AN: Well, I was going to just let this thing lie, but the response has been pretty positive. So I guess I'll try to see if I can work this into a proper story without straight up scrapping everything I've done so far. To that end I've changed the name of the story, to better reflect that it's no longer an adaptation of the animation that spawned this thing. So...yeah, we'll see how things go.
Skully13: I'll write more when I feel inspired to write more. Can't promise more than that, but I'd like to go back to that story.
Tornado man: They are not, at the moment its just Lynn and Luna, because I cribbed off other people's story materials to write this thing. We'll see how that changes going forward.
Guest99: Lincoln's already in better shape than he'd normally be thanks to his island living. Where things go from there remains to be seen.
Guest: Glad to hear people are enjoying this, it has been a lot of fun to write so far. And I do have plans for Lincoln, assuming I get that far.
Cookie Warlord: Lincoln's already pretty good at surviving his sisters' affections. But I do have an inkling of a plan for him if I get that far into the story.
The emergence of titanic creatures from the ocean depths has become an increasingly common event over the years. In Royal Woods specifically, the city government had attempted to minimize potential damage by closing the beaches outright, only to quickly rescind that order due to the massive public outcry that followed. Because while it was generally agreed that giant monsters were a matter of public concern, beach time was sacrosanct. The half-measure that was grudgingly agreed upon by all, was requiring beach-goers to sign a fairly weighty waiver to absolve the city of the worst of the various liabilities that tended to accrue when kaiju were afoot, which was considered to be tremendously unfair to the signer. But the free hot dog voucher it came with did take some of the sting out.
So when three enormous shapes emerged from the ocean and began making their way toward the shoreline, the initial response was fairly conservative. Blankets were clutched, beach bags secured, and lose children were corralled, all steps taken in preparation so that flight could be taken if it was necessary. But not an instant earlier than that.
"I can't believe you had us swim all the way home," Luna grumbled as she clambered onto the shore, taking a brief moment to make sure that Sam was still behind her before she turned her attention back onto her sister.
"But you did, and I bet you're not even winded" Lynn shot back, giving her ponytail a dramatic flick and sending seawater spraying in all directions.
"...Fair enough," Luna grudgingly admitted. She drew herself up to her full height, enjoying the familiar feeling of once again having sunshine on her skin, and soft, warm sand beneath her toes...and then she froze, seeing a multitude of eyes locked directly on her. It was an unsettling sensation to be the center of such attention, even for one who'd sought stardom as fervently as Luna had, and not knowing how to respond, she simply stared back, feeling very much like the figurative deer caught in the headlights.
"It's cool, guys," Lynn called down to the crowd, breaking the awkward silence. "They're with me."
And to Luna's surprise, the beachgoers collectively breathed a sigh of relief and went back to what they were doing.
"That was...weird," Sam remarked, blinking in surprise. "Kinda thought there'd be more screaming."
"Sharp, you've seen the kind of stuff that normally climbs out of the water, right?" Lynn asked rhetorically. "It's gotten worse in the time you guys were gone. Stuff with...teeth, tentacles, all kinds of wacky things like that. We're easy on the eyes and aren't stepping on anything or trying to eat anyone. As long as you don't do anything to scare the tinies, nobody's gonna complain about us being here."
As if to confirm what she said, the air was suddenly filled with the sound of cameras going off.
"Kinda wishing we were better dressed for the occasion," Luna muttered, fully aware that her island attire was making her stand out even more than her height already did. "And speaking of the...uh, 'tinies', please tell me you've got Linc."
"A doy" Lynn replied, rolling her eyes. "Say 'hey', little bro."
The hair atop Lynn's head began to stir and a small fist pushed through her brunette tresses, its thumb upraised, and a moment later her brother's upper body followed, looking slightly damp, but otherwise fine.
"All good, Luna!" He called out as he waved to her, the mere sight of him making Luna's heart melt just a bit.
"Good," She said, letting out a small sigh of relief. "Still don't know why you got to carry him though."
"Because I have the most hair," Lynn replied, giving her ponytail another flick. "And we agreed that was the safest way to ferry our bro."
"But...I have the most hair," Sam interjected, giving her golden mane a demonstrative shake, the shadow it cast briefly blotting out the sun for a decent chunk of the beach attendees.
