''Good morning Royal Woods! You're listening to radio Rockingwood, the best rock station in a hundred-mile radius, hosted by your one and only, Luna Loud. Today we have a nice sunny day, perfect for some fun in the snow, and since the winter break is ending, I suggest you use this chance. Anyway, let's get some tunes going.'' Luna enthusiastically spoke into the microphone while pressing play on her notebook with a personal rock playlist. She laid back into her chair and picked up a cup of coffee, with an inscription on it that said, the most rocking mom in the world. It was a gift she got for her thirtieth birthday from her son Lemy and she has used it ever since.
''Someone's in a good mood today.'' came a voice from an adjoining room that housed the station breakroom. A woman with a plum haired emerged afterward and took a seat next to Luna.
''Morning Mazzy! How could I not be in a great mood? Today is Lemy's birthday and Lincoln managed to snag us four tickets to Mick Swaggers tribute concert.'' Luna said excitedly, putting her mug down with such speed that she spilled some of it on the script she had prepared.
''Damn Lunes, glad to hear that. Me and Sully also wanted to go but the tickets were already sold out. Wait, you said you got four tickets? You know what that means'' Mazzy commented with a small smirk, poking Luna with her elbow.
Luna sighed and put her hand under her chin, '' For the last time Mazzy, I'm not inviting this friend of yours, Nick or whatever he's called, to a date. I told you I'm not interested in dating anyone right now, besides, Lincoln bought them so he'll be the fourth member of our trip.''
''Oh come on Luna, Nick is a great guy. He and Sully were classmates in college so he knows he isn't some dickhead. And you're totally his type. I know you had some ''bad experiences'' but think about your kids. Lyra is still just 15 and Lemy is going to be 11, they need a father figure in their lives.'' Mazzy pressed on with an annoyed expression. She had been trying to set her friend up with over ten guys and girls already, only for her to reject all of them.
''Look Mazzy, I appreciate your concern and all, but I'm just not interested. And my kids have Lincoln, and you know how much they love him, especially Lyra.'' Luna sighed, laying her head back into the chair, hoping to end this conversation before she got frustrated again.
''Luna, I know Lincoln is great, responsible and all, but he is just their uncle. And he already has all his other nieces and nephews. What I'm saying is they need a real step-dad, I'm sure Lincoln would gladly give up his ticket for you to go there with someone.'' Mazzy replied calmly, putting her hand on Luna's shoulder.
''I'll think about it Mazzy, but not today, even if Linc wasn't coming I wouldn't bring some stranger to Lemy's birthday.'' She relented, hoping to get Mazzy to leave it be, ''Now shoo, I have to read today's news.'' She waved her off jokingly and put her headphones back on.
At around 4 pm she finally ended her part and switched with Sully who came in to take over. She walked over to her car, parked in the small lot behind the small station on the hill overlooking Royal Woods. Once inside she turned on the engine, which purred a few times before finally starting.
A few minutes later she turned up at the RW high school, where a young girl with long brown hair, dressed in a purple jacket and grey jeans, a violin case lying near her, was already waiting for her. Lyra, her daughter, was the perfect amalgamation of her love for Lincoln. She looked just like her when she was her age, only without the whole punk aesthetic. But apart from her love of music, her personality perfectly copied that of her dad, that's to say she was a huge comic and superhero fan. Seeing her was like looking at an alternative universe Luna who never got into rock-n-roll.
The school was still closed, however, the music club was still running and Lyra played the violin in the school band so she went there every couple of days to practice.
Once she spotted her she quickly ran over and put her violin into the trunk of the car and took the front seat next to Luna. ''Hi mom, how was work?'' she said once she put on her seatbelt.
''As good as it can be. Got to play some tunes and even played some of my own. Oh and guess what Mazzy wanted?'' Luna answered her daughter as she slowly guided the car back onto the road.
''Let me guess. She wanted to introduce you to some acquaintance of hers saying something about us needed a real father figure.'' Lyra mimicked Mazzy's tone, prompting Luna to laugh. Lyra laughed with her, however, her laugh soon quieted down as she stared down with a sad look on her face. ''What's wrong sweetie?'' Luna asked concerned as she noticed Lyra's mood take a sudden shift.
