Chapter Text
Oscar arrived back in his London flat on Monday evening, dropping his suitcase by the door with a heavy sigh. The past week had been a whirlwind, and he barely had time to process it before reality came back to bite him in the ass. Work the next morning came too soon, and he was running on autopilot as he tried to sell one overly expensive face cream after the other.
By Thursday, he wasn’t just exhausted—he felt awful. Utterly miserable. The lingering fatigue, the nausea that hadn’t fully gone away since Sunday, and the way his body felt off had been easy enough to ignore at first but as the week progressed it became an impossible task. He had barely made it back to the storage room at work when the overwhelming wave of nausea hit, forcing him to bend over the trash can next to the desk. His stomach twisted violently, his head spinning before he was retching again and bile burned in his throat. It was like this his manager found him heaving like he’d just run a marathon.
“Alright, that’s it,” she said firmly, crossing her arms. “Go home, Oscar.”
“I’m fine, just give me 5 minutes” he tried to argue.
She gave him a flat look. “There’s no foundation we sell that matches your shade of green right now. Go home.”
Is it that time of the month?
Then it hit him.
He started counting in his head, calculating the dates, the weeks. His steps slowed until they came to a screeching halt. He had to apologize when an elderly man almost walked straight into him. But now his stomach twisted with something far worse than nausea.
His period was late.
That wasn’t unusual. It happened sometimes, his cycle was somewhat unpredictable. But this late? He swallowed hard, a sinking feeling taking place in the pit of his stomach. No matter how he tried to rationalize this the signs were too hard to ignore.
Without thinking, he turned on his heel and walked straight into the nearest pharmacy. He grabbed a box of pregnancy tests. Then another. And then, just for good measure, an expensive digital one, as if spending more money would make the results any different.
The cashier barely looked at him as she scanned the tests that held no significance to her, but the weight they carried was the world to him.
Back home, he kicked off his shoes and went straight to the bathroom, ripping one of the boxes open. His hands were clammy and trembling as he followed the instructions as if his life depended on him following the manual to his engineer project. He did all three tests.
Then he sat on the closed toilet lid, staring at them as he waited with bated breath, his foot bouncing nervously.
Three minutes felt like an eternity. He kept his eyes on his own doom scrolling through instagram, refusing to look.
Then, finally, he forced himself to check after the alarm had gone off and then some.
Positive.
All three of them.
It felt like the air was knocked out of his lungs. Clam hands coming up to press against his face. He stayed like that for a moment, groaning into his palms. Oh God, what were the odds of him getting knocked up after a one night stand—that turned into more—but that was technicalities. Or was this some grand scheme; the universe’s way of testing him because—this was very much real and it wasn’t funny. He was growing a tiny human inside him. It felt like the world was tilting off its axis.
The panic wanted to rise, but he forced himself to push past it. He needed to breathe, to think.
Because as overwhelming as this was, deep down, in the place he barely acknowledged, he already knew. He already knew that despite everything—the shock, the consequences and hardships that would inevitably follow—he wanted this baby. He’d always wanted kids, but in his mind it had followed a formula: graduate, work, marry and then when everything was in place he and his partner could start a family.
But now that it had come to this, he’d be lying if he said he wasn’t terrified. Nothing ever seems to go as planned in his life.
His fingers fumbled for his phone, his vision blurring slightly as he typed out a quick message.
Lily
Can you come over?
Lily responded immediately.
Of course. What’s wrong?
Oscar just stared at the tests on top of the sink.
How was he supposed to put this into words?
By the time Lily arrived, he had gone through every possible scenario in his head like his life was a simple game of chess. He’d weighed the pros, the cons: but they all lead to the same mental image of him holding a tiny baby in his arms.
When he opened the front door for her, she took one look at him and frowned. “I heard you weren’t feeling well.”
Oscar didn’t say anything. Instead, as they stepped into his bedroom he just gestured to his night table, where the tests were lined up neatly. Lily’s eyes followed his hand.
There was a beat of silence.
Then she inhaled sharply, her eyes flickering between them and his face. “Oh my god.”
