A/N: As always, I apologize for the wait, as well as the slow process of Loud Silence's plot! And I know repetition is never a fun thing, but I have to vent once again that any grammar errors can be blamed on spell-check just as much as me.. Uhh… but placing words together likethis is ALL fanfiction! Bah, anyway…
(BIIIG sigh) And YET AGAIN! This is yet another dull chapter that I'm not very close to, and I think there may be some OOC in here, but I'm not sure. I'll let you be the judges of that.
This chapter is a tad shorter than others. Please bear with me.
I would love to do some art for this fic, but I lack the talent. Mebbe someday...
Thank You:
ChronoClockXVII: Whew! What a relief! I mean, I know Jak will ALWAYS be a bad ass and that's what makes him so awesome, but he DOES have a soft side! It's just hard to write it without turning him into mush. Just like always, thanks for the review!
FuaiyaaNoRyu: Awww… An inspiration? How sweet, your so sweet, sweetie! And your review helped to inspire ME, getting my gear into motion and working more on this chapter, which took me longer than needed. Thank you thank you thank chuuuuu!
joeanne: Actually, I gave it a LOT of thought, and I'm uber happy that you noticed! And thanks for the cookies, they shall fuel my mind and continue the story!
Phantom of Les Miserables: Awww… (you should be all better by now, right? I mean I only took a lifetime to update) It's always lots of fun to read a story when your sick, isn't it? Something about it just makes the sickness go away faster. Or… or ya'know, make you feel better, anyway.
RogueFanKC: Aw thanks! Your words are very encouraging, which is always something I need. And YES! You also have problems with fanfiction's formatting? Bah, it drives me crazy! Buutt, readers such as you are able to overlook them and still make a writer feel good about her work!
Wolfie: Hhaha, your not the first to question the pairing but read it and turn out loving it in the end. I'm glad you were able to read my story and enjoy it, even with the pairing sticking inquiry in your mind. I went through the disgust to obsess transformation myself. Don't ya feel GOOD now?
bob lemon: Truth time. Corny makes me uncomfortable. I won't even say something in real life if it sounds too much like something from a movie. So when I write, I like to make it realistic (as realistic as a video game world will let me, anyway), so thanks!
that filthy animal: (hugs) Comments about good characterization make me happy! So yes! You made me happy! Good praises like that only encourage me to write more and improve it!
Nic: (gasp) One of your favorites! (glomp) Thank you! Yet another persons commenting on my characterization, I'm sooo happy and lucky to have readers like chu! Glad you like the way Daxter is fitted.
Mewlon: If I was halfway DECENT at drawing, I would draw him in those clothes, but I don't think it'll turn out too well. Clothes are the thing I'm not very creative with. And yeah, although I don't LOATH Keira, Tess and Ashelin kicked ass. (snuggles da awesome reviewer.)
Demyrie: Doh, hun! You never leave me disappointed! And awww, you're so good at flattering me. And you urge me on to write more sooner. Even though... even though you're prolly fuming with me at how long I took... And don't rush yourself to write back to me or anything like that. You know this. I still need to review JAM! Just stay sweet.
Avalon Hunter: Cushy feelings are good, so it's understandable that you would like that. It's a good thing you decided to finally review because it really means a lot to me. I hope you'll review again this time around, I would be a happy girl!
apie: (giggles) That's what I'm here for, my friend! To deliver that warm and fuzzy feeling that only a pair like Jak and Daxter can give.
jemisard: I understand that you are a busy person and that life can throw rocks at ya, but thank you so much for still taking the time to review this thing! And I'm SO sorry I haven't reviewed the latest chapters of WIC, but I promise I'll get to it when I can.
No matter what height, no matter what race, no matter what species, I don't think I was ever going to come to terms with Jak's driving. Or the sinking feeling I get inside of me, for that matter. After all, he only skimmed about two or three buildings so far, cutting all of his turns a bit too sharp for my thumping heart to take, and plowed over a citizen here and there, but he just kept ooonn truckin', with me hanging desperately onto whatever I could.
Ahem, that would be his waist.
About four alleyways and a trash heap later, Jak jerked the rusted vehicle to a stop. The sudden stop forced my body to scoot up in the seat, where my nose crushed itself into Jak's back. Jak dismounted the zoomer while I tended to my tingling nose. His boots clattered shamelessly on the concrete ground, echoing before stopping, as he turned to wait for me.
