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It had taken some modicum of research to track him down, Goemon was incensed, here Lupin was, after months and months holed up in a what appeared to be a singular story flat in the middle of some nondescript city's outskirts. There had been no new plans, no new summons, for MONTHS. And Jigen wasn't even there, he had some business elsewhere stating some old acquaintance to be dealt with, and they all knew what that meant.
Goemon fumed, Lupin had promised they would have plenty of work coming to this shitty country. But Goemon was left on the backburner for WEEKS, and nothing...
So when he finally tracked him down, he was sure to give the man an earful, what was he point of coming here? Place didn't even have fucking sushi, the omniscient of Japanese foods, thought being this far from any coast, maybe it was a blessing in disguise.
Walking up the stairs to the old flat bungalow Goemon steeled himself, Lupin would be charming and weasel himself out of it, Goemon prided himself of being good at resisting luster, but he had many times over found he was not impervious to Lupin's charm.
He knocked rapidly on the door, had to for quite a long time, as if the resident (who he know was inn since he had spotted his obvious silhouette through a window, thank you) was trying to convince the word he wasn't inn.
His ardent displeasured and callus remarks died in his throat when Lupin the third finally opened the damn door.
He looked exhausted, there was bags under his eyes and his skin had a sickly pallor.
"Oh!", "Oh hi Goemon!" Lupin geared his face and faculties to be cheerful and bright. But despite that, he couldn't hide his obvious exhaustion. Goemon understood instantly.
Lupin was ill.
~~~~~~
"Ah, Goemon", said Lupin, bright smile almost hiding the bags under his eyes. Almost.
"Today, is not such a good day, maybe tomo-, oh that's right you've come for the, uh yes.."
Goemon said simply: "You are ill."
"What no? ah, just the sniffles, I'll be right as rain to- in a couple of days, don't you worry" said Lupin brightly, somehow managing to look less pallid, however his eyes had lost their usual sparkle.
Infact, if you looked closely, there seemed to be a dawning horror in them, born from an exhausted man realising he probably has to go run a marathon tomorrow.
Lupin closed his eyes and relaxed his smile, when he opened them he had straightened up and sounded less tired. "No worries Goemon, I'll be right as rain in a couple of days. Not even Lupin the third can avoid getting a cold. Come back in 2 days" he said brightly, "Ok? that's a-good!"
Any other man would be fooled by this demeanor, (well except maybe a couple of men with hats)
But not Goemon, still if Lupin required space he would give it to him. "Fine" he said. "Good as gravy" replied Lupin manically cheerful, starting to close the door, he would have succeeded, but the extra strain of appearing not-sick took out the last bit of energy he had, just before he manged to close the door and turn around, he collapsed in a coughing fit.
"Lupin!" Goemon exclaimed rushing forward catching him, slamming the door open with his shoulder in the process.
Weakly trying to shove him away and say "I'm fine! I'm fine" while doubling over coughing made Lupin even weaker, crumbling down.
Holding him, Goemon found him hot and damp, and somehow shivering, the hideout certainly had a bed and a tea kettle somewhere, so Goemon picked up the wheezing Lupin, and closed the door with his foot, his still be-sandaled foot that is. Well damn, ok, just this once. "Sorry for intruding" he said under his breath.
The view after dragging Lupin into the main area was a shock, the place was, a mess.
And not in the usual "plans, cupnoodles, gadgets and the occasional panty?! slung around, well there was some papers on large low-set dining room, some long-since dried laundry hanging in an open door frame (a pair of socks and a bluestriped boxer)
But elsewhere was: paper, littered tissue paper, bits of Post-its, some cardboard from a long since used painkiller-box.
Cups with old dried tea bags and dried hot-sirup-deluge, plates with crumbs, a half-eaten sandwich still halfway in it's plastic.
And the sofa was covered in blankets and pillows, several of which were on the floor, around which had more tissue paper.
Several socks littering the place. Dustballs and crumbs everywhere.
Goemon dreaded what he'd find in the kitchen.
"P-pardon the mess" Lupin said wheezingly, "If I knew I was expecting guests i woulda cleaned up the place!"
Goemon simply gave the jocular man a blank, unamused stare, before depositing him ontop of the sofa blankets, brushing some tissues aside with his knee first.
"Stay." he said with all the muster of a Goemon™ death glare, knowing fully well it would (probably) be completely uneffective on this vexing man.
Lupin just smiled tired but cheerfully at him as he retracted to the kitchen, intrepidation growing in him as to what he would find.
------
The kitchen was.. not that bad honestly. Some dried-in cups sitting around, some plates and a couple of small casseroles in the sink, they weren't even covered in gunk or mold, just a bit of stale water and some ..egg? stains.
