Title: Bubblegum
Author: Quick-demon
Disclaimers: I don't own Jak, Daxter, Sony's copyright to Playstation, the ingredients of Coke or the recipe for any bubblegum. Yes I have a Playstation, I've played both Jak games, drink Coke and made bubblegum from a kit but I own no copyrights! One day when I rule the world they'll be mine... until then...
I own the Earth Girl though.
Rating: PG-13 (very mind swearing)
Genre: General, Humor
Game: Jak II. After the game, before Jak III
Summery: Jak and Daxter find themselves in a sticky situation...
Sequel to: Jak and Daxter, meet Coke. This story can be stand-alone but it will have references to the previous story.
Author Notes: This ' fic is dedicated to the annoyance of bubble gum. How it loses flavour quickly, goes hard after an hour, makes big annoying bubbles that end up sticking on your face, the annoying pop when other people do it, how it sticks to your shoe when a big wad is left on the ground, how sticky it is when you accidentally is stuck to your fingers and hair... you get the picture so I'll continue!
This is also taking more of a story element. As much as the idea of people getting sucked into the game is overused I have to bring it in so I can give it even more emphasis on the annoyance on how it's being overused. :)
Enjoy!
"Why do these Metal Heads bother?" Daxter sighed, "Their leader is dead and obviously we're killing them all!"
"I honestly don't know Dax" Jak said lightly
"Maybe their brains are too small to comprehend their defeat" Daxter suggested
"I wouldn't be surprised," Jak agreed
"Well at least we're in Haven Forest" Daxter sighed trying to get off his pessimistic side
"And I think we're done here" Jak added giving himself a smile before putting the gun away
"Great! Lets go down the Ottsel and have a drink!"
"Daxter, it's not even dark and you're thinking about Alcohol?" Jak asked worryingly
"So sue me that-" Daxter cut himself off when his attention was diverted elsewhere
"Daxter?" Jak frowned
Daxter didn't respond so Jak followed his gaze to a lump on the grassy ground. Jak approached the lump and realized what it was. Under the shade of the midday sun was a person unconscious on their side. Jak considered waking them and seeing if they're ok. Not long ago Metal Heads were here and they could have been injured.
Jak knelt down to awaken the figure.
"Long black hair... olive skin" Daxter observed quietly as Jak bent closer, "I think it's a she. Or a guy with really long hair, like Torn."
Jak reached out and shook the female's arm. After she didn't rouse he shook her harder. Finally the figure began to stir. He bravely stood by her as her chocolate brown eyes opened. She blinked as she focused again.
"Oh god... not again" her voice slurred
Jak frowned. Daxter blinked and realized something was amiss. The girl was going to open her mouth but Daxter swiftly stepped in.
"Wait! Let me guess... you're from 'Earth' right? You got 'sucked' into the ' game' with no clue how, or maybe you're 'Playstation' malfunctioned and zapped you here" Daxter drawled since she didn't have the elf-like ears of his companion
Jak frowned then his eyes widened, "Wait... I know you. You're that girl who gave us 'Coke'"
"Hey! You're right!" Daxter said then offhandedly whispered to her, "Got more of that stuff?"
"Daxter!" Jak frowned disapprovingly hearing his question
"What?" Daxter's eyes went wide with fake innocence, "You got to admit that it was funny they way you got it all over yourself"
Jak glared at Daxter then at the girl. The girl pushed herself off the ground to a sitting position.
"Should I kill her now or later?" Jak asked seriously
"What?" Daxter was caught off guard and looked at Jak in surprise
"I did vow to kill the next person from 'Earth' to come here" he shrugged
"Well hold on trigger-happy Jak. Just because I got you good that day..."
"Damn, dream" she muttered to herself and proceeded to rub her eyes
"Nope, it's the real deal, baby" Daxter put in hearing her remark
Jak's glare bore into the girl. He obviously took a disliking for her. She looked at him annoyed but his glare was too intimidating to keep being annoyed. She shifted uncomfortably. Daxter frowned.
