AN: A smidge shorter than that I normally put out, but I'm still trying to find time in my schedule to write regularly again, and I really wanted to put something out. So just bear with it, I guess. This is pretty much where I'd envisioned the chapter ending anyway, so no point in needlessly padding it out.

For anyone who's wondering about my other stories due to the lack of updates, I currently don't consider any of my stories to canceled at this time. I just get burnt out after working on one story long enough and need to shift my focus to something else to get the creative juices flowing again, but everything is still on the table for updates at this time. The situation with Archetypal has gotten a little complicated though, so it might be a bit before that one gets another update. Sorry to anyone who's waiting for those updates, but that's just how life goes sometimes.

Anyway, enjoy.

"Liiiiiiiiiinky!"

Lincoln's eyes snapped open, and his gaze began to dart around the living room as panic immediately began setting in. That was the distressingly recognizable voice of Leni Loud, whom he would normally be delighted to see. However...

"Oh, here you...are?"

As the beautiful blonde stepped into the room, her voice pitched upward, suggesting confusion. This wasn't out of the ordinary, Leni regularly found puzzlement in the mundane. It was something that Lincoln found very charming about her. His second eldest sister would never be described as "book smart", but she didn't need to be. Leni was genuine and warm, sincere and welcoming. And while her innocent and unassuming nature tended to result in her being stonewalled by issues with very simple solutions, that she would inevitably overlook, she never allowed herself to be frustrated or deterred in the face of those extremely localized obstacles.

On this particular occasion, however, the fashionista's confusion likely stemmed from the fact that she'd walked in on Lincoln playing the role of the rope in a discrete, but very fervent game of tug of war. After a week of diligently defending the city, Lincoln had felt that Lynn and Lucy were entitled to some R&R. So, with surprisingly little convincing, the trio had sat down to watch some tv together. It had started innocently enough, Lincoln situated between the two sisters, the three siblings basking in their shared closeness and camaraderie. It was hard to say exactly when things had started going downhill. He'd remembered Lynn putting her arm around his shoulder, and responding in kind, pulling her close. He'd remembered Lucy leaning her head against his chest, and he'd acknowledged her by resting his own atop her's, planting a chaste kiss on the younger girl's raven locks, much to her delight. Then...he was pretty sure Lynn had started massaging his thigh, which he'd learned long ago was her code for "I need you in the other room, preferably without these scratchy jeans." But he wasn't certain if that was before, or after Lucy had tried to shimmy her way into his lap. Regardless, the two attempts at amorousness had met and mixed about as well as oil and water, and now Lincoln found himself betwixt two angry Loud sisters, each trying to pull him free of the other.

...so yeah. He didn't blame Leni at all, given what she'd walked in on.

Lincoln squeezed his eyes shut and held his breath, listening as the sounds of the living room faded away, save for those of Lynn and Lucy quietly jostling for possession of his person. Questions about his current predicament could only lead to bad things. So it was his hope that if he didn't acknowledge her, Leni might simply write him off as being already occupied. Or, even better, assume that Lynn and Lucy were fighting over some kind of Lincoln doll, like the ones that had gained sentience and escaped from Lisa's lab not too long ago. Or maybe—

"Hi, guys!"

Well, so much for that. Letting out a quiet grunt of frustration, Lincoln opened his eyes and was met with the sight of Leni's beaming smile. Though, strangely enough, it seemed a little more rigid than usual...

"What're you guys going?" Leni asked, her eyes narrowing ever so slightly as she ran her gaze over the trio of Louds.

"C-Competing!" Lynn shouted, causing Lincoln to wince, both at the sudden explosion of volume and the sheer lameness of the response. Apparently, this wasn't lost upon the athlete, as she turned to her siblings and gave them an apologetic shrug.

"...Yes." Lucy agreed, after several moments of silence. "We're...competing."

"For what?" Leni asked innocently.

Three pairs of eyes met and silently conferred.

"It's...a sitting still contest?" Lynn ventured. Shooting her cohorts a sideways glance. "First one to let go of Stinkoln loses."

That...didn't make any sense.

"Huh." Leni mused, rubbing her chin thoughtfully. "That doesn't make any sense."

Wait, what?

"What does that prove?" Leni continued. "It's not hard to hug Linky, he's totes huggable. Shouldn't a competition prove that one of you is better than the other at something that's, like, actually hard to do?"

Another beat of silence.

"Like what?" Lucy asked, sounding oddly intrigued.

"Dunno," Leni replied, shrugging. "Maybe you guys could race or something? Then one of you would clearly be better than the other, and you'd get all those thingies. Bragging lefts."

"Bragging rights, Leni." Lincoln gently interjected.

"But isn't your right my left?" Leni queried, holding her hands up to her face. "Or did I get those mixed up again?"

"I..." Lincoln trailed off and shut his mouth. He genuinely wasn't sure how to respond to that. He then noticed that Lynn and Lucy were now staring intently at one another.

"First one around the world?" Lynn whispered.

"You're on." Came Lucy's immediate reply. In unison, the two girls released their hold on Lincoln and made a dash for the backyard.

"Guys, wait!" Lincoln called after them—

WHAM!

But they paid him no heed, the back door slamming shut to announce their departure. He groaned quietly to himself as he heard the telltale sound of lightning striking in the distance, and sank down into the couch. Well, there was no helping it now, he'd just have to hope that they'd remember to show some restraint while they were out in the world. But on the plus side, at least Leni had bought him a short reprieve.

This sentiment was quickly abandoned as Leni promptly plopped down next to him and pulled him close.

"Now it's Leni time!" The older girl cheerfully announced as she pulled him close.

