AN: Looks like this'll be a three-part thing. We'll see if I can write the third part before I have to start prepping for finals.
Doomharvester1: Thank you. This mini-arc should be over with relatively soon. But after that, yeah. We'll see how long it takes for me to get inspired to write more. Hopefully it's not too long, I enjoy writing this story.
Mark the Mark: Normal is relative. Lincoln's sisters would probably dispute that.
ReadersCantRead: It was an apology insofar as I know what its like to enjoy a story, and want to get more of it, and not get it for whatever reason. I like that you guys enjoy my stuff, and I wish I could give you more of it. But life comes first, and obviously, I'm not going to apologize for that. Glad you're enjoying my stories though, I hope I'll have more for you guys sooner than later.
After several minutes of intensely watching tv, Lincoln was finally ably to breathe a small sigh of relief. Admittedly, the fight between Luan and Maggie hadn't gotten anywhere near being remotely dangerous for either girl. Both girls were capable fighters, something Lincoln had witnessed first-hand. And yet, despite this, the "brawl", such as it was, never rose beyond the level of a schoolyard scuffle. Faces were slapped, hair was pulled, noogies had been employed by both sides and once when she'd gained the upper hand, Luan had even employed the dreaded wet willie on her hapless opponent. Lincoln wasn't complaining, obviously, because as goofy as the fight had played out, these fighting techniques, strange as they were, had the extremely desirable benefit of ensuring that little to no actual damage was done to either girl, or the city for that matter. And yet, still he sat there, fretting, because he knew that with the temperaments of these particular combatants, things could quickly escalate to energy blasts and elaborate finishing moves at any point. So it incredibly relieving to the boy when the brunette finally managed to get her arms around the raven-haired girl, and pin her to the ground, with little damage to either girl beyond their pride. It was...somewhat surprising that merely immobilizing Maggie seemed sufficient to end the fight, but mere moments after Luan established the pin, the black-clad girl exploded into a puff of ebony smoke, and when the dust cleared she seemed nowhere to be found. It wasn't a particularly exciting fight, but Lincoln was grateful all the same.
"Alright, that's a wrap," Lori announced as she climbed to her feet. "Let's go, little bro. You got to watch the fight, so now we've got to get you back into bed."
"Come on, Lori," Lincoln pleaded, trying to split his attention between the eldest sister, and the digital image of Luan doing an enthusiastic victory dance amidst the slightly-worn cityscape. "Just a little longer? I've been cooped up in my room for days!"
"Yeah, well, you're lucky that's all you've had to deal with," She said, shaking her head in a firm refusal. "Lisa was horrified when the girls brought you home with your arm all torn up. She wanted you to have a full-blown hospital visit. It was a miracle we were able to talk her down to patching you up as best she could, and keeping quiet about just how bad you were before she got through with you. Mom and dad would have freaked."
Even more so if they'd seen him before his regenerative factor healed the worst of the damage. Intoned a familiar voice directly into the siblings' heads. Academically, it's quite fascinating that Lincoln survived the ordeal at all, but I would strongly advise against such recklessness in the future.
"And...on that note," Lori added, her eyes narrowing. "You never got around to explaining how the heck you ended up that way in the first place."
He, against my recommendation, mind you—
"Seven, activate sleep mode," Lincoln muttered quickly.
Zzzzzzzzzzzzzz
"This isn't over, you know," Lori said dryly, as the voice in their minds gradually softened, until it had faded away entirely. "But we don't have time to hash it out now, because I've got to get you back to your room before the rest of the family gets back from the shelter. So…UP YOU GO!"
Suddenly, Lori lunged forward, and scooped Lincoln up off the couch. The next thing he knew, the boy was lying in her arms, with the older girl smiling smugly down at him.
"Lori!" He protested, struggling against her iron grip. "Knock it off! My legs are working just fine!"
"This way's faster," She replied, sticking her tongue out at him. And as if to prove it, she leaped over the couch and immediately proceeded to the stairs, her long legs effortlessly propelling her up multiple steps at a time.
