Two hours had passed since team Skase left the PAW Patroller 2.0. Marshall and Zuma had no trouble getting back to the meeting point, since they were having trouble keeping their conversations up with Chase and Skye respectively. They were currently discussing various different topics as they waited for the other half of the team to return.
"So Skye didn't take it that well?" Marshall asked, earning a nod from the Chocolate Lab, "What did she say?"
"Something about how she didn't want to have a fallout with Chase later down the line and ruin what they have now. How about you?"
"Chase is worried about how their relationship would affect the integrity of the team."
"So basically, Skye is worried because of the relationship they've had in the past..." Zuma began, "...While Chase is worried because of what could happen because of their relationship in the future."
"They make it so complicated when it's supposed to be easy!" Marshall whined, "Let's hope that whatever Rocky has planned works, because I might be at a loss."
"I believe in Rocky." Zuma smiles, "Why else would he be the idea making guy?"
Marshall raised an eyebrow, "Because you two are secretly—"
"For dog's sake!" The Lab groaned, "We're best friends!"
"Aren't you the one who taught me that you can be more than friends without being boyfriend girlfriend?"
Zuma blinked twice. He had forgotten giving that advice to Marshall months prior, "Forget that!"
Suddenly, the door to the PAW Patroller opened, startling the duo.
Rocky and Rubble peered into the vehicle, "Everyone in here?"
"Rocky! Rubble!" Zuma smiled.
"Yep, the rest of team Skase is here and accounted for!" Marshall grinned.
"Team Skase?" Another voice asked from behind the two, "What lame plan did you convince me into?"
The Dalmatian's expression changed to confusion, "Wait, is that...?"
Limping in on a crutch built specifically for pups, Sweetie walked behind Rocky and Rubble as they entered the PAW Patroller. The Terrier's eyes were glued to the floor, not wanting to look up and face what was coming next.
"Sweetie, you're helping us!?" Marshall asked loudly, his eyes sparkling, "You do care!"
There it is.
The royal pooch rolled her eyes, "Let's just get this over with. Rocky, tell them the new plan."
"You see, the reason I brought Sweetie here to help us is because she has valuable intel that none of us have." Rocky pointed to the Terrier, "Marshall told me a few days back that the pup from the pound that passed had a message for Sweetie, Skye, and Chase. The messages were passed onto her to give to them before the pound dogs left Adventure Bay."
"Messages?" Marshall and Zuma echoed confusedly.
Rocky nodded, "And from what I heard, they could really help push them to make a final decision on this whole confession thing."
"That's great!" Marshall's tail wagged, "So Sweetie's gonna tell them the messages?"
"You're half right." Rocky replied, "Sweetie's in charge of telling Skye. While you're being left in charge of telling Chase, Marshall."
The Dally looked surprised, "Why me?"
"What you, Sweetie, Skye, and Chase went through brought your four closer together than what I could've ever imagined. Even enough to have Sweetie here in the lookout..." The eco pup explained calmly, "We need to hit them right in the hearts! So who better than Chase's brother and the pup that saved Skye's life to tell them?"
Sweetie nodded, "Understood."
"I'm fired up!" Marshall grinned.
Rocky looked at Zuma and Rubble, "As for the rest of us... All we can do is wait."
Skye, after finally finding her watering can and giving the solitary flower next to her puphouse some nourishment, decided to make her way over to the field area in order to find somebody, anybody. Ever since Zuma left, she hadn't seen any other of the pups, not even Chase. And best believe she looked. After a while, she assumed that her favorite Shepherd was out somewhere else with Ryder.
She walked across the small field area, reminiscing on the last time she had played with Chase alone there.
***Two Months Ago***
It was a sunny day, just like most days in Adventure Bay. But this day was different. It was just her and Chase. Ryder and the other pups had been dispatched for a mission and surprisingly didn't need either of their help, despite being the two pups that are dispatched the most often.
But she didn't need to think about missions, right now. All she had to do was keep running. Chase was gaining on her, after all.
"C'mon, Chase!" Skye teased, a giggle soon following, "You can catch me, right?"
"I know you're not asking that question!" The police pup picked up his pace, getting closer to the Cockapoo.
Just as Chase reached his paw to tag her, Skye suddenly stopped and performed one of her signature backflips to dodge the Shepherd.
