Chapter Text
Lightning McQueen was a very good loser. It wasn’t often that those skills had to be used, but on this glorious day, he was going to be the best loser.
Lightning could barely see the bright purple, Octain Gain car through the smoke of burnout. It suffocated his lungs and made him cough, but he didn’t give a shit. He scrambled out of the #95’s window and nearly fell flat on his face in the process.
And there he was.
Bobby fucking Swift.
Bobby was yelling at the top of his lungs, dancing on top of his #19. He whooped and cheered through the smoke as reporters surrounded him like seagulls to fries.
Lightning was going to kiss that man.
Sally would get it.
Bobby spotted him through the crowd and lept off of the car. They raced at each other like it was a movie and they hadn’t seen each other in years. When they met, it was an explosion of pain as they body slammed each other.
“Bobby! Holy shit! Bobby!” Lightning yelled into his ear. Bobby cackled and slapped him on the back hard enough that it’d leave bruises.
“Fuck your streak, Lightning! It goes to the dogs, now, buddy!” Bobby sang out his absolute delight to the universe.
“You better get yourself ready for the nastiest prank in the world. ”
“I’d like to see you try, runner up.” Lightning grinned at the challenge. Bobby was a bitch to prank, but every once in a while Lightning got him. Like that time that he’d covered his entire motor home in dish soap or pretended like the race had been cancelled and stole Bobby’s phone so he couldn’t verify. That one had only worked because Bobby had been drinking, but still. Lightning took any win he could get.
Bobby’s team was absolutely airtight when it came to Lightning getting entry into Bobby’s pit, it was like he’d hired them for security or something. Meanwhile, Guido and Luigi were happy to let any one of Lightning’s friends come hang out, no matter how many times he told them not to trust Cal or Bobby.
As the pair laughed and chatted at speeds higher than their cars could go, a reverent voice called out from the crowd.
“You did it. ” They turned and saw Cal standing there, his eyes wide. “You won.”
“Yeah, I did,” Bobby grinned, grabbing the brunette and pulling him into their hug. Bobby smacked a kiss onto his cheek and Cal didn’t even complain this time.
“Cal! We gotta prank him!” Lightning ruffled Cal’s hair, still buzzing from excitement.
“ You can prank him.”
“C’mon! Don’t leave me hanging here!” Cal laughed until Bobby squeezed them both hard enough that it turned into a wheeze. The taller driver grinned at his two friends, the two racers that made him better. And this year, they’d made him the best .
For three years, the Piston Cup had gone to McQueen. Nobody had come close to it except for Cal Weathers, Bobby Swift, Brick Yardley, Ferra Meeker, and the junior Dale. Three championships wasn’t the most anyone ever had, but considering this was his fourth year and the fiasco during his rookie year, Lightning was a fierce racer.
That’s part of the reason why the world was losing it today. The headlines were even bigger, the crowds swallowed the stadium up. Reporters were acting like if they didn’t get a statement, they’d get fired. It was a warzone out there, but hopefully it’d be peaceful tonight.
Lightning was lounging on his bed in his motorhome when a knock sounded at his door. “Come in!” he called out, his eyes closed and an arm tossed over his head.
“Kid,” Doc greeted. Lightning looked up. He seemed… Nervous? A bit apprehensive.
“Hey, Doc. What’s up?”
“How are you feeling?” Doc sat down on the bed next to him, Lightning offered a confused smile.
“I’m fine? Why?”
“You lost.” Oh. That would make sense why Doc was concerned.
“Yeah, I mean. It’s not great.” Lightning could still hear the reporters asking him all sorts of wild things, asking him to comment on his friend’s victory like it was somehow the beginning of the end. “It sucks to see all those headlines and stuff about me falling off or whatever, but every time I feel bad that I lost, I remember that Bobby won. And that guy deserves to win at least a cup or two.”
