(AN: ok so i said this would b the last chapter but the buttfucking wont happen until chap 4. whoops LMAO sorry but it takes me forever to write nowadays and i wanted to at least get something out before another whole year passes. but dont worry, the butt fucking will happen and i already have sum of it written. im def gonna finish it so Gizmo Lisa and Jenn dont die lol. ratshit and cunt ((also this chapter takes place close to a month after the end of chapter 2 lol))

"Ratchet, wake up!"

Ratchet was jostled awake by two small metal hands gripping his forearm. His eyes opened wide as his shivering, sweat-soaked body was rocked side to side. He shot upwards, his chest heaving as he glared forward. Panic shrouded him, alongside the darkness trapped inside his bedroom.

"Ratchet!" Clank called out to him again in another attempt to grab his attention.

That time, Ratchet noticed his presence. He turned his head and saw two circles of green, comforting light at his bedside. He was right there, safe and sound. "Clank..." His emotions overcame his fear, and his eyes began to well up. He grabbed onto Clank's body and pulled him to his chest, wrapping both arms around him and holding him tightly. "Clank...!" he sobbed, his face scrunched up as tears began to pour down his cheeks.

The robot hugged back and began rubbing his back. "It is alright, Ratchet. You were only having a nightmare. I am right here."

"Clank," Ratchet said between his hiccups and sobs, "Clank, I'm sorry...I'm so, so sorry..."

"Sorry for what, Ratchet?"

"I'm sorry...I'm sorry for being su-such a bad friend. I-I was so...awful to you when we met, and...and before the Zoni took you, I," Ratchet rambled as he wept, struggling to focus. He nuzzled his head further into Clank's...well, the area between his head and what would be his shoulder. "I-it took me so long to find you, and-and I couldn't save your father-"

"Ratchet-"

"If it weren't for me, Alister wouldn't have been able to use the Great Clock and-" He winced, the memory of his mentor's death still vivid in his mind. "I...I failed you, Clank...I failed you so many times." Ratchet's voice shuddered as he breathed inwards. "I'm such a fucking idiot," he spat, "I-I don't deserve you-"

"Stop." Clank surprised Ratchet with the sternness in his voice. The robot pulled away from his friend's embrace to face him, staring intently into his glistening eyes. "You are not to blame for any of that. The fault for tampering with the Great Clock falls on Azimuth alone, and you should not blame yourself for what Dr. Nefarious had done. Furthermore, you know that I have long since forgiven you for our past quarrels. It is ridiculous that you are this hard on yourself."

The lombax struggled to connect their gazes, allowing his head to tilt downwards in shame as Clank scolded him. He then felt small robotic hands gently grab hold of his face and guide his eyes back towards their owner, and Ratchet looked back at Clark's more calm, sad expression.

"Ratchet," he continued, "ever since you were but a child, you have carried the weight of the Universe on your shoulders. I know it has been difficult feeling that you are solely responsible for the lives of countless billions, but you must understand that there are simply some things that are out of our control. It is impossible to save everyone. You need to accept this."

Ratchet placed his left hand over Clank's and leaned into his touch. His sobs and sniffles having momentarily subsided, his tears flowed heavily in silence. Despite his current state of self doubt, he knew Clank was right as always, yet he couldn't just simply shake off the guilt he felt. "...Clank?" he spoke up in a weak voice.

"Yes?"

"Do you..." He paused to sniff and wipe under his eyes with his free hand. "Do you think I was a good enough hero?"

"You did your best, and that is all anyone can do," Clank responded, "Your best, however, was extraordinary." Clank removed both hands from Ratchet's face and embraced the fur-covered hand rested at his side. "Ratchet...I know I was against us retiring when you first suggested it, but seeing how these past years have affected you has me completely convinced that you are more than deserving of a rest, and," he said as he slightly tightened his grip on Ratchet's hand, "...and I look forward to our new peaceful, domestic life together."

Hearing Clank speak caused Ratchet's heart to flutter. After a month of being hesitant to leave the hero business behind them, his best friend was genuinely excited to quit and start a normal life. His breath hitched, and more tears threatened to fall as his emotions overcame him yet again. Without thinking, he let his head fall forwards, resting his forehead on Clank's, and he began to whisper underneath his breath.

"...I love you..."

Clank blinked. "Pardon?"

