The Loud House: Oneshots (Completed)

Mistakes were made

Author: "Jaguer12" from DevianArt.

It was a typical day in the Loud House. Lola and Lana were arguing as always, Luna was rocking out in her room, Luan was trying out jokes on Lily, Lucy was hidden away in the attic, Lynn was punching the old punching bag, Lisa was chronicling her latest scientific findings, and Lori and Leni were chatting it up while reading teen magazines. Yes, it was just the average day inside the Loud House...except for one thing. There was someone missing; but not for long. Lincoln Loud had just arrived home, an almost bored look on his face. He silently closed the door, not bothering to announce his return home. He slowly scaled then stairs to the top, then shuffled his way to the bathroom. As Lincoln passed Lori and Leni's room, they both pause mid-conversation. Something felt off to them, their big sister senses tingling. They climbed off their beds and looked out into the hall. After a moment of waiting, they see Lincoln emerge from the bathroom, looking...it was hard to describe. He wasn't angry. Not sad. More....apathetic, which was very unusual for him.

"Hi, Linky!" Leni chirped, waving to him.

"Hey..." he replied dully.

"Hey, Lincoln. When'd you get home?" Lori asked.

"Just now..." Lucy's tone had more life than his at the moment, Lincoln shuffling his way to his room.

"Wow. What's up with him?" Lori asked, a combination of annoyed and concerned.

"I think he's in a bit of a funk" Leni replied, looking sadly to her little brother.

"Any idea why?"

"Nope. But I'll go talk to him. Maybe I can find out." Leni smiled as she emerged from the room and strolled down the hall.

"Are...you sure you shouldn't just leave him be?"

"It'll be fine, Lori. I got this." She gently knocked on Lincoln's door. "Lincoln? It's me. Leni. Can I come in?"

"Sure..." Leni opened his door and stepped inside. The door didn't quite shut all the way as she pushed it upon entering.

"Hey, Lincoln. You doing alright?" Leni asked sympathetically, looking at the white-haired boy as he stared up at the ceiling from his bed.

"I guess." He responded flatly.

"Is something bothering you?" She continued, sitting beside him.

"Not really." Leni tilted her head a bit, not sure if he was telling the truth.

"You know, if something was wrong, you can talk to me." The kind-hearted blonde said, smiling encouragingly at him.

"Yeah...I know..." He sighed as he sits up. "I just don't know, Leni. I just feel....like...nothing." Leni gasped in shock.

"Linky! Don't talk like that..."

"That's not what I mean..." Lincoln said. "I mean...nothing does anything for me today. Nothing is bothering me. Nothing feels like fun. Nothing really interests me. Just....nothing."

"Oooh." Leni started to understand a bit more. "I see. Well, that does happen to everyone from time to time." She places a hand tenderly on his shoulder. "I'm sorry you're feeling that way though..."

"Don't worry about it, Leni." He said. "It's not your fault. It's not anyone's fault. It just happens as you said."

A few moments earlier, back in the hall, Lori watched as Leni entered Lincoln's room, but didn't properly shut the door. She rolls her eyes and goes to close the door for her. However, when she got to the door, she heard Lincoln say "I just don't know, Leni. I just feel....like...nothing." Lori had to cover her mouth to hide her gasp, though Leni had gasped at the same time. She leaned closer for a covert look and listen inside.

"Linky! Don't talk like that..."

'Atta girl, Leni.' Lori thought to herself.

"That's not what I mean..." Lincoln said. "I mean...nothing does anything for me today. Nothing is bothering me. Nothing feels like fun. Nothing really interests me. Just....nothing."

"Oooh. I see. Well, that does happen to everyone from time to time. I'm sorry you're feeling that way though..."

"Don't worry about it, Leni. It's not your fault. It's not anyone's fault. It just happens, as you said." Lori smiles lightly. She was pleased to hear Lincoln was alright, if out of it.

Inside the room, Leni pulled her little bro into a comforting hug. "Well, if you need someone to talk to, or even to cheer you up, just let me know." A very small smile appeared on his face as he hugged her back.

"I don't think so right now..but thanks, Leni." An idea suddenly came to the second eldest sister, a playful grin appearing on her face.

"Actually, I think I know of one thing that may help..." Lincoln just looked at her, wondering what she was thinking as she let him go. Her hands moved to his sides, her fingers wiggling along with them. Lincoln's eyes opened wide before he burst out laughing.

"Hahahahaha Leni hahahaha! Come on hahahahahaha!"

"Hehehe. Kitchy kitchy kitchy." Leni teased as she kept on tickling him. The hysteric Lincoln flopped onto his back with laughter, Leni going for his stomach next.

"No mohohohohore hahahahahahahahaha!" Leni just giggled, knowing her brother was enjoying it more than he let on. You see, ever since Lincoln was a little one and he was feeling down or crying or whatnot, Leni would usually cheer him up with a good old fashioned tickling. It never failed to bring a smile to his face, even in the most troubling of times.

"Tickle tickle Linky. Let's see that smile."

"Ohohohohohohohohohohokl You wihihihihihihihihin! I hahahahahahahahahave had enough hahahahahaha!" The moment he said that, Leni stopped tickling him, letting him get the remaining laughs and giggles out of his system. Leni really enjoyed tickling him and making him laugh, but she knew when to stop too. If she overdid it, Lincoln might not like it as much anymore. "Hehehehehe.....hehehehe.....hehhe.....whew."

"Feeling a little better now?" She asked sweetly. Lincoln smiled up at her, a genuine smile.

"Yeah. A little bit. Thanks, Leni." He replied after he regained his breath.

"Any time, Lincoln." She said, giving him another big hug.

"And...needless to say..." he started to say, but Leni knew where this was going and nodded.

"It's our little secret, though you really have nothing to be embarrassed about." She said. "There are lots of guys who are totes ticklish."

"Maybe...but if that news got out at school..." he trailed off, gulping as he considered the mocking he could receive. Leni gently pats him on the back, giving him a smile that said she understood. She may not be the brightest, but she did have a strong sense of empathy. "Thanks again."