"Jak, give it a rest" Daxter scolded in defence of the fearful girl, "The Coke spillage was ages ago. Yes it was embarrassing, yes it was humiliating... and yes it hurt your dignity but its not her fault"
Jak glared at Daxter, "That's easy for you to say. You didn't have to wash your hair three times" then muttered an after thought, "I've really got to get a hair cut"
"Turning vain are you?" Daxter said teasingly
"Its a matter of convenience, not how I look Dax"
"Well you do look like a hippy with that hair" Daxter commented, "Not to mention with that goatee of yours. While at the barbers go for a shave. You look like a gangster-hippy. Choose one or the other because both look silly"
"A gangster-hippy?" Jak rose a green eyebrow not sure it was a compliment to get advice from his friend or insult for being called something ridiculous
"Look I'm sorry, for what ever I've caused" the girl cut in not wanting the two game characters getting into an argument, "Look just get me home again and I'll be out of your hair for good"
"Let's hope that's the only thing that stays out of my hair" Jak muttered curtly
"About time you two got here!" Pecker snapped, "Onin has been waiting for you and the girl"
"She has?" Jak blinked
Pecker shrugged, "Don't ask me how she knows these things, she just expected the girl to return from her realm"
"Are we going to send her back?" Jak asked
"No we're going to name her Sparky and keep her as a pet. Of course we're going to send her back!" Pecker snapped sarcastically
Onin signed disapprovingly over at Pecker before returning to her attention to Jak
"Onin says: Her being here disrupts the balance between both realms" Pecker translated
"Why do they come here then?" Daxter asked, "I mean none of us has been in their world"
"They must have a device they sends them here" Jak speculated
Onin shifted her gaze towards the girl, who stood quietly behind Jak, and began to sign with blue magic again.
"Onin asks: Do you remember what brought you here?" Onin asked
The girl shifted as all eyes were directed to her. She obviously didn't like to be centre of attention.
"Well last time I couldn't remember. This time I think it was my Playstation" she said sheepishly
"Man! What's with these Playstations? What are they exactly?" Daxter demanded, hearing the same sort of story with other humans that got 'sucked in'.
"Game console" the girl replied
"Oh yeah, that's right" Daxter nodded getting the idea, "We're the game right?"
She nodded. Onin began signing again.
"Onin says that since we don't have a 'Playstation' to transport her back we are going to have to go through the ritual again" Pecker translated
"Why doesn't that surprise me?" Daxter groaned
Jak sighed, "And you want us to do it"
"No, the rock over there! Of course you're going to do it!" Pecker retorted sarcastically for the second time
"Geez, is your tail always up this far up your ass?" Daxter complained at Pecker's rude behaviour
Pecker glared at Daxter, "I had to skip lunch again and miss out on my siesta time, all because you two have slow backsides!"
"Maybe you should lay off snacking. Shedding a few pounds will get rid of that pot belly of yours" Daxter quipped
If looks can kill, Daxter would have been hung, drawn, burned and quartered.
"Alight we'll do it" Jak cut in before the two animals could take it a step further, "Just give us the stuff"
Onin began to sign her language so Pecker translated, "Onin says do it tonight, for both moons are in alignment, in the same place she was found"
"Back to Haven Forest" Daxter drawled "Back to the land of green"
Sun began to set behind the mountains. Jak, Daxter and the 'Earth' girl were waiting it out under the Great Tree. Jak and Daxter set out the ritual things hours ago and now sat on the soft green grass watching the sky turn from a blue colour to a deep purple and orange colour.
Jak and Daxter lay on the grass as the white clouds became transparent in the dusk. The Earth girl sat on the grass chewing loudly. Jak, who lay furthest away from her, was sound asleep but Daxter, who was right next to her, opened one eye in annoyance.
"You have to chew so loudly?" he complained
She turned to him still chewing and shrugged. She turned away again and Daxter was left to glare at the girl in annoyance. She sighed and stopped chewing feeling uncomfortable under the Ottsel's gaze. Now silence blissfully filled his ears he fell into a light doze, only to be woken up but popping noises.
