Disclaimer: I do not own the Bond movies or books.
Warnings: No.
This is the ending of the first book. Hope you have enjoyed and will enjoy the next part as well!
James couldn't tell what exactly had woken him, but he doubted that it was important. As it was he lay in the dark, listening to the steady, soft breathing of his younger companion. He let himself be amused by Q's continuous habit to wrap his arms around him. James could easily count the number of times he had played "little spoon" with anyone else not only on his fingers, but just about any other extremity as well, but Q seemed to insist on it. Especially his subconscious, as he always did it in sleep. Sometimes while awake, too, ever since he'd woken up holding him and noted that James really couldn't care less about who was spooning who.
While he lay there, listening to his companion's breathing and the soft, free sound of the wind; he was pretty sure there were some crickets, as well, James thought about Q. Idly letting his mind drift wasn't something the double O regularly indulged in, but it was night, he alone was wake, and even double O's need to daydream sometime.
At first, the man had been an unknown threat, back when James eyes were shut and there were restraints around his wrists. Then he'd become an unknown variable; and within an hour of them first meeting, a source.
By the time James went to bed that morning, he had defined him as a decidedly friendly source, relatively free of threat. Things had progressed from there; lover, amusing acquaintance, but still a source.
By Bond's second visit, he had upgraded him to intriguing. By the time he left that time, he had settled on that he liked the man. Liked him, found his conversation interesting, his intellect intriguing, and his sexual tastes highly amusing.
Now, almost a week into his third visit... Well, he was fond of the man, somewhat unusually. Even more surprising, he found himself trusting the darkhaired, tiny human without reservation; and James Bond trusting anyone at all, let alone so fully, was once in a blue moon at least.
Q was clever, strategic, tried his best to be carefree though somewhat lonely, fair and most of all, so very human. Having a mind capable of picking up on any link, he was always eager to help out, even though the world wasn't necessarily always kind to slight, homosexual, nerdy geeks. There was bitterness about that, but not hate; no grudge. James respected that integrity.
It was also decidedly simple to relax with Q; James had always found it that way, right from the very beginning. He was no stranger to being a very temporary visit in someone else's bed, and he always made sure to be kind and considerate as such; while no stranger to violence, he detested anyone who took to it with those who were smaller, weaker, and especially undeserving. And no one who could ever be counted as a victim was ever guilty of having whatever was done to them warranted.
No, the only ones who had that coming were men like himself; giving as good as they got in whatever fight they had gotten themselves into by their own accord. That was part of the game, and as such it was inevitable. James preferred to let roughness, physical dominance, violence and threat stay there.
As such, and being in no need of proving himself, whether to himself or any "bond-girls" he might come across, Bond was happy to let someone else take the lead, should they wish for it. A gentleman, after all, listened to his lady, even if she was only his for an hour. That changed nothing.
With Q however, James found himself far more relaxed about that. Less posed to counterattack should a threat emerge somehow. Perhaps it was because he tended to wake unsure whether there might be a knife to his throat or not, and that would simply not be the case here, but whatever the cause, he had always found submitting to Q and his charming little innocent fantasies supremely easy. By now, of course, it was also familiar and safe. Something that was, in essence, rather exotic on his part, where safe certainty never had been any sort of part of his job description.
Looking down on the peacefully sleeping Q for a moment, James let his thoughts drift on. Most people thought that he got bored by being inactive, and that was why he preferred to stack missions as closely together as was humanly possible to achieve; he might have even thought so himself once upon a time. The truth was that what James couldn't stand was being unhelpful.
Not being useful, not moving things forward; it was like an ever-present ache whenever he was not busy, but here it had never manifested itself. With Q, even sleeping saw him being useful; persuading an important source. It was deeply soothing, and while too much of it would doubtlessly drive him straight to insanity, he appreciated it for a few weeks at a time.
"James?" Turning his head, he found himself greeted by the sight of an endearing, sleepy Q. The genius smiled slightly, a cheeky invitation hidden somewhere in the slowly blinking face. "Need some help falling back asleep?" Moving clumsily, limbs uncoordinated in his barely wake state, Q seemingly found shifting a bit difficult. Luckily for him, James decided to take pity on him.
"I might," the agent whispered seductively, a mere hair's-breadth away from an ear, covering the smaller man's body with his own. A second later he huffed out a soft laugh and rolled away, getting up from the bed and moving out into the night for a stroll; his bed partner already fast asleep. Again.