Chapter Text
Blue Waters
Chapter 1
The best song wasn’t the single,
But you weren’t either
Livin’ in Ladera Heights,
The Black Beverly Hills
Domesticated paradise, palm trees and pools,
The water’s blue, swallow the pill
Gon Freeces woke up, his copper eyes a bit hazy as the familiar wake up song rings throughout his small one story apartment. The same way it was playing in every residential one story apartment in the city. It echoed off his furniture and around the walls of the house as the early morning sun snaked in through the open windows to bathe the place in a golden hue. It fell straight onto Gon’s face in the bedroom to wake him up.
~Good morning! Good morning! Morning announcements!
‘ It is a sunny day, the temperature a warm 80 degrees! Great day for the beautiful beaches we have here in Heaven Heights!’
~Good morning! Good morning! Morning announcements!
‘ Remember to take your pills. The water’s blue, the food is great, your living arrangements are always clean, it’s great here in sunny Heaven Heights! There’s no place better!’
~Good morning! Good morning! Morning…!
Gon smiled at the announcements as they repeated. 80 today? I should go to the beach, the surf should be fantastic. I might even be able to get in the tube a couple times, He thought as he got up, one leg onto the ground then the other. Gon grabbed the headboard when he felt a wave of dizziness overcome him but it passed so quickly, it barely phased him.
“Whew!” Gon breathed as he shook his head out and got his bearings back. He went to his window and closed the curtains to reduce the amount of sun glaring in his apartment as he did every morning.
“Alright, the pills.” Gon’s sleep laced voice said, looking left and right on his bedside dresser for the slim white bottle filled with blue pills before spotting it where it is every morning-- on a small blue-white coaster. He poured one out and then went to the bathroom adjoining his bedroom for a glass of water. The water came out in a clear waterfall of blue.
Gon swallowed the pill.
The rest of his morning routine was an unclear, hazy blur as he moved with the motion of practiced muscle memory and relaxing bleeding colors. His mind felt at ease and nothing in the world could bring his mood down. The next thing Gon recalls doing is exiting his one story apartment building. He looked down and saw he’s wearing clothes-- his usual city required blue jumpsuit with a bold white strip along the seams.
Well, I can’t be forgetting anything important . Gon thought and decided he’s ready to go. He finishes locking up and skips down the steps, the sun shining brilliantly and the grass a vibrant green. He walked down the street lined with palm trees, greeting everyone that walks by while feeling the warm breeze across his face, waving at the city officials that drive the cars.
They always look so grumpy, Gon hopes his smile can brighten their day.
Gon walked by the subway entrance on his way to work. He never needs to take the subway to get to work, his work building is within walking distance of his apartment. Which was apart of the great city policy -- along with city assistance to make sure everyone who lives in Heaven’s Heights has a job. Just another wonderful aspect of living in this wonderful city. No one was jobless.
Gon arrived at the Car Manufacturing building-- his place of work. The large light gray building was a very welcoming and familiar sight to Gon. He loved his job fixing or making cars for the city, the smell of white hot metal and breaker fluid was all so soothing to Gon. Although there weren’t a lot of cars in the city… he wonders where the cars he helps make or fix go sometimes... but it didn’t matter, it was a service to the city and he’ll do what he’s asked for where he calls home. He didn’t have to think about that as a citizen… think about… he’s already forgetten what he was thinking about. Wasn’t important.
Inside, he finds his boss, Bisky, with a hard hat on and a clipboard in her hand, looking right at home. She made sure everyone knew their job for the day and everyone was where they were suppose to so that the factory can work smoothly and provide value to the city. He went up to her and gave her a nod in greeting, excited to see where he will be assigned to work that day.
“Morning Bisky!” He chirped with a bright smile.
“Hello Gon!” She says, her features brightening after spotting him. The shorter woman looked down at the clipboard in hand and Gon tries to look down at the clipboard as well to decipher it from the top.
“Do I get to…?!” He asked in anticipation. She laughs a light snorting laugh.
“You’re in luck, Freeces. Today, you get to work in the repair detail-“
“Whooo!” Gon cheered, fists in the air. He wouldn’t mind doing anything in The Facture, a cool nickname all the workers came up for their workplace, but he does have his favorite divisions. Repairing cars are one. He likes to make up stories of how certain cracks or dents ended up on the car. Totaled cars are fun because after Gon makes up the story, he gets to drive it to the demolition detail and watch them crush it up into a cube. It’s so cool. He could see that if he was on demolition detail too, but it would become boring and repetitive if that was his shift for the whole day. With repair, it varies from car to car.
“Go change up and remember both your hard hat, safety goggles, and gloves and get to work.” She smiled then walked off.
Gon nodded and practically ran to the timecard room to clock in and change. He put on his looser, gray jumpsuit uniform worn from work, grabbed his safety goggles, gloves and hard hat, then ran out of the timecard/locker room and to the back courtyard of The Facture to start working the line, walking through the rows of cars that needed repairing to get a general feel of how many that need to be done.
