6. In the Loud House, in the Loud House

Hi, everyone. This time it took me almost two weeks to update, but that's because I really prefer to take a little longer so the chapter isn't translated such in a hurry. I always write the spanish chapter first and then I translate it. But I often finish the chapter after like 4 hours straight writing (plus all the hours during the week), and then it takes me another couple of hours to translate it, so I'm afraid sometimes I don't even bother checking if I translate it right or what. That's why there are a lot of "he/she/him/her" in the wrong places; I know the rules, but I'm just so tired I don't even care anymore. So this time I decided to take a little longer and do a proper job… Something that you totally deserve.

Last chapter had a lot of Lincoln pondering about some things, and this chapter will follow that line. The fact that the questions he asks himself are not answered it's due to A) he doesn't have the answer for that (duh, right?), and B) it's up to you, the reader, to give the final thought. If you want, of course. If you're bored enough.

Ok, some stupid detail: I was trying to have every chapter titled with just one word, for some thing I once saw in a book I liked, but it's not really working for me, so imma just drop it. Probably I'll change some chapter titles in the next few days. Oh, and that reminds me: once I finish this fic, I'll edit every chapter to fix every mistake that I can find. The best I can, I guess, since I'm a fucking argentinian that never went to an english teacher more than in school.

Now, before we start, I'd like to thank every one of you guys that reviewed:

Zero H Gundam, OmegaDelta, Jackd98 (thank you! About the gender swapping, it's really because I don't check it twice before updating. Silly me. And the misplace of nouns it's probably because spanish has a completely different set of rules about the structure of sentences, and when I translate sometimes I may forget about it and do it in a word-per-word way, rather than the sentence as a whole), NotCryingDangIt, Sniff (Brian's an asshole, tho), NotAshamed2Cry (this guy gets it. And there'll be an epilogue, but I don't really want to say in which context it'll be, since that would be spoiling the end), Boris Yeltsin, PorcelanaRota (I honestly didn't know who Adrien Agreste was, and I had to look up to find out about Miraculous; sorry, haha), Darth Atrox (yeah, I could've put it all in one, I just decided to do it this way so the chapters were balanced in length), littlealexmartinez61910, Arysrm (hell no, I couldn't even kiss the tip of Heisenberg's shoes; I'm glad you like the story, though, and thank you for yout review and time registering), MorenoX25 (like you say, you keep the numbers growing, so I'm not complaining haha. Anyway, this chapter will answer your perfectly timed question), agustin163116, Jonesy (as I said, I didn't know Miraculous or Adrien Agreste, it was a random classy french name), Baileyhopper (with chapter 5 or the whole story? Chapter 3 made me cry hard while writing it), Codymitchell1, ElectricLoud, TexasGunKing, He23t, Godzilla2915, ExMarkSpot, Samtastic 3.0, The Wannabe Writer Original (thanks! And I think we all want Lincoln to be happy. I hate seeing him like this, or his sisters. We gotta be, as Alphaville says, "Hoping for the best, but expecting the worst".), Hush (I really appreciate your review, and the fact that you shared such an intense real life story. And don't worry, I know how is it to lost someone you love too, and I could never lie myself that hard with a "And they lived happily ever after but without him" end.), slydog148, thehardboiledhit, Mew Shadowfang, xxitstaylorxx, A former writer (Aw, come on, man! Not even two weeks passed! Haha, cut me some slack. I can't be writing all day, I have college, a job, and a social life out there. And only if I die this fic will end up unfinished)RedEyes.

Wow, 32 reviews. That's actually pretty good for a chapter, right?

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Chapter 6:In the Loud House, in the Loud House...

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"So, what will you do?" Asked the doctor.

Lincoln frowned. He looked at his sister Lori, looking for a sign of support. Actually, just looking to see a hint of what would she do.

"It's your decision, and I don't want to tell you what to do", she said, guessing what her little brother was thinking, "but I think you literally already know what me and all the girls would like you to choose."

She was right. He knew what his sisters would want him to say. There wasn't really anything to think, the answer was pretty clear. The problem, maybe, was that he had already imagined his last days, and this was changing the picture he had in mind. He didn't know yet if it was a change for good or if it'd make everything harder for him.

He looked at Lori once again and softly nodded. She smiled at him.

