#Lupin polygang if you will

[loopspoop]

Imagine, if you will, Goemon’s first time in the US. Everyone’s relaxing (or maybe mid heist, who knows?) and he sees a raccoon doing raccoon stuff. Of course he’s like “you have tanuki here in America????” because have you seen the raccoon dogs?? Super similar, super cute! Lupin’s laughing and trying to tell him it’s an entirely different animal but Goemon’s not buying it at all because it has to be a prank or something. Jigen tries chiming in that it is, in fact, an entirely different animal, it just looks similar, which Goemon half believes since it’s Jigen and he would be a little nicer and not prank him. This derails their entire evening and they have to teach him about common American animals to make sure he knows they’re serious about it not being a joke

[daftpatience]

the things im doing to lupin in my head

[tracklessreason]

Honestly comfortable with Lupin III being the last of his bloodline. Canonically he's got plenty of successors (there's a whole show about Lupin VIII that I think got scrapped), but it's poetic in a way that a family built on carrying on the legacy of their name would end because Lupin chose a real family. Not a kid to train up into the next master thief, not a nameless mistress who only serves as an incubator, no. He chooses Jigen, Fujiko, Goemon, and the funny little life they lead together. He's not interested in family as a continuation of a bloodline, but family as the people you choose to ride with, to die with, and maybe, just maybe, to live with. Going out in style is their thing. Maybe it won't be forever. That's their choice, now and always.

[sideshow-cellophane-blog]

Drunken Episode

"Goemon? Goemon, I," Lupin stumbled into the room, swaying enough so that the wine bottle in his hand knocked against the wall. "I-I need you. Now."

"What do you need?" He sighed and did not move from his seat on the ground. The meditation may have been interrupted but he wanted to resume it once this brief was over. "Who am I fighting and what's the pay?"

The thief dropped straight into his lap with a grunt. Lupin turned so he could wrap his legs and arms around Goemon's torso and buried his face in the crook of the other's neck. 

"Are we fighting your drunken loneliness?" He heard a sniff, and his arms wrapped around Lupin quickly as the sarcasm died on his tongue. "Lupin, what's wrong?"

"I just…I just love you so much!" His voice cracked. "You're so tall, amazing, handsome, talented…I love you. Your hair's so soft. You're sweet. You're amazing, and yo…you're family." His fingers curled into fists holding Goemon's shirt. "My family. I'm so happy that you're in my life. I love you and Jigen so much."

His fingers rubbed up and down Lupin's back nervously. "I love you too, Lupin."

"You do?" He sounded incredulous.

"Of course. Why wouldn't I?"

"You don't…Ya don't w-wanna kill me?"

"Not at the moment."

"I mean-"

"You are worth more to me alive. My heart has mourned heavily when I thought you were dead. I can no longer bear being the one to rid the world of your natural light."

 Goemon sighed as the other, who seemed to be emotionally unstable at the moment, shuddered and shook with sudden emotion. The empty bottle clunked on the ground and Goemon found himself supporting his partner as he sobbed into his shoulder and neck. One hand continued to rub Lupin's back while the other played with his hair, like Jigen would do to relax them both. The gunman was in town at the moment enjoying his free time, leaving the other two alone to their devices.

Within moments Lupin was audibly sobbing, and Goemon couldn't help but think that their most recent case had truly shaken him up. Or maybe it was a secret anniversary that had stirred this episode, as occasionally Lupin would get emotional over the very distant past and his blood family. Either way, Goemon was content to hold and comfort his partner. It was rare for him, or anyone, to see this side of Lupin. 

Their grips on each other were tight and appreciative.

[tacky-optic]

I've been cooking, folks. Grilling. Simmering. Boiling. Various other synonyms. About *JigZeni* of all things. My fixation ship just HAD to be a rarepair, didn't it?? I tried to condense pretty much all of my thoughts into one post and I might have gotten a *bit* carried away, oops. It's probably not THAT long, but still. I regret nothing.

- I imagine (in a general sense, headcanons aside, characters as base as can be) that if Lupin were to never make a move and continue with the coy "will we won't we" shit with Jigen and Zenigata, that they would get fed up to a point where they might attempt to seek solace with each other on a somewhat frequent basis.

It'd probably happen on accident at first; a chance meetup at a bar, the gang gets split up, Zeni has Jig cuffed in the back of a squad car just-another-day-of-the-week style, and one gets to talking while the other decides to humor for once. And I doubt either would be against chatting again after, and lord knows these two like their seedy bar trips, so why not let fate decide when?

