It was some time past dusk when Lincoln arrived home, scurrying across the sidewalk and up to the front porch as his teeth lightly chattered in an icy tempo. Rain poured down from the black sky; it wasn't so much a downpour, but certainly more than a drizzle, enough to leave him soaked and shivering as he bounded up the porch steps.

"Come on, where are you?" he muttered to himself as he dug through his jean pockets. Finally, he felt his fingers brush against the cool metallic touch of the keys, and he pulled them out before quickly shoving the house key into the door lock, desperate for warmth and comfort. He could hear the raindrops pitter-pattering on the porch roof above, the sound of rain threatening to grow in deafening hiss as the wind picked up.

Home just in time, Lincoln thought as he stepped inside, shaking himself a bit in an attempt to get rid of some of the rainwater that clung to his hair and clothes. If he left Jordan's house a bit later, he'd have been able to avoid the peak of the torrential downpour. He had planned on staying longer... but, well, they sort of got into a fight... again.

"Uh, do you mind, Lincoln?" whined Lola as he shut the front door. She sat on the couch, wrapped in a blanket with her knees pulled up to her chest as she watched a movie. "Lynn just made us clean up the living room, and you're already messing it up."

At 12, Lola's features were ever still identical to her twin Lana's, but somehow still delicate on her; she valued and took pride in her beauty, as made evident by how even now, curled up on the couch and watching a movie, she still wore a dab of lipstick and her nails were freshly painted in a coat of soft lavender polish. Her blonde hair fell down to the small of her back in wavy tresses as she turned her nose up at Lincoln, as if his very existence in the room was making it filthy.

"Oh, sorry," Lincoln said with a roll of his eyes as he wiped his shoes on the doormat. "It's pouring down rain outside, you know."

She let out a breathy huff. "Whatever. Just don't shake yourself dry like a dog in the house. Maybe use a towel or something... like a normal person?"

"I'll keep that in mind, your Majesty," he said dryly as he bent down and unlaced his shoes. He thought of pressing Lola on her own recent lack of cleanliness, but right now, he was in no mood for a squabble... he'd had enough fighting for tonight. After slipping off his sneakers, Lincoln leaned against the wall and began peeling off his damp socks, which squished between his toes as he tugged them away. "Anyway, is Lynn still home?"

"Yeah, backyard." Lola kept her eyes on the television screen, reaching for a handful of popcorn in a bowl next to her. "I saw her kicking around the punching bag like she was trying to kill it."

"Huh. That sounds about right." Lincoln shrugged off his rain jacket to hang it on the coat rack, and then turned to walk to the kitchen.

In the Loud house, everyone had their ways of dealing with their feelings. For Lynn, it was usually taking out her frustrations on the punching bag or by going for a run. At 19, Lynn was the oldest of Lincoln's siblings to still live at home, and thus had the unwritten responsibility to look out for the younger ones. Their younger sisters, Lucy, Lana, Lola, Lisa, and Lily, were responsible enough and able to govern themselves to an extent, but, whether they knew it or not, there were often still times they needed support or guidance.

Lincoln opened the fridge with a chuckle, thinking about when he was younger, when for many years that role had been Lori's. She took her duties seriously, and was able to keep things orderly and relatively peaceful in the house. It was not an easy job, and one that had not been handed off without difficulty. After she left for college, the mantle of responsibility had passed onto Leni, and it quickly became apparent that she wasn't always the most effective or capable leader. While Leni's heart and intentions were in the right place, there was really no replacement for Lori; like her or not, Lincoln had to admit that when she was around, things tended to run a lot more smoothly, even if she wasn't always appreciated. Leni tried her best to adapt and fill those shoes, and although things were a bit rough at first with everyone adjusting to the loss of Lori and her leadership, Leni eventually managed to find her groove and settle into her role. She did alright, Lincoln supposed, but she was still no Lori.

A year later when Leni left to study fashion, the torch passed onto Luna, and that transition went a lot more smoothly than the first. Luna was a little more firm than Leni, but also laid-back and approachable, a blend of authority and kindness that the others responded well to. Another year passed, and the mantle of responsibility fell on Luan when Luna left the nest for music school. Luan was... different, and her sense of humor didn't always go over well with her siblings, but she was smart, capable, and had a knack for problem-solving and making difficult decisions. As much as they might gripe about her dumb jokes and terroristic antics on April Fools, Lincoln he and his siblings quickly grew a grudging respect for Luan, and when push came to shove, they'd be willing to listen and follow her lead. It also helped that, at that point, there were 8 kids at home instead of 11. Luan did well enough, Lincoln supposed, and after another year had gone by, she too left Royal Woods to move on to college, leaving Lynn as the next oldest.

