Chapter Seven: Trial and Error
"You might assume that I've been in combat or something, but no, it was just a brief two-year assignment when I was right out of high school. I was a technician for the motor pool in California. Camp Pendleton," Lincoln mentioned, and smiled knowingly, before turning to show the patch on his shoulder.
"I just like the jacket, now." It was warm and stylish.
"But it was my contacts in the military that landed me my current job, the base press correspondent noticed my drawing skills and eventually petitioned his manager to hire me into the funnies," he explained, but shrugged.
"Anyway, I'd love to hear more of your story, we'll go back and forth or something," he said, and Grouse nodded curtly.
"So you might assume that things after the fact with Luna were awkward, since she came onto me when she was drunk... But no, actually, it was fine. If anything, we were closer together, I understood her better and she loved me more for being so understanding." Lincoln decided there were a few details he'd leave out... But his memory was still strong on the subject.
Of course, the little secret about that night brought up his blush, which was pretty obvious on his pale cheeks, but he knew Mister Grouse's eyes weren't what they used to be.
"Luan, though... Well, things just got worse with her..."
The kids had been summoned into the living room to be addressed by their parents, just after the New Year. By now, Luan had already been bothering some of them, she had shot Lisa with a BB gun, and she was the youngest aside from Lily, so of course she'd been upset. Lana had, at some point, complained that a bucket-over-the-door prank had contained milk instead of water, which had ruined her favorite shirt when, even after washing it, the milk that didn't come out had spoiled.
There was definitely something very off about the whole situation. Luan was out of the house, for now, performing for a child's birthday party.
"Kids," their mother started, a look of concern plastered over her features as she glanced briefly to their father, whom nodded gently.
"We've got some bad news."
Their dad looked at them with a sad smile, his eyes drooping with emotion.
"Yesterday, I was laid off. The company has been making some budget changes, and, well, they figured I was expendable around the office." There was some chatter from the children.
"Bummer, dude!" Luna shouted roughly, she knew what this meant. It had happened once when Lucy was a baby, and only she, Lori, Luan, and Leni really remembered it.
"We... We won't be able to afford Luan's medication for awhile," their mother added, and Lincoln noticed the look on Luna's face was one of pure horror. He remembered, just awhile ago, what that had been like... And suddenly he started to worry too.
"Kids, if you didn't know already... Luan is schizophrenic. She can't go long without medication before she hears things, sees things... Normally, it's totally fine, normally, she's on her meds. A bit touchy with her emotions, maybe, because of the side effects, but..." She trailed off, and Lincoln sunk into the couch.
'This is bad,' he thought, his mind reeling. He already knew that Luan had a weird quirk of video taping him at the worst of times, he really hoped it didn't get out of hand or something.
"Kids, if she's having an episode, the best thing you can do is to tell her that she's seeing things. Calm her down, talk to her. Ensure her of what is real, and what's not," Lynn Sr. said, and he looked to Lincoln.
"Lincoln, you're her only brother, so I expect you to be responsible while we're out, be the man of the house, and keep an eye on her." He nodded.
"Luna, you know what to do about this," he continued, and she nodded as well.
"Lucy." Now, he got on his knee, and reached a hand to grasp her shoulder.
"You're not familiar with this side of Luan. It's very important that you do not bring up anything related to something dark, or sad, as these can trigger her mind into a bad place." Lincoln's younger sister nodded, too, and Lynn sighed audibly.
"Does this mean she's going to hit me again?" she questioned in irritation, and Lincoln shot her a dirty look.
"No, I won't let that happen," Lincoln swore, and his face softened. Lynn was strong, and athletic, sure, but when Luan slipped, she was incredibly dangerous, he knew that. But, he was sure it wouldn't be too hard, considering she'd never think to hit her brother... Right?
"Lana, Lola, just stay out of her way if you suspect anything is wrong. And Lisa?"
"Yesh?" she questioned.
"NO STUDIES!" came the firm order, from both parents, and she blushed, smiled, but nodded. She'd been caught, she was already planning on it. Everyone in the room, save the parents, was sure she didn't expect to honor that agreement.
