The next few days were a fraught affair for Lyra Loud.

Aunt Lily was kind enough to keep her distance (for now), but every now and then Lyra would spot her watching her from the corner of her eye. Whenever she did the elder woman would give her a little smile- like they were in on some secret that only they shared.

Which of course they did, but Lyra dearly wished to forget that reality with every fibre of her being.

Unfortunately, reality itself seemed keen to remind her of her newfound degeneracy.

Six o'clock in the morning, and the Loud House was gearing up for a schoolday. And of course that started with the lines of lament.

True, Lyra's generation had been blessed with multiple bathrooms to spare them the suffering of their parents purgatory; but with nearby a dozen kids at any one time that was still around twenty or so minutes at least waiting for the line to disperse if you were unlucky enough to be the last up for your bathroom.

Still, with five bathrooms to their disposal any complaints would be promptly shot down by their parents with one or more of the many tales of how one of them had been forced to use 'Old Sloshy' or 'enjoy' a stone-cold shower while a sibling had occupied the then only bathroom available to be shared between eleven siblings. 'Old Sloshy' being supposedly an ancient rusted metal bucket that the family had allegedly shared when Aunt Lori was her age, something Lyra heavily doubted like most of their other childhood stories:

A child being kicked out over 'bad luck'? Even if the rest of the family was so silly then Auntie Lisa would have refused to go along with it under the basis of it being 'superstitious nonsense'. And surely someone would have called protective services?

Ghosts haunting Aunt Lori's college gold team? If nothing else; if ghosts were so easily found and captured they would be scientific fact by now.

Aunt Luan going on a rampage every April Fools and nearly hospitalising the rest of the family multiple times?

Well that one seemed plausible...

But logically if Aunt Lana had also allegedly been able to install a second fully functional toliet at six years old when Lori had supposedly tried to move into the garage then 'Old Sloshy' wouldn't have needed to be a thing at all.

But whatever the truth was, the old tale was trotted out whenever one of them would complain along with a single universal line;

"I/Lana nearly got the house condemned getting you extra bathrooms so you'll take your thirty-minute wait and like it!"

It hadn't even been one parent who had said it, it was like some weird hive mind overtook them.

Regardless, Lyra and her full siblings were now gathered outside the old bathroom that their parents had used once upon a time, the rest of her siblings in lines outside the other newer four. Within the room someone had already commandeered the shower, someone who Lyra irritably hoped wouldn't take much longer for both her own teenage hygiene needs and delicate schedule.

Someone who abruptly shut off the shower, and opened up the door- staring down with blank blue eyes at the three before him.

"Uhhh," Lincoln Loud yawned, then rubbed his eyes at the sight of the three Loud/Sharp siblings. "Morning kids, how come you're up so early?"

Lyra stared, an unwanted flush creeping up her neck.

"What do you mean early?" An impatient Lina demanded. "It's five past six!"

Their father blanched, "dang, that late? Sorry kids, I thought…"

Whatever explanation their father had for rising later than his usual five o'clock start (since he was meant to help with meal prep for Liena and whoever else was on kitchen duty) was lost as Lyra eyes drew themselves to his glistening form.

Obviously the man had yet to properly dry himself, so his hair hung in a damp mop around his skull. His chin bore the signs of a clean shave without any of the knicks that accompanied Lemy's attempts with a blade, and his neck swept down with the soft, slightly swollen appearance that came from a thorough cleaning.

It suddenly occurred to her that it had been a very long time indeed since she had seen her father without his white long sleeve shirt on, because it was only now that his arms and shoulders struck her with just how wide they were. Not bulging like a bodybuilder's, but visibly firm and solid, with a decisive roundness and slight grooves where the muscles met. His forearms and wrists in particular were…

Thick.

Again, nothing like a professional whose career depended on their strength and with softness to the skin that spoke of bodyfat no sportsman would tolerate. Likewise; his torso held the same distinct but compact musculature built over his frame, but still without the hard lines from she remembered her Aunt and more physically inclined sisters gushing over in their own crushes.

There was little hair to be found, leaving every dip and curve to be illumined by little dewdrops of water- except for his chest. There, there was a gradient of fine strands growing in seemingly to outline and define his pectoral muscles, almost fluffy where it was mostly dry and some part of Lyra wanted to reach forward and run her fingers through it-

"Whatever Dude!" Lina's stamping foot shook Lyra from her sinful thoughts. "We're on a schedule here you know!"

