126A van had drove into Great Lakes City, making it's way through the busy streets. The van had pulled up in front of a apartment building, a Bodega right at the bottom, one that belonged to the Casagrande Family.
Stepping out of the van were two kids, both fourteen years of age. One a boy with an orange shirt and snowy white hair. The other a young girl with freckles and a star on her shirt.
It was the two residents of Royal Woods, Lincoln Loud and his girlfriend Stella. The two together after hooking up three years prior, though not through any easy means. Even during their time together the two had gone through some hurdles, but they always did their best to make their way through, because they were worth it to each other.
"Here we are, Great Lakes City," Lincoln said.
"It's so much different in the city than Royal Woods," Stella stated. "Everything seems so loud and busy, compared to our quite town in the suburbs."
"I still say this city has nothing on my sisters though," Lincoln joked. "I honestly believe the only real reason I feel just at home in the city is because of how chaotic it is growing up with ten sisters."
"Well, you only have eight sisters at home right now," Stella said. "Did it make a difference?"
"Not by much, though it does add a different tension and chemistry to the home," Lincoln said, thinking back on his sisters and how life has changed for them in the last three years.
Lori and Leni were off in college, Lori attending a school fairly close to Great Lakes, making it much easier for her to see Bobby. Leni was attending a Fashion School that was out of town, though not too far away from the Loud House. While the parents were relieved their two daughters were able to find such a great education, especially Leni, it still pained them to see their daughters go, especially Lynn Sr, who almost couldn't bear having two less children to have around. They had to practically pry him away from the door to let his baby girls go off to college.
Luna was also attending College, but her school was local so she still lived at home. She still hoped that her music career would take off soon, having really put a lot of effort into her music in hopes of touring with her band.
Luan was in her senior year of High School, preparing for College herself, or rather her ideal form of education, Clown School. Lynn of course was rocking in her sports, making several varsity teams, though this only seemed to fuel her ego, but at least the jock tried to maintain herself.
The younger siblings haven't changed all that much, Lucy still does her poetry, Lana is still doing her plumbing and mechanical work, Lola is still winning pageants and Lisa is getting into more advanced science. The only little sister with the biggest change is Lily, who no longer uses a diaper and is fully potty trained, obviously.
Lincoln himself had made quite a few adjustments to his life, thanks to Stella's encouragement, he had taken up a hobby as an artist, given his success in the Ace Savvy comic competition. With Lincoln's skills and creativity, Stella believes he can one day make a comic series of his own, or even work as an animator of sorts. Stella's confidence in him has motivated Lincoln quite well.
In turn Lincoln has helped motivate Stella in her hobbies, such as her love for tech. Stella hopes to work with electronic and technological devices, and has had the opportunity to practice more, thanks to assistance from Lisa and Lana.
It was sweet to many how close the two have gotten over the years, though it has brought some envy from their classmates, especially two in particular. Their friend Rusty being the first. While Liam, Zach and especially Clyde were happy for the two, Rusty felt like he was cheated out of having a girlfriend like Stella, deducing that Lincoln was being really sneaky and manipulative, despite that not being the case as Lincoln insisted.
Chandler was the other envious one, he has even at one point been a little snarky to Lincoln. Granted the boy did lighten up over the years, it was still a rough patch for Lincoln and Stella to deal with.
As they approached the door, a familiar face stepped out to greet them. "Well if it isn't my two favorite Royal Woods buddies."
"Hey Ronnie Anne," Lincoln said, giving a hug to his friend. "Really missed you."
"Right back at you Lame-O," Ronnie Anne said, then turned her attention to the girl beside him. "Sup Stella, how's it going?"
"Just fine, thanks," Stella said, getting a hug of her own.
Right now the two were visiting Great Lakes to see a mutual friend, Ronnie Anne Santiago. While the tomboy was always close to Lincoln, she and Stella have really bonded the last few years, to the surprise of some of the sisters and even those in her family.
Ronnie Anne obviously didn't care that Lincoln had a girlfriend, since it was her idea for Stella to confess, and Ronnie is proud to know the two's relationship is still going strong. Of course this broke the hearts of many of her relatives, but they respected Lincoln's choices, mostly, and if Ronnie Anne isn't bothered, then they have no reason to be, mostly.
Now Ronnie Anne can finally talk about Lincoln without it leading to the assumption that the two are an item, nowadays at least.
She could sweat that her Grandparents are still hoping for Ronnie Anne and Lincoln to end up together, same with the rest of her family. They can hope all they want, as long as they don't do anything to hurt Stella.
"Well come on upstairs, Sid should be here soon, then we can all hit that concert," Ronnie Anne said.
"Yeah, it's gonna be great, a triple band experience," Lincoln said. "My favorite band Smooch, your favorite band Twelve is Midnight, and Lori's favorite band Boyz will be Boyz."'
"Don't forget the biggest performance, at least for you," Ronnie Anne said. "Your sister's band is actually opening for them!"
"Right, I'm so proud of her," Lincoln said. "This is only a small stint but it's on a huge stage, if she does well enough, she might get an actual record deal!"
"I believe she can pull it off, she's very talented," Stella said.
"Hey if anyone can pull off an epic show, it's Luna," Lincoln said. "She's already had big stages, this is just her biggest so far."
"So were your other siblings able to make it?" Ronnie Anne asked.
"Yeah, Lily's with mom in the car," Lincoln said. "Everyone else is either taking a train or traveling with some friends, so they'll be here in a few hours. A lot of them wanted to see Luna perform, luckily me and Stella beat the rush here."
"Good thing too, since you're early you can hang out here for a bit, maybe get a bite to eat," Ronnie Anne said. "My family's really good when it comes to feeding people."
"Yeah, your grandmother really loves to cook," Lincoln said. "Probably as much as my dad."
"Well come on up you two, I'm sure my family will be happy to see you," Ronnie Anne said. "Bobby's gonna be here soon, he'll be especially happy to see his 'little bro'."
"Oh, how is Bobby lately?" Stella asked.
"He's doing pretty well, at least for Bobby," Ronnie Anne said. "Ever since starting college, his brain has been pretty fried, but he's trying his best, at least that's what my uncle's telling us."
"I'm sure he'll get the hang of it, he's much smarter than he thinks he is, at least in my opinion," Stella said.
"Well that's an opinion mostly everyone shares," Ronnie Anne said. "Well we've stayed here long enough, let's head to my apartment, we'll grab a bite to each and I can crush the two of you in Muscle Fish."
"Hey, I'll have you know that my Muscle Fish skills have improved drastically," Lincoln said. "So don't bet on taking me down."
"I'd trash talk, but I'm lousy with that, plus something tells me that you'd probably still crush me," Stella jokingly said.
"I'll go easier on you then," Ronnie Anne said. "Good thing you're cute."
Stella chuckled slightly at the compliment, "Well I guess my looks have helped me yet again."
"Hey, I'm cute too! Why aren't you offering to go easy on me?" Lincoln asked, partially joking. "Not that I want you to, I can take you at full strength."
"Huh, narcistic much dude?" Ronnie Anne said, smirking at her friend.
"Well I think you're cute Lincoln," Stella said, kissing the boy on the cheek. "And I'm sure deep down Ronnie Anne thinks so as well."
"Yeah you're both adorable," Ronnie Anne said, somewhat sarcastically. "Now let's hurry before Carl gets all the good stuff."
The three went upstairs, into the apartment of the Casagrande family where, like expected, grandma Rosa was preparing a rather large meal.
"Hey abuela, we got company," Ronnie Anne said, getting the older woman's attention.
"Company?" She saw Lincoln come through the door, a huge smile forming on her face. "Ah, Lincoln, it's so nice to see you!" Her smile somewhat faded when she noticed Stella, "And you brought a girl..."
"That's his girlfriend abuela, you remember Stella don't you?" Ronnie Anne asked.
