chapter 4: montero
4 DAYS LATER
The days went by very quickly for Rocky, as his nervous energy built up for Jasen's visit. He already told Zuma, his best friend, about his plan for asking the border collie on a date, and the chocolate lab couldn't have been more excited. Jasen, on the other paw, was just as excited, because it was the first time that he was gonna see his new best friend in two weeks. But, at the same time, he was very nervous, because he would have to meet Rocky's friends for the first time. Jasen only knew bits and pieces of information of Rocky's pals, but he assumed they were pretty cool, based on the newspaper clippings that he collected pertaining the PAW Patrol's rescues. It was 6 PM, just as the sun was starting to set. Jasen bid goodbye to his owner and went down the elevator of the high-rise apartment he resided in. The border collie then walked to a bus stop 2 blocks over, and as the bus came, he had one place in mind: Adventure Bay. While Jasen sat in the bus, looking out the window as he departed Orchard Park, his brain began to get fuzzy and warm. He began to like Rocky a lot as well, and sighed as he thought about his new friend. The black and white border collie hoped that tonight would be the night that Rocky would ask him out on a date. Jasen had no idea what was in store for him, and that made him even more excited. After 20 minutes, the bus finally made it to Adventure Bay. He saw the lookout and his eyes widened in awe. The spectacle was even more thrilling than he expected. He thanked the bus driver as he was dropped off at the train station. The sun was just above the horizon, creating a pink hue that Jasen wouldn't forget. As he began a long walk to the lookout from across the town, he looked at his surroundings. The border collie saw Mr. Porter's Restaurant, the wide beach just beside the bridge, Katie's Pet Parlor and City Hall. He couldn't help but be mesmerized by the small-town vibe. Jasen never really lived outside a city in his entire life, and it was really cool to him. Finally, after what seemed a long trek, he finally made it to the bridge that led to the lookout. As he walked into the driveway that led to the tower, the border collie's nerves began to kick in. What if his friends don't like me? What if they think I'm weird? What if I somehow hurt Rocky's feelings? What if I talk too much?! Oh, never mind. I'll be ok. Jasen thought as he trudged slowly to the entrance of the lookout. The first thing he saw was a giant set of motion-activated doors and six canines staring at him with smiles, with the notable exception of Rocky. Ryder walked up to the young border collie and smiled.
"So, you must be Jasen, huh?" The boy asked.
"Uhhhh...yeah. Pretty much." Jasen nervously replied.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Ryder, and I'm the leader of the PAW Patrol." Ryder introduced himself as he shook Jasen's paw.
"I know you. I've seen the PAW Patrol in the papers where I'm from. You guys are pretty famous." spoke the border collie.
"Feel free to make yourself at home, Jasen! We got pretty much everything a dog could ask for." Ryder grinned as he walked off. This left all the PAW Patrol dogs except Rocky looking at the new visitor.
"Uhmmm...hi. My name's Jasen." The collie stuttered. The six pups welcomed him inside, as they gave him a grand tour of the lookout. Jasen's mind imploded as he saw the pup treat dispenser, giant TV in the living room, the elevator to the top of the tower, the control room at the top of the lookout, the balcony and even the slide. After the "tour" was over, Jasen met the pups formally for the first time, one by one.
"Chase, huh? You're the one who's the cop. You arrest anyone?" Jasen nervously laughed.
"Nah, not really. I wish I did, though. Usually I'm used for traffic calls and basically almost any rescue operation, no matter how meaningless it is." Chase answered.
"You're Marshall, right? I've learned a lot about you from Rocky. It seems that you're Mr. Talented. You have a black belt in pup-fu, you're a race car driver, you're apparently a great singer and dancer, plus you're a fire dog. And an EMT. It blows my mind." Jasen commented as he shook the dally's paw.
"I really try to be low-key about my talents. Except the singing part. And, well, any friend of Rocky is a friend of mine." Marshall spoke kindly.
"Skye...you're the pilot. I can't imagine flying a plane. Rocky told me that you're actually planning to break the speed of sound one day." remarked the border collie.
"Yes, I am. It would mean the world to me to be the first animal, let alone a dog, let alone a girl be the very first one. I'm sorry, I just love flying. It's a part of me that will never die." grinned the cockapoo.
"Rubble, I saw you at the club that night. Your DJ stuff is really good, bro. And he told me that you're a fan of Apollo?! That's my favorite show." Jasen smiled. Everyone besides Rubble groaned and rolled their eyes.
