10. Chapter 10

AN: Sorry the chapter's later than usual, but I had a really hard time pulling this one together. Least it's finally done. Also, I'm studying for a big test that's coming up soon, which might potentially affect my next couple of updates, just fyi. But I also included a little bonus at the end of the chapter, so hopefully you guys enjoy that.

DoctorYnot: A ha! That guest reviewer wasn't a guest reviewer at all! It was Old Man Ynot!

No but seriously, I'm a big fan of your stuff man, so I appreciate your feedback. Admittedly, the premise for the chapter was a bit more cartoony than I normally try to go for, but that's largely because it was basically all just an excuse to write that last scene with the dinner. I'd stumbled across that idea when I was picking Aberrant Script's brain for chapter ideas, and I liked it so much that I decided it had to be a thing. And by my thinking, the only way to make something that goofy work, was to just lean into the skid, so to speak, so I kind of just ran with it. Can't say for certain how well it worked, objectively speaking, but it certainly made that chapter a lot of fun to write.

Admittedly, Sam was not intended to have as big of a role in this story when I first conceived it, she was basically just supposed to have that one gag in the first chapter to start things off. But I became enamored with her before I'd finished writing it, and quickly began to figure out how I could work her into the story in a more permanent way. So her increased prominence is only partially your guys fault. Because while I certainly enjoy seeing how much you guys enjoy my take on the character, it's largely just because I've become very fond of this weird little gremlin I've created. As for Carol getting squeezed out, well, keep on reading…

I'm also glad to see how many people liked Becky's little cameo, as I'm also very fond of her. Who knows, maybe she'll work her way back into the story at some point…

"Another day, another dollar", Lori grumbled as she ran through one last check of her purse. Phone? Check. Keys? Check. Dignity? Whoops. Well, not like she'd need that where she was going.

Lori allowed herself a wry smile as she made her way down the stairs and towards the front door. A smile which gave way to puzzlement, and then worry, as she completed her decent and happened upon her little brother, laying on the family couch, oddly still. Sisterly instincts kicking in, Lori scurried over to check on him.

Lori was relieved to find that Lincoln was both awake and aware. However, he seemed somewhat…diminished, somehow. His skin was pallid, more so than his comic book reading, video game playing lifestyle generally resulted in. His vacant gaze flickered only the slightest in acknowledgement of her presence before returning to its previous position, staring blankly at the ceiling. And, upon closer inspection, there were noticeable bags under his eyes.

"Everything okay, twerp?" She asked, trying to keep herself from sounding too concerned.

"Just hanging", he said weakly.

Lori had intended to ask him to elaborate, but suddenly the all too familiar sound of an argument erupted from somewhere nearby.

"Come on, Luna! It's my turn to hang out with Lincoln!" Lynn shouted, clearly frustrated.

"No way, dude! He promised he'd listen to this set!" Came the heated reply.

"That was three hours ago!"

"It's a long set!"

"You tell her, Luna!", Came a third voice.

"Not a good time, Sam!", "Shut up, Sam!" Resounded a two-pronged response, nearly in unison.

Lori winced. Well, this was certainly…something. A small part of her desperately wanted to wish the boy well, and hurry on her way before things escalated any further. However, Lori Loud was, above all else, a big sister, and seeing her little brother in this condition didn't sit well with her. Normally, she go over there and start busting heads, but time was a factor, and she still had to get to work. Thankfully, a third option occurred to her.

"Come on Lincoln," She said firmly, "You're coming with me."

His puzzled expression prompted her to explain further.

"You clearly need a break from...whatever this is." She continued, waving her hands dismissively.

"Its been a while since you've been to Gus's, and I've got a nice pile of tokens set aside. You can relax, play some games, and get some pizza in you, my treat."

Lincoln hesitated, clearly tempted.

"And if you stick around to the end of my shift, we'll drop by the comic book store on the way home. How does that sound?"

