Just for Laughs (WIP)

>Today's a nice day.
>It's cloudy and cool, but not so much as to need a jacket.
>It's raining steadily, but it's not a downpour.
>And without any homework, the Saturday's basically free.
>Everyone's gone out, leaving Lincoln to his lonesome.
>The house is empty, toasty, and giving the boy some much needed peace.
>Even better, he's about to make some tasty lunch.
>As the pot starts to boil, he carefully portions his noodles for the perfect serving.
>Yep.
>Today's a nice d-
>BAMMO.
>Lincoln cries out in surprise, spaghetti spraying all over the kitchen.
>"MMOOOOMM!!!"
>With a sigh, Lincoln goes to the pantry to fetch a bigger pot.
>Feels like he'll need it.
>Lincoln pours the water into the new pot when Luan stomps in.
>He actually has to do a double take.
>Good Lord, she's a mess.
>Covered in mud, soaking wet, scratches everywhere.
>And judging from her red eyes and clenched teeth, she's plenty pissed.
>"Where's mom?" the scummy, soaking, seething teen repeats.
>"What on earth happened t-"
>"WHERE'S. MOM."
>Lincoln sees her hands start to curl and shake.
>He quickly decides to change gears.
>Time for damage control.

>"Mom's not home," Lincoln says cautiously.
>Just for good measure, He raises his arm in front of him.
>You know, can't be too careful.
>"No one else is. Just you, and me. You can talk to me if-"
>With a frustrated growl, Luan spins on her heel and leaves the kitchen.
>Lincoln just lets out a breath he didn't know he was holding, then spends the next ten or so minutes picking up stray strands of pasta.
>He ignores her when she wanders in and stomps back out again.
>Being snubbed so rudely is something of a sore spot for him.
>But it's better than getting physical with her.
>Of all his sister's, Luan's the most dirty fighter.
>He can hear her stomping around the house, slamming doors and muttering loudly to herself.
>"How dare you," this.
>"I am so mad," that.
>He catches the odd "Mr. Dosivido," in an especially mocking tone.
>But, with that last pluck off the floor, Lincoln collects all the pasta he spilled.
>Then he gathers another portion for Luan, and is about to dump it in the pot...
>"HHRAAAAGH!!"
>When Luan screams in rage, with the following loud crash in the living room spooking the boy.
>He watches in dismay as the spaghetti, now twofold, rain down onto the floor.
>"DANGIT LUAN, I'M TRYING T-"
>He turns to yell at his sister from the door, when he sees the carpet.
>Shoe prints.
>Muddy shoe prints.
>Mud.
>She's been tracking mud the entire time.

>Lincoln easily finds Luan grumbling to herself in the living room.
>The coffee table lies in a heap in the corner.
>She doesn't notice him until he's dragging her into the dining room.
>She's not as strong as Lynn, so it's fairly easy for her brother to overpower her.
>Before she can sputter out a threat, he roughly yanks her down to her knees.
>Grabbing his sister by her chin, he forces her eyes down to the floor.
>"See that?" he snaps, forcing her head to crane back to the living room.
>All that mud on the floor.
>Everywhere.
>Not even Lana would let it get this bad.
>"You did that."
>And just like that, the fire was taken out of the girl.
>Letting go of her, Lincoln stalks over to the table to yank out a chair.
>Luan's still on the floor when her pulls her back up.
>"So here's what's gonna happen," he continues, hoping his harsh tone keeps her off her feet.
>Sitting down on the chair, he drags her down onto his lap too.
>Her pleated skirt, a gift from mom, squelches softly as the caked mud presses against his legs.
>Wrapping an arm around her filthy shirt, he stares straight into her eyes.
>"You are going to tell me what happened," he started, "Then we'll clean up the floor together. And after that, you're going to clean yourself up while I make some lunch."
>He can feel her shaking in his lap.
>"Got it?" he asks, his voice much gentler now.
>Luan keeps her face to the door.
>Hidden from his sight.
>Then, slowly, her hand creeps up to clutch his shoulder.
>She's trembling.
>With a quiet, shaky voice, Luan tells him about her morning.

