#the way both jigen and fujiko love lupin in their own ways and are forever entwined with him

[oofuriofficial]

love experience lupin media for the first time and being introduced to truly the funniest polycule of all time

[loopspoop]

Who, out of the lupgang, do you think would have an existential crisis? I could see it happening to a couple of them tbh, and the others are trying their best to help calm them down and get through it.

I like this ask >:3c

Most to least likely in order?

Lupin/Goemon

Pops

Jigen

Fujiko

Lupin and Goemon are pretty self explanatory. They’re both heirs in long lines of successful thief families. Lupin needs to live up to the expectations his family has set and then some. He’s just another cog in the machine and, while he feels like he’s in control, you can’t always control your life. He thinks a lot about who he would’ve been if he wasn’t Lupin the Third. Some normal guy with a boring life? A successful thief starting his own brand outside of the Lupin family name? Is he just like his ancestors? How different can he truly be? Is there anything for him outside of grand schemes and theft? It keeps him up at night. Sometimes the others catch on but he never speaks about it unless he’s having a panic attack or breakdown from it. It’s not their burden to shoulder.

Goemon had a lot of the same expectations combined with being the owner of Zantetsuken. We know from Part 2 that the sword will stop working in the next 100~ years. Does it bother him that it’s a stain on his legacy? The samurai that ruined the Zantetsuken by losing its mate? And don’t even get him started on finding a partner and potentially having a Goemon Ishikawa the Fourteenth! He never seemed too interested it in, but being the 13th of his name puts some pressure on him to have a 14th. He also wonders what life would be like if he wasn’t literally the last practicing samurai in the world because damn…that’s heavy to think about. Would he still be some sort of super skilled thief/assassin? Or just some average man doing his taxes? It stresses him out quite often. He meditates. He wouldn’t discuss it with anyone unless it was Lupin, because Lupin would be the only one to really understand.

Zenigata is a bit different? Bro kinda chose his life path but there is the fact that he’s an older guy. He won’t be able to chase Lupin forever. What will happen when that day comes? Or the day when Lupin dies for real? Or just disappears and nobody has a Lupin Theft™️ ever again? Zenigata doesn’t let himself think about it because it leads to pretty serious spirals and he usually finds ways to distract himself (like chasing Lupin).

Jigen…he’s a lot different. He’s not a successor of a famous namesake. All he has is his legacy as the best marksman and being Lupin’s partner. He’s always going to be Lupin’s partner, to death do they part. But he could lose that legacy. He’s also made some fucked up choices, some of which he probably had no control over with his time in the mafia. He wonders a lot about if he could’ve been a better man. And if that would’ve affected his being with the group. On a rare night it gets bad he drinks and shoots the shit with Lupin. They don’t discuss it the next day.

Fujiko doesn’t really have much to worry about I feel? She knows who she is. She’s a boss bitch and she gets what she wants. She doesn’t have to conform to anyones expectations but her own (which include being rich and hot and those are pretty easy for her). She can understand where the boys are coming from though, and gives crazy good pep talks on how to not conform to what other people want and how to live for yourself. We love a supportive queen

[nicomrade]

for the character ask game: miss fujiko!! 💃

one aspect about them i love I LOVE uhm everything about her. i like that shes like neutral to kids in both part 2 & fujikos lie like she doesnt like kids but shes not EVIL to them. i like that they made her not maternal but without making it like Evil and Bad shes just a woman .... oh actually i adore that in 1$ money wars they make her a stock gambler as in she buys & sells stocks but is fucking AWFUL at it and loses ALL HER MONEY in it like twice or 3 times in the movie. it just keeps happening. yes shes a businesswoman but whats MORE businesslike that losing all ur money in stocks LMFAO. perfectly in character

one aspect i wish more people understood about them i wishhh people understood everything about her more like 1. that she is equally part of the gang as goemon and that 2. she is a thief out of BOREDOM like lupin is. yes fujiko ALSO cares about treasures & money but that is to fill the void in her life... like #materialgirl. hows that so hard to understand that shes deeply unhappy and seeks fun (through heists and through hoarding Fun Expensive Stuff and through fake marriage schemes and through her flings with lupin and so on) COME ON!!! shes not money-hungry as in she wants to hoard and be a billionaire she just likes seeking it out cuz its fun AND SHES A GAMBLER re: the stocks thing but also re: her poker card motif re: the cicciolina episode and so on and so forth. shes at her heart a gambling addict, too. thrillseeker!!!!

