Ash’s foot tapped furiously against the frame of the examination table, his nervous energy impossible to contain. Gary had returned, still wearing that infuriating smirk that somehow felt both comforting and annoying. He shut the door behind him with a soft click, the sound echoing in Ash’s ears like a countdown to doom.

"Alright, Ashy-boy, first things first," Gary said, snapping on a pair of latex gloves with a theatrical flourish. "I’ll check your eyes. Don’t worry, it won’t hurt… unless you’re secretly a vampire. Then we’ll have a problem."

"Ha. Ha." Ash’s laugh was weak, barely audible over the pounding of his heart. His leg bounced up and down uncontrollably, and his hands clenched the edges of the table like his life depended on it.

Gary noticed. He always noticed.

"Hey," Gary said, his voice softening. He reached out and placed a hand over Ash’s trembling ones. "You’re gonna be okay. It’s me, Ashy. You trust me, don’t you?"

Ash looked up, his wide brown eyes meeting Gary’s. He wanted to say something reassuring, something confident, but all that came out was a shaky, "Y-Yeah… I trust you."

Gary gave him a small, genuine smile and squeezed his hands briefly before letting go. "Good. Now, let’s get started. Eyes first."

Ash watched as Gary grabbed a small flashlight from the counter. The metallic click of the button felt unnervingly loud in the quiet room, and the beam of light made him squint.

"Follow the light, buddy," Gary instructed, holding the flashlight in front of Ash’s face and slowly moving it from left to right. "Don’t move your head, just your eyes."

Ash tried his best, but the effort of focusing on the light while his mind raced with a hundred anxious thoughts made his head spin. Gary noticed his struggle and chuckled softly. "Relax, Ashy-boy. You’re not failing a test. Just follow the light."

Gary moved the flashlight in different directions—up, down, diagonal—and Ash followed as best he could.

"Good," Gary said, flicking the flashlight off. "Now your ears."

He grabbed an otoscope and gestured for Ash to tilt his head. Ash hesitated but eventually leaned slightly to the right. Gary gently pulled his ear back and peered inside.

"No bugs in here," Gary teased. "Unless you count whatever’s been bugging you lately."

Ash groaned softly. "Can you not joke right now, Gary?"

Gary laughed. "Sorry, couldn’t help it. Other ear, Ashy."

The process repeated, and when Gary finished, he grabbed a tongue depressor. "Say ‘ahh.’"

Ash hesitated again, but Gary raised an eyebrow and said, "Come on, buddy. You’ve yelled ‘Pikachu, Thunderbolt!’ louder than this."

Reluctantly, Ash opened his mouth. Gary used the depressor to check his throat, then stepped back. "Throat looks fine. Now, let’s check your heart."

That made Ash freeze. He stared at Gary, his hands clenching the table again. Gary sighed and crouched slightly to meet Ash’s eye level.

"Hey," Gary said softly. "It’s just me, okay? I’m not gonna hurt you. I’ll even warn you before I do anything."

Ash nodded, though his body remained tense. Gary picked up his stethoscope, warming it between his hands before placing it on Ash’s chest. "Take a deep breath for me, Ashy-boy. In and out."

Ash obeyed, but his breaths were shallow and shaky. Gary frowned. "Deeper, buddy. You can do it."

Ash tried again, this time managing a proper inhale and exhale. Gary listened intently, his face serious. "Your heart’s racing, but that’s probably just because you’re nervous."

He moved the stethoscope to Ash’s back, instructing him to sit up straight. "One more deep breath."

Ash complied, and Gary nodded. "Alright, reflexes next."

He grabbed a reflex hammer and tapped gently on Ash’s knees. Both legs kicked out automatically, making Gary grin. "Good to see you’ve got some fight left in you, Ashy-boy."

Ash managed a small smile, his nerves settling slightly. But then Gary pulled out the blood pressure cuff, and Ash’s anxiety skyrocketed again.

"Relax, buddy," Gary said, wrapping the cuff around Ash’s arm. "This is just to check how much you’re stressing out right now."

Gary pumped the cuff, and Ash felt the tight squeeze around his arm. When the numbers appeared on the monitor, Gary’s eyes widened slightly.

"Uh... Ash? Your blood pressure is... really high. Like, really high."

Ash gulped. "How high?"

"400s," Gary said, his voice tinged with concern. "Ashy-boy, you need to calm down, or I’m gonna have to do something drastic."

"Like what?!" Ash asked, panicking.

Gary sighed, putting the cuff aside and sitting behind Ash on the examination table. Before Ash could react, Gary wrapped his arms around him in a firm yet comforting hug.

"Like this," Gary said simply. "Now stop squirming and just breathe, okay?"

Ash stiffened at first, but Gary didn’t let go. Slowly, Ash began to relax, his tense shoulders loosening as he leaned slightly into Gary’s embrace. His leg stopped bouncing, and his breathing steadied.

"You’re gonna be okay, Ashy," Gary murmured. "It’s just me. You’ve got nothing to worry about."

Ash nodded, his voice barely above a whisper. "Thanks, Gary."

"Anytime, buddy," Gary replied, a soft smile on his face as he held his best friend close.