Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Jak's not moved for hours. He needs to eat and actually get up but anyone with a brain could figure out he's not having a great day.

Daxter resists asking if Jak's good because honestly it feels stupid to ask when clearly he isn't.

"Rough night?" he asks, surprisingly gentle.

Jak glances at him and signs 'Yeah.'

Today's not a talking day it seems. Daxter can work with that.

'You wanna get up?' he signs to Jak.

Jak blinks.

"Take it slow. No rush." Daxter says.

Jak carefully sits up, scratching at stubble on his jaw.

Daxter offers him a soft smile.

"Think of it like a mission," he says. "Yer gotta shower and maybe shave. It's totally optional though." the ottsel smiles. "No game overs here buddy. Only retries."

'A mission? Really?'Jak signs.

"If'll get yer up yeah."

Jak frowns at him.

"Don't give me that look. It'll be...er...Motivational?" he winces at how unsure he sounds.

Jak actually snorts for the first time that day.

"Motivational? Really?" he says, carefully standing up. He rests a hand on his hip and smirks. Actually smirks.

Daxter stops himself from beaming at the sight.

"Look, are yer gonna be a dick or do my mission? Comes with the added benefit of a ottsel hair wash. Free of charge."

Jak rolls his eyes and smiles, scooping Daxter up in his arms.

"Free of charge? Lucky. I'm short on cash anyway."

Daxter smirks.

"BFF discount. One time only. Don't push yer luck hotshot." he mutters as Jak walks to the showers with him.

He listens to his feet walk across the floor and Daxter's claws tap against said floor as he jumps out of his arms.

Jak zones out to the point where he doesn't even realise they've reached the showers until Daxter snaps him out of it.

"Jak? Buddy? You in there?"

"Yeah...I'm just-" he trails off not finishing his sentence.

"Need a minute?" Daxter asks, resting a furry hand on Jak's ankle.

"Nah. I'm good." Jak carefully takes his shirt off and notices Daxter stare at the scars that trace his skin. "I'm fine. I promise."

Daxter swallows and speaks up.

"Good. Just makin' sure."

Jak throws the shirt on a nearby bench and proceeds to quickly strip the rest of his clothes off.

He's not ashamed to do so around Daxter. He might chuckle as he hears Daxter choke though.

"R-Right. Shower on pretty boy." Daxter actually stutters. Did his voice rise and octave?

Jak turns the dial and waits for it to reach a temperature he's comfortable with and sits down.

Daxter scurries over and flashes him a fanged grin. "Yer gonna have the cleanest hair in Haven."

He climbs up Jak as Jak grabs the shampoo and offers it to Daxter who squeezes some on Jak's head.

He starts scrubbing immediately and Jak can feel himself beginning to relax. Even as Daxter complains how he could fry an egg on his greasy head.

"Yer totally usin' me fer the head scritches huh?" Daxter says mid way through.

"Guilty." Jak replies.

"I'm not surprised." Daxter mutters, he huffs jokingly and sighs. "Betrayed by my best friend. The shame. How can I show my face without ridicule?"

Daxter places a foamy hand against his head and sighs dramatically. He pretends to almost faint.

Jak snorts and shakes his head gently to avoid knocking Daxter off.

'Drama queen.' he signs, trying not to laugh as he hears another dramatic gasp from Daxter.

"I feel like I'm actin' reasonable." Daxter manages to get out before laughing.

His laughter is truly infectious and sets Jak off moments later.

Daxter would call this a successful mission.

Chapter Text

Jak's out on a snack run.

Daxter would normally go with him but today he's exhausted and to be honest under the weather.

Jak looked reluctant to leave him alone and it took Daxter insisting he wasn't gonna die in the ten minutes it took Jak to get back.

Daxter did take it upon himself to steal Jak's red scarf and use it as a blanket and Jak just ran a hand through his fur and reluctantly left.

Are they painfully co dependent? Yes yes they are. But only Daxter will admit that. It's how they've been for years.

Daxter might have stolen the scarf because it smells like Jak. He'll refuse to let Jak know that.

It's warm and musky and maybe a little gross but it makes him feel safe as ridiculous as it sounds.

He can close his eyes and imagine Jak's still here that he's nursing him back to health.

He nuzzles the scarf and by the time Jak's back, the ottsel's all wrapped up in the red scarf in the deepest of sleeps.

Chapter Text

They're sitting on Sentinel beach. It's breezy but still warm.

Daxter's been surprisingly quiet today which is extremely rare for him. He usually does the talking and translates Jak's signs for everyone else.

Jak notices bruising on Daxter's arms and face. He frowns and waves a hand to get Daxter's attention.

The redhead looks over and forces a smile.

"What's up? What's with the face?"

'You're covered in bruises.' Jak signs to him. 'What happened?'

Daxter looks self conscious, something Jak's rarely seen from him. He shifts awkwardly and looks towards the sea.

"I fell. Yer know me...Huge klutz." he laughs which honestly sounds forced.

Jak rests a hand on his shoulder.

'Not so clumsy.' he signs.

"It's ok I promise. I fell over I-I swear." Daxter's voice cracks and Jak raises a brow.