- This can be to varying degrees of intimacy!! I love how all of the ships let you do that in some capacity, but JigZeni feels like one of the more flexible ones.

Whether it be as simple as complaining over drinks for a few hours or taking things a step further and heading back to some motel to "get it out of their systems" in "other" ways, ahem ahem.

Either way, they find that they enjoy the other's company and, to their abject horror, whatever weird friendship thing they've developed ends up turning into something genuine and (even worse) autonomous from Lupin.

Because what are they without him? What would they become?? They sure as hell don't know!! But hey, at least there's one other human being on this planet who GETS it.

- And I say that with relative confidence because I see Jigen and Zenigata being on the more (since a better word escapes me) *monogamous* side?? Like they put a lot of weight into a few singular relationships.

They have acquaintances, yes, but how many can they truly call a friend? How many can they trust, *beyond question*, to have their backs, to keep their secrets, to protect their lives, even?? Because trust is a big thing for these two!! Losing someone close hits them way harder than most, to a point where it's actively harmful and discourages them from pursuing anything concrete (also doesn't help that their luck with partners is absolute *shite* and things rarely ever end on a decent/ non-tragic note).

Jigen got SO lucky with Lupin. They ooze trust for each other, and the same goes for Goemon, too. And for a guy like Jigen, having not one but TWO whole-ass people he can depend on is absolutely WILD to him. They're all he needs, really. Zenigata still hasn't found something that concrete yet (on HIS side of the law, at least), and given the nature of the series and his role within it, there's an incredibly low likelihood he ever will.

But at least Jigen knows that pain. He's been there! He can relate! He can console! And Zenigata KNOWS it's legit because he's read, like, *so* many files about this guy. He's Lupin's not-that-much-better half ffs. Zenigata knows Jigen's Been Through It and the fact that Jigen even TRIES to relate despite his rough-ass persona really gets through to him in a way that no one else can.

- All of that baggage would bleed into why they're hesitant to blatantly pursue Lupin. Even though they know that Lupin CAN and WILL reciprocate (enthusiastically, even), Jigen and Zenigata, deep down, also know that he'd never be able to give "all of himself" to them like they are willing to for him.

Jigen is dissatisfied (probably even jealous) of Lupin and Fujiko's goings-on even though he knows it's a *consensual* sort of give-and-take, and you CANNOT tell me that Zenigata isn't the slightest bit jealous of Lupin's tight-knit camaraderie with his crew. "I could treat you so much better", "I wish I could have that attention all to myself" sorta vibes. Don't even get me STARTED on how the excluded party would feel about JigLup/ LuZeni, yeesh.

- Lupin loves them profoundly, no doubts there, but Lupin also loves *everyone*. Which basically turns into if they can't have all of *him*, then at least they can have all of *each other*, y'know??

Even if their friendship (or something more) lasting is impossible, at least they can pretend for a little while.

At least SOMEONE gets it, and that someone also happens to look pretty damn handsome in a fedora, too.

Plus Zenigata is Jigen's type. End of discussion.

now that you're down here in the trenches with me we can hold hands and enjoy overanalyzing hat trick together <3 <3

I DO wanna hear other people's thoughts, though! I can't help but think I'm missing SOMETHING despite writing them for so long (and there's only a handful of people out there who know I have been *writing them*, hooh boy). Hopefully I'll be able to get some of that stuff out there one of these days, but MAN am I a slow writer. Fingers crossed.

[male-duckk]

so i’m watching lupin iii: part 2 and im on episode 18 when this happens

ummm… zenigata why do you have a picture of the gang in their swimsuits??????? polygang/zenigata confirmed?????

[pink-nanowire]

I should do a doodle compilation of all the Lupin's i did so far, bc even if they are smol and ugly and silly, it's been years since I drew a guy THIS FUCKING MUCH. I have like. more than 20 lil doodles of him. Huh.

[fizzingwizard]

This past week I've had another rash of bots of the ~*adult content*~ variety. I've had to block at least 10 very obvious bots. Interestingly, not one of them followed my main blog, and they also avoided two of my three side blogs. They've only followed my third side blog, which is easily the most "conventionally manly" one (because it's not so secretly a Lupin III aesthetic blog xP). That's why there are occasional pictures of weapons and pretty (but fully dressed!) women. I don't reblog a lot of that sort of stuff because too much of it comes from blogs that are just too morally different from me. There are also pictures of men (because polygang!) and mostly it's travel pics and cars and stuff. Like I said, it's Lupin III. I envisioned it as photos the gang take while on their adventures.

