Jun 27
Oh wow oh wow new chapter look at that *explodes*
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
seen from China
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Oh wow oh wow new chapter look at that *explodes*
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
>:3 I made angsty art for Snowmon 😌
Close up details under the cut
We aren’t gonna talk about Lupin and Jigen’s proportions 🤫
nobody: goemon in chapter 5:
He is so tired fr 😂😂
Guess who got wise and made an AO3 account? It was me! >:3 Midnight Jacket and Snowmon are both there in their current entireties, so go and check them out (Snowmon even has a new chapter!)
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
Hello Chapter 5! Things have taken a turn! The gang has their hands pretty full now!
TW: assumed character death, panic attacks
Lupin opened his eyes slightly, tiredly scanning the room. Something felt off…light was coming through the curtains so he had definitely slept through the night, his gun was still on the nightstand so nobody had moved that…adjusting his hold on the samurai in his arms, Lupin hesitated.
He was ice cold.
Sitting up quickly, Lupin looked the other man over anxiously. His lips were blue again, dark circles present under his eyes. His body wasn’t its usual tense, Goemon was always tense, even when he slept. Now, his body was slack, and his chest..wasn’t moving.
Goemon wasn’t b r e a t h i n g.
Breathing picking up, Lupin grasped Goemon’s hand tightly as tears welled up in his eyes. He had been better…they talked last night…Goemon had talked to him and he seemed better! How could this happen if he was supposed to be better now?!
“You were supposed to be better!” Lupin shouted, hands shaking as tears ran down his face. “Goemon! Goemon, damnit, how could you-?!” He sobbed, holding the samurais hand tighter.
“Lupin-?! What the hell’s-?” Jigen came up the stairs, hesitating slightly at the scene in front of him. “Shit…”
Lupin knew Jigen knew what a body looked like. Looking toward the gunman desperately, Lupin pulled Goemon close to his chest. Logically he knew that someone this cold was beyond help but..it was Goemon!
“Jigen…Jigen, please…!” Lupin pleaded through hiccuping sobs as he held Goemon desperately. There had to be something..
Jigen frowned sadly, removing his hat silently. He had been in this game too long to know when someone was beyond help..and that was what Goemon was. He didn’t seem that bad but..maybe Goemon just treated himself like an old dog, you never know how bad it is until they slip away.
Positively wailing at Jigen’s reaction, Lupin buried his face in Goemon’s shoulder and sobbed. He had tried so hard and still failed..he never got to make it up to Goemon for causing him this much trouble..He had fucked up and got poor Goemon killed…
“…Lupin…?”
Hesitating, Lupin pulled back slightly. Crying out when he saw Goemon’s eyes open and looking at him in confusion and concern, Lupin broke down further as he pulled the other man closer and practically wrapped himself around him.
“You’re alive!!” Lupin wailed, nuzzling Goemon’s neck as he clung to him.
“What the hell?! You looked- holy fuck, what the hell happened to your eyes?!” Jigen looked at him worriedly, popping his hat back on as he walked over.
“My- what? What is going on?” Goemon frowned, hesitantly patting Lupin’s back as he looked between the two thieves.
“They’re fuckin’ blue!” Jigen swept back Goemon’s bangs, looking at the samurais eyes in confusion. “Can you see?”
“Of course I can.” Goemon frowned, nodding as he looked down at Lupin. “And my eyes are brown. Are you color blind, by chance?”
“‘Am I’-? Why, you-! Y’know what? Wait right here.” Jigen huffed, walking back downstairs.
Goemon watched before looking back at Lupin. “What happened?”
“Y-You weren’t- you w-weren’t breathing-“ Lupin bit his lip hard, looking up at Goemon anxiously. “A-And you were all limp and cold! I-I thought..”
Goemon frowned quietly, nodding a bit as he looked down at Lupin gently. “I’m alright, see? Take a breath.”
Lupin bit his lip harder, taking a couple shaky breaths as he looked Goemon over quietly. He seemed okay…still cold and he still had the dark circles under his eyes. Which…were a very piercing ice blue? They weren’t like that last night…
“Goemon, your eyes…” Lupin frowned, cupping the samurais face as he leaned in to get a closer look.
Goemon flinched slightly, blushing furiously as he leaned back. “P-Personal space, please-!”
“Sorry, sorry.” Lupin backed off, frowning. “They really are blue..” he mumbled, raising an eyebrow.
“You too? They are brown!” Goemon frowned, crossing his arms. This wasn’t very funny.
“No they aren’t! Look!” Jigen called, coming back upstairs with a handheld mirror.
~~~~~
“No they aren’t! Look!” Jigen called, coming back upstairs with a handheld mirror.
Goemon sighed, rolling his eyes as he took it. “I told you both already, they’re-“ He looked down at the mirror, hesitating. “Blue?!”
“I told you!” Jigen crossed his arms, frowning. “I’m not color blind.”
“This is not funny. It looks awful! So- so undo whatever it is you did right now!” Goemon frowned more, waving his hand in front of the mirror as he bit his lip.
