Alec and James showed up at Q-branch together, of course. Q was secretly relieved that James wasn't there alone, and he wouldn't have to risk an awkward follow-up conversation that may get him into more trouble.

"Evening, Q," Alec chirped as he approached, smiling. James nodded in Q's direction. Q pushed his keyboard aside and stood up as they came closer. He was near the same height as the two agents but felt dwarfed by their confident presence. Both were dressed casually in jeans, and stylish tshirts, making him wonder if they were heading for a night out after their appointment in Q-branch. Well, it was only James' appointment. Alec was just with him, as usual.

James hiked his left sleeve of his motorcycle jacket up to reveal the gleaming watch and his tanned wrist. "In one piece still," he said, grinning as if that was an accomplishment.

"It's a miracle," Q said flatly, reaching over to undo the clasp and slide the watch off as James held his arm outstretched. He was aware of Alec's gaze on his fingers and aware of every second his and James' skin touched. He briefly examined the watch under a desk light and then plugged a miniscule cable into the side of the watch face. Then he connected it to his computer and watched the data scroll across the screen, vaguely hearing Alec and James murmuring and laughing quietly next to him.

Q looked up after a few minutes, waiting for them to cease talking. When they did, he said, "From a preliminary look, it appears to have worked fine. I'll need to compare this to the previous test with 006 and your activity log you emailed me." Here James shifted his weight. "But it should be ready by the next time you ship out. That should be in a few days or so, correct?"

"Yes, M promised me we'd have a few days free in the mean time though," James replied. Alec looked up to smile at James and Q averted his eyes.

"Right. Good." Q turned back to his computer, thinking about how James had just used 'we' in a sentence. "Thank you, 007. 008." It was clearly a dismissal. They hung around, not moving.

"We're going to a pub tonight," Alec ventured.

"Lovely for you." Q didn't look up from his station.

"Why don't you join us? We're meeting up with a few people," Alec continued. Q couldn't fathom why he was being so persistent.

"I believe I made my preferences clear yesterday." Q tried not to notice how James' eyes fell on him as he said this.

"It wouldn't hurt you to have a little fun, Q," James prodded in his baritone voice. Q fought from shuddering. He blinked a few times, pecking away at his keyboard to stall for a moment as he thought about it.

"Well…" he began, fingers typing quickly. "I suppose I'm almost done here."

"Great!" Alec clapped him on the back. "You can ride with us. We'll meet you in the garage in… twenty minutes?"

"Alright," Q said reluctantly, wondering why he had just agreed. He'd never gone out with them before. He never went out period. Sometimes he would chit chat with Eve over lunch or on late nights when they were both stuck working, but that was about all of the social life he had.

Alec and James turned to walk out, laughing between themselves again. Q watched their backs as they left. He looked down at his grey cardigan and brown pinstriped trousers feeling inadequate and silly. At least he kept extra clothes in his office from the numerous times he'd stayed overnight, with only a kip on his pull-out mini couch.

He turned back to the computer screen to sync up the watch with James' activity log, wanting to complete the task before heading out and starting the weekend. The program matched up the times accurately, and when Q saw the midnight time slot that James had marked 'rumpy-pumpy', he bit out a laugh and his cheeks flamed red. He shut down the screen and went to his office, pulling off his cardigan and trousers quickly, and searching for his skinny black jeans in the back of his little closet. Those would have to do, paired with his plain white tshirt. He fussed for a moment with the cardigan, deciding to wear it as he hadn't brought a coat.

Tonight promised to be very… awkward. He knew why he had said yes, though. He was curious about their relationship. He was curious about what James would be like drunk. He was curious if James would look at him like that again. He pulled on the clothes and hurried out, knowing they would be waiting.

Q dashed out of the doorway to the garage, knowing he had been more than the agreed upon twenty minutes. He found that Alec had pulled around, his silver Audi purring quietly as they waited. He pulled open the back door and slipped in to sit on the smooth leather seat, feeling a bit like a child as the two older men sat in front.

"Where are we off to then?" Q asked, buckling his seat belt.

"A little place that's not far. They've got great chips. And darts," Alec spouted with enthusiasm, exiting the garage and stomping down on the accelerator. Q grasped onto the door handle to keep from being lurched backward.

"We have a friendly competition going in darts," James explained. "Alec is a sore loser. He always has to buy a lot of rounds for the winners and drowns his sorrows in his beer."

"Hah, at least I'm not the one who ended up sleeping on the bathroom floor last time."

"Right, you were just singing loudly in Russian and trying to get that flirty waitress to believe that you were gay. Or was it straight?" James' laugh was genuine.

"No, she was all over me. I had to sit on your lap to get her to stop." James just chuckled in response.

Q swallowed. It was the first time he had heard them talk about their relationship, really.

