Chapter 3
Building Support
It was almost midnight and Bobby was driving well-above the speed limit as he and Lori made their way home from their concert. Normally Bobby would never do this, he was always a responsible driver. But things ended up running late on the way home and they unexpectedly lost a lot of time. This was a make or break situation for reasons we all know.
"What a drag! We get stuck in traffic for almost an hour, and after such a fun rave, too!" said Lori, in reflection of the inconvenient ending of an otherwise great night out.
"I know, babe... I get that people were having the time of their lives, but.." said Bobby.
"They got high as fuck before the rave started and crashed their car?" Lori said, clearly growing more annoyed with the situation.
"Y-Yes.. well, at least nobody was hurt...AAUGH!" Bobby said, before being startled by a trashcan that had fallen into the street. He swerved out of the way to avoid it as Lori grabbed her chair.
"Th-That's good!" Lori said, placing her hands on her face once the close call had passed. "Just...why did it have to be TONIGHT?!" She knew she'd be screwed if her parents knew she had abandoned her post. They trusted Lincoln as a babysitter but with it being evening they wanted one more older sibling home, just to be safe. Things at night tended to be more dangerous, especially with the snow.
"Don't worry, babe, we can still make it. Even if we lost a lot of time to highway congestion it's still a few minutes to midnight." Bobby said, putting a hand on her shoulder to try and reassure her.
The car had just made the turn onto Franklin Avenue and 1216 could be seen just down the street a few blocks away. Quickly it came into view as Lori took a deep breath.
"I guess you're right, we still... BOBBY, STOP THE CAR!" Lori said with sudden shock as the family driveway came into more detailed view. Bobby, extremely startled, slammed the brakes with a cloud of powder snow flying into the air. They were still a block away, but Lori recognized the unmistakable sight of her father in his flashy disco suit, dancing gleefully in the driveway. The sparkly pants put on an unmistakable display as they reflected the light coming from the house.
"Babe, don't STARTLE me like that! What's wrong?!" Bobby cried, the sudden stop nearly making his brand new car skid.
"I'm screwed, I'm SCREWED! Mom and Dad got home before us!" She reached over and hugged her boyfriend tightly, nearly crying from the fear. Bobby hugged her back, trying to comfort her as the two tried to figure out how to salvage the situation. Then a bulb lit in Lori's head.
The Loud siblings were well-known for covering for each other in dire situations, and cared about each other deeply despite their bickering. Lincoln once fell to a similar situation while being out past his curfew at Clyde's, and the sisters were able to help Lincoln enter his bedroom window undetected. He and Lori worked well together and she knew that he'd be willing to do the same for her. He was the man with the plan after all! Quickly she dialed his number, knowing that he'd be awake.
Lincoln picked up the phone and listened closely, as his parents were entering the house. "Lori, what's wrong? Where are you?" He said with concern.
"Lincoln, thank God you're there!" Lori said, worried but with more of a sense of relief now that her reliable little brother made contact. "Bobby and I are down the street. We ran into some bad traffic on the way back."
"Either way, I'm glad you're not hurt!" Lincoln said with some relief of his own. A panic call was never a laughing matter and one must always prepare for the worst.
"True, but I'll BE hurt once Mom and Dad find out I'm not home!" Lori said, feeling frightened. "What are we going to do?!"
"Hmmm... I've got it!" Lincoln said, feeling a pulse of his trademark ingenuity. "They've just entered the house. Lisa installed an emergency escape slide in my room at one point. Lucy and I can pull you up with a rope and get you inside that way!"
"Wait, why is Lucy in your room?" Lori questioned.
"This isn't the time for that, make your way to the driveway and we'll go from there!" Lincoln interjected, prompting a nod from Lori in understanding. Lori quickly exited Bobby's car and closed the door behind her, giving a thumbs up to Bobby before quickly making her way down the block. Bobby knew Lincoln well enough that Lori was in good hands. The two were practically brothers! With a smile, he waved at Lori and drove off. Thankfully Lori's rave shoes didn't have high heels so she was able to cover her ground quickly.
"Big brother, what about the noise? Won't this be a little conspicuous?" Lucy said, trying to address a potential point of failure in Lincoln's plan. Lincoln simply gave a confident smile in response.