"Oh of course, how could I forget the girl who destroyed our hopes, I mean, brought so much happiness to Lincoln," Rosa said, hoping her little slip went unnoticed.
Ronnie Anne nervously turned to Stella, noticing the girl had some slight hurt in her eyes but looked like she was doing her best not to let it show. She felt ashamed of her grandmother, and the sad thing is that her other family members have been this way too, aside from Bobby.
This was surprising to Ronnie Anne, they're such nice people with good hearts, even if they're disappointed with Lincoln not ending up with Ronnie Anne, which is understandable, for them to basically shun Stella like this just isn't fair to the poor girl.
Like she didn't have enough to deal with already back in Royal Woods.
"Anyway, is the food ready?" Ronnie Anne asked.
"Almost done mija, we had a slight delay, the bread I was gonna make burned in the oven, so I had to fix it up and I wasn't able to cook anything else in the meantime," Rosa said.
"Oh so that's why the fire alarm went off before, Bobby told me it was nothing though," Ronnie Anne said.
"Of course he said that, he was the one who burned the bread, then tried covering it up," Rosa said, quite irritated at her grandson. "I asked him to put the bread in the oven at 350 degrees for 20 minutes, then he decided to use some fancy mathematics to make the break cook faster, by putting the oven a mucho más caliente! Apparently hotter oven means faster cooking time in his young mind. Honestly, what do they teach young children these days?"
"Well mistakes happen, I don't think Bobby intended any harm," Stella said.
"I know he didn't, but I taught him better than that," Rosa said. "He's a smart boy but when it comes to seeing his girlfriend his brain just goes adios." Rosa turned to Lincoln, "I mean no offense, Lori is a sweet girl, but Bobby needs to not go nuts trying to make her happy, a good relationships about understanding, he needs to trust that Lori would be patient enough to wait for him to finish up in the kitchen, all he did was make more work."
"Lori probably would have done the same thing, we all would have," Lincoln said.
"Well it could have been worse I suppose, gracias a Dios there was no fire," Rosa said. "I'm sorry children, I don't have food for you right now, but if you'd like I could get you some snacks."
"We'll settle on some fruits, we don't want to spoil our appetite too much," Ronnie Anne said.
"Such a smart girl you are, you make your abuela so proud," Rosa said, patting Ronnie Anne's head. "This is a good girl to have Lincoln, one who uses her smarts."
"Well it's a good thing he has Stella," Ronnie Anne said, trying hard to emphasize the relationship her two friends have.
"Ay yes," Rosa said, then turned to Stella. "I suppose you could take some tips from my granddaughter, if you're able to use them."
"Uh, sure, alright...Señorita Rosa," Stella said.
"It's señora," Ronnie Anne corrected.
Stella thought a moment, then realized her blunder, "Oh right, sorry I get those words mixed up."
"You may just call me Grandma Rosa," the eldest Casagrande woman said. That did confuse Ronnie Anne since she usually told others to call her 'abuela', though it again shows the slight disproval of the girl.
"Uh, alright, Grandma Rosa," Stella said, getting a bit nervous. "So I'll just be off with my friends."
Stella awkwardly made her way to Ronnie Anne's room, her two friends following. Lincoln could sense the awkward tension just as well as Ronnie Anne, he really gets the feeling that the Casagrande family was banking on romance between him and the young Santiago girl.
Once inside the room, everyone made themselves as comfortable as they could.
"Hey, where's Sergio?" Lincoln asked, noticing the parrot being absent.
"I don't know, probably mingling with his bird friends," Ronnie Anne said. "As long as he's not getting into trouble or doing anything stupid, I'm not too worried about where he is."
"Must be fun sharing a room with a parrot," Stella said. "It's gotta be somewhat interesting, not many people do that."
"Yeah for good reason," Ronnie Anne said. "He's not always the best roommate to have, not that he's terrible but it's still very complicated. Plus it takes a while to get used to a roommate."
"Guess it depends," Lincoln said. "Really didn't take me too long to get used to Lucy."
"She still bunking with you?" Ronnie Anne asked. "Hasn't it been like three years?"
"Well it was suppose to be temporary, somehow we never switched back," Lincoln said. "Not that I mind, I like having Lucy around and I get to be in a bigger room, though Lynn did take it pretty hard."
"Well it was her own fault," Stella said, frowning at the thought of the jock. "She really needs to work on her sensitivity."
"She's gotten a little better at least," Lincoln said. "I mean yeah she might be at her worst now, between puberty and her sports career being hit or miss...wait did I just make a pun?"
"Luan would be proud," Stella said. "But yeah, she's pretty unbearable right now, of all the sisters, she's the only one I don't think I've fully bonded with. So much for my plan."
"Ironic since she was the one who wanted me to be with you the most," Lincoln said. "Though that might have been her competitive nature."
"Well she doesn't seem to like me now, it's been like that since we started dating," Stella said.
"Yeah, it's been about three years since you two made it official," Ronnie Anne said. "Well pre-marital official, not sure when you two are gonna tie the knot."
"Uh, way too early to be thinking about that, we're only fourteen," Lincoln said.
"But it was one of the best moments of my life," Stella said. "Despite everything that happened prior, confessing to Lincoln made all the pain worth it."
"I'm really sorry you had to even endure all that," Lincoln said, stroking his girlfriend's hair.
"It's fine, I have you at least," Stella said, stroking his cheek.
Ronnie Anne chuckled a bit at this romantic display, it was cute to see these two still so affectionate with each other. "Try not to get so lovey-dovey while sitting on my bed, don't want you two getting any ideas."
"Ronnie Anne!" Lincoln shouted, a huge blush on his face. "Come on, I get that enough back home."
"Hey you got together with a flaming hot chick, as Sid would likely say," Ronnie Anne said.
"Someone mention me?" They heard. As if on cue, Sid had appeared from Ronnie Anne's window. "Well now, if it isn't my favorite kids from Royal Woods."
"Sid, it's so great to see you!" Stella said, walking over for a hug, which Sid obligated.
"Same, I'm always happy to see you Stella," Sid said, looking down Stella's back as she held the girl in a hug, particularly eyeing the lower part of Stella's back. "Quite happy indeed."
While in the hug, Sid slowly started moving her hands down, hoping to get herself a nice 'feel' of this situation, making the mistake of doing it in the presence of Lincoln and Ronnie Anne, the latter of whom spoke up.
"Ahem, Sid...what about Lincoln!?" Ronnie Anne gestured to the boy beside her while giving Sid a look as if to say she's onto her.
"Oh, right, Lincoln," Sid said, reluctantly letting go of Stella and walking over to the boy. "My favorite guy, just as happy to see you."
"Same to you Sid," Lincoln said. "It's been a while, how's it going?"
"Just fine," Sid answered. "Not much has changed, still have animals in my house, a little sister who needs constant attention and me and Ronnie Anne are still BFFs."
"That's why it's BFF," Stella said. "Best Friends Forever."
"You got it girl," Sid said, then turned back to Lincoln. "Also you gotta tell me, how did your sister manage to land a gig like that! I mean, performing with such top ranking bands! Ooh, you think she could get me and Ronnie Anne some Twelve is Midnight autographs!? Think she could get us backstage passes!?"
"Uh, I can't promise that, I don't want to ask a lot from her, she's already got a lot on her mind, maybe afterwards," Lincoln said.
"Oh yeah, totally, I get that," Sid said. "But, what you're saying is that it's possible right?"
"Come on Sid, I want one of those autographs as much as you do, but like Lincoln said, just let Luna focus, if she does well enough she'll probably get these guys on speed-dial, and she can get us something whenever, if she wants to," Ronnie Anne said.
"In the meantime let's just all try to enjoy the concert together," Stella said. "I'm really excited to go with the three of you, my boyfriend and my two best friends."
"I'm excited too of course, especially with the chance to see my favorite band," Lincoln said. "Did I ever tell you that my sisters got them to play outside of my house?"
