In a way, life at the garage was simple. There was a steady flow of customers coming and going five days of the week, it was opened for twelve hours a day, and the prices weren't back. It was an ideal place to go if anyone found their ship needing repairs. And the view that the planet Veldin, where the garage was located, offered wasn't too bad either. Though the owner, Grimroth Razz, was a bit grumpy, he always made sure that whatever the job that was needed to be done was done. The employees, however, were in short supply, and were one of the oddest, yet working, duos that any creature in the universe had seen. A rare, young Lombax and a defective Drek Industries robot. And boy did they sometimes drive their boss crazy. And today was no exception.
Ratchet grabbed a small wrench from a bucket of tools sitting beside him and laid down on a wooden board, rolling himself under the all too familiar Mr. Micron's ship. The same one that he had accidentally trashed and stolen the day that he had become a Galactic Ranger. Though he never thought that the Tharpod owner would come back and want to reclaim his ship. He thought that he was just going to be done with it and move on. But no, he just had to come back for it instead of buying a new ship. Grumpy old man...
However, the task of fixing the ship was proving to be a difficult one. The thrusters were shot, there was damage to the shell from the warbot attack, the windshield was cracked, and one of the wings was bent. And that was just on the outside. There was no telling the damage done to the inside of the ship. Ratchet had suggested that they just buy the same model ship and pass it off for Mr. Micron's, but Grimroth scolded him by saying that he wasn't about to be dishonest with a customer, and ordered the Lombax to get back to work. Ratchet had mimicked what his boss had said in a mocking tone and reluctantly got back to work.
The heat of the Veldin sun was strong, even as it began to set, casting a fiery orange glow in the skies and onto the rocky land. Ratchet began tightening a bolt in the wing as the sun's rays found their way to him, and he began to heat up. He let out some small pants and wiped his forehead. There was a downside to it always being summer, and that was the heat he always had to face when he was working. But, it wasn't as bad as he thought it was going to be for him. Because, after wiping the sweat off of him a few more times, Ratchet was startled a bit when a cold and wet cloth was placed on his head. He looked up and smiled when he saw Clank's friendly green eyes looking back at him, along with a small bucket of cold water.
"I thought that you would appreciate something to help you with the heat," the warbot said.
"Ah, thanks, pal. You're a lifesaver," Ratchet replied, rubbing the cloth against his forehead. He doused it with cold water one more time before placing it on him again, then he began tightening more bolts, Clank handing him any tools that he needed. The two may have been young and drive their boss crazy sometimes, but they were one handy duo. Both of them helped each other out during their job, whether the help was big or small. And it was the help that they gave each other that made their jobs easier and faster. Like how Clank kept Ratchet cool with the cloth helped him fix the wing without having to take constant breaks to escape the heat. The Lombax reattached several wires, which sparked as they connected, then he brought his hands back and rolled out from underneath the ship. He brushed his hands off and sighed, "There, that should do it."
"Are you sure that it will stay in place properly? That wing was severely damaged," Clank said, looking up at his friend.
"Nah, it should be fine. It's my handiwork after all."
"Hey, what are you two doin'? Did ya fix the wing yet?" Grimroth asked, coming out of the garage. "Or are ya just messin' around?"
"Nope! We're all done here!" Ratchet said proudly. He began motioning towards the wing like it was some sort of big prize on a game show. "As you can see, it's been straightened out from the inside out. The wires are all reattached and the metal plating is practically all new. Yes, sir, I'd say that we've done a good job."
The Lombax took his Omniwrench and tapped it against the wing several times in attempt to show off how sturdy it was after the job that he had done. At first, nothing happened, which made the three believe that the wing really was as good as new. But then, after the last tap, the wing began to lean downwards and it nearly completely disconnected from the rest of the ship, making sparks fly out. Ratchet tried to push it back up and scrambling to catch it before it hit the ground, but, no matter how hard he pushed, the wing wouldn't connect back to the ship, and it slipped from his hands and his the floor.