one (or more) headcanon(s) i have about this character uhm headcanons wise i simply cannot see her as anything but a rich kid who was cut off from the family fortune for whatever reason like fujiko to me has a very instinctual understanding of moneys worth and moneys power. as if shed grown up seeing her father wield it as a weapon. but for whatever reason (because an older brother herited the family fortune or ties were cut with her personally, or whatever else) she lost access to that money and had to get it on her own and OF COURSE shed get it through crime cause 1. better money to be made 2. faster this way + shed know about fraud from her dad doing it 3. ITS MORE FUN.. also fujiko mine is a fake name/new identity she named herself that. whether shes cis or trans she named herself that. and fujiko coming from money but not getting to use it pairs nicely with lupin being an heir like he too grew up with money but he always had access to it (and was taught how to steal anything he might want too) so money is worthless to him. its just funny paper he steals sometime. fujiko was cut off from it so shell take anything she can get

one character i love seeing them interact with FUJIKO AND JIGEN FRIENDSHIP IS EVERYTHING TO MEEEE they are best friends who hate each other. this is kinda hellish to me specifically to navigate in fandom cuz on one hand u get people who dont understand anything and think jigen & fujiko genuinely wish the other was dead (... presumably in some ultra-monogamous way to hog lupin ig? lmfao) and on the other hand u get people who ship them and think they have sex n its like ok i think theres some threesomes in there but uhm. just the two of em no that is untrue that never happened. sorry. i also love any fujiko & goemon interactions and uhm basically fujiko interacting with anyone ever cuz shes my everything but i think jigen fujiko friendship is my most special thing to see cuz its kinda rare...

one character i wish they would interact with/interact with more what if rebecca and fujiko interacted more i swear to god they would have so much to talk about UGH the writing on rebecca really dropped past the halfway point of part 4 and ill forever be frustrated by this..... FUJIKO WAS DRESSED LIKE REBECCAS EX LIKE HELLOOOOO they are dating.

one (or more) headcanon(s) i have that involve them and one other character i think fujiko & jigen go to casinos together sometime. sometime its coincidence and they just end up at the same poker tournament and sometime its on purpose and its teaming up to cheat at mahjong. do u understand my vision.. they are gambler buddies. also this is where id put my fujilup heacanons if i remembered any of them i just think they are in fucked up love <3 non traditional relationships WIN

[fizzingwizard]

I (finally) watched Lupin the First

Actually, I watched it twice, because the first time I was kinda meh... You know the reason is probably... welll... anime Hitler and all rofl. (It’s certainly not the first time we’ve seen anime nazis, it’s just... always bizarre for me >.>) That and I kind of left thinking, “For all the to-do over the 3D animation, it was just an average Lupin story. The guest character took over too much.”

But on second viewing, which is a thing I tend to do because I often have very different opinions when I go in knowing the outcome vs when I don’t, I did in fact like it much better. Liked Laetitia more too, and the amount of attention she got is equivalent to other movie guest characters, so. Only to be expected. It’s a Lupin movie. The story doesn’t fill you with awe, but it is good fun. The characters all had at least one good moment (although, for Goemon, I count him running at full speed chanting "zantetsuken zantetsuken” as his shining moment x’D)

And the 3D animation, which I expected to find off-putting, actually worked out really well! I loved the designs for the main cast. Lupin does look a liiiittle cartoony compared to the other guys, but at least he looks like himself. A noodle man.

(The girls are a different matter. Both Fujiko and Laetitia look plucked out of a Disney movie - Frozen in particular. Of course feminine characters never get the flexibility of design that masculine ones do. But it was a little weird seeing Elsa and Anna set alongside Jigen’s fuzzy beard and Zenigata’s cleft chin, esp bc the girls’ eyes are so much larger.)

Fav bits are def the car chase in the beginning, and Lupin channeling his inner spider-man to web-sling through the tunnel of death. And Goemon driving, lol.

My one quibble - aside from anime Hitler rofl - is that the climax at the end, where Lupin almost gets sucked into the black hole, is like... entirely his own fault?? I think??? I possibly misunderstood what was going on, but as far as I can tell, he leaves all the others behind to deal with the nazis, goes to face Gerard (or whatever his name is) himself, deliberately sets off the micro black hole thingy in a way which I guess is meant to destroy it forever, and... doesn’t have a backup plan in case his method of escape (parachute) is lost? That... took a little of the drama away for me. I kept thinking “What a dumb way to die. All your friends are inside watching like, ‘Gee, maybe we should have suggested at least one of the four of us went with him to help in case of emergency,” lol. Yeah, this is all typical of Lupin, going in alone etc. But I mean, I laughed, and I wasn’t meant to be laughing then :P The whole thing is set up to make the main character have to go it alone, I guess he’s probably thinking something like “I gotta protect them so I’ll go by myself” or some such. At least bring a spare parachute, bro. Or throw sticky putty at the one and only enemy who you know will be there to prevent you escaping...

