Lupa abhorred life, a simple statement with multiple implications. She wasn't suicidal by any metric, but she despised everything about the hand that she's been dealt. Her parents were siblings, something that at one point both mystified and disgusted her. A taboo relationship, only overshadowed by the fact that the other siblings in the situation not only accepted the relationship... but actively join in. She was captivated by the tragedy that was her family history, but worse still... she genuinely loved them all... even Leia. Don't ask her to admit it though. There was only one she'd actively admit to loving.
Her parents... were the worst of the bunch. Her father had long since deluded himself into thinking he could protect and maintain the family from home, presenting himself as a doting brother and uncle who, to the outside world, was helping his loose sisters deal with the consequence of their actions. She had heard the talk from neighbors.
"Can't believe that poor Loud man and his wife have to put up with all his sisters mistakes," some of the women would say.
"I mean, there's 11 of them, so the Loud women's libido must be wild," some men and boys would comment, usually along with which sister they wouldn't mind creating another, 'accident,' with.
But he just smiled and pretended like nothing was wrong. She knew he could never tell the truth, the last place she'd ever want to see her father was behind bars serving 9 counts of incest concurrently, but to just grin and bare it drove her wild. Especially since she saw how it effected him. He would silently suffer, isolating himself from most people outside of the family... or her aunt Haiku and uncle Clyde. Then their were her grandparents, blissfully unaware of their surroundings. She wasn't sure what tricks her mother and aunts had pulled to keep them in the dark... but she could only believe all of this were the results of her own grandparents inadvertent neglect, a side effect of having so many children with only two parents. An issue her and her siblings never had... much to her dismay. Hiding her own bad habits and proclivities were bad enough.
She was unaware of the fact that her father knew of her budding attraction to him, deluding herself to the point of believing that if she were to work up the nerve, he would be hers. If he were just any boy like he appeared it wouldn't do, he's far too nice. But it was the dark side of him mixed with this kindness she had fallen in love with. She had seen him in action before, crafting and weaving reality to suit his needs with a silver tongue. Half truths and manipulated words to protect her and her siblings from any real trouble. Then their was the seldom times he actually got angry. The tranquil fury of that man was unmatched by anything she had seen, heard, or read about, human, animal, or demon. Sometimes she would purposefully do things to entice that reaction out of him, rarely successfully, just to get a glimpse of that... intensity. Thankfully, for her sake, he didn't know about her budding nicotine addiction. She was entranced by this man, her father, and no one could take his place. Which brings her to her mother.
A woman who her hate for was only matched with her admiration. Jealousy mainly drove this emotion, cause she had somehow succeeded where Lupa had, as of yet, failed. A woman whose dark beauty had tempted the man she adored most to sin harder than any man should. Or so Lupa believed. She had never managed to get her mother to tell her exactly how she had done it, receiving only a coy smile and a pat on the head when she asked, but she was certain, knowing her mother, it was underhanded, slimy, and oh so delicious. She couldn't imagine her mother being as tortured as she currently was. How little she knew. She had inherited her habit of drawing she assumed from her mother, never seeing her father so much as pick up a paper. But her mother wove stories like webs. Dark romance, visceral erotica, and cosmic horrors beyond human comprehension along with bleak poetry was her repertoire... but all the drawings of dark creatures she hid under her bed told her that her mother had to have been an artist at one point.
Lupa sat in the darkness of her room, drawing by a stem lamp as she always did. Demons, fiery hellspawn, Lovecraftian ancient gods were her muse. The gentle wrapping on her door was familiar to her as she turned to it, half lidded eyes.
"Enter," she demanded as the door opened.
Her father opened the door, "Honey bee, lunch is ready."
She sighed as she gazed at his smile and bright freckled face, why did he have to be physically attractive as well as personality wise? "Yes father."
She stood up and ascended toward the light of her father, knowing that no one could understand the jealousy that she currently felt... not even her mother.
