Everyone Has Their Own Style

by FlickeringIdeas

What was supposed to be a normal recess for Haiku and Lucy is disturbed when bullies decide to mess with them, thankfully a certain Loud Boy has something to say about that. Cover Image is a screenshot from Season 1 Episode 22 called: "Dance, Dance Resolution".

Author's Note: For years I have noticed the depressingly lack of Lincoln x Haiku stories anywhere. So, I decided to add this little contribution to the ship.

Disclaimer: I don't own Loud House nor have I completely watched the show. I'm just using what I learned from general research and from other stories I've read. So, I apologies if any of the characters don't seem right and if the places aren't written correctly either.

Another Author's Note: I decided to make this an AU where they go to the same school so it would make some sense (and maybe make it a bit easier to write XD). And also, Lincoln and Haiku are in a closer age range as well as classmates in this story.

Normal voice: "Hello!"

Thoughts: "Mental Hello!"

---

ROYAL WOODS MIDDLE SCHOOL-SCHOOL YARD

''Sigh. Another bright day in this plane of existence.'' Haiku sighed from her spot within the shade as she watched the other children play around or talk animatedly despite the sunlight. ''How could they move around under this light?'' She wondered out loud.

Beside her, Lucy also stared at the other children before lightly shrugging. ''Tis one of life's greatest mysteries.'' She turned back to her best friend. ''Perhaps their inner brightness grants them resilience?'' She offered.

Haiku thought about her friend's hypothesis for a moment. ''Perhaps you're right.'' She nodded as she leaned back on her seat on the bench. ''It still doesn't explain how they aren't sweaty though.'' She pointed out as Lucy observed the students again, realizing her friend's point.

The Loud sister couldn't but nod in agreement. ''Hmmm, it is strange.'' She absentmindedly wiped her brow a bit before pulling out her poem book. ''Maybe some poetry can help keep our minds off this moment of brightness.''

Haiku didn't have to be told twice as she pulled out her pome book and pen. ''You've read my-''

''Well look at what we have here!''

Both girls had to suppress a groan before turning to the voice. ''Leave us alone Chandler.'' Lucy Loud ordered in her usual monotone, but you could detect a hint of annoyance in it.

Unfortunately, this did little to discourage the older child. ''And why would we do that?'' He mocked as his two goons laughed in agreement.

Seeing that this wasn't going anywhere, the two Goths decided to focus on their books instead. ''Go bother someone else your age, we have better things to do than be your entertainment.'' Lucy silently agreed as the two of them began writing poems about their current experience.

Chandler scoffed at them. ''Better?'' He quickly moved in front of the and snatched Haiku's book before the two could react. ''What's so great about writing dumb poems?'' He lazily looked at what she'd written and flipped the book around, in a poor attempt to decipher what she wrote.

''Give that back!'' Haiku's sudden yell and change of tone caused the other kids to go silent and focus on the scene. ''You don't even know what's in there!'' She stood up to grab it.

But to her growing anger, he raised the book even higher and out of her reach. ''Pfft, I don't care what's in here.'' He retorted boredly, ignoring her attempts to get her book back before an idea came to him. ''But if you want it so bad...'' He smiled deviously as he winded his arm. ''Then go, GET IT!'' He threw the book which landed in the center of yard.

Everyone, apart from Chandler and his goons who were laughing, were aghast by the scene. But no more so than Haiku who quickly rushed in to retrieve her book which was thankfully undamaged from the landing but noticeably dirtied up. ''This was a gift from my parents.'' She whispered to herself before glaring at the bully.

''Well, would you look at that. Guess you Goths can feel emotion afterall.'' The older kid pointed out before approaching.

Dreading what's about to happen, Lucy moved in to assist her friend but was blocked off by the two goons. ''You're not going anywhere pipsqueak.'' One of them said with a scowl, forcing the loud girl to step back in fear and frustration.

Seeing her friend being cornered angered Haiku but decided to keep her composure. "Of course we have feelings." She held the poem book protectively as he stood nearby. "Even if how we act says otherwise, we're still human." She narrowed her eyes at him. "But I doubt a bully like you could understand."

Much to her chagrin, Chandler shrugged off her words and remained smug. "Yeah, but at least I'm not a weirdo like you guys." He retorted.

Haiku was taken aback by the statement for a moment before eyeing him warily. "What are you talking about?" She didn't drop her guard as everyone suddenly became intrigued with his words.

The bully scoffed at this. "I thought you guys are supposed to be great at reading between the lines." He gave her an annoyed look. "Do I have to spell it out for you?" She looked ready to retort but he beat her to it. "News flash, being Goth isn't considered a normal thing."

Now understanding where he was leading to, Haiku felt her annoyance at the bully grow. "It may not be a social norm, but it's still a culture whether you like it or not." She replied coldly, already having experience with that kind of statement.

"A culture for freaks is more like it." Chandler's smug reply only served to further anger Haiku and Lucy. "Look around." He gestured to the gathered students. "In case you haven't noticed, nobody dresses like it's Halloween every day." He pointed out with a sneer.

While feeling the hurt from his words, Haiku didn't let it get to her. "It's a style for certain people." Her tone was growing irater. "And besides, it isn't hurting anyone." She pointed out with the same tone.

"Fair." Chandler reluctantly agreed before chuckling knowingly. "But you guys are still an eyesore." He gave her a curious expression. "Have you seriously not noticed the weird stares you get?" He gestured to the crowd. "Haven't your 'friends' been acting differently around you?" He added with mocking quotation marks, implying that her friends weren't really her friends.

No, they haven't. Yes, they were surprised at first, but she was more than prepared to move on with her life. But in the end, they surprised Haiku by approaching her and showed interest in her style during the first day of being classmates.

Now of course, she was skeptical at first. But after a while, she had come to the realization that they were genuine in their interest and that their offer of friendship wasn't something meant to be used in any way.

Since then, their bonds had continued to grow and solidify. Allowing them to grow closer until they became best friends.

And yet, at the same time, she couldn't help but think about the people she didn't know so well. What did they think of her choice of style? Or her personality for that matter? How did they feel about the way she displayed herself to society? The way she would blatantly refuse what is considered to be the standard form of style nowadays.

Glancing at her fellow students now, her negative thoughts increased. Because instead of the usual passing glance, occasional whispering or being ignored since they had grown used to her presence. She's now the complete focus of a large amount of the student body. She could tell they weren't saying anything about her, but they are definitely thinking of something.

Never before had she felt so...exposed.

It was at this moment that Haiku's train of thought led her to not only feel uncomfortable, but also fearful, as long buried insecurities began resurfacing. And with her close friends, apart from Lucy, being absent today due to a variety of reasons, she felt alone.

Seeing her change in demeanor, Chandler looked downright arrogant. "Is it finally sinking in yet?" He took a glance at Lucy who was feeling equally small. "Society doesn't have room for outcasts like you." He turned his gaze back to Haiku. "So get with the program..." He took a step closer and loomed over the girl who took a step back. "And start acting like normal people."

The young poetess looked to the gathered children again, only this time, instead of being an innocent crowd. It was replaced with mocking, silent judgement and laughter towards everyone like her. Further fueling her anguish as it reminded her too much of her previous school.

She squeezed her eyes shut at the thought and memory.

Meanwhile the exact opposite was happening with the crowd as they felt the growing helplessness from the situation, some wanted to call Haiku's friends for help but knew it was pointless since they weren't here. Others wanted to sneak away and call a teacher for help but feared of being targeted by Chandler and his goons. While very few wanted to step in to help them, but couldn't due to the bullies having the size and numbers advantage.

Their thoughts were cut off when Chandler chuckled. "But you know..." He took a step forward, snapping Haiku out of her thoughts as well. "I'm feeling quite generous right now." With her combined anguish, she instinctively took a step back which unfortunately got caught on her dress and made her fall on her butt, drawing out gasps from everyone but the approaching bully. "I could teach you two a thing or two about-"

''Leave them alone Chandler.''

While everyone turned to the voice with varying expressions of shock and disbelief, Chandler let out a sigh of annoyance before turning to the voice. "This is none of your business Larry."

Indeed, standing before the duo was none other than the sole brother and middle child of the Loud Family, Lincoln Loud. "Well...I don't know what else to tell you Chandler." He crossed his arms, not even bothering to correct the bully on his name (for the umpteenth time). "But when you and your goons decided to mess with my sister and her friend." He narrowed his eyes. "It became my business." He retorted while behind him, his friends could only watch in fear for him. Lucy was in the same boat, despite feeling warmth from her brother's words, she feared for his safety.

Understandably, everyone else was stunned by how the normally peaceful boy responded. Throughout all their time in school, the Loud boy would always step up as a sort of peacemaker when the opportunity showed itself or just refrained from getting into trouble all together (even though it tended to find him anyway).

And from what they've heard from his younger sisters, it was the same thing in their home. Which only made this sudden shift in behavior all the more surprising.

After recovering from his surprise, Chandler faced the boy with a frown. "Why are you even interfering? You should be thanking me." He idly gestured to the still stunned girl. "Someone needed to show these people how to be normal for once." His comment caused both Goths to feel small again while the crowd could only mentally call him and his goons jerks.

But to their further surprise and Chandler's growing irritation, Lincoln chuckled at the remark. "Normal." He lightly blew a raspberry to the side. "You're one to talk." The surrounding students tensed from his tone, not liking where this is going.

"What are you getting at Larry?" Likewise, the tone wasn't well received as the bully now looked upset and confused.

At this, Lincoln gave him a deadpan expression that made Lucy internally proud. "Do I really have to spell it out for you?" Chandler looked like he had been slapped from having his own words thrown at him while everyone else gaped. "Normal people..." He repeated with air quotes. "Don't go around harassing people for how they look or what kind of social styles they like for that matter." He stated it in a way that made it sound obvious.