"What is family for?" She replied cheerfully.

Moments before, Lori was about to close the door completely and leave the two of them in peace. However, before she could, Leni had struck and started tickling Lincoln. His suddenly laughter surprised her and made her look inside again. The moment she saw them, her first thought was 'oh my gosh...that is so cute.' She couldn't help herself; she pulled out her phone and covertly snapped a picture of Lincoln while he was on his back with Leni tickling his stomach. With his own laughter and Luna's music, no one heard her phone's camera. She then quickly and quietly shut the door and headed back to her room, looking over the picture. 'This is so cute....I need to show Bobby.' she thought to herself. Then another thought entered her mind, 'I dunno...I mean, Lincoln doesn't even know I took this...' she paused with her finger over the instant message app. 'it's just Bobby. What's the worst that could happen?' she finally rationalized, tapping the icon. Nothing happened. "Oh for the love of...they screwed up the messaging app again?" She complained. She sighs, thinking she could show him later. Then she had an idea. "Wait. I can post the picture privately on my instaframe. Only Bobby should be able to see it, and once he does, I'll delete it. Easy" She smiles and starts up the application. After taking a moment to find a private conversation between her and her boyfriend, she posted the pic and commented 'Isn't this just adorable?' She waits for a moment, but he didn't reply. Thinking he must be busy at work, she decided she would check for his response later. Little did she know that conversation wasn't as private as she thought. There were a few others who were permitted to view and chat in that log, they just hadn't in a long time. Most of them still didn't care to, but all it took was one to take interest in the picture. From there, that one person reposted the picture, which drew more attention and more reposting. Before Lori even went to bed, the picture of Lincoln getting tickled was all over the place. As she was about to fall asleep, her phone vibrated. She smiled and checked to see if it was Bobby.

"It is pretty cute, but should you be posting this?" Bobby had asked via a text in the app.

"It'll be alright" Lori responded, deleting the picture. "See? It's gone. I just wanted you to see it. Good night, BooBoo Bear."

"If you're sure. Night Babe."

The next morning, Lincoln Loud arrived at school in a rather good mood, alongside his best friend, Clyde McBride. "And so, just as I was about to mako smash the guy, he rage quits out of the game. Can you believe it?" Lincoln said, describing an online match he played on the latest Musclefish fighting game.

"Yeah. It's becoming a real problem. I hear they're doing something about it, though. Supposedly, they're going to punish those poor sports."

"Well, good for them" Lincoln commented. Just then, he heard a group of the popular boys in the school laughing it up as they were huddled by one of their lockers. Among them was the incredibly conceited, self-centered Chandler, holding his phone where only his buddies could see it. "Huh. I wonder what's so funny."

"Probably a new fail video on Viewtube or something" Clyde responded with a shrug. The pack of cool kids turned when they heard their voices and their eyes locked on Lincoln.

"Well well well...look what we have here..." Chandler said with a malicious grin. the two boys look around confused for a moment. Who could they be talking about?

"I...think they mean us" Clyde whispered, only to be shoved out of the way. Lincoln was suddenly surrounded by the six popular boys.

"If it isn't 'Laughing Boy' himself?"

"Excuse me?" Lincoln asked, very confused.

"We're all just 'tickled pink' to see you." Another of the meaner cool kids said, grinning at him. Lincoln could feel his cheeks turn a little red.

"What are you....?" He started to ask. He got his answer when one of them showed him a certain image on their phones. His eyes shot wide open, his whole face turning bright red.

"Awwwww, look at the ticklish widdle boy!" Yet another popular boy taunted, causing them all to start laughing at Lincoln. Lincoln cringed, shrinking down as if their words were blows from their fists.

"I bet he wet his pants laughing." A fifth bully taunted. Clyde frowns, reaching into his backpack.

"Why don't we find out?" Chandler said, cracking his knuckles before wiggling his fingers threateningly at Lincoln. His pupils nearly disappeared, tears filling his eyes. Before the bullies could strike, something made them stop in place: a smell. A wonderfully warm and sweet smell. Chandler turns around and spots an open container on the ground, full of fresh-baked cookies. "Ooo! Cookies." The moment they were distracted, Lincoln crawled out of the circle before bolting down the hall like a bat out of hell. The six popular kids descended on the baked goods like a pack of wild dogs, Clyde slipping by them with a bit of a smirk. It may have cost him his favorite lunchtime snack, but at least his friend was safe. Clyde quickly dashed down the hall where he thought Lincoln had gone but lost his trail past the auditorium.

"Man, Lincoln should try out for track and field," Clyde said. "When he wants to, he can run... now, where did he go?"

"I think I saw him headed for the boy's room." Came a soft, monotone voice from nearby. Clyde jumps a little and turns to see Lucy's friend, Haiku, standing between two rows of lockers. "He looked upset..."

"Thanks a lot, Haiku. Yeah, Chandler and his friends were picking on him again. Not sure I really understand what brought it on this time, though..."

"It is the nature of dark-hearted souls to make others miserable to make up for their meaningless, pathetic existences."

"...yeah, that makes sense" Clyde commented. "Anyway, thanks again, Haiku. I gotta go find Lincoln and make sure he's ok."

"You're welcome" Haiku responded softly, smiling ever so slightly as the bespectacled boy ran off down the hall.

Lincoln dove into the nearest boy's bathroom he could find, gasping for air. A million questions were rushing through his mind right now; prominent among them is where that picture came from and how Chandler got his hands on it? The snow haired Loud splashes water on his face, trying to help himself calm down. Just then, two of his classmates emerged from the stalls, having a conversation, and snickering.

"So you saw it too?" Asked a freckled young man with short red hair.

"How can I not? It's trending all over HeadSpace." His taller long-haired friend responded.

"T....trending?" Lincoln muttered to himself. No. They couldn't be talking about him...right?

"Hey, look! It's Laughing Boy himself!" The shorter redhead declared, pointing at him. The only son screamed and ran out of the bathroom in a panic. Out in the hall, he spotted two girls his age giggling like mad as they looked at their phones. One was a slightly tall girl with short blonde hair and spiky bangs, wearing a soft purple shirt, a denim skirt, and black sneakers. The other was a muscular, African American girl with short dark hair and wearing a red t-shirt, blue jeans, and white sneakers.