Lincoln found the hidden can of soda he'd been stashing away, and grimaced as he remembered what things were like during that time. In the beginning, things were... rough. Lynn was just a little too blunt and confrontational, a bit of a bull in a china shop, and struggled a lot with getting the others to listen and follow her directions. She didn't really know how to be subtle or gentle when it came to her approach, and that often led her and her siblings butting heads. When Lola and Lincoln were fighting over the bathroom, or Lisa was complaining about Lana bringing her pets into the house, or Lucy was going on about how Lily was ruining her "dark poetry" vibes, Lynn would typically just grab them by the shoulders and shake until they agreed to stop arguing. I said, STOP FIGHTING! she'd shout, and while it usually made everyone shut up in the moment, it did little to solve the root problem or build any sort of trust between her and the others.

As the year went on, it became evident that Lynn's methods weren't working out very well, and Lincoln decided to step in himself and lend her a hand. He didn't want to sit by and watch as his family tore itself apart from arguing and squabbling, and it would be his turn as the oldest next, anyway, so he figured it'd be a good idea to start getting used to handling these sorts of things before they unceremoniously were thrust upon him in less than a year. He started to make a conscious effort to pitch in and help out his sisters more often; he knew that even small things didn't go unnoticed, and he had to start leading by example. Lincoln would help Lana with the dishes, give Lola a ride to her cheer practice, make sure Lisa got her rest when she was studying late at night, and so on. As a kid, Lincoln had always been there for his sisters, but being the oldest was more than just being a good brother — it was about setting a standard, showing initiative and being there for the others without them first asking.

His efforts gradually seemed to make a difference, and Lynn's job became more bearable. She had to act like a referee constantly blowing the whistle and breaking up fights less and less, and the daily norm of sibling bickering subsided. Their family began to grow closer, too; with the four oldest sisters moved out, Lincoln and his remaining sisters found themselves with more time to spend together and get to bond as siblings, something that was often lost in the shuffle when there were eleven of them under the same roof.

By the time when Lynn's college acceptance letters started to roll in, Lincoln had more or less taken on a role as a leader in his own right. He stepped up more and more until he and Lynn were working as a team, sharing the responsibilities equally, and covering each others' weaknesses. As a pair, they turned out to work very well with one another. Lincoln and Lynn were like peanut butter and jelly — they were different, but when brought together, complemented each other perfectly and could seemingly take on anything that came their way. When Lynn was too harsh and abrasive, Lincoln was there to help smooth things over and keep the peace. When Lincoln was being a little too nice, Lynn was there to get things done and set some boundaries. The new Lynn-Lincoln regime had actually turned out to run even more smoothly than when Lori was around, and that wasn't just him talking. All his siblings had noticed how well the two of them worked together, and they couldn't help but admit it was kind of a relief. They had their disagreements from time to time and they still didn't always listen, but for the most part, Lincoln and Lynn were able to keep the metaphorical trains running like clockwork.

All good things had to come to an end, though, and as the months continued on, Lynn continued receiving more and more college acceptance letters and sports scholarship offers. She, like her older sisters, had always planned on moving away for college, and Lynn was partially interested in the school with D1 sport teams. Lincoln was proud of her, and knew that with her athleticism she was sure to be a shoe-in no matter where she went. It would be bittersweet, though, because her going to college also meant that before he knew it, she'd be gone. Though he wanted what was best for her, Lincoln still dreaded that day. It was something that hurt when it happened to each one of his other older sisters, but he knew there was just something different about losing Lynn. Sure, it meant he'd soon have to take on the burden of leadership alone, but though that prospect was daunting and stressful, it was actually the least of his concerns.

What really scared him the most was that he would be losing the sister who had become his best friend.

But then, Lynn changed her mind. On a late autumn evening, Lincoln heard a knock on his door, and Lynn poked her head in. Can we talk?

