Work Text:
Runny noses. So many runny noses, boogers and teary eyes – they were everywhere.
Kakashi had a runny nose too. If that itself was not bad enough – having a flu, not just a cold – was annoying enough, but having a flu at the same time as his all dogs was a different level of annoying.
It started with Pakkun. He noticed his pup was sneezing a lot and seemed to be more grumpy than usual. He was not his usual talkative self and wanted to just curl up on Kakashi’s lap and sleep. His ears were hot to the touch and the tip of his nose was not only hot, but dry to.
He hoped that his friend would sleep it off and he would be fine.
When he summoned his whole pack two days later – he wanted to finally take them for the annual health check he had been putting off for weeks due lack of time – all of them were in various state of bad. After initial shock and series of questions, he sent all of them back and rushed to the Inuzuka clan. He did not even manage to get into their part of the village when he bumped into Tsume-san. She was always rather snappy and a bit scary, but he had more important things to worry about than offending her. Luckily for him, dogs wellbeing was a priority for her, so not long after he was brought to her father who was one of the clan’s veterinarians.
‘So, what brings you?’ he asked, patting his palms clean. His dog companion was sitting in the corner, slowly dozing off into a nap.
‘My summons got sick’ he answered shortly.
‘All of them?’
Kakashi only nodded. The man waved his hand.
‘Bring them in. But call them one by one, would you?’ He made a face at the memory of Kakashi’s last visit when he summoned the whole pack at once. The room was in shambles when they finally managed to calm them all down from the mayhem caused by Bull and is hatred towards vets.
The boy sniffed loudly – he had stuffed nose too and he was not feeling exactly great, but he had priorities! – and quickly summoned Pakkun. He was not happy and the death stare fixed on Kakashi was a clear indicator that such treason would not be quickly forgiven.
All of them received the same diagnosis. The whole pack went down with dog flu. With no available treatment, Kakashi could only make sure they were comfortable and offer some support in form syrup and pills (something anti-inflammatory and painkillers to ease the sore-throat and other discomforts).
‘…And you should stay low for a few days too. You’re catching something as well’ noticed the man, washing his hands.
‘I thought human can’t catch dog flu’ said Kakashi with a frown. Inuzuka only chuckled, shaking his head.
‘Keep yourself warm and stay hydrated, kiddo. If it gets worse for them, you know where to find me.’
Kakashi thanked him with a nod and made sure to schedule an appointment for a check-up in two weeks when all of his companions would feel better, and he went back home.
He was pretty sure he had a fever too, but instead of going to bed, he gathered a lot of pillows and dragged out the spare futon to make a big, soft bed for all of them. He managed to give the medicine to all of his poor boys and spent quite some time cooking a big pot of rice with meat for them.
When he finally went to lay down, the room seemed to be swaying a little and he had an uncomfortable lump in his throat.
It only got worse in the next morning.
He did not remember feeling that bad, ever. His head felt like it was weighting a ton. It was throbbing around his forehead and eyes. His throat felt like it was not touched by a drop of liquid in days and he could not breathe through his nose at all – on top of that, something was itchy in his chest but coughing was too painful to try to ease it away.
The pile of dogs around him looked similarly unhappy.
‘Great’ he grumbled, surprised with how hoarse was his voice; he barely heard himself. He turned to the side and pushed his head under the pillow. Nobody could make him move anyway, he was living alone and he was only supposed to train that day. He could skip it from time to time – not because of himself, but his dogs needed to be taken care of. He did not have time to spend hours on running around, strength training, meditation and… And he got even more tired just from thinking about it.
The sink was too far away even if he was on the floor mere meters away. But he was so thirsty! And probably hungry. Kakashi made a pained face when he realized he had to not only bring himself water but also cook. And the next day as well.
He would stab for a cup of hot tea.
He did not move when someone suddenly banged on the window. Was he late for something? After a long moment he strained his neck to look up and let out a long, pained sigh when he saw Gai’s smiling face. Seeing that he got his Rival’s attention, he waved at him.
‘You’re still in bed, Rival?! It’s such a refreshing morning! Come on out!’ His cheerful voice was a bit muffled by the glass. ‘It snowed during the night! It’s so beautiful outside, you have to see this, Kakashi!’
