Hey everybody, it's been a while! You could say that I had minor writer's block, but hey, nothing a little music can't fix, right?

I want to thank everybody so much for the kind reviews, and the word prompt suggestions! Thanks to you, I have over 50 new words to work with! But just like always, if you have a suggestion, by all means, please tell me! I have a list that I can pull words off of! I loved making this set, and I hope you enjoy!

Oh, and a quick note I forgot to add to chapter 3: for the prompt "Freedom", in case you were wondering, yes I was inspired by Treasure Planet! :)


Nightmare

Ratchet's eyes suddenly shot open, all senses set to full-panic mode. He stared at the ceiling for a few minutes while he tried to calm his racing heart down. When he could breathe normally again, he glanced around his room, noting that it was still the middle of the night.

He huffed wearily and ran a hand over his face. As usual, he couldn't remember what he had dreamt about, but the lingering feelings of despair told him he probably didn't want to know.

Well, he was wide awake now, so no point in trying to go back to sleep right away. Not that he really wanted to, anyways. For the time being, he had two options: wake up Clank so he wouldn't be alone for the next few hours, or go outside for the fresh air he so desperately felt he needed. But Clank shouldn't be interrupted from sleep-mode over petty issues like bad dreams, he figured, so he decided on the latter.

Ratchet carefully pulled himself up and out bed and began making his way to the bedroom door as quietly as he could. However, he winced when his foot hit the side of a desk in the room, toppling over a small stack of books. Several noisy bangs echoed through the room as a result.

"Ratchet?" Clank's voice piped up confusedly in the dark. Ratchet sighed before answering.

"...Hey buddy. Didn't mean to wake you, sorry about that." So much for option 2….

"It is 2:13 a.m., Ratchet. Why are you awake?"

"I… uh…" he grasped for an excuse, but nothing came to him, "...had a bad dream. Not that I can remember anything about it, of course, but…" he absentmindedly began rubbing an arm, avoiding his friend's gaze.

Clank watched him curiously for a moment, before realizing he had nothing else to say.

"...You do not wish to return to sleep?"

At this point, Ratchet found the floor particularly interesting, and the warbot watched knowingly. This was certainly not the first time he was woken up by the mechanic leaving the room after a nightmare- though Ratchet never knew this- but he had always thought to spare his friend's pride by leaving him be. This time, though, it couldn't be helped, and he finally decided to do something about it.

He thought for a moment before hopping off his bed, marching up to Ratchet, taking his hand, and leading him back to bed.

"Hey, what're you-"

"In times of discomfort, discussing the issue is usually the greatest cure. However, if you cannot remember your dream, then there is nothing to talk about."

"Where are you going with this?"

"The best alternative is the companionship of another. If you are not alone, you will most likely feel much better." Clank pulled back the covers and gestured for him to lie back down.

Ratchet complied, and was surprised when Clank joined him and promptly cuddled up to him.

"It is not much, but I hope my presence will provide some form of comfort," the bot stated simply. Ratchet stared in awe for a second before smiling and wrapping his arms around his small friend.

"You kidding? You just being here is more than enough for me. Thanks, pal."

They both eventually drifted off to sleep and, for once, Ratchet dreamt of much more pleasant things.


Sushi

Clank watched with slight amusement as once again, Ratchet struggled to pick up the sushi from his plate with a pair of chopsticks. They'd been at this for nearly an hour, and, if possible, he seemed to be getting worse at using them.

"It is not that hard. Hold them like this, see?" Clank held up his own pair of chopsticks, tapping them together twice for good measure.

"Yeah, except I've got five fingers, buddy. You've got three," he pointed out, before laying his head on the table, poking at the sushi with one chopstick boredly, "why can't they just use forks? They're so much easier…."

Suddenly, Ratchet sat up as an idea came to him. Still wielding the single chopstick, Clank watched in horror as he swiftly brought it down and stabbed it through the center of the sushi.

