Poth Short Stories and One-Shots

Cold Reception: Chapter 6 (End)

"You okay there, Gothy?"

Palette beamed at the way Goth burrowed into his scarf at the use of the new nickname. His companion claimed the reactions were adorable, and he never told them to stop, so they continued to use it; even if it felt a little embarrassing, it made him feel special. Grabbing onto the hand that was extended out to him, he let himself be guided further up the slope while being mindful of the slippery snow still covering the ground.

Following the incident, Goth had spent two more days recovering at the hospital; it was mostly resting or chatting with his parents and Palette. For their part, the latter had barely left his side outside of school and visiting hours requiring them to. When his eye fully healed and he was finally discharged, he was still somewhat shaky on his feet. The nurses assured the worried party that the weakness was merely the result of being confined to a bed for three days; another two days at home taking it easy had mostly cured that problem.

There was also the thin scar that had remained near Goth's left eye; there was nothing the healers could have done to prevent it entirely. The scar wasn't too big a deal in his opinion; it was nearly invisible unless one knew to look for it and it was decently covered when he wore a hood... but for everyone involved, it was a constant reminder of what could have happened.

Now though, the pair was hiking up a hill at the park with Palette keeping a close eye on him the whole time. The monster had fussed over him to make sure he was prepared for the cold weather this time, wearing a thick purple and white hooded jacket, long black pants, and white snow boots. Geno had been right behind them in offering suggestions; no one wanted to risk a second scare.

"For the millionth time, I'm fine," Goth huffed, but the smile on his face alluded to his appreciation for the concern. He gave the hand holding his own a firm squeeze in reassurance.

He couldn't really blame everyone; they were still pretty worked up. He knew they would be mother henning him for a while yet; Geno certainly was, so he couldn't fault his parents, Palette, or Dream for their actions... especially when Goth now knew just how close he'd come to not waking up again.

His dad had pulled him aside at home this morning as he was getting ready to give him a hug... and to privately reveal how Goth's name had briefly appeared on his soul collection list. The list was a little black book his dad used to keep track of the dying souls who required collection; one he would eventually come into possession of once he got older and his dad decided to step down. Reaper told him about the timestamp next to his name before the entry completely vanished from the list while waiting in the hospital lobby...

"Ten more minutes...," the hooded skeleton murmured to himself, shivering at the thought.

Starry eyes turned toward him, "What? Did you say something?"

Goth quickly shook his head, plastering a smile on his face, "N-no, I was thinking to myself. How much farther is this surprise?" Only Dad and he knew the truth, and he wanted to keep it that way.

Goth succeeded in distracting Palette as their face lit up, pulling him along, "Just over this hill, promise!"

As the pair trudged the last few feet up the hill, Palette lifted a snow-covered branch and gestured for Goth to walk through the opening that was created. Ducking a bit under the branch, the small skeleton froze past the entrance and his eye light dilated; before him stood an untouched clearing surrounded by strong pine trees and what looked to be a cliff with a solitary flat rock situated near the edge. The taller monster walked up beside him with a grin that looked like it would crack their skull if it got any bigger and asked, "Pretty cool, huh?"

Directing Goth toward the rock by his shoulders, Palette swept the snow off the surface so they could sit; he sat down reflexively, silently amazed by the sweeping field of flowers below. When his mind finally caught up, he turned to his companion with a brilliantly shining eye light, "It's so beautiful! Thank you!"

A light green hue dusted Palette's cheeks and he turned away, stammering about something 'more beautiful'. Emboldened by the mood and how close they had grown in the past few days, Goth decided to take his chance; he leaned in and gave his crush a small peck on their right cheek, softly whispering, "I love you, Palette," before quickly settling his head onto their shoulder to gaze at the flowers.

Goth felt Palette shift abruptly next to him, trying to imagine the look on their face since he didn't dare look up to see their reaction. He did his best to maintain a neutral expression and tried not to worry the hem of his jacket while wishing he could control his flushed face or his tense posture. Was Palette shocked? Embarrassed? Happy?

... Why was Palette being so quiet? Did he mess up? Was it too much?

He heard an amused huff as Palette wrapped an arm around him, feeling his companion sidle closer to him before planting a kiss of their own on top of his hood alongside the words, "Love you too, Gothy."

A triumphant smile lit up Goth's face as his shoulders relaxed and he snuggled deeper into Palette's embrace, reveling in the warm moment together in spite of the freezing conditions surrounding them.

***

Word Count: 957