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Fun and Games	By : sillyneko345 Category: +G through L > Jak & Daxter Views: 5931 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own the game this story is based from (Jak & Daxter), nor do I profit from writng it.

Chapter List
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AN: Last chapter! Boy, it seems like this one has gone by really fast… as fast as any of my fics are ever able to go. Ah, well.

There’s still one more small installment to this saga, that will be delivered up shortly. It follows this fic and its sequel, “Hush.” The middle fic does not have to be read to understand anything, for those of you who dislike furs. Don’t worry, you’re not missing too much—just some unconditional love and reassurance between the boys while Dax is in the middle of ottsel-dom.

That said, onward!

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Tainted_Emerald: Thank you so much! I try pretty hard to keep most of this stuff lighthearted, unless a little sadness is absolutely necessary. Very glad to hear you’re enjoying the fluffy lemons. As it says up above, there will be one more ‘resolution’ piece to compliment this fic and “Hush.” After that there are quite a few more fics about these two being planned out—among them that sequel to “Talk to Me.” Hope to see you around for them!

Null: Thanks! Warm and fuzzy is what we strive for here at Sillyneko Productions, haha. I’ll do my best to keep the cuteness and humor coming.

Connor: Well, thank you! *curtsey* And an official welcome to account-dom here! How nice of you to visit and leave such a sweet comment. It’s great to hear that you find the story flows well and is believable. I happily accept the roses and give full allowance of the stealing of “allicats & crocadogs.” It does seem kind of cannon-ish. Hope to continue seeing you around! :)

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Characters: All belong to Naughty Dog.

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     “Whew!” Daxter flopped down unceremoniously in the shade of their favorite tree. “I swear, Jak, that is the last time I let you talk me inta helpin’ that old biddy do anything! I’m beat!”
     Jak just grinned, sitting down at a much more sedate pace. He was also a little bit tired and hot from spending the morning helping the Bird Lady corral her uncooperative flock of duckens into their new pen, but he thought that the redhead might have been exaggerating just a little bit. Noticing a loose feather stuck to the hem of his blue tunic, the green-blonde plucked it off and slyly began to tickle at the bare, unprotected skin his friend’s neck.
     “Hey, cut that out!” The order was clearly meant to be ignored. Laughing and squirming, Daxter took his back off the tree trunk and instead fell sideways to land on the ground with his head in Jak’s lap.
     Jak smiled hugely. He didn’t stop tickling lightly with the feather, whatever skin he could reach, making Dax giggle and swat up at him halfheartedly. The longer he could keep the smaller boy draped across his lap the better, in his opinion.
     The redhead had been all over him lately. Since their camping trip the month before, something had seemed to come over him. Though kisses were forever outside the realm of the accepted, Daxter had tentatively begun to open up to him even more than Jak could have hoped for.
     Close contact at least appeared to be coming much easier to Dax now, and that was just fine by Jak. He liked having his hand suddenly and shyly taken hold of on rambles through the Forbidden Jungle. He liked being pounced in out of the way places after long days full of covert but smoldering looks that said “I’m gonna get ya, better stay on yer toes ‘cause I’m totally gonna get ya.” He really liked being woken up by playful activity between his legs. They hadn’t slept apart in two weeks.
     The young adventurer sighed happily, trailing the feather along his helplessly laughing friend’s jaw line. In all honesty, that was probably part of the reason that Daxter was tired today. Dawn’s first light had found them sprawled on top of Jak’s spacious bed, faces buried between each other’s thighs. Jak still wasn’t sure who had sleepily started what, there in his attic room in the pale, cool light just before morning. He was pretty sure it didn’t matter. What had evolved was a competition of sorts; who could hold out the longest, while doing their best to push the other to climax first.
     Jak wasn’t ashamed to admit that Daxter would have won the impromptu contest if the green-blonde hadn’t changed his battle strategy. Facing imminent defeat at the tip of the redhead’s rather skilled tongue, Jak had had to think fast. Dax was ticklish at the backs of his knees and his upper thighs—Jak stroked there in a way that made him quiver. He kneaded the pale, smooth skin firmly, taking care that the contact tickled much less than it aroused. There were different kinds of sensitivity, after all.
     He could still clearly remember the startled gasp of “hey, quit it!” that Daxter had pulled away from him to utter, the feel of tense muscles trembling under his hands… Though Dax had gamely continued trying to win, whimpering needily around the length in his mouth, he had spread his legs wider for Jak and begun to thrust shallowly. It hadn’t been much of a contest after that.
     “Wipe that shit-eating grin off yer face!”
     Jak was jerked back to the present when a long, bony finger jabbed at his chest, made awkward by the funny angle as Daxter lay upside down across his legs. He tried to obey, he really did, but the smirk refused to be banished. He grinned wider.
     “Yeah, whatever. I know exactly what yer thinkin’ about, Jakkie-boy, an’ I just want ya ta keep in mind that I so totally would’a won if somebody didn’t cheat an’ start playin’ with my ass.”
     Trust Dax to conveniently forget about his own highly underhanded tactic of suddenly pulling away from Jak’s arousal to fondle and lap at the green-blonde’s balls instead, nearly making the recipient of said attentions jump out of his skin in shock and pleasure. Jak snorted. If that wasn’t cheating, he didn’t know what was.
     The tickle assault was redoubled. Jak used not only the feather but his free hand to quickly reduce the redhead in his lap to a howling, happily convulsing mess. A sunny day… pleasantly tired muscles… a wholesome lunch under his belt… his best friend in the world. This was obviously as good as life was possible to get.

