A wide grin broke across Jak's face as he kicked up hot sand with his feet, chasing his friend as she darted across the beach at a speed he could barely keep up with. She'd had a head start on him, but she'd soon find out that he could still outrun her and outweigh her in any competition. The sun beat down on his back and shoulders, making him feel warm all over, but on a day like this he didn't care very much whether he was burnt up by the heat or not. His heart beat soundly in his chest, blood thrumming in his veins as he chased after her.

Daxter's red hair blinked in and out of view. The early afternoon blinded him and caused beads of sweat to form on his forehead. She stumbled over an unseen wooden floater left on the shore, giving him enough to time to kick his speed into another gear and regain the ground she'd taken before. It wouldn't be much longer – Jak's hands itched. He lifted up his arms to grab her, already sure he had her, and then pounced like a lightening mole.

They hit the ground with a 'fwuf', sand softly scratching their uncovered skin and flying into the air as they both kicked and elbowed one another. Daxter yelled loudly. Jak's breath was heavy, her legs and chest and stomach pressed against him as they fought for the upper hand over the other. If Daxter won, she'd run away again. If he won, he'd let her think she had.

Except this time, for some reason he couldn't place, he didn't think he would.

Jak let her grab his hands, Daxter trying to balance his weight up and away from her with shaky, thin arms that were more creamy and soft than they were at all muscled enough to accomplish this task. He was the one laughing now, a dry, airy sound as he pushed back. From the space between their chests, he noticed that hers was heaving and that her shirt had become parted slightly down the middle. Jak wondered when the slight mounds had gotten there, paler than the rest of her and somehow even softer looking. She swallowed and he could see the lump travel down her throat, her skin glistening with her own sweat from the sun. It caused him to stop for a second, trance only broken by Daxter beating him on the arm.

Their legs were still pressed tightly together as well as their hips and his heart beat harder to the point he thought he could reach in and feel it pounding. A thrill ran through him when she moved, placing her cool hands on his skin and running them over him in different places, even if it was to halfheartedly shove him. Jak pinned her arms above her in the sand, laughing hard enough that it was painful to breath.

Daxter jerked in his hold, but it was no use. She was the one who'd thrown his bucket of shells over the boat and into the water and now she could pay for it with a little sand in her shorts.

"No FAIR, you freaking CHEATER!"

Daxter pushed against his chest, whacking it and feeling her hand sting. Jak laughed down at her, grabbing her thin hands all too easily and securing them. Her sandaled feet pressed against his hip in an effort to loosen herself, but the boy could have been made of stone for all it mattered. His heavy body pressed her own into the sand underneath, hips ground against her own as he lifted up to stare down at her.

Look at that snobby face, just LOOK at it.

A year ago she'd have been pounding his head into the sand! Okay, well maybe two years ago she would have. But at least a year ago it'd be a fight, instead of trying her damndest not to get caught by the little horror. Who wasn't very little anymore. He'd been growing taller and wider like a weed sprouting up while Daxter remained the equivalent of a rail, nothing like Keira, who'd been blessed with pretty curves and a fairer face. Or Darcy, who'd affixed a rack onto her body practically overnight. She was still just Daxter, size 12. The other boys too were playing catchup but it was this one that was the problem. This little squirt. Daxter wasn't ready to come to terms with any of that, it just felt weird. It made her uncomfortable in an 'I'm about to be made to sleep under the hut' kind of way. Just bad all around, like her grip on this world was slipping.

"It's a miracle I hang around you, you're such a baby, you know," she hissed out nastily, hoping to cut the smile off his stupid face. Since she couldn't seem to beat him anymore in a battle it'd have to be with words. Fortunately, words always came easy. Green boy looked quite unamused at her jab of his age and Daxter smirked, just as petty as before. Even that was different. A few years ago he'd look cowed, sorry that he'd made her angry and pout at her. Now he just stared into her eyes, challenging her and seemingly quite unimpressed and irritated by her tantrum. If she butted her head into his, he wouldn't be so quick to test her authority... A flicker of a truly pissed off Jak passed through her mind and Daxter's resolve shrinked. "I could be hanging out with people MY age, but I've stuck around you. Sometimes I really wonder why I bother."

If she could hang out with people her own age, then why didn't she, Jak wondered. There weren't that many, but they were there. He didn't need her to bother if he was such a baby. When he was younger, those words she'd threatened him with a thousand times before used to hold some meaning for him, some truth, but now he didn't believe her for a second. She wanted to be here. It was only mildly irritating that Daxter still thought he was too young to do all the things she could.

Just like that, an idea popped into his head.

