You Make Me Feel Alive

Day 3 - Loyalty

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.

If there's one thing that stands out about Ratchet, it's about how loyal he is to the people he loves, and honestly, I think that's my favorite thing about him.

You Make Me Feel Alive

Day 3: Loyalty

His eyes burned.

It wasn't just a warmth around his eyelids. It was a scalding heat, a pain that seared his eyes and needled his pupils. Weight pulled his eyelids, and it took all the strength he had in his body to keep them open.

He couldn't stop. Not now. Not when he had another lead.

Aphelion pulled into the Apogee Space Station Hanger, thrusters dying away as the hanger doors closed and gravity returned to the enormous room. Ratchet leapt out of the starship before Aphelion was finished with the landing procedures, feet hitting the floor and legs already moving before Aphelion could even register his disappearance.

He needed more info, and Tal was the only one with the computers strong enough to find what he was looking for.

Rooms blurred together. Air swept into his scarred lungs, consuming more of his waning strength. It was an effort to move his legs, and walking at the pace he had set felt like someone was emptying a Combuster against his calves.

He couldn't give up. Not with a lead.

"Ratchet?! Ratchet!"

He pushed on, ignoring Talwyn's calls. Where had she even come from...?

Suddenly, she was in front of him, blocking his way down the hallway (he had left the hanger already?). Her hand pressed hard against his chest, and everything about her stood firmly rooted in place.

"Ratchet," Talwyn began. "Stop. Right now."

"I'm not gunna stop, Tal." Ratchet reached up a hand, wrapping his shaking fingers around her wrist. "Move. I gotta get to the records room. Some of the creatures on planet Rena mentioned something about the Zoni as reality-benders that used to live in the Thros sector, and I need to fact-check it before I go out again-"

Her other hand smacked his hand off hers, and anger lit up her eyes.

Ratchet had never seen her this mad before.

"No, you're not going back out tonight. You need to rest." Tears formed at the corners of her eyes, adding emphasis to her anger. "You haven't slept in five days, eaten in at least one, and I don't remember the last time you drank any water. You walk like you're on autopilot, and if you don't take even a night to rest, you're going to end up killing yourself."

His eyes grew heavier, sleep pulling him into a lovely doze...

Ratchet shook his head violently. He sucked in air and righted himself, glaring at Talwyn. "Tal, I don't want to be mean or rough, so I'm going to say this one more time. Please. Move."

"No, Ratchet." A tear ran down her cheek, though her eyes stayed narrowed on the Lombax across from her. "I know how important Clank is to you. I would do the same if it was Cronk or Zephyr. But you're running yourself into the ground, and if you don't rest soon, you're not going to be able to look for Clank."

"I don't care!" Ratchet snapped. He wrenched her hand away, stepping around her. "I'm not going to just let Clank stay wherever he is!"

Talwyn's voice screamed out behind him. "Then what are you going to do, genius?! Keep pushing on until you drop dead from exhaustion?!"