Work Text:
Killua's day to day life followed a strict procedure. He always woke up at 5am with murder in his eyes and a bird's nest for hair. He showered and dressed himself in a uniform that he loathed and headed out the door petting the stray black cat on the way (it seemed to always hang outside the entrance as if waiting for him). He got his customary cup of coffee in the morning with breakfast at the small diner three blocks south of his tiny apartment at 5:30am. After reading the morning paper and finishing the usual crossword and sudoku puzzle (as well as reading the funnies) he leaves a $5 tip and heads to work at 6:30am.
It was a short walk to the precinct where Killua was going to start working at today. Recently he was promoted to Second Grade Detective-Investigator because of two large drug deals he foresaw which allowed the NYPD a leg up on the recent emersion of a new organized crime group. Somehow the idiots still decided to move him to a different precinct to focus on homicides in the south end instead of continuing to bust cocaine dealers that were rolling in blood money; He's not really bitter about it.
Okay, Killua is bitter. He is angry. Sure he has a paycheck that's almost as much as a Sergeant's but he was finally starting to crack some heads and piss off some higher ups in well-known unlawful syndicates. As Killua walked through the doors into the Police Station at 7am sharp he grumbled under his breath, barely sparing a look at the man behind the desk in the waiting area.
Killua promptly made his way to Captain Krueger's office. Killua knocked the old wooden door exactly 4 times, which was answered by a women's husky voice giving permission to enter,
"Come in." Killua stepped in and prepared for what he thought would be the most tedious debrief of his career.
Behind the desk a woman with long blonde hair was looking over a stack of documents and sipping on a cup of coffee. Her suit was up to police standards but Killua noted her usage of colourful jewellery like her broach which he estimated was worth at least $500. She looked up at Killua and hummed appreciatively.
"Welcome to my Station Detective Zoldyck. You can call me Bisky, if you dare call me Brandon or Krueger I will maul you to death so I ask that you be very mindful of what you say to me." Killua was about to reply but Bisky continued, "I have a case I need you on right away so hopefully you and your partner can get comfortable quick-"
"Partner?! But-" Killua interrupted.
"Killua," Bisky addressed him with a tinge of anger "Wing may have let you get away with flying solo while doing your investigations but that is not how we work here. I handpicked your partner because I believe you both have promise" and you both refused to work with others after your partners couldn't keep up she added silently in her head. Killua's reluctance was visible as he frowned.
Some rhythmic knocks at the door broke the tension as Bisky called out for the individual to "Come in".
"Gon, this is your new partner: Killua." Bisky explained to the stranger. Killua turned around so quick to look at the poor soul who he was about to get saddled with that the stranger's eyes went wide with surprise. Killua saw that the stranger's, Gon's, mismatching socks with shockingly bright coloured patterns sticking out from beneath his slacks. It was clear that Gon's uniform was slightly worse for wear, not to mention a size too small with the way the shirt stretched over his torso. Gon's skin was a bronze that looked well against the dark blue of his officer uniform Killua noted with appreciation, he was also holding his peaked cap in his left hand which looked nearly brand new compared to the sad state of his slacks and shirt. Killua looked into the copper eyes that were staring at him. Gon's facial features were soft, his dark skin almost hiding the freckles that covered his checkbones and nose. There was something familiar about him that Killua couldn't place, but he saw thousands of people everyday so perhaps they had passed eachother on the street before.
Gon smiled widely in a way that made his eyes crinkle at the corners as he offered his right hand to Killua.
"I'm Gon! It's nice to meet you Killua!"
"Likewise." Killua shook Gon's hand. It was rough and large in his own spidery grip.
Gon looked up at Killua, his shocking bright hair had surprised him at first but there was something reassuring about the sharp look in his new partner's cobalt eyes. He seemed like someone Gon could trust. Gon always tried to think the best of people before passing judgement.
"Glad you could make it somewhat on time Gon," Bisky jokes as Gon smiles sheepishly "You two are going to be working on a new homicide case that happened yesterday. We have absolutely no leads at the moment except for the crime scene and the anonymous tip we received last night telling us where to find the body. We need you two to go down there as soon as possible because we need to clean up the crime scene soon since it's out in the open. We already have it quarantined and had a photographer capture what they could but no detectives have seen it yet."
