Disclaimer: The Loud House and associated characters belong to Nickelodeon and Chris Savino
Bohemian Serenade
By Lola Presents
Chapter 3
Despite Lincoln's fears and anxiety, Oscar landed the plane safely and in one piece. And as much as Luna enjoyed her brother's warm touch, she was glad when he finally stopped squeezing her hand. She had to use it shortly, after all, and she couldn't play her guitar with broken fingers.
"Oh, crap," sighed Luna, checking the window. "It looks like someone tipped off the rats."
Lincoln peered out the window to check for himself. Indeed, there was a small mob standing around the tarmac near the plane's dock. He hadn't even been a team member for a full day, and now he would have to protect his sister from all those people without any training.
"How did this happen?" inquired Lincoln, beginning to sweat bullets. "Who tipped them off?"
"If I had to guess," sighed his sister, "I'd say it was the guard at the private entrance back in Royal Woods. He's the only one who saw my identification."
"Yeah, well," replied Lincoln, resigning himself to learning on the job. "He should be fired."
"Oh, he will be, I assure you," answered Oscar, who had left the cockpit. "Once Bill hears about this, he'll have his head. Sorry about the mess, miss Loud. I'll have your stuff delivered. Good luck!"
"Thanks, Oscar," cooed Luna, hugging the man farewell. "You're a lifesaver." Then, turning toward Lincoln, "Are you ready?" she asked. "We'll have to go through the terminal to the car. Do you think you can handle it?"
"I reckon I have to," conceded the boy. "I mean, it's either that or you get hurt, and there's no way in hell I'm going to let that happen."
Luna smiled and nodded. "Alright, wrap one arm around me and keep me close," she instructed. "And, as much as Mom taught you otherwise, stiff-arm anyone who gets close. But watch the cameras. Don't knock them out of their hands, or we'll have to pay a fine. Block their view with your hand instead. Got it?"
"I think so," replied Lincoln. "Keep you close, stiff-arm, block the cameras. Got it."
"Alright, let's go," said Luna as she tucked herself under Lincoln's arm and held tightly to him.
Oscar reluctantly opened the door and escorted them down the little ramp. However, once they were on the ground, they were on their own. The price of fame encroaching upon them from every side. One would think that civilized people would behave differently, and individually they might have. But mod mentality existed and was in full force today.
"LUNA!" screamed the fans. "WE LOVE YOU!"
"SIGN MY ALBUM!" yelled another, followed by cat calls and whistles.
"Who's this, Luna?" called on the photographers as they snapped several pictures within seconds. "He's kind of young to be staff. Is he your new boyfriend?"
Lincoln let Luna lead while he scanned the crowd for anything suspicious or threatening. He didn't know which was worse, the avarice of the fans or the audacity of the paparazzi. Either way, he pushed his way through the crowd, doing his best to keep the greedy fans away from her.
They had almost reached the terminal when someone tried to acquire a piece of Luna's clothing. Stopping, Lincoln whirled Luna around, glaring at the fan, and knocked their arm back. Unfortunately, he exposed her to the other side of the crowd, and somebody was able to snatch the scarf Luna had on.
Making a break for it, Lincoln wrapped his arm around Luna's waist and dashed for the door. However, closing the door behind them proved difficult as the fans held on to it, trying to keep it open. Fortunately, a nearby guard noticed their plight and came to their aid. Finally, inside and away from the crowd, they parted and relaxed for a moment.
"Geez, Luna," panted Lincoln. "I've heard stories, but I had no idea things got this bad."
"It's okay," reassured his sister, smiling at him. "You did well, especially considering you haven't trained yet."
"Excuse me, miss Loud," interjected the guard. "We've been expecting you. Would you like a ride to your car?"
"Oh, yes," sighed the young lady in relief. "That would be rockin'!"
In short order, the guard had arranged for their luggage to get picked up and delivered to them at the private owner's entrance, where an electric cart waited to take them to their car out front. Luckily, the guards near the terminal's public rear entrance were informed of what was happening and made an excuse not to open the door until Luna and Lincoln had gotten delivered safely to their ride.
