Jak & Daxter fic: As the Prophecy Foretold
A self imposed challenge to do a fic without any dialog.
Title: As The Prophecy Foretold
Chapter: 1/1
Rating: PG-13 to be safe
Characters: Jak/Daxter, appearances of Onin, Pecker, Kleiver, and Damas
Spoilers: up through Jak 3
Summery: Seers see more than just the big history changing events, you know. Especially when they are drunk.
It was Onin who foresaw it while weaving drunk on the Naughty Ottsel bartop. Since Pecker was the only one who understood her disturbingly creative and graphic slurs she wasn't thrown out as other raving drunks were; instead everyone gave her little section of counter a wide berth to avoid the swinging bottle and left it at that. While Pecker didn't have the stomach for her silent verbal abuse nonstop he did fly back over to her every so often to make sure she hadn't drunk herself into a coma yet.
On one of these rounds he found her giggling madly to herself as she watched Jak through her empty liquor bottle as if it was a telescope. The monkaw knew that taking the bottle away would be hazardous to his health so he perched on the bar just out of swinging distance and sarcastically asked if she'd had enough yet. However, instead of turning her attention to Pecker and spewing something violent about his mother as she usually did in this situation, Onin continued laughing and staring at Jak. Specifically, Jak's crotch.
After giving the bottle a long hard look Pecker asked, against his better judgment, if she'd spelled it so she could see through clothes. He gagged dramatically at the thought before she even had the chance to answer. Then the seer unsteadily lurched her upper body around to face him with her sightless eyes that saw so much.
Then she told him what she saw.
Pecker's baffled squawk was loud enough to draw everyone's attention back to the bar. As he was melodramatically gagging they all assumed he had reached his alcohol limit and dismissed it. If they'd listened a little longer they might have heard the monkaw wailing to his mistress that he really didn't need that mental image thank you very much and Precursors he was going to have nightmares. Onin just kept giggling and staring at Jak's hips through her empty bottle.
Once Pecker got his senses back he decided to write off the seer's babbling as the booze talking. Sure, Pecker knew that Daxter wasn't born an ottsel, but still. Did Onin miss the cute blunette trying to glue herself to the hero's side? Not to mention the demented blond one who would probably go fuzzy herself for the orange demon the way things were going.
That concluded it for Pecker: Onin had gone temporarily insane from the booze. End of story. Of course he still grabbed a bottle himself to try and drown out the horrible mental images floating around in his head. Jak and Daxter bumping uglies, yeah right, never going to happen...
~~*~~
It was the monks who indirectly made it possible for the prophecy to come true. The marauders were encroaching on the temple's territory and a shrine was in danger of being looted. The mission went how it always did; they got to the cave about thirty seconds before the raiders and ended up roaring across the desert with a half destroyed dune buggy and singed hair. Since there no sandstorms were brewing they stopped by the oasis to fill up the water tanks and check the damage on the artifacts they rescued.
They'd scooped up everything in a hurry so there were a great number of rocks and broken pieces of pottery in the bags. Despite the rush and the rough ride the important things were in good shape; the Precursors built things to last. They'd even come out heavy two small artifacts; Daxter managed to grab them off one marauder when he leapt at the guy's face as a distraction. One was familiar, a common compass-radar like the one the pair used when roaming the desert. The other one was an amulet the raider wore on a leather strap as a choker; the usual copper of the Precursors interrupted by an oval milky stone at its center.
Daxter approached the question 'what is it?' very scientifically. First he shook it, then he bit it, then he shook it some more. Jak rolled his eyes and suggested they get back to the city so they could ask the monks what it did. Dax started in on the rubber-based insults which the blond knew was agreement, so he tied the water tanks back down and secured the bag of artifacts in the passenger seat. The ottsel finished his ranting and leapt off rocks and gun holsters up to his usual perch.
The mystery amulet was still in Daxter's paw when he came to rest on Jak's shoulder. When the hero moved to get into the driver's seat the stone brushed against his neck.
Suddenly Jak took his light form without meaning to. In his surprise lost his grip on the buggy and fell flat on his back, turning back to his usual self when he hit the ground. The blond groaned as a sudden weight settled on his chest; though it was a short drop it jostled fresh wounds and sent the pain into his lungs like so many daggers. As he got his breath back he could only hope that Daxter landed on top of him and not on the rocks. Finally he recovered enough to look.
