A short and sweet ending to a long and hectic journey...

⊱ ────── {⋅. ✯ .⋅} ────── ⊰

Ratchet surprisingly agreed to help Clank with his request.

The only problem was that they had to hide their work, making progress in little intervals in Ratchet's room at night. Not to mention how hard it was to "smuggle" parts into his room as well.

All things considered, it was taking a ridiculous amount of time, but Ratchet can only keep the husk of a robot Lombax in his closet for so long...

...

But still...life went on.

⊱ ────── {⋅. ✯ .⋅} ────── ⊰

[Clank]

Ratchet and Clank were both sitting in Ratchet's room, their "project" on the floor...

"The hoverboarding competition starts the day after tomorrow, and you don't even know how to balance right!" Ratchet sighed in exasperation, "You're toast."

"Well, I didn't even sign myself up. It was Oliver who did so. Therefore, it is not my fault."

"Yeah, but you have to race for me!" Ratchet whined, gesturing to his face. His wounded eye was now bandaged up, after successfully getting the surgery done to replace it with a prosthetic. Because of that, he could not race yet.

So now he is getting Clank to do it for him. Or maybe he just wanted to see him do it for entertainment purposes...

Clank would never know.

Ratchet groaned, "But you're a robot! You should be able to do this with no problem."

"And yet I have my flaws." Clank sighed, "There are downsides to being made so lifelike."

Ratchet just rolled his visible eye, "Whatever you say, Pal. At least make it past the first round."

"I shall make no promises." Clank closed up a hatch on a metal arm, satisfied with his work, "Besides, we-"

Ratchet's holo phone pinged, and he picked it up from his bed. He smiled, "It's Oliver."

"What did he say?"

"He asked if we are ready to lose at the race." he glared at his phone, typing back, "Ha! In his dreams..." Ratchet then set his phone back down, gaze going back to his friend, "What were you saying, Clank?"

The silver Lombax smiled softly, leaning back as he looked over his work so far,

"It appears we can finally close up the book now," he said,

...

"My work is complete."

⊱ ────── {⋅. ✯ .⋅} ────── ⊰

[Oliver]

"Those two have been acting weird lately...again."

Oliver sighed as he put his phone down next to him, looking over at his older brother. Arthur just stared at the TV screen in boredom, waiting for Oliver to pick up his remote so they could resume,

"Everyone always says that." Arthur drawled, "Nothing new. What, do you think they are coming up with some plan to beat you in the hoverboard competition?"

"No! Well...maybe? Oh, I don't know! Clank can't balance well at all but with Ratchet teaching him...agh, I should be practicing myself."

"Relax. It's all just some friendly competition." Arthur said, "Either way, it'll be fun to watch."

"Easy for you to say!"

Arthur laughed when the boy elbowed him roughly in the side, doing the same right back and receiving a hiss of pain in return.

"Alight! Easy! Now, pick up your controller before I have to go." Arthur said, shoving the controller into Oliver's hand, "We need to beat this."

"Fine!" Oliver growled playfully, ready to hit the start button and-

"Boys! Time for breakfast!"

They both let out a long, frustrated groan before standing up. Arthur shook his head, "Well, looks like we'll have to finish later, but for now..." Oliver tilted his head as Arthur trailed off.

Until...Arthur shoved him aside and ran for the door.

"Race ya'!"

⊱ ────── {⋅. ✯ .⋅} ────── ⊰

[Hunter]

"You're getting better at that."

Hunter pulled his fingers away from the piano keys, turning his head to look at his father, who read the news on his holo-tab. The man's eyes flashed up to look at him briefly, "Just like your mother."

He smiled to himself. His father started to talk more about her, along with talking more to him overall. There was still some sort of tension or...regret hidden underneath all of it, but Hunter felt like it would pass after some time.

"Thank you, Dad." he said, seeing his holo-phone light up from the couch. He got up to pick it up, smirking at the messages in the group chat. His low chuckle grabbed Arc's attention. While the man usually stayed out of his business now, keeping up with the group of teens that frequently caused havoc was slightly entertaining to him.

"What's going on now?" he asked plainly, "Not another one of their schemes I hope?"

