(Reqs Closed!) Lupin III x Reader One Shots

Lupin x Reader: Much Needed Comfort

--Author's Note: Here's a request from @AleishaFerard with Lupin reassuring a depressed reader! While no dangerous acts or mentions of self harm will be in this story, and (spoilers!) it has a happy ending, please be mindful while reading. Remember, there's always another day and another person who's willing to be there for you. With that said, let's start!--

When Lupin kicked open the door with grandeur upon entering, he hadn't yet noticed your face, much less your mood.

You were curled into a fetal position on the ratty couch, making yourself as small as physically allowed. Too drained to cry anymore, your wet, red face just frowned at the empty wall in front of you. Your chest felt heavy and empty all at once, like your stomach had lurched into your lungs. Once you heard Lupin walk behind the couch to approach you, you turned, giving him a full view of your tear-stained cheeks and hollow eyes.

He was quiet, but you saw the immediate change in his eyes, even if his face as a whole stayed neutral. In any other situation, you might have found it funny, since he prided himself on an unbeatable pokerface. Now? Now you were just too weak to attempt at humor. "Did something happen while I was out?" he asked.

You shook your head, voice too sore to croak out a "No."

He lifted his legs over the back of the couch and slid next to you, but made no move to touch you yet. "What's wrong?"

That almost made you ache more. You didn't know. Nothing had happened, not to drag you down so quickly. Things could have been more tragic, more dire, but here you were, in a relatively nice hotel suite, unable to come up with a reason for your sudden episode. "I don't... Know, I don't know!" You suddenly got slightly bitter. "Do I have to have a reason?!"

He smiled, a much kinder smile than his usual fodder, and shook his head. "No, you don't. I just thought there might be something." He didn't even blame you for the brief outburst, but all that did in the moment was make you feel like a piece of shit for lashing out. A burst of emotion crawled up your throat, threatening to explode into sobs.

"Did you do anything while I was gone?"

"Wallow. Brood. Mourn," you joked sarcastically.

"Well, I kinda got that." You didn't respond again, so he gently prodded for more discussion. "Anything else?"

If you shook your head anymore, it would fall off your shoulders. You sighed shakily, and he almost cut you off with a sudden finger extended to the ceiling.

"Oh! Hey, why don't you ask me what I was doing?"

"You-- You probably took something, that's not--"

"No, not today." He paused, his soft smile hardening cheekily for just a second. "Actually, yeah, but it was small. And I paid for some of the other stuff."

You sniffed. "Some?"

He got up slowly, then returned with a bag you hadn't realized he'd brought in. "Alright, so like, two things got paid for. But I remembered something, while I was passing this quaint little shop, and you know, I just don't have the heart to steal from sweet old ladies and their independent businesses."

You edged a bit closer to him to see the bag, finding that the movement took a lot more energy than you'd expected. You felt like you were fighting through an air made of jello just to lean, only for Lupin to close the bag and teasingly hold it away.

"No peeking."

"Where are you going with this?" you asked bluntly.

"Close your eyes."

Your eyes felt so nasty and crusted you were worried slightly that if you closed them too long, you wouldn't be able to open them. Gross. Pitiful. But that's what all of this was, wasn't it? That's all you were, gross and--

"Well? Close!" No time to selfdepricate with him in the room. You closed your eyes, holding your palms up, and a small rectangular box was dropped into them, a light rattling of plastic emitting from it. You opened your eyes after it had sat there for a second.

"You got..."

"Your favorite candy!" His grin was wide and contagious enough that you lightly grinned, almost feeling that sob come out after all. "At least, if I remember right it is."

It was a small gesture, very small. So small, he probably could have slid it into his jacket inner-pockets without paying. You didn't really care though, because... It wasn't the gift, so much as what it meant. He'd listened when you talked about it, he'd remembered, and he'd thought of you when you were away. Maybe you really weren't gross or worthless. At least, not to him. Maybe not to others as well.

You sniffed again, collapsing onto his side. He put his arm around your shoulder, angling his hand lightly to let his fingers sift through your hair. You expected a quip, or a joke about it. Something like "Is this my thank you?" or asking if he could have half the candy. He never did, strangely enough.

Still, he seemed satisfied. You shifted, the fabric of his jacket rustling uncomfortably loudly in your ear. It hurt, but it shouldn't have... Oh, a headache. As if your whole body was suddenly realizing it had been neglected, your ears rung and your stomach grumbled. Lucky for you, there was no need to move. You slid your fingernails under the flaps of the box and ripped into the plastic underneath. After popping some into your mouth, rather than your stomach, your heart felt tended to. You snuggled in closer, and were rewarded with another arm around you as he turned, putting your head to his chest.

Somewhere in this situation, there was room for a joke about Lupin finally knowing when to shut up, but the sincerity of his actions made you push that joke down. It was weird, and initially it might've felt unlike him but... Was it? Lupin wasn't the best at handing serious things at face value, but he was great at everything else. He was good at planning meticulously, picking up on small signals, distracting others--

Oh... OH!

That was his exact intention, wasn't it? That was why he'd done everything so strangely. He had your best interest at heart without wanting to rip the cause of your unhappiness out by the legs. God, no wonder he could talk his way out of almost anything. Knowing he had such a large presence, he took advantage of it and... Didn't exactly make you forget your situation, as your lungs still felt heavy, but still distracted you from it.

"I didn't consider you to be the considerate type," you mumbled into his shirt.

"Okay, OW, what a rude assumption! I'll have you know I have AT LEAST 6 other sources that can tell you I've got a heart."

You hesitated before speaking again, embarrassed. "You... No one else needs t--"

"No one else. This can stay between us."

You nodded, but you weren't sure why. It wasn't shame, but it just felt better knowing knowledge of your lowest moments could be kept between only those who needed to know. You trusted Lupin to be mature about-- Alright, maybe rephrasing was necessary. You trusted Lupin to be kind.

It didn't fix everything. Your head was starting to hurt more, and a few mouthfuls of candy didn't substitute for a meal. The problem, whatever it was, wasn't fully addressed. Your energy was still sapped, and you were sure you weren't going to be moving until he lifted you off to move. But then, nothing would fix everything, not immediately. It wasn't a cure-all, but it helped, and that was all you needed in the moment. For the time being, you felt slightly better.

Baby steps.

You felt a hand brush your hair off your forehead to give it a soft, warm kiss. As if a switch had been flipped, you began to feel drowsy, limp, and above everything else, cared for. Exhausted from your day, but finally relaxed, you allowed yourself to fall asleep as he held you close.