Bitter Victory
Luna's advice, would soon be unheeded.
Because while Lynn wasn't making it any easier for him, his brain is.
When Lincoln reached his room after that small scuffle, it is pretty petty of him to try and investigate this case when the suspect itself isn't even willing to fess up. And no. In the David Steele comics, the cops usually doing these investigations beat up their suspects to force the crime out of them. But David himself is different; he makes sure to go undercover as a seemingly harmless, normal citizen and goes straight to the criminal and befriends them. When the stakes of mistrust are low, that's when he strikes with the simple question: Did you do the crime?
But Lynn knows who he is. What do you suppose he does? Dress up as their sports team mascot and seem like a middle-aged creepy man trying to flirt with her?
That'd put shame into the guy in the mascot, Rob. And make him lose his only job too. Nope, not happening.
His walkie-talkie was only across him on the bed. Lincoln stretched his arm until it was fully in his reach and grabbed it. "Math Wiz, come in Math Wiz."
Static. "I'm here Abe Linc. What do you need?" A deep, teenage voice responded.
"Listen, can you come here? If it's not that much of a problem."
"I'm on it!"
The radio shut off, and it dropped out of his hands.
Over the course of a few months, his brother from another father, Clyde, had a little dance with puberty too. His voice had gradually lost its high pitch, and transitioned into becoming lower and lower as time passes. If it weren't for how they keep in touch, Clyde wouldn't even be recognized by his voice anymore!
And gone were the days they dressed up in Ace Savvy costumes while walking around like goofs. But that's only because they hadn't gotten new replacements. Plus, David Steele was way cooler now. It's like the elite version of Ace Savvy; like algebra to the big kids while Ace Savvy is only fractions.
A few minutes passed, and the sound of static on his radio scared the wits out of him. "I'm here, Abe."
No time to waste, Lincoln jumped out of the bed and ran downstairs before opening the front door.
In time, Clyde had also had a crazy growth spurt coming in. Lincoln may have been around Luan's height now, but Clyde was already by Leni's. "Wassup, homie?"
"Clyde, why are you speaking ghetto?" Lincoln faced him with a deadpan expression.
"What? We're grown older; figured there should be a change."
Lincoln rolled his eyes with a grin. "Come in, it's hot out."
They both went up the stairs and into their usual hang out spot in the Loud house: Lincoln's room.
Clyde sat down on his bed and rested his back on the wall. "Anyway, something up?"
Sitting beside him was Lincoln, rubbing his temples. "Clyde, I need you to come with me to Lynn's room."
"Uh… why exactly?"
Lincoln got up urgently. "No time to explain. We have to go before Lynn or Lucy gets home."
He hastily led the way for the puzzled Clyde to follow. "Okaaaay… weird."
When they finally got in, Clyde was utterly at a loss for words. "Lincoln, explain to me why we're here?"
"Lynn and I kinda got into a chat and I must've said something to offend her. Now I'm looking for some other things here, like maybe a diary, so I can find out what I did and how to apologize."
Clyde blinked at him with a look of apprehension. "Lincoln, I don't know…"
Lincoln looked at him. "C'mon Clyde! It won't take long!"
"It's not that I hate helping you out. But this… this is invading her privacy, Lincoln!" Clyde said. "I know you guys are a big family, but I'm sure there's unspoken rules about your personal valuables."
"Lola read my diary and spat out my secrets to the whole family, Lucy once had her journal snatched by Lisa, Leni got the urge to read Luan's personal joke-book when she accidentally found it, Luna-"
"I get your point!" Clyde said. "I'm in."
It's not like any of these things will give him a go-to hint of why Lynn was bothered that day. All the balls underneath her bed don't just say, 'Hey! Our owner is upset because you're a being a jerk-ward to her!'. But if it did, things would've been much easier.
With a little lift from his hands pressed against the carpeted floor, Lincoln went from peeking below Lynn's bed to resting on his knees. Not long ago, Lucy had a poem recital to attend to; and her roommate… knowing her, she's probably off to somewhere like the gym. Leaving the room completely empty and vulnerable to any possible intruder.
Like Lincoln, ft. Clyde.