"I'll call my parents and tell them to come here as soon as possible", Lori told the doctor, who then exited the room.

Lori noticed that Lincoln seemed a little nervous, so she got closer and hugged him, stroking his hair. She kissed his forehead and rested her cheek on his head.

"It's gonna be okay" she assured him, almost in a whisper.

Lincoln never rejected a hug from his sisters, even if he would've pretended that he was a little too old for it if it came from one of his older sisters. But right then, in that moment, he didn't need to and didn't wanted to pretend anything. He enjoyed the hug, losing himself in his sister's warmth. They spent the whole night together. They talked for hours about mundane stuff, reminiscing old anecdotes. Eventually, they talked about the present and the immediate future as well, and even though they both cried once again, Lincoln was profoundly grateful with his sister. For being there for him. For keeping him company, letting their mother rest. Lori could be really bossy when she wanted to, but there was no one in the Loud house more willing to help their siblings than her.

"I'm gonna call dad, ok?" She finally said, moving away from Lincoln. "Finish your breakfast."

He didn't need to be told twice. He had barely started when the doctor came to tell them the news, and he was really hungry. Truth, hospital food wasn't as good and tasty as his house's —and it was light years away from the McBride's. But he wasn't going to be complaining about it.

While Lori was waiting for her father to pick up the phone, Lincoln started thinking about Clyde. He would have to tell him all, sooner or later. Maybe the new way the events were unfolding could make it easier.

"Hi, dad?" He heard Lori speaking, while he continued having breakfast. "Yeah, he's fine. Listen, the doctor came a few minutes ago and… No, no, he's fine, really. May I finish?"

Lincoln chuckled a little at the thought of his father panicking so bad to not letting Lori speak. Then he thought that he had every reason to be worried, and his laugh died in his throat.

"He said Lincoln's stable, he doesn't need any special care, and since there's no treatment… It's… It's only a matter of waiting", said Lori, trying hard to keep herself together and not start crying over the phone. "He can stay in the hospital so they can keep him controlled as long as he needs, but the doctor in charge of his case wants to give him the medical release… No, no, I literally just told you, he doesn't need any medicine… No… As long as he doesn't do much effort and rests, he should be fine until, well… You know."

Lincoln quickly finished his breakfast, while Lori filled her father in all the details of what the doctor had told them. Apparently, Lincoln's condition wouldn't be getting slowly worse over time until it killed him, as he first thought it would. He would actually live his last weeks pretty normally, until one day his heart would suddenly stop functioning and then he'd die. There was nothing science could do to help him when that time came, but until it did, he didn't need any special care other than not forcing his heart too much. Given his condition, the hospital had no problem keeping him hospitalized if he wanted so, but doctor House was willing to release him immediately so he could spend his last days in his own home.

He really wanted to spend as much time with his sisters as he could, instead of having to stick with a stupidly short visit schedule. Not to mention luxuries like high definition TV, a video-games console, clean clothes and his parent's food. He didn't have to give it a lot of thought, actually. The only "inconvenient" was that he always so sly and with a fool proof plan for everything, had already imagined almost to the detail his last few days in the hospital. This introduced a lot of variables that he hadn't considered in the beginning.

He stopped thinking about the solutions, plays and strategies that he might need in this new scenario when Lori sit next to him on the bed.

"Dad's gotta finish a small report on something, and then he'll take a break to get here, sign the papers and get you home", she told him, taking his hand in her own, and cleaning some crumbs he had in his lips.

"Can't you sign for him?" Asked Lincoln.

"I'm not your mom, nor your legal guardian, twerp", she answered with a little smile. "I'm not even eighteen yet."

Lincoln finished his orange juice and looked at his sister.

"How long will it take dad to get here?"

"I don't know. He said about noon."

He nodded. He pondered a little about how coming back home was going to feel like, now that it was all so different.

"Hey", called him Lori, catching his lost gaze. "Lincoln… Don't think so much."

He couldn't hold back a smile. His sister was too good reading him. She always knew what was going inside his head.

"It won't be easy, right? I mean, this days in home", asked Lincoln, feeling her sister tightening her grip on his hand.

"No, Linky. It won't be easy for anyone."

"But at least I'll have you guys, right?"

"Always", she said, with tears on her eyes.

