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Jak & Daxter: Safety

Chapter 6

By Tempo & Sillyneko

Note: This is set after Jak X.

~ ~ ~

Jak had never appreciated underpants so much. Going commando while out for a walk was one thing, but jetboarding meant being one tilt away from giving everyone below an eyeful. Sure, he'd had to borrow Daxter's undies, but they'd done weirder stuff on sleepovers as kids... and as teenagers. His ears simmered at the heat of Daxter's lips in the memory. Firmly, he pushed the thought aside. Time to focus.

He hovered to a landing outside Keira's shop. "Hey, anybody home?" When nobody responded, he padded inside, keeping his absorbent paws clear of the occasional oil puddle.

He walked in to find her bent over, working on some customized zoomer. Not too long ago, his heartbeat would've spiked from seeing her bent over a chassis like that. Now? He was hard pressed to notice a difference. The thought made him frown a bit. Maybe it had something to do with becoming an ottsel? But then again, Daxter never seemed to have any problem getting turned on by human women.

Jak cleared his throat, a noise that seemed too high.

The mechanic popped up from the zoomer's engine compartment. "Oh, hey, Jak."

"Hey, Keira." His ears flicked back against his will at her casual tone. "Seems like you're pretty cool with me being an ottsel now. In fact, everyone is." He scowled over his shoulder, back at the memory of the council meeting. "Aside from laughing at me."

Keira straightened from the car she'd been tuning up and stroked her chin. "I was pretty gobsmacked at first, but I guess I did get strangely indifferent strangely quickly. Now that you mention it, that might even be something the Precursors planned."

He crossed his arms. "What do you mean?"

"If you think about it, what would be the safest response for humans to have to Precursors? This is just speculative, but, while manipulating our world, they would've had plenty of access to our ancestors. If they somehow coded in an instinct to consider fuzzy orange creatures as not a big deal, we'd never be a threat." Interest sparked in her eyes. "It could also be that you give off some sort of pheromone that makes us consider you nonthreatening."

Jak sniffed his wrist. Nothing unusual, though he did sort of smell like the kabobs from lunch.

"It probably wouldn't be consciously detectable, especially to a human nose." She bounced with glee. Keira always did have hot and cold running emotions. "But we could consult a biochemist. Have you noticed any new glands? They'd likely be under your tail, near or inside your--"

"Umm, no."

She crossed her arms. "'No' you haven't noticed any, or 'no' you don't want to take a sample for analysis?"

"I don't need to be probed or... analyzed." Jak glanced at his tail with concern. "I need to be changed back. We have an eco shortage and a bunch of Metal Bugs under our doorstep. I'll have a much better chance of fixing that if I'm not three feet tall and fuzzy."

"Alright, but make sure to ask Daxter if he'd mind." She finished tightening something under the hood with a distant grin. "This could lead to a whole new field of study!"

"Figures." He sat down on a spare fender, only after the fact checking if it was clean. "I get through saving the world with barely a scratch, then get turned into an ottsel by some broken Precursor junk."

Keira tilted a spanner in his direction. "Actually, I examined the staff. Extensively. And I don't think it's broken. I've suspected for a while that some of the Precursor tech we come across has medical uses. I think the staff took one look at you and assumed you were a really screwed up ottsel. From the point of view of the staff, it worked perfectly."

Lights flickered around them. He glanced up, muzzle pursed in a frown. "Power station must be running low on eco."

She nodded, concern tempering her excitement. "The brownouts have been getting more frequent. But as for that staff, I'm pretty sure I've only scratched the surface of what it can do."

Jak leaned back on the fender without thinking, coating his paws in grease. It sank instantly into his finger fur, unable to be wiped off. Man, being fuzzy was kind of a pain. "Could dark eco change me back? We have plenty of that, still."

"Well, it might. But dark eco's unpredictable." Keira winced with worry, looking him over. "It could snap you back to normal, but it could just as easily burn out your higher brain functions like the Marauders."

"Great. Then I could spend the rest of my days making suicidal charges at passing motorists." He sighed, ears flattening at the unflattering mental image. "What are our other options?"

"I'm not sure we have any, yet." She spun the wrench in her hand with a wink. "But don't worry, I won't leave you hanging."

Jak summoned a small smile. "Thanks, Keira. I'll keep in touch."

As he padded out of the shop, he couldn't help but notice how calm he felt, so much different than he had after their first confrontation so many days ago. His head felt clearer. No nerves jumbled his gut. Strangely, it was more of a relief than a loss.

Keira had been a good, if flighty, friend before his crush on her. At least he could count on that much of his world not changing.

~ ~ ~

Jak returned to Naughty Ottsel as night fell. Tess and Daxter bustled about, serving drinks and tidbits to the few scattered patrons. The new arcade machines blinked and blooped in the corner.

Without needing to ask, he tied on one of the little aprons and helped Daxter run beverages. The bar was, perhaps, not the undisputed place to be, but gaining popularity as a fun place to hang out--attracting younger patrons who would rather play pool and shoot the breeze than shoot someone in the face.

Tonight's special was BBQ leaper burger on a pretzel bun. A warble of sizzling energy now and then heralded Tess's presence in the kitchen, flash-frying the patties with a modified plasma gun. The hired help, whose names Jak hadn't learned yet, mostly knew not to step on his tail.

