Ashton continues to work on the boys, getting them ready for a proper photoshoot.

The older woman never expected the task to be too difficult. Doing it for Killua took her at maximum, thirty minutes. That was the makeup included… but here she was, in an unfortunate circumstance. The time it has taken her to do several strands was far longer than it was for the other boy.

What it took her to complete in one minute for Killua… she was pushing ten for Daniel. He was constantly squirming, jerking around his seat. Moving way too often for a kid his age.

She was trying to weave his delicate hair. She first thought Daniel was a little ticklish as it happens. But the more he moved, the more to seem otherwise. Daniel was uncomfortable… and he wasn't saying anything.

Either the boy needs to say something now, or forever hold his peace on the matter. The moment she hit the fifteen-minute mark, she forced her foot down "Can you PLEASE… stop moving around!" She let out a huff of annoyance, the strands falling away from her fingertips, unravelling the moment they were let go "Arrgh… it's going to take forever to get this done for you…"

When Daniel flinched, she sighed in defeat "Alright, can you please tell me… are you uncomfortable or something?"

The boy bit his lip in an act to keep his mouth shut, not wanting to give up so soon. He was trying… he was desperately trying not to focus on Ashton touching his hair, but rather pretending, that it was Killua doing the task.

"I um…"

Killua got annoyed, breaking the tension by moving between his partner and Ashton. He didn't think it would be a problem, given that Daniel has somewhat put his trust in Ashton. Seeing him jerk around in her grasp told him his boyfriend still has issues with people touching his hair "Okay, you big baby…"

It's a good thing Ashton's work had already unravelled otherwise he would've promptly smacked her hand away to set his squirming partner free from his distress.

Upset, the woman crossed her arms "Okay, there is a problem… well, somebody going to clue me in?"

"He doesn't like anyone touching his hair…" Killua grabbed a few strands, following Ashton's original process, "Not his sister… not his parents… nobody… but me… are allowed to touch it."

"You know…" The woman sighed, arms now uncrossed "you could've told me that before I had to deal with the wiggly worm."

Daniel chuckled before he was reminded of his current predicament. Killua was touching his hair… giving away the fact that he was the only one who could do so. His boyfriend was trusting her with this knowledge, even though he was the one that wanted to keep most of their quirks private.

"That would explain its length…" The woman bent down to inspect the hair "and the split ends. You are in serious need of a haircut." A hand fiddled with a few strands of hair, the boy now tensing in her grasp. She let go of Daniel's hair, the boy finally relaxing after the concerning touch "At least get a slight trimming. You need to take better care of your hair…"

With the boy now visibly relaxed, Killua is well on his way to taming Daniel's hair. He weaved the strands with precision managing it in a similar pattern to how she was doing it previously… she was impressed.

Either the boy was watching her with attentive eyes, or he was skilled at replication "So how did this discovery come about?"

As she grabbed the makeup bag, she went through her kits to find the right tone.

"During the hunter's exam…"

"Oh, I assume this is where you met… or did you meet earlier than that?"

"On a technicality… earlier."

"Hmm…?" She raised a curious eyebrow, "What do you mean?"

Killua took over the conversation "We stumbled across each other by accident when we were young, although neither of us could remember that meeting."

"Understandable… Not all of us can remember everything we do in our childhood." Grabbing the brush, she looked Daniel in the face "Eyes close, neutral expression. Oh, and I might touch your hair at random, mainly to tilt your face. I apologise in advance, so do try to remain still… unless you want that clown aesthetic, that looks like they tried to put make-up on while on a bumpy road."

Daniel chuckled.

"What did I say…?"

The boy held still, Ashton moving around the brush, "So back to the death trap hunter's exam… how did you find this discovery, the art of being able to touch the boy's hair without him squirming, Killua."

"He fell asleep in my lap, twice. Both times I could touch his hair. It was when he knocked aside Leorio's hand, a friend we made during the hunter's exam, that I first realised I was the only one that could touch his hair…"

"Interesting… were you in an established relationship by then?"

