Rumble… Rumble…
Clank's eyes widened as the soft sound of thunder rang through Metropolis. His head darted to look over to the window, then to the digital clock that sat on the night table next to the bed. 3:28 am. The startled robot blinked a few times, then turned his head once more to see if Ratchet had finally joined him at some point in the night. Despite his hopes, the lombax was absent.
It had been another rare-but-not-so-rare night for the duo. Ratchet, once again, had been inspired by one thing or another to begin to construct some sort of weapon, modification, engine, or whatever strange invention his overzealous mind could imagine up. This wasn't something that happened occasionally. This was, unsurprisingly, something that happened often. Sometimes even way too often. He would stay in his garage for hours on end creating blueprints and putting his ideas to work and making them a reality. Clank wouldn't call him a workaholic, but more of a hobbyist. He does, however, have to admit that he is a tad unhealthy when it comes to working on his creations. The only reason Clank didn't entirely despise the whole thing was because he was the only one the lombax would allow close. But, even then, Clank wishes his friend would just take a break to relax instead of just fleeing to the garage for the day.
Occasionally, when Ratchet would tire out, or rarely even become bored or lose motivation to finish whatever he was doing, he would leave his workspace and finally journey into the land of nod with Clank laying close by on their bed. Ratchet hadn't cared when Clank finally confessed to him that he hadn't found the nightstand to be a comfortable place to charge and that he'd rather be on the bed with him instead. Them sleeping together had just become normal after a while. It was especially better because Clank would finally get to see his lombax relax after a long day of work and concentration.
However, Clank had yet to see that on this night. It hadn't been uncommon when Ratchet would become too tired to even leave his workspace for the night and instead fall asleep on the closest chair, desk, or even floor. Clank hated that one the most due to how unsanitary it is after so many years of it not being cleaned and how little care his friend had for his own health and safety. Had the robot had pupils, he would roll them.
Rumble… Rumble…
Clank sat up as more soft thunder sounded in the atmosphere. Suddenly, the pings of raindrops against the window and roof of the duo's apartment became heard. The rain had not been harsh, but, in the back of his head, Clank knew it would not stay like this for long. The startled robot kicked his small feet over the edge of the bed and dropped himself on the floor. He proceeded to push a chair over to the window to elevate himself to reach the shades. He lifted himself up and wrapped his small, metal hand around the string to pull them closed, but before he could do so, he used another hand to move a small portion of the shades over to take a peek outside just to check the conditions of the weather. The rain had not been heavy, but it was going to be soon from the looks of it. Ratchet and Clank's home had been on one of the wealthier elevations of the city for all of the heroic deeds they'd done for it, therefore meaning that they were closer to the clouds than many other homes. Also meaning, to Clank's dismay, that storms would hit them harder than most. The storm had seemed lax at the moment. Clank slowly pulled his head away from the cooled window, but not before a sudden, bright light could flash before his eyes! Clank jumped back, landing with a loud "CLUNK" on the floor below. His gears pounded harshly inside of him. Then, with ignored warning, loud, booming clap of thunder crashed through the apartment.
BANG!
Ratchet's eyes shot open as he let out a gasp. His heart pounded as the loud noise settled. He used his arms to lift his head and chest off of the desk, his ears standing on end. Had he fallen asleep in the middle of his work again? He eased after a minute or so, moving his tired, slightly blurry gaze to his unfinished project. The blueprints had been slightly wrinkled after being under the lombax's head for so long. Some of his tools had been scattered around on the desk, along with some unused bolts and screws. It had been a sloppy an unorganized mess. Ratchet removed one of his gloves to rub his eyes, then let out a small chuckle, thinking about how Clank would call him out on his constant messiness with his inventions. Speaking of Clank…
BOOM! CRACK!
The lombax jumped back in his seat, his golden brown, oil stained fur standing on end. His tail had puffed up as his heart began to pound again and his body began to wake up. Barely a millisecond after the loud noise sounded, Ratchet heard a scream. Not a screech, but more of a yell. Clank… He recognized it. It had to be him. Ratchet softly mouthed his pal's name and, without a second thought, he shot up from his chair and left his garage to look for his friend. "Clank?" the lombax called out. No reply. He searched around the living room in hopes of finding him on the couch or under a table, but no luck. Ratchet sighed in worry and his ears drooped. Suddenly, a flash shone through the window and a clap of thunder rang through the home. He gasped once again as he heard another yelp. At that moment, Ratchet rolled his eyes and put a palm to his face. How could he be so stupid as to forget his own best pal's fear of lightning.?He didn't need to be reminded why. He felt bad just thinking about it.
Ratchet remembered hearing the cry from their bedroom. As he entered, he saw their shades still slightly open. He also noticed that his desk chair was all the way over by the window. The lombax walked over to it and returned the chair to its place. BOOM! "Ah!" the lombax yelped. He put his gloved hand on his chest and he felt the pulsing of his heart as it raced. The thunder was rather loud, unsurprisingly, seeing as they live so close to the sky, but it was still startling and rather frightening. Ratchet shook his head to snap back into focus. He then heard the sound of trembling metal coming from the floor. Ratchet moved his gaze to the ground to see a blinking red light. He got on his knees and the trembling got louder. Under the night table, shaking in fear, was Clank.