A couple hours later, with the evening rush wound down, Daxter paused him with a paw on the shoulder, then stole the apron off his front. "Quittin' time, big guy." He tossed the garment over the bar. "It's been a day. Ready to turn in?"

Jak nodded amiably. A little planning ahead and a little more menial labor had done the trick of diffusing his nervous energy. Where unease would normally linger, there was now only a pleasant tiredness.

"Tessy, we're headin' upstairs!" Daxter called as they scaled the stairs.

When they reached the top, the slimmer ottsel bounced to flick the light switch. Conversations in the bar below faded as the door closed. In companionable quiet, a rarity for Daxter, they stripped for bed and hopped into fresh undies. Jak tried not to stare as his friend wiggled the garment up onto his tail.

The door creaked open several minutes later and allowed a female ottsel to pad in. "We did pretty well tonight." Tess stretched into a giggle, kicking the door shut. "I'll have to chalk that up to our hot new server."

"I don't know how much of an impact I had." Jak shrugged. "People don't even know who I am anymore."

She just smiled. "Whether they know who you are or not, they can still see how cute you are. It's a good thing I got to Daxie when I did. Heroes must get all the action."

Dax laughed. "'Cept it's been all adventure and no action up to this point, right Jak?"

The greenish ottsel's ears dropped, his body stiff. A blush burned under his fur as he shot the loudmouth a dirty look.

His best friend threw his hands into a shrug. "What?"

"Snookums, I think we should let Jak get some sleep." Without hesitation and with a glimmer of amusement, Tess shucked her clothes and ambled into her skimpy sleepwear. "You're about ready to come to bed with us, aren't you Jak?"

"Uhh!" The green-tinged ottsel cleared his throat. "Well, I mean, yeah, sure..."

Rolling his eyes, Daxter hopped from a well-placed footstool onto the mattress and weaseled between the sheets. He rolled to his side and offered his friend a paw.

Jak took it and allowed himself to be hauled up onto the bed. Until becoming an ottsel, he'd never noticed just how strong they were per pound. He just hoped Dax hadn't noticed the stubborn bulge in the front of his boxers.

Tess bounded into bed and cuddled between them. She and her boyfriend snuggled up in an instant.

Jak resolutely faced the wall, not wanting to prod them with his uninvited erection. Yeah, he and his rebellious lower half really needed to get back to normal. No matter where he started the night in their bed, he ended up in the ottsel pile. Sooner or later, he'd end up having to explain constant boners.

~ ~ ~

The next morning arrived on schedule, but Jak overslept. When he staggered downstairs close to noon, the other two ottsels scampered about with purpose.

In his underpants, surfing on a cloth-covered stand, Daxter shoved a full-size iron across his space pants. Jak had never seen it make any difference--that garment seemed immune to wrinkles--but the guy seemed pretty intent on it. The green-furred ottsel padded under the ironing board undetected. He even managed to snag a mug of still-warm coffee from the countertop, though he had to carry it in both hands.

Through the door to the machine shop, he saw Tess check over a trio of sprayer packs.

"We have three now?" His ears lifted. "I don't think we can drag a spare around."

"Morning, Jak!" She held one up for inspection. "I called in a favor from Taryn. Figured you guys could use a little backup."

Jak glanced to his friend for support, but Daxter seemed preoccupied searching for his missing coffee. Instead, the scruffy ottsel rubbed the scruff of his neck. "You're coming with us?"

"Yep!" She set her fists on her hips, smirking as she awaited his response.

"I don't know, Tess." He raised his paws in caution. "It's gonna be pretty dangerous."

"No, dangerous would be trying to talk her into not watchin' our backs." Atop the ironing board, Daxter danced into the still-steaming jeans. "Ooh, toasty."

Tess cocked a hip and gave him a resolute look, the pack in one paw.

Jak surrendered to the idea. If Tess could build and endlessly modify their weaponry, it was highly unlikely that she couldn't hold her own with it. "Alright. Three ottsels were better than one."

"Glad you think so." A smarmy smirk flashed to her lips.

"So it's back to that same hole?"

"Nah, the city dumped poison down that one and filled it in with concrete." Dax polished his goggles. "Sig called this morning. He's found us a bigger nest out in the old eco mines."

Jak nodded, reassured. At least Sig could be relied upon to react to this mess like an adult. Someone had to have told him about the hero's little mishap by now anyway.

~ ~ ~

No one had told Sig. Which would have been fine, if his reaction hadn't been to laugh.

The ottsel trio stood around the holo-projector, trading glances.

"No, no, I'm good." The big man wiped a tear from his organic eye. "Okay, chili pepper-- Wait. I can't tell what color you are over the hologram."

Tess looked Jak over. "Yellow. Bit of green."

Sig grinned. "Alright then, banana, here's the plan..."

~ ~ ~

Bumps jostled Jak as he sat in the passenger's seat of Sig's favorite dune buggy. The other ottsels perched on the gun rack.

Eyes on the horizon, Sig gripped the steering wheel. "Quite the change having all three of you fit on my buggy."

The newest ottsel nodded. "Yeah, things sure are different."