- // - // - // - // -

     Samos’ long, green ear flicked sharply. Try as he might, he could not ignore that aggravatingly high-pitched sound. His eyes trailed away from the diminutive woman chatting away on his doorstep and cast about the surrounding landscape.
     Ah-ha. There, under the big tree just down the hill, was the culprit. The sage huffed in annoyance. The redhead again, of course, just as he had predicted. That raggedy little whelp couldn’t keep quiet for five minutes if his life depended on it. So very unlike Jak, who remained calm and composed at all times.
     “…and I thought you might like some of the eggs. There are far too many for me, and I’ve already given the boys as many as they could carry.”
     Samos shook his head roughly, bringing his attention back to Ms. Tweetledov Perch and the basket she was offering. “Harumph. Boys, you say?”
     “Oh, yes. They were such a big help to me this morning—these old bones just can’t chase those little feathered rascals like they used to. That’s a young person’s job. I made them some of my special omelets for their trouble.”
     “Trouble, yes…” Samos coughed surreptitiously as another burst of laughter carried up to the hut. “It’s what that little monster will be in if he doesn’t stop that horrible shrieking...”
     The old woman sighed fondly, the feathers on her bird hat bobbing as she turned to cast a look in the direction of the noise. “They never slow down, do they? So much energy.”
     Samos wasn’t listening. He chewed absently at his lip, a deep frown in place as he watched the activity under the tree. “What does that little nuisance think he’s doing sprawling all over Jak like that, using him as a piece of furniture? He’s practically in Jak’s lap! The nerve!”
     A light chuckle met his ire. “Jak doesn’t seem to mind. They are very good friends, after all. They do everything together.”
     “That’s what bothers me!” The sage was fuming now, tapping one log-shod foot as he stared accusingly at the spectacle they two were unknowingly making. The redhead was unsuccessfully trying to win control of what looked like a feather. Both boys giggled crazily as they wrestled for it, kicking up a small cloud of dust and grass. “Jak should know better than to spend his every waking moment with Daxter. That boy is trouble, you can mark my words. I don’t know how many times I’ve told Jak as much.”
     “Samos. Don’t you think that’s a little harsh?”
     “No, I do not. Mischief follows that child wherever he goes, and he creates just as much trouble as he attracts! Just the other day my Keira was trying to show Jak this ‘zoomer’ she’s created—very fine invention, lovely machine, but too complex for me. Anyhow, that boy was pawing at it, started it up without knowing a thing about it—it shot off and crashed right into the back wall. Keira spent hours getting the dents out of it! Nothing but trouble, I tell you.”
     “Well, I’ll grant you Daxter is a bit mischievous, but—”
     “And the sass!” Samos was obviously on a roll now. Once he got in the mood to rant there was no stopping him. “The sheer cheek of that boy! Not an ounce of respect for me or anyone else. No deference to his elders, no reverence for the very Precursors, even! It’s shameful. And it isn’t like I haven’t tried to knock some sense into that thick head of his, heaven knows.” Taking a breath, the old man sighed heavily. “I’m just grateful Jak doesn’t follow his bad example, no matter how much time they spend together.”
     “I think you’re taking this dislike a bit too far,” the Bird Lady commented wisely. “That boy hasn’t done anything to you. Why, sometimes I get the feeling you’d even throw the poor thing out of the village!”
     Samos shot her a sour glance and chose to ignore the last comment that was uncomfortably close to being true, whether the redhead in question had anywhere else to go or not. “It’s not for my sake I’m worried. Sure the little devil pesters the daylights out of me, but it’s for Jak’s sake I’m concerned.” His tone became more troubled. “More rests on the outcome of Jak’s upbringing than anyone realizes.”
     “All the more reason for him to have such a good friend. Those two will stick together through thick and thin. I can’t see why you’re so concerned.”
     “Hmph. Stick together. It’s like they’re stuck together already—at the hip. Why, I’ve seen youngsters formally courting who didn’t spend as much time together as—” All at once the Green Sage froze, mouth falling open in shock. It was as if his own careless words had horrified him.
     Silently the two elders stood on the doorstep of the little hut, watching the innocent play. Jak lunged with a devious grin, easily sent the squalling redhead tumbling before grabbing him up in a bear hug that the smaller boy seemed unable to squirm away from. Not that he appeared to be struggling all that hard…
     Slowly Samos made a visible effort to compose himself. “No, no… of course not. I’m imagining things. Those boys can’t be… of course not. That would be impossible. Unbelievable. Unacceptable!”
     “It’s called puppy love, Samos,” Tweetledov chided lightly. “A little infatuation is perfectly normal in children that age. Is that really so wrong?”
     He simply grumbled, still highly uneasy, eyes never leaving the pair in the grass. As he looked on, the redhead finally managed to confiscate the other’s feather. Both boys laughed as Daxter put up a fist, dragging it across the green-blonde’s cheek in a mock hit. Then, with a subtle flick of the fingers, the pretended punch became something else entirely—a perfectly real caress, which Jak readily, happily, leaned into.
     The sage’s eyes darkened further. Had he not been closely observing the two he never would have noticed the simple touch. But he had been looking, and he had seen. And it bothered him more than he cared to think about.
     “Jak!” he barked abruptly, taking care to make sure his voice carried down the hill.
     Down under the tree, two pairs of startled blue eyes immediately glanced in the direction of the hut. Daxter quickly sat up, abandoning Jak’s lap in favor of brushing intently at the dirt and grass on his red tunic. Jak’s head cocked questioningly when he realized that it was the sage who had summoned them.
     “Get up here for a moment, will you? And bring your little friend with you.”

