Disclaimer: I do not own The Loud House
Author's Note: Hi, I'm RawToonage press. And this is my is fanfiction piece for the show The Loud House. Now this will be series of one-shots centered around Lincoln and a girl from the show of my choosing. First up, Ronnie Anne Santiago.
Summary: (Save the Date AU) Instead of trash talking, Lincoln defends Ronnie Anne and is not afraid that he likes her. But is Ronnie willing to do the same? Or does she care more about her "Tough Girl" reputation?
It was lunchtime at Royal Woods Elementary.
Lincoln Loud was happily eating lunch with his friends, until he felt something weird coming from his pants. He then fished out a sloppy joe sandwich with a note attracted to it.
It read;
Happy "Sloppy Joe Tuesday" Lame-o. Signed, Ronnie Anne
At the end there was a little heart drawn next to her name.
Lincoln flashed a small smile. You see ever since that time Ronnie Anne gave Lincoln a black eye and tried to make up for it by sending a piece of raw steak and her phone number they've been spending a little bit more time together as of late, in secret of course. Ronnie wanted it that way because she's known as one of toughest girls in school and she didn't want anyone to think less of her if she's seen with Lincoln.
Then Lincoln let out a small sigh. He secretly wished that Ronnie was more open about who she really is as a person. Everyone sees her as this girl who takes pleasure in bullying people and not feeling bad about it.
But Lincoln knows better.
He knows that deep down that Ronnie Anne is actually a kind, compassionate, generous, thoughtful person. But she's afraid to due to insecurity, so Lincoln respected her wish to keep what they have a secret.
Unfortunately Lincoln was snapped out of his daze when Rusty Spokes snatched Ronnie Anne's note from his hands. "Hey now, what do we have here?" Rusty asks in a smug tone. As he read the note, he grew the biggest shit-eating grin that even the Grinch himself would be uncomfortable looking at it.
And then showed the note to Clyde, Liam and Zach and all except Clyde began to laugh.
Ronnie and Lincoln sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G. Liam and Zach were singing.
"So Linc, when's the wedding" Rusty asks. Clyde began to feel nervous, he was the only person that knows what's really going on between Lincoln and Ronnie and hopes Lincoln doesn't do anything stupid.
Lincoln turned to Rusty and shot him a very nasty glare which made Liam and Zach stop laughing. "Even if there was a wedding, what the heck makes you think that you jerks are in invited?" Lincoln snaps.
That was towards at Rusty, Liam, and Zach since Clyde knows the situation.
'Lincoln, don't say anything you'll regret' Clyde thought.
"Seriously though, who do think you are giving me that kind of crap? You know what, screw you! At least there's actually a girl willing to be anywhere near me. When was the last time you idiots were near a girl but didn't send them running away and screaming huh?" Rusty, Liam and Zach were slack-jawed at Lincoln's rant.
But he wasn't finished.
And then Ronnie Anne walked by the table again, but then heard the second half of Lincoln's rant.
"So what if she shoves food down my pants with a note attached to it? At least the note shows that she cares. Look, I know her better than anybody at this table and if any of you losers take any more cheap shots at her, I'm gonna show you that Ronnie Anne's not the only person who can stuff people into lockers!"
Ronnie Anne was shocked to say least to hear what she heard.
But on the other hand, she was touched that Lincoln was actually defending her. 'What did I do to deserve him?' she thought to herself. In reality she was half expecting him to say something stupid that will get her mad at him. But even then, Ronnie knows that deep down that doing things like sticking food down someone's pants or pantsing them or sticking gum into their hair or tying their shoes together to make them fall or making them sit on a whoopee cushion or filling up their locker up with garbage just to fall onto the person or even giving someone a black eye when they kiss you, isn't the way you show someone that you care about them. 'Heck, I still call him Lame-O when we meet in secret' she thought sadly.
Instead of making her presence known, she opted to retreat back to her lunch table without being noticed.
…
BBBRRRIIINNNGGG
The rest of the day was uneventful for Ronnie Anne. She tried to pay attention to her last classes, but her mind was in a different place. Looking back at it all, she realized that she was being unfair to Lincoln.
The whole time they've been seeing each other they had to lie, sneak out, hide and for what?
Just so Ronnie could still be known as the most feared girl at Royal Woods Elementary?
It wasn't fair.
I wasn't fair to Lincoln.
