Panickers Need Not Apply (Jamal)

[Myra Bennett]

To say Myra was nervous didn't even begin to cover it. When she had first heard the news about there being a tournament, her stomach had given a flip flop at the thought, but at least it was a sign up only kind of thing instead of a random drawing. If it had been a random drawing, the octopus girl might have very well had a panic attack. So she had stayed away from the sign up sheets, didn't even try to look at them. She didn't want to think about being locked inside the holding area with hundreds of other students for who knows how long. She didn't want to think about having to do with the tournament at all, really. But then one day she had happened to glance at the evil piece of paper, and saw her worst nightmare. Jamal had written his name on the dotted line. Jamal, her best friend and the person whom she might just have more than friendly feelings for. Cue panic attack. She wasn't one to usually get angry, but that day she was. In between being a freaking out, worrying, blubbering mess of course.

She hadn't been able to have a good night's sleep since, what with her unconscious conjuring up images of her alligator man bloodied and beaten. The matches weren't to the death, thank god, but it was only a small comfort. He still had to fight. She felt terrible for the fact that she kept hoping for him to lose in the first round, but one fight and a knock out were better than repeated fights and more chances for injuries, right? Myra hoped so. Desperately.

She didn't know if the fighters were being kept with the general population or not, seeing as how she was currently tucked into a corner, her eyes squeezed shut, and her skin looking like a normal human's for once instead of an abstract painting come to life thanks to the fact that she couldn't use her powers for the duration she was in here. She hoped that once the losers were healed -please let them actually heal them!- then they would return to the holding area with the others. Myra was fairly petrified of seeing Jamal again, and what injuries he would definitely sport, but she needed to. Combined with the sounds of fighting, the feeling of being locked inside and being around hundreds of people that she didn't know, it was safe to say that the little octopus girl was not faring well. Poor thing had started to hyperventilate three times so far. At least she hadn't made herself sick or made herself pass out yet.

[Jamal Duclair]

Jamal was pretty bruised up from his fight, thankfully the Icepop hadn't done much other than knock him on his ass and out cold. He was just getting his bearings back and walking around the dungeons when he saw a familiar form in the corner. Myra? What was his little octopus doing here of all places? He remembered how she reacted the day she found out, he had to console her for hours, he may have even dozed off with her in his arms but nowhere she was in a place she had no business in. He was instantly at her and scooping her up in his arms and holding her tightly to his chest. "Myra! What are you doin' here little octopus? All this fightin' and closed space this ain't no place for someone like you and you know it." He was angry but then his voice softened and his fingers started to comb through her hair. "You know I hate seein' you cry." He closed his eyes and nuzzled her cheek lightly. He was actually pretty happy to have her there with him, he liked holding her, maybe even more than just as a friend would. The adorable little ball of nervous was his and he wasn't ever gonna let her think he was angry with her.

[Myra Bennett]

She jumped and flinched and squeaked all at once when she was suddenly gathered in someone’s arms, her eyes popping open wide to see that it was Jamal who was holding her. She clung to him after making sure he didn’t have blood on him anywhere, and buried her face in his chest as he talked. She flinched a little at his voice, hearing the anger in it. Did he not know that the herded all the students here for the tournament? Even if they weren’t fighting in it? She wouldn’t doubt it if he didn’t, Ashford didn’t exactly like to tell their students anything. She was shaking as he ran his fingers through her hair, her skin staying normal still and she wasn’t pushing him away out of fear it would start secreting her venom even though that hadn’t happened when he was around. There always had to be a first time for everything, right?

She gulped and started speaking, her voice fast and almost falling over itself as she tried to get the words out. “Th-they’re keep-ping the rest of the stud-dents here when th-they finish the mat-tches or bef-fore they st-art or aren’t f-fighting at all.” She first explained hurriedly, answering his question before she did anything else. She tried to shift closer to him when he nuzzled her cheek even as she turned red, using him as sort of a security blanket of sorts to keep herself calm and try to fight off her increasing feelings of claustrophobia. She closed her eyes again, trying to block out the sound of people talking around them, and trying to imagine they were outside in the forest or even just in a classroom somewhere in the school. Anywhere but the basement. She was a scaredy cat already, she didn’t need to be thrown in a dark, enclosed space to boot.