Oscar finally sat up, resting his head on his hands. “Yeah.” His voice was hoarse.
She turned back to him, her expression shifting rapidly from shock to concern to something unreadable. “How… are you feeling about it?”
Oscar exhaled. “I don’t know.” Then, more honestly, “I think I want to keep it. No, I want to keep it”
Lily blinked, her lips parting slightly. “Oh.”
A pause. Then she sat beside him, putting a gentle hand on his shoulder. “Okay. Okay, then we’ll figure it out.”
Oscar let out a choked laugh. “Just like that?”
She nudged him. “You really think I’d let you go through this alone?”
A lump formed in his throat.
He cleared it. “There’s more.”
Lily raised an eyebrow.
He swallowed hard. “The reason why I didn’t come to work last week was because of Carlos. He asked me to come to Milan, and he sounded so distraught on the phone that I couldn’t say no.”
So he told her everything. The fiasco of trying Carlos’ car. The late night at the lake. The race. The crash. The party. Every moment that had led to this, to now, sitting in his small bedroom with three positive pregnancy tests staring at him like a neon sign.
Lily listened, not interrupting once.
When he finally finished, she let out a long breath. “Wow… That’s so romantic. You must be fated mates right? He’s obviously been courting you all this time.”
Oscar rolled his eyes, “He hasn’t been courting me. We don’t live in your archaic Jane Austen fairy tale novels, you know, we live in the 21st century.”
“No, but think about it. He let you drive with his dad—”
“Out of convenience!” He cut her off. One thing was coming to the conclusion himself, another for her to word it out aloud. And even if he and Carlos had yet to put a name of what was going on between them, he no longer had the luxury to go with the flow and see where this took him. Not when they had one the way.
Lily’s expression softened. “Do you think he’ll take it well?”
Oscar hesitated. “I think… I don’t know.” He rubbed his temples. “I think he’ll care. But his career is already up in the air, and I don’t want to make things worse for him, and I definitely don’t want him to think I baby trapped him or something.”
Lily’s gaze was unwavering. “Oscar.”
He looked up.
“You’re not making anything worse. This isn’t just his life—it’s yours too.”
Oscar pressed his lips together.
After a moment, Lily squeezed his hand. “One thing at a time, okay? You don’t have to have all the answers right now.”
The omega nodded slowly, “I should tell him, but saying this over text or the phone doesn’t sit right with me. It’s something I should tell him face to face but with him in Monaco right now and Azerbaijan next week, when will I have the chance? What should I do?” He barked a humorless laugh, “Are there manuals for this?”
“Well, you know him better than I do.”
They eventually agreed that texting the alpha to call when he could was the best option, but neither of them had expected him to call within seconds. Oscar stared at the phone that was lighting up from the incoming call, Carlos’ name flashing across the screen.
“You’re not gonna answer that?”
“Ah yeah” Oscar picked it up and held it to his ear. “Carlos, hi.”
“Cariño, what’s wrong? Your message sounded urgent.” The alpha sounded equally worried and out of breath as if he’d just been running.
“Are you busy?”
“No.”
Oscar sucked in a breath, it’s now or never, “We need to talk, I have something important to tell you but I’d like to do it face to face. Is there a way to make that possible?” His leg was bouncing nervously again as he waited for the Spaniard to answer. It was like waiting for those damn three minutes to tick by again. Lily gave his knee a squeeze.
Oscar could hear some mutterings in Spanish in the background before Carlos was back on the phone, “Are you free this weekend? If you want you can come stay with me in Monaco. I will be a little busy with training and such, but if you don’t mind—”
“I don’t mind.”
Oscar ended the call with Carlos, exhaling shakily as he placed his phone on the bed next to him. His chest felt tight with anticipation, the Spaniard had assured Oscar that he’d book the ticket to Monaco first thing in the morning after he got home from the gym.
Lily, still curled up beside him, patted his thigh. “Guess that’s it, then. You’re going to Monaco.”
“I reckon I am.”