"Ratchet! Such abhorable table manners are greatly looked down upon in their culture! You're lucky we're at home practicing, and not out in public!" he reprimanded. The Lombax merely smirked at him as he ate the destroyed sushi roll.

"Hey, it works, right? Just like a fork! This is much better!"

Clank groaned and shook his head. At the rate they were going, Ratchet's date tomorrow night would turn out to be a disaster.


Thrill

Ratchet and Clank each had different limits as to how far they would go for a thrill, Clank's limit being considerably shorter than Ratchet's. This was precisely the reason why he was known as the "voice of reason" in their partnership.

This was also the reason why he currently had a death grip on his friend's shoulders.

"This is a terrible idea, Ratchet! The chances of us becoming injured or worse are very high!" Clank shouted, desperate to talk some sense into him. Ratchet rolled his shoulders slightly and tossed a casual grin towards the warbot.

"Well, we'll just have to be extra careful then, right?"

Clank only had time to close his eyes and silently pray that nothing would go wrong as Ratchet made a running start, then leapt off the cliff into a free fall towards the landscape below.


King

"I am estimating a 92% chance that you will lose. You cannot win this battle," Clank stated simply, a smug grin on his face. Ratchet drummed his fingers on the table with irritation, a frown and flattened ears perfectly displaying his frustration.

"Shut up! I've got you on the ropes, and you know it! Playing tough won't help you here!" the Lombax retorted. He briefly considered his next moves, before finally selecting a piece and moving it forward with obvious hesitation. Clank, however, didn't need a second thought as he selected his own piece and moved it towards Ratchet's side of the board.

"Checkmate." If he could, the bot seemed to grin wider as he leaned back in his seat and crossed his arms behind his head. Ratchet stared dumbfoundedly at the chessboard for a few silent beats.

"...Say… what was the other 8%?"

"That you would surrender, as my victory was imminent."

He seemed to relax for a moment, a frighteningly serene look on his face as he quietly stood from his chair.

In one swift motion, he sent the table- chessboard and all- flying.


Lost

"Goddammit, I KNOW I left it right here!" the mechanic cried out in frustration. He had been neck-deep in a project for the last few days, only stopping to eat or sleep. He was forced to stop, however, when he discovered that one of the tools necessary to continue working was missing. He leapt around the garage, searching under papers and bits of scrap metal. Clank watched him search, but said nothing. He smirked to himself secretly, double-checking that his inner compartment was shut tight. He would give the tool back later, of course, but Ratchet was going to wear himself down if he didn't take a break from this project soon.

He will most certainly be upset when he realizes that I took it, so I may as well let him continue searching just a little while longer, Clank decided as he quietly left the room when Ratchet wasn't looking.


Mimic

"Okay, okay, how about this one?" Ratchet cleared his throat before continuing, "Hello, citizens! Today is going to be yet another Qwark-tastic day!"

The boys broke into peals of laughter at the terrible Qwark impression. One of their favorite pastimes while flying between planets was to mimic anyone they knew, and whoever pulled off the best impression won.

"Alright, I will give it a try." Clank sat up a little straighter, "Ah, son of a Qwark, my Omniwrench is stuck in that tree! Clank, give me a boost!"

"...Huh, who's that supposed to- hey!" Ratchet cried out indignantly as Clank began laughing once again. He tried his best to look upset, but quickly joined Clank's laughter.

"That actually wasn't half-bad! I think you win this round, pal," Ratchet finally conceded.


Eyes

One of the perks of being best friends for such a long time, Ratchet figured, was that he was able to tell Clank's mood just by looking at his eyes.

They brightened when he was excited or interested in something, dimmed when he was upset or frustrated, and even seemed to waver when he was in deep thought.

I'm like a mind reader, I guess, he entertained himself with this thought.

"What's the matter?" Clank asked when he took notice of Ratchet's prolonged stare and grin.

"Oh, nothing at all, just thinking…" he replied, a hint of a smirk in his voice.

Little did Ratchet know, Clank, too, fancied himself somewhat a mind reader, as he was also able to tell his friend's mood just by looking at his eyes in very much the same way.


