"So..." Fiona started while neatly folding their purchased clothes into two separate shopping bags with their store logo on it, pushing them onto the counter when she finally finished checking for their total price into the register. "What you're trying to say is that, that brat is dating both of you?" Arching her elbow on the counter, Fiona slightly bent forwards, sticking her butt up and rested her cheek in her upturned left palm, her hardened eyes boring deeply into both of the girls still squirming uncomfortably under her judging gaze. She still can't believe what she was saying right now even after listening to their explanation earlier while they were trying on the few clothes Leni suggested for them. And how could she, the notion itself just sound so weird to her with how utterly ridiculous the idea was. Especially considering the white haired boy who was somehow able to be in the middle of all of this nonsense.
She know the boy wasn't exactly foreign with getting himself into trouble, she just wasn't expecting him to somehow also get himself into something like this. And most of all she can't believe how easy Leni was taking all of this in, not at all bothered by the idea that her younger brother was dating more than one girl. In fact, she almost seemed relieved at the prospect. And to be honest, that is also probably what was bothering her the most, how her friend and coworker was calmly dealing with all of this new information about her brother. It's almost seemed weird for her to see Leni being like this. Sure she could be quite dim sometimes but even she would have understand what all of this meant, not only to her but also her brother, and yet it was almost as if she already expected this to happen. She don't know what her deal was but she can at least say for sure that this was definitely what has been bothering Leni a lot lately.
But who can blame her though, she would probably also be troubled if she was in her situation.
"It's... It's Lincoln." Shay corrected her while still standing close beside Stella. When Fiona turned her attention towards the quiet girl, she quickly averted her eyes away.
"Right..." Fiona pursed her lips, "And you're both really fine with this, to share him like this?" She quizzically asked.
"Y-yes." Stella nervously replied. "I'm the one who asked this from him, I'm just happy that Lincoln and Shay are willing to accept me into their relationship." She know there is no reason for her to tell any of this to the scrutinizing brunette, she was telling the truth mostly because of the presence of his sister, Leni, the first person in his family that learn about his relationship with both of them. Probably also the most accepting one with the way she wasn't treating them any less differently. That's probably why he decided to bring them here in the first place, to introduce his relationship with them to his sisters without overwhelming them. Though she couldn't help but sensed the sliver of concern and sadness in her soft eyes.
"Do you even understand what you're doing right now?" Fiona let out a weak sigh. "I can't believe I'm talking about this kind of stuff with any of you, seriously neither of you should be okay with this." She said in frustration, mostly at herself for trying to begin how ridiculous all of this was.
"If I wasn't being obvious enough you are both are clearly too young to be taking this sort of thing so seriously." Fiona pointed out.
"Honestly, I don't even know what both of you see in him to agree with something like this. If even a grown man can't make this works, why would you think, he, a reckless kid can make if any different?" She remarked. "Don't you think you're putting your hope up too high for him." She seriously asked.
"He is just like both of you, a kid who still don't understand his own feelings, you can't seriously take what he said into face value, do you really think at his age, he can make the right decision?" Fiona asked.
"You might be right." Shay replied in a low voice, stepping slightly ahead from Stella. "But he don't need to always make the right decision, even if he did something wrong, he will be there to face the consequences no matter what it might be, and that's what really important. Instead of being helped by him, I also wanted to be someone he can rely on." She gently held her chest in both of her hands as Leni slightly smiled while listening to her.
"This feeling might not be what you may call as love, but it was enough for me, I don't want to think of a life without him, without his sadness and happiness. I want to be a part of it as he has been in mine." Shay sincerely said from her heart.
Sighing, Fiona pinched the bridge of her nose. "You might be saying that now, but what if you changed your mind, what if he do something that you can't forgive, would you really be by his side then?" She asked.
"He wasn't only willing to be the one to make me happy with his promise, he is also willing to carry my sadness as his own, as much as I don't want to say it the one who can actually hurt him is himself from what I've learned about Lincoln, about the boy who cares more about other happiness than his own." Shay answered with a tiny frown.