Jak sat back on his haunches, arranging a harsh frown on his face. Daxter laid still for a moment, unsure of what had happened, her chest rising and falling in that same mesmerizing way in the view between her legs, and then rolled up onto her knees with cautious uncertainty. Her face split into a beaming smile. 'Yeah, that's right.' it said, but she was surprised and happy to see that her little trick had worked on him.

"Yeah, that's RIGHT."

She grinned as Jak glared at her, sitting back and watching as she got up and dusted off her small shorts and thighs where sand had clung. Daxter sneered in return, nose turned up and expression as haughty as she could make it. The feeling of that small victory keeping her rooted there to tell him off some more and rub it in. It wasn't often enough that she won anymore, and she wasn't about to be humble about it. No, he was going to have it. "Learn some respect, getting a little too big for those britches, baaaby! I tell you, if I had half a mind, I'd never come back, but guess I could give you a second chance, if you beg."

She crossed her arms, standing up as tall as possible and rose a brow, waving a hand at him in a shooing motion. "Go on, do it."

Jak quirked a brow. Do it?

Someone was going to beg and it wasn't going to be him! He'd do IT, alright – and she'd regret ever asking him to. Jak watched her out of the corner of his eye, plan from before still in full motion. All the sweeter now that Daxter had opened her big mouth talking about 'showing some respect'.

There was a flash of worried recognition on her face when no begging came about, soon wiped away by the utter shock of him swiping her feet out from under her. She let out a high pitched squeal as Jak drug her by her ankles a few feet in the sand, eventually swooping in and picking her up effortlessly into his arms. He carted her off toward where the water kissed the shore, Daxter kicking and screaming the whole way.

It used to be him and not her trapped like this. Lucky for Daxter, he wasn't half as mean as she was.

"YOU ASSWIPE! Put me DOWN!"

She struggled in his arms now, one hand pinned against his chest and the other one having trouble freeing itself from his own. It'd only taken a second and she'd been looking up at the sky, balance completely overturned as the object of her teasing once more turned the tables on her. It was so unfair.

There was sand all under her shirt and in her hair now and when Daxter looked around at where they were headed, her stomach promptly dropped. Panic flooded her veins at the sheer thought of getting her new outfit wet. It'd taken ages to save up for the material and get Darcy to sew it for her. And the sandals were from the town next over, seven freaking gold. "JAAAK! JAK, NO! NO PLEASE, STOP! STOP!"

Her shrieks could probably be heard the next town over, but Jak didn't listen, continuing on his road to utter destruction of everything beautiful.

She was becoming desperate now and got louder, clinging to the object of her suffering as tightly as possible, an arm wrapped around his neck as she buried her face in the other side, as if that'd stop impending doom. "Okay I'm SORRY! I'm sorry, okay? I didn't mean it you're not a baby!"

He stopped.

Breathing harshly, Daxter opened her eyes, then looked back. They'd gotten to the shore, his feet in the foaming water as he held her over it perilously. But Jak seemed satisfied with the apology. Before she could speak he'd begun to bounce her ever so slightly, and then rock side to side. Just like one did with a...

Baby, baby, baby – Jak teased as he rocked her. Who was the baby now?

Daxter's face reddened. That little lurker pie stain. "Yeah, yeah. I GET it. Very funny. Can you put me down on dry land now?"

Her lips brushed feather light against his neck and his resolve to drown her like a cat came to a screeching halt. They were silk compared to her hands, hotter than the sun burning their backs as it scorched the skin she'd skimmed with them. There was a commotion in his stomach Jak was forced to taper down for fear of… fear of what?

Never mind.

She'd all but buried her head in his neck, wincing and scooting up higher on his chest to keep away from the water. Jak raised a brow at her. Since when was she afraid of the ocean? They swam more than anybody else on the island, he was pretty sure, and he'd dunked her more times than he could count on both hands and feet.

He suddenly remembered Keira and Darcy and Lelah and how they were all afraid of the water too. They didn't want to get their hair wet, or their clothes, or their shoes, or their tiny purses. Was that it? She was too girly and grown up for the water all of a sudden?

Jak looked down and noticed the shoes he'd helped her buy last festival with all their fishing money. Now that he really looked at her, her shirt looked to be made out of the same material as the roll she'd bought when they'd rowed into town a week later…

Oh that was it, wasn't it?

Well look at Daxteria! Too good to hang out with her baby best friend and too good for a swim.

Jak let loose a heavy, dramatic sigh and looked behind them as though it were a burden to travel all the way back. Then he looked up at the horizon, seemingly checking the time and deciding he did in fact have plenty of it. If she wanted to be pretty around him, she'd have to pay the price.

"For the love of Samos' skin, will you just put me down!?"