Chase stopped in his tracks to watch the Cockapoo flip. She always looked so happy when she would perform a backflip. Without her wings or helicopter, he knew that she wouldn't be able to fly. But whenever she would backflip, it always seemed, even if just for an instant, like she was flying.
And that wasn't even beginning to address how graceful she appeared, her body swinging around perfectly as her fur was ruffled by the wind. Her cute floppy ears moved with her as her body swung.
Snapping out of his trance, Chase only had to take a few steps back in order to catch her.
He sat down so that Skye slid off of his back before putting his paw on her nose, "Tag, you're it!"
Skye's tail began wagging wildly. She loved when he pressed her nose like that. It gave her a feeling she couldn't describe, like she was lining up for a race in the olympics. The adrenaline pumped through her body as she sprung up, dashing behind Chase at full speed.
Before Chase could even get any further, he was tackled by Skye, who had gotten really excited. The two pups tumbled on the ground, laughing loudly.
Skye laid next to Chase as they both looked up into the sky. They both giggled softly as they remained still, laying on their backs to take a breather. They went silent to catch their breaths. It was a tad strange, just being there. The lookout was often never quiet, the sounds of playful pups would usually be able to be heard from anywhere on the property. But times like these really reminded Skye of how big of a place they called home really was.
But it calmed her. And being in a private space with Chase was never uninvited.
"You've gotten faster, Skye." Chase panted, looking at the clouds that slowly passed by.
Skye grinned at the compliment, "I guess your early morning workouts really do work."
"Of course they do." The Shepherd replied, "If they weren't working, I wouldn't be having you guys do laps around the lookout."
"I thought it was just because you were the second in command and you had to."
"It's not like I have to just because I'm the second in command..." Chase turned his head to look at her, "I have to because I want to see you guys be the best pups you can be."
"I know you care for us... But does it ever get hard?" Skye turned her head to look back at him.
"What do you mean?"
"Does it get hard being the pup who has to take charge?" Skye asked, "Because of that, you have trouble loosening up sometimes..."
"W-What are you talking about?" Chase's ears perked up at the statement.
The Cockapoo gave him an empathetic smile, "There's no need to be embarrassed about it, it's nothing to be ashamed of."
"I can loosen up!"
"Chase, you're fine." The aviation pup, "I know you can, but I also know that you're not as used to it as the rest of us are."
The German Shepherd sighed, "I'm not as good at it..."
"And that's okay!" Skye looked back toward the sky, "If you can be whoever you are, while leading by example, it'll encourage the others to be whoever they are, flaws and all."
"Really?"
The Cockapoo blushed beneath her fur, "...That's how I feel, at least."
The two fell silent once again, watching the clouds pass by. They didn't exactly need to have an engaging conversation. Each other's presence was more than enough for them. Ironic how they had so much to say to each other, yet didn't need to say most of those things.
The feelings they shared for one another, however, was something that they weren't exactly ready to vocalize.
"Hey, Chase?" Skye turned her head to look at the police pup once again, "Did I ever tell you that my favorite color was white?"
"White!?" The Shepherd instantly looked at the Cockapoo with wide eyes.
She rolled her eyes in amusement, "Yes, white. Is there something wrong with that?"
"Whaaaat?" Chase tried to lie, "White is a... Perfectly normal favorite color to have..."
The Cockapoo giggled, "Okay, funny pup, what's yours?"
"It's blue."
Skye coughed, "Erm, predictable."
"Predictable?" Chase laughed, "So what if it is? Why do you like white so much anyway?"
"It reminds me of the clouds I fly past while in the sky." She answered honestly, "They look like cotton candy. Sometimes I wish I could just reach out and try to touch one."
Chase thought for a moment, "Why don't we try then?"
"What?" Skye sat up, giggling softly, "What are you doing?"
"Loosening up!" He smiled, "Come on, let's take your helicopter and go touch some clouds!" He grabbed her paw and began to pull her towards her puphouse.
"You know, I don't think it's possible to actually touch and feel clouds..."
"I know."
"Then why...?"
"I don't care if it's possible or not." Chase stopped, looking at her, "All that matters is that we get to find out for sure together."
