AN: Finally done with this arc. Sorry for the delay, but I stalled pretty hard on this one. It's not as good as I wanted it to be, but I think it's about as good as its going to get at this point, hopefully you guys enjoy it.

And with that, Gigant is going to be going on a short hiatus. I may have one more, self-contained chapter to put out, and if I do, that'll probably be out by the end of the week, possibly within the next few days if things go well enough. But after that I'll be shelving this story for a bit.

I had already been planning to go on a short hiatus after this story arc. Gigant isn't a story with any kind of long term plan or structure, I write it when its fun to write and when I have ideas for it. Right now I'm a smidge burnt out, and I'm honestly running low on ideas, so I planned on setting it aside for a while so I could allow my creative juices to recharge. But now I'm also working on a new story with my pal LoudAutomata16. Its called Archetypal, and if you like the kinds of stories that either of us write, you should check it out, you might like it. I haven't been able to do my fair share as of yet, because I'm not the kind of person who can work on multiple stories at the same time, but now that Gigant is at a good stopping point for the moment (plus or minus the chapter I mentioned earlier), I'm gonna shift my focus so I can put some work into that story for a while.

Anyway, that's what's going on with me. I hope you enjoy the conclusion to this weird little detour of Gigant.

Bobby Santiago stepped out into the cool night air, closed the door to the family store behind him and locked it, letting out a quiet sigh contentment as the tumblers clicking into place marked the completion of his work day. It was several whole moments before the despondency set in, but that was an improvement. Probably.

Life had been a little more...difficult as of late. The breakup with Lori certainly hadn't helped, but it would be unfair and dishonest to attribute his feelings solely to that. The decision had been mutual, and while people often say that after the fact to make the separation easier to swallow, it was earnestly true in this case. He'd loved Lori, and he'd known for a fact that those feelings had been returned to some degree, but as of late the relationship just hadn't been working out. The fact was, the two of them were in different places now, literally and figuratively, and ending things before the relationship had degraded into something that was unsalvagable was the right decision.

The problem was that Bobby hadn't realized the degree to which his life had previously revolved around Lori. Without the stunning blonde to occupy his thought and his free time, he'd suddenly found himself with an abundance of...nothing. No friends, no hobbies, not even any vices. Just the Mercado. And so, Bobby Santiago currently found himself in a strange sort of social limbo, desperately trying to discover what he was supposed to be doing with himself.

Bobby flinched as a gust of wind suddenly blew against his back, pulling him from his thoughts. Footsteps in rapid staccato. Heavy breathing. Not so quiet desperation. He turned to the unexpected disturbance and found himself briefly locking eyes with a woman. Fair skin, brunette hair, an amazing body even by his rather high standards, and a criminally short, yellow mini-dress. She was gorgeous, even in spite of the fact that she was running away from him.

...Well, not from him, he doubted the terror stricken woman had even registered his presence, but from his current location, at least, and that gave Bobby pause. There was something here, a story, an experience. Perhaps this was exactly the sort of thing Bobby had been looking for, some purpose, some excitement The woman wasn't that far off, he could probably still catch her if he went after her right now. He could find out what it was that had her so spooked. Maybe that leads somewhere. A coffee. A date. A life. All he had to do was—

THOOM!

Bobby let out a girlish shriek as a gigantic shape crashed down in front of him. It was only there for an instant, but in its wake stood the remains of what had been a very solid automobile only moments earlier. Remains which could have easily been the much squishier, and stickier remains of Bobby Santiago, had he been only slightly more impulsive.

"GET BACK HERE YOU PIPSQUEAK!" Roared a thunderous, but undeniably feminine voice. Tilting his still quivering head only slightly upward, Bobby could make out a shape in the night, female and utterly enormous, easily fifty feet tall. And though her super sized strides had already carried her a good distance away, the ground still trembled from her presence.

In that moment, it occurred to Bobby that excitement was highly overrated. He quickly unlocked the door of the Mercado once more, and slipped inside. The store was warm, and inviting. He'd make his way home, eventually, but for now he'd stay here. Away from...whatever that was.

