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For all that the rest of the team promised Rocky that things wouldn’t change now that he no longer had powers, he knew differently. It’s never intentional, but when you stop being a Ranger, everything changes. With Trini, Zack, Jason - the first time - Kim, and Aisha, they left Angel Grove, so it very quickly became ‘out of sight, out of mind.’ Billy was still assisting the team, and not spending as much time with him was explained away by the fact that he was already done with high school. But when Jason lost his powers the second time, within weeks, he had practically been forgotten, which was probably a contributing factor to him almost becoming a human sacrifice. That is why while Rocky knows that his friends mean well, things will never be the same.
It is also why Rocky reaches out to Jason. The two had never been that close due to Rocky’s own insecurities, so he doesn’t blame Jason for being surprised by the overture. As they spend time together and get to know each other better, they learn that they’ll be attending the same college in the fall. Both have a bad habit of dissecting news reports of the Turbo Rangers battles, so it only makes sense for the two to decide to be roommates. (When Adam & Tommy find themselves without powers and without a plan a few months later because they assumed they’d be able to room with the best friends they’d barely talked to all summer, well that’s on them.)
Once they’re settled into their dorm room, they start learning the things that don’t come up in conversation. Rocky’s in denial over the fact that his back will never be the same, which leads to him being in pain more often than he should, while Jason still suffers from lingering effects from both the Gold Ranger powers attacking him and being under Magliore’s control, which means he gets tired relatively easily. They’re able to recognize the other’s physical limitations better than their own, which does help them recover faster.
After their first year, where they had several gen ed courses in common, they don’t have any overlap in their schedules due to having different majors. Both feared that they would naturally drift apart due to not spending as much time together, but they actually found themselves getting closer. After their second year, they decide to move out of the dorms and into an apartment together. There were several jokes amongst their friends - asking if both bedrooms were actually going to be used - but Jason and Rocky both laughed off the comments. Or at least they did publicly.
In private, Rocky knew that he was falling for Jason and had been for some time. Technically, he’s never hidden his sexuality, but he also hasn’t gone on a date in the entire time he’s known Jason, so it’s never come up. And given that Jason doesn’t date either, his sexuality also has never been a topic of conversation. As he tries to figure out what to do, Rocky does something that he hadn’t done since high school - turned to Adam for advice.
Adam was just in the dark about Jason’s sexuality, but said that he would ask Tommy. It comes as a surprise to both of them when Tommy says that Jason hasn’t dated in the entire time that he’s known him - given that said time frame dates back to their first year of high school. The answer finally comes in the form of Kimberly - not in what she does say, but in what she doesn’t.
However, strongly suspecting that Jason is in fact interested in men, doesn’t necessarily mean that he would want to date Rocky. Even though Adam tells him to simply tell Jason how he feels, Rocky can’t bring himself to do so, fearing that it would ruin their friendship should Jason not feel the same way. He’s perfectly aware that he’s taking the coward’s way out, but he’d rather have Jason as only a friend than not have him in his life at all.
Everything comes to a head the weekend before finals their third year of college. While both are recently turned twenty-one, they don’t go out that much because it’s cheaper - and more time efficient - to drink at home. But that weekend, Jason insists that they need to blow off a bit a steam as both of them have been pretty stressed out juggling end of term assignments with studying for exams. Jason had done all the planning, so Rocky doesn’t realize what sort of bar he’s being taken to until he looks around and notices that the vast majority of patrons are men. “Is this a gay bar?” he asks quietly, not want to alert anyone else to his question lest they get the wrong idea behind the inquiry.
“I’m not sure if Adam was fishing around on your behalf of for his own knowledge, but I figured it would be useful to provide some confirmation,” Jason says with a shrug. “Kim ratted him out,” he adds at Rocky’s surprised expression. “And wanted to know why the hell none of the rest of you had any clue.”
“Well it’s not like I advertise my sexuality either,” Rocky responds. “If I had a boyfriend to introduce that would be one thing, but I don’t just go around telling people I’m gay.”
“Kim is the only one that I ever explicitly told,” Jason admits. “I had a couple hookups in Switzerland, but nothing serious enough to bother telling Zack and Trini about.”
“If you ever meet my ex-boyfriend, you’ll understand why I haven’t gone on a date in six years,” Rocky responds wryly. “Adam, Aisha, and my older brother all tried to warn me about him, but I had to learn the hard way.”
“Well once we get through finals, would you be interested in going on a date with me?” Jason asks. “A proper date, not whatever you want to call what we’re doing right now.”
“I’d like that,” Rocky says with a smile.
