AN: Alternate version is also up on adult fanfiction dot net, for those interested.
All things considered, being boyfriends wasn't all that different from being bros-with-benefits, Daxter reflected.
Not much had changed in the month they'd become official. Like Phoenix and Razer, he and Jak had opted to keep their evolving relationship on the down low. In class and in the halls they still acted like simple best friends. They didn't magically acquire matching sweaters and start writing each other romantic sonnets. Dax even slept in his own bunk… a good percentage of the time.
Now was just not one of those times.
"Let me explain how final exams work," Jak huffed softly as cold April rain pattered against their window. "You pass them if you study. To study worth anything, you go to lecture and take notes. To go to lecture, you have to get out of bed. To get out of bed, you have to let go of my—"
"And waste this perfectly good opportunity? Don't think so, babe." The redhead grinned as he curled closer, breath tickling the hollow of the quarterback's throat. He was aiming for a playful lick when a low grumble of thunder, muted and almost gentle though it was, flattened his ears with wariness. "Also, there's no way I'm goin' out in that."
"Fair. You okay?" Jak rolled, tugging Dax closer and deeper into the pile of blankets warding off the morning chill.
"Yeah, m'fine." He burrowed in, ears peeking out near the pillowcase. "S'pretty far away. Doesn't sound like all hell's breakin' loose outside." Unfortunately, the return of warmer weather also meant the return of storms—but Jak seemed just as much a force of nature. Squished in beside him on the narrow bunk, Daxter felt nothing but sheltered.
Well. Maybe he also felt horny. Okay, so he felt nothing but sheltered and horny. Which kind of seemed like an odd combination, but whatever. He could roll with it.
Jak grumbled in discomfort as his bare back touched the cold concrete blocks of the wall. "Sometimes I'd give my scholarship for this bed to be a foot wider."
Daxter scooted forward in sympathy, allowing his boyfriend another few inches of precious space even as it edged him closer to the opposite brink of the mattress. "Imagine what it'd be like if we were both bigger. How ya figure Phoenix an' Razer pull this off?"
"Either one of them gets totally squashed or they've found a way to bend the laws of physics. But can we not talk about our friends when you're grinding on me?"
Dax bit back a slightly evil laugh and squirmed again, pressing purposefully back against Jak's boxer-covered erection. "Aww, is little Jakkie tryin' ta say that I shouldn't go to class after all?"
A strong hand closed around his hip, pulling him back into a rolling thrust. "Consider this your last chance to not be a delinquent and go to that lecture…"
"Mmm, you gonna spank me if I play hooky?" he purred, slinging one leg up and back so his knee draped over Jak's, leaving himself wide open. "Tan my freckled cheeks fer bein' a naughty boy?"
"Tease." Jak's pout was almost audible as warm fingers slid down the front of the redhead's own boxers.
Yeah, totally shameless. At least they might actually get to class on time.
- / - / - / - / -
"There is no way we're getting to class on time," Jak huffed, pulling the blankets off Daxter's half asleep form. "Come on, Dax, seriously. We have literally like twenty minutes."
Curled up like a comatose ferret and almost as lanky, still bare from the waist down, the redhead barely grumbled his annoyance at the return of cold air. "Mmmnaaaah, don'wannaclass."
"And I don't want to listen to your meltdown the night before the final if you don't. Take. Notes." Grabbing skinny ankles, Jak pulled his smaller roommate around on the mattress into premium scooping range. "You remember what happened last semester? I was there. I saw the whole thing. C'mon, up."
Dax was ragdolled in his arms when Phoenix knocked.
"You up, Jak-o? Not seen you yet this morning."
With a bitten off curse, Jak firmly set his boyfriend's feet on the floor. He and Phoenix walked to class together more often than not, usually meeting Daxter halfway as the redhead escaped his previous lecture. "Yeah, I'm up! Just running late."
"I'm grabbing food downstairs. Want me to pick you up anything?"
"That would be great, actually." Addressing the door, he pulled Daxter's robe off the hook at the back of it and draped the fluffy garment around its groggy owner. "Two wraps—two Poptarts—just two of something, anything. I'll pay you back."