Skye's tail began wagging erratically. That statement alone was enough to make her heart melt instantly. Chase could be so sweet sometimes without even knowing it. He was so considerate, so fun to be around. He really made her happy.
Times like these really made her glad to be alive.
***Present***
Skye smiled at the memory. She and Chase really had the friendship of a lifetime. She really hoped that nothing would mess that up.
"Skye!" A voice called out to her, catching her attention.
"I know that British accent..." The Cockapoo turned around before seeing Sweetie limping over with the help of a crutch.
"What are you doing standing still in the middle of the backyard?" Sweetie looked confused.
"Sweetie!" Skye exclaimed, running straight to the Terrier before giving her a hug, "When did you start being able to walk again?"
"I can barely do it. I just started therapy for the limbs without casts..." Sweetie replied, looking at her, "And please get off, I'm not much for hugs..."
"What did you need, Sweetie?" Skye asked, "You'd never visit the lookout."
"Gramps wanted me to pass on a message to you." The Terrier replied.
The Cockapoo's expression immediately fell. She still couldn't believe the Yorkshire Terrier who always joked about dying was dead. She didn't know him long, but had gained a mutual trust and understanding with him and the other pound dogs.
"A message from Grandpa?" The aviation pup looked at the Terrier, "What is it?"
"Listen closely, because I'm not repeating this."
Skye nodded.
"Thank you for coming into our lives. You showed me how great the PAW Patrol is, just by meeting you. That means you deserve all that you desire. That includes that Chase fella, you know? On top of that, please continue to be a positive role model for Siren. He adores you. Eat well, play hard, have no regrets."
The Cockapoo wiped her eyes, "He always was so wise..."
"Came with the age, I suppose..." Sweetie smiled to herself.
Meanwhile, Chase was taking a stroll through Adventure Bay to clear his head. Between helping Ryder with PAW Patrol things and being questioned by his brother concerning his feelings toward Skye, he really needed some time to just relax.
The police pup walked on the sidewalk, occasionally being greeted by a civilian who knew him. He had gotten used to being treated like a celebrity since he, Marshall and Ryder began their rescues in Adventure Bay long ago. He loved it. He was by no means egotistic about it, but there was just something about being looked up to by children and parents alike that filled him with a sense of pride.
He was Adventure Bay's protector. Officer Chase the German Shepherd.
Chase soon passed by City Hall. He wondered how it would have felt to have been introduced to the PAW Patrol like Skye and Rocky had.
He could remember when Skye first joined the team.
Chase and Marshall, young pups at the time, were currently playing a brand new beta of an upcoming game. Ryder knew that the duo always worked hard to fill the many roles they had to perform as the PAW Patrol, so he made the decision to reward them for all of their hard work.
"What'd Ryder say this was a beta of?" Marshall asked, moving to the beat.
Chase, who was standing behind him, waited patiently for his turn, "Pup-Pup Boogie, he said."
"I really hope this game has a two player mode when the full game comes out..." The Dalmatian remarked, trying his best to match the beat with his paws.
Though, Marshall and rhythm was never a good combo...
The Dally soon tripped over his own paws, the movements and music making him slip up, "Woaaaaah!"
He soon fell on his face, groaning faintly.
"You okay Marshall?" A familiar boy asked.
"I'm good!" The firefighter, construction, and aquatic rescue pup exclaimed, sitting up and looking back.
His tail began wagging quickly as he realized his owner was standing in the entrance of the elevator.
"Ryder!" The two pups exclaimed, dashing toward their owner and forgetting completely about the game they were playing. They bombarded their owner with various licks and nuzzles, glad to see him.
Ryder, during this period of the PAW Patrol, was actively looking for stray pups around Adventure Bay and even beyond. If a pup didn't want to join the PAW Patrol, then he would help them find a proper home. Because of that, he wasn't around the lookout much during his free time.
"Hey pups, guess what?" Ryder smiled at his pups.
"Did you get a new squeaky toy?" Marshall asked, his tail wagging.
Chase barked happily, "Did you get ice cream?"
"No, no, I got something even better!" Ryder exclaimed, putting the pups down, "Wait here."
The boy stepped back into the elevator, the sliding doors soon closing and beginning to descend. Chase and Marshall stepped back a few feet, waiting obediently for their owner. Marshall could barely sit still, looking around and shaking in excitement.
