I don't own the Loud House.

I feel like I'm always apologizing for something to you guys. I am sorry for the lack of updates. I've been extremely busy lately and I'm sad to announce that I will be officially taking a long break. I have work and holidays coming up and I won't have much time to write. So I won't update again until probably February. By then things will have calmed down enough that I will be able to write regularly again.

I honestly don't want to stop writing for any length of time but I also don't want to deliver half assed chapters that don't have any heart in them. I'd rather wait so that I can deliver you my best after some rest. I promise you that I'm not done with these stories. I will try my best to write while I'm on break so that when I come back I can update most if not all of my stories.

If anyone is interested in keeping up with what I'm doing, I post more regularly on twitter so you can follow me there. I also post art on there with links to my pixiv. Again, I'm sorry for the news but I want to deliver you my best and I don't feel like I can do that while I'm being stretched 20 different ways.

I hope you enjoy this chapter.

L Is For Love

Chapter 14: Encouragement

"I see." Lisa said after school had been over and Lori had explained what had happened in the cafeteria. "I'll admit, I did not see that coming."

"What are we going to do about it?" Lori asked her genius younger sister.

"I shall need to think about this further." Lisa admitted. "When you see Lincoln next, let him know gently before he finds out from a less desirable source."

"Alright." Lori said with a nod. She sighed and left Lisa's room and made her way towards the living room. It wasn't very late yet and no doubt someone was causing trouble down stairs. But as Lori was about to head down the stairs, she saw Lincoln in his room, happily chatting on the phone. She wasn't sure who he was talking to but seeing him like that, happy, made her feel terrible for how she had treated him last week. It was a reminder of how she had failed him over and over again. But she swore she would do better this time.

As Lori entered the living room, she was surprised to see Luna and Lucy sitting on the couch in the middle of a deep discussion. As she listened, she quickly became alarmed about the topic.

"...So you're saying that even though the brother and sister are related by blood, they still have feelings for each other?" Luna asked Lucy while waving a book around. "How does that make sense? And what about the brunette? She loves him too!"

"That's why it's called a harem, Luna. The Main character might be some average joe but that's what the girls love about him." Lucy pointed at her own book. "See? His white hair and blue eyes make him attractive in a way that a jock could never be."

"But how does this make sense? There's no way that other hot blonde would ever give him the time of day!" Luna protested.
"Need I remind you that a certain hot blonde is already giving him the time of day in real life?" Lucy pointed out.

"That doesn't count!" Luna said, blushing.

"Why? Because from where I sit, Lincoln is exactly like this main character. Hell, he's even got a harem in the making too!" Lucy said, pointing upstairs towards where Lincoln would be in his room.

"W-Well, he doesn't have a little sister who is in love with thim!" Luna said, grasping at anything that might help her get back in the argument.

"So? He could if he wanted to. I mean, I know that I've been joking around with him but if he seriously wanted to date me, I would." Lucy admitted.

"W-What?" Luna asked, blushing.

Lucy scoffed. "Are you really telling me that if Lincoln had fallen in love with you, that you wouldn't seriously consider it?"

Both Lori and Luna had to pause at this. Because like it or not, Lucy had a damn good point. Lincoln was a great guy and any girl would be lucky to date him. And as Lori continued to ponder this, Lucy spoke again.

"Think about it, how many guys have we all crushed on but none of them ever treated us like Lincoln does? He respects us, listens to us, is friends with us, and most importantly loves us as we are. I don't know about you, but I know for a fact that I won't find another like him." Lucy said. She then placed her hand on her chin. "Wait a minute...why am I letting Sam and Stella take him?"

"W-What do you mean?" Lori asked, startling Luna but not Lucy.

"What I mean is that all this time I've been joking about being in love with thim..." Lucy began as she continued to rub her chin thoughtfully. "But in all honesty, I do love him..."

"A-As a sister, right?" Luna asked, once she got over her fright from Lori.

Lucy shrugged. "I'm his little sister and all little sisters have a crush on their big brothers." Lucy then blushed. "Maybe all the joking was my subconscious's way of telling me I was actually in love with him all along?"

"Lucy, do you have any idea how crazy all this sounds?" Lori asked her. "I mean, Lincoln is your brother!"

"So?" Lucy shot back, now standing on the couch to be a somewhat closer eye level with Lori. "I bet you all the money I have that Lisa could come up with something to make sure that any baby we have would be born fine."

"You're not really considering this, are you Luce?" Luna asked her younger sister.

"Why not?" Lucy asked them. "He's a great guy and I know that he will always love me no matter what."

"But he's your brother!" Lori stressed out. "You can't date him!"

"Says who?" Lucy asked.

"Society!" Lori nearly shouted. "You can't marry your own brother and you especially can't have his kids!"

"Lucy, you can't date Lincoln. I mean, he's already crushing on Sam and Stella." Luna pointed out, trying to diffuse the situation.

