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Today was the day.
Chase had this same thought every day for the past couple weeks. He thought he would finally gain the courage to confess his true feelings to the pup he liked. But every day, he would chicken out and put it off until the sun had already fallen. It wasn't like the other pup was intimidating in the slightest; Marshall was the sweetest pup he had ever met. He was kind not only to both his friends and strangers, but to pretty much every animal he meets. Chase knew that the stakes truly wouldn't be that high, and that Marshall would be understanding, even if he didn't reciprocate. And yet, Chase was never able to bring himself to say the words he so desperately wanted to say.
Until today. Today was different.
Mayor Goodway was hosting a firework show tonight, as a celebration for the last time they beat Mayor Humdinger. Chase supposed that mission was slightly more dangerous than the usual, but was unsure why it was worth celebrating. But he didn't give it too much thought, because it gave him the perfect opportunity to ask out Marshall.
With these thoughts in his mind, Chase got the motivation to get out of bed and go leave for breakfast. As he walked, he admired the sunny day, without a cloud in the sky. If it stayed like this, the firework show would be perfect.
Everyone was already inside and eating when Chase entered the Lookout. Chase used to always be the first to wake up, but nowadays he liked to lay in bed for a while longer, hoping to stay with his thoughts and dreams. Mostly the ones about Marshall.
He said good morning to the pups before going to his bowl and beginning to eat. After he was done, he saw the other pups leave the Lookout, ready to play. Chase knew this was his first chance pull Marshall aside to ask Marshall to go to the firework show with him. Chase opened his mouth to speak, but couldn't find the words before Marshall and the others had already left.
Chase decided to go for a walk to clear his mind. He silently cursed himself as he walked for not being brave like he was supposed to be. Now some other pup might have the chance to take Marshall for themselves. Chase knew he had to ask the dalmatian to the firework show the next chance he got, or he never would.
As Chase walked across the bridge, he could see people on the beach setting up fireworks for tonight. He thought back to the previous mission with Mayor Humdinger, where he stole important legal documents for Adventure Bay. Honestly, Chase didn't know what possessed Mayor Humdinger to do this. Perhaps he just thought it would mess up the town and make people want to go to foggy bottom instead. As Chase walked back to the lookout, he was thinking about how he could have handled the mission better, and done something that was truly worth the town celebrating.
When Chase got back, he was surprised to see Marshall himself running up to him.
"Hey Chase!" Marshall said with the smile that Chase adored. "I was looking for you. You weren't playing with the rest of us."
"Well, I—" Chase didn't know how to respond at first. He took a deep breath before starting over. "I just went for a walk. That's all."
"Okay then!" Marshall responded, clearly satisfied with that answer. He turned to run back to playing.
"Wait!" Chase suddenly yelled before he had time to think.
Marshall turned his head back around to face Chase again, and slightly tilted it in confusion. Chase's first thought was panic, but then confidence rushed back to him. He had to do this.
"I, uhh, actually wanted to talk to you," Chase began."
Marshall sat down facing him, his blue eyes focused on him. "What is it?"
"I wanted to ask you if you would like to," Chase began. His tail flicked about nervously. This was it. "If you would like to go to the firework show with me."
Chase took a deep breath. He knew there was no going back now, and waited for Marshall's response, which only took a couple seconds, but felt like hours.
"I... thought everyone was going to the festival together? I didn't need an invite from someone... did I?" Marshall responded.
Right. Marshall could be oblivious sometimes. Chase sighed. Chase secretly found his obliviousness cute most of the time, but it certainly wasn't making this confession any easier.
"No... I wanted to ask you if you could go with me... separated from the others. Just you and me," Chase said, forcing a small smile at the end.
Chase could almost see the wheels turning in Marshall's brain, and could literally see his eyes widen when he caught on to what was happening.
"Chase... I... didn't know you... I thought..."
"It's okay if you don't want to!" Chase blurted out. "It was just a... a suggestion. You can forget about it if you want to."
"Wait... no!" Marshall finally said. "Yes, I will go with you."
Chase perked up a little bit. "Do you... do you really mean it?"
"Yes," Marshall responded. "I'll see you there."
Marshall said that last part with a small smile before running off to play with the other pups. Chase just sat down on the grass to process what just happened. Sure, him and Marshall weren't official, but he had secured a first date. Now, all he had to do was to make sure it was perfect for Marshall.
That evening, he got an empty basket and a beach towel from the Lookout. After getting what he ran over to Mr. Porter's shop.
"What do you need Chase?" Mr. Porter asked. "I was just about to close and head to the firework show."
"Sausage, one hot sausage please."
"Coming right up," Mr. Porter said, and quickly went inside to heat up a sausage.