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"No way!" Lynn growled as she crossed her arms, "Not going to happen!"
"Come on, dude," Luna sighed, "It's just pushing the cycle back one day, it's not that big a deal-"
"Easy for you to say! You have Sam if this all goes tits up!"
"Oh, come on Lynn," Luan groaned rolling her eyes, "You act like it's the end of the world if he hangs out with friends in Detroit. It's a convention, not an orgy... the orgy was moved to next Saturday," she joked.
"Zip it, newbie! You're lucky we even gave you a vote so early!"
Luan rolled her eyes, "Lincoln, I don't know how you do it."
Lincoln was currently on his knees, hands clasped together in Lynn and Lucy's room, their default meeting spot, at the foot of the bed, begging for permission to go to the convention on Saturday. Leni had abstained from voting, because she thought the whole, telling Lincoln what he can and can't do was silly. So far he had two yeses and one no, a hung jury would be an automatic no. Regrettably Sam wasn't there for the vote or he could guarantee his yes... but Lucy was his wild card. He placed his chin on the bed, not breaking his begging posture.
"Please, Luce? We've been planning for this all week!"
"Hey! Don't ignore me Lincoln Loud!" Lynn shouted as she threw a pillow at his back.
He winced at hearing his full name... but he'd deal with her at a later date, "Lucy, it's just a one day thing, then things'll go back to normal," She turned away from her poetry book and stared at him, "Well... our version of normal."
She looked deep into his blue eyes and smiled, gently caressing his cheek, "Of course, my love."
He grinned and kissed her under her ear, "Thanks Luce," She bit her lip as he wrapped his arms around both Luna and Luan on their lips, then Leni on her forehead, "You guys are the best!"
He ran to the door but Lynn blocked him, "Hey! Where's mine?!"
Lincoln smiled somewhat smugly, "You voted no," he lifted her out of his way and rushed out the door before she could tackle him.
She banged her fist on the door swearing before turning to her coconspirators, "How can you three be alright with this?!"
"I don't get it," Leni put her finger to her lips, "Why are you so mad that Lincy wants to hang out with his friends? He always hangs out with Clyde, Rusty, Zach, and Liam!"
"It's not the dork brigade I'm worried about!" Lynn threw her arms up in annoyance, "It's the two girls, Kara and Stella... especially that Stella girl."
"Oh come on, dude," Luna rolled her eyes leaning back, "I hang out with a bunch of girls, doesn't mean I want to have sex with all of them."
"It's not him I'm worried about!" she sat in front of her bed, laying her head in her arms over her knees, "Think about it... he rolled over easy for his sisters... Ronnie's one thing, but if he has a girl that close by, we'll get left behind."
Leni laughed, "Lincy wouldn't do that," she turned her head to Luna, "Right?"
Luna leaned shook her head, "I don't think so, I just think Lynn's got a jealousy problem. Even if he gets another girlfriend what's the big deal?"
Luan laughed, "Yeah, the more the merrier."
"As if!" Lynn barked, "I remember how you acted after we brought you in here! You were about as red as your stupid clown noses!"
"Yeah," Luan agreed remembering the meeting after Lucy caught them, after she was certain she was dead, imagine her shock then anger after finding out that she wasn't his first familial conquest.
Once Lucy explained things, that she was a member of a far more exclusive club that only Leni was a member of, did she calm down. She hadn't even felt that jealous after she saw Benny with his new girlfriend, but knowing that she was one of only two people he approached first launched her confidence into the stratosphere. It didn't take much to convince her to join after that, especially in the interest of protecting their mutual lover and twisted love.
She leaned back confidently, "But, I mean, the more you think about it the more sense it makes. Lucy makes a compelling argument, having us all on board makes it way easier to hide from mom and dad. Having some outside help couldn't hurt."
"The hell with outside help!" She punched her pillow, "We don't need anyone else pulling him away from us! Don't you all get it?!"
