Sorry for the delay. Work called early, and had no choice. Back to the schedule
Chapter 11
Father Luna
As soon as her plate's food vanished, Luna jumped up faster than ever before. She bid Luan farewell for the moment and carried the rest of the tray down towards the door at the end of the hall. Already ajar, she saw Lincoln's feet dangling off his bed, busy doing... whatever it was the boy did when school was out.
Luna smiled, before using her foot to flip the rest of her path open. The food, consisting of a breakfast burrito even she was shocked at crafting correctly and even some classic orange juice, dangled kindly on the tray, being placed beside the boy. He seemed to be devouring all his attention against the backdrop of comedic timing, reading a strange spin-off of Ace Savvy that, frankly, wasn't exactly the most enticing read. Even still, it was enough to distract him, but not enough to keep his nose at bay, which quickly sniffed up the wonderous delight awaiting his stomach.
He of course spotted the meal first, but no later did he look up and see the smiling face of Luna Loud. Lincoln was caught off guard, almost amazed that she could even pull off an expression like that. Once he put two-and-two together, he gave her a nod and a smile of his own. "L-Lunes! Hey, uh... how you feeling? What's all this?"
She responded the only way she knew how: annoying him with a kindhearted rub of the hair. "Oh, just giving my little bro an awesome morning after what he did for me last night!"
He spent a moment getting his hair back into shape, and once the whiteness was pure, he chuckled at her sincerity. Hw gazed at the food, happy to see it all looked normal and pleasant maybe she finally put those cooking lessons to good use. "Wow, this looks fantastic! Um, but...," his smile lowered itself into a more cautious look, and he looked to his feet. Luna rose an eyebrow, fearing she must've made a mistake, until he looked back at her concerned. "... You're okay, right?"
Why did she feel warm hearing that? Meant so much that he would care about her well-being. Then again, why wouldn't he? He let her sleep in his bed, for crying out loud! She rubbed the back of her head, trying her best to remain as sheepish as possible. "Who, me? Y-Yeah, I'm... I'm doing much better," she once again rubbed that hair of his. He'll never get it back to normal now, would he? She snickered at his disappointment, but removed it for a more sincere grin. "Hey, you know you didn't have to do that. You could've kicked me out!"
A yell? Agreement? Nah, that wasn't Lincoln's style. He instead shook his head and folded his arms, taking the time to stare over at his prized tickets ready to be used at a Mick Swagger-slash-SMOOCH extravaganza. His fingers tapped his elbows as he stared deep into Luna's eyes. "Lunes... normally I'd probably do that, but I think you needed that." He brought both feet up onto his bed, sitting cross-leg while still maintaining his seriousness. "You were crying, you know? For one, I know never to mess with any of you when crying, and two... I'm kinda touched you chose my bed for some reason."
She shrugged, feeling a little woozy to her stomach. Always embarrassing having to answer everything, wasn't it? "Well, you're room's usually the quietest. Besides, you... I trust this place, I guess. Sometimes more than my bunk, you know?"
"Luan's pranks? Gotta be harsh living above her all the time."
Oh, that was an understatement. She'll never understand how that girl got a family of opossum's to live peacefully in her blankets that one time, but lord help her, that was the kindest prank by far. Even then, though, it was worth it. Luan was a good sister; Luna knew that well, especially now. "Nah, more heights, honestly. Sounds weird, but I just get nervous I'll fall off my bed, you know?" Once he moved the tray to his lap, she perched herself beside her little bro. "Nah, it's really quaint here. Besides, out of everyone, you kinda like music the most. Well, aside from Dad, of course."
Did Lincoln look embarrassed? Sometimes she forgot that even at the age of 12, he could be very adorable. If she wasn't kindhearted, she'd probably make fun of him. Wasn't her beat, luckily. Lincoln continued tapping his fingers as he stared over at the tickets. "Wow, I'm... Wow. Uh, thanks?"