The whole time they've been together he treated he like a queen. Probably because he was taught by his older sister and even Lola on how to be a gentleman. But what does she do in return? Nothing. Even when they're alone she still calls him "Lame-O" and punches in the arm. And at school, she still treats him as a target of misplaced aggression. Deep down she knows Lincoln deserves better. 'Better than me' she sadly thought.
As Ronnie Anne skateboarded back to her house, she was trying to think of different ways to make it up to Lincoln. Her first idea was that she could take him out to nice restaurant for a date. But shot the idea down because between the two kids, they barely have enough money for a meal at the Burpin' Burger, not to mention the fact that how would they even get out of the house? Ronnie's mom, Maria isn't a pushover when it comes to her kids leaving the house for other than school or one of Bobby's jobs.
And she knows full well that Lincoln's sisters have unconventional ways of making him talk.
Her second idea was that maybe she could anonymously send a present to Lincoln's house. But then deflated it because there was a chance that one of his sisters could mistake the present as something for one of them.
Then there was her third idea.
She considered this one to be the most taboo of them all. That she would finally stop pretending. She wanted to show the world that she was way more than just some bully with no regards. She would start to show Lincoln the love, affection and respect that he deserved in public. And if there were anybody who wanted to make something of it well, Ronnie is still the toughest girl in school. So unless you had a death wish…
That settled it. Starting tomorrow, Ronalda Anne Santiago was going to show Royal Woods Elementary school just what she really thinks of Lincoln Loud.
The Next Day…
The morning couldn't come faster for Ronnie Anne. She got up the minute her alarm clock went off. Made herself and Bobby breakfast since their mom already started her shift at the hospital.
And then she took her skateboard and she took off for school, not even hearing Bobby's offer to drive her.
It takes at least a half hour to get to school on her skateboard. When she arrived at the school, she started to search around for a certain white haired boy. Then her search was over when she spotted him coming over the horizon walking with his best friend. She gave a little sad smile. While she had nothing against Clyde personally, she really wanted to talk to Lincoln, alone. Before school started.
…
As Lincoln and Clyde were walking to school, they were talking about what happened yesterday.
"I gotta give to you man, I thought the whole thing was going in a different direction" Clyde admitted. Lincoln sighed "Well to be honest, I meant what I said. I seriously don't even remember why we're friends with them in the first place." "Because rejects have to stick together" Clyde offered. Lincoln scoffed at that remark.
"If you ask me, with friends like that, you'll never need any enemies" Lincoln grumbled.
…
As the boys approached the school, Lincoln noticed Ronnie Anne sitting on the steps looking like she was waiting for someone. Little did he know, that the someone in question was him.
Figuring out that quickly, he told Clyde that to go on ahead and he'll catch up. Clyde was a little bit confused at first, but then he saw Ronnie Anne and then he put two and two together and quickly ran inside.
And then there were two.
A few seconds of awkward silence filled the air until Lincoln tried to start a conversation.
"So, how's it goin?" He said very dorky. Ronnie giggled a little bit at Lincoln's attempt to be smooth. She then decided to just rip off the metaphorical band-aid and get over with it.
"Listen, I overheard your little speech to your friends at lunch the other day" Ronnie began. Lincoln's face turned a little bit pale. "But I want to tell you that I'm not mad at you" she continued and then Lincoln felt less tense. "I had a lot of time to think yesterday and then I came to the conclusion that I've been really unfair to you as of late" Lincoln then became confused. "You're the nicest guy I've ever known and you really have been supportive of trying to keep what we have a secret. But then I realized something, I don't want us to be a secret anymore" Lincoln was shocked to say the least to hear that from her.
"You've treated me like a queen since day 1 and all I do in return is still treat like dirt because I wanted to keep up appearances. It's not fair to you. You deserve better than that" Then she let out a sad sigh.
"You deserve better than me."
The whole school could've collapsed at that exact moment but Lincoln wouldn't have noticed.
It absolutely crushed Lincoln that Ronnie thought so little of herself.
"Ronnie, look at me" Lincoln told her.
She looked up and saw a stern look on his face. As he continued, "I know it's hard for you to be open and vulnerable. That's why I was okay with meeting in secret" he paused for a second "But I never, ever want you to say that you're not good enough. Because you are one the best things to ever happen to me."
Ronnie then began to tear up a little bit at Lincoln's kind words.
"But if you really want to be an open couple, I'll support you 100%" Lincoln finished.
