Disclaimer: The Loud House and associated characters belong to Nickelodeon and Chris Savino
Tainted Love
By Lola Presents
Chapter 14
Lori arrived home around three in the morning and wanted nothing more than to get some sleep and escape her recent stress. Maybe going to see Ronnie Anne wasn't the smartest thing to do that late at night, but she needed to talk to a familiar face that knew both her and Lincoln. Though, Lori never expected the girl to be so chill about things. But all that was behind her now. Quietly, she fished her keys from her pocket, opened the door, and slipped inside.
"Shhh," whispered a voice in the dark. "Lincoln's sleeping."
"Mom?" Lori whispered back without turning on the light. "Is that you?"
"Yes, honey," Rita replied softly. "You know, he waited up for you."
"Awe..." cooed Lori. "Listen, Mom..."
"No," said Rita. "I'm the one that should be apologizing. I only wanted you to have a better life than one fraught with teasing, ridicule, and secrecy. But, I never considered what you wanted. I'm sorry I overreacted. You. And Lincoln. I think I've seen it coming for a while, and it scared me."
Lori fumbled through the dark and sat at her mother's feet, resting her head and arms on her mother's lap. "I understand," she whispered. "It scares me too. You know how I get when I'm embarrassed, and I have no desire to get arrested. But I love him enough to try and make it work. Isn't that enough?"
Rita sighed and began running her fingers through her eldest daughter's hair. "Yes," she conceded. "It is. And we're behind you, alright? It will be a long, tough road, but we've all agreed to keep this secret. Your father, me, and your siblings. We're all on board."
"Mom?" implored Lori.
"Yes, baby?" the girl's mother asked quietly.
"You realize, of course, that we've..." Lori began. "I mean, Lincoln and I..."
"I do, honey, and it's okay," Rita told Lori calmingly. "He's a young man now, and it's only natural. However, you might want to wait until we finish your room before doing anything more. We don't want the younger ones overhearing anything."
"My room?" Lori asked, puzzled. "What's wrong with my room?"
Rita chuckled as quietly as she could. "Not your old room, dear. Your new one. The one belonging to you and Lincoln."
"What?" Lori gasped, looking at the moonlight reflecting off her mother's eyes. "You're giving us a room? Like, together?"
Rita smiled pleasantly in the dim light. "Of course, we are," she acknowledged. "That's what our parents did for us. You can't be a couple unless you have some privacy. You know, a chance to truly get to know one another."
"Oh, mom..." squealed Lori as she raised herself onto her knees and hugged her mother tightly. "Thank you so much! Does Pooky know yet?"
"Pooky?" inquired Rita. "Oh! You mean Lincoln. Yes, we discussed everything as a family once I came back. It was actually Luan's idea, but everyone approved."
Lori laughed under her breath. "It seems that even clowns have a heart," she said, causing Rita to follow suit.
"Well, it's late," Rita announced. "I'm going to slip off to bed now. I've left plenty of blankets and pillows here for you and Lincoln. Please, get a good night's sleep."
"Thanks, mom," Lori replied as her mother rose and made her way to bed.
As for Lori, it took her a few moments to lay out the bedding, and she gently nudged Lincoln back into the sofa enough to give her space. She then shed her khaki shorts and hurried beside him, pressing her back firmly against his chest and nestling her buttocks against his pelvis.
As she got comfortable, Lincoln unconsciously stirred, wrapping his arm around her and up her shirt. His hand came to rest just under her right breast, and she smiled. He could put his hand anywhere he wanted. She was tempted to reposition him somewhere more erotic and bit her lip for a moment. However, she didn't want to disturb his slumber. Besides, there was plenty of time for that once their room was complete.
"Lowi, up!" cried a tiny voice, and Lori immediately knew who it was.
"Lily..." the older girl yawned. "It's too early to play. I just fell asleep," she replied, cracking her eyes. "Wait. Is it morning? Already?"
