After wasting some time in the arcade, the four decide to check out the Ballroom. Daniel decides to spend some time dancing. Afterwards, Ashton gives advice.
Steps clacked against the marble floors, the four quiet as they traversed Ashton's penthouse halls. Leo was leading the others, casually showing them around as he sometimes pointed towards some of the rooms, giving basic answers to what was behind them.
Eventually, Leo stopped in front of a set of two large doors, "And here's the Ballroom…"
Daniel was the first to move, hand touching the doorknob. With a click, he opened the door, a smile widening as he entered the room. Rather than marble flooring, like it was outside in the hallways, it had wooden flooring, a rather large red velvet carpet laying neatly in the middle of the room.
Off to the side of the longer part of the carpet, further from the entrance was a series of tables connecting side by side, probably used to hold food that had been catered for the running event.
The tables had a white pristine table cloth neatly folded on top of one of them, probably in preparation for an incoming event.
Leo walked towards the table with the table cloth, "Uh, oh… I think there's an event planned for soon. We probably shouldn't be here."
Daniel quickly disagreed, "Hold on… provided we don't disturb anything in the room…" the boy took off his shoes, neatly placing them off to the side, closer to the entrance "I think we should be fine."
Taking out his phone, he surfed through YouTube, mainly focusing on trying to find an instrumental version of a love song, he didn't mind which one, he just didn't want there to be any lyrics.
He was certain Killua wouldn't want to be serenaded with cheesy romantic lyrics.
Settling for a random song, he played it for a couple of seconds.
Killua raised an eyebrow at his partner. Oh no… is he planning on doing what I think he's going to do?
Daniel set the phone on the table, putting it as loud as he could before hitting play.
"Killua, come dance with me!"
"No!" The boy in question pouted, "Why do you even want to dance with me now?"
Daniel shrugged, "Should there be a reason I want to dance with my boyfriend?"
"Considering you just looked up that song and decided to play it without any input from me before we came in here…" Daniel's expression fell, "Yes…" Killua argued, defiantly. With his arms crossed, Daniel failed to argue against his case, cementing in the fact that what he said held some semblance of truth.
Daniel instead turned to face his sister, "Mr moody doesn't want to dance… you want to take his place?"
"Okay!" Alluka bounded towards her brother's boyfriend, grabbing hold of his hands.
Killua's jaw dropped as Alluka stuck her tongue out at him. That little rascal stole my man… and I set myself up for that. Killua sighed in defeat as Daniel gave Alluka a little twirl, but his expression still softened, after witnessing her smiling.
Even though his sibling had just stolen his spot, her happiness outweighed his jealousy.
Leo approached the boy to speak, "I assume this is a normal occurrence with you?"
"The fact Alluka stole my place or the dancing aspect?"
"Both, considering you brought them up…"
Killua looked at the other with a questioning gaze, "Neither happens that much… this is a normal amount of banter between us."
"Is that longing I see?"
"An assumption or guess…" The boy's eyes narrowed, wondering if that was an educated guess, or a lucky one. He doesn't know how much Leo could discern from a glance, nor how much he could probe for, given the necessary time and resources he currently had at his fingertips.
Leo raised a finger to his chin, "A guess? I guess…"
"You guessed correctly, but to be fair… seeing Alluka happy, also makes me happy."
"You really, do care about your sibling…"
"Of course…" The boy looked back at his sister, "I love her, more than my entire family can find an ounce of love in their bones."
"That has to be harsh… even if their tactics are cold and calculated. Somewhere in that cold dead heart of theirs, they love this idea of the two of you."
"No necessarily… Not to stab a knife into your already fragile heart. You, and I… our mothers are similar. They love the idea of what they expect us to be… with you being that cis straight girl, while I… I'm expected to take over the family business, I want no part in."
"Which is…?"
"I'll tell you, if, you tell us why you're emotionally stunted…"
"That's not fair… I can't think of an answer… Maybe it's Maybelline… maybe I was born that way." The boy gave the other a smug smile.
"Sure, let's argue that… or maybe… if I were taking a stab at my guess… you were never taught to love yourself for what you're capable of…" Killua's eyes met the other's watching the anger flash before his eyes for a split second, before being replaced with another.
The boy gave the other an incredulous look, frowning, Leo broached the calculated response "That's an annoyingly astute guess. You'd be correct… No matter what I said, I was always wrong." He then turned to face the other, "I was a total failure in my mother's eyes… bad grades… you name it… I was terrible in her eyes."