"Any chance you could stop staring at me like that?" Ronnie asked the sputtering Loud boy dryly, trying to keep her voice level. "And let me go?" Her brain helpfully supplied, but somehow the words never made their way to her mouth.

"Ronnie Anne!" Lincoln exclaimed, his eyes cartoonishly wide with surprise.

"That's my name, Lame-o." She quipped, discretely biting down on her lip. She liked it when he shouted her name like that.

"You—you're M-magical...Ron...Ron..." Lincoln trailed off, his eyes crossing and going unfocused.

"Uh, Lioncoln?" Ronnie prompted, suddenly worried. That didn't look right.

"I'm f-fine." Lincoln began blinking rapidly as he slowly shook his head to and fro. "I guess that...just sounded a lot less stupid before I actually said it."

"I didn't pick the name." Ronnie grumbled, glancing worriedly to the side. Thankfully, the QTs remained occupied, one of them ineffectually punching and kicking at nothing while the other merely observed her.

"There might be some kind of easy input mode we can switch you to."

"S-shut up! I can do it!"

Mentally shrugging, Ronnie turned her attention back to the still distraught boy, who was seemingly unaware that he had yet to relinquish his hold on her.

"I have a feeling that you might have some questions..." She began diplomatically.

"I have many questions!"

"We're being attacked by alien...robot...lady...things and my friend is off somewhere playing Godzilla." Ronnie retorted, her eyes narrowing. "Both of which are somehow your fault."

Lincoln paused thoughtfully, seemingly considering this. "I have fewer questions." He conceded at last.

Ronnie sighed, shaking her head in annoyance. "You're lucky you're cute."

"Thank..you?" Lincoln replied, confused. "I'm sorry, this is all really weird, and kind of hard to wrap my head around."

"You want to talk about weird?" Ronnie snarled, feeling that familiar rage begin to bubble up again. "How about you kissing my friend!"

"She kissed me!" Lincoln protested.

"And that's makes it better?"

"Yes?" Lincoln's eyes briefly crossed again as his brain tried to catch up. "I mean, it should, right? I didn't even know we were on a date until she was on top of me—!"

Lincoln paused, momentarily. "That...could have been phrased better. But it's not like I wanted to kiss her!"

In a single fluid motion, Ronnie leapt to her feet, grabbed Lincoln by his shirt collar with one hand, and hoisted him into the air.

"And why—" She growled, giving the boy a firm shake. "—wouldn't you want to kiss Sid? She's adorable! She has shoulders for days! She does that thing with her tongue!"

"Yeah..." Lincoln nodded in enthusiastic agreement. "That really took me by surprise."

"But in a good way, right?"

"Oh absolutely." Lincoln's eyes grew wide. "Uh, speaking of surprise..."

Lincoln didn't get a chance to finish. Fortunately, he didn't need to. Ronnie felt the hackles on the back of her neck begin to rise. Choosing to trust her instincts, she shoved the Loud boy forward while simultaneously leaping backwards.

The decision was quickly vindicated. The instant the pair vacated the area, a second orb of darkness crashed into the space that had just been occupying and exploded, vaporizing another chunk of the rapidly disappearing rooftop.

"Ha!" Fiona crowed. "How do you like them apples?"

"You could have hit Lincoln!" Maggie hissed, glaring daggers at her co-worker.

"But I didn't!" Fiona countered, smugly. She hunched over, squinting at her control panel. "Now how did I do that ag—ACK!"

That was a mistake. Fiona completely failed to notice the screaming, raven haired projectile that launched herself at the older girl, sending the pair tumbling away from the command console.

Ronnie shot a quick glance at Lincoln's prone body, now lying on the other side of the roof from her. She breathed a short sigh of relief when the Loud boy stuck his hand in the air and gave her a thumbs up, indicating he was still alive. Then she turned her full attention to the ones responsible for their plight.

The QT's stood there, perfectly still. Mocking her with their smug, immobility. They had just tried to explode her! They had just tried to explode Lincoln! Nobody made Lincoln explode except for her!

"You're not going to bother rephrasing that, are you?" Asked the still logical part of Ronnie's brain. She ignored it. This wasn't the time for thinking, this was time for violence!