"I don't mind sharing." Lucy said with a smile.

Lori sighed as her shoulders slumped. "Is there anything I can say to make you forget this stupid crush of yours?"

"It's not a stupid crush." Lucy said, her tone sounding a little sharper than usual.

"Lucy, you're 8." Luna pointed out. "What do you know about love?"

"I know that what I feel for Lincoln can't be overwhelmed by petty jealousy or anger." Lucy shot back, making both girls flinch as if they'd been struck.

Luna hung her head in shame and they all knew that she wouldn't be trying to convince Lucy to not confess to Lincoln anymore. Lori on the other hand still felt like she should give it another try.

"I-I know that we messed up..." Lori began and even though she couldn't see Lucy's glare, she still felt her sharp eyes on her. "B-But that doesn't mean that I don't have Lincoln's best interests at heart. Will you at least wait until I can talk to Lincoln? Please?"

For a moment, Lucy didn't speak. Then she gave them the tiniest of nods. "Okay. But I also want you to talk to Lisa. I bet that she can make something to help me have Lincoln's babies when we're older. That will make mom and dad happy to know that there aren't any risks."

Lori sighed once more but nodded. This day was not going well for her at all.

XXXXX

In their own homes, Sam and Stella each felt a chill run down their spines. They somehow knew that things were about to change.

XXXXX

Later that night, Lori walked into Lincoln's room. She knocked on his open door. "Hey, Lincoln, can I come in?"

Lincoln smiled. "Of course, come in."

Lori walked into his room and closed the door behind her. She wanted privacy for what she was about to tell him and luckily Lincoln's room had been soundproofed after the whole noise canceling earbuds fiasco. Another reminder of the Loud Sisters' blunders when it came to Lincoln. Lori took a seat at his desk and looked at her little brother for a moment before she sighed.

"Lincoln...there's something I need to tell you." Lori began. Lincoln sat up a bit straighter and looked more serious than before. He looked ready to hear some bad news and Lori wondered yet again what they had been doing with their lives when Lincoln was this prepared to be hurt by news. "There's a rumor going around the school that you...are dating your sisters."

Lincoln's eyes widened and he stood up from his bed. "I swear, Lucy is just joking! We haven't done anything inappropriate yet!"

Lori raised a brow at him, surprised. "Yet?" She asked, more curious than anything else since Lucy hadn't mentioned anything earlier.

Lincoln blushed and lowered his gaze. "T-That's not what I meant." He said sheepishly.

"What did you mean then?" Lori asked.

"What I meant was that Lucy has been reading some of my manga and she's gotten this idea that it's funny to tease me about being in love with me." Lincoln then sighed as he slumped onto his bed. "She's rather convincing..."

'You have no idea.' Lori thought to herself.

"Lynn saw her flirting with me once and she threatened to cut off my you know what if I ever did anything with Lucy." Lincoln continued. "That's how convincing Lucy is. And I'll be honest, Lori, I've...I've...been having dreams..."

Lori's mouth fell open. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. Lincoln glanced up and saw her expression and he immediately looked guilty and ashamed.

"Please don't hate me..." Lincoln pleaded with her, tears already forming in his eyes.

Lori quickly wrapped him up in a hug and she held him close, comforting the young boy. It was hard to remember that despite his maturity, Lincoln was still a young boy barely going through puberty. Of course he'd have dreams if Lucy teased him like that. After a few moments, Lori pulled away and gently rubbed his head.

"Lincoln, I'm sorry that I ever made you feel like I would hate you. I know that I've not been very reliable in the past but I promise you that I will not hate you for this. I will never hate you for this." She promised him.

Lincoln stared into her eyes for a long moment before he nodded and visibly relaxed a bit. "I-It's not like I ever planned to do anything with her, I swear. She's my little sister..." Lincoln sighed wearily. "But she's still my little sister...it's hard for me to say no to her..."

"So if Lucy were to really confess to you, you'd actually consider it?" Lori asked, trying to sound neutral.

Lincoln's ashamed look came back full force and he looked away. "I'd try to convince her to choose someone else..." And Lori believed that he would try his hardest. "But..."

"But she's your little sister and you'd want to protect her and make her happy, right?" Lori finished for him.

Lincoln nodded and fresh tears began to form again. Lori pulled him to her chest again and embraced him until he could calm down once more. As she did this, Lori couldn't help but wonder if Lisa had somehow planned for all this to happen. Lisa claimed she didn't see this coming but the 4 year old was a genius even among the geniuses alive today. There was no way she couldn't have seen this outcome. After all, even Lori could now see that by opening Lincoln up to the idea of dating multiple girls it would make him more willing to even date his sisters. At least that's how it looked to Lori since it was clear that Lincoln was willing to make Lucy happy despite feeling incredibly guilty about it.