He reopened his right eye to find the source and saw something pink coming out from her mouth in a bubble then it popped. Its exploded remains were sucked or licked it back in, just to be re-chewed and blown back out again. Daxter cringed at her latest pop and made his annoyance known.
"Do you mind?" Daxter growled
She turned to him with an innocent look.
"The popping is annoying"
In response she blew a bubble and it popped.
"Are you always such a party pooper?" she asked
Daxter made a sour face, "No, Its just you're annoying"
"And you're not?" she retorted
Daxter frowned, "You were nice last time, now you're not?"
"This is just a dream so I don't care. I just read too much fan fiction on this game and my mind seemed to carry it into my dreams" she shrugged
"Fan fiction?"
She blew another bubble.
"Will you stop blowing bubbles with you're spit! It's disgusting!" Daxter wrinkled his nose in disgust and annoyance
She grinned, "It's not saliva"
Daxter frowned, "What is it?"
She pulled out a small packet from her pocket, "It's bubblegum"
"Bubble gum?"
"Its like gum but bigger and you can blow bubbles. It's fun"
"What's gum?"
"Geez, for someone who makes references to Earth humour you don't know much" she retorted
"Earth humour? I know 'Earth humour'?" Daxter blinked in surprise
She rolled her eyes and pulled a large square block of gum from the packet. She gave it to Daxter.
"Just try it" she encouraged
He glared at the offending thing in her palm.
"Don't worry it wont explode" she rolled her eyes
Daxter reluctantly took the cube and unwrapped it. The pink square was dark and was a little squishy when he squeezed it. He put it into his mouth and started to chew it. A sweet flavour broke from the cube and his taste buds picked up the flavour.
"Mmmm" he murmured
"Don't swallow it" she put in
Daxter frowned, "Why?"
"Its gum. You're not suppose to swallow gum" she rolled her eyes again
"Oh" Daxter still didn't quite understand
"So how do you make bubbles?" he questioned
"Chew the gum for a while before blowing" she replied, "Its too soft at the moment"
Daxter nodded and chewed. The silence between them returned but the forest silence was constantly interrupted by two of the figures chewing. After a while Daxter grew bored of chewing. It was Jak's turn to awaken.
"Will you two stop eating so loudly?" he complained
"We're not eating, we're chewing" Daxter corrected
"I don't care if you're teeth are chattering, just stop it!" Jak growled
"Wow, I think you rub off on him too much" the girl commented to Daxter
"I behave like a grouch?" Daxter asked surprised
The girl nodded.
"Since when?" Daxter challenged
"Will you two shut up," Jak said grumpily as sleep was being robbed from him once again
"Bite me" Daxter spat
"I'll shoot you instead" Jak shot back
"Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed" Daxter quipped
"Yeah with chewing"
Silence resumed. Jak fell back into a light doze. Finally the forest was in peace until...
"Can I blow bubbles now?" Daxter asked
"Sure"
"So how do you blow bubbles?"
"Shift the gum to cover the tip of you're tongue" the girl instructed
After a minute Daxter manage to cover the tip of his pink tongue with bubble gum.
"Stick the tip near your lips and blow"
Daxter did and managed a little one before it popped.
"Just practice" the girl smiled, "It took me a while to get a hang of it"
Darkness descended and Jak woke up in time to begin the ritual. After following the instructions of Onin he did things precisely and groaning inwardly at the difficulty of the ritual and why he was the one stuck with the yucky jobs.
Daxter and the earth girl watch nearby as he waved a rubber chicken around. Daxter couldn't help chuckling. He wished he had a camera because Jak's dance with the rubber chicken was hilarious. He shook it with both arms and his boots stamped onto the ground in rhythm.
"Looking good Jak" Daxter called mockingly then said to the earth girl, "Now that's a Kodak moment"
The girl rolled her eyes but her eyes were in amusement at the scene before her. Daxter blew a bubble, which popped after a second it was launched. Jak was in the last part of the ritual when Daxter finally blew a large bubble. He 'mmm-ed' in excitement and alerted the girl to his achievement. She looked at him with pleasure as he blew more air into the bubble.