The scent of eggs, bacon, and sugary cereal filled her nose, and she propped herself up. The twins were sitting in front of the television watching cartoons with oversized bowls of some crunchy cereal, and Lucy was curled up in the recliner reading a drippy gothic romance novel.
"Mommy det up!" cried Lily again. "Me is hungwy!"
Behind Lori, Lincoln woke and stretched at the commotion. "Good morning, Lily," he cooed. "It's cute that you think Lori is your mommy, but she isn't one yet."
"No, not me mommy," Lily replied, astounded that her older brother didn't understand her. "Her is been kissing wiff you, so her is a mommy now."
"Oh, I get it," yawned Lincoln, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. "Now, if this adorably kissable heap would get up, I could too."
"Lincoln!" cried Lori, playfully swatting his exposed arm. "But you're so warm! Can't I nuzzle here a little longer? Nice and close?"
"Ew!" cried the twins. "Please, not while we're around. Do that in private!" added Lola.
"Well, excuse me, miss priss," laughed Lori, "but we haven't got anywhere private."
"Not yet," Lucy said, not bothering to glance up from her book. Astrophel, the warlock, was about to bed his consort, Amaris, and she couldn't afford to delay the details.
"Oh! Right!" exclaimed Lori as she finally sat up, allowing Lincoln to climb from behind her. "So..." she cooed. "Which room are we getting?"
"That's a secret," said Lynn as she entered the room and plopped down into the other recliner. "And don't even think about asking Leni. We haven't told her either. Just as a precaution."
"Ugh!" cried Lori. "You guys!"
"I see London, I see France, I see Lori's underpants!" came the annoying voice of Mr. Coconuts.
Lori stood and smirked. "Oh really?" she mumbled. "Why would you care? You're just a dummy."
"There're boys in the room, toots!" The doll replied.
"Yeah, well, if you haven't noticed, the only boy in this room and I are a couple, so he doesn't count," Lori argued. "He can see me naked if he wanted. And, why am I talking to a dummy?"
With that, the room erupted into laughter.
"Me said me hungwy!" railed Lily, getting irate at the rumbling in her tummy.
"Oh, right," replied Lori. "Sorry, munchkin. I'll get you something right now," she added as she headed for the kitchen, stopping only long enough to shake her butt at Lincoln.
"Looks like you're in trouble, buddy boy!" Mr. Coconuts told Lincoln.
"Luan..." whined Lincoln. "I just woke up. I don't have the patience for this right now. Just tell me what you mean."
Luan put her doll in her lap, sitting beside her brother. "Don't you know that when a girl gets familiar enough with a boy to walk around in her panties, the demands begin. Right?"
"That's not true," Lincoln muttered with uncertainty. "Is it?"
"Trust me," Luan said pointedly. "Pretty soon, it'll be 'honey, do this,' and 'honey, do that.'"
"You're being stupid," announced Lincoln. "Besides, I'll be happy to do 'this,' 'that,' and the 'other' for her. It's not like you guys haven't kept me busy before. Oh, and thanks for the room idea. I can't wait to see it finished."
"I bet," exclaimed Mr. Coconuts, coming into view once more. "Gonna give her some wood of your own, eh?" he continued, raising and lowering his brows, sporting his goofy grin.
Lincoln furrowed his brows and shivered. "Say, isn't it a little cold in here?"
"No, why?" asked the doll.
"Because I was..." Lincoln said as he playfully reached for the doll, "...thinking of making a fire!"
"No!" screeched Luan, clutching the ventriloquist dummy.
Lori walked into a room full of laughter and smiled as she set Lily's plate on the coffee table. Happiness and contentedness filled her heart. Nobody was mad at her and Lincoln, and everyone was getting along. Nothing could make this day go wrong. "Here you go, sweetie," she told Lily as the little girl began munching a piece of toast.
"Tankoo, mommy," Lily said with a mouthful of food.
"Oh, for goodness sake, Lori," complained Mr. Loud as he stepped from his room, shielding his eyes. "Put some pants on or a robe. Something."