Safely inside the limo, Luna and Lincoln relaxed as they drove to the stadium, where things had already gotten underway. The ride to the venue didn't take as long as expected, and soon, they stood in the middle of Charlotte Coliseum. People were milling about, pushing things here and there, and Lincoln became a little overwhelmed. Sighing and putting his hand to his forehead, he was amazed at how busy everyone was.
"Don't worry, bro," muttered Luna as she led him through the crowd. "You'll get used to it." Finally, reaching a man dressed in business attire, Luna stopped and got the man's attention. "Bill," she called over the din. "This is Lincoln, my brother," she told her agent and producer. "He's here to help with whatever needs doing."
"Ah, yes," chirped the man, daintily offering his hand as he appraised the boy's stature, physique, and demeanor. Then, making his decision, he gave Lincoln his orders. "I hear you're already familiar with your sister's gear. Is that right?"
"Yes, sir," replied Lincoln, shaking the man's hand, perhaps a little too eagerly, as the man winced as he withdrew his appendage. "Quite well."
"Very good, then," Bill responded, adjusting his shades despite being indoors. "I'm making you Luna's official gear specialist. Once the lifters unload the trucks and place the cases where they go, it'll be up to you to unpack everything and set it up. Do you think you can handle that?"
"Absolutely, sir," Lincoln chirped, eager to begin. "Anything else?"
"No," replied Bill, already turning toward other business. "Have Luna show you around until you're needed. That'll be all," he concluded, waving his dangling hand, ushering them away.
"Odd fellow," muttered Lincoln as he and Luna walked off.
Luna couldn't help but chuckle. Bill was, indeed, a bit of a dandy. But he knew what he was doing and had seen many artists before Luna make it big under his watch. So, they trusted him, and so far, things had panned out wonderfully. The only wrinkles got caused by Sam, who, at the moment, was prancing backstage, pestering the crew.
"For the last time, no!" scolded a large, heavy-set man, pushing a wheeled case to the stage. "We don't have any blow, and even if we did, you aren't allowed until after the show."
"Hey, Sam," called Luna as the pair approached her. "You remember Lincoln, don't you? He's the mystery crew member I went to get."
"Lincoln!" cried Sam, draping herself over the young man. "And here I was, thinking Luna didn't care about me anymore. But look, she's brought me a new toy!" she exclaimed, clearly on something. Then, in a much softer, seductive voice, "I hear you're eighteen now," she cooed, fluttering her eyes at him.
"Bogus, dude..." muttered Luna, separating Sam from her brother. "Hands off! Understand?"
"Fine," spat Sam. "Be that way. Who knows, I might mess up the bass line during your big solo."
"Well," snapped Luna. "Now that you've warned me, I have grounds to report you afterward. So you better think twice, or you'll have less money for your destructive habits. Besides, he wouldn't party with someone like you."
"Oh yeah? Sam sneered, gritting her teeth at Luna. "Who's he going to party with, then?" she asked, jabbing Luna with her finger. "You? Don't make me laugh," she continued mindlessly. "Unless you're kinky like that. Are you? Are you the kinky type?"
"Shut up," demanded Luna, pointing toward Sam's gear. "Don't you have something to do? We have sound checks soon, you know."
"Yeah, yeah," muttered Sam. "I'm on it. Bye cutie..." she said, smiling wickedly at Lincoln before sashaying off.
"Wow..." sighed Lincoln. "She sure has changed. The Sam I remember would never have acted like that."
"She doesn't," admitted Luna. "Most of the time, she's as normal as ever. It's the drugs, dude. They're bad news, and she can't handle the pressure without them. Or, so she says. Between you and me, once our contract expires, I expect her to leave and go home. But, who knows."
"You still care about her, don't you?" inquired Lincoln, stuffing his hands into his pockets.
"Of course, brah..." murmured Luna, loud enough for him to hear, but nobody else. "We spent several good years together. How could I not."
"So, you're keeping her around in hopes that you can straighten her out?" he asked, trying to piece things together.
Luna folded her arms and bit her lip as she glanced back at her former girlfriend. "Not really," she sighed. "If it were me, I'd have sent her packing a long time ago. But that's up to Bill, so there's nothing I can do. Besides, she's a damn fine musician when she's clean and sober. It'd be difficult to find anyone who could fill her shoes. I mean, brah, her bass licks kill."