"And that thought scares me..." She admitted much to their surprise with how honest she was being with them, but Leni already knew that, about the lingering fear coming from her brother, the same fear she also had for him with how much he had changed. How much he have grown to be more than just their kind and caring brother she have always known.
"I'm scared that I can't be anything like him, that I can't do anything to make him happy, that whatever I do, it won't be enough to be anywhere close to what he was willing to give for me, for the person he gave his heart to." Shay clutched her chest, not only from fear but also happiness that she can share her happiness with him. That she can make him happy by being happy with him, and that was more than enough for her. That was enough for her to trust the boy with her whole heart.
"It might not be much, but I know he also need someone to make him happy, at least someone that is willing to." Shay lowered her head. Silence filled the air as none of them speak, letting what the quiet girl just said sink in for a moment.
It wasn't really a surprise, after all he wasn't the only one that changed. Even if he didn't realized it, he was also changing the people around him along with his growth.
"What about you?" Fiona turned her attention towards Stella who slightly jumped under her questioning gaze. "I understand the shy girl over here being his first girlfriend, but where exactly did you come in?" She asked.
"No matter what any of you were saying, I still can't see why you would agree with something like this." Fiona thought for a moment. "Looking back on it, don't you think that he was just tricking you for his own benefit, that he was just taking advantage of you?" She pointed out as Leni slightly twitched behind her at the accusation her coworker was throwing at her brother. Though, neither of the teens expected the low chuckle coming from the filipino girl.
"S-sorry, I didn't mean to laugh," Stella weakly smiled. "To be honest, I'm pretty sure that I'm the one taking advantage of him." She sighed while rubbing her left arm.
"Lincoln is... Lincoln is someone important to me, someone that I don't want to lose." Stella admitted. "Sure, he can be quite clumsy sometimes with his plan, but it was always fun when he was around." She lowered her gaze to the marble floor.
"Something that I don't know if I was even capable of." Stella looked at Shay who was listening intently to her. "He was the first person that talked to me when I got here, he introduced me to this town, everything that I need to know in school, and somehow, he also brought me into his life, to the people he hold dear." Her smile slightly brightened.
"And most of all, he own up to his mistake, instead of wasting his time and blaming other people, he will always find a way to fix his mistake, even if he need to put himself on the line for other people when he clearly don't need to." The filipino girl stated.
"Like Shay said, it wasn't fair." Stella seriously remarked. "It wasn't fair that someone so kind and thoughtful like him can't find his own happiness, that he will always put other people first before himself, that he can only be happy when the people around him are happy." She bit her bottom lips at all the memory where the white haired boy had put himself in a situation he don't need to for the sake of other people.
"I'm the one who asked this from him, to take me for himself, to let me be a part of their life." Stella softly said. "I want him to be happy, I want to be the one to make him happy, and I want to be happy with him, that's all I'm asking for." She slightly lifted her head when Shay hold her hand.
"And he accepted me, Shay accepted me, they give me the chance to be a part of their relationship." Stella slightly blushed. "He give me the chance to carry his heart, and honestly, there's nothing that I would've wanted more than that." She kindly smiled.
"Look kid-" Fiona was interrupted when Leni placed a hand on her shoulder before slowly shaking her head.
"Like, you don't need to interrogate them Fiona, I'm sure they know what they are doing." Leni said with a defeated look.
"Leni you can't seriously be okay with this, they are just a bunch of kids you know." Fiona argued. "This isn't only going to hurt them, itwould also hurt your brother." She explained.
"And it is the risk he is willing to take, Lincoln won't agree with this if he don't know what he is getting himself into." Leni calmly replied.
"He is just a kid Leni, there's no way he can do this." Fiona sighed.
"Fiona, he might have changed a lot but he is still my little brother, and if I know anything about him, he is not someone that would trick or take advantage of them." Leni said as Fiona slightly jerked at the reminder of her accusation earlier.
