Shell Shock
Writers: Denny and Leila
Rating: PG-RG
Warnings: Ratchet/Azimuth. Violence.
Disclaimer: We value our lives too much to even dare think about claiming Ratchet and Alister as our own. We borrow them for an RP, so don't worry. [Put the Wargroks back into your cage!]
Summary: Everyone's nightmare is to wake up in a cold, dark place without a clue where one is. Sadly, that's what's happened to us. What's even better, we have monsters and weird encounters to endure as well. And then there's them…
Lucky, right? If I ever get out of here, I will need some therapy sessions.
Chapter34
Stepping in front of the door of their current home, Azimuth let a low sigh. Ratchet and Zane probably weren't done with their session yet, but as things stood he would simply stay out of their way and perhaps visit Lawrence later on. He raised his hand and let it be scanned so that he could step in.
The sight of Zane lifting up Ratchet's chin as he was kneeling over the other stopped him from doing so, however.
The door moving in his periphery didn't draw Ratchet's attention as he was too focused on the task at hand. The hiss from the hydraulics, however, snapped in his ears, focused as he was that he jerked his head as far as he could to the side. What-
Oh fuck.
A slight jolt with the finger around Ratchet's chin had the Lombax face Zane again who quietly ended the song. "I won't keep you falling," he sung,"If the moment ever comes", and leant in-.
A double-headed wrench flew against Zane's head and catapulted him against the wall. Azimuth caught his weapon in the air and stared wordlessly at both of them, eyes narrowed to slits.
"It's his fault! He said to really subdue the Loving completely, I had to kiss him!" Even if it was true, it sounded stupid even to his own ears. His flailing arms probably didn't help his credibility either. Just why had he agreed to this? Or at least told Alister over radio what Zane planned?
"Yeah, kiss him all right! I'm pretty sure even that robot would be clear enough to say kiss the Loving, not him!", Alister shouted back, the frown over his eyes deeper than ever before. "Well, you have fun with him, I'll go somewhere else!"
And the door slid shut.
Ratchet grabbed the door's edge as it opened upon his approach and yelled through the gap.
"You FUCKING JEALOUS IDIOT!"
"STOP YELLING AT ME LIKE THAT!" Azimuth was covering his ears as he yelled right back at him. "YOU'RE THE IDIOT IF YOU DO STUPID STUFF LIKE THIS!"
"DO YOU THINK I ENJOY KISSING RANDOM STRANGERS? WE HAD TO TRY FOUR TIMES BEFORE I EVEN LET MYSELF COME THAT CLOSE TO HIM!"
"WHY DID YOU HAVE TO FOLLOW HIM?! WOULDN'T IT HAVE BEEN LOGICAL THE OTHER WAY AROUND?!"
"NOT IF I NEED THE TRAINING TO KISS! A! SHAPESHIFTER!"
"IF YOU KISS A SHAPESHIFTER, THEN I WILL GET DOWN ON MY KNEE AND PROPOSE TO YOU! AND SINCE I WON'T DO THAT, YOU WON'T KISS A SHAPESHIFTER!"
"… That doesn't make sense."
"It means that if you have to kiss a Shapeshifter, I'll do something as ridiculous as propose to you!" Azimuth shook his head wildly. "And since that is not the case-"
"Oh, but it is." Zane rubbed his head and groaned. His circuits were still realigning, but the screaming of those two Lombaxes was just impossible to overhear.
The elder's ears fell immediately. "… W… what?"
The robot only grinned as he sat up and looked at them. "Looks like I'm going to hear a proposal today."
Ratchet crossed his arms and looked to the side. "The song already gets to them – but to really subdue them, I have to canter to their 'romantic' notions of affection. Which includes kissing."
"Wait, what?!" No, no, no. This was wrong. This was entirely, and utterly wrong! Azimuth snapped his head around to Zane. "You have to be kidding me!"
All the general received in reply was an empathetic smile. "I'm sorry to break it to you, but that's how it goes… Or would you rather want to deal with Shapeshifters as strong as the Superiors?"
"That doesn't make kissing them better." Ratchet mumbled aside, face pinched.
"I'll get you used to kissing other people," Zane said with obvious amusement in his voice, only to notice the dangerous glint in Azimuth's eyes. "Of course, if you want to, you could join our training sessions-"
"Like HELL I would!" The elder shook his head wildly. "I can't even believe that Ratchet — really, Ratchet? Why would you – this is ridiculous! Absolutely ridiculous!" He grabbed his hand and growled loudly. How could the younger even agree to that? Physical contact — intimate interactions… How could he simply agree to this? Didn't it mean anything? There had to be a different solution!