“We didn’t do anything, Goemon..” Lupin frowned, watching worriedly. “They looked normal last night when we talked.”
Goemon stared into the mirror, hands shaking slightly. What had happened to him? This looked awful! If they weren’t messing with him then how did this happen? Doing his best to make sure this wasn’t some sort of illusion, Goemon grew more anxious with each attempt.
What? Don’t like it? I find it lovely. Of course, your friends seem to be pretty disgusted~
Goemon paled, frowning as he glanced between Jigen and Lupin. They didn’t seem disgusted…but was he wrong? Was he mistaking their disgust for concern?
Maybe Lupin had some colored contacts to try to cover it up. I’m sure he has enough to worry about without trying to figure out what’s wrong with his favorite tool.
Wrong.
Wrong.
W r o n g.
~~~~~~~
Lupin jumped when the mirror smashed into the wall behind him, looking from a shocked Jigen to an agitated looking Goemon. He frowned, moving to comfort the samurai before he hesitated. It…felt like the room temperature had just somehow dropped 30 degrees…? Looking around curiously, Lupin’s eyes widened when he saw the windows.
Frost. Frost was creeping across the glass on their windows.
How the fresh hell was there frost spreading across their windows in the middle of summer in Perth? Glancing at Jigen, who he could tell noticed as well, Lupin turned back to Goemon. He could see the shivering starting back up again, the way the samurais eyes swept the room anxiously before he ultimately got up and wordlessly went into the bathroom and shut the door.
“What the hell…?” Jigen frowned, rubbing his hands up and down his arms in attempt to get warm.
“No idea.” Lupin frowned, walking to the bathroom door.
~~~~~~
Goemon sat on the ground against the bathtub, gripping his chest as he tried to keep his breathing steady. Frost covered the mirror and began to trail across the floor from under him and toward the walls. What was happening to him? What was this?
It’s me, obviously. Of course, now it’s us.
“I-I don’t want this..” Goemon panted, hands shaking more when he noticed he could see his own breath in the air.
But, don’t you? Aren’t you sick of it all?
“S-Stop-“ Goemon pressed his hands over his ears, pulling his knees to his chest as he felt his breathing catch slightly.
Always so perfect. Always so controlled. Don’t you just want to watch it all f r e e z e?
“No-!” Goemon gasped, cringing as he felt the ice climb up his arms, shivering increasing as the cold ebbed deep into his skin.
Then why aren’t you stopping it? You must want it, deep down. After all, I know everything you’re thinking, samurai.
Goemon tried to scratch the ice off of his skin, closing his eyes tightly as he struggled to get a controlled breath. He felt like he was drowning again. He felt like everything was falling apart around him while simultaneously building up in a way he couldn’t control. He didn’t know what to do. Why couldn’t he stop this? Why couldn’t he control this? He was failing all over again-
“Goemon-!”
~~~~~~
Lupin nearly slipped getting into the bathroom, a firm grip on Zantetsuken as he fell onto his ass clumsily beside the samurai. He knew a panic attack when he saw one, though seeing Goemon have one was new. Frowning at the ice climbing basically every surface in the room, including Goemon, Lupin gently pressed Zantetsuken into his shaking hands.
“Breathe, Goe, breathe. Everything’s alright.” Lupin frowned, sitting beside him gently. “I’m with you. Everything’s going to be fine.”
Frowning at the lack of response, Lupin changed position so he was right in front of him. Goemon was white knuckle gripping Zantetsuken, ice spreading around the sword from under Goemon’s hands. So this was all from Goemon? It seemed physically impossible but…he knew well enough by now that nothing ever truly was.
“Breathe with me, Goemon.” Lupin frowned, taking a breath for Goemon to try to follow.
Goemon took a shaky breath, the breath catching as he doubled over coughing. Lupin grabbed Goemon’s shoulder to steady him, wincing at the freezing temperature of the samurais body. His eyes widened when he saw flurries landing on the tile, falling from the samurais lips as he whined low in this throat as he shivered more. That was terrifying frankly. Was his whole body just creating ice and snow on its own? He’d have to sort that out later when Goemon wasn’t in the middle of panicking.
“It’s alright, it’s okay. I’m going to have Jigen come help, alright? Just keep breathing.” Lupin tried to keep his tone calm, leaning back toward the door. “Jigen!”
Jigen appeared at the door moments later, hesitating at the overall icy state of the room. “Shit..”
“Shush.” Lupin gave him a look, glaring. “Help me get Goemon outside, yeah?”
Goemon shook his head quickly, cringing at the motion. Lupin frowned, gently taking his hands in his own despite the creeping frost. He looked at the samurai gently, trying his best to stay as open and reassuring as possible.
“Goemon. I promise it’ll be okay. We’ll be right there with you, we won’t let anything happen. Trust me.” Lupin squeezed his hands gently, watching him for a response.