Doc chuckled at him. He reached out and squeezed his arm. “Glad you got that attitude, rookie.”
“Yeah. I mean, me too.” Lightning had come a long way from the kid who destroyed the town’s pavement. Doc’s care for him made that obvious. “It does suck, though, doesn’t it?” he smiled ruefully. “I saw that new reporter, Glenn, or something. She wanted me to comment on something she wrote about how I’m tired and old. Wrote about how it was time for me to retire.”
“Retire?” Doc laughed. “Kid, you’ve barely raced. You’re the whole era! You got three decades left in you, easily.”
“ Three ?”
“If you wanted them,” Doc amended. Lightning stared at the ceiling, thinking it over. He loved racing. He lived for racing. The track felt new every year and most careers lasted ten or so years out here, but Doc believed in his longevity.
“..Yeah, I could do three,” he grinned.
“Atta boy.”
The pair chuckled together. Lightning felt a bit lighter, a bit more prepared to face the hoard of thirsty journalists. The headlines of the day felt a bit more temporary.
All except one.
“I’m just a little worried about Cal.”
“Why are you worried about Cal?” Lightning shrugged and pushed himself to sit up and face his mentor. Doc’s expression was always a little hard to read, but it was a bit tighter, now.
“Well. I mean. He’s the only one out of us three to not have a Cup, now. And I saw a few things about him and his uncle, comparing their careers. It looks rough. Mr. The King really swept the competition when he started out and… Well. Cal’s steady. He’s incredible, but the journalists don’t see that, they want the numbers.”
“Well, his uncle didn’t have you to compete with,” Doc pointed out. Lightning shrugged.
“Yeah, but… It’s not just that. He was acting weird. Usually he’s strict about his line, but today he was all over the place. He never passes people if it’s a little dicey at the start, but he just swerved right past me at lap fifty. Plus- I don’t know. He didn’t come to Bobby’s before the race.”
Doc pursed his lips and stayed quiet. He looked like he was turning something over in his head. “Well,” he started.
“What?”
“Kid, I'm gonna tell you something because you’re a good friend.”
“Huh?” That set off the alarms in Lightning’s head. “What happened?”
“I’m not really supposed to tell you this-”
“C’mon, Doc!”
Doc shot him a glare. “Kid, you gotta be a little more patient.”
“Sorry.” Lightning shut up. Doc rolled his eyes at his racer, half amused, half exasperated.
“I’m not really supposed to tell you this, so keep quiet about it… But I was talkin’ with Strip and he mentioned that things are a bit rough with the Weathers and Dinoco, right now.”
“What? What does that mean?” That was terrifying . Cal was racing, so obviously things weren’t awfully wrong, but what did that mean for him? Why?
Doc sighed and stood up from the bed. “He mentioned it in passing, I didn’t pry. Listen. It could be nothing.” He made eye contact with Lightning. He needed Lightning to understand. “It could be something small. But whatever it is, it’s something that they want private. You’re a good friend, rookie, but I’m not telling you this so that you can get in their business. It just sounds like maybe Cal needs some extra support.”
Lightning really wanted to know more. But Cal hadn’t told him anything. Lightning understood privacy, but he thought that their little trio might have been close enough to tell each other when things were getting weird. “Thanks for warning me, Doc.”
Lightning stood up to stretch, his hands nearly touching the ceiling of the motor home. All racers were pretty short, but that just meant they didn’t need to get terribly high ceilings.
“Of course, kid. And if you let it slip-”
“I didn’t learn it from you.”
Doc laughed at him and gave him a squeeze on the shoulder. Lightning and him weren’t really huggers, but nearly every interaction with Doc led to a fatherly pat or squeeze. It always made Lightning smile.
“You’re gonna get me into trouble, someday.”
“I would never,” Lightning grinned, knowing it was an absolute lie. Hopefully, though, today was not going to be that day.
