Author's Notes:
I put this off for nearly a year and a half for two reasons. First, I hadn't finished I Am Not a Pervert! yet, and this is the sequel to that story. Second, this relationship is precious to me. IANAP, in particular, has a lot of emotional memories for me, as my other Lynncoln stories do as well. But, this one is different because this is something I/they created. Something beautiful to me. Originally, I was going to use Lacy Loud, and even referenced that as the name in IANAP, but I changed my mind. Lacy is more or less defined, and if I changed that it would bring me problems. So, I started from scratch and wrote down what I would hope my own daughter might be if she were real. Consider this my love letter to the daughter I've always wanted.
I only have this and the next chapter written. I have no idea when, or if, I will write anymore of this. If I do, however, I know there will only be 6 chapters. They are more or less planned out already. I'll be posting the second chapter soonish as well.
Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy this as much as I did!
Disclaimer: The Loud House Copyright Nickelodeon (2019)
MY PRECIOUS BUG
Chapter 1: She's Awake!
"DaaaaaaDDY!"
Oh, God, she was awake…
Lincoln wasn't ready.
Lynn rolled over and snorted in her sleep, her arm flopping over and smacking her husband in the face.
"Ow!"
He turned his hard eyes on her sleeping face.
SNORE!
He squinted his eyes and stuck his tongue out.
Why did he marry her anyway?
Knockknockknockknock!
"Daaaaaaaddy, can I come in!?"
A girly giggle filled his ears, and a smile came over his tired cheeks.
She had more energy than he could dream of having, but dang it all if he didn't love her anyway.
"Hold on, girly!" he called out, as he rolled his legs over the edge of the bed.
"Oooof!"
Damn, that didn't feel good… better stretch.
His daughter giggled again, and he scowled.
"Are you laughing at your dad, honey?"
He heard an eep! from the door.
"U-um… nooooohehehehHEHEHE-mmph!"
He could see it in his mind's eye. His little girl covered her lips with her hands, trying to stifle her laughter. Her shoulders must be bobbing from the strain of joyful chuckling. Her shoulder-length hair that her mom always put into a French braid for bed was probably laying over her chest, bouncing with each noisy sound she made.
"Good!" he sent out as he stood up; everything in his body cracking in one go. "Cause little girls that make fun of their dads don't get ice cream after they play at the park-"
He heard a gasp before he could even finish his taunt.
"I-ice cream!?"
Hook, line, and sucker~
"Mhmm, you gonna be good, little girl?"
He reached over for his socks and slipped them on.
"Daaaaaddy, I promise!"
He snorted, loud and obnoxiously, as he threw on some worn jeans, one knee starting to get a decent hole in them. Eh, it was good enough for a walk to the park.
He heard a sniffle from behind the door.
Sniff. "D-daddy, b-but I'll be goooood! I promise!"
Dang, she must really want that ice cream, huh?
He slipped on a shirt and stepped over to the door. He didn't reply. Actually, he was sorta enjoying how into it she was getting.
Sniff. Sniff. She pawed at the door and whined.
Aww, poor thing.
He turned the knob and pulled the door open.
And there she was. Still in her pink nightgown that trailed down to her ankles. Her knees were muddy, though, which told him she must've taken their dog outside for a little more than just a potty break. The end of her braid was wet and browner than it should've been. Her hands and feet had dried dirt on them.
And right there beside her, laying on the ground like a puddle of melted dog, was their old hounddog. Him and Lynn had bought him shortly after she conceived for "practice," and so their child would have company.
Y'know… because they had to move out on their own for awhile.
Six years now.
Wow… does time fly.
Lincoln looked down at his girl and her dog with a raised eyebrow.
She was laying beside her best friend, her arm and leg wrapped around him.
If Lincoln didn't already know better, he'd have thought their dog got himself a parasite.
He sighed.
"You done trying to manipulate your parents yet?"
Both girl and dog looked up at him with wide, round, watery eyes.
S-sniff…
"That d-depends, daddy…"
He leaned against the frame as he stared down at them; crossed his arms over his chest.
"On what?"
She pouted something fierce.
"I-i-is it working?"
Damn, that face is too much.
Sighing, Linc leaned down and grabbed his six-year-old daughter by the armpits and picked her up.
There was an impression in the hound's folds of fat where she'd basically used him as a bed.
Linc picked her way up in the air, and his girl threw her arms and legs out.
"YaaaaaAAAAAYYYY! Woooosh! Higher, daddy! WOOOSHHHH!"
He took her through the hall, and into the kitchen, and set her down on top of the counter.
She was still so small. She's always been that way. She was born a month and a half premature and had to stay at the hospital until she was strong enough to come home.
Lincoln looked at his girl; even standing up on the counter she was only just level with his own height.
"Are you ready to help me cook, Bug?"
She huffed and tapped her foot, crossing her arms over her pink gown. Her little braid had frizzed up from the flight she took to get there.
"You know I don't like that name, daddy."
Aww, she was glaring daggers into his eyes, like she was trying to make him burst into flames. So precious~
He leaned over and poked her button nose with his finger.
"Aaaand why do you think I still call you that, little Bug?"
She squinted her eyes and swatted his hand away. She held up one finger, cocking her hip and tilting her neck like she was really gonna set him straight.
"First of all, I'm not a bug. I'm a person," she sassed.
Lincoln leaned against the counter, smiling at her.
"And, second, I am not little anymore."
She threw her arms up, waaay above his head.
"Looky! I'm taller than you are, daddy!"
She stuck her tongue out, "Nur."
