"Alright Johnny," Lincoln said into the walkie talkie. "We got this?"
"You know it brother," Johnny replied to Lincoln confidently while petting his dog Scooby.
"Shall we go over the plan again?" Lincoln asked.
"I got it but sure, just to hammer out the details," he responded.
"So tomorrow is gonna be the big RIP Midnight Marathon, we are gonna find a way to stay up and get to watch it," Lincoln proceeded to elaborate.
"Yep, this whole week we worked hard to get everything set up and ready for tonight," Johnny added on.
"Snacks, TV, pillows and blankets," Lincoln kept going.
"All the common comforts for a good evening in," Johnny said as he gave a thumbs up despite Lincoln not being there.
"And the biggest part of the plan is to make sure that dad is distracted and handled for the day," Lincoln concluded.
"I think the sisters have that down, especially if they fulfill their end of our deals," Johnny said.
The week prior Lincoln and Johnny were planning and prepping for the big night to have their movie marathon. Problem was that Lynn Sr had instituted a curfew and they needed to be in bed an hour after dinner. Lincoln slept in the basement while Johnny stayed in the attic. With a house full of ten girls space was limited and the boys needed their space. They didn't mind though as they loved living in the Loud House.
With planning and some help they were sure that they were able to pull it all off and get their dad to sleep so they could sneak out and watch the movie safely.
-The week prior-
"So you want us to help you get out of dad's birthday so you can watch a late night movie marathon?" Lori asked Lincoln and Johnny with a sense of disapproval in her voice.
"Come on Lori," Lincoln pleaded with the eldest Loud sister.
"This movie marathon is super important," Johnny added on.
"But we need to make sure we can prepare and have him tired out for the evening," Lincoln continued.
"Alright, I guess we can work something out. But you know dad really wants you boys to be part of it too. He thinks of you guys like his sons too," Lori told the boys.
"We know… but we aren't really his sons. It's not like he won't have all you girls to be there. We'll make it up to him later," Johnny tried to persuade her.
"Well… when you put it that way…," Lori contemplated the notion that they indeed were not blood. "Alright, I think me and the girls can help you pull this off. However, you two will need to help us out with a few things. And I mean all of us."
"No problem," Lincoln agreed to the terms.
"With pleasure," Johnny said as he reached out to shake Lori's hand, leading with a kiss upon it.
"You're lucky you two are so cute…" Lori said with a blush.
—
Lori strode across the grass making it to the next hole in the course. She was particularly happy for this practice session because she had herself two cute caddies to accompany her. Normally she would be toting her clubs and bag all across the course and be tired out along the way. While it was literally good conditioning she felt a bit more at ease knowing she didn't have to deal with the fatigue that came with carrying them.
Lincoln and Johnny got to know the struggle of that though as they carried the bag and supplies like water and snacks for Lori on the way. The weather was slightly warmer than usual but they knew it was worth it to get the chance to watch their marathon. The boys switched off every so often to give the other a break, dividing the effort of the bag's heft with that of the lighter bag that held other supplies.
"Well boys, how are you holding up?" Lori asked as she took a swig from the bottle of water Lincoln handed her.
"Never better," Lincoln said with sweat on his brow.
"Can do this all day," Johnny added.
The bag was beginning to wear on the boys if they were being honest. Sixteen holes even while switching off took its toll. They stuck it out though as the motivation of the movies proved a solid drive for them.
"Alright boys, this one is more of a challenging hole for me. I haven't been able to get better than four strokes here. So it may take a bit," Lori explained as she stretched a bit, bending back and forth before bending forward.
Johnny had a goofy grin over his face as he got a nice shot of Lori's backside. Lincoln however looked away as he was not so interested in the sisters and having a girlfriend already. They both agreed though that she was very pretty.
When Lori finished stretching, they were ready to continue on and tackle the next hole. Lori requested a club from the boys. They responded in kind and proceeded to grab a club from the bag handing it to their oldest sister. Lori took a breath as she grabbed the club and readied herself for the frustration that was sure to come.
Lining herself up she took her stance and adjusted her form. Taking in another breath she brought back the club and readied to take her stroke. With a swift swing Lori watched as the ball went off in a different direction than she intended to hit it.