"Sure he is still young, like you said there's still a lot that he need to learn, but Lincoln is more of a man than anyone I ever knew." Leni smiled at both Shay and Stella, a kind gesture of her giving her trust and blessing to them.
"And if there's anyone that can make something like this work, it would be him." She tucked her blonde hair behind her ear. "He will do everything he can to make them happy."
Just like he have been for me, for all of us...
A drop of tear rolled down her cheek much to her surprise and confusion. "S-sorry, I didn't know what came over me." Leni quickly turned around and wiped the tears away from her eyes.
Sighing in resignation, Fiona turned her head to look back at the two girls somehow falling in love and willing to be together for the sake of a single boy. Just how much exactly did they love him to actually accept something ridiculous like this? How important the boy was to them, how much they are willing to give for him, and most of all how much he was willing to give for them.
Can she really say for herself that she can also find someone she can love as much as they do. Someone that is willing to do anything for her. Heh, what a joke.
"You don't need to answer me but I just have one last thing that I want to ask if you don't mind?" Fiona inquired as Stella nodded at her to continue.
"I know it's probably just me, but from what you're saying, do you really don't mind being own by him?" The brunette teen asked only to frown when Stella smiled at her.
"Is there anything wrong with that?" Stella replied with Shay close by her side, her pale face slightly reddened as the quiet girl looked up at the taller girl. "Is it wrong to give everything I have for him to be happy just as he have always been doing for me." Her eyes slightly widened when Shay kissed the corner of her lips, shocking Fiona with her sudden gesture.
"Lincoln was right, you should be with him." Shay muttered out in a low voice. "I'm glad he didn't lose you, I'm glad that you will make him happy, and I'm glad you will love him as much as I do." Shay lowered her face, hiding her growing blush from them.
It was enough, she don't need more than this to know how serious they are with their decision. Honestly, she just wasn't expecting this from the white haired boy, for him to be this important for someone. She might not know him like they do but she kind of understand him a bit from what they were telling her. And he almost sounded like a completely different person than the childish and naive kid she knew of. It was impossible, no one can change that quick, especially not someone his age. Not without something forcing him to grow up way beyond his limit. And even then, it was unheard of to her, for someone so young like him carrying all of this weight on his back. A responsibility that even an experienced and older man can't handle.
And Leni was somehow also stuck in all of this from what she can see. Something that she didn't exactly try to be subtle with. In the matter of the heart, she can't say she wasn't expecting that from the kind sister of the white haired boy looking dutifully after him.
"I hope I didn't miss anything." At the sound of the familiar voice, both Shay and Stella turned around before running to his side, to the person they belong to.
"Where did you go Lincoln, you almost scare me for a bit there." Stella slightly narrowed her eyes at her boyfriend.
"Sorry, I was just taking a walk for awhile." Lincoln smiled while rubbing the back of his neck. "I told you I want it to be a surprise for our date remember, it would give me something to look forward to." He sincerely said as they both blushed at him.
"So, how are you going to pay for this kid?" Fiona asked with a glare, though it was much softer than before.
"It's fine Linky, if you don't have enough money I can pay it for you first." Leni reassured him, already looking for her purse when Lincoln pulled out his wallet.
"How much was it?" He asked, looking back at Fiona narrowing her eyes even further at him in suspicion.
"Three dresses for each of them, the total would be 157.50 cent." She replied.
"Do you take credit card?" At his question, she raised a brow before responding with a curt nod.
"Great." Lincoln slid his credit card onto the counter, shocking both Fiona and Leni who were looking at him in confusion.
"Listen kid, this isn't the place for you to be playing around like this." Fiona sighed in frustration, already picking up the credit card and properly inspecting it only to find out that it was real. Curious, she slid the credit card into the register, completing his purchase with the payment being transferred into the device.
"Huh, Do... Do you want a receipt for that?" Fiona gave the credit card back to him as Lincoln placed it into his wallet before pushing it into his pocket.