"No, actually… it was a year and a half before then."

Ashton stopped, eyes flicking up to meet Killua's "You mean to tell me before you even got into a relationship… you were the only one able to touch his hair? Not even his family was allowed… actually, still allowed to touch it but you? What about Alluka?"

"I don't believe she's ever been in a position where she needed to touch his hair… Hey Alluka, you-"

"Let's wait until after the photoshoot before we do any experiments."

"Alright."

The woman sighed in relief, "This is surprising because very rarely, does anyone trust a complete, stranger over their family…"

"I think it's more of an intimacy issue, as it's y'know…"

"Erogenous zone?"

Killua pouted, "Yeah, that…"

"What's an erogenous zone?" Alluka asked out of the blue.

"It's a weak spot that can make someone melt with affection. Certain parts of the body, like the hair, are one of them." The woman gave the boy a serious look, expecting him to follow from that point. She gave a general answer because she was expecting Killua to be a little more open with his sister…

Killua let out a small huff, a little reluctant to say anything on the matter. He was being put on the spot. Why was he expected to be open about this with his little sister?

"I don't like being put on the spot…"

"As an older brother to a younger sibling, especially because you have reluctant parents… it falls on you or an older sibling."

"Fine… it's not just the hair… neck, thighs, shoulders, um… it's different for everyone. I'm a neck person. Daniel's hair, of course… can make you pretty much feel special, or loved in a way."

"How do you know?"

Killua looked at Ashton. Rather than responding, she rolled his wrist at him "By touching, kissing… your tongue, depends."

"I get that… but I mean, how do you know about this?"

"Experimentation."

"That sounds… weird…"

"All of us are weird in our own, way…" Ashton remarked, "it's the self-discovery part that makes the whole process easier." Looking back at Killua, she smiled, "You did well. Baby steps when it comes to talking about these things…"

"I know…"

"Speaking of which…" Ashton got up, looking at Killua's work "You're doing good. Here…" She gave a scrunchie to the young boy, "Tie it around the bottom, closer to the collar part of the jacket. Mainly in a place, it wouldn't show as easy in a photo. We want to make it look like the hair is disappearing, so when we put the wig on, we can hide it. properly."

Killua did as he was asked, wrapping the scrunchie around his partner's hair. The moment he was done, Ashton gave him his next task "Now, thread the hair between his jacked and shirt so it can hold it in place. Can you also put the wig on his head? It's on the mannequin to the right…"

Killua moved to the mannequin pulling the wig off.

He placed it on Daniel's head, adjusting it so he felt like it looked okay… at least to him. He doesn't know how Ashton wants it to sit on his boyfriend's head exactly "Do I need to do anything else?"

"I'll sort out the hairstyle. It's not his real hair so he shouldn't be squirming…" Finishing off the final touches, she double-checked her work, making sure Daniel's minimum make-up didn't over-accentuate the boy's features. She just wanted to even out the boy's skin for the photoshoot, much like she did with Killua.

Except Killua's pale features would've made him look translucent after the flash.

Getting up, she got behind the young boy. She grabbed the false hair, weaving it like she did for Killua. Daniel didn't squirm. So, she was right. The boy didn't like anyone but Killua touching his real hair.

Killua was impressed with her finesse, her ability to micromanage every strand of hair, styling it in a manner that made him appear far slower in comparison. If Daniel hadn't squirmed the entire time, she would've styled his hair a lot faster than it would've taken her to do his makeup…

She is a professional in her career…

It probably helps that she dolls up herself every day. From the constant hairstyle changes to the different dresses, she changes every day, she was a stylist through and through.

She's had to be doing it for a long time, especially after building her empire. She was no longer the person she used to be… she was a professional. Someone who knew the art of manipulating how one looks on a day-to-day business.

Leo is the same, except, he isn't applying makeup or pazazz… he's wearing clothes that best represent his presentation.

The moment she was done, the boys were impressed. Unless someone has a keen eye, they would've never been able to tell it was them in disguise.

