The Loud House: Memory of A Promise
Part 1: Recorded Memory Chapter: 3 Surfacing Awkwardness
Disclaimer: I do not own "The Loud House"
August 6, 2017 Loud House, Living Room Sunday Evening
The tape went in, the screen displaying clear blue with the words play in white in the upper-right corner. After a second or two the family video started, showing a glimpse of the past as the Loud siblings simply sat and watched.
"Aw, it's us on the couch.", Luan said while bringing in Lynn and Luna in for a hug.
"Hm, just waiting for Lincoln to pop up.", Luna added as she stared at the screen.
As the camera shifted towards Linc and Lucy, Lynn formed a grin.
"Aw, wook at wittle Wincoln with his wittle Wucy~.", She said mockingly, making Lincoln pout with blushed cheeks.
Lucy also blushing, smirked, happy her brother spent time with her even as infants and added it to one of the many reasons why she favored Linc so.
Meanwhile Lori watched the screen the entire time with absolute attention, wondering why the video made her feel so anxious. A buzz kept rocking in the back of her head that, even though she couldn't remember, this was something important to her. Then as if answering her she, her brother, and sisters saw her younger self burst onto the screen crying.
They all watched fervently now, interested to see where the video was going as a young Linc adamantly spoke out. "Lori you're not ugly! You're beautiful!"
The young boys past statement sent an odd spark through Lori's heart as her cheeks flushed a crimson red.
Lynn and Luan were set on teasing their elder sister until they heard him speak out again. "Uh-huh. The other most beautiful girls in the world are Leni, Luna, Luan, Lynn and Lucy."
The same spark that had stricken Lori now coursed through the other aforementioned Loud girls, each matching the same shade of red as her.
They tried to regain their composure but failed miserably as they were yet again flustered by even more of past Lincoln's words. "I'll marry you … Promise with all my heart. I'll marry all of you and take care of you so you can have fun all day and be happy."
As the scene came to an end they each sat there dumbfounded with mouths agape, Linc included, the difference being him sweating out bullets for being the center of topic in the video.
"Oh great!" He thought. "Here comes the teasing now."
He waited as he closed his eyes in preparation. "... Any second."
A few more seconds passed by. "… Eerily quiet."
Curiosity getting the better of him, he slowly opened his eyes and looked around, eyeing Luna first. She was as stiff as a board and her mouth was partially open in shock, her complexion a burgeoning red with eyes that stared off into the distance. Lincoln shifted his gaze towards his other sisters and saw each with the a similar expression, save for the four youngest girls.
The awkward silence remained till Lola spoke up and shattered the unsettling veil. "Hey, wait a minute!"
The sudden noise startled the blushing girls, snapping them back into reality.
"Uh, yes Lola?", Linc nervously asked.
"I'm supposed to be the prettiest girl in the world! Also, how come your not marrying me right now?! I'm clearly the best choice!"
Lincoln was at a loss for words, still taken aback by the video, and Lola's innocent view on how she was downplaying the significance of a marriage proposal wasn't helping.
Lola took his babbling stuttering as an admission of guilt and got up.
"I expect a nice clean proposal by next weeks end!", The bratty princess demanded before she headed back to her room.
One by one the rest of the siblings followed suit, each heading to their respective rooms saying and doing nothing, aside from Lisa who was jotting down notes on everyone's current visual state.
After everyone's departure Leni and Linc remained silently on the couch, the latter starting to realize the former's presence. He took a closer look at Leni and noticed upon closer inspection that though she was as red in the face as the others, she seemed rather elated.
"Uh Leni?" Lincoln called out worriedly. "You ok?"
Leni popped back from her little daydream she slipped into and looked at her brother, the deep loving gaze she quickly gave making him nervous again.
Without warning she flung herself at him enveloping him in a tight hug. "Oh Lincy~!"
"Bwah! L-leni?!", Linc stammered while he returned to his former shade of red again while Leni rubbed her cheek against his.
"Lincoln, I'm so sorry I forgot your promise."
"W-why do you feel you need to be sorry?"
"Like, because since I forgot about it I ended up dating a bunch of guys. Nothing happened between any of them though, I promise!", She answered while finally releasing him.
Linc held a befuddled look. "Uh, why would that concern me?"
Leni smiled and looked away shyly. "Because silly, aren't you going to marry me when your old enough?"
He just blankly stared at her thinking this was just a joke. Then again he realized, it was Leni, half the time she lost her train of thought mid-sentence.
"You're not joking, are you?", Lincoln asked nervously.
"Like, I would never joke about marriage Linc! You only get married once after all~."
He was about to correct her but instead decided to focus on the important matter at hand. "Leni, we can't get married."
"Huh? Why?"
"Because we're brother and sister, you know blood related."
"So?"
"So? It's something society frowns deeply on is why."
Leni simply frowned as she tried to understand what he meant forcing a sigh from him as his eyes drifted to the side. "Leni look, we just can't get married trust me."
"But Lincy ..." Leni protested as he looked back at her and froze up. "Don't you love me?"
"Ba, ba, ba."
All words left Lincoln as he could only work up gibberish to mutter as he gazed at her. She seemed totally different as she uttered her affections, her eyes portraying her full emotion and thought of longing for him. If only for a moment he viewed her in a different light outside of familial ties for the first time in his life.
