I always love reading the comments people make on each chapter, it's hilarious and sometimes amazing to see other people's perspectives.
Chapter Warnings: Depression
***
Overcoming the shock of the normally calm and collected Reaper shouting at him, Palette squeaked out, "Y... Yeah, he's here. He showed up about ten minutes ago looking really upset saying he didn't want to be alone. We're about to eat and play some video games."
The young skeleton could hear the tension drain from the adult's voice as he breathed, "Thank the stars... I swear that kid's gonna be the death of me."
Palette noticed the older skeleton wasn't laughing at their own joke. Turning to make sure he was still alone first, he asked quietly, "... If you don't mind me asking, did something happen?"
There was a pause on Reaper's end before he said, "Has Goth told ya what he does for a living?"
"Yeah... he said he collects souls from people that have passed away and guides them to the afterlife," the young skeleton stated in a wary tone.
"Yup," the parent confirmed only to release a heavy sigh as he continued, "Unfortunately, some cases are more... difficult to handle than others. Those are usually assigned to more senior reapers or I do them myself if I have time.
"Goth was acting like his normal self when he picked up his list this morning, but the day passed and he never showed up to hand in his report. I wasn't too worried since it's not unusual for collections to drag on longer than intended. It wasn't until I looked into his assignments that I found out there was a mix-up and he somehow got saddled with one of the more violent cases by accident."
"Oh stars...," Palette whispered, his mind buzzing in dread at the thought of what 'violent case' could mean. It would definitely explain Goth's earlier behavior.
"Pretty much my reaction when I found out," Reaper confessed, "I called Goth right away to check in and got his voicemail. Then I tried Geno and he was out shopping. Said he forgot something he needed for supper and wanted to get some errands done while he was out. Geno teleported home once I told him what happened and he found the door was unlocked, but Goth was nowhere to be found. To make matter worse, Geno started panicking when his call to Goth's phone went straight to voicemail as well."
That explained Reaper's outburst. They were both probably fearing the worst.
"Well, he seemed really shaken up when he came over and didn't want to talk about what was bothering him, but it didn't look like he was hurt," Palette explained as the microwave beeped, prompting him to shift the phone between his shoulder and skull to free up his hands, "I brought him inside for some video games to help distract him and started making some bagel bites for us to eat. Do you want him to come home instead?"
Reaper's voice seemed unsure as he said, "Goth's only had one bad run-in on the job before, one of his first assignments. I had to step in and it took him over a week before he was able to go out and try again. I've tried to keep him to tamer collections since then, but he might need a few days to relax if the assessment in front of me's anything to go by.
"Geno most likely wants him home... but honestly, it'd probably be better for him to stay with ya since you're the one he went to for help. If ya think ya got a handle on things and Dream doesn't mind him staying over, he'd probably be more comfortable there."
Palette put the last of the bagel bites onto a plate, tossing the greasy paper towel into the trash and moving over to the sink as he replied, "I don't mind and mom's supposed to be gone all weekend, so we can keep each other company. If anything happens or Goth decides he wants to go home, I can just call you or Mister Geno, right?"
"Sounds like a plan. I'll let Geno know Goth's okay and he's staying with you," Reaper sighed in relief, "Just try not to have too much fun, or Geno might blow up at both of us."
Palette paused from washing the grease off his hands, "Why would Mister Geno be mad at us having fun?"
"... Nevermind, you don't need to worry about it," the parent chuckled nervously before composing himself, "But seriously, thanks for being there and looking after him. Our job can be emotionally taxing, so it's good to know Goth has someone he can trust besides us when things get to be too much."
"No problem, I'm happy to help," Palette chirped, drying off his hands and retrieving the plate, "is there anything you want me to tell him?"
"Let Goth know he's got the weekend off," Reaper suggested, "though I'll need him to send over whatever collections he completed today so I can figure out what's done and what needs to be juggled around. I'd also remind him to call or text his mom before taking off next time... maybe have him send Geno a text later for some peace of mind."
"Right," Palette cringed, knowing how Geno tended to be, "Anyways, I should get back to Goth. I'll call if anything changes."