While it flew off course from the intended direction she noticed it flew higher than it had gone before and over the tree line. She watched as the ball made its way the direction of the hole. Lori couldn't help but go and follow it into the direction that it was heading.
The ball gradually shifted in the air as Lori kept her eyes on it. Lincoln, Johnny, and Scooby watched with her in awe as the ball was making its way closer and closer to the green. The tension was high as they were anticipating where it would land.
They all witnessed as the ball hit the green and they rushed towards it with a run. The ball kept rolling, slowing down ever so slightly as it approached the hole. For a second the four stopped as the ball appeared at the edge of the hole.
Lori held her breath, anxious for what it would do next. The boys all watched in anticipation. With a slight breeze the ball was nudged into the hole granting Lori a hole in one.
"YEEEEEESSSS!" Lori exclaimed, not caring for the golfer etiquette of silence.
The boys also burst into cheers, Scooby jumping around them in their excitement.
"I literally can't believe I pulled that off. I…," Lori stopped mid sentence as she looked down at her club.
"What's the matter?" Lincoln asked Lori.
"The club I used. It isn't the one I requested when I tee'd off," Lori explained as she clutched the club in hand.
Lincoln, Johnny, and Scooby took a closer look at the club and realized she was right. The three knew a little about golf and its mechanics through Lori, so they understood enough that the type of club affected the swing.
"Man, sorry about that Lori," Johnny apologized. "I guess I made a mistake grabbing the club. Even with Lincoln it's been exhausting lugging all the stuff."
"Yeah. We should have been paying better attention," Lincoln added on.
"Ruh roh," said Scooby before cowering knowing Lori's anger.
"Boys! It's literally fine," Lori reassured them. "I was able to get a hole in one when I never could do that on this hole before. It may have been by chance but I am so happy to have gotten to experience that rush."
Lori went to the boys and gave Johnny a kiss on the lips, Lincoln a big hug, and Scooby a good scratch behind the ear. The boys, content with their gift of affection, felt the strength to keep themselves moving and supporting their sister.
—
With Lori helped out and on board with the plan, the boys moved onto their next sister to be convinced to help. Leni asked for something less physically intense than Lori, but it was still something the boys needed to muster up courage to get through.
Modeling…
Leni was a crafty girl with clothes. She came a long way from making her clothes into all sorts of weird styles to being a very accomplished seamstress. Being into fashion though she needed models, and that's where Lincoln and Johnny came in with Scooby's assistance.
"OMGosh you guys, I am so happy you can help me with this line of clothes. They were so tricky without having people to put it on. Mannequins can't get all the right parts to support where I need to work," Leni explained.
"No problem Leni," Lincoln said.
"Happy to help, but you will be able to help us get to see that marathon right?" Johnny asked.
"Totes. We'll miss you at dad's party but I can see where you are coming from," Leni replied with a little bit of concern in her voice.
The boys felt her words sink in. They felt bad at the moment but the promise of the marathon kept to the forefront of their mind. They needed to just get through this and it would be worth it.
As they kept the marathon in mind the two stood still, arms up and posing for Leni as she measured and worked her magic. Her fashionista skills were impressive as she measured, trimmed, stitched, and pinned the fabric draped around the boys. The poses the boys had to keep were tiring for sure, having their arms up, but they were able to keep it going given their motivation.
Johnny had a little more challenge with the pose as Leni got close to him. His infatuation with her made each time she got into his personal space a greater challenge to keep his composure. Her touch, scent, and overall presence made his heart race as she did her work.
Bit by bit the two watched as their attire was shaping up into the finished product. They glanced to the sides at one another through their peripheral vision. The brothers had to admit that the other was looking quite dashing in their outfits. They couldn't wait to see the final outfits.
Every so often a little flash went off as Scooby held a camera in his paws and took a picture of the three in the process. Leni was a savant with fashion but she enjoyed seeing how the process was going. With each click, the steps that were taken. To make the boys look dapper were being documented.
"Almost…," Leni said, completely concentrating on her work.
