AU - On THe Third Day

[provocateur_king]

On the morning of the third day, Bond had ordered his men to prepare the cannons. Q had promised and Bond expected delivery.

When the wizard didn't come for breakfast, Bond was irritated. He paced and fumed, but he waited.

Until he could wait no longer. They were going to miss the tide.

"Q!: he shouted, pounding soundly on the wizard's chamber door before throwing it open.

"You promised three days!" he shouted to the man still abed.

Comments

[provocateur_king]

There were scones left and hot tea. He got his cup and waited for Q.

"Do you want to watch us land?" he asked. "We'll be taking a longboat to shore. Like we did before."

[bibbidi_bobbidi_boffin]

"Sure," Q said, hesitating a beat. "...You're going to be nice to John, right?"

[provocateur_king]

"Do you think I came here to pick a fight?" he chuckled.

[bibbidi_bobbidi_boffin]

"I don't know what you're doing, ever," Q assured him.

[provocateur_king]

"I'm as kind to John as he'll tolerate. He dislikes me, that much is apparent, but he's a good ally to have," he explained.

[bibbidi_bobbidi_boffin]

"Won't be pleased to hear you stole his little brother then," Q replied.

[provocateur_king]

"Displeased, but not surprised," he said. "I'm not sure if John actually likes anyone."

[bibbidi_bobbidi_boffin]

"He likes me," Q said softly.

[provocateur_king]

THat got Bond to look at him. To study the young man for a moment as he looked toward the only home he'd known.

"He does like you," Bond said. "He's...very protective."

[bibbidi_bobbidi_boffin]

"Do you think?" Q asked. "I never thought of him as over protective, he always looked after me, but he was encouraging..."

[provocateur_king]

"He told me when I came back that if I bothered you again, he'd call a monster to sink my ship and devour me, personally," he replied.

"I'm wary of what he'll do today. Perhaps you should go ashore alone."

[bibbidi_bobbidi_boffin]

"Wait, what do you mean 'when you came back'? When did you... You never came back," Q insisted.

[provocateur_king]

"When you were twelve," he answered.

"John stopped me on the path. He never let me close. And, looking back, he was right. You're so much more than you might have been."

[bibbidi_bobbidi_boffin]

"But I wanted to see you," Q said quietly. "I wanted..."

He trailed off, looking away.

"He had no right."

[provocateur_king]

"He was doing exactly what I expected him to do when I brought you here. He was protecting you," Bond replied.

He harbored no resentment toward the wizard. In fact, in hindsight, John had been right.

[bibbidi_bobbidi_boffin]

"He knew I wanted to see you," Q argued. "He knew I-"

He cut himself off.

John had known Q had a crush on Bond.

[provocateur_king]

"Maybe he knew what you wanted," Bond said quietly.

"And maybe you're a wizard at court with power and influence because John knew what your life would be if I turned up again. Like now."

He sipped his tea.

"It's going swimmingly, don't you think?" he quipped.

[bibbidi_bobbidi_boffin]

In that moment he was fifteen again, rebellious and angry for no reason. It wasn't fair that John had chosen for him, wasn't fair at all.

Before he could think too hard about what he was doing, he grabbed Bond by the collar and hauled him down to his level for a kiss.

[provocateur_king]

Bond kissed him, his heart swelling as he finally tasted the younger man's lips.

When Q finally broke away, he studied him for a moment.

"A kiss for luck or a kiss goodbye?" he asked.

[bibbidi_bobbidi_boffin]

"A kiss because I want to kiss you. Because I always wanted you, you bastard. ...He had no right to-"

He cut himself off, huffing through his nose.

[provocateur_king]

"Q," he said, his voice warm and sweet as honey.

"You were a child at 9. A child at 12. When you left here at 17, you were barely beyond childhood. He did the right thing."

It stung to say it, but it was true.

[bibbidi_bobbidi_boffin]

Q leaned in as if to kiss him again, then sighed. "Surely we're near enough now. Let's head to shore."

[provocateur_king]

It was a process to lower the boat and row to shore. Bond manned one oar, another pirate, the other.

That left Q to watch the dock. A shadowy figure waited with a lantern in the shadowy cove..

"He'll be happy to see you, at least," Bond said as they approached the dock.

[bibbidi_bobbidi_boffin]

Upset though he was to learn John had chased off James', Q couldn't help but feel his chest swell as John approached.

"John," he said softly.

[provocateur_king]

"What's happened? Why are you here?" John asked as he tied the boat.

But before Q could answer, he repeated, "Why are you here?" to Bond.

"He asked to see you," he said, as if that explained anything.