"Thanks again for agreeing to help out your old man, kids," Lynn Sr said as he loaded supplies into Vanzilla.
"Sure thing Dad," Luan said cheerfully, "we're just smoked, I mean stoked to lend a helping hand."
Luan was pleasantly caught off guard when not only her father, but Lincoln and Lynn as well laughed at her joke and even joined in afterwards.
"That was a very well done gag Luan," Lincoln applauded her, "if I do say so myself"
"With excellent thyme-ing as well," Lynn added on.
Luan was confused, but laughed as she rolled along with it.
"Aww," she cooed, "thanks for being soup-er supportive, guys!"
"What," Lincoln chuckled, "surprised that we can dish it out too?"
Luan laughed as the three siblings loaded into the middle row of seats in Vanzilla.
"Not really," Luan chuckled, "I just love jamming with you!"
"And it doesn't hurt to spice things up from time to time," Lynn mentioned, getting more giggles out of Luan.
Lynn took the seat furthest to the right, Lincoln was to the left and right in the middle of them was Luan.
"You two sound like well seasoned vets," Luan joked.
"And I just love what you kiddos are cooking up," Lynn Sr. joked.
"What can we say?" Lynn asked, gently nudging Luan in the arm with her elbow, "we had a great inspiration."
"You can say that again," Lincoln said as Luan genuinely teared up.
"Awww," She blushed. "You like me!" Luan exclaimed dramatically. "You really like me?"
"Always have kid," Lynn smirked.
It was still early morning with the sun just peeking over the horizon as Vanzilla pulled into the parking lot. Lynn Sr smiled at his pride and joy as he parked the vehicle and prepared for another day living his life's dream. The time was 6:43 AM.
"Alright kiddos," Lynn said, as he unlocked employee entrance door and turned on the lights, "I'm going to get the stuff out of Vanzilla, you feel free to grab something for breakfast before we start prepping. We could have a big day ahead of us!"
"Thanks dad!" Luan thanked him and as Lynn Sr said walked out the door, Luan was surprised by a pat on the back from Lynn.
"Good jokes out there," Lynn complimented her.
"Aww," Luan moaned, "Thanks for being such a good sport!"
The joke made Lynn involuntarily wince, something that Luan didn't pick up on before both Lynn and Lincoln hugged her.
"Okay," she nervously chuckled, "What's gotten into you two this morning?"
"Nothing," Lincoln said, stuttering as he explained, "we just, uhh, make sure…"
"We noticed that you've looked a little stressed out lately," Lynn picked up for him, "so we wanted to give you a little pep up."
"Yeah," Lincoln took over as the two of them wrapped Luan up in an embrace, "and remind you that we love you and just how much you mean to us."
"All of us," Lynn stressed to her, telling Luan, "this family wouldn't be the same without you."
"It'd even be like stepping on a lego barefoot," Lincoln joked, "because we'd lose the soul of our shoe."
"Oh my gosh," Luan squealed, half milking the scene as an actress would. "I promised myself that I wouldn't cry!"
Luan hugged Lincoln and Lynn super tight before pulling away.
"I love you so much!" Luan thanked them before she turned to walk away, "You make me feel like the funniest girl in the world."
Lincoln and Lynn both smiled as they watched her retreat into the kitchen from the lobby before their smiles turned into disappointed and saddened frowns.
"Don't worry guys," Luan joked, "I've got this all cracked up"
"It's time to go back, isn't it?" Lynn asked Lincoln as Luan turned her back to them to continue preparation.
Lincoln nodded and answered "Yep." as he pulled the watch from out of his pocket.
"But at least," Lincoln sighed, "we got to let her know how much she meant to us."
"Yeah," Lynn simply sighed, a bittersweet tone in her voice, "yeah…"
As Luan juggled a trio of eggs, the pair took one last look at her and smiled before activating the device.
