Saturday had come for the Louds, and it was same as usual- the siblings were on the road in Vanzilla, heading to the mall. Lincoln has, of course, protested, but his parents didn't want him to stay home alone, and given that his friends were busy, he had no other option. He simply sat in the van, looking bored out of his mind. While driving, Lori looked in the mirror at the boy and rolled her eyes. "Lincoln, stop moping back there," she told him. "You know what mom and dad said."
He rolled his eyes back at her. "Easy for you to say," he muttered to himself.
"Ah, cheer up, Lincoln!" Luan suggested. "No use in mallin' it over now! Hahaha! Get it?"
As was the norm, the only response she got was groans from her siblings. As the ride continues, the white-haired boy simply sat back with his arms crossed, slumped forward with a frown on his face. The only one of his sisters who noticed this was the one sat to his left, one Luna Loud. Despite the fact her earphones were in and her music was as loud as she would usually have it, she couldn't help but see her sad brother looking down, so she put on a smile and nudged him, getting him to look up from his stupor.
"Hey bro," she offered taking out her right earbud and holding it out to him, "fancy a listen?"
He thought about it for a couple of seconds, then smiled. "Sure," he replied, "thanks, Luna."
"No problem." She pauses her phone before the next song started, waiting for Lincoln to put the earbud in. "Ready?" He nodded, and she started up the song. At first, he was confused by the song being played, given that it wasn't as rock and roll as his sister's tastes usually were, and was more of a pop song, but as it carried on, his smile grew, his head beginning to bob along with the beat. Luna saw it out of the side of her vision, and smiled, happy to at least have momentarily improved her brother's mood, so she shuffled towards him slightly in her seat. "You look like you're enjoying yourself there, bro."
"Yeah, this is a pretty good song!" He replied. "I didn't think this was your kind of music, though. Who is it?"
She wagged her finger teasingly at him. "I'll tell you after this next track, bro."
Though confused by this, he shrugged, and smiled as the next song began to play, this one very different to the first. This time, Luna watched closely with a knowing grin as her brother's reaction changed as the song played out, going from smiling to confused to shocked. She gave a soft chuckle, knowing that this would be his reaction. "I take it you ain't jamming too hard to that, Link."
He merely shook his head, taking the earbud out while she paused the song again. "Was… was that even the same singer?" He asked. "And why were they singing in… I don't even know what language that was!"
She ruffled his hair gently, prompting him to swat her hand away. "Nah, bro, that was a different artist. And that was Croatian."
He raised an eyebrow at her. "Since when did you listen to Croatian music?"
She was going to respond, but Lori spoke before she could. "Alright, we're here," she told the family, turning off the engine. "Everyone out."
Lincoln's smile fell as he handed the earbud back to his sister. "Well, thanks anyway, Luna," he told her, before undoing the seatbelt and opening the door. She frowned as he did this, giving a sigh before she undid her own seatbelt and followed after her siblings. As they usually did, they entered through the large glass doors at the front of the mall, heading to the sparkling fountain in the centre. Shops lined up on either side of the fountain, with escalators and elevators connecting to the upper floor food court not much further ahead.
"Okay, you know the drill," Lori told her sisters. "Everyone meet back here at twelve, then we'll head up to the food court. Got it?"
"Got it!" They all responded, though Lincoln gave it less gusto than his sisters.
"Right. Now someone needs to stay with Lily."
"LINCOLN CAN DO IT!" Lola yelled out, with most of them agreeing, prompting him to huff.
"Suck it up, Stinkoln," Lynn 'suggested'. "Someone else will cover it next time."
"Whatever."
"Alright, we have two hours." Lori held her watch up to her eyes. "And… go!"
Just like that, his sisters dashed off to shop as they typically would, the only ones left behind being Lily and Luna, the latter of who was shaking her head. "Geez… considerate much?" She looked back at her brother. "Sorry, bro. I'd offer a trade, but I need to pick some stuff up for my pals. We're meeting up for a party later."
"I get it. Still, at least you didn't rush to ditch me with Lily."
"Poo poo?" their baby sister spoke up, prompting him to look down with a smile.
