#18

#8

"Wanna know a secret?"

"Daniel, it's 3 AM on a Monday."

The disgruntled groan and pillow over the head didn't seem to deter the overly energetic boy.

"Is that a yes?"

Another agonizing groan and what sounded like him whispering 'don't kill him, you don't have the energy to hide a body' over and over again like a mantra.

"Fuck off!" He pushed the gremlin squatting on his nightstand roughly, ignoring the loud 'oof' he let out.

However, when the sound of a body hitting the floor never came, Zack opened his eyes and turned around. Daniel was hanging precariously on the curtain while his feet still remained partially on the nightstand. Zack blinked, then shoved the other's feet off.

"Ooof" And the sound of the curtain rod hitting something hard then falling onto the floor and someone scrambling around in his failed curtains.

Zack reached for his earplugs and pulled the pillow over his head again. He was not doing this today!

Poke.

Poke.

He swatted the offending hand away with vitriol.

Poke. Poke.

He discreetly reached for the chemistry book beneath the bed and pulled it close to him, ready to strike.

Poke.

Thunk!

After that, the night was quiet, with no more poking.

#1

Danny didn't expect a lot of weirdness when he started this loop. He was sorely mistaken.

The realization came to him when he realized he had retained the previous loop's features and still looked like a 25-year-old gangster, tattoos and all. Not to mention he was staring down at the tiny version of one Johan Seong.

Taking a deep breath of his cigarette he allowed himself another glance downwards, which he immediately regretted.

"Could you give me your shoes?' Johan looked up at him with his big brown eyes shining with a sort of innocence Daniel had never seen on the boy before.

He exhaled the smoke upwards, as far away from the little one's face as possible, then crouched down and extinguished his cigarette on the pavement while his free hand reached into his jacket pocket. He pulled out a wad of cash that had seemingly traversed back with him and handed it to the wide-eyed boy with the gentlest smile he could manage.

"Take care of yourself" He ruffled little Johan's hair before getting back up and continuing down the sidewalk.

Without hurrying he made his way to a hotpot restaurant, keenly aware of his little shadow. He stopped right in front of it and turned around startling the boy so badly that he instinctively cowered.

"Have you had anything to eat yet?" The man asked, softening his expression so as not to frighten the boy more than he already had.

Johan shook his head and Daniel gestured for him to go in. He marveled at the boy's innocence as his eyes grew larger and he sprinted into the hotpot shop with an expression of childish glee that tugged at the older's heartstrings. This boy had not yet lost the spark in his eyes, though judging by his appearance he had already suffered through the whole cult ordeal.

Daniel chuckled at his enthusiasm and allowed Johan to choose what to order while they sat down next to each other.

"Hey mister, you're really nice!" The boy exclaimed, biting into a piece of meat. "You didn't even kick me when I asked for your shoes and gave me money and everything!"

Danny hummed back while swallowing his own food before wiping a trail of broth off the boy's chin. Johan watched him with keen eyes but didn't lean back or in. It was like the boy was trying to decide whether to be suspicious or revel in this tiny moment of affection that made him feel all fuzzy and warm inside. His mommy used to make him feel like that a long time ago when he was really little but hadn't done so since. Adults only play nice when they want something from you, he reminded himself when the tall dark-haired man retracted his hand and placed the crumbled napkin back on the table before returning to his meal. Something about him made Johan feel safe, something he hadn't felt since they had taken his mommy away, and made him want to cling to him. That's why he had followed him in the first place.

Seeing the boy lost in thought Daniel suppressed a tiny smirk and gently flickered his forehead, only hard enough to wake him from his reverie. He was rewarded with a pout that almost made him coo, but the boy's attention quickly went back to his remaining meal which he once more began to swallow feverishly.

"Slow down." The man chided while handing him a glass of water when Johan accidentally choked.

His actions seemed to have taken a more paternal turn ever since his eyes had landed on the tiny boy, but he didn't really care at the moment. Every bone in his imposing body screamed to take the boy home, wrap him in a blanket and protect him from this cruel world but he suppressed such thoughts. Although his morals had long since been distorted he had yet to completely lose his sense of boundaries. Kidnapping a child wouldn't do, not when he himself seemed to always get into trouble somehow. He didn't even have a place to stay at the moment, so that plan went out the window before it even began.