Ratchet and Clank looked at each other with grim faces when they thought of what their boss had to say about this. And Grimroth did not look happy. He rubbed his small eyes with his big fingers and let out a big, disappointed sigh. Ratchet tried to explain himself, but he stopped after Grimroth put a hand in the air. The elder Fongoid folded his arms and stared down the Lombax and warbot.
"Why don't you two get out for awhile? I...need some time. And I need to call Mr. Micron and tell him that his ship is going to take longer than expected. You two just um...go out for a bit," Grimroth said, rubbing his eyes again and walking back inside the garage.
Ratchet and Clank watched their boss go back inside the garage. And after he was out of full earshot, Ratchet bent down a bit and whispered to Clank, "I thought for sure that he was going to yell at us."
"Well, it was not entirely our fault. Besides, it is not like the wing is completely destroyed. It just needs...more work," Clank responded. The small warbot then picked up the two buckets that he had brought out and glanced at Ratchet, "Anyway, it looks like that Mr. Grimroth would like some time to himself. Where do you suppose we should go?"
The Lombax shrugged, "I dunno. Let's get on my hoverboard and see where it takes us."
The duo gathered up all of their tools and supplies and put them away in their proper places, and Ratchet pulled Mr. Micron's ship into the garage for the night. Then he grabbed his Hoverboard, let Clank attach himself to his Hex-Mount, and then they were off. They blasted off from the garage, leaving dust in their hovertracks. The sun was practically gone at this point, and the night sky was moving in fast, bringing a mixture of midnight blue and fiery orange to the sky like a giant canvas, so they couldn't be out for long. Boarding in the dark was fairly dangerous.
Ratchet gracefully glided on his hoverboard, smoothly hovering over the rocky terrain, and making sure to avoid hitting the rock formations. The wind blew through his fur, giving him a cool and refreshing feeling, as well as making his ears gently wave about, as well as his tail. Off work time was his favorite time. It gave him a sense of freedom. It was like the bonds of the day had broken and he could know wander about the land as much as he pleased. It was such a wonderful feeling. But he wasn't sure if the robot on his back felt the same way. He looked over his shoulder at the silent robot. Then he smiled. Clank was sticking his head out of his torso a bit, his eyes closed and a small smile on his face, his small antenna blowing with the wind. Ratchet chuckled a bit. It looked like that Clank enjoyed his time off as well.
Time seemed to lose itself around the duo, because their idea of not staying out too long wore off, and they forgot to realize it. Ratchet rode the hoverboard around a bit more before coming to a stop on a high platform. He hopped off the board and Clank hopped off of his back. He looked around and saw how dark it had become. He knew that it was a bit dangerous to be out at night, but he chuckled.
"Welp, so much for getting back before dark."
"Indeed. I suppose that we enjoyed ourselves a bit too much," Clank said with a nod.
"Eh, it's not a big deal. I know the way back to the garage." Ratchet placed his hands on his waist and he looked up into the sky. The once orange and blue canvas was now a mixture of black, blue, purple, and a bit of green here and there, along with the sight of distant planets. And his big green eyes reflected the millions of stars that studded the sky like shining bright diamonds. "Wow...what a sight. Veldin always has the coolest night skies."
"It is marvelous, yes."
Ratchet nodded in agreement, then he sat down on the ground and laid back, stretching his body on the rock surface, which was now nice and cool. He placed his hands behind his head and let out a relieved and happy sigh. Clank tilted his head to one side as he tried to figure out what Ratchet was doing. He was just lying down on the dirty and unsanitary ground and...doing nothing. What was the meaning of this?
Ratchet picked up on this and glanced at the robot, "Come on Clank, you can lay right next to me."
"Why would I lay down?" The bot asked.
"To watch the stars. I do it whenever I want to think. It's pretty nice once you get into it. And it's easy; just lay down like I'm am and look up."