She sat on his bed, and there in his room, Lincoln became the first one Lynn informed about her decision: she would not be moving away for college. Instead, she'd spend another two years at home in Royal Woods, attending the local community college before eventually transferring to a larger school. The news blindsided Lincoln; up to that point, Lynn had been busy making trips and visits to various universities, and had even gotten a head start on putting together a list of things to pack for her freshman year, leaving him and everyone else in the family with no indication she was having doubts. When Lincoln asked why, Lynn said it was a lot of a different reasons — she wanted to spend more time with the family, she wanted time become a bit more mature and prepared, she didn't want to let down the local sports teams — but the main reason, and what pushed her over the edge, was that she was simply not ready to make such a big decision. Lynn vaguely knew she wanted some sort of job in sports, but even after thinking about it for the last several months, had no solid idea of what exactly she wanted her career to entail or what she wanted her life would look like. She ultimately decided not to push herself into something she wasn't ready to do just because her older sisters had, and to take things at her own pace.

He was surprised at first, but he supposed her reasoning made sense, especially now. It was about two years from when Lynn had made his decision to stay, and here Lincoln was, having recently started his own senior year of high school and entering the time when it came to start thinking about college. He didn't really know what he wanted to do, either, and it was a daunting prospect to make such an important decision when he barely knew anything about what he wanted for breakfast, let alone what he wanted to spend the rest of his life doing.

Presently, Lincoln sipped his cola and looked out the window at Lynn taking her frustrations out on the old punching bag. Despite the rain coming down harder, she was still out there, relentlessly beating her knuckles raw in a fury. He sighed; sometimes, Lynn was too headstrong for her own good. She probably set some sort of goal in her head, and had dug her heels in, deciding she wasn't going to come in until she was done, rain or shine. Despite being the younger sibling, Lincoln often found himself needing to protect Lynn from herself. It was okay, though — she always did the same for him.

Lincoln set his can of soda down and opened the door, the hissing of the pouring rain greeting him as he stepped out onto the back porch. The weather had grown worse in just the ten or so minutes Lincoln had been home, and the backyard was quickly becoming a soggy mess of mud and puddles. Safe from the downpour under the patio canopy, Lincoln leaned against the railing as he looked on ahead at Lynn. She was soaked to the bone and covered in mud, yet she continued to kick, punch, and knee the punching bag as though it had murdered her family.

"Lynn!" he called out over the rain and wind. Lincoln was ignored. Lynn either didn't hear him or was too engrossed in her exercise to bother responding. "Hey, Lynn!" Lincoln repeated, louder this time.

"I'm fine!" she shouted without looking up. Lynn wiped a lock of wet, stringy hair from her face with the back of her hand and straight back to wailing on the punching bag, which swung wildly back and forth on its chain from the force of her strikes.

Lincoln groaned in frustration, rubbing his forehead. Lynn was a force of nature when she got like this, and sometimes it was better to just let her burn herself out. He considered just waiting her out, going inside and warming up while she wore herself out, but as he turned around to head back into the kitchen, a distant crash of thunder rumbled across the sky. He looked over his shoulder back out to Lynn, who was too absorbed in her own frustration to care one bit about the elements raging around her.

He sighed. The old Lincoln might have left her to her own devices, but he was no longer one to stand idly by. It was a part of his job, now, to look after his sisters — even if that sister was Lynn, the supposed oldest at home.

And so, he went back inside to grab back his jacket, and then came promptly back out, bounding down the steps to the backyard. Lincoln jogged hurriedly over to her, trying to be quick and avoid getting too drenched. Rain stung his face and wind whipped at his clothes, and as he jogged across the lawn, his feet splashed in puddles, sending sprays of muddy water up to dapple his pants.

"Lynn!" he called out as he got closer. When she didn't respond, Lincoln stopped in front of her, and grabbed the punching bag to stop it from swinging. "Come on, it's pouring out here."

"So?" she asked, her breath heavy and ragged. "I'm not going to melt." She motioned for him to move out of the way, and when Lincoln stood his ground, Lynn tried to go around him, but he stepped back to block her again. "Ugh, move, Stinkin'!"

"Seriously, Lynn." He motioned to her mud-cake sweatpants, the wet strands of hair sticking to her face, and her arms, which were covered in goosebumps from the chill. "You're drenched. You can't stay out here like this, you're gonna catch a cold or something."