"I love you," he repeated at a higher volume. His heart raced as he emptied its contents, knowing there was no going back. This was it. "I'm in love with you, Clank, and I have been for years. I...I didn't have it in me to say it until now." He gave a weak, nervous chuckle as a single tear slowly rolled down his left cheek. "I did my best to just ignore it, but after being away from you for so long...it was killing me to keep it in. I didn't know...how to cope with it." He breathed in before letting out a terrified sob as he noticed the robot's silence. "I-I don't wanna lose you again, Clank. I can't go on like that again. I'm so sorry about all this," he rambled frantically, "Please, please don't hate me...I'm sorry..."

Clank watched as Ratchet wept through gritted teeth and desperately clung to his small, robotic hands. He remained speechless, though his mind was cluttered. Shaking his head in shock at Ratchet's words, his grip tightens as he holds their hands closer to the lombax's heaving chest. "I...I do not understand," spoke Clank softly, "What could possibly give you the impression that I would ever hate you over something like this?"

"B-Because I'm-" He hiccuped, not bothering to wipe away the streams streaking down his face. He breathed out, then continued, "...I'm just...You're s-so much better than me in so many ways. Smarter, nicer...I-I thought you'd be...be disgusted if you knew. I was afraid you'd regret coming back home with me..."

"Ratchet...you have been my best friend for years. I would never resent you over something this harmless, especially after everything we have been through together." Clank, eyes wide and bright as ever, spoke sincerely out of amazement and disbelief. His voice was slightly more emotional and higher pitched. "If these feelings were the root of your odd behaviors this past month, then I am elated that you have told me. In fact, I only wish you had come to me sooner so we could have had this resolved by now."

"..."

Clank's voice lowered to a more calm, nurturing tone, and he gave his partner a warm smile. "...When I said you could tell me anything, I meant it."

A tear dripped from his chin onto Clank's right hand. Ratchet freed one of his hands to wipe the remaining wetness from his face before giving a tired smirk and chuckled under his breath, his sobs slowly subsiding. "Thanks, Clank...thanks for being so understanding...heh, kinda feel dumb for expecting anything less from you."

"It was an understandable misjudgment caused by high levels of stress and paranoia, not a reflection of your intelligence."

"I said that I felt dumb, not that I am dumb."

"You still should not say it. Why not try saying something positive about yourself for the first time tonight?"

"Okay then...I guess I could say that, well...that I'm lucky to have you as a friend."

"That does not count!" Clank pointed out with a slight pout as Ratchet began to laugh at his reaction. As the lombax's laugh became louder and heavier, Clank's expression changed. He watched him for a moment, relieved and elated to see him genuinely happy after what had just unfolded. His large, open smile and hearty belly laughter caused something inside him to spark up, giving him a pleasant, giddy feeling. It wasn't long before he joined in, and, soon, they were both clutching onto their midsections and running out of breath.

Ratchet flopped onto his back as his laughter waned. He laid there, eyes facing forward and hands placed on his toned abdomen, as he collected himself. His wide smile began to falter, and he sighed. "So...how awkward is it gonna be between us now?"

Clank, still sat upright in front of him on the bed, remained silent for a moment. Despite there being no reason for him to be so, the little robot couldn't help but feel a bit nervous. "Not awkward in the slightest. However," Clank spoke, "it is safe to say that, from this point onwards, it will never be the same between us." He played with his metallic hands, preparing to elaborate. "I, er...reciprocate your feelings, Ratchet."

Ratchet slowly began to sit up to face his companion, his expression full of hope. His eyes studied Clank's face for a moment before he spoke. "...Does that mean you feel the same way, or...?"

"Yes, Ratchet," Clank sighed affectionately, "reciprocate means to return."

"I...wow." Ratchet ran a hand over his left ear and let out a breathy chuckle, his smile widening. "Wasn't expecting that at all...Had me worried for a sec there."

"I am sorry. Perhaps I should have worded my confession a bit differently. I did not mean to incite fear."

"Don't sweat it, Clank, really. I just...can't believe it."

"...Neither can I."

Clank silently stared longingly into Ratchet's eyes, admiring how bright they looked in comparison to how desolate they appeared earlier. Ratchet returned his gaze, though slowly began to feel slightly nervous once the silence became awkward. After several long-seeming seconds, he spoke up with, "So, uh...heh...what now?"

"Hm?" Clank tilted his head to the side, still completely fixated.