"Hey, mister", a tiny, high-pitched voice put a stop to his spiraling thought and his tired black eyes clashed with bright brown innocent ones, "what's your name?"

Daniel almost got whiplash with how suddenly his other thoughts paused but didn't show any outward signs of his newfound weakness. The child was making him soft.

"Daniel", he wiped his mouth with a napkin, "and you?"

"I'm Johan!"

His enthusiasm seemed to be infectious because he soon found himself smiling and humming while following along with the small brunette as he chatted about anything and everything. Yep, the child was definitely making him soft. And wasn't that a weirdly welcome surprise?

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

In the following days, the two of them kept bumping into each other, and each time they did they ended up back at the same hotpot restaurant.

Daniel had gotten a job at a nearby supermarket that reminded him of his old convenience store, with the added bonus that it paid better and no one dared to look down on him (not that most even could anyway). That way he had the funds to keep taking little Johan to eat at least once a week, although he had yet to find a place for himself. That particular thing wasn't really a problem, since he had long since learned the best sleeping spots in the city during some of his past loops and no one dared to attack him while he slept, out of fear.

In the last loop, Daniel had gotten really jacked up and covered most of his upper body in tattoos symbolizing various things, from his friends to events from other loops and so forth. Unless you really paid attention you probably couldn't tell what they meant, since the man had paid special attention to hiding such details in the very images representing them.

That evening, as he was making his way back from his job Daniel stumbled over a sight that made his blood boil. On the ground was a brunette little lump, covered in blood and bruises, with shards of broken glass and pieces of broken bottles surrounding it. Burying his anger deep in his chest the man stumbled to the child's side, crouching down to take a better look at the damage. No one other than him was around, but it didn't take a genius to figure out what had happened.

With his foot, he nudged away most of the glass before kneeling over the unmoving Johan. He breathed a sigh of relief after finding a pulse, took off his ratty black trench coat, and scooped the bundle up into it. Careful not to hold him too tight and risk making his injuries worse Daniel made his way quickly to one of his nearby hideouts in an old abandoned building. Johan stirred and let out a weak whimper when he bangs climbing the crumbling stairs.

"It's okay, just hang on for a little longer. You'll be okay." He hushed the child suppressing the urge to cuddle him until he felt better no matter how much his chest ached at the notion of having to prolong his pain.

"Just a little longer" He promised the half-conscious boy, finally reaching the floor he had claimed as his own.

Without letting go of Johan he reached underneath an old, rotten dresser and pulled out a backpack that was obviously newer than anything else in this room, though, upon a closer inspection, one could see that it was missing a strap and looked torn in places. Daniel didn't once stop whispering reassurances and praise for how well he was doing as he removed the shard from his skin and bandaged the cuts. While relieved that the boy didn't seem to have any broken bones, he still gritted his teeth while applying cream to the patches of sickening blue and yellow covering his skin and wrapping his wounds.

Once he was finished dressing his wounds he wrapped the boy in one of his jackets and placed him on a relatively clean mattress he had managed to procure from a lovely lady at a yard sale, allowing himself a moment to marvel at how much younger and smaller he looked while sleeping. That night he didn't sleep, instead guarding Johan and making plans on returning the favor tenfold to those who had dared to lay their filthy hands on his kid.

When the first rays of sunlight slipped through the cracked window Johan began to stir. His whole body hurt, but not as much as it had when those guys beat him up. He was on something soft and he cuddled into the warmth before his mind caught up with his awake body. Warmth? He lurched forward in a panic before a pair of big warm hands gently pushed his back.

"Hey, hey, it's okay, you're safe."

He didn't recognize the voice at first but his brain automatically associated it with safety so he relaxed and allowed himself to be pushed back into what he now realized was a jacket almost three times his size in which he had been wrapped in. The pain in his back flared, but he pushed it away in favor of analyzing the room.

It didn't look like anything special. The walls were cracked and the paint had fallen off in some places. He was laying on a mattress that looked like a dog had bitten off one of its corners. Opposite him was an old wooden table with two plastic chairs that didn't belong to the same set on either side of it and next to it was a dresser that looked like it had come straight out of a haunted victorian mansion.

