It started with a touch, when the new Quartermaster handed the radio over to 007 so he could complete his mission against Silva. Q noticed it then, in their easy banter back and forth, the slightest bit of flirtation. He knew that was just how James Bond operated though. He doubted it mattered if the person was male or female, Bond would flirt with anyone who even remotely caught his fancy.
Then, there was the banter that continued, over the comms as Q guided his agent through the tunnels against Silva. Of course, he did come back with the ridiculous story that a dragon ate his Walther. Which to Q is only the beginning of his exasperation with the double-oh. Over the next few months, he finds his exasperation only grows every time Bond brings back or rather, doesn't bring back, his equipment.
It's not long before they become a strong team, Q and 007. Q is the steady voice in the double-oh's ear, and becomes pretty much the only one that the agent trusts and will work with. The friendly banter remains, Q managing to stay cool and aloof, no matter how much his affection grows for the agent. But there are times that he can't help a look here or there, or a slight smirk slipping through his defenses.
Months pass, and Q also develops several bad habits. One of which being that he forgets to break for lunch, sometimes dinner depending on how late he's at the office. And a lot of nights he's there very late, just going back to his flat long enough to collapse onto the bed and sleep, or shower, shave and dress in the morning. On the rare day off that he has, he des laundry, maybe manages to cook for himself, though that's surely more rare than he'd like to admit. Q convinces himself that he has too much work to do, too many papers to go through to take a day off. Luckily he's getting paid enough to have most of his clothes dry cleaned. He ends up keeping a change of clothes at Q-branch, and also has a comfortable sofa put in his office so he can get a few hours' sleep if he needs to. That only feeds his bad habit of living and breathing his job at Q-branch. And most of the time he's living on his earl grey. But still, he rules Q-branch with a firm hand, upping efficiency to an impressive rate, accepting nothing less than the best from the people under him.
In a way, Q feels that he needs to prove himself, since he is so much younger than any previous Quartermaster. A lot of people are not sure if he can do his job, but he proves to be most effective, clearly having a brilliant mind. More and more though he finds that James Bond hangs around Q-branch for longer than necessary when he's returning equipment, flirting with a minion or two sometimes, or just standing there asking how things are going for Q. He never stays more than half an hour, and for a while, the young man is convinced that 007 does it just to piss him off, or to just make a menace of himself.
The only other people that Q has regular contact with outside of Q-branch are Eve Moneypenny who becomes a friend of his, albeit one that apparently just wants to mother and take care of him. And then there's Tanner, who he deals with during double-oh assignments, so he knows what equipment he needs, and is more of a passing person of interest than an actual friend.
Needless to say, Q's personal life is nonexistent. He quells any rumors about him, keeps his private life private, makes sure that his history is wiped away. It's a very lonely life, the charms and good looks of the double-ohs not lost on him. He can admire them when no one knows he's looking, and though he hates himself for it, he even finds himself admiring 007. Not that he would, in his wildest dreams, imagine pursuing the attraction he feels toward the older man. He will not be another notch on that man's bedpost. But it doesn't keep the temptation from being there, the lure of the forbidden.
Almost a year after becoming the Quartermaster for MI6, Q is surprised to find himself summoned to M's office. He knows that Bond has a mission coming up, and he's not usually pulled away from his preparations for that. For some reason it feels like a death march as he pauses by Moneypenny's desk. "I've been summoned." He deadpans as he watches the woman.
Eve smiles a little, a mischievous look in her eyes as she nods. "I know. You can go right in, they're expecting you." She says with a grin that looks very much like a cheshire cat and unsettles Q's nerves.
Moving toward the doors, Q knocks politely before he lets himself in, confused even more when he sees who is in the room. Bond, M and Tanner are all there, Tanner standing beside M's desk and Bond sitting across from him. "Q reporting as ordered, sir." he says as he walks over to the empty chair next to Bond's, placing his hands lightly on the back of it.
Bond looks like he's about to burst, seeming quite pissed off, one hand gripping the arm of his chair so hard that Q is surprised he doesn't break it clean off. "This is a bad idea. It's too dangerous." He snaps at M in what seems to be a recurring statement, given how little attention M gives it.
M is focused on Q, and he glances at Tanner, who holds out a file toward Q. "We have a mission that we need your special skills for. It requires hacking ability, and you are the only one qualified to get into the machines we need you to, and still think on the fly in case our intelligence is incorrect." M says as he watches his Quartermaster.
Looking more than a little stunned, Q automatically takes the folder from Tanner, looking down at it. "You mean.. in the field, sir?" he asks in shock as he looks at M. "I'm not a field agent, sir. Surely I can accomplish more here-" He stops talking when M holds up his hand for silence. Still shocked, Q finally looks down at the folder in his hands to examine it more thoroughly.