"Yeah you told us that story," Ronnie Anne said.
"I loved it, reminds me how sweet your sisters can be," Stella said. "Especially Luna."
"Since dating Lincoln, you must have had to spend a lot of time with his sisters, huh Stella?" Sid asked. "What was that like?"
"Well it keeps things interesting, that's for sure," Stella said. "I still remember the day after I confessed my feelings to Lincoln, my first day in the Loud House as Lincoln's girlfriend, at the time I thought I had known what to expect from Lincoln's sisters, but I soon learned that there was much more to come."
Three years ago, the day after the Dairy Land trip, the eleven year old Stella was making her way over to her boyfriend's house. She never imagined she'd be doing that so soon, she was certain that she wasn't ready for a relationship, but thanks to the confidence instilled in her by Luna and Luan, Stella felt more than ready to embrace the thought of being the girlfriend of the Loud boy.
As she approached the house, about to make her way up the walkway, she noticed the immediate of Lincoln's younger sisters Lucy, the young girl holding a large garbage bag.
"Hi Lucy!" Stella said, getting the attention of the goth.
"Hi Stella, I'm happy to see you," Lucy said, of course barely showing any actual signs of joy, but Stella kind of understands Lucy by this point.
"Same here, say that bag looks kind of heavy, need any help?" Stella asked.
"It's fine, I am very capable of handling this, besides I only have to do this for a week," Lucy said.
"A week?" Stella asked.
"It's my punishment for lying about the Princess Pony comic," Lucy said. "My parents decided that I should take over Lincoln's chores for the week. Fair enough, I did make him miss his comic book convention."
"He choose to take the fall for you though, so you didn't technically make him miss anything," Stella reminded.
"Even so, I'll gladly accept this, I should have just confessed sooner," Lucy said. "Thinking about it, maybe I should have just told my parents, maybe they would have kept it a secret, my father's a kind hearted man after all."
"Must be where Lincoln gets it from," Stella said.
"Speaking of whom, my guess is that you're here to see him, seeing that you two have finally opened your hearts to one another, just like we hoped," Lucy said.
"Yeah...so how many of you actually wanted us to get together?" Stella asked.
"Honestly, for the most part, we were happy with whoever our brother would have chosen, deep down we each just wanted to see him with a girl because in our eyes, he's the perfect boy," Lucy said. "Sure he has his flaws but we knew his strengths would more than make up for it. Lincoln understands girls much better than most boys his age, Lincoln helps me with my manicures, not many brothers do that for their sisters, yet he doesn't mind. He knows how to sew, he knows about proper skin care, he can knit, he can cook, he's very good at listening and communicating, so that's why we were so eager to see him with a girl, maybe because deep down we all want a boy like that."
"So basically you all turned him into a walking chick magnet," Stella said.
"I guess so," Lucy said. "But I will admit one thing that came to us during this whole ordeal, while we were so concerned with Lincoln getting a girl to appreciate what he can do, we forgot to consider if the girl herself would appreciate Lincoln himself. Maybe it was Ronnie Anne who made us realize that, because while most girls would appreciate a boy like Lincoln, Ronnie Anne might have taken that for granted at one point."
"Oh come now, Ronnie Anne's a really nice girl, if it wasn't for her, I wouldn't have asked out Lincoln," Stella said.
"Perhaps moving to the city and living with a large family of her own has humbled her, but at one point, she certainly was not humble, most of us started to realize that maybe a girl picking on a boy doesn't always mean she likes him, because from the sounds of things, she wasn't really interested until Lincoln made the first move, which was pure luck in a way, and it still didn't even work out."
"Well no need to fret on the past, it worked out at least," Stella said.
"Yeah, it did, we're really happy it's you that Lincoln choose," Lucy said. "Most of us at least."
"Right, most of you," Stella said, thinking of Lori. "Well I should go inside now, and you should get rid of that garbage, it's starting to let out a bad stench."
"Yeah, you're right," Lucy said, making her way down the steps. "The door's unlocked, just let yourself inside."
"Alright," Stella said, opening up the door, though the moment she did, it sounded like something broke.
"Lana did it!" she heard Lola shout.
"Did not! That was you!" Lana shouted.
"I don't care which one of you did it, just get it cleaned up right now!" Lori shouted.
Stella sighed, this is definitely an atmosphere she would have to get used to, but at the same time, it's just as exciting. These girls were so full of life, it was very charming to the girl.
"Hey! Lincoln!" Stella said.
"Is that Stella!?" Lana said, making her way to the top of the stairs. "Hey! It is Stella!" Lana turned to the direction of Lincoln's room, "Yo big bro! Your girlfriend's here!"
"I'm aware!" Lincoln said, making his way out his bedroom. "Hey, did you clean up that mess you made?"
"I'm almost done," Lana insisted.
"She ditched me!" Lola called out from the shared room.
Lincoln sighed in annoyance, "Lana go help Lola before she throws a fit."
"Ugh, it's her fault anyway," Lana said, walking off with a pout.
Lincoln simply made his way downstairs to greet his new girlfriend, "Hey Stella, welcome back."
"Glad to be back," Stella said, hugging her boyfriend. "At this point I almost feel like I live here."
"Well if you ever wanted to know what that's like, you should probably ask your parents if you can do a sleepover, I bet Luna and Luan would love that," Lincoln said. "Though it might end up being too much for you, to date Clyde is the only one of my friends to survive a full night here."
"I think I'll be fine, though my parents may not be too eager to let me have a sleepover at my boyfriend's house," Stella said. "Even if it is with Luna and Luan."
"Hey just throwing it out there," Lincoln said. "Wanna play some video games?"
"Oh yeah, I never got to see your collection, aside from the Muscle Fish game," Stella said. "Think we can make time to play a few rounds of that? I promise to go easier on you than Sid and Ronnie Anne did."
"Seriously, I let them win, is that so hard to believe?" Lincoln asked. "Besides I played this game more than you, so if anything I should be letting you win."
Stella giggled a bit, "Alright then tough guy, come show me your moves."
Lincoln popped in the cartridge as he and Stella grabbed their controllers. Lincoln picked his character as Stella picked hers.
"Don't worry Stella, I'll dial it back a little so you can have a chance," Lincoln said.
"Wow, how chivalrous," Stella sarcastically replied. "If I were you I'd come at me full strength."
"Alright, if it really means a lot to you, I'll compromise, I'll only go at 20 percent of my power," Lincoln said.
One round later.
"Alright, 30 percent," Lincoln said.
Another round later.
"50 percent power!" Lincoln said.
Final round.
"That's it, I'm going all out!" Lincoln shouted. "Stella, you may be my treasured girlfriend, but you're going down!"
Round over.
"Yes! Finally!" Lincoln said, celebrating his win. "I told you I'm the best Stella! That's why I went easy on you those other rounds!"
"Alright Lincoln, you're the best, I am a mere mortal in the presence of your Godliness," Stella said, amping up the drama. In reality she actually let Lincoln win at the end, not that he was a bad player, but Stella has her own experience with this game.
"Don't worry, you're still the light of my life my dear Stella," Lincoln said, planting a kiss on her cheek.
"Aw, how sweet," Stella smugly said, then returned the kiss, causing Lincoln to blush. It was then he realized something, a very pretty girl was now his girlfriend, and one thing boys get to do with girlfriends was kiss them. He's already kissed Stella on a couple of occasions, but now he kind of wants more.
Lincoln had given Stella another kiss, a more affectionate one, one well liked by the girl sitting before him. Before long the two had locked in a passionate kissing session, Lincoln pulling Stella over his lap as she sat comfortably enough to maintain the kiss on her affectionate boyfriend.
As the two were engaged in the moment, Lori had entered the living room, texting away on her phone. She passed by the couch and noticed from the corner of her eye her little brother engaged in an intense make-out session with his girlfriend. While she's no stranger this situation, between her own experience and seeing others do it, seeing her brother doing this seemed off to her. It's not just because they're family, she's caught Luna making out with Sam in the past, and while she's yet to catch them, she has a feeling that Luan and Benny might do the same thing, though given Benny's mannerisms, it's fifty-fifty to Lori.
