Consolation prize

20 December 2025

1801 words

Rated E for sexual content

Warnings: referenced past death of Picard

Comment or leave kudos at AO3

Captain Jean-Luc Picard died that day, surrounded by his friends. Lieutenant Picard, however, is set to live a long, bleak life of mediocrity, and he’s all that Q has left.

—

An AU where, during Tapestry, Picard never asks for Q to let him re-redo his encounter with the Nausicaans, creating one timeline where he dies in the sickbay and one where he stays a lieutenant in astrophysics.

Category index

In the end, Picard had learned the lesson. But it had been too late.

Q had let the timeline split into two, and no one in the Continuum had stopped him. Maybe they felt bad for Q, or maybe they let it pass because they knew how annoying a heartbroken sibling would be. Still, heartbroken he was. His captain had died on that table, on that day, surrounded by his loving crew, and another Picard was born—one who learned to play it safe, never seized the opportunity, but ultimately was all that Q had left.

When Riker had turned out to be the one to prove humanity’s worth to the Continuum, Q had backed away. Let another Q do it this time around. He was biased, after all, bound to let his experience cloud his judgment, be too gentle, too forgiving. The truth was, he’d rather not see Riker’s face on a good day, and as far as Q was concerned, there would never be another good day. He despised the man for taking Picard’s place in this worthless reality, but then again, this reality was the one where Picard at least still existed.

And when he’d said he couldn’t live like this, Q took away the memories of Picard’s previous life on another timeline, not throwing them away, just tucking them away somewhere safe.

And maybe more than he despised Riker, he despised this Picard who had forgotten his ambition, with only a dull, unexplainable, empty ache left in his robust organic heart. He hated seeing him every day, yet had vowed to see each and every one of those miserable days this shell of a magnificent being had left in his life. Q had always expected Picard to share an eternity with him, one way or another.

That dream was now long gone. If anyone could reach that higher plane of existence, it would be Riker, and Q didn’t see that happening. Nevertheless, he was the best chance humanity had, the one Continuum was testing, preparing for that evolution. Q had no interest, either way.

He slipped into his human form, donning a civilian doctor’s attire, sitting behind a desk, just in time for Picard to arrive at the door to Q’s quarters—quarters not actually existing anywhere on the ship, a door not accessible to anyone besides Picard.

“What ails you today?” Q said listlessly as the door opened before Picard had even had the chance to ring the chime.

“I never seem to get used to that. How do you know each time?”

Q didn’t bother raising his eyes from the papers he was pretending to examine. He knew Picard well enough to hear a small smile in his voice. He kept his own voice distant.

“I just do. Have some tea.”

Picard sat down on the couch as he always did, a hot cup of tea already waiting for him on the coffee table, as there always was.

“You know, I never drink tea except with you,” he smiled and took the cup to his lips.

“I know,” Q muttered, familiar anger tingling in the pit of his stomach. “Is it the rash? Did it get worse?”

“No, actually, ah… Doctor Crusher—”

His anger flared. Q jumped up from his seat and shot a mean look at Picard across the room.

“How many times have I told you not to go to that wench? She doesn’t care about you, Picard,” Q hissed. He swung around the desk and in a few swift steps reached Picard and yanked him up by the arm. Picard looked alarmed, but not surprised.

“It was a routine checkup—ah!”

Q had pulled up Picard’s hem and ran his fingers up the bare skin to feel where the rash had been.

“You will tell me the next time they book you a time. You’re mine,” Q murmured and almost closed the distance between them. He listened to Picard’s breathing change, watched him squirm under his dark gaze. “…to treat. Not that quack Crusher. Are we clear on that?”

“Yes, we are,” Picard breathed and reached to tug on his hem, only to realize he couldn’t because of Q’s hand still on his torso. Q had no intention of letting go of him yet. Making this Picard all fidgety and flushed and bothered was an empty delight, but a delight nevertheless. The poor man was so in love with Q it was getting embarrassing. Above all, though, it was infuriating.

“A personal doctor, Picard. Not a common luxury. Haven’t I been good to you?” He laced his murmur with venom and lust and it worked wonders on his target. The skin under Q’s hand was growing hot, Picard’s heartbeat rapid; the man was close to breaking, and all it took was a couple mild innuendos and Q’s palm over his ribs.

Q let his fingers dig into his flesh just a bit too hard, then let go and walked away, leaving breathy Picard fumbling for the hem of his uniform.

“What is it you came here for, then?” Q asked, with his back to Picard.

“I wanted to see my friend,” Picard said, calmed down somewhat, like it was the most obvious thing in the world—and in another reality, it would have exhilarated Q to have Picard come to him and say those words, but it was all so distant now Q could barely imagine it when he closed his eyes. Of course, it didn’t help that this Picard spoke with such a lack of authority.