"I mean...you know..." The tiny robot smiled at how adorable Ratchet was when he was bashful. "Does this mean we're like...dating? Like...is this gonna be a thing now?" he finished, gesturing towards the both of him with his hands.

Clank, not missing a beat, asked, "Would you like for that to be the case, Ratchet?"

"If you're okay with it, then...heh...I'd love that."

"As would I."

The lombax grinned wide, his eyes glowing with excitement. With that, he grabbed onto each of the robot's shoulders and brought him to his chest, constricting his figure as hard as he could. He swore he could hear the sound of his heart beating against metal. Clank was surprised at first, yet quickly returned the favor, wrapping his tiny arms around the back of his slender neck. He rested his head and closed his eyes, comfortable in the embrace of his partner.

Once they'd each had their fill, they let go of each other, Ratchet's hands on Clank's hips, and Clank's hands placed over Ratchet's pecs. With Clank now standing in the other's lap, their faces mere inches away, he suddenly had the urge to ask, "Do you remember last week when I told you I wanted to kiss an organic?"

The lombax's ears and tail twitched. "Yeah...?" he answered.

Clank, his eyes half-lidded, leaned forward, subtly, to get ever so slightly closer to the lips he craved. "I was talking about you, Ratchet."

"Yeah, I figured," he said with a chuckle, nervously looking back at him. He'd kissed other people before, but he hadn't known or cared about any of them like he did Clank. He watched as Clank blinked patiently, waiting for him to close the gap between them. The lombax scolded himself in his head for acting like this was his first kiss, for being so anxious after all that time he'd dreamed of this moment. He bit his lip, a bit hesitant though unwilling to keep his robot companion waiting.

After breathing inwards through his nose and gaining composure, he shut his eyes tight, puckered his lips, and leaned in, making contact with Clank, who closed his eyes in response. Ratchet pressed his pursed lips against his cool, metal mouth, feeling his heat transfer over to Clank. As he slowly eased into it, the difference in temperature became less noticeable before totally disappearing. He cupped the robot's face, now totally relaxed, breathing in his metallic scent. As he began kissing deeper, he could taste metal as well, and he found it delicious.

Clank physically felt nothing from the kiss. He knew and expected that to be the case. An artificial being with no nerves or pleasure sensors of any kind simply lacked the ability. While his body felt nothing, however, he felt something spark deep inside of his soul. The robot felt joy; joy from being this close to Ratchet, joy from hearing him moan from the back of his throat and the smacking of his lips as they made out. He felt joy from being loved by him, and that was enough. He slowly began to slide his hands upwards, above the lombax's head, and started rubbing his ears.

This coaxed him to let out soft purrs between his moans, both sounds blending nicely. His ears reflexively squirmed under Clank's touch, his long tail happily flipping side to side. Ratchet then began to kiss with feverish passion, his breath becoming louder and gaspy. Without thinking, he slipped his tongue into Clank's mouth, almost without realization before feeling a sharp pain. "Ow!" yelped Ratchet. He pulled away from Clank, sticking out his tongue and covering his mouth.

Clank's eyes shot open, unleashing two beams of green light onto Ratchet. His mouth agape, he gasped with concern. "Oh no, are you alright?!"

Ratchet removed his hand from his throbbing muscle. "Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. You jutht thorta bit my tongue..."

"Is it bleeding?" Clank grabbed onto Ratchet's wrists to prevent him from covering his mouth back up.

"No, it'th-"

"Let me see."

Ratchet complied, knowing how stubborn Clank can be in situations such as this, no matter how insignificant the injury. He stuck out his tongue further, and Clank leaned in close enough to spot the spikes that laid dormant on its surface. After he concluded that it had not been cut open, he leaned back, and Ratchet brought it back inside his mouth. Embarrassed, Clank apologized, "I am so sorry, Ratchet, I did not know it was in there-"

"Clank," comforted Ratchet, "Clank, it's okay. It was an accident. I should have known better than to try that anyways. I just, uh...got a little carried away." He gave a sheepish smile and shrugged as he took the bottom of his shirt and used it to wipe his spit off of Clank's mouth. "That was...that was really something, pal." Once Clank was dry, he let go of his shirt and looked at him. "So, was it like how you imagined it?"

"Better," he said in response. They both laughed and then were interrupted by a faint beep that came from the bedside alarm holoclock. When they turned their heads to look, they saw that it had just turned 3:00 AM. "Oh my...it is later than I thought."

