Happy eight anniversary of The Loud House! To celebrate I've decided to kick off a new story, bigger and better than anything I've done before! This story will be composed of episode's taking place from seasons one through four, along with the first season of the Casagrandes. I'd like to thank Your Saving Grace is Here and Albertson for the invaluable advice they gave me for writing this up and Delquea for taking time out of her day to peer review this.
With that out of the way, so begins Red and Orange.
Disclaimer: Any and all characters used in this story are not of my own creation, they are owned and created by Nickoldean Studios. Any and all episodes used are not owned by me, they are owned and created by Nickoldean Studios.
It was a cold, blustery February morning when Lincoln went outside to check the mail. Upon stepping outside a draft of wind drained the warmth from his exposed skin. He shivered for a moment becoming accustomed to the chill before taking the trip across the messy lawn.
He got to the mailbox, an old fashioned one with a white body and a raised red flag. He flipped the flag down and opened the lid to grab its contents. He pulled it out and began sifting through it; more bills, college advertisements probably for Lori, handwritten letters from Lucy's friends, new teen magazines for Leni.
A simple piece of sheet paper folded in half placed at the back of the box caught his attention. He put the other pieces of mail in the crook of his arm to get a better hold of it. He flipped it around and saw the name L. Loud written in large red lettering with hearts around it. He skimmed across the text below taking in what it had to say before running back inside.
"Thirty one… thirty two… thirty three," Lynn went as she did one push up after another. She was building up her arm strength to better throw for the baseball league. She had just made it to forty when Lincoln's voice echoed into the room.
"Emergency sibling meeting! I call an emergency sibling meeting!"
Lynn did one last push up before getting herself up and out of the room. She joined the rest of her siblings in Lori and Leni's room who were already beginning to grow restless.
"Oh come on! I was working on a new joke," Luan complained as she walked in. Lori took off one of her blue slip ons and used it as a gavel, bringing it down on Leni's table and silencing them.
"I hereby call this sibling meeting to order. Lisa, can you read the minutes from last meeting?"
"Of course eldest sister." She produced a sheet and cleared her throat to read off. Lynn just rolled her eyes. Lisa would take about a minute to sum up what had happened last time and her interest was already rapidly waning.
"Item number one: It was resolved that in the matter of Lily's diaper pail-," she was cut off when Lincoln took the piece of paper and crumpled it into a ball and chucked it into the bin. Lynn was surprised but mostly felt thankful that he had just spared them all from an earful of notes.
"Forget that! We need to discuss…," he held out a piece of paper adorned with red hearts, "This! It's a love letter addressed to L. Loud."
There was a collective gasp given. Lincoln now had her full attention and her mind was running wild with all sorts of possibilities, one more so than others. Lana started coughing. "Oh dang it. I just swallowed my gum." Lori took the letter from Lincoln and read its contents out loud to them.
"Dear L. Loud, Day after day, I hope and I pine
I'm too shy to come forward, but wish you were mine
Signed, your secret admirer"
Lori finished the poem in a question, unsure of who the author might be.
"W-w-wait! Who's it for? L. Loud could be any one of us," Lynn pointed out.
Lori just scoffed. "Clearly the letters meant for me, and it's from Bobby. I mean, duh, right?"
"No, not duh," Luan rebuked. "That letter could be for any of us!" Lynn zoned out after that, wondering if just maybe this letter was sent from the boy she had been crushing on. It had all started during a baseball game of all places. Not school, not the park but the diamond field.
It had been a rough game. The heat was punishing and it only got worse when the water failed to appear due to some miscommunication among the league. Lynn's skills were degraded but she fought her hardest to score another win.
During those merciful few benches in the shade she watched a boy on the other team named Francisco play. She begrudgingly admired his skills, despite the said same skills giving the other team runs. It had been a close game but he had swung a home run in the last inning. They had lined up to congratulate their opponents. When they came to pass instead of the usual high five he spat in the palm of his hand and extended it. Appreciating the gesture and to not leave him hanging she did likewise and shook it. When they let go she suddenly felt light headed.
And so the season had progressed. She spent more time watching him that she would have liked to admit when on the field. It also didn't help that soon after taking notice of his skills she also noticed the way his black curls would shift around under his blue hat as he ran like the wind.
Maybe this was the chance to try to strike up an actual conversation with him; the rest of her friend group all had their boy and girl friends but she never seemed to have the courage to ask Francisco out. Now was the time to take the initiative.
She broke out of her thoughts at the same time as everyone else did. Now that the collective daydreaming was over Lori addressed the elephant in the room.
"Okay, we all want the letter to be for us. So how do we figure out who its really meant for?"