"It sounds like you're asking me out on a date", he said wryly, already sounding more like his old self.

"In your dreams", she scoffed, resuming her march towards the door, desperately trying to ignore the sudden warmth in her cheeks.

Lori spared Lincoln the briefest of glances before returning her eyes to the road ahead of them. They boy had started perking up almost immediately after they'd set out, for which she was grateful, but it bothered her that he'd been driven to such a state to begin with.

It was obvious what had been going on with Lynn and Luna as of late. The two had been inordinately fond of their little brother as children. All of them had been, little Lincoln had been tiny and sweet oh so huggable, but those two had taken things too far. One day they'd been arguing over Lincoln and gotten into an actual fist fight. While brawls in their family were by no means uncommon, even back when there were only half as many kids, this fight had been particularly nasty by her recollection. She and Leni had done what seemed to be the only sane thing to do at the time; smuggle Lincoln back to their room and hide with him under the covers of their bed until things blew over. Leni had been particularly upset when their parents had finally come to collect the boy, and Lori couldn't blame her. It had been nice, the three of them huddled together like that, isolated from the rest of the world. It was a memory that she still cherished to this day.

Lori had thought that her sisters would grow out of that kind of behavior eventually, hoped they would, in fact, and for a time it seemed they had. Lynn had gotten into her sports, and Luna had her music, and eventually her girlfriend. But lately, the pair seemed to be sliding further and further back into their old habits.

Lori rounded a bend somewhat harder than was strictly necessary, causing her tires to squeal, and her pale-haired passenger to wobble against his seatbelt.

She really wanted to blame those comic books. They'd all been fine; they'd all been happy before they'd found out about Lincoln's little project. But now, seeing those brief glimpses into lives they'd only dreamed about living, was it any wonder that they were falling back into their old patterns?

And yet, she knew that wasn't fair. Lincoln didn't mean to cause any trouble; he wasn't that kind of person. He was sweet, and kind, caring to a fault. And naive…oh so very naive, if their previous confrontation was any indication. But even then, there was something strangely charming about someone who was able to see the world so uninhibited by its all too real rigors. She supposed that it was sort of inevitable that some people would find themselves attracted to that aspect of him. Pity, that it had to be his sisters.

Now Lori was starting to make herself depressed. She gave her head a quick, but vigorous shake to refocus herself, choosing to ignore the bewildered glance her brother shot her way. Now wasn't the time for that, it was time for Operation Show Lincoln a Really Good Time Before Figuring Out A Way To Keep Lynn and Luna Out of His Business And Also Think of A Shorter Name For This Operation.

Lori stowed away her belongings as was tradition, then made her way to the register, where Lincoln awaited her. He was looking much livelier, so clearly the plan was working, and Lori allowed herself a discrete, celebratory fist pump. Now for phase 2.

Lincoln jerked in surprise as Lori deposited a large baggie of game tokens next to him. His eyes widened as he realized what she was gifting him, clearly appreciating the value of the treasure before him.

"There's more where that came from," Lori said with a smirk, "But that should be plenty to get you started."

"Wow, Lori...thanks".

"Uh uh" Lori interrupted, waggling her finger at him. "None of that. These things were just piling up anyway. Frankly, you're doing us a favor by using them."

"Now..." She said, grasping him by the shoulders and turning him towards the arcade, "Go have some fun. I'm gonna put a pie in the oven, I'll let you know when it's ready."

Lincoln gave her a smile that spoke volumes. Then, grabbed his tokens and started off.

"Oh, one more thing, little bro." Lori called out, trying to get his attention.

"Hold onto some of those tokens and I'll show you a few things on Super Hyper Turbo Fighter Remix II Climax Edition during my lunch break"

The joy on Lincoln's face put an extra little spring in Lori step, which propelled her into the kitchen at record speed.

