Disclaimer: I do not own Ratchet and Clank or any of its characters. Rivet Appreciation Week 2021 prompt list by weeksofrac of Twitter.

Alright, just a lil more Rivet content from me. I promise to write about some of the other RA characters soon, as well as my old usual stuff that I wrote before RA came out.

Standing in the Eye of the Hurricane

Day 1: "Who?"

Chapter Summary: Day 1 – "Who?". Holy heavens, she was so freaking beautiful. Every line and curve on her face was utter perfection.

Wait, was she just asked something?


The moment her eyes met the Markazian, Rivet was a goner.

Blue eyes that sparkled brighter than her own flicked up from the work on the desk. Long eyelashes framed the crystal blue, and the surprised flutter of her eyes sent a stutter to her heart. Brown hair, so soft-looking, framed the pretty pink face. A little braid on the woman's right side was hidden by nimble fingers tucking the intertwined lock of hair behind her pointed ear.

The Lombax was vaguely aware that her mouth dropped open, but she didn't have the focus to close it.

Then the woman stood up, and her eyes gazed up at the woman who nearly doubled the Lombax's height. Air caught in her throat, and if she was designated to die at the sheer height of the woman in front of her, it would be one of the happiest death scenarios she could have ever imagined.

Holy gods, she was so tall.

And then the Markazian walked. Every step was determined, if not with a touch of shyness to the movements. She carried herself in a way that showed that she knew her worth, powerful and with purpose, but took great care to wait for the Lombax to accept her friendly welcome. She stepped around her desk and righted herself to stand right in front of the Lombax.

The Markazian was so pretty up close, she could have sworn that her heart stopped beating.

There was a certain twinkle in her eye. The other woman didn't have the same look that other government officials had. Sure, there was wisdom in the deep blue of her eyes, but mischief and tease lined the corners of her eyes and lips, creating a cheeky grin.

She. Was so. Beautiful.

She had to ask her out. There was no way she couldn't. All she had to do was get her brain functioning again, steel up her nerves, and get down on one knee and maybe propose. Wait, no. Date first. But where would she take this goddess of a woman? Zurkies? Sargasso? Some fantastical place where they could live in a cottage away from annoying people and make their own food and share kisses underneath the stars-

"…to finally meet you, Rivet."

And then, while her brain short-circuited, the white-furred Lombax said probably the stupidest question she had ever asked in her life.

"Wait… who?"

A hand touched her left shoulder. "Uh, Rivet… you're… Rivet."

There was a tiny corner of her mind that woke up from the lovesick fog the rest of her catatonic brain was in telling her that knowing her name was a good thing. "…Huh? Oh yeah, that's cool…"

Confusion replaced the smile on the Markazian's face. She lifted a fist up to her mouth and cleared her throat. "Well… I see you're still getting used to our dimension." She turned to the person beside the white-furred Lombax. "Um, Ratchet, are you sure she doesn't need to see the medic team? We don't know how our dimension might be affecting her anatomical makeup, and even if you didn't experience any side effects during your time in her dimension, it's better to be safe than sorry."

"She's fine, Tal."

"I don't know… You remember how the Nethers needed armor for their dimensional jump."

"But what about the Cragmites? They looked fine when I was shooting 'em down."

"They originated in our dimension first, so they were able to withstand any difference between dimensions. There were also side effects in their jumps though. They looked okay on the outside, but no Cragmite was ever able to dissipate their atomic structure and teleport like that before they had been exiled to the dimension that kept them."

Absolutely none of that made sense, but if she was able to take in every single detail of the other woman's face, Rivet was down for listening to the atomic makeup of a toaster oven.

Ratchet's voice spoke up again, and his hand left Rivet's organic shoulder. "Wait, so does this mean I could have cool powers?!"

A melodic laugh left the Markazian. "Yeah, I don't think so, but if you want, I won't rule out the possibility yet."

"Ah, you always know what to say to make my heart happy."

"SO!"

Both the Markazian and Ratchet swiveled their heads at the loud, strained shout Rivet had just let out. Any happiness they had had was immediately washed into shock, and both of them flicked their eyes back-and-forth to Rivet and the person across from them.

Rivet sucked in a deep breath of air, steeled her nerves, and went for it.

"H… Hi." The white-furred Lombax threw out her robotic hand, nearly hitting the Markazian right on the arm. "I'm… Ri.. vet."

The other woman raised an eyebrow. "Um…"

Before the Markazian could say anything else, Rivet dropped to one knee.

