#vespxr

At first, James hadn’t been too sure how this whole retirement thing was going to work out. He had fallen for Vesper. He had fallen for her hard. He agreed to leave MI-6 to start a relatively normal life with her. Or as normal as a quiet life could be for an ex double-oh agent. He had never meant to live this long, agents rarely, if ever, reached retirement. 

But on this morning, James was reminded about how lucky both of them were, and how he was so happy that Vesper came along when she did. Outside on the patio of their small villa tucked away in the Italian countryside, he sipped on his coffee, occasionally looking back to Vesper who was still sound asleep.

Finishing the cup, James set it down on the table, walking back inside. He was only wearing his boxer briefs as he crawled back into bed with her, laying behind her he snaked an arm around her midsection again, pulling her close as he placed a kiss to her shoulder.

 “Good morning.” 

To her credit, she doesn’t flinch, or jump. Still, there’s a moment before she reacts, settles herself, adjusts to his presence. It’s the intended effect. James takes a perverse sort of joy in upsetting the balance of things -- of doing the unexpected, being the unexpected. Of turning up, uninvited, after months of being away.

“Oh, I try to keep an open mind.” 

His gaze flicks away towards the bar, before they return to her, just in time to catch her countenance as she turns to face him. She’s dressed for work, and she sits in this quiet bar with the same ease in which she’d occupy her own office. His hands stay in his pockets, smirk tugging at one corner of his mouth.

    VESPER smiled and picked up a spoon that was placed just beside the bowl which monique pointed to. she already felt bad enough for sleeping in as late as she had (accidental, truly, and was only just about stopping herself from apologising again ). nevertheless, she appreciated the portion being left behind, and made sure to savour it slowly, her expression lifting as she tasted. “ i’m grateful you kept this back for me, it’s wonderful. 

the moon rarely showed herself on london nights, usually hiding among the native clouds. TONIGHT was the exception, and if jim looked hard enough, perhaps sirius was breaking through the AWFUL light pollution. night walks made him yearn to see the stars again; the london lights will FOREVER stain the sky. 

although usually he made these treads alone, vesper had joined him along the way. while solitude was usually IDEAL ( breaks from idiots people were always needed ), she was a person jim didn’t MIND being around. 

     “You’re her, aren’t you. I’ve read the files... You’re taking a big risk being in London.”

   “ ---- Miss Lynd.”

It might be considered rude, given that they haven’t been formally introduced -- but he suspects they’re neither of them suffering under the misapprehension of the agency’s knowledge of her. 007 is notorious in a whole host of ways; to hold his interest -- to mean so much -- is no mean feat.