Balancing Protective Love

Canine removal

The next morning, the sun had barely risen when Linda and Alex headed to his office. The streets were still quiet, and Linda found herself staring out the car window, fidgeting slightly. She wasn't thrilled about what was coming.

"You doing okay?" Alex glanced at her, noticing the subtle tension in her posture.

Linda sighed, resting her head against the cool glass. "I guess. I just really don't like sitting in that chair, especially when you have to mess with my mouth again."

Alex chuckled softly. "I know it's uncomfortable, but I promise, it won't take long. It's just some glue removal—nothing like the canines themselves."

Linda gave him a skeptical look, though a small smile tugged at her lips. "Easy for you to say. You're not the one getting prodded this time."

He reached over, giving her thigh a gentle squeeze. "I'll make it as quick and painless as possible, sweetheart. Plus, you'll get to see me suffer when Harper shows up to take off mine."

That earned a genuine laugh from Linda, the tension easing slightly. "I'll definitely stick around for that."

Arriving at the office, Alex led Linda inside, his hand resting lightly on her back as they entered the exam room. The sterile smell of disinfectant and the quiet hum of equipment immediately set her on edge, but Alex's calm presence kept her from getting too worked up.

"Let's get you comfortable first," Alex said, guiding her to the dental chair. Linda eyed it warily, settling in slowly as Alex prepped the tools.

She wrinkled her nose at the sight of the instruments laid out—a pair of cotton rolls, dental tweezers, a scaler, and a hand mirror. Her eyes lingered on the dental adhesive remover in particular.

"Do we really need all of this?" she asked, half-joking but clearly still anxious.

"Unfortunately, yes," Alex said, putting on his gloves. "Just a little scraping and adhesive removal. I'll be gentle. You know the drill by now."

Linda groaned at his pun, though she couldn't help but smile. As Alex adjusted the light overhead, she braced herself, gripping the armrest as he leaned over her.

He started with the hand mirror, gently lifting her upper lip to examine the fake canines he had applied the day before. "It's holding on well, but it'll come off easily."

With precision and care, he used the scaler to begin loosening the glue. Linda flinched slightly at the scraping sensation, though Alex worked quickly, making sure to keep the pressure light.

"You okay?" he asked, pausing for a moment to check in.

Linda nodded, though she was already dreading the adhesive remover. "Just...get it over with."

Alex smiled sympathetically, applying the remover to the glued area with a cotton swab. He worked methodically, gently lifting the fake tooth off. The glue was stubborn, but eventually, he was able to scrape it away without causing Linda too much discomfort.

"There," he said, pulling away slightly to give her a moment to breathe. "One side down. How's it feeling?"

Linda sighed in relief. "A lot better now that it's out. That glue stuff's no joke, though."

"Tell me about it," Alex muttered with a grin, already moving on to the other side.

Just as he finished, Harper strolled in, knocking lightly on the door. "Am I interrupting, or is it my turn to make someone squirm?"

Linda grinned, sitting up a little straighter. "You're just in time to watch him get tortured."

Alex rolled his eyes, pulling off his gloves. "Alright, Harper, your turn."

Harper took over, setting up for Alex's adhesive removal. "This is going to be fun," he said, shooting a wink at Linda before donning a pair of gloves. "I've been waiting for this all morning."

Linda watched with amusement as Harper started on Alex's canines. For once, Alex was the one sitting back in the chair, slightly uncomfortable as Harper scraped away at the glue.

"Payback's a beautiful thing," Linda quipped, crossing her arms as she enjoyed the show.

Alex grunted in response, unable to say much with Harper's hands in his mouth. Harper, for his part, was enjoying himself way too much, humming as he worked.

After a few minutes, Harper finally removed the last bit of adhesive, stepping back with a triumphant grin. "There. Good as new."

Alex stretched his jaw, flexing his mouth a little. "Yeah, yeah. Don't think I won't get back at you one of these days."

Linda laughed, slipping off the chair. "Well, that was definitely worth sitting through my session."

Later, the three of them grabbed lunch at a nearby café. The sun was shining brightly as they sat outside, enjoying the fresh air and the relaxed atmosphere. Linda felt much more at ease now that the canines were gone, and she nibbled on her sandwich as she listened to Alex and Harper talk.

"So," Harper began, glancing at Alex, "have you thought any more about that lecturing offer we got? I know the school's been pretty persistent about it."

Alex leaned back in his chair, sipping on his iced tea. "Yeah, I've been thinking about it. I think we should do it. It'd be nice to go back and show the new students what we've been working on."

Harper nodded. "I agree. We could demo some of the newer techniques we've been working on. Maybe bring in a live example to show them."

Linda raised an eyebrow. "A live example? What does that mean?"

Alex and Harper exchanged a glance, both of them smirking slightly.

"Nothing you need to worry about," Alex said, though there was a teasing glint in his eyes.

Linda narrowed her eyes. "That's not suspicious at all."

Harper chuckled, taking a bite of his sandwich. "Let's just say we might need some help from someone who's good at sitting still."

Linda snorted, rolling her eyes. "Yeah, right. I don't sit still for anything."

The conversation continued, the three of them laughing and teasing each other as they enjoyed their lunch. Alex and Harper's banter made Linda smile, and by the time they finished eating, she felt fully relaxed and ready to enjoy the rest of the day.