As Daniel recovers from Killua's nightly actions, the two get into an unusual conversation Killua decides to bring up.

Killua was finishing up the last of his duties, already having cooked something for Daniel; it was mainly scrambled eggs, toast and sausages. Now he was doing the final clean up as Alluka scowling from behind him. He knew what this was about, but he couldn't exactly explain it away to his little sister. Telling her the truth was difficult, not without having to explain a topic he wasn't ready to talk about…

Especially with his little sister. He wants her to keep her innocence, at least for a little longer…

I fucked Daniel so hard, he won't be walking for a while, but he's ok now… just sore.

Yeah, like that would go well… I don't want to have the birds and bees talk just yet. Maybe when she starts showing genuine feelings for another person. As much as I joke about killing the person who wants to steal my sister away from me…

I'd be happy if she finds someone, she wants to be with, like with me…

"Killua, what's wrong with Daniel?"

"He hurt himself while dancing… no biggie."

"He didn't show any pain afterwards."

"That's because…" Killua put the last washed dish on the drying rack, "we were both filled with adrenalin. We didn't know he hurt himself, until this morning… when he woke up feeling sore." Killua was surprised at himself. He was starting to lie with his sister like Daniel does, bending the lie until it sounds somewhat truthful.

"Will he be ok?"

"Yeah, a few days and he'll be healed up just fine." Hopefully, I did pound that booty pretty-hard last night. He'll be feeling that for a couple of days. "Till then, I'll look after him…" The boy looked into his sister's eyes, smiling softly, in a manner that matched his words "okay?"

"Hmm…" Alluka pouted, her brother was only telling her half of the truth. Plus, for a brief, moment, his face betrayed something else. She didn't recognise the expression, the darken expression… a look of distant longing; she didn't recognise it.

When her brother was in love, his features would be soft and dreamy… She knew it had to do with her brother's feeling for his partner, but that was it… she couldn't explain it; it's a type of longing, but what kind exactly? "As long as you make sure he's ok, I'm happy."

"I promise…" Killua placed one hand on his chest, where his heart was, "to look after the partner… as you put it…" Killua's cheeks tinged lightly from the thought, "makes me happy."

Alluka smiled with a nod, "Good." She was about to turn and walk away, but then she remembered something else. She was curious about the video Daniel made her record. What is Daniel planning to do with the recorded video, besides save it for them to watch later? Does he instead to send it to his family members, or just keep it for themselves? "Are you going to send that video of Daniel's father, Vastorie?"

Killua closed his mouth, lips twisting upward as he thought to himself, as long as Daniel wants to… I don't see why not "Nathaniel, sure… But Vastorie or Zaikaria… it's up to Daniel."

"Okay…" Alluka walked towards her room, "I think the man would like it. Maybe he'd be willing to reach out to Daniel." I would hope… She wants the man to reach out to his family. He has shown signs that he does care about his family, especially when he opened his doors to them.

He also has given them rather expensive items without worrying about the Jenny being spent. She sighed, hoping that her feelings on the matter were right. She did want the man to reach out to his family… but given what has happened, it's possible, that's nothing more than just a pipe dream.

"Or not…" Killua sighed under his breath as Alluka opened her door, "Don't forget we're going shopping later…" Killua yelled as his sister closed her door. He hoped she heard him, due to the bedrooms being soundproofed. But with all things to be considered, he could message her later. She has a phone, hopefully, one Milluki could never track.

Maybe Eifion would know a way to pull that off.

Nathaniel mentioned that Vastorie has a way to get into contact with Eifion, without anyone being able to track their private messages. Maybe he knows the guy who can develop a failsafe for Alluka's phone, just in case.

Although, these current thoughts don't matter right now… they're in a safe environment, one where they are protected now. Not only from his family but Victor as well, cannot hurt them…

"For the moment…" Killua mused to himself, picking up the serving table with Daniel's warm food. When he opened their door, he found Daniel writing away in his journal, eyes glued to the book. A warm smile graced his Killua's face as he closed the door, his partner only looking up once he heard the sound, of the creaking door closing.

"Oh, brunch in bed…? How romantic!" The boy closed his journal, laying it on the side table as he got ready for lunch in bed.

Killua chuckled, stepping around the bed to lay the serving table on top of the blanket, where Daniel's legs were crossed underneath it.

Daniel leaned in to kiss his lover, the two making out before Killua was forced to pull away, "Careful, we might end up doing it again."