"We should probably get some shut eye. If we wanna be moved out before Sunday, we need to be finished packing by tomorrow," he groaned, dreading the packing up he left for future him to finish, "I still need to go through my arsenal." Clank stepped down off of Ratchet's lap, and the lombax began to slide his body under his comforter. His head rested on his pillow, he closed his eyes and began to wriggle to get comfortable before noticing that he never felt the small weight remove itself from his bed. He opened his eyes again to see Clank sitting there next to him with no intention of moving over to his charging bay.

"Comfy?" Ratchet mumbled, a bit relieved that he wouldn't miss the little one's presence as he drifted off. Clank began to pet the top of his head, soothing him. "Mmmrr...goodnight, Clank," he purred, slowly slipping into sleep.

"Goodnight, Ratchet." Clank continued to pet with no desire to stop. He dimmed the brightness of his eyes to prevent them from keeping his partner from his rest. He sat there with Ratchet until he was sure he was sound asleep.

Ratchet awoke early that morning, just over 5 mere hours after his nightmare had ripped him from slumber. He groaned and ran his hands over his face, immediately remembering what had to be done. He wasn't sure how he was going to gather the energy to finish packing with what little sleep he'd gotten. He didn't even think he'd be able to drag himself out of bed, until an inviting smell lured him into the kitchen. Clank had gotten up before Ratchet in order to prepare a large, energizing breakfast to help him get through the day ahead of them. Pleasantly surprised, Ratchet rewarded him with a quick peck to the forehead. The robot enjoyed watching him eat.

Afterwards, they got to work. They had quite a bit left to pack; Ratchet's entire collection of weapons and gadgets, along with the rest of his clothing and numerous fur care products, Clank's holovid library and box of mods/upgrades/extensions. All of it had to be sorted, and they had to decide what to keep, what to donate, and what to trash. Since they were retiring, they wouldn't need to hoard the massive amounts of weapons and gadgets any longer(though it also wouldn't stop Ratchet from keeping a few). Whether or not they were to be kept, they each had to be disassembled for transport. It had been 2 years since Ratchet had used any of his products, so any open bottles would have to be trashed. It also appeared that he had outgrown several articles of clothing in those 2 years they were in Polaris. He was hopeful that meant he was finally getting taller. When it came time to go through Clank's holovids, Ratchet begged him to get rid of his Secret Agent Clank set. Much to his dismay, Clank refused.

Many hours later, before they even realized, it was late afternoon, and everything was boxed up and ready to move out. They had already gotten caught up on their bills and rent payments that had accumulated during their absence, and they had informed their friends of their plans to retire the week before. Tal protested at first, but she knew deep down that the lombax needed a break more than anyone, so she relented. Cronk and Zephyr pledged to watch over Polaris in their stead, and Qwark was just disappointed that his loyal sidekicks would no longer be accompanying him on any future endeavors. He whined over the communicator about how lonely and bored he'd be before going on about how he may get into politics to keep himself occupied.

So with that, all that was left for them to do was go out and enjoy their last night living in Metropolis. They hopped into Aphelion and took her out for a ride all over the city to go out for dinner, watch a fly-in movie, or just see the sights. They talked, they laughed, they cuddled. It was a perfect way to recuperate from all the stress of moving a whole planet over, as well as a pretty decent first date.

The following morning, the moving ship arrived, and it was time to load everything up. Tal, Cronk, Zephyr, and Qwark were all there to help them with their boxes, though Ratchet and Clank didn't entrust the green-clad superhero with anything fragile. With them all working together, it didn't take long for the boys to get set for their journey back to Veldin. They all said their goodbyes to the duo, expressing their sadness while simultaneously wishing them luck in their future before watching Aphelion vanish into the bright blue sky.

The sun had long since set and left Kyzil Plateau covered in darkness when Ratchet and Clank were close to unpacking their living space. Fortunately for the lombax and his aching back, just one already nearly emptied box remained. The two were working on decorating the area they use as a kitchen with their extensive collection of keepsakes they've acquired over their years of hero work. A few of Ratchet's more rare guns, Clank's exclusive Secret Agent Clank memorabilia, photos of them and their friends together. All of it went up on the wall.

Clank was standing atop a stool hanging a poster of himself. After it was taped up, he turned around and placed his hands on his sides, glancing around. "This place is starting to feel like home again."