When he went in here, only Lord knows what to expect. Lincoln sat crossed leg on the ground, the only thing keeping his attention being the scattered books on Lynn and Lucy's nightstand. Surely, there would be something around here… maybe like a piece of writing?
He twisted his head to the back. "How's the search, Clyde?"
Clyde was busy rummaging through Lucy and Lynn's closet. "Found nada."
And now, the entire half of this room has been scavenged and nope. Nada.
His breath came out of puckered lips. This was not really helping… was it?
"No offense Linc, but this is kinda pointless." Clyde pulled himself out of the closet.
"Think about Robin Hood, Clyde; but only this time, I'm prying in her personal business to make her feel better." Lincoln said with a smile.
"I know, I know. But did it kinda ever hit you that Lynn's not even a bookish person?"
Lincoln's smile turned upside down. He smacked a hand to his forehead. "Of course! Why did I think about that just now?"
Shaking his head, Lincoln's breath slid out through puckered lips. "I went in here to get a little bit more from Lynn, but now I just feel even guiltier…"
Footsteps got closer to him and not long, Clyde was bent in front of him as his hand touched his shoulder. "Why don't you just talk to her?"
"Wait… I don't think you need to." There was horror in his eyes. Something was up.
Within a millisecond, Lincoln's neck twisted to the back to see what's going on.
His heart stopped. Oh…
Oh no. "How long have you been standing there?"
"What are you two dorks doing here?" Lynn said in between gritted teeth. Leaning on the doorframe of the open room.
"I'm just… I just gonna go. My dads are told me it's time for curfew." Clyde slid his way out, all the while as Lynn shot daggers at him.
Lincoln shifted a little bit. Maybe if he stayed a still, Lynn would forget about him-
"Stinkin'! What in 'personal space' and 'leave me alone' did you not understand?" Lynn advanced to the vulnerable, squatting Lincoln. "And why is my side of the room a literal tornado?"
"L-Lynn, I-I can explain-"
Lynn let out a low growl, cracking her knuckles. "5 seconds."
"Well, I-uh… I was um…" Lincoln bit back on what wanted to really come out of his mouth, struggling to maintain balance as he got up on his feet.
She rolled her eyes and grunted. "Just shut up, Stinkin'." Lynn said. "I ain't making my day any worse because you're snoopin' around right under my nose! Leave!"
Lincoln rushed out of the room. What a humiliating sight, seeing a tall guy giving in to a shorter girl.
A shorter girl, with bigger biceps. He thought.
No. A new driving force made him stop on his feet before he could reach the door. Not this time. She needed to stop pushing him away like this; He needed to stop scurrying off so easily.
"I did it for a good reason!" Lincoln said, turning back around to face her. "You were upset at what I said earlier so maybe I thought if I looked around, I could find a reason why!"
Lynn gave him a soul-piercing glare. If looks could kill, he'd be on the ground with a baseball bat shoved in his mouth right now. "Didn't I already tell you I was fine? Why can't you understand, Lincoln?"
She was going nearer to him, yet the lanky boy stood still. "Because you're obviously not."
Lincoln was gonna have to use force to get it out of her if she won't. "Leave."
He raises a brow mockingly. "What if I don't?"
Puberty had been generous to him; and another additional strength was added to his scrawny body. There's no way Lynn would be able to take him down.
"OUCH!" A scream that echoed throughout Royal Woods rang out as Lynn had threw a fastball, diving straight to his gut.
A thud echoed in her room as Lincoln collapsed on the ground in a mass of pain. Writhing and whining about with his eyes clenched shut, clutching the part that's been shot. This was pain beyond words. "Lynn! How could you!"
"Oh crap, oh crap, oh crap, Lincoln!" Lynn slid next to his side. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to hit you there-
"What in the heck is going on here dudes?" Luna came rushing into the scene. "Bro!"
Lincoln continued to squirm with a series of pained groans as Lynn attempted to help him up. A baseball was right beside them and the dots connected together fast. "Lynn, what DID you do?"
Not even the normally cool rocker fazed Lynn as she continued to do futile attempts in getting the writhing Lincoln stand. "I-I didn't mean to!"
"Geez, what's going on in here- Linky!" Lola screeched upon seeing the injured Lincoln. "Lana! We need your muscles to help him up!"
