Bad Day, Great Day. A fic for a friend.... part 8
His head felt a little better, but his cold did not. Normally he would have shaken off an illness by now, but at least he was able to move around and function. Coughing and sneezing, he pulled on a second jumper then sat to pull on his sandals and Kakashi's flak jacket so he didn't need to carry the thing. All the extra layers made his movements less than easy, but he was sure as hell not going to be seen wandering around in a daze like he had before. He was determined to keep the fever under control and at least appear like his normal self. Throwing some medicine down his throat, he headed out the door. Shuffling down the street towards Kakashi's house, he felt a sneeze of gargantuan proportions building up behind his nose. Stopping, his breathing hitched, then hitched again as he prepared himself for the onslaught of explosive mucous removal. When it hit, it took his breath away and he stood there gasping while holding onto a fence for stability.
Groaning miserably, he started walking again and wondered why he had even bothered getting out of bed when the pain at the back of his head returned. Gritting his teeth, he continued on down the twisting path that led to Kakashi's house and stopped in front of the door. Hand raised to knock, he stood there, immobile and suddenly confused. How was he going to look the man in the eye, ever again? What was he going to say to him? “Thanks for carrying my sorry ass home and taking off my clothes and for not laughing at the state I was in and for being so sweet and caring and....” GAH! He shook his head. He quite honestly had no idea what to say. So, deciding not to say anything at all, he turned and hurried away from the Hatake house, making his way back up the twisting path. But as he was about to step onto the main road, a shout came from behind him.
“Hey! Hey! Sensei!”
Turning to look, he saw a little pug running towards him on stubby little legs that took him swiftly down the path until he stood next to Iruka, puffing and panting.
“Oh, sensei you look terrible!”
“Yeah? Thanks. What is it Pakkun?”
Even though he didn't really know Kakashi, he knew of his ninken and had bumped into the little pug on numerous occasions. The little dog loved nothing more than a good gossip and could always be found wherever the most juiciest of stories could be heard. He swore not to tell a soul about what he heard, but Iruka was convinced that the pug was the reason that Kakashi knew so much about everything that went on in the village.
“Kakashi has went to get a mission and left me and the others to fix the storm damage to the roof.”
“And?” Iruka asked, wondering what this had to do with him.
“And?! Does no one see that we are dogs?! How are we meant to fix the roof if we don't have any way to hold a hammer or nails or...”
“Okay, okay, I get it. But what do you want me to do about it?”
“Well...you could give us a hand....”
Iruka just stared at the pug who was now giving him the best puppy-dog-eyes he had ever seen. He supposed that if he helped the ninken out, he would also be repaying Kakashi for helping him when he had passed out in wet clothes. Fair trade, he thought, and no need to mention the embarrassing happening, ever. He shrugged and turned to follow the little pug back to the house, hoping he had the strength to actually do what it was the pug was asking.
The living room was an absolute mess. Water still dripped from the big hole in the roof and everything in the room was either saturated or floating in the various puddles on the floor. Sighing, Iruka just looked at it, wondering where to start. Another of Kakashi's hounds walked in, head low as he sniffed the ground, his long ears dragging over the wet floor.
“What a mess!” Bisuke mumbled then stopped and looked at Iruka with a curious expression. “Uh, Pakkun? We asked you to get help, not bring home the walking dead!”
Iruka just stared at the dog, surely he didn't look that bad?! “Let's just get this place sorted.” He grumbled, bending down to start fishing out the paraphernalia floating in the puddles.
Moping the floor with a towel in one hand, Iruka mopped up his nose with the other, using the ubiquitous handkerchiefs he had stuffed in his pockets. The dogs helped as best they could, holding towels between their jaws and mopping the floor with them until it was eventually dried. Well, it was a lot more dry than it had been at least. When he had squared up the place, he took the sodden dog beds outside to dry and then hopped up onto the roof. It wasn't a graceful hop like he usually did, it was more of a jump and flop. But he got to work fixing the outer hole with wood and the roof tiles he had picked up from inside.
It took him far longer than it might normally have, frequently wiping his fevered brow on his sleeve. It might not be the best of finished jobs, but it was watertight and Kakashi could mend the hole in the ceiling at his leisure. By the time he nailed down the final roof tile, he was beginning to feel like death warmed up again. He sneezed once, twice, then a third time, and it carried him over the edge of the roof until he faceplanted on the ground just outside the front door. Hearing the thud, Pakkun came out to find Iruka getting to his hands and knees.
“Are you okay Iruka-sensei? You look pretty beat.” Pakkun said, eyeing the sick chuunin with concern.
Iruka ignored him and crawled slowly inside, then got to his feet and threw himself onto the only dry seat in the room. His arms hung limply over the sides and he stretched his legs out as he sagged into the comfortable chair.
“I'm fine, I'm fine...give me five minutes then I'll head home.”
But within a few seconds Iruka was out cold, his chin resting on his chest as he snored softly. Pakkun ran into the other room and grabbed a blanket between his teeth, and with more grace and nimble jumps that anyone might credit a small pug with, he draped it over Iruka and watched as the teacher snuggled beneath it.
“I think we killed him.” Pakkun said when Bisuke came back from throwing out ruined, sodden items.
