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The Trillhouse SinThology	By : Trillhouse Category: +G through L > The Loud House Views: 4587 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own The Loud House, nor the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 5
- 6
- 7
Lemy's Hell

"Jesus fucking Christ…" Lemy felt his stomach turn as he watched Pyramid Head forcing itself upon one of the mannequin enemies… one of many things that had made his stomach turn thus far, in fact. As much as he liked video games, this one was one of the most horrifying things he'd ever experienced. And when the horrible creature turned its attention towards him, his heart began pounding in his chest. "Oh shit, oh shit!"
"Relax, Lemy." Loan said calmly from beside him. "It's a cutscene… he can't hurt you." Lemy swallowed, glancing over at his big sister; she looked completely relaxed, even wearing a small smile on her face. Given her troubled past, he had no idea how she was able to handle the game's violent sexual imagery… and yet, somehow she had managed to beat the game on her own several times in the past.
As scared as he was, Lemy felt strangely driven to keep playing. The story and themes, while disturbing, were undoubtedly compelling. Bobby on the other hand had tapped out about fifteen minutes into the game. As much as he would have liked for his little brother to stay as extra support, he wasn't particularly surprised… Bobby had always been a sensitive boy.
He had to admit, it was impressive just how scary the game was even when nothing was happening; the atmosphere was just so oppressive and imposing that he was shaking with fear the whole time through. Thankfully, Loan was more than happy to guide him through it. Her presence was comforting to say the least.
"Just what do you think you're doing?!" A feminine voice screeched from the doorway, making him yelp and nearly jump out of his seat. It was Lyra, of course… and she looked pissed. She stormed down the basement stairs and snatched the controller out of her brother's hand, carelessly chucking it aside and glaring angrily at Loan.
"L-Lyra, please don't throw-"
"Quiet, you!" Lyra hissed, scooping Lemy up into her arms like a ragdoll. "He's trembling, Loan! How could you let a child play something so inappropriate?!" Loan swallowed and shrunk back slightly.
"I-I was just… he… um…" Loan stammered sheepishly, hanging her head in shame.
"Lyra, stop! I'm fine!" Lemy said in protest, struggling in vain against his big sister's grasp. "Don't yell at Loan, she didn't do anything wrong!" Lyra glared down at her brother, silencing him, before shifting her focus to the frightened woman before her. Now Loan looked scared. Lyra sighed and turned away; she knew she shouldn't yell at her. She didn't know any better, after all.
"Let's go, Lemy." She muttered, carrying him off. "You are coming to church with me this Sunday."
"Oh come on…!" Lemy whined to no avail, and the two left Loan to sulk on her own.
That night, Lemy's dreams were plagued with visions of Silent Hill… he was lost in the terrifying fog-coated streets, barely able to see more than a few feet in front of him. And then, he saw it: a fleshy, feminine figure with an eyeless head shaped liked a crucifix, lurching his way out of the fog with an inhuman shriek. Lemy screamed in fear, raising his pistol and firing several shots before running out of ammo; he managed to wound the creature, but it did little besides anger it further. He tried to switch to his pipe, but it was too late. The monster threw itself upon him, smothering him, choking the very life out of him. He tried to scream, but he couldn't breathe. Everything was going dark...
Lemy suddenly awoke with a jolt. He sat up, breathing heavily and coated with sweat. He swallowed, taking a moment to compose himself… that had been the most terrifying nightmare he'd had in a long time. Once the pounding in his chest had subsided, Lemy glanced across the room at Bobby's bed. Thankfully, he was still sleeping soundly; Lemy was grateful that his yelp of fear hadn't wakened the boy. The soft, gentle snoring from the lower bunk confirmed that Lyle was still asleep as well. With a sigh, the young metalhead got up and carefully made his way down the ladder. He wouldn't be able to get back to sleep any time soon, and besides… his bladder was so full to bursting that he was lucky he hadn't wet himself in terror. Lemy left his room and quietly tiptoed his way to the bathroom, not wanting to wake any of his siblings… especially Lyra.
Once he'd relieved himself he sighed in contentment and returned to the hallway, only to pause as he reached for the doorknob. He'd almost forgotten about Loan… the poor woman's feelings had no doubt been hurt by Lyra's outburst. Lemy clicked his tongue in irritation; he knew Lyra meant well, but she had never been particularly understanding of Loan's sensitive nature. She was usually awake at this hour, so Lemy chewed his lip in consideration before heading down the stairs, through the dining room and kitchen to the basement door. He gave it a gentle knock.