"Coming right at it!" Lana was there in no time, coming to his aid along with Luna and Lynn. "What happened?"
"Why in the world did you consider throwing a baseball at me?" Lincoln shrilled in fury, making everyone in the room take a step back.
Everyone gasped, and turned to Lynn. "I-I didn't mean to, though!"
"Well, LJ, you're gonna get a belt- whipping from dad later. Regardless of how you're fifteen." Luna said, deadpan. "Lincoln, you think you can use your legs?"
Lincoln screamed in pain, taking hitched breaths. Okay, pressing the spot would do anything but lessen the aching. "Yeah… I think I can."
"Come on, let's get you to your room." Luna said.
She didn't mean to.
Lincoln laid vulnerable on his bed. This soreness on his belly wouldn't go away for some time. Dang it, Lynn. Always trying to make it so hard for everyone to understand. She wasn't just a malfunctioning light bulb, but a Rubik's cube too. Care must've been something that had never been taught to her. Because for some reason, she can't even differentiate it between meddling.
"Hey dude, how are ya?"
Luna came in the room, dragging him out his thoughts. "Could be better."
She sat down on the wooden stool chair that rested across his bed. The seventeen-year-old was the oldest of the house now, and while she may have only been the third child, Luna's been doing well to cope and manage around. Maybe even better than Leni or Lori were, since she's a mixture of both. Strong, but at times, tender. She wasn't afraid to inflict harsh discipline, nor was she afraid to care.
Just don't get on her bad side if you don't wanna lose your eardrums this early. "Did you listen to my advice?"
And right now, Luna's a little bit on the trying-to-care-but-pissed-at-the-same-time trope. A fit of awkward chuckles came out his mouth and beads of sweat were starting to form as her stare melted him. Was it hot in here or what?
Luna glared at him in disbelief. "Dude, seriously? I told you to leave her be."
"Yeah… I know." Lincoln said. "I just really wanted to know how she is."
"And get yourself killed in the process?" Luna shook her head. "Linc, it's rad you're looking out for all of us, it really is. But sometimes, you gotta tone it down a little with whatever."
"It's honestly more about me than Lynn…" Luna fully turned to him. "I wanted to pry her open… because something did happen between us. And it wouldn't stop bothering me."
"What did you two do now?" Next to Lana and Lola, Lynn and Lincoln were technically the closest sibling pairing. Lincoln wouldn't admit out loud, but without her, life didn't feel the same. Fights happened a little more frequently than normal siblings, they guess? But in the break of every argument, when all fighters rest without a winner- then it was pure agony. Every knew that. "Argument?"
Lincoln nodded. "I unintentionally hurt her. She ran off and pushed me away. And I couldn't take the pestering feeling of getting reminded of my guilt in whatever I do." The ceiling was the only thing he dared to look at now. "I don't think I really cared what she felt… I just wanted the guilt to stop."
She nodded, before taking a deep breath. "Mom and dad know about what happened; they're cancelling the game tomorrow."
Did his ears trick him or was she joking? "No way! They can't just do that!" Lincoln shot up from the bed, ignoring the sharp pang in his stomach. "I-it's dangerously close to the championships! She can't just miss the opportunity after working so hard!"
Luna nodded. "Yeah… Lynn's devastated. She's been so unlike herself since I told."
"Luna, you gotta tell them to change their plan! I-I'm not hurt! S-see?" Lincoln shifted until he was ready to stand up. "Ow…" His hand pressed against the piercing pain in his belly.
"Sorry, dude. It's the rents' orders. If you want them to change their minds, go talk to them yourself." Luna said, before she stood up. "Oh, and here's an ice pack speaking of which. I forgot this was the reason I came here in the first place."
Lincoln had no qualms in grabbing it from Luna's outstretched hand, despite the already melting ice. "Thanks Lunes."
She opened the door and shot him a gentle smile. "You take care, lil' bro."
When she finally left, Lincoln flopped on the bed and landed his head on the pillow. His sore body tingling with delight.
Now onto more serious matters…
WHAT!
The basketball match. Tomorrow. Cancelled.
And it's all because of him.
