Disclaimer: I do not own Ratchet and Clank or any of its characters. The "how short can I make this" challenge.
Weightless
Air slammed against the length of their bodies, doing a little to stall them from a full-speed fall to the ground. Their ears, or at least Ratchet's, waved in the wild wind.
A soft yelp came from Talwyn and terror flashed in her eyes. Her arms quickly bent to her back, where her jetpack would usually be. Fingers grasped at empty space, and it wasn't a moment before she straightened back her arm into the spread-eagle position she had originally been in.
The fear remained frozen on her face, and even though she knew everything was going to be okay, she couldn't help but feel her chest constrict with utter terror-
A gloved hand touched her left cheek and guided her head to look away from the ground.
Ratchet's smiling face, comforting and gentle, filled her vision. His eyes pointedly looked to her back, silently communicating that he knew what she was worried about.
With great care, Ratchet moved his hand away from Talwyn's cheek and slipped his outstretched fingers in between hers. Their hands clasped together, and Talwyn sent a scared squeeze to her partner.
Ratchet's chuckle was lost to the wind.
He held onto her hands, keeping his eyes to hers as they fell. They spun in the air, tails straight-back against the wind resistance. It was only them and their worlds falling together.
Eventually, Talwyn relaxed her hands, and with a bashful smile, let go of Ratchet's hands.
Immediately, the Lombax contorted in the air. He rolled backward, making a pose as if he was sitting on the air. His arms tucked behind his head before one stretched out, looking as though the Lombax was calling for a server at a restaurant.
Talwyn's giggles were lost to the wind.
Ratchet went on, doing more silly and creative poses in the air. The more poses he did, the more Talwyn laughed, until she started doing it along with him. An ice-skating pose where Talwyn held Ratchet over her head; a pose where the two cowboy-dueled as the air swept up their flight suits; a pose of Talwyn holding Ratchet up to the sun as if he was a young kitten who would one day take a throne of royalty…
The indoor skydiving operator—an old Cazar with silver in her dark brown fur—chuckled to herself as she watched the Lombax and the Markazian goof around in the chamber. Normally, she would be in there with them to make sure they were okay, though with the amount of experience both of them had with halo-jumping in the real world, the Cazar was more relaxed on being with them.
A smile pulled at the older woman's mouth. "Hehhehheh… oh, young'uns these days…"
As Ratchet and Talwyn drew back to the spread-eagle pose for the final minute of the simulation, Ratchet leaned close and pecked a quick kiss on Talwyn's cheek.
The Cazar's smile widened as a dark blush spread over the Markazian's cheeks. "Heh, good for you both," she said under her breath.
Her hands eased the controls down, and the door to the skydiving chamber opened. Ratchet slipped out first, then helped his partner out of the chamber.
Talwyn was quiet for a moment, tucking her small braid behind her ear. "Thank you, Ratchet," she said. "For helping me get comfortable in there."
"No problem, beautiful." Ratchet nudged her shoulder, a sly grin at his lips. "I know what it's like being scared to fall for someone…"
The Lombax's laugh echoed throughout the room as Talwyn rolled her eyes and gave Ratchet a soft shove. "Whatever, you dork."
"You aren't denying it~"
"Oh, give it up!"
"Have I ever told you I love tall women with strong responses to my jokes?"
"Ratchet!"
Off to the side, the old Cazar took another moment to watch them before she approached. Her heart softened, and a longing sigh blew through her nose. "You two are so lucky to have found each other…"
Song Inspos: "Show Off" by SoMo and "Favorite Girl" by Justin Bieber
Hope you all enjoyed, and thank you so much for reading and supporting! :D