discontinued - Smooth Criminal

Chapter 2

Lance let out a loud groan and slammed his head sharply on the keyboard. The keys clattered loudly and Lance's desk shook with the force, pens shaking in their pot and coffee splattering over the smooth grey surface.

"Shiro!" he yelled, voice slightly muffled.

"What is it now, Lance?" Shiro shouted from across the precinct, exasperation underlying his tone.

Takashi Shirogane. The one and only. Best detective in all of Brooklyn, until an awful accident while undercover a few years ago meant he had to retire from the front-line full time. Now he was the 99th precinct's sergeant, strong, stable and unswayed by almost anything. His year undercover, which was still largely a mystery to his task force, had changed Shiro, but otherwise he was still kind and caring.

"Why are you giving all this work to me?" Lance said, flopping back in his chair and tipping his head back, "I just got back. Cut me some slack!" Shiro pushed himself up from his desk and made his way over to Lance.

"Hey, don't be so hard on yourself. You've done an amazing job keeping up with Keith for so long, and I'm sure you'll get him eventually." Shiro rested a comforting hand on Lance's shoulder, and despite it being his cold, metal prosthetic right arm it felt warm and full of life. Lance opened his mouth to respond, his eyebrows furrowed and looking disappointed.

"But I let Mullet get away!"

Shiro chuckled and turned on his heel, heading back to his desk after scooping up the disappointingly small pile of completed paperwork off Lance's desk, "Mullet? Is that what we're calling Keith now? I've seen your file, he doesn't even have a mullet, Lance."

"He totally has a mullet, Shiro, so we're sticking with it. And I bet he doesn't have to do this much paperwork." Lance sat upright again and picked up his pen, glaring at the ominous pile of papers on his desk. His eyes kept darting over to the thick case file tucked towards the far edge of the tabletop, the case file that held Keith's case. Lance had been chasing him for so long that it felt like he would never get him; like an unrealistic dream a child might hold. Like becoming a handsome prince, the power of flight, or travelling to the far reaches of the universe.

"I'm sorry, Lance, pass some over to Hunk if you really want to." the tired tone was returning to Shiro's voice.

"Hey, no fair! I'm up to my neck in paperwork! I don't want any more, I have something very, very important to do later and I do not want to be held up by more paperwork!" Hunk lifted his head, looking disgruntled and pointing a pen in Lance's direction.

"Oooh, are you going to see your girlfriend?" Pidge cooed, but strangely her voice was echoing from the ceiling.

"Pidge, she is not my girlfriend. Shay is a good friend, and in fact I am going to see her as a friend. Platonic! And please, come out of the vents, you know I hate it when you do that! What if you fall? I'll-" With a loud 'thunk', Pidge dropped from the ceiling, muttering angrily. Lance turned around as she passed, and whispered in her ear:

"Platonic my ass," which caused Pidge to snort loudly and fumble with her laptop.

"Anyway Shiro, I think I'll pass. Lance McClain is going to make this precinct rise from the ashes by doing this paperwork all by myself!" Lance rose from his desk and stood on his chair, addressing everyone in the room - who all looked bored and as if they were used to events like this.

"That's not how this works-" Shiro started halfheartedly.

"Don't rob me of this, Shiro! I'm officially this precinct's only hope!" Instantaneously, a door slammed open and angry yelling ensued, causing Lance to jump out of his skin. He whipped his head around to observe what was happening; upon realising someone was struggling against a uniformed officer. They were restraining against the confines of the handcuffs. He sprinted across the smooth, tiled floor to where the scuffle was happening. Other officers leapt into action, including Hunk and Pidge.