Chase needed something for the two of them to eat to make it extra special. Since they mostly ate food made for dogs, a nice sausage was sure to make Marshall happy, and Chase would do anything to make Marshall happy.
"Here you go, Chase," Mr. Porter said when it was ready.
"Thank you," he said quickly and gestured for Mr. Porter to put it in the basket. After he did so, Chase started trotting over to the beach, where people were already starting to gather.
Chase walked across the beach looking for the perfect spot to set up his stuff. After finding a spot decently far away from the people arriving he took the beach towel out of the basket and laid it down onto the sand. Chase took the basket with the sausage and put it on top of the beach towel.
"This should be enough," Chase said to himself. He suddenly got the idea of getting Marshall flowers too, but figured it was too late for that. Marshall would arrive any minute.
A couple minutes later, he saw the other members of the PAW Patrol walking into the beach. He saw that Marshall was clearly looking for someone. When Marshall spotted Chase, he quickly ran over to him, almost tripping on the way.
"I've got a spot for us," Chase said, pointing his paw toward the beach towel.
"Okay, that's... nice of you!" Marshall said, clearly a little nervous too. "Wait, do I smell sausage in that basket?"
"Can't have a proper date without sausage!" Chase said with a laugh. "Wait... that sounded wrong. Never mind."
Luckily, Marshall was oblivious to any accidental double meaning. "So... this is a date..."
"Well, um," Chase started to blush beneath his fur. "Well, yeah. You know... I figured... that is why I just wanted it to be the two of us.
Marshall blushed a little too, and went to lie down on the beach towel. Chase followed suite on the other side, with the basket between them.
"So... you really do like me back," Marshall said quietly, mostly to himself.
"I... wait, you like me?" Chase said.
Marshall turned to face Chase. "Of course I do. I practically obsess over you. All the other pups can see that I'm more loyal to you than even to Ryder."
Chase thought back, and supposed Marshall had a point. Marshall had always went to Chase for comfort, and preferred to seek him out before anyone else.
"Well, yeah Marshall. Of course I like you back," Chase responded. "I obsess over you too... I guess."
"I'll say," Marshall said. "You would always worry about me and were always the first to know when something was wrong. You know... a part of me thought you just did that because you thought I couldn't look after myself..."
Chase's mood switched into comfort mode. "What, no way. You can definitely take care of yourself. Especially when you take the lead on those fire rescues."
This caused Marshall to blush again. "I do my best," he responded modestly.
"Now, we should eat this sausage before it gets cold," Chase said. Marshall nodded and they started to eat.
The sausage tasted good, but it was nothing compared to the bliss of finally being dating Marshall. Chase wanted to tell Marshall all the little things he loved about him, but held back. He didn't want to rush things and overwhelm the poor dalmatian.
Chase's train of thought was interrupted by a loud boom. Chase and Marshall turned to see a red firework disappearing from the night sky. Then, two more fireworks were shot into the air and burst into colorful sparks.
"Wow..." both pups said in unison.
They watched at the fireworks in awe, not speaking to each other but comfortable in each other's presence. After five minutes of watching, Chase felt the urge to put his paw on top of Marshall's. He looked away to the pup that laid beside him. He put his paw into the air between the two of them, before gently placing it on top of Marshall's paw. Marshall didn't turn his head but shifted his eyes to look at Chase, and gave him a small smile.
Throughout the show, the two pups slowly subconsciously shifted towards each other. Neither of them noticed until their fur was brushed up against each other. The two pups turned to face each other, and were able to admire each other up close. Marshall lifted a paw to Chase's face, and put it on his cheek.
"You're cute Chase," he said softly, clearly not thinking about the words he was saying.
Chase started to feel flustered, but let himself relax before speaking. "You're cute too, Marshall. You're the most beautiful thing I have ever seen"
Marshall blushed for a moment, but Chase wasn't done. He was ready to tell Marshall the words he wanted to say for so long.
"I love you Marshall."
Marshall let out a small gasp, and Chase began to regret his words. Maybe he came off a bit too strong on the first date? Chase and Marshall had known each other for their entire lives, so he figured it wouldn't be too awkward.
But before Chase could try to take back those words, Marshall leaned forward and kissed him. Now it was Chase's turn to let out a small gasp, but he didn't dare let his lips leave Marshall's. Instead he leaned in and reciprocated the kiss. When the kiss broke, Marshall was giving Chase a small smile.
"I love you too, Chase," he said. "I know you can be hard on yourself sometimes, but I think you're an amazing pup, and I admire you so much."
The firework show continued for a few minutes, but Chase and Marshall were too focused on each other to pay attention. They were too busy making little jokes and giggling. Too any onlookers, it was clear they were two little lovebirds.
"So, Marshall," Chase said at last. "Does this mean we're official?"
Marshall giggled in response. "We're totally official."