"Well, hopefully, she'll be better before the show starts," Lincoln offered.
"In any case, let's go meet Sully and Maz," Luna suggested before the conversation took an ugly turn. "Then, you can start on my gear while we put the final touches on our makeup and wardrobe. I seem to be missing a scarf..." she said, teasing Lincoln.
"Heh," chuckled Lincoln nervously. "Sorry about that. I didn't know you planned on wearing it tonight."
"I didn't," chirped Luna. "That was just something for the fans to grab easily, leaving the real stuff alone."
"Ah!" replied Lincoln as they headed across the stage. "Smart move."
Sam's spot was just to the right of the drum risers, which had already gotten assembled by the crew, and Sully's place was to the left. As it happened, Mazzy was busy setting up her drums while Sully was doing the same with his keyboard rig as their assistants ran about, connecting one thing to another. Luna strolled up to them, raising the goats in excitement.
"You, dude!" she screeched, getting their attention. "I'm sure you remember my brother, Lincoln? He's here to help out. So, please, make him feel at home."
"Alright," Sully responded flatly. Then, looking at Lincoln, "You're a dork."
"What?" gasped Lincoln, expecting something more friendly.
"I'm kidding," laughed the boy as he adjusted a knob. "Relax. We're all friends here."
"Pay no attention to the dweeb," chuckled Mazzy as she sat behind her kit, adjusting the height of her hi-hat. "He's only upset that Twenty One Pilots hasn't met with him yet," she informed Lincoln before sticking her tongue out at Sully.
"Oh yeah," teased Sully. "Well, at least they didn't pat me on the head and call me a cute kid."
"At least they touched me," snapped Mazzy, followed by a quick drum sting.
BA-DOOM-TISS
"Okay," chirped Luna, tugging Lincoln away from them before a lover's quarrel began, leading him to her spot, just in front of Mazzy's drum risers. "You can go ahead and start unpacking things. It looks like most of it's here now. I have to use the restroom, but I'll be right back."
True to her word, Luna returned roughly five minutes later and helped Lincoln finish unpacking and setting things up. There were a few new additions to her pedalboard, and she had to guide him through how to connect them and set the knobs to her liking. As always, Lincoln committed the settings to memory, and soon, everything was ready for the soundcheck.
With little else to do but clean up a few straps and things, the crew got treated to a private concert as the sound engineers miked everything, and the band played bits and parts of their set. Toward the end, and everything began sounding right, they played a few songs all the way through as a warmup.
Once they finished, the band and crew had some downtime and mingled while the Twenty One Pilots crew unpacked and set up their gear behind the second curtain. Being more professional and experienced, the band members didn't have to lift a finger, letting the crew do all the work until it was time to do their soundcheck.
Sam had finally come down from her morning binge and looked horrible. Yet, she still exuded a sense of entitlement that Lincoln couldn't understand. Nevertheless, he was going to have to work with her, so he entertained her occasion comment, despite hating every minute of it.
Finally, it was time for the show, and everyone went backstage except the larger crew, who stayed back on guard duty. While Lincoln expected to be part of that, he was glad that Bill had decided otherwise. He didn't fancy getting trampled by a bunch of screaming teenagers.
Instead, he lounged in a folding chair backstage, talking with the band until they got introduced by the announcer. That wouldn't be for a while, as the stadium had to fill up first. In the meantime, the band members relaxed or strolled around doing vocal warmups. As always, Luna was as cool as a cucumber. At least, as cool as one could be with Sam around.
"Hey, Lincoln," said Sam as she walked up to him. "I'm sorry about earlier. I didn't mean to come on so strong. But, just so you know, I do think you're cute. If you aren't seeing anyone, I wouldn't mind."
"I appreciate that," replied Lincoln courteously. "But, honestly, I'm not interested. I'm sorry."
Sam studied the boy for a moment, searching his expression for anything that might give her some insight into the young man. Then, she recalled her diatribe against Luna earlier. Folding her arms, she cocked a brow and stared at him.
"You've already got your eye on someone," she accused. "Haven't you?"