"…Come in…" Came his sister's quiet response. Lemy frowned; as expected, she sounded upset. With a sigh, he opened the door and headed in.
"Hey, Loan… you okay?" He asked. Loan was lying on her bed, and she looked up at him as he entered. Her eyes were red and it looked like she'd been crying. "What's wrong…?"
"…I'm sorry." Loan mumbled. "I-I never meant to scare you, I-"
"No! No… it's fine." He assured her, thinking it best not to tell her about his nightmare. "Lyra was just… you know. Being Lyra. Honestly, it was scary, but… I was having fun, too." Loan sniffed and rubbed at her eyes.
"…You were?"
"Of course I was! I always have fun playing games with you." Lemy said with a smile, to which Loan gave him a shaky smile of her own. "Actually… I'd like to keep going, if you're up for it.
"Y-you would…?" Loan gasped, sitting upright. "A-are you sure?" Lemy nodded. "Well… okay. I, um… I saved after you left, so you won't have to replay anything…"
"Great," Lemy said with a chuckle. "Always knew I could count on you." Loan grinned and shuffled her way to the end of the bed, patting the space beside her. It was going to be a scary night… but Lemy was fine with that.

Going Viral

"Wh-why am I the one d-d-doing this, again…?" Bobby stammered, his trembling hands clutching the handlebars of his bike; he was perched atop a tall, makeshift ramp that creaked beneath his feet with even the slightest hint of movement, and quite frankly it was taking every bit of willpower he had not to pass out from fear.
"Because you can ride a bike," Lemy answered from the ground below. "I can't, and Lacy's in no condition to do it either." He gestured with his thumb towards his sister, her arm bound tightly in a plaster cast. Bobby's brow furrowed as he laid eyes on it.
"R-right… a-and why are we doing this at all?"
"You kidding? Stunt videos are all the rage, bro." Lemy said with a smirk. "If we go viral, we'll be raking in the dough in no time." Lacy nodded in agreement.
"You've got this, Bobby. I believe in you!" She said, smiling brightly.
"…And if I don't 'got this'?" Bobby asked. Lacy and Lemy exchanged a glance.
"Er… don't worry about that, BJ. You'll make it. And besides… I bet Gwen will think it's really cool." The metalhead replied with a wiggle of his eyebrows. Bobby blushed a light pink and looked away quickly.
"Um… y-you're sure this is safe…?" Bobby muttered, once again studying the task laid before him. He was to ride his bike down the rickety slope, launch off a ramp at the bottom, and somehow manage to clear a massive burning pile of leaves to land on a ramp at the other side. Heck, he could barely even see the other side through all the smoke.
"It's fine, it's fine," Lemy said with a dismissive wave of his hand. "We haven't gotten killed yet, right?" Quite frankly, that answer did little to ease the young boy's worries… but on the other hand, he did want to impress Loan. Bobby swallowed the lump in his throat.
"…A-alright…" Bobby mumbled. Lemy grinned broadly.
"Right on, man. Lizy, you ready?" Lemy asked his younger sister, who was standing nearby with her camcorder in hand. She gave him a thumbs-up and he looked back towards his brother. "Okay, Bobby. You remember your intro, right?" Bobby gave a small nod. "Great. Whenever you're ready, bro." Bobby's eyes remained firmly locked on the ramp, beads of sweat beginning to form on his forehead; somehow, it seemed even steeper than it had before. The boy took a deep breath to steady his nerves. They're right, Bobby. You can do this, He told himself. And then maybe Gwen will… He shook his head to dispel the thought. He needed to focus. Bobby looked to the heavens, touching his forehead, stomach, and shoulders in a sign of the cross. Without further ado, he tore his eyes away and looked towards the camera.
"H-hi," He began in a trembling voice. "I'm B-B-Bobby Loud, a-and this is the… the…" Bobby trailed off, his eyes widening as his attention was suddenly drawn somewhere off to the side.
"Bobby? What're you waiting-" As Lemy and Lacy followed his gaze, they saw something that made their blood run cold: Ronnie Anne was standing at the back door, her teeth clenched and eyes blazing with fury. "...Oh, no." Lemy whimpered.
"RUN!" Lacy shrieked, taking off faster than he had ever seen her run before… far more so than he could ever hope to match. Nonetheless, he wheeled around and followed after her as fast as he could.