They rode on in silence for a time, wind whistling through ears both furry and smooth. After a while, though, Sig cleared his throat.

Jak glanced up at him questioningly.

Sig winced as if the topic were tough to bring up. "Actually, I've been wanting to talk to you about that. Man to man."

Green-tipped ears perked, ready to hear some gem of manly wisdom. "Yeah?"

The cyborg cleared his throat. "Now Jak, sometimes a young man's body goes through some changes..."

Jak's jaw dropped.

The human continued in the same serious tone: "You may have noticed more hair in strange places and your voice changing."

Laughter erupted from the gun rack. Tess and Daxter leaned on each other, gasping for air as they struggled to compose themselves. Jak just scowled.

"You may have felt some urges--"

His tiny new fists socked the man in the elbow, to no visible effect. "By the Precursors, Sig--!"

"--say, to overindulge in drinking or pick fights with people three times your size."

"Shut up!" Jak buried his face in his fuzzy paws. "Just shut up! My respect for you is at an all-time low!"

A thick hand patted his bony shoulder as the bigger man chuckled helplessly. "But the important thing to remember is you'll always be the snarling little maniac we all know and love."

Arms crossed, Jak slumped with a harrumph. If Sig wasn't one of his favorite people, Jak would have bitten the shit out of him. As it stood, though, he had to admit he appreciated the cyborg's infuriating affirmation.

~ ~ ~

Tess tried to keep her case of the giggles from getting symptomatic, least Daxter catch it again. She knew Sig had a decent sense of humor, but that had come out of left field. Jak had taken the playful ribbing better than she had expected, at any rate, with Sig remaining unbitten and free of lacerations.

With Jak still stewing, the buggy skidded to a stop. The earthen tiers of an eco mine towered around them.

The ottsels hopped to the dirt and unloaded their armaments.

Jak turned back to their driver. "You coming?"

Sig shook his head. "Can't fit. Guess your new bod has some advantages. Don't worry, though." He smiled reassuringly. "I'll be up here with one foot on the gas. If things get hairy down there--no pun intended, chili pepper, quit glarin' at me--get back up and we'll be out of here in a Kras City second."

"Sounds like a plan, my man." Daxter unzipped a duffle of sprayer accessories. "Okay! Jakkie-boy, do ya want the pressure booster, the flamethrower, or the ultrasonic thingamajig?"

With a grinning grab, Jak snapped the flamethrower attachment in place, then gave it a few quick test shots. His maniacal laugh overwhelmed even the roar of the flames.

"Flamethrower it is." Dax rolled his eyes. "Why do I even bother to ask?"

Inordinately pleased at Jak's enjoyment of her modifications, Tess grabbed the ultrasonic attachment and twisted it into place. She took a deep, grounding breath and squared her shoulders, zoning in on the challenge at hand.

This was it. For the first time in her life, she wasn't confined to the sidelines, scrounging for intel and modding weapons she would never get the chance to use outside of the gun course. Now she was standing on the front lines with the greatest heroes she knew. It was time to prove her mettle.

Together, the ottsel brigade strutted over the blasted earth, spray tanks sloshing. The mine entrance loomed ahead, a shadowed maw. A tingle of tension trembled in her ottsel tummy as they marched inside.

~ ~ ~

A gout of fire lit the cavern, Metal Bug carapaces exploding in spatters of goo. Spray tank sloshing on his back, the green-blonde ottsel swung his flamethrower around, toasting another swarm of insectoid horrors.

With Metal Bugs threatening to overwhelm them, they'd managed a fighting retreat back to the primary mineshaft. Normally, Daxter would've bailed by now, but Jak didn't seemed to be taking the ten thousand razor-mandibled hints bearing down on them.

With a sweep of flame, he doused more bugs with burning poison, only to have still more crawl right over their twitching bodies. Jak stood his ground, teeth clenched, and fought harder. As the swarm closed in, he bashed more than a few with the butt of his sprayer, to little effect.

Daxter rolled his eyes at the gory display. The kid never had known when to quit, but this was overkill. Or, rather, overprotection.

But even Jak's ruthless tactics weren't proving to be enough. The bugs closed in from dozens of tunnels, threatening to cut them off from the mineshaft, their only route of escape.

By the airy slosh at his back, Daxter guessed he had about a quarter tank left. He called out to his fellow ottsels, mounting concern ringing in his shout. "I'm runnin' low--" He fired another blast of bug juice down a corridor, instigating a splatter of green gore. "--we should blow this bugsicle stand."

Tess launched a ball of green energy off into a cluster of egg sacs with slimetastic results. With a look of nervous elation, she nodded his way and started backing up toward him. Fifty feet above, the entrance of the mine poured light down on them.

At least one of the trio, however, wasn't going to accept retreat quietly.

"Yaaaaahhhh!" Paces away, Daxter's best friend yowled in defiance and spread his arms, fur standing on end as it crackled with purple energy. His supple form hunched, every muscle tensed and straining as he lashed the air with black claws. He didn't get any bigger of course. Just angrier. And strangely grey.

Surging forward in alarm, Dax clamped a paw on Jak's shoulder, ignoring the tang of dark eco in the air. "Buddy, forget it! We gotta get outta here!"