"Sure." He replied, waiting patiently for the device to print out the receipt until she gave the piece of paper proving his purchase to him. "I guess that is all then." He picked up the shopping bags from the counter and looked at Leni, still finding the hint of sorrow lingering in her eyes, but he also saw the understanding in them. Well, he can deal with that later, tonight would probably be better with the rest of the girls also there with him. It's not like he want to hide this from any of them either, it would only make everything worse for him, and he would rather avoid that from happening. Especially when his sisters are involved.
"Hey Leni, is it close to your rest time yet?" Lincoln asked as his older sister looked away from him.
"S-sorry Linky but we already had our rest earlier." She answered, only to look at Fiona when her coworker massaged her temples from the stress she was putting herself into.
"Just... Just go Leni, you clearly need to talk with your brother." Fiona sighed. "I will take care of the store with Miguel for now while you're gone, and don't worry, I will talk with Mrs Carmichael if she come here, you just need to deal with your brother alright?" She offered.
"But Fiona-" The blonde teen tried to argue only to be interrupted when her coworker hold her shoulders while hardening her glare.
"I'm not asking you Leni, I might be your coworker but I'm also your friend, whatever this is with your brother, it is clearly bothering you." Fiona tiredly said. "You need to talk with him, with them... I-I don't like seeing you like this Leni." She admitted, averting her gaze away from the blonde teen.
"You're usually so bright and cheerful, sure it can be annoying sometimes, but it is still you, it is still the Leni I know of. And I want her to come back." Fiona released her shoulders. "Just go alright, I'm sure your brother also have something he want to say to you." She looked at the white haired boy nodding slightly at her in appreciation. She still can't believe that this is the same kid she knew of.
"Thanks Fiona, I totes owe you one." Smiling, Leni turned to look at her younger brother with his girlfriends by his side. "Like, what do you want to do Linky?"
...
Sitting in one of the empty table in the food quarter of the mall, Lincoln looked at the piece of paper he received from the vendor when he got curious earlier, it was a poster of a missing doll with a phone number written under it. He had seen a few poster of missing animals before, but this is probably his first time seeing a poster being put out for a missing doll. Especially with some cash being added as a reward. Who would give out money just for a doll?
But to be honest, that didn't bother him as much, if anything it was the screen being displayed Infront of him.
[Unique Quest: You also have once lost something important to you, would you really let someone else feel the same pain as yours when you can do something about it? Find the doll and return it to the owner. A reward and a punishment will be calculated for your acceptance of the quest.]
It wasn't the quest itself that bother him, it was the weird way of the wording, of how it was using his weakness and strength against him. It was cruel in some sort of way, to remind him of his mistake and using it to their advantage. But he can't say he didn't expect that after all that happened. So, the system finally decided to stop playing around with him. At least now he know he don't need to hold back with the system.
"What are you looking at Lincoln?" Shay asked, leaning her head closer to look at the poster he was holding in his left hand.
"It's nothing, the guy just gave it to me since I was looking at it earlier." He replied, placing the poster closer to her on the table so she can have a better look at it. "Something about a missing doll, I don't really see what the big deal is though, I'm just surprised that someone would actually put a reward for a doll." He shrugged.
"Maybe it's important for them?" Stella pointed out while licking her chocolate and strawberry ice cream beside Shay.
"Well, it's not like they can't buy a new one if it was really that important." Lincoln commented, already returning to his chocolate chip and mint ice cream.
"It wasn't only the doll Lincoln, it might have a different kind of value for them." Shay said while enjoying her vanilla and cherry ice cream.
Noticing her eyes staring curiously at his ice cream, Lincoln held out the cold treat Infront of Shay. "Still, if the memory was all that count then they shouldn't have been so keen to get the doll back, even without it, the memory would still be there with them." He remarked. At his offer, Shay lifted her head to look at him for a moment before tucking her raven hair behind her ear and licking his ice cream, shivering slightly at the taste of the cold mint.
"They probably aren't ready to let go of the doll yet." Leni said while looking at her chocolate and vanilla ice cream slowly melting away in her right hand. "It could be a gift from someone that they couldn't afford to lose." She added with a small frown, something that he can clearly see for himself with how much it was affecting her.