Goemon hesitated, looking between Lupin and Jigen before finally nodding and gripping Lupin’s hand tightly. The thief smiled reassuringly, helping Goemon out of the bathroom and through the apartment. Jigen followed behind them, opening a couple windows to stave off the trail of ice following the samurai through the apartment. Lupin led them out the back door and into the back garden.
“Better?” Lupin looked at Goemon, smiling a bit when he noticed the ice ebbing away a bit with the addition of the heat from outside.
Goemon shivered, laying down in the grass as he took a few shaky breaths. Lupin carefully laid down beside him, glancing at him before looking up quietly. He could see Jigen in his peripheral vision sit down on Goemon’s other side. Looking up at the clouds, Lupin watched the sky quietly.
“That cloud looks like an elephant.” Lupin glanced at Goemon, watching the samurais eyes flick up at the sky and study it quietly.
Lupin smiled a bit when he noticed more of the ice and frost melt away as Goemon scanned the sky quietly. Deciding to keep with it, Lupin looked back up at the clouds for a distraction.
“That one looks like…actually that one really looks like Pops-“ Lupin snorted, glancing at Goemon and Jigen. “See it? Hat and everything.”
“Really? I thought it looked more like a squash…” Jigen mumbled, glancing out from under his hat as he squinted a bit.
“HA!” Lupin snorted, glancing at Goemon hopefully.
His breathing seemed more even..and he wasn’t gripping Zantetsuken like it was the only thing keeping him alive. He noticed Goemon had even taken to rubbing the hilt with his thumb, a noted self soothing technique he had seen Goemon do unconsciously for years. These were good signs!
“What’re you seeing, Goemon?” Lupin asked carefully, watching the clouds move across the sky.
“….teapot…” Goemon mumbled, glancing over at the thief.
“Oh, yeah! I see what you mean, that’s actually really shaped like one, wow..” Lupin mumbled, watching the cloud before glancing at Goemon. “Feeling better?”
Goemon glanced away, nodding faintly. Lupin could tell he felt like he had burdened them with panicking, but he disagreed. Goemon never burdened them and he could understand why he was so worked up. The ice though…was something he would have to think about when Goemon wasn’t around..or at least not around and panicked.
“It’s alright. Let’s stay out here for a bit, yeah? Just relax.” Lupin assured gently, glancing at Jigen. “Right?”
Jigen hummed, pulling out a cigarette before passing one to Lupin. “Nice day for it.” He laid back, pulling his hand over his eyes more as he quietly smoked.
“Mhm!” Lupin smiled, gently taking Goemon’s hand as he looked back at the sky. “We’ll stay here until you’re feeling 100% again.”
Goemon nodded faintly, holding onto the thief’s hand quietly as he closed his eyes. Lupin knew he just needed time to recuperate and ground himself again and we was willing to let Goemon have that no matter what else was going on. The ice gave him more questions than he had before, though…
Hehehe >:3 Chapter 3! Poor Lupin sure does feel guilty, and what’s going on with Goemon??
TW: choking, Goemon gets a bath
Hours had passed and Lupin had barely left Goemon’s side. They had managed to get him warmer, though his shivering persisted. The current issue was that it seemed like Goemon wasn’t improving too much. He had convinced Jigen to make a supplies run, promising that he and Goemon would be alright in the time he was gone. He had managed to at least get him lucid enough to drink some warm tea, which he considered a win.
“Don’t you worry, Goemon. Jigen will be back soon and we’ll get this all sorted out.” Lupin assured, taking his hand gently.
Goemon weakly pulled on his arm, gaze unfocused as he choked out inaudible nonsense in Japanese. Lupin frowned, nodding a bit even though he didn’t understand. He just had to stay by his side…he needed Goemon to pull through.
Lupin nearly jumped out of his skin when Jigen nudged the door open and stepped inside with several grocery bags. Hand on his Walther, a wave from Jigen made him relax a bit. At least it wasn’t Zenigata busting in to try to arrest them.
“He doin’ any better?” Jigen asked, putting groceries away as he glanced over his shoulder.
“..not much.” Lupin sighed, fixing the blankets around Goemon. “He managed some tea at least.”
“Better than nothin’. Books said he needed warm liquids anyhow.” Jigen walked over with a bag, handing it to Lupin.
“What’s all this?” Lupin took the bag, looking through it.
“Got some extra stuff for him. Heatin’ pad, electric blanket, thermometer, snacks. Grabbed some clothes too, I’ll wash ‘em.” Jigen peeked into the blanket pile at Goemon, frowning. “His breathin’ sounds like shit..”
“I know..” Lupin frowned. “I need to check my contacts..I don’t know if I even have any in this country.” He ran a hand through his hair.
“I can watch him for a while, go do your thing.” Jigen waved him off, going to take his chair.
“I can’t just leave him, Jigen.” Lupin frowned, looking back at Goemon anxiously.
Jigen frowned, looking the thief over quietly. He had managed to take himself away from Goemon long enough to throw on a shirt with his boxers so he wasn’t just running around in his underwear but..he obviously hadn’t left the samurais side since. He could feel the anxious energy radiating off of him. He knew Lupin enough to know that he blamed himself for what had happened to Goemon.
