Disclaimer: The Loud House and associated characters belong to Nickelodeon and Chris Savino.
Where Love Leads
By Lola Presents
Chapter 5
After everyone exchanged warm welcomes, Luna announced her intent to stay for the weekend because she needed some time off from touring. Lincoln and Lola hardily agreed and told Luna she could bunk with Nova, which thrilled the little girl immensely.
Dinner came and went, and Luna told humorous tales from the road. Of course, she censored some of the content due to minors being present. Her caution made Lincoln chuckle inside. After all, the children in the house weren't exactly innocent—one a downright nymphomaniac.
Afterward, Luna assisted Nova with her homework and ensured the children bathed well. As they cleaned up, Lincoln pulled Lola, Lana, and Lori aside for a pertinent discussion.
"Listen," Lincoln whispered. "I know it's Lori and Ree's turn, but I can't risk anything with Luna here. Tonight is going to be a Lola-only night. Is that alright with everyone?"
There were a few frowns, but all understood. Agreeing, all headed to their predesignated sleeping places, with Lori and Ree in the guest room and Lana on the couch. Shortly, Lincoln lay in bed with Lola by his side, and for once, the house was quiet.
"You know," Lincoln said, cuddling up with Lola, facing each other. "This is kind of nice, just the two of us."
"I know, right?" Lola agreed, smiling, one arm folded under her head. "Everything has been so crazy lately."
Lincoln sighed. "I'm almost afraid to ask what's going to happen next, you know?"
"So…" Lola asked, tracing a small circle on Lincoln's abdomen. "Anything planned for tonight?"
"Not specifically," he whispered, leaning in for a hiss. "I'm tapped out. Let's talk first and see where things go."
Luna took a shower while everyone else was settling in. When finished, she unzipped her travel bag and pulled out a fresh pair of pink and purple polka-dot panties and a purple nightshirt bearing a skull. Donning them, Luna shook her hair into place, such as it is, and headed for Nova's room. After entering, she flipped on the light and began preparing her bedroll when Nova propped herself on her elbow.
"You don't have to sleep on the floor," Nova announced, startling Luna. "I'm little and don't take up much space."
Luna laughed. "Oh, goodness. I thought you were asleep. That's polite of you," she praised Nova, "but since you're awake, I thought maybe we should have a little chat."
"I'd love that," Nova declared, pulling the covers down and making room for Luna.
Luna scooted in next to her niece, and she took the initiative after a few false rounds of talking simultaneously.
"Nova, before we talk about your friend," Luna said thoughtfully, "I need to ask you a few questions. But I need you to be completely honest with me. Can you do that?"
"Mmhmm," nodded Nova, her eyes gleaming. "For you, anything."
"Alright," acknowledged Luna. "I haven't seen you in a few years, and you've gotten older. But one thing stands out to me, and it has me confused. See, the thing is, you don't talk like a typical five-year-old, and I'd like to know why."
"Oh!" exclaimed Nova. "That's easy. Lisa did something to Mom by accident when she was pregnant with me, which made me grow too fast. Of course, she stopped it, but not without a side effect. I ended up being a bit smarter than usual. Like Lisa, I'm not a genius or anything, just smarter."
"I see," the rocker nodded, proceeding to the next question. "And how is it you know about sex? I have a hard time believing that thin walls are to blame. That has me more than a little concerned. Are you being abused?"
Nova gave Luna a weak smile and turned red.
"No, I'm not, but thanks for being concerned. As for how, well, Lucy once told me the best way to find out what's going on in a house is to use the vents," she informed Luna. "And, once I saw what they were doing, I looked it up online. It just snowballed from there."
"Lucy..." murmured Luna. "That figures. Okay, here's the thing, little Loud, you're in a position most people your age aren't. Your friend might not understand things as you do."
"But I confessed to her today, and she liked me back!" Nova argued.
Luna furrowed her brows. "Even then, she might not understand. Kids agree to things they have no clue about all the time."
"Maybe if you met her, you'd see," mumbled Nova, frowning and crossing her arms under the blanket.
"You know, I was thinking of taking you to school tomorrow," Luna announced. "I could meet her then. Would that be okay?"
Nova's eyes widened. Luna, at school with her? Everyone would go nuts!
"Oh, yes! That would be great!" Nova exclaimed. "Then, maybe people would stop picking on Calliope and me."
"People pick on you?" Luna prodded.