Lynn scoffed. "Dude, I've trained in worse." She regarded him with an arched eyebrow. "Why are you out here giving me this lecture, anyway? Aren't you supposed to be at Jordan's?"

"I left early," he said simply, but Lynn didn't miss the slight downward twitch of his lips.

"You guys got into another fight, didn't you?"

"Sort of," Lincoln muttered.

"Again, huh?" she crossed her arms and looked at him flatly. "I told you, you should break up with that girl already. You're miserable with her."

"Well, you'll be happy to know that we're probably done for," he said glumly, letting go of the punching bag. "I'm pretty sure she wants to dump me."

"Really? No shit?" The hard look in her eyes softened.

"Yeah, really."

"What happened?"

Lincoln shrugged. "I don't really wanna talk about it."

"Aw, c'mon, Link." Lynn playfully punched his shoulder. "I won't get on your ass, promise. Just tell me what happened."

"I don't know," he sighed. "Look, can we at least talk inside? It's cold as balls out here."

Although Lynn had a record to beat and wanted to get back to her workout before she lost her momentum, the hurt and dejection on her brother's face was enough to sway her. "Fine," she relented at last. "Let's go inside and dry up."

At dawn the next day, before even the first ray of light had crested the horizon, Lynn Loud's phone began to whine loudly, the shrieking beep-beep-beep startling her from the warm bosom of sleep like a sudden slap.

She jerked, and then groggily reached over to her nightstand. Lynn fumbled for her phone until she managed to grab it, bringing it over to her face so that she could turn off the alarm. She squinted at the sudden brightness, her eyes burning in protest, as she was greeted with the time: 4:45am.

Lynn muted the alarm, and then rolled over onto her back with a groan and stared blankly at the ceiling, the vestiges of sleep still heavily clinging to her. She had managed to develop a routine of waking up this early, and although most days she was usually able to spring out of bed with ease, there were still other days, such as today, that she felt almost pinned to her bed, her head foggy from a deep and dreamless sleep, and her eyelids still fighting to stay open.

Do I really want to get up right now, she thought, her body feeling heavy as a stone. After entertaining the thought for a moment, she decidedly kicked off the sheets and swung her legs over the side of the bed in one quick motion, the cold air washing over her body and eliciting a shiver. Yes. I'm not a quitter — up and at 'em!

She jumped to her feet with all of the energy that she could muster and flipped on her bedside lamp, ready to begin her morning stretches. Lynn was still half-asleep, but pushed herself through her routine nonetheless, starting with some gentle neck rotations to limber up her neck muscles, followed by some arm swings and wrist rotations. As she stretched and warmed her body, she could feel the blood pumping through her muscles and her heart pounding in her chest, but knew she wouldn't really be awake until she started pounding the pavement outside.

Once she had completed her stretches, Lynn grabbed a tank top and shorts from her dresser drawer, throwing them on before walking up to her bedroom mirror. She grabbed the scrunchie lying on the nightstand and pulled her hair back into a ponytail, her bangs hanging loosely over her forehead and framing her freckled face. At 19, Lynn Loud was short and slight, her figure decidedly feminine but not so thin that she lacked muscle tone or definition in her body — she was still an athlete, with a toned, sinewy frame, and a flat muscular stomach.

She finished tying her hair into a hasty ponytail, grabbed her phone and earbuds, and gently opened the bedroom door, which creaked softly on its hinges. She winced at the sound and then stepped out into the hallway, careful to shut the door softly behind her. The house was silent and unstirring as she made her way to the staircase, everyone else still sleeping soundly. Lynn was still fighting back drowsiness even after her stretches, and a twinge of envy passed through her at the thought of her siblings all snug in their beds. As soon as it came, though, the feeling passed; as much as she sometimes hated being the first one to rise in the Loud House, it was a necessary burden. As the oldest at home, it fell upon her to minimize conflict and bickering among her siblings, and one of the main catalysts for arguments was the inevitable bathroom war that broke out each morning. With Lincoln's help, they had even been able to somehow agree to a workable schedule to quell the morning rush — Lola took a long bath at night, Lincoln took his shower before dawn while Lynn was on her morning run, Lynn went after she got back home, and then Lana would take a short shower and be out of there by the time it was Lisa's turn, followed by either Lucy or Lily. Sure, there was the occasional fight over who forgot to refill the shampoo bottle or leave out a clean towel, but it was nothing like how things used to be, back in the Lori-era, when the bathroom was a warzone of hair dryers, curling irons, makeup kits, and, of course, the lines... oh, God, the lines. Lynn still shivered a little just thinking about it.