"What?" gasped Lincoln in self-defense. "No," he barked. "Don't be ridiculous. I just got here," he told her. Then, sighing, he couldn't help himself. "Okay, maybe..."
"Alright then," cooed Sam, smiling to herself as she walked off.
Soon, the overhead lights dimmed, replaced by the stage lighting, and the announcer began addressing the masses. After giving the audience some routine safety instructions and indicating various exits, he began introducing the opening act. As each member of the band got called, they ran out onto the stage to the cheering crowd.
Lincoln sighed, his first hurdles over. Now, the only thing left was to enjoy the show and pack up afterward. Taking a seat in Luna's folding band chair, he folded his arm and closed his eyes as he listened to the music that emanated from the stage, taking him back to a time when he'd done the same at home.
There was something about his sister's music that always soothed him. No, it was more personal than that. It was almost as if she wrote her songs just for him. He knew that couldn't possibly be true, however. She was his sister, after all. Yet, her voice still gave him that familiar feeling as it crooned over the loudspeakers.
Once the Moon Goats completed their sets, they returned backstage while the crew quickly broke down the equipment during the intermission. Finally, Lincoln and Luna sat together and enjoyed listening to the headliners play their best hits. Eventually, Luna grew tired and leaned against her brother, resting her head on his shoulder while Sam stewed at her from behind.
"That was amazing!" screeched Lincoln after the show concluded, and everything had gotten packed back into their cases and loaded onto the trucks. "Where are we off to next?" he asked excitedly.
"Houston, I think," Luna replied as she climbed onto their bus. "But, we can discuss it tomorrow. I need some sleep."
"Yeah," sighed Lincoln. "Me too. That was fun but exhausting."
"Follow me," cooed Luna, leading her brother to her room.
Their tour bus was terrific on its own. The cabin was sectioned off into four individual, though small, bedrooms, a combined lounge and kitchen, and a bathroom with a long hall that led down one side of the bus. Luna's room was the second door on the right. And as they entered, Lincoln saw a small dresser with a mirror, a single chair, a television, and a set of military-style bunk beds.
"I got the top bunk," called Luna. "It reminds me of home," she told Lincoln. "Settle in. It's going to be a long trip," she added before locking the door and stripping before changing into her gown.
Still embarrassed at the idea, Lincoln sighed and followed suit. However, when the bus pulled out, making the turn into traffic, the pair nearly lost their balance. And, just for a moment, their butt cheeks touched. Neither looked at the other, covertly blushing, and continued dressing for bed.
"Hey, Luna?" whispered Lincoln a few moments later, hoping she hadn't already crashed.
"Hmmm?" Luna mumbled, nearly asleep.
"I don't want to sound like one of your fans, but you were amazing tonight," he admitted. "I thoroughly enjoyed myself."
"Meh," murmured Luna sleepily. "It was just another night in another town," she said. "And two days from now, we'll do it all over again. Nothing to get excited about."
Lincoln furrowed his brows. Then, something occurred to him. Perhaps, Luna had asked him to join her for more personal reasons than she wanted to admit. It seemed like she'd lost her mojo, which was detrimental to any performer.
"Luna?" he whispered again.
"Yes?" returned Luna once more as she stared at the familiar metal ceiling on which she'd taped Mick's poster.
"I can't help but notice how nonchalant you seem about everything," he told her. "Is it possible you've forgotten why you wrote those songs in the first place?"
Luna blinked her eyes a few times in surprise. While she hadn't considered it, despite not having the time to do so, she had to admit that Lincoln had a point. Maybe she had forgotten.
"Lincoln," she whispered. "There's something I want to tell you, but only if you promise to take it to the grave with you and not let it change how you see me."
Lincoln considered her proposal, and if it meant helping her find herself again, he agreed. "Of course, Luna," he whispered. "You're my sister, and I'd do anything for you."
His statement only made her wince. Telling him was going to be even more difficult now. But, it was something she desperately needed to get off her chest. She closed her eyes for a moment to gather her thoughts and her resolve, then, finally, she took a deep breath and began.
"When I wrote those songs, all those years ago," she forced herself to admit. "I wrote them about you. I know it sounds stupid and strange, but I used to have a killer crush on you."
