"Anything else?" Sharply asking, the lombax kept writing on his small notepad, leaning against the counter in the kitchen while his robot companion walked back and forth the apartment. He had lost a couple of important, but small parts of one of their projects they had been working on for a few days now. "Clank, stop that for a second and answer me." The lombax groaned lightly, receiving the robots attention only partly.
"I am sorry, Ratchet, but I must find the parts. I'm responsible of them." Clank said as he kept on looking. He checked every inch of the floor, the trash cans, the drawers, the counters, the seats; anything he could get his hands on.
"Big deal, I can get new ones from the market. You know, the one I'm writing the list for?" Ratchet sighed, standing straight as he picked up the notepad and his pencil, following Clank to the living room. "Do you need anything else?" He asked again, this time at least getting Clank to shake his head. "You sure?"
"Yes, yes... I will contact you if anything comes to mind. Right now, I'm busy." Clank checked the pots of the plants they had growing inside the apartment, which was beginning to look ridicilous to the lombax, but he decided to not be bothered by it at this point. How would he have been able to lose such items in such a place? It was better not think of it.
"Whatever. I'm leaving." Casually commenting, Ratchet walked to the door and when he opened the door, he heard his companion yell after him.
"Wait!" The metallic steps echoed in the room as he ran to the door, turning Ratchet around with a confused look on his face. "Can I have... You know, the thing?" Ratchet let out a sigh and gave his partner a kiss on the forehead, which he wasn't very satisfied with. "On the forehead?"
"Next time, don't ignore me." Ratchet turned away, leaving the small robot by the doorway. Clank sighed as well and closed the door, rubbing his head in thought. He went back to looking for the parts, so he could quickly get it done and he wouldn't have to ignore his friend anymore. Well, honestly, "friend" was an understatement, he thought. Still, he needed to find what he lost and stop feeling bad about it. He wanted to finish the project they had been working so hard on, which had made him quite happy that Ratched had wanted to build something with him. He liked to build things on his own, in his own peace, but at times, he would ask his companion to join. To Clank, it was really nice, which is why he had to find the parts.
"Wait a minute..." He whispered to himself, charging towards the couch in the living room. He jumped on the couch, looking under the pillows and finally getting a hold of what he had been looking for. "Yes! They must have fallen from my grasp when we watched the movie last night!" He cheered, not being able to believe how dense he could be at times; after all, he was a robot. He was supposd to be smarter than that.
Chuckling at himself, he turned on the TV and jumped off the couch, walking towards Ratchet's gadget room. Whenever the lombax left him on his own, he'd like to turn on the TV and keep him "company". He returned the parts to Ratchet's work desk, making sure they were safe this time and would get lost again. Leaving the room and heading for the couch, he jumped on it again and watched the motion picture in the screen. There were strange commercials playing, even a few with Captain Qwark in them. It seemed like he had made a new one.
Not being able to watch it, he jumped off the couch again and decided to clean up a bit of the mess they (that being mostly Ratchet) had made. The table in front of the couch had a few dirty dishes, garbage and the magazines of three days, so he began by taking the dishes into the kitchen sink. The television kept on rolling, Clank not paying much attention to it as he headed for the table again, this time picking up the random paper pieces and such.
"Good evening the citicens of Veldin! This is Darla Gratch for Channel 64 News!" The familiar female voice called from the sceen, which Clank didn't pay much attention to as he carried the trash into the trash can in the kitchen. "Today, I am at the central market, where things are as lively as ever! Many people have come here today to sell and buy and even fight!" She explained, this being a normal day for the news and honestly, for the people on Veldin. "There has been lots of words and fists thrown at each other today as the sellers and the customers just can't agree on the prizes! As I've seen, even the famous galactic hero, Ratchet, is also taking a part in this fighting festival!" The camera moved a bit, showing Ratchet argue with one of the sellers, which didn't seem as serious as it could have been.
Walking in the living room again, Clank smiled as he saw his partner's picture in the screen. He indeed was arguing with the seller, but it was obvious that he didn't dare to attack the hero. Not many did, since most knew what Ratchet was cabable of and as he had saved the planet before, more than once, they mostly agreed on letting him go easier. Mostly.