Lincoln and Johnny steeled themselves as they watched Leni go back and forth between them. They left her brushing against them as she did her final touches. Some of those happened to be against their ticklish spots as they kept their resolve and not burst into laughter.
"And VIOLA!" Leni exclaimed.
"Actually Leni, I think it's pronounced 'voila'," Lincoln said, helping his sister.
"That can't be right. That's the instrument, silly," Leni playfully "corrected" her brother.
The two looked at one another with a smirk and just rolled with Leni's ways.
Finally able to move the two lowered their arms and stepped down from their stools that elevated them. Able to look in the mirror now the boys saw the masterful work of their older sister.
Lincoln was sporting a black tuxedo with a white undershirt and gray bow tie, while Johnny was donning one that was the opposite color scheme with a white suit, black undershirt and similar gray necktie. They complimented one another on how well they pulled their outfits off and how good they looked. Scooby kept taking photos as the boys could now move freely.
"Wow Leni, amazing job!" Lincoln exclaimed in excitement.
"Yeah, you got that magic touch," Johnny added on.
"Thanks guys, that's so totes nice!" Leni happily replied as she bounced in place. "But you know what? Seemed my touch did something else too."
In an instant Leni snuck up on Johnny and began tickling him. The young boy burst into laughter as he felt Leni giggling while running her fingers up and down his body. He fell to the ground as his body moved uncontrollably in a fit of laughter.
Lincoln and Scooby stood off to the side, enjoying the show as their brother was being playfully attacked. More pictures were being taken as the two giggled. Leni even threw a couple of kisses into her attack.
Eventually the tickles died down and the two got up, but not before Leni gave him a few more pecks on the face.
"That was totes fun guys, and you look so good. Hope you two can be my models again. And I'll be sure to do my part for you and dad's birthday," Leni told them.
"Yeah," Johnny huffed as he caught his breath. "Tons of fun."
"Always happy to help Leni," Lincoln replied
"Rets get a rood rot," Scooby said as he took a shot of the three laughing and smiling.
—
Next on the list of sisters was Luna. Her bandmates all were too busy to practice that week but she needed to keep herself sharp and play. She could have been solo but she felt a need to play with others.
Johnny played on the guitar accompanying Luna's rhythm, Lincoln played on the bass, and Scooby played on the drums. The four tuned up and got in sync with one another as they helped Luna with her pitch and let her try out a few new songs she was working on.
After a while of playing the boys felt their fingers getting tired, but it was worth it to make their sister happy, have a chance for their plan to work out, and have fun while playing. The harmony they all had was definitely a plus as they melded into the music as Luna played them. Her voice weaving the tales she had with rhythm and notes.
"Rock on bros!" Luna explained as she finished another song in the set. "Okay last one guys. And don't worry it's a slow song."
The musical sister winked at Johnny causing the boy to blush. A strum of her guitar signaled the boys for the last song in her set. They weren't experts but they could play along and matched Luna in tune rather well.
Luna began to sing as her melodic voice stringed together the words that began to form what sounded like a love song. Her heart was in her words as they filled the garage and filled the boy's ears. Lincoln and Johnny felt their heart lift with love as her lyrics painted a beautiful story of her longing.
As the song went on it began to feel more directed at Johnny as the words fit him more and more in description. From looks, to his actions, to their history together, Luna expressed her feelings to him all through the song. Johnny felt a heat in his face as he blushed, trying to concentrate on the song but nearly losing himself to the words meant for him.
Finally the song ended and the chords rang out with their final notes leading to silence. Yet the feelings of the song reverberated in their hearts. Even though the song wasn't meant for him he still felt a joy to know how much his brother was loved in that moment.
"Thanks dudes. I really needed that sesh," Luna expressed her gratitude to the three as she turned to them. "Just one more thing to round out such a jam."
Grabbing Johnny, Luna pulled him in for a big kiss. Johnny was caught off guard but welcomed the affection. Lincoln and Scooby blushed and giggled as they saw their bro receive such a gracious "thank you". It heated up more when her tongue slipped inside his mouth and tangled with his tongue as well. The kiss lasted for a quick minute before she separated from him.
