Cherish || A Chase x Sweetie Fanfiction ||

(S2-C14) • Into the Storm •

The deep sleep was broken when Skye was awakened by a toppling noise. She raised her head, her eyes sore yet attempting to focus onto what made the sound, and she first caught the raindrops slamming on their windows. It was still a heavy rain, and from the looks of it, and from the weather report everyone watched earlier, the storm was just going to get stronger until daybreak sets in, and that won't happen until a few hours later.

The Cockapoo was able to see in the dark better than other species, perks for being a pup. What she found was a canine sitting down as he attempted to arrange the books that were scattered on the ground, silently grumbling. The silhouette had a long brush beside him, probably what he used to supposedly clean the shelf where the books used to stand.

Slowly, she crept away from her beanbag and the pile of pups around her, and then she whispered, "Chase?" trying to get his attention, figuring him out when she came closer. For some reason, he was in his gear, perhaps ready for a mission that he received late at night in which he decided to do alone, or that's what the Cockapoo thought.

As she tapped onto the pup's shoulder, he jumped back with a frightful gasp, knocking the brush from its leaning position to crash onto another object, glass shattering in the darkness, and the lights suddenly opened.

"What's going on?" Marshall asked, his eyes barely open similar to the others, rubbing one of them.

"Chase, I—"

"Why did you have to sneak up on me, Skye? Look what you did!" Chase pointed towards the broken portrait, the glass separated into tiny and large pieces which prevented protection for the picture of their whole team, including Everest and Tracker, when it was Christmas Eve. "Now I have to buy a new one."

"I can buy one fo—"

"Enough! Why can't you just mind your own business?" The Shepherd shouted, the Cockapoo backing away in a crouch with everyone gasping, hearing the furious growl within their co-leader's teeth.

Marshall slowly walked over to the situation, a single paw in front of him motioning everyone to calm down. Actually, it was mostly meant for his angered friend.

"Chase, there's no need for violence. Put. Your fist. Down."

Catching the words, Chase's face softened and he lowered to his paw, realizing how it was clenched. The reflex, it scared everyone, even him. He didn't want to show that he wanted to bring pain to the female, he was just frustrated, and the boiling blood moved him.

Before he could apologize, Skye already ran into Rocky's room, probably hoping to find the comfort she wanted. Because of this, Chase wanted to break out and lash at everyone. He wanted to wreck, he wanted to destroy, he wanted to be in control. All the pent up emotions were pushing through the barricade called 'limits' and he was trying his best to stay strong. He already gave a glimpse of it to the innocent aviation pup and the construction bulldog, and he couldn't bear to think of what he would do if he released the demon and let him pull the strings of his body towards everyone else.

"Amigo, you're not yourself. Since you've arrived, or from what I've heard, you're a completely different pup."

"I know that, Tracker. Things have been happening and—"

"That's not a good enough reason to release your anger on your friends. Stay strong, Chase, and remember that you're not dealing with it alone," Tracker interrupted, meaning well despite the passive-aggressive sentence he gave, but everyone would've surely understood the meaning of his words.

"Chase?" Marshall called his silent buddy. His eyes were shadowed by his worn police cap and his mouth was straight horizontal.

Momentarily, they heard a noise coming from him which wasn't loud enough to be understood as anything. It sounded like he was quietly crying, and it broke their hearts. Their leader of a pup, dubbed as the most resolute by many known people around the globe, had finally had it with the ongoing problems. They didn't blame him, he must have been struggling for longer than they could imagine, being titled with such a toxic alias, as what Rocky told them.