The Jonin's cold act dropped the second his student fell with a chocked sob
Turning immediately, he reached for the younger version of himself and caught him in time, his cold expression wavering as spasms of pain went through Lee's body.
Only when Lee passed out, he let something akin to panic seep to his mind. He ran and flung open the door to his apartment, Lee in his arms and carefully dropped the boy on his bed.
Lee was trembling and he could see the Genin's body fighting continuous spasms of pain
MEANWHILE IN KONOHA
"damnit! I lost again" the Hokage was out losing any game she decided to play at under the watchful eye of Shizune who tried in vain to coax her in leaving the place…or she would end up with a lot of debts.
Suddenly a giant turtle appeared out of nowhere on the table ruining any chances for her to win….or to lose, making cards flying everywhere.
"Ningame!" both Tsunade and Shizune were both happy and irritated for the interruption
"I'm sorry to disturb, lady Hokage" said turtle began
"I hope it's worth it, i WAS winning" Tsunade said, arms crossed
"Gai needs your assistance right away, it's about Lee" he tried to be as quick as possible and the medical ninja stood up
"where?" Tsunade simply said, more annoyed than before
"his place" Ningame said, disappearing right after
"I'm sorry guys but one of my subordinates needs me. We will finish this another time" she waved
Gai sensed her chakra and opened the door hurriedly only to meet a really pissed-off Hokage
" . ?" every word dripped with venom but her expression softened hearing a pained whimper behind Gai, awaiting an explanation
Gai sighed and told her everything. From the first day he trained despite being ordered not to, to the opening of the gates, to his outburst and the coming here
"Let me see" Tsunade took in the state of Lee very quickly with her skill, placing her hand on Lee's chest, trying to understand the depth of his injuries
'his breathing is too fast. Probably his body needs a bigger amount of oxygen to keep the cells from dying' her stare went from Lee's face to his chest once again 'and his heart is beating this rapid to provide that oxygen…I need to repair the damage first'
While Tsunade's concentration was on Lee, Gai's look was on the ground. He dared only to breathe, not wanting to disturb the hokage with the million questions he had right now.
His stare rose as Tsunade's hand moved from Lee's chest to his head, chakra starting to emit a green glow from her body.
After agonizing minutes, Gai saw with relief how Lee's breathing evened and his expression seemed more relaxed.
Tsunade then stretched and turned to Gai
"I helped in repairing the chakra net but his condition is still severe" Gai nodded
"shouldn't we take Lee to the hospital?" Shizune suggested
"that had to be done immediately. Right now Rock Lee is in no condition to be moved. The slightest strain on his body would result in another shock to his chakra net and his body would not withstand it" Tsunade explained
"I'll take care of him" Gai said, Tsunade eyed him varily "it is my responsibility after all, I taught him the usage of the gates" his voice lacking his usual vigor.
Tsunade moved towards the Jonin
"alright. Make sure to keep his temperature in check. You're exempt from any missions and i'll give these painkillers to you" she handed him a small bottle filled with pills "it is highly possible he'll have to endure waves of pain in the next hours…oh well…make sure to be firm with him for now…he must listen to you" Gai nodded, still silent
She made to leave but stopped "it isn't your fault Gai. The kid is simply like you" she smiled "an incredible, hardworking, fool of a ninja…and sometimes kids misbehave…call me if you need anything" she laughed and waved goodbye closing the door behind her
He smiled at himself and prepared for his self-appointed S-Rank Mission: Lee's recovery
Unknown to others, he had pretty decent skills in medical treatment. As a Taijutsu expert, he was used to pain and often healed himself on his own.
Lee's temperature was still dangerously high so he sat patiently on a chair beside him while the cold rags and ice helped his temperature down.
HOURS LATER
Lee awoke in a barely lit room and found himself in a large bed.
"You awake?" Lee turned his head to find Gai staring at him from the chair he was still in and dizzily nodded, trying to get up
Gai immediately stopped his act with a hand on his chest and gently pushed him back down.
