InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "Who do you love? ME ME ME"

Matthew Quincy (yournewq) wrote in valarlogs,
@ 2013-06-02 01:02:00

Entry tags:

!complete, john constantine, q

Who: John Constantine and Q
When: 6/2
Where: A pub
What: Meeting up for drinks
Rating/Warnings: NC-17 for sex
Status: Complete

God, but it feels amazing to get out of the house for once. Hopefully tonight no one from work will track him down for any reason, but it's been known to happen on his rare nights off.

At least John seems quite different from people at work, which is a refreshing change. And it'll be nice to spend some time from someone from the motherland who isn't also in his office. So Q settles at the bar and orders himself a beer while he waits for his new friend to arrive. Or new hopefully friend, really.

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rhymeswithfine
2013-06-02 06:25 am UTC (link)

It took John a while to make it there. Not driving had never seemed an issue in England, but here everything seemed to be far apart from everything else, and he had no friends yet to call in favors for and get rides from. Public transportation was a right clusterfuck, he decided. It didn't help much he'd ended up with a few quid in his pocket as opposed to the quarters he'd really needed.

He made it though, and that had to count for something even if he was late. Then again, he was sure his new proper British acquaintance might forgive that. He seemed nice enough. Nice enough not to bite, anyway.

He flicked his smoke away into the parking lot before entering the bar, and made to look for the first face that was pinchable. Obviously. Q was found easily enough, because he was, oddly, exactly as he'd described himself. "Alright?" John had an easy smile in greeting.

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yournewq
2013-06-02 06:39 am UTC (link)

Q's never bothered to get his license either, because he likes driving just about as much as he likes flying. Which is not at all. So he makes sure he can either walk or take the bus everywhere he goes, and this happens to be a decently easy walk from his flat.

Then there's a man smiling at him and Q glances up at the Liverpool accent. "One John Constantine, I presume?"

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rhymeswithfine
2013-06-02 06:53 am UTC (link)

"Unless there's another," Constantine agreed, easily slipping into the seat next to Q's and looking for all the world like he was a regular that belonged, already. "Just John. Or Constantine. Can't say I rate high enough for both at the same time, generally." Ordering a drink seemed more prudent than getting a good look around the place, so he did that first.

Once he was set with the one vice he could manage indoors (smoking laws, what a terrible chore to deal with), he glanced around, amused.

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	yournewq 2013-06-02 06:59 am UTC (link)
	"John it is, then." Q toys with his bottle a little and flashes John what he knows full well is a sweet rather than a sultry sort of smile. He'd never been able to manage sultry. "How long have you been in the country then, John? Long enough to find out about our ridiculous rent rates, at least." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

rhymeswithfine
2013-06-02 07:13 am UTC (link)

Sultry wouldn't suit a man like Q, anyway. He was, indeed, a bit pretty. A bit cute. John had an inkling the other man might be able to find something between demure and flirtatious that suited him properly.

As it were, John himself had no such limitations on his smiles and so returned the sweet look with one that was a bit on the side of wolfish. "Just about that long. Week and a half now, thereabouts. Probably could have been more choosy with prices, but --" He shrugged.

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yournewq
2013-06-02 07:21 am UTC (link)

Coy, perhaps. He has the lashes for coy, at least.

John's smile makes his stomach flutter a little. Or more than a little, really, and goodness it's been far too long since he's had a date.

Not that this is a date, it's just drinks. But he'd be perfectly fine if it turned into a date.

"But when you're needing a place to live, it's probably cheaper than a hotel in the long run." He's not at work any more, so he takes off his glasses and tucks them into his pocket for safe keeping.

"What is it you do then, John, that brings you to California?"

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rhymeswithfine
2013-06-02 07:34 am UTC (link)

The glasses suited Q, in a boyish nerdy sort of way, and John has to admit he's nearly sad to see them go. Not too sad because, really, he'd only known the frames for a few moments, and so can't completely bemoan their loss.

John isn't the sort to sip beer -- he's not that kind of British, he never learned that kind of proper, so instead he just drinks it. Normally.

"Exactly right," he agrees, with a definitive little nod. "Near waste of monies just to get the bed made in the morning. And honest?" He smiles again, and this time he goes for the gold with it, just to see if Q blushes easily (and John suspects he does). It's a fun game that he's making up on the spot. "Was just bored with all the same so moved."

