His suit and shoes were immaculate as always as he stepped into his office. His mask of indifference that concealed a worn out soldier sat smoothly upon his face. He looked like a robot, set to neutral. Only four hours earlier he had seen him kill up to twenty men all for one briefcase and now here he was, greeting him with a firm handshake and a nod. His movements swift and gracious like flowing water, he sat smoothly into the chair opposite him.

"Hello M. Good to see you again." It was how Bond always greeted him. Ever since skyfall. Whenever he entered M's office for a de-briefing, briefing or for any other reason, he always greeted him with that same line. M guessed that to 007, it was good to see him again. After so many deaths he had dealt with in those past years, he guessed that for Bond it was good to see anyone alive.

"Yes. You too 007. Shall we get started?" The double-oh's maske slipped ever so slightly as his brow deepened in confusion, his face slightly puzzled.

"Where's Q? isn't he supposed to be here?"

"The last I heard of your Quartermaster"- M said as he slid into his own chair- "Was that he headed home. Apparently he wanted to say to see you arrived safely back and to attend the de-brief but Eve bullied him into going home." At Bond's still confused face, M decided to tell him what Q had made him promise not to tell 007. "You know, he didn't sleep for those five days you were in Bagdad. Not a wink. He kept on about how we would like It if we were out there and how we would feel even the slightest bit safer with a constant watchful eye." M shook his head and gathered his papers together. Enough talk about Q, for now, he needed all the details from Bond about what exactly did happen in Bagdad. However, when M looked up again, Bond was already out of his seat and heading for the door.

"007, what on earth-?"

"I've just gotten back from an extensive five day extreme caution and high risk mission. I need sleep." That was apparently the only explanation M was getting because not a moment before finished his sentence was he out of the room with the door slowing swinging closed behind him. M was left sitting there with his mouth wide open and a bunch of papers in his hand.

If he weren't so bloody good at what he does, I'd force him to retire.

He rubbed his forehead and sighed. Yeah, right. He couldn't force Bond to do anything he didn't want to do.

…..

Q was extremely anxious about hearing back from Eve. She had promised him a call letting him know that Bond had arrived at MI-6 alright. She was the only person in the entire MI-6 that knew about him and Bond. He wanted to keep it that way too. In the beginning, Q hadn't wanted anyone to know but, eventually, someone had to find out and he was glad it was Eve that was the first. Admittedly, it was handy having her knowing so she could make up excuses for where they both were during their lunch breaks when they weren't there to explain lie for themselves. Q smiled over his Earl Grey at the thought of his lunch times spent with Bond. All that came to mind was passionately making-out in broom closets and Q's small, closed office. His smile faltered when he realised that other than the lunch breaks and after hours sessions in the interns locker rooms there really was nothing else except intense eye contact touches that lingered a little longer than they really should. A sour guilty feeling settled itself deep into Q's stomach when he realised he wanted more of that. It was wrong to ask for more, he knew that. Double-ohs didn't get attached, especially Bond. After everything that has happened in his past, Q found himself feeling lucky he got what he did with Bond. So he knew it was wrong to ask for more, but was it wrong to want more?

You can want something or someone as much as you like but that doesn't necessarily mean you're going to get them.

So no, Q decided, it wasn't wrong to want more. But he promised himself then and there that he would never ask for it. Never.

With a heavy sigh, Q bundled himself up with a blanket, his Earl Grey and Savannah on his overstuffed couch. He scratched behind Savannah's furry ears and drew a satisfied purr from her. He smiled and sipped his Earl Grey. At that moment, all he could think about was his double-oh agent. He knew he should be sleeping but he couldn't, not until he received that phone call from Eve anyways. Until then, he would worry himself sick about weather Bond's plane had been shot down or he had been stabbed or shot arriving in London. Most of all, he would worry that something would happen to him and, had he been at his computer, he would have been able to stop it. He would have been able to give Bond a warning or show him a way out or block the attackers path or…

"You should be asleep Q"

Q, completely lost in morbid, unsettling though jumped at the sound of his rough warm voice. The voice that murmured in his ear as he nibbled his neck, the voice that assured him he would be fine every time he left for another mission. It was the voice that told him to never again stay awake and make himself feel like crap all because he was looking out for Bond. That voice had made him promise. And now it was here in his apartment.