Kakashi once more pulled his pillow on his head. Snow was exactly what he needed – it was even more chores to take care of. That would explain why he was feeling so cold… Since the temperature outside dropped enough for snow, he would have to get the heating going. Which meant going outside, chopping the wood and starting the fire in the heating stove…
He did not move when Gai laughed out loud and knocked again – only when there was a long moment of silence he peered from under the pillow.
Gai was gone from the window and he could hear someone trying to pick the lock on the door. At least he did not have to get up to open and his friend would get some extra practice in lockpicking. Kakashi only turned to the side. He wished he could fall asleep again.
Gai quickly got inside and closed the door behind him.
‘Ha! I’m really good at this!’ he called happily, taking his snowy shoes off. Without taking his jacket off, he marched straight at the futon rolled out in the middle of the room. ‘Hello, friends!’ He stopped with a frown. No reaction from Kakashi was not very surprising, but even the dogs barely moved! They only looked at him. ‘Why the long faces?’
‘…Gai.’
The boy gasped hearing his Rival’s raspy voice.
‘Oh no, Kakashi!’ he whined, dropping on his knees. He shook the bundle somewhere where he expected to grab Kakashi by his arm. ‘You’ve fallen sick! That’s not good! But don’t worry, Rival! I’m here now!’ With a serious look on his face, he shrugged off his jacket and untangled the scarf. He tossed it to the side. ‘I’ll take care of you! Have you eaten yet? All of you?’
‘No.’
‘I’ll take care of it!’
‘Give me water first.’
‘Sure thing, Rival!’ Gai jumped back on his feet and hurried to the kitchen. Kakashi pulled the pillow off of his head and rubbed at his eyes with a sigh.
Uhei slowly scrambled up and dragging his legs, he followed Gai. The boy crouched in front of him to give him some pets.
‘Hold up, dear, I’ll give Kakashi water and I’m back with you!’
The dog only sneezed and gave Gai the most pained look he could muster and sat down by the fridge.
Gai crouched by Kakashi’s side and pulled him up to a seated position before he could even protest.
‘I’m not dying’ he grumbled, but that was his only complaint. He sat more comfortably with Gai’s arm behind his back and took the glass.
‘I hope not, but you’re looking really bad’ he noticed, shaking his head. ‘You should stay in bed today, Kakashi.’
‘No’ he sighed. ‘I have things to do.’
‘Like what?’
Kakashi waved his free hand, raising an eyebrow.
‘Laundry, cooking, cleaning? I have to give them their meds!’ He nodded at the pile of sad dogs around him. ‘Get the heating going!’
Gai laughed proudly.
‘The only thing you have to do today is staying in bed, Rival! I’ve got you!’
Kakashi only sighed and pulled his mask down. He took a few small gulps, wincing a little – swallowing anything felt like having knives in his throat. Gai patted his shoulder and gave it a squeeze, openly staring at his face for a few seconds before looking away. Kakashi did not mind.
‘I’ll make you soup. Excuse me, but I’ll have to go through the cabinets!’
‘…It’s fine’ he mumbled, glancing aside.
‘I’ll make sure to put everything back just right where it was’ promised Gai and stood up. ‘I know you don’t like your things touched. You won’t even notice I used anything!’
‘…Thanks?’
‘Anytime!’ He went back to the kitchen to give Uhei more scratches and investigate content of Kakashi’s cabinets. Humming, Gai put the kettle on to prepare a pot of hot, green tea for his suffering friend. While waiting, he went through all the shelves to gather everything he needed on the kitchen counter. He also heated up the dog pot to feed everyone.
Kakashi scrambled out of the bundles and slowly got up. He swayed, but did not fall back on his butt.
‘Rival?’
‘Bathroom.’ He shrugged and slowly wandered off to deal with the necessities.
Soon enough a pot full of simmering soup was on the stove, the dogs filled their bellies and Kakashi was back under the covers with a cup of hot tea.
‘Alright then, Kakashi! The soup will be ready soon. While waiting, I’ll get the laundry going!’
‘Gai, I wasn’t serious when I said that’ he tried, feeling rather awkward about being dotted on like that. He could not really remember being taken care of when being ill. Sure, Minato-sensei or Rin would check up on him and bring him take-outs, but this was so different and so, so much Gai-like.
‘I saw the pile in the bathroom’ he noticed, amused. ‘I’ll be back.’
Before he could say anything else, Gai was gone.
