Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“Whatcha doing?”

Lightning leaned over Sally’s shoulder as she worked, studying the desktop computer of the Cozy Cone lobby.

The break weekend had left him without a race to occupy his time, so he found himself filling it with Sally that Friday afternoon instead.

“Tracking my package. I really hope it gets to my dad in time, but I haven’t had confidence in the US postal system for years.”

Scrunching his nose, Lightning studied the random bunch of numbers on the screen. “In time for what?”

When she turned to him, looking at him like he had a second head, he began to regret his question. But only a little. His curiosity had always been stronger than his regret.

“Father’s Day.” She said it as if it were the most simple, common thing in the world. And maybe it was, in her world.

Not his.

“Oh! Pfft.” Lightning waved a hand, using his classic bravado to downplay the stupid, stupid question. “Yeah, almost forgot about that.”

She didn’t ask him any questions; didn’t press to see if he’d ordered a gift yet. She didn’t say anything, and she must’ve seen it in his eyes that she didn’t have to.

Because there was nothing to talk about on that subject. It was a closed file of Lightning’s life—an unspoken understanding between him and the residents of Radiator Springs.

What Lightning wanted you to know, he would talk about. If he never brought it up, you didn’t bring it up.

“So…” he said, trying to bring the conversation back into neutral territory, “when did you order it?”

“Uh…” Sally scanned her screen. “Last week.”

“Oh, it’ll get there, no problem.”

“Stickers, USPS doesn’t deliver on weekends.”

“Uh, yeah, they do.”

She crossed her arms. “Since when?”

“Since, like, the 1960s. Well, they did it before that, but there was something with some president or something that stopped it. President Johnson made it a thing again in the ‘60s. Only Saturday deliveries, though, not Sunday.” At her slightly amused, slightly shocked expression, Lightning shrugged. “What? I read.”

If reading the captions on documentaries counted…

After a small chuckle, Sally turned back to her computer, smile fading into lines of worry once more. “I hope you’re right.”

“Hey, I’m always right. Especially when it comes to the mail.”

Another smirk. “I didn’t know you were such an expert on the post.”

“Hey, I’ve been known to mail a few things in my time.”

Whatever she was about to say slipped into oblivion as a customer—a young tourist fresh off the proverbial bus—stepped into the lobby.

“Sorry, Stickers. Duty calls.”

“See you later?”

She gave a quick nod and he ducked out the back before the tourist had the chance to recognize him. Many of the people passing through the town these days came to see the new home of the famous race car driver, but ended up staying to explore the charm of the antiquated village.

And some days, Lightning just didn’t feel like battling the blinding spotlight. Some days, he didn’t want to be famous. He just wanted to be.

His wanderings took him down to Flo’s, the conversation at Sally’s and the upcoming holiday nearly forgotten.

Until he saw the suitcase resting in the corner.

“Going on a trip?” he asked as he stole a seat at the counter.

Flo smiled despite her clearly flustered appearance. “Soon as I close up! Ramone and I decided to make the drive out to see my dad this weekend. It’s no short jaunt down the road, that’s for sure, but we figure he’s getting older and might not have many Father’s Days left, you know? We’ll be back Monday.”

“What?” He feigned a pout. “You mean I have to go without burgers and milkshakes until Monday?”

“‘Fraid so, hon.”

“Well, I guess I’ll have to order one for the road, since it’ll be my last.”

“Only for the weekend.” But she laughed and made him a shake all the same.

As he continued his wanderings through town, Lightning tried not to let his mind wander. What was supposed to be a nice—albeit dull— weekend off from racing and travel was turning into a mess of confusion and unwanted feelings. It had always been so easy to forget about Father’s Day when his mom was around to make things seem okay and normal. And when she couldn’t be there anymore, he’d find solace in the solitude of his hotel room, binging Star Wars and not thinking about the current holiday.

After a while, it really did become easy to forget, and that was just how he liked it.

Until now.

Stupid town won’t keep messing up my life, came the grumbled thought as he trudged up the front porch stairs, finding home at the end of his wanderings.

“Don’t let it slam!” Doc’s warning echoed from upstairs seconds before Lightning let the front door close with a wham! behind him.

“Oops!” He called back, knowing full well that if given the chance to do it all over again, he would make the same choice every time.

The door just slammed too dang fast for him to remember to close it gently, Lightning, gently.

Going on seven months and counting since crashing into Radiator Springs that dark November night, Lightning never figured he could ever feel so at home somewhere so quickly.