"Sorry, sorry," their father clutched at the towel wrapped around his lower half, and Lyra practically stumbled out of the way so that he could make his way past (pointedly averting her eyes left she be tempted to see if the fabled Log's form could be seen pressing through it). "I'll go get some cereal ready if-:

"Dibs on the first shower!" Lemy rushed forward, only to find himself grabbed by the back of his pyjamas by Lina opportunistic fingers.

"Possession is nine tenths of the law!" Lina gleefully declared, and practically threw Lemy back while jumping forward. Lyra's still stunned mind didn't respond in time to stop the youngest of the three from slamming the door shut.

Alas, while the studious Loud was able to distract herself with her school activities and her church group (of course today was the day that Sodom and Gomorrah would come up…) for the majority of the day, sooner or later she had to come home.

And face the fact that in the process of his many chores, for as one of the only permanent adult residents Lincoln Loud was responsible for the lion's share of maintenance, her father spent an unfair amount of time bent over.

In hindsight it was a wonder she had not noticed the tempting orbs long before now.

As she came in from her walk, she found the man with his upper half well inside Vanzilla to vacuum its carpets, holding himself up from the outside with his legs and thus bringing his butt up and presenting.

Then her satisfaction of completing her Math homework was ruined as she found him unclogging one of the upstairs toilets. His voluminous buns visibly twitching with every grunted exertion through the open door as she went past- prompting her to hurry lest the rotten fire in her belly demand she stop and gaze.

And then finally as she finished up a delightful round of explaining to Lani that yes; she knew about her latest 'deal' with Leia and no; they weren't keeping it- she stepped into the living room to find-

Her father face first in the couch, arse sticking out with his jeans seemingly painted over his backside tight enough to let her see every indent and groove as the muscles flexed.

"OH COME ON!" Lyra growled. "AGAIN!? Why?"

The dip in the background noise altered her to the reality that she had just seemingly randomly raised her voice to her father. She was suddenly aware that everyone in earshot was now staring at her- from Auntie Leni and her birth mother in the kitchen looking vaguely worried, to the smattering of siblings looked at her through the windows from outside.

She could even see Lupa and Lemy sticking their heads down from the top of the stairs out of the corner of her, eager to see what had driven the sensible sister to wrath.

Lincoln raised his upper body from the couch, pulling an arm out from between the pillows. "Oh, is it Dream Boat time already? Sorry Lyra, I was just looking for Lynn's lucky nickel- she says she lost it the last time she was here."

As his face rose up, she realised he actually looked a little hurt.

"Uhh- uhh." Lyra floundered, knowing that the long running show was scheduled where near just now and feeling every eye upon her. "N-not quite. I'm just…"

'Luckily' a distraction came to rescue her from her awkward predicament.

"Looks like Shark Week came early." A decidedly unquiet 'whisper' cut through the room, and a chorus of half stifled (and a few open) giggles echoed through the house.

Normally Lyra Loud was a calm individual, even in the ruckus of the Loud House. She had her faith, her serene centre to fall back upon, sometimes even the occasional adult to assist her in corralling the worst of the madness and if nothing else sheer refusal to give satisfaction to the many provocations of the troublemakers.

But today was different. She had spent the previous day tormented by her revelation, slept poorly thanks to Aunt Lily's words and spent all of this day being tempted and teased by the very thing which so haunted her.

Her patience was a worn thread, picked at and frayed and all it took was a single well placed jab to snap it and unleash all of her frustration upon one poor fool's head.

Instantly all thoughts of Lincoln Loud, his muscles, chest, buttocks and Log vanished in a red haze and Lyra's eyes snapped to the location of the sister who so wished to receive God's forgiveness in person.

To no one's surprise, that sister was a snickering Lupa Loud- at her side was their dear, beloved brother barely holding in his clear glee at her audacious accusation with both hands over his mouth.

"Repent for the hour of judgement is at hand…" Lyra stalked forward with clenched hands, ready to deliver a well earnt spanking regardless of what her parents might decry.

