Someone to Care About
By Amphitrite
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Lightning thinks that Chick's only using him, but Chick will prove him wrong.
Disclaimer: This story is based on Cars and its characters and situations, all created and owned by Disney and Pixar.
Warnings: Slash.
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"Hey, buddy! What're you—"

Lightning turned around, startled. He quickly shoved something in a drawer and said nonchalantly, "Mater! Hey! Didn't see you there, ehehe."

Mater peered over him, at where whatever Lightning was hiding had been a moment ago. He frowned. "Wha' was that?"

"Huh? N-nothing," Lightning replied nervously.

Mater gave him a Look and opened the drawer to see for himself. Lightning raised a tire as if to stop him, but then sighed in defeat. A face-down picture frame lay on top of a messy stack of newspaper clippings. Mater picked it up to look at it. It was a photo of Sally and Lightning, sharing a smooch in the middle of the V8 Café, surrounded by smiling friends. Some were even clapping. Mater saw himself in the picture, grinning proudly around a can of fuel. He racked his brain, trying to remember the occasion.

Oh!

It had been Lightning and Sally's one-month anniversary. Of course, three weeks later they had broken up. He frowned.

"I dun get it, Lightnin'. Why're you lookin' at this? I thought you was datin' that ugly, mean green car, now."

Lightning laughed. "That's my…uh, boyfriend," he grimaced slightly at the term, "you're calling ugly! And he's not so bad once you get to know him." He paused, grinning. "Okay, that's a lie. He's a total pain in the bumper. But he has his perks." He glanced at the picture, sighing. His tone suddenly turned solemn and wistful. "I was just… I miss her sometimes."

Mater looked confused. "But you see Miss Sally all the time! How c'n you miss 'er?"

Lightning shook his front end. "I mean, I miss being with her," he clarified. "Chick's great and all, but sometimes I just miss what it was like with Sally, you know?"

"'m not quite sure what you mean," Mater said, looking puzzled. "D'you miss her lady parts or somethin'?"

Lightning flushed, his hood turning a deeper shade of red. "No, it's nothing like that! It's just… Sally was so nice and sweet to me and everything, and Chick's so…rough and unemotional, you know? Not that I want him to give me flowers and declare his love to me on a beach or anything, but it would just be nice if he showed that he cared about me just once. He barely ever even talks to me when we're alone, and refuses to go anywhere in public with me. I can't even tell anyone—except for you of course, Mater—about us because he doesn't want people to think badly of him." He snorted. "As if they didn't already." Suddenly, realizing that he had just said all of that aloud, he looked at the ground sheepishly.

Mater was frowning. He hated to see his best friend unhappy. He could tell that Lightning really liked this guy, even though he was a real asshole.

"Why dun you talk t'him about it? Tell him about why y're sad 'n stuff," he asked, trying to help.

Lightning shuffled his tires. "I doubt he would care," he said honestly.

"Shoot, Lightnin', I'm sure he cares! Mebbe he jus' dun know how t'show it."

Lightning shrugged. "Sometimes I think he's just in this for the sex," he said sadly. "I mean, not that the sex isn't fantastic and everything," he looked starry-eyed for a moment, "but if he's going to be like this, I'm going to leave him soon. I don't want to be anybody's sextoy." He chuckled at the irony of the situation. "Three months ago, I would have loved a no-strings-attached relationship, but I guess Radiator Springs has really tamed me."

Mater smiled proudly, nudging him with a tire. "Knew you had it in ya from the moment I firs' met ya," he proclaimed.

Lightning rolled his eyes, grinning. "I still blame it on whatever Flo puts in her fuel."

- - -

After spending the entire afternoon practicing in Lightning's private track, Chick was exhausted, sweaty, and in desperate need of a wash.

He found the door to Lightning's living quarters open and went in. He headed for Lightning's massive room—the bathroom adjoined to it was the most spectacular one for miles—but stopped when he heard the voice of that dumb tow truck. He scowled, starting to make a U-turn towards the other bathroom when he heard himself being discussed.

"Chick's great and all, but sometimes I just miss what it was like with Sally, you know?"

He froze, slowly moving towards the bedroom again. He peered over the door frame. The two cars were by Lightning's desk, with the tow truck holding a framed picture of…Lightning kissing the Porsche bitch? His heart pounded. He had practically given himself over to the other racecar, and Lightning was paying him back like this? By saying it just wasn't good enough?

Take that back, he pleaded Lightning silently.

He didn't take it back, but he did go on to explain:

"…Chick's so…rough and unemotional, you know? Not that I want him to give me flowers and declare his love to me on a beach or anything, but it would just be nice if he showed that he cared about me just once. He barely ever even talks to me when we're alone, and refuses to go anywhere in public with me. I can't even tell anyone—except for you of course, Mater—about us because he doesn't want people to think badly of him."

That's not why, Chick thought disjointedly, feeling more and more annoyed—and yet, a little…sad?—by the second. I warned you not to tell anyone because I knew they would only try to make you leave me.

"I doubt he would care."

