This one's a touch different, in that the popint where the relationship starts is not clear. And again, this one's just a suggestion of what's between the boys. It's from Duke vs. Duke.
The conversation that takes place in the middle of the vignette is not entirely accurate, but that's in part because Luke's remembering it, and we almost never remember conversations verbatim. Luke's only remembering the parts that stuck in his craw.
"Lukas? You could have had me there, buddy. Why didn't you?"
Loaded question of the day. Luke can't think too hard about it now, not with all the ground he and Bo have to make up in this race. Still he has a sneaking suspicion that Bo is fully aware of all the ways in which that question is tricky, so he answers with his own kind of underhanded double entendre.
-- -- -- --
Not five days ago, Luke might have been able to have Bo any way he wanted, but that was before Cooter's fancy engine put him in all kinds of hock, then a broken ankle put him into a clunky cast and out of commission for the big race. Him and Bo had sat there, sharing fried chicken and close space, when Jesse helped them see the light about what they had to do for Cooter, even if it meant they lost something in the end.
Of course, Jesse only meant the General, not each other.
Competition was one thing, and they'd had one last night of companionship, eating cookies and enjoying the idea of it all being a big game. Competition was fine; they loved it, thrived on it, really. In fact, could have been they loved competition more than each other.
"What are you doing to the General?"
Dumb question. "Just tuning him up like I always do before a race. You know, you've got this fuel mixture awful lean."
"Oh, so you just thickened it up out of the kindness of your little Duke heart, huh?" What in hell had gotten into his bratty cousin's pea-brain now?
"You might say that." It was exhausting, the way he had to stay a calm counterpoint to the casual way Bo always flew off the handle.
"And might I also say that you made it so he'd flood out…" Luke didn't hear the end of that sentence, what with the violent way he was wrestling down his own rage. Had to get out of there before they found themselves rolling around the farmyard with Daisy squealing and Jesse firing off the old shotgun again.
"You know better'n that." Quiet, so quiet, not yelling at him -- see, Uncle Jesse (see, Aunt Lavinia, wherever you are) how well I'm minding all those lessons you spent endless afternoons drilling into me? "You're so smart, you just do it yourself." And the full strength of every one of his muscles went into simply placing the wrench into Bo's hand, instead of using it to twist Bo's head right off of his shoulders.
A lifetime of beatings he'd taken that were rightfully belonged to Bo, pulling his cousin's neck off the chopping block, risking prison to protect him, heck, even just wiping the snot from the kid's nose, and now Bo had the gall to accuse him of doing even the slightest thing that might get him hurt. He hadn't protected Bo's neck all these years to let it get broken now. (Smooth, soft, white skin on Bo's neck, and no, Luke didn't want that harmed in the least.)
Only took him two hours to cool off, and when he'd come back to the house from where he'd been wandering the far reaches of the property, it was just in time to find a brazen Bo poring over Luke's map, eyeballing all his shortcuts, right there in front of Daisy.
Yeah, competition was one thing. Not being trusted, not trusting, that was what made him realize the foolishness of having Bo, ever, in any way.
-- -- -- --
"Funny, I was about to ask you the same thing," Luke answers.
He's got Bo's back though. The General took a hit just getting here, and Bo says he's handling funny. This leaves his cousin vulnerable, in a race run by Boss Hogg. There's got to be all kinds of booby traps out here, and Luke's not going to let Bo fall into one – or if he does, at least Luke will see him go down and have half a chance of pulling him back out.
Turns out Bo's got Luke's front door, too. More than one warning has been shouted at Luke along the course; dangers Bo could let him hurtle into at full speed, but won't.
Working together and separately, they manage a tie. It's luck really; Bo should have won, but for once Rosco's antics save the day.
There, at the finish line, he hugs Bo, and gets hugged right back. They don't let go, so Jesse and Daisy just lump themselves in, unwelcome as they are at the moment. It means the boys have to separate when Jesse lets them go; anything else would be a mistake. But Bo keeps one arm around him all the same.
And when Jesse asks them for the details of the race, Bo says, "Luke could have had me." Those words sting worse than any whipping Jesse ever doled out, and Luke looks away. Bo tugs at his neck where he's still got a good grip, brings him in closer, which makes him look up. There on Bo's face is that infectious grin, and just above that, a deep blue eye winks at him. Luke relaxes and slings and arm around Bo's ribcage, taking up the last of the space between them. They've just won a race, and apparently he can still have Bo.