smashacademy | ACTION POST - After seeing the evening TV news

And Blue appeared, ambling down the hallway with a can of a Delightful Carbonated Beverage fresh from some vending machine somewhere. She admittedly had been a bit cautious about her approach to the dorms with all that banging going on, but once she peered around the hall and located the source of the banging... well. Her steps were a bit quicker.

"Jock! Jock. Jock stop. Jock I'm right here, Jock."

Jock saw Blue sort of half-running down the hallway towards him.

He stumbled forward (still getting used to just two legs) and grabbed Blue in his arms and held onto her, probably pressing her face into his well-groomed chest.

"Mom, mom, mom, mom, mom," he said in a state of great agitation, "mom, I can't ever let you go anywhere without me ever again, mom."

"Hrmmmfgh." Said Blue into Jock's well-groomed chest.

"The TV said somebody killed a woman! I can't let anybody kill you. I'll protect you, mom. Don't worry! It'll be okay. You'll be okay. Everything will be okay."

Jock was still hugging Blue tightly to his chest. "I'll never let them hurt you."

This was very touching.

Blue made a frantic attempt to get Jock's attention by smacking her free hand against his beefy arm.

"Mmmmhrrmrfff!"

Jock only got smacked when he did something wrong.

Jock, already running on pure adrenaline, jumped in shock and made a sound like a yelp.

At least he let go of Blue.

Blue took in a deep and precious drag of oxygen. It was so beautiful.

And then she released it slowly. Oh how wonderful it was to breathe. Blue didn't have to worry about murders when the threat of suffocation was so prevalent.

"Ahh, thank you." Blue reached out and gave his arm a gentler pat now with a comforting look. There, there, puppy. "Go easier on the squeezing next time, pup." With a more somber look she continued, "So you did see the news... hm."

Jock nodded his head furiously. So furiously.

"Mom, somebody might try to kill you, mom. And what if I weren't there to protect you? Mom, I can't let you leave me, mom. Don't worry, I'll keep you safe forever."

He's reaching out to you again. Reaching out to grab your arm. Tightly.

She's reaching out to cover his hand with hers and prevent a catastrophe from encountering her arm.

"Jock. It would be foolhardy for anyone to try and kill me when I have all of you with me. If it isn't you, it's Sienna or Blake or Bree or..." She shook her head lightly and smiled. "I know you're looking out for me. Things will be fine."

"But, but mom, I'm in another room now. I'm not always with you, mom. Mom, what happens if you don't have anyone with you? Mom, you need me to be there for you. You can use me like a pillow, mom. Remember how you used to do that on the road, mom? I can keep you safe."

Jock is close to panicky tears at this moment. Wow, this is one freaked out arcanine.

Jock. Jock please.

Come here, Jock. She was pulling him into a firm hug, taking her own precautions against any future attempts at smothering that would no doubt occur. "Shhh, Jock. It's all right. I won't be alone." Which was true! Even if some of them were in separate rooms, they were never very far from each other. There was a little thought that tickled at the back of her mind though. Keep your team close.

Blue pulled back a little and looked up at him.

"This part is important, and I want you to listen very carefully. Are you listening, Jock?"

Jock just nodded his head and stared into her beautiful, beautiful face. She was the most wonderful person in the entire world. He would die to do what she wanted him to do.

"Don't do anything rash."

She said this very seriously. She was very serious about this. Telling a rash nature not to be rash. Ha. Ha.

"I want you to think things through very carefully before you act on them, OK? Bad things happening can be scary, and it is good to want to protect people you love, but we have to be careful about it."

Blue leaned up on her tip-toes to lightly cup her hand on his cheek. "I know it's what comes easy for you, but I want you to try not to charge into things."

"But, mom, I," he started. "I just want to make sure you're okay, mom. I'll be careful for you, mom. I'll do whatever you want me to, mom, as long as you're safe."

This is a highly uncomfortable thing to be even vaguely promising as Jock is vaguely promising right now.

There was a smile, though her eyes remained Intense. This was intense.

"I want you to try very hard, because I want you to be okay too. I'll be just fine as long as you are."

And here, dear puppy, was where Blue's expression softened again. "I could never say no to sleepovers, though. I'd like to make sure everyone is all right at the same time... I'll see if Blaze would mind terribly."

