(Archived) Poth Short Stories and One-Shots

Heat of the Moment - Chapter 1

Okay, so I was going to draw pictures for this story, but final projects are kicking my a** (shenanigans with GUIs and tkinter) among other things and I haven't gotten to post any stories for almost a month because I haven't had time to draw out the scenes. So screw it, you guys get a story without pictures. 

Chapter warning: Fire-related character death

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"We were here first, so we should be seated first!" A high-pitched voice shrieked.

Goth turned in his seat to see a brunette woman yelling at a harried host at the front of the restaurant he and Palette decided to end their hangout day at. A man and two children were standing next to her with a monster and their companion standing opposition.

"Ma'am, they're being sat first because they're being seated for a two-person table, your party needs a four-person table," the host explained.

"I don't care, why can't you just pull up another table and seat us?!" the woman screeched. Goth groaned internally at the woman's behavior.

Why did this have to happen? This was supposed to be a nice, relaxing lunch after spending the day hanging out.

"Wow, she sounds really angry," Palette's voice dragged the small skeleton's attention away from the fight. He was watching the spectacle from his own seat, having a better vantage point since he was facing the front. The look on his face seemed to be a mix of uncomfortable and confused.

Goth sighed as he laid his arms on the table, resting his skull upon them, "If she's going to make an idiot out of herself, she could at least be a little more quiet about it."

Can't I have one day where I can hang out with my crush without things going backwards?

As the woman's voice rose in volume, prompting Goth to bury his face in his arms, Palette grimaced, "It doesn't look like she's calming down. They haven't taken our food order yet, do you want to go find somewhere else instead?"

"... Yeah," the smaller huffed, rising from his chair. A crash startled him mid-motion, forcing him to use the table to balance himself as he swiveled toward the source.

The host had been pushed into his computer station... which had begun sparking violently. Before anyone could react, the sparks burst into an explosion, setting the front of the restaurant ablaze and sending the customers into a panic.

"Goth-!" Palette called out frantically, only for his voice to become lost in the din of chaos the explosion created. The small skeleton was jostled by a panicked customer, quickly becoming lost in the crowd despite his best efforts as flames climbed the walls and white smoke began to billow along the ceiling.

Goth gasped as a shove to the back sent him to the floor. He scrambled to avoid being stepped on, eventually finding himself pressed against a wall.

"Palette?!" he tried to yell, standing on his tiptoes to see over the crowd in hopes of spotting his companion. His soul sank as the seconds ticked by with no results.

Where's Palette? Did he already make it outside? What if he's not, though? What if he's still in here looking for me? What if something happened to him? What if he needs help? I can't just leave him. I can't-

He was startled out of his thoughts when someone ran past him, set ablaze and screaming for someone to help them. The skeleton cringed away from the sharp smell of burning flesh, his legs frozen in horror as the body crumpled and fell to dust.

He was used to seeing dead bodies, having tagged along on his dad's reaping duties a few times... but he only ever saw the aftermath and soul collection. This was his first experience witnessing another being in the throes of death.