Something More

A/N: I wonder if I’ll be introducing strange words more often or something. Anyway, in this chapter, the word “Mustelid” comes up. Mustelids, or Mustelidae, are the family of animals to which both otters and weasels belong, so I figured that would describe ottsels just as well.

Robin: Hey! I want to bring Tess right back into Daxter’s good graces (and Jak’s). There will be more Tess in chapters to come. Jak will probably be obeying traffic laws for quite a while now. Well, until he gets over his uber-protective stage and can at least run a few red lights every now and again.

Sione: Sorry for the shorter chapter and much longer time to update! Please forgive me. I can’t believe it’s really been almost two months, though. That’s pretty bad of me to procrastinate this for so long. At least the story’s getting interesting.

Disclaimer: Jak and Daxter are the property of Naughty Dog, Inc.

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As soon as no one was around, Jak locked Keira’s car and carried the unconscious redhead bridal style to where they were going. It was an old power station that no one else knew about, where Vin had quietly resurrected himself as a cybergenetic being. Jak hoped he would be able to help. The jittery scientist was an expert on both eco and neurology, so this dilemma seemed like it would fall right up his alley.

Without a free hand to speak of, Jak knocked at the entrance with the tip of his boot before letting himself in. “Oi, Vin? *Vi-in*—ya there?” The green-blonde shouted fondly.

“W-who is it? L-listen, I... I don’t want any t-trouble.” The holographic projection of Vin’s old face looked frantically about the room before spotting his intruders. “J-Jak!”

“Hi, Vin. I told you we’d come back for a visit.” Jak reminded him. “And hey… How come you’re still so edgy, hmm? I doubt you can still get *germs.*” The hero smirked.

“I’m not immortal, Jak. Just because I’ve become impervious to organic t-toxins doesn’t mean a few well-aimed gunshots or s-snipped wires couldn’t deactivate my p-power generator and flush my active m-memory!” Shouted the scientist.

“Relax, Vin. It’s just us. I have something show you, but it has to stay between us, and—oh, by the way, does anyone else know about this place?” The racer questioned.

“N-not that I know of. I occasionally monitor palace communications to make sure no one comes down here. I keep the p-power station in perfect order so that no one ever needs to stop by for maintenance.” Vin explained.

“Anyway, what do you need? I doubt you really came down here just to visit me. What’s that in your arms?” The scientist scanned the bundle. “Or should I say… *who?*”

“You remember Daxter, right Vin?” Jak asked. //I hadn’t thought about how to explain this just yet… This is going to be interesting.//

“The Mustelid?” Asked Vin.

“Um… *Yeah.* He was an ottsel, if that’s what you mean.” The hero had forgotten how much of an intellectual their friend really was.

Vin gasped. “*Was* an ottsel? He didn’t have an unfortunate run-in with a m-metal head did he?” The scientist wasn’t making the connection.

“An unfortunate run-in with explosive dark eco is more like it.” Jak lowered the blanket surrounding Daxter’s hair and tilted him toward Vin’s facial projection. “He’s transformed back into a human.”

“*Back* into a human?! “ The scientist wasn’t taking the news lightly. “You s-say he made contact with dark eco?”

“Yeah… You know the racing tournament in Kras City?” The racer asked.

“Yes. Violent program, that is. I stick to the Home Shopping Network.” Vin said.

“Well, we were racing in it when we collided head-on with another vehicle at top speed. There was a huge explosion, and when they pulled him out of the car, he looked like this.” Jak nodded in Daxter’s direction. “By the way, do you have some place where I can put him down? My arms feel like they’re about to give.”

“Oh, yes—of course! Over there on that biobed. Would you like me to scan him and make sure everything is okay?”

“Uh—*sure…* it’s not going to hurt, is it?” Jak questioned.

“Not a bit. You know, this is the bed that *I* laid on when I copied my brain and transferred it to this power matrix. If you want, you know, just to be sure—I can check for damage and attempt to revive him.”

“Alright.” Jak shrugged. “As long as it’s safe.”