"No offence." He lifted her out of the stroller, getting her to giggle. "Go on, Luna, we'll be fine."
"Alright, bro. I'll see you when I'm done." She turned and began to walk away, pulling out her phone to see what she needed to get, but stopped after a few seconds. Looking back at her brother, showing his baby sister how to throw a penny into the fountain, she decided to change her plan, and walked back towards them. "Actually, bro, why don't you and Lilybug come with me?"
He looked at her, confused. "Hmm?"
"I've got a couple of places I need to hit, and I wouldn't mind your help choosing what to get."
He looked back to Lily, as if expecting her to have the answer, then looked back at Luna and smiled. "Okay, sure."
"Rockin'! Now, come on." Lincoln placed Lily back in the stroller and fastened her in, before Luna took the handles and began to push her along while Lincoln walked by her side. "First stop is a little place called Threads and Dreads. It's where I like to get my duds from. Need something a bit different for the party."
"So, is this like a rock party, or is it something you're performing?"
She giggled, shaking her head. "Nah, dude, my axe is staying at home for this one, and it's more of a viewing party, really. You remember that album we were listening to in the car?"
"Yeah, the weird Croatian song. What was that?"
"Well, it's from last year's Eurovision, dude." She saw that this didn't answer his question, which she hadn't expected it do. "See, every year, there's a music contest in Europe, where each country enters one act to compete. Each country votes to give points to their favourite songs, and the winning country hosts the competition next year. It always features these crazy songs with huge set ups and they get millions of people watching world wide."
"That sounds pretty cool! Though, if some of the songs aren't in English, then wouldn't that make it harder to enjoy them?"
"Not necessarily. You'd be surprised- not every song was like that one I showed you. In fact, they tend to be very different indeed."
"I see. So, was that this year's entries we were listening to?"
"Nah, those were last years. I only watched it for the first time a few years ago, but it's pretty rad, and I'm heading over to Sam's place to watch it with her and our band mates this year."
"Sounds like you'll have a good time."
"Sure will!" She turned the corner and led her brother to a shop on the left, with the sign reading "Threads And Dreads" in a hardcore text style. The inside of the store was somewhat full with a variety of people looking at band shirts, jackets, accessories and all sorts of clothing items. The store was playing some modern rock music over the speakers. "Here we are, bro."
"Definitely looks like your kind of store."
"Too right! And the music store is just a few stores down, so it's easy for me to get what I'm after. Now, come on." She led her brother into the store, saying hi to one of the cashiers before walking over to a rack full of jackets. "If you fancy having a look around, bro, feel free to. I'll be checking some of these out for a moment."
"Okay, sure." He walked around, looking at some of the shirts that were available. "I'm guessing these are different band logos," he spoke to himself. "I'm guessing Luna knows about these more than I do." He then lifted up a black shirt with a logo he recognised. "Oh, wow! A Smooch shirt! This is pretty cool, actually." He then looked at the price tag attached to the shirt. "Hmm… that's not too bad actually. I think I'll get this."
He grabbed a shirt in his size, then planned to head back to Luna, but his eye caught sight of something. Walking to one side of the store, he saw a rack of accessories ranging from necklaces and earrings to bracelets and glasses. What caught his eye, however, was a selection of bandanas among them- particularly, a red one. Lifting it off the rack, he held it up and looked at it. "This is pretty cool…"
"Hey, bro!" He heard Luna call from behind him, and turned to see her holding a grey denim jacket in her hands while holding onto Lily's stroller. "What you got there?"
"Oh, nothing," he replied, "I was just checking it out." He put the bandana back on the rack. "What about you?"
"Well, I was thinking about getting this jacket, but I'm not sure." She put the jacket on over her outfit, turning around to show her brother the Union Jack on the back. "What do you think, bro?"
"Hmm… I think it works for you!"
"Really?" He nodded, which made her smile. "In that case, I'mma rock this like a hurricane!" He couldn't help but laugh at the reference. "Alright, I'm gonna go buy this. You want me to get you that shirt you got?"
"Nah, that's okay. I've got enough to get this and my comic."
"You sure that's the right size? Might wanna try it on first."
