|Haven|
Jak had to resist the urge to inflict some damage on Torn or any innocent equipment when they made their way up. There had to be some kind of universal code not to disturb someone when they were busy like that. His mood was slightly improved when he was greeted by a plate of warm sandwiches and what smelled like hot chocolate. Valentine kissed him on the cheek, handing him the first mug she got in her hands. "Stop pouting like that." She told him with a smile on her face.
He rolled his eyes when he heard that. He was not pouting, and if he was he had a damned good reason for it. He watched as Valentine practically forced Torn to show her where the technical difficulties lay, before she got down on her knees to start working immediately. He put the mug on the table, grabbing her with his free arm while he was busy eating with the other one. He ignored her protests. "You're going to get dirty again, and I won't have you sharing a shower with a bunch of sweaty guys." He'd be damned if anyone beside him would see Valentine undressed.
He deftly placed the sandwich he'd almost finished in her mouth when she thought about arguing with him. "And stop pouting." He teased her. She tried to frown at him, the effect greatly diminished by the stray crumbs around her mouth. Before he could snatch those away he caught Torn looking at the both of them.
"Torn, did you make these yourself? They're amazing!" Valentine said, taking another one. Torn looked at Jak once more with what was almost a glare, leaving him to wonder what he had to be angry about. At least Torn hadn't been having fun in the showers not even ten minutes ago.
"I remembered how hungry the two of you could get." Torn replied, leaving the question on whether or not he had made those sandwiches aside. "If the two of you get hungry you're a force to be reckoned with, though the anger could get misdirected."
Valentine tried to look insulted. "I only attacked you once because I was hungry." She replied, attempting to look fairly dignified. "Your own fault for keeping a lady away from lunch."
"I was planning a sensitive operation but your stomach kept getting in the way." Torn told her, almost making strangling motions in the air.
Valentine took a sip of her drink, clearly enjoying her game. "My stomach was at that moment a lot more important than your planning a way to see Ashelin." The way Torn stiffened up Jak could see that had been a bulls-eye. Valentine winked at Jak, nodding her head towards Torn. "If you ever need tips on sneaking inside a heavily guarded palace, that's your guy."
Half an hour of casual banter later – Jak had almost forgiven Torn for interrupting, but not quite – Valentine started to yawn. Jak took that as his cue to guide her downstairs, knowing fully well he would have to keep his hands to himself there, since the place was probably filled with people sleeping after a hard day's work. He felt weary himself, but then again, the day had been a lot more eventful than he had originally planned out. He did not look forward to explaining to Damos how he had managed to spirit the Spargus heir out of the desert.
Valentine grabbed him by the arm when they were about halfway across the room, stopping him in his tracks. He'd been looking for a pair of bunk beds close to each other, but so far they'd only passed one or two beds that were unoccupied in the dimly lit room. "Let's sleep here." she mumbled, her voice so heavy with sleep Jak thought it was a miracle she was still standing. He nodded, about to move away when she refused to let go of him. "Together." She insisted.
"Val, I don't know if that's a good idea." He whispered back at her.
She shook her head when he protested, sitting back on the small bed as she moved towards the wall more, making room for him. "Back in Spargus I always sleep with Meta." she announced, already making herself more comfortable. "Can't sleep when I'm alone anymore." She continued, stretching out her hand towards him, palm upwards. When he hesitated she looked at him pleading. "C'mon, big boy. Sleep with your girl."
Taking a deep breath he agreed to her request, finding his resolve immediately tested by the simple fact that she was near him. Valentine pulled up the blanket around them, nestling her body closer against him. He wrapped an arm around her as she let her hand rest on his bare chest, the tips of her fingers slightly tickling him. Her long hair was damp, but not completely wet, and she still vaguely smelled like soap and water, along with that mysterious undercurrent that he associated with her and with the desert.
Valentine.