"Listen," the Lombax began, slipping the woman's left hand into both of hers. "I know I just met you and I don't know your name but if I don't do this, I'm going to regret this for the rest of my life."

Here it went… the Pitch.

"You're the most beautiful woman I've ever laid eyes on," Rivet said, pouring all her emotion into her words. "I want to take you out on the most romantic dates anyone has ever given you. I want to sweep you off your feet and treat you better than anyone has ever treated you before. I want to marry you and live in a cozy cottage where it can just be us and the natural universe around us, living life to the fullest. I know this is crazy and impulsive and completely off the books, but what I'm trying to say is…"

This was it.

Rivet's left hand touched the space above her heart, and every ounce of lovesickness was laced into the fiber of every word. "Will you marry me?"

The woman's mouth dropped open in pure shock. Her face ran through nearly every confused expression she could possibly make before she looked to Ratchet and simply stated, "You're gunna have to help me with this one."

Reality started to worm its way back into her brain.

"Wait, what's up?" Rivet asked, looking between the two.

A very jealous looking Ratchet nodded toward the Markazian. "This… is my wife. Like… a girl I dated a lot and then proposed to and stuff. Our rings are plain, but we keep them under our gloves so that they don't get in the way of the hands-on work we do."

"We have a lot of workplace rules against super ornate jewelry after someone got really hurt in the cafeteria."

Ratchet paused in his angry rant. "Oh yeah, that." He then shook his head. "But besides that, Tal's my partner. She's already taken. Go find your alternate Tal or something, unless you want me flirting with your Tal as payback."

Something snapped in Rivet's mind, and the white-furred Lombax shot up from the floor and waved her curled, robotic fist in Ratchet's face. "If you so much as breathe near the woman who might be an alternate of this amazing woman, I will end your existence."

Ratchet's ears lowered and a growl rose up from his throat. "Well, maybe I want you to know how it feels to have your wife proposed to by some random Lombax you dragged in off another dimension's street."

"Why I oughta-"

The Markazian's hands forced them back before either of them could make a move to pummel each other. "OKAY!" the woman shouted, a strained smile curling the corners of her mouth. "I think that's enough clarification for now."

And then, finally, reality hit Rivet full-force.

Embarrassment shone on the Lombax's face, and she cupped her head in her hands. A groan echoed into the metal and gloved skin. "Oh gods, what have I done?" The moment her hands swept over her ears, smoothing the fur back in an agitated manner, Rivet looked up to the Markazian. "I'm so, so sorry. I didn't mean to make this so awkward."

The strain on her face lessened, and more of the good nature she had before returned. "It's okay," she said, ending her words with a slight laugh. "I think at this point I'm just glad you didn't fight my husband. If you two are the same, and the messes left behind in Ratchet's wake are anything to go by-"

"Hey! I apologized to all those companies whose buildings I accidentally took down!"

"-then it probably would have blown up the whole planet." She paused, and Rivet caught the wink the woman gave to the pouty yellow Lombax beside her. "I'm flattered that you think I'm really attractive. Just… try to avoid any flirting in the future. I'm already spoken for."

A crest-fallen look appeared on Rivet's face before she schooled it back into something more professional. "Yeah… Again, I'm sorry, and that won't happen again."

That's when the mischief and tease slipped right back into the woman's expression. Her arms crossed over her chest, and she cocked one hip higher than the other. "You know… I think it will happen again… just with a different me."

Rivet's ears perked up, and her head tilted slightly to the side. "Wait, huh?"

"I mean," she began, "if there's so many alternates of all the people I know, there's bound to be a different dimensional counterpart of me somewhere in your dimension. And trust me, if you need any help finding them-" the Markazian winked "-I'm completely up to helping you find your romantic partner."

Hope balled in Rivet's chest, and a relieved laugh left the Lombax. "Oh man, that's good to hear, Miss…" A touch of her earlier embarrassment returned, but at the very least, Rivet stuck out her hand in a less aggressive manner. "Could... Could I get your name again? I think I completely spaced out when you told me your name."

The woman smirked, then shook the Lombax's hand. "My name is Talwyn Apogee."


Song Inspo: "Hurricane" by Bridgit Mendler.

More "Rivet meeting Tal" moments! Figured I'd do something different for the first prompt, and I will never stop writing the different ways Talwyn could meet Rivet… least, if it's ever shown in canon. But nonetheless, the first prompt done for Rivet Appreciation Week 2021!

Thank you all so much for reading and supporting! :D