He was going to say no, but then figured that she might be right. "Alright. Where are the changing rooms?"
"Right at the back." He nodded, then walked off to get changed. While he did so, she looked back at the bandanas her brother was browsing moments before, picking up the blue one he had put back, and a smirk came to her face. "Think I'll get this for him." She then grabbed a grey one. "And this one would go well with my jacket."
Taking the two bandanas and her jacket to the cashier, she paid for them before slipping the bandanas in her pocket and deciding to keep the jacket on rather than take a bag. Thanking the cashier, she walked to the back of the store where her brother had just stepped out of the changing room, holding his orange polo in his hand and now wearing the black t-shirt he had picked out, the Smooch logo on the front.
"How does it look?" He asked, throwing his arms up.
She responded by showing the goats. "Rockin', bro!"
"Thanks! Guess I'll get changed and pay for it."
"Nah, no need. They're pretty cool here, they'll let you pay while you wear it."
"Really? Well, guess I'll just pay for it then."
"Smart thinking, dude." She led him toward the cashier, who let him pay for the shirt and removed the tag, as well as giving him a bag to keep his polo shirt in, before the three Louds went out of the store. "Okay, bro, just gotta get some snacks for the party, and then I've got all I need."
"Okay. So, I'm guessing you support the British entry when you watch Euro… uh…" He pressed his tongue up against his teeth, trying to remember what it was called. "Dang it, it's on the tip of my tongue."
She chuckled. "Eurovision, bro. And while normally I like British stuff, when it comes to Eurovision…" She held her hand out flat and waved it a little. "They ain't exactly been performing hits. They used to do, and they've won a few times in the past, but there recent entries… let's just say they're more of a nil poi rather than a douze poi."
"Uh… that means they're bad?"
"They ain't great, no, but I'd say that comes down more to the voting."
Lincoln was going to ask more, but his phone started ringing. Taking it out of his pocket, he frowned. "Oh, great, it's Lori."
"Hand it here, bro." He obliged, giving her the phone so she could answer it. "Hey, sis, it's me. Hang on, I'm gonna put you on speaker."
After a second, both Luna and Lincoln were hearing their eldest sister. "Where are you?!" She angrily asked, once again being replied to by Luna.
"I asked my little bro to come with me, so he could help me choose some stuff for later."
"Luna, we told him to wait by the fountain! Now bring him back here!"
"Actually, Lori," Lincoln spoke up, "all you said was that someone needs to stay with Lily. You never said I had to stay by the fountain. Lily's with us, that's all."
"I don't care! Get back here, I need you to take some of these bags!"
"I think you'll be fine, dude," Luna assured. "Besides, carrying your stuff might help you work off some of the weight on your arms."
"WHAT DID YOU-"
"Later!" With that she hung up, turning to see her brother covering his mouth to prevent himself from laughing too hard. "That takes care of that."
"I can't believe you did that!" he replied, a couple of laughs slipping through as she handed him his phone back. "She's gonna be so mad at you for that!"
Luna merely waved it off. "Who cares? Now, come on- we need to find the cure for the munchies, because the party's gonna be a long one."
"Sure." So, they walked further into the mall, where a supermarket was at the end of the corridor. "So, what did Sam ask you to get?"
"Well, she said that she's gonna get the drinks, probably soda knowing her, and that George is bringing the popcorn and Desi is getting pretzels, so she asked me to get some chips and dips. Think she said we'll be ordering pizza later as well."
"Well, don't let mom find out. If she hears that's what you're eating, she'll probably drag you out of there."
A hearty laugh came from the rocker's lips. "Too right, bro. Though, I did promise her that I'd eat light at lunch, so I think I'll be good."
"Sounds fair. For Sam's sake, I hope she won't have chocolate, or you'll eat it all before anyone gets any."
She scoffed, then slapped him on his shoulder. "I am not that bad, bro!"
"Luna, you and our sisters are full-on chocoholics. Remember the pies I was going to make?"
"Now, that ain't my fault! You should've left a note that they were yours."
"I did. None of you noticed it." He saw her blush and chuckle nervously at this, making him smirk. "Relax, I'm just joking. I'm sure you'll have a great time."