"Shitshitshitshitshi-" It was no use: Ronnie was upon him in seconds, and he let out a frightened yelp as he found himself roughly yanked off his feet.
"¿¡Y TÚ QUIÉN TE CREES!?" Ronnie screeched as she tossed the boy around like a ragdoll. "¡TE MATARÉ Y BAILARÉ EN TU SANGRE, CHICO BLANCO!"
"I-I'm sorry, I-" Lemy let out a cry of pain as Ronnie continued her merciless onslaught. Bobby sighed, sitting down at the edge of the platform and watching the beatdown unfold. It wasn't like he could do much to intervene anyway.
"W-well… hopefully this will go viral, at least…" He muttered. Lizy giggled, her camera trained firmly on the carnage playing out before them.
"Making videos is fun!"

Lizy's Nightmare

It was another late night for Loan; well, every night was a late night for Loan. She wasn't exactly what one would call a good sleeper, as the ever-present dark creases under her eyes would attest to. Tonight, she was playing Resident Evil – the remake, specifically – for the eighth time. She'd just meant to throw it on for a bit to show Lemy earlier, but had quickly gotten invested in the game and had already cleared Chris' route.
Loan chuckled under her breath as a door swung open with a loud BANG, revealing a zombie hidden behind it. Despite the late hour, she wasn't scared; she'd played the game enough to memorize every scare, every enemy, ever triggerable event-
CREAK
Loan froze. That hadn't been from the game. She turned towards her door just in time to see a small shape charging directly towards her like a bat out of Hell. Loan's shriek of terror was cut short as the figure dove headfirst into her chest, knocking the air from her lungs and making her fall back against her bed.
"Wh-wh-wha…?!" Loan sputtered, looking down at the trembling mass lying atop her. "L-Lizy…?" Indeed, it was Lizy… the little girl was whimpering and sniffling into her big sister's sweater. "Lizy, what's wrong?!" Loan asked. She received no response, or at least not an intelligible one; Lizy simply let out a pitiful whine and buried herself further into Loan's chest. Loan frowned and gently patted the girl's back until she calmed down enough to speak.
"I-I-I-I-"
"Shh… i-it's okay. Just, um… just try to breathe, okay…?" Loan said softly. She wasn't sure what had Lizy so rattled, but years of recurring panic attacks had given her some insight on how to deal with someone in such a state. "Did you, um… did you have a bad dream?" Lizy sniffled and nodded.
"Y-yeah…" The distraught girl mumbled. Considering that Lizy regularly watched monster movies without as much as batting an eye, Loan was almost scared to ask what could sort of nightmare could have scared her so badly. In any case, she knew she wasn't the right person to deal with this.
"Hey… how about we go see Lyra, okay? I-I bet she could help." She offered, but her sister whimpered again and shook her head. Loan frowned. She wasn't exactly sure what she should do… comfort was something far better suited for Lyra or Liena or, heck, anyone else really. Still, she wasn't about to force the issue. "Do you want to talk about it…?"
"…Okay…" Lizy muttered as she wiped at her eyes. She slid off of her sister's chest and sat beside her, anxiously fidgeting with the hem of her pajama top. "U-um… somethin'… happened."
"What happened?" Loan asked as she too sat upright. Lizy sniffled again.
"I-I dunno." The toddler said. "Ev'rythin' was… broke. Like in Godzilla, b-but… Godzilla wasn't there. Ev'rythin' gone, a-and nobody around… not you, not mommy, not Leia… n-nobody." Lizy sniffled and scrunched up her brow, trying her best not to start crying again. "I-I was alone and scared, and n-n-nobody was…!"
"Shhhh… it's alright, Lizy." Loan pulled her little sister into a gentle embrace. Lizy began sobbing into her chest again, soaking the older woman's sweater with tears, but she didn't mind. "It's okay… I'm here. Everyone's here. You don't have anything to be scared of…"
"B-b-but e-everyone was-"
"Okay. Everyone's okay." Loan assured her. "It was just a dream. None of us are going anywhere." The distraught child clung to her even tighter, and Loan began to stroke her hair.
"I-I heard that dreams are s'posed to mean things…" Lizy whimpered. She looked up at her big sister with tear-filled eyes. "D-d-does that mean that it's really gonna happen…?" Loan couldn't help but chuckle slightly.
"Of course not… I've had dreams a lot like that too, you know?"
"Y-you have…?" Lizy stammered.
