Chapter 5 – The Flower Blossoms

"Well, for starters, you mentioned you talked to your puppet dude Coconuts the whole time you were feeling down. I just…I dunno, brah…find that kind of odd."

Luan nodded, or at least made enough of a gesture without yanking her own hair. "Yeah, I guess that was kind of weird. Remember when I mentioned I didn't want my soulmate stolen by a burglar a few years back? Well, at the time I really believed it was him, until I met Benny. I've had Mr. Coconuts for so long…he was my best friend when you weren't around. I always saw him as readily available to talk to."

Luna carefully divided up the brown strands of hair. "Well, whatever he told you must have worked, I guess. But if you ever want to talk to someone who has been through what you're going through or just someone to pour out your heart to, you can always talk to me. You know that."

Just like Mr. Coconuts had said.

"Yeah, I do know that. Anything else I should work on?"

Luna twisted the long handfuls of hair as she thought. "The whole thing about knowing when to be serious vs being funny…maybe from now on, just take a few seconds to look at your surroundings and decide whether it would be better to keep quiet or speak up. But even then, jokes aren't exactly the best way to lighten the mood when someone is hurt or something. People are sensitive creatures, ya know?"

Luan knew what Luna meant.

"So try to help them out first. Then maybe when their spirits are groovy again, feel free to make 'em laugh. You hear what I'm saying? I guess the same could be said about your pranking spree. The lower-pitch pranks can actually make others laugh with you. But when they actually hurt or humiliate them, that just bums them out and the fun's over. And that ain't cool."

Luan wanted to look at Luna in the eye, but it was impossible given her and Luna's seating position. "I'm doing better now, aren't I?" she asked tentatively.

"Of course you are, dude! This past April Fools' showed us all a huge improvement. And I'm proud of you."

On that freezing November night, along with Luna's promise to always be there for Luan, came a request from the rocker for her to tone down her pranks on next April Fools'. Knowing that the comedienne would be reluctant to let go of something she loved doing so much, Luna had helped Luan to understand that she wasn't asking her to stop the pranking to get a little peace, but because she was tired of becoming scared of Luan every year. This revelation had opened Luan's eyes and was enough to convince her to promise to tone down her pranks not just for the upcoming April, but every April following. Luna had trusted her sister with this commitment even before the night was over, for she could see the truth and sincerity in Luan's eyes that meant that the promise would not be broken. Unbeknownst to them, but thanks to the house's poorly built walls, their siblings had overheard their conversation and were aware of the apparent change in Luan's future plans.

Then the big day finally arrived and everyone was still wary and hesitant with every step around the house they took. After all, it had been four months since Luan had made that promise to Luna and, indirectly, the entire family, giving her plenty of time to reconsider reverting back to her normal, psychotic self. But the prankster had stayed true to her word and only set up minor pranks in the rooms, a drastic drop in the level of threat compared to her previous records. No raccoon attacks, exploding seat cushions, or insane boobytraps were spotted. That April Fools' Day saw nothing more serious than Leni's face splattered with orange paint or Lisa getting drenched with a water pail. Luna herself reached the end of the day scathed by nothing more than a mere joy buzzer on the refrigerator door handle. And in the end, Luan got the effect that she craved with any prank: catching her victims by surprise and getting a laugh out of it. But the difference here was that no one had been injured, burned, or humiliated. Additionally, there was a pleasant bonus that Luan hadn't counted on as a result of her rebooted, toned-down pranks: her family actually got a laugh out of them too, albeit less compared to hers, but laughter nonetheless. This perk had led her to discover the merit of small-scale pranks. Maybe now she wouldn't have to enjoy April Fools' Day alone anymore, and more importantly, not be labeled as the one to avoid every year.

"You gave up your yearly round of wacko pranks, just to keep your promise," Luna told her as she continued to braid. "And that proved to us all that you can change your ways when you put your heart into it. So I know you can make adjustments to your habits if you want to, slowly making yourself better. If that's not a sign of maturity, I don't know what is."

