The first thing he knew was there was sun on his face. The second was that he was covered in warmth with his head on something soft. Eyes opened slowly, the boy wincing as the bright sunlight hit them, causing him to squint. They adjusted slowly, making him ponder just how long he'd been out. He took a moment to think, to try and remember what happened. Nope, none of it no matter how hard he tried. His memories lead blurrily up to about when he'd trying to make his way home after putting the fear of his clan into the beast. From what he could assume he'd passed out. The question was where was he now? How did he get here? Slowly, shakily he sat up, using his arms as supports to keep the strain off his injured stomach. Speaking of, how was it he hadn't bled out in the streets last night? He looked down at his overly slender, toned midsection to see it had been bandaged, and from what he could feel had been stitched as well.

Curious. But why? Well, no matter. He could just have one of his companions complete the job. Looking around he searched for his chest holster which usually housed the tubes he was after. Nowhere to be found. This set off his worry. Looking about the room he realized nothing of his was there. Not his weapons, clothing, or anything. Not even his cat. He called for him in a harsh whisper and was only rewarded with silence. Worry turned into a panic.

It didn't help when he heard movement just down the hall. Instincts set in, dangerously under filled heart pounding in his chest, stirring what blood he had remaining at a fevered pace. He felt his head spin, could see black in the corners of his eyes as he crawled from the bed. The boy fought the near black out, fought damn hard, only barely keeping himself from dropping like a ton of bricks onto the hardwood floor under him. He could hear wood creaking a few rooms down, not far at all. Pulling the drawstring on the too-big pajama pants he was suited with tight he began silently creeping about the room in search of a weapon. He didn't know who was past that door on the other side of the room and he did not want to face them unarmed in his condition. He searched high and low, desperate to find anything he could. Finally, he came up with a Swiss army knife hidden in one of the drawers. He took a quick glance to the door before crouching down just behind the bed to check on his find.

He slowly flipped the blade out until it locked, running a thumb over it. Yup, it was still good and sharp. This would do him just fine. He stayed there a long while, listening, waiting, trying to track the footsteps through the small apartment. Male, not too heavy, athletic, somewhat lethargic. That was about as much as he could pick up by his pace. Not much but enough. With any luck he could take him and run back home. No, it would take a lot of luck; he knew damn well the condition he was in.

Slowly, fighting the wave of dizziness and blackness that invaded his vision he stood, carefully making his way to the door. He pressed his ear against it, listening, waiting. He heard nothing from the hallway. The man in question was further down. The boy reached for the door, fingers hesitant to turn the knob. He calmed himself, taking a deep, slow breath and letting it out in an attempt to slow his heart. Once it had quieted somewhat he opened the door, silent as possible, and poked his head out. No one was there. It was just a regular hallway of a small and somewhat unkempt home. Eyes flicked back and forth, trying to pinpoint where the man was. He heard the footsteps again, further down at the end of the hallway past the open door. Now or never. The boy slipped out from the bedroom and slowly moved down the hall towards that door, back pressed firm against the wall as he went. He didn't need anything sneaking up on him.

Down the hall he went, slow and steady, one foot side-stepping the other. As he walked he passed another small room with random things piled inside. Boxes filled with paper, old furniture, a bed frame that looked like it had never been used. A storage room? Maybe. And just past that was another small hallway, this one complete with a little half-flight of stairs and a door at the end that looked like it'd head out into another hallway. He bolted for it, tried the handle. No dice. It was jammed. Of all the rotten luck... He'd have to go with his original plan. He poked his head around the corner quickly. Seeing no one he rushed to the other side, back to his previous spot against the wall, and continued his trek. He soon found himself passing a kitchen, cluttered with papers on the counters, dirty pots and pans, and old pizza box. Dishes were piled in the sink. What a slob this captor of his was.

The sound of creaking springs and wood jolted him from his musings. Just past that doorway, so close to him now, only a few feet. That was where the man was. That was his road to getting out of here. He could see the door from there. All he had to do was run. He readied himself, his weapon held gingerly in hand, arm down and relaxed. He steadied himself and went for it. He burst through the open door into... an office living space of all things. Surprised but not deterred he sought out the man he'd heard moving about. There he was, standing by the desk at the end of the room, looking far less surprised than he himself was. Wait, he looked familiar...

Hadn't he been that man from the night he'd gone to that crime scene? What was going on?

