AN: Thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter. I'm glad there are some people out there that like this. Just a reminder that this story will eventually be yaoi, and surprise, surprise, I don't own Jak and Daxter. Well that was short and sweet; now on with the story.
Chapter Two
"Why are you so moody today Jak?" Daxter asked, momentarily distracting Jak enough that the side of the zoomer they were riding scraped against a piece of rubble. "I mean, Samos and Keira apologised, right?"
"Yeah, but Torn hates me," Jak said.
"Two out of three ain't that bad Jak."
"I'm just tired I guess," Jak admitted.
"Well, home's not far from here," Daxter put in. "Ah… The Naughty Ottsel… Tess… the alcohol. How I've missed them. Well, a couple of them anyway."
Torn found he was pacing the room again. He had tried to stop wondering when he would see Jak again, but couldn't help it.
Daxter owned the Naughty Ottsel, right? Which made it the closest thing Jak had to a home, right? Which meant that they would return here soon, right? Torn hoped so. The soles of his shoes depended on it.
Torn pulled one of the maps off the wall and sat down, attempting to amuse himself by planning some more challenges for Jak, all the while wondering how much help he would be willing to give the city in the current war. After all, Jak wasn't just ridiculously attractive. He was also, and probably more importantly, extremely dangerous and an expert at giving the enemy hell.
A voice outside the door brought Torn back to present. Maybe it was just hope warping his sense of hearing a little, but the voice sounded like Daxter. It would have to be the first time Torn had ever been happy to hear the ottsel's voice.
"Honey, I'm home!" Daxter chimed as the door slid open. Torn had to smirk. Daxter was, of course, expecting Tess. However, the curvaceous blonde was out working in the gun course, and Daxter was in for one hell of a surprise.
Torn tried to think of some sort of smart retort to give the ottsel, but Daxter was followed into the Naughty Ottsel by his partner in crime, Jak, and every ounce of wit Torn had ever thought he possessed disappeared in one swift second.
"Jak," he said, swinging around in his chair to face the blonde. "I never thought I'd see you again."
He made sure to smile at the younger elf, but his smile faltered for a moment when he took in Jak's appearance. Jak looked exhausted. In the six months Jak had spent outside the city walls he seemed to have aged many years. Gone was the energetic hero he remembered. Instead there was a cold, broken glare in his eyes that filled Torn with an almost irresistible urge to hold the eighteen-year-old and tell him that everything was going to be all right, even if he himself didn't believe that.
"Torn!" Daxter screeched before Jak had time to return Torn's welcome. "What are you doing to my place?"
Torn glanced around at the weapons and supplies that littered the room.
"We needed a Southern HQ for the war," he explained. Daxter still didn't seem happy. All right, Torn thought. Now it was time for the witty retort. "Plus," he added, making sure he kept his facial features completely emotionless. "I kinda like the ottsel head outside."
"Yeah," Daxter agreed, a proud smirk warping his face. "It's cool, huh?"
"We use it for target practise," Torn joked, satisfied when Daxter's expression turned to one of horror.
Torn glanced back to Jak, but the young elf hadn't even so much as grinned at his friends' interactions. It was then Torn remembered the pre-recorded message he had left on the orb challenge. It had been created in a time when he had been consumed by despair; the last desperate act of a man that wanted to prove to himself, and the world in general, that he still had hope. The message itself hadn't therefore, been the most welcoming one he had ever recorded. In fact, it had been almost bitter. Torn felt a pang of guilt, and silently hoped Jak hadn't taken the message to heart.
"Listen. I'm sorry I couldn't stop Veger," Torn said. "We all are."
"We just saw Veger," Jak said, not even taking a moment to accept Torn's apology. "He's trying to use Precursor technology for something."
Jak always did want to skip straight to the point, Torn remembered. Fine, if that was the way Jak wanted to go about this, then that was how they would go about it. They would immediately return to the old way of doing things, both pretending that nothing had changed since the last time they had talked to one another.
"Figures," Torn said. "That guy always was one monk short of a choir. We have bigger problems now. Veger sent me on a suicide attack in the Port. Now we can't get back to Freedom HQ. Our forces are divided and the KG and Metal Head fronts are squeezing us from both sides," Torn concluded, giving Jak a quick update on their current position in the war.
