Horizons of Agony
"Good morning" Alec said, kicking the door shut behind him.
"Mornin'" James replied, his low gravelly voice making the blond shiver, "How long you been up?"
"Not that long. I rang Moneypenny; she's going to cover for us with M, at least till Monday, anyway, and I rang Arkov too to make sure we cover all bases with this one".
This one in question, had only just now realised that Alec was back, and even better than that, that Alec was holding three steaming cups of earl grey.
It was almost comical how Q's eyes got huge as he suddenly jumped up, lunging forwards as both hands reached out for a mug, with only James's quick reflexes grabbing the back of his shirt keeping him from falling off the side of the bed.
Alec couldn't help but grin, carefully putting two of the cups down on the dresser before holding the final one out for the omega to take, which he very happily did so, sitting back against the pillows, both hands wrapped around the hot ceramic, as he deeply inhaled the bergamot scented steam.
"Well. At least now we know how we're going to get water into him" he remarked dryly, as he held out another cup for James to take before climbing back into bed with his own, Q sandwiched between them once more.
"Doctors orders?" James guessed, sitting up as well, and he nodded. "Yeah. Water, toast, and peace and quiet".
"Did he say how long it'll last?"
"Arkov didn't know - said it's different for everyone. Could be hours, could be days. We just have to… wait it out" Alec replied, taking his first sip of tea, "Not that it'll be too much trouble, of course, given how pliant our cub currently is".
As if to prove his point, Q put his empty cup on his lap before collapsing back against the pillows behind him, a happy little smile on his face as he beamed up at both of them. James quickly took the mug and moved it to a safer place on his bedside table, but even that small movement had the omega growling in warning as he took a fistful of Bond's shirt to keep him in place.
The blond huffed a laugh. "Pliant, you said? I think the only thing the pup's currently pliant about, is who gets to make him tea".
Alec grinned in response as Q wriggled down the bed until he could lie down once more, one hand gripping James's t-shirt, while his other wrapped around Alec's arm - clearly upset that he had no fabric to similarly hold onto, despite the fact he was the bloody reason why he'd lost his shirt in the first place.
"He's like a harmless little kitten who thinks he's as ferocious as a tiger".
James hummed. "But even kittens have claws".
"Don't tell me you're scared of him?"
"I wouldn't say scared, I just… have a healthy respect for literally the smartest man I know" he replied, "Who, by the way, works with explosives, knives, and guns on a daily basis".
"Fair enough". Alec shrugged, taking another sip of tea. "We need to do a grocery shop, by the way".
"Hmm. Think we can bribe Alexis into bringing some things over?"
"Maybe. But can you honestly tell me that the scent of another alpha around Q right now wouldn't send you into a full-blown rage?"
"Your scent isn't bothering me".
"My scent has never bothered you, the same way that yours has never bothered me… That doesn't hold true for the others, though".
James sighed and glanced down at the omega in between them, whose tight grip on his shirt had loosened somewhat as he fell into a light doze.
"... I'd probably attack them on sight".
"Yeah" Alec replied quietly, "Me too… We have enough food for breakfast, and we can always order take-out later on and ask them to leave it at the door if we have to, but we definitely need to go out tomorrow, if only to have enough milk to put in his tea".
At the sound of the magic word, Q's eyes shot back open, and he peered up at Alec with a hopeful, dopey smile on his face.
"No, cub, you're not getting any more tea. You just had a mug!"
He pouted and let out a low-pitched whine and Alec could immediately feel his defensive walls start to crumble.
"You can have some more later, alright?"
Another pitiful whine.
"After you've eaten two slices of toast".
Painfully earnest baby blues stared into his very soul.
"... Fine! You can have another cup while you eat at least one slice of toast!"
With another happy little wriggle, he readjusted his hold on them and closed his eyes once more. Sighing, Alec turned back to his partner, only to find James already looking at him with an amused smirk on his face.
"Not even one hour in, and he's already got you wrapped around his little finger".
Their first mission was getting the omega out of his uncomfortable, torn, and bloodied clothes in the least traumatic way possible.
After some coaxing, light petting, and more than one bribery of tea, Alec finally managed to coax Q out of their bed and into the bathroom, where he stood with a frown on his face and both arms wrapped tightly around himself.
It made for a pitiful sight
He didn't even seem to realise that he had a split lip and a nasty bruise across his right cheek, and James wondered just how dissociative he had become - as well as just how severe an omega's injuries would have to be for them to even notice it while in a drop.
Or, perhaps, not noticing their injuries was the entire point.
"Cub?" Alec asked, gently unwinding his arms, "Cub, do you want to go for a shower?"
Q's frown deepened as he tilted his head to the side; a strangely canine gesture on the otherwise cat-like man.
"We'll give you new clothes to wear" he continued, "And we can wash your clothes too, since they're, uh… covered in-"
"-red" Jame quickly interrupted, "Since they're covered in red".