Her smile returned. "Thanks, bro." So, for the next ten minutes, Luna and Lincoln has a look around at the available chips and dips, before purchasing them with the money Sam had given Luna the day before, and the two walked out, Luna hanging the bags on Lily's stroller while the infant took a nap. "Guess we'd better go back before Lori throws a fit."
"Guess so. Still, I actually had fun for once. Beats sitting around while you all shop and leave me with the bags and Lily."
"How come you never told us about this before?"
"I kinda figured you wouldn't care. You saw how quickly everyone dashed off before, and I can't exactly ask any of the younger girls to watch Lily."
"I guess you're right, but… that doesn't mean we don't care. Just ask us next time, okay?"
"Okay." As they were walking by, Luna caught sight of the comic book store, and stopped, prompting Lincoln to stop as well. "What's up?"
"Why don't you go check out the comic book store, lil bro?" She suggested. "I'll take Lily and wait by the fountain."
"You sure? I mean, I don't have to if you'd rather-"
"Nah, go for it. I'm sure the next Ace Savvy will be out, or something like that."
He gave a big smile and hugged his older sister. "Thanks, Luna. I'll see you at the fountain."
She patted his head gently. "Alright, Link." With that, he let go and walked over to the store, while Luna began to make her way towards the fountain. As she did, she took her phone out and began to dial. After a few seconds, she heard a reply. "Hey, Sam. I got the chips and some dips for the party. Just wanted to make sure there wasn't anything else I need to get. … okay, cool. What time should I come over? … alright, I'll see you at two then. … huh? … oh, yeah, that's not a problem. Actually… think I could ask you a favour?"
Come two o'clock, the Louds were back at home and up to their usual antics, living up to their names with how Loud things were, especially on the upper floor. The only one not living up to her usual loudness was Luna, who most would consider the loudest Loud. At this time, however, she was sat in the living room room while staring at her phone. 'C'mon, Chunk, where are you?' She muttered in her mind. As she thought this, a honking sound from outside caught her attention. Looking out the window, she saw the familiar van of her roadie parked out front, with the burly Brit opening the back door to let out Sam, the blonde girl with a blue streak who was hosting the viewing party. With glee spread across her face, Luna opened the front door to let her girlfriend in. "About time, girl!" She jokingly greeted, meeting her with an enveloping hug.
"Yeah, sorry about that," Sam replied. "My mom didn't want Simon going in Chunk's van, so I had to wait for one of the guys to show up so he could be looked after."
"Bet he wasn't too happy about that."
Sam giggled, making Luna's heart flutter. "Nope! Bet your little bro's like that too."
"Yeah, though Link doesn't need watching that much."
"Don't tell Simon that- he's already jealous of me for having you." This time, both girls shared a laugh. "Nice jacket, by the way."
"Thanks! Picked it up at Threads And Dreads."
"Nice! So, you got everything?"
"Almost. Just one thing missing." She turned toward the staircase. "Yo, Lincoln! Can y'come down a sec, bro?"
After a few moments, they saw the white-haired boy approaching, Luna being silently thankful that he had pants on. "What's up, Luna?" He greeted, then saw Sam wave from behind her. "Oh! Hey, Sam. It's been a while."
"Hey, Lincoln," she greeted. "We were wondering if you'd like to come join us for the Eurovision party at my place."
His eyes widened in surprise to the offer. "Wait, really? I thought it was just you and your bandmates."
"Well, there's a little more than that- Chunk's gonna be there, my brother Simon's joining us, and Luna's friend Tabby will too."
"Oh. Well… I dunno…"
Sam smiled at the boy, bending down on one knee to match his height. "Aww, don't be shy. It's gonna be fun, and it's be rockin'!"
He looked back and forth between the blonde and the brunette, both smiling with hopeful eyes, before smiling back. "Sure, sounds awesome!"
Luna gave a small squeal, while Sam simply laughed. "Awesome! Now the party will be more rockin'!" She then pinched his cheek. "Especially with a cute, little chubby cheeks like you!"
Lincoln blushed furiously, while Luna burst out laughing. "Please stop." Sam smirked while obliging, letting go of his cheek so he could turn to Luna. "Is mom okay with this?"