"I bet you're good at darts, Q. You can be on my team," Alec said, pulling up to their destination and stopping the car. The three of them hopped out.

"I did play a little in Uni," Q admitted as they walked toward the heavy wooden doors of the pub. The air felt crisp against his skin and he huddled into his cardigan. "Though it's been a while. I've been pretty busy lately with, you know, everything." Q shrugged noncommittally. That was the understatement of the century.

They both nodded soberly in reply.

"We're glad you came out with us, then," James said, smiling from one corner of his mouth, and he pushed open the doors forcibly to let the three of them pass.

The air was warm inside, and Q surveyed the room as they walked up to the bar. Alec diverged, saying he was going to look for a booth. The lights were pleasantly dim and the whole room was dressed in deep mahogany and hues of green. The bar stools were wrapped in old leather, and the noise of the patrons was pleasantly active without being overwhelming.

"What are you having?" James asked, turning to look at Q and resting his elbow on the bar. "The first one's on me, because you and Alec will be paying all night."

Q smiled at James, beginning to feel a little more comfortable. "Boddington's sounds good, please."

"You're so polite."

"Wait 'til I've knocked back a few of these."

James cocked an eyebrow at him. "Why? What happens then?"

Q thought he could hear a subtle flirtation behind the words, but he wasn't sure. "I get a little more honest."

James' lips quirked into a smirk, and Q felt a little thrill that he had caused that. He loved that smirk, and the playful look that accompanied it. He grinned a little in return, grasping his pint glass that the bartender set in front of him. He took a sip and let the smooth taste slide across his tongue, savouring the richness. He saw James' eyes trace the small movements of his fingers on his glass, and Q unconsciously licked his lips. As he thought about how absolutely hot James looked in that leather jacket he felt the nerves begin to drum in his stomach.

From the corner of his eye, Q saw Alec waving them over. He stood up and jerked his head in the general direction, feeling the nerves tighten.

"Looks like Alec found a table." Q and James scooped up an extra beer for the mystery people they were meeting up with. Q really really hoped one of them wasn't for the guy Alec had been trying to set him up with. He was not in the mood to deal with that tonight. He was exhausted from a long work week and more in the mood to drink himself into a stupor.

As they approached the booth, Q was extremely relieved to see that there was only one extra person sitting there, and it was Eve. She was dressed casually in jeans and a tight black tshirt, her curly hair springing up and framing her face. She scooted over and Q smiled at her, placing the extra beer in front of her on the table and sitting next to her on the bench. James took the seat next to Alec across from them.

"Wow, Q," Eve said, taking a sip of her beer. "I didn't know they let you out of the dungeon ever."

"Yes, I've never heard that one before," Q muttered, rolling his eyes but then smiling. He took a long pull off his pint, wanting to get drunk as quick as possible. "It is Friday night, after all."

"Cheers to that, mates," Eve said joyfully, raising her glass. The four of them clunked their glasses together and drank heartily.

After the first beer, Q was feeling more comfortable and was laughing at Eve's jokes. They divided into teams and Alec was much better at darts than Q was, unsurprisingly. James was also very good, too. Probably all that target practice in the range. Eve was pretty terrible, though, so it evened out. By the second beer Alec's fingers were running over James' in between turns while Q pretended not to watch. By the third beer Q had figured out that Eve went out with the two of them quite frequently, and they were occasionally joined by Tanner, Megan the hot nurse in medical, and Harry from accounting. He apparently could drink James under the table. After the fourth beer Q and Alec lost the match and bought everyone another round, to both boo's by Alec and cheers by Eve and James.

By the time they had all downed five drinks, Eve and Alec had moved on to pool and Q sat in the booth across from James. Q watched Eve as she set up her shot shakily and jumped the cue ball off of the table. Alec picked it up for her, and she placed it back on the table, giggling madly. The next shot stayed on the table at least, although none of the balls went into any of the pockets. As Alec set up his shot next, Q turned to examine James. He was relaxed, his face open and unguarded, and his hair slightly mussed. His bicep flexed tantalizingly as he lifted his glass to his lips.

"Rumpy-pumpy?" Q abruptly spit out without much thought. "Really? You couldn't think of anything better?" Q laughed despite himself, unsure where he had gotten the confidence to bring up that particular line of conversation. It was probably sometime after that fifth beer hit.

"I wasn't about to put having a shag in my official report," James said, grinning back.

"Why not? Did you think M might spontaneously combust from reading one of your reports?" Q giggled into his beer.

"What should I have put instead? Winding the clock? Churning the butter?" James snickered, seeming equally amused.

"Hiding the salami?" Q added, grasping his stomach as he laughed.

"Stuffing the turkey? I don't know if these food ones really do it for me," James chuckled.

"Making the beast with two backs?" Q was now laughing so hard that tears were forming. He wiped at them with his sleeve. James laughed good-naturedly across from him.