Deaf to reason, Jak roared and charged forward. Gleaming claws drove into the metal exoskeletons of two bugs, then smashed them together. Their ruined forms were kicked into an oncoming riot of carapaced flesh. His sprayer dangled at his hip, pilot light sputtering in ankle-deep grime. Here and there, it ignited a pool of poison with a crimson flare.

Despite the terrifying counterattack, Metal Bugs poured in from all sides and scuttled to surround him. The occasional tail-slap or punch knocked them back, but the waves of insectoids almost hid the rampaging ottsel from view.

Tess leveled her sprayer, then cursed. "He's in my line of fire!"

"Jak!" Daxter's arms spread in exasperation. "Seriously?!" Snatching the bug swatter from his belt, he thumbed the power switch and watched it crackle to electric life. He smacked and spanked his way toward the rogue ottsel, scattering bugs in all directions. "Ya doin' okay, pumpkin?"

"I'm right behind you, snookums." She fired a few pulses of poison behind her, keeping the takeoff zone clear.

Fighting his way to the flailing Dark Ottsel, Daxter let the swatter zip back on its line to his belt. His paws groped at Jak's pack harness, but slicked off on bug guts. With Metal Heads closing in from all sides, he decided he couldn't afford to be choosy about where he got a grip.

Tess's backpack clanked against his. Bugs scrambled over their exploded comrades toward her.

"Hold on!" Dax primed his almost-empty spray canister, then pointed it down. "Time for Orange Lightning to bolt outta here!" With a quick appeal to the fuzzy higher powers, he pulled Tess's arms around him, seized Jak by a handful of cloth, and pulled the trigger.

The pressure kicked them instantly into the air. Dark Jak yelped in indignant shock as he was hoisted by the mother of all wedgies.

The dangling pilot light of Jak's sprayer bounced into the stream of green vapor, igniting it into a column of coursing fire. Catapulted up the throat of the mine shaft, they left some serious heartburn in its gut. Pools of bug juice flashed into a rolling inferno. Metal Bugs detonated with screeches of bursting steel as they boiled inside their shells.

Tess clung to his side as the three-ottsel rocket soared up. Jak snarled, both down upon the bugs and at his own underpants.

Dax gulped and clutched the trigger harder as he felt the propellant falter. "Yeah, yeah, complain all ya want, big guy..."

They flew from the mouth of the mine and landed, with a giant poof of dust, in a heap before two metal-booted feet.

Sig stood, watching in shock and awe. With one hand, he lifted Dark Jak by the scruff in amazement. "Wow. You kids never cease to impress me with the ways you can almost get killed."

The ash-furred ottsel hissed and spat before the eco fizzled out with a pop. Color returned to his eyes and pelt, horns and claws vaporizing in a crackle of violet energy. He shook his head, then flashed a sheepish grin to Sig, paws and tail curled in.

"Jeepers!" Tess panted, paw to her chest. "Is fighting Metal Bugs that crazy every time?"

"No babe, sometimes it gets serious." With a cough, Daxter straightened. "These ones don't even have a big, bad Mama Bug to take charge." He propped himself up on the empty sprayer gun. "Like Kor; he was one bad mother." He smirked at her.

The others replied with a collective groan.

"Literally and figuratively--still can't figure out how that worked..." He scratched his chin. "Anyway! We're gonna need a bigger gun."

Smoke billowed and belched from the mine entrance. A chorus of clicks and hisses rose from the chasm.

Daxter wrung his dainty paws. "Okay, a way bigger gun."

Tess's soot-smudged face lit up. "I think I know where we can find one..."

~ ~ ~

No one said much on the way back to Haven. Despite the silence, Tess's nimble mind churned all the while, a well-oiled machine given a boost of blue eco. The plan she had quickly formulated should fall into place with just a few well-timed adjustments.

But first, their tiny battalion needed to regroup and recoup.

Sig dropped them off at the Naughty Ottsel with a rather cheerful farewell, given the circumstances. "Get some rest, you three. You did great out there today."

Jak huffed in what Tess could only interpret as disagreement, ears back to their lowest extreme as he hopped out of the buggy.

"I mean it," Sig said firmly, reinforcing the sentiment with a thick pointer finger aimed at the disgruntled ottsel. "You were outnumbered a hundred to one down that hole and you all made it out to tell the tale. That takes guts and talent. And we've got a solid plan B now, thanks to Tess, so you'll finish the job next time."

She blushed a little under her fur. Sig had always had her back, ever since she was a rookie jostling for her first post in the Underground. "Thanks, Sig."

The big soldier graced her with a smile. "You all just let me know what else I can do. Catch you cherries later!"

As the buggy rolled away, Daxter wearily hoisted his empty sprayer pack and sighed. "Second time this week I've been covered in bug slime. Thank Precursors for indoor plumbing and pelt shampoo."

"And being small enough that no one has to wait to use the shower." Tess giggled, shouldering her own pack as they unlocked the saloon and padded inside.

It may have been true, but the second instance of three ottsels cohabitating the bathtub proceeded nothing like the first had. Jak treated the situation less like a hot tub party and more like military barracks; he remained resolutely silent as they all scrubbed down, then vacated the shower as soon as his fur was sufficiently slime-free. Grabbing a towel off the rack to sop up the worst of his dripping fur, he promptly left the room.

