A/N:

Hey all! Hope you're doing well. Chapter 7 Of Flames and Fury is coming along! But until then, here's another 1-shot for your enjoyment.

Let me know what you think, or if you have any suggestions!

"How did it go, Chase?" Skye asked curiously as the German Shepherd pup returned to the lookout. Chase huffed and plopped himself roughly down on the blue bean bag on the first floor, sighing as he answered the cockapoo.

"Oh, it was alright," he responded, shutting his eyes and laying his head down.

Skye looked intently at the downtrodden pup in front of her before patting him gently on the back. It still pained her deep inside that the shepherd did not choose her to be his mate, but she accepted the police pup was looking for some pup different. Even though Chase had different "interests" than the aerial pup first suspected, she still cared deeply about one of her best friends.

"Not good again then, huh," Skye countered with a hint of sadness, interpreting Chase's behavior versus his actual answer. Skye always could tell when Chase wasn't 100% truthful, though she didn't always know the reason.

The shepherd sighed deeply again before he slowly lifted his head and looked somberly at Skye. "Why does love have to be so hard," Chase thought to himself as he sulked silently. Eventually, he arose and shook himself off.

"He was nice, but we just didn't have that connection," Chase replied, still slightly embarrassed to be sharing details about his personal life with Skye. "Why couldn't I just be normal like everyone else?" Chase wondered. "Don't think like that, Chase. You are normal. You are you…" he reminded himself. He closed his eyes and thought back to some months prior.

The pups were growing up. About a year ago, Ryder and Rocky designed awesome new rooms inside the lookout for each of them as they outgrew the personal space inside their pup houses. As they got older, they all started to look for a companion; someone special to spend time with and someone to love. All of the pups presumed one romantic pair was a given: a certain shepherd pup always acted very awkward around the team's aerial ace. And Skye shared with all of the other pups an unsatisfied crush on the team's police pup. Even Chase wasn't oblivious to Skye's desires. However, the reason for the awkwardness was soon discovered.

The pups were all cleaning the lookout after being called on an early morning mission. Zuma was tasked with vacuuming the bedrooms when he found some pictures in Chase's room. Usually, the shepherd was anal about keeping his room spotless; however, he failed to hide his secrets before they left that morning. Zuma's jaw dropped; he also had adult magazines in his room, but these were different. Snickering, he grabbed the pictures and showed them to Rocky, who blushed deeply when he saw them, then started giggling as Zuma whispered something in his ear. The two pups ran off to find Ryder, who was on the top floor of the lookout, keeping an eye on his pups during their chores.

Ryder looked shocked when the water rescue pup handed him the pictures. He thanked the two pups for coming to him and warned them not to tell anyone else. Ryder called Chase to the lookout, where he held the pictures in front of the police pup. These pictures showed male working dogs in provocative positions. Chase's normally stoic stance immediately changed; he cowered, his ears pinned back in embarrassment.

"Chase, are these yours?" the team's leader asked his pup, a concerned look on his face.

The shepherd pup opened one eye and nodded, whimpering, as his tail fell between his legs. "Are you ashamed of me, Ryder?" Chase asked worriedly. He silently prayed Ryder wouldn't be mad. Chase had heard stories of pups being abandoned due to their sexuality, and he feared the worst.

"Chase, I would never be ashamed of any of my pups," Ryder answered. "I will admit I'm shocked; I had no idea. But you can love whoever you love. I will support you, and all my pups, no matter what."

Chase regained his composure and looked his leader straight in the eye. Ryder's face softened into a smile and the pup's tail started to wag. Chase jumped and gave Ryder a quick lick on the face before standing back in front of Ryder. A more serious look appeared on Chase's face and he looked ready to ask Ryder a question.

"How will I tell the team?" Chase wondered aloud to Ryder. "And how will Skye take it…" he thought to himself. The two of them spoke intently for the next couple minutes, trying to come up with a good plan. Chase was told that Rocky and Zuma knew about the pictures, as they brought them to the team leader. Eventually, Chase and Ryder called the rest of the team to the top of the lookout. Chase joined Ryder in front of the rest of the pups and came out to them. Rocky and Zuma smirked between each other, while Rubble had a confused look on his face. Marshall looked stunned. And Skye was heartbroken, bursting into silent tears as Chase gazed towards the ground.

