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It was early August and blazing outside. Kakashi wished he could've waited for it to cool down to 25 degrees at the least before going grocery shopping, but he was getting a wee bit sick of cup ramen and stale toast. So he was resigned to leaving his apartment and buying food when it was 37 degrees instead. So here he was, walking home in utter doldrums. All at the fault of his stupid dog traits.
Kakashi got extra hot in the summers, this was partly due to his sheer amount of hair. Not only was the hair on his head very thick, but he grew far more hair on the rest of his body compared to a normal person. And still technically being a human, unless it was shaved, it was difficult to shed. And it grew back too quickly for shaving to be of much use. Top that with the stuffy ninja uniform he was wearing and he was sweating balls.
He silently thanked his headband for keeping the salty sweat out of his eye. However, hair was far from his only problem. His heightened senses made him very prone to overstimulation. As he walked home, he could hear all of the murmured conversations of those around him muddle into one big hum. He had to squint to keep the harsh glare of the sun out of his eye. The texture of his sweaty hand gripping the rough paper bag was so annoying and unpleasant. His nose twitched as people walked past him, all the scents mixing and invading his nostrils at once. His mouth was so uncomfortably dry.
He swear he could feel himself tearing up. He lowered his head and tried to focus on getting home as quickly as possible without losing it. When he finally arrived at the apartment, he put the groceries on the counter to deal with later, and tried to take his vest off as quickly as possible, his distressed state leaving him to fumble the zipper, adding to his overwhelmed state. He really needed this vest off, it was restricting and hot and stuffy and itchy and too tight all of a sudden and he couldn't breathe and he just needed it off now or he might actually die he thought. He tugged and tugged at the zipper to no avail, his breathing quickening, his body heating up even further with frustration, he tore down his mask and took a bit of the vest in his jaws, needing something to chew on.
He whined and growled at the same time, hot tears sliding down his cheeks as breaths came out faster and rougher and he yelled into his vest with all the aggression of a cornered puppy who believed it was stronger than it actually was. As a last resort he removed the vest from his mouth and bit down harder than intended on his thumb, but it hardly registered as he slammed his hand on the ground, summoning his whole pack. They all looked at Kakashi confused, Pakkun being able to connect the dots first. "Overstim" He mumbled to the others, who all circled Kakashi without touching him yet, Pakkun standing in front, a silent question on his face.
"Too much! Too hot! Vest not coming off!" Kakashi gasped out in between breaths. Pakkun nodded "Touch okay? Just light touch, we promise." Kakashi nodded quickly. "Okay. First, we need you to calm down. Then we'll work on that vest. Uhei pressed his head to Kakashi's chest, the familiar pressure over his thundering heart already doing wonders. Next, Guruko rest his muzzle on Kakashi's shoulder, breathing slowly next to, but not into his ear. Kakashi took this as a silent, gentle command to start mimicking his breathing, which he did, spluttering only once or twice.
After a few minutes of this, Pakkun took Kakashi's vest zipper in his teeth and slowly undid the vest for him. Kakashi shrugged it off and leaned against the wall, relieved at the loss of the restricting garment. "Okay." Pakkun began after a moment "Is there anything else bothering you, Kakashi?" He asked gently, placing a paw on Kakashi's lap as a sign of patience, recognizing that words weren't easy at the moment. Kakashi gently rubbed the small dog's paw, giving his hands something to do while he thought.
"Um... light... sunlight... bright." He began slowly. Pakkun nodded, Shiba already hopping up onto the couch for better access of the window, tugging at the blinds cord with his teeth until they came down with a snap! Kakashi flinched at the noise, Uhei rubbing the underside of Kakashi's chin on the top of his muzzle to soothe his frazzled nerves. "What else?" Pakkun asked. Kakashi vaguely remembered unpleasant smells earlier, but now he was surrounded by the warm, familiar scents of his pack, so that was no longer an issue. However, his mouth felt like a desert.
"Water." He answered after a small hesitation. Bull quickly stood up and lumbered over to the bag of groceries on the counter, very gently grabbing a bottled water as to not break it with his powerful jaws and dropped it in Kakashi's lap. Kakashi unscrewed the cap and hastily took big gulps. "Woah woah, slow down..." Pakkun mused. Kakashi hummed and slowed his sips a little until the bottle was half empty before screwing the cap back on and placing it next to him on the floor with a much relieved exhale. It was then he began to get sleepy.
The dogs helped him get ready for bed, not wanting to leave him alone for a single second. Not that he minded. They were pack, it was normal. They were there while he got undressed into his boxers and brushed his teeth. If there was something they could help with they did. Kakashi reminded himself in the back of his mind to give them all plenty of treats the next day.
It was still atrociously hot, so Kakashi didn't even bother with getting under the covers, sprawling himself out on top of the bed. His dogs surrounded him, all snuggled up close. Kakashi fit right in. They were all asleep pretty quick, loud snores filling the room. Kakashi couldn't have asked for a greater pack family.