//Fastoon//

Back on Fastoon Clank and Kit were helping Rex with some defense ideas while Alister was working on something that he deemed a secret project meant for Ratchet and Rivet however he didn't go into much detail except that it was to be a gift when it was finished and sense then alister was spotted only occasionally all morning. The few times he was spotted by either Mags, Rex or one of the other lombaxes working in the plaza had been reported to be carrying supplies that he had set aside for said project before disappearing for another half hour or so.

By the time it was midday however Rex, Clank and Kit all took a break from coming up with defense strategies as the desert heat was at its highest and both warbots were starting to overheat as their internal cooling systems had kicked in. While the three took a break the two warbots had gone into standby mode while Rex got himself some food.

Back with Ratchet and Rivet the two were not interrupted by anymore people that had a hatred or qualms against the lombaxes however the interaction with that one mall guest had soured both their mood especially for Rivet.

//At the Mall//

*Ratchet's P.O.V*

We had just left from our third store with bags in both our hands when my mind decided then would be a good idea to remind me of that drunk guest again when I briefly spotted the cazar that helped us earlier going with the flow of the crowd paying us no mind though seeing him did bring up a old question i've pondered on a few times and that was "why must some people be so mean to those that are different?"

I was ok with the insults on my species as I've heard it so many times by now that I have just learned to bury those insults as far back in my mind as possible however, when someone insults rivet or my friends that is where I draw the line as that was always a low ball thing to do and always managed to piss me off. Though I preferred not to hurt civilians at all I found myself wanting to give a piece of my mind to that person that was taken away for causing a scene that had resulted in rivet becoming somewhat closed off and even during our shopping trips her ears remained down in sadness. She was no longer as energetic as she was when we first got here as her tail that was still wrapped in mine was unmoving except when it naturally moved with each step we took.

Seeing her like this sent a dagger through my heart and made me wonder if I could of prevented the situation before however, I knew from experience that there was nothing I could of done though that thought process had given me a major sense of deja vu which was uncomfortably familiar as I briefly was back at the clock facing off against Alister and for some reason that memory had caused a rather random dull throb to occur in my chest in the present after the memory faded which I found odd that I had gotten one in the first place though For the time being I was not going to pay any mind to it or I'd risk overthinking about it. Soon after that weird sensation I heard Rivet's stomach growl which had caused her to finally bring up her ears from laying flat and an embarrassed look graced her face causing her to blush lightly.

I had laughed slightly though quickly stopped as my own stomach growled shortly after which got me a smile and a laugh back before rivet had asked "are you hungry hotshot?" The second I heard that nickname again had made my chest warm with happiness before I replied back "Are you?" And got a smile and a nod in response. With that settled I had guided us to the food court so we could choose a place to eat. Within moments I had spotted an brand new lombaxian cuisine shop that was being run by three of the few lombaxes that had felt comfortable enough to let the galaxy know we were back and saw that despite the lombaxes only being back about seven months by now the shop appears to be quite popular already as some markaziens, cazar and a couple snivelakian were already in line despite the shop just opening for the day.

As we went over to wait in line with the other guests I looked to the menu board and spotted the same bun that me and rivet had been bought by our friends back on Fastoon as well as what looked to be a all meat plate with a side of some sort of cheese sauce with red and green chopped peppers as well as a steak sauce, a sautéed vegetable bowl, grilled chicken topped with a red tomato sauce and finally a choice of a few different house salads ranging from a classic salad to a Supreme salad that came with grilled chicken and a hard boiled egg cut in half.

The menu had stunned me and rivet with just how vast and big it was and that didn't even include the dessert options as well as the multiple sides you could put with the food. As we got closer rivet had said that she'd like to have the bun again and asked if I'd be willing to share the meat tray with her and I had responded with a nod just as our turn was up. When we got to the front the lombaxes on duty were all in special uniforms that ensured no fur got in the food and while two were in the kitchen making the meals the one at the register turned out to be a female lombax who appeared to be in her mid 30s though the second she relized who was at the register she had given us a genuine smile and greeted us kindly saying "Hey Ratchet and Rivet welcome to the lombaxian kitchen. I'm glad to see you two were able to get a break and able to get some new stuff for yourselves which you deserve. What can I get for you two today?"

As me and rivet got out of our initial shock of being recognized from a female lombax that we had never talked to though we found it comforting that we weren't the only lombaxes here at the mall today. After we gave our orders to the cashier I realized she had given us a hefty discount which I appreciated though I also felt bad about. I had been willing to pay the normal amount as was rivet though the cashier had straight denied us to do so saying that we had done more then our fair share to defend the galaxies and the dimensions to make it safe for the lombaxes to return and that she and the others were beyond thankful even if they didn't say it much as they did not want to overwhelm us with thanks.

Hearing this we had thanked her gratefully and after ordering the meat tray to share and two buns each we had taken a seat at one of the tables to wait til our order was done. While we waited I comforted rivet by rubbed along the top of her physical hand knowing she had the touch sensors on her prosthetic currently off and the fact that she still seems upset about earlier and this was the only thing I could think of besides a hug to help comfort her. Soon after our order was ready we got situated at our seats again and enjoyed our meal together while our tails wrapped around each other which made us both blush though neither pulled our tails apart as we simply enjoyed each other's company.

*Time skip*
//Back on fastoon//

By the time me and rivet left the mall it was nine in the evening however we got back to fastoon about midnight due to aphelion and I having to navigate a astroid field as well as having to take a pit stop to fuel aphelion back up after. The astroid field was about a class two blockage so it took almost forty five minutes to carefully make a path and then another half hour to find a space port for a fuel up. When I arrived I knew one of the guard members would be on surveillance right now though was slightly surprised to see it was Alister watching as I could see white and red being highlighted by the moonlight though in hindsight I shouldn't have been too surprised.

(Trigger warning: mild meantion of thoughts of suicide and death in this section)

Since his return to the living world courtesy of Orvus, the zoni had granted him a second opportunity at life for Alister as he had stopped the time shift that he himself caused with his own wrench at the cost of his life. I'm honestly glad that Alister had gotten a second chance and is actually able to be with his thought to be lost daughter again and though I don't say it much I had to say I was thankful that I was also able to see him again. Seeing someone that you adventured with just die in front of you leaves a lasting impact and if it hadn't been for the fact I've seen death more then I can count regardless of them being a enemy going down by my hand or witnessing a friend get killed in front of me I probably would've followed them long ago if it hadn't been for clank, Talwyn, cronk and zephyr or Sasha being there getting me out of those dark places and for that I was thankful especially sense I now had rivet by my side and hoped things worked out between us as I wanted to finally retire from the hero business and though I was unsure currently I'm pretty sure rivet would probably want the same for herself but only time will tell.

(End trigger warning)

As I landed aphelion on her designated landing spot I could see Alister heading down to meet us after I spot him wave over someone and switching spots with them for the shift change and after getting a confirmation nod. As he made his way down to us I had gone over to rivet's side to help her down from the cockpit which got me a slight giggle and a "why thank you hotshot" from her which made me feel all warm inside and chased away any lingering thoughts from my own mind as I caught her as she jumped slightly and despite being a bit out of shape I managed to keep from stumbling back though in doing so we found ourselves touching noses which made us both blush immediately though neither pulled away as we just stared at each other being transfixed by each other's gaze until we heard a crunch of gravel a few feet away and so we quickly pulled away and tried acting as normal as we could as Alister was here.