"We're trying to have a conversation!" Ronnie growled, as she stalked towards the pair. Without breaking her stride, she thrust her hand out, triggering a brief flash of pink light. When it faded, she was once again holding her Ribbon Rod. Now armed, she broke into a sprint, charging straight at her waiting foes.

Ronnie's hands flew across the small brass rod, the sheer speed of her motions obscuring the precise, deliberate movements she was taking, just like grandma had shown her. A gentle touch here, a small tug there. Tickle the tip...just like that, grasp hold of the shaft with both hands, and...pull!

Upon completing the sequence, a violent explosion of magenta energy erupted from the device in her hands. A quick glance downward was all she needed to confirm that the spell had worked. The small, simple rod she had been holding only moments before was gone, now replaced by a much larger, much heavier, but considerably more intimidating chainsaw. Its brass colored base and pink blade, though pleasing to the eye, did nothing to diminish the deadliness of the tool. Ronnie reached out with one hand to grab the glittering tassel at its base, and gave it a hard yank, smiling wickedly as the weapon roared to life, the rusty sound of its razor sharp teeth scything through the air like music to her ears.

Ronnie pumped her legs harder, carefully eyeing the remaining distance as the ground flew by underneath her. Just a little further and...now!

With a final pump of her legs, Shimmer Sparkle Rainbow Princess Magical Ron-Ron soared majestically through the air, like an eagle carrying a chainsaw. Gravity quickly took note and exerted its grasp on her, pulling her back towards the ground, but that was precisely what Ronnie wanted. As she made her descent, Ronnie hefted her blade up and over her head, and gave the starter ribbon one last yank, causing the roaring of the engine to double in volume, the whirling teeth of the blade now beginning to crackle and spark as the weapon sheathed itself in bright pink lightning.

"Ribbon Cutter!" Ronnie spat as she fell upon the pair of QT's like a thunderbolt, swinging her ancestral weapon with all her might. There was the briefest moment of resistance, and then...nothing.

Ronnie landed lightly on her feet and slid forward several feet, riding out the momentum of her landing until she finally skidded to a stop, still holding her.

"Three...two...and..." She softly counted off. "...one."

A chorus of strangled cries, and then...

BOOM!

Ronnie planted her feet, surprised by the sheer force of the explosion, but held fast, trying to ignore the way her hair and skirt were wildly flapping in the wake of the resulting shock wave. Nevertheless, she weathered the storm until the outpouring of force finally abated, the pressure against her back finally ceasing. Letting out a soft, sigh of relief, she glanced over her shoulder.

The yellow-clad twins were gone, the only indication that they had ever been there being a pair of large, black scorch marks against the ground, and two small piles of fine black powder, which was already being blown away by the gentle night breeze.

Ronnie allowed herself a small, satisfied smirk. "Dusted." She said, giving her weapon a victorious twirl as it collapsed back down into its travel sized rod form.

"Game Over (Please Insert Credit)" read two of the three displays on the command console back at Darkness Inc. The third was conspicuously black, despite clearly being active. Unfortunately, none of this information went seen, as the two operators were rolling around in the floor, grappling with one another, the office air filled with the sound of hair being pulled and clothes being torn.

"Get off of me you spazz!" Fiona shrieked. She started in surprise as a single index finger was jammed into her face.

"Pew." Growled Maggie, smirking as black energy began to coalesce around the extended digit.

Lincoln had seen and experienced many strange things since he'd inadvertently signed on to save the world from an evil space being. Seeing his (sort of) ex-"girlfriend" (it's complicated) carve up a pair of enemy minions with a brightly colored chainsaw very much topped the list, in spite of how TV-friendly the actual violence had been. His anxiousness had only slightly abetted when the weapon had transformed back into it's much less threatening original form, as he was still very much aware of the damage an angry Ronnie Anne Santiago could cause with a blunt object.

I admire her efficiency. Said Seven, startling the nerve-shot, pale haired boy. Have you considered recruiting her?

