Eight year old Gary was reading a book when he heard a soft knock.

" Come in." He called.

There was a pause.

" ... Doctor Gary?"

Gary looked up from his book.

Doctor?

There was only one person who knew about that title.

He turned to see his poor best friend standing there.

He was also holding a needle.

Gary stood up from his table. " What's up?"

Ash whimpered. " ... Could you give me the shot?" He asked, his voice small.

Gary blinked. " Me? Why?"

Ash shook his head. " ... Never mind."

Gary grabbed his shoulder before he could go. " Nono, I'll do it. Hop on the bed, Kay?"

Ash hesitated for a moment before nodding slowly. He climbed onto Gary’s bed, sitting with his legs swinging slightly off the side, his grip on the syringe tight. His hands were shaking.

Gary, despite his young age, could see how nervous his best friend was. His brown eyes softened as he took the syringe from Ash’s trembling hands, placing it carefully on his desk.

"Hey, Ashy-boy," Gary said gently, crouching down so he was eye level with Ash. "Why do you want me to do it? Didn’t the nurse or your mom offer to give you the shot?"

Ash looked down, his tiny fingers clenching the hem of his shirt. "I… I don’t like it when they do it," he admitted in a whisper. "It always hurts. They do it fast, and I get scared, and… and it just hurts."

Gary frowned. Fast? He had seen his grandpa give shots before, and he knew that if done properly, they didn’t have to hurt that much.

He reached out, placing a reassuring hand on Ash’s shoulder. "Okay, buddy. I got you. But I need you to trust me, alright?"

Ash peeked up at him through his messy bangs, eyes wary but hopeful. "You won’t… just stab me, right?"

Gary almost dropped the alcohol wipe he had grabbed from his desk. "What?! No way! Who told you that’s how it’s done?"

Ash shrugged, looking away. "That’s just how it’s always been."

Gary’s frown deepened, his grip on the alcohol wipe tightening. He didn’t like the sound of that.

"Alright, well, I’m not gonna do that," he promised, his voice firm. "I’ll be really careful, okay?"

Ash nodded hesitantly, letting Gary roll up his sleeve.

Gary took a deep breath, trying to remember everything he had seen Grandpa Oak do when giving shots. He wiped Ash’s arm with the alcohol pad, his movements slow and gentle.

Ash flinched slightly at the cold, but didn’t pull away.

"See? Not so bad," Gary said with a small grin.

Ash gave him a tiny, nervous smile in return.

Then came the tricky part. Gary grabbed the syringe and checked it the way he had seen his grandpa do, making sure there were no air bubbles. Then, he looked back at Ash.

"Okay, buddy, here’s what we’re gonna do," Gary said. "I want you to take a deep breath in and then let it out real slow. We’ll do it together, okay?"

Ash nodded.

"In… out… Good job. One more time."

As Ash exhaled again, Gary took that moment to carefully insert the needle into his arm.

Ash tensed, but to his surprise, it didn’t hurt as much as it usually did.

"Done," Gary said a second later, quickly pulling the needle out and pressing a cotton ball to the spot. "See? Told ya it’d be okay."

Ash blinked in surprise. "That was it?"

Gary smirked, taping the cotton ball in place. "Yup. You didn’t even cry, Ashy-boy. I’m proud of you."

Ash’s cheeks went a little red, but he looked relieved. He swung his legs again, glancing at the syringe that Gary was now safely disposing of.

"Thanks, Doctor Gary," Ash mumbled, rubbing his arm slightly. "That was way better than normal."

Gary puffed out his chest. "Of course! I am the best, after all."

Ash rolled his eyes, but a small, grateful smile remained on his face.

And from that moment on, whenever Ash needed a shot, he always went to Gary first.

Ash hesitated, shifting on his feet, but eventually obeyed, climbing onto the bed. His small hands gripped the hem of his shirt tightly as he sat down, his legs swinging just above the floor.

Gary pulled his chair over, sitting in front of him. "Okay, Ashy-boy, tell me what’s going on. Why do you want me to do it?"

Ash fidgeted, lowering his gaze. "Because… it always hurts. And I don’t wanna go to the doctor. They do it too fast… and too hard." His voice wavered. "They don't even talk to me first. They just… do it."

Gary frowned. That… didn't sound right. "You mean they don’t warn you?"

Ash shook his head, gripping the needle in his little hands. "They just grab my arm and do it." He sniffled. "But you're nice, Gary. You always say stuff before you do things. I—" His breath hitched. "I just don't wanna be scared anymore."

Gary felt something twist in his chest. His best friend—his brave best friend—was scared.

"Hey, Ash," he said softly, placing a hand on Ash's knee. "You're safe here, okay? I'm gonna make sure it doesn't hurt."

Ash's fingers loosened their death grip on the needle slightly, but his shoulders were still tense.

Gary stood up and went to the desk, grabbing some alcohol wipes and a piece of cotton. "Alright, buddy, let's do this right." He turned back and smiled, trying to keep things light. "So, which arm?"

Ash hesitated before holding out his left arm. It was shaking.

Gary took the needle from him gently, setting it aside for a moment. "Okay, first, we gotta clean the spot." He ripped open the alcohol wipe and rubbed it carefully over Ash’s upper arm. "It's cold, huh?"

Ash flinched slightly at the chill but nodded.

"You're doing great," Gary encouraged. "Now, I know the needle's the scary part, but I promise, I'll go slow. If you need to squeeze something, you can grab my hand, okay?"

