Distressing talks
Lincoln found himself in the school gym, but something was wrong. This was the gym in Royal Woods Elementary, not the middle school where he now attended. Also, the gym was filled with beds that had kids laying on them. Some were passed out, while others were coughing profusely. It did not take Lincoln long to determine that he was having a flashback. He saw the trolley filled with antidote and deduced that he was remembering the moment he delivered the cure for the Michigan Flu to his old school. He remembered the National Guard, as well as several medical staff, all dispensing the cure to the patients who needed it. Lincoln hurried to Clyde's bedside, easily found due to the presence of his fathers.
"Ace Savvy saves the day again, I see," Clyde joked.
"What would he be without One-Eyed Jack?" Lincoln responded in kind. As soon as Clyde nodded off due to the anti-serum's drowsiness effect, Lincoln checked on all his other friends. He had just finished watching Stella get her dose when a voice called out.
"How touching. Your friends survived the plague, only to be left behind while you and your sisters left Royal Woods for a revenge mission," the voice mocked. Lincoln looked around, trying to find the source of the sound. He then saw a black-cloaked figure amongst the crowds of people, standing stoically while others rushed around him. The crowd paid this strange being no mind, as if they couldn't see him.
"Who are you?" Lincoln asked.
"You can call me the Fear Monger. I've been peeking inside your head as of late. It has been a very intriguing read. You're so full of guilt and insecurities from your experience with Bill alone that I could power my nightmare spells for a lifetime. Oh, the things I could learn using you as my test subject," Fear Monger mused.
"Sorry, not interested. I get enough of this from Lisa," Lincoln rejected.
"Oh, I have what I need, this is merely a courtesy call. Let's stroll down memory lane, shall we?" Fear Monger ushered Lincoln into another scene, this time in Jimmy Neutron's laboratory. All the siblings were in a circle, holding hands.
"Not here again," Lincoln remarked.
"This is where you awakened your dormant powers, isn't it? Too bad your newfound abilities came at a cost," Fear Monger reminded Lincoln of what it took to restore their magical heritage. Lucy was chanting the Awakening Spell to empower her siblings:
Forge the bonds
Weave the fabric
Throw the stone
Bestow the magic
She was saying that over and over. One by one, each sibling, bar Lily, felt their powers re-awakened, but the spell took its toll on Lucy, because empowering her siblings demanded a cost from Lucy, her own life-force. As each sibling grew stronger, Lucy grew weaker, until the spell had finished, and she collapsed. Jimmy's monitors showed her life-signs diminishing rapidly.
"But Lucy survived this," Lincoln recalled.
"Barely, and even then, it took someone else making the same sacrifice," Fear Monger stated. The spectral form of Harriet knelt beside a dying Lucy and recited the same spell into her ear, giving up her energy to save Lucy, permanently severing the link between them. "Even in death, she's still the consummate good witch," Fear Monger scoffed.
"We got lucky that day," Lincoln admitted.
"Ah, but then your luck ran out," Fear Monger chided. The scene then changed to when Lincoln and his new former enemy turned ally Toffee were facing off against Vicky and Crocker in Fairy World, in a bid to buy time for Timmy and Chloe to finish the circuit linking Fairy World to the defunct Realm of Magic. It was the hope that, if a connection could be established between the Big Wand and the Realm of Magic, then the Realm would be restored while minimising the cost of the spell. But like all plans, it did not survive contact with the enemy. While Lincoln was easily able to dispatch Vicky, Crocker had severed the link between the Big Wand and the Realm of Magic. Lincoln hated this memory.
"Don't make me relive this again," Lincoln pleaded. Fear Monger ignored him and let the scene play out as it did so long ago. A bright light emanated from the Realm, and Lincoln rushed towards it. Timmy and Chloe had re-established the connection by using their own bodies, causing the Awakening Spell to use their life essence to kick-start the Realm of Magic. Unfortunately, they used more than they could afford to lose, and Lincoln could only watch as the Realm of Magic, newly revitalised, claimed them before his eyes.
