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Clank was in the kitchen of the garage, making a small breakfast while Ratchet continued to sleep in (as usual). He used a tall stool so that he could reach the stove as he was flipping pancakes and eggs. Of course, it’s only for Ratchet once he wakes up, since Clank can’t eat at all due to being a robot.
Clank carefully placed the last pancakes onto the plate as he heard Ratchet finally emerged from his bedroom. The Lombax yawned loudly as he stretched his arms out, even scratching the back of his head as he saw Clank with the freshly made breakfast in front of him. “Hey, Tin Can.” Ratchet yawned. To Clank’s surprise, Ratchet’s voice sounded hoarse, more than it normally was whenever he just woke up. He also noticed that he looked exhausted, like he didn’t sleep much despite sleeping in.
Ratchet noticed the small breakfast the small robot had. “What’s all this?”
Clank placed the plate of breakfast on the table. “I figured you could use a good meal after sleeping in for so long.”
Ratchet stared at him. “Come on. I couldn’t have overslept THAT long.”
“It is 1:25 PM, Ratchet.”
“Alight, alight, whatever.” Ratchet coughed a bit as he sat down at the table where the food laid, before grabbing a fork and chowing down on the pancakes. “Thanks anyway, pal.”
Clank didn’t register Ratchet’s gratitude as he was more focused on the Lombax's scratchy voice. He was still concerned that something was wrong. About a minute passed before Clank finally asks. “Ratchet, are you feeling alright?”
Ratchet looked back at the small robot confused for a minute, until he realized what he was talking about. “Uh, yeah. Throat’s just itchy, don’t worry about it, pal.” Ratchet cleared his throat as he answered. Clank hasn't known Ratchet for that long, it’s only been a month since he moved into the his garage after all. But from that short time he’s been with Ratchet, Clank knows one thing for sure: Ratchet was stubborn. And he didn’t need to hear the uncertainty in his voice to know that he was lying.
Ratchet went right back to consuming his breakfast, clearly avoiding Clank’s gaze. Clank watched him silently for a bit before he got up onto the table and made his way to him, and the teen was so focused eating he didn’t notice Clank until he felt the robot’s small hand gently pressing against his bare forehead. Startled, he leaned his head back from Clank’s hand.
“You are burning up.” Clank said worriedly. He retracted his hand before continuing. “Ratchet, if you are feeling unwell-”
“I’m fine, Clank!” Ratchet interrupted, more sharply than he probably intended. “Seriously, it’s probably just a small cold or something. It’s not like it’s the first time I’ve had those.”
Clank said nothing in response but Ratchet noticed that he still kept his worried expression. Ratchet signed and scratched the back of his head as he continued speaking. “Look, it’s nothing to worry about, pal. Trust me.”
Clank kept his worried expression but he knew right now it was hopeless, Ratchet was being far too stubborn to cooperate. It’s clear he’s not gonna listen. So for now, the robot decides to let it go. For now.
“Very well.”
——
Clank was rummaging through the bookshelf that was located right next to Ratchet’s futon, as the lombax was busy trying to upgrade his ship just outside the garage. There really weren't many books here, except for a few construction manuals for ships and… knitting? Clank never saw Ratchet as someone that knitted.
He might ask Ratchet to buy some other books someday. But for the time being he can settle with reading a couple manuals, perhaps some new knowledge could be useful in the future. Reading through an entire cook book certainly paid off, didn’t it?
Clank grabbed one of the books, walked out of the room and made his way to his recliner. The garage door was open so Clank could see Ratchet continuing to enhance the ship as he walked past.
Since breakfast, Clank has been keeping a close eye on the teenager. While he did respect that Ratchet didn’t want to get checked out by a doctor, he hopes that Ratchet will at least take it easy so that he doesn’t worsen whatever possible sickness he might have, even if he doesn’t think it’s a big deal.
Clank climbed up the recliner and began reading his book, still listening to Ratchet work as he does so. It’s been a while for the two to have a more relaxed day in the garage. After they defeated Drek, they participated in a lot of parades, press conferences and interviews across the Solana galaxy. As much as they enjoyed themselves during those events, it was admittedly nice to have a day off from them.