However, that aside, the movie is pretty entertaining. If you like Lupin, you’ll know what you’re getting into anyway. It’s got significantly more action going on than Part VI, thank goodness. Fujiko still doesn’t wear a bra but she kicks ass and that’s what going bra-less is all about.

A bonus fav: Fujiko saving Jigen’s hat, so fast I almost missed it

Laetitia just did the same thing bc she’s polite you know, but Fujiko doing it makes me 😍

[ashenpages]

Current Projects & Emoji Voting Key

Quick disclaimer: I’m a romance writer in all aspects of the term, so most of my works will contain mature content. Engage at your own risk, you know the rules, you’re responsible for curating your own experience of the internet, blah blah blah.

This post serves as a current mock up of fic ideas I’m either actively working on or considering working on next. You can drop me an ask about any of them, or just vote via the emoji combo I’ve assigned them.

Voting lets me know you’re excited about an idea and makes it more likely I’ll actually work on it. You can vote anytime, there’re no deadlines or winner announcements, just me gauging your interest by what I see in my ask box most often.

You can also ask me about the original stuff I’m working on currently. The current WIPs are Medusa centric and the emoji for them is: 🐍

Support my original work on Ko-fi and Patreon.

- Lupin: 🤑🤠💍  These are all oneshot ideas, between 5-15K each. If you want to vote for a specific idea, send me the emojis and the number of the idea.

Born from the idea that Goemon and Zenigata probably couldn’t be an item, my brain decided to come up with how I could write for them. Goemon’s teaching an ikebana class as part of his training, and Zenigata shows up as a student on forced recreational leave for his health from the ICPO. Zenigata wins the samurai’s heart through flowers. But what happens when Lupin and Jigen find out? (Only good sexy things, I promise. These beans are in a healthy polycule--be gay, do crimes) (WIP)

Jigen/Lupin, but it's Jigen deciding to seduce Lupin while wearing his own Lupin disguise. The thief is waaaaay too into it, and some artistry is taken with the sex so that they don't mess up the disguise too much during their encoutner.

Jigen/Zenigata/Lupin where Jigen has some fantasices about Zenigata, but is pretty sure they'll never happen. Tells Lupin about them. Suddenly the fantasies are coming true, in the middle of a heist, and Jigen doesn't what to do except get swept up in the moment and enjoy. Plot twist, it's Lupin dressed up as Zenigata granting all his gunman's dreams. Plot twist again, Zenigata catches them at it.

Zenigata/Lupin, where Lupin keeps doing good things in illegal ways and Pops has to find a way to punish him for it. Good thing for Pops Lupin's a masochist?

Trans!Lupin and Trans!Jigen premise: Jigen cares for Lupin after the master thief has top surgery, since Jigen has Been There and Done That. Caring, sweet, and a little sexy. Lupin is a much better patient than Jigen.

The one time Zenigata caught Lupin in an alley and kissed him and it was Jigen in disguise. Things get sexy anyway, and Zenigata has crushes on two thieves now. Lupin and Jigen "kidnap" him later for an evening of taking care of their inspector.

The background plot of Jigen's Gravestone where we see Jigen think he's done for and try to leave Lupin. Our thief has none of it, and we get to relish in the inherent eroticism of Lupin sitting in sniper fire, knowing Jigen's got his back. This is the moment I think Jigen finally believes he can be with Lupin forever.

I love the idea of something longer and more plot driven like a Lupin special where Lupin ends up in hot water and Jigen and Fujiko have to work together to save him. Jigen and Fujiko have such an interesting relationship. They're both partners of Lupin, they don't really like each other, they constantly screw the other over, but when it really matters they take care of each other. I'd like to see that highlighted a little more and also give them space to call each other out and bicker. Nothing sexy between them, but maybe a really interesting threesome with Lupin and Fujiko in a strap on once they save their boy.

- Sonic Vampire Novelist Coffee Shop AU: 📚☕💐

Shadow is an immortal vampire who has seen the world change for the worse too many times. These days it feels like he only lives for his coffee dates with Rouge, another immortal who loves each new era they encounter, warts and all. He has to admit that the book series she got him into speaks to him, at least. If someone in this era can understand him without meeting him, it can’t all be bad. But he hardly expected the goofy blue barista at the new coffee place to understand him the way those books do.

This is a novel length romcom romp with some big feelings about what it means to watch as things change, grow, and die. Expect lots of Big gothic feelings from this one, emotionally charged kissing, and overly-adoring sex. But also expect shenanigans from everyone in the coffee shop, which include Rouge, Amy, Tails, Knuckles, Cream, and more.

- Sonic Blazamy, "Like the Sun": 💖🌸💎

Amy Rose has been in love with Sonic for a while.

