Archive of Our Own ^beta

The group chat amongst the guards of Raine’s Wall must look to be an extremely chaotic one to anyone looking in on it.

A new guard, Ryan, experienced this for the first time. Looking at his phone, he saw a secondary work chat he was added into. Every few seconds the message number would ping higher- opening it up, two things stood out.

The first was that their commander, Mateo, was not in the list of recipients. In fact, it appeared everyone was there except  for their leader.

Second; their leader did make an appearance in a photo uploaded to the group. He was in the background of the image, passed out but thankfully in his own bed. More noticeable was Xuan Pin, looking unamused but giving a thumbs up as she had taken the photo.

Xuan Pin: Cargo delivered safely.

The rookie raised a brow and started reading the conversation, the other guards popping in with response.

Lachlan: That’s such a relief lol
Lachlan: Commander really outdid himself today
Lachlan:  Did the dog get home too?
Xuan Pin: Yes, I dropped him off first. Lu Yi seems like a decent enough fellow. I sincerely hope no one throws up on his carpet.
Jason: Thank you for getting Boss home safely Mama Pin ಥ ‿ ಥ
Xuan Pin: How many times do I have to dock your pay before you stop calling me that?
Bianca: We’re sorry it’s just no one else can deal with him when he’s like this!
Xuan Pin: I’m not the commander’s mother.
Jason: Does it count as babysitting if it’s your husband? ( ◍ • ᴗ • ◍ )
Xuan Pin:  Docked.
Ryan: whats going on here?
Derrick: We’re paying the Mama Pin tax.
Xuan Pin : Docked.
Jason: It’s the price we pay for supporting the wall’s power couple! ♡ (ू • ‧̫ • ⑅ )
Xuan Pin : DOCKED! Keep going and I’ll be able to pay my electricity bill on time this month.
Ryan:  before i get docked too can i ask what happened to the commander?
Ryan: is he okay??

••• Earlier that night… •••

Xuan Pin was enjoying one of her very rare days off. There was always a good chance that she would go to Raine’s Wall regardless, but today she had managed to keep herself moderately occupied.

Meditating, reading, a visit to the park (always entailing some games of chess), annoying her cat Samson. She had been doing quite well keeping work off her mind-

At least until her phone began ringing. Samson took the chance to flee while she was taken by surprise, the cat being assured a peaceful nap as the ringing was answered.

“Hello, Xuan Pin spea—“

“Miss! I’m glad you picked up- I mean, of course you did but, aw man…”

Xuan Pin pinched the bridge of her nose, leaning back in her chair. It was one of the guards, Trent, and by the sound of his rushed and slightly slurred words she had zero doubt what the call was going to be about.

“How bad is he?” she was already getting up to fill up Samson’s food bowl to occupy him for the night.

“Well, it’s taking two of us to carry him. Damn the commander is a heavy bastard…”

“Muscle is quite heavy.” She grabbed her jacket and keys, rummaging around for a shopping bag. “And?”

There was a pause, making the rowdy chatter in the background audible (Although far too muffled to make out, perhaps for the best).

“He keeps asking for his wife.”

Xuan Pin exhaled loudly through her nose, locking the door behind her as she left her apartment. “Of course he is… I wish you all would cut him off before he suddenly thinks his adjutant is his life partner. I’ll meet you all half way, I just need to stop by the shops first.”

“Thank you Miss!! Uh, also, there’s a dog that needs to be taken home, too. I-it’ll make sense, I promise.”

Xuan Pin was thankful she had brought a bag- there was no way she would have been able to juggle supporting two people while carrying supplies. She had only brought a handful of things, but having the bag slung over her shoulder was the only route.

Her commander was, as Trent had mentioned, heavy. Aside from his impressive stature, he was terrible at carrying his own weight in his drunken state. Normally she could manage fine, thanks to her Esperhood… But carrying Brewster under her other arm was a pain in the ass.

“… Can’t you all take him home?”

“The place is on the way to the train station, so we just sorta figured…”

“We’ll discuss this in the morning, Trent.”