Luan sat quietly, letting Luna's words spin the gears in her mind. She thought back at how her family had laughed alongside her this past April as opposed to running away from her in fear. Never before had she enjoyed April Fools' this much.

"And all those other things you mentioned: the toys, costumes, novelty stuff…those are your comedy props. And inspiration. They're what you use to run your business and earn serious cash. So of course, you gotta keep them. As for knowing how to apply make up, I'm sure Leni would love to teach you. Oh, and the thing about the cart surfing? Enjoy it while you can…in time, the cart will let you know when the ride's over."

"What about my bunny slippers?" Luan suddenly asked. "Do you think they're dorky?"

"I think they're practical. They keep your feet warm, don't they?"

Luan grinned. "They sure do. They're cozy."

"Then don't even think of ditching them. Besides, Benny will never get to see them…at least not yet."

Luan suddenly blushed furiously. "L-Luna!"

Her sister burst out laughing. "I'm just messin' with you, dude!"

Flustered beyond belief, Luan was glad Luna chose to take a breather to finish the braid and give her some time to think. The points and pointers that Luna had given her were dissolving into the depths of her brain, finding their way into the master processing area for some thorough analyzing. She had been thinking long and hard on these confusing feelings for quite some time now, initially believing that there truly was something wrong with her and that she had to smarten up. However, thanks to Luna's concealed wisdom, the concept of 'smarten up' no longer meant following through with her initial solution of changing her lifestyle completely. It now simply meant to improve old habits and learn through experience to avoid making the same mistakes again. This came as an immense relief to her because she truly did not want to give up the things she loved and found fun. Benny would just have to see for himself whether Luan was the Luan he fancied.

Luna was right though; those pictures did seem to confirm this.

Speaking of Luna, she gave a friendly stroke of Luan's new braid and quickly took a picture with her phone. She then resumed her seat on her cushion and looked at Luan's face carefully. She could see that the fear and anxiety were gone, replaced with a smile of contentment. She really did love Luan's smile. She then picked up the discarded squirt flower from the coffee table and refastened it to Luan's blouse where it belonged.

That flower was just a toy. But Luan certainly wasn't. Luna didn't consider herself much of a gardener, but today, she had managed to restore a dying flower.

The happiness and relief highlighted on Luan's face was nothing compared to what her heart was feeling. She gazed at her big sister and felt every ounce of thankfulness for having Luna in her life stream through her system. Any outsider could easily dismiss the idea of a wild, upbeat, guitar wailing, rock-and-roll gal in skull-adorned threads to be so gentle and compassionate. But the girl who had just braided her hair was living proof that this notion was wrong. Whilst she and each of her family members had shared their own special moments together, Luna never failed to be the one whom she felt happiest with. Her time away last summer had taught Luan a lesson of her importance to her in a way that was so crystal clear. Especially now.

Then for some odd reason, her mind froze up. She wanted to thank Luna. Thank her big sister for everything she had done for her today: pointing her in the right direction, saving her from taking a dangerous turn, talking her through her conflicting feelings, restoring her fractured heart, telling her love story, listening to her love story, braiding her hair, gently correcting her faults, and assuring her that her life was going to be okay. But saying a simple 'thank you' didn't seem a sufficient enough form of gratitude for a life's worth of kindness that she had been given today. Equally, Luan didn't think a million shouts of thanks in a rapid spitball display was really going to cut it either. But she had to say something.

This was rather funny, considering how she certainly had no problem speaking, not even on stage. She could easily wear out an audience of her siblings or complete strangers with her comedy routine, especially the verbal types. Recently however, she had noticed that there seemed to be a sort of invisible block between her tongue and her brain when it came to speaking during emotionally intimate moments. She hoped to one day find a way to remove this barrier and use her words properly to deliver important messages such as this.

