Crossing the Bar (26922 words) by GwynDuLac

[josilverdragon]

Crossing the Bar (26922 words) by GwynDuLac
Chapters: 4/4
Fandom: James Bond (Craig Movies)
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: James Bond/Q
Characters: James Bond, Q (James Bond), Eve Moneypenny, M (James Bond), M | Gareth Mallory, R (James Bond)
Additional Tags: Mission Fic, Retirement, Canon-Typical Violence, Banter, Hurt/Comfort, Bond is retired but that doesn't stick, Q is having A Day, SPECTRE Fix-It, or Spectre non-compliant, take your pick, Bond is a good spy not just a blunt instrument, The Love Is Requited They're Just Idiots, Major Character Injury, Hurt James Bond, I wrote this before No Time To Die I swear, Could be read as a NTTD fix-it, Fix-It of Sorts, BAMF Q (James Bond)
Summary:

The man moved with the same predatory grace he always had, and if he had aged in the past five years (it was a bit hard to tell from a subpar camera on the other side of the street) then he had aged well. Which was all entirely predictable of course. No, what had thrown Q and everyone else in the ops center who had ever met Bond or read his file was the way that he was dressed - faded blue jeans with holes in the knees, a t-shirt from some unidentifiable but probably local surf shop, and-
“Are you wearing Converse?” demanded Q before he could think better of it.
Bond’s eyes unerringly found the camera through which Q was watching, an expression of vague displeasure. “Well, I don’t generally make a habit of wearing suits to fix my boat, and I doubted you had the patience for me to change.” .

James Bond has been retired for five years. But when a highly sensitive mission goes to hell just a few miles from where he as settled down Q is forced to ask for his help. Bond and Q return easily to their old ways - they are also forced to finally confront their feelings for each other.

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