The two siblings bonded in a new hug, one that didn't ended until well into the morning.

A little before noon, Mr Loud arrived to the Royal Woods General Hospital. After dealing with a little bureaucracy and having an informative chat with the doctor, they were ready to leave the hospital. Lincoln finally could dress himself with his jeans and his classic orange polo shirt. He walked between his father and his sister, who was holding his hand. He couldn't avoid feeling like a little boy, but suddenly he stopped caring about what other people might say. When they finally reached the reception they met some of the nurses that had taken care of him for the last two days. They hugged him goodbye, and he gave them the biggest smile he managed to have. He felt a little sad for not bidding goodbye Adrien, whom he hadn't seen since the night before. He really enjoyed his conversation with him.

They were about to leave the building when he felt the need to look back. He felt that unexplainable tingling behind his head that made him feel like somebody was watching him. He looked around until he finally say him, resting against the first floor's railing. A tall man, wearing jeans and a suit, with a crane on his hands. Lincoln wasn't really sure about what emotion that doctor made him feel the most. But, given the circumstances, he decided that the best thing to do was just bury the little resentment he had about him. After all, he had played his part to take him out of that negation phase of him.

From the distance, he raised his free hand to salute him. The doctor nodded, the only signal he gave about having seen him.

They soon got in the van. Mr Loud drove all the way to his work, to which he had to go back for the rest of the day. He then told them to take care, saying goodbye to his children and asking Lori to drive safe. The two siblings, the oldest and the middle one, arrived their house in a few minutes. The parked and Lincoln got out, just like he always did. He walked to the entry, just like he always did. He climbed the stoop, like he always did.

And then he stopped in front of the door. He didn't dare to move the knob. Instead, he immediately started noticing all the small things, all the details. The discolored wood planks, the recently replaced windows, the mud stains on the welcome rug. This wasn't like every other time. His house was suddenly more than just a house. It was the only place he would ever call home. He realized that he would never move, he wouldn't rent an apartment or buy a house.

A hand on his shoulder shook him out of this thoughts. He looked up and saw Lori, looking him with a sad smile.

"Let's go inside, Lincoln."

As soon as they opened the door, Lincoln was greeted by four anxious pets. While Charles and Geo were walking between his legs, threatening to knock him down, Walt was resting on his shoulders, gently pecking his cheek. Even Cliff, that usually hated being close to the kid was right next to him, purring.

"Hey, guys, I missed you too", he said, kneeling down so he could pet them.

Usually only Charles was that affectionate. Walt spend most of his time inside his cage, safe from the Loud chaos, and Geo was pretty much independent, barely bothering himself to be near his owners so they could feed him. And Cliff really only seemed to be comfortable with Lucy.

"Lincoln, I should probably go and pick the girls up from school. Wanna come?" Asked Lori, looking at the time.

"I… I'd rather stay", said Lincoln, a little insecure. "I mean, I don't want them to make a scene outside school when they see me."

"You're right", admitted Lori. "Still… I don't really feel like leaving you home alone."

Lincoln stepped away from his pets and got closer to Lori.

"I'll be fine. I just… I need some time alone. Just a little" he said, looking away.

Lori watched him in silence for a few seconds, trying to read him.

"Alright. I'll tell them that you're home so it won't be a surprise, and I'll try to maybe calm them so they won't hurt you with their hugs when we're here."

"Thanks, Lori."

"But keep you phone on you. And if ANYTHING happens, you call me, understood?" She said, with her classic stern tone, letting it clear that there was no chance to refuse to do as she said.

"Understood."

They hugged one more time, and Lori exited the house, leaving Lincoln alone.

He stood in the living room, noticing the silence he was in. Clearly it wasn't the first time he was home alone. A lot of times all his sisters had things to do and he took fully advantage of the peaceful and quite house, reading comics in his undies on the couch without bothering anyone, playing video-games all he wanted or making the windows tremble at the rhythm of SMOOCH. Those little peaceful moments were always received as a sip of water on the dessert.

That time, though, Lincoln couldn't help but feel depressed.

