Hello everyone! It's EAP715, finally back after an extremely long hiatus. I've been extremely busy lately and have also gone through a lot within recent months so I apologize for my absence. Anyways. here is a one-shot that I'm hoping you all enjoy. I recently thought of this idea and wanted to share it with you all. Without further ado, I present to you...
Big Brother to the Rescue
It was a Friday evening in the city of Royal Woods, the end of another long week of work or school for many residents. For the members of the Loud house, this was no different.
The week had proven quite stressful for the parents and children of the Loud residence. In the parents' case, Lynn Sr. had an ever larger number of customers to attend to at his restaurant. His meals had become more popular in Royal Woods, so popular that many people were lining up at his restaurant each day.
As for Rita, she had spent most of her week tending to a client who needed some major dental work. Her client had several cavities, needed a crown, and required a molar removal. Trying to handle all of that labor, on top of assisting other dental clients and tending to her eleven children proved to be brutal for her.
The Loud children were likewise exhausted from a tough week at school. It was all about boring lectures, quizzes that made their brains ache, and piles of reading and homework that almost made them faint.
The good news was that in spite of the Loud family's challenges, everyone had managed to successfully complete the week's work. Leni had managed to score a B on an English exam which had put her brain to the test. Luna had composed a new song with her band and was ready to perform it live the following Tuesday. Luan had managed to do very well on a recent play, despite being a little nervous throughout the performance. Lynn Jr. scored another victory for her soccer team at Royal Woods Middle School, thanks to her daily exercise routine. Lucy had finalized a new poem for her writing club at Royal Woods Elementary. Lola had succeeded at a math exam and completed her week's pageantry practices. Lisa had (yet again) proven her genius through the successful invention of a treatment for most cancers that spared the good, healthy cells in people's bodies. And two-year-old Lily was learning to speak more words and began to socialize with others at preschool. With the week now behind them, all they had to look forward to was a brief, but much needed two days of fun and relaxation. Every Loud member was feeling ecstatic, excited and happy.
Well, almost every Loud member.
A certain seven-year-old Loud girl wasn't feeling content at the moment.
In the case of Lana Loud, the girl was the opposite of happy. She was extremely upset. The tomboy was in her room, crying into her pillow. She had been sobbing this way for about a good half hour and showed no signs of feeling any better.
Something had clearly gone wrong for Lana that day. Earlier in the week, Lana had been very energetic and happy. She had been seemingly having a good time throughout the week and it appeared as if nothing could ruin that sentiment. Yet, here she was now, crying tears of disappointment for who knows why.
"I failed…" Lana muttered to herself softly. "I don't deserve to exist in this world."
Lana must have done poorly at something or must have made a critical mistake during the day. Lana wasn't known to be a troublemaker in the family. That title belonged to her twin Lola who would often blackmail her siblings into doing stuff for her, less they wanted her to torture them. Lana was known to be a very good girl and while she wasn't perfect by any means, she did generally have a positive attitude and treated everyone with kindness.
What could possibly have gone wrong for Lana that day?
12-year-old Lincoln Loud was just arriving home after a fun after-school hangout with his friends at Gus's Games and Grub. The sole son and brother in the Loud family had spent an exciting time with them eating pizza and playing some of their favorite games.
Lincoln was greeted by both of his parents as he walked towards his room. "Evening, kiddo," his dad Lynn Sr. spoke.
"Hey dad!" Lincoln replied.
"How was your day sweetie?" Rita asked.
"Today was awesome! I mean, school was alright, but after school, I hit it up with Clyde, Liam, Rusty, Zach and Stella at Gus's. We had a fun time eating pizza and playing some of our favorite games."
"Wow, sounds like you had a great time!" Lynn Sr. said.
"I sure did!"
"Do you want something to eat?" Rita asked.
"No thanks, I'm still full from that pizza I ate at Gus's. I'm just gonna go hang out in my room," Lincoln politely replied.
"Alright sweetie, but if you want a snack later on, me and your father left something for you in the fridge."
"Thanks mom!" Lincoln happily said, taking off upstairs towards his room. Lincoln was glad to be back home. He looked forward to reading some more Ace Savvy comics and playing video games. He was going to have a great weekend.