"Like Bun bun used to be Lori before she gave it to you, and you still kept it in your room." She pointed out. "You can just buy a new one but it would totes still be different than the one she gave you."
Sighing, Lincoln held out his ice cream even further for Stella since she was also curious of the flavor. After she was done having her own taste of his ice cream, Lincoln returned the treat back to his mouth, not at all bothered with the girls leaving their mark on his ice cream
"Leni, if there's something bothering you, now would probably be the right time for you to share it with me." Lincoln calmly said. "If there's anything you're curious about, you can ask them yourself, just be honest with them... With yourself this once." He added as Shay and Stella gave their attention to him, their boyfriend.
Leni bit her bottom lips, even now he was still being considerate with her, he was still being the kind and caring brother that will always have her back, picking her back up whenever she falls. And it was only hurting her even more with how much he was still and yet also not the same brother she know of at the same time. It wasn't fair, he can't do this to her. He can't make her look at him as only her brother when he was clearly more than that. How can she look at him as nothing more than just her younger brother when he was also growing to be a reliable and dependable man in her life. A pillar she can lean on for strength and hope. He wasn't only her brother, even from the beginning, he has always been more that that, he has always been the most important part in her life, a dim light of a candle guiding her in the dark.
"Are you... Are you going to take my brother away from me?" It was a selfish question born from her deepest desire. By now, she was no longer thinking of her family, she was only thinking for herself. It was wrong, she should have never ask this from them, from the people who rightfully have the pieces of his heart, but she still don't want to lose her brother, she don't want to lose him.
"What are you talking about Leni?" Shay worriedly asked. "We would never separate Lincoln from any of you." She kindly said, a sliver of concern in her voice.
"Shay's right Leni, we know how important all of you are for Lincoln, and it would hurt him so much to not be there for you." Stella remarked. "I don't want him to choose between me and his sisters, it wouldn't be fair for him to make the decision, not when you are all so important for him." Stella smiled.
"Instead of seeing us as his girlfriends, you can just see us as your younger sisters." Shay offered. "That is if you don't mind having us as part of your family." She nervously said with her head slightly lowered.
"You are worrying too much Leni, I told you I'm not going anywhere, I'm still your brother and as long as you need me, I will be there for you." Lincoln reassured her.
But she don't want him to just be a brother for her...
"Sorry Linky, this is all just so much to take in." Leni said with a small smile. "But trust me, I didn't have anything against any of you, if you can really make him happy then I'm more than glad to have both of you as my sisters." She admitted.
"Like, it would take some time getting used to all of this but I'm willing to try if it will make you happy Linky." Leni honestly said, he could still sense the sorrow in her voice but that would be good enough for now. This is just the beginning after all, he will find a way to make this work to his favor.
"I guess, I'll be seeing you at home then." Lincoln sighed. "I'm sure the others would also want to know about this." He added, running his right hand through his white hair.
"And Lori." Leni mentioned, reminding him of their oldest sister still unaware of what was happening in their house. He still need to talk with her, preferably much sooner than later unless he want to get a long due nagging from her when she find out about this from someone else.
"Right, can't wait to deal with that." Lincoln sarcastically said with a low chuckle. "Don't worry about Lori, she probably want to hear about this from me." He sighed before looking back at Leni.
"Is there anything else that you want to ask?" Placing his elbow on the table, he rested his chin in his upturned left palm before licking his ice cream.
"Right, like where did you get that credit card Linky?" Leni curiously asked. "I don't think mom and dad would ever give something like that to any of us." She pointed out, and that wasn't everything either since he also have quite a lot of cash in his wallet when he treated them for their ice creams earlier.
"It's mine." He simply replied with a soft smile, not a hint of deception in his face as Lincoln take a bite from Shay's ice cream when she offered the cold treat to him.
...