"Look, I wasn't intending to get in a low blow or cheap shot. Clearly, you saw it that way…" The boy looked at his sister.
"But you were correct, I was a complete, utter failure in my mother's eyes… unless it's an A, everything else is an F in her eyes." The boy sighed, "But it wasn't always like that… She used to be happy If I got a B in my work. But the moment I came out… it's as though she was judging me for everything I did. I was always wrong… never once capable of doing anything without my mother's guiding hand."
Killua snorted out of amusement, not from how similar Leo's mother was to his… but rather, how close she was… to his older brother.
"What's so funny?"
"Your mother would get along with my older brother." The boy flashed the other a wide smirk.
"How so…?"
"He's controlling… manipulative… you're always wrong, never right. He was the one person who kept repeating to me that I don't need friends… only family. I wanted friends… he said I'll…" Killua sighed, "Anyways, it turns out, he's in the wrong… and, also, a hypocrite. He says we don't need friends… yet I recently found out, that he's friends with a maniac, that may or may not have been undressing us with his eyes. So, he can go take that clown's D, and shove it where the sun don't shine…"
"And people wonder why I have a fear of clowns."
"It sucks too…" Killua went on to add, "because even though my partner thought it at one stage, I too could agree… if we completely ignore everything fucked up about him, he's kinda good looking."
Leo looked the boy up and down, "With or without the make-up…"
"Without…"
"Ouch, that is messed up… he's attractive, but at the same time… sounds like he'd murder someone over a Jenny, and attracted to kids… not the kind of guy I'd want to be around."
"I don't think it's kids per se… not to defend him. How should I put this lightly…? The stronger you are, the harder he gets. He's attracted to strength… and the problem with that is age is not a boundary to him."
"It's a good thing I'm weak…" The boy laughed, earning a frown from Killua, "Sorry… I can see your dilemma, considering you want to be stronger."
Killua sighed, a nod being offered before turning back to his partner, "The world we've travelled is bloody strange… but if I could go back and redo anything." A small smile crept onto his face, "I wouldn't go back to choose a different route."
"I guess that's good…" Leo gave a nod, "It's good you've found the friends you made along the way… that you found Daniel amongst all these issues. But, atlas… at the end of the day, even looking at the two of you, it doesn't change my feelings… I still don't understand the part that makes you two, well happy. The relationship part, not the friendship… well, I guess the friendship part too, if I'm being honest. I've had no friends for the majority of my life. Close friends… someone I could confide in. The point I'm trying to make… I guess… is when I look at the two of you, how close the two of you are… I don't understand it. From the looks, you give one another, to how open you are with each other…"
Killua brought a hand to his chin, mulling over the words, "You don't understand it, huh…" Shifting his posture, the boy looked at the other "You've never been close enough to be able to admit your feelings, or let's go a little closer to your current issue, never been close enough to talk freely about your wants and needs. Ashton would be the first, I assume…"
"She is… you'd be the second. Well, Alluka would be second, on a technicality…"
"Well, to be fair… Alluka is a great listener. Non-judgemental too, given how she was raised, it can be surprising to some. She has her moments where she contradicts that narrative, like when she first met Daniel… but overall, I don't believe she liked the idea of her, having to share me with anyone else. It's a problem I believe I instilled into her, given that I was the only one who showed her love and compassion…"
Looking back at his sister, he couldn't help but smile, "I think… Daniel showed her that it's possible to love more than one person at the same time. Although, the kind of love he shows between different people, is well… distinct. Towards me, it's more of an attraction… to her, it's more compassionate. He knows what she's been through, so he tries to help me compensate for what she missed out on during her childhood. Nathaniel certainly, helped cement the ideals we're trying to set, but Daniel built the framework… She loves him, which is why I understood why Alluka wanted a companionship like ours. She wants that… unconditional love. She wants someone who'd look at her like Daniel looks at me."
"I guess that could be considered sweet…" Leo murmured under his breath. He can sort of understand what kind of person the three of them are, how they're trying to help each other in their own, way. But ultimately, none of this information is helping him discover what is different about them, what makes him not get that gut feeling to connect on an emotional level…
"It is…" Killua felt himself shifting his attention from his partner and sister, "I want her to be happy, and if being here can help her find that happiness, then I'm glad we chose to come here, even though Daniel needed to go somewhere else."
