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"Gomma, Lightning, gomma!"
"Next time, okay?"
Guido thumped the 95's top, earning a filthy look from Lightning for his trouble. "Ascolta, bambina. Se non è cambiato ora, scoppierà e mi arrabbierò. Capito?
Luigi appeared over the top of Guido's head. "Guido says if it doesn't get swapped now, he will be made very unhappy."
"Jesus fucking Christ."
"Lightning." Not only did he have two Italian guys mad at him, he'd now attracted the attention of his crew chief. "Tire change, now."
"I only stopped for gas!" Lightning felt the 95 tremble and swore again. Race was back on. It had never really been off. "I gotta go."
"Non ci vorrà molto tempo! Non ti ucciderà essere paziente, ma ti ucciderò se non lo sei!"
"Seconded. Lightning-"
"No time." The tank was full and tire pressure was fine. And so, he made a gesture like he was blowing a kiss and sped away as Guido's neck took on a hue of purple.
"Dovresti farlo impiccare."
"Guido, we don't have the equipment to hang people any more."
"Lo troverò."
It was the final lap. Doc ignored Guido's angered utterings and focused on the 95 as she roared, metres ahead of the other drivers. It looked like a sure win, but one could never tell. "Okay, kid. Don't let your guard down. Just focus."
"They're nowhere near far back enough for me to relax yet," came Lightning's firm reply.
"You've got this. How's the 95 looking?" A pointed question, on Guido's behalf. He hadn't seen him this riled up since the incident that had resulted in his Ferrari-shaped mug getting smashed. Getting a new one had been work.
"All she needed was a little energy. Her feet are fine."
That discussion would come later. Guido was right to be upset - the tires were worn so thin it was a miracle he'd only had one recent flat. "Number 78 is trying to sneak up on you."
"Yeah, I'm gonna play with him a little."
"You can screw around with Mater once we get back home. This isn't a playground. Focus, kiddo."
"Come on, Doc."
"No."
Drawing it out, like he knew it was a long shot, Lightning said "Dad?"
"Aww...not a snowball's chance in hell. You're on the last stretch, son. Don't let 78 slip by you."
"Time to go, baby!"
Doc smiled. He'd talked to his Hornet like that. Except he'd called her his queen. The 95 shot over the line and the crowds muffled the following engines. It was done. Another win. He watched the 95 flash past the howling crowd, a blood-red meteorite, coming back to get her poor "feet" seen to. A noise like a bullet from a gun rang out and he heard Guido's teeth grind. "I know." As the other tire gave out, he shook his head and approached the slowing 95, with the Italian overtaking him. "Go easy on him, Guido."
"Te l'avevo detto che sarebbe successo!"
Exiting the 95, Lightning took his helmet off, blinking in the strong sunlight. "What? At least it-"
"No. Non ascolterò questo." Guido took Lightning's hand, leading him away from the car, from whose tyres smoke rose in thin gray ribbons. Pissed as he was, he adored Lightning. "Perché non mi ascolti? Te l'ha detto anche Doc!" With that, he pushed Lightning toward Doc and stalked to the 95, muttering 'bambina' angrily to himself.
Lightning got that look in his eyes which always predated him shooting his mouth off. As Doc took his arm to move him on, he twisted his head 'round and said plenty loud enough for Guido to hear; "I don't know why you're calling me a bambina when you're the same size as one!"
Now, it was town knowledge that Guido was on the shorter side...by a lot. It was also town knowledge that even alluding to it would put Guido in a sheer rage. Doc felt his heart stop and tightened his grasp on Lightning's arm. "Move. Move!" The last he saw of Guido through the mass of reporters and scanty fans was him trying to dodge past Luigi whose skills at calming him were going to be seriously tested.
He'd completely forgotten his little fight with Guido by the time the boring part of winning was done. The surge of adrenaline was long gone, leaving only a lull of content. Letting the hotel's door shut softly behind him, he unzipped the suit, tore off the Nomex, and went straight into the bathroom to take a tepid shower. A hot one did nothing but create more sweat after a race and a cold one was too much of a shock. Stepping out was instantly refreshing and he only used the towel to rub his hair dry. It was hot here. Too hot.
He'd just pulled on some clothes when there was a knock at the door. Looking longingly at the bed, he went to answer it. "My favorite crew chief!"
Doc sighed, but there was no real annoyance. "My favorite racer. After-"
"After no one. Get in here. Do you want a water? They put a ton of them in the mini fridge."
"Yes, to charge ten bucks for each one."
"It's smart water."
His mentor shook his head. "Smart water. Have you had a drink yet?"