“Of course, I wouldn’t suggest it if it wasn’t—I mean, really, the only person at risk here would be ME, but he’d have to die while I was still exploring his consciousness. We’re the only ones who know about this place, however, so there’s no real hazard in the end. Believe me! I wouldn’t offer if there were.”

Vin received a nod of approval.

“Alright, then. Here goes!” The image of the scientist’s face was replaced with a message that simply read ‘standby.’ The hero kneeled over the table on which his friend was lying and placed an ear against the redhead’s chest.

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

“Hnn…” Dax moaned into his pillow. A sudden lack of warmth had brought him into consciousness. Looking around, Daxter noticed that he was human again. //Ah, so I must be dreamin’ after all…//

Of course, something as trivial as reality couldn’t keep the former ottsel from exploring his environment. Dax rubbed his tired eyes and looked around the room. Once he had resolved himself to living out his dream as if it were his life, the redhead quickly solved the mystery of the morning goose bumps.

“*Ja-aak!*” The redhead whined. “Quit hoggin’ all the covers!”

In an unusual show of strength, Daxter grabbed the middle of their blanket and hauled it forward—the not-altogether unpleasant side effect of which was the sleepy Jak who came along for the ride. The hero didn’t seem to mind the new arrangement, however, and he quickly resituated himself so that he lay flush against the redhead’s backside, cradling his beloved in a warm embrace.

Dax reveled in the contact, and couldn’t help but shiver as his lifelong friend and protector ravished his neck with a trail of sleepy kisses. The racer seemed uncharacteristically bold this morning. Daxter couldn’t help but remind himself that as far as he could remember, they had only just shared their first kiss. Still, that didn’t change the fact that Dream Jak couldn’t keep his hands to himself. Jak ran his free hand up and down the side of Daxter’s torso, occasionally venturing beyond the redhead’s hip and dipping in to stroke his thigh before retreating back to safer territory.

“Oh *gods,* Jak…” Dax groaned. //I wonder why he’s so comfortable with this all of a sudden… I’d like to talk ta him about it, but damn it if this doesn’t feel too freakin’ amazing ta interrupt.//

The feel of Jak’s mouth on his rather sensitive earlobe forced Daxter’s attention back on the situation at hand. When the hero’s fingertips ventured a little bit further into unfamiliar places, the former ottsel realized just how much of an effect this was having on him. Dream Jak must have noticed it, too, because the petting and stroking became much more concentrated in that one, particularly *sensitive* area.

“Nnnh.” Dax sighed. //Is he doin’ this because I’m dreamin’ about what I really want him ta do? It almost feels like I have some sense of control fer a change…// Dream Jak only gave the redhead a second to wonder, because the moment his hand made contact with the bulge in Daxter’s pants, the younger boy’s eyes shot open in awe.

“Jak! *Nngh,* more… *Please!*” Dax writhed against him, unabashedly pleading for more of that exquisite touch.

//I don’t care if he IS just pandering ta my fantasies. I would LIVE in my dreams if they all turned out like this one.// Dax wriggled his bottom against Jak’s groin as the racer’s barrage of increasingly harder strokes left his arousal pinned against his own belly. His cotton sleep pants suddenly felt extremely restrictive.

Dax marveled at the feel of Dream Jak’s manhood as he brushed against it for the first time. He didn’t know which he liked better—the way it twitched, or the heady moans that escaped the racer’s throat each time he wriggled against it. It startled the redhead when Jak shyly began to grind against him, but the slow, seductive pace coupled with the demure expression that the hero wore on his face only served to turn the former ottsel on in ways he had never thought possible.

//When did I become such a pervert?// Dax smiled to himself. He knew Jak was a virgin, but he never imagined how the quiet hero would respond to his first rounds of intimate sexual contact. He could only hope that he might actually be the one to deliver that unique pleasure, even though he considered it unlikely at best.

Neither of the two wore boxers, although they each sported matching pajama pants that the redhead had never seen before. Nevertheless, the material was so thin and soft that Dax understood the lack of underwear. It came as a pleasant surprise when Jak’s palm slid up beyond the head of his erection and onto his belly, and timid fingers slid beneath the fabric to meet the heated flesh they had been teasing all along.

