Balance Beam

Review Replies!

Once more, thanks to everyone who commented! *Hearts and sparkles*
GoodMorningBeautiful2005: Yeah, I enjoyed writing Chapter Four, can you tell? XD

Grimreaperchibi: I know right? I would totally read Romance Novels with Jak on the cover. I am working on getting my Art Monkey to draw some of the covers, so hopefully that will pan out.

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Chapter 5: Awkward Jak is Awkward

Jak woke up with his mouth tasting like a Lurker's armpit and his head feeling like a metalpede landed on it and stomped a few hundred times. With each leg. Jak let out a tiny whimper and curled around the soft warm body in the bed with him. Raging headache and feeling sick to his stomach aside, he really did sleep better when Daxter was there (and he probably should apologize to the people he woke with his yelling the other night. It was embarrassing that he couldn't have a peaceful night of sleep without Daxter there). Jak snuggled closer to Daxter with another soft groan. If drinking was supposed to help things, why did he feel so much worse?

And why was Daxter naked?

Better yet, why was he naked?

Jak froze and swallowed hard. Okay. This is not the time to panic. I am sure there is a logical, perfectly innocent reason for us to be naked. Maybe we got warm in the middle of the night. Yes. That's it, we just got a little too warm and- Daxter rolled over with a tiny sigh and Jak got a good look at her neck. It was covered in bite marks and bruises, from her jaw down as far as her breasts, like she had been mauled. Jak jerked the blanket back. There were finger shaped bruises on Daxter's hips and thighs and around her wrists. Jak reached a shaking hand out and pressed his hand against a set on her hip.

It matched perfectly.

Did.... did I rape Daxter last night? Why else would there be bruises on her wrists like that, like he was holding her down? Keeping her from getting away? Jak's stomach lurched and he vaulted out of the bed and into the bathroom, barely making it to the toilet before his stomach lurched again and he vomited. If only he could remember what the hell happened last night! Oh God, Daxter, I'm so sorry....

There was a soft moan from the other room, but Jak barely heard it over the sound of his retching. “Jak...? Oof, ow... Jak are you okay?” Daxter walked over to the bathroom doorway and leaned against it. “Aww, Jak... You shouldn't have had so much to drink yesterday.... especially since you're not used to it!”

Every gasp for breath Jak made between his bouts of retching sounded suspiciously like a sob, and Daxter knelt next to him, rubbing at his back. “Easy, Jak, easy. Damn... I got you pretty good last night, huh? Your back is all clawed up!”

Jak lifted his head, taking quick, shallow breaths. “H-how can you...be so...calm?”

“....are you really that freaked out?”

Jak stared at her. “....after what I did to you?! How can you ask me that when- damn it, Daxter I attacked you!”

“You did?” Daxter blinked at him. “I don't remember being attacked....”

“Damn it Daxter look at yourself!” Jak got to his feet to rinse his mouth out, his legs unsteady. Great, neither of them knew for sure what happened.... he swished the mouthwash around in his mouth and spit it out as Daxter looked at herself in the mirror

“Oh wow... you're a biter when you're drunk...”

“How the hell can you be so calm about this?!” Jak demanded, staring at her.

“Because it's not a big deal!” Daxter frowned at Jak. “It's not like it's gonna happen again, right?”

Jak stalked past Daxter and grabbed his clothes from where they were scattered on the floor. He couldn't deal with this right now, with Daxter lying to make him feel better about what he did.

“Jak?” Daxter followed him. “Hey, Jak, come on....”

“I can't do this right now, Dax, okay?! I can't-I-” Jak jammed his feet into his boots and grabbed his eco ring harness and holster. He'll put them on later. Right now he had to get out of there, before Daxter decided to stop lying and tell him how much she hated him, how much of a monster he was....

“Jak, wait-!” Daxter called out to him but Jak was already out the door, hurrying out of the bar and out into the street, when the sunlight stopped him dead in his tracks.

Jak grunted and covered his eyes. “Fuck that's bright....” Jak's comm beeped. “Jak here.”

“Jak, it's Torn. You up for some busy work?”

