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

[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.

[bibbidi_bobbidi_boffin]

"I've been abducted, apparently. Snatched from the gardens like a bloody princess on the eve of her wedding," Q said, pulling himself out the boat and onto the dock to stand facing the other man.

He was angry. Furious that John had apparently chased Bond away- But at the same time it was such a relief to be home. After a beat he leaned in close and held the other man tightly, feeling once again like a lost little boy. ...An ongoing theme this week it seemed.

[provocateur_king]

John pulled him in and hugged him tight.

"Welcome home," he said quietly into his ear.

Bond did not get out of the boat.

[bibbidi_bobbidi_boffin]

Q held on longer than he might usually, then let go, a tiny bit of that hurt bubbling to the surface again.

"You should have told me he came looking for me," he accused. "That he at least came to see me. I can't believe you'd keep that from me."

[provocateur_king]

John looked at him, looked at Bond, then back to Q.

"You were young, Q. I wasn't going to let you lose all your training to go steal the king's gold and learn to murder," he said, firm, but calm.

"He brought you to me in the first place for a reason. And...I love you. How was I supposed to let you go?"

[bibbidi_bobbidi_boffin]

"Could have at least told me," Q said, grumbling a little. "It's cold. Invite us in?"

[provocateur_king]

"I've got the kettle on. Let's get you some cocoa," he said.

Then he glowered at Bond.

Bond wasn't put off. He finally stepped out of the boat onto the dock.

"You can have water," John grumbled at Bond, then led them up the path to his tower.

[bibbidi_bobbidi_boffin]

When they stepped inside Winter was his usual pixie size, fluttering around the kitchen excitedly.

"Guests!" he said excitedly.

"I'm not a guest, I live here," Q assured it, frowning slightly, then looking at John. "A pixie? Really?" he asked.

Winter spotted Bond and squeaked, taking off upstairs to John's room to hide.