The next thing Q knows, he's starting to wake up, and there is a gentle hand running through his hair. Sleepily, he tilts his head back into the touch lightly, feeling as much as hearing a soft chuckle coming from closer than it really should. He realizes that whatever he's resting his head on must be a person, and he wonders why his brain is feeling so fuzzy, he's not usually so slow to wake up. But then again, he is feeling a little reluctant to wake up when he feels so comfortable, and the hand in his hair really is nice. Of course, he's not even sure why he's awake since all he wants to do is sleep.
Realization comes when Q gets close enough to consciousness that he remembers the mission, being on a plane of all bloody things, and that the person so gently running his hand through the young man's hair must be Bond. Still, they are supposed to be married and it is rather nice, so he just sighs out as he opens his eyes slowly, lifting a hand to push up his glasses automatically only to remember he's not wearing them, so he just rubs his eyes a little instead. "Feels nice. That's such a lovely way to wake up, James." He says quietly, though there's a tenseness in his body that betrays his calm voice and says he knows exactly where they are.
"I'm glad. We're getting ready to land, Quentin. I didn't want you to startle awake when we suddenly touched down." James says quietly, having had a pretty standard flight beside the young man leaning against him, who he finally arranged into a more comfortable position and watched over. At least until he tried to wake up Q when the pilot said they were starting their descent. "It's ok, Q. I've got you." he says quietly, smirking a little to himself as he presses a soft kiss to the top of the man's head. He's found out something new already, that Q enjoys having his hair stroked, and that he's rather cuddly given the chance. Bond considers Q for a few moments, and all the walls that the man normally has up, wondering about the cause for all of that protection around his emotions, his mind, his heart. He's in a veritable suit of armor from what Bond can tell. And all he has to do is find the one chink that will bring it all down. Not an easy task. But one that he feels up to.
Q makes a small sound as he adjusts himself against Bond. "You put something in my drink, didn't you?" he accuses, but at the same time he's thankful, because it means that he spent the flight, or at least the first leg of the flight, blissfully asleep.
Chuckling a little and pressing another soft kiss into Q's hair, Bond nods a little, his slight stubble catching on Q's hair. "Yes, half a sleeping pill. I'm always prepared, and I wasn't sure what Medical had given you. Now I'm glad that I did. How are you feeling?" He asks with concern, leaning back a little and bringing his free hand up to tilt Q's face up slightly so James can look into the younger man's eyes and try to judge just how the drug has affected him.
For a few moments, Q smiles and watches James, enjoying being able to examine him this closely and admire him, from the straight, serious line of his lips to his bright blue eyes that can be as warm as the sky on a summer's day, or as cold as ice. Finding himself shivering briefly, he stares at James, and then nods, forcing himself to sit up properly. "I'm fine..." he says as he stretches a little. "A little groggy. I could eat." he says thoughtfully, "I do hope we'll have enough time during our layover for something to eat, and for some of this to wear off before you drug me again." he says with a slight smirk at James. "How am I supposed to trust any food or drink you give me, after this, hm? Not the best way to start off our honeymoon." He scolds, his voice still cool, but with a little affection to it.
"You know it was for your own good, Q." James says in return, shaking his head. "You never would have been able to manage the flight without it." he says knowingly, reaching out to put his hand on the back of Q's neck, rubbing it lightly as he pulls the younger man closer to him, resting their foreheads together. "Don't be cross with me, Q.." He pleads softly.
For a moment there Q honestly thought the double-oh was going to kiss him, and that was going to be highly embarrassing. So he's glad when Bond just tilts their foreheads together. Giving a good approximation of a long-suffering sigh, Q closes his eyes for a few moments. "I'm not cross." He says patiently, letting one hand come up to rest gently along the side of Bond's neck. He's well aware that the people around them have curious ears open in their direction, probably hoping to hear a row between the mysterious couple, so is sure to stay 'in character' as it were. "I'm sorry. I'm just groggy, you know I'm no good before my first cup of tea." He points out, shifting his head to brush their noses together lightly with a small smile. He can almost pretend this is real, and all those lovely things that James described earlier are real. But he knows that they have a mission and this is merely a part they both have to play. With that cold bucket of water thrown on his head, metaphorically speaking, Q slowly pulls away from Bond, blinking his eyes open again, especially when he feels a sharp drop when they start their descent in earnest. "Bloody hell." He mutters, glancing around nervously.
"Q, look at me." Bond says firmly, using his hand already resting on the boffin's shoulder to turn his head toward him. "I'm here. You're not alone. You're safe." he says in a firm tone with a soft smile crossing his lips. Reaching out with his other hand, he takes Q's left in his right, never taking his eyes away from the other man's as he lifts Q's left hand and gently kisses his fingers over the ring softly, giving it a little squeeze.
The action, which is so very chivalrous, startles a laugh out of Q, and he smirks slightly as he watches the agent. "I am not a bloody damsel in distress. I merely happen to have an irrational fear. We all fear something. Mine is just a little stronger than most." He says defensively, and seems a little startled once the plane jerks when they touch down. "Bloody hell." He breathes, eyes closing for a few moments as he squeezes James' hand, then nods, his walls slowly coming back up. "I'm fine." he says quietly, then pulls back and straightens. "I'm fine." He says in a louder, firmer tone, pulling himself away from Bond and straightening his rumpled clothes a bit, running a hand through his hair to smooth it down from where he's sure that James mussed it up.
Nodding a little, James withdraws his hands and sits back in his seat, stretching a little the best he can while still seated. "We have a three hour layover, and then another ten hour flight." He says before he sighs a little, looking around as he feels the plane slow down and turn slightly in order to park at a terminal.
