Disclaimer: The Loud House and associated characters belong to Nickelodeon and Chris Savino

Tainted Love

By Lola Presents

Chapter 9

Lori and Lincoln plowed into the home's foyer, a simple single-story affair with an open floorplan. It was much like the home in which the McBrides lived in many ways, only more modern. Though, Lori couldn't readily tell if it were an older home that had been remodeled or not. Either way, she found it quaint and endearing.

"Oh, hey! Look, Pooky!" she squealed at seeing the plush wrap-around couch. "Isn't this adorable?"

Lincoln absent-mindedly scratched his head. "I guess?" he mumbled, unable to form a more coherent appraisal.

"Oh, come on!" chirped Lori, slapping Lincoln's arm playfully. "Can't you see us cuddling on something like that one day? Maybe with a kid or two at our feet?"

"W-what?" gasped Lincoln. "Kids, I haven't even thought about that!"

Lori spun and draped her arms over his shoulders and leaned in, kissing his forehead. "Well, not right away, of course," she cooed. "But someday."

"Well, sure," Lincoln replied, sweating bullets. "I could see that. But, I'd like to spend more time with you first. You know, alone?"

"Come on!" Lori exploded as she broke from her lover and nearly ran down the hall. "Let's check out the master bedroom!"

Lincoln followed his sister, peeking in the additional rooms along the way, of which there were two. Both were moderate in size, with enough space for a bed, a dresser, and a few personal pieces of furniture and other items. Yet, not so large that they would feel empty if sparsely decorated.

"Yeah, this is a nice house, Precious," Lincoln said approvingly as he strolled into the large bedroom at the end of the hall. "And, with only two extra rooms, we'd have to watch ourselves. After all, we don't want to end up like Mom and Dad, huh?"

"Oh! Speaking of which," Lori chirped, holding her hands in front of her as she swayed. "I need to pick up some, you know, protection, just in case."

"Well, darn," sighed Lincoln playfully. "I guess that rules out doing anything here while we're alone."

"UH! Lincoln!" gasped Lori. "Not that it didn't cross my mind either, but that would be tacky. I mean, whoever buys this house will sleep in this bed. What would they think if they knew?"

"Hey! Hey!" laughed Lincoln. "I was only kidding! Besides, shouldn't we get home soon? Mom and Dad need us to watch Lily, remember?"

"Oh, goodness!" exclaimed Lori, grabbing Lincoln's hand as she bolted for the door. "I nearly forgot! Come on, let's go!"

While Lincoln may not have been as enthusiastic about the house as Lori had been, he wasn't dumb either. He knew perfectly well why Lori insisted they tour the home. It was a chance for Lori to test Lincoln's resolve and get a better idea of what he wanted from the future. At the very least, it was to see if his intentions matched her own.

For her part, Lori could've been slightly happier with his response. Yet, he was only thirteen, after all. One couldn't expect such a young man to have given the matter of children any thought. However, she was surprised that he had at least acknowledged the possibility of at least two. What would they name them? Would they continue with giving names beginning with the letter L?

As disparate as their thoughts were on the short walk home, they were at least related. Lori was in high spirits and nearly began skipping as she briskly walked beside Lincoln, their arms swinging together. Lincoln plodded along as fast as possible to keep up with his sister's long legs. And what legs they were!

Shortly before coming into view of Mr. Grouse's house, they dropped their firm grip on each other and tried to act as normal as possible. However, it was difficult to hide their delight and the occasional smiling glance. Fortunately, nobody was about to notice. The evening was beginning to fall, and most were inside preparing for dinner or another nightly activity.

"We're home," announced Lori as she hopped through the door, noting how deserted the house was. "Where is everyone?"

"Oh, hey, honey," said Rita, stepping from her bedroom. "I was hoping you hadn't forgotten. The others have already left for their engagements. Lily is taking her nap but should wake soon. Are you sure two can handle this?"

"Mom, please," sighed Lincoln and Lori simultaneously.

"How often have I watched her now?" asked Lincoln. "A hundred times?"

"Seriously?" added Lori. "I've been looking after her since she was born. We'll be fine. Now, you two go and enjoy yourselves."