Lee complied without a word and turned his head aside, his shame still burned
"Lee…" Gai began "look at me" he said again
Lee slowly obliged and saw a pill in Gai's hand
"take this, it will help get your temperature back down" the Jonin explained
Lee nodded and took the pill with some water and laid back down
Silence filled the room and Lee shifted uncomfortably under the covers
"what happened?" he shyly asked
Lee had trained to the point of exhaustion many times but never did he end up this bad
Gai exhaled "what you experienced is a normal body reaction in a situation of great stress" he said "to put it simple, your brain raised your temperature to stop you from using the gates. It was a warning" he explained "yet, you dismissed it"
Tears gathered again in Lee's eyes, he wanted to disappear on spot.
Not only did he disappoint Gai, he burdened him with his presence as well, he was truly a disgrace.
"Your condition was worsening by the seconds. It's thanks to Tsunade you're still alive" Gai said again, his stare leaving Lee's
"T-The Hokage was here?" Lee uttered in a squeak
How am I supposed to deal with him now?
"yes" Gai said, eyes back on Lee "she entrusted you to me" Lee felt even worse than before…he dropped his gaze to his own clenched hands on the materass. He felt Gai walking and raised his stare again
He had to say something, he had to…
"Sensei…" Lee started making the other go still "I-I'm really sorry…I never wanted…to" he broke in a sob and tears started flowing again. Lee frowned at himself and tried to stop his pathetic appearance but somehow those words echoed through him
"you disappoint me"
Gai knew he couldn't embrace his student right now but he had to stop him somehow…all this emotional turmoil could worsen the situation
"Lee…" Gai began, Lee's sobs turned to sniffles as he listened "I am not mad anymore, it is important for you to calm down and rest" he hoped Lee would believe his words but his student's expression held doubt beyond belief
"I'll make it up to you" Lee chocked out "I promise" Lee finally smiled one of his big smiles capable of brightening everyone's mood…especially Gai's.
Said Jonin couldn't help but smile himself and Lee's grin got bigger as soon as he saw his reaction.
Gai finally stopped resisting and hug his student who gasped in surprise at the action and slowly returned it. As soon as Lee did, Gai tightened the hold on him and they both remained silent for a long time until Lee felt himself tremble
"Lee?"
"Sorry Gai-Sensei" Lee sobbed "I thought now you hated me" he cried harshly against the other's shoulder
"Lee I could never hate you. You're important to me" Gai said, resting his hand on Lee's hair, brushing gently, making slow rocking motions to shush the boy
"hearing you say you were disappointed in me….hurt so much" he admitted, heart clenching at the words
"that is your doing" Gai said, rocking motion still present "why did you open the gates anyway? You fool" he finished, a hint of anger in his voice making the other clench tighter on his vest
"it was a punishment" Lee admitted, making the other go still
"why?" Gai asked
"I was not able to understand your identity behind the wooden dummy…if you hadn't used Morse Code to communicate with me, I would have tried to destroy it….to destroy you" he explained " I promised myself I would have done 500 laps with the gates open as punishment" he finished while Gai forced himself not to cry
"Stupid" Gai said, embracing his student even tighter "it's not your fault and everything is fine now" he released him "we're both here now" his expression changed to something tender and he smiled
With everything said, Lee felt much better but slightly lightheaded so he laid back down
"How are you feeling?" Gai asked
"weak…but fine" Lee replied
Gai raised his stare as an idea popped in mind "I'm going to order some curry and rice for me…would you like some?" the Jonin asked, typing the number
"…" Lee didn't know what to say, he was hungry, very much but he didn't want to impose on Gai
-Rowwnllllrrrr-
Lee blushed and snarled at his belly as it growled at the mention of food and Gai had to fight every urge to laugh his head off at his student's reaction. Somehow, he managed to keep a straight face and turned silently
"Hello, I'd like to order two pots of Rice with Chicken and Curry for the eleventh' road" there was a pause "Ah, yes…name Maito Gai, number 7" he finished and shut the phone
One hour after he finally had a full stomach but he still felt too restless to sleep.