"Isn't that just precious?" One of them said. He couldn't really tell which from his angle

"Soooo cute." The other responded.

Against his better judgment, Lincoln leaned over for a look, only to see that picture again. He whimpers, running by them while covering his face. The girls looked up in surprise as he sped by. Lincoln couldn't see where he was going, but he could hear the mocking laughter of his peers all around him. Their laughs, chortles, snickers and giggles, it was driving Lincoln utterly mad. Just when he thought he couldn't take it anymore, he feels someone pull hard on his arm, yanking him into an empty classroom.

"Let me go!" Lincoln yelled, struggling, and nearly punching the one holding his arm in the process.

"Whoa! Careful, Linc! It's me." Clyde declared, ducking his fist.

"Huh? Oh...sorry Clyde..." Lincoln started to calm down, looking toward his African American friend.

"It's cool, buddy. You were all wound up after...whatever happened back there happened." Lincoln sighed, taking a seat on the floor.

"Chandler got his hands on an embarrassing picture of me..." Lincoln explained, his cheeks turning bright red again. "And he's not the only one....in fact." He buries his face in his hands again. "....it's trending."

"Yikes. I'm sorry, Lincoln." Clyde said, sitting by his friend and patting him on the back. When his friend didn't respond, he continued. "Well, I'm sure this won't last. You know how internet trends go. It'll be old news and forgotten by the end of the day....I hope." He muttered those last words, hoping Lincoln didn't hear him.

"I hope you're right, Clyde..."

"Now come on. Let's get to class. I'll help you avoid the crowds." Clyde said with a smile, helping Lincoln to his feet.

Fortunately, thanks to Clyde scouting ahead for him, Lincoln was able to get to Mrs. Johnson's class without incident. As he sat down at his desk, he noticed a girl at the far of the classroom trying to get his attention. A dark brown haired girl in a white t-shirt and an ankle-length forest green skirt. He never really noticed her before and wondered what she wanted. He turns to look at her. She turned her phone to him, showing him the image while giving him a little finger wiggling wave. Lincoln's face turned red and he buried his face in his textbook with a groan. What he didn't see was the surprised look on the girl's face, followed by a sad expression.

The rest of the school wasn't much better for Lincoln. During morning class, kids sitting by Lincoln would poke him to try and make him laugh. In gym class, while he was climbing the rope, Chandler caught up with him and started tickling his armpit, causing him to burst out laughing and fall to the mat below. At lunch, another kid snuck under his table, took one of his shoes, and tickled his foot while he was drinking milk. This resulted in him laughing so hard that milk came out his nose and mouth. The last straw came during the afternoon class when Mrs. Johnson started the science portion of the class. Someone asked her if she could tell them all about why people are ticklish, leering right at Lincoln when he made that request. Most of the class burst out laughing, with the targeted Loud's face starting to turn red, tears building up as Lincoln tried to restrain his misery and rage. Among those who weren't laughing, apart from Clyde and Mrs. Johnson (obviously), the girl from before was just looking at the poor boy with sympathy. She wasn't the only one either, with girl Jordan was glaring at the boy who had purposely embarrassed him.

"Lincoln, are you alright?" His teacher asked, walking over and placing a hand on his forehead. "Goodness! You're burning up.....let's get you to the nurse." Mrs. Johnson helped him out of his desk and out of the classroom. Once out in the hall, she could swear she heard a hard thud from the classroom, but one problem at a time. "Lincoln, please be honest with me." She said softly, kneeling down to look him in the eyes. "What's the matter?" Lincoln tried to take deep breaths, desperately trying to calm down.

"It's....nothing." He said through gritted teeth. His teacher frowned at him, clearly not buying it. "...nothing...I want to talk about right now." He elaborated. Mrs. Johnson sighed.

"I understand Lincoln...why don't you head to the bathroom and cool off a little? Just come back to class when you're ready. And...if you decide you're ready to talk, I'll be ready to listen." She told him calmly. Her soothing tone was doing wonders to help ease Lincoln's anger.

"I'll...remember that. Thank you." She smiles lightly and pats Lincoln on the shoulder before she returned to her classroom. The laughter had died down, with the boy who had embarrassed Lincoln rubbing his sore, red cheek and girl Jordan looked rather satisfied about something. As his teacher suggested, Lincoln made his way to the boy's room. This turned out to be a big mistake, as Chandler was there with two of his buddies. Lincoln noticed him and hastily shut the door with the intent of finding a new bathroom, but Chandler spotted him too and gave chase. Lincoln tried to get back to class, but he was sacked by the cruel popular kids and pinned down. "Let me-!" Before he could finish his sentence, one of the boys covered his mouth.

"Much better. Now, I believe we have something to figure out." Chandler said, grinning at Lincoln as his second friend took Lincoln's shoes. He wiggles and squirms, trying to scream for help and begging Chandler not to do this. However, even if he weren't gagged by a hand, his pleas would have fallen on deaf ears. Chandler dug his fingers right into Lincoln's ribs, while the second friend mercilessly tickled his feet. Lincoln was thrown into immediate hysterics, screaming both in laughter and in pain. Chandler and his goons were far from gentle, and their tickling was hurting him quite a lot. "Now we see how long it takes for him to wet himself"

"Leave him alone." Came a stern, monotone voice from nearby. Chandler and his friends looked up to see Lucy standing nearby, glaring at them through her bangs. Standing beside her was Haiku, holding her phone in her hand. He thought that he could handle the two of them, the phone was making him nervous; he suspected that she was filming them. Chandler growls at them and stands, motioning for his friends to come with him.

"Laughing Boy isn't worth it..." he said, the three of them fleeing the scene. Lincoln just laid there on the ground, his face a deep crimson, a pool of tears forming on the floor.