The bots ignored my girly blogs this time around but went full throttle on the manly one. They've never done that before. Maybe they were always being worse with that kind of blog, but this is the first time they've also avoided the girly ones completely. Lol. It's kinda sad. They tried so hard to avoid following women who will report them and ended up... following women. Because gender doesn't fall in such neat little boxes and your bots have no idea who's behind the screen, no matter what you (a human) program them to believe...

Idk I just think it's funny that gender assumptions led to bots looking for men and finding block/report-happy me, who is definitely not a man, for the nth time anyway

[hylianane]

tag people you want to get to know better

tagged by: @fxllingout hello and thank youuu!!

last song: Lady Navigation by B’z (got curious about jrock and found it in a playlist… it fucking bangs, man, it’s so good)

currently watching: Lupin III: Part 1 (for a project), One Piece, Dungeon Meshi, Ranger Reject (beloved)

three ships: polygang (lupin iii), zolu (one piece), farcille (dungeon meshi)

favorite colors: red, yellow, purple, pink (fun to wear and color)

currently consuming: packet of bizcochos

first ship: probably Percabeth, though the first ship I read fanfic for is Solangelo, both from the PJO series

birthplace: Costa Rica

current location: My kitchen

relationship status: single and grateful

last movie: Lupin III: Goodbye Partner (not the best written Lupin film but it’s very sweet if you’re sweet on Jigen.)

currently working on: Well today I’m working on my final project of my Drawing II (i dont think thats how that name is translated) course! Not struggling at it but not exactly breezing by either, yknow

tagging: @kenshisblog @lovergirlnami @lamb200345567 @rowdyknives no pressure tho!

[formlessvoidbeast]

Jigen spotted their watcher before Lupin, because of course he did. Nothing ever got past him. He subtly tapped at the table—2 o'clock—but he didn't tense up. Not any more tense than he usually was in public, anyway, so it wasn't anyone who struck Jigen as dangerous. Lupin waved his hand, shooing an imaginary fly away from the last of their crêpes, the perfect excuse for looking up and around.

Beauty all but froze Lupin in place when his eyes met those of the young man watching them. He was a vision in delightfully short shorts and a very loose tanktop that showed off his arms and a delicious selection of side-pec, hair a thick river of pencil-thin locs cascading over his shoulders, soulful brown eyes, snub nose, rich brown skin absolutely luminous in the morning light.

The boy smiled, teeth a flash of white, and stepped up to the table. “May I join you?” he asked. His Dutch had the particular flavor of Aruba, picked up from rubbing shoulders with Papiamento, which was itself Portuguese dancing just a little bit to the left. There was a rainbow-stripe bracelet on his wrist.

“Of course, of course,” Lupin gushed. “A beauty like you can sit anywhere he wants.” Lupin's lap was not excluded from the available options.

Jigen stubbed out his cigarette and pushed a chair out for the boy with one foot. He tipped his hat back just slightly, the better to give him an appreciative up-and-down look and covering perfectly for the way he angled his body to give himself a faster draw.

Padparadscha is the Prize! You want a polygang heist fic intended to read like a (smutty) episode of the show, right? Where the 'girl of the week' is a boy (for Equality). Of course you do! [chapter 3] or [start from the beginning]

[morporkian-cryptid]

Fic author interview! Thank you @vampirenaomi for the tag! I'm a bit late to the party, sorry.

Tagging @crimetimesteadicam, @dandunn and @carriagelamp!

1 How many works do you have on AO3?

I have 48 works there, and there's a few (including my very first long fic and very first NaNoWriMo novel) that are only on Fanfiction.net.

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

562,503 words total. To be honest, considering the amount of long fics I've written, I'm a little surprised it isn't higher, but also I'm bad at estimation.

3. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Treasures of time - JigLup one-shot, emotional angst with a happy ending (221 kudos)

Up in the mountains - JiGoe getting together (197 kudos)

In the middle Part 2 - Polygang getting together (150 kudos)

We are beginning - Goemon POV Polygang fluff drabble (140 kudos)

How to make a gunman snap - JigLup not-quite-porn-without-a-plot one-shot (133 kudos)

It's mostly one-shots and old-ish long fics, which I am a bit surprised about - but then again, they have had more time to collect kudos.

4. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

I do! Unless a comment is just two words and I don't know what to answer, I always reply, at least to say thank you.

5. What’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?

I don't really write angsty ending. The closest to an angsty ending would be Adieu (a Netflix Lupin alternate ending one-shot).

EDIT I forgot about my entire MorMor period skjlsjkldjkl so yeah my angstiest fic is Bang Bang, a MorMor post-Reichenbach one-shot based on the song by Nancy Sinatra.

6. What’s the fic you’ve written with the happiest ending?

They all end well, so I can't really designate a specific one.

7. Do you write crossovers?

I've written I think one crossover ever, a Discworld/Harry Potter fic way back in the day. I'm not gonna link it because it was bad, but it's on my FFnet if you're interested and you can read French.

However I have a BUNCH of AUs that I haven't written up into fics: Lupin III/Discworld, Lupin III/Ewilan's Quest, and an ooooooold MorMor (or Mor4)/X-Men AU that I did write a couple of unpublished one-shots for.

8. Have you ever received hate on a fic?

I haven't, thankfully!

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

I've written one smut scene several years ago, it was very difficult and awkward to do, but in retrospect I think the result was alright. I'm planning to try again. The past try and the upcoming one are both scenes in longer plotty fics, I've never written PWPs.

10. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not to my knowledge.

11. Have you ever had a fic translated?

I've translated my own fics (usually from French to English)

12. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

I haven't; but I did co-write half of an original novel with my best friend, and the possibility of finishing it isn't off the table.

13. What’s your all-time favorite ship?

LUPIN III POLYGANG. And all variations thereof.

14. What’s a WIP that you want to finish but don’t think you ever will?

I started a Lupin III Polygang soulmate AU fic, I really want to carry on with it because I love that specific soulmate concept, but I don't really have a plan for what's going to happen in it; and wouldn't you know it, it's waaaayy more difficult to write a soulmate AU fic for five people than for two.

15. What are your writing strengths?

I think dialogue and banter; when I get in the right frame of mind, it practically writes itself. I'm pretty good at writing pacing in action scenes I think.

16. What are your writing weaknesses?

I tend to write looooooong paragraphs about character's feelings that kind of get out of hand.

17. What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?

I love doing it, and including foreign words, but I have to restrain myself otherwise my fics would be unreadable.

18. What was the first fandom you wrote for?

Discworld. I discovered fanfiction through a Discworld forum. Although to be honest, I think the first thing I ever wrote that qualified as fanfic was the begining and vague plot outline of a self-insert isekai next-gen story in the universe of Ewilan's Quest, my childhood favourite book series. Ewilan's Quest was a huge and formative part of my childhood, and the reason I wanted to become a writer as a kid. And Discworld was my favourite novel series after that, and it solidified my desire to write stories. Both series are still very dear to me; so it's unsurprising, and very fitting, that my introduction to fanfic and writing was these two fandoms.

19. What’s a fandom/ship you haven’t written for yet but want to?

I'd like to write a Zenigen fic, if I ever find a precise idea for it.

20. What’s your favorite fic you’ve written?

That tends to change a lot. Lately, it would be Become, a one-shot about Lupin's journey of finding out he's trans after meeting Jigen; and Hanafuda, my ongoing WIP, a JiGoe florist/tattooist AU where Jigen and Goemon both quit crime before they met and are trying to juggle between their new normal lives, their dark pasts, and what they really want out of life... and their pesky little feelings for each other.

[hixystix]

RULES: post the names of all the files in your WIP folder, regardless of how non-descriptive or ridiculous. Let people send you an ask with the title that most intrigues them and then post a little snippet or tell them something about it! and then tag as many people as you have WIPS.

I was tagged by @coinin! Doing all the WIPs I haven't moved to inactive status yet:

Driven/Lupin III Crossover

Forgetting

Leave No Path Untaken

Polygang - Jigen

To Live Afresh

And these aren't fics to be posted, but attempts to write out bits of characters' backgrounds. I've only gotten started on two at the moment, but plan to do all the gang/Zenigata:

Jigen Background

Lupin Background

Skipping on tagging people 'cause I'm on vacation so hah!

[tropicalfreckles]

REALLY like that Kahlia legit just takes a bullet for Lupin once, the monkey man has truly found his equal in lack of self preservation 🙏 wedding vows be like "I already took a bullet for you and I'll do it again"

Honestly she probably would've taken a bullet for any of them, Lupin just happened to be the target at the time.