Seeing that Chandler was still stunned by his words, he continued. "So, as far as I can tell, the only weirdo around here is you." He shrugged. "I guess your goons count too, but I think they're just following your lead." Said individuals looked ready to deny his claim, but couldn't find the words as they considered his point.

Finally, Chandler seemed to have found his composure again after processing what the white-haired boy just said. "Are you kidding me Larry?" He sounded offended. "I'm just as normal as the next guy!"

"You sure about that?" Lincoln questioned, though from his expression and tone, it looked like he already knew the answer.

This served to irk the bully further. "Yes. I am." He wore an incredulous expression. "You're lame Larry, not blind." Lincoln easily brushed off the insult as Chandler gestured to Haiku. "You can't seriously be saying that their outfits aren't an eyesore?" His question caused both goths to look at the sole brother in interest, though Lucy was growing increasingly upset from how much verbal abuse the three of them were taking but opted to stay calm as to not escalate things and endanger them further, especially for her brother.

The Loud boy hummed at that. "It isn't the usual thing; I'll give you that." His agreement caused both girls to flinch so he quickly added. "But I personally don't think it matters." His remark caused everyone to look at him curiously. "I mean, everyone has their own style." He pointed at himself. "Take me for instance, I'm pretty plain, but I can make it work." He shrugged.

Lucy wanted to say that he was far from plain, but stopped herself as he continued. "And when you're a person like me who has ten sisters." He shook his head with a fond chuckle. "You'll learn pretty early on that styles come in all sorts of forms." It still blew everyone's minds how many siblings he has. And the fact that he can thrive in that kind of familial chaos was something to admire on its own.

Now while most digested his words, Chandler didn't want to have his time wasted. "Get to the point Loud." He urged in mild annoyance.

While lightly frowning at the bully's arrogance, Lincoln obliged. "As long as it isn't illegal, setting a bad example, gross or hurting anyone (yourselves included). Your personal style is fine in my book." His opinion was well received, as the surrounding students found themselves relating to his view on the matter.

As for the Goths, both agreed to his criteria and felt their spirits rise.

For Lucy, she felt her self-confidence improve and felt blessed to have such a supportive sibling by her side. Sure her sisters had expressed and showed their support for her choices, but none had dedicated as much time as her brother.

With Haiku, she was now seeing the boy in a whole new light. Because admittedly, she never really put her focus on him, only knowing him as that one boy with ten sisters.

A piece of information that's common but shocking at the same time amongst the students. And yet, despite the occasional trouble he'd get into or inadvertently cause, she never really put much thought into him.

Plus, there was that incident during the Sadie Hawkins Dance, which did little to help raise her opinion of him, though it was all water under the bridge at this point.

And of course, being close friends with one of his younger sisters, she had heard her fair share of stories about him. But considering how close they are, she had chalked it up as the usual exaggerated fondness when one talked about their siblings.

But now, instead of an ordinary kid with many sisters. She saw an individual that was wise beyond his years and had a noble heart to boot. Which made her feel regret for not getting to know him better in the first place-

"You're such a loser Larry."

Snapping out of their thoughts, everyone looked to the unimpressed Chandler. "Siding with a bunch of weirdos." He scoffed stubbornly.

While everyone was taken aback by this, Lincoln narrowed his eyes at the implications. "I'm guessing you don't agree?"

"Darn right I don't!" The bully rebuked. "So what if it doesn't hurt anybody? It's still not normal!" He stated in increasing frustration.

While everyone else was disappointed at his closed-minded view on the subject, none appeared to be more so than Lincoln. "Even after all that...you still think that way." He shook his head with a sigh.

"That's because I only listen to cool people." Chandler quickly replied with a smirk that many wanted to wipe off. "Not from losers like you." He sneered.

"Of course you'd say that." Lincoln sighed again. "That explains your attitude." His observation intrigued the bully and everyone else. "You only listen to people who align with your views." His point caused everyone to feel a new wave of disappointment towards the larger child.

But this only served to amuse the bully more than anything. "Well, yeah." He agreed with a mocking tone. "Because they aren't wimps like you." He laughed.

Off to the side, Lucy clenched her hands and gritted her teeth at the continuous insults to her brother. But a subtle look from him forced her to reluctantly calm down.

After sending a reassuring smile her way, Lincoln rubbed his chin. "Wimps huh..." He hummed before lightly smirking. "Well...I guess it takes one to know one." He said in a knowing tone as he shrugged.

A series of gasps spread about as everyone looked at the sole brother in shock while Chandler immediately narrowed his eyes at him. "What's that supposed to mean Loud." There was a noticeable edge to his voice now that made everyone, apart from Lincoln, nervous.

The white-haired boy merely gave him a look as if he had said something dumb, which further angered the bully and increased everyone else's worries. "You know what I'm saying." He replied calmly yet dismissively.

A moment of silence passed, before Chandler's expression shifted from angered to bemused. "That's funny coming from a weakling like you." He retorted with little amusement, though there was an edge to his voice.

But to everyone's surprise, Lincoln didn't look intimidated. "I don't know man...I don't usually go around bullying people to make myself look tough." He shrugged. "Nor do I need cronies to hold off a little girl." He pointed out with a bored look.

His casual dis resulted in mixed reactions from the crowd.

Some looked at him as if he were a different person, few had to stifle a laugh while some couldn't help but exclaim how savage he was being. Lucy was in awe and afraid for him while Haiku honestly didn't know how to feel, which only left her to stare at the boy in befuddlement.

As for Chandler...

It was clear that a nerve had been struck as a flash of anger went through his face before he chuckled darkly. "Careful Loud..." He clenched his hands. "I wouldn't go around insulting real men like that." He advised with a threatening tone that made the other children nervous.

But to his chagrin, Lincoln merely gave him a flat look. "Really?" He questioned in a tone that made Chandler grit his teeth. "I admit that I've gotten my fair share of insults and teasing from a lot of people." His admission caused some students to look down in shame, even Lucy who had also joined her sisters in teasing the sole brother from time to time. "But those kinds of things are a part of life and I've gotten much better at dealing with it." This cheered the children up a bit but didn't completely erase the guilt.

"And yet..." He continued. "When someone calls you out with a little criticism, suddenly it's like everything's wrong with the world." He admonished while observing the bully. "Just a little more." He idly shifted his posture a bit.

"Are you saying you're better than me then?" Chandler aggressively questioned, though it looked he already had the answer.

As if already expecting the question, Lincoln immediately shook his head. "I'm not." He paused, as if debating his next words before speaking again. "I'm just pointing out the irony that for such a self-proclaimed 'tough guy', you're pretty touchy-"

"That's it! I've heard enough!" chandler's sudden shout startled everyone apart from Lincoln who just stared. "You've got some nerve talking to me like that!" He fumed, sending a wave of fear throughout the crowd.

But once again, the sole brother stood his ground. "Come on Chandler, I know you're smarter than to let your ego escalate things." At this point, everyone mentally pleaded for him to be quiet right now as things looked increasingly bad for him.

And as expected, the backhanded compliment aggravated the bully further. "Real funny Loud." He hissed before looking over to his cronies. "Trent! Teach him some manners!" His order was met with gasps and fearful looks from the crowd, Lucy especially.

"Gladly." The large kid cracked his knuckles with an eager smile as he walked forward while the other one blocked Lucy, both happy to finally put the little snot in his place-

"You're not going anywhere buster!"

After stopping his advance, Trent and his brother looked around in confusion, not noticing the shocked looks from everyone and the subtle smile on Lincoln's face. "Who-?"

"Down here!"

Looking down, the duo was met with the sight of the young twin sisters of the Loud family, Lana and Lola Loud, both looking displeased.

After registering the scene, Trent wore a smug yet intimidating look. "Is there a problem?" His brother snickered behind him.

While annoyed by this, Lola stood her ground and spoke for them. "You bet there is you big jerk!" The young princess placed her hands on her hips. "We're not going to let you hurt Lincy!" She added hotly.

Lana nodded with a serious look. "Yeah! And if you're gonna hurt him..." She adjusted her suspenders. "You'll have to get through us first!" She crossed her arms in a strong stance.

Unfortunately, the display had the opposite effect as the two brothers guffawed while everyone else looked at the two with fearful skepticism. "Get a load of this bro, we've got two comedians right here!" Trent snarked while his brother could only laugh in response. Meanwhile the twins remained strong, though their frowns deepened at the mocking.

After laughing himself, Chandler looked at Lincoln with a smug smile. "Well look at that, a loser and a hypocrite." Lincoln returned his attention to the bully, his smile remaining. "Couldn't face me alone so you sent your little sisters for backup?" He questioned in a mocking tone.

But his moment of glee didn't last as the white-haired boy chuckled. "There's an obvious difference between being ordered and allowed to interfere." He frowned a little. "I admit that I didn't want them to be involved at first." He smiled again, looking proud as he did. "But once they've got that fire in them, there's not really much that could stop them." He shrugged with a tone of experience before glancing at the twins.

"And besides." He continued. "If I didn't know that they could handle themselves, I would've fought harder against their choice." His statement caused the siblings to smile back at him in return, feeling touched from his words.

His statement intrigued everyone as they stared back at the twins with interest. "Really now...?" Trent voiced his curiosity as he approached. "Well, if that's the case." He now towered over Lola while Lana looked ready to jump in. "Why don't you reveal how you plan to stop us?" He wore a dangerous and confident look as he asked this.

But young princess wasn't intimidated by this as she rubbed her chin, clearly pretending to think about it. "Well..." She quickly pulled an item from her pocket. "With this of course!" She responded with a narrowed look as she aimed the item at the large child.

And after getting a good look at the item, Trent felt his eyes widen as he unconsciously took a step back. "P-Pepper spray!?" He exclaimed in clear surprise while his brother and everyone else who knew of the defense weapon was taken aback by its sudden appearance. "Why do you have that?" His tone sounded tense now as some people in the crowd looked on in confusion since they had no clue what the fuss is all about.