The man only spared him a passing glance from where he stood, a cup of coffee in one hand, a cell phone in the other. He merely smiled and set both down, hands resting on his hips. "Good, you're awake." He greeted him, the man cheerfully motioning for him to come closer. Never mind the boy had a knife in one hand and looked like he was going to fall over at any given moment. This man was certainly a strange one.

The office space itself was much neater than the rest of the apartment. Bookshelves along one wall, a small stereo set on a table next to it. On the opposite wall was a simple straight-backed loveseat and a few sporadically placed potted plants, a shoji screen in the corner. In the center was a dark wood table with a set of four chairs pushed against it. Upon it, a simple snack of coffee and cookies laid out for a guest, or as one could assume, the boy standing before him.

Cluttered still, but it seemed the occupant was adamant about keeping it presentable to others. Now simple overlooked tasks like dusting and washing of the glass fixtures were completely forgotten, as if the man did not see the importance in such menial chores.

Stepping away from his desk, the man spoke again, that same playful baritone as before. "I'm glad for it." He began, traversing the small span between that and the half-steps that separated him from the nervous boy. "You had the hell beat out of you last night, I was almost sure you wouldn't make it for while." A glance to the clock mounted on the wall caused the man to chuckle, "It's almost four, if you can believe it."

A grin was directed at him once more, a seemingly common expression for the smartly dressed man. Who was he? "Now, if you'll put my knife down, I'll reheat your coffee."

The teenager stared at him through eyes that were fighting their owner every step of the way to close. This man must have been off his rocker. That, or the calmest, most laid back person in the world. The boy looked around a bit, towards the table all set up for a little snack. Strange man. But he didn't seem to mean him any harm. Outwardly, that is. He slowly unlocked the little latch inside the blade with his thumb, flipping it back into a closed position. He refused to give it up, however. He stared his host down, holding it to his bare chest to show this.

The man looked to accept this well enough, perhaps he understood in a way? Or completely out of his gourd to be this relaxed. "Fair enough. Have a seat, won't you? You look like you're about to keel over." He turned to the table, grasping the back of one of the chairs, a hint.

Hesitating only a moment the boy moved past the other, going to sit in a chair opposite of the one he'd pulled out for him. Seems he was mistrusting as he was strong willed. He didn't take his eyes off the man for a second.

Of course this garnered the young man a peculiar expression, but he let it slide. No reason to push him to cooperate. Still, one had to wonder why the man he had woken up with was so trusting of him already. To confuse him further, he took a seat across from the boy, offering a cookie. "You don't need to look so guarded." Said the man as he smirked. "Your boss lady already knows you're here. You're not going to get reprimanded."

Tired eyes widened at the mention of his boss, the cautious gaze shifting to worry, almost pleading. Still he remained silent, ignoring the offered treat.

"Relax." The man reassured him, taking the cookie for himself. "I've had dealings with your lot before. You're from the Yatagarasu, right?"

Very few were privy to that name; the Yatagarasu, an organization that acted as a complete unknown to the general populous. They had existed for centuries, silently protecting the world from demons and fiends that sought to bring about the apocalypse. They operated under a messenger from Yatagarasu itself, called the Herald, but the true leader had never been seen, even by those who worked for him. There were many who worked for the mysterious, illuminati-esque organization, but most notable were those whom could communicate and control demons, as well as carried the means to combat them. If this man knew of them, then he must have had some involvement with the Yatagarasu, or had been high enough in political rank to be aware of them.

Of course the boy was curious as to how he knew them, knew anything of his employer. Wanting to hear more he stayed silent, listening with open ears.

But that would not come without a bit of information from him first, "What's your name, kid?"

To this he lowered his gaze, face becoming blank, eyes thoughtful. He did reach for a cooking after a while; bringing it to his nose to sniff lightly, consuming it after. But not before a small utterance, the first words he had actually heard the boy speak. "...Kuzunoha Raidou..."

"Kuzunoha Raidou, huh?" The man leaned forward in his chair, offering a hand across the table to the quiet boy with a wink, "Narumi Shouhei. Welcome to my office, Raidou-chan."

At the name the boy seemed to choke on his cookie. He swallowed it forcibly and proceeded to have a short coughing fit into his hand, after of which he stared up at the detective disapproving gaze. "C-chan...?"