Even though it was probably going to happen anyway regardless.

Jock nodded his head so hard. His head is nodding so hard right now. He's about to weep with joy now. Pure, unadulterated joy.

"I'll go get Blake. I bet he wants to come, too. Even if he doesn't sleep. He likes sitting next to you, mom." He looks at you plaintively, begging for your blessing.

Oh look at that, puppy has another idea that slipped into his head and he's already ready to go run off and make it happen.

He was ready to take off and put the plan into action, but at least he was announcing it and waiting for approval before doing so. That was a step up.

Blue giggled a little and nodded her head. "Please do. But knock on his door softly. Don't upset his room mate."

How could Jock possibly upset Warren? What was possibly upsetting about Jock to Warren? There's nothing about Jock that would ever upset Warren.

"Okay, I'll be right back, you don't open the door until I get back with Blake. Make sure you make me tell you who I am before you open the door, mom."

Oh Jock, telling your trainer what to do. You really are full of it.

Jock sprinted down the hall as best as he could, making a bee-line for the boy's dorms.

And there was a gentle tap-tap-tap on the dorm room door that Blake and Warren shared. Tap tap tap.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

After a pause, the door clicked open and very slowly, cautiously, opened to reveal the black-clad Mightyena. He peeked out shyly from between the crack.

"Ah, Jock. Welcome."

"Two things," Jock said. "Number one, there was a lady I saw on TV who got killed in town. So there's somebody out there who's killing ladies. Mom's a lady. We need to watch out for her more to make sure that she's always safe. I can watch her in the morning and you can watch her at night. Number two, we're having a sleepover in mom's room tonight. So I can make sure she's safe. You're coming, too. Even though you can't sleep at night. But you like sitting next to mom during the night, right? You can do that. Come on, let's go."

Well that was certainly a wall of text, Jock. I hope he got all of that.

Blake was and would always be a careful, avid listener, thankfully enough. He was silent as the Arcanine went on and on, nodding slightly at intervals. When Jock finally finished rambling, the Mightyena glanced down at the ground in thought, before eventually speaking.

"I believe this would be wise. May I bring my homework?"

Jock looked thoughtful for a moment. "Do you need to have a light on to do your homework? I don't want to keep mom up all night because you had to have the lights on in the room."

Jock, he's a nocturnal dark-type.

With more patience than that question really deserved, Blake answered calmly, "The lights will not be necessary."

"Okay you can go get it," said Jock. "I couldn't read a book in the dark."

Thank you for that important piece of information, Jock.

Blake nodded again and wordlessly turned to fetch his books. He'd already finished the required chapters, but it seemed prudent for him to keep reading ahead. The nights were long and gave him ample time, with little distraction.

Once everything was gathered in his book bag, the Mightyena joined Jock in the hall and closed the door behind him. "I'm ready."

"Okay," said Jock, walking off down the hall with Blake presumably in tow.

"Remember, if anything happens, you wake me up. I'll save you both."

Oh Jock, you're so brave and valiant and not at all horribly proud.

Following after Jock, Blake's grip on his book bag tightened a little, but his face remained as passive as ever.

His reply was plain. "Of course." But it was hard to tell whether he spoke in honesty, or if the words were simply to placate the Fire-Type's ego.

"What kind of underwear do you like best?" Jock asked to pass the time as they walked. "Mom bought me like three different kinds because she didn't know what to get me."

"Briefs. They were at the recommendation of the department store. I find them easier to run in."

"See, I'm not such a big fan of that. It's too tight, you know? I don't want my stuff all bunched up like that." Thanks, Jock. Thanks for that comment.

"Do you know they make an underwear called a jock strap? I made mom get me one. But it's not very good. It's super bunched up. I don't like it. I like the boxer-briefs, 'cause you can move in 'em but it isn't so tight. Did mom get you any good colors? I got black."

Yes, thank you.

Blake, again and always, listened dutifully before replying, "I did not know. Mine are gray and black."

Y'know, like every single other thing in his entire wardrobe.

Maybe he secretly loves colors and there's a rainbow of possibilities in Blake's pants.

"Yeah, I tried to look for arcanine-striped underwear but they don't really make that at the store mom took me to. I wanted some like that."