But that's just what Doc’s house had become: home.

Which made his thoughts about this weekend even more confusing. And usually, when something like that muddled his brain, he preferred not to think about it.

Only, a short flick through Doc's eleven channels proved there was nothing distracting on TV.

Figures.

Sometimes, when he thought about it—which was rare—he wondered how the one person he was supposed to remember the most, the one who had literally given him his last name, was the easiest to forget…

"I wasn't aware you were the info-mercial type." At the sound of Doc's voice, Lightning glanced up, almost forgetting the TV was still on. "We'll have to watch them more often."

"No!" Leaping off the couch, Lightning flicked off the television. "Heh, uh, no, I'm good."

Despite his dry expression, Lightning caught a hint of amusement in Doc's eyes. "Good. I can't stand those things. Who needs a full hour to make a sales pitch? If the product's any good, people will buy it anyway, but I can guarantee, if they have to watch someone talk about it for hours on end, they won't."

"You're preaching to the choir here, Doc," Lightning said with a chuckle. "So, hey, uh... Are you doing anything this weekend?"

What made him say it, Lightning might never know. The words simply slipped out before he could give them a second thought.

Doc, for his part, remained unphased, giving his glasses a brief clean with his shirt sleeve. "On an off week? Absolutely nothing, rookie. Why?"

"Oh, no reason." Lightning shrugged. The plan in his head was forming faster than he knew what to do with it. All he knew was that he had to do something. "Just wanted to know if you'd be here. Wouldn't wanna get too bored, you know?"

"I'm always here, kid. And if you somehow manage to get bored this weekend with Mater around, well... I might just have a heart attack from shock. Now, I have a sudden hankering for fish and chips."

"One: that’s super random, and two: I hate to break it to you, Doc, but I don't think anyone sells those here."

"No, they certainly don't. But there's a wonderful little place just a few miles away that I know of, if you're up for a drive."

"I mean," Lightning replied, feeling his lips turn up into a slight smirk, "I guess I can clear my schedule..."

Flashing a smirk of his own, Doc rolled his eyes and waved a hand. "Come on, kid. Let's get out of here."

A long, long while later, Lightning found himself slumped against the Hornet's passenger window.

"I thought you said it was, and I quote, 'just a few miles away.' What happened?"

"We're not there yet," came Doc's dry response.

"I know that, but what ever happened to 'just a few miles,' huh?"

"What ever happened to your patience? I thought you used to have some."

"I only bring it out on special occasions. I didn't think I'd need it for a short ride down the street."

"I told you it was going to be a drive."

"Yeah, like the longest drive ever."

Doc shot him a look, eyes smiling for a second time that day. "Kid, you don't know long until you've driven to Montana in the summer time. Something we still need to do."

"Hey, I'm down whenever you are."

As Doc proceeded to highlight the best parts of the aforementioned state, Lightning couldn't help but smile.

It all just felt right.

And for one afternoon, the upcoming holiday was forgotten. Just like it had been for as many years as Lightning could remember. And that was fine. It was great.

But later that night, as Doc settled into his arm chair with a paper and Lightning sprawled on the couch—because there was finally something interesting on the TV—that feeling returned.

The one he wasn't used to. The one he didn't really know what to do with or how to handle.

That weird feeling about Father's Day.

Before Doc, no one had ever felt like any sort of father figure. Mack had always been more of the brotherly kind and Harv used to be like that overbearing uncle. Or something.

Whatever.

Lightning banished the man from his mind. After all, the past was past, and he was having a hard enough time figuring out the present.

I mean, you literally live with the guy. You share his house, his garage, his everything. And he looks out for you, too, so there's that. It’s not like he has to or anything, he just does.

Not for the first time, as Lightning studied his mentor, he wondered if the man had become more than just his crew chief.

He was there for you when you nearly drank yourself to death on the anniversary of your mom…

I did not do that. It was only, like, a few drinks.

"I'm always here, kid."

And he was there when you tried to race sick. Harv was never there for you like Doc is.

Like mom was...

Maybe that was it, Lightning realized with a jolt. The kind of care Doc showed was the same kind... The same kind mom used to show.

"Something on your mind?" Doc's voice snapped Lightning out of his thoughts and he forced himself not to start. He must've looked every bit as startled as he felt, however, because Doc soon clarified, "You're staring at me pretty intently. I just thought you might have something on your mind."