The next few weeks were awkward around the lookout, with Skye avoiding interaction with Chase and the rest of the pups treating him differently. Eventually, though, the cockapoo relented and admitted to Chase her feelings, hoping to try to regain his friendship. She vowed to help him in any way possible, though she still had feelings for the shepherd pup.

Chase skulked back to his room and hopped on his bed. He lay on his back and stared up at the ceiling. "That's at least 6 dates now and still nothing…" he thought to himself sadly, tossing a tennis ball against the roof. In the months after Chase came out, Rocky confessed to the rest of the pups that he was bisexual. Chase and Rocky went on a few dates with each other before they decided they were not meant to be together. Yes, they did enjoy each other's company, but decided their friendship was more important than a romantic relationship.

Motivated to find some pup special, Chase joined multiple online dating websites. Being the front man in the PAW Patrol made him a popular match, but he still hadn't felt a spark on any of his dating escapades. He did enjoy the company, but still yearned to find that certain pup.

Date after date left the shepherd pup frustrated. He started to lose his confidence, which leaked into the rescue team on missions. Chase became distracted easily and needed to be constantly reminded to focus. Eventually, the police pup gave up his online dating apps and resigned himself to be alone for a long time.

As the other pups paired up, Chase felt more and more isolated. Zuma met a lifeguard pup from nearby Foggy Bottom; she was a yellow lab similar to himself. Rocky found himself visiting an environmental pup a few towns over; he was another mix breed who shared many interests with the recycling pup of the PAW Patrol. And Rubble even met a pit bull pup who was part of a design team in Adventure Bay. But Chase remained a single pup.

The good news, or so Chase thought, was he still had his best friend Marshall to keep him company. But the time they spent together seemed to be waning as well. Marshall was often seen staring at the shepherd pup from a distance ever since his "admission". He avoided Chase as often as possible, not wanting to get too close to the police pup outside of rescue missions. And he was known to run off to Jake's Mountain quite frequently, presumably courting a certain winter rescue pup. However, the two pups were rarely seen together; but rumors swirled amongst the pups.

Now that Chase had seemingly lost his best friend, as well as any hope to find a soul mate, he relegated himself to his room. He only vacated his abode for missions and meals; even the urging of his friends didn't seem to help. The other pups gathered to try to come up with any suggestions they could for their sodden police pup.

"How about that border collie in Mainland?" Skye asked the rest of the pups.

"No, he's way too flamboyant, dude," Zuma answered.

"Hmm, how about that Rottweiler downtown? I think he's a security guard at the local club that me and my boyfriend go to," Rocky suggested.

"I think he's already went on a date with him, and you all know how those ended," Rubble responded.

The pups continued to wrack their brains for any ideas, but struggled to come up with anything else. They all felt sorry for their shepherd friend but were fresh out of plans. As they were about to give up for the evening, Marshall ambled meekly into the lookout. The group of pups turned as the Dalmatian headed toward his room.

"Hey Mawshall, how's Evewest?" Zuma joked with a smirk on his face. The Dalmatian's face turned as red as his fire truck as he tried to come up with an answer.

"Wh wh what makes you think I was seeing Everest?" Marshall responded, stuttering with a worried look on his face.

"Oh, come on, dude," Zuma retorted, laughing.

"Yeah, we all know where you've been going," Rocky added with a wink.

"You…you're wrong," Marshall spat before running into his room, embarrassed.

"I wonder what's gotten into him," Rubble wondered aloud to the rest of the pups. "Why would he be embarrassed to be dating Everest? She's hot."

"Rubble!" Skye scolded the bulldog, hitting him on the shoulder.

"What? You guys agree with me, don't you?" Rubble asked the rest of the pups, who nodded in agreement.

"Boys…" Skye mumbled, rolling her eyes.

They continued to murmur quietly amongst themselves, sharing a few laughs, before Zuma came up with another idea for Chase.

"Hey, what if we help Chase cweate a new dating pwofile?" Zuma asked the rest of the pups. "Maybe he shouldn't mention the PAW Patrol and his name. That way other pups won't be intimidated by his rweputation."

All of the pups nodded in agreement and ran off to share their epiphany with Chase.

A few days later, Chase decided to take the other pups up on their idea. He posted a generic profile picture and screen name, CK9, and filled out his personal information.