After a few moments, Ryder soon came back up the elevator, smiling at the two pups.
Chase was instantly able to see the small Cockapoo hiding behind his legs.
"A pup!" The Shepherd exclaimed, his tail wagging
"A girl?" Marshall looked surprised.
"Marshall!" Chase elbowed him.
"Sorry."
"Um..." The Cockapoo looked a bit unsure about making any movements, gripping onto Ryder's pant leg.
"Don't worry, they're friendly." Ryder looked down at her.
Chase noticed this and took a deep breath in, "Time to make my first new friend from Adventure Bay..." The Shepherd walked over to stand right in front of her, "Hi there. I'm Chase. What's your name?"
The Cockapoo looked at Chase, seemingly not able to respond. She only gave him a light nod.
"I didn't exactly find her in the best shape, she's still a bit shaken..." The boy told Marshall and Chase.
"Oh, sorry..." The police, eco, and construction pup rubbed the back of his head with a paw, "Well it's nice to meet you."
The Cockapoo nodded once more.
"Hi!" Marshall suddenly appeared from behind Chase, making the Cockapoo flinch, "Marshall's my name, and firefighting is my game, nice to meet 'ya!"
"Be gentle, Marshall." Chase and Ryder spoke in unison.
He chuckled nervously "Sorry..."
Soon afterwards, the trio were left at the top of the lookout while Ryder went to his room to work on something.
"So what now?" Marshall asked.
"We haven't tried the lightning round mode yet..." Chase replied, "Want to do that?"
"Sounds like a plan!"
Four songs in, Chase and Marshall were utterly exhausted. They hadn't realized that the lightning round mode was a gauntlet of the hardest songs in the game, a total of nine songs. By the time they did, they were too far in. They had been swapping positions each round, with Chase taking the first and third while Marshall was taking the second and fourth.
And there was no way they were going to give up.
The Cockapoo watched as Marshall struggled with the ending of song four, sweating and panting to catch his breath whenever he could.
"Marshall, hang in there!" Chase shouted, out of breath as well, "I'll jump in the next round!"
"O-Okay—waugh!" Marshall suddenly tripped over his own paws, tumbling to the right, leaving the sole dancing pad unattended, "No! Chase, jump in!"
Chase tried to get over there, but the ache in his paws was too much.
Luckily, he wasn't the only pup heading towards the pad.
The Cockapoo jumped onto the pad, continuing from where Marshall had left off. Surprisingly, she was hitting every step successfully, even if there were a few slip ups here and there, she was still in the game.
Chase and Marshall watched on in awe.
"Wooo!" Marshall exclaimed, throwing his forepaws into the air, "Go pup, go!"
Once she finished Marshall's song, she looked back at Marshall and Chase with a smile, "Did I do it right?"
"You did awesome!" Chase exclaimed, walking up, "I'll take the next round—"
"I still have more left." The Cockapoo exhaled, "I can take your round. Just get some rest, please."
"Okay, whatever you say..." Chase nodded, sitting down.
The energetic Cockapoo proceeded to do the rest of the gauntlet on her own, but that didn't come without sacrifice. She had to spend the next half hour hunched over a trash can, overheating and nearly throwing up a few times.
"Are you okay...?" Chase gently rubbed her back.
"I should've quit three rounds in..." She groaned in response, "That was really dumb."
"Dumb?" The Shepherd looked surprised, "That was the most amazing thing I've ever seen in my short life! You were awesome! And you never gave up, even when we offered to come in. You wanted to see it through!"
"Thanks, Chase..." The Cockapoo took her head out of the trash can to give him an exhausted, yet sweet, smile.
"No problem... Uh..."
"It's Skye, nice to meet you too."
Chase smiled as he thought about the first time they had ever played Pup-Pup Boogie together, even if it was the beta version. She impressed him, and was so sweet back then... Not that she wasn't still sweet.
"Chase? Come in, Chase!" He heard Marshall's voice coming through his pup tag, "Where are you?"
"Huh?" His ears perked as he snapped from his thoughts. He soon pressed his pad, "At City Hall, I'm just out for a walk. What's up?"
"Meet me at Adventure Beach, there's something I need to tell you."
He had no idea what Marshall could possibly want to tell him. It would be different if he said he wanted to talk about something. In that case, he would just assume he wanted to talk about Skye.