Luna shook her head, realizing they were getting nowhere, and glanced at the other two older girls, "Let's go before Lynn blows a gasket."
"You haven't seen a gasket blown yet, sister!" she shouted as they closed the door behind them, she turned to Lucy, "And you! Don't you have anything to say about this?!" She continued writing wordlessly, "Come on spooky! You were just as freaked out as I was when he went to Ronnie's! We're partners in this!" no response, more scribbling, Lynn growled and approached her bed, "Quit that annoying scratching," She snatched her younger sister's book out of her hands.
"Hiss!" Lucy shouted as she swiped at the book, falling over the side of the bed.
Lynn looked at the page, a half finished poem staring back at her:
Woe be the white rabbit who wonders into a foxes den,
Dinner soon he will be.
So why does he run, then,
When he's safe here with me?
Other rabbits surround him, sure,
Succulent meat for the foxes teeth.
The white rabbit sticks out far more,
a dark fate I fear we shall soon meet.
"I knew it!" Lynn hollered in victory, "You didn't want him to go either!" she froze when she saw her sister's lightly misted blue eyes as her bangs had been displaced from the fall, "H-hey, you oka-"
"So what if I'm Jealous?!" the monotone girl growled, barely above her usual inflection, as she snatched the book away from her sister, "Of course I'm going to be jealous! There are too many succubus around our dearest brother, and he doesn't even realize it! How the hell couldn't I be jealous," she grabbed her older sisters shirt, "are you happy now?!"
"Geez, Luce, settle down! If you were so opposed to it why didn't you vote no with me?!"
She sighed and laid face down in her pillow, "You stare into those eyes and tell him no..."
"I do it all the time," she reminded as she laid down next to her, "So what do we do?"
"I don't know... you want to follow him?"
Lynn turned to her sister and smiled. Stalking shouldn't be that hard in something like a convention, especially with their brothers unique features. They could chaperone without him even knowing they're there... just to be sure.
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Lupa sat in the kitchen, surrounded by the noise of her family's multiple conversations.
"What kind of weirdo's eat sausage on a sandwich?" Leia groaned taking a bite out of the bread.
"It's British, luv," her aunt Luna responded with a grin in her old fake accent, "I asked your dad to make it for me! No idea where he got the right sausage though."
"World Wide Mart," Lincoln responded taking a bite of his own sandwich, "Although the internet said any pork sausages would do, I figured British sausage would give you that taste of the English countryside you crave, considering the whole retirement thing."
She smiled and leaned on her hands, "Linc, can we move to England?"
"Not a chance," he responded calmly taking another bite, "The kids are used to Detroit, upending them just to move countries seems like a bad plan."
"Awe, come on," Luna begged as she leaned in, "Imagine it, getting a good size house built on Loch Loud so the kids could see where they came from, quiet countryside away from all the noise, rolling green hills to-"
"You're going to have to try harder than that," Lincoln smirked between bites.
"Lame," she mumbled as she took a bite of her sandwich again, "You're lucky you cook good."
"Right," he rolled his eyes, "that's definitely why you stay with me."
"Want me to tell you the real reason in front of all the kids?" she smirked back.
"Fold," he growled, utilizing the old poker term to emphasize she won the round, but not the game.
She giggled, knowing the implications before Leia chimed back in, "Authentic or not, I still say it's barbaric."
"I like it!" Lizy piped up next to her, pulling her face from covered in ketchup and mustard.
"Ew!" Leia groaned, "Aunt Lana!"
Lana rose up from her plate covered equally in ketchup and mustard, speaking with a mouth full of food, "Yeah?"
Leia winced and moved down a seat earning a laugh from her father who got up and wiped both his daughter and younger sister's face. Another harmless action that made Lupa crave attention, and now that Leia was next to her, incidentally invading her space in the process, she had her opportunity. She took the bit side of her sandwich and ran it across her sister's arm, smearing the ketchup on her elbow getting some on her shirt.
"Eh!?" Leia screamed in surprise, "Ew! Lupa!"