Before he had taken more than five breaths she had fallen asleep against him, completely confident in the fact that he would be here for her. Her dark blue eyes were now hidden underneath dark eyelashes, her lips slightly parted. He noted he might have been too rough earlier, a few pink spots around her mouth and her neck visible in the faint light. She must have been exhausted to fall asleep so easily, so completely.
When I grow up, I will protect you.
He had promised her that, in what was more than a decade ago for him, and only a few years for her. Sometimes flashes of his past resurfaced, vague and distorted. Of most he could hardly figure out who was starring in them, but those with Valentine were most often the clearest. He would have to tell her, soon. Would have to tell her that she had been the one protecting him so long ago, that she had been his Guardian.
How strange that she would look so innocent when she slept, so sweet and unsuspecting. It was the first time he had seen her so serene and defenseless. He stroked his index finger past her cheek, finding a small scar that he had never noticed before. The touch made her emit a small sound, causing her to somehow press herself closer against him. "Jak…" she mumbled his name, before she smiled in her sleep.
When I grow up, I will protect you.
How would she react when he told her? Would she be angry? Would she believe him? He could tell her what he remembered. His eyes roved the contours of her face, drinking in every detail as if he was dying in the desert and she the only thing to save him. She had saved him when he had been a child, and again when he had gotten away from Praxis. He owed it to her to tell her, but at the same time he was afraid. There were too many things that could go wrong, and now that he finally had her he couldn't bear the thought that maybe this secret would be too much.
"… Love you…Jak…" she mumbled, her hand softly stroking past his chest.
He could feel his heart stop when she said that. For a moment his whole world froze before falling back into place. She had no idea what she had just mumbled in her sleep, but he didn't think he would be able to forget. Love. He stroked a callused thumb past her arm, trying to imagine if there were words in this world that would ever make more of an impact on him.
I love you most of all, Valentine.
He couldn't remember when he had fallen asleep, but suddenly he was very aware of someone standing above him. It couldn't be Valentine, since he could feel a firm body pressed against him and a pair of soft lips pressed against his neck. He opened up one eye, wondering who it was that dared to disturb them.
Torn. Of course it was him. No matter how much respect Jak might have for him, some things went too far. "Well, I see you're finally up." Torn remarked in his usual tone of voice. Dark eyes looked down on Jak and the still slumbering Valentine. "Anything you want to tell me?" he asked, raising his eyebrows. The way he put emphasis on his words suggested a world of pain for a wrong answer.
Valentine raised her head, sounding as if she was still half-asleep. "We're dating. My virtue is safe, thanks to you." Her voice was slightly grouchy at that last part. "Next time I'll hurt you." She promised, opening her eyes slightly.
Torn smirked when he heard that. "I'm very happy your… virtue is safe." Jak let a finger slide down her hip underneath the safety of the covers, causing her to let out a content sigh.
"Very happy…" she agreed, snuggling back into Jak as she waved a hand to dismiss Torn. This was not counting a man who was feared in his own right, as he had no qualms about ripping away the blanket from them, causing Valentine to scream in indignation. Jak quickly held her back as she threw the pillow at Torn, who aptly dodged the soft projectile.
"Torn, are you trying to pick a fight with me in the morning?" she threatened. Jak felt a stab of remorse because this meant peace and quiet time was over until further notice.
Torn walked away, tossing a bundle of clothes on the bed. "Everyone else is out already, so get your asses up. I have a communication system that needs an expert's touch."
At least that was enough to soothe Valentine, even if it left Jak still a bit annoyed. Couldn't they ever have any time alone? He was surprised after pulling his blue shirt over his head by a kiss. "Good morning, handsome." She said sweetly. "I slept great last night, and I think it's all thanks to you."
"Go work on your toys." He replied smiling, running his hands through his hair. "I know you've been dying since yesterday."
Valentine rushed up the stairs, stealing a sweet bun from the counter of the bar. At least there wasn't a food shortage in Haven because that would have been the end of her. "You're a horrible person, you know that?" she asked through a stuffed mouth when she saw Torn, before she plopped down in front of the communicator. "Harassing my guy like that."
