Work Text:
Home Stretch
Q blearily blinked down at James' belly, wondering about how his mate could keep peacefully sleeping when their pup was kicking him so hard that he could see it from the outside, without the aid of technology. He didn't know how strong babies exactly were while still in the womb but it seemed quite the painful experience to him - there were organs that certainly weren't meant to endure that kind of treatment, right?
Right.
Tentatively, Q reached out and caressed the swell of James' belly in an attempt at soothing their pup before they ruptured something - which clearly was the wrong thing to do, considering the hard kick that answered to the pressure of his hand.
"That only excites them more"
Q shot his mate a sheepish smile "Sorry?"
James shook his head and covered the younger man's hand with his own "Don't"
"You're very good at faking sleep"
"Daily reminder that I'm a spy"
Q rolled his eyes at the tease "Of course, 00 - I Introduce Myself With My Real Name To International Terrorists - 7" he didn't know whether nobody had ever taken the time to teach to a younger version of his lover that he wasn't supposed to walk into the field with his real identity worn on his sleeve or whether the other man just didn't give a toss about basic self-protection measures - he was tempted to lean towards the second because... well, because James was fucking reckless "Have they been keeping this up for long?" Q asked, nodding down in an emphatic manner.
James shot a glance to the alarm clock and shrugged "Ten minutes - they'll tire themselves out in a little, don't worry"
"I'm not worried"
"I can smell it on you"
Q scowled "There's important stuff in there, besides our baby"
"Who isn't strong enough to break ribs or make any organs explode - Q, you've been reading Twilight again, haven't you?"
"First of all, the last book of the series where Bella is pregnant is called Breaking Dawn" the alpha pointed out "Secondly, I don't need to re-read the book to remember that horror story"
"There isn't a half-vampire, super strong baby growing inside of me" yes, much to his shame James knew more about that godforsaken saga than he had ever wished to but, for some twisted reason, Q liked it - flaws and all. He supposed that it was something lighthearted and silly that helped his lover to detatch himself from the most gruesome and cruel parts of reality they saw everyday because of the job "I promise that pregnancy is not going to kill me" James reassured, leaning in for a kiss.
A kiss that Q eagerly leaned into; there were few things he found as comforting as the feeling of the other's lips against his own, his taste blossoming on his tongue "Fine. No vampire pregnancy"
"Don't sound so disappointed"
The alpha chuckled at the tease and nuzzled his face, breathing in his scent; he had gotten used to how it had changed but part of Q couldn't wait for it to revert back to how it had been when he had met the man "How about a nice bath?"
"Not happening unless you're going to help me out of bed and in and out of the tub" James grumbled; for someone who had always been as mobile and agile as he was, being unable to do the simplest things - he had to wear slippers if Q wasn't around to tie his shoelaces, for fuck's sake - drove him insane and it made him grumpier than James wanted to be. He had loved pregnancy far more than he had thought he would but he was eager to be done with it, so that he could feel once again like an independent adult rather than as helpless as the child he was carrying.
"Sure"
"I'm heavy"
"I know"
"You're supposed to reassure me about the fact that I'm not fat"
Q helped James to sit up and grabbed his elbows, giving the man all the support he needed to heave himself up on his feet "It's not like you don't realise you have put up weight - which is completely natural, by the way" it was good, reminding his mate from time to time that he shouldn't get too hung up over his weight.
"Believe me, my back and my ankles remind me of that every single day"
"I'll give you a nice massage"
James grunted as he managed to push himself to his feet - fuck, that hurt "How many weeks to go?"
"Two and three days if they're right on time"
"They better be or I'm clawing them out myself" yes, he was joking - but he also was completely serious: he wasn't going to wait an extra couple of weeks to pop, like he had read around on the various forums he swore he didn't even know existed. No, he would give the baby a couple of days and if they still refused to get out, he was going to demand to be induced - the sooner the baby was out of his body, the better.
And if Q really wanted another because he thought their child would need a sibling... well, James was all for adopting; he might not be suitable anymore for fieldwork but he wasn't getting pregnant again.
Nope.
No.
His mind rebelled at the idea.
But it happily accepted the warm water than enveloped his heavy body, making him feel light for a while rather than heavy and cumbersome - Q's arms wrapped around him felt even better.
"Mr Bond, if you don't settle down and let me have a proper look, I will have to call your mate and you don't want that because he's at work"
James scowled at his doctor but he did as she had asked and parted his thighs, huffing at having to put himself in such a humiliating position "You can't keep threatening me with my alpha"
Doctor Brown rolled her eyes "I'm threatening you with your mate, it's different"
Not because Q was an alpha but because Q was... well, Q - James couldn't deny that he was more than a little pleased with that subtle difference in meaning; he had never wanted to be subservient to an alpha and he considered himself lucky that Q didn't expect mindless obedience from him.
