Tales Untold

Hot Mess

Cinder sat in the clean white hall of the clinic, tapping her foot restlessly. She had been sitting there for a little over an hour, but Kai had still yet to come out of the pristine white doors. She didn't quite know what to expect, though the doctors had told her that it would only take about an hour.

Apparently getting your wisdom teeth out was pretty rough, but Cinder wouldn't know. She didn't have any of them. Kai, on the other hand, had all four.

The Palace had an array of Doctors, though none of them had ever removed wisdom teeth. So Kai had had to come to a regular place, just like everyone else. It wasn't like they cared. It was actually kind of fun to do something "normal" for once, even if it was having four large teeth pulled from your mouth and getting heavily drugged.

After a few more minutes, the doors finally opened and a Nurse came out to tell Cinder that Kai was done with the surgery. She stood up and followed the Nurse, tightening her ponytail as she did so. It was nice to have her hair up again, and to be dressed in a sweatshirt and cargo pants. Yet another reason that Cinder was kind of glad that Kai had four extra teeth to be yanked out.

The Nurse, Sam, led Cinder into a small room where a familiar figure laid back in a chair. His hair was an ebony black mess, and his mouth was open and filled with gauze. Cinder smiled down at Kai, and sat down in the chair next to him.

Cinder took Kai's hand with her human one, and rubbed her thumb across the back of it. Kai (though Cinder would never admit it) looked adorable. With his huge chipmunk cheeks, totally loopy sleeping expression, he was pretty cute.

"He should wake up any minute now," Sam said, making Cinder jump. She had forgotten that the Nurse was there. "I'm going to go get the wheelchair."

Cinder nodded, throwing the Nurse a thoughtful glance, before turning her gaze back to Kai. He had started mumbling, though Cinder would never know what he was saying between all the gauze in his mouth.

Kai's eyelashes began to flutter, and Cinder whispered his name. Copper met chocolate, and Cinder smiled down at her chipmunk. "How you doing sleeping beauty?" She asked, trying to conceal a laugh.

Kai looked up at Cinder, and she couldn't help but chuckle as he sat there rubbing his mouth. "Thinder," Kai said, his words slurred. "I han't- I han't eel my mouf."

Cinder laughed, but smiled kindly down at the love of her life. "Kai, they gave you drugs to numb your mouth. You got your wisdom teeth taken out."

He stared dumbly up at Cinder, and she shook her head. He was beginning to look like a lost puppy with his big eyes, though his mouth was still agape, and his gauze was beginning to fall out.

"Wai, air an I?" Kai asked, and he scruched up his face in scrutiny of the place. "Thinder, I hink- I hink we're lost."

Kai tried to sit up, but Cinder shoved him back down. He stared up at her with a hurt expression on his face, and a bloody piece of gauze fell out of his mouth. Kai looked down at it, horrified and Cinder giggled. She picked it up and opened his mouth with her fingers, shoving it back against the bleeding holes in his mouth.

"Thinder," Kai said, tears forming in his eyes, "are- are I ums halling out?" He lifted his hand up to his mouth, and the most heartbreaking sobs came out. He looked so sad that Cinder couldn't decide whether she wanted to hug him or laugh at him.

"It's okay," Cinder said soothingly, brushing a stray piece of hair from Kai's eyes. "Your gums aren't falling out, it's just gauze. They took your wisdom teeth out and your mouth is bleeding."

Cinder had said the words in an effort to comfort Kai, though his face only became more distraught. "Ey hook I isdom heeth?" Kai whispered, and he began crying again. Big tears rolled down his cheeks, and Cinder wiped them away with her hand. "Thinder," Kai sobbed. "Hi you wet em do at? I on't be ise anyore!" Kai sobbed, and threw his face into Cinder's shoulder.

"No, no, no," Cinder said, stroking Kai's hair. "Kai, the teeth don't make you wise, your brain does! You'll still be plenty wise."

Kai stopped his sobbing and looked Cinder in the eye as if he had been struck. "Ey hook I ain?" Kai whimpered, covering his mouth with his hand and throwing a betrayed look at Cinder. "Thinder," Kai said, "I idn't ew hop em?"

Cinder bit down on her lip, trying to repress a laugh. It was a good thing Kai wasn't always on drugs, he was a hot mess. "Kai," Cinder spoke softly. "They didn't take your brain. I would never let them do that. You're just confused because of the drugs they gave you."

That was definitely the wrong thing to say, seeing how the next moment Kai looked scandalized and he put both of his hands on his chest. "Ey ave e rugs? Thinder!" Kai cried, throwing himself back into Cinder's arms and covering her in drool and blood.

She rolled her eyes, but embraced him tightly as he sobbed. The Rampion Crew had all placed bets on what kind of person Kai would be on drugs. Thorne, Scarlet and Iko had all thought that he would be angry and cuss a lot. Cinder and Winter had both guessed on him being giggly and skipping around everywhere. Wolf and Cress had both thought that he would be normal, maybe just a little childish. Jacin had been the only one to guess that he would be a crier. It looked like Jacin would be receiving a couple univs.

Cinder patted Kai on the back of the head as he covered her in blood, slobber, and tears. "They weren't bad drugs, Kai." Cinder sighed. "They only made it so you wouldn't hurt so much. They just wanted you to be comfortable."

"I om ol me ot oo do rugs, Thinder!" Kai exclaimed into her shirt, a fresh wave of tears flowing from his eyes. "Ou're a ad infuence on e." Kai whispered, though he hugged her tighter.

Cinder giggled, pulling away from Kai to cup his swollen face with her hands. "All mothers tell their kids not to do drugs, Kai. But I will not deny that I probably am a bad influence on you."

Kai tried to smile at her, though he only succeeded in covering his hoodie in saliva. He moved his face towards her and pressed his forehead against hers. She grinned at him, and pressed a kiss to his puffy cheek.

My stars, Cinder thought, he's cute even when he looks like a chipmunk with too many acorns in his mouth.

"I ove ew Thinder," Kai murmuered. Cinder smiled, and knew that if she could, she would be blushing.

"I love you too, Kai." Cinder said and he drooled onto her lap in his attempt to smile. She didn't mind in the slightest.

"We have the wheelchair ready," Sam said cheerily, walking back into the room. Cinder jumped, and Kai's mouth dropped open, letting all of his gauze fall out.

Cinder picked up the bloody gauze off of her lap and threw it in the trash. If it were anyone else's she would be grossed out, but somehow with Kai it seemed normal. She was fine taking care of him.

"Thank you," Cinder said to the Nurse, smiling and pushing fresh gauze into Kai's mouth. "Let's stand up now," Cinder whispered kindly to Kai, trying to get him to move from the medical chair and into the wheelchair.

Kai was not having it though, and was staring at the trash can where Cinder had thrown the bloody gauze. "I ums, Thinder. I id ew frow a-ay I ums?" Kai whispered, his voice full of betrayal again.

Cinder shook her head and laughed. She just hoped that Kai would never have to be on drugs again, because he was one hot mess.