"Biggest fan there is! I own almost every single action figure, every single movie, watched every single episode AND I own cosplays of every character. I'm just a huge stan of Apollo. I love it." spoke the construction dog with a smile.
"I've already met you, Zuma, at the club. You apparently love the nightlife. I DO NOT understand how you could last 5 hours at a club like that." The black and white border collie cringed.
"I started doing this when I was 13. It was freaky at first, but I got used to it. The night scene is NOT for everybody." sighed Zuma in understanding.
"So, you're Everest, huh? You lived in the mountains? That's pretty sick. And you're also a half wolf? That would be awesome for a day, wouldn't it?" Jasen acknowledged.
"The snow's my natural habitat. Me and Marshall have a cabin up in the mountains to escape to twice a month. When he gets old enough, we're gonna move there permanently. I actually consider myself to be a wolf more than a husky, to be honest. Cool either way, though." The husky smiled, as she and the dalmatian nuzzled each other.
"Those two have a very, very, VERY romantic relationship. They've been dating for almost 5 years now." The German shepherd explained to the border collie.
"Oh, I see. Is she older than he is?" asked Jasen in curiosity.
"Everest is 18, and she's actually the oldest out of all of us. Marshall's only 16. But I can already tell, they're a match made in heaven. They're very similar when it comes to personality." answered the german shepherd.
"Oh, and I can't believe I forgot to say...me and Chase have been dating for almost 5 years, too. Both of us are actually turning 18 in a few months, because we're only a few days apart." answered Skye with her signature, innocent smile before licking her boyfriend on the cheek.
"So, what I'm gathering is, Everest and Marshall are the very PDA, lovey-dovey and insanely affectionate ones? They're both crazy, right?" inquired Jasen.
"You got that right. But they're also incredibly nice. They're our best friends. It's funny, because we're a complete 180 when it comes to romance." admitted Chase.
"You mean, you guys are not nearly as affectionate with each other?" asked Jasen, with his head tilted in a funny way.
"Not in public. It's only visible in front of our friends, really. Most of the time, people who don't know us don't even associate us being together when we're working together. It's a very low-key kind of thing. We're more private, but we are still very, very happy with each other." spoke the cockapoo, leaning against her boyfriend in comfort, causing him to blush.
"And our personalities are pretty different, too. She's the talkative short girl, and I'm the soft-spoken tall guy. We figured out how to work our personalities into what we have together, and it's been great so far." grinned the german shepherd.
"Well, I'm very happy for you guys." smiled the black and white border collie.
"I think that's enough about us. We wanna know about you, Jasen. You seem like a cool dude, man!" Zuma spoke up. All six dogs turned their eyes to the new dog, and he started sweating.
"There isn't too much of anything interesting about me. Uhh, I live in a high-rise apartment in Orchard Park. It's 16 stories high. I live with an owner who is a massive art enthusiast. My owner's name is Kirk, and he sculpts, paints, and draws. Very creative mind, I know. I also play a dog-proportioned bass guitar. I actually brought it with me." said Jasen, showing his guitar case to everyone. "Like Rocky, I'm a nerd. And...well...I trust you guys enough with what I'm about to say...that I'm homosexual. Just like Rocky." The border collie added.
"That's amazing, dude!" spoke Rubble in admiration.
"You play guitar? Rocky plays acoustic. You guys should play together for us sometime."
"Maybe when we're good...we've never even played guitar together yet." Sighed Jasen.
"Zuma...Zuma...do you copy?" asked a voice through the water rescue dog's pup tag.
"Yeah...what's good?"
"It's time to execute the plan." a familiar voice responded. It was Rocky. The other pups heard this and stared at Zuma in confusion.
"Wait...what plan?" asked the other canines.
"You'll see." smiled the chocolate lab as he rushed over to get a spare pup bed from the other side of the living room. "You sit on this." Zuma instructed Jasen, as he did what he was told.
"What's going on? Where's Rocky at?" asked the border collie in concern.
"You'll find out." spoke Zuma, as he faced the elevator in front of them. Not a moment sooner, Rocky came down the elevator. When the elevator reached ground level, all of his friends were wondering what he had planned. Jasen stayed quiet as Rocky walked over to the other side of the room, facing his friends 15 feet away from him. Zuma ran to the front entrance of the lookout and dimmed the lights. Only one light was on. And it was directly on the grey canine. He cleared his throat.
