Requested by EvilKionFan on Wattpad

"I have no idea what I'm doing,"

Chase groaned and smacked his head into the table, causing the papers atop it to bump upward. The Shepherd growled, his anger rising toward the meaningless task so heavily demanded of him.

He was sitting in his kennel, surrounded by the sounds of the night. He had no idea how far past midnight it was, and the urge to sleep clawed at him. His eyes were heavy with exhaustion, paws aching from overuse, and a splitting headache to finalize it all.

Despite the torturous insomnia he was putting himself through, he needed to finish filing the papers as soon as possible. A police mission had gone awry, and carelessness with traffic cones confused some drivers. Before the assigned mission was even done, two collisions occurred, and Chase was forced to jump on the new task. As if dragging metal debris across the road with his teeth wasn't tiring enough, he had to spend hours doing paperwork to account for the mistake.

"It wasn't even my fault," he grumbled, trying to focus his vision on his work. He swayed gently, his eyesight beginning to blur over. Shaking his head, he groggily reached his paw forward and tried to feel for his pencil. His mind was already beginning to drift away and release his body for the night, but Chase made every attempt to defy it.

The Shepherd had to stop himself from falling over, "stupid… papers," he groaned, "numbers… math…" His head was pounding, his own eyes increasingly strained no matter how much he dimmed the lights. Not even the might of a German Shepherd could save him now. Drunkenly swaying back and forth, Chase slammed his paw on the table in a futile attempt to grab his pencil again. Then it all failed, he leaned too far to the side and lost his footing. He was sound asleep before hitting the floor, his body crashing to the ground despite being two feet from his bed.

Sprawled out on his floor, the Shepherd was out like a light.

.-.-

Light burned into the kennel as Rocky opened the door, illuminating the passed-out Shepherd. The mix let out a chuckle, wagging his tail slightly, the sight of his friend out on the floor was slightly amusing. Walking into the den, he gently poked Chase with his paw, nudging the Shepherd's side.

"Chase," he said softly, "wake up,"

The sleeping dog gently stirred, breathing steadily.

Rolling his eyes, Rocky nudged him again, "hey, Chase," he repeated, a little louder, "seriously, get up."

As if a light was flicked on in his head, Chase snapped his eyes open, jolting violently as if he had been electrocuted, "aaah! Wha-" he stumbled on the floor from his drowsiness, slightly flailing his legs around and making Rocky step back.

"Who- who's there?" the Shepherd blinked, his vision slowly focusing as he awakened,

"It's me, the green one,"

Turning over on the floor, Chase stared up at his squadmate for a solid five seconds before his brain finally configured to reality, "oh," he grunted, stopping for a yawn and stretch, "morning Rocky,"

"It's actually not morning," the grey mix pointed, "it's about six in the afternoon,"

Upon hearing this friend's words, Chase quickly jumped to his paws in alarm, "what!? How long was I asleep?"

"For most of the day, I'm guessing," Rocky shrugged, looking out toward the setting sun, "want to watch a movie with me?"

The mix's offer fell upon deaf ears as Chase frantically looked around in surprise. Pushing past Rocky, he charged outside in denial of sleeping away the day. Much to his dismay, the sun was already setting at six in the afternoon, he had stayed up so long that he fell asleep at the crack of dawn.

"Oh my God, I missed the whole day!" He cried, appalled at his lack of discipline, "did we have any missions?"

Rocky moved up to his friend's side, "there was a cat in a tree, but Marshall took care of that," he tapped Chase's shoulder, "it's just us,"

The Shepherd emitted a low whine, "Ryder's gonna kill me,"

"By that logic, Ryder probably has justification to kill all of us," the mix said flatly, "we've all done plenty of things."

"What?" Chase raised an eyebrow and looked at his companion, "what have you ever done?"

"Hey, secrets are secrets for a reason," Rocky chuckled with a mischievous look, "I ain't sharing unless you are."

"I'm a police dog, Rocky, we never do anything wrong,"

"Uh-huh, sure."

Taking another look at the sunset, Chase lowered his ears at the thought of letting down his team. He couldn't just go back to sleep, he was wide awake and would remain that way for several hours. His sleep schedule was indeed destroyed now, he'd never get it back on track unless he pulled an all-nighter and persisted through the following day.

"What am I gonna do?" Chase lowered himself and sat down on the pavement.

Taking a moment to gaze up at the warm orange sky, Rocky shuffled his paws before stating his offer again, "wanna watch a movie with me?"

Sighing for a moment, the Shepherd rolled his eyes, "I guess seeing how I'm gonna be awake for the next ten fucking hours, fine."