She helped him repack his suitcase, though it felt ridiculous to be doing it so soon after unpacking from Monza. He wondered if he’ll ever find the time to do laundry ever again as he packed his last pair of clean socks. His life was really turning into an episode of Home And Away, if not an entire season arc.
“Well, at least your baby daddy isn’t Andrew.” Lily said out of the blue.
“Dodged a real bullet there.”
—
By the time his flight was about to land in Nice the next morning, Oscar’s nerves had reached a boiling point. His stomach churned violently, and before he could fight it off, he was grabbing for the airline-provided sickness bag and emptying his breakfast into it.
The older man beside him recoiled in horror. Oscar, too drained to care, muttered a quiet apology.
The nerves didn't get a chance to consume him for too long, though, because the moment he stepped into the arrivals hall, the Spanish alpha was standing there in a hoodie and sunglasses, his face lighting up the second he spotted him.
Oscar barely had time to process before said alpha was pulling him into a warm embrace, his familiar scent of citrus and spice settling Oscar’s fried nerves for just a moment.
“I missed you, gatito mio.” Carlos admitted against his hair, voice filled with warmth.
The Aussie huffed a small laugh. “It’s been, like, four days.”
“Exactly, too long.”
They made their way out of the airport and into Carlos’ car, the drive smooth as they crossed the border into Monaco. The easy atmosphere lasted until the older finally glanced over, his hands tightening slightly on the wheel.
“So,” he said carefully, “what is it you wanted to talk about?”
Oscar hesitated. “I’d rather wait until we get to yours if that’s alright.”
The Spaniard nodded, but Oscar didn’t miss the way his jaw tensed. Was he nervous too?
A little while later, they sat together on Carlos’ plush, overly expensive designer couch in his apartment. The floor-to-ceiling windows overlooked the Monaco harbor with expensive yachts lined up like pearls, but Oscar couldn’t focus on anything except the heavy silence between them.
He was still trying to find the right words when Carlos suddenly blurted out, his voice aspirated and accent heavy, “Are you—are you breaking up with me?”
Oscar’s eyes widened in horror. “What? No, that wasn’t—was that what you thought this was about?.”
Carlos let out a small breath that sounded a little like relief, but his expression was still uncertain.
The omega swallowed, forcing himself to push forward. “I just… As you know, I haven't been feeling too great lately. And then I remembered something Charles said, and, well, the reason is going to make things a little more complicated for us.”
He stood up and reached into his suitcase before he could keep rambling, hands only slightly shaking as he pulled out the tests from a little plastic bag. He turned them toward the alpha, his heart pounding.
“The reason is that I, well, I’m pregnant.”
The silence that followed was unbearable.
Carlos stared at the tests, then at Oscar, his dark eyes wide, glassy and brimming with unshed tears as the realization started to sink in. Hope, fear, disbelief.
Then, in the quietest, thickest voice, he whispered unsure, “Are you? Are we? We’re going to be parents?”
Oscar nodded slowly.
Carlos lips parted, his breath shuddering as he tried to process the reality of it. Oscar, suddenly anxious, began. “I’m not here to get anything from you—”
But his words were cut off when Carlos surged forward, pulling him into the tightest embrace of his life. He barely had a second to react before he felt wetness against his neck, a sob running through Carlos’ entire body.
“Are you mad?” Oscar panicked, his own voice rising. “I can do this on my own if you don’t want this—”
Carlos pulled back, cupping the omega’s face in both hands. There were streaks of tears down his cheeks, but he was smiling. And that’s when it registered, and Oscar finally understood—those weren’t tears of fear or sadness. They were tears of pure, overwhelming happiness.
“I’m not mad, mi amor,” Carlos whispered, voice thick and wet with emotion. “Not when you’ve just made me the happiest man in the world.”
Before Oscar knows it, he's crying too.
It’s overwhelming—so much has happened in such a short span of time. The uncertainty of the future, the fear of what this means for his life, for Carlos' life, crashes into him all at once. His voice comes out shaky and unrecognisable to his own ears.
“You have so much going on already,” he says, barely above a whisper. “I don’t want to ruin your career.”