"That was the first time you really witnessed death, see it play out in front of you, and it happened to someone you were close to. Someone you considered a friend. I know your pain all too well," Fear Monger consoled.
"How could someone like you ever understand what it feels like to lose someone close to you?!" Lincoln seethed.
"We were forced to live in secret on our homeland, because we chose a live without a coven, without restrictions or controls. We practiced all kinds of magic, from plant magic to abominations, and even divination. But to the Emperor, the one who decreed that each witch could only utilise one magic track, unless they were part of his personal guard, this was unacceptable. One by one, he had his patrols pick us up while on the streets, interrogated members of our community, until somebody talked. One day, he came in force," Fear Monger explained. The scene then changed to something out of a fantasy movie. A small village, on the outskirts of a world Lincoln was unfamiliar with. He then saw an unknown figure running towards a person that looked like the village leader.
"He's here!" the figure alerted. This made everyone panic and run for cover, screaming in terror all throughout. Magic blasts rained down on the village, leaving fires where they impacted. From the shadows of the blaze came a small army of white-robed witches. This, Lincoln deduced, was the Emperor's Guard. They began systematically rounding up non-combatants, while those that did put up a fight were swiftly put down.
"I was one of four teens lucky enough to escape, but that too came at a price," Fear Monger recollected. Lincoln then spotted four teenagers, not much older than Luan or Luna, being hurried along to a house of sorts. They were then handed four keys, one each, by an adult accompanying them.
"Use these and run, just like we practiced. Don't look back, don't come back. Seek out someone called the Supreme Warlock. He'll tell you what to do next," the adult instructed.
"We want to stay with you!" a younger version of Fear Monger protested.
"It's not safe here. Go now!" the adult insisted. She then used one of the keys, put it into the lock and turned. The door opened not to the interior of the house, but to another place entirely, where a tall, robed figure was waiting. The kids quickly filed in, but Fear Monger looked back. The adult then took the key out of the lock and threw it to Fear Monger, who caught it. Before he could run back through, kid Fear Monger saw a taller, more opposing figure emerge from the blaze. He recognised this person all too well. The horned mask was a dead giveaway. This was the Emperor, coming in person to oversee the massacre. Before the Emperor could reach the escapees, the adult slammed the door shut. Kid Fear Monger opened it again, but only a storage cupboard was on the other side.
"I never saw any of my friends or family, save those I escaped with, again after that day. The Supreme Warlock took us in, taught us a form of magic we could use outside where we once called home, and vowed to help us reclaim the Isles from the Masked One," Fear Monger concluded his story.
"How tragic, but that doesn't excuse you giving me bad dreams every night," Lincoln spat back.
"Now you know how I feel. I can never get that day out of my head, no matter how hard I try. But all I've made you relive isn't even your worst fear. Oh, I know what that is," Fear Monger hinted. He then summoned an image of a football into his hand. This made Lincoln gasp with terror.
"How do you know about that?" Lincoln demanded.
"I wish I could explain more, but you're waking up now," Fear Monger replied. Like last time, Lincoln could swear he could hear a voice calling his name in the background, only this time, it was louder. In the real world, Lincoln woke up in his bed. He checked under his bed and found that the football that Fear Monger showed him in his nightmare was still there, which made Lincoln breathe a sigh of relief. He also noticed that, unlike recent nights, he was able to get some sleep this time around. Before he could guess the reason why, a knocking came from the other side of his bedroom door. He opened it to find Lisa on the other side.
"Whenever you're ready, the family will meet in the living room, where I will present my findings," Lisa reported and left. After getting dressed and eating breakfast, Lincoln made his way to the living room, where the rest of the family was assembled.
"We were wondering when you would arrive," Lynn Sr. commented. Lisa then used her projector and board to bring up a presentation on her work regarding Lincoln's nightmare issue.
