Chapter Text
They had done it, after several hours of just getting to the nest, then having the revelation that the stone was an egg, and the tiny kid was actually Jak, then fighting and defeating Kor, it was all finally over. Jak looked over at the kid -himself?- and realized he was gonna go through hell. The Kid was gonna have to fight the Acherons, then go through two years of torture to become a freak like him.
He knew his mind was settled on what to do before he even moved, keeling down to be on the kids level. “Hey,” He looked up to Jak. “C’mon, let's go get something for ya to eat.”
“Oh yeah, that sounds good! Some food, a nice bath, it’d be even better with my Tessie-poo!” Daxter hollard as Jak picked up the kid, settling him on his hip.
“No, no! The child must go through the rift gate! We must complete the time loop!” The older Samos yelled, but Jak ignored him, and walked past the Zeppelin. “What do you think, Dax? Should we get some fast food? Or maybe if we’re lucky that one shop in the west bazaar is still open, ya know the one you got food poisoning at?” The kid giggled as Daxter groaned at the memory, “Doubt a lotta places are open with the metalheads in the city though…”
“You ain't cooking Jak, i'd rather get food poisoning.” Daxter joked while Samos sputtered about ‘insubordination’ or something behind them, before he grabbed Jak by the arm trying to forcibly bring him back towards the spinning ring.
“Don’t touch me.” Jak stated as he ripped his wrist out of Samos’s grip, nearling knocking the man over. “I am not going to stand by and watch you send this kid to be tortured just because you were told by some plant on the sidewalk that “it needed to be done” He doesn't deserve it!”
“You had a good childhood.” Samos said cooly, glaring at him like he was eight again and spilled ink on his new rug. Daxter stood on Jak's shoulder, gripping the blaster as a warning for Samos to say the wrong thing.
Jak placed one of his hands over the kids ear, “The hell I did! The only person who was there for me was Daxter, and he was barely two years older than me! I slept on the beach or on the roof because you gave the only other room to Keira, who didn’t even live with us until I was seven! I had to do everyone's job, solve every problem! ‘Jak do this’ ‘Jak do that’ ‘Jak defeat the Dark Sages because I can’t be bothered to do my own job’!”
There was silence in the cave, only the rhythmic humming from the Rift Gate. “I raised you well enough to be the hero you wanted to be.”
Jak scoffed, “The hero I wanted to be? Or the hero you needed me to be?” Jak readjusted the kid, and looked down at him, noticing a few tears rolling down his face and getting soaked up by his shirt. “It's okay, buddy” he whispered as he wiped the tears away with his thumb, fighting made him upset, noted.
Jak looks up back to Samos, before moving to look at everyone, stopping at Keira just a bit longer before going back to Samos. “If you need us, find someone else.” And he turned to leave, nobody stopping him this time.
By the time they were back to Mar’s Gun, Jak heard someone calling his name, interrupting Daxter and his talk about how he should buy Krew’s bar. Turning around he saw Keira running up to them. “Jak I need-” Dax interrupted her, “Nuh-uh, we ain’t doin’ nothin’ with ole’ greenstuff, and if you even say-” She cut him off. “Jak, I just wanted to give you this” she handed him the kids amulet. “He must have dropped it, I wanted to make sure you guys didn’t lose it.”
He turned it over in his hands before handing it to the kid, who was really excited to see it again, even if its only been a few minutes. Jak looked back at Keira who seemed to be less upset than he expected her to be, “I'm sorry you weren’t able to go back Keira, I know that’s what you wanted.” he said trying to not to make eye-contact. She laughed a little before stepping forward a bit, walking with them. “I’m a little upset but… I have a job here, and a life, friends, I don’t think I could leave those behind.”
They kept walking until they got to the transport zoomer, and by that time both Daxter and the kid had fallen asleep on top of Jak. Keira helped put a shock blanket down on a bench for him to lay them down on. “He's pretty cute.” she said, looking at the kid who started cuddling up to Daxter.
Looking back up at Jak she whispered, “Be careful Jak, Daddy has a lot of sway, he might send people after you three.”
Jak sat next to Daxter and the kid, not looking away from them he responded, “Then I guess they're gonna lose a lotta people, cause nobody is getting this kid away from me and Dax.” It was a statement of fact, he was not going to let anyone hurt this kid, not while he lived.
He looked back up at Keira, who stood outside and gave her a smile, “You be safe, okay?” She laughed, “Only if you’ll be safer.”
Jak laughed,“Oh there's no promising that” The doors closed, and they were off.