Daxter was unprepared for the waves of sensation that washed over him. His heart raced with anticipation as he waited for Jak to make his next move. The racer’s hand was shaking as he held it as lightly as possible against Daxter’s arousal.

“Dax?” The racer whispered into his ear. The redhead attempted to respond, but his mouth was too dry to form any words. Daxter took a moment to control his breathing before forcing a cough to clear his throat, which ended up causing his groin to twitch involuntarily, leaving his heart rate back where it started.

Jak seemed to understand, though, as he continued asking his question. “Do you want me to…? I mean, *erm…* Is it okay if I…?”

Daxter barely noticed the blush that had crept across the hero’s face and neck before Jak decided it was easier to demonstrate than to explain, and his hand ghosted past the greater part of his friend’s shaft to deliver a few feather-light touches to the redhead’s swollen testicles.

“Y-yes…” Dax quivered. Jak eased backward a bit in an attempt to remain calm and avoid harming his friend by being too rough. Daxter mourned the loss of contact as he felt his bottom ease away from Jak’s groin, and it wasn’t until that point that he noticed the way Jak’s erection had been making him tingle in places he’d never really paid any attention to.

Needless to say, Jak wasn’t the only one that regretted the absence of that sweet friction.

The racer’s hand reached down to fully cup the redhead’s scrotum, and the encouraging noises that flowed from Daxter’s mouth caused his control to waver. Jak shifted his hips forward once more and began teasing the tip of his erection against the small of Daxter’s back.

This did not go unnoticed.

“Mnnh… Yer makin’ me so hard, Jak.” Dax practically purred. “Here, hold on—lemme move a little.” He added as his own hand crept into his pants and settled on top of Jak’s—mainly to keep it in place, although it did feel nice. What he did next sent the hero’s eyes rolling into the back of his head; Daxter shifted his hips and eased his bottom so that the tip of Jak’s erection lined up with his entrance, and pushed back ever so lightly.

“*Fuck…*” The racer groaned against the redhead’s neck. Jak started up a rhythm—leaning back so slightly that it was barely noticeable and then gently prodding the warm crevice. Daxter loved how that part of Jak’s body could be so soft and yet so solid all at the same time. He hoped they could try this again, only without the pants so laden with sweat that it felt about ten degrees hotter than it really was.

The racer switched gears and began stroking his friend’s now-aching arousal with a much more confident set of fingers. When he closed his palm over the head, Jak noticed a bead of liquid resting on the tip, and traced it back down along his friend’s shaft.

“I wonder what you taste like…” Jak whispered seductively into Daxter’s right ear.

The redhead was in the process of guiding himself in and out of Jak’s grasp and enjoying the added pressure he felt from behind when he spoke without a thought. “I’ve been dyin’ ta taste *you.* Can’t wait to feel ya come down my throat.”

In that instant, Jak’s firm strokes turned to wild jerks and he pulled himself back into his previous position.

“Eeep!” Daxter’s body convulsed in a way that caused his hips to slam backward against his friend’s groin. Jak seemed to have lost some of his self-control at that, because he sat up, nudged Daxter onto his back, and settled himself between the redhead’s legs—all while continuing to pump the insistent erection that remained in his hand.

Dax was all but purring when Jak stopped for a moment without so much as a “wait.” The redhead never got the chance to pout, however, because it quickly became clear that the racer’s intent was only to deepen their new and exciting sexual adventure.

“Are you LISTENING to me?! I said WAIT! Before you do anything you’ll regret!”

//Eh?// Dax thought. //That sounds like…//

“Vin?!” The light elastic on the redhead’s waistband met his skin with a snap as the arm that supported it disappeared into thin air. //So it really was a dream.// Dax told himself as he sat up to face the intruder.

The scientist remained silent.

The redhead found himself barely able to face the man until he thought, //Wait a sec… If this is a dream, it’s probably just a really messed up one. ‘Sides, isn’t Vin DEAD? This can’t be real.//

“Oh, don’t kid yourself. You *were* having a dream, and I *did* interrupt it.” Vin spoke.

