"Oh dear." Mary caught Mu Gyul's arm. "Come on, honey. Get up for me, please?" she asked, tugging at him encouragingly.

Mu Gyul tipped his head back, grinning. "Mary!" he said happily, as though she'd only just arrived, rather than having been walking him down the street before he suddenly decided to stop. Mary couldn't resist smiling back, though. "Bow wow!"

Mary giggled and tugged lightly at a lock of Mu Gyul's hair. "Nyao." she responded playfully. "Come on, up." She wrapped both hands around his arm and pulled, hard.

Mu Gyul heaved a sigh but staggered up to his feet at Mary's insistence. She had to lean backwards to counter Mu Gyul's weight when he faltered, but he was standing again, at least. She patted his arm and drew him down the street. "Let's keep going, honey, time to go home!" she said, patting Mu Gyul's cheek.

He obligingly moved in the direction she indicated, but he wasn't exactly steady walking, and Mary had to keep hold of his arm and pull from time to time to keep him up. It only worked for as long as Mu Gyul was actually trying to do as she asked - when he decided to sit down again, Mary lost her hold on him immediately.

"Oof, Mu Gyul!" Mary scolded, and Mu Gyul kicked his feet out a little, seated on the edge of a planter this time, rather than the street. Mary sagged against it herself, letting out a deep breath. "All right, rest for a minute." she agreed, nodding and patting Mu Gyul's shoulder. She could use catching her breath anyway.

Mary clapped her hands. "Ready to go home?" she asked, getting up.

Mu Gyul caught her around the waist. "Mary!" he called almost against her back, pulling her in close and nearly toppling her down into his lap or both of them to the street. "I can't, Mary, you'll have to carry me!"

Mary paused, blinking, then shook her head, pushing at his arms. "No, no honey." Mary said firmly, unwinding Mu Gyul's arms and turning towards him only for him to lunge to his feet and catch hold of her again.

"Pick me up!" Mu Gyul whined, squeezing Mary so tightly she could barely breathe. "I can't go on. . ." he said mournfully. "Please, Mary?"

"Oh no. No no no, Mu Gyul. . ." Mary pushed him away, wavering unsteadily in reaction as he let go. She looked at Mu Gyul as he dropped back to his seat on the concrete planter, then rubbed her face. He said he couldn't go on . . . Mary couldn't go on and hope to get him all the way back to his place from here if he was like this.

Mary put a hand out to keep Mu Gyul from bumping into her as she fished in her bag and pulled her phone out.

Though Mary knew he was busy this evening, Jung In's phone only rang briefly before he answered it. "Mary?" Jung In asked softly. "One moment." he added, a little louder, and then there was a pause that lasted only a few moments. "All right, sorry. What is it, darling?"

"I'm so sorry, Director. . ." Mary said, wincing. "I know you're busy," he and his production team were meeting this evening, "but I didn't have anyone else who might be able to help. . ."

"Mary?" Jung In sounded worried. "What is it? What do you need? Where are you?"

"It's okay." Mary soothed quickly. "It's, ah- Mu Gyul. He's . . . drunk. Very drunk. I cannot get him to move any more." She bounced on her heels worriedly, watching over him. "I tried." she added, mouth twisting.

Jung In sighed quietly. "Ah. How drunk is he?" he asked.

Mary bit her lip. "Erm. . ." She pulled her phone away from her ear and looked at it, then back at her husband. "Mu Gyul-ah, honey . . . say hello to the Director!" she invited, holding the phone towards him.

Mu Gyul lunged halfway to his feet, arms waving. "Jungie!" he called, with a broad, sloppy smile. "Hello Director!" he yelled. He frowned. "Where are you?" he slurred, his voice getting steadily louder.

Mary brought the phone back up to her ear, wincing. "That drunk."

"I see." Jung In said with another sigh. "Where are you?"

Mary told him, between flapping her hands at Mu Gyul to try and get him to calm down again, and maybe to return to his seat on the edge of a planter before he fell, as he was looking alarmingly wobbly.