I ceased at rubbing my nose; I had a feeling that the sneeze I kept feeling wasn't going to be coming out anytime soon, and I practically connected myself to Jak's footsteps. It didn't take long for me to figure out where I was, though. Dead Town was easy to recognize. The scent was always unpleasant to the nose, and the ground would always try to swallow your foot if you stayed in one spot for too long.
The sludge and mud and all those earthy tones flashed across my vision as that metal door slid open at Jak's presence. I almost wanted to call the whole thing quits (whatever the 'thing' was that we were doing...) and turn around when Jak jumped over the first gap of harmful, Daxter-eating gunk between solid grounds. For one, I had just gotten down the simple act of walking, and I didn't know that jumping was going to be so close behind. Second, if by some chance I didn't make it, I didn't want Jak too see me fail miserably and land flat on my face. I huffed and crossed my arms, tapping my foot at an almost inhuman rate as Jak's eyes questioned my lagging.
A finger rose and my mouth opened, but nothing sounded but a large sigh, and my hands fell and dangled loosely at my sides. With an irritated scowl, I turned around sharply, taking a few large steps back before making another 180 degree turn, and broke into a run. I jumped as soon as the gook was too close for my liking, and... amazingly landed safely on the other side. Jak merely grinned at my little show and kept going, with me tagging along behind him.
I took in some air as I was about to finally ask him what exactly it was that we were doing, and why we had to do it all the way out here of all places, but stopped when I saw that another gap lay ahead. This time there was no hesitation as I jumped right after Jak did, almost stumbling but DIDN'T! Beat THAT! I could tell that Jak was happy with my little accomplishment because his eyes were creased with laugh lines and his teeth were showing due to the smile that he bore. Next came the stepping stones, which were more like floating boards if anything, but somehow, were not too much of a problem for me to cross over. I mean , it was literally a hop skip and adesperate leapto the other patch of land, and soon we were both standing in the middle of nowhere!
The area we were in was clear of any threats and secluded. My feet shuffled closer to Jak. Cities are big and full of action everywhere you turn. As an ottsel, coming here pumped my heart because there was always something trying to kill us. So now, with no sound but my feet on the ground and the random pop of a mud bubble, it was creepy. We were... the only ones there.
My ears twitched at the sound of a gun being cocked. My baby blues searched for the source of the sound until they lay themselves onto Jak, who was, of course, preparing his scatter gun, even taking the time to spruce it up with his sleeve. My confusion and worry was doubled as the said weapon was handed over to ME. I took a single step back, eying the guy in front of me who I was starting to confirm was CRAZY, and huffed.
"M-me?"
A lanky finger rose to poke at my own chest, and Jak merely nodded, smile still plastered on his smug face, inching the gun closer to my body until it was pressed against my stomach. Without thinking my hands took the deadly scrap of metal and clutched it desperately, almost afraid of setting it off if I dropped it or held it wrong.
"Welcome to self defense."
My lids rose to let my eyes widen, my mouth became agape as I licked my drying teeth with my tongue. My mouth opened and for the second time that day nothing came out. Only stuttered noises and uneven breaths. Jak was now standing behindme,hishands already over my own, forcing me to hold the damn thing correctly and firmly. This was… so much different that being an ottsel and lettin' it just rest on my shoulder to shoot from amoving vehicle. It didn't take him long to get my fingers where they needed to be, and soon he was squatted down and adjusting my feet in the mud beneath me. He tapped my leg from the back, telling me to bend a little more at the knees, which I did, and he shifted my feet into uncomfortable yet stable angles. By the time my stance was complete, I felt pretty damn cool, and even gave an almost audible growl as my brows lowered in a mock fantasy of being able to kick some serious ass. But then came my next instructions.
"Fire."
He surprised me, and my mouth formed a small circle, and I could feel my eyes widen at the request. Yet as soon as my eyes were rested on his frame, my finger instantly applied pressure and the gun went off. The sudden jolt sent me backwards and onto my soon throbbing ass. It didn't take me long to place the laughter. Jak was the only one around besides myself to even do such a thing, and I didn't find it very funny.
I don't like guns.
I used them when I was an ottsel, sitting on top of Jak's shoulder like always when he was driving in his maniac way, cocking it often and shooting when I panicked. But I never thought I was gonna have to learn how to handle one like this in order to defend myself. I didn't want to have to, either. I was quite content, thank you, with having Jak fight all of my battles for me.