—
The world had shown up to the Dinoco’s to celebrate Bobby. Flashing lights and lasers painted the inside of the tent. The stage was empty, which was just about to change.
Lightning was grinning, Mrs. Swift’s arm threaded through his. “Really! Bobby was a player in highschool, too, then?”
“Too?!” she laughed. “That boy needs to calm himself.”
“You and I have got to get lunch sometime, Mrs. Swift. I can’t believe Bobby hasn’t let me talk to you!” Bobby’s mom was lovely. Right after Lightning had left his motorhome to come over, he ran into the woman and immediately struck up a conversation. And now, he was going to make Bobby absolutely hate him.
“You know, me neither! You are such a lovely young man. Nothing like what he’s been describing you as.” She patted him on the arm. “I’ve been looking to make a speech for him for so long, but he’s never let me. Can you imagine that?”
“I have no idea why, Mrs. Swift. It’s going to be an incredible speech, but… I was thinking we could get some visuals in it? I can get the projector people on it. Maybe that video you showed me earlier?”
“Of Bobby in that little toy car?”
“That very one!”
“Of course, sweetheart.” Bobby was going to kill him . It’d be so worth it. Lightning got the video as well as Mrs. Swift’s phone number. He left her near the stage to go and hand the video over to the booth folks with a sweet kiss on her cheek and a wink. Lightning was fully aware of the charm he could put on moms. It was even better when it was one of his best friend’s moms.
He came back up to the stage and shot her a thumbs up. Mrs. Swift grinned at him. This was going to be great.
“Hey, hey, Dinoco!” The crowd cheered as he spoke into the mic out on stage. “How are we tonight?”
Lightning laughed as he heard calls of Incredible! How are you, Lightning! So good! and a few piercing whistles. “As always, thanks to Mr. Tex Dinoco himself for hosting us. But tonight, friends, we’re here to celebrate someone real special. Bobby Swift, please come to the stage!” He heard whoops as Bobby was shoved closer.
“Bobby’s one of my favorite people to race. He’s quick, he’s smart, he’s everything that it takes to win. He’s an incredible racer and one of my best friends. I could even say that It’s an honor to lose to him. So. I set up a little surprise for him.” Lightning’s grin went maniacal. Bobby was already on his way up. There was no escape. “Mrs. Swift, Bobby’s incredible mother, has been wanting to make a speech for her son, so what better time than the day her son wins the Piston Cup!”
Bobby froze on his path to the center of the stage. His eyes went wide. No, he mouthed to Lightning. Lightning stepped to the side with a cackle as Mrs. Swift took center.
“My son is the sweetest boy around…” she began. Bobby speed-walked to Lightning and discreetly punched him in the side.
“You fucking didn’t,” he whispered. “She cannot make this speech.”
“Oh, ho ho, Bobby. She already is.” Lightning beamed and tossed his arm over his friend’s shoulders. “C’mon. She’s your mom! What’s the worst she could do?”
“From the time my Bobby was tiny, he’s been a little speedster. He drank his bottles so fast that I had to burp him for hours sometimes. He always ran away in the grocery store and got himself into all the trouble he could.” Bobby looked terrified, to Lightning’s delight.
“So naturally, he started racing when he was two. We got him his first little car for Christmas because we wanted him to put that speed somewhere else. And I believe we have a video of it here-” The projector clicked on and a video with Bobby as the clear focus popped up. The dark skinned, grinning kid was in nothing but a diaper. Bobby’s mouth gaped open.
“You didn’t .”
“I did,” Lightning cackled.
“I am going to destroy you, Lightning.”
The video played, an adorable clip of Bobby getting in a tiny car and driving it around. The car was surprisingly quick. It darted around the back yard of Bobby’s house until the camera focused on Bobby’s sibling. “Slow down!” warned his mom behind the camera.
Bobby’s sister was the cutest kid ever. She was sucking her thumb, her coily hair just starting to grow out. She stood in silent awe at her brother’s speedy little car.
