A/N: Okay, I think it's time that I brought attention to something that I believe to be a "burning question" on...I'd say a good chunk of the people who've read this collection of stories so far. I've been asked, more than once, if one of the remaining twenty-four chapters will cover Clyde getting over his crush on Lori.

And to that, I say...no. The reason I'm saying "no" is for a few reasons:

1. I want the focus to primarily stay on Lynn and Clyde. That doesn't mean that a few other characters won't be making appearances, but that does mean that I don't want them taking up too much of a chapter. I'd feel that Lori would have to be a big part of such a chapter if I were to write it.

2. I honestly don't think it's necessary. Crushes come and go, so I'd be more inclined to believe that Clyde would just get over it in time. A lot of people assume it's an obsession that warrants a lot of therapy and whatnot, but his crush is never highlighted in a serious enough context for me to buy into that. Therefore, I just don't think writing a story around that belief would be very interesting.

I have a few more reasons, but those are the most important two. So again, I don't plan on writing a chapter where Clyde gets over Lori. That being said, I'm not even close to halfway done at this point, so thing could change if I'm inspired to go in that direction. Just don't count on it happening.

C is for "Chocolate"

Rated K

'Bah, who needs Valentine's Day to give out chocolates?' Clyde thought as he merrily strolled to his best friend's house under the warm glow of a bright, sunny day.

On this Sunday afternoon, Clyde cradled two things close to him—packaged chocolates under his arm and the dream of his mission accomplished to his heart. Diamonds may be a girl's best friend, but chocolate was a very close second, especially if the girl in question had "Loud" as their last name. Clyde knew that well enough to spend half his allowance on a fancy assortment of gourmet chocolates yesterday, hoping—against the trepidation building up in his head—that the sacrifice of nearly forty dollars would be worth his time and money.

The slight inkling of doubt didn't come from the idea that the target of his affection, Lori, wouldn't appreciate his gesture—he knew she would go nuts for them. He also knew to set the bar of his expectations low. He was aware that a box of chocolates, no matter how expensive, wasn't going to get her to marry him (that would come much later down the line, once he could afford plane tickets for a romantic Hawaiian getaway).

The only issue he could see were Lori's sisters. He didn't believe it would be unlikely for all nine of them to flank him at all sides as soon as he entered through the front door, grabbing at his coveted confections like a pack of starving hyenas. That's why, he took extra measures to ensure that wouldn't happen. He made it his goal to arrive during the weekend, when he had a feeling that most of the Loud house's residents would be out for the day. That meant, unfortunately, that there was a chance that Lori was gone, too. Still, if that was the case, all he had to do was entrust them to Lincoln so that he could give them to her on his behalf once she came back. It wouldn't beat seeing her reaction for himself, but at least he knew he she'd know that they were from him.

Speaking of Lincoln, he played vital role in the second measure of security. Clyde had called him a few minutes ago and asked that he left their front door unlocked. That sounded way better than knocking on the door and waiting for someone to answer him. Chances were, even if it wasn't one of Lincoln's sisters to open the door for him, his presence would still be given away on account of him knocking in the first place. Slipping through their house as inconspicuously as possible was his only option.

And yet, even though Clyde could see the Loud house coming into view, he couldn't help but sense a sudden feeling of imminent disaster creeping around the corner. Chalking it up as last-minute nerves, he forged ahead, determined not to let those negative thoughts get the better of him.

Okay. So far, so good. It seemed on this day, fortune favored not just the bold but the prepared. Clyde was in the belly of the beast for about a minute now, and disaster hadn't reared its ugly head.

Seated on the couch with his prized clutched to his chest, he stilled his breath as he strained his ears through the silence of the living room. Sure, it would've been easy to just waltz up to Lori's room and present his chocolates to her now, but that would run the risk of accidentally confronting one of the nefarious nine—he had to do at least a little surveillance before he made his move.

And now that he thought about it, where was the harm in a little...quality check? Who was to say that something amiss hadn't happened to the chocolate on the way over? Besides, it would be pretty easy to pull off. The box wasn't shrouded in shrink wrap, meaning that all he had to do was lift the lid off and take a quick gander.