Clank blinked at the Lombax, still tilting his head. He knew that he had a hard time grasping organic activities, like handshakes, but this was just really peculiar. But he might as well try it out so he could hopefully understand it better. So he walked up to Ratchet's side and laid down next to him, placing his hands behind his head like Ratchet was. Then he pointed his head up and saw nothing but sky. Though he was relaxed, he still didn't quite see the point of it. Maybe he would grasp the concept later like he did with the handshakes.
Ratchet and Clank laid there on the cool ground with each other, staring up at the night sky and observing the many wonders that it had to offer. Ratchet's tail swished back and forth, slightly flinging dirt and dust from side to side, and it flicked with irritation when some of it got caught in the fur. And Clank simply stayed still, his brilliant green eyes shining and blinking, tilting his head every so often whenever a shooting star was spotted. The silence continued for several minutes before one of them finally decided to speak up and hopefully start a conversation.
"Quite a life we have here on this planet, eh Clank?" Ratchet asked.
"Indeed. It does keep us busy."
"Yeah. Fixing strangers' ships, living in a garage, having an old grumpy boss, this is definitely the life."
"Of course, that is not our entire life. You are forgetting what we do when we are off of the planet."
Ratchet nodded and smiled. Ah, the Galactic Ranger job. The thing that he had dreamed of ever since he was a little kid. Days go by and he still has trouble believing that he was now one of them. "Yeah, being a Galactic Ranger is pretty awesome. I never thought that I'd become one this early in my life, to be honest."
"I see. Is it everything that you hoped that it would be, though?"
"That and more," the Lombax said with enthusiasm. "I get to try out cool gadgets, awesome weapons, I'm known across the galaxy, aww man, it's awesome."
"Is that all of the things that you find pleasurable about your job as a Ranger?" Clank asked, sitting up a bit and looking at his friend.
Ratchet smiled, then he placed a hand on top of the warbot's head, "And, of course, I get to work with the coolest and nerdiest robot that I know. Even though I never thought of that happening when I was younger, it's still something that I can't imagine being without. When there's no Ranger Clank, there's no Ranger Ratchet."
"Well, you do need someone to look after you so you do not get into trouble. Hehehehehe!"
"Heheh, get outta here, ya' tin can," Ratchet said, playfully pushing Clank. He laid his head back down and looked back up at the starry sky. As Clank tried to get comfortable again, a thought came into Ratchet's mind, like many others that came to him while he was staring at the sky absentmindedly. When he explored the thought, the smile on his face began to disappear. When there was no Ranger Clank...there was no Ranger Ratchet...hm. Ratchet didn't want to go anywhere without Clank. But...there was that one time when he left...so now that he thought about it, what he said wasn't exactly true.
After leaving the destruction of Novalis, Ratchet was willing to leave everything behind, including everyone he had met during his journey as a Galactic Ranger. He had become so overcome with grief that he just wanted to abandon the new life he had created and just return to his original one. And that meant that he had also left behind Clank, the one whom he had become closest to during the adventure. But, even after he gave up and threw away his Ranger life, Clank still followed him back to the garage. And he had encouraged him to come back and make things right. Thus leading to Ratchet's guilty conscious being destroyed and the feeling of being responsible went away. Clank had saved him from his guilt...even after Ratchet abandoned him...
"Ratchet?" Clank asked. Ratchet noticed that the robot was looking right at him with his bright green eyes. He tilted his head, "Are you alright? You have grown quite silent. And you seemed to have a distressed look on your face."
"Yeah, I'm fine..." Ratchet laid there for several silent seconds, then he sat up and placed his arms on his knees. "Hey, Clank. Why uh...during the Drek ordeal, why did you uh...why did you follow me home?"
"Which time? I followed you two times."
"Both times, I guess."
"Hmm, well, I followed you home to your garage because I wanted to...to umm...erm...you know, I am not quite sure. The first time you left, I came because someone needed to come and get you, but I am not sure why I was the one to volunteer. And the reason I followed you the second time was because...I do not know."