The Loud house, without all the noise and turmoil… It just wasn't the Loud house. That's who they were. And even with all the fights and complains, they all loved their family, they loved who they were. Every sibling provided his little share of chaos, which they couldn't really live without. What would be of the Loud house without Luna's music? Or Lola racing with her toy car? Or Lynn turning absolutely everything into a sport? Or Luan's jokes? It simply wouldn't be the Loud house they all were used to.

And how would the house be when he was gone? What did he really contributed with? How would the house dynamic change? He had no special talent. There was nothing were he had the spotlight. No distinguishing trait that had any real impact in the daily house routine whatsoever. He knew his sisters loved him, and that they would be devastated when he died. The days after his death would probably be sad and silent. An aura of sadness and anguish would surround the building. But for how long? Eventually they'd stop feeling that way. At some point they'd move on, they would go back to their routine. He didn't doubted that every once in a while they would find themselves reminiscing about him, specially on holidays or his birthday. He wanted to believe that deep inside they would never be the same —he was sure that he couldn't be the same if something ever happened to one of his sisters. But truth be told, he was convinced that his absence wouldn't really change the house dynamics at all.

He mentally slapped himself. He went to the kitchen and serve some orange juice, trying to get away from those awful thoughts. Those were some dangerously arrogant thoughts. Why should he ever wish to things to were different for his sisters? A good brother should be asking otherwise. A good brother would want his sisters to be happy, to overcome their loss and move on with their lives. Lincoln wanted to feel that. He wanted an altruistic sentiment to be born from deep inside his heart. But in reality, the only thing he could think of was the fact that he wanted his life to leave a print on everyone else's.

The image of Adrien quickly came to his mind. He remembered the boy's fear that no one would remember him other than his mother. He also remembered when they talked about his travels around the world, his experience in Egypt visiting the pyramids in particular.

Pyramids. Really, Lincoln didn't quite understand what people saw in them that was so cool. They were just some triangu… Ok, no, pyramidal buildings. The base was wider than the top. That was it. Lisa had explained him that great cultures around the world had built pyramids because its tectonicity made it simply the easiest way to build a big structure. It didn't require any column or arcs. Yes, it was a mystery how they moved all those big stone blocks, but honestly, Lincoln always thought pyramids were overrated.

At least that's what he thought before speaking with Adrien, and the french boy had given him a new perspective. What was amazing about pyramids wasn't its shape. It wasn't even the mystery of its construction. What made the pyramids so memorable was the fact that they had survived thousands of years. They had resisted the unforgiving weather. Governments, civilizations, wars. Pyramids had resisted them all. They were permanent reminders of a time before, the legacy of an entire civilization. They were gigantic monuments dedicated to the pharaohs. Thousands of years after they died, people around the world remembered them thanks to their monuments.

What monuments was Lincoln going to have?

Some desperate knocks on the front door distracted Lincoln. He barely made two steps out of the kitchen when they knocked again. Lincoln couldn't help but feeling a little scared. Who could be?

"Who's there?" He asked, standing behind the door.

"Babe? Is that you?"

Lincoln sighed with a mixture of relief and annoyance. He opened the door. The new arrival almost fell upon him, a consequence of literally being leaned against the wooden door, like he was trying to phase through it.

"Hi, Bobby", Lincoln welcomed him.

"Hey, little Loud!" Said the teenager, looking surprised of seeing him there, before giving him an awkward hug. "Thank God you're okay."

"I… beg your pardon?" Lincoln said, separating from the sudden and strange hug his sister's boyfriend had just given him.

"Lori hasn't answered my calls or text me back in twenty seven hours", he explain terrified, like he was speaking about his worst nightmare. "She never does that. And she didn't went to school today or yesterday, and I… I thought… Maybe something happened to you, dude. I skipped last period to get here."

"Oh", said Lincoln, understanding now. "Sorry, she stayed in the hospital last night taking care of me. She didn't have internet there, and I think she silenced her phone… She didn't wanted to get distracted. That's why she didn't went to school today, too. Sorry."

"No, no, don't apologize, dude! I was just worried sick. But, hey, you're out of the hospital now! That's great. What did you had, anyway? Lori told me you had an accident with your sister Lynn, but you don't seem to have a cast or anything."

That surprised Lincoln. Lori didn't tell Bobby anything? He knew that she wasn't texting with him since last night, with all the internet stuff, and because she had been busy taking care of him. But she had found out about his condition in the morning. She had had all the afternoon to tell Bobby. Evidently, she hadn't.