A few minutes later, he heard a voice ring out mischievously from behind him while he was making his way through the lines, “No way, you got Repair too?”
He spun around and smiled easily.
“Killua!” He chirped and goes to meet his white haired friend halfway. They slap hands a bit in greeting as Killua secures his hard hat over his fluffy white hair. Gon was friends with almost everyone in The Facture and Killua was one of them. Gon talks to some more than others, and Killua was one of them, so he’s happy Killua was in repair with him. Gon will have a better day now!
“You must have been super excited to get repair detail. Thank goodness I got it the same day you did. Now I can take it easy…!” He says with a cat grin, hands behind his head. Gon pouted.
“Killua! That’s not fair! You should work as hard as everyone else!” Killua gaped at him playfully.
“Seriously? It’s not like it’s my choice not to work as hard! It’s you!”
“Me?”
“Yea! You always work so hard and so fast, it barely gives any of us any work to do! If we’re not fast enough on a car, you’ll come over like ‘Ooh, I’m Gon~ are you having trouble? What part of the car? This one? Lemme see-‘ and then you take it off our hands. You go nuts when you get to work on repair.” Killua said, crossing his arms over his chest. Gon rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.
“Sorry…! You guys look like you have trouble!”
“Nope, you’re just too good at it.”
“I-"
The whistle to start the work day blows from the top of The Facture and Killua nudged Gon.
“Let’s go, work-a-holic. Time for work.” Gon whined the whole way to the line then fell right into work.
--**--
“Which one?” Gon whined.
“That one- how can you not see? You must be blind.” Killua huffed, getting frustrated. “Stop looking, she’s looking over.” He said, turning his blushing gaze down at his sandwich in front of him that he’s having for lunch. Gon huffed but looked down at his salad.
“Just describe her a little more to me. Or maybe tell me her name, I might know her already.” Gon said, poking at his salad, pretending to be interested in eating it.
“You don’t, she works in administration.” Killua cut off short. He slightly raised his spoon and looked into the reflection. “Ok.” He turned back around and Gon set his gaze into the lunch crowd.
“She has dark hair and green eyes. There, with the short hair. She’s talking to Dean and she has a gold earring on the ear closest to us.” Gon finally spotted her and his eyes lit up. She looked good, the blue and white jumpsuit fitted her so well.
“I see her! You’re right, I don’t know her. And you think she wants to go to Emerald Hills with you?” Gon asked, looking away to look at Killua who had already turned away.
“I dunno. I think so. She seems interested, but that’s always a tricky thing with girls. That can be so annoying sometimes. But she’s cute…” Killua said the last part with a blush, picking at his napkin next to his sandwich. Gon’s smile widened.
“Oooh! So cute! Ah, Killua’s so cute! Oh, your baby would look so cute! Oh, oh, can I be the uncle-?!” Killua slapped a hand over Gon’s mouth.
“Would you shut it, idiot?! People are starting to stare! And that’s not how it works, you have to be my brother to be my baby’s uncle-“
“No, Killua, no, I wanna be the uncle, I’ll keep being loud til I’m the uncle-!!” Gon cried, prying Killua’s hand from his mouth and keeping it away with small slaps. Killua just kept getting redder.
“Ok, ok!” He cried, his voice getting a pitch higher from his stress. “You can be the uncle!”
“Yay!” Gon cried. He settled his head on his upturned hands propped up by his elbows as Killua buried his face in his hands. “You know, I think it’s really funny when you’re voice gets real high like that when you’re, like, 20 already.” Gon teased. Gon bit his lip to keep from crying out when he felt a sharp pain attack his shin from under the table.
“You’re asking for it, Freeces!” Killua growled, looking up from his hands, a sharp smirk on his lips and recedingly red face.
“ow-wowowow-ow-ow!” Gon whined, pulling his shin up and rubbing it soothingly.
“I think it’s so funny when you whine like a baby when you’re basically, like, 20.” Killua said, mocking Gon’s chipper tone of voice. Gon gave him a light glare before they both shared a laugh.
“Who are you thinking about bringing to the Emerald Hills, Gon?” Killua asked after a bite of his sandwich.
“I dunno! I don’t know what I’m looking for…” He muttered. “Maybe I’ll find someone worth looking at while I’m at the beach. I’m going after work today. Want to come?” Gon asked, a hopeful lithe to his voice.
“Nah, not today. Maybe tomorrow.” Killua replied then took another bite.
“Wah…” Gon whined. He was planning on going alone, but now that he was supposed to be looking for someone to bring to the Emerald Hills, he didn’t want to go alone. “ok, we can go tomorrow.”
Killua lifted an eyebrow but didn’t say anything. Lunch ended soon after with the sound of the whistle on top of The Facture.