Standing Infront Shay's house, Lincoln gave the quiet girl her shopping bag with Stella standing by his side after they got down from the bus earlier. The sky was getting darker with the sliver of sunlight dimming away from the horizon, telling them that the day was almost over with the night claiming their place.
"About that date, let me think about it first alright" Lincoln said while rubbing the back of his neck, getting a giggle from Shay who eventually leaned on the tip of her toes and kissed his right cheek.
"It don't need to be perfect Lincoln, as long as you're there, I would already be happy." Shay said before looking at Stella beside him. "Stella, if you don't mind can I have your numbers?" She asked, getting a quick nod from the taller girl as they exchanged numbers between them.
"Thanks." Shay struggled a bit before also planting a kiss on her right cheek, startling Stella a little with the gesture since she wasn't expecting it like him, but she also enjoyed the fluttering in her chest nonetheless from the kiss.
"And Lincoln there's something I want to tell you, I don't know if I really need to tell you this but if helping other people can make you happy, then I want you to do it." Shay said. "I don't want you to worry about me, just do what you think will make you happy. After all your happiness is also mine." She added.
"Today was fun, thanks Lincoln, Stella, for everything." Shay fondly smiled.
"I should be the one thanking you Shay." Mustering all of her courage, Stella slightly leaned down and kissed her pale cheek, blushing with her flustered face bright red in embarrassment.
As for Lincoln, he slightly lifted her chin between his thumb and forefinger, smirking at the blush coloring her cheeks before pressing his soft lips against hers, taking Shay deeper into the kiss with the growing heat seeping into her face. When he broke the kiss, a string of their missed saliva sticking between their tongues before parting in the middle.
"Thanks for having me in your life Shay, I love you, and I don't want it any other way." Lincoln honestly said with a soft smile.
"I love you too Lincoln, thank you for being in my life." Still blushing, Shay slightly lowered her head, hiding the smile growing wider on her face. "You should send Stella home now, it is getting late." She suggested, stepping back into her house before closing the door.
A memory came back to his mind as a chuckle slipped out from his lips. How long exactly has it been since then, since Shay's dating route was first introduced into the database, into his life. Since they first met each other on that rainy day.
"Come on Stella, I will walk you home." Lincoln turned around, already stepping ahead when he noticed her absence. "Stella?" Looking back, a smile of amusement plastered on his face when he realized the blushing girl standing still behind him.
Sighing, Lincoln grabbed her right hand and pulled her along with him to the sidewalk, breaking the filipino girl from her trance.
"What... What just happened?" She asked, looking at their intertwined hands before blushing again.
"You really need to get used to this Stella." He chuckled.
"I'm still new with all of this alright." She pouted, holding his hand tighter in hers. "But I can't say that I don't like it." She added.
"Good to hear that." He replied, enjoying the evening stroll with the girl who was willing to give everything for him. But it was still nowhere as close to what he was willing to give for both of them.
After walking for awhile they finally arrived to her house as Lincoln gave Stella her shopping bag.
"Thanks for today Lincoln, it was really run." She said while lowering her head with her hands placed on her back, waiting for his respond.
"Sure Stella, I will make sure to tell you if we're going to do this again." He turned around much to her surprise.
"W-wait Lincoln!" Stella took a step forwards only to back away when he looked back at her with a brow raised in confusion.
"What is it?" He asked as the filipino girl blushed even more at what she was trying to tell him.
"Aren't... Aren't you forgetting something?" She hesitantly asked, still avoiding his gaze.
"No, I don't think so." He shrugged only for a frown to appear on her face. "Wait, did I forget something?"
"It's... It's nothing." She replied, already turning away when Lincoln suddenly grabbed her hand and turning her around before pressing his lips against hers, deepening the kiss even further when she hugged him in her slender arms around his neck. She closed her eyes, letting him be the one to lead the kiss as Lincoln slid his hands under her white shirt, caressing her lithe stomach with his gentle touches. Not once did he went further up than her waist, feeling the curves of her private lowering to her neither region, sending a shiver through her body from the excitement fluttering along her skin.