He scrolled through his matches, filtering out pups with no interest before landing on a new profile.

"F-Dawg. Hmm, he likes skateboarding at night, singing, and hopes to make a difference in the world. Sounds interesting…" Chase thought to himself. The pup, like Chase, had a generic profile picture, but Chase decided to reach out. The next few days Chase felt a rush he hadn't felt in months; the conversations the two pups engaged in were invigorating. They shared a lot of similar interests and the connection was immediate. Chase was once again his peppy self, joining the rest of the pups for group activities. His focus and determination on missions was renewed and he was looking forward to meeting this new pup in real life.

As the two pups got to know each other better via their online conversations, they were finally ready for their first date. Chase asked Skye to help him prepare for this outing. Luckily for Chase, Skye was dating a member of the police force of Ironton and had finally gotten over her crush on Chase.

"Hold still, Chase!" Skye laughed as the shepherd pup couldn't control his excitement. The aerial pup was trying to tie Chase's bow tie for his date later that evening. The two pups planned a picnic on the beach; they would each bring their favorite foods and enjoy each other's company. They didn't plan anything fancy, but Chase wanted to wear a bow-tie to impress his new date. Skye fixed Chase's fur, spritzed him with some cologne, and sent him on his way. All of the pups wished him luck as he left except for Marshall, who was, once again, not present at the lookout.

Chase quickly worked his way to the beach, giddy with excitement yet slightly nervous. "What if this is another failure…" he thought to himself as he approached the shore. When he got near the water, he peered carefully in both directions for the umbrella for which he was looking: a blue umbrella with white clouds. Finally, he located the umbrella, and his date, on the far side of the beach near the pier. Chase's heart started beating fast; "should I turn back?" he thought to himself, before taking a deep breath. Eventually, he built the courage to ultimately meet his date. He slowly walked over towards the umbrella, breathing deeply to calm himself before introducing himself.

Thoughts ran through his mind as he worked his way through the maze of umbrellas. "What if he doesn't like me. Is my bow tie crooked? Do I smell bad? What if he doesn't like the food I brought. Do I look fat…" Suddenly, his body went numb as he saw his date in front of him.

"M M Marshall?" Chase wondered aloud, extremely surprised to see his best friend under the umbrella.

"Ch Chase, what are you doing here?" Marshall stuttered, equally confused.

"Are you F-Dawg?" Chase asked quizzically, as Marshall nodded.

The pups stared at each other for what felt like hours. Eventually, Marshall approached the shepherd pup and kissed him on the cheek.

"You have no idea how long I've waited to do that," Marshall replied, his own cheeks turning bright red.

Chase was still speechless, frozen in his place. His heart continued to race as his face turned red and warm.

The two pups eventually joined each other under the umbrella. They talked and caught up for the first time in months.

"So this is why you've been avoiding me," Chase asked Marshall.

"I was scared…" Marshall responded. "My parents disowned me for my sexuality. I thought the rest of the PAW Patrol would too."

Suddenly, Chase grabbed the Dalmatian pup in a tight embrace. He placed his lips on Marshall's and passionately kissed the fire pup. Their tongues wrapped around each other as they continued the kiss, breaking only for air.

"That. Was. Amazing." Chase panted.

"Yes, it was," Marshall answered, his tongue hanging out of his mouth.

"This was all worth the wait. For the first time, I can honestly say I'm glad none of my other dates worked out. Marshy, you're my best friend. You've been my best friend for my whole life. I was blind before but today you opened my eyes. The pup for me was hidden in plain sight. Marshy, I love you. Will you be my mate?" Chase confessed his feelings to the Dalmatian pup.

Marshall was caught off guard.

"Oh my god. Was that too soon? Was I too direct?" Chase wondered to himself, panicking slightly. Before he could apologize, though, Marshall tackled him and kissed him once more.

"Yes, Chasey. I love you too," Marshall responded as the pups passionately embraced, kissing each other again.

The best friends finished their picnic and walked back to the lookout, holding each other's paw. They gave each other a peck on the lips in front of the other pups before retreating to their rooms. A few hours later, the new mates joined the rest of the pups for dinner. They ate quickly, shooting flirting looks at each other as they finished their meal. As they left the kitchen, the pups heard one last thing before bed:

"Who's ready for dessert?"