The Slaughterer

Alec had, in fact, done something absolutely ridiculous when they finally made their way up to the penthouse - they'd found him elbow-deep in super soft knitting wool that, by the end of the week, had taken shape to form two… outfits, for lack of a better word.

Paco now sported a black and white knitted tuxedo, complete with three buttons on the front and a miniature black bowtie, whereas Yana had the smallest, and cutest, little blue sweater that Q had ever seen, and which complemented her pale eyes and silver collar tag perfectly.

They had even bought them a cat tree, and when Q had ranted about the price and effort and the space that it took up, the bloody menaces had simply smiled at him and said, "Well, what else should we spend our fortunes on?"

Apparently, being a double-0 paid well.

And apparently, the best possible use of that hard-earned money was to buy his cats a huge fancy cat tree that was the shape of, the colour of, and the height of, an actual real-life tree.

Q didn't know whether to be furious or annoyed or glad or-

Something else.

It was one thing agreeing to house him for a few days after all, and it was quite another to willingly bring his cats into their pristine apartment as well, but buying them extra toys? Buying extra furniture?! That felt… strangely permanent.

They still needed to talk.

Q had been given the guest room for a few days, and he couldn't help but flush as he remembered just whose bedroom he'd stayed in the last time he'd been here - flashes of sprawling across James's chest, biting slices of toast from Alec's fingers, and hauling both men into the pile of blankets, pillows, and cushions that he'd used to make a nest-

Christ, how was he ever going to make eye contact with them again?!

In that sense, he was relieved that he'd been pointed in the direction of the spare room; relieved that neither alpha was presuming things they shouldn't, but at the same time… well.

It was all rather irritating, now wasn't it?

Q had lost count of the number of times he'd seen the double-0s have their wicked ways with a besotted femme fatale, usually ending up naked within the first two days of their missions. So just why the hell weren't they doing that with him?!

Alec had kissed him. He had kissed Alec. And the blond had told him, promised him, that James wouldn't be mad - which he wasn't - and that they cared about him - which they did - and that eventually, once things had settled down again, that they'd talk - which they… hadn't.

Not yet, at least.

But that couldn't be the only reason they weren't treating him like another conquest, could it? These were the type of men, the type of alphas, who never denied themselves anything that they wanted, and although they hadn't explicitly said so, Q was cautiously optimistic that they wanted… well… him.

And then they put him in the guest room.

Apparently, they wanted him to make the first move, too, and although part of him was absolutely delighted that they had no issue whatsoever with omegas being the initiator, as it were, given the incredibly outdated view that much of the world still held about who wore the trousers in a relationship - another part of him was so bloody annoyed at the completely out of characterness of the entire thing that he just wanted to scream.

I just wish you'd take your own advice sometimes too.

But Jake was right, wasn't he? A life like theirs wasn't one without danger, and if there was a chance of happiness, no matter how brief, then shouldn't he take it? Even if it was, in fact, him doing the taking?

The logical part of his brain pointed out that he was being just as stupid and stubborn as Alec and James were - he had no plausible reason to expect them to be the ones that had to make the first move after all, aside from that aforementioned outdated stereotype of all alphas being the instigators, breadwinners, providers, etc. But none of them were exactly stereotypical or even vaguely normal, now were they? So wasn't it about time that he just got over himself and said something?

And besides, he reasoned, even if they did say no and laugh and reject him, he could always just disappear and make Silvia his successor. That girl had a good head on her shoulders; she'd be able to wrangle the double-0s into at least some sense of complacency, wouldn't she?

Mind made up, he vowed to sit down with the pair and talk.

Eventually.

Some day.

Perhaps.

It was foolish to do so while he was staying with them, he reasoned, because if things did go south then he'd have nowhere to run to. So instead, he waited until he found the bug in his camera system that allowed someone else to hack it, improved the security of his alarm box, argued with James and Alec as they refused to let him pay them back for changing his locks, and then moved back home - duffle bags and sweater-wearing cats and all.

But then, work got in the way. Jake's mission had started well, and was surprisingly continuing to go well - he'd already gotten an in with al-Shabaab, the militant group he'd been sent to investigate, and, so far at least, it looked as if the Prime Minister was in the clear and no terrorist attacks were planned.

So that was one less thing to worry about, and one less thing to distract himself with, but then he found it increasingly difficult to catch James and Alec alone. There was always another double-0 - or six - with them when they were in his office, and the only other time the pair were in the same room as each other was when they were interrogating Janssen, who, by the way, was being a real bitch about all of this, monopolising his murder kitten's time like that and not allowing Q to confess his undying love for them or whatever.