Just love.
"Relax"
"It's a little hard with you prodding at my hole!"
"Well, that's the way the baby is coming out so, I would get used to the prodding if I were you"
James snarled, frustrated, but he did as she had asked him to: he closed his eyes and took a couple of deep breaths, focusing on the muscles in his lower half in order to relax them; it took him a couple of minutes but when he was finally able to, he felt the doctor's gloved fingers inside him, checking the state of his birthing canal "Everything okay?"
"Hmm. You're on schedule"
"That's good, right?"
"Want them out of you, don't you?"
"Yes"
Doctor Brown chuckled at the directness of the statement - not that she could blame him for being tired with carrying the extra weight around: the omega looked ready to burst and his body clearly was ready for the birth "Well, things are looking good. Any Braxton Hicks yet?"
"Not that often" much to his displeasure: that surely meant that the birth wasn't as imminent as he hoped it to be "They're getting stronger, though"
"How much painful on a scale from zero to ten?"
It was supposed to be an easy question but James knew that his pain threshold was way higher than doctor Brown's usual patients' so, he had to think about it "An... maybe a six?"
"Let's change the feeling then - how much discomfort are you in? Same scale"
"A fucking nine"
Doctor Brown took her fingers out and tossed away the glove "Just as expected, then. You and your baby are perfectly healthy and on schedule, Mr Bond: it's just a waiting game at this point"
A game he didn't much like playing at "Thank you, doctor. Anything we should look out for?"
"Penetrative sex at this point might trigger real contractions, with the breaking of waters and the start of labour - and I know you're eager for that but make sure you're ready to rush to hospital fast if that happens"
"As you've seen, I don't find penetration comfortable right now" much to his chagrin and for two reasons at that: he didn't get to enjoy what was supposed to be - according to the forums - the hottest sex in his life and he couldn't even ask Q to literally fuck him into labour because he just didn't find penetration appealing at all as he got heavier and more easily irritated "Is that an issue?" he inquired, suddenly worried about it being a problem.
"Nah, everyone is different" she reassured "This is pretty normal, especially if you're not extra comfortable with how your body has changed"
James tensed - that wasn't the kind of things he wanted to think about because... well, because it was true: he missed his body and while Q had showed nothing but appreciation for how he looked now, James didn't like the added weight or how his muscles had weakened or how his centre of gravity had been fucked up seven ways to Hell and back.
"It's pretty normal not to gave gotten comfortable with it too" doctor Brown said, reading the omega's silence with expert ease.
"I know that"
"Good" she smiled "You can go. As usual, if you have any concerns, you can call me - no question is too stupid to be asked"
Q watched the way James subtly tilted his head back when his thumb dug into the arch of his swollen foot, trying to work some of the pain and tension out; he had never been any good at massages, really: everything he knew he had picked up from James while he was on the receiving end of those talented and calloused hands and from the internet, watching videos that sometimes had left him with more questions than answers.
Though, it seemed that he was good enough for his mate - good enough to soothe his pain and make him feel better.
And that had to be enough for him too.
"The doc said everything is going well"
Q bent down and kissed the other's ankle "You sound surprised - were you worried about something?"
"No, I promised you no more secrets"
And, as far as Q knew, James had been keeping his promise; he felt guilty about the fact that, sometimes, doubt still worked his way into his mind but it was something he was trying to consciously work on: James deserved his trust "Thank you" he murmured, kissing that spot again.
Still, he hadn't answered to Q's question "I'm just... diffident. I'm unused to things going so smoothly and we haven't had a single problem with this pregnancy" James pointed out, carefully giving to his lover the other foot to tend to "It's... odd"
"For our standards, maybe"
"Yes. Yes, that's true" James caressed his belly, the baby as active as ever "I'm happy that things are going well"
"Me too" more than he could put into actual words; as James had pointed out, luck had hardly ever been on their side and Q was eager for it to last a little longer and, hopefully, get attached to their baby "Did she ask you again if you wanted to know the sex?"
"Yes, but I resisted the temptation"
"There's a bet, running at MI6"
That didn't surprise James in the least "Did they let you bet?"
Q snorted "No, of course not: nobody except Bill believes that we really didn't want to know"
"Smart man" smarter than anyone ever gave him credit for "What would you have bet, if they had let you?"
"Girl" the younger man answered without missing a beat "You?"
"Boy"
"Well, not a long time left to wait to settle it"
No, not a long time at all - still, it felt like a little eternity: James just couldn't wait for their baby to be delivered in their arms, safe and sound.