"Lincoln?" Lucy asked, looking at her brother. Lincoln slammed his fist on the hall floor, slowly getting onto his knees before he lets the loudest roar of frustration anyone had ever heard from him. So loud, it scared Haiku and Lucy (which was no easy feat). His rage-filled bellow got the attention of all the teachers in the nearby classrooms, including Mrs. Johnson. She rushes out the door to the hall and sees the three of them in the hall just as Lincoln's screaming came to an end, with the angry young man getting to his feet and running right for the exit. Lucy held up a hand to try and stop him, but she wasn't quick enough. Lincoln's concerned teacher runs over, asking them what had happened, to which Haiku responded by showing her the video she took on her phone.

Lincoln ran all the way home, not even trying to fight back the tears any longer. He throws the door open and slams it shut as he barges in. The house was quiet and empty, but that suited Lincoln; he wanted to be alone right now. He stomps up to his room, slamming that door behind him before flopping onto his bed face down. He pounds his fists on the bed, crying into his pillow, trying to unleash all these negative emotions within him.

About an hour or two later, after school had ended properly, Lincoln was starting to calm down. He was still irate, yes, but not so that he couldn't start questioning his position. How in the name of Ace Savvy did that picture even get online? Who took the picture? It had to be someone who was in the house last night. Luan? No, she wouldn't post something like that without permission. Leni, or at least her fingers, were in the image as well, so she was out too. And Lisa couldn't have taken a picture from that angle...could she? As he started to ponder motive, he had turned on his laptop and noticed his best friend Ronnie Anne was online. Maybe a chat with her would help him; if nothing else, talking with her usually put him in a better mood. "Hey, Ronnie Anne," Lincoln said, still looking a little sour.

"Hey, Lame-o." She replied with a smile, which faded when she saw Lincoln's face. "What's with you? You look like someone kicked your puppy."

"I'm having a bad day, Ronnie Anne..." Lincoln said simply before he went on to explain what had happened throughout the day to her: the mocking, the laughter of his classmates, and especially Chandler's assault.

"Wow...sorry to hear that, Lincoln." The raven-haired young lady said, looking rather sympathetic. "What a bunch of jerks...and all over a picture?"

"Yeah...it was-" Lincoln pauses as he noticed something. Ronnie Anne's phone was sitting on her desk near her, set face up. And it seemed to have a new background image. From this angle, it looked like it could be... "-Ronnie Anne...what's that?" She raises an eyebrow, turning to look at her phone. One look made it clear to her what he was talking about.

"Uh....my phone?" She responded, pushing the device out of sight while looking uncharacteristically nervous.

"I mean, that new background image," Lincoln said, a frown appearing on his face.

"Well...what business is it of-!" Ronnie Anne tried to retort, returning to her tough-girl persona to throw her friend off.

"-Ronnie Anne!...please." Lincoln raised his voice for a moment but quickly forced himself to calm down. He didn't want to end up raging at her since she was an innocent in all this as far as he knew. She sighed, turning the phone toward her laptop's webcam. Exactly what he thought, she had the very same picture on her phone. Lincoln's face started to turn red again.

"Sorry...but if it's any consolation, it's a cute picture."

"Where. Did. You. Get. That?" The middle child of the Loud family asked through grinding teeth.

"I got it from Bobby last night..."

"What!?" Lincoln was shocked, his face returning to normal.

"I was right there when he saw the image on his Instaframe, and asked him to send me a copy. He didn't want to, but...Lincoln?" Ronnie Anne was thrown off her train of thought as she noticed the blank look on his face, the young man staring into space. In his mind, he was putting the pieces together. The picture could only have been taken last night, of course. And Bobby had gotten the image that night. To him, that meant there was only one person who could have done this. The fury within him reignited, causing his face turn to crimson once more and steam to billow from his ears. Ronnie Anne hadn't seen her friend this angry before but had a feeling she knew what was about to happen. She hastily pushed the mute button just as Lincoln screamed to the heavens,

"LOOOOOOOOORI!"

Next door, the Loud's cantankerous old neighbor Mr. Grouse was trying (and failing) to find something to watch on TV. He sighed as he turned off the television, only to hear...

"LOOOOOOOOORI!"

"Sakes alive. Sounds like someone is in big trouble...time to go make some popcorn!" The elderly man said, rubbing his hands together excitedly.


Moments earlier at the Elementary School, Lori was picking up her younger siblings from school. Luna, Luan, Leni, and Lynn were already in Vanzilla, greeting Lucy, Lisa, Lana, and Lola as they got on board. "Wait...where's Lincoln?" Lori asked. She turned to look at her younger siblings and took note of how worried they seemed. "What's the matter? Did something happen at school today."

"It appears our only brother has had some troubles throughout the day with being teased and harassed by the student body, causing him significant distress" Lisa explained, looking somewhat upset.

"What!?" Lincoln's older sisters asked in unison.

"Sigh...in layman's terms..."

"We know what you said, Leese" Luna explained. "That was outrage you heard."

"Ah. My error. Proceed."

"All the big kids kept giving Lincoln a hard time all day..." Lana continued, looking out at the school with a frown.

"Three of them even attacked him in the halls." Lucy elaborated. "Haiku and I saw the whole thing." Lori could feel her blood boil as she unbuckled her seat belt.

"That's it. I'm going in there to give those kids, and the school, a piece of my mind!" She exclaimed, ready to go to war as she went to disembark the van.

"That won't be necessary. They are already seeing the principal." Lucy said, Lori, stopping before her foot could even touch the grass. "Haiku was filming them before we scared them off and we showed the evidence to Lincoln's teacher and the principal." Lori sighed as she returned to the driver's seat.

"I'm still mad as all get out, but I guess I'll let them handle it...for now. And Lucy...I'm proud of you for sticking up for your brother." She said, turning to face her spooky sister with a smile, getting a rare one in return. "You and your friend."

"Thanks. Still, Lincoln was very upset...he ran right out of school after it happened."

"Oh, dear...I hope he won't get in trouble for it." Lori said in concern.

"I don't think so. To think this all happened because of a picture."

"Say what?"