"Jak, wait a sec--!" Daxter called after him ineffectually as the door closed behind a wet, green tail-tip. "Damn it." His own tail thumped the floor of the tub in frustration. "Where the heck does he think he's goin'?"

Tess patted him on the shoulder. "Well, since we're standing in his favorite pouting place, I'm guessing he's either heading down to the bar or hiding under his sofa."

Her snugglemuffin sighed deeply, squeegeeing water and soap out of his soggy ears. "I dunno what ta do, Tessy. We kicked as much scale as we could down there. Jak's brain just doesn't compute 'strategic retreat.' It ain't in his vocabulary."

She clucked sympathetically. Knowing the hero, retreat was likely synonymous with failure. "Let him cool down for a while, then we'll talk to him. If anyone can make him feel better, it's you. You can always get him smiling again, Daxxie."

"Yeah." He grinned, droplets forming at the ends of his waterlogged whiskers. "In the meantime... Can I just take this moment to talk about what a BAMF you are?"

She giggled, caught off guard. "Awww, sure you can, sweetie."

"You were awesome today, Tessy. Better than awesome." Daxter's arms found their way around her middle as she turned off the water. "The way you handled that sprayer? Made my fur stand on end! Tattooed Wonder would'a turned the rebellion on its ear if he'd just let you out in front with a gun. Wouldn't have been anything left for Jak to shoot!" He purred, nose buried in the wet fur at the back of her neck.

Her ears fell modestly, a warm, happy glow infusing her chest at the honest praise from her fluffy little hero. "Thank you, Daxxie. I'm just glad I could help you. Some jobs are just too big for one ottsel." Her paws fell to cover his, her tail wrapping gently around his knee as they stood together in the warm, muggy shower. "Jak was great, too. And you two make quite a team."

"He is pretty great, isn't he?" Daxter's voice rang with pride. "I like to surround myself with awesome blondes, in case you hadn't noticed."

"Very awesome," she confirmed, "...and sweet Precursors he's got that little green goatee and is it not just the cutest thing you've ever seen? I just wanna, I don't know, pet it or something, and by that point it would be weird if I didn't have sex with him, you know?"

"Ha!" He laughed, giving her one final squeeze before untangling to hop out of the tub. "One of these days I'm totally tellin' Jak you wanna bang him for his chin fuzz."

She swatted his rear with a washcloth.

~ ~ ~

In the quiet solitude of the upstairs store room, the hero of Haven City curled into the smallest ball he could manage in the corner of his sofa. A bottle of vodka and a shot glass sat abandoned on the floor below, sampled barely enough to get him tipsy.

Jak tucked his tail more firmly over his nose. Drinking his troubles away had seemed like a sound option at the time, but he wasn't Daxter, as much as he sometimes wished he could be. Common sense reminded him of the consequences of over-imbibing; he quit while he was ahead, leaving him right back at square one.

He was still tiny, furry, and powerless, and now he couldn't even forget it.

Even shifting to Dark Jak hadn't been enough back in the mine. He had fought harder than ever, given the challenge his absolute all, and what had he gotten to show for it? He'd almost gotten himself killed. Could have gotten Daxter and Tess killed too, if Dax hadn't kept his wits about him.

And those had only been Metal Bugs. What could he have done against a real threat?

Absolutely nothing.

The door creaked gently, spilling in a sliver of hallway light. Claws clicked lightly on the floorboards. Longer strides revealed the intruder to be Daxter rather than Tess, calling out his presence before he spoke.

"How are ya, big guy?" His brash tone came gentler than usual.

The part of Jak that snarled and bared its fangs at the world had never lumped this particular ottsel in with all the rest of it. After a moment of silence, he answered, but didn't look up. "I've been better. Mostly when I was actually big."

Daxter sighed deeply. "Jak, you gotta stop bein' so down on yourself. It's not healthy. You can still do--"

"Do what, Dax? Because from where I'm sitting, I can barely do anything." He cringed tighter into his ball of self pity as the sofa creaked, cushions sinking under the weight of his friend. "I can't live on my own. I sure as hell can't have a relationship, since the girl I always thought I was going to spend my life with sees me as a puzzle to solve now."

"Well, screw her!" Dax exploded, startling Jak into lifting his head and ears. "What does she know, anyway? She's just a mechanical genius; she ain't that smart!"

It almost got a smile out of the hero before his ears flicked back down again. "You know, it's weird, but I don't even care anymore. It just sort of stopped bothering me since I moved in with you guys." He glanced away, unwilling to meet his best friend's eyes. "What does bother me is everything else I can't do. I can't contribute to anything productive without getting laughed off the board. I can't neutralize threats. I can't even protect you and Tess."

"There's no 'I' in team, y'know," Daxter told him stubbornly. "We did just fine today without you havin' to carry the whole thing." He shuffled around until they were almost nose to nose, forcing Jak to look at him. "Jakkie-boy, yer always awesome. Always have been, always will be. Don't forget that just 'cause of a little fuzz."