"That's simple!" Lincoln said. "Lily has been sleeping all evening, so she's bound to need some attention soon. We'll gently wake her up and ask her to start crying for us. She'll understand! Then, Mom will come upstairs to deal with it. Babies can be fickle after all!" Lincoln added, referencing an incident involving a rather problematic toy. "Then mom will bring her downstairs and Lori can sneak over to her room. Nice and easy!"
"That's true, ...sweetie you are so smart~" Lucy said lovingly, with a rosy blush. "I'll go wake Lily up, you take care of the slide!"
"R-Roger that!" Lincoln said, flustered by his girlfriend's sudden compliment. Lucy quickly made her way to the next room, and promptly a baby's cry could be heard. Lucy scurried back into Lincoln's room and flashed a thumbs up. Meanwhile, Lincoln pressed a button under his bed to release the slide.
"And that's how it's done!" Lincoln said proudly as his phone began to speak up.
"Alright, Linc, I'm here! let the rope down, and quickly!" Lori said over the phone, waiting at the base of the slide.
"Don't worry, Lori, we've got you covered!" Lincoln and Lucy looked at each other with a smile. Lincoln's bedroom window was opened and a rope was let down for Lori, which she promptly grabbed. The duo pulled her up the slide, making sure not to trip her, with each grabbing a hand to pull her in once she reached the window.
"Awww, my poor baby, what's wrong?" Rita said, which could be heard muffled from the next room. Lily continued crying and hugging her mother, who promptly cradled her. "Let's get you some milk, that will soothe you~!" She gently nuzzled Lily's cheek as the young infant calmed down a little.
Rita gently carried the little cutie downstairs, and the footsteps could be heard by a closely-listening Lincoln. "Alright, coast is clear, let's go, Lori!" Lincoln said, but for a moment his sister just looked at them.
She had noticed that Lincoln was both in his underwear and covered in kiss marks, with Lucy right nearby. Considering her earlier question and this, she began to put two and two together and wanted to get their side of the story. Though this would have to wait.
"Lori, what are you waiting for? Go!" Lincoln said impatiently, not wanting whatever she was thinking about to ruin the operation.
"O-Oh, s-sorry about that, going now! Thanks again, Linc, you're a lifesaver!" She said, snapping out of her train of thought and promptly making her way to her room. Quickly she changed into her pajamas without waking a sleeping Leni and walked back out the door as Lynn Sr. came up to see her.
"You called, dad?" Lori said to her father.
Lori was suspicious of her two younger siblings. What had happened while she was gone? For now, she had to speak to her dad about the evening, but once that was done, she planned to pay another visit to Lincoln's room. There was something she needed to address.
The clock struck 1AM, and by the point the entire house was dark. Most of the occupants were in bed, getting their precious sleep for the weekend ahead. Lynn Sr. especially, the fatigue from his night out hitting hard not long after arriving home. Still, three siblings currently lay awake. Lincoln and Lucy were snuggled up together in bed, watching funny videos on Lincoln's laptop. Their parents were both a floor down and on the other side of the house, so Lincoln was able to easily get away with cheating his bedtime. Furthermore, even if Lola were home and heard the noise coming from his room, she'd know not to tattle.
Lincoln and Lucy wanted to enjoy the private time they had together to be a couple without worry. The plan for tonight was to sleep together normally, but get up extra early so that Lucy could sneak back to her room and fall asleep again in her own bed. Lynn not being home made this much easier, though they wanted to be safe just in case. No room for destabilization factors this early on in their relationship. The alarm was set for five, and everything was ready to go. But for now, it was time to enjoy some more videos.
The two were deep into a playlist and a slightly muffled "Wait a minute, there IS NO WATER! What the hell kind of budget is this show even on?!" could be heard coming from the computer speakers. Lincoln and Lucy gently laughed together as a gentle knock could be heard on the door.
"Lincoln, i-it's me. May I talk to you?" Lori said from the other side of the door. Lincoln hopped off the bed with Lucy still under the covers and opened his bedroom door up gently.
"Lori? What are you doing up this late?" Lincoln said with a yawn, quite curious. Lori wasn't one to stay up late at all.
Lori took a deep breath and smiled at her brother, giving him a gentle hug. "First of all, thank you again for covering for me back there, I really owe you...~" She said softly and sincerely.