Goemon left that for now and instead went to get a clean cup and fill the electric kettle with water.
Only there were no clean cups and when he tried clicking the button for the kettle it simply did not turn on the light. It did not work.
Grumbling slightly he searched around for a.. ah yes, a regular old fashioned kettle hidden in the back of a cupboard. He filled it with water, it would take longer to boil, but he had to wash (atleast) one cup anyway so...
It took 3 cups, 2 saucers, 5 spoons, a fork and one casserole before the water boiled, setting aside the one still needing wash and the 2 knives and, whatever that plastic plug thing was, Goemon rinsed a mug in hot water, filled it with boiled water, and then dug around for tea, or drinking-broth, or hell powder-coffee at this point, he found some green tea bags, a packet of single-serving honey and a clicker of sukettes. Ignoring the latter he made a cup of tea-with-honey before returning to the living room. It was suspiciously quiet. Never a good sign with Lupin the third.
It was worse than he had thought, Lupin was dozing. This is unheard of.
"Lupin" said Goemon, slightly unsure.
No reaction, good grief!
"Lupin" Goemon tried again, more sure, but softer toned, for some reason he's not entirely certain of himself, fear?
"ngh" "hn?"
"Here Lupin, have some tea". "It has honey" he added, mindful of Lupin starting another coughing-fit.
"uh, well, thank you Goemon" said Lupin, a little awkward.
Goemon watched Lupin drink the cup carefully, as well as looking around, waiting to address the issue several times, but finding no way to approach it.
"Ah, thank you so much Goemon!" said Lupin, again fakely brightly, but Goemon didn't look at him, ignoring Lupins mask, and instead considering the evidence: Lupin desperately wanting him out, wanted him to not see him like this, was dreading how much energy he was going to use up faking being fine.
And had he been a different man, or himself at an earlier time, perhaps he would do just that, figuring that Lupin would heal faster if he was allowed to hole up and stew in his lonesome where he didn't need to use energy putting up a front.
See, Goemon was actually kinda smart. Not the kind of "street smart" of Jigen, or the kind of "book smart" of Fujiko, nor the sort of manic in-between combination of Lupin.
He didn't get things right away, usually he he had to mull things over before he understood them, and often he would not voice his opinion because he either didn't want to seem a fool or because usually Lupin and or Jigen and often Fujiko would discuss, argue and apply themselves to whatever it was so that any half-formed idea or curiosity he might have come with, would do little to help a problem along, That was unless he had actual useful information about the thing in question, then he would readily share what he knew, about people, artifacts or legends.
However, that figuring out puzzles was not something others thought him very apt at, Goemon didn't mind.
In fact Goemon's intelligence, was quite above average, but a smart man is "the dumb one" if 3/4's of the people around him were literal geniuses.
But Goemon was a different man today, and looking around at all the mess, and considering the actual level of Lupin's exhaustion, if the man actually hadn't been able to work, and his current, eerie tired quietness, (despite the mans attempt to apear normal NOT hiding said exhaustion), Goemon resolutely made his mind up, he would FORCE Lupin to relax.
What could go wrong?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"No really Goemon it's fine!" said an exasperated Lupin while Goemon was fussing over him, "I'll shower tomorrow!"
The man was impossible, it appeared that he had not, infact, washed for a while, the bathroom, was not gross, infact it seemed mostly unused, save for the toothbrush being slightly damp.
Goemon was a stubborn man, possibly the only man more stubborn would be Zenigata.
Also, he was stronger and fitter than Lupin, and Lupin was, using all his energy to apear fine.
And that was his downfall.
Another coughing fit sent him collapsing on the bathroom floor, Goemon's irritation with him dissipating.
"Would you just let me help you?!" he groaned. But his mien changed for kind as the greatest thief in a century practically hacked up a lung, pathetically, at his feet, rather than receive any kind of agreement or gratitude, Lupin glared at him, like all this was Goemon's fault.
Then, he stood up on his arms and legs, and, seemingly steeling himself, got up on his own two, his expression normal, his faculties as if nothing was wrong, his tone and expression changing from exhausted to overly fake bright to neutral to his usual normal-Bright in two winks of an eye, as he said "Goemon, I do really appreciate your worry, but really I'm fine, just a little off the top, come back in.. two days and everything will be normal". He looked away and hid his face in his hand and added, look, you don't want to catch what I have do you? You know how athletes get so really awfully sick from a regular cold because they are upmost trained, so just the tiniest disease knocks them out!"
Hoping perhaps that Goemon would take offense at this suggestion that "a mere" cold would defeat him easily, Lupin grinned mischievously, and promptly blacked out.
~~~~~~~~~~
Goemon found that dealing with an unconscious unwell Lupin was much preferable to dealing with an awake but pathetically attempting to appear not unwell Lupin.