"Not now, Seven." Lincoln hissed. Whether or not she had heard him, Lincoln couldn't say, but Ronnie spun around and began walking back towards him, and for a brief moment Lincoln seriously considered the pros and cons of throwing himself off the rooftop. He was pretty sure he could survive the fall, he lived through worse not that long ago. It would probably still hurt, but on the other hand, chainsaw. And yet—

Lincoln's train of thought was abruptly derailed a pair of dusky, well-toned legs stepped into view. Moments later he again hoisted into the air, for the second time that night finding himself looking down at a very cross-looking Ronnie Anne.

"H-hey Ron—AH!" He squawked as the girl yanked him close, pulling his face right up against her own.

"I like you and Sid together." She said, softly. "She likes you a lot, and I've never seen her happier than she was tonight. But..."

"But?" Lincoln nervously prompted, unable to help himself.

"But..." Ronnie swallowed loudly. "I get to be happy too!"

A very stupid followup question was already on the tip of Lincoln's tongue. Thankfully, he never got to ask it, as Ronnie closed the last few millimeters that remained between them, and pressed her lips against his. Lincoln instinctively wrapped his arms around the Santiago girl and leaned into the kiss, reciprocating as best he could, still held in her iron grip as he was. He never got an answer to that question, but the happy moans coming from Ronnie, combined with the frantic dancing going on betwixt their joined mouths gave him a pretty strong hint to go off.

They remained that way for a time, allowing some long standing issues to very enthusiastically work themselves out, and then...far too soon for either of their liking, they parted, the pair sharing a puzzled glance. As much as he was enjoying himself, Lincoln felt...something, a sensation that had nothing to do with his raging hormones. And from the way she was looking at him, Lincoln suspected Ronnie was feeling the same thing. As one, the duo slowly craned their necks upward, and that was when Lincoln caught a glimpse of the large, shadowy object looming above them, its sheer mass blotting out the night sky.

"Hey Sid." Lincoln and Ronnie called out in unison, their night vision adjusting enough to make out the beaming face of the giant Asian girl.

"Something wrong?" Lincoln added, nervous once more at he saw the giantess' smile of delight turn to a disappointed pout.

"I WAS HOPING YOU'D MAKE RONNIE GIANT TOO." She complained.

Lincoln glanced at the now blushing Hispanic girl, before quickly looking away. "Nope! Sorry Sid!" He called back. "That only happens when I...uh, loose control. I should be good now." Lincoln coughed as the hand still gripping his shirt collar tightened considerably, and he now found himself looking at a freshly frowning Ronnie Anne.

"Just how many girls are you having these 'accidents' with?" Ronnie asked, her voice dangerously quiet. Yeah, this was definitely not the time to touch that particular topic.

"Sid!" Lincoln called out desperately. "What's that you've got there?"

"OH!" One gigantic fist descended towards the rooftop, and loosened enough to reveal the dazed QT contained within. "I CALL HER 'BOOBY'! CAN I KEEP HER?"

"I don't think that's a very good idea." Lincoln replied, internally sighing in relief as Ronnie turned her attention to her giant sized friend.

"No, Sid!" She called out, admonishing the giantess. "You can't keep the weird alien robot lady!"

"AWW!" There was a rush of wind as Sid lowered her enormous face down to the rooftop, her lower lip jutting out in a pout that was as adorable as it was tremendous. "BUT SHE'S SO CUTE AND SEXY!"

"I'LL FEED HER!" Sid continued, punctuating each sentence with a squeeze of her hand. "AND TAKE HER FOR WALKS! AND FEED HER EVERY SINGLE—"

BOOM

Sid's tirade was cut short as a familiar explosion of obsidian energy erupted within her hand.

"WHOOPSIE." She said, giggling nervously as she shook out her suddenly empty hand.

"This is why we can't have nice things, Sid!" Ronnie shouted, at her friend, finally releasing Lincoln from her grip. Lincoln slid to the ground and finally let out the breath he'd been holding, watching the comical scene unfold before him as Sid cowered before the comparatively undersized Ronnie. He shook his head, barely managing to contain his amusement. It had been a long, trying night, but it was finally over.

...or so he thought.