"What's on your mind, honey?" Her gentle voice danced through his mind, an echo of another life long gone. "You know you can tell me anything."

Lightning shook his head. "Nothing. Just zoning out, I guess."

After a small hum, Doc went back to his newspaper. "Well, I'm here if you need me."

"I'm always here for you when you need me. You know that, don't you...?"

Yeah, mom. Yeah, I know that.

Swallowing was his only defense against the rising emotion and the next thing he knew, he was flicking off the television and heading for the stairs.

Doc stopped him halfway there. "You all right?"

After years of dealing with Harv, it was all too easy to slip his voice into neutral; into that, everything’s hunky-dory so stop asking tone. "No, yeah, I'm fine. Just tired. Good night."

Doc gave him a long, hard look, but in the end, he nodded. "Night, kid."

It had been easier lately to think about her after finally breaking down in Doc's arms over her death, but now... Now, of all the possible weekends to have this revelation, the similarities between her and Doc wouldn't stop assaulting his mind. Not that they had the same personality, by any means, but they... they did the same things.

They cared in the same way. In a way that was different from Sally or Mater or Mack. They... cared cared. The care for you type of caring.

Lying in bed that night, the plan from earlier took shape once more in his mind.

This time, he knew exactly what to do with it.

The next day found him in Mater’s tiny living room, slumped sideways in the faded arm chair.

"So, you think it's a good idea. Like, really?"

Mater's goofy grin was all the reassurance Lightning needed. "Shoot, it's a great idea, McQueen! I don't know why ya didn't think of it sooner."

"Gee, thanks a lot. It hasn't exactly been almost Father's Day for that long, though, now has it?"

"Man, you know? You're actually starting to sound like Doc when ya talk."

Lightning crossed his arms, but he supposed that was also reminiscent of Doc's mannerisms. "Well, you live with someone long enough… So you really think it's a good idea. Like, it's not too weird or out there or… weird."

"Nah, come on! He'll love it. You keep second-guessing yourself and you'll never get anything done."

"Now you're starting to sound like Doc," Lightning said with a smirk, but he felt his waning confidence begin to renew. "All right, then. But I'm going to need your help."

"Hey, anything you need, buddy, and I'm there."

Lightning smiled. "I was hoping you'd say that... Because it's gonna be a bit of a drive."

"Well, dadgum!" Mater leapt off the couch. "Let's get started!"

The trip didn't take nearly as long as Lightning had expected it to, but perhaps that was partly due to his speeding issue. In the grand scheme of things, Doc didn't really need to know that they got pulled over and let off with a warning because the cop knew their sheriff…

Upon arrival, the duo climbed out of the van, into the building, and stared their target item up and down.

"You sure about this...?" Mater finally asked.

Lightning gave a confident nod. "Oh yeah. Trust me, he'll love this."

"It's... big."

"I'm sure he'll have room for it somewhere. I mean, it's not that big."

"Bigger than any I've ever seen."

"Remind me to take you to the Metropolitan Museum next time we're in New York. If you think this is big, that place will blow your mind."

"But..." Mater tilted his head. "How're we gonna get it back home?"

"There's a reason we borrowed Fillmore's van, Mater."

"Naw, I mean, how we gonna get it inside without him noticing?"

Lightning smiled, taking in the full beauty of the gift. "That, my friend, is where Sheriff comes in. He promised to have Doc tied up in a game of chess until nine-thirty."

At this, Mater checked his ancient, leather-worn wrist-watch. "Shoot, we better get goin', then!"

"Well, we've got to buy it first," Lightning reminded him with a laugh.

Taking a quick glance around, Mater waved to whoever might be within seeing range. "Hey, somebody! We're ready to buy somethin' over here!"

Thankfully, that got the cashier's attention and Lightning soon found himself struggling with Mater to carry the thing out to the van. It wasn't too big, no matter what Mater said. It was just… cumbersome. And a bit awkward to carry.

But he could almost guess as to exactly where Doc might put it. And it would be perfect.

The sun had disappeared behind the desert ridges by the time they got home and neither of the friends were thrilled at the thought of carrying it again…

“Phew!” Wiping his brow, Mater shook his head. “Remind me ta work out or somethin’ after this. That just about killed me!”

“Yeah, I didn’t think the stairs would make it that hard…”

It hadn't even been five minutes since they’d slipped the gift into Lightning's room when the sound of Doc's car echoed in the drive.

“Dadgum, he’s early.”