(she felt a sense of owing them a lot after they helped her with her family vault problems. Lia admires the hell out of the Lupin gang.) I feel like the whole gang + Zenigata have no self preservation and would take a bullet for him, maybe Fujiko to a lesser extent but queen shot a man for him in pt 1, what an icon, love her. WHILE recovering from a bullet wound herself.

(though that doesn't mean Lupin would want them to haha. I've seen character study deep dives in some good ass fics in those scenarios.)

At the same time the dumbass would vice versa take a bullet for any of them if the situation arose. I enjoy their comradery a lot and also a big polygang shipper.

It's kind of like a standard if someone is part of Lupin's gang/his friend that they would both take a bullet for him and have tried to kill him and or beat the crap out of him.

FUNNY ENOUGH, I can't see Kahlia and Lupin ever getting married. At least in the traditional sense. It's like how I can't see him getting a traditional sense of marriage with anyone.

Oh there have been jokes about her taking a bullet for him for sure, though.

(hell half the time he gets married is for heists)

[sideshow-cellophane-blog]

Stakeout Vacation (Part 1)

Established polygang with OT5, main focus is ZeniGoe. Zenigata is lead to and "forced" to wait with Goemon in a safehouse until Lupin and Jigen re-emerge from hiding.

"Lupin and Jigen are out of the country."

"What? No, I know that they're here, I just-"

"It is just you and I on this hill," Goemon's eyes did not open yet, and he did not move from the grass tickling his neck in the breeze. He simply refused to get up from the ground. "Take a seat, Zenigata. The clouds are lovely and you are out of your jurisdiction. I'm not wanted in this country."

He opened his eyes. There went a dragonfly above his face. The sun sat behind a cloud that was too lazy to move, and the tree above the pair was providing the perfect shade to obstruct the harsh light when it came back out. Judging by the angle, it was due to set within a few hours anyway. He hoped to be able to see the sunset with company this evening.

The inspector grumbled to himself and paced around Goemon instead of observing the lovely hilltop. "No, I know that they're around here, Lupin sent me his calling card from the mailbox on this land and you're here and I've been chasing you guys for a month now with no other leads, they can't not be here!" He stamped his feet and threw his fists up in the air, down again, venting his frustrations.

"I am sorry to disappoint you," Goemon sat up. "Not even I know where they went to. Lupin had me send out his calling card from here to throw you off...It worked. By now, I say that you and I will both know where they were when we see the news. Or when they come back and tell us themselves."

Zenigata began to curse and pace in a frenzy that Goemon recognized was building into a full-blown Zenigata Meltdown. He understood. A month of investigating to not even see the thief? It was a waste of time better spent chasing real criminals and upholding his suffering reputation. 

"Would you care for some tea and soup? The cabin on the other side of this hill is where I am staying." Goemon sighed as he watched the lawful man break down. Lupin might have pushed their inspector too far on this one. "Zenigata?...You can stay with me until they come back. I believe that was the initial-"

"No," The lumbering man crashed to his knees in front of Goemon, seething and pointing a finger in his face. "You know where they are and what they're planning, don't you?!"

Goemon blinked. "I do not. I was purposely left in the dark on this one and am supposed to wait with you until they return. I was actually looking forward to-"

"So they're coming back!"

He deflated. "It could take up to a month. I don't know when."

His face fell, and Goemon feared he would have to comfort the inspector as he cried. "No…No!" His eyes hardened. "You know where they are! You have to! Tell me!" 

Goemon did not expect the larger man to tackle him back to the ground and straddle his waist. "I don't know! Zenigata, I - WAIT!" His eyes widened, his hips twitched. 

Zenigata was squeezing him. Large, awkward fingers were curling into his ribs and sides, and Goemon couldn't push him off. The sheer, silly absurdity of the action was what stopped him from reaching for his katana several feet away.

 "Tell me what they're planning!" 

"I don't know!" Goemon couldn't stop his ticklish giggling from escaping, filling the silent hilltop with loud, echoing joy. He tried to push the giant hands off of his torso, but they were latched on with a strength only the inspector possessed. He resorted to begging instead of killing. "STAHAHAP! Geddahff! I don't know!"

