Disclaimer: I own nothing. Naughty Dog Inc does, however.
Of Sunsets and Light
Heavy flaps mixed with the constant howl of the wind as the landscape sped past far beneath two pairs of feet. The heat was still harsh, but became bearable at this height thanks to the wind.
A pair of arms laid slung around a glowing neck for support, but the rest of the body connected to the arms hardly "laid". The head turned back and forth, sometimes taking the entire frame of the young man with it as he tried to take in the whole view at the same time. Grin wide enough to all but split his skull, it was an adorably giddy display.
The carrier in turn studied this boyish excitement, only wasting brief glances at the surroundings every now and then. There was that thing about watching where you were going, but considering the distance to anything the danger did not seem that important.
Just the two of them, alone with the wind in a sky of warm teal and yellow. And beneath them, the golden ocean of sand in the sunset. There might have been one or other odd cloud of dust announcing the presence of lone vehicles crossing the wasteland, but they went ignored.
Eventually something rather huge and dark forced its existence onto their attention however. This did not change the whole twist-and-turn business at first, not until the wings spread out and stopped flapping.
The flight evened out as they floated on the air currents, glowing eyes studying the shadows of the rapidly growing wall of stone. He tried not to be distracted by the tightening of arms around his neck. If he looked down, he knew that he would see curious blue eyes – and the more logical part of his brain out ruled risking the loss of focus, wanting to avoid crashing.
He fought the urge down and flapped his wings again, flinging himself and the young man in his arms forwards. The arms squeezed him and he tightened his own grip, a reassurance.
Just a couple of flaps later shimmering feet touched down on a fairly sized plateau.
One arm let go to sweep in a wide arc before and above two heads.
"Thank you for choosing Jak Flight! Please remain seated until the hero has stopped shining."
Glowing eyes crinkled.
Daxter looked up as he felt the grip on him loosen, and an eyebrow quirked as the light never faltered. Though puzzled, he shrugged and simply let himself slip down until he could stand on his own.
With a satisfied grunt he folded his fingers and turned towards the empty air, stretching both arms high above his head. The steadily sinking sun still hovered a few inches from the horizon, now taking on a flaming red. As it sunk it cast an intensifying shimmer across the vast expanse of sand and rocks, broken only by the silver line of the distant river and growing shadows.
And perhaps by the horizon, there might have been a hint of Spargus – but they were in truth too far away to see the city even from this altitude. It might as well be a mirage.
Was that important?
Nah, Daxter concluded.
"Pretty nice place you've got here, glowy boy," he said, glancing aside at his companion.
Jak said nothing, only stood there looking at him – a vision of crisp blue and white against the red glow on the cliff. Finding himself under the unmoving gaze, a prickle of heat shot into Daxter's cheeks. This, in turn, only served to accentuate the overall heat. While the wind still struggled against it, the breezes were weaker now that it had no support from Jak's flight.
Clearing his throat, Daxter sidled further back on the plateau and plopped down in the shadow of the wall. Soft steps followed him, but Jak did not sit down. Not in his Light form. It was more like he floated onto the ground, the wings falling down like a curtain behind him.
"Flying never gets old, y'know?" Daxter said.
He pulled his knees to his chest, hanging his arms over them.
"Freezing time and shielding is okay I guess, but flying just rules. Of all the things the fuzzballs thought of something came out all nice and shiny, without trouble."
Looking at Jak, he saw the nod. The eyes were still turned to him, but Daxter found it hard to tell what his friend was thinking. From the front Jak's face looked almost completely blank when he was like this. It was a little irritating, Daxter had to admit. At least if there were plans to remain "nice and shiny" for a longer period of time. He wanted to be able to see it all – every little smile, every frown or tightening of lips, so that he would always know what to do.
But then Jak's eyes narrowed slightly, question apparent in that instant. Immediately Daxter wrinkled his nose, giving a soft cackle.
"What? Nothing's wrong. I pwomise, mommy!"
The smack hung in the air but never came. Instead Jak turned, gazing at the wasteland below them. For a moment Daxter caught the hint of a smirk, visible in the middle of the motion.
If it had not been for the difficulty to read him, it could almost have been the Jak of the good old days. He seemed a lot more at peace in this form, and the lack of speak accentuated it.