Carlos’ expression softens immediately, as if the thought hadn’t even crossed his mind. He brushes away stray tears from the omega’s cheeks with his thumbs.
“You’re not ruining anything,” he says, firm and sure. “Listen, after everything that’s happened over the last two weeks, this is the best news, the best birthday gift I could’ve gotten. I’m, I’m going to be a dad.”
Oscar searches his face, looking for any sign of doubt, but there is none. His eyes are still red and teary, but he means it. And of course, there are still so many things they need to talk about. What now? What does this mean for them? How do they move forward from here? How to build a life together.
But Carlos is already one step ahead.
“Move in with me,” he suggests. “Here, in Monaco.”
Oscar blinks, taken aback. “Carlos—”
“I’ll call the hospital on Monday, we’ll schedule an appointment,” the alpha continues, his hand still warm on Lucas’s cheek. “We’ll figure everything out together vale?.”
Oscar wants to. He really does, more than anything he realizes. It’s the most sensible thing to do. But—
“What about my job?” he says hesitantly. “I haven’t even started yet. I can’t just—drop everything and follow you here.”
The Spaniard doesn’t even hesitate. “Then we’ll find a way. We’ll make it work.”
Oscar swallows hard. He doesn’t want to freeload off the other even if he can afford to; that’s not the kind of person he is. But at the same time, this isn’t just about him anymore and sometimes beggars can’t be choosers.
They spend hours tangled up on the couch, and Oscar discovers just how organized and in need of control the Spanish alpha is, but to his surprise he’s not in the least bothered by it. They agree that Oscar will move in after the Singapore Grand Prix. Carlos will have a three-week break before the American triple-header, and the omega will join him for all four races. That way, he has time to sort things out in London before making the move.
The conversation leaves Oscar feeling lighter and immensely more hopeful about the situation. Not that everything is magically solved, but knowing they are on the same page makes all the difference.
—
Later, after Carlos whips up lunch for both of them, he starts getting ready to go cycling with Teto, Borja, and Tadej. He gives Oscar a kiss and a key in case he wants to go out.
Oscar figures he should kill two birds with one stone. He pulls out his phone and shoots Lando a text.
Hi
Are you in Monaco? Free to meet up?
Lando replies faster than he expected.
Lando Norris
i am r u here? 🥹
A few more texts later, they agree to Lando picking him up outside Carlos’ building. Oscar takes his time to freshen up, and find something to wear that’s more appropriate for the Monaco weather and heads down, finding the Brit already waiting for him outside. Even with sunglasses and a bucket hat it was hard to miss it was him.
What really catches Oscar’s attention though, is the midnight blue Lamborghini Miura Lando is resting against.
“That’s a beauty,” Oscar says in awe, eyes lighting up. “Must’ve been a little fortune, I reckon? The insurance too.”
Lando looks up from his phone and smirks, “Wouldn’t you like to know? I considered driving the Defender because I know you love it so much.”
Oscar rolled his eyes at that, and walked around the car, taking in every little detail from the old sports car. “No, thank you, don’t feel like repairing it when it breaks down on us.”
Lando watches him, amused. “I swear, you’re more excited to see the car than me.”
Oscar hums, “Isn’t that the truth though?”
They drive around the principality, winding through the narrow streets with the Miura’s V12 engine roaring beneath them. Eventually, Lando pulls up at Place du Casino, handing his keys over to a valet before leading them to a nearby restaurant. “The hairpin is down that way,” he points in a direction and the omega only nods, taking his word for it.
The warm Monaco sun beats down on them, but a waiter finds a spot in the shade and the Brit orders them both something refreshing to drink.
“So,” he licks his lip, leaning on his forearm. “I was a bit surprised when you texted. What brings you to Monaco?”
Oscar hesitates for a moment. Maybe he’s a bit paranoid, maybe Lando is normally this flirty with everyone—it’s not like he really knows him, but there’s a nagging feeling that they have two very different expectations from their budding friendship. If he and Carlos are going to work, then he needs to lay all his cards on the table.