"I have. I-I think… most people have. It just means that you're afraid of being alone… of losing everyone you care about." Loan gave a reassuring smile and gently wiped away the girl's tears. "But you have nothing to worry about. We're not going anywhere… not me, or your mom, or anyone else."
"Promise?"
"Cross my heart," Loan said with a grin. Lizy sniffled and returned it with a smile of her own. "Do you feel better now?"
"Y-yeah... I think so." Lizy said. "Thank you, Loan…" She gave her sister a big hug, one that she gladly returned. "And, um… sorry I bothered you…"
"You don't have to apologize. I wasn't really doing anything important, you know…?"
"Well, um…" Lizy began, fidgeting sheepishly. "Can I… can I sleep with you tonight?" Loan's smile faltered for a brief moment. She had wanted to get back to her game… but Lizy needed her right now, darn it. What kind of big sister would she be to say no?
"Of course."
"Yay! Sleepover!" The little girl cheered as she practically dove under the covers. Lizy's excitement killed whatever second thoughts Loan may have had. "Um, you can keep playing your game if you want… I don't mind." Loan frowned and glanced over at the TV; the game was still idling at the pause menu, and she hadn't hit a save point in quite some time. Still… that was the last thing on her mind right now.
"...It's okay," Loan said, picking up the remote and switching the TV off. "I… think I could use some sleep myself." She settled back and Lizy snuggled up against her happily. Loan smiled and gave her a peck on the forehead, making the toddler giggle. "Goodnight, Lizy."
"Goodnight… and, um, Loan…?"
"Yeah?" Loan asked.
"Well… maybe itsa good thing t' be scared of. L-losing everyone, I mean…" She mumbled. "'Cause… that means y'have people to lose, right…?" Loan blinked, considering the girl's words a moment before giving a small giggle.
"Yeah… it does."

Chasing the Baby

Lyle raised his bow, his eyes firmly trained on the target across the yard. This was the greatest distance he had tried thus far, but he was certain he could do it… he hadn't been practicing so hard for nothing, after all. He took a deep breath then exhaled halfway, drawing back the bowstring. Just as he was about to let go, a loud SNAP sounded out from behind him. He yelped and jumped, jerking his bow to the side and missing the target completely; the arrow instead struck the fence about a foot to the right of the target. Lyle clicked his tongue in frustration.
"What's the big id-" Lyle began angrily as he turned to berate his intruder, only to find that it was none other than Liena. His furious glare softened in an instant. "O-oh… Liena, you shouldn't distract me like that when I'm drawing my bow. It's dangerous."
(I'm sorry,) Liena signed, bowing her head apologetically. Her muteness meant that she had to rely on other means to get people's attention, and snapping her fingers was a favorite method of hers. It was surprisingly loud as well, but Lyle figured it was only natural she'd get good at it.
"…It's fine. Did you need something?" Lyle asked, and his big sister perked up instantly.
(Yes, I do.) She signed. (I need to head to the store real quick, would you mind watching Lulu for me?
"Lulu…?" As if on cue, the infant peeked out from behind Liena's shoulder. Lyle frowned; the boy was many things, but babysitter was not one of them. Even if he was, Lulu was unpredictable at the best of times, and few besides Liena knew how to keep her under control.
"Er… wouldn't one of the others be better suited for this?" He asked. "She's close with Bobby, isn't she?"
(Everyone else is out.)
"Everyone?" Lyle asked, cocking an eyebrow. "Even Bed?" Their adopted sister had a surprisingly surprisingly strong bond with the little monster, after all. Unfortunately, Liena shook her head.
(She's at the mall with mom.)
"Even Loan?"
(She's with Bobby,) Liena signed. (And I don't think she'd have been able to handle it anyway. Please, Lyle… I promise I won't be long. I won't even be an hour, I just need to get a few things.) Lyle frowned and glanced over at his baby sister; she stared back, curiously tilting her head. Despite the girl's bond with Liena, he'd never spent much time with Lulu himself. He'd never been particularly fond of little kids, after all.
Granted, most would consider him a little kid as well, but still. He didn't like 'em.
"…Fine." Lyle groaned. He never could say no to Liena. The chubby girl beamed brightly at her brother's acceptance.
(Thank you. I promise I'll make it up to you. Mind taking her for me?) Liena turned, exposing the baby clinging to her back; the infant turned her head nearly 180 degrees to look at him, making Lyle shudder.
"Uh… sure…" As Lyle reached towards her, Lulu tightened her grip and emitted a low, threatening growl.