- // - // - // - // -

     With a rueful sigh, Jak straightened up and reached out a hand to help Daxter to his feet. It was a pretty bad idea to ignore a call from Samos, especially since they had lost the chance to pretend they couldn’t hear his shout.
     Daxter waved away the helping hand, getting up on his own with a pout firmly in place. “Jeez, can’t that old coot see we’re busy?”
     Smiling faintly, Jak lightly punched his friend’s upper arm. He knew how Dax felt. However, they needed to go and at least see what the sage wanted. The sooner they did, the sooner they could get back to more interesting things—like each other. The green-blonde started in that direction, beckoning Daxter to follow. It wouldn’t take them long, he was sure.
     The redhead complained under his breath the entire way up the hill. Shoulders slouched, hands buried deep in his pockets, he kicked pebbles off the narrow path; the very picture of one suffering at the unfair cruelty of the world. “Bet he’s got some crumby chore he needs us ta do fer him while he sits there sippin’ lemonade, orderin’ us around. Who the heck does this guy think he is? We’re not even his own kids! Gotta lotta nerve, I tell ya what…”
     Jak couldn’t help but be amused at the petulant grumbling. Chuckling quietly, he put a companionable arm around Daxter’s shoulders as they slowly trudged upward toward whatever chore-laden fate awaited them at the Hagai hut. The little guy absolutely made his day.
     “Oh, fer—what the heck are ya laughin’ about now?!” But at least Dax was smiling again.
     Going into the small home, they met the Bird Lady coming out. Jak smiled and gave a little wave, while Daxter offered a slightly more vocal greeting. “Heya, Perchy. Didn’t we just see you down in the village? Old lady sure gets around…”
     “Hello again, boys. I just came up to give Samos and Keira some of those eggs we gathered this morning. Wouldn’t want them to go to waste.” Peeking back into the house, she called out to the green sage. “Now I know you’re busy cleaning, Samos, so I’ll be going. The egg basket is on the table by the bookcase. Don’t forget to put them somewhere cool before too long.”
     Grabbing his still-full stomach, Daxter leaned against Jak with a playful groan. “Oh man, don’t say eggs. Don’t even mention ‘em. If I ever hear the word ‘omelet’ again I might yack!”
     Jak chuckled. They had stuffed themselves to maximum capacity after the morning’s hard work. He could second the motion that eggs were officially off the menu for a few days.
     “Have a good afternoon, boys. Don’t let Samos give you too much work.” With a little wink, the Bird Lady made her winding, waddling, bobbing way back down the path. In a few moments she crossed a hanging wooden bridge, rounded a bend, and was out of their sight.
     “Boys!” A cloud of dust accompanied the grumpy yell from inside the hut. “Get in here! Don’t dawdle, we don’t have all day.”
     “Yeesh. Somebody rolled out’a the dirt on the wrong side’a the pot this morning.”
     The reason they had been called in became apparent immediately. The main room was in shambles. A pile of books with Samos’ legs shuffled stiffly out of an adjoining room. Huffing and puffing, he dropped the stack of dusty volumes on a nearby chest of drawers.
     “None of your sarcasm today, miscreant, if you don’t mind. We’re going to be doing a little seasonal cleaning before Keira tans my hide. The dust in here is so thick you could write your name in it—if you’re smart enough to write, that is.”
     “Well maybe that wouldn’t happen if some people didn’t lay around like a bump on a log an’ let it get that bad in the first place!” Daxter shot back immediately. “And who says I can’t write?!”
     “I said it, you noisy brat. If you spent even a fraction of the time reading and writing that you do running your mouth, it’s almost possible people might believe you had some brains to back up all that yammering.”
     “You’re callin’ me stupid?! At least I’m not the one wearin’ logs as fashion accessories! Let’s see, whose wardrobe are the termites gonna chew through first? Ain’t gonna be mine, that’s fer sure!”
     Jak sighed deeply as Daxter was soundly whopped upside the head with a book and yelled accordingly. It was going to be a very long, hot, dusty afternoon.
   Events unfolded almost exactly how Jak could have predicted. He was deemed chief furniture mover, with his bigger muscles and strong back. Daxter was put in charge of moving smaller objects like books and plants to new locations the Green Sage made up on the spot. Samos himself shuffled about with a dust rag and broom, cleaning down the spots the boys had made bare. The bickering between redhead and log-head ran unchecked.
     “Remind me again why we’re in on all this fun?” Daxter grumbled to Jak in passing, arms loaded down with miscellaneous bric-a-brac.
     “Because I’m an old man and I’m feeble, you ungrateful whelp. When I think of everything I’ve done for you boys in the past only to hear you begrudge me a little help, why I—!”
     “Feeble my ass,” Daxter started to mutter, completely ignoring the sage’s ranting, but then Jak tapped his arm with yet another sigh. Dax looked at him, surprised, before unwillingly buttoning it. “Yeah, yeah, Jak. Whatever you say.”
     The green-blonde nodded, relieved. The quicker and smoother they did the work, the sooner they could be out of the hut and away from Samos. If Daxter quit reacting to every little thing the old man said or did it would undoubtedly be less painful for them all. He was glad that Dax was going to listen to him for a change.
     Observing their conversation, Samos snorted loudly. “I won’t pretend to know how you do it, Jak, but I’m happy to see at least someone can make him see sense and behave. I used to think your old crocadog was untrainable, and then I had the misfortune of meeting Daxter.”
     Jak winced. That barb had been particularly harsh, even for Samos. He really seemed to have it in for the redhead that day.
     Daxter’s long ears flew back at the insult, turning red with anger and embarrassment. To Jak’s surprise, though, he firmly bit his lip and carried on working as if he hadn’t just been on the losing end of a comparison to a slobbering animal. Apparently he was intent on making a serious effort to heed Jak’s request and not fan the flames, as it were.
     Also apparently, Samos took his lack of a witty comeback as proof that what he had said was true. “No smart comment for that, eh? Good to see you’re willing to concede when it’s obvious I’m right. Now speed it up, you two. I want this place spotless by the time Keira’s done sprucing up out back.”
     It only got worse as the afternoon wore on. Far from helping resolve the matter, Daxter’s silence seemed to be encouraging the sage to poke fun at him all the more. On top of that, nothing he did seemed to be right in the old man’s eyes.
     “What are you doing, boy? Don’t drop the books there!” He had himself ordered the books to the location the redhead was currently moving them to, against a far wall. “I still have to sweep that area. Put them over by the sofa. No common sense whatsoever, I swear…”