Lupa proved herself to not be entirely stupid by promptly zipping off upstairs, Lemy just threw himself over the bannister lest Lyra's ire fall upon his fluffy head and landed with was probably an attempt at parkour, but from the sharp crack and yelp was less than successful. Lyra's long legs quickly bounded up the stairs, ready to begin The Chase that would last for hours and cross the roof, attic and indeed a good portion of the neighbourhood.

"You're not provin' her wrong Songbird!"

The relationship with Lyra and her mothers had been strained for as long as she could remember. While it was always loving, and never once had Lyra doubted that Luna Loud and Sam Sharp cared for her and her siblings as deeply as any parent could for their children- it often felt like the position of the responsible ones in their relationship was flipped with Sam and Luna encouraging the most extravagant displays of childishness from both their children and each other in the name of fun while Lyra was left to be the adult in the room (or perennial wet-blanket depending on one's point of view).

But occasionally their positions would flip again, and Luna and Sam both would suddenly show a distinct steel to remind Lyra that they were indeed her mothers and they could and would act like it when the occasion called for it. And that Lyra, despite her pretences otherwise, was still a child who had yet to properly mature in the unforgiving world of adults as they had.

And today, as Lyra sat on her bed thoroughly embarrassed at her own displays across the afternoon proving that she was every bit the child that she pretended to have grown out of, being lambasted by both mothers while Lemy and Lupa had their injuries attended to downstairs;

This was not one of those occasions.

"… So to get this straight." Luna summarised with pink cheeks that was decidedly not from anger so much as barely restrained laughter. "You got called out on goin' full Red Bull on Linc by your little sis,

went Exterminator on her for two hours through the neighbourhood,

and when you finally got your hands on her you went and spanked her silly in the park- aaand you've got nothing to say for yourself?"

Lyra tried to find something, anything that could salvage the shreds of her dignity before today. "… She just hit a nerve."

It wasn't a lie at least.

But really; she doubted even the worst hormonal swings of her life would have justified hunting Lupa down like one of Loan's robot killers for hours, only to then corner her in a public park, manhandle her into submission, flip up her skirt and spank her for ten minutes straight.

That said; some dark, selfish part of Lyra would always cherish the moment that her hand twisted Lupa around to face her and the normally smug little bitch lost all composure as she realised once and for all just how much Lyra had been holding back in their various conflicts.

Maybe bitch was the wrong animal though- since despite her name Lupa yowled more like a cat than howled like a wolf as the long earnt hand of discipline descended upon her ripe buttocks for each satisfying minute.

But in the real world that brief moment of vindictive release had long passed and Luna Loud looked down upon her daughter with an inscrutable expression, then looked to her wife. "You hear that?"

"I heard that."

"What did ya hear?"

"Hmmm," Sam mused. "It sounded like Lyra said she flipped her lid and spanked Lupa silly over practically nothing."

"Wowww," Luna drew out the syllable. "That doesn't sound very mature now does it?"

"No, I mean; I thought for sure that Lyra was practically a grown woman." There was a hint of genuine disappointment in Sam's voice under the teasing tone that made Lyra feel as pathetic as Loan on her worst day. "But looks like she's still got a ways to go on that long road."

"Yep, looks like after all that talk about how we should be livin' our lives, little teach here still's got some learnin' to do," Luna shook her head in mock disappointment. "Good thing we're here to show her how it's done, right love?"

"You know it," Sam nodded along- and Luna pulled out her phone- a video of some kind ready on it.

"Now, the first stage of anger management," the tinny voice emitted from the device. "Is accepting that you've got a problem…"

Lyra groaned and buried her face in her hands.

"I know it's hard," Luna 'sighed', moving as one with Sam to sandwich her from both sides so that escape was impossible as they levelled the phone before her. "But we promise that we'll do this together- for as many times as it takes!"

She really couldn't be upset. It wasn't like she had given either parent a good answer as to why she had gone on such an out-of-character rampage, and she suspected that if Lupa didn't have a history of riling people up and hadn't been caught with cigarettes again then she would have gotten far worse than an hour of humiliating jibes and mocking lessons from both mothers followed up with a simple apology to Lupa and Lemy both.

Lemy's ankle was obviously mostly his own fault though, so she wasn't due any punishment due to his stupidity. Lupa's buttocks on the other hand were probably redder than a tomato- if Lyra indulged in such wrath again she was under no illusions that she be getting such lenience twice.

