(Archived) Poth Short Stories and One-Shots

A Brewtiful Beginning - Chapter 5

Beware~

***

Goth rolled out of bed on a Wednesday morning, rubbing the sleep from his sockets while glancing at the clock. Even though he didn't have to work until one in the afternoon, years of early morning shifts had made waking up early an ingrained habit. Popping the kinks out of his joints and releasing a large yawn, he opened the door and padded down the hallway.

As he passed through doorway leading into the galley kitchen, Palette's bright smile and voice greeted him, "Oh, you're up! Just in time, can you come try this?"

Entering the kitchen, Goth was presented with a mug of light brown liquid. Behind Palette, there was a book and a moderate mess surrounding their coffee machine. It seemed even on his day off, the skeleton was still as busy as ever.

Taking a sip, the smaller mulled over the flavor before guessing, "Cafe au lait?"

"I was actually going for a latte macchiato," Palette grimaced, turning to look over the book behind him once more, "I remember you recommending an apple something macchiato when we first met, so I thought you liked them and wanted to try making one myself."

"Oh, um... that was the Apple Cider Macchiato, one of our fall specials... and I do like macchiatos...," Goth elaborated, feeling himself flush a bit.

Palette really remembered that?

"Was it the beans?" the taller pondered, too busy reading to notice his roommate, "The recipe says espresso beans, but I could only find coffee beans. They look pretty similar, so I figured they wouldn't be that different."

Latching onto the question to distract himself, Goth eagerly explained, "That's part of it. Espresso beans are a mixed set of different types of beans that's more finely ground than coffee beans, so they're essential for a macchiato. Espresso beans have a dark and oily appearance as well. I usually go to the shop if I want something special, so I only have regular coffee beans here.

"You also want to make sure you keep the milk and espresso separated with the espresso on the top layer, otherwise it mixes together and you get a regular latte instead. Still, you managed to make a good cafe au lait."

"A small victory, then," Palette conceded happily, abandoning the book to set a tea kettle on the stove.

"It's a learning process," the smaller walked into the kitchen, leaning on the counter as Palette dug out a tea canister, "Speaking of your first day, you said you can't have coffee... do you mind me asking why?"

"There's too much caffeine, it makes me jittery and anxious," Palette clarified while measuring out the tea in the infuser, "Tea has a tiny bit of caffeine in it, but not enough to bother me."

"That sounds rough. I don't feel like I could start my day without coffee," Goth mused, taking a sip from the warm mug in his hands. It really did taste good, even if it wasn't what his companion had intended to make.

The taller shrugged his shoulder as he poured the heated water into another mug and dipped the infuser in, "I'm not much of a fan for the bitter taste, so it's no big loss."

Goth's mouth quirked into a hidden smile. Deciding to take a chance, he said, "I'm glad it doesn't put a tamper on your mood."

The reaction was everything he hoped for. Palette opened his mouth to answer, paused, closed his mouth, and stared at the smaller. This repeated a few times before he snickered, "... Was that a coffee joke?"

"Yup," the hooded monster confirmed, popping the 'p' with a pleased grin, "I saw my shot, so I took it."

Palette snorted, pulling out the infuser with a thoughtful look on his face before his starry eye light seemed to shine, "I didn't know you could espresso yourself like that. You're usually so serious."

Goth giggled into his drink at the comeback. Trying to swallow his coffee without choking, he countered, "I don't do it too often since it's not everyone's cup of tea."

Palette laughed, washing out and drying the infuser as he tried to come up with a retort. Huffing softly, the artist conceded, "I got nothing."

"One of the perks of being older, I suppose," the smaller concluded triumphantly, heading to the living room while calling behind him, "Though you've bean a wonderful adversary."

As he curled up on the couch to the sound of quiet laughter in the kitchen, he noticed a sketchbook laying on the table. Leaning forward, he could make out what looked to be the sketched-out beginnings of a city landscape. As Palette entered with his tea, his companion pointed out, "Your picture looks good so far."

The artist sat down next to him with a large smile on his face, "Thanks. It's for a project on perspective drawing. Other than requiring a horizon line somewhere in the picture, we've been given free rein to draw whatever we want. I'm really liking my classes so far."

"It seems like you certainly have a knack for art. I couldn't draw like that if my life depended on it," the smaller noted conversationally.

Palette chuckled, "I've been drawing from the day I was able to hold a crayon, so I've had lots of practice. Mom and Dad also encouraged me whenever they were around. I'm hoping that one day, I'll become a great artist just like my dad."

Just like that, the pleasant atmosphere disappeared.

"Oh. That... that sounds really nice," Goth mumbled half-heartedly, sipping his drink to cover his mood shift.

Unfortunately, Palette noticed the change, "Goth...? Are you okay? Did I say something wrong?"

"No, you're fine," he quickly reassured his roommate, focusing on the half-empty mug in his hands, "I... I remembered some things I'm not proud of, that's all."

The taller's skull tilted to the side as he probed, "What kind of things? Did something happen?"

Goth's eye light darted up to give his roommate a searching look. Palette was a kind and caring monster, he knew that without a doubt after spending five weeks living and working with them. They enjoyed his puns and even came up with a response... but would his companion understand? Or would he be judged for what he did?

Palette sensed his hesitancy and said, "If it's too personal, you don't have to say anything. I won't pry if you'd rather keep it to yourself."

Goth smiled faintly to himself, having his answer... Palette would understand.

***

Word Count: 1,087