His partner gave him a confused look, but he simply shook his head, remembering a different dark-haired omega and sitting on the bathroom floor and there's blood on my hands and it's not coming off and the last thing they needed right now was for Q to realise what had happened while in the middle of a drop.
"... So do you want to change clothes?" Alec belatedly finished, and after a moment or two of thinking, Q nodded.
Both alphas held back a sigh of relief.
Even if their boffin was still out of it right now, even if he wasn't talking, and even if he was so far under that he likely wouldn't come out of it for hours yet - at least now they knew he could still understand them.
"Alright, cub, you can go for a shower and we'll leave some clothes for you just outside the door, okay?"
Q was already tugging off his t-shirt, and it was only James's quick reflexes that caught the omega's glasses before they hit the ground in his struggle.
"I guess that's his way of saying okay" Alec decided, and they both quickly left, shutting the bathroom door behind them but leaving it unlocked in case anything happened.
Back in their bedroom, the Russian gave his partner a look.
"Think we got anything that could even remotely fit him?"
"Not a chance" came the immediate response, "But I think he'll settle for loose-fitting over tent-like, and we probably have a shirt or two that were shrunk in the dryer around here somewhere".
"Probably".
"I've got an old Navy sweatshirt that might fit".
"I've got my first army uniform here too".
They both stared at each other in silence for a moment, before suddenly lunging for the wardrobe, thin veneers of respectability thrown out the window as they elbowed and shoved and growled at each other.
"Dibs on him wearing my clothes!"
"What? No! You don't get to call dibs on that!"
"Well, it looks like I just did!"
"Then I dibs on getting to cuddle with him first!"
"You can't just-"
"Well, it looks like I just did!"
"You чертов ублюдок!"
"You kiss your mother with that mouth?"
"Actually I kiss your mother and she loves it!"
In the end, they settled on a compromise, and when Q finally stepped out of the bathroom half an hour later, both alphas let out pleased rumbles at seeing him in their clothes.
The omega himself, too, seemed happy with their decision, as he subconsciously rubbed the side of his face against one of James's off-duty t-shirts while softly running his hands along the soft cotton of Alec's tracksuit bottoms.
Unfortunately, those same clothes were slowly but surely darkening under the water that was dripping from his hair, and Alec sighed as he went to fetch a towel while James decided to make a start on breakfast.
Half an hour after that, after much grumbling and swatting from the omega in question, Alec realised just why, exactly, the man had been so against getting his hair dried, as all of those adorable curls puffed up into a frizzy yet equally adorable disaster.
James almost choked when he saw the pure and utter poofiness that was now his Quartermaster's hair, and he even managed to sneak a quick photo to send on the group chat before Q turned his ferocious scowl on him.
In the end, however, both agents felt confident with their appraisal of mission one being a success, and then turned their efforts to mission two - getting their troublesome omega to eat.
"Three bites".
Q shook his head.
"Two bites" Alec tried again.
Another shake.
"... One bite?"
The omega let out an unhappy grumble, folding his arms across his chest and purposefully turning his head away from the man.
"Cub, you have to eat".
Another growl.
Alec sighed and turned to James in exasperation, but the blond was just as lost as he was. Sitting across from them, Q reached out and pushed his empty mug in their direction.
"Pup, no, you've already had three cups of tea today and you haven't even eaten anything yet!"
He whined; a low, plaintive sound that tugged at their heartstrings and made them feel as though the omega was being physically hurt rather than slightly lacking caffeine.
"How about this?" Alec suddenly said, leaning forward to grab his plate of toast, "If I cut it up into small pieces for you, will you at least try it?"
Q blinked, a contemplative frown on his face, before slowly, ever so slowly nodding.
They both let out a sigh of relief.
Quickly cutting up the toast into smaller squares, he pushed the plate back towards the boffin, only to get another whine in return.
"Oh, what now?" he asked, "I cut them up, just like I promised! And you promised to eat a piece after I did!"
Wide, mournful baby blue eyes stared back at him, before lowering to the plate, glancing at James, and then turning back again.
"Cub, if I make them any smaller, you won't be able to pick them up" Alec justified, "Now come on, you haven't eaten anything in hours!"
Another grumble, an irritated huff, and then the plate was shoved back at him as the chair next to the omega was kicked away from the table.
Alec blinked, confused.
James, on the other hand, snorted.
"He wants you to feed him".
"He what?!"
But Q was already nodding happily and giving Bond a beaming smile that set the hearts of both alphas racing.
Alec sighed, before standing up and marching around to the other side of the table, all the while trying to fight back his own grin in case it only encouraged the brat even further.
"You want me to hand feed you?"
He got an innocent, well-if-you-must look in return, but he didn't let that fool him for one second.
"You're an awfully demanding little thing, aren't you?"
Q shoved the plate closer to him in response.
Picking up a piece of toast, Alec held it out for him, and Q obediently leaned forwards to take a bite, sharp teeth just barely nipping his fingers before the man redrew once more.
"I'll start cleaning up then" James announced, standing and grabbing his own empty plate.
