Nothing very special here. Just some mediocre dribble where Zenigata gives up, Lupin is concerned for him, it ends with cuddles.
Zenigata stood and watched as Lupin's car once again went speeding off. Normally, he'd be waving his fists in the air and yelling for him to get back, but for some reason he couldn't even bring himself to walk after Lupin. He knew what would happen if he went after Lupin anyways. A high speed chase through the next few towns, maybe handcuff him once, and then lose track of him yet again. So while the Tokyo police sped after Lupin, Zenigata just turned around and started walking home.
"Hey, what the hell is he doing?" Lupin said to no one in particular as he watched Zenigata through binoculars.
"Maybe he figured you out already." Fujiko said with a yawn from the couch.
"There's no way, that disguise I put on Jigen was perfect! Even so, he goes after Jigen anyways because he knows he'll lead to me." Lupin growled and zoomed in on the Inspector. "I think something else is up." He walked away from the window and headed for the door.
"If you end up in handcuffs, it's not my fault." Fujiko rolled her eyes at the thief left.
Zenigata sighed when he reached the apartment building he called home, but did not exactly live in anymore. Since he had been put on the Lupin case he never stayed for more than a week and spent months away. When he got into the entrance hall he saw his mailbox was full of junk mail. It was so full that there was mail poking out of the little slot.
"Ko-chan?" Someone said while he was emptying the mail. He turned around to see his landlady who had apparently just come back from shopping as she was carrying several bags.
"Oh, hello landlady. Here, let me help you with those." Zenigata shoved the last of the mail into his pockets and took all her bags.
"Thank you, thank you. You aren't around much, but when you are you're just the nicest man." She gave him a small bow of thanks and headed for her apartment.
"I'm a cop, it's my duty to help people." He replied and followed her.
"Are you alright?"
"What do you mean?"
"Well normally you swell with pride whenever you talk about your duties. It's quite adorable." She whispered the last part as she opened the door to her home. "Just set the bags on the counter. It's because of that Lupin fellow isn't it? You've lost track of him again and that's why you're back."
"Uh... yeah." Zenigata lied and felt his spirits sink even lower.
"Oh don't be so sad Ko-chan. You're a good man and you always manage to find him again. I'm sure you'll be back on his trail again soon enough."
Zenigata's spirits hit rock bottom.
"I'm going to go home now." He said and headed out the door.
"Good bye and thank you for your help. Actually, wait one moment." Zenigata turned back around and she placed a box of cookies in his hands.
"I..." He began to say.
"They were on sale so I bought two boxes. You can have this one. You deserve it for all your hard work, Ko-chan." The landlady gave him one last smile and shut the door.
"I don't deserve these." He said, but now that the door was shut he didn't have any other options but to take them home.
Zenigata sighed at the dust that had gathered and the junk he had left around when he had rushed out months prior to go after Lupin. He dropped the box of cookies on his small table, causing a little cloud of dust to fly up. He surveyed the mess a little while longer as he threw off his hat and coat. His eyes fell on the small shrine that held his ancestral jutte.
Zenigata retrieved a rag out from under his sink and went over to the shrine, cleaning it and the jutte of every speck of dust that was on them. Once done he sat before the ancient weapon. Shame overtook him and he bowed down before it.
"I am sorry my ancestors, I have dishonored you greatly today." He trembled as tears started to form in his eyes.
"Achoo! Man, pops, it's dusty in here." Zenigata froze at the sound of Lupin's voice.
"Get out." He growled, not moving from where he was.
"Yeesh, when was the last time you cleaned this place?" He heard the clattering of pots as Lupin investigated his sink.
"Get. Out."
"Eh, what's this?" Zenigata looked up to see Lupin standing right next to him about to pick up the jutte.
"Don't touch that!" Zenigata lashed out at the thief, but he jumped away with the weapon in hand. "Put it back!" He got up and charged at Lupin. Suddenly, the thief was behind Zenigata wrenching his arms up behind his back and locking them their with his own handcuffs.
"Lupin, you-!" Lupin clamped his hands over Zenigata's mouth just as there was a knock at the door.
"Is everything alright? I thought I heard someone shouting." The landlady spoke through the door. Lupin coughed and spoke in a voice that was almost exactly Zenigata's.
"Everything's fine, I just dropped a pot on my foot while I was cleaning up."
