Siddeley can pinpoint the exact moment he really saw Lightning. It was after a particularly easy mission, and they had headed back to radiator springs so Holley and Finn could catch up with Mater again. Siddeley usually stayed behind and lounged around the jet, but it was one of those times when Finn managed to persuade him to come along and hang out at the V8 and he... was having a moderate amount of fun. He was listening to the new gossip Mater was spilling out. Fillmore and Sarge had finally decided to begin dating, Flo and Ramones 3rd anniversary had been quite the event, Lightning and Sally had broken up...
That one caught his ear. They had... Broken up? It seemed like a lie, almost. They had been head over heels for one another for what seemed like forever! They were one of the most talked about celebrity couples of all time! and they were over. Just like that. Siddeley vaguely wondered who had been the one to end it...
"Hey!" He was startled out of his wonderings by the racer himself, "It's... Siddeley, right?"
He blinks at the boy, and nods. "Great!" A wide smile breaks out across his face, and he takes Siddeleys arm and drags him from his chair, He pulls him on and on until the stop at an old garage. The smile fades a bit, "this used to be Docs, but I've got my car in here now... Anyway, Finn told me you used to be a mechanic?"
Siddeley blinks at the racer. He had asked Finn about him? Why in the world would he do that? He nods and Lightnings face lights up like a Christmas tree.
"That's great!" He beams, "I really need a professional look at this car i'm trying to restore!" He pushes the door open and flicks on the light. Off to one side is Lightning Race car and red and shiny and perfect, and off to the other is a old car with the hood popped.
"Oh! is that a 72 Pontiac gto?" He asks, taking a few steps forward.
Lightning grins widely, "Finally! Someone that speaks my language!"
Dragging the pilot forward he begins to point out everything that he needs and all the ways he wants to make it even better. He's so passionate about this car, his arms are flailing and gesturing at the speed of light, his eyes are lit up with optimism... and It's here that Siddeley looks at Lightning and really sees him. He's bright eyed and wild and passionate and so fiercely determined to make this car the best it can be and Siddeley smiles a real, genuine smile.
"Lightning," He cuts through his long winded rant, "You're babbling." He grins.
Lightning looks a little sheepish, "So, do you want to help?"
"I thought you just wanted a professional opinion?" He asks while peeking into the hood of the car.
"well, yeah I guess so." The racer responds a little downtrodden, "But it'd a lot more fun with someone to work on it with." he tacks on hopefully, glancing at the man out of the corner of his eye.
Siddeley is staring at the engine when he realizes Lightning knows exactly how to restore this car. He isn't exactly sure how he knows, but he does. The racer wants to spend time with him. He wants to hang out... with Siddeley? It's weird. No one really notices him when Finn is around. But here lightning is, basically begging him to hang out... and It actually seems kinda fun. Siddeley and His granddad used to fix up old cars like this all the time! It would be great to do it again! And Finn had been bugging him into making friends in Radiator Springs since they would be visiting it a lot.
"Yeah, I do want to help." He says while pulling his head away from the engine and smiling at the racer.
The man fist pumps the air and immediately begins to give Siddeley a tour of the garage so he can be comfortable when they start working on the car officially.
And somehow it becomes a ritual of theirs. Every time the spies comeback from a mission they'll both set aside a day solely for working on the car. They'll play outdated rock music and spontaneously break out into rather bad dance moves and songs.
or after particularly hard or stressful missions they'll play show tunes and make small talk. It's nice, and as the car nears completion Siddeley begins to feel sadder and sadder. It seems like when the car is up and running, this thing they had would crumble... and late nights sitting out in the grass while taking a break from the car would disappear. All the stories and secrets would stop and Siddeley would be left alone again. He had told Lightning everything and Lightning had done the same... when the car was all fixed up... then what?
Lightning was handing him a coke when he finally asks. "What happens after we finish this car?"
The racer stares at him for a moment and Siddeley can see the gears turning in his head. He's just now thinking about the after... and he looks like he has it all figured out. "I'll sell this one, and get another one!" He says finally.
Siddeley stares at him, "And after that one?" He asks, voice strained.
Lightning sighs long and sad, "I don't know." He confesses, "the same thing?"
Siddeley gives him a look and Lightning glares at him, "Well, what am I supposed to do? I don't want this to end!"
"Neither do I!" He retorts sourly.
There's a long silence. Lightning is staring at his hands, "What exactly is 'this'?" He asks softly.
And Siddeley knows it's the question they've been dancing around for weeks. ever since that first time Siddeley had really seen Lightning the question had been there. Maybe even before that. All he knows is that the question is there, and he's afraid to answer it. What if he answers wrong?
"Siddeley?" Lightning asks, and the pilot looks up, into his eyes, "What are we?"
They held each others gaze for a long, tense moment. Siddeley breaks it first, "I don't know. What do think we are?" He's staring hard at the floor now. he can hear Lightning moving. Shuffling closer to him.
His hands feel oddly warm and he knows Lightning is holding them, "I don't know what we are, but I know what I want you to be." Siddeley looks up and is once more sucked into his bright blue eyes, "Siddeley, I want you to be my boyfriend." it's barely as loud as an exhale, but it seems loud as thunder to Siddeley and he smiles slow and wide and so very, very in love.
"Can I kiss you?" He asks with giddy anticipation.
"Yeah." Lightning breathes, and they're suddenly mashed together in a mix of wonder and love.
Siddeley is completely in love with Lightning McQueen. He loves him like he's never loved anyone else before, and he can tell you the exact moment he fell for him. It was months ago, ages it seems, when Lightning first pulled him into that dusty garage and showed him the old car.
END
Okay, I keep making one shots that turn out to not be one shots but this one is staying a oneshot! I love this ship and I MIGHT write more for them later, but this story is staying as is!
Please enjoy another rare pair one shot! I'm sure i'll write more rare pair ships... can't wait to see what my mind comes up with next.