>Her summary of her morning is long, but to the point.
>After weeks to calling and calling, she finally managed to snag a gig at a comedy club in the city.
>Mom was so proud, she made her a new, pleated skirt for her show.
>She didn't want to bother Lori or mom for a ride, and figured taking the bus wouldn't take long.
>An hour's worth of detours and construction proved her wrong.
>Then she realized, just as she got off, that she forgot her comedy case at home.
>Even though she was cutting it close, she managed to make it to the front entrance before her slot.
>Only to find out that she'd been replaced forty minutes ago.
>That's when she learned she forgot to charge her phone.
>At that exact moment, she realized she's completely by herself.
>In the city.
>And seeing the bus going home pass her, it was going to be a long walk.
>And long it was.
>Before she even gets past the first corner, she almost got puddled by a van.
>Then a homeless man chased her for a few blocks after trying to bottle her over her last five dollars.
>After losing him, Luan decided to sit down at the first bench she found, and wait for another bus.
>Not even ten minutes in, she gets puddled, and then some punk tried to steal her phone.
>She managed to wrestle it back, but she slipped and fell into a spot of mud.
>Then she got puddled by the bus she was waiting for.
>And that was when the homeless man found her again.

>"Luan, that's...wow," Lincoln says quietly.
>His sister, previously looking away, now has her face buried in his neck.
>Feeling his shirt getting wet, all he could do was hold her tight and give her the odd reassuring squeeze.
>It starts to get a bit awkward after a few minutes of her silently crying.
>That, and he's starting to lose feeling in his legs.
>Lincoln brings up his hand to stroke her dirty hair.
>"Do...do you want to keep going?" he asks softly.
>"Hm."
>He can feel her shake her head, rubbing her face into his shoulder.
>"Do you want to get off?"
>"Hm."
>Another shake of her head, and he can feel his sister's fingers dig into his shoulder.
>"Do you...want to clean yourself up?" he offers.
>She doesn't answer, but Lincoln can feel her breathing pause.
>"You'll feel better after a shower, you know that."
>Lincoln lowers his now greasy hand to half continue the backrub, half wipe it off on her shirt.
>"And when you're done, I'll have lunch ready. Nice and hot and tasty."
>He concludes his negotiation with a kiss to her hair.
>He has to refrain from spitting the grit out of his mouth.
>"That sound good to you?"
>Luan doesn't answer at first, but her hands slip down to his chest to hug him tight.
>"Hm...Hm hmm."
>Luan maintains the hug for another minute before releasing her grapple.
>She keeps her face turned from his gaze as she clumsily lifts off of him.
>Then she slowly climbs the stairs and disappears from sight.
>When the bathroom door shuts with a click, Lincoln runs back into the kitchen, several dry noodles snapping under his feet.
>Washing his hands clean, he's thankful the water's warm enough to quickly come to a boil.
>In short time, their lunch sits on the table.
>Unfortunately, Lincoln hears the shower turn off before he can go get fresh clothes.
>Shrugging, he simply strips to his undies and tosses the bundle into the corner.
>Tossing the last floor noodle into the trash, he sits down just as soft footsteps creak down the stairs.

>Luan's changed into a fresh set of clothing.
>Her hair, done up into her trademark ponytail, gleams with a clean, healthy shine.
>All the dirt and grit that was on her is now gone, and aside from a scratch or two that can be seen, she looks like her old self.
>"Feeling better?" Lincoln greets, already picking up his fork.
>"Yeah..." she answers, her relaxed face turning to one of guilt when she sees the mess on the floor.
>She forgot about that.
>Quietly sitting down across from her brother, she hungrily eyes the plate of food before her.
>"When we finish, I'll help you clean up the carpet."
>She lifts her head to look at him.
>"Thanks for everyth..."
>Luan's eyebrows pop up.
>"Are...are you naked?"
>Lincoln's fork stops mere inches from his mouth.
>"N...no, I just took of my clothes," he answers slowly, then giving a cocky grin. "They got a little...dirty."
>Luan looks back down, the blush on her cheeks growing from her embarrassment.
>"Ah heh...r-right. Sorry."
>"Doesn't matter. Now dig in, it's getting cold."
>And dig in they did.
>Feeling stuffed, Luan took their dishes back into the kitchen to file into the sink.
>"Seriously, Lincoln?" she says, placing the plates into the filled pot to soak. >"Thanks...thanks for everything."
>She doesn't hear him walk into the kitchen.
>She jerks with a yelp when she feels him wrap his arms around her waist.
>"You don't need to thank me," he replies, his cheek resting between her shoulder blades.
>She can feel his warm skin through the thin material of her shirt.
>"You just needed someone to talk to. Now come on."
>Letting go, he grabs her hand and leads her back to the dining room.
>"We only have a half-hour before Mom comes home, so we have to work fast."
>He doesn't see how red Luan's face is.
>Or feel how hard her heart is pumping.
>"Uh...uh huh," she mumbles.