"Yeah, I will." Icy cold smart water...which tasted just like normal water, but at least it was wet. He sank down on the bed, feeling unusually tired. It was definitely hotter here than at home. Doc settled beside him and he put his head against his mentor's shoulder. "Is there really another favorite racer?"
"Nope. Just you. I guess I could be bigheaded and say that I'm my favorite racer, too..."
Lightning snickered. "Well, you can be mine, then." He felt Doc's hand cup the back of his head and sighed. "It was a good race, but the climate here is killin' me."
"Not long now until we can shoot off." Doc turned, sea-blue eyes on Lightning's. "You owe Guido an apology."
"No, I don't."
"Yes, you do."
"It didn't matter about the tire. Tires. And he called me a bambina first!"
"Because you were acting like one." Doc said bluntly. "I told you it needed to get changed. I don't know why you're so lax about your health and safety, kid, but Guido isn't the only one who's upset about it. And there was absolutely no reason for you to be so rude to him. He loves you and the way you behaved was awful." Doc stood and went to the window, closing out its view of the city.
"Why are you shutting the blinds?"
"Do you want someone to look out their window and watch me tan your hide?"
Lightning scuffed his feet on the cool wood floor. "To be honest, I kinda want you to not tan my hide." He looked toward the door and then at Doc, wondering if he could just run and come back when Doc had forgot all about his wrongdoing. Trouble was, Doc forgot nothing.
He saw everything too. Like some kind of owl. "Lightning, don't give in to the thought of sprinting out that door."
Well, there went that idea. "What if I apologise to Guido?"
"This isn't about forcing you to say you're sorry. For one thing, a forced apology is a fake apology. For another..." Doc sat beside him, taking his hands like Guido had done only a handful of hours before. He squeezed them gently in a show of affection before pulling Lightning up and guiding him facedown across his thighs. "Well, your attitude needs adjusting. There's no two ways about that. And the tire...didn't we have a similar discussion not long ago?"
Oh, crap. That discussion had resulted in it being very difficult to sit for two days. A solid smack brought him back to the present. What a difference it made, not wearing jeans. "Yeah, but it was like two months ago!"
"That's not a long time, son." Doc swatted him again and then readjusted him, making sure his upper body was on the bed, keeping his legs between his own. Satisfied with the position, he started swatting the back of the young racer's thighs while Lightning squirmed and yelped. "I didn't think I was going easy on you."
"Oww! You're not, you're not! Doc!"
It was impossible to tell if he was done setting the backs of his thighs on fire or if he just thought he needed to move on up. Either way, he began slapping the seat of Lightning's shorts while his charge tried to buck off his lap. He paused the spanking and rubbed Lightning's back. "It won't be easy today, son. When your underwear's off, I'm not going to be using my hand. You're gonna get six with my hairbrush."
"What?" A hairbrush? He hadn't even known Doc had one. "No, no! You use it, I burn it!"
"That would be a very foolish thing to do." Doc started smoothing his hair. "Kiddo. I take your health more seriously than I take my own. This isn't the first spanking you've had for being reckless with tires and I really hope it's going to be the last. I'm not going to spank you as hard as I would normally because you'll be taking a paddling."
"But we have a long drive home tomorrow."
"I am not making you wait ten hours for a spanking." Doc started up the stinging smacks again, reigniting the fire that had just started to dim. "Not just the tire. You think of how Guido would feel if you got injured because he hadn't been able to change them over. You think of how he dotes on you."
"I'm not special, Doc, Guido loves everybody!" He got no response, so he didn't bother to continue the conversation, instead staring at the opposite wall as he lay across his mentor's knee, jolting slightly forward with every swat to his rear end. Maybe Doc did have a point. Lightning had always kinda thought it was the thrill of tending to the 95, but Guido always came out of Casa Della Tires to drag him inside to catch him up on the European circuit or would turn up at the Wheel Well to peacefully watch the view with him. And then drink him under the table later. And, much later, would swing by to nurse him through the hangover because the lucky bastard never had any. Guido did love him. He sniffed. "Doc..."
"I know, kiddo." Doc's palm made soothing circles over Lightning's back. "You're doing good." He reached around Lightning's waist, unbuttoning the shorts and shimmied them to his knees. Lifting the leg of the boxer shorts, he took in whatever the damage was and replaced it. "We're nearly done here."
"Oww! Fuck!" Grabbing the comforter - ironic because it was doing jack shit for comfort - he bunched it in his hands and swore some more. "Dad..."
Doc's voice, despite the solid palm smacking an irregular rhythm on Lightning's thighs and rear end, was soft and kind. "You're taking your punishment so well. You are. It's almost over, kiddo."