It was only about 30 minutes later when Clank’s reading was interrupted by a loud thump outside. Startled, Clank’s gaze left his book and looked around to where the noise came from. It came from Ratchet’s direction.
“Ratchet, are you al-” Clank’s voice went to a complete halt when he saw that his furried friend had collapsed, his omniwrench completely flat on the ground as well. Clank’s eyes widened as he got up and ran to his unconscious friend.
“RATCHET!”
Once he was at Ratchet’s side, he rolled him onto his back and checked his pulse. Still breathing. Good. Clank let out a quick sigh of relief but immediately started checking for any possible injuries. While he found no wounds on the lombax’s body, he noticed his face was more flushed than before.
Clank knew it. Ratchet was sick…
Wasting no time, Clank grabbed a hold of Ratchet’s harness from behind and lifted him upright as best as he could before dragging him inside the garage. Their height difference made it an immense struggle but Clank couldn’t help his friend in the intense heat from the desert planet they resided in.
Once he finally made it inside, Clank gently lowered Ratchet’s upper body down on the floor and immediately scanned his temperature. He wished he did it before now as well.
102.2°F and 39°C.
Clank let out an exhausted sigh as he thought about what he should do. Clank has never taken care of a sick person before, especially when they're close to a high fever. All he can really do is use some basic knowledge he does have to lower his friend’s fever. So that’s what he does.
Clank knew that he couldn’t leave Ratchet on the floor but he was way too small to successfully pick him up to put him on his futon. So instead, Clank made his way to Ratchet’s small living space, where his futon was, and dragged the cushion off the frame.
Once he made it back to Ratchet’s side, he lifted him upright again and dragged him onto the futon, placing a soft pillow below his head right after. Once he was placed onto the cushion, Now he had to cool him down.
Clank began removing his leather cap, exposing short tuffs of fur on Ratchet’s head, before taking his harness off as well. The bot then removed his gloves. Most robots don’t have many sensors in physical touch but even Clank could feel just how clammy Ratchet’s hands were through his greasy fur.
Once Clank put everything aside, he made his way to a small pantry in the kitchenette picking up a clean cloth before going back to the stool that he used to reach the stove earlier. He pushed the stool towards the sink and climbed it with the cloth in hand. Once he was able to reach the sink he turned the water on, soaking the cloth in cold water.
Clank was thankful that despite being a defect, he was at the very least waterproof. He then used his heli-pack to glide down from the stool and went back to Ratchet, placing the wet cloth onto his forehead as soon as he was at his side. As soon as the wet cloth made contact with his head, Ratchet stirred.
Clank’s optics widened in relief as he saw his friend’s own eyes open slightly, however his concern was still present. Ratchet’s eyes were unfocused and hazy as they traced around his surroundings.
“Whuh, what’s… where…?” Ratchet rasped, chest heaving slightly. He attempted to lift himself upright, despite his arms trembling while they tried supporting his weight. Clank set aside the wet cloth next to Ratchet as he held onto his shoulder, preventing him from getting up and made him lie back down. “It is alright, Ratchet;” Clank reassured the delirious teen.
“C-Clank…?”
“It is good to see you awake. I was worried for a while.” Clank smiled lightly as he spoke as comfortingly as possible. “How are you feeling?”
Ratchet was quiet, almost as if he was contemplating his answer, before speaking. “Like crap…” he muttered weakly.
Clank was relieved that Ratchet was being honest this time, but it also made his heart sink a bit. His fever must’ve been extremely spiked. Clank thought about this morning, when he first noticed how unwell Ratchet was. Looking back, he wished he tried harder on getting Ratchet to rest sooner other than letting him upgrade his ship. Perhaps then his fever would not have gotten this bad.
But… he shouldn’t be thinking about what he should’ve done before when he can write his wrong now. Clank’s thought process was interrupted when Ratchet went into a coughing fit, rolling onto his side and facing away from Clank.
Clank placed his hand on his shoulder comforting until Ratchet’s coughing died down. Once it did, he let out a quiet sigh while laying on the futon, tail lazily whipping back and forth. Clank noted that his tail would usually do that whenever he was agitated. He also noticed him shivering slightly despite his high temperature.
“Just rest right now. I can get you a cover, I will be right back.” Before Ratchet could abject, Clank went back to where his blankets were as he stayed on the futon.