Or has she?

When the Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Shadow, and Silver are trapped as the fuel sources for Doctor Eggman’s newest evil scheme, Amy teams up with Blaze, Rouge, and Cream to save them. With Sonic out of the picture and Amy fulfilling his role, was she ever really in love with him? Or did she just want to be like him?

This is a novel length epic romance with lots of competent women and lots of romantic Blazamy content. Expect flowery hopes and dreams, badass self-actualization, and glancing hand touches that give way to cuddly and sweet sex.

- Persona 5: 🗡🍛☕

After bringing down the Metaverse twice, Ryuji didn’t think graduating high school and figuring out what to do with his life would be so hard. Akira’s back in town, and the gang’s more-or-less all in Tokyo, but everyone else seems to have a plan while Ryuji just floats. How’s he supposed to change the world when he’s not a phantom thief anymore?

This is a novel length fic that addresses how powerless one can feel being just one person in the face of all the corrupted systems and bigotry the world has to offer. It’s about holding on to what you believe in, working through the doubt, and fighting your way to a better tomorrow with the power you do have. The whole gang is queer, featured relationships being Mako x Ann, Ryuji x Akira, Futaba & Yusuke as platonic life partners. Akira is polyamorous and omnisexual, Futaba’s asexual and aromantic while Yusuke is demisexual and very romantic, Makoto’s a lesbian, Ann and Ryuji are bi, and Haru’s pansexual, demisexual, and aromantic. They’re one giant band of queer Phantom Thieves, and even if they’re not really doing the Metaverse thing anymore, they’re still gonna save the world!

Also, I’m gonna make Makoto not a cop. That super didn’t age well. Zenkichi and his boss can work on making them better/abolishing them for other better organizations.

- Hades Game: ❤️‍🔥💀

Oneshot. I just really need to elaborate on the threesome you can have with them in-game, okay? Healthy and canon poly relationships are so few and far between, so often I have to do a ton of groundwork to explain why it’s working in the fic, but NOT WITH THESE KIDS!

Get ready for Meg helping Zag and Than be better at expressing their feelings, lots of kissing, and probably pegging.

- Castlevania Animation Trevor/Sypha/Alucard: 🧛🏰🛌

Castlevania gave Alucard a threesome last season, and I just really need S4 to give me him being taken care of by his partners. They’re probably not going to give it to me, so I’ll need to do it myself. This is just an everybody loves Alucard oneshot, with the gang’s signature banter (to an extent), Sypha being sexy, and Trever being remarkably sincere. This fic is gonna feel like that Ann Hathaway picture with Trevor kissing Alucard and Sypha holding the end of Trevor’s whip while she leans her head on Alucard’s shoulder adoringly.

- Devil May Cry Nico/Lady/Trish: 💋✨😈

Nico’s gay, okay? Like really, really gay. And Lady’s bi and not into men who make her pay bills, but very into women who make amazing guns for her and demonesses with hearts who fight by her side. Trish is ace, but loves people and is pretty attached to Lady at this point. Plus it’s cute when Lady blushes and says nice things like they’re insults. I don’t have super solid ideas for them yet, and I envision these more like a polycule where Lady’s with Nico and with Trish but they’re not with each other more than seeing it as a threesome, but who knows what might happen. This is probably 1-2 oneshots depending on ideas, but might turn into a series of oneshots if people are interested (or I can’t control myself and inspiration strikes).

- Post FMA:B Blind Roy & No Alchemy Ed: 👀👑🙏

This is actually an old novel-length fic I wrote ages ago and didn’t post that didn’t turn out well because I was new to writing sex when I first wrote it. The plot is good, and is all about Roy learning to work with his blindness to reclaim his ambition of being Fuhrer and changing the system to something that actually cares for its people. He and Ed reconnect, fall into bed, and both set about working through their respective traumas about being “useless” having lost their sight/alchemy. They go to Xing as an ambassadorial party to offer Amestris’s collaboration on Al and May’s Alkahestry experiments--and uncover a plot that might threaten both kingdoms.

- Age of Calamity continuity Mipha x Revali: 🦚🐟💘

The first time Revali noticed Mipha, it was in the heat of battle. She stole his mark, taking them down with a flurry of quick blows from her spear. Violence rained from her like water--and then she healed him on her way to her next battle. No questions, no conditions, just pure kindness. The usual need to measure himself against those around him was quiet in her wake. And Revali couldn’t understand it. But how to get to know more about her? A fish and bird may fall in love, but where would they live?

This fic could be a oneshot or novel length depending on how far down the hole I fall. I need it to cover time, but it could be done in linked vignettes or with actually covering events in detail. I may elect to do a oneshot just to get it done and out of my system faster. So much fic to write, so little time.