"Over the course of the last 24 hours, the headband I had Lincoln wear has given me invaluable insight into his night terrors. I believe I have isolated the direct cause of this phenomenon," Lisa began. She then showed an image of Lincoln's brain. "If you'll focus your attention to the temporal lobe," Lisa directed, but no-one knew what she meant, so she pointed out the region with a laser pointer. "This part here," Lisa clarified. The image then showed something rather unusual, what looked like a round mass had settled on that part of the brain.
"That isn't what I think it is, is it?" Lynn Sr. asked, fearing the answer.
"No, father, thankfully, this is not a brain tumour," Lisa eased. This elicited a huge sigh of relief from both parents. "It is, however, an anomaly my instruments can't make sense of. From my observations, the anomaly is making Lincoln relive the same memories over and over again each night, namely, the distressing incidents last year," Lisa added.
"It's not an anomaly, either. In my last dream, I met a guy calling himself the Fear Monger. He claimed to put that spell in my head, said it was his way of making me feel what he feels when he relives some trauma that happened to him in some nowhere world," Lincoln explained.
"Oh great, another wackjob from another dimension has come to mess with us again. Just when we were getting back into our groove," Luna remarked.
"Spells can be removed. Give me some time and I could come up with something to get rid of it," Lucy offered.
"That brings me to my next point. I discovered purely by accident that this anomaly, or spell, or whatever this is, does have a weakness," Lisa replied. She then showed a video of the mass shrinking in size.
"That looks encouraging. Do you have any idea what did that?" Rita inquired.
"Indeed I do. I've run some simulations to confirm my findings, and I can conclude that the spell has an adverse reaction to oxytocin," Lisa concluded.
"Oxy-what now?" Lincoln probed.
"Otherwise known as the love hormone. The sudden influx of oxytocin in your brain made the anomaly shrink in size by approximately 50%. If you'll note the timestamp, this event coincides with the time you spent with Ronnie Anne," Lisa responded. This revelation made the Loud sisters go 'awwwwwww' and Lincoln's face flush red.
"Hey, what's that other reading your doohickey recorded?" Lana noticed something on the board that Lisa did not mention.
"Nothing, that's not important!" Lisa rebuffed, hoping this topic wouldn't come up, for Lincoln's sake. Lana was not convinced and swiped Lisa's tablet, which had her notes written on it. "Hey, don't read that!" Lisa demanded.
"Simultaneous to the oxytocin record, headband device also noted a sudden flow of blood rushing to Lincoln's-" but before Lana could read the rest, Lynn Sr. took the device off her.
"I don't think the rest of us need to know about that!" Lynn Sr. interjected. This made Lynn Jr. burst out laughing, as she had an idea of what was hinted at.
"Was that science speak for 'Lincoln's got some junk in the trunk'?" Lynn Jr. asked while laughing hysterically. Lincoln's face grew redder by the second the longer this exchange went on. The older Loud sisters all went 'ooooooooo' at this remark.
"Well look at that, Lincoln's got his own magic wand. Hahahahahaha, get it?" Luan joked.
"I don't. What are you guys talking about?" Lola wondered.
"It's something you'll learn about more when you're older, sweetie," Rita tactfully dodged the question.
"Just wait, bro, next year, you'll be a teen, then your body just flat out betrays you," Luna stated. Lynn Sr. sighed heavily.
"Well, this was inevitable. After this is done, you and I are having 'the talk' son," Lynn Sr. resolved.
"Oh, wonderful," Lincoln rebuked.
"If we could get back on track, please," Lisa pressed.
"So, all we need is more of this love stuff and the mass could just go away?" Leni postulated.
"Precisely, which brings me to a solution, though be warned, Mum and Dad may not like it," Lisa braced the parents for what she was about to say next.
"Whatever it takes to get these night terrors to stop, we'll be fine with, stopping shy of ethical boundaries," Rita conceded.
"Lay it on us, kiddo," Lynn Sr. urged.