Daniel turned away, suddenly acting shy. After last night, he doesn't know if he can resist the temptation. Yes, he started to Killua that he 'really' enjoyed it, mainly towards the end… and he also needed some time to wrap his mind about his feelings on the matter.

Sure, he does like it… considering his partner mentioned he thoroughly enjoyed the experience or as Killua puts it: Biggest nut I've ever busted. The only problem now, unless he improves in the bedroom department, that might be the only way Killua gets to experience the most pleasure.

Still, his body ignored his internal struggle; instead, having a mind of its own, his lower half jumped at the thought, throbbing with desire.

Killua noticed the small tent under the sheets, bellowing with laughter as he pointed it out "Lil' Daniel seems to agree…"

"Well, Lil' Daniel has a mind of its own."

"The dick likes, what the dick likes."

Daniel threw Killua's own pillow at him, the boy catching the object as his whole body continued to wrack with laughter. Daniel was as red as a tomato now, having the obvious being pointed out tended to do that.

Breaking out into a soft smile, Killua crossed his arms "I should embarrass you more often."

"When you can handle my barrage of compliments, maybe…"

"Or maybe…" Killua opened his arms, resting his hands on either side of his partner as he leaned in closer, lips almost touching Daniel's "when you can outlast me."

"Great… Never gonna happen…" Daniel reeling his head back in frustration, slouching into his pillow as he sighed in defeat; he was lacking in that department right now. Sure, he did outlast Killua their last time. Sure, it was due to Killua accidentally thrusting into him too hard, but at the start he was managing to hold on, to stop himself from busting to quickly…

That was through willpower… but had Killua kept going at a slow pace, with brutal precision, he would've never lasted as long as he did.

Next time… he won't be so lucky if he bottoms again… Especially, if Killua was as good as he was towards the end. Once he was being commanded to 'cum' for his partner, he lost control, unable to hold back…

But right now, they weren't doing any of that. Killua was caring for him, making sure that he was ok right now. His legs still felt numb from last night, but at least he was able to feel his feet now. Well, mainly when it comes to wiggling his toes. Standing tended to make him drop to the floor like a sack of potatoes.

"You will." Killua broke the silence with a warm smile, "it just takes practice and self-control."

"Well…"

"Well, what?" Offering a smirk, the boy leaned forward, trying to anticipate what was going through Daniel's noggin. So many secrets to unpack, especially those related to the current topic.

"I… like liked when you were commanding…" The boy held a pregnant pause, biting his lip in anticipation, to how his partner will react. Killua will be happy to hear that he has that effect on him, but Daniel still didn't understand why he unravelled from Killua commanding him to let go, "I still don't why…"

"Maybe it's one of your kinks?" The boy leaned back as he pressed a hand to his chin, deep in thought. Even when Daniel was topping, he was naturally submissive. The boy was always giving in to his demands, never push himself, unless, he was the one demanding Daniel to do so.

He wished Daniel to be more explorative, but right now the boy's main hurdle was to not be sexually shy. His lover needs to open-up, to want it more often… as much as he did. If not, at least a portion of it.

"You're gonna have to explain kinks, because I'm not the most adverse when it comes to this topic."

"It's simple, things that turn you on. In this case, you have a submissive kink, you like the control to rest in my hands…" Killua offered a cheeky give, "as I would put it." Daniel giving in to every demand. He'd like that to continue, but that won't stop him from wanting more out of this small talk.

"So… like my Dad." Daniel deadpanned; his eyes dull from the thought. He didn't want to be anything like his father right now, especially in this department.

"No, more like Nathaniel…"

Daniel raised an eyebrow at his partner's rebuttal. Nathaniel was anything but submissive. As much as he can't believe they are talking about personality traits his parents might have, this whole conversation was awkward, considering it all started because they were talking about kinks he may have.

"No, I…" Killua sighed. This wasn't just about sex, this was about personalities, how Daniel's parents functioned on a day-to-day basis "What I mean is Vastorie has a domineering personality. He may come off as childish at times, liking to be swept off his feet and pounded into oblivion or whatever… but now that your father is no longer putting up his façade, that his mask is now off… we think he's acting differently."

The boy turned to face his partner, "But I don't think that's the actual case. Think about it… the moment he found out Victor was alive, he snapped at Nathaniel. He even… said he wished he'd never given birth to you."