Expect trans!Revali, polyamorous Zoras, scary competent Mipha, songbird Revali, love confessions that are made up entirely of berating Link for not loving Mipha the way she wants him to, and breaking these characters a little outside of their assigned roles in BotW and Age of Calamity. Background Link x Zelda, and Urbosa x Zelda’s Mom.

- Epic desert romance about Urbosa and Zelda’s mom: 🏜🏝⚡

I just think Urbosa should kiss women and Zelda’s mom should get more development and maybe a name or something. Also, lightning imagery/metaphors/play.

It also went way over my head that Riju wasn’t Urbosa’s daughter the first time I played BotW, so now I want to write about the Gerudo queen who refused to produce an heir. The Gerudo are fascinating and have a very interesting cutlure, but I think it could be examined from a nonbinary perspective that rejected pregnancy and wanting to find a husband. Not in like a hateful way, but in a way that examines if that’s really right for everyone. There’s that shop in town that sells Voe armor, after all. Maybe finding a husband and having children isn’t something you have to do if you don’t want to. And Urbosa really doesn’t want to.

[theimpossiblescheme]

“Where have you been?!”--for Goemon and whoever you want!

Goemon could already feel his heart sink a bit when a boy no older than seven answered the door, cracking it open just enough to turn on the porchlight above them.  “C-Can I help you, Mister—” he nervously eyed the sword at his side—“Mister Samurai?”

“Yes, can you tell me if… if the lady of the house is home?”  He wasn’t exactly sure what the proper form of address was.  Calling her by her first name seemed too familiar, but he couldn’t be sure if she’d changed her last name in the… fifteen years?  Since he’d last seen her.

(Had it really been fifteen years?  How had he let the time fly away from him like that?  What could he have possibly been too busy with to come back, even just to say hello?)

The boy nodded and hid a few more inches behind the door, turning his face away.  “Mom!” he called, and Goemon���s heart sunk a little bit deeper. “There’s somebody at the door! Says he wants to see you!”

“What is it, Kōhei?” A woman’s voice sounded down the inside hallway, followed by the whisper of socked feet.  Then another hand came to nudge open the door, and there was Murasaki.  Dressed in worn grass-stained blue jeans and a yellow cardigan, her long hair pinned up out of her face in a loose bun and showing a few strands of grey at her temples. Certainly thinner and more tired-looking than he remembered her, but her face lit up with a brilliant smile as she recognized him.

“Goemon!”  She sounded shocked, but delighted at the same time. “What are you doing here?”

Suddenly that sounded like a very good question.  But Goemon tried to maintain his composure.  “I… I hope I’m not intruding.  I thought I might stop by and—and see how you were doing.”

“Okay.”  She nodded slightly, as if still registering his presence, before seeming to relax a bit and opening the front door wider.  “Yeah, come on in!  Kōhei—” she ran a gentle hand through the boy’s hair—“this is Mom’s old friend, Goemon.  He’s the one who saved our whole family from the Fuma clan, remember?”

Kōhei ducked behind Murasaki’s pantleg and muttered a quick “hi” before dashing off down the hall.  Goemon couldn’t help but give a tiny smile as he slipped off his shoes, discarded his sword, and stepped inside.

“Don’t worry about him, he’s just shy,” Murasaki said as she watched him run off, tucking a few loose strands of hair back into her bun before turning back to Goemon.  “So what brings you all the way out here?”  The where on earth have you been?! was implied, even if it was a gentle urging rather than a demand, and for a moment Goemon had no idea what excuse he could possibly give.  What did one even say after fifteen years?

“I—Lupin and Jigen and I had been travelling for a while, and I had… I had started to miss home. And I figured along the way I would come and visit you… since it’s been so long.”  We’ve done so much together, Murasaki, you wouldn’t believe, his thoughts raced wildly.  We stole from palaces, we robbed the biggest casino in the world, we saved a princess and uncovered a worldwide conspiracy… and I never even thought to write to you.  And it’s been too long for any apology to be good enough.  I wish you could have seen it, I know Lupin wanted to invite you along all those years ago, and I know you wanted to see the world.  I’m sorry I never took him up on it when I had the chance.  “I hope I didn’t come at a bad time,” was what he said instead.

“No, no, it’s okay!” she quickly reassured him.  “Actually, you came at a great time—I was just making us a late supper.  We’ve been so busy today the time kind of got away from us, but you’re welcome to join us!”

Goemon blinked.  Of all the responses she could have given, that was the most optimistic one, but he’d always suspected it was just wishful thinking.  Now that he was here… “I’d… I would like that.”  