He braces himself. “I’m here for Carlos, honestly.”
Lando’s expression doesn’t change immediately, but the Aussie notices the slight shift—the way his shoulders tense ever so slightly.
Oscar continues, needing to get it out. “We’re… new to it, but we’re seeing each other.”
Lando looks like he's just had a bucket of ice cold water dumped over him. Then something else flickers across his face, something Oscar can’t quite place, but the way his shoulders sag makes him seem impossibly smaller in the rattan chair.
His stormy green eyes shift to the table as if he’s trying to avoid looking the omega in the eyes. “It’s because he’s an alpha isn’t it? It always is.” Lando says, his brows furrowing, “And I’m not, just an boring ol’ beta.”
“Lando—”
“I’ve been a fool because I liked you so much I didn’t see what was right in front of me, you know? When I first saw you in Monza I thought you were there for Logan, but when I spotted you near Ferrari with Charles’ dog I thought he’d invited you. But it was Carlos all along.” He laughed drily.
The confession confirmed what Oscar had feared, but he wasn’t prepared for how badly it made him feel. Lando deserved love too, even if it wasn't with him. “I know you and Carlos have history and are close, and I’d like us to be friends too.”
Lando finally looks up at him with a smile, but it doesn’t quite reach his eyes anymore. “Of course,” he says, too easily. “Yeah. Of course we will be, but I think I need time to, you know… Get over you.”
“I’m sorry.”
The beta takes his eyes off him and gazes over at the tourists passing by trying to sneakily get a picture of him. “Don’t be. It’s not your fault.”
For the first time, he wonders if he might have underestimated just how deep Lando’s feelings run.
“It’s not because you’re a beta, I’ll have you know and I really hope you’ll find your person one day.”
“Yeah?” He sounded almost hopeful.
The omega offered the other a smile, “You’re Lando Norris are you not?”
The McLaren driver rolled his eyes but doubled over, giggling, “oh my god, your humor is terrible, mate!”
Oscar and Lando leave the restaurant to wander around Monte Carlo, taking in the afternoon sun that hangs high in the sky. They stop at a small gelato parlor tucked between designer boutiques on one of the side streets. The Brit orders a kinder bueno gelato, while Oscar opts for a classic chocolate that has enough sugar to satisfy his sweet tooth.
As they walk, they make idle conversation—clearly straying away from topics about racing and the championship battle that’s heating up between him and Verstappen. The older man takes his job as a guide seriously, showing the Aussie around the city state that has been his home the last four years. Oscar is fully aware of the stares they get, some people blatantly filming and a few times they stop briefly as Lando takes a picture with a fan.
Eventually, Lando drives Oscar back to Carlos’ apartment complex.
When they pull up outside, the Brit lets out a breathy chuckle, shaking his head. “Of course you’re staying at Carlos’,” he muses, his tone light, but there’s a sharpness beneath it. “It’s not like this is a hotel—I should’ve known.”
Oscar grimaces slightly but doesn’t comment. Instead, he just nods, offering a quick thanks before stepping out of the old car.
“See you around, yeah?” The beta calls before driving off.
Oscar exhales, rolling his shoulders as he heads inside.
—
The apartment is quiet when he steps in, a clear sign that the alpha has yet to return from his cycling trip to god knows where.
Oscar kicks off his shoes and flops down onto the plush couch with a groan, staring up at the ceiling. The reality of everything slowly sinks in—this is where he’ll be living soon. It’s strange to think about, especially when only a week ago, Monaco wasn’t even on his radar, far from it in fact.
Another nagging thought creeps into his mind—he’d been so busy—and sick, this week that he’d barely had the time to check in on Logan. He had kept his reply brief: a quick congratulations on a strong race, paired with a vague excuse about not having time to meet up in Monza. It wasn’t that he was avoiding the conversation, but…
Yeah, no. He was definitely avoiding it.
With a sigh, Oscar pulls his phone from his pocket, debating whether to send another text. But before he can, the exhaustion from the day catches up to him, and without realizing it, he dozes off.
