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Picard went into his room with a sigh of relief, looking at the package curiously on his desk. He opened it up and felt his face go red as he pulled up a red bodysuit with a lacy red dress with white fur lining attached. It was reminiscent of his favorite classic Christmas movie and he looked at the tag curiously. “To my love,” it said and Picard rolled his eyes grunting and tossed it away, assuming it must have been a prank or something before he thought that maybe the gift was meant for Troi from Will. He shuddered at the thought and dismissed it, Will wouldn’t be so bold, they were still dancing around each other after all. He settled in for a book not realizing that just above him was an entity who was trying to figure out the perfect gift that would sweep his obsession off of his feet. Q popped into the counselor's room and laid on her couch dramatically, taking only superficial pleasure at her jump but admiring how quickly she recovered as she sat in her chair and said “Hello Q, I assume you haven’t approached the captain yet.”
He brought a ball up and started tossing it up and down as he said “I did what you said, I got him something nice and that I would like to see him in, but he just threw it out!”
Troi didn’t want to know what ideas of dress this entity wanted her captain in but she bravely soldiered on and said “What did you get him?” Lazily Q switched her outfit to what he bought and he nodded in appreciation at the wide eyes she got as she looked down. Before she could demand him to change her back, she was already in a big Christmas sweater that lit up and silky elephant leg pants. Not really her style, but they were very comfortable so she didn’t complain, accepting the apology for what it was. “Ok see, that is the problem Q, that is for a woman to wear, the captain wouldn’t think to wear it. Did you even put your name on it?”
Curiously Q blushed and shrugged his shoulders as he said “Why can’t men wear it? Isn’t it all the same amongst you guys? It covers the important stuff, yes?”
Troi was quickly becoming uncomfortable but she really didn’t want to upset him or have him bother her captain, he was stressed enough so instead, she said “No, earthlings still hold gender roles very closely, giving a man woman’s clothes can be seen as an insult unless it’s been previously discussed and the man is fine with wearing such things for their significant other.” Q huffed and quickly sat up and said “That’s it, oh I could kiss you but I’m saving that for a balding french man. Merry Christmas counselor!” He was gone before she could ask what he was planning and sighed as a snow globe appeared on her desk with perpetual snow falling and a picture of her and Will in the frame. He didn’t even know the fun that comes from a snowglobe, she thought as she picked it up only to leave it there, accepting the Christmas present. She turned her lights off and crawled into bed, the sweater really was soft and it smelled faintly of Will which made her smile and hug it closer to her body. She hoped Q could figure it out, she wanted the Captain happy for once this Christmas.
The door rang and Picard called the person to come in only for nothing to happen. Grumbling he got up and opened the door only to see a box on the ground. He debated on not picking it up, wondering where these odd gifts were coming from, refusing to go with the obvious answer because maybe if he didn’t think about it, Q wouldn’t show up. Rolling his eyes he lifted the box up and brought it into his room, placing it onto his desk and opening up the box. Now, this was actually a gift. He pulled out an Armani grey suit and a new hat, he could use these in the latest Dixon Hill novel they had just got programmed. He found his heart fluttering as he pulled out a shirt and the pants that went along with it, quickly stripping to try it on, finding it perfectly tailored. ‘Dangerous,’ a voice said in his mind but he stubbornly ignored it. Getting undressed and back into sleepwear he hung the suit up into his closet and went back to the box, finding a card. “Let’s go on a detective adventure together.” Again no name and Picard felt some disappointment, maybe it was Beverly or Data?
Probably Data, he loved participating in the novels with him, he’d have to thank him in the morning. Groaning again Q left his captain behind and appeared in Data’s quarters, giving only a cursory look at Geordi’s naked rear smirking meanly as Geordi yelled “What the hell man?” While covering up as Data sighed in exasperation at the appearance of the entity. He was getting pretty good at recreating human reactions and Q found himself proud of probably his only true friend in the universe achieving his dream. Dramatically Q fell face first in between them and said “Data, please help me I got Jean Luc a suit and he thought it came from you, whatever shall I do?”
Rolling his eyes Geordi got up, confident that Q’s attention was on his boyfriend while he went and got dressed in the bathroom leaving the two alone. Data sat up and said, “Q, a friend does not appear in their rooms while they are doing amorous activities, no matter how badly he needs the help.” Q actually felt guilty interrupting the two, he had been trying to be respectful about not peaking in and seeing but ended up still affecting him.
“I’m sorry Data, do you want me to push back time for you two and come back?”
Data gave him a small smile and said “I appreciate the offer, but something’s your powers can’t fix. So you gave the Captain a suit and he thought it came from me? That is actually a logical train of thought, I was thinking of getting him one.”
Q dramatically rolled back and forth on the bed as Geordi glared at him and sat in a chair with a book in his hand and said “Give him a gift that can only come from you, stop trying to be sneaky about it, he’s a man of action.”
Q glowered at him and said, “I’m asking my best friend, not my best bottom.” A book was thrown his way and he fazed himself in and out, giving Geordi a deadpan stare but looked away when he got hit by Data who took advantage of the lack of attention. “It is sound advice Q, think of what only you can do. Trust me, he will like the obviousness, maybe get him some limited edition artifacts or books?”