"Yeah" Lola added. "At least that's what I heard. Some picture of Lincoln is trending all over HeadSpace. I haven't seen it myself, but it must be something." Lori frowned slightly. On one hand, she was a little jealous. Nothing she ever posted got to trend anywhere, but here was her little brother, now HeadSpace famous. Then again, judging by what she's hearing, that may not be a good thing.

"A picture on HeadSpace? I totes have to see." Leni said excitedly as she whipped out her phone. A moment of looking later, her excitement gave way to surprise, then anger. "Lori! Like, stop the car!" Lori blinked in surprise, looking in the rearview at Leni, who looked fit to be tied. She pulled Vanzilla over, a few blocks from home.

"What is it?" Lori asked.

"Alright, which of you posted this!?" Leni demanded, turning her phone to show them the infamous picture that started it all. Lori suddenly went pale, breaking out in a cold sweat. How did that picture get there!? She deleted it yesterday...didn't she? No, she was sure she did.

"That's what people are picking on Lincoln for?" Lana asked, an eyebrow raised. "Sheesh, big kids are dumb..er, present company excluded of course."

"Wait. What makes you think it was one of us, mate?" Luna asked.

"This picture was, like, taken last night, while I was cheering Lincy up-"

"You cheer Lincoln up with tickling?" Lola asked an eyebrow raised for a moment before she put on her 'that's so adorable' face. "Ceeeeeeyyyuuute!"

"I thought so too. Anyway, last night, only the family was in the house." Leni continued.

"Unusually astute observation, Leni," Lisa said with an impressed nod. "And yes, with only the family unit present the previous night and the image in question only existing since today, as near as we know, that does narrow down the list of suspects significantly." Lori looks back toward the road, her hands shaking.

"So I ask again...who posted it!?" Leni demanded, stamping her foot.

"Don't look at me. I was rocking and rolling all night." Luna said defensively.

"And Lana and I were in our rooms. We're each others' witnesses." Lola interjected.

"Yeah!" her twin confirmed.

"I was in the process of transcribing my latest findings in my room. I hasten to add that Luan was also present with Lily."

"Thanks, sis. Glad you didn't leave me in a 'ticklish situation'. Get it? Hahahaha." Her eight sisters gave her a moment to laugh at her own joke because they certainly weren't. "But seriously, you guys know I have a rule about this." Lucy's eyes were locked onto Lori, able to sense her fear quite strongly.

"Lori."

"What!?" She asked in shock, nearly jumping out of the car roof.

"You wouldn't know anything about this, would you?" Lucy asked, in a monotone voice that did nothing to mask her clear suspicions.

"W...who? Me? What would I know of-" she started to ask, but then...

"LOOOOOOOOORI!" The ten sisters in the car were stunned at the sound of Lincoln's yell, the silence only being broken when Lisa finally said:

"Well, that resolves that inquiry..."

All the way at Ronnie Anne's, she was quick enough to hit the mute button before her friend could unleash his roar. She wiped her brow, but then, in the distance, she could hear...

"Looooooooori!"

"Whoa. That got some distance..." she commented, waiting for Lincoln to stop before turning the volume on. "Lincoln? Are you ok?" She asked in concern. This was a stupid question and she knew it. The snow haired Loud looked on the verge of a conniption fit.

"I'LL. CALL. YOU. BACK. RONNIE. ANNE." He finally said in a forced calm, though it took all of his will to keep himself from flying off the handle. He logged off the chat app, leaving his friend more worried than she had ever been about him.

Back in Vanzilla...

"You did WHAT!?" Lori's sisters yelled, causing the eldest sister to cover her ears and winced.

"I...took that picture" she admitted.

"Not cool, Lor..." Luna said with a frown, shaking her head.

"I didn't do it to hurt him! I just thought what I saw was so cute, I needed to take a picture."

"And then you put it online!?" Leni asked, her arm crossed in front of her, a look of disappointment on her face.

"I just wanted to show Bobby! I didn't know that others could see and copy the image on our Instaframe conversation!"

"Lori, you are old enough to know that anything you post onto the information superhighway can and possibly will be seen by someone. Nothing is truly private online. Even the youngest of us understand this." Lisa explained.

"And even if it was private, you shouldn't have posted it. Heck, you shouldn't have even taken the picture, to begin with," Lynn added. "I mean, how would you like it if Lincoln posted something private of yours!?"

"Uh....Lynn. He has." Luna pointed out quietly. "Remember? He posted that video of all of us."

"Oh yeah...."

"There's a big difference! Lincoln did that for his own selfish purpose!" Lori yelled, instinctively trying to put up some form of defense from her younger sisters' scolding.

"Indeed. He posted an embarrassing piece of media for the purpose of winning a contest, for his own gain. You posted an embarrassing piece of media for the purpose of potentially amusing your mate, for mostly your gain." Lisa said sarcastically. "Entirely different." Lori cringed as her meager form of defense was so easily reduced to dust.

"Alright...You're all right...it was very stupid and wrong of me..." Lori said, though she already knew that. "I'm sorry..."

"Don't tell us! Tell Lincoln!" Leni snapped, startling everyone, Lucy included. Lori nods, shifting the van back into gear and heading for home. The moment the car was parked, everyone started to shove her along to the front door. Leni stopped halfway there as she noticed something odd: Mr. Grouse sitting on a beach chair by the fence, nibbling on some popcorn as he looked toward the Loud House. "Mr. Grouse? What are you doing?"

"Oh, don't mind me. Just waiting for the fireworks." He replied with a chuckle.

"Oh! I love fireworks! Can I join you?"

"Eh....why not?" The curmudgeon said with a shrug, Leni starting to walk around the fence. "But you better make your own popcorn!" The second oldest sister freezes in place, then shrug with a smile, heading for her own house to make the popcorn. When she got inside, the rest of her sisters were pushing Lori to the stairs, reminding her of the situation.

