Work Text:
The Perfect Gift
Birthdays had always been quite tricky in Q's mind - any kind of festivity that contemplated the exchanging of gifts was, really. Unlike Danny, Q didn't get any kind of excitement out of browsing around for the perfect present: the only things he felt were nerves and anxiety as his mind perfectly painted in wide strokes just how disappointed the intended receiver would look once the wrapping paper was ripped away, revealing what he had hoped it would make the other person smile.
Maybe it was just the consequence of his parents never really showing much excitement for his gifts - they either were useless or too useful; they were in the wrong size, in the wrong colour, in the wrong fabric; they were just that tiny bit off of the mark that ruined them completely.
Q had learnt the art of aggregating himself to other people when it came to buying presents, the extent of his involvement mostly being handing out his quota and signing whatever birthday card had been selected as the most appropriate - he didn't give advice, he didn't get involved in the choices, he said yes to absolutely everything that got proposed on various email threads or WhatsApp groups: as long as he didn't have to endure the disappointment alone, he was fine with it.
However, it wasn't exactly something he could do when it came to his lovers.
Not that James, Alex and Danny had ever reacted with anything less than enthusiasm at every single one of his gifts but still, there was a part of him always on the lookout for a shadow in their eyes; a slump in their shoulders; a crookedness in their smiles.
He really, really hated giving presents - and receiving them.
"You could build him a car"
"We both know that wouldn't last long"
Alex tilted his head to the side "It doesn't matter how long it would last, just that he likes it and if he destroys it, it's on him"
"And then it's a problem for me when he comes begging for me to rebuild it" Q pointed out, sighing into his tea under the guise of blowing on it.
"Fair" Danny said with a shrug that earned him a warning growl from Pampuria, bothered by the fact he had dared to move so much when she had graced his lap with her presence for her nap "I would suggest some kind of weapon but you already said no"
"I give him weapons all the time!"
"There's always those exploding pens he never shuts up about..."
"Oh no, he will never get one of those" it was just... an inside joke between them, he supposed - part of a banter they had been throwing back and forth ever since day one; somehow, giving in and handing James an exploding pen woidl feel like letting go of a part of them that had been there ever since their first meeting at the National Gallery.
It would feel like moving on.
Q never wanted to move on from James.
He sighed again, this time not even trying to disguise it at all, and let his head drop on Alex's shoulder, looking for the comfort of the other's solid and calming presence "Sorry, I know you just want to help"
"It's okay" it had been a long time since Alex had really been bothered by Q's snappish nature, he knew his partner well enough to realise that it just was the way he reacted to stressful situations - and if there was something that put Q on the edge, it was any kind of gift giving "What other ideas do you have?" He inquired, reaching up to bury his fingers in the other's curls in what he hoped to be a soothing manner.
"I don't know, what do you get to the man who has everything?"
Arguably, nobody could ever have everything in the world but Alex decided it was better to keep his observation to himself and just hum "It doesn't have to be something big"
"It's his fiftieth birthday!"
"So what?" Danny inquired, resisting the urge to shrug again: he didn't exactly want Pampuria's sharp claws digging into his thigh, especially since she had been in a rather foul mood recently and none of them had managed to settle her down long enough to cut them shorter "The important thing is that it makes him smile, not how big or shiny or how expensive it is"
"I hate that you're right"
"No, you love it" Danny grinned, carefully moving his foot to nudge Q's "You'll find the perfect one, I have faith in you"
"Maybe it's misplaced in this case"
"Faith in you is never misplaced" James retorted without losing a beat as he entered the kitchen, grinning at the way his partners all jumped a little "Talking behind my back, uh?"
"Oh, shut up you bastard"
James bent down over Q, his hand skimming along Alex's shoulders "Why don't you do it, my dear Quartermaster?"