"Detectives?" Gon asks a little confused.
" Oh I almost forgot, Killua, Gon is a Police Officer and hasn't done any investigative work before." Bisky smiles.
"You've got to be fucking kidding me." Killua's exasperated tone cut through any patience Bisky had.
"Killua." Bisky warns. There's a few beats of uncomfortable silence before Gon speaks up again while shifting his weight from one foot to the other,
"What's the address Bisky?"
"It's off Bowery Street in China town. Just walk down there and you'll see the tape eventually." Bisky sighs. "Before you leave though, Gon can you show Killua where the lockers and his desk is? You can show him everything else when you return but just in case Killua doesn't want to travel all that way with that huge briefcase." her eyes flashed to the baggage Killua was carrying.
After being dismissed by Captain Bisky, Gon and Killua head toward the lockers. Killua leaves his briefcase there and locks it with a combination lock he produced from his pants pocket.
"You're really young to be a Second Grade Detective Killua." Gon sounded impressed.
"So?" Killua really hopes he's not going to have what conversation he thinks is about to happen.
"That means you must be really smart!" Gon answered which caught Killua by surprise. It's immensely more pleasant than being asked who Killua's parents paid for his promotion at least. Killua sighed through his nose and ruffled his thick hair. Gon swears he sees the peach of Killua's cheeks turn a light shade of pink.
"Alright lets go idiot."
"Don't you wanna see your desk?"
"Nah you can show me when we get back." Killua smiled.
The tape indicating the crime scene was easy to find, not to mention the foot traffic it was causing since people slowed down and tried to see what was beyond the officers standing guard. Killua and Gon flashed their badges at the standing officers and ducked under the crime scene tape into a surprisingly spacious alley. Walking further in to where the morning sun didn't reach they came across the body.
A woman, as far as Killua could tell, her corpse fashioned in a way to make a statement he was sure. Killua looked at Gon who's expression was neutral. He seemed like the type to dislike bloodshed but then again Killua only just met him. Killua took a small notebook the size of his palm out of his pocket along with his favourite liquid ink pen. He began to write anything and everything he could see and deduce:
- woman victim
- late 30's
- dyed blond hair roots seem brown
- wearing skirt approx. knee length with blood stains
- ripped black stockings w/garter belt
- no shoes
- button up blouse, white, ripped, blood
- undershirt ripped in the same spot, blood
- numerous stab wounds in the chest and stomach
- leaning back on wall, arms to sides, palms up
- palms have carvings in them, clearly new
Killua walked closer to the victim and bent his knees so he could see her face more clearly. While Killua scrutinized the body Gon walked around the alleyway for anything he could find. There wasn't anything that particularly stood out to him right away but it never hurt to check. There were a few trashcans in the alley so after putting on some gloves, Gon began to dig into them. They all had what you'd normally expect, but at the third and last trash can Gon found what looked like a pristine pair of pumps. Killua looked over and saw Gon eyeing the shoes in his hands and called over,
"What size are those?" Gon looked into the shoe and then into the arc of the sole,
"Size 7 1/2!"
Killua hummed in reply and stared at the victims feet. They looked to be a 7 1/2, not to mention the pumps Gon was staring at went well with her outfit.
"Keep the heels as evidence Gon." Killua called over.
"Roger Cap'n!" Killua swears Gon's eyes are shinning as he replies. They were investigating what was definitely not manslaughter, but a murder and Gon seemed like a kid who was just told they could have ice cream for breakfast.
"So what do you think Killua?"
"Well she could just be a prostitute-"
"Ehh but-"
"Don't interrupt me doofus, I'm not done. She could be a prostitute that was killed by some asshole but, even if she was a prostitute, this has nothing to do with her profession. She may be dressed a little inappropriately for an office job but from the looks of her palms this was meant to send a message to someone."
"So to someone she knows? Like a revenge killing? Or to the syndicate that owns this part of town?"
"Now that's the part I don't know…did you find anything other than her shoes?" Killua looks at Gon whose standing a bit too close to him for comfort. He doesn't want to draw attention to himself though so he doesn't move.