"Leni, if you happen to be the one dealing with Luan, just call Lori and she'll head over to help you, okay?" Rita said, and Leni nodded too.
"Well... That's all we have for you kids. Pizza for dinner."
At the mention of pizza, eyes darted about suspiciously. The fight over slices was real, especially in times when money was tight. But it cleared up shortly.
"Have a good day, kids, your mom is off to work, and I'm off to find a new job," their father told them, and they all said goodbye as their parents left together.
"DAMNIT!" Luna exclaimed once they were out of earshot, and everyone looked to her, save Leni, whom wandered up to her room.
"What are we going to do, Luna?" Lincoln asked, she had the most experience with this sort of thing.
"There's nothing we can do, Lincoln," she said sadly, and Lucy groaned.
"I wish I got to see ghosts and stuff..." Luna glared at her and shook her head.
"You really don't. Anyway, get back to your stuff, lil' ones. Go on, get. And don't bother Luan when she's around!" Everyone cleared out except for her and Lincoln.
The look she gave him was unmistakable when they were alone, and he blushed.
"Knock it off, Luna," he muttered, and she smirked.
"Sorry, can't help it. I know what your face looks like when it happens," she prattled, and he groaned, himself.
"Let's just watch TV, please?" he offered, and she nodded in agreement, taking her place on the couch and using him as a pillow again while they caught reruns of their favorite shows.
In about half an hour or so, a car pulled up, and dropped off whom they could only assume was Luan. Sure enough, it was, and she walked in, laughing. The siblings on the couch looked toward each other, then back to Luan as Luna sat up.
"Wow, what a blast! Don't you think so?" Luan asked, but the problem was, she wasn't looking at either of them.
"Oh, hey guys!" Then she regarded her brother and older sister, walking over to them with a bounce in her step. She got on her knees in front of the couch, and smoothed her skirt, smiling up at them with that brace-filled grin.
"Hi Luan," Luna started, her voice rather normal considering the conversation they'd just had with their parents.
"Something wrong, Lincoln?" Luan asked, tilting her head a bit too much while looking at him. He shook his own head in response.
"Nothing," he said, and she nodded once.
"So, Luna, they told everyone, didn't they?" Lincoln was suddenly surprised, it was like she'd known just by his face. Luna, of course, nodded, and shrugged.
"Of course they did, Luan. You know the drill. So do I. Come here."
Luan slid onto the couch and his sisters exchanged a tight hug. When they parted, Luna yanked him in between the two of the girls, whom used either of his shoulders as pillows as the TV channel was flipped to something new.
Lincoln couldn't really focus on the TV right now, sandwiched between his sisters as Luna just stayed still, content, but Luan was snuggling up against him pretty actively.
"It's too bad you missed my performance earlier, Linky," she purred, and then started to giggle again.
"You're right, it is dangerous to go alone, Miss Fairy. Here, Linc, take this," she chimed out of the blue, and reached into the pocket on her shirt only to hand him a hand buzzer. Her lips neared his ear, tickling the tiny hairs along the shell of it as he set the object down beside himself on the couch, forgetting to ever pick it back up.
"It's to stop the faceless guy." Her eyes darted about the room, and then she turned to look over her shoulder.
"Oh, hey Lynn," she exclaimed, and the other middle child bound down the stairs two-by-two, common for her. She pulled up on the couch, next to Luan.
"Hey Luan. How are things?" she asked, for some reason, Lynn seemed to be trying to be friendly, even after the incident had happened.
"What's that supposed to mean," quipped Luan, shortly, her eyes narrowing at her sister, who became agitated.
"N-Nothing, I uh... I'm just curious?" she offered, but Lincoln intervened. There need not be a repeat of the summer. He stood up and pushed Luan sideways against Luna again, the older teen absorbing her into an embrace all the same, using his brotherly body to block his beloved sibling from the begrudging one.
"You know, guys," he interjected, "Lola took first place in that competition last week."