Finally, Johan's eyes landed on the figure at the foot of his bed and a shy smile bloomed on his battered face. Daniel returned it even wider while leaning towards him and placing a calloused palm on his forehead. The action made him fidget, but he soon calmed down when the man took his hand back, seemingly satisfied.

"Where does it hurt?"

The boy's first reaction was to deny that there was anything wrong with him but the look in Danny's eyes made him think otherwise. Timidly he pointed at the parts where he could still feel the pain, watching with bated breath as the man's expression seemed to grow darker and darker.

Finally, he hummed in the way Johan had learned to distinguish as him having gotten what he wanted and let out a deep breath. Although his hand itched for a cigarette, he remained steadfast in his refusal to smoke anywhere near the boy these days. Instead, he forced on a blank expression and began rummaging through the backpack. He pulled out a bottle of water and a store-bought sandwich and handed them to the child after checking the expiration date.

He made sure that the copycat didn't choke while wolfing down the slightly stale sandwich and reflexively wiped the crumbs off his cheeks after he had finished, lamenting at how sunken they were. He resolved to hound the boy to go with him to the hotpot store more often, if only to make sure he ate enough.

"Why?"

"Mhm?"

"Why-Why did you take me to your place? Why did you take care of me and feed me? You haven't asked for anything back? I-I don't have anything to give you! I can't-"

The boy's broken tirade was cut off by a pair of scarred but warm hands circling around his trembling frame and bringing him into someone's chest. The dam broke, and tears began flowing down his pale cheeks like waterfalls. He didn't even know why he was crying, but the building ache in his chest seemed to have finally bubbled to the surface and overwhelmed him. It wasn't fair! Why did this stranger he had met not even a month ago care for him more than his mommy did? Why? Why couldn't he be a normal kid? Why couldn't he go to school, and make friends, and play with toys?

Daniel listened to the little one wrapped in his arms choke on his own sobs and hiccups while mumbling unintelligibly and his heart shattered. The unfairness of it all hit him straight on and at that moment he found that he didn't care if his shirt was wet with tears and snot and bits of saliva, nor did he care that his work would start in half an hour. He could afford to lose his job (even if it would be a rather nasty blow to his income) if it meant that the little boy who was drifting off to sleep on his chest, having already tired himself out crying, wouldn't be alone when he woke up.

No, he thought clutching Johan closer to himself, he wouldn't let him be alone again. He wouldn't abandon him and he would do his darned best so that he would get a normal childhood.

Robin: Are you having another depressive episode? Danny: A depressive episode? Danny: I'm having a depressive series and we're just on season one.

Me walking in with my new crackship of Gun x Taehoon : I'm back

Honestly, I was just wondering how Zack and the others at J High would react to Taehoon considering his reputation and his whole persona.

Vasco would definitely pick a fight with him and seee him as a sort of mentor lol.

Also, the way you write Gun and Taehoon is really funny and I couldn't help but wheeze when I saw it - so Taegoon would be hilarious.

When Danny got a new friend who offered to train him no one batted an eye. Vasco congratulated him for making this effort to become better and that was that. Until it wasn't.

They didn't really figure it out at first. Many just thought he was an ordinary guy whose dad ran a dojo and who had dyed brown hair. Nothing too unusual. That was until Zack witnessed Danny use a 1080° kick during one of their fights with some delinquents who challenged them. He interrogated him frantically about where he had learned it and finally made the connection between his new friend and the taekwondo prodigy. (He was embarrassed about his stupidity for the rest of the day and Mira had to comfort him over the phone.)

Zack slipped and spread the news, as was expected of him, to his goons. It didn't take long for the whole school to know, and then even some of their acquaintances outside of school. When the 'Danny squad' met with him again after his identity had been revealed there was utter chaos.

"I want to fight you."

This was how Teahoon was greeted by his minion's friend, Vasco. He stared a bit at him, contemplating whether he had done something to slight him recently but before he could reply Zack piped in angrily.

"You can't just say that to people you moron! Besides....I wanted to fight him."

"Nu-uh, wait your turn dumbass." Vin Jin slapped him over the head haughtily, causing the already volatile boxer to tackle him.

"May I cut your hair?"

It wasn't a death threat, but it might as well have been. Especially with how the cotton-candy-haired boy was snapping his scissors expectantly.

Let it never be said that Taehoon Seong was a coward. At that moment, however, he decided to make a tactical retreat in a display of totally-not-cowardice and totally-yes-intelligence.