"Hey, I should be thanking you! Honestly, I'm... feeling a lot better because of it." She remembered the bowl that he and his comedic sister made just for her. He may act like a brat here-and-there, but overall he was way too good for this family. "And thanks for the grub, too," She pulled him into a sideways hug, "You know I gotta repay you for this. Anything you want? I'm totally jiving for anything!"
Lincoln chuckled to himself, shaking his head all the way. "Luna, the only thing I want is you being okay. I mean, if you're down-and-out, who's gonna rock with me at the concert?"
Still a month away. She can't look at her idol and Lincoln's favorite band looking like a total lunatic (somewhere, Luan laughed her little ponytail off). She smiled at him, imagining how great that day will be. Her, him, and the band that'll bring this world the gift of ultimate rock. "That's a total you answer! But hey, I can do that! Wouldn't want to disappoint the greatest bro in the whole world. I'll be good for that day, brah!"
"Thank goodness! Seriously, if you didn't get any better, Clyde and I would've-"
A peaceful chatter between siblings was broken up by the sudden appearance of their father at the door, though it was almost impossible to tell. His whole face was covered in glitter, and while his eyes were hidden behind the lovely shades of purple-and-pink, it was obvious how disappointed he was. "Cursed glitter queen! Oh, she always nabs me when I least expect it! Honey, she bombed me again! I-I can't see a thing!" He yelled, swinging his arms rapidly in the air.
Luna sighed. "Popstar, you're in Lincoln's room. Ma's downstairs."
"What? Oh no, that was the stairs I climbed! I just thought I was walking creatively!" With a groan, he finally bunched his hand through his sweater's arm-slot, and quickly began rubbing vigorously against his skin. Though it wasn't a perfect job, but at least he could see. "Jeez, who could this queen be? She's good, I tell ya, but you can't hide from Lynn forever!"
Luna and Lincoln looked at one another, shrugging. Blame Lola, or let the charade keep going? Eh, it's kinda fun to do the latter. "So, uh, hey," the rocker tried to break the ice, "You said you got something big for us to do today, right? What's the occasion?"
Spitting out stars, Lynn senior looked so proud hearing that question, propping his arms up towards his chest and standing as if he was a superhero. "Oh yeah, didn't tell you! Sorry, sometimes the bathroom runs makes me forget crucial details. Remember that time I ran up here, and then completely forgot about my anniver-"
"Dad!" Lincoln interjected.
"Okay, okay! Sorry, just so excited to hang out with you kids all day! Not every-so-often your parents get the day off the exact moment your school runs a silly protest!" He studied himself in Lincoln's mirror. Too much glitter. Perhaps he'll become a queen after all this. "Well, you know how you kids seem to have the same wardrobe since, well, what feels like five seasons even though it's been a year?"
Luna and Lincoln looked at each other, feeling a little nervous mixed with confused frustration. "We... guess?" they answered in unison.
"Well, get ready, because come this afternoon, your mom and I are bringing you all to the giant-conveniently-placed-and-also-partly-fashionable Clothing store at the mall! You're all getting a budget to go wild and change up your looks!" He threw his hands up in excitement. "It's gonna be fantastic! You'll all be brand new yous!"
Lincoln kinda respected the thought, but he knew it was doomed to fail. Every time their parents do this, it always ends the same: if not the same outfit, every piece of clothing is the same, perhaps just a tad bit darker or lighter. This family is known for many things, and one is getting caught in hilarious ruts. "I mean, it sounds fun, but do you really think we'll change it up this time?"
Luna looked down at her own shirt. She kinda really dug the random skull in the middle of her chest. "Yeah, I mean, I guess I can do with a Mick Swagger swag, but that's just me!"
Their father laughed. "Oh, you say that now, but I bet you'll see a lot of awesome stuff while we're there!" His nostrils finally caught whiff of Lincoln's breakfast, and he gave Luna a thumbs up. "Oh, and good job with that burrito! You're finally becoming a decent cook. Good job!"
Should she feel annoyed everyone thought she was a bad cook before? She would've, had it not been for a positive inkling in her head going off rapidly. "Talk to him! Do it! He's literally in front of you, dude!"
