"Mark, can we do it?"

"Don't be ridiculous, Jackson. We don't have the time." Mark chides firmly.

"Please?" Jackson juts his lower lip out. Mark feels his resolve chipping away.

"We don't have long." Mark argues, a lot more feeble than before.

And then Jackson pulls out the big guns with the dewy puppy eyes. "But I really want to." Really, who is Mark to resist?

"Fine." Mark releases a drawn-out sigh, and Jackson is secretly squealing on the inside. Finally, he will be able to see a new side of Mark that he doesn't know and he's absolutely thrilled. "This will be quick, and it's for me, not you. Do you understand?"

Two hours later, Mark and Jackson are still squatting outside Cucumber's - the adorable beagle the Roommate cast are raising together - pen, futile in their co-efforts in pet-training the hyperactive puppy.

"Yah!" Mark yells when Cucumber lunges for the snack and gobbles it up without listening to the cue for the upteenth time. "I told you to wait! You're already fat, stop eating!"

"Positive reinforcement!" Jackson reminds unhelpfully from the side.

The elder reaches into the bag of dog treats and pulls another one out, setting it on the floor in front of his socked feet. "Ugh, fine, let's try again. Cucumber, sit. Stay." The beagle does as she's told for one second before she twitches, and Mark narrows his eyes.

"Don't come, or I'll spank you." Mark says through clenched teeth. "Don't even think about moving from your damn spot."

"Hey!" Jackson gathers Cucumber into his arms before Mark can even contemplate suiting word to action, cooing to calm the nerves of the puppy whom really just appears sleepy after her act of gluttony. "Just because you're a terrible teacher doesn't mean you can take your frustration out on your poor, innocent pupil!"