Less said, he grabbed his squirrel-faced minion a booked it with the found hell-spawns hot on his tail. (The taekwondo genius would deny to the day he died that he let out a girlish scream as he made his escape, but Danny had been lucky enough to record it for, Ahem!, research purposes.)

I saw that you wrote a drabble on my ask and I loved it. It was so well written and Taehoon's personality really carried through.

I do have another idea for a time loop and it does involve Taehoon again, but also with Johan and Daniel.

It would probably take place at about the end of the God Dog arc where Johan is abandoned and fighting Gun.

Little Daniel is there (but y'know, like tall, buff , post training, etc.) and he's seen Johan at the taekwondojang here and there and he knows that Taehoon has mentally adopted Johan. So he subtly makes a call during the fight.

Just as Gun is about to knock Johan and Zack down after Zack shows up to help, Gun gets kicked in the face. Again.

After this, I guess the 2 of them would fight and Yeonwoo, and Dowoon (who tagged along to see who the guys who's been flirting with fighting Taehoon is) and they take Johan to the van. Johan gets promptly adopted by Seong Hansoo.

Meanwhile, everyone wants to know who this pretty gremlin is who's fighting Gun and has Gun smiling. even thoguh he's scolding him. - especially when he finds out about Johan's situation

Vasco : Johan's brother is still flirting with his boyfriend. Who knew Johan had a brother?

Zach :*confused*

Daniel : grinning because he's about to cause mayhem

Jiksae : filming in the background

Well, this also turned out a bit long haha.

Achievement Unlocked!

Child Acquired!

Hansoo looked down upon the two similar boys, one of which was his, and resisted the urge to pinch the smaller's cheeks. That was a feat in of itself, since Johan still retained a small portion of his baby fat, making his cheeks look extra-pinchable.

That was it, he was adopting him. And if he came with an adorable dog, who was he to separate them?!

Johan fit seamlessly into their little family. He was baby, after all, and both Taehoon and Hansoo adored him. They never really stopped babying him, but knew he had his own life and let him do his own thing most of the time. All in all, things were peaceful.

Then came the phone call.

Tae was hanging out with 'daddy issues #1' and 'daddy issues #2' when his phone began ringing incessantly. Annoyed, and having half the mind to just tell the person on the other side to fuck off he picked up.

"Taehoon" Danny's hurried tone sounded through the speaker before the brown-haired boy could even open his mouth, "Uh, you need to come here. Johan's in trouble!"

No other words were needed, Tae hung up and began sprinting toward the location of his brother's phone. That had been one of the conditions of letting him continue on with God Dog, that he would keep his location visible to them at all times and call if he needed help. The last part was near impossible for the proud boy, which is why both he and his father had insisted on the location bit.

The taekwondo prodigy skidded to a stop before the scene that greeted him, Yeonwoo and Dowoon panting a little behind him. His eyes zeroed in on Johan's fallen body laying on the bloodied concrete, before shifting onto the man looking down upon him with his hands in his pockets.

"Oh no, you don't!" He mumbled, rushing towards him.

Gun felt a sudden sense of dread wash over him before his face made contact with the asphalt, hard. Deja vu was one of the only things registering in his mind before he got his bearings back. He turned to look at the attacker, a large smirk stretching on his lips as he caught sight of the familiar mop of brown hair.

"Taehoon~" He practically purred, dodging an incoming kick.

"Satan's secret lovechild." The boy replied deadpan, socking him in the face.

"It's so nice to see you again."

"Can't say the same." His tone didn't change despite Gun's sultry voice.

The two continued exchanging hits while the others watched. It didn't look like they were going to be slowing down anytime soon, so they were content with just watching the show. Yeonwoo and Dowoon in particular were egging them on while simultaneously fighting over ship names. Daniel was nursing the two childhood friends' wounds the best he could while sneaking glances at the two fighters. He didn't want to miss anything important, but Zack and Johan were still bleeding and he had to deal with them first. Nonetheless, he secretly joined Dowoon and Yeonwoo in cheering for the brunette once the two began showing signs of waking up.

"Gunhoon!"

"Taegun!"

"Gunhoon!"

"Taegoon!"

"What the hell is going on?"