‘Nothing to complain about’ noticed Urushi. ‘You don’t like doing laundry.’
‘I also don’t like people going through my stuff’ he mumbled, squeezing the cup in his hands.
‘It’s Gai we’re talking about.’ Bisuke made an odd sound in an attempt to cough. ‘He’s happy to help!’
‘He adores you’ agreed Uhei, clearly happy about it.
‘Hard to miss’ mumbled Pakkun without opening his eyes.
Kakashi did not answer. Instead, he took a little sip. Gai added honey and a slice of ginger to the tea pot because ‘It’s a wonderful treatment for a sore throat, Rival! You’ll feel better in no time!’. Most importantly it was tasty and warm, and breathing in the steam helped a bit for the stuffed nose. Just a little.
Gai was true to his word and he announced his return with starting to hum another song – he really was unable to keep his mouth shut. Still, instead of pulling Kakashi in a conversation when his throat hurt, he humored himself with some quiet singing. He did not even sound that bad.
He brought a fresh towel and produced a bowl from one of the cabinets. He placed it on the stool next to Kakashi’s doggy nest.
‘Here! Breath it in for a while with the towel on your head!’
Kakashi raised his eyebrows. Was Gai secretly related to the Yamanaka clan an could read minds? Kakashi was just thinking how breathing some tea in mitigated the drag of having congested nose, and there he was with a bowl of hot water.
‘A steam bath?’ he asked stupidly before he could stop himself.
‘For your nose!’ He pointed at his face, smiling. ‘I’d normally add something in here, but you have such an awesome sense of smell, I decided against it! I did not want to upset it, so it’s just hot water.’
Without a word, Kakashi reached for the towel. Gai beamed at him and when his Rival disappeared under the fluffy fabric, he went back to the kitchen.
Kakashi knew about all those things for dealing with a cold, but doing them by yourself was different than having someone do them for him. Different and a little embarrassing. Kakashi was fine with people tending to his wounds if he was injured on a mission, but this? Having someone baby him because he woke up with a sore throat and a stuffy nose? That was embarrassing and he was feeling awkward.
‘I think I’ll open the window, Kakashi!’ called Gai with a smile in his voice. ‘Fresh air is also very important for all of you to get better! I’ll bring more blankets if you tell me where they are!’
‘In my old room’ he said, not lifting his head up from the bowl. It felt so good to have hot air cradling his face like that; it was not even five minutes and he was already beginning to breathe better. ‘In the closet.’
‘On it! I’ll bring them for all of you, you have to get bundled up before we can air the room.’
Bisuke crawled back under the covers and soon after, more layers were thrown on top of him. All the dogs curled up closer to each other. Gai carefully covered all of them – including Kakashi – and he marched straight to the window. He opened it wide to let the crispy air in. He took a big, loud breath in and out. Nothing killed germs better than some cold! And Kakashi loved fresh air, it would improve his mood for sure. Since he did not intend to make their condition worse, he hurried to close the window as soon as the room was cooled and smelled like fresh laundry dried outside. Kakashi decided to emerge from the steam bath soon after; his face was moist and he was all red. It made Gai laugh and call him a tomato, but Kakashi did not have energy for their usual bickering so he only scoffed. Gai only smiled at that and went back to the stove. He stirred the pot and giving Kakashi a thumbs up, he proudly announced that his healing potion was ready. Kakashi could not help a weak chuckle at that. Gai brought him a bowl filled almost to the brim without spilling a drop. He crouched down next to the futon, staring intently at Kakashi’s face. It already had a normal color.
‘You have a fever’ noticed Gai when without a warning, he put his palm against his Rival’s forehead.
‘I’m fine.’ He could not jerk away without spilling the soup, so he did not move.
‘Liar’ he sighed, shaking his head. ‘I saw you swaying on your feet, Rival! Here!’
‘…Mh. Thanks.’ He grabbed the offered spoon and placed the bowl on the stool; Gai snatched the basin so Kakashi would have at least a piece of table to eat. ‘You’ll eat too?’
Gai nodded, standing back up.
‘I am, I just wanted to bring your serving first.’
Kakashi slowly stirred his portion, waiting for Gai to join him. Despite being able to breath normally he could still barely smell anything. With a sigh, he watched his friend getting back to him and taking a seat by his side.
‘So, how are you feeling? Any better?’ He started to eat.