"Would you please stop speaking in that tone?" Ears drawn back, Ratchet looked hurt at the other Lombax. "It makes me feel like I'm doing that voluntarily and YOU know best how little to no contact I want to have with the Shapeshifters.
"But if it helps us survive, I gotta use it though I hate the idea."
"But there has to be an alternative!" Azimuth said, ears folded back and eyebrows pulled together under a pained expression. "We could work together, and-" He stopped as he remembered the discussion between the Superior and the doctor. They wouldn't be fighting together. Ratchet would have to deal with the Loving on his own.
"Seems like today I won't get any more teaching done." Zane sighed and slipped past the Lombaxes before placing his hand on Ratchet's shoulder. "Make sure you know the lyrics by tomorrow. I'll come here as soon as you are ready for another lesson."
"I'm not sure if I'll be in any shape tomorrow for a lesson, but I'll try."
"The thought counts." A quick grin and the robot distanced himself from the Lombax. Then he walked past the elder, only to stop for a moment beside him. "He has a pleasant voice," he whispered, "I wonder how beautiful it will sound if I drive him to his limits in all possible aspects." Quickly he stepped aside as Alister jerked around, only to grin mischievously. "Good bye." And with that, he soon left their sight.
"Bye." The word and the wave were reflexive thrown over a shoulder. Ratchet didn't even completely turn his head at the good-bye, just… stood in the door frame, gripping onto the the edge still.
Azimuth looked at the ground, briefly glancing at Ratchet before he quickly stepped past him. For a moment, their tails touched; Azimuth's almost curled around the younger's. But that was all he would do to express his thoughts, and headed to the kitchen.
What the- The younger stared after the elder. Had this been an apology? After all the drama- alright, Alister's reaction upon entering their room had been justified – but still. He accused him of taking the choice of way to subdue the Loving with a physical kiss – Ratchet shuddered – a kiss with a Shapeshifter lightly.
"We'll be fighting the Jealous tomorrow," Alister told him from the kitchen. "It will be the last fight together, though. After that, it will be a one-on-one system."
"I guess this was the Superior's idea?" For now, he decided to play along.
"Yes." Azimuth poured himself a cup of tea. Nothing helped better to calm one's mind than a hot beverage – and hopefully it would work now too. "As far as I've gathered, there will be some rules too. I suspect Nefarious will send them to us later on."
Ratchet snorted. "As if either of them will keep to the rules. Are there rules for that too?" He asked sarcastically.
"In fact, there is." Azimuth took a sip of his tea and sighed. No good at all this was. "If one side cheats, the other is allowed to break a rule as well."
"… This'll lead to war on the battle field."
"It might, it might not." Azimuth glanced briefly at Ratchet before he turned away again. "But perhaps you can subdue them sufficiently so that they won't."
A shake of the head. "The singing only works with the Loving. The Jealous will likely just laugh at me."
"I hear it works with any entity that has a part of the Loving in them. Perhaps not in the same extent, but still effective." A pause. "At least Nefarious indicated that the leaders of the guards became a little mellower than before."
"But have the Jealous some part of the Loving? They are only one level above the Wrathful, and the Loving are supposed to be as strong as the Superior."
"I was speaking in general, Ratchet. But well, I presume that every entity, regardless of rank, would love to receive a gesture of endearment from you. Perhaps you can grant their wish."
"What's that supposed to mean now?" Finally, Ratchet let the door slid shut by stepping away and removing his hand from the door's edge. "Just minutes ago you vehemently protested that I try to use a kiss on the Loving to subdue him! What's with the change of attitude? Or if it's something else, please speak more clearly!"
A light sound echoed faintly in the room when Azimuth put the cup down. "You want me to speak more clearly?" He quietly repeated as he turned around. Eyes heavy-lidded, he slowly stepped closer.
"Yes. Please." The possible doubt that had Alister speaking pressed on his chest and he wished to cross his arms to have some separation between. Ratchet still kept them hanging at his sides but his heart quickened yet.
"Well, if you insist…", the elder replied, now standing before the younger Lombax. His voice was low, almost like a predator who took in one more moment of calmness before exploding. It made Ratchet step back on instinct, only to have Azimuth follow up slowly.