"Someone has to look out for you." Torn reminded her, bending so he could see what she was doing. "You're still just a kid. I mean, a young woman." He corrected himself when he caught her glare.
She let out a satisfied hum as she checked the system, feeling secure now that she was once again able to play around with something more technologically advanced than a toothbrush. "I can look out for myself." She said, almost dangerously sweet. "And Jak will take care of me as well." She continued, letting out a disapproving 'tssk' when she saw how they had installed the communication system. No wonder it was lagging.
"Damn right I will." Jak said, dressed in his freshly washed clothes. "Where's Dax?" he asked, looking around him.
"Probably still with his sugar. It's raining couples around here." Torn commented, tapping his fingers on the flat surface of the counter as he reached for a mug filled with something warm.
"Somebody's cranky because they can't cuddly up to their redheaded sweetheart. Torn and Ashelin, sittin' in a tree…" Valentine cooed from her hidden position, drawing a chuckle from Jak.
"Somebody said my name?" A voice came from the communicator, making Valentine bump her head against the top of the table. "That sounded painful." Ashelin commented, her head being the only thing projected.
Valentine clamored up from her crouched position, rubbing her head. "That was painful." She stated, feeling if there would be a bump forming. "At least I got the lag fixed."
"I knew I could count on you two." Ashelin said, looking down at the new reinforcements.
Valentine shrugged, sauntering off next to Jak with more than a bit of pride in her step. "Nothing to mention, especially since you're the one that saved my ass back then." she replied, before the image started flickering. "That's not supposed to happen, hey, Ashelin!"
"Erol!" Jak snarled at the new apparition, not happy at all with this view. Valentine practically fumed when she saw him as well. Apart from being an insufferable ass, he was mocking her professional integrity by jamming Ashelin's signal.
"I live, hahahaha." Erol announced, much to everyone's dismay and sounding quite metallic. "Still fighting for the weak link, eh Jak? Well, I've had a few 'enhancements' since we last met." Valentine rolled her eyes. The Precursors knew Erol had needed something to make him more sufferable. "Even the Metal Heads have their biological weaknesses. But me? I'm pure metal! I'd love to meet you again."
Before any of them could say something Erol's face was replaced by that of Samos. "We must unite our forces or we're through. We got the same message here just now. You've got to reach us, Jak!"
Ashelin replaced Samos on-screen, her face directed at Torn as she spoke. Valentine was trying to keep track of her emotions which had ranged from anger at seeing Erol to surprise at seeing Samos to just simple frustration because people didn't slow down for five seconds. "We need you to break through and link up with us before it's too late. The KG robots are growing stronger. That floating war factory of theirs is spitting out more robots each day."
Ashelin disappeared, leaving the people around the table to finally catch their breaths. Valentine couldn't remember the last time she had seen such a rapid succession of communication. Maybe she had gotten more used to relaxed Spargus than she had realized. Torn pointed down at the map, gesturing for the two to keep up with the pace. "If we can break through their defenses, we may be able to get back to HQ and meet up. Care to make some noise Jak?" Torn asked, clearly looking forward to getting some payback at the robots.
"We're always up for a little rumble, right Val?" Jak asked, looking at Valentine as she was chewing her bottom lip, trying to figure out at least one solution to everything she had just heard.
"I think you mean, we're almost up. I'm still trying to figure out which way is up." Valentine replied with a yawn. When the two men looked at her with what was almost a disappointed look she huffed. "Oh, grow up you two. Fine, I'll play along for now. Besides, I want a chance at taking out a robot, I want to see what makes those puppies tick."
"Valentine!" A sultry voice called out from the entrance, and before she knew what was happening she was caught in a hug by Tess. It didn't surprise her too much, since Tess had been one of the kinder members of the Underground. "It's so good to have you back here! Daxter told me all about your adventures in the Wastes."