Taking the news papers under his arms, Clank turned to the kitchen again when there was sudden screaming heard from the screen. He turned around quickly, the camera now pointing elsewhere, showing big robots invading the market. "On other news, Veldin is now under attack by unknown robots! We suggest you to stay in your homes and stay alive! Darla out!" The reporter commented and the picture was cut off, the camera possibly being blown into smithereens. Now, Clank was worried.
"Oh, no." He placed the papers on the table and shut down the TV, taking a run towards the front door.
Cracking his knuckles, Ratchet entered the market; he knew he could possibly need to use some violence to get some of the things he wanted. This sort of thing was occasionally held on Veldin, where the mean ones sold their gadgets, parts and other interesting things one could need to build their own gadgets or weapons. Some of it, wasn't really that legal, so you had to have some fighting spirit in you. If anything, Ratchet was used to going to this place. He had made friends with some of the sellers (well, as much of friends as you could get from these guys), so he didn't have to do much to get what he wanted. Even if he weren't friends with them, they would soon recognize him from the news and what he was cabable of. Being a hero had some nice qualities.
He looked around for the familiar sellers, not wanting to spend more time in this place than he had to. As he spotted one familiar seller, he walked up to him with a straight face. After all, it was important to look serious and know what you were doing. "Well, I'll be. If it isn't the famous big hero himself." The green man spoke, giving him a small grin.
"I need these." Ratchet slammed the list on the counter, which received a small, low chuckle.
"Right into the point, I see." The man got serious as he corrected his shades and straightened his black jacket. He placed his fingers on the note, pulling it closer to himself. "Ooh. You're asking for lot. I wonder what your going to make with these."
"Not your business, really." Ratchet commented, placing a fist on his left hip. "Do you have these, or should I go somewhere else?"
"I believe I may have something like that." The man backed away a bit into his tent that was surrounding the counter. He seemed to be fond of being in the shades, but then again, he kind of had to be. He did sold Ratchet the first version of the RYNO, which of course they didn't know anything about. So the lombax waited patiently.
"You know you're gonna have to pay me good for these, right?" The man, "Shady", as Ratchet called him, commented as he placed a box on the counter that still needed a few items to be filled in.
"You just name the price and I'll decide whether I should get my gun hot." Ratchet grinned, making Shady groan a bit.
"Come on, man." The man said, placing more parts in the box. "You're ruining me." As he finished packing the box, he closed it well, so nothing would fall out and he pushed it towards Ratchet. Before said lombax could take out his wallet, Shady opened his mouth as he leaned against the counter. "There's something odd about you."
"I've heard that often enough." The lombax said as he shook his head.
"It's not the regular oddness. It's as if something big has changed." Shady said as he watched his customer carefully. "You seem less... Destructive. As if you've been handled by a woman." He sharply said, which made Ratchet snap, but only inside his head. Outside, he only let a growl.
"Who cares." Came a surprisingly angry reply.
"No-one, I suppose. It's just weird seeing you like that." Shady lowered his shades a bit to look Ratchet in the eyes. "I'm not sure I can trust you enough to give you a discount."
"What?!" Ratchet yelled as he slammed his fist on the table. "Do you WANT me to shoot you?" Giving the man a snarl made him faintly chuckle as he slowly raised his hands in the air, up to his eye level.
"Sorry. You know how careful one has to be in this business."Shady commented.
"You're driving me nuts. Just tell me the price and I'll be out of your way." Another growl escaped Ratchet and the two then began to argue about the price, going back and forth, until they were able to get into an agreement. It wasn't a total loss, after all, Ratchet had a nice amount of bolts left since his last adventure.
"Thank you for doing business with us." Shady greeted with a cool tone, stepping back into the shadows again, obviously not too fond of the news that were shooting right behind them.
"AAAAAAAAAHHH!" A loud scream came from not too far away and Ratchet quickly glanced to the direction, watching as a few robots began rampaging the market place. They were about three times taller than Ratchet was, but he knew he could easily take them out. After all, he had his wrench and guns.
"Hey, watch after this box while I take care of these guys, okay? And you better not sell it away while I fight, or I'll have your head as well." The lombax dashed towards the robots, still hearing the last words Shady gave him.
"Give some more trust once in a while, eh!"
The robots stomped around madly for whatever reason and whatever the reason actually was, Ratchet was sure to not care. Anyone who messed with his home planet deserved a beating and big time.
