ʟᴜᴘɪɴ│ᴛᴋ [complete]

.49. ɪɴ ᴡʜɪᴄʜ ᴛʜᴇʏ sᴀʏ "ɢᴀᴍᴇ ɴᴏᴛ ᴏᴠᴇʀ"

The air of the high-ceilinged yet snug Parisian apartment filled with the scent of fresh tea as it was poured into two matching cups.

As hints of bergamot hit his senses, the old man sighed blissfully. A hot cup of Earl Grey never failed to make him feel like home — a feat really for the view outside the living-room looked nothing like the London skyline.

"The finest blend for you, my dear Holmes," Arsène confessed with a smile. "The lovely ladies at Betjeman & Barton added cornflower petals when I told them it was an anniversary gift."

"You devil. Still into the habit of lying to get what you want."

"A trick I'm afraid I cannot unlearn."

It was Holmes's turn to smirk. "You're quite jovial today, Lupin. Any good news you'd like to share?"

By way of a response, the man handed him the morning paper. The front page article featured the Monet painting that had gone missing back in June and which had been returned to the Louvre in what the reporter referred to as "a special arrangement with authorities who agreed not to press charges in exchange for advice on helping the museum upgrade its security system". Apparently, the deal also included a nondisclosure agreement for the identify of the mysterious thief had not been leaked to the press.

A mirthful chuckle escaped the retired detective. "I see Ash is as talented as you are when it comes to slithering out of trouble."

"They would never have caught her without the assistance of Jungkook. Watson taught him well."

"Dearest Watson. I do miss his quiet watchfulness every now and then."

His old foe turned friend paused for a moment. "I may be able to get your mind off nostalgia."

"How so?"

Arsène pulled a black and white envelope from his inside pocket. "Take a look at this."

"Is this what I think it is?" Holmes wondered out loud.

"It's a wedding invitation. And I have no intention to bunk off."

His friend couldn't help but raise a brow. "Does that mean Taehyung has finally forgiven you?"

"Perhaps. But above all, it means you and I are going to have to play dress up, like in the old days."

The snort that ensued was obnoxiously loud. "Why should I go?"

"Because you're my plus one. It says right here that I can bring someone along, provided I RSVP soon enough."

"Arsène, I'm too old for this."

"You're only too old if you think of yourself so. It will be fun. Trust me. We can play the distant relatives no one's heard about," the man added with a mischievous wink.

"Don't embarrass me."

Lupin silently praised the B&B ladies for their blending skills as he watched Holmes's resolve melt away. "So you're coming."

The old man wasted no time providing a convincing reason behind his sudden change of heart. "I could think of worse ways to put an end to our little game."

"Who said the game was over?"

This definitely grabbed Holmes's attention. "What do you have in mind?"

"Well, we could revise the rules a bit. Since we seem to have decent matchmaking skills, I'm thinking we could try and find a suitor for Ash."

"Oh. I can already think of someone who'd be perfect for her."

"Does that mean you're in?"

Holmes placed his teacup on the table and put his hand out. "Absolutely. We'll declare the winner on the day of Ashleigh's wedding."

Lupin took his hand and gave it a little squeeze. "Nothing's over until she says, 'I do'."

Holmes approved with a nod. Playing games with Lupin was, after all, the only spice in his retired and concealed existence since successfully faking his demise a long decade prior. A quick assessment of Arsène's expression confirmed they were both eagerly excited about this new challenge.

They would find out soon enough that Ashleigh's heart cannot be snatched like a mere painting.

But that is a story for another time.

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