That was, until the tiny Bobby rammed her with the plastic car and continued on like nothing had happened.
“Robert Angus Swift! Get back here!” The video cut just after Bobby’s sister began to scream her head off and tiny Bobby could be heard cackling behind the camera.
“You’re evil!” Lightning gasped out. Bobby covered his face with his hands. “Why would you do that to her?”
“Why would you show that to the entire world. You know people are going to be sharing that, right?”
“I hope they will.”
“I hate you.”
Mrs. Swift started up her speech again after her laughing fit from the video. “Oh, it just cracks me up every time! Bobby was perfect, but he was also a menace with that car. Every time we went on walks he insisted on taking it. I think he ran over three chihuahuas with that thing!”
“And look at where it’s gotten him! Out here, on the most incredible track, with the most incredible people around.” The crowd whooped. “...But, still. I don’t see any grandkids from my boy, so if any ladies out here tonight feel like they want a Piston Cup winner, please! I need to be a grandmother!” She laughed along with the crowd. “I promise there’s not too much wrong with him, other than the fact that he doesn’t wash the dishes sometimes and he plays his music too loud. But if you can stand that and his job, just give me your number! I’ll hand it over to my beautiful boy.”
It went on like this for at least five more minutes. Mrs. Swift shared about Bobby’s first girlfriend in high school and how she and Bobby’s dad once caught him stealing the car for a joyride to impress her. It was at that point that Bobby finally stepped in.
“Thank you, ma!” he shouted, cutting his mom’s monologue about how he never brought anyone home off. “Thank you for the speech and the video, I love you, but it’s time for us to start this party, huh?!” The crowd cheered, a few people still on their phones filming. Bobby was going to see this entire thing on Youtube tomorrow, he was sure. “And thank you Lightning, for organizing my mom’s speech. Bye bye, now!”
He shoved his mom off stage.
“Wasn’t that nice, honey? You never let me tell the world how proud of you I am,” Mrs. Swift pouted. She allowed her son to bring her down into the crowd and get her a drink.
“Sorry, ma. I just don’t like people having videos of me in diapers.” Bobby’s cheeks were still flushed.
“Nonsense! You were the cutest baby.”
“Thanks, ma.”
“And now, I have that delightful young man’s number so he can set me up with an interview, sometime.”
“You have Lightning’s number?!”
“Don’t shout!”
“Sorry.”
Lightning laughed at the interaction, letting himself be swallowed by the crowd. All in a day’s work. Bobby had been airtight about his mom, even though she was at every single race. He had always made sure that they never overlapped, probably because he knew Lightning would pull something like this, but all it took was one slip up. Now the whole world knew that Bobby had stolen a car and that he was depriving poor Mrs. Swift of grandkids.
Today was a great day.
Lightning wandered through the crowd, offering statements to anybody who asked and signing posters of himself as he went. But through it, off in a corner, he spotted Cal and Tex discussing something. The both of them were close together as if they were speaking quietly, their gaze flitting around the crowd like they were anxious someone was listening. Cal looked tired.
What was going on with Cal popped back into his head. He pushed his way through the party to get over to them, only to come up to Tex walking away.
“Hey- Hey, Mr. Tex!” Lightning greeted, stopping the billionaire in his tracks. Tex gave him a grand smile, pulling the younger man into a hug. Tex had always been caring towards him after his rookie season.
“What can I do for you, Lightning?”
“Nothing, really. I was just wondering how Cal’s doing?”
“After losing?” Tex raised a brow at him, still with his winning smile. If Doc was hard to read, Tex was even more difficult.
“Yeah. I mean- It’s rough, right?”
“Maybe to you! It’s your first loss, kid,” the man joked. Lightning laughed along apprehensively. “Alright, then. I’ll see you around. You’ve always got a place at Dinoco,” he reminded, tipping his giant cowboy hat with those wacky horns in them. It was some sort of signature look, Lightning had always assumed.