Kakashi shrugged, tilting his head. He ate the first spoon as well. It tasted like nothing, but he could not blame Gai’s cooking for it. It actually looked very tasty and he wished he could see if it tasted as good as it looked.
‘Not really’ he grumbled. ‘But I can breathe.’
‘That’s already better!’ He patted his shoulder and withdrew his hand before Kakashi managed to slap it away. ‘You should try to take a nap after you eat.’
‘Maybe, I don’t know.’
‘Don’t mind me! You should rest as much as you can, or you won’t get better anytime soon.’ He inhaled two spoons. ‘I’ll take care of the heating stove in the meantime.’
Kakashi nodded, pushing himself mentally to eat the soup. Logically he knew he was hungry, but the sore throat and exhaustion made it almost impossible to eat anything. At least it was warm and Gai chopped everything into small pieces, so they would cook quickly and be soft. He also seemed to be true to his word – from what Kakashi could see, every single thing Gai was using was put away right where it should be. That thought helped him to relax a little.
‘It’s a shame you don’t feel good’ sighed Gai between sips. ‘It’s really nice outside! We could have a snow fight or have a contest who can roll a bigger snowball.’ He grinned and squirmed on his butt to find a more comfortable position. ‘Another time then!’
Kakashi only nodded.
‘Have you seen a doctor yet?’
‘No.’ He turned his head, starting to cough. Gai winced a little at the wheezy, sharply inhaled breaths between the coughing and hacking.
‘Well, you should! I know you hate hospitals, but what if it gets worse?’
‘I’ll go if it gets worse’ he grumbled between another coughs and ate some more.
Gai squinted at him, lifting his bowl to take a few big gulps.
‘Oh, you will. I’ll make sure you will.’
Kakashi looked straight at him, opening his left eye as well.
‘Is that a threat?’
‘Only if you’re going to be a big baby about it.’
‘I’d like to see you try force me to do anything’ he scoffed.
‘Be careful what you wish for, Rival.’
They just stared at each other for a moment. Kakashi stirred his soup and ate another spoon.
‘Baby’ said Gai in a sing-song voice.
‘Oi’ he huffed with a frown. ‘I’m not a baby.’
‘You’re the babiest of babies, Kakashi.’
‘No, I’m not!’
‘Yes, you are! What if you get really much worse than you already are?’
‘What’s the worst that can happen?!’
‘You could die!’ he called dramatically, waving his hands in the air.
‘I can die like, anytime I go on a mission’ he noticed, grabbing the bowl with both hands to drink straight from it.
‘That’s different! It’s one thing to die on a mission, and to die because you are a baby!’
‘I’m not a baby!’
‘Yes, you are!’
‘Nu-uuh!’ he argued with nose in the bowl. He took some long, loud gulps and made a face because they hurt his throat.
‘I don’t want you to die of something that stupid’ complained Gai with a pout.
‘I won’t die from a cold.’
‘You can’t be sure.’
‘I can.’
‘I’m so killing you if you die from having a cold and being a baby about it!’
Kakashi put his bowl down.
‘No you won’t. You can’t kill me if I’m already dead, from, like, lack of oxygen.’
‘What?’
‘I can stop breathing any second and it has nothing to do with me being sick.’ He took a big whiff of air, puffing his cheeks out.
‘Rival!’ groaned Gai, putting his bowl aside. Kakashi did not move – he only stared at him, still holding his breath. ‘You’re acting like a toddler now!’
Kakashi crossed both arms on his chest. He was slowly getting progressively more red on the face. He was fine with holding breath for quite long, but he really had to cough. Since it would ruin his point, he tried to push through it.
‘Fine! Do me a favor and pass out, so I can take you to the hospital right now.’
He wanted to argue or at least shake his head, but he lost the battle with his itching throat. Despite knowing better, Kakashi tried to cough without opening his mouth. His nose was not clogged anymore, but it was still a bit runny. One big, involuntary snort was all it took for boogers to shoot out right on his mouth and chin. He immediately hid his face behind his hands, but Gai had seen it all and now he rolled back, cackling. He knocked over the stool, sending the bowl with remaining soup flying. It only made him laugh more.
Kakashi tried to scold him for making a mess, but he ended up laughing too. It sounded like someone was trying to choke a chicken, amusing both of the boys even more.
