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Room and Board	By : sillyneko345 Category: +G through L > Jak & Daxter Views: 25355 -:- Recommendations : 2 -:- Currently Reading : 7
Disclaimer: I do not own the game this story is based on (Jak & Daxter) nor do I make any money from writing it.

Chapter List
- 1-Ch. 1
- 2-Ch. 2
- 3-Ch. 3
- 4-Ch. 4
- 5-Ch. 5
- 6-Ch. 6
- 7-Ch. 7
- 8-Ch. 8
- 9-Ch. 9
- 10-Ch. 10
- 11-Ch. 11
- 12-Ch. 12
- 13-Ch. 13
- 14-Ch. 14
- 15-Ch. 15
- 16-Ch. 16
- 17-Ch. 17
- 18-Ch. 18
- 19-Ch. 19
- 20-Ch. 20
- 21-Ch. 21
- 22-Ch. 22
- 23-Ch. 23
- 24-Ch. 24
- 25-Ch. 25
- 26-Ch. 26
- 27-Ch. 27
- 28-Ch. 28
- 29-Ch. 29
- 30-Ch. 30
- 31-Ch. 31
- 32-Ch. 32
- 33-Ch. 33
- 34-Ch. 34
- 35-Ch. 35
- 36-ch. 36
- 37-ch. 37
- 35
- 36
- 37
Tainted_Emerald: Oh gosh. No, I don’t use any editors—I was an English Lit major/creative writing minor, so I do it all myself as I go. And sometimes I also edit for folks I really like. ‘Bout the only thing I’m decent at, really :’) Thank you as always for reading, and happy holidays to you too!
ah36: Thanks so much, friend! Still plugging along, despite other projects and real life business. Thanks for sticking with this fic; it’s much appreciated!
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Jak shut his car door with more force than was probably necessary and sighed. “Thanks for coming with me, Razer. Sorry it took so long.”
The older student climbed out rather more calmly. “The delay was not your fault, so I suggest you don’t worry about it. I did manage to get what I came for, as did you, so no harm done.”
Jak had left immediately after work on the quest to get Daxter a new phone. On the way to the parking garage he had happened to run into Razer, who had unexpectedly decided to come along to replace a charging cable of his own. But when they had arrived at the store and Jak had tried to add Daxter’s new phone onto his family plan, it had snowballed into a two hour ordeal of trying to get a hold of Uncle, whose name the plan was under, to get the account’s pass code and make the change.
By the time all the paperwork was properly updated it was late enough that the store was closing for the evening—which of course meant that all the decent and mediocre parking spaces anywhere close to the dorms were taken by the time the two made it back to campus, leaving Jak to find a spot on the roof of the football stadium parking garage.
“All in favor of waiting for the shuttle bus, say ‘aye,’” Razer quipped, fishing a pack of cigarettes out of his jacket.
“Aye,” Jak huffed, protectively clutching the bag containing the hard-won phone. “I really don’t feel like walking a mile right now.”
“It could be worse, you know,” Razer pointed out, leaning casually on the cement wall. Campus spread out before them, a diorama of twinkling lights in the cool April night. “If Daxter hadn’t had a pay-as-you-go phone, it would have been even more of a battle to break that contract and add him to yours.”
“Yeah, I guess so. Why do you always have to be so sensible?”
“Because someone has to be, or all of you underclassmen would have long since dropped like flies.”
That managed to pull a grin out of the quarterback. “Says the guy who almost got legit assassinated.” He crossed his arms over the top of the wall next to Razer, ears drifting up as he took in the view from their vantage point. “Phoenix is the only one of us who hasn’t gotten beaten or concussed this year—he should be in charge, by that logic.”
“Perish the thought,” Razer said sourly. “His idea of a good apartment complex revolves around how close it is to the nearest coffee shop and fast food establishment.”
Jak’s head turned so fast his neck popped. “You’re looking at apartments?”
“We are. Before you ask, it’s been a very recent development, so don’t be put out that he hasn’t told you about it yet. I’m sure you will eventually be privy to the very key code at the front door.”
So not only would Torn and Ashelin be leaving the dorm, but Razer and Phoenix as well. Jak’s ears sank a little at the thought of it. “What made you decide that?”