>The two Louds do a pretty good job cleaning the carpet.
>Music was put on to encourage them, and the talking was minimum.
>Heck, Luan almost got a hernia dragging the couch she somehow flipped earlier.
>But there's only so much two kids can clean that a mother of eleven can't do in half the time.
>Most of the living room is still a mess when, speak of the devil, she and the others file in.
>And boy, is she not happy at what she sees.
>Luan silently accepts her punishment, even as Lincoln tries to defend her.
>Luan's grounded for a month.
>No pranks for two months.
>And her clown money goes to a new coffee table.
>It's only when her brother almost starts a shouting match is when Mom allows her to tell her story.
>As Luan quietly tells her tale, Mom's boiling anger slowly turns to a cold, frigid horror at what had happened to her little joker.
>She almost crushes her daughter in a hug when she got to the rematch with that hobo.
>The punishment is fully repealed when she finally brings down her mangled clothes and cracked phone as further corroboration to her testimony.
>A tearful hug to her daughter and a happy "good boy" kiss to her son, and Momma Loud's quickly back in the swing of things.
>There's been a change of plans for tonight.
>Dinner gets to be Luan's favourite, and she's allowed to eat her enchiladas in front of the TV.
>She even gets first dibs on dessert.
>But even after all this, she sits more quietly than anyone remembers her doing, nibbling at her meal while the TV plays.
>Seriously, enchiladas and the biggest helping of stained glass, and she only gives a soft "thank you"?
>Jeez.
>Later that night, everyone's finished cleaning up for bedtime.
>Lincoln walks out of the bathroom, when a soft voice calls to him.
>"Lincoln?"
>He turns to see Luan, timidly waving from her door.
>She was the first to use the bathroom, so she's all ready for bed.
>"Can...can I talk to you? Real quick?"

>"Uh..."
>Lincoln glances over at his open door, down the hall.
>Then he shrugs, stepping through into his sister's room.
>"What's up?" he asks, sitting down beside her on the bed.
>Luan doesn't answer, merely looking away and fidgeting with her hands.
>Lincoln leans forward to look at her face, a soft smile on his lips.
>"Feeling better?" he continues, giving her a friendly nudge.
>His sister lets out a sigh, before he sees a grin grow on her face.
>"Much better," she admits, turning to face him.
>"Thanks a lot for hearing me out, Linc."
>She wraps an arm around his shoulder, pulling him tight into a hug.
>With another sigh, Luan rests her head on his shoulder.
>"Today sucked," she says after a moment of silence.
>Lincoln tips his head down, resting his cheek on her temple.
>"I figured."
>He wraps his arm around her waist.
>They sit in silence for a few more moments, enjoying each other's company.
>"Lincoln?" Luan whispers.
>"Yeah?" he answers, rubbing his cheek against her hair.
>"You..."
>She sighs again, and Lincoln can feel her body shudder this time.
>"Do you think I'm funny?"
>Oh geez.

Lincoln answers without really thinking.
>Not like he'd need to.
>"Of course I do."
>And he tells the truth.
>Annoying as her puns are, Luan's comedy is a good source of entertainment for him.
>He tightens his grip on her waist, making her squirm a little.
>He waits for her to calm down before going on.
>"I wouldn't let you test your material on me if I didn't enjoy it."
>Hearing her sniffle, he pushes forward.
>"That stupid club made a mistake snubbing you like that."
>With a soft kiss against her glossy hair, Lincoln readies his final attack.
>His hand perfectly wrapped around her side, his fingers begin to dance along Luan's ribs.
>Luan squeals at his sudden tickling, thrashing wildly against his hold, struggling to get away while giggling loudly.
>Lincoln maintains his hold, climbing behind her so his other hand can start on her other s-
>"Oy, bro."
>Both siblings freeze.
>"It's late, you're loud," Luna grumbles from above, "an' Big Ben's ringin' past nine in me head."
>Luan takes the opportunity to pry his hands off and adjust her robe.
>Still panting, she glances behind her, smiling shakily at Lincoln.
>"Before you go," she whispers, tucking back a strand of loose hair.
>"If I have another bad day, could I..."
>She looks over at the door momentarily, then locking eyes with him again.
>"Can I come to you again?"
>Lincoln nods, happy his sister is feeling back in high spi-
>KRCK
>The sudden jerk of the bed frame causes him to almost fall on Luan.
>"Go to bed, Lincoln!"
>Taking the kick as a hint, Lincoln starts crawling out of her bed, and leaving for his room.
>But not before giving a her quick peck on the cheek.
>He disappears past the door before she can react.
>Luan has trouble sleeping that night.

