"Care for some company?"
Q felt Bond arrive beside him, skulking smooth as a panther as Q was making his way back to his office to produce the final brief for M on the required hardware for the next Double-O assignment.
"Shouldn't you be wholly absorbed in the brief of your next mission, 007?"
"How difficult can it be?" said James. "A simple infiltration - extraction exercise. Could do it with my eyes closed."
"You should know, Q, having been on the receiving end of such manoeuvres only three nights ago."
"Impropriety, 007?"
"You're absolutely right, Q. I should at least wait until we're in your office."
Q turned his head to hide the smile. It had been less than a month since he had become 'romantically involved' (for want of a better turn of phrase) with the man, and the benefits of such a liaison on both of them were certainly not to be denied.
As Q entered his office, Bond shadowing him a couple of steps behind, closed the door and leaned his back against it, a look of pure mischief in his steel blue eyes. "Alone at last…"
"You mean despite the internal security camera system that can track the intricate movement of flies at 100 paces? Hardly alone, Bond," said Q, giving him a pained look from over the rim of his glasses as he took the seat behind his desk.
"Not even a little taste to tide over a starving man?" Bond teased, moving forward to take the seat opposite.
Bastard.
"I believe the words M used involved riverbed and footnote. That may have sounded like an endorsement to you, but it sounded like a threat to me and one I plan on taking seriously."
"You are absolutely no fun, Q."
Of course, Q could easily static the cameras in his office and blame a glitch in the system which he could quickly correct before any suspicions were roused. But that way madness lay and Q suspected that time would do nothing to alleviate how mad Commander Bond would drive him. Distraction in the office environment was not an option.
"The SIS don't pay me to be fun, Bond. Now, pay attention…"