It's Not You (oneshot) (challenge)
Title: It’s Not You
Fandom: Jak and Daxter
Rating: K+
Pairing: Jak/Ashelin, Torn/Ashelin
Warnings: Anti-pairing, unbeta’d.
Entry: 2/5
Word Count: 786
Notes: My second entry to pip_malloy’s anti-pairing challenge. This one's a lot lighter than the last one. Humorous, even. Maybe.
Teaser: “It’s not what I want from you, Jak,” she sighed, letting both hands rest on the table, running a finger over the rim of her glass. “It’s just…Look, it’s not you, it’s me, okay?”
It’s Not You
“I said I was sorry, okay?!” He hollered, eyes narrowed. “I can’t figure what else you want from me.”
Ashelin held a hand to her head, elbow leaned on the table between them. She really wished this were happening somewhere else-her apartment, Jak’s house in Spargus-anywhere but in plain sight at the Naughty Ottsel. Anywhere but here.
“It’s not what I want from you, Jak,” she sighed, letting both hands rest on the table, running a finger over the rim of her glass. “It’s just…Look, it’s not you, it’s me, okay?”
“Oh shit no,” Jak replied, leaning forward. “I am not getting hit by that line.” He reached over and put a hand on hers, halting its motions over the half-empty glass. He hadn’t ordered anything, leaving her glass the only object on the table aside from their hands and his goggles, removed when he complained of a headache.
He never ordered anything, actually. Ashelin wished she could blame it on the fact that this place was run by a couple of fuzzy little rat creatures, but she had only ever seen him eat three times since she met him, and all of those had been before the final assault on the Nest. She wasn’t sure he ate at all.
“So what’s the big deal?” he asked, voice even. He knew what was coming.
She took a breath. “You remind me of my father.”
He arched one eyebrow. “Like hell.”
“No, not as in you’re like him at all-you aren’t, I promise.” She ran a hand over her braids, sighed, shook her head, closed her eyes. “It’s that you make me think of him. The way you move, the way water flashes when you touch it, even the way you smell…it’s all too familiar. When I look at you I see you and nothing else, but if I listen or breathe or just watch instead of really looking I see my father’s legacy. The damage he left.”
He was silent for a long moment. “So…I disgust you. Just like Keira.”
“That’s not it and you know it,” she snapped, eyes narrowing.
The youth folded his arms over his chest and cocked his head to one side. “Then what is it?”
“I-I…” she swallowed. “I can’t explain it without sounding like an asshole.”
“Ashe, just pretend I’m dense and won’t notice the assholedness of whatever you say.” He smirked and leaned forward slightly. “It shouldn’t be that big a stretch, I’m not exactly the sharpest knife in the drawer.”
She chuckled. “All right, fine. But you have to promise not to hit me.”
“Promise.”
“When I look at you I want to fix you. I want to take care of you, to undo everything my father and Erol did. To pick at your wounds until they bleed again so I can be the one to heal them. I feel like I owe it to you for what my father did.”
He blinked. She held her breath.
Jak started laughing. “You’re kidding me, right? That’s all?”
She glared, rising from her seat and slamming both hands on the table. “It’s not all, Jak! How can we be-how-” She ground her teeth. “Look, I can’t sleep with you if I just want to be your shrink!”
“No shit,” he chuckled, shaking his head. “Oh Ashe, this is rich, really. Makes me wish you weren’t so totally Torn’s.”
“That’s the thing, I can’t-” She broke off. “What?”
He stood, leaned forward and gave her a quick peck on the cheek. “It won’t work. You just want to fix me, coddle me, and I’m a bit beyond fixing and there’s no way in hell I’m going to be coddled. Go play with Torn-he’s more your type anyway.”
“You mean you aren’t mad?”
“Should I be?”
Ashelin stared. Jak understood exactly what was happening between them, it was Ashelin that had blown it completely out of proportion. She felt a bit of a flush come to her cheeks and straightened, fiddling with her hair. “Then…that’s it?”
“Sorry Ashe, you’ve been dumped.” He picked at his fingernails, leaning back in his seat again, propping his feet up on the table. “Quick, go grab Torn while you’re both still on the rebound.”
She sighed, smiling, and shook her head. “Someday you’re gonna make someone really happy, you know that?”
“That’s what they keep telling me!” He replied with a shrug.
She reached out, brushed her fingers over his cheek and headed off.
Jak reached across the table, picked up her glass and finished off her drink. Once she was out the door he called out. “Hey, Dax, I just got dumped-do I get a free drink?”