They paused their bickering turning to the now-awake dog-lover and gave him a shrug before resuming their conversation.

"They're fighting over ship names," Danny informed him, slipping over to check on the still-sleeping boxer before facing Johan again. "You might as well get comfortable. Something tells me they're going to be at it for a while."

The boy nodded dumbfounded, before leaning back down next to Zack. He was out like a light, causing Danny to coo and take pictures of him sleeping. He was sure Taehoon was going to thank him for them later, and it would probably be enough to bribe him to go easier on him during training. Daniel could only hope.

#6

"You are really relaxed for someone who just had all of his blood relations and dear ones threatened with death," Eugene noted, narrowing his eyes at the male lounging over two sets of stairs like a lazy cat.

"You'd be surprised at how often that happens. At this point, it's just routine." Daniel shrugged nonchalantly, popping his neck. "Besides, I'm pretty sure there's nothing you could do to my so-called blood relations anyways."

The air turned frigid, but he didn't give any signs that he cared about having implied that the Worker's president was incompetent.

"Oh really?" Eugene asked with a bit more bite in his voice.

He just got a vaguely affirmative hum in response. However, when Danny noticed that he was waiting for him to elaborate he gave a long-suffering sigh and adjusted himself to sit up on the stairs. everyone leaned in, eager to get even a scrap of information about the elusive and mysterious boy.

"Mom ain't here, dad never was and my brother could mow your ass like grass before you got twenty feet near him"

He had been extra secretive in this loop, so much so that he had actually moved his second body into another house and never used or mentioned it around his friends. For all intents and purposes, this Daniel Park had nothing to do with the shorter one who lived in a nice house on the other side of the city, so he wasn't scared of his lie getting discovered even if he pushed his luck a little bit. At least his lying skills had improved over the loops and now he had, at long last, become worthy of the title of 'professional bulshitter'.

"And does this brother of yours have a name?"

It was pretty obvious to everyone that Eugene was laying it a bit on the thicker side, but Danny was willing to go along with the charade if only to cause more chaos and confusion among the four crews. Thus, he replied with the most innocent smile he could muster, using a voice so flat that no one could tell if he was pulling their leg or actually telling the truth.

"Daniel Park." He let the words stew for a bit, trying to stifle his laughter at their expressions. "Can you believe that our parents couldn't even be bothered to give us two different names?"

Some seemed convinced by his lamenting voice, while others still looked at him with suspicion. Daniel even pulled out his wallet and showed them a pictured of both of his bodies side by side wearing sunglasses and smiling goofily at the camera. And if only one of his bodies was actually unconscious at the time, no one could tell with their matching sunglasses. Then, just to drive the point home he began gushing with Sally about a baby picture of 'his brother' and reminiscing about all the made-up fights they would have.

The meeting left him grinning delightedly and several others preparing to embark on a wild goose chase through Seoul in search of the second Daniel Park and the secret to the taller Daniel's apparent invincibility.

The boy in question was going to eagerly await the day they discovered his smaller body's whereabouts and tried to challenge him. After all, he had a reputation to uphold as taller Daniel's brother~

Jay: I feel like doing something stupid. Danny: I’m stupid, do me.

#ERROR

[This might be part of my AU but I haven't decided yet so...Enjoy! And thank you @leekeira for the prompt! Also, I think you can tell I had a lot of fun with this one :) ]

The darkness ahead was familiar to him. Whenever he looped there would be a period of rest in the inky abyss, while the next loop was prepared for him to enter. It had taken a bit to get used to, but now he was no longer bothered by having to wait like an immaterial little ball of something. That was what his soul looked like, he had concluded. It was actually kinda funny to try to move around and change his shape, like trying to shape hardened honey, he never could stay in one shape for long, but it was fun to try nonetheless.

This time, however, his space wasn't empty. Intruder! was the first thought that flared in his mind, but he quickly stumped the irrational anger down. This was something that had never happened before.

Tentatively, he reached towards the glowing blob hovering a little ways away from him. It flinched away, but that didn't deter him from trying to touch it again. A small blue tendril brushed across the little green light. Warmth bloomed over Danny's soul in a way he had never experienced before, and he quickly retracted the tendril. If he would've been able to speak he would've tried to interact with the strange new soul in a way that would probably allow him to gather more information, but as he was there was nothing he could do but touch.