His eyes went wide and he gaped like a fish.
Daxter did land on him.
A very human Daxter.
The redhead was half sitting on his friend, completely naked and with the amulet still clasped in his hand. The stone had turned clear with smoke-like tendrils of white swirling around inside it. Daxter stared at it, mesmerized, while Jak stared at the impossible sitting in his lap. Finally the redhead tore his eyes away and instead stared transfixed at his free hand. He flexed the fingers, made a fist and opened it again, his expression one of hope that had been crushed so many times it didn't know how to hope anymore.
Jak reached out and touched his friend's arm, afraid that he'd find fur but only warm skin met his questing fingers. Daxter didn't notice and continued the exploration of his restored body. He was feeling his face as though he was memorizing the forgotten planes and curves when Jak quietly said his name. With a squeak and a lurch he fell over backwards, the amulet dropping from his hand to land in the dirt next to Jak. Daxter lay under the buggy as a very confused ottsel.
Any contemplation or shocked babbling was cut off by the sound of approaching marauder vehicles. Survival instinct took over as Jak leapt up and jumped into the buggy. Daxter shook himself out of his stupor and followed, but not before snatching up the amulet.
When they met the monks in the city they didn't mention the stone. As soon as they were done with the meeting they retreated to Kleiver's warehouse; he'd given them the small apartment attached to it in return for keeping the thieves and vermin out at night. As soon as the door was locked and they were sure they were alone Jak pulled the amulet out of his pocket and held it out to the ottsel standing on the counter. They both tried to hide how terrified they were and both failed miserably. With a gulp Daxter finally reached out and touched it.
There was a flash of white eco from both of them and Daxter was a human sitting on the counter. The redhead didn't even get a chance to look at himself as Jak threw his arms around his friend the second the light cleared. They hugged each other tightly, Daxter clutching the amulet tight in one hand. They only pulled apart when Jak felt the dampness of Daxter's tears against his neck. The redhead just smiled at his best friend as he cried and promised Jak that it was all good, he was just so happy it was leaking out.
Jak, the battle-hardened hero, didn't cry. But his eyes were certainly shining.
~~*~~
It was Pecker who first hinted that there might be more than friendship between them. When the boys were testing their discovery he sensed the flares of white eco energy coming from their vicinity and he investigated. The hero and then ottsel evaded his questions but the second the monkaw caught sight of the amulet he figured it out. After all, you pick up a few things being a seer's interpreter your whole life.
Pecker explained the workings of the artifact. It was meant to be a protective amulet that would heal the wearer if near death. While eco crystals were common enough the milky stone was different, for once a crystal expends its stored energy it vanishes. The amulet was rechargeable and very hard to make, even for the Precursors. It was a very rare thing and would fetch a high price on the open market.
Of course, selling it was out of the question for the Demolition Duo. Pecker warned them to keep it hidden or else someone would snatch it up and then was on his way back to the palace.
After some experimentation they figured it out: when they both touched the amulet it drained a small amount of Jak's white eco reserve and transformed Daxter. The stone had a charge of about twenty minutes, but if Jak touched it again it would recharge. About two or three minutes before the amulet ran out of power Dax would feel a tingling in his belly, so they had warning before he changed back. If Daxter let go of it for even a second he'd return to ottsel form. Somewhere along the way the blond figured out how to transfer eco to the stone without going light, and cutting down on the flashy meant they didn't have to be as careful about when Daxter transformed. Some leather lacing was found and they made the amulet back into a choker.
The redhead still couldn't go around the city as a human. The amulet was too short lived, and besides, it was far too dangerous for him to appear as anything other than Jak's annoying talking rat. But it meant that when they were locked up in their apartment Daxter could be himself. It was enough for him, though he did of course grouse about all the ladies missing out on his handsome face.
What it meant for Jak was a lessening of the crushing guilt that had followed him since Misty Island. He hadn't cured his best friend, not by a long shot. But still, it was a step forward for Daxter and, in a way, a step back for Jak. A step back to the boy he used to be before two years of experiments twisted his mind and body into that of a jaded man.
Whenever Jak had the eco to spare the redhead spent his evenings and nights as a human. They'd wrestle and roughhouse and laugh the way they used to before dark eco came into their lives. At night they'd sleep in the narrow bed in a tangle of limbs as they had back in Sandover. It was a return to the simpler times of their childhood and it was good for both of them.