"I don't know why you're even complaining," She added, glancing down at the boy. "I used to carry you around like this all the time."
"Y-yeah, but that was different," Lincoln said. Acutely aware of how close he was to his sister's bosom, he turned his head slightly, trying to fight off the slight flush of embarrassment that threatened to creep onto his face. "We were younger. A-and we didn't...well, you know."
"Do stuff like this?" Lori asked innocently, as she came to a stop as the door to Lincoln's room. Before the younger Loud could offer any kind of response, her head darted downward and she captured the boy's lips with her own. She'd intended the kiss to be quick and playful, but something about the way Lincoln froze up as the contact was made irked her. It was, presumably, sheer shock at the suddenness of it all. Instinctive, and not any sort of conscious rejection of her affections, but nevertheless, she held on, intent on receiving a proper response. Several, agonizingly long moments dragged on, with Lincoln laying there in her arms like a fish. But then, just as she was about to give up, and make her frustrations clear, he tentatively reached up, placed his hands upon her face, and gave her exactly the kind of response she'd expected.
And then some.
Lori had never been especially happy at having to share Lincoln with anyone beyond Leni. The eldest of her younger sisters held a special place in Lori's heart, so akin to what she felt for Lincoln that she literally could not imagine having one without the other, but that was where she'd initially drawn the line. She'd only grudgingly agreed to share the boy with their other sisters because she empathized with what they'd gone through to conceal those feelings they'd held for their brother, that no one outside their group could possibly understand. And, strictly speaking, it really wasn't that far off from their existing sibling dynamic. The Loud girls had always dearly loved their only brother, and Lincoln had clearly reciprocated those feelings. The only real difference with how things played out with the older girls now, was that things tended to get a little more...physical, in ways that society would frown upon. Adding Sam, and now Maggie into the equation had not been a part of that original plan, and though they'd all worked out a fairly functional system of making sure that Lincoln Time was spread fairly evenly among the girls, Lori had never been on board with the outsider girls bogarting any portion of her little brother's affections.
Those feelings had still not changed. But...now, as she held her beloved brother, experiencing his skillful and tender ministrations, she had to admit that there was, perhaps, some merit to affording the boy with ample opportunities to practice the art of pleasing a woman. Naturally, she would have preferred to be the one to give him those opportunities herself, but...it was hard to argue with the results.
Lincoln applied an expert flick of his tongue against Lori's, and immediately her brain turned into something akin to pudding, all conscious thought ceasing as her mind shut down all sectors that were unnecessary for enjoying this session of tender, sibling bonding. And so pleasurable was the experience, that Lori would have been more than content to simply stand there, enjoying this bit of her brother's time that she'd stolen, just for herself.
And she may have done exactly that. Were it not for the sudden pain of something hard and solid crashing into the top of her head.
"Ow!" She yelped, immediately putting an end to the festivities. Noting, with much annoyance, that Lincoln's hand had been creeping up her shirt. Meaning that the interruption had come just before things were about to get good. She swung her head up, fully intent on venting her fury on whatever had dared to interrupt her special fun time—
—only to just barely avoid beaning herself on the top of Lincoln's door frame. Which...was definitely unusual. Because even as the tallest of her siblings, Lori was used to having plenty of headroom when she popped in to visit her little bro. Naturally, it was at this point, that the eldest Loud girl noticed the telltale trails of sparks that were running up and down her arms.
"Wow," She chuckled, beaming down in amusement at the pale-haired boy, who now looked even tinier in her arms. "Really, Linky?"
"S-sorry," He stammered, his skin flushing several shades darker. "It was just...really good, and I kinda—"
"Lincoln, it's fine," She giggled, planting an affectionate kiss on his cheek. "I was just surprised. You already had to change Leni and Luan. And apparently, you still had enough left for...well, not-so little old me."
Lori ducked down as much as she could without dropping her brother, barely managing to clear the doorway as she proceeded into Lincoln's room.