Her father's attention now turned to her, the girl grinned, "Oops, my bad, maybe you should get your fat ass off my side of the table."
"Fat?!"
"Lupa," her father called with a stern voice, sending a shiver down her spine as he glared at her, "Don't harass your younger sister."
"Father, I assure you it was an accident," she lied as her father began wiping off Leia's arm.
"With how daintily you eat?" he rolled his eyes, "Totally believable."
"Daddy! I want her punished!" she demanded.
"Not a chance, pumpkin," her father smiled as he finished cleaning off her arm.
"Why not?!" Leia pouted.
"Because," he glared at her giving her those tingles again, "That's probably what she wants too."
Lupa growled and went back to her plate. Damn he was good. No wonder she loved him.
"Do dad a favor and go sit next to Lemy."
"What?!" Lemy shouted in annoyance, "No way!"
"Ew!" Leia gasped through an obvious smile as she ran to the empty seat, "Lemy's gross! Why would I want to do that?!"
He shook his head smiling, "Well, don't rush or anything."
Lemy rolled his eyes, "Lupa's the one who smeared ketchup on her, why am I getting punished?!"
"Whatever," Leia laughed, "We both know you're head over heels for me."
"In your dreams, pipsqueak!"
Lincoln shook his head. Lupa knew what he was doing. Leia wasn't as good at hiding her emotions like she was. Hell, she was certain Lulu knew about their sister's crush on him. It was almost as obvious as Lacy's or even Lyra's. But she was a bit less optimistic. She turned to Liena braiding Lyles hair while Bed sat in his lap, then to Reina possessively holding BJ while Loan fed him giggling. If the Westermarck effect was something the family could achieve then it wouldn't be in the situation it was in. She envied them though. Were it as simple as her just loving one of her brothers she would already have them caged. The thought of caging her father made her grin. She watched as he shivered.
"What's wrong Linc? Cold?" Lana asked, working on messing her face up again.
"Don't know," he responded, "Just got a weird feeling all at once... felt like someone walked over my grave."
"Perish the thought," a voice from behind her calmly stated, "No one will walk over, 'our,' grave dear brother."
She slowly turned to her mother, daintily eating the sausage sandwich as to not smear her black lipstick, "What makes you think he wishes to be buried with you, mother?" Lupa demanded.
Lucy smiled and gently stroked her daughter's cheek, "Jealousy is really ugly on you, my sweet hellspawn."
She sucked her teeth as she went back to her sandwich, "Like you know anything..."
Lucy smiled at the bitter look her daughter gave her. So precocious... yet so naive.
Stella tapped Lincoln on the shoulder, "Hey hot shot, can I borrow you for a second?"
He smiled up at her and nodded as they disappeared out of the room together.
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"I can't believe we're actually here!" Clyde shouted gleefully as they passed the turnstiles into the convention hall.
"Believe it Clyde," Kara smiled as she walked backwards beaming, "we made it!"
"Biggest convention in the North," Lincoln nodded as he eyed all the booths, wall to wall, all the rooms occupied with different groups
Everything from Starship Groupers to King of the Rings on the comic and film nerd side of things, David Steele to Ace Savvy for comic fans, and a mind boggling amount of video games as far as the eye could see.
Lincoln grinned as he gripped his mostly empty backpack, "God, I love living this close to Detroit!"
No surprise Kara dragged them through all the comic book booths first, Lincoln picked up a substantial amount of art tips as well as a few limited edition versions of comics he already owned. He and Clyde managed to make it in time for a couple meet and greats with actors from Starship Groupers. Liam was entranced with a farming simulator in the gaming section, critiquing every little nuance with the creators taking notes on his comments. They had lost Zach in the starship Grouper crowd long ago.
"Should we go looking for him?" Clyde asked.
"No," Lincoln shook his head, "He's among his people now."