"Very well. Considering that a steady flow of oxytocin will be required to dissipate the spell completely, I propose that Lincoln spend the night sharing a bed with Ronnie Anne," Lisa suggested. Rita and Lynn did a double take at this proposal.
"You're right, we don't like this idea," Lynn Sr. replied.
"I understand your concern, parental units. They wouldn't have to *do* anything, just sleep while cuddled next to each other will yield the results we need," Lisa assured.
"It's not that we have any objections to two romantic partners staying at each other's places, it's just that, well…" Rita tried to be subtle about her concerns.
"You don't want the Loud House to turn into the Love Shack, or the restaurant to turn into a bakery, or….." Luan made her jokes.
"Good ones, honey, but not in front of the younger ones, please," Lynn Sr. both complimented and reprimanded at the same time.
"Crude jokes aside, Luan has a point. Two people in love sharing a bed can lead to…..other things we'd rather not have them doing right now, and may I add it also disturbs me how much you know about this subject matter, Lisa," Rita said.
"Oh please, I have a 180 IQ, are you honestly that surprised I know this much about human physiological development?" Lisa quipped.
"Well, we appreciate your discretion, regardless," Lynn Sr. praised.
"As much as I'd like to pursue alternatives, oxytocin is not something I can, or even should, dispense in a pill. This really is the only solution I can think of that will dispel the mass in Lincoln's brain," Lisa concluded.
"If it truly is the only way, we'll allow it, but only after we get the Santiago family's opinion first. You don't mind bringing them into this discussion, do you, Lincoln?" Rita requested.
"Ronnie Anne already knows about this problem. I'll bring this up with her and see what she says. Afterwards, we'll talk to the Casagrandes and see if we can agree to something. And honestly, sharing a bed with Ronnie Anne is something I've wanted to do for a while," Lincoln disclosed. This garnered another 'awwwwww' from the Loud sisters. Lynn Jr. then suddenly remembered something. She then threw a yellow flag onto the living room table.
"Violation! The rules specifically state you can't interfere in the relationship and pushing for them to share a bed more than qualifies as interference," Lynn Jr. exclaimed.
"My motivations are purely scientific. If this solution heals Lincoln of his night terrors, then as this family's physician, it is my duty to prescribe such a measure," Lisa justified.
"Oh, and the fact that you had $5 on Lincoln and Ronnie Anne sharing a bed before high school is just a massive coincidence," Lynn Jr. countered.
"Wait, what?" Lincoln probed.
"What is this about money and gambling?!" Rita demanded to know.
"Well, we kinda started a betting pool on Lincoln and Ronnie Anne's relationship," Luna confessed.
"WHAT?!" Lincoln exclaimed.
"Don't take it personally. There are bets on all of us. I have $10 on whether or not Lynn is a lesbian," Luan revealed. Lynn Jr. was rather taken aback by this revelation, and a little peeved.
"Errrrrr, what now?!" Lynn Jr. asked.
"Well, most guys would be pretty intimidated by someone as athletic as you, and you do spend a lot of time on girls' sport teams," Luan replied.
"So, you just assumed I was into girls? Maybe you should ask your room-mate who it is that has money down on your Benny boy coming out of the closet!" Lynn Jr. riposted. Luan looked horrified at this reveal.
"WHAT?!" Luan barked.
"I saw him prancing around on stage in a fairy costume, could you blame me?!" Luna argued.
"He was playing Oberon in the drama club's production of A Midsummer Night's Dream! For the record, I was playing Titania! Do you want me to invite him here and prove he's straight?!" Luan replied in kind.
"Not in my bunk, you're not!" Luna objected.
"Not in my house, you're not!" Lynn Sr. weighed in.
"At least I didn't assume as much about our brother, like Lana!" Luna revealed.
"Errrrrr, come again?!" Lincoln responded.
"Yyyyyyyyyeeeeeeaaaahhhhhhh, I kinda, sorta, bet money on you and Clyde hooking up, since that whole thing with Stella didn't pan out. You didn't show much interest in other girls, since, and I thought it'd be a safe bet," Lana admitted.