But Bobby deserved to know. He was part of the family, technically. And Lincoln needed to start practicing giving the news, for he would soon enough find himself having to do it not only to his friends, but his own sisters even. He needed to find the better way to approach the matter.

"It's a long story… Wanna sit on the couch?" He offered. "Lori's picking up my sisters, she's gonna take a while."

Ten minutes later, Lincoln had told Bobby everything he knew about his strange and terrible condition. He avoided visual contact throughout the whole explanation, looking at the ground as if he was trying to count every fiber on the carpet.

"...but I asked them not to tell my younger sisters, because… because… they're too young, and I don't think they're ready. And I… I'm not ready neither. I couldn't stand seeing my older sisters crying, but them I could kinda calm them, I think. But can you imagine that situation with Lucy, Lana, Lola or Lisa? I just can't imagine being there, watching them cry. That's what I don't want them to know yet."

By the time he finished talking, Lincoln was hugging his knees against his chest, resisting the impulse of crying that he felt everytime he stopped thinking about the fact that he was really dying, and even more when he imagined or remembered his sisters crying. He couldn't stand that image, it was heart breaking. He would do anything to keep them from suffering. As for now, the easy way to do that with the younger girls was to keep them ignorant about his disease. But easy for who? For him? Also, was the easiest solution the right one?

"Do you think I'm a bad person for not wanting to tell them yet?" He asked Bobby with a string of voice, still not looking at him.

His soon-to-be brother in law was petrified. He was sunken in the couch, like he'd been knocked out with a punch on his head. His gaze was lost and he had his mouth slightly open. One hand was resting on his chest, making sure that his heart was still beating and his lungs were still breathing. He was so dumbfounded that his brain only registered the question a minute after Lincoln made it.

"What? N-No, dude, of course not. I think… I mean… You… Damn..."

Se accommodate himself, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees, and his hands supporting his head.

"Little Loud… I can't believe it. This… Dios mío..."

Lincoln, still snuggled up in himself, slightly moved his head to see Bobby. He looked like he was slowly digesting the news, and it seemed to had hit him real hard. But he wasn't crying, and Lincoln was grateful for that.

"Lincoln, dude. I don't know what Lori thinks, but I think you're doing the right thing", the young Santiago finally said, surprising himself for having come up with words to formulate a full sentence, given his shock. "These are… terrible news. Your little sisters can't handle it just like that. When you tell them, you gotta give them… What's the word? Contention. You gotta give them contention, man. I wish I could tell you how to do it, but you know I'm not the sharpest tool the shed."

"I'm terrified of having to tell them", admitted Lincoln. "It scares me more than the news itself. Having to say goodbye… from my sisters… I-I've… I've never thought s-something like this c-could..."

He couldn't finish. He buried his head between his arms, with his forehead pressed against his knees. While his shirt and pants started getting soaked, he felt a hand on his back.

"Lincoln… I'm sorry. I'm really sorry. This is something you and your family shouldn't be living."

"It's… It's unfair", he said between sobs.

"It's tough. But God's with you, man. He'll be with you 'till the end. With you and your sisters. And I know a kid like you will be received with open arms up there", assured him Bobby.

Lincoln had been thinking about it last night, after Lori fell asleep. He looked up, with tears still falling from his eyes.

"God? Why would God do this to me in the first place?" He angrily said, hoping that Bobby would understand that he wasn't really angry with him, but rather with the whole situation. "Why would he do this to my family? Shouldn't he be stopping this like this from happening?"

Bobby slowly retreated his hand from the boy's back. He looked down to the ground, embarrassed for not having an answer for what Lincoln was asking him. The Loud kid looked at him in silence, as his future brother in law was trying to come up with something to say.

"Not everything He does makes sense for us", Bobby slowly said, trying to finish the idea in his head and say the right words. "But the fact that some bad things happen to us doesn't mean he doesn't love us. It's all part of a grander plan, Lincoln. Think about Jesus: God send us his son and he made him carry his cross and die in it. He loved him, but he allowed him to suffer."