He glanced at Lee, who had his fill as well, and couldn't help but smirk when his student's gaze dashed in the opposite direction
Lee could feel the bed shifting as his sensei sat down on the bed beside him. He felt shame burn at him anew and tried to look in every direction possible aside Gai's, suddenly finding the wall very interesting
Seconds after, he turned
"Can I?...uh go to…." Lee didn't want to ask but he did anyway
"of course" Gai couldn't help but smile and pointed "bathroom's there" Gai said, turning serious "can you walk?" he asked
"I think so" Lee tried standing on a leg first and when it held, got up entirely, stumbling a bit at first
When he returned, the genin found Gai in a heated battle with a videogame and couldn't help but smile
He silently resumed his previous position and admired his sensei skills with the controller…laughing soundlessly at every grunt or cry of joy his mentor made.
Short time after, Gai felt Lee closing the gap between them as he played and decided to see how things would turn out
The Jonin smiled when Lee got in a sitting position and rest his head on Gai's arm, cautiously adding weight as seconds went on, relaxing completely when Gai didn't move.
Lee could feel pain returning slowly, every move of his limbs caused jolts of pain through him but somehow Gai's presence offered reassurance
"Sensei…" Lee started, getting the other's attention "who's the one in that photo?" Lee pointed to the wall, to a picture with a tall man that held, Lee assumed, a young Gai-sensei
"that would be my father" Gai answered with a smile and nearly laughed aloud again as Lee's eyes beamed with excitement
"really? Can I meet him?" Lee beamed, his entire being trembling with excitement at the thought and Gai let himself soften
"Haha! I'm afraid that is impossible, he died in the last ninja war" he didn't mean to upset his student but he sure did. Lee's excitement died instantly, replaced by regret and sadness
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have-"
"Don't worry Lee" Gai beamed with a thumb-up "Besides, I know he would have loved you as well" Gai said ruffling the genin's hair making Lee laugh, hair spiking in all directions.
Gai always cherished Lee's laugh like nothing else in the world...it always made him happy.
"was he strong like you?" Lee continued in his investigation and loved hearing stories from Gai and so resumed his position on Gai's arm and listened
"my father was believed to be a lost cause, always calling him the eternal Genin, for his inability in Ninjutsu but he trained hard and when I was 15 he taught me the usage of the gates" the Jonin explained
"So...he was very strong" Lee said again making Gai nod
"Lay down now Lee" Gai said making the other nod, a little too fast
Lee kept his eyes on the screen while Gai kept on playing his game. His body was throbbing with pain and his mind was exhausted from enduring it but there was a nice and fuzzy sense of serenity as well.
Lee turned to his mentor, then back at the screen.
He felt protected and loved all the same.
'it's been so long…since I felt this way'
With that feeling, Lee closed his eyes and went in a peaceful sleep
Gai heard Lee's breath go even and shut the game.
At the moment, said Genin was happily drooling over his own arm with the other trying desperately to raise the blanket to his shoulders.
Gai wanted to help in the feat but he knew better than getting close to a sleeping Lee, especially a weakened one. It could earn one or two serious kicks…hell…Tenten nearly got kicked off a cliff once because she tried to wake him up. That was the day they all discovered of his muscle memory regimen, needless to say Gai was crying tears of joy and pride instead of helping his teammate.
The Jonin decided to try anyway and slowly tried to grab the blanket. He was prepared to receive any rebuke for his feat but instead, Lee let go of the blanket and turned with a sigh.
Gai was shocked but proceeded in covering Lee's form, earning a happy grunt in return
He took the time to decipher his relationship with Lee anew…he felt such caring for this boy and the fact Lee felt so comfortable that he instinctively refused muscle memory in his presence was astounding.
'I wonder if I could…if he'd like for me to…'
Gai pondered his thoughts and decided to think better with restored vitality the day after, therefore he laid down as well and fell asleep
He barely noticed Lee turning and reach for him in his sleep, relaxing with a new sense of warmth that wasn't there before.