Daniel bit his lip at the reminder, tears threatening to spill once more "I…"

"You don't have to say anything, just listen to what I have to say. If at that time Victor never revealed himself… If he had never taken your memories of me away from you… We wouldn't be where we are right now. Trying to understand more about your father's past."

The boy rolled his wrist, trying to think of the best way to further explain. This was all a hypothesis to him, an educated guess, based on zero to limited facts "Vastorie may be an asshole… but unfortunately, due to his domineering personality, he's lashing out instead of thinking rationally."

Killua shifts his weight, leaning into his partner as he frowned. This was a tug-of-war match between Victor and Vastorie, and right now… Daniel is the rope "Vastorie wants control of the situation, but Victor is removing his control. He wants his father gone from the picture… But I don't think he has the strength to defeat that man. Maybe nobody can…?"

What they know so far, is Victor can put everyone around him to sleep, as well as remove selected memories of not only himself but specific people. He removed Daniel's memories of him, while somehow managing to keep the boy's memories of Alluka intact. Daniel's mind was just trying to fill in the blanks.

However, he needed to go back to what he was trying to explain "However, going back to the main topic…"

The boy raised his hand to touch Daniel's cheek, hoping the action will comfort his partner somewhat, "Vastorie has always wanted control, even if he had to manipulate others into believing he has no control over the situation. He wanted to be fucked into oblivion, only, because it's one of the few ways he can relinquish that control."

Daniel reached out, touching the hand resting against his cheek. Killua was right; Vastorie was lashing out… pushing everyone away, to the point nobody understood why. Yeah, they could pin most of the reasons on Victor, but they know next to nothing about Daniel's grandfather.

He's an enigma…

All they know… is the man is old, looks young and is very much alive; he either wants to kill him, or use him as a bargaining chip to get his father, or in this case, Victor's son on his side. The question is… what does Victor want Vastorie for? How does he intend to use his father?

"You're thinking the same thing… what is Victor's and Vastorie's end game?"

"Mainly Victor, but… yes…"

Killua pulled his hand away to raise a single finger "So, we know for certain that you're involved. However, we need to think about this logically, with next to no facts."

"Why does Vastorie want full control…?" Daniel asked in a hopeful manner.

Killua offered a smile in response, "Yes, and what does Victor want with his son?"

"To continue their original trade…"

"Perhaps…" Killua hummed at the thought, it seems possible. His father was the same with him; he gave him the freedom to travel with Gon and Daniel. But, a small part of his father believed Killua would come back and join the family's assassin trade "Or a reason we can't think of right now. At the end of the day, we might never know… For now, we have a stack of information which concerns Vastorie's known past. Everything he did. The right… and wrong. Well, wrong in a sense as we would perceive evil. It gets messy considering I'm an ex-assassin"

"Right…" Daniel offered a small nod, looking down at the plate of food getting cold. He wanted to eat, but he sensed Killua might want to talk about something else. He couldn't read minds like his sister could, or predict the future like Vastorie sometimes could…

But he's been with Killua so long, listening to his mannerisms and how he talks. He could tell there was something else on his boyfriend's mind "You're worried about something else, aren't you?"

Killua shook his head, "Not worried, per se… I was just thinking about something else. Both Victor and Zaikaria could alter memories…" Killua was worried about what happened to Daniel, happening again, only this time it could happen to his sister… or him "Right now, we have no defence against those kinds of abilities. So, we shouldn't step on either of their shoes… But in a worst-case scenario, what if Victor has an ally on his side that can distort our… reality?"

Daniel turned to look at his partner, now worried, "In what way?"

"If we were in a situation, similar to what we are now… do you think you could tell the difference between me and a doppelganger?"

Daniel bit his lip. He wanted to scream yes, to say that no matter what… he'll always know the difference between the fake Killua, and the real one. But the reality is, right now… he can't tell the difference if there were two versions of Killua standing before him, especially if the person could replicate memories "No…"

Killua smiled at the information. Daniel was being honest. He has been through a situation where he was made to forget about him. During that whole ordeal, Killua had been in pain… but at least now, they know what they're dealing with.

They could make plans around it, it'll just take time and practice "It's good to admit these things, even if it hurts to admit them. We just need to make plans around our situation. We can't keep relying on your Nen string… Your sting-of-fate, if I'm going to give it an apt name it."

Daniel smiled. Killua considers him his fate. Well, technically, Killua's naming his unconscious ability "Sure…" His lips widened further, radiating nothing but love and affection for his boyfriend "So what's the plan?"

