Niall jostled his knee up and down, hands knotted tightly in his lap. Without looking up from your People magazine from 2004, you reached over and patted his thigh. "You're going to be fine," you reassured him. "Plenty of people get root canals."
Niall said nothing, and his incessant leg-jiggling continued steadily. You sighed and flipped a page.
A nice motherly looking hygienist in lavender scrubs opened the door. "Niall?" she called.
Niall continued to jiggle his leg, staring straight ahead. "Niall," you said, squeezing his arm. "That's you."
"Oh," Niall said, jumping to his feet and nearly tripping over his shoes. "Oh. Okay." He started towards the door and paused. "Aren't...aren't you coming with me?"
You arched an eyebrow. "Do you need me back there?" You asked.
"I would really appreciate it," Niall said. "If...if you don't mind."
"I don't," You said, setting the magazine aside and following him into the back. The family dentist's office was a nice cheerful place, painted in bright colors and decorated in cartoon posters about dental hygiene. Niall did not seem comforted.
The nurse led us to an examination room. "All right, sweetie, lie down and the dentist will be here in just a minute," she said. "Oh, good, you brought someone with you."
You frowned as she left. "Wait. Why is it good you brought someone?" You asked.
Niall gingerly sat down in the reclining chair, already gripping the armrests. "I sort of have a...reputation at the dentist's," he admitted.
"What kind of reputation?" You asked warily, leaning over him.
"Freaking out and biting people's hands?" Niall ventured.
You laughed. "Niall, no one like the dentist when they're little, it's just..." Your voice trailed off. "You did this recently, did you?"
Niall closed his eyes tightly. "I don't like the dentist," he said. "It hurts. They hold my mouth open too far, and I can't swallow, and they keep sticking their hands on my teeth."
The door to the examination room swept open. "All right, Niall, let's get this started," the doctor said briskly, rifling through Niall's paperwork before setting it aside. "Now, I know this procedure is rather uncomfortable, but try not to bite anyone this time, all right?"
Niall looked up at you with an expression that said see? I will never live this down. You sat down beside him and patted his hand sympathetically.
Honestly, you weren't exactly sure what to expect, but you didn't expect Niall to grab your hand the second that the assistant flipped on the overhead light. And you didn't expect Niall to close his eyes so tightly when they got out the tray of shining silver instruments. And you definitely didn't expect Niall to clamp down on his hand when the first syringe of Novocain emerged.
"Hey," You whispered, scooting closer. "Hey, it's okay. You're fine."
The dentist picked up the syringe. "All right, Niall, open your mouth," he said. "This'll sting a little."
Niall kept his eyes closed. You squeezed his hand. "It's okay," he murmured into his ear, stroking his hair off his forehead. "It's okay. I'm here. I'm right here."
You felt Niall tense up as the tip of the needle touched his gums. "It's okay," You repeated. A few stray tears squeezed out. "Oh, god. No. No, no, no, no, no, no. Don't cry. You are not allowed to cry, Niall Horan. Understand me? No crying."
"There," the dentist said, satisfied, as he drew back with the empty syringe in hand. "Excellent. Good job, Niall. We'll give that a moment to take, and then we'll start the procedure."
You touched your forehead to Niall's. "You're fine," you cooed. "I'm right here. You're going to be fine, okay? You'll be fine."
The next hour was most likely the longest in your life. You had never realized that watching your boyfriend cry silently through a root canal could possibly make your heart hurt so badly or tire you out so completely, and yet it did. You tried not to look at the dentist as he worked over Niall's mouth, choosing instead to tuck your chin against Niall's shoulder and whisper a steady stream of comforting nonsense interspersed with light kisses to his cheek.
"All right, Niall, you're all done," the dentist said jovially. "Now, that wasn't so bad, was it?" He patted Niall on the shoulder. "I'll make sure your files are in order and you'll be on your way home in no time."
Niall let out a slow, shuddering breath as the dentist left, cracking his eyes open. "My mouf hurts," he mumbled around the gauze.
"I know," You said, nuzzling his cheek. "I know. But you did good." You took a tissue from the box on the counter and dabbed it at Niall's damp eyes. "And now I will take you home, and we'll watch movies, and I'll make you something to eat that won't hurt. All right? How does that sound?"
"Pu'ing?" Niall asked hopefully.
"Yes, babe, I will make you all the pudding your heart desires," You reassured him, smoothing his hair with a fond smile.
"Bu's'otch?"
"...what?"
"Bu'ers'otch?"
"I can't-"
"Budders'otch."
"Oh. Oh!" You laughed. "Yes. Yes, you can have butterscotch pudding." He squeezed your hand tightly. "I would kiss you, but I don't think it would go well."
Niall flashed you a crooked half-numb smile, tired but relieved.
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A/N - So sorry for the lack of updates! I had finals and testing and yeah, but good news! Spring break is here, yay!
(Applause)
Hope you enjoyed! More to come!