“Your tea is getting cold,” Q noted in the lack of a better response. He heard Picard pick the cup back up.

“I prefer not to burn my mouth,” he said.

“You never burned anything in your life,” Q huffed. “I suppose you’re actually happy you never did, too.”

A pause.

“Not always,” Picard said quietly. Something stung deep within Q. Guilt or foolish hope, he didn’t care to think about it.

“Not lately,” he continued. “There’s something I have wanted to…” The confession never came. “Never mind. How did—”

“Do you ever consider your life wouldn’t be such a bleak affair if you took that hopeless leap now and then,” Q said. He stepped back towards Picard and seated himself next to him with utter disrespect of his personal space. “Besides, I already know.”

Q regarded Picard while he was speechless and blushing.

“You wouldn’t mind sucking me off, would you?” Q said coldly, and Picard’s mouth dropped open.

“Does that mean we’re in agreement, then?” Q raised his eyebrow at his reaction. Picard looked away and, after the briefest pause, dropped on his knees on the floor in front of Q.

“Do you really…” Picard stammered.

“Yes. No, wait, actually.” Q considered it, then snapped his fingers to turn Picard’s teal uniform into a more familiar burgundy shade, complete with the four pips, not even trying to hide the use of his powers. “That’s better. Get to it.”

Picard looked at his new uniform, surprised, then back at Q.

“Why…”

“Red suits you better.”

“How did you do that?”

“Stop asking things.”

“Are you—”

“Never mind all that, are you going to do it or not?” he whined, trying not to let his voice betray his need.

With trembling hands, Picard opened the front of Q’s pants and pulled his cock out. Q let his head fall back as Picard wrapped his lips around his growing erection.

A consolation prize was still a prize, Q thought as he closed his eyes and stopped fighting his ragged breaths and quiet moans. He summoned the image of Captain Picard in his mind, imagining they were in his quarters, Jean-Luc ordering him, pleasuring him, taking him in all the ways he wanted.

“Mon capitaine…” Q gasped softly. It wasn’t the same, but it was getting good, oh, he could almost believe in the fantasy. He opened his eyes and saw Picard’s head between his thighs, his body clad in red—

“Get on all fours,” Q commanded as calmly as he could between breaths, and Picard did as told at once. Q positioned himself behind Picard and unceremoniously pulled down his pants. He didn’t bother coming up with an excuse for how the lubricant appeared on his fingers.

“You are thinking of someone else,” Picard said sheepishly and groaned as Q worked his fingers inside. “It’s all right if you do,” he hurried to add. “I’d just… like to know if that’s the case.”

Q considered it.

“Yes and no.”

Enough with the fingers. Maybe Picard would shut up once Q shoved his cock in him. With his powers, he relaxed Picard enough for him to take Q. Preparation was a waste of time.

“A captain. Riker?”

“You insult me. I hate Riker.” Q thrust into Picard more aggressively than he had intended. Picard let out a pained moan but didn’t protest.

“You hate everyone on this ship.”

“I do.”

“Even me?”

Q stopped pushing into Picard.

You, more than anyone else, he wanted to say. How could he begin to explain how this Picard made him feel?

Instead, he caressed the lean waist beneath him.

“I’m sorry,” Q murmured. “Not you.”

Slowly, Q started moving inside him again. He briefly considered taking out all the memories he had taken from Picard and returning them to him while fucking him. It still wouldn’t be the same, and it could kill Picard, but it was tempting him so.

“I ought to brand you so you’ll never dare show your body to that Crusher again.”

“Do it, then,” Picard panted under him. “Let me get burned, for once in my life.”

Q lost his rhythm for a moment out of surprise. His heart ached from those words spoken with such determination he could almost fool himself into thinking it really was Captain Picard, his Jean-Luc, for a moment.

“No taking it back now,” Q whispered and lowered his lips over the curve of Picard’s spine, inhaling his scent, then pressed his burning lips onto the expecting skin. Picard cried out but didn’t falter as Q let the markings burn their way into the flesh, never stopping the movement of his hips.

“What does it say?” Picard asked once the worst pain had cleared.

“You’ll find out.”

Q ran his thumb over his creation, quietly allowing Picard some mild pain relief. In a sudden bout of tenderness, Q took Picard’s leaking cock into his hand to finish them in tandem.

“Oh, Q—”

Q buried his face in Picard’s neck and nearly sobbed as they came. He missed Captain Jean-Luc Picard of the USS Enterprise, and he missed the promise of a forever by his side, being surprised by him time after time… But he had surprised Q today, hadn’t he?

& on AO3 | Category index