"Um… okay," Rocky blinked at Chase's profanity, "I found some bottom-of-the-bin movies from the pharmacy, I wanted to watch the sci-fi one."

"Is it a good movie?"

"Oh no," the mix laughed, shaking his head, "oh no no no. I imagine it's really bad, but that's kinda what makes it good."

The police dog rubbed his forehead in mild stress, "alright, I'll meet you in The Lookout. I just need to… file some paperwork."

"How long will that take?"

"If I don't look at the incomplete parts by accident, I won't be inclined to actually finish it. I just need to put it all somewhere."

Rocky nodded, "alright, see you then."

The moon was high above Adventure Bay when Chase dragged himself into the tower, his tail being pulled along on the ground. He wasn't tired, just emotionally and morally drained. Maybe he could start up some kind of Night Watch service to repay the team for his ignorance. As he ascended in the elevator, he stared at his reflection in the glass. Right then Chase decided he really didn't like how he looked.

Rocky was sitting on a cluster of dog beds and bean bags, all moved in front of a large TV to create a makeshift viewing area. The mix was taking care to press each soft pillow into the large pile, slightly wagging his tail.

"You moved all of our bean bags?" Chase walked out, taking in the sight of the landmark.

"Oh, you came," Rocky turned to see him,

"... did you think I wasn't?"

"Well to be honest," the mix sighed as he climbed up on the pile, "it wouldn't have been the first time I was stood up," his ears lowered as he rested his chin down, "I feel like everyone just expects me to always follow someone else." He pulled a remote toward him, "whenever I offer something, everyone just kinda blows me off for something else."

"That happens?" Chase said in surprise, "I've never seen that,"

"Well of course you don't," there was a hint of agitation in the mix's voice, "you're the first dog to ever actually watch a movie with me."

The Shepherd quickly made haste to his friend, climbing up on the beds, "wow I… I never realized."

Rocky waved him off, "eh, don't worry about it," his voice went low, "I'm used to being forgotten."

Eager to get his partner out of his sad state, Chase wrapped his arm around the disheveled mix and pulled him in for a quick hug, "well if you ever feel that way, just tell me and I'll invite you along to whatever you want."

"Thanks, Chase," Rocky smiled against the affection, "okay let's watch this thing."

The movie, titled "Dinosaurs In Space 4," proved to be a low-budget, hilariously terrible, wet paper towel film compared to any other modern piece of cinema. The heroic dog with his two friends and scantily-clothed vixen all flew to space to fight dinosaurs. It was a vague summary yet still perfectly described the movie. The costumes were tacky, the CGI was atrocious, and the movie was crammed with one-liners that were either horrid or stolen from a much better and more popular movie. Chase and Rocky spent the entire time tearing the film to pieces.

"The guns look like cardboard," Rocky squinted his eyes, and chuckled, "and I'll bet you four treats the main villain is actually the guy who started the mission in the first place."

"One of those 'in it for the money' tropes?" The Shepherd nodded, "of course, clearly they're not following a good story, they have to fall back on some dramatic reveal to shake it all up."

They witnessed the main hero's love interest dramatically fall into trouble, crying out for his name in desperation. The dinosaurs in the scene just happened to not instantly eat her, and instead walk to her slowly and menacingly so the hero could save her.

"Oh that's just tacky," Chase popped a treat in his mouth, "there's so much wrong here,"

"Also, is no one going to address that she's literally the only woman in the movie?" Rocky pointed out, "we've seen dozens of other characters and they've all been dudes, there's no variety at all."

The Shepherd scoffed beside him, "she's not even a character to begin with. Leading characters are supposed to be complex, and have thoughts, aspirations, goals, and ideals, they're supposed to develop like in real life. That's what makes them a character to begin with, their traits and personality," Chase snickered to himself, "the only character trait this chick has, is simply being a girl."

"Yeah," Rocky agreed, "she's clearly only here for the hero to have someone to save and make out with."

Laughing at their jokes, the dogs fell silent. Shuffling his paws for a moment, Chase realized he was getting cold. Looking over at the mix who lay at his side, he took note of Rocky's grey fur. A thought came into his head, a simple thought he didn't know was impulsive or the result of longing. It was common for a puppy to desire being held, but that was usually targeted at their owners, not that of another dog.

"Hey, I'm a little cold," Chase started, rubbing the back of his head,

"Oh, want me to get you a blanket?"

"Actually, if you don't mind," the Shepherd started to say, then moved beside his friend. Lowering his head, he rested himself on Rocky's arm. The mix's fur was more comfortable than it looked, and Chase needed something more efficient than a simple blanket.