"It dumbfounded me to see you in such a compromising position with a robot you had just met," he whispered quietly, "Not only that, but it was with a robot I sensed you didn't bear particular sympathy for."
Another step. "Then, I hear of that outrageous tactic, if I can even describe it as such, to kiss a Shapeshifter." Even though his voice remained even, his eyes seemed to gleam dangerously. "One of the creatures who are hunting us. One of the creatures that made your whole body go limp with just one single kiss."
He followed up when the younger came to a halt against the wall. "May I remind you," he whispered, "They want you. Every single bit of your essence. Your mind, your body - everything that creates your very self." He placed a hand on the wall as he leant down, looking into emerald eyes with a heavy-lidded gaze. "A mere song won't stop their craving for you." Alister lifted his hand, thumb brushing over Ratchet's lips. "A mere song won't stop them from taking advantage of you.
"But those reasons, while important, are not all that… irritated me," he continued, "It was the fact that you agreed to share a kiss with someone else. Not with the Loving, not with a Shapeshifter, but with a disagreeable, detestably impolite robot." He lifted Ratchet's chin a little as he straightened up a bit. "Considering what you said just this morning, it was quite… upsetting to hear you agree to exchange such intimate gestures with someone you don't care about." His whisper turned into a low hiss as he leant down a bit and tilted his head to come closer to the younger who, perhaps unconsciously, was following the fingers that were slowly sliding away.
"In fact, the mere thought of it makes me so angry I don't even know what to do."
"You could put a bit distance between us." Ratchet said bravely but his swallow was both audible and visible. "You're kind of making me nervous." He swallowed again. "I know what I said. That's why I yelled at Zane when he told me about the kiss – and that I would need to practice with him. Nearly used my own wrench on him when he acted so smug about it." He growled in annoyance, pupils shrinking.
"That doesn't change that you agreed," Alister replied lowly. "It doesn't change that I'm upset about this course of events either. But most importantly…" He yanked Ratchet towards his body and leant in, stopping only a breath away from his lips.
"It doesn't change that I don't want anyone as close to you as I am right now."
Two different emotions mingled with each other in Ratchet's mind. The source of both – it excited him when Alister acted so forwardly and possessively. The arms around his back and shoulder reminded him that the elder was his superior in height, in physical strength. He could easily overwhelm the younger if he wished so; the connected sensations made him feel both anxious and heady at the rush of imagined helplessness.
On the other hand – he, Ratchet, was so important to the General, with all his strength and power and experience, the elder wanted to be the only one to touch him intimately. That he could elicit this kind of possessive… Ratchet would have to lie if he denied feeling smug about the power he held over the other.
"I hope I have made my point clear, Ratchet." Azimuth distanced himself a little from the younger, noticing with hidden amusement the disappointment in those emerald eyes. "Are you satisfied now?"
"You know I'm not – tease." He growled, stomping past the now smirking elder. His sneer morphed into a grin at the yelp that escaped him as Ratchet flicked his tail's end against Alister's bottom.
"… Hmph." The elder stepped away and looked to the side. "I simply did what you wanted from me – you can't expect more from me than that."
"Of course." Ratchet grinned over at his shoulder. "With how possessively you acted, however, I thought you wanted to claim me as property but apparently you aren't interested. Not that I am your property because I don't like the idea – although I admit I'm flattered."
"I wouldn't want to claim you as property." Azimuth raised an eyebrow at this choice of words and turned to him with heavy-lidded eyes. "You asked me to be clearer, and so I was."
"Good. Still, I'm a tad frustrated. You are usually so reserved that when you're not, it always excites me. Actually you are often quite reserved until I take the initiative." He purred, his pupils unknown to him widening; their black seemed to make the green iris glow. "If it takes someone flirting with me for that reaction from just a minute ago, maybe I should do it more often with others. Except-"
Ratchet passed Alister again, letting a fingertip trail across his side. "You show me something that will change my mind permanently."
Silence followed the younger's words. The elder stared at him, ears folding back. "You're demanding quite much from me," he replied quietly, "I've told you already that I have… difficulties getting over my principles." A pause. "And this is clashing with them quite strongly."
"That hasn't stopped you just now to get all possessive on me for a moment. Why not carry on from that?"