>A week later.
>Lincoln pushes through the front door, grateful for a long-awaited Friday.
>And a long weekend, to boot.
>If it weren't for the project Mrs. Johnson gave him at the last minute, he'd have all three days completely free, no obligations.
>But what can you do?
>"Who's here?" he calls out, kicking his shoes off, the sneakers bouncing off the wall.
>"Just me," Luan yells back from the kitchen.
>"Where is everyone?" he asks, beelining for the couch.
>Since it's just the two of them, no reason not to catch up on some backlog.
>Dropping down in the middle of the couch, Lincoln groans loudly, grateful to give his feet some much-needed rest.
>Turning on the TV, he starts a recorded episode of AAARGH! just as Luan enters the living room.
>With two small bowls in her hands, she passes one full of sliced fruit to him as she sits down.
>He mumbles out a thank you, already engrossed with the antics of the Scream Crew as they explore a dilapidated manor in the Bayou.
>"Lori's out with Bobby, Luna went to some concert, Lynn and Leni are at a wrestling match, and everyone else is at a movie with mom," Luan lists, having put down her bowl to list with her hands.
>"Oh neat, so it's just the two of-"
>Lincoln turns to look at his sister, an apple slice hanging from his lip.
>"Leni and Lynn went to go see wrestling?" he repeats.
>Luan simply shrugs, grunting for emphasis as she digs into her bowl.
>"How was school?"
>Lincoln grunts, waving his hand as he watches his show.
>"Yeah, same."
>With a sigh, she leans on the armrest and finishes her snack, letting her brother finish his show in peace.
>After what feels like hours for her, the credits roll on the screen, and Lincoln gets up.
>Grabbing her bowl, he takes them both to the kitchen to place in the sink.
>"Linc?" Luan asks, watching him sit down again.
>"Yeah?"
>"You know I still owe you a favour, right? From last week?"

>Lincoln shrugs, fiddling with the remote to find another episode to watch.
>"I figured you helping me with my math homework on Wednesday makes us even," he answers.
>Luan scoffs.
>"Come on, those were fractions. I helped you for five minutes and you were good on your own afterwards."
>Lincoln grunts, clicking on an episode and leaning back.
>"I don't get why you're so gung-ho on this favour thing," he says, "I mean, you had a bad day, I helped cheer you up, and you thanked me."
>He glances over at her, reaching over to pat her knee.
>"I mean, I'm your brother, Luan."
>Luan scrunches her nose at that.
>"My little brother."
>"So?"
>She rolls her eyes.
>"I'm supposed to look out for you, you dummy."
>She emphasizes her assertion with a light punch to his arm.
>Lincoln's hand gently squeezes her knee.
>"We're family, Luan. We look out for each other."
>Luan reaches down to flick away his invading hand.
>Though the kind gesture is welcomed.
>"I can look out for myself, Linc."
>"I know you can."
>She glances up at him, catching the grin on his face.
>"I mean, you did beat up a hobo."
>She punches him arm again, this time harder.
>"Shut up."
>"He had a bottle and you kicked his butt."
>Luan can't help but giggle at his little jabs.
>He sure knows how to prop her up.
>Shaking her head and sighing quietly, she leans over, resting her head on Lincoln's shoulder.
>"Watch your show."

>After watching another couple episodes, Luan calls for a break for dinner.
>She orders a pizza with the money mom gave her, and takes control of the TV while they wait for it.
>When it arrives, the two siblings dig in, enjoying every bite, knowing they won't have to share.
>They sit back down on the couch to continue their movie.
>"Ghey, Lunlun," Luan mumbles, crumbs flying out of her mouth, "Ugh Gudduh duhl yugh thumthin."
>"Gmuh?" he grunts back, his cheeks bulging from all the pizza.
>"Ugh vuth fubothet t-GHK!"
>Luan coughs loudly, craning her head down as she chokes on her food.
>After a few desperate pats from her brother, she manages to force the greasy goodness down her throat.
>Panting softly, she slowly lifts her head back up, resting it against the headrest.
>"You Ok?" he asks, already scurrying to the kitchen for water.
>"Yeah," Luan grumbles, accepting the small glass.
>"Thanks."
>Lincoln waits quietly, watching her finish her drink.
>When she sets the glass down onto the floor, he speaks up.
>"What did you say?"
>Luan sighs dejectedly, her eyes turned down to the floor.
>"I was supposed to go out, too," she mumbles, picking at her fingers.