"Why? Why would he do that?" Asked Lincoln. The Loud family, despite the constant and annoying mormons jokes, wasn't really religious. He guessed they were all catholics, and they were all baptized, but they never went to church, and they didn't prayed in their meals or anything. He wasn't even sure that there was a single Bible in his house. So he wasn't really familiar with the details of Jesus and his life. And death.

"Because after he died and rose from the dead, he defeated Death and set us free from sin. God send his son to die so we could all be saved. It wasn't easy for Jesus. He himself said 'God, why have you forsaken me?' when on the cross. It wasn't easy for his friends or his mother neither. It wasn't easy, but it was all part of His plan. You gotta have faith that He wants the best for you and your sisters."

Lincoln put a hand on his head. There were so much thoughts, so many ideas and contrary opinions. Concepts like life, death, justice, Heaven, God, destiny, all things that he thought he knew but he really never gave too much thought about. He wondered if it was just because of his age, or if people actually lived without asking themselves those things. How many people wondered about whether God's actions were fair or not? How many stopped a second to think about death? He didn't know. But he did know that those were questions that put him nervous, that made him feel a ball of nerves on his stomach, and he was sure that he probably wasn't going to have an answer for them.

"You're saying all that like there was a reason this is happening", he finally told Bobby. "You're telling me that this is all some kind of lesson for me? Or my sisters?"

"Little Loud… I don't know. I'm just some dumb kid who can't even keep a job for more than a month. I wish I could answer you. But… Look, maybe you're right, and there's no reason behind this. That doesn't mean you can't give it one yourself."

After those words, none of them spoke for a couple of minutes. They both had a lot to think about, and the things they felt were hard to express in words.

"Oh, damn!" Bobby suddenly said, covering his face with his hands. "Ronnie's gonna be torn apart when she finds out."

Ronnie Anne. Lincoln sighed. He would have to tell her too. According to Lori, she already knew he was in the hospital. Apparently, Ronnie had been worried. His relationship with her was kinda complicated, but Lincoln knew they really cared about each other. Yet another one from whom it was going to hurt to say goodbye.

"Bobby, can I ask you a favor?"

The Santiago boy turned to look at him.

"Of course Lincoln, whatever you want."

"Could you not tell Ronnie Anne that…? Well, that I'm going to die? I… I'll tell her tomorrow. But I'd rather… I don't know..."

"Tell her yourself" Bobby helped him finish.

"Yeah. I don't know, maybe it sounds silly."

"No, no, it's alright. I think she'd like to hear it from you."

They didn't get to say much more. A few minutes later, the family van parked beside the house, and the sound of ten girls getting near the door announced the arrival of the Loud sisters. Lincoln rubbed his eyes on his sleeve, hoping to erase any trace of his tears. He sighted and prepared his best smile. He kept telling himself that he wasn't lying. That his smile was an honest one, since he was honestly happy to see them. He kept telling himself that it wasn't a fake smile.

Bobby was a little worried that maybe his presence would be awkward, but his worries were unfounded. Only Lori seemed to notice him. The rest of the girls only had eyes for Lincoln. Lola, Lana and Lily came running —and crawling— at full speed, almost knocking him down to the ground.

"You're back!" Said the twins in unison. "We decorated your room with drawings!"

"Poo-poo!"

"Really?" Lincoln said, hugging them. "I can't wait to see that."

"Lincoln" suddenly said a voice behind him, scaring him like always.

He was about to say hi to Lucy, after calming down, but Lynn stood between them without giving him time to react.

"What do you think you're doing?!" She yelled at Lucy, not so gently pushing him by the shoulder. "Do you want to give him a… a heart attack?! Are you crazy?!"

"Lynn, relax, she was just..."

"Shut up, Lincoln!" She blurted, pointing an accusing and threatening finger at Lucy. "Don't you ever scare Lincoln like that again! You hear me? Because I swear, I'll…!"

"Lynn!" Yelled Lori, trying to calm things down before they got out of control.

Lynn shut herself, looking furious at her roommate. Lucy's face was as inexpressive as always, but she had taken two steps back, and she seemed ready to run away at any moment. Lynn snorted and turned around. She looked at Lincoln, who has looking her back with worry in his eyes. The girl's expression softened, and the started to raise an arm as if to hug him. But she finally closed her fist so hard that Lincoln thought he heard her phalanxs thundering, and she stomped her way out of the living room and up the stairs.

