Oh My God, They Were Roommates

[ 9 ] Oh, Pretty Woman

Killua Zoldyck never twerked a day in his life before The Phantom. Honest to God, hand on the bible, in front of the court, Killua Zoldyck could safely say that he barely knew how to dance before The Phantom happened. And it certainly wasn't like he had an ass suitable for a strip club. It was all flat back there before The Phantom, and then the training started.

But before training, and before Killua could even dance, he did his research and found himself on the doorstep of The Phantom at the ripe young age of seventeen. He was barely over that seventeen-year-old threshold, but he was so goddamn done with the Zoldyck life.

If he wanted his own life and his own college degree, he needed to make cash for it, first and foremost.

The first person Killua ever met at the club was Machi—The Phantom's best and brightest bodyguard. Killua would soon learn that when Machi was on duty, there was bound to be some form of shenanigans from newcomers underestimating her prowess. The dark side of Killua loved to stand and watch Machi bodyslam guys who made her dancers uncomfortable. The look of abject horror on the clients' faces... Priceless.

"This ain't the school yard, kid. Buzz off," Machi said from the doorway before Killua could even approach the hostess.

"You don't even know how old I am," Killua snapped. "Just because I'm Asian doesn't mean—"

Machi pointed to her own face, leaning in to go nose-to-nose with him. Killua leant back, startled, as Machi said, "Yeah, and how old do I look, pipsqueak? A day old?"

Killua, being the dumb bastard he was, rolled his eyes and reached for his fake ID. Milluki was a goddamn genius when it came to fake IDs, but in other areas—most areas, actually—he was an idiot. So, Machi took one, two, three looks at Killua's ID before handing it back, unconvinced, and gestured for him to get inside.

The second person Killua ever met at The Phantom was the host: Hisoka Morow, otherwise known as the bane of Killua's existence and the blessing to his wallet. That godforsaken idiot knew the kinks of every rotten bastard in the Bay area and by God, he knew who was willing to pay.

"Aw, what a sweet little thing," Hisoka purred, a hand on his cocked him and the other on the banister overlooking the warehouse.

Killua's eyes were everywhere but Hisoka until that moment because holy shit, this place was the real deal.

Amidst the spiraling blue and pink lights, Killua cleared his throat and his vision of one of the dancers nearest the entrance. That initial walkway only then opened up after a narrow foyer with blacked-out windows to avoid onlookers from peering in.

Killua put his hands in his pockets to avoid touching anything. The action had that cheeky host grinning. "I, um, I'm here to talk to your boss," Killua said.

"Oh? And on what grounds."

"The grounds that say I'm looking for a job."

"Oh, hun, we don't hire," Hisoka said, and Killua rose an eyebrow at him. "We audition. If you want a stage, you gotta earn it."

"Fine, whatever. I'd like to schedule an audition."

And then, Hisoka was walking Killua up to the bar where he met his third Phantom member: Leorio. Leorio was at the bar that night and was there to greet Killua when Hisoka pulled him up, clasped a hand onto his shoulder, and said, "Have you seen our dear sweet boss around by any chance?"

"I think he's in his office," Leorio said. He pointed to Killua and asked, "Who's this kid?"

"I'm not a kid," Killua snapped.