make sure to find your couple right now and enjoy…” Charles announced, and everyone immediately started scurrying around. Oscar expected some classic slow dance song but was pleasantly surprised by this masterpiece of a cover of “I Was Made For Lovin’ You” by Kiss. Such an old-school song made into something beautiful and sensual with the orchestra and amazing vocals. Whoever wasn’t dancing, just kept singing along, including Lando. Oscar took this as an invitation to join in, and soon no one could even hear the singer over the whole crowd. The moment felt so uniting, a perfect ending for the main party.
With that, everyone started getting cabs home. Only the main group remained for the traditional after-party activities — including Oscar. He finally reunited with Logan — his first real friend here.
“So how’s the party for you?” Logan asked.
“Not bad if you drink enough, but whatever Daniel dragged me into — not my thing. That was the last time I’m letting him do that,” the Aussie replied with a chuckle. Nothing wrong with playing games and having fun, but just the part of being in the center of things didn’t fit Oscar. Smaller and quieter company was more his type, and thankfully this after-party would be exactly that.
It was late at night, so everyone moved inside. It turned out there was more to discover about the villa — it had a cinema room, a whole playroom, and heated floors everywhere. And even more food and drinks. Going back to his small, cluttered room would be humbling.
They kicked it off with Mario Kart. Oscar would’ve won a few games if it wasn’t for Max’s insane skills and everyone else’s sabotage plots. But it was a blast nonetheless. The night continued with a karaoke session that quickly became an eardrum nightmare. If the dance floor earlier was something to go by, this was so much worse. Especially since no one here had remotely any musical talent. Except for Charles, who apparently played the piano — that same guy who joined Carlos in all the chaotic ventures?
But the moment everyone was waiting for — the traditional Q&A game hosted by Daniel for every new group member. The drinks and snacks were already laid out on the table, with everyone sitting around it. The anticipation was more dramatic than the rules themselves.
“Okay, guys. Most of you already know the rules, but let me introduce the game to the man of the night — give it up for Oscar!” Daniel announced like a TV-show host, and everyone made some noise.
“Oh god,” Oscar sighed and looked at Logan, searching for emotional support during these hard times, but the American was in on it too.
“Alright, so… It’s pretty simple, actually: each of us will have a chance to ask Oscar any question, but you have to answer that very same question too. That’s it, fair and square!”
Okay, it could be much worse, but the rules made it so no one was going to ask something out of line, right? It was also an opportunity to get to know these guys better. Oscar caught Lando looking at him and when he did, the Brit shrugged — as if to say, see? I promised it’d be fine. The blonde smiled at him.
“Logan, you wanna go first?” Daniel asked.
“Sure, why not,” Logan turned to his friend and squinted. “You ready, Mr. Piastri?”
“I’m ready, shoot,” Oscar knew that his question would definitely be safe.
“So what’s the best thing about America to you so far?”
“Oh, here he goes again,” Alex sighed, and everyone else joined in his objection.
“You ask the same thing every time!” Max complained.
“Guys, what the hell?” Logan faked being offended. But in reality he was happy with himself. Oscar laughed at the scene a bit.
“I think for me it’s the weather. Much more predictable here and nice. The food is so different but I love trying it… I think there’s still a lot for me to see and experience, so I’m looking forward to it.”
Logan nodded in approval to all points made by the Aussie. “Yeah, defo. I agree about the food, I’d also add that people here are lovely, and nature is nice. Especially if you go somewhere by the ocean. It’s cool to know what you liked here.”
“Proud patriot right there,” Carlos teased and Charles snickered.
“You guys are all from different countries, but I actually come from here. Can a man not wonder about what you enjoy here?” Logan parried, but not like they would stop bantering.
“Okay, mine’s next,” Max attracted attention and looked at Oscar very seriously. “What’s your favorite video game? Or the one you’re good at?”
The whole room went silent, with Max looking like he was about to hunt the poor man down.
“Oh, I pretty much just play COD and Rocket League, and a bunch of party games. I’d say these are my favorite.” Oscar was hoping he didn’t say anything wrong here.
“What rank?” Max didn’t stop applying pressure.
“Uhh, I don’t play ranked much… I’m just average.” The Aussie actually felt like he was being interrogated.
“You wanna duel later? See how you do,” Max kept going, but George quickly intervened.