Jolting from the sudden affection, Rocky stared down at the Shepherd snuggled beside him, "um, what are you doing?"

Faint anxiety churned in Chase's chest, fearing he had overstepped, "sorry I just-" he stuttered, "is this okay? I- I'm sorry I didn't mean to-"

"Oh no," Rocky waved his paw, "it's fine, really," Chase was caught off guard as the mix suddenly pulled his arm him, pulling the Shepherd closer in a squeeze. Rocky pulled his companion tightly as they snuggled together, the mix rested his head upon Chase's. His breath tickled the tips of the Shepherd's ears, a feeling that Chase never knew would make him feel so giddy inside.

For a moment they both had their attention away from the movie, savoring the moment they shared together as the film played in the background. Feeling their body heat melt away the cold, Rocky found himself nuzzling the top of his partner's head.

It was after a moment Chase spoke, uncertainty clouding his head, "so, is this weird?"

"Is it to you?" Rocky countered the statement.

"No," the Shepherd closed his eyes, trying to ignore a longing heat rising within him. It was a feeling he was starved of for years, he was desperate to be held and release the stress he was forced to bottle within.

"Rocky," he asked, "can this just stay between us?"

"What do you mean?" the mix raised an eyebrow,

"Well," Chase grimaced, knowing he was about to unpack some things, "I don't really get moments like these, being… held. And it's nothing weird," he added quickly, "I feel like everyone expects me to be this tough, hard-as-nails police dog and I'm not allowed to have emotions."

"I don't know anyone who thinks that," Rocky tilted his head,

"Ryder, if you believe it," the Shepherd huffed, "plus a lot of others downtown. I'm fine presenting myself as such, but suddenly showing any kind of emotion at all is considered weak or vulnerable," he locked his gaze on one of Rocky's dull claws, "and God forbid someone sees you cry."

"I'm stuck watching over people taking care of them," Chase said with slight venom in his voice, "it would be nice if I was the one taken care of for a change."

It was humiliating hearing those words leave his mouth, and Chase felt shame watch over him. He figured was about to laugh or at least chuckle at his weakness. He quickly wondered why in the world he even shared such a personal thing, cursing himself for not holding his tongue. Something about Rocky's comforting hold was having an effect on him.

He nearly froze as he felt Rocky's paw rest on his side, softly stroking down the back of his neck. "Nothing wrong with that," the mix smiled as he petted him, "I'd be happy to help." Rocky absentmindedly watched the movie, trying to see if he could catch a dead body moving or a piece of camera equipment left in the frame. All the while he slowly petted Chase as he snuggled into his chest, gently breathing as if the motion was making him drowsy. The Shepherd likely wasn't asleep but enjoying his pampering so vigorously that he tuned out from reality.

Smiling softly, Rocky leaned his head down and gave Chase an affectionate lick along his muzzle. It was an improvised gesture, he hadn't planned to go that far in the pampering department, yet here he was. There was just something rather endearing about seeing Chase curled up in his arms.

"Puppy," Rocky chuckled to himself, already branding Chase with a pet name he'd never hear the end of.

"What?" the Shepherd opened one eye,

"A puppy, that's you," the mix boldly stated,

"Aren't we all puppies?"

"Okay fine, but you're my puppy,"

"Yours?" Chase was amused, "what is this, slavery?"

The mix gently caressed his paw down the police dog's face, something he oddly didn't pull away from, "just relax, you wanted to be taken care of, right?"

"Well yeah, but-"

"Then relax," Rocky cut him off, pulling Chase close into a hug. The police dog let himself melt into his partner's shoulder, his arms falling limp as the tips of his paws barely grazed the cushions they laid on, "Rocky-" he breathed.

"Hush," came the soft yet stern command from the mix. To Rocky's complete bewilderment, Chase obeyed. Taking it as a sign to press the advantage, Rocky began gently running his paws down Chase's back, taking time to massage every little area around his spine to relieve long years of encased stress and tension. When he was sure each muscle had been softened, Rocky moved to brush his paws down Chase's back, also using his claws to scratch at any itches that may have annoyed the Shepherd. There was only so much he could do due to their positioning, but he could tell the puppy was silently loving every minute of it. He couldn't see Chase's face, but could clearly hear his slow, faint breathing as he relaxed.

Since he was still facing the TV, Rocky looked up to watch whatever remained of the movie they had put on. To the mix's amusement, there was a classic stand-off between the hero and the villain, with the love interest captured in the evil man's arms. The hero was spouting some cheesy, romantic speech while the villain listened for some reason.

