It had taken a while, but James had finally decided to just go ask M for an assignment. He could get out of London for a few days, let Q have some space, and have time to prepare himself for Q's decision. He slid on fresh clothes before leaving the flat. It wasn't long before he was striding past Moneypenny's… empty desk? He became aware of a loud voice coming from M's office and carefully eased the door open, peering inside. Q? He was standing in front of M's desk, yelling. But, even as James watched, Q seemed to crumple a bit and wavered. Moneypenny, who he hadn't noticed at first, stepped in and picked up where Q had left off as she led Q towards James and pushed him gently in his arms. James wrapped his Quartermaster in a hug and led him out of the office, leaving the door cracked open behind them. "Q? Shh, it's okay. What were you doing in there?" He asked, shocked at seeing Q yell at someone.

Q took a deep breath as he tried to calm himself, wiping away his tears. He had been crying a lot lately and he hated it. But there was just so much going on that he couldn't control it.

"I just… He shouldn't be interfering with our lives like this. We haven't been breaking any official rules and we had been acting professionally. So. I just wanted to make him understand it wasn't okay."

Bond sucked in a breath and began to gently pet Q's hair. "I'm sorry… I'm sorry. I wish I had never let him get to me. I'm so sorry." He pressed his face against Q's temple, just trying to get as close as he could and hoping it would comfort Q some.

Q nodded and wiped his eyes some more, glad that they were alone. He couldn't let anyone see him like this. "This week just keeps getting better and better, doesn't it?"

James smoothed one hand down Q's back and back up in big, lazy swoops, carefully pressing a kiss to his head and thinking Q wouldn't notice. "Well, things should get better from here, right?"

"God, I hope so." Q nodded as the yelling from M's office diminished and Moneypenny emerged.

Bond subconsciously turned his body as she came closer, shielding Q. "Hello, Moneypenny. Had a lot to get off your chest?" She huffed in response.

Q pulled away from Bond a bit as he managed to compose himself, his eyes red from crying as he gave her a small, appreciative smile.

The agent slowly took a step back from him, giving him space, and glanced at Moneypenny. "Did you leave him in a condition to talk? I was going to ask him something."

"You're not asking him anything," she replied as she handed him a file. "Everything's approved. Take as much time as you need."

Bond looked down at the file, raising his brows. "What, exactly…?" He flipped the folder open, glancing at the details. "Oh," he breathed, looking over the contents further. He flicked his eyes back up at her, incredulous. "But…" Finally, he flipped the file toward Q and let him grab it. Moneypenny handed him another file and he glanced at it, raising his eyebrows even more. He covertly glanced at Q and, seeing that he was engrossed, skimmed through the file, memorizing the information. He made eyes contact with Moneypenny and nodded his thanks as he handed the file back to her.

Q furrowed his brows as he read over the file. "What… What is this?" He asked as he looked up at them. "I can't go on holiday. I have work to do."

Moneypenny shook her head. "You can't say no. It's already been worked out. Go. M agrees that some time off would do you both some good. And we've already got people in place to take care of your department. The minions have also been informed not to let you in if you try. Plus, you wouldn't let my gift go to waste, would you?" Bond watched as she shifted tactics flawlessly, her expression pleading.

Q glared at her for a moment before grumbling softly to himself. He turned and left the office to go back to Q Branch for his things.

Bond smirked after him before turning to Moneypenny, who promptly held up a pair of tickets and car keys. He took them and slipped them into his pocket. "You know that we're not really doing well right now, right?"

She smirked. "That man just bitched out the head of MI6 for you and your relationship. I trust you to fix the rest." Bond gave her a searching look before going to find Q.

Q had some trouble getting into his office, but he eventually managed to convince the minions that he was just getting his things. He went in a grabbed his jacket and bag before finishing up a few things on his computer before shutting it down. He then left his office, shutting the door and locking it behind him before heading out. He hoped that this holiday was a good idea.

James went down to find Q, meeting him as he stepped out of Q Branch. He fell in step beside him, feeling like everything was almost back to normal. He knew they had a lot to talk about, and he was stressed out of his mind about it, but he couldn't help but feel calm around Q. Bond opened the door for him and they stepped out onto the street. "So," he started awkwardly, "what are you going to do with your time off?" He didn't know how to bring up the trip.

Q shrugged his shoulders, feeling awkward, himself. "I don't know. I don't really have much of a life outside of work… Just… Whatever I've got with you… I guess."

James took a deep breath. "If you don't have anything going on, then… Would you like to come on a trip with me? We could work on…" He licked his lips nervously. "The… Whatever you have with me?" He winced at the wording.

Q raised a brow at him. "A trip? Where?" His hand brushed against Bond's as they walked.

The agent bit his lip as he felt Q's hand against his, wanting to just twist his wrist a little to catch it, but he didn't know if it would be welcome. "The destination is going to be a bit of a mystery for you, but I promise you'll love it."

Q smiled a bit at that. Getting away would definitely help him recover, especially if James was with him. "Alright. When do we leave?"

Bond let out a happy breath, relieved. "Tomorrow morning. We can pack and get ready tonight," he smiled, trying not to beam.

Q nodded as they arrived at Bond's flat. "Do you, um… Do you want to pack your things and... maybe… Come over?"

Bond's eyes widened a bit, his jaw dropping slightly. "I… Yes, I'd like that very much. Do you want to come in? It'll only take me a minute to grab my things."

Q nodded with a slight smile and followed him inside. He had almost forgotten how empty the flat was. He looked around once more before taking a seat on the couch.

James lingered for a moment before making his way down the hall to the bedroom. Opening his drawers, he pulled out a few outfits and put them into a bag. Moving to the bathroom, he grabbed his travel bag and stuffed it into his duffle as well as he walked back down the hall. "Done. Ready to go?"

He looked up and him and nodded and he stood, following him to the door. "So, um… How long are we staying wherever we're going?"

James opened the door for him as they left the flat. "A week. A week there and a week at home." He slung the bag over his shoulder as they exited the building. As they started to walk to Q's flat, Bond felt his Q's hand brush against his again. He took a deep breath and, on the next step, slipped their hands together, gently twining his fingers between Q's.

Q bit his lip softly at that and gently gave Bond's had a squeeze as they walked. When they had arrived, Q didn't let go of him as he unlocked the door and pulled him inside. He closed the door behind them and shrugged off his jacket, placing it and his bag on the table before running his fingers through his hair a bit nervously. "So, um… I, uh...I suppose we've got some things to talk about."

James took a deep breath, but he didn't feel so full of dread like he had before. "We do. How did you find out about M?"

"You said his name last night. I figured it out from there," he said with a shrug of his shoulders.

Bond stepped in, unable to help himself and he brushed Q's fringe out of his eyes. "So clever," he whispered. "And… Have you decided?"

Q licked his lips as he looked up at the agent and shook his head with a small smile. "There's nothing to decide."

James let his hand brush through Q's hair and then brought it down to frame his face, sweeping his thumb over the corner of Q's lips. "Q…" He whispered, tilting his head down and pausing and inch away from Q's lips, enjoying the heat and closeness of the situation.

Q closed his eyes, biting his lip softly. He took a deep breath before finally closing the gap between them and pressing his lips to Bond's.