Human!Lightning McQueen x Reader (Title TBD)

Getting Cozier

The three of you had driven out into the deserts of California for something. Rather, on your way to something. But for some reason, the man had taken a detour into a small, quaint little town. That was when you first met Doc. He claimed to have seen you briefly many times before, commenting on how big you had grown, but you had no clue who he was.

Anyway, your parents had left you in his care while they went out for whatever it is they had drove out to you. Doc told you that it was for some big and important event, but he never knew what exactly. So you spent the day with Doc, waiting for your parents to come back hours later like they had promised, but they never showed. Not one night had fallen, and not even once all of the travelers had either been long gone or checked into the motels to stay the night.

Eventually falling asleep, because you were a kid after all, the next morning didn't go as well. The nights for the next few years wouldn't go by well either.

Doc had woken you up bright and early, seeming calm and usual, though a little worried about something. He had handed you off to Sheriff, who agreed to watch you while Doc went out. You were told by both Doc and the Sheriff to stay in the building at all times unless you would be supervised by Sheriff. With that, you were left in a small police station with almost nothing to do, and practically all alone while Sheriff filed paperwork. At least he had some paper for you to draw on, but he only had pencils. Nothing fun and colorful like crayons.

Hours went by. You got sick of drawing on the concrete floor of an open cell, and Sheriff was a little too busy that day to be able to do much with you. A short walk here and there when he needed a break, but nothing else otherwise. When you got tired, you went to go sleep on the cot in the cell. Although sanitized and bearing a clean pillow and blanket, the second you sat on it, you grimaced with a big frown on your face.

It was the most uncomfortable thing you ever sat on, pretty much being nothing more than a pallet of wood with a measly blanket draped over it. There was no way you were going to sleep on that, but you were too tired not to try. You tossed and turned for what felt like hours, but it was just so unbearable. You could've swore you even got a splinter or two at some point, but all these years later you couldn't recall for sure.

Eventually, Doc came back. You were exhausted and beyond bored, and you were excited for the nightmare to be over... But it wasn't.

It was only beginning.

Doc looked devastated when he arrived. He started talking to Sheriff, speaking quietly. You continued to lay on the bench, facing the wall. You weren't asleep, simply bored and waiting for Doc's approval to go back to his house, but being so still and facing away from them, the two adults didn't know you weren't actually sleeping.

You overheard their conversation, intently listening in because your curious young mind refused tune it out because of said curiosity. You wondered where your parents were, finding it odd they hadn't said a word and hadn't come to get you. However, your curiosity would become something you would quickly regret. You overheard something you knew you were supposed to hear. You didn't want to believe it, didn't want it to be true. But when Doc came into the cell, telling you softly, "C'mon, kid. Let's get you to your new home," and when he realized you hadn't actually been asleep, the wide-eyed look of petrification that rose to his face immediately said it all.

A scared look of your own on your face, eyes brimming with tears, you just stared at him, waiting for him to say something. Anything.

All he could do was let out a defeated sigh as he started to tell you, "I'm sorry, (Y/N)..."

You had to force yourself out of the flashback, tears creating a blurry film over your eyes as they started to fall one by one, as you could hear his words echoing so clearly in your head that you could've swore he was saying them in real-time.