Both saluted him as they moved on. Rusty was busy attempting, and failing miserably at, flirting with a few cosplayers. Eventually this left Lincoln, Stella, Kara, and Clyde. They stopped at a makeshift food court and grabbed a couple of burgers. They sat, ate, joked, and laughed, unaware of the two sitting three tables behind them. Lynn and Lucy sipped on their drinks, eying the four friends cautiously from behind their coat collars.
"Okay... fine... so maybe Luna and Luan were right... maybe we were too worried after-" as she began saying that Clyde and Kara got up, something comic wise catching their attention, "All?"
"They're alone," Lucy grabbed her sister's shoulder, "Lynn, why are they alone?"
"E-easy Luce, they're just talking... see?" Lynn pointed to them as Stella pulled out a console and Lincoln tilted his head before scooting closer to her, "T-they're just... talking... extremely close to each other..." Lucy began gripping the table hard enough to put small indents, "Wow..."
"Wow," Lincoln gasped in amazement, "How come you never told me about Demon Hunters?!"
She giggled, "I mean, it's not like there's enough time to hunt on the bus."
Lincoln watched in awe as she brought down a dragon after wailing on it for around 15 minutes, "Are they all that tough?"
She shrugged, "I mean, mostly yeah. You got smaller wimpier monsters that are good for some sellable materials, but to upgrade your gear it's these guys you want to take on!"
"Damn," he sighed, "I wish I hadn't wasted everything I had on comics..."
Stella grinned slyly and slipped her hands in her bag before handing him an unopen copy, "Consider this my payment? I figured we could trade ID numbers and go on hunts together!"
He looked at the cover of the game, the same one she was currently playing, with a grin before embracing her.
A crack could be heard from the table as Lucy gripped harder, "C-careful, Lucy! You're going to break the table!"
Lucy watched as Stella returned the hug with a sly smile.
She wasn't sure if she was aware of her feelings, or even if there was anything there at all, but that smile proved one thing, "You were right Lynn," she hissed, "That girl... is dangerous."
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The kids had long since dispersed from the dining room long ago. Lupa climbed the stairs about halfway to her father's room when she heard a commotion inside of Stella and Darna's appartment. She calmly opened the door and entered the living room where the noise originated. On the floor were Stella and her father... and Loan... and Lemy... all with controllers in their hand surrounded by televisions pulled from their own units. Lupa sighed and facepalmed, of course, Demon Hunters.
"Come on Linc! Draw aggro!" Stella ordered as her character danced around some weird winged minotaur.
"I mean, I've hit him three times with this damn great sword now, I can't really do much else!"
"Back off of him for a minute Aunt Stella!" Loan commanded as she loaded her launcher with an explosive round.
Bobby was watching next to her in awe as Reina had her arms wrapped around him. Lacy was bouncing up and down next to Lemy who was trying to prep a trap for them to lure him into.
Loan shot the round, hitting the monster enough to stun it but also launching her father into the air, "Loan!"
"What?! That should've been a direct hit!" she groaned, "This is so much easier on PC!"
"Blah blah PC master race," her father teased, "Just give me a second to down a potion, Lemy! What's the status on that trap?!"
"It's set!" he answered, drawing his twin blades, "Lure him over here!"
"Alright," Lincoln agreed, "Here goes nothing!"
Lincoln hit the bull demon several times as Loan and Stella ran to where Lemy was waiting. Lincoln, successfully drawing the digital creatures ire began running back to the group. His character dove over the trap, a risky move, but a successful one as the demon was snared.
"Now!" Stella ordered as all four of them began wailing on the creature until it stopped moving.
The victory music chimed on and all four of the hunters began cheering. Loan kissed BJ on his forehead earning a small blush from her younger brother. Lemy and Lacy embrassed briefly before Lemy realized and separated from his older sister who was still trying to attach herself to him. Lincoln and Stella high fived before she kissed him on his cheek.
Lupa couldn't help but to smile slightly watching her family cheer, but a voice caused her to shiver, "Sigh, Demon Hunter... I detest that game."