"W-what's up, Leni?" Asked Lincoln, his words slightly muffled by the older girl's expansive bosom. Clutched as he was in Leni's grip, Lincoln's mobility was severely hindered, but he gently tried to pivot his lower body away from his big sister without drawing too much attention to his actions. Leni was an extremely pretty girl, and seemingly took great delight in rubbing those pretty bits of her's all over her little brother. This wasn't something that had ever bothered Lincoln in the past, Leni being very physical in her affections was just part of who she was. But recent events, namely the romantic developments between him and his now super-powered sisters, had removed the mental block that had previously prevented him from becoming aroused by the antics of his sisters, and Leni's very physical, very enthusiastic affections were doing all kinds of things to his hormone ridden-body. Having to explain to sweet, innocent Leni why certain parts of him were paying more attention to her than others, was a conversation he most definitely did not want to have. So it seemed like the path of least resistance would be to just quietly reposition himself and hope that Leni didn't get curious about the sudden tightness of his jeans.

"I miss you!" The elder girl shouted, giving Lincoln an extra tight squeeze for emphasis. Lincoln winced at the sudden rush of pleasure and pain, genuinely bewildered that after regularly being manhandled by girls with actual super strength, Leni's hugs could still affect him so. He found himself wondering if Leni would even need the Living Lightning if she ever fancied a career as a superhero.

"I've been around!" Lincoln protested, desperately trying to keep his airway unobstructed by all the Leni that now surrounded him.

"No, you haven't! You're always off somewhere with Lynn!"

"Well, I—"

"Or Lucy!"

"Err—"

"Or Luna!"

"Or Sa—" Lincoln automatically began to add, only stopping himself when Leni's eyes narrowed. "Alright, point taken. How can I make it up to you?"

"Take a month-long trip to Paris with me," Leni replied, matter-of-factly. "We'll eat yummy food, see gorgeous fashions, and soak up le ambiance. Which I think is like ambiance, but fancy."

"That...actually does sound like fun." Lincoln conceded, nodding slowly. "But I'm pretty sure we can't afford that."

"Okay." Leni pressed on, undeterred. "Then sit here and watch tv with me." Lincoln waited, presuming more demands were forthcoming, but Leni simply sat there, smiling genially at him.

"That, I think I can do." He replied. "But I'm gonna need my arms back."

"Totes!" Leni released her hold on Lincoln and shimmied closer to the boy, sitting as close as she could without physically merging with him.

As Lincoln snatched up the remote and turned back to the tv, he froze. In passing, at the far edge of his vision, he could have sworn that for the briefest of moments, Leni's sweet, joyful smile had briefly curled upwards into a victorious smirk. He jerked his head back, trying to get a proper view, but all that was there was his big sister, smiling at him expectantly.

"Did...did I just get played by Leni?" He wondered as he turned his attention back to the tv, and started flipping channels, looking for something a little more appropriate for his new partner.

Five times he thumbed the remote before suddenly freezing up, and letting out a gurgled cry of surprise. That...was definitely not part of the regularly scheduled programming.

"Katherine Mulligan here with a very special report." Spake Royal Woods most unforgettable reporter, shooting quick glances over her shoulder as she addressed the camera. "I'm here in downtown Royal Woods, where a most shocking scene is unfolding. A...rampage?" The reporter's eyes crossed, confused, before she turned to the side, and began whispering to herself. Unfortunately for her, she'd apparently forgotten to turn off her mic.

"A rampage? Are you trying to make me look like an idiot? Who cares if it sounds better. There's this thing called video now, ever hear of it? People are seeing this thing in real-time! Because it's hardly a rampage, that's why!"

The scene behind the reporter looked like something out of a cheesy monster movie, the kind with rubber costumes, stilted acting, and gratuitous use of a theremin. Through the lens of the news camera, a towering figure loomed over the familiar cityscape, impossibly huge amid the normally imposing structures that dotted that section of the city.

It was the kind of thing that should have been ominous, dreadful even. A creature of monstrous size and strength terrorizing the hapless citizens of Royal Woods. And being there, at the scene itself, it must have been alarming. The large crowd of civilians, screaming in terror and running every which way, desperate to flee from the behemoth in their midst. However, from the outside looking in the situation seemed significantly less cliche. For one thing, the "monster" was barely moving, merely shuffling her ginormous feet in what was clearly an attempt to avoid playing out the very scene that seemed to be expected of her. For another...

"EXCUSE ME? EXCUSE ME COULD...COULD YOU PEOPLE STOP! FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, PLEASE STOP SCREAMING! I'M JUST TRYING TO GET THROUGH!"

...she was actually pleading with the crowd, though it was clear that her patience was wearing thin. Finally, was the fact that Lincoln very much recognized this particular creature. Those long legs, full breasts, and shapely hips whose veracity could not be questioned. These particular features were ones with which Lincoln was intimately familiar, though normally of a scale significantly less epic than that which they currently occupied.

"No, I'm not calling her that!" Katherine hissed, blissfully unaware of her still hot mic. "I don't care if your nephew thinks its cool! Because 'Giganta' isn't a real word, you stooge!"

"Oh...em...GOSH!" Leni squealed, causing Lincoln to leap out of his seat in surprise. He'd been so engrossed in his observations that he'd completely forgotten about the blonde's presence. "Linky, it's...it's..."

"Yes, Leni." Lincoln said, nodding gravely. "It's Becky."

"And she looks...AMAZING! That outfit is totes working for her!"

His eyes narrowing in annoyance, Lincoln nevertheless glanced back at the television just in time to see the red-headed titaness wobble forward unsteadily, causing her skirt to flap up just a bit further than it was probably intended to.

"You...might actually have a point there." He conceded, nodding his appreciation.