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It was one of those classic humid Caribbean nights, the overhead fan on full, and the small one room hide-out heavy with the smell of sex and sweat that wouldn't quite dissipate.
It had been one of those missions that went bad then good then bad again, all in a period of an hour. Thankfully they'd long since gotten used to these turns of events. When the four of them where together it seemed they were capable of impossible things, but the heists also had a tendency to flame out in a truly spectacular fashion. This one at least had netted them a hat-full of emeralds from the sunken pirate wreck, (Jigen's hat to be precise, and probably a few in Fujiko's bra but they'll all pretend they didn't know about them).
Now they were all on king-sized bed, which had an hour previous been filled with four writing bodies, eager to please, to taunt, to seduce, to enjoy the others company, now played host to rest and rumination.
Lupin was lying in the middle, staring at the cracked ceiling, with his bony arms crossed behind his head, still mulling over the day's events. Shame the Old Man had to come in and bust up the operation, but then again, how exactly was he supposed to respond to the Lupin's Morse Code notice that had gone out on all naval channels?
He smirked around his cigarette. Sure today's heist didn't go perfectly as planned, but it had been hell of a time. Stealing from the original thieves of the sea, what wasn't to love? His thoughts drifted though from playing back the day's preceding events to his companions.
Fujiko was on his right, curled into him, if only because he had the ashtray. Her face was absent her usual mask of whatever flavor of flirty she decided to try today instead a quite pensive look as she stared off into the distance. Her thoughts a mystery to all but herself. She had been smoking as well, but at the moment instead lying her arm across his chest, and letting the cigarette burn itself to the butt over the ashtray he had resting there.
Goemon was next to her, the only one not smoking, lying on his side so he was facing them, Zantetsuken resting against the nightstand within easy reach. His eyes closed but not sleeping, more of an informal meditation.
Jigen was on his left, probably leaning a bit more into him then Jigen would like, but Lupin considered he'd probably like more to not fall off the bed. He's smoking of course, more so then Lupin and Fujiko combined probably. His hat, which was still damp and smelt of the sea was resting over his face, his hand waiting to take the cigarette down to the ashtray to tap it off.
It was rare for it to be all of them together like this, too often there was no time before, after, or during a job to all relax and enjoy each others company. To often it's the quick one-on-one fucks running on the excitement prior to a heist, or the more languid encounters at a particularly slow time of the job.
And afterward everyone had to leave so quickly, jetting off to the corners of the globe where between jobs they could really be anywhere. Though the isolation was more psychological then practical, even without the modern wonders of technology, they had always been serendipity-blessed with running into each other in the oddest of places.
But this was nice, the four of them like this, surrounded by the ones they trusted most in the world, well the only ones they trusted really, which was sad considering how many times they'd been on opposite sides of something and the times that even when they weren't they could still be a each others throats.
Lupin's cig had gone out, and with precision he spat the dead butt so it landed square onto the ashtray in front of him. At the same time, he shifted imperceptibly so that all too quickly he had slipped a new one from the pack behind his pillow, brushed it against Jigen's lit end, and had it between his lips. All of this without jostling Fujiko or Jigen even a bit.
He beamed internally at his skill, though his care not to disturb them went unappreciated, he knew it was because they trusted his skill enough for it to be expected.
And that was it, wasn't it. When it really came down to it, no one else had a hope of touching them, and they all knew it. And they trusted each other because of it.
He started to wonder about their reactions to his musings. Fujiko would protest loudly that she saw them as anything other then means to an end, and she did have quite a history that would speak to that. And yet, Lupin noted, she also had a history of never setting them up for trouble they couldn't handle, and on the occasion or two she had, of dropping everything mid heist to rescue their collective asses.
Perhaps it was she needed people who weren't so easily swayed and fooled, people able to see through any guise she wore, and people she didn't need to fear when they did.
Goemon, would fall into his usual stoic pouting, and mutter something about his only loyalty to his clan and his blade.
There was truth to it, he was the wandering ronin who purposefully didn't have many contacts at all, certainly none outside this room that he would bestow the title of “friend” upon. He kept to the life of few earthly ties, both in objects and people, because it was easier to prevent others from being hurt by his faults.
Yet, there was a reason he kept throwing in his lot with them, even besides their friendship. Lupin figured he needed people who saw him not as a singular invincible man, but a skilled ally. He could trust them not to need him.
Jigen, oh Jigen, he would probably not doubt the truth of Lupin's thoughts at all. He'd always been simpler then the rest of them, he only needed something to live for and fight for. This whole thing gave him purpose the once-assassin hadn't even know he'd been missing, all to easily and quickly he had found he preferred this line of work where instead he lived and fought for fun, profit, and perhaps to defend his cohorts, (friends, Lupin thought, though Jigen would always protest Fujiko's inclusion underneath that word).
In the morning, they would all be going their separate ways again, Fujiko to seduce away her next treasure, Goemon to protect his status as the best at which he did, and even Jigen would be off. Lupin had been reading the itch beneath his friend's skin, the need to get out on his own for a while now.
But he wasn't worried, in a week or two the gunslinger would find him again, wherever he went.
Perhaps even by sheer happenstance, as it would be far from the first and far from the last time it had happened.
But for now they were all here, and Lupin was content with the night.