"Just so you are aware," Lisa explained as she presented Lincoln and Lynn with the green and silver tinted wristwatch. "To avoid any paradoxical anomalies or mishaps, this watch's chronopathic capabilities have been given strict limitations as it pertains to you and your journey."
Lisa wiped tears from her eyes as she further explained, "No matter how tempting it may be try and save Lu-, to try and alter our sister's fate, you have strictly been granted the chance to receive closure."
It was telling that the siblings had taken great lengths to exclude their parents from this meeting, knowing that neither Lynn Sr nor Rita would be able to resist the temptation laid before them.
"Not just for yourselves," Lisa reminded them, "but for all of us."
Lincoln and Lynn sadly nodded as the sibling meeting continued on, the rest of the sisters all being uncharacteristically quiet.
"Since you two were the only ones of us there on that day," Lisa said, "only the two of you can make this venture so make sure…" Lisa choked up again and struggled before urging them, "make sure gets the message so that when…"
Lisa dissolved fully into tears at that point, prompting Lincoln to place his hands on her shoulders.
"It's okay," he assured her, "it's okay."
That calmed Lisa down long enough for her to compose herself as she informed Lincoln and Lynn, "The watch will take you back to the morning of the event, from there you will have one hour to make things right."
"Any attempt to tangibly change the timeline will result in the watch's safeguards will automatically trigger and you both shall be immediately warped back to the present," Lisa continued instructing them, "as for what constitutes an attempt at tangibly changing the timeline, trying to verbally or otherwise warn Luan of her fate… physically attempting to save Luan or avert her fate or even preventing her from accompanying you all to Father's Restaurant in the first place."
"It may seem harsh," Lisa said, looking away in obvious discomfort, fear and… guilt? "But time is a medium that is not to be trifled with for fantasies of altering fate."
"Any attempts at saving Luan would likely result in an even more catastrophic result," Lisa relayed to Lincoln and Lynn, her expression shifting more clearly to guilt as she did so before giving them one last vital piece of information, "Upon completion of the objective, your past counterparts from that morning will take your place and continue your path once you return to the present."
"Can you…" Lana spoke up as she and the other siblings tried to keep it together, "can you maybe pass on a note from all of us to her?"
"Too risky," Lisa gently shot her down, "we don't want Luan to grow suspicious…" Lisa let out a sigh as she turned away from everyone in order to wipe her glasses, "however, you can still pass on the message to her."
"That none of us would be the same without her," Leni continued for her, with Lori finishing for her, "and that no matter what she thinks, she does belong with us…"
"Always has, kid," Luna cracked a lighthearted joke.
"Come back to us in one piece," Lori advised them. "That's an order… because… because we'd be broken if something happened to you too."
"Thank you," Lynn muttered before she and Lincoln prepared to go back to the past. "Thank you so much."
No more words needed to be exchanged as Lincoln and Lynn exchanged a tearful glance with their sisters before looking at each other and nodding before they finally departed on their mission, activating the watch to return to the past.
A/N: And with that… the curtain closes.
Luan Loud has always held a special place in my heart. I've talked time and time again about how she isn't just my favorite Loud House character, she's my favorite fictional character of all time period. She's often seen as comic relief, the pun-happy side character whose presence cues a groan or a giggle. But underneath the rubber chickens and exploding cupcakes is someone deeper—a girl with unshakable optimism, relentless perseverance, and more emotional intelligence than she's ever credited for. This story was my way of saying what she never got to hear in-universe: you mattered. You were loved. You were the soul of the family.
There were times when I questioned why I was doing this to characters I loved. Why I kept feeling that there was more that could be told. And why I felt that this story needed to be shared, but ultimately, this story is a dedication to Luan. To the jokers and clowns and punsters of the world. Or really, to anyone who may feel like they don't fit in or that they're only good for giving others a laugh, this story is for them.
If you enjoyed this story, let me know. If I made you laugh, cry, smile, scowl or anything in between, let me know. I just hope that I was able to do Luan herself justice.
Until the next joke, take care and I'll see you down the line,
— Quoth the Raven