The dogs were just staring at them in silence, watching them shake and eventually tear up as well.
‘My stomach’ whined Gai, holding his sides.
‘My face!’ squeaked Kakashi right before another wave of chuckles.
‘Nooo!’ he moaned and inhaled loudly to have air for the next fit of loud giggles.
‘I can’t’ managed the other boy, but his throat gave up almost completely and he was barely heard.
Eventually Kakashi was the one to calm down first. He wrapped himself in the blanket and after a second thought, he laid down.
Gai slowly calmed too and wiped his cheeks, still smiling. He picked up both bowls and stood up.
‘You’re going to take a nap after all?’ he asked when Kakashi closed his eyes for a longer moment.
‘Mmh. I’m just cozy.’
‘Well, don’t mind me!’ He wandered off to the kitchen. He had dishes to deal with – he was definitely not leaving a mess for Kakashi to clean up, especially since he was in such poor state! – and it was a good moment for his Rival to try and doze off for a while. He definitely needed a nap.
Kakashi squirmed, sinking deeper in the covers. Bull put his heavy paw on him, a familiar and comforting weight. He sighed quietly, pulling one of the dog’s close to himself to cuddle. He recognized Guruko’s ear when he scratched the dog’s head.
Gai was not humming anymore. The only sounds in the house were a symphony of loud breathing and snorting of his pack, whisper of water in the sink occasionally broken with creaking of faucet. The headache got worse when he lied down, so he did his best to focus on the warmth and sounds lulling him to sleep. Listening to someone doing the dishes was surprisingly relaxing.
Gai took his time with cleaning up – usually it would take just a few minutes, but he was doing everything very slowly to not bang anything on accident and startle his Rival. He looked so comfortable, all bundled up in the pile of blankets and dogs! It seemed like all of them fell asleep, but he could not tell apart the snores and occasional coughs. Either way, they all needed rest and he would make sure they did sleep without any interruptions or else!
After washing all the bowls, cutlery and anything else he had used, Gai made sure to wash the sink as well and wiped down all the counters. On his tiptoes, he sneaked out to the bathroom to check on the washing machine. It seemed to be finished rather soon, so he entertained himself with some stretches. When it was finally done, he grabbed a big basin to toss everything inside. On his way to the front door he peered at his Rival relaxed face. He was dead asleep. It looked like an opportunity to practice his stealth! He took the pile of laundry outside where he could relax a bit. Making some popping noises – they just felt good – he hung up the laundry. Just as promised, he went behind the house to check if Kakashi had the wood already chopped. It was his lucky day – he did not have to chop it for him and wake him up. He gathered some and went to start the fire. His Rival would surely appreciate it, he loved when it was warm. Gai went back home when he was sure the fire would not die on its own soon.
Kakashi was still completely out of it when he was back. With nothing better to do, Gai went through the neat pile of books stacked on the low table in the middle of the room. He found two volumes of manga they were both reading (actually it was Gai who recommended it to Kakashi and he was delighted with discovering his Rival did like it as well), a book that looked like a fantasy novel (the short summary at the back confirmed his assumption) and a few books from the library about genjutsu, chakra types and ninjutsu. Of course that his Rival would keep that kind of literature by his bed! Kakashi was always serious about improvement and he would not waste any opportunity to learn something new.
Gai picked the manga and stretched himself on his front. Propped on his elbows, he started to read. When he was done with the second volume, he looked at his friend. Kakashi, still conked out, seemed a bit flushed. With a frown, Gai reached out to gently touch his forehead – it was even more warm than the last time! His breathing also seemed a bit strained. Trip to the hospital to see a doctor was inevitable – especially knowing that two of their friends recently ended up pretty ill as well, and they got Rin sick as well. It was Kakashi’s turn to be defeated by some nasty illness.
Gai put the manga back from where he took it and made a beeline to the kitchen. In one of the drawers were a neat stack of cloths ready to be used. He took one, wet it and wrung it just enough to stop it from dripping. He did not want to slap a soaking wet rag on Rival’s face, that would not be appreciated for sure. Folding it into a nice rectangle, he went back to his friend’s side and gently put the cloth on his forehead to at least try to cool it down.
Kakashi grunted unhappily and slowly opened his eyes to see what was going on. He freed his hands from his cocoon.
