^w^
***
Goth was woken by the sound of the doorbell. He blinked muzzily, taking in the familiar sight of the living room as he sat up from his position on the couch. He looked toward the clock on the wall, barely making out the hands in the dim evening light. It had only been maybe an hour since he got home.
Must have fallen asleep...
The doorbell went off again, pulling him back to the reason he was awake. Pushing off of the couch, he clicked on a light, yawning and stretching as he tromped over to the door. Grabbing the handle, he opened it to find his 'boyfriend', Palette, waiting on the other side.
"Hey Goth, I have something I need to talk to you ab-," Palette began, only to switch gears at the small skeleton's appearance, "... uh, are you okay?"
"Huh?"
"Your clothes are messed up and you look like you're crying," Palette supplied.
"Oh! Yeah, I'm fine," Goth adjusted his cloak and rubbed the sleep from his face as he explained, "I crashed on the couch after getting home from work and I just woke up."
"Rough day reaping?" Palette asked, his mouth pulling into a sympathetic smile.
"Yeah," the small skeleton sighed, "A coastal town got hit by a hurricane. Dad needed extra hands to handle the sudden volume, and even then there wasn't much time for a break between collections."
"Oh, that does sound rough...," Palette rubbed the back of his neck, shifting his starry eye lights toward the ground, "I should probably come back another time and let you rest..."
The hooded monster grabbed his hand before he could turn to leave, "No, you can stay. I'm already awake, and I could use the friendly company since mom's visiting relatives and I doubt Uncle Pap will let dad get out of documenting a reaping this largescale, so he's probably going to be stuck filling out paperwork until later tonight... now there's something to look forward to when I get older."
The taller skeleton chuckled as Goth rolled his eye light, accepting the invitation inside and finding a seat on the couch. Palette laid his right hand against his pants pocket as the smaller closed the door, "So what did you want to talk about? Usually, you text me if you have a question."
Palette didn't answer, his eye lights darting around, his sockets furrowing as if he were trying to figure out his words. Goth sat next to his companion, quirking a socket at his odd behavior.
Palette's always been pretty open about expressing himself. Why would he be so quiet now?
Goth probed softly, "Is everything alright? Did something happen?" He received a nod, but no verbal response.
A guessing game? That's new.
"Alright... something you need to tell me in person, but are having a hard time talking about...," Goth muttered, crossing his arms while tossing around the multitude of possibilities. Unfortunately, it didn't take long for his thoughts to take a negative turn.
Did I do something? Is he mad at me? He doesn't look mad... he looks conflicted. Nervous. What would he need to say to me that-
... wait... is he breaking up with me? That's it, isn't it? After four years together, he's finally figured out he doesn't love me. That's why he's suddenly so quiet. He doesn't know how to say it without hurting my feelings...
A hand on his arm startled him. Palette was watching him with a quizzical expression, "Goth? Are you sure you're okay? You look like you're crying again."
Goth rubbed his sockets with his sleeve, rubbing more vigorously when they came back damp. "Yeah. I'm good. I...," he took a breath to calm himself before he continued, "I'm a big monster. I can be mature about this, and it's alright. I... I understand."
Palette quirked a socket, "You do?"
Stars, a nap sounds really good right now... just curl up under the sheets and never come out again.
"I do," Goth confirmed, trying not to let it show how much the words hurt to say, "You said four years ago you would give 'us' a shot and that things might not work out. I always knew that this was a trial run kind of thing... and you've... you've found your answer. I enjoyed our time together, but if you don't feel comfortable being... together anymore-"
"Wait, what? No!" Palette interrupted, waving his hands frantically, "No, that's not what this is about... well, it kind of is, but it's not-... agh!" The skeleton clenched his sockets, knocking his hat askew as his hand scraped along his forehead.
"Look, the thing is...," Palette took a breath, looking at Goth but not quite meeting his eye lights, "I have found an answer. Four years ago, you said you loved me. I didn't know what to say because I had no concept of love to work off of... so I asked you to show me. And this is the conclusion I've come to.
"Love is smiling, laughing, and making memories that leave your soul feeling warm. Accepting someone at their weakest moments and helping them grow to be better while knowing it's okay to accept that same help in return so you can be better too. Talking openly without fearing judgment or ridicule. Being able to have a fight, but working through it toward common ground and still finding things you enjoy about each other.
"Love is sharing your time. Making plans for the future and always seeing the other as part of that plan. It's missing each other when you're apart and reveling in the reunion. Wanting to see those you care about smile, wanting to wipe away the tears, wanting to chase away the pain.
"Love is looking at that someone, and being able to say without hesitation that there is no one you would rather share your life with."
Goth quietly listened the whole time, not moving an inch. Everything Palette said sounded right and encompassed the main points of what he himself viewed as love.
Partway through his speech, the starry-eyed skeleton shoved his right hand in his pocket, seeming to fiddle with something inside, and Goth had to fight to focus on Palette's words and not to let the motion get his hopes up.
It can't be... it's too good to be true. He probably just found a small stone or something. I know he likes playing with objects while he's talking...
"Back then, you said you loved me and that you didn't want a future where I wasn't there, and all I knew was that I hated the idea of losing your friendship," Palette said with a tentative smile, pulling a curled fist from his pocket and staring at it, " Now, being able to finally understand... I don't want a future where you're not there either.
"To me, that's love."
Palette opened his hand. Goth's eye light dilated at the tiny black satin box resting in the skeleton's palm. He felt like he forgot how to breathe as the box was opened, revealing a gold band lined with tiny white diamonds. His gaze rose to meet his boyfriend's as the taller skeleton turned toward him, ring box in hand.
"Goth... would you be willing to share your future with me?" The monster proclaimed. The hooded skeleton slowly took the box from Palette's waiting hand.
The box is real... his words are real... this is real...
Goth launched himself toward the other, clutching the box while wrapping his arms around their neck, knocking their hat off from the force of his hug as he breathed, "Yes."
He repeated the word softly into Palette's shoulder, over and over, as if the world would shatter if he stopped.
Eventually, Palette wrapped his arms around him as the shock wore off, quiet laughter rumbling in his chest. He whispered, "Good... I'm glad. I've been trying to figure out how to tell you for... a little more than a month?... but I was worried if I didn't say it right after all this time, you would reject me. So... thanks for waiting for me, Goth."
Goth opened his mouth to reply but was startled by the front door swinging open, revealing a worn-looking Reaper, exhausted from a full day's work. A glance through the doorway to the starry sky outside showed that the couple's talk had lasted far longer than they realized.
The elder took one step inside, stopped, and stared dazedly at the sight of his son hugging Palette on the couch. The silence was broken as the cloaked skeleton slowly inquired, "Uh... someone want to fill me in on whatever this is?"
Well, that answers the question of who we're going to tell first.
***
So, did I fool you?
The previous ending was meant to be more open-ended since most of my stories tend to end with them together. I saw it as a more realistic 'maybe they will maybe they won't, let the reader decide' ending... but I like happy endings, and let's be real: most people probably read 'Alternate Ending' and assumed something bad would happen.
I couldn't pass up the opportunity~
Word count: 1,460