Ronnie Anne felt like time stood still after Lincoln talked. She was feeling emotions that she hasn't felt in a long time. Scared that now they would now be out in the open. Nervous that she might at some point revert back into hiding. Baffled that Lincoln still wanted to be with someone like her.
But most of all, she was happy that Lincoln wanted to be with her.
After a minute of silence she answered with, "Yes Lincoln, I think it's time to finally show the school how I really feel about you" and then she flashed Lincoln with a smirk that he was all too familiar with.
"Then what are we waiting for, milady?" Lincoln asked in a faux swave voice.
Then he sticks his hand out and then Ronnie grabbed on to it never wanting to let go.
…
For any student wandering in the halls that faithful day, were speechless at the sight they witnessed.
Ronnie Anne Santiago, the toughest girl in the 5th grade. And Lincoln Loud, the nerdy little underdog. Walking into school together, hand-in-hand without a care in the world.
But the lovebirds didn't care.
As far as Ronnie was concerned, if someone really wanted to make something of it well…that person would have to take it up with her, personally. As for Lincoln's friends, Clyde was more than happy for the couple and was really proud of Ronnie Anne for wanting to come out of her shell like that. Rusty, Liam and Zach on the other hand didn't say anything. Mostly because they were already in the doghouse as it is.
…
The rest of the day went great for the newly open couple.
They both surprisingly aced a surprised pop quiz from Mrs. Johnson. Coach Pacowski felt generous and gave the class a free gym period. They shared lunch together. But the best part was no one in their class gave them hard time. The happy couple couldn't tell if was just their lucky day or was it that the student body feared for their lives since everybody (even the teachers) knew what Ronnie Anne was capable of.
But they didn't put much thought into it.
Mostly because Ronnie truly felt free for the first time in a really long time, and no one was going to bring her down. Especially not some punk kids with big mouths.
…
BBBRRRIIINNNGGG
The school day was officially over.
As Lincoln and Ronnie Anne were walking out the door already have grabbed their backpacks, they were discussing what they wanted to do now. "I don't know Lincoln, It might be too soon and if your sisters see me they might not like me since I gave you a black eye the first time you kissed me." See Lincoln suggested that she come over and hang out at his house and finish some math homework that they received.
The problem was that she wasn't sure that she was ready to face Lincoln's sisters.
Like she pointed out; she didn't exactly leave a somewhat good impression on the girls since up until today the town mostly knew her as Lincoln's tormentor, not girlfriend.
"Listen, I know that I have a lot of sisters. And I know firsthand that they're a challenge and hard to be around but it's going to be fine" Lincoln tried to assure her. "And they were only trying to help since in a way they were right" Lincoln continued. Ronnie Anne knew what he meant. When the sisters found out someone was harassing their only brother they were ready to kick some serious butt.
But when they found out that the bully in question was a girl, they quickly switched gears.
At first, Lincoln was apprehensive of taking his sisters advice since the Loud sisters had a reputation of their own of being overbearing, overprotective and meddling in Lincoln's life.
But in the end, Lincoln was happy.
Did Ronnie give him a black eye? Yes.
But did she also gave a frozen stake to ice it up with a note with her phone number? Yes.
It was in that moment that Lincoln knew he wanted to be closer to Ronnie Anne.
And he wouldn't trade that for the world either.
Ronnie Anne then sighed, "Alright you win" she admitted. Mostly because she knew his sister were nothing if resourceful and would eventually find out anyway and it would be better to hear it from them.
Then Lincoln gave her the biggest smile she has ever seen.
"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! I promise you will not regret this" Lincoln told her very excitingly.
'Hopefully neither would I' Ronnie thought to herself.
Luckily, Lincoln texted Lori saying that he was taking the bus home so that meant Ronnie wouldn't be overwhelmed too fast. Even if she thought it was prolonging the inevitable.
…
As the school bus pulled into Lincoln's stop, Ronnie Anne grew more anxious.
Then they get off the bus and started walking towards Lincoln's house. Fortunately Ronnie Anne knew which house he lived in since there was only one house on the whole block that looks like it hold 11 children.
They finally made it to the front door only to pause for a moment. Lincoln could actually see the sweat drops dripping down from Ronnie Anne's forehead. He found that kind of amusing.
But was smart enough not to say that out loud.
He turned to her and said, "Breath in, breath out" she did and started to feel better. "Sorry, I knew I was nervous but I didn't think I was that nervous" Ronnie explained. "No apologies needed" Lincoln replied and then asked "So, are you ready?" And then Ronnie with that infamous smirk, giving the answer he needed.