"Nope! Oliver is just threatening Ratchet and saying he'll win that hoverboard race." his eyes raced across the screen, reading more, "And of course...they are bickering. As always." he huffed in amusement, "I'm going to have fun in that race."

Arc raised a brow, swiping his finger up on his holo-pad, "Oh?" he inquired, "There better not be any illegal betting pools going on, hm?"

Hunter shrugged innocently, "What? No! And if there was, how did you hear about it?"

Arc looked at him, face blank of any expression. He cocked his eyebrow again as if saying "Really?"

Hunter averted his eyes, "Okay...well. Only between Arthur, Ratchet, and I betting on either Oliver or Clank winning. Nothing big!"

"So I'm going to watch you race, but to also see you potentially lose your bet on your opponent? Hm, no."

"What!? Come on! You are!"

Arc sighed, turning off his holo pad. He made himself look unamused but the slight smile on his face told Hunter otherwise,

"How much is the bet?"

⊱ ────── {⋅. ✯ .⋅} ────── ⊰

[Ratchet]

"Things are working out perfectly...for once."

Ratchet helped Clank put the creation in his closet for now which...was kinda morbid but they couldn't activate it just yet to see if it worked.

"Indeed." Clank hummed, shutting the closet door, "Most of the refugees stuck here will now be able to go back home or...well, find a home." his slight smile faded a bit, "I must go say my farewells to Aaron and Ashby."

"You can do that after we drop them off." Ratchet said, "Besides, I heard they will be lifting the restrictions so you can stay in touch and visit."

"Absolutely." Clank's full smile was back, "Looks like we'll still be traveling every now and then."

"Looking forward to it, Pal. It'll be nice to travel without the threat of death looming over our shoulders." he shrugged nonchalantly.

Clank was about to respond when there was a knock on the door,

"Boys? Breakfast!" Phoebe's voice chimed from the other side, "You better not be working on your hoverboard in there..."

Ratchet quickly opened the door before the woman could leave, "Nope! Learned our lesson after getting that oil on the carpet..." he grimaced. The woman huffed, heading back downstairs, "Whatever the case, come. Breakfast time."

Ratchet followed her down the steps and Clank...well, he looked back at the closet.

...

Soon.

⊱ ────── {⋅. ✯ .⋅} ────── ⊰

[System Start. . .]

...

[Data Received. . .Downloading. . .]

Hm? What was happening?

[Performing System Check. . .]

[Processing. . .]

. . .

[Welcome Back, Nova!]

They opened their eyes to almost complete darkness, seeing their hands extend outwards before seeing anything else. Was this the afterlife?

...

No, it wasn't.

"What...the-" they trailed off as they looked around, scanning their environment and pausing in shock once they saw what was on the other side of the door.

"No..." they whispered out in disbelief, opening the door silently.

And there was Ratchet, asleep on his bed....was this his house!? What the hell!?

They silently made their way over to the bed, poking the Lombax hard in the side. Ratchet flinched hard, gasping as he took in his surroundings. He looked up in confusion, and his eyes widened in realization.

"What the..." he trailed off, unable to formulate the words right away. Nova scowled at him. "Where am I and what's going on? You better tell me within the next ten seconds or I'm going to-"

"Sh! Sh! My parents will hear you!" He stood up and placed a hand over their mouth, to which he earned a low growl. Nova reached up to pull Ratchet's hand away from their mouth, "4 seconds-"

"Alright! Clank wanted to rebuild you so I helped him and...well you weren't supposed to wake up yet." Ratchet said quickly, voice a whisper, "We built you here in my room."

Nova took in this information, but was still confused as to why Clank would want to rebuild them.

"Why did Clank-"

"-He felt guilty." Ratchet interrupted, "He wanted to give you a chance."

Nova mulled over this information, mind racing as more and more questions piled up. They felt...lost. They were supposed to be dead and now they're alive. They were supposed to be alone and now they...well, where would they go after this?

"What...what now?" their anger dissipated and their ears lowered, "I...I'm supposed to be dead and-" they touched the area around their neck in reflex, remembering the collar that used to be tightly wrapped around it and weighing on their shoulders.

But it was gone.

Ratchet sighed, "Well...you can't come outside my room yet. But Clank and I have plans for you."

"I don't like surprises."