His hands flew to his face, covering it with shame. "No no, no, NO. Lynn's gonna kill me."
"LEAVE ME ALONE!" A thud crashed right in the hallway, making the whole house shudder.
The pain on his tummy vanished; and his legs skipped and hands reached for the door.
There was a new voice, and it was sobbing. "Lily!"
His heart skipped a beat when it was realized that the door was fully bare for everyone to see him. Making a short attempt to cover himself, Lincoln slammed the door shut before opening it again in the slightest. Just a little peek.
What was seen made his chest tight.
"Lily! What's wrong?" A panicked Lola ran to the crying toddler.
"L-Lynn… kicked me out of the room." The youngest child wailed even more. She must've gone into the sleeping tiger's den, without even knowing it.
But this wasn't Lynn's doing at all.
It was his.
Throwing himself on the pillow atop his bed, a shriek unleashed itself from his mouth. Lincoln's voice was muffled underneath. "I have to make things right."
Ignoring the sharp pain from his new bruise, Lincoln got it together and pushed himself to stand. With the ice pack pressed against it, he started to walk to his desk as he scrambled to look for his phone.
And open contacts to a certain active number.
…
…
…
"Hello, sweetie?"
"Hey mom," Lincoln started. "Where are you right now?"
"At work, honey. Why?"
"Uh, do you know about what happened to me? Luna said she told you and dad."
There was a thud in the other line. "Why, certainly I do." Mom sounded a little… constipated. "I don't know why she did that, but don't worry. She got grounded and won't play the game tomorrow as a punishment."
Lincoln scratched his hair. "Uh… that's exactly what I'm worried about."
A pause, and it sure isn't from a choppy signal. "What, honey?"
"Can you… unground her, mom? I swear, I'll explain everything when I can. But it's not her fault for what she did to me!"
"Well… I'm not sure if you're fabricating it to sound better so Lynn can attend, because trust me, I know how important this game means too. But she can't go around hurting any of her siblings like that-
"Mom please," Lincoln was pleading with his tone. "I promise, I'll do whatever you want. I'll do my homework, my chores, I'll even clean Charles' poop off the couch with my bare hands! Just unground her this once, even if it's only for a day." One day, Lincoln will wish he never said that.
But for now, it didn't matter.
The waiting silence from the other line stretched in time as every second were fingers twisting and churning his guts. Speeding up the pace in his beating heart.
"…Fine." It's like being blessed by anointed holy water on Baptism day- relief, joy, and peace were all mixed together to form one being that was the now grinning Lincoln. "But you gotta explain everything to me when you get the chance."
"No problemo, mom! I got it all covered!" Lincoln was about to end the call… but without one simple request. "Uh mom…? Can I ask another small favor?"
"Of course, sweetie! Anything."
"Can you be the one telling Lynn about that? I don't wanna be the one doing it, because she might think I'm joking." Plus, he's most probably already dead to her by now so there's no point. And this is in total fear of getting a total beatdown by all her sports equipment if he did dare to come in.
"Sure! No problem, honey."
And she hung up. Lincoln punched the air. Yes!
"And here comes Paula Price with another epic fake pass!" The announcer said with much enthusiasm. "It lands in the arms of team captain and star player Lynn Loud Junior, not letting up on her opponents as she twists her way around them with the finesse of a true professional. Will she, despite her rather premature height be one to surpass the Hazeltucky Chickens and bring yet another gold for theTurkey Jerkies?"
Lynn bit her lip, and shot the ball upwards in attempts to elude the towering watch in front of her into believing she was about to shoot.
Yet the ball had slipped out of her hands right when she was about to snatch it back. "Oh, and the Chickens have the ball! Rather a quite anti-climactic shot, wasn't it Pep?"
"Yay." Pep responded with so much excitement.
In sports, there's not a second you should miss. What the commentator said ain't good at all, and it caught her off-guard for only a brief second.
It was a punch to the chest that knocked breath out of her. A brief-second that would cost her whole game!
"Lynn!" She snapped her head behind her and hands caught a head's up of the basketball flying towards her face. She ran around the court in a way a snake would as they target their prey. With every second counting on her, Lynn pumped her legs to run faster than they ever did before. The crowds' cheers were a driving force pushing her to the very edge of the court regardless of the exhaustion that was about to pound her. A stimulus like caffeine keeping her alive and reeving.