"Never fear!" Daxter chimed. "The trouble twins are here!"
A beeping noise on the communications panel brought Torn's attention back to what Jinx had told him earlier. Sure enough, the explosions expert had discovered the locations of the Blast Bots and was feeding them back to the Naughty Ottsel.
"Uh oh," Torn said as he caught sight of at least three red dots as they appeared on the map. "Speaking of trouble, we've got incoming Blast Bots from the KG city section. They're heading this way. Can you handle it Jak?"
Torn felt reluctant to demand something from Jak so quickly, but he knew there weren't many people in the resistance that could take down one Blast Bot in time, let alone three, and Jak did seem eager to get back into it.
"Okay, so we've got a little fear," Daxter answered, edging away from the conversation. "But Jak is here."
Jak ignored his friend's answer and gave Torn a slight nod. "I'll do it."
Two weeks passed, and Torn was surprised by how quickly Jak accepted his role in the war, taking every new mission Torn found for him, in some cases smiling at the chance to get back out into the action, and always completing missions quicker than Torn would have thought possible. Jak slept at the Naughty Ottsel in a room just across from the one Torn had claimed as his own. Torn knew that their new proximity to one another would either bring them closer together, or drive them apart.
Torn had never thought to question Jak's sleeping arrangements before. While they had been working together to liberate the city Jak had chosen to sleep at the bunks in Torn's house perhaps once a week. Torn had a sneaking suspicion that the other nights were spent outside the city walls. He was glad that he and Jak would be staying under the same roof now. He felt safer somehow knowing that Jak was so close.
Of course, the war still raged on, but that didn't mean that there wasn't time for some fun. Torn returned to creating more challenges for Jak, although he didn't have enough time to make them as difficult as he used to. Perhaps that wasn't such a bad thing though, he decided as he complimented Jak on his latest success. He was loosing orbs at a frantic rate, but it was worth it to see Jak smile, if only for a moment.
And so, the war raged on. The neon sign outside the Naughty Ottsel was, shall we say, redesigned, Jak had quite willingly been put on the frontline several times, and Torn was wondering how many more times Jak was planning on cutting it so close that it almost killed Torn. The older elf wasn't so sure how much more of it he could take before he finally died of a heart attack.
Of course, Torn had his own missions and problems to attend to, and while he came out with more scars and fewer men each time, somehow the consensus came to be that they were winning.
Jak stumbled downstairs with Daxter on his shoulder one morning to discover Jinx and Torn in some sort of lively conversation. He ignored the two for the time being, grabbed what would have to pass as breakfast, and downed it before either of them really noticed he was there.
"Morning Jak," Torn said, bringing his conversation with Jinx to a halt as soon as he noticed the blonde was in the room. He smiled warmly at Jak, and Jak attempted, not totally unsuccessfully to return the gesture.
Torn and Jinx continued to talk for a couple more minutes, before Jinx disappeared in one of the back rooms and Torn decided to join Jak.
"Sleep well?" Torn asked. He received no reply from Jak other than a small frown.
"Apparently not," Torn frowned. "Are you okay Jak?"
"I'm fine," Jak said, shrugging away Torn's concern. "It's just nightmares."
Torn thought that would be all he heard on the topic, but after a couple of moments, Jak continued.
"I used to get them a lot right after I broke out of the Barron's prison. I didn't like to sleep much back then. They faded for a while, when I was in the desert, but they're back again now."
"Jak?" Daxter asked, his voice lacking its usual spark. Torn realised it was the first time he had ever seen Daxter acting at all seriously. "Why didn't you tell me about this?"
"What's there to tell?" Jak said.
"What you just told him for a start!"
Torn left Jak and Daxter to their debate. He soon realised that this was the first time he had ever seen the two of them fight, though it no doubt happened more often than he had previously thought. Jinx re-emerged from the back rooms of the Naughty Ottsel and when some sort of peace had eventually been reached between Jak and Daxter, Torn chose this as his moment.
"We may have a way to reach Freedom HQ," Torn said as he approached Jak. "Jinx here has a plan."
"Hey Jakey boy. Long time no see," Jinx said, lighting a cigar as he spoke. "I think we've got a boomer of a plan here. You know those nasty Blast Bots you've seen around?"
