Did Danny Died An Embarrassing Way >in One Of The Loop? Like Basically Died From Getting Aroused, Died

#20

"Jesus..."

"Actually, It's Daniel."

Zack craned his neck to look at the tiny figure sitting atop the - frankly massive - pile of bodies. He had stumbled upon the sight on accident and frozen in shock, mouth agape. If he looked more closely all the bodies seemed to belong to well-built muscly men who, judging by the various bats and DIY weapons strewn on the ground, had been armed. This was no accident, but a coordinated attack that had been thwarted by...by a toddler?

"Uhh..." Zack said, ever so eloquently.

The midget turned around a did a backflip (and almost gave the boxer a heart attack in the process), landing in front of him with a large toothy smile. Now that they were standing next to each other he seemed even smaller, no way older than 5, Zack noted after he stopped gaping. He wore what looked like an old yellow t-shirt with a smiling cat, splatters of blood clear on the thin fabric, and a pair of brown cargo shorts. In the middle of December, at night.

Zack resisted the urge to voice some choice words about the kid's parents as another freezing wind cut through his own thick winter coat. He kneeled to be on eye level with the smiling little menace and extended his hand, deliberately slowly not to spook him.

"I'm Zack."

"Oooh, nice to meet you!" Daniel shook his hand eagerly.

'Yep, his hands are freezing', Zack thought bitterly, looking around for his guardian or someone that could resemble a responsible adult. He found none. The alleyway they were in was pretty out of the way, not a place where a child should be, although... judging by the piled gangsters behind him he could handle himself. A bead of sweat rolled down the boxer's cheek, 'Not even I could beat so many at the same time' and wasn't that saying something? Even after being trained by that monk, Gongseob Ji, there were still people who were stronger than him without even trying.

"Achoo!"

That broke him out of his thoughts, and he wasted no more time in unzipping his coat and scooping the child in his arms, before rezipping the coat with the midget's head poking out. Uncaring of what he must've looked like [*cough* pregnant *cough*] Zack got back up and began walking out of the alleyway.

"We're going to get you something warm to eat and then we can try to figure this whole thing out, mkay?"

The midget nodded his head furiously and gave him another blinding smile before settling on his chest like a happy cat. Neither spoke until they finally found an open convenience store. By the time they got what they wanted to eat and sat down in the little eating area of the shop it had begun snowing heavily. Zack put the kid on one of the stools, with his coat still wrapped around him before opening the two cups of instant noodles and pulling out the little bags of condiments. He kept an eye on Daniel as he moved to pour warm water from the dispenser. To his credit, the little one waited patiently, swinging his legs in the air, his eyes glued on the taller male as he prepared their meal.

"So, where are your folks, midget?" Zack asked as they waited for the noodles, trying to keep his tone light.

In spite of his efforts, the boy curled in on himself, his eyes dimming. 'Sore spot, then' he thought, making a mental note to avoid bringing it up again. He couldn't imagine anyone willingly abandoning this ray of sunlight of a child, so he assumed they must've been dead. 'Yes, that's the only explanation' Zack nodded to himself, before addressing Daniel again.

"Do you have anywhere to go?"

The kid nodded eagerly, but the boxer still had his reservations.

"Let me rephrase that, do you have anywhere to spend the night that you know you can reach and where you won't freeze to death?"

"Uhh."

"Right, so that's a no. Great!" Zack rubbed his forehead tiredly.

He pulled the top packaging off the cups of noodles and broke apart a pair of chopsticks mixing them into the steaming meal before handing it to the midget and doing the same for his own cup.

"Ah, thank you!" Daniel chirped before digging in like a starved child.

'He probably was' he thought bitterly, swallowing a mouthful of noodles. For a few minutes, all you could hear was the sound of them eating, but soon enough the boy pushed away his empty cup. Once more, Zack didn't hesitate or even find it weird how his arms moved on their own to place a small packet of chocolate biscuits in front of the kid's nose.

"Eat up, midget." he encouraged, cringing at how sappy he sounded. "Those aren't going to eat themselves."

'Damn it, why am I acting like this?!' The older boy bemoaned mentally, thankful that none of the people who knew him were here to witness how fucking soft this little menace was making him. After finishing his noodles Zack got up to throw the two cups away when he felt a tug on his sweater. Looking down he found an impossibly large pair of doe-like black eyes gazing uncertainly up at him.

