Random fluff, written to go along with this pic: No real plot; just some cuteness.
Disclaimer: Ratchet, Sasha, Veldin, and anything else in here belongs to Insomniac. Only the thing that resembles a plot is mine.
It didn't matter if it was in the shade. In summer, the Kyzil Plateau of Veldin was hot. And so Ratchet had left his commando armor at home, opting instead for his old cargo pants and leather cap. Sasha, who had decided to visit him on her week off, had, unfortunately, no experience with the planet's climate. Her captain's suit, while perfectly comfortable for everyday wear, was not designed for heat. Breathability, yes. But a dark color like purple soaks up heat no matter what it's made of.
"It's hot," she murmered, sitting down in the shade of a twisted, spiney tree. "Hot, hot, hot." She took off her boots and kicked them away, digging her feet into the surprisingly cool dirt. The surface was warm, sure, but just inches under the sand was much nicer. "That's better. Much better."
Ratchet sat down next to her and leaned back, his arms behind his head. He stared up at the sky, blue and shimmering with summer heat. It'd been quite a while since he'd been able to just enjoy his home. Sure, his garage had been destroyed, but he'd been able to rebuild it. Archetecture wasn't quite his forte, but it was simple enough to weld the metal pieces in place with so much solder that it'd take another wave of Tyhrranoids to knock them down.
Sasha leaned back as well, not minding the red dust staining her clothes or getting in her hair and fur. If the temperature hadn't been so high, she might have even leaned against Ratchet's bare shoulder, but as it stood he was another source of heat. Instead, she looked at the sky as well, wondering what Ratchet was looking at. There weren't any clouds, not even a few whisps, so he couldn't have been cloud watching, as she had once enjoyed doing as a little girl.
Her own planet - what she remembered of it - was usually cloudy. It was warm, but not like Veldin. The humidity was also much higher, and the plant life denser. It could get hard to remember that the sky was blue between the pale grey clouds that liked to drop a noontime shower almost every day and the green canopy. The green leaves were almost transparent in places, giving an erie glow to the forest below. They were soft leaves, not waxy and moisture-hogging like the plants on Veldin. And there had been all sorts of animal life, though most of it disappeared when her small feet came crunching through the leaf litter, giving her only a glimpse of glowing eyes or a tuft of fur nearly the color of her own. What remained were the insects, the very strange insects. Being young and bold, she had enjoyed watching them scuttle about on the leaves, not disgusted as some girls...
But that had been forever ago. Her father had taken up politics, and she had been uprooted from her rather peaceful life. Of course, given that she was due to begin school anyway, the change hadn't been too dramatic. Besides, with each planet she visited, she usually found something to occupy her time. An arcade, or a hover track, or, failing that, she had her own family and her own video game systems...
A soft clicking by her ear snapped her out of her memories. She turned her head slowly, and noted a little beetle. It would walk a few steps, click its wing casing, wave its antenae, and resume walking. It walked right past her nose, and she rolled her body over to look better. The movement startled it, and it flew away.
Ratchet happened to glance away from the sky and noticed Sasha's back was to him. Sasha's very dusty back. He poked her shoulderblade, brushed some of the dirt away, and laughed. "You're a mess."
"So?"
"So...what are you looking at?"
"Nothing now. There was a bug a minute ago." She rolled over on her back suddenly. Ratchet's hand, which he had raised to dust her shoulder again, missed its mark and instead landed in the dirt on the other side of her. Sasha giggled and rubbed her nose against his jaw. "So you're not girl-phobic!" she teased, poking his ribs. Ratchet smiled nervously. "Girl-phobic" may have been a little strong, but he was usually too nervous around her to make a move, despite the fact that they had been "officially" dating for almost a month.
Sasha reached up and rubbed behind his ear gently, smiling at the squirming, euphoric purr that escaped Ratchet's throat. Her soft smile turned mischevious, however, and she quickly slipped her fingers under his hat and lifted it from his head, intending to make off with it despite the fact that it was much too hot for a game of chase. She had just managed to roll over and attempt to get away when Ratchet caught her arm with his hand. She tried to get her footing, but found that he had also thrown his leg over her ankles as she'd tucked them up to get a grip. The sand, however, was not something to be gripped, especially with her small feet that were unadapted to it.
"Hey, let me go," she said, though she wasn't sure she really wanted to be let go. It was nice to be on the recieving end of the attention. She held his hat out at arm's length, keeping it away from him. From the corner of her eye she could see him leaning his head over hers.
"Gimme my cap back and I will," Ratchet said, his warm breath tickling her ear as he spoke. She giggled and extended her arm further. "You're reeeeaaaally asking for it." He poked her exposed ribs, and, out of reflex, she pulled her arm in to protect them. He caught her upper arm and pinned it to her side. As a response, she twitched her tail in annoyance, lifting it and bringing it down on his calf, the only way she could hit him being that her arms and legs were pinned. "Sasha..."
"No."
"No?"
"No." She twisted her neck and grinned at him, laughter in her eyes.
Ratchet sighed. He wouldn't get his hat back without a fight. So, he tried another approach. "Please?"
"No," she giggled. "My hat."
"Please?" He rubbed his muzzle against her cheek, the fluffy fur at her jaw tickling his nose. He rested his chin on her shoulder. "Please?"
She giggled again and nuzzled back, then laughed, "No!"
Ratchet rolled his eyes. This was getting him no where. Still, there was no other way for him to get his hat back. He couldn't threaten her - not only would she be able to see right through him, but he couldn't even bring himself to growl at her. It seemed to stick in the back of his throat, unable to make its empty threat. She had to give it back willingly; there was no way he'd be able to force her to. He pouted slightly and touched his nose to her neck, not rubbing, just tapping. "Please? Sasha, please?" He wrapped his tail around hers and tugged at it gently.
"No," she said in a syrupy-sweet voice, turning to look at him again and smiling. It wasn't an especially toothy smile, but it wasn't completely close-lipped, either, and her small fangs glittered tauntingly at him.
"Why not?"
"Because," she leaned back a bit so that she could roll over and look up at him, "you're cute when you're begging."
Ratchet jumped slightly, pulling away from her to try and think. She thought he was cute? He'd liked to think he was attractive, or at least atheletic, but she was the first to tell him. Most girls had seen Clank and not looked at him twice. Even Angela had never refered to him as being cute. "I'm...cute?"
"Yes." She blushed slightly, though it was only really visible in the thinly-furred insides of her ears, and let her eyes wander. "Oh, and you can have your hat." She stuck out her tongue and plopped the leather cap on his head haphazardly. He smiled slightly and straightened it, repositioning his ears in their proper openings.
He kept his arm around her, though, not allowing her to move, and laid his head on her shoulder again. "Hey Sasha?"
"Hmm...?"
"Could you rub my other ear now?"