"Lincoln...I need to tell you something and I want you to promise me that you won't freak out." Lori began, deciding to just tell him about the rumors going on at school. And she did. Lori quickly explained what she had heard and how some at school now believed that Luna was pregnant with his child and that's what caused the jealous fight with Sam. When Lori finished, Lincoln was staring up at her with wide eyes.

"Lori, I swear, Luna and I haven't done that!" Lincoln quickly refuted.

"I know, Lincoln, I know." Lori said, raising her hands up to calm him down.

"How can they even think that!? Luna's my big sister!" Lincoln nearly shouted, anger quickly replacing his guilt.

"Didn't you just admit that you'd date Lucy?" Lori deadpanned.

Lincoln stopped and blushed. "Point." He admitted. "But still! It's not like I ever gave them a reason to think that I was in love with my sisters!"

Lori couldn't help it. She began to giggle as she recalled what Lucy had told her and Luna not that long ago. She had to take a moment to calm down while Lincoln just stared at her confused.

"Oh Linky...I think we need to talk about this sister complex you seem to have." Lori finally said.

"I don't have a sister complex!" Lincoln said, his cheeks reddening like a tomato.

"Oh really?" Lori then explained what Lucy had told her and Luna, including the part of realizing that she was actually in love with him. When Lori had finished, she just grinned as Lincoln looked dumbfounded. "See? You do have a sister complex. No other brother alive goes nearly half as far as you do for your sisters."

Lincoln just kept staring at her, his mind seemingly ceasing to function. And Lori just waited for him to reboot himself. She took out her phone and responded to a few texts and even called Bobby back for about 10 minutes before Lincoln finally snapped back into reality.

"I got to go, Booboo bear. Lincoln is finally back." Lori said as Lincoln began to blink. "Love you too, bye."

"Lori, I can't have a sister complex! I mean, what about Sam and Stella? What am I gonna do about them? And Becky, Carol, Dana, Maggie, Margo, and Girl Jordan?" Lincoln asked.

He looked like he was about to have a panic attack. And Lori did the only thing that she could think of. She slapped him hard. Lincoln's head snapped to the side before he turned back to face her.

"Thanks." He said, looking much better despite the red mark on his cheek.

"No prob." Lori told him. "So...when did Girl Jordan join your harem?"

Lincoln blushed. "She's not joining my harem." Lincoln protested. "B-But she kind of flirted with me yesterday..."

Lori grinned. "My little bro is practically swimming in it."

"That's what Luna said..." Lincoln muttered, clearly embarrassed.

"Look, if you want my advice, I think you should just embrace it." Lori told him. She had already decided that after all they had put him through, Lincoln deserved a harem if he wanted one. After all, it was clear that all of those girls had feelings for him. Hell, Becky had already started calling herself Becky Loud in her socials.

"But what if I'm not enough for them?" Lincoln asked and for the first time, Lori could see his fears and doubt rising to the surface.

"Listen to me, Lincoln. You've been helping me with our sisters for the past 3 years and quite frankly, you've done a better job at being the elder sibling that I have. You can do this." She told him.

Lincoln didn't look convinced and Lori got a sudden idea. She grabbed her phone and texted Lucy to come into Lincoln's room. After a moment, there was a knock on the door and Lori opened it. Without a word, the two sisters nodded towards each other and Lori left leaving Lucy alone with Lincoln.

XXXXX

Lucy had been sitting in her room watching as Lynn tried to beat her latest push up record with just one hand. She never ceased to be amazed by Lynn's physical prowess as the sporty brunette did her 500th push up. Lynn was currently dressed in her red shorts and her black sports bra since she didn't want her sweaty shirt to add any unnecessary weight. Her muscled back was already coated in a fine sheen of sweat and Lucy couldn't help but wonder if Lynn's sweat tasted salty or like protein shakes and meatballs?

As she pondered her question, Lucy received a text on her phone. She looked and saw that it was from Lori and she was making a request of her. Seeing that it was important, she quickly got off of her bed and made her way towards Lincoln's room.

"Where are you going?" Lynn asked mid push up.

"To encourage my big brother." Lucy said as she walked out of the door.

When Lucy knocked on Lincoln's door, she wasn't surprised to see Lori opening the door. The two sisters shared a look that spoke volumes and Lucy nodded towards her. And perhaps she had been reading too much of Lincoln's manga but as she passed her sister, Lucy could mentally see Lori tagging her in as she entered the room. It was a spiritual 'it's your turn now, sis' and it invigorated Lucy to do what she was about to do.

When the door closed behind her, Lucy walked up to Lincoln and she placed her hands on his cheeks. She looked up into his blue eyes and from their position, her bangs were parted enough that he could see her pale blue eyes.

"Ganbatte Kudasai, Oniichan." Lucy whispered to him before she leaned in and gave him her first kiss.

End of chapter.

AN: Ganbatte Kudasai for my non weeb fans means Please Do your best or Come on let's go. Basically it's Japanese for encouragement. Also yes, Lucy is a weeb in this story.