It started in the weirdest, most random way — a late-night Escape From Tarkov Discord server, where Lando had joined under some dumb fake name he made up in thirty seconds: “Bobshredz420.” He’d been alone in a hotel room somewhere in Japan, wired from media day and too many energy drinks, trying to avoid the loneliness that crept in between race weekends. Playing a game, even badly, seemed like the easiest distraction.

He wasn’t expecting to meet anyone. Let alone him. charles.

They started off the way most dumb online friendships do — sarcastic callouts, half-hearted teamwork, Lando getting roasted for being bad and charles carrying every raid without breaking a sweat. But then Lando started logging on less for the game and more for the guy waiting in the call, exited to have a true friend.

He’d hidden who he was for the first couple of months, because he likes how normal it felt. And now, 3.months into their friendship, he still had not revealed who he truly was.