“Come on now, we are supposed to make him feel welcome here. Why are you getting so damn competitive again? Just answer the question.” No words could explain the amount of gratitude Oscar felt at that moment.
“Fine, sorry,” Max rolled his eyes. “My favorites are racing games, but I also play some shooters. Anything, really. I just wanted to say that if you ever wanna play — you can let me know.”
Max smiled and Oscar responded with one too. Maybe Max wasn’t that scary after all.
“Okay-okay-okay, my turn!” Daniel rubbed his hands together with a grin. “The food you miss from back home?”
“Tim Tams. Hands down, best biscuits ever made,” Oscar’s reply was very quick, with Daniel agreeing fully.
“Ah, yes! These are so good. But I’d say… that I miss my mom’s cooking the most,” he replied with a chuckle.
“Aw, Daniel, that’s sweet,” Oscar was pleasantly surprised by this soft side of his fellow Aussie.
“You guys are boring, let me have a go,” Yuki barged in shamelessly before anyone could react. “Have you ever been arrested or done something illegal without getting caught?”
“Wow, Yuki, bold move. But you already have yourself a partner in crime, no?” Alex teased, while the rest chuckled at the Yuki and Pierre duo.
“Did any of us really trust these gentlemen here to ask anything decent?” George wondered, and it seemed the uncontested answer was no.
It would never not be adventurous with this group, Oscar thought to himself. Logan grinned with a see? I’m the normal one here and I was bullied for nothing look.
“I consider myself to be more of a law-abiding man. The only bad things I did were probably cheating on tests and oversleeping at times and missing plans, but that’s about it…” The Aussie answered reluctantly, because there really wasn’t much to it. Whatever Yuki imagined could not be further from the truth.
“Oh, okay then.”
“Okay then?! Nah, this idiot! What did you expect, like?” Pierre exclaimed — even his bestie recognized how it led to nowhere.
“I don’t know, man! This guy could be anyone, you know.”
“Sorry to disappoint, Yuki,” Oscar shrugged with a smile to show that no offense was taken.
“Now you have to tell us what you did,” George reminded, and it seemed like everyone was willing to hear that story again.
“Fine! So I used to be a problematic kid and–”
“Used to be? You still are, mate!” Pierre intervened.
“Oh shut up! So I lost my cool quickly. At school, I had this teacher who kept scolding me for my pranks during lessons. And one time he really went at it right in front of everyone. I got so mad that after school I jumped on my bike and scratched his car. But the guy actually saw me do it, so I never got away with it. Not my proudest moment, but yeah.”
“Instant karma at work,” Pierre commented, and giggling filled the room.
“Hey, I am a better man now, so yeah, give me some credit!” Yuki protested.
“Fine-fine! Just don’t go around scratching my car later,” the Frenchman really didn’t mean any of the “fine-fine” part.
“Okay, while these two are losing the plot, let me go at it,” George suggested. “Do you have a favorite clothing brand?”
Oscar wasn’t the most fashionable guy out there. It was a bit embarrassing to admit to the Brit, who always looked impeccable, that he just got whatever was cheap and comfortable enough.
“I wouldn’t say so… Unlike you or Lando, I’m not the best with fancy clothing and outfits. I would actually need your guidance to work on that, if you feel like it, ” he replied with an awkward laugh. Both Brits looked at him with a smile, feeling proud for receiving a compliment. And Oscar just caught on that he dragged Lando into the conversation for no clear reason. Other than giving him a compliment just like that. Idiotic.
“No problem, we could work on it, starting with throwing away oversized hoodies…” George responded.
“Nah-nah, we can work with oversized hoodies. Fashion can also be comfy, George,” Lando argued, and Oscar felt glad to have him on his side.
“Mom, dad, don’t argue... Ask your son first what he wants,” Daniel bantered and lightened up the atmosphere. George rolled his eyes but he appreciated the joke too.
“Back to the question though… Tommy Hilfiger is my go-to, for sporty looks it’s Adidas. And many others, but that’s a whole separate conversation we can have some other time.”
“No need, George. We know you spend two hours getting ready to throw away a trash bag,” Max joined in, not resisting the opportunity to have another back-and-forth with the Brit.
“Mate, I just care about my image, you should too,” George objected.
“Hey-hey, I’m not saying you shouldn’t. Keep it going, diva.”
“Oh shut up,” George pouted.