“A-are you ok-kay?” She spoke up again, her voice shaky and almost sounding teary. She didn’t feel any blood on him and she didn’t see any injuries -granted she didn’t really look that close either- but she wanted to be sure. She gulped again and began to pull back some to look up at him, actually being more scared of him being hurt than being locked up in the basement. Go figure.

[Jamal Duclair]

Jamal frowned and placed a hand on her head, petting her like a kitten and bouncing her lightly in his arms. How could they do this to his special girl? He walked her to a corner and sat down cradling her in his lap. "My poor little octopus. How could they do this to you? He ran a hand through her hair and kissed her forehead. He was sure bruised but he wasn't gonna groan about it in front of her. "Stay close to me an no one will hurt my octopus." He smiled at Myra and nuzzled her nose against his. "Just stay close to me Myra and you'll be alright. I won't leave you for a second down here. Have you tried sleeping? What am I saying? Of course not. How could you?" He hugged her tightly and patted her back. She didn't belong down here with all these people, he had to do something. "Myra I want you to tell me what would make you the happiest right now. Tell me an I'll do it I promise." He nuzzled her and placed her hand over his heart so she could count the beats to calm down., a trick he'd learned worked well for her. And it was adorable when she lost count and murmured the numbers under her breath to try and remember.

[Myra Bennett]

His petting her hair calmed her down a little, allowing her take some deeper breaths and slow some of her shaking.She curled up in his lap when he sat down in another corner, blushing as she did so. The blush only got darker as she felt him kiss her forehead, another small squeak leaving her as he did so. She kept her eyes closed though, trying to focus on him and only him instead of anything else. He didn’t seem like he was in any discomfort, so for now she would take his word for it. She didn’t want to freak out any worse or any more than she already was, and they would heal him well, wouldn’t they? They would make sure he wouldn’t die or anything. The thought gave her some comfort as she nudged his nose back, listening to him ramble. She didn’t think she had ever heard him ramble like that before. In any case she found that calming as well, mostly just because that it meant that she got to listen to his voice for a longer amount of time.

She hugged him back tightly, seeming more like a monkey almost with how much she was clinging to him since he found her, but she couldn’t help it. With him here it was easier for her to focus on other things and not the tournament or the holding area, or even really the school in general. She hadn’t talked in a few minutes, having let him take over on that front, but as she nuzzled him back tentatively she knew she would have to.

“D-don’t worry about i-it…” She told him at first, not knowing how he could do anything about her wanting to be above ground in fresh air again. He would probably get in trouble for it too, and knowing Ashford it wouldn’t be just a lunch detention or something like that. "R-really..." She said as she began to count the beats of his heart like she normally did.

[Jamal Duclair]

Jamal just watched Myra for a few minutes, slowing rubbing her back. "But I want to keep you happy little octopus, I hate to see you when you're sad. You're my best girl and I wanna take care of you." Jamal rubbed his cheek lightly against Myra's, his heart jumping a little. And his cheek a little hot but none of it showing in the form of blush. Right now his little nervous cake with an adorable icing was all that was on his mind, not where they were or what was going on upstairs. "Remember that story you told me? The Alligator and the Octopus? How he would protect her and follow her everywhere. That's us, I'll always be with you, no matter where we end up. I promise." He almost whispered the words to her, never removing his cheek from hers and running his finger through her hair one strand after another. His octopus had to be happy again, he couldn't stand seeing her like this. He loved this girl who wasn't even half his size, he wasn't sure if it was just a love, or if he was in love but right now that line seemed a little blurred and about to be cleared up depending on his choices. His arm tightened around her a little. "Myra Bennett i'm all yours."

[Myra Bennett]

….Thirty…..thirty one….thirty two...Myra counted the beats in her head, mouthing them silently as well to keep track. At least she thought she was being silent, she may have been murmuring the numbers under her breath. She hoped not, because it always embarrassed her when he caught her counting. At least if she wasn’t saying anything then there was a chance that she was doing something else instead of something as awkward as counting the beats of his heart. She was almost positive that it wasn’t a thing that normal people did. It wasn’t, right? She didn’t know, but she wasn’t about to go ask someone so it seemed like she was just out of luck.