Narumi completely ignored the comment, grabbing his coffee and taking a sip. "So what were you doing out there last night? Did it have something to do with that case the chief hired you for?"

Again there was a long pause, almost as if the kid had gone silent again. But finally he spoke, reaching for another cookie. "...I don't work for him." Was all he'd say before stuffing his face. Kid must have been famished as much as he was exhausted.

That struck a chord; had the chief said that just to get him to leave? But if he was indeed not hired, that would mean it did involve the underworld, and that the Herald did in fact send him. His suspicions once again confirmed, Narumi continued... but not before taking notice of the boy's apparent hunger. "I can make you an actual meal if you want, you know." He motioned to the half-eaten plate of cookies with a huge grin.

Raidou halted in mid-chew at the mention of food. Those eyes took on the innocently pleading gaze once again, aimed directly at the detective. With a look like that, what choice did he have?

Narumi stood, scratching at his head, "I don't have much more than sandwich supplies and instant noodles, but sit tight and I'll whip something up for you, deal?" He'd have to brave the kitchen he had been avoiding for the last few weeks, but at least he could make something for the kid to eat. Without a shirt, he looked all skin and bones with a thin layer of muscle on top. Too thin for someone so young.

Raidou seemed to light up a bit at that. Eager for some decent nutrition he offered the man a small smile in return for his generous offer.

The man disappeared into the disaster zone that was his kitchen for some time. If one listened closely, you could hear the sound of plates and pans being shuffled around and the occasional silverware drop. Most days Narumi didn't bother cooking, it was far more convenient to heat up hot water for instant noodles or microwave a meal, or even pick up a convenient store box lunch. But Narumi didn't feel quite safe enough leaving the boy to his own devices when he had just woken up, so he haphazardly slapped together some cinnamon toast and some instant oatmeal for him. More nutritious than cookies, at least.

"Foods on!" The man cheerfully announced as he stepped out from the living area into the office, carrying the plate in hand.

By the time Narumi had returned his injured charge was already halfway to dreamland, head on the table with a half-eaten cookie on the floor, fallen from his hand. The kid really was dead tired. The man stifled a laugh upon seeing this. If he was that tired, he should have stayed in bed... "Hey now, wake up." The plate was set before the kid along with a fork. "At least eat a little before you zonk out on me."

With a little grumble, a tiny groan of protest Raidou sat up. Struggled to sit up was more like it. His wounds were getting the better of him. But still he tried to power through it and reached for the meal provided. With a quiet 'itadakimasu' he cut his first bite, eating it gratefully.

Instead of sitting down, Narumi knelt next to him, pressing a hand against his forehead. "You're not feeling too hot, are you?" An understatement, he was sure, but Narumi wanted to give the kid a chance to say so himself. The kid was too quiet, too subdued. How old was he anyway?

Narumi almost instantly had his hand pushed away before Raidou went back to his food. So he didn't talk and he didn't like to be touched. All useful things to know. The kid was shaping up to be mighty unfriendly, or at least a very severe introvert. "Just trying to help... What was that thing you fought anyhow?" If he couldn't get the kid to talk about himself, he could at least get him to talk about the beast.

"Cerberus.." Or not. That was all he said between sluggishly scooping mouthfuls of food into his face, chewing and swallowing like he was nearly completely unmotivated to do so. Well, at least one of his suspicions was confirmed; he had saw Cerberus on the encyclopedia site and it along with a few others matched the description of the claws he had seen. The question was, why was it attacking humans here? "It must have been rough if it tore you up that badly. Did the Herald send you out on a suicide mission?"

Again, the man was rewarded with a short and to the point answer. "No." and he was back to eating. Kid was a real conversationalist. A little crabby when tired, too. This would require some maneuvering. "...Does that cat belong to you?"

That got his attention. Raidou instantly looked up at the detective beside him, swallowing his food in one nervous gulp. "...Where is Gouto?" Gouto? Must have been the cat's name. Narumi motioned to the closed window, where a black cat was paw at the glass, looking annoyed. "It was clawing to get out earlier, so I put it outside..."

The boys head spun to the side, yes widening when he saw the familiar feline. He instantly struggled to his feet and went to open the window. Once the glass slid up, the cat ran in, landing on the desk and dancing on the keyboard of Narumi's laptop for a moment before turning to face the boy and yowl. But what sounded like nothing but animalistic cat noises to Narumi was something else entirely to Raidou. "The hell didn't you let me in sooner? Where's your head, Jouhei?"

