12/30/23
(A/N: Could not stop dying of laughter as I kept imagining this playing in my head 😭. Really try to picture this one guys I swear)
You stood outside the rusty gates of Mater's truck yard, impatiently tapping your foot in the dirt repeatedly as you kept your arms firmly crossed over your chest. Sheriff was going to be over any minute now to drop off McQueen, and it didn't seem like the young country boy was coming out of his shack anytime soon.
"C'mon, Mater..." You whined to yourself, voice nothing more than a whisper. Dread filled you up inside at the thought of having to be left alone with McQueen for even one minute. You still couldn't stand him, but you were at least getting better with trying to deal with it. Awkwardness from your earlier interaction with the racer was also still ransacking your brain, making you further not want to really see him at the moment. Those, combined with nervousness which you had no clue where that was coming from, was making you feel nothing short of uncomfortable. The uncertainty of not knowing when McQueen would be brought over and not knowing when Mater would finally come outside wasn't helping.
Continuing to wait impatiently and full of dread, you couldn't help twirling the toe of your shoe around in the dirt beneath you in thought, wondering just what Mater had in mind for tonight. Although he was always up for anything and everything, you also had no clue what he had planned because he loved to do anything and everything. You finally unwrapped your arms and hooked your hands behind your back, sticking out your chest a little as you began to teeter back and forth on the tips of your toes.
"(Y/N)!" A gruff voice boomed, causing you to flinch with worry at the sudden boom of the voice. When you turned to see it was just Sheriff, his arms tightly around the arm of a handcuffed McQueen, you let out the breath you didn't know you were holding.
"Geez, Sheriff!" You exclaimed in relief. "No need to up and scare me like that!"
He simply chuckled. "Sorry! Can't help it." As he began to unlock McQueen's handcuffs, he asked, "Where's Mater at?"
You groaned. "Still inside. Can I holler for him now?"
"No, no!" Sheriff raised his hands in defense. "I'll go pull him out here myself!" With a smirk, he turned to McQueen and spoke just low enough for you to hear, "Don't ever keep her waitin'! She's got a loud voice, that one."
"I heard that!" You huffed, crossing your arms back over your chest once more.
McQueen smirked back at Sheriff, chiming in with a jab of his own. "Oh, trust me, I'm well aware."
Your eyes narrowed, glaring at the racer. "You're one to talk."
"Alright, alright. No need to go gettin' all riled up." Sheriff laughed. "Keep an eye on the delinquent, will ya? I'm gonna fetch Mater."
Before he could even take a single step, however, a very wild and rambunctious Mater came flying out of his shack. Door slamming open with such a powerful crash, you swore the rickety thing probably blew off a hinge. He rushed over, hyperventilating with excitement and practically jumping in place. "Ooh, ooh! We all ready to go?" He then started to laugh, "Boy, wait till' you guys see what I got in store for ya!"
You looked at Sheriff with a pleading look, trying to get him to change his mind so that you didn't have to be dragged along with Mater's shenanigans. The old man simply dismissed you with an innocent grin. He pulled out a set of car keys, McQueen's keys to be exact, and began to twirl them around his finger by the key ring. "Well, you kids have fun now. But not too much fun, understand?" When the three of you nodded in response, he said, "Good. Now, I got a car to take in."
"Oh, Sheriff, wait!" You jogged over to him when he began to walk away. You began to whisper something in his ear, so ever quiet that Mater and McQueen wouldn't be able to hear you. The two young boys shared a look with each other, curious as to what was so secretive.
Sheriff then took a step back in surprise. "Are you sure?"
You simply nodded.
Shaking his head in disbelief, he replied cautiously. "Alright! I don't know what's gotten into you, but I guess I'll allow it." He then froze, pondered for a moment, before shooting you a smug smirk. "I mean, you were so defiant this morning about helping him. What's changed?"
You rolled your eyes crossly before doing nothing more than shooting Sheriff a stern and expecting look. His eyes widened in response, realizing he was about to try crossing a line he wasn't prepared to cross over. Clearing his throat and adjusting his belt to regain his composure, he gave you a respectful nod before walking off.
When you walked back over to the two boys, Mater asked, "What was that all about, Miss (Y/N)?"
"Oh, nothing, nothing!" You physically waved off his concerns with a nervous smile. "It's nothing."
"Uhh... Okay!" Mater smiled brightly in response as he quickly let the topic go with ease. He then ran over to his tow truck to start it up.
McQueen leaned slightly closer to you and asked with a small frown of concern. "It didn't sound like nothing..."
"Well, it was!" You replied with strict conviction. "It wasn't anything you need to worry about."
The racer's nose then scrunched up a little bit in what seemed like disgust to you, but to him was a twinge of jealously. "Yeah, but who was this 'guy' you were talking about?"
"What?" You breathed out, appalled.
He gave a small humph. "I'm just asking!"
"Hey!" Mater called out to you guys, his tow truck now all started up and raring to go. "Hop in, buddies! We're going tippin'!"
