(Archived) Poth Short Stories and One-Shots

The Day of Japes - Chapter 1

So are you guys ready for ten chapters worth of hijinks?

***

Palette opened the door to his shared apartment, grinning like a maniac when he noticed the living room was empty.

Perfect.

Shutting the door quietly, he snuck toward the kitchen with a pair of pizza boxes. He placed them on the counter and stealthily opened the cupboard to take out a plate, placing two slices on it before closing the box and sliding it under the other. Taking a breath, he mustered his best neutral expression before yelling, "Goth, I'm back and I brought pizza!"

The telltale sound of a door opening down the hall announced the small skeleton's presence. Moments later, Goth strolled into the kitchen as Palette went to sit down at the table with his food to watch the show.

"Cool, thanks Palette. Wait...," Goth paused as he retrieved a plate from the cupboard, "It's not pineapple, is it?"

"Nah, I know you don't like pineapples. I got two cheese," the taller replied, holding up his own slice as proof.

"Oh, alright," Goth smiled as he proceeded toward the pizza boxes. Setting his plate down, he slotted his finger into the groove to open the top box... only for the bottom to lift with it followed by a soft thunking sound inside the box. For a few seconds, the skeleton stood at the counter, trying to dig his fingers into the sides to pry the cardboard container open to no avail.

Palette had to resist the urge to snort as Goth summoned his scythe to force his way into the box. Slicing into the cardboard, he grinned in triumph and finally lifted the torn lid... only to find a book with a picture of a pizza on the cover inside.

"April Fools!" Palette burst into laughter at the dumbstruck look on his companion's face.

Goth lifted the book up from inside the box, grumbling, "I suppose I should have seen that coming, all things considered. Is there pizza in the other one, or...?"

Palette's laughter died down as he said, "Don't worry, there's an actual pizza inside the box under it." He burst into giggle fits once more as Goth carefully opened the second box, scrutinizing the pizza inside, "There's no glue on the lid or anything in the pizza. That one's safe, I promise."

Taking him at his word, Goth took two slices and shut the box, bringing it to the fridge to store for later, "Alright, I'll get us some drinks. Juice for you?"

"Sounds good," Palette chirped, returning to his food now that his prank was successfully carried out. Goth brought over two glasses of juice, placing one in front of him, "Thanks, Goth."

The smaller hummed in acknowledgment as he took a seat across from his companion and dug into his pizza. Setting down his partially eaten slice, Palette reached for the glass and tilted it back for a sip... but the contents didn't move.

It was his turn to be surprised as he upended the glass, perplexed at the liquid that was somehow staying in the glass despite gravity. With an amused huff, Palette asked, "Alright, what did you do?"

"What's wrong, Palette?" Goth questioned, casually sipping his drink, "Don't you like your juice?"

Palette had to admire the poker face the small skeleton was maintaining, even after being caught. Poking at the contents of the glass and seeing it squish inward, he countered, "You and I both know juice doesn't stick to the glass or bounce after being touched... though I have to say congratulations on your prank, I definitely wasn't expecting it."

"The 'jello in the glass' trick, it's an oldie but a goodie," the hooded skeleton chuckled, giving up the charade and standing up to exchange the prank glass with an actual glass of juice, "I debated adding ice cubes, but I thought it would give the prank away if they didn't slosh around after placing the drink down, even if I held it in a way that covered it."

"Yeah, that might've ruined it," Palette confirmed as he actually watched Goth pour juice into a new glass.

Storing the jello in the fridge for eventual consumption later, Goth set the new glass where the old on had been and returned to his seat. The remainder of the evening passed peacefully with the skeletons laughing and exchanging various stories about their day.

All in all, they both considered today a success.

***

So... I kind of fibbed. This is only a one-shot, Happy April Fools Day!

Also, I think I'm getting better at writing fluff?

Word Count: 732