"Yeah, I cleared it with her before. You mind helping with the stuff?"
"Sure, I'll go grab them from the kitchen."
As he walked away, Sam smirked at the girl with the pixie cut. "You know, he ain't the only one with a bit of meat on their cheeks."
Luna gasped, pretending to be offended while putting her hands up to her face. "I do not!"
Sam laughed once again. "Hey, I never said I minded. Besides," she leaned forward and whispered, "I didn't mean those cheeks." She leaned back and saw Luna's face grow bright red, a coy smile forming on her lips. "I'll wait in the van."
While Sam walked away, Luna tried to recover from that comment, letting out a couple of giggles just as Luna returned with the bags of snacks. "You okay there, Luna?"
"Livin' on a prayer, bro," she happily replied, taking one of the two bags from her brother. "Now, c'mon, let's bounce."
He followed his sister out of the front door, shutting it behind him before heading over to the van and getting in the back. He turned his head to the driver as he started the engine. "Hey, Chunk."
"Hello, Lincoln," the Brit greeted back as he began to drive. "Nice to see you joining us. Didn't know you were into world music."
"Technically, I'm not, but Luna told me about it and it got me interested. What about you?"
"Oh, I've been watching since I was a nipper, back when the U.K. actually did well at the competition! Wish I could say the same nowadays, but y'never know. Might be we actually make the left side of the board this time."
Lincoln looked to Luna, hoping she could answer. "Basically, bro, he means the top half. They haven't been there since… Uh…"
"2011," Chunk called out, "and with a bleedin' boy band as well!" Sam and Luna both dry heaved at the mention of it. "Honestly, how they thought we'd win with that, I'll never know, and now we've got the Aussies to deal with as well."
Lincoln blinked to make sure he heard him right. "Wait… Australia is in Eurovision? A contest that features European countries?"
"It's a recent development," Sam told him. "Either way, yeah. UK hasn't done too good the past few years. Still, what matters is the song, not where they're from."
Chunk scoffed. "Tell that to the bleedin' judges."
Lincoln looked to Luna once again, expecting an explanation, but she merely chuckled before saying, "might need to catch you up a little on how this works."
So, for the remainder of the trip to Sam's house, Luna have Lincoln a run down on how the competition ran, from the performances themselves to the score system, and while there were moments where Lincoln felt like he got more questions than answers, he seemed to get a grasp on it by the time they arrived. "That seems… complicated," he surmised as the van stopped.
"Don't worry, bro," Luna assured her brother. "You'll pick it up as you watch it."
"If you say so."
So, he picked up one of the bags they brought with Luna picking up the other, and they followed Sam into her house, where there were four people waiting already. Lincoln recognised Tabby straight away, the eleven-year-old rocker with the pink streak in her raven hair wearing her usual attire of a black and white striped shirt underneath a dark purple jacket, a pink checkered skirt and white boots. The others, however, he didn't recognise- two were older, a brown haired boy with a lavender shirt under a dark purple jacket, blue jeans and brown boots and a girl with reddish brown hair hat covered her eyes, wearing paper lip earrings, a black and white striped shirt under a light blue jacket, a grey mini skirt and green skater shoes with white knee high socks. The other was a boy his age with blonde hair, wearing a green shirt with an orange stripe across the middle, blue jeans and white sneakers with orange stripes, as well as a bandaid on his cheek.
The older boy got up from the couch as they looked in the direction of the arrivees. "About time!" He told them. "Show starts in fifteen minutes."
"Relax, George, we've got time," Sam told him. "Thanks for watching my bro, by the way."
"I keep telling you I'm old enough to stay by myself!" The blonde, Simon, pouted with crosses arms. "I don't need babysitting."
"Tell that to mom, little bro."
While George and the older girl chuckled at this, Tabby looked past Sam and saw Luna and Lincoln stood behind her with bags in their hands. "Oi, Lincoln!" the Young Brit called out. "Is that you, mate?"
Lincoln waved a shy hand up. "Hey, Tabby," he greeted. "Long time no see."
"I'll say! Must've been the Sadie Hawkins dance I last saw you."