"Crap! Quick!" Lightning shooed Mater down the stairs. "Sneak out the front! Doc always comes in through the kitch—Hi, Doc!"

To say they were both startled by the man's sudden appearance in the front door would be the understatement of the century.

"All right, what are you two up to this time?"

"Who, us? Nothing much. Mater was just heading out, actually."

Doc raised a brow. "Is that why you were trying to shove him out the door?"

"Uh..." Stupid brain! Don't blink out on me now… "Well, usually you use the kitchen door." Because that wasn't suspicious.

"I was turning on the porch light and getting the mail. Now, does someone want to explain why Fillmore's van is parked in front of the house? A little to the left and it'd block the entire driveway."

"That... That's actually why Mater's leaving. He has to take the van back because we were borrowing it to… to…"

He glanced at his friend, hoping Mater would decipher the silent plea for help.

"Clean it out," Mater filled in, clearly getting the message.

If Doc believed them, he sure didn't let it show. "Looks dirtier than ever to me."

"Uh, we didn't really get around to it. Got too distracted."

"That figures. You might try cleaning out your room before you offer to clean someone's van. Well, give Fillmore my regards, Mater."

The mechanic gave a small salute as he backed out the door. "Sure thing, Doc! See ya, McQueen."

A wave was the best Lightning could do, trying in vain to calm his beating heart.

"Geez, Doc," he breathed when Mater had gone. "You freaked me out."

"In my experience, people scare easier when they have something to hide."

Lightning opened his mouth, but Doc didn't seem interested in replies, strolling into the kitchen to go through his mail.

"So," Lightning leaned against the door frame, "where were you?"

"I stopped by the station to play a few games of chess with the sheriff. Where were you?"

And maybe that wasn't the best question to ask…

And you already knew that, dummy.

"Did you win?"

"Two games out of three," Doc said with a grin, "but he might try to tell you different. Don’t listen to a word he says.” Then, he slid an envelope across the table. “Here. Here's something for you."

"Wait, really?" Either Doc had forgotten Lightning hadn't answered his question or he'd decided not to push it. Whatever the case, Lightning was grateful for the distraction that was this week's mail.

"Looks like an ad, kid. It shouldn't be that exciting." But Lightning caught sight of Doc grinning at the way he was tearing open the envelope.

"Still, it's something. Mail’s fun. Hey, look! See?" Lightning held up the unfolded page. "I could win up to a thousand dollars if I fill out this survey."

"Up to, kid. That means you'd probably only win somewhere close to a hundred, and could turns definitely into a one in ten chance."

Lightning studied the paper with a newfound disdain. "Eh, I'll try my luck, anyway. Well, ’night, Doc!"

"’Night?" Doc made a show of looking at the little time piece on the wall. "It's not even nine o’clock. What are you, eighty-five?"

"No, just tired." And trying not to make you more suspicious than I already am.

"Huh. You look wide awake to me."

"Okay, fine." Lightning joined Doc at the table. "What do you want to do, then? If I'm staying awake, I expect to be entertained."

"Well, in that case, I'll go unpack my circus." With a chuckle, Doc pushed the mail aside and stood. "Sheriff said something about Sarge and Fillmore blowing off some firecrackers tonight at the Butte."

"Dang, then let's go!"

If Doc was curious about what Lightning and Mater had been doing earlier—and Lightning could tell he definitely was—he made no mention of it for the rest of the night.

And when Lightning woke the next morning, he almost backed out of the whole thing.

No. You drove all that way. The sneaking around and the near heart attack can't have been for nothing, got it?

Right.

Tiptoeing across the hall, Lightning made sure Doc was still sleeping before lugging the present down into the living room, along with that nice card he'd picked out and personalized with a handwritten message. With any luck, Doc would see it after he got his morning coffee.

And Lightning would… stand around and wait for him to… see it… 

At that thought, anxiety flooded his veins. Because what if Doc hated it?

He's not going to.

What if Doc didn’t really want to be the father-figure type? I mean, there has to be a reason he’s not married. What if Lightning was reading the situation all wrong and should've just left it alone in the first place?

...Yeah, you know, that one's actually a possibility.

Throwing on clothes, he hit the road, venturing into town just as it was waking up.

Trying his best not to think about Doc and the gift.

He'll see it and thank you when you come back, and that'll be the end of it. Easy-peasy.

Right.

Yeah, that definitely sounded more appealing than actually being there to watch his reaction.

At least it'll show him how you feel.