"Is this what you'd be like in bed, Q? Quoting Shakespeare and all flushed pink?"

Q stopped laughing, his eyes bright. He felt desire rushing through him and an incredible urge to reach over and run his fingers across James' full lips. Followed by his tongue. Instead he took another sip, incredibly aware of how near Alec was. He wanted James so badly, but he knew how thin of a line he was walking.

That fifth beer prodded him on. "Yes. Flushed pink all over."

James' smile was sinful and it did wicked things to Q. The nerves in his stomach fought with the aching desire, and his cock stiffened in his pants slightly. So he knew James wanted him. It made him feel powerful and the secret made him excited in a twisted way. But he didn't know if James would act on it. Q didn't even know if he would act on it. He shouldn't. He definitely shouldn't. But oh, did he want to. He sipped his beer again and his eyes connected with James'.

Alec and Eve came back to the table, laughing boisterously. Eve pressed herself against Q's side and he slid over politely. She began to run her hands through his hair and rested her face against his shoulder. James raised his eyebrows and gave him an amused look.

"What happened to the game, dear?" James asked, one arm moving around Alec's strong shoulder. He kissed against Alec's jaw long enough for it to be uncomfortable to an observer. Q inched further away from Eve's fingers until she was no longer touching his hair.

"Eve shot the cue ball into the next table and they respectfully asked us to leave."

"And you just acquiesced? I find that hard to believe."

"I politely told them where they could shove their cue sticks. At least I think that's what I said. There was a lot of yelling." He paused to grin at James and leaned in for a peck on the lips. "We needed another round anyway."

Eve yawned and straightened up, seeming to gather her wits about her. "Sounds lovely but I think I'm beat. Waking up at four in the morning will do that to you. Does anyone want to share a cab?"

"We drove here, I can give you a lift," Alec replied.

"Nah, you're the wrong direction, thanks. Q?"

"I'll just take the tube. The station is right by my flat." They all began to shuffle out of the booth and say their good-byes. Q gave Eve a peck on the cheek, then turned to Alec, feeling like a complete arse-hole. "Thanks for inviting me out, Alec. I had fun. Bye, James."

Alec smiled at him, James' arm still wrapped around his shoulder. Q forced a smile then turned around. He didn't even risk a glance at James.

Q decided to stop in the loo before heading out. He took his time in the bathroom, smoothing down his cardigan and pushing back his hair in the mirror. He could feel the alcohol clouding his mind pleasantly. He smiled at himself, thinking that he looked pretty cute. Was he really flushed pink? Or was that only when James was around?

Q finally stumbled outside, the cold air biting into his skin painfully. He shoved his hands in his pockets, vaguely wondering why his (sort-of) friends would leave him to fend for himself in the bitter cold, completely drunk off his arse. This was why he didn't go out often. He could've just stayed home with a nice cuppa, playing some console games and feeling sorry for himself as he went to bed early.

As he rounded the brick corner of the building, he stopped short, his breath catching. There were Alec and James, pressed up against the building, snogging like teenagers in the shadows. Alec had James pressed against the wall, one hand tangled in the blonde hair, the other invisible beneath the jacket. He could see James' hands sliding up and down Alec's backside, moving down to cup his arse and squeeze. Alec moaned into James' lips while Q's body responded viscerally. He felt the alcohol spinning through his mind and could see his breath solid in front of him as he breathed out heavily. He had visualized them together, but seeing it in person, in blinding visual acuity was entirely different. He shrunk back against the building, watching silently.

James moved forward to reverse their positions and pin Alec against the hard brick. Q saw James bend his head and nip at Alec's neck while Alec arched back, exposing his neck and closing his eyes. Q could feel himself growing painfully hard. James grabbed Alec's hair and pulled him into a bruising kiss, his hips grinding forward. Q let out a muffled groan, feeling his whole body lighting on fire as he clutched against the brick for support. Fuck, it was hot watching them together.

Suddenly Q heard a crunching noise of footsteps behind him and he stiffened. He hurriedly turned and crossed the street, cursing the inventor of skinny jeans. As much as he wanted to see James' lips in action, he absolutely did not want to get caught staring with his hand down his pants. On the tube ride home Q tried to think of unsexy things, but every time he closed his eyes he could see James' pink tongue slide across white skin and his eyes would fly open. He let the cold air wash over him as he fumbled with his keys in the door. Once in his flat he flopped down on his couch, exhaustion from the alcohol and the day and the banter and the voyeurism all combining and weighing on him heavily. He put his arm over his face and groaned. There was no way he could work with those two ever again. There was absolutely no way he could ever talk to James again without imagining those hips grinding forward and those perfect hands fisting in his own dark hair. He was so screwed. Absolutely and completely screwed.