She contemplated taking it directly out of the guard’s pay, but she would probably be docking enough paychecks for other reasons later anyway. Xuan Pin was very experienced in the drunken nights where their Commander was shouting drinks.

The canid esper would complain every now and then, kick one of his back legs and swear. Mateo would stumble like he was trying to stand upright and drunkenly bark ‘Don’t speak to my wife like that’. Funnily enough, Brewster would quickly apologise to ‘his bro’ and go back to being limp. Mateo must have been paying for his drinks, too.

With much effort, they arrived at the small house they needed to be at. Trying to balance the two men, Xuan Pin managed to kick the door with her foot loud enough to register as a ‘knock’. A few moments passed before a man opened the door.

“Lu Yi? Is this your dog?”

The tall man was about to respond in confusion before he spotted Brewster- “Aw hell, what’d he do?”

Brewster perked up immediately upon hearing his friend, the biggest grin on his face as he lazily pointed to the other drunkard being supported by Xuan Pin. “I drank this guy under the table!”

“Bullshit you did, little man!”

Xuan Pin closed her eyes as she was caught between the yelling. “Your name and address,” she began loudly, hushing the two before a shouting match could begin, “Was in his wallet.”

Lu Yi stepped forward, pulling Brewster’s wallet out from one of the hidden pockets of the orange parka. Sure enough, there was a note within it- though it was an absolute mess.

‘If blackout drunk, return to Lu Yi Sieg Lu Yi Sieg LU YI! SIEG! LU YI!!’

There was a sentences scribbled beside the last appearance of his name. Lu Yi read it aloud, “ ‘Listen, Brynn thinks he’s a riot but the bosses said he’s not allowed in the building anymore…’ Huh, well at least Sieg’s girl thinks you’re a cool dude.”

Brewster mumbled something nonsensical, but he seemed happy about the observation. When Xuan Pin managed to push the furred esper to the door, it seemed like the handoff was going well-

Until Lu Yi, being the gentleman he was, showed concern. “Thanks for that, I’ll take care of him. You good though? They gotta be two heavy guys—“

“ Hey .” Mateo interjected, straightening himself enough to glare at Lu Yi. “Don’t go saying my wife’s weak! Asshole, you wanna fi—-“

He was unable to finish his challenge as he dropped to the ground, hitting the floor with a resounding thud.

“Commander, I keep telling you not to squirm around when I’m supporting you.” Xuan Pin was blunt as could be, making no acknowledgment of the fact she had shouldered the man off of her.

Lu Yi looked down, then back at Xuan Pin. She spoke when he raised a brow. “I apologise, he likes to fight when he’s drunk. … And I’m not his wife.”

“… Does he even have a wife?”

“Yes, Xuan Pin.” Called a voice from the ground.

“No.” She was quick to correct.

Lu Yi nodded slowly, turning to guide his inebriated friend into the house where a couch was waiting to be passed out on. He quickly looked over his shoulder to see Mateo being helped off the ground by his assistant. “A’ight, well… Good luck with your hubby.”

“Good luck with your dog.”

‘ Now arriving at… ’

Xuan Pin glanced up towards the scrolling announcement lights above the door that separated her train carriage from the next. She vaguely knew the name, but only in the familiarity that it was a stop she needed to pass. A few more stations left.

The carriages were never packed at this time of night; but there were always enough pairs of eyes that she mentally cursed out her commander. A few of the people nearby she recognised from nights like this, and they would share a nod of greeting and understanding.

Less regular passengers however tended to find themselves caught staring for several moments longer than what fell under Public Transport Etiquette. While she couldn’t blame them, it was irritating.

What was so odd about it? She herself regularly saw other drunks being taken home by the dedicated sober friend. ‘Designated Drivers’ of the Transit Systems, and the level of acknowledgment was always just that simple nod.

How much more interesting were they compared to those cases? Granted, she herself hadn’t seen any other cases where the lush was—-

… Restrained.

The ribbons that floated around Xuan Pin’s frame were not to be underestimated; they were imbued with a degree of esper energy, prehensile, and easily moved at will.

They were also sturdy enough to keep Mateo bound, for the most part. … There was no beating around the bush. Mateo was tied up, and he didn’t seem to care; rather, quite the opposite.