Her mother surprised her, a rarity, "What for? They seem happy enough playing it."
Lucy smiled and pinched her daughter's cheek before gliding into the room and wrapping her arms around her father, whispering something to him. He rolled his eyes and smiled, nodding. How nice it must be to have her father wrapped around her finger like that.
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When Lincoln got home, shortly after a seething Lynn and Lucy, his face was buried into his handhelds screen. Loud roars and clashing metal could be heard as he walked up the stairs.
"Hey little bro," Luan greeted with Luna leaning on the rails, "You have fun today?"
He looked up briefly to kiss both on the cheek, "Thank you, and yes, it was amazing..."
"Anything for you, little bro," Luna smiled, allowing her brother to walk past.
Lucy peered through the door to watch him enter his room, "He's back."
"Good," Lynn nodded as she jumped off her bed, "Let's go."
They both exited the room after the watched Luna and Luan return to their own room, giggling and whispering. They slowly walked to his door, gently opening it to see Lincoln in only his underwear, bathed in the light of the gaming system. Lucy looked at the case on the ground, seeing the words Demon Hunter in big red letters and growled. She walked in first and slid herself in between Lincoln and the game system.
"H-Hey! What gives Luce?!"
"Hiss!" she growled as she turned around, utilizing her hair to obscure his vision.
"Lucy!" He closed the gaming system, thanking his luck that he was only playing an offline hunt, right as Lynn jumped on his other side and snaked her arms around him, "Lynn?! What's with you two?! I thought we agreed to start the rotation again tomorrow! And tomorrow's Luan's day anyway!"
"Hush, Stinkin!" Lynn demanded.
Both girls began rubbing against him, "H-hey! Does someone want to tell me what this is about?!"
"You know, traitor!" Lynn growled, "We saw you today at the con, making goo goo eyes at Stella!" Lucy elbowed her, "Ow!... oops."
Lincoln stared at the two girls, "Were you... were you two following me?!"
"Irrelevant," Lucy growled.
"Very relevant!" Lincoln shot back causing her to jump, he then turned to Lynn, "And you, didn't I tell you there was nothing to worry about! Stella and I are just friends!"
"Oh sure, like you and Ronnie are just friends?!" Lynn squeezed him, "How would she react to your other little girlfriend I wonder!"
"They've met, dork!" Lincoln groaned, "Unbelievable, and you even dragged Lucy into this?!"
"Hey! Following you was her idea!"
Lucy winced at the statement and Lincoln look down, she could feel his gaze on her, "Is that true, Luce?"
She blushed and nodded wordlessly, "I'm... afraid of losing you... so is Lynn..." He softened at that, then started chuckling, "It's not funny, Lincoln."
He shook his head, "Lucy, do you remember what I told you when we first started this?"
"If it makes my younger sister happy, how could I forget?"
"Well, are you happy with me?"
"Happier than I've ever been in my entire life..."
He ran his hands over her hair and she looked up to stare into his deep blue eyes with her own icy blue ones, "Then I'm not going anywhere... I did promise after all."
She smiled, blushed, and snuggled into his chest, Lynn gripped his arm, "Hey! What about me?!"
Lincoln rolled his eyes and kissed her on the lips, running his hands through her hair as he did, when he parted from her a smiler replaced her pout, "Of course I'm stuck with you too."
"Dang it," She sighed, forgiving him almost immediately and snuggling into the curve of his neck, "I hate when you do that..."
He sighed, "I guess I'm stuck with you two tonight?"
"Damn right," both said in unison.
"Fine, but if you both start snoring I'm sleeping with Leni," he couldn't help but smile as both girls elbowed him in the ribs.
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Lupa abhorred life, especially on nights such as this. Her mother and father were currently in the other room, cuddling, reading poetry, and otherwise being, 'sensual,' with eachother. She couldn't stand the jealousy of hearing her mother's occasional lustful giggle, never mind the fact her ear was currently to the door to hear them. She groaned when she heard the rustling of sheets and kicked her door. She sat down at her desk, face down, waiting for the inevitable. Lincoln opened the door.