“Thanks, Tex.”
Tex always said that, but now it just scared him even more, considering what Doc had told him. Still, Cal’s stuff was being kept a secret. That didn’t mean that Lightning wasn’t worried. He glanced around to absolutely no sight of Cal around. Lightning pulled out his phone and sent a text.
Hey buddy, I don’t see you around. WYA?
Nearly instantly, he got a reply.
sorry wasn’t feeling it today. if you want, come to my trailer.
At least Cal was inviting him over, he reasoned. Lightning made his way out of the tent, grabbing two slices of cake from the back table as he left.
Like everything, Cal’s trailer was bright, Dinoco blue. The color was so strong, he was sure that it burned the color perception from the Weathers’ eyes. Lightning knocked on the door and stared at Cal’s beaming face next to an electric #42 in the paint as he waited.
“Hey, Lightning,” Cal greeted as he opened the door. He wore a tight smile. His eyes were rimmed red.
“Brought you cake,” Lightning offered, holding it out. “Dunno what it is, but it looks good.” Cal chuckled, taking the cake and plastic fork from him.
“Thanks.”
The pair went inside and settled on Cal’s couch to eat their cake. Cal’s trailer was bigger than Lightning’s, not that it was a competition. His was pretty damn big, but Cal’s had those pieces that could expand and make another dining room and everything.
But now, the bigger trailer almost seemed a bit impersonal. It was all blues and taupes. Too big to be cozy, too small to be fully comfortable.
Lightning’s gaze landed on his other best friend. Cal had refused to meet his eyes. Still, Lightning could obviously see that he had been crying. It made his heart pang with empathy.
“You know you can tell me anything, right, Cal?” he spoke up. Lightning’s words were careful and soft. An invitation.
Cal startled a bit, looking back up at Lightning. He shifted awkwardly. “Sorry, just got lost in thought.”
“It’s fine.”
“Uhm. But yeah, thanks Lightning.”
“No problem, buddy.”
The trailer fell into silence again. Lightning picked up the remote to the TV in front of them, clicking it on. It landed on a broadcast of their own race that day, replaying the clip of Bobby pulling ahead of Lightning and Brick Yardley at the last second. He winced. Maybe not the best thing to be playing right now.
Lightning switched the channel to a documentary. Now the screen was filled with poison dart frogs, leaping from branch to branch in the Amazon. The pair watched as the frogs began to hunt for flies, the peaceful narrator explaining their technique and how their tongue worked.
“Oh! Holy shit!” Lightning commented as the frog lept and grabbed a fly in mid-air.
Cal laughed. “Looks kinda like you in your tie rookie year.” There was an awful picture of Lightning from the inside of the #95, tongue out in concentration just as he tied with Chick Hicks and The King.
“Shut up,” he shot back with a grin.
“You do kinda look like it, you’re both all red.”
“My red’s better than it’s red.”
His cell ringing interrupted their debate. Lightning picked it up to find the god-awful picture he’d set for Bobby staring back at him. Lightning showed it to Cal, who shrugged.
“Pick it up,” he urged. Lightning complied.
“What’s up?”
“What’s a Piston Cup celebration without you guys. Where are you?”
“I’m at Cal’s. We’re watching frog videos.”
“Way to be supportive.”
“Hey! I got your mom to make that amazing speech, I don’t wanna hear that sass, Mr. Robert Angus Swift.”
“I’m heading over, dickhead.”
The line clicked dead and Lightning chuckled. “Bobby’s on his way, so get ready for his awful voice in a minute or two.” He glanced over and Cal was staring at the screen of the television, uncharacteristically quiet. “You okay with that, Cal? I’ll tell him to screw off.”
“Oh, yeah. That’s fine.” Cal came back to life with a small smile at Lightning. “It’s nice when it’s the three of us.”