‘ Now arriving at… ’

Passengers shuffled out, a few more stepped in.

Mateo was just too combative to be given drunken freedom on the train. He’d challenge anyone that looked their way and Xuan Pin quickly tired of redirecting the alcohol impaired man. It had only taken several eventful nights for her to resort to this tactic.

The first time he’d been flustered. The second, when she’d hoped he’d be better behaved after what happened prior, he looked at her like a kicked puppy. She reluctantly bound him, and was the one flustered. Hell, she could openly observe he was calmer like this.

Once, in a sober moment, she had threatened the man that she was not beyond testing Shibari knots on him during the next train ride home.

He was a silent for a beat before smirking, ‘If you need the practice, I’m not opposed to volunteering. Use your own discretion.’

Ugh. There was no point trying to threaten this man with something so trivial as shame.

Upon further reflection, perhaps she could understand the stares to some degree. She didn’t want to admit that it was probably a sight- the short woman that was herself, sitting rather calmly with hands in lap, watching the stations pass by through the window.

And the large, handsome man with his head on her shoulder, slipping in and out of a nap while both his legs and wrists were bound by pastel ribbons. The moments he’d mutter and nuzzle his cheek against her making it all the more peculiar.

At least there was no concern of this being mistaken for a very confusing kidnapping attempt.

‘ Now arriving at… ’

The carriage rocked as the train driver neglected to control his speed around a specific set of tracks close to the platform. Mateo tilted slightly, losing his balance despite being seated.

Xuan Pin was quick to grab hold of his shoulder, steadying him as the turbulence diminished. She pulled him back to where he had been, absentmindedly stroking his blonde hair.

Again several passengers left, two walked on at this station.

Mateo purred softly. “Thank you, love you.”

“Okay.”

She dismissed those statements as soon as he said them. It was annoying how often such stupid statements left his lips when he was so inebriated. He would bug her if she didn’t respond, and was contented even if her replies were those one word answers.

The drunk was just happy to hear her voice, even if it were chewing him out. A reminder she was still there with him.

Xuan Pin tried to concentrate on the window, the small flashes and wisps of colour that flew past as the speed picked up were a nice distraction. But she could feel the eyes of one of the new passengers staring into her from the opposite seat.

It was too uncomfortable to ignore. She returned the gaze of the stranger, contemplated holding it until the man felt the same level of discomfort and looked away. But there were still a few more stations…

It didn’t help that Mateo wasn’t exactly quiet when he spoke. She could imagine the assumptions. There was nothing she needed to prove to anyone, but in a way she needed to hear it herself.

The sober man’s lips parted slightly to speak, but Xuan Pin answered before the question could even begin.

“This is my boss.”

“Oh, I see.” It didn’t diminish any of the puzzlement in his voice. She didn’t care if he judged, it was just the endless staring that was irritating. “I hope you’re getting overtime.”

She didn’t want to talk. She just wanted to get this big lug home and tucked into bed. “It’s my day off.”

‘Now arriving at…’

Just the stop after this one. They were so close now. Only a few more minutes. If he would just stop staring.

No passengers coming or going. No new sets of eyes, just the ones already holding them in their crosshairs.

Mateo lifted his head from Xuan Pin’s shoulder, immediately pulling the woman’s attention away from her agitation as she looked up to him.

‘Are you alright?’ She would have asked, but seeing him glare at the man across from them Xuan Pin was immediately on high alert. If he was a cat the hairs would have begun bristling, she was sure of that.

“Sir.” She knew where this would go, and this time she didn’t have the advantage of just heaving the man straight to the floor to knock him out of it.

His glare didn’t move from the other man, who he was interpreting as antagonising his wife. “ Why the fuck are you—“

“ Sir , shut.” Xuan Pin tugged one of the ribbons, pulling the commander back against the seat. It wasn’t enough to shake him out of fight-mode. “You make one more sound and I’ll be forced to muzzle you.”

Fortunately, that threat was enough to redirect his train of thought. He straightened up once again, looking curiously at his adjutant. That silence, despite fulfilling her request, felt foreboding.

