Disclaimer: The Loud House and associated characters belong to Nickelodeon and Chris Savino
Tainted Love
By Lola Presents
Chapter 4
Neither Lori nor Lincoln slept well that night. Though the focus of their issues was identical, they differed significantly in approach. While Lincoln was entirely comfortable with his affection for his sister, Lori was troubled by her own for Lincoln. However, despite the difference, they handled the problem nearly identically.
Lincoln lay well into the night, with a box of tissues on his nightstand, ready to clean himself at a moment's notice. On the other hand, Lori chose to visualize the most erotic visions she could muster before falling asleep, hoping to follow them into her nocturnal reality. As a result, neither got much sleep.
Lincoln had already confessed his feelings to Lori, but she had yet to respond, making the boy anxious. It wasn't like Lori not to reply, be it good or bad. Her silence unnerved Lincoln terribly, affecting his dreams once he fell asleep. Every time he approached her, she'd vanish or turn and walk away without saying anything.
Lori was another matter. Most of her dreams revolved around getting hot and heavy with Bobby, only to have him dissolve into Lincoln at some point, taking her off guard. It seemed that even in the safety of her dreams, she couldn't escape her feelings for her brother. Each time it happened, Lori would awake in a heated sweat, unlike anything she'd experienced before.
Naturally, once their R.E.M. sleep cycles ended, both crashed hard and slept entirely too late. Lincoln woke with a crick in his neck, once more sullen. His dreams hadn't come through for him, and it made him feel even worse. One would think sleep would've provided safe refuge for fantasy. But not for him, it seemed.
Lori woke as the morning sun kissed her cheeks, yawned, and sat up in bed. After rubbing her eyes clear of crust and recalling her dreams once she finally attained full consciousness, she realized how disgusting she felt. Not only was she emotionally torn, she immediately knew that something was wrong.
Lori stood and picked at her panties. Yup, it was just as she thought, but she was surprised at how goopy they were. Sure, girls woke up every once in a while with slick undies, but hers were in a ridiculous state. Sighing, she slipped out of them and used a dry spot to clean her underside. Then just as she brought them up to review, before rolling them up and tossing them in the hamper, she got another surprise.
"Geez, Lori..." sighed Leni, after sitting up in bed and removing her frilly blinder. "I'm so sorry. You've got it bad, don't you?"
"Huh? What?" gasped Lori, her eyes going wide as she desperately attempted to discard her underwear without Leni noticing anything further. In a panic, she tossed them into the corner of their room, between her bed and the wall, despite the hamper being two feet away. "W-what do you mean? I don't..."
Leni had promised her sisters not to reveal that they knew what transpired between Lori and Lincoln the previous night. But that didn't mean that she couldn't admit personal knowledge. Smiling and rolling her head in a sassy manner, Leni came up with something on the spot.
"Girl..." she snapped. "Who do you think you're talking to, anyway? I know you better than anyone. Besides, you talk in your sleep."
"I do not!" spat Lori defensively. Then, looking more concerned than anything, "Do I?"
"Yeah, but last night was more moaning than anything. 'Oh, Lincoln... yes... that's the spot... fuck...'" Leni dramatically recited as she rose from the bed and sat next to her sister. Then, leaning against Lori and resting her head on her shoulder, she asked, "The question is, what are you going to do about it?"
Lori hung her head and sighed. "I don't know, Leni. It's all so new and weird. Not to mention I could end up in jail over it. Hell, I'm not even sure I should be discussing it with you."
"It's okay, Lori," Leni sighed. "I'll keep your secret and do what I can to help."
"Help with what, exactly?" queried Lori.
"You know, getting you two together," Leni replied.
"What?" gasped Lori. "You don't think I'm sick or twisted?"
"Oh, em, gosh, no!" Leni chirped. "I think it's sweet, and I want you both to be happy."
"Yeah, well..." sighed Lori, rising to put on some fresh panties. "I don't think the others would agree with you, especially Mom and Dad. So, until I figure things out, can we not discuss it?"
"Fine. If that's what you want," grumbled Leni. "But, you need to discuss it to figure it out. I mean, you need more than one point of view."
"What would you know about it, anyway?" Lori muttered. "You're not the one in l-love with him."
"Oh, I totes get it. Lincoln's adorable, innovative, and has that cute little cowlick. What's not to like?" replied Leni. "And, it's clear you're into each other. There's no reason you can't be with each other. But to do that, you need allies who can run interference for you."
Lori spun and stared at Leni for a moment with a furrowed brow. "What are you suggesting?"
Leni crossed her legs and held them in place, clasping her hands around her knee. "Only that you have one already. Me. Now you have to convince the others."
"How in the hell am I supposed to do that?" questioned Lori, becoming slightly annoyed. "I mean, what am I supposed to do? Go up to one of them and say, 'Oh, hey. I'm in love with Lincoln. Do you mind if I go after him?'"
"Go for it, dude," came a quite familiar voice from beyond the door, along with some gravelly sniggering.
