The pups took shelter in the Lookout, hearing the storm outside intensifying.
"Is Rocky gonna be okay?" Zuma asked for the hundredth time.
"Zuma, I think he'll be fine," Marcus said. "For what I know of Rocky, he's pretty badass."
"But I heard gunshots!" Zuma protested.
"What are guns really going to do against him, dude?" Marshall asked. "He can literally destroy the world if he so desires."
Zuma sighed and began pacing in circles, pissed that the pups wouldn't let him out the Lookout.
"You need something to do. Chase still needs your help." Skye said softly.
"I can't concentrate!" Zuma said.
"Yes you can, Zuma. Just stop thinking about Rocky." Taja said.
"I never stop thinking about him…" Zuma muttered.
"At least try." Taja continued, gently pushing him towards Chase's unconscious body.
"Hey, why don't we talk about you, Marcus? How did you...do that?" Rubble asked, further taking Zuma's mind off of Rocky.
"I'm not sure…." Marcus admitted.
"Well, try doing something with your powers now. Maybe we can figure it out!" Skye yipped. Marcus looked skeptical. His paws half-glowed half-darkened the surrounding area in gray, but nothing happened.
"See? I do this all the time, but today was the first time something happened."
"I'm sure we can figure this out," Marshall said.
"I hope so...Marcus muttered
Ignoring his injuries, Rocky stared at one of the vehicles. It burst into flame, sending shrapnel everywhere. There were more gunshots fired. Most of them Rocky deflected backward, but a few hit him. I'll have to see Zuma later. I should be fine, as long as I don't get shot in the head or the heart. Rocky though. Surprisingly, he felt no pain. Hmm…. Maybe I can thank Jason for something other than inadvertently helping bring me and Zumi together.
Rocky slammed his paw on the ground, and the agents lost their footing. The weather got worse, and a lightning bolt came down from the skies and struck one of them dead. The agents were back on their feet almost instantly, and they opened up on Rocky. Rocky barked, and the bullets reversed their trajectory. Another five fell dead, and seven went down injured. The people stared at the bleeding puppy and looked at each other.
"There is no fucking way he threw our bullets back." One shouted.
"Okay! This guy isn't going down easily! Bring out the grenades!" Obviously, the agents still didn't know who they were dealing with. Superior firepower is great, but what happens when it isn't necessarily better?
Small bombs were hurled at Rocky. It took him only a few seconds before he realized what it was. Oh, shit… The Lookout shook with the explosion. Its sound set Rocky's ears ringing, and his vision went white. His amubel glowed, and the destructive energy circled around Rocky but didn't touch him, saving him from being blown to bits. Still, the force from the blast threw him backward, into the metal and concrete wall of the tower, and he felt some of his ribs snap. He felt pain creeping into his nerves, but the incredible rush of power he was feeling pushed it back. He sprang back to his paws and swept his paws through the air. Large chunks of the ground rose into the air, and Rocky sent it back. Many of the agents were crushed to death, and the few that remained began running away.
"Command center, we are gonna have to abort the mission." One agent said. "The target's powers are incredible. He's destroyed our transportation, and he is invulnerable to our weapons when he wants to be! We don't know how to kil..." The man was picked up by an invisible paw, and Rocky sent a jagged shard of ice through his outfit and straight into his heart.
"Enough!" Rocky growled. "I'm done playing with you. I'm going to send a message to whoever sent you to me. I AM NOT COMING! AND ANYONE WHO TRIES TO TAKE ME BY FORCE WILL MEET AN UNFORTUNATE END!" Rocky flicked his paw, and threw another agent against the Lookout, the impact killing him immediately.
The remaining ones tried to run away, but the Lookout once again was circled in fire, and Rocky reigned them back in.
"No, no, no, no, no! Where do you think you're going?" Rocky asked in a sweet, sing-song voice.
"Please! Have mercy!" One of them begged backing away from one destructive force of nature, and coming closer to another.
"You had a chance." Rocky said in a voice that sounded more mature and serious than he normally was...kinda like Michael. "Now...you're gonna pay. It was nice playing with you, but I'm afraid our playtime is over." Rocky shut his ears off to their screams of pain as the rest of his attackers burned to ashes, the bone turning to nothing within minutes. Rocky felt zero remorse, as his days with Jason have done a number on his emotions. Rocky looked at the carnage before him, and he suddenly felt very bad. What have I done!?
When everyone had been killed, Rocky came down off of his high. He immediately howled in pain, and he felt very weak. His heart felt like it had split in half, and his body burned like all the seven hells. He collapsed on the ground.