‘ Now arriving at…’

Mateo smirked. He’d made his decision. He opened his mouth and got a single, loud note out before Xuan Pin carried out her threat. The pink and green fabric wrapped around and muted the man in a second, his deputy visibly fuming. A very haphazard attempt, it looked more akin to duct tape being plastered over his mouth.

His shout might have been cut short, but somehow Mateo still looked so damn smug.

The carriage doors opened. The bindings around his legs were released and wrapped around his already bound wrists as Xuan Pin pulled his ass out of the train. The few people that had intended to get on quickly moved out of the way before they got barrelled over.

Why are you like this, Sir?

Mateo flopped down onto his couch, the springs underneath groaning from the sudden force of his weight. He’d recoup for a few minutes, and that would be enough time for Xuan Pin to get her groceries put away.

She flicked the electric kettle on and tried to find some vacant space in the fridge. The one time she didn’t shop beforehand would be the one day that he didn’t actually have what she was intending to use.

The kettle finished boiling and clicked off. She rummaged around one of the cupboards, familiar with the placement of plates and crockery by now. It took her only a moment to grab the jug she had in mind and fill it from the kettle.

Sugar, stir. And wait.

Xuan Pin drummed her fingers on the counter, unable to shake the impatient feeling that had lingered during the train ride. She glanced over her shoulder, seeing Mateo still resting in the couch. She took a moment to watch him, chest rising and falling with each deep breath.

He wouldn’t remember a single moment of tonight by the morning. It was a reassuring fact for her, the only positive aspect to him drinking so irresponsibly.

That should have cooled enough now. Several teaspoons of dried chrysanthemum into the jug, and the waiting continued again. Two or three minutes to steep.

Perhaps half a minute passed before the wind was knocked out of her, the formerly slumbering man having slumped against her back. He had zero concept of personal space on a good day, and it was only exasperated when drunk.

She exhaled a loud sigh to make her displeasure more than obvious. He acknowledged it by reaching up to the higher cupboard, still leaning against her, bringing down two cups. It was appreciated, given they were too high for her to reach without assistance. Must be nice to be tall.

She didn’t need any for herself, but having a cup as well was the easiest way to coax him into getting his fluid intake up. If she could get anything into him other than coffee or more alcohol, then it would help fight off the hangover that was building for the next morning.

It should be steeped by now. She poured only a small amount of tea for herself, holding her mug in one hand and the other empty mug in the other.

Xuan Pin pushed her back against him and he gave her enough space to slink out from between himself and the countertop. Mateo was considerate enough to carry the jug and follow after her back to the couch; it was really the least he could do for all the additional work she was having to do for him.

Xuan Pin had already placed the cups down on the coffee table, looking from him to the couch. “Sit.”

He followed the command to a tee, almost to his own detriment- Xuan Pin had to quickly reach out and grabbing his hands to steady the jug before the contents spilled anywhere. Just because you’re drunk doesn’t mean physics stop working, Mateo!!

Mateo smiled, oblivious to the mess that could have been made. He just knew his wife was holding his hands and it was one of the small gestures that he appreciated the most.

Xuan Pin shook her head, aware that right now the big idiot was a lost cause. She simply took the jug from his hands and poured him a drink- as much as the mug could safely hold without overflowing.

She sat on the floor on the side of the coffee table across from him, looking to her own mug of chrysanthemum tea before back to him.

Sure. She could indulge him a little. “Looks like you had quite an eventful night at the bar tonight. Have fun?”

He perked up, the fire from his eye returning and brightening substantially. “You wouldn’t believe the shit that happened today.”

The corner of her lip twitched, betraying herself and revealing a small smile. “Should I be expecting a call from the Marshals in the morning?”

Mateo placed a hand on his chest and grabbed his mug with the other. “I’m innocent, I’m just the witness!”

He took a sip of his tea and scrunched his nose- even with sugar, it was still pretty bitter to him. He still gulped another mouthful down regardless, not muttering a single complaint.

To Xuan Pin’s amazement, it appeared that none of the subsequent mayhem at the bar was caused by any of her coworkers in attendance.