He'd stopped rocking her, which Daxter thanked the stars for, more than finished with being made a fool out of. Jak didn't seem to feel the same way though, still holding her over the gentle waves and acting like he hadn't a care in the world. Daxter gripped the back of his shirt tightly, just in case dumbo dropped her. But his hold was perfectly steady and it pissed her off even more, being carried by a kid when she was three years ahead of him. It was like she weighed nothing to him. Precursors, if the girls saw her they'd never stop teasing her.

"Jak, what gives? I said sorry, okay? That's more than anyone else will get and I only did it because you won't breathe a word of it to anyone else! Count yourself lucky you even got that much, because the Dax-lady doesn't take shit!" His eyes glanced over her and Daxter stiffened, suddenly feeling like she was being made fun of. "You don't like the outfit!? Well tough, I worked hard on it! Now PUT ME DOWN!"

But now his brow rose and he smirked, way too cocky than she was used to and once again Daxter considered a headbutt as solving this issue. Jak chuckled and puckered his lips at her, pausing for her reaction.

Daxter blanched. What the hell... "Wha... Wait, are you expecting me to- NO! I'm not kissing you, you jerk!"

And like that, his hold on her back and under her legs softened, and she slipped down an inch. She squealed, gripped him harder and finally freeing her other arm to wrap it around his neck. "STOP! Seriously!?"

He was steadily becoming more of an ass than she could be, and Daxter wondered what she'd done to deserve this. He was just a kid, she was older than him and the thought of it was awkward, though Jak seemed to be finding her distress very amusing. Usually whenever he acted like this it was in front of Darcy or Keira, or a town girl. Trying to turn the charm on when he didn't even have any hair on his chin. He'd never acted like this with her before. Stupid flirt. Well FINE. Fine.

Daxter glared at his puckered lips. It could be worse, it could be Harris or Felden. She didn't want to think about how a first kiss with them would be, not like this one would count anyway. Screwing up her courage, Daxter shut her eyes as she leaned forward, quickly pecking her own lips against his soft ones.

Her heart was beating faster now and she had the distinct feeling she was blushing when she whipped back, voice higher than usual. "Happy!?"

Jak's eyes widened, his breath hitching as she got close, kissed him, and then was gone again as quickly as she came. He hadn't expected her to go through with it, not really. The way Dax was, he thought she'd have begrudgingly ended up in the water. But a deal was a deal, wasn't it?

Only that kiss hadn't been much of a kiss at all, so she'd really not fulfilled her half of the bargain. He wanted his first real kiss with a girl to be a good one, after all, not just another one of those cute nips at him they all seemed to enjoy so much. Baby no more, Daxter would have to plant a real one on him if she wanted to make it out of this dry.

Jak puckered his lips at her again, a mischievous spark dancing in his eyes as he slowly encroached on her personal space. Her face was a shade he got to see far less often than he'd like, cheeks burning and freckled nose a shiny red. If she didn't kiss him, he would - just for that.

Daxter glowered. Apparently that wasn't enough to pay the toll for him, the little butt stain.

Her cheeks were flaming so hard now she could see the difference from the tip of her nose as she glared at him indignantly. His lips were pursed once more, and when she didn't come forward he lifted his arm, tipping her head closer himself. Their lips pressed together again, this time a whole lot longer than before and as the seconds passed she didn't know if she could not count this as a first kiss anymore. Her heart was beating fast now and her stomach felt fluttery as they broke apart, Jak grinning at her and tilting her back. The slightest tinge of pink was dusting his cheeks; it was the same shade as if he'd just won a race.

Daxter stared at him, breathing fast as her stomach did more flips and the next words out of her mouth were spoken in a panicked tone. "Jak, I think I'm gonna vomit."

They were said in such a girlish whisper that Jak's victory at sealing his first kiss from her was hardly interrupted, whatever she'd said had only made it better. He could still feel her on his lips, making his toes curl in the water and dig holes into the wet sand. Of course his kissing prowess was enough to make any woman sound faint, even Daxter. He was Jak, the ladies' man, the conqueror of hearts, the…

Had she said vomit?

Jak glared at her. He could drop her, right here, or better yet throw her. Let her have the stupid ocean she was so afraid of now, with her pretty clothes and her pretty red hair. See if he cared. Huffing angrily, he made his way back to shore and dropped her on her rear end, sticking to the unspoken promise even if she did want to puke at the thought of kissing baby-baby-Jak.

She wouldn't know a good kiss from a bad one if it hit her upside the head anyway! Plenty of other ladies that wanted a piece of him. He would manage just fine.

He marched off, determined to give her the silent treatment for the rest of the day.