It didn't pop so Daxter kept on pumping air into the elastic material. It went to a point where the bubble was as big as his head. Proud to what he had done he kept on blowing. All too soon the bubble grew really big but the pressure was getting too much to contain. The elasticity ran out and the bubble burst. A loud pop sounded and the pink crumpled remains smacked right into Daxter's face.
Daxter was in disgust and was about to complain to the Earth girl when he found he couldn't breathe. His mouth and nose were blocked with the pink stuff. He panicked and reached with his hands to tear the strange thing off. He grabbed it but he found it was stuck. His individual fur hairs stung as the gum firmly was stuck on them. Daxter tried to yell for help but it came out muffled. He blindly stumbled forwards, trying to get his hands free or his face free. It was a loosing battle.
Jak finished the ritual and threw the rubber chicken down. He never wanted to do that again! No sir-ree. If another Earth person ever came here, they'll be stuck here. He didn't care about the balance of realms or shit like that. Its embarrassing enough to have to do it every time. He turned to the girl as a small blue circle appeared out of nowhere.
"Lets go!"
A muffled noise was heading his way. He looked down and saw Daxter, with some pink thing on him, walking towards him. Before Jak could do anything Daxter bumped into him after gathering speed after his last stumble. He plowed head first into Jak. Jak yelped as he was caught off balance and his back his the ground... with Daxter on top of him.
"mmmm-hmmm-mmmhhh!" Daxter's voice was screaming from his throat more than his mouth
"Daxter!" Jak growled
Jak saw that his friend's hands were firmly stuck to the pink stuff so he grabbed Daxter's wrists and proceeded to rip the pink goo partly off his face. It was pulled away in stingy pieces but Daxter didn't care in that moment. His mouth was unblocked and he gasped to refill his depleted lungs.
"What's this stuff?" Jak looked at the pink in disgust
"Who...cares... just...get it...off me!" Daxter managed to gasp as he tried to regulate air into his lungs
Jak grabbed the stringy pieces that connected Daxter's face with his hands and pulled it. He went to discard it but it was firmly stuck in his palm. He opened his right hand and shook it off but it didn't release itself. What's worse the stringy gum was pulled further making Jak's hand caught in the mess instead of getting rid of it.
"Shit" he cursed and used his other hand to pull the gum that was stuck on his right hand but his hand came away with more stringy pink.
"Jak, you're not helping!" Daxter growled in annoyance
"What the hell is this?" Jak asked, "Metal Head puke?"
"No. Bubblegum"
"Bubblegum?"
"E.G gave to me"
"E.G?"
"Earth Girl" Daxter spelled it out, "I nicked named her. The Earth chick gave it to me"
"Daxter!" Jak growled, "Remember what happened the last time she gave us something!"
"Yeah, and you got the short end of it" Daxter made a grin
Jak growled. Jak turned to look for the girl and found her approaching the opening portal
"Hey!" Jak called
"Hey!" Daxter called after her getting the same idea, "Where your going! Come and help us here!"
She turned with an innocent look, "I have to go home"
"I don't care if you need to save the world! This is from your world! You should know how to fix this!" Daxter screeched
The girl looked scared, "I-I-I don't know. It's your problem now"
She turned to flee into the portal.
"Wait, come back!" Jak yelled after her
"Get your Earth ass back here!" Daxter yelled also
She looked behind her with guilt and fear, "Sorry"
She fled into the portal. The blue circle welcomed the traveler and closed in behind her.
"I swear! If she ever, EVER comes back I am going to send her to the Metal Head nest baring gifts of raw meat!" Daxter spat
"I knew I should I have shot her" Jak grumbled
"Next time I wont even stop you" Daxter replied
"Now how do you suppose we get out of this one?" Jak asked
"Well this thing stretches out eventually. Pull away from me" Daxter ordered
Jak tried to get up but realized that Daxter's left hand was on his right leg.
"Uh Daxter?"
"What?"
"Your hand is on my leg"
"What?"