“For one, sharing a washroom with more than one person at this stage in my life is not something I particularly enjoy. For two, a living area and a kitchen, however small, have become something I dream about on a nightly basis.” Razer blew an unconcerned smoke ring and tapped his ash off the edge of the wall. “But you know, I suppose I should be thankful.”
“Why’s that?”
“When I was accepted to Haven, it happened at the last minute. By the time I arrived the semester had all but begun and there were no single occupancy flats left anywhere near campus. I decided that if I was going to have to share a space with someone anyway, I might as well do so in the dorms and save some money. Had that not been the case, I never would have met Phoenix.”
“Yeah, I guess you’re right.” Jak managed a small smile. “So you’re moving out right after finals?”
“Yes. It was surprisingly easy to find another student who will be graduating and needed a sublease from May until the lease is up in July. After that I can rent for the full year under my own contract.”
“Man, sometimes I forget that you’re older than us and then you just… know these things. These adult life skills. Good adulting, Razer.”
“Yes, well, I do like to believe that competence increases with age, as long as one is smart enough to learn from past experiences.” Razer rolled his eyes. “What of you and Daxter, while we’re on the topic? Have you decided on your summer lodgings?”
Though he gave it a valiant shot, the quarterback wasn’t able to keep his shoulders from slumping. “Well, yeah. I mean, there wasn’t really any question about it. I’m going home. Dax said he’s going to work all summer. I think he’s asking Ximon if he can room with him until fall.”
“Oh really…” The older man seemed as if he wanted to say more, then thought better of it. Rubbing his cigarette out on the cold concrete, he turned toward the stairs. “Well, shall we? The next shuttle should be here in a few minutes.”
They were passing down the stairwell when it happened. Jak, lost in thought, happened to glance out at the rows of cars on the third level, eerie and deserted in the sparse fluorescent lighting of the empty garage, so far from the center of campus.
Erol was standing next to a car, tattooed face illuminated as he tapped intently away at his phone.
Jak froze.
Razer stopped behind him in slight annoyance. “What?”
Jak thrust the bag holding Daxter’s phone against his chest. “Hold this.”
As the quarterback stalked out into the garage, Razer finally caught sight of what had riled him. He started in pursuit with a curse, then paused, pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration as the first startled shout was cut short by the unmistakable sound of fist meeting face. “Well, fuck.”
- // - // - // - // -
When Daxter woke up from his nap it was already well into the night.
Jak was gone, and since a glance at the clock confirmed he had long since gotten off work, logically he was probably on a quest for a phone. The redhead still wasn’t sure he was entirely okay with Jak spending money on him like that, but beggars couldn’t be choosers and he figured he could always pay Uncle Freddy for his part of the bill once a month, or something.
Sore as he still was, it was quickly decided that he couldn’t lay in bed forever.
Gathering a fresh set of clothes, he checked that the hall was clear and oozed down to the bathroom where, as he’d hoped, a hot shower combined with one of the pills Razer had given him helped tremendously. He felt like a new man as he headed back to the room.
Killer was up and about, so Dax took him out of the cage to play while they waited for Jak to get back. Their last trip to the department store had turned up the ferret’s new favorite toy—a small stuffed mouse on an elastic string attached to a plastic pole. Daxter dangled it over the edge of the bottom bunk, absently ferret fishing as he checked email on his tablet.
None of his professors had contacted him yet to say he was failing due to excessive absence. He counted that as a win.
Someone knocked on the door.
Probably Phoenix, Daxter thought. He dropped the toy and the tablet, scooped up Killer to keep him from darting out into the hall, and, in a move he would later blame on the pain meds, opened the door while holding the ferret.
Torn stood in the hall, frowning down at the sheaf of copy paper he held. “Hey Daxter, you’re good at English, aren’t you? I need another pair of eyes to check this section for grammar and punctuation before I go blind.”
“Uh.” Daxter blinked stupidly
Torn raised his head and locked eyes with the ferret.
Killer squeaked loudly.
The RA’s expression morphed from shock to revulsion at light speed. “What the hell is that?” he demanded.
Daxter slammed the door.
Insistent pounding began a moment later. “Hey! Open the door, you little shit. I have a spare key, you know. Don’t make me use it, I hate doing that!”
Oh man. Oh man, oh man, oh man! Back pressed to the vibrating door, Killer clutched tight to his chest, Daxter stood frozen as fight and flight warred. Ultimately, both impulses were left spinning their wheels.