At the bottom of the stairs, she headed into the kitchen and grabbed a protein shake from the fridge. It was her usual breakfast, something quick and healthy to get some nutrition in her system before her run. If she was still hungry afterwards (and she usually was), Lynn would follow it up with something more solid and hearty to eat. She chugged down the drink and tossed the empty bottle into the trash, before turning to make her way to the front door. Lynn slipped on her well-broken-in running shoes and laced them tightly. She stretched her leg muscles just a bit more before stepping outside, the brisk autumn chill of the air greeting her as she stepped onto the porch. It was still dark out, and the street lights still burned orange, casting an eerie, warm glow over the sleepy neighborhood as Lynn popped in her earbuds.

Finally ready, she jogged down the porch steps as I Only Said by My Bloody Valentine kicked in to start off her playlist, but stopped in her tracks when she felt light raindrops hitting her skin. She hadn't noticed the weather when she first stepped outside, but now saw that rain was coming down in a slow drizzle, just enough to make her pause and think about going back inside to grab a light jacket. Lynn briefly considered going back inside, but decided against it, figuring she'd warm up soon enough regardless. "A little water never hurt anybody," she muttered to herself as she started her jog.

Taking a left at the end of the walkway, Lynn began to make her way down the block, slowly at first, but picking up speed as her muscles warmed and loosened. By the end of Franklin Avenue, she had settled into a good rhythm and pace. More importantly, she was finally starting to actually feel awake, the crisp autumn air and exercise chasing away the last remnants of morning grogginess from her system. As her systems kicked online and her feet carried her forward in a steady stride, her mind began to wander, as it tended to during these quiet early hour runs. This morning, the first thing she found herself thinking about was the conversation she and Lincoln had last night. He'd told her about the fight he had gotten into with Jordan, which wasn't anything out of the ordinary; for the most part, the girl was admittedly nice and fun to be around, but Lynn had always felt that her brother could do better. Jordan could also be a hothead, perhaps even more so than Lynn was, and her temper would occasionally flare up a Lincoln and cause them to argue. The two had gotten into their fair share of fights over the last year or so that they'd been dating, and while they were able to make up afterwards, it still put a noticeable strain on Lincoln. That pissed Lynn off; Lynn cared deeply about her siblings, and if anyone messed with them, they messed with her.

This was especially true with Lincoln. She didn't try to play favorites, but it was true, and the rest of her family probably felt the same way to at least some extent; he was the only boy, and that alone caused everyone to feel a special sort of kinship with bond with Lincoln, drawn to him by that unique bond a sister shares with her only brother. For her part, Lynn had always valued Lincoln differently — she could have sought out any number of kids to play sports with growing up, but instead of boys from her class or friends from her various sports teams, Lynn always made it a point to seek out Lincoln. She enjoyed his company more than she did any of the others. Even if he didn't show the same enthusiasm as her, or he couldn't always keep up, or he whined about being tired or sore, Lincoln rarely refused to spend time with her when she would ask it of him.

In recent years, her closeness with Lincoln had grown even stronger. When all of her older sisters left and Lynn became the oldest at home, she had struggled a lot with managing her responsibilities. Not only did Lynn have to go to college classes and keep up her sports schedule, but suddenly, she found herself thrust into the role of being a second parent for her younger siblings. They argued, complained about chores, fought over the bathroom and TV time, misbehaved in school, and it fell upon her to somehow make things right, to account for six siblings with starkly different personalities, needs, and problems — a task which quickly became clear that Lynn was woefully ill-equipped to handle. She wasn't a natural leader by any means, and threatening to choke out anyone who didn't follow her orders only worked so many times before it started to lose its effectiveness. Just when things began to get to the point where it felt like she was barely treading water in the middle of the sea, Lincoln stepped in to help. No one asked him to do it; he'd just seen his sister struggling and decided to start lending a hand. Lynn admired that. A lot. To her, actions speak louder than words, and Lincoln always seemed to come through when he needed to.