Lori turned once more and threw open her door, grabbed Luna, and pulled her inside the room. "I can't believe you!" Lori nearly screeched before catching herself. Then, in more of a whisper. "How could you? What kind of sister eavesdrops?"
Luna shrugged, still giggling. "Sorry, dude," she offered. "I couldn't help myself. Ever since you came home, you've been acting weird, and I wanted to know why. Though, I already suspected it had something to do with Lincoln."
Lori looked crosser than ever and folded her arms tightly against her chest. "How much did you hear, anyway?" she scowled.
"Well, the truth is, I heard it all," Luna admitted. "But, I didn't mean to listen in, honest. I only came to wake you up. It's like, almost ten in the morning."
Lori relaxed a little and let her arms drop, then hugged Luna. "I don't know what to do," she groaned. "I'm so mixed up."
"About what?" Luna asked, gently patting Lori on the back while gazing at Leni. "He's in love with you. And I mean, hardcore in love. And, you're in love with him. What's so confusing about that?"
Lori sniffled a little and pulled away from Luna, staring at her intently. "Do you seriously not have a problem with any of this?"
"Nah, dude," Luna cheered. "Love is love, and when it finds two people at the same time, there's no denying it. I mean, look at Sam and me. There are still a lot of douches who don't accept us, but we don't care because we're in love."
"Yes, but..." Lori whimpered, timidly touching her pointer fingers together in front of her. "I wouldn't know how to go about it."
"Geez, dude," sighed Luna, facepalming herself. "Leni was right. You do have it bad, don't you? I've never seen you this off before, even around Bobby."
All Lori could do was blush and gaze at Luna from underneath her unruly morning bangs when she heard Lincoln's door open and close, followed by his footsteps going downstairs. Her eyes tracked his every imagined movement, momentarily forgetting about Leni and Luna.
Lincoln walked into the kitchen, scratched his butt through yesterday's jeans, and looked for something to eat. "What're you guys having?" he asked of Lola and Lana, who were already present.
"Uh..." stammered Lana, her spoon halfway to her mouth. "Cereal? Some cornflake stuff."
"Well, I have pastries and jelly," chirped Lola. "Why?"
Lincoln shrugged. "Only looking for suggestions. I'm hungry, but I don't know what I want."
Lola looked and her twin and grinned.
"Why not go ask Lori?" Lola offered as subtlely as possible while trying to restrain herself from giggling. "You can take her order and make something for the both of you."
Lincoln sighed, still looking through the cabinets. "I don't think Lori wants to talk to me right now," he replied. "I think she's mad at me or something."
"Well," said Lana. "This is your chance to get her talking to you again. She can't stay mad forever, you know."
"I appreciate it, guys," admitted Lincoln. "But no. Remember what happened the last time I tried to help my sisters get over something? The house erupted, and I got told to let you all settle things yourselves."
"Well, okay," sighed Lola. "But it'd be a missed opportunity. I mean, if she sees you care about what she wants to eat..."
Lincoln grabbed a half-empty box of Zombie Bran and faced his sisters. "You guys are acting weird today. I'm the one usually helping you. What's up?"
"Uh..." both Lola and Lana murmured.
"Nothing. It's just nice to see you up and about again," clarified Lana.
"Yeah," sighed Lola. "I mean, you spent Lori's entire year at college moping about, and now that she's home, you finally come out of your room. You know, it's almost as if..."
"...you missed her," Lana quickly finished, entirely interrupting Lola.
"Mmhm," mumbled Lincoln pointing two fingers at his eyes, then moving them in his sister's direction. "I'm on to you. You're up to something. But, I don't have time for this. My new graphic novel arrived yesterday, and I want to read it."
With that said, Lincoln took his leave and made his way upstairs to his room. Lola and Lana both breathed heavily and leaned back in their chairs.
"Geez, Lola," complained Lana. "You almost gave us away!"
"Nah..." Lola said, waving off her twin's comment. "He's trying too hard to keep his mind off Lori to let anything else clog his mind. Why else would he spend so much time reading those dumb cartoon books."
Upstairs, Leni and Luna concluded a lengthy discussion about approaching Lincoln but were not making much headway. Lori was listening, but her anxiety got the better of her. She knew that things couldn't continue as they were. Since the kiss, neither had spoken to each other and if they didn't talk soon, a rift might develop between them, which frightened Lori.
"You got this," said Leni, trying to improve Lori's confidence.
"She's right," agreed Luna, nodding at Lori, who was nervously pacing in front of her door. "Walk in there and tell him how you feel, point blank, just as he did."
"I don't know, guys," whimpered Lori. "It feels silly..."
"Love is silly, Lori," Leni said. "But, if you don't do this, the tension between you is going to build until one of you explodes, and nobody wants that."
"Look..." sighed Luna, taking Lori's hands in hers. "We're not saying go screw him or even kiss. Only tell him how you feel about everything, including why you're hesitant. That way, he'll know where things stand."
Lori squirmed nervously and giggled excitedly. "Are you guys really going to do this? My stomach feels like it has butterflies in it!"