Sparing a cursory glance over his shoulder, Clyde went to work. His fingers clutched onto the lid's sides, ready for "liftoff".

'Welp, here goes nothi-.'

And then, that chill of premonition came back, racing up the base of his spine like an icy, sliver of wintry wind. The feeling was amplified when his heart began to race, nearly thumping as loud as the booming pounding of feet down the staircase as it crashed in his ears, stiffening his limbs from abject fright. The source of the disturbance finally came into view, but he could hardly make it out. It was a blur, rushing at him at full speed. Clyde couldn't do so much as shift the box behind his back before it...or rather, she, came to a full stop at his feet.

"What the...?" Clyde said, wondering if his eyes were deceiving him.

If they were, then he couldn't imagine why they wanted him to see...Lynn, sitting on the ground like she was a dog on its haunches. Not only that, she was panting with her tongue flopping out and...and…

'Oh no.'

He followed her gaze towards his chest, and put two and two together when he took his chocolates and slowly raised them up over his head. As he predicted, she followed the candy with wide, dazzled eyes.

Clyde was honestly not expecting this. For a Loud sister other than Lori to intercept him? Not really, but it wasn't out of the realm of plausibility. For said intercepting Loud sister to literally act like a dog as soon as the slightest hint of chocolate wafted into the air? Yeah, no way (okay, maybe Lana would). But whether she conveyed her desires as a dog or a human, Clyde could read between the lines, and he'd have to put his foot down and tell Lynn to back off.

"Lynn, no," he said firmly. "These are for Lori. You can't have any."

He half-expected her to start growling at him angrily or make a lunge for the chocolates. Instead, her bottom lip quivered out, her eyes began to shimmer behind unshed tears, and she let out a series of whines and whimpers. As much resolve Clyde had it seeing his mission through, what was he supposed to do with that face looking at him expectantly?

He had heard the horror stories from Lincoln about those "puppy dog eyes"—just one look could shatter the mightiest of wills into dust. And now that he was in its cross-hairs, Clyde could see what his best buddy was talking abou−

'You gotta be kidding me!'

As if things couldn't get any worse, Lynn took the cutesy act (though, he still wasn't sure how much of this display was planned) even further by rubbing her head against his leg. That drove him over the edge, plucking at his heartstrings like they were violin strings.

"Okay, okay, fine!" Clyde cried, quickly opening the box and shoving it in front of Lynn, who quickly became spellbound by the exposed treats. "One. You may have...one pie−"

Before he could finish his sentence, Lynn sprung to her feet, quickly swiped at the chocolates, and shoved the contents of her snatch into her mouth. Clyde thought nothing of it as he watched her noisily and messily slurp down the candy.

That is, until he spotted a stray piece of chocolate fall out of Lynn's hands, which she quickly picked up and gobbled down. If her mouth and hands were all dirty and gooey before that chocolate dropped out of her hands, that could only mean…

Clyde looked down and gasped when his suspicions were confirmed. What was once a box full of sixteen chocolates had been reduced to a...meager nine! Nine! Nearly half the candy, all gone! He could see Lori forgiving him for letting one piece fall to the wayside, but almost half the box?! Oh, absolutely not! He was gonna give Lynn a piece of his mind, and make her pay up for all the chocolate she practically stole!

Jumping off the couch, he marched towards Lynn with his teeth bared and his fingers curled up into fists. He knew Lynn wouldn't find him the least bit intimidating, but he could at least convey how annoyed he was with her greediness.

But suddenly, just as he was about to close in on her, Lynn beat him to the punch and charged at him. Before he knew it, Lynn had him in a tight bear hug that harshly squeezed the air out of his lungs.

"Eeeeeeee! Thanks, Clyde!" she cried, then did something that really stole his breath away.

Without warning, she quickly leaned forward and pressed a sloppy, chocolate-smeared kiss against his cheek, let him go, and ran back upstairs while whopping like a maniac.

Dazed and flushed, Clyde could only muse over the effects that her affection had on him. In one swift motion, Lynn had not only left an impression of her lips against his skin, but on his heart as well. Perhaps, he could give her the rest of them later.

All he had to do was protect them against the evil eight.