But that day just wasn't today.

"Luna, I…I-I want to…w-what I mean is…I think you're…ohh…"

Luna was now the second person whom she found herself stuttering before, struggling to regurgitate the words that her heart longed to say.

Luna, meanwhile, watched her adorable little sister flub through her speech, like she was trying to give a speech to the president while trying to stay afloat in a mass of gelatin, but with limited success. (She had experienced what it was like to swim in such a dessert on two individual occasions, both courtesy of Luan.) Luckily, she had a pretty good idea of what Luan was trying to tell her and she couldn't resist helping out.

"You think I'm the most rockin', most totally awesome sister in the whole dang world who everyone should bow down to her greatness, and also the most talented gal around who can shred her axe like a crowned demon on golden wings with her face featured in every rock-and-roll hall of fame built, and rightfully deserves a spot next to Mick Swagger as his right-hand band mate?"

Luan just stared at her.

"Lunes?"

"Yeah?"

"Don't ruin this moment for me. You're too big for your boots," she said flatly. "…even though all that's true," she added with a mutter, which actually surprised Luna enough to grant her a light blush. Luan looked up deeply into Luna's brown eyes and spoke in a low voice so only she could hear her.

"What I'm trying to tell you, Luna is…thank you. For everything. All these things you've said while we've been sitting here means so much to me, and I feel a lot better now. You and I…we fight and argue, and drive each other nuts…but at the end of the day, you're still the best sister and friend I could ever ask for."

Luna couldn't hold back the growing smile on her face as her blush intensified and her eyes softened. Truly touched she was by Luan's sincere words that she involuntarily put a hand to her heart. It wasn't everyday you got to hear these kinds of things from her.

She touched Luan's cheek again, but this time she simply ran her index finger across it. "Aw Luan, you're too much for words. I'm really glad to hear that from you. Making you feel better is all I need to do to know that I'm doing my job. And I've never told you this before, but this is the number one job that I enjoy with every beat of my heart. Even more than shredding my axe. I want nothing but the best for you."

She sat herself right next to Luan, slinging her arm around the latter's shoulders as they faced the setting sun outside the window.

"Just remember, brah. It just takes time to work your way through love and war. But you don't have to do it alone 'cuz I'm here for you every step of the way."

"And I'm here for you too," Luan stated, looking up at her. "If you have troubles with Sam, I'll do anything I can to help you."

The girls were practically the same height, with only the slightest of inches difference, but enough so that Luan had to look 'up' to meet Luna in the eye.

She already looked up to her.

"Thanks, dude. I know you will." They shared a sweet smile and Luna could see that the Luan Loud she knew and loved was back. With her voice as smooth as velvet, she proceeded to sing a soft little tune from Luan's favourite a cappella group. Singing spontaneously was just a natural habit of hers.

We, we light up the sky
Heaven knows there's no such thing as goodbye.
'Cause love, love can never die
We'll forever be burning, you and I.

Smiling warmly, Luan joined in with her sister. Luna gently rocked them from side to side in a graceful sway to match the rhythm.

And don't you forget
The only thing that matters is our heartbeats going strong.
Oh, don't you forget
That nothing else can matter 'cause we know where I belong.

Oh, take me there,
Won't you take me there?
Won't you take me home?
Oh, take me there
Won't you take me there?
Won't you take me home?

Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh.
Oh take me there,
Won't you take me there?
Won't you take me home?
Oh, take me there,
Won't you take me there?
Won't you take me home?

The girls finished their song, feeling happy and content. Luan had an exceptionally beautiful singing voice, but rarely revealed it in public. Luna often pondered about this, coming to the conclusion that the comedienne wasn't nearly as comfortable with openly singing as she was. There were a few occasions when she would do it, like when they sang for Mr. Grouse a few years back, but Luna was the only one who had really heard her enough to gauge her singing ability. The rocker secretly hoped that she could one day help break her little sister's shell to sing to the world and experience the boisterous joy of setting your heart free in the form of song. Though for the time being, she did hold a little pride for being the one whom Luan was comfortable enough to sing openly to.

