Work Text:
02:37 AM.
Armed robbery. Tokyo, Uptown.
There had been no word, no single sign of the infamous Arsène Lupin the Third for weeks. He’d gone quiet, likely laying low after the hubbub and noise caused by his previous heist; a Statesman’s party had been disrupted by the gang, and his vault was practically emptied of all of its valuables, including sixteen pristine rubies, a flawless rose diamond, and a silver diadem.
But that had been in Amsterdam, and despite Inspector Zenigata’s failure to catch the slippery thief and his friends, he was just happy to return to his home turf.
Still, even Tokyo wasn’t quiet in the police station, not all the time at least. Tonight was one of those nights where there was something going on. Something that was more than a drunken disorderly or a missing pet.
Now, Zenigata was outside the house, his men surrounding the property with riot gear at the ready while he waited for his partner. He could go in alone, sure, but even the bold and efficient Zenigata knew that backup was a better choice when facing armed robbers. They were always more unpredictable, more willing to start a scene instead of sneak around.
Yata and Lauren pulled up in another cop car, called in from another precinct where they’d been working on some extra paperwork that had, somehow, been directed there instead of into the detective’s hands.
“How many?” Yata asked first.
“And what’s our plan?” Lauren added.
Zenigata put his hands on his hips, nodding towards the house. “We’re not sure how many, Miss Sato said she only saw one, but she heard more voices once she hid. Expect up to three. All armed and dangerous. Yata, I need you out here to coordinate the men. Have them ready to close in and keep complete radio silence until I call. Tell the men know to block all entrances and storm the doorways on my signal, and only on my signal. If we’re lucky, we won’t need to.”
“Yes, sir!” Yata replied, and immediately ran to join up with the small horde of Zenigata’s most loyal, and those among them setting up the radio equipment.
Then, Zenigata turned to Lauren.
“Lauren, you’re with me. I’ll need the extra eyes and ears in there.”
“I guess it never hurts to have an extra gun for cover, too,” she replied with a tiny little smile. He tried not to smile back, but the humor was appreciated all the same, even as they both quickly shook themselves back into work mode.
Quickly, the planning stage gave way to the task itself, and soon enough, after an announcement and warning, the two inspectors came through the front door, as it had likely been the robbers’ way in, judging by the shattered chunks of the lock on the welcome mat. The inspectors creaked past the door, weapons drawn, as they scoured the living space for signs of any movement.
It was dark, and it was quiet, but there were signs of trouble. Drawers were strewn about the floor, with contents of dvds, cds, and papers, among other miscellaneous items strewn about. Whoever was here, they were trying to sweep the whole house. The next stop was the kitchen, also torn apart and stripped. The people in here were looking for anything to sell, that meant they were likely amateurs. Lauren and Zenigata exchanged a knowing look, and brought up their defenses further. Amateurs were more jumpy, more prone to panic.
They returned to the front room once the first floor had been cleared when Zenigata spotted movement, turning suddenly towards the stairs. He squinted, and despite hearing the floor creak, saw nobody in the shadows. They took to the stairs as quietly as they could, and each took a different direction, covering more ground. The robbers were essentially cornered, and a quick shout would bring the other inspector running if the criminals were together. If not, then a split party was easier to subdue anyways.
The house was nice, and spacious enough for a large family, but it had only been the great aunt at home, now hiding in a closet somewhere nearby, praying she wouldn’t be found by the robbers.
Zenigata checked a child’s bedroom, finding it relatively left alone, save a few drawers removed, peeking into the closets. He checked another, with the same effect, and then a bathroom.
It was a boost of confidence, especially after checking all the closets, because it meant there were only a few places left where the perpetrators could be.
They were closing in.
Cautious, but more confident, he stepped back into the hall, turning to head down towards Lauren, ready to end this mess once and for all.
She was slowly opening a door that was partially closed, gun at the ready and eyes focused. Zenigata stopped moving, not wanting to startle her, and listened hard for movement, in case he’d need to rush in to help.
Lauren looked into the room, a trashed, overturned office, and saw the flash of movement from beyond the desk, the shape of a tall, robust man made visible from the light coming through the window. At first, it looked like the stranger had a knife, as was typical in a country that heavily regulated weapons, all the same, she raised her firearm, and shouted.
“ICPO! Hands where I can see the-“
BLAM
There was a hot, intense pain in her shoulder, and she stumbled back a few steps. Instinctively, she grabbed at where the pain was, and when she pulled her hand away, it was dark, covered in blood. That... was not a good sign. She’d been shot. This man had a gun.
“Ah, shit.”
Where Lauren had felt the bullet, Zenigata had only heard the shout and the gun, and his eyes widened in shock as she stumbled back, the sound of a gunshot ringing through his ears.
The house fell away for another, quieter place, and the woman stumbling in front of him was no longer his partner, but somebody else, blonde and thin and scared. He saw blood on her hand, and could see it streaming from a wound in her stomach. His own churned, and he stared, and stared, and stared, trapped in that single moment with the feeling of terror and loss culminating deep within.