Your eyes widened. "Oh no..."
"What?" McQueen asked you obliviously. "What's that?"
"Mater, Sheriff wouldn't agree with this!" You ignored McQueen, focused solely on the rowdy tow truck driver.
"Aw, it'll be fine!" He tried to reassure you with a big gap-toothed grin. "We ain't gonna get in trouble this time!"
You frowned. "That's what you always say..."
McQueen could do nothing but stay oblivious.
~~~~~~~~
"Mater, I'm not doing this!" McQueen whispered to Mater after hearing what 'tipping' was. It was nighttime now, the sun fully set and moon shining bright, and the three of you were standing on the grassy hill overlooking the cow pasture.
"Aw, come on, you'll love it!" Mater chuckled mischievously as he looked out at all the grazing cows. "Cow tippin's fun!" He then put his hand on the racer's shoulder. "Alright, listen, when I say go, we go, but don't let Frank catch ya. GO!" With that, Mater began to excitedly run over to the field.
"Whoa! Whoa, whoa, whoa! Wait, Wait, Wait! W-Who's Frank?"" McQueen tried to bargain as he started to run to catch up with Mater. You rolled your eyes, dread filling up inside you as you watched Mater hop over the fence with ease. McQueen, on the other hand, wasn't as smooth and graceful when he did so. He had to climb the short fence to get over it, whereas Mater propelled himself over with just his arm in one fell swoop.
You rolled your eyes, dread filling up inside you at what you knew was about to unfold. "This won't be good." You groaned to yourself. Climbing onto the hood of Mater's truck, you graciously kept your distance from the troublesome game. There was no way you were going to let yourself get wrapped up in that hot mess.
All you did was watch over the two boys. Mater was super excited and gung-ho. McQueen was more tentative and cautious, overall unwilling. However, the more cows Mater tipped, the more he began to try and egg the racer on. Eventually, McQueen mustered up the courage to tip a cow on his own. That's when things started to go awry.
Both of them now having fun, they began to tip more and more cows until the two eventually burst out in loud laughter, causing a commotion amongst whatever cows were still upright. In a rush, all the cows began to run off further into the enclosure. Even the ones that were tipped fought to get back onto their hooves to run.
You listened intently as the boy's laughter quickly died down when a furious animal noise broke out into the night. "Oh no!" You gave a forced smile to help mask and subside the fear creeping into your heart. "That's Frank!" You announced to yourself. And sure enough, just as Mater had turned on his heel to hightail it out of the field, a large and monstrous bull leaped out of the bushes. It roared angrily in McQueen's face, eyes burning with rage and the angry huffs coming out of its nostrils visible in the cold midnight air.
Now, an angry bull was scary by nature. That was just fact. But Frank? He was a pure oddity of nature. The thing was massive, bulky, and string! He towered far above all man, his muscles so swollen and grown that dozens of pulsating veins were very much visible even from miles away. The bull was an absolute beast of a unit, and force to never be reckoned with. So of course, especially to someone like McQueen who was never really around these country animals to begin with, he could only think of one way to react.
McQueen gave a bloody shriek and then followed suit, turning so fast that he slipped and practically fell on his face. His extended arms saved him just enough though and provided him with a means of propelling him forward into a frantic run. The way he scurried on the ground for that brief moment was incredibly comedic, and you would've reacted accordingly had you not actually been seriously concerned about the situation. I mean, McQueen was just a rookie! At cow tipping, that is...
Frank began to furiously chase the two around the enclosure. Mater was laughing hysterically like a maniac as he ran, tears practically streaming down his face from how much humor he found in the situation at hand. McQueen looked terrified beyond all measure, eyes wide and literally sweating in fear. "Run!" Mater hollered through his laughter.
The two quickly approached the fence to run over towards where you were standing by the tow truck, but Frank leaped over them with such ease thanks to his monstrous frame and landed right in front of them with a huff. Mater laughed even more, somehow almost drowning out McQueen's scream of terror, as the two split up. McQueen turned right further into the field, and Mater turned left towards the main gate. Frank chose to go after the petrified racer.
Seeing as how the bull ran after the one inexperienced person on the field, of course of course, you quickly ran down the hill in haste knowing that something needed to happen as intervention. "We ain't gonna get in trouble' my behind!" You told yourself. Mater ran out the gate, still laughing hysterically, just as you reached the foot of the hill. "Mater!" You scolded.
"Aw boy, did you see all that?" He was still laughing, though finally starting to cease, as he wiped a tear from his eye.
"Mater, you left McQueen all alone out there!" You pointed out at the petrified racer running for his life in the field as the bull continued to give chase. The deer-in-headlights look on McQueen's face must've been incredibly humorous to Mater because his laughter started up all over again with full force.
"Lightning!" You screamed out, ignoring Mater's lack of concern.
The racer cried out over his shoulder, "Why's he going after me!?"
"It's cause you're redder than a tomater in July!" Mater wheezed.