They sat that way for several long moments, Jak's ears and nose heating up at the words spoken as much as the other ottsel's proximity. The urge to lean up and land a kiss on that loud, outspoken muzzle was almost overwhelming, but he firmly held himself back. Flirting was one thing, but he recognized boundaries when he saw them.

At last, with another sigh, Daxter broke eye contact, ruffled Jak's hair, and slithered from the sofa. "Well, pal, I'm starvin'. Think I'll head down to the bar and have a bite with Tessy. You want anything?"

He wanted Daxter to come back. Curl up beside him on the ratty sofa. Chase away the rest of the world with funny words and reassurances. The greenish ottsel swallowed hard. "No thanks, Dax. I'm not hungry."

"Alright. If you change your mind, you know where we'll be."

The door closed softly behind his friend. Jak waited, staring at the wood for a long, contemplative while, before he resolutely reached down and grabbed the neck of the vodka bottle.

~ ~ ~

"How did it go?" Tess asked gently as her snugglemuffin traipsed slowly down the stairs.

Daxter slunk to the bar and dragged himself up onto a stool. "It went. Absolutely nowhere." His paws moved without his permission, mixing himself a drink even before he had consciously made the decision to do so. "We gotta do somethin', Tessy. He's miserable. I hate seein' him like this!"

The female ottsel pulled herself up on the stool beside him and slid a plate of ducken sandwiches down the bar in offering. "We all had a little trouble adjusting at first, snookums. You remember what that's like. Don't you think he'll be okay?"

He gratefully grabbed the top sandwich and took a huge bite, chasing it with a gulp of whatever it was he'd concocted. "Yeah, but Tessy... it's different for Jak."

"Different how?"

"It's like..." He struggled to explain, to put his thoughts to words. "When I got turned into an ottsel, nothin' really changed for me."

Tess raised a skeptical eyebrow.

"No, no, hear me out! I mean, besides the obvious. Sure I was short and furry all of a sudden, but it really didn't change much besides how I looked. People still treated me the same. Keira still had nothin' ta do with me, Samos still insulted me, nobody expected anything from me after that because they never did in the first place. Sure it hurt my fuzzy feelings a little, but I never really felt useless 'cause I was never real useful at the start. You can't miss what ya never had. But with Jak..."

Her blue eyes widened in understanding. "He was everyone's golden boy, and now they've pushed him aside."

"Exactly!" he exclaimed around another mouthful of sandwich, crumbs sprinkling the bar top. "He's havin' a legitimate crisis an' I have no idea what ta do about it. He wasn't even this down on himself when they exiled 'im from Haven an' we almost died out in the desert."

"Probably because he still felt physically competent, at least," Tess mused, reaching out to thump her boyfriend on the back. "And you can help him now by not choking to death on your sandwich, for starters."

He obediently washed down the mouthful, barely tasting. "Well, I gotta do somethin'. He's really starting ta freak me out." Daxter frowned at the remnants of his sandwich as if it would provide inspiration. "He's [i]Jak[/i]. He's supposed ta be cool, and strong, and awesome, and... and... and know it!" He viciously nibbled the crust in contemplation. "He's not supposed ta be all sad and lost and pathetic. Y'know, Tessy, I wanted to just grab him by the scarf, slam him down on that sofa, and kiss him stupid."

She crossed her arms over her chest, a smile twitching her whiskers. "Oh you did, did you?"

"Yeah. Kiss the dope until he just shuts up and listens when I tell him he's awesome. That'd teach him!"

A smirk smoldered on her muzzle. "Maybe it would."

Daxter was reaching for another sandwich when her words brought him up short. "Wait, really?" He looked at her anxiously, food forgotten. "You think that's a good idea?"

She shrugged delicate shoulders philosophically. "Well, we've tried just about everything else. Maybe a little physical reassurance that we value him, no matter how big or strong he is, could be just what he needs."

He licked the crumbs from his whiskers nervously, heartbeat already speeding at the thought of actually carrying through with what he had assumed to be a crazy idea and feeling again, after so long, Jak's lips on his own. "So, what do we do? Go back up and flirt some more?"

Tess rubbed her fuzzy chin in thought. "Jak's put up with teasing from you for a decade. He'll never assume we're serious." She drove a fist into her opposite palm firmly, determination glinting in her eyes. "We may have to get more direct."

"M-more direct?" He wrung his paws. "I dunno..." What if they got more direct and Jak turned them down flat? How would he look his best pal in the eye after that?

"Awww, my poor little whiskerpuss, are you nervous?" She caressed his shoulder.

"Nervous? You kiddin'? I'm just lookin' out for Jak." He crossed his spindly arms and hid behind a smirk. "You know what a chicken he can be."

~ ~ ~

Jak had a nice buzz going by the time he heard the returning pawsteps in the hall outside. A double pitter-patter announced Tess as well as Daxter, and Jak stuck his muzzle eyes-deep under a cushion. Couldn't a guy mope in peace?

Apparently not, as the door opened almost immediately to admit his best friend's black button nose. "Hey, Jakkie-boy, are ya still awake? Can we come in?"

While he really just wanted to be left alone to make poor life choices he would regret in the morning, he knew the chances of that happening before the ottsel couple had been reassured of his well-being were slim. With a longing glance at his vodka, Jak sighed and leaned over to place the bottle back on the floorboard. "Yeah, I'm still awake. Come on in."