Just that things weren't like back then anymore, they were both older and full of other experiences. But this relapse was hardly anything that Daxter would complain about.
The wings fluttered over the ground and swept up around Jak, but he could not possibly be freezing. Daxter reached out and poked at one of the thick nerves branching out from his buddy's back, his finger sliding across it as it buckled. It was like touching soft glass.
With a whispering sound the wing moved aside and Daxter scooted closer, looking up at Jak. The eyes smiled as a glowing nerve laid down on the thin shoulders. Only for a moment did the feathery touch rest, then it suddenly pushed and Daxter heaved forwards despite a half-strangled protest. He flung his arm out and hung it around Jak's neck again, feeling the shake of a silent chuckle. The redhead looked up with a pout on his lips, but eased up when an arm slid around his waist and the wings swept around them both.
"Hmph, fine. You big sap."
A snort, and Jak pushed so that Daxter's cheek bounced against a glowing shoulder. He straightened up, placing his free hand on the spot his face had touched.
"What, you want me back up here?" he asked.
With a sigh and a roll of his eyes he turned away, not waiting for a reply.
"Guess I should've just asked the fuzzballs for a pair of pants instead… ow!"
It was a light swap across the head – the whine was a lot more powerful. But the complaint was cut short, because when the hand returned it moved slowly, fingers slipping between red-blonde strands of hair. The new pout melted away and Daxter leant against Jak's shoulder, just letting the shimmering fingers massage the top of his head.
There was a rare silence as both of them merely stared into space.
For five seconds.
"Think Ashelin still wants to kill me?"
Another snort, and Jak pulled at the hair. He received a mock-glare for that one, sent from the corner of an eye.
"She's scarier than the metal heads, y'know. 'Cause we can't shoot her."
This pull was harder and felt less intended. Daxter turned his head to look Jak in the eye, his own narrowing slightly.
"Don't go there, man, we've been over this already. I'm coming with ya wherever you go no matter what you sa- mmph!"
Sometimes Jak screamed at people when he wanted them to shut up. Never with Daxter, upon whom he tried another technique. However the defendant did not agree this time and managed to break away.
"That's the-"
Got his chin caught between a thumb and pointing finger, let a kiss be stolen before squirming free.
"- oldest and-"
A strong hand grabbed his shoulder when he tried to duck, gently but resolutely. Trying not to laugh did in no way make it easier to get his message across.
"- corniest way-"
He tried to wrestle Jak away, but that was just asking for it. The invisible grin appeared quite tangible as both hands came to his shoulders and shoved. The wings swept away and Daxter's back made contact with the ground, yet he kept struggling – allowing neither the new situation nor the struggle against Jak's ever moving hands to stop his protesting.
"- like ever to- yip!"
He caught Jak's face in his hand, feeling the smooth nose and lips against his fingers for the briefest moment. That was just before a hand cast its shimmer across skin, fingers clamping down around his wrist and pulling. In the split second that Daxter fought to keep his arm in the air he only managed to lose the other one as well. They both hit the powder fine sand, hands far out of sight above his head.
While defeated, he did not surrender the fight.
"- shut someone up!"
The glowing face hovered above him and he looked back at it, grin dying on his lips.
Concern.
Jak was frowning, forehead pushing at his eyes as he watched the young man laying beneath him.
Oh no, no…
"Y'know," Daxter said, wriggling slightly to add to his words, "if you're trying to make a point by beating me I don't think you're the best example, considering all."
The glowing eyes closed and Jak shook his head. Daxter narrowed his eyes. As the grip of his right wrist eased just the slightest he wormed free and lifted his hand to a slick cheek. Jak looked at him.
"I wanna help you, buddy," Daxter said. "Ain't no way I'm gonna sit in Haven or Spargus biting my nails waiting for you to come back."
He reached further up, thumbing the base of an ear.
"I'm not leaving you alone."
Jak's eyelids sunk just the slightest. Daxter would have smiled, but he was too aware of what the blonde was thinking about.
Whom.
Weeks beyond the funeral, the shadow of the father never fully known still hung over the hero. And it would continue to do so.
