"Who are you?"
If Lee had heard Lincoln's question, he must have chosen to ignore it. His eyes never left Rita's trembling from, and he took a step forward. "I… I'm guessing you kind of realized who I am by now," Lee said nervously. "But I promise I didn't come to cause a scene or make any trouble. I just… I just wanted to meet you," he assured.
Rita looked like she was trying to say something, but no words came out. Lincoln, seeing his mother looking so shaken stepped in front for her. "H-hey! I asked who you were!" he said holding his arms out. He didn't know who this man was, but if his mother was so terrified of him it couldn't have been good news.
Lee once again raised his hands. "Kid, calm down. Like I said, I'm not here to cause any trouble. I just wanted to have a chat with your mom there. She… we're… god I screwed this up. I really should have thought this out more. Damn it," he said running his hands through his hair.
Lincoln wasn't entirely convinced. "Stay right there! I-I'll call for help! I'll call the cops!"
Lee took a step back. "Kid, just calm-"
"You know my mom! She's afraid of you! You… you were planning on coming here the whole time weren't you?! You probably hit me on purpose just so I'd bring you here or something!"
Lee looked at him in disbelief. "Kid, c'mon. I'm not some stalker or anything. I really just rolled into town this morning. Running in to you was a genuine accident."
"I don't believe you!" Lincoln said glaring at him. Right now his protective instinct was taking over, and he didn't want or need to reason with this man. All he needed to do was make sure his mother was safe. "Step back mom, I'll-" He suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder, and then looked up to see his mother staring down at him. "Mom?"
She still looked shaken, but the fear on her face had died down. "L-Lincoln. It's okay. I… I know this man. He's… oh god, I never thought this day would come…" she muttered.
"I'm sorry," Lee said shaking his head. "I wanted to catch you in private but I didn't think you'd let a stranger in your house and… I'm just sorry."
Lincoln turned back to Lee, his adrenaline starting to come down a bit. "Who is this guy? How do you know each other? Why does he look like…?" Lincoln couldn't bring himself to utter the final word. Him. He looked just like him.
He hadn't been able to see it before, but the moment that cap had come off it just came together. Lincoln felt like he was looking at an older version of himself. A million things were buzzing through his head. The first thought was something that brought dread to his very soul.
It was something he truly hadn't wanted to consider, but really couldn't help but think about. The man was his spitting image… wait, since he was older, it the other way around. They had the same eyes, the same hair, even a similar facial structure. His parents had told him about the story of his birth but… it had been pretty crazy. Could this guy be… his dad? His real dad?
No, he dismissed the idea immediately. That was impossible. His sister's accounts of his first day home went right along with his parents' story. So while the white hair was certainly some type of signifier of familial status, any notion he had of being adopted or… worse, were quickly squashed.
But that left little other options to go with. Lee, if that was his real name, definitely shared a resemblance with both himself and, his Pop-Pop. And not just the hair either. He'd seen pictures of his grandfather from back in the day, and this guy looked pretty similar to him. It was just plain undeniable when you looked at him. So maybe… "Is he your brother?" Lincoln asked looking up at Rita.
The woman once again flinched, and Lee looked down at the ground. She bit her lip, staring at her son with a stressed expression. "I… Lincoln, I think… maybe this should wait until a little later. Until your sisters are awake and I… we, can explain everything at once."
Lee looked at the two with a sad frown. "God, I'm so sorry about all this. You know what, this was a bad idea. I… I shouldn't have showed up. I'm just going to leave before-"
"No!" Rita said suddenly reaching out towards him. Both Lincoln and Lee looked up at her surprised. She quickly realized her outburst had caught them off guard and cleared her throat. "I-I mean no. You don't have to go. I know you must have come a long way and… I was just a little surprised."
"I can imagine."
"Please, come in. I… I just have to… sort this out."
"Are you sure? Because I really wouldn't want to intrude. Don't want to cause a ruckus for your family or anything."
Rita nodded. "Please stay. I insist… uh…" She blanked for a moment, realizing she'd never gotten his name.
"Leonardo," he said. "Leonardo Bilbruck. You can just call me Lee."
Lincoln noted just how his mother flinched when Lee spoke his full name. The boy was so confused. What was happening right now? His mom said she knew him, so how could she not know his name? Why were they acting like this was the first time they met? Why did he have to wait for her to tell him? None of this made any sense!
Rita took a breath and then stepped aside. "Right. Lee. Please come in."
For a moment Lee looked hesitant. Then he slowly began making his way up the stairs and into the house. Lincoln could tell they were both tense as he passed by her. He glanced at his mom, visually asking her for some kind of answer.