It was three weeks before the monkaw visited them again. Damas had just received news of a landslide on one of the mountains and of the new treasures it laid bare. While any of his hunters knew how to grab an artifact off the sand without hitting the brakes, there was only one who was crazy enough to get out of the buggy and become a slower target for the swarming Marauders while jumping around on unstable rocks.
All of Damas's regular envoys were out on other missions and it was of course the week that Jak's communicator was at the shop, so Pecker was sent to rouse the hero and send him on his latest suicide quest. So he flew across the city, mumbling and cursing the whole way, and managed to pry open the bathroom window just far enough to squeeze inside.
Apparently it had been an evening that Daxter spent human and a night where Jak managed to brush against the amulet in his sleep often enough that the redhead was still his true self by morning's first light. The blond was on his back and Daxter was lying on him haphazardly with the blanket twisted around them both, each wearing half of a set of pajamas (Jak the top and Daxter the bottoms). They were the very picture of brotherly best friends who still remained side by side no matter what the world threw at them.
Pecker took a moment to roll his eyes at the sappiness before becoming a squawking alarm clock. He then took a moment to hold his wings in the air and look nervous until Jak woke up enough to realize who it was and lower the morphgun. After making a mental note to never, ever wake the blond up again, the monkaw gave them their newest mission. Jak took the news with a grin like he did any other dangerous assignment and Dax made the necessary cowardly comments wrapped up in bravado, but there was something off. It itched at Pecker as he went over the details and he couldn't figure out what it was until he finished.
It was only then that Jak bothered to get out of bed. When the blond gently nudged his friend over Pecker suddenly realized that the redhead had been lying on top of the hero through the whole mission briefing. But that wasn't what made it feel off. It was the fact that Jak's hand never left the curve of Daxter's back and he had in fact been softly stroking the bare skin. The fact that the redhead's fingers were absently tracing the line and hollow of Jak's collarbone. But mostly it was the all too obvious fact that neither boy had the slightest clue as to what was going on between them.
Pecker started laughing around the time Jak had his pants halfway on and the sudden noise resulted in the incredible hero of two times falling flat on his rear. Both the blond and the then furry Daxter looked at the monkaw as though he'd lost it, and he pretty much had. After another minute he managed to gasp out something indistinct about how Onin was right, the rotten old letch, and that he'd never doubt her romantic predictions again no matter how lewd or how drunk they were.
He flapped away without another word, and left the two boys staring after him in confusion. After that it was a quick breakfast and buggy ride to a lot of crumbling rock, gunshots, and the forever shining Precursor artifacts. It wasn't until they were riding back to the city with a couple bags full of loot that it started itching at them.
They both thought about what Pecker said, turning the words over in their minds and trying to find an explanation for the monkaw's outburst. They both puzzled over it for a good hour before the reason came to them, each reaching the same conclusion separately. They both kept the realization to themselves and they both blushed a lot when they realized that Pecker was right. Even though they'd been through hell and back together, and more than once, they were far more affectionate with each other than they should be as just the best of friends.
It didn't take long for either of them to decide that being together in the hugging and kissing sense didn't sound all that bad. In fact, it sounded perfect. It didn't take much longer for each of them to notice the little looks, experimental touches, and all the other little signs that pointed to the other boy feeling the same. As their elation grew they became bolder but never actually admitted the truth, not out loud or by something as unmistakable as a real kiss. They danced around it, flirted with the fact and each other, but kept it low key enough that it could be explained away as friendly affection if they were confronted with it.
Jak started smiling even more. Dax spent every possible moment human. Regardless of the metal heads, the dark satellites, and the situation back in Haven, as far as they were concerned all was right with the world.
~~*~~
It was Damas who sparked them to action almost a month after Pecker flew in through their bathroom window. It was a rare missionless day where they were free to restock supplies and wander the city at their leisure. They splurged on a small bag of juicy berries and were heading down to the shore to enjoy them when they heard the king's gravelly voice.
Damas was walking the streets of Spargus making sure his city was running smoothly. Or at least as smoothly as can be expected. While the trials for citizenship were harsh once those tests were completed a person became part of the family. True, it was a family where the weak members were left in the sands, but that was necessary for survival in the harsh desert. So long as a man or woman stood strong the rest of the city would stand strong with them, and every so often Damas liked to remind his people that he stood with them too.
