Hey everyone! This is my 3rd Fanfic but my first oneshot! I hope you like it, and please review!

Braces

I look up into Sophie's big brown eyes, pleading. "But Sophie, I don't wanna get braces! They will hurt, and you can't make me!" I frown and turn around so that my back is facing her, and I cross my arms across my chest in a stubborn manner.

"Markl, listen to me," I hear her say softly as she puts a hand on my shoulder and bends down on her knees. "It won't be that bad! They'll just be sore for a couple of days, and that's it! You will get to pick cool colors, eat a lot of ice cream, furthermore, Howl and I will be there by your side,"

I turn to face her and grin. "What colors should I pick?" I ask and she smiles back.

"I knew you would finally give in, Markl. But the colors you pick are up to you, not me." She stands up and walks up the steps, calling Howl's name.

I sit by the fire demon, Calcifer, and I watch him rise to my appearance. "So kid, I hear your getting braces, huh? That kinda sucks..." He says.

"Well, Sophie says the it won't be that bad," I tell him, raising my eyebrows.

"Okay, fine, don't listen to me." He replies as he sinks back down into the hearth.

"MARKL!" A voice startles me, and I stare up at the steps. I see Howl wearing his usual white shirt tucked into his black pants.

"Yes, Master Howl?" I ask as I hop off of the stool.

"Sophie just told me that you are getting braces!" He rushes down the steps, almost tripping and I suppress a giggle as he embraces me. "That's my boy!"

"Ha-ha, yup. I am getting braces all right," I say slowly, still thinking about what colors I should get. "Um, when are we going to the orthodontist?" I ask curiously as he pulls away and places his hands on my shoulders.

"Tomorrow morning at 8:00!" Howl replies cheerfully and walks over to get Cal some wood. "And Calcifer, make hot water for my bath."

Calcifer rolls his eyes and sighs dramatically, and Howl goes back upstairs, skipping steps as he does.

I sigh and get some bread and cheese from the drawer. It is about 8 at night right now. Twelve hours till braces time.

I stuff the bread and cheese into my mouth and go upstairs to my room. Hopefully Sophie didn't screw up Howl's spells in the bathroom... Again. I don't wanna go through that for the millionth time! I think as I pass Howl's bathroom to hear him singing in the tub, and I chuckle.

"Good night sweetheart," Sophie puts my face in her hands and kisses my forehead as she walks out of her room and downstairs.

I sit in my bed, thinking about what they are going to do to me tomorrow. After a while of imagining things, I finally fall asleep...

"Markl! Wake up!" Sophie orders. I reluctantly open my eyes and hear the banging on my door.

"Okay, okay, I'm awake!" I yell to get her to stop banging my door. I hear her heels clicking down the hallway, and I go to my closet to get dressed. "Jeez," I mutter as I straighten out my red bow.

I run downstairs, finding Howl, Sophie, and the Witch of the Waste eating oatmeal.

"There he is! The star of the day!" Howl stands up and walks to me. "You ready?"

I nod bravely, keeping my head held high.

"All righty then! Let's go! Soph, you coming?" He asks her as he grabs his coat. He then walks over to the door and turns the dial to the Kingsbury door.

"Cal, take care of Heen and the Witch."

"'Calcifer do this! Calcifer do that!' It's like you people have nothing better to do than to boss me around! Especially you, Howl!" We hear Calcifer complain as we walk out onto the busy streets of Kingsbury.

We reach our destination, The Royal Dentistry Office, and walk through the doors. Howl struts up to the front desk and clears his throat, catching the nurses attention.

She sighs and rolls her eyes as she turns to face him. "Yes, Sir, how may I help you this morning?" She asks him with an annoyed tone in her voice.

"Um, we have an appointment with Dr. Cromwell, I believe."

"Oh, yes, Dr. Cromwell. He will be right out. Please have seat," The nurse gives Howl a forced smile and turns back to the computer she was working on.

Howl walks towards me, whispering in my ear: "Brat. Just try to hold your temper if you talk to those kind of people later in your life," He looks down at me and winks.

We take a seat next to Sophie and wait for about 10 minutes until a nurse finally calls my name.

"Markl Pendragon. You're up." I deliberately stand up and look back at Howl and Sophie.

"We will be right in, Honey." Sophie reassures me as I walk through the dreaded doors, and sit on the dreaded dentist chair, and look at the dreaded orthodontist. She has this big cheesy smile on her tan face, and I give her my sweetest grin back, trying not to look the other way and roll my eyes.

"This morning, we will be getting you braces! Yay!" The girl with the large smile exclaims and claps her hands. She is probably Dr. Cromwell.

"Yippee," I mutter sarcastically.

"Now, we are going to have you pick two colors, okay Pumpkin?" She explains and walks over to a table to grab a bracelet shaped item with many different colors on it.

There is black, white, different shades of blue and green, dark and light purple, hot and light pink, gold, red, and a grayish color.

It took some time for me to finally choose my color, and I went with an army green and bright gold.

The doctor hesitates and stares at the two colors in her hands before walking away to grab the supplies. Howl and Sophie walk in and stand beside me, holding hands.

"You ready, bud?" Howl asks me, and I nod. "All right, I want you to be a man, got it? Ignore the pain," Howl advises, and I smile at his care for me.

I move my eyes towards Sophie to see if she had any words of encouragement. "Um, just what Howl said." She says.

"Thanks you guys. I love you," I tell them, and their faces beam as I say the last three words.

"Okay, we are all set!" The doctor comes back, and once she sees Howl and Sophie, her eyes widen. "Um, are you his parents?" She asks as she furrows her brows.

"You could say that," Howl grins as she gazes at him.

"O-Okay," She stammers. "Well, let's get started." She says, still staring at Howl. She finally moves her gaze to me, and sits on the chair.

She puts a mask over her mouth, and I open my mouth for her to look inside. She grabs some weird tool connected to a wire and sticks it into my mouth, and some weird spray comes out of it as she pulls a trigger on the handle. Before I can say anything or make any kind of sound, everything goes black.

"Markl? Markl, sweetie, wake up." I hear Sophie say as she gently rubs my shoulder.

I open my eyes, and everything is a little fuzzy. I'm still confused about what happened just now, and my teeth feel weird. Braces.

"Wha-What happened?" I ask, still dizzy.

"They gave you a sleeping gas, and you're all done!" Howl says happily as he comes up beside Sophie and takes her hand.

I give them a wide smile to show them the colors I had chosen, and Sophie's face turns into a disgusted one. "Markl, erm, why'd you choose those two colors? I mean, they are fine, but they look horrible together!" She exclaims.

Howl chuckles and helps me out of the chair. "Now Sophie, don't be mean to the poor kid. He just got braces. Let him get used to them first, and then yell at him for choosing those horrid colors," He turns to me and winks as he calms Sophie down.

We finally get home, and I go around the house showing Calcifer, the Witch, and Heen my metal covered teeth.

Braces aren't so bad after all... I tell myself as I lie down in bed that night, smiling to myself as my drooping eyes start to close.

Did you like it? Well I hope so! Haha, again, please review, and if you have any constructive criticism, please share! :)