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	yournewq 2013-06-02 07:38 am UTC (link)
	He does, and it's terrible. His pale skin makes his blushes stand out all the more, especially under the heat of a smile like John's. All teeth and silent promises. Q bites at his lip and finishes off his own drink, debating getting another. "That must be nice, being able to pick up and move because you feel like it. I'm a bit jealous, really." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

rhymeswithfine
2013-06-02 07:48 am UTC (link)

"Can do anything you damn well please," John feels the need to point out, because he thoroughly believes it to be true.

The blush is cute, much like John suspected it might be. It's hardly fair to the younger man, really. Too easy. John sees no reason to stop just because something is easy though, and just plows along. No one had ever accused him of being a terribly nice man, after all. Which was good, because really he wasn't. "Faerie forest nymph was right, by the by. How are you not calling HR up for more assault charges? Seems it'd be a right problem for you."

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	yournewq 2013-06-02 03:08 pm UTC (link)
	Q has to laugh at that, pushing a hand through his messy curls to try and get them out of his face. Though they just fall right back to where they were before. "Most everyone keeps their hands to themselves. Aside from the odd cheek pinch or hair ruffle. But I'm flattered by the implication." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

rhymeswithfine
2013-06-02 05:34 pm UTC (link)

It's amusing to watch Q push his hair out of his face, and then have it go straight back to where it started. A vicious circle of futile efforts that must not really have been as much of a bother as he pretended it was, or else certainly he'd just cut it. John decides, with another drink of his beer (it's a bit too hoppy, he'd made the wrong choice, but doesn't stop drinking anyway), that possibly Q isn't as innocent as he makes himself out to be. He's clearly an intelligent bloke, after all. It's interesting.

"Course you are," he says, and it comes out cheekily. John has never lacked confidence, after all.

But John is a lot of things, and a creep really isn't one of them. If he was looking for just an easy hook up, and not a friend, he probably wouldn't have gotten lost on a foreign bus system just to get here. So he backs it up a little, just to keep things fun. "So what makes this place any better than the rest of the lot?" The bar, in question.

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yournewq
2013-06-02 11:41 pm UTC (link)

"Honestly? I don't drive, and it's close enough to my flat to walk. Makes it a bit easier to stumble home afterwards than the have to work the bus system or attempt to order a cab after a drink or two."

Q could use more friends. Well, he could probably use an easy hook up as well, but aside from Alice or Audrey or Merlin, he doesn't really have anyone he's friendly with. And all of them are quite nice, of course, but who couldn't use more friends? And John is new to California, so he's doing a good deed, as well.

"American beer, like American tea, isn't quite the same as back in England. But I suppose beggars can't be choosers, can we?"

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rhymeswithfine
2013-06-03 12:02 am UTC (link)

"I don't drive either. Might have to learn - suck it up and get the L. Seems hard to get around here otherwise." He does not approve of this, as he's avoided learning for thirty five years now, but he can't even begin to fathom the time wasting that the buses offered here. How, possibly, did anyone get anything done?

"Strewth," before going on, he winks at the younger man, because so rarely does he get recognition for a word he's been using frequently since youth. "But we can whinge all we like. Honest? More of a coffee bloke. I'm a terrible Brit, I know."

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yournewq
2013-06-03 01:09 am UTC (link)

"Some teas have more caffeine than coffee, which is why I prefer them. I'm utterly addicted to caffeine, it's dreadful. But better than some other addictions, I suppose.

Not that there's anything wrong with coffee, of course. Though the coffee the machines at work produce is more of a distant cousin than the actual product. I have heard rumours of an espresso machine, but they have yet to be verified. I'll keep you informed." He flashes John a smile and decides yes, a second beer would be fine.

"Would you like another?"

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rhymeswithfine
2013-06-03 01:31 am UTC (link)

"Dreadful," John repeats, and it doesn't come out nearly as posh, probably purposely. He's amused by Q, who's very addiction to caffeine seems to have made him go a bit hyper, a bit more talkative, as if just thinking on it is a rush enough. It's hard to imagine the man after a day's work - keyed-up and letting words tumble out with no stop in sight.

"Never say no to another. Don't suppose they've got import?" A pause, and John is chewing on his own bottom lip and looking around again. "Speaking of poor addictions, pause for a fag? Bloody laws in these parts, can probably get away with murder before smoking indoors."

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	yournewq 2013-06-03 01:43 am UTC (link)
	"Oh I know, I say 'dreadful' far more than I should. It does nothing for my reputation." He smiling, though, amused at his own poshness. "We'll see what else they have when we get back. I might join you, if you don't mind? I don't smoke often, but when someone brings it up it's hard to avoid it, I've found. At least it is for me." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

rhymeswithfine
2013-06-03 01:57 am UTC (link)

John gives a bit of a scoff, as if reputations are one thing he could honestly care less about. And isn't that just the truth? It's not as if he actually thinks Q has ruined it for everyone on the romantic British level. He'll blame the Americans for that all on their own.

