Poth Short Stories and One-Shots

At the End of It All: Chapter 4 (End)

Happy Halloween for those who celebrate~

***

His eyes shot open, a soft gasp escaping his mouth as he slowly came back to himself and took in his surroundings; everything was where it should be, right down to the pale blue walls that surrounded him... but there was a nagging feeling in the back of his mind that he was forgetting something... something important. Wracking his brain, he glanced at the clock and ran through a mental checklist: he took a shower this morning, he folded and put away his clothes, he wouldn't need to wash dishes tonight, and he had been relaxing on his bed with a book while waiting for-

"Goswin, your friends are here!" a familiar voice called out from downstairs.

"Kaaay!" Goswin yelled back to his mom, slinging his socked feet over the edge of the bed and crossing the room to his desk chair where he had set out his clothing for the evening. Last year, he would have been putting on a Halloween costume, but he and his friends had decided to see a movie this year instead of running around trick-or-treating like all the other little kids; they could easily get some candy at the theater itself without having to worry about the errant pennies, pencils, and toothbrushes in their pillowcases from health-minded adults.

Slipping a gray hooded jacket on over his long-sleeve shirt, wrapping his red scarf around his neck, and dropping the hood back down over the tails, he migrated over to the dresser. Grabbing the bottle of medicated eye drops waiting for him, he carefully placed two drops in his right eye so it wouldn't get tired during the movie and pocketed the bottle. Blinking rapidly into the mirror, a fair-skinned teenager with silver-blue eyes stared back at him as he balled up the hem of his sleeve to wipe away the residual liquid. Running his fingers unsuccessfully through his tangled platinum blonde hair, he felt around for his comb in an attempt to tame the bedhead he had gained from his impromptu nap.

"Goswin? Are you coming?"

"Yeah, just a second!" He called back, tossing the comb onto the dresser and slipping on his sneakers before heading out the door. 

Rounding the banister and descending the stairs, his three friends were waiting in the foyer at the bottom. Remus was the first to spot him; his dark brown eyes were barely visible under his black hood when he looked up from his phone and snorted, "Heh, ya look like you're ready to go skiing; why so many layers?"

"Oh stop it; you know movie theaters are kept like iceboxes and Goswin's sensitive to the cold," Eugene elbowed him, gesturing at his clothing, "Besides, you're not much better with your hoodie."

"But I don't have a stylish scarf," Remus pointed out, laughing at the dirty look he was given in return, "Uh oh, did I trigger 'mom mode' again?" Eugene grumbled, but knew it was pointless to argue; it was already well-established that their friend liked to tease him for his attentive nature and status as the group's mom-friend. The running joke was further solidified by how similar he and Goswin were in appearance; only his deep blue eyes, rounded glasses, and three-inch height advantage really set him apart.

Pablo interjected with his usual positivity, "Well I think you look really cool with your scarf like that; it looks like a superhero's cape or something!"

Goswin's face lit up as his friend began doing action poses, their sandy blonde hair bouncing jovially with every swift movement as the other two laughed; all four of them had known each other since elementary school, but Pablo always managed to hold a special place in his heart. He knew most people would think it was weird for a guy to like another guy, but Remus had already come out of the closet and no one in the group was bothered by the news, so maybe...

He felt a nudge in his side, looking over to see Remus waggling their eyebrows suggestively while grinning at him, "You're looking a bit flushed there; something ya wanna tell us?"