Gary sighed softly, wrapping his arms around Ash and settling him comfortably against his chest. "I know, buddy," he murmured, rubbing slow circles over Ash's back. "Shots can make your arm sore for a little while."

Ash whined, burying his face into Gary's shoulder. "Don't like it," he mumbled.

Gary huffed a small laugh. "Yeah, I figured." He reached for Ash's arm, gently rubbing over the injection site. "Does it hurt more when I press here?"

Ash flinched slightly but shook his head. "Just feels weird..."

Gary hummed, carefully kneading his fingers over the area to help loosen the stiffness. "That's normal. It's just your body getting used to the medicine."

Ash sniffled. "Still dumb."

Gary grinned, resting his chin on Ash's head. "You're not wrong, but it keeps you from getting sick, so I say it's worth it."

Ash pouted, shifting to press even closer. "Hmph."

Gary just smiled, continuing to rub Ash's arm gently. "You wanna stay here for a bit?"

Ash gave a tiny nod against his shoulder.

"Alright, buddy. You can stay as long as you want."

With that, Gary pulled the blanket over both of them, holding Ash close as he went back to flipping through his manga. Within minutes, Ash's breathing evened out, his sore little arm forgotten as he dozed off in the comfort of his best friend's embrace.