This chapter contains smiles and fluffiness. Enjoy.
Fifty Shades of Gold - Chapter 3
Clank swung his legs in a parallel motion in front of him, eyes trained on the sky above. The sun was low on the horizon, casting deep hues of purple and orange across the desert-like landscape. It was peaceful. Perhaps a little too peaceful. Clank peered down at his feet.
Ratchet had been gone for several hours, supposedly shopping for new furniture in Meridian City. The robot's leg swinging stopped, and he let out a sad sign.
"Where is he?". He said to no one in particular. Another sad sign. Clank hated being alone.
"Now entering the Cerulean sector". Aphelion replied suddenly, causing Ratchet to jump in his seat and almost hit his head...again. Ratchet muttered a simple "Thanks Aphelion". before focusing once more on the controls. The hustle and bustle of Meridian City was a enough to last a lifetime and all the lombax wanted to do was close his eyes and fall asleep.
Ratchet yawned, accidentally glancing at the seat beside him. He felt a stab of loneliness pang his heart at its emptiness.
What's wrong with me, its not like he's gone forever or anything.
Ratchet peered at the darkness of space in front of him, his eyes slightly dimmed. Then why do I feel this way?
Fastoon drifted into his line of vision and he smiled a bit, gripping the wheel in prepare to land. Aphelion cut smoothly through the atmosphere, touching down on the sands of the desert-like planet. "Finally". Ratchet said with a breath, cutting Aphelion's engine and opening her cockpit. He inhaled the warm air. "Mmm, freedom at last". The lombax stretched out his limbs and turned his head.
Clank was sitting on a crate just outside the house with his hands in his lap. His head was down so Ratchet was unable to see his face, but it was obvious he hadn't heard the lombax return. Was he waiting here for me the entire time? Ratchet put a hand behind his head and began to awkwardly scratch at his left ear. "Um, hey pal".
Clank looked up, the sadness on his face quickly fading, and a somewhat overly cheerful smile replacing it."Ratchet". The robot hopped off the crate and hurried over to his furry friend, stopping a foot away. "Di-did you get everything we needed?". Clank's voice sounded a bit off to Ratchet.
"Yeah, and a little extra also". He replied back, giving an innocent wink in his friend's direction.
A familiar flash of color made its way to Clank's face. "Oh, th-that's good". Clank twiddled his fingers.
Okay, something wasn't right. Why was Clank stuttering, he never stuttered. Not only that but he was blushing, something Ratchet never seen him do. Did he get damaged somehow when they were adventuring? What was going on with his best friend?
"Clank, is there something you need to tell me?".
The small robot seemed surprised at the question, blushing even more. "N-no Ratchet, everything is fine".
Ratchet narrowed his eyes a bit. "Well, ok then". He then began walking towards the house, taking a quick glance back to see Clank quickly following behind. I'm sure he'll tell me about it eventually.
"Hey Clank, can you hand me that screwdriver?". The question was answered with a small white hand placing the appropriate tool in Ratchet's gloved palm. "Thanks, pal". Ratchet used the tool to screw in the last bolt and stood back, admiring his handiwork.
"Finally, now all we have to do is pray it doesn't collapse once I put a holovision on top of it".
Clank eyed the holovision stand up and down, it actually appeared pretty sturdy but… He looked at the large object that was supposed to go on top, which Ratchet had just started to lift off the ground, and suddenly he wasn't so sure. "Um, Ratchet".
The golden lombax grinned at him.
"Don't worry, I've got it all under control. This thing is nothing compared to what I usually carry around". Unfortunately after that had been said, Ratchet began to wobble to the side.
A look of alarm crossed Clank's face as his friend moved forward, trying to balance the heavy load. Ratchet stopped in front of the stand, a proud look on his face."Now, for the piece de resistance". With one last step forward-
"RATCHET, LOOK OUT!" The warning came a second too late as Ratchet's foot caught on the screwdriver that had been lying on the floor, causing him to fall backwards, holovision and all.
Clank was quick to act, immediately sprinting to his best friend's side. "Ratchet are you ok, please say something!"
Large ears twitched and a small groan sounded, followed by a voice. "Ow…".
The robot gave a sigh of relief and watched as his friend moved the holovision off himself and sat up. "You should be more careful next time Ratchet, you could have really hurt yourself".
Ratchet responded with a small smile. "Hopefully I'll remember to follow that advice".
Clank was still a little mad at his friend's carelessness but he couldn't help but smile back at him.
"Now, before I forget.." Ratchet began to scan the floor closely.
"Um, what are you doing?".
The lombax didn't answer, he then began moving towards the newly purchased couch. He suddenly bent over, seeming to pick something off the ground. "Think you could get away from me huh". Ratchet stood back up and brandished what appeared to be a screwdriver in his right hand.
Clank playfully rolled his eyes as he watched Ratchet wordlessly berate the small tool then nonchalantly toss it in the toolbox near the staircase. "He won't be causing anymore trouble for us anymore". Clank let a small giggle escape, but the giggle almost instantly ceased as Ratchet began walking back over to the holovision.
"I'm not dropping you a second time". Ratchet said and wrapped his hands around the large object once again and began to carefully lift it up. To Clank's surprise, Ratchet seemed to take his advice. Slowly moving forward, he approached the stand...and placed it perfectly on top.
The lombax wiped a gloved hand across his forehead. "Whew, that was intense. I think we should call it a night for now".
As if to empathize this, Ratchet strode over to the couch and collapsed onto its surface. "Man, this couch feels like heaven" He said, his voice muffled by the upholstery.