When he pulled away, she couldn't help but feel the sensation of his touches still lingering on her body, missing his warmth close to her heart beating faster in her chest.
"Do you really think I would forget that?" He teasingly asked, getting a pout from the filipino girl still blushing from the kiss.
"You're the worst Lincoln." She narrowed her eyes at him.
"And you love me for that." He replied, placing a chaste kiss on her cheek. "See you tomorrow Stella." He waved at her before walking away along the sidewalk, slowly disappearing from her sight.
As much as she don't want to admit it, he was right. She love everything about him. Looking at the shopping bag in her hand, Stella opened the door and stepped into her house, closing and locking the door behind her since her mom still didn't get back from her work yet. And she can open the door with her own set of keys she always bring along with her.
There... There is something that she wanted to do. Something that Shay shared with her when Lincoln wasn't around while they were trying on the clothes at the store earlier.
...
Finally back at his own house, thankfully before the curfew for a change, Lincoln tiredly make his way to his room, barely responding to his sisters when they talked to him before lying face down onto his bed. It was a tiring day, he don't need to say more than that. He should really get some rest but he still have some stuff that he need to deal with. Mostly his sisters, he still need to tell them about Shay and Stella. He just hoped that they would understand and make all of this much easier for him. But he doubted that, he doubt it would be that easy, not for him, not for someone who clearly don't deserve it.
What about mom and dad, should he really tell them about all of this? Would they even believe him? Would they accept his decision?
He is still a kid, he can say otherwise as much as he wanted to, but he is still under their responsibility. No matter how much he had changed, he can't change the fact that he is still a kid, their only son, the only brother in the family of sisters.
There is still a lot that he need to do...
But he can deal with them little by little, he don't need a complicated plan to help him out, he just need to be honest with himself and choose what he think is right for himself. It was a selfish way of thinking, but it was also one that was keeping him sane.
The door to his room slowly creaked open as Lincoln glanced at the silhouette standing at the doorway. He didn't even think of turning on the light of his room before getting in there.
"Hey Lincoln, are you awake?" At the familiar voice, Lincoln sat up from his bed and looked at Luan rubbing her left arm while holding something in her hand.
"Hey Luan, how can I help you?" He asked, getting up from his bed before finally turning the light on so he can see her better.
"I'm fine Lincoln, really, you don't need to worry about me." Luan held out the envelope to him. "You got a letter earlier"
A letter, for him, in this world and age. Now that is something worth joking about. "Thanks." He took the letter from her, inspected it for awhile, and lifted his head to look at Luan.
"Luan, you know you can ask me if you need help with anything right?" He asked, noticing the slip in her face before she looked away from him.
"Of course I know that Lincoln, instead of worrying about me you should worry more about yourself." She joked with a strained smile. "I should get going now, dad would need some help with preparing the table, I will see you at dinner," She lightly waved at him before finally stepping out from his room.
He can't blame her for trying. If this was hard for him than it would be harder for his sisters. He wasn't only putting this onto himself, he was also getting his family into this whole thing. And they each have their own ways of dealing with his changes. After all, he can't be the only one that changed, it might not be obvious but he can clearly see how each of his sisters still living in the house are acting quite differently than how they used to be because of him.
Closing the door, Lincoln looked back at the letter in his hand. From what he can see, it was an official letter from an institute he was quite familiar with. Tearing it open, he pulled the letter out and started reading it only to raise a brow afterwards at what it was implying from what he can understand. Well, there goes his weekend.
Putting the letter in his drawer and closing it, Lincoln slightly stretched his arms over his head before getting out from his room for dinner. He walked downstairs, barely dodging Lynn who was aiming a football at him as it hit Luna instead, who in retaliation threw the ball back at her before breaking into a fight. He was glad, sure it was different but somehow they are also still the same, and he found comfort in that, in the familiarity of his sisters and family.
Seeing Lana and Lola sitting on the couch while watching a cartoon show about a warrior princess and a dragon going on an adventure, Lincoln smiled, taking his seat between them before quickly wrapping them into a big hug much to their surprise and frustration.