When they passed the king Jak gave a quick bow in due respect. Daxter, to his credit, tried to do the same but his position on the blond's shoulder made it difficult to do it noticeably. So instead Daxter saluted Damas, who accepted the gesture with the slightest quirk of a smile at the corner of his lips. The king had become one of the few to think Daxter was more amusing than annoying. With that courtesy out of the way the two boys continued over to the cliffs to eat their berries.
They were down to the last few when someone suddenly crashed into the hero's back. The fighting instinct was quelled and turned into an eyeroll when Jak saw that it was just a couple of small boys arguing. The kids shoved each other a couple more times before they realized who they ran into. The rumors of Jak's vicious dark form had spread and that was enough to make even the brave brats of Spargus nervous. They both instantly stopped fighting and started trying to throw the blame on each other.
Jak's dark eco rage had been cooled and balanced by the light so he was just amused. He was also reminded of his childhood playing with Dax, and from the look on the ottsel's face his partner agreed. Right about the time the two children started shoving each other again Damas walked over, and if there was anyone in the city who could be more intimidating than Jak it was Damas.
The kids immediately broke apart and bowed to their king. A shadow passed over the old man's face and both Jak and Daxter knew he was thinking of his son. In a somewhat rare display Damas knelt down on one knee and ruffled each of the kids' hair. He then reminded them of the dangers of the desert and how we must make the most of each day lest it be our last.
The children responded like true Spargans, both of them saying that they couldn't wait to be of age so they could help protect the city and make life a little less dangerous. Damas smiled, proud of the spirit of his people. But then he reminded the kids that they shouldn't do anything they would regret doing on their last day alive because it very well could be.
Daxter spoke up and asked if that meant a life of no regrets. There was a touch of sadness around the ottsel, no matter how flippantly he asked the question, and it spread to Jak and Damas. The king said that there are some regrets we cannot avoid no matter how hard we fight, and that it just made it all the more important to prevent the regrets we can.
The two kids apologized to each other and to Damas. They promised not to let the little things come between them. Daxter then had them promise that they wouldn't let the big things come between them either, and when they swore to it he gave them the rest of his and Jak's berries as a reward. With the children, the king, and the fruit gone the two started to head back to their apartment with their groceries and ammo.
As soon as they got home Daxter disappeared into the bedroom leaving Jak to put away the groceries. The blond didn't particularly mind; most of the packages were too heavy or bulky for Dax to handle and it gave Jak a chance to think without interruptions.
The things Damas said struck a chord in the hero. He knew that he cared for Daxter as a friend and a little more and he also knew that those feelings were returned. Still he hadn't acted on the newfound affection because there was that little nagging doubt in the back of his mind telling him not to risk their friendship. If they died tomorrow Jak would regret never making it real, never kissing his partner the way he fantasized. As he closed the last cabinet he resolved to finally take that last step.
Of course, actually taking that final step proved a lot harder than he thought it would be. Daxter dashed in to retrieve the amulet from its hiding place, changed into his true form, and then immediately retreated to the bedroom to throw some clothes on. Jak was left standing there awkwardly; he was still unsure as to how he should proceed. The blond called to Dax and said that he was going to poke around the storehouse and then went wandering around the boxes and crates trying to figure out what to do.
Once the redhead was dressed in clothes too big for him but too small for Jak he found his partner in the warehouse. Jak was just opening his mouth to tell Daxter to get back inside before someone saw him with that amulet but his words were unexpectedly cut off by Daxter's tongue.
Jak realized that he always should have known it would be this easy. After that he didn't think much at all, except for the singular goal of never stop kissing him.
~~*~~
It was Kleiver who caught them wrapped around each other in a dark corner of his storehouse. Jak was so focused on drawing those delicious little mewls out of his partner that he didn't even notice their semi-employer until the blond man shouted at them. It wasn't until the hero whirled around to face the new danger that Kleiver realized exactly what they were doing. The big man stomped off howling about things he was never going to scrub out of his mind as the two teenagers stood there with their hands down each other's pants and shock written across their faces.
Worry was just starting to sink in when from across the crates and barrels Kleiver shouted that as long as they kept it to their room he wasn't going to drag up bad mental images by telling anyone else about blondie and some scrawny redhead macking in his warehouse. Jak's shoulders slumped in relief, Daxter let out a huge sigh, and then as one they grinned and stumbled to their apartment to finish what they started.
