Close Your Eyes (5SOS)

Summer Sky

A vintage Chevy truck pulls into the parking lot of Summer Sky Family Dental, which is just closing. When parked, the truck's passengers, Grace Clifford, Ashton Irwin, and Calum Hood exit and start up the stone steps.

Michael Clifford, DDS the door reads.

"Hey guys, Dr. Clifford's going to be happy to see you," the receptionist greets them.

"Well, well, well. Look who we have here: it's Gracie and Ash and Cal," a male voice says from the hallway. "Just the people I wanted to see."

A man with lilac-colored hair in navy blue scrubs appears, an easy grin on his face.

"Mikey!" Grace dashes over to hug her brother.

"Hey, sis. The boys hanging on okay?"

She makes a face, lowering her voice. "Ash is a nervous wreck and Cal begged me to come early and be with him. What did you do to them?"

"Nothing. Must be something you said," he winks at her and steps out of her embrace. "Ready to head back, boys?"

Calum breathes in and then out, seemingly resigned to his fate. Ashton goes to turn around, but Grace catches his arm and pulls him along.

Calum settles himself into the chair in the center of a private exam room, not before shooting Grace a pleading look. Michael heads to the sink to wash his hands.

It's quiet for a moment or two with only the sound of water in the background before he turns back around and sits down on the stool next to Calum.

"Ready?"

Calum nods, not trusting his voice. His eyes flick around the room as the chair is laying back. He sees his best friend, Grace with her boyfriend, Ashton, and then—

Michael, looming over him, mask on so only his pale skin, gray-green eyes, and wild lilac hair sticking in every direction is visible.

"Open wide for me, Cal."

At Calum's compliance, Michael stretches the corners of his mouth just a little and runs his fingers along his gums, then, satisfied, picks up a mirror and explorer.

He uses these instruments to clear away plaque and tartar buildup in a sensation that's unpleasant, but not painful. Usually. Once or twice, Calum does flinch, an action that brings murmured apologies and reassurance from Michael and an increasingly anxious expression from Ashton.

All the while Michael is working, removing plaque, cleaning his teeth, checking for cavities, Calum can't shake the fact that something about having your best friend's brother examine your teeth is very, very wrong.

"I'm gonna call Luke in. I need an extra set of hands for this bit," Michael says, slipping off a glove and pulling out his phone.

Moments later, Luke Hemmings enters the room in scrubs identical to Mikey's, chewing his lip ring.

"You rang?"

"Yeah, I need you to write for me. And Luke, what have I told you about the lip ring at work?"

Luke smirks before unclasping the ring and slipping it into his breast pocket. "Coming from a guy with purple hair and tats."

"I use cover-up, and I don't wear my barbell at work," he gestures to his eyebrow before turning back to Calum with a thin, pointy-looking tool in one newly gloved hand. "The next step is measuring the depth of your gum pockets. I just needed Luke to write the numbers down for me."

"Will it hurt? My gums are kind of . . . sensitive,"
"I saw that. Looked like your toothbrush might have injured them a little. I'll be extra careful not to agitate them, okay?"