Leni's eyes remain locked on him wanting nothing more than to be with her loving brother, a boy, no, a man she could trust. He was always kind to her and took the time to explain things, she even eventually obtained her driver's license in no small part to his efforts. As she thought this she couldn't help but be angry with herself for forgetting such an important promise he made to her all those years ago, though he was always her everything even if she did forget about that.
"Do you?", Leni repeated, desperately wanting an answer from Linc.
He gulped and tried to figure out something slick he could say as quick as possible to get out of this situation without hurting one of the most innocent souls he had ever known. Thinking giving a false sense of approval would be the best solution to work, he cleared his throat and hoped his words would suffice.
"Of course I love you Leni, I always have and will. Though, this isn't something we have to worry about at least for another six years.", Lincoln responded, hoping that over time Leni would forget this whole debacle had ever happened.
Leni beamed with joy with his answer. "Aw thank you Linc and you're totes right; I still need to pick out everyone's dresses for their weddings anyway."
Lost in his own thoughts Linc gave himself a mental high-five for getting out of this precarious situation and was about to leave when he noticed Leni's face inching closer. As she neared she gently closed her eyes and puckered her lips to which he could only take as a desire to kiss.
"Oh god!", He thought while freezing up again.
As Leni was passing the point of being nearly an inch away from kissing her beloved a horn honk came from outside. Lynn Sr. had just arrived back home from work with a bundle of food in the backseats.
He got off vanzilla and opened up her side doors as he shouted towards the house. "Hey kids! Can someone help me bring in these leftovers while they're still hot?!"
Leni pouted and retracted away from Lincoln as the loving tension was ruined from hearing her sisters coming down the steps.
"Aw boo.", She muttered before she got up and went outside to help her father.
Linc got up and wiped his brow as he let out a sigh of relief for dodging yet another bullet while he headed towards the front door, stopping when he crossed path with his sisters, in particular Lucy and his older sisters. They stared at each other and blushed as they shot their eyes in any other direction instead of at each other. With focus facing anywhere but forward they then awkwardly squeezed through the front door outside to help with the rest of the leftovers.
Loud House, Dining Room Sunday Evening
As the rest of the evening played out the air of awkwardness still loomed over the majority of the siblings. While they ate their father's work cooked meals they couldn't help but take a peek at Lincoln and he back at them. Their eyes never met but each had a feeling they were looking at one another.
"Uh, did something happen after your mother and I left?", Lynn Sr. asked.
Linc was the first to answer much to his own surprise. "Oh, we just watched some old home movies and I think we're just a bit embarrassed from all the awkward moments we witnessed."
"Oh? Haha yeah, there are some real kickers in there.", Lynn Sr. chuckled as he grinned then continued to eat.
After dinner the Loud children each went upstairs passing by their mother who had just arrived back home, exhausted from a long day.
"Hey kids, how was dinner?" Rita asked, only to receive some grunts here and there as they continued upstairs. "Sounds like you guys had a lot of fun wasting energy today. Rest well everyone, love you!"
Upon reaching the top the sibling group divided, heading into their individual rooms without saying a word similar to earlier. Lincoln was about to follow suit and retire to his room until he caught sight of Leni still sporting a pout from his peripheral. He pondered for a few seconds and sighed at what he was going to do, solely because he hated seeing her like this.
He tugged at her shirt to get her attention and gestured to her to wait for a few seconds while each sibling slammed their door shut before he whispered for her to come closer. Leni, simply thinking he was going to tell her something, turned her head to the side and got close to him. Her eyes then went wide and a giddy smile formed across her face as Linc gave her a deep kiss on her cheek.
"Rest well Leni.", He mumbled in as stoic a tone his nerves would allow after his lips parted from her skin.
In response she immediately picked up Lincoln and embraced him in a hug, returning the given affection to his own cheek and announcing her love in a whisper. "I love you Lincy~."
Fully content, Leni released him and resumed her trek to her room with a smile and blush plastered on her face.
Linc placed his hand on his cheek and smiled as he saw Leni walk away with renewed pep in her step. Whatever repercussions his actions just now may have sown at least she was happy for now and that was most important to him. He then turned and entered his room, instantly crashing on his bed and slipping lazily out of his clothes down to his briefs afterwards.
Silence soon took over the household as its occupants turned in for the night, or at least some did as Lincoln and a few sisters couldn't sleep. The enveloping darkness allowed their minds to clearly wander about the events that transpired today as they couldn't help but wonder why that particular video of Linc's promise affected them so. They each contemplated with themselves long into the night on why they were so anxious about it, in the end each coming to a realization in their own self-discovered answers that left them with even more troubling feelings.
Leni on the other hand unlike her sisters slept like a baby soon as her head hit her pillow, drifting peacefully into slumber as she subconsciously continued her daydream from earlier after seeing Lincoln's video. She fantasized about herself adorned in a wedding dress of her own making while being carried by a much older Lincoln towards their new abode. The scenario that played out in the perky blondes dream made her toss and turn in her sleep as she clutched her bedsheets and breathed heavily.
"Lincy~.", Leni mumbled in a salacious tone.