"Looloo." Liena scolded in an awkward, slurred voice. "Beh nyse." Lulu relaxed slightly, but her distrustful glare didn't fade for an instant. Lyle swallowed and, with no small amount of trepidation, plucked the girl off his sister's back. Immediately she started fussing and reaching out for Liena; Lyle was surprised by just how strong she was for such a little girl. "Iss ohkay, Looloo." Liena said with a sweet smile. "Ah'll beh baaahk soo'." She bent down to give Lulu a peck on the forehead, earning her a giggle from the infant… then did the same to her little brother.
"…Stop that." Lyle huffed, his cheeks tinged red. Liena smiled and walked off, giving her siblings a wave goodbye before heading back into the house. Lyle sighed and looked down at the baby in his arms. She eyed him curiously, and he did have to admit that she was a cute kid, but he knew just how volatile the girl could be. Still, she was just a baby... how hard could it be? "Well…" Lyle began. "I suppose we should go insi-" Before he could finish, Lulu opened her mouth wide, her pacifier dropping to the ground. Her impossibly long tongue shot out even faster than one of Lyle's arrows, narrowly whizzing past his head and up into the air. Lyle yelped and dropped the girl, and she landed on all fours without harm.
Then, as Lulu's tongue retracted into her mouth, Lyle heard a horrible sound: loud, panicked squawking. Lyle glanced over at the end of her tongue to see that she had ensnared a crow; her tongue whipped back into her mouth with a sound not unlike the snapping of an elastic band, leaving her holding the bird within her mouth like a cat. Worse yet, the poor thing was still alive, struggling aimlessly against the girl's bite.
"H-hey… Lulu, you put that down." Lyle ordered, but the girl simply stared at him in silence. He decided to try and be stern, as Liena had. "Lulu," he ordered, "Drop it. Now." He approached his baby sister only to gasp and jump back as four spindly, spider-like limbs burst forth from her back. In an instant, she was scuttling off into the house far faster than he could hope to run. "H-hey! Get back here…!" Lyle began to follow, only to remember the pacifier; he ran back to get it, then dashed into the house. "Lulu! Where…" The telltale squawking of the confused crow led him to the kitchen, where he found Lulu huddled in the corner with the unfortunate creature still held in her mouth. Lyle swallowed and slowly approached the girl with his palms raised. "Easy, Lulu… easy." He cooed in a gentle, sing-song voice; Lulu tilted her head slightly, and for a moment he thought he was getting through to her. "How about you let that go, okay? I'll get you a snack, and-"
Then, in a flash, the infant's jaw split open into an insect-like mandible and snapped shut over the poor bird. It let out one final screech before it was cut off by a sickening CRUNCH, making her half-brother cringe. A single drop of blood rolled down her lip before she licked it off, and Lyle felt like he was going to vomit.
"O-okay, that's… horrifying, but you're good now, right?" The feminine boy asked as Lulu chewed her prey, not taking her eyes off him for even a single moment. Lyle resumed his slow approach, doing his best to seem as non-threatening as possible. "Come on, now… let's go, uh, watch some Barney or something, okay?" Just as he reached for her, the girl leapt away, kicking off from the wall and flying right past him. She landed on the countertop and clumsily scrambled along it, her chitinous limbs slipping and sliding against the slick marble, sending several pots and pans clattering to the floor. She hopped back to the ground and scurried out of the room. "Dammit," Lyle hissed, taking a brief moment to rinse the pacifier off in the sink before rushing after her. As expected, the girl was nowhere to be found in the dining room, nor in the living room; knowing Lulu, chances were she had run back to her hive. Lyle ran upstairs and to the room she shared with Liena, only to find it was locked. So much for that, he thought. Then he heard a hacking sound similar to someone trying to cough up phlegm, and turned just in time to narrowly dodge a wad of webbing from Lulu. It hit Liena's door, effectively gluing it shut. "Got you now…!" Lyle dove for the girl in an attempt to grab her, but she easily slipped free and scurried back down the stairs. Lyle growled in frustration as he hurried after her, only to hear that the girl was gleefully laughing as she ran… this was nothing more than a fun game to her. Not that it made it any more bearable to the irritable young boy. Needless to say, 'chasing down a mutant' was not how he had expected to be spending his day.