"In life, we hide the parts of ourselves we don't want the world to see. We lock them away. We tell them no. We banish them. But here? We don't." recited Rocky in an unnaturally deep tone. 5 seconds of silence. He turned to a device that was right next to him.
"Alexa...play Montero by Lil Nas X." spoke the mix. As the song started, all of Rocky's friends were in shock.
"Wait, what?" Both girls gasped quietly. They put two and two together and realized what was happening. They turned to each other and giggled. This is gonna be so hot. Skye and Everest thought.
"No way...this isn't real…" Zuma grinned as he saw his best friend's plan come to fruition.
"Since when did Rocky like Lil Nas?" Marshall asked aloud.
"Me and Zuma told Rock about him a couple of weeks ago. Guess he picked up on it." Rubble whispered.
"Oh boy...I can see where this is going." Chase chuckled quietly.
Oh my god...my favorite song...how could have he guessed it? Jasen thought with delight. Rocky closed his eyes as he started to sing along to the song.
I caught it bad yesterday
You hit me with a call to your place
Ain't been out in a while anyway
Was hoping that I would catch you throwin' smiles in my face
Rocky opened his eyes, and started walking in Jasen's direction. Jasen's eyes widened as he saw his crush not only walk, but saunter over to him like a snake.
Romantic talking, you don't even have to try
You're cute enough to fuck with me tonight
"I like this new Rocky." Rubble spoke up as the rest of Rocky's friends started vibing to the song. Rocky then ran right behind Jasen and stood next to him, both gazing in front of them into space.
Lookin' at the table, all I see is weed and white
Baby, you livin' life, but homie, you ain't living right
The grey canine then ran in front of Jasen, looking him directly in the eye. Both of their hearts were pumping quicker than ever before.
Cocaine and drinkin' with your friends
You live in the dark, boy, I cannot pretend
I'm not fazed, only here to sin
If Eve ain't in your garden, you know that you can
Rocky then stood up on his hind legs, and started to dance in a cringy fashion, but he didn't care. Rocky felt like he was in his own world and everyone else was just living in it.
Call me when you want, call me when you need
Call me in the morning, I'll be on the way
Call me when you want, call me when you need
Call me out by your name, I'll be on my way like
Rocky started clapping his paws to the rhythm and dancing in a sensual manner. Rocky's friends howled and cheered him on, while Jasen could do nothing but watch in amazement.
I wanna sell what you're buying
I wanna feel on your ass in Hawaii
Rocky started feeling comfortable, and he stood on his hind legs and pretended to be a man in shackles, jerking his arms around dramatically.
I want that jet lag from fuckin' and flyin'
Shoot a child in your mouth while I'm ridin
Rocky went back to standing on four paws again, singing like a broken man that still had dreams left in his life. Jasen was simply entranced by what he was seeing, not taking his eyes off the grey canine.
Ohh, why me?
A sign of the times every time that I speak
A diamond and nine, it was mine every week
What a time, in incline, God was shinin' on me
Now I can't leave
And now I'm acting hella elite
Never want the homies that's in my league
I wanna fuck the ones I envy, I envy
Rocky then went up the elevator abruptly, leaving his friends behind and only the song playing in the background. Everyone else that was left behind stared at each other in confusion again. Rocky was on a mission.
Cocaine and drinkin' with your friends
You live in the dark, boy, I cannot pretend
I'm not fazed, only here to sin
If Eve ain't in your garden, you know that you can
Rocky arrived at the top floor, seeing Ryder working on equipment.
"Hey, Rocky! Everything going alright?"
"Yeah. It's going ok. You mind if I use the pole for a bit?"
"Uhhh...ok. Be careful with it." Ryder answered. Rocky didn't hesitate as he jumped on the pole, sliding down it like his owner did hundreds of times. But Rocky had some extra flair.
Call me when you want, call me when you need
Call me in the morning, I'll be on the way
Call me when you want, call me when you need
Call me out by your name…
The pole that Ryder had actually ran through the entire lookout and had a part that was visible on the ground floor. Rocky took advantage of it, and when he saw his friends, he swung around the pole like Tarzan and hung upside down, hanging by his legs and singing all at the same time.
Oh, call me by your name, tell me you love me in private
"OH MY GOD, NO WAYYYY!" Skye, Marshall and Everest shouted in surprise and happiness as they saw their friend pole dance like a professional.
"Since when did Rocky become a stripper?!" Rubble gasped.
