Ash hesitated, clutching the syringe like it was a ticking time bomb. His wide brown eyes flickered between Gary and the bed, his bottom lip wobbling slightly.

Gary softened his grip on Ash's shoulder and guided him toward the bed. "C'mon, buddy. You trust me, don't you?"

Ash gulped but nodded, crawling up onto the mattress with slow, reluctant movements. He sat there, fidgeting with the hem of his shirt, looking anywhere but at Gary.

Gary took the syringe from him and examined it. "Okay, so this is just a regular vaccine, right? Nothing too scary."

Ash sniffled. "It is scary."

Gary hummed as he put on a pair of gloves, trying to sound as casual as possible. "Nah. What's scary is if I let you do this yourself and you stab the wrong place." He smirked as he grabbed a disinfecting wipe. "Then we'd both be in trouble."

Ash let out a weak chuckle, but the moment Gary rolled up his sleeve, he tensed again. "G-Gary, wait, wait, wait—"

Gary sighed, placing a firm yet gentle hand on Ash's arm. "Hey. Look at me."

Ash's wide eyes snapped up to meet Gary's steady gaze.

"You came to me for this, remember?" Gary reminded him. "You want me to do it because you know I'll be careful."

Ash swallowed thickly. "Y-yeah..."

"Okay. So here's what we'll do." Gary took Ash's free hand and placed it on his own wrist. "Squeeze as hard as you need to, alright?"

Ash gripped Gary's wrist immediately, his fingers digging in with nervous energy.

Gary smiled. "Good. Now, take a deep breath."

Ash obeyed, but he flinched as soon as he felt the cold wipe against his arm.

Gary sighed through his nose. "Ash. Deep breaths, buddy."

Ash whimpered, his grip tightening.

Gary counted under his breath as he prepped the needle. "Okay. On three, alright? One... two..."

Ash braced himself—

—and it was already over.

Ash blinked, barely processing the tiny pinch before Gary was already pulling away, capping the needle and pressing a cotton ball to the injection site.

"... H-huh?" Ash gasped, eyes wide.

Gary smirked. "Told ya it'd be fine."

Ash gaped at him, then at his arm, then back at Gary. "But— But I— But you—"

Gary snorted and pressed a Band-Aid over the spot. "You were so busy panicking, you didn't even notice."

Ash blinked rapidly, still processing, then he huffed and smacked Gary's shoulder. "You tricked me!"

Gary just laughed. "Hey, it worked, didn't it?"

Ash crossed his arms with a pout, but there was no real anger behind it. His eyes still looked watery, but his whole body had relaxed now that the ordeal was over.

Gary ruffled his hair. "See? Doctor Gary always takes care of his patients."

Ash grumbled. "... Thanks."

Gary grinned. "Anytime, Ashy-boy. Now, let's go tell your mom you were super brave."

Ash paled. "W-wait— Gary, don't—!"

But Gary was already darting out of the room, cackling, with Ash chasing after him.