It had been about a year and a half since Lynn and Lincoln had begun to work together as the co-leaders of the house, and in that time, their relationship had blossomed into a strong bond that was, as far as Lynn could tell, unbreakable. They were there for each other when they needed it, and trusted each other implicitly. Lincoln was her best friend. It's why it hurt her so much to see him with someone like Jordan, a girl who treated him so poorly at times, not realizing how lucky she was to have Lincoln.

Her brother usually confided to her about his relationship woes, and she was always more than willing to listen, and to offer advice when she thought she had something worthwhile to add. Last night, she tried her best to get Linc to open up about what was going on between him and Jordan recently, but he didn't seem like he wanted to talk about it much, which told her it wasn't good. He gave vague answers to her questions, not saying much other than that "Jordan was just being Jordan."

Lynn tried not to show it, but her blood boiled at the thought of Lincoln being unhappy because of some girl who treated him like garbage or was always taking him for granted — she had been tempted to text Jordan right then and there, asking her what the fuck she thought she was doing to her brother. It was probably just as well that Lincoln stopped her, though. When she got up to go to bed, he made her promise she wouldn't try to butt in or do anything to try and intervene. Ugh, fine, Lynn relented, crossing her arms. But I swear to God, if she pulls this shit again, I'll go all Rambo on her ass.

The rain came down a little harder, and Lynn looked up, seeing that the sky was beginning to grow brighter, heralding the wind-down of her jog. She continued on for another block before taking a right at Harrison Street, routing back home.

Twenty minutes later, Lynn was back to Franklin Avenue, the rain stinging her cheeks as she approached the house. She slowed to a jog, and then to a brisk walk, catching her breath as she made her way back up the steps of the front porch. I should've grabbed a jacket, she mentally scolded herself as she opened the front door.

"You should have grabbed a jacket," Lincoln remarked as she stepped into the house. He leaned against the door frame to the living room, wearing a t-shirt and pair of flannel pajama pants. Holding a steaming mug of coffee, he arched an eyebrow at her. "I can't believe you didn't even bring one with you."

Lynn rolled her eyes at him as she pulled out her earbuds. "Okay, mom. It's just a little rain." Still, she grunted in appreciation as he threw her a clean towel. "Thanks."

"No problem." Lincoln took a sup from his mug as she proceeded to dry her hair. He watched her as she patted herself down, shivering slightly as the cold began to set in. "I could have sworn that a certain someone told me last night that she 'wouldn't melt', or something like that," he remarked. "But you sure look pretty chilly to me right now."

"Oh, shut up, Stinkin'." Lynn rolled her eyes at him, but couldn't help but to smile faintly as she wrung out her hair. "For your information, it doesn't bother me. I'm just shivering with adrenaline right now."

Lincoln snorted. "Right, of course you are."

"Oh, so now you're calling me a liar, huh?"

"If the shoe fits..." Lincoln ducked as she threw the wet towel back at him and then laughed. "Okay, okay — you're a total badass who isn't bothered at all by the cold. Anyway, you'd better shower before Lana goes. It's almost her turn."

"Gotcha." After kicking off her shoes, Lynn padded upstairs for her shower. Entering the bathroom and closing the door behind her, she took a moment to peer through the window; outside, the world was gradually growing brighter, the sky beginning to glow a dull yellow-orange as the sun rose from behind the trees. She usually didn't see this scene until after her shower; Lynn's jog took longer than usual, and like Lincoln said, Lana would be waiting for her bathroom time before long.

She turned the water and wasted no time before shedding her damp clothes and stepping in, a soft sigh of relief escaping her lips as the warmth of the spray washed over her body and eased the tension in her sore muscles. She lathered her hair with shampoo and worked it into a sudsy foam before rinsing. For as long as she could, Lynn savored the heat and gentle caress of the spray, but finally relented in shutting off the water. Lana was probably already at the door, pacing impatiently for her turn.

With a sigh, Lynn stepped out onto the bath mat and dried herself off, then wrapped the around her body. Clad in the terrycloth, Lynn quickly went through the rest of her morning routine; drying her hair, brushing her teeth, swishing a capful of mouthwash, and applying deodorant. As expected, Lana was standing outside the bathroom door when she came out fifteen or so minutes after entering.

"Took ya long enough," she muttered as Lynn walked past her.