''Nothing, it's just, I don't know. It just feels weird knowing I have a wonderful father but having to lie about him to everyone. Being the ''fatherless'' girl in class, and worst of all, hearing people call my mother a loose dyke that just got pregnant with two dudes she didn't even know.'' Lyra vented all her frustration to her mother, her voice getting steadily more shaky, ''Sorry, it's just that this new girl joined the band recently and decided she doesn't like me, so she decided to make fun of you and my aunts. You know, the classic.''
Luna frowned as she kept her eyes on the road. Hearing that her daughter was getting bullied because of her was something that made her really sad. But more than that she was mad, she knew some schoolkids tended to make fun of her kids and nieces but usually Lynn, working at the RW middle school and knowing a lot of the other teachers, shut them up.
''I'm sorry sweety, don't worry I'll have Lynn take care of her. But enough of that, we don't want to ruin the mood for Lemy's special day.'' Luna tried to cheer her up. Hearing this, her mood lifted slightly and a small smirk planted itself on her lips. Lyra loved all of her siblings, but Lemy was special to her. Being her full brother, she got to take care of him since she was four, and throughout that time she became really protective of him. Especially since he, unlike her, inherited her mother's free-spirited personality and love of rock and metal music.
''Heh, I can't wait to see his reaction when Dad shows him the tickets. He was so bummed since he thought all the tickets were already sold out.'' Lyra chuckled to herself. ''Yeah, Lincoln really outdid himself, he even lied about visiting an old friend in the next town over, when in reality he was camping outside one of the few ticket booths in Michigan for two days. He really smelled like a dog when he finally came back, heck I've never seen Lana so happy to take a bath with him.'' Luna laughed remembering the ridiculousness her lover had gone through for their son's sake.
Soon the duo arrived in front of the Loud household, parking the car in the garage of their original home. Both of them got out and hurried inside, expecting Linc to be already waiting for them. Instead, when they walked in they saw him perched on the couch in the living room, playing Musle fish coop game together with Lupa, Lemy, and Loan.
''Ha, eat shit, Lupa! You really thought I didn't know that combo?'' yelled Loan as her character eliminated Lupa's. ''Well sorry, I'm not a shut-in loser that does nothing but game and jerk off all day.'' Lupa countered with a frown. ''Hey! I go to school. I'm not a shut-in. And I don't jerk off, I told you it was a pop-up porn vid and I accidentally forgot to connect my headphones.'' Loan said, hiding her face in embarrassment.
Lemy laughed while Lincoln tried to keep his cool and mask his smirk by frowning and chastising the girls, ''Lupa, watch your language! And Loan, don't pick fights with your sister, and also try to check the headphone connection next time you watch adult content.'' ''Dad!'' screamed Loan, turning red as a tomato.
''Well, it seems you dudes are having a blast, just hope you haven't forgotten about our plan today Linc,'' Luna said sarcastically approaching them from behind the couch, startling them. ''Luna, your back. I was just starting to miss my favorite rockstar.'' Lincoln replied as he recovered from the shock. He then got up and came closer to embrace her and give her a small but loving peck on the lips. ''Nice save Linky.'' Luna giggled as he let go of her.
''What plan are you guys talking about?'' Lemy asked, confused as to what his mother was implying. Lincoln turned to face Lemy and knelt down to his height, ''Well Lemy, you see your old man here used to be the best magician in all of Royal Woods. And so, for your birthday I conjured something special just for you.'' He proceeded to show him that his hands were empty and then seemingly out of thin air produced the four tickets to the Swagger concert.
At once, Lemy's face displayed emotions ranging from confusion and amusement to complete astonishment and excitement. He screamed with joy and jumped into Lincoln's arms, ''Thank you so much! You're the best dad ever!'' Lincoln simply smiled and gently patted his head, ''Glad you think you champ, now go get ready, we need to get going soon if we want to make it on time.''
Lemy quickly ran towards the stairs but turned around before ascending them. ''Wait, but we only got four tickets, are we just leaving the others behind.'' ''Don't worry rocker boy, we already informed everyone in advance and decided to make it a sort of date for me and your father. Of course, Lyra is also coming. I still need to instill some good taste in music into her.'' Luna called out, prompting Lyra to roll her eyes.
Not needing any more persuading he ran up into his room to get ready. Lyra followed suit, needing to put away her violin case. Meanwhile, Loan and Lupa both nervously shifted. ''Dad, I know you and Aunt Luna really deserve a break. But this concert is a pretty big thing and not too far away from our town. So isn't it probable there'll be some of your or Luna's old friends or acquaintances?'' Loan piped up in her now usual nervous voice. ''What she's trying to say is that it would probably be safer if you didn't get too frisky while out there. Especially after the whole thing with Clyde.'' Lupa chimed in, her worry betraying her usually stoic attitude.