He gave a few nervous chuckles. "Right… uh, no hard feelings?"
She smirked. "Nah. It's all good, mate."
"So you're Luna's bro," the older girl acknowledged. "The little ladies' man. She never told me you were such a cutie pie."
Lincoln blushed heavily at this. "L… Luna said that?"
"Nah, Desi, I'm pretty sure that was Tabby who said that," Luna joked, getting Tabby's blush to match Lincoln's in spite of how much it grew.
"TH-THAT'S NOT TRUE!"
"Tabby, relax, she's messing with you," Sam calmly told her, then turned to the two Louds and grabbed their bags just as Chunk came in and shut the door. "Since we're all here, I'll start setting up. Chunk, you mind giving me a hand?"
"Sure, why not? As long as I get first dibs at the sodas, I don't mind."
So, while Sam and Chunk went into the kitchen to grab the rest of the food and drinks, and Luna began chatting with her bandmates, Lincoln approached the blond boy. "So, you're Simon?" He asked.
"Yeah," he replied. "Lincoln, right?" The Loud boy nodded. "Are you a rocker like Luna is?"
"Not especially. I mean, I love Smooch, but I'm not as into music as she is."
"I hear ya. I like rock, especially when Sammy plays, but I'm more into video games myself."
Lincoln's interest was now caught. "Hey, me too! Do you read comic books too?"
"Totally! I love superhero stuff, especially-"
"Ace Savvy!" They both said at the same time, causing them to gasp.
"No way! That's awesome!" Simon said in awe.
"Totally!"
Sam re-entered the room with the food, seeing the two boys getting along. "Seems like they're getting to know each other," she told Luna.
Looking at the two boys, she smiled. "Looks like it, huh?" She replied. "At least they'll feel more at ease now, being surrounded by us."
"True, that."
So, for the rest of the time before the show started, they chatted amongst themselves, with Lincoln getting to know Simon and catching up with Tabby, while the older kids mainly chatted with themselves and Chunk. When the show did start, Chunk alerted them all to it, and they sat down on the two couches and a wooden chair from the dining room. When Lincoln saw just how many people were attending live, he was amazed. "Wow! That has to be tens of thousands of people!" He remarked.
Luna smirked. "And there's probably at least a thousand times more watching around the world, Linky," she told him.
"That's insane!"
"I know, right? Ooh! Almost forgot!" She reached into her pocket and pulled out the two bandanas. "Picked us up something earlier."
His eyes widened. "Isn't that the one I was looking at earlier?"
She nodded. "Thought you looked interested in it, and you might like it."
"You didn't have to do that."
"I know, but I wanted to. Now, hold still." She took the red bandana and wrapped it around her brother's head, tying it around the back. Leaning back to look at him, she threw up the goats. "Rockin', bro!"
He smiled happily. "Thanks, Luna."
"No problem, bro." She then did the same with her own bandana, having it on her the same way she put Lincoln's on his head. "What about me, bro?"
He showed her the same courtesy and threw up the goats. "Rockin'."
She smiled, pulling him into a side on hug. "Thanks, bro."
"Ooh! Here we go!" Chunk called out, alerting the others to what was happening on screen. As the presenters spoke, everyone except for Simon and Lincoln began to chant along with them:
"LET THE EUROVISION SONG CONTEST 2019… BEGIN!"
Two hours later, and the final act of the night finished their performance, and everyone at Sam's house had immensely enjoyed the event- there were songs that got them dancing, performances that made them watch in awe, savagery on commentary that made them laugh, and more than a couple of moments that made them wonder what they were watching/listening to, but it was thoroughly entertaining no matter what way they looked at it.
While the hosts were explaining how to vote on the competition, Luna turned to her brother and laid back against the couch. "So, whatcha think of that, bro?" She asked the boy, who smiled at her.
"I thought it was awesome! I've never seen anything like it!" He excitedly replied, causing her to chuckle.
"Glad to hear it."
"So!" George called out, gathering everyone's attention as he turned the wooden chair around and sat on it backwards. "Who's up for a little wager?"
"Dude, we've got little ones here," Sam scolded him. "Don't be encouraging them to gamble."