"Simple," Lucy began. "Since the writer is clearly shy, we each need to send a signal to the person we think who wrote it, letting them know that we're interested. Then they'll probably send a second letter, giving us more information."
They all stared at her, trying to figure out how she had come to such a detailed conclusion. "Uh… how do you know all this?" Lucy held up a worn black book titled Immortal Secrets. "Vampires send a lot of secret admirer letters. They may be passionate, but they're also painfully insecure."
"Sending a signal it is!" Lori stated, slamming down her shoe again to conclude the meeting. "Let's do it!" They all broke off leaving the room to find some way to give they're crushes a sign.
Lincoln opened up the garage door and walked in heading towards the back. He got to his bike, an old pink frilly hand down from Lori. He waes probably going to get laughed at, but it was the best he could do on such short notice.
He peddled out of the garage and down the street towards Gus Games and Grub, where Paige had given him the thumbs up that made him blush. He took some lengthy backways to avoid being seen and came to a stop behind the arcade. He hid the bike behind a dumpster before going around to the front and walking in.
He went to the air hockey game where he and Clyde had played. Over at the wall was the stool where Paige had been sitting, now currently vacant. Well, she still might be around somewhere. He wandered around the place until he found her racking up points at Dance, Dance Revolution.
He plucked up the nerve to talk. "Nice moves Paige!" She kept dancing, too immersed in the game to hear him. He tried again.
"I said, nice move-," suddenly her foot shot out in a dance move and caught him right in the chest. He fell back with an oof and landed behind a cardboard cutout of Muscle Fish. Paige paused and looked around to see if she had hit anyone. She didn't see him behind the advertisement and shrugged it off and continued her dancing streak.
Lincoln's face flared up in embarrassment. He got out from behind the cutout and silently walked away. That had been nothing short of an abject failure. He walked out of the arcade, mounted his bike and rode away.
As he went along the embarrassment wore off and he planned for his next attempt. He'd just come back tomorrow and talk to her when she wasn't on the dance floor. She hadn't seen him so it would really be the first time.
Lynn's chance came at the baseball game that afternoon. The water issue still hadn't been resolved and now it was her turn to stand under the boiling glare of the sun. However her thirst was forgotten when she saw who she was going up against. It just so happened that the team plays were arranged so that Francisco was at the bat as Lynn was pitching. She watched him step up to the plate and ready his swing.
"And stepping up to the plate is number 7, Francisco!" Travis announced from the media box. His partner Pep remained silent, and she was fine with that. "With bases loaded, number 5, Lynn, is all that stands between the Royal Blues and a landslide victory!"
Lynn wound up her arm and threw a four seam fastball. Francisco managed to make contact but it was foul. "Strike one!" The umpire called out. Francisco recomposed himself for another swing as Lynn tried to think of a way to signal him.
She pitched a curveball that dodged Francisco's swing and embedded itself in the glove of the catcher. "Strike two!"
Francisco prepared himself for one last effort to make it to first base when Lynn figured out what to do; just hit him with the ball, thus giving him first base. It would prolong the inning and keep them with bases loaded but she would just have to play harder to win.
She then threw the ball without warning, hitting him in the shoulder blade. He arched up from the pain of the impact as the ball dropped to the dirt. The crowd yelled out in shock and disapproval and Francisco looked at her confused at what just happened. She just gave a smile and winked.
"Dead ball! Batter awarded first base," The umpire declared. The Royal Blues players each moved one base up, giving them a run. Lynn watched as Francisco rubbing his shoulder ran to first, satisfied that her plan had worked,
"It seems that the heat has gotten to her," Pep snarked from above. Lynn didn't care. She had given him a sign and now the ball was in his court.
Lincoln walked back into Lori and Leni's room, where the rest of them save Luna had gathered for another meeting to discuss what each had done for their crushes. Lori slammed her shoe down on the table. "Meeting called to order."
"I'll begin with the minutes from last meeting." Lisa took out another piece of paper. "Item number one; No one would let me read the minutes from the previous meeting, so-," she again was cut off when Lola took the paper, balled it up and threw it into the trash. "And we still won't!"
"Now, did everyone send their signals?" They all nodded, some giving specific answers.
"I texted Bobby a series of romantic emojis," Lori said.
"I toot-aly sent mine to Benny," Luan punned.
"I let Winston know the score," Lola said.
"I suped up Skippy's ride," Lana informed as she wiped some grease off her hands with a rag.
"My attempt with Paige didn't work out," He admitted. "I'll try again tomorrow."
"I gave Francisco first base and still won!" Lynn boasted.