'Ah, my heart!' he mentally clutched his heart which had been pierced by an arrow marked "CUTENESS".

"I'm just going to throw these away!" He quickly reassured the little one, gesturing towards the two empty cups in his hand.

"Are you going to come back?" Daniel asked in a small voice which nearly made the boxer kneel over.

"Of course! Of course! I'll be right back!" Zack assured before nearly sprinting to the trashcan and back, to the bewilderment of the cashier.

"See, right back!"

Daniel hummed happily in agreement with a big smile that made him ponder the benefits of having a pair of sunglasses always on hand. he would probably need a pair if he didn't want to go blind from this unbearably bright ray of sunshine. 'How has no one kidnapped him yet?' Zack wondered, sparking a flame of protectiveness in his chest.

You know how you hear people say that they see something, usually a small child or an animal, and go 'yeah, that's mine now'? That was exactly what happened at that exact moment in Zack The Wimp Lee.

Did it raise questions the next day when he showed up to fight with a toddler on his shoulders? Maybe. Did he care? Absolutely not. He kicked names and took ass looking like an absolute badass and a brilliant model for his new little brother. The highlight of his day was when some random extra tried to hit Daniel as a way of getting back at Zack and got promptly locked through a brick wall by a giggly 5-year-old waving around a purple dinosaur plush in one hand and a blueberry popsicle in the other. The looks on everyone's faces had been enough to make his week.

#15

Gun was telling Daniel about how he would use his friends instead if he refuse to create his own crew, watching in delight as the boy's eyes darkened before his face suddenly went blank. He stopped talking, a confused frown pulling at his already twisted features as the boy seemed to look right through him, as if in a trance. Slightly unnerved and a bit annoyed he threw a kick toward him in an effort to snap the boy out of his daydreaming. It worked, just not in the way that Gun was expecting. Before his foot could make contact with the boy's head it was stopped by a tight grip that made his bones creak in protest.

"What's with you now? Are you that angry about me using your friends for my crews?" He mocked, hiding just how unsettled he was by the fact he couldn't pull his leg free.

Thinking quickly, he aimed a fist at the boy, hoping to distract him enough to let go of his leg, but it backfired when Daniel grasped his arm and twisted. He bit his lip to muffle the groan of pain threatening to escape him. What the fcuk was going on? Just a minute ago he was kicking him around like a straw doll and now he was left vulnerable at the boy's mercy. Whatever had happened to cause this sudden switch in him...it wasn't natural.

"My...Jay..." he seemed to mutter under his breath, eyes glazed over, "how dare they... kill them...dare they...pay...death...too kind...bastards..."

An unexplainable sense of fear washed over Gun and he began struggling to get out of the raving boy's clutch. Terror dulled his senses and turned his movements animalistic up to the point where he couldn't think clearly. He had to get away! He had to get away from him! Run! Hide! His instincts screamed at him, overwhelming the usually composed male.

Without warning the boy went silent and his eyes snapped straight to the panicking Gun, who felt every muscle in his boy freeze under the intensity of his gaze. His throat constricted painfully and he found himself losing control of his own body when his white eyes clashed with the other's jet-black ones. He barely even registered when he was thrown to the ground, crumpling like a puppet whose strings had been cut.

Daniel's eyes reminded him of those of a predator, cold and lusting for blood. It was only later that he realized that the boy had been restraining himself from tearing his throat open with his bare hands, though even then, he couldn't tell what he had done exactly to spur this kind of anger in the usually mellow boy. It didn't make sense.

It made even less sense that Daniel just shot him another look, a mix of disgust and anger, and left without another word like nothing had happened. Like that night had just been a dream. Not real, just a figment of Gun's imagination...at least, it would've been, if it weren't for the circle of bruises in the shape of a hand around his arm and lower leg. The doctors said his tibia was almost shattered, as well as his wrist. That was the only proof he had that it hadn't all just been in his head. Something had snapped in Daniel that night.

The Workers' four affiliates were all set ablaze in the following days. Many died in the fire, while others perished under mysterious circumstances in the hospital.

Danny watched the brunette news anchor report on the situation, with one arm firmly clasped around Jay's waist as he rested on his chest. The remote snapped in his hand.

Eugene had somehow survived.

