Hello all! Here's my first actual Jak/Daxter fanfiction (non-crossover) story, and of course, I have to hurt my favorite dynamic duo (I'm sorry!)

Please enjoy! I own me nothing more than my crazy ideas! Set sometime during Jak II.

Overthinking

Jak let the hot water pound and massage his sore shoulders and tense muscles. He couldn't understand how this war was supposed to help get his revenge on Praxis. Saving Haven City hadn't been on his top ten things to do list either, but that seemed to be happening- everything was falling on him, on HIS shoulders, and he didn't see how that was right! He didn't understand how all this bloodshed and all this loss, all his pain that he endured during his two year capture and torture-

Torture. Pausing, Jak ran his fingers along his torso, where a nasty, jagged wound forever ran from his collarbone all the way down to his pelvic bone. His eyes half lidded and he leaned against the shower stall, lost in thought.

Jak let lose another scream as his tormentor- the nutjob named Erol, he finally learned- pumped nearly four times the amount of Dark Eco than was scheduled to be pumped. He was certain this was definitely the end as his back arched, crushing his chest against the tighter than normal, thick leather straps that kept him bound.

"What's wrong, Jak? Can't take the pain?" Erol smiled sadistically, He leaned closer and tugged harshly on Jak's too long blond hair, forcing him to look in his face.

"Just die already, Jak. No one wants to save you, now do they? Unless you LIKE this pain..." Erol smirked wickedly before pushing a nearby red button on the controls. Something happened and Erol dropped Jak against the steel table he was strapped to.

"Enjoy your night, Jak." With that, Erol left. He smiled in satisfaction as Jak continued to scream.

"HEYYY! Jak, come on man! I wanna shower at some point TODAY!" Jak snapped out of his thoughts.

"Y-Yeah, hang on Dax. I'm coming out..." Jak trailed off, looking down at his arms and chest. Daxter had seen his injuries first hand- had been there when he suffered through nightmare after nightmare as he was nursed back to health, had dealt with his sudden, frightening and powerful transformations, and still cracked jokes and smiled and laughed with him as if he were still the same Jak that got ripped from their home two and a half years ago...

So why was it so hard to let it go?

"JAAAAAAAKKK, come on! I really need to shower man- I REEK! Damn Metal Heads got me good and their stench is DISGUSTING!" Daxter whined from outside the bathroom door. Although he sounded the same- usual complaining pretend hero Daxter- Daxter was glad Jak couldn't see his face. It showed a completely different emotion- concern.

This wasn't the first time Jak had acted like this- spaced out, often distracted, having nightmares and sometimes reverting back to his mute self. But Dax wasn't stupid- he knew exactly WHY Jak was like that. Two years of being alone in extreme torture and isolation, not to mention being forever altered by a chemical that should've killed him- Dax sneered to himself, looking at his furry body, man didn't he know the struggle- yeah, that would change a man.

But Jak wasn't just changed, Dax mused to himself sadly as he pushed open the door and found his best friend slumped against the shower wall, the shower head pouring water over him. No... he wasn't just changed.

He was DIFFERENT. He wasn't the same anymore. Dax grew angry at the thought- Praxis was definitely going to pay for what he had done- him and the only other name he'd heard his best friend mutter in his sleep- something called 'Erol'.

'Whoever he is... dammit, he's gonna pay for hurtin' my pal!' Daxter swore before he quietly approached his efl friend, who appeared to be so lost in his daze he didn't hear or see him coming. Daxter hopped on top of the tub and his eyes widened in shock for a moment.

The back of Jak's head was slick with blood and water. The Ottsel's eyes wandered from the blood on the tiled wall to Jak's glazed over expression, which spooked the life out of the Ottsel.

"J-Jak... h-hey buddy... are you alright?" Daxter asked hesistantly. Jak's head lolled a little and while he saw Daxter's face, he didn't look like he was truly seeing anything. The little Ottsel edged closer to his friend and, thankfully, was able to wedge himself between his wounded friend and the tile wall. He sighed in relief as the water was just right and easing the tension he'd been feeling in his tight muslces.

"Hey man, what the hell huh? You messed yourself up pretty bad here, dude." Dax said softly as he fingered through Jak's hair, quickly finding a medium sized gash. He winced- Jak was gonna need some bandages and some serious sleep. Jak didn't say anything, but his chest was still moving up and down so Daxter figured he should just keep talking.

"How about that Metal Head shootout, huh? We took down so many- I was lookin' cool as always, but you were pretty good too!" Daxter said in his usual bragging voice, hoping to get some form of response from him. Still Jak sat in the shower, staring into space.

A little sad it didn't work, Dax decided to do the only thing he knew Jak needed him to do- be there as his friend. He grabbed a bottle of shampoo and put some in his hair, enough to wash his hair and not let the soap burn his eyes. He sighed as he began to scrub his head, being mindful of his friend's newest injury.

"...Dax..." Jak finally breathed.

"Yeah?"

"...w-where... am I...?" Dax frowned before his face softened- he'd heard him ask that time and again when he woke from his nightmares. Dax smiled a little as he continued his mission to get his friend's blonde hair cleaned.

"Safe, Jak. With me." he answered. Jak sunk back against him, crushing him a little against the wall.

"My head hurts..." Jak sounded like a sick little child and he let his eyes close for a while. Daxter nodded.