"Hmm…? Daniel needed to go somewhere else, but instead he came here with you and your sister?"
"No, what I mean, to add the finishing touches to something we just finished creating, we needed to go somewhere else. Seeing Ashton, was something that could help my sister… it's also somewhere else my partner needed to go eventually, but this action was more so for my sister than for Daniel…"
"Ahh, I see… it was going to be a pit stop, regardless of when that was… You two just saw it as being the better option, rather than going to that other place first."
Killua gave a nod. Ultimately, balancing his sister's happiness with his partner's was a difficult choice… but that doesn't mean even if this wasn't the best choice for Daniel, his boyfriend wouldn't be able to find a positive memory or information at the end of this pitstop.
"~"
Ashton had been listening to the boys speak, getting a clearer idea of Killua and Daniel's relationship. It seems like neither one had picked up on her presence, which was strange, considering Killua seemed to always be on the defence when speaking. It withheld key information as though he was trying to hide something from her and Leo.
Shifting her weight, the woman introduced herself mid-conversation, acting like she wasn't listening in "Sorry to intrude, I see the two of you conversing, while the others are having fun…"
Killua turned to the woman, raising an eyebrow. How long had she been listening? Shifting his position, he faced her "Was someone spying on us…?"
"A little…" She winked, "But I'm glad you've been putting this room to some use. Daniel and Alluka seem to be having fun…"
"He likes dancing… me not so much. Well, it's not like I don't like dancing… I've done it before with him. It's just that… someone is trying to impress another."
"Daniel or Alluka?"
"Daniel… Daniel likes to show off, specifically, show me off in a manner that puts me in the spotlight. Look… I'm all for one that enjoys PDA, but he makes me feel special, so to speak, like… I'm the only one in the world, that he sees."
"Have you tried telling him that you don't like it…"
Killua crossed his arms, "How do you tell someone you don't like something… that you enjoy…"
Ashton looked at the boy confused.
"You see, I like it when he does it in private, not public. Well… it's not completely true. I don't mind him doing it in a public setting… it's just the threshold I have, he can surpass it by several miles. I prefer minimal praise… not all the time. The sort of PDA we each like… is honestly vastly different."
"I see…" Ashton shifted her gaze, "So, to narrow it down… Daniel likes to praise you via PDA, whereas, you like it to be more private, even though hearing it makes you happy…"
Killua sighed, "Yes…"
The woman shrugged, "I can't help you there… that's something for the two of you need to speak to each other about. Speaking of which… do you have any questions while you have me here?"
"Yes, actually…" Killua turned to face the woman, "You wouldn't happen to know where Daniel and I can train, away from the public's eyes. We've been lacking in sparring for a while, so I'm hoping we could get some training in."
"I would suggest here… but something tells me you would destroy this building in the process."
"You have a keen sense…"
The woman looked at Leo, then back to the boy, "I'll tell you what… if you promise to take Leo out of this building and protect him, I'll tell you a good location I think is considered private."
"I don't think that's wise… considering it involves Nen training."
"Nen training…?"
Killua pointed a thumb at Leo, "My point exactly…"
"Please…" The woman whined, hands clasping together like she was in prayer "I need to borrow Alluka if I'm going to make a pretty dress for her."
"That's blackmail, and you know it…" The boy pointed an accusing finger at the woman.
The woman faked a gasp, "Me… blackmailing you… scandalous." Killua's features fell, the woman continuing "I'll be honest. Putting you in a position in which you'll show Leo a secret that not even the public is aware of, is bad… but, Leo has been couped up here for a while now. He should get some sunlight, besides from the windows, AND… it's also in a spot you could make it easily within the day, while also making it impossible for his mother to follow you. Deal?"
"How far are we talking…?"
"Under… twenty kilometres."
"We could do that in a couple of minutes… maybe half an hour if we don't push Leo's body to the limits."
"Wonderful!"
"Doesn't mean I still agree to it… It's not just about Nen, you want us to keep an eye on him… and protect him from any danger, in a place we have no idea what's in it."
"The only thing you'll have to worry about there… are Mountain lions. But that's only IF you go completely of course and go directly up the mountain away from your intended target. They wouldn't come that far down. Even if they come that far down… they'll stay away from you, given that if the two of you are using small bursts of Nen, they'll avoid you like the plague."