‘It’s me’ said Gai quietly. ‘I think your fever is getting worse. I put a cold compress on it.’ He pulled Kakashi’s blanket a little higher, tucking him back in.
With a sigh, Kakashi let his eyelids drop and he seemed to sunk deeper in his bundle. Gai sat back down on his heels, watching him with a worried look on his face.
‘I think’ managed Kakashi, but his voice was barely above whisper. ‘I’ll go see someone tomorrow.’
‘You better’ sighed Gai. ‘I’ll get you another tea.’
‘Thanks.’
‘Don’t mention it.’ He fixed the cloth on Kakashi’s forehead and walked off to prepare tea. He did not feel the kettle to the brim, only to make one cup, so it boiled relatively quick. ‘I’ve got the heating going’ he said, sitting back next to Kakashi. He only hummed shortly in response; Gai turned the cloth upside-down. ‘I’m putting the tea on the stool over here.’ He stood up again. When he was going through the cabinets he saw something that looked like a medicine kit, so maybe he could find something for the fever. He grabbed the bottle he was looking for; Kakashi just took whatever he gave him without asking questions. Propped on his elbow, he started to slowly sip the still hot tea.
Gai chuckled, suddenly having an idea.
‘Rival. Would you like me to read you something?’
‘…Why?’
He shrugged.
‘Papa would always read to me when I was ill or just feeling worse.’ He nodded towards the books. ‘Have you started the fantasy story yet?’
‘No.’
‘Great!’ He reached for the book.
‘Are you seriously going to read out loud?’
‘Yeah? You like to read and you don’t feel good now, so I’ll read for you!’ He beamed and sat more comfortably, opening the book. ‘You guys just relax and feel free to fall asleep!’
Kakashi only slurped another small sip, fixing his gaze at Gai.
He cleared his throat, quickly skimming through the first lines before he took a breath in and began reading. The story started with a vague introduction of the situation the main character found himself in – and it turned out that the narrator was a dog, or rather a young lord turned into a dog.
Despite fatigue, Kakashi found himself focusing on the story. Gai would not be himself if he did not give it all to whatever he was doing – it was remarkable how nicely the plot was unfolding through Gai’s voice. He was changing his tone, make faces and gesticulate with one hand. He was making a different voice for every character and Kakashi soon forgot about being tired and that his tea was getting cold. He laid back down and turned on his side to look at his friend’s face.
When Kakashi was reading, there was only the monotone sound of his own voice in his head. Listening to Gai narrating the story was shockingly engaging. He would even flip the book to show the illustrations, all excited, making him laugh a little. Gai scooted closer so Kakashi could look at the text too if he wished. Uhei and Guruko emerged from the blankets and claimed Gai’s lap; he could not pet both of them at the same time, so Kakashi reached to Guruko.
Unfortunately for Kakashi, who would gladly listen to the story for a little longer, he started getting sleepy again. Gai’s voice seemed to be getting quieter with every page, his back was pressed against Kakashi’s knees and there was something so soothing in this, he could not help himself and let his eye fall shut. He could feel himself dozing off. He squirmed a little to get the pillow in more comfortable position under his cheek and he could hear Gai drinking some of the abandoned tea before he went back to reading.
Kakashi did not know if he was still listening or was he dreaming.
When Gai looked up from the book, his Rival was long asleep. He marked the page and with a sigh, he put the book aside and looked around. He was stuck. He was propped on Kakashi’s thighs and he had two dogs on his lap – everyone was asleep but him. It was also getting a bit darker in the room. He was not a fan of taking naps during the day, but he was comfortable and the long reading session made him weary too. Getting up to walk it off was not an option – he was not selfishly waking anyone up – but just sitting was plain up boring. Maybe if he could lean to the side just so…
A wave of grumbling and huffing filled the room when the dogs were adjusting themselves to fit Gai in the bed as well. He ended up on his side and even if he was on top of the covers he did not feel cold. Ninkens were good source of warmth, Kakashi and his fever was too, and he was fairly comfortable.
He did not even know when he was snoring too, engulfed in another colorful dream. His sudden, almost violent twitch startled Kakashi awake. He stared at him for a solid minute, trying to grasp why Gai’s legs were next to his face. With a yawn, he managed to wiggle out one of the blankets to toss it on his friend. He threw his arm around his knees, and with a cheek pressed against Gai’s calf, he went back to sleep.