"C'mon, just a friendly little wager, nothing huge. Five bucks, that's all." He then proceeded to pull out a five dollar bill and place it on the now barren snack table. "Everyone says who they think will win, but you can't have the same as anyone else, and whoever comes closest or gets it right takes the lot. That's all. Seriously, who's in?"
"Alright, I'm in," Desi said, putting down a fiver of her own. "My money's on Iceland."
George threw his arms up. "Did you have to take mine?!" She stuck his tongue out at him, so he crossed his arms and pouted. "Fine, I'll take Norway."
Chunk chuckled while pulling out his wager. "Wrong countries from Scandinavia, mates," he taunted, putting down the money on the table. "Sweden's gonna take the trophy this year."
"Ugh, you two and your bloody politics!" Tabby sighed, before pulling out her wager and putting it on the pile. "Australia for me."
"Really, Tabby?" Sam asked, raising an eyebrow. "What would your mom think?"
"Nothing if I don't tell her."
The blonde girl couldn't help but chuckle. "You're picking up bad habits from us, but alright. I won't tell." She held a five dollar bill in front of her for a few seconds, then placed it down. "I'll take Denmark."
"Gambling in front of your brother," Luna said in a low voice, before tutting. "For shame."
She placed a hand on her hips and gave her a look they said, 'really?' "So, that isn't your hand reaching for a five dollar pocket there?"
Luna chuckled, pulling out just that. "You must be a bad influence on me," she teased before putting down the money. "Put my money on Russia." A few of them groaned, but Luna just rolled her eyes at them. "So, is that everyone?"
"Hang on," George interrupted, his pointed finger going back and forth between the two fifth grade boys. "What about them?"
Lincoln felt the eyes of the others on him, causing him to pull on the neck of his shirt. "I-I dunno," he shyly responded. "Besides, I don't have any money on me."
Luna placed a hand on her brother's shoulder. "Here," she said, handing him a five dollar bill. "You can repay me later."
He looked to the money, then back to his sister, before accepting the bill. "Alright. In that case, I'll pick… Italy."
He placed the money on the table, and just like that, the eyes turned to Sam. When she saw her little brother looking at her with raised eyebrows, she groaned. "Fine, but if mom and dad find out, I'm not taking the fall."
He smiled. "Thanks, Sam," he said, before adding the final bill to the pile. "My money is on Switzerland."
"Alright, that's everyone! All bets are in!" George hollered. "All that's left is to wait for the voting to end."
"That'll be about a half hour, so I'll go order the pizzas," Sam told everyone, getting to her feet.
"Hey, Sam, is it okay if Lincoln and I go play video games while we wait?" Simon asked as she walked away.
"Go for it, bro. I'll call you when the pizzas get here."
"Sweet!" He looked to the Loud boy. "Let's go."
"Alright!"
"Go have fun, bro," Luna told him as he followed the blonde boy up the stairway. Turning back to the others, she saw that Tabby was watching in the direction they had left, which made the Loud rocker smirk. "Y'know, you can always ask to join them if you want."
Tabby blinked. "Huh?"
"She's saying to go after the boy rather than sit here and think about how cute he is," Desi teased, causing the eleven-year-old to blush furiously.
"Sh-shut up," she muttered before getting up and heading upstairs.
"Which one's she harping for, Lincoln or Simon?" George asked Desi, who simply slapped him on the shoulder. Luna, seeing this, chuckled to herself.
"I'm gonna go get some water," she said, before getting up, grabbing her cup and walking into the kitchen, where Sam had just hung up the phone. "Pizzas on the way?"
"Yep," she replied as Luna walked over to the tap to fill her cup. "Sodas not enough for you?"
Luna laughed. "Nah, just cleansing my palette." She turned off the tap and turned to face her girlfriend. "Hey, thanks for letting my little bro come. He's been having a great time."
"No problem! It's been nice having another normy here for once." They both shared a laugh at their in joke, before sighing happily. "Plus, I think he's made Simon more comfortable hanging around everyone."
"Yeah, seems like they get along pretty good. Who knows, maybe they'll hang out more some time."