Talk to... oh yeah! She had to clear this whole mess up, and if he wasn't in a rush, then this was the moment! Summoning up some oxygen in her lungs, she stood proud from the bed and looked directly at the old man. "Hey, uh, Pop? You mind if we talk, by the way?"
"Hm? Oh, more lessons? You want to learn how to properly control the oven! I remember teaching Luan how to twist those knobs. Ah, she's really becoming the best-"
"No, No... well, I mean, I'd love to learn that, but no! It's...," she looked back at Lincoln, knowing well he was getting quickly perplexed. Best take this someplace else. "... You mind if we talk alone? Please?"
Lynn senior shrugged. "Well, one day I'll pass that knowledge on. You kids really need to learn how to use it! It's so fun!"
She ushered him out of the room, giving one last weak grin towards her brother, who waved her off with a grin of his own. At least he looked happy. That's all she needed. She brought him to the middle of the hall, smelling even more glitter resting against Lucy's room. That poor girl didn't know what was about to hit her, did she? Sad. "Dad, I got something to ask you. Something... I don't know, a little scary? Though it probably isn't!"
He folded his arms. "Is this about how you've been acting? You seriously gave your mother a heart attack, you know! What's going on?"
She sighed. "I... been having a rough few days. Maybe you can help me?"
"Of course I can! What are fathers for?"
Luna couldn't help but smile at that. No matter how troublesome his kids get, he was always the best source for help. Mom did her role too, but she found herself confiding in her old man more than anyone. Something about him and Lincoln, she had to assume. She kicked her foot about, trying to find the words to say. "Um... this is gonna sound weird, but... we good with dough?"
He looked shocked at that. "Dough? Of course we got enough! How do you think I bake without it?"
Wrong dough. Gotta watch the slang. "No, I mean... cash? Moolah? Cheddar?"
That got through to him. "Well, we got enough cheese too, but cash? I mean, we always got enough, and that ain't easy with you all! Uh, but I mean that in a not rude way!"
They did? She breathed a little easy hearing that. "A-Ah, good. Uh, we weren't struggling before, right? Like, two days ago before?"
"What? Of course not! If we were struggling, we'd tell you guys. Last thing I want is to keep this family in the dark!" As he spoke, it seemed a memory flooded his head. A memory that definitely made him mad. "Now, the restaurant... we'd be doing much better, but that darn musician..."
Her ears perked up. "Musician? What, somebody low-balling you?"
"Oh, not just that! Oh, I trusted her too! She said she'd bring adult contemporary to Royal Woods, and what did we get?" He looked deranged. "A crazy person shouting how much she hates people! Next thing you know, I lost some profit! Well, at least she won't be employed with us ever again!"
Luna blinked. She recalled him crying and mentioning music. It was logical to think he was referring to her, but... then again, it was vague. Very vague. He never specified what type of music, did he? Oh dear lord, if it was about the restaurant the whole time...
"So, we're in the clear? No one's wasting money or anything?"
"Nope! Heck, I'm almost tempted to tell you guys to waste it more! Why else do you think we're doing this shopping thing later?"
There was never a greater relief. "Oh... that's totally rad! Thanks, Popstar!" She gave him a hug, "You're the best, you know that?"
"Well, I guess I got enough mugs to prove it!" Even still, he patted her head. "Don't know what this is all about, but if you need any help, you know I always got my Rockstar's back!"
"Heh... I know that..."
He waved her off and walked back downstairs, all while she leaned against the wall, accidentally rubbing her hand over the knob full of glitter. She was of course ticked off, but that didn't matter to her. Her mind felt so much clearer; the darkness felt rather light that morning.
All a misunderstanding. Just a dumb mistake on her part.
"Heh... kinda figured. You're stupid sometimes, you know that? Heh... very stupid..."
It was weird. She felt much more better now, and yet when she said those words, it sounded like it came from somewhere else. Probably just a strange feeling. Nothing more.
She was happy again, and she had to stay that way.
