Chapter Warnings: Depression, attempted suicide, swearing
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Goth threw out his arms, latching onto the back of Palette's jacket and yanking back with all his strength. He stumbled backward, overjoyed to feel his companion's weight fall back with him.
Scrambling to his feet, Goth hooked his arms under Palette's shoulders, struggling to pull him further away from the drop that was a mere two feet from their position. His breathing became ragged as his mind screamed at him to keep pulling, to not let go no matter what.
Not enough... not far enough... more... more... mo-
"... Goth?"
The simple word broke him from his panicked litany. The pair were nearly at the treeline a good ten feet from the edge of the cliff. Palette was staring up at him, his starry eyes watching him as though he were looking through a haze, dazed and unsure of what he was seeing.
Palette's mouth opened and shut over and over before he found his voice again, "Wh... what are you doing here?"
Goth trembled as the adrenaline fueling him wore off and his emotions caught up with him. Tears pricked at the edges of his sockets as his composure slipped, fear mixing with anger and confusion, "What am I doing here? What are you doing here? What the hell were you thinking?! You nearly walked off the damn cliff! You could have died!"
The small skeleton ignored his friend's shock, uncaring if he swore as he dropped to his knees, pressing his skull into Palette's back and wrapping his arms around their chest. He grasped the front of their jacket in a death grip as he broke into breathy sobs, "You... you almost died..."
A warm, shaking hand rested on his own, followed by the drip of hot tears as the normally cheerful monster cried alongside him.
"I... oh stars, I was... I... I almost... oh stars..." Palette's quiet, unsteady words pierced the silence as he curled in on himself while holding the arms wrapped around him like a lifeline.
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"Everything felt so overwhelming," Palette murmured, clutching his knees to his chest as he leaned against a tree, far away from the cliff on the opposite end of the hill, "Dad's living his life without us, mom's always busy trying to support us... and I didn't want to push all my negative feelings off on you since I know you're going through stuff too. I didn't want to add to it.
"I have plenty of other friends, sure, but no one that would really want to listen to my problems. It all just built up more and more each day and... and I came out here to think about stuff. I wasn't planning on actually doing anything, I just want to clear my skull a bit... I guess I let my mind wander too much.
"Next thing I know, I feel myself falling and I see you pulling me backward looking like your life depended on it. Or maybe I should say like my life depended on it, heh."
The laugh held none of its usual pep, sounding hollow even to him. He took a shaky breath as he stared at the cliff, murmuring, "Stars, I can't believe I almost walked right off..."
Goth leaned into him, resting his skull on Palette's shoulder as he said, "I'm sorry for not noticing the signs sooner. Since tests were coming up, I assumed that was why you'd gotten so quiet lately and I didn't want to pester you...
"But you know you can always talk to me when you're feeling down, right? Even if I'm going through stuff, I still want you to be able to talk to me. I never want you to get to the point of thinking... that's an option ever again. Even if I can't really do anything to help, I'm always willing to at least listen. You deserve to be happy."
The small skeleton took a deep breath, refusing the tears that wanted to crop back up at the reminder of what almost happened.
I can't cry, not now. Palette needs me to listen, not cry.
Palette laid his skull on top of the smaller, "Thanks Goth. Hearing that really means a lot to me. But I'm curious, how did you know I was... you know...?"
"I recognized the look on your face," Goth replied, watching the fading sun while his hands clenched subconsciously in his lap, "I could read those emotions like a book because I used to feel the same way all the time.
"Back before I met you, before I had anyone that would give me the time of day outside of my parents, it was just me alone with my thoughts all day. They got pretty dark and deep sometimes, and it was hard to dig myself out of that hole some days.
"Now, though... I find it's easier to pull myself back up because I know there are people that actually care about me and want me around waiting at the top."
An arm wrapped around Goth, startling him as another joined to pull him into a tight hug. He looked up to see Palette staring at him, his expression a mix of emotions the small skeleton couldn't quite decipher.
"That sounds about right, so thanks for being here to pull me back," Palette nuzzled into his friend, oblivious to the growing blush on Goth's face, "Also, I want you to know that you can talk to me too. I may not be a great listener all the time, but I want you to be happy too."
"Thanks," Goth returned the embrace, listening to his companion's soul beats as he let himself be warmed by their proximity and words.
You being here has already made me happier than you'll ever know.
Turning his skull back to the sunset, the hooded skeleton mumbled, "Hey... that old clearing we used to hang out in was looking pretty snarled. Maybe once we get some free time, we can fix it up, pitch a tent and have a sleepover. Like old times?"
"You know, I like the sound of that. Let's do that," Palette agreed, "Once finals are done, we'll grab some of dad's tools and tear those weeds apart. Make that clearing into a real hideout."
The taller skeleton gave Goth one last squeeze, then loosened his grip so they could both watch the sunset together. The smaller rested against his companion as he smiled, whispering, "It's a promise."
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Word count: 1,075