Daniel looked at his partner, appreciating the woman's work. She knew how to apply make-up, how to hide blemishes or shift someone's tone to where it looked natural. The more he looked at his lover, the more he picked up on these details.

Minor ones that tapped away at a wall he didn't realise he had. Gone was Kilua's pale complexion, the colour that made him seem to glow like he was ethereal. The white soft-looking hair that he loves to play with… the blue, slitted eyes that looked as though they were peering into his soul.

These were things he misses… but then it felt odd. Something in his gut twisted at the realisation. The things he found attractive about his partner were gone. He still loves Killua because, at the end of the day, it was still his lover under that disguise.

But it was staring him dead in the face… it hit Daniel like a ton of bricks.

Looking at Killua, seeing him dressed up, in a disguise that borderlines cosplay… at least from his point of view, considering the way his boyfriend normally dresses… it felt wrong.

It was like he was looking at a new person… one he didn't find attractive "Killua, I don't find you attractive anymore…"

Killua slowly turned to his partner, caught completely off-guard by his words "Where's this coming from?"

Ashton felt the same, hearing what he said, including looking at Daniel's expression worried her. Her goal was to disguise them, not push Daniel to nitpick on things he found about his partner to be attractive "When I did this, I didn't expect you'd break up over-"

"No, look in the mirror…" Daniel clarified, "Seeing you now, dressed up to the point it's no longer you. A part of my mind doesn't acknowledge it's you…"

Killua was still confused. So, he did as his partner said… he looked in the mirror. His partner was right, he no longer contained any traits of himself. The makeup… the hair… the clothes… he looked like a completely different person.

But what he didn't understand, is why it triggered Daniel's imposter detector. He knew it was still him under all this. Unless…

He looked at Ashton, asking a serious question "I don't think Daniel's demi-sexual… or strictly gay. He's…"

The two spoke in unison "Killua-sexual…"

Daniel blinked, owlishly at the two, confusion settling in the pit of his stomach "What…?"

Killua spoke his mind, "You're attracted to me, and only, me… If you didn't know it was me underneath all of this, could you say I'm attractive, in your eyes?"

"If I…" Daniel paused, thinking about the question being directed at him. He can say certain aspects, but not him "I can't…"

Was this because of the bond or was it strictly a Daniel thing? If they were to break up, would Daniel never date anybody else? These were hypotheticals he didn't want to explore…

But they were possibilities that made him worried.

Not because role-playing was now off his bucket list, it was because if he were to be hit with a Nen ability that disfigured him… or had his mind forced into another body… Daniel would no longer be attracted to him.

"We have new issues to deal with…"

"Like what?" Daniel crossed his arms, pouting from his argument causing these dilemmas.

"The fact that a mind swap or a Nen ability that disfigures my face beyond recognition could screw up our relationship… could fuck up all our hard-"

"Not, necessarily…" Ashton interrupted the boy's train of thoughts, "The bond connects between the two of you. So even if somebody switched bodies with you, locked you up then forced themselves to look like you… it wouldn't disrupt your-"

"He said he was no longer attracted to me because I-"

"I heard him… But he's attracted to Killua, to you. So, in theory, if your body was switched to somebody else… he'll become attached to them because it's you. The only reason he said that, is because you, no longer look like the person he knows."

The moment she finished, neither of them had noticed Daniel had gotten so close to Killua.

Killua was pulled into his partner's arms, the two being brought into a kissing match. They had completely forgotten about Alluka and Ashton… they had forgotten about the world moving on without them.

Even as Ashton told them to not mess up the makeup, Daniel's hand grasped at Killua's clothes, holding onto them as a lifeline. He refused to let go, to believe anything would disrupt his ability to love his partner.

The bond they shared, was for life… not temporary.

So, even if Illumi or anyone for that matter dressed and manipulated their body to look exactly like Killua to a 'T', he refused to accept that his bond would suddenly switch to them, erasing all their hard work in a matter of seconds.