Oscar stirs at the feeling of something warm and soft pressing against his lips.
Blinking groggily, he finds Carlos crouched beside the couch, freshly showered, his dark hair still damp. He smells faintly of a minty shampoo, and his own familiar scent Oscar’s come to crave so much.
“Hey,” Carlos murmurs, a fond smile on his lips.
Oscar blinks again, disoriented. “Oh you’re back.”
Carlos chuckles, his thumb brushing lightly against Oscar’s cheek. “I am. And you, mi amor, are a terrible guard dog. I could’ve been an intruder.”
The Aussie scoffs, shifting to sit up. “If an intruder is out here kissing me awake, then I have bigger problems.”
Carlos grins, leaning in just slightly. “Lucky for you, it’s just me.”
Oscar huffs but doesn’t push him away. Instead, he lets himself relax into the warmth of Carlos’ touch, curling up against him on the couch.
“Not that you’re a dog, you’re more like a cat.” The Spaniard laughed as he brushed the omega’s dark blonde hair away from his face.
“That’s what you keep calling me right?”
“Kitten, yes.” Carlos flashed him a grin before planting a kiss on his forehead, just above his right eyebrow. “The cutest kitten in the whole universe and I don’t even like cats that much.”
“I’m not cute, I’m hot.” Oscar murmured as he rubbed sleep out of his eyes.
“So what did my hot omega do while I was gone?”
Oscar sits up and hesitates for half a second before deciding there’s no point in hiding it. “I met up with Lando, actually.”
The Spaniard raises a brow. “Lando?”
“Yeah. I asked him if we could meet if he was in Monaco, so we grabbed gelato and walked around a bit.” Oscar shrugs, watching for the other’s reaction. “I said we’re in a relationship, and he kinda confessed his feelings.”
For a moment, Carlos just watches him. Then, to the omega’s surprise, the alpha only nods. “Good.”
“…Good?”
Carlos lets out a quiet laugh, shaking his head. “I mean, I’m not thrilled that he looks at you like he wants something he can’t have, but I’d rather you talk things out than let things be weird, but I probably should’ve said something to him sooner.” He tilts his head slightly. “How did he take it?”
Oscar sighed. “Like I had snapped a race win from him.”
“I figured.”
“Yeah.” Oscar exhales, drumming his fingers against his knee. “But he took it well enough. Said he still wants to be friends, he just needs some time and space.”
“That’s something, at least.”
Oscar glances over, studying the older’s face. “You’re really not mad?”
Carlos scoffs. “Mi amor, I’m not jealous of Lando.” He nudges the omega’s knee with his own. “I trust you.”
Something warm blooms in Oscar’s chest.
“Besides,” He continues, a teasing lilt creeping back into his voice, “you’re the one carrying my baby, not his.”
Oscar groans, shoving at Carlos' arm as the Spaniard laughs. “Oh my God, don’t say it like that and make this weirder than it has to be.”
“Why not? It’s true though.” Carlos leans in, voice dropping just slightly. “And you look extra cute when your cheeks are red like a habanero.”
Oscar narrows his eyes but can’t help the way his lips twitch upward. “You’re impossible.”
Carlos only grins wider. “And yet, you’re moving in with me and having my baby. Something tells me you love me.”
He sighs dramatically. “Unfortunately.”
The Ferrari driver gasps, clutching his chest like he’s been mortally wounded, not unlike an actor in a telenovela Oscar muses. “Qué cruel!”
“Yeah, yeah.” He giggles and pokes at Carlos’ pouty bottom lip, “What time is it anyway, I’m hungry.” The sun is still high in the sky, but it’s no longer shining directly through the tall videoes, casting much softer shadows. Carlos got his feet and walked over to the kitchen, opening the fridge.
“I had a smoothie not long ago, but I can make you something if you’d like. If I don’t have the ingredients I can order.”
“Whatever is fine, I can help you.”
Oscar wonders why he got so lucky, and what he did to deserve something like this, but he sure as hell was going to cherish it for as long as he could because loving the alpha was so damn easy.