"Trust me, you will like this one," Ratchet reassured them. Nova's glare was back, "Why are you being so nice? I tried to kill your family."

Ratchet winced at that, "Well...you were dealt a pretty bad hand." he said, "You were manipulated. Lost. And...probably terrified. You were stuck in your position." He looked into their eyes, his piercing gaze making Nova pay attention to nothing else but him. He was serious when he said,

"And I believe you always deserved a chance. I don't agree with most of your actions, and I don't agree with what Clank did to you either once he told me."

Nova stared at him in surprise, unable to comprehend Ratchet disagreeing with Clank so much. Then again...

They appreciated it.

But then, Ratchet's eye grew darker in the dim lighting, a frown on his face,

"I only agreed to this for Clank. If you even think about hurting anyone again, you best believe I'll be the first one there to stop you. Otherwise-" Nova winced as he placed a hand on their shoulder, "-As I said, you deserve to live a life. So...live it as you see fit. Don't take it for granted."

"I won't." Nova replied, returning Ratchet's glare, "Trust me."

"Maybe I will...eventually."

Nova nodded, deciding to not say anything to that.

Ratchet looked away from them, "Let me go get Clank. It's not too early in the morning and the sun should be rising soon. The cargo ships arrive and most of the refugees are leaving."

"Refugees?"

"All those that were stuck here after the fight." Ratchet clarified, but said no more as he sneaked out of his room. Nova just stood there awkwardly, not knowing what to do.

Until...the silver Lombax stepped into the room along with Ratchet. He shut the door and started to speak, "Welcome back, Nova."

Nova felt a rising anger stir within them, but also...a sense of relief?

"Clank." was all they said. The silver Lombax smiled weakly, "I...well, do you have any questions?"

Nova scoffed, "Well, why did you bring me back? I would rather hear it from you instead of Ratchet."

Clank nodded, "I needed to make things right."

"So it was just to get rid of your guilt?"

"No, not just that. I have realized long ago what you deserved." he said, "I may have planned to make a...copy of Ratchet, but I created something even more. A new person. A new person with a soul. One that should have had the right to make choices and become their own person." he pointed at Nova, "Which is why you are a blank slate."

Nova's eyes widened as they looked down. Snow white fur greeted them as they analyzed themself. Scanning through their code, they now saw that they had full access to a modified permaguise.

"The colors of your eyes and fur are now up for you to decide."

Nova was surprised, "That's...thoughtful of you." they said calmly, trying to push back their more vulnerable emotions.

This...would take a lot of time getting used to. But...maybe it won't be so bad?

They snapped out of their thoughts when Ratchet stepped between them,

"Alright! Now...all we have to do is wait until morning to start!"

...

"Start what...?"

⊱ ────── {⋅. ✯ .⋅} ────── ⊰

"You two are going to train for the race this early?"

Kaden asked this as he watched the two leave the kitchen. While he tried not to be suspicious, he couldn't help it. They were practically magnets for trouble.

"Yeah...well, we wanted to say bye to some friends first. Most of the refugees are leaving, y'know?" Ratchet said easily, deflecting any rising suspicion. Kaden looked towards Phoebe, who was still sitting at the table. She nodded,

Trust them.

"Alright! Well, be back for dinner. No later!" Phoebe smiled, "And be careful."

"We will, Phoebe." Clank replied before looking over to Ratchet, "At least, I will."

Ratchet glared at him playfully and shook his head, "Don't even start! I'm not even going to be the one racing, remember?"

Clank sighed, shaking his head in exasperation before turning to leave.

They both waved their goodbyes and exited the home with sighs of relief. Clank hummed, looking up, "Any moment now..."

Ratchet stopped beside him as a flash of white almost came tumbling off the roof. Nova managed to land on two feet, but not without a frustrated grunt,

"I hate the both of you."

"Had to be done!" Ratchet said, "Now, let's lay low and get to where we need to be!"

"And where is that exactly?" Nova started walking beside them, pulling up the hood of the jacket that Ratchet gave them, "You still haven't told me...I fell from your roof for this!"

"Wow, you're dramatic..."

"Shush!" Clank scolded, walking between the both of them, "I did not intend to babysit the both of you!"

