Q

[0_0_7]

They were on the trail of an arms dealer who was proving to be ellusive. But Bond found his man at a resort in St. Croix and after making contact- where he'd pissed the man off even as he'd gotten a name- he then proceeded to seduce the man's girlfriend. Call it a back door. They went back to her villa and Bond snogged her a bit, working her up, then suggested strawberries and champagne and a shower, which she gladly agreed to. He placed the order as she slipped into the bathroom and out of her barely-there gown. As he spoke in broken French he downloaded the contents of the private laptop onto a stick for Q. The porter on the phone asked for how many the order was for and Bond said one...then abruptly left. He had what he'd come for.

In the car he patched into Q branch and set up his GPS. "I'm on my way to the landing strip, Q," he said, taking the island roads at breakneck speeds. "I'll meet Fleix on the flight and be back in London shortly for you to go over the information I've gotten."

Comments

[quartermaster_q]

Q hummed a little, tapping away on his keyboard. His eyes flickered from monitor to monitor as he worked, constantly taking in information even as he worked.

"I do hope you didn't have to go to too much effort to obtain it," Q said mildly, though that bored and crisp tone held just a hint of displeasure.

[0_0_7]

"You know I always get it in the end," Bond said tartly. "And for once I didn't kill anyone. You should really commend me, Q."

The car raced on toward Bond's hotel.

[quartermaster_q]

"Yes, terribly hard work shoving your tongue down that woman's throat, I'm sure," Q replied dryly. "I'll see you when you return to London, double-o seven. Safe flight home and all that."

He didn't have time to be bitter though, there was work to be done. As soon as he ended his communication with Bond he returned his full focus to analysing the data they already had.

[0_0_7]

Bond gave a noncommittal sound of agreement and then drove on to the landing strip. Then a plane, another plane, and enough scotch and mimosas to keep him hydrated through the trip. When he touched down at Heathrow he felt quite good. He passed through security and then made his way to MI6,

Bonds sauntered into Q branch with the usb stick, feeling quite proud of himself.

"Here you are..."

[quartermaster_q]

Q didn't look away from his work, offering nothing more than a hum and a nod as he sipped his umpteenth cup of tea. Tanner was nearby, however, and offered Bond a curious glance, raising a brow as if silently asking if the double-o was responsible for Q's current mood.

"I can see you you know," Q said.

"Of course you can, I wasn't trying not to be seen," Tanner replied pleasantly, "Don't get lippy, Q. I've been at this much longer than you have."

The young Quartermaster let out a huff of a sigh, an over dramatic sound that made it seem as though the whole world rested on his shoulders. It really was remarkable how the young man constantly appeared both bored and overworked.

[0_0_7]

"I don't know why you're being such a twat," Bond said, clipped and tight. "I brought you the tech, mission accomplished. Now I'm going tout for the night. Meet me at Lis Rouge at eight if you want to, otherwise..."

He left that hanging. He had no tolerance for a temper tantrum when he had specifically not slept with the mark when he so easily could have.

[quartermaster_q]

"Some of us still have work to do," Q replied, reaching for the device, only to be intercepted by Tanner- Who didn't look amused.

"You've been here over forty-eight hours. Go home, Q. I'll have this ready and waiting for you in the morning."

The young quartermaster huffed a bit, but didn't argue. Instead he offered a nod and picked up his things.

"You can drive me home," he told Bond.

[0_0_7]

Bond was rigid and walked out upright with Q at his side. He smelled of champagne and oranges.

"I'm going to take a shower before anything, I have sand everywhere."

[quartermaster_q]

"Fine," Q replied. It had been his intention to shower as well, but he was in no mood to quarrel over who would shower first.

Truth be told, the younger man was in need of a nap and a hot meal before he became a pleasant human being again.

[0_0_7]

It really was a hazard of the job that there were times neither of them were pleasant people. Bond drove them home with barely a word. He could say it was because he'd not yet been debriefed but the truth of the matter was that he just didn't want to talk about it.

Halfway there he looked to Q.

"Call for take away. I don't care what. Pizza, Thai, Indian, I truly don't care as long as it's there soon and it's hot."

[quartermaster_q]

"You could say please," Q muttered, pulling out his phone and texting an order to their favourite Indian.

He then sent the directions to the GPS, a passive aggressive way of telling Bond what he'd ordered.

[0_0_7]

Bond didn't rise to the bait, just casting a sideways glance at Q and pursing his lips.

In fact, he didn't say anything until they were home and everything was sorted and he had a scotch in his hand.

"You've no reason to be cross with me," he shot at Q.

[quartermaster_q]

"I'm not cross," Q replied in a somewhat sharp tone. "If you're having scotch, I'm taking the first shower," he decided, stalking off towards the bedroom and starting to undress.