“Yeah, it is,” he agreed. Lightning got up to go find a few beers for them, ruffling Cal’s hair in the process. Out of the three of them, Cal was in the middle age-wise, but that didn’t stop him and Bobby from ruffling his hair all the time like he was a child.
Lightning grabbed the beers from the fridge and set them down at the table. A knock sounded at the door and Lightning went to get Bobby.
“Hey, winner,” he greeted with a hug. Bobby rolled his eyes.
“Hey. Why are we in here?” he asked, glancing past Lightning to look at Cal.
Lightning’s voice turned to a whisper. “Cal’s having a rough time. I don’t know. Something’s up with Dinoco and… Maybe because we have Piston Cups and he doesn’t, now?”
Bobby nodded, patting Lightning’s back in acknowledgement. Lightning moved away from the door and let him in.
“What’s up, Cal?” Bobby greeted with a grin, flopping himself onto the couch, directly in Cal’s personal space. “The party’s kinda boring out there. It’s great, don’t get me wrong. Don’t tell Tex. But I honestly just want to watch something with you guys.”
“Aww!” Lightning mocked, uncapping a beer. “That’s so sweet!”
“And by you guys I mean Cal.”
Cal chuckled at him and let Bobby toss his arm around his shoulder. “Sorry I’m not out there partying, though. It’s your big win.”
“Shut up. What do you want to watch?” Bobby snatched the remote from Lightning’s hands. “We are not watching frogs for the rest of the night.”
They ended up watching a monster truck rally. They all shouted at the screen when the trucks flipped and crushed other cars. After a few drinks, they ended up sitting on the floor in front of the couch, Cal fully pressed up against Bobby and Lightning commenting from right beside the TV.
“Okay. There’s just no way that’s gonna get points. You see that? That shit’s disqualified for sure.”
“No, there’s no way. That was so sick,” Cal argued, gesturing at the shark truck that was flipping over and over using an arm on the top of it that was themed to a fin.
The trio laughed and argued over the trucks until late into the night. They stopped hearing the sounds of the party outside. Eventually, Cal’s phone lit up with a text. His good mood dropped back into a frown.
“Uhm. Sorry, guys. I’m gonna have to kick you out soon. I- I have to be back on the road in an hour.”
Lightning muted the TV, exchanging eye contact with Bobby.
“So you’re not gonna be here to celebrate, tomorrow?” Bobby asked, brows furrowed in concern.
“Sorry.”
“Don’t apologize, Cal. You take care of whatever you need to,” Lightning interjected. He stood up to clean up the empty bottles.
“Dinoco’ll be here, though. It’s just my uncle and I that are going.”
Bobby stood up, too, and offered Cal a hand up. “Yeah, it’s okay. We’ll celebrate again, another time.” Cal smiled and took his hand.
“You two should come over to our place for the off season. Just for a bit,” he invited.
“Count us in,” Bobby smiled. He wrapped Cal up into a giant hug and squeezed.
“Yeah! You think I’d miss the chance to see the Superbird again?” Lightning hugged Cal after Bobby let go. “We’ll be there. Just send us dates.”
“See you guys.” Cal looked a lot better than when Lightning first showed up, that was for sure.
Bobby and Lightning left together. The track was a little eerie at night, but it was home. The flat pavement was a platform for tents and trailers, for garages with their beloved cars. The peaceful, lightless night contrasted the flashes of cameras and gas fumes of the day. They’d never spent a night on the track that hadn’t been one of joy and community.
They walked past tents that were silent and dark, past ones that still had lights up and chatter. They passed tents where their friends slept with only the sound of their footsteps echoing through the dark.
“So… What was that about?” Bobby asked as they neared Lightning’s trailer.
Lightning pursed his lips. “I have no clue. Which is absolutely terrifying.” An owl hooted out in the distance, spooking them both into silence until it passed.
“Something’s up with him and Dinoco?”
