Why was it that Ratchet refused to properly clean up his own room?
He kept the garage, where he spent the majority of his time, in relatively good condition – every now and again Clank would have to ask him to mop, but he kept it neat. And he would do his fair share of tidying up in the living room/dining room and kitchen, even if Clank had to more or less bribe him into it. But it was as if he had something against any sign of order in the place where he slept. Honestly, it was not like having his things well kept would kill him or something. Or perhaps he was hoping the mess would trip up any nighttime intruders attempting to sneak up on him in his sleep?
...well, there was an unpleasant thought.
Shaking that idea from his processor, Clank proceeded on his task of organizing the clothing Ratchet had carelessly left on the floor. He did this every once in a while, when he was unable to walk across the room without tripping. Ratchet never said anything, never acted like he noticed, but it would not be long before the mess was back and the cycle would repeat itself. At least this time, with Ratchet on an outing with Miss Apogee, the room would stay spotless for at least the rest of the afternoon. And thank goodness for that. At one point he and Ratchet would need to have a serious discussion about this.
At the moment, he supposed he was alright with cleaning up after the Lombax – again. And it was not like Ratchet did not deserve pampering, what with him spending two years in sort of a lost stupor looking for his best friend, finding him against all odds and even managing to save the entire universe once or twice in the process. Clank honestly could not be any prouder of his best friend. Really... okay, maybe he would feel a bit prouder – just a tad – if the Lombax took better care of himself, but still.
Some of the clothing that coated the floor like a second carpet was actually mostly clean, to Clank's surprise, so he decided to put it back in the closet on the other side of the room. Really, was he not even attempting anymore? The clean clothing had somehow ended up on the farthest end of the room from both the closet and the door and at this point, Clank had given up attempting to decipher Ratchet's habits. Maybe one day he will ask, but he is too far from annoyed to deal with it now.
Carefully placing the clothing on hangers, Clank managed to get three—fourths of the way done before a box at the bottom of the closet piqued his interest. Not because it looked special – quite the contrary, it was simply a plain, ordinary dirt brown cardboard box – but because, in the plainest black marker he had ever seen, was his name, indistinctly Ratchet's handwriting despite it being neater than normal.
Two years ago Clank would not have snooped. He would have left the box there until the time came when he was allowed to open it. He would have gone about his duties, scolded Ratchet for his poor housekeeping, and be done with it. But this had not been there two years ago. This had been placed in there while he was still missing, and damn it if the curiosity did not stir in him. What would Ratchet get for him while he was still missing? Curious, the robot brought the package out, dropping onto the floor and opening it with careful precision, so as not to damage even a single fiber of cardboard.
Once the flaps of the box were folded back, Clank peered inside and blinked.
Several... books? Books were stacked carefully to one side, easily reaching the top. The rest of the box was filled with seemingly random objects. An old ID card from the rangers, the receipt for his helipack, a piece of raritanium... for quite some time Clank simply stared in bafflement at the collection of odd items, before finally his optics stumbled upon a clean, white piece of paper with his name on the top. Borderline eager for an explanation, he picked it up.
"Dear Clank," the note began, as neat and clear as Ratchet's handwriting could be, "If you're reading this, then chances are... I'm probably dead." The line made Clank's eyes widen, and he briefly recalled his conversation with Ratchet before he and Miss Apogee went out. Oh, right. Miss Apogee was with him. No way she would let him do anything too stupid. "Hopefully I'll have gone out saving the universe in one final deed of heroism and justice, but if you have any say in it I'll probably be an old fart on his death bed. Heh. But back on topic... you being missing for so long got me thinking: I can barely last two years without you. And I got to thinking... what will you do when I die?"
"I said STOP!"
ZAP!
"RATCHET!"
Clank's insides coiled.
"So... I got to going through a lot of our old stuff at one point Going through some old memories, ya know? A lot of these really made me feel better while you were gone so I thought maybe they'd work the same way with you. Maybe. I know you have like, an unfathomably large and accurate memory or whatever but in case someday that isn't enough... there are so many memories in here. Each one important in their own way. The books are full of pictures. Took me ages to collect all of them but I really like how they turned out. At the time of writing this, they're not finished yet... they probably won't be finished until I die, actually. Well, at at any rate, I hope you enjoy these and the memories as much as I have. It's been a blast, pal. Love, Ratchet."
For a long while Clank simply sat there, staring down at the note in his hand. Then, after quite some time had passed, he picked himself up.
Put the things he had taken out back in as fast as he could.
Put the box back.
And walked out of the room.
He... he needed to be alone for a while.
Disclaimer: Ratchet and Clank and the OTP Challenge do not belong to me.
Authoress' Note: This is it, guys. Why I love Ratchet and Clank and any robot/organic pairing. Because, while they're often played up for comedy, there's this eternal tragedy to it, too. While a robot can live as long as they can keep their parts functional, organics are living by a biological clock. Eventually one half will be left alone. Forever. Can you imagine that?
What did I do good on?: I like how Clank reacts at the end. Just kind of... going numb over it.
What did I fail on?: Perhaps the beginning was too detail-oriented compared to the finish. Perhaps.
Random Question for Reviewers: The prompt was 'Something Sweet'. This accomplished that, right?
