X
Stay
Even though the agent hid it well, Q knew full well that James was suffering from jealousy by the end of the night.
"It really was good to see you again," Alana said as he helped her get her coat on. James had gone to get the car with Eve, who, being the most sober of the four of them, had offered to drive around and pick Q up from the front door so that he could have a little more time with his university friends before Alana left for the States again. "I was so worried about you, when you and Evan made that stupid bet and then you disappeared…"
"I'm fine, Alana, I was never in any real danger," Q replied soothingly as he stepped back, gesturing for Alana to leave the restaurant first. "Besides, I've got James now, he can protect me if it comes down to that."
"But what if you need him and he's not there?" Alana asked, raising an eyebrow as she turned to face him, breath coming out in white clouds.
Q swallowed, finding that he was not thinking of that possibility; that would only mean that something horrible had happened to James, and he couldn't do anything to help. "I can take care of myself, Alana," he said instead of answering the question. He looked up in time to see the familiar Aston Martin pulling up; Eve behind the wheel with Alec next to her. Squeezing her hand gently, he said, "Good night, and have a safe flight."
"See if you can convince your boyfriend and boss to let you come State-side, I miss you," Alana said, smiling mischievously before leaning in and kissing him on the forehead as she'd always done. She grinned, and then asked, "Is he the possessive type, then?" she asked.
Q shrugged. "Please don't antagonize him unnecessarily," he said, grinning before squeezing her shoulder lightly. "Take care."
"Call, you bastard. And save me some worrying," Alana said as he turned to leave.
He just waved at her without turning around, heading for the nearest door and sliding into the car, where he found James stretched out on the backseat and dozing. Shutting the door and buckling in, Q waved once to Alana through the window as the car pulled away from the curb. Then he turned to the sulking agent beside him, smiling softly before gently running fingers lightly across James' skin. Leaning over, he whispered, "Thank you," before reaching down and wrapping his fingers around James' own.
A brief look of confusion crossed James' face but he covered it up well and trapped Q's fingers in his own, raising them to kiss them lightly. "You'll have to say for what, I don't understand," he said in a low voice, leaning over so that their foreheads were touching each other.
Q grinned slightly. "I meant, 'thank you for being nice tonight'. Alana and I were only ever friends, she has her own partner back in the States," he said, bumping noses with James. "Evan, meanwhile, prefers to remain single after his last breakup, weeks before the summer holidays, went spectacularly south and ended with his ex-girlfriend trying to use fireworks as rocket launchers. It was nasty, absolutely terrifying, and the first running-for-my-life I ever participated in. She wanted me, and then later Alana, to tell her where Evan was hiding, and since neither of us said anything, she hunted us down for days." He grinned slightly at the memory, looking down at where James was still holding his fingers. "In other words, dodging MI6 was easier than dodging her."
"Dodging hunters is always a good skill to have," James said, tightening his own fingers for a moment. He was quiet, and then he said, "That's the most I've ever heard you talk about your past in one sitting."
"Well, my past doesn't normally catch up to me like that," Q replied, gently letting go before straightening, noting that they were pulling up to his building.
James noticed as well, following his line of sight. "Tomorrow then?" he asked, glancing at Q, who had been reaching for the door handle.
Q made the split-second decision. "Come inside?" he offered, trying not to look as hopeful as he felt—he didn't want to come across as too clingy.
To his surprise, James agreed. "Alec, I expect the car back at my flat in the same condition I left it in," he said as he reached for the door handle.
"All right, will do," Alec said, not bothering to hide a grin as Q clambered out to keep up with James. "Do you want me to just leave the car here for when you leave?" he asked, sticking his head out of the window and grinning unashamedly.
James feigned a swat at him, wrapping a hand around Q's waist and pulling him close. "I'll call a cab, it's not an issue. Just don't scratch it," he said before turning around to guide Q up the steps.
Q leaned against him as the two of them entered the lobby, feeling pleasantly warm and safe. He didn't miss the way James' hand slid so that it cupped his hipbone through the coat and shirt, and just to tease the other man, he leaned back and closer to James so that the hand slipped around his front, leaving a trail of warmth as James wordlessly pulled him closer to better rest his hand on the front of Q's lower body, dangerously close to where the warmth was slowly pooling.
To his credit, James didn't bat an eye until Q had shut the flat door behind him. Then Q groaned when he felt James reach for him in the dark and press him against the door, large and warm hands slipping underneath his shirt as a hot mouth covered his, swallowing the noise. He tilted his head slightly to get a better angle, eyelids fluttering close at the warm slide of tongues as his fingers danced across the hem of James' jacket, searching for the other's belt in the dark. There was a dull thunk as the back of Q's head made contact with the door, and he let out an involuntary whimper when he felt James gently palm him. "James…" he managed to get out between James' gentle shushing sounds as he felt James' hands pause where they were resting on his belt.
He felt James rest his head on a shoulder, and then nearly moaned as he felt James laying gentle kisses up the side of his neck before he gently bit Q's earlobe. "Tell me to stop, and I will," he whispered, his voice rough with desire.
Q paused, suddenly grateful that it was dark so James couldn't immediately read his hesitation. He knew how this worked, he knew that sooner or later that no matter what James had said before they… started this, there would come a time when James inevitably moved on. Q would be a liar if he said he didn't put off sex because he knew that the metaphorical hunt would be over after that. At the same time, he wanted this intimacy with James, the first partner he'd had in years—last one had been in his second year of university. He knew he couldn't pin down a free spirit such as James'—didn't want to either—but at the same time he wanted to hold on as tightly as possible.
Swallowing thickly, he decided not to think about the following morning as he plunged ahead. He carefully felt for James' face and leaned in to whisper, "Don't you dare stop," before guiding James' lips to his and wrapping his arms around James' neck. He grunted when he felt James pick him up, curling his legs around James' waist before the other began to carry him to the bedroom.
A/N: Next chapter, while hopefully still within 's guidelines, does contain sexual content.