She patted his head. "It's alright sweetie, I'll explain everything. Just… just later." That was clearly not what he wanted to hear, but he sighed and nodded. The two made their way inside and saw Lee glancing around the living room. "You can have a seat here while you wait. Please make yourself comfortable."
Lee nodded. "Yes ma'am."
"Lincoln, would you mind keeping our guests company?"
"Okay mom."
"And I don't think I should have to tell you not to pry until the rest of the family is present…" He nodded in response. "Good. I'll back in a bit. I just need to make a few calls."
With that Rita turned and walked back into her room. Lee took a seat on the couch, twiddling his thumbs nervously. Lincoln eventually decided to take a seat on the other side, looking just as uncomfortable. He really, really wanted to ask him what the heck was going on. But his mom said not to pry, and he wasn't about to push his luck right now.
But that didn't mean he couldn't ask him about other stuff. "So… you were in the army?" Lincoln asked suddenly, gesturing towards the dog tags around his neck.
"Marine Corps," he clarified.
"Cool. My grandpa was in the Navy."
Lee hummed. "That so? I know a couple of old geezers who used to serve in the Navy back in the day. Maybe we know some of the same guys." Lincoln wasn't really sure how to continue the chat from there, and an awkward silence that hung in the air. "Kid… you know I didn't hit you on purpose right?" Lee suddenly asked. "This whole thing was just a coincidence. One hell of a coincidence, but a coincidence all the same."
Lincoln blushed slightly. "Yeah, I know. I'm sorry for that. I was just panicked. I've never seen my mom freaked out like that before."
Lee smiled. "It's alright. You were trying to protect your mom. That's admirable. As soon as she started looking nervous you jumped in front of her and I could see the gears turning in your head about what you were gonna do. That's some quick reaction time. Good man," he said patting him on the head.
Lincoln couldn't help but grow a smile of his own at the praise. "I guess I'm just used to it. I have to think of my feet all the time with ten sisters."
Lee's eyes widened. "Ten? You serious?" Lincoln nodded and then gestured towards the family photo on the wall. Lee whistled. "Crap kid, no wonder you'd so quick on your feet. Couldn't imagine having to deal with that many chicks on one house."
"Do you have any siblings?" Lincoln asked. Suddenly his eyes widened, and he covered his mouth. He had been making casual conversation and forgotten he wasn't supposed to ask about that stuff. "Sorry, I mean-"
"It's fine kid," Lee assured. "That's… that's a tricky question there. But the short answer is no. I was raised as an only child. Just me and my gramps."
Lincoln's curiosity peaked. He wanted to ask about his mother and father, but he knew even without his mother's warning that was far too personal to ask about. Before another awkward silence could take over however, they heard footsteps coming down the stairs.
The sole male child of the Loud house tensed as he saw Lori making her way down. She stretched her arms as she headed for the kitchen. But not before taking a glance towards the couch. "Hmm, why are you up so early twerp? Some kind of silly cartoon or…" she stopped when she noticed not one, but two heads of white hair on the couch.
Lori froze where she stood. The now wide eyed girl's attention was completely focused on Lee. "Lincoln, who is that stranger sitting on the couch…?" she asked. Well, whatever deep family secret his mother was in on clearly wasn't known by Lori. And if she didn't know, it was doubtful the others had any idea either.
Lincoln cleared his throat. "This… this is Lee."
Lee waved. "Morning ma'am."
Lori's eyes darted back and forth between her brother and the stranger on her couch. "Uh… good morning. Not to be rude but… is there a reason why he's here?" she asked.
Lincoln didn't exactly know how to answer. Seriously, what was he supposed to say? He was just as lost as she was. "Uh…"
"I'm an old acquaintance of your mom," Lee suddenly said.
Lori gave him a weary look. "I'm just… gonna go ask her about that then," she said as she moved around the couch and made her way towards Rita's room.
Lincoln watched as she made her way out, and then turned back to Lee. He opened his mouth, about to apologize for his sister's less than polite greeting, but Lee cut him off. "It's fine. I understand how weird this whole situation is. And… I get the feeling it's going to get a whole lot weirder."
As if on cue, Lori stepped back out of Rita's room, her eyes wide and locked onto Lee. The two white haired males watched as she made her way upstairs, presumably to go get the rest of her sisters. "Here we go…" Lee muttered.
Rita stepped back out, rubbing her hands together nervously. "Okay, the girls should be down in a few minutes and your father is on his way back home."
Lincoln raised an eyebrow. If she had called his father back home then this really must be serious. "NO WAY!" All three in the room flinched when they heard the booming voice from upstairs. It was quickly followed by footsteps, and after a while one of his sisters sped downstairs before sliding to a stop at the bottom.
