(Archived) Poth Short Stories and One-Shots

Eternal Vow - Chapter 4

"Oh stars, I must have dropped the box when I jumped up earlier," Palette huffed, kneeling in front of the spilled contents of the first aid kit. Turning the box upright, he told Goth, "Your canteen should still be in my bag, go ahead and relax while I make sure everything's still usable."

The vampire nodded his skull, letting himself slide down the wall next to Palette's tan bag while avoiding the sore spots on his shoulder blade and ribs. Opening the flap to dig out the aforementioned canteen and unscrewing the cap to take a long drink, Goth let out a contented sigh as the fatigue from earlier ebbed away.

He rested the canteen in his lap as he watched his friend inspect each item, mumbling inaudibly to himself before either setting it back in the box or to the side. The vampire initially considered it strange that Palette carried the medical supplies around when a blood canteen was sufficient, but the skeleton was adamant about making sure any injuries were treated regardless of how fast they healed to prevent infection.

Once Goth realized the kit was useful in the event Palette got hurt, since blood was useless to a mortal, he became much more receptive to its presence.

"Yuck, the lid broke," Palette grumbled to himself, wiping his palm off on his pants before setting a sticky bottle back on the ground.

With nothing else to occupy his thoughts, Goth's red eye light fell to his hand as he wondered what exactly happened earlier. When Palette had grabbed him, it felt like a sharp tremor had run through his body starting from his soul. It was a feeling the vampire was wholly unfamiliar with and he didn't know what to make of it. Sure, he was still a little winded from the training, but he felt fine otherwise.

Catching sight of the taller skeleton approaching him, Goth set the thoughts aside. Palette sat down with the opened box, digging out a tube as he said, "The antiseptic bottle had a crack in it and some of the wraps and gauze were dirty, but everything else looked okay. I know about the burn on your leg, but I'm guessing there's more under your shirt."

Goth's cheeks burned from the implication as he protested, "I already had a drink, the burns will heal on their own."

"But they still hurt right now and they'll leave a mark if they're left alone, right?" Palette countered, pulling out the tube of burn ointment and giving Goth a pleading expression, "Part of my job is taking care of you and it'll make me feel a lot better knowing I did something to help. It won't take long and I'll be gentle... please?"

The small vampire felt his resistance rapidly waning, knowing full well he could never resist for long whenever his servant made a request with such an earnest expression. He had to admit Palette had a point as well; while the burns weren't serious, they still had the potential to leave a mark.

Shelving his embarrassment, Goth grumbled out his agreement while pulling at the sleeves of his cloak; followed shortly after by his shirt. The stone walls surrounding them did little to ward off how self-conscious he felt being half-dressed out in public, much less in front of Palette.

The taller skeleton was too busy popping the cap open and squeezing a dollop of ointment onto his finger to notice Goth's fidgeting. Scooting closer, the servant placed his hand under the smaller's fibula to hold his legs steady, causing a tight sensation in the vampire's soul that made him gasp. Palette paused, asking, "Sorry, was I too rough?"

"No," he hurriedly denied, scrambling for an excuse since he couldn't claim surprise this time, "... your fingers were cold."

Goth felt bad for lying, but he knew it would only worry his companion if he told the truth since even he didn't know what was happening. Palette looked surprised, quirking his mouth as he removed his hand to stare at it, "That's weird, my hands don't feel cold." Wiping the opaque gel onto the tip of the tube and propping it up against the first aid kit, the servant vigorously rubbed his hands together for a few seconds before smiling in satisfaction, "There, they should be warmer now." Taking up the tube and swiping his finger to recollect the ointment, he tried again while asking, "Is that better?"