The surface of the blob rippled like a puddle, and Danny watched fascinated as the little soul tried to clumsily gather a portion of itself and reach toward him. The motion strangely reminded him of a child trying to imitate its parents.

Before he had the chance to prod and poke more at the newcomer, the world exploded in light and he found himself laying on his bed like a starfish.

"Well, that was new..." Danny rubbed at his forehead, already reflexively looking around the room, trying to spot a calendar.

Instead, his eyes settled on a picture of him and a person he didn't recognize. In fact, when he tried to look closer at the framed picture, the person's face seemed to be blurred, alongside with any distinguishing features.

"What the hell?!" He rubbed his eyes until they stung, but nothing changed.

This loop included what he could only guess to be a sibling, whose face he couldn't see for one reason or another. He gave a long-suffering sigh. Brilliant, that was exactly what he needed, an anomaly! As if looping through different versions of his life wasn't weird enough anyway.

"Daniel, come to breakfast!" His mother's voice came a bit muffled from the other side of the door.

It was going to be okay. He would just act natural. It wasn't like having a sibling was so odd, besides, they couldn't possibly have their face blurred out like that in real life.

...

Good news: he could see their face.

Bad news: whenever he tried to remember it got blurred again.

So not really the best situation, but at least there was no way to lose them in a crowd when they kinda had a cloud for a head.

Apparently, they were just as bewildered as him, judging by how they tried and failed, to hide little slip-ups and awe-filled looks sneaking in his direction when they thought he wasn't looking. Just plain brilliant!

Danny made a mental to-do list as the tree ate the most awkward and fake family breakfast in history. Interrogating the new sibling was at the top of said list and he was already planning on how to proceed with it after eating. They had a lot of explanations to give, and he would make sure to squeeze every single bit of information out of them.

----------

He could understand dimensional traveling. Weird name his mind could process but his mouth couldn't say like "(Y/N)" (he just defaulted to calling them Wynn) was stretching it, but still understandable. Finding out that he was a fictional character from a webtoon series that was currently looping through time at the behest of a deranged fanfic author was what sent him over the edge.

Worst of all, for whatever reason, he believed them.

Danny downed all the alcohol he could get his hands on that night. It just wasn't worth trying to process that sober.

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

They figured out a system of sorts. Now, if only Wynn could stick to that bloody system FOR ONE DAY!

The menace that was his little sibling was not only an apparent magnet for trouble but also somehow got themselves stuck in the loops with him. Daniel began debating the merits of a vacation after the third person he had to stop from hitting on them and seriously considered murder after the eight. Whatever shitty dimension-time traveler aura they had attracted the worst types towards them, including but not limited to his schoolmates, various gangsters, and several unsavory characters the likes of Gun and Goo.

At least they were supportive of him and Jay, going as far as to explain to their increasingly bewildered big brother about the entire fandom that had been created around their relationship. They called it a ship, and named it Janiel?! The looper was hovering between mortified and oddly satisfied. In a weird way, it pleased him that people saw a fictional him and Jay (with who apparently he didn't have an official relationship in this webtoon????? Like?!?!) and decided 'yes, these go well together and we will now worship this pairing'.

The mind-fuck he got from learning that didn't disappear for a few weeks when Wynn revealed yet another concept that sent his brain into overdrive so hard he almost completely forgot about 'Janiel'. (He also almost got into an alcohol-induced coma because of it, but I digress.)

AO3 Lookism smut. Online...steamy...pieces about his universe...

That was another wild WILD ride that he didn't care to repeat.

#3

Forget politeness, Danny was just downright feral. Simply put, he had woken up and chosen violence.

He made his way to school like he owned the place. Bought himself at the Slave Auction like it was nobody's business and went off into the sunset with a baffled Jay in his arms, being held in bridal style. Then he came back because he had forgotten that he had to sing with Duke and put the blonde back down remorsefully before making him promise to watch his concert.

Somehow, and because the universe was a bitch he had once again ended up in the parking lot with Crystal and Gun staring at him. Before he could walk away the girl opened her mouth and began berating him for "judging people based on their looks".

"I'm gonna stop you right there" He cut her off, something no one had ever done before judging by her gobsmacked expression. "I don't know you, nor do I care to so you should keep your hypocritical view to yourself, okay miss?"