If he was suspicious of the odd request, Phoenix didn't voice it. But when he returned with breakfast burritos just in time to meet both occupants of 317 walking out of their room, freshly showered and mostly presentable, he stopped in his tracks.
"Daxter? Did your class get canceled?"
Daxter made grabby hands at the food. "Nah. Just had somethin' better ta do this morning."
"Something, or someone?" Phoenix snorted, elbowing Jak pointedly.
"Mmph-nm-nmmf," came the redhead's noncommittal answer through a mouthful of burrito.
Laughing hard, Phoenix slapped the other wrap into his quarterback's hand. "That's what I thought. Beats going to class, I'll agree."
Ears burning, Jak shrugged his backpack higher onto his shoulders and his coat collar higher around his red face. "Can we go now? Please?"
"Not even a denial!" Phoenix tailed him to the stairwell, polluting the quiet of the morning hallway with his merriment. "I love it!"
"I don't even want to hear it from you." Jak took the stairs down two at a time, tilting an ear past the thundering of Phoenix's boots to make sure that the patter of Daxter's sneakers was bringing up the rear. Secure in the knowledge that the running back couldn't see it, he smiled.
If nothing else, Daxter's total and complete lack of response to the teasing was heartening. He didn't seem to be quite as rigidly averse to the idea that anyone, even their friends, might suspect that they were in a relationship. Which might mean…
"Hey, Dax?" He paused at the bottom of the stairs and looked back up, letting Phoenix trot by as he waited for Daxter to finish a much less hurried descent. "Does this mean I can tell Keira now?"
Only halfway down, the redhead paused in the act of brushing liquid cheese off the corner of his mouth. His ears turned up in surprise—then drifted back to complacency with a general air of 'I suppose it can't be helped.' "Yeah, I guess. But you probably ought'a not tell her it's been a month already or she'll drive over here an' kick yer ass street style."
Unable to resist, Jak pulled him into a hug as he stepped off the bottom step. Best. Boyfriend. Ever.
- / - / - / - / -
The best part of any work shift, as anyone could tell, was break time.
Daxter leaned casually against the back counter of Pizza Haven and watched the slow carousel of his workplace move before him. Nearby Ximon boxed up the next round of delivery orders. Taryn tidied the register area between customers to a background hum of conversation from the dining room. All things considered, a decently quiet evening.
Fishing his phone out of his apron pocket, Daxter swiped off airplane mode and consulted his weather app. Before he could tell if the rain was on its way out, however, a text chimed in. Then another. And another.
"What the heck…?"
It was from Jak. They were all from Jak.
It wasn't like the blonde to blow up his phone when he was at work. With a slightly worried frown, Daxter opened the first text.
/Omg trapped on top bunk, the spider is HUGE/
Ears shooting up straight in shock, he quickly opened the next message—a picture file of a spider so large it was easily identifiable on the rug even from the top bunk, where Jak must have taken the shot from.
/Shit shit Killer scared it under the bed we'll never find it now!/
Daxter bit his lip, sputtered for a moment, and burst into laughter. Oh god, this was why he loved the big lug so much. Quickly he tapped a reply.
/Aww poor baby! Do I need to come home and save my princess from the scary spider?/
Apparently the foolish way he was focused on his phone was more obvious than he'd thought.
"Daxter, are you texting your boyfriend on the job again?" Taryn demanded teasingly, fists on her hips in mock severity.
"Maybe." His besotted smile never wavered from the small screen as he typed. "I'm on break, I can do what I want."
Ximon stopped zipping the delivery totes to swap a slow, calculating look with his cousin. "Dude. You didn't say you weren't texting the bae, though…"
Realizing his mistake too late, the redhead turned his back to them, suddenly warm ears drooping as his shoulders hunched defensively. "Ummm." Damn it, damn it. "N-no way, dude, I'm just laughin' at somethin' on Facebook."
A well-manicured hand appeared over his phone, slowly pushing it down. Taryn's face came into view wearing a slightly maniacal grin. "Daxter. Daxter darling. You wouldn't have started dating and not told us, would you?"