"That's the stuff. Helps keep the tongue loosened up and soothes the throat. Again dudes, super appreciate it. And yeah I will help ya with dad's birthday don't worry," Luna expressed
The boys high-five one another, happy to know they would be able to pull off their plan.
—
Luan was gearing up for a stand up night with new material. She knew she was going to make the audience laugh but she knew as a performer she needed to rehearse. Lucky for her the boys were more than happy to lend her an ear for her comical act with her help in their plans.
Looking over her material, she arranged her notes and card in the order that she believed worked the best. In front of her small audience she performed her act. The three listened intently as Luan made joke after joke. Some of her jokes were killer, leaving them in stitches as she made them laugh hard. Other times she fell a little flat.
At those moments they would work out what could be funnier. Lincoln and Johnny provided some good notes and got her jokes to hit more effectively. Overall the brainstorming session when they could help was a lot of fun as they laughed together at some of the quips and punchlines that they gave her.
"Hahahaha! That was great guys! You really were the best audience," Luan said with great appreciation as she flipped through her notes with new material added.
"No problem Luan," the boys said together.
Luan went to Scooby and gave him a scratch behind the ear. For Lincoln she gave him a hug. Johnny however she approached with a nervous energy which they had only just seen. In a quick moment Luan went in to kiss Johnny's cheek with a sudden smooch.
Johnny blushed as much as Luan with Lincoln and Scooby again witnessing an exchange of affection between the sisters and Johnny. The boys left Luan's room and went on their way.
—
The boys were drenched with sweat and their clothes dirty with grass and mud. They were spending the afternoon with Lynn who wanted to practice football drills with the boys. Scooby gave them encouragement as he cheered for them on the field. That didn't help the boys so much as Lynn was a beast.
She was faster and stronger then they were, making it easy for her to tackle and intercept the ball. The boys would run around the field, passing the ball back and forth to one another trying to be elusive for Lynn as she practiced her quick changes in movement. Luckily Lynn was just as agile as she was strong. Still, the duo kept her on her toes when working together.
Her tackles were relentless. It seemed if one of the boys held onto the ball for more than a few seconds they would get brought to the ground. Lincoln was hit and felt himself fall to the ground only to be brought back up by Lynn.
"That was a lot better, Stinkcoln. You managed to last a lot longer than the other times I tackled you," she said as she lifted him off the ground with little effort.
When she tackled Johnny though she would give him the usual pep talk but also she seemed more affectionate than with Lincoln. Johnny noticed that Lynn would linger a little longer on him than she did with Lincoln. Even so much so that she seemed to nuzzle him affectionately if she hit the tackle right. She even managed to sneak in a few kisses here and there as she got up.
"Good catch Johnny. Way to be evasive but I'm just better," she said with a playful pat on his backside.
The practice went on until sundown as they were tired, sweaty and a little bruised after all of the training. Lynn was more enthusiastic than ever as she was pumping with adrenaline after such a good time.
"WOO! Now that was a good practice. Alright boys, I will help with your little plan," Lynn said happily as she took a swig of her sports drink.
—
Lucy was less intense physically. Yet the boys made sure they were still working hard to help her with her task. The younger sister was composing a poem and wanted them to help her get the words just right.
They flipped through the thesaurus as they found the synonyms that fit most properly to make the poem flow. Composing it took care and insight as Lucy's emotions and feelings were put down on the page.
The flow between the four was smooth as Lucy mentioned what word she wanted and the two would flip through and find knew that would rhyme the best. Lucy was well versed with her words, so having the boys assist her seemed a little odd. Yet she insisted saying it was a special project she needed help with.
So Lincoln, Johnny, and Scoob put their minds together and made their effort. As time went on they felt their own creativity flow as they made their own additions and suggestions which impressed even the young writer.
Finally after editing numerous times and a few moments of playful arguing about what fit the best, the three listened as Lucy read aloud her poem. Lucy requested that she sat next to Johnny as she read off her poems. The words flowed and she expressed a piece of herself through it. With each word she uttered, Johnny felt his heart fill with love.
Lucy made a love poem for Johnny. Lincoln had a feeling that's what was happening knowing what she felt for Johnny. She was hard to read but he had an inkling for her true emotions too.
