Fire gets Dampened

Chapter 8

Marshall woke up almost mid afternoon. After eating two helpings of lunch he darted off with his newly redesigned fire truck towards the mountains again.

Quickly arriving Jake greeted him while he was cleaning the porch. "Oh hey Marshall, here to see Everest again?"

"Yeah, is she in there?- ugh! Of course she's in there where else could she be?" He face pawed himself.

"She's in her room reading something."

" Alright thanks I'm going now!" He said excitedly trotting off inside. Jake didn't mind, he's always welcome to take care of everest if he wants.

*Knock knock!*
Marshall knocked on the wooden door.

"Come in!" Everest's voice sounded from the other side.

Getting permission, Marshall opened the door and stepped in. There he saw a husky laying on her belly reading something on her tablet on her sky blue bed.

"Oh! Marshall! I-uh thought you were Jake!" Everest said hurriedly closing her tablet and smiling silly. Which sort of looked cute on her, Marshall thought. But he quickly shook the thought off his head.

"So... Am I still welcome ooor...?"

"No no! I mean yes! I mean... come in!" She staggered. Marshall hopped on the cushion and sat beside her. He was trying to glance at the tablet she was reading on. He asked curiously, "What are you reading?"

"What? Reading? I don't know anything about fanfiction- ack!" Her tounge slipped. She covered it with her paws but it was already too late.

"Fanfiction?" Marshall asked curiously.

"Uh- yeah! I mean no! I mean!... It's nothing really, just a book genre."

"A book genre? What kind of genre is it? "

Everest hesitated. But she answered anyway seeing his curiousity. "Well... It's sort of... A story, which is written based on something real... But the story itself isn't real or didn't happen for real. I'm saying "real" too much, ugh!"

Marshall's pulse skipped a beat. "What was that sound she just made?? And why am I feeling... Embarrassed and... slightly panicking about it?? Okay calm down Marshall, calm down! Breathe. Huh. Let's focus back on the topic."

Marshall fell into thought. Everest thought it's quite cute when he has his thinking face on. She let a small smile slip out.

"It sounds interesting." Marshall said smiling with crescent eyes forming. "So what kind of fanfiction are you reading?"
Everest suddenly looked embarrassed.

"Skase..."

"And maybe EverShall as well..." She thought to herself at the same time.

"No way! You read that too?" He asked pleasantly surprised. Everest's eyes twinkled. "Yeah. You also ship them?"

"Of course... Well, at least before." He said weirdly. Everest also looking at him weirdly.

Marshall took a deep breath and looked at her seriously. "Can I tell you a secret?"
Everest was confused. But said, "Um... Sure?"

" Okay. But please promise you won't tell Chase OR Skye about this okay?"

Everest looked at him even more confused. "Alright, I promise."

Marshall contemplated for a little. Well, he already asked her to keep it a secret. And he trusts her. So...

"I may or may not have a crush on Skye." He said awkwardly.

"What??" Everest asked in shock. She felt her chest suddenly tighten.

"Weeeelll I had a crush on her. But because of various reasons I lost that feeling." He said.

Everest's felt a huge weight was left off her once again. "What kinds of reasons?"

"Well. For one I realized she doesn't really see me that way. And second I couldn't betray Chase like that. Wait. You do know he likes Skye right? And I didn't just say that and accidentally revealed it to you?" He asked worriedly and awkwardly.

Everest chuckled. "No I know that. I mean who doesn't except for Skye?"

"Well that's a relief." He sighed."So yeah, that's some of the reasons why I stopped."
He glanced back at her. Everest was thinking. She eventually asked, "So.... Do you like... Anyone n-now?"

Marshall was a little surprised to hear her asked that. He fell into deep contemplation again. "Well. I can't tell. I guess, it depends." He said.

"Hm? Depends on what?" She asked confused.

"Depends if I'm good enough for her." He smiled bitterly. "I want to be good enough for her. I want to be the best, like, the very best for her! That's why I need to change."
He said with determination in his eyes.
Suddenly he felt a paw hold him. He turned to look at Everest. She shook her head and smiled slightly. "I don't think you have to change."

"But- I'm clumsy! I mess things up! And I even broke your leg-"

"NO you didn't!" Marshall was slightly shocked by her sudden exclaim. She was looking at him straight in the eyes with a serious look.

"Marshall, I have never blamed you for what happened to my leg. So you shouldn't either!" Marshall didn't say anything and let her continue talking.

"Okay, I get it. You don't want to mess things up. But sometimes you can't really control that. Accidents happen no matter who it happens to. But you don't have to change yourself because of that. Maybe try not to be clumsy sure but don't change yourself fully just because people don't accept you for who you are."
She paused to take a breath. Then looked away. She muttered something under her breath. "Besides, You're good enough for me  anyway."

Marshall was surprised to hear that. He felt a warm feeling in his heart which he thought was already frozen. He smiled wryly. Everest's paw never let him go. It even got firmer while she said all that. She was still holding him.
"Thanks Eve..." 

Everest wasn't looking at him at the moment. Until she felt something warm gently lick her face. She heart skipped a beat for a second. She sharply turned her head towards Marshall. Her entire face turning red.

Marshall suddenly realized what he just did. He was also shock of himself with wide eyes and BLUSHING profusely.

"I-im sorry!! I shouldn't have done that!" He said hurriedly.

"I- I'll leave now... FOREVER, BYE!"

Darting  off the bed and out the bedroom door before Everest could even react properly.

Outside he jumped on his fire truck and rushed down the mountain at full speed, ignoring that he was driving down on a slope. All that was running on his mind is asking,

"why did  I  do that, why did I do that ,why did I do that..??" Repeatedly to himself.