And if he doesn't want you to feel that way?

Come on, you're overthinking this. Knock it off, McQueen.

At the very least, he'll have a nice gift.

Yeah... Yeah.

Lightning bit back a groan at his inner critic.

Mother's Day was never this hard.

Chapter Text

He couldn't deny the kid was acting strange. Trying to chalk it up to being none of his business wasn't working like he had hoped it would.

Still, Doc kept his mouth shut and his eyebrows raised. That expression usually got the kid…

Not this time, though, Doc reflected as he slipped on his bathrobe, his groggy mind calling for coffee.

No, this time, Lightning seemed set on whatever the heck he was doing—and on keeping it a secret.

Well, Doc would just continue to feign disinterest and maybe that would coax the kid into talking. If he knew one thing, it was that Lightning kept a secret like Mater kept out of trouble—not very well at all.

The kid's open door and empty room were a bit jarring, considering it was a Sunday on one of their only off weekends. Doc figured the king of sleeping in would've been taking full advantage of—

The large framed canvas on the couch stole his breath away…

A detailed herd of buffalo grazed along the grassy plain. Doc could almost feel the wind brushing the tall reeds; he could almost hear the soft rumble of hooves. In the distance sat an expansive mountain range, its tips lightly dusted with snow.

Montana in the early summer time.

What in the world...?

Doc supposed the card once sat propped up against the painting, but now he had to reach down to pluck it off the floor.

The pre-written message on the front was a typical mixture of both comedy and sentiment. It was the slanted scrawl on the inside that truly captured Doc's attention.

"This is sort of crazy and probably weird (and let's be honest, I'm probably overthinking it), but I've never done this before and I wanted to do it right. I grew up not thinking very much about this day at all, however, these past few months with you made me remember why it's celebrated across the nation—why dads are so super important to, like, literally everything. No one's taken the time to care for me since Mom and I honestly can't tell you how much it means to me that you do, so I hope this painting gets my point across.

Sally took me to this one little art shop a while ago and I remembered seeing this there. It comes to mind every time you talk about Montana, which is like, way more often than I've ever heard someone talk about a single state. Is that where you grew up or something?

Anyway, I hope you can enjoy this, Doc. Happy Father's Day."

~ Lightning

The feeling filling his chest was indescribable. All he knew was that it was warm—fuzzy, almost, but even that adjective didn’t quite explain the depth of what was blossoming inside him.

Touched was a gross understatement, moved to tears was a vast overstatement, and Doc didn’t have a word for this strange, new in between.

In all honesty, he had forgotten today was a holiday. It was one that had never seemed to apply to him.

Until now.

His first thought was to find the kid and thank him, but Lightning’s room was empty and his favorite shoes were gone. The next course of action, logically, was to clear a space on the wall opposite the television for his new, glorious art piece. That way, the kid would see it when he came home.

The nearby patrol car inching down the road solved his problem of lifting the thing and Doc waved the sheriff down.

“Help me with this, will you?” he called out the porch window.

“What?” The sheriff lumbered up the front steps. “What’s the problem, Doc—Whoa… Now, where in tarnation did that come from?”

“Lightning gave it to me, but I could use some help hanging it.”

“Sure thing! Where?” Doc pointed at the desired spot on the wall, at which the sheriff frowned. “Right between the windows? You really think it’ll fit?”

“Well, let’s give it a go and see.”

The painting did not, in fact, fit, forcing Doc to reconsider his options. In the end, the television got moved between the windows to make room on the opposite wall.

Standing back, the old friends studied their handiwork.

“It’s perfect,” Sheriff commented.

Doc nodded. “And it’ll be the first thing anyone sees when they come through the front door.”

“The kid give you that today?” The sheriff asked after a long moment.

“Yeah.”

“For Father’s Day?”

Doc couldn’t help but smile. “He sure did. You haven’t seen him around, have you?”

Sheriff scratched his head. “I thought I saw him wandering about. Stopped in front of Luigi and Guido’s last I recall… That was a little bit ago, though.”

“Hmm. He could be anywhere by now. Thanks anyway. And thanks for your help.”

“Sure thing. How he got it in here alone in the first place is beyond me.”

“I think Mater was in on it somehow.”

Sheriff nodded knowingly. “Now, that makes more sense. Which reminds me… Fillmore reported his vehicle missing this morning. Gotta go check on that.”