"Sure. I'm on my way."
Chase soon found himself walking on the sandy shores of Adventure Beach, looking around for his sworn brother. He didn't know how long it would be until he saw the Dally, since Adventure Beach was pretty sizable.
"Chase!" He heard Marshall call, "Over here!"
He saw Marshall lounging on a chair, allowing the sun to hit his fur as he wore sunglasses.
"Why are you sunbathing in the beginning of fall?" Chase asked, walking up to him.
Marshall looked over at him, taking off his sunglasses, "I had nothing else to do, you were taking your sweet time..."
Chase chuckled, rolling his eyes, "Whatever, Marsh. What did you want to tell me?"
"Grandpa, the pup that passed away from his injuries, had a message for you."
"Really?" Chase raised an eyebrow, "He and I didn't really know each other that well. What would he want to tell me?"
Marshall cleared his throat, "You're gonna find out."
Back at the lookout, Sweetie watched as Zuma and Skye played a game of Pup-Pup Boogie. She was finally beginning to understand why the PAW Patrol enjoyed the game so much. Maybe when she was fully healed she could whoop a few of the pups around in the game. That sounded like good fun to her.
Once the round finished, Zuma howled with enthusiasm, "I win! Looks like I'm better than you now, Skye."
"That's not fair!" Skye pouted, "I'm rusty..."
"Rusty?" Rocky asked in the background, "You absolutely demolished Rubble and I when we played against you!"
Before Skye could retort, her pup tag went off, catching everyone's attention. They all knew that it couldn't be Ryder, since all of their tags would've gone off in that case. They decided to wait and see who it was.
"Um... Skye? Are you there?"
"Chase?" Skye's voice instantly raised an octave, "Yeah I'm here, what's up?"
"A-Are you busy right now?"
"Just finished a round of Pup-Pup Boogie with Zuma. I'm free."
Everyone could hear the Shepherd inhale before exhaling, "...Could you meet me by the big tree outside the lookout?"
"Sure, what for?"
"I'll explain when I get there. O-Over and out."
The five pups remained silent as they all stood there in confusion. Well, only Skye was confused. Rocky had a wide smirk on his face. Had what Marshall did worked? Whatever it was, it was a step forward. Now all they had to do was wait and see.
"You're really doing this, huh?" Marshall asked as he and Chase finally arrived back at the lookout.
"I can't do this anymore!" Chase shook his head, "I have to... I just have to..."
The Dally smiled, "Good. Now go be selfish, go get her!"
Chase was suddenly pushed forward by his sworn brother, prompting him to lightly jog in the direction of where he had told Skye to meet him. Grandpa was right, he was just chasing his own tail around in circles. As he slowed to a walk in the backyard, he finally saw her.
No turning back now...
Skye was facing the other direction as she watched the sun begin to set, her ears being swayed by a passing breeze. She seemed so still, her head not moving an inch from the sunset watching over them. The tree he had told Skye to meet him under couldn't have been in a better location. It was on a small cliff overlooking the ocean. His heart instantly increased in rate. How could the back of a pup's head already have his stomach in knots?
Chase shook his head, "Focus, Officer Chase!"
He exhaled, walking up to her.
"Skye."
The Cockapoo immediately turned around, "Oh, there you are. I was starting to wonder if you meant a different tree..."
"No, I was just pretty far. I was down at Adventure Beach."
"Why were you over there?" She raised an eyebrow.
Chase decided not to lie, "I was talking to Marshall, and he told me that Grandpa had a message for me."
"Sweetie said I had a message from Grandpa too!" Skye seemed surprised.
"What he said kind of... Struck a chord with me..." Chase gulped, "It made me realize that I had a lot of things I had to iron out before I could really put your pupnapping behind us..."
"I feel the same way..." Skye nodded.
The tone immediately shifted from somewhat lighthearted small talk, to a conversation that both parties knew was long, long overdue. They knew they couldn't just keep putting it off. There was no escaping from it, no matter how much they tried to just... Go back to normal.
But things WEREN'T "normal". Things would never be their definition of normal ever again, no matter what happened.
"I was so worried!" The two exclaimed at once.