She almost didn’t hear him start to speak again because she was so focused on counting his heartbeats, but when she registered his words her face flamed and she sputtered a little, utterly losing her place with her counting. B-best gir-girl…? H-he means friend, ri-right…? He had to. There was no way he meant anything else besides friends. Nope, nothing. Just best friends. Best friends were good. Weren’t they? She felt his heart rate spike for a moment when he rubbed his cheek against hers, her own flaming red again thanks to his words and actions. She thought she felt his own cheek heat, but she couldn’t be sure. For all she knew it was just because of her own. Heat transference was a thing, right? It had to be. It obviously worked for skin too, she hoped anyways.

She gulped and tried to calm her own heart rate at the moment, it speeding up to an almost galloping pace thanks to what he was saying. She gulped and listened to him continue to speak, trying to make sense of his words. He remembered the fairy tale she found? Really? It felt like she had told him the story ages ago now, even though she knew it couldn’t have been more than just a few months or so. She nuzzled a little closer to him, trying to both hide her face from him and get closer at the same time. She had forgotten that there were other people around them, instead just thinking of him instead of where they were or what was going on. Since she was so close to him she didn’t have trouble hearing him as he whispered, though his words only served to make her let out a small squeak.

She swallowed harshly when his arms tightened around her, his next words making her tense up and go as red as she ever had been. If her powers weren't suppressed she would look like a kaleidoscope by now, that was for sure. She opened her mouth to try and say something, only nothing would come out so she ended up looking like a goldfish out of water. What was she supposed to say to that? Really? She had never dreamed of anyone saying something even remotely close to that to her of all people, and now that someone had she had no idea whatsoever how to respond.

[Jamal Duclair]

Looking at his little tomato made Jamal laugh loudly, she was adorable in almost every sense of the word. "Oh don't be so scared little octopus I'm just rambling a little....what I'm trying to say is, you're very special to me Myra Bennett and that's never gonna change." He pecks her cheek at that last statement and just watched her for a few minutes, trying to find a way to get her out of the hole she'd burrowed into his chest like some sort of red cheeked gopher. He sat there and just rubbed her back to see if she'd calm down, finally he decided he had to break her out of his chest and give her some air at least. "Hey Myra, your arms are to busy holding me, you've forgot to guard you belly and sides." He whispered in her ear as his fingers started to lightly tickle her sides, he kept his arms tight around her so she couldn't wiggle away and started to tickle harder and harder, laughing a little and not relenting in the slightest. It may have been a little mean but hopefully in the end she'd enjoy laughing a little and it would make her smile at least. That beautiful little smile of hers that melted the behemoth's heart every time he saw it flash across her small, puffy cheeked face. He liked it the most when she was really peaceful and started to fall asleep in his arms whenever she had panic attacks and called him into her dorm to try and calm her down, which of course, was often. She always said he could go when she was asleep but that never happened, he ended up always just dozing off and staying the night.

[Myra Bennett]

The small girl frowned a little as he laughed, even though she liked -loved really, let’s be honest here- the sound. Here she was already embarrassed as much as any person could logically be, and he was laughing at her! She couldn’t really blame him, though. She was positive that she looked hilarious right now what with her face a tomato and clinging to him like a small koala. She wouldn’t be surprised if the others were laughing at her...At the thought she tried to move even closer to him in order to hide, not wanting to look up to see if in fact they were. She closed her eyes, curling a bit tighter. She was beginning to enter the all too familiar cycle of self hatred and wishing she was different from how she was. However, instead of submitting to the feelings as she usually did she held onto Jamal’s words, repeating them to herself silently.

She began to relax further now that she was calming down, in no small part thanks to him. It seemed that no matter how scared or nervous, or even sad she was. Her alligator was somehow always able to calm her down. Even when she had nightmares, which was more often than she would like to admit, he was able to calm her down. Of course she felt guilty about dragging him out of his room time and time again, she was always able to sleep better with him there. Even if ended up holding onto him like he was a gigantic teddy bear more often than not.

She barely had time to register his whispers before let out a squeal and started giggling as she was tickled. “St-st-stop!” She managed to sputter out between laughs, trying to grab onto his wrists and fend him off. She had quickly figured out that he was just a little fond of making her laugh, and as such random tickle fights had ensued and became part of the norm.