The petrified robot's hands were over his eyes, which were screwed shut in fear. His legs and feet had been tucked into his body, much like how he does when on Ratchet's back. Strange how then, in the middle of explosions and fire, the robot does not even bat an eye, but when lightning come's into the picture, he finds a place to hide and will refuse to come out until the storm blows over. Then again, after Oltanis, Clank really cannot be blamed for such a peculiar fear. As the robot's antenna continued to blink rapidly, a concerned look was plastered on Ratchet's face. The poor guy must be horrified. "Clank?" Ratchet spoke softly in case not to startle Clank further. He received no answer. Ratchet carefully and slowly moved a gloved hand to reach out to put a hand on his friend's shoulder. Ratchet's soft touch caused Clank to jump in his place, his legs springing up as he let out a loud yelp. The force of his jump cause him to roughly bang his head against the underneath of the dresser.
"Oof!" Clank let out. Ratchet pulled his hands back quickly as the robot proceeded to rub the back of his head, then moved his head up to have his eyes meet his friend's. "Ratchet?" he whispered.
"Hey pal. You feelin' alright?" he asked softly, keeling down further.
"I-Is the the storm ove-" Clank had been cut off as a bright flash caused the duo to freeze in their places. Once more, thunder clapped with a loud noise. BOOM! Clank let out another yell, returning to being tucked into himself as his shaking grew more violent. As the thunder settled, the sound of rain pounding against the building grew louder. It was practically pouring! Ratchet was about to move up to check the conditions through the window, but stopped when he heard his friend's horrified whimpers. Ratchet felt concern grow in him as he returned his focus to Clank. He couldn't just leave him like this. What kind of person would that make him? The lombax pondered on what to do. He then decided to stay up with his robot until the storm settled. But, he wasn't going to sit here on the floor for 5 hours. So, Ratchet decided to take them both to somewhere a little more comfortable and devoid of windows.
Ratchet, ever so carefully, put his hands on Clank's body, who at first jumped at his friends sudden touch. He slowly slid the robot out from underneath the night table, still trembling, but, thankfully not whimpering anymore. Something had been better than nothing. He lifted the robot up to examine him. He refused to come out of his trance. Ratchet felt sympathy for the poor robot. He could only imagine what he was going through at the moment. Ratchet pulled Clank a little closer and turned to look up at the clock. 3:41am. He sat on his legs, still thinking about what to do so early in the morning. He finally got an idea. The lomax stood up, robot in hands, to continue his work while he was still awake.
He walked into the garage with the overhead light still on. Ratchet closed the door behind him, keeping a steady hold on Clank. He sat at the desk, keeping Clank in his lap as he picked up his notes to figure out where he had left off. All had seemed calm for around ten minutes. However, Clank's shaking had not ceased. As Ratchet continued his work, the storm continued to rage on outside. The pounding rain had been the only sound in the room. Just when everything seemed to become lax, one last clap of thunder boomed. Ratchet, at this point, had been too focused on his project to be startled by the loud noises. Alas, his pal hadn't faired so well. Ratchet felt his robot's trembling become more noticeable in his lap. When he looked down, Clank had still been tightly tucked inside of himself. The lombax couldn't stand the sight of it any longer.
Suddenly, Clank felt a warmth engulf him. He removed his hands from his eyes and his shaking had stopped. Ratchet was holding him tightly, a naked hand behind the robot's head. Clank blinked a few times, looking up at his lombax. He felt the warmth that only an organic could provide against his cold metal. Suddenly, the robot felt the world around him disappear as he listened to the sound of Ratchet's soft beating heart and almost inaudible breathing. He felt Ratchet's hand slowly rubbing the back of his head. Clank had stopped moving, his shaking had ceased, and everything suddenly seemed calm.
"Shhh… You're gonna be okay. Nothing's gonna get you. I'm not gonna let anything happen to you. I'm not letting any lightning get my best pal." Ratchet whispered softly into Clank's hearing sensors. The robot felt himself become pressed harder against Ratchet's chest and he continued to whisper sweet nothings to him, feeling his friends warm breath and soft lips ever so slightly brush against him. He suddenly felt a warmth inside of his core. It was unlike anything he had ever felt before. Clank felt his gears begin to pound. Not in fear, but rather… something else. Then, without warning, he felt a pair of lips press against his head ever so softly.
Clank froze, his antenna shining brightly at the contact. He looked up to his lombax, his expression stunned. Ratchet looked back at him, his rich jade eyes half lidded and filled with passion and a warm smile caused that warmth inside of Clank to grow. Ratchets soft, worn, fuzzy hand lightly brushed against Clank's cheek, his antenna glowing even brighter. Then, without warning, Ratchet lowered his head to softly brush his lips against the robot's. It had been a mere peck, but it didn't stop Clank from getting that warm, fuzzy feeling to grow to it's full limits inside of him.
No words were spoken, no sounds were heard. The lombax and robot stared into each others eyes. The moment had been so soothing. However, all good things come to an end. Ratchet felt a yawn form in the back of his throat. Despite the time they spent just looking at one another, Clank hadn't noticed the look of exhaustion on his lombax's face. The robot let out a yawn as well and Ratchet let out a chuckle to which Clank joined him. The laughter quickly ceased and Clank felt his battery running low as he rubbed his eyes. Ratchet smiled once more and pulled his robot to his chest once more, tucking his head beneath his chin.
"Could we not just go to our room?" Clank asked.
"Nah, this is fine." the lombax replied. Clank only shook his head, nuzzling into the lombax's soft fur, resting against his chest. The room was silent, the pouring rain had turned to nothing more than drips, and Ratchet's job had been done in life. As long as Clank was with him and safe, that was all he needed. The two fell asleep in each others arms, resting against another as the storm stopped.