“I’d swing by Mater’s place first,” Doc said, unable to hide his chuckle. “I think he and Lightning borrowed it yesterday and forgot to give it back. While you’re at it, ask Mater if he still plans to clean it out.”

“That thing hasn’t been cleaned out since Woodstock. I’ll eat my hat if he manages a feat like that. See you around, Doc.”

Doc gave a small wave as the sheriff showed himself out.

He just couldn’t seem to take his eyes off that painting. The light streaming in through the windows created the perfect display setting.

Well, I’ll be darned…

While he’d always known the kid was thoughtful, this far surpassed any of Doc’s expectations.

He almost called Lightning, but there was no possible way he could convey over the phone all he wanted to say. Determined now to go out and find the kid, Doc showered and dressed, and was just finishing his coffee when the side door slammed.

Lightning’s voice echoed through the small entryway alcove before Doc could even so much as turn around. “Okay, okay! The suspense has been absolutely killing me all morning and I can’t stand it anymore! Doc, if you’re not awake yet, I don’t really care. I’m gonna— Doc!”

“Morning, rookie,” Doc said, grinning as he dumped the rest of his coffee.

“So…” And just like that, Doc watched all the kid’s confidence drain away like the coffee down the drain. “I’m guessing you already… Right… Look, it was just something I picked up that I thought you would like, but if you don’t, that’s totally fine.” The words came out in such a rush, Doc could barely comprehend them all “I mean, it doesn’t really matter either way, I just thought, you know, ‘cause of the holiday and everything, but hey, if you’d rather not celebrate it, we totally don’t have to. We can just not, so just let me know because I know you’re probably used to not, and I’m used to not, so it’s stupid that we should both start celebrating some dumb day neither of us ever thought about before, and I’ll just take it back ‘cause—”

Doc’s arms around Lightning cut the ramblings off instantly, giving the kid much needed time to breathe.

“Lightning,” Doc said, voice soft and laced with emotion, “I love it, and I’ll fight you tooth and nail if you even try to take it back, do you hear me?”

He felt the kid nod against his shoulder before returning the tight embrace.

After a few moments of comfortable silence, a small whisper reached Doc’s ear. “Happy Father’s Day, Doc.”

Hugging Lightning tighter, he said, “Thanks, kid.”

“Hey,” the rookie began, pulling away and swiping at eyes that were definitely not glassy with unshed tears—and if they were, Doc would never point it out—“so, where’d you put it?”

With a beckoning wave, Doc led the kid into the living room, where the painting looked even more beautiful upon a second viewing.

“Okay, that’s totally not where I thought you’d put it.”

Doc chuckled. “Well, it wouldn’t fit between the windows.”

“Ah.” Lightning smiled. “So, I almost called it, then.”

“Almost, rookie. And no, I’m not from Montana, but I lived there for a short stint before I came back to Radiator Springs. I guess the mountain region of the far north wasn’t far enough for me to escape the call of this little town, but let me tell you something, you haven’t lived until you’ve—”

“Seen Montana in the summer time,” Lightning finished with a laugh. “I know, Doc. Believe me, I know. And I’m really glad you like it.”

“Like I said, I love it. I think it’s my new second favorite thing.”

Lightning furrowed his brow. “Only second? Come on, it’s pretty amazing, if I do say so myself. What’s got it beat?”

Smiling, Doc gave his kid a playful nudge to the arm. “The one who bought it.”

At that, he left Lightning gaping in the living room, retreating back to the kitchen to grab his car keys.

“Wait, so like…” The voice that filtered through the doorway went from shocked to impish faster than the snap of a rubber band. “I’m really your favorite thing? Like, in the entire world?”

Chuckling lightly to himself, Doc shook his head at the kid’s antics. “Come on, rookie, I haven’t had breakfast yet.”

“Flo’s is closed, but like, not even the Hornet?”

“Nope, and that’s what out of town diners are there for.”

“What about your garage? There’s a ton of amazing things in there.”

“And I can’t even remember what half of them are.”

“Okay, what about, like, coffee? You can’t live without coffee.”

“I could live without coffee just fine, if I had to, but there’s one thing I don’t think I could ever live without…” With a smirk, Doc opened the door. “... And that’s breakfast. Now, come on, kid.”

“Doc!” But Lightning was laughing, his entire face beaming as he hopped out into the driveway.

Doc knew he would remember this not only as their first Father’s Day together, but also the very best. Even as others came along the way, as he knew they certainly would, nothing would ever surpass the beauty that was the very first one.

The first one for them both.