My arms rushed out towards Jak and I pressed the damn thing into his chest. When he didn't take it I wiggled it in my grasp, hoping he would get the picture that I didn't WANT it! It's not the gun itself that scared me. It was the scenario of me having to USE it to save myself, which was something I just… didn't want to think about. Jak finally took the hint and took the gun from my possession. He then looked at me and I looked at him, and he tossed it to the side, letting it smack the ground without even a hint of a care. His hand was reaching out now, spinning me around and placing a hand on my shoulder.
"Of course, there just might be a time when you don't have a weapon with you." His hand shook me as he went on. "In which case you are forced to defend yourself with your bare hands."
"I think I'd rather have the gun…"
"Oh come on, Dax." He shook me again. "You just like to make things hard on me. Now, what do you do?"
Call for you, I wanted to say. Scream for help and if helps not around than crawl and beg for mercy…
"I uh…"
"If someone comes up behind you and grabs your shoulder, chances are, they're gonna try to spin you around. And when they do…"
His hand twitched and I slowly spun around the way he was gently pulling me. I was halfway turned as he gave his next explanation.
"Now, as your turning, make a fist for strength…"
I did as he said, making a weak ball with my palm and fingers as I looked to him for my next instructions.
"And then hit me in the stomach with your elbow."
I looked at him, questioning him if he wanted me to actually do it, and his eyes told me that he did. With a little hesitation, I let my elbow connect with his side. Or more like... I slowly moved it in that direction until my elbow brushed against his clothing.
"There, that's it." He smiled and ruffled my hair affectionately, something I discovered I was very attached to. "Now do it again and this time, don't be afraid to really hit me."
My eyes scanned the ground and sky, almost unsure if I should listen, but I turned around and let him rest his palm on my boney shoulder a second time. He lightly tugged at the fabric over my collarbone and I took a silent second to think over what I was supposed to do, and I finally took a step and swiftly spun around, clenching my fist like I was told, and swung my elbow around and shoved it into Jak's belly. He huffed out a little air when I connected and I immediately looked at him to make sure I did everything alright. I wasn't worried about hurting him. I... don't really think it was possible.
"Great, now, if someone wanted to attack you from the front..."
He balled his hand into a fist and slowly extended it to my chest.
"I….. duck?"
"Yeah, you dodge it. Step to the left or the right."
I stepped to the left just as I was told, but I couldn't help but wonder if I would be able to think this fast should the real situation come up. Even if I by some chance remembered all of this, there was no way I would be able to apply it.
"Kay, now grab my arm and…"
I wrapped my fingers around his wrist, trying to figure out where he had learned all of this stuff and how he had found the time to teach himself. But in my thoughts, I lost focus of what Jak said next, and I was startled when he shouted my name to get my attention. I jumped and stumbled backwards, something that I seemed to be doing quite often, and I fell, taking Jak with me. His body weight smothered me, pressing me deeper into the muck underneath us, and I could feel him hurriedly trying to lift himself up. He rolled off of me and sat down next to me as I tried to rid myself of all the mud and dirt that had clung to my NEW clothes, and into my mouth, and the jerk chuckled.
"Well, that's one way to do it…"
"That's the Daxter way to go, baby!" I couldn't help but grin at my own little version of the technique, but before I could go on in my own little musing, Jak's body was over my own, his hands grabbing my own and pinning them to my sides.
"How about this one, hot shot? Get out of this one…"
"No problem…"
I raised my feet from under him and nudged them into Jak's sides. I'm the only one that knows about the 'secret spot' on Jak's body. The only spot that if touched just right, was able to cause the guy to burst out in uncontrollable laughter. I only had one shot to hit it right, and he sputtered and tried to choke down the spells of laughter that threatened to spill out, and his grip on my hands faltered, allowing me to crawl out of his reach and pounce on top of him. My skinny arms wrapped awkwardly around Jak neck, my body sprawled over his back, and my legs twisting around to hug his waist. I grinned madly, seriously stoked that I had the upper hand. But all Jak had to do to turn the tables was fall onto his back, crushing me in the process. My limbs went loose and started flailing all over the place, cursing Jak for being Jak, cursing him for being too friggen smart about these things, and swearing to get my revenge as soon as I was able to feel my body again. Jak, like the smug guy that he was at the time, only scoffed mildly at my attempts and he rolled off of me to give me a chance to breath, which was a big mistake on his part because I was just ready to wail on him.