Lori nodded in acknowledgment to their efforts. "Good work everyone. Now we just have to wait for-,"
Lori was cut off when the door swung open and Luna ran into the room holding out in her hand a letter. "Dudes! A second letter! You called it, Luce-change!" Lucy only shrugged the nick-name off as Luna handed off the letter to Lori. She opened it up and they all gasped when they saw a rose fall out of it into the ground.
Cough, cough "Dang it, I swallowed my gum again!"
"Okay," Lori said as she flipped the card to read it aloud. Lincoln took in a breath of anticipation.
Roses are red, they brighten our town
Like your sweet smile, and your hair, which is…
The smile of anticipation on Lori's face fell in disappointment. "Brown?"
Lincoln felt a sharp pang of disappointment. "Aw, dang it!" He, Leni, Lucy, Lola and Lana said in unison. "Ah, poo-poo," Lily pouted, trying to imitate her older siblings.
Lori yanked her phone out of her pocket and started rapidly texting. "Oh, I have got some different emojis for Bobby now!"
"So, the secret admirer contest is down to Luna, Luan, Lynn and Lisa," Lincoln summarized a bit glumly. Luan and Lynn cheered that there was still a chance that it was they're crushes who were sending the letters while Lisa settled for a hopeful grin. However, Luna remained sheepishly quiet without a smile.
"Luna, why aren't you smiling?"
"Yeah, come to think of it, you never told us about your signal," Lincoln added.
"That's 'cause I never gave one," she sighed. "The more I thought about it the more I realized… Sam's way out of my league, dudes."
"No way, that's not true," Lincoln encouraged her.
"Yeah, Lunes, you are totes still in this." She then turned her attention to Lucy. "Okay, Lucy, what's the next step?"
Lucy pulled out her book and skimmed through its pages one last time before putting it down. "Well, since the secret admirer sent a rose as a token of their affection, we need to deliver a token in return. Then there should be a third and final love letter requesting a rendezvous."
The brunettes all cheered now that they were just one step away from their crushes stepping forward.
"Rockin'!"
"This is so exciting!"
"I hope it's me!"
"Me too!"
"Me three," Lola unexpectedly said. They all turned to face her and saw she was wearing a brown wig done in a 1950's fashion. Lana, clearly unimpressed, just swiped at it and knocked it off her head and to the ground. "Nice try, blondie."
Lynn got her chance to give Francisco a token of her own during lunch at school. She was sitting at the edge of a table by herself in the cafeteria with her backpack which contained said token.
She watched Francisco move up as the line at the counter progressed. When his food was being dished out she saw her chance. She fished out the token from the depths of her backpack, her lucky jockstrap. She pinched one end and stretched out as she lined up her shot.
"Because I think you really rock, I give to you my lucky jock," she murmured, then let fly. It sailed across the cafeteria and hit him in the face. "She shoots, she scores!" she congratulated herself, just to see Francisco fall backwards into a trash can. The students around him roared with laughter as he threw the thing off his face.
"Oops. Flag on play," she chuckled nervously to herself, now hoping that Francisco wouldn't know who had sent it.
Later that afternoon Lincoln stood among his other siblings that weren't so lucky, all waiting to hear what the brunettes on the couch had to say. Lori clapped once drawing all their attention.
"Okay, brown-haired Louds, did everyone deliver their tokens?"
"Check!"
"You betcha!"
"Affirmative!"
Luna didn't say anything, looking despondent. "I bailed dudes. I'm telling you, there's no way that Sam digs for me."
Lola lost her patience. She marched over to Luna, and with more strength and force than Lincoln would have thought possible from a second grader, grabbed two fistfuls of Luna's purple shirt and forced her head down to face level.
"Some of us blondes would kill to still be in the running," she hissed, making it very clear which blonde she was referring to. She yanked Luna forward before pushing her back onto the couch. "Don't you quit now!"
"OMGosh you guys," Leni squealed as she rushed into the room from the front door. "The secret admirer is the mailman!" She pulled out the third and final letter and waved it around. "He just handed me this letter! I didn't feel the same about him but I let him down gently."
They all stared at her wondering just how foolish she could be at times. Lori shook out of it and took the letter from Leni and unfolded it.
Dear L. Loud,
Here's a third letter, 'cause I'm still feeling skittish,
I dig your sweet sounds and all things British
They all gasped at this revelation, none more surprised than the resident anglophile herself. Lincoln turned to face the lucky girl. "Luna! It's definitely you!"
"Guys, Lucy was right about what happens next! Listen!" Lori cleared her throat before she continued reading.
I think it's time we put love on the menu
They all paused to give an, "Aw,"
Meet me tonight at Bangers and Mosh, the British eatery and rock venue.
Luna was still getting over the shock of being the recipient of the letters. "Whoa! This really is happening! What do I wear?" She wasn't given an answer. Instead they all cheered and carried her upstairs leaving Leni still standing by the open door.