     Jak chewed worriedly at his lip. He didn’t want Daxter and Samos fighting, but he didn’t want Daxter to think that he was supposed to just shut up and take these stinging insults, either. That was absolutely not what he had wanted. The normally bad situation was even worse than usual.
     “What’s the matter, Daxter? Getting tired already? We’ve only been at it an hour!” They had been steadily working for more than two. “Oh, wait, I forgot. Not nearly as strong as Jak, are you? Well, don’t worry. You won’t be short and scrawny forever. If you’re lucky.”
     Dax was getting more and more upset, Jak had no trouble seeing that. With every insult or harsh command he looked a little more dejected, a little more hurt. At first he cast little looks in Jak’s direction, then avoided looking at anything at all that wasn’t the floor or whatever it was he happened to have in his arms. His blue eyes stayed downcast, his ears drooped, and he stayed markedly silent.
     Why didn’t he just start fighting back again? Jak wondered desperately. The green-blonde was hurting from this, too, caught between a proverbial rock and a hard place. He was being forced to listen to the Green Sage, someone he was supposed to obey and respect, mercilessly hurl taunts and jibes at his best friend, whom Jak had basically told to accept the unfair treatment without defense or retort. He never should have asked Daxter to stay quiet. But then, how was he to guess Dax would actually do as he asked, let alone to such an extreme?
     “Pick up the pace, boy. These pots aren’t going to take themselves to the shed! Though, on second thought, they probably could move faster than you if they put their minds to it…”
     Out of the corner of his eye, Jak watched his friend trudge by on his way to the pottery, bitter but apparently resigned.
     And as he did so, the green-blonde got madder and madder. What was Samos’ problem?! For once in his life, Daxter was trying to be mature. He was willing to end their verbal brawling, for the day at least. And what did the sage do? Did he comment positively on the redhead’s gesture of peace and leave it at that? No! He kicked the kid while he was down! Who was being immature now? Jak gave the sofa a particularly hard shove. If Samos wasn’t their elder and the Green Eco Sage, Jak would have half a mind to—
     The corner of the moving sofa nicked the stack of books that had been piled on the floor. The volumes toppled, falling across the floorboards and right into Daxter’s path. Arms piled high with the empty flowerpots he was in the process of taking outside, Dax was totally oblivious.
     Before Jak could spring to get his attention the redhead was tripping with a startled yelp. The clay pots flew out of his arms, crashing to the floor and shattering into countless tiny fragments as he collided headfirst with a rickety side table. Long forgotten, the Bird Lady’s gift basket that sat on top wavered, tipped, and went over the edge with the force of the sudden jarring impact. Eggs rained down, splattering in a wide arc across the recently swept floor.
     Jak was frozen, speechless. Well… more speechless than usual. Oh, boy.
     It had all happened in the blink of an eye. By the time Samos hustled in to see what had happened, Daxter was on his hands and knees in the middle of a colossal mess of scattered books, broken pots, and smashed eggs. Obviously dazed, he raised one shaky hand to cautiously feel at the side of his head where it had hit the hard wood. “Holy… holy damn…”
     Jak dove forward at once, worry and miserable apology in his eyes. Without thinking he knelt next to Daxter and began to pet through his friend’s hair, checking for a cut, making sure he wasn’t really hurt.
     “It’s okay, Jakkie-boy, I think I’ll live. Didn’t hit that hard.” Putting up a fight at once over being fussed over in such a fashion, Daxter tried to push him away.
     Ignoring the protests, Jak held the interfering hand down. He felt responsible for the accident. If he hadn’t taken his anger out on the stupid sofa then this never would have—
     Standing in the wide doorway, Samos let out a sound that was almost a growl. Hurling down his dirty dusting rag, he jammed knotty fists on round hips and seemed almost to explode with the force of the yell he let out. One could swear it rattled the entire tiny hut.
     “By the Precursors, Daxter, you are utterly worthless! Just look at this mess! A whole afternoon of cleaning, wasted! Those eggs have been sitting on that table since you boys got here—would it have killed you to be more careful around them? Even someone with the intellect of a lurker rat knows to watch where they put their clumsy feet!”
     “Y’know what, ol’ Green? I—!” Daxter’s face was bright red, eyes burning with anger, humiliation, and hurt. He was breathing heavily, almost ready to scream. And then he stopped. He glanced quickly at Jak, then back at Samos, and back at Jak again. Slowly, the fire in his eyes seemed to dim. “… never mind. Just… never mind. I’m out’a here.”
     Jak was beyond shocked at the sudden retreat from battle, even more shocked to see tears threatening at the corners of blue eyes. Honest to goodness tears. He reached forward hesitantly, only to have his caring hand smacked sharply away. Then Daxter was up and heading for the open door with fists clenched tightly at his sides, the quivering of his shoulders and lower lip only barely visible.
     “Why am I not surprised. Get out of here, then, you little brat. Jak and I will clean up your mess. Right, Jak?”
     Something in Jak snapped. Jumping up off the floor he stalked purposefully forward, past the surprised sage, caught up to Daxter in a handful of quick strides and caught the redhead by the arm before he could so much as make it out the door.
     “Let go of me, Jak!”
     The shrill command wasn’t even fully formed as Jak spun the smaller boy around. Disregarding any struggles he caught Daxter in a firm grip around the upper arms, hauled his shorter friend up on tiptoe, looked determinedly down into a face stamped all over with hurt, and—
     —kissed the redhead, full on his trembling lips.
     Daxter froze, eyes flying wide and muscles tensing as Jak soundly kissed him without a care for their surroundings or hostile audience. He did not, however, try to break free of the hold.
     Shell shocked might have been the best word to describe the Green Eco Sage. Wonky glasses with mismatched lenses fell off a flat bulb nose. Green arms hung limp at his sides. His mouth dropped open to such a degree that Daxter, had he been in his right mind, would have commented on catching flies.
     Finally Jak broke the kiss, leaving the amazed redhead gazing up at him in borderline awe and hiccupping slightly for breath. Looking over his friend’s wild mop of hair, the young adventurer positively glared at Samos.
     “Do not. Make fun. Of Daxter.”
     The straw that broke the traumatized yakow’s back. Samos began to splutter, seeming completely incapable of forming coherent words. He could only watch, completely dumbfounded, as Jak pointedly turned his back. Taking the gaping redhead tightly by the hand he marched out of the hut with head held high, leaving the sage, the disheveled furniture, and the accidental mess in all its splendor behind. It was more than obvious that they would not be coming back.
     Oh, this did not bode well. Not at all.