“If it's more metal head eggs, I'm killing your maintenance teams.”

“Ha, no. It's just something to do, if you want it.”

Jak frowned. Taking a job for Torn or Ashelin rubbed him the wrong way, knowing what he knew now, but he doubted Torn had anything to do with Ashelin's scheming. It wasn't his style. Then again, Jak didn't think it was Ashelin's style either. But doing the job would take his mind off Daxter, and what he had- “Yeah, sure Torn. I'll be at HQ soon.”

“Great. Torn out.”

Jak sighed and tucked away the communicator. Maybe it would be enough...

--

Jak tried to focus on what Torn was saying. He really did. But he just couldn't get his mind off of Daxter, and what happened the night before. Flashes of Daxter, moaning and crying out as she arched and pressed against him, her nails biting into his back.

“-ak? Jak, you're not even listening to me are you?” Torn was frowning at Jak, his arms crossed over his chest.

Jak shook his head to clear it. “Sorry Torn, what were you saying?”

Torn waved him off. “Forget it, you're obviously not with it today.”

Jak frowned. “....Hey Torn, you'd call us friends, right?”

Torn blinked at him. “I would hope we're friends, yeah.”

“So I can talk to you about things, right?”

“....yes?” Torn frowned at him. “What is this about, anyway?”

Jak rubbed the back of his neck. “You know how I said Daxter had an accident?”

“Yeah. I was wondering where the rat was.”

“Daxter's human again.”

Torn's eyebrows shot up. “Is he? That's good to hear.”

“.....He's a woman.”

Torn blinked at Jak. “I thought Daxter was a guy?”

“He is. But when he was changed back to a human, he was turned into a woman.”

“...how does that even work?”

“Precursor tech. Long story.”

“Okay, so Daxter's a human woman. What about it?”

“...Um... Dax and I got really drunk last night.”

A strange look crossed Torn's face. “...are you sure there's no one else you can talk to about this?”

“What?”

“Like the Shadow?”

Jak shuddered. “Ew, no, he's like my Grandfather.”

“Sig?”

Jak shook his head. “Sig's in Spargus, and I'm not calling him for this.”

“What about Jinx?” Torn was reaching, and he knew it.

Jak scowled. “I am not talking to Jinx about this, Torn. The minute he says something perverted about Dax I'd kill him.”

Torn looked pained. “So I'm your only male friend you can talk to?”

“....yeah.”

Torn took a deep breath and leaned back in his chair. “Alright. Lay it on me.”

“I think I raped Daxter last night.”

“What?!” Torn's chair fell over with him still in it, and he flailed as he fell. He righted his chair and sat back down, this time leaning forward with his elbows on his desk. “Repeat that for me?”

Jak hung his head, miserable. “I think I raped Daxter last night.”

Torn rubbed at his temples. “What makes you say that, Jak? This is a serious offense, you realize.”

“I can't remember what happened last night, Torn, but when I woke up Dax and I were naked in bed together and Dax... Dax was...” Jak's ears were drooping down to his shoulders. “Dax was covered in bruises and bite marks, and my back is all scratched up from her trying to get away!”

Torn's eyebrows shot up. “What did Daxter have to say?”

“I... Dax said she didn't remember me attacking her, but.. .”

“...can I ask you a personal question?” Jak nodded. “....have you ever had sex before last night?”

Jak flushed bright red, to Torn's surprise. “...no.”

“....okay. How did Daxter seem to you when you woke up?”

“Dax seemed... like Dax. Like nothing was wrong.”

“Did you ask if he knew what happened last night?”

“No... I-I had to get out of there.”

Torn sighed; Jak looked sorrier than a wet crocadog. “Do me, and yourself, a favor Jak: talk to Daxter.”

“But I-”

“No. Talk to Daxter, because from the sound of it, you didn't rape Daxter at all.”

“...I didn't?”

Torn chuckled. “Piece of advice, Jak. Rough sex doesn't equal rape.”

Jak flushed bright red. “What?”