Luan nodded. She fiddled with her hair, then her collar, then her shoe laces, but seemed more or less lost to the notion. Lynn tried to breach the silence while Luna picked at her teeth.
"Lola always gets first place. I swear, if she didn't, she'd flip and destroy the whole house."
That had been true on several occasions. Lincoln added a laugh, but again, nothing from Luan. He grew concerned.
"Hey, Luan, didn't you just get a new magic set? It's been months, but... You've never shown me!" This got her attention, and she perked up. He made sure to put a hand on her shoulder, holding her attention.
She gasped, but nodded. "You're right!" she exclaimed, then shot up and tugged him up too, Luna's sidelong glance seemed disinterested. The musical teen pressed a button on the remote and flipped the channel. Lynn pulled her legs up under her chin, allowing them to pass with a rather alert look on her face. Lincoln felt his pity.
Luan dragged him up the stairs, which he allowed for, and pulled his hand away when they'd reached the top, letting her guide him into her room. He stepped in first, but the door shut immediately and he heard the click of the lock, and wheeled around.
Luan was looking at him much like one might observe an animal about to become tonight's dinner.
She stalked for him, her hand pressing up against his chest, just her fingertips, as she shoved him back onto her bed.
"Luan?" he asked, and she cackled gleefully.
"So, Lincoln, plotting to get me alone, much?" she tried, and he shook his head.
"No, I just wanted to see your..." His voice died down when he started to understand what she'd been implying. She went for her VHS tapes, grasping one in particular, which she began to speak about.
"This is from that time when you decided it would be okay to 'play' with Ronnie Anne while mom and dad were home," she uttered, and sauntered gingerly toward him. Her hips swayed, casting her skirt to the side before it fell toward her hips once more.
"I know what you're up to, Lincoln... And I know what you did to Luna."
He blushed deeply, but raised a finger in resistance.
"You mean what she did to me!" he corrected, and she frowned.
"That's not what she said, but..." She tossed the tape back into place in it's formation.
"Luan, what are you getting at?" She moved to loom over him, and that metallic smile came back. She didn't seem imposing, though, like he'd expected, instead she seemed relatively normal.
"Linc... I don't know," she admitted, still cheerful.
"But for some reason..." She pushed him back again, and mounted him, her legs on either side of his hips. Her hands pinned his wrists. He looked up at her in fear, mostly, but her expression gentled.
"Oh, Lincoln... How much I've waited for you to acknowledge me," she started, "to tell me I'm the only one who brightens your day, they tell me it's true."
He assumed 'they' were the ones she could hear, but nobody else seemed to manage.
"Oh, how I long for just one kiss..." She dipped her head closer, closing her eyes, lips nearing his flesh, which heated, his head pushing back into the bed as he tried to delay the inevitable when... Suddenly, the door burst open.
Luna closed it, stomped in, and yanked Luan off of him, and tossed her at his side on the bed. She whimpered in disdain.
"Damnit, Luan, I told you this is NOT how to get what you want."
She pouted, but sat up, legs folded back to either of the sides of her hips, glancing between Lincoln and her older sister.
Luna rolled her eyes.
"Don't give me that puppydog shit," she protested, apparently, she really did know more about Luan than any of the others in the family. It was like she'd had a sixth sense to suddenly appear right when he was surely doomed to a second of his siblings taking what they wanted from him.
Lincoln looked at Luna, his eyes uncertain. She caught his gaze, and smirked.
"Look, you're not even thinking about Linc's feelings," she chided, eyes darting back to Luan, "don't just pin him down and expect total control. What is it that one thing asked you? 'Why does a cat chase a moth?' Well, you and I both know it's to get what it wants, so don't treat him like a toy. That's my job." She grinned devilishly, and he blushed again, sinking back into the pillows.
"Why the heck do you two talk about me like I'm not even here?" Lincoln asked, and Luna, for a second, was disarmed.
"This isn't new," she stated, glancing to Luan, whom was tidying her skirt again, before sitting in that elegant way, just watching Lincoln.
"Like hell it isn't to me," the boy mentioned, and Luna rolled her shoulders, then stroked her chin.
