Gary turned around in his chair, eyes narrowing at his wailing best friend. "What do you mean your ear hurts?"

Ash whimpered, clutching the side of his head as he shuffled closer. "It huuurts!" His lower lip trembled. "It’s all hot and itchy and bad!"

Gary frowned. He set his pencil down, pushing himself up. "Alright, c’mere, let me see."

Ash immediately latched onto him, burying his face into Gary’s chest.

Gary staggered back a step. "Whoa, bud—easy—"

"Make it stoooop," Ash whined into his shirt.

Gary sighed, rubbing his back. "I will, but you gotta let me see first, okay?"

Ash sniffled, nodding.

Gary gently guided him to the bed. "Alright, up you go."

Ash obeyed, crawling up and sitting cross-legged, still gripping his ear.

Gary sat next to him, tilting his head. "Lemme see, Ash."

Ash hesitated but eventually lowered his hand.

Gary leaned in—then winced.

Ash’s ear was angry red and swollen, the skin around it inflamed.

"...Ash, how long has it been like this?"

Ash fidgeted. "...A while?"

Gary shot him a look.

Ash pouted. "I didn’t know it was bad!"

Gary sighed, reaching for his kit. "Alright, hold still."

Ash yelped the second Gary touched it. "OW!"

Gary pulled back immediately. "Sorry! Sorry—jeez, Ash..."

Ash whimpered again, eyes watery.

Gary softened. "Okay, bud, listen to me," he said gently. "It’s infected. I need to clean it, and..." He hesitated. "I might have to cut it open."

Ash froze.

"...Cut it?" His voice was small.

Gary nodded slowly. "Yeah, but I'll be careful. I promise."

Ash sniffled, eyes darting to his ear.

Gary squeezed his shoulder. "You trust me, right?"

Ash bit his lip, then finally nodded.

Gary nodded back. "Okay. Lay down for me."

Ash laid down, still looking nervous.

Gary worked quickly, sterilizing a scalpel. "This'll sting a little, okay?"

Ash squeezed his eyes shut, gripping Gary’s sleeve.

Gary carefully made a small incision.

Ash whimpered, squeezing tighter.

Gary kept his hand steady. "You're doing great, Ash. Just a little more..."

A small amount of pus drained out. Gary quickly cleaned it, applied antiseptic, and bandaged the area.

"Done," he murmured, smoothing Ash’s hair.

Ash blinked up at him. "...That’s it?"

Gary smiled. "That’s it, bud."

Ash sagged in relief, then—without hesitation—he rolled onto Gary’s lap, pressing his face into his stomach.

Gary blinked. "...Uh—"

Ash mumbled something into his shirt.

Gary sighed, resting a hand on his head. "Yeah, yeah, you big baby."

Ash didn’t respond. He just snuggled in closer.

Gary shook his head but let him be.

"...Love you, Doc," Ash muttered sleepily.

Gary smirked. "Love you too, dummy."

"Garyyyyyyy!" Eight-year-old Ash wailed, his voice thick with tears as he clutched the side of his head. "My ear huuuurts!"

Gary, who had been reading through his latest notes at his desk, blinked and turned around. "What?"

Ash stomped over, sniffling and whimpering, before throwing himself into Gary’s arms. "It hurts, Gary! It really hurts!"

Gary instinctively caught him, feeling the boy trembling against his chest. He frowned and gently eased Ash back just enough to look at his face. His best friend's wide brown eyes were glassy with unshed tears, his lower lip trembling.

Gary's concern doubled. "Alright, alright, calm down, buddy. Let me check, okay?"

Ash sniffled, nodding weakly.

Gary guided him to the bed, hoisting him up with ease. "Stay still for me, Ashy-boy."

Ash whined but did as told, squeezing his eyes shut. Gary carefully tilted his head and examined his ear. The second he got a closer look, his stomach dropped.

The skin was swollen, a deep, angry red. A small wound near the edge oozed a tiny bit of pus, and when Gary barely pressed around the area—

"Owowowowow! GARY!"

Ash jerked, fresh tears spilling down his face as he clung to Gary’s arm. "It hurts! I don’t like it, I don’t like it, I don’t like it!"

Gary immediately pulled back. "Okay! Okay, I won’t touch it! Shh, shh, I gotcha."

Ash whimpered, curling into his best friend’s arms. Gary let out a slow breath, rocking him slightly. "It's infected, Ash."

Ash sniffled, voice muffled against Gary’s shirt. "W-What does that mean?"

Gary sighed. "It means I need to clean it up, and…" He hesitated. "I... might have to cut a bit of your ear to stop the infection from spreading."

Ash froze.

Then—

"NOOOOOOOOOOO!"

Gary winced. "Ash, buddy—"

"I DON'T WANNA LOSE MY EAAAAR!" Ash wailed, clutching at his head dramatically. "I like my ear! I need my ear! Gary, don’t take my ear!"

Gary grabbed him by the shoulders. "Ash! Calm down! I’m not gonna take your whole ear!"

Ash sniffled. "...You’re not?"

Gary shook his head. "No, dummy. Just a tiny piece of the infected skin. It won’t even be noticeable."

Ash stared at him, eyes still wet. "...Promise?"

Gary softened. "Promise."

Ash hesitated. Then, with great reluctance, he mumbled, "...Okay."

Gary nodded, gently laying Ash on the bed. "Alright, Ashy-boy. I need you to be real brave for me, okay?"

Ash gave a shaky nod. "O-Okay…"

Gary pulled out his medical kit, cleaning his hands thoroughly before sterilizing a pair of small scissors. He then grabbed a numbing agent, carefully dabbing it along the swollen area.

Ash whimpered at the cool sensation. "What’s that?"

"It’s so you don’t feel anything when I cut, alright?"

Ash gave a weak nod, clutching at Gary’s sleeve as he continued to tremble.

Once Gary was sure the area was numb, he took a steady breath. "Okay, Ash. Here we go."

He worked quickly—carefully snipping away the infected tissue before Ash could panic too much. The kid flinched slightly, but thanks to the numbing agent, he didn’t seem to feel any pain.

Gary wiped away the remaining pus and disinfected the wound thoroughly, making sure nothing was left behind. Then, he bandaged the area snugly, ensuring it was protected.

Finally, he sighed in relief. "All done, bud."

Ash cracked one eye open. "...Really?"

Gary smirked. "Yeah, really. You still got your ear, see?"

Ash hesitated before tentatively touching the bandaged area. When he realized nothing felt too different, his shoulders slumped.

"...That wasn’t so bad…" he admitted quietly.

Gary chuckled, ruffling his hair. "Told ya."

Ash immediately climbed into Gary’s lap, wrapping his arms around his waist. "Never do that again."

Gary sighed, pulling him close. "I don’t plan on it, kid."

Ash just nuzzled into his chest, exhausted from all the crying.

Gary shook his head fondly, resting his chin atop Ash’s messy black hair as he continued to hold him.

"You’re such a handful, Ashy-boy."

A muffled, sleepy response: "Mm... but I’m your handful…"

Gary sighed, smiling softly.

"Yeah, you are."