"Yeeeeeees," Lynn replied, nodding along. "Well then...I guess I just wanted it more. Now come on girls, hup two!"
Without waiting for a response, she strode forward, quickly making her way through the beach and towards the city.
"...She played us, didn't she?" Sam asked, shooting a glance at Luna.
"Comes with the territory," Luna replied, pulling her girlfriend into a quick side hug. "Lincoln Ball is kind of a family pastime for us sibs. You'll get the hang of it eventually."
"Y-you...you doin' okay, Lil bro?"
Lincoln had been preoccupied throughout the trip home. While, in the interest of safety, the girls had limited themselves to what amounted to a fast walk, their size allowed them to cover a lot of ground very fast, which resulted in a fairly short journey. At Lincoln's request, Lynn had transferred him to her shoulder, which was the way he'd usually traveled with Sam and Luna back on the island. Unlike there, however, where the view was often obscured by the thick, jungle greenery, here he was free to see the sprawling urban environment of Royal Woods in all its modern glory, and he'd quickly become absorbed in the sight of seeing the things he'd taken for granted all his life play out on a infinitely more massive, yet somehow smaller scale. Even the buildings that still loomed above Lynn's enhanced stature retained novelty because of the view his current perch afforded him from their exterior, free and unimpeded by any sort of mechanical assistance. The experience as a whole as breathtaking, and utterly enthralling.
Still, Luna's query was more than enough to snap him out of his trance, and as it had so many times before, his sister immediately became his world.
It was...slightly disconcerting to see the state Luna was in. On the island, Luna had been their rock. While Sam had been similarly empowered by the experiments they'd been subjected to, it was Luna who taken charge, who'd made the calls. Who'd kept the trio going long enough for them to learn to survive in their new environment. While he knew that it was at least partly an act put on for his sake, Luna had always projected an overwhelming strength and confidence, which only grew more palpable as she and Sam had challenged the islands denizens, eventually carving out a spot in the food chain in which they could live in relative comfort and safety.
Here, back home, it was an entirely different story. Luna's confident, thundering footsteps were timid and uncertain. Her eyes were constantly looking around, not with the wary, predatory gaze she normally used to scan for danger, but with a skittishness that seemed utterly alien on her after the trials they'd faced together. And while his perch didn't afford him as good of a view of Sam, what he could clean from her stance, and the way she and Luna were tightly clasping each other's hands, suggested that she was in similar straits.
"Hey, Lynn?" Lincoln called out, slapping Lynn's shoulder to get her attention. As she turned to face him, he began to gesture behind them.
"Aw come on, Linc," Lynn protested, pouting cutely. "We're almost home, and the family's probably chomping at the bit to see you."
"She needs this, Lynn" He replied. Then he blinked in confusion. "Wait, how would they know we're here?"
"Well for one thing," Lynn jerked her thumb at the other girls. "Pretty safe bet that those Flintstones rejects have made the news by now. But aside from that…"
Lynn tilted her head to the side and gestured to her earrings.
"This is going to shock you, but I'm not wearing these for fashion," She said, chuckling. "They're two-way transmitters, I've been in contact with Lisa the whole time."
"Oh, cool!" Lincoln replied. "But, even so…"
Lynn sighed. "Fine," She grumbled, holding out her hand so Lincoln could hop into it.
"Hey, Lunes!" Lynn barked as she came to a stop. "Don't say I never did anything for you!"
Luna's eyes narrowed in suspicion, only to widen in shock as Lynn held Lincoln out to her. To remove any lingering ambiguities, Lincoln held out his arms, as if inviting his siste to come in for a hug.
For an instant, Luna retained her old, predatory gaze, and Lincoln felt a shiver run down his spine as he sensed her sizing him up.
"Gimmie!" Luna snarled, lurching forward and snatching Lincoln from Lynn's palm with such speed and accuracy, that Lincoln was pretty sure she now qualified for some degree of mastery in karate. Next thing he knew, he was being smushed against her cheek.
"Oooooh yeeeeah," Luna murmured, nuzzling her face against his. "That's the stuff…"
Admittedly, it was a little more embarrassing to be doing this while Lynn was watching them, but Lincoln pushed those feelings aside and allowed his sis to indulge in her favorite coping mechanism, rubbing small circles into her freckled cheek as she did so. The effect was instantaneous, his sister's whole demeanor becoming noticably more relaxed.