Murasaki gave him another smile, an even brighter one this time, and gestured for him to follow her. He still remembered his way around the Suminawas’ old home surprisingly well, although the large TV in the living room and the power strips with multiple long extension cords running to and from the kitchen threw him for a moment, and he almost sat on someone’s stuffed dog next to the dining room table.  While Murasaki busied herself in the kitchen, he glanced around the place through the open dividing screens, taking it all in.  It was still the same house, the same woodwork, the same art on the walls and shelves, the same view of the garden outside… but it felt very different now.  More energetic in a way, more lived-in.

“That boy, Kōhei… is he yours?”  He had to be—she’d clearly named him after her grandfather, who must have passed away years ago.  Another pang wrung through Goemon at the thought.

“Mm-hm.”  Murasaki rearranged a few pots on the stovetop before getting a new one out for tea and filling it with water.  “Kaneto and I adopted him.  We’d always wanted kids, but neither of us wanted…”  She shrugged demonstratively.  “You know.”

Goemon nodded.  At least she’d found someone else who understood what she truly wanted in a marriage, even if it might seem like comparatively little.  “What does Kaneto do for a living?”

“We both teach!  At the high school the next town over—he teaches history, I teach biology.”  Setting out two teacups on the counter and leaving the water to boil, she turned back around to face her guest.  “And one the weekends he helps me with the garden.  That’s what we were doing all day until I sent him out to go run errands for me,” she added with a somewhat embarrassed wave down at her jeans.

Goemon only nodded again. He remembered her telling him, way back when they first met, that she wanted to earn her teaching degree someday, even if she had to put it on hold to care for her family.  Now she seemed truly happy with both, and he was happy for her truly—it would be selfish of him to even entertain the slightest bitter thought…

It wasn’t bitterness exactly.  More of a heaviness that sat at the bottom of his ribs and the pit of his stomach, even at seeing her current happiness.  A feeling he’d always tried so hard to transcend over the years, but it never quite worked.

A photograph hanging nearby caught his attention—a family portrait.  Murasaki stood beaming next to a man in a smart, slightly old-fashioned suit with dark brown hair.  They were about the same height, which made Goemon chuckle, but the Kaneto in the frame still managed to smile down at his wife like he couldn’t believe his good luck. Next to her stood a much more energetic Kōhei, grinning from ear to ear, and at Kaneto’s side stood a little girl, presumably their daughter, in bright yellow overalls and a fluffy white bow in her ponytail.  All four of them looked deliriously happy, and Goemon’s heart suddenly ached so much he could feel his shoulders sinking as the heaviness expanded.  He’d missed it.  He’d missed all of it.  She’d found love again, gotten married for real this time, taken in her own adorable children, built a new life for herself…

And he hadn’t even thought to write to her.  She’d never left his thoughts, never for a moment, but thoughts couldn’t be delivered to someone’s home, couldn’t be read as plainly as words on a page.  So much time he’d never get back, so many chances gone. He didn’t even feel bitter at the loss—he just felt sad, almost ashamed, that he’d never known, never got a chance to be there when it all happened.  It felt odd, almost too simple assigning such a basic word to such a strong emotion, but sometimes the simplest explanations were the best.

“It sounds like I’ve missed quite a lot.”

He hadn’t meant to say it out loud, but a frown line in Murasaki’s forehead deepened as she tended to the tea.  “Well… you were gone for a long time.”  Her voice was still gentle and nonjudgmental, but the additional weight of her words settled at the pit of his stomach and joined the sour, regretful churn there.

“I know.”  It was silly, really… Goemon wasn’t entirely sure what he’d expected.  Even years before the whole mess with the Fuma clan, they had both been practically children when they first met.  And while she’d been able to stay that way a little longer, joyous and bouncy and carefree even into her twenties, he had to grow up rather quickly.  Momochi’s treachery, Jinen’s murder, that terrible cult pursuing Fujiko… and all of this before he and Lupin found each other.  Since then he’d met three new friends, watched at least two old ones die, and forced himself to reconsider his place in the world. He could never be the same callow naïve youth he’d started as, and he could never be the same man who’d left that day, promising her he’d return once he’d completed his training… maybe he just didn’t like the reminder.

I’m not going to wait for you, Goemon!

It seemed nothing had. And it was selfish of him to expect otherwise.  He’d once though that no matter how much the world changed, he would stay the same… now he realized even that wasn’t true.  He was part of the same world as Murasaki, as Lupin and Jigen and Fujiko—time passed the same for all of them, no matter how they tried to fight it.

“I didn’t know it would be so long.”  It was no excuse, but more of a musing… no one ever did, did they?  And then the next thing they knew, fifteen years had gone by without so much as a by-your-leave.