“I think? I saw him and Tex talking and it looked weird. And Doc was chatting with Strip and Strip mentioned that things were not going great. But I’m not supposed to say that, so you’d better not tell anyone.”
Bobby mimed zipping his lips shut. Lightning rolled his eyes and elbowed him. The pair leaned up against Lightning’s trailer, Bobby crossing his arms as he tried to figure this puzzle out.
“I’ll ask around, see if anybody’s heard of anything.”
“Should you?” Lightning questioned. Anxiety bubbled up into his throat. “I mean- It doesn’t look like they want people knowing anything. Cal didn’t even tell us.”
“Yeah… He didn’t, did he?” Bobby looked to the ground. “That kinda sucks. He knows we’re there for him, right?”
“Maybe it’s because of something legal.”
They both paused at the awful thought. What would that mean for Cal? What would that mean for his contract?
“That doesn’t answer why he’s leaving with his uncle right now,” Bobby raised. “Should we ask?”
“I mean. Maybe. The worst he can tell us is to screw off.”
“Hm.”
They both did not like this mystery. It was not a fun one. Usually they all spent their time messing around, seeing how they could prank each other or watching something together. Now, it was a pair instead of a trio. A mystery instead of a celebration.
“I kinda feel bad,” Bobby admitted quietly. “I don’t know- I mean, I know I shouldn’t”
“About what?”
“About winning?” Bobby’s voice raised at the end with a wince. Like he knew what Lightning’s reaction would be. “I don’t know. It’s just- I’m really happy, but at the same time, what the hell is even happening with Cal, right now. If it’s a problem that he’s not getting as many wins as you and I-”
“That’s dumb.” Lightning went dead serious. His words sharpened with gravity. “You deserve that win, you deserve that cup. We both deserve our wins. We have no idea if that’s why he’s going through something. Yes, this is weird and we love Cal, but this is not going to ruin you getting the Piston Cup, okay? You have worked your ass off to get here. You don’t get to have that taken away from you.”
Bobby let out a slow breath. He nodded his head. “Okay. Thank you.”
Lightning tugged Bobby into a hug, making the taller racer bend down. “You are the coolest person out here.”
“Even cooler than you?” Bobby teased. His arms enveloped Lightning gratefully.
Lightning shrugged. “Purple’s cooler than red.”
“I’m gonna get you saying that on video.”
“Nope. You’re never gonna have evidence that I said that.”
Bobby laughed at him. Their hug went on for a while longer, the two of them just enjoying the contact. The nice thing about racing was that most of them were pretty physical, but out of all of them, Bobby was probably the most affectionate of them all.
“I love you, man,” Bobby mumbled, his voice betraying a smile.
“Love ya, too.” Lightning didn’t know how he functioned back before Bobby and Cal were on the track. He didn’t know how he survived without their friendships to keep him grounded and feeling cared for. Everybody on that track needed people behind them. In his case, he had his Radiator Springs team, but he also had his friends. Even if they were competition.
“C’mon. Let’s keep this party going, right? Or are you tired?” Lightning mocked. He let go of Bobby and punched him in the arm. “The world is our oyster.”
“You sober enough to drive?” Bobby grinned. Lightning grinned back.
“Where are we going?”
“I think we should figure that out on the way.”
They raced out to Lightning’s corvette. Usually racers didn’t bring their personal cars, but there’d been enough times that Lightning wanted to drive somewhere after a race that Mack had just started bringing it along next to the #95.
They spent the night raiding gas stations for sweets and laughing their asses off at random parks in the neighborhood. They were full adult men, but absolute teenagers at heart. The night ended with the two of them in a swing set, trying to see how high they could go until the sun started to rise.
They came home exhausted, but satisfied.
“Congratulations on the Piston Cup, Bobby,” Lightning mentioned casually as he dropped him off at his trailer. Bobby smiled, to Lightning and to himself.
“Thanks for celebrating with me, Lightning.”
“Always, man.”