Disclaimer: I do not own Ratchet and Clank or any of its characters. Ratchet Appreciation Week 2021 prompt list by weeksofrac of Twitter/ weeksofratchetandclank of Tumblr.

If there's one thing that stands out about Ratchet, it's about how loyal he is to the people he loves, and honestly, I think that's my favorite thing about him.

You Make Me Feel Alive

Day 3: Loyalty

Chapter Summary – Day 3: He can't give up. It didn't matter if he had to scour every inch of both the known and unknown parts of the universe. He would find his best friend or die trying.

His eyes burned.

It wasn't just a warmth around his eyelids. It was a scalding heat, a pain that seared his eyes and needled his pupils. Weight pulled his eyelids, and it took all the strength he had in his body to keep them open.

He couldn't stop. Not now. Not when he had another lead.

Aphelion pulled into the Apogee Space Station Hanger, thrusters dying away as the hanger doors closed and gravity returned to the enormous room. Ratchet leapt out of the starship before Aphelion was finished with the landing procedures, feet hitting the floor and legs already moving before Aphelion could even register his disappearance.

He needed more info, and Tal was the only one with the computers strong enough to find what he was looking for.

Rooms blurred together. Air swept into his scarred lungs, consuming more of his waning strength. It was an effort to move his legs, and walking at the pace he had set felt like someone was emptying a Combuster against his calves.

He couldn't give up. Not with a lead.

"Ratchet?! Ratchet!"

He pushed on, ignoring Talwyn's calls. Where had she even come from…?

Suddenly, she was in front of him, blocking his way down the hallway (he had left the hanger already?). Her hand pressed hard against his chest, and everything about her stood firmly rooted in place.

"Ratchet," Talwyn began. "Stop. Right now."

"I'm not gunna stop, Tal." Ratchet reached up a hand, wrapping his shaking fingers around her wrist. "Move. I gotta get to the records room. Some of the creatures on planet Rena mentioned something about the Zoni as reality-benders that used to live in the Thros sector, and I need to fact-check it before I go out again-"

Her other hand smacked his hand off hers, and anger lit up her eyes.

Ratchet had never seen her this mad before.

"No, you're not going back out tonight. You need to rest." Tears formed at the corners of her eyes, adding emphasis to her anger. "You haven't slept in five days, eaten in at least one, and I don't remember the last time you drank any water. You walk like you're on autopilot, and if you don't take even a night to rest, you're going to end up killing yourself."

His eyes grew heavier, sleep pulling him into a lovely doze…

Ratchet shook his head violently. He sucked in air and righted himself, glaring at Talwyn. "Tal, I don't want to be mean or rough, so I'm going to say this one more time. Please. Move."

"No, Ratchet." A tear ran down her cheek, though her eyes stayed narrowed on the Lombax across from her. "I know how important Clank is to you. I would do the same if it was Cronk or Zephyr. But you're running yourself into the ground, and if you don't rest soon, you're not going to be able to look for Clank."

"I don't care!" Ratchet snapped. He wrenched her hand away, stepping around her. "I'm not going to just let Clank stay wherever he is!"

Talwyn's voice screamed out behind him. "Then what are you going to do, genius?! Keep pushing on until you drop dead from exhaustion?!"

"IF THAT'S WHAT I HAVE TO DO, THEN I'LL DO IT!"

The Markazian shot in front of Ratchet again, holding out her arms. "THEN WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN AFTER THAT, HUH?!" More tears ran down her cheeks, and Ratchet could see that she was doing everything in her power to hold it together. "If you die searching for Clank, then there won't be anyone to save him. There's only so much I can do with the resources I have, and even then, I don't have a fraction of the determination and loyalty to Clank that you do."

His strength was running out fast.

Talwyn softened, dropping her arms. "Please, Ratchet," she begged. "I know how much he means to you. I know he's your best friend in the entire universe, the person you trust the most, and I know that nothing I could say or do will change that. But if you don't rest at some point, then you won't be able to save Clank." She swallowed, and blinked back more tears. "I promise that it's okay to take a rest. I'll look up whatever you are looking for while you're asleep."

Ratchet felt his world spin. "No, Tal, I gotta…"

A wave of dizziness and nausea slammed into him, rocking him back on the balls of his feet.

"I… gotta…"

Talwyn blurred in front of him.

"I…"

Ratchet's eyes rolled upward, and the Lombax collapsed back against the floor to the sound of Talwyn's terrified shout.

"Ratchet… may I… discuss something of great importance to you before we reach the Great Clock?"

The Lombax turned his head to Clank, confusion on his face. Adrenaline, left over from the fight with Nefarious not ten minutes prior, changed to anxiety. "Um… yeah, pal," he said, tilting his head. "What's on your mind?"

Clank stared at his lap, tapping the tips of his fingers together nervously. He shrank in on himself in the passenger's seat, shame painting his body language. His mouthpiece moved, forming some bits of words, but little sound came out.

A sinking feeling pulled Ratchet's heart down his chest.

"Hey, Clank?"

The little robot beside him looked up to him, eyes lined with sorrow and apology.

"Whatever you want to say, it's okay to say it." Ratchet flicked his eyes out to the space in front of them, making sure that there was no one other than Azimuth in front of them before turning his attention back to his best friend. "I promise I won't get mad at you, and like I said before, I'll back any choice you make."

Clank stayed quiet, and Ratchet watched the metaphorical gears whir in his friend's head. Another couple taps of his fingers, and Clank nodded his head. "Yes… I suppose so…"

He mimicked a sigh, body moving like Ratchet's did whenever the Lombax took in a deep breath. "Ratchet, I have decided to stay at the Great Clock."

Something broke inside of Ratchet at those words.

Had he done something wrong? Was there something he could do to have Clank stay with him? Surely there was something he could do to have Clank come home with him-

No.

Ratchet's comforting smile fell away completely, and he turned his head away to look back in front of the ship.

"I understand if you are upset, Ratchet," he heard Clank say. "I… I retract that previous statement… I understand that you are upset, Ratchet, however the Clock needs someone to protect it, and it has been revealed to me that I was created for that purpose-"

"It's okay, Clank."

Clank paused in his speech. "I… beg your pardon?"

Ratchet forced a swallow down his throat. Pain raked his chest, hurting him in ways that he couldn't have imagined before. "It's okay." He turned his head back to Clank, sincerity in every action and word. "I said I would back your decision, and I will do it. No excuses, no begging, none of that."

Ratchet nodded. "If you want to stay at the Clock… then I'll back off."

Clank hummed, and Ratchet knew that they would probably have the same discussion again once they were at the Clock. When the moment really mattered the most.

But this was it. If Clank wanted to stay at the Clock, then that was that. Being his friend meant fulfilling his promise to him, no matter how much it hurt him. It was Clank's decision, his choice on how to live his life, and forcing him to stay with him when the little robot wanted something else was cruel in a way Ratchet wouldn't accept. Even if Ratchet lived the rest of his life without Clank by his side, it was the right thing to do for Clank.

The most loyal thing he could do for his friend was to let him go, and after all the searching and pain and weight of the world, if that was what Clank wanted, Ratchet would give him his wish.

It was what a friend would do.

Song Inspo: "Believer" by Imagine Dragons (Romy Wave Cover) [Not So Good Remix].

I don't like how I particularly ended this, but I had a lot of fun with this prompt and I don't want to obsess over one prompt when I still have more to do. Nonetheless, thank you all so much for reading and supporting, and I hope you enjoyed reading this! :)