Disclaimer: I do not own Ratchet and Clank or any of its characters. I just felt a craving for soft Qwarkarious so here we are. Dedicated to OmniscientPapaya and awildtrashcan bc they both asked me for "Lance and Janice" watching with Qwark and Nef and I'm finally fulfilling their requests like two years later.

This fic has canon divergence from Rift Apart; takes place as if Rift Apart didn't happen.

Nights In

They both loved drama, something every creature in existence and their mothers knew. For Captain Qwark and Dr. Nefarious to not immediately center in on a fight or commotion was a sign of the end of times. The two of them thrived off of intense interactions, no matter how such interactions ended, and the highlight of their lives was driving the wild energy of confrontations.

They loved drama, but every now and then, the scientist and hero needed some quiet downtime.

It meant a 'Lance and Janice' marathon first and foremost. It meant several boxed sets of the seasons of the show splayed out over their living room's coffee table, more than a few boxes cracked open to provide easy access for their favorite episodes. It meant said episodes were painted across the holoscreen in the highest definition it could give the soap opera's beauty.

'Lance and Janice' wasn't the only thing for the quiet nights. Qwark loved making a hearty meal beforehand, whipping up something that created easy leftovers for the upcoming days and something to leave him comfortable and warm on his night off. Popcorn was added to the mix for the television marathon, something Qwark could nibble on as a cheat against his strength-building diet. Food was important for the night in, even if Nefarious didn't eat anything, and the muscular hero took pride in the culinary meals he could spend extra time putting together.

With a holovision marathon and popcorn, it was part of the experience to dim the lights and sit in the cozy dark of the apartment. Nothing helped relax the body like the hazy dim lights framing the holovision.

And finally… the last piece for their perfect night in…

Nefarious grumbled under his breath, pulling up the plush light-blue blanket to his upper chest. The other edge of the blanket shuddered. Even with the mile-long blanket covering both their bodies and stretching over their sides, the scientist was greedy when it came to blanket space.

"Mmm, need another blanket?"

"No," Nefarious murmured. His optics stayed focused on the holovision screen in front of them. "I wanna be in a cocoon."

Qwark, decked out in a light-green onesie decorated with dozens of tiny Q-logos, chuckled under his breath. He snuggled up closer to Nefarious' right side, lifting up his left arm and wrapping it behind his boyfriend. "Right, right… Best boyfriend in the entire universe on it."

Grumbles bubbled up from Nefarious' vocals, but the scientist lifted his arms close to his chest and pushed into the massive flannel-covered pecs next to him. The robot's over-sized Q-Force sleep shirt scrunched against the metal.

On the screen, Lance whirled a sword, slashing at the mindless robotic mermaid-zombies trying to steal his beloved from him. Janice cowered behind him, but her eyes roamed over the pirate ship around them, desperate for something to aid her lover.

"I can't believe they ignored this arc." Nefarious shuffled more onto his boyfriend's lap, tucking his right leg over Qwark's left. "One of the best arcs Lance goes through, and the newest season completely ruins the character arc he had been going through since this point."

The green mask rubbed against the strong glass of the robot's head. "Yeah…" the hero yawned, lifting Nefarious fully onto his lap. It was a somewhat practiced move; the only hitch was the mask letting out a tiny squeak against the green glass. "You'd think these writers would treat the characters better, what with them being supposed-fans of the show."

A mimicked sigh left Nefarious. "If only those morons actually made good on that…"

It was less than a moment before Qwark tucked the blanket in around them, leaving back in the recliner and swaddling the scientist with his large limbs.

Nefarious hummed, relaxing against the body under him. "This is nice…"

Qwark's chin dipped, settling along the scientist's head. "Wish we could call out for tomorrow… Think Talwyn would buy us getting sick overnight?"

"The last time we used that excuse she saw us on that hulu competition on Pokitaru, so I doubt we'll be able to use that one for the Apogee squishy."

A low note of disappointment left the sleepy superhero.

The show marathon continued on, and both partners lost themselves in the intricate tales 'Lance and Janice' wove. Matters that had been on their minds melted away. Toasty warmth heated the bodies under the blanket. The moon rose higher into the sky, drawing closer to the center of the atmosphere and framed in the apartment's balcony windows.

Nefarious closed his optics. "'Night, moron," he murmured. Qwark didn't answer him, but the slow rise-and-fall of the hero's chest gave him all the indications he needed. "And you're calling Apogee tomorrow to get us out of work…"

Not every night needed to be an eventful one for it to be a special one.

Song Inspo: "Personal" by PLAZA. (It feels good to get back to writing these two ;-; …)

Hope you all enjoyed, and thank you all so much for reading and supporting! :D