Work Text:
Rainbow
James cocked his head to the side "Can you explain to me why does your skin change colours? I'm guessing it's not a random thing" he blurted out, curiosity winning his inner battle after having spent a couple of hours in silent observation: Q easily and systematically took apart and put together again the best equipment Q-branch had to offer in almost an hypnotising way.
The poor Major didn't know that James had actually stopped destroying his equipment and losing it everywhere - still, the Quartermaster never saw it again because he'd give it to MI6 resident alien. He just couldn't help himself: whenever Q pouted and looked up at him with those bright green eyes - always there no matter which form he had taken in that particular moment - James would give in to any requests that the alien would make.
One of Q's tentacles flailed around a bit and his skin lost its usual marble whiteness in favour of a bright pinkish hue "Rude" the alien chided, scowling down at the laptop he was taking apart - hands and tentacles working together in effortless harmony "I don't ask you why you flush red sometimes, do I?"
"So, it has to do with your feelings?" James grinned, endeared by the way Q was easily flustered - which made the pink hue only more evident.
Deciding that he'd rather use his hands to work, Q half-heartedly shoved at James with one of his free tentacles and showed him his teeth. Not that it was of much use: apparently, the agent was unfazed by his shark-like smile "You're so nosy"
"Professional deformation" James retorted with a shrug, gently coaxing the tentacle to twirl around his finger with careful prods that really were just caresses "So? You turn pink when you're embarrassed - which other colours can you do?" He asked curiously, tugging lightly on the tentacle wrapped around his finger and sliding a bit closer to peer down at Q's skin.
"Why don't you tell me, oh great 007?"
Snark and sarcasm were something Q had picked on quite quickly and James couldn't help being endeared by the prickly personality the alien showed sometimes "I've seen you turn blue once, when a doctor came in and scared the living daylights out of you"
"Our parents take great care in scaring us of anything remotely medical and human" Q pointed out, crossing his arms and all of his tentacles - except the one that James had claimed for himself - to convey his message clearly: no teasing allowed "Besides, I don't need human doctors"
James rolled his eyes: that was a conversation they had had quite often and neither of them had yet budged on their position "You don't know if you're immune to our diseases: you need shots. I don't want you to die because of a mere cold" he said honestly, tickling the tentacle in his grip "I'll hold your hand" he added with an impish grin, even if he meant every single word he had said.
James himself wasn't fond of doctors, having met his fair share of criminals who liked to mess with the human body while wearing a white coat for the dramatic effect, and he'd never let Q face one of them alone if they scared him.
Q had to focus greatly to make sure that starbursts didn't blossom on his skin; if he had any saying in it, James would never see that particular pattern - not even on his dying day "I'm not a youngling" he protested to hide just how pleased he was with the other's words that showed just how much the agent cared about him.
Swooning after a human - had his bearer known that, he'd have revoked his lab privileges before he could start pleading for mercy. And Q would have wholeheartedly agreed with the punishment.
"And now you're sad" James observed, voice dropping an octave to a sweet and consoling tone that people rarely heard coming out of his mouth.
Q glanced down at himself and saw splotches of black seep under his skin like ink dissolving into water "I was thinking about my bearer"
"That's another thing I noticed" James jumped at the occasion to change topics, hoping to distract Q from any sad thought swirling around his mind "You never say mother and father - you always say bearer" he pointed out, indirectly asking elucidation; after Q had understood that nobody wanted to hurt him, he had always showed himself to be quite eager to share facts about his alien culture and biology.
"Oh, that" pink swirled together with black, painting his skin in a unique pattern "Our bodies can both bear and sire younglings" Q frowned, rooting around his brain in search of an appropriate term to better express what he meant in English "We're hermaphrodites?" He asked, unsure about whether he had used the correct word.
James blinked in surprise "What about gender then?"
Q peered into the agent's face, trying to see whether there was any horror or disgust displayed on it. What he saw, it was only unbridled and genuine curiosity and a thirst for knowledge "We choose what it fits us best, it's... a fluid concept for us"
"That's fascinating" James stated and really, there never would be a thing about Q that he didn't find interesting.
James had some bad mental associations with red: it was the colour of blood - freshly spilled or already drying - and of gore; it was the colour of Vesper's sundress when she had drowned under the scalding Venetian sun of an Italian summer; it was the colour of Q's skin whenever he was hurt and in pain.
After the nth time he hadn't brought back his equipment to Q-Branch, Boothroyd had decided to get at the bottom of the question; he had made sure with his own eyes that 007 hadn't lost his gun or earwig in the field, which could only mean that the agent was keeping them to himself. Unashamedly, once he was back in MI6, he used the building security cameras to follow 007 and find out where the secret stash was.
He had known about the resident alien but, while a man of science, Boothroyd had never interested himself in alien biology and preferred to stick to technology.
So, he had left the poor thing alone to get used to its new environment - everyone with enough clearance knew that the alien would never be allowed to go back to his home planet - and he made sure that his curious underlings too left it alone.
Really, it was 007's fault if he had made his way to the alien's cellar - no matter how tastefully decorated, its rooms were still a prison - to ask the creature what it exactly did with his tech. Only to discover that the alien had a wonderful mathematical mind with a knack for engineering "Can you look less... Alien?" Boothroyd had asked and when the alien had shown him its human disguise, he had patted it on the shoulder and congratulated it about its first job in MI6.
Of course, M hadn't been exactly thrilled about it but the Major had made sure to point out that he was the only one who could choose who he thought was better fitted to work in his branch.
Plus, the poor thing needed something to do or it would go insane, cooped up as it was with 007 and an unfriendly doctor as the only people visiting it.
And Boothroyd gave 007 the exact same speech he had given M, when Q got hurt and he lost his head like a bull charging at a red drape.
Apparently, Q's disguise wasn't as airtight as he had thought; when the alien focused on work or felt a particularly strong emotion, it would sprout tentacles or its skin started changing colours. Personally, Boothroyd thought it was rather cute - and he knew for sure that Bond wouldn't think of the alien as scary or dangerous even if it started gobbling down people.
Sadly, humans could be extremely obtuse. When Q's skin had turned a sunny yellow in excitement - Boothroyd would later learn that the alien had managed to crack open a firewall nobody had even managed to weaken - an underling had freaked out and shocked Q with a taser.
And since disgraces never come alone, that was the exact moment when 007 entered his branch.
James rushed towards them, putting himself in front of Q as a shield in order to protect him. His hands fluttered all over Q's skin, digits skimming over the bright red flashes swirling together with a terrified indigo blue "Can you move everything?" He asked, gathering the other's trembling form in his arms.
Tentacles tentatively slithered out to wrap themselves around his biceps and neck, holding onto him for dear life, but James didn't mind: he just drew Q closer and encouraged him to also wrap his arms around his waist, glad to see that Q seemed to have not been harmed by the high voltage of the shock "Calm down" he murmured, hand running up Q's shaking spine "I'm here now"
And to Q's relief, James would always be there for him when he needed him to.