By the time Q wakes up and get some more work done, he figures it's too late to go home, and just crashes on his couch again, only to be woken up at 5am by Moneypenny, who looks less than pleased to see him there. "Go home, Q. You have a flight this evening, and you'll like it even worse if you haven't had a proper sleep in a proper bed. No need to give you back and neck cramps already." She scolds, helping him get up and into his jacket. "There's a car downstairs waiting to take you home."
It's a testament to how groggy and tired Q is that he only shoves a few things in his bag before he trudges toward the door without complaint or comment. Normally he would be up in arms about being coddled or told what to do but at the moment he's just too bloody tired. He doesn't even stay awake through most of the car ride home, jerking awake in surprise when the driver announces their arrival. It's all Q can do to get up to his flat, go through the security system he set up with its multiple mechanisms, disarming his alarm and then re-arming the perimeter. Finally trudging off toward his bedroom, he has enough brain power left to change into an old t-shirt and pajama pants and put his glasses and phone on the bedside table before he collapses face first onto the mattress and is nearly instantly asleep.
It's a good four hours later when he's stirred from his sleep with a small groan as he hears the buzzing of his phone. he realizes quickly by squinting at the clock that Moneypenny must have turned off his alarm, and his ringer. "Blimey.." he says as he scrabbles for his glasses and phone, not even paying attention to who is on the other end. "Q here." He says in a concerned tone, afraid of what might have blown up in his absence.
"Good morning, sleeping beauty. I'm glad you're alive. It would be rather embarrassing for Moneypenny if she sent you home only to have you die on her." James Bond's voice comes over the phone, sounding highly amused, with practically no background noise behind him oddly enough, except for the slight rustle of fabric that is undoubtedly his jacket.
"007. Goodness, something must have really gone wrong at the office if you're calling my mobile." Q say with a shake of his head, pulling himself to his feet. "Moneypenny turned off my alarm, I'll be in within the hour, I assure you." He says as he props the phone on his shoulder and starts to pull clothes out of his dresser, then he groans. "Make that an hour and a half, I forgot I have to pack for this bloody trip." He grumbles, still not awake enough to keep his calm demeanor properly.
"Not a morning person, I take it." Bond says with a slight smirk before he adds, "Well, I could shave a bit off your commute time, but that would require you to open the bloody door." he says the last part a little more firmly. "I have been standing out here for half an hour, I think your neighbor is starting to get suspicious of me. Good to know that you're a rather heavy sleeper, though." He sounds a little amused again, shifting for a moment. "I brought you tea to shave some time off your routine." He adds after a moment, sounding awkward.
Shocked, Q drops the phone briefly, catching it and fumbling with it for a moment. "You.. are outside my flat." He says in disbelief. "Right. Of course you are. Give us a moment." He says before he hangs up the phone. He doesn't even care about his appearance at this point, since Bond is likely to see him first thing in the morning, several times over, during their upcoming trip. So he just sighs a little, runs a hand through his messy hair and trudges toward the front door, unlocking it and disabling his alarm. He opens the door, looking over the double-oh in his crisp navy suit, the color complementing his skin tone and making his ice blue eyes stand out even more. Which of course just makes Q realize how ratty he must look at the moment. Huffing in impatience, the younger man makes a motion of inviting Bond in. "Well, come in then."
When the younger man opens the door, Bond has to admit he's more than a little surprised and slightly amused. His eyes drop to the bare feet of the boffin, traveling up the old, worn in plaid pajama pants, and up to the oversized t-shirt with its stretched out neck, a few small holes showing in it here or there, but other than that it's clean, no stains or anything on it. In fact, it looks like it could have belonged to Q's father, or Bond himself. Perhaps an ex-boyfriend, the agent considers thoughtfully. Finally his eyes travel up to Q's face, eyes still red from sleep, looking more relaxed than 007 has ever seen him his hair an absolute comical mess, but it just makes him look young and rather adorable. So he puts on his most charming smile and nods. "Thank you." he says politely. "You look bloody adorable, Q. No wonder you wear a tie and an old man's cardigan, you really do look barely legal." he notes with a slight smirk, taking a sip out of one of the two cups he's holding. One has his coffee, the other has Earl Grey tea, just the way Q likes it.
Mustering up a glare, refusing to be charmed by this pushy agent, Q takes the other cup from him. "The only reason I am even allowing you in here is because I don't want the neighbors to think we're..." he makes a motion between them, "More than just coworkers, and having a row in the hallway." He explains, sighing as he takes the top off the tea. Taking a sip, he pauses, eyebrows going up before he swallows, eyeing the cup. "Who did you bribe or threaten to figure out how I like my tea?" He asks, watching Bond curiously for a few moments. "Well.. make yourself at home, I suppose. Don't touch my tech, and try not to destroy anything." he says, vaguely motioning toward a work bench he has scattered with various bits of technology.
James smirks a little. "What makes you think I didn't figure it out myself?" He points out, mused, before he chuckles and takes a step closer to Q, into his personal space. "I'm disappointed, Q, where are your manners? Not going to give me the grand tour?" he asks as he motions around, then leans a little closer. "This may be my only insight into the workings of that complicated mind of yours. Who else can boast to have seen the inner sanctum of their Quartermaster's home? Though I am most interested to see how you decorate your bedroom.." He nearly purrs the last part as he looks at the young man in front of him, eyelids sliding closed slightly.