…
As luck would have it again, the Loud sisters were all conveniently in the living room.
Lori was sitting on the easy chair doing stuff on her phone. Leni was reading a fashion magazine on the couch. Luna also on the couch tuning her acoustic guitar. Luan on the floor writing new jokes and puns. Lynn was bouncing a tennis ball up against the wall. Lucy was by the fireplace writing poetry. Lana and Lola were parked in front of the TV watching cartoons. And Lisa was keeping an eye on Lily.
And then the front door began opening and then walked in Lincoln, with Ronnie Anne trying (and failing) to hide right behind him
But unfortunately, the sisters seem to have noticed that their brother came home with someone.
A female someone no less.
So as Lincoln expected, they all began to crowd them asking a billion questions and scaring Ronnie Anne in the process. But then a saving grace came in the form of the oldest, Lori who gave a loud whistle signaling the rest to stop. "So Lincoln, who's your little friend here?" She asked.
Lincoln took a deep breath knowing he has a story to tell. "Guys, there's someone I want you to meet" he started; this took the sisters by surprise since they're used to him trying to be sneaky.
He gently pushed Ronnie Anne to show herself so the girls can get a good look at her.
"Girls, meet Ronalda Anne Santiago" Ronnie blushed a little bit since he used her full name.
Lori was the one who was shocked the most.
'The twerp has been seeing my Boo-Boo Bear's little sister?! How long has this been going on' she thought.
"Say, she like looks like that girl who gave you that black eye" Leni pointed out.
'Aw crud monkeys' Ronnie Anne thought.
Then the rest were putting two and two together and then got wide eyed because Leni was right. And then they were once again changing gears and sending glares and walking towards Ronnie who now was sweating bullets. Lincoln knew that this reaction was coming and immediately had to intervene.
"FREEZE" he shouted, startling everyone.
"I know you have a lot of questions. And I know I have some explaining to do. So if you let me, I'll be happy to tell you my story" Lincoln tried to bargain. "Alright, we're listening" Luna told them.
15 minutes later…
"And that's the whole story" Lincoln and Ronnie finished.
"So let me get this straight" Lori started, "You two have been seeing each other in secret for weeks and literally no one from either of our families has been the wiser?" Lincoln and Ronnie nodded. "And when you're at school (looks at Ronnie Anne) you still messed with him so you could keep your 'Tough Girl' reputation intact?" Ronnie Anne looked down in shame but still nodded.
Lori then looked back at Lincoln and continued, "And the reason you let all side was because you respected her wish of keeping what you too had a secret?" Lincoln nodded again.
Lori then turned back to Ronnie Anne, "But then you felt guilty after witnessing Lincoln giving a huge speech after being teased by his idiotic friends" Lori paused "Er, no offense Lincoln" "Believe me Lori, none taken" Lincoln replied. As Lori continued, "You then began to reflect on all the bad things you've done to him and all the sacrifices Lincoln has made since the beginning?"
Ronnie again nodded.
"And then finally coming to the conclusion that you really do like Lincoln it was only then you realized that you were tired of hiding and wanted to be together and didn't care what other people thought?" Lori finished.
"Yes" Ronnie Anne spoke for the first time since they got here.
Silence filled the living room as the Loud sisters were now huddled up and muttering like a football team discussing a plan of attack.
As for Ronnie Anne; even though it shouldn't be this big of a deal, Ronnie knew that she was already on thin ice as it is because not only did she bully him for god knows long, she did give him a black eye, and then kept up said bullying so she could keep her reputation intact.
So needless to say in her mind, these girls very well could say that they never want Lincoln to see her again.
And she really didn't want that to happen.
After a few more moments of silence, the sisters began to break apart and Lori once again stepped forward to the young couple while giving out a stern look (like a parent would) and Ronnie is starting to feel a little bit queasy. "Well, after giving some serious thought" Lori started while still maintaining that stern look.
Ronnie was beginning to sweat bullets again.
But then Lori broke out in a smile, "I'm sorry, I literally couldn't resist" the young couple looked confused.
Lori then got down to Lincoln's eye level and said, "Lincoln, while I usually don't like being in the dark. I understand that you were only respecting her wishes and I appreciate the fact that you now told the truth."
Then she shifted over to Ronnie Anne's eye level.
"As for you," she started. "While I don't like the thought of any one of my siblings especially Lincoln, being picked on…" Ronnie looked like she might wet herself. "But I am proud of you that you decided to not be bothered by what other people think. I get that elementary school kids can be cruel, but it takes real courage to not fall into that kind peer pressure."