The center player was stood right in front of the hoop. She was of a towering height, and her head couldn't be seen when Lynn looked straight ahead. "Where ya going, little girl?" The giraffe taunted. "You're no match for this height!"
A growl formed in her throat; her fiery passion driven by full determination to prove everyone wrong. Dribbling the ball with such ferocity that only an orange blur was seen as her hand kept a distance away her body. She moved a foot forward to the right, then backwards, before sliding to the left. Lynn wasn't a scientist, but the gears in her mind shifted in a way not even the geniuses of this world can compete with as she calculated the perfect estimation on both time and space consumption. In between the spread legs of this towering stick, the ball went down for a dive as it became an open opportunity for Lynn to glide across the giraffe's side.
Nothing had meant so much to her than this one lucky dodge. The ball was back on Lynn's palm like magnet to metal, and only the seconds counting down were in between her and the hoop. Her lungs were screaming for more supply, her body pleading to rest. But the crowd screamed louder than any of her aching organs did. With no more time to waste, Lynn crouched and manifested her intense bouts of training into the best use.
"Oh my! Lynn Loud Junior is gonna do her infamous Michael Jordan jump!" The announcer shrieked; a chorus of blaring yells coming from the four-thousand people of two different towns with voices that ranged from ear-piercing to husky deep turned into. A sound to be described as angelic in Lynn's ears. "Only 5 seconds left in the timer! 5, 4…"
A battle cry slipped from her mouth as her feet pushed her off the ground and soaring right into the air. When gravity pulled her down like a shove from an ogre, a hand swiped the firm metal ring as she hovered above the ground.
3… 2…
And in a blink, the ball was out of her hands, and through the hoop.
Her hand let go of the metal ring that carried her weight and landed on gracefully on her feet. The whole crowd cheered for her. And she for herself. For the team.
"TURKEY JERKIES WIN! 25-24! IT'S ANOTHER TROPHY FOR ROYAL WOODS!"
The audience blared with a sound deafening, yet soothing for the sweaty girl's ears. It massaged her eardrums away from all the pain her sore body is carrying. Lynn walked around the court and towards her teammates, known as friends and they all huddled up in good cheer.
"You were awesome there, Lynn!" On a rare occasion was Maya wide awake, her eyes gleaming with adornment as she gave the team captain a high five.
Paula slapped the unexpecting Lynn who was focused on the other girls. "You. Were. BEYOND all skill and talent, Lynn!"
"I swear, I haven't seen anything like it before!" Amy added, shaking her hand. "It's like something outta cartoon!"
"Thanks, guys. But hey, don't gi'me the rest of the credit." It wasn't hard to be humble when she was high up the pedestal. "You guys did your part too. Huddle up!"
One hand toppled over another. "WINNER, WINNER, CHICKEN, DINNER!" Hands flew to the air as they yelled in triumph.
"Hey, short girl!" The Hazeltucky chickens were huddled up too. "How's the vitamins been treatin' ya?" A blonde girl from the team said.
"You look like a middle schooler!" The giraffe yelled at her. Only now was her appearance clear as day now that they're living in the resolution: Curly hair, brown skin, lanky figure. Skinny body.
They laughed at her growling. "You blind, Jess? Are you sure she's a middle schooler? She looks like a primary student!" Another one with blue hair (dyed? Who knows?) pointed at her. "Not to mention she ain't got nothing to flex!"
A warm prickle ran up her cheeks. "I'll have you know I got more muscles than all of you combined, noodle arms! Have you even gotten a good look at your biceps? I bet your hair dye has more protein than you do!"
"Why you little-" The blue-haired girl was restrained by her other teammates. Mary. That was her name.
"What a holy name for such a terrible excuse of a person." Lynn mumbled loud enough for them to hear.
A fat girl dawning the blue Hazeltucky uniform stepped up. "Show me your muscles, little baby. Bet they're no match for mine."
"Lynn…"
She yanked her arm away from the touch. "Shut up, Paula. I gotta show these bimbos who's boss."