"Wow, look at that, break time's over! Better go clear some tables now—gaah, leggo!"
Arms locked around his waist, leaning back on the heels of her sensible non-slip work shoes, she kept him from eeling away. "I knew it! You better pony up and tell me you asked Jak out and we were completely right about you two making a fantastic couple or so help me—"
"Actually, he kind of asked me?"
Both cousins froze in surprise.
Cheeks aflame to match his ears, Daxter went limp in Taryn's surprisingly strong hold. "At least I think he did, the whole convo was a little anxiety-inducing to be brutally honest."
She squeezed him so hard his breath gusted out with a whoosh and then Ximon was giving him such an exuberant noogie that his hat fell off. Both were laughing gleefully.
"Shhh! Keep it down, geez, the whole campus doesn't need ta know about it!" Maybe it was alright if they knew, though. As long as they didn't rub it in too much. After all, Jak was going to tell Keira—probably already had—so it was only fair.
Before any more teasing could be forthcoming, the bell on the counter dinged, heralding the arrival of new customers.
"I expect a full run down when we close up," Taryn warned, but let him go to duck around the corner and take their order.
"Guess I better get these pies on the road. Good going, dude." With one last pat on the back Ximon too was gone, sauntering leisurely out of the kitchen.
Suddenly alone again, Daxter collected his hat from the tile and brushed off the crumbs. He still felt vaguely uneasy, but did his best to let the sensation slide. The pizza cousins were his friends just as much as Phoenix, Razer, and Keira were. He could count on them to be supportive. And if he told them to keep it under wraps, they would.
A quick consultation of his phone revealed that Jak had answered his text with a middle finger emoji. /Very funny. I'm retreating to the lounge with Razer and Jinx. No one sleeps tonight until we find that thing/
Biting his lip against an immature giggle, the redhead replied. /Aww, does that mean no sex either?/
/Unless you want to get accidentally mauled when an acromantula drops down on us in the middle of things then no there will not be any sex either./
Dax pictured the looks on the faces of their neighbors in the aftermath of a disaster of that caliber and really did giggle. /Ok ok. Daxter the exterminator at your service. You know, we might want to try some role play sometime. You already screw the pizza guy pretty regularly, isn't that some kind of cliché?/
/See you at 11 smartass./
Heaving a fond sigh, Daxter re-airplaned and pocketed the phone. It really was time to get back to work. He'd finish the night, go home to help Jak kill his scuttling evil. Maybe even study some for those exams.
Man, I'm totally winning at this responsible college student thing, he congratulated himself. Tugging his hat back into place, he followed Taryn's lead around to the register counter.
Erol was sitting in the dining room.
- / - / - / - / -
To be continued.
Outtakes!
/
Jak: Dax, please, you have to get up! We can't miss this class too; we'll both bomb the final for sure.
Dax: Jak, let's be real here. You're smart. You'll pass this final no matter what. And if I don't pass? Screw it. Our recent activities this morning have reaffirmed my belief that being your trophy husband when you're a millionaire NFL player is my ideal career path. So I don't really care if I fail out of college. See how much thought I've put into this?
Jak: Oh how I wish you'd put that much thought into your STUDIES.
/
Keira: Okay, Damas, Jak just called to tell me he and Daxter are dating. I know we had a bet on this and your official wager was on them coming out by spring break, but I think that since they didn't come out until April we should call it a draw and you don't take a starving college kid's money, okay?
Damas: … I wonder when Jak was going to deign to tell his FATHER about this important life event.
Uncle: Yes, or, goodness forbid, his great uncle who lovingly raised and doted on him. You'd think he would have turned out better.
Damas: You threw the kid a seventh birthday party when he was ten, don't you even pretend you keep track of his personal life, you barmy old coot!
/
Dax: So my pals all know me an' the big guy are a couple. Okay. That's okay. No big deal. I'm in a caring, committed relationship, I have the support of my friends, I have a decent job that I enjoy most of the time and I'm doing okay in school. Wow, life's actually all right!
Erol: *exists*
Dax: *Screeeeeeeeeeeech~*
/