That wasn't a problem. It just meant he would have to go hunting again later. For, now he focused on the sleeping blonde in his arms, nuzzling into this slim neck and inhaling the scene of his cologne. He would never allow anyone to lay their hands on his beloved again. Never.

You are sitting at your desk one quiet evening finishing up some assignments when you hear a crack behind you, like someone just stepped on one of the creaky floorboards of your cozy little home. Only problem is, you live in an apartment with cement floors covered in fluffy carpets.

  Wordlessly, you pull out an ancient blade with shining symbols all over it that seems to buzz happily as it is once again in your grasp.

#5

Daniel strutted down the corridors like he owned the place. He was a man on a mission. A hunter. His pray? The cryptid dressed in cheetah print prowling around James Lee's old school ready to melt out of the shadows and mow his ass like grass.

His ghost detector beeped twice when he turned it left.

"Huh?"

Daniel pulled down his anti-bullshit protection glasses. He was all geared up in pink hello kitty pajamas, ready to fight against the cheetah-print abomination and thus end the urban legend's grip on the common people. That and he really wanted to kick Gun's ass while being literally half his size just for shits and giggles.

He needed a change of mood after he had begun the loop strapped to a table and bald while being interrogated by Jinyeong. When the doctor had asked about his deepest darkest secret he had looked him dead in the face and uttered ominously "I'm supposed to get a senior discount when I go shopping" before promptly passing out. It was technically true, though, by the look on the man's face, he probably thought something had gone wrong with the serum. With how he had been ranting about squirrels even before he got the serum Jinyeong might actually assume he had lost his mind.

Brushing away all other thoughts Daniel reached into his backpack and pulled out a thick book the size of his head with "How to catch a cryptid" written in bold red letters on the cover. He flipped it open at a page he had marked with a cute squirrel sticky note that had unfortunately gotten crumpled in his backpack and began reading aloud.

"To catch a cheetah print abomination in the wild you must first know what it is. A cheetah print abomination is the Mothman's cousin and shares with this its distinctive mating cry and other negligible physical traits such as height comparable to Slenderman and an outward appearance that makes people tremble at the sight of it." Daniel hummed as if he had been given great knowledge and flipped the page, continuing to read aloud.

"The cheetah print abomination is easily spotted by its abysmal fashion sense and atypical behavior, such as being turned on by physical combat and physical injuries caused during fights (for reference check page 67, paragraph 9 "What to do in the event of a wild Jonngun attack, tips and escape methods by prof. Daniel "the Taller" Park)."

Daniel ignored the sound of creaking floorboards and continued reading before he suddenly stopped and let out an exclamation of glee.

"Oh look, they even have a photo!"

He raised his book in the air and put the grainy picture of a black baby cow parallel to the man staring at him. He made a big show of analyzing the picture and let out appropriate sounds of understanding and awe while comparing it to the live specimen. Finally, Gun had enough of the perceived mockery and ripped the book out of the boy's hands, took one look at the page Danny was currently reading and at the picture, and promptly tossed it out of an open window.

"No wait, that was my only copy!" He bemoaned while looking at the darkness behind the window dejectedly. "You know you're going to have to pay me back for that, right?'

The man's expression twisted into a sneer and he reached for the boy, intent on getting rid of this disrespectful bug. His attempt was promptly met with a wet shoe to the chin and then another when he tried to kick the little gremlin away. He looked disgustedly at the little puddle forming beneath the second shoe before looking up at the boy.

"It's holy water." Daniel shrugged pulling out a pair of flip-flops which he used in place of his thrown sneakers, "Need to be prepared, you know."

A laugh bubbled up in Gun's throat at the sheer absurdity of the situation. He was getting mocked by a child in hello kitty pajamas who thought he was a cryptid and had turned his holy water-soaked sneakers into projectiles against him. He stared down at the still-smoking cigarette in between his fingers and pondered upon his life choices for a few awkward minutes while the gremlin stared at him with a mix between curiosity and wariness like he was some sort of weird creature he had just encountered.

"I need something stronger than this." He announced, snuffing the cigarette beneath his shoe and turning around.

As he walked out of the school he heard the genuine voice of the little hello kitty-clad menace echoing down the halls.

"You know, smoking and drinking can be really bad not only for your health but also for your interpersonal relationships!"

Gun walked faster.