Lincoln came and took both of them into a group hug, ''I know you're worried sweethearts, but your aunt really needs this. She hides it well, but the whole thing with Mazzy and Sully constantly nudging her to find someone has really been stressing her out. And she feels guilty that Lyra and Lemy can't really experience being with their parents in public as a, you know, a real family. So us being there as a couple is also part of Lemy's gift.'' he whispered to them, earning himself an uncertain nod from both of them. ''Don't worry, it's unlikely someone will recognize us at an event that big. And if it happens, I'll think of something, as I always do.'' he said as he ruffled their hair.
Soon they were all sitting in Luna's car, with Lincoln driving while Luna played with the car radio. Just as they left the street their houses resided in, Lincoln poked Luna with an elbow to get her attention. ''Hey Luna, there is something in the glovebox that I picked for us to make this event a bit more special. Just don't tell the others or they'll strangle me,'' he added the last part jokingly. Intrigued, Luna opened the compartment and pulled out what looked like a small decorated box. When opened it revealed two matching golden rings engraved with their names on the inside, their ''wedding'' rings. Of course, they never officially married, but a few years back they held an unofficial ceremony, where all the Loud sisters cemented their relationship with Lincoln. The rings were made specifically just for that occasion and weren't intended to be worn in public.
''Linc, why did you bring these? Don't tell me you plan on...'' Luna questioned her lover. ''That's right honey, tonight we'll be going as husband and wife.'' Lincoln turned to face her as they stopped at a red light, his face painted with a warm and adoring smile. As much as she wanted to protest, to argue about how irresponsible that may be, she couldn't resist. A warm, pleasant feeling crept up her whole body as she started to blush profusely. Being seen in public as Lincoln's wife has been one of her long-term fantasies.
She readily put on her ring and was about to put on Lincoln's when a mischievous idea crossed her mind. ''Honey, could you please give me your hand?'' she requested. Lincoln complied, extending his right hand to her while keeping his eyes on the road. However, instead of a cold ring simply sliding on his finger, he felt Luna's warm lips completely swallow his ring finger, with her tongue moving in strange ways around it. Once she pulled off of him, he saw that she indeed put on his ring, with her mouth. It was now his turn to blush, as he did his best to control the growing erection in his pants.
''Mom! Dad! For Christ's sake, not in front of your children.'' Lyra groaned in frustration, with Lemy doing his best to ignore his parents. They both giggled and promptly returned their attention back to the road. The rest of the ride was calm. Luna went on about how her first Mick Swagger concert changed her, and about the surprise Smooch concert that happened in front of their house at one point.
After about an hour and a half of driving, Lincoln pulled into a large parking lot near the temporarily constructed podium on the outskirts of the Great Lakes city. As soon as he parked the car, Lemy bolted out of the car, running to the edge of the lot to get a glimpse at the crowd and warm-up band that was currently performing on stage. Lyra sighed and followed him to make sure nothing bad would happen. "Shucks, seems like we're a little late, let's hope they just started,'' Lincoln grumbled as he closed the car and made his way to Luna, who was getting her jacket from the car. ''Well, honey, shall we go and enjoy our evening? That is as long as Lemy won't get into any mischief as he usually does,'' he added jokingly and offered his hand to Luna. She flashed him a smile and swiftly attacked his mouth with a needy, passionate kiss leaving him stunned for a moment. ''Well, what are you waiting for? Let's go after our little blessings, dear husband.'' Luna teased him and pulled his hand, guiding him towards the concert ground.
Lyra and Lemy made their way through the crowd to be as close to the stage as possible. Soon the band ended their song and an announcer came onto the stage. ''All right Ladies and Gents, a round of applause for Apparatus of Up for their amazing performance. Now, it's time for what you're all here for. The best and 'swaggiest' songs written by the legend Mick, sung by none other than his prodigal son, Nick Swaggeeeeer!'' the announcer shouted, making the whole audience cheer in unison as a young, handsome, brown-haired man made his way onto the stage. ''Look sis, that's Nick Swagger! I can't believe I'm actually seeing him play live.'' Lemy excitedly shouted to his big sister, who was looking rather unimpressed by the show so far, mostly because she disliked rock and metal music.