"Hey, rust buckets!" Ratchet stopped in front of them and the robots did the same. They watched the lombax in confusion, letting out some sounds while doing so. "Get off of my planet!" He yelled, making the robots laugh and raise their legs to stomp the organic life form in his place. Their feet met the ground and they snickered, only to hear a whistle behind them. "Aim on, douchebags!" The lombax snickered when the robots began to turn, only to have him jump on them and hit their heads hard with his omniwrench. Their heads fell off, but the robots were still moving around, only without a sight. Ratchet placed his gun on the hole he had made as he had decapitated the machines, pulling the trigger. The robot exploded, sending the shooter a few meters away and the other robot shared the explosion by being too near the other one. That was two down.
More robots came his way and he quickly stood up, not liking the previous plan much as it had hurt a bit when he landed. He took his position and began shooting the robots, destroying some of them, but one came through and it kicked Ratchet real hard, making him fly back quite far. He coughed painfully when his back hit the ground, making him lose the air in his lungs. For a short while, he couldn't speak nor breath. He couldn't even move and the robots were coming closer. His heart skipped a beat when the robot suddenly exploded before him, his only way of protection now being to close his eyes. A few pieces flew his way, but when he only heard metal hit metal and not his flesh, he opened his eyes to see what happened.
"Oh." Ratchet couched, having to force his voice out. "You're here." He smirked playfully while trying to sit up, seeing his robot friend turn around and show his slightly angry face.
"Focus. You're going to get killed like that!" Clank scolded his organic friend, walking up to him and helping him up, which seemed quite difficult at first.
"Nah. This is nothing." Grinning even wider, Ratchet grabbed his gun he had accidentally let go before and aimed at the incoming robots, calmly shooting them down. "How'd you even blow up that one?"
"Sticky bombs." Clank answered, grinning himself when he took a hold of few sticky bombs he had left, throwing them at the robots and making them explode quite nicely. Watching them began to feel more than normal for Ratchet and he was afraid of liking them at this point.
"Nice." Both stood there, waiting for the dust to clear out, not seeing anymore robots coming their way. They looked around with angry expressions on their face, but when nothing came up for a long while, they put their weapons away. "I wonder who sent those."
"We have to report this to Captain Qwark." The small robot replied.
Ratchet sneered, shaking his head as he headed for Shady's stand. "Oh yeah, 'cause HE'S such a big help." He reached the counter calmly and picked up the box, while Shady hid under it. "Uh, thanks, man. You just have fun there, now." He then left with Clank, the people at the market place just watching after them and cursing over the damages that had been made. None would complain for the two, though; they did save everyone's life after all.
"You're TOO careless!" Clank snapped as Ratchet was placing the box on the table, making the lombax extremely confused as he stared at the box.
"How can I be more careful with this? I'm not breaking anything, look! I'm putting it down gently!" Ratchet argued back, which made Clank shake his head to hint that that was not the case.
"Not that. At the market!" Still not understanding what his partner meant, Ratchet gave another confused look. "You could have been killed, had I not showed up!"
"That's what this is about?" Ratchet smiled a bit playfully, not believing he was being lectured like this. Once again. "Nothing happened! Everyone was saved! Those robots were nothing!"
"Then why was one almost able to kill you, hmm?" Clank asked in a surprisingly annoying tone, which made Ratchet growl a bit.
"You saved me, didn't you? I'm not dead as you can see, so why not leave it be or are you just doubting my fighting skills, is that it?" Getting a bit fired up with the argument, Ratchet gave his partner a glare, who let out a sigh and now looked half angry and half upset.
"I'm not doubting you. I know you can fight. I'm just... Worried." He said calmly, throwing Ratchet into confusion once more. "I hate to see you hurt, which is why I'm telling you to be more careful."
Letting out a heavy sigh, Ratchet place his hand on his forehead and shook his head. He walked past Clank and out of his working room, not saying a word as he headed for the kitchen. Clank silently followed, still expecting an answer from the lombax.
Ratchet sat down at the dining table, leaning against the chair as he looked at the ceiling in thought. What could he have responded, since nothing would probably satisfy the robot. He couldn't promise to be careful, since it wasn't in his nature and he didn't know how to be. If he was too careful, he'd be killed anyway and it would just build up guilt on Clank. It was a thought that wouldn't find its end.