"Whoa! Stop pushing!" An irritated Lori said, stumbling onto the first step. "That's literally unnecessary..." she frowns at her sister, only to get eight glares in return. Lori sighs and starts to walk up the stairs, her sisters following her, creating a living wall to keep her moving. As the ascended, Lori started to consider the situation. She wasn't remotely afraid of what Lincoln would do to her; she was much stronger than him and knew that, even in anger, he wouldn't purposely hurt his dear sisters. What was worrying her was what she might have to do to get his forgiveness. She remembered what Lincoln had to do when he made a similar mistake to hers. The image of Lori being pinned down and mercilessly tickled by all her sisters and her brother appeared in a little thought bubble in front of Lori's eyes. She shudders and hastily waves the cloudy bubble away. As much as that worried her, the thought that Lincoln wouldn't forgive her scared her even more. The idea that her only baby brother would hate her forever for this... 'Snap out of it, Lori!' she thought, returning her to reality. 'This is Lincoln we're talking about. Yeah, he's young, but he's pretty darn mature for his age. He wouldn't hold a permanent grudge over something like this.'

"Yeah, that's true..." Lori responded to her inner musing quietly as she got to the second floor. She took one step toward Lincoln's door and froze. The noises coming from Lincoln's room suggested a rabid Tasmanian devil had gotten loose in there. The eldest sister gulps, looking back at the group behind her. Lana and Lola looked pretty worried themselves, Lisa and Lucy's faces were seemingly devoid of emotion, and the rest were looking firmly and sternly right at her. Lori takes a deep breath and carefully approaches the gateway to Lincoln's bedroom. She knocks gently. "Lincoln....?" There was no response. She tried again, a little louder this time. "Lincoln?" There was an angry grunt from the other side. "It's me, Lori...I'd like to talk to you. May I come in?" Her response was a louder, more furious growl. Well, that wasn't necessarily a no. She tries the doorknob, finding it unlocked. She wasn't sure if that was a good or bad thing as she opened the door and crossed the threshold.

His room was a mess; his clothes and linens all over the place, his comics in equal disarray, his bed frame had two broken legs and even BunBun was in his wastebasket. This was most concerning for Lori since she knew Lincoln cared deeply for that little stuffed bunny. Lincoln was laying on his mattress, his face covered by his pillow, growling and raging into it. "Uh....so, doing a little....er...remodeling?" She asked with a nervous chuckle, in an attempt to lighten the mood. Lincoln slowly moved his pillow so he could glare at her with one eye. Lori shivers, feeling as if she had a laser sight pointed right at her forehead. Noticing her attempt had failed, she awkwardly cleared her throat before continuing, "Lincoln, look, I know you're really upset at me...and I also know why." He narrowed his eye at her, the only sign she received that he was listening to. She wasn't sure how he figured it out, but now was not the time to ask. "I admit it...I did take that picture...without your knowledge...and I posted it on Instaframe without your consent..." she confessed, remorse on her face and in her voice. This did little to ease Lincoln's temper, the young lad growling into his pillow. "But I swear, I didn't do it to hurt you or make you miserable." She said quickly, holding her hands in front of her in concern. "I just wanted to show Bobby how adorable you and Leni looked. I didn't know or think anyone else could have gotten hold of that picture..." If looks could hurt, the leer Lincoln was giving her right now would have obliterated her. She could feel herself sweat as she decided to speed this up a little. "But that's no excuse. I should have known better on all accounts and I wanted to let you know I am literally, deeply sorry..." She wished he would say something; his silence scared her far worse than if he had started screaming at her.

"Do you have any idea what I've been through today..?" He finally inquired, his voice hoarse and raspy from yelling.

"...some idea. Lucy, Lola, and Lana told me some of what happened at school." All goes quiet again, much to Lori's consternation. Fortunately, it was short-lived.

"I want to talk to Leni." He finally said. Lori was kind of taken aback by this. Here she was, offering him a sincere apology, and he wanted to talk to Leni!? Then again, maybe she could calm him down, and perhaps he would be more receptive to her attempts to make amends. She nods slowly and looks back to their assembled sisters.

"Leni, Lincoln wants to talk to you." All but Leni were pretty surprised by this. What'd she do to upset him, they wondered. Leni quietly slips through the crowd and passing her older sister in the doorway.

"Alone" Lincoln added. Lori didn't need telling twice. She swiftly backs up into the hall. Just as she breathed a small sigh of relief, Lincoln stuck his head out of the doorway, causing seven of the eight to flinch in surprise. "Luna..."

"Huh? What'd I do?" She asked apprehensively.

"Anti eavesdropping music...please."

"Oh. Whatever you say, bro." Luna replied, a smile returning to her face as she zipped to her room to get her guitar. She returned seconds later and started playing "Cat Scratch Fever" very loudly. The one son shut the door with enough force to make Lori flinch.

"What's up, Linky?" Leni asked sympathetically. "I heard you had a bad day..."

"How much were you told?" He asked, his voice still scratchy sounding and shaky.

"As much as Lori, I think." She replied.

"...there is more to it..." Lincoln said, starting to pace about on the messy floor. Leni has a seat on his mattress, giving him her undivided attention. "From the moment Clyde and I got to school, I found myself getting teased by Chandler and his friends! They even threatened to tickle me until I wet myself right then and there; a threat they tried to make good on later! Even when I got away from them, the other guys were pointing and saying stuff like 'Hey look! It's Laughing Boy!' and the girls were giggling at the picture!" He started, furiously ranting on about how bad his day was. Leni patiently listened as he went over the constant tickle attacks, the open classroom taunting, and Chandler's attack in the hall. By the end of it, he was nearly out of breath from his rapid pacing and yelling.

"Feel a little better, Lincoln?" She asked tenderly.

"...I guess." He replied, sitting down beside her. It did help him to get it off his chest. He hadn't really had a chance to go into great detail about what had happened.

"Well, maybe this will help too. Those mean boys were sent to the principal."

"They were?" He asked in surprise.

"Lucy and her friend totes caught them in the act and got them busted" Leni explained. "Like, right after you left."

"I'll have to remember to thank her..." Lincoln said quietly.

"Why didn't you say all this to Lori, by the way?" Leni asked.

"...I was angry enough." He said. When he noticed the confused look on her face, he elaborated. "What I mean is I had calmed down a little after I...messed up my room. Calm enough to try and talk to her...but I knew if I started yelling and ranting at her, she would get defensive and start yelling back, and then nothing would get solved. I needed to calm down more..."