Turning to face the cat the boy explained quietly. "I was out cold until about twenty minutes ago. Why did you let me be taken here?"

The cat, Gouto, wagged his tail in annoyance. "Trust me when I say I had less choice in the matter than you think. You were mortally wounded and he happened to be close by. Any halfway decent looking civilian would due in that situation." This feline, while appearing as nothing more than a very chattering housecat to most, was actually something much more to the young boy. He was his guide, his mentor, and in a sense, his boss. Anything Gouto demanded of him was to be complied with, whether it was something from the Herald or not.

Raidou sighed softly, thankful that his feline companion had enough sense to help him when he couldn't on his own. That was also when the room started spinning. Down he went, the lack of blood in his veins finally getting to him. Too much had left his brain too quickly as he'd gotten from his seat. He paid for his in the way of a sudden black out.

"Jouhei!"

"Whoa, hey kid!" Before the boy could crash to the floor he was caught by strong arms. Narumi gently lowered the kid, fanning him with his hand, as if trying to help him come to. No good, out like a light. "Jeez... If you're not well still, at least stay seated..." He chided, hefting the boy up and half-carrying, half-dragging him to the couch, gingerly laying him on it. The cat followed close behind, nearly getting underfoot in the process. It mewled softly, but its cat-words fell upon ears that could not understand him.

The blanket was tugged off the back of the loveseat and spread over the sleeping boy; it was the least he could do to make the boy comfortable. "You're a handful, I can already tell, Raidou..."

It was some time around midnight before the boy woke again, drowsy and more than a little confused about what had happened. Had he passed out? He sat up slowly with a little groan, looking about the dark room. Where was he? Still in the office? Where was the detective? He could see a light on past the doorway. The kitchen? He called out. "...Gouto...?" Nothing. He tried again, this time the detective's name. "..Narumi-san? Are you there?"

The sound of shuffling linens and boxes came from behind the closed door before it clacked open. Narumi emerged, dressed in much more casual attire than he was in previously; a loose-fitting wide-neck shirt and a pair of worn jeans. "Good morning." He said nearly sarcastically, stepping out from the hallway and into the office. "How you feeling?"

"I'm fine." he replied, though he clearly wasn't. He was still paler than usual (if that was at all possible) and he didn't seem to be focusing quite right. He really must have lost a lot of blood.

Unconvinced, Narumi grabbed a chair from the table and pulled it up next to him, "You know, only fools lie about their condition."

The man earned a glare for that, Raidou effectively turning his nose up at him. The detective took it in stride, though he was beginning to get a little exasperated. "Look, if you're that guarded, you can just relax. Your boss gave me the green light to keep you until you recover, so no need to bite my head off for trying to help."

Hearing this did help the boy relax just a bit. At least he wouldn't get in trouble while he was here. But still, there were questions he wanted answered. Blue-grey eyes turned up to the older man's brown ones, curious as before. "Why did you help me?" was the first one.

A valid question, not one he wasn't prepared to answer. Narumi raked a hand through the thick curls of his hair, averting his gaze in the darkness. "You were injured, I was there. It's that simple. Granted I was a little concerned when I saw the emblem on your katana, but at least that told me you weren't a sociopathic freak on a murder spree." Which regardless of the kid's established rank in the Yatagarasu could still be true, but Narumi wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt. And if all else failed, he knew where his gun was stashed.

"You say that, but you're always armed around me..." Caught and called on. But the boy didn't seem angry. Instead he simply eyed the man with those large almond shaped eyes, peering up at him through thick lashes. "Am I so untrustworthy even when you've hidden my sole means to defend myself?" meaning his weapons and tubes most likely. And with good reason too, considering that afternoon. But still, damned if the kid didn't make him feel bad about it looking at him like that. But Narumi did have a good reason for denying him his weapons and carrying one of his own; something he had learned long ago the hard way, never let your guard down. Yet to show he meant no harm, Narumi pulled the gun from his waistband and set it behind him on the table. "You fought and survived a battle with a beast that killed three people just a few nights ago. Can't blame a guy for being too careful when you look at it like that."

"I only survived because of the help of my companions."

Narumi quirked a brow. Companions? But it was just him and the cat... "Who are your companions?"