“Alright.” Jigen nodded, patting Lupin’s shoulder as he walked back to the kitchen to take care of what he could.
Lupin frowned, sitting quietly as he thought. He needed to make this up to Goemon. He had to figure out how all of this happened. If someone had gotten the diamond before them he would’ve known it, right? But then why was there an explosion? It just didn’t make any sense. Squeezing Goemon’s hand gently, Lupin looked out a nearby window and out at the city. Was there something he was missing?
~~~~
Goemon wasn’t sure what had happened. He remembered a flash and a bang…then it got hazy. But he knew that his chest hurt, it ached, and breathing took a lot more work than it should. And the cold, oh the cold, the way it seeped down into his very soul almost. Why was he so cold?
They left you there to freeze.
Who-? No. Goemon knew that Lupin and Jigen wouldn’t leave him in that crevasse. He wasn’t sure where he was but..no. They wouldn’t leave him. He knew that for a fact.
You think they’re really your friends? When it comes down to it, they’d have left you there and you know it.
Goemon cringed. They were his friends. Of course they were…right? They had been together long enough now that..that if they weren’t he surely would’ve noticed somehow. He wasn’t that unable to pick up on their cues…
They took advantage of you. Strong Goemon, powerful Goemon. You’re more tool than man and when it came down to it? They didn’t really care if you died or not. They just couldn’t lose the swordsman. It isn’t about you. It’s about the tool.
Looking around, Goemon frowned when he saw the blue stone in front of him. Right..the diamond. He had grabbed it and then..had it exploded? Why would it-?
Why wouldn’t it? Lupin cares more about the loot than making sure it was safe for you to retrieve it.
A shadow made its way around the stone, smirking at him. It looked…just like him? But wrong. Really wrong. Anxiety rose in Goemon’s aching chest as he stepped backwards. What was it? It couldn’t be himself.
Look at you. A weak man without his almighty sword. They probably stole it-
“No-!” Goemon cried, covering his ears with his hands in an attempt to block the voice out.
They stole it and left you there-
“Be quiet!” Goemon bit his lip hard, closing his eyes tightly. How could he still hear it?!
LEFT YOU THERE TO D R O W N!
A flash, and it felt like ice was injected straight into Goemon’s veins. Crying out, Goemon choked. He couldn’t breathe. Struggling and clawing at his throat, he couldn’t get a breath in. Was he drowning? The voice was right, they forgot him and left him there to drown below the ice-!
“Shit- shit, Jigen-! Jigen!”
~~~~~~
“Shit- shit, Jigen-! Jigen!” Lupin screamed, throwing the blankets off of Goemon quickly.
“What-?!” Jigen quickly ran into the bedroom, one hand poised over his gun in case he needed to draw.
“Help- Help me-!” Lupin sat the choking samurai up, trying to help him to breathe.
“Crap! Arms over his head!” Jigen ran over, pulling Goemon’s arms up over his head as he slammed the heel of his hand against his back roughly a few times to try help him to breathe.
After several agonizing minutes, Goemon gasped in a wheezing breath and weakly grasped at his chest as he caught his breath. The two thieves let out a sigh of relief, Lupin pulling Goemon in close as his shivering picked up again. They had nearly lost him there..
“Fuck..” Jigen ran a hand through his hair, sitting beside them. “What the hell, man?”
“I-I don’t know he was fine and then he just-“ Lupin frowned, gesturing to the samurai anxiously as he cupped his face. “He’s hot. Damnit, I thought he felt a little warm earlier.”
“Lemme see.” Jigen reached over him, feeling his forehead with the back of his hand. “Shit, yeah. Go run him a cool bath. Meds won’t work fast enough on that on their own.”
“A cool bath? But..” Lupin bit his lip. It felt almost cruel to do that to Goemon after what happened hours ago..especially since he still seemed cold.
“Lupin.” Jigen looked at him, sternly. “Cool. Bath. Now.” He had to put his foot down about it for Goemon’s own good.
Lupin hesitantly nodded, frowning as he looked back at Goemon sympathetically. Carefully getting him up as Jigen went to the kitchen, Lupin made his way toward the bathroom with Goemon. Glancing at Goemon, Lupin faltered when he noticed his eyes seemed to be sweeping the room.
“Goemon..? You there..?” Lupin frowned, waving his hand in front of his face a bit.
“Z..Z-Zantet…suken..” Goemon rasped, grip on Lupin tightening slightly as he grew visibly distraught.
“H-Hey easy, easy. It’s right here. It’s alright.” Lupin frowned, grabbing the sword from its propped up position by the bathroom door. “We made sure to grab it for you.” They knew how much he loved that sword…
Leading the delirious man into the bathroom, Lupin carefully sat him on the edge of the tub as he started the water. Watching from the corner of his eye, Lupin could tell Goemon was still pretty out of it. His hands were still clumsy from the cold so he had to resort to basically hugging Zantetsuken to keep it close to him..and it seemed the fever kept him from completely understanding where he was or what was going on.