Of course, the fact that she'd seen some of her classmates in the park meant that shed likely have to face explaining her embarrassing loss of control to her peers anyway.

Battling the rumors alone would be punishment enough.

Lupa of course 'accepted' the apology in front of all four parents (with Aunt Lucy 'present' via a tablet) then promptly mouthed 'psycho fanny' at her the moment their backs were turned. Lemy flipped her off, and winced when he tried to bear weight on his bad ankle.

Lyra elected to ignore this.

Dinner was strained, as while their Grandmother allowed her to lead grace as always, she couldn't rightfully bring herself to act as the seeming proper source of discipline as usual in light of her hysterics. Instead it took only a few minutes for the table to devolve into complete silliness- something which the troublemakers took full advantage of and within minutes (thanks to an incident with a well-placed garish) everyone was getting an early bedtime.

Alas, while Lyra was eager for an early end to today, sleep did not come easy to her. She tossed and turned, prompting annoyance from Lemy who was hobbled with one of Aunt Lisa's braces over his damaged joint and thus more or less stuck still for the night anyway.

Lina took it upon herself to chuck pillows at them both for not keeping it down anyway.

But hours after brother and sister both had surrendered to slumber Lyra was left staring at the ceiling, the day's distress keeping her from any peace in her dreams.

That and the sister in the vents.

"Hey Lyra?" Lupa's voice called out, and Lyra's night-attuned eyes could make out just a glint of yellow from behind the vent grill. "You still up?

"… No."

"Great." There was a rustling behind the grill, and for moment Lyra hoped Lupa had made herself scarce.

"So what was with Psyhco Lyra before?"

What was that about hope dying last? It sure seemed to perish quickly in this house.

Lyra licked her lips, "… I was having a difficult day, you were just the last straw."

"You cook up that shit just now or were you sittin' on it for a while?"

Lyra closed her eyes hoped the annoying sister would just leave.

Hope's survival rate remained the same however as Lupa piped up again. "… You blew up on the old man too. You gonna say you wanted to see the reruns that badly when they're on viewtube anyway?"

Lyra groaned, and finally fibbed; "it's really nothing Lupa. It was what you said alright; my period-"

"Isn't for another two weeks," Lupa chided.

Lyra turned her eyes towards the grill. "… You know my cycle?"

"Leia knows everyone's cycle," Lupa corrected. "I just ask her to know who not to mess with this week."

"You have your torments down to a schedule?" Lyra snorted. "I shouldn't be surprised."

"Bitch I have 'tormenting' down to a science," if a voice could smirk it would have been Lupa's just then. "And I know when I'm poking a puppy or a wolf, and today you were one right bitch when you're not supposed to be howlin' at the moon. So what gives?"

Lyra was going to tell her to leave, to block off the vents and open up the window instead when something struck her. Lupa's tone was her usual mix of mocking ambivalence and clear sarcasm, but there was something else there. Some hint of… regret?

No, something else.

"… I'll be fine Lupa."

She hoped it wasn't a lie.

"Sure you will," Lupa snorted. "You're the good girl, nothing's gonna keep you down- except when you're trying to punt my asshole into my face anyways."

Lyra snickered despite herself. "Sorry about spanking you before," Lyra admitted her fault. Properly this time, without parents to stand over her and force them to pretend to make up. "… I… shouldn't have done it."

"No shit." Lupa snapped, and Lyra winced in acceptance. "… It was kinda funny though."

"Oh really?" Lyra raised an eyebrow. "I don't remember you laughing."

"Oh yeah all the way," Lupa snickered. "You should've seen your face, your eyes were bulging like Lulu's do when she sheds!"

Lyra rolled her eyes in the dark, "you're exaggerating-"

"No, no- seriously I thought they were gonna pop out and everything- and then you were all like 'I'm gonna make you a new asshole-"

"I never said any such thing," Lyra asserted.

"and fuck you in it so hard Royal Woods will vanish in fire and brimstone!'"

"That seems very specific. And imaginary."

"But I was like;

No homo sis, I'm a good Christian girl."

Lyra stared at the vent, "… I thought you didn't pay attention in Church."

"Osmosis I guess," Lupa shrugged. "You drag someone there enough and something's going to stick, and make us go a lot."