This game of cat-and-mouse continued for what felt like hours, but couldn't have been much more than thirty minutes or so. It was always the same: she would slow down, he would try to catch her, and she would narrowly escape his grasp, and she would scurry off to another part of the house with a childish giggle. It didn't take long for Lyle to realize that Lulu was toying with him. He followed the laughter into the kitchen again, panting and out of breath; he was an active and physically fit young boy, but even he had his limits. However, the girl was nowhere to be seen; Lyle's brow furrowed and he looked left, right, up, behind him, everywhere… but to no avail. Another giggle drew his attention, this time coming from the small hallway just past the peeked around the corner to find that the basement door was wide open. He supposed he shouldn't have been surprised that the infant knew how to open doors, all things considered. Lyle fetched a flashlight from the kitchen's 'junk drawer' before taking a deep breath and venturing down into the nearly pitch-black basement… even Loan's computer was powered down. He shut the door behind him to at least try and keep the girl contained.
"Lulu…?" He asked nervously; another gleeful giggle rang out and echoed throughout the basement. Lyle swallowed and whipped his flashlight around in vain, catching no more than split-second glimpses of the little monster before she disappeared into the darkness. "Come on, uh... cutie… enough games, alright?" He carefully approached the light in the center of the room, his heart pounding rapidly in his chest as Lulu's laughter only grew louder and more frequent. Then, just as he neared the light, it stopped. Lyle stood in place, glancing around quickly with his flashlight, but he couldn't see her at all. He chewed his lip anxiously, reaching out for the cord and pulling it to bathe the basement in a dim light. However, despite the entire room now being visible, he couldn't see Lulu anywhere. "Lulu? Where…?" Lyle trailed off as he heard a sound that chilled him to the bone: a steady, threatening rattling coming from behind him. He spun around, initially seeing nothing, but then looked up. Lulu was hanging upside- down from the ceiling, her insectoid limbs vibrating rapidly; she was staring at him with glowing green eyes and her lips pulled back into a threatening, fanged snarl. "…Oh God." Lyle whimpered.
With an animalistic screech, Lulu pounced at the boy. Lyle let out a girlish shriek of terror; he put his hands up to protect his face, but Lulu dove into his chest instead, knocking him to the ground. Lyle squeezed his eyes shut, awaiting his inevitable demise. He could only hope that she'd make it quick and painless. However, instead of attacking him, she simply nuzzled against his chest with an affectionate coo. Lyle blinked in surprise, then let out a sigh of relief.
"O-oh… you just wanted to cuddle." Lyle couldn't help but chuckle at the absurdity of the situation; of course she wouldn't hurt one of her siblings. Not intentionally, anyway. He pulled himself to his feet, picking up the little girl and giving her a hug that she gladly returned. "Okay… enough playtime, okay? Let's go wait for Liena." Lulu didn't protest, and he headed back up the stairs and through the kitchen with her in his arms. Looking down at the baby snuggling against his chest, he couldn't help but smirk slightly. When she was calm, she was just like any other infant… it was almost hard to believe she could be so monstrous. She began to squirm in his arms, then climbed over his shoulder onto his back, much like she had with Liena. "W-whoa… easy there," Lyle said with a chuckle. "I'm not as big as-" Lyle let out a yelp as he suddenly felt a strong pull on his hair, yanking his head back. "OW!" He cried, "W-what're you…?!" His eyes went wide as he heard a repeated swallowing sound; Lulu was trying to eat his hair. "HEY, LULU, STOP!" Unsurprisingly, the girl did not heed his orders. Instead, she simply began swallowing faster, painfully pulling his head back further and further. He desperately cried out for help in the hope that someone might hear him, but it was no use: all he could do was wildly flail in an attempt to shake her off.
"LOOLOO, NO!" The swallowing stopped, and a moment later Lyle felt his baby sister being lifted off of him, making a disgusting retching sound as his hair was pulled from her throat. She began to whine from the uncomfortable sensation, even as Liena pulled her into her arms; Lyle had been so panicked that he hadn't even heard her enter. He let out a sigh of relief as Liena gently shushed the fussing child. "Lahyl. Pashifya."
"O-oh… right." Lyle had nearly forgotten; he withdrew the pacifier from his pocket and handed it to Liena, who immediately popped it into Lulu's mouth. Within seconds she stopped crying, and soon she fell asleep in her big sister's arms. "Took you long enough…" Lyle grumbled. Liena rolled her eyes and carried the infant over to the sofa, carefully laying her down before turning back to her brother.
(Are you okay?)
"I think so…" Lyle muttered. "How's my hair?" Liena peeked around to his back, only to let out a startled gasp.
