So here's the deal. I couldn't do this as a story. Not with the introduction I gave. Instead, this will be a series of pieces exploring the relationship and its effect on those around it.
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"So… Uh… Sigh." Lucy fumbled for something to say. This wasn't how she pictured her next conversation with Haiku, but Lori demanded answers and Lisa set up these interviews so the answers could, at least, be had in an organized fashion. Lucy didn't have a problem with that. She just wished that she didn't have to be the one to do it.
Haiku sat across from her, her burgundy dress sweeping the floor. One of her eyes hidden behind her hair. Refusing to say anything, as she stared blankly at Lucy. Lucy never used to be unnerved by that look. But then, she'd never been in this situation before.
"Why are you dating Lincoln?" She decided to just ask.
Haiku blinked at her slowly. Never before had silence made Lucy so uncomfortable.
"He's a dulcet spot of color in my otherwise ink stained existence." She fell silent.
"Okay."
And that was that. Lucy rose from her seat and left the room. Surely Haiku could find her own way out of the house.
...
"Doesn't it piss you off that Lincoln is dating other girls?" Lynn interrogated her. "It's like he's just using you!"
"If you think that, than you obviously don't know Lincoln as well as you think you do." Ronnie answered, knowing her response would just piss the other girl off even more.
"What do you mean I don't know Lincoln?! He's my brother!"
"And yet, you think that he's a monstrous enough person to play with the emotions of six girls, for the fun of it."
"I don't think he's a monster!"
"Could have fooled me. You look like you're one step away from chasing him down and snapping both his legs."
Lynn visibly calmed herself. Breathing in deeply and letting it out through her nose.
"Though if you tried to hurt him." Ronnie grabbed her attention again, a chill in her voice. "I'd have to destroy you."
Lynn reeled back in shock, before an hostile snarl twisted her lips and she aggressively invaded Ronnie Anne's space.
"I would never do that." She hissed.
"Oh please. Lincoln's my boyfriend."
"Yeah, you and five other girls." Lynn scoffed, interrupting her.
"Lincoln's my boyfriend." She started again. "We tell each other everything." She leaned forward as well, her face only an inch from Lynn's "You wouldn't hurt him? What about all those times you threatened to beat him with a bat if he didn't do what you told him to do? What about those times you actually beat him with your fists when he refused?"
"Tho-those are different." Lynn stuttered.
"They're not, and you know it."
"I don't have to take this. Get out of my house!" Lynn jabbed her finger towards the door.
"Fine, but only because I'm missing out on some alone time with Lincoln anyway." She rose from her seat, treading across the room, and slipping out the door.
...
The girl across from her frowned grumpily. Of course, she'd been doing that since she came in. From the looks of things, it looked like she'd never smiled in her entire life, and Luan couldn't imagine where she was supposed to have known the girl from.
"So. You're dating Lincoln. How's that going?" She said, breaking the silence for the first time since the other girl, Maggie apparently, came in.
A flash of what might have been happiness, on anyone else, crossed Maggie's face. "Are you seriously asking me that?"
"Uh, I don't know. What else am I supposed to ask?"
"Ask me if I'm happy with him."
"You don't look happy… Like, at all…"
"I would have expected more from an artist like you. You should know that happiness isn't only skin deep."
"Right… I'm sorry, I know this is rude, but it's been bugging me for a while. Where do I know you from?"
"You entertained at my last birthday party."
Thinking about it… "Oh, right. I was a mime, I think."
"Yep."
"Okay, so… Are you happy with Lincoln?"
"I'm happier than I've ever been." Her response was very deadpan, and somehow Luan didn't think that was that high a bar to beat.
"That's good… I guess…"
...
"Hey Sam." Luna rasped in that adorable way she did, when Sam came into the room.
Squeezing a shoulder as she came up to her, she sat down on the bottom bunk beside her second favorite Loud.
"Cool room."
"Yeah…" She seemed to be searching for something to say.
"So, I know why I'm here." Sam began, taking pity on the other girl. "You're all wondering how I got involved with Lincoln."
Luna nodded, gazing at her expectantly.
"It's not that complicated really." She felt a gentle smile settle on her lips. "He can he pretty convincing when he wants to be." Lifting her hand to Luna's back, she gave it a good rub. "He approached me with his plan, and at first I was pretty skeptical. But, you know, why not? He asked me what reason I had to refuse, and I didn't really have one. It wasn't enough to get me to agree, but it was enough that I couldn't flat out refuse." She curled her fingers and scratched her nails lightly across Luna's back. "I thought I might as well try it out. And you know… I can't say I'm unhappy with my choice."
"What if it didn't work out?" Luna asked, her voice wavering.
"I've never felt it was worth worrying about things I can't control."
Luna nodded, dropping her head to look at the floor.
"Hey." She forced Luna to look at her with her hand. "You want to know what convinced me, more than anything else, to try this?
Luna nodded slowly.
"That Lincoln understands what he's asking of us, and he refused to limit our choices." She gazed into Luna's eyes. "If we want to leave him, he loves us enough to let us go, and if we want to date someone else, while we date him, he's not a hypocrite."
Sam's smile widened with Luna's eyes, because she'd told Luna that for one specific reason. Lincoln was her boyfriend, after all, and they told each other everything.
"Would you like to go out with me?" She asked her second favorite Loud.
"Yes." And just like that Luna tied for first.
...
"You're not hurting Lincoln are you?" Leni asked the girl across from her.
"Girl, I would never do that." Carlota answered. "He's too lovable.
"He totes is, isn't he?" Leni agreed.
...
"Well, I'm waiting." Lori sat across from Carol, her arms crossed as she glowered at her.
Carol felt the urge to shrink under her best friends gaze, but gathered her courage and sat up straight.
"I know it looks bad, but I promise I would never hurt Lincoln."
"Than what are you doing Carol?"
"I… When Lincoln came to me with his idea, I thought it was silly. I thought he was joking, until he made it clear to me how serious he was. I refused, at first, of course. I couldn't see myself dating him after all. We're so close." She pointed between to Lori and herself. "That I always felt like Lincoln was My little brother too." She took a deep breath. "I was hoping that my refusing would end it, but it didn't. I found out that it continued on without me. He even managed to get a friend of Luna's in on it! After that, I came back to him and agreed. I was hoping that doing so would allow me close enough to keep an eye on the situation without getting sucked in myself… But…" She couldn't meet Lori's eyes anymore. Dropping her head, to look at her lap. "I couldn't help it. Lincoln's just so mature for his age. He's so kind, and gentle, and loving. He's considerate, and warm. I failed."
"I can see that."
"But." Her spine straightened, as her resolve hardened. "I don't regret it." She matched eyes with Lori. "I'm sorry if it upsets you, but I like him a lot, and if you asked me to break up with him… I don't know what I would do."
Lori studied her closely, and sighed.
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Chapter notes:
I'll explore why Carlota joined more in other pieces. A conversation with Leni was never going to get that detailed though. Not this version of Leni anyway.
I hope the reasons I gave for each girl, who actually explained why they joined, were believable. Make sure to tell me in the comments. I like reading constructive criticism