Ash hesitated for only a second before grabbing Gary’s free hand and clenching it tightly.

Gary squeezed back. "Alright, here we go. Just keep looking at me, Ashy-boy."

Ash nodded, his brown eyes locking onto Gary's. He was scared, but he trusted Gary.

Gary exhaled and pressed the needle into Ash’s arm, carefully and steadily, just like he had seen real doctors do. Ash flinched but didn’t yelp like he usually did.

"Almost done, buddy," Gary assured. He pressed the plunger down slowly. "You’re doing awesome."

Ash's grip on Gary’s hand tightened for a moment, but then, before he knew it—

"Done!" Gary announced, pulling the needle out smoothly and pressing the cotton to the injection site. "See? That wasn’t so bad, was it?"

Ash blinked. "It's… over?"

"Yup!" Gary grabbed a bandage and carefully placed it over the spot, patting it gently. "You're all good now."

Ash stared at his arm in disbelief. "But… but it didn't hurt!"

Gary smirked. "Told ya I'd do it right."

Ash’s eyes welled up, and before Gary could react, Ash flung himself forward, wrapping his arms around Gary in a tight hug.

"Whoa—Ash!" Gary almost toppled over but caught himself, laughing. "What’s this for?"

"Thank you," Ash whispered against his shoulder. "You're the best doctor ever."

Gary felt his face heat up, but he hugged Ash back just as tightly. "Anytime, Ashy-boy. Anytime."

Ash hesitated for a moment, clutching the needle in his small hands. His fingers trembled slightly as he looked at the floor, like he was debating whether this was a good idea.

Gary, noticing his hesitation, softened his voice. “Hey, it’s okay, Ashy-boy. If you want me to do it, I will. I promise I’ll be careful.”

Ash peeked up at him with big, uncertain eyes before nodding slowly. He turned, shuffling toward the bed in the corner of Gary’s room and climbed up. His movements were slow, almost reluctant, but he still lay down, resting his arms at his sides.

Gary grabbed a small alcohol wipe from his desk, tearing the packet open. “Okay, where does it go?” he asked, looking at Ash expectantly.

Ash pointed to his upper arm. “Here.”

Gary nodded, taking a deep breath as he rubbed the spot with the wipe. “Alright, this might be a little cold.”

Ash flinched slightly at the cool sensation against his skin but didn’t say anything. He just stared at the ceiling, his jaw clenched.

Gary frowned. His best friend looked really nervous. “Hey, buddy,” he said gently, “Why’d you come to me for this? What about the nurse?”

Ash didn’t answer right away. He gripped the bedsheet in his fists, his small shoulders trembling. Finally, after a long pause, he whispered, “It… hurts when they do it.”

Gary froze.

“… Hurts?” His voice was quiet, but there was an edge to it.

Ash nodded slightly. “They just… do it really fast. They don’t wait, they don’t check if I’m okay. They just stab me with it.” His voice was barely above a whisper. “And it always hurts…”

Gary’s grip on the syringe tightened.

What the heck? They were just giving a shot! Why weren’t they making sure Ash was comfortable first? Why weren’t they being careful?

Taking a deep breath, Gary forced himself to calm down. Getting mad wouldn’t help Ash right now.

Instead, he gave a small smile and placed a hand on Ash’s arm. “Don’t worry, Ashy-boy. I won’t do that to you, okay?”

Ash blinked up at him. “Promise?”

Gary squeezed his arm reassuringly. “Promise.”

Slowly, he picked up the needle and uncapped it. His hands were steady—he had watched his grandpa do this a million times before. He knew what to do.

“Okay, buddy, I need you to relax for me.”

Ash let out a shaky breath, his fingers still gripping the sheets.

Gary reached out and gently took Ash’s free hand in his own, squeezing it. “Here, hold my hand. You can squeeze as hard as you need to, ‘kay?”

Ash hesitated before gripping Gary’s hand tightly.

Gary smiled softly. “Good. Now take a deep breath with me. In… and out… That’s it. One more, in… and out… There you go. Ready?”

Ash nodded hesitantly.

“Alright, I’m gonna count to three, okay? One… two…”

Before Ash could brace himself, Gary had already slipped the needle in with practiced ease. Quick, smooth, barely a pinch.

Ash blinked in surprise.

“…That’s it?”

Gary grinned. “Told ya I’d be careful.” He pushed the plunger down slowly before smoothly pulling the needle out. Grabbing a cotton ball, he pressed it gently to the spot. “Hold that there for a sec.”

Ash, still looking stunned, did as he was told. “That didn’t even hurt…”

Gary smirked. “Yeah, ‘cause I actually know what I’m doing.” He put the cap back on the needle before tossing it into the disposal bin Grandpa kept in the house. “See? Told ya I’d take care of ya.”

Ash stared at him, then suddenly let go of the cotton ball and launched himself at Gary, throwing his arms around him in a tight hug.

Gary yelped. “Whoa! Okay, okay—easy there, buddy!”

Ash buried his face in Gary’s shoulder. “Thanks, Doctor Gary…”

Gary froze.

His heart clenched.

Ash was the only person who ever called him that. And every time he did, it made Gary’s chest swell with something warm and fierce.

Carefully, he wrapped his arms around Ash, hugging him back just as tight. “…Anytime, Ashy-boy. Anytime.”