Raidou lowered his eyes, refusing to say. He regretted mentioning it in the first place. Better to have this man think he was a nutjob rather than have his clans ways exposed. Yet, much to his chagrin, Narumi caught on. "Kid, you can just say it. It's got something to do with those tubes of yours, doesn't it?" Yes, his previous encounter with the Yatagarasu had made him well aware of what could be contained inside those metal confines the people among their ranks would carry. That, and the aura surrounding them made his hair stand on end; a dead giveaway. Still Raidou remained silent. But the look in his eye told Narumi that he was not only correct, but the boy felt guilty for having to lie to him.

The man leaned back in his chair and sighed, "Look, you don't have to divulge any secrets to me, I'm just asking out of curiosity." The man waved all this off as if it was nothing, "I only ask because I've had run-ins with your kind before, and I just wanted to know a bit more about you." Information he wasn't likely to get, by the looks of it. "I don't really care if you can control demons or are just some kid playing pretend, just be truthful with me." The room fell silent again, Raidou not once moving from his spot, head lowered, eyes thoughtful. But just as the detective had all but given up, giving an exaggerated sigh and getting up to leave, the boy spoke. "...Pixie."

That stopped Narumi in his tracks, immediately turning to the boy, listening intently. "Pixie?"

He nodded once, slow and soft. "...She healed me before I lost consciousness."

A pixie, eh? He envisioned a cute little fairy floating around Raidou's head zapping little healing bolts of love his way. Adorable. "So that explains why you were mostly held together save for a few deeper cuts." Narumi mused. He recalled the night before when the boy was dragged in. When he examined his wounds, he noticed that the deep gashes across his abdomen had begun to stitch themselves up, the tissue reconnecting over the wound. But the job hadn't been finished, why was that?

"I fainted before she could finish..." the teen muttered with embarrassment, "Without guidance she reverted back inside her tube..."

So Raidou indeed had some control over the demons he carried. Remarkable. "You're lucky she got you that far. I'm no surgeon; any more severe and I would have no choice but to take you to the hospital." And then a hand reached out to him again, patting the boy's short, almost scruffy hair. "You did good, kid."

Oh the blush that pinkened the boys face. If that wasn't a sight to see then nothing was. He lowered his head, more than a little embarrassed by the praise. "...Thank you."

Wasn't that a sight to behold; Raidou, whom Narumi had assumed thus far had just about as much emotion as a potato, managed a blush somehow. Hell, if he kept that up, he might even make a passable human and less a statue. The hand was pulled away from the boy's hair and instead offered to him. "C'mon, let's get you to an actual bed. You're my guest, so I changed the sheets for you."

A look of confusion in his eyes, Raidou stared up at the man before him. Guest? Bed? What? Narumi sought to ease his mind on the matter, "I'm taking you back to my room to sleep. You know, where the bed with blankets and pillows are." Again, Raidou was blushing lightly. He really didn't understand all this. Why was this man being so hospitable? He didn't know him, so then... "Shouldn't I be sleeping here? It's your home..."

"Cuz my guest room is the catch-all-the-things room right now, and your cat has been glaring at me since I laid you down on the couch."

"That couch is filthy!" He could hear Gouto hissing from somewhere in the back area of the apartment.

Now that al that had been well explained Raidou was more inclined to take the much needed help. He slowly got to his feet, more than a little wobbly. He still hadn't recovered. Just how much blood had he lost? "Easy, easy..." Raidou's arm was taken and draped over the man's shoulders, Narumi's hand around his waist to steady him. "No need to push yourself." Jeez, I can feel his bones even through the sweatpants! Does he just not eat enough? Judging from how vehemently he ate the snacks, he figured the answer was a resounding 'yes'.

The teen tried to push away gently, a hand on the man's chest. Their eyes met again and Raidou decided he was too close for comfort. "There's no need. I can take care of myself," he said quickly, as if trying to mask his own fear. Did he live in a hole or something before this? He was way too nervous around people. But even with the request Narumi didn't let up entirely, just loosened his grip a bit. "Don't be stupid, you already collapsed once. Let me help."

"I don't need help. I was trained to take care of myself." he insisted, weakly trying to pull away once again. And just to prove his point, Narumi suddenly let go. Raidou stumbled back a few steps, just barely catching his footing. With a frown of upset at his own weakness he lowered his head in defeat. The room was spinning and he felt like he'd pass out any second. His wounds throbbed and he honestly did just want to collapse onto the floor and sleep this all off.

