(Archived) Poth Short Stories and One-Shots

Cold Reception - Chapter 1

So, this was originally going to be a one-shot. At least, it was until it ended up mutating into a 6,560 word, 6 chapter short story... Oops? I guess it's not an oops for you guys since it means more for you to read.

***

A cold wind swept through the park. Goth shivered as it ripped through him. 

Ugh, it's so cold today. I really should have worn some warmer clothes. 

As much as he loved the white hoodie coat given to him by Uncle Papyrus and his tattered scarf gifted to him by his mom, Geno, they really weren't doing him much good in this weather. The short sleeve shirt, shorts, and slippers probably weren't helping, especially with the slush and snow around his feet soaking into the latter. 

He would have to start thinking about changing his wardrobe out to match the nip that winter was bringing with it. One would think being a skeleton would bypass the issue, but the weather proved otherwise.

A jingling noise brought Goth out of his thoughts. A quick rifle through his pants pockets revealed his phone, the screen flashing to announce the arrival of a text message. 

From Palette. 

Some of the chills ebbed off him at the thought of the cheerful skeleton, replaced by a subtle warmth starting from his soul and flooding outward. 

Goth had just spent the day hanging out with him, drawing, playing video games, and watching a movie while eating some pizza before the darkening sky finally prompted him to head home at 8:30 at night. It was now just a few minutes shy of 9:30. Unlocking the screen, his messenger popped up.

Palette: Hey Goth! Do you have any plans tomorrow? I just thought of something really cool we could do!

Goth: What do you have planned?

Palette: It's a secret! An awesome secret!

Goth chuckled as he passed by a deserted park bench covered in a thin layer of snow, typing out his response with his left hand while lazily skimming his right hand over the bench, disturbing the snow upon it. 

Palette must be really excited about whatever he has planned.

Goth: Lol alright, what time?

Palette: Meet by the park fountain around 10 AM?

The fountain? 

He'd passed by it a couple minutes ago. Water was still flowing, the weather not quite managing to freeze the water pumping through it just yet.

Goth: Sounds good, see you there.

Palette: See ya bright and early tomorrow, buddy!

Amidst the warm feeling, a small prick of sadness arose, like a needle had poked his soul, stopping him in his tracks. Another chill wind blew through him. 

He disliked when Palette used words like 'buddy', 'pal', 'best friend', and the like. It only served to remind him that the other skeleton only ever saw Goth as a friend, and nothing more. Another prick, a bit sharper this time. His grip tightened slightly on his phone. 

As much as Goth wished Palette would feel differently, he just couldn't gather up the courage to take the leap and confess at the risk of ruining their friendship completely. It hurt the smaller skeleton just to think about it... losing his most important person. His laugh... his smile... his constantly positive demeanor... everything.

A small drop landed on his dimming screen.  

Rain? 

He looked up, seeing some flurries had started up again, but no rain. Looking back down in mild confusion, he felt something wet slip down his cheek, leaving a stinging trail behind in the cold air. 

Oh... tears. 

He hadn't realized he'd been crying. Luckily, no one was around to see him. Wiping his face with his sleeve, Goth resumed his trip back home at a faster pace, his slippers kicking up snow and slush in his haste. 

The sooner he reached home, the sooner he could go to sleep and hope the aching feeling in his soul would go away, at least for a while.

As the small skeleton passed by a gnarled tree, the ground gave out under his left foot. Goth let out a surprised yelp as he floundered to regain his balance. He hadn't realized he'd wandered off the path hidden by the light blanket of snow! 

He grunted as he landed on his side, scrabbling in a panic as he found himself tumbling down a hill. Rocks beneath the snow and branches from bushes bumped and scratched him as he steadily picked up speed down the slope. 

No... too fast, I'm going too fast! 

He thought he heard a ripping noise, but he was too focused on finding something to slow him down to care. Everything was passing by too fast for him to grab hold or even get his bearings. 

He barely registered the rock racing up to meet him before pain blossomed in his skull. The world lit up in sparks before going black.

---

The starry-eyed skeleton grinned widely as he sent a reply over his phone. Palette couldn't wait for tomorrow to come! 

A week ago, his mom, Dream, had told him about this really pretty area in the park that they'd found back when Dream and Ink were still together. Apparently, not many people knew about it since it was off the beaten path. 

When Palette went to look for it himself, he was awestruck at the view. A quiet little hill with a single flat rock overlooking a field of flowers that still somehow managed to bloom despite the dropping temperature. 

Goth loves peaceful, scenic places, so he'll absolutely love it! And if the weather forecast is correct, tomorrow will be the perfect day to take him!

Holding back an excited squeal, Palette looked at the clock on his phone. It read 9:36. 

Plugging in his phone and setting the alarm, the skeleton pulled up the covers and snuggled into his pillow to ward off the chill in the air, wanting to get an early start on the day tomorrow.

***

Word count: 954