"Thanks, have a good night," Reaper bid farewell, a soft click signaling the end of the call. Pocketing his phone once more, Palette jogged back up the stairs with their food.
Peeking into his room, Goth seemed to be lost in thought as he stared at the screen, tapping through the clothing menu. Palette announced himself by rapping his knuckle against the doorframe and entered the room, "Hey, how's it going? Find anything you like?"
"Oh, yeah... I think I'm almost finished," Goth confirmed quietly as Palette set the plate down in front of them and flopped onto his pillow. With a soft murmur of thanks, the hooded monster took one of the bagel bites from the small pile and nibbled on it as his attention returned to the T.V.
"Your dad called while I was downstairs," Palette relayed as he picked up one of the bites, "He wanted to make sure you're okay. He said you have the weekend off and could stay over if you wanted. He also needs you to send him what you collected for work and recommended you text your mom later."
Goth flinched, "Sh- shoot, mom must be worried sick... and I completely forgot to report back to dad, I should do that now." Setting down the controller and reaching for his phone, he tapped on the screen and frowned when it didn't light up. Pressing the button on the side did nothing as well.
Palette peeked over, "It must have died. You can put it on my charger and message them later."
"Alright, thank you," the smaller murmured with a tired expression, plugging his phone in and setting it on Palette's nightstand, returning to his seat and picking up the controller once more. Watching closely as Goth refocused on the game, the taller skeleton could make out faint bags lining the smaller's sockets. His legs were tucked up against his chest as his arms curled around them holding onto the controller and there was a distinct slump to his posture. He still looked sad.
Determined to change the mood, Palette scooted closer and wrapped his arms around Goth's shoulders and neck, nuzzling his cheek into the top of Goth's hood. The smaller yelped at the contact, "Palette?! W... What are you doing?"
"Sorry, you just looked like you needed a hug," the taller skeleton explained, resting his chin on top of their skull, "Do you want me to stop?"
"N... no... it's nice, thank you," Goth mumbled, grabbing another bite to cover his blush and returning to the game. Palette watched from his position as the smaller skeleton eventually settled on an outfit reminiscent of a purple and white wizard with various stickers scattered about its clothing.
Detaching himself from his friend and picking up his own controller, Palette quickly selected his own costume. The smaller snorted at the hodgepodge of items thrown on his companion's character, "What are you supposed to be?"
"I am a mutant bunnycorn sailor!" Palette stated proudly, puffing out his chest as Goth huffed amicably, "Anyways, let's start the first level."
As the pair were taken to what looked like a garden level, Goth quietly said, "Thank you, Palette."
"Hmm?"
"For letting me stay with you... and trying to make me feel better. Thank you," the smaller elaborated, his face flushing a bit.
"Of course!" Palette smiled brightly, "Anything you want to do, we have all weekend to do it!"
As Palette showed Goth how to move his character through the obstacles and they progressed through the game, he noticed the small skeleton's posture slowly shift and the air of melancholy around him seemed to dissipate a little.
It wasn't perfect, but Palette had all weekend to help Goth pick himself back up. For now, it was a step in the right direction.
***
Some of you might be wondering about Goth's first run-in. I used an ask from nekophy as a reference. Reaper would handle the violent or aggressive collections while he would let his brother (Reapertale Papyrus) handle the more mundane ones. When Goth came of age and Reaper brought him along for his first job, he figured Goth could handle the aggressive ones as well.
Unfortunately, the malevolence and hatred within the soul proved to be too much for Goth. It overwhelmed him, nearly causing another Reaper Chara to be born. Reaper stepped in before that could happen and reaped the soul in Goth's stead, but the incident left a mark on Goth and he wasn't able to work for a while.
Once he was finally ready to try again, Reaper tasked him to collect the soul of an old man. The old man was stubborn at first, but Goth was able to talk with them and help them pass on safely. That was Goth's first successful job.
Since then, I imagine Reaper is very careful who he hands out violent collections to, scattering them between the ones he thinks can handle them. This cuts down on the chance of another Chara incident happening while keeping his employees from going off the deep end and becoming the next name on the list.
Word Count: 1,517