"I'm not stopping until you tell me what his plan is!" It was both a warning and a tease. Something inside of Zenigata began to melt away as he made the normally stoic samurai writhe beneath him. It was not only an interrogation, it was downright therapeutic after a month of near solitude and restless nights going over leads and other open cases. Side jobs he could use to keep his reputation in place meant brownie points for when his paid time off happened to coincide with Lupin's disappearances from the public eye. Goemon's laugh and smile were rarely seen by the inspector, if ever. Most of his focus was usually on the others when they were alone during these coincidental times between heists.

He had forgotten that behind the legends and crimes, Goemon was very human. He was pleased to see that a highly trained assassin would trust him enough to endure lighthearted humiliation only Lupin or Fujiko usually tolerated. He appreciated not being killed on the spot for it.

And if Goemon was telling the truth, which he probably was, then Zenigata had some time to wait for the other two to emerge from wherever they were. He forced his lips to curl back down, stopping himself from smiling. "This is no laughing matter, Goemon! You either tell me where they are or I'll drag you down to that cabin and tickle you until they come back!"

"W-waha! WAIT! Aha, get ahaff!" Goemon's eyes widened through the tickle induced hysteria. His arms had long since snapped to his sides to try and protect them, and he was wiggling from side to side. He managed to roll onto his side, then stomach, but that was because Zenigata had let him so he could in turn have more control. 

He sat on the backs of Goemon's thighs and dragged his fingers up and down his ribs over the hanbok. "Oooooh, Goemon! I'll stop tickling you when you tell meeeee~! Where are theeeey?"

Grass strands were torn from the ground as Goemon tried to crawl forward and away from the humiliating torture. His elbows shot down with a squeak when those pesky fingers darted into his armpits, and stayed there, and Goemon forgot what the initial question was. 

He couldn't stop laughing for the life of him.

"Tell me! Are you lying? Are they really down there in the cabin?! Awful mean of you to make me park two mountains away from it!"  

"Gehehet ohoOOOOFF!" He outright squealed as Zenigata wormed his way into his neck, and no matter how Goemon scrunched it up the fingers found a new way to the sensitive nerves.

This was a distraction. Goemon heard the distinctive metallic click of a handcuff, felt it around his wrist, and that was followed by the other arm being forced behind his back to connect the two together. The tickling stopped and Goemon panted.

"Heheh," Zenigata chuckled darkly. "We're going down to the cabin. If they are there and you're lying for them…"

Goemon gulped as he caught his breath. "They won't be, I've told you the truth!" 

"Then I'm staying right by your side until we find them!"

They each grunted as Zenigata picked up the handcuffed man and tossed him over his shoulder like it was nothing, and grabbed Zantesuken in its sheath with his free hand to stick it in a deep coat pocket. He started downhill towards the old wooden cabin in question, surrounded by overgrowth and worn down machinery from old heists in the surrounding valley. No wonder it was so far away from town, in the middle of nowhere.

There was the beginning of a crude path cut with a sword through the brush, which Zenigata figured Goemon had made, and he followed that down the hill to finish his hike. 

 One of his hands held and occasionally squeezed Goemon's knee, making the samurai grunt and squirm even more. "Stop moving. I don't wanna drop you."

"It tickles," Goemon spat out. "You're sadistic. That was an abuse of power."

He scoffed. "I didn't think you'd be so sensitive. Don't worry, I'll keep it out of my report when I'm done here."

"I have seen Lupin do the same to you before on many occasions," His mood soured further. "It's not an honorable fight when child play is involved. If you had fought me in a fair duel I'd have won."

"Maybe…But it's you," Zenigata minded his hands as they approached the cabin. "Goemon Ishikawa, the ticklish samurai!" He chuckled. 

"I can walk!" Goemon changed the subject. "Stop teasing and put me down!"

"You can run away too, and kick, and squirm. You're letting me carry you. Why would Lupin leave you behind anyhow? What's his idea?"

"I was told to stay here and entertain you until they come back," Goemon's answers were coming faster and shorter. They were close to the front door now. "I'm not sure when that will be, but I'd rather not be tortured during that time. I'm not cutting down a formidable foe over something so trivial but I'm not above breaking Lupin's heart either."

"Hmph," Part of Zenigata already figured that Goemon was right, that Lupin and Jigen wouldn't be down there, but he had to be sure. He had been following the gang across Europe for months now, all small clues recently until Lupin's calling card with an address came in the mail days ago. "Is the door locked?"

"No. I was expecting you."