Jock let out a brief fit of laughter.

"Sorry, I was thinking about you wearing arcanine-striped underwear and it seemed sort of wrong in my head. But black's a good color. Black's nice. Mine's black. And there were some grey ones in the package, too. So we're like underwear buddies. Only I'm wearing boxer briefs."

Jock, what the hell, man.

No. There were no rainbows in Blake's pants. There was nothing of the sort.

What could Blake possibly say in response to Jock's imagination? Not much. What the hell, man.

"Yes," he agreed weakly. After a small pause, he added, "It is a shame your hide cannot match your undergarments."

"Yeah. Maybe if I look at a new store I can find the ones I want."

He paused for like a minute. "So, we're like best friends, right? Because, I mean, you're my best friend. Mom's got a lot of ladies on her team. But ladies don't do guy things. Guys need to stick together," Jock said as he continued down the hallway. "And so do canines right? Yeah."

Jock is emotionally needy, Blake.

Edited 2012-11-30 07:05 (UTC)

Blake had no other friends. And even if he did, know that he would always be willing to lie through his teeth for you, Jock.

Though first he had to note: "Hyenas are not canines." (This was, like, the twentieth time he's had to correct you on this fact.) "But yes. You are my best friend. It is comforting to have another male presence in the clan. And I admire you."

"I'm pretty sure you're a dog. You're just not good at wagging your tail and stuff," said Jock. "Don't let that make you think you're not a dog. It's alright that you aren't good at everything." Jock will be good at everything for you, Blake.

But, wow, what a beautiful smile Jock was showing right now. So many teeth. So many smiles. Jock wasn't very good at maintaining dog-only facial expressions in this body.

"Why do you admire me? Is it because I'm so big and strong?" Jock pointed to his fur-covered chest with his thumb as he said the words 'big' and 'strong.'

Remember that statement about being emotionally needy a moment ago?

Edited 2012-11-30 16:28 (UTC)

Yes, everyone remembers.

Blake's face held no smiles. Why smile when your face muscles were so much more relaxed in an neutral expression? He adjusted his scarf absently as Jock kindly and indirectly reminded the Mightyena that he was a flawed individual in comparison.

"Yes. You are very large and very strong. And you are also proud, I admire you for that."

Speaking, of course, as one with the ego of a soggy paper towel.

"You can be big and strong, too," said Jock. "Not as big and strong as me but you can be almost as big and strong as me if you try real hard."

Effort, Blake. Effort and passion.

"You need to have more pride in yourself. You aren't a fire type but you're still pretty good. You're less bad than you think you are. Mom loves you and she's perfect so you must be pretty great. You should smile more."

Jock is smiling at you, Blake. Smile, smile.

Look at this continued not-smiling, Jock.

"I don't believe I can grow much bigger..." remarked Blake. (Considering he was fully evolved and all, the likelihood of a Max-style puberty encore was slim.)

He was going all red in the face from the compliment though, and tried to hide it by burrowing his face down into his scarf. 'Still pretty good'... it left him at a loss for how to respond.

"U-uh. But it's... ah, I..." Blake swallowed anxiously. "Per.. haps?"

"I said pretty great! Not pretty good. Now you say that you're pretty great and mom loves you," said Jock seriously. "Because it's true. Remember those cacturns? It would have made way more sense to wake me up and save you because they're grass types and I could've just heat waved them all into crispy fried cacturns. But you did it yourself!"

Jock stared into Blake's face, and pulled the scarf down. "Don't hide. You're one of mom's pokemon, you've got nothing to hide."

"Some things are better achieved by one who hides," corrected Blake, but he quickly acquiesced, "However, as you speak figuratively... I understand your point."

With an uncomfortable grin, the Mightyena forced the sentence out of his reluctant mouth. "I'm... pretty great, and my Mistress l-lo..." He stared down at the ground, awkwardly stumbling over the one word he was wrestling with.

"loves... me."

Jock punched Blake's shoulder lightly.

"Good. And it's true, so don't mumble when you say it."

A wicked gleam entered Jock's eyes. "Let's wrestle!" he exclaimed as he reached over and grabbed Blake by the waist and tackled him to the ground.

ACTION POST - After seeing the evening TV news

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I have no "Jock Lectures You" icon so have this instead

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