//Ah… This is embarrassing.// Daxter looked up to face the scientist, but their eyes met and both of them found it impossible to face the other. Blushing furiously, Dax squeaked “S-so—ah, did ya see anything?”

Vin wore his shock well. With a twitch of an eye, the scientist choked, “*WHAT* in Mar’s name were you DOING?!”

Still nervous, Daxter found himself unable to speak. He offered a sheepish grin, which quickly fell to a worried frown.

The scientist’s eyes widened at the realization. “Jak didn’t say anything about… So you two aren’t… Actually *involved?*”

//How could we be? He’s unaware of my feelings and I’m still an ottsel…// Dax was about to shake his head in affirmation when he suddenly had to ask, “Wait, you saw Jak? An’ why do you look like you again? Last time I saw ya, you were a 3D model of a disembodied head in some power station in Haven.”

“How observant of you. I wish you would have contributed the same level attention to your surroundings while you MADE OUT with Jak right in FRONT of me!” The scientist knew more than he let on, but this was Vin’s way of allowing the former ottsel some privacy.

//Ah, so he thinks we only made out.// The redhead sighed with relief.

“No, I DON’T think you *only made out,* because I can hear everything you THINK, Daxter! If I were still alive, I woulda had a heart attack by now. Jeez Louise.”

Dax waited in silence for his friend to continue.

“Okay, look. It’s not *that bad,* kid. There are worse things you could dream about, *believe me…* And in answer to one of your earlier questions: Yes, I did see Jak.”

The redhead sent him a questioning look.

“He delivered you to me in the hopes that you might be revived. You were suffering from a severe concussion that you received after you and Jak had gotten into a car accident.”

“Ah, the race! Does that mean we lost? Is Jak hurt?! *Precursors…* This dream’s goin’ from bad ta worse.” Daxter’s ears drooped.

“I don’t know if you won, but Jak was the one worried about YOU, my friend. As a matter of fact, he’s guarding your body in my lab at this very moment.”

Dax suddenly felt very cold, and his eyes widened with fear. “You’re not gonna tell him… about my *dream,* are ya?”

Vin looked at him like he was a crazy person. “TELL him?! *Precursors,* NO! I want to forget this ever HAPPENED! I mean, UGH—I’ve never seen anything LIKE that before! I wouldn’t even talk about it if someone ASKED, yeesh! I mean… He was… And YOU were! …MOMMY!!!!”

“Hah.” Dax laughed to himself. His secret was safe for now.

//Oh, boy. I hope this guy isn’t too shocked when he sees his body. He thinks he’s still an ottsel. I wonder why he didn’t think it was weird that I recognized him in his human form. Whatever… It’s probably better if Jak explains after he comes to.//

“So.” Daxter pulled the man out of his thoughts. “How come I can’t tell what *you’re* thinkin’?” The redhead smiled coyly.

“Well, our minds are linked, but I haven’t donated *all* of my mental resources to this excursion. Also, while I know my way around the minds of men, my current brain is meant to interface with computers, so it’s unlikely that you could understand anything I don’t go out of my way to communicate to you. And as for why I look like this… Well, I could have chosen whatever form I liked, and I tend to get nostalgic from time to time.” After all that, Vin seemed pretty calm.

“I gotchya.” Dax smiled.

“So, Mister *I’m-In-Love-With-My-Best-Friend,* are you ready to rejoin the waking world?” The scientist laughed, and before Dax could issue a pleading retort, his dream had ended and his view had been replaced with the semi-darkness that occurs when faced with the inside of one’s eyelids.

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

“All done, Jak.” The image of Vin’s head had returned to the large viewscreen.

“Is he awake?! Can I talk to him?” The scientist nodded his approval.

At first, the voices sounded a little bit distant, but Daxter became fully aware of his surroundings upon feeling his friend’s grip on his right arm, which quickly became a cold hand against his warm forehead. Dax opened his eyes.

“*Jak.*” He whispered. He was surprised by the meekness of his voice, given how much talking he had successfully done just moments ago in his dream. His throat felt as dry as the Wastelands.