He couldn't say anything in front of the others. He just… couldn't. What if things went bad? What if they rejected him? What if he had to go jump off the nearest bridge or risk dying of embarrassment first? He couldn't do that with six other double-0s around him; they'd catch him before he could ever even reach the Thames. And what if they did say no to him in front of everyone else? Or, what if they said yes? Was Q really going to subject himself to their merciless teasing, shovel talk, and/or pity?

No.

He needed to know where he stood with James and Alec first, needed to know where, and what, they were to each other. That way, if he was making the biggest mistake of his life... well, then there would only be two bodies to dispose of rather than eight.

A week after his flat had been first broken into, he could no longer come up with an excuse to delay it. Even Yana and Paco were judging him, staring at him in their adorable knitted outfits with wide accusatory eyes for taking them away from the place with far too many catnip treats and unlimited belly rubs.

Q found that he missed James and Alec too - which was absolutely ridiculous since he saw them every day at work, and their work days were decidedly longer than the average person's. Still, he missed having someone to come home to, missed waking up in a brightly lit and warm apartment, missed having his first cup of tea steaming and waiting for him every morning before he even had to open his mouth. He just missed them.

Which was why today was the day.

Today, he promised himself, swore to himself, he was going to be the initiator and start The Talk. Not The Talk The Talk, but The Talk - although, The Talk The Talk would likely have to be brought up at some point too, but, really, all of that depended on how well The Talk went first and-

He was procrastinating.

Q had planned to watch the Prime Minister's speech in Mozambique today, but… Well, no, he hadn't, had he? Jake would be there until the United Nations talks finished, and then he'd be on the first plane back to London and tell him all about it tomorrow afternoon sometime.

He'd finally completed the built-up work he'd lost last week too, and now that his taser was working again, he didn't even have that to distract himself with.

And even better - or worse - Duncan and Saif's usual bickering had peaked only half an hour before which had led to them racing each other to the gym so they could make their fighting more literal. He didn't expect to see them again until lunch, which had just left James and Alec behind in his office.

And Q felt… frozen.

He'd been waiting all week for this, hadn't he? A chance to get the two of them alone? Without any distractions, other double-0s, or terrorists in between them? He likely wouldn't get a chance like this again - so just why the hell was he still hesitating?!

It was a hypothetical question, of course; he knew exactly why.

If this did so south, if they did say no and laugh and reject him, then… Well.

Q wasn't entirely sure what he'd do.

Oh, he'd get over it eventually, of course. His last relationship had ended far far worse than anything that James and Alec could say or do to him now, so he wasn't so fragile or dramatic enough to believe that it would be the end of the world if they wanted nothing to do with him.

But he liked them.

He really, really liked them. And now, right now, they were friends - they were his best friends, if he were being honest, and if they did reject his suggestion of a romantic relationship, then their platonic relationship would be forever altered.

Q knew he was a hypocrite. Jake had worried about the exact same thing, after all, telling him that he didn't want to lose Duncan's friendship and he'd prefer to stay the way that they were now if confessing his feelings meant he'd lose that. And the omega had told him to go for it anyway, that he'd never know if he didn't say something, that he'd never forgive himself if something terrible happened and he hadn't said something.

Just like how Q would never forgive himself if either of his two favourite people on the planet got injured or worse before he'd gotten over his own cowardice and just-

"We need to talk".

He immediately winced. That was not how he'd been planning on starting this conversation, but it was too late to take it back now, and James and Alec were giving each other a look as they slowly, almost cautiously, straightened up from where they'd been sprawled on top of each other on his office couch.

"That sounds ominous".

"It is. Or- Well, I mean, it's not. But- Well, I mean, I suppose it just depends on- on how you look at it" he stumbled, suddenly feeling terribly out of his depth because-

Well, they were alphas, weren't they? They were, in fact, the most alpha out of all the alphas, so what if they weren't being modern about this, what if they didn't expect him to, or want him to, make the first move and now they'd take offence to the fact that he was the instigator when that was their role and the only reason they hadn't instigated yet was because they didn't want him like that or they weren't ready yet or-

"Cub".

Suddenly, they were both in front of him, Alec pulling his chair back with an unhappy frown on his face while James reached down and effortlessly hauled him up into a warm, safe embrace.

"What's the matter, pup?" he asked quietly, his voice rumbling against the omega's cheek, and from behind him, he felt Alec shuffle forwards and wrap himself around them both. "We could scent your distress from the other side of the room, cub. What's wrong?"