“Nah, he'll sleep it off then we can get the chair when he goes home.”
“Is that all you are thinking about, the chair? Your own comfort?!”
“Pakkun, you can try to be as indignant as you want, but I know your tail is soaking from laying in that dog bed too and the floor isn't exactly dry yet. You want that chair as much as I do.”
“True. Where's Bull?”
“Sunning himself, why?”
“I have an idea....”
Groaning miserably, he started walking again and wondered why he had even bothered getting out of bed when the pain at the back of his head returned. Gritting his teeth, he continued on down the twisting path that led to Kakashi's house and stopped in front of the door. Hand raised to knock, he stood there, immobile and suddenly confused. How was he going to look the man in the eye, ever again? What was he going to say to him? “Thanks for carrying my sorry ass home and taking off my clothes and for not laughing at the state I was in and for being so sweet and caring and....” GAH! He shook his head. He quite honestly had no idea what to say. So, deciding not to say anything at all, he turned and hurried away from the Hatake house, making his way back up the twisting path. But as he was about to step onto the main road, a shout came from behind him.
“Hey! Hey! Sensei!”
Turning to look, he saw a little pug running towards him on stubby little legs that took him swiftly down the path until he stood next to Iruka, puffing and panting.
“Oh, sensei you look terrible!”
“Yeah? Thanks. What is it Pakkun?”
Even though he didn't really know Kakashi, he knew of his ninken and had bumped into the little pug on numerous occasions. The little dog loved nothing more than a good gossip and could always be found wherever the most juiciest of stories could be heard. He swore not to tell a soul about what he heard, but Iruka was convinced that the pug was the reason that Kakashi knew so much about everything that went on in the village.
“Kakashi has went to get a mission and left me and the others to fix the storm damage to the roof.”
“And?” Iruka asked, wondering what this had to do with him.
“And?! Does no one see that we are dogs?! How are we meant to fix the roof if we don't have any way to hold a hammer or nails or...”
“Okay, okay, I get it. But what do you want me to do about it?”
“Well...you could give us a hand....”
Iruka just stared at the pug who was now giving him the best puppy-dog-eyes he had ever seen. He supposed that if he helped the ninken out, he would also be repaying Kakashi for helping him when he had passed out in wet clothes. Fair trade, he thought, and no need to mention the embarrassing happening, ever. He shrugged and turned to follow the little pug back to the house, hoping he had the strength to actually do what it was the pug was asking.
The living room was an absolute mess. Water still dripped from the big hole in the roof and everything in the room was either saturated or floating in the various puddles on the floor. Sighing, Iruka just looked at it, wondering where to start. Another of Kakashi's hounds walked in, head low as he sniffed the ground, his long ears dragging over the wet floor.
“What a mess!” Bisuke mumbled then stopped and looked at Iruka with a curious expression. “Uh, Pakkun? We asked you to get help, not bring home the walking dead!”
Iruka just stared at the dog, surely he didn't look that bad?! “Let's just get this place sorted.” He grumbled, bending down to start fishing out the paraphernalia floating in the puddles.
Moping the floor with a towel in one hand, Iruka mopped up his nose with the other, using the ubiquitous handkerchiefs he had stuffed in his pockets. The dogs helped as best they could, holding towels between their jaws and mopping the floor with them until it was eventually dried. Well, it was a lot more dry than it had been at least. When he had squared up the place, he took the sodden dog beds outside to dry and then hopped up onto the roof. It wasn't a graceful hop like he usually did, it was more of a jump and flop. But he got to work fixing the outer hole with wood and the roof tiles he had picked up from inside.
It took him far longer than it might normally have, frequently wiping his fevered brow on his sleeve. It might not be the best of finished jobs, but it was watertight and Kakashi could mend the hole in the ceiling at his leisure. By the time he nailed down the final roof tile, he was beginning to feel like death warmed up again. He sneezed once, twice, then a third time, and it carried him over the edge of the roof until he faceplanted on the ground just outside the front door. Hearing the thud, Pakkun came out to find Iruka getting to his hands and knees.
“Are you okay Iruka-sensei? You look pretty beat.” Pakkun said, eyeing the sick chuunin with concern.
Iruka ignored him and crawled slowly inside, then got to his feet and threw himself onto the only dry seat in the room. His arms hung limply over the sides and he stretched his legs out as he sagged into the comfortable chair.
“I'm fine, I'm fine...give me five minutes then I'll head home.”
But within a few seconds Iruka was out cold, his chin resting on his chest as he snored softly. Pakkun ran into the other room and grabbed a blanket between his teeth, and with more grace and nimble jumps that anyone might credit a small pug with, he draped it over Iruka and watched as the teacher snuggled beneath it.
“I think we killed him.” Pakkun said when Bisuke came back from throwing out ruined, sodden items.
“Nah, he'll sleep it off then we can get the chair when he goes home.”
“Is that all you are thinking about, the chair? Your own comfort?!”
“Pakkun, you can try to be as indignant as you want, but I know your tail is soaking from laying in that dog bed too and the floor isn't exactly dry yet. You want that chair as much as I do.”
“True. Where's Bull?”
“Sunning himself, why?”
“I have an idea....”