Title: As The Prophecy Foretold
Chapter: 1/1
Rating: PG-13 to be safe
Characters: Jak/Daxter, appearances of Onin, Pecker, Kleiver, and Damas
Spoilers: up through Jak 3
Summery: Seers see more than just the big history changing events, you know. Especially when they are drunk.
It was Onin who foresaw it while weaving drunk on the Naughty Ottsel bartop. Since Pecker was the only one who understood her disturbingly creative and graphic slurs she wasn't thrown out as other raving drunks were; instead everyone gave her little section of counter a wide berth to avoid the swinging bottle and left it at that. While Pecker didn't have the stomach for her silent verbal abuse nonstop he did fly back over to her every so often to make sure she hadn't drunk herself into a coma yet.
On one of these rounds he found her giggling madly to herself as she watched Jak through her empty liquor bottle as if it was a telescope. The monkaw knew that taking the bottle away would be hazardous to his health so he perched on the bar just out of swinging distance and sarcastically asked if she'd had enough yet. However, instead of turning her attention to Pecker and spewing something violent about his mother as she usually did in this situation, Onin continued laughing and staring at Jak. Specifically, Jak's crotch.
After giving the bottle a long hard look Pecker asked, against his better judgment, if she'd spelled it so she could see through clothes. He gagged dramatically at the thought before she even had the chance to answer. Then the seer unsteadily lurched her upper body around to face him with her sightless eyes that saw so much.
Then she told him what she saw.
Pecker's baffled squawk was loud enough to draw everyone's attention back to the bar. As he was melodramatically gagging they all assumed he had reached his alcohol limit and dismissed it. If they'd listened a little longer they might have heard the monkaw wailing to his mistress that he really didn't need that mental image thank you very much and Precursors he was going to have nightmares. Onin just kept giggling and staring at Jak's hips through her empty bottle.
Once Pecker got his senses back he decided to write off the seer's babbling as the booze talking. Sure, Pecker knew that Daxter wasn't born an ottsel, but still. Did Onin miss the cute blunette trying to glue herself to the hero's side? Not to mention the demented blond one who would probably go fuzzy herself for the orange demon the way things were going.
That concluded it for Pecker: Onin had gone temporarily insane from the booze. End of story. Of course he still grabbed a bottle himself to try and drown out the horrible mental images floating around in his head. Jak and Daxter bumping uglies, yeah right, never going to happen...
~~*~~
It was the monks who indirectly made it possible for the prophecy to come true. The marauders were encroaching on the temple's territory and a shrine was in danger of being looted. The mission went how it always did; they got to the cave about thirty seconds before the raiders and ended up roaring across the desert with a half destroyed dune buggy and singed hair. Since there no sandstorms were brewing they stopped by the oasis to fill up the water tanks and check the damage on the artifacts they rescued.
They'd scooped up everything in a hurry so there were a great number of rocks and broken pieces of pottery in the bags. Despite the rush and the rough ride the important things were in good shape; the Precursors built things to last. They'd even come out heavy two small artifacts; Daxter managed to grab them off one marauder when he leapt at the guy's face as a distraction. One was familiar, a common compass-radar like the one the pair used when roaming the desert. The other one was an amulet the raider wore on a leather strap as a choker; the usual copper of the Precursors interrupted by an oval milky stone at its center.
Daxter approached the question 'what is it?' very scientifically. First he shook it, then he bit it, then he shook it some more. Jak rolled his eyes and suggested they get back to the city so they could ask the monks what it did. Dax started in on the rubber-based insults which the blond knew was agreement, so he tied the water tanks back down and secured the bag of artifacts in the passenger seat. The ottsel finished his ranting and leapt off rocks and gun holsters up to his usual perch.
The mystery amulet was still in Daxter's paw when he came to rest on Jak's shoulder. When the hero moved to get into the driver's seat the stone brushed against his neck.
Suddenly Jak took his light form without meaning to. In his surprise lost his grip on the buggy and fell flat on his back, turning back to his usual self when he hit the ground. The blond groaned as a sudden weight settled on his chest; though it was a short drop it jostled fresh wounds and sent the pain into his lungs like so many daggers. As he got his breath back he could only hope that Daxter landed on top of him and not on the rocks. Finally he recovered enough to look.
His eyes went wide and he gaped like a fish.