"Yeah," admitted Nova sadly. "Well, mostly that asshole, Wallace."
"Wallace?" asked Nova, encouraging the girl to talk.
"A chubby second-grader who thinks he can do whatever he wants," Nova explained. "He says I stink and is always spilling stuff on me on purpose."
"Well, I think I can take him!" Luna chirped, balling her fists, pretending to punch a bag. "What do you think?"
The two chuckled for a moment, which gave Luna time to study Nova's room in more detail. The most prominent features were various depictions of herself and a few unicorns.
"You know, you sure have a lot of posters of me," Luna observed. "It's kind of weird. Being family, one would think you wouldn't need them."
"Oh, well, uh," stammered Nova, blushing. "I, uh..."
Luna cocked a brow looking at the girl.
"I see," Luna said, turning her gaze to the ceiling. "Listen, you can worry about stuff like that for the rest of your life. There's no need to rush it. At your age, you should be digging in the dirt or playing with dolls anyway."
"What's it like?" Nova inquired after taking a moment to absorb what Luna told her.
"What is what like?" Luna replied sleepily.
"Sex," Nova stated. "I mean, I know what it is and how to do it, but what is it like?"
"Gosh, bra," Luna sighed. "I don't know if I could describe it right even if I tried. It's one of those things that isn't like anything else. I have nothing to compare it to."
Nova lay there for a moment, listening to Luna breathe. Something else was on her mind, and it wouldn't let her be until she asked.
"Luna?" began Nova again, this time more hesitantly. "Why do I like messy things?"
"Messy?" inquired Luna, rolling to face the girl, who moved toward Luna.
"Yeah, like, when I watch videos, I like the messy ones better than the clean ones," Nova explained.
"Oh. Oh!" Luna gasped. "Well, there's nothing wrong with that, I suppose. People like what they like, and there are as many reasons for it as people who like it. For me, it was a video called 'Two Girls One Cup,' In your case, I couldn't say. I have to ask, have you ever, you know..."
"No..." admitted Nova, curling one side of her mouth. "I mean, I've rubbed myself down there and smelled it, and it made me wet and tingly," Nova added before something in Luna's words bit her hard. "Wait... you've seen that video too? Does that mean..."
"Yeah, me too," Luna whispered. "But tell anyone. It's our little secret, okay?"
"Wow, and okay," agreed Nova, pleased to have someone who at least understood.
"But listen, romanticizing it and doing it are two different things. How do you know you like it then if you haven't tried it?" Luna asked pointedly. "For all you know, you could hate it."
"Well," Nova said with frustration. "How the heck am I supposed to try it if nobody my age even understands it? It isn't fair!"
"You're serious about this, aren't you?" Luna observed, studying Nova intently.
"Mmhm," sighed Nova, absent-mindedly brushing a strand of errant hair out of Luna's face.
"It's time for girl chat! Tell me about her," Luna requested, "and don't leave anything out."
"Okay," Nova sighed. "She's got beautiful curly red hair, the whitest skin you've ever seen, and these adorable freckles all over her body. She's kind, timid, smart, and a whiz at math. When she blushes, her cheeks look like strawberries, and when we're in the showers at school, I can't help but trace her freckles down to her butt. That's when I must look away, or else I'll embarrass myself."
Luna smiled. "Yeah, I get it, dude," she said. "I felt the same way about Sam."
"Sam?" queried Nova. "Who's that?"
"Oh, right. Never mind, Sam was before your time," Luna explained. "She was a girl I fell in love with in high school, but we broke up when I got my record deal. She said something about not wanting to leave Royal Woods."
"Oh, I'm sorry," Nova said, trying to be empathetic, though she was delighted that Luna was single.
"It's okay," Luna replied. "I got over her a long time ago. So, what's this girl's name? I don't remember you saying."
"Calliope," Nova told her. "Calliope McBride."
"No way..." spat Luna. "Clyde McBride's kid?"
"Yeah, how'd you know?" questioned Nova. "Are you spying on me?"
"Haha. No, there's only one McBride family in town, so I just assumed," Luna said. "There's something that doesn't make sense, though. Clyde is, well, African-American. How is his daughter as light-skinned as you say?"
"From what I understand, Mr. McBride couldn't have kids, so his wife asked Lisa for help," Nova relayed the past, "and Lisa ended up cloning her."
"Oh, Lisa again," Luna sighed. "That makes sense. I guess."
