Happy 25% completion to this fic! Only took us *counts* four years to get there! At this rate, we'll be here in 2035 celebrating chapter 100!

Next up: Prompto Gets His Teeth Stolen.
Disclaimer: I don't know what the fuck I'm talking about in this one, on account of my lack of experience with wisdom tooth removal, so I just kinda wrote whatever because this is my fic and I can do what I want.

No, but seriously, I still have all my wisdom teeth and unless they kneel on me and take them by force, I do not intend on giving them up. So fortunately I neither know what it feels like nor what the procedure entails. Also, here they don't do the whole laughing gas that gets you doped up thing, I only know that from American media, so take that, too, with a grain of salt.

Enjoy!


Prompto wasn't afraid of the dentist, per se. Sure, he didn't find it very pleasant - who did, anyway? - and they always scolded him for chewing up the insides of his cheeks and for brushing his teeth too hard and it made him feel like he was failing as something as basic as caring for his teeth. But he didn't have a dentist phobia or anything like that.

With that said.

When his dentist had told him his wisdom teeth needed to go, he'd maybe definitely kind of panicked.

He'd opted to have all four removed at the same time when asked. If he needed to sit through that, of course he didn't want to do it more than once.

So he'd made the appointment and then, for the weeks leading up to the appointment, tried very hard not to think about the date he'd marked in his calendar with a single word - "teeth", written in red ink.

A problem for Future Prompto, definitely.

Tragically, Future Prompto eventually did turn into Present Prompto and, with the appointment only two days away, he reluctantly and miserably dug out the information pamphlet he'd been given.

Most of it was stuff that wouldn't be relevant until after the procedure, and he was too jittery with nerves to actually absorb any of it, but then one sentence in particular caught his eye.

If you are sedated, you should bring someone with you to accompany you there and also to take you home, as you won't be able to drive or travel alone. You should have someone with you for 24 hours following the procedure.

Prompto blinked. That… was going to be a problem. His parents weren't scheduled to come home for at least another month, aaand this was probably something he should have figured out beforehand.

He could get away with pretending there would someone be waiting for him at home no problem, but he wouldn't have anyone to accompany him. If anyone asked, maybe he could just say someone was waiting for him in the parking lot, and then he'd take a taxi home or something.

Prompto sighed and tossed the pamphlet aside.

Well.

Another problem for Future Prompto, who thankfully wasn't yet him.


"Did you bring someone to take you home?" the lady at the front desk asked him, peering behind him as if there were someone trailing behind him she hadn't yet seen. Which was kind of ridiculous with how short Prompto was. Had he brought someone, she would've seen them before she'd seen him. That growth spurt everyone had predicted to hit him during puberty had yet to show itself. Aaany day now.

…okay, he was rambling in his thoughts. Better put a stop to that, before he started rambling at her out loud.

"Uh. Kind of? I mean. They're waiting in the parking lot," he said, hoping it didn't sound as much like bullshit as he thought it did.

The lady gave him a smile that he himself had used many times on customers - the Customer Service Smile that didn't show how truly dead inside you were.

"I'm sorry, but could you ask them to come wait for you? You're probably going to need assistance getting to the parking lot."

Prompto smiled back nervously. "I, uh, I think they went to run some errands in the meantime? They're probably not there yet."

"Well, that's- oh," the lady cut herself off, frowning down at his file.

"Something wrong?"

She looked back up at him, offering him another apologetic smile. "Sorry, I just saw that you're a minor. In that case, we definitely can't do the procedure without an adult present."

Shit.

"Okay, I get that, but. Hm. The thing is. I kinda lied earlier?" Prompto said, avoiding eye contact by studying the very dead plant in the far corner of the lobby instead. "There's no one waiting in the parking lot. I was just gonna, I dunno, catch a taxi or something."

The lady's smile was starting to look pretty strained.

Prompto thought he could relate.

"We ask people to bring someone with them for good reason. You should have been given a pamphlet explaining this."

"It's not that I didn't take it seriously!" Prompto hurried to explain. "My parents just weren't available today, that's all."

The lady's Customer Service Expression broke for a split second before she plastered it back on, but her eyes looked a little softer now.

"I understand that, but is there anyone else you could possibly contact? Otherwise, I'm afraid we won't be able to do the procedure today, but we'd still have to charge you because the cancellation would be on such short notice."

Prompto hesitated. "There's. Someone. I could maybe call. Gimme two minutes?"

With shaky fingers, he dug his phone from his pocket and scrolled through his lamentably short contact list.

Ignis picked up on the second ring.