"Fair enough, little bro... Look... Luan has a crush on you, but we're not entirely sure it's founded in the right sort of feelings."
He bristled, and decided to attack that logic.
"Then what the hell do you call what you did?!" he cried, and she shook her head.
"Not like that. I just wanted to get you off, it was fun for me. For her... It's different."
This time, Luan decided to finally chime in, for a second she'd looked like she was considering something, but now her attention rested back on the conversation at hand.
"Luna's a slut," she stated simply, and the girl growled angrily, but didn't bother denying it.
"I, dear Lincoln, want to prove to you that..." she trailed, and then moved closer, pulling him so he was laying against her chest. Her soft breasts were bigger than Luna's, he noticed, but still, he felt uncomfortable suddenly.
"Luan, don't be an idiot," Luna chimed, and moved to sit on the bed next to the two of them.
"Lincoln, is she bugging you?" she further questioned, and he shook his head, and relaxed against his sister.
"No... We should let her be. She doesn't have her meds. Isn't this normal for her?" he questioned, and for a moment Luan looked offended, but then shrugged in agreement. Luna sighed, but nodded.
"I guess if she wants to be affectionate, we should let her." Luan nuzzled into Lincoln's neck, and it made him feel oddly comforted, however a bit mistrusting. Were Luan's intentions the same as Luna's, and even then, after that night, why was she permitting this affection from her roommate?
Lincoln shifted to be more comfortable as Luan clung to him, he could smell her... It was pleasant, like roses or daisies. He finally conceded to just wrap an arm around her and tug her against his chest. She sighed softly.
"Glad she's not trying to molest you or something," Luna stated hypocritically, and fetched her guitar, starting to tune it and watching them over.
Luan, suddenly getting a burst of energy, sat up, and looked around, then moved to grab her magic set. She set it in front of Lincoln.
"I forgot this was why we came here," she stated, seeming to wane from her strange behavior at least for a moment. She pulled out a deck of cards, and fanned them out into a half circle.
"Pick one," she challenged, and he glanced between her and the pile, deciding she was serious enough, before he selected a card and, careful not to show her or even Luna, held it up in front of himself to see.
It was the four of clubs.
Luan, much to his surprise, stared at the back of the card, unmoving, unblinking. One of her hands roamed over the half-circle, as she seemed to concentrate, before she closed her eyes, then nodded with a smile.
"Four of clubs," she stated, and Lincoln's mouth dropped.
"What? How did you know?" he wondered, and she shrugged.
"Lucky guess," she lied, and he frowned. What the hell was that?
"Haha, she did the thing," Luna said from somewhere in the room, accompanied by a strum of her instrument. Lincoln blinked.
"The thing?" he questioned, searching Luan's face. The comedian nodded.
"Wanna go again?" she asked, and he begrudgingly agreed to do so. He handed her back the card, and she shuffled the deck, thoroughly, before she fanned them out on the bed again.
This time, he drew the ten of hearts.
She rubbed at her temples, looking between him and the deck. It took her a few seconds before she said anything, but then she suddenly brightened.
"Oh, I know, it's how you see our family!" she exclaimed, and when he flipped it to her, she chuckled. "Ten of hearts, awwww, Lincoln loves usss..."
Luna gave an amused grunt when Luan tackled Lincoln to the bed, her lips finding his forehead. The gesture was more sweet than unwanted, but he was still very confused.
"Luna, how the hell does she know this stuff," he questioned, and she shrugged.
"When she's off her meds, she just does," the eldest in the room stated, plucking slow melodies of a more melancholic nature. The boy didn't know how to continue that line of reasoning. Luan kissed him on his cheeks, and snuggled into him.
"I love you, Lincoln," she purred, and he blushed.
"Luan, please..." She leaned back, and pinned his shoulders with her hands.
"Lincoln, does this bother you?" she asked, rather bluntly, and he nodded slowly.
"In what way?"
"Well, you're a girl, Luan, and... Um, I'm just not used to it." Luna snickered, and he shot her a look.
"She's not helping."
The musician continued her melody, before it dipped into a full blown song, and to his surprise, she sang out in another language.