The people ended and both Johnny and Lucy were blushing. Lincoln was as well via proxy as Scoob was wagging his tail. The love was strong in the room. They sat and continued to listen to the young goth girl keep expressing her feelings for her adoptive brother.
—
The rest of the sisters were pretty simple in terms of how to handle their tasks. Lincoln, Johnny, and Scooby had a good flow with how to handle and what to expect at the end of their time together. Each time it was just as rewarding as the previous times.
The next lady to help was Lana. Her project of choice was to fix up Vanzilla. The boys were not so savvy when it came to auto mechanics. However that didn't stop them from being an extra hand for her.
Lana was a savant at fixing up the van after having shown an interest in the vehicle with the help of their dad. She instructed the guys on which tools she needed and in some cases instructed them on what parts they could work on. It was messy work but she instructed them and they gradually learned little bits about how to take care of the van.
When they finished the final touches on the van it sounded like it usually did. Not perfect as it was far from it, but it was still able to run. As the boys high fived for a job well done, Lana pounced on Johnny like a puppy and knocked him to the ground. With him on his back Johnny received a kiss on the lips from the young tom boy.
Lola was next on their list with something a little cleaner than Lana's task. They helped prepare her for her next pageant. They made sure to get her new make up, moisturizers, her dress from the cleaners, and special teas for her voice. Scooby could only do so much but he stuck by her side and brushed her hair. Getting her supplies allowed her to rest and avoid the stress of finding her stuff. In that time she was able to even practice a few new parts to her pageant performance and refined a few moves that she was struggling on.
Following suit like many of the other sisters Lola had granted her gratitude in the form of affection. Lincoln received a big hug from her with the thanks given in the form of his cutesy nickname "Linky". Scooby was given a hearty belly rub which made his leg move. Lastly was Johnny who was given a little extra affection.
Leaping into his arms he caught her in his reaction and cradled her. In position she grabbed his face and pulled him in for a kiss. Their lips made contact and the quick peck made the two youths blush and smile. Another sister agreed to help make their night to watch the film happen.
Lisa was a rather predictable one if not a little frightening on what they had to do. Her task so that she may join in on their plans was to have the boys serve as her lab rats. It was not an uncommon act for Lisa to use her siblings as test subjects on her new and unpredictable inventions. Often it was a reluctant affair for any sibling to partake in such experiments.
This time though with their night on the line the boys were more than happy to help her out and be a part of whatever experiment she had laid out for them. With beakers and vials at the ready, Lisa had the boys all partake in some kind of new chemical concoction she had whipped up. The way they reacted would provide her some valuable data for her research for both human and canine kind.
Lincoln, Johnny, and Scooby steeled themselves as they were fearful of the possible reactions. Given their track records it was likely that all sorts of side effects could hit them. Being given their samples, Lisa was ready with pad and paper along with recording devices to capture the reactions. It was all for a good cause the boys kept telling themselves.
After many sips later, the boys felt woozy and had foggy minds. More time passed than expected as the three lost track with how they were affected by the chemicals they were exposed to. Lisa told them they had done well at providing her the insight she needed to see her experiment through. The boys could have watched the tapes to see what happened clearly, but they didn't want to relive the trauma.
Another sister down and they were rewarded with the promise of her help. Once again, Lisa seemed to want to give Johnny a special reward for all their help. A kiss was delivered on his lips by the scientifically included girl who claimed it was needed for more data on a personal experiment she was conducting.
Last was Lily, the youngest of the group. After the events of Lisa's experiments this was a much more manageable endeavor. Coloring was a simple task but it was what she requested as she wanted to spend time with her older brothers and Scoob.
The four spent their time drawing and coloring whatever came to their mind. Lily made all sorts of images and designs that ranged from the abstract to minimalist. Lincoln was pretty well versed in art so his pieces stood out a bit more.
"Johnny," Lily said, speaking up.
Johnny looked at the little girl and gave her his attention.
"Lily made for you," she exclaimed as she handed Johnny a piece of paper she had been coloring on
She showed off her little picture to Johnny which depicted a simple little doodle of herself and what appeared to be Johnny. Johnny began to blush as the art piece left him with a warm feeling inside.