"Why did you go so far, Chase?" Skye asked, "I escaped from the pound. I would've been fine. But you... You just threw yourself into danger time and time again with no regard to how you were feeling. That was really dumb!"
"I had no other choice!"
"You did have a choice!" Skye retorted, "You could've just gone home. You wouldn't have been hospitalized! You're supposed to be the sensible one!"
The sensible one? She was really starting to sound like Ryder.
"Sensibility is out of the question!" The Shepherd exclaimed.
Skye was confused "And why is that?" She moved closer, "Didn't you have any faith in me? That I'd be able to get out on my own?"
"Of course I had faith in you!"
Meanwhile, Marshall made it to the top floor of the lookout and ran to the balcony, "What's going on, have they started making out yet? How's it going?"
"Not good..." Rocky answered, "...They're arguing."
"They're what!?" The Dally asked loudly, only to be shushed by the other pups.
Zuma kept watching, "They're really going at it too..."
Marshall looked down to see the Shepherd and the Cockapoo gesturing and talking in raised voices. They weren't exactly talking, but the conversation wasn't exactly too tame either. Too bad they couldn't even tell what they were saying from such a distance.
"They're supposed to be confessing, right?" Rubble inquired, looking over the railing.
"I think they're unloading..." Rocky put a paw on his chin.
"Unloading?" All of the other pups, including Sweetie, asked in unison.
The eco pup looked at them, "I'm pretty sure that she and Chase never really talked about... Everything."
"So what I'm hearing is that this is just part one?" Sweetie questioned, "This is going to take a while... How unsatisfactory..."
Chase and Skye continued to discuss everything that had happened, with Skye mostly on the offensive side of the conversation. Chase knew that she was worried about what happened while she was gone, but he didn't know that it was to this extent. He had hoped to never see his favorite pair of eyes glare at him with such animosity.
"I thought everything would just go back to normal after you came home..." Skye looked down, "But then you started avoiding me. I thought everything that happened would make us closer, not tear us apart!"
"I haven't been avoiding you..." He lied, "I just—"
"Just be honest with me, please!" Skye begged, gripping the fur over her heart, "Whatever it is, I can take it. Just tell me why you've been avoiding me!"
"I was scared!"
This was the one thing that everybody was able to hear, including the pups that had been spectating. Skye was especially surprised by his declaration. Chase, scared? It didn't seem real for her to hear. He always seemed so fearless to her. Whenever he did get scared, he proved time and time again that he was the bravest of them all.
Skye took a step back, "...What?"
"I was scared..." He calmed a bit, "Everything keeps moving, everything keeps changing... Relationships keep changing..." Chase put a paw on his forehead.
"But what's so bad about change?" Skye asked.
Chase inhaled, "Change is what keeps holding me back, yet it is the one thing constantly pulling me forward."
"You're not making sense..."
"As things keep changing, I'm forced to come to terms with how I feel, and no matter how much I try to distract myself, it won't go away..." The Shepherd put his paw on the grass below him, "No matter what happens, I won't stop feeling the way I feel!"
Skye's eyebrows raised, "Well... How do you feel?"
"I feel like a burden to the team..." Chase told him, "...Like I'm holding everyone back, especially you."
"Huh?"
The Cockapoo was easily able to tell that he was beating around the bush. Whatever he was hiding, he had to be scared of it. But, she knew exactly what he was hiding. She wasn't blind.
"Does this have anything to do with me?"
Both of their heartbeats instantly began beating faster, knowing that they were fast approaching the core of their conversation. Chase clenched his paws.
For as long as he could remember, he had been a pup who prodded himself on putting others before himself. He was the second in command of the PAW Patrol, this whole time, he had been holding back on his feelings toward the pup he liked so much because of that very team. But yet, beneath this tree, he didn't feel like Chase the police pup of the PAW Patrol.
He just felt like Chase, the German Shepherd.
"Skye..." He sat down to grab her paw and hold it between his own, "For months, maybe years, I've liked you so much... More than I like the others..."
"I like-lik... I love you, Skye."
The words she had been waiting to hear out of his mouth for so long had just entered her ears. She wanted to pinch herself, but she knew that it would completely spoil the moment. For now, she just had to try her best to not faint on the spot.
"I know..." Skye blushed, trying her best to not burst into tears right there and then, "I love you too. I've wanted to hear that for who knows how long."