What this girl had a problem with was that fact that both Lincoln and Stella, two eleven year old kids, were making out like they were teenagers. As far as Lori's concerned, this is not acceptable behavior for kids their age.
"Ahem..." Lori said, trying to break the two up, though this fell on deaf ears. "AHEM!" That worked, the two kids got spooked, Stella jumping off Lincoln and the two looking up at Lori, the older girl glaring down at them. "Finally got your attention."
"Yeah, what do you want Lori?" Lincoln asked.
"Watch your tone with me little brother," Lori warned. "Mind explaining what you were just doing?"
"Um, kissing my girlfriend?" Lincoln answered. "You kind of ruined the moment there Lori."
"You were doing more than just kissing your girlfriend, you were making out with her," Lori said.
"Well, yeah, what's the big deal?" Lincoln asked. "You do that all the time with Bobby!"
"Look twerp, it's great that you have a girlfriend, but there are some rules to follow," Lori said. "The biggest rule, for now at least, no make-out sessions, you're too young for that. I can do it because I am literally the oldest."
"Ugh, again with the oldest shtick," Lincoln said.
"Hey, watch the tone little brother," Lori warned. "Now I don't care if you have a girlfriend, just make sure you keep your hormones at a minimum right now. We don't need you exploring your unknown urges."
"Ew, Lori! I'm not even close to thinking of that stuff yet!" Lincoln insisted. This reaction also caused an awkward blush from Stella.
"Good, keep it that way," Lori said, then walked off, leaving the two alone.
"Sorry about that," Lincoln said.
"It's fine," Stella replied. "Though if I'm being honest, I'm still not totally comfortable around Lori, I just have that weird feeling she still doesn't like me."
"Sorry that you feel that way," Lincoln said. "Lori will come around though. Unfortunately for the time being, you'll have to get used to seeing her around the house. She lost her driving privilege after the whole Dairy Land debacle."
"That might just give her another reason to not like me," Stella said.
"She brought it on herself," Lincoln said. "But I should warn you, she's not the only sister that's mostly confined to the house."
"Hey! Stinkin!" They both heard. Stella groaned in annoyance, hearing the voice of her least favorite of Lincoln's sisters.
"Not her..." Stella groaned.
Lynn stomped downstairs, looking for her younger brother, "Hey shrimp, I can't find my lucky Jersey, you seen it anywhere?"
"No I haven't, maybe it's in the laundry," Lincoln said.
"No way, I've gone over this like a bazillion times with everyone, if you wash my lucky jersey, it'll lose it's luck!" Lynn said.
"Lynn, there's no such thing as luck," Lincoln said. "You're talented enough to do well without a lucky jersey, not that it should matter, you can't play sports for a month."
"Ugh, don't remind me, you try to help someone out and it blows up in your face," Lynn said with a shrug. "Well things worked out at least, you got your girl, thanks to me. Speaking of whom," Lynn peeked over to the guest in the house. "Sup Stells, how's it going?"
"Didn't I ask you to stop calling me 'Stells'?" Stella asked.
"Fine, have it your way," Lynn said. "We really gotta work on your uptight attitude, don't wanna turn into Lori at such a young age."
"Did you just compare her to Lori!?" Lincoln asked.
"Yeah, she does tend to worry and freak out over nothing, just like Lori would," Lynn said. "I mean you were a wreck yesterday, every little thing bothered you."
"Well when two teenage girls go out of their way to publicly shame me, plus getting constant dirty looks from a romantic rival, then of course I'd be a little on edge, anyone would," Stella said.
"Well you just let me know if Lori gives you a hard time, or if Ronnie Anne picks on you again, I got your back," Lynn said.
"Ronnie Anne's my friend now, she's the one who encouraged me to confess to Lincoln remember?" Stella asked.
"Right...well I'd watch out anyway, she might be leading you into a trap, and you do seem pretty gullible and naïve so I'd be doubly careful," Lynn said.
Stella gritted her teeth, trying to restrain herself from physically harming the older girl, "I'll do my best..."
"Good to know," Lynn said. "Well anyway, I better find my lucky Jersey, even if I can't use it, I like having it around. Plus the smell relaxes me sometimes, nothing like a good sweat stench to motivate a girl."
Stella felt her stomach churn hearing that, wondering what was wrong with this girl. As Lynn left the two to themselves, Stella immediately turned to the sole male sibling. "She's joking right? She's just saying that right?"
"Well Lynn is a bit of an oddball," Lincoln said. "Part of her superstition on luck is wearing the same Jersey for every game, and never washing it at all, so I wouldn't be surprised if she meant what she said."
Stella cringed at this info, Lynn just kept getting weirder and weirder to her. "I'm sorry but your sister has no class."
"We all know that," Lucy said, startling both Lincoln and Stella by her sudden appearance.
"Lucy! You gotta stop sneaking up on us like that!" Lincoln said.
"I can't help it if no one hears me coming," Lucy said. "I am like a wandering spirit in the realm of mortals."
"That's a bit creepy, but poetic," Stella said. "But seriously, you and Lynn are roommates, is it really that bad?"
"I had to get used to the smell of dirty gym socks, among Lynn's other odors, be it from her clothes or her body," Lucy said. "It's that bad."
"You poor girl, it does sound rough sharing a room with a sibling that has a few years over you," Stella said. "Thinking about it, it is kind of strange that your roommate is five years older than you, she's already a teenager, you're still pretty young."
"Because we're the only girls that could be grouped together," Lucy said. "Not the best reason honestly, dad just thinks it's better for the girls to bunk with each other. Had it just been birth order I might have been alone in my own room since Lincoln would be bunking with Lynn and there's no way the twins would be separated. Honestly I wouldn't want to bunk with them either, Lola's too princessey and Lana's like a miniature Lynn. I've already tried being roommates with Lola once, it did not end well."
"How did that come about?" Stella asked.
"Once in a while my sisters will become complacent about who they're bunking with, so one time I suggested a roommate swap, I paired everyone off using an idea from a Best Friend quiz I got from an Ace Savvy comic," Lincoln said.
"It didn't work, so we tried Lisa's idea, which ironically worked better, I got paired with Luan and we were more compatible than I thought," Lucy said.
"Well Luan is a very easy girl to get along with," Stella said. "What happened then? Did that fall apart as well?"
"No, we were all happy, except Lincoln, he had to bunk with Lily," Lucy said. "And bunking with a baby that constantly soils their diaper wasn't exactly ideal."
"I love Lily but yeah, that would have been a pain to deal with," Lincoln said.
"So you gave up your new roommates?" Stella asked.
"Yeah, it was fine though, something tells me it wouldn't have lasted," Lucy said. "I thought me and Lola were gonna get along...then she did that terrible make-up job to Edwin."
"Edwin?" Stella asked.
"Her vampire bust," Lincoln said. "From her favorite tv show, Vampires of Melancholia."
"It took me forever to get him back to normal," Lucy said. "But that's in the past, though unfortunately we're right back in that quarrel."
"You're gonna have to make up with her sooner or later," Lincoln said. "I mean you've forgiven me for worse."
"Because you actually try to better yourself when you make a mistake, Lynn rarely makes up for her actions," Lucy said.
"It can't be helped, I know she's a pain in the butt, but she's still family, and we both know when it really comes to it, Lynn's always gonna be there for us," Lincoln said.
"Even I'd like to think she has some nice qualities," Stella said.
"She does, but she tends to overshadow it with her negative qualities," Lucy said. "In time we'll make peace, no one in this house has held a grudge yet. Besides my dad's trying to get me to move back in with Lynn."
"Too bad, you're actually a nice roommate to have," Lincoln said. "It was fun sharing my comics with you."