"Thanks, kiddos," interjected Lynn as he also stepped into the living room, trying in vain to straighten his tie and getting his thumb bound. "Dang it all..."

"Here, Dad. Let me," said Lori, reaching for his garment and perfectly knotting it. "There you go!"

"Cool," announced Lincoln. "I didn't know you could do that. I'd have asked you to do mine sooner had I known."

"I can do many things you don't know about," Lori said, adding a well-hidden wink toward Lincoln. "Maybe I'll show you sometime."

"U-uh..." stammered Lincoln, less adept at deflecting his emotions. "Uh, y-yeah. Maybe. I'd like that."

With everything ready, Rita grabbed her fancy pocketbook and Lynn his wallet. Then, they headed for the door. "You two be good now, alright?" their father instructed. "Call me if you have any problems," added Rita before the two of them disappeared behind the door.

Lori and Lincoln looked at each other, grinning from ear to ear, making mad dashes for the couch. Lori made it there first, which was okay with Lincoln. He preferred being on top anyway. And as Lori found a suitable station on the television to introduce some distracting noise, Lincoln settled himself on top of Lori. Then, still fully clothed, they began eagerly making out.

As the old van struggled and sputtered, their hands took on their own lives, enthusiastically exploring each other's bodies in more detail than they had the night before. A particular urgency permeated the room, and neither noticed Lily calling from upstairs. If they had been attentive, the event would've been foreseeable, especially considering how loud the van had been.

Lori pouted as Lincoln kissed her softly, then rolled off the couch, coming to a stand. "It's alright. I'll go and get her. Besides, we have all evening. We'll distract her with her favorite cartoons, hm?"

"Do you promise, Pooky?" Lori said, still pouting as cutely as she could.

"Of course," chuckled Lincoln. "I'll be right back."

"Lori!" exclaimed Lily as Lincoln toted her down the stairs moments later.

"Well, hi there, Lily!" cooed Lori, trying to hide all evidence of her and Lincoln's foreplay a few moments before. "Did you have a good nap?"

"Uh-huh!" said Lily as Lincoln placed her on the floor in the living room. "Me hungry."

"Oh, okay," Lincoln said. "I can do that. What do you want, a sandwich or cereal?"

Lily only giggled, gazing up at her big brother. Then, after Lincoln returned her goofy stare, shaking his head in anticipation, she finally answered. "Ice cream!"

"Well, that's not exactly a healthy meal," sighed Lincoln, feigning disapproval. "But then again, tonight is special, so ice cream it is!"

"Yay!" screeched Lily, clapping her hands before climbing onto Lori's lap.

Lori struggled against Lily's ascent and picked up the remote.

"What you is seeing?" asked Lily once settled on Lori's lap.

"I'm not entirely sure," replied Lori. "Let's find you a cartoon, okay?"

Lily looked confused. How could anyone watch television and not know what was on? "How you not know?" asked Lily.

"Well, uh..." stammered Lori. "Lincoln and I were, uh... occupied."

"With what?" pondered Lily.

"Nevermind," instructed Lori, growing redder by the moment. "It's not important."

Luckily for Lori, Lincoln soon returned with a large bowl of Lily's favorite ice cream and set it down on the coffee table. He also thought to provide a large spoon, perfect for scooping to one's delight, and a hand towel so that Lily could wipe her mouth and hands. Then, as Lily slid down Lori's legs toward her treat, Lily heard the voices of her favorite show, which kept winning awards despite being terrible of late, begin speaking.

Finally, Lincoln was able to take his place beside Lori on the couch. They patiently waited until their little sister immersed herself into the dumb cartoon about a sponge. Then, silently, Lori pulled a nearby comforter over them before swinging her legs over Lincoln's and facing him.

"Sh," Lori whispered before deftly placing her lips upon Lincoln's, engulfing him in a deep, passionate, and energetic kiss. Lincoln's hands moved under the covers and up, under Lori's shirt, where they fondled her breasts with unexpected expertise.