Bullet

The very second Ratchet's body hit the dirt, Clank wrenched himself off the harness and moved to roll his friend over.

Everything seemed to happen in slow motion, and yet in a matter of moments, too. Just one well-aimed shot and one poorly-timed landing was all it took for the drone to bring Ratchet down.

For Clank, time almost slowed to a stop when he felt the sudden sharp impact and heard the short grunt of pain from his friend. Thankfully, the Lombax also had splendid aim and destroyed the drone within seconds of his injury, before collapsing face first onto the ground. The area was now clear of any enemies, giving Clank a moment to survey the damage.

Relief flooded his processors when he noted that Ratchet was still breathing, indicating that the bullet most likely hadn't touched his heart, otherwise he might've died right away. Panic quickly returned, however, when he noticed that he wasn't so much as breathing as he was almost gasping for air. Blood seeped through his shirt from the left side of his chest.

Punctured lung, was the first thought to run through his mind as he quickly began searching through his database for proper first aid. If only he had been a few more centicubits to the right….

"Ratchet... can you hear me…?" the bot asked hesitantly, and set himself to work pulling him towards a nearby stone wall to lean him against. If anything, lying flat most likely made it difficult to breathe, and being out in the open defenseless wasn't a very smart idea, either. He heard the Lombax cough harshly, then shift slightly in his grasp.

"What… happened…?" he ground out shakily between breaths. Blood trickled down his chin and the sides of his face, further proving Clank was correct in his observation. He hated being right sometimes.

"You've… been critically injured. I need you to sit up here. It may relieve some of the pain," he gestured to the wall. Ratchet eyed it for a second and, with great effort, slowly began pushing himself upright with the last reserves of his dwindling strength, wincing all the while.

"I'm gonna… feel this tomorrow, huh?" he grinned weakly as he settled in his seat. Clank couldn't help the small, sad smile as he gently shook his head. How he could joke around in such a dire situation was beyond him. He tugged one of Ratchet's gloves off, balled it up tightly, then pressed it into the wound, eliciting a jolt and a pained hiss from his friend.

"Hold this here. This will staunch the bleeding and prevent any more air than necessary from escaping," he placed one of the Lombax's hands on the balled up cloth to hold it in place, "in the meantime, I will find some nanotech. Although I am worried about leaving the bullet lodged in your chest when you're healed…."

"...Nanites will… probably dissolve it…" Ratchet replied almost absently after a moment, his words slurring together slightly. His breathing grew slightly heavier, and it seemed the rapid blood loss was starting to take its toll. Clank brushed off the far-fetched statement and pushed the idea of surgeries out of his mind. They would worry about that later.

"I will be back shortly… please hang on just a little longer." The bot took a few reluctant steps backwards, not taking his eyes off of his half-conscious friend. Ratchet didn't respond, but watched him leave. As soon as he was out of sight, Clank broke into a mad dash around the area. Determination surged through him as he began frantically searching for any nearby nanotech he could use.

He had already watched Ratchet die once, and he was not going to lose him again.


Whoa whoa, what a depressing note to end this on, huh? Sorry, but YOU guys gave me these word prompts, haha!

Actually, "Bullet" was VERY hard for me to write. Like, I would sit for hours staring at a blank document trying to figure out how best to approach this one, then convince my fingers to type out the words. To put it simply, this one went beyond my newly-established comfort zone as a writer. However, when I started writing, I just couldn't stop. Then, after I had finished it, I kept going back to it to read it again and again, making changes and still disbelieving that this bit actually came from me! I'll stop being narcissistic, but my point is, don't be afraid to write something! Go outside of your comfort zone- you may just surprise yourself!

Anyways, along with more word-prompt suggestions, please tell me: what kind of themes do you want me to write more of? Humor? Heart-to-heart? Action? I'm genuinely curious to know what you guys like to see!

Thank you again, my lovelies! My musical inspiration for the majority of this set was GlitchXCity's Route 47 HeartGold and SoulSilver remix! See you soon!