Things between them don’t change much at first, given that they’ve agreed to take things slow and already live together. They’re a lot more tactile, especially on the sofa while watching tv, but it’s not obvious to the casual observer that the nature of their relationship has changed. Adam knows because he asked Rocky directly and after the holidays he learned that Kimberly asked the same of Jason. Other than that, they’re content to keep things to themselves. Rocky fears putting their friends in a difficult situation if the relationship doesn’t last and he suspects that Jason feels the same way.
They tell their respective families during their spring break. They weren’t expecting any issues - for all neither of them advertises their sexualities, their families already know - but there’s always the inevitable embarrassing stories the first time you bring your boyfriend home to your mother. The fact that they had already met each other’s parents in high school doesn’t exempt them from that right of passage.
Telling the rest of their friends is a more complicated process. They’re currently scattered across the world, and they’d rather tell them all at once, which means waiting for the summer. Coordinating a get together was more difficult than they expected, even accounting for the fact that Kimberly, Aisha, and Tanya no longer have family in Angel Grove and are only there for a couple weeks each. In the end, they find the one day that works for all eleven of them, and cram themselves into Jason & Rocky’s apartment. From the speculative looks that Aisha gives them while they’re waiting for Tommy - because of course he’s the last to arrive - Rocky knows that at a minimum she suspects what he and Jason plan to tell them, provided hat she hasn’t already weaseled confirmation out of Adam. Rocky’s always had trouble lying to and keeping things from Aisha - only succeeding this long because of distance - and knows that Adam is even worse at it.
When Tommy finally arrives - only fifteen minutes late, which is good for him - Jason and Rocky make their announcement. While the reactions are all positive, they are mixed in how surprised they are. Most of them at least had their suspicions - Tanya even confirming that she thought they had started dating much sooner than they actually did. The only ones that were truly surprised where Zack and Trini, which Rocky supposes does make sense given that even after all this time, he doesn’t know them very well. Tommy appears hurt that he wasn’t told sooner - especially when it comes out that Kimberly and Adam already knew, but that one is Jason’s issue to deal with.
While it had never been verbalized as such, it appears that coming out to their friends was the last barrier to taking things further physically. While it still takes some time to work up to that final step, they start doing pretty much everything else starting the night after telling their friends. And by the end of the summer, the second bedroom is only there for show.
Starting their final year of college means that they have to starting planning for their lives beyond college. They’ve always known that they were headed down two very different career paths, but now that they’re within a year of that happening, it’s a lot more real to both of them. While Rocky has long dreamed of starting his own dojo, he’s also practical enough to realize that starting from scratch is easier said than done. His first Sensei back in Stone Canyon has been speaking of wanting to retire, so Rocky has been negotiating a with him on a plan to buy him out over time. Because of those plans, Jason has been keeping the radius of law schools that he is applying to relatively small. While he does expand it some at Rocky’s insistence that he not limit his future prospects, he still only applies to programs that are within the state of California.
Even then, Jason fully intends to turn down Stanford Law in favor of a program that is closer to Stone Canyon. Rocky only knows that Jason was accepted because he is the one that got the mail that day. And while Jason does give him the silent treatment - and sleep in the spare bedroom - for a week, Rocky doesn’t regret enlisting Jason’s parents to help convince him that turning down such a great opportunity would be a huge mistake. In the end, Jason does relent, but only after Rocky promises that they’ll spend every weekend together. They intend to trade off who travels which weekend, but Rocky’s realistic to know that as Jason gets further into his studies, he’ll be the one making the ten hour round trip every weekend. While Jason did used to be a superhero, he’s not superhuman, and he will need that time to study and sleep, not drive halfway across the state.
Despite Jason’s fears, the distance doesn’t harm their relationship, but in some ways actually makes it stronger. From living together for so wrong, they have to unlearn some of the codependencies they’ve developed, which is turn helps them navigate their disagreements better. Rocky’s prediction of being the one traveling every weekend did come true, but not until Jason’s second year, which is later than he expected.
When it comes time for Jason to start looking for his first job after law school, the fact that he’s coming back home to do so is something that he makes non-negotiable. This time, Rocky doesn’t argue, grateful that he and Jason will once again be living together in a few short months. Jason quickly secures a position in the local District Attorney’s office, something that Rocky finds hilarious given that the DA is the same man that used to paint the Power Rangers as lawless vigilantes. Rocky promises to play nice, but at the same time, he knows exactly what he’s going to say to the man if Jason ever gets another job elsewhere.
The day after Jason graduates from law school, he and Rocky move into a modest in Stone Canyon. While it’s not much, they’ve purchased it together. And whenever anyone refers to them as roommates, they’re both quick to set the record straight.