He picked up Lily for a big hug and thanked her for the picture. Lily made a kissy face at him and he gave her a chaste little peck on the lips. With her, all the Loud sisters were on board for the boys' plan to make their movie night go off without a hitch.
—
The night finally came. The boys were victorious with pulling off faking an illness to get out of dinner with their family. The sisters all played their parts in making sure the boys were set up for their night while also spinning the narrative that they were too sick to be seen by Rita and Lynn Sr.
Their father was a little more persistent to see them as he wanted to see his boys at least once that day. However the girls made sure to run interference and emphasize that they were contagious and would jeopardize the big plans for the night. Reluctantly, Lynn Sr. gave up on seeing the boys and went about his day.
When it was finally time for the family to head out it was the boys' turn to set up and be ready. Snacks, drinks, comforts and all, they were all ready to enjoy a bit of time on their own enjoying the long awaited and well deserved rewards.
"Man I can't believe we pulled that off," Lincoln said to his brother.
"I know right!?" Johnny exclaimed in return as he grabbed a snack from the pile that laid on the table in front of them.
"With all the planning we did to make this happen it will be all the sweeter to see this marathon," Lincoln said as he laid back on the couch.
"Roo red it," chimed in Scooby.
The boys bided their time until the movie started talking about the week and all they did to make this night happen. They went over each sister and how much fun it was to spend that time together. How much they appreciated their efforts and presence to help with their hobbies.
A warm feeling took hold as their sister's smiles came to memory. Especially so with Johnny as he was happy to recall all the kisses each sister gave him. Those sweet memories however turned a little sour when they began to think a little more deeply about that time spent.
They had spent all that time with their family. Every moment they shared with them brought a sense of joy, even if some of them had been a bit of a challenge to pull off. The three were appreciated for what they did for the others and it was rewarded not only with their help, but also their love.
Then it hit them how much that feeling must have been with their dad. Lynn Sr. may not have been their biological father but he cared for them all this time as if they were. He sounded rather sad when he heard they were sick and was concerned about the boys. They even caught word that he was almost about to cancel their reservation with the boys unable to attend. The girls convinced him otherwise, but the gesture was still an act that showed his care for them.
Coming to the realization that they were indeed family no matter what struck them and made them realize the error that they made. Seeing this movie was important to them, but it shouldn't come at the price of time with their family. Together, Lincoln, Johnny, and Scooby decided to make their own sacrifice and forgo the marathon. They set a tape to record it, and while not the same as watching it live, it was of greater importance to be there for their dad's special day.
In a flash the three cleaned themselves up, gathered their snacks they knew Lynn Sr. liked the most, and set out to the restaurant. It was a bit of a ride to get there, but with determination they made their way and got there in time before the family finished their dinner.
Sneaking around, they wanted to make their presence a surprise. Waiting to hop in at the birthday song, the boys listened in as Lynn began to talk,
"Girls, this was a great birthday. Wish the boys were here though. They may have been adopted into our family, but I always considered them real Louds," he said as he sighed.
It tugged at the boy's heartstrings as they heard their father's words. Soon enough though they got their cue to move in as they saw a small group of waiters come out with the cake and began singing in a French Spanish fusion of the Happy Birthday song.
Waiting for the end of the song, the boys were primed and ready to move in. When Lynn Sr. blew out his candles, the boys sprang out and gave their dad a great big hug. In the embrace Lynn Sr. was amazed to see the boys as were the ladies.
"What the ding dang doing? I thought you boys were sick?" Lynn Sr. asked.
"Actually…," Lincoln began.
"We were just hanging back to get a little something ready for you at home," Johnny chimed in as he played off their plan to enhance their dad's day.
The boys looked at the girls and gave a wink and nod to allow them to play along. They caught on to the lie and rolled with it, saying they were in on it too, a half truth as it was. It was too sweet of a moment to say the truth, wanting to preserve the sweetness of the gesture.
What mattered the most right now was that the boys were there. They were in their place with the family and were not going to squander that on some movie. It was too important to be there for those that cared about them. Lincoln, Johnny, and Scooby wanted nothing more than to enjoy their time together with those they loved and loved them in return.