It wasn't Daxter's place to say it, but he would do what he could – aided by those who could tell Jak the truth, repeating it to him until he could believe it; "It wasn't your fault."
Knowing it all, Daxter used his free hand to push Jak down, resting his arm over the massive back. The shimmering face disappeared between a non-glowing cheek and shoulder, never making a sound.
Daxter shifted, reaching into the growing threads of hair. Not too much time had passed since his playful comment about missing Jak's older haircut, but by now the fine strands could almost be wrapped two full laps around a finger. Perhaps it wasn't much, but it was a start for something new, again.
The thoughts were there, he could almost feel them. Nudging at the face beside him with his own, he continued to do what he knew helped best.
Talk until Jak felt better.
"Sending you off while sitting on their butts waiting ain't my job. It's Mossman and the others'. I ain't doing it, babe."
Jak heaved himself up, resting his elbow beside Daxter's ear as he reached into the red hair. Fingers mirrored each others' movements.
"I know I can count on Sig if he goes with ya, but it won't do any good."
Again he wrinkled his nose.
"'Specially now that he's playing king, waiting for you."
He could have bitten his tongue off, too late realizing that he had just managed to add instead of subtract. And he was a skilled enough Jak-expert to, even in these circumstances, note the small flinch that many others would have missed.
Still, he did not try to apologize. Jak didn't need another bloody apology after all the increasingly lame ones Haven had sent him in the past month. They wouldn't make him come back.
Instead of trying the sorry-game, Daxter moved his hand back to Jak's cheek.
"I'm not leaving you alone," he repeated, looking straight into the eyes above him, "I ain't."
He grinned just the slightest bit.
"And hey, knowing you I won't even have time to pull out my guns before you've offed every little beastie coming within sight."
Jak finally moved again, pressing his hand to Daxter's head.
"Look, you can't get rid of me and that's it. Got it, or do I have to become persuasive? Again?"
Snort. Good snort. There was a smile somewhere behind it.
Daxter's grin widened.
Oh yeah! The Amazing Super Sexy team Daxter: 401. Depression: -3. Hooha!
Jak tilted his head slightly, eyes crinkling.
"Right, and don't you forget it!"
Another silent chuckle shook the shining character and the hand left Daxter's hair, the back of its fingers stroking a soft cheek moments later.
A quick twist of his neck and Daxter held a glowing finger between his teeth, wiggling his eyebrows at its owner.
Jak's eyes narrowed.
"Oh yeah," Daxter said, a little muffled considering the situation, "that's exactly how it's gonna be, babe."
With non-too much effort Jak pulled himself free and leant in, Daxter's hand on his neck pushing down.
The lips were like the wings; smooth as glass and soft. It did feel strange, but Daxter never cared because there was without a doubt 100 pure Jak beneath that shiny stuff.
Past Jak's face he caught a glimpse of his own fingers, skin painted warmly reddish by the sun. It had sunk halfway down the horizon now, the evening glow intensified on every surface it could reach – his skin, his clothes, the cliffs that rose up above the two of them in the corner of his vision.
But not Jak. His own shine blocked it out and shielded him from the rest of the world, not allowing even the sunlight to touch him.
The unwelcome line of thought furrowed Daxter's brow and he slipped his arm around Jak's shoulders to hug him closer.
Of course the change was noticed, Jak tilting his head as he heaved himself up to let both of them breathe. Not moving anymore, just studying his friend.
"Nothing. Just being silly."
No reaction.
"Don't worry Jak, it was nothing."
Daxter narrowed his eyes.
"Come on, you're wasting time that could be used better."
Another moment passed during which Jak probably debated with himself. Had there been more facial details visible, Daxter could at least have been sure – but for now he could only wait and hope for the best.
In the end Jak finally seemed to shrug it off, his own free hand gently tugging Daxter's arm away from the smooth back. He pressed the thin hand to his face, eyes closing.
That was as far as Daxter was prepared to let him go without a counterstrike.
"See? Just a big sap!" he said, lightly drumming his fingertips against Jak's hardly visible nose.
A snort, and despite the cackle and squirming Daxter's wrist found itself paying another visit to the ground.
"You power player-"
Jak's eyes spoke before his lips closed over Daxter's again, informing the redhead that he was asking for it. That one was not hard to read.