And this was what he stood to lose - genuine, real concern that came with no expectations or cost; concern that he didn't need to do anything to be considered deserving of or worthwhile...

Was he really going to take the chance and give all of this up?

"... Why don't we sit down?" Alec asked, and he found himself nodding against James's suit jacket.

Together, they somehow managed to shuffle back towards the couch without losing their hold on him once, and the less logical part of his mind wondered if this would be the last time that they ever held him like this again.

"So what's wrong, pup?"

He was sandwiched in between them, although this time he was lying on top of James while Alec gently pressed against his back from above, his weight safe and secure and solid. Q took a deep breath, inhaling the mixture of smoke and gunpowder and earth, and forced himself to tell the less logical part of his brain to shut the hell up.

"After… After Mortner and the nightclub and- and everything" he began haltingly, "You said… You said that we would talk, that we would discuss how you… how we.. how we kissed".

It was the first time he'd said it out loud in front of James, and he half-expected the man to growl or snarl or push him away or, at the very least, to tense up. But he didn't. Instead, the man almost seemed to relax, sinking into the couch even further as his shoulders dropped, as if he'd expected Q to say something far worse than "hey I kissed your life partner" which-

What?!

"I did" Alec agreed, "I did say that. Just as I said that James wouldn't be mad at you for kissing me - a kiss which, by the way, I started".

"... You also said that he'd be mad at you for not-" Q cut himself off, unwilling, unable to finish that sentence. Beneath him, his temporary pillow shifted slightly and he could hear the smirk in James's voice when he spoke.

"-for not letting me get there first?" he finished, as casual as you fucking please, "That's true too; I was annoyed with him over that. At the very least he should've let me watch".

This wasn't happening.

This couldn't be happening.

They couldn't both, both, want him like that, it just- it couldn't be this easy, Q's life was never this easy!

"You're starting to panic again, cub".

"Of course I am!" he burst out, voice somewhat muffled by the jacket beneath his face, "You can't just- just- just say things like that! It's- That's- That should be illegal!"

"We work for MI6, pup. Most of what we do is illegal".

"That's different! That's not- You're not- We're not-"

"We're not" Alec interrupted, gently, "But… we could be".

Q felt himself freeze and for a split second, it felt as if the entire world had come to a standstill.

He took one breath.

Two.

Three.

And then everything sped up once more and he briefly struggled to sit up before Alec obediently rolled over and James let him go and he found himself sitting upright in between the two men, feeling oddly unsteady.

"We…" His voice sounded far away, like he was listening to himself from the other end of a tunnel. "We could be… what, exactly?"

"Whatever you want" James replied quietly, "I… care about you, pup. We both do. We care about you more than… well, more than anyone else we've ever met, really".

Q's heart pounded loudly in his chest as he tried to process what he was hearing. He knew, logically and statistically, that this had been the most likely outcome based on past events, but now that he was here, now that he was hearing it, hearing that come from that mouth was-

"You really… want… me?"

"Yes". There was no hesitation or room for doubt in Alec's voice. "Yes, we want you, cub, in whatever capacity you'll have us".

This could not be happening. He was dreaming. He had to be.

Q felt a rush of emotions flood through him - disbelief, excitement, fear, hope, love - threatening to drown him in their ferocity. He had been longing for this, hoping against hope that they felt the same way, and now, here they were, offering him exactly what he wanted but-

But he couldn't let himself get swept away in the moment. Not right now. There were still questions that needed to be answered, conversations that needed to be had, boundaries that needed to be drawn and crossed and drawn again, because-

"As… what?"

For the first time in The Talk, James frowned. "How do you mean?"

"As- As what?" he asked again, overwhelmed and frustrated and a little bit scared, "As- As a fling? A one-night stand? As something more? A partner? A- A mate? As what?!"

"As everything, cub" Alec said, gently tugging him closer until he could duck underneath his arm and bury his face against the alpha's chest, "As whatever you want us to be; for us, there is no limit… The double-0s are greedy, you know that; we'll gladly take everything we can get".

He snorted despite himself. The double-0s were selfish, that much was true, but given how much of themselves and their lives that they sacrificed for King and Country, Q felt that a little self-indulgence was the least they deserved.

"We don't expect you to make a decision now" James added, "This isn't… This isn't a temporary offer with a deadline, pup, this is… whatever you need it to be. However long it takes… we'll be here".

"Well, maybe not here here" Alec added, "We do tend to travel a lot. Part of the job, I'm afraid".

"And also probably the best of our worst qualities since, you know, we kill people for a living".

"And torture".

"And drink a lot".

"And forget what date it is all the bloody time".

