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Nim didn’t always know what to expect when they visited Zaya, but this visit took the cake.
They knocked on the door. There was a clatter before Zaya swung it open two seconds later, thrusting them inside. “Good!” she declared without saying “Hi!” and thrusting them down the stairs. “You can help!”
“With what?” Nim asked, immediately worried this was going to be like the incident with the British Bus.
Zaya handed them a pair of pliers and sat down, pointing straight into the cave of her mouth. “Wisdom teeth. I need you to rip ‘em out.”
It took ten seconds for Nim to process what she had said, and eight more to decide what they were going to do about it.
“Zaya, I am not doing that.”
“Fine, I’ll do it. Gimme the pliers.”
“Are you- have you considered for a second that this could be unsanitary?”
“I washed them a few minutes before you got here!”
Nim folded their arms, giving Zaya a glare. “Zaya, you need to get it done by a professional.” They couldn’t ask M to give Zaya a private session, so that was the best thing for now.
“I don’t trust professionals.”
“What about a professional with me in the room?”
There was a pause. Then a glare-off. Then several more minutes of bickering. Then Zaya let out a groan. “Fine! Asshole...”
. . .
Three days, one conversation from M to speed the process up, one dental exam and one sleepless night later, Zaya and Nim sat in the waiting room. Zaya was clutching Nim’s hand and half-crushing it to dust, making the Vigilante start to wish they’d torn out Zaya’s teeth when she’d asked them to when they were called in.
Dr. Way - a tall, smiling woman - greeted them. “Alright Zaya, why don’t you sit down for me?”
“Thanks, but I’d rather stand.” Zaya replied on instinct before Nim gently - but firmly - sat her down.
As Dr. Way placed a bib around Zaya, Zaya’s eyes locked with Nim’s sunglasses. They gave her a thumbs-up as they tried not to think about the instructions Zaya had given them earlier. “If anything happens, burn the place to the ground.”
“Okay, Zaya! I’m just gonna insert this into your arm…” Dr. Way told her, taking out an IV. “If you feel any discomfort, just say and-”
“-you’ll adjust the dosage.” Zaya interrupted. “I researched properly how this is supposed to go. Every last detail.” she said with an edge of menace to her voice. The good Doctor remained oblivious, inserting it into Zaya’s arm. “It’s gonna make you feel relaxed… maybe a little sleepy…”
“Just get on with it!”
The (rather offended) Dentist then inserted the cannula into her handed and started it up. “Okay, let’s count down from-”
“Ten.” interrupted Zaya, rapid-firing with her finger tapping. “Nine. Eight. S-Seven…”
Zaya’s eyes drooped, her clenched fists unfurled themselves, her normally stiff arms went limp, and her jaw slackened. The only time Nim had seen her even a tenth relaxed as that was at the park.
It was kinda nice. She needed it.
. . .
Forty-five minutes later, Nim dragged a very giggly Zaya out of the dentist’s office.
“Yer pretty, y’know?” her Kanadian accent was coming out a little strong, even with the gauze in her mouth. “Who’re you?”
“I’m your friend.” Nim smiled, going into an alleyway.
Zaya’s eyes narrowed in suspicion. “Ehhhhhh…”
Nim rolled their eyes. “Just hang onto me.” they told her, taking off into the sky.
“EHHH!?!?” Zaya clutched onto them, shocked as the gauze nearly fell out on her mouth. “Y’cun fly!?”
“When I feel like it.”
The scientist’s eyes sparkled. “Woaaahhhh…”
. . .
A few minutes later, Nim dropped into their apartment and gently set Zaya down on their sofa.
“It’sh dumb.” Zaya said all of a sudden.
“What is?” Nim asked, taking out some of the gauze to check the bleeding.
“You ‘merikansh call ‘em railroads when they’re railwaysh.” Zaya replied as Nim put in new gauze, “They pave the way for the chrain.”
“That… makes sense.” Nim told her, suppressing a smile as they lowered a blanket over her. “Get some sleep.”
“Don’t wanna.”
“Okay then. I’ll stay with you.”
“Yayyyyy!!”
Once the bleeding stopped, Nim took out the gauze and turned to the doorframe. “I’m gonna get you some ice cream, kay?”
“Noooooo!” Zaya whined, grabbing onto their waist. “Don’t goooo…”
“Do your gums hurt?”
“…yeah.”
“Ice cream’ll help. I’ll be just a minute.” Nim told her with a reassuring smile.
“…be quick.” Zaya told them, releasing them from her evil clutches. “I want birthday cake flavour!”
“I only got chocolate.”
“That’ll do.”
. . .
Some hours later, Zaya woke up on Nim’s couch. Then seeing they were asleep on their armchair , she got up and made a beeline for their front door. Unfortunately-
SQUEAK!
-Nim had forseen this and placed the cunning, dastardly trap of some squeaky toys.
They were on her before she reached the front door, dragging her back by her legs.
“EEK! LET GO OF ME!”
“You need rest, Zaya.”
“I’m not high anymore, Nim!”
“You still need rest. The doctor said so.”
“Rest is for the weak!”
“No it’s not.”
“Is too!”
Nim sighed. “Okay, let’s try something else. Will you rest for me?”
Zaya stopped thrashing, and went limp in defeat. “…fine…”