Seeing his sudden change in demeanor, Lola couldn't help but feel a little bit smug as she explained. "Mom and Dad taught us to be careful when we leave our home or when we're alone since the world can be unpredictable." Everyone found themselves relating to the Loud parent's advice, having been told similar things by their own parents.

"As for the pepper spray..." She sent a sly look towards her brother. "My brother wouldn't be called: 'The Man with the Plan'; if he hadn't suggested having this just in case." He returned the expression with a proud thumbs up.

While the surrounding students were impressed with the family's planning, Trent decided to save face and put on a tough look. "Yeah well...so what if you have pepper spray?" He puffed up his chest. "I'll just have to reach you before the stuff starts hurting!" Behind him, his brother didn't look as confident.

Both then mentally winced when they saw that nobody was buying the act. "That so huh?" Lola didn't even try to hide how unimpressed she was while adjusting her tiara. "I guess that means I should call for help then." She and her twin smiled knowingly before she whistled.

And before anyone could ask why she did that, the fashionista was suddenly surrounded by her close friends, all wielding pepper sprays that were aimed at the two, causing both to step back this time. "W-What the!?" Trent couldn't hide how nervous he was. "Why do you all have pepper sprays!?" Was there a bargain sale for them or something!?

"Mom once told us to pass on lessons we've learned while Dad said to be good examples for everyone." Lola glanced at her pepper spray. "Back then, I thought they were just being overprotective." She then gestured to her friends with a smile. "But now...I'm actually glad I listened to them and my brother!" Her friends cheered in agreement while the other kids felt their confidence in the situation rise.

With a small gulp, Trent turned to his equally hesitant brother. "C-Come on Tyler." Said brother tore his gaze away from the sprayers to him. "T-They have the numbers but we've got the power to-"

"I highly advise against that notion."

Snapping at the voice, the duo was surprised to see the young genius of the family, Lisa Loud with Lucy standing behind her, the latter having used the distraction to slip away.

Seeing that everyone's attention was on her now, Lisa adjusted her glasses. "For those unaware, a pepper spray is an aerosol spray containing oils derived from Cayenne Pepper. Which are quite irritating to the eyes and respiratory passages which make them a great disabling weapon."

She paused, to see if everyone was following before continuing. "The effects of being sprayed by such a weapon are as follows." She cleared her throat before taking a breath. "Stinging, burning, tearing and redness for the eyes with reports of temporary blindness. As for the skin, you're most likely to experience tingling, burning pain, redness, and the occasional blistering." She took a breath again. "A burning sensation in the nose and throat, coughing and sneezing. Possibly wheezing and shortness of breath." She paused again as she noted the scene before her.

Once she began her explaining pepper spray. The children grew increasingly fascinated and alarmed at the damage caused by such a seemingly harmless looking item. Those who already knew this confirmed the details to those who looked skeptical and voiced their doubts.

As this went on, the students soon grew fearful of the item, but not as much as Trent and Tyler who looked paler than ghosts.

Pleased that everyone was following her explanation, despite her light lisp, Lisa decided to get to the point. "For the majority of individuals, the irritant effects of the spray will last for approximately 15-45 minutes. Though it may depend on the person and how much was applied." Despite her casual delivery, everyone was horrified at the idea of experiencing that amount of pain for such a long time.

"So needless to say..." Her voice snapped them out of their thoughts. "If one is bad enough, multiple at once would be catastrophic for your health." She adjusted her glasses as she eyed the multiple sprayers. "And by my calculations, the combined effects from those sprayers will have an instant effect on both of you." She hypothesized in a knowing tone.

With all this information, combined with the fact that Lola and her friends looked eager to use their sprayers, the now timid brothers fearfully took a step back and turned to Lana who was mostly quiet throughout the interaction.

Said girl noticed this and uncrossed her arms to reach one hand in her red cap. "I wouldn't try anything on me either." The young mechanic warned as she casually pulled out a small wrench from her hat, shocking everyone but her siblings. "I've mud wrestled bigger than you." With direct eye contact she patted her wrench on her other palm in a calm rhythm, causing them to sweat.

"I do hope you two are men of science." Lisa drew their attention again as she pulled out a strange remote looking device from her pocket. "Because I could use some new..." After pressing a button on the side of her device, harsh blue sparks emitted from the top, causing everyone (apart from her siblings) to flinch and identify the weapon as a homemade taser. "Volunteers for my latest experiment." She allowed herself to smile creepily, which was amplified by the light of her taser sparks while Lucy did the same behind her.

The now impossibly pale brothers looked to each other before fearfully looking to Lincoln in a silent plea to call them off.

But to their dismay, the sole brother just shrugged in return and wore an expression that said: "I told you so."

Seeing that there was no help for them, Trent shakily turned to his brother. "W-We're not paid enough for this, l-let's get out of here!" Tyler didn't have to be told twice as he fearfully nodded in agreement before both fled the scene in a dust cloud.

"Hey get back here!" Chandler ordered to their retreating forms. "Don't run away from these brats you cowards!" The outrage in his voice failed to reach them as they had already entered the school.

The now lone bully inwardly growled as Lincoln stared at the doors before looking back at him. "Now would be a good time to call it quits Chandler." He advised as his sisters looked ready to pounce.

"SHUT UP!" Chandler barked back with a glare. "Don't think you can scare me just because you have an army of weirdos with you!" Lana growled and looked ready to smack him with her wrench but was stopped by Lola who shook her head.

While looking equally annoyed by what he called his sisters, Lincoln kept his composure. "Don't bite off more than you can chew." He said in a stern tone.

Chandler scoffed. "Don't try acting tough Larry." He cracked his knuckles. "You may have your freaks, but you don't have Ronnie Anne to protect you-"

"Don't. Call them that." Lincoln's tone and expression caused the bully to pause and his sisters to wince, having rarely seen him upset. Seeing this he took a breath, even though he had long since come to terms with her moving away, it was still a sad subject for him. Thankfully they could still chat through video calls. "You're right, she isn't here anymore." He nodded. "But that doesn't mean I needed her protection." He rebuked with newfound vigor.

"Oh that's rich!" Chandler laughed. "Considering that you couldn't do anything when she was pushing you around." His words sent a surge of guilt through the Loud sisters as they remembered not helping and actually encouraging such behavior since, at the time, they took it as a sign of Ronnie flirting with their brother.

Something they still regret to this day, but thankfully the two had become good friends and things have been cleared up since. Though they all still wished that they could have done better, despite their brother saying that it was all in the past.

But the next words from Lincoln's mouth surprised everyone. "Actually, I could have."

"Huh?" Evidently Chandler was equally surprised by this.

Seeing this Lincoln explained. "As you all know, I come from a very Loud and Large family." He gestured to himself. "Do you honestly think that I wouldn't gain any sort of advantages from that?" He was met with silence as they looked at him with questioning looks. "Point is, experiencing all that chaos and shenanigans through most of your like won't exactly make you weak." It all dawned onto them what he saying as understanding went across their features. "Plus, it also helped that I have a sporty sister who taught me self defense."

After letting the information sink in, Chandler felt a blow to his confidence but gave him a skeptical look. "W-Well, why didn't you do something then?" He quickly regained his composure as the sole brother gave him a curious look. "If you're as capable as you say you are, why didn't you put her in her place?" No one liked the way he worded that question.

Fighting the urge to roll his eyes, Lincoln deadpanned at him. "Because my parents raised a gentleman. I wouldn't resort to hitting girls, unless I have to." He raised a hand before Chandler could interrupt. "Yes, Ronnie Anne bullied me, but she never resorted to hitting me." He looked down for a moment. "Apart from that one time." He kept to himself with an internal wince while unbeknownst to him, his sisters thought of the same thing and looked away with sad frowns.

"I also admit that my sisters can be a bit much at times." His words sent another surge of guilt through his siblings. "And we've gotten into the usual sibling fights every now and then, but at the end of the day. They're still my family, and I wouldn't trade them for anything." He smiled towards his sisters who felt better but made a mental note to apologies to him later.

Ignoring the 'awwws' from the crowd, Chandler grits his teeth. "Then prove it then!" He raised his fists, drawing fearful gasps from the crowd.

Expecting this, Lincoln stared him down. "And what exactly will this prove Chandler?" He readied himself. "Here we go..."

"That I'm better than you!" Chandler rebuked before charging at the Loud brother with a yell.

Most of the crowd by now screamed between telling Chandler to stop or for Lincoln to run away from the raging bully. Few yelled for his sisters or his group of friends to help him. But to their confusion, neither group moved and simply stood their ground and looked like they're holding themselves back from jumping in.

Everyone's collective attention was then brought back to the fight as Chandler got close. "Take this!" He swung his fist towards the still Loud while everyone braced for the impact.

But much to their surprise, and to his sister's especially, Lincoln easily dodged the strike with a side step. "Thanks Lynn." He mentally cheered as he watched the bully stumble from the miss.

After steadying himself, Chandler turned back to the Loud boy with a scowl. ''How'd you do that?'' He questioned in angered tone.

While making sure to take a few steps back away from the bully, Lincoln raised an eyebrow. ''I...stepped to the side.'' He answered as if it were a stupid thing to ask. ''I thought that was obvious.'' He lightly snarked in a way similar to Lynn. ''Looks like she's rubbing off on me.'' He couldn't help but inwardly chuckle at the thought.

"You just got lucky!" Chandler retorted as he got into his stance again. "I'll definitely clobber you this time!" He lunged again.

Only for the same thing to happen again as the sole brother easily stepped to the side and watched as the popular boy fall face first on the grass, causing some kids to snicker at the sight. After shaking off the grass on his face, he glared at Lincoln who had a little smile on. "Hold still Loud!" The bully growled with a lunge.