Zuma...he thought.
Yes, Wocky?! Zuma's voice-thought came instantly.
Come get me, please… Rocky felt his eyes close, and with his pelt dripping in his own blood, Rocky passed out.
"Zuma! We aren't letting you outside!" Ryder said.
"No, really, I heard him!" Zuma protested.
"You didn't hear him, Zuma, he's too far away." Rubble continued.
"No, me and Rocky have had a telepathic connection for a long time now. I can hear his thoughts when he lets me. Rocky is always thinking, but I don't hear them anymore! That means he's really hurt!" Marshall and Marcus were holding Zuma down.
"Why doesn't he say anything to us, then?" Skye asked suspiciously.
"He's used to my mind. He can't just talk to you, he doesn't know how! Just trust me!" Marshall suddenly looked thoughtful, and he let go of Zuma. Zuma immediately fought off Marcus, and he shot out the door.
"MARSHALL!" the pups shouted.
"Hey, I believe him." Marshall defended himself. "Rocky's done the same thing to me...once. Besides, I don't hear anything anymore."
"Rocky told us to keep him in!" Taja said. "What if he gets hurt?" She sniffed, afraid she'd never see her crush again.
"Guys, trust me, please. Besides, Zuma is strong, I couldn't've held him down much longer anyway."
"I hope the fighting over, or Zuma's gonna get himself killed." Rubble muttered. To everyone's relief, very soon, they saw Zuma come back, half caring, half dragging Rocky's body. All the pups gasped.
"He's hurt...really badly," Zuma said. "I'm going to need time for this one." Zuma got to work immediately. He assessed the damage to Rocky and began prioritizing what needed attention first.
"You don't seem as...worried...as I thought you would be," Ryder said.
"I fucking saw Rocky die... covered in blood... in horrible pain... on a cold, dirty floor. Right now, he's just in danger of bleeding out, but not death...yet. So this...tsk, this is nothing. Marshall, could you get me some wet cloths, please? I need to clean this blood and dirt off of him."
"You got it, Zuma!" Marshall said, scampering away.
"What did you see?" Skye asked Zuma.
"Well, Rocky definitely won. All the cars were twisted pieces of shit, and there are a lot of corpses outside, some right before the door. There was a one hundred percent casualty rate...of humans that is. Rocky survived...and I'll make sure it stays that way." Zuma nuzzled Rocky's bleeding neck and kissed his forehead.
"There are such great friends," Marcus said to Marshall. He smiled to himself.
"They sure are."
A few hours later...
Rocky's eyes snapped open, and he immediately opened his mouth to cry out in pain. He tried to stand up, but his sides hurt so badly he couldn't even crawl.
"Someone help me…" he begged. He felt two soft paws push him back onto the ground.
"Wocky...I'm helping you right now. You're gonna be fine." he heard Zuma's voice.
"Pain...so much pain…" Rocky whined.
"Shhh…Wocky…" Zuma whispered, streaking his side. "It's okay...you were very hurt. I'm not quite done with you yet, so stay calm." Rocky labored to breathe, his chest rising and falling rapidly, causing him great pain.
"Zuma...I...didn't…"
"Hush...Wocky...just go back to sleep okay? You'll wake up when I'm done." Rocky felt a loving kiss on his cheek, and the pain was quickly reduced to a dull buzzing in his body.
"Thank you...Zuma…" Rocky breathed.
"You'we welcome, Wocky...just sleep now...shhhh…." Zuma stroked Rocky's head until his eyes closed and he stopped trembling in pain. The pups came over, hearing the commotion.
"What happened?" Marcus asked.
"Rocky woke up. He'll be fine, and I'm almost done with him. Dude, this is one badass pup. I found multiple bullet holes, and some didn't have exit wounds. Most of his ribs were broken."
"How did he survive that?" Zuma shook his head.
"Rocky's been through Jason. The literal king of pain, blood, and torture. Rocky knows how to take pain very well. And he has a strong will... his own will keeps him alive. Also, he has an important reason to live." he said the last part softly.
"And what would that be?" Marshall asked.
"Nothing…" Zuma replied absentmindedly, as his healing powers closed up the last wound on Rocky. He ran his paws and watched Rocky's fur wave through his toes.
"He just needs some rest, he'll be fine," Zuma said. "He'll still be in some pain, but I think he'll be able to handle that"
"Are you going to come eat lunch with us?" Taja asked.
"Yeah," Zuma said. "I'll be right there." He got a blanket from the closet and placed it over Rocky. "Rest well, Wocky," he whispered in his ear. "I love you." Rocky's ear flicked, and Zuma saw a small smile on Rocky's face. He went into the kitchen and looked up at Ryder.