"Yeah, looks just like it did in the old days," Ratchet said in between grunts as he stretched his arms upwards, "except with a lot more crap." He admired their work thus far, liking how the garage was coming together. "You know, I always liked living here more than in those fancy studio apartments in the city. This place's just always been...homely." He went back to the box on the floor, pulling out a large metal shield.

"Agreed. They lack charm in comparison to this garage...though, admittedly, I will miss the view we got back on Kerwan." He'd also agree that the garage was much busier than it was before, with the fruits of their adventures littering the walls. Although, with how many adventures they'd been on, this was to be expected. It was truly a testament to how much had changed since Drek's defeat. "Is that the last of it?"

"Yep, almost done." He glanced at the empty box on the floor, then glared into the bottom. "Wait, where's-" Slightly panicked, his head jerked every which way, his gaze darting all across the room. "Clank, have you seen- Ah, never mind! It's over here," he sighed with relief as he made his way over to the item he'd missed. "I forgot that I moved it over here to keep it out of the way." He got to the couch and knelt down, reaching between it and the wall and pulling out Alister's Omniwrench. "Phew! For a second there, I was afraid this'd gotten lost in the move."

Clank's eyes widened. Ratchet, standing there with the wrench in his hands, was replaced with the lombax elder who'd originally carried the weapon. He was no longer in the garage and had been transported to the Great Clock, the very day Alister Azimuth, without a shred of remorse or hesitation, murdered Ratchet right in front of him. He was back, reliving his worst nightmare come true. He turned to glance behind him to see Ratchet, hunched over and clutching at his heart. Gasping for air yet unable to breathe, he closed his eyes, the life draining from him along with his strength to stand. He collapsed, falling over the edge of the Clock. Clank tried to reach for him, but he was unable to move, his servos locked in place. All he could do was stand, staring back at Alister as he approached him, charging his wrench with another energy blast, identical to the one that killed Ratchet. The grey lombax pulled his wrench back, preparing for another attack, and charged towards the robot as he shielded his face in fear.

"Clank...?"

Clank flinched at the weight placed on his shoulder, slowly lowering his arms from his view. Ratchet, not Alister, was in front of him, frightened by his behavior. The visage of the elder and the horrible events that occurred had vanished as suddenly as they appeared. He blinked. "I..." He glanced downwards at the wrench, still in the lombax's firm grasp.

"Hey, are you okay? You really had me freaked out for a second." Ratchet noticed Clank's fixed gaze, and he followed his optics to the Praetorian Omniwrench. Instantly, he was able to connect the dots. "Oh," Ratchet murmured, "Alister, huh?" Clank brought his head upwards to look at him. "Yeah, I'm still pretty shaken up from that whole Clock business, too," he said, voice comforting yet somber, "He...he's not here to hurt you anymore, okay?" His hold on the wrench tightened, feelings of anger and sadness over his mentor's passing still fresh.

"...I know. I am sorry, I do not know what-"

"Don't apologize. Trust me, if there's anyone who understands, it's me. I guess you're lucky if you come out of saving the Universe without some sort of mental illness." He gave an earnest smile, removing his hand and standing straight. He sighed, turning the wrench over in his hand. "Look," he said, setting the wrench down against his seat before walking over to the wall, picking up a couple of wall hooks and a drill on his way. He moved another stool over to him and climbed onto it, grunting past the aches in his body. He stood on top of it and began to drill the hooks into the upper part of the wall. Once finished, Ratchet turned back to face Clank and smiled, climbing back down from the stool and picking up Alister's wrench. "It'll sit here on the wall, out of everyone's reach, so no more crazy old men will shoot at you."

Clank tilted his head, watching as Ratchet repeated the stool climbing process to hang the weapon on the wall. "Please do be careful with that, Ratchet."

He balanced himself atop the wobbly stool while lifting the long, staff-like Omniwrench to its new permanent spot. "Relax, I've got the safety on." The wrench now sat against the wall, the lombax returned to Clank and bent over to place a kiss on his cheek. "Okay, now that was the last of it. I swear, Clank, I don't wanna do anything for the rest of the week. I think I'm gonna take up hibernating," he teased as he rotated his shoulders to rid the stiffness, "but first, we should see if this old HV still works. How about it, pal? You up for another movie night?"