Of course Jak knew them. He knew them only too well.
"Well I captured one," Jinx continued, totally ignoring the fact that Jak was anything but impressed. "Don't ask how. I'll show you the scars later." Jak rolled his eyes at Jinx. In the background, Torn couldn't help but smile.
"I've rigged that baby with a remote control, and even more explosives than the standard package."
Torn watched every small movement on Jak's face; every twitch, half-smile and raised eyebrow. It all added up to one thing; Jak was getting very sick of talking to Jinx. He decided it was time he stepped in and finished the explanations himself.
"Jak, link into that remote and direct that Blast Bot into the KG area," Torn saw Jak's eyes light up as he realised where this was going. "If you can get the Blast Bot close enough to the Freedom League border and blow it up, it should punch a hole in the defensive line there and allow us to hook up with our comrades."
Jak took the remote from Torn wordlessly, and it seemed, knew how to work it almost instinctively. Torn punched a few buttons on the communications panel, bringing up a hologram of the Blast Bot Jak was controlling and its immediate environment.
"So Torn," Jinx said, sidling up to the ex-KG commander. "I heard that Peacemaker you ordered came in this morning."
"I've got more important things to do than talk to you right now Jinx!" Torn snapped, tapping away. "Jak," Torn told the younger elf. "You've got a few of the enemy's Blast Bots heading towards ours. I count at least four!"
Jak didn't say anything, too focussed on the actual control of said Blast Bot.
"Don't think blondie's listening," Jinx commented.
"Go Jak. Go!" Daxter cheered from on his friend's shoulder.
Of course, Jak didn't respond to Daxter either, and the Naughty Ottsel plunged into silence. Jak focussed on the mission, Torn checked the holograph, glancing back at Jak every few seconds. Daxter and Jinx looked backwards and forwards between the two, feeling rather left out, until a large explosion was heard, and the holograph dissipated.
"Too easy," Jak smirked, placing the remote back down on the bar.
"Great job!" Torn told Jak. "We can link up with the northern front now. I'll get on the horn to HQ and give 'em the good news." Torn jumped over the bar as he said this, and reached under the bar.
It was here somewhere, Torn knew. What he didn't know was what had suddenly possessed him to pass on the brand new, and for that matter, only Peacemaker that he owned, to Jak. Who the hell cared? Jak smiled as he caught sight of the Peacemaker modification in Torn's hand, and that was enough.
"You're the man Jak," Torn said, grinning from ear to ear. "YOU are the man!"
"Torn…" Jak said, apparently lost for words as he gazed down at the gift in his hands. "Thank you," he finally settled on after many seconds of silence.
"Hey man, you earned it," Torn replied. "Now get over to HQ and see how things are in the south end of the city."
Jinx watched Torn as Jak left the Naughty Ottsel. Not even a blind Lurker could have missed the grin on the man's face as he stared after Jak.
"What was that about?" Jinx asked once he knew Jak would be well outside hearing range.
Torn just stared at him blankly in response.
"You just gave him your Peacemaker!" Jinx protested. "That's a pretty fine piece of equipment to just be giving away."
"He needs it more than I do," Torn said, quick to find a reason to cover up what he was beginning to realise could be seen as quite an obvious display of affection. "Besides, he deserves it for the amount of times he's saved our asses."
"Torn," Jinx smirked. "Did you realise you're blushing?"
"I am not!" Torn snapped.
"Right," Jinx said, taking a puff from his cigar. Suddenly, it all fell into place. The amount of time Torn seemed to devote to making up almost totally pointless missions for Jak, the way he stared while watching Jak complete said missions, and the reason why he was blushing right now…
"You're in love with blondie, aren't ya?" Jinx laughed.
"Of course not," Torn answered. "He's just a good friend."
"Okay," Jinx shrugged. "Then you won't mind if I take him, then?"
The death stare Torn sent Jinx was answer enough. Jinx began laughing again, and Torn realised it was a trick.
"If you dare tell Jak about this I will make your life a living hell," Torn told the other man.
"Don't worry," Jinx told Torn. "I'm not going to tell Jak."
For some reason, Torn thought Jinx wasn't telling him something.