"I've never said I wouldn't." The moment Ratchet turned around, Alister cornered him against the wall and lifted his chin. Amber eyes looked into emerald ones, tails were intertwined. Fingers circled along the younger's jaw line.
"I just needed to make sure the reason was worth getting over them."
Lips crashed on each other roughly; fingers slid to the back of Ratchet's neck down to the back and pushed him against Azimuth's body. Ratchet moaned into the kiss and yet managed to encircle Alister's neck with his arms as to keep himself standing despite the surprise.
The elder smirked faintly and let his hand smooth along the younger's spine down to his thigh. Teeth grazed over the Ratchet's lip before he sucked lightly at it only to let go shortly after. How amusing to hear a disappointed sound leave the other at the sudden break.
"More." The younger rasped, gripping – not too hard – onto the base of Alister's ears before he nipped at his neck.
A gasp left Azimuth. His eyes turned up for a moment before he got a hold of himself again and leant away. "You'll get more than you bargained for," he growled into Ratchet's fur before he laved slowly, tentatively slowly over his neck.
"You'll have to first show me before I… believe that." The goad was breathless into Alister's jaw. He needed to up his game, somehow, and began massaging the ears' bases in his hands.
All received in reply was a smirk against his neck; then teeth dug into his skin before the pain was mended by a soothing tongue laving over the spot. Lips wrapped around the sore part and sucked lightly at the skin while one hand traveled down Ratchet's thigh and lifted it up his side.
A chuckle tickled against the elder Lombax's cheek. "That's all you've got?" He rubbed his raised leg teasingly against Alister's side.
He shouldn't have said that.
Alister's free hand traveled up to Ratchet's head and slid beneath his cap, pushing it off and onto the ground so that he could bury his fingers in the fine fur. Not that the treatment afterwards was fine – he yanked at Ratchet's fur, not too strongly, so that he could trail up the younger's throat with his tongue.
Okay, that maybe had been too much. Or so was the short thought that flitted through Ratchet's brain as his head was yanked back. Then the higher functions of his brain turned off and his pained gasp turned into a groan under the hot wetness on his neck traveling up his jaw.
Suddenly Azimuth stopped. The grip loosened; where heat had been was only cold air. Amber eyes gazed into his, a mischievous smirk on his lips.
"Oh COME ON! Not that again." Pushing forward, he jerked when a broad arm shoved between their chests, keeping him pinned to the wall.
"Not so fast, Ratchet." Azimuth raised an eyebrow and smirked smugly. "I will continue in due time, but only under one specific… condition." He lifted the younger's chin and brushed over the lips with his thumb. Satisfaction appeared on his face as he felt the shaky breath against his finger; and of course, the casual strokes of his tail along Ratchet's thigh did not contribute to that at all.
"Those lips," he whispered idly, "Nobody else shall touch them. Nobody else shall even come close to them as long as we entertain our… interest in each other." His eyes gleamed as he continued lowly. "Nobody."
Ratchet stilled, needing to swallow around a sudden knot in his throat. "B-but what if I face a Loving-" His pupils shrunk in obvious fear that also shook his voice.
"You won't need to." Foreheads met. Azimuth nuzzled his head gently against Ratchet as he continued in a low whisper. "I will make sure of this." His fingers slid to the back of the younger's neck and stroked soothingly over the fur. "I will do everything to keep you safe if you have the resolve to keep your word." The elder tilted his head to the side, halting only a breath away from Ratchet's lips. "I will protect you from them no matter what." Eyes closed, he felt the other's breath mingle with his own before brushing over his fur. Heart beats, rapid and uneven, soon aligned to a slower pace; tails that had been idly brushing along now clung to each other. His voice dropped to a low pitch as he continued quietly.
"Just promise me that you won't let anyone be as close to you as I am now."
"I don't want to be close to anyone else. But neither will you be able to protect me all the time. The universe just doesn't work this way – because it doesn't make such things easy." Ratchet breathed. He relaxed despite his words, having returned the nuzzle as Alister kept him pinned and now anticipation knotting his stomach as their breaths mingled and teasingly brushed over his lips.
"I'm still go-gonna try. I won't let anyone touch me like this, at least unless I have no other choice." He swallowed, hiding his face against a shoulder. He really didn't want to think about the mental images that surged up unbidden about scenarios where he was forced to let this happen. That didn't stop the slight tremor.
"That's good enough for me." Alister cupped the younger's cheek gently and smiled at him. With that said, he placed his lips on Ratchet's, first cautiously, then a little more daringly.