Daxter did land on him.
A very human Daxter.
The redhead was half sitting on his friend, completely naked and with the amulet still clasped in his hand. The stone had turned clear with smoke-like tendrils of white swirling around inside it. Daxter stared at it, mesmerized, while Jak stared at the impossible sitting in his lap. Finally the redhead tore his eyes away and instead stared transfixed at his free hand. He flexed the fingers, made a fist and opened it again, his expression one of hope that had been crushed so many times it didn't know how to hope anymore.
Jak reached out and touched his friend's arm, afraid that he'd find fur but only warm skin met his questing fingers. Daxter didn't notice and continued the exploration of his restored body. He was feeling his face as though he was memorizing the forgotten planes and curves when Jak quietly said his name. With a squeak and a lurch he fell over backwards, the amulet dropping from his hand to land in the dirt next to Jak. Daxter lay under the buggy as a very confused ottsel.
Any contemplation or shocked babbling was cut off by the sound of approaching marauder vehicles. Survival instinct took over as Jak leapt up and jumped into the buggy. Daxter shook himself out of his stupor and followed, but not before snatching up the amulet.
When they met the monks in the city they didn't mention the stone. As soon as they were done with the meeting they retreated to Kleiver's warehouse; he'd given them the small apartment attached to it in return for keeping the thieves and vermin out at night. As soon as the door was locked and they were sure they were alone Jak pulled the amulet out of his pocket and held it out to the ottsel standing on the counter. They both tried to hide how terrified they were and both failed miserably. With a gulp Daxter finally reached out and touched it.
There was a flash of white eco from both of them and Daxter was a human sitting on the counter. The redhead didn't even get a chance to look at himself as Jak threw his arms around his friend the second the light cleared. They hugged each other tightly, Daxter clutching the amulet tight in one hand. They only pulled apart when Jak felt the dampness of Daxter's tears against his neck. The redhead just smiled at his best friend as he cried and promised Jak that it was all good, he was just so happy it was leaking out.
Jak, the battle-hardened hero, didn't cry. But his eyes were certainly shining.
~~*~~
It was Pecker who first hinted that there might be more than friendship between them. When the boys were testing their discovery he sensed the flares of white eco energy coming from their vicinity and he investigated. The hero and then ottsel evaded his questions but the second the monkaw caught sight of the amulet he figured it out. After all, you pick up a few things being a seer's interpreter your whole life.
Pecker explained the workings of the artifact. It was meant to be a protective amulet that would heal the wearer if near death. While eco crystals were common enough the milky stone was different, for once a crystal expends its stored energy it vanishes. The amulet was rechargeable and very hard to make, even for the Precursors. It was a very rare thing and would fetch a high price on the open market.
Of course, selling it was out of the question for the Demolition Duo. Pecker warned them to keep it hidden or else someone would snatch it up and then was on his way back to the palace.
After some experimentation they figured it out: when they both touched the amulet it drained a small amount of Jak's white eco reserve and transformed Daxter. The stone had a charge of about twenty minutes, but if Jak touched it again it would recharge. About two or three minutes before the amulet ran out of power Dax would feel a tingling in his belly, so they had warning before he changed back. If Daxter let go of it for even a second he'd return to ottsel form. Somewhere along the way the blond figured out how to transfer eco to the stone without going light, and cutting down on the flashy meant they didn't have to be as careful about when Daxter transformed. Some leather lacing was found and they made the amulet back into a choker.
The redhead still couldn't go around the city as a human. The amulet was too short lived, and besides, it was far too dangerous for him to appear as anything other than Jak's annoying talking rat. But it meant that when they were locked up in their apartment Daxter could be himself. It was enough for him, though he did of course grouse about all the ladies missing out on his handsome face.
What it meant for Jak was a lessening of the crushing guilt that had followed him since Misty Island. He hadn't cured his best friend, not by a long shot. But still, it was a step forward for Daxter and, in a way, a step back for Jak. A step back to the boy he used to be before two years of experiments twisted his mind and body into that of a jaded man.
Whenever Jak had the eco to spare the redhead spent his evenings and nights as a human. They'd wrestle and roughhouse and laugh the way they used to before dark eco came into their lives. At night they'd sleep in the narrow bed in a tangle of limbs as they had back in Sandover. It was a return to the simpler times of their childhood and it was good for both of them.