"Yeah, and you made a great critic for my poems," Lucy said. "I feel much more comfortable sharing them with you than any of our other sisters."
"Oh I can't be the only one, what about Luna?" Lincoln asked. "She writes music, that's like poetry isn't it?"
"As writers, Luna and I have a mutual respect for each other's work, but she seems a bit put off by my style," Lucy said. "Sometimes I feel the same. My point being, I feel better about myself when I'm around you Lincoln, unfortunately I can't say the same for Lynn."
"You're such a good big brother Lincoln," Stella said, briefly stroking his hair.
"He certainly is," Lucy said, then turned to the stairs. "I'll get going now, give you two some alone time...for however long that lasts in this house at least."
The young goth made her way upstairs, leaving the young couple to themselves for the moment.
"Lucy's such a sweet girl, I can tell she really loves you a whole lot," Stella said.
"We all love each other here, I mean we'll never hear it but it's there at least," Lincoln said.
"Huh?" Stella asked. "What do you mean you never say it to each other? I know you and your sisters have your disagreements and are sometimes at odds but surely you all tell each other how much you love one another."
"Stella, we're siblings, it's weird for us to do," Lincoln said.
"There's no shame in telling your siblings you love them Lincoln," Stella said. "You're a lucky boy, you have ten sisters that are looking out for you, plus you have more than most other kids have. I'd be grateful to have this many sisters, or brothers, or both."
"Well it's embarrassing to admit that in this house," Lincoln said. "You know how rare it is in this house for one sibling to say 'I love you' to another?"
"That sounds like an exaggeration Lincoln," Stella said.
"I've only hard Lori say 'I love you' to Bobby," Lincoln said. "Even Leni has barely said it, and she's the purest out of all of us, aside from Lily."
"Maybe you just never noticed, but this does give me an idea," Stella said, grinning somewhat mischievously.
"What are you planning?" Lincoln nervously asked.
"I think I know a way for you to improve your relationship with your sisters," Stella turned to Lincoln, a glare that Lincoln deemed evil gazing back at him. "Lincoln Loud, I dare you to go to each sister, and tell them how much you love them."
Lincoln cringed a bit, "Uh, that sounds a bit embarrassing to do, I mean I can do it but-"
"And you have to kiss them on the cheek," Stella added. "Or forehead, whatever you prefer."
"Okay now I'm convinced you're trying to get me sent to the hospital," Lincoln said, frowning at his girlfriend.
"Come on Lincoln, don't overreact," Stella said. "Just try it, your sisters might appreciate the kindness."
"My sisters would tear me apart," Lincoln said. "I am not doing that at all."
"Come on, for me Linky?" Stella said, looking straight at Lincoln, batting puppy dog eyes.
"H-hey! Come on, that's cheating!" Lincoln complained.
"Cheating how?" Stella asked, leaning in more, getting close to Lincoln. "All I'm doing is looking right at my kind and very handsome boyfriend, who would do anything to make those around him happy."
Lincoln couldn't resist, Stella was too cute. Curse girls and their use of puppy dog eyes, it's the one weakness of any guy.
"Ugh, fine, but if I end up in the hospital, you're spoon feeding me," Lincoln said.
"I'm so confident you'll be fine that if you do by an off chance end up in the hospital, I'll even bathe you if you need help," Stella said.
Lincoln blushed madly at that, "Let's hope it won't get to that, I have some dignity after all."
Lincoln got off the couch and made his way upstairs where all his sisters were. Figuring it'd be easier to start from the bottom and work his way up, he strolled towards the room shared by Lily and Lisa. He hesitantly knocked on the door, waiting for permission to go inside the room.
"You may enter!" He heard Lisa call. He slowly opened the door, revealing his presence to his genius younger sister.
"H-hey Lisa," Lincoln nervously greeted.
"Greetings elder brother, may I be of assistance to you?" Lisa asked.
Lincoln didn't want to beat around the bush, he wanted to get this over with and fast. He quickly walked over, picked Lisa up and kissed her right on the cheek, much to her surprise.
"I really love you Lisa, a whole lot," Lincoln said, his face red as a tomato the whole time, even redder with Stella giggling in the background.
"Uh...much appreciated?" Lisa said, not sure what to make of this. "I should get back to my research now..."
"Right, your research..." Lincoln said, placing a now blushing Lisa down. "I should be going now myself..." Though before leaving, Lincoln turned to his baby sister Lily. He walked over and kissed her on the cheek as well, much to the infant's delight. "I love you too Lily."
"Inkin!" Lily said, reaching her hands out. She grabbed Lincoln by the shirt and returned his kiss, getting a blush from her older brother.
"That's so adorable!" Stella said from the door, her eyes sparkling in delight. Lisa took note of Stella's presence, making her wonder if the tall girl had anything to do with this. She attempted to distract herself by resuming her work, though the random act of kindness still lurked within her.
Lincoln quickly made his way out the room, still feeling very awkward from what he had done, and he still had eight more sisters to go. "Any chance I can back out?"
"Come on, that was sweet," Stella said. "I can tell you really made them happy."
"Lily maybe, Lisa probably thinks I'm a weirdo," Lincoln said.
"Just let it sink in for her, I mean it seems like you don't do this enough, but you should if you want to improve your relationship with your sisters," Stella said. "Based on everything you've told me, my guess is that you don't remind them that you love them enough and that causes tensions quicker. If you're just as sweet with them, they'll seem less like an incoming storm and more like a ray of sunshine."
"If you say so," Lincoln said, still having his doubts.
"Just move on to the next room, it'll get easier," Stella said.
Lincoln reluctantly made his way toward the twins' room, Lola sipping some tea, if there was tea in her cup, and Lana playing with some toy trucks, making them crash into each other. He slowly opened the door wider, knocking as he did so. "Hey, Lana...Lola?"
"Sup Lincoln?" Lana asked.
"What is it? I'm in the middle of a tea party," Lola said.
"Hi Lola!" Stella said, peeking her head in.
"Oh, I didn't know your new girlfriend was here!" Lola said. "Wanna join me for tea Stella?"
"Maybe later Lola, Lincoln has something for the two of you," Stella said. One thing that Lana picked up on, and somewhat Lincoln was that Stella seemed to pronounce Lola's name with a slight accent. Whether Stella was intentionally doing that or not they weren't sure but it is something they were sure to keep paying mind to.
"You have a present for me Linky?" Lola asked, eagerly getting up.
"Hey, she said he had something for us!" Lana emphasized, then turned to her brother. "So what'chu got bro?"
"There, made it a bit easier for you," Stella said to Lincoln. "Now go for it."
Lincoln approached the twins, both unsure what their older brother has in mind. Suddenly to their surprise, he lifted the both of them up, not an easy feat since they aren't as light as they look and placed a kiss on both of their foreheads.
"I just wanted to tell you two how much I love the both of you," Lincoln said, feeling extremely cheesy. He quickly placed them down, somewhat worried about how they'd react, especially Lola.
"Ew, come on Lincoln," Lana said, wiping her forehead. "That's kind of gross, even for me."
"Yeah what's gotten into you?" Lola asked. "I mean, I don't blame you for loving me and wanting to kiss this lovely face, but this is so unusual for you."
"You trying to butter us up for something?" Lana suspiciously asked.
"Yeah what's your 'master plan' this time?" Lola asked, emphasizing with air quotes.
"No plan, I just felt like showing you girls how much I love you," Lincoln said, forcing a smile. That certainly didn't help his situation.
"Uh-huh...we'll go with that for now, but I got my eye on you," Lola warned, using her gesture.
"Same here," Lana said.
Lincoln backed away, easing the two with his hands, "Fine, I'm going." Lincoln cast a slight glare at Stella as he left the room, feeling more awkward than when he entered.
Stella did pity him a bit, somewhat disappointed in the twins' reaction. After Lincoln had left, Stella turned her attention to the two girls, "Weren't you a little hard on him?"