Luan lifted her head from its comfortable perch on Luna's shoulder and brought a hand to her hair, running her fingers over her braid. She very rarely let go of her ponytail, let alone changed her hairstyle at all. Truth be told, she now looked like a very different girl. But she was still her, and wasn't planning on selling herself out any time soon. She then looked up at Luna's dark brown pixie-cut.

"I wish I could braid your hair," she sighed longingly.

Luna adopted sympathetic smile and chuckled. "Yeah, it's a little late for that, dude. But my transformation from shy little gal to rockstar is one change in my life that I don't regret." She put her hand on Luan's head and stroked her hair lightly.

Luan closed her eyes in comfort, slightly leaning into Luna's hand, much like her pet rabbit Gary whenever someone pet him. "You sure like to play with my hair a lot."

"Only because I know you like me to."

Luan blushed, but it was a very different kind of blush to the ones that had crossed her face all month. Feeling that tender fondness for her big sister rush through her, she leaned forward and snuggled the side of her head into Luna's chest, hugging her around the waist. Luna closed up the embrace, resting her chin on Luan's head. The braided girl sighed contently, feeling warm and safe with Luna. She didn't know why, out of everyone in her family, the hard-rock, laid back, weirdo-lingo speaking, torn thread and choker-donning sister was the one she connected with the most. She listened quietly to Luna's heart beating a steady rhythm, and wished that she could somehow show how grateful she was for her compassion and how much she loved her big sister in a stronger way than just a hug. The special affection for her swept through her system in great waves and rushing rivers, which all accumulated into a single tear rolling down her cheek.

"I really owe you one, sis."

"No, you don't, dude. I'm your sister and I look out for you. It's what I do."

"But that's just it. You do so much for me all the time. I want to do something for you."

Luna stroked Luan's cheek with her thumb, wiping the tear away. "Well…my birthday's in a couple weeks. If you really want to do something, you can save it for that."

Her sister quickly made a mental note to look into that. "You're the best, you know that?" came her muffled voice.

Luna smiled smugly. The pros of being a big sister always outweighed the cons. "I know," the proud Loud said slyly.

Luan rolled her eyes. "Oh, shut up," she muttered and thumped her palm on to Luna's chest. Maybe a little harder than she meant to, because Luna felt the wind being knocked out of her.

"Dude!" she complained lightly, but any protests that might have followed were silenced abruptly when Luan stretched up and kissed her on the cheek, an affectionate gesture that surprised Luna enough to forget her previous pain in a flash; Luan didn't usually give her kisses. She shook off the shock and let a small smile grace her face as she hugged her again, choosing to let it all slide in exchange for just relishing the moment. "Yeah, yeah, I love you too."

The teens stayed like this for a few blissfully silent minutes, nestled in the peace that they brought to each another. Peace that was rooted firmly in their hearts and sent floods of strong energy swirling through their arteries and veins, one that united them in an unbreakable bond of not just family, but best friends. With their respective soulmates, Luna and Luan experienced a love that the world was very much affiliated with. But with each other, they were engulfed in a different type, one that was very rare to find these days, but most abundant in this house. Luna stroked Luan's hair as she eyed her long trains of sleek strands reflecting the setting sunlight, almost sparkling.

"Who do you love more? Benny or me?" Luna quizzed jokingly.

Luan took a moment to think of her answer. She could have made a joke about it. She could have said something clever and witty. But at such a moment as this, she decided to be truthful. She whispered, so only Luna could hear.

"I love you both the same amount…but in different ways."

Luna tightened their embrace. "Right answer, Lulu," she hummed into her ear.

Never change, Luan. Never change.

The sound of the oven bell indicated that their pie was complete; they had almost forgotten their baking spree. Luna let her go.

