Q

[lepidopterologist]

Harry was feeling very good about his burgeoning relationship with Nyx - it was casual, still, and he doubted that Nyx was interested in anything serious - but he still found himself frequently thinking of Q. It wasn't as if things had ended badly, in fact they hadn't really ended at all. And it wasn't as if that had ever been serious either, Harry had just.... hoped that it might be. Or maybe he was just realizing now that he actually missed him, which was not something he was accustomed to feeling when he dated.

Maybe this was why, when he found himself walking by a cafe the two of them had been to once, he found himself stopping even though he had no need for coffee. He and Q hadn't been planning to stop here either, they'd been on their way somewhere else, but it was raining, and they'd ended up getting coffee and scones and just sitting in here for hours, missing whatever they'd been planning to do before.

He bought a coffee, and the same type of scone that Q had raved about before, and then sighed to himself and stepped outside. And immediately saw Q.

It was just such a coincidence and so unexpected that he was visibly startled. "Oh, I - hello," he said, awkwardly holding the coffee in one hand and a scone wrapped in paper in the other.

Comments

[lepidopterologist]

For a split second, Harry thought it was a joke. But... wait, no.

"What?" He sounded alarmed.

[qu4r73rm4573r]

"It's fine. ...I mean, well, no, it's not fine, but I'm fine, so are the cats. I was fortunate, an agent was there, he managed to get us all out," Q replied, taking his glasses off to clean them with the hem of his cardigan.

[lepidopterologist]

"... thank god," said Harry quietly, and there was genuine concern still on his face. "But are you safe now? Do you know who did it?"

[qu4r73rm4573r]

"The investigation is ongoing, I'm afraid," Q replied. "For now they have me in a safehouse."

[lepidopterologist]

Harry still looked worried. He ran a hand through his hair. "Look, Q, if you have any reservations about the people protecting you and you need somewhere safe to be, you know what my security's like..."

[qu4r73rm4573r]

"M wouldn't allow it," he assured Harry. "It's alright though, today's detail is good, and there's another staying at the house with me. Our best agent, actually. James can be- Difficult, but we have a very good relationship."

Too good a relationship, to be honest, but Q wasn't about to say as much. He was already sharing more than he probably should, even with someone he trusted like Harry.

"I actually have a theory that the attack wasn't intended for me. The same agent who's staying at the safe house has a habit of dropping in on me unexpectedly, and while he's usually careful, the last time he did he almost certainly wasn't. He'd been injured in the field and decided to seek me out rather than report back to headquarters- Which sounds odd, I know, but it isn't for him. He used to do the same thing to our former M. ...Point is, I think it might have been intended for him."

[lepidopterologist]

Harry had a noticeable reaction to the name. James. A flicker of surprise, then a sort of stiffness.

Finally after all of that he said, “It’s dangerous work. For you, too.”

James was an awfully common name.

[qu4r73rm4573r]

The reaction didn't go unnoticed, but Q didn't know what to make of it. Perhaps Harry just wasn't fond of some double-o skulking around the safe house with him. Understandable, most people probably wouldn't want a walking loading gun around their home.

"True, though I am usually well out of harm's way," he assured him. "I haven't been in the field in quite some time. ...Though I shouldn't say that, I'll end up on a flight next week with how my luck seems to be going."

[lepidopterologist]

“Having a double O following you around is much more likely to put you in harm’s way,” Harry said with a frown.

He just really hoped it wasn’t that double O.

[qu4r73rm4573r]

"I trust him," Q said softly. "We're, um- We've sort of been seeing one another," he admitted, not sure how Harry might react to that. "He knows I've been seeing others as well, and he's fine with that, but it feels important to tell you. ...And I know you've been out with that musician," he added, wanting Harry to know he didn't mind that either.

[lepidopterologist]

“I - yes, I uh…”

Harry couldn’t think of anything but the obvious question. That he didn’t really want to know the answer to.

“You said his name is James?”

He winced. “James Bond?”

[qu4r73rm4573r]

Q looked a bit surprised, then nodded slightly.

"Yes, actually. ...I didn't realize you knew him," he added. James certainly hadn't mentioned knowing Harry.

[lepidopterologist]

In a split second, Harry imagined a dozen different responses he could give to this.

But somehow what won out was - "Yes. Does he know that you and I dated?" Because if so, then he was very annoyed.

[qu4r73rm4573r]

"...I mentioned it to him, yes. He said he didn't mind me seeing you. Though he did have a few ground rules," Q admitted.

[lepidopterologist]

Harry's mouth set into a straight line. "And let me guess, he didn't mention that he and I had a relationship?"

[qu4r73rm4573r]

Q was silent for a moment, then swallowed nervously. He was trying to look calm, but it was obvious he was upset.

"No, he didn't mention that," he said quietly.

[lepidopterologist]

"... right," said Harry. "Christ, that's just like him."

Then he noticed that Q looked upset. "Hey. Look, I'm sorry. It was a long time ago. I just - this is not making me worry less about you, Q."

[qu4r73rm4573r]

"Maybe he was concerned that if I learned you'd been together, I might not be comfortable seeing either of you?" Q suggested.

[lepidopterologist]

"I don't think he has the emotional range to even contemplate that deep of a reaction," Harry said before he could stop himself.

[qu4r73rm4573r]

Q frowned slightly, then shook his head.

"You sound bitter."

[lepidopterologist]

Harry ran a hand through his hair, slightly agitated. "We did not part on good terms. I'm not bitter, I'm just... concerned. I care about you."

[qu4r73rm4573r]

"James is good to me, he probably saved my life the other day. Hell, he even saved the cats, and I don't even think he likes them very much," Q replied. "I'm sorry you both have an uncomfortable past, but his relationship with you doesn't mean there's anything wrong with my relationship with him. They're two very different things."

[lepidopterologist]

"So it's serious then?" said Harry quietly, and he hated the way it twisted his stomach into knots.

Because the truth was, he got it. Of course he did. What he'd seen in both of them he could easily see how they would see in each other.

[qu4r73rm4573r]

"I can't answer that, I'm still..."

He trailed off, frowning to himself. Q didn't go in for traditional relationships, he never had. But he couldn't pretend it wasn't serious, not when James was laying down rules and Q was simply agreeing to them.

"I'm still figuring that out myself," he said finally. "And it's not as though you and I have seen much of one another recently, and you've been spotted with others. I didn't know you knew him, I didn't think it would be a big deal."

[lepidopterologist]

Harry glanced around them, and then said quietly, "I fear this has become more serious a conversation than a street corner allows. Perhaps we could go somewhere to talk more?"