"Sorry," Lynn said with a shrug, and tousled Lana's hair. "Make it quick, though, alright? We're a bit behind schedule."

Lana grunted noncommittally before closing the door shut and leaving Lynn to head back to her bedroom to change into her clothes for the day. She threw on a pair of shorts and a t-shirt and was pulling on her socks as she stumbled back out her door, making her way downstairs. In the kitchen, Lynn found Lincoln at the breakfast table, sitting over a bowl of cereal. He had already gotten her a bowl, which sat atop her usual spot on the table.

As Lynn sat and poured herself a class of orange juice, Lily padded into the kitchen, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. "Mornin', kiddo," Lincoln said as he grabbed the box of cereal and brought it over to her as she climbed into the chair next to him. "Did you sleep well?"

"Mhm," she nodded, still groggy. Lily yawned, then began pouring milk into her bowl. She'd grown up a lot over the last few years, now a third grader at Royal Woods Elementary. Like each one of her sisters, she was intelligent, but her ADHD ensured that her time in school was anything but easy. Despite being on medication, she could barely sit still, and even now, she fidgeted restively in her seat.

"That test is today, right?" Lynn asked, and took a bite of her corn flakes.

Lily nodded. "Yeah. But I'm a bit nervous."

"You'll do fine," Lincoln assured her. "Just look straight ahead, keep your nose down in your paper, and—"

"Pretend nothing else exists," she finished.

Lincoln and Lily continued to talk, and Lynn gradually tuned out their conversation as she shoved down her cereal. When she looked back up, the two were laughing together about something, and Lynn marveled, not for the first time, at how gentle and patient Lincoln could be. He was intelligent, perceptive, and caring, and Jordan knew that, yet still somehow didn't appreciate him enough. She did... if Lynn were with him, she'd always make sure to show Lincoln just how much she valued him. She'd—

Lynn blinked as she registered the implications of her thoughts, and before she knew it, she felt the sudden onset of heat in her cheeks.

"Gotta scram," she said, abruptly standing up from her seat.

Lincoln and Lily both stopped mid-conversation to look up at her. "Already? You're going to be early," Lincoln noted. "You okay?"

"I'm fine, just want to get a head start on a paper." Lynn grabbed her bowl, and started for the kitchen.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Lincoln and Lily shrug at each other before resuming their conversation. Lynn tuned them out again as she walked into the kitchen, going to the sink and dumping the remaining cereal from her bowl. She breathed slowly, and for several minutes stood there at the sink with her hands braced on the counter, her eyes unfocused as she stared blankly ahead at the wall; why did she still get these thoughts?

Why couldn't she just put them behind her like she was supposed to?

Hello, reader. Seeing as this is my first chapter of my first uploaded story, I figured I might as well introduce myself. I'm Draynor; is there any meaning behind the name? Not that I know of, it just sounded cool when I was thinking of a pen name. I was a really heavy reader of Loud House fanfiction in what I consider to be the heyday of the fandom, which was the 2017/2018 period, back when the show really started taking off.

Over time I gradually lost interest in the cartoon itself (in my opinion, a lot of the charm was lost after Season 3 or so), but never fully left behind The Loud House or its fanfictions. Even though prior to very recently I haven't really seriously watched the actual show since, like, 2019, I've intermittently kept up with reading its fanfictions, whether that be re-reading some favorites from years past or exploring new ones. There's just something about the literary fiction surrounding this stupid little cartoon that still appeals to me and keeps me coming back, for whatever reason.

For as much TLH content I read back in the day, I never uploaded anything myself, nor did I even really comment — I just posted as a guest whenever I was compelled to leave a review. Over the past year and a half or so, though, I've taken up a writing hobby of my own, much of my work based on the Loud House. I had never intended on publishing anything, but recently I thought to myself, Hell, maybe I should try cleaning some of my stuff up and uploading it, at least the ones I'm most proud of. I'm sure this fandom isn't height of its popularity when I first got involved, but from what I've seen recently, it's certainly not dead. If there's anyone out there who actually wants to read some of this, then I'm more than happy to share.

This current story is the main one I'm writing now, but I also have a few other stories that are mostly already written which I'll be cleaning up and starting to post in the near future. If you've enjoyed this first chapter (or hated it), leaving a review is greatly appreciated!