Lincoln sighed. Her immediately older sister was already always aggressive, but in her times of crisis she was even worst. It happened that time when her team lost the Summer Championship, it happened everytime she got injured and therefore couldn't practice sports for a while, and lately it had been happening to her for a few days every month. She wasn't as bad as some people thought, and Lincoln would defend that to his last breath. It was just that her way of dealing with negative emotions was simple through the violent discharge of energy. He knew that, if he could talk with her, he could calm her, as he always did. But he also knew to give her some space. He'd talk to her later. It wasn't cool to scream like that to Lucy.

Speaking of which, when Lincoln turned around to speak with his younger sister, she had already disappeared without a trace, as silently as she had gotten behind him. No one could know where she has hiding now.

"What's her problem?" Asked Lola, about Lynn.

"If I had to choose an hypothesis, I'd say that her sudden change of moods it's due to a simple and expectable alteration in her changing hormone cycle, a logical reaction to human beings entering puberty. Specially on female subjects" said Lisa, as she walked in circles around Lincoln, watching him closely and writing notes in her little book.

"Don't ya worry, girls", said Luna, stepping closer to her little brother with a smile that didn't matched her sad eyes. "Lynn's just've been worried sick about Lincoln, too. It's just her way of taking care of him."

Lincoln returned Luna's hug, appreciating the effort she was clearly doing to keep happy and calm around the younger sisters. He tighten his hug, as a way to show him that he thanked her. Luna separated herself from him and stroke his cheek, while her sad eyes started glowing more intensely.

"I'll be rocking some tunes in my room" she hurriedly said, before leaving in a dash.

Leni too came closer and hugged Lincoln with a sincere smile, telling him how happy she was that he was back home. Unlike with Luna, Lincoln didn't seem to notice that she was faking, which he thought was odd. But he didn't give it much thought, since he soon noticed an absence.

"Where's Luan?" He asked, looking for her.

"She's up in her room", explained Lori, looking him with a face that was practically screaming Just let her, she's sad. He understood and didn't push it.

After welcoming him, his younger sisters dispersed around the house, doing their usual stuff. Lori got close to her boyfriend and hugged him. With a look, he told him that he already knew everything. Lori barely held back her tears, and she practically dragged Bobby to her room, where she could cry and talk with him without the little girls to hear it. Just in a few seconds, Lincoln and Leni were the only ones in the room.

"Lincoln, you want to come with me to the mall?" She excitedly asked. "There's a store that's, like, giving away their sandals. And I think I have some money to buy you one of those comedies you like so much."

"Comics, Leni. I like comics. And thank you, but, can we maybe go tomorrow?" He asked, feeling really bad about declining his sister's gentle offer.

"Sure, no problem", she answered, with the same smile on her face. "Whenever you want, Linky."

Without even asking him if he had other plans or just didn't wanted to go to the mall, Leni went to the kitchen, leaving Lincoln all alone thinking if he was ready to do what he intended to do right then.

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Latin America is one the most catholic places in the world. Bobby's religiousness it's not my vision (not even close), and it's no presented as a truth. It's just that I found logical for him to have those beliefs based on the context that we have on him and his background. So please, avoid any religious debate in the reviews, ha.

Next update will take 2 weeks, probably. Partly because of my obligations, partly because I don't want to hurry and give you a chapter fulled of mistakes and a lack of content, and also because this week we have 5 new episodes, and I want to see if they give me some ideas (this past week's episodes did) and if they add something important to the canon. I'm specially interested to find out how 'Dance Dance Resolution' ends, when his sisters land him 4 dates for the ball. I need to see if that affects in any significant way Lincoln's love interests, so my fic can stick to the canon as much as I can (so yeah, Ronnie Anne confirmed for next chapter). I'm glad I didn't name Mr Loud in my previous chapters, since this week we found out he's the 'OG Lynn' (as stated on the Loud House Instagram).

I hope you liked this chapter. And just so I know what kind of audience I'm dealing with(?, let me ask you a question: who's your favorite Loud sister? If you want to, you can give me like your Top 3. I'll post my Top 3 in Chapter 7's introduction notes. Let's see if you can guess who my favorite sisters are (I hope I'm not too obvious when writing).

So, who's your favorite Loud sister?