Disclaimer: I do not own Ratchet and Clank or any of its characters. Talchet dates keep popping into my head… must let them out hhh.
Camped Out
"It's not so bad, Ratchet. I'm sure Clank would agree that we're happy to be in here."
"Indeed. I am more than content with sitting within the tent while it rains."
The Lombax looked through the small opening in their relatively-large tent, gazing mournfully at the dim campfire fighting to stay alive in the rain. His ears drooped, clear signs of shame and guilt in his body language.
Talwyn snuggled up close to his side, rubbing their button-up flannel shirts together. "Come on. It's not your fault."
Ratchet turned his head. A heavy sigh left him as he looked over to where his legs stretched out, watching Clank fiddle with several fairy lights the little robot had hung inside the tent. "I'm really sorry, guys. I should've checked what the weather was going to be before we came out here."
"You had mentioned that this was one of the first activities that you had wanted to plan for us on top of completing your work with the Polaris Defense Force's 'Future Heroes' program." Clank played with the switch for the lights. The lights flickered on-and-off for a moment before the little robot kept the lights on. A comforting smile stretched across his mouthpiece as he looked back toward his friend. "With all of the work you took on in the past week to prepare for this event, we understand if a few details were forgotten about."
Ratchet kept quiet, but the mournful expression slipped back onto his face. His eyes went back to the opening in the tent. "All our smores are gone…"
Talwyn's lips curved in a teasing manner. "I promise that we'll get all the smores you want when we get back home."
The Lombax let out another sigh, zipping up the opening in the tent and closing away the outside world. "Alright, alright… I'll let it go. But seriously, I'm sorry for not checking the weather beforehand. I hadn't thought that rain would ruin our campfire."
Clank giggled, scooting over to his blue sleeping bag. "I believe that the rain did not ruin our trip, but in a way, enhanced it."
Ratchet looked to the robot, an unspoken question in his expression.
Clank slipped under the corner of the bag, pointing up at the ceiling of the tent.
Fairy lights, the ones that Clank had hung up earlier in their camping trip, twinkled from the top of the ceiling. Dim light emanated from them, giving the tent just enough light to move around in and creating the illusion of stars. Rain pattered against the tent's tarp in a steady, soothing rhythm. The lights combined with the drizzle of rain and the fresh, wet smells of nature filling the tent created an atmosphere that put the Lombax completely at ease.
With a deep breath of air, Ratchet straightened up. Stress eased off his facial expression, and a dreamy smile replaced it. Gloved hands hit the bottom of the tent, and with a little wiggling around Talwyn, Ratchet climbed onto his dark-green sleeping bag.
His girlfriend plopped down to his left, kicking off her shoes as he did and unzipping her sleeping bag. A few muffled, frustrated sounds came from the Markazian as she tried to angle light onto the troublesome zipper.
"Eheeheehee, I can hear that you did not unzip your sleeping bag earlier during the set-up, Miss Talwyn."
"Oh, hush. …And maybe beam your optics over here for a second while I get this darn thing open?"
Green light spilled over Ratchet's chest, and his stomach stuttered with the soft laugh that bubbled up from his throat. His girlfriend on his left… his best friend on his right… What more could he ask for?
"Glad you guys are having fun."
Talwyn's voice reached his ears as she shuffled into her sleeping bag. "Do you mean that sarcastically or seriously?" she hummed.
"Both." Ratchet threw a quick glance in Clank's direction and held in a coo as the little robot pulled the cover of the sleeping bag up to his neck. When he looked back at Talwyn, he found the Markazian deep under her sleeping bag's cover. "I love you both so much, and I'm glad the rain didn't make our trip a total waste."
Talwyn rolled over, turning her back to the Lombax. "I'd get under that sleeping bag, Slick. You might get cold during the night."
"Nah… I have a coat of fur remember? It's like an instant blanket."
"Clank?"
"Yes, Miss Talwyn?"
"Get ready for a very cold Lombax snuggling up to you later in the night."
"Eheeheehee, I shall prepare for that moment."
Ratchet rolled his eyes, then looked up to the ceiling of the tent. "Never mind, I take back what I said. I might hate you guys."
"'Course…"
"Good night, Ratchet. Good night, Miss Talwyn."
The Lombax gazed up to the fairy lights, peace settling over his tired body. Sleep pulled at his mind, and with a slow release of air, Ratchet closed his eyes and let the natural atmosphere lay over him. And when, later in the night, his shivery body pulled close to Clank and Talwyn's body curled against his, a sense of love burned in his chest for the ones he loved most.
Song Inspo: A very nice ASMR of rain pattering against a tent.
Oddly enough, I've wanted to write about camping and Talchet with Clank for a week or so now. I just got a picture in my head of the three of them around a campfire, but said ASMR made me switch up the prompt a bit. Nonetheless, I have Talchet with Clank camping to fill a hole in my soul. …I also promise to write more Talclatchet one day, bc this could also be read as that, and HHH that's one of the few polyamorous couples that I really love.
Thank you all for reading and supporting! :D