Another few moments went by as Luna's gaze returned to the posters. Suddenly, Nova's description of Calliope made sense to her, all but the red hair. Luna wondered how Nova looked at her and brushed her hair away. Now, Luna was sure. Nova had a crush on her.
Luna looked over at the silent child. A slow, steady stream of tears dripped down Nova's cheeks as she stared off into space. Luna couldn't help but feel empathy for the girl and battled with a bizarre decision.
Luna was relatively Liberal, at least regarding lifestyle choices. She cared little for politics, though, and considered herself an independent. Not that politics was relevant to the issue at hand, being a matter of the heart.
The problem was, what was it her heart was telling her? When she looked at Nova, her heart ached, but why? Was it a longing to revisit the past or to create the future? Furthermore, was she thinking of herself or Nova?
At that point, some time had gone by with nothing said. Nova rolled over and faced the wall. Luna furrowed her brows and started to reach out for her but hesitated.
"I suppose I am to be alone for the rest of my life," Nova muttered sadly, covering her head with the blankets. "Goodnight, Luna."
It took less than a second before Luna's heart broke in half. At least, that's how it felt. How could the world treat such a beautiful and intelligent girl with such cruelty? Looking at the form under the covers, she made up her mind.
Luna threw the covers back, tapped the nightlight button on the carousel clock, then headed toward the door. Nova peered out, confused and afraid she might have said something improper when she saw Luna lock the door and turn out the light. Then, taking a prolonged, deep sigh, Luna dropped her panties to the floor.
"What are you doing, Luna?" stammered Nova, both stunned and excited.
Luna came over to the bed, sat on the edge, beckoned Nova to stand before her, and then waited for her niece. Slowly, unsure about events, she climbed from within the bedding and padded in front of Luna.
"Listen, Nova," Luna began, taking Nova's hands in hers. "I don't know where this thing with Calliope will go. Maybe one day, she'll make a great girlfriend, but you shouldn't pressure her into something she probably isn't ready for right now."
Nova gave Luna a tight-slipped smile and nodded.
"I'm not saying you can't be close friends, though," Luna continued. "But, I feel bad that you're stuck with this intellect and these feelings without a way to express them. Now, I've noticed your posters, and, to be honest, I think what you're seeing in her is a reflection of me. Am I right?"
"Yes..." admitted Nova timidly. "I love you."
Luna genuinely beamed at the little girl.
"And I love you too," Luna responded warmly. "So, I'm going to make you an offer. I'll be your temporary girlfriend, but you must keep it secret, okay?"
Nova's eyes lit up like a Christmas tree.
"Are you freaking serious?!" the little girl gasped, beginning to shake with glee. "That's... that's..."
"If you want to, that is," Luna continued. "If not, I understand."
"What? No!" Nova chirped. "Of course, I..."
The rest of the young girl's response was throwing her arms around Luna's neck, pulling herself up, and kissing her square on the mouth. Luna responded in like, taking the small wet tongue into her mouth.
"Do you remember the time you taught me to read?" Lola was asking Lincoln.
"Heh. Yeah," Lincoln replied. "You were so stubborn about it too."
"Maybe, but that's when I fell in love with you," cooed Lola, nibbling at her husband's ear.
"Hey! That tickles!" Lincoln exclaimed.
"It was supposed to," whispered Lola, gently licking his earlobe. "What are you going to do about it? Huh?"
"Maybe this!" shot Lincoln playfully as he rolled on top of her, tickling the sensitive spot under her boobs where a mammary nerve began.
Lola giggled and flinched. "Don't tease unless you aim to please!" she begged, playfully swatting his hands away.
"Oh, I'll please, alright," he said. "But first, try to guess when I fell in love with you."
Lola rolled over and pressed her chest against Lincoln. "Oh, I don't know… when I entered middle school?"
"Hah, nope. Try again," Lincoln said, grinning.
"Mmmm," murmured Lola, with a finger to her mouth. "When I bought you those god-awful victory undies?"
"Nope. Give up?" he asked his wife.
"Yeah, just tell me already!" Lola pleaded. "That way, we can get to the real fun."
"Honestly, it was when you were born," Lincoln admitted. "But it took me a while to realize it."
"When I was a baby?" Lola gasped. "You pervert," she said cheekily, popping Lincoln on the abs.
Lola then threw off the sheets and straddled him, pouting like a baby. "Goo, goo, fuck me, daddy!"