"It's no problem, that's what we Loud siblings do! Always having each other's backs!" He replied with a soft smile of his own. The two hugged a little more as Lori looked around the room, noticing Lucy in his bed.
"I-I see Lucy's still in here..." Lori said slightly nervously, gently breaking the hug. Lincoln's eyes widened in panic.
"I-It's not what it looks like, Lucy and I were just, were just..." He said frantically, before his older sister placed a finger on his lips.
"Shhhhhh, calm down, it's okay. We will talk through this." Lori said, taking a seat on Lincoln's bed. Lucy moved the laptop and took a seat herself, looking extremely nervous. Did she screw up and just get her brother into some serious trouble? She could barely speak.
"I-If you say so..." Lincoln said with a bit of dejectedness in his voice, promptly taking a seat between his two sisters. Lucy reached out and held Lincoln's hand for comfort, trembling slightly.
"I can tell what you two were doing. You're in your underwear, kiss marks, in bed together at late hours, and clear displays of affection. I apologize if I have the wrong idea, but..." She sighed and looked into Lincoln's eyes. "I'm concerned. You two shouldn't be feeling this way about each other. It's not normal, not to mention illegal. You're keeping it private, but I just don't want you two to get hurt..."
"I-I know, and I understand..." Lincoln said, prompting Lucy to hold his hand tighter, scooting closer and barely holding back tears.
"H-How long have you two been doing this?" Lori inquired, prompting Lucy to sniffle a bit.
"J-Just since this evening. Th-That's when I confessed... I poured my feelings out into a poem, the feelings I've felt for him for years..." Lucy said, continuing to fight back her tears.
"It was one of the most beautiful things I've ever heard. Especially after my break up with Ronnie Anne... Hearing a girl tell me how much she loves me, how much she's always loved me..." Lincoln added, taking a deep breath. "How much I mean to her and make her light shine. It didn't matter to me that she was my sister, in fact...it only made me love her more." Lincoln put a lot of emotion into those last few words. Lori knew how close the two were both growing up and now, but didn't realize how strongly they felt about each other, especially from Lucy's end.
"It's okay, Linc, Bobby told me all about it. I know it was necessary but I'm sorry you've been feeling unwell." She said in a tender tone, placing a hand on Lincoln's shoulder to comfort him. "But I don't know if I can let this continue. It's my duty as a big sister to protect you, and I don't want you to come under harm because of this..."
Lincoln was about to respond but was taken a back when Lucy, unable to hold back any longer, hugged her sister tightly, her tears flowing out like a river. A little bit of make up mixed in with her tears and began to run down her face as she looked up at her sister with fear in her eyes. "Don't, just DON'T! PLEASE!" Lucy said in a burst of emotion that shocked both of them. "Don't tell anyone, don't ruin this! Lincoln makes me happier than anyone in the world, and I don't know what I'd do without him! I know it's not 'normal', but I don't care! Lincoln is my beacon of love and hope!" She sniffled and hugged Lori tighter. "He played with me when I was a baby, back when all of you were frightened of the way I stared! He would protect me from jerks at school, from dangers at the park, would put his very life at risk to make sure I was okay! We share interests together, comfort each other, and he shows me nothing but compassion and kindness, even when I scare him. He's willing to help me with my poetry no matter how grim it could get! How could I NOT love him as much as I do?!" She looked up at Lori, her face red from the intense crying. "Lori, PLEASE! Don't take this away from me! Don't tell mom and dad! Don't let this DIE!" She said, crying near-uncontrollably. Lincoln reached over and embraced her warmly, helping her calm down a little, gently massaging her shoulders.
Lori was touched, absolutely touched. She knew that allowing such a relationship to continue could have consequences. But how could she not? If being with Lincoln was the one thing that made her happier than Lori had ever seen, and if it was the one thing to make Lucy show this much emotion, let alone any emotion at all, then she didn't have the heart to deny her. Quietly, she took a deep breath and joined Lincoln in on the hug, holding her siblings close to her heart.
"I-I know I shouldn't to this, but... I will support your relationship." Lori said, looking at her frightened younger sister with a reassuring gaze. Lucy's crying slowly stopped.
"D-Do you really mean that?" Lucy asked, red like a tomato. Lori gently stroked her hair like a mother would.
"I do...~" Lori said tenderly. "If you two can accept any possible consequences, then who am I to stand in the way of my siblings' happiness? And your happiness is what means the most to me. I'll keep your secret, I promise!"