Tanner clears his throat and decides to take the reins and break up some of the tension. "Our intelligence tells us that there is a certain arms dealer that will be visiting a certain area of the south pacific, there is a resort there that is very popular for honeymooning couples. He is bringing his new wife there. But more than that, we have reason to believe that man is part of a much bigger, very organized arms trade. He's going there for a business meeting as well as showing off for his new, very young wife. We need to know what he's selling and to who. That's where you come in, Q. He's going to have his laptop with him and that is what we need you to hack. There is no way to remote access it, from what we can tell, he's permanently disabled the wifi on it. He has a completely different laptop that he uses for online pursuits. So you have to make sure you get the right one." Tanner warns as he looks between the two, then he clears his throat. "Given what kind of clientele this resort caters to.. You two are also going to have to go undercover as a newly married couple." He says slowly, watching the others.
Bond still looks annoyed but he's simmered down some. When Tanner announces they have to pose as a gay couple, he just looks Q over slowly and smirks. "Well, he's a bit on the skinny side, but I suppose I could have done worse for myself." He quips with a smirk at Q.
Unfortunately, Q cannot take this as calmly as 007. He splutters a bit and stares. "Excuse me!?" he asks in shock, then he looks over at Bond. "Besides the complete ridiculousness of Bond marrying.." he points out, trailing off and shaking his head. "This is not going to work. I'm not a field agent, I am not going to be able to pull this off." he says in a slightly panicking tone, though more nervous because he saw the location, he knows he's going to have to take a plane, and then Bond will have more blackmail material than he could ever hope for.
Rolling his eyes a little, James gets up slowly and steps over to Q. "Now, now, darling." he says in a patronizing tone. "The destination will be worth the journey. I know you hate meeting new people, but just stay by me, and everything will be fine." he soothes in a quiet tone, slipping into the role with disturbing ease, even as he slides an arm around Q's waist. "Blimey, you really are skinny." he mutters as he looks Q over. "I keep telling you to eat, feed you up a bit more, but do you listen to me?" he says in an exasperated tone, still playing the part.
Q stiffens when Bond puts his arm around him, and he slowly turns his head to give James a disbelieving stare, then he sighs in exasperation. "The mission does not start for two days, 007." he says in a cooler, more collected tone. "I am well aware of your acting abilities, I have been in your ear and watching you on CCTV for the better part of the last 10 months." He points out as he glances over at the agent beside him. "I would not be worried about you pulling this off with another agent, but I am not an agent." he says quietly, though he does know how to fire a gun at least. He is in charge of all the R&D for the guns afterall, he needs to be able to use them.
M glances between them and he says, "I'm sure you two will figure it out. Your equipment requirements are in that folder, Q, I expect you to have everything handled by the time your flight leaves tomorrow evening." He says before he adds, "You're dismissed."
Q slips out of Bond's arms, hoping that no one has noticed the blush creeping up his cheeks. "I'll have everything prepared. Thank you." he says before he heads out, giving Moneypenny a glare for good measure before he quickly makes his way back to Q-branch, sending a few of his minions scurrying to follow the orders he barks at them.
It doesn't take long for James to appear in Q-branch, leaning against the door frame to Q's office. "Are we going to talk about this, Quartermaster? I think it's monumentally stupid for them to send the head of Q-branch out on a mission, but M is set on it. We need to get our stories straight. I think I set up a good bit of it back there. You being uncomfortable around people won't be hard for you to portray. I am obviously much more outgoing, you can even call me a bit controlling if you like." He says as he pushes away with his shoulder, stepping into the room slowly. "You having a busy job that makes me worry about how much you eat, or getting time to eat, is another easy thing. If you have to think about a lie too long, you'll cock it up." he says in a firm tone as he watches Q.
"I am aware of all of this, 007. I am the one who has to constantly tell agents that." Q points out, having recovered his cool demeanor apparently as he looks at the man. "If you must bother me, why don't you go down to Medical and get me some tranquilizers. That is about the only way I am going to get through this flight with my sanity intact." He says with a frustrated sound to his voice.
007 can't help but chuckle. "So that bit is true, about you being afraid of flying? Well, I should make sure my husband is in tip-top shape when we arrive." He says with a suggestive wink at Q. "Do let me know if there's anything else I can do, Q. Mmm. Think you might want to consider using the name Quentin. It will make it less suspicious when I call you Q." For a moment, he considers. "Oh, I think we should say that neither of us are comfortable with a great many displays of affection in public. It will keep your discomfort to a minimum, but you may want to brace yourself for the possibility you may need to kiss me at some point." he says with a cheeky grin, before he turns and walks out, determined to head to medical to find something for Q.
Q frowns a little as he watches Bond, then he blushes brightly at the mention of PDA or kissing Bond. That is going to get complicated. He's just glad when the agent leaves and Q can get some work done, though it is now more difficult to do.
"Bloody 007. Him and his comfort with sex. Has no idea."
So here is my new 00Q fic! My good friend Duochanfan gave me the prompt for it, and provided me with a challenge as well, just to make it interesting. ;) Not sure how often I'll update, but I will try to make it at least once a week, if not more!
I hope everyone enjoys this so far. I would have continued but I'm about to fall asleep at the keyboard! :D
Reviews/comments are very welcome!