"You're not!" the other two said at the same time, glaring at the silver Lombax. Clank just rolled his eyes,

"It is a surprise, Nova."

The white Lombax scoffed, shrugging their shoulders,

"I know."

The three of them became silent as they walked, Nova looking around warily at all the other Lombaxes that passed by.

"They rebuilt quickly." they noted, "Yet their infrastructure...is unique. Those points seem to resemble ears."

"No doubt a trademark of the Lombaxian race." Clank added, "And their advanced technology is what made this all possible but it will take a while for everyone to settle after...the incident."

Nova nodded, seemingly enraptured with the sights and sounds they heard. They were so caught up in it, that they didn't even realize Clank putting a hand on their shoulder as they weaved through the crowd.

⊱ ────── {⋅. ✯ .⋅} ────── ⊰

It wasn't long before they reached the cargo bays, which was where all the refugees were gathering their items.

Nova looked around, both confused and overwhelmed. All the chatter and movements around them were making them more and more uncomfortable.

"Why are we here?" they whispered to Clank, barely audible over the crowd. Clank looked at them sympathetically,

"You'll see in just a moment." he performed a quick scan, "Come, this way."

He pulled the two of them along, walking towards a less crowded part of the cargo bay. No one paid them any mind as they walked quickly to their destination. That was until Nova heard a familiar voice.

No...

Their eyes widened and they stepped behind Clank as they approached,

"Do you have everything?"

"Pretty sure I do. Even some of the books I got-"

"The Lombax ones? You can't read..."

"You foolish man. I'll learn, Nolen!"

Louie...Louie and Nolen...

Nova's chest heated up.

Thankfully, Ratchet stepped forward first,

"Hey, you two! Leaving?"

"Yep! It's been fun, kid. Really. I'll actually miss this place!" Louie said. Nolen nodded along, "Indeed, but now we have other things to do. But now that the resistance has split...well, we'll figure that out."

"Like we always do, Chief!" Louie patted him on the back, "It will be nice living in peace again."

Ratchet and Clank smiled at the men, then looked at each other.

"We'll miss you too," Ratchet said. This made Nolen look quite sad. He almost always looked at Ratchet like that now. Clank assumed it was because he was reminded of Nova.

Well...that's about to change.

"We are happy for you. But now...we have a gift for you." Clank said, the two men looking up in surprise,

"Oh? What is it? You didn't have to get us anythin'!" Louie said.

Ratchet turned around then,

"You ready?"

Nova looked up, still in shock as they went to hug themself, "Uh...are you sure?"

"Positive." Clank turned around too, "Alright?"

After a moment of thought, Nova nodded with some hesitation. But once Ratchet and Clank stepped aside, it was too late to turn back. They shakily pulled down the hood and waited.

Maybe it was the way they held themself or walked forward. Maybe it was the look in their pale eyes. More maybe...it was the hopeful look on their face that made the two men in front of them silently gasp.

"No...way." Louie whispered in disbelief, "Are you...who I think you are?"

Nova couldn't respond, their processors working overtime to get them to speak, to say anything.

But then Nolen stepped forward, staring at them for just a moment before bringing them into a crushing hug,

"I know you." was what he whispered, and Nova swore they could feel tears soak their shoulder. They awkwardly wrapped their arms around the man. Louie joined in a few seconds later.

Meanwhile, Ratchet and Clank turned away to give them all some privacy.

"You did a good thing, pal." Ratchet said softly, "Do you feel better?"

"Considerably." Clank nodded, "I will still carry many regrets, possibly for the rest of my life. But even so-" he looked back over to the other three, who were still hugging, "-I can rest easy knowing that this is done."

Ratchet nodded, watching the three friends pull away from one another. However, a lot of commotion near the direction of the ships signaled that it was time to go.

"I thought I would never see you again, kid." Nolen said, placing his hands on Nova's shoulders, "I-I'm sorry. For everything."

Nova's ears went down, "We'll fix things...eventually." they said softly. Nolen and Louie looked at one another, then at Ratchet and Clank, and finally...Nova.

"...A-Are you coming with us?" Nolen asked,

"I-I..." Nova looked towards Clank, who nodded with a smile,

"Y-Yes...if you'll have me?"

"Of course!" Louie said, wiping his cheeks, "Now...shall we go?"