"After what you just said?" Lincoln dodged another right hook before taking a few steps back. "I'll pass." He waved his hand which irked the bully further before he charged again.

This went on for a few minutes, though it felt much longer for everyone else as they watched on with bated breaths as Lincoln continued dodging blows from the furious bully.

His sisters and close friends especially felt like charging in when he had a few close calls to the face and groin (Chandler was evidently growing more desperate to win).

But eventually, this started to take its toll on both as they started taking deeper breaths and moving at a slower pace. Despite being trained by Lynn and having to deal with his chaotic lifestyle, Lincoln's body still had its limits, especially with the rapid movements he's applying in quick succession. Meanwhile Chandler may have a fair amount of stamina, but since he never really put an honest effort to physically improve himself or do things fairly, he was quickly burning himself out.

After leaning back to avoid a sloppy punch from the equally tired bully, Lincoln winced from the pain in his chest. "Come on Lincoln, don't give in now!" He huffed as Chandler ran at him again. "Remember what Ace Savvy said." He braced himself.

''Strength is a useful trait to have, but for most of the time, it isn't the only thing you need to win a fight. You'll need brains and skills too.''

Blocking a few quick jabs, Lincoln followed up by crouching to avoid an arm charge before standing ready behind the sluggish bully.

''Which is why when you're up against a strong opponent that's trying to muscle their way through you, you'll have to bide your time before finding the right opportunity to strike. Like a smart Hero would!''

And with that final sentence, Lincoln surged on with newfound vigor and rolled forward to avoid a wide swing and got onto one knee and looked back at the bully.

While surprised from the sudden energy like everyone else, Chandler recovered and glared at the boy. "How are you so fast!?"

"Lively family, remember?" Lincoln got up and dusted himself off before pointing a thumb at himself. "I'd have to duck and dodge most of the time." He shrugged. "But that's generally how we show our love, as strange as it sounds." He added with a fond smile while his sisters blushed in embarrassment.

"So what if that's the case!?" Chandler panted as he stood tall. "None of that will matter after I get my hands on you!" He pointed with a scowl.

Lincoln tilted his head back with doubt. "If you can catch me." His rebuttal caused the bully to pause. "From what I can tell, you don't exactly look like you'll last much longer." Chandler grimaced for a split second but quickly covered it up with pursed lips.

Seeing his moment of falter, Lincoln knew he had him. All he needed now is one more push. "And besides, even if you caught me..." He paused as he debated his choice of words. "Hopefully I don't regret this." He shook his head. "Actually, forget about it. It's probably not a good idea to say it anyway." He feigned disinterest.

"Say what exactly Loud?" Chandler demanded to know in a challenging tone.

"Hook, Line and Sinker." Lincoln sighed but decided to go for it. "That it wouldn't matter if you caught me." At the bully's narrowed eyes, he prayed for this to go well before elaborating. "Because I'm pretty sure..." He gave off a rare smirk. "That my sisters can hit harder than you." Said siblings' early embarrassment couldn't compare to now as their faces reddened further.

But the moment was interrupted as Chandler looked downright offended at the comment. "WHAT!?" He fumed as the surrounding students flinched at his anger. "I'll make you eat those words Larry!" He screamed as he charged forward, his fatigue forgotten.

While ignoring the people telling him to move, Lincoln stood his ground. "Come on..." He narrowed his eyes in concentration. "A little closer..." Upon getting in range, Chandler threw an enraged punch.

A flurry of events happened after that.

With his eyes widening, Lincoln quickly caught the fist. And due to the momentum, fatigue, and the Loud boy's surprising grip strength. Chandler couldn't free himself before being mercilessly thrown over Lincoln's shoulder and have his back slammed against the ground, knocking the wind out of him in the process.

As everyone stared at the scene with varying expressions of shock and disbelief, Lincoln panted and stood back with a tired grin. "And, for the record." He took a breath and dusted himself off. "My name is Lincoln." He FINALLY corrected before walking away from Chandler who tried to sit up but was too tired to do it.

After registering the scene, the gathered children cheered. But Lincoln opted to ignore them and focused on heading over to Haiku who was still on the ground and wore an expression of shock. "Are you ok?" He offered a hand.

Snapping out of it, Haiku looked up at him and couldn't help but note how the sunlight brought a certain shine to his white hair. But paled in comparison to the concern and care shown in his eyes. Which also held a hidden layer of strength to them.

It honestly made him look quite handsome.

Realizing that she had done nothing but stare, Haiku cleared her throat and grabbed his hand. ''Y-Yes, I'm fine now.'' Once pulled up she averted her eyes with a light shade of pink on her cheeks while Lincoln just smiled at her.

Both wanted to say more but noticed that they were still holding hands, so they hastily let go and looked away from each other. Haiku's blush increased while Lincoln rubbed his arm with an awkward chuckle.

Thankfully their embarrassment didn't last as Lincoln's sisters and friends made their way to the duo. ''Your plan worked bro!'' Lana cheered as she and Lola hugged his legs, causing him to chuckle and pat their heads.

''Of course it did.'' Lisa adjusted her glassed. ''With all the accurate information on the situation, our dearest brother's plan was bound to succeed from the start.'' She explained with a small smile, internally awed by his creative genius.

Hearing this, Lucy and Haiku looked at them curiously. ''Plan? What plan?'' The latter asked.

To this Stella stepped forward. ''Well, Lincoln saw what was happening and wanted to put a stop to it.'' She paused as everyone turned to her. ''To make a long explanation short, he knew Chandler wouldn't stop from a simple warning, so he decided to make it clear that he wasn't messing around by doing the one thing that would get through to him.''

''By intimidating him and besting him with his own strengths.'' Haiku surmised with a nod. ''Fight fire with fire.'' She couldn't stop herself from smiling at the though process. ''How poetic.'' Her comment received chuckles from the group.

Lola then decided to add to it. ''And since we heard what he was planning.'' In a rare display of affection, she pulled her twin in a one-armed hug. ''We decided to help!'' Lana nodded with a toothy smile as she returned the hug.

While finding the display cute, Lucy still had one more thing to clear up. ''But if that's the case.'' She turned to Stella. ''Why didn't you guys help too?'' Now that she thought about it, she hadn't seen Clyde anywhere.

''We wanted to.'' Zach responded. ''But your big bro didn't want us to be involved in case the plan backfired and we ended up in trouble because of it.'' He explained in a tone of respect and shrugged helplessly.

At this Haiku sent a warm smile towards Lincoln. ''How chivalrous of you.'' He grinned sheepishly while his sisters took note of the exchange.

''And besides.'' Rusty nervously added. ''I don't think we could have done much; your sisters are scary enough.'' He gulped as Lincoln chortled knowingly while his sisters didn't know how to take the comment, apart from Lucy who took it as a compliment.

After recovering from the comment, Lisa recomposed herself. "Regardless of the method. I for one am impressed with how well the plan is going so far."

While the majority nodded, Lucy and Haiku looked at her questioningly. "What do you-"

''This isn't over Lincoln...''

Turning to the voice, both poets held back a groan as Chandler was propped up on one knee and glaring at them. "Haven't you had enough?" Lincoln questioned with a frown as his friends/siblings stood ready to defend him as the crowd stopped cheering to look at the scene in surprise.

"Fat chance Loud!" Chandler huffed and wobbled as he stood. "You had me now, but next time I'll-"

''You will do no such thing, Mr. McCann.''

After flinching from the voice. Everyone, apart from Lincoln and Lisa who smirked to themselves, turned to the source in shock.

Standing in front of the door to the school was Principal Huggins, but he wasn't alone. To his right was Mrs. Agnes who had a tired Clyde by her side. And to his left stood Coach Pacowski who had a good grip on the respective arms of a nervous Trent and Tyler.

After registering the scene, Chandler hastily straightened himself out. "Principal Huggins!" He turned to them with a nervous smile. "Is there anything I could-"

"Save it boy, I'm not the gullible type today." The children flinched from the stern cut off. "I think you've done quite enough as it is." He gestured to the crown of students and to the two poets who stood behind a calm Lincoln.

Chandler glanced around and attempted to save face. "Oh, that." He lightly chuckled. "We were just rough housing is all." He internally cursed when he heard whispers of disagreement from the crowd.

Evidently the adults weren't convinced either as Coach Pacowski clicked his tongue. "Really now?" He pulled the two brothers forward who winced from the gesture. "Because we've heard something completely different from these two." The siblings could do nothing but look at their feet in shame and a bit of fear.

"Traitors!" Chandler fought off a grimace to keep himself calm. "They're just exaggerating." He waved his hand dismissively.

Apparently, this was the wrong move too as the frown on Mrs. Agnes' face deepened. "Oh really?" She pointed somewhere. "And I suppose the footage is an exaggeration as well?" She questioned with stern disappointment.

Following her finger, Chandler paled upon noticing a camera positioned to give a good view of the entire school yard.

"We announced its installment, along with others, during our seminar last week. Not that you were paying attention." Huggins explained and apart from a few, most became sheepish when they realized that they hadn't either. "At first, I thought one was enough." He narrowed his eyes at the nervous bully. "But after today, it's clear that one isn't enough."

With the evidence greatly stacked against him, Chandler began sweating. "W-Well..I-Umm..." He stammered.

Only to be silenced when Huggins raised a hand. "Save it for my Office." With no choice left, the bully began dragging himself towards the school. "And just so you know." The student stopped just before he entered the building to look up at the stern man. "We made sure to contact your parents." If Chandler wasn't pale before, he certainly was now.

The child once again tried to defend himself but Huggins was having none of it and simply pointed towards his office. So with a fearful gulp, Chandler trudged along with the man following in silence.