Clank giggled again, much louder this time. The giggling reached Ratchet's ears and he rolled onto his side. "Ya know, its been quite awhile since I'd heard you laugh like that Clank. Its..nice". A light pink hue appeared over Clank's face and he half looked away.
"Oh, come on. You don't need to act all embarrassed. Look since the bedrooms are still under construction, how about we share the couch tonight".
Clank's gaze drifted back over to his friend. "Are you sure you will not mind?"
Ratchet smiled and gestured him over. "Of course I don't. Besides, there's more than enough room for both of us".
"If you say so". Clank strode towards the couch, taking a seat on the side opposite of his friend. Surprisingly the couch felt much more comfortable than he thought. He moaned a bit as he leaned back against it.
"See, I told you it felt like heaven". There was movement from beside him and Clank opened his eyes to see his friend get up. Clank was about to ask where he was going but remained quiet when he realized what Ratchet was doing. "Hopefully we can get some proper lighting in here soon". The lombax said as turned off the switch to the electric lantern, the light in the kitchen disappearing. "It would feel more like home that way".
Home. Clank didn't know why but the word made him very happy. Was it because it had been awhile since anywhere had actually felt like that? Sure at the Great Clock he had felt a sense of belonging but even so he couldn't really call it a home. It was only an important facility to him.
"Hey".
Clank snapped out of his thoughts, his attention now focusing on Ratchet who was near the living room window.
"Do you mind me turning this off, I mean I know you're not really a big fan of the dark and all. I wouldn't want you to get scared". Clank hesitated, not sure how to answer.
"Well, I guess I'll leave it on th-".
"Wait, you can turn it off. I don't mind"
Ratchet raised an eyebrow at his companion. "Are you sure?".
"Y-yes, I'm sure". Even though Clank had said this he wasn't too keen on his answer. In truth Clank really did mind about being in the dark and Ratchet was right about his fear. But even so, Clank didn't want to burden his friend with it. He had to tough it out.
"Alright". And with that the light flicked off.
As soon as the light disappeared Clank immediately regretted his decision. His vision didn't waste its time picking out outlined images in the dark and Clank knew that if he stared at them long enough they would soon morph into something frightening. It was terrifying what his imagination could do. Taking a breath, Clank settled onto his side and closed his eyes. All he needed to do was relax and go to sleep. It couldn't be that hard, right? Not even a minute passed when Clank suddenly felt a presence above him. The small robot closed his eyes tighter. Please stop. He quietly begged. Clank began counting.
1, 2, 3-
Before Clank could get to four he felt something brush against him, and a scream of terror erupted from his mouth. He then heard what sounded like a surprised shout, followed by a body hitting the floor. After that, silence...for about ten seconds. A noise similar to groaning filled the room. Whatever it was sounded like it was in pain.
Did I injure it? Clank thought, still somewhat terrified. The robot opened his eyes a bit, only to let out another scream as something moved in front of him. Clank whimpered, his hands over his eyes. I am a goner.
He heard a clicking sound, a rush of footsteps then a familiar voice. "Clank". Soft furred hands touched his, bringing them down away from his eyes. "Clank, you can open your eyes. Nothing's going to hurt you". The hands moved and he felt one rub the side of his face in a soothing manner.
Slowly Clank opened his eyes, the worried face of his friend greeting him. "Ratchet?". He asked, just to make sure.
"It's me, Clank". Ratchet answered, his mouth forming into a comforting smile. "Ya know, If you woulda let me keep the light on we probably could have avoided this".
Clank glanced downward. "I am sorry…".
Ratchet removed his hand. "You don't need to apologize, it's not your fault you're scared".
Clank looked up into his friend's emerald eyes. "Then who's fault is it?".
A look of confusion crossed the lombaxes features. "I don't know, the dark maybe?". Ratchet shook his head. "You know what, it doesn't matter. The only thing that matters is that you're safe".
Clank rubbed a hand over his eyes. "Thank you, Ratchet".
The lombax grinned in response, his expression almost instantly changing as he remembered something. "Oh right, I totally forgot. Before you scared me with that scream of yours and caused me to fall off the couch, I was kinda going to give you something".
Clank cocked his head to the side. "What is it?".
Ratchet stood up straight and ran over to his side of the couch, picking up his gloves. "Its not much but..".
Clank's eyes glowed a bit brighter as Ratchet pulled out what appeared to be a white blanket. Ratchet smiled at his partner's reaction and handed it to him. "I saw it while browsing for furniture. Its supposedly made out of some new sort of material that's much softer. I didn't really read the packaging". Clank held the white material in his hands. Ratchet was right about it being much softer. Even the blankets that he used to sleep with in their old apartment couldn't compare. Just looking at it made him feel sleepy. He yawned.
Ratchet let out a short laugh. "I'm not surprised that you're tired Clank. Actually, I'm pretty tired too. Let's call it a night, for real this time". Ratchet walked over to the lit lantern in the kitchen, dimming it. He then lay back down on his side of the couch. "Goodnight, Clank"
Clank yawned again as he wrapped the warm blanket around himself. He turned onto his side, pressing himself against the side of the couch. "Goodnight, Ratchet". The small robot said before closing his eyes and quickly drifting off to sleep.
I think this is the longest chapter I've done so far. If you enjoyed this chapter (or totally despised it) please leave me a review about what you thought.
Ratchet and Clank, along with the other canon characters in their universe, belong to Insomniac Games.