"A: Clyde and I are besties and nothing more. B: I'm with Ronnie Anne, and C: I'm not into guys," Lincoln clarified.
"A: So were you and Ronnie Anne, and look how that turned out. B: I made that bet before you two officially hooked up, and C: when Luna was your age, she didn't know she was into girls. People change over the course of their life," Lana replied.
"She's got a point, dude. I found out I liked girls when I started high school," Luna disclosed.
"Anyway, at least I didn't bet on Luna's girl-crush being 'just a phase', like Lola!" Lana explained. Now it was Luna's turn to be upset.
"My love for Sam is not a phase, Princess!" Luna barked.
"Be fair, Lunes. I made that bet before you came out to the entire family about your preferences. When you affirmed your desire for both teams, I took my loss like a lady! At least I didn't bet on someone's romantic partner dying. Wanna know who did? Surprise, surprise, it was Lucy!" Lola tattled.
"What did you bet, Spooky?!" Luna menaced.
"I didn't bet on Sam shuffling off this mortal coil if that's what you're wondering. No, my bet was on Chaz having a heart attack due to his…health concerns," Lucy replied. Leni was getting angry at this statement.
"He has a glandular problem, Little Miss Goth Queen! My choice in guys doesn't come from petty things like looks or wealth. Chaz is a sweet guy who I really like, and love finds a way to look past his size! You'll understand some day when you take on a romantic partner!" Leni lectured.
"Said the girl who bet that Lynn would never take on a partner in her entire life!" Lucy shot back. Now Lynn was positively outraged.
"You WHAT?!" Lynn yelled.
"Before you get defensive, Lynn, no, that thing you had with Dexter doesn't count. May I add, it wasn't cool of you to get with some random guy just to fit in with your roller derby team. Besides, it's like Luan said, most guys would be intimidated by you, plus there was that whole deal with that Francisco boy. He was perfect for you, and you just flat out turned him down," Leni posed.
"I was dehydrated! What, you mean to tell me you didn't say, do, or think dumb things when you were delirious! I didn't want to start a relationship based on impaired judgment!" Lynn defended. It was at this point Lynn Sr. broke up the arguing.
"ENOUGH! I mean, seriously, betting on each other's love lives? Not cool!" Lynn Sr. scolded.
"Said the man who put money down on Lincoln and Ronnie Anne having their first child by age 25," Lisa rebutted.
"LYNN!" Rita bellowed.
"What, a man can't be invested in his son's romantic future, right sport?" Lynn Sr. asked, but when he turned to face Lincoln, he saw that he was not there anymore. "Where'd Lincoln go?" Lynn Sr. inquired.
"I'll find him, and you ladies better use this time to think about why I was against these stupid pools from the word go! I cannot believe Lori came up with them! Worst idea ever!" Lynn Jr. resolved. She went upstairs to find Lincoln while the rest of the family were left alone to think about their words and actions. Before she went into Lincoln's room, she then popped into Lori and Leni's to retrieve some sheets of paper, and then into her and Lucy's room to retrieve a football. Then, she knocked on Lincoln's room, and he invited her in.
"How are you, Linc?" Lynn Jr. probed with great concern.
"I just found out my sisters were making money on my happiness; how do you think I feel?" Lincoln answered irritably.
"Pretty peeved. Just one more incident to add to the steaming pile, huh," Lynn Jr. remarked.
"You got yours?" Lincoln asked, presenting his football.
"Yep, and the records of this unfortunate incident," Lynn Jr. answered, presenting both her football and the papers. They summoned a portal that led to a storage unit somewhere in Royal Woods. The door had a lock that required two keys to open. Lincoln and Lynn opened up their footballs to reveal the keys hidden in the hollowed-out interiors.
"First things, first," Lincoln said, and he and Lynn undid the enchantments they had placed on the door so only they could open it, even with the keys they had. Once the lock was popped, they opened the door to find the unit full of items and records that both would like to stay hidden.