There was nowhere to run. He couldn’t make Torn un-see the ferret. He sure as hell couldn’t stop the other man from coming in if he went for that master key. He was bouncing between trying to pass Killer off as a small and trendy faux fur ascot and calling 911 to report that the RA was delusional and hallucinating imaginary animals when a miracle occurred: another voice fading into hearing range down the hall.
“Torn, what the heck, man? Somebody light up in one’a yer rooms again?”
“Jinx!” Daxter yelled, recognizing the voice at once as the pounding abruptly stopped. “Jinx, for the love of everything good an’ full of chemicals, you gotta be a moderator here! Help me negotiate an’ I’ll open the door!”
“There aren’t going to be any ‘negotiations’ here,” Torn sputtered.
Jinx cut him off happily. “Hey, Red, it’s been a while! You bet. Pop ‘er open, let’s talk.”
Very slowly, Daxter did. The grad students trooped inside, Jinx looking cheery as ever and Torn looking like he’d recently developed a migraine.
Torn stopped beside the uncovered ferret condo. He looked at it, then at Daxter, then down at the ferret hanging unconcernedly in the redhead’s protective hold. “Why? Just… why?”
“He’s Jak’s. We’ve had him since August,” Daxter said bluntly. “Somebody tried ta throw him away an’ Jak saved him. And I’ll tell ya right now—yer not takin’ him. I’ll fight you.” He’d rather be back in the dumpster himself than let his boyfriend’s pet be confiscated. Not on his watch, bucko.
“Aww, cute! Lemme pet ‘im.” Jinx made grabby hands until Daxter, very cautiously, extended the fur noodle for petting.
Torn looked up at the fluorescents and sighed loudly. “Okay. You know what? I don’t care. I don’t even care. Finals are two weeks from now, I have a thesis to finish, and I don’t. Even. Care.”
Daxter’s ears shot up. “Ya don’t? Seriously? So you won’t make us get rid of him?”
“Consider yourself lucky that I currently have a negative amount of fucks to give. It’s the home stretch of the semester and up to this day I haven’t seen it, heard it, smelled it, or sensed its chakra, so two more weeks of feigning blissful ignorance won’t matter. And next year you chuckleheads will be someone else’s problem.”
“Oh wow, dude, thank you thank you thank you!” Daxter felt almost buoyant in his relief. “That’s so not somethin’ I needed ta deal with right now, you have no idea.”
Jinx grinned. “See? All’s well that ends well.” He gave Killer one last chuck under the chin and looked back to Daxter. His smile faded. “Whoa. Not ta pry, Red, but you look a little rough, there. Haven’t been bar fightin’ without me, have ya?”
Daxter shrugged uncomfortably. “Yeah, well. Y’know. Shut the door so I can put fur-slinky down.”
“I’m still amazed you idiots kept that thing hidden all year,” Torn muttered, but closed the door anyway. “So about that editing.”
“So about that impressive shiner Daxter’s got goin’ on there, you mean?” Jinx frowned disapprovingly at his friend.
“Yeah. Sure. About that.”
Dax bent to put Killer on the floor. Part of his brain was suggesting that maybe he should invent some clever story here, but the rest of it had joined forces with his mouth to spill the whole thing.
By the end of his explanation, Torn looked even more sour than usual and Jinx’s normal lazy smirk had faded into a blank line.
“Damn, I really hate that asshole,” the blonde growled. “So he finally got past threats an’ blackmail and moved on to bodily harm, huh? Figures.”
“And I’m sure there’s conveniently not enough evidence to take it to the authorities this time either?” Torn asked, no doubt remembering the handcuff incident he’d been forced to get involved with the semester before.
“There aren’t any cameras at our place, so not really. But Razer’s ‘calling in a favor,’ so. I’m not real worried about it. My big thing is tryin’ ta be ready for finals and nail down where I’m gonna live this summer. That’s kinda the most important thing right now.”
“Good for you, Red. Good attitude.” Jinx ruffled his hair gently. “Still… I think it might be time for me to call in a favor of my own. Just in case Razer’s connections need connections, know what I’m sayin’?”
“Actually I don’t,” Torn started with a highly disapproving frown.
The door opened, cutting him off completely.
Jak stopped in the threshold, ears drifting up at the sight that met him. “Hey, guys. Looks like we’re having a party.”