“Goemon.” Lupin took a breath, touching his arm gently. “We need to get you in the bath okay? We have to cool you down.”
Goemon cringed, shaking his head as he tried to get his body to follow the command to stand. It broke Lupin’s heart but he had to try to get him in. Standing, Lupin helped him up and took off the boxers they had placed on him.
“L-Lupin, please- pl-please..” Goemon bit his lip anxiously, clumsily stepping backwards into the thief.
“Goemon…”
“Lu-Lupin, it’s col-cold..” Goemon frowned, closing his eyes tightly as he grabbed onto his shirt anxiously, pleading. “I-I can’t..please..w-why would yo-you..?”
Lupin bit his lip hard, wrapping his arms around him gently. Goemon thought he was just doing it for no reason.. crap. But he could feel the heat basically radiating off of him, he had to get him into that water somehow..
“I’ll get in with you, okay?” Lupin looked up at him, cupping his face gently. “You and me. It’ll be alright, We’ll be out just as soon as we get your temperature down a bit okay?”
Goemon shivered, leaning into the thief’s touch before nodding slightly. “..’Kay..”
“There we go.” Lupin smiled a bit, taking off his own shirt and boxers as he got into the tub with Goemon.
Lupin frowned when he heard Goemon gasped when his body made contact with the water, squeezing his hand as he sat beside him in the tub. Rubbing his back in an attempt to soothe him, Lupin kept glancing at the clock on the wall as if to will time to move faster.
“…’m sorry..” Goemon mumbled, body trembling as he pressed up against the thief for some minor amount of warmth he could get.
“Wha-? Goemon, you don’t have anything to apologize for.” Lupin frowned more, looking at him sadly. He should be the one apologizing…
“…dia-diamond..” Goemon shook his head, resting his head back against the wall as he teared up. “..m-mess-essed up..” he sniffled, a couple stray tears running down his face.
Lupin’s eyes widened as he hesitated. It really bugged him that much that they didn’t get the diamond? It wasn’t even Goemon’s fault, it was his! And now, even after nearly dying, Goemon was in tears trying to apologize for it. Had he really known Goemon for so long and not realized until now that he held himself in such low regard?
“Goemon, none of that was your fault. I should’ve made sure things were safer before we went after it.” Lupin squeezed his hand gently, looking up at him anxiously. “We can get a diamond any old time, Goe. We’re worried about you right now…”
“Mm-mm..” Goemon shook his head again, taking a ragged breath as his hands shook. “..m-messed up..”
Lupin bit his lip, intertwining their fingers gently. “We were really worried back there, Goe, I-“
“Lupin, is he-? Oh..am I...interrupting something or?” Jigen walked in, hesitating in the doorway when he saw them both in the tub.
“I got in to make him more comfortable. He’s not all there right now just..where’s the thermometer at?” Lupin let go of Goemon’s hand, holding it out for the thermometer.
“Here.” Jigen handed it to him, sitting at the edge of the tub. “Doin’ alright, Goemon?”
“C-Cold..” Goemon mumbled, resting his head against Lupin as he grunted when the thief managed to get the thermometer under his tongue.
“Yeah, sorry about that.” Jigen sighed. “I got a towel outta the dryer if that helps any. And meds. We should be good once he’s cooler.”
Lupin hummed, taking the thermometer once it went off. “101.5. Seems alright for now. Let’s get him out of here.”
“Right.” Jigen grabbed the towel, helping Lupin get the samurai out of the bath to avoid anyone slipping. “There we go, bud.”
Goemon groaned tiredly as the two helped him back to bed. Accepting meds and water from Jigen as Lupin dried and dressed him, the samurai flopped back on the bed weakly and pulled Zantetsuken closer to his chest once they had finished, completely exhausted.
“There we go, pal. Just get some rest. I’ll be right here.” Lupin stroked his hair from his face gently, covering him back up as his shivering died down a bit with the added warmth.
“Jeez..” Jigen sighed, pulling up a chair. “I’m surprised he didn’t try to fight you in there..”
“Nah..he just…really didn’t want to get in there. He freaked me out, Jigen. He feels bad we didn’t get that diamond.” Lupin sighed, shaking his head.
“I mean…it was a sweet diamond.” Jigen agreed, shrugging.
“Jigen-!” Lupin snapped, shooting him a glare as he bristled.
“I’m not blaming him! Just saying. If it blew up..a bit of a loss. Not that I’m not glad Goemon’s alright or anythin’.” Jigen frowned, shaking his head.
“I bet someone stole the real thing, but I’m not worried about it anymore. Goemon’s more important than messing with anything to do with Mawson’s Diamond anymore.” Lupin mumbled angrily, resting his head on his hand as he watched the samurai closely.
Jigen frowned quietly. “I don’t think Goemon’s the only one who feels bad about this..” he looked out from under his bangs at him.
“Shut it.”
“No. I’m serious.” Jigen leaned over, frowning. “If you need to talk about it-?”