"Hey he was acting weird and suspicious," Lola said. "Lincoln never walks over to us and is nice to us without him planning or hiding something."
"Yeah, he called me 'cute' once just to cover up for letting a spider loose in the house," Lana said.
"Well maybe he meant...wait, spider!?" Stella asked. "What spider!?"
"Long story, and don't worry, there's no spider here," Lana said. "Unless it's one I bring home, but I usually keep my critters in my side of the room."
"You bring animals home?" Stella asked.
"Yeah, that's how we got all our pets," Lana said. "Including the ones I personally take care of, like Hops." Lana gestured to her frog.
"Well at least frogs are pretty harmless, but I did hear about you having a rat, isn't that a bit..." Stella felt something move across her feet. She looked down and saw a snake having passed by.
"Oh there you are girl, I've been looking for you," Lana said, picking up her pet snake. "Oh, not sure if I've introduced you yet, but this is-"
"AAAHHH! SNAAAKE!" Stella shouted, running out the room in fear.
"Huh, rude much?" Lana said.
"Right, because every girl wants a snake slithering past her feet," Lola commented.
Lana stroked the snake's head, "No one understands you like I do, I know you're a nice snake, even if no one else thinks so."
Lola rolled her eyes at her sister's nonsense, though this did worry her, if Stella was uncomfortable around Lana's exotic pets, then it could affect how often she would come over, and she worried about what that would do for her relationship with Lincoln. Weird as her brother just was, she still wouldn't want him to lose his girlfriend, she doesn't want to see her brother heartbroken.
Outside Stella was panting and somewhat out of breath, that was pretty scary for her. While she's been told of Lana's pets, seeing them up close, especially a snake was a bit much for her.
"Let me guess, you saw Lana's pets?" Lincoln asked, having been waiting for his girlfriend.
"Why does she have a snake? That can't be safe!" Stella said.
"It's harmless, my parents wouldn't let any dangerous animals near Lana...except alligators, she fights them sometimes," Lincoln said.
"...What the, why!?" Stella asked, then shook her head. "Never mind, I just want to move on, that was such an uncomfortable moment."
"Hey, now you know how I feel," Lincoln said. "I call that karma."
"Kissing your sisters isn't as scary as a giant snake slithering past your feet!" Stella said.
"You really need to get to know my sisters better," Lincoln said.
Stella groaned in annoyance, "Don't you have other sisters to show your brotherly love to?"
"You're still making me do this!?" Lincoln asked.
"Yes! I didn't get scared half to death by a snake to give up now!" Stella said. "Now march!"
Lincoln became more frustrated, but he knew not to cross his girlfriend, he doesn't like crossing girls in general, knowing how scary they can be when mad, though he had to admit that Stella looked cute when mad, though maybe it'd be better if she wasn't mad at him.
The two made their way over to the room shared by Luna and Luan, this would be slightly easier for Lincoln, at least Luna since she's more chill. Luan's unpredictable but he can't imagine she'd react too negatively.
Lincoln knocked, awaiting an answer. "Yeah!?" That was Luna, he took that as a cue to push the door open slightly.
"Luna?" Lincoln called.
"Sup bro, need something?" Luna asked as she was tuning her guitar.
"Is that you Lincoln?" Luan asked as she went over a schedule of her upcoming gigs. "Because I could use an assistant one some of my parties and I was actually hoping to check the schedule with you."
"I'd love to, but there's something I have to do first..." Lincoln said. "May I come in?" He heard a throat clear, "Sorry, may we come in?"
"We?" Luna asked.
Stella peaked her head in, "Hey girls!"
"Stella!" Luan tossed her book aside and rushed over to pull Stella in for a hug, accidentally knocking Lincoln over. "Hey I didn't know you'd be here!"
"Is it that surprising?" Luna asked, going over to help Lincoln up. "She's been here every day this past week. And now that she and little bro are an item, that pattern ain't going away anytime soon."
"Kind of lucky, even Benny doesn't come over every day," Luan said.
"Same with Sam, but it ain't easy bringing anyone here," Luna admitted.
"Well I do like you girls, you make me feel right at home," Stella said.
"Anything for our homie," Luan said and giggled. "Get it?"
"Eh," Luna said, she got the joke but it felt almost forced. "So is there anything you two wanted?"
"Or did you just want to see our lovely faces?" Luan asked, putting on a slight narcistic act.
"Both actually," Stella said. "While I just wanted to see you girls, Lincoln has something for you two."
"A present for us?" Luna asked. "What's the occasion?"
"You'll see," Stella said, then turned to Lincoln. "Go for it."
Lincoln took a break, focusing on Luna. He hoped this wasn't gonna get too weird for her, and like usual, he just went to get it over with. He hugged Luna close and kissed her on the cheek. "I love you Luna, you're a rocking sister."
Luna was quiet a moment, letting this sink in. This is a first for her brother, he's usually not the affectionate type, for the most part since he can be with Lily and sometimes the twins, but almost never to anyone else, especially the older sisters. Though she kind of liked this side of Lincoln, it reminded her of when he was younger and more willing to say things like this.
"Aw, thanks little bro," Luna said, then kissed Lincoln's forehead. "I love you too."
Lincoln both blushed and sighed in relief, at least Luna was calmer, and he did seem to like how it made her feel. He turned his attention to Luan, walking over and doing the same, a hug followed by a kiss. "I love you too Luan."
Luan was a bit surprised, and wanted to be suspicious, but at the same time, she felt extremely flattered. "Thanks Lincoln, you're a sweet boy, and I didn't even have to pie you this time."
"Hehe, yeah, no pies this time," Lincoln said, somewhat nervous but relieved. "That's all I wanted to do, so I'll be going now."
Lincoln quickly made his way out the room, Stella smirking in satisfaction the whole time. "I do like sibling love."
"That was a bit unusual for Lincoln though," Luna said. "You put him up to this Stell?"
"Kind of, I just want him to be more willing to be open with his emotions, and it starts at home," Stella said. "Plus it's been cute seeing him kiss all his sisters."
"Wow, so that's your goal," Luna said. "Though I should warn you, not all of them are gonna be down with it."
"I already saw from the twins, but they're kids, maybe they're in their 'boys are yucky' phase," Stella said.
"Well it might get worse," Luan said. "But at the same time, I kind of get what you're going for. It did feel nice getting a hug and kiss from Lincoln, maybe the older sisters will appreciate it more. Just keep an eye out, and if things get hairy, come to us immediately."
"Don't worry, I'll keep him safe, he is my boyfriend and the younger brother of my two best friends," Stella said.
"Don't you mean future sister in-laws?" Luan teased, getting a blush from Stella.
"Bit early think about that...though it does sound nice at the moment," Stella admitted, somewhat fantasizing a marriage to Lincoln.
"Well I for one hope that you're future is a Loud one, Luan joked. "But seriously, I think you two will last, you're very special after all."
"Thanks, I think you're both special too," Stella said. "Well I better go keep an eye on Lincoln, later let's catch up more, maybe I can finally come to one of your shows Luan."
"I have one soon with another one of Lisa's classmates, though if Lincoln come as well, you might have a rival in Lisa's friend Darcy," Luan playfully warned.
"Gasp! I better keep an eye on my man then," Stella joked. "Catch you girls later."
Stella had stepped outside to greet Lincoln, who was nervously standing in front of the door leading into Lori and Leni's room.
"Man this feels like a video game," Lincoln said. "I feel like I'm entering a new level in each room I go too, and it just gets harder and harder."
"At least you're good at video games," Stella said. "You're almost there, don't stop now."
Lincoln carefully knocked on the door of the two oldest sisters, opening the door ever so slightly. "Lori? Leni?"
The door was pulled open by a somewhat annoyed Lori, "What is it twerp?"
"Lori..." Leni lightly scolded, making her way to the doorway. "What is it Linky?" Leni noticed his company, "Ooh, Stella's still here, did you two need some dating advice?"