Lori bustled around the kitchen, putting the finishing touches on Lincoln's pizza. Extra meat, extra cheese, extra meat, and a small pile of pepperoni on the side, just the way he liked it.

Lori slid the concoction into the oven and set the timer. Alright, pizza was cooking. Now to take a quick peak around the premises.

Lori popped her head out of the kitchen doorway and gave the room a quick scan. Fairly barren by their usual standards. There were some dope in the corner trying to put the moves on a girl who was clearly not interested, an elderly gentleman who'd been nursing the same slice of pizza since she'd clocked in, Carol and Lincoln sharing a quiet, yet intimate moment at the front counter, a couple of surly looking guys looking over a pile of blueprints…

…Wait, Carol and Lincoln? Lori's head snapped back in surprise. Yep, there they were. Her friend and her little brother. Laughing and enjoying themselves. Her friend, who was weirdly into her little brother's comic books, and her little brother who produced them…

"Heeeeeeeeey, guys!" Lori greeted them as she sped out of the kitchen.

"Hi Lori", Carol greeted her in return.

"You didn't tell me Lincoln would be joining us today." She said, ruffling the boy's hair affectionately.

"I didn't know I needed to." Lori replied; one eyebrow raised quizzically. "Do you two know each other?"

"I got Carol to fill in for you when we were taking that family photo, remember?"

"Right…" Came her response, made somewhat terser by the accompanying memory.

"He told me that only I was beautiful enough to play the role of Lori Loud. That I was born for it!", Carol said, punctuating the statement with a dramatic pose and flourish of her hand, eliciting a chortle from Lincoln.

Lori frowned, but said nothing, trying to sort out her feelings. On the one hand, she was still a little upset that Lincoln had tried replacing her. Admittedly, it had ended up being a ploy to get her to participate, but the mere thought of being replaced like that still hurt. On the other hand, Carol was objectively a very pretty girl, and it was flattering that Lincoln had such high standards for her potential replacement...

"So, are you hanging with your big sis today?"

"Yeah! Pizza and video games, Lori's treat."

"Gah!" Lori squeaked. She'd forgotten about the pizza!

Lori executed a 180 degree turn with footwork that Lynn would have found to be extremely impressive and sprinted back into the kitchen. The beeping kitchen timer and the faint smell of burning crust greeted her. Working fast, Lori retrieved the pizza from the oven, and leaned over to inspect it. Slightly burnt around the edges, but otherwise fine, thankfully.

Lori put the pizza on a plate, sliced it into segments, and examined her work. By her estimation, a regular person wouldn't be able to tell that it had been slightly over cooked, let alone a member of her pizza loving family. With that, she picked up the plate and carried it out meet her little brother.

"…And after her shift, we're going to the comic book store!"

"Oh really? You know, I've actually been meaning to go there myself…"

"Pizza!" Lori screeched, practically teleporting between the pair, plate of delicious, meaty, cheesy goodness held before her.

"Wow!" Lincoln exclaimed; his eyes huge with delight. Lori found herself smiling at the sight.

"Dig in little bro." She said with a nod, and Lincoln did exactly that, snatching up a large slice and tearing into it like a man possessed. He was quickly preoccupied with managing the large quantity of meats and cheeses that threatened to spill from his overstuffed mouth, but his grunts and groans of pleasure indicated his thorough enjoyment of his treat. Lori allowed herself to feel a small measure of pride that Lincoln was so thoroughly enjoying something she'd made for him. It felt nice. Maybe she could cook for him more often…

"You know," Carol said conversationally, liberating one of the smaller slices for herself, "I've actually been getting into comics myself lately."

Not pizza, obviously, Lincoln was growing into a young man, and needed to start eating more nutritional food.

"Really? I wouldn't have taken you as the type."

"And just what's that supposed to mean?"

Maybe she could make him a few different things? Sandwiches, a veggie platter, maybe some salads?

"Just that girls as pretty as you aren't normally into stuff like that."

"Oh stop, you charmer."

