Chapter Text
When the door to the bathroom opened, everyone in the room jumped to their feet. The four had been eagerly waiting for their fifth to emerge from the bathroom, all of them metaphorically holding their breaths. They hadn’t spoken a word in the twenty five minutes or so that the bathroom door had been closed, none of them caring for what the others had to say about it.
They watched as Lupin turned the corner and entered the living room, meeting eyes with each of them in turn. Lupin’s face was straight, his eyes giving away no hint as to the answer to the question that hung heavy in everyone’s mind.
The first to speak was Fujiko.
“So?” She asked, her voice thin and frail, as if to take back her inquiry halfway through speaking.
Lupin’s face didn’t change as he put his hands in his jacket’s pockets, his posture as confident as ever.
“It was positive.”
Everyone in the room exploded in their own way.
Goemon flinched, his sword rattling in his grip, while Jigen audibly exhaled in horror. Zenigata gasped loudly, and Fujiko slapped her hands over her mouth. They all stared at Lupin, as if his next words would comfort them or give some sort of resolution to the announcement.
Lupin took a deep breath, as if he had yet to get the worst part out of the way, “And I’m going to keep it.”
“ No! ” Fujiko gasped, as if she couldn’t believe her ears.
Zenigata’s mouth hung agape, “Ya gotta be kidding me!”
Jigen cried out, “Boss you can't be serious!”
Lupin shot all of them a thorny glare, as if each of them had insulted him personally.
“And I expect you all to respect my decision.” His face softened as he continued, “We’ve already discussed this, and my plans haven’t changed.”
All of them were quiet for a moment as they silently kicked themselves.
Goemon was the first to speak, “Apologies, Lupin. It has been an honor to be your accomplice nonetheless.” He bowed his head in a sign of respect.
Lupin couldn't meet Goemon’s eyes as he stared at the grayish wooden floor of the apartment.
“I understand if you want to leave Goemon. I understand if all of you do. None of you signed up for this when you met me, and I don’t expect any of you to-“
“What do you mean, leave?” Jigen cried out, stepping forward towards Lupin. His voice was thick with anxiety, something not often heard from the tough as nails criminal.
Lupin shuffled, still unable to look at any of his colleagues. “I’m not going to force any of you to retire. You all live your own lives, and it would be unfair of me to force you to settle down when you aren’t ready.”
Goemon sputtered, “I simply assumed that you did not require me anymore, Lupin, I did not mean to imply that I wanted nothing to do with you!”
Lupin finally looked up from the floor, and his gang all recoiled to see fat tears streaking from his dark eyes. His brow was furrowed, his face twisted as if trying to hold back heavy sobs. He was afraid. This was something the renowned thief hadn’t ever stepped into before, and for the first time in a very long time, he would be venturing somewhere his skill set didn’t give him an upper hand.
“Christ, boss, it would take a lot more than a god damn baby to get rid of me. Who do you think I am?” Jigen said, his voice peaking in amusement with his breathless declaration.
Fujiko was next, saying, “You must have little faith in your accomplices if you think dirty diapers are more than we can handle.”
Goemon cleared his throat and said, “I’ve been told I am good with children.”
Lupin sobbed and threw his arms around his partners, squeezing them and holding them tight. They returned the gesture, holding him close.
Zenigata was the only one who hadn’t said anything. When Lupin looked up at him, Zenigata had big tears running down his face all the same. The hardened inspector had been moved to tears by the declaration of dedication his loyal partners had pledged.
“Lupin…” he whispered, as he held his hat close to his chest.
“Zenigata, I don’t expect you to-“
“Shut up! Let me say what I wanna say!” Zenigata interrupted through tears, “Lupin I’m real proud of ya, and I think yer gonna be an amazing dad,” He sniffed loudly, “An- an I wont arrest ya as long as ya keep yer nose outta trouble!” He burst into uncontrollable sobs, using his forearm to cover his face.
Lupin wiped away his own tears and started to laugh, his shoulders shaking.
“Awhh, pops!”
Zenigata threw his large wingspan across the group of criminals, holding them all close as if they were his best friends. The other three began to laugh too, giving Lupin kisses on the cheek and holding onto each other tenderly.