Seeing this, Coach Pacowski wordlessly followed with the fearful brothers in tow. While Mrs. Agnes and Clyde made their way to the group. "Did I make it in time?" The latter panted.

"Negative." Lisa's response caused him to become downcast so she quickly added. "But despite this, your timely arrival served to improve the fruits of our labor." The child beamed from her words.

As the pieces came together, it all started making sense to the young poets. "So that was your plan." Lucy stated, causing her brother to look at her. "To get Chandler in trouble for attacking first."

Lincoln gave her a thumbs up. "Yep." He pointed to the camera. "With the new security system, I knew there wasn't a way for Chandler to lie out of it." He then gestured to the young genius. "But in case the plan backfired on me, Lisa suggested that Clyde should go and call a teacher." He chuckled. "I just didn't think said teacher would be the principal of all people. But I guess it made your delay make more sense."

While Clyde looked embarrassed, Mrs. Agnes chuckled. "Actually, he came to me first." Everyone looked to her in surprise. "When he told me what was happening, I knew I needed to act fast so I decided to go directly to Principal Huggins." She then sighed with a frown. "He didn't believe me at first, so I suggested checking the new security camera in the school yard."

"You should have seen the look on his face." Clyde nervously chimed in. "I've never seen him that upset before." Everyone murmured their agreements, having never seen the man angry at anything.

Seeing that they were getting off track, Agnes continued. "After that we were supposed to go stop the fight. But then we saw a feed of Trent and Tyler running for their lives." The Loud girls became sheepish upon hearing this. "And since they're known for being close acquaintances to Chandler, Principal Huggins called Coach Pacowski to catch them." She let out a giggle at the memory of the two brothers gaping as the large coach easily caught up to them. "He's a lot faster than most of you think."

After letting the information sink in, she continued again. "After they were caught, we left the office, but not before Huggins told his secretary, Miss Cheryl to call Chandler's parents."

Haiku nodded to this before a thought came to her. "Wait...if you knew about the camera." She turned to the brother. "Then why did you call the teachers for help?"

To this, Lincoln didn't meet her gaze and rubbed his arm. "Well...like I said, Lisa and I agreed to do it in case things went wrong." He repeated in a vague tone that left the kids, apart from Lisa who also looked away, in confusion.

But being experienced with these kinds of things, Agnes let out a gasp as she understood. "You weren't expecting to win the fight." The statement was more of a fact than a question.

While grimacing at her astute observation, everyone turned to him in shock as he nodded. "Yeah...I didn't." He immediately raised his hands when they voiced their protests. "Guys! Take it easy, it's already done." They quieted but didn't look happy. "It was a risky plan, but it worked out in the end. And besides, I would have run away to give the teachers time to arrive if it was worse than what me and Lisa predicted." He calmly assured.

"But...why?" Haiku asked in a sad tone, not liking the idea of someone willingly taking a beating for her. As did Lucy and everyone else around her.

He shrugged. "Simple, it was the right thing to do." The white-haired boy gestured to the crowd. "Even if I get beaten up, there'll be too much evidence against Chandler by then." He looked at Haiku and Lucy with a kind smile. "Plus, nobody but me would be hurt. Making it a win-win either way." He had no regrets in his explanation, leaving them speechless.

"I admit to being originally against the idea myself." They turned to see Lisa looking at her feet with a frown. "But since we persuaded him to let us help, he, in turn, did the same for us." She sniffed, but a pat on her head encouraged her to look up to her brother's proud smile, which caused her to return the expression.

While everyone was awed by his selflessness, Haiku felt moved and felt misty-eyed. "Lincoln...I..." She swallowed. "I don't know what to say." Likewise, Lucy didn't either as tears flowed down her cheeks.

On brotherly instinct, Lincoln stepped forward and hugged them both. "You don't have to say anything." After patting their backs, he leaned back with a grin. "I'm just glad you guys are all right now."

As he stepped back, Lucy didn't feel that it was enough so she surged forward to hug him again. "Thank you, big brother." She hid her face against his chest with a tearful smile.

Though surprised by her emotional affection, Lincoln chuckled warmly. "Anytime sis." He rubbed her head while everyone just smiled at the heartwarming scene.

*RING*

While sighing at the ruined moment, Agnes supposed that it was inevitable for the school bell to ring. After wiping her tears, she clapped her hands together, drawing everyone's attention. "Okay students, break time is over!" As expected, most weren't thrilled to hear this. "Don't worry, you'll only have a few classes left until dismissal." She then gestured to the school. "Now come along now."

While unhappy with their break ending, her words did ease them into heading back to their classes.

But before Lincoln's group could move a concerned Agnes stopped them. "Are you feeling well enough to attend classes Lincoln?" She gently asked.

"Well...I'm a bit winded and a little dirtied up." He admitted while dusting himself off. "But I'm pretty sure I can attend the last classes for the day." He gave her a thumbs up.

Agnes observed him for a moment before nodding. "Ok, but if you're not feeling well, don't be shy to tell your teacher." After receiving a nod, she gestured them to the building before staying to usher the other children.

While the group moved, Liam voiced everyone's thoughts. "You sure you're all right?"

"Positive." Lincoln immediately answered as he smiled tiredly at him before looking forward again. ""I wasn't hurt during the whole thing. And we didn't have any P.E. today so I can use our classes to rest." The farm boy nodded while everyone relaxed.

Once inside, Lincoln's group was about to enter their classroom until Zach got curious. "By the way..." He chimed. "Where did you guys get the fake pepper sprays and taser?"

In perfect sync, the Loud children paused and gave him confused looks. "Fake?" They prodded.

With suddenly wide eyes, Zach wisely chose to drop the topic. "U-Um, n-nevermind." He hastily walked towards the classroom with Rusty nervously following, muttering something about a 'scary family', while Stella and Liam followed in amusement. The latter two mentioned thinking about asking their parents for similar items.

After chuckling at the display, Lincoln turned to his sister and brought them in for a hug, of which they returned with equal vigor. "Thanks for the assist back there."

Once separated, Lana tipped her cap. "Anytime bro!" Lisa and Lola nodded with smiles.

Meanwhile Lucy turned to her best friend. "Hopefully our next reprieve will be under better circumstances."

"Agreed." Haiku nodded as her gaze shifted to the Loud brother. "Though I suppose the experience was enlightening." Lucy took note of her tone but decided not to pry and opted to just simply nod and leave with her siblings. She would need to find out more later.

After waving his sisters one more time, Lincoln grinned at Haiku. "Shall we?" He gestured to their classroom with a bow.

The poet felt her lips twitch upwards but managed to stay composed. "My, what a gentleman." She complimented before doing a curtsey with her dress. "I'd be delighted to."

"Great!" Lincoln's beaming face sent a surge of emotions through the Goth, none unpleasant. "I'll lead the way milady." He offered in a jokingly fancy accent before walking to the classroom with a chortle.

But unbeknownst to him, Haiku watched him go for a moment before following with a warm smile.

---

ROYAL WOODS MIDDLE SCHOOL-SCHOOL ENTRANCE-AFTER CLASSES

Popularity was always an interesting subject for Lincoln. At one point, he had desired to become as such, though it had come at the cost of his sisters' dignities.

Thankfully he had come to his senses when he'd realized how much of a jerk he was becoming and how much his sisters we're suffering.

To fix this, he gave up his own dignity in return and purposely embarrassed himself on the same level as his siblings. Which worked wonderfully since his sisters we're given the opportunity to salvage their reputations.

Sure he was mocked quite a bit, but after a while, people grew bored of doing it and subconsciously agreed to move on with their lives. Which allowed the Loud children to naturally fix their images and the divide caused from the whole debacle.

So after being eventually forgiven by his sisters and grounded by his parents for a while, Lincoln decided that ''Popularity'' wasn't all that it was cracked up to be. And that being happy with his friends and family was all that he needed.

But due to recent events, this has suddenly become challenging.

Even if there were a few classes left for the day, it was clear that his actions had quickly spread amongst the students.

It was subtle at first, but he began noticing how people would whisper as he passed or would occasionally give him props for what he did. Heck, a few people even came up to him to apologize for any stuff they've done to him before, of which he easily forgave and said that it was all in the past. Don't get him wrong, it's nice to be supported, but the constant attention made him feel uncomfortable.

Even his younger sisters weren't spared from the praise and attention. But like their brother, it feels nice, but was starting to become overwhelming. Even Lola was getting creeped out from all the staring. Because at the end of the day, they didn't do it for the praise. They did it because they wanted to help and be good people.

Oh well, at least they weren't being paraded.

And now we find the large group leaving school amongst many as the bell rang. All of them sharing their experiences with their sudden popularity.

"Man, you guys are so lucky." Rusty whined as he noticed a group of girls staring at an oblivious Lincoln before giggling amongst themselves.

But to this Lola scoffed. "If you want the attention so much, then take it." "She looked over her shoulder to see boys her age grinning towards her. "I just want the creeps to leave me alone." She muttered distastefully before smiling when the boys fearfully backed off after being directed a stern gaze from Lincoln.

"Well that's unexpected." At the confused look Lola gave him, Clyde clarified. "I mean, considering that your talent revolves around public attention. I thought that this kind of thing wouldn't bother you." Now understanding where he was coming from, some nodded in agreement.

The young girl rolled her eyes and looked ahead. "Just because I'm a pageant princess, doesn't mean I want to be under the public eye 24-7." She curtly explained. "I like my privacy, thank you very much." She huffed indignantly while Clyde apologized.

*HONK*

Looking up, Clyde smiled when he saw his parents waving at him from their family car. "That's my ride." He turned to Lincoln. "See you on Monday." He offered his fist.

"You bet." The Loud brother bumped fists with a smile. "Stay safe." After receiving a nod as a response, the group waved Clyde and his family goodbye.

With the McBrides gone. Stella, Liam, Zach and Rusty also exchanged their goodbyes with the Loud children before leaving as well.