Nova was speechless as the two men picked up their bags, and after, Louie put a hand on their upper back. The two men looked back at Ratchet and Clank,

"Thank you both." Nolen said, "For everything. For this."

"Yeah!" Louie added, "Thank you!"

Ratchet and Clank nodded with a smile and waved at them as they left. Ratchet looked over to the silver Lombax beside him, who had a slight frown on his face.

"Clank?" he asked, but got no answer.

It was then that Nova turned around, looking at Clank for a while, before running back to give him a tight, but very quick, hug. They said nothing, but Clank smiled sadly.

When Nova pulled back, their eyes were surprisingly shiny.

"I...this is it? I can go?"

Clank chuckled, "It is all your choice, Nova." he said softly, "It's over now. Now you can start anew. See the world. And...live the life you always deserved."

"But...how can I do that?"

Clank tilted his head, "You...must figure that out for yourself now."

"He's right." Ratchet added, "Life is full of surprises, but how you take them is all up to you now." he gestured to the waiting men waiting in the distance behind Nova.

Clank nodded.

"What are you waiting for? Go on, now." he smiled, gently shooing them away, "And...good luck."

Nova nodded, unable to say anything as they backed up slowly. They took one last look from Clank before turning and running towards their friends.

Ready to finally look towards a bright future.

⊱ ────── {⋅. ✯ .⋅} ────── ⊰

"You're...not coming with us?"

Clank bent down to be eye-to-eye with the child,

"Don't worry, Ashby. We'll stay in touch." he looked up at the man standing above them, "Correct?"

"Absolutely. And I still owe you for-"

"Nothing." Clank cut him off, "You two being safe is all I need." he ruffled the hair on top of Ashby's head, frowning at unshed tears. Ratchet, the godsend with a bright smile, cut through the tension,

"Yeah! Don't think this is the last you'll see of us! We can call, maybe we'll even come to visit someday! Alright?"

Ashby wiped his wet cheeks and nodded, "O-Okay! But you better promise!"

"We promise." Clank stood up, "Now, you two better go."

"We will." Aaron picked up Ashby, smiling, "Thank you, for everything."

The two friends nodded, saying their last goodbye for the day. Clank watched them go with a sad smile,

We'll meet again...

Ratchet turned to him,

"Mission accomplished!" he said, "Ready to go?"

Clank hummed, watching Aaron and Ashby disappear into the crowd,

"Now I am..."

⊱ ────── {⋅. ✯ .⋅} ────── ⊰

"You two are late!"

Oliver huffed as he came over, hoverboard in his arms.

"Approximately 5 minutes and 43 seconds late." Clank noted, "We have time."

"Yeah, but the race is tomorrow!" Oliver said, "Why aren't you nervous? Do you not have the capacity to be!?"

"Maybe I have a better way of hiding it." Clank smirked, "Or I am just very confident that I'll win."

"Ha! We'll see!" Oliver looked over to Ratchet, "Hunter is on the bench. Get him to come out and train already!"

"Didn't you force him to participate?"

"Well, he better try!" Oliver huffed, "Come on, Clank!"

Ratchet watched as the two of them bickered some more before heading towards Hunter, the situation reminding him much about their first meeting when Hunter was hiding underneath a hood and freaked both Oliver and himself out...

Oh...how far they have all come.

"What are you doing sitting here?"

Hunter's head snapped up,

"Oh...you're here." Hunter looked down at his feet, where a new hoverboard sat, "Just taking a break."

"But according to Oliver, I assume you didn't even start." Ratchet said, "The past few days you've been trying hard, what's up?"

"Nothing! I was just...thinking how everything changed." he said, "I mean, just look where we are! I never thought I'd be doing things like...hoverboarding." Hunter finished.

"Do you not like it?"

"No, I do." Hunter looked away then, "Because of all of you."

"Aw! Look at you being-"

"Shut up!"

Ratchet just laughed, "But I know what you mean. A lot changed, for all of us. That's not a bad thing, is it?"

Hunter slowly turned his head to look at Ratchet,

"No. Not at all." he finally answered, "Actually, I'm grateful."

Ratchet laughed at that when Hunter glared, "That's all you're getting from me!"