For Q, the rest of the flight is sort of a blur. He gets something to eat, takes the other half of the sleeping pill and passes out on James again, only to be awoken in a similar manner. But he's more groggy this time, and so barely registers anything until they get to the resort. It's about sunset when they finally reach their bungalow, and now Q is awake enough.
"This is Moneypenny's doing. I realize we're supposed to be a honeymooning couple, but it seems rather inconvenient for our accommodations to be so isolated." Q says as he looks around, since they basically have a cove to themselves, their bungalow on stilts out over the water, a long wooden bridge leading from the parking area to the room. Upon entering the small house, Q is relieved to see that it's somewhat modern, one wall facing the sunset is a large door, which has a curtain that can be drawn across it, and presumably some sort of door but he doesn't see one. It leads out onto a covered deck which has a small table with two chairs and stairs that lead down to the water for easier access should the guests want to swim. The main living room area is separate from the bathroom and the bedroom. Both of which are very open, with large windows. The isolated location meaning that privacy is not as big of an issue as if it were one of the clusters of bungalows the resort also has.
James looks around, taking a small device from his bag and sweeping the area for bugs before he nods to Q to indicate it's clean. "I am sure Miss Moneypenny has better things to do than interfere in our mission." he scolds lightly, though in truth he did conspire with Moneypenny to convince the higher ups that this would be more appropriate for their cover. "Besides, we can talk freely here. No prying eyes, no ears expecting us to be shagging our brains out. I thought you would be more comfortable." He points out as he looks at the younger man, taking their suitcases into the bedroom, starting to unpack his own into the drawers and the closet. "Which side of the bed do you prefer?" he calls casually into the other room.
"You are not seriously suggesting we share a bed." Q says in disbelief. "I will be quite content to sleep on the couch." he says as he walks over to it and sits on the edge, realizing that it is very comfortable, and he'd be quite happy there.
Stepping into the doorway between the living area and the bedroom, James shakes his head a little. "Q." He says in a firm voice. "Don't be ridiculous. Besides the fact that we're supposed to be married, we are two adults, there is no reason we cannot share a bed." He points out patiently, sounding a little exasperated. "Or am I so very repulsive you can't stand to do even that much?" he challenges with an arched eyebrow.
Sighing quietly in defeat, Q gives James a look and shakes his head slightly. "You know very well you are anything but repulsive, James." he says as he gets up from the couch, looking around the room before he steps out onto the balcony. "It really is beautiful here.." he says as he looks out over the ocean.
"Glad you like it, it's always nice when missions bring me to locations like this." Bond says as he walks across the living area, stepping up behind Q to put one hand on the railing on either side of the younger man. "How are you feeling?" he asks in concern as he watches him. "I imagine it will take us both a day to get used to the time zone. We have two days before our target gets here, to learn the lay of the land as it were. And to acclimatize ourselves to the time zone. Also so it won't be conspicuous that we arrive at the same time." he says, smirking a little. "We have plenty of time to establish ourselves as the loving honeymooners." he says, lowering his head to kiss Q's shoulder lightly.
Stiffening when Bond comes so close to him, Q frowns lightly. "Please keep in mind that the honeymooning couple is merely our cover. We are not here for a romantic liaison." he says in his normal cool tone of voice, any traces of his previous affection gone. He's a much better actor than anyone gives him credit for. In truth, all he wants to do is lean back against Bond and for a little while, pretend that they really are a couple in love. But that is not the sort of thing that James Bond goes for and Q knows this. He would never try and change the older man, accepting that he has trouble with commitment, and that's fine. But Q can't let himself get caught up in that sort of relationship, wondering when he is going to be abandoned, when it becomes too intimate for Bond to stand. That sort of uncertainty is not something the younger man can deal with, so it's better just to keep him at arm's length.
Of course, Bond is nothing if not persistent, and he merely chuckles as he feels Q stiffen. "There's no one else here, Q. No one to pretend for, no one to give you a lecture about propriety." He points out quietly as he looks at the younger man. "We can actually enjoy ourselves while we do this." he offers as he tilts his head, placing a light kiss on Q's neck. "Besides, you're going to have to get used to a certain amount of physical intimacy from me, in order to keep up appearances. It would have been natural for me to kiss you on the plane, for example, but I didn't because I was afraid of your reaction." He notes, moving away finally to shed his windbreaker, slipping out of his loafers as well before he starts to unbutton his shirt. "I think we should order in dinner tonight. Pick something out from the room service menu, would you? You know what I like. I'm going to go for a swim." he says before walking into the bedroom to finish changing into his swim shorts.
Q is a little relieved when the older man moves away, and he turns slightly, enough to watch the agent remove his shirt, quickly turning back to look at the water. "Very well." he says stiffly, going over and retrieving the menu. "They must have buried the phone lines." He observes as he looks at the phone, realizing how well the lines were hidden, idly wondering if they run beneath the bridge or if they were buried underwater. Either way, he picks up the phone and orders, doing a bit of a double take as he watches the double-oh come out from the bedroom and go down to the water, admiring the body that Q's only seen hints of through the perfectly pressed suits that the older man is always wearing.
Pausing at the top of the stairs as if sensing Q's look, James turns a little to look at the younger man, smirking lightly. "You could always join me, Q." he says as he looks over the younger man slowly.
"I'm quite alright, and I want to check in with Q-branch, make sure no one has burned the place down yet." Q says, clearing his throat as he digs out his laptop and sets himself up. He refuses to look at the double-oh again as he sets up a secure line for his laptop.
"Do go on, Bond, don't let me keep you."
Ohhh.. and now we're getting to the good stuff. Will James be able to find the chinks in Q's armor? It's not exactly like Q was shutting James down completely, though, was it?
More to come, I hope that you are all enjoying this.
Please review/comment, let me know what you think!