McQueen looked down at his bright red racing attire while he was running, and what he began to do next left you floored. It sure left Mater laughed even harder than before, probably harder than he ever had in his entire life.
"What in blazes are you doing, you idiot!?" You cried out in disbelief as the racer, while still trying to outrun the monstrous bull, starting struggling to take off his racing jacket and pants. At least he had on something underneath! It was a pure white suit with lots of cushioning. You assumed it was a sturdy fireproof bodysuit in case of haphazardly fires on the race track.
"I'm taking my red clothes off! What's it look like I'm doing!?" He yelled back frantically, throwing away his jacket as he began to try and hop his way out of the thick red racing pants. While he sounded angry at your question that had an obvious answer, you knew it was just the adrenaline and complete fear for his life talking.
"Run! He's gonna get ya!" Mater yelled out as Frank began to get increasingly closer to the stumbling, bumbling McQueen who was still trying to discard his pants.
As Mater continued dying of laughter, you grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and pulled him close to your furious face as you demanded, much like a mother completely sick and tired of her child's shenanigans, "You. Go get in the truck, now!" With that you hopped over the fence and ran out towards McQueen's jacket.
As the racer continued to try and outrun Frank, which was impossible in truth whether he was undressing or not, you held up the jacket and began to wave it like a red flag of a rodeo. "Frank!" You called out. He stopped dead in his tracks as McQueen, who was now carrying his pants in a bundle under his arm, continued to run.
"Oh man." You said to yourself as your face fell when you saw the crazed look in Frank's eyes when she snapped his head in your direction, so fast I might add that he might've well have broke his neck. He began running at you full speed, and just like McQueen had done so earlier, the second you started to run away your foot slipped in the damp dewy grass. Scrambling to your feet just in time before Frank could ram you with his sharp bull horns, you began to make a run for it.
"(Y/N)!?" McQueen called out in shock when he realized Frank was no longer chasing him but you instead. He slowed his pace almost immediately and stopped in the middle of the field to watch.
"Run, Lightning!" You cried out in terror as you frantically put his jacket on while running. Not only would it be easier for Frank to keep his eye on you, but you also didn't want to be the one to lose it and leave it behind in the field. "Get to the truck!"
"I... What about you!?"
"Just stop talking and move it, rookie!" You snapped harshly, making a sharp turn just as Frank was about to ram into you again. McQueen finally listened and bolted for the fence, and once you deemed he was close enough to give you time to run over as well, you turned quick on your heel, nearly slipping again, and began to make a beeline to the truck yourself.
Mater's truck sputtered to a start just as McQueen jumped on the back of it, and Mater quickly sped down the hill and towards the gate, truck already facing back the way you guys came for a quicker getaway. "(Y/N)!" McQueen cried out for you in alarm, waving his arms to get your attention. When you noticed, you quickly turned to the new direction and made way for the gate.
Mater, still very much laughing, yelled out, "Hurry, Miss (Y/N)!"
Turning over your shoulder to see where Frank was in relation to you, you saw he was practically breathing down your neck. You shrieked as you jumped the gate, not even needing to look back when you heard Frank break down the wooden planks seconds behind you with a deep guttural roar.
"Step on it, Mater!" You cried before you even got on the truck. The tires of the truck could be heard spinning furiously on the dot, trying to gain traction in the mud and dirt of the trail.
"What're you doing!?" McQueen yelled in shock as he began to rock unsteadily in the back of the truck. He watched as you approached the truck, almost looking like you were planning on running straight past it entirely, and at the very last second, just before Mater's truck finally gained traction under its wheels, you grabbed the partially dangling tow cable and let it sweep you away from out beneath Frank's hooves, quite literally, might I add.
Your feet swung around in the air before coming to land back on the ground, forcing you to stumble between a perilous run and a earthly surf as your shoes dug into the trail, leaving long streaks behind. Struggling to pull yourself further up the tow cable, McQueen quickly thrust his hand forward and grabbed your arm. "Jump!" He instructed hurriedly.
Hopping to get your feet in the air to prepare for a good landing, the second your feet hit the ground, you pushed off with as much force as you could. With the help of your one arm pulling you forward with the cable, as well as the help of McQueen's entire upper body strength, you just barely landed securely on the back of the tow truck.
"Whew. Thanks." You told him, trying to catch your breath which, at this point, was far overdue. The two of you stared out back towards the range with uneasy looks on your faces, watching as Frank stared you down the entire time. He never moved, hooves still firmly planted in the ground and head lowered as if daring you to so much as stop the truck.
"That was incredible." He spoke up after many moments of silence and attention fixated on the still fuming bull. You looked at him incredulously until he clarified, "When you grabbed the cable. I can't believe that worked!"
"Oh, that." You smiled sheepishly. "I can't believe it worked either." The look of shock McQueen sent you once you said that was priceless.
"Gee, that was fun, wasn't it!" Mater exclaimed, yelling out the window to you guys as he made eye contact with his rear view mirror. You and McQueen just sent him unimpressed death glares.