it’s got that familiarity, that feeling of home they find in each other. but also the pain! the pain of lando living the dream that max would kill for to have. but also the acceptance, the compelte lack of jealousy. max does not want to be in lando’s place, he wants to be beside lando. he doesn’t want to have what lando has, because that’d mean lando doesn’t have it. he wants to have it too.
and this doesn’t even touch on the codependency, the cutting meat for each other, the taking care of each other, the living together. max knowing when to talk about what with lando and when to not mention something. to defend lando on his stream, to vocalise the boundaries that lando doesn’t say but does have.
and also the ribbing, the not taking each other too seriously, the bullying – they’re just a safe haven for each other. a place where lando isn’t mclaren’s f1 driver lando norris, but just bob. a place where max isn’t a streamer with a failed racing career hanging like a dark cloud above him, but just max. a place where they can be themselves, truly themselves. once again, a place where they can be home.
and not to repeat myself but, just to summarise their lives: the inherent homoeroticism of growing up together, being teammates, always being shorter until lando's growspurt where he is suddenly taller than max, max always being impressed by just how fast lando is. never losing touch despite lando getting both of their dreams, max never getting that chance. putting everything aside just to play some dumb games together. max being in a rough patch and lando asking if he’d like to live with him. six months of living together. always sharing clothes. asking if max’d like to work for lando's company, maybe just an excuse to spend even more time together. a car drives by and he doesn’t think twice to cover lando's head for safety. coming home to him. him understanding that lando doesn’t want to talk about racing, for once, because the weekend sucked. lando doesn’t even need to tell him and he knows. then lando gets a girlfriend and max’s just there, a hundred percent a part of it. the break up was rough, a playlist called ‘her loss’ on lando's spotify, but he’s there for you. he’s always there, even when they don’t live together anymore, lando and max fall in that rhythm with ease. max still wears lando's clothes, lando wears max's. whenever max’s at the track lando just seems to be better, a lucky charm they call him. lando picks up a photography hobby and the favorite photo he’s taken is where max’s the sole subject. max streams and lando bullies him in the chat, max dedicates his entire attention to the pixels lando puts on his screen. when lando's not watching he talks about how lando has dragged him out of a depression, how lando make everything nicer. he defends lando with words lando can’t find himself. max’s just so ready to be there for lando. and lando's there for max.