She wondered if maybe Leni could show her how to make smoothies? They were delicious, and full of antioxidents.

"Well for your information, I happen to be really into this Ace Savvy guy…"

Maybe she could just make the whole thing into a picnic lunch. Take him somewhere nice, like the park, or the beach. Make a day of it…

"Really? I love Ace Savvy!"

Oh right, her brother and her bestie being weirdly copasetic.

"Careful, Carol," Lori cautioned her friend, "Lincoln's literally an Ace Savvy super fan. If you get him started on Ace, he's going to talk your ear off."

"Actually…" Carol said, brightening up considerably, "I just got myself the Ace Savvy Cinematic Universe Collection on blu-ray, and I have a ton of questions. I'd love it if I could pick the brain of an expert like you, Lincoln."

"I'd love to!" Lincoln exclaimed, sitting up excitedly. And with that, the pair quickly became incomprehensible as Lincoln proceeded to educate the older girl on the nuances of his favorite super-hero franchise.

Finding herself suddenly forgotten, Lori grabbed a slice of pizza for herself and sullenly bit into it, trying to figure out where things had gone off course.

Much later that night, Lori sighed in exhaustion and frustration as she pulled Vanzilla into the family driveway. What was supposed to be a special day between her and her brother had turned into a weird, three-way thing with Carol inexplicably joining them every step of the way, and she'd run herself ragged trying to keep the pair from broaching any awkward subjects regarding Lincoln's comics. Fortunately, it had never become an issue, but the constant vigilance required of her had run Lori ragged, and now all she wanted to do was crawl into bed and sleep for a few weeks.

"Hey Lori?" Lincoln asked from beside her.

She turned to him, silently acknowledging her little brother. And found herself surprised when his response was to hug her tightly.

"I just wanted to say thank you. The pizza, the comic book store, the impromptu game of mini-golf…you didn't have to do any of that, but I really appreciated it."

Seeing how sincere Lincoln was, Lori felt her exhaustion melt away, and she eagerly returned the hug.

"Any time, little bro", she murmured into his ear, before reluctantly releasing him from her grip.

Suddenly looking bashful, Lincoln slid out of his seat, gave her one last grateful smile, and started making his way towards the house.

Lori allowed herself to bask in her little brother's gratitude as she absentmindedly checked her phone. Wow, lots of missed calls and texts from Bobby. Funny how she hadn't thought about him all day…

AN: Here's an extra little bonus thing I wrote as a non-canon omake for the previous chapter.

Sam Sharp and Luna Loud sat in the Loud family's garage. The former looking as sheepish, as the latter looked perturbed.

"Okay Luna," Sam began, "I know that last plan ran into a few snags..."

"Pack of wild dogs." Luna interjected, dryly

"…but I've spent all night brainstorming, and one of these plans is sure to be the one!"

Luna groaned in response, but motioned for the other girl to proceed.

"Alright, first plan: I poison you with an apple, and Lincoln has to kiss you to save your life."

"You POISON me?"

"Hey, hey, it doesn't have to be poison. I could, say…knock you out. And then Lincoln has to kiss you to wake you up!"

"Does a kiss from your little brother cure brain damage?"

"…Alright, moving on. Your mom gets shot by hunters…"

"No."

"We train a bird and some mice, and they work with Lincoln to rescue you…"

"Nuh uh"

"You rescue Lincoln from a sinking ship, and then a bunch of singing fish and frogs convince him to kiss you!"

"Why do these plans suddenly involve animals?"

"We go searching for the lost city of Atlantis!"

"Atlantis?"

"We don't have to actually find it."

"Pass".

"WE TURN YOU INTO A LLAMA!"

"SAM STOP!"

With that, Luna took a deep, calming breath, then exhaled. She repeated this process several times, then stood up, and started walking away.

"Where are you going Luna?" Sam called to her.

"To get you a Netflix subscription!"