Chick almost snarled. Who did this guy think he was? He didn't move in with anyone just for the hell of it. Having heard enough of Lightning's insecurities, he was about to go take his shower when he heard Lightning say, "If he's going to be like this, I'm going to leave him soon."

Panic flooded him. He swallowed painfully, sinking lower to the ground. Scrunching his eyes shut, he quickly cleared his mind of any disappointment, replacing it with anger and determination.

Like hell Lightning was going to leave him. Not after Chick had gone through so much trouble trying to win him over. Okay, he had just cornered him and kissed him senseless, but it had been more difficult than it sounded. And he liked the way things were. Even though sometimes it was so boring here in Radiation Stinks, with nothing to do but race and watch old movies on the television, the nights made it all worth it.

But if Lightning wasn't happy with the status quo, Chick would have to do something about it. He grimaced. He had to somehow show him that he "cared". Frowning, he wondered when Lightning had become such a sap. Damn town. If only he had gotten to him sooner…

Oh! The truck was saying goodbye to Lightning. Chick watched disdainfully as the rusty creature drove out of the room, happily singing to himself and completely overlooking Chick. Oh well, all the better for him. He counted to five and then entered the room nonchalantly, heading towards the bathroom.

"Ch-Chick!" Lightning stammered in surprise.

"What," Chick snapped. He hoped the kid wasn't about to take the hillbilly's lousy advice and actually try to talk to him. How the hell was he supposed to explain that he just wasn't the affectionate type, but did care about him?

"I thought you were practicing."

Chick stopped, turning around. He raised his windshield. "I was. I'm finished."

"Oh." Lightning shuffled his tires, looking anxious. He opened his mouth to speak, and then snapped it shut again, looking regretful and slightly embarrassed. "I, uh…" He looked toward the desk drawer guiltily. "Did you hear what Mater and I were talking about?"

Chick shrugged, feigning an uninterested look. "Something about fuel? How am I supposed to know what you and your dumb little friends talk about?" he complained. Lightning looked partly relieved and partly annoyed.

"Okay," he said.

Chick gave him an odd look before shrugging and driving into the bathroom.

Outside, Lightning exhaled and bit his lip, looking conflicted.

- - -

"Hey, what do you think of…"

Chick glanced over at Lightning, who appeared to have nodded off. He put down the magazine he had been lazily reading. Looking furtively around him—as if to check that nobody was watching—he scooted closer. He peered at him, musing to himself about how childlike and (Manufacturer forbid he use the word) cute Lightning looked when asleep, with his eyes closed and mouth hanging slightly open. (Chick quickly chased away the sexual thoughts that suddenly assaulted his mind.) His tires shifted every once in a while and he mumbled incoherently under his breath.

Just as he was wondering what he was dreaming about, Lightning murmured his name softly.

Startled, Chick jumped a little before peering more closely at the younger car. So the boy was dreaming about him, eh? He debated just leaving him be, but he decided to put the first part of his plan into order. A voice in the back of his mind whispered that it had nothing to do with plans of any sort and everything to do with knowing that sleeping on the hard wooden floor would be hell on Lighting's tires.

He nudged him, muttering, "Hey, wake up. Yo, kid. McQueen! Wake up, you idiot!"

Lighting slowly opened his eyes, squinting at the green blob that was Chick. "Huh?" he said blearily.

"Bedtime!" Chick said cheerily.

Lightning groaned. Bedtime meant sex time in Chick's world. Even on the days when Lightning had come home late, Chick had always been wide awake and waiting. It would have been a sweet gesture if Chick hadn't been waiting up to have sex. And he always got what he wanted, even when Lightning protested. But Lightning couldn't exactly accuse him of rape because by the time Chick's mouth had found its way to that sensitive spot on his left side, he was begging Chick for release.

"I'm not really in the mood tonight," Lightning said honestly, hoping that Chick would listen for once.

Chick raised an eyebrow. "Not in mood for bed? You were sleeping like a log five seconds ago; you can't honestly tell me that you don't want to go to bed."

Lightning rolled his eyes. He clearly wasn't getting the message. "Chick, I don't want to have sex tonight," he said, yawning exaggeratedly.

Chick raised his windshield, looking incredulous. "Who said anything about sex? I said 'bedtime'. As in sleep. No sex." Inwardly, he cursed himself. Damn plan. Damn Lightning. He wasn't going to get any tonight; he would have to keep his tires off of the other car. Things like this were easier said than done.

Lightning stared at him in shock.

But then again, maybe it was worth it, just to put that look on the other's face.

He nudged Lightning's bumper and pushed him to the bedroom. He settled down next to him on the bed before reaching a tire over and switching off the light.

"'Night," Chick said gruffly. Lightning gaped at him, shocked that he was going to sleep without a sore rear end. He opened his mouth to ask Chick what the hell was going on when Chick suddenly let out a loud snore.

Lightning frowned in confusion, closing his eyes. A moment later, he was asleep.

Next to him, Chick stopped pretending to be asleep, eyes snapping open. He inched closer to Lightning and threw a tire over his hood before falling asleep as well.
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TBC