#9542

They've been real in my head for so long that I lowkey don't have too many headcanons for them

They just kinda... are 😭

My b if this is kinda all over the place lol:

They wear each other's merch every time they get a chance (much to the dismay of their respective managements, probably)

THE t4t couple ever

In my head McQueen is at least a little bit east asian so there's that too. (me when I'm asian so all my favs gotta be asian too) - his hair is box-dye blond lol - grown-out brunette roots at one point, perchance - eventually he stops dying his hair alltogether

Cal is older than Lightning despite joining the Piston Cup series later - I imagine Lightning to have a Max Verstappen esque career where he made it to the top series at a really young age - Oh shit I just checked the wiki and apparently this is canon

2006 season:

There was an era during Cal's rookie season that his management tried to give him Strip's title (for clout), calling him "the new King" and using the tagline "the King is back". The media ate it up ofc but Cal always felt iffy about inheriting a legacy he didn't create. Lightning was the first person to consistently refer to Cal by his name, simply because it felt right. For Cal, though, it meant the world. It gave him hope that people would see his blossoming career for what it was, rather than what they believed it should live up to

The reason why Lightning initially refused to refer to Cal as "King"? He didn't like Cal all that much lol - Cal is a very clean driver. He knows what he's capable of but most of all what he isn't. He plays it safe— A complete 180 to Strip Weathers' incredibly daring style that Lightning admired - When he heard that Cal was going get the Dinoco seat in the coming Piston Cup season, Lightning expected to see the King's bold and confident quality in Cal, only to be met with the most careful driver on earth - Lightning mistakes this subversion of expectation for weakness, and does not like Cal for a good half of Cal's rookie season. - Hearing Cal be called "the next King", then, baffled Lightning. Anyone who had eyes surely could see that Cal was no King.

So, he started calling him "Prince" - The nickname, initially meant to mock him, became Cal's official nickname after his maiden win later that season - In typical Lightning fashion, a nickname that he used to undermine his competition became their official nickname (because he didn't learn from that time Chick started going by "Thunder")

It was also after Cal's first win that Lightning's view of him shifts. He sees a subtle beauty in the way Cal wins. There were no flashy moves, no miracles, just a superbly run race. A clean, quiet, flawless execution that left nothing on the table. Was this who Cal Weathers is? Not a driver who commands fear but one who is quiet, dangerous competition. Not the bright strike of lightning but the deep blue that paints the sky

Literally the "fell first; fell harder" trope...

Anyway if anyone wants my thoughts on any of their many other shared seasons let me know I'll do a part two or something but for now I'm going to sleep

Idk if that's lightning's final hair lol it's kinda generic and I'd imagine him to have a more alt hairstyle