End
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Fandom: Jak and Daxter
Rating: K+
Pairing: Jak/Ashelin, Torn/Ashelin
Warnings: Anti-pairing, unbeta’d.
Entry: 2/5
Word Count: 786
Notes: My second entry to pip_malloy’s anti-pairing challenge. This one's a lot lighter than the last one. Humorous, even. Maybe.
Teaser: “It’s not what I want from you, Jak,” she sighed, letting both hands rest on the table, running a finger over the rim of her glass. “It’s just…Look, it’s not you, it’s me, okay?”
It’s Not You
“I said I was sorry, okay?!” He hollered, eyes narrowed. “I can’t figure what else you want from me.”
Ashelin held a hand to her head, elbow leaned on the table between them. She really wished this were happening somewhere else-her apartment, Jak’s house in Spargus-anywhere but in plain sight at the Naughty Ottsel. Anywhere but here.
“It’s not what I want from you, Jak,” she sighed, letting both hands rest on the table, running a finger over the rim of her glass. “It’s just…Look, it’s not you, it’s me, okay?”
“Oh shit no,” Jak replied, leaning forward. “I am not getting hit by that line.” He reached over and put a hand on hers, halting its motions over the half-empty glass. He hadn’t ordered anything, leaving her glass the only object on the table aside from their hands and his goggles, removed when he complained of a headache.
He never ordered anything, actually. Ashelin wished she could blame it on the fact that this place was run by a couple of fuzzy little rat creatures, but she had only ever seen him eat three times since she met him, and all of those had been before the final assault on the Nest. She wasn’t sure he ate at all.
“So what’s the big deal?” he asked, voice even. He knew what was coming.
She took a breath. “You remind me of my father.”
He arched one eyebrow. “Like hell.”
“No, not as in you’re like him at all-you aren’t, I promise.” She ran a hand over her braids, sighed, shook her head, closed her eyes. “It’s that you make me think of him. The way you move, the way water flashes when you touch it, even the way you smell…it’s all too familiar. When I look at you I see you and nothing else, but if I listen or breathe or just watch instead of really looking I see my father’s legacy. The damage he left.”
He was silent for a long moment. “So…I disgust you. Just like Keira.”
“That’s not it and you know it,” she snapped, eyes narrowing.
The youth folded his arms over his chest and cocked his head to one side. “Then what is it?”
“I-I…” she swallowed. “I can’t explain it without sounding like an asshole.”
“Ashe, just pretend I’m dense and won’t notice the assholedness of whatever you say.” He smirked and leaned forward slightly. “It shouldn’t be that big a stretch, I’m not exactly the sharpest knife in the drawer.”
She chuckled. “All right, fine. But you have to promise not to hit me.”
“Promise.”
“When I look at you I want to fix you. I want to take care of you, to undo everything my father and Erol did. To pick at your wounds until they bleed again so I can be the one to heal them. I feel like I owe it to you for what my father did.”
He blinked. She held her breath.
Jak started laughing. “You’re kidding me, right? That’s all?”
She glared, rising from her seat and slamming both hands on the table. “It’s not all, Jak! How can we be-how-” She ground her teeth. “Look, I can’t sleep with you if I just want to be your shrink!”
“No shit,” he chuckled, shaking his head. “Oh Ashe, this is rich, really. Makes me wish you weren’t so totally Torn’s.”
“That’s the thing, I can’t-” She broke off. “What?”
He stood, leaned forward and gave her a quick peck on the cheek. “It won’t work. You just want to fix me, coddle me, and I’m a bit beyond fixing and there’s no way in hell I’m going to be coddled. Go play with Torn-he’s more your type anyway.”
“You mean you aren’t mad?”
“Should I be?”
Ashelin stared. Jak understood exactly what was happening between them, it was Ashelin that had blown it completely out of proportion. She felt a bit of a flush come to her cheeks and straightened, fiddling with her hair. “Then…that’s it?”
“Sorry Ashe, you’ve been dumped.” He picked at his fingernails, leaning back in his seat again, propping his feet up on the table. “Quick, go grab Torn while you’re both still on the rebound.”
She sighed, smiling, and shook her head. “Someday you’re gonna make someone really happy, you know that?”
“That’s what they keep telling me!” He replied with a shrug.
She reached out, brushed her fingers over his cheek and headed off.
Jak reached across the table, picked up her glass and finished off her drink. Once she was out the door he called out. “Hey, Dax, I just got dumped-do I get a free drink?”
End
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