Gary immediately snapped his book shut and tossed it aside, his full attention now on Ash. "Wait, wait, hold on. Get over here."

Ash hesitated in the doorway, nervously fidgeting with his shirt. "I- I don't wanna bother you..."

Gary rolled his eyes and patted the spot next to him on the bed. "You're not bothering me, dummy. Now c'mon, let me see."

Ash bit his lip but slowly shuffled forward, climbing onto the bed. He sat stiffly, hands clasped together in his lap.

Gary reached over to his nightstand and grabbed a pair of gloves from the small first aid kit he always kept there. He snapped them on, then turned to Ash with a serious expression. "Alright, open up."

Ash hesitated before opening his mouth just a little.

Gary sighed. "Wider, buddy."

Ash whined but obeyed, his lips parting more.

Gary leaned in, his gloved fingers gently pressing against Ash's cheek as he peered inside. He poked around carefully, checking his gums and pressing along the molars. "Does this hurt?"

Ash made a small noise, his eyes darting toward Gary anxiously.

Gary frowned and continued feeling around, then suddenly—

wiggle.

Ash's entire body froze. His breath hitched. His eyes widened.

Gary blinked. Then he poked the tooth again.

wiggle, wiggle.

Ash shrieked.

"GAH!" He yanked back so fast he almost tumbled off the bed. "GARY, WHAT WAS THAT?!"

Gary's brow twitched. "Calm down, Ashy-boy, it's just a loose tooth."

Ash gasped, his hands flying to his mouth. "A- A WHAT?!"

Gary sighed, rubbing his temples. "A loose tooth, you doofus."

Ash started hyperventilating. "Oh no. Oh no, no, no—Gary, my tooth is BROKEN—"

Gary quickly grabbed his shoulders. "It's NOT broken, Ash! It's supposed to happen!"

Ash's eyes darted wildly. "No it's not—!"

Gary groaned and grabbed his little hand mirror off his nightstand, flipping it open. "Look."

Ash, still trembling, peeked at his reflection. His breath hitched when he saw it—the slightly wobbly tooth near the front.

He stared. And stared. And stared.

Then he panicked even more.

"GARY, I'M FALLING APART—!"

"YOU'RE NOT FALLING APART, ASH!"

"I AM!"

Gary let out a long sigh, rubbing his face. "Ash, every kid loses their baby teeth. It's totally normal."

Ash, still clutching his cheeks, blinked rapidly. "B-But—"

"No 'buts.' It'll fall out on its own when it's ready, okay? Nothing bad's gonna happen."

Ash whimpered. "I don't want it to fall out..."

Gary softened, reaching up to ruffle Ash's hair. "I know, buddy. But it's all part of growing up. And hey, you know what happens when you lose a tooth?"

Ash sniffled. "W-what...?"

Gary smirked. "The Tooth Fairy comes."

Ash blinked.

Gary nodded sagely. "Yep. She takes your tooth and leaves money under your pillow."

Ash furrowed his brows. "She steals my tooth?!"

Gary sighed. "It's not stealing, Ash, she pays you for it."

Ash looked skeptical. "How much?"

Gary huffed. "I dunno, depends. I got, like, a few bucks per tooth."

Ash's eyes widened. "Wait... so if I lose a lot of teeth... I can be rich?"

Gary facepalmed. "That's not how it works—Ash, stop yanking on your teeth!"

Ash immediately dropped his hands, grinning sheepishly. "Eheh... right."

Gary rolled his eyes, exasperated but fond. He flopped back onto the bed, arms crossed behind his head. "Well, now that you're not screaming, I'd say this check-up is done."

Ash pouted, rubbing his sore tooth. "Mmm... Still don't like it."

Gary reached over and flicked his forehead. "You'll live."

Ash whined, but when Gary smirked at him, he couldn't help but giggle.

Gary grinned. "See? Not so bad, huh?"

Ash sighed, leaning back next to him. "Mmm... I guess..."

Gary smirked. "And hey, if you're lucky, maybe the Tooth Fairy'll bring you a whole dollar."

Ash gasped dramatically. "A WHOLE DOLLAR?!"

Gary snickered. "Yep."

Ash beamed. "...Losing teeth might not be so bad after all."

Gary rolled his eyes. "Took ya long enough."

Gary slammed his book shut. "Ash, sit down. Right now."