After waving to them, Lincoln turned to his sisters. "Today was certainly an adventure, wasn't it?" A chorus of humored agreements was their response.

"Lincoln."

As Lola, Lana and Lisa screamed and hugged each other in fear. Lucy and surprisingly Lincoln didn't even bat an eye. "Hey Haiku." The boy greeted with a smile as he looked over his shoulder to the poet.

Said poet was both impressed with his lack of surprise and suddenly shy from having his attention. "Does the darkness not scare thee?" She threw the question out there to regain her composure.

"Nah, I can still get scared." Lincoln waved off before facing her. "I guess I just got used to scares thanks to Lucy's antics." Said sister looked a little sheepish. "So what's up?" He gave her his full attention.

After steadying her sudden nerves, Haiku met his gaze. "I..." She took a breath. "I just wanted to say thank you for what you and your sisters did for me." She smiled.

Lincoln returned the smile. "You're welcome." He then tilted his head curiously. "But you didn't have to go far as to find me just to do that you know." He chuckled inwardly.

"Cute." Haiku blushed at the thought and looked to her feet. "W-Well, it's just that I..." She mentally berated herself for the stutter. "Come on, you've read poems to customers in a café. Surely this should be easier than that." She grimaced in frustration.

Noting her discomfort, Lincoln became concerned. "Haiku?" No response, so he gently placed a hand on her shoulder. "Is something wrong?"

At his warm touch, the poet looked up and found herself being calmed by his kind eyes. And before she knew it, she found the courage to speak. "I wanted to give you something as thanks." She mumbled before realizing what she had just said and blushed.

But to her dismay, Lincoln frowned a bit from hearing this. "You don't have to do that." He pulled his hand away, causing her to miss his warmth. "I'm not the type to-"

"I know you're not." Haiku internally cringed at her interruption but pushed on. "But I want to do this for you." She stood her ground. "It's the least I could do."

The sole brother wanted to kindly refuse her gesture but seeing her resolve made him hesitate and look away with a conflicted expression. He had his moments of selfishness and each time, something always backfired on him. Even if the desires were harmless, the fallout from those pursuits weren't worth it. Making him feel like a villain in those scenarios.

But as he looked back to the girl in front of him, another point surfaced. This wasn't a result of a selfish pursuit but rather, something that's being given to him out of appreciation for his efforts.

Even Ace Savvy had humbly accepted his fair share of rewards.

So with this point and a few more moments of deliberation. Lincoln had made his choice. "Well..." He trailed off before shrugging. "All right, I accept." He smiled. "It's probably an awesome poem now that I think about it." He guessed.

After releasing a breath, she didn't know she was holding, Haiku looked relieved that he accepted. "Good." She nodded. "But I need you to close your eyes first." A pink hue colored her cheeks after saying this.

And as expected, Lincoln gave her an odd but curious look. "Why? It's not my birthday." And there weren't any holidays today as far as he knew.

With her blush growing, Haiku looked away and bit her lip. "Please just do it." She was both losing and strengthening her nerves.

Though still very confused, he could tell she was growing nervous so he complied. "Ok." He closed his eyes. "But this better not be-"

He felt a light pressure on his cheek for a moment, causing him to snap his eyes open in shock to see her looking away with a very red face. "D-Did you just..." He placed a hand over the spot where she had kissed him with a light pink on his cheeks.

With a light nod, Haiku didn't meet his gaze as she tucked her hair behind her ears. "Thank you again for saving me." She whispered before hastily making her way home and leaving him stunned.

But once the shock wore off, Lincoln's blush went down as he lowered his hand and stared at her retreating form with a smile. "You're welcome!" He could've sworn he saw her stumble for a moment but recovered to continue her path with her usual grace.

After chuckling to himself, he turned around.

Only to freeze in place when he was met with the sight of his sisters giving him varying but knowing looks. Apparently, he'd forgotten that they were there.

A fatal mistake on his part to be sure.

And as they took a deep breath, he paled knowing what was going to happen next. So, with great speed he plugged his ears right as they released excited squeals that shook the area.

When they stopped, Lincoln freed his fingers with a pop and raised his hands placatingly. "Guys calm down-"

"How can we bro!?" Lana interjected with a big grin. "You've got a girlfriend now!" She cheered as Lola squealed again while Lisa and Lucy nodded in agreement.

While blushing at her words, Lincoln raised a finger. "First of all, she's not my girlfriend." He raised another finger. "And second, she just did that as thanks." He argued.

But Lisa was quick to shake her head. "On most cases, that's true. But the evidence says otherwise." She cleared her throat and adjusted her glasses. "During your conversation with her, I noticed the lack of the usual stoicism. And in its place was a bundle of nerves which was only highlighted by her prominent blushes." She paused for a second to let that sink in. "Furthermore, her body language displayed the most common signs of attraction." She looked up to her brother with a sly smile. "Need I say more?" She challenged knowingly.

"Y-You're just jumping to conclusions." He weakly retorted before looking away with an unreadable expression. "Besides...she doesn't even like me that way."

Lucy wasn't giving up. "But brother, the proof is there." He still didn't look at them. "The way she sounded when speaking about you was a clear sign too." Her sisters looked at her curiously. "Like Lisa said, she's pretty stoic like me. But the only time she isn't, is when she's talking about something/someone she has an interest in." She looked at her brother with a small smile. "The same exact way when she spoke about you earlier."

"..." Lincoln still didn't meet their gazes, his expression unchanging.

"I know I'm not the girliest girl around." Lana chimed in as she proudly pointed a thumb to herself. "But even I can tell when someone is smitten." She looked up to him in respect. "Especially after you stepped in to save her."

Lola dreamily sighed. "Like her Knight in shining armor." She swooned.

Lisa nodded in agreement and sighed fondly. ''Like Gerty Theresa Cori and Carl Ferdinand Cori.'' Her sisters turned to her in confusion before shrugging, guessing it was a science couple.

''Like the stories I read.'' Lucy added with a faint blush.

Lana nodded and decided to add to it. ''Like Romeo and Juliet.'' Lisa was about to point out that the couple died in that story, but was swiftly silenced via hand to the mouth from Lucy.

The sisters then began to excitedly exchange their thoughts on the development and where it could possibly lead.

"Sadie Hawkins Dance."

The sudden statement interrupted their gossiping, causing them to look at their brother in confusion. Seeing this he clarified. "Sadie Hawkins Dance, that's how I know she won't like me that way." He looked down in shame.

And just like that, they immediately understood what he was saying and once again felt guilt hit them.

It was one of MANY moments where their decisions put him in a tough spot. Simply because he was outvoted in the matter. Lola, Lana and Lisa may have not been a part of it, but they still felt guilty for the other times they were.

How they thought it was a good idea to set their brother up with four girls on the same day is anyone's guess.

Lucy especially felt bad since she was the one that set him up Haiku on that day. "She told me that she already forgave you." She whispered.

But he heard it well enough and shook his head. "She just said that so you wouldn't have to worry about her hating me." He crossed his arms. "You guys are best friends and I doubt she wants to lose that over something I did."

"But it wasn't your doing brother." Lisa interjected. "While I wasn't there, I know you wouldn't agree to such a ludicrous arrangement willingly." She was more than aware of how outvoted their brother was on decisions unless it was in her sisters' benefits. And she wished she could have done something about it, but alas, she would have been outvoted too despite her genius.

But to their dismay, Lincoln remained unconvinced. "And yet I did." He turned away from them. "Yeah I didn't agree to it, but I went through with it anyway." His shoulders sagged as he looked down. "I hurt them, played with their feelings." He stated with remorse.

While shattered at what their brother said, Lana stepped up. "That's not true!" She firmly argued. "I heard from Luna that even if you had four dates, you did everything you could to make them happy!" She pointed out, remembering how proud and awed her older sister was when telling her what happened.

"Yeah!" Lola seconded. "You're not some creep!" She pointed. "You're a shining Knight!" She argued just as fiercely as Lincoln looked ready to deny her words.

But Lucy beat him to it. "Not only that, from what Haiku told me. Despite the circumstances, she had fun that night." She gently reassured. Yes, her friend was upset, but after cooling off she was impressed with how well he was juggling four dates at once and touched at how dedicated he was at making them happy.

This time Lincoln didn't have a retort but still didn't face them with a guilty look.

"I understand the regret, we all do." Lisa gently stated as she stepped towards him while her other sisters nodded sadly. "But you can't let a mistake ruin your chances at happiness. You've said it yourself before, mistakes are a part of life and should be used as lessons to be better." She patted his leg as he turned to her with gloomy face that hurt her. "And if it's any consolation, the fact that she even spoke to you, mean's that there's a chance to move passed this." She optimistically added.

Lincoln looked away for a moment before looking back at her. "Do you really think so?" He asked with a bit of hope, which was increased when Lisa nodded confidently.

"Positive." Everyone turned to Lucy. "And if you want...you two can talk it out." He tensed at that so she quickly added. "Don't worry, I'm sure she's more than willing to move on too. As well as the others."

Though hesitant, Lincoln looked over to everyone else and saw them silently reassuring him. So seeing this, he allowed himself to smile at their support. "All right, I'll think about it." They beamed in response and dove in to hug him.

While feeling warmth, Lincoln chuckled fondly as he patted their heads. "Thanks." They leaned back to smile up at him. "Come on, it's getting late." They agreed before separating and following him home.

---

The walk home was silent, save for the occasional passing car or the sounds of local wildlife from birds and squirrels.

But the silence among the Loud children were for different reasons.

For Lincoln, he was taking the opportunity to reflect on the possibility of repairing his relationship with Haiku and the other girls he was set up with.

"But how?" He idly hummed as looked up to the sky. He could call them but thought that it would be too weird to do so. Or maybe he could just send them a message? Those were simple enough, all he needed to do was to have Luna, Luan and Lynn pass on said messages while he has a personal talk with Haiku on Monday since they're classmates.