"I'll take it. But now-" Ratchet stood up and held out a hand, "I'll help you practice." he said, and Hunter took his hand briefly, "I won't let you fall."

"Ha! Like I would!" Hunter went down the steps to the training area, Ratchet following after him with a smile.

...

Their training went into the evening, and by the time everyone had to get home, everyone was ready for the competition...

⊱ ────── {⋅. ✯ .⋅} ────── ⊰

As Clank expected...the next morning was hectic.

It was all a blur. Getting himself ready, putting on the proper gear, and making sure the hoverboard was ready for use was nerve-wracking. Not to mention all the fretting done by Kaden and Phoebe was nearly painful to endure.

But when they all met up at the arena...Clank became focused. The colors and sounds were overwhelming, but seeing everyone there in one place was easing his nerves.

Mags had a huge grin on his face as he ruffled the fur on all of their heads, wishing them luck, while Clank noted Alister standing farther away to the side....surprisingly.

Nonetheless, his confidence grew.

"Clank!"

He looked over to see Ratchet waving his holo-phone at him, "Let's all take a picture!"

Clank faintly heard Oliver groan as they all got into position. Ratchet, smiling brightly, handed his phone to a random passerby and squeezed himself between Clank and Oliver, right in the middle of the photo. It was a tough squeeze, but Clank was certain everyone was giving their brightest smiles as the flash went off.

And soon after they all split apart, the racers were called to the track. Clank was pulled away by Oliver...

And the group photo sent by Ratchet popped up in the corner of his vision.

Indeed...everyone's bright smiles inspired him to do his best...

⊱ ────── {⋅. ✯ .⋅} ────── ⊰

With all 30 competitors lined up at the starting line, everyone was getting ready to launch off.

Clank smirked, his confidence spiking as he looked straight ahead, labeled competitor 4. Beside him, Oliver cracked his neck and shook his shoulders, a bright number 3 clipped to his vest, and finally, Hunter, number 2. It was the order in which Oliver signed them up, being one of the first people to do so when the sign-ups were opened.

Clank glanced over at Oliver, who glanced at Hunter. One looked more nervous than the other. He decided to speak up,

"We'll be okay. We got this, yes?"

Oliver and Hunter looked over at him then, smiling under their helmets,

"You bet!" Oliver nudged him with his arm. Hunter just nodded and smiled, going to stare straight ahead.

Clank smiled at himself, moving into the position Ratchet taught him. It appeared that Oliver and Hunter did the same before everything went silent.

"Let's have a nice, fair race here today, folks! Anyone who breaks the rules will immediately be disqualified. Do you understand?" A chorus of agreement was said throughout the line, and with it, the man chuckled. He aimed the blaster up, "Alright. Let the race commence in 3..."

Clank leaned forward a bit more.

"2..."

Hunter shifted on his board, palms sweaty,

"1...!"

The blaster went off, and the competitors blasted down the track, each one determined to win. Clank looked around at those who easily passed him, having way more experience than himself.

And one of those was Oliver.

Clank swears if Oliver wasn't wearing the helmet, he would be mocking Clank and sticking his tongue out.

"And off they go down the track! Honestly, this is perhaps the fastest I've seen beginners race before!"

"Absolutely! Look at how determined they are to take that win! Number 10 is in the lead with 5 close behind! 6 just overtook 19. It looks a bit crowded towards the back there!"

Clank groaned, that's where he was.

He leaned forward more, grinning as he gained some speed, weaving through other racers to get ahead.

"And there goes number 4, passing 4 other racers! No doubt they are determined to win! And look! There's-"

Clank ignored the commentators' echoing voices and the floating cameras following them. Now was not the time to get distracted...

Clank veered to the side as a racer went down, taking their friend with them as their boards tapped into each other. Thankfully, they were caught by the net below.

Clank's eyes widened, and he could've sworn he heard Hunter curse. So when he looked over in the direction of the voice, he could see his friend sway.

Unfortunately, he couldn't do much.

"There goes 21 and 9! Don't worry, folks! They look alright! That leaves us with 28 competitors! Let's hope they all make it through the more advanced obstacles! And look, the lead number 17 is approaching that now! Everyone else is coming in close!"