The pair snuck in without having to be invited twice. With a conspiratorial glance between them, they made straight for the sofa. In moments, Jak was between them instead.

The greenish ottsel sighed. "Look, guys, I know you're worried about me, but I'm fine. Really. I just want to be by myself for a while. Nothing personal." Being around them right now when he still felt so tender and misplaced inside was a worse idea than getting drunk. He'd never been good with words and didn't want the tangle of feelings inside to come out as words he'd regret.

Daxter crossed his arms in challenge. "Really, Jak? Is being alone really what you want?" When his mouth opened in answer, a swift paw muffled his reply. "Shh, Jak, the Precursor is speaking. Tessy an' I have been doing some talkin' and... well... we just wanna tell ya..." Dax fiddled with a glove nervously, eyes darting from Jak to Tess to empty air. "Tess an' I just wanna make sure you know that we care about ya. Like, a lot. Like, a lot, lot."

"And?" Tess prompted gently. She smiled wider as her snugglemuffin searched for the words.

Jak raised a lime green brow at his stammering friend. Something weird was going on here, but for the life of him he felt like he was missing what it was. Maybe the vodka had been even less brilliant an idea than he had first thought.

"Aaaaand, since we care about ya so much, and since we wanna let ya know just how much, and since ottsels really shouldn't sleep alone..." Daxter began to lean forward, slowly invading Jak's personal space, a determined set to his jaw.

Jak leaned backwards without thinking to compensate for the shrinking space between them, then jumped as he felt Tess move in to hug him from behind. For a moment he recalled their sneak attack at the bar the first night he had felt so low, how he had been caught in an ottsel sandwich, and part of him jumped at the chance to feel so enveloped again just as another part of him sent up a warning signal that something was still not right here.

Tess purred. Her voice quivered just a little, equal parts excitement and anxiety. "What Daxxie is trying to say, Jak, is that we think you should sleep with us."

"Sleep with you?" He blinked, confused. "Yeah, I have been. Almost every night for weeks."

Daxter gave a nervous snicker. "That's not exactly what we mean, Jakkie-boy."

It took a moment for what they were actually suggesting to register. When it did, Jak was struck dumb. It had to be the liquor, making his silly ottsel ears hear things. He shook his head to clear them. No one was that calm, that understanding, let alone two of them at the same time. Why invite possible competition into your relationship--?

Her hands stroked his hips as they closed the last of the space between them, engulfing him in a warm embrace. Daxter's rubbed the small of his back, just above Tess' bare, fluffy midriff that was pressed against him so invitingly. Shocked to utter stillness, Jak could feel the cheeky grin against his ear.

The shorter ottsel's breath breezed hot through green fluff. "I think he might need a little convincing, Tessy-babe."

Jak stammered out half a question.

Then a soft muzzle pressed against his. Sharp but gentle teeth nipped his ear from behind, accompanied by the playful but comforting giggles and coos of a lovely lady ottsel.

With effort, Jak pulled his lips away from the other male's. "Wait. H-hang on. What about Tess?"

Daxter only grinned and kissed him again, and his friend's tongue was so warm and soft against his own that Jak couldn't bring himself to fight it. This time Daxter pulled back, slipping his muzzle along Jak's cheek to whisper in his ear, accompanied by a slow, lazy grind of hips on furry hips. "Whose idea'd ya think this was?"

A pleased chuckle echoed from the female ottsel. "I did say 'us'..."

Why had Daxter followed him to Kras to race, even when Tess remained in Haven? Why had Tess not only offered no protest, but had wholeheartedly understood--even encouraged him to stay on the green-blonde's shoulder? Why had she never grown jealous at their obvious closeness, and never would? It all started to make sense.

Jak couldn't help it. He began to purr quietly, a soft rumble of a sound against Daxter's collarbone.

"Yeah." Dax snickered. "Yeah, I thought so."

The smug tone in that lazy, loving voice made Jak smile... before he bit the orange shoulder so invitingly displayed. Smart-ass. Dax yelped comically as Tess's giggle muffled itself in the back of Jak's neck.

Maybe this would work out after all.

"So, you in on this tonight, or do ya need a couple days to let it sink in?" Daxter asked, pulling back to meet Jak's eyes. "We don't wanna push ya too fast if you're not comfortable yet. Besides, I clearly tasted some vodka goin' on there. I gotta say, never thought I'd be the one askin' you if you're too drunk for somethin', pal."

"No!" Jak blurted in alarm. His claws dug reflexively into the fur of Daxter's upper arms before the other ottsel could draw away; his tail wrapped urgently around Tess's leg. "I mean, yes! I mean-- no, I'm not too drunk. Yes, to... that other thing you asked." His hot ears fell in uncertainty. "Just... don't leave."

Tess hugged him tighter. "Oh, sweetie, of course we won't!"

"Wouldn't entertain the thought," Daxter confirmed, leaning closer again to complete the ottsel triad once more. "But, in that case, why don't we move this cuddle puddle somewhere that ain't the spare sofa? No offense to your man cave, Jakkie-boy."