'Oh, right," Lori said, snapping her fingers and pointing at her father with both hands. "I forgot about you. I'll be right back," she added as she bound up the stairs.
"Whelp," sighed their father. "I guess I know where I stand, huh?"
"Sorry, bucko," responded Mr. Coconuts. "But she's taken."
"EW!" everyone groaned.
Lynn rolled his eyes and wandered off toward the kitchen. "Oh, brother..."
"Hey! How'd you know?" gasped the doll.
"Quiet, you, or I'll find a nice secluded shelf in the garage you can call home," Lynn said before disappearing around the corner, leaving the doll open-mouthed.
And just as Luan closed the doll's mouth, someone knocked on the door.
"Okay, everyone, guest alert," announced Lana. "That means zipped lips, guys. And I'll get it."
Lana didn't know who to expect but opened the door with excitement regardless. The Louds didn't get too many visitors, which might be a blessing in disguise. However, someone new and different might also be a nice change.
"Hey, Lana," said a familiar voice. "May I come in? I have something I need to talk to Lincoln about."
"Uh, sure," sighed the tomboy. "He's on the couch. Come on in."
"Thanks," said Clyde as he stepped into the living room, holding a large bag. "Hey, Lincoln. This stuff is for you," he said, extending the bag for Lincoln to take.
"I don't understand," replied Lincoln, not yet peering inside. "What's going on?"
"I feel bad about how badly I treated you the other day," his friend admitted. "I was just so angry at being ignored for almost a year. At least, that's what I thought at the time. I didn't realize what was going on and that you weren't yourself. And, when you told me about Lori, I guess I lost it. You know how long I pined for her. At least now I understand why you resented my feelings for her all this time. And, I'm sorry for that too. Anyway, I wanted to save our friendship, so I got you some magic items. You know I'm not really into that, and I hope it's stuff you can use."
Lincoln looked at the bag, then set it aside and stood to greet his friend.
"It's alright," Lincoln told him, shaking his hand again. "It should be me apologizing, though. I got so wrapped up in things I only thought of myself. I'm sorry."
"So, are we still friends?" asked Clyde, just to be sure.
"If you're willing to be my best man when the time comes," replied Lincoln merrily. "Of course."
"Best man?" thought Lori, who stood out of sight on the stairwell. "Wow..." she thought nervously. Her heart began to beat faster, and she began to tremble. "God, he's so sweet. I can't stand it!" she thought before rushing into the living room and wrapping her arms around him.
"Oof!" exclaimed Lincoln as he got tackled by his older sister. "I love you too, but we have company!"
"It's okay, Lincoln," sighed Clyde, waving the embrace off. "Lori and I agreed a long time ago just to be friends."
"Ehem!" coughed Lynn, who sat not far away.
Clyde grinned and blushed. "Not to mention that I'm dating Lynn now."
"Don't you forget it either, mister," Lynn said, glaring at Clyde. "You know what we do to defectors around here."
"Chill, Lynn," Clyde requested, holding his hands out in front of him. "It's all good, but I have something to ask Lori, if you don't mind."
"Keep it clean," demanded Lynn, moving two fingers between her eyes and his.
With her tentative approval, Clyde faced Lori. "So, listen, one of the reasons you always gave for not dating me was that I was too young. But I'm the same age as Lincoln, so I wondered if something was wrong with me. Is it because I'm black?"
Lori's raised a brow and chuckled slightly. "Clyde, you've said a lot of dumb things over the years, but that's the dumbest. Now, I'm not trying to be rude, but I'll tell you if you really want to know."
"I do," replied Clyde, nodding his head.
"Alright then," murmured Lori clearing her throat. "You were goofy, a nerd, juvenile, and silly—all of which I loved about you. But..." she paused for emphasis, widening her eyes and staring directly into his eyes, "...you weren't Lincoln. It's as simple as that."
Clyde pursed his lips and nodded. "I thought as much after thinking about it, but I had to be sure. So..." he said, releasing a deep cleansing breath and sitting down in front of the recliner containing Lynn, "...how about a double date at the movies tonight? I have four tickets to the new Bob's Burgers show."