Q's eyes tracked him from the table to the kitchen counter even as he happily took another piece of toast from Alec's hand. Apparently, he wasn't too keen on either alpha leaving his sight for long.
Washing the dishes and leaving them to dry on the rack next to the sink, James returned to his seat as his partner picked up the last piece of toast.
He watched the Quartermaster carefully chew and swallow, all the while remaining completely and utterly silent.
Just as he'd been completely and utterly silent since the moment he'd woken up.
Vesper hadn't been mute when she'd dropped, but then again, that had been a far quicker and lighter drop than this. Hers had been brought on by shock and guilt more than anything else, whereas Q was well and truly in the depths of hell.
"Is it… normal that he's being so… non-vocal?"
Alec snorted.
"I gave up putting 'normal' and 'Q' in the same sentence months ago… He'll talk to us when he's ready, I guess. Right now I'm just glad that he's eating for me".
James nodded in agreement, feeling an odd stirring deep down in his chest as the omega licked softened butter off of his partner's fingers.
Q really was too skinny to be healthy, even after the previous few months of the double-0s ensuring he had lunch every day. Since being in a drop put a huge strain on the body, getting him fed was twice as important, given that the last thing they needed was for his blood sugar levels to plummet him into hypoglycemic shock.
Finally satisfied, Q sat back in his chair with a pleased little smile, and James decided that as long as they could keep him this happy, then they would have nothing to worry about.
Which was, of course, precisely why that same happiness didn't last one more minute.
After breakfast, Q started getting restless, for lack of a better word, and wandered aimlessly from room to room in their penthouse apartment, getting more and more agitated by the minute - especially when James and Alec didn't follow him.
By lunchtime, he was beyond bothered, and had decided to construct a fort, of sorts, with all of the pillows, sheets, and blankets that they had; piling everything on top of their bed and burrowing himself beneath it all.
He'd even managed to find one of James's old Royal Navy jumpers in the depths of the guest room closet and had tugged it on with a growl. Apparently, smelling like them soothed some part of his omegian hindbrain, and both men preened with the knowledge that Q found them calming rather than seeing them as a threat. The sweater positively swamped him, of course, but he didn't bother trying to roll up the sleeves, and had it been under any other circumstances, then both alphas would've jumped him right there and then because of how delectable he looked.
Instead, they found it difficult to even get within a metre of the omega or his nest.
He hissed and snarled and gave cute little growls whenever they got too close, angrily swatting at them with blunt nails but whining pitifully whenever they left the room completely.
Eventually, they figured out that six feet away was the optimal Q-approved distance, and Alec let James take over since he had far more experience with this kind of drop - sitting nearby in the same room as the omega without making a sound.
Dinner was yet another challenge, and although mission two had been a success, mission three was not so lucky. Q had retreated entirely into himself, refusing to come out of the little cocoon he had made for him - all wrapped up like a particularly cute burrito.
Alec decided to cut up his food and try hand-feeding him where he was since it was clear he wouldn't return to the kitchen to eat, but Q was fussy and irritated and turned his head away more often than not.
By nightfall, they were all agitated to various degrees, and James and Alec found themselves sitting on the floor with their backs against the wall while Q tossed and turned in his makeshift nest, growling in discomfort and annoyance under his breath.
The room was silent, save for the distant sounds of the night, yet they found it impossible to sleep - an itch just under the surface of their skin, a scratch that they couldn't fix without knowing that their omega was safe in their arms once more.
As the darkness deepened, Q's shufflings got few and far between before finally, finally, the heap of blankets stilled, and Alec let his head roll to the side to give his partner a tired smile.
"Let's never have kids, okay?"
"Was that ever seriously an option for you?"
"Nah, not really. But if this is what toddler tantrums are like…"
"You never want to deal with one again?"
"Exactly". Alec let out a heavy breath. "I mean, don't get me wrong, if it's Q, and he's dropping, then-"
"-it's a different story. But dealing with the drop of anyone else-"
"-or, god forbid, a child-"
"-is not something you ever want to do if given the option".
"Exactly" he repeated, "You get it".
"I get it".
The pile of blankets moved slightly, and both men froze.
Slowly, hesitantly, a pale face wormed its way out from the cocoon, skin flushed red from the heat that the blanket fort was no doubt producing.
Q stared at them for a moment, eyes large and sad and bathed in gold from the light of the sitting room.
There was a beat of silence, then two, and then-
A desolate whine had both agents on their feet in a second, and the nimble fingers that reached out towards them had them at his side twice as quick.
"Alpha".
His voice was low and rough from disuse, but it was a step in the right direction, and Alec gave James a hopeful look over the omega's head even as they kicked off their clothes and climbed into the bed with him.
Q immediately wriggled closer, managing to squirm out of his blankets just enough to grab onto their shirts, pulling them impossibly nearer before finally settling down once more.
And with their omega in between them - safe and sound and right where he belonged - both men felt themselves relax, knowing that for now, at least, everything was exactly as it should be.