"I wouldn't object. Especially if it means I get to be alone with you." She fluttered her eyelashes at the pixie cut girl, making her blush and giggle, which made Sam laugh a little, only to make Luna blush more. Sam grabbed her cup off the counter. "Well, hey. Here's to a great evening with friends and family."
Sam held her cup up, and Luna met it with hers. "Cheers, luv."
Just over an hour and a half later, and the group had finished off their pizzas and the rest of the soda, and were watching the scores being announced. After a long time of points being handed out from different countries, during which Chunk had complained about the U.K. coming last, it was declared that The Netherlands had won. However, in second place were Italy, which made everyone but Luna and Lincoln groan, much to the latter's confusion. "What?"
"You won the bet, little bro!" Luna congratulated, bringing a smile to his face. "You're in the money!"
"Yeah, Yeah, congrats," George begrudgingly mumbled.
"Oh, wow! Thanks!"
Luna grabbed the pile from the table and held it out to him, but pulled it back before he could grab it. "Ah! Hang on!" She pulled one bill from it and put in her pocket. "That's payment for the loan earlier."
He smirked before she gave him the rest of the winnings back. "Thanks, Luna."
"Well!" Chunk spoke as he stood up, stretching his back. "I'd better get going. Luna, you and the little man want a lift?"
"Sure thing, Chunk." She looked at her brother. "We'd better get going."
"Okay."
As everyone got up, Simon walked up to Lincoln. "Hey, it was nice meeting you," he said to the Loud boy.
"Same here, man," Lincoln replied.
"We should hang out some time."
"Totally! You know Gus' Games and Grub?"
"Yeah, I go there sometimes."
"Cool. Well, I'll see you later then, I guess."
"Hey, Lincoln!" Tabby spoke up as she approached him. "Nice seeing you again mate. I'll try and say hi if I see you at school, mate. Alright?"
"Sure. Same here." She held a fist out and he met it with a fist bump.
"So, we still on for practice this week?" Desi asked.
"Totally," Sam replied. "Just try not to blow out your speaker this time, George."
"One time, that happened!" He complained, much to the others' amusement.
"Well, it's been fun, but we gotta jet," Luna said, before turning to her brother. "Ready?"
"Sure thing, Luna."
"Nice meeting you, dude," George told him.
"Yeah, hope to see you again, cutie pie," Desi teasingly added, causing him to blush and the others to chuckle.
"N-Nice meeting you too."
Luna, though still chuckling, pulled her brother closer. "Alright, let's go."
After saying goodbye to everyone, Luna and Lincoln went outside and walked to Chunk's van. Lincoln got in first and Luna was about to follow him, before she felt a tap on her shoulder. "Hey, Luna," Sam told her. "Call me when you get home?"
The brunette smiled. "Sure thing, Sam." The blonde smiled back, before she felt Luna's lips lightly press against hers. She relished in returning the kiss for a few seconds, before eventually letting go, both with bright red cheeks. "I'll call you in a bit."
Sam nodded. "See ya."
Luna gave a small wave, before getting in the back of the van. As she shut the door and buckled herself in, Chunk turned on the engine and began to drive away. As the van moved along the roads, Lincoln turned to his sister sat next to him. "Hey, Luna?" He asked, getting her attention.
"Yeah, lil bro?"
"She's really lucky is Sam, to have you as her girlfriend."
She placed a hand over her melted heart and gasped. "Aww! You are just the sweetest, bro!" She pulled him into a side-on hug. "Though, that makes me doubly lucky, 'cause I've got a rockin' girl like her, and the best dang brother anywhere around."
He chuckled at the self-referencing, but only hugged her tighter. "Thanks, Luna."
"No problem. So, did you have a good time?" She waited for him to respond, but ended up raising an eyebrow. "Bro?" Looking at him, she saw that he had fallen asleep. Smiling to herself, she moved her brother so he was laying down with her lap as a pillow for his head, and began to stroke his hair. 'Poor dude,' she thought, 'he's crashed out. Still, at least we'll have the memories of today. As much fun as it would have been anyway, having him there made it a lot more fun. Guess I really am lucky.' She bent down and placed a kiss on the side of his forehead, before whispering, "sweet dreams, bro".
THE END