"Eww, Lincoln get your stinky butt away from me right now!" Lola yelled, struggling to get out from his hug.
"Lincoln, can't you see we're trying to watch the show!" Lana scolded him, though she did no attempt to get away from him, in fact it almost seemed like she was snuggling deeper into his side.
"Mom, dad, Lincoln is bothering us!" Lola screamed as Lincoln smiled even further at her complain.
"Lincoln stop messing with your sisters!" Mom's voice came out from the kitchen. At that, Lincoln eventually released them from the hug and got up from the couch, but not before messing with their hair with both of his hands much to Lola's dismay as she blew her tongue out at him with Lana already fixing her red hat on her head.
Walking away from them, Lincoln entered the kitchen where mom, dad, and Luan are preparing the dinner for the night with Lily already sitting in her high chair, cheerfully clapping her hands and giggling when he patted her head.
"Oh, Lincoln you're here, can you call Lisa in for dinner, she's in her bunker." Dad asked, nudging towards the door to the backyard.
"Sure dad, I will be back with her in a moment." He responded, already stepping out from the door as Luan glanced at him from the corner of her eyes with a tiny frown.
Instead of going straight to her bunker, he leaned his back against the tree in their backyard, pulled out his phone and texted both Shay and Stella regarding something that he probably need to attend to soon. He put his phone back into his jeans pocket and headed to the bunker, opening the hatch before carefully going down the ladders until he dropped onto his feet. Already knowing his way in there, he wasted no time and crossed the main hall until he arrived to the door of her underground lab.
Opening the door, Lincoln smiled when he saw his little sister sitting in her work desk while typing some sequence into her computer, a few of her past inventions placed in the far corner of the room with Todd being charged in his station.
"It's already time for dinner Lisa." He said as the girl slightly jumped before completely turning around in her spinning chair to look at him.
"Lincoln, pardon me, I didn't realize you're here." She apologized, fixing her round glasses on the bridge of her nose. "I will be with you in a moment, please busy yourself while I save my progress."
Nodding his head, Lincoln looked at her collection, her inventions that she had stored in there from all her experiment. Some of them caught his interest while other mostly left him in confusion since he didn't remember the girl ever showing them to him.
Turning on one of the device, a robot in the shape of a chess piece suddenly came to life.
"This is Chess bot, I created it to help dad to get better in chess." Lisa said while standing beside him, already done with her current task. "I thought of dismantling it before since dad stopped trying to play chess, but I must have forgotten." She explained.
"So you used an artificial intelligent as a program to create this?" He curiously asked while rubbing his chin, surprising her a bit with his interest in her invention.
"Precisely, you can say that it has a self learning mechanism to develop a better and logical solution in a chess match." Lisa pointed out.
"Like Ro-Bro?" He inquired only for Lisa to shake her head in dismissal.
"Unlike Ro-Bro which was programmed only to act like an older brother, Chess bot was created to learn and find a solution for a problem. It also has the ability to store a large amount of data and memory while arranging them at an efficient proficiency." She pointed out.
"So it can also multipurpose?" Her eyes slightly widened at his understanding of her invention.
"You are correct Lincoln, with a few adjustments in the main program, it can also be redirected for other purpose, I'm surprised you managed to figure that out." Lisa admitted.
"It wasn't that hard." He claimed. "Hey Lisa, if you don't mind can I have this?" He asked, pointing at the device.
"Sure Lincoln, but what do you want to do with it?" Lisa turned off the Chess bot.
"I'm not sure yet but I kind of have something in mind, it would take some time though." He replied before taking out his phone when it vibrated in his pocket.
Unlocking the screen, he went to his message box, noticing that both Shay and Stella had already replied to his text earlier, Shay much sooner than Stella since he didn't realize her text coming in while he was climbing down the ladder much prior.
Sighing at their responses to his message, Lincoln looked at Lisa staring at him in confusion.
"Lisa, are you free this Saturday evening?" He rubbed the back of his neck.