"Prompto?"

"Iggy, heeey," Prompto said, hoping he sounded cheerful rather than hysterical. "What's good, man?"

He could practically feel Ignis' questioning stare on the other end of the line.

"Prompto. You never call. What's wrong?"

Okay. Right to business, then.

"Well, I was, I'm kinda supposed to be getting my wisdom teeth out today but they won't do the procedure without an adult present and I was wondering if you could maybe come here so they'd do the thing?" he rambled, all in one breath.

Ignis was silent for a moment, then, "Send me the address. I'll be there shortly."

Prompto had to swallow twice before trusting his voice enough to speak.

"Cool. Cool, that's. That's really cool of you, thank you so much!"

After ending the call, Prompto turned back to the front desk.

"So, good news."

The lady looked like she very much wanted to go home.

Prompto could definitely relate.


Prompto felt floaty and weird and his mouth was fuzzy and it also kind of hurt but also not. It didn't hurt in a way that actually registered, which was a very strange sensation.

He also kind of felt like crying from the very second he laid his eyes upon Iggy, who sat in the waiting room and got up to steady him as soon as he was led out of the room and into the lobby.

"Iggy," he slurred. "Iggy, you're here."

"Of course. I said I would be, didn't I?"

Technically, he hadn't said that. He'd just told Prompto to send him the address.

Prompto wanted to tell him that, but his mouth wouldn't cooperate, so he just nodded and focused on not tripping over his feet as Ignis led him down the stairs with a steadying hand on his arm.

Once outside, Ignis released him in order to grab the car keys from his pocket, but Prompto barely even noticed the absence of his touch.

Thinking took a lot of focus and his ability to focus was kind of escaping him right now, so he just. Didn't think. Instead, he kept putting one foot in front of the other, fascinated by the way his shoes kept appearing and disappearing in his vision with every step he took.

"Prompto!"

There was an unexpected pressure on his arm and then he was unceremoniously yanked backwards, nearly toppling over as a result of the sudden shift.

Mere centimeters from his face, a car sped by, the accompanying gust of wind tousling his hair and making his eyes water.

"Look both ways!" Ignis scolded, guiding him safely across the road and to the car.

"I'm sorry," Prompto mumbled, probably due to all the cotton in his mouth. Had he been more lucid, he would've winced at how pathetic he sounded. "Sorry, Iggy."

"It's alright," Ignis said gently. His hand left Prompto's arm and came up to brush his wind-swept bangs out of his eyes with more care than Prompto knew what to do with.

Before he knew it, his eyes were overflowing with tears and he sniffled pathetically.

Good gods. Had that been in the pamphlet too?

Ignis, bless his heart, didn't hesitate at all before reaching for Prompto with both arms, drawing him against his chest very gently.

"Shh, you're alright," Ignis muttered into Prompto's hair, his hand running up and down his back in soothing motions. "I've got you, I promise. Let's get you home where you can rest, hm?"

Once the effects of the drugs they'd pumped him full of wore off, Prompto would feel like he was going to die of shame at this ridiculous display, and he was in for a few days of pain that even the prescription strength painkillers he'd gotten wouldn't quite be able to keep away.

But right now, all doped up and tucked safely into Ignis' chest, receiving affection and care that was still so foreign to him, he thought he couldn't possibly feel any better.


The next day, Prompto was in the middle of a race in Mario Kart with Noct ("It's gonna distract you from the pain, trust me.") when a previously forgotten memory of drugged Past Prompto suddenly flashed in his mind.

"Oh, shit, I totally got snot and everything onto Iggy's shirt!"


Fun fact, my dentist's office actually does bully me for chewing up the insides of my cheeks and for brushing my teeth so hard my gums start to recede. Also for not flossing, but shh.

So, I didn't know what to do with this prompt for the longest time. It's kind of stupid and even though Iggy does spend a lot of time babysitting a bunch of grown men, having to remind them to look both ways felt kind of over the top (never mind how many times my in-game-Noct almost gets run over by a car because I don't check the road before running across). To remedy that, why not pair it with my favourite thing to do, which is all things whump and sickfics and hurt/comfort to make it more believable. This was the result.

I think I might like to write a follow-up to this somewhere in the future, as another installment of this project if a suitable prompt comes up. The caretaking part has always been my favourite part of anything whump/sickfic/h/c after all : ...no promises tho.

Thank you, as always, for sticking with me. If you've been here since the beginning, bless your soul, that means so much to me. And if you started reading later down the line, oh man, I'm so happy to have you here, bless your soul too. That's all, I hope you have a wonderful day!