And Murasaki, kind and forever buoyant soul that she was, still refused to judge him.  Or if she was, she never betrayed even a hint of it. “I get it.”  She poured the water and tea leaves back into the pot to let them steep a few minutes.  “Life goes on, you know?  It just… happens, no matter where we are.  That’s what Grandpa used to say.”  A silence ensued then, not quite entirely comfortable, but still companionable as Goemon pondered her words.  They were true enough—if someone had told that callow naïve youth that he’d spend years of training to be an assassin, that he’d throw in his lot (and fall in love) with a pack of thieves, that he’d turn down marriage into another proud and noble family… he definitely would have laughed.

What was the phrase? The best laid plans of mice and men… they all certainly seemed to go awry in his experience.

“But for what it’s worth,” Murasaki ventured, emerging from the kitchen with two fresh cups of tea and pressing one into his hand as she sat across from him, “I am glad you came to visit.”

“… I am, too.”  He was here now, at least.  And perhaps… for all the time he’d lost, there was still time to make it up.  He wasn’t planning on stopping anytime soon.  As strangely final was his last goodbye to Lupin and Jigen had felt, he loved them and Fujiko far too much to leave their sides entirely.  Besides, a samurai’s lot was to serve until death, or at least until he was no longer useful.  Retirement simply wasn’t in the cards for Goemon—he’d made peace with that long ago.  But strangely enough, the sentiment didn’t have the same… rigid structure it once had. It was less of a solemn vow, a mast he needed to lash himself to lest he be tempted by some other siren song, and more of a recognition of the way things were.  Of where his life had led him and would continue to lead.

It had led him and Murasaki in different directions.  With their own respective families, unorthodox as his own was (and he could just imagine the insufferably saccharine look on Lupin’s face if he’d heard Goemon refer to him as such).  And they were both happy.  Maybe years ago he might have resented that, but now… this also felt like the way things were meant to be.  Tea on the table, supper on the stove, sitting across from a loved one.  What more could he ask?

He did want to at least offer a little more, though—it only seemed fair.  “I will probably go back to my family’s old home for a little while, but… if you ever need somebody to help you with the children or in the garden, I’d be more than happy.”

“That sounds wonderful. Oh!”  She reached across the table to pat his hand excitedly, a quick succession of feather-light taps.  “And you have to meet Mayumi—she would adore you.”

Goemon smiled again, and some of the weight in his chest began to lessen.  “I look forward to it.”

[stealinghero]

Ahh I'm shy to ask T . T Maybe you could write a story where Goemon's s/o went on a heist and was pronounced dead by authorities but after like three or four months come back and is like- 'Babe I had to fake my death for a bit. I'm sorry.' I'm curious to know how you think this samurai man would react. Mayyyyybe a little NSFW at this end? ~ , ~ Hhhh androgynous s/o??? Still loving you're writing- congrats on 200 posts! Really excited to see what's to come.

Don’t be shy!! I don’t bite (unless you want it) and LOVE getting asks. No matter what it is! ^___^

It’s weird writing Goemon. On one side he’s pretty easy because he’s chilled and on the other side he’s very intricate with his words and actions. I even put in the hint of a bit nsfw, because he IS a little dirty shit if he really wants to.

I hope you enjoy:

1. denial

2. anger

3. bargaining

4. depression

5. acceptance

Those are the 5 steps of grief. He had gone through all of them. Some were more intense than the others, some longer than others. It would be a lie to say it didn’t hurt anymore. To say it didn’t shred his heart into small pieces whenever his thoughts betrayed him and he felt himself breaking down.

Everything was a potential trigger. A scent, a gesture, even a word. Food didn’t taste the same, his laugh was hollow – just as he was.

Something was lost that day, a spark remained in hope. Then the announcement. And the spark went out.

He had tried to end it. This life didn’t make sense anymore. Why should he want to live in a world without them? But still, he had waited. For a sign, a whisper of the grass, anything. Nothing came. No angel flew down from Heaven to tell him everything would be alright. No Buddha appeared and taught him a lesson about reincarnation and the suffering you had to endure beforehand.

Just Lupin and Jigen. Their preaching was different and had helped him more than any God could do. They sat next to him, they drank with him, they listened to him.

Not even once they were gone too far from him. He would miss them, sure. He would feel even more alone than he was now. But how can a broken man break even more? One time they would leave him forever. And there was nothing he could do.

Once he had sworn to protect his love. And he had failed.

Once he had sworn to forever love them. He still did and it killed him slowly.

Once he had sworn to build a happy family with them. But no one was here now to call family.

And once he had sworn to never lose hope. And he had lost it.

 It was a normal day. He took a shower and had some small breakfast Lupin had prepared. He didn’t complain about the western style of it. Nothing tasted good anyway. Why eat rice when it tastes the same as a pancake and shit?!