"What am I? Ssssseven feet? Give or take?"
"L-looks that way," Lincoln replied, nodding.
"Wow," said Lori, playfully batting her eyes at the younger boy. "You must really like me."
She'd meant it as a joke. There were two things that were readily ascertainable about Lincoln Loud to even the least perceptive person. The first was his striking white hair, and the second was the unconditional love and adoration he held for his siblings, even though it manifested a little more...palpably, for some than for others. So she was quite taken aback when her brother's expression suddenly turned serious.
"Of course, Lori," He said, softly, looking her straight in the eyes. "I...I love you."
And now it was Lori on the back foot. Nearly twice the boy's size, more than capable of snapping his tiny body like a twig, and it was she who was at a loss for words. Stunned, by that frank, and honest admission. It was...wonderful, and infuriating, and...so very, very...problematic. Because Lincoln's bed was right there, and at her current size it would be so easy to just throw him down, and show him exactly how she felt in return.
But...she couldn't, of course. He was hurt, and as fun, as it would be to play doctor with her little bro, she couldn't guarantee that in her current state, she wouldn't end up making his condition worse.
And besides that, their time together was so very, very fleeting. What a pity.
"Well...good." She said, struggling to find words that would be more satisfactory. Not finding any, she lifted Lincoln up, and kissed him again. Unlike her previous display of affection, this was quick and impactful. A moment on the lips, and then release, both of them more than a little breathless as she pulled away.
"I love you too," She affirmed. But from how wide her brother's eyes were, and the cute little "O" shape his mouth was frozen in, she was reasonably certain he'd gotten the message.
"Now," She continued, clearing her throat, hoping she sounded more authoritative than she felt. "You're going to lay here and rest a bit."
She leaned down, and gently place Lincoln on the bed. She placed one hand upon his chest, allowing herself one last, fleeting moment of contact before she mustered her strength and pulled away.
"You're not staying?"
The words, innocently spoken as they were, gave Lori another moment of pause. Another moment of weakness.
"I...can't," She said, firmly, as much to herself as to her brother. She drew herself up to her full height, and gestured at her abnormally large body, particularly at the tears that had formed as her clothes struggled to contain her expanded frame.
"If mom and dad see me like this, they're going to have questions," She clarified, snorting at her mental image of how that conversation might go. "Think I'm gonna hole up in my room and wait for this to wear off."
"Besides," She added, "You're going to need all the rest you can get."
"...Why's that?" Lincoln asked, his eyes narrowing in suspicion.
Lori sighed for dramatic effect. "Well, little brother. As you've already noted, you've been cooped up in here to recover for days now. But what you probably failed to take into account, is that you've been missed. Badly."
"Ooooh," Said Lincoln, eyes widening in realization. "So…"
"Yup. It took some doing, but we managed to work out a fair-ish schedule. So you're going to sit there while the girls take turns catching up with you."
"Ah," Lincoln replied, staring blankly at the ceiling. "I...probably should have gotten more sleep then."
"Relax," Lori said, chuckling. "We're keeping it low-key. Mom and dad are going to be around, after all. But...just in case, make sure you keep your phone handy. I'll be right down the hall, so if things get out of hand, give me a call and I'll come and bust some heads."
"...thanks...Lori," Lincoln murmured, as he settled back into his pillows and closed his eyes.
The older girl stood there for a bit, carefully watching her brother, paying special attention to the rising and falling of his chest. When she felt satisfied that he was merely dozing, with nothing more serious going on, she turned around and started to tip-toe her way out of the room.
"Hey, Lori?"
At the sound of Lincoln's voice, Lori stopped and glanced over her shoulder.
"So, when you decided to stay home with me. Was...that…?"
"Obviously," She replied, turning back to the boy and favoring him with a wink. "It's one of the perks of being the big sister. I get to go first."
"...Cool," He said, closing his eyes. "Thanks, Lori. I'm glad you stuck around."
"...Me too, little bro."
And with that, Lori gently pulled the door shut behind her and made her way back to her room.