It was a known fact that Rocky absolutely hated water. There was nothing more the mix-breed didn't like than the feeling of being soaked to the bone, with that wet dog smell. You couldn't get him to do anything that deals with water, even for all the dog biscuits in the world!
And okay, maybe that wasn't completely true. Rocky would never deal with water UNLESS it has something to do with the mysterious legend of the Mer-pup.
But other than that, placing Rocky in water would be like asking a cat to play with you when it's not in the mood - it's just not possible.
Well...maybe not JUST the Mer-pup legend. There IS one other reason for going into the water...
Thinking on that, Rocky blushed as he looked down at the clear blue liquid below him. He told himself many times that this wasn't worth it, that there's got to be some other way to get his attention other than...swimming. But no, he couldn't back down. Not now, not after promising a certain Labrador that he would, eventually, go down to the beach with him sometime.
Rocky swallowed.
The things I do for you, Zuma...
Thinking about the Chocolate lab, Rocky felt his face flush.
It wasn't just wasn't fair, at least, in Rocky's point of view. Of all the things he could requested, why did it have to be somewhere near water?! Why couldn't they just play at the playground like they use to?! Why oh why did Rocky let himself be consumed with jealous rage to the point of being stupid?
Sometimes, Rocky hated his best friend.
That's not true. You know it's not.
Yeah, he begrudgingly agreed with the voice in his head. It's true...quite the opposite, actually.
Yes, he will admit that Rocky was totally smitten with his best friend, and no he will not tell him on the off chance that Zuma probably won't feel the same way. Their friendship was nothing like Chase and Marshall's, where the two were so close that they practically became mated after one of them, Marshall probably, told the other how they feel. It was easy for them, because Chase was an open book and Marshall was never good at keeping secrets. To this day, Rocky would find them laying about, lazily, together while Marshall would groom Chase, who always seem to be in a struggle of staying awake or going asleep - or even because of his hormones. Since they got together, Chase could barely keep his paws of the Dalmatian.
The point was though, while Rocky and Zuma were close, they weren't close enough to the point where their friendship could easily slide into something more. Sometimes it hurt, because Rocky wanted more from the lab and Zuma was...well, Rocky couldn't tell you how Zuma felt, because Zuma was probably the least emotional of all the pups. Marshall wears the crown when it came to his emotions, gladly expressing himself; Skye would shed a tear, also expressing herself because, well, she's a female. Of course she would open her emotions up better than the rest of the pups, Marshall having her beat by at least a second; Rubble, while not totally not crying because he's emotional, Rocky could say he's emotional at least. No matter how much the English Bulldog tries to deny it; Rocky himself was emotional, of course he was. Every time he got splashed on, Rocky would become vocal and tell everyone around the surrounding area how much he hates water; Chase was a pretty tough dude. Rocky never saw the German Shepherd cry as much as the rest of them, and when in pain, Chase doesn't even let out a peep, mostly because he's stubborn and can't ask for help when he needs it.
And finally, Zuma.
Throughout their time together, Rocky had never once saw Zuma cry and likewise with Chase, should Zuma ever got hurt or injured, he hid his pain well. Unlike Chase though, it wasn't because the Chocolate Labrador was stubborn and didn't think to ask for help until he'd passed out from the pain (Boy, did Chase get an earful from not just Ryder, but his very own mate, Marshall. I don't think I have ever seen Marshall get so mad before), but because Zuma's generally secretive about stuff, and it just so happens pain was one of them.
Come to think of it, it was one of the reasons why Rocky had liked Zuma so much and choose to hang out with him more than any other pup. Zuma is what most consider a loner, and as such, he really doesn't like dealing with any kind of drama - fights, arguments, whatever. The downside to that is that Zuma is also lacking what the other two mentioned pups have - romantic interest. The guy's pretty chilled, so why bring a mate that would potentially ruin that?
It was this thought that made Rocky whimper and cowered in fear.
He had develop a crush on his best friend, and he doesn't even know if Zuma even likes girls! For all he knew, it's possible that Zuma could be asexual. Which is weird, considering the type of animal Zuma was, but Rocky would never let that get passed him.
So, even if Zuma decided 'Hey, no way dude! I like giwls not boys' the least thing Rocky could've done, if it meant slightly touching each other while paddling around in the salty waters, was keeping his promise. Especially when he had reason to keep it after making such a dumb move that only Chase would do - on the off hand that something could happen to Marshall and he just really wanted to keep an eye out (Chase seriously needs to work out his possessive/protection personality. He keeps treating Marshall like a doll made out of glass - and I'm pretty sure Marshall's getting sick of it. Then again, Marshall seems to love any attention Chase gives him, so maybe he truly doesn't care).
Thinking back as to why Rocky decided to keep his promise, he felt his eyes narrowed.