"Are you kidding!" exclaimed Lori. "We'd love to! Only people at the local theater might know us and, well..."
"Bob's Burgers?" inquired Lynn. "Isn't that a cartoon?"
"Hey, I am who I am," chuckled Clyde. "You know this when you accept me. I might be good a letterman now, but I haven't changed THAT much."
"Okay, fine," shot Lynn. "But I get to pick the next one."
"Deal," agreed Clyde. "However, we may have to travel to see this one, you know, if they want to join us. Especially if they want to fool around."
"That's no problem," Lincoln said. "Lori can drive us."
"Well, about that," sighed Lori. "I kind of used up all my gas last night."
Three hands shot up with bills dangling in them. Lola had the most, of course. "Problem solved," said Lola. "But I expect to get paid interest."
"But, you're not interesting," said Lana.
Once more, the room erupted with laughter. As it died down, the assemblage began talking more in-depth about what was happening in the house, laughing and giggling about random nonsense and Lincoln's and Lori's upcoming new room.
Lori folded her arms as she leaned against the wall, smiling from ear to ear. Things couldn't have played out any better. Her two little men were friends again, everyone was laughing and having a good time, and even her parents weren't bothered by any of it.
She wished with all her heart that things could stay this way forever. But, she knew they couldn't. At least, not all the time. She would have to leave again at the end of the summer, and her siblings would grow up and find loves of their own, and people would begin moving away.
If only there were some way to preserve this unity.
Soon, it was time to leave for the movie, and everyone cheered them on as they piled into Lori's old red car and watched them drive off. Then, with the excitement over, the remaining siblings either got ready for dinner or left for other activities to occupy their minds.
Eventually, the nightly routines got completed, and everyone was washed and nestled in their beds. Of course, neither Lori, Lincoln, nor Lynn had returned yet. That meant their imagination ran wild; for the younger ones, their thoughts mostly centered around what the hell could be taking them so long, and for the older ones, saucy visions played before them.
After nearly an hour of restlessly trying to fall asleep, Luna finally spoke.
"What are you doing down there?" she asked her bunkmate. "You sound like you're in pain or something."
"Nothing," whispered Luan. "Just go to sleep."
"How can I do that with all that noise?" inquired the perplexed girl. "This isn't like you. You usually fall asleep pretty quickly. What's wrong?"
"N-nothing," whispered Luan once more.
Luna rolled over and tried to fall asleep, but she gave up and dared a peek after a few minutes. Leaning over the edge of her bunk, she stared at her sister, letting her eyes adjust to the darkness, only to get met with a terrible awkward sight.
"Bruh..." gasped Luna. "Are you..."
Luan's eyes shot open, and she curled into a ball, hiding her shame.
"I'm sorry," whispered Luan. "I couldn't help it. I got to thinking about Lori and Lincoln, you know, doing stuff together, and I..."
"You too, huh?" sighed Luna, rolling back onto her pillow. "I thought I was the only one."
"Guess not," whimpered Luan, nearly there. "What do we do now?"
"Nothing," replied Luna solemnly. "They're together. That's it."
"So..." asked Lincoln as he walked arm in arm with Lori to the house. "Did you have fun?"
"Mmhm," murmured Lori. "The movie was a little silly, but we got some cuddle time in."
"Heh. Yeah," snickered Lincoln.
"What about you, Pooky?" asked Lori as she swung the door open and walked in.
"Me? I had a great time," replied Lincoln quietly. "I always have a great time with you. Especially when we're alone."
"Haha," laughed Lori. "Maybe, but we can't always be alone, you know. You have to have fun with me anywhere, around anyone."
"I do, sweetie," he said, walking up the stairs next to her. "You're all I've ever wanted. And that will never change," he added, holding her hands and kissing her goodnight. "Goodnight, sweetie."
"Goodnight, Pooky," cooed Lori as the pair split and made their way to their rooms.