They talked a bit more, but the meat of the matter was resolved. So when the vent suddenly stopped responding, Lupa having finished her task and presumably having grown too bored to bother anymore, Lyra was finally able to slip into dreams...

Lyra felt a content smile cross her face as the cool breeze rushed over her skin. One eye lazily slid open just a crack to reveal the yellow beach sand stretching before her, white foam brilliant as blue waters lapped against the shore.

The family was playing together in their groups, their many mothers gathered in under an umbrella nearby babbling some nonsense about some of their alleged childhood 'adventures' while the assorted children of her generation played and congregated in their own groups. All except for a few outliers who either gathered under their own umbrellas to recover from family, or who split off from the main parent-child groups to make their own fun like her own mothers and siblings who were presently attempting to drown one another in the surf, or playing some particularly intense ball game with blondes vs brunettes again.

She never could tell with them.

But whatever their current adventure was, Lyra Loud was content to lie back and relax. After all, she was usually the 'lieutenant' of the family- why not sit back for a bit while the generals were there to actually run things for a while?

"You were in the drink for a bit," a warm voice came from her side. "Maybe I should top you up?"

Lyra closed her eyes and smiled, her sea salt encrusted skin surely had its sunscreen stripped from her own play earlier; he really was a considerate partner.

Of course, she could feel she'd known that for as long as she'd known him.

Wordlessly she nodded and turned over to expose her back to him, and issued a playful squeak as a cool squirt of something touched her ankles.

"Don't want to miss a spot!" He declared with barely hidden amusement.

"Well if you insist-ohhh," Lyra words twisted into a shamefully wanton moan as skillful fingers worked the sunscreen into her flesh, gently prodding tensed muscles to release with beckoning trails from his fingertips until they surrendered to his ministrations.

"You're carrying a lot tension in your… everywhere," his voice sighed. "You really need to relax more."

"… Can't." She sighed, letting out a satifsfied sound as he worked his way up her calves. "Always- oouuhh- have to be on. Lupa, Lani- just all of them, they're- uhhh- animals," a hint of bitterness crept into her voice. "The rest just do what they want, and someone has to guide them or they'll go crazy."

Again.

And no one else will- ooohhh…" her thighs quivered as knots even she didn't know about were undone and made tender.

"I know its hard," he whispered. "I can't tell you how much I appreciate what you do, how much you try. But just for today, let the adults be adults- let someone take care of you for once…"

Lyra nodded, not trusting any more words out of her mouth as fingers danced over her derrière- and skipped her admittedly less than bountiful booty to instead work their magic on her lower back.

A mixture of disappointment and surprise emitted from her lips as more of the skin-saving substance was worked into her flesh.

"Just keeping things decent," he leaned down to whisper the words into her ear with a playful purr. But his hands grew ever closer to the back of her bikini, seemingly innocuous strokes carrying fingers up her back to pull and prod at the strings before gliding back down again.

"Hmmm," Lyra groaned, practically drowning in warmth. "… Maybe you don't have to."

The stroke stopped for a moment, "oh?"

"Wow, just giving it up after a bit of petting?" Lupa's snide voice brought Lyra out of her trance with a jolt, and she looked up to see the dreaded form of her platinum haired sister. "Guess the whole waiting for marriage schtick was just a fad- you know, like your Sky Daddy thing."

"What!?" Lyra gasped, and pointedly grabbed at her cross. "I'm still a good Chri-"

Her chain was missing "W-where-"

"You lookin' for that piece of metal? Fheeww," Her brunette mother was suddenly whistling next to her. "Sorry Songbird- you chucked that thing in the sea remember?"

Lyra felt her eyes well up, "I-I wouldn't, it's special to me-"

"Not as special as vitamin Daddy-D apparently," Lina was there looking down on with something like glee. "On the bright side you've loosened up a lot since gettin' it, maybe I should try some-"

Lyra ignored her, and shot her eyes to her lover.

Sure enough, the kind, now practically sculpted form of Lincoln Loud was next to her, hands he'd used to tantalise her sinful flesh still white with lotion. His oh-so-blue eyes looking back at her with a dark confidence, like a hunter waltzing towards a deer who had collapsed from blood loss but had yet to succumb. "What's the matter sweetheart? You're always so stressed, I think you need some more attention."

