(Archived) Poth Short Stories and One-Shots

My Gift to You - Chapter 2

Since I have classes at the time I usually upload, enjoy the chapter half an hour early~

Chapter Warnings: Character death, swearing

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Goth laughed as Palette accidentally smudged his chocolate ice cream on his nasal ridge, trying in vain to lick it off, sneezing as it dripped into his nasal cavity, then finally using his scarf to wipe it off before it got on the new plush bear he bought.

He'd insisted on buying the toy and its matching counterpart after seeing them, stating the bright sun and calm moon motifs fit them both perfectly. Palette got the moon bear while Goth received the sun bear.

Turning away from the taller's pouting, Goth juggled his mint ice cream bowl and bear to check his phone. 4:58 pm, Saturday afternoon. Palette was scheduled to die at 5 pm on the dot, though the booklet never said how. The small skeleton squeezed his bear tighter.

Overall, the day had been great. The pair had gotten lunch, finding a seat outside where they were able to eat and chat leisurely. They were able to find good seats once they arrived at the theater and movie had been better than they anticipated. Afterward, they went to the mall, trying on all sorts of goofy clothes; taking pictures and laughing at each other; and bought the plush toys from a window display. On their way to the park, they had even stopped for some ice cream.

Goth had been trying to work up the nerve to confess his feelings all day, but each time he tried the words would get caught in his throat and he would end up making some silly excuse for his behavior. Palette laughed it off every time.

It certainly didn't help that he knew it would be a moot point since his crush wouldn't live through the day.

"Goth? You're really quiet... well, more quiet than usual," Palette craned forward as he walked, watching his friend curiously as they stopped at the crosswalk.

"Sorry," the smaller apologized, lightly holding up his ice cream, "Brain freeze."

A faint screech went off in the distance as Palette laughed, "Well, don't eat it so fast, silly!"

"Right...," he sighed as the light signaled them to cross. As Palette stepped off the curb, a bright red sports car came tearing around the corner, tires squealing as it raced toward them. No one had noticed yet and Goth had to fight not to call out a warning from the sidewalk.

Tears sprung to his sockets as the people around them began to take notice of the rampaging vehicle and Palette stopped in confusion.

I hate this! He doesn't deserve to die, even if the stupid universe needs to collect... a soul...

Wait!

The cup and bear fell from Goth's hands in his epiphany. He darted forward, pushing his shorter legs to beat the car as the confused monster finally seemed to realize what was happening. With the vehicle mere feet from the pair, the smaller reached out and threw all his weight into pushing Palette out of harm's way. The force caused him to stumble backward, placing him directly in the car's path.

A sad, teary smile graced Goth's features as he watched the shock on Palette's face morph into horror.

A soul for a soul...

Everything ground to a halt as the car collided with his body. The sharp, blinding pain forced an agonized yell from him as the vehicle's momentum tossed him up and over the hood and roof before he landed in a broken heap on the pavement as it sped off.

Everything afterward was a tumultuous haze of noise and pain as Goth laid on the ground, unable to move and barely even able to keep his sockets open as everything swiftly ebbed away into numbness.

So tired...

The noise got louder and he felt his body shift, producing a faint groan as he winced. Something... a lot of something was definitely broken. A white, black, green, and yellow blur filled his vision. He felt something warm touch his cheek and drip onto his face at an erratic pace.

"Dammit, kiddo... never expected ya to go this far."

Shifting his hazy eye light away from what he assumed was Palette, a black blob towered over them both. Goth could tell it was his dad. From the lack of reaction, he could only assume his companion couldn't see the reaper.

The parent continued in a subdued tone, easily heard over Palette's muffled voice despite the distance, "You've already made your choice, haven't ya? Your life for his?"

Not having the energy to move or talk, Goth hummed with a frail smile on his face. The god's grim expression deepened.

"Guess that's it then. I'll keep an eye socket on him for ya," Reaper kneeled down, stifling his own emotions as he reached for his son's chest while murmuring, "love ya kiddo."

Thanks... love you, Dad... Mom... Palette...

The small skeleton felt a tug on his soul as his vision flickered. The last thing Goth saw before he felt himself drift away was a faint white glow and Palette's fading, tear-streaked face.

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Word Count: 837