"I wasn't paying attention."

'What happened?'

" I got told to Come back….B-But I didn't listen…" he lets out a shaky breath. "...Someone shoved me I dunno who and I fell off the dock..Landed into an open crate. Big fuckin' thing."

Jak stares at him, horrified and Daxter trembles.

"I-It was like no one fuckin' noticed me. No one was like hey a fifteen year old kid just fell off the dock! It was like I was invisible!"

Jak's brows furrow. He feels sick.

'No one helped?'

Daxter laughs. It's harsh and wet. Tears start to fall down his cheeks.

"N-No. Jak I could have fell in the ocean and no one would have given a shit." his voice shakes. "It took an hour to get out of that crate...It was dark by the time I got out...No one was around."

Jak feels his nausea rise along with anger.

Daxter looks at him, tears running down his face.

"W-Why does everyone hate me?" he gasps out before breaking down completely.

He practically wails at that point which tugs on Jak's heartstrings. Jak doesn't think before he drags him into a hug.

Daxter cries against his tunic as Jak rubs his back. They stay like that until Daxter's wails turn into sniffles.

Jak taps him on the shoulder making the redhead look up at him.

'I don't hate you.' Jak signs.

Chapter Text

It's late when they finally get back to their apartment. Both of them drained from basically being errand boys the whole day.

Daxter's grateful that Tess provided them with some bar snacks to go cause the thought of either of them cooking sounds like fresh hell now.

He's sure they'd burn their apartment down. Not like they almost have done that already, no sirree.

Jak opens the door and kicks off his shoes the moment he gets in. The place is a fire hazard and a shithole but it's their shithole.

Daxter scurries down Jak and over to the couch. Climbing it with ease. The thing's covered in claw marks on his side.

Jak scratches at his head and drops the bag of snacks on the floor and stretches.

"I'm gonna go change. Put the tv on."

Daxter tiredly and jokingly salutes at him as Jak heads into the bedroom to change, well it's more like undress. He doesn't own pjs and just sleeps in his boxers.

The ottsel turns the tv on and flicks through the channels. It's an old cheap one but it still works. Doesn't get all the channels but it gets more than enough.

He settles on a channel showing some old horror film he's sure they've never seen. It looks bad but it's the so bad it's good type.

Jak walks in as a monster proceeds to attack a couple making out in a cruiser.

"Should have drove off when they had the chance." he comments.

"Too busy trying to get laid dude." Daxter replies. "Horror rule 101: Don't think with yer dick. You'll die."

"Pretty much." Jak heads over to the snack bag, picks it up and puts it on the table.

He grabs some snacks and throws them on the couch cushion near Daxter.

"She packed soda cans. You want one?" Jak asks.

Daxter hums and Jak brings two cans over. He cracks them and offers the ottsel one.

Daxter takes a sip as Jak opens a pack of bar nuts and shares them with the ottsel.

Daxter almost spills his drink on the couch.

"What the fuck?! Why would yer go to the monster?!" he cries.

"If any of them were smart Dax the movie would have been short." Jak replies, taking a sip of his drink.

"I'm rootin' fer the monster at this point." Daxter huffs.

"Me too." Jak raises his can and takes a gulp.

They watch the whole film and love it despite how terrible it is. Daxter looks at Jak and smiles.

"One more shitty movie or bed?"

"One more." Jak replies.

Chapter Text

Being human again is an adjustment for Daxter. Adjusting to a new height, new weight, no tail.

It's weird being something you've not been for a few years. He's clumsy still as he gets used to his balance switching due to the lack of tail.

Granted he doesn't look completely human or act it. His teeth have stayed as fangs and he still kind of has ottsel quirks left behind, mostly standing on things and trying to curl up to sleep.

He's tried climbing Jak a few times despite the fact he no longer needs to be on his shoulder anymore. He weirdly misses that. Sure it was boney and uncomfortable but it feels strange no longer being able to stand or sit there.

He doesn't miss the fur though. The shedding. He's glad he's got his fiery locks back and he's glad he can wear things that wouldn't fit a doll.

The best thing is easily being able to reach things. Which right now is a Godsend in their apartment.

They're lounging said apartment. Daxter's wearing a plain red tank top and obnoxious yellow short shorts just cause he can now.

It's humid outside, uncomfortably so. So the boys have taken to camping out in their apartment until it either becomes nightfall or cools down.

Daxter's taken to leaning against Jak as they watch tv. It's some awful soap opera they've unfortunately got invested in.

He leans on Jak's shoulder before his face gets stuck and he starts to complain and unstick himself.

"It's too hot~!" he whines.

Jak glances at him, he's tied his hair up into a ponytail and is only in his boxers.

"Tie your hair up and strip. You'll be cooler." he mutters.

"Jak. Baby. I'll ruin my look." Daxter sighs.

"No one else can see you."

Daxter sighs and stands up, heading to their bedroom and grabbing a hair tie. He ties his hair up and heads back over to Jak.

"I'm not undressin'." he huffs and flops back down on the couch. He rests his head on Jak's lap and watches tv.

"You'll get stuck."