Ash, who had started to back away, froze. "H-Huh?"

Gary pointed at the bed, his face full of big-brother authority. "Bed. Now."

Ash gulped and quickly climbed onto the bed, looking nervous. "I-It's probably nothing—"

Gary huffed. "Probably nothing doesn't make you panic, dummy." He grabbed a pair of gloves from his nightstand, snapping them on like a professional.

Ash whimpered. "I-I don't like this..."

Gary softened immediately. He sat next to Ash and gave him a reassuring nudge. "Hey, it's just me, buddy. I'll be super gentle, I promise."

Ash bit his lip but nodded hesitantly.

Gary smiled. "Okay, open up."

Ash blinked. "...Like, my mouth?"

Gary snorted. "No, I meant the window—yes, your mouth, genius."

Ash pouted but obeyed, opening his mouth.

Gary leaned in, squinting as he gently pressed along Ash's jaw, feeling for any swelling. Then, carefully, he ran a gloved finger along Ash's gums and teeth.

Ash flinched when Gary pressed on one of the top front teeth.

Gary's eyes widened. "Whoa."

Ash immediately panicked. "WHAT?! What's wrong?! Am I dying?! Are my teeth gonna fall out?! GARY, AM I GONNA BE TOOTHLESS FOREVER?!?"

Gary groaned and rubbed his forehead. "Ash, calm down—"

"I CAN'T CALM DOWN, MY TEETH ARE FALLING OUT—"

Gary clapped a hand over Ash's mouth. "Ashy-boy, relax."

Ash whimpered against his hand, eyes wide and watery.

Gary sighed and removed his hand. "Listen, kid. It's just a loose tooth. That's normal."

Ash blinked. "...Normal?"

Gary nodded. "Yep. Everyone gets them."

Ash still looked unsure. "B-But why?"

Gary rolled his eyes but smiled. "Because you're growing up, dummy. Your baby teeth gotta make room for your big-kid teeth."

Ash pouted, looking like he was on the verge of tears again. "B-But I don't want them to fall out! I like my teeth! They're mine!"

Gary sighed, rubbing Ash's back. "I promise they grow back, bud. It's not like when you lose a sock."

Ash sniffled. "You're sure?"

Gary nodded. "One hundred percent."

Ash hesitated, then reached up and gently poked his loose tooth. He immediately flinched and whined. "It wiggles..."

Gary grinned. "Yeah, that means it's getting ready to come out."

Ash shook his head violently. "No. Nope. Nuh-uh. Not happening. Not today. Not ever."

Gary sighed, already seeing where this was going. "Ash—"

"Nope. I'm keeping it."

Gary crossed his arms. "You can't keep it forever."

"Yes, I can."

Gary pinched the bridge of his nose. "Ash, buddy, listen to me—"

"Nope, I don't hear anything. I'm keeping all my teeth forever."

Gary groaned dramatically. "Ash, it's literally gonna fall out on its own."

Ash crossed his arms stubbornly. "Then I just won't eat. Or talk. Or move my mouth. Ever again."

Gary stared. "...That's the dumbest plan I've ever heard."

Ash pouted, looking betrayed. "I thought it was a pretty good plan..."

Gary rolled his eyes, then got up and grabbed a small mirror from his nightstand. "Here, look for yourself."

Ash hesitated but took the mirror. He carefully tilted it so he could see the tiny wobbling tooth in his mouth.

His eyes widened.

He shrieked.

Gary slapped a hand over his ears. "Jeez, Ash! It's just a loose tooth, not a ghost!"

Ash grabbed Gary's sleeve. "GARY, FIX IT."

Gary blinked. "Huh?"

"MAKE IT STAY."

Gary snorted. "Dude, I'm not a wizard."

Ash shook him. "GAAAAAARYYYY!"

Gary sighed, shaking his head with a small grin. "Alright, alright, calm down. It's not coming out today, okay? It still needs some time."

Ash whimpered. "But what if it does? What if I wake up and it's gone?!"

Gary smirked. "Then the Tooth Fairy's gonna leave you some money."

Ash frowned. "Wait, the what?"

Gary blinked. "Dude... you don't know about the Tooth Fairy?"

Ash shook his head.

Gary gasped dramatically. "Ashy-boy, you've been missing out!"

Ash tilted his head, suddenly curious. "...Tell me more."

Gary grinned. Oh, this was gonna be fun.