Forty Years of This [Monster Hunter World]

Chapter 26

The Commander felt like he couldn't sleep. He wasn't genuinely too worried about the Admiral's discovery, but the ruckus of his sudden arrival had made it difficult to relax again. At some point in his partner's sleep, however, the Quartermaster had ended up laying partially on top of him, and the man's weight was soothing enough that he could once again pass out. He woke up that morning with the Quartermaster wrapped tight around him with his head tucked under the Commander's chin. It was uncomfortable but endearing.

"Good morning, Love." The Commander ran his hand over the Quartermaster's neck and tangled his fingers in his hair.

"Good morning," the Quartermaster murmured into his partner's shoulder. He shifted, tucking himself more tightly against the Commander with arms holding him closer.

"I don't think we can sleep in today. As fond as I am of you when you're in moods like this, we do still have work to do." Yet the Commander made no move to disentangle himself.

"The Admiral stole precious sleep from us. He can wait. The world can wait."

"He really did scare the hell out of you, huh?" He pressed a kiss to the top of the Quartermaster's head.

The man mumbled something unintelligible, sighed, then lifted his head to look at the Commander. "I thought either some small beast or a remnant of my past had broken in. I am confident there is no one here who means any of us harm, but in that moment my judgement was limited."

"You'd tackle a jagras for me half naked with a knife..." The Commander smiled warmly and somehow managed to feel even more affectionate than he had before. "There is no man luckier than me."

The Quartermaster scoffed then buried his face against the Commander's shoulder again. He squeezed him tighter, holding him like that for a moment, before releasing him and rolling to his side.

"I need to get back into form."

"What do you mean? You look great, and I'm pretty sure the Admiral won't bust down the door again." The Commander reached over to lay a hand on the Quartermaster's stomach. "There's still a lot of muscle under here. I've seen you lifting things."

"I would just feel better. Safer."

"Going to break out your knives again? Those long thin things?"

"Only one is a knife, and the other is a short sword. They are duelist weapons, and yes. I would just feel better if I were capable of defending my family from anyone or anything that would mean us harm."

"Can I watch you get back into form?" The Commander raised his eyebrows. He was eager not only because he wanted to see his partner doing something undoubtedly sexy but also because he was curious how someone prepared to fight their fellow man. Fighting a monster and training for it were undoubtedly wildly different things from fighting another man.

"It's not so exciting, but... yes. Of course you can." There was a tinge of pink to the Quartermaster's cheeks before he lunged forward and planted a quick kiss on the Commander's lips. He lingered mere inches from his partner's face. "But I suppose we have work to do before then, don't we?"

The Commander almost forgot his meeting with the Admiral. In the half an hour it took for him to get ready for the day, his mind had filled with images of the Quartermaster training. He'd never seen him train before, but he'd seen his body. He wasn't wide, but he was strong and lithe. The Commander was eager to see how he'd gotten that way.

Then he ran into the Admiral, physically colliding with him, as he left his quarters.

"Stars, ███████!" The Commander rested his hand over his heart. It was a bit more dramatic than he actually felt, but at some point he'd picked up the habit from his daughter.

"You're up late, Commander. Don't keep your admiral waiting."

The Commander paused for a moment to gauge his friend's mood. It looked like he hadn't actually slept. His age showed more plainly on him now. The creases on his forehead had deepened with worry. His skin had grown rough from his wild lifestyle. The bags under his eyes had swollen. He seemed worn.

"Alright then, Admiral. Give me your report."

Contrary to what the Commander had claimed, he recalled much of what the Admiral had said the night before. There was nothing new in his description, and if anything it had gotten worse and more frantic. When he was done, the Commander put his hand on the Admiral's arm.

"What would you have us do?"

"Keep preparing for the Third Fleet." He sighed, and some of his age seemed to melt off of him. "I'm going to hunt that thing down, learn it, and go from there."

"Alone?" The Commander quirked a brow.

"Well you can't go with me. And I don't think you can spare anyone." The Admiral grinned confidently in the face of the Commander's concern.

"I meant, you're leaving your son behind?"

The grin shattered, and the Admiral cast his gaze to the side. His expressions were as big and as unmistakable as he was with his heart ever on his sleeve. "Wouldn't you leave your daughter behind?"

"I would." There was a moment of understanding between them, and the Commander's hand fell from the Admiral's arm. "But I wouldn't charge into it so readily. This monster is a hunter in its own right, so you claim, and there's so much out there we haven't even begun to see. I don't think it's an emergency. I think we have time to breathe. Time to prepare. I can't pull rank on you, but..." The Commander glanced behind him and smirked. "I do have the Quartermaster in my pocket, and the chef is a reasonable woman. She'll listen to me if I tell her not to supply you no matter what story you tell or sad face you pull. Not to flex but that means I have firm control over the canteen."

The Admiral snarled in mock betrayal, but no sooner had his lips curled did his expression shift into a smile. "You're a bastard, ████. Controlling a man through food like this. Who taught you that?"

"Go to sleep, ███████." He slapped the Admiral's shoulder. "Take a bath then go to sleep. You smell, and you look terrible. Don't make me get a bucket."

"Fine. Fine. But you do believe me though, don't you?"

The question took the Commander aback. He blinked a few times before meeting the Admiral's desperate stare. "Of course I do. I have never had a reason to doubt you."

The Admiral, seemingly placated, nodded before turning away and heading down the hall. It was with a nervous feeling in the Commander's stomach did he realize he'd have to tell the chef to refrain from packing food for a long expedition for anyone but the Tracker until further notice.