Ratchet didn’t have the energy to do much, so he just let himself relax onto the cushion beneath him. Once Clank returned with a light blanket, Ratchet was already asleep. He gently pulled the cover over his sleeping friend, and picked the cloth back up to place it back on his head.
“Oh Ratchet… what am I going to do with you?”
——
Clank usually loves peace and quiet, but he wasn’t used to this. He wasn’t used to Ratchet, who usually has no problem running his mouth no matter what, being so quiet, and sleeping most of the time. Any rare moments when he was awake and somewhat lucid was only when he had to go use the restroom… or vomit.
This has lasted for several hours. Clank tried to get him to eat something whenever he was temporarily awake, only for the feverish alien to stubbornly refuse. The final time Clank attempted to get him to eat some soup he cooked up, Ratchet's response was to literally let out a low growl as he was wrapped up in his blanket.
Clank did find the view a bit humorous, seeing his friend try to look as threatening as possible despite being wrapped like a burrito, but knew better than to overstep Ratchet’s boundaries when he did that. The last time he saw him growl like that was all the way back in the factory, after learning of Drek's plan to destroy Veldin.
The last thing he wanted was possibly losing a hand trying to feed soup to an aggressive Lombax. Really, the only reason Clank hasn’t just called a doctor to just put an IV on him is because at the very least, he was cooperative with drinking water.
Now it was late at night, 10:11 PM to be exact, and Ratchet was once again sleeping like a log. Clank was sitting at the edge of the futon, watching a bit of TV (with the volume low to not wake Ratchet), not leaving Ratchet’s side since falling back asleep.
What soon took his focus away from the TV after a while was hearing a soft whimper beside him. He turned his head to see Ratchet curled up sleeping, but as peacefully as he was before. He was jerking uncontrollably. And even though Clank can barely see his face, since it was lightly covered by his hand, he can tell he was grimacing as well. It took Clank less than a second to realize what was happening: he was having a nightmare.
The small warbot never expected Ratchet, of all people, to be riddled with nightmares. Clank turned down the TV’s volume all the way before he reached his hand towards Ratchet, only halting slightly when he saw his claws unsheathed above his head.
Clank’s optics lowered in sympathy when he saw Ratchet gripping his head with his claws slightly and decided to take action before he accidentally drew blood. “Ratchet, can you hear me?” Clank spoke softly as he gently grabbed the lombax’s hand and moved it from his face, still not liking the fact that his temperature was still higher than normal. Ratchet didn’t respond.
Without thinking much about it, Clank used his free hand to stroke between Ratchet’s ears while still holding onto his fuzzy hand with the other. “It is alright, Ratchet… You are safe;” Clank spoke as softly as he could. This lasted for a minute until Ratchet eventually unclenched his muscles, and finally sheathed his claws. Even his breathing was becoming more calm and even. Clank smiled warmly once he saw that Ratchet was responding to him, even if it was in his sleep. “You are safe.”
Suddenly, Clank heard what he could detect was low-frequency sounds. He froze completely once he realized that the sound was coming from Ratchet. Clank could not believe it; Ratchet was purring.
Clank had to hold back his signature chuckle as he listened to his purring and took solace in the fact that he successfully coaxed Ratchet back to his peaceful sleep. He never knew Ratchet could do this. But then again, he knows almost nothing about Ratchet’s species and sometimes he doesn’t think Ratchet knows anything about it either.
Satisfied, he retracted his hands… only to realize that Ratchet was now gripping one of them, preventing him from leaving. Clank could tell that Ratchet was still asleep though since his purring hadn’t stopped once.
Seeing that he had no way to escape without accidentally waking up Ratchet, Clank gently sat down against his side, feeling the vibration caused by his purring. He shouldn’t. He REALLY shouldn’t do it. But he couldn’t miss such an opportunity. He began audio recording with a sly smile. He will definitely save this in his database.
—-
Ratchet slowly awoke with a throbbing headache, feeling like he'd been run over by a massive hoverbike. Without lifting his head from the pillow he looked around his surroundings to see where he was, only briefly noticing that he was lying on the floor, with the futon and pillow being his only cushion. How long had he been here?
And where was Clank?
