AN: Finally after so much waiting I got to watch Cars 3 again. Totally teared up at all the scenes that hit me the first time. So good. :'D
To celebrate finally getting a chance to see it again, I thought I might take some requests! I was going to limit it to first couple of people but that's not really fair. This will also be on AO3 so it could take a while depending on how many I get. There are some things I don't write, so send me a PM if you have questions! It might take me a while to do a request justice but I thought it would be fun to do!
"Hello Mr. McQueen! Hello Jackson!"
Lightning loved watching the interactions between Ramirez and Storm. The girl was just an absolute ray of sunshine as opposed to Storm's rain clouds.
That was a little harsh, Jackson had certainly turned a corner but Lightning couldn't help but notice him slip back in to old habits now and then. He personally had likely done the same thing even after becoming a resident of Radiator Springs. It wasn't a switch to be flipped or a part that could be replaced under the hood that would change a vehicle's performance in seconds, it was years of habit that needed reprogramming.
"Hello, Miss Ramirez."
"Oh, please, sir, call me Cruz."
"Then you need to call me Lightning." He looked toward Jackson from his reclined spot in the pit box expectantly.
"Hello, Cruz."
"Umm, it's Miss Ramirez to you."
She cut Jackson off just as he looked ready to jump in to some kind of haughty tantrum. "Kidding, I'm kidding! Wow, you are named pretty accurately aren't you."
"Wh-"
"Jackson Storm. You always have this gloomy, testy, storm cloud around you."
No one ever really spoke to him like that, not even McQueen, who he sent an exasperated and somewhat helpless look toward, silently requesting either an explanation or some assistance.
Lightning wasn't sure what he wanted so he remained silent. It was too entertaining to intervene anyway.
"Alright, Miss Sunshine. You're Jackson's sparring partner for today."
Somehow he'd ended up with both of them, not that IGNTR had left Cruz high and dry for the afternoon but she'd stepped out to the track on her own time. When Lightning realized they weren't alone, it just made sense to turn it in to a practice of sorts.
He only intended for this to last an hour or so anyway, it was a hot one and he'd never make Jackson do anything he wasn't willing to do himself.
For too long anyway.
Old habits die hard and all that.
They really only could spend an hour out there anyway. There were too many things on the docket they needed to accomplish in the next two days, interviews, promotional appearances, a meet and greet that had been someone's brilliant plan (thank you Mater), he needed to make a call to discuss this season with Tex, luncheons, opening ceremonies to a new track and last but not least, qualifying for Sunday's race.
At least it was Thursday right? He didn't remember it being this difficult to keep track of everything. Then again he hadn't exactly been the one keeping track, he was the one that had been shuffled around to where he needed to be. Somehow always on time.
It was tougher than he thought.
He'd never been one to wear a watch, but Sally had gotten him one for Christmas, due to the very fact that his first season as the Dinoco crew chief had been so hectic. He hadn't been very good at keeping on top of all the engagements they were expected to appear at. Lightning had drawn the line at using a personal planner, but that didn't mean the calendar on his phone wasn't brightly color coded. Times in blue were track time, red was anything to do with the press, light blue was Dinoco and green was...he couldn't remember what green was but it was used for something...
Not much was accomplished in that hour either. There were a number of things he'd wanted to bring up but a quick glance at the watch told him they'd already burned fifty minutes and it would take at least twenty to pack it up, and that's if they hurried.
Late already and their hour wasn't finished...
Cruz redid her ponytail as she stood out of the way, speaking around the hair tie. "You'll be at the banquet tomorrow night?"
"What banquet?" Jackson asked.
Lightning only groaned. That's what the green had been...
"Tomorrow night, to kick off the next season."
"Yeah of course." Lightning replied even as Jackson glared at him. "You remember I told you about that, Jackson."
"Yeah, uh-huh."
At least he'd gotten the time right.
"You're lucky I'm adaptable."
"Oh, really. You?" Lightning responded incredulously. "Mr. I'm going to complain about this all day long between interviews, appearances and picture signings?"
"Exactly."
"You don't think that's a little over dramatic?"
"Really, McDramaQueen?"
He never would have expected to banter with Jackson Storm, even after a year working together. "Have some respect for your crew chief there."
"You're right, I should probably be addressing you as grandpa anyway."
"It's Mr. Grandpa, thank you, and just remember who's got those Piston Cups."
Jackson stared at him in silence, he had one too, McQueen wasn't the only Cup holder present.
"Look, as lovely as this evening is, I'm kind of meeting someone. Why don't you go play with the other kids." Lightning smirked, gesturing toward the other racers before joining Sally at the table she'd grabbed for them.
Jackson had only rolled his eyes, and before he knew what was happening, Ramirez was blocking his path.
"Stormcloud, you made it!"
The yellow was startling, to say the least, but fit somehow, more so than the black and blue IGNTR still used.
"Sunshine, it's-"
"You know, I'm sure you're using that name in a different sense than Mr. McQueen-"
"You mean Lightning."
"-but I really like it, so I'm going to let it slide."
How could someone be so bubbly all the time?
"I've never been to one of these, so I'm not really sure what to do-"
"Eat the food, smile for cameras, answer questions..."
"-but it's all just so exciting! I never thought something like this would ever happen."
Jackson blinked a few times. She was a whirlwind and even with his speed it took a moment for him to catch up. The moment she'd stepped in to Piston Cup things had changed. Even aside from his sudden switch in sponsor and gaining Lightning McQueen as his crew chief. She brought something with her that stopped the other racers from being so cold toward one another, or maybe it was just him that had eased up on the others. He still didn't exactly have a select group of friends but the comments concerning his ego had died down somewhat. Cruz brought a lightheartedness to the track that made it less cutthroat, or maybe that was just him also, since McQueen was no longer on the track.
Jackson still felt off balance at times, this was definitely not what he'd expected last spring. He'd never in a million years anticipated being sent on the strangest wild goose chase with Lightning McQueen, only to then offer to drive for him and ultimately gaining him as his crew chief. It was stranger than fiction and sometimes he wondered where reality had gone.
Radiator Springs was an interesting place, though.
So were its residents.
So was this girl standing in front of him oooing and awwing over everything around them, even down to the Piston logo topiary near the main doors. Maybe he should take a closer look at all of it, too.
It seemed to make everyone else pretty happy.