Q nodded and said, “Excellent idea my best friend, thank you so much for being worthy, unlike your boyfriend over there.” He hugged Data quickly and popped out of existence just as Data went to lecture him and Geordi swung and appeared back in Picard’s room. He was laying in bed while reading, a teacup sitting next to him that he absently drank from only to wrinkle his nose. Without even thinking about it, Q replaced it with a fresh cup and cursed when that caused Picard to look around in suspicion and sure enough, he said “Q, come out and get it over with please.” He sounded exhausted and Q appeared, dressed in a green sweater with Rudolph on it and lit up nose. It actually got a surprise to laugh out of Picard and he glared down at his chest like it had betrayed him, making Q swoon slightly.
Picard sighed and said while setting his book down, “Ok what lesson do I have to learn now? I assume my crew is still around?” It was honestly shocking not to be yelled at to leave, being pushed away as he tried to antagonize delicious reactions out of his favorite captain. Q sat down on the bed gently, surprised he was allowed to do so without much upset, Picard even moving his legs to accommodate him. “I, there is no lesson. I just wanted to get you a good gift and spend time with you.” He felt vulnerable and disarmed at the lack of an immediate fight, this was a brand new territory for him.
“So you are who got me those two gifts?” Q nodded while looking at him pleased to see a light blush on Picard’s face. Picard sat up some more and tilted his head at Q and said “The problem is, Q, you have been messing around with me too much. I can’t trust any gift you give me.” That caused Q to wince, he may play it off as having no emotions, but he did have an ego that was bruised too easily.
“I know that, but this one day of the year I wanted to do something different, we’re enemies the rest of the year, can’t we be something different just for today?”
Picard sighed and got up, sitting next to him and said “Q, you could be my friend if you actually tried, you’re the one who always places yourself as our enemy.” That was a fair truth and Q couldn’t argue it, though he wanted to.
“How does one become friends with a human of your intelligence? You’re probably the only human whose brain I can stand.”
Picard let the backhanded compliment run off his body, missing the vineyard and his family too much to feel anything but melancholy this year, and said “They start by not creating games with hidden lessons and disrupting their friends' work schedule.”
Q reached for Picard’s hand and grabbed it, looking at him earnestly, “If I become your friend, does that mean I can become something more?” Picard pulled his hand away quickly and held it close to his chest as he contemplated his answer.
“I think, Q, if you did make a serious effort to be my friend, that wouldn’t be too out of the cards.”
Q perked up and said, “Then as your friend, can I take you somewhere? I promise to protect the enterprise while we’re gone.” Maybe it was the sadness or maybe it was the surreal conversation between them, with Q being mature and serious for a change but Picard found himself nodding and saying “Yes Q, you can.” With a smile, Q and he blinked out of the enterprise and landed on a planet that looked like a stereotypical winter wonderland.
“Tell me, Mon Captain, did you ever wonder where the concept of the North Pole came from?”
Picard had to admit he wondered at the imagination of people’s brains, these ideas of Santa and elves had to come from somewhere. So he nodded, watching an elf walk on by with a present in their hand, throwing it into a bag attached to a sleigh.
“What if I told you that it comes from this planet? These aliens used to visit your planet before the Vulcan’s instructed them to stop once they joined their alliance.” This was news to him, but he couldn’t be too surprised, human’s had been thinking aliens had been visiting them for years.
Q walked ahead and Picard followed, looking around curiously at the trees and the reindeer walking around eating carrots that stuck out from the ground with perpetual snow falling.
“Don’t worry, they can’t see or hear us, it’s no fun but I knew you would appreciate it.” Picard actually did, this was a side of Q he hasn’t gotten to see, and it was making him hesitant to make him wait to be friends first. Of course, it could be all an act just to get what he wanted so he had to hold his cards to his chest. Candy cane lane appeared and Q absently grabbed one and started licking at it, making Picard smile despite himself. The longer they walked the lighter he felt, and when they got to a gingerbread house that had a jolly fat man in a suit eating some cookies from his wife Picard found himself laughing with the joy that filled him. It quickly disappeared as Q looked at him apologetically and said “Sorry, it’s the air it gives the whole feeling of joy, it traps the person into never wanting to leave, it’s how he gets his elves.” That made things pretty dark and Picard found himself disturbed that earth children still celebrated the idea of him coming into their homes.
Q quickly brought them back to the ship and stepped back from him, Picard hadn’t even realized how close they had been while they looked at trees and drank cocoa from a lake, and despite his best wishes he had enjoyed himself. It was late and Q seemed to be getting ready to leave so Picard went and hugged him, feeling Q tense in his arms and wondered vaguely if he'd ever been hugged willingly before. Hesitantly Q wrapped his arms around him as well and squeezed gently and Picard’s heartbeat quickly at the proximity. Awkwardly he broke the hug and said “I don’t have anything to give to you Q, but I would like to continue exploring a friendship between us.” Q looked a bit disappointed but he nodded and stepped back “I too, enjoy starting from the ground up to be with you. Thank you for walking with me, it was my very first Christmas present.” He popped out of existence and Picard felt the loss quite a bit, shocked that after only one talk he had been affected so much.
A noise sounded on his bedside and he walked overseeing a snowglobe that was playing ‘Silent Night’ with a frame in the middle of it, but this one was a picture of Q and Picard in front of a Christmas tree and Picard was actually smiling quite widely. He moved it to where he could look at it as he fell asleep, resolving himself to hiding it in the morning when he wasn’t so affected by Christmas. The next morning he woke up and got dressed for the day, picking up the snowglobe but instead placed it back onto his end table. A snowglobe wasn’t too bad to have as decoration, after all, it could stay. He walked out and the snowglobe stopped playing its song, Picard not knowing that it will only play when Q is nearby and watching him.