Bitter Champagne
The sudden realisation that this went far beyond puppy love had Q dropping Alec's arms as if scorched. As soon as he did so, the dizziness increased tenfold and he swayed dangerously on his feet. The blond quickly reached out to steady him with a low chuckle that set Q's heart pounding so loudly that he wondered if the entire club could hear it.
"What… What was… That was… You… You just…"
Alec smiled, the corner of his eyes crinkling, and lent in to place a gentle kiss on his forehead.
"You alright there, cub?"
And it was that more than anything else that had him crashing back to reality - the cute little nickname said in the exact same fond tone as pup and Q had to squeeze his eyes shut at the barrage of thoughts that suddenly overwhelmed him because-
He'd just kissed Alec but Alec was dating James bloody Bond and holy shit was this a mistake because he just caused 006 to cheat on 007 and both men could kill him with a snap of their fingers if they wanted to and what the hell had he been thinking and-
"Cub? Hey, cub, are you okay?"
Q blinked only to find the alpha's worried frown right in front of him and why was he worried he had no reason to be worried how dare he be worried when-
"James is going to be so mad".
It took a second to realise that he had been the one to blurt that out, but in that time Alec's frown had disappeared and his smile was back and he had slung one arm over his shoulder and was now leading him through the bar and-
"Of course he will" he replied easily, his other hand tucked casually into his jeans pocket, "Though not for the reason you're thinking".
"I kissed you".
"I kissed you first".
"You have a boyfriend".
"Yeah, you, apparently".
"Alec".
"Cub".
"006".
"Q".
"Trevelyan!"
He paused. "… Well that's not fair. You've got three names for me, but I've only got two for you".
Q ignored him.
"I kissed a dating man. I kissed the man James is dating. I kissed James' boyfriend".
"Yep. And he's gonna be super pissed that he didn't get there first".
He abruptly stopped walking.
"What?"
They had ended up in the middle of the dance floor, and hot, sweating bodies pressed in against them from all sides. The music was louder here too, and Q tried to blame that to explain why he stepped even closer to Alec, as if he were an asteroid forever doomed to orbit the planet in front of him, circling and circling and circling but never making contact, because if he did - then he'd disintegrate.
"James isn't going to be mad at you, cub".
"Past experience suggests otherwise".
Alec winced and the omega immediately wanted to take the words back.
"Look, I'm sorry I kissed you without asking first - that was most definitely an uncool move on my side" he continued, strangely serious, "When I first saw that засранец bothering you, I wasn't going even to intervene - you've more than proven that you can look out for yourself, after all".
The flashing lights overhead momentarily turned Alec's skin gold and Q wanted to lick every single inch of it.
"But when he grabbed your wrist like that and refused to let you go…" He shook his head. "Bastards like that only understand one thing. Ownership. They don't listen to omegas when they say no; they only listen to other alphas. So I'm sorry I acted the way I did, but now, at least that prick will leave you alone for the rest of the night".
Q wasn't entirely sure what, exactly, Alec was apologising for, but he did know that this had nothing at all to do with how furious James bloody Bond was going to be when he found out that Q had kissed his partner.
"... Why don't we go back to the table for a while?" the alpha suggested as if sensing his confusion.
Q nodded and turned, only to stop once again as he realised.
"Wait- I- I forgot the drinks back at the-"
"Don't worry about" Alec interrupted, "I'll get them".
He nodded again, slightly jerky, and followed the blond through the dance floor, standing, perhaps, slightly too close to him to be easily explained away, but it was dark and loud and crowded - and people parted for Alec like the red sea - so Q thought that he'd still be able to at least make his case.
The others looked up as they neared, and when Milli saw that his hands were empty, she gave a small frown. Q just shook his head and slid into the right side of the booth, back to the corner where he was safe.
Duncan and Jake, too, were giving him a look, as though they knew that something had happened but weren't sure what, whereas Charlie - bless him - had only just woken up again and was blinking at each of them blearily.