Daniel eventually pulled away from his stunned partner, smiling at his disguised boyfriend. No matter what, he'll love Killua indefinitely, no matter what body he inhabits. A disguise is a disguise…. Looks change over time, but Killua will always be the same person deep to his core "Even though it looks nothing like you… Even though I will be contradicting myself, after saying you look nothing like you… I love YOU… and Ashton is right. No matter what happens, I'll be attracted to only you."

"That sounds…" Killua blushed for a second, "sweet… considering you seconds ago, said I no longer looked attractive."

"Hey, if you get rid of the wig and contacts, you'll look one-hundred thousand per cent prettier…"

"That doesn't make me feel any better…" Killua mocked, lips curling upward slightly. Although he was mocking the compliment, his partner was arguing that he looked better as himself, rather than hiding with the disguise.

Still… he wanted to be a little snarky about the situation "you just told me I'm a hundred thousand per cent uglier right now."

Daniel gave his partner a serious look. Even though a small part of him could tell his partner was joking, even with the disguise he would never think like that… he'd never argue he'd lose his complete attraction to his partner as though a disguise made it like a game of Peek-a-Boo.

Except, instead of hiding, it was more like a game of are they attractive. However, the catch was every contestant is Killua, just with different hairstyles and colours "Well, I like to think-"

Ashton stuck a hand between the boys, frowning "I can handle only so much sass before it goes overboard." She turned to Killua first, "Do you object to anything you're wearing? As in your presentation right now makes you uncomfortable in the slightest…"

"Everything feels comfy, if I'm being honest… what is this material, anyways?"

"A combination of silk and cotton. Double stitching if I'm being precise…" She grabbed Killua's shirt, flipping a small section up, "Inside is a special type of silk very few companies make this stuff, at least to the standard I accept so importing is difficult at times. That being said… I double layer all my clothes to fit comfortably on the inside while being outwardly fancy."

"Can I keep the shirt…?"

"Sure, it's just about… one-hundred thousand Jenny."

"Per shirt…?"

"Yup…" She smiled, a hand being directed at Daniel now, "You should see the maintenance cost of keeping these clothes pristine."

"I'll give you fifty thousand."

Ashton blinked owlishly, "They're not for sale… so don't even tempt to try bargain with me. I've dealt with your father, and you won't win…"

"I tried Killua…"

Killua rolled his eyes, "So about the photoshoot? What do we need to do?"

"Down the hall to the left, first room on the… we'll go right."

"Alright…" Daniel grabbed his partner's hand, smiling widely at his boyfriend "Let's go, secret partner."

Killua rolled his eyes, flushed from the implied compliment. Daniel was always cheesy, he was used to that… but as much as he'd like to call his partner an idiot, to complain… he was dragged away before he could say anything else on the matter.

Ashton focused on the two boys, wondering if there was any tension between the two, or was it just the two of them being young and childish "I wonder…"

"Killua is always like that…" Alluka interrupted with a smile, "I believe it was something brought out because of Gon. He likes a bit of challenge, but Daniel doesn't provide it. Not because he doesn't like a challenge, it's the kind my brother prefers… it's due to Daniel's nature. He likes to make him happy, and if something he says makes Killua come off as being, unhappy, he likes to rectify it… even if it's my brother making a joke."

"So, he seeks Killua's happiness… even if it's pointless?"

"No… not exactly. He wants Killua to be happy, regardless of the situation."

"To always smile… even when he doesn't want to."

Alluka shook her head, "No, he understands there will be times when my brother is unhappy, but if he can make him smile, he'll go out of his way to do so."

"I see…" Ashton hummed at the news, "Head over to the room. I'll grab my professional cameras before coming over." The young girl agreed, leaving with a smile.

Ashton held out her hands, a small puff of smoke dispersing from her fingertips. The small ancient-looking camera hummed with power, radiating an untold history. What it did was predict the future in mysterious ways… what it didn't do, is help guide people towards that outcome.

Good or bad…

She wondered what kind of photo will be taken?

Will they be unhappy with the results… or will history rebuff their current situation… presenting their happiness in a single image.

Only a single snap remained between them… and the truth the future holds.