“No. Just..let’s focus on making sure Goemon makes it through tonight, alright? Whatever you wanna talk about we can talk about after this.” Lupin sighed, watching the rise and fall of the samurais chest quietly.
“…whatever you say, Lu.”
Chapter 4 everybody! Lupin and Goemon really need to evaluate how they feel about each other 👀
TW: choking, near death experience, violence, possession, attempted murder
“What exactly do you want with me?” Goemon called into the abyss, eyes searching for that blazing blue he saw before.
Exactly what everyone else wants from you, samurai. Power.
Goemon cringed, looking around as he clenched his fists. “And what makes you think I’ll give anything to you?”
Fool. I don’t need you to ‘give’ me anything. I can simply t a k e.
“I won’t let that happen!” Goemon snapped, glaring into the darkness. He would not fail again.
Like you have any choice in the matter?
Warped laughter filled the air around Goemon as that painful cold feeling spread through his body once again. Gasping as he doubled over, the samurai looked around anxiously for this hidden presence.
“What are you?!”
I’m you, but better.
~~~~~~~~
Jerking awake, Lupin sat up in his chair as he looked around tiredly. He hadn’t realized he had fallen asleep..Jigen must’ve turned the lights out and crashed too, since he could hear him snoring in the other room from what he assumed was the sofa. Looking toward the bed, Lupin hesitated when he noticed a distinct lack of Goemon, Zantetsuken left abandoned in the blankets.
Standing, Lupin looked toward the bathroom and crept over silently. Tilting his head as he looked in, he frowned a bit when he saw Goemon staring into the mirror quietly in the dark. That…totally wasn’t creepy at all….
“Goemon?” He asked softly, stepping up beside him as he looked up at his face.
His eyes were devoid of their normal luster, expression empty and dull as he slowly shifted his gaze down at the thief. A shiver ran up Lupin’s spine as his hair stood on end. What the hell…? Maybe he still had a fever and it was just making him weird..?
“H-Hey, Goemon..doing okay there?” Lupin reached toward his face tentatively, going to check his temperature.
Goemon’s hand grabbed his wrist, grip tight as he stared down at the thief silently. Lupin paled slightly, smiling nervously as he huffed a shakily laugh. Oh, fuck, okay..he just had to..defuse the situation…
“G-Goemon-“
“You almost killed me.” Goemon stared at him, voice monotone as his hand grasped Lupin’s neck roughly. “It was your fault.”
Gagging, Lupin struggled against Goemon’s hold as he gasped for air. Eyes wide in horror as the samurais face twisted into a smile that definitely wasn’t his, he kicked at Goemon to try to get him to let go. Stumbling slightly, the two ended up on the ground, Goemon on top of Lupin as he increased the force of his hold. Choking and gasping, Lupin clawed at Goemon’s hands and arms as his eyes began to roll back in his head, struggling to get enough air to apologize or call for Jigen, anything at all.
“I almost died. You nearly killed me. It’s all your fault. Neglectful, foolish, selfish thief.” Goemon kept his hold, unwavering despite Lupin’s pleading wheezes and clawing hands.
Lupin whined weakly, tears running down his face as his vision darkened and his struggling slowed. He…He didn’t expect Goemon to want this but…maybe he deserved it? He hadn’t tried hard enough to keep him safe…
~~~~~~~
Jigen sat up from his spot on the sofa, brushing his bangs back a bit as he glanced toward the loft. He had heard banging from the bathroom…was Goemon’s fever high again? Lupin was dumbass to not wake him up to help. Huffing, Jigen stood and made his way up and to the bathroom. Raising an eyebrow at the lack of light, he flipped the switch and looked inside.
Eyes widening, Jigen watched as Goemon let go of Lupin’s neck and slump onto the ground in an unconscious heap as Lupin drew in a gasping breath and let out an anguished cry. Paling, Jigen quickly crouched beside him, helping him sit up as he looked him over.
“What the fuck, Lupin?!” Jigen glanced back at Goemon, handling shaking slightly.
Lupin panted, tears running down his face silently as he held his neck and stared at the samurai anxiously. Jigen frowned, moving over to Goemon as he checked him over. His fever wasn’t overly high like earlier but..what the fuck? Frowning more, Jigen looked back to Lupin anxiously. What the hell had happened?
“Lupin?” He moved back over to him, touching his arm gently.
~~~~~~
Lupin bit the inside of his lip as he looked between Jigen and Goemon silently. Goemon nearly killed him…if Jigen hadn’t come in then..but Goemon wasn’t conscious anymore and he didn’t seem right when he was awake either..what the hell had happened? That couldn’t have been Goemon…at least not fully.
“Lupin.” Jigen looked at him worriedly, carefully moving his hands away from his neck as he cringed. “Christ…”
“..s-something’s..” Lupin grunted, clearing his throat as he winced a bit. “Something’s up with him, Jigen..not just the fever, I..something isn’t right.”
“Well, fuck, yeah I’d say so considerin’ he just tried to kill you!” Jigen frowned, glancing at Goemon quietly.