Lincoln finally reached the top of the stairs and was about to run into his bed when he heard a faint sound coming from the twins' bedroom. He nearly shrugged it off at first, thinking it was probably Lola and Lana playing together. But when he listened closely, he realized that this wasn't the sound of his younger twin sisters playing.
It sounded like someone weeping.
Lincoln couldn't help but feel his heart break at the sound of one of his sisters crying. As a big brother, he made it his priority to make sure all of his sisters were doing great, especially his five younger sisters. Lincoln had always been close with his younger sisters and he had many good memories of the amazing times he had spent with each of them. He couldn't handle the thought of one of them being upset.
Yet, Lincoln's mind was resonating at the sound of one of his younger sister's sobbing. His big brother instincts kicked in and he decided to do what a big brother should do. Tend to the need of his younger sister.
He quickly dashed to his room to drop off his backpack and darted back to the twins' room to check out what was going on. The door to the room was slightly open and what he saw made him tear up.
He saw Lana Loud crying into her pillow, in a state of distress. Seeing her this way made Lincoln muster the courage to want to talk to her and help her feel better.
He gently knocked on the door and softly said, "Lana? Is everything alright? You look very sad."
"Go away!" Lana replied, though her voice was slightly muffled due to her face still being buried in her pillow. "I don't feel like talking to anyone right now!"
"Lana, if there's something that is bothering you, I think it would be a good idea to talk about it."
"No! I don't want to!" Lana whined.
"Lana, please? I just want to help you feel better. Besides, there won't be anyone else here to hear what you have to say. It'll be just me and you. And if you don't want me to tell anyone else, I promise I'll keep things a secret between us."
The last part that Lincoln said forced Lana to finally lift her face off the pillow and turn towards him.
"Promise?" she asked.
"Promise," Lincoln replied with sincerity.
"Okay, you can come in," Lana finally gave in. Lincoln cast her a warm smile as he made his way into the twins' room. He closed the door behind him to give him and Lana some privacy. He made his way over to Lana's bed where he took a seat beside her. He immediately pulled Lana close to him with his left arm, giving her a warm side embrace for comfort.
"Okay Lans, please tell me, what is making you so upset?" Lincoln calmly asked.
"Well," Lana began to speak, "today was the day when I was going to take my math test."
"Oh, yeah, I remember you told me about that test," Lincoln recalled. "I think you said that this test was a big part of your grade."
"That's right, this test was a big deal for me. I needed to pass the test in order to get a good grade in the class," Lana said. "I literally spent a lot of time yesterday studying for this test. I wanted to make sure I did well."
"I understand, you've always been a hard-worker," Lincoln spoke, having a feeling of what might have upset Lana. But just to make sure his mind wasn't playing any tricks on him, he had to ask the next question, even if it made Lana temporarily feel more sadness.
"So, how did the test go?" Lincoln asked, anticipating what would happen next.
"The test? Well...well…" Lana struggled to say.
"It's okay, you can tell me. No matter how you did, I won't criticize you."
"I-I-I failed the dang math test!" Lana finally spilled out, breaking into tears. "And now I won't pass the second grade! I am so dumb, so so so dumb! How could I mess this up? I don't deserve to live anymore!"
Lincoln couldn't stand hearing his sister berate herself like that. He quickly grabbed Lana and gave her a full, tight hug. Lana didn't hesitate to accept his embrace as she hugged him tightly and cried on his shoulder.
Lincoln gave Lana several minutes to calm down and let all her emotions out. Once Lana had calmed down considerably, he spoke again.
"Lana, I want you to look at my eyes please." The tomboy was hesitant to do so, but eventually looked up at him.
"You are not a failure Lana and you will always deserve to live. Just because you might have failed on a math test doesn't mean you are dumb or that you don't deserve to live."
"But, Lincoln! That test was very important! What will my friends think of me when they find out I failed it?" She then gasped. "What will my parents think about me when they find out I failed the test?! Face it Linc, I'm nothing but a failure!"
"Lana," Lincoln sternly, but calmly said. "Listen to what I'm saying, you are not a failure! That math test does not make you any less smart or any less of who you are." Lana didn't respond, so Lincoln continued. "All of us at some point fail at something in life. You wouldn't know the number of times I've gotten an F on a test or homework assignment."