- // - // - // - // -

     “Daddy? Daaa-ddy?”
     Samos wasn’t sure how long he stood staring out the open door at the long-empty path, but Keira’s cheerful voice brought him slowly back to his senses at last. He shook his head, desperately wanting to deny what he had just seen. Of course he could just pass it off as some foolish imaginary claim that the redheaded miscreant seemed to think he had a right to make on Jak, but… coming from Jak himself…
     This was deadly serious.
     “Daddy! There you are! Why didn’t you answer me?” Keira finally trotted into the room, smiling and covered in oil stains from tip to toe. “I finished cleaning up the workshop, and… wow. What happened in here?”
     “Oh, that. It’s nothing, sweetheart. Just a little… accident, is all. I’ll get to it in a moment.”
     “If you’re sure.” She seemed doubtful, but willing to take him at his word. “Where are Jak and Daxter? I was going to pour us all some juice, maybe make some snacks. Are they coming back?”
     Keira must absolutely not know of this. She harbored such a fondness for Jak… An innocent young girl’s fragile heart would be broken! “No, no they’re not. They’ve… gone for the day. But why don’t you get us some of that juice anyhow? My throat’s a little… dry.”
     “Sure, Daddy. Coming right up.”
     As Keira went to the kitchen, carefree and oblivious as a songbird, Samos frowned all the more.
     Thank the Precursors Jak’s uncle would soon be returning from his recent bout of summer travel. Surely between them the two men could think of some way to divert this… this disaster! Something had to be done, that was sure, and soon. Before it was too late. If it wasn’t already…