"Uh-oh."
"Uh oh…? What's uh-oh?!" Lyle reached behind his back and grasped a length of his beautiful hair… or formerly beautiful, at least. To his horror, the bottom six inches or so were horribly burnt and frayed from Lulu's powerful stomach acids. "Oh, well that is just fantastic." He groaned.
(It's okay,) Liena signed with a small, nervous chuckle. (We'll just cut off that bit and it will grow back in no time.) Lyle huffed and crossed his arms. She wasn't wrong… all things considered, it wasn't that big of a deal.
Still annoying, though.
(Everything else go well?)
"…I guess." Lyle grumbled.
(Thank you. I really appreciate it.) Liena smiled sweetly, but Lyle simply looked away with a huff.
"W-well for the record, I am never doing that again." He said with a flamboyant wave of his hand. Liena just giggled and, to his chagrin, gave him another kiss on the forehead before picking up her shopping bag from the ground and heading to the kitchen. Lyle sighed and sat down on the couch beside Lulu. He was exhausted… he knew the little monster was a handful, but quite frankly he had no idea how Liena managed it. He looked down at the sleeping infant with a small frown. He DID love her, as he loved all his siblings… even the ones he claimed to hate. But, he meant what he'd said: never again. He let out another sigh and looked away.
"Lyle."
Lyle froze; that hadn't been Liena's voice. It was an unfamiliar voice, somehow sounding both high and low, with a shaky, raspy timbre. What more, it sounded like it had come from right next to him. Slowly, he turned to look at Lulu once more… and sure enough, the girl was staring at him with those glowing green eyes, her pacifier held in her hand.
"That was fun," She hissed, a knowing, coy smile adorning her cherubic face. "Let's play again sometime." With that, she placed the pacifier back in her mouth and shut her eyes once more. Lyle could only stare dumbfounded at his baby sister. Surely, he thought, that must have been his imagination.
But, either way… something told him he didn't have much say in the matter.

Contact High

For the most part, Bobby was a creature of comfort… he preferred to stay close to home when possible. But he'd always liked going up to the city with his mother; even he appreciated a change of scenery every so often. Besides, given the unusual nature of the Loud household, these visits were pretty much the only way he got to see his mother's side of the family. Couldn't have them catching wise to what was really going on, after , however, Ronnie had come for another reason: Nikki. She had just moved back home from California and the two women wanted to catch up. Bobby knew her well enough himself… whenever she'd come to visit family she'd been sure to make time to visit her old friend Ronnie as well.
"Heeeyyy, Ronnie!" Nikki greeted her friend as she opened the door, pulling the Latina into a big hug. "Been ages, girl!"
"Too long, Nikki." Ronnie returned the hug as only she could, squeezing the taller woman so hard that Bobby swore he could hear her spine pop. Not that it seemed to faze her, of course.
"And get a load of you!" Nikki said as she crouched down to ruffle Bobby's hair. "How've you been, lil' buddy?"
"Hi, aunt Nikki." Bobby muttered with a small smile. "…I'm good."
"Ah, c'mon… you can just call me Nikki. 'Aunt' makes me feel old, y'know?" She said with a chuckle. "Wow, though. You just get taller and taller each time I see you… I swear, one of these days you're gonna be taller than me." Nikki said.
"Nikki, he'll be lucky if he even comes up to your shoulders," Ronnie teased as they stepped into her friend's apartment. "Where's Vikki?"
"Oh, yeah… hey, Vikki!" The lanky woman called out. "Come say hello, will you?"
"Yyyyyeaaah, one sec!" Came a sleepy drawl from elsewhere in the apartment. Bobby swallowed the lump in his throat; this was what he'd been dreading. Though he'd grown familiar with Nikki over the years, her daughter was another matter. He'd only met her once or twice his entire life, and from what little he could remember of those encounters she'd been surly to say the least. A moment later, a nearby door creaked open and a tall, tanned blonde shuffled out, looking as though she'd just been woken from the world's greatest nap. She stretched and yawned loudly, then just kind of... stood there for a moment, as though she'd forgotten exactly what she had meant to be doing.
"Vikki! Yo, Vikki, over here!" Nikki snapped her fingers, chuckling under her breath. Vikki blinked and glanced over. Her gaze lingered on their two guests for a second before a lazy grin crossed her face.
"Yoooo, aunt Ronnie! 'Sup?" Vikki swaggered over and gave the woman a hug.