"Just kill him," Rocky muttered, appalled by the man's stupidity, "you're literally holding a gun, why are you listening to him?" He found himself becoming visibly angry at the horrible writing of the film, as he felt his fur starting to bristle. Not wanting to give Chase the wrong idea, he took a few deep breaths and calmed, reminding himself to trash the movie on the internet later.

In a twist Rocky could see coming from a mile away, the love interest was revealed to be working with the villain the whole time, as if the story didn't have enough drama. Gently scratching at Chase's back, Rocky watched with almost morbid curiosity how the dumpster fire of a movie was going to end.

The police dog in his arms slightly stirred, emitting a low nose that could only be described as some grunt. Rocky gave his little spoon an affectionate pat, trying to reassure him as quietly as possible. It was like holding a massive puppy, which was an ironic statement given they were puppies, but some were younger at heart than others. Grinning at his thought, Rocky leaned his back and nuzzled into Chase's neck, burying his nose into his fur. Chase didn't really smell like anything, which was perfectly fine to Rocky as he didn't want to be with any kind of stench.

As the hero pleaded for answers from the love interest, all in a terribly shot scene, Rocky realized he hadn't seen a single space dinosaur for a solid twenty minutes. Had they just completely vanished? It was amusing for a movie studio to be so careless they completely forgot a main aspect of the movie.

However, what was truly amusing was the state Chase was in. It was a way of life that the Shepherd was a well-known, hardy police dog. In just about every picture the Paw Patrol had ever taken with the press, Chase always stood with his chest puffed out and head high, an effort to make himself bigger. Rocky didn't know if Chase was self-conscious about his looks, but it was probably not a question for right now. All he did know was that the police dog had gone a seriously long time wearing a tenacious mask. He wanted to feel powerful, he wanted to come off as powerful to others, and his job as law enforcement complemented that.

"But you're just a big, cuddly puppy, aren't you?" Rocky nuzzled into Chase's neck,

"I'm going to bite your ear," Chase quipped, agitated by the comment,

"You do that, and I'm letting you go,"

Chase fired up some words to shoot back but found himself unable to say anything. Mumbling in frustration, he sank back into Rocky's arms while the mix smirked victoriously.

It was the final confrontation. The villain stood threateningly on a balcony, waving a remote at the villain in a sadistic taunt. The twisted man began monologuing, and Rocky already found himself rolling his eyes. The man's plot was extremely convoluted and made no sense, he was just a guy who wanted to blow up the moon. A moon that happened to have dinosaurs on it.

After a hilarious fight with bad choreography, the hero knocked the villain to the ground as he turned to face his love interest. The villain tried to get up when a space dinosaur appeared, completely out of nowhere and so sudden one would think it teleported. The man screamed as the poorly-designed dinosaur puppet bent down and ate him whole. Rocky interest was piqued for the first time as he was genuinely interested in how the hero would resolve things with the traitorous love interest.

"They get married?!" Rocky exclaimed, fiercely taken aback, "this chick backstabs him and he marries her?"

"I can see that," Chase mumbled from behind, "that's what wives do," he giggled at his joke, while Rocky stared at the rolling credits in dissatisfaction.

"Okay now we're gonna watch an action movie," the mix said flatly, "I knew this was garbage, but I didn't know it was that garbage."

"So what are we watching now?" Chase absently pawed at Rocky's tail.

"I don't know, maybe the one about that assassin guy who kills like, a hundred people, because one of them killed his dog," Rocky thought aloud, "I heard that's a good one,"

"Why do you like all these gory movies?"

He was going to answer normally, but then Rocky flashed a mischievous look, "well, they're more bearable when I have a cuddly puppy to hold," he said coyly.

Chase was going to bite him with an insult, but something about the warm feeling in his chest was holding him back. As much as he tried to fight it, he wanted nothing more than for Rocky to carry him away. "Fine," Chase submitted, "do what you wish."

As the next movie started, Rocky let Chase go for a moment so he could lay on his side in a more comfortable position. Chase followed suit, laying down close so Rocky could spoon him. He knew that if one other dog happened to walk in, his life would be over, yet he was busy discovering something he never knew he needed. He loved every minute of it, every caressing motion Rocky made with paws, every nuzzle, every squeeze as he was hugged tightly. He wouldn't dare let Rocky know how much he was truly enjoying it, at least not now, perhaps some other time. For now, all he wanted was to give himself into the mix's loving embrace. Despite the flashy lights and gunshots from the movie meeting his ears, every loud sound was followed up by Rocky nuzzling him. He rested his head down as he felt Rocky's tongue drag between his ears. He was cleaning him, both figuratively and literally, a sign of care and affection between dogs. As he felt his eyes grow heavy, Chase let himself drift off to sleep, dreaming away as Rocky lovingly held him.