While her arms were up, her armpits were defenseless. So, Lincoln like the good father he was struck like a viper.
She exploded in squealing laughter as he tickled her sides; she grabbed onto his hair to keep from falling.
Yank!
Dang, that hurt.
He gave up tickling her and pushed his face to her stomach, blowing a raspberry on her nightie.
"Eeewwwww, da-haha-daddy-HAHAha!"
He pulled away, and laughed with her.
"Alrighty, ready to cook?"
Getting over her last few chuckles, she righted herself and nodded.
"Oh, wait!"
Lincoln watched as she walked around the countertop to a certain cabinet. She opened it and pulled out her inhaler.
She shook it up and put the end between her lips. She looked at him; she saw him watching and she blushed. She turned around, scrunching her shoulders up. But even still, her father could see when she activated the aerosol, and she sucked it in, inflating her cheeks like a little chipmunk stuffing its face full with pine nuts.
She turned back around and refused to look at her father, her cheeks flushed and her shoulders near her ears as she hid from him.
Lincoln ignored it and let her be. He pulled out a muffin pan and set it on the counter. His daughter sat down and stared at it, crossing her legs, and pounding her fingers to the sides on the laminate top.
Next, he grabbed a bowl from the fridge and set it down beside it. Without needing to be told, his daughter turned around and crawled across the counter to the sink and rinsed her hands off.
He watched with a hint of anxiety as she leaned over and grabbed the hand towel from a handle, drying her hands before putting it back.
She hurried back and waited, turning to look at her father curiously.
"Something wrong?"
Yeah, something was wrong. He was scared for her. She didn't know, but they almost lost her. Her being born six weeks early? That was the only choice. It was forced. To save the daughter… a-and the mother. During those desperate weeks, Lincoln had to look over his sister at their new apartment, and give as much of his free time as he could to his girl.
Seeing her lying on those pink sheets, wrapped up in bandages, needles in her body, a respirator over her nose… her life measured by an electronic beep like a stale static…
It put things into perspective. It terrified him.
Yeah, he was the scared parent… but also the practical one. He kept close to her as often as he could, but tried his best not to stifle her freedom to explore and become her own person. He loved her dearly, and that made him afraid… it was really a hard work in progress.
"Nothing, honey. Are you ready to get your hands sticky?"
She grinned and nodded, her braid bouncing on her shoulder.
"Yup!"
She held up her hands, wiggled her fingers.
"I'm totes ready, daddy!"
She grinned even wider; proud of herself for sounding just like her favorite aunt.
Which, sure, maybe things with the 'rents were hard even after six years, but that didn't mean none of them cared about their little Bug. Leni was the first to sneak over. She'd used her newly-acquired license to help Linc get everywhere he needed when they were first starting out. The apartment, work, hospital, his second job he had to get soon after the first…
She was a lifesaver in the early months, and spent her free time with Lynn at home, caring for her.
Lori couldn't. She was at college. And wasn't the most supportive person when she got back.
The others… were hit and miss. But by that point, many had came around at least once to see her.
Lincoln watched as his little girl rolled up her sleeves and smashed her fists into the dough, screaming in laughter. He didn't understand what was so thrilling about it, but ok.
She made little balls as Lincoln got out the paper cups and lined them in the pan. She plopped each ball into its own cup, dropping them with a woooosh! and them landing with a BOOOOFFF!
When she was done, Lincoln picked them up and put them into the oven. He turned it on-
Oops, he forgot to preheat it. Again.
Oh, well, it'll cook eventually.
Then, he went over and his daughter instinctually put her arms out to the sides. He grabbed her under the arms and-
"Oooof! You really are a big girl now, Bug!"
-he let her down on the ground, and she hurried over to the sink. There was a little stool there which she stepped onto and reached over, placing her hands under the faucet.
Lincoln chuckled as he turned it on and she squealed.
"TOOO HOOOOOOT!"
Oops.
He adjusted it, and she sighed as she rinsed off the sticky mess on her fingers.
He ruffled her hair; his heart growing warm as he saw her turn to look at him with a pout and a stern look in her eyes.
"Daddy-" she started another tongue-lashing, but he paid her no mind.
He admired her features. She looked just like her mother. But she had his blue eyes. And a few of her hairs here and there were snowy white just like his. She had her mother's round, kissable cheeks, but she had his pointed chin.
"-are you even listening to me!?"
He blinked. Oops.
She stomped her foot.
"I am your daughter! You're supposed to listen to me when I talk to you! That's ruuuuude!"
He chuckled and knelt down before her.
She blushed as he took her hands in his, but she didn't step back or turn her eyes away from his.
Yeah, she's afraid to show weakness… like with her medicine for her asthma… but she was no coward.
He leaned forward and pecked her forehead.
"I love you, Anne Madeline Loud."
She blushed hotter.
"D-daddy," she whined, "You're embarrassing me…"
A cough sounded from the entrance and they both turned to see Lynn walking toward them. Only wearing a robe, and with her hair in a messy bun, she knelt down behind her girl and hugged her.
"I love you, too, Anne Madeline Loud~"
Burning up like a fiery coal, she was assaulted as both her parents smothered her head in kisses.
"E-e-ewwww!"
She turned to look at her dad, and her breath caught in her throat.
He was looking at her like she's only seen him look at mommy.
Like she was the only thing that mattered in the whole world.
He pecked her nose, and she grew really warm inside.
"My precious, little Bug."
She was ready to explode from the overload of affection and love as her parents kept teasing her and kissing her and hugging her.
But one thing she could voice in outrageous, scandalized anger.
"I'M NOT A BUG!"