"Yes, we are," emphasized Luna, turning Lori around and gently pushing her toward the door. "We'll be right outside if you need us. Not listening, I promise," she added, winking at Leni.
Lori took one deep breath, then opened the door and peered out. The hallway was clear, offering an unobstructed path to Lincoln's room. Then, Lori was out the door and walking toward her brother's room with one more firm nudge from Luna. With every step she took, her heart began to beat harder and faster.
If Lori didn't do this quickly, she was sure to have a coronary. Though the trek lasted only a moment, it seemed an eternity to Lori. But finally, she stood in front of Lincoln's door and knocked lightly, half hoping he wouldn't answer. At least then, she'd have an excuse for not going through with it.
"Come in," called Lincoln. "It's open."
Luna turned the knob and pushed the door open, then shoved Lori into the room, causing her entrance to be less than eloquent. Lori stood there for a moment, holding her hands together in front of her abdomen. She could feel her face turning bright red, and her hands began to sweat.
"Hi," Lori squeaked. "Um..."
"Lori, are you alright?" asked Lincoln, beginning to grow concerned.
"I, uh..." Lori tried again, stumbling over her words. "Eep..."
Then, as suddenly as she entered, she turned and left again, closing the door behind her.
"I'm sorry, guys," she whispered, looking frustrated with herself. "I can't do it! He probably thinks I'm looney now, anyway."
"Oh, for crying out loud," moaned Luna. "He's a person like any other. Now, you march right back in there and tell him, dude. Or I will."
Lori groaned and bit her lip while staring at the ceiling. "Alright, alright!" she complained. "I'll do it this time. I swear."
Then, turning back to the door, she readied herself and walked into the room briskly, closed the door, and began talking, saying everything she wanted to say in one go.
"Lincoln, I'm sorry I reacted the way I did last night. The truth is, I was in shock because, well, I realized not too long ago that I'm in love with you too," she belted out. "Only, I never thought you could ever love me back, let alone be together. Anyway, I needed to tell you that. I love you, Lincoln."
"Wait, what are you..." he added after coming to terms with Lori's statement. He then rose and moved toward Lori.
"But..." Lori timidly said, stopping Lincoln's advance. "I'm not sure I can do anything more than tell you how I feel. I mean, there are laws and other things to consider..."
"Lori, it's okay," Lincoln said, pulling her into his arms. "I understand. I wouldn't say I like it, but I get it."
Lori wrapped her arms around Lincoln's head and held it close to her chest, much closer than she ever had before. "What are we going to do?" she asked, feeling her eyes watering at Lincoln's honesty and empathy.
"Well..." sighed Lincoln. "I probably should say this, but I know at least one of our sisters supports us being together, and maybe two more, though I'm not sure yet."
"Really?" gasped Lori. "The thing is, I know two are definitely on our side. Maybe the others..."
"I don't know, Lori," replied Lincoln, enjoying the scent of Lori's closeness. "I guess in this case, maybe telling you would be alright. It's Lynn, and possibly Lola and Lana."
"I see," chirped Lori, smiling through her tears. "Leni and Luna are fine with us as well."
Then, Lincoln finally stepped away, afraid of what he may do if he lingered too long. "Well, then," he whispered. "If the others are okay with it..."
"But, how do we find out?" asked Lori, sitting forlornly on Lincoln's bed.
"I d-don't know, b-but..." Lincoln stammered, "...you're sitting on my bed."
Lori looked at herself, then immediately stood. "Uh, y-yeah," she choked. "You're r-right. We c-can't have that, can we?"
"Okay, so let's think for a minute," chirped Lincoln, redirecting their raging hormones. "Lily won't care because she's a baby. Lisa will just look at it as a chance for research. So, who's left?"
"Luan and Lucy, I think," answered Lori. "Assuming you're right about Lola and Lana."
"Alright, then," sighed Lincoln. "I'll ask Lynn to casually float the idea by Lucy since they share a room, and you tell Luna to do the same with Luan. Then, we'll see how they respond."
"Sounds good," agreed Lori, beaming at the possibility of being with Lincoln. "You really are the man with the plan, aren't you?"
Lincoln chuckled and rubbed the back of his head. "That's what people call me," he said as Lori rose to leave, making for the door.
However, Lori stopped before opening it and turned to Lincoln. "Hey, Lincoln," she cooed softly.
"Hm?" hummed Lincoln, turning to the love of his life.
"Do you remember the time I had a wardrobe malfunction in the pool, and you protected me?" Lori shyly inquired.
"Uh, vaguely..." Lincoln responded.
"Okay, well, I never got the chance to thank you for that," Lori said. "And, now, knowing how you felt about me, I owe you more than an apology for not thanking you."
"What do you mean?" Lincoln asked, cocking his head to one side.
Then, Lori did something neither of them would ever forget as long as they may live. In one decisive movement, lacking any hesitation, Lori lifted her shirt and exposed one breast long enough for Lincoln to see it well, then it was gone.
"Lori, I..." stammered Lincoln as she turned on the spot and left his room, blushing and giggling like a middle-schooler. "Apology accepted," he whispered, smiling to himself once she'd left.