"Let's be a little more cautious here… Leo…" Killua looked at the other, "would even want to be in an environment like that, to be near danger? Ignoring the mountain Lions, considering they pose less of a threat if they're that far out… are you okay, with being in an environment where we'll be throwing around our abilities, possibly weapons too. Sure, you'll get to see how strong we are, but your eyes might be able to only catch a glimpse of the things we can do."
"I agree with Ashton… I should be going out." The boy then sighed in defeat, eyes looking away. Was it worth anything, to see how powerful those two are? Will it benefit, let alone help him in any way? "However, I also agree with you, I might see something… but is it worth the risk? From what you've stated so far… this whole thing involving the secret arts of Nen, I might only be able to pick up a hint of your full strength…"
"I think it's worth it…" The two jumped in surprise, seeing Daniel so close to them.
Daniel sucks at Zetsu, so why was he able to get so close to me without me noticing? Even Ashton… am I losing my touch…? Or do I feel so safe here, it's like I'm no longer on edge?
"Killua, I say we let him come at least once. We get a warm-up, Leo gets to see our strength…"
Ashton held up a finger, "And I also get to have some free time with Alluka, to at least get her measurements and ideas on what she wants. Also…" The woman leaned closer to the girl, whispering in her ear, "I'll even let you have a look at the boy's clothes… not just for yourself, but Killua and Daniel too. I'll even let you dress them…"
The older lady proposed it as though she had been wiggling her eyebrows suggestively, in secret.
Even without it being suggestive, in nature. However, the thought of having that sort of power over her brother and his partner made her eyes gleam with a hint of malevolence. Neither boy knew the power she could wield if they agreed to the terms.
Smiling innocently, Alluka turned to her brother "Please, I've always wanted to have a pretty dress."
Killua however, knew better. He saw the way her eyes lit up when Ashton whispered something in her ears "Tell us the secret, then MAYBE I might agree…"
The two siblings looked at each other, the two fighting to get the other to back down.
Seeing that his piercing gaze was failing to break her, he turned to the other, "Are you going to help, or are you going to continue to look at me like I'm a perfectly sculpted, marble statue?"
Daniel crossed his arms, "Let the girls have their secrets. You and I both know we've been delaying training for far too long. One of us is going to be rusty… and it ain't going to be me." He childishly stated the last bit. But, at the same time, he knew how much Killua would be up for a challenge to prove him wrong.
Killua's lips curled into a crooked grin, "Fine, however, I'm going to be the one to beat your a- into submission." He stopped himself from accidentally cursing in front of not only Ashton but making a double entendre that Daniel would definitely, get. Turning to face the older woman, he relented to her demands "We agree to the terms… now tell us where it is."
Ashton offered a genuine smile at the news, a hand pointing towards the west "Head west for about fifteen kilometres. You'll reach an entranceway to the Orcade Grove, which is a tourist spot. What you'll want to do is travel along the right side of the building for another kilometre west, to where the trees start to turn reddish. There's a path you can't miss, that leads to an open field. Keep following the path till you meet a fork. Go along the left path, through the forest, where it seems the densest. Towards the end, you'll reach another field with a lake, a solo tree surrounded by the water. During this time, the tree is considered dead, so nobody visits the location. But when it's blooming, it's a notorious spot for young couples. Nobody will disturb you there. The only problem you'll face is if you go off the main path, where the animals can be easily disturbed."
Killua made a mental note of the pathway, "Daniel, you get ready with our stuff. Grab everything." The boy then pointed at Leo, "You grab comfortable wear… Seeing as it will be a long trip, I'll help carry you, until the dense part of the forest. But once we start training, you'll be on your own… does that sound okay to you?"
"You're… going to carry me close to eighteen kilometres?"
"We've run close to one-hundred and forty kilometres in under an hour… eighteen is nothing."
Leo looked at his current guardian, now worried for his life "I suddenly don't want to go anymore…"
Ashton waved the young boy's concerns off, "Think of it this way… you won't have to worry about trekking. I promise…" The woman knelt before the young girl, "I wouldn't be doing this with complete, strangers…"
"You just met them yesterday…" The boy responded defiantly.
"While true, I've met both of Daniel's parents. Daniel wouldn't put you in harm's way, given that his personality, borders that man's, Nathaniel's. I can also tell they're no ordinary boys. So even if your mother tries to whisk you away, they'll stop her…"
The woman slowly turned to the boys, "Isn't that, right?"
"Yes, ma'am." The two agreed quickly, given the tone she used at the time.