Neither Lincoln or his mother were all that surprised to see it was Lynn Jr. She looked up wide eyed as she scanned the room. Her eyes stopped on Lincoln and Lee. "Whoa… she was telling the truth?! No freaking way!" she said shocked.
More footsteps soon followed, and more of the Loud family came running down. "Oh man, I can't believe it. They really do look alike…" Lana said looking over them.
Lisa rubbed her chin. "Could there be someone else who's been dabbling in cloning technology? Or perhaps time travel?" she muttered.
"He looks like Pop-Pop!" Leni said.
Lori stopped at the bottom of the stairs and stood in the back, not saying anything as she let her sisters chatter on. She crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes towards Lee, who seemed a little overwhelmed by all of this. "Holy crap little man. This is your daily life?" he muttered.
"Got used to it I guess," Lincoln said smiling nervously.
"Who is this guy Link?" Luna asked casually making her way over to the couch. She didn't seem shy at all about circling around Lee and looking him over.
"He looks shady…" Lola said glaring at him.
"I don't know. I think he's All-White, get it?" Luan joked.
The best reaction however had to be from Lily, who stared back and forth between Lee and her bother wide eyed. Her little mind clearly couldn't handle the resemblance the young man had to her brother. "Linky…?"
Rita decided to step in. "Okay, alright, everybody back up. Give our guests a little breathing room," she ordered. The girls all took a step back allowing Lee to let out a breath of relief. He definitely hadn't been ready for any of this.
Lori decided to speak up. "Okay mom, everyone is up and down here. Now could we please get an explanation of who this guy is?" she asked impatiently.
Rita sighed. "Girls, just… just wait until you father gets home. It shouldn't take too long."
The eldest sighed, clearly not happy to be kept waiting any longer. "Mom, I just... uh." She pinched the bridge of her nose. "Okay, fine. We'll wait."
The younger sisters, and Leni, looked on confused for a moment. While the elder sisters shared a worried glance. They weren't stupid. They could see there was a stranger who looked eerily like their brother in the house. There were only so many conclusions they could jump to.
Lee simply stood there, not really sure what he could add to this already tense situation. Hell, he wasn't sure if he should add anything. Luckily before the tension could grow any thicker, the door lock behind them opened.
Lynn senior came rushing in, clearly out of breath. "Okay! Okay! I got home as quick as I could! So what's going…?" he stopped when he saw Lee, his face paling. "Oh… OH! Okay, right. This is… honey?" He looked towards his wife, not exactly sure what to do at the moment.
Lincoln watched his dad's reaction carefully. From what he could tell, the man had some idea of what was going on here, which honestly put him at ease a little. He really hadn't wanted to consider the worst scenario in this situation, but he couldn't just deny it was possible that his mom had been… intimate with someone else besides his father.
Lee turned around and held his hand out. "Good morning sir. The name's Lee. I've very sorry about all of this. I hadn't meant to make your morning so hectic."
Lynn cleared his throat before reaching forward and shaking his hand. "No, it's… it's no problem. I, uh… it's nice to meet you. I'm Rita's husband, Lynn Sr. I guess… I'm really sorry, I wasn't prepared for this," he said nervously.
"Neither was I," Lee admitted.
Lori stepped forward. "Okay! We waited. Our sisters are all here, dad is here, everyone is here. Could we please get an explanation of why this guy, who literally looks just like Pop-Pop is standing in our living room?" she asked.
With that, the Loud siblings gazes all turned towards their parents. Half towards their father, and the other half towards their mother. Lincoln had been in the ladder. With how his mom reacted earlier he could only assume she was the one who really know what this situation was.
Lynn made his way over to Rita, who had a more than nervous expression on her face. He put an arm around her to comfort her, and she relaxed slightly. "Right. So, kids… I… I don't really know any other way to say this, so I'll just say it. This is Lee. He's… he's your brother."
All the sisters grew wide eyed, even the older ones. For a moment Lincoln thought another awkward silence was due, but that thought was quickly put to rest by Lynn Jr.
"WHAT?!" Lynn shouted in disbelief. Everyone turned towards the athlete who quickly marched towards her parents. "W-what do you mean he's our brother?! We only have ONE brother, and that's Lincoln!"
"Lynn, I need you to calm down and-"
"Calm down?!" she yelled cutting her father off. "You can't say something like that and then tell us to calm down! There… there's no way this guy is our brother!"
A hand suddenly gripped her shoulder, and Lynn looked up to see Lori glaring at her. "Lynn, be quiet," she said with a clear edge to her voice. "Whatever is going on isn't going to get properly explained with you yelling. So just let mom and dad speak."
Lynn clearly didn't like being told to quiet down, but reluctantly stepped back, her arms crossed and a scowl on her face. Rita nodded towards Lori. "Thank you Lori. You see… I know this might be a shock to you, but Lee is your brother. He just… I…"
Lee stepped forward. "I left, a long time ago. Before you guys were born. I… I ran away," he said trying to take some of the attention off of Rita.