“Mom, dad, don't argue… Not in front of kids! And we got more questions coming,” Daniel got everyone on track again.
“Okay, my turn, since everyone just SKIPPED me…” Pierre emphasized, sounding deeply offended. As if he wasn’t the one to go off the rails with his friend. He cleared his throat and paused before finally voicing it. “Marry, fuck, kill? But you have to choose from the people in this room.”
“A-and we are skipping you again, NEXT!” Daniel barged in so quickly that Oscar’s brain barely processed it. These guys really could be unbearable at times.
“Oh, come on! Fine, I’ll ask a different one!”
“The train is gone, ciao!” Daniel didn’t even leave a chance.
“If I’m the dumb one, you’re even dumber,” Yuki couldn’t stop laughing at his friend.
“Hoo, is it my turn?” Carlos perked up again. “Okay, now — what’s the coolest sport you’ve ever done?”
Great, another question where Oscar was about to be belittled by his own lack of skills. Not a fashion star, not a sports star — he was just some guy trying to make it in life.
“I assume whatever you have done is cooler, but since you are interested… I’ve only done cricket my whole life, really. Also did a bit of beach volleyball and surfing, which I personally find great, so yeah.”
“Hey, that does sound cool, don’t think less of it because of others,” Lando supported Oscar yet again. Was that guy just naturally kind and likeable?
“I’m just saying, Oscar. If you like beach activities — you and I, Miami, we can make that happen.” Logan joined in with particular excitement.
“Oh? Okay,” Oscar was intrigued by the offer.
“Make it a group trip!” Daniel suggested, hyping up the most random idea ever, but it did sound fun.
“Okay, even though Lando comforted you, I gotta say — he is the one with the coolest sport. And it’s actually the coolest one I’ve ever done as well,” Carlos glanced at his friend with a grin.
“Oh my god, stop–” the Brit looked away with a shy smile, but he clearly meant yeah, keep going.
“What is it?” Oscar couldn’t help his curiosity.
“Lando has his own motorbike, and he let me ride it too. That was actually so thrilling, AND was the best sport I ever did.” Carlos spoke like a proud older brother, and the dynamic between the two was close to that.
“Motorbike? Okay-okay, I didn’t know your game,” Oscar sounded really impressed. I mean, how could you not be, when someone does a badass dangerous sport?
“He actually rides it to uni, yet still comes late,” Alex had to stop the wave of praise.
“Hey, be nice! I dropped you off multiple times, if you forgot, you muppet!” Lando defended.
“Wait, can you do some tricks too?” Oscar wondered.
“Yeah, a few. I can show you some other time. Can give you a ride too, if you are brave enough,” the Brit replied. The offer was hard to refuse, especially when Oscar would never try it by himself under different circumstances.
“Sure.” The Aussie blushed a tiny bit, hoping no one would really notice.
“Okay, is it my turn?” Charles twitched in his seat with excitement. “Okay, Oscar… We now know a bit about what you like, but let’s get to know what you are like to people you love.” The sly grin clearly signified that the Frenchman would not go easy. “What is the most romantic thing you’ve ever done?”
“Ah, Charles — as sensual as ever,” Pierre almost made fun of it, but everyone actually considered him sweet.
And yet another question where Oscar wouldn’t have an impressive story to tell. With the topic being quite intimate too, the blonde felt flustered. Lando’s curious look didn’t help.
“Ah, well, I– okay, when I was a teen and had a part-time job, wasn’t making much, but still. So I learned that my ex really wanted to go to this outdoor cinema place, and I saved my money for that. The reason it was difficult to get there was that it was such a popular spot — you had to book it in advance and stuff, ‘cause it was also a restaurant. But it was wonderful and worth all the money for the experience, so yeah.”
“Not bad, I see we have a new contender for the most romantic guy in the group,” Daniel teased, but in a wholesome way. They actually were impressed.
“Ah, that’s very nice, Oscar. I’ll keep that in mind for my next move,” Charles exchanged a cheeky look with Carlos. “Okay mine went like this. So once a power outage happened while we were at home, and I decided — okay, it might actually be a great date setting. So I set up a lot of candles, poured some wine, and started playing the piano. So we had a piano concert with candles.”
The Frenchman looked so charming recalling the memory — it was easy to tell how much he cherished it. And it did sound very romantic.
“Oof, that does sound hard to beat. And sounds very special. Do I have to start taking piano lessons from you?” Oscar praised the man back.