Deliberately taking a step back from the older man and taking a slow, deep breath - while trying not to relish the frankly intoxicating scent of Bond's cologne - Q gives him a pointed look. "I'm afraid that will just have to remain in your imagination, Bond, as I have no intention of showing it to you." He says simply, before he adds, "I shall be out shortly. Thank you for the tea." He tacks on the last almost reluctantly, before he turns and walks with purpose back to his bedroom, pointedly closing the door a bit harder than he needs to. Not long after, the shower turns on and he continues his morning routine as he finishes his tea.
Not able to help himself, James chuckles a little as he watches Q go. Maybe he's a little disappointed he won't get to see the most intimate room of Q's home, but he has more than enough to look through here. He is determined to crack open that shell of Q's and see what's inside during this trip. If for no other reason than he's intensely curious. The young man is an enigma. Hopefully, Bond muses to himself, he can find out some from his bookshelf. Lots of computer programming books, as expected, some art books which are unexpected, and then some novels. For some reason Bond is unsurprised that Q seems to have a weakness for science fiction and fantasy genres. Which may be why he's so shocked when he finds, tucked away on the bottom shelf atop some other books, a secret agent spy novel, which, from the summary on the back, has some romance to it as well. Of course it does. It seems that 007's boffin is a closet romantic. An interesting tidbit but not very surprising.
Q showers quickly, afraid to leave James - no, Bond - in the flat for too long by himself. He is thorough but quick, drying off swiftly and dressing. He pulls out a suitcase, sighing a little before he starts packing the things for at least a week stay, not sure how long the mission will take. Once he's sure he has everything, and making sure that he's presentable, he comes out of his bedroom with his suitcase, closing the door pointedly behind him. For a moment he's concerned when he doesn't see Bond, relaxing a little when he sees Bond crouched down looking over his extensive DVD collection. Putting his suitcase down with a slightly louder than necessary clunk, the young man clears his throat. "Find anything interesting?" He asks with a skeptical arch of an eyebrow.
Glancing behind him, James is a little disappointed to see the sleepy Q gone, and his professional Quartermaster back in place. "I should have guessed you would be a Doctor Who fan, but some of the others surprise me." He says simply, having thrown away his empty coffee cup while he was waiting for Q, and now he slowly stands, brushing nonexistent wrinkles out of his suit and buttoning his jacket up in the front again in a casual gesture. He lets out a little sigh as he looks at Q. "I am glad we're going to someplace tropical, maybe I'll get the chance to see you out of your bloody cardigans." He says with a little smirk as he walks over closer.
"Well, most everyone in MI6 has seen you out of your suit at one time or another, 007. I suppose there will be no surprises for me." Q says with a dramatic sigh before he reaches out and adjusts the older man's tie, straightening it a little. As if he did nothing out of the ordinary, he then proceeds to turn and casually walk to gather his coat and umbrella, making sure he has his wallet and all pertinent documents before he grabs his messenger bag and suitcase. "Shall we?" he asks in his usual cool tones.
If anyone were to ask Bond at that moment what was going through his mind, he would be confused and shocked. Never, in the year that he's been working with Q, has he seen the younger man voluntarily touch someone, and certainly not one of the double-ohs. All equipment is placed on trays to be given and received. There may be the occasional brush of fingers as something is handed over, but nothing beyond that. No touch of the arm or shoulder to convey a thought or feeling, no slap on the back in camaraderie. Q has remained an island unto himself, the calm center of Q-branch, unapproachable and unattainable. It's a wonder that 007 never thought about it this way. He continues to stare at the younger man for a moment before he recovers himself, clearing his throat. "Of course. My car is waiting outside.' he says with a smirk as he pulls out his keys. "Your flat is nice, but you could have chosen a better part of the city." He says with a clear note of concern in his tone for the young Quartermaster.
"I have three different security systems set here, of my own design, Bond. Rest assured, I am perfectly protected, and this neighborhood is hardly as dangerous as you make it out to be. It's not Kensington, but it's not bad." Q says indignantly with a small sniff. "Not all of us make huge amounts of money for our overseas jobs." He adds as they step outside the flat and Q arms his security and then locks the door in what appears to be a complicated way. Finally, without a glance at the agent beside him, Q heads downstairs, slightly amused since the lift has been broken for about a week, which means that the double-oh had to climb the three flights of stairs to his flat. When they reach the outside, it's rather easy to figure out which car is Bond's, and he sighs as he walks over to the Aston Martin. "If you were so worried about the neighborhood, it's a wonder that you left your car out here unattended." he points out, slightly amused as he puts his bags in the boot once James opens it.
"I am sure your security systems are truly frightening." he says as he looks at the young man, noting for the first time that he seems a little pale. "Are you feeling alright, Q? You look a little... pale." he admits as they get into the car.'
Q sighs a little, then he turns his head, sneezing several times into the crook of his arm. "I'm fine. Probably just allergies, they always seem to get the worst this time of year." He says as he gets comfortable in the car. "And believe it or not, the lights in Q-branch are quite flattering for my complexion." He says with only a slight sniffle, sneezing once more hard enough to rock his body forward before he pulls out a tissue with a frustrated sigh.
Making a skeptical snorting sound in the back of his throat, James shakes his head, starting toward Q-branch. "I take it you've gone over the intel, arranged for our identities and transportation once we're there. I've heard that the reservations at the Pacific Pearl have already been arranged." he says with a little smirk, naming the resort that they will be attending.
"Of course, Bond. I will brief you when we are back at MI6."
This is really rolling now! I was giggling all through writing this chapter, I hope that you all enjoy it just as much. Soon they will be off to start their mission. No doubt Bond will find more ways to be incorrigible, because really, that's just who he is.
Hope you all enjoy it so far, there will be plenty more to come!
Reviews/comments welcome!