"You okay, honeybee?"
"No," she responded coldly, "My life is a never ending spiral of turmoil."
"Well, at least you sound normal," she threw a pen at him earning a small chuckle, "Seriously, what's eating you?"
She looked directly in her father's eyes with her icy stare that she inherited from her mother, "You two are."
He rolled his eyes, "Really giving me a lot to work with here."
"Hearing you two in there makes me feel like vomiting myself to death," she leaned her head back on the table, "Sigh..."
"Funny," Lincoln rubbed the back of his head as he sat on her coffin style bed next to her, "I could have swore we were being quiet..."
She shook her head, "I don't understand something."
"What's that?"
"You know what she does," Lupa turned her head to him, referring to her habit of incapacitating her aunts to get at him, "Why are you so wrapped up in her web?"
She saw something in her father's smile that chilled her to the bone, the way his brow furrowed, a smirk that she hadn't seen before, something sinister, "is that what you think?"
She squeezed her thighs together, uncertain of how this new gaze made her feel, "U-um..."
He softened his smile, or maybe it was the lighting making it look that way in the first place, and ruffled her hair before kissing her forehead, "Your mom's a great woman... and yeah, I do know... but it's just how she is."
She watched as her father left the room and closed the door, only enough for a little light to shine through. Lupa groaned as she stood up, not wanting to hear, or see, anymore than she already had, but she heard something that made her freeze.
"W-what do you mean, my love?"
"I just need to head upstairs."
"Why? I thought we were spending time together!"
She saw as her mom sat on her hands and knees at the edge of her canopy bed in her sheer nightgown, eyes pleading after her father, "Well, we did, now I have to go back upstairs."
"W-wait, I thought we could," she sat up wrapping her arms around her older brother, "Y-you know..."
"Right now?" Lincoln laughed, "It's a little early, don't you think?"
"B-but... the way you were..." she gently caressed his chest, "T-touching my leg... I just thought."
Lincoln ran his hand through her silky black hair and kissed her cheek, "I have to make dinner, Luce."
"B-but Lincoln," he stretched his arms out popping his back and loosing himself from her grasp and walking to the door, "B-big brother!" he stopped when he heard those words, Lupa could swear he had that smirk again, "I-I'll do... anything..."
He turned around and walked towards her, "Well, if I stay down here I won't have the kitchen clean before 9... you know how I get when I-"
"I'll help you clean!" she promised, "J-just please Lincoln, you can't leave me like this!"
"Dishes too?"
"Dishes, mopping, leftovers, all of it!"
He smiled and pushed her back on the bed, "Well, when you put it that way."
"T-thank you, dearest brother..." she smiled as he was upon her and Lupa closed the door.
She had seen enough to dye her face red. Was her mother truly that easy? She knew he was manipulative, but she always assumed her mother was immune. Was her father truly that... twisted? All this time she assumed she got her shifty nature from her mother, but the power that she had watched her father exert over her in that brief moment was... exhilarating. She sat down at her drawing table, staring at the half stenciled beast before her, comparing it's nature to her father. She had wondered if there was anything else that she had inherited from her father as she muffled her ears, not willing to suffer the banshee wailing in the room next to her... or her imagining of it. On the other side of the door Lincoln embraced Lucy who was desperately riding him, concealing a blush as she did.
He knew that Lupa had watched that exchange and he saw as the door closed. Maybe she wouldn't see her mother as a demon that torments the house now, it was bad enough some of her siblings already did but he didn't think she should... regardless of how much lucy revealed in it. He just hoped this wouldn't exasperate her... other issue. Especially considering Lincoln knew she was listening on purpose, her room was soundproof after all... all of them were. But that would be a problem for later... for now he at least had help cleaning the kitchen after dinner.