Chapter Text
It had started with a simple 'No'.
A rejection that had not been accepted and instead had been seen as a 'not yet'. Which had resulted in Qs continous efforts to get Picard to change his mind. By showing Picard how despite his attitude (the french man was just too fun to play with, trying to stare down a god no matter what Q put him in and through) Q was very serious about this, about them. By showing Picard everything his offer (it had never been an offer to begin with) included (weither Picard even wanted to see any of this or not).
By laying the universe at his humans feet in a final bid after Picard had rejected him on the Bridge. Q saved Picards life. Q was doing things for Picard that Q had never done for anyone else, was willing to change himself just for Picard.
How could Picard say that he doesn't want him?
If there is anything Q could do, anything Q could give Picard to sway his (wrong, so very wrong) mind, then Picard can simply say so and Q will give it to him. Will do whatever it is Picard wants.
"Just leave me alone, Q. That's all I want"
They were going nowhere with this, this dance that they were both getting tired of. Each hoping that the other one would finally give up.
Something in Qs eyes (the eyes of an ancient being who had tried to be patient and no longer saw any reason to be) should have told Picard that this meeting was going in a very different direction then their previous confrontations.
A bittersweet smile graced Qs lips as the entity was close to him, looking down at him.
And when Q kissed him, Picard forgot why he ever wanted anything other than this.
The internal scream and plea of 'you can't do this to me, Q' was drowned out by how wonderful Qs arms around him felt.
Being with Q as it turned out was quite easy (it was not easy. He did not want to be with Q. Did not even want the entity on his ship let alone anywhere near him and yet he was forced to want to smile and kiss ...).
He respected Picards wishes of remaining captain and, for the most part, kept their relationship for Picards private time (all of his private time. From the second his shift ended to the time his next shift began, if Picard wouldn't be so ... happy and content with his company he would have gone mad because of Qs endless need for attention and affection.)
Although from time to time Q did visit him on the Bridge (under the worried and angry eyes of the crew members, unable to help him as Q made him enjoy the way the entity kissed, teased and played with him in front of them) and during his missions (by now even the Romulans were aware of his situation and if he would be able to feel shame or humiliation about any of this, then he would have felt it when he saw the pity on a Romulan Commanders face as Q almost whined till Picard would give him the kind of attention that the entity thought he deserved from his lover).
His nights had also gotten better thanks to Q (smothering him even while he slept) with the entity making sure (out of guilt. Picard really hoped that Q did this out of a guilt that was slowly eating the entity up so he would free ..). His beloved entity promising to keep his sleep (and mind) liberated from the Borg and his memories of torture (leaving it only filled with the love, the joy and sense of completion Q gave - forced upon - him).
Boredom (peace) was also a thing of the past ever since their first kiss. Q just loved to whisk him away to show him the wonders of the universe (always asking Picard if he was enjoying this, if this was making him happy, as if Picard had a single choice regarding any of this), dancing and dining with him in wondrous places (really, Picard had once joked that if it wasn't for Q he was sure that sometimes his feet would start to bleed with how long they would sometimes dance - with how long Q made them dance). Q even created entire worlds just for the two of them to explore (the knowledge that every other person, every thing, in them aside from Q and himself was simply a creation of Qs was always rather unnerving but Q had only told him that he considered the people in Picard universe of even lesser importance. That this, the two of them, their happiness and fun, was all that mattered anyway. )
Picards only point of criticism was the way Q behaved around his friends. Behaved in the few moments Picard was (had hoped to be) alone with one of them only for Q to interrupt (sitting on his lap, sitting between him and his friend) them (They always tried to bring up that something was wrong and Picard could tell that something was wrong but didn't they know that he was incapable of... ) in the exact moment when the subject of conversation became their relationship.
"They are important to me, Q.", Picard had tried to explain to his love how he wanted (needed) to spend time with other people. At least every now and again. (Please)
"Aren't I important to you?", Q had asked back, surprising the captain once again with how despite his status as an ancient god the entity could act quite immature when he did not get what he wanted. "Surely you can spare some time for your favorite space entity?"
And had Q not been so very joyous when Picard had told him that Q was his favorite anything.
Picard had wanted to add that despite of that there were still other people and other things in Picards life (and mind) aside from him, but he forgot about that part when Q once again kissed him.
How could he refuse someone who adored him as much as Q adored him anything?
Besides, as Q told him later, all of the other people were only temporary anyway and wouldn't be there once Q has had Picard live out his life as 'Captain of the Enterprise'.
"You make it sound as if there is anything after my inevitable death." (please not. Please, at least grant him that simple freedom. Picard was willing to act and give Q what he wanted for the rest of his life. But he was so tired of his internal conflict, so tired of once again being a prisoner in his own mind and body.)
"Of course there is. After all, I plan to keep you forever." An almost desperate kiss on his lips Picard had only been too happy to reciprocate. (had wanted to push Q away, wanted to scream at the entity, to slap hin, to banish him from his life, to get the Continuum, anyone, to do something about this. Surely even they can't be okay with him having to live, be, like this for the rest of eternity)
"Do you want me to keep you forever?", Q asked. It was a rhetorical question, but the way Q stared at him, searching for something that was there but would have never been there if it were not for the entitys doing. Imploring even the rest of Picard that this was for the best. That there was no need to fight what they had.
"Why would I want anything else?" was apparently just the answer Q wanted to hear, with the entity holding him close, smiling down at him and laughing in such a wonderful (terrifyingly) overjoyed way.
"You won't regret this, Jean-Luc. I'll make you so happy. We will both be so happy."