"Wait, what? YOU have failed in school before?" Lana asked, surprised at this revelation.
"Yes Lans, even I have had my bad days in school. Once I got an F on a history test in 3rd grade that was worth 20% of my grade. I felt very upset when I got the F and I thought the same things that you are. I thought that I was a failure and that I would never succeed in life. It turns out though that getting that F wasn't the end of the world."
"It wasn't?" Lana inquired.
"Nope. It turns out that my teacher was understanding and he kindly let me retake the test on a different day. And what do you know? I got an A the second time."
"Wow!" Lana said. "That's amazing that your 3rd grade teacher let you retake the test for a better grade!"
"Indeed! I was so relieved that I wouldn't have to flunk the 3rd grade," he chuckled.
"Well, maybe you were lucky, but what about me? I don't think my teacher will let me retake the test."
"Lana, you don't know that for sure. I'm willing to bet that your teacher would be happy to let you retake the math test. I'm pretty sure that your teacher wants you to pass the 2nd grade."
"Well, maybe, but what do I do? How do I get her to give me another test?" Lana asked with doubt in her tone.
"Just do what I did. Ask the teacher. Tell her that you really want to pass 2nd grade because you care about school. Tell her that you really care about doing good and succeeding in life. I'm sure that if you tell her that, she'll give you a second chance."
Those words of encouragement made Lana feel a tinge of hope.
"And just remember what I said earlier. No math test, or any test will ever make you any less of a person. You're Lana Loud. You are an expert mechanic and animal lover. You are a truly amazing person Lana and a stupid dang test won't change that."
"Really? Do you really think so?"
"Yes Lana. To me, you will always be my awesome sis," Lincoln told her with full sincerity. Lana then gave him another tight hug.
"You're the best Linc. I don't know what I would do without you. Thank you for helping me feel better," she said in appreciation. She then gave him a soft peck on his cheek.
"Anything for you Lans," Lincoln replied, blushing a bit from her kiss. "You can always count on me if you need anything."
"I really appreciate it Linc. You're the best big brother anyone could ask for."
"And you're an awesome sis that anyone would love to have."
"Aww, Linc," Lana smiled shyly.
"I really mean it Lans," Lincoln affirmed. Lana then gave him one more hug before getting off her bed.
"Thanks again Lincoln, I owe you one," she said as she left her room and headed downstairs for a snack.
"Mission accomplished," Lincoln thought to himself as he left the twins' room and went towards his own room. He gave himself a big smile of satisfaction as he prepared to play some video games before calling it a day.
It was now 9:30 PM. Most of the Loud children were now in their rooms getting ready to sleep. Lincoln was among the last of the Louds to slip into bed. Just as he was about to shut his eyes, he heard a soft knock on his door.
"Come in," he said. The door opened to reveal none other than Lana.
"Oh hi Lana! Do you need something?"
"Nah. I just came to ask if you don't mind me having a sleepover with you tonight."
"Ehh, I don't mind at all, but what's the occasion?" Lincoln asked curiously.
"I just wanted to spend the night with my favorite big brother," Lana sweetly phrased. Lincoln couldn't help but feel touched by Lana's kind words. How could he refuse her request?
"My room is your room Lans. Help yourself!" Lincoln said, making room for Lana in his bed. Lana then hopped in beside him and Lincoln pulled the covers over them. Lana then made herself comfortable, opting to scoot right onto Lincoln's side and rest her head on his chest.
"Good night Linc. I love you so much," Lana whispered.
"I love you too Lana," he replied, gently stroking Lana's blonde hair. Within just minutes, Lana had fallen asleep. Lincoln then placed a soft kiss on her forehead and shut his eyes.
"Sweet dreams Lana," he whispered softly, falling asleep soon after.
The End.
Author's footnote: With that, I really hope you enjoyed this one-shot! I welcome and appreciate any feedback you have. As it stands, I still have a tough few weeks to deal with at the moment, but once things start to come into order in my life, I hope to once again pick up on publishing stuff on this site. It's been a pleasure posting for you all and I'm always happy to read a lot of other work on this site (even if I can't comment on it all).
Anyways, thanks for reading my one-shot! I will keep you all updated on any potential new stories!