"And so you wanted to talk to me?"

"Partially, yes. But also because I wanted your advice. You're in the picture too, after all."

"Well, my fingers are." She looks down at her hands.

"Either way, I'd like your opinion on what I should do, rather than your hands'" he looks up at her. "I mean, she snuck into my room, took our picture without our knowledge, and threw it up for the world to see without permission. If I had even done one of those to her, I'd be a pretzel..."

"Well, she didn't intend for the world to see it" Leni said calmly, reaching her arm around him.

"I know that!" He yelled, suddenly rising to his feet and throwing his arms into the air. Leni recoiled in fear, causing a twinge of guilt in her younger brother. "Sorry..." he said, sitting back down. "I know...she said as much. And I know I did something just as bad to her before...to all of you...so I probably have no right to be angry..."

"You're wrong" Leni said firmly, surprising the only son of the family. "You have a right to be angry. Lori did do something wrong and it hurt you. You have as much right to be upset as anyone else. But that experience should give you an idea for how Lori is feeling right now too. Am I right?" Lincoln nodded. He remembered how awful he had felt after he had been confronted by his sisters about that video. Lori was probably feeling the same way, perhaps more so since she hadn't intended for anyone other than Bobby to see it.

"Yeah...but I also remember what it took to earn your forgiveness..." Lincoln said.

Back out in the hall, Lori was getting very twitchy. With Luna's guitar playing in the hall, she couldn't hear a word of what was going on in that room. The suspense was killing her. What was going to happen? Would he forgive her? Would he refuse her apology? What!? As her nerves grew, her imagination returned to plague her some more. This time, the idea of Lori being tied down in the park, Lincoln standing at a podium dressed as a carnival barker came into her head. He was saying "Step right up! Tickle my mean sister silly! Only twenty-five cents per minute! Come and share a laugh while she's still awake!" Lori screamed softly and swatted the image away as Clyde suddenly appeared carrying a twenty.

"What's with you?" Lucy asked glumly.

"I'm just so on edge...I have to know what's going on in there." Lori moves over by the door and presses her ear against it.

"Lori! I'm surprised at you!" Lola scolded her, walking right up to her. "Spying on your brother and sister! Isn't that what got you in this mess in the first place!?" Lori's face fell as she realized Lola was right. She steps away from the door, only to be replaced by Lola, eagerly trying to listen to their conversation. Lori turns to the tiny terror and frowned at her. Lola looks back and shrugs. "What? I'm just following YOUR bad example."

"You little...." Lori bit her tongue before she could say what was really on her mind, instead of settling on pulling the pint-sized pageant princess away from the door. The moment she did, the door opened and Leni peeks out with her usual smile. Luna stopped playing when she appeared.

"Lincoln is, like, ready to see you now" Leni said. Lori releases Lola, takes a deep breath, then joins Lincoln and Leni in his room, closing the door behind her. Lincoln was sitting on his bed, his arms crossed in front of him as he looked at his oldest sister. He looked much calmer but still sore. Lori decided to speak her mind first.

"Lincoln, I know I said this earlier, but I am really, truly am sorry."

"Lori-" he started to say.

"It was a very dumb thing to do and I should have known better."

"Lori-"

"I know you'll probably never want to forgive me-"

"Lori!" Lincoln finally shouted. Lori closed her mouth, sweating as she looked at her brother, thinking 'here it comes'. The image of Lincoln and Leni feathering her armpits as Luan taped the event on her laptop crept its way into her mind before Lincoln spoke up. "Lori, calm down. I forgive you."

"You do...? Really?"

"As you said, what you did was wrong. But what happened was an accident. A careless accident, but still an accident. And you apologized as well. Besides, I've made the same mistake you did before." He explained, looking up at her, a slight smile starting to appear. "For me to become vindictive toward you when I messed up the same way...that would be pretty hypocritical, wouldn't it?"

"Heh...yeah, I guess. So...we're good?" Instead of answering, Lincoln rose from his mattress and gave her a big hug. A hug she immediately returned.

"Does that answer your question?" Lori nodded, with Leni going 'aaaaw!' in the background.

"Thanks, Lincoln," Lori said quietly. "But you have to admit, you are literally weapons-grade adorable in that picture." Lincoln's smile faded. He looked to the fourth wall with an un-amused look before a grin spread across his face.

"Oh yeah? How adorable do you find this!?" he asked, his fingers giving her sides a gentle squeeze. Lori's eyes widened to nearly twice their size for a second before she descended into hysteric laughter.

"Gahahahahaha! Lincoln, don't dohohohoho that hahahahahahaha!" Lori made a move to counterattack, but her brother was able to slip from her hug and get around behind her. His fingers skittered up and down her sides and ribs, making her laugh a little harder. "Leni! Hehehehehehehehehehelp!"

"Sure." Leni smiled and walked over to her older sister, starting to tickle her underarms.

"Wahahahahahahahahahhahahaha! I meant help me bahahahahahahahahahy getting him!"

"Oh! Why didn't you say so?" Leni asked. She ceased her attack on Lori and moved behind Lincoln, where she took hold of one of his legs and held it up behind him. With his shoes still at school, he was only in his socks, making Leni's job that much easier. She easily plucked off his sock and tickled his sole, making Lincoln squeal with laughter. With that, the three of them engaged in a big three-way tickle fight; a chaotic mess of light wrestling, occasional double-teaming, and lots, and lots of laughter. This lasted for all of five minutes, with Lori sprawled on the floor with tears trickling from her eyes and Lincoln leaned against his bed catching his breath, both with smiles and grins on their faces. The only one who wasn't tired was Leni. She looked fresh as a daisy as she rested on her knees on a bundle of shirts, dusting off her dress. Her brother chuckled as he looked at her, reaching out to hold her arm up as much as he could in his tired state.

"The winner, and still tickle fight champion..." He said.

"Yay!" Leni cheered, giggling some more.

"How do you have so much endurance, Leni?" Lori asked between deep breaths.