A bit of an oddball had been there earlier that night; and while that’s by no means a crime, taking a sip out of someone else’s expensive drink under the guise of ‘What does it smell like?’ was much more than frowned upon.

It must have happened earlier in the night, if Mateo had still been sober enough to give the stern warning he did rather than sock the guy in the jaw.

“Shoulda thrown a punch, but the guy got knocked the fuck out before I could get up.”

It was always nice to have her suspicions confirmed.

“Trent made sure guy hadn’t just fucking died, left him on the floor.”

At least one of the guards was responsible. The poor Light Elf was also a Lightweight, and sensible enough to have passed out as soon as he got home. There was going to be an interesting message conversation for the kiddo to read over in the morning.

Mateo chatted on. Some already inebriated guys with a broken umbrella and a mystery bag of bagels they didn’t remember buying. They were kind enough to exchange some for a few drinks- at least Mateo had something on his stomach while he was drinking.

Afterwards, there was a cute dog that had come in with its owner, named after a type of beer the owner couldn’t even pronounce. Their attempts to say it became less accurate with each drink, but the little Scottish Terrier responded to each one regardless.

“Derrick spilt one of his beer, and we hear ‘It’s okay, she doesn’t actually like beer’. Look down while bartender’s grabbing a towel and miss sober dog is already cleaning it up.”

“Was it at least good beer?”

“Of course it was, I paid for it.” After his boasting, Mateo was quick to clarify that little beer dog only got a few laps of beer before being picked up, much to the little canines chagrin. Silly doggo, booze isn’t good for you. Wait… Was it okay for Brewster to drink…?

Well, no-one would be brave enough to find out if they could persuade him to have anything else. It seemed the canine esper was involved in a few further interesting ‘incidents’ that night.

Xuan Pin had to piece the events together, Mateo’s retellings weren’t exactly linear.

At points he became sidetracked by different branches of his own stories of the night, not really relaying one tale in its entirety. He was so energised that Xuan Pin couldn’t help but smile.

Each time the cup emptied Xuan Pin filled it back up, just making sure he got in whatever hydration they could manage before sleep decided to descend.

“You should come out next time.”

“That’s not necessary. Who would bring you home if I tagged along, anyway?”

He grabbed hold of her hand with his free one, a few droplets of tea splashing from his mug. “No! I want you to be there with me.”

He said such stupid things… But as long as he was drinking something other than booze.

Mateo mentioned the same anecdotes two or three times, but each retelling it was delivered with the same level of enthusiasm. Although given the guards that the stories were related to, they could very well have been separate incidents.

His speech steadily slowed as he chatted on, his eyelids closing often enough that there was no hiding that he was once again dozing off.

Xuan Pin put her hand out to take his cup from him, but he rested his cheek on her hand instead.

Dumbass. A very endearing and drunk dumbass, but a dumbass all the same.

She lightly stroked his cheek with her thumb before gently taking the half-empty cup from his grip. She placed it down beside her own before helping him up to his feet.

She guided him to his bedroom, giving him a pat on the back and firm instructions. “Alright, get changed. And remember pants.”

He paused, the words taking a few moments to hit his ears. Then another moment to register them. “Oh. Alright.”

“You weren’t going to wear anything at all, were you?”

He remained puzzled. “I mean, I normally don’t.”

She learned that one the hard way once, and it took Xuan Pin several weeks to be able to maintain eye contact with him at work again. She was always sure to clarify now; if he wanted to sleep naked in his own time that was fine, but—

“Well, pants tonight please. I’ll go clean up while you get changed.” It would only take her about five seconds to do so, but if she left without plausible reason the poor guy would just be confused as to why his ‘wife’ didn’t stay around.

She gave him a little extra time, just in case. She didn’t hear any thuds against the ground, so he at least hadn’t lost balance and fallen over while trying to pull on a pants leg.

Xuan Pin cautiously looked into the room, and was thankfully not met by the sight of her naked boss. He had followed her request and was clothed from the waist down, but was sitting at the edge of his bed looking just a tad off.

“Are you alright Mateo?”