Her mother was a really open-minded person and mostly let Lyra pursue whatever passion she chose. But when it came to music, it was obvious she really wanted her daughter to be a fan of her favorite genre, which was evident by the fact she had tried every possible method to get Lyra to like rock. She still remembered how she would play rock music as her lullaby until Dad convinced her to stop trying. But Lemy was a completely different case. He absolutely loved rock music and its culture and was completely amazed by Luna's childhood stories about being in a band and performing in local bars and restaurants. And of course, their mom was absolutely elated at that, doing everything she could to fuel his passion.
''Hey, want me to hoist you so you can see better?'' Lyra asked noting that a group of adults moved in front of them. Hearing no response she turned, only to find that Lemy was no longer by her side. Frantically she looked all around but could find no trace of him in the pile of bodies all around. She started to panic, calling his name around her, but the music was too loud for her voice to be heard far, so the only thing that brought her were scoffs and glares from annoyed attendees.
''There you are you rascals.'' she heard their mom call out from behind. He and Luna made their way towards her with a smile, their hand intertwined. However, their smiles fell when they noticed Lemy wasn't with her. Lincoln was about to ask, but seeing his daughter's nervous face made him understand immediately. ''Christ Lemy, why must you be stubborn like Lana.'' he sighed, ''Sorry Lunes, I guess it's time for a plan ''Find Lemy and hope he hasn't gotten into too big of trouble in the meantime.'' ''
''Whoa, this is rad!'' Lemy gasped as he was making his way among wires in the small space below the stage, hearing the music and footsteps of the singers above him. ''Sorry guys, but I simply must use this chance to meet Mick's son in person. Mom got to do it with Mick himself but this is the second best thing.'' he thought to himself. After a while of creeping through the wires, he emerged in the backstage. After making sure there was no one around, he climbed out of his hiding spot and kept to the wall of one of the nearby trailers, just like David Steele in his dad's comics. He eyed his surroundings until his eyes fell upon the trailer with a big star, in which NS was inscribed, on its door.
Making a few dramatic rolls and ''tactical moves'' he made his way towards it. Looking through the windows he saw it was empty inside. Pumping his fists, he enthusiastically started to climb onto the roof, hoping to hide there until Nick came off stage. Then he would jump down, surprise him, and get him to sign his favorite guitar pick. That is if he's as chill as his father. But just as he was putting his second foot up he felt someone grab the collar of his shirt before he was violently pulled back onto the ground. Scratching his hurt head he looked up to see a blond-haired woman, about the age of his mother, with a black t-shirt with STAFF written on it.
''Now who the fuck are you? Another one of Nick's bastards or a dumb fan? Look squirt, I don't care what your reason is, you're in big trouble.'' She addressed him sternly. ''Tell me your name so I can call your parents.'' The woman commanded harshly. ''I-I... my nnname is Lemy.'' Lemy managed to say with a shaky voice, intimidated by this hostile woman. ''Lemy who!?'' ''Lemy Loud.'' he squeaked.
She grabbed him violently by the ear and started pulling him after her. ''Alright brat, let's go find your slacking parents.'' the woman said with anger evident in her voice. He was dragged through the rows of trailers, getting dirty looks from the other staff members. The embarrassment together with the stinging in his ear proved to be too much for young Lemy as tears started to fill his eyes and he started to sob quietly, too scared to provoke the angry woman dragging him.
Suddenly they came to a halt. Slowly looking up he saw they were at the edge of the concert area, at a parking gate where a guard seemed to be already waiting. Although smearing his tears away he could see there were actually more people with whom the guard was talking. Once his eyes adjusted he could clearly see his mother and sister looking worried while his father was conversing with the guard. Upon noticing him, and moreover, noticing the state he was in, Luna didn't hesitate and ran past the guard, jumping the grate and onto her only, precious son. ''Oh Lemy, why do you have to be rebellious like I was at your age? We were so worried when we couldn't find you at the front of the stage.'' She said, hugging him closely, too focused to notice the figure still standing above him.
''Well, well, well. It seems he was the right Loud after all.'' the woman said, prompting Luna to look back at her. Her mouth ran dry once she saw her face. ''Sam?'' she asked hesitantly, unable to believe it was her. The woman in front of her had the same face as her first love, but it was clear time changed her. She no longer had a teal-colored streak in her hair, and her arms were covered in tattoos, some of them showing signs of being painted over. Her face was also different, no longer was it full of vitality and confidence like when she first met her. Instead, it was now full of bitterness and cynicism.