The sisters all shared suspicious looks, while Lincoln just stared. He knew that had to be a lie. Rita didn't even know his name. Unless he ran away the moment he was born, there was something else going on here. But he didn't call him out on it. He didn't feel like it was his place to. So he just kept quiet and let things play out.
"You ran away? And you came back after all these years… why?" Lynn asked.
"Lynn!" her father scolded.
"What? I'm just asking. Some guy who you say is our freaking brother who ran away years ago shows up and I'm not supposed to be curious about why?" she countered.
Her parents glared towards her, but Lee raised his hand. "No, look, it's okay. This whole thing happened so suddenly, and it's just weird. I'm not expecting you guys to just accept it. But I just…" He ran a hand over his face. "I just wanted to stop by and see whatever family I had left, you know? But I don't want to cause any trouble so maybe I'll swing by later after things have cooled down."
"Aw, but you just got here," Leni said frowning. The blonde hadn't seemed to catch on to the gravity of the situation quite yet.
He chuckled before turning towards the door. "I'll be back. I just… got to sort some stuff out you know. I'm sure you do too. Would it be okay if I swung by tomorrow?" he asked.
Lynn looked over towards his wife, who hesitantly nodded. "That… that would be fine."
He smiled and nodded back. "Okay then. Sorry again for causing all the trouble, and I'll have the money for your bike when I come back," he said looking to Lincoln.
Lincoln spoke up. "But you don't have to-"
"Yeah I do," he said quickly cutting him off. "I broke it, I'm paying for it. Just how I do things little man. You can just consider it a gift from your uh… your new big brother. Okay?"
Lincoln stood silent for a moment, but then nodded. "Um… okay."
It felt… awkward. This whole thing. There was really no other way to put it. This morning he woke up to get ready for an Ace Savvy marathon. Now here he was talking to a man who was presumably his big brother. He wouldn't be surprised if he woke up in his bed to find this was all a dream.
"Hey! If he's getting something I want something!" Lana said stepping forward.
Her twin quickly followed suit. "Yeah, and if you really are our brother you owe about us six years of birthday presents!" Lola demanded.
Lee stared at them for a bit, surprise written on his face. Then suddenly he cracked a smirk, and began to laugh. "Yeah, I guess I do don't I? Tell you what, how about I pay for dinner tomorrow? I can bring some pizza or chicken or something. Then I'll work my way up from there," he offered.
"Pizza!? Chicken?!" Lana cheered.
Lola hummed. "Hmm, it's a start I guess."
Lynn Sr. looked concerned. "Oh, are you sure? We go through food pretty fast and we have a lot of mouths to feed. I wouldn't want you draining your wallet when you just got here."
"I came in and caused a whole bunch of drama for you guys. Paying for dinner is the least I could do," he said opening the door. Before he could make his way out however, Rita walked forward and grabbed him by the wrist.
He looked back over his shoulder at the woman, who once again had an unreadable expression on her face. "I… I'm just…" She looked around, trying to find the right words to say. Eventually she just sighed and stepped forward, pulling him into a hug. "I'm glad you're doing well."
The way Lee flinched at her touch didn't go unnoticed by the Loud siblings. Neither did the way their mother trembled slightly as she hugged him. He slowly reached up and returned the gesture. "I uh… I'm glad you're okay too."
Everyone watched the two simply stand in each other's arm for a moment, then slowly break apart. "I guess I'll see you tomorrow then," he said walking out the door.
Rita nodded, and Lincoln offered a small wave. "Don't forget my birthday gifts!" Lola shouted.
"Don't forget the pizza!" Lana followed up.
Lee laughed again before giving a wave as he walked out. Rita watched as he got into his car and gave the house one last look before driving off. She sighed and then closed the door, then turned towards her children whose gazes were all locked on her.
"So… I'm not the only one whose got questions right?" Lucy asked.
A/N: So, there's the second chapter! So we have a reveal that Lee is indeed a member of the family, but that was never really in question. There still are a lot of details left in the wind about just what his relationship is and why Rita and Lynn seem to secretive about it. Feel free to keep on guessing about it though. I hope the pacing of this story doesn't feel to slow. I'm trying to be more careful about how I plot out the story this time around.
There was some concern about the white hair thing since someone brought up that it's (obviously) not a normal hair color and Lincoln didn't inherit it from Albert. Well I looked into it and while it isn't quite confirmed, there's no real evicdence saying it isn't his natural hair color either. It is confirmed however that it is NOT albinism. Either way, within the continuity of his story it'll just be from his grandfather. That just makes things easier.