Clank placed a digit on his chin and pondered this for a moment or two. Why did he follow Ratchet all of those times? He tried to process an answer for his friend. And he came up with the best one he could.
"I suppose that I just felt the need to be with you. After all, you were the one who saved me and offered to help me. You were the first person to show kindness to me as well. When it came to trusting people, I trusted you the most because I was more attached to you than anyone. And I suppose that attachment was what made me want to follow you around and stay with you. Does that make any sense? I know that I am not good at grasping concepts like organics can."
"N-No, that made sense. That made sense..." Ratchet said with a nod. Clank blinked at him and tilted his head like usual. He could still sense something wrong with him, that he needed to get something off of his chest. This robot only knew him for a limited amount of time and he could already read him like a book. The Lombax took a breath, "Hey, Clank, I um...I never really thanked you for everything you did for me. You know, helping me become a Ranger and coming back for me and stuff. You helped me opened my eyes and helped me realize that being a hero is more than fame, and I think it helped me mature, you know? I wouldn't be who I am now if it wasn't for you. So...thanks for sticking with me, pal."
"It has always been a pleasure working with you, Ratchet," Clank said with a smile, making Ratchet smile. The robot looked back up at the sky for a moment, then he spoke again, "And like I said, someone has to keep you out of trouble. Hehehehe!"
"Ohokay, Mr. Funnybot, you wanna keep me outta trouble? Try stopping me when I do this!" Ratchet scooped Clank up and put him in a headlock, then he gave him a playful noogie. The robot squirmed as the Lombax laughed. "Ha! Can't get outta this-YAH!"
Clank giggled as he fell out of Ratchet's grip, sparks flying out the tip of his two fingers. In retaliation to Ratchet's noogie, he had jabbed his fingers into the Lombax's side and gave him a small zap. Not enough to hurt him, of course. Ratchet rubbed his side and looked at Clank with annoyance. But the look didn't last for long because the two quickly broke down with laughter. It took them quite a bit of time before they recovered from their laughing fits. Ratchet's eyes were watering and Clank's eyes were bright as he covered his mouth. But, once they settled down, everything went quiet again.
Ratchet sniffed and wiped one of his eyes as he took several deep breaths. Then he pulled Clank over to him and rubbed the top of his head playfully, making the robot smile and giggle the tiniest bit.
"Ahh...you're a real wild one, Clank."
"As are you, Ratchet, as are you."
The two sat there with each other, looking up at the shining and twinkling stars. Though they had been through a lot together, Ratchet and Clank knew that their journey was only beginning. And they would power through each obstacle and bad guy together as partners.
Happy 100th Fanfic!
That's right, this is my 100th fanfiction here on this site. And, believe me, I am ready to celebrate!
(Pushes a button and a disco ball falls out of the ceiling and shatters on the floor)
...Aw crap.
Anyway, I can't believe it that I've made it to fanfic number one hundred. After two years and writing for two fandoms, I've finally made it, and I couldn't have done it without the support of you guys. Each one of your reviews pushes me forward and helps me strive for greatness. So I thank you all sincerely, and hope that you enjoyed this fanfic. And I hope to entertain you with many more in the future.
And for what made me decide on what the 100th fanfic would be, I wanted to do the one thing that I do best: writing Ratchet and Clank's friendship. As well as having the two playing with each other like children (but in a dignified way). I feel like the friendship fics that I write are the best ones and really define my writing, so I attempted to bring out the best of it in this fic so it can define me and my writing even more. And I hope it worked!
Anyway, wrapping up here, let's bring out the cake to help us celebrate! Who wants a slice? It's chocolate fudge!
Circuit: (Eating a big piece and has chocolate all over her face) It's yummy!
Make sure to leave a review while picking up your complimentary one hundred toasters and piece of celebration cake!
This is Amberdiamondswords, Lordess of Diamond Swordness, signing off!