Unfortunately, Crystal managed to recover before he could book it out of there.

"Just who do you think you are? Calling me a hypocrite?"

Daniel regaled her with a thoroughly unimpressed stare before opening his mouth.

"Siri, could you please tell me the definition of hypocrisy?"

"a feigning to be what one is not or to believe what one does not; behavior that contradicts what one claims to believe or feel" The robotic voice came from his back pocket, echoing through the empty parking lot.

Gun had a mysterious coughing fit that ended with a pointed elbow in the ribs from the smaller girl, though even that didn't manage to wipe the grin off his face. He eyed the boy more closely, feeling suddenly intrigued about whether he had the skills to back his cheeky attitude.

"You judge people based on how they look. I saw how you looked at one of the other girls in the crowd." Crystal continued to press on stubbornly.

"And you don't?" He retorted without missing a beat. "Besides, the girl I was looking at was Lala Kim, and she's notorious for how badly she treats the dates she buys at the Slave Auction."

That at least seemed to have gotten his point across.

"But you still act like you are better than anyone else."

Spoken too soon.

"I am better than everyone else!" His cocky reply seemed to only infuriate the beautiful girl more.

"Prove it!"

"Sure!"

They were now shouting and so close to each other that it was just one shove away from ending up really awkwardly between them. Daniel didn't let his confidence waver when she suddenly revealed a sharp smile that promised pain and humiliation, instead, he gave her his own taunting smirk and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Gun, fight him."

If the command surprised the bodyguard, he didn't show it. In one swift move, he took off his sunglasses, revealing the black sclera of his eyes and plastered on his infamous insane grin. Crystal moved out of the way and Daniel squared his shoulders but didn't wipe off his mocking expression.

Before he could blink an all-too-familiar kick began heading his way and the boy slipped into his fighting mindset. He blacked the click with his own leg using a basic movement that made it seem ridiculously easy. Gun's eyes widened as well as his smirk.

"You're pretty interesting, huh?"

A fist flew towards his face.

"Uh, Daniel."

The boy in question dodged the blow and caught his attacker by the throat, lifting him in the air.

"Hm?" He hummed inquiringly, turning to see the cowering form of Jinho looking at him like he was a monster.

He let go of his opponent, whose body hit the pavement with a muffled thud and made his way toward his smaller classmate.

"Uh-uh, Duke's looking for you, he-he asked me to-to get you." Jinho stuttered, eyes glued on the predator before him and knees trembling.

"Oh right, the concert, I almost forgot!" It was like a switch had been flipped and Daniel's cold facade melted back into a friendly smile. "Thanks, Jinho."

The boy nodded so fast he almost knocked his glasses off his face and scurried back.

"Ah, sorry, we'll have to continue this another time." He told the pair who were still frozen in shock, either at his skill or his quick change in attitude, he found that he didn't care much either way.

Shooting them one final sharp grin Daniel jogged back to the school festival, ready to perform for the beautiful blonde who would be watching him. Once he was out of sight Gun's posture finally loosened and he leaned onto the side of the car, pulling out a cigarette. A drop of cold sweat trickled down his forehead and he absently brushed his fingers over the already-forming hand-shaped bruise on his neck.

"He could have broken my neck without breaking a sweat." He mumbled and Crystal blanched at the thought.

"That boy...", the fighting maniac took a drag of his cigarette and exhaled the smoke slowly, "could've killed me if he wanted to."

The pair shared no other words as they left, both slightly trembling, though due to different reasons. Daniel Park was a real beast and they were lucky he had been interrupted when he had. Gun massaged his neck again as he drove, an impossibly large smile on his face.

#10

Once was already too much. Twice was beyond cruelty. Thrice...thrice was not meant for the human mind to comprehend.

So when you have to do it a thousand times and then some you become rather desensitized to certain things that could make others writhe.

That's how Daniel found himself looking up at the paling faces of his friends, vaguely aware that his body wasn't supposed to be able to bend that way. There were tears, of course, pleading for him to say awake, to hold on until the ambulance arrived. The worst part though was the reassurances, because both parties knew by that point that they were just wishful thinking.

Like, no Zack, I just got hit by a truck going over 200 km/h, I'm not going to be okay! The bloodied boy tried to voice these words but they only came out as strangled moans, which elicited more sobs and, to his everlasting indignance, shushing.