“Dax! It’s okay, you’re alright.” With one swift move, the racer anchored his hands beneath the redhead’s shoulders and scooped him into a big hug.

//Wah… It feels so nice to be smushed against Jak’s chest. Wait a minute… This doesn’t feel like it usually does. My—// Daxter’s pupils dilated to the size of saucers.

“Vin?!” He spoke over his friend’s shoulder.

“What can I do for you?” The scientist spoke. He looked busy, but he was definitely in a good mood.

“Are you sure I’m not… still dreaming?” The hopeful redhead nearly died and went to heaven upon receiving the cheerful nod that served as a confirmation that for once, his life was most definitely going in the right direction. The redhead practically breathed contentment as he nuzzled Jak’s neck.

“Haha, Dax…” Jak ran a hand slowly along his friend’s back, to comfort them both. Then, he pulled back just enough to press his forehead to Daxter’s.

“I’m me again.” He practically whispered.

“Dax…” The green-blonde stroked his friend’s cheek before leaning forward to speak directly into the former ottsel’s ear. “I’m glad.”

The redhead blushed.

“S-s-so, uh—how do I look?” He had the general idea, but he still wanted to see for himself—and to hear it from his best friend.

The hero blinked. //Cute. Handsome…//

He was about to become lost in memories of *dressing* the smaller man when Daxter’s semi-apprehensive gaze pulled him back to reality. “Oh, ah… Well. You look like… Like *you.* But older! Your teeth don’t stick out as much.”

Vin had been keeping an eye on the two while he worked on something else, and as he watched them interact, he realized that their relationship was even more complicated than he had anticipated coming out of Daxter’s mind. //So hero-boy is in pretty much the same boat. Heh.//

In attempt to dig Jak out of the hole he had dug himself into (“Whaddaya MEAN *as MUCH?!*”), the scientist gestured toward a mirror that had risen from a hatch on the ground. “I usually use those for experimenting with light and in designing better surveillance equipment. Daxter, have a look for yourself.”

Without even thinking, Jak extended an arm around the redhead’s side, and Dax wrapped his arms around the hero’s neck for support. It wasn’t until the former ottsel was standing on his own two legs that they each realized how easily they had fallen into close proximity.

Their minds echoed similar concerns:

//I really gotta watch myself. I don’t wanna freak him out all of a sudden.//
//I can NOT let that happen again. Dax WILL notice, and I don’t want to scare him away.//

In the end, they each relaxed, because they hadn’t done anything wrong. After years of Jak/ottsel-Dax interaction, that amount of contact felt pretty natural, if not lacking in some way or another.

Turning his attention to the mirror, the redhead gasped. “I look just like I did in my dream!”

Vin stopped working altogether, and Daxter mentally cursed himself for mentioning something he didn’t want to talk about.

“You mean like that nightmare you had?” Jak placed a hand on his friend’s shoulder.

“Y-yeah. Man, that one *was* pretty bad, wasn’t it?” Dax sighed to himself. The scientist resumed operations.

“Still, I wonder how I got it so right in my mind… The way I look, I mean. And this happening so soon after, too… Wait a minute. How *did* this happen?” The redhead wondered.

“What do you mean? We got into a—“ Jak started to explain, but was cut-off mid-sentence.

“Oh, come off it, Jak. That wasn’t the first time you totaled a car. You’ve crashed a ZOOMER, fer cryin’ out loud!” Dax was a little frustrated.

“Alright, well… I guess you don’t remember.” The green-blonde ran an idle hand through his hair as he tried to decide where to begin.

“Basically, we were in a battle royale.”

Dax interjected. “Right, I remember.”

“Well, at the end, it was just us and one other guy. The last-minute entry for Mizo’s team, remember?” Dax simply nodded in response.

“It turned out that that guy was actually just Razor. He was sort of taunting us, so I was pretty angry—and when he pretty much challenged me to a game of chicken, I took the bait.”