It had been a pretty normal Sunday early morning, each pup doing on their own thing. There had been no missions for them to go on, which was pretty rare since the town was full of incidents waiting to happen, so Rocky had decided he was going to toy with some old junk he'd found laying around in Adventure Bay. Rubble had been busy watching reruns of Apollo, Skye decided to practice her flying, Chase and Marshall had somewhere doing god knows what, and Rocky was polite enough not to care, and Zuma had been sleeping. Of course, Rocky couldn't help but indulge in his feelings a little bit, so he decided to work near Zuma's pup house, occasionally looking at him as he'd slept.
He didn't get much work done.
Eventually, when Zuma came to, the Chocolate Labrador gave the mix-breed a soft, yet lazy smile, one that said 'Today I'm not doing anything' before making up his mind and decided to head to the beach.
"Dude, you're always going to beach." Rocky could hear himself groan. Zuma shrugged.
"Sorry dude, I can't help it. It's...the waters, y'know." Rocky grimaced, and Zuma instantly knew he'd said the wrong thing, to the wrong pup. "Oh, sowwy Wocky. I fowgot you don't like the waters."
"It's okay Zuma. Just enjoy yourself. You'll never know when we're going to get pulled to do a mission." Rocky had said, giving Zuma a smile. Zuma smiled back before grabbing his surfboard and starting to head down to the beach before pausing and looked back at Rocky.
"You know, it'll be weally nice if you decided to join me Wocky. With Mawshall and Chase being...you know...and Wubble only wanting to fly a kite when he's down there...it'll be nice if you could at least swim with me." Zuma had said, with the slightest bit of hope twinkling in his eyes. Rocky had hesitated, a part of him really wanted to spend time with his crush, and the other...
Water.
Just...water.
"I don't know," He had mumbled, looking down at the ground. Zuma had frowned.
"Oh, okay. I understand. I'm sure Skye wouldn't mind if I'd asked her. See ya later Wocky." He said, waving goodbye as Rocky waved back, albeit stiffly. If Zuma had noticed the change in Rocky's position, the lab certainly didn't say anything.
"Wait, Zuma! I'll come just-" Before Rocky could finish and before he'd realize just what he was about to get into, Ryder had called them to the lookout, making both of the dogs sigh. "Sorry Zuma. I held you up."
"It's okay, Wocky. Like you said, you'll never know when you'll get pulled to do a mission." Zuma chuckled as the two headed to the lookout.
"Hey, I'll go swimming with you. Promise." Rocky said. Zuma had just smiled and before he'd continued, a voice had shouted and two looked to see Chase and Marshall tumbling towards them. "I like to believe that the dangers of spending too much time with Marshall, resulted in Chase being clumsy too."
Zuma had laughed loud and hard, even when the two fell into the pile that was just a Dalmatian and German Shepherd as they headed to towards the remaining two of the group.
It was because of that day, that Rocky had promised Zuma he would go swimming with him, a promise he'd intended to keep. The mix-breed huffed, realizing just why he decided making that promise was a good idea.
Of course it was about Skye, just...of course.
Rocky had no reason to be jealous; he didn't even know if Zuma even liked Skye enough to consider her as a mate, but the amount of times they were hanging around each other kind of made Rocky realize that the idea could be very, very real and the mix-breed found himself not liking the idea at all. Maybe it was because he was selfish, maybe it was because he was in love and didn't know what he was talking about, but the idea of Zuma and Skye together just made him squirm, and Rocky quickly found himself acting out like Chase (Who needs to work on their possessiveness now?).
Rocky would not, could not, act like Chase - he didn't know anything about Zuma's sexuality, and he certainly didn't want him to know he had feelings for him when Zuma possibly didn't return those feelings. Chase could make a fool out of himself all he wants and Marshall would just find it adorable - the same can't be said for Rocky.
Rocky sighed.
"Suck it up Rocky, you're going to do this, for Zuma." He muttered to himself, eyeing the waters below. For a second, he thought about turning tails, but when Marshall - who he'd told about the whole thing - pinned him with a glare, Rocky knew his fate was sealed. "The things I do for you..."
With that, the mix-breed jumped from the diving board and fell into the water. It was silent until the mix-breed appeared from above the water, gasping and then doggy paddling to the nearest exit. Marshall grinned.
"Good job, Rocky! Now let's try the bigger pool - the ocean!" The Dalmatian said, the grin on his face turning just slightest bit of a evil. Rocky whimpered.
The things I do for you Zuma...you're lucky I love you so much for this.
A/n: XD Told ya I'll write more of ZumaxRocky fanfics. I'm just so giddy after writing this :D Not sure if I'm going to write another chapter this, and if I do, it'll probably be a two-shot, probably written as Zuma for Rocky :D For now, just a oneshot. Feel free to leave a review :D