Q

[0_0_7]

After the first initial panic, after scavenging and recon, the days and nights evened out and things fell into a rhythm. A dull, cold rhythm. The weather was dreary and terribly cold in the morning. After the first night when they woke up and could see their breath, Bond had made sure to bank the fire so it would be a bit warm by the time dawn came. The cats were rather pleasant company, he'd found. He'd never been one for pets, not since he was a boy, but he could see why Q liked them.

He woke before Q and put the kettle on. He also put his shoes on, just to keep his feet warm. Bond looked around the cottage and noticed things that might need patched. If the weather kept on like it was, he'd not be surprised to see snow soon.

The kettle began to boil and he poured two cups. As they steeped, he went into the bedroom where Q lay asleep with the cats tucked up against him.

"Rise and shine, Q. Another day on, but at least this morning it's warm in here."

Comments

[cuppa_q]

Huffing softly, Q burrowed deeper under the covers for a bit, before finally emerging. Rumpled and blind, he pawed around for his glasses before sitting up. Q's week had been boring, alternating between trying to get his phone going and just wandering the dome. Yesterday he'd even found himself so bored that the thought of pinching a pornographic magazine from the library hadn't seemed like a dreadful idea. ...Though he was regretting that choice a bit now, knowing it was tucked under his side of the mattress and Bond was right there.

"I don't see why you bother waking me, it's not like I've contributed much yet," Q sighed.

[0_0_7]

"We rise and we shine, and we make the Empire proud," Bond said. "Come on, now. Get up."

[cuppa_q]

Sliding his glasses on, Q sighed. "Yes, alright, he agreed. I just need a shower and I'll be through," he assured him.

[0_0_7]

"I'll follow you up. I could use a change of clothes and a shower, myself," he said as he sipped his tea.

[cuppa_q]

"Oh, right, of course," Q nodded, getting up and setting about pulling himself together. He thought about the literature hidden beneath the mattress, wondering when he'd have a chance to be rid of it, then forced a smile and set out towards the dome.

[0_0_7]

Bond followed close. Maybe a little closer than need be. They'd shared a bed for a few days now and Bond was rather intuitive when it came d desire. However Q was, well, Q and he wasn't interested in destroying the one solid relationship he had here.

"I was thinking," he said as they walked. "There is a library and I found a book on primitive hunting techniques. I was thinking about going after some game. Fresh meat would be nice."

[cuppa_q]

"Of course you are," Q said with a snort. "Well, if anyone here is able, it's you, double-o seven. Tired of tinned chicken already?"

[0_0_7]

"I don't think it's a sin to say yes. There are deer here. And rabbits. Either would make a fine meal," he said. "And try to tell me I wouldn't win your affection with a fresh fried coney."

[cuppa_q]

"That just proves you don't know what makes me affectionate," Q snorted. "But I can understand your desire to eat something that hasn't been drained of its flavour and packed in aluminium. Is that what you intend to do today then?"

[0_0_7]

"Yes. I was thinking I'd ring up a few traps. See what comes of it," he replied. "What's on your plate for the day?"

[cuppa_q]

"Oh, um- Light reading," Q replied, looking pleased with his very inside joke, then shrugging. "I might bring some more clothes home from the wardrobe and do some light exploring near the beach. ...If you go, will you be back for dinner?"

[0_0_7]

"I plan to be. There's so many rabbits I can only imagine I'll catch one quickly," Bond assured him. "We will feast tonight."

[cuppa_q]

"Just don't ask me to skin it," Q snorted, headed into the dome as they reached the doors. "I've no desire to have any part in the death and dismemberment of any animal."

[0_0_7]

"I'll take care of it, Q. You only need to enjoy the roast," he promised.

[cuppa_q]

Q smiled at that, reaching to touch Jame's arm- Before thinking better of it.

"Right, well, I'll see you this evening then, hmm?" he smiled.

[0_0_7]

"There's better food in the larder I thought we could eat first. Before I go out," he said gently.

[cuppa_q]

Oh, yes, of course," Q nodded, even though part of him was always expecting James to follow something like that with a request or a begged favour. ...One hadn't come recently though.

[0_0_7]

As they walked along, Bond absently laid his hand against the small of Q's back. "If you're hungry, that is," he said.

[cuppa_q]

Q tensed under the touch, not because it was unwelcome, but because it was unexpected. He and James always seemed to keep a small amount of distance between them, a measured about even, from the first time they'd met in the museum, to even when they shared a bed. To have Bond brush away that invisible buffer was... Well, something Q didn't know what to do with. Again, he found himself waiting for the hook to sink in. James always had an angle with him, and in the past pleasantries were nearly always accompanied by asks.

"I'd kill for eggs on toast, but I haven't seen any chickens, have you?"

[0_0_7]

Bond felt him tense, but didn't panic. Instead, he waited for a natural shift in the terrain before he let his hand fall away. He wanted it to seem natural.

"No, no chickens. Other birds lay eggs, but it would certainly be easier to have something domestic rather than wild."

[cuppa_q]

The moment the touch was gone, Q missed it. The air felt colder, the world a bit more drab. That was the power Bond held in his palm. He could change the mood, change the very air around you.

"Perhaps some will turn up yet," Q smiled.

[0_0_7]

"I'll keep my eye out as I set traps. Probably not pigeons, but maybe there are ducks or some other fowl. I wonder how gull eggs are," He said as they approached the dome. He itched to touch Q again. It seemed such a forbidden pleasure, just to touch him. Proximity and circumstance was making him greedy for contact.

[cuppa_q]

"You're familiar with hunting though, yes?" Q asked as they headed inside. "It's something you've done before."

[0_0_7]

"Of course. I learned how as a child. I haven't hunted for sport in quite some time," he replied. Bond reached out to open the door.

"And the biggest challenge here is that I don't have a gun. I can't say I've ever hunted deer with a spear," he chuckled.

[cuppa_q]

"I can't fathom hunting at all," Q confessed. "All that blood... Not my taste."