"And have more baggage between us than a fucking airport".

"And tend to lash out rather than actually communicate".

"And we love violence".

"And causing chaos".

"And destruction".

"And explosions".

"God, do we love explosions".

"You know, James, when we say it like that, we really are quite the catch".

"I know we are, Alec; he'd be insane not to want us".

Q laughed, the sound bursting out of him in equal parts relief and amusement, and on either side of him, he felt the alphas relax.

"But you knew all of that already, of course" Alec said, smiling that ridiculous smile of his that made him look utterly harmless, "You've already seen us at our worst. More than that, you've dealt with us at our worst".

"So we already know that you can handle it" James finished quietly, "This isn't going to be easy, pup. I'm not easy to deal with, I know that, and neither is Alec on his bad days, but… if you can accept that, if you- if you still want us despite that… then we're willing to make it work".

It was the first time that Q had ever seen the man nervous - and that alone, somewhat paradoxically, was enough to put him at ease. They cared about this enough to be nervous, cared about him enough to fret about his answer.

As if they had any reason to worry.

Slowly pulling back from Alec, he took yet another deep, steadying breath and braced himself for the mortifying ordeal of admitting how he felt.

"I… I, uh… I want-"

His office door slammed open.

"Quartermaster!"

R looked oddly… scared.

"We need you downstairs. Now!"

Briefly exchanging a confused and somewhat worried look with James and Alec, Q jumped to his feet and hurried after the woman, his two agents following close behind, half his mind mentally cursing R for having the worst bloody timing imaginable, but the other half starting to panic again because if something had happened that was terrible enough to shake her, then...

As soon as he stepped out onto the metal staircase that overlooked the rest of the branch, he felt an overwhelming sense of dread as he realised that everyone, everyone, was currently crowded around the large flatscreen TV that displayed an international news channel twenty-four-seven and, even more terrifyingly, some of his minions were crying.

Q quickly, insistently, shoved his way through the crowd before coming to an abrupt stop as he saw what was on the screen.

"-absolute carnage in Mozambique today as the port city of Pemba was struck by an unknown attack" the news reporter said from what was clearly a helicopter based on the somewhat shaky aerial view of the city that was being shown.

A city that had now been completely and utterly just... obliterated.

Q watched, his heart plummeting as more and more destruction was shown, the once-thriving city now reduced to… chaos. Buildings smouldered with flames, cars lay overturned and abandoned in the streets, and the air, even that high up, was thick with smoke.

"We're flying over what remains of the city centre" the reporter continued, a noticeable tremble in her voice, "It's utter devastation. Thousands are dead, and many more injured. The cause of such destruction is still unknown, but it's suspected to be a result of chemical warfare - a drug released into the air, causing widespread panic and violence".

He couldn't tear his gaze away from the screen, his mind reeling with disbelief and horror at the sight of tens, dozens, hundreds of bodies strewn carelessly across every street.

"The Prime Minister was delivering a speech on behalf of the United Nations at the time of the attack. The media blackout that happened within minutes of him speaking was the first sign to the outside world that something was terribly, terribly wrong. The whereabouts of the Prime Minister are currently unknown, and we are still awaiting confirmation of his status".

Around him, the entire branch was silent.

"First responders are being urged to reconsider by the Mozambican government as the cause of this unprecedented event is still potentially dangerous. Scientists and medical officials from the nearby cities of Montepuez and Nacala are desperately trying to find the source of the attack as, without such knowledge, emergency services are unable to enter Pemba safely to help any and all possible survivors... as few as they may be".

Thousands dead.

Chemical warfare.

Media blackout.

Q could only continue to stare at the screen, feeling strangely numb to it all. It wasn't a drop, it was merely… a survival mechanism. He knew that if he let himself focus on it for too long, if he let himself register what was happening - what had happened - then he'd breakdown, and right now, none of them could afford that because-

Thousands dead; likely including the Prime Minister of England. Chemical warfare; from an unknown never-before-seen airborne drug. Media blackout; from something short circuiting the entire electrical grid, cutting off computers, satellites, traffic lights, everything.

He always did wonder what Ourumov had needed that anti-EMP stealth helicopter for…

But more importantly, at least to Q - and he knew that his priorities were skewed on this, knew that he should be feeling furious, upset, worried, everything for the two-hundred-thousand people that lived in Mozambique, knew that he should be leaping into action to find out if his own Prime Minister was dead or alive - but more importantly, perhaps most importantly, he knew that he needed to do something because the PM hadn't been the only person that had been sent out to Mozambique.

He had also sent out-

"Jake".