It was three weeks before the monkaw visited them again. Damas had just received news of a landslide on one of the mountains and of the new treasures it laid bare. While any of his hunters knew how to grab an artifact off the sand without hitting the brakes, there was only one who was crazy enough to get out of the buggy and become a slower target for the swarming Marauders while jumping around on unstable rocks.
All of Damas's regular envoys were out on other missions and it was of course the week that Jak's communicator was at the shop, so Pecker was sent to rouse the hero and send him on his latest suicide quest. So he flew across the city, mumbling and cursing the whole way, and managed to pry open the bathroom window just far enough to squeeze inside.
Apparently it had been an evening that Daxter spent human and a night where Jak managed to brush against the amulet in his sleep often enough that the redhead was still his true self by morning's first light. The blond was on his back and Daxter was lying on him haphazardly with the blanket twisted around them both, each wearing half of a set of pajamas (Jak the top and Daxter the bottoms). They were the very picture of brotherly best friends who still remained side by side no matter what the world threw at them.
Pecker took a moment to roll his eyes at the sappiness before becoming a squawking alarm clock. He then took a moment to hold his wings in the air and look nervous until Jak woke up enough to realize who it was and lower the morphgun. After making a mental note to never, ever wake the blond up again, the monkaw gave them their newest mission. Jak took the news with a grin like he did any other dangerous assignment and Dax made the necessary cowardly comments wrapped up in bravado, but there was something off. It itched at Pecker as he went over the details and he couldn't figure out what it was until he finished.
It was only then that Jak bothered to get out of bed. When the blond gently nudged his friend over Pecker suddenly realized that the redhead had been lying on top of the hero through the whole mission briefing. But that wasn't what made it feel off. It was the fact that Jak's hand never left the curve of Daxter's back and he had in fact been softly stroking the bare skin. The fact that the redhead's fingers were absently tracing the line and hollow of Jak's collarbone. But mostly it was the all too obvious fact that neither boy had the slightest clue as to what was going on between them.
Pecker started laughing around the time Jak had his pants halfway on and the sudden noise resulted in the incredible hero of two times falling flat on his rear. Both the blond and the then furry Daxter looked at the monkaw as though he'd lost it, and he pretty much had. After another minute he managed to gasp out something indistinct about how Onin was right, the rotten old letch, and that he'd never doubt her romantic predictions again no matter how lewd or how drunk they were.
He flapped away without another word, and left the two boys staring after him in confusion. After that it was a quick breakfast and buggy ride to a lot of crumbling rock, gunshots, and the forever shining Precursor artifacts. It wasn't until they were riding back to the city with a couple bags full of loot that it started itching at them.
They both thought about what Pecker said, turning the words over in their minds and trying to find an explanation for the monkaw's outburst. They both puzzled over it for a good hour before the reason came to them, each reaching the same conclusion separately. They both kept the realization to themselves and they both blushed a lot when they realized that Pecker was right. Even though they'd been through hell and back together, and more than once, they were far more affectionate with each other than they should be as just the best of friends.
It didn't take long for either of them to decide that being together in the hugging and kissing sense didn't sound all that bad. In fact, it sounded perfect. It didn't take much longer for each of them to notice the little looks, experimental touches, and all the other little signs that pointed to the other boy feeling the same. As their elation grew they became bolder but never actually admitted the truth, not out loud or by something as unmistakable as a real kiss. They danced around it, flirted with the fact and each other, but kept it low key enough that it could be explained away as friendly affection if they were confronted with it.
Jak started smiling even more. Dax spent every possible moment human. Regardless of the metal heads, the dark satellites, and the situation back in Haven, as far as they were concerned all was right with the world.
~~*~~
It was Damas who sparked them to action almost a month after Pecker flew in through their bathroom window. It was a rare missionless day where they were free to restock supplies and wander the city at their leisure. They splurged on a small bag of juicy berries and were heading down to the shore to enjoy them when they heard the king's gravelly voice.
Damas was walking the streets of Spargus making sure his city was running smoothly. Or at least as smoothly as can be expected. While the trials for citizenship were harsh once those tests were completed a person became part of the family. True, it was a family where the weak members were left in the sands, but that was necessary for survival in the harsh desert. So long as a man or woman stood strong the rest of the city would stand strong with them, and every so often Damas liked to remind his people that he stood with them too.