Once Q was seated, Alec gave him a pleased little smile, before turning to face the others.
"Next rounds on me. What're you all having?"
"Do you really have to fucking ask?" Duncan grumbled, and the blond grinned. "Not really. But you never know! Maybe someday, one of us will try something new! Or, even better, Osmund over there will try something full stop".
"As I have previously stated on multiple occasions, alcohol impairs-"
"-your motor functions, I know" he interrupted with a charming grin, and Q could do nothing but sit there and stare at him and think to himself-
We just kissed. How are you still so unaffected?
"I'll get the same as always, then" Alec finished, "And what about you Charlie? You look like you could do with a pick-me-up".
The man blinked, slowly, before nodding and holding up three fingers.
"Doubles?"
He nodded again.
"Now that's more like it! Finally, someone who knows how to party!"
And without so much as a glance in Q's direction, he was gone, leaving the omega trapped in a labyrinth of confusion, doubt, and gnawing guilt.
Q snagged another shot from Charlie and downed it in one go.
He vaguely remembered saying something about only having one more drink before going home - but that had been over an hour ago, and he still showed no signs of stopping. Since his and Alec's almost-but-not-quite-something became a-really-big-fucking-something, he'd decided that getting wasted was the best possible thing he could do right now.
The blond hadn't stuck around after bringing them back a tray of drinks, which meant that he was probably back with James which could be either very very good for Q or very very bad. Either way, he'd long since decided that he wanted to be as drunk as humanly possible for the inevitable confrontation with James bloody Bond, so that way, it wouldn't hurt as much.
Both physically and emotionally.
And if he was really lucky, then maybe he'd get so drunk that he could forget that this night ever even happened.
His mind was going haywire with the possibilities of how the man would react because they'd only just become friends again and now he'd just gone and kissed his boyfriend and Q hated himself for it, hated Alec for it, hated everything and everyone and the entire fucking universe itself for letting it happen and-
The image of James grinding against Alec while biting his neck and winking at Q suddenly came to mind, forever seared into his brain, a sight he would never forget for as long as he lived - and not just because he had an eidetic memory either.
What did that bloody wink mean?!
Was he warning Q away from his mate? Telling him that he'd already claimed him as his despite the lack of a bite mark - the exact same thing that Alec had told that asshole at the bar about him and Q. But if James really had been threatening him, telling him in as subtle yet obvious a way as possible to leave his partner alone, and now said partner was about to tell him that the omega had kissed him then-
Ugh.
Q's head hurt.
The entire night was turning into an absolute disaster, and he didn't know if it was his exhaustion or the alcohol or just his luck, but nothing was making sense anymore. He and James were good, now, were more than good! The bloody tosser even gave him the best fucking hugs, which should be illegal! There was no reason for him to threaten Q like that, or, at least, the omega thought that there was no reason.
If James really had figured out how he felt about Alec - while also, somehow, missing the glaringly obvious crush he had on the man himself as well - then Q hoped that the prat would at least have the decency to approach him directly and talk about it.
As much as he would really really really rather not talk about it because James and Alec were dating and together and mates in everything but name and he was just a scrawny boffin with fluffy hair and attachment issues and if he ever ever ever had to even hint at the fact he was in lo- that he liked both insanely attractive Adonis-esque men to their very own faces then he would absolutely guaranteed one-hundred-per cent just die.
Q downed another shot and ignored the concerned looks of his packmates.
The sooner he forgot that he even existed, the better.
At least that asshole at the bar had vanished, but even that wasn't enough to settle Q's nerves. Looking back on their encounter without the haze of anger blurring his vision, there were a few things that just didn't sit right for him.
Why had the man chosen him, of all people, to approach? Sure, he was an omega, but he wasn't the only omega in the club, and there were definitely other omegas who were looking for the no-strings-attached one-night-stand that the bastard had been aiming for. So why did he keep bothering Q?
