Welcome, one and all, to my first crossover between The Loud House and the Marvel Comics Universe! I should probably warn you that these first few chapters are gonna tug at the heartstrings, because I got some inspiration from UnderratedHero's story Requiem for a Loud. Only this time, it's Leni who has the tumors in her head rather than Lincoln. Don't worry, I promise she's not gonna die. She does give up all hope and goes into depression, though. On that note, let's begin!
Chapter 1
For most of her life, Leni Loud was considered to be a textbook definition of a ditzy blond. The signs of her cognitive ineptitude began to appear soon after she turned six years old, and the family pediatrician diagnosed her with a simple learning disability, to the relief of Leni's parents.
They wouldn't find out how wrong they were until several years later.
...
For Leni, the day began just like they had for almost a week: with a dull headache just strong enough to make her temples throb. This headache was made worse by the annoying beeps produced by her and Lori's shared alarm clock. Lifting the pink satin sleep mask away from her bleary eyes, Leni rolled over with a grunt and slapped the snooze button. With the alarm silenced for a moment, she flopped back against her pillow and took the precious time to organize her thoughts. This headache that she'd had for so long was starting to bother her, and she considered telling her parents about it, or even her brainiac sister Lisa. Then again, after seeing how she and her sisters had treated Lincoln when he got a papercut (A/N: see the episode Heavy Meddle), her whole family might make a huge fuss over nothing.
With a heavy groan, Leni got to her feet and turned off the alarm properly. She stretched and yawned, wondering (not for the first time) how it was that Lori didn't even need the alarm to get up on time. What would really help this headache was a nice hot cup of coffee, preferably with lots of milk and a hint of vanilla. Actually, better make that chocolate. Leni exited her bedroom, nearly running face-first into the door frame (again). She walked downstairs to the kitchen, wished her siblings and parents a good morning, and poured herself a cup of coffee from the pot on the counter, making sure to leave room in the mug for two spoonfuls of dry hot chocolate mix and some milk. It was summer vacation, so Leni didn't have to worry about being late for school. What she did have to worry about, though, was being late for her job, so after drinking her coffee and eating a bagel slathered with orange marmalade, she went back upstairs, showered, dressed in her usual pale green dress and white sunglasses, grabbed her purse, and began the fifteen-minute walk to the Royal Woods Mall.
The clothing store where she worked, as well as numerous other departments, was having a huge sale, so this morning the mall was particularly crowded with people impatiently waiting for the stores to open. The general hubbub made her headache spike, so she dug in her purse for a second and popped an Aspirin into her mouth, swallowing it with a swig from a plastic water bottle. She kept walking after taking the medicine, but didn't look where she was going and crashed into someone who was making their way toward the mall's exit. She and the stranger, a slightly unkempt man with messy black hair, a face with three days' worth of stubble, and a zippered black hoodie over a stained T-shirt and jeans, both fell to the floor after colliding, the contents of Leni's still-open purse scattering across the floor.
"Oops! I'm sorry, ma'am, I didn't see you there," the man apologized and started gathering Leni's belongings. It took Leni a few moments to process what had just happened due to her pounding skull, so before she knew it, the man had placed her purse back in her hands and helped her to her feet.
"Thanks, mister, umm..." she began, not knowing his name.
"Eddie. Eddie Brock. And you are?" he asked and held out his hand.
"I'm Leni. Leni Loud. Nice to meet you, Eddie," she said and shook Eddie's hand with a sweet smile. Eddie suddenly grimaced and looked away.
"Shut up! She's too young for me, and you know it!" he snarled under his breath. Leni didn't question this; after all, she and a few of her siblings were known to speak to themselves occasionally, too.
'Well, I'd like to stay and talk, Eddie, but I don't wanna be late for work. See you later!" Leni rushed to the store where she worked, where her boss, Mrs. Carmichael, had just unlocked the doors. "Sorry I'm late, ma'am," Leni apologized.
"Nonsense, my dear; you're actually right on time. Can you start stocking the shelves?" Mrs. Carmichael asked.
"Yes, ma'am." Leni went to the room in the back where they stored the inventory, took a utility knife from a peg on the wall, and cut open one of the many boxes. The store had been very nearly depleted the previous day due to the sale, so there was a lot of restocking to do. Fortunately, Leni had her coworkers Miguel and Fiona, who arrived shortly after she did, to help her. Today was different, however; Leni found herself running out of breath more easily, and at one point she became so lightheaded that her vision filled with spots. Deciding that right about then was a good time to take a breather, she all but collapsed into one of the plush chairs in the break room. Naturally, this had her boss and coworkers concerned. They asked if she was alright, and she assured them that she was while sipping at the Gatorade given to her by Miguel.
Fiona stayed with her in the break room until Leni thought she was ready to get back to work. The moment Leni stood up, though, she was hit so hard by a wave of dizziness that she immediately fell to the ground, her vision gray at the edges and her ears ringing. She faintly heard Fiona screaming for someone to call an ambulance, then everything went black.
...
When Leni woke up, she was lying flat on her back in a hospital bed, wearing a hideous blue gown with an IV in her left arm and a heart monitor attached to her chest under the gown. She looked to one side and saw her parents talking to a male doctor wearing a long white coat and holding a clipboard not unlike the one Leni used to take inventory at her job. Something the doctor said must have made them very upset, as her father was doing his best to act tough while hugging her mother, who was sobbing hard into his chest.
"M-mom?" she asked, her voice sounding hoarse and alien to her own ears. All three adults directed their attention at her.
"OH, MY BABY!" Rita wailed and ran to Leni's bedside. She pulled Leni upright into a firm embrace, still sobbing.
"Mom, what's the matter? Why are you crying?" Leni asked. All three adult fell silent before the doctor spoke up.
"Leni, my name is Dr. Kellogg. How are you feeling?"
"My head hurts a little, and Mom's hugging too tight, but other than that I'm okay," Leni replied.
"I see. And how long have you had this headache?"
"Almost a week. Why?" The doctor sighed.
"I was afraid you'd ask that. Leni, I have some bad news. After conducting several tests, I've come to the conclusion that you have no less than six advanced tumors on the inside of your skull. I estimate that you have two weeks to live."
Yes, that's Kellogg as in "Kellogg's Cereal." One of the founders of that company actually was a doctor.