And as he planned, his sisters stared at his silent form in worry. Taking the chance to reflect on his admittance to struggling from their antics and having to placate them when an argument broke out.

It's honestly amazing how he hasn't outright hated them for what they've put him through, not that they'd blame him if he did.

And it was this line of thinking that caused the siblings to turn to each other guiltily before nodding in silent agreement.

They would need to have a sibling meeting about this. If things remained as they are...it wouldn't take a genius like Lisa to figure out that things would only get worse if they did.

So with renewed fire within them, Lola bit her lip and decided to take the first step and catch up with their brother. "Lincy?" She gently called out to him.

Snapping out of his thoughts, Lincoln looked down at her with a kind smile. "Yes?" He slowed his pace so that she could catch up.

After glancing behind her to see her sisters giving her support, Lola nervously looked up to him. "We're sorry."

Fully stopping, Lincoln crouched and went to eye level with her in concern. "Where's this coming from?" He gently asked.

Seeing how concerned he was made her feel both loved and ashamed. "You're always so nice to us and..." She suddenly found her shoes more interesting, her eyes welling up. "Well...we end up taking your kindness for g-granted a-and..." She couldn't finish her sentence as she choked up.

"We cause you trouble most of the time instead of being nice to you too." Lana glumly finished her twin's statement as she removed her hat and held it in her hands.

Lisa sighed in agreement. "Regretfully this has been the case for some time now." She sadly admitted as she didn't meet his gaze while Lucy looked away and rubbed her arm.

The sight of his sisters' sadness always made Lincoln's heart ache. So with brotherly care he opened his arms. "Come here." They hesitated before caving in from his gentle smile and got close for him to wrap them in a hug. "It's all right." He soothed as they returned the embrace the best they could. "I never held it against you." He felt them stiffen in his arms.

He then loosened his grip to allow them to look up at him in disbelief. And before they could protest, he spoke first. "Like I said before, you girls may drive me crazy at times. But I wouldn't trade it for anything." He smiled fondly. "I love you all too much to do that."

With misty eyes, the girls tearfully smiled. "We love you too." They replied in unison before hugging him again with Lincoln returning it with equal gusto.

A few moments passed before the sisters reluctantly separated from him. "Feeling better?" They nodded with watery smiles before wiping their faces. "Good." He grinned before grabbing a surprised Lisa who yelped as she was placed on his shoulders. "Let's go home." He stated as everyone looked at him in surprise.

After recovering from her shock Lisa gained an embarrassed blush. "D-Dearest brother, while I am emotionally fatigued. I believe I am more than capable of walking." She explained with a stammer, evidently not used to being treated her age.

"We're not that far anyway." Lincoln calmly reasoned as he turned to the twins with a smile. "And besides, do I really need a reason to show how much I care for my siblings?" Catching on to his words, Lola and Lana smiled bigger and eagerly held each of his hands while Lucy happily stood beside him.

"I..." Lisa paused before a smile formed on her face as she secured herself on him. "I suppose I cannot argue with that logic." The siblings shared a laugh before heading home, their bonds stronger.

All looking forward to the usual antics of their family.

---

LOUD HOUSE RESIDENCE-LIVING ROOM

But as it turned out, it wasn't a normal time at home either. Because the moment they arrived at the front door, they were greeted by a proud Luan who said: "The conquering heroes have entered the building!" Before they were pulled in for a family meeting.

In hindsight, they should have expected this. With how large the crowd was, someone was bound to pull out their phone and record the whole thing.

However, what they couldn't have predicted, was that said video would gain traction on YouTube. Garnering the attention of countless individuals and rising.

The majority of comments were in full support of their actions and actually commended the Loud parents for raising fine children (which filled them with parental pride). While the rest were either flabbergasted that a bully like Chandler was able to enroll or annoyed that the school allowed said bully to do as he pleased for so long.

Of course, there were the funnier comments that tried to lighten up the mood. Like the one that asked if the Loud parents had ever heard of protection before? Or that one comment that wondered if they were related to Filipinos with how large their family was.

And to top it all off, there were the usual meme comments with timestamps, making the moments funnier somehow.

"Nice job out there Linc." Lynn complimented as she drew him in for a friendly noogie, eliciting laughter from him as he playfully struggled.

But after freeing himself, Lincoln fixed his hair with a grin. "Well, I wouldn't have been able to do it without your training." His younger siblings also received praises from their family.

Lynn waved a hand. "No need to be so humble." She planted a fist on her open palm. "I only thought you where to hit, not any of those fancy moves you did." Her expression then shifted into an eager one. "Speaking off...we'll need to work on your endurance." She pointed out with poorly hidden excitement.

Despite feeling a little nervous, Lincoln couldn't deny his excitement as he returned the expression the best he could. "If I have free time, I'm in." He chuckled as the sporty sister beamed.

"But we really should lay down some ground rules." Rita interjected as she held a happy Lily, the mother having recovered from the embarrassing questions from the video. "We've been unfair long enough." Like her husband, she was thankful to be forgiven by their son. But was ashamed to have played a part in his struggles, intentional or not.

After replying to yet another message from a concerned friend about the video, Lori looked up from her phone with a smile. "Don't worry mom, we literally planned on having a meeting about it tonight after the celebration." While their parents had explained to the younger siblings how they knew of what happened. The older siblings had discussed amongst themselves and admitted their shame for only seeing the issue NOW.

Lori felt mostly responsible for this, simply because she was supposed to be the one who kept things fair and orderly amongst the siblings. And yet, she failed to notice the clear bias and stress her brother had to go through. All because she was either blinded by her own faults or was too lazy to be bothered about it and simply let him handle it. Not only that, she was pretty sure she could have helped on multiple occasions if she had simply told her boyfriend on the phone to hold on for a moment before going back to continue their chat.

Luna felt like a failure as an older sibling. She was one of those who her brother was close with. But to her shame, she played a part in his struggles simply because she allowed herself to be swayed by the mob mentality her sisters have.

Lynn felt unworthy of being his protector. She was supposed to toughen him up and keep an eye out for him. Not become the very thing she was protecting him from.

A bully.

It honestly made her sick knowing that she basically put him through the same thing she did when she was his age.

Luan, for once, couldn't find it within herself to make a joke. Comedy was supposed to spread laughter and joy in the world. It was something that she strived to do ever since she found her calling.

She thought back to all the times she tried to bring a smile onto her brother's face, only come to the horrifying conclusion that she had been doing the exact opposite.

Especially on April Fool's Day.

Once she had realized this, she made a personal vow to dial back on her antics, so that her brother and her entire family for that matter could finally relax around her and actually have fun when she did her thing.

Leni just felt bad because Lincoln was hurt. She may not be the brightest of the bunch, but even she can tell when she messed up.

At the end of their discussion, they agreed that a sibling meeting needed to take place later.

Meanwhile Lincoln and his younger siblings were focused on something else. "Celebration?" They repeated in confusion.

And right on cue, Lynn Sr. came in wearing an apron. "That's right." Rita moved to give her husband space as he kneeled in front of them. "We can't exactly let the night end in a dull note after what you all did." He ruffled their hairs. "Which is why tonight we're going to have Lynn-guine tonight!" He announced as the children grew excited.

"Awesome!" Lincoln and his younger siblings cheered as they high-fived each other.

"But next time, try not to be so reckless." Rita interjected. "Your father and I are very proud of you all for doing the right thing, but I'd prefer you all stay out of harm's way." She directed a semi-stern gaze at Lincoln. "Especially you young man." She urged as she placed her free hand on her hip

While the younger siblings looked sheepish, Lincoln chuckled nervously. "We'll keep that in mind mom."

Satisfied with the response, the mother nodded with a fond smile while Lily clapped her hands. "Incon!" The girl giggled before sucking her thumb hungrily.

Noticing this Rita turned to her husband. "Is dinner ready?" After receiving a nod, she turned to her children. "Ok kids, help set the table and we'll eat."

The children voiced their agreement before zooming to the kitchen to get the plates and utensils. While the parents followed in amusement with Lily babbling in Rita's arms.

---

LOUD HOUSE RESIDENCE-LINCOLN'S ROOM-AFTER DINNER

The young boy stared at his ceiling as he reflected on today's events.

After dinner and helping with the dishes, Lori had told Lincoln that there will be a sibling meeting later. But to their surprise, the latter kindly declined, opting to rest and put his complete trust in them.

This, of course, touched his siblings and promised to make things right for him. And after a group hug (which Lynn Sr. discreetly took a picture off), the sisters bid him good night before heading over to Lori's room to have the meeting while he went off to freshen up before heading to his room.

"What a day." He chuckled as he got under his blankets. "Didn't expect any of it, but hey." He closed his eyes and got comfy. "At least we did the right thing in the end." Was his last thought as he began to drift off to slumber.

*Bzzzt* *Bzzzt*

The Loud boy resisted the urge to groan from hearing his phone vibrate from the top of his nightstand. "And the excitement continues." He muttered before groggily grabbing the device, pressed the answer button before placing it on his ear. "Hello?"

[''Lincoln?'']

Upon hearing the voice, all traces of sleepiness left him as he sat up in surprise. "Haiku?" He quickly lowered his voice out of habit. "How'd you get this number?" He couldn't help but ask.

There was a pause. ["I asked Lucy for it."] She sounded embarrassed.

"Lucy, of course." Lincoln made an 'oh' face but composed himself. "Ah, that explains it." He nodded; he wasn't against the idea of sharing his number with friends. It was just weird to do so without him knowing. "How are you doing?"

From her room, she smiled softly. ["I'm doing better now, thanks."] She shifted on her bed to a more comfortable position. ["I wish I could say the same for my parents."]