The redhead slapped a hand to his face and shook his head in disbelief. “Ja—aak… Come on, buddy.” He turned to face the racer, and was swept by an overwhelming urge to embrace the man. Dax brought his arms around the hero’s back and buried his face in the larger man’s chest.

Jak was a little bit taken aback by the sudden contact, but he quickly relaxed and returned the embrace. He closed his eyes and allowed his chin to rest on the top of Daxter’s head as he ran his hands through the red silk that made up his friend’s new mop of hair.

The redhead’s next words were a bit muffled, but audible all the same. “If ya keep actin’ like that, yer gonna get yourself killed.” His voice sounded a little choked.

“Hey, shh, it’s okay, Dax… It’s okay.” For once, the hero couldn’t care less about privacy.

“Do you want to hear the rest?” Jak spoke softly into the smaller man’s ear.

“Nn, I don’t need to. Ya sped head-first into his car and there was an explosion. Am I right?” The redhead leaned back against his friend’s arms and smiled brightly.

Overwhelmed by the cuteness of the image before him (//How can he be so flexible?! The slope of his back is almost like a girl’s…//), Jak dove forward and nuzzled into the side of Daxter’s neck—wanting to kiss, but settling for the chance to simply *be* there.

The redhead was certainly enjoying the touch, but it didn’t come without some level of embarrassment. He was worried that he would take it for something so much more than it was, and in an attempt to save both their feelings, he clamped a hand directly on top of Jak’s face and pushed back with a giggle.

“J-Jak! Come on, that *tickles,* damn it! Hehehehe. Man, if all those ex-KGs saw you acting like a big puppy, no one would be afraid anymore.” His face was red, but he was smiling.

“By the way,” Dax started.

“Hmm?” The racer wondered what he was going to say. The redhead’s fingers were twirling around his goatee, so he could only half-pay attention.

“You were right about my teeth.” The former ottsel gave a gentle tug and relented.

“If you two lovebirds are all finished, there’s something I’d like to point out.” They each blushed in turn as Vin reminded them of where they were. They would have been mortified, but a small clatter back by the biobed diverted their attention.

“What’s that?” Dax wondered aloud. He walked over to the dispenser and noticed two full syringes. He looked back at the digital scientist and waited for an answer.

“*That,* my friends, is the antivenin for the poison you seem to have ingested in mass amounts. Honestly, did you each get bitten by a hundred snakes or did you voluntarily suck on their fangs for several hours straight?”

They looked at each other with confusion until the realization dawned on them. “Krew’s poison!” They each proclaimed in unison.

Jak was already preparing to administer the shot when Vin piped up again. “No, do it in the crook of his arm. Squeeze his wrist so you get some pressure going. Seriously Daxter, as an ottsel, it’s a wonder you didn’t die.”

“Hey, Vin?” Jak asked as he finished Daxter’s shot. The redhead had been facing the opposite direction and was cringing as if this were the scariest thing he’d ever had to endure.

“How much of this stuff can you make?”

“How much do you need?” The scientist was curious.

“Wait, lemme think… Torn, Ashelin, Rayne… Did Tess have any? What about Keira and Samos? I don’t know. To be on the safe side, let’s say six.” The green-blonde hero turned his attention away from the giant display and back to his squirming best friend.

//Silly, it’s over.// He thought, but instead of letting Daxter know, he pulled the redhead’s arm up toward his mouth, earned a wild stare from the owner of said arm, and then planted a playful kiss right where he had stuck him with the needle. A much longer series of clatters tore the boys’ attentions from one another, and Jak gathered the new syringes (all but his own) into the backpack that he’d been lugging around.

“Thanks, Vin. You’re a real life-saver.” Jak said as he made quick work of his own shot. Dax returned his gaze to the mirror, as needles gave him the creeps regardless of whose skin they were sticking.

“Don’t I know it. You done there? Alright, good. Just toss those into that trash compactor. I’ll take care of the rest.” All in all, Vin was happy that he could still serve his friends in some capacity.

“So, Dax. Ready to go?” The hero glanced over his shoulder. The redhead seemed to be thinking about something.

“Ja—ak.” The former ottsel bore a sly grin.