Lupin had claimed to retire several times throughout his career, only to be back to his regular business after a brief hiatus. He meant it this time, though. After that evening, he did not participate in another heist ever again.
Zenigata returned to work that Monday, not exactly sure what to expect. He wasn't sure if Lupin had been serious about retiring, or if there would be something he would still have to attend to that morning. He had still been filing paperwork about the counterfeit operation that had been plaguing the sovereign nation of Cagliostro. Other than that, if it wasn't relevant to Lupin, he had no idea what to expect.
Yata greeted him outside his office, handing him a coffee and giving him a smile.
“Good morning, Inspector. I hope you enjoyed your weekend off.” The young man opened the door for his senior officer, blissfully unaware of Zenigata’s forty-two hour emotional roller coaster.
Zenigata couldn't help but smile in return, “Thank you, Yatagarasu. I did, actually.”
When they entered the office, there was nothing waiting for the inspector on his desk, no notes to be given, nothing to be completed. Yata simply explained that the paperwork he’d filed was pending review and there was nothing to do other than wait for it to be returned. Zenigata simply sat in his office chair and enjoyed a bit of tobacco from his pipe. It was bizarre; he felt like a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders, though he wasn't sure why. There was still a very real possibility that Lupin would pull something, but Zenigata was fairly assured that nothing would come to his attention.
The door burst open, startling the two detectives. Yata almost dropped his coffee, yelping loudly.
“ Inspectoooor !” A voice whined, and in rushed Jun Jun, a detective who was also working on the Lupin case. Her hair was a mess, suggesting she had been running, which was confirmed by the red heels clutched in either of her hands and the pink flush on her face.
“L-Lupin! He’s retiring!” She cried out, unable to stop herself from running in place as she flailed.
Zenigata stood up, placing his pipe down on his desk. “Now, now, Jun Jun-san, relax, this isn’t the first time he’s said that.”
She was fairly new to the Lupin case, though she had been working for the ICPO for several years at that point, she was previously working in the Narcotics department similarly to Zenigata. She wasn’t as used to the thief’s antics as Zenigata was.
She still anxiously tittered around the office, hurrying over to Zenigata’s side to show him a document. It was a report of a recent incident of vandalism, a government building had been defaced. Across the large glass window that was the front of the building, red paint wrote a long note, one version in French, one in Japanese, and one in English. Each note declared the same thing.
“I am ending my reign of terror upon the globe.
There’s nothing left I desire to steal.
Thank you, Lupin the Third.”
In the photograph, several people could be seen crowded around the message, staring in awe and shock as several Tokyo police officers attempted to keep people from getting too close to the graffiti.
Lupin’s calling cards were typically less direct, and though he’d previously had dramatic announcements, this one was new. Zenigata couldn't help but exhale with amusement at the report. Perhaps Lupin was feeling sentimental.
Zenigata put his hands on his hips, “Well, I suppose this means our next few months will be quiet, at least until he gets bored of sitting around.”
“Shouldn’t we do more, sir? I mean, he could be planning something, this could be a rouse or an attempt to get us to drop our guard,” Yata said, looking anxious.
“It’s true, he might, but there's nothing we can do unless we actively go looking for him.”
Jun Jun slipped her heels back on, still a bit out of breath, “Are we not going to do that or something? Even if he isn't actively committing any crimes, that doesn't mean he’s not a wanted criminal, Inspector,” She placed her hands on her hips, frowning.
“That’s also true, but we can't exactly start a worldwide search party. We just need to be strategic, and move out when we get a clue as to his location,” Zenigata said plainly, sitting back down in his office chair and picking his pipe back up.
“With all due respect Inspector sir, are you feeling alright?” Yata prodded, seeming stunned by the Inspector’s lack of drive. Usually something like this would whip the Inspector into a frenzy of barking orders and yapping into telephones.
The inspector smiled, leaning back in his chair and looking out the window. It was a bright and sunny morning, fluffy white clouds drifting in the sky lazily.
“I’m feeling fine, Yatagarasu. In fact, Jun Jun, would the two of you like to go and get drinks after work? I think we should go to that Korean barbecue place…”