Disclaimer: I do not own Ratchet and Clank or any of its characters. Cover art is by DIMENSI0NHEIST and is being used with permission. I'm glad DIMENSI0NHEIST on Twitter got me to write out some of my Elarious AUs because HHHH I desperately needed to write something for these two.

Parallelism

Drabble 1: Robotized AU

Chapter Summary: Robotized AU. A world of nightmares awaits her, but she's not alone in facing them.

Her hand shook, and even though she couldn't breathe anymore, Elaris mimicked taking in a deep breath. Her mouth moved, but words failed her.

Nefarious slowly stepped around the Rangers' technician, his optics locked on her as he gestured to the hospital bed she had gotten up from earlier in the day. Claws lifted and pointed to the bed, and Nefarious made to speak, but words also failed to come from him.

Tense silence settled in the space between them.

Icy fear and a sense of wrongness balled in Elaris' new chest. She raised a finger, only for it to curl back to her palm. "What… what happens? When you… go offline…?"

The other scientist stilled, red optics already avoiding Elaris' green ones. "It… isn't pleasant the first few nights. Since your new robotic brain is still processing the trauma that happened to your old squishy one…" One hand lifted and tucked behind his neck. "You'll… Your brain will play everything back. Perfectly. Crystal clear detail."

The way he said it gave Elaris no doubt that he was speaking from personal experience, and that her situation would only bring more of the same.

Her form shook, servos whirring as stress settled into every inch of her new limbs. Her chest contracted and heaved. To remember everything that had happened... Crystal clear detail. Perfect memory. Full viewing pleasure in the state she was most vulnerable-

"Elaris! Elaris, it's okay!"

Reality hit her, and Elaris felt the claws that had brought her back to the present gently massage her titanium arms.

Nefarious' facial expression was a lot softer than any she had ever seen on him. A strained smile, something that most likely wanted to be comforting and joking and serious all at the same time, decorated his face. "Um… it'll be okay," he forced out. "It usually goes away after a few months. But I'm the only other one this has happened to, so I don't know for sure, but you have a good chance of it ending in a few months or so."

A soft, nervous laugh came from the robot across from her as the strain on his face deepened.

Elaris looked back towards her bed. She had to fall offline for her new robotic body to rest at some point. There was no way she could avoid it, unless she wanted to wear down her health.

She mimicked a gulp as she looked back to Nefarious. "Nef… I… Could you…"

Nefarious' strained smile dropped, and a serious expression replaced it. "Go on, Ellie. It's okay. I'll do anything to help you."

Elaris shook under his hands. "Could you sleep next to me?" she whispered. Her voice cracked and fractured as terror finally overwhelmed her. "I don't want to be alone…"

The other scientist pulled her close as her legs started to weaken. "Of course," he murmured, moving them to the bed. "I can't promise that I can make the nightmares go away, but I'll be here for you when you wake up."

Elaris climbed into the bed, slow and hesitant like a prisoner headed for the gallows. After she pulled the covers over her legs, Nefarious lifted the other side of the blanket and sided up next to her. He pulled the covers up to their necks as Elaris turned her back to him.

She curled in on herself, a choked sob echoing from her mouth.

A skinny arm gently settled over her left side and laid parallel to her chest. His body pushed close to hers, and something—what felt like the oval-shaped part on his forehead—pressed against the space between her shoulder blades.

"I'm right here, Ellie… I won't let anything happen to you…"

As her systems fell offline and the memories of the accident began to replay in her mind, her hands held tight to the arm around her. And when she jack-knifed up from her horizontal position in the middle of the night, her hands clawing at her throat for air and tears flooding down her metal cheeks, Nefarious was right there.

She wasn't alone, and he made it known that she never would be.

Song Inspo: "Motions" by Prznt. That song inspired this whole AU.

Speaking of this whole AU, I definitely need to write the intro fic for this at some point. I'll try to get out something for it at some point, but here is a clip of one of my Elarious ideas to satisfy the angst drabble com DimensionHeist wanted.

Thank you for comming me, and onto the next drabble! :D

XD