Lucy was absolutely overjoyed. She hugged her older sister tighter than before, with Lincoln promptly joining in. "Thank you, Lori, thank you so much!" She said joyfully, then turning her head towards Lincoln. "Do you hear that, sweetie, another step closer to our happy life together!"
While all of this was going on, Leni had gotten up and groggily made her way down the stairs to get some water from the kitchen. After taking a nice drink, she noticed that someone had left the back door open. The chill of the cold draft woke her up a little more as she went to close it. There were no footsteps going outside aside from some paw prints, so Lynn likely forgot to close the door after letting Charles in from doing his business. In any other scenario, one would've sneaked out of the house, and while Royal Woods is safe, downtown in the evening makes one especially vulnerable.
Leni quietly closed the door and made her way upstairs towards her room to get cozy in the bed covers again, when she heard crying coming from Lincoln's room. Leni was always a kindhearted girl, and despite her airheadedness she knew when her siblings needed help. Quietly she moved down the hall towards the door, as Lori was telling them her acceptance of their relationship. She moved the door quietly and peeked inside.
"Guys? Lincoln? I-Is everything alright?" She said quietly, with a tone of concern. "What's going on in here?"
Lori nodded at her sister reassuringly.
"Everything is alright." Lori said. "It's just been a very emotional moment!"
Leni's curiosity was piqued. She thought back on what she had heard on her way down the hall, something about Lincoln and Lucy. "What happened? What happened between you two?"
Lori tried to keep it hidden but Lincoln was up front and honest. He knew Leni would understand, she was a girl with a real heart of gold. "Leni... Lucy and I are dating now. I-I know you might find it a bit strange, but..." Leni's expression brightened suddenly, leading to her embracing her siblings with excitement. They were surprised that Leni was so accepting right off the bat, or maybe she was just relieved that Lincoln wasn't hurt. Either way, what mattered was having her on their side.
"Awww, you two are so CUTE together! I can't believe you two are"... The three of them quickly covered her mouth. Lori had a habit of getting rather carried away with her excitement.
"SShhhhhhh! We don't want to wake up the whole house!" Lincoln said, hoping that Luna or Luan hadn't heard any of this.
"S-Sorry, I'm just excited! I've never seen Lucy so happy in my life! Lincy, you really are a keeper!" Leni said, making Lincoln blush as his dear girlfriend huddled up with him.
Lori smiled and gently escorted herself and Leni out of the room. "Looks like our little talk has met a joyful conclusion! Sleep well, you two, and keep cozy!" She said, before making her way towards her room. She was still a bit torn on what had happened but remembering Lucy's smile reassured her that everything would be okay. In the mean time, Lincoln gently turned out the light and took his lover into his arms as the two snuggled up and got some very cozy sleep.
Morning soon came, and Lincoln's eyes opened up slowly. It was still overcast, from the previous day but the snow had stopped, and a clean, pristine blanket of snow covered the neighborhood. Lincoln turned his head and gently checked his clock. 11AM, he slept in nice and late! Lucy had already left the room by that point but left Lincoln a little gift: Some kiss marks on his face, one on his lips, all in grape-flavored lipstick. Lucy really knew how to show her love! He then turned to his phone to see a missed call from his best buddy Clyde. Just a few minutes old in fact. Not a problem! He wanted to speak with him today anyway. Picking up the phone, he quickly dialed Clyde's number.
"Clyde, do you copy? Come in, Clyde?" Lincoln said into the phone as it promptly made a connection to Clyde's. Clyde was out of town in Los Angeles for the weekend, something about a pastry-making competition, so they couldn't use their usual walkie talkies.
"There you are, Lincoln!" Clyde said cheerfully on the other end of the line. His best buddy was always in such a good mood.
"Clyde, good to see you! How's the baking competition been going?" Lincoln asked, with a small yawn. he was still feeling a little sleepy.
"Eh, it was okay! I made it to the third round, but there were some serious professionals here, it was difficult to compete..." Clyde said, taking on a more disappointed tone.
"You were competing against trade professionals?! Clyde, I know it's a little disappointing but you should be proud of yourself! You're a very talented baker, no need to feel bad!" Lincoln said rather excitedly, trying to cheer up his friend.