[Jamal Duclair]

Jamal could feel his heart melt a little when he got her to laugh and didn't relent at her call for him to stop. He wasn't doing it in mean spirit he just really liked tickling her, and he knew that she liked it since there were times she asked him why he actually stopped. Instead of slowing down and letting her breath he tickled her hard and nuzzled her nose, just basking in the sound of her laugh. When he finally let her breath he gave her a quick peck on the lips. "You know what my Grandmama would say if she could meet you little octopus? That you's a kind, sweet, and very special little thing. You're shy and you don't speak too loud. But you warm her little boys heart and to her that mean almost everything. And Myra one day I want you to come with me and meet her." He was definitely not letting her go back to her parents, not that the neglectful bastards would probably notice that she wasn't there. He hated them for what they'd done, or not done in Myra's case, she was an amazing girl then and presently and they should have taken care of the sweet girl they were blessed with. His shy little octopus was his little miracle and he'd be with her to the end of time if he had a say in the matter. He hoped this at least made him smile even if it was shy and hidden against his chest he loved her smile, even if she tried hiding it from him.

[Myra Bennett]

She ran out of breath quickly enough as she always did when she was being tickled, her skin seeming to be almost hypersensitive to the stimulation because she wasn’t really touched much throughout her life. Thanks to that little fact, it was to tickle the little octopus girl and have her in stitches within only a few minutes. She was still giggling a bit when he finally relented and stopped his tickling, trying to get her breath back. Thanks to her laughter her face was already red, but from there it only got redder. She let out a squeak of surprise when he suddenly pecked her on the lips, going stock still. D-did h-he...Did he really just do that?! Did he actually, truly just peck her?! A kiss on the cheek was one thing, but this was a whole different thing. She thought he only saw her as a friend and nothing more! She gulped thickly, staring at him with wide eyes. Wide eyes that probably looked about as shocked as she felt and, in truth, maybe even a little bit frightened. Why frightened? Because she was confused! She had never, ever been in this situation before and she didn't have a clue how to respond. Well. Respond other than looking like a deer caught in the headlights.

She listened to him in silence, trying to take in what he was saying and trying to process it all. He wanted her to meet his grandmother? Jamal had told her about the woman a few times before, and she would admit that she did want to meet her and see if what all he had said to her was indeed true, but...It was still surprising. Along with the fact that she would think all of those things about a coward such as her. But the words that hung in her mind and that she kept circling to, was that she warmed his heart. Did she really? Was he just being nice? She hoped it was the former.

She gulped again and hid in his chest, not wanting him to see just how red she had become even though he had seen her like that multiple times by now. It was always embarrassing for her, even if he was just her alligator. She bit down on her bottom lip, trying to stop a smile she felt was coming from spreading. That would be even worse! For her, anyways. She knew that her alligator liked her smile, even though she had no idea why. Why did someone like another's smile, anyways? She didn't understand how that happened, even if she herself was guilty of it. Granted, she wouldn't ever tell him in a thousand years, she liked it when Jamal smiled. A lot, actually. Good thing he did that often, right?

[Jamal Duclair]

Jamal was worried for a second when he saw fear in Myra's eyes, he was afraid she would try and bolt. But his face quickly changed to a smile and he chuckled when she hid her face against her chest. "I love you Myra Bennett." He said in his calming voice he used when she would come to his room all shaken and scared. His hand slid into her hair and his fingers curled around small strands of it. He played with her hair and pecked the top of her head. She was beautiful, so small but offered so much just to look at her each time she smiled. His little ball of anti-social sunshine, all wrapped up in an adorable little kaleidoscope package. He couldn't see her face but he could see from her ears and neck that she was dark red and he could feel the heat of it. With a slowly widening smile he kissed the back of her neck and pulled her closer to his chest, starting to twirl some of her hair around his finger. He loved this little girl, and he didn't care if he had to wait until he was old and grey for her to be able to say it to him, he would wait and be with her every second of it, no matter what happened between them, he would always love her.

[Myra Bennett]

Whatever the little octopus girl had been expecting to happen that day, this surely wasn't it. By any means. He loved her? He loved her?! How was that possible? She was just...her. Small, scared of everything, venom secreting her. She didn't even love herself most days for goodness sake. She couldn't imagine anyone else doing it. She had gone utterly still in his arms, though she still had her face buried in his chest. It was almost like she was afraid to move. This was a dream, she was sure of it. It had to be. Jamal was...Jamal. He wouldn't want someone like her....Would he? Whenever she was scared and he came to her room or she went to his, she told him that he could leave when she fell asleep or take her back to her room, but he never did. She had always woken up with him still there. It was a cause of great embarrassment at the time of course, since she was usually snuggled up as close as she could possibly be to him, but he still didn't leave. That had to mean something right?