Tears ran down from Lightning's eyes. Doc loved him, Guido loved him. And all he'd done was make them worry. Sobs escaped from his throat and he pressed the side of his face into the comforter, which was finally doing its job. Through the tears, two harder slaps made him grunt and then he felt Doc's fingers inside the waistband of his boxer shorts, slowly easing them down over the well-heated skin. In spite of the remorse, Lightning's eyes stopped welling up and he turned his head to watch as Doc reached over to the nightstand and lifted a heavy looking thing made from honey-colored wood, with mean-looking bristles on the other side of it. It was lowered and the shock of the cold wood against hot skin made Lightning twitch.
Doc tapped it against his backside. Then again. And again. Like he was nervous. Then he took in a deep breath and lifted it higher and brought it down against the middle of his mentee's left cheek.
Lightning howled into the mattress. The area where the brush had fell was throbbing and when the same thing happened to the other cheek, he started sobbing again. Doc wasn't mean enough to paddle the same spot twice, but as the remainder of it went to his thighs and then his sit-spots, he couldn't have told the difference. The only thing he knew for certain was, he'd never ever refuse a tire change again.
Doc couldn't stick it. He'd never paddled Lightning before and he hoped to God, he never would again. His poor bambina. Carefully, he eased Lightning off the bed and even more carefully pulled him onto his lap, hugging him close, feeling his tears wet his shirt, strong arms encircling his waist. "It's over. All over now, my boy. You were so brave."
The comfort helped. The sobs turned into quiet sniffs and Lightning's death-grip lessened. Doc grabbed the smart (more like stupid) water from the nightstand where he'd placed it and made sure he took little sips instead of downing it like normal. "'m sorry."
"It's all forgiven, son." He had the strangest feeling that Guido was going to be getting an apology too. "I never ever want to paddle you again."
"Feeling's mutual." Lightning glugged the rest of the water before Doc could stop him and half smiled at the eyeroll from his mentor. "Whoops."
"Yeah, sure." Doc chuckled and drew him in for another hug. "It don't matter. Long as you're hydrated."
Lightning lowered the bottle, eyes flickering to the brush which lay on the pillow at the top of the bed. "Why'd you take so long?"
Doc knew what he meant. God knew how it must've felt to be lying there with the hairbrush tapping away. "You'll think this is funny, but I guess you need a laugh right now. I got nervous. It sounds ridiculous because it is, but that's the truth."
Lightning, sure enough, was snickering at him. "Why?"
"Because a paddling is different. Using a tool takes care. I didn't want to hit your back because I'd misjudged."
"Oh. I guess that's sorta reasonable."
"I have been known to be reasonable."
Lightning shrugged. Naughty kid. "I should see Guido."
"Yeah, but leave it 'til you're ready. He's fairly patient if Ferraris and tires aren't involved."
Lightning was quiet for a few minutes and then pressed his head into the nook of Doc's shoulder. "Do you really think I have a bad attitude?"
"Not all the time. But you gotta treat your crew with respect, especially if you want to stay friends with them. We ain't going anywhere if that's what you're concerned about. We happen to know what a good heart you got."
"Thanks. And I will."
Doc smoothed over Lightning's hair again. Burnished gold strands spilled beneath his fingertips. If anyone asked, his pride and joy was the Hornet. But, truly and secretly, it was his midlife surprise.
"I'm s- oh!"
Guido hadn't even let him get out the words. No sooner had Lightning gone up to him, did he pull him down into a crushing hug. "Ti perdono! Hai avuto una...parlare con il tuo insegnante."
Only understanding "forgive" and "talk" from the torrent of Italian, Lightning nodded and hugged him back. "Thank you, Guido. Um...grazie?"
"Ah, stai diventando bravo!" Guido released him and took his hand, dragging him to the Hornet. "Per te!"
There was a pillow sitting in the passenger seat. Lightning stared at it and then at Guido and then, slowly turned to Doc. "Old man..."
"I told no one anything." Doc cleared his throat. "I didn't know the walls were so damn thin."
Guido looked so goddamn happy to have helped. Lightning sighed. "I don't want to hear about it."
"We say nothing." Luigi's voice was startling. Lightning hadn't heard him come up behind him. "You are a good boy."
"Can we all get in the Hornet before we melt?" Doc called out. "Mack is gonna beat us there."
"Not with the Fabulous Hudson Hornet driving." Lightning slid in carefully. The pillow did help. "Right?"
Doc said nothing incriminating, but grinned slyly. "We'll see, rookie!"