"C'est le malaise du moment
L'épidémie qui s'étend
La fête est fini on descend
Les pensées qui glacent la raison
Paupières baiseés, visage gris
Surgissent les fantômes de notre lit
On ouvre le loquet de la grille
Du taudis qu'on appelle maison...
Protect me from what I want
Protect me from what I want..."
The melody was entrancing, the language of love thick in his ears, when Luan finally decided she would kiss him right on the lips, much to his dismay. Now, it was solidified that not just one, but two of his siblings had feelings for him, and he still didn't know what to feel at all.
But he couldn't deny the fact that it wasn't unpleasant.
Luan rocked back when she was satisfied, and chuckled. Luna didn't seem to care at all. Lincoln was wondering how he'd let himself get into this situation. He was glad Lucy probably hadn't seen that, as neither of the more experienced girls had stopped to address her. Both of them knew when the snoopy girl was around, it seemed, but he wondered now what was to become of him.
The look on Luan's face, with those half-lidded eyes, that cute brace-face smile, he swallowed the knot in his throat.
"I told you you didn't ask him how he felt," Luna piped up again, and Luan sighed, before she reeled with the thoughts of what she'd just done.
"Oh, Lincoln! I'm sorry!" she let him up, but he was more concerned about her suddenly than he was what she'd done.
"What? It's okay, Luan... You're off your meds."
She grabbed his shoulders, staring at him intensely.
"I would've done it anyway," she said, but then pulled him in for what was probably the most intense kiss he'd ever had, until that point. Guilt ran through him as Ronnie Anne's lack of experience jumped to his mind, he liked this better, Luan's hands held him firmly along his back and she seemed so very serious.
When they parted again, Luna growled softly.
"Look, I'm not going to let you two go ape-shit in my room. Knock it off, Luan," she muttered, and the comedian backed off, leaving Lincoln blushing and nervous.
"Sorry," Luan offered, and he looked between the two girls.
"Okay..." he started, the reality of it all finally hitting him.
"WHY are you two messing with me so much?!" he exclaimed, and with a sigh, Luna set her guitar aside.
"We're not messing with you, bro," she said, and stood, walking slowly toward him.
"Did Mom and Dad never teach you about this kind of thing?" She wasn't surprised considering their big family... Maybe they'd never had time, and he was a boy, so it wasn't as important?
She sat next to him, opposite Luan. Luan grabbed his hand and held it, and Luna watched him carefully.
"Girls are impossible to understand," the musician stated bluntly, but Luan nodded diligently in agreement.
"Sometimes, we want to gouge your eyes out with our thumbs, but the next moment, maybe, we want to toy with you until your head explodes. We want to hurt you, we want to see you smile, we want your life to be interesting... It makes no sense, so trying is beyond not worth it." She leaned in, her lips brushing his ear.
"We just like watching you squirm sometimes..."
Luan coughed in disagreement, and tugged Lincoln away from Luna.
"I don't! I just like seeing him blush." Never mind the fact there were many ways to accomplish that, he guessed.
"But... Guys, I'm with Ronnie Anne, and... And..."
"Lincoln, don't be an idiot. You're not in love with her. You're not even out of school yet. Do you really think that you will be with her forever?" This made his face twist up, and Luan gasped in mock horror.
"Luna, don't be a jerk! You're scaring him... Poor Lincoln, come here..."
She dragged him ever closer, pulling his head against those soft breasts again. He blushed once more.
"I... I mean, I guess so," he stated. Sure, he liked Ronnie Anne, but when he really thought about it, years down the line, what would they be doing? Would they really be together?
Luna smiled at him.
"Now you get it. We're just here, offering you some options... Teaching you," she said, and her hand pinched his butt, getting a yelp from him and a possessive drag from Luan until he was out of arm's reach from Luna.
"But... Why don't I get a say in any of this?"
Luna laughed heavily.
"I don't want you to," she admitted, "but why not try Luan, then? Ever thought of asking her about that?"
Luan continued to turn him into a living teddy-bear.
