You Make Me Feel Alive

Day 2 - Found Family

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

When will I stop writing characters stepping away from a party to look back in on the people they love most? Never. The answer is never.

You Make Me Feel Alive

Day 2: Found Family

The murmur of starships filled the night's atmosphere, matching well with the balcony's soft lights. A few stars, most hidden away from light pollution, dotted the midnight sky. Some of Qwark's potted plants wrapped around the balcony's support beams, leaves spread over the crafted marble.

Ratchet smiled, thumbing the cup of punch in his right hand.

Behind him, the party Qwark was throwing in honor of something Ratchet couldn't care less about was in full swing. Roars of joy bled through the closed sliding glass door, lasting a moment before leveling back down to a happy murmur.

Out here, the noises of starships and the party were low enough to be bearable.

Sipping from his cup, Ratchet looked out at the colorful skyscrapers Meridian City had on display. Qwark's apartment lived in the heart of the nightlife district, which meant the skyscrapers bloomed with neon colors once night settled over that side of the planet. Rainbows of colors flashed up buildings like waves, promising riches and thrills to all observers.

Ratchet knew from experience that most of those promises were fake, but he wasn't one to get mad at it.

A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. His eyes roamed over a glowing bowling alley and settled on the casino next to it, admiring the bright colors cartwheeling over the side of the building. He lowered his cup, stepping close to the balcony's railing, and leaned against the metal rail.

It was all wonderful. The displays were monuments to technological showbiz, catching attention in the most precise way possible. Ratchet knew the designers had done their homework; everything had been calculated down to the pixel. Every single light was meant to hook a viewer in and keep them from looking away without overwhelming them, dazzling them with the promise of something exciting beneath the surface.

A soft chuckle left the Lombax as he shook his head, turning away from the billion-bolt light show.

He looked back inside to the party-goers, looking in on the golden glow of the well-lit living room.

Qwark was in the middle of whirling Talwyn around, overdramatically tangoing with the poor Markazian. Clank was in a giggling fit, something Ratchet could sort of hear through the glass door, and the robot kept his arms tight around him as he laughed. Even though there were other creatures at the party, surrounding the three in a half-circle, Ratchet could only see Clank, Talwyn, and Qwark.

Warmth, so filling and soft, spread from his heart throughout his body.

Shock bloomed on Talwyn's pretty face as Qwark dipped her down, one side of his body outstretched and the other wrapped around the Markazian to keep her from falling to the floor. Qwark's mouth moved, something relating to him being the designated "Solana's Tango Dancer Extraordinaire" from what Ratchet could catch.

Talwyn's face stayed shocked, then with a roll of her eyes, she nodded her head towards Ratchet.

Qwark looked to where Talwyn had nodded, and Ratchet lifted his punch cup to the two in acknowledgment. Qwark looked back at Talwyn, a touch of confusion on his face, and murmured something to her. Talwyn laughed, then said something back.

Ratchet choked back a laugh as a grumpy expression marred the other superhero's face.

Qwark sighed, so dramatically that Ratchet could practically hear it perfectly without his trained hearing, and righted both him and Talwyn up. The hero's blue eyes rolled with annoyance, then landed on Clank, who was still giggling like a child.

Ratchet smirked, and the Lombax knew what was coming next.

An evil grin spread across Qwark's face, and in a moment, he scooped up Clank and Talwyn. Both the tiny robot and Markazian yelped in surprise, and a booming laugh from Qwark echoed out through the door.

"Oh yeah," Ratchet murmured softly, watching as Qwark positioned them to sit on his biceps. He switched his cup to his left hand, tapping the gold ring around his ring finger against the plastic. "You guys forgot about the fact that the big guy's always got a back-up plan..."

Talwyn and Clank hung onto Qwark as the large man whirled around, dancing with both of them on his arms. Laughter exploded from the other party-goers at the ridiculous sight, and soon, Clank and Talwyn joined in on the dumb fun.

His wife, two of his best friends in the entire universe, a smile on all of their faces...

It was perfect. The sight filled him with love and happiness more than any promise of cheap thrills could, and none of the people he considered his family needed the bright colors to catch his eye. They were already enough: his family.

Qwark turned, and all three of them looked to Ratchet, waving to the Lombax as Qwark continued to dance.

Ratchet couldn't stop smiling, and he couldn't look away even if he tried.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Song Inspo: "Don't Worry, Be Happy" by Guy Sebastian.

Shorter one for today, but I'm trying to write without beating myself up for not making it super perfect. I had a ton of fun with this prompt, and I was super inspired by assassy-art's piece for this day. HHH, Ratchet with the people he loves... it fills me with such happiness... ;-;

Thank you so much for reading and supporting! :D