"What's for lunch?" he asked.
"I got you guys some spaghetti from Mr. Porter's restaurant," Ryder said.
"Yay!" the pups cheered.
"While I was out, I got you two some bowls as well," Ryder said, talking to Marcus and Taja. Marcus's was silver, and Taja's was light purple.
"Ryder, what happens now?" Skye asked once everyone was almost through eating. Ryder sighed.
"I don't know," he said honestly. "Once the government figures out what happened here, they are going to be more aggressive in their pursuit for Rocky, especially now that Rocky murdered their agents. Chase can tell you more, he's the police pup."
"THAT'S NOT TRUE!" Zuma shouted. "Rocky was only defending himself! Don't go calling him a murderer, or we're about to have some PROBLEMS!" The pups glanced at Zuma nervously, as he wasn't one to get upset easily...or at all. Zuma's claws came out of his paws, and the air became so thick with Zuma's anger you could've cut it with a knife.
"Okay, okay, chill, Zuma." Ryder said. "I'm just saying he made things j a lot worse for us." Zuma looked extremely pissed. Ryder gulped. "I mean…"
"Zuma, calm down…" he heard a soft voice, and Zuma turned around. Rocky had come in from the other room. He put a paw over Zuma's.
"Put those away." he mumured. Zuma's claws immediately disappeared.
"But he's…" Rocky cut Zuma off.
"...right." Rocky finished. "I made this worse for everyone. You guys didn't do anything. I'm sorry to say this, but if they find me after they do whatever tests, they are going to kill me. I just know it. There are at least thirty people outside that are dead. They are going to label me a first-degree murderer and have me killed. But don't worry...I'll make sure you guys stay out of this. I'm really sorry I did this to you guys, but you won't have to worry about me anymore soon."
"Why...why not?" Marcus asked. Rocky smiled sadly and left. The pups looked at Zuma, who looked sad.
"I'm not hungry anymore," he said, pushing his bowl away. "I'm gonna go talk to Rocky." he padded away, leaving the other pups confused and slightly depressed.
"Hey, guys...what are you eating?" They looked through the doorway again and saw Chase. "That was the best rest I've ever…" he looked at the pups' sad faces. "Did I miss something?"
Rocky went inside the garage, and his paws began glowing as he used his telekinesis and his power tool simultaneously. Parts from the large pile of...everything...on the floor floated towards him, bent at the will of its master.
"Hey, Wocky?" Zuma asked, coming inside nervously.
"Oh. Hi, Zuma." Rocky said sadly.
"Whatcha doing?" Zuma continued.
"Oh, I'm just...building…" Rocky said absentmindedly. Zuma watched as the frame for Chase's cruiser began taking form.
"Oh, yeah, we do need those back," Zuma said.
"I thought...it'd be a good parting gift," Rocky said, still not looking at him. Zuma sat beside him and put his paw over Rocky's.
"Wocky...it's gonna be okay," he said.
"Yeah, right," Rocky said sarcastically. "Life is never gonna be the same. I could've let them go. I didn't have to murder them…"
"You did not murder them! They tried to kill you first!" Zuma shouted.
"And I fought back. Resisting arrest is illegal, Zuma. And killing agents sent by the government to secure your arrest is also illegal." Rocky continued.
"And so is kidnapping innocent pups and torturing them!" Zuma shot back.
"Jason ruined my life…" Rocky muttered. "I wish I had killed him…" Zuma glanced up and was surprised to see that Chase's vehicle was done and Rocky was halfway through with Skye's.
"Being honest, if you didn't lie the first time…" Rocky's shoulders slumped and he laid on the floor in defeat, whining. Zuma immediately regretted his words.
"I wish I could take it back." Rocky whimpered. "You wanna know what I really want?" Zuma shrugged his shoulders.
"Go for it," he said.
"All I want is a normal, regular life without a maniac trying to murder me and the government trying to capture me. Was that too much to ask?" Zuma had no words. "And as a plus, I want you to live with me, to be with me, for the rest of my life."
"Well, you will always have that," Zuma said, nuzzling his neck. "I'm not going anywhere without you."
"Is there anything you've wanted and know you can't have?" Rocky asked. Zuma was silent for a moment.
"I've always wanted puppies," Zuma admitted.
"Really?" Rocky asked softly, sadness and regret evident in his voice.
"Yeah, dude. I'm a little sad I'll never be able to have them with you." Zuma heard Rocky sniff, and a tear dropped onto the floor.