The detective shook his head and offered a hand to the boy, "Let's go. I won't tell your superiors." As if that'd ease his troubled mind. He knew these types; the sorts to run headfirst into battle if commanded to do so, and to rely only on themselves to survive. No one else could be trusted, any affiliation could be used against you... it was a terrible thing to teach someone so young.

Feeling ashamed the boy took the offered hand, accepting his help. As much as it hurt knowing that he needed help from someone else he also knew that he would be much worse off if he collapsed again and opened up the stitches in his side and abdomen. Speaking of... "Narumi-san... Did you do this..?" the boy asked while pointing to the bandaged wounds on his stomach.

A grin of pride crossed the man's dry lips as they walked. "That? Yep, learned it while I was in the force. You never know when you're going to need to learn some crash surgery. Though you were lucky," He gave Raidou a mischievous wink, "I've had to do that a few times in my day, so I've had practice." Granted he rather not think of those 'few times' he had to care for a mortally wounded partner in the field. Those memories were best left buried deep in the recesses of his mind, left to fester as a mental illness until a later date.

Raidou followed easily, taking this information in. So at least he'd been found by someone not only caring but able as well. Thank goodness he was lucky.

The hallway leading further into the apartment was cluttered with boxes and garbage bags. It seemed while the boy was out Narumi had taken to cleaning the place up. The door to the "catch-all-the-things" room was open, and it appeared that the source of most of the debris in the hall was from there. Perhaps he had taken to cleaning it... "It's filthy in there, too. I honestly don't see why the Herald thinks this man is capable of taking care of a hamster, let alone your injuries." Gouto complained from his place atop a pile of boxes. Had he been watching the man this entire time? Seems he was just as suspicious about Narumi as Raidou was.

Raidou didn't say a word as they passed the cat, letting himself be lead into the bedroom. At this point he longed for a nice warm bed. The second Narumi helped him lay down he was out like a light, gone in half a second. Poor thing was really messed up from this whole ordeal.

With him already gone to the world, Narumi took the opportunity to check his wounds. Stitching was still in place, and the bruising was starting to lighten. All good things. A quick clean-up job was all he needed to do before he himself got to sleep.

Narumi returned with a small bowl of water and some fresh bandages, pulling the sheets back to begin his work. For someone who often appeared so rough, Narumi was remarkably gentle when it came to caring for the ailing boy. The stitching was thoroughly cleaned, the scrapes and gashes disinfected and rewrapped. There was one set of stitches on the boy's thigh he needed to remove the pants to get to, however.

Nimble fingers hooked beneath the waistband of the boy's borrowed pajama pants, alerting his feline attendant. The cat, Gouto he had learned, jumped out the bed and promptly swiped at the man. Narumi just narrowly dodge, throwing his hands up in defense. "Hey, cool it, pussy cat. I'm just cleaning the kid up!" What does it think I'm going to do? I'm not a child molester or anything! Gouto, seemingly satisfied by his explanation, trotted up to the head of the bed and curled up against Raidou's neck, keeping wary eyes on Narumi's working hands.

The pants were tugged down just far enough to clean and rewrap the cut that was there, Narumi keeping his gaze far, far away from the boy's more private areas. The underwear was there, but he wasn't about to let his mind wander. Hold up, why is that even an issue? Get ahold of yourself, Shouhei.

The task completed, Narumi redressed the boy and covered him with the heaviest quilt he had. Boy needed to stay warm. He took a moment to stand back and admire his work. Yep, snug as a bug, that Raidou was. The man grinned, reaching down to brush the stray hairs away from his face, fingers drifting down along the sideburns to an angular cheek. He really does have a cute face... Kid is way too young to be in this line of work... Narumi sighed, eyes fixating on the boy's peaceful expression, those eyes lightly flickering in sleep, those slightly parted lips...

Whoa, hold up, cowboy. Surprised at his train of thought, Narumi took a step back, scratching his hair nervously. "I should go get some rest too." He said out loud just in case the cat was watching him still. If his brain was going that route, he was clearly exhausted. Without further ado, he headed for the door, intending to clear a space to the bathroom before heading to bed himself. Or rather, head to the couch.

He just hoped the kid would be better in the morning.