Part 22

It all began with a simple sneeze.

Dog Man didn't pay much attention at first, but after a while, the sneezes became more frequent. Then came heavy sighs and the way Petey rubbed his forehead with an annoyed expression. By the time afternoon arrived, it was clear: Petey was sick.

—I'm fine —Petey grumbled, arms crossed on the sofa.

Dog Man looked at him skeptically. His nose was red, his voice sounded raspier than usual, and he had a blanket draped over his shoulders as if that were enough to hide the obvious.

—You don't look good.

—Well, that's just how I always look.

Dog Man narrowed his eyes.

—No. You always look... cute.

Petey blinked. Then he snorted and looked away.

—Ugh, don't start with that.

Dog Man smiled, but his expression soon turned serious again. He crouched in front of Petey and pressed his forehead against his. Petey went still at the touch.

—You have a fever —Dog Man murmured.

—It's not that bad.

—You need to rest.

—I'm resting.

—No, you're sitting there grumbling. That's not resting.

Petey opened his mouth to argue, but at that moment the fever hit him harder, leaving him drained of energy. All he managed was a long sigh before sinking further into the sofa.

Taking advantage of his moment of weakness, Dog Man got up and started walking toward the kitchen.

—Where are you going? —Petey asked, squinting his eyes.

—I'm going to make you something to eat.

That piqued his attention a bit.

—...You know how to cook?

Dog Man stopped dead in his tracks. He looked up at the ceiling, as if weighing the right answer.

—I see you when you do...

Petey closed his eyes and let his head drop against the backrest.

—Oh my god, I'm gonna die.

—Don't be dramatic —Dog Man said with a smile before disappearing into the kitchen.

Petey heard him clattering about with pots and utensils. Every now and then, there was a concerning sound, like metal clashing or a lid falling to the floor. Petey covered his eyes with one hand.

"This is going to be a disaster," he thought.

About fifteen minutes passed during which Dog Man hummed to himself as he carried out his culinary experiment. Petey, who had initially been on alert for the possibility of a fire, gradually began to relax. The fever made him feel heavy, and before he knew it, his head tilted to one side and he started to nod off.

He didn't know how long he slept, but when he opened his eyes again, Dog Man was standing in front of him, holding a bowl of steaming soup.

—Done —Dog Man said proudly.

Petey looked at him in disbelief before slowly straightening up.

—How did you not burn the house down?

—Because I'm very careful —Dog Man replied with a smile.

Petey took the bowl with trembling hands and examined it. It didn't look bad. In fact, it even smelled good.

—What is this?

—Chicken soup.

Petey raised an eyebrow.

—And where did you get the chicken?

—From the refrigerator.

—...I didn't have any chicken in the refrigerator.

Dog Man blinked.

—Ah. Then it was tuna.

Petey stared at him.

Dog Man returned his gaze with his most innocent expression.

—...I'll try it —murmured Petey with resignation.

He took a cautious spoonful and brought it to his mouth. The texture wasn't perfect and there was definitely too much garlic, but overall...

It wasn't bad.

It wasn't as good as what he would have made himself, but considering Dog Man had no experience, it wasn't an absolute disaster.

Dog Man watched him, ears perked up, as if waiting for an important verdict.

Petey sighed and took another spoonful.

—It's not horrible.

Dog Man smiled, wagging his tail.

—So, do you like it?

—I said it's not horrible. That doesn't mean I like it.

Dog Man continued looking at him with his hopeful expression.

Petey paused and looked away.

—...Okay. I do like it.

Dog Man wagged his tail even more enthusiastically.

—I knew I could do it!

Petey looked at him with amusement.

—Don't exaggerate. You just made soup.

—Soup that you like.

—Pff...

Dog Man looked at him tenderly, then sat next to him and rested his head on his shoulder.

—I like taking care of you.

Petey stayed still. His first instinct was to push him away, but then... he just didn't feel like it.

The fever made him feel more vulnerable, but at that moment, in the shared warmth of the sofa, with Dog Man by his side and the bowl in his hands, for the first time he didn't mind depending on someone else.

Without realizing it, he smiled a little and continued eating.

Dog Man, eyes closed, gently wagged his tail.

This time, there was no rush to speak.

They just stayed like that, together.

After finishing the soup, Petey felt a bit better. The fever was still there, but at least it no longer made him feel so dizzy, and the warmth in his stomach helped clear his mind a little.

He settled back onto the sofa with a sigh, leaving the empty bowl on the table.

—Good —he murmured, straightening up with effort—. I'm going to see what Lil Petey is doing.

Dog Man, who was still sitting next to him, perked up his ears.

—No.

Petey frowned.

—Excuse me?

—You need to rest.

—I'm just going to see Lil Petey, not run a marathon.

—He's with HD-80. They're drawing.

Petey squinted.

—Are you saying that to calm me down, or because you really know?

—I really do know.

Petey watched him silently for a few seconds. Dog Man had a calm smile on his face, his tail moving slowly from side to side.

—Hmph —Petey snorted, crossing his arms—. Still... I want to see him for a moment.