Jak was weary of his motives. //He could be planning to launch a tickle attack.// He decided it was easier to wait and see for himself.

“I wonder how much has changed *down there.*” Dax gestured toward his crotch. Jak looked onward in horror as the redhead thumbed the edge of his waistband and added, “I wonder if I finally *did* grow some pu—“

“Dax!” Jak seized his friend’s arms from behind and said, “Look, you… Erm… How should I say this? Everything’s normal… down there. You don’t need to look—you can confirm it when we get home.” The hero was blushing furiously.

//Ah, I knew I didn’t recognize these clothes. I must have transformed naked… My PANTS! Nooooo! …oh well. I guess I don’t need them anymore, anyhow. I guess that means that Jak… dressed me? Hehehehe…// Suffice it to say, Dax was pleased with himself.

“A’right, fine. Can we go or what? As much as I’d love ta go out an’ party… I’m beat. I wanna take a nap.”

It felt like forever since the last time the racer had exhaled. Jak was glad. He wanted to avoid talking about the fact that he handled his friend’s naked body at all if possible, but he especially didn’t want to discuss it in front of Vin.

“Mmn.” Jak nodded. “Vin, we’ll talk to you later. Here’s my number, by the way. You can reach me on my comm if you ever need anything. Sound good?”

“Farewell, boys. I’ll drop a line if I need anything.” With that, Vin officially began to ignore the two.

Jak slung his bag over his shoulder, grabbed Daxter’s hand, and led the redhead out to the car.

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

Daxter inhaled sharply as his naked arms and legs met a cool evening breeze for the first time in years, since that accident when some insect repellent had left him partially furless for almost an entire season. He also noticed that he wasn’t wearing any shoes.

“Hey Jak,” began the redhead “where’d you get these clothes, anyway?” He stopped, and Jak felt the tug on his arm.

“I borrowed them from Tess. We had to get out of there as quickly as possible, and she lent me her car.” Smiling, he added “That was the manliest thing I could find.”

Looking back, Jak noticed that Dax had stopped short just outside the power station. Dax was looking down at his feet. //Ah, I forgot that he doesn’t have shoes. Well, it won’t do for him to cut his feet on some glass. This place is too filthy to walk around barefoot.// Jak stooped down into the catcher’s position and held his arms back toward his friend. “Hop on.”

Dax barely hesitated at all. Climbing onto Jak for a free ride was all-too familiar to the former ottsel, and although the mounting process had changed a little bit, it was worth it to know he was still welcome. The redhead clambered onto the broad back laid before him and latched his arms in front of the hero’s breastbone.

“Man, Jak—ya sure know how ta make a guy feel at home.” Dax spoke to the back of his courier’s neck.

At first, the redhead felt like he was a little too aware of his weight on Jak’s shoulders, but it was easy to get used to. The initial tension slowly fell prey to a languid relaxation that was probably a result of the extreme exhaustion his new body had been suffering from coupled with the strong sense of security that always seemed to accompany Jak’s scent. And although the redhead’s new nose was far less sensitive than the one he’d gotten used to, Dax could still probably sniff his friend out in a crowded bar on a weekend.

No one knew Jak like he did.

*His* Jak.

And it was such that the last thing he did before slipping back into the vast expanse that made up his unconscious was to squeeze Jak with every fiber in his being and then murmur the word “mine.”

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A/N: This was a bit shorter than I would have liked it to be, but I ended up with that sort of romantic thing there and I thought it was a good place to leave off.

Outtakes:

*Dax’s Dream Jak make-out session in progress*
Vin: Are you LISTENING to me?! I said WAIT! Before you do anything you’ll regret!
*Dream Jak disappears*
Dax: What the…? HEY! BRING HIM BACK!
Vin: Aren’t you even wondering why I’m here?
Dax: *shrug* I’ve had stranger dreams.

-//-

Dax: Okay… So if what you’re saying is true, then I can wake up whenever I want?
Vin: Well, uh, pretty much—yeah.
Dax: Dreeeeam Jak! Come out, come out *wherever* you are!
Vin: O.O…