"Besides getting stronger…? I have two ideas. We either A, reinforce that part till it can never break. I mean…" Killua blushed, now that he thought about it. To always be connected, to have a bond so strong it never breaks… that was cheesy of him, "Make it so that no matter what, we can one, know where we are and if we're in danger. Also, that even if someone tries to imitate one of us, we can call their bluff. That means I want you to extend this to Alluka as well."

"Right." Daniel nod in understanding, although, he is unsure how he is still doing what he does. Once he understands how this connection works, he'll try to find a way to include Alluka. But that wasn't the only thing, Killua stated there were currently two ideas he was bouncing around in his head "I'll try to figure it out, then include Alluka. What's the second option…?"

"We'll develop a new Nen ability, together. Using some kind of… connection, we'll make a rule much like Kurapika's ability, minus the death sentence… that stops others from breaking us… where we cannot be manipulated. After all-"

"A manipulator can't control what's already being controlled?!"

"Exactly! But we must make a rule that stops us from controlling each other. I don't want to be able to make your decisions, and I don't want you to make mine either. It also must be impervious to brute force or be removed through easy means. Sure, that might be difficult considering there are Nen exorcists… but there must be something, some kind of… Vow and Limitation we can put in place to stop it from unravelling."

Killua gave himself a nod, "Yeah… Vow and Limitations should in theory work, it's just I don't want to be based on either of our deaths. Starting from next year, we need to knuckle down on this. Figure out how to pull it off, without… Y'know, manipulating either of us."

"What about like a promise ring-type situation… Provided we're doing something; this bond can't be broken. Something similar too… 'what's yours is mine, what's mine is yours' attitude. Or my life is in your hands. We can use what Wing-San did with Gon."

Killua hummed at the question "That could work too… We'll look into it."

Daniel burst into a huge smile, pulling his boyfriend closer, hugging the boy like it was their final day together.

Killua panicked as he was pulled into his partner's arms, the feeling of tears wetting his chest. He opted to hold his partner, running his fingers through his boyfriend's hair, the part that nobody else but him could touch.

"I promise I'll become stronger…"

"I know…" Killua hummed in understanding "I know…"

The two ignored the world around them as Killua leaned forward, his lips meeting with Daniel's. They stole each other's breath, Killua's fingers slipping through strands of his partner's hair.

Smiling widely, Killua pulled Daniel closer, the two ignoring Daniel's phone buzzing in the background; a message was being left for Daniel, one that neither boy could hear between their shared breaths… their heartbeats hammering in their chest.

The mobile displayed the text for a split second, before disappearing behind a blank screen.

Well done, Daniel.

You might not accept this… especially since it's coming from me. But you did well there. You're a good dancer… I just wish…

I wish I could tell what I'm thinking. Ask your dad, just telling him Only One by Illunium, he'll explain.

From… Vastorie

"~"

Vastorie hid broken tears behind his bangs, a warm smile crossing his lips as feelings of joy roamed within in his chest. He loves the song, it means so much to him… it makes him reminisce on his past, the best parts.

When Nathaniel confessed, admitting that he had feelings for him. At that time, he didn't think anyone could love him. He assumed that no one would love his broken soul…

But here he was, watching his son dance to Only One by Illunium… The song Nathaniel picked, to prove that he cared for him. But back then, it wasn't in front of a crowd like Daniel did with Killua. It was just the two of them, back when Vastorie had two left feet.

Not that Nathaniel could dance any better back then… but it did spark something within Vastorie to continue learning that profession. It's the main reason he continued to learn different types of art forms.

The fact was, the two of them had been stumbling all over each other, giggling like little kids even though at that time, they were both twenty-three. It was one of the rare few times Vastorie could catch himself smiling.

"Telling the truth is so damn hard…" He thought Nathaniel was dragging him everywhere, sightseeing… Nathaniel had developed feelings for him, but Vastorie was just too blind to see it. Now he's stuck listening to this song, those memories are coming back "You just had to pick our anniversary song…"

The man shook his head from side to side, smiling at himself through his tears "Leorio is going to give me shit for that…"

Burst into obnoxious laughter, he was unable to contain the feelings in his heart any longer "I really, miss you… Nathanial…" He ran the back of his shirt against his eyes, the action doing nothing, but soaking the material "I really, do…"

Shifting his eyes to the horizon, his features grew stern "Where are you, Victor? Why are you being a pain to track? Why couldn't you be happy just leaving me alone…?"