Eventually, he succumbed to the treatment, and sank against her, letting her embrace relax him. He found that her gentleness, softness, was very endearing, and he felt warm, and safe. Luna just watched, curious about it.
Luan eventually released him slowly, and clambered over him again.
"Lincoln," she asked, half-lidded eyes looking him over as she grinned down at him.
"Did you like what Luna gave you...?" she asked, and the redness that spread about his face was traced by her fingers as it expanded.
"I, uhm..." He figured that either she'd spied on them, or Luna had told her. Luckily, she cleared that up.
"She said your face was adorable," she mentioned, and he frowned.
"Adorable? I'm not some kitten you can-" she pushed a finger to his lips.
"Not like that."
Luan's other hand slid up his shirt. He gasped, and his back arched, then she pulled it back out, her nails gently scraping. He squirmed, and the finger on her lips slid to tip his chin up.
"That's what I mean," she said, almost hungrily.
Luna knew plenty about Luan, but she hadn't expected her to be so tempting. She decided it best to return to her guitar, and played them a light melody while Luan got her jollies from toying with her younger brother.
Lincoln panted gently as he came to a still when her hand retreated, and she moved off of him, letting him up, chuckling softly.
"It's not fair..."
"Lincoln..."
Luan moved in such a way that her legs were to the side, and he got a view up her plaid skirt, as she leaned back, and reached behind her head, withdrawing the tie which held up her pony tail. The sixteen-year-old's hair flowed suddenly about her shoulders, in complete contrast to her roommate's short cut, he had rarely ever seen such a sight from Luan, but her beauty was evident. His blush only worsened.
"You can touch anywhere you want," she offered, focused on him so intensely that he grew anxious.
Luna played a sharp, awkward chord.
"Luan, I'm sitting right here!" she reminded, and the comedian shrugged.
"I just want Linc to be happy..." She grinned as his eyes were locked on her underwear, but then she wrapped her legs together, and he cleared his throat nervously.
"Lincoln likes it," she mentioned, and Luna rolled her eyes.
"I don't give a shit. Fuck with him some other time, your priorities are messed up, Lu." The comedian pouted, but obliged, standing, and heading for the door. She paused, her hips sticking back out toward Lincoln, the curve of her backside apparent in the folds of her skirt as she looked at him knowingly from over her shoulder.
"Maybe some other time then, Linc," she almost promised, and he gulped. The omen was distressing to say the least. What was even worse, is that she'd succeeded in exactly what she'd been trying to do; his skin was flushed, he was turned on, though he hadn't quite started to pitch a tent, he was still thinking about everything very vividly.
Luan left the room, closing the door gently behind her, and Luna sighed.
"I swear, she's gunna fuck this up for you, Lincoln," she stated, and he looked over at her.
"What?"
"She wants to steal your virginity," she noted, and he frowned deeply. Seriously?
"Don't look at me like that. This is Luan we're talking about, not some idiot who doesn't know what they're doing. She's manipulative, Linc. She will get what she wants if you don't watch it. She already got to you just now, see?" He could feel it, of course, his passion was inflamed, his hormones burning.
"Linc... I'm sorry..." He sighed softly in response.
"Luna, it's okay. I just... I'm new to this. I don't know what to think."
"Do you need my help?" she asked, her intent fairly obvious.
"N-no!" he bristled, though the memories of the feelings she'd made him experience dripped back into his mind.
"Well, okay... but don't let it frustrate you. You know I'm here for you, bro. It's not like it matters much to me, you know that... Free love comes with no prices." He nodded, and she showed her concern in her eyes. What did he ever do to deserve such sisters? The comment was both meant in a positive and negative light in his mind, he found, and he sighed before he stood.
"I'm going to go see what Lynn and Lucy are up to. If Luan comes back, tell her thanks for making me happy," he mentioned, and she saluted him with two fingers as he left the room.
[Author's Note: HON HON HON HON HON!
CHEERS FOR 3,500 VIEWS AND CLIMBING! I'm glad you guys love this so much, it's a blast to write! Thanks for reading, again!]