...Which lasted right up until another hand shot out towards him, only being deflected by Luna's forearm at the last second.
"Quit hogging him!" Sam hissed as she tried to reach around Luna. "Sam needs some comfort too!"
Her response was an elbow to the face, which she just barely managed to dodge.
"Not till I get my fix!" Luna growled, interposing her body between the blonde and her little bro.
"Ho ho!" Sam chuckled, her eyes glinting with determination. "I guess it's on!"
With a snarl, the blonde launched herself forward, doing her best to snatch Lincoln out of her girlfriend's hand while Luna attempted to fend her off with one hand.
"Psst, Lincoln!" Lynn whispered not at all quietly, edging as close as she could to the trio. "Just say the word and I'll save you!"
She clenched her fists and delivered a quick, demonstrative punch to the air.
"It's fine, Lynn!" He called back, chuckling in bemusement as he tried to make himself a little more comfortable. "This is just how we do things! It's cool!"
Lincoln could feel Luna's steps begin to falter as the group turned onto Franklin Avenue. He couldn't blame her, given that he was feeling a little anxious himself the impending reunion with his family. But before he could get too mired in his own thoughts, Lynn halted their march with one upraised arm, then turned around to face the remaining trio.
"Told ya they were expecting us," She said, smugly, as she stepped aside. There, Lincoln could see his family home, unchanged from how remembered it, except in one, very important respect. Hanging from the roof was a large banner, hastily assembled and plainly adorned, but the sentiment it projected couldn't be clearer.
"Welcome Home," it read. And with that, any lingering doubts Lincoln might have had about making their return to civilization were thoroughly banished.
"Loud Crowd, assemble!" Lynn bellowed, the air ringing with the force of her pronouncement. For a moment, Lincoln felt some sympathy for the neighbors who had to put up with this sort of thing on what was almost certainly a regular basis. But in the next, the door to his family home burst open, and suddenly it was impossible to care about anything else.
"LINCOLN!" "LUNA!" "MY BABIES!" Cried a chorus of voices as the Louds charged out of the house and began swarming around Luna's ankles, their abuzz with their excited babbling.
Lincoln turned to his sister, and gave her a heartfelt, though weary smile.
"Welcome home, big sis," He said.
"Welcome home, little bro," She replied, her voice choked with emotion. Then she began to kneel down so they could properly greet their family.
"Alright, alright!" Luna chuckled, as her family's excitement finally died down enough for her to get a word in edgewise. "Dudes, I'm lovin' this, but I'm all hugged out at the moment."
"AAAAAW!" Came the disappointed groans of her little sisters. Her parents, on the other hand, looked very much relieved. She couldn't blame them, Lincoln was a champ at dealing with her height now, but he'd get vertigo something fierce back when she'd pick him up or put him down. Her sisters, on the other hand, had no such hangups. Something she'd have to account for in the future…
"Say," Luna added, now that the initial excitement had died down a smidge. "Looks like we're short a few peeps,"
"Lisa's in her lab, sweetie," Her mom called up to her. "She'll be joining us in a bit. And the older girls couldn't get away from their jobs on such short notice, but they're all determined to come home and visit as soon as possible!"
"And in the meantime, I've been cooking up a storm!" Her dad added, evidenced by the apron he was wearing, and the spatula that was still clutched in one hand. "Now that..now that you're both...home…"
For a moment, it looked like the Loud patriarch was going to lose it, but to Luna's surprise, e rallied, choking down the tears of joy that were threatening to burst forth.
"A-anyway, we're eating well tonight, I spared no expense," He concluded, giving his spatula a little twirl before turning to Sam. "You're welcome to join us of course, Sam. "Lisa gave me a heads up about your...situation, and I cooked enough to feed an army! Maybe two!"
"That sounds awesome," Sam replied, encircling her arms around Luna's. "But...would you mind holding off just a bit? I still need to go home and let my family know I'm okay."
"And I should probably go with her," Luna added, giving her girlfriend's arm a comforting squeeze. "For moral support."
"And I guess I should go along too," Lynn interjected, rolling her eyes. "To make sure these two don't rile up the torch and pitchfork crowd."
"...Is that a thing?" Luna asked.
