Title: The Aftereffects of Love

Rating: M

Summary: During a game of Spin the Bottle at one of Flo's parties, Doc and Lightning are forced to kiss, causing some unresolved feelings between them to come back up. Or the one where Doc is stubborn, Lightning is falling in love with him, and Sally keeps trying to get the two together. Rated T for now but will probably go up to M later.

Genre(s): Romance, Drama, Friendship

Pairing(s): Doc/Lightning, Mater/Sally, Ramone/Flo

Warning(s): Sexual content in later chapters

Lightning's PoV:

One night, Flo was hosting a party at the V8 Cafe, and Lightning was attending as well as bringing a bottle of his favorite pricey champagne. But first, he had one more stop to make.

He knocked on the side of Doc's garage, causing the older car to jump. But when Doc turned to face him, he smiled. "Hey, Rookie. Aren't you supposed to be at Flo's party?"

"Well, yes, but…" Lighting felt his cheeks heating up as he looked down at the ground, "I was wondering if you'd want to come with me."

"Oh." Doc's eyes widened and to Lightning's surprise, his own face reddened. "I don't know. It's not really my scene."

"Please? I have the best champagne in the world. You can't miss that."

Doc chuckled. "All right, Rookie. At least someone wants me there." At that, Lightning's blush deepened.

So they made their way over to Flo's, and Lightning greeted her with a hug and the bottle of champagne as a gift. "Thanks Lightning! We'll definitely put this to use." She laughed and went to put it with the rest of the alcohol. Sometimes it was really nice being able to spoil your friends. "We were just playing Spin the Bottle, want to play?"

"Sure," Lightning agreed. Doc surprisingly followed him over to the circle, and Lightning felt an unexpected pang when he realized Doc might be kissing someone. He thought about asking Doc if he wanted to leave, but 1) he'd just convinced Doc to come with him and they'd literally just gotten there and 2) Doc would probably think it weird to leave with him.

They played a few rounds during which Mater kissed Sally, which Lightning was surprised to find he was okay with. Then Ramone and Flo kissed, and then it was Doc's turn to spin. Lightning swallowed as he watched the bottle turn, not sure who he wanted the bottle to land on but wishing that it was-

Him.

The bottle landed on him, before Lightning even finished his thought. His mouth opening in surprise, he turned to Doc, his face heating up. "Uhhh...w-we don't have to do this, Doc - oh." Lightning gulped, because the whole time he was stammering, Doc had driven forward and now they were inches apart.

"It's just a kiss, Rookie. I think we can both handle it."

Maybe you can, but I can't! Lightning thought to himself. "How long?" Lightning asked.

"Thirty seconds. With tongue," Flo said, and everybody "ooh"ed.

Lightning's heart pounded as Doc closed the distance between them, brushing their lips together. Doc's lips were soft and gentle against his own, and Lightning pressed back eagerly, his head spinning. And then Doc's tongue was licking at his lower lip, and Lightning trembled as he opened his mouth. Doc's tongue licked his own before exploring his mouth. Lightning couldn't help moaning into the doctor's mouth, and his friends catcalled, reminding him that they weren't alone.

Doc seemed to remember that too, because he pulled away from Lightning, his eyes wide. Lightning was gaping at Doc too without realizing it. He opened his mouth, and then closed it. "Doc, I-"

But his crew chief turned and sped out of the cafe before Lightning could say anything else. "Doc, wait!" Lightning called, about to go after him, but was stopped by Ramone.

"Let him go," Ramone said. "You guys will be alright."

Doc's PoV:

Doc knew he shouldn't have gone to the party. His party days were long over, but Lightning's excitement was contagious. He went back to his garage, his heart still racing from that kiss with Lightning. He could remember the exact moment he'd fallen in love with Lightning - when he'd helped The King finish his last race. As he'd heard Lightning talk to The King through his headset, he felt something stir deep inside him.

But Lightning deserved better. He was young, just starting off his racing career. Doc was old, and had already long finished his career. He was better off just being Lightning's mentor and friend, nothing more. Still, Doc hadn't kissed anyone in a long time, and he'd never kissed a guy before. He couldn't stop the feelings that were coming to the surface after months of being Lightning's crew chief. He'd pushed them away at first, not wanting them, knowing that this would happen when Lightning first came here. That's why he'd tried to get rid of Lightning before Sally got in the way. He knew right from the start that he'd fall for him, and he fell hard.

"Doc?" Speak of the devil. Hadn't that girl done enough damage already?

"What, Sally?" Doc growled, turning around in his garage to find the girl parked in the doorway. "If you think you're going to play matchmaker, forget it."

"He loves you, you know," she said, seeming unfazed by Doc's hostility. "And I know you love him. I may not have been there that day at the race, but I saw the whole thing unfold. And I watched how you acted around him after. I've never seen you act that shy or flustered around anyone. You're totally into him."

"Go away, Sally," Doc sighed, exhausted. "I thought you were into Lightning. Shouldn't you be devastated or something?"
"I love Lightning, but not in that way," she admitted. "I've actually found someone else, but...Doc, you have to tell him how you feel."

"I don't have to do anything," Doc said.

Sally sighed. "Alright, fine. Have it your way. Goodnight Doc," she said, and drove away. Doc sighed again. The worst part about everything she said was that it was the complete and honest truth, and they both knew it.

AN: Hope you enjoyed the first chapter of my new story! I'm still writing Forgetting You and the new chapter for that will be up soon.