Yeah, he was cute, with baby blue eyes and fluffy hair and all, but surely that wasn't enough to distract him from his personality - or his very firm repetition of the word no.
Or maybe Q really was that cute.
Or maybe that guy really was that detestable.
Or maybe he really was that drunk.
Either way, there was just something about the man that made him feel distinctly... uneasy. His general asshole-ish-ness aside, there had been something oddly… familiar about the alpha that he just couldn't quite put his finger on.
Q really hated not knowing things.
Or, perhaps, he was simply reading into the entire situation far too deeply because of how bored, irritated, and exhausted he'd felt at the bar - and how confused, worried, and panicked he currently felt.
Maybe he should switch to water…
Or maybe he should tell what sounded suspiciously like Milli's voice in the back of his head to shut the fuck up.
Abruptly jumping to his feet, he veered to one side dangerously for a minute before Jake quickly reached out and steadied him.
Q gave the man a nod of thanks, not trusting himself not to throw up if he opened his mouth right now.
After the dots cleared from his vision and the world felt at least somewhat more stable, he turned, and made a move to walk away-
-only for someone else's hand to firmly yet gently clamp down on his arm, preventing him.
"And just where the fuck do you think you're going?"
Q turned back to Duncan with a frown.
"You can barely fucking stand, brat. I'm not letting you out of my sight for a second!"
His frown quickly turned into a scowl.
"Oh fuck off!"
The man reeled back in shock.
"I don' need a- a- fuckin' babysitter! 'm fine! 'm completely fine on m'own!"
"Yeah, and your slurred speech there is real fucking convincing" he shot back, "Where are you going?"
"You're not m'abysitter!"
"Then stop acting like a fucking baby!" he snapped, "Where the fuck are you going?!"
Q wanted to throw his hands in the air but the thought of the subsequent dizziness - and potential vomiting - quickly stopped him.
"'m goin' to the bathroom!" he bit out, "Or 'm I no'llowed?"
Duncan stared at him for a minute before slowly, reluctantly nodding.
"Alright... But if you're not back in five minutes, then I'm coming to fucking find you, got it?"
"Good".
His scowl lessened slightly.
"You skipped a step, brat. That's my line".
Q frowned, glancing over his shoulder towards the bathroom door.
"'ere's a line?"
Duncan sighed.
"No, Q, there's no fucking line. Go on, go! Five minutes, alright?"
"A'right".
Stumbling across the nightclub, he was more than grateful that he'd decided to take the long way by walking around the dance floor rather than going through it. His head was already pounding enough without going into the heart of the loud bass music, and his stomach churned at the thought of those strobe lights pulsating different colours behind his eyes.
Pushing open the bathroom door, he squinted his eyes against the sudden bright lights and paused for a minute to adjust.
Maybe it really was time to go home…
Staggering over to the sink, he reached out to turn on the tap, only getting it right on his fourth go. Leaning down - and severely misjudging the distance - he splashed cold water on his face in an effort to clear his head.
It didn't work.
Q very carefully did not look at his reflection as he straightened back up, knowing that he wouldn't like what he saw, and, best case scenario, he'd be seeing three of his horrible bedraggled expression anyway.
He heard the door reopen behind him, and sighed, wondering if Duncan had decided five minutes was already too long to-
He was suddenly yanked around and slammed back against the sink.
In front of him, red-faced and furious, stood the alpha from the bar.
"No one rejects me like that and especially not a bitch like you!"
Q froze, his hazy fuzzy mind recognising the danger but not focusing long enough to see a way out of it. He had a- a taser, didn't he? In his pocket? But- wait, no, he still hadn't managed to fix it from when it'd stopped working last week, and even if he had, then he highly doubted that it'd be able to fit in his jeans pocket, anyway, because of how tight they were, and why had he decided to wear such tight trousers tonight-
A hand slammed against the tiles next to his face.
