 Rhibear ~ Madam Solo ~ ❄ Showtunes > Everything ❄ ~ Accio Jedi ~ Gryffinclaw ~ Just a doll
Glinda was still licking Fiyero's cheek when Professor Draper started speaking again. He tried to tilt his head out of her reach and peer around her, but that worked for all of five seconds. He shook his head with a small chuckle. "Okay, that's enough!" he said; his word had absolutely no effect. "Get down!"
He had to physically pry the cruppy off him and set her down on the bench. She immediately jumped back into his lap, barking loudly in protest. "Shh, girl!" he scolded. "I can't hear Professor Draper..." He gave Glinda a little pat on the head as she snuggled into his lap. Well, that calmed her down... she must've just wanted attention.
So they were going to brush their teeth next... oookay. Fiyero wasn't sure how he felt about that. He was a little unnerved when Professor Draper said the crups weren't used to having their teeth brushed, but he wasn't one to back gown from a challenge. Who knows, maybe Glinda would like having her teeth brushed as much as she liked having her hair brushed.
He picked up the toothbrush and let Glinda sniff it for a few seconds. She tilted her head to one side, looking up at him inquisitively. "That's a toothbrush," he told her. He had no idea why; she wouldn't understand. "I'm going to use it to brush your teeth, okay?" Glinda blinked a couple of times,; Fiyero took that as a yes as he squeezed a little bit of toothpaste onto the brush.
He tried to hold the cruppy's mouth open, but as soon as he touched her, she growled, snapping at his fingers. "Ow!" he exclaimed, quickly moving his hand. "Hey, that was mean!" Had he hurt her? He thought he was being gentle... this was going to be a lot harder than he thought! Glinda gave an apologetic little whimper as she snuggled into his chest, licking the fingers she'd just nipped at. "It's okay, I know you're sorry," he said.
After a a few minutes of petting, Glinda calmed down a bit, and Fiyero decided it was safe to try again. This time, she didn't bite him when he got near her mouth, but she did squirm. Fiyero laughed. "You know, you sorta remind me of my baby brother," he said to the little crup. "He doesn't like having his teeth brushed either." Glinda stopped wriggling in his arms at the sound of his voice, and he realized talking to her provided a distraction. Duh, why didn't he think of that before?!
Glinda made a little gagging noise as the brush touched her back teeth. "I know, toothpaste tastes gross!" Fiyero whispered as he moved the brush. "Good girl, Glinda... good cruppy. You're behaving so well..." He'd finally finished with the left side of her mouth and raised his wand. He hoped this spell wouldn't rebound like it had in The Great Charms Challenge; somehow he didn't think Professor Draper would take too kindly to him accidentally drowning one of the crups.
"Aguamenti," he said, gingerly waving his wand. He was prepared to react to a strong jet of water, but to his relief, he didn't have to. So far so good... now if he could just keep this up he'd be done in no time! He half-expected Glinda to squirm or bite as he moved to the other side of her mouth, but she let him continue with his work. She must be getting used to the brush now. "I know you don't like having your teeth brushed, but it'll be over soon..." He rinsed her mouth again before moving on to the last few teeth in the front. "Almost done... just a few more teeth to go."
"There, that wasn't so bad, was it?" Fiyero said after he'd finished rinsing out Glinda's mouth for the last time. The cruppy replied by jumping up and licking his face again. The thought crossed his mind to put her down, but he let her keep licking him as a reward for being so patient with him.
__________________ Old voices I had thought long since dead whisper of another life I might have led
If I could take that second chance, If I could make my life anew, If only dreams came true... |