"We're good, Lincoln just had something for the both of you, and I really, really hope you'll be open to it," Stella said. Even she at this point had to admit, Lori's scowl wasn't doing any favors. She was tempted to pull Lincoln away but she already tried giving him a confidence boost, it would look bad if she encouraged him to back out now.
Plus like she said, she didn't get scared to pieces by a snake for nothing.
"Something for us?" Lori asked. "This should be interesting."
Lincoln wasn't sure how to go about this, he could easily go for Leni since she's more likely to accept affection form him, but then Lori will know what he's trying to do. Of course it would mean he could get out of it, but he also runs the risk of her possibly wanting to hurt him for even considering that with her. But if he goes for Lori first, he'll definitely get it, though maybe the shock could buy him a few seconds. Maybe he just needed to be quick, and kissing Lori first would catch her off guard better.
"Well I just have something to tell you, but can you get closer? It's kind of a secret," Lincoln said.
Lori seemed suspicious, but obliged, being ready for anything. "What is it?"
Moving fast, Lincoln kissed Lori right on the cheek, quickly telling her, "I love you Lori." Without giving her a chance to think, he rushed over to Leni, jumped up to wrap her in a hug as he then kissed her cheek, "I love you too Leni!"
Lincoln quickly bolted, moving the girls back enough a he pulled Stella away and quickly slammed the door, panting like he had run five miles. "Boy was that close. We should run though!"
"You still have two more sisters though," Stella said.
"But once Lori's shock wears off, she's gonna-" Lincoln stopped in his tracks when he heard the door open again. He slowly turned around to see a somewhat ticked off Lori.
Lincoln began to sweat, he recognized that look in her eyes, it was her trademark, 'I'm gonna twist you into a pretzel' look. Fortunately the tension immediately dimmed when Leni moved past Lori to wrap Lincoln in a hug.
"That was the sweetest thing you've done in a while!" Leni pulled Lincoln up and started kissing his face a lot, much to his embarrassment.
"Come on Leni, I only gave you one kiss!" Lincoln said.
"I know, but I love you tons, so you get tons of kisses!" Leni said, kissing Lincolns face more.
Stella giggled at this sisterly love, which again accomplishes their goal. Lincoln showing love for his sisters and in turn let's them feel great about themselves. "Alright Leni, save your kisses for later, Lincoln's not done yet."
"Alright," Leni said, placing one last kiss on Lincoln's nose before setting him down. "You're the best Linky, I'm so happy to have you as my brother."
"Same here...er just replace brother with sister," Lincoln said.
"Don't be shy if you want more kisses, your are so adorable after all, just like when you were a baby," Leni said. "Oh Stella, wanna hear some baby stories about Linky? They're like totes cute!"
"No, she doesn't," Lincoln insisted. "Right Stella?"
"Actually I kind of want to hear some," Stella said.
"Great, soon I'll tell you all about how much he used to run around naked just like Lily does," Leni said.
"Leni!" Lincoln shouted, his face totally red.
"Aw, showing off your little baby butt Linky?" Stella joked.
"Don't ever tell anyone," Lincoln warned. "Not even Clyde and the others."
"What about Ronnie Anne?" Stella joked.
"Especially not Ronnie Anne! She would never let me hear the end of it," Lincoln said.
"Alright, my lips are sealed," Stella said. "We're happy you liked that Leni, Lincoln just needed to prove to you girls that he loves you a lot."
"Oh we never doubted that, he's always doing nice things for us," Leni said.
"Not always," Lori muttered, keeping it out of ear shot of the group. She turned her attention back to Lincoln, "I'll let that little stunt slide for now, but if you try that again, I'll personally make sure you never kiss again, which might make it hard to keep a girlfriend."
"Lori, be nice, that's why you lost your driving pilgrimage," Leni said.
"Pilgrimage?" Stella asked.
"She means privilege," Lincoln said, then turned to Lori. "Have it your way Lori."
Lori angrily turned away, walking back into her room, much to Leni's disproval. She turned to the two kids, "Don't worry about Lori, she's just a bit grumpy. I am worried though, she seems even grumpier than normal. She already got her monthly present, whatever that is, so I don't know why she's still so angry."
Stella blushed upon hearing that, then turned to Lincoln, who looked a bit confused. She had a feeling he doesn't know about that stuff yet, but thankfully it's not her job to tell him. Unfortunately it's something she had to learn about, she just hopes she won't be as moody as Lori.
"Um, alright Leni, whatever you say," Lincoln said. Leni herself made her way back to her room as Lincoln turned back to Stella. "That just leaves two. Honestly tough as Lori was, I'm not sure even she would count as the 'Final Boss' here."
"Just two more Lincoln, you're almost there."
"Alright, now chances are Lucy is in my room right now, she hasn't fully moved back in with Lynn, though she has to by the end of the weekend according to my parents," Lincoln said. "Let's go find her."
Lincoln walked toward his room at the other side of the hall, knocking slightly on his door. "Hey Lucy, are you in there?"
"Just writing some poetry," Lucy said. "Feel free to come inside, it is your room after all."
Lincoln entered alongside Stella, and true to her word, Lucy was sitting on Lincoln's bed, writing down some poetry. Stella could see that Lucy brought several of her belongings into Lincoln's room, she seemed to have made her place at home here.
"Hey where does Lucy sleep?" Stella asked. "I don't see an extra bed."
"We share the bed," Lincoln said. "Better than sharing it with Lynn at least, Lucy doesn't really snore much, in fact she's as quiet as a mouse."
"I know how hard it is sleeping in a room with Lynn, you were definitely a breath of fresh air, and I mean that quite literally too," Lucy said. "Anyway I take it you two want some privacy?"
"Oh no you can stay, we're just here for the moment," Stella said. "Lincoln has something for you."
"For me?" Lucy asked, getting off the bed to face her brother. "What is it?"
While Lucy was usually passive and usually gets along well with Lincoln, he still knew that she hated physical affection. He just hoped she wouldn't be too mad about what he was about to do. Lincoln pulled Lucy in for a hug and kissed her cheek, "Just that I love you a lot Lucy."
Lucy had no reaction, aside from her usually pale skin showing some color, that being red. If one could see her eyes, they'd take note at how wide they've become. Lincoln was concerned that Lucy was being much quieter than usual, no reaction whatsoever. He only hoped this wasn't a calm before the storm.
"Lucy...?" Lincoln asked, pulling away from Lucy, only to see her about to fall over. Luckily he caught her but she seemed lifeless, not moving an inch. "Hey, Lucy!"
"Oh my Gosh! She actually fainted!" Stella said, looking over the girl.
"I just hope she's still alive," Lincoln said, checking her pulse.
"Don't be silly, true love's kiss is a revival thing, not the other way around" Stella said.
"Ew, don't call it that, it sounds weird and cheesy," Lincoln said. "Plus isn't that more for boyfriends and girlfriends?"
"Hey True Love can be platonic," Stella said. "You can love your sisters like you love your girlfriend, bit differently but True Love all the same.
"Still sounds weird to me, like a Fairy Tale," Lincoln said while lifting Lucy up and placing ,her on his bed. "Man, that must have been a lot for her. I hope she won't be mad when she wakes up."
"Maybe she'll think it was a dream?" Stella said.
"Probably...though it might cause her to wonder why she dreamt something like that, so it might freak her out more," Lincoln said, placing a blanket over Lucy. Seeing her laying down in his bed, sleeping peacefully, circumstances aside, it looked very cute to Lincoln. "She is kind of adorable right now." Lincoln gently stroked her hair, lifting her bangs up slightly, getting a peek at Lucy's rarely seen eyes, even if they were closed right now.
"It's funny, I've never seen Lucy's eyes, can she see all that well with her bangs in her face?" Stella asked.
"Seems like it," Lincoln said, placing her bangs back down. "She prefers them like this though, eyes show emotion and Lucy wants to be emotionless."