"Mm.…well I wanna check if there's anything on that fire escape over there and quickly check the roofs as well. Plus we should probably talk to the owners of these buildings." Gon tilts his head as he looks toward the rusting fire escape just so that Killua can see his sternocleidomastoid muscle of his neck stretching. When Gon looked back at Killua he noticed that those cobalt blues had flitted upwards. A beat of silence before they both smile, and Killua has to clear his throat.
"Alright well first let's do what we can at the crime scene so fire escape and roofs first, if we can even get on them, and then we'll talk to the owners of the buildings."
"That sounds like a plan, and then we can go out right?"
"Wha-?"
"To lunch! I mean c'mon by then it'll have to be past noon no?" Gon flashed a charming smile.
"Yeah of course." Killua replied but avoided eye contact as he walked past Gon and towards the fire escape. Gon jogged past him and skipped up the first couple steps.
"Bet I can climb this faster than you."
"Don't be such a child-" Killua begins but the moment Gon starts to run up, Killua found himself sprinting to follow. Killua had no problem catching up but the problem was how small the fire escape was because he couldn't actually pass Gon since both their large frames would not fit side by side. Killua was a tad bit competitive though so instead of admitting defeat he simply ran to the end of that particular flight and began climbing up the side of the fire escape. He made it to the top just in time to put his hands on his hips and look down triumphantly as Gon climbed the final flight of stairs.
Gon felt something akin to nostalgia as he looked up at Killua, both breathless from sprinting at full speed. It punched his chest suddenly like heart burn after his favourite spicy sandwich. His heart was pumping and it felt good to move, he liked the footwork involved with police work. It was even more exciting when there was someone like Killua, someone who could win against him…which had only happened once before.
Gon ended up being one of the most useful partners Killua has had before. Somehow he had managed to get every person they talked to to cough up interesting information without being invasive or threatening whatsoever. Killua thought that perhaps Gon was one of those magnetic people that you wanted to trust because of the way he smiled at you. He was the perfect person to send over to talk to stingey apartment owners or business associates with things to hide, as long as he stayed on track. Killua ended up taking a back seat and only speaking when Gon got distracted with non-work-related information. He scribbled down every piece of information that might become useful or that sounded suspicious.
At lunch they sat eating some spicy chicken sandwiches at a small shop that was a 15 minute walk from the Police Station. Killua had to admit the sandwich was probably the best food he's eaten in months because of his bad habits outside of his breakfast routine (namely his lack of energy to make anything beyond instant noodles and hot dogs).
"Too bad we still don't know who the victim is..." Gon said with a sigh.
"They'll figure her name out eventually. It's just inconvenient that she didn't have her wallet on her. It's actually really suspicious that there wasn't a purse since her skirt had no pockets..."
"I looked in all the trash cans and the only thing I found were the shoes..."
"Which is also weird. Why did they leave the shoes behind at the crime scene? It was clearly premeditated in some way so why leave the shoes in such an obvious place? Maybe they wanted us to find them."
"Hmm..."
"Plus she was clearly killed in another location through those stab wounds in her chest and stomach, then they dumped the body in that alley in particular. Even going far enough to etch those symbols into the skin of her palms…this shit stinks of suspicious activity."
"It's a homicide, of course it's suspcious." Gon scoffed.
"No, what I mean is that this homicide, her death, wasn't the reason she was killed."
"What do you mean Killua?" Gon accidentally spits some food at Killua, "Sorry".
"Ugh disgusting" Killua spits in his own hand and wipes it on Gon's cheek, receiving a high pitched whine from the dark skinned police officer across from him "that's what you get for being such a mess you asshole."
"So you wipe your spit on my face???"
"Well yeah." Gon pouts as he snatches the napkin that Killua used to wipe off the piece of food Gon had spit on him by accident a moment before, "Anyways what I mean is that her death is meant to cause something. Maybe she's a mafioso's girl and they wanted to piss them off, or maybe it's revenge for something that the victim had done to someone. There's a thousand possibilities but we won't know for sure until we dig deeper and figure out who the victim was and who or what had their eyes on her."
"Ugh…I think I have heartburn." Gon says off the cuff.
"Then don't order the spicy chicken sandwich you idiot."
"But the mild just isn't the same."
"Just suck it up."
"Killuaaaaaaaaaaa."