lupintrois | (no subject)

The worst heists, in Lupin’s opinion, were the ones nobody knew about. Delicately, in the background of Zenigata healing from his wounds and Lupin gently romancing him into staying in bed, a war played out across France - an informant leaked here, a safe house exposed there, all so delicate and subtle that the media barely noticed it. Pawns were moving but neither man had worked up the aggression to shift their more powerful pieces as they tested each others limits. The key was using just enough power that Albert knew he meant business...and knowing that he’d take losses in the meantime.

Fine. Albert knew better than to try it all at once, anyway, with what Lupin held on him. The stress of it was frustrating, even so, and distracted him from planning anything more fun for his new situation with Zenigata...until things escalated to him planting suspicious data in the office of one of Albert’s underlings, and with an Interpol social event happening right down the hall Lupin decided to multitask.

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It's always nice to have an appreciative gaze. "Santé," he says instead, and lifts his glass before he takes a drink off it.

He pointedly doesn't talk about work. He wouldn't even if it weren't Lupin, if it were-- God forbid -- his wife he was still coming home to. He has to process Watanabe's death. Especially in regards to what happened to him, earlier in the month. There's... there's a lot to consider. A lot that's going on. That's moving by unseen hands.

Lupin spoke to Albert, though. He saw that, right as he left. Something was clicking into place, something full of fraught feelings and happy memories with a thread of intense jealousy...

Seriously, if you wanted to bang a guy who's a talented thief and schemer who's a crack shot, an expert manipulator and has ten percent body fat, I know a great guy in the French government to introduce you to.

Zenigata is certain they know each other now. But as he mulls it over, he takes another sip of his wine, before he says, "I'm ordering delivery. You want anything?"

It'll be a nice casual night, with drinking and food and not talking about the obvious problems.

"I could eat." He looks at Zenigata in a way that says he could be talking about sex but allows plausible deniability that he might also be talking about pizza.

"I bet you could," Zenigata replies, voice dropping one octave into 'suggestive.'

He's still picking up the phone to dial up the local Thai place that he loves.

It's not that he doesn't want to screw. There's very little that puts Lupin off screwing. He just knows it isn't going to be what Zenigata needs right now...maybe later in the evening, but not now. Now he lets Zenigata soak up the warmth of him and soothes his chattering, giving space for the man to talk.

Tom Yum and Pad See Ew ordered, Zenigata comes back around, uncharacteristically quiet, but not sad. Like flowers turn to the sun, he turns to Lupin.

"I know what you're doing," he says, though that could cover a lot of topics. "I was thinking, again, when this dust settles, we can chase that coin. So like I said, I don't kick up any more."

It costs him, but he took to what Lupin asked to heart. He won't risk himself. Today reminded him that there are consequences, and he's not the only one who pays for them.

Lupin takes his hand, curling up by him like a cat with his wine glass in his hand. "I know it's hard for you to stay out of trouble," he soothes, fussing with the man's hair. "It's only for a little while, anyway."

Hahha, pops, you really don't know. But that's for the best.

"So talk theft," Zenigata says, as he gets comfortable. He is not content, but he is comforted. Lupin is here, and Lupin is even being -- or at least convincingly faking -- being empathetic and attentive. "I like hearing you talk about the bits and pieces. Not even to take it apart, but--"

It's terrible and awful, it hurts people, but the thing that build the crime as fascinating. It also has nothing to do with what's going on in his life right now, which is a rarity.

"Oh, you sweet talker." And Lupin obliges, purringly, describing his grand schemes to one of the few people who'd truly understand them. (Albert would understand them. But Albert wouldn't tell him how clever he was for them. Boring, pathetic man.)

They're halfway through a second heist when the door bell rings; Zenigata checks the peephole, then carefully accepts the delivery and makes sure things go unseen.

"Come eat," he calls, and starts plating up. "You can--"

Well, they can get interrupted by the cellphone. Zenigata doesn't go in for fancy ringtones, it's just a standard trill. He speaks briefly, moving back into French to speak to someone named Claude, and wanders back into the bedroom as he says, 'that was fast. what were the results?' and closes the door behind him for a brief moment of privacy.

It's done in less than five minutes, and he returns, pocketing his phone, and grabs broad, flat Pad See Ew noodles for himself.

"Come on, don't be on the clock while we're having a nice night," Lupin pouts, sulking that he's not getting full attention. "Is it really that important?"

He knows it is. That's why he's asking.

Looking up from under his heavy, bushy brows, Zenigata contemplates for a moment. Then he says, "Was ballistics. They matched the bullet I had pulled out of me to a gun. Belonged to the officer found dead today."

Then he slurps noodles right up, because this isn't gonna stop him from eating.

"Few things as bad a crooked cop," Zenigata said, wiping sauce off his face with a napkin. "I try and make sure my boys leave better than they came, but I guess I missed one. Or two. Not sure."

"Mmm." Not sure where he can fit a ribald jibe into a remark that dark. Lupin reaches for the food instead, stuffing his face to keep his mouth shut. "Sorry about that."

Not much you can say.

"Guess you weren't kidding," he says in the most conversational tone, "about how big this is."

It's right there on the tip of his tongue. Lupin's not telling him a lot here. He knew something -- he knew something about Albert d'Andresy, knew enough to mimic him in pitch perfect tone, knew enough to hate him, to shit talk him, to...

To protect him from Zenigata? Or Zenigata from him? He settled on the latter. There was no love there, Albert wasn't someone Lupin woudl protect. Not unless they were tangled up so much that it'd reveal too much about Lupin...

Huh.

"Blaise Desforge was one of mine, too. Watanabe came up after him, and he moved to Desforge's team after that," Zenigata says, keeping his tone neutral. "Desforges works very closely with French authorities, he's local. I was sourcing information on Albert d'Andresy from him."

He put another wad of noodles in his mouth, slurping his food down before he added, "Hope he doesn't turn up dead, too."

Edited 2021-05-10 22:48 (UTC)