“Party indeed.” Behind him, Razer gave a push to the back of his shoulder. “In.”
Jinx and Torn drifted to make space for the newcomers as the quarterback and the racer stepped into the suddenly rather crowded room.
“I can’t hang out for long. Razer’s putting me in time out.”
“Smart ass,” Razer growled, snapping the door shut. “It would behoove you to take this issue seriously.”
Daxter had a sudden bad feeling. “So, uh, welcome back. What’s goin’ on?” he dared ask, waving at his roommate from the bottom bunk where he had settled in.
Razer cast a wary look at the grad students. “Nothing that we need to discuss in company—”
“We ran into Erol in the north parking garage and I paid him back a little of what we owe him,” Jak said, straight faced and unapologetic. “Oh, here’s your new phone. I got you a case, too. Hope you like it.” He handed the stunned redhead the plastic bag. His knuckles were deeply skinned.
Razer facepalmed. “Sometimes I wonder why I continue to try.”
“Oh my god,” Daxter squeaked, numbly clutching the bag. “Oh my god. He’s totally gonna call his cop friends and they’re gonna arrest you. I knew I should’a called yer dad and had him make you swear not ta do anything stupid!”
“Jak is not going to be arrested,” Razer snapped. “At least, I did everything in my power to make it clear to Erol before he limped away that he has made some unfortunate enemies as of late and should think very carefully about his next moves. Hopefully that will be enough to deter him from involving law enforcement.”
“I stopped punching him when you told me to,” Jak offered placidly.
“Yes, after the third time!”
Jinx burst out laughing. “Way to go, Jakkie-boy! That little slime’s had it comin’ for a long time now.” Grinning broadly, he turned to Razer before the other man could comment. “Don’t worry about a thing, pal. As I was saying right before you came in, as a matter of fact; gimme fifteen minutes and a phone call. I can have every incriminating text and email the creep’s ever sent ready to go, just in case. No way his friends on the force would stand by him if that kind’a dirt leaked out. That ought’a keep him in line while your people get their ducks in a row.”
“You can do that?” Razer asked with a skeptically raised brow.
“Me? Heck no. But I know some peeps. You know Professor Vin and that scary-smart GA he’s got?”
“I need ta lie down,” Daxter whimpered, and without further ado flopped over sideways on the bottom bunk. “I started campus-wide warfare by dumpin’ a Coke on an asshole. Nice job, past me.”
“Hey now, don’t take all the credit, Red. Like I said, Erol’s been making his bed on this campus for a long time. ‘Bout time he slept in it.”
Daxter pulled a pillow over his head.
“Can your connections ensure that my name and the names of my teammates are left out of any of this correspondence?” Razer asked cautiously. “Hypothetically speaking, of course.”
Jinx nodded firmly. “Come with me. Let’s make some calls. We’ll plan this all out together, how ‘bout that.”
“Yes. Go. Do that.” Torn, who had been standing in the background in a seemingly deep state of denial, had apparently had enough. “I’m officially out of this loop unless this Erol nutcase has the bad sense to start something else in my hall. Jinx, for god sake, don’t go to jail. I need you to help pay rent next month.”
“Gee, love you too, buddy,” the blonde huffed, but nodded as he let himself out.
“I’ll keep you informed,” Razer told Jak and Daxter curtly, and followed the chemist.
Apparently satisfied, Torn turned to the room’s rightful occupants. “Every time I start to think I might actually miss being 3W’s on-call mom, something like this happens. Do me a favor and try to stay out of trouble for the next two weeks, if you’re physically capable of doing that.” He narrowed his eyes at Jak. “That means you, ferret boy.”
Realizing suddenly that the ferret condo was uncovered in plain view and Killer wasn’t inside it, Jak quickly straightened up. “Uh…”
“Just. Don’t even say anything. You keep it quiet, I’ll let it slide. You’re just lucky I’ve got so much going on right now.”
Daxter pulled the pillow off his head. As their RA turned to go, he stuck a hand out. “Hey, you needed me ta look at that thing for ya, right? Your paper? Give it here.”
Torn shrugged him off. “Don’t worry about it. Looks like you’ve got enough to deal with yourself.”
“No, seriously. Give it. I’ll get it back to ya tomorrow morning.” It was really the least he could do, Dax figured. Not confiscating Killer aside, Torn really had put up with a lot from their group over the duration of the year. Dax would kind of miss him, now that he thought about it.