Lyra scrambled to her feet as she gagged, barely holding her bile back as she retreated into the sun- but suddenly her back was against a sand dune.

Her family was around her, having abandoned the sea to watch her realisation with contempt and glee in their eyes.

"I always knew you had in you!" Luna laughed, "all that talk about livin' a Godly Life when you're half me an' him- who'd you think you were foolin'?"

"I'm not like you…" Lyra moaned in despair, feeling every eye boring into her practically naked flesh. "I'm not like him- I don't even like him!"

"I guess you're just slut then," Lani sneered- pointing at her bottoms, Lyra only now realising that the wind was cooling a viscous fluid upon her lower parts. "Because I don't see any of us getting wet for him!"

"I-I'm not…" Lyra hid her shame with her hands but her fingers met bare flesh and she realised that she was suddenly, truly nude. "Why!?"

"Why not?" Aunt Lynn snickered as she held her bathing suit in her fingers. "It's not like you came here to swim did you? You just wanted to go take a ride on his pole like everyone else!"

"Give them back!" She demanded, but she didn't dare move her hands lest she exposure of her shame. "P-please!"

"Nah, I'll just hang onto these 'till you get your rocks off. No sense in getting 'em dirty," Aunt Lynn's eyes narrowed with a thought. "Actually though? You know what; I don't think you've been gettin' your cardio in!"

She turned and threw them into the crowd, pieces separating to be caught by different people. Lyra gasped and ran forward, pleading for the pieces to be returned.

But there was no mercy to be found in her family, only barbs as they jeered between each other.

"Always knew she was too good to be true."

"Was just a matter of time."

"Grabbed her Daddy right by the dick!"

"Half slut and half him- like it's a surprise she'd turn out like them!" Her Grandmother shook her head. "If only I could have seen this coming…"

"Grandma…" Lyra's eyes overflowed. "Please it's not what it look like!"

Rita shook her head and simply walked away, Lyra tried to reach for her, bikini be damned, but a pale hand grabbed at her shoulder and pulled her eyes to their owner.

"Yeah it is," Lupa revealed her jagged smirk. "We all fucking know it, everything you said you believed in- it was all just some self righteous shit to make yourself feel better about being the slimiest little abomination of us all!"

"It's not…" Lyra wailed. "I still believe- I just want to make us all better!"

Lupa titled her head, and pursued her lips with mocking 'sympathy', "aww, are you sure? Hey, maybe I am wrong! You know, I think I remember something in the Bible about this kinda thing wasn't there?"

Lyra shook her had, already knowing what was coming. "No! That's not what I-"

"Yeah, I remember now!" Lupa snapped her fingers on her free hand. "It was that thing where that guy's daughters thinks they're the last people on the planet so they go get their Dad drunk and fuck him when he's good and easy!"

Lyra jerked back, "I am not like them- I would never do that to my own father!"

She bumped into something warm behind her, and found herself steadied by two firm hands on her shoulders. A look up confirmed Lincoln's cool eyes above her. "But you want to."

Lyra shook her head wordlessly, and flinched as four words slung out from Lupa's lips.

"You're like Lot's daughters!" Lupa gleefully sung. "You're wanna ride Dad's comatose ass like he's a horse!"

"Lot's daughter!" Lina laughed.

"Lot's daughter!" Someone else echoed.

"Lot's daughter! Lot's daughter!" The crowd picked stared chanting, ignoring Lyra's rapid head shaking- her wails of refusal. "Lot's daughter! Lot's Daughter! LOT'S DAUGHTER!

LOT'S DAUGHTER!"

Lyra awoke with a gasp, ripping herself from the dream drenched and sticky from what she hoped was only sweat.

She was in her room, Lemy and Lina sound asleep in their beds next to the walls as usual. No beach, sand or mocking demons masquerading as family in sight.

Which of course, there couldn't be. Their annual 'family pilgrimage' to their usual spot was a good month ago and while she had ended up with her father's hands on her that day it certainly had not ended in that nightmare. In reality she had merely spent a good few hours forgetting her responsibilities to have a bit of childish fun with her siblings while her mothers were there to be adults for a change- chances for said childish fun being something she was becoming increasingly aware were running out as adulthood loomed on the horizon.