He nodded, but closed his eyes. “I- Yeah. Just, bit dizzy.”

“Do you need anything?” She walked over and knelt in front of him, holding the back of her hand to his forehead. Ah, checking his temperature was useless—

“No. Just, please stay with me, just til… It’s not. Spinning.”

“I can do that.” She sat beside him on the bed, rubbing his back gently. A few minutes passed, he was somewhere between nodding off and fighting off nausea.

He’d made it this long without throwing up, and he had a long streak of keeping everything he’d consumed down. He really didn’t want to see a change in that trend.

Several more minutes went by. He breathed deep and kept his eyes shut, soothed by the tender brush of her fingers. His wife was so soft with him. A wonderful woman. He loved her.

He didn’t want her to stop, but even in this state he was aware that would be selfish. “I think I’m alright now.”

“Are you sure? You don’t have to push yourself.” Xuan Pin asked quietly.

“Yeah. I’m okay. Thank you babe.”

Xuan Pin breathed in sharply, her cheeks a soft pink tinge in colour. She stood up, ushering the man under the sheets so he could finally get some proper rest.

Hopefully it wouldn’t take him long to settle, but alcohol did thankfully have a way of knocking people into a (mostly) solid sleep.

“Alright, goodnight Sir.”

She turned to leave, but came to an erupt stop as the hem of her jacket was tugged. The tired lug of a man whined quietly, fingers still gripping the fabric.

“Alright…” She sighed, turning back and leaning down. She gave him a soft peck on the cheek, “Goodnight, Mateo.”

She wasn’t quite sure if there was a name for the little contented noise he made, but it thankfully indicated he was happy enough as he rolled over and nestled into his pillow.

Relieved, Xuan Pin took out her phone, taking a quick photo for the group chat as proof the Commander was finally home safe and sound.

••• Back to the Present •••

Ryan : okay im kinda confused?
Ryan:  i thought commander was a ladies man?
Ryan : the live update make it seem like hes not at all
Lachlan : Oh yeah.
Lachlan : He seems to get a lot of gold diggers
Lachlan : Doesn’t care lol
Jason : But Xuan Pin’s been putting up with him for so long
Jason : Hasn’t ever given a shit about his money or position
Jason: So~~ ( *ﾟ▽ﾟ *)
Bianca: p o s i t i o n
Derrick : I think when he’s drunk he just inherently knows Mama Pin is genuine?
Derrick : ‘Oh, this is the woman who looks after my dumb ass at my worst and expects nothing in return. This is obviously my wife.’
Xuan Pin: You’re all docked.
Ryan: what did i do?!
Bianca: You’ll learn fast, rookie.
Bianca: It’s also why no one buys clothes for Xuan Pin for Christmas. Her uniform is already made of wife material
Xuan Pin: D O C K E D

Xuan Pin shoved her phone into her pocket, finally settling down on the couch. She’d gotten it prepared for a night’s rest, but it wasn’t the only one.

Over several such nights, she had picked a few different ‘camping spots’ to set up in. There wasn’t a lack of bedding by any means, and it wouldn’t take her long to get everything tidied up in the morning. It would prove worth the extra effort- it had in the past.

With blankets piled on, Xuan Pin flicked through the TV channel until landing on something that wasn’t an infomercial or late night talk show. Just loud enough to be background noise, and the colours dark enough to avoid waking her up when she finally fell asleep.

Her eyelids were just getting heavy, barely maintaining concentration on the subtitles. ‘It is my duty to tell the boss we are under siege by man-eating sushi.’

What a quote to fall asleep on. It probably would have led to some confusing dreams, but Xuan Pin felt a heavy weight at the end of the couch before she could slip into unconsciousness.

Sigh. Here we go.

Xuan Pin shuffled forward to the very edge of the couch, just to make things easier. Mateo squeezed himself between the couch and Xuan Pin’s back, being comfortable as soon as he was beside her. In turn, she was immediately annoyed.

This was exactly why she had more than one camping spot. Mateo managed to sleep for awhile, but would eventually get up, wonder around… Still intent on sleeping, but wanting to do so beside his wife.