"I don't know what's worse, the fact that this place exists or that we're fast running out of room in here," Lynn Jr. observed.
"Very sad. Let's just find a spot for these betting pools and go home," Lincoln urged. He then found an empty spot on a shelf in the back corner. Lynn placed the papers on this spot, they both exited the storage unit, closed and re-enchanted the door, then portalled home. Upon arrival, Lincoln found the parents standing in the doorframe.
"You two will be pleased to know that I made the girls, and your father, cancel all their bets, and I will be speaking to Lori about these betting pools over the phone later today. In the meantime, there is another matter we should address," Rita briefed.
"And that is?" Lincoln asked. It was then that Lynn Sr. produced a biology textbook. Lincoln then suddenly remembered Lisa's presentation, and what it revealed. "Oh no," Lincoln grimaced.
"Now, son, it is that time. Your mother had to have this conversation with Lynn, Luan, Luna, Leni, and Lori. Now it's your turn," Lynn Sr. added.
"Good luck, bro," Lynn Jr. remarked before leaving the scene. Lincoln and Lynn Sr. then sat on Lincoln's bed, where Lynn Sr. opened up the book to a diagram of the brain.
"Now, it starts with this fellow here called the pituitary gland. He may be little, but he has big plans," Lynn Sr. informed.
"W-w-w-what k-k-kinda plans are those?" Lincoln asked nervously. Lynn Sr. then turned another page to show a diagram Lincoln wished he could unsee.
"You see, what's happening with you now is that your body is preparing for…." Lynn Sr. then gave his lecture, prompting Lincoln to scream so loudly, Mr. Grouse popped his head out of the window.
"LOUD! Knock off that racket!" Mr. Grouse called out.
Meanwhile, in a remote section of Royal Woods, Fear Monger was observing the scene using his staff. The spell he used to give Lincoln nightmares also allowed him to see through his eyes and hear through his ears, which meant he saw Lincoln being told where babies came from. This amused Plague Bringer immensely.
"That poor boy doesn't need you to torture him. His family are more than capable of doing that themselves," Plague Bringer mused.
"The nightmares he may get tonight may not have anything to do with me. Still, I can see a way Lincoln can help us 'kill two birds with one stone' as this world's inhabitants are so fond of saying," Fear Monger postulated.
"Oh? How?" Plague Bringer inquired.
"It has to do with his deepest, greatest fear. Now I know what it is, it can help kill one of the birds, the other one will have to be slain by your hands, dear Plague Bringer," Fear Monger briefed. Plague Bringer jumped with excitement upon hearing this.
"Does that mean I get to play with him for a while?" Plague Bringer probed enthusiastically.
"Absolutely, just stop shy of permanent damage. I need you to bring him to me, alive. You're free to use him as a living petri dish, but nothing lethal. If he dies, he's useless to me, understood?" Fear Monger instructed.
"Understood, my love, but after you paid him a visit, he may be on guard. I will wait until a proper time when I can catch him alone," Plague Bringer acknowledged.
"That would be best. In the meantime, why don't we see what the Louds can offer in the ways of entertainment. I do love seeing them squabble. Relationship betting pools? So droll," Fear Monger mocked.
"Wanna start one between Vainglorious and War Leader?" Plague Bringer proposed.
"You always were the fun one, dear," Fear Monger chuckled at Plague Bringer's idea.
Back at the Loud House, Lynn Sr. exited Lincoln's room, having finished 'the talk'. Lincoln looked like he had seen half a dozen Harvester movies back-to-back with his eyes glued open. He was not sure he could look at Ronnie Anne the same way ever again, but he would find a way to persevere. After all, she was worth it.
"Well, this has been a delightful talk, son. Let's never speak of this again. Bye," Lynn Sr. quickly excused himself. Watching the scene play out were the older siblings, having taken great interest in watching Lincoln go through the same thing they were subjected to by their mother.
"How'd the talk go, bro?" Luna inquired.