"I have no idea, but it looks amazing." Everest pointed out.
"YOU PULLED THROUGH! LET'S GO, MY GUY!" shouted Zuma, trying his best to hide that he knew exactly what Rocky was planning.
"Holy shittttttt…" Chase murmured in delight, flabbergasted at what he was seeing. Jasen couldn't believe his eyes.
Call me by your name, I do not care if you're lying
Rocky jumped off the pole and started walking over to Jasen again, this time with much more passion in his eyes. Jasen could feel his heart pumping unusually fast in anticipation.
If you want me, call me, I'll drop everything
Don't need your name
Because I don't need to say it
The grey canine felt an insane rise of testosterone, as he stood directly over Jasen. Jasen, who was lying on his back, could only stare upward. He gulped in anxiety and wonder. The border collie too had a sharp rise in the notorious male chemical, and it took all of his concentration to remain still.
"If Rocky does the lap dance like the music video, I will pass out." whispered Skye.
"There's no way he's gonna do it." Rubble agreed quietly.
"Fuck it, let's ride." Rocky whispered gently in Jasen's ear. Out of nowhere, the mix did something so daring...so unorthodox...and so outrageously amazing: he started giving a lap dance to his crush. Jasen's eyes widened to the limits of his canine anatomy, and his whole body tensed. His ultimate fantasy-getting a lap dance from a guy-was fulfilled, so the black and white border collie couldn't be any happier. All six of his friends watching simultaneously felt their jaws hit the floor. Rocky was not only giving a lap dance, but doing it with passion, love and grace.
"I have seen everything." Chase stammered in disbelief and amazement.
"Dammmnn, since when did he learn how to do a lap dance?!" Rubble blurted out.
"YOU SLAY THAT ROCKY! You got this, buddy!" smiled Marshall.
"He's better than any girl I've seen in the club!" Zuma admitted.
"You work it, Rocky! Let's go!" cheered Everest, admiring not only his bravery but his skill.
"I can't believe this is actually happening…" Skye grinned.
Call me by your name, tell me you love me in private
Call me by your name, I do not care if you're lying
Everyone became quiet as Rocky got off of Jasen, and instead laid next to him. Side by side, they gazed into each other's eyes. It was at this moment both realized right then and there: they were in love. Their mouths opened slowly as they stared, hearts beating nearly out of their chests. The song ended, as everyone else was watching in anticipation. Rocky and Jasen closed their eyes as the song ended, and Rocky made the move. He kissed Jasen on the lips. After a few seconds, Jasen started kissing him back. All the other pups' eyes widened. Rocky and Jasen separated after 10 seconds, and looked into each other's eyes lovingly.
"Hey...Jasen...you wanna go on a date?" Rocky asked in a dreamy-like state.
"You owe me one." Jasen replied with a knowing smile. As the duo kissed again, this sent Rocky's friends into celebration, as they realized that they were official.
"LET'S GOOOOO!" Marshall cried in ecstasy.
"I ship! I ship! I ship you guys now!" Everest blurted out.
"You guys are literally PERFECT, oh my god!" Skye cheered, feeling tears of joy flow down her face.
"This...this is awesome...and stop crying about everything." chuckled the german shepherd as he hugged his girlfriend.
"Now THAT is how you ask someone out on a date." Rubble spoke up.
"Wow...that plan actually worked! Oh my god, I can't believe it…" Zuma spoke to himself.
"Yo! Three howls for Rocky and Jasen, everyone!" proclaimed Chase. This sparked dozens of howls from Rocky's friends, but he, like Jasen, didn't hear them. They were snuggling side by side, nuzzling each other and tuning every other one of the five senses out except sight. Ryder heard the howls from the top of the lookout and got curious, so he went down the elevator to see what was up.
"Wait, what's going on?" Ryder asked, confused by the howling that came from the bottom of the tower.
"Ryder...Jasen and I are officially together." spoke Rocky, not even paying attention to his human. Rocky and Jasen gazed into each other's eyes, feeling intense attraction as they kissed again. Rocky's canine friends howled in support once more, while Ryder laughed.
"Well, what do you know? I have to deal with three couples now. I'm very happy for both of you, just saying." The boy grinned as he petted the new couple.
"So...uhh...me and Rocky are gonna spend some...much needed alone time." Jasen spoke flirtatiously to his new lover, which caused Rocky's butterflies in his stomach to spread their wings.