- // - // - // - // -

     It took Jak a while to realize that Daxter must be furious.
     The redhead followed him without protest as he stormed out of the hut in high dudgeon, righteously angry on his friend’s behalf. Jak kept a hold of his hand as they made their way down the winding hill and back toward the village at a smart pace. Best to get as far away from the recent unpleasantness as possible.
     Jak was feeling pretty good. Anger at the sage was still fresh in his mind, so any uneasiness over his recent actions had yet to register. They were away from Samos and his ill temper, the late afternoon was beautiful, and Daxter… still was not saying anything.
     That was the first clue that something might still be wrong. As soon as he realized that Dax wasn’t going to start chattering away like normal, as if nothing bad had happened, Jak glanced down at him warily. The redhead’s normally expressive face was calm, very nearly blank. Jak wasn’t sure what he had expected to see, but it certainly wasn’t nothing.
     Tentatively, Jak nudged his friend.
     “Shh. I’m thinkin’.”
     The green-blonde winced. Oh, that was a bad answer. Daxter never ‘thought’. Not quietly. He talked, out loud, where Jak could hear every stray thought that occurred to him. He didn’t leave Jak in the dark like this. He must be pissed off beyond words, and that was saying something when applied to someone like Dax.
     Ears and shoulders slumping, Jak suppressed the urge to try and make Daxter talk to him. Or go out on a limb and talk to Daxter. He had so much he felt like he wanted to say.
     He was sorry he had made the redhead come up to the hut and help against his will. Sorry he hadn’t come to his defense sooner. Sorry he had kissed him. Well, he wasn’t actually sorry for the kiss itself—that had been quite nice. He was sorry he had done it against Daxter’s implicit wishes, and right in front of Samos, no less. Jak’s ears fell lower and lower the sorrier he felt. Realizing he was still clinging to Daxter’s hand, he tried to let it go.
     Dax didn’t let go in return. Jak blinked, taking in the fact that the redhead’s fingers were still firmly threaded with his own. Who wanted to hold hands with someone they were angry at? Not quite sure how to respond to the conflicting body language, Jak cautiously closed his hand again. He could hold on until Daxter didn’t want him to, anyway.
     Though their pace had slowed, they kept walking. Jak didn’t know where they were going, just that they were going somewhere. Through the village and down to the shore, and still they kept walking along the sand, far beyond their usual haunts on Sentinel Beach as the shadows slowly got longer. The redhead didn’t seem inclined to stop any time soon. That was alright by Jak. He liked walking. Maybe if they walked long enough, Dax would say something. Telling Jak he hadn’t royally screwed up would be a good place to start.
     At last they came to a shallow bay, so far down the beach from the village that the shadowy outline of Misty Island looked like a simple rock out on the water. There Daxter paused, head cocked slightly as he considered the little lagoon ringed with palm trees and creeper vines covered in flowers. Jak shifted beside him, feet buried in the warm sand, enjoying the view of the sun on the waves. Soon the soft blue sky would turn pink and orange—maybe his favorite time of the day.
     “Hey, Jak. Let’s go swimming.”
     The green-blonde blinked. He glanced down at his friend’s calm face. That had certainly been abrupt. But Daxter was already unwinding his hand wraps, letting them fall and coil on the sand, and didn’t meet his eye.
     Jak smiled a big, grateful smile. Suddenly everything seemed very much back to the way it should be. This had to mean he was forgiven. Of course he would go swimming with Dax.
     Hopping on one foot, Jak began to tug off his foot wraps and shin guards, trying to get undressed before the redhead. It was a little dangerous to swim in unfamiliar water, but the little bay was small and relatively shallow. It was doubtful a lurker shark would swim into it that close to shore. Still, Jak wanted to wade out first and have a cautionary look before Dax hit the water.
     His plan didn’t quite come to fruition. Dax could strip surprisingly fast when he felt like it. Thus he was down to only his pants and heading for the water before Jak could even get his tunic off.
     “Awful slow today, Jakkie-boy. Boggy Swamp snails got nothin’ on how you’re creepin’.”
     With a huff Jak threw down his goggles and ran after the smaller boy, scattering sand from swift feet. He would show the redhead who was slow! However, he needn’t have hurried. Daxter did not dive into the waves with a splash and a whoop, as was his usual habit. He waded in much more slowly, hands at his sides, swatting absently at the crests of tiny waves as he went in deeper and they washed at his hips.
     Jak followed, somewhat puzzled. He had never known Dax to be one for relaxing swims. Then again, it had been a strange day. He was willing to give his buddy the benefit of the doubt.
     The water was delightfully cool and clear, and, as expected, completely free of lurker sharks. Jak shivered happily, half tempted to duck under quickly and wash off the sweat and dust of the day. However, he wanted to stay next to Daxter, too, and Dax was still going farther out.
     “C’mon, Jak. Just a little more.”
     A little more until what? Until he was in over his head? It was difficult not to snicker at the mental picture of nothing but red hair and ear tips showing above the water, but Jak managed to hold back. Surely Dax knew what he was doing.
     The tops of the little waves were almost to the redhead’s shoulders when he finally stopped, nearly having to tread water. Jak, in up to the middle of his chest, likewise halted. For a split second he wondered what Dax was up to. Were they going to go diving and search the bottom for small treasures? That was always fun.
     Jak was still wondering when Daxter finally turned to face him with a small splash, and looked up. Sheer determination radiated from his features. With one step made buoyant by the water he crossed the scant distance between them and reached up to throw his dripping arms around Jak’s neck.
     The green-blonde was beyond surprised when he suddenly found Daxter clinging to him in such a way, but he wasn’t one to hesitate. Immediately he put his arms around Dax in return. Hugs he could most certainly do, any time, any place—even if he didn’t quite know why they were being initiated.
     The redhead didn’t stop there, though. Using the water’s gift of near weightlessness to its fullest he hoisted himself into Jak’s arms, wrapping his legs tightly around the taller boy’s waist. Jak shifted his hold at once to accommodate the move, spreading his legs a little more to ensure that the waves wouldn’t knock him off balance now that his arms were full. Not that he was complaining, but Dax sure was in a sticky mood all of a sudden, hanging on like a limpet. It was awfully cute. Jak chuckled lightly and rubbed his cheek questioningly over one wet, freckled shoulder.
     “Y’know…” When Daxter did speak, there was a slight tremor in the wryly amused voice that Jak wasn’t used to. Had they not been so close, virtually nose to nose, he probably never would have heard it. “I almost gave up on ya comin’ ta my rescue back there. Gonna hafta work a little on this hero stuff, pal.”
     Then he leaned forward and kissed Jak.
     For just a moment Jak’s world stopped turning, and he felt as if he had been flung out of it and into orbit. Daxter. Was. Kissing. Him. On purpose! Of his own free will! And not acting upset about it! A surge of happiness and triumph flowing through him, he tightened his hold on Dax until the smaller boy squeaked and gasped for breath. It was the simplest thing in the world to kiss him back.
     Though it was naturally a bit awkward, neither of them having had much of anything in the way of previous practice, Jak tried to pour as much feeling into the contact as he could. How sorry he still was. How much Daxter meant to him. How he would never, ever, not in a billion years, let anything bad like that happen to Dax again as long as he was around.
     Dax responded to the attention well for someone who had until very recently classed kissing on the same level of “never” as reading one of Samos’ plant-centric books. Jak was a little nervous as he shyly slid his tongue over the other’s bottom lip for the first time, but apart from a small jolt of surprise Daxter made no protest. In moments he was lapping at Jak’s mouth in kind, arms still tight around a strong neck and hands rhythmically kneading fistfuls of damp emerald golden hair. It was almost like he had wanted this too, all along, and been too stubborn to admit it.
     Too hot and bothered to feel the least bit smug over that thought, Jak just concentrated on exploring his friend’s willing mouth. Tongue kissing was much less gross than he had thought it would be. Or maybe that was just because he was doing it with Daxter. That could be it. He also hadn’t expected the activity to turn him on quite as much as it was.