"You hand is on my leg"
"Shit!" Daxter cursed
"It happens" Jak muttered
"Look uh I'll move away instead" Daxter suggested
"Be my guest"
Daxter started to move away. But his hand was pulling Jak's white pants with it.
"I can't move away"
"Damn it Daxter!"
"What?"
Jak growled, "Just pull it away!"
"But-"
"Screw my pants. I have four more others like it!"
"Really?"
"Yes! Now pull!"
Daxter tried to pull. He did with all his might the goo gave way a little but it acted like a rubber band in that instant. Instead Daxter came flinging back onto Jak. His hand that wasn't stuck to Jak's pants landed in Jak's hair.
"DAXTER!" Jak shouted
"Oops"
"Now I really have to cut my hair!"
"So much for E.G to be out of you hair, eh?" Daxter chuckled referring to the conversation at midday
"Daxter?"
"Yeah?"
"Shut up and unstick yourself from me"
"I can't simply 'unstick' myself" Daxter grumbled
"Shit!" Jak growled
"It happens" Daxter quipped
Jak saw the grin on Daxter's face.
"Why does these things happen to me?"
"Because they always happen to me"
"To you?"
"Yeah I get the Coke and you get it all over yourself. I get bubblegum and you are tangled in it"
"So are you"
"So we're stuck together"
"As always" Jak grumbled
"I guess that makes us Bubble Buddies"
Jak gave Daxter a disapproving look
"Or Gum Guys"
"Daxter"
"Of Gummy Dummies"
"Daxter!"
"Or Bubble Trouble"
"DAXTER!"
"Yeah?"
"Shut up"
Jak and Daxter tried to untangle themselves but they grew further tangled in a web of pink sticky gum. Daxter ended up upside down with his hands stuck in Jak's hair and the other on Jak's leg. Jak's left hand was on Daxter's back, in an attempt to pull him away, and his hand stayed there instead. His other hand was firmly stuck to the grass. They weren't going any time soon.
"I think we should stop" Jak sighed
"Why?"
"We're making it worse"
"So what now?"
"How the hell I'm I suppose to know?"
"You're the hero! You solve the problems!"
"You're the sidekick! You should help the hero out!"
"So this is my fault?" Daxter looked hurt
"Precisely! If you hadn't excepted the bubblegum in the first place!"
"How the hell am I suppose to know that bubblegum did this?"
"Asking would be good"
Daxter tried again but his fur was stuck to the gum like superglue. It hurts with every tug.
"Should we call for help?" Jak asked
"What? So Metal Heads can come and chomp us free?" Daxter retorted
"What else do you suppose we do?" Jak asked
"How the hell do I know!" Daxter growled then suggested as an after thought, "Go Dark Jak"
"Go Dark Jak?"
"Yeah do your monster thing"
"What good that does?"
"Cut us free"
"Did you ever think that my nails are going to stick together, even if I try to slice through it?"
"This is bubblegum, Jak, not superglue," Daxter drawled
"It might as well be superglue," Jak muttered dryly
"I think blood is rushing to my head" Daxter complained as he shifted in his upside-down position
"Blood in the head is supposed to stimulate brain functions. Come up with some ideas!"
"I'm too dizzy to think of anything"
"Shit! Keira!" Jak gasped changing the subject
"Huh?"
"I have a date with Keira tonight!"
"You what?"
"Shit! She'll think I stood her up!" Jak whined
"Ha ha!"
"I swear if she dumps me I'm going to the 'Earth' realm and hunt that Earth girl down!"
"You think Onin will let you?"
"I can perform the ritual" Jak replied
"The chicken dance?"
"I don't care but I'm gonna hunt her down like there's no tomorrow!"
"That's nice but there's one problem" Daxter pointed out
"What?"
"We're stuck together"
"Oh. I give up! Let's call for help!" Jak suggested
They both chorused together, "HELP!"
The forest crickets were their only answer.
The End
Oh dear. They really are in a sticky situation. I hope you'd enjoyed the story! Now you know why Jak cut his hair back to the way it was in Jak III :-P
Please review! I would like to know what you thought of this bubblegum experience. Share some of your own; I know I had my fair share.