Authors note: I made one so long ago now that the original work was lost to me so I am attempting something new with these two, case you are wondering this is Ratchet x Rivet. The idea might be similar but again a lot was lost so hope you bear with me on this. Not sure if this will even get finished considering how often my projects fall apart when I get distracted, lol. Set after the events of the game, much of which I watched on youtube cause don't have a ps5. It is AU slightly so instead of going off with Rivet, Ratchet makes a decision that is sitting with him as this fanfic begins. As this is submitted part one is finished. Part two itself is a work in progress.

Ratchet and Rivet: Race track of love

PART ONE

CH.1: Return to basics

Ratchet the Lombax, aka he had no last name so his friends called him Ratchet, had time saved up from his time saving the galaxy so he was taking a much needed break from being a Ranger. Planet Veldin is where Ratchet spent much of his youth looked after by the ever vigilant eyes of one Grimroth Razz, aka Grim to his friends. It had been about three months since that journey had concluded.

Ratchet was still thinking of Rivet, a female Lombax he met in his last adventure. It was quite a trippy rift of sorts involving working from two sides of the galaxy. At the end of their adventure they parted ways but Ratchet liked to think that someday they'd cross paths again. He was lying in his bedroom enjoying a bit of peace and quiet after a long bit of fixing vehicles.

"Ratchet you do know that your vacation is almost over don't you?" And there was Clank chiming in with news he had been putting off.

"Huh, oh yeah sure...whatever you say Clank. Say, do you think about Kit?" Ratchet turns on his side looking over at his silver friend.

"There are memories logged away for me to divulge in, so, yes, I do think of Kit. It is rare to find anyone like myself in stature and...her personality is quite...enlightening." Ratchet smiles some before lying back on his back.

"I think about her too, well not Kit, I mean...well you know who I mean..." He placed his hands behind his head.

"You are speaking of the female Lombax, Rivet, though to be truthful she has crossed your mind far often then I have thought of Kit this time away from the Rangers. I often catch you sighing wistful like or even looking up at the sky. I am curious though why we parted ways with them when we could have-."

"Clank, I'm pretty sure that Rivet didn't want to tour the entire galaxy with us. I feel she would have eventually wanted to see it for herself, much as we had ourselves back in the beginning. I-I made a call...and...I have to stand by it-."

"So in other words you have spent all this time bemoaning a decision you made to let Rivet leave when you could have joined her, your emotions are certainly confusing."

"Pfft, your telling me," he sighed as he finally got up off the bed and looked down below. Grim was cleaning up one of the last vehicles there, a slow job, but one he appeared to enjoy.

Ratchet had offered to help him but he refused it each time. Clearly he thought that Ratchet was going to mess it up. Honestly he had changed from the days where he overpowered a vehicle or put in his own personal touches.

"Perhaps there is still a way to get in contact with Rivet," Clank offered. Ratchet doesn't look his way though as he is busy focusing on Grim.

"Uh huh, well, while you do that I am going to check in on Grif." Ratchet wanted to see her again, he did, but right now his emotions were pulling him down below.

"I haven't even...and he is gone."

"Hey Grim whatcha working on?" Ratchet had left Clank in his room as he made the descent to the bottom of the garage work area. Grim was bent over the vehicle and gave a slight yelp.

"Ratchet...what are you doing down here?" He looked over at him and Ratchet spread out his hands.

"I asked my question first," Ratchet smirked as he strolled over eyeing the vehicle. It seemed like slow work indeed given how many months he had been here.

"Hmm, not sure I should answer, given I am your fatherly figure, but then again keeping you in the dark this long hasn't been easy on me. Fine, pull up a chair." He gestures and Ratchet looks around and pulls up a swivel.

He doesn't say anything giving the floor to Grim. It was true though, Grim had practically raised him on his own and taught him all he knew about fixing and repairing vehicles. It had saved his life on a number of his adventures as a Ranger.

"The client's name is one that does not leave this garage, not even to your companion bot Clank. You have to promise me that first, are we clear Ratchet?" Ratchet wasn't quite keen on keeping this from Clank, but, if this was such hush hush he had to, for Grif.

"Alright, you have my word," Ratchet had his hands on his lap and he watched as Grim turned his back to the vehicle and rubbed his hand on a cloth.

"Ratchet, there are things in my past, things you probably don't even know about. I've done my fair share of traveling, and, turns out in my hay day I was a racer. I had a crew and everything and we did some of the most intense racing this side of the galaxy. I made a lot of mistakes though and one was trusting one person in particular, his name is Rex Stone, manager of some of the most famed racers around."

"Whoa, hold up, Grim you telling me you that you used to race? Wait, so this vehicle, this client you are fixing it up for...it is the Stone?"

Grim nods his head. "Yes Ratchet that is who this vehicle is for. However the vehicle isn't for him exactly, it is for one of his racers. Thing about Stone you have to know is he is pure trouble and he will break anyone who goes against what he says, whether to win the race or...not. Once I found out what he really stood for I wanted out...and it didn't end well for me."

Ratchet could see the hurt and frustration lining his mentor's facial features, and, it wasn't often he saw this side of him. Still he couldn't bring himself to ask any questions while he was going through this. No doubt this is a story he likely would never have told him but given it was his past, the floor was his.

"I lost it all Ratchet...and in the end...this is where I wound up. However he found me, in fact, given your popularity over the years...it has put this planet on the mark of everyone in need of getting their vehicle tuned up by the best. I do this for him and I am out...and if I don't..."

"Grim, what are you telling me?" Ratchet felt fear racing through his system and he gripped at his knees.

"I didn't want to drag you into this Ratchet, but, this." Grim goes to lift up his sleeve and a blinking device is shown there. "Ratchet...he is going to kill me if I don't come through with this vehicle."

Authors note: This is only the first chapter but I promise a reunion of sorts coming soon. For now it would seem Ratchet's remaining time away from the Rangers is just about to get dangerous.