"Looks a bit too tight to me! If everyone wants to get through it they better- oh! And there goes our lead, 17! Followed by 6. This leaves us with 26 competitors left!"

Clank ducked as a stary hoverboard soared over his head and down to the netting below. He turned his gaze back forward, shouting and swerving to the right as another racer went down right in front of him, their inexperience now showing...

"Whoa! Watch it!" that was Oliver, who was somehow still near him.

"Sorry!" he said quickly, weaving to the left again to get out of Oliver's way.

"24 competitors left!"

He faintly heard the commentators shout, nervously eying the path ahead.

He leaned forward a bit more, passing two racers and...wait-

"Number 4 is currently in the lead with 13 right behind- no! Wait! There's racer number 3!"

Clank suppressed a laugh. Oliver certainly wasn't giving up that easily.

He almost staggered off the board when 3 racers shot past them, now taking the lead.

"Damn..." he cursed lowly, looking for a way around them.

Maybe up?

He looked up. If he was fast enough, he could go over them, but then he risks a collision.

It was his only way...

With that, he angled his board up and pressed forward. The voices of the commentators were faint as he concentrated. But he knew that some more racers fell to the nets below as the obstacles proved too difficult to maneuver.

He ducked out of the way of one of the protruding barriers, evading the obstacles, and angled his board down once again.

"We are now in the home stretch as number-"

Clank ignored the voices, leaning forward. His eyes were dead set on the finish line.

And before he knew it...the flags were waved. There was confetti, and the crowd was cheering.

He hopped off his board and took off the helmet.

But...the cameras were not circling him.

...

He wasn't first?

Clank smiled. He was anything but a sore loser. He was more curious as to who-

"Clank!"

He turned to see Oliver, who was panting, "You win?"

"No...?"

"But...you were in front of me! You were-" He looked to where the cameras were...

"No...way!"

Clank looked over then too, eyes wide as they both shouted at the same time,

"Hunter!?"

Clank surged forward and gently pushed aside some people standing around his friend. Once he got to the center he placed a hand on Hunter's shoulder, smiling.

"Congratulations!"

Hunter turned to him, wide-eyed and awestruck,

"Clank...I blanked out half-way through that how the heck did I-"

"Shush. You won." Clank said, tilting his head. Oliver came up right next to him as the crowd started to thin out, "I don't know how you did it, but you won!" Oliver cheered, "Good job!"

"T-Thanks?"

Hunter, still surprised, looked around wildly as he was handed a small trophy, everyone congratulating him.

"I can't believe I-hey!"

Ratchet suddenly came into the fray, hugging Hunter around the middle and lifting him slightly, "Winner! You won! I told you! You could-"

"Let me down already!"

Clank laughed at the scene, gently pushing his friends off the track as they started the clean-up. Of course, they were stopped several times along the way to their families...

He caught a glance of long white hair off to the side, one that very well matched the description on a poster he had seen a long time ago...what was the name again?

Nonetheless, the figure vanished with the crowd, and Clank's attention moved elsewhere as Oliver now dragged him along.

It was all a blur after that until they met up with everyone. Faintly he heard Arc grumble to himself, "I almost got a heart attack...this better not become a common occurrence..."

And then off to the side...

"Nice try, little bro!"

"Hey! Stop ruffling my head!"

And finally, Ratchet, who was still pestering Hunter, turned to him,

"That was some great racing, pal! Second place!" he hugged Clank, "The first to lose!"

Clank glared playfully,

"Somehow, that doesn't make it any better." he looked towards Hunter, "But I am happy for him."

Ratchet nodded along, going back to poke at Hunter once more. Clank just rolled his eyes at the actions.

Even though he lost...he found everything today to be worth it.

⊱ ────── {⋅. ✯ .⋅} ────── ⊰

After a small celebration, it got late enough for everyone to part ways.

"See you tomorrow, Oliver!" Ratchet hugged his friend, moving on to Hunter, "Congratulations!"

The calico-furred Lombax rolled his eyes but hugged back before Ratchet moved on to rest. This left Clank with them,

"Well Clank...looks like next time we'll have to beat him." he playfully glared at Hunter, who laughed, "We got this!"

"Definitely."