"I've accepted my fate." the redhead sighs.

He goes quiet before looking up at Jak.

"I thought Tara left Rex for that other dude."

"She broke up with that guy."

"When?! What happened?!" Daxter sits up.

"Last week. You fell asleep." Jak looks at him. "He tried burning the bar down with her in for insurance."

"Yikes 0 to 100 real fast." Daxter winces.

"Yeah...Shit wasn't pretty."

Daxter shifts in his seat.

"....How over the top was it?"

"You would have been yelling." Jak replies.

"Fuck." Daxter groans and drags his hands down his face. "Why'd they wait till I was asleep to crank up the drama?"

Chapter Text

They'd almost given up hope of Daxter becoming human again. They thought it was just a fantasy at this point with nothing in sight to try to fix the ottsel situation.

It wasn't until heading to Spargus and exploring temples, hearing about light eco and Jak gaining light eco powers that the hope reignited.

More so when they come across a pool of the stuff in one temple.
They look at each other in disbelief and back at the pool of light eco before Daxter speaks up.

"Should I-"

"No." Jak cuts him off.

"But it's light eco. It could change me back!" Daxter cries.

"It could also kill you...I can't...I can't lose you Dax."

Daxter's furry ears droop.

"You won't I promise." he says, pressing his head against Jak's forehead. "We've gotta try this. When are we gonna have another chance?"

Jak looks conflicted.

"But-"

"Jak I'm scared too but trust me. Just a quick dip and drag me out. Maybe it'll be fine." his voice trembles.

Jak carefully puts him on the ground.

"I'm tough remember? I survived a dip in the dark ooze. The light shit's probably miles better." Daxter says and gently punches Jak in the arm with a smile. "If it works I'll be my old handsome self. If it doesn't...We'll try something else."

Jak nods and drags him into a hug.

"Yer actin' like you'll never see me again buddy." Daxter mutters, swiping at his eyes. "I'll be fine..I promise."

Jak reluctantly lets go and Daxter heads over to the pool of light eco. He glances back at Jak and smiles.

"I love ya man." he says.

Jak smiles weakly and signs back 'Love you too.' before Daxter steps into the light eco pool.

Jak rushes over and waits at the edge, watching. He flashes back for a moment to being fifteen and staring in horror at the dark eco pool Daxter fell in, waiting to see if he was alive or dead.

Jak gives it a few seconds before dragging Daxter out frantically. He's wet obviously, light eco dripping off him and unresponsive.

Jak panics and pulls Daxter to his chest. He tries to feel for a pulse with his fingers. He's running on too much adrenaline to properly check.

"Fuck I can't lose you Dax. I can't lose you." he says over and over. He feels his eyes fill up. "Daxter! Wake up!"

He squeezes the ottsel to his chest and squeezes his eyes shut, feeling tears drip down his face as he does.

"Dax." he gasps.

He feels a warmth against him and loosens his hold on Daxter. He opens his eyes to see Daxter glowing. It's a faint white glow that seems to be getting brighter and brighter.

It reaches a point where Jak has to take an arm from around Daxter to shield his eyes. He winces until it eventually dies down.

He opens his eyes to see orange and yellow fur shedded on his lap which confuses him for a second until he hears coughing nearby.

Jak quickly looks over to see a very pale and very human Daxter coughing. His hair is way longer than he recalls and he's got some facial hair. The overbite's returned too.

"Fuck." the redhead coughs. "I swallowed some."

The blonde stares for a moment in disbelief before launching himself at Daxter, scooping him up in his arms. He buries his head against the crook of Daxter's neck.

"Ow ow the merchandise is super tender now buddy." Daxter groans. He pauses and looks at Jak. "Jak?...You ok?"

Jak gives him a gentle squeeze and sighs.

"I thought...I thought I'd lost you." he mutters against the redhead.

Daxter hugs him weakly.

"Didn't I tell ya I was tough? Just was really fucking painful...Must of passed out." he croaks.

Jak pulls back and looks at him. He studies Daxter like he's a fine piece of art and rests a hand on his jaw.

He stares into his cerulean eyes, leans in and kisses him. It's passionate and lasts for a few moments before he pulls away.

Daxter looks stunned. He blinks a few times, a blush dusting across his freckled cheeks.

Jak for a moment thinks he may have fucked up until Daxter finally talks.

"If I knew ya would react like this over me bein' human again I woulda suggested this sooner." he mutters, smiling. He plants a kiss on Jak's lips before shivering.

Jak's baffled as to why he's shivering until it hits him moments later that Daxter is completely naked.

He blushes and quickly takes off his shirt, offering it to Daxter who puts it on slowly.

"Thanks."

"Can you stand?" Jak asks.

Daxter tries and his legs buckle causing him to curse.

"Sorry. Little too weak fer that currently. Guess yer gonna have to carry me." he says fiddling with the blue tunic.

Jak scoops him up without warning, making him scream. Daxter pouts and rests his head against Jak's chest muttering how he could have warned him.

Jak apologies and secures him in his arms before they head out of the temple.

"I love you." Daxter mutters.

Jak can't help but smile.

"I love you too."