"I'm sowwy I can't give them to you. I would if I could." Rocky replied tearfully. "I'm just not made that way."
"Wocky, I don't want you to feel bad because of that. I knew I'd never have puppies off my own when I fell in love with you. I have no regrets, and I don't want you to have any either. And please...stop wishing you were another gender. I like you as you, Wocky." Zuma put his paw on Rocky's heart. "I love you...more than anything. More than Wyder, more than the pups, more than puppies of my own, more than life itself."
"But your dream...you can't have puppies with me, Zuma. Ever. I'm robbing you of one of the joys of finding a mate: having puppies."
"Now, Wocky. You've never wobbed me off anything. You've given almost everything you have to me. You gave your life...your blood...for me. I couldn't be happier with us being together, and even though I'll never have puppies of my own…"
"Well, you still can have puppies, Zuma," Rocky said. "Just not with me."
" . . ." Zuma said sternly. "I'm saving myself for you, and you only. No one else gets any of me. Besides, I'd never mate with anyone but you... we belong to each other, wemember?"
"I could use a reminder," Rocky smirked at him.
"Oh...I can hardly wait for tonight…" Zuma said mischievously. "You'll get all the reminder you need."
"Zuma...I can't…" Rocky whined. "Not tonight...not next week...maybe not ever."
"Oh, why not? It's not that hard, all you have to do is lift your tail, and I'll take cawe of the west." Zuma snorted. He ran his paws down Rocky's tail, tugging on it slightly. Rocky shook his head and pulled it back before the pleasure got to his mind.
"I can't, Zuma...I just can't."
"Why not?" Zuma asked irritably. "If you are shy because it's your first time, then you don't have to be. It's my first time as well...but I think we'll figure it out. This is my greatest gift to you Rocky...and your greatest gift to me." Rocky began trembling.
"Just stop, Zuma, okay? Just drop it?" Rocky hugged his boyfriend tightly. "I'll explain later...I just can't think about it right now."
"As long as the answer isn't no, okay. Because I am going to take you, Wocky. And I am going to claim you as mine."
"Zuma…" Rocky whined into his fur. "Enough." Zuma sighed, but decided to listen to Rocky...for now.
"Okay, okay…" Zuma said. "Just be honest with me, whatever you do, okay?" Rocky didn't answer. "You awe...being honest with me...wight?"
"I have to get back to work…" Rocky muttered. "We'll have all night and the next few days to talk. I only have a few hours before more agents are sent with better weaponry." Zuma looked hurt, confused, and downright sad.
"Oh, Zuma, don't look at me like that!" Rocky cried. "I can't take it when you're sad…"
"I just wish things were different." Zuma sighed.
"Me too, Zuma. I don't want to tear you from your friends."
"There's nothing you can do about that, Wocky."
"You still don't have to come…" Rocky muttered. "I'll understand."
"Wocky, you awe very sweet whenever you say that. But you need me more than ever right now. You've been dealing with so much recently, you need me to help you through it."
"I feel so selfish!" Rocky cried. "Everything is always about me! I don't care about myself! I care about you. I want you to have the best life you can have, and I don't think that's gonna be possible if you…" Rocky trailed off, mind captivated by Zuma's eyes. He was staring straight into his, and this time, they were full of love, with a hint of sadness.
"Wocky...I love you. No matter what, that will not change. You complete me, Wocky. Your issues are mine, and mine are yours. You are not selfish. And listen, I think it will be good for us to have some time alone...to ourselves…We haven't had a lot of that wecently. At least we can say goodbye to everyone."
"I'm...not saying goodbye," Rocky said.
"Why not?" Zuma protested.
"Too painful," Rocky replied. "I'm leaving...tonight...which is why I really need to finish up here. I want these to be ready before I get a little rest. Then you and I can leave, together, okay? Unless you still..."
"Yes, Wocky. I'm still coming with you." Zuma said exasperatedly. "It's almost like you don't want me with you."
"I want you happy." Rocky countered.
"You make me happy. Aside from you, what joy do I have?" Rocky thought about this.
The blades on Skye's helicopter were firmly bolted down to the motor, and Rocky placed that vehicle to the side as well."I'm sorry, Zuma. We were supposed to stay longer..but…" Zuma placed his lips over Rocky's and the eco-pp relaxed, allowing himself to fall backward.
"Don't keep apologizing, Wocky. I'm afraid you're starting to slip back into your depressed, self-derogatory state again."
"Well, of course, I am. I'm ruining your life…" Zuma whimpered.