"Just great, now I'm gonna have nightmares of a different kind tonight," Lincoln sassed.
"Pfft, yeah, nightmares," Lynn Jr. scoffed.
"Think of it this way, Lincoln, you'll wake up with more wood than Mr. Coconuts! Hahahahaha," Luan joked.
"Ignore her, Lincoln. What's going on with you is perfectly normal. It's called growing up," Leni soothed.
"Yeah, totally, you'll have more of your unique white hair, just not on your head," Lynn Jr. added.
"Your voice will start changing," Luna chimed in. Lincoln turned to the readers when he heard that.
"Like I haven't got experience with that already," Lincoln quipped.
"And we have products that will help with the acne," Leni offered.
"Also, you can turn your bed into a water park! Hahahahaha!" Luan joked again.
"You are not helping, Luan!" Luna scolded.
"Gee, so-rry, try to defuse the tension and this is the thanks I get? Come on, Mr. Coconuts, we'd better leave Lincoln alone for now," Luan rebutted.
"I need to video call Ronnie Anne about Lisa's plan. This has been enlightening and traumatic," Lincoln replied before shutting himself in his room.
"Be sure to keep it PG-13," Luna called out, earning her a glare from Mr. Coconuts.
"And you say Luan's jokes were in bad taste," Mr. Coconuts argued.
"One more word and you're going in the trash can," Luna threatened. Once Lincoln got through to Ronnie Anne, he told her everything Lisa had discovered about his nightmare problem, and her proposed solution. Ronnie Anne was a good listener, she took in everything, although Lincoln was nervous about sharing his desire to share a bed with her. To his surprise, Ronnie Anne looked elated at the idea.
"Us, sharing a bed? That sounds awesome. I've been wanting to do that for a while now," Ronnie Anne replied.
"Wait, really?" Lincoln probed.
"Yeah, I mean, we've been an item for a year now, it's about that time we started trying this, but it will be a hard sell for my brother, and especially my dad," Ronnie Anne stated.
"Lisa did say this was the best way to dispel this hex I've got in my head," Lincoln reasoned.
"Yeah, and I'm sure the betting pool you mentioned they'd started was a motivating factor as well," Ronnie Anne responded.
"I still can't believe Lana bet on me hooking up with Clyde," Lincoln recalled. Ronnie Anne laughed at this.
"Yeah, I can see it," Ronnie Anne teased.
"Oh, really? What if I told you I could see you coupling up with Sid?" Lincoln reciprocated.
"The jury would be out on which of you two would be the better kisser," Ronnie Anne jabbed. The young coupling chuckled at their exchange before Ronnie Anne got back on track. "But in all seriousness, I think I should talk about this with my family first. You don't mind that Abuela knows about this now?" Ronnie Anne requested.
"My family wants to get your parents' opinion on us bed-sharing before they agree to anything, so feel free," Lincoln conceded.
"I'll bring this up with them tomorrow morning. In the meantime, try to get some sleep. Love you, Linc," Ronnie Anne said.
"Love you too, Ronnie," Lincoln returned, and they both signed off the video call. Lincoln then got ready to retire for the night. He went to bed with a warmer feeling than usual that he couldn't pin down the reason for. Maybe it was because he had just spoken with Ronnie Anne, or maybe he was still a little peeved that his sisters bet on his relationship behind his back. Either way, he tried his best to heed Ronnie Anne's advice on trying to get some shut-eye this night, although, given that he had the most uncomfortable talk of his entire life just a few minutes before, he wasn't certain of his chances.
Author's note: Happy New Year, everybody! I hope everyone had a good Christmas. However it went, it must surely have been better than mine. I had to have a tooth pulled out, so I spent my Christmas eating soft foods and using saltwater for mouthwash. Not fun, but I still had a good time with my fam regardless. In any case, I am refreshed and ready to resume work on this story, as well as my collab with Grace. The usual disclaimers, I own nothing, all properties belong to their respective owners. Enjoy.