‘Where is my wife? Why is she not here? Did I upset her?? … I want to go cuddle my wife.’

The only upside was that she had no chance of accidentally falling off of the couch, despite how close to the edge she was. Mateo’s arm around her gave both a sense of security, and actual security. He held her too closely to leave any chance of her slipping off. Or away, for that matter.

“What are you doing slinking around? You need to sleep.” She scolded, resting her arm over his. He was at least very comfortable.

Mateo only hummed, nuzzling against her shoulder. It was evident he was considerably more content here than he had been on his own.

“What do you want?”

“Affection.”

At least he was straightforward. Fine.

With a bit of a struggle, she managed to roll over to face him. He’d initially held onto her tighter, thinking that she was trying to wiggle away from him. His hazy mind wondered again what he’d done to upset her. Why didn’t she want to be near him?

The thoughts only lingered a few seconds as he realised his worries weren’t so, and he loosened his grip to give her more freedom. He held her closely still, but she was at least able to move.

She lightly scratched under his chin, earning a smile and a happy sigh from the man who raised his head slightly and gave her full access to his jawline.

He was far too weak when it came to touch. She relented and followed the hinted request, moving her fingertips where he silently asked.

It didn’t take the man long to fall asleep, although she could tell he was still visibly fighting off sleep so he could keep receiving attention.

It was a fight in vain. Xuan Pin gave him a few minutes to fall into a deeper state of sleep before making an escape attempt.

In the end it took her several tries to get out from his arms. The first two attempts had caused him to wake up slightly, and he would tighten his grip and snuggle into her. Not exactly helpful.

Third time was the charm, managing to crawl out from his grasp and land quietly on the floor. Thank you for your assistance, carpet.

She took a few steps away before using the light of her phone to navigate her way to the guest room. She had a makeshift bed in the laundry too, but she favoured something genuinely soft for the time being. The former location seemed like an out of the way position and enough to confuse a sleepy, drunken Mateo… But it didn’t always prove effective.

So if he was going to catch up again tonight, it might as well be in another bed. Slightly more awake, Xuan Pin opened the chat up again.

Ryan : if this happens so much im surprised we dont hear about it
Ryan: i mean from those newspapers
Ryan:  the shitty ones thats all gossip?
Ryan:  tabloids thats it
Ryan: dont they report on the commander all the time?
Derrick: Haha! They did that once and Xuan Pin put the fear of god into them.
Derrick:  All the reporters are apparently warned now.
Lachlan:  Yeah you ever see a magpie protecting its nest?
Lachlan: Seems like an accurate comparison lol
Ryan: the eyes dont work?
Jason: In this case it’s her hubby, though (* ´ ∀ ｀ *)
Xuan Pin:  I will personally ‘put the fear of god’ into the rest of you, too. 
Jason: (°△°|||)
Ryan: THE EYES DONT WORK

She hoped they would have to nurse their own hangovers the next day as well. Vindictive, yes, but justified with the way they all gossiped. Putting stupid thoughts into the new recruits heads.

The phone gave no more notifications, so at least they had finally decided this was an appropriate hour to log off.

If only Mateo got the same memo. She had even less time to herself this time before he was cuddled up beside her. At least she had leg space here—

“Still require attention?”

She sighed as she felt him nod, rolling onto her back. Mateo rested his head on her chest, comforted by the rhythm of the woman’s heartbeat.

“You’re not going to get any sleep like this.” Xuan Pin scolded him, but stroked his hair despite her tired irritation. “You need rest for that hangover that will spring up any moment now…”

There may have been a sleepy ‘worth it’ said, but she couldn’t be sure. Charismatic bastard, don’t sweet-talk your way out of this.

The room was quiet. Other than the soft sound of Mateo’s breathing, and for him the calming beat of Xuan Pin’s heart. She thought he may have already fallen asleep when he spoke up.

“Most women have left me by now.”

“Mmhm. I think we have established that I’m here for the long haul.” She couldn’t comment on ‘most women’. She had observed that whenever he needed someone, the one to help was usually, well… Her. It wasn’t worth lingering on, surely.