"You think you can get out of the shower? You need to get this looked at and I don't wanna hear Torn's trap about this later." Dax asked. Jak made a sound but didn't make any other indication he was able to sit up or get out of the tub.

"I wanna... wanna go home..." Jak murmured. Dax's heart tightened and he was thankful Jak was so out of that he couldn't feel his tiny fists balling in his matted hair. Daxter had never truly heard the full story of how bad his time spent with Praxis, and Jak had never told him. Daxter knew it was bad that it messed him up, however, because he'd heard the nightmares, seen Jak blank out and... this.

"Shhh... Jak it's okay. You're home. I'm here too, buddy." Daxter whispered. Jak nodded.

"You're... here..." Jak slowly repeated the phrase, the words bringing some form of comfort. Daxter finally let loose a tear and smiled in his friend's hair. This was the worst he'd seen Jak fall, but Dax wasn't about to leave his side. Never.

"That's right, Jak. I'm here. You're gonna be safe now."

Jak let the ghost of a smile grace his cheeks as he sunk further into the tub, apparently soothed by Daxter's fingers scrubbing his hair. Daxter relaxed a little and continued what he was doing, smiling and signing terribly off tune, and even getting Jak to mutter a few words here and there.

For those few moments, Daxter felt as if things would really be alright. Jak seemed more relaxed but his best friend was by no means asleep. He was thinking about something. His intuition was proven correct.

After Jak carefully and slowly climbed out of the tub, and Dax gave him some privacy, Jak stumbled out of the bathroom. Daxter quickly took a shower and when he returned, Jak was sitting on the edge of his bed, clad in only a clean t-shirt and his boxers. "Jak? Buddy? You alright?"

Jak nodded, looking at his hands. "Dax... do I scare you?" he asked quietly, hesitant. Caught of guard, said Ottsel blinked for a moment before he answered.

"'Course not, Jak. I've known all of you- and I meant that quite literally- for years. Why would you scare me?"

Jak bit his bottom lip and flexed his arm. Something sparked and purple in color travelled down his arm. As it did, his upper arm turned pale white and his fingernails grew sharp, long and changed to black.

"Not this... I wasn't this... this monster..." Jak muttered. "I wasn't... I..."

Daxter placed his tiny paw in Jak's changing arm. Surprised, Jak looked at him, but when he tried to pull his friend's paw out of his, Daxter gave him such a glare Jak actually froze.

"You're still you, Jak. Yeah, you chat more, and... you're broken inside. You've got this eco- something that should've killed us both- pumpin' inside you but that doesn't make you any less of you, man! I'm still the same ol handsome me and I was covered in eco!" Daxter exclaimed. Two years would change anyone, but inside, where it counts..." Dax sighed and his expression softened.

"... you're my friend. The hero of this stupid city. The guy who loves the thrill of the fight, and does what is right." Jak smiled a little.

"AND who is so DENSE when it comes to women!" The two shared a laugh at that one before Jak calmed down, a small smile still on his face. Dax leaned back on his hands, kicking his tiny furry legs as he and his best friend sat in peaceful silence.

"Dax."

"Yo?"

Jak fell back on the bed, wincing a bit from his acing head and looked at his hand. The dark eco sparked and swirled around his arm, slowly transforming it white. Dax glanced over, sympathy oozing out of him. He lowered his arm, resting it over his chest before he felt a headache coming on. Dax sensed it, hopped down from the bed and got him some aspirin.

"Here, man. Take this." Jak half sat up and down the two aspirin and glass of water and fell back on the bed.

"You good?" Daxter asked, glancing down at his friend. "Helllooo? Jak?" When he got no reply, he arched his eyebrow and then suppressed an urge to laugh at the snore that came from below.

Jak had fallen asleep. Legs dangling off the edge of the bed, his head wrapped and probably throbbing, he'd dozed right off.

"Well, that's a wrap. Guess I'd better hit the hay, too. Good night to you too, Jak!" Dax pretended to be annoyed, but inside he was glad. It was the first night in months Jak had been able to sleep and stay asleep, and even more so, Jak was beginning to open up a little more. Given how ragged he was running himself, Daxter knew eventually Jak was bound to crash on him.

"At least he trusts me. I just gotta give him time... and force him to eat breakfast tomorrow before we start cleaning the weapon mods... don't need him blastin' his head off." Dax mused as he let out a huge yawn.

He looked peaceful, too. Daxter had to wonder when the last time he saw Jak sleep, that his face wasn't pinched and pained and he wasn't whimpering and calling out his name in his nightmares. 'Maybe since he got set free... oh man, that was rough.'

Jak snored on, the spark dying down on his arm. Dax stared at him a little longer, then checked on his bandages before he yawned. He glanced at the weapon mods, thinking about cleaning them but changed his mind.

"Yeahhhhh, no. This is ALL you, man." He climbed back on the bed and flopped on his best friend's rising and falling chest. "If you ask... I was drunk, got it." Dax half threatened, half whispered to his slumbering friend. Jak snorted and his arm tossed next to his head as he snored away.

"Finally... we can both sleep..."Dax breathed, relieved as he listened to Jak's snoring before he too also fell asleep. Outside their room the soft sounds of rain lulled them both into a well-earned state of deep slumber.

END

And complete! It was a bit abrupt but I couldn't find a better way to end it that I liked so... here we are.

As I said, this is my first time in this fandom, so any and all contrastive criticism would be wonderful! Flames will be disregarded.

Until next time!