This wasn’t Tokyo, this was somewhere far away, this was witnessing death all over again.
“Laura?” He whispered, voice cracking around the edges.
He blinked, shaking his head, trying to focus on the double images. Time returned to its normal speed, and he saw the present, and the fellow Inspector holding her shoulder. Auburn, petite, surprised.
His limbs worked once more, and he charged. Not again. Not this time. Save her.
The perpetrator, the shooter, was armed with more than a typical knife. Zenigata did not announce himself when he shielded Lauren, instead turning with his gun raised. He fired twice, but his aim wasn’t to kill. The robber yelped in pain, one bullet grazing his firing hand, another digging into his shoulder. He’d be disarmed long enough to confiscate the gun, then he could contact Yata, get Lauren to safety, call for an ambulance... there was something biting at the back of his mind...
He clicked on his radio, trying to push the thought away.
“Yata, it’s Inspector Zenigata. We have an officer down, move in on the double!”
“Wait, is Lauren-” “On the double!”
“Y-Yes sir!”
The radios both clicked off, and Zenigata looked back at Lauren. She’d dropped her hat, leaning against the wall as she tried to ride out the pain of such a hit to her shoulder. It’d struck bone and struck it hard, and trying to move her arm only made it hurt more. She nodded to Zenigata, who, for a moment, saw the blonde woman again, with haunted, desperate eyes. He blinked, shook away the memory, focused on the woman still living before him, even if his heart swelled with the urge to protect above all else.
He was about to gather the stray firearm, get the shooter cuffed...
The door to his left creaked open, and there was a second masked robber peeking out from the master bedroom. He was young, skinny, and clearly distressed. He’d likely come at the sounds of gunshots, trying to check how much danger he was in. But he’d heard the radio too late, and the door had made its telling creak, leaving the man exposed and immediately in Zenigata’s headlights. His eyes were fury, immediately training his gun on the robber, who made a startled whimper, dropping a knife and raising his hands. Zenigata relaxed but still waved his gun at the man one last time to sell the message. The men were starting to rush inside, take over all exits from inside and out, surrounding windows and doors alike. Immediately, Zenigata stood straight, holstering his weapon, looking between the two with an unmatched ferocity, he ran to the robber’s firearm as he tried to scramble for it with a sharp cry, and kicked up papers into his face for good measure. He was swift and unbridled, in that rare sort of way he’d get where even walls didn’t seem to stop him. He kicked the firearm down the hall, so they’d have to go through him to get it, and then immediately he was sweeping Lauren up into his arms, trying to lay her against him as he knelt down, his anger replaced with fear.
“Oh god, no, no, no. Not again. Listen, I-I’ll call an ambulance. You’re going to be okay.”
Lauren hissed with pain, but she huffed, smiling a little with a wince.
“Aw, come on now, Inspector. I’m tough enough to take a bullet.”
All the same, Zenigata’s worry only increased, carefully checking her wound and reeling at the sight of her blood on his fingers, even if it was just a few small spots.
“Everything’s fine, I took care of them, they can’t hurt you. It’s not going to happen again.”
Lauren’s eyes knitted close. He seemed like he was reassuring himself, falling into a memory full of pain. She nudged him, getting no response.
“Hey, seriously, I’m okay. It’s not fatal, it just hurts a lot! See?”
He shut his eyes.
“No, no you’re hurt. I can’t- not again. I can’t.” Lauren’s heart hurt, and she gently put a hand to his jacket, trying to tell him that he didn’t need to worry, that she really would be okay.
“Zenigata?” “Damnit, Lauren, I can’t lose you too!”
Immediately, both widened their eyes, a secret let out of its vault out of fear. Lauren stared up at him, surprised, and he stared back, horrified that he’d admitted to it out loud, now of all times, and here of all places.
“I--”
“You...”
Lauren shook her head twice, then reached up, pulling her up to his lips. She kissed him, even while she bled into his trenchcoat and felt her body scream with pain. His lips were softer than she’d realized. She let go of him, falling back down into his arms as he knelt there flabbergasted, cheeks as red as tomatoes and mouth still parted, as if he was hoping for it to have lasted longer.
“First floor cleared, sir!” called out a young officer. “Good, everybody’s upstairs then.” Yata called out. “I wish Zenigata could have said that so we could get them out of there sooner.” He shook his head, leading the charge upstairs.
Zenigata heard them coming, and quickly removed his outer coat, draping it around Lauren before picking her up again.
“I’m going to be okay,” she said quietly, smiling. “I’m still here.”
Zenigata tried to hide his relief, but she could feel it in his chest all the same. His shoulders were not tight, his breath no longer labored. He was still embarrassed and certainly still worried. But Lauren had managed to chase the fear away for him.
