(Archived) Poth Short Stories and One-Shots

A Midsummer's Nightmare - Chapter 2 (End)

Goth's eye sockets snapped open, his soul pounding and shuddering from the phantom pain in his chest. His staggered breathing filled the room as his eye light flicked around wildly, taking in his surroundings. 

He was at home in his darkened bedroom. A glance at the clock on the nightstand read just past two in the morning.

Turning over, his soul lept in joy at the sight of Palette... his precious husband Palette wearing a goofy grin on his face, snoozing away without a care in the world.

Overcome with emotion, Goth shuffled over to burrow into his husband's side, taking in the faint scent of paper that slightly eased his frazzled nerves.

Unfortunately, it also brought with it a reminder of why he was so upset in the first place, bringing tears and sniffles with it that he couldn't suppress. This had the effect of stirring the taller skeleton from his slumber.

Hazy stars blinked on in the darkness, "Huh... w... wha... Goth?" Palette's gaze shifted down, taking in the crying skeleton clinging to him. "Woah, hey, what's wrong?" he asked, wrapping his arms around the smaller's trembling body.

"A... a bad dream...," Goth hiccuped. 

Palette shifted the pillows against the headboard, bringing Goth with him to cuddle against his chest, "Do you want to talk about it or be distracted from it?"

"Talk," the smaller murmured, knowing he'd feel better getting it off his chest. Taking a deep breath, Goth slowly relived the nightmare, with Palette comforting him when his emotions choked off his words.

"It's okay now... I'm okay, you're okay, and Pastel's okay. There's no way I would ever accuse you of letting us down, you're always working so hard to make sure we have everything we need while I'm training with the Star Sans'."

Goth continued to cling to him, silent save for the occasional sniffle. He still wasn't convinced.

Palette furrowed his sockets in thought, perking up as something came to him, "Would going to check on Pastel help you feel better?" At the smaller skeleton's nod, Palette scooted over to the edge of the bed with Goth following a moment later.

The pair made their way down the hall quietly toward a door decorated in lightly-colored stars. Opening the door, the sound of soft, soothing music drifted from a small radio on top of a clothes dresser.

Goth let out the breath he didn't realize he was holding as he knelt at the side of the bed, taking in the sight of his little Pastel, sound asleep clutching a stuffed toy. Resting an arm on the edge of the mattress, he reached out to caress his sleeping son's skull, a soft smile playing across his face.

"Better?" Palette whispered a minute later, leaning against the doorway with a soft smile of his own. Goth hummed, his eye lights never leaving the sleeping child. He continued at his low volume, "Ready to head back to bed? Stars know if Pastel wakes up, we'll never get to sleep again, and you'll need to get ready for work in a few hours."

As much as I want to stay, Palette's right.

Kissing his son on the forehead and pulling himself into a standing position, the pair left Pastel's room, shutting the door on the way out, and made their way back to the comfort of their own bedroom.

Once situated under the covers, Palette pulled Goth in close, giving him a light peck on the mouth, "Remember, we're both in this together to make sure something like your dream never happens. Even if, stars forbid, something happened to Pastel, I would never give up on you. You mean as much to me as he does. What you saw was only a bad dream."

Curling into Palette's chest, Goth was soothed to sleep by the sound of his husband's soul beating a steady rhythm. 

Palette's right. My fears were nothing more than a bad dream.

***

Hope you guys are ready for what's next...

Word Count: 656