When the last of their visitors had gone, Daxter slowly extracted himself from the pillows. He put the section of thesis on his desk and then, finally, faced his errant boyfriend with a sigh. “C’mere, fake jock. Asshole didn’t hurt you back, did he?”
“Didn’t let him have the chance to throw a single punch,” Jak assured with a small smile.
“Good. Feel better now that yer inner caveman got ta come out an’ play?” the redhead grumbled, pulling him in for a hug. He rested his cheek gingerly on Jak’s chest, felt Jak’s chin on the top of his head as he was carefully embraced.
“Yeah, kind of. To be fair, I did warn Razer last night that I was going to lose it if I ever caught Erol alone. I just didn’t figure it would happen so soon.”
Dax snorted. “Yeah, and now half our friends and their friends are goin’ in on some kind’a spy movie scheme that might get everybody arrested or run over. Not that I don’t appreciate that they hate Erol as much as I do, ‘cause I totally do appreciate that.”
“Mmm. Seems too complicated,” Jak agreed, tipping his head to gently kiss Daxter’s hair. “I liked hitting him in the face better.”
Daxter cackled. “Restrain your bestial urges, sheesh!”
“He hurt you. I wanted to hurt him back. I still do. To be honest I’d probably run him over, if I got the chance.”
“Shh, shh.” He pet soothingly up and down the broad back his hands rested on. “None ‘a that. You’re a lover, not a fighter, remember?”

The quarterback made a noncommittal noise and hugged him closer.
Maybe it should have alarmed Daxter that his boyfriend was, for once, acting like a stereotypical violent jock, but all he could process at the moment was the surge of affection and gratitude that someone cared enough to protect him.
… boy, the sap was flowing thick tonight.
“Gimme a real kiss, you meathead,” he grinned, a hand drifting to the back of Jak’s neck to pull him down.
“I don’t want to hurt you,” Jak protested immediately, even as he leaned in.
“I’ve napped, I’ve showered, I’ve medicated. Kisses are next on the agenda.”
Their smiling lips had barely touched when quick, insistent knocking jerked them apart. Jak seemed almost thankful for the distraction as he went to answer it, leaving Daxter to pout. If he let something as minor as a split lip keep him from macking on his boyfriend, they’d never reach the quota before the end of the semester!
As soon as the door opened, Phoenix erupted in and all but dove on Jak. “Razer told me all about it, mate, and that was brilliant! I wish I’d been there to see the look on his smug face when you were through!”
Daxter threw up his hands in complete doneness as the laughing football players chest bumped victoriously. “Jocks.”
With the arrival of yet more company, company which didn’t seem to be going away any time soon, the redhead gave up. He pulled out his chair, flushing Killer from under the desk as he did—the little monster had yet another sock in his mouth—and focused on Torn’s paper.
A little editing, a little tweaking with his new phone, a little snack after that; the night was young and his arm wasn’t throbbing nearly as much as it could be.
Whatever happened tomorrow he’d deal with tomorrow. And no matter what happened then, he wouldn’t have to deal with it alone.
- - - - -
To be concluded…
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Outtakes!
/
Jak: Man, this night just can’t get any more frustrating. I wish something would fall into place for once. (sees Erol) … there is a higher power.
Razer: Before you go charging into anything rash, can I just point out—you know what, never mind. You’re going to do the thing no matter what I say. Just do it. Go hog wild.
Jak: Thank you, I was planning on it.
/
Torn: What the hell is that weasel doing in your room?

Dax: He’s our beloved fur son and he’s staying. You got a problem with it?
Torn: I have a huge problem with it! It’s been lurking in here almost nine months and I had no idea.
Dax: So what’s the problem?
Torn: Why can’t the rest of you be as quiet and unnoticeable as this animal apparently is?!
/
Phoenix: Jak, I heard you beat Erol up!
Jak: Yeah, it was pretty awesome.
Phoenix: I’m sure it made you feel a lot better, but I have to say that you really should not have done that.
Razer: Oh wow, you can be responsible after all, my love. I’m proud.
Phoenix: You should not have done that without me! He hurt my boyfriend as well, I wanted to punch him toooo!
Razer: *facepalm* Omg, seriously?
/
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