"I'll be right up there," she called out as they went around the corner. "I-I just wanna make sure the mailman is okay."
That night Lynn and her siblings sat perched on the steps of the staircase at the back of Bangers and Mosh surveying the venue for Sam. So far there had been no sign of her.
"Guys, I don't see Sam anywhere," Luna said, her worry very audible.
"Maybe Sam's hidden behind that dork in the big British hat," Lana joked. Lynn looked at the man, wearing an absolutely ridiculous black plume of fur on his head. She looked to see who had the dubious honor to be seen sharing his table and was shocked to see that sitting across from him was Mom.
"Whoa! That dork's sitting with Mom!" It took her a few more seconds to figure out the identity of the man. "Oh wait, it's just Dad." They got off the stairs and approached their parents. They were deep in a conversation when Dad broke eye contact to face them.
"Kids? What are you guys doing here?"
Lincoln spoke up. "We got a secret admirer letter from Sam telling Luna to meet her here."
"We're here for moral support!"
"And dessert," Lola interjected.
Moms face fell, the way it always did when she had to break some bad news. "Oh, honey, I'm so sorry. There's been a mix-up. That letter was meant for your father."
Leni's eyes scrunched up in confusion. "Wait. Sam likes Dad?"
"No, sweetie. I sent the letter."
"Secret admirer letters are kind of our thing. It's how we met," Dad informed.
"Back in the day, I had a wicked crush on your father." Mom's eyes glazed over as if having a vision of the past. "Every morning, at my crossing guard job, I would listen for his melodious voice." She switched over to a British accent. "And when he talked to me in that cute accent," she switched back to speaking normally, "he picked up from his semester in England, I'd swoon."
"But I was too afraid to talk to him because I thought he was out of my league. So, I started slipping him notes in his pocket as he passed by. By the third note I got up the nerve to ask him to meet me here." Mom's eyes refocused, her reminiscing complete. "And my boldness paid off, because here we are, celebrating the twentieth anniversary of that first date."
"Happiest day of my life, love," Dad said, leaning over the table to peck her cheek. After Dad had given his affection Mom turned to Luna to apologize for getting their hopes up.
"Luna, I'm sorry that the letter wasn't for you. I hope you're not too disappointed."
"Well… I was at first, but now I'm totally inspired. If you took a risk with Dad, why can't I take a risk with Sam?" She turned around to address her fellow siblings. "Why are we sitting around waiting for them to come to us? We should come to them!" Lynn joined in the chorus of cheering agreements.
"This is cause for celebration," Dad declared. "Meat pies for everyone!" The other customers joined in the cheering, thinking that it included them.
"Uh, I-I meant just for my family." There was a collective groan of disappointment.
"Oh come on, there's thirteen of us!"
The very next day they each penned their own letters and went to deliver them to their respective crushes. Lincoln's fingers slid over the paper tucked away in the pocket of his jeans as he walked down the steps of the school. He said goodbye to Clyde before going after Paige. He followed her from a distance as she made her way to Gus Games and Grub.
She entered and he loitered around outside for a few minutes before going inside himself. Just as he had expected she was grooving at Dance, Dance Revolution, still wearing her backpack.
He saw the front most pouch of the backpack unzipped and saw his chance. Careful to not nudge her he reached over and slid the note in so that just the top was peeking out. He walked out of the arcade with a grin plastered on his face, wondering what the future might hold.
Lynn found Francisco at the baseball stadium that afternoon. While her team wasn't playing today his was, and the Royal Blues were absolutely steamrolling Hazeltuckey. He was sitting on a bench with his glove, bat and a bag of sunflower seeds to one side and his helmet to the other.
She walked up behind him, fidgeting with her note. Francisco was too busy watching his teammates steal base after base to notice her. She silently slipped the note under the helmet and backed away.
She knew he would find the letter, but she wanted to see him open it up now. She picked up a pebble, chucked it at the helmet and got behind a tree. The pebble hit his helmet with a quiet but perceptible plink.
Francisco looked down at the helmet. He lifted it slightly up and peered under it before picking it up entirely. He took the letter, opened it up and read it. Lynn ducked behind the tree cover when he looked around trying to see who had placed it.
When she thought it was safe she looked out again to Francisco. He folded the letter and stuffed it in his pocket. Satisfied, Lynn began her walk back home, thinking of when they would actually get to talk to one another.
Well. That's the first the first chapter of many to come. I would immensely appreciate feedback on how well I used that episode, along with suggestions and critiques to better my use of them. There is no schedule on updates as I plan to put everything through quality control and as we all know, life does happen.
Until next time everybody.