"Ratchet." Clank finally said, receiving Ratchet's attention. The robot was now sitting on the chair across the table, keeping his right hand on top of his left. "I do not wish to upset you."
"Dumbass." Ratchet smiled as he leaned against his hand. "I'm not trying to do that either, but I can't change what I am. I can try to be more careful, but... It won't work out." He gave a sweet stare at the robot, who still looked quite worried. "I was only bad, 'cause I was alone."
"Aw." The robot smiled back, both of them staring each other in silence after that. Neither of them ever felt awkward with such stares, which made them both quite happy. Just watching each other was enough sometimes and sometimes it felt like they were still having a conversation, only with their eyes. Well, the outsiders wouldn't understand anyway. "Um." Clank then broke the silence with a questioning sound, which did not make Ratchet react much.
"What?" The lombax asked neutrally, watching with curiosity as Clank began tapping his fingers together in a shy manner.
"Can I have the thing again?" He asked carefully.
Ratchet rolled his eyes again, letting out a slightly frustrated sneer. "It has a word, you know."
"Yes, I know, but..." Clank mumbled.
"We have a dictionary with the word in it." Ratched kept explaining.
"Yes, but it's a bit..." The robot kept lamely arguing back.
"It's called a 'kiss', Clank."
"I KNOW!" Clank raised his voice, actually startling the lombax in his place. He didn't mean to hurt the robot after all, he just found this little act ridiculous.
"Then why can't you just say it? And you don't have to ask, you can just take it." The lombax sighed, jumping down from the seat and walking to the robot.
"I know, but it's just... I am afraid of people watching." The robot explained.
"There's no-one here but us. What're you so afraid?" Stopping right in front of him, Ratchet leaned against the table while Clank scanned the area thoroughly.
"You can't know that. There's always paparazzi. It would be unpleasant for the both of us, if someone saw." Clank sighed again. "You said it yourself."
"Don't take it this seriously, pal." Ratchet rolled his eyes again, giving the hopeless robot a smile. "Besides, you were just fine with it earlier before I left."
"Well, I..." Clank whispered, looking down at his feet.
"Don't sweat it." Placing his fingers under Clank's chin and raising his head a bit, he kissed the robot on the cheek and headed out of the kitchen. "I won't thing you, if it makes you feel uncomfortable."
"It doesn't. Stop mocking me." Clank gave a pout as he watched after Ratchet, deciding to following to the living room where he was now headed.
"I won't. I would never mock a person I thing." Ratchet snickered to himself.
"Now you're just being plain rude. Those words are not meant to be taken lightly. " Looking a bit angry again, Clank stopped in his tracks while Ratchet sat on the couch, glancing over it at his partner. He was about to open his mouth, giving the face that he had another good one in store, but surprisngly decided to pass on it. He laid down, vanishing from Clank's sight, which made him go look for the lombax and see what he was up to. Not much, though, as he just laid on the couch with hands under his head and legs crossed, twitching his right leg that rested on the left one. His tail also swung over the couch and the scenario was a bit frightening to the robot as it wasn't too normal for the lombax to pass on a joke, lay down and be quiet. The scene was a rare one.
Clank jumped on the couch, sitting down next to Ratchet and just watched him. Receiving a stare back, the mentioned lombax smiled happily; something that made Clank trust him like no other. "I understand, though." The organic one suddenly said, now receiving a smile in return. "You're important to me, but saying the word really feels kind of awkward." He let out a soft laugh, getting one in return as well.
"It does, doesn't it." Clank simply commented, placing his hand on Ratchet's head, starting to pet him. "We do not need words, would you not agree?" He asked, which made his partner nod in agreement. Both would understand each other with just looks and gestures; while they needed to talk and argue every now and then, things like this never really needed words and they were both quite aware of it. "So..." Clank said, looking down to the grinning lombax.
"You're impossible." He reached his hand behind Clank's head and lowered him down enough. While it didn't feel as right as it would with any other being... Well, it wasn't that, it felt right in their hearts, but their morality had some hard time fighting it.
But both knew that just being there for each other was enough. Even if it was arguing, or talking about nothing, or building gadgets in silence, it was all good. Both of them couldn't help but enjoy the company of the other and both agreed that fate had been really kind to them.