"You? Fat kid? Claiming you have muscles?" Lynn faked wiping a tear off her eye, a cackle leaving her mouth. "That's rich."
"Lynn… that's enough." Amy approached her.
"At least I got a bubble butt, unlike you, you plank!"
A hand flew to her chest instinctively as if she were shot. That one did physically hurt. "What did you just say to me-"
"It seems that our two teams are wanting a re-match again." The announcer said. "What do you think, Pep?"
"Are none of us actually gonna bring a stop to this mess?"
"The crowd seems to love it…"
Utterly vexed was Pep who grunted and slammed their desk. "I'm quitting this job."
A whistle sounded, signaling for all the players to hit the showers.
All the while, as the audience talked among themselves, Lincoln stared at the drama going on. There were too many voices, and they were too far from the court to see what they're mouths were saying. Despite the breathtaking accomplishment his sister had earned, what did they say to trigger her nerves all over again?
The crowd is dying down, the adrenaline has died.
The only ones that stood in place when the rest have already left for the next big game, were loads of tripod-carrying journalists of all different companies wanting a talk with the Turkey Jerkies; multiple people ranging from grandpas to their grandchildren coming up requesting autographs, and generally random citizens that so happen to be sports fanatics asking for pictures with them.
Lincoln Loud, alongside his family swam through the still relatively large wave of people as they looked for the prime member- the winning shooter, and the MVP of Royal Woods, who so happened to be a part of their large clan.
"-Absolutely relishing the feeling here, Katherine Mulligan." They heard her voice. "Yeah, thanks for having me in too."
"Lynn!" It's as if everybody forgot the accident yesterday, as the Loud family had horrendously, and humiliatingly squished Lynn in their infamous group hugs. She was all fresh and changed out of her soaked jersey, despite the faint smell of sweat still drenched on her.
"Hey guys, careful with the trophy. It's made outta the finest gold in town." A smug smile was on her face.
"Look at our daughter making us proud again!" Dad punched her shoulder. "You'd do great in the Olympics, honey!"
"It won't be complete without me, dad." When Lincoln's eyes had crossed hers, Lynn let out a dry chuckle and her smile faltered subtly.
"Let's go home and celebrate!" Mom cheered, making the rest of them enter a chorus of approval.
The rest of them left, leaving only two of them behind. "Hey," Lynn started.
Lincoln gave her a feeble smile. "Congrats, sis. I knew you had it in you."
The atmosphere was thick, knowing what happened a day before didn't get its proper closure. Not even in Vanzilla did their roads meet, because Lynn took a drive ahead and advanced to the team long before the game even started for rehearsals.
"You guys coming?" Luan yelled from afar.
He gave her a wave. "Catching up later!" Lincoln glanced at Lynn. "Are you okay?"
"Could be worse." Lynn dropped all weapons, and removed her shield. "Look…I'm sorry. I never meant to hurt you yesterday." She slumped and let herself sigh. "I was just flying off the handle on what you said about puberty and all."
"But look at that. You're heading to the championships. Why aren't you happy?" Lincoln titled his head.
She looked up at him with a deadpan expression. "Can't you tell?" Lynn said. "I was mocked for my height, out bested by my own younger brother who isn't even athletic in the first place, and it's all because I never got the privilege to carry good genes."
Without waiting for a response, Lynn carried on with the rest of the family.
But instead of letting it go, his own legs had caught up with her. "What do you mean I out bested you because of the height? Lynn, you were a machine out there!"
Lynn didn't push him away. "I just got lucky." She breathed out, the lack of force on her words enough to drop his jaw.
No words formed, no matter what imagery of flowers and gardens were conjured up in his mind. "Well, you, I-"
She looked at him with exhausted eyes that requested. Almost pleading. "Drop it, Lincoln."
"Fine… I'm sorry too." Lincoln hardly got the words out. "I'm sorry for snooping into your room, and trying to meddle into your life in general."
Lynn nodded. "It's not a problem."
That's it. He's been forgiven. The war is over with.
And together they walked in the silence to Vanzilla, with the acquired knowledge that not all victories are triumphant.
Because despite the two victories achieved, from the basketball game to the apologies, that didn't break the wall that still nestled in between them.