“Ahh… So lucky. Why I love you.” Mateo nuzzled against her as he spoke. Her heartbeat picked up in rhythm.

“Only when you’re extremely drunk, commander.”

She would have to move from the comfortable spot with him several more times tonight, but for now she allowed herself to have some rest as well.

By the time morning came, Xuan Pin had managed to sneak in an hour or two of sleeping on her own. The most ironic part of it was she’d wound up in Mateo’s bed, which was considerably more comfy than the other camps she’d set up.

Why he’d leave a comfortable and warm bed was beyond her, but that was equally beyond the point.

It hadn’t taken her long to clean up the few makeshift beds, the only one remaining this time around being the couch where Mateo was again heavily asleep. It was perhaps the least odd place he’d wound up in awhile, and far easier to explain than any of the others.

From experience she knew she had a bit more time until he woke up to that dreaded hangover. She was hopeful it wouldn’t be particularly bad today, but she was cooking regardless.

She’d managed to narrow down a decent selection of what would be both suitable to eat in his condition, and didn’t offend his palate. It was very rare that his appetite was effected, so over serving was never something she needed to worry about.

She was just plating everything up when a loud thump echoed from the lounge. He’d rolled right off of the couch.

“Fuck!!”

“Good morning, sir. Pick yourself up and come eat.”

She heard him grumble loudly, the shuffling of his feet audible as he dragged himself into the kitchen. He rubbed his shoulder, torn between nursing the bruise or his headache.

“Why do you always put me to sleep on the couch?” Mateo slumped into his chair, elbows on the kitchen table as he held his head in his hands.

“I don’t. You wonder in your sleep when you drink,” Xuan Pin explained truthfully, pouring his coffee and handing it to him. “I suppose it’s simply comfier to you in the middle of the night.”

“God damn, why is drunk me such an asshole?” He chugged down nearly the entire mug of coffee, Xuan Pin topping it up as she had done the previous night with the tea.

Xuan Pin brought the plates over, pushing toast and scrambled eggs in front of him. “Sober you isn’t much better, sir.”

“You’re bratty this morning, aren’t you?” He made a grab for one of the butter knives and slathered a healthy amount of honey onto the otherwise plain toast.

“I think you can give me a pass. After all, I carried you all the way home last night.”

He nodded, taking a bite out of the toast. Washed it down with the rest of his coffee before making a grab for some of the grilled chicken.

He’d rather bacon, but he’d already been scolded about greasy foods not mixing well with hangovers. The chicken and avocado were good alternatives, so he’d be quiet about it.

“Don’t skimp out of breakfast either, can’t imagine how much energy you’d have to burn heaving my heavy ass around.”

“Mm.” Xuan Pin was happy to take her time eating, which she did. She wasn’t the one in need of recovery carbs, after all. She was just nibbling on some toast with avocado spread over it- she’d never afford a house, anyway. “Ready to vow never to drink that much again?”

Mateo laughed, shaking his head. “Why the hell would I ever do that? I had a good night! From what I can remember of it, anyway.”

He demolished most of the food quite quickly, feeling substantially better with a full stomach. Even the headache had eased.

Sipping away at his coffee, he took the time to observe his adjutant. Even in the morning without having the chance to brush her hair, tidy her clothes… The dark rings under her eyes no doubt caused by him— admiration for her tenacity didn’t feel quite like the right word, but it was close.

His gaze didn’t go unnoticed. “Is something wrong, sir?”

“Xuan Pin. I do anything hilariously fucked up at all last night? Say dumb shit?”

She shrugged, sipping her own coffee. “The usual, trying to fight everyone you met. Otherwise…” she paused, looking off to the side. “I really value my job too much to divulge anything else.”

“Understandable.” He got up and stretched, walking around the table and placing a hand on Xuan Pin’s shoulder. “Thanks for having my back, wifey.”

Her face was already a deep shade of red before he even gave her a soft kiss on the cheek, swiftly walking off to his room for a shower before she could respond.

Which was very quick, as she shot straight up out of her chair and was already yelling after him.

“Wait, wait you bastard!! How long have you been remembering?! Mateo!!!”

You really should be kinder to your wife, you jerk.