''Your one and only. Oh sorry, that's your line right, Mrs. radio hostess?'' Sam mocked her, ''Looks like your brat here tried to sneak into Big Honcho's trailer, probably hoping to find out that he is his long-lost father. Too bad he inherited your brains.''
Lemy looked confused at the woman, thinking how did his mom know this person and why was she being so mean? Luna seemed less than pleased at her words, in fact, she looked furious. The only time he saw his mom furious was when one of Lyra's classmates broke her violin a few years back.
''Don't you dare talk about my son like that!'' Luna got up, her left hand holding onto Lemy, her other pointing accusingly at Sam.'' Sam just smirked and teased her further, '' Or what? You're gonna call one of your boyfriends to beat me? I bet you got plenty since you love sucking off men so much. I bet you never even were bi, you were just experimenting with me. And when it started to get too serious for you, you picked some bullshit reason to be mad and dumped me.'' "You know damn well that wasn't why!" Luna spat out in protest.
''Mom, who is that woman?'' came Lyra's voice, who was now by Lemy's side, doing her best to comfort him. She didn't know her, but anyone who made her brother cry was a bad person in her book. This hostility was clearly displayed on her face, which only caused Sam to frown and become more irritated. ''Of course, you didn't tell them about me. Although I understand you didn't want your kids to know you were a manipulating bitch on top of being a slut that got pregnant barely a year after breaking up with me.'' Sam was now screaming in fury, garnering the attention of the other staff around them.
She then stopped abruptly, whispering the other sentence so it was barely heard, ''I even gave you a second chance, but you chose to have that dirty little bastard rather than getting back with me.'' Luna was about to say something, but before she could even utter a word she saw a whitehaired silhouette run past her, delivering a swift punch to Sam's face, the impact of which caused her to drop to the ground. Both Lemy and Lyra gaped in shock, their dad did often get frustrated, rarely even mad, which is understandable when dealing with a household as big as theirs. But never have they seen him physically attack anyone. "Don't you ever speak about my children or my sister like that ever again!" he threatened her.
Sam slowly picked herself off the ground, swearing under her breath, massaging the red spot on her cheek with her free hand. "What asshole sucker punches a woman, Lincoln?! Seems you're still as much of a…" She spat out before processing what he said, "Did you just say your children?" It was as if a lock in her head suddenly opened, she immediately noticed the matching rings both Luna and Lincoln wore. She looked at Lyra and Lemy, just noticing how Lemy's unusually light shade of hair and Lyra's cowlick and round nose, which seemed awfully similar to Lincoln's. A nauseating feeling came over her as the realization set in, "Oh God! Luna, how could you? With your brother? That's, oh god, that's sick, I…" She barely muttered in a quiet breathless voice before putting a hand in front of her mouth and running away, pushing everything and everyone out of her way.
Terror. It was the only thing both Luna and Lincoln could feel right now. "We… We should go." Lincoln said a few seconds later. And just like that, they silently made their way to their car, forgetting about the whole concert. The ride back was mostly silent, the sounds of cars passing them by interrupting the deathly silence once in a while. Lemy was still quietly sobbing with his head buried in Lyra's stomach, who was gently stroking his hair in an automatic motion. "This is all my fault. If I just had't been a stupid idiot and haven't snuck into the backstage none of this would have happened. Now they'll split us up and I'll never see any of you again!" he spoke through the tears and hiccups.
"It's not your fault son. It was me, I just couldn't control myself and so I screwed up." Lincoln said without turning his head, smacking his hand onto the steering wheel in frustration. "Linc, don't go blaming yourself like that again, it was me who should have just left. Besides she doesn't know anyone in Royal Woods anymore and it's not like anyone would believe her anyway. So we can still fix this, right?" Luna comforted her husband, fearing he would spiral out of control. Lincoln looked up and gave her a small smile, "I'll do everything I can to fix this Lunes, for all of you, I promise."
It wasn't long before they came home, sooner than planned. Luna had already texted Luan to gather everyone for an emergency meeting but didn't say what for. Unlocking the front door to their old house, Lincoln walked into the living room where everyone was already seated, looking nervous and confused. Luna and her children followed him, sitting next to Luan on their original couch. Luan turned to her and whispered in her ear, "Luna, what happened? The only time we summon emergency meetings is when…"
"Someone knows." Lincoln addressed all of them in a somber tone.