“No, like..” Lupin frowned, standing as he looked into the mirror. Damn..he was already bruising. “It wasn’t him. What he said and how he said it…it wasn’t like him at all..and he smiled at me but..not in a way I’ve ever seen him smile before, Ji..”
“So, what, you think he’s possessed or somethin’? You don’t get possessed from nearly drownin’, Lupin.” Jigen frowned, standing as he lifted Goemon up carefully. “You sure you weren’t just seein’ things?”
“Positive. Just..let’s get him back into bed, okay?” Lupin frowned, helping Jigen get Goemon back to the bed carefully.
Depositing the samurai back into his nest of blankets, Lupin sat down on the edge of the bed and put his face in his hands quietly. He could feel the bed dip beside him and Jigen’s hand on his back, a silent comfort. After a few moments, Lupin sighed and sat up, looking back at Jigen tiredly.
“You look like shit.” Jigen frowned, squeezing his shoulder gently.
“I’m worried about him...” Lupin said softly, looking back at Goemon. Things just weren’t adding up.
“Yeah…you and me both. I’m campin’ up here tonight so no more…incidents..happen, alright? Try and get some sleep.” Jigen laid back on the bed, folding his arms behind his head as he closed his eyes.
Lupin nodded, watching quietly. He knew it would take a while for Jigen to go back to sleep, if he actually was even trying to go back to sleep after all of that. Looking back at Goemon, Lupin frowned and studied his face silently. That couldn’t have been Goemon in there. But then what was it? Jigen was right, possession was unlikely, but between the odd behavior and the explosion, something just really wasn’t right…
Cautiously standing, Lupin walked downstairs and went to the bookshelf. Going through the books silently, Lupin picked a couple from the shelf and walked back upstairs. Sitting beside the bed, he opened one and began to read. He was going to get to the bottom of this no matter what.
~~~~~~
Lupin had read through the night and through the next day, taking breaks when Jigen forced him to eat a meal or when he would take time to check on Goemon, who hadn’t really woken up since the prior night. To say he was stressed was an understatement.
“Lupin, you need to take a break.” Jigen stood over him, arms crossed.
“He’s slept for almost 24 hours, something’s not right.” Lupin frowned, huffing as he slammed another book shut.
Jigen frowned. “You wearin’ yourself down isn’t gonna help him.”
“Me sitting by waiting for him to wake up isn’t going to help him either.” Lupin mumbled angrily, glancing away.
Jigen sighed softly, shaking his head as he looked out the window at the sunset. Staying quiet for a few moments, Jigen eventually sighed and grabbed his jacket. Going down to the front door, he looked back at Lupin.
“I’m goin’ out for some things. Take a break, alright?” He called up to him, waving slightly before leaving.
Lupin sighed, laying his head back against the wall as he looked over at Goemon quietly. His breathing seemed better than before but…he was still out cold. Maybe that was just his way of healing? Still, it made him anxious that he hadn’t woken up at least once. Gently feeling around his bruised neck, Lupin looked back at his pile of books. Something just wasn’t right…
~~~~~~~
Nen, nen korori yo, Okorori yo.
Bōya wa yoi koda, Nenneshina~
Goemon tilted his head quietly. Who was singing? He was so, so tired. This voice was better than the other one though…
Bōya no omori wa, Doko e itta?
Ano yama koete, sato e itta.
Goemon smiled a little, listening quietly. He remembered hearing this song when he was quiet small, something his mother sang often. Who was singing it now?
Sato no miyagē ni, nani morōta?
Denden taiko ni, shō nu fue.
Focusing on the words, Goemon did his best to follow them to the surface of his consciousness. He was tired but…he wanted to know who was singing.
~~~~~~~
“Sato no miyagē ni, nani morōta? Denden taiko ni, shō no fue..” Lupin sung under his breath, skimming the books pages using the light of a nearby lamp.
Glancing to the side, he hesitated slightly when he saw Goemon watching him tiredly. Slowly closing the book, Lupin studied his face. He wasn’t like how he was before…he seemed normal this time. Smiling softly in relief, Lupin put the book aside and tilted his head.
“You there, Goe?” He asked softly, leaning toward him.
“I am…” Goemon nodded tiredly, smiling faintly. “That was..you singing..?” He asked softly.
“Ha..yeah…” Lupin smiled softly, gently pressing his hand to Goemon’s cheek. “Did I wake you up?”
Goemon blushed faintly as he leaned into the thief’s warm touch, shrugging faintly. “Yes, but it was nice..not as obnoxious as your usual songs..” he teased a bit.
Lupin snorted, laughing as he buried his face in the bed. Laughter dying down, his shoulders began to shake. Goemon hesitated, gently bringing his hand out from under the blankets and placing it on Lupin’s softly as he looked at the thief worriedly. Lupin raised his head, tears running down his face as he looked at Goemon sadly.
“Lupin…?” Goemon frowned, moving a bit closer to him.