"But-" Another kiss. "Just hypothetically-" Another. "-what if it still doesn't-" His voice got lost as Alister kept up his pace and insistence, keeping his head with both hands immobile.
For a moment the elder paused. "That you'll get to know when the time is right," he replied breathlessly before engaging Ratchet in a deeper kiss, arms wrapping around the other's waist.
Ratchet made a noise before jumping without breaking the kiss. He wrapped his legs around Alister's waist and then purred in contentment. "We should move," he gasped before having his lips sealed once more.
A moment later, Azimuth broke the kiss again, holding the younger up as he breathed in shakily. "All right," he replied, "Bed?"
"No," was the short answer. "M… Move left." Fingers tried feebly to claw into Azimuth's armor. Damn it… He needed something else to hold onto, not that hard protection.
An affirmative nod was the answer as Alister followed Ratchet's order as quickly as possible; soon he understood why: The study desk right after the corner was one wonderful surface to continue on. With that in his mind, even the small mishap of knocking over the music stand did not bother him at all.
Ratchet grinned at the clatter as he was seated on the desk's edge. Now that he didn't need to worry anymore about keeping himself in the air, he moved his hands to roam over those nice arms around him.
Only that there was this god forsaken armor in between. Azimuth noticed that with frustration as he trailed down the other's neck and wanted to continue to the collarbone onwards. He distanced himself a bit, quickly unlocking the connection ports of the protection and then slowly, tentatively slowly sliding his fingers between fur and armor to push it off the younger's shoulders.
The brush of air against his torso made Ratchet shiver. He leaned forward, blocking partially Alister's path.
"Hey," the elder mumbled against his shoulder, "You're blocking the view."
"Ooh? View on what?" The grin was audible while his hands roamed around the general's torso.
"Oh, nothing." Azimuth licked along Ratchet's neck until he reached the base of his ear. Teeth nibbled at it, making the younger gasp sharply. "This is just as appealing." One of his hands slid over the surface of the desk, trailing along Ratchet's thigh and hip bone until he circled just above the base of the younger's tail.
"Good. I want to appreciate what I have right in front of me." Ratchet replied breathily, mirroring the other's move by trailing one hand down his back to circle the base of Alister's tail.
Purrs left the elder. He closed his eyes for a moment, back arching at the pleasant sensations. Time to take the initiative again, he thought to himself, as he dug his fingers into the sensitive skin and rubbed it slowly. He buried his face in the younger's neck, nibbling and licking under a smirk as he noticed Ratchet's breath to become quicker.
Oh no, you won't win this one. Scooting further, he rubbed again his legs up Alister's while arching his back, knowing the allure it held to the elder.
Ratchet had been right about the attraction body contact exerted towards Azimuth. He had not expected, though, to be gently pushed down onto the desk's surface without the elder who took the shift of positions with pleasure. He laved over the younger's torso, trailing along the contours of his abdomen. Smaller hands laid themselves on top of his head, scratching the fur around his ears; a low purr left Azimuth, making him stop for a moment and take in the pleasant sensations. It did not stop him for long, though, and had him continue by placing gentle kisses along the muscles.
"Mmhh, that's nice." Ratchet twiddled with the tip of the right ear while stroking along the left's shell. Of course this position left him with no leverage or reach to touch anything else on Alister.
Okay, that wasn't true, he thought internally. His tail rose, slithering up Azimuth's torso.
A gasp left Alister at the strokes. Then, a smirk appeared on his lips as he nuzzled his head against Ratchet's chest, quite pleased by the treatment.
Ratchet pushed himself up on one arm, leaning forward with his torso so he could kiss his ear while he stilled his hand on the other.
"That's quite comfortable," the elder remarked jokingly and buried his face in the other's fur.
"Good." Ratchet grinned as unexpectedly, but not in any way unwanted, he compared the general to a big lazy cat sprawling over his lap. He refrained from making any comment of that nature or patting his head. Instead he began stroking the ear again while his tail, as if with a mind on his own, tried to reach for its counterpart.
Alister breathed out shakily, ears flicking repeatedly. Ratchet certainly was good with his hands, making him want to lean into his palms even though he was still wearing his gloves. He wondered how pleasant it would feel if he was not wearing them, but refrained from asking. Instead he clung to the other's tail and let them swing in a slow rhythm. Slowly he straightened up, burying his face in Ratchet's neck and lowly hummed a tune.
