Pixar One- Shots

Not Throwing Away My Shot (Ratatouille)

I'm releasing this a day early because I'm going away today and I don't know when I'll be back.

Just a heads up, this'll be a really short one. And yes, there is a shameless Hamilton reference in the title :).

Remy snickered as he turned back to glance at the man who'd been ordered to kill him. Luckily, Linguini hadn't been able to do it, and had set Remy free. Of course, the young man had assumed Remy would stick around, after the brief and misinterpreted conversation they'd just had. Linguini had only just gotten a job at Gusteau's, the world famous restaurant, though he could not cook to save his life. Linguini had accidentally ruined a pot of soup, and Remy, who had been watching from an open ceiling panel, had jumped in to fix it while the entire kitchen staff's backs were turned. The rat had a passion for cooking, and had thrown in exactly what the soup needed to become, as Gusteau himself would have put it, "a work of art". At the tail end of Remy creating the soup, Linguini had seen him, and quickly hidden the rodent beneath a strainer. The next thing Remy knew, he was being held in a jar over the surging waters of a nearby canal.

For a few moments, Linguini had simply talked to the rat. He mainly rambled about his problems, of which there were no shortage. He'd lost countless jobs in the past few weeks, and couldn't afford to lose another one. The head chef, Skinner, had seen Linguini adding to the soup, and was at first, furious- until he heard the customer's review. The soup was phenomenal. Skinner wanted Linguini to do it again, under his supervision, but Linguini knew he could never do what this little rat- this little chef- had done.

"I'm gonna let you out now, alright?" He'd asked the rat in the jar. His ears perked up. "But we're in this together, right?" A nod. "Okay. Here you go."

The lid was loosened above Remy, and then twisted off. He took a step forward, then another. He was out of the jar. He took a long look up at Linguini before bolting down the cobbled road, and into the shadows.

For the thousandth time, Remy wondered if he'd made a mistake. Linguini was the last person any restaurant needed in their kitchen, but Gusteau's? Auguste Gusteau was Remy's hero. Could he really let his idol down by allowing that clown of a garbage boy to cook?

Anyone can cook. That was Gusteau's motto. He was the reason Remy had dared to venture into that tiny house for the first time- just to get a glimpse of an actual kitchen. Remy was tired of eating garbage. He wanted to eat- but more importantly, create, only the good stuff. Unfortunately, his father had other ideas.

"Food is fuel. You get picky about what you put in the tank, you're engine is gonna die. Now shut up and eat your garbage."

Django had never understood his son's love for cuisine, and had often scorned him for it. Just thinking about what his dad would say if he could see him now was enough to make Remy scowl. Here he was, a rat, hanging out on the roof of one of Paris's greatest restaurants, and he was wondering whether or not to go in. All because he had this far fetched dream of being able to to cook. Dad would have a fit. The thought almost made Remy angry- almost. More powerful was the heartache Remy was feeling, though. Dad. Emile. He'd lost them, along with all of his friends from the clan. He was all alone now.

Remy.

The rat's ears perked up again as a tiny, but quite round man appeared to float into existence at his side. Gusteau.

Is that such a bad thing, to be alone?

"Yes!" Remy exploded. "We've been over this. I just lost everyone I care about! Of course it's a bad thing!"

You're missing the silver lining, I think.

"How can there be a silver lining?" Remy asked, barely whispering.

You've got no one to forbid you from doing anything. Your only limit is your soul.

"What are you saying?" Remy narrowed his eyes, already having an idea of where this conversation was going.

You want to go back to my restaurant, no?

"Yes. No! .. I don't know. I think so." Remy threw his paws up in sheer exasperation, both with himself and his muse.

That boy- he needs you.

"Obviously."

And you need him.

Remy glared at Gusteau for a moment, shaking his head and turning his back to Gusteau. Finally, he softened the expression, letting his shoulders droop. "Yeah. I guess I do." He admitted in a mutter, turning to face Gusteau again. But the chef was already gone. Remy took a second to bury his muzzle in his paws, then shook himself and scrambled down into the restaurant's ceiling crawl space again. He had the chance to do something nobody thought was possible, and he couldn't pass this up. He missed his father and brother terribly, but now there was nothing preventing him from doing what he loved- so long as he did this correctly. With effort, Remy pulled back a tile in the ceiling and peered down into the activity below. People were rushing everywhere, taking orders out to the customers, running dishes to sinks, and of course, creating the food. The scents wafting up towards him made Remy's eyes flutter shut for a moment. He shook himself.

"Come on, focus, Remy!" He reminded himself, then began looking around. "Where are you?" Finally, he found what he was looking for- Linguini, walking with an empty soup pot- and he'd be walking right beneath him in about five seconds.

"Here we go.." Remy jumped, falling into the mess of curls on Linguini's head. The man jumped and yelped quietly, grabbing Remy from on top of his head.

"What the-" he gasped, and recognition brightened his gaze. "Little Chef?" Remy nodded, offering a half smile. Linguini himself smiled, looking around to make sure no one had seen or heard the exchange. He set the pot down on a burner, and Remy immediately began grabbing various spices and vegetables. He gestured with is tail for Linguini to start mixing them in the pot.

"Thanks for coming back, Little Chef." He whispered. "You know I can't do this alone."

Neither can I, Remy thought. But that doesn't mean it can't be done.

Hey guys! Quick question.. are you totally sick of Cars one-shots? I know I've only done two so far, but if I were to do a third, would that be overkill...? Also, if the answer to that question is no, would you rather see another Cars 3 one-shot, or a story for the original? (I'd rather not do one for Cars 2. I've got nothing against the film, I just don't want to write a story for it..) Anywho...

Thanks for reading! I'll see you guys next Friday with another one-shot! What do you want to see? Requests and/or criticisms are always welcome!