Without setting him down, Zenigata turned the handle and stepped in. Everything was in one big room with a hallway in the back of the cabin. The living area was nice enough, but water stains, dust and chipping tiles, and the aged appliances in the kitchen area told the inspector that the cabin was previously abandoned. The furniture was covered with dusty sheets. He saw the more recent cans and bags that had been brought and set on a table, but no signs of anyone else living here anytime recently.

 "Nice place. Fixer upper. Do those doors in the back lead to bedrooms? A bathroom?"

"Both. There is a closet leading to a basement on the right, past the kitchen. I've been staying down there in case someone else found me first."

Zenigata set Goemon down finally, and he landed on his feet easily enough. Zantesuken was set on the table top. "Sit at the table, I'm looking around."

"There is tea on the stove that just needs to be warmed again," Goemon kicked a chair out and did as told. He respected Zenigata for caring for both him and his beloved sword, in his own way. "And I have the ingredients for miso soup and noodles. I'm denying you rice."

"That…still sounds nice," Zenigata perked up at that news - he loved Goemon's traditional cooking - and began a thorough search of the cabin. 

He moved to the back bedroom first, checked under the bed and inside the empty closet. He noted that the bed had fresh sheets on it, and the room was cleaner than the living area. The same went for the bathroom that had been stocked with supplies - extra towels, blankets, toilet paper, toothbrushes and paste. It smelled of lemon-scented cleaner. No dirty grime in here or in the bedroom.

Goemon had prepared this for him meticulously with the intent to have him stay. Zenigata could see where the floor had been mopped. He felt a twinge of guilt for being so Lupin-focused when the samurai had obviously been looking forward to this visit.

 He moved back out to the main room and was pleased to see Goemon sitting calmly with his hands still behind his back in handcuffs. "Stay put, I'm checking the basement," He grumbled as he passed the other. 

Goemon glanced up quickly. "No one is down there."

Zenigata went down anyway. He saw Goemon's cot and empty cans surrounding a camp stove burner and a bag - it had clothes and sharpening stones inside, and calligraphy brushes. The cot was hard and Zenigata shuddered for Goemon's back. Much less care had gone into cleaning the basement than upstairs. Other than that, he found a few worn books and a dead radio that was too dusty to have been used recently. There were canned goods along several shelves, and he checked some extra totes that held moth-eaten clothes and possibly old disguises of Lupin's he would go through later. A record player sat on top of the shelf and he figured there were records somewhere, if they hadn't been sold off already. Amongst the boxes were inventions in varying stages of rusting over, and most seemed to be built of old salvaged metal parts.

It seemed this was one of Lupin's safe houses that he had done some tinkering at. Zenigata didn't see any blueprints, but then why would Lupin leave any behind?

He went back upstairs and uncuffed Goemon, giving him an apologetic peck on the cheek. "You really don't know where they are?"

He touched the spot. "Will you really torture me until I give you a fake location?"

The inspector sighed and plopped into the chair beside him, dropping his head into his arms. "I just don't think I can stay. Not without looking suspicious right now."

"Of course," Goemon nodded. "...But you know they will come back to this location. You could wait with me."

He perked up, lifted his head. "So I'm...and I can…Hey, that works!" He grinned and shot back up to his feet, pulling out a cellphone from his pocket. "I'm telling my superiors I'm staking you three out at an empty hideout outside the city limits," Zenigata paused before hitting the dial and gave the other man in the room a look for a few moments. 

Goemon could see the wheels turning. 

"...You're obviously not here," He said suddenly. "So be quiet while I talk. You're my ticket to Lupin and I don't want anyone interfering with us when they could be out there looking for him. Plus I…I appreciate the work you put into this place for my stay. Guess I'll honor that while Yata pulls everyone into the closest cities."

"I hope I am more than a ticket to Lupin. I'm making you food even though you tortured me."

"And I still might if you keep giving me sass. Might make you sleep on that hard cot in the basement another few days while I'm at it," While Zenigata made his calls, Goemon stood and started to prepare their dinner. 

It wasn't just about stopping a possible heist or staking out a "possible" hideout. Zenigata hadn't been alone with Goemon in a very long time. This was obviously a set up by Lupin to get the police away from something big, while also distracting the best detective for the case with Goemon's (enticing) company.

He would keep an eye on the news. 

In the meantime, he was set up with a free place to stay, free food, and somewhat pleasant company that he was mostly positive would not kill him later. This would do.

[flowersnax]

breaking news local man needs to be physically close to the people he loves or else he’ll Fucking Die

[jelly-moon]