“I’m so glad you’re awake..” Lupin smiled weakly, squeezing his hand gently.
Goemon nodded a little, squeezing back gently before lifting the blankets a bit as an offering. Lupin hesitated before getting under the blankets with him and hugging him close. He was so happy he was awake. He was worried he was never going to open his eyes again…
“Lupin?”
“Hm?”
“…what happened to your neck-?”
Lupin hesitated slightly, biting his lip as he glanced up at Goemon’s concerned face. He didn’t remember..so what was he supposed to say about it? He didn’t want to just lie to Goemon but he would probably have to..
“Was it Jigen? How could he-?” Goemon frowned, trying his best to get up.
“No! No, no, no, it wasn’t Jigen, I promise, just lay back down.” Lupin frowned, pulling him back down onto the bed anxiously. “I want you resting.”
Goemon huffed, crossing his arms as he looked at Lupin sternly. “There are bruises on your neck in the shape of someone’s hands. Who did it?” He would cut them in two.
Lupin frowned, looking at him quietly. “We..ran into some trouble leaving the ice shelf.” He mumbled.
Goemon frowned, looking at his face quietly before looking at the bruises again. No..those were fresh. And Lupin knew that too, he could see it in his eyes. Gently tilting Lupin’s head to the side to see better, Goemon paled when he realized the bruises…matched up with his own hands…
“Did I…?”
“Goemon-“
“I almost-“
“Goemon, listen-“
“I could have killed you-!” Goemon shrunk back away from him, panic in his eyes.
“It wasn’t you!” Lupin frowned, cupping his face gently. “It wasn’t you. I saw it in your eyes, Goe. It wasn’t you.”
“But..my hands…it was my hands..” Goemon bit his lip hard, looking at the bruises as his chest began to ache.
Lupin frowned, pulling him close as he gently ran his fingers through the samurais hair. “Trust me. I know that it wasn’t you…it’s alright. I promise everything is okay.”
Lupin continued to mess with his hair gently, feeling Goemon slowly begin to relax against him. He knew Goemon felt guilty about a lot..but he wasn’t about to let him sit there and make it even worse. He knew something wasn’t right..
~~~~~~~
Goemon bit his lip quietly, leaning into Lupin’s touch. Despite not making too much casual physical contact with the thief…he really didn’t mind him messing with his hair too much. He was worried though, about what had happened. Should he tell him about the voice?
“Lupin…?”
“Mhm?”
He’ll think you’re crazy. You tried to kill him and now you’re hearing voices? He’ll send you right off and keep your sword for himself. Bye-bye, samurai!
Goemon cringed, biting his lip harder as he held onto Lupin a bit tighter. No..that was a good point..he would keep it to himself then..a bit longer. He would handle it on his own. He had already inconvenienced Lupin enough.
“…h-how long have we been here?” He changed the subject quickly, glancing at the thief.
“This’ll be the third night. You were basically out of it the entire time..” Lupin frowned, looking at him quietly for a moment. “You nearly died…”
“Oh…” Goemon frowned. Was that why he felt so awful? “I just remember..the diamond breaking..and a light..I’m sorry about losing it.”
“Don’t apologize. It was just a stupid hunk of rock-“
“It was priceless-!”
“Stupid. Hunk. Of. Rock.” Lupin narrowed his eyes. “You’re priceless! I could get more diamonds. I can’t just go get another Goemon! Who else is going to tell me how bad my singing is or save our asses on heists or tell Jigen to keep his feet off the table or-or..or make me appreciate the little things in life..? Huh? Who’s gonna..gonna do all that?” The thief sniffled, looking up at him sadly. “I wanted you more than anything, Goemon. And I should’ve told you sooner how important you were to us…to me…”
Goemon blushed, staring at him quietly. He..thought that highly of him? Worth more than the worlds biggest known diamond? He would never explicitly call Lupin greedy but…knowing now that the thief valued him more than even that..wow.
“It…really doesn’t upset you that we didn’t get it..?” Goemon asked softly, glancing at him nervously.
“I was way more upset that you had gotten hurt..” Lupin frowned, resting his head on Goemon’s gently as he played with his hair. “The diamond isn’t important.”
Goemon nodded faintly, moving a bit closer to the thief’s warm body. He hoped he hadn’t been much trouble but..considering the bruises..he probably had been more than enough for them. Focusing on Lupin playing with his hair, Goemon began to doze. He was still pretty exhausted..
“…Lupin..?” Goemon mumbled, holding onto the thief’s shirt gently.
“Mhm?” Lupin glanced down at him curiously, tilting his head.
“‘M tired..” Goemon yawned, glancing at the thief from under his bangs. “…will you be okay if I sleep a while more..?”
Lupin laughed softly, squeezing him gently. “I’ll be alright, Goe. Get some rest, okay?”
Goemon hummed in response, closing his eyes as he drifted off. Even though he was exhausted, Lupin and Jigen were still his top priority. He felt guilty for leaving them like this when he was so useless..
>:3 hehehehehe Snowmon new chapter out!
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