As soon as I was able to lunged at him and tried my best to pin him to the ground, trying to use the slippery mud to my advantage but wasn't doing so well. I blew a stray bang from my face, grabbing his wrists in my hands and trying to lay them over his head as I straddled his thighs in growing stimulation. My teeth grinded themselves in excitement as I discovered that Jak was not going to attempt to throw me off, because I knew all too well that he held the capability to do so. Still, he seemed clueless to my desires and the dirty thoughts that were sprouting in my mind like weeds spawned from Dark Eco, and only shone curiosity to what it was that I intended to do next with my prey.
"You're something else…" He muttered and I just snorted to myself and nodded my head in agreement. I leaned over, hovering my face over his, just like before in bed, only this time he was awake… and he could see everything that I was doing. And I was aware of this fact, yet it didn't stop me from pressing my nose to his cheek, breathing a suddenly husky breath into his ear.
"God, Jak…"
His eyes widened momentarily, almost thinking about what I had just said, but soon his eyes lit up in playfulness, because it was just silly of him to take me seriously. I mean, come on. Still, I couldn't' keep the weight from dog piling on top of my racing heart that he did think I was joking, like always. Of course, as me, I need to take advantage of the situation.
"Someone pins you, Jak. What do you do?"
His teeth flashed and I think they may have sparkled as an evil idea rolled into his skull and onto his features and I knew I had made a mistake, but I barely had time to tell because he was on top of me in the blink of an eye. I coughed and sputtered not from the dust that floated into my eyes and mouth, but at the amazing speed that he had just used to accomplish this.
"You have a lot to learn, Daxter," He growled teasingly, pressing my arms securely, but not painfully, behind my back. "Don't get cocky."
Immature little old me. I could feel the heat rush into my cheeks when he said that, and I tucked my head down to hide it.
Jak released me and stood on both feet, offering a strong hand that I stared at. With a smug grin, I took hold of that hand. I had to use every ounce of 'oof' I had, but it was enough to jerk him towards me and cause him to topple over me and land face first in the dirt. Somewhere deep inside I knew it was a death wish but I sprawled all over his back and trying to force myself to be heavier to keep him down, but he managed to raise himself onto all fours as if I was as light as a feather and hell, to him I probably was. And when he rose to just his knees, it was enough to send me to the ground for yet another time. His head turned to face me and that same smile was still spread across his features.
"Persistent, aren't we?"
I hardly had time to yelp as his hands reached out and tackled me.
And we were tangled and knotted in a strange attempt to prove who had more energy, who could go on longer. It was not really a battle of strength or who could pin the other more, but of who would give up first, and he who did was the official loser. Though it wasn't said, those were the rules of the game, and although I knew my chances of winning were pretty much negative ten or somewhere around there, I had no intention of leaving the game. Well, if you had the chance to twist yourself up in close contact with the object of your affection without fear of them catching on to your little secret, wouldn't you?
If the ground was green, and the concrete walls were trees, and the muck was clear blue water, I would have been back in time. This is just the kind of thing Jak and I did before I took a bath in Dark Eco... Boys at our age wrestled, and it was something that never seemed to get old. Of course, Jak always won back then, too.
Sweat started to smother my skin, but I was far from over. Jak and I had our hands on each others shoulders, and were rolling along the ground in attempt to pin the other. I squinted to keep the flying dirt from land in my eyes, though every other inch of Jak and myself were pretty much covered. So much for new clothes, huh? But it didn't matter, because after a few minutes of rolling, I ended up on top, only because Jak was out of breath.
You know... from laughing.
"What about your lesson? It's not over yet."
I grinned. Learning was never something I was very fond of, but something told me that this was a lesson worth remembering.
"Far from over, Jak!"
I practically squealed it as Jak didn't give me a chance to finish. He bolted up and pushed me off of him, roughly but gently and I started running as he gave chase. I was smiling, skipping, running, caught up in the moment and joy. It was just like old times, and I remember laughing back then, too. It was all so familiar I was expecting Jak to tackle my legs and bring me down so he could tickle my sides and pretend not to hear my pleas for him to stop.
Sure enough, I hit the ground with a soft thud, and those fingers of his mashed into my sides and wriggled there. I bit my lip to keep the laughter from coming, but tears formed in my eyes from the restraint and I burst out wildly, gasping for breath and trying to talk.
"Jak.. JAK! Y-you're such a- HA! Bastard, hoo-! S-stop! I m-mean- HEEHA- mean it. I'm.. -heh-HEH- I'm serious!"
"That's funny," Jak smirked, never halting in his attack. "Your don't sound very serious..."
"Dammit, Jak! You kn-know I can't - Ha! - help it!"
This is gonna be a loooong lesson.