Lupin came too a few times, dazed and groaning, but did apparently not have the energy anymore to fight.
Goemon undressed him, Lupin making a face, because he, well didn't have the energy to make a salacious comment, he wanted to, he wanted to wiggle his eyebrows and make something of Goemon also taking his clothes off (showering another half unconscious person with your clothes on being, well too daft, even for someone like Goemon) he did keep on his fundoshi however.
Goemon was not gentle, but he washed Lupin carefully, holding him and making sure soapsuds did not get into his eyes or ears, or anywhere worse.
He held him when Lupin needed to cough up more phlegm, greatly helped by the hot water and not having to worry about dryness or soreness of paper-wiping, simply using the shower to clean up.
He made no comment when Lupin exhaustedly peed into the shower, looking embarrassed.
He even said nothing when Lupin actually sneezed onto his chest accidentally, looking wide eyed at the man who he'd normally expect to cut anyone to ribbons for something like that...
Lupin cringed further the more he was taken care off, something that made Goemon's demeanour, despite being exasperated with the man, greatly mollified.
Clearly Lupin was stubborn, but this was seemingly... Something else.
When finished, Lupin tired, in vain to dry himself, but Goemon would have nothing of it, instead bundling him up and carrying him towards the bedroom. Lupin increasingly squirming when realising where they where going.
"Stop this behaviour." said Goemon bluntly when Lupin made an especially wild whole-body jerk.
Surprisingly Lupin stilled, but after a moment said, in a voice so uncharacteristically quiet and small that it alarmed Goemon: "please, Goemon, not the bedroom, the livingroom, please."
"Why?" asked Goemon, taking care to make his voice soft, "is there something bad in there?"
Lupin shuddered at Goemon's tone, what was that? Was he mocking him? Did he think Lupin couldn't handle..
Lupin felt his headache and fever redouble as he tried to think of someway to explain away his behaviour, but he couldn't, he felt so weak.
Goemon however had shifted him onto the floor, supported him with his body and opened the bedroom door, there was nothing unusual inside.
Nothing at all, except a matrass with no bed covers on it.
And this, somehow, jogged a notion in Goemon's head, why was Lupin so damn adamant about not being cared for? Why was he acting like he was being.. For a lack of a better word, punished?
He's.. Not being banished to the bedroom for bad behaviour here or anything?!
Goemon started, then said, carefully, "You are not, being punished, Lupin, I will keep the door open, please rest while I air out the apartment and remove rubbish."
"uh,, oh, oh, thank you," said a wide-eyed Lupin, too tired to figure out how Goemon had managed to read him this well, dammit, was his masks cracking, did he no longer keep up his.. ach, coughing again, he was put in the cool unused room, Goemon pulling out new duvets and bedlinen, dressing the bed and putting Lupin into it, taking the damp towels from him.
He returned promptly with a soft bathrobe to wear and soft paper tissues.
Lupin was angry, he felt pathetic, he wanted to appear invincible, and here was Goemon Goemon, the strongest, most determined, the (coolest) one of them, seeing all his pathetic weaknesses laid out like a tapestry of gloom.
Surely he would no longer want to have anything to do with Lupin anymore now, that he had seen that Lupin was just, just a man, just a pathetic, desperate needy man, like any other, worse infact because...
Lupin's inner torment stopped abruptly when a hand, carefully, brushed over his short hair, petting him comfortingly.
It was just so.. exactly what his pathetic, needy, heart-broken self needed at that moment, that Lupin, despite years of practice, despite a formidable fortitude, walls of impenetrable luster, mask over mask over mask. Totally broke down.
Tears started to stream down his face, his nose clogging up instantly, his tired body heaving with sobs.
Goemon was shocked, but he said nothing, he just silently continued to pet Lupin comfortingly, but what was so bad about needing help?
Hmm.. Goemon thought.. well, if he was going to go of his own thoughts about it... Lupin didn't want anyone to see his weaknesses. But this was.. It was like he felt.. shame?
Surely not, but here Lupin shook and sniffled, blowing into a napkin, he eyed Goemon, cringing, but also looking grateful, sheepish for sure.
Then, in a tiny little voice:
"Don't. Don't tell anyone, Goemon." he said, his eyes red and damp.
Curling in on himself.
Goemon took a moment to compose himself, then: "Do you remember, the Rose and the gun?" Lupin looked up at him, grasped the hand that was carefully petting his head, "They did horrible things to your hands". "It took you a year to heal"
"Yes, and do you remember what you told me then?"
Lupin smiled then, ruefully, "Sometimes strength, is knowing when to give in", "when to stop", "when to let people help you."
"yes"