“Sure,” Charles chuckled lightly.
“Very touching, guys… But I am shocked none of you asked the most essential question,” Alex jumped in, his voice filled with disappointment. He looked at Oscar, dead-serious. “Are you a cat person or a dog person? By the way, there IS a wrong answer.”
“There are no wrong answers, Alex. That’s called having an opinion,” George was quick to reason with his friend.
“There are wrong opinions,” Alex parried, and George rolled his eyes as he knew he wouldn’t win an argument here.
“I’m a dog person, I had two back home in Australia,” Oscar replied. Alex’s face said it all: it was the wrong answer.
“Alright, I don’t need to know more, my case here is done.”
“You really like being dramatic at times,” Lando shook his head and snickered. George joined him in the banter.
“This guy’s family owns like 12 cats, FYI,” he explained to Oscar, and now it made more sense. “Don’t worry, he doesn’t mean it offensively.”
“Okay, people! The final question of the game goes to Lando! Take the floor, mate,” Daniel announced, remembering his hosting duties.
“Alright-alright!” Lando leaned forward in his seat. “I wanted to ask you about… your favorite go-to spots. Like — for playing, eating, hanging out, enjoying the view. Anything of that sort.”
Locking their eyes with each other, they went silent for a couple of seconds. Oscar kind of lost his train of thought thanks to his overthinking abilities. So far, everyone had been asking about things they were fairly interested in themselves. What was the Brit’s motive? That much remained a mystery.
“Uhh, let me think about it… For food I’d say Italian or a burger place, for hanging out I’m kind of easygoing and enjoy a lot of things. As for the view — I’ll say the ocean coast is the best,” Oscar concluded, with Lando nodding in satisfaction.
“Pretty decent, I love it! As for me — for food I like the places you mentioned, for hang out spots I’d say the same as you. And for views I like anywhere my bike can take me, so that’s that,” the Brit smiled, seemingly happy with what he got out of it. Whatever it was. Oscar knew he would have a crack at trying to figure this guy out.
“Okay, that’s a wrap! Nice session, and all thanks to our man of the hour — Oscar-r-r!” Daniel made sure that the company made some noise once more.
“That was a good one,” Charles noted.
“Yeah. Somehow, none of us even fought today. That's a success,” Max’s sarcastic humor was something Oscar rated highly.
“How are you feeling?” Logan asked, concerned about the Aussie.
“Oh, I’m tired. I feel like I need sixteen hours of sleep to recover,” Oscar yawned like he was about to pass out right there.
“Wanna grab a taxi home together? It’s on me, since your uncle dropped us off here,” the American suggested.
“Yeah, sure.”
“Alright, let’s say our goodbyes then.”
The two got up, with Logan looking out for Oscar, so he didn’t trip or hurt himself.
“Oscar and I will go home now. Thanks for the party — amazing as always. George, thanks for letting Oscar come too.”
“Hey, he’s a great guy. And part of the group now too, so he’s always welcome again,” the Brit smiled.
“Get home safe, guys. See you Monday!” Charles and Carlos fist-bumped with both.
“Oscar, you are a cool man, glad to know more about you!” Daniel grinned and Oscar responded with one too.
“See ya, Osc! I told you — you will fit in,” Lando made sure to say goodbye too, before the pair of friends disappeared. Oscar’s stomach felt the weird flutter again, but he didn’t want to think about it at the moment.
“See you, Lando. It was great fun today.” The blonde smiled as he sat in the car. Behind the tinted glass he could still see his new friend waiting for the taxi to leave as he chatted with others. Oscar kept looking even as the car moved, till the villa was no longer in sight.
“So how did you like it?” Logan wondered.
How was it? Oscar had a lot of thoughts. All of them were scattered and vague, not ready for any certain conclusions yet. The best idea — try to sleep and leave all the thinking to Oscar in the future.
“I liked it, yeah. Thank you for inviting me there,” — all that he could manage at the moment.
“No problem,” Logan smiled and let his friend rest.
And so Oscar did. Driving through the lit-up streets of New York, he thought of himself as a lucky man. To be here with his uncle, to make something of himself, to have such incredible company by his side. And as he thought about all that he had, he wondered what life had in store for him next.
And it would be a hell of a story.
Bonus artwork! Please do not repost and leave it AO3 only!