"It's a social sort of sport, innit? Always more fun with a few players." Because let's be honest here, smoking was probably about as sporty as John got these days. He was already fishing his pack out from the pocket of his slacks, shiny zippo in tow.

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	yournewq 2013-06-03 02:02 am UTC (link)
	"I'll grab your next drink if I can bum a fag off you. My emergency pack is in my desk drawer at home, I'm afraid." He usually just smokes when he's stressed, and now and again after sex, but if John's smoking, he might as well. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

rhymeswithfine
2013-06-03 02:13 am UTC (link)

John, on the other hand, smokes like it's going out of style. If the world were ending, he wouldn't even be polite enough to bum you one, because he'd need all he could get for himself, wouldn't he?

Luckily, the world isn't ending. Not today. And so he hands one over easy -- this is like a gift on it's own - it's the last of his pack from back home. He can't get SilkCut, not here, and soon he's going to have to find a new brand to favor.

He holds the door open for Q with his foot, and has his smoke lit before he's even really outside. He keeps the zippo open to light the other mans' too. "How good is an emergency pack when you haven't got it around during emergencies?" The urge to mess Q's hair is weird but rising; for the moment he resists.

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yournewq
2013-06-03 04:07 am UTC (link)

"Bless you," Q grins with a wink to show he's teasing, and leans against the wall with his cigarette. "Right now isn't an emergency, it's an indulgence. An emergency would be three in the morning when I'm tearing my hair out and can't think of how to write the next line of code until I have some nicotine in my system. Thus the cigarettes at my desk."

He exhales a slow stream of smoke into the night air, feeling really quite peaceful. "This is nice, isn't it? I haven't anyone to smoke with. I think California is a bit more health conscious than England is. Lots of people who exercise and watch what they eat."

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rhymeswithfine
2013-06-03 04:23 am UTC (link)

John is keen on indulgence to the point of hedonistic, but sometimes he's sure being out smokes is a bit an emergency.

"Right. Bless" he agrees in amusement after a long inhale. He smokes expertly - makes the habit look like something as natural as breathing, like he's just meant to be doing it. Leaning against the wall, too, John isn't so nice as to give Q quite enough personal space. He's interested enough, and doesn't feel he should let the other man forget that completely.

"Been told this was a liberal sort of state, and yet seem to be lacking all the personal freedom I'm used to on some things. Got the dirtiest look after lighting up at the airport. Can you believe that? Who doesn't want a fag first thing after a plane ride?"

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yournewq
2013-06-03 04:53 am UTC (link)

Christ, Q doesn't always find smoking attractive, given he shares the habit, but John makes it look good. It's a bit unfair, really. Q thinks he looks a bit silly himself, when he smokes. Like a schoolboy sneaking a fag between classes in the boy's room, all tousled hair and red lips.

"I don't think any airport would take kindly to that, given how strict rules are these days." He shrugs a shoulder and takes another long drag of his -- well John's cigarette. "I fly exactly once a year, that's about all I can stand."

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rhymeswithfine
2013-06-03 05:15 am UTC (link)

"Didn't light up on the plane, some credit is deserved there." Because sometimes he really wanted to see what dismantling the smoke detector in the plane bathroom would really do. What's the worst that could happen? Not like they'd throw him off the plane.

He tilts his head to the side, watching Q smoke for a moment, but not at all ignoring his own cigarette. California makes him feel like this is some sort of precious commodity of time. Do it while you can, John. Because soon someone will stop you, and you'll be forced to gnaw and chew at your bottom lip like some sort of junkie.

"The flying, or the visiting?" Why else would someone do it once a year, if not for visiting purposes?

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	yournewq 2013-06-03 05:28 am UTC (link)
	"The flying. I don't mind visiting my dad and all, it's the least I can do. But Christ I hate flying. I white knuckle it all the way there, it's dreadful." Then he laughs at himself and shakes his head, "No, not dreadful. I promised my friend I'd avoid saying dreadful from now on. It's nasty, though." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

rhymeswithfine
2013-06-03 05:40 am UTC (link)

That makes John laugh - not only is it cute, it's hard not to appreciate someone with a decent sense of humor as far as self-deprecation goes. Q is funny - slightly ornery but entirely too posh a Brit to ever sound anything more than mildly upset. John's used to that sort of folk, but it doesn't make it any less charming.

"No, no. You should keep saying it. Why would your friend want you to stop? It's bloody adorable." Oh, there was his wolfish grin again. Hello.