"Meh," Lynn replied, shrugging noncomittally. "Anyway, no worries Mom and Dad, I'll get these two back soonish."
"Take your time!" Lynn Sr. called back. "I've still got a few finishing touches to dole out. Tell your parents we said hi, Sam!"
"Will do, Mr. Loud!" The blonde replied, with a cheerful thumbs up. As Luna began straightening up, she was stopped by Lynn putting her hand on her shoulder.
"Think you're forgetting something," She said, with a meaningful jerk of her head.
"Come on, Lynn," Luna pleaded. "We're coming right back!"
"Lunes, don't make me be the voice of reason," Lynn said with a sigh. "You've gotta give him back. At least for a bit."
"...Fine," Luna said, glumly. She began to reach for her other shoulder, but before she could, Lynn's arm shot out...and quickly scooped up their brother.
Lynn took a knee and held up their now baffled-looking brother. She paused for a moment to quickly nuzzle her face against his, then turned to the waiting group of Louds.
"Here you go, ladies," She said, gently dumping their brother into the waiting arms of their sisters. "Come and get him!"
"LINCOLN!" Four voices cried out in unison. Luna was able to catch a glimpse of her brother's face before he was set upon by the younger girls, joy intermingling with no small amount of terror as they snatched him out of the air and dragged him to the ground.
"You sure that was a good idea?" Luna asked, shooting Lynn a bemused glance. "Think we're going to have a hard time getting him back."
"Eh," Lynn replied. "It's never stopped me before."
Bonus bits
"Geeze, Lincoln," Lola complained, pinching her nose. "You reek!"
"Thank you, Lola," He replied, drolly as he lay flat on his back, remaining perfectly still as his sisters fussed over him. "We didn't really have soap on the island."
"I like it!" Lana declared, pressing her face against his abdomen and inhaling deeply. "Smells like he rolled in a lot of interesting stuff!"
"Thank...you, Lana," He replied, choosing to take that as a compliment. He shoved his fingers under the girl's hat and began to affectionately ruffle her hair. "Glad to see you haven't changed a bit."
"And your clothes," Lola went on, scoffing at his tattered rags. "Look, they're so threadbare I can stick my hand right through them!"
To demonstrate, she pushed her hand through the large, gaping hole in what remained of his shirt, until her palm was directly touching his chest. Lincoln steeled himself, waiting for further admonishment...but to his surprise, none seemed forthcoming.
"Uh, Lola?" He asked, turning his attention to the pageant queen. Her lips were still moving, but her eyes looked strangely unfocused.
"J-just...terrible," She said, her words halting, as she began to rub her palm against his exposed chest. "I can just...put my hands right through…"
Suddenly she put her second hand through, and now Lincoln was lying there, watching in bewilderment as his little sister continued to massage his chest.
"Lola?" He said, a little more emphatically, but all this earned him was a death glare from the younger girl.
"Shut up, Lincoln," She said, her lips curled back into a feral-looking snarl. "I'm criticizing you!"
Lincoln breathed a weary sigh of relief as he trudged through the bathroom door. Still, he fought back the fatigue that threatened to overcome him and pushed on. He scambled to the bathtub, reached for the faucet, gave one of the knobs a frantic twist…
...And fell to his knees, utterly entranced by the sight before him. Water. Clear, clean, running water. Lincoln had witnessed many wondrous sights in his time away from home, but this here. To his current sensibilities, this was the grandest sight of all.
"I suppose there are some things you don't miss until they're gone."
"You've got that right," Lincoln chuckled ruefully. Only to start in surprise as he realized the words he was responding to were not his own.
"Hello, big brother," Lucy said, seemingly manifesting into being at his side. "It warms my heart to have you home again."
"T-thank...y-ou...Lucy," Lincoln replied, his hands clutched against his rapidly beating heart, desperately trying to massage away what was almost certainly an impending heart attack. Eventually, his BPM dropped down to what felt like a reasonable level, and he turned to the patiently waiting goth girl, giving her a weary smile.
"It's good to see you too, Luce," He said. "But...would you mind waiting just a little longer? Lola's right, I definitely need a bath."
"That's why I'm here," His sister replied. She held up her hands, upon which he now noticed she wore a pair of bath mittens, one adorned with skulls and the other with bats. "Now climb in. First I'll do your back, and then.."
She flashed him a grin. "I'll do your front."