“I am ninety percent sure you're just as rough and tumble in the sack as you are everywhere else Jak, and that's why Daxter is bruised. And why your back was scratched up.”

“And you wanted me to talk to Samos about this,” Jak muttered getting to his feet. “If you're wrong about this-”

“Trust me on this one, I'm probably not.”

Jak sighed and shook his head before walking out.

He really hoped Torn was right.

–

Daxter had showered and dressed after Jak left and slunk out to the front of the bar to sulk. Stupid Jak, what the hell was he even thinking? What the hell made him even think that he would hurt Daxter, even drunk off his ass? Well, okay, so Daxter was a little sore, but that was in a good way! Daxter rested his chin on this arms with a heavy sigh. And, okay, so he kind of did enjoy having sex with Jak, even if it was kind of weird that he enjoyed having sex as a chick. And kind of sad that the only way he got Jak to even notice him was as a chick. Which sucked, because if Jak was going to get drunk and say things like 'I love you', it could at least be while Daxter was a guy, if not human.

He was still sitting like that when Tess came out from her rooms above the bar, fresh faced and chipper as always. “Good morning Daxxie!”

“What's so good about it?” He muttered into his arms, his ears drooping.

“Aww, snugglepuss, what's the matter?” Tess blinked at Daxter. “...Daxxie you look like you got mauled!”

“That's what's the matter. Jak and I... we had sex last night, Tess.”

Tess' eyebrows shot up. “...so what happened?”

“I don't think Jak remembers what happened. I woke up to the sound of him vomiting and he kept talking about how he attacked me, and asking how I could be so calm about everything.”

Tess bit her lip. “So... Jak can't remember what happened, but because your neck is covered in bruises, he thinks he attacked you?”

“And my wrists. And there's bruises on my hips and thighs too.”

“Oh my.”

“We had a night of seriously amazing sex, and he can't remember any of it, and thinks he attacked me.”

“Did you try to tell him that wasn't what happened?”

Daxter shook his head. “I tried, but he ran out of here like he was on fire. I think he doesn't realize that I have a perfectly clear memory of last night. I matched him drink for drink, but it was just beer, you know?”

“And for such a tough guy he's got a really low alcohol tolerance.” Tess leaned forward on her elbows on the bar top. “What are you gonna do?”

“Wait for his stupid ass to come back, I guess. Then I'll explain what really happened to him, and hopefully his freak out is more about the supposed rape and not that it was sex with me.”

Tess reached out and wrapped her hand around his. “...You really like Jak, huh Daxter?”

Daxter looked up at her. “I don't want this to ruin everything you know? Jak and I are too close for something that happened while we were drunk to come between us.”

“Exactly, Daxxie! Things will work out, you'll see!”

Daxter gave Tess a weak smile. “I hope so.”

--

Jak hunched his shoulders as he stared at the sign to the bar. Daxter should still be in there., and if Daxter was in there and Torn was wrong, the best thing in his life was about to go down the tubes. And it was all his fault, because he just couldn't keep it in his pants. Jak straighted up and took a deep breath before he walked through the open door to the bar. Tess and Daxter were sitting at the bar talking, though both stopped and looked at him as he walked in, and Jak fought the urge to flinch. “...hey.”

Tess patted Daxter's wrist. “You two can use the office to talk.”

Daxter got to her feet and jerked her head in the direction of the office. “C'mon Jak. We need to have a little chat about last night.”

This time Jak did flinch as he followed Daxter, not looking at Tess as he followed Daxter into the office. As soon as the door closed, Jak took a deep breath. “Dax I-”

“You know, I remember everything that happened last night.”

Jak froze. “You- you do?”

Daxter nodded. “Everything you said to me, too.”

“I- what?”

“You kept saying how gorgeous I was, how much you loved me. It was nice.”

Jak bit his lip. “Dax...”

“But that was just the booze talking, huh? 'Cause I'm a girl right now.”

“You're wrong Dax.”

“Hm?”

Jak swallowed hard and lifted his gaze to meet Daxter's. “I've been in love with you since we were thirteen.”

Daxter stared at him, and Jak held his breath.