"Funny, she seems to have a lot of them, for you at least," Stella said. "She loves you a lot, I can tell." Stella walked over to Lucy, stroking her hair a bit. "Gloomy or not, Lucy really is adorable." Stella leaned down and gave Lucy's cheek a kiss of her own. "You're a great girl Lucy."
"Well, only one left...final boss time," Lincoln said.
"Lincoln, if I'm being honest, I'm not to big on you having to do this with Lynn," Stella said. "Lori was pretty scary, I can't even imagine how Lynn would be."
"Only one way to find out," Lincoln said, making his way toward her room.
"You're actually gonna do it?" Stella asked.
"Yeah, mainly since it'd be a waste if I quit now...even if I really don't want to do it," Lincoln said. "I've made it this far, might as well complete the game."
Lincoln knocked on the door to the room that solely occupied Lynn for the moment. After a couple of seconds, Lynn had answered the door, the jock surprised to see Lincoln.
"What's up Stinkin?" Lynn asked. "You didn't scare your girlfriend off already did you?"
"She's right there," Lincoln said, gesturing to Stella. "I'm just here because I have something for you."
"Something for me?" Lynn asked. "This I gotta see...wait it's not something lame is it?"
"It's something you need, a lot," Lincoln said.
"Ooh, new ball? Jersey? Helmet?" Lynn asked. "I mean I can't use the stuff yet but it'll give me something to look forward to."
"Something more important," Lincoln said, much to Lynn's confusion.
"More important than new sports gear? What could top that?" Lynn asked.
It was now or never, and while he preferred never, Lincoln placed his worries aside, he had to see this through. Without a second thought, he pulled Lynn in for a hug and placed a big kiss on her cheek, taking the jock by surprise.
"Lynn, I love you," Lincoln said, finally glad that it's all done and over with. That was all ten sisters, he pulled it off. He did feel relaxed now, this wasn't as bad as he thought it was, in fact it was probably worth it, now he can-.
"What the hell Stinkin!" Lynn shouted, punching Lincoln in the jaw, knocking him back.
"Lincoln!" Stella shouted in worry, rushing over to her boyfriend. "Lincoln are you alright!?"
This caught the attention of several of the Loud sisters, many of them peeking through their rooms to see the commotion.
"What happened just now!?" Luan asked, glaring at Lynn. "Did you hit Lincoln!?"
"Maybe," Lynn said, somewhat hesitant in doing so.
"Lynn!" Leni scolded, then turned to the twins. "Lola, Lana, go check on Linky, I have a call to make."
"Pfft, snitch," Lynn said, casting a glare in Leni's direction.
Lincoln rubbed his sore spot on his jaw, glaring slightly at his immediate older sister. "Geez Lynn, couldn't you have held back a little!? That hurt like heck!"
"Well...you took me by surprise, so basically it's your own fault," Lynn insisted.
Stella glared a hole through Lynn, "You're such a jerk! That's your little brother! Suppose you really hurt him! You might have knocked his tooth out!"
"No they're all still in there," Lincoln said. "I think so, hold on." Lincoln tried feeling around with his tongue.
Stella marched over to Lynn, looking her right in the eyes, "You owe him an apology Lynn Loud!"
"Well to be fair, my way of apologizing would require another punch," Lynn pointed out.
"I thought you stopped those 'Apology Punches'!" Luna shouted, making her way over with Luan by her side.
"Never said I would stop, I just said they don't always work," Lynn said.
"Then why would you consider doing it again!?" Luan asked in disbelief.
"Anyway he took me by surprise with some really gross kiss, can you blame me for socking him?"
"Not the first time I took a punch after kissing a girl," Lincoln said, now being tended to by the twins, Lola grabbing a damp handkerchief and rubbing it on Lincoln's sore spot.
"That doesn't mean you can do it too Lynn," Lola scolded. "Though at least Ronnie Anne apologized."
"Yeah, you barely apologized after calling him 'Bad Luck' and tricking us all into believing you," Lana said.
"Ugh, you're all still on that, it was only two nights! It's like camping in the backyard!" Lynn said.
"Let's get back on subject here," Luna said. "Lynn, apologize, and no more punches!"
"Ugh, fine, sorry Stinkin," Lynn said.
"That was a terrible apology!" Stella said. "You can do better than that Lynn!"
"Hey, just because you're dating my little brother doesn't mean you can tell me what to do, so back off Smella!" Lynn shouted.
"Excuse me!?" Stella said, clearly offended by Lynn's insult."
"Lynn!" Lincoln said, getting her attention. He stood up as the twins made room and marched toward Lynn, looking her right in the eyes. "I don't care what you say to me, I don't even care that you just sucker punched me. I won't however, allow you to insult my girlfriend."
"You tell her Linky!" Lola cheered.
"Sock her back!" Lana encouraged.
"Let's not resort to anymore violence," Luan said. "Lynn's not worth the headache."
"I know she's not," Lincoln said, focusing back on Lynn. "Consider this your first and only warning Lynn, remember you're the one who was so adamant about me dating Stella!"
"Well anyone can make a mistake," Lynn said, causing a collective gasp.
"How dare you!" Lola shouted, then walked over to Stella, taking her by her hand, "Ignore her, we all still like you Stella!"
"Don't worry, I won't let one bad apple spoil the bunch," Stella said, patting Lola on the head.
"Ugh, this is a waste of my time, take a hike you bunch of losers," Lynn said, slamming the door in everyone's faces, all the sisters somewhat irate.
"The nerve of that girl," Luna said, then turned to Lincoln. "Want some ice bro?"
"Yeah, I have an ice pack in the freezer, I keep it around for moments like this," Lincoln said.
"Always the man with a plan, be right back dudes," Luna said, making her way downstairs.
Stella gently stroked Lincoln's cheek, "Is it always like this?"
"Well...yeah," Luan said. "We can't go a week without a fight really, usually it's the twins and on other occasions it's Lori and Leni, but their fights are usually tugging at shirts. Even me and Luna have had our squabbles, though I try to avoid them since she's stronger than I am. Lugging around heavy equipment is a good factor in muscle growth."
"Well at least you two have a better bond," Stella said, then turned to Lincoln. "I'm really sorry Linc, I shouldn't have made you do this."
"Don't worry about it, after all it wasn't a complete waste," Lincoln said.
"Yeah, it was a really nice treat," Luan said.
"Sorry for calling it gross before," Lana said. "It's nice you wanted to show us that you really love us, and we really love you too Lincoln."
"I concur," Lisa said, making her way over with Lily. "Usually I'm not one for human emotions, but even I can't deny the swarm of pleasant feelings from your affections older brother. I too contain platonic affection towards you and I am pleased by our bond through blood."
"Uh, can you word it in a way for everyone to understand?" Lana asked.
Lisa rolled her eyes, "I'm saying that I love you too Lincoln, and I'm glad you're my older brother."
Lily hugged Lincoln, "Luv Inkin."
"Group hug!" Lola said, as she, Lisa, Lily, Lana and Stella crushed Lincoln in a big hug. This time he didn't mind though, while Lynn might have been disastrous and Lori is a bit uncertain, at least it worked out well for his other siblings.
Luna had finally come upstairs with the ice pack, getting a full glimpse of the romance, "Aw, times like this, it really does feel like Love is an Open Door, right into the heart of others."
Luna went to join in on the hug. As Leni left the room to check on Lincoln, she caught glimpse of the big hug. Now wanting to be left out, she too joined in. The only one who hadn't joined was Lori, who had observed everything from her room.
"Is that why he's been nice? To build a closer bond?" Lori wondered. "Stella's quite the ambitious girl, though for her sake, I hope she knows what she's doing."
Wasn't sure if I should do a time-skip or an immediate sequel, so I went with both. A style I'm trying out, flashback formats, at least for the first portion of the story. The chapters will be uploaded when ready, so remain patient, and I appreciate your support.