"Listen to me when I'm talking to you!"
Did he have any other weapons on him? His glasses did have a thin blade dipped in a paralysing poison in one of the arms, but he highly doubted that the alpha would let him take them off, snap them open, and then stab him so-
"-always think you're so much better than everyone else, you're nothing but a bitch who doesn't know his place-"
-what else did he have? His phone was in his jacket pocket, but the prick would probably notice him going for that too, and he'd definitely notice if he suddenly started texting someone. But what else was there that he could scare off the alpha with or use to get the attention of his pack or-
Oh.
Q could have kicked himself.
He still had his voice.
Just as he opened his mouth to scream, however, a sweaty hand clamped firmly over it.
"Don't you fucking dare!"
He tried to bite him, but the bastard's grip was too strong, and Q's coordination was well and truly fucked after all the shots he'd just had.
"Now you're going to listen to me very, very carefully, bitch" the man snarled, his other hand gripping him by the collar of his shirt, "Obey me and don't scream!"
As far as compulsions went, it was pretty bloody weak, and Q would have genuinely felt embarrassed for the guy if it weren't for the fact that he was exhausted, he was anxious, and he was so far beyond drunk that his veins were likely more vodka than blood right now.
The alpha slowly released him and a tiny voice at the back of his mind screamed at him to run, to hide, to fight, to do anything other than stand there silently, as if awaiting orders, but he'd been ordered not to scream so he decided not to listen to it right now.
The bastard in front of him took a step back, and then another, before he reached out behind himself and pushed open a stall door.
"Get in there. Now!"
Q obediently stepped into the stall, his body obeying the command despite the screeching and flashing lights and warning signs going off in his head - which really did nothing for his sudden bout of dizziness.
The alpha followed him in and shut the stall door behind him.
The echo of a deadbolt sliding into place had never felt so loud.
"Oh, I'm going to enjoy this".
He grinned, but there was nothing but cruelty in his eyes, even as he reached up and roughly tugged off the omega's jacket, carelessly letting it fall to the filthy ground below.
"Whoring yourself out to all those other alphas - it's about time I had a go".
There were hands fumbling with his belt and Q somehow simultaneously felt terrified and oddly… detached.
It was almost as if this was happening to someone else, to someone who wasn't him, to someone he was simply observing from high above, looking down on his physical body from the outside in.
"-about time you learned what you're good for" the alpha was muttering, clammy hands wandering up under his shirt and tugging at the collar, "Nothing but an omegian bitch! I'm glad that I can finally-"
Q blinked, slowly, the heavy oppressive force of the compulsion seeping into his pores and leaving him feeling distinctly unsettled. His vision was blurry, although he didn't know if that was from the alcohol or his exhaustion or even tears - nothing felt very real at the moment.
"-to teach you a lesson, it's a small price to pay, and it's not as if I have any use for it anyway so-"
He distantly wondered if this was even happening right now, or if those damp hands were a part of his imagination, the disgusting crawling sensation on his skin simply a side effect of drinking too much, the greedy, claw-like fingers angrily tugging at his jeans until the button snapped a result of his anxiety and guilt and-
The bathroom door opened with a creak and a slightly slurred but familiar voice called out, "Q?"
-and the omega suddenly realised that the dark-haired alpha had compelled him not to scream but talking wasn't screaming talking was talking so he wouldn't be disobeying him he'd be doing as told so he could talk he could talk but not scream but he could talk and-
"Here!" he blurted, voice oddly choked, "In here! Help, please-"
A hand clasped tightly over his mouth as the bastard swore, but the sudden glimpse of light and hope and freedom seemed to have broken through the weak compulsions surrounding him.
So Q bit him.
Hard.
The alpha immediately jerked away before backhanding him viciously.
"Ow! Shit! You little bitch-"
Which was precisely the exact same moment that Duncan fucking Fortier ripped the bloody door off its hinges.