"I'll be there in no more than fifteen minutes." Jung In promised, and Mary winced again, thanking him just before he ended the call.

An hour later, they had Mu Gyul back home, stripped out of his clothes and jewellery, cleaned up, and bundled into slouchy, more comfortable clothes. Along the way Mu Gyul had graduated to slurred singing and his grins were a little crooked, but even at his unsteadiest, Jung In kept him up and managed to pull him through all right, with a little help from Mary.

Mu Gyul toppled willingly enough onto the bed, though he landed only half on it, wriggling into the softness of the rumpled covers and making a little awkward sound that might have been a purr if he hadn't choked in the middle. Mary giggled and left Jung In trying to get him up the rest of the way into bed and stay there to go and change into her nightgown.

When she returned Mu Gyul was at least fully in the bed rather than sliding out of it, but he was still flopping around like he was trying to get up. Jung In looked up apologetically. Usually so neat and put-together, he looked rumpled in what he still wore of his suit, and Mu Gyul's fingers were curled tightly into the back of his shirt.

Mary grinned as Jung In tried helplessly to get Mu Gyul to let loose of him.

"I've got him." Mary told him cheerfully, climbing into the bed and settling herself on top of Mu Gyul. He could move her easily, of course, but . . . probably not when he was this drunk and clumsy. Jung In managed to free his shirt from My Gyul's grasp, and Mary leaned forwards onto his belly and chest, keeping him down. After a moment of hesitation to be sure she had him, Jung In straightened and stepped away.

Besides, Mu Gyul didn't really seem to want to move any more, apparently content to curl one hand into Mary's hair, snuggling against her shoulder. Mary cooed to him, shifting to get a little more comfortable as he mumbled into her shoulder.

"What, honey?" Mary asked, pulling his head away a little to look him in the eye.

Rather than repeat himself, Mu Gyul wrapped his arms around her and hugged her tighter, huffing at being pushed away. Mary laughed and let him have his way, petting his hair.

A few minutes later Jung In returned, dressed down and with his hair combed loose, now looking much softer and more comfortable. He circled the bed, then climbed in the other side. Mary looked at him with a smile, and he returned it warmly, without the awkwardness that he had once carried so often.

Mu Gyul looked over at him and pulled away from Mary a little. She climbed off him and settled on his other side, leaving him free to move again. Though no more coordinated, he was much slower and lazier now, and he only crawled across the bed towards Jung In.

Turning on his knees, Mu Gyul wobbled a bit in the process and then flopped down against Jung In's chest, giggling quietly. Jung In's arms curled around him. "All right, settle down." Jung In said gently, smoothing a hand over Mu Gyul's belly.

Mu Gyul looked up at Jung In's face. "I love you." he said with a broad, silly smile. Then he let out a thin sigh and his head dropped backwards over Jung In's shoulder. His breathing hitched and then settled again; he was already beginning to snore faintly.

Mary giggled, and Jung In's startled expression smoothed into familiar warmth as he looked up at her.

Mary leaned over Mu Gyul, his body lax in Jung In's arms and a little warmer than usual, and kissed Jung In's cheek affectionately. "I love you too." she said against her husband's cheek, and he was smiling when Mary pulled back. "Thank you for coming to help me get him home." she added, frowning. "I didn't want to interrupt you but he just wouldn't. . ."

"Of course." Jung In said simply. He freed a hand, reaching up to brush Mary's cheek with his fingertips. "I don't mind, darling. I don't ever mind. Not for either of you." He pulled his hand back to nudge Mu Gyul into a more comfortable position. While he did, Mary fussed with the blanket for a few moments, drawing it up and neatening it around the three of them.

Satisfied, she lay down at Mu Gyul's side as Jung In settled on the other. She brought one hand up, under the blankets, curling her fingers around Jung In's own, resting on Mu Gyul's hip.

I rolled a random choice from a 'the way you said 'I love you'' meme to write this - I got #25: In a blissful sigh as you fall asleep.

The title is 100% my friend M's invention. I may have added a few details (aka about 500 words of story) after she suggested it. .