Ronnie Anne felt like a huge weight was lifted off her shoulders.
Lori then proceeded to get back up.
"With that being said," she started. "The only thing we ask of you is just no more secrets. Be honest. And in return, we will only be of assistance if either Lincoln or you want it" she finished.
Lincoln and Ronnie looked at each other and then looked to Lori and said, "Deal."
…
So now, we find the happy couple in Lincoln's room doing their math homework while listening the latest Smooch album off of Lincoln's laptop.
"Well that wasn't such a chore now was it?" Lincoln asked in a smart-aleck tone.
Ronnie then proceeded to give her boyfriend the stink eye.
Boyfriend.
That has a nice ring to it.
Hard to believe that just yesterday, she was still trying to hide who she wanted to be and Lincoln was paying the price for it. But now, not only did she get Lincoln's sister's blessings she felt like she gained the ultimate freedom. She can finally be the person she wants to be. No longer bounded by the chains that were formed by her self-doubt and insecurities. She was happy. And no one was going to take that from her.
"Well considering that for you, that was a regular Tuesday night. As for me, it felt like an interrogation" Ronnie retorted. Lincoln gave out a small chuckle. "Well like I told you in a family as big as mine, you look out for each other. They wanted to make sure that I was okay."
"Well at least my mom and Bobby already know a little bit, so it won't be like a big reveal like it was today."
"Yeah" Lincoln replied.
"So how are you feeling, about all of this?" Lincoln asked. "Best decision I've made in a long time" Ronnie answered. "Not scared anymore?" "The only people that need to be scared are the ones that are dumb enough to try run their mouths" Lincoln let out another chuckle. "Fair enough, I suppose."
…
Then came dinner time and Lincoln asked if Ronnie Anne if she wanted to stay for dinner.
He said that his dad some coupons from the pizzeria that the family likes to order from. She told him that she had to call her mom first and see if that's okay.
…
After getting the okay from her mom, Ronnie was more than happy to stay for dinner. Plus it gave her the opportunity to meet Lincoln's parents. So then the delivery guy showed up and when Lynn Sr. yelled out the kids that dinner's here Ronnie decided that now was the time.
As Lincoln and Ronnie Anne made their way to the dinner table, she was stopped by Rita and Lynn Sr.
Ronnie expected this since she has never even seen his parents until now.
…
So after having as nice dinner with Lincoln and his family, Ronnie Anne looked at the time and it was getting late. So she called Bobby and asked him if he could give her a ride home, luckily he could.
…
So after waiting half an hour, Ronnie sees her brother's truck pulling up.
"That's my ride" she told Lincoln. And then she gave him a quick kiss on the cheek (which did not go unnoticed by the rest of the Loud family). And then left the house to meet Bobby.
The Loud sisters and parents were in awe that Lincoln got himself a good one.
…
As the Santiago siblings were driving home, Bobby couldn't help but wonder.
"So Ni-Ni, how was your day?"he asks in a sly tone. "Best. Day Ever." Ronnie Anne replied in a sleepy tone.
By the time they reached their house, Ronnie Anne was out like a light. It took a lot of willpower from Bobby not to take a picture of her. So he settled with carrying her all the way to her bedroom.
Now normally, Bobby would leave her to get her pajamas on but since she's fast asleep he felt like doing it for her. Besides, he used to do it all the time for her when she was younger.
So after getting her pajamas on her, Bobby then placed on her bed and then tucked her in like he used to.
And then gave a quick kiss on the forehead, "Sweet dreams Ni-Ni" he whispered.
...
As Bobby closed the door, we can see Ronnie Anne with the biggest smile on her face.
In her dream state, we see her and Lincoln 10 years in the future and it's their wedding day and the happy couple were surrounded with their families and friends.
Even Rusty, Liam and Zach were there as Lincoln's groomsmen. And Clyde the best man of course. It was a lovely ceremony, complete with a chocolate wedding cake.
Courtesy of the Loud sisters, of course.
As Ronnie Anne kept dreaming, she asked herself again what did she do to deserve Lincoln.
And after all this time she finally came up with an answer.
'Because Lincoln loves me for me. Faults and all'
The End.
Now I want to give a some shout-outs to the authors who made this possible.
First, Would be the incredible That Engineer for his take on the "Ronniecoln" ship.
And author SpartanxHunterX for giving me the courage to do this.