Work Text:
James is in the middle of gutting the fish he caught for dinner when he suddenly hears a meow. He looks out from the window and sees one of the familiar stray cats he keeps feeding.
“Hello Precious, you’re just on time for some yummy treats,” he says as he opens the window for her to get inside. She hops right in, and it isn’t until she’s winding her way on his feet, rubbing herself against his calves and purring up a storm that he notices something strange about her, specifically around her neck.
“Hey girl, come here,” he says and puts down some fish guts for her. While she’s scarfing down her treats, he manages to untie the thing around her neck. It’s a small, light parcel, with James Bond written neatly on top of it.
James opens the parcel and finds a pen inside, along with a small note.
Happy birthday,
Q
Under the Q there’s a tiny schematic drawing of the pen showing what it can do. It’s meticulously detailed and clearly drawn with care as it’s easy to understand despite its small size.
James looks at the sleek black pen and smiles. Leave it to Q to gift him an exploding pen only after he’s officially retired. For a moment there, he wonders whether it would finally be time to return home, and he lets himself imagine what it would be like to see Q again.
A demanding meow brings him back to reality, and he shakes his head fondly as he feeds Precious some choice pieces of fish.