~ ~ ~

The mattress felt soft and cozy. Soft, cozy, and small. Amazing how the three of them fit in the little double bed, in the small room above the Naughty Ottsel. But lately things that seemed too amazing to be true had a way of falling into place.

Tess slipped into bed with Jak and Daxter. The sheets swept cool under her paw pads as hot kisses rained down on her from the other two ottsels. Their undiluted affections intoxicated her. In a moment of bravery, she reached down to grip both their crotches at once. Through the fabric, she felt their growing arousal.

Jak gasped and shivered under her paw.

Darkness hid Daxter's grin, but she could hear it in his voice. The little hornball: he was enjoying every second of this.

With nimble paws, she relieved Jak of his underpants. His darling pink shaft bobbed up for a cheery hello, accompanied by a pair of pastel yellow balls.

The tipsy ottsel stammered, shocked, but his best friend soon covered up any concerns with another kiss. He failed around a little, then sank back into biddable enjoyment. His tail swished and curled against her.

Daxter, with typical modesty, belly-danced out of his jeans and underwear while running a paw down his pal's stomach. The familiar length of his shaft shone in the moonlight, with a particular gleam of precum at the very tip.

"Ooooh..." She cooed in appreciation and sat up between their legs for a better view. Maybe now her boys could resolve a little sexual tension. Maybe Jak could quit being a ball of angsty fluff. Maybe they needed a little help. She didn't want to spook him, though, so she snuck out of her clothes and cuddled close for a few tender moments before she reached over to grip them both.

The boys yielded a pair of whimpers. Lost in her grasp, they thrashed in wonder against the pillows. Neither showed any hesitation; quite the opposite--both Precursors seemed utterly swept up in the moment.

She stroked their sheaths faster. Sensual as the situation was, she couldn't get over how adorable their balls were, bouncing gleefully with her every tug. She rolled pressure down her fingers, then back up, coaxing the boys ever closer to orgasm.

Eyes half-lidded with pleasure, the green-furred ottsel watched the action through a haze of sensation. His muzzle hung agape, as if he couldn't believe what was finally happening.

Daxter squeaked and shuddered. His curvy hips jerked against her grasp. A generous jet of ottsel semen spurted over her wrist and fingers. Another blast followed, then another, the heat soaking into her fur, then just soaking her fur.

"Ooooh, somebody was turned on." She giggled, lifting the hand for examination. The pearly liquid shone in the scant light of a city night. Its heady musk titillated her ottsel instincts. She turned her attention to the other ottsel, lowering her paw to let him catch a wiff. "You turned on too, Jak?"

The greenish ottsel tried to assemble a reply, but faltered as her other paw closed around his shaft, still wet with fresh cum. A whimper of lust squeaked from his muzzle as she spread the fresh spunk up and down his naked erection. "Oh man, Tess!"

The female ottsel just smiled and climbed into position behind him. From there, she could more easily stroke him with her cum-slicked hand. She could feel him pulse harder in her hand, though, no matter how fast she stroked, she couldn't push him over the edge. So she decided to cheat a little. She and Daxter had discovered a few sweet spots in common, so she used her free paw to scratch along the base of his tail, while nibbling at his scruff. All the while, her paw pads danced over his virgin flesh and teased his sac and the edge of his sheath.

That did it.

His cock pulsed hard in her slick grip. Gasping a wordless exultation, the Universe's newest ottsel arced against her and climaxed in her grasp. His seed mingled with his best friend's, leaving her already slippery hand a sticky mess. Shots of ottsel cum came rapid-fire, dripping to the sheets as Daxter ogled the scene. As the surges subsided, he relaxed to a panting pool of Precursor afterglow. Once breath returned to him, Jak lay touching his little paws together, looking a little overwhelmed.

"Ya need a hug, Jak?" Dax nuzzled in close to him. "'Cause we got plenty to go around."

The hero of Haven City offered only a shy nod.

Her boys were adorable, she had to admit, but watching their orgasms had left her with a rather pressing need of her own. Or rather, a pulsing, wringing, slippery one. Finding a nice angle to grind against the base of her new lover's tail, she bucked against him with increasing urgency. Hearing their moans, she traced a paw down to finger her insistent clit. Little circles of motion radiated joy through her body, tipping her into an orgasm she hasn't realized lingered so close. A chitter of delight vibrated her muzzle as her hips bucked. Ecstasy rocked her limber form. As it faded to a buzz of residual loveliness, she rubbed tender lips against the now-slick fur of his tail base.

Already half-drunk when they'd started, Jak seemed utterly discombobulated. He buried his little muzzle in the fluff of Daxter's chest. Moments after she stopped sliding around, he had conked out in a drooly slumber.

With a shared smirk of victory, she and Daxter snuggled in around him. Soft fur interleaved, rich scents mingled, as their dreams wove tighter together than they'd ever thought possible. All cuddled up and tingly, she too soon tumbled off into sleep, dreaming of all the fun times to come.

~ ~ ~

Another chapter! Somewhat delayed by three projects I needed to turn in for publication. Let me know what you think!

Art: Zetht

Art touch-up: Tempo (with permission)

Edits: Slate

Let us know what you think!

~ Tempo & Sillyneko