He was here.

Probably because Q had broken that promise. Q stood quickly, the blanket wrapped around his shoulders falling to the ground. Savannah jumped and ran away angrily but he payed her no attention. Why was he here? He's never come to my apartment before, nor I to his.

"I see you made it home safely." He mentally noted to thank Eve the next day, this was way better than a phone call. His heart was beating erratically in his chest, his fingers and toes tingling with anticipation to find out why Bond was here. A deep sinking feeling began to form in his chest when he read the agent's expression closely. He was angry, but that wasn't the frightening part. The scary thing was that Bond was showing that he was mad. He hated doing that. He hated showing his emotions like that. So why was he doing it now? Was it because he was alone with Q and knew him more intimately than anyone else? Whatever the reason, Q was filled with conflicting emotions. He was scared. He had never seen 007 show him this much emotion, not even when they kissed. It was only arrogant sarcasm then, but here it was real, raw emotion.

But Q felt slightly victorious. Slightly. He felt guilty that he felt that way but he did. Q had managed to remove Bond's mask, even for only a moment, and show what was lying beneath. He had gotten him to feel and show it. Q had gotten him to show James Bond. Q felt a smile creeping up onto his face. It died, however, with Bond's next sentence.

"You broke your promise Q." Bond moved from his slouched positions against the wall to the opening of the living room. His imposing form filing Q's only exit. He swallowed. Bond had been serious? Had Q known 007 would take the promise to heart and be this upset over it he would have taken it more seriously. But, of course, he hadn't and funnily enough, he didn't regret it. After all, it had brought Bond to his apartment.

Q longed to touch him. His hands twitching by his sides with an urgency to grab the back of Bond's neck and crush their lips together. Instead, he rubbed his forehead and mumbled an apology.

"Look Bond, I'm sorry ok. Can we just forget about this. Your safe, I'm safe and everyone's ok." Q had absently minded taken a few steps toward Bond.

"Oh, you're sorry? Q, I asked you to promise me something and you broke it." He took a few fury filled steps toward Q. "You lied to me!" Bond was shouting by the time he finished Anger bubbled up in Q's chest.

"I didn't lie to you Bond, I didn't think that you meant much of the stupid promise. Why do you even care anyway?" They were standing flush with one another now so Q jabbed a finger into Bond's chest. Fire blazing in 007's eyes, he grabbed Q's head and brought his lips down hard onto Q's. The kiss was hard and insistent, filled with anger and frustration. Q grabbed Bond's collar and kissed him back once he's gotten over the initial shock. Eventually Bond pulled away and with a softer voice he murmured:

"This is why I care Q. I care about the promise because… because I care about you." He pressed his fore head against Q's and looked deep into his brown eyes with his brilliant blue ones. "I acted the way I did when we would kiss because I didn't want to get emotionally involved with you. I wanted you physically, and that was it. At least I thought I did." He took a deep shaky breath before continuing. "It didn't take me long to figure out that you were more, Q, more than just hidden kisses. I continued to act uninterested because I thought I could make myself not want you more and more. But that was impossible. I couldn't quit you, Q. I knew you felt the same so I made you promise me what you did in a desperate last attempt to try and get you to believe that I wasn't interested in you that way"

Q searched deep into Bond's eyes. Thick, pleasant emotion spreading over him like a warm blanket. "Why?" He breathed out, "what was the point?"

"So we both wouldn't get hurt. I knew I would get hurt, but I'm…used to it. I wanted it to be as painless as possible for you. I didn't want a broken mess in charge of saving my ass." He said the last part with a small smile and a hint of amusement. But Q's hear filled with a heavy fondness. Pleasure, joy, complete happiness filled Q's chest until he like he was going to explode. Q didn't reply. Not with words anyway. Instead, He wrapped his arms around Bond's neck and kissed him. He kissed him with more passion than ever before. He kissed him with a fierce determination to convey everything he felt to Bond without saying a word. His message was obviously received loud and clear because Bond place his hands on his hips and pulled Q against him, deepening their kiss. The pressure of his hands and lips against Q caused a moan of complete bliss to escape from the quartermasters lips.

Q had gotten more. And he hadn't even had to ask.