(Archived) Poth Short Stories and One-Shots

Back to the Start - Chapter 6

Have some Poth with a hint of Ravenprint thrown in~

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Morning light filtered in through the curtained window as Goth rolled onto his side to escape the blinding rays. Opening his sockets, he was momentarily disoriented by the sight of his old bedroom. His eye light fell to the duffel bag by the closet.

Clarity slowly allowed him to remember he was visiting with Palette for the Thanksgiving holiday.

He laid in bed, gazing around the room as nostalgia overtook him much like it did yesterday; his eye light roving across the dusty bookshelf holding fictional stories and textbooks in a haphazard arrangement with knick-knacks scattered about, the collection of stuffed toys sitting in a corner toy hammock he wasn't able to part with in his older years out of sentimental value, and the desk cluttered with papers ranging from graded assignments to random doodles that he never got around to cleaning.

It was almost as if he never left.

Taking a breath and pushing off the covers, Goth clambered out of bed, stretching the kinks from his joint before rummaging through his bag for some clothes. Considering the nice meal that would be taking place in the dining room later, the skeleton pulled out the red cowlneck sweater, black dress pants, socks, and shoes that were folded up on one side. It would feel weird not wearing a hood or scarf for once, but the layered neckline of his sweater would more or less substitute for the latter and it was only one day.

Slipping on his clothes and adjusting the neck folds in his mirror, he exited his room to head downstairs. Given the quiet state of the house, most of the residents were either asleep or making preparations in the kitchen. That proved to be the case when Goth found Reaper snoozing on the couch while Raven sat on the opposite, trying not to doze while wrapped around Blueprint; who was curled up in the brother's lap with a book.

Getting a friendly wave from the blue scarved skeleton and giving one in return, he let them have their quiet time together and continued down the hall, past the laundry room, and toward the kitchen where he found Geno, Shino, and Palette.

Palette was sitting at the kitchen table, peeling sweet potatoes as he laughed, "What did he do then?"

Pushing the pan holding the turkey back into the oven, Geno set aside the basting brush and said, "Goth accepted the challenge, of course; he and Raven were always competing over something at that age. They filled up the pack of balloons with water and started lobbing them at each other to see who could soak the other the most. When I arrived home, they were both sopping wet in the front yard and grinning like maniacs."

Goth blushed, vividly remembering that water balloon fight and Raven's taunting that he was too chicken, inevitably leading to him accept the challenge. In retrospect, it wasn't the best decision he ever made.

"They both said they won, but the only thing they really won was a cold that kept them both home from school two days later," Shino giggled as she chopped up vegetables, "I could hear them whining from upstairs when Okaa-san brought up the homework he'd picked up from school."

"Sick or not, they weren't getting out of schoolwork after fooling around with water balloons in late fall weather," The parent stated in a matter-of-fact tone, "and they never did it again after that, so I can safely say the lesson was learned."

Goth interjected from the doorway in a huff, "I did win; Raven landed more shots, but I got more direct hits instead of splatter damage."

"Sure you did," Shino answered with a skeptical roll of her good eye light. Palette snorted at the comment.

"Lies and slander!" came a sudden declaration from the living room, inciting more laughter.

"Well look who lives; I guess this means you're still a late riser," Geno teased once everyone had settled, handing over the stirring spoon to his oldest son, "but you have good timing; you can stir the pot for the candied sweet potatoes while I get the rolls prepped for the oven. I want to make sure everything's ready by the time Xahji and Snazzy get here."

Goth shrugged, taking the spoon to perform his task as his mom pulled out the ingredients to start on the rolls. Even after being told over the phone, it still puzzled him how his older sister had managed to land her now-husband considering he had always been oblivious to her affections in the past. He would need to ask later how she managed to get through to him.

Adding in the marshmallows, the small skeleton asked, "Aren't they getting here around noon? Why are we preparing everything now? Also, why were Raven and Blueprint in the living room with dad?"

"We started having our Thanksgiving meal at lunch so we have plenty of time to chat with Sorell Onii-chan in the evening," Shino explained, scraping the chopped onions into a bowl of zucchini quarters and giggling, "and Raven Onii-chan can never keep his fingers out of the food, so he has to wait in the living room."

That sounded about right.

Geno added without looking up from his task, "Xahji's husband's also a bottomless stomach, so he'll no doubt be hungry as soon as they get here."

Considering Snazzy was an athletic guy when they were in high school, it didn't surprise Goth to hear he still had an appetite to match.

"Is the pot ready for the sweet potatoes?" Palette's voice interrupted the smaller's train of thought. He turned to see his companion standing behind him, holding the bowl with an inquisitive expression.

Goth moved aside, "Yup, go ahead and pour them in." As Palette poured the bowl's contents and the smaller began breaking up the potato chunks, he felt a pair of arms drape around his shoulders. Glancing over to see a green and yellow star-shaped eye light next to his skull, he chuckled, "Well, you're being cuddly."

"Sorry, I just wanted to watch," Palette explained, his focus on the pot below, "Your mom said you like this dish, so I wanted to learn how to make it; I figured this was the best spot to do it without being in the way."

"I never said I didn't like it; I was merely making an observation," Goth commented coyly, resting the side of his skull against his boyfriend's cheek.

"Then I'll continue observing how candied sweet potatoes are made from here," the taller skeleton purred, nuzzling his skull gently, "You look really nice without a hood too; you should do it more often."

Goth snickered, resuming his task as he smiled, "I'll think about it."

A noise caught the small skeleton's attention. Shifting in Palette's hold, he found Shino suppressing squeals behind her hands as Geno leaned against the table, arms crossed and watching them with a knowing grin.

Goth let out a squeak at the reminder they weren't alone, earning more laughter from his boyfriend and family as he turned back to the stove with a vibrant blush on his face.

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Word Count: 1,195