"Well, if you want to make all the sales at the mall, you, like, have to be in great shape." She explained, flexing the arm Lincoln was holding to make a little muscle. "Go ahead. Feel that." Lori was too tired to take her up on that, so it was up to the only boy among them.

"Wow. That is solid. You could give Lynn a run for her money."

"Thanks. Wait...money can run?" Leni asked, confused. "That may explain why my allowance keeps disappearing from my hiding place."

"Heh. No, it just means...wait, what?" Lincoln asked as what she said sank in.

"Ah well. The important thing is the two of you have made up." Leni helped them both up and pulled them both into a warm embrace, smiling widely.

"Yeah" Lori said, smiling weakly.

"Now if only we could get the guys at school to leave me alone" Lincoln said. "I mean, Chandler and his friends probably won't stop bothering me even after seeing the principal. In fact, they'll probably tease me more than-"

"Wait...you said the guys at school bothered you?" Lori interrupted, much to his mild annoyance. "What about the girls?"

"Well...not as much. The most they did was giggle at the picture and comment on how cute it is..." Lori and Leni look at each other, big grins on their faces. He had no idea what to make of that.

"Did you hear that?" Leni asked her older sister.

"Yes. And isn't Friday..." Lori started to reply.

"I think it is!" Leni replied excitedly as if the two knew what each other was thinking.

"Am...I missing something?" The white-haired lad asked.

"You'll find out soon enough" Lori explained in a vague manner, a knowing smirk on her face. "And I get the feeling the guys won't be laughing at you for long."

The next day at school, the first thing that happened to Lincoln as he was brought to the Principal's Office. He didn't get in serious trouble, thankfully. He got a lecture about leaving school without permission, but given his previous record and the extenuating circumstances from the other day, that was about it. He also got his shoes back. Chandler wasn't so lucky. He and his friends had gotten detention for several days for their actions. He wanted to get back at Lincoln, but didn't dare lay his hands on him again; those creepy kids could be watching him. Ergo, he settled for following Lincoln and Clyde around, taunting and laughing at Lincoln.

"Well, so much for 'they won't be laughing for long'..." An annoyed Lincoln commented.

"I think they're laughing harder today" Clyde said, covering his ears.

"Hey, Lincoln. Can I talk to you for a moment?" Came a young lady's voice from his left. His eyes glanced in that direction and noticed the girl who had tried to get his attention in class the other day.

"I guess..if you don't mind the hyenas in the background." He replied flatly, pointing back at the laughing bullies behind him.

"Hehehe. You're funny. Anyway, I just wanted to say I'm sorry about yesterday. I didn't mean to upset you. I had no idea how much that picture was bothering you."

"It's ok....uh..."

"Tricia."

"It's ok Tricia. I'm...getting over it." He said.

"It's just not right, everyone picking on you over that picture" Tricia said, shaking her head.

"Yeah." Two other female voices agreed. It was the two girls Lincoln ran into just outside the boys' room the day prior. "Especially since the picture was so darling." Lincoln could feel himself blush, with Chandler's laughter starting to die down.

"Err...thanks, I guess" Lincoln said with a nervous chuckle.

"A lot of us got really angry when that guy gave you grief in class" Tricia said. "I, for one, was glad when Girl Jordan decked him."

"She did?" The middle Loud and his friend asked in surprise.

"Say what?" A shocked Chandler asked. His answer came when Girl Jordan pushed her way past him and his friends, along with a small group of her closest female friends. A short, raven-haired girl wearing a light gray shirt and black sweatpants, and a girl with long red hair, freckles, a black t-shirt, and blue jeans.

"Tricia, you know what really happened" Jordan said with a smirk. "He was laughing so hard that he fell out of his chair, landing on his face. That's what he told the teacher after all." She continued in a voice of feigned innocence. The two boys and group of girls all laughed at that.

"I..I really don't know what to say" Lincoln said as he wiped a tear of laughter from his eyes.

"Don't worry about it, Loud."

"So, Lincoln...have any plans for Friday?" Tricia asked, leaning closer to him with a sly smile.

"Um...I haven't really made plans, no. Why do you ask?"

"Just...there's a dance being held here on Friday." One of the girls pointed up at a banner hanging over the lockers, advertising the 'Magic among the Stars' dance.

"Huh. When did this happen?"

"They set up the banners the other day after school" Clyde explained.

"So, think you're going to go?" Girl Jordan asked, putting an arm around Lincoln.

"Um....I...well, I guess I..." he stammered.

"Oooh! Who are you gonna go with?" The red-headed girl asked eagerly. Lincoln's face was bright red as he spoke pure gibberish, a silly grin on his face.

"Hmmm. I think we can help you make up your mind." Girl Jordan said, Tricia gently taking Lincoln's other arm as they all started down the hall, leaving Chandler and his friends looking thunderstruck and Clyde smiling at his friend.

"W...what just happened?" The self-centered young man asked.

"I guess girls like a guy who can make them laugh" Clyde explained with a shrug. "Or...is it a guy they can make laugh? Eh. I guess they both work."

"Well...you don't have a date!" Chandler snapped, desperate to upset someone after this setback.

"Ah. Clyde. There you are." The pack of mean cool kids was all startled by the sudden appearance of Haiku. Clyde simply turns his head.

"Oh, hey Haiku. You know, between you and Lucy, I think I'm getting used to that." Haiku giggled inaudibly as he said that. "What's up?"

"While I generally find school dances a miserable waste of time, I felt our time at the Sadie Hawkins Dance was rather...pleasant. Would you care to accompany me to the Magic among the Stars dance?" a very faint blush appeared on her cheeks.

"Really? Sure..only my best suit is still at the cleaners. All I have left for such an occasion is the suit from my last Halloween costume." He said as he pulled out his phone and showed her a picture of him wearing a classic Dracula outfit. Her blush deepened, her hand going to her heart.

"...I think that will work nicely." She commented breathlessly, a tiny smile on her face as she offered him her arm. Clyde smiled in return as he took her arm and strolled with her down the hall, leaving Chandler with his jaw nearly hitting the ground.