     Within minutes they were moving against one another, shifting together as much as was possible with the interference of the water. It swished and swirled around Jak’s legs, making him all too aware they still had their pants on as he used his hold on smaller hips to grind the redhead against him. What he wouldn’t give to be able to banish wet fabric with a single thought…
     Getting a bright idea Jak lifted Daxter with the next incoming wave, up and slightly away from himself. The redhead whined sharply in protest, but when Jak’s arms loosened and the wave rolled on, dropping him once more against the green-blonde’s strong body, he immediately changed his tune.
     “J-jeez! Do that again!”
     Jak grinned against his friend’s dripping neck as their arousals rubbed and Daxter gasped. That he could do—there was certainly no shortage of waves. Time and again he lifted the smaller redhead up and let the motion of the water wash them back together, both getting more and more desperate each time. Frantic kisses were exchanged throughout whenever their mouths were in range, sloppy and sometimes broken by harsh panting. Finally it seemed that Dax, at least, couldn’t take any more.
     “Jak, it’s not… I wanna…” He squirmed fitfully, trying to stay close when Jak tried to lift him away once more. The unspoken plea was clear. More. Something substantial. And Jak agreed wholeheartedly.
     Turning abruptly towards the shore, he began the slow slog back. Putting his human cargo down to walk-swim on his own would have made the going much faster, but the thought was quickly dismissed. That warm, wriggling body in his arms was too good to let go. He held on tight. It was probably pretty funny to see, but Jak didn’t care. All he was worried about was getting to dry land, and in turn all Daxter seemed concerned with at the moment was hanging on and nipping at Jak’s flushed ear.
     Dax was sucking on an ear-tip in earnest by the time Jak hit knee deep shallows and stalked out of the water with speed and intensity born of desperation. Easily supporting Daxter’s lighter weight, he made straight for the pile of their discarded clothing on the sand. A few kicks and nudges with his foot got the garments untangled and more or less spread out enough that he could lower Daxter onto them. They were still going to get covered in sand, but the thought had to count for something.
   The redhead was laughing breathlessly by the time he was deposited—as gently as possible, given the circumstances—on top of Jak’s wrinkled blue tunic. “Sex on the beach, huh?” he teased. “Feels like I should say somethin’ totally cheesy an’ romantic, don’t it? Let’s see, what golden lines can the Dax-man come up with…”
     Jak groaned, rolled his eyes, and pounced. None of that. The kiss he used as a silencer for smart remarks was deep and hard, their teeth even managing to click together before the contact broke. To his relief, the only sound the green-blonde heard afterward was a shaky moan as he leaned down farther over Dax.
     Sopping pants had to be dealt with quickly after that. It was surprisingly hard to pull back from each other to do so—suddenly it seemed that they had a concrete goal, and they were more than intent on reaching it no matter what the obstacles. However, as humping through cold and clingy pants didn’t seem all that appealing, they managed it. In seconds the pants were squirmed out of and kicked away, and they fell back together hungrily.
     Daxter hissed through clenched teeth and arched when bare flesh finally met from the waist down, chilled from the confines of wet cloth. Jak, gasping quietly himself, shifted until he straddled his friend’s thighs. From there it was easy to press his hard length against Daxter’s, rub them together slowly, start some sort of rhythm… if only the redhead would keep still!
     “Wait a second, lemme—” Dax whimpered fitfully, squirming out from under Jak. Before the green-blonde could get upset, though, he twisted around and tossed thin legs over stronger thighs. With Jak between his spread legs instead of straddling them, he seemed much happier. “Okay, we’re good.”
     A little bemused, Jak still sighed fondly. Whatever. Whatever Daxter wanted, as long as they were touching. Grabbing slim hips, he pulled them closer until what seemed like every square inch of burning skin was flush against the other’s.
     “Oh, wow. Oh, shit!” Dax panted fitfully, shaking. Jak concurred absolutely.
     Control flying out the proverbial window, they began to buck and rub at once. Jak even forgot to be careful of crushing Daxter when he leaned forward and draped himself over the redhead, joining them from groin to chest. Dax didn’t seem to care. He whined appreciatively and tangled their legs, as if intent on making sure Jak wasn’t going to suddenly hop up and leave him.
     There was little chance of that happening. Jak used one hand to stroke fiery hair, propping the other behind Daxter’s head to hold him still for more kisses.
     The kisses. He couldn’t get enough of them. Their tongues twined desperately, wet and hot, as they squirmed together and the speed and friction between them ramped up. Daxter’s arms had locked around Jak’s neck again, keeping him nice and trapped in a tight embrace. To say that he was an entirely willing prisoner would have been an understatement. This was the most amazing feeling of his life! No way would he want to walk away from this.
     “Dax…” He whispered it reassuringly and rubbed his cheek against the redhead’s, feeling very odd at speaking out loud for a change but more than willing to do it in this case. He had already said enough today; a little coo of affection was nothing. Daxter was worth it.
     Daxter didn’t even comment on his friend’s sudden bout of talkativeness, merely offering a low moan in counterpoint and running his hands possessively all over Jak’s upper back and shoulders. Jak’s shadow fell over him, shielding his eyes from the sun and letting him look up at the green-blonde when he wanted to. And he did look up more often than not. Blue eyes alternately fluttered shut and flew open wide, looking more than a little wild. Jak thought he looked awfully good like that.
     “Mmn, y-yes, Jak—this, me ‘n’ you, t-this—aah!”
     Dragging his lips across the redhead’s smooth jaw and down the side of his neck, noting with slightly detached amazement the intriguing way Daxter’s throat worked as he frantically gulped for air, Jak murmured in agreement.
     For the first time, it seemed like the two were in it together. Really and truly together, and not simply performing favors for one another. This time their pleasure was as entwined as their bodies. Their closeness, the kisses and gasped breaths brushing each others’ faces, the hair petting, the near-constant eye contact brought the feeling home even more.
     “P-please… uhn…!”
     Daxter was reduced to asking for it. Politely, even. He was close. Taking the cue, Jak ground into him with great deliberation. Their erections fit quite well, caught fast together between smooth stomachs slick with lingering drops of sea water and precome. The redhead writhed like an eel, little gasping cries escaping as he thrust back up against Jak in return. His legs gaped even wider, apparently in semi-conscious invitation. Instinctual.
     For a moment Jak absently wished there really was some way he and Dax could actually do this thing right, and fully connect their bodies. It was probably a silly wish—they were both young men, after all, and obviously couldn’t do so—but even if he didn’t see how such a thing could possibly be done it wasn’t against any laws to dream.
     The shriek Daxter let out when he came startled the birds settling down to roost in the palms past the high tide line. Jak grunted sharply as blunt, bitten nails dug into his back and left obvious scratches. Somehow the sting only lent to his pleasure, though, and he went rigid with the sudden force of his own climax. Daxter held perfectly still beneath him, panting almost prettily in his ear, not making a peep of objection at the sticky, warm mess he was most certainly being covered with.
     Jak held himself up for long seconds, gently rocking them together as they rode out the last shocky twitches of pleasure. Finally, though, he slowly lowered himself to lie alongside his friend, trembling slightly with the effort. That had been some ride! A hand twined in sunset hair, a few soothing kisses were scattered on lips and jaw line.
     Daxter sighed, deep and shaky. Jak was relieved to know he wasn’t the only one who had been knocked for a loop. Smiling faintly, he rested his head on Dax’s freckled chest. A little narrow, a little bony, still sweat-slick and heaving, but quite possibly the best pillow in the world. He stirred slightly when Daxter lifted a weak arm.
     “Mine.” The redhead’s hand landed heavily on Jak’s tan shoulder with an air of great finality. With his free hand he grabbed Jak’s limp wrist, bringing it up to his own cheek so that he could nuzzle Jak’s palm tiredly, eyes half-lidded with emotion and physical fatigue. “Yers.”
     Jak couldn’t have agreed more.