Of course, Lincoln had been through this scenario many times over the past few years, especially after Lori had left for college. And while it came as no surprise to him, Lori reeled under his touch. Powerful, intermittent shockwaves of pleasure radiated from the nerves surrounding her areola, causing her breath to hitch.

"Oh, my, God, Lincoln..." Lori whispered with labored breath. "That feels so good. How'd you learn to..." she continued weakly. "Nevermind. Just keep doing it," she cooed into his ear before taking his lobe into her mouth.

Lily kept watching her show, despite the strange noises coming from behind her, at least until the second episode ended, at which point she turned and glared at the noisemakers. How did they expect her to pay attention if they kept up all that racket? What she saw confused her.

For all Lily knew, Lori and Lincoln were merely cuddling, and since when did cuddling invoke such noises? Lily set her spoon into the bowl and apprehensively stood up, then patted Lori on the back with a good whack.

"What you doing?" Lily asked.

"What? Oh! Lily, uh..." stammered Lori as she pulled away from Lincoln, trying her best to straighten her clothing without being obvious about it. "N-nothing. We're just cuddling. That's all."

"Yeah, we're only cuddling, Lily," added Lincoln. "Go back to your show."

"No," Lily spat, folding her arms. "Me cuddle too!"

"Oh, well, okay," grumbled Lori, sliding off her brother and making room for the toddler. "Come on up."

Lily happily climbed into their combined laps and stretched out. Now, this was living, two doting older siblings on which to exert one's dominance. How could things get any better? However, with a full belly and a night that drew close, Lily's eyes refused to obey her commands and soon fell shut.

"Well, isn't this just great," muttered Lincoln. "She's asleep again, which is good. But she's also draped over us. How are we going to get her to bed now?"

"Don't worry about it, Pooky," Lori cooed, smiling at him. "She's pure tuckered out. Just let her sleep here. We'll work around her."

"Um, are you sure?" griped Lincoln. "What if she..."

But nothing more left his lips. Lori had resumed her oral attachments, and soon both became lost in blissful interactions beyond the toddler's understanding that lay across their laps. The flame that flickered between them grew in intensity. Thankfully, Lily slept soundly, despite all the shifting and repositioning underneath her. Unfortunately, that wasn't to last.

Hormones have a way of overriding coherent thought, and such was the case with Lori and Lincoln. As time moved forward, their common sense moved back. And, soon, Lori could stand it no more. With a practiced dance, Lori grabbed the hem of her shirt and tore it off, leaving her firm breasts exposed.

It took Lincoln little time to register his sister's intent. Then, dutifully drawing the nearest one into his mouth, he eagerly cupped the other. Their tongues explored each other's mouths with reckless abandon as they exchanged the tastes and sensations they'd desired for so long.

That's when, despite her exhaustion, Lily awoke. Staring up at her siblings making out left the young child with only one impression. And, she only had one context with which to compare their strange interactions. Lily was only three, but that wasn't so old that she didn't remember breastfeeding, nor did it preclude any memory of her mother and father engaged in similar actions.

"Mommy? Daddy?" cooed Lily, vainly rubbing her eyes, attempting to dispose of the odd occurrence.

"Augh!" cried Lori as she snapped back to reality, covering herself. "Geez, Lily. You scared the sh-poop out of me."

"You poop?" gasped Lily, still rubbing her eyes but slowly gaining focus.

"Not really. It's only an expression," Lori informed her little sister as she fully corrected herself.

Only then, once gaining complete comprehension, did Lily understand. At least, she thought she did. For a moment, the girl only stared. Then, a small smile formed upon her face. She clasped her hands and grinned wickedly at the startled lovers.

"Lori... Lincoln..." spoke Lily through a wide grin. "You is having loves? Like Mommy and Daddy?"

"Uh, no!" barked Lincoln. "I-it's not like that, it's-"

Lily said nothing. She only continued to grin at them, making them both extremely uncomfortable.

"Of course not," Lori agreed. "What would make you think that?"

"You touching funny. Like Mommy and Daddy," the little girl finally explained. "And, I call you Mommy and Daddy now."

"Oh, my, God, no!" begged Lori. "Okay, we're in love. Yes, but you can't go around calling us that!"