"Please...don't evew say that again. Don't evew think that again. You could NEVER wuin my life, but it huwts me and makes me love you more to heaw you say you think you do. You are huwting youwself, and youw awe huwting me."
"All I want is for you to be happy," Rocky murmured. "That's all…" He's so unconfident...so sweet... Zuma thought.
"I am happy, Wocky. Pressed up against your chest, feeling your heartbeat, listening to you breathe, feeling your warm fur against mine...I couldn't be happier."
"Awww...Zuma…" Rocky murmured.
"I mean it, Wocky...I don't need...I don't want...anything else." Rocky held Zuma's hindquarters in his paws and squeezed lightly. This brought an immediate reaction from Zuma, and he yelped. Rocky smirked at him. Zuma squirmed on his stomach, panting. "Whoa, boy! A little eager are we?"
"You needed that. I could see it in your eyes. No matter how much you try to hide it from me, Zuma...you want me. Badly."
"Well, you awen't weally helping." Zuma huffed. "But I know a way you could help me…"
"Nice try," Rocky replied, smirking at him. "I really should get back to work, okay? I'll talk to you later."
"Yeah...wight," Zuma said.
"And thank you...for everything. I feel so much better now."
"You're welcome," Zuma said. He lowered his snout to kiss Rocky.
"Zuma…" Rocky said, half annoyed, and half pleading. "I've gotta get back to work…"
"Shhh…" Zuma said, brushing his whiskers against Rocky's. "I need this...you need this… it the least we can give each other."
"I can't get...caught up…" Rocky said.
"Just one?" Zuma asked. Rocky knew one would turn to two, to five, to ten...but he didn't care anymore. He put his paws around Zuma's neck and closed his eyes, in essence giving Zuma his consent.
Zuma had placed his lips over his, and Rocky sighed.
Rocky pulled Zuma closer to him, enjoying the passionate kiss, but wanting Zuma to leave him alone at the same time. Rocky wasn't sure when Zuma got into his mouth, all he knew was that it felt really, really good. Once again, Rocky felt the seconds melting into minutes until a good half-hour had passed. Zuma kissed him again, and again, and again, each time feeling better than the last. Rocky moaned, and Zuma growled possessively, each time the sound getting richer and deeper. Rocky tried to turn his head away, but Zuma was much too quick for him.
"No…" he replied. "Just stay still…" His assault on Rocky's mouth intensified, and Zuma was unable to get enough of Rocky.
"Ok, dude...you've gotta stop now…" Rocky managed to force from his throat. "I said just one, and you've been kissing me for the past thirty-five minutes."
"It only seems like it's been a second…" Zuma murmured.
"Aye," Rocky replied.
Regretfully, Rocky pulled away from Zuma. Zuma sighed.
"It was just getting good, dude," he said.
"Yeah, but we both know where 'good' leads to, and I don't have time to make out with you any longer...no matter how much I want to." Zuma whimpered. "But, if you're good, I'll let you finish tonight, okay?"
"Okay!" Zuma exclaimed, tail wagging. As he scampered away to the door, he felt two pairs of eyes on his tail. He turned and smirked at Rocky, who was trying to look like he hadn't been looking.
"Don't wowwy, Wocky. You can have some whenever you want it." Zuma wiggled his hindquarters teasingly. He watched Rocky's eyes burn with lust. The fire grew and grew until Zuma could see Rocky hugging himself in his attempt to stay away from him.
Satisfied, Zuma padded away, going back to the Lookout to see how Chase was doing. Chase was lying on the floor, resting.
"Hi, Chase! How are you feeling?" Zuma asked.
"Awesome, dude! I got up just a little while ago..I saw what happened outside. The FBI came sooner than I expected."
"Well, at least Rocky won," Zuma said.
Chase winced. "By winning...Rocky kinda lost."
"What do you mean?" Zuma asked.
"When this gets back to the FBI, which I'm sure it has, they are going to send the military after Rocky. This could get really ugly, dude. But that's not the worst part. They are immediately going to think we are helping Rocky. They might try to kill us as well, and this is where Rocky is living. We could be thrown in jail at best, shot on sight at worst."
"Don't tell Rocky that. It would stress him out." Zuma said.
"Rocky already knows...if I thought of it, he surely did."
"How much time do we have before something else happens?" Zuma asked.
"Probably till tonight. Not because it will take that long, but because no one attacks in the middle of the day." The two pups sat in silence.
"What are we gonna do?" Zuma asked finally.
"I...I don't know. But what I do know, is that Rocky had better watch his tail. 'Cuz they are comin' for him."