"Would you like some help Ko-chan?" Lupin almost laughed when he heard the nickname.
"No thank you, I'm quite alright-ouch!" He almost released Zenigata when the old man stomped on his foot.
"Just call me if change your mind." Lupin held tight for a few moments after the landlady left before releasing Zenigata and jumping back before he could head-butt him. Zenigata spun around to glare at the thief.
"Put the jutte back in the shrine." He snapped, ignoring the cuffs for now.
"Fine fine, you're almost as bad as Goemon." Lupin said and set the jutte gently back on it's stand.
"Now get out." Zenigata sat down next to his jacket and began feeling around for the keys to the cuffs.
"Pops." Zenigata looked up to see Lupin holding the keys. The thief winked at him before popping the keys into his mouth and swallowing.
"You... you... Ergh!" Zenigata shot up to his feet and charged at the thief.
"Cool it pops." Lupin dodged easily and tripped Zenigata as he passed, making him fall into his bed. When he managed to righten himself he saw Lupin sitting right next to his bed with a concerned look on his face. "Now, what's wrong pops? Why did you chase after me today?" Zenigata clenched his jaw shut, laid down, and rolled over so he was staring at the wall instead of Lupin. It was uncomfortable with his arms locked behind his back, but he would be damned before he would talk to Lupin about his problems. Lupin and his problems were one in the same after all.
"I'm going to stay here until you talk to me." Zenigata smirked at that. Both of them were stubborn men, but Zenigata was sure he was more stubborn since he had been chasing Lupin for so long. A long while later, Zenigata was starting to loose feeling in his arms so he shifted a little.
"Are you gone yet?" He asked.
"Course not." Came the reply. Zenigata huffed and moved closer to the wall. There was another long stretch of time and Lupin was the one to break it.
"Are your arms hurting yet?"
"I can't even feel them." Lupin frowned at this reply and grabbed Zenigata's shoulder, pulling him so he was laying on his back. The inspector sneered at him and rolled back, so Lupin pulled him back again. The process repeated itself five times before Lupin got fed up.
"That's it." He said, pulling Zenigata down again.
"Hey, what are you-! Zenigata tried to protest as Lupin crawled on top of him, pinning him on his back.
"What's wrong with you pops? What happened to that annoying determination of yours." He asked, struggling to stay on top of Zenigata as he squirmed. "Answer me, I'm not going until you do."
"YOU'RE WHAT HAPPENED, DAMMIT!" Zenigata shouted, twisting one more time before giving up and going lax. Another stretch of silence.
"That's funny." Lupin said with a humorless chuckle. "Because you're what happened to me. I would've stopped a while ago, but you made it so much fun. Most of those heists would've been boring easy if it weren't for you setting up traps and warning people that I was coming."
"Good for you because on the other hand, my life has been ruined." Zenigata huffed and turned his face away. "Just go away Lupin." Lupin stared at him for a moment longer before getting off. When he did Zenigata rolled back onto his side. Lupin reached into his pocket and pulled the keys for them out. What he had eaten earlier had been fakes made of a digestible substance. Once Zenigtata felt his hands had been freed he pulled his arms in front of him and rubbed his wrists. He flinched when he felt a body laying down against his back. He rising rage was curbed when Lupin suddenly put his arms over Zenigata's shoulders, showing his wrists which were cuffed together.
"W-what?" Zenigata was utterly baffled. Lupin moved suddenly so that he was now facing Zenigata with his back against the wall, arms still on his shoulders.
"Just for tonight I'm going to let you catch me, what do you say to that Ko-chan?" Lupin winked.
"Why you little punk!" Zenigata whacked his forehead hard against the younger man's.
"Th-that's more like the old pops." Lupin stammered as his head pounded with pain, twitching in surprise when the inspector suddenly wrapped his arms around him.
"I'm too tired to take you to the station right now, so I'm just going to hold you here for the night." Zenigata said and buried his face in Lupin's shoulder. He was rather afraid that he was going to start crying right now. He had been putting on a touch act, but he was truly very touched at how much Lupin, his sworn nemesis, cared about him.
"Okay, pops, but don't expect me to stick around if I wake up before you." Lupin smiled as he brought his arms back to himself and curled up against the older man's chest, leaving the handcuffs on for now.