He took a breath and sipped on his tea as the doorbell rang.

The both men looked at each other. Jigen was out but had a key. Why should he ring? Fujiko would just call Lupin from the outside to let her in. Who would ring?

Slowly, ignoring the adrenaline in his blood, Goemon got up and went to the door. Lupin was right behind him, his gun in his hands.

 “Hi.”

This time he took a deep breath and he could Lupin behind him do the same.

The face, the body, everything was right. And if his comrade could see the person, it had to be real.

“Can I come in?”

“Do the dead make home visits now?” Lupin tried to joke.

“I had to vanish for a time. Zeni’s bloodhound was on my trail and almost got me,” you told the two men before you.

Lupin scoffed and put his Walther away.

“This boy still has to learn the rules. Come in.”

You went past Goemon, who still stood unmoving.

“Where were you? Come on, at least a letter or something would’ve been nice.”

“I know. But Yata’s a real bitch. He’s better than the old man himself sometimes. If he wasn’t chasing the wrong person right now,” you had to laugh and followed the thief into the living room.

“We were worried…” Silence followed as Lupin watched you with a stony face, nodding in the direction of the still frozen Goemon.

“I was just gone for a few months. You do that stunt every few years.”

He stuffed his hands into the pockets of his jeans.

“I am not declared dead.”

You went pale.

“What?”

“The police declared you dead. You died in a chase in Rome when you were pinned between two trains.”

Slowly you remembered that stunt. Yata had chased you down and almost arrested you. On the other side of the tracks Zenigata was already waiting… Yes, you had gone a bit too far to kill a civilian in order to fake your own death. But you had succeeded and fled.

“I survived?”

“We thought you were dead!” he shouted at you, which hurt more than any beating.

“I had to do this!” you shouted back.

“And you never once thought about us, right?! Hey, your plan was great but the execution was sloppy. Try to talk to Jigen…. And him.”

Your gaze followed his outstretched finger and landed on Goemon, who still stood in the hallway in front of the open door.

Your heart skipped a beat and not in the good way. Why did he look so pale? And he had lost a few pounds. His cheekbones were more prominent than ever making him look haunted and almost like death itself.

You took small steps to reach him, not wanting to startle him.

“Hey.” It was all you could say now.

He turned around to you and let his eyes wander as if to make sure you were really standing in front of him.

“It’s me,” you reassured him.

He shook his head.

“You’re dead.” His voice was hoarse as if he hadn’t spoken for some time. Knowing him, you knew it was a possibility.

“I’m not. I faked my death.”

He moved his hand as if to touch your cheek and you felt how much you longed for his touch. But something in you also was too afraid. He seemed to be so… frail?

With a sigh he let his hand sink before he could touch you and took a step forward. Instinctively you hugged him and were shocked when he let his forehead rest on your shoulder. He didn’t cry, he didn’t say a word, he just stood there in your arms and took careful breaths.

You felt like you needed to say something, but the words wouldn’t come. No matter what you would say, it would be stupid. Slowly it dawned on you how the three must have spent their last four months without you. As Lupin had said, they had thought you were dead. Goemon had thought you were dead. Gone forever. And now you stood here before him without any warning and with an empty brain, too useless to even say you were sorry.

“I am glad you are back.”

His voice so close to your body shook you from your realizations. You hugged him more tightly, pulling him even closer.

“There is no reason to live without you.”

Tears began to run down your cheeks as you listened to him.

“It was impossible to meditate without your breath to listen to.”

You swallowed any response and allowed yourself to just be in the present.

“Even the food wasn’t the same.”

Here you had to stifle a laugh. When he lifted his head to look at you, he was met with your lips pressing on his.

“I missed you, too.”

 The first night with him was like the first night ever. He took hours just to undress you and watch your every move. First he just watched you, then he slowly dragged his fingers over every inch of your body. At the end he explored your skin with his lips and tongue, as if he wanted to use every sense to get a grasp at you.

You felt your and his arousal at this exploration, but you stilled your body and let him do it in his own pace. He needed to know you were back. He needed to know you were his again.

He sat on his heels and looked at your body as one.

“You truly are back.”

You nodded, feeling a bit uncomfortable naked under his intense gaze.

“And you are still mine.”

Again you nodded, happy to see him crack a small smile.

“Prove it.”

You grinned at his invitation and got on all fours. Slowly you crawled over the bed to him and kissed him gently. His fingers ran through your hair and grabbed a handful, yanking you back harshly.

“You know what happens to bad people who fake their own deaths. ”

You didn’t know. But the lustful sparkle in his eyes and his teeth on your throat made you imagine a few things. The night was far from over…