When they passed the king Jak gave a quick bow in due respect. Daxter, to his credit, tried to do the same but his position on the blond's shoulder made it difficult to do it noticeably. So instead Daxter saluted Damas, who accepted the gesture with the slightest quirk of a smile at the corner of his lips. The king had become one of the few to think Daxter was more amusing than annoying. With that courtesy out of the way the two boys continued over to the cliffs to eat their berries.
They were down to the last few when someone suddenly crashed into the hero's back. The fighting instinct was quelled and turned into an eyeroll when Jak saw that it was just a couple of small boys arguing. The kids shoved each other a couple more times before they realized who they ran into. The rumors of Jak's vicious dark form had spread and that was enough to make even the brave brats of Spargus nervous. They both instantly stopped fighting and started trying to throw the blame on each other.
Jak's dark eco rage had been cooled and balanced by the light so he was just amused. He was also reminded of his childhood playing with Dax, and from the look on the ottsel's face his partner agreed. Right about the time the two children started shoving each other again Damas walked over, and if there was anyone in the city who could be more intimidating than Jak it was Damas.
The kids immediately broke apart and bowed to their king. A shadow passed over the old man's face and both Jak and Daxter knew he was thinking of his son. In a somewhat rare display Damas knelt down on one knee and ruffled each of the kids' hair. He then reminded them of the dangers of the desert and how we must make the most of each day lest it be our last.
The children responded like true Spargans, both of them saying that they couldn't wait to be of age so they could help protect the city and make life a little less dangerous. Damas smiled, proud of the spirit of his people. But then he reminded the kids that they shouldn't do anything they would regret doing on their last day alive because it very well could be.
Daxter spoke up and asked if that meant a life of no regrets. There was a touch of sadness around the ottsel, no matter how flippantly he asked the question, and it spread to Jak and Damas. The king said that there are some regrets we cannot avoid no matter how hard we fight, and that it just made it all the more important to prevent the regrets we can.
The two kids apologized to each other and to Damas. They promised not to let the little things come between them. Daxter then had them promise that they wouldn't let the big things come between them either, and when they swore to it he gave them the rest of his and Jak's berries as a reward. With the children, the king, and the fruit gone the two started to head back to their apartment with their groceries and ammo.
As soon as they got home Daxter disappeared into the bedroom leaving Jak to put away the groceries. The blond didn't particularly mind; most of the packages were too heavy or bulky for Dax to handle and it gave Jak a chance to think without interruptions.
The things Damas said struck a chord in the hero. He knew that he cared for Daxter as a friend and a little more and he also knew that those feelings were returned. Still he hadn't acted on the newfound affection because there was that little nagging doubt in the back of his mind telling him not to risk their friendship. If they died tomorrow Jak would regret never making it real, never kissing his partner the way he fantasized. As he closed the last cabinet he resolved to finally take that last step.
Of course, actually taking that final step proved a lot harder than he thought it would be. Daxter dashed in to retrieve the amulet from its hiding place, changed into his true form, and then immediately retreated to the bedroom to throw some clothes on. Jak was left standing there awkwardly; he was still unsure as to how he should proceed. The blond called to Dax and said that he was going to poke around the storehouse and then went wandering around the boxes and crates trying to figure out what to do.
Once the redhead was dressed in clothes too big for him but too small for Jak he found his partner in the warehouse. Jak was just opening his mouth to tell Daxter to get back inside before someone saw him with that amulet but his words were unexpectedly cut off by Daxter's tongue.
Jak realized that he always should have known it would be this easy. After that he didn't think much at all, except for the singular goal of never stop kissing him.
~~*~~
It was Kleiver who caught them wrapped around each other in a dark corner of his storehouse. Jak was so focused on drawing those delicious little mewls out of his partner that he didn't even notice their semi-employer until the blond man shouted at them. It wasn't until the hero whirled around to face the new danger that Kleiver realized exactly what they were doing. The big man stomped off howling about things he was never going to scrub out of his mind as the two teenagers stood there with their hands down each other's pants and shock written across their faces.
Worry was just starting to sink in when from across the crates and barrels Kleiver shouted that as long as they kept it to their room he wasn't going to drag up bad mental images by telling anyone else about blondie and some scrawny redhead macking in his warehouse. Jak's shoulders slumped in relief, Daxter let out a huge sigh, and then as one they grinned and stumbled to their apartment to finish what they started.