"You okay there, Gothy?"
Palette beamed at the way the smaller blushed and burrowed into his scarf at the use of the new nickname. The taller skeleton claimed the reactions were adorable, and Goth never told him to stop, so he would probably continue to use it.
Even if it feels a little embarrassing, it makes me feel special.
Reaching out his hand, Goth grabbed on and let himself be guided further up the slope, both skeletons being mindful of the snow still covering the ground.
Goth had spent two more days at the hospital recovering from the incident after waking up, mostly resting or chatting with his parents and Palette. The latter had barely left Goth's side the whole time, only leaving when school and visiting hours required him to.
When Goth's eye fully healed and he'd finally been discharged, he was still somewhat shaky on his feet. The nurses assured the worried skeletons it was merely weakness resulting from being confined to a bed for three days. Another day at home taking it easy had mostly cured that problem.
There was also the thin scar that had remained near Goth's left eye.
There had been nothing the healers could do to prevent it entirely. It was nearly invisible unless one knew to look for it and it was decently covered when Goth wore a hood... but for everyone involved it was a constant reminder of what had almost happened.
Now though, the pair was hiking up a hill at the park, Palette keeping a close eye on Goth the whole time. He had fussed over the small skeleton to make sure he was prepared for the cold weather this time, wearing a thick purple and white hooded jacket, long black pants, and white snow boots.
They weren't risking a second scare.
"For the millionth time, Palette, I'm fine," Goth huffed, but the smile on his face alluded to his appreciation for the concern. He gave the hand holding his own a firm squeeze.
Both families were still pretty worked up. He knew everyone was going to be mother henning over him for a while yet, Geno certainly was, so he couldn't fault his parents, Palette, or Dream for their actions. Especially since Goth now knew just how close he'd come to not waking up again.
His dad had pulled him aside at home this morning as he was getting ready to give him a hug... and to privately reveal how Goth's name had briefly appeared on his soul collection list.
The list was a little black book his dad used to keep track of the dying souls he's required to collect, one Goth would eventually come into possession of once he got older. Reaper told him about the timestamp next to his name before the entry completely vanished from the list while waiting in the hospital lobby...
"Ten more minutes...," the hooded skeleton murmured to himself, shivering at the thought.
Starry eyes turned toward him, "What? Did you say something?"
Goth quickly shook his head, plastering a smile on his face, "N-no, I was thinking to myself. How much farther is this surprise?"
Only Dad and I know the truth, I want to keep it that way.
Goth succeeded in distracting Palette as his face lit up, pulling Goth along, "Just over this hill, promise!"
As the pair trudged the last few feet up the hill, Palette lifted a snow-covered branch and gestured for Goth to walk through the opening he created. Ducking a bit under the branch, the small skeleton's eye light dilated, taking in the scenery before him.
An untouched clearing with a solitary flat rock in the middle. Palette walked up beside the hooded skeleton, his grin looked like it would break his skull if it got any bigger. "Pretty cool, huh?" he asked, directing the smaller toward the rock by his shoulders and sweeping the snow off so they could sit down. Goth moved reflexively, silently amazed by the sweeping field of flowers.
When he finally mustered up a reaction, he turned to Palette, his eye light shining brilliantly, "It's... it's so beautiful, Palette. Thank you!"
Heat rose onto the taller skeleton's cheeks. He turned away, his face burning with a bright green and yellow blush while stammering about something 'more beautiful'.
Emboldened by the mood, Goth leaned in and gave Palette a small peck on his right cheek, quickly settling his head onto their shoulder to gaze at the flowers.
"Love you, Palette," the smaller softly whispered.
Goth felt Palette shift abruptly next to him, trying to imagine the look on the taller's face since he didn't dare look up to see his reaction. He did his best to maintain a neutral expression, trying not to worry the hem of his jacket while wishing he could control his flushed face or his tense posture.
Is Palette shocked? Embarrassed? Happy? ... Why is he being so quiet? Was it too much?
Goth heard an amused huff as Palette wrapped an arm around him, feeling his companion slide him closer before planting a kiss of his own on top of the smaller's hood alongside the words, "I love you too, Gothy."
A triumphant smile played on Goth's face as his shoulders relaxed and he snuggled deeper into Palette's embrace, reveling in the warm moment together despite the freezing conditions surrounding them.
***
And that concludes my first story. Let me know in the comments what you liked best and any tips on what you thought were weak points. I want to make my stories better, but I need you guys to make it happen! Also, if you have story ideas or prompts, feel free to message me. Ciao for now~
Word count:891