"Yeah sure, blame me- mm…"
The playful murmur disappeared completely as a tongue stroked against soft skin and Daxter parted his lips, flicking his own tongue against Jak's.
The creature of light shifted, a big hand moving beneath Daxter's head to lift it from the hard ground. Another one came to the redhead's cheek, shimmering fingertip trailing his jawbone and the thin stubble on his chin. The finger continued down Daxter's neck, sending goose bumps appearing far down his arms. He squirmed a little, wanting to wrap his arms around Jak's neck again but only finding himself still held down.
Power player indeed…
Not until the finger changed into a hand splayed over his chest did Daxter begin to catch up with some odd facts.
Now hang on just a darn second!
He blinked, the silly grin dying as he tried to count – Jak certainly was no help in keeping his mind straight. But eventually Daxter did manage to conclude that yes, two hands. He wriggled his own, concluding also that nope, those weren't going to move anywhere.
The heck?
He broke his mouth free by turning his head, eyebrows sky high on his forehead as he struggled to see.
At least Jak had it in his heart to clear the sight a little by heaving himself up, eyes amused. It was not much of an aid as Daxter still could not turn very well in his position; all he could see was Jak's face and the wings spreading out above them booth like a protective roof.
He looked back at Jak, frowning.
The amusement in the glowing eyes had just the slightest hint of evil.
A sudden gust of warm evening breeze rustled the wings, and the weights on Daxter's wrists writhed.
Another blink.
"Jaak! You cheater!"
The wings rustled again, this time because Jak's entire body shook with laughter. He apparently thought that it was about time for Daxter to notice.
"Oh, shut up!"
Daxter glared, irritatingly aware of the bright red color creeping across his cheeks and the prickling feeling in his stomach. And Jak of course chose to return to not being helpful, stroking one flushed cheek with the familiar finger – a smug crinkle in his eyes, narrowing to a faked thoughtfulness.
He wasn't pondering a single freaking thing, he knew exactly what he was doing.
This knowledge only served to up Daxter's pulse even more, by now he could feel it flutter in his throat. And still he was not about to lose his main weapon.
"Pervert."
Jak's eyes narrowed slightly, helping Daxter to grin despite the rush of blood.
"Oh yeah, I've taught you everything you know! I'm so proud- eep!"
Shimmering face hung just above his, fingers slipping over his jaw and further down until they clenched around the scarf loosely wrapped around Daxter's neck. Without any greater problem Jak tugged the cloth away.
"A-ah- ho-hold it, t-time out!"
Daxter bit his lower lip in exasperation, irritated at the light stammer. That, and the fact that half of him whined quite loudly in protest at his own protesting. But knowing Jak it would be real hard to talk real fast, so Daxter knew that he better get his point across quickly.
Tilting his head, Jak dropped the scarf on the ground. Daxter fought the whine down and looked straight into the glowing eyes.
"Listen here, alpha male, this place is hot and dusty in case you hadn't noticed. If ya want a piece of me right now, then you're on the bottom, comprende?"
A pause, as the wings rustled once again. Then the glowing eyes closed and the light shattered in a thousand tiny stars melting into the wind, together with the soft rumbles of Jak's laughter. Daxter blinked again, then grinned as the sound continued to roll over his ears – a rare gift from one who seldom made a sound laughing.
Finally free to move his arms Daxter reached up and took a hold of the shaking head above him, curling his thumbs over the bases of Jak's ears.
"You trying to tell me something, bud?" Daxter asked.
He did not try hard enough to sound offended. It took several more moments before Jak managed to calm down, grinning at Daxter with his eyes half closed. Bathed in the warm glow of the sun, he still had his own shine – but now it was the same as the rest of the world.
"I brought a blanket, you know," Jak said, motioning at his backpack.
Daxter wrinkled his nose.
"Ain't changing anything!" he declared.
Jak smirked.
"Make me," he said.
"You'll beg for it."
"In your dreams, Dax."
With a harrumph and a huge smirk on his lips, Daxter dragged himself into a sitting position while pushing Jak back with a hand on his chest.
"We'll see about that in ten minutes, babe."
Jak's disdainful look lasted only for a brief moment, melting away under the lips of his one best friend.
The End.