The vibrations shook through the muscles sharply, making the younger gasp and his tail go tense for a moment. His arm nearly gave in so he quickly moved his other arm around Alister's shoulder to keep himself upright.
"You're warm," the elder commented idly as he closed his eyes. One arm used to keep both of them upright, he put the other around Ratchet and held him close.
Ratchet rubbed their cheeks against each other. He rested his chin on the shoulder, winding his other arm around Alister. Nothing else for the moment. Just enjoying the contact - being close. Nothing to break the soothing silence, nothing to interrupt their little moment together; simply indulging in the little good things.
This was as much contentment as they could have in this hostile place.
"Ratchet?", reached the younger's ears. It was a low, almost cautious question, as if the elder was afraid that even a single word would break the moment apart. Just like that last time when they had found themselves in such a pleasant situation. Just like that last time when Azimuth had tried to say something, but had been kept from doing so by an unsuspecting robot. Yes, there were a lot of similarities between this and that instance - only that this time, there was nobody around to interrupt them and nobody here to break up the moment. This time, their situation, their opinions of each other, were different, made the idea appear safer than before.
Perhaps it was safe enough to say something for a change.
"Mmhh?"
"I… I like this." By Orvus, Azimuth's head felt like it was burning up. Fingers curled, his face became more and more hidden by the younger's fur. He couldn't believe that he had blurted that out, couldn't even begin describing the inner turmoil that still drove him mad.
But he had enough of keeping things to him at times. Enough of being so indecisive, and enough of giving room to misunderstandings on the same scale he had allowed to happen. He just had to keep going. Take the leap and forget about reservations and hesitations, even if only for a single moment.
That he dared to admit a situation like this was a big step in itself; admittedly small if given the scope by which Ratchet had acknowledged their situation, but still. Big. More than he would have admitted in a different moment. And he knew, even though he had stepped out of his position already, it would not take long before he would return there again.
He exhaled shakily. He had to say more, make clear that he entertained the idea of a relationship more than the younger would probably expect – but not too much. He couldn't let himself go too far, not with his mind still in such disarray, and not with his thoughts still trying to emulate what he felt deep down in his heart. He had to be cautious, not expose himself too much – but at the same time, he just had to let it out. Let Ratchet know that what had been left unspoken and implied was not a simple hunch. Not anymore.
"I like... the situation we are in right now," he continued quickly. "Despite all the things that have happened during the last week this is pleasant." A pause as he chuckled lowly. "Of course, it would have been nice if this hadn't happened under these circumstances, but what can you do? Perhaps it would have never happened if we had not ended up here."
A slow smile spread over Ratchet's face which didn't diminish its radiance or that of his eyes. Pushing the elder a bit away so that he could lean against his body, he tilted his head up so that his chin rested on Alister's chest. Then he beamed openly at him.
"I've been wishing for a while now that you say that." He pushed all gratitude, all affection, all love he held for the elder into these words. Admitting this had to have cost the elder a lot – pride, willpower and courage. He inclined his head to the side, eyes dropping a bit.
"You're right. It seems strange we've come together like this but right now, I can't think of a better outcome." He laid his cheek against the fur. His ear twitched as he listened to the accelerated but steady heartbeat.
Arms encircled Ratchet and pulled him closer while trying not to bring him dangerously near the edge. "At least one positive aspect of this unfortunate turn of events, hm?", he jokingly said, voice still a little shaky from completely grasping what he had said out loud.
When he heard the tremor, Ratchet began massaging his lower back in an effort to subtly calm him down. At this a low purr left the elder. "You're quite good at this," he remarked, ears folding. He relaxed more and more until he was completely calm again.
"No idea where it comes from. You're the first person ever I'm trying on this." He grinned jokingly. "So I'm going along here blindly – both literally and metaphorically."
A chuckle from the elder. "You are terrible," he joked before he kissed Ratchet on the forehead and lingered in that position for a while. It was quite odd to see, feel the younger without his head protection; but by no means was it unpleasant. In fact, the fur was quite soft and fine. For a while they remained in this position until he spoke again. "You know," he mumbled into the fur, "I think this is the first time we could actually talk out something like… this without any interruptions."
"Mmh." No more words left Ratchet. Instead he held the elder close, fingers rustling through the fur. Tails intertwined, eyes fell shut – and all that was left to do was to simply enjoy the moment.