Valentine didn't doubt that for one second, nor did she doubt there had been a lot of embellishments. Tess continued talking. "Don't bother going easy on those robots, they always bring me spare parts and you're more than welcome to dig through those. I can't wait to have a decent girl talk, these men are killing me." Valentine nodded, trying to keep up with the cascade of words. "We can talk nail polish, and fashion, and you have to see this new gun I designed, it's amazing."
"Sounds great." Valentine said, surprised at hearing Tess had taken towards gun design. Looked like they had more in common than she had realized.
"You make guns now?" Jak asked, sounding just as surprised as Valentine was.
"She sure does!" Daxter yelled out, sliding over the floor towards his friends. "You should see her work, it's pretty darn fantastic."
"I just finished this latest one, it sports a multi-port, large bore, gyro-burst launcher with blowback breach assist using full-jacket Eco-depleted armor piercing slugs and a continuous kill zone scanner for tight groupings at a high-cycle rate of fire." Tess caught the look everyone gave her and giggled once. "It's a hobby."
Valentine nodded, fascinated by the concept. "How did you solve the cooling system? With that type of gun there had to have been a lot of problems."
The men watched as they got into their conversation, realizing they were way out of their league. Jak coughed, trying to look as if he understood a third of what they were saying. He knew how to work a gun, wasn't that enough? "Girl talk, right?" he asked with a nervous chuckle.
"Ladies, focus." Torn said, snapping his fingers. He was rewarded by the two females crossing their arms over one another, both of them having the look on their face that usually spelled fiery doom for the man that had interrupted their girly chat. "Daxter, you're up. Rodeo that rocket to the shield so we can get a move on."
Five minutes later they found themselves watching as Daxter attempted to steer a rocket over the port, Tess squeezing the bones out of Valentine's arm as she feared her 'schnookums' might get killed. Not that Valentine was so confident that Daxter would make it out alive, they could hear him screaming all the way over here. One explosion later they had their way to the Freedom HQ cleared.
Valentine already started to stretch out, entertaining hope that they could be back in Spargus before evening fell. Not that she was looking forward to being chewed out by Damos, but the sooner she got it over with the better. Not to mention Damos could really carry a grudge for as long as the other party was still alive. That hope was very soon crashed by Torn.
"I need you guys to get back into the sewers." Valentine turned around to strangle the man as Tess ran off to check on Daxter.
"We just got out of the sewers. I refuse to set a foot in that place once again for the rest of my life." she managed to wring out, ignoring the soothing pats Jak was giving her. "I don't want to."
Jak placed an arm around her shoulder, pulling her close. "Don't worry Torn, she'll do it."
As she tried to protest Jak cut her off with a kiss, nearly sending Torn into an embarrassed stupor. She gave him a punch on the shoulder, unable to wipe the smile off her face. "Fine. I'm going."
Hey, maybe they could get back into the shower, right?
Moon's note : Aaaah, exams! I'll have one on the 19th, and the 20th, and I don't wanna T.T
In less depressing news, I've been considering making a playlist for Jak and Val on 8tracks. If anyone has a song they'd like to suggested, drop me a message or something.
LadyAmazon : as always you are being far too kind for me, though I am happy to hear you enjoyed the chapter!
M-Angel 05 : Hahhah, Ma'al in Haven, that would be hilarious. Though I think Veger would probably die from cardiac arrest before Ma'al could even snort at him. I'm keeping the poll for Damos open in my profile page, though opinions are pretty one-sided so far. Anyone want to guess what the results are so far? :o
Actic Wolf105 : I really did inspire you? (gets all squeely and very unprofessional for a second) That's very nice to hear^^ And you shouldn't worry too much about making much sense in reviews, as long as I get the general gist of things I'm happy. Making sense is mostly my job in this context I think xD
Dear Guest : One does try! Let's be happy it turned out okay ^^