"Hey, let's go see how you did!" said Luan excitedly. Just then, the front door opened, and their mother entered with several of their younger siblings in tow. Judging by the shopping bags weighing down their shoulders, it was clear that they had just returned from a trip to Royal Woods' shopping mall. That would explain why the house had been practically vacant all afternoon.

"Hey! I smell apple pie!" exclaimed Lola.

"I smelled it from the driveway, so that means I get dibs!" declared Lana. The twins immediately began squabbling as they made a dash for the kitchen. Luna and Luan shared a knowing look of this all-too familiar scene.

"Guess we better go serve some pie, huh sis?" Luna inquired.

Luan grinned mischievously. "No problem. That service should be as easy as pie. Get it?" She laughed and while Luna…simply smiled at her. They then made their way into the kitchen together for what promised to be a fun evening with the rest of the family. The yellow scrunchie swung along Luna's wrist.

Life is but a race set on a stage, and your heart is the racer wearing the number. Unable to separate from the heart, you must do the actual running. The trials you will encounter will be many and difficult, but no matter what plight you may face along the way, you can be sure that you can count on your friends and family to make racing worth it no matter what. Luan had learned this lesson today and she was looking forward to the race ahead with Benny as her racing partner and Luna as her coach.

She hoped that she could be a good coach to Luna too.

THE END

A/N: It's done! It's finally done. This has been my most in-depth story to date. Hopefully I was able to pull off my achievements of a heart-warming/story continuation tale, but if not, I at least hope you had a fun read. And with the recent news that Benny and Sam have both been confirmed to return in Season 4, it looks like I'll be getting more material to use to continue Luna and Luan's story. Also, for convenience to the plot's sake, let's pretend their entire conversation took place within the pie's baking time. Okay? Okay, good.

If you liked this story, or have suggestions for what you'd like to see in the future, then feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments roster. They are much appreciated. Thank you all so much for making it to the end; I will see you all very soon.

Songs used, quoted, and referenced: 'Take Me Home' (Pentatonix), and MANY others.

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And now: a sneak peek at my next fic, 'Not Dancing On My Own'…already in progress. Exact wording subject to change.

"Guys, this feels really weird," Lincoln said a few moments later. He was dancing yet again, while holding Lola's hands, but trying not to step on Lana's feet. The twins had stacked themselves on top of each other, with Lola taking the top and Lana controlling the bottom. The result was a dance partner who was slightly taller than Lincoln and wobbled with a rather ungainly step. Yet in the end, the effort was decent enough. But never before had Lincoln danced with such a strange partner.

"Oh, Linky, your dancing is so enchanting," Lola gushed, gazing at Lincoln with dreamy glowing eyes, a look that she undoubtedly would only reserve for her very own Prince Charming. The rotating disco ball seemed to make the sparkles on her hot-pink dress shine twice as much as they already did. Aside from the large silver tiara placed delicately atop her head, Lola's appearance tonight didn't stray too far from her usual look, yet as Lincoln looked at her during the dance, she gave the air of a true princess threefold. Her hair almost seemed to wave care-free down her back as they swayed to the music.

"Remember, as soon as this song is done, it's my turn to be the head and hands!" Lana piped up from just below Lincoln's middle. She winced as Lola's pink heels dug into her shoulders, but still managed to hold her up and keep in step with her brother's feet. Like Lynn, the little grease monkey very rarely wore anything outside of what was appropriate for her hobbies, namely her muddy overalls and sweaty T-shirt. Tonight though, Lana must have broken at least a dozen of her self-imposed rules to exchange her work clothes for a simple teal-coloured dress with small sleeves and a pair of black shoes. Her hair was even combed down, rather than being held in pigtails. Certainly not as fancy as the other siblings, but definitely an effort to Lana's usual standards. If anything, she had chosen not to bring her signature red cap tonight. That already said a lot.

Keep an eye out for the full story, coming soon!