- // - // - // - // -

     They lay on the beach as evening came on, dozing and watching the sun slowly sink by turns. Clinging sand was helpfully brushed off of warm, drying skin. Damp, tangled hair was gently finger-combed into some semblance of order. Clothes, wrinkled beyond repair, were gathered and shook out.
     Daxter made a face, tossing away the still-dripping pants he had been trying to wring out and lying down beside Jak once more. “Figures. Shirts full’a sand an’ wet pants. Which are also full’a sand. Just wet sand. Which is worse, wet sand or dry sand?”
     Jak murmured quietly, no discernable words, and twitched an ear. In an ideal world, evening would never come. They could lie here together for all eternity—baked by the setting sun, cooled by the ocean breeze, enveloped in the balmy scent of tropical flowers and greenery. Like a lazy, lazy jellyfish, moving was the last thing on his mind.
     Daxter propped himself up on his elbows and poked at him playfully. “Hey! You ignorin’ me, Jakkie-boy?”
     Jak’s answer to that? Pulling Dax down for another round of kisses interrupted every few seconds by sporadic giggling from either party. Perfection. When they finally broke apart Jak smiled up at Daxter as sweetly as he knew how, gently petting the side of his friend’s sunburned face. There was something he wanted to say right about now, something important. He just wished he knew if those three little words on the tip of his usually silent tongue would be welcomed or not.
     Daxter squirmed under the caress, eyes darting away in embarrassment as his cheeks reddened even further. Long fingers fiddled nervously with the collar of the squashed tunic he was lying on. “Hey, Jak? Um, there’s somethin’ I was gonna… I was gonna tell ya that I…”
     The green-blonde waited expectantly, hardly daring to breathe. He knew, he just knew what Dax was trying to say! Any second now the redhead would say it, and Jak would say it back, and then—!
     “Uh… I was gonna say that you can t-totally see Misty Island really great now! See, look, all the mist is almost gone.”
     Jak’s face fell comically. Okay, so maybe he and Dax weren’t exactly on the same wavelength all the time. That sure hadn’t been what he was hoping to hear. However, he did roll obligingly until he could look out across the water in the direction of Daxter’s pointing.
     It was true that they had a wonderful view of the foreboding chunk of rock at that particular moment. A stiff breeze off the open ocean kept the rising mist at bay for a few precious minutes, allowing curious eyes a good long look. If only they weren’t so far away they might have picked up usually obscure details. Jak sighed, somewhat longingly.
     Misty Island. The one place his uncle had never cared to investigate. Barren hunk of stone and fog or not, Jak could just tell in his adventurer’s soul that there was something exciting to be found there. How could there not be, when it seemed so mysterious and they were constantly being told to stay away?
     Daxter chuckled. “You really wanna check that place out, huh?”
     The green-blonde smiled somewhat guiltily. He knew how Dax felt about venturing to the island. Every time Jak had tentatively proposed the idea in the past the redhead invariably shrank away. Not that he was worried about breaking the rules, not a bit, but… Misty Island had always seemed to give the little guy weird vibes, and not in the good way. The bad feeling was strong enough that Daxter was most inclined to obey his gut instinct, an unusual move for him, and Jak knew by now not to push the issue.
     This time, though, he got a surprise. Daxter shrugged flippantly, as if it were the most inconsequential thing in the world. “Eh. We can go have a look if ya wanna, Jak. It’s no big deal.”
     Jak’s ears shot up in disbelief. Was Dax actually serious?
     “Well, I mean, we ain’t exactly little kids anymore. We can handle a boat ta get out there on. B’sides, it’d sure prove ol’ log-head wrong when he said we’d just get in trouble. Sheesh… after him showin’ his mossy green crack today, I’d be up fer just about anything that’d shut his big mouth.”
     Jak grinned eagerly. That was certainly a decent point. If there was ever a perfect time to disobey the crotchety old sage and sneak out to Misty Island, this was definitely it. Respect for Samos was at an all-time low, and thus his dire warnings of danger and dark forces at work had lost some of their potency. Emphatically Jak nodded. He would love to go!
     “’Kay. We can even head out tomorrow, if ya want.”
     Jak gave Daxter one final questioning look. Was he absolutely sure he was okay with it?
     The redhead shrugged again. It was almost philosophical, but a crooked smirk ruined the illusion. “Hey, what’s the worst that can happen? Lurkers? Psssh. Geysers of lava? Ha! Nothin’ we can’t deal with. And hey… if worse does come ta worse you’ll take care’a yer pet coward, am I right, babe?”
     Laughing, Jak held out a fist which Dax immediately knocked with his own. It was a truth as undisputable as the ebb and flow of the tides—the Demolition Duo looked out for one another. Of course Dax would be safe with Jak.
     “Alrightie, tomorrow it is then. Waddaya say we go home an’ get some shut eye, huh Jak?”
     Jak nodded. He was all up for that. They were running out of daylight quickly, in any case. It was time to head back to the village. They could head out at first light the next morning. He suppressed an excited shiver at the thought.
     Daxter sat up and stretched luxuriously, arms over his head. “Yep. We can have a nice bath, get cleaned up… hit the hay early… get ta sleep a few hours later…” Suggestively wagging red brows accompanied the last statement.
     Jak returned the lewd smirk as well as he was able, adding a low and playful growl for good measure. At that moment, he was entirely, truly, perfectly happy.
     The Bird Lady had been wrong, of course. About the two of them. Their puppy love stage had long since come and gone, the transition from best-friendship to juvenile infatuation passing fast and fleeting as summer lightning. What they had now, this feeling between them, made what had come before pale in comparison. In his heart of hearts, Jak knew it. This was what counted. This was what lasted. Jak felt a lump in his throat and had to lean forward, kiss Daxter one more time.
     And this time, he was kissed back.

- // - // - // - // -

     They walked back along the shore hand in hand as the last rays of a red-golden sunset disappeared beyond the horizon, heedless of the uncomfortable rubbing of wet and sandy clothes. Daxter had managed to misplace a hand wrap. The leather of Jak’s goggle straps was soggy. Neither minded.
     All thoughts of a dark island lurking in the fog and sea spray were forgotten. The notion of disapproving adults determined to pull them apart escaped them entirely. For now the best friends and lovers were away in a little world of their own, shielded from the rest of an unforgiving universe.
     They had one another, after all. And what could be more important than that?

- - - - -
The end.
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(2^nd)AN: Gah. Sappy ending, sappy ending… *paws sand over it* One of these days I’ll write something that doesn’t have a sappy ending, you mark those words!
As is mentioned up above, there is one more short piece that goes in this little series. Hopefully that won’t take too long to get done, but then again… final exams are less than a month away. So we will see!
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