"Hey Vikki, it's so good to -" Ronnie began, only to pause as a strong scent met her nostrils. She leaned away and coughed into her palm. "Good Lord, you smell like a Woodstock festival."
"Yeeeaahhh, I get that a lot." Vikki chuckled. Ronnie shot her friend an unimpressed glare, but Nikki simply laughed.
"Were we any different at her age?" She said with a shrug. Ronnie sighed, then smirked at the spaced-out teen.
"I guess not. Anyway, you're looking good, Vik'." The Latina said, giving the girl a playful jab to the shoulder. "Oh… you remember Bobby, right?"
"Bob…?" Vikki glanced down, only now noticing the small boy partially hidden behind his mother's leg. Her brow furrowed, and the wheels turned in her head for a moment before the recognition hit. "Oh yeahhh… 'sup, lil' dude?"
"Don't be rude, Bobby. Say hello." Ronnie gently pushed the boy towards her, despite his best attempts to resist.
"U-um…" Bobby stammered as he looked up at the girl. "…Hi…" Vikki smirked and squatted down to his level, or as close as she could manage anyway; even then she practically towered above him.
"Wha's good, B?" Vikki asked. "Been, like… a long time." Bobby swallowed and silently nodded.
"Sorry… he's shy." Ronnie said apologetically. Vikki just laughed and waved her off.
"S'no problem. Here, B, high five." She said, raising her palm.
"Um…" Bobby hesitated a moment, then slowly raised his own hand and tapped it against hers. Vikki's grin broadened and she lowered her hand, this time with the palm facing up.
"Down low," Vikki said. "Too sl-" She was cut off by Bobby once again tapping his palm against hers. She looked at her hand in confusion for a moment before letting out a small laugh. "Heh… f'rgot to move it." Bobby had no idea what to make of this girl. The Vikki he remembered had been irritable and dour, but now she seemed so mellow that even Lupa looked high-strung by comparison.
"Vikki, you wouldn't mind keeping him company for a bit, would you?" Nikki asked.
"Yeah, I don't mind hangin' with the lil' guy. He's cool."
"I-I, uh… I don't think I'd say that…"
"Yeah, see? He's so cool he doesn't even know he's cool." Vikki smirked and ruffled Bobby's hair, to his chagrin. On the plus side, it wasn't like it could get any messier.
"I guess we'll leave you guys to it, then."
"…Are you sure this is a good idea…?" Ronnie leaned in and muttered into her friend's ear. "You know… with all the-"
"Chill, Ron'. Vikki's got this, don't ya girl?"
"S'ain't nothin'. We already high-fived, right? That basically means we're, like, broskis." Vikki said as she got back to her feet. "C'mon, B. Lemme show ya my pad." She walked off, and Bobby glanced back to his mother for support; she simply nodded and motioned for him to follow. Bobby sighed and reluctantly followed the girl to her room; he was already starting to regret not choosing to stay home and help Lemy with one of his dangerous stunts like Reina had.
Vikki's room was tiny, to say the least… only slightly bigger than walk-in closet. Heck, maybe it had been one at one point. Her bed was little more than a twin-sized mattress lying on the floor. It was also an absolute mess, perhaps even more so than Loan's room; the floor was covered with discarded clothes, magazines and trash, and the entire room seemed to have a faint haze hanging over it.
"Ugh…" Bobby muttered, covering his nose. "It smells weird…"
"I know, right? Good stuff." Vikki casually flopped down onto the mattress and reached over to switch on the radio. "Torche, excellent." She said with a smirk. "Don't just stand there, B, c'mon in! Take a load off."
"R-right…" Bobby meekly shuffled into the room, trying his best to avoid tripping over any of the clutter. "Um… where should I…"
"Wherever you want, dude! Ain't no rules here."
"O…kay…" Bobby fidgeted awkwardly before sitting down on the end of the mattress. It wasn't like he had anywhere else to sit, after all. "Um… sorry we woke you up, by the way..."
"Nah, I wasn't sleepin'." Vikki said. "I was just veggin' out." Bobby raised an eyebrow.
"Vegging out…?"
"Yeah… see that stain?" Vikki pointed up to a brownish-gray spot on the ceiling. "I was tryin' to, like, decide if it looked more like Dave Grohl or an eggplant, and then it was, like… now." Bobby looked up at the stain and squinted.
"It… just looks like a stain to me." He muttered. Vikki pursed her lips and stared at it for a moment, then shrugged.
"Damn, you're right. Wish you'd been around