>"Yeah?" Lincoln asks, "go out where?"
>Luan takes a slow breath.
>"To a movie."
>She grits her teeth.
>"With a boy."
>He blinks.
>"Well, what hap-"
>His jaw drops.
>"Wait, a boy?"
>He gasps loudly.
>Then he leans in close, a silly grin on his face, eyebrows propped up.
>"You were going on a date?" he singsongs.
>Luan nods.
>"I was."
>"Who is he?"
>Her lip twitches slightly.
>"His name's Jake. You don't know him."
>Not satisfied with that answer, Lincoln presses on.
>"How do you know him?"
>"...We take math together."
>His eyebrows arch up.
>"And...?"
>Luan groans loudly.
>"God. I thought he was cute, and he asked me out, and I said yes, Ok?!"
>Lincoln backs up, giving his sister some space.
>"Ok, Ok, don't bite my head off."
>Luan huffs, crossing her arms indignantly.
>"It's fine."
>The two of them sit in relative silence.
>Until Lincoln opens his fat mouth.
>"What happened to the movie?"
>Luan's lip trembles.
>"He called me earlier and said something came up," she explains.
>"But I don't think he knew he didn't hang up. he was...talking to other people, laughing..."
>She clenches her fists.
>"Laughing at me. My...j-jokes, my face...how I'm not...I'm...f-flat..."
>Luan struggles, with all her might, to hold back the sob.
>She fails miserably.
>Luan throws herself into her brother's arms, wailing loudly.
>"L-Linc-huh-oln," she whines, tears falling free as she hugs her brother tight.
>"Hey...h-hey, now," Lincoln stutters, gently petting her hair. "You're stronger than thi-"
>She mutters something, face buried in his chest.
>"...Come again?"
>Luan lifts her head, hesitantly looking up at him.
>"...Am I funny?" she whimpers, still quietly sobbing.

>"Lulu, come on," Lincoln whispers, gently grabbing Luan's wrists.
>She shivers at her and Luna's old nickname.
>She closes her eyes tight.
>"Of course you're funny. You make a lot of money making people laugh."
>She buries her face in his chest again.
>Luan says something, once more obstructed by his shirt and ticklish body.
>"Luan, come on," he whispers, letting go of one wrist to pet her hair again.
>"I can't hear you when you do that."
>After a few quiet seconds, Luan comes up for air.
>She sniffles again, bringing her hand up to hide her face.
>"Are my teeth ugly...?"
>Lincoln shakes his head.
>"No, your teeth are Ok. Heck, I'd say they're your best feature."
>That catches the comedienne off guard.
>Her hand parts so her eye can peak through.
>Having his audience's attention, Lincoln continues.
>"I mean, sure, they're a little big-"
>He places a palm on her cheek to keep her from interrupting.
>"But there's nothing wrong with that. When you smile or laugh, they make you look pretty.
>Luan's hand drops down from her eyes to her mouth.
>But Lincoln can see the red creeping in on her cheeks.
>"You...think I'm pretty?" she asks quietly.
>"Well..."
>Lincoln starts his own cheeks warm up.
>But he looks his sister in the eye.
>"...Yeah. I think you're pretty. Your long, hair..."
>He pauses to stroke her hair once more.
>"Your little button nose..."
>Before she can stop him, he taps his finger against her nose.
>"Boop," he whispers, causing her to giggle at that.
>"And your soft, uh..."
>Lincoln watches Luan's hand drop down again, and his eyes zero in on her lips.
>Her soft, plump...juicy...lips...
>"...Cheeks," he finishes, cupping the side of her head.
>Luan closes her eyes, leaning into his palm as he keeps praising her.
>Her skin is so soft against his fingers.
>"Luan, really. You're a pretty girl. Javik and his friends are dumb if they think anything but that."
>Luan cracks open an eye.
>"Jared."
>"Whatever."