Gun: Danny is playing hard to get. Gun: Little does he know, I'm a master at playing hard to get rid of.

Danny: What does a winner do when life gives them lemons? Vasco: Um, make lemonade? Danny: No, they squeeze them right back into life’s eyes!

Danny: I prevented a murder today. Robin: Really? How’d you do that? Danny: self-control.

Something clicked my mind. How about a loop of genderbend Jay and genderbend Gun.

I just want to see both of them fighting for Daniel attentions.

Jay was a girl, again. That in itself was not a problem.

The problem came in the form of a tall fit black-eyed hellspawn who also happened to be of the fairer sex this time around. Gun was just as hard to deal with in his female form if a bit more due to society's somewhat-acceptance of women competing rather aggressively for their crushes. Having been a woman himself, Daniel knew the many nuances of the affection a girl may harbor for a man, and while it wasn't much different from the one between same-sex couples, it brought a few issues that were experienced more rarely by our lovesick idiot. Namely, rejection.

"I already have someone I like." Had been his first attempt to dissuade Gun from her chosen path the first time she had approached him at the festival. Although no fight had occurred between them she had somehow gotten interested in him. (Forget being her successor, she went straight for the kill this time, no pretenses or anything!)

"It doesn't matter."

"I'm already in a relationship and you're not my type." Was his second try. Danny didn't want to be rude to her and thus relied on borderline polite phrases to shoo her away, to no avail.

"What does she have that I don't?"

"She's..." He scratched his nape with a far-off look, wondering how he could try to sum up his vast love for Jay. Reducing her to simple qualities felt downright insulting. She was so much more than he could ever articulate.

Misinterpreting his silence, a smirk painted Gun's blood-red lips, but before she could speak she caught a flash of blonde hair in the corner of her eye. Her mind suddenly came up with a scheme to humiliate her rival while simultaneously staking her claim on the interesting boy.

"Is she richer than me?" She asked in a honeyed voice.

"Mhm..." He replied distractedly as if he couldn't care less.

"Is she prettier than me?"

"The prettiest..."

Gun gritted her teeth in frustration. This wasn't how it was supposed to go. Once again her gaze was drawn to the little blonde who had suddenly taken a step towards them before both girls froze in place as Daniel opened his mouth again and spoke in a tone that was so clearly drunk on love it sent a shiver down the black-eyed girl's spine.

"She's more beautiful than the sun, and I sometimes wish I could go blind so that she would be the last sight I ever get to see. The way she laughs makes me feel all dizzy and clumsy, and I get flustered when she smiles at me. I can't help it. She's beyond perfection in every way that matters and I'm so lucky I met her." He gave a long sigh and continued, despite how stupid he felt or how the tips of his ears burned bright red for all to see. "That's not why I love her though...that...I can't put it into words...she's just...Jay...and that's more than I could ever ask for..."

He gave Gun an apologetic smile, but the girl was too stunned to react.

"So I'm sorry. But I would be a fool to ever let go of such a blessing. I can't date you."

With that, he turned and left, without noticing a flustered blonde quickly retreating from the scene and fleeing into a bathroom to calm down the thundering breathing of her heart and the feverish blush on her cheeks. Good thing she had pulled out her phone just in time to record that last part.

(Jay played the recording over and over for herself until Danny finally found out about it. After he was done stuttering and looking like a fresh tomato he embraced her tightly and promised her that she didn't need a stupid recording and that he would have no problem making those kinds of confessions to her every day if it made her happy. He was awarded many kisses and cuddles and savored his reward thoroughly.)

-----------------------

BONUS!

After Gun was left by her lonesome in the parking lot she finally snapped out of her trance. A bright blush coated the apples of her cheeks and her eyes turned hazy with desire. That kind of adoration, she wanted it for herself.

She would get his heart no matter how long it took. That silly little blondie wouldn't stand a chance! She had to have that man and bathe in his adulation for herself!

"Just you wait~Daniel Park~"

Danny: So that’s my plan. Zack: Are you alright with constructive criticism? I don’t want to sound mean. Danny: No, go ahead, I want to hear it. Zack: It fucking sucks. Danny: That’s not constructive criticism.

#9

Danny, standing with his back turned: I’ve been expecting you, Eugene. Eugene: How did you do that without turning around? Danny: … To be perfectly honest, the first couple of people I did that to were not you.