"Nnnghn hngh!" (Don't shush me!)

"It's going to be okay."

"Mnghnh mnmnth nghgh ghngfngh mnghnghhtt! mnggggg hnghnght mthght." (Vasco, I adore you but I'm literally twisted like play-doh and I think I can feel my bones trying to escape my body and form their own army for world domination!!)

"Shh, just hang on."

Danny shot him a dirty look, though he had to guess which one of his friends the bald white egg shushing him was. Probably Jin, he had always been a little bitch like that. If he squinted the alien-like thing looking down on him was pretty similar to the dumbass.

"Mhnh mgthhhhh-." (Bitch if you shush me one more-)

"Shhh" Zack placed his finger on his lips, before quickly retracting his hand and massaging the bite marks on his pointer with what was supposed to be aggravation. The tears and snot running down his face ruined the image.

Finally, through the constant ringing in his ears, Daniel could distinguish the sound of sirens. People shuffled around him and someone tried to get his attention, but their voice turned to mush in his ears. He threw one last look at his friends and reached towards Jay through the paramedics.

"Mnh nhghn Macarena mngh." (Bae, you need to play Macarena at my funeral!)

And with that, the world went black. Then white, then black again. Then he came upon himself, literally.

"They did a pretty good job with my body, you can't even tell that half of these are missing" He poked at one of his limbs, his translucent finger going right through it. There was no bone, just a metal rod kipping the arm in place.

Danny shuddered and retracted his hand as if he had been burned. No matter how many times he ended up as a ghost it never got less weird touching things. He shrugged and floated upwards, passing through the lid of the casket and angling his body so that he no longer felt like he was lying down. Gravity didn't apply to ghosts, so getting his body to sit straight was really tricky until you got the hang of it.

The venue was pretty packed, with people balling their eyes out. They were all dressed in black and looking at a picture of him smiling that had been propped on a stand near his casket. In the front row was his mother, at whose appearance he cringed.

It never got easier seeing her so utter;y devastated, but that was always the way it went when he died, his bigger body would vanish without a trace, and his smaller one would remain, lifeless. His eyes scanned over the other people at the venue trying to get the image of her dull eyes and sunken cheeks out of his mind.

Next to his mother was his beloved jay. Oh, how he wanted to wrap his arms around the boy and wipe those tears that never stopped rolling down his exquisite face! Instead, he caressed his darling's cheek lovingly, making the boy shudder at the feeling of sudden coldness. He didn't dare linger, unable to bare the heartbreaking sight of his lover's grief.

If Daniel had been drinking he would have done a spit-take right then and there. (Was it disrespectful to spit at your own funeral?)

Nestled between a sobbing Crystal and a mostly-unbothered Kouji was Diego Kang himself, having a whispered conversation with an ashen-faced Gun. The latter must've taken the death of his masterpiece and the subsequent disappearance of Daniel's bigger self as quite the blow. 'He did waste a lot of time training me and seemed very eager to get taller me to be his...something, whatever that was...' the boy mused, making his way across from them and to the audio system. He didn't have time to ponder such things. He was a ghost on a mission.

Possessing humans was rather simple if tiring, but messing around with electronics had always been a favorite of his whenever he ended up as a wandering specter. The speakers, placed strategically in the four corners of the room, simultaneously crackled to life, startling the people in attendance, before:

Dale a tu cuerpo alegría Macarena Que tu cuerpo es pa' darle alegría y cosa buena Dale a tu cuerpo alegría, Macarena Hey Macarena, ay

Dale a tu cuerpo alegría Macarena Que tu cuerpo es pa' darle alegría y cosa buena Dale a tu cuerpo alegría, Macarena Hey Macarena, ay

Dale a tu cuerpo alegría Macarena Que tu cuerpo es pa' darle alegría y cosa buena Dale a tu cuerpo alegría, Macarena Hey Macarena, ay

Dale a tu cuerpo alegría Macarena Que tu cuerpo es pa' darle alegría y cosa buena Dale a tu cuerpo alegría, Macarena Hey Macarena, ay

Dale a tu cuerpo alegría Macarena Que tu cuerpo es pa' darle alegría y cosa buena Dale a tu cuerpo alegría, Macarena Hey Macarena, ay!