Yata rounded the corner, spotting Lauren in Zenigata’s arms, flashlights illuminating the duo and the fearful robber behind them, still shaking in fear at the sight of the inspector.
“I’ve called for an ambulance, I’ve got this from here, sir!”
Zenigata didn’t argue. The perpetrators were disarmed, the police had them cornered, Yata could handle it with his eyes shut. As the inspector walked downstairs with his partner in his arms, he could hear Yata barking orders almost as well as he could.
Indeed, an ambulance had pulled up when he exited the house, backing itself into the circle of police vehicles as medical staff hopped down from the back, rushing over to take Lauren from Zenigata’s arms. He flinched as they took her, putting her on a small gurney as they started to do initial cleanup of the wound, removing her jacket and partially unbuttoning her shirt. Zenigata looked away immediately, cheeks becoming pink again. Lauren laughed, even as the paramedics asked her to hold still, breathe slowly.
“Don’t worry, they just had to get the shoulder exposed.” He didn’t move, and she smiled wider. “Trust me, it’s not as bad as it looks!” A paramedic poured some rubbing alcohol on the wound, causing her to hiss in pain.
“Ouch! Okay, yeah, it hurts.”
Zenigata still looked away, keeping his eyes trained with that rage once more as the robbers were pushed out of the house in cuffs, followed a little while after by the woman who’d been hiding in one of the closets.
Well, that at least solved the mystery of what Zenigata had forgotten.
It didn't matter anyways, she was unharmed and shaken, ready to give statements and talk with the officers and calm down. Zenigata’s concern was entirely on Lauren, standing by and over her as they cleaned the wound, and checked to see if they had the supplies to take all care on site.
Yata approached as they brought out more tools, giving Lauren a small, dense cloth to bite into as they carefully pulled the bullet out, finding it close enough to still have part of it glinting from the lights outside.
“Sir, we have the perpetrators locked and ready to be taken to the station, what’s our next course of action?” Zenigata and Yata both winced as Lauren yelped into her cloth, teeth clenched tight as the paramedics extracted the bullet. She grabbed Zenigata’s hand, and squeezed it tight, even though the inspector was doing everything in his power not to jump from the trusting gesture.
“Have a full report of the arrest available by tomorrow,” he said, trying to keep his voice strong, authoritative. “I’ll make sure Lauren and I have statements ready for you by then. Then, make sure those men are interrogated and handed over to the local authorities. If you get any information from them regarding where and how they obtained their weapons and ammo, I want that information on my desk as soon as possible..”
Yata nodded, and turned to run back towards the other cars, already preparing to assist with statements. He didn’t question Zenigata’s specific request, he’d worked with him long enough to understand, and give him the extra boon of space.
“Let me guess,” Lauren teased, still holding his hand. “You find a black market dealer, you deprive your adorable little rival of another place to buy bullets~”
He finally looked at her, seeing just her at last, leaning back against her ambulance chair as a paramedic stitched a needle through her skin and flesh. This was Lauren the Inspector. His assigned partner, His friend. The one he cared for so deeply.
Seeing her was a relief, and he let out a sigh, squeezing her hand back.
“Depriving any criminal of another place to buy bullets.” He sniffed. “Lupin’s just a bonus.”
She giggled through the pain in her shoulder, even as she was given high doses of pain medication and water to wash it down. It was stitched, she was clean, the bullet was in a ziplock bag for evidence, she just needed her wound dressed, and then some rest.
Zenigata smiled at her laugh, looking back towards the house, and then to the ground.
“Lauren, in the house, when you-”
Her cheeks flushed a little, and she sat up straighter. “Yeah?” “Was that just to get me to stop panicking, or-”
“Oh! W-well. Um.” She toyed with a strand of hair, her laughter becoming much more nervous. “Not quite. I mean, you made that whole confession and I just thought, you know, ‘it’s now or never, Lauren!’ It, you know, felt like the right thing to do, while I still had the confidence boost!”
He coughed, and she chuckled, both looking away, but still holding hands, unable to let go despite the butterflies.
“Does that mean, uh.” Zenigata scratched his cheek
“Maybe? I’m-” Lauren laughed gently. “We’ll figure it out, right? Cuz I think I do. I mean, do you?”
“Yes! I’m-” He cleared his throat, looking at his feet. “I hope that doesn’t affect our partnership. I’d like to still work alongside you whatever we, uh, figure out.”
She grinned, and shook his hand.
“I’ll hold you to that!”
The paramedics, finding the break they needed, finally started to pull Lauren up into the ambulance truck, and Zenigata watched on, almost forlorn as she was taken away from him.
“Hey!” she called from the truck. “Maybe I got shot, but at least the healthcare in this country is practically free!”
He smiled, waving her off with a chuckle as he returned to the last car present, an officer there to escort him back to the office to take his statement.
Zenigata just let himself grow quiet, looking out the window as he felt the relief of knowing that this time, he’d be seeing her tomorrow.