"Grandpa told me that he didn't want me to have any regrets waiting to tell you." Chase explained, "He told me that the chance could pass me by, and I'd always curse myself for not taking my chance. PAW Patrol might not be around forever for the integrity to be ruined, but my integrity would take a permanent impact if I just let you go..."
"Grandpa told me about having no regrets as well..." Skye nodded, staring into her eyes, "And I know I'd regret if I just stayed friends with you. There's a chance that we might not be together forever. Life happens, but I want to give it a shot."
"I want to give us a shot."
"Are you saying what I think you're saying?" Chase was taken aback by her words.
She nodded, "Chase, I want to be yours. Things might happen in the future that we don't know about now, but this right here is a past that I want to look back on and not regret."
Chase suddenly hugged her, "Are you sure this is what you want?"
"Isn't this what you want too?" Skye hugged back, seeing how quickly Chase's tail was wagging.
"More than anything..." The Shepherd replied quietly, "I'd be honored to call you my girlfriend."
They looked at each other before Skye let out a faint giggle, "You know, I can be a bit much sometimes, especially when it comes to the ones I care about. Are you sure you're up for the task?"
He moved his paws to cup her cheeks, "Chase is on the case, any day of the week..."
They both leaned closer.
What seemed to be their fantasy for so long, something that only occurred in dreams, finally happened.
Chase had kissed Skye. The lovestruck pups had their emotions toward each other repressed for so long, that the moment the two's muzzles touched, they were hit with a surge of adrenaline. Skye tilted her head slightly as the two pups pulled each other closer. Their tails wagged at unprecedented speeds, everything seeming to fade away.
All that was there, and all that mattered, was the other pup in their arms. Everything around them went quiet as their long awaited moment had finally come to pass. They both shared the same sentiment of wanting to remain there forever.
After nearly two weeks of being apart, and another two weeks spent detached from their crush in some way, shape or form, they wanted nothing more but to melt in the embrace, as well as the tender moment they were sharing.
Chase's heart burned ablaze, only the faint noises of Skye reminding him of the fact that the days of kissing his pillow for practice in secret were finally over. He was surprised that neither of them were messing up during both of their first kisses. Maybe it was because she was just as scared as messing it up as he was.
Skye, indeed, was a lot more cautious than she wanted to be. But this was her first kiss! Chase's first kiss too! She didn't want to remember something awkward being their first romantic gesture towards one another.
They finally separated, a weird sensation in both of their minds. They remained inches from the other, longing stares being shot back and forth in a silent, yet intense rally. It was clear that they didn't want to stop, and they wouldn't...
The new couple leaned close once again, only to stop when he heard whispering.
"One, two..."
"Congratulations you two!" Chase and Skye turned their heads in unison to see Marshall standing in front of them, with the other pups, including Sweetie, standing behind them.
"Team Skase wins!" Marshall exclaims as he and Rubble gave each other a high five.
Sweetie shot Skye a smile and a nod of approval, "She did pretty good. I'm actually a little proud."
As the pups celebrated, Zuma sat beside Rocky, "They finally did it, huh?"
"Yep, it's over." The eco pup grinned.
"I wouldn't say... Over..." Zuma remarked, laying his head on Rocky's shoulder.
Rocky chuckled, a faint pink tinting his cheeks, "Shut up, Zuma..."
Meanwhile, Chase looked at Marshall with a growing sense of animosity. The Dally noticed this, and instantly dashed in the other direction.
"MARSHALLLLLL!" Chase let go of Skye, chasing after him, "I'M GONNA KILL YOU!"
"Life is way too short and unpredictable to try and deny who you are or how you feel. The more you try to resist that, and the change that comes along with it, the more you'll end up hurting yourself. Maybe you'll even hurt the one you love most and lose your opportunity. Who knows when the last time you'll have your chance is? So take it while it's still there. That way, you'll have no regrets when disaster hits. I know I don't have any regrets now. What about you?"
Chase smiled as he chased Marshall around, it soon evolving into a hearty laugh, "Wait until I get my paws on you!"
"Not before you wash them!" His brother shouted back, "I saw you rubbing all over Skye~"
Laughter erupted from the area and into the orange sunset sky.
Finally, Marshall and Chase were finished with this case.
*End*