—You can see him later —Dog Man said, his voice taking on a soft but firm tone—. Now you should go to bed.

Petey clicked his tongue.

—I don't need to go to bed. I'm perfectly fine here.

Dog Man tilted his head, watching him intently.

—but if you were in bed, you'd be more comfortable.

—I'm comfortable here.

—but in bed you'd be warmer.

—I already have my blanket.

—but you could be better.

—Greg...

Dog Man gently wagged his tail.

—Come on, Petey —he said with a sweetness that almost sounded convincing—. Just for a little while. Until you feel better.

Petey sighed, looking away.

The truth was, he did feel tired. And yes, the fever was weighing him down. And yes, he'd prefer to be in bed rather than on the sofa.

But admitting it was another story.

He ran a hand over his face.

—You're not going to let this slide, are you?

Dog Man shook his head.

—No.

Petey huffed but eventually got up, a little clumsily. Dog Man immediately stood up and carefully held his arm.

—I'm fine —Petey murmured, though he was actually grateful for the support.

Without letting go of him, Dog Man guided him to the bedroom. When they reached the bed, Petey collapsed onto the mattress with a long, heavy sigh. God, it was definitely more comfortable than the sofa.

He settled between the sheets without much resistance, feeling the weight of exhaustion overtake his eyelids.

Dog Man sat on the edge of the bed, watching him with a smile.

—See? More comfortable.

Petey huffed.

—Yeah, yeah. Shut up.

Dog Man tilted his head and smiled mischievously.

—Now you know how to shut me up.

Petey, who was about to close his eyes, opened them wide and stared at him in disbelief.

—...You can't be telling me that right now.

Dog Man chuckled softly but didn't say anything else. He simply leaned a bit closer and ran his hand through Petey's hair in a slow, gentle caress.

Petey remained still for a moment.

He couldn't remember the last time someone had done something like that for him.

And while his first instinct was to pull away, this time he simply sighed and closed his eyes.

Dog Man continued to stroke his hair carefully.

In less than a minute, Petey was fast asleep.

Dog Man stayed sitting next to Petey for a while, watching his breathing slow and stabilize. Seeing him like that, asleep and relaxed, gave him a sense of relief. Despite how stubborn he could be, at least this time he had agreed to rest.

He wagged his tail gently, making sure the blanket covered him well before getting up carefully. He didn't want to wake him.

Petey murmured something in his sleep, but didn't open his eyes.

Dog Man smiled.

Satisfied that he was okay for the moment, he silently left the room, closing the door gently before heading to the living room.

Lil Petey and HD-80 were on the floor, surrounded by sheets of paper and colors. The little cat had a pencil in his mouth while he colored with enthusiasm. HD-80, for his part, was swaying slightly from side to side, shaking one of his little mechanical hands while drawing with the other.

Lil Petey looked up and smiled widely.

—Dog Man! Is Papa feeling better?

Dog Man nodded.

—He's resting.

—Awesome! —Lil Petey wagged his tail—. Do you want to draw with us?

Dog Man tilted his head curiously before nodding eagerly.

HD-80, seeing his interest, took a blank sheet from the pile and handed it to him with one of his mechanical hands.

—Thanks, HD80 —Dog Man took the sheet with his front paws and looked at the colors scattered around him—. What are you drawing?

Lil Petey pointed to his sheet proudly.

—I'm making a comic about a superhero cat who saves grandmas around the world!

Dog Man tilted his head to look at it better. On the page, a cat in a red cape was flying through the city, rescuing scared grandmas stuck in trees.

HD-80, on the other hand, moved his sheet in front of Dog Man. His drawing was more abstract, a combination of elegant strokes and vibrant colors.

Dog Man admired both creations before looking down at his own sheet.

He thought for a moment... then began to draw.

His lines formed pointed ears, whiskers, and a slightly grumpy but familiar expression.

Lil Petey leaned in to see and let out a giggle.

—Ohhh, it's Papa!

Dog Man wagged his tail, satisfied.

Lil Petey laughed even more.

—You gave him the grumpy face, he looks just like him!

Dog Man nodded proudly.

HD-80 clapped with his mechanical hands, as if approving the result.

Dog Man smiled.

The three of them continued drawing, enjoying the quiet of the afternoon, while in the bedroom, Petey slept deeply.

___________________________________

Hello! I was thinking and came up with something special to celebrate 20k views.

I created something called Strawpage, where you can send me anonymous messages. My idea is for you to send me requests for mini one-shots or situations where you want to see the characters from the story.

I'll post it now so it's ready, and I can upload it as soon as the story hits 15k views!!

I'll leave the link to the page on my profile, I hope you're interested in the idea hkskdjna

I'd like to clarify that I won't do any one-shots with NSFW content or p3d0philia.

The reasons are simple: I want the content to continue respecting the essence of the story and its characters. Also, p3d0philia is a completely inappropriate and unacceptable topic, and NSFW is not the kind of material I want to include in this fic. I prefer to focus on plots and dynamics that can be enjoyed without crossing those boundaries.

Thanks for understanding!!