Of course, she'd ended up burning to crisp since she wasn't as used to actually playing in the water as she once had been- so Lincoln had spent the latter half of the day carefully applying an Aloe Vera solution into her skin before it got worse. And while it had actually gone to defrosting their relationship considerably as she took the chance to vent her frustrations upon the man of him and his life choices, the actual rubbing of flesh on flesh had been anything but pleasurable.

But regardless of what had happened, or what her nightmares would bring tomorrow night Lyra was awake today and between the early bedtime and chilling awakening there was no chance of her getting back to sleep. It was an even sourer thing than she might have expected, since while she would normally relish the chance to get an early shower and start to the day- now she had all the more time to anticipate whatever humiliation her rampage across the neighbourhood would bring her at school-

But her thoughts were interrupted as she realised she could hear something.

The faintly muffled sounds of a shower.

Her eyes darted to their ancient alarm machines, fished out of the attic to satisfy Lemy's fascination with antique machines and put to good use. It was just past five-fifteen.

Her father was probably finishing up his shower, since he needed to get ready to help prepare the food for Liena.

She gulped down suddenly thick saliva as memories of dreamt warm hands reminded her of why her pyjamas were so much damper between her legs than anywhere else. Not to say that she wasn't damp elsewhere, or in need of a good shower-

She needed a shower.

Dad was in the shower.

She felt her skin cooling, demanding either a return to the sweaty warmth from beneath the covers or a rapid refreshing. But her bed wasn't toasty anymore, it was lukewarm and grimy- logic dictated that she simply get on with her day.

Yes, just get on with her day.

Lyra quietly drew the covers down, and fished out her clean clothes without waking her siblings.

She was just going to get ready. She was just going to wait for her father to get out and pop in herself to get ready for the day- maybe even get a bit of revision in for some of today's tests.

No temptations, no looking at him as anything but the paternal figure he was. Just going back to her usual, wholesome schedule of good life habits-

The sound of the shower stopped just as Lyra was pulling out her jacket, and something compelled her to advance to the door and raise a hand to silently draw it open.

Just a crack.

There, right in plain sight was the ancient door that hid the original bathroom of the second floor, and it was opening to reveal one Lincoln Loud in all his tousled glory.

His hair was properly dried this time, but still striking whichever way it pleased in a manner that (unsurprisingly) reminded her of Lemy's own before the boy brushed it. His skin was still slightly pink from the hot water, and flushed to soften the lines of his musculature further- but the flesh still presented its obvious firmness as he moved.

The damp hairs of his chest remained as inviting as they had before, curling into patterns she wished to trace. But her eyes were drawn lower, past the slight lines of his abs to realise that the visible 'v' of his lower stomach lead to-

A slight patch of white.

Lyra felt her jaw loosen and her drew in a dizzy breath as she realised that her bleary-eyed father was holding his towel loosely and lowly in his early morning fatigue, to reveal the barest spec of white-blond. Just standing there on the border of his navel like a flag to warn any interlopers not to come any further, or to welcome home some long departed-

"Sis, watcha doin'?"

Lyra let out a high pitched yelp, and snapped around to see a bleary Lemy rubbing at his eyes. "It's like five thirty…"

Lyra's eyes darted around and she felt herself sweating bullets. "I'm just… getting an early start!"

"By starin' at the door?"

"I'm just making sure I don't walk in on anyone coming out of the shower!"

Technically not a lie.

Lemy gave her the 'that's bullshit, and we both know it look'. Lyra was more familiar on being the giver than the receiver, or least she had been until a few days ago.

"That's bull and we both know it."

Fortunately there was a simple counter for such sentiments.

"Maybe," Lyra admitted. "But do you really care at this time of the morning?"

Lemy blinked, then looked at his pillow. Then looked at the clock. Then back to his pillow.

Then he lay down without a word.

Lyra breathed out a sigh of relief, thankful for once that Lemy's sloth to anything outside his hobbies was a constant. But her relief was short lived as it occurred to her just how thin the walls were.

Her mouth dried, and she flipped around to check if her father had overheard their suspicious conversation.

But there was no one in the hall.

Swallowing in uncertainty, Lyra grabbed a towel and prepared for her shower- praying that if there was ever a time for the heavens to answer her that her father hadn't gained a clue to her affliction.

A.N:

Thanks to Nuuo for some suggestions and a Beta-read