The pint-sized bot stared at the wrench, now mounted high up on the wall, and continued on a moment after Ratchet's offer. He turned his head towards the patient lombax, gradually pulling himself out of thought, and hopped down off of the stool. He silently followed him to the slightly-worn couch, and they each sat down next to each other , getting comfortable right before realizing they had misplaced the remote years ago.

About 35 minutes into the movie, the newest Lance and Janice HV special, Ratchet felt as if his body had become one with the couch. His body laid limp, sunken into the plush cushions. His head was rested on his palm, his arm slowly losing the strength to keep him propped up. Clank was nuzzled into his side with his arms lazily wrapped around his midsection.

Ratchet was far more exhausted than he thought he was. They weren't even halfway through the movie, and he had nearly drifted off a few times. He tried his best to pay attention, but his body was giving out on him. He blinked a few times, and then his eyes slowly began to close and failed to open. The last thing he remembered before blacking out was seeing the sex scene begin to play out and feeling Clank's hold on him tighten. Next thing he knew, after what only felt like a minute, he opened his eyes to the end credits after the robot nudged him awake.

"You slept through the movie," Clank muttered.

Ratchet blinked. "Huh? Oh...I guess I drifted off. Whoops." He yawned, then sat up and stretched. "How was the ending?"

"It was alright. I will not spoil it for you, though."

"Ah, I don't care. I'm not planning on coming back to this anytime soon."

"If you insist, I suppose." Clank was still latched to Ratchet's side, his head pointed downwards. "After Lance and Janice were ejected into deep space by the the Bogon galactic president's secretary-"

"Wait, who?"

"The woman who tried to get Lance to have an affair. This happened after Lance got back from the Snivelak Uncivil War."

"How much of this movie did I miss?"

"As I was saying, they were lost in space. This led to an exceedingly awkward exchange of physical contact in a cramped space pod, followed by a crash landing. Lance survives, but Janice perishes, and he carries her body to the alps of Aranos after hearing of a being that could revive her. In order for her to live, however, he would need to give his soul in return. She is revived while Lance is left as a huskless zombie."

Ratchet listened with a dumbfounded expression. "...Hm. And here I was thinking this show was just a boring soap opera." He stood up, Clank letting go as he felt his partner begin to move. Grunting as he got to his feet, he began to make his way towards the kitchen area. "I don't know whether to be glad I slept through that or not."

Clank hopped off of the couch to join him. "I enjoyed the earlier seasons much better. You really must go through them with me someday."

"I think I'll just have to take your word for it," he smiled, reaching for a glass from the cupboard and bringing it over to the sink, "Gonna have a quick drink before bed, an' then I'm out for the night."

Clank looked up at him as he began to fill his glass. "Oh," he said, a slight amount of disappointment in his tone, "you are going to sleep already?"

Ratchet scoffed, "Well, yeah, it's getting pretty late." He watched as the water neared the top of the glass, then shut off the faucet. "Why do you ask? You a late night party animal all of a sudden?" he teased with a smirk. He lifted the glass to his lips and began to gulp the water down.

"No, not particularly. I was just going to ask if you would be interested in engaging in intercourse tonight."

The remaining third of Ratchet's glass ended up soaked into his shirt. The out of nowhere proposal, the bluntness of his wording, his no-nonsense tone...caught off guard would be an understatement.

"Of course, if you are simply too exhausted and would rather sleep, then I would hate to keep you up. I know that this has been an exhausting day. It is just that, earlier today, I had read that sexual contact was a good way or relieving stress, and that sex after moving to a new place was quite common."

"I...uh-"

"You will not hurt my feelings if you refuse, Ratchet. There will be plenty of opportunities in the future, after all, and I do not want to push you into anything you are not currently comfortable with."

"No, no, it's not-I mean, I don't-" Helplessly stuttering, Ratchet placed his now empty glass onto the counter and took a deep breath. "It's just...we've only been dating for a few days. This was just kinda out of nowhere."

"I am sorry, I should have known I was moving things along too quickly-"

"Clank, hey," Ratchet interrupted, letting out quick chuckles to ease awkwardness "It's fine, okay? I don't feel rushed at all. If you're ready, then I am, too. Look," he said, squatting down to be at his eye level, "I'm gonna go to the bathroom and change into my nightshirt, and I'll meet you in the bedroom in the next 10 minutes." He cupped the robot's cheek, then slid a finger along his jawline as he stood up. "We'll go from there."

Clank excitedly watched as Ratchet walked off, his tail happily swishing back in forth.