He attempted to sit up (despite his body feeling so stiff), but stopped once he felt a slight weight on his side. He looked to see that Clank was actually lying right on his side, seemingly fallen asleep. Or… entered sleep mode? Honestly, Ratchet didn’t know.
He tapped the small robot’s head until he saw his optics open. “Hey pal, what’cha doing over here?” Ratchet asked.
Clank sat up himself stretched his arms before he spoke. “Hello, Ratchet. I must’ve dozed off.”
Despite his headache, Ratchet tried to think about what happened previously as all he fully remembered was upgrading his ship before apparently waking up here. Everything else was incredibly fuzzy. “How long have I been lying here?”
“Since 3:43 PM… yesterday.”
Ratchet’s eyebrows rose slightly. “Wait, what?”
“When you were upgrading the ship, you passed out and I had to bring you here. Of course, I am too small to simply lift you up, I had to drag your futon here so you wouldn’t be on the uncomfortable floor. You have been here for approximately 22 hours and 30 minutes. And that is not including the times I had to assist you to reach the restroom.”
It took Ratchet a minute to register the information he was given and he groaned. “No wonder I feel so stiff…”
Clank giggled at that, happy that Ratchet is feeling better enough to be making jokes. Of course he could tell that his fever was still present (judging by his high temperature) but at least he was more lucid than he was yesterday. Clank knew that meant he was in fact recovering.
Before Clank could say anything, he heard Ratchet’s stomach growling. He almost forgot that he hasn’t eaten! “Oh! I still have the leftover soup, that is if you are interested in eating it this time?”
Ratchet didn’t say anything, but he did nod slightly. Clank immediately went back to the kitchen area and to where the stove was. He climbed back up the stool (he never bothered putting it back) and turned on the stove, where a small pot was. Ratchet assumed that was the leftover soup.
“When did you make that?” Ratchet asked. Usually he would be aware when Clank cooked up something.
Clank started stirring the soup as he answered. “I actually prepared it yesterday. Do you not remember?”
Ratchet shook his head.
Clank sighed while looking back at the stove. “I figured. You appeared to be extremely disoriented during that time, I tried to give you this beforehand but you refused to eat any of it.”
Ratchet didn’t say anything. He was surprised Clank went out of his way to take care of him when he was physically unable to himself. And judging by the fact he found him literally sleeping by his side, Ratchet could assume that Clank didn’t leave his side once either. He… didn’t know how to feel about that.
After a while of silence Ratchet finally spoke again. “…Thanks, Clank.”
Clank’s optics widened in surprise when he heard that, and he turned back to Ratchet to see his gaze to the floor as he stayed seated on the futon, ears drooping down slightly as well. “For what?” Clank asked.
Ratchet was hesitant before he spoke again. “Just… for being here... I’m not used to having someone look out for me like you’ve been.” He paused for a minute before continuing. “I mean- I've been on my own for years, ever since I found this place. I always looked out for myself for so long, so I never really thought about needing someone else, y’know?”
Clank’s optics started showing a bit of sympathy when he said that. He was frankly surprised that Ratchet would open up about something like that. Throughout the entire month Clank has known him, Ratchet was never the best at speaking about his emotions, let alone processing them well.
To be honest, Ratchet being this open was refreshing for the bot to see. Even for a little bit.
Clank smiled warmly at his friend. “You do not need to thank me, Ratchet. I understand that you are used to handling everything on your own. It takes an enormous amount of strength to look out for yourself, especially for someone your age.”
Ratchet couldn’t help but to jokingly scoff. “I’m not THAT young, I’m only 15.”
Clank giggled. “My point still stands. But I am serious when I tell you that you do not have to carry any burdens you may have on your own.” ‘Especially when you are ill.’ Clank decided not to add.
Ratchet ears finally perked up slightly and he gave a smile to the bot. “Thanks, pal.” He said genuinely. He was silent for a moment before he looked at where the pot was. “Is that soup done yet? I’m starving.”
“It is done, I’ll get you a bowl.” Clank said as he turned off the stove and climbed down to reach for the cabinet.
As he finished preparing the soup, Clank couldn’t help but smile when he heard Ratchet’s tail wagging slightly as he waited with what Clank assumed to be a bit of enthusiasm.
Yeah. Reading through that cook book absolutely paid off.