After everyone left, Ratchet and Clank were left with Kaden and Phoebe as they all calmed down for the night. Mags was there too, already getting to leave

"All right you two, bed soon," Kaden said, making Ratchet and Clank sigh

"Agh...but it's-"

"It's close to midnight and if I'm correct you are shadowing Mags tomorrow for an apprenticeship, right, Ratchet?"

"-And Clank is shadowing me tomorrow too, right?" Phoebe added, looking between the two, "You two remembered that, yeah?"

The two books looked at one another,

"I've been excited about it all week! Today was just a lot! I'm going now! Goodnight!" Ratchet said quickly, now having something else to look forward to. Clank sighed,

"Goodnight everyone."

⊱ ────── {⋅. ✯ .⋅} ────── ⊰

And as he laid down...he opened up the message from Ratchet right before the race, seeing their group photo...

...

He'll need to print it as soon as possible.

⊱ ────── {⋅. ✯ .⋅} ────── ⊰

....

But after hours of laying there...he couldn't sleep.

His internal clock showed him that it was currently 2 in the morning. But...something was off. He thinks he could see a shadow through the window...?

Oh, wait. That's just Ratchet.

He sighed heavily, quietly opening his window and stepping out onto the roof. Ratchet must have heard him by the movement of his ears, but he didn't turn or say anything. He was just looking up at the sky.

Clank sat down next to him and whispered, "What are you doing?"

"Looking at the stars," Ratchet answered simply, sounding pretty tired. Clank looked up as well, "I can tell...but why?"

Ratchet shrugged, "What do you think of the stars?" he asked Clank instead of answering, "How do they make you feel?"

"Stars...?" Clank pondered, "Well...everyone knows what they are."

"But do they make you feel small?" Ratchet asked suddenly, "Like...just think that we are down here, and up there are infinite planets and galaxies. We are just like...a pinprick compared to all of that, not even."

Clank hummed, mulling over the words as Ratchet continued,

"When I was alone on Veldin before you even crashed down I...I looked up at the stars every night and wished to get off the planet. I remember feeling...small. Sure, I didn't know how vast space really was but...to think..." he drifted off for a moment, "Like one of those stars is a planet Nova is on or...or Ashby and Aaron. They are miles and miles away and we can see them...but not really..."

"What...are you saying?" all the words were just making Clank confused, "What do you mean?"

Ratchet sighed,

"Because out of all the stars and galaxies and...alternate universes-" he shivered, "You and I ended up together. Even after all we have been through...and we ended up here, with the Lombaxes, with a new life and friends..." Ratchet looked over to him, "When I look up at the stars now I think of it all. Out of all the possibilities...here we are."

Clank nodded, understanding his friend more,

"I see." he said simply, "You are simply thinking of life. Of our lives." he clarified.

"Yeah..." Ratchet said, "But...Clank?"

"Hm?"

"What do we do now?"

...

"What do you mean?"

"I've just been thinking...you and I have been heroes almost all of our lives and yet...now we're here. Living a normal life. How...how do we do that?"

Clank laughed quietly at that,

"After all this time, you are unsure about that?"

"I mean...yeah."

"Think about the things we told Nova. We'll figure it out. Because now we can focus on our own lives instead of risking them every single day." Clank smiled, "We live it the best we can. Now with the people that matter most to us."

"And...the future?"

...

"The future is uncertain, Ratchet. You know this."

Ratchet said nothing...

"We can only wait and see what the future holds for us."

...

"Yeah...you're right, Pal."

They sat in silence for a while after that, watching the stars twinkle in the night sky.

Then, Ratchet stood up, held his hand out, and offered to lift Clank...

"Well, are you ready for tomorrow, Clank?"

...

Clank may not know what the future will hold, or what will happen to them. But Clank knew one thing for certain...

He was ready to face the future with his best friend by his side...no matter what.

Because with all the tomorrows they will face, and all the hardships they will encounter, they could face it together. Like always.

...

Clank smiled and took Ratchet's hand,

...

"I always will be."

...

And Ratchet helped Clank up, the stars continued to shine bright in the night sky, the universe looking down on the duo as they started their next adventure together.

⊱ ────── {⋅. ✯ .⋅} ────── ⊰

╔═*.·:·.✧ ✦ ✧.·:·.*═╗

END

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