|| Lupin The Third || Oneshots

The Heart I Stole (L x J)

(BIG Lupin Zero ep 5 spoilers tho)

Early birds chirped outside as Lupin sizzles bacon on a frying pan. Meanwhile, Goemon and Jigen sat across each other at the dinner table with their separated tea and black coffee.

The two look out the large sliding glass doors leading towards the balcony. From where they sat at the edge of a small town, there was some nice scenery to take in outside: clear blue skills and muddy green hills.

The morning felt serine, at first.

"Jigen." Goemon says.

"Yeah?" Jigen responds.

"I have a question." Goemon continues.

"Mm?" Jigen hums in his mug as he takes a sip. 

"You do like Lupin," Goemon asks, "...correct?"

Jigen spat his coffee out. A weird cluttering sound came from the kitchen as well. The apartment walls hold silently as Jigen stared at Goemon from under his hat. Goemon doesn't seem phased.

"It's no secret is it?"
He asks. Goemon seemed more curious as much as he was supposedly serious—seriously-casual about sipping his green tea with patience.

"I—no." Jigen clears his throat.
"Dating isn't in my vocabulary."

"Ah...Hmmph." Goemon looks aside, seeming stumped as he sips his tea.

"AHem Why do you ask?" Jigen asks.

"Then... What makes you stay around with Lupin?"
Goemon answers back with a question.

"Ah..."
Now Jigen looks up in thought, equivalently stumped. Lupins ears have grown twice in size just to hear what the marksman has to say.

"Well," Jigen starts. "We were childhood friends.
I met him before he was a thief."

The gunman looks down at his coffee.
"I thought he was just an annoying rich boy, but we had a lot of fun together, stealing stuff and creating havoc for adults."

Jigens hand reaches to itch his scruff cheek.
"But what made me stay with Lupin..."

Jigen digs through his memories. A old particular one comes to mind. "Well, he has something of mine."

"Oh?" Goemon didn't expect that answer.

Jigen looks back at the kitchen to beside the table to see Lupin has glanced away, listening intensively.

Staring at the back of the thief's head, a glimpse of a memory flickers in his eyes: standing on a blue rooftop as snow gently fell from the sky.

Jigens small hand held a trusty gun towards the one friend he could ever ask for: some rich kid who blew away the chances of living a good, honest, normal life. Lupin walked with a determined face, making Jigen uneasy. But then the thief pulled off his first heist, by placing his palm on the young marksman's chest.

Jigen was left relaxing his hand-held gun to his side. The wind was knocked out of him.

Little Lupin takes back his palm and turns away as it became a fist. That warm feeling was still left pressing on Jigens red sweater. The thief does not dare to glance back just yet.