"I know, but it shows that I need to step up my game..." Clyde said, before returning to his usual tone of excitement. "But did you hear? Apparently a body was found in the venue's main fountain. They're bringing in a world-famous prosecutor to investigate!"
"That sounds exciting! You'll have to tell me all about it later!" Lincoln said, intrigued by the exciting, if macabre, turn of events.
"Why not now? There's so much going on!" Clyde said, rather shocked. Normally Lincoln would be dying to hear the details.
"Well... there's something I wanted to talk to you about..." Lincoln said, rubbing the back of his head.
"And what would that be?" Clyde responded, very curious.
"Well, it's about me and Lucy..." Lincoln said, with a nervous tone.
"Oh no, don't tell me she convinced you to be a corpse stand-in again and you wanna bail out. That stuff's creepy!" Clyde said.
"It's not that... Lucy and I... we're in a relationship now. We're d-dating." Lincoln said, afraid of how Clyde would react.
There was a short silence... "Wait, WHAT?!" Clyde was rather shocked.
"I know it, you're gonna think I'm a freak, aren't you Clyde?!" Lincoln said, clearly sounding worried and paranoid, prompting Clyde to diffuse it quickly.
"No no no! I'm not mad at you, just surprised! What led to this? When did this start?" Clyde inquired.
"Just last night, apparently she's had feelings for me for years. One thing led to another, and... Now we're together, and I feel like a hole in my heart has been filled." Lincoln said.
"To be real, I understand, especially after the whole Ronnie Anne situation." Clyde said.
"Yeah..." Lincoln said, taking a deep breath.
"Well, if being with her makes you happy, then I'm all for it. I'm your best friend after all, and after the breakup this is definitely what you need!" Clyde said proudly. One could call Clyde a bit of a Yes Man, even if they had their disagreements. But no matter what Clyde always had his best friend's back.
"Really? Clyde, thank you! Promise you won't tell anyone else about this? We need to take this slow for now..." Lincoln asked, feeling an immense sense of relief.
"No worries, Lincoln, Clyde McBride isn't gonna gonna tell a soul!" Clyde said, continuing his boisterous tone. "Just one more thing..."
"What is it?" Lincoln asked.
"Can you help me do the same with Lori? I think she and I are getting closer~" Clyde said, with the last bit in a suave tone.
Lincoln simply laughed as the two ended the call.
Now that Clyde was on board, it was one step closer to making Lincoln and Lucy's future together a reality. But for now, they had a stable base of support. In the mean time, it was time to enjoy the rest of the weekend!
Lynn Jr. had her hockey game, and their parents brought Luna and Luan with them. Luna was singing the national anthem, as had become a Lynn sports tradition, and Luan took the opportunity to brush up on her hockey puns. She had a hockey player booked for her next party so it was just what she needed to make it a smashing success! Lori and Leni opted to stay home, alongside our lovey-dovey duo. The two of them had no issues with Lincoln and Lucy showing displays of affection in the house (though keeping an eye on Leni was always needed, as she tended to accidentally spoil things due to her excitable nature).
After the call with Clyde, Lincoln got dressed and made his way down the hall to the stairs. Suddenly a pair of arms wrapped around him, pulling him into a warm hug.
"AAUGH!" Lincoln said, startled by the sudden contact. Lucy always had a way of surprising people, even if by mistake.
"Relax, it's just me, dear brother~" Lucy said in a soothing tone, holding her lover close. "Ready for a fun weekend~?"
Lincoln, in response, turned around and returned the hug, placing a kiss on the girl's forehead. "Hehehe, you know it~!" He said happily, before taking his sister's hand. The two lovers descended the stairs to join their older sisters on the couch.
The four of them spent their day playing video games and watching fun shows, taking turns holding Lily. Lincoln and Lucy nuzzled each other on the couch throughout the day, playing little games like footsie on occasion. Lori couldn't help but smile and giggle each time. In the back of Lincoln's mind, he knew they had only taken the first step, and was unsure of the road ahead. But for now, they could relax and take it slow, with his oldest sisters, his best friend, and his lovely beacon of hope by his side.
The fun has only just begun!
Heya, guys! I know this was a bit of a long, dialogue-heavy chapter. But I promise there will be more fun adventures in the coming chapters! They're gonna get ready for a trip they won't forget!