[0_0_7]

Bond was content to let him. He smelled of two days sweating and worrying- truly unpleasant. Bond sipped his scotch and slowly peeled himself, jacket first and then tie. Cuffs undone and collar too and still half his scotch left when the doorbell rang.

"Mmm, dinner. Than you," he said to the delivery boy and tipped him generously. He put it in the kitchen away from Oberon's curious nose and went to the bathroom door.

"Dinner's here," he announced.

[quartermaster_q]

Q didn't answer, but the water slowly shut off, indicating he'd he heard.

He was gone a while longer, but eventually emerged wearing his pyjamas. His hair had been dried, and was a fluffy mop atop his head, making him look as if he'd just crawled out of bed. He was still sulking a bit, but looked slightly less grumpy as he made his way, barefoot, into the kitchen.

Taking a moment to feed the cat, he seemed to be in no rush before finally sitting down with his meal and a fresh cup of tea. Only then did he chance a glance at Bond.

[0_0_7]

In the time it had taken Q to put himself together, Bond had eaten. A man could not live on mimosas alone and he'd filled himself with butter chicken, tikka masala, naan, and jasmine rice. He was wiping his face as Q appeared to look at him and Bond found only irritation.

"My turn," he said simply and stalked off to wash the sea and sun off his tanned skin.

[quartermaster_q]

Q's eyes narrowed at that, but he said nothing. Perhaps he'd been foolishly expecting some kind of apology, or an acknowledgement that he'd been working harder than Bond over the past few days- though he honestly wasn't certain that was true. All he knew was that he felt stressed and wound tight, and nothing was making it better.

He poked at his food, eating as much as he could be bothered with, and tucking the leftovers away for later. He then proceeded to pace a bit, before growing restless and heading off to the spare room that served as a small office.

Thirty minutes later there was a series of new posts on his blog. Mostly photos, but a few animated gifs, all featuring his pyjama bottoms and the fact that he was wearing nothing underneath. ...Posts Bond would see right away if he hadn't yet turned off the alert Q had set up on his phone.

It felt good to blow off some steam, and when he returned to the living room, he seemed far less agitated as he scooped up Oberon and began to stroke him.

[0_0_7]

Bond washed off the trip- mostly washing off the lingering feeling of the woman's touch on his skin. He didn't want to think of her nails or her eyes or the perfume of her hair. He was done...and realistically she's be dead the second her boyfriend found out she'd let bond into their villa.

Another body behind him.

He washed slowly, hoping Q might slip back in. Then he got out and shaved when the man made no appearance. As he nearly finished his mobile began to chime, one alert after another, and he picked it up. He had the sense to make the last couple passes and clean the lather off his face, then Bond emerged, towel round his waist and mobile in hand as he stalked through the flat to find Q.

"Busy little bee..."

[quartermaster_q]

Q shrugged one shoulder, letting Oberon wriggle his way free and watching as the fluffy white beast climbed to the top of his cat tree to lord over the living space.

"Mmm, I suppose," he said, his gaze lingering on the cat, then sliding over to Bond.

"The leftovers are in the fridge if you're still hungry," he added, putting his feet up on the clear acrylic coffee table as he spoke.

[0_0_7]

Bond laid the phoen near Q's feet, just out of danger, then crawled onto the sofa with him. He looked down and tugged at the elastic of his pyjama bottoms before moving in close.

"Not hungry," he replied, studying Q's languid form.

[quartermaster_q]

Q pouted a little, squirming and smacking Bond's hand away.

"That show wasn't for you," he huffed. "It was for me."

Still, he could have shoved Bond away completely, but he didn't. He was still sulking, but his bad mood had mostly faded. He was no longer being cold- Just a touch aloof.

[0_0_7]

The towel did very little to conceal Bond's growing arousal. He reached to take hold of Q's jaw to force the man to look at him.

"What have I done to make you so angry with me? I completed the mission. I brought back the target and the tech. I only killed three people. And I didn't sleep with her, Q..."

[quartermaster_q]

Q protested being forced to make eye-contact. What was he, a bloody mutt? And his nostrils flared slightly as he huffed.

"I'm not angry," he replied coolly. "I'd simply like an acknowledgement that I work just as hard as you, and my workdays aren't full of Martinis and half naked women. They're full of Tanner and M, and code."

[0_0_7]

"Oh, is that it? You think I don't know what you do? How I'm aware at every moment that you're at your post at attention, fingers at the ready?" he asked, moving in closer to trace his lips against Q's jaw. "Do you think I don't appreciate how doors unlock for me without a word, how my GPS is always on point..." At Q's ear he paused and whispered in his ear. "I love knowing no matter where I am in the world...you're watching me on satellite. Never stopping. Never resting. My guardian angel..."

[quartermaster_q]

Q was only human, despite his best efforts to appear as something more evolved, and he melted slightly beneath the double-o.

"You've a strange way of showing it," he replied.