While shifting as well, he winced. "I'm guessing they didn't take it well?" He could only imagine their reactions after seeing the video for themselves.

["That would be putting it mildly."] She shivered at the memory. ["Dad wants Chandler expelled and Mom grilled Principal Huggins as to why they allowed this kind of behavior to go on for so long."] She then smiled a bit. ["Plus, it was fun watching Chandler and his goons shrink from being scolded by the adults."] She added with amusement in her tone.

While sharing her amusement, Lincoln let out a low whistle. "Wow, I almost feel sorry for them." Sure he expected his plan to work out, but he didn't expect it to do THIS well.

["I understand what you mean, though I think it applies more to Trent and Tyler more than anything."] Even if she couldn't see him, she could tell Lincoln was curious so she explained. ["Apparently, the only reason why those two affiliate with Chandler so much, is because he gives them items when he'd been given his allowance."] It was amazing to him how judging and pitying her tone was.

The boy raised an eyebrow. "You mean stuff like toys or extra lunch, right?" After receiving an affirmative hum, he shook his head. "That's just sad."

Haiku nodded, even though he couldn't see it. ["Agreed."] She then continued her tale. ["But despite this, Principal Huggins still gave them a week of detention for playing part in the bullying and a scolding from their parents."] She swore she could still feel the shame from the brothers. A far cry from how proud and strong they were in the past.

Lincoln hummed, finding the punishment light and fair. "And Chandler?"

["Expelled thanks to all the evidence and testimonies from students who came forward since they weren't brave enough before."] She responded with no hesitation. ["And apart from grounding, I don't know how else his parents are planning on punishing him. But what I did hear is that they're planning on enrolling him somewhere else."] She then shook her head. ["But with the reputation he garnered from the video, I doubt he'll be able to without problems."]

Despite a part of him expecting it, the sole brother still grimaced. "Yikes." He ran a hand through his hair and looked up to his ceiling with a sigh. "Well...on the bright side, viral fame usually dies down after a while. So I'm sure he would have learned his lesson by then and bounce back for the better." He stated with optimism and experience.

While acknowledging his brief humiliation on the internet in the past, Haiku didn't want to tarnish his positivity by saying that she found the notion of Chandler changing to be ridiculous. ["Perhaps."] She responded evenly.

A heavy silence took over after that. It was clear to Lincoln that Haiku did not call to simply update him on what happened. But the latter seemed hesitant on revealing what that is.

After a beat, he decided to use the chance to clear the air. "I'm sorry." From the other line the girl was taken aback and confused. "For tricking you and the others during the Sadie Hawkins Dance." He clarified with guilt in his tone.

Now understanding why he was suddenly apologizing. Haiku's expression softened. ["It was a long time ago Lincoln, and I've already forgiven you for that. And so have the other girls."] She and the others have kept in touch ever since the event. And while upset for weeks, they all agreed to move past it eventually and instead focus on their newfound friendship. ["Lucy also explained your circumstances at the time. And believe me, no one can blame you."] In fact, they were all impressed with how well he had managed to juggle between dates for as long as he did.

"Well you should." Lincoln's bitter reply shocked her. "I lied to all of you, took advantage of your trust." He looked down at his lap with a frown.

["You didn't mean to though."] Her soft voice made him look up a bit. ["Yes, you lied to all of us. But considering the position you were in; I doubt you were left with much of a choice."] She pointed out empathetically, now understanding why he would usually avoid talking to her or even look at her general direction in the past.

Lincoln had already heard this from his younger siblings, but it still didn't remove the guilt. "But I ended up hurting you all in the end." He whispered in shame.

Haiku's heart ached from the sadness in his voice. ["You did, but it's better than us finding out that you did it on purpose."] She wished she could hug him in assurance. ["Besides, I doubt you would have walked out in one piece if you did."] She jested with a giggle.

And despite how sad and guilty he was, Lincoln couldn't help but crack a smile at that. "Yeah, I bet." He then sighed. "But it still sucks that I ended up doing it anyway." He looked to his window in thought. "I just wish there was some way to make it up to all of you."

Haiku was about to tell him that he didn't need to do anything before pausing. There WAS a reason for her call, she just didn't expect him to apologize to her.

A bright blush erupted from her face as she realized what she was about to do. But considering that there wasn't going to be more chances like this in the future, she went for it. ["Well, I'm sure if I told the others how truly regretful you are, they'll forgive you without any issue."] She then took a breath. ["As for me however, there is one thing you could do."]

"Oh?" His interest was piqued. "And what would that be?" Knowing now that she wasn't actively looking for a way to get back at him, he was calm and willing to do a favor for her.

While warmed with how willing he is, Haiku still wrapped herself up in her blankets. ["I was hoping that we could...hang out this Sunday."] She whispered.

But it was heard well enough by Lincoln as his mind froze for a moment before recovering. "H-Huh?" Was the only thing he could say as he began processing her words.

And while embarrassed beyond belief right now, she pushed on. ["Y-You see..."] She looked to the side and twirled her hair around her finger. ["It has come to my attention that we haven't really gotten to know each other. Even during our brief time at the dance."] She blushed at the memory and what she was about to say. ["So I was thinking that perhaps we could spend some time together this Sunday since I'm free on that day."] She paused and quickly backtracked when he remained silent. ["U-Unless you have other plans on that day. Then we could simply move to a more convenient time."] She mentally berated herself for losing composure.

"Like a date?" Lincoln interjected with an amused and warm smile.

With her embarrassment increasing tenfold, she stammered. ["I-It doesn't have to be a date!"] She cringed at her tone. ["It can be just a simple hangout between friends. Or maybe we don't have to go at all! Maybe we can just talk it over during recess or-"]

Her ramblings were cut short when Lincoln chuckled "Breathe Haiku." He lightly teased while her blush grew. "I'd love to." He added with a smile, internally surprised with his confidence.

["Really?"] Evidently, she was just as surprised with how quick he was to agree to it.

Lincoln nodded, while making sure nobody was eavesdropping on him out of habit again. "Well yeah, I mean. Like you said, we haven't really gotten acquainted with one another. And ever since the dance, we hardly had the chance to." He then eyed the empty vents. "But I gotta ask, why the interest? I'm not exactly special." He voiced with genuine curiosity.

["I disagree."] Haiku smiled. ["You're humble, kind, wise beyond your years and funny."] ''Charming too.'' She wanted to add but held herself back with a blush. ["And based on the stories Lucy shared with me, and what everyone has seen; very creative as well."] She finished with fond confidence.

"Woah..." Lincoln was stunned, having never been complimented like this before. Sure his family and friends have given their praises, but for some reason, hearing it from her made it feel different.

A good kind of different.

["And besides..."] She bit her lip as her face reddened again. ["I enjoyed our brief time together."] She placed a hand on her cheek and fought the urge to scream into her pillow out of mortification.

Lincoln wasn't doing any better as red colored his cheeks from the admission. "O-Oh." He rubbed the back of his head with a crooked grin, feeling very happy about that. "Well, that's good to hear." He composed himself. "I just hope I don't mess things up this Sunday." He added a little nervously.

Haiku shared the sentiment with a nod. ["The feeling's mutual, but I don't think we need to try hard. As long as we're having a good time, we'll be fine."] She assured before a thought came to her. ["Wait, aren't you concerned of your sisters interfering?"] Lucy had admitted how she and her sisters can be rather...intrusive when it came to their brother's love life. To the point where he'd rather not share any details with them, not that they blamed him in the end.

Lincoln paused in thought before smiling. "Normally, I would be." He then looked to the door, where he could hear his sisters bidding each other goodnight before entering their respective rooms. "But after tonight, I don't think I'll have to worry about their heavy meddling anymore." He sounded content and relieved of the fact.

Having an idea what he was referring to, she nodded. ["I'm happy for you."] She then let out a yawn. ["But I believe it's time for us to retire for the night."] She informed. Feeling a little sad that their chat is ending.

Glancing at the clock, Lincoln shared the same sadness. "Looks like it." He agreed but noted her sadness so he decided to lighten her mood. "But don't worry, we'll have plenty of time to chat tomorrow." He promised before wearing a teasing grin. "After, we tell our families about our date."

While blushing at the word 'date', Haiku pouted. ["Great, you just reminded me about how my parents will react."] She sighed, already imagining her mother squealing excitedly while her father teased.

"I aim to please." He chuckled as she groaned but joined in the laughter with a giggle. "Good night, Haiku." He bid with a smile.

Hearing his warm tone made her heart thump and spread comfort within her body. ["And to you as well, Lincoln."] She replied with the same tone and expression.

Once the call ended, she calmly placed her phone on her nightstand before flopping herself on her bed to lightly scream into her pillow. Smacking her feet against her bed as she felt a rare surge of giddiness go through her.

Meanwhile within his room, Lincoln returned his phone to where it was and laid back down with a happy sigh, feeling rather excited for Sunday.

He then turned to the viewer. "Life's interesting." He got under his blanket. "When I woke up today, I didn't expect to save my sister and her friend from a bully." He got comfy. "Exposing and expelling said bully while also strengthening my bonds with my siblings." He shook his head with a chuckle. "And to top it all off, I managed to get things off my chest and reform friendships that I believed wouldn't be possible." The image of her smiling flashed through his mind. "Possibly leading to something more." He sighed happily again.

He then let out a yawn and turned away from the viewer. "I wonder what else life has in store for me tomorrow?" He thought out loud before drifting off into a blissful slumber.

---

Author's Notes:

1. And that's it, honestly, I wasn't too sure if I could write this story, especially since I had work to focus on. But I really wanted to try anyway and dedicate some time on each day to make this possible.

2. If this story caused any negativity within any of you, I apologies for that.

3. If you or I see any errors, I'll be sure to fix it right away! So, if you get any random updates despite the story already being done, that's just me cleaning up any messes I see.

Thank you for reading!