She gulped, trying to swallow past the sudden lump in her throat that had appeared at his words. He was using the same voice as he did when she was scared or shaken or just nervous about something. The same voice that somehow managed to make her believe that everything was going to be alright if it wasn't already. She let out a shaky breath, not realizing that she had been holding it until that moment when she breathed out. She let him pull her closer, not protesting or trying to pull away even when he kissed the back of her neck and began to play with her hair it felt like. Sure, her blush had probably gotten worse, but she thought she was already as red as can be so it wasn't much more embarrassing than it could already be for her.

"Y-y-you d-do....?" She finally squeaked out, her voice full of disbelief, a little confusion, and maybe even...hope. Hope that he was actually telling the truth and not just pulling a mean prank on her. She didn't think that he alligator ever would, but she was still worried. She couldn't help it. She kept her head buried into his chest, where his shoulder met his neck, only having shifted a little to make her voice a little less muffled as she waited to hear what he would say.

[Jamal Duclair]

Jamal smiled when he heard Myra take a breath and cupped the back of her head as she nestled it against his neck. Wiggling his fingers through her hair again and nuzzling his chin against her cheek. "Of course I do Li'l Octopus. How could anyone not fall in love with you? You're like a little princess out of a fairy tale." He said in that oh so effective tone of his. And with a happy chuckle he lifted Myra up to look her in the eye and Eskimo Kissed her, nuzzling his nose softly against hers. Expecting her to make an adorable squeak and try to hide again but hoped, just a little that she'd do it back to him and smile. Whichever she chose he would be happy because then she'd still be doing something extremely adorable like her usual self and that could never make him sad. He was tempted to try and plant another little kiss on her lips but he wanted to wait and see if she could return his feelings before possibly sending her into shock.

[Myra Bennett]

For once in her life, the little octopus girl was well and truly at a loss for what to do. Even when she was scared beyond her wits she always knew what to do: try to run away or cower in a corner. But now...now she had no idea. Running away wouldn’t do her any good, and where would she go anyways? It wasn’t like they would just let her out of the holding area so she could go curl up under her blankets and try not to hyperventilate in her dorm room. Cowering wouldn’t do her any good either, seeing as how she normally cowered into her alligator and she was already doing that at this very moment. It wasn't like she could find another place to cower either, because again they weren't letting any students out at the moment and it was crowded. She doubted she could find an empty, quiet corner away from people. At least this way she didn't have to interact with anyone else...And she didn't want to move away from her alligator right now anyways.

She gulped as he nuzzled her cheek, the action not doing anything to help her blush that seemed all but permanent at the moment.He thought she was like a fairy tale princess? Her? She had seen the Disney movies and read the fairy tales themselves, and she wasn’t anything like any of those princesses. She wasn’t brave, she couldn’t protect anything, and she wasn’t exactly true love material if she was being honest. Even though his words had elated her and made her get this funny little tingly feeling in her stomach, the butterflies everyone spoke of, they also made her various insecurities come out into the light. The ones that whispered that she wasn’t good enough, wasn’t worthy. That the world would be much better off if it didn’t have to be burdened with the likes of her. That her alligator man would be much better off without the likes of her around. He wouldn’t have to deal with her dragging him down and monopolizing his time because so far he was the only real friend the scaredy cat had made and the only one on the island so far that she trusted to be able to calm her down even after the worst of her nightmares.

She froze when he lifted her some in order to bump noses with her, nuzzling her. Well if she didn’t know what to do before she really didn’t know what to do now. She had of course heard of Eskimo kisses and had always found the idea cute, but she had never imagined she would be in a situation where they were involved. She sputtered some, inadvertently nuzzling her nose back against his before she realized what she was doing. She didn't know what to say to him, didn't know how to unjumble her feelings or even how to communicate them. So she settled for trying to burrow right back into him. She didn’t say anything, but she kept herself close to him instead of trying to run away, even taking fistfuls of his shirt into her small hands and holding on to him. She didn't know what to do without him.

Was that love?