Lily cocked her head and stared at her older sister. "Why not?"

"Well, b-because," mumbled Lincoln, his hands held together in prayer before Lily. "Mom and Dad can't know about this. If they knew, we'd be in big trouble. And, I mean BIG trouble. Not like making a mess. But like, Precious, I mean Lori, would have to go away, and we'd never see her again! Please, don't say anything, alright?"

Lily sat with her arms folded, considering the request. Her little mouth scrunched up and moved from side to side.

"Okay, but me gets lots of ice cream," Lily demanded.

Lori and Lincoln both sighed heavily in relief. "Of course, Lily. You can have all the ice cream you want. But only when we watch you. You know, alone? We can't do it in front of Mom and Dad. Otherwise, they'd know something was up."

"Fine," Lily reluctantly agreed before Lincoln carried her to bed, and the two of them tucked her in.

"Goodnight, Lily," requested Lori before kissing her sister on the cheek. "Sleep well."

"See you tomorrow, Lily," added Lincoln before doing the same. "We love you."

"Me love you too," yawned Lily. "Ni-night, Mommy. Ni-night, Daddy."

Lori and Lincoln contained their emotions until well after turning out the light and closing the door behind them. Then, as they reached the couch and sat down, Lori collapsed into her hands. "Pooky," she cried. "What are we going to do?"

"It's alright, Precious," Lincoln said, comforting Lori. "If she slips up and says anything, we can always say she's confused. It's not like toddlers always understand what's happening, anyway. Right? Besides, we were still alone with her. Maybe she won't forget? Especially with ice cream at stake."

Lori straightened her posture but let her hands dangle between her legs. "I suppose you're right. But, we need to be more careful around her."

"I know," agreed Lincoln softly. "I hope we didn't mess up. I love you so much, Lori. And, I don't like seeing you stressed like this. So, how about we cool it for tonight and enjoy a movie together? How does that sound?"

"I'd like that," Lori said, smiling broadly at Lincoln. "You truly are the best boyfriend ever."

Not long after their scare, they fell asleep, side by side, and only once their siblings began arriving home did they wake. Being in blissful sleep didn't help when the door first burst open, Lynn, Junior, clambering about how badly practice had gone. Nor did it help when Lola and Lana entered together, fighting over a candy apple.

"Hey, you two," cooed Luna, bringing up the rear. "Anything, uh, interesting, happen while we were gone?"

"Wouldn't you like to know," quipped Lincoln, who wasn't about to reveal what may or may not have happened.

"Oh, come on! Please?" begged Luan, who shoved a pen in front of Lincoln as if it were a microphone. "Inquiring minds want to know!"

"Luan..." said Lori in her usual authoritative tone. "Put that away before I put it away for you. And, trust me, where I choose to put it might prove rather uncomfortable."

The comedienne suddenly lost her composure and swallowed with some difficulty. "Er..." she mumbled. "O-okay..."

"Why do you guys care so much, anyway?" inquired Lincoln. "You wanted us together, and we are, but why?"

"That's for us to know!" replied Leni. "And for you... not to know."

"It's 'to find out,' Leni," sighed Lucy.

"Oh!" exclaimed the denser of the two. "Then, why I don't tell them now?"

"NO!" everyone belted, except Lori and Lincoln, who remained entirely puzzled, not to mention unfathomably curious. "It's an expression!"

"Well, hey there, kiddos," said Lynn, Senior, entered as the conversation ended. "What's an expression?"

"Uh," muttered Lori, finding nothing to say.

"I love you to death," Lincoln suddenly spat. "That's all. Leni didn't understand why someone would do that."

"Oh, I see," replied their father as he and Rita fully entered the house and closed the door behind them. "That sounds about right. Anyway, it's bedtime. We'll see you in the morning."

Disaster averted, everyone headed toward their respective rooms and settled in for the night. However, neither Lincoln nor Lori felt right. Some unspoken law of attraction asserted itself, and both felt lost without the other by their side. However, the situation was beyond help, and they had to keep up appearances after all.

Instead, Lori and Lincoln lay in their beds, each dreamily staring longingly in the other's direction.