"ALRIGHT, ALRIGHT!" Sid boomed, crossing her hands into a 'T'. Before Ronnie could respond, the giantess reached out and snatched her up in one hand. Lincoln opened his mouth to call out to the giant girl, but quickly found himself snatched up by her remaining hand. There was a brief, but now very familiar feeling of vertigo as Lincoln was lifted into the sky, and the boy quickly found himself staring at a very panicked looking Ronnie Anne. A glance to his side revealed Sid's giant, smiling face, looming just behind the pair.

"NOW WE'RE GONNA PLAY A NEW GAME!" The giantess announced, moving her hands and the diminutive friends held within closer together. "IT'S CALLED, 'LINCOLN AND RONNIE WORK OUT THEIR STUPID ISSUES, WHICH AREN'T NEARLY AS COMPLICATED AS THEY PRETEND THEY ARE'!"

"D-Don't we get a say in this?" Ronnie squeaked, struggling against her friend's iron grip.

"NOPE! NOW PUCKER UP!"

Several days later, Lincoln found himself relaxing on his motel room bed, in what had quickly become a rare moment of quiet for the pale haired boy. His mom would be back from her errands soon enough, and then they'd be on their way home. But for now he could lay back, and enjoy the silence. Among other things.

"I can't believe you talked me into this." Ronnie muttered from her place at Lincoln's side, her head nestled in the crook of the Loud boy's neck.

"Don't pretend you aren't enjoying it." Sid chirped. The Asian girl, thankfully now back to her normal size had position herself on the boy's opposite side, her head resting on his chest. She reached over and took one of Ronnie's hands in her own, giving her friend a gentle squeeze.

"He has a harem." Ronnie grumbled in response. "An actual harem! And it's mostly made up of his sisters!"

"Don't kink shame, Ronnie." Sid admonished the Santiago girl. "And you don't have to be a part of this if you really don't want to be, you know." Ronnie didn't reply, but neither did she relinquish her grip on Lincoln. The girl's silence spoke volumes.

After a time, she shook her hand loose from Sid's grip, and thumped the boy on his chest.

"You'd better not hurt me." She said quietly, cupping his face in her hand, and forcing him to look at her. "Or Sid." She added.

Lincoln chuckled nervously and instinctively moved to scratch the back of his head, as was his nervous tic. He wasn't able to, what with Sid clinging to it the way she was.

"I couldn't hurt you if I tried." He said, looking Ronnie in the eye. "But you know I wouldn't."

"I know." Ronnie grumbled, her cheeks flushing red. "But still." With that, she leaned over and planted a soft kiss on the boy's lips. It was brief, fleeting, they didn't have time for much else, but she couldn't help the wide, stupid grin that spread across her face as she pulled away. Quick as lightning, Sid darted in and stole a kiss for herself from the Loud boy. Then, before either of them could react, she spun around and shot forward, stealing one from Ronnie.

"T-this is going to take some getting used to." Ronnie muttered as the grinning Asian girl pulled away, her already flushed skin now practically glowing red.

"Yep!" Sid nodded in agreement, reaching around and pulling her two friends close. "But it's gonna be fun!"

"...I guess it is." Ronnie replied, begrudgingly nodding in agreement, as she leaned into the group hug, and allowed all the weird, wonderful and complicated emotions she was feeling to wash over her.

"By the way." Sid pipped up, drawing Ronnie from her pleasant stupor. "I've decided I'm gonna help you with your super hero stuff! I'm gonna be your sidekick!"

Ronnie let out a condescending chuckle. "Sid, I know you had fun while Lincoln was here, but you can't get big without him around, and he's not exactly local." She gave the boy a gentle nudge in the ribs with her elbow. "Buuut if you wanna run off and make that hour-plus drive every time you want to join me on patrol, you can be my gu—ACK!"

Ronnie let out a strangled cry as a powerful feeling of vertigo washed over her, and the motel ceiling was suddenly much closer. A glance towards the ground revealed a very smug looking Sid underfoot, holding the entire bed, frame and occupants included, over her head with infuriating levels of ease.

"How do you deal with this?" Ronnie asked, turning to her now very bemused boyfriend. Lincoln's response was to smile and shrug.

"One day at a time." He said.