As Croissant Fumbled Around In The Dark For His Beeping Comm, He Cursed Every Single One Of Them. Alphabetically. 

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

The fate of Ashur, he who dared to slay his flesh

Somewhere in the world a goddess wept the loss of her son and cursed the world for taking him from her. The cold broken body of the boy, barely a teen was clutched to her chest, only an empty husk left.

"I always have to get my hand dirty because of you. This is your fault, and no one else's." the cold voice of Ashur sounded from behind. She heard the sound of metal touching leather, but didn't move, no longer caring that she was wide open to a man that had just unsheathed his blade, ready to cut her down as if she was merely a wilted flower. Boiling rage coursed through her veins tears forever flowing down her cheeks and onto the dirt below. And where they hit the ground small blue flowers would appear in the shape of tears. The people called them Grape Hyacinth, in honor of the goddess who's tears had been turned into flowers. She may have perished that day, but before her divine soul had been turned into ashes she placed one last curse on the god who had killed her son. Hyacinth cursed him to never be able to lay rest and to forever be hounded by those he called his own, so that he may never be capable of love for another ,the way she had loved him and their son.

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~"

#23

"Jay, love of my life, apple of my eye, treasure of my heart, darling of my soul can you do me a favor real quick?" Daniel purred seductively, his hair a dirty mess and dried blood on his knuckles. Jay nodded helplessly.

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

"Where were you on the evening of July 8, between 9 pm and 2 am?" the police officer questioned the nervous blonde with a stern expression.

'In my home' Jay wrote, trying to convey as much sincerity as possible into his gesture. Technically speaking, he wasn't lying. He had been at home, just not the one they were probably referring to. But they didn't ask, so Jay didn't tell. Home was where his dearest beloved was, even if that meant in the middle of the woods digging up some endangered flower specimen to plant over their 'package'.

He remembered the smell of copper lingering on his body, and how gently Daniel had helped him scrub every inch of the vile blood off of his skin. The thought made a blush rise to his cheeks, which thankfully went unseen by the officer. The phantom touch of delicate fingers scrubbing his scalp sent a shiver down the boy's back as the memory etched itself into the very fabric of his mind clinging to him like an intoxicating perfume.

Daniel had been quiet after 'that', but later confessed to being worried he had scared the blonde. It only took one reassurance to make him bounce back to being his usual preppy self as if he needed nothing more than Jay's word and he would believe that the sun rose for the west. It made something twist in his chest like a pleased feline and then settle into a comforting warmth that would surge forward every time he laid eyes on the brunette teen.

He may not have understood why they had done 'that' but he wasn't about to question his beloved. Danny always had a reason to do things, even if sometimes he didn't share it. Nevertheless, Jay felt that wherever the man's sin was, he deserved his fate. His love had never been unkind to people, even those who sought to take advantage of him, so whatever his motive it had to have been important, so he would do his utmost to protect him from any legal repercussions, even if that meant having to face suspicion from his own family.

After all would be said and done, he could finally enjoy melting into his lover's embrace once more. There was no body, no murder weapon, and no DNA or digital evidence, so nothing could be pinned on them anyway. He just had to be patient, then maybe Daniel would reward him~

"Can anybody confirm this?" The policeman's rough voice rudely cut through his reminiscing and brought him back to reality. This interrogation was really starting to get on his nerves he ought to have the man fired for this later.

'My butler' he wrote, briefly pausing and adding something else onto the notebook before he handed it back to the man.

"Your boyfriend, huh? And does this midnight Romeo have a name?"

'Daniel Park'

March 11th 2073

The end of the world came just before daybreak, during the 'blue hour' when nature held its breath for a split second one last time and then the sky cracked open and fell down upon us like shards of glass

too few lived to see daybreak

fewer made it past the gates opening

less than a quarter of the world's population made it to the safe haven that was Bloodrock in time for departure

half of the ones left perished during the trip

the human race had almost been wiped out in its entirety in less than half a day

more would follow

that was the undeniable truth of the matter

we all knew it

I could see it on the faces of the other passengers, the morbid acceptance, the grim resignation for what was to come, but beneath all the grime, blood, and dust on their skin I could see hope. hope that humanity will live past this, that we will survive and eventually we would once again thrive

finger clutched tightly in prayer we huddled around and formed a sort of half circle looking out one of the windows of Bloodrock

I felt a spark of determination rush through me so fiercely that it sent shivers down my back and made my hairs stand on their end

we would survive!

and we would learn from this so that our children and our children's children would not repeat our mistakes

then we would come back and reclaim what had been taken from us with a furious vengeance no other race in the known universe could ever possess

WE. WOULD. THRIVE.

#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.

Danny: Well, well, well… if it isn't my old friend: the dawning realization that I fucked up bad.

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!

I was wondering about a time loop in which Big Deal takes in Yohan and he trains under Samuel and in which Samuel was female. I feel like Samuel would definitely still be as tall if not buff and pass as masculine, so a time loop where she either stays with Big Deal and Yohan or she helps Yohan with God Dog and his mom.

I just thought it'd be interesting for one of Big Deal's fighters to be female and none of them except Alexander knowing and finding out.

(Mommy Sammy is simultaneously the most unhinged and brilliant idea I've ever been asked about! Like, does she still tear her clothes off when she fights or is that just me being weird? Nvm. Since most of my loops are from Daniel's perspective we'll just pretend he died early in this loop and is currently spying on various people waiting for his loop to end.)

Sometimes Danny wondered if the loops had been made by some unstable maniac. [Shhh, don't expose me!]

When he had stared the loop already dying it hadn't come as that much of a surprise. It was more annoying after you got used to it. That meant, however, that he hadn't gotten to check on anything that might've been changed from the original setting of the loops. He was a bit further back, that he could tell from how small his body had seemed at first.

He hadn't expected to drift towards a familiar street in search of entertainment and do a spit-take with his immaterial smoothie.

"What in my green god-given mustache?"

It wasn't Big Deal's new addition, in the form of one chestnut-haired dog-lover, that had garnered that reaction from the spirit, though it did add to the oddness of the situation. Danny's eyes drifted from the boy currently pummeling some no-name extra into the ground, to the person keeping a watchful eye over him from a little ways away while traumatizing fighting several other people.

Hovering over Johan like a mother hen was a distinctly-not-how-he-was-supposed-to-be-shaped Samuel. The mullet was there, in all its sexy glory, as was the terrifying signature grin and the usual two-piece suit, though it seemed to fit rather strangely on his body-oh! on her body. Samuel was a woman!

She was a buff strong woman and had Danny not been so utterly besotted with his beloved he would no doubt be slightly crushing on her at first sight. As it was, however, he just shuddered at the thought of her matching her counterpart and his apparent eagerness to rid himself of his tops at any possible opportunity and wondered if she were the same. He hoped that wasn't the case.

He paused, looking back and forth between the small Johan and Sammy (that was a good name to call her for now!). His mouth opened in the shape of an o. There was care in her gaze and even, if he were so bold to dare say it, affection. But not the kind that led people to have butterflies in their stomachs and sweaty palms, it wasn't the kind that burned, no, it was the soft type that came with taking a young one under your wing, it was the type that made you want to cherish and protect, the kind that didn't burn, but merely warmed and warded off the darkness. Sammy saw the little copycat as her ward.

Really, speaking from his own experiences, these tiny humans were really easy to get attached to. Hell, he himself had gone through the same thing with the boy in question at one point or another.

Samuel was a person that Danny associated with greed. A man willing to do anything to reach his goals. The sight of his female counterpart being so parental and openly caring for someone that couldn't do anything to further her position and status settled a part of Danny that had always wanted to believe that there was some semblance of good in the former Worker's member.

A tentative smile pulled at his lips as he watched the one-sided carnage fight end and Sammy's eyes instantaneously move to scan the young prodigy for any wounds in a motion that was so familiar to the spirit that his eyes glazed over for a moment. How many times had it been him doing this for a younger version of Johan? He couldn't recall, but the memory left a faded bitter-sweet taste in his mouth.

His soul shuddered with the pull of the loop. It was time to start anew. This time, however, with the peace of mind he hadn't had in a while, that came with the realization that if Samuel was worthy of redemption, then perhaps so was he.

"When these loops end, I will have that peace." He whispered the promise breathlessly, as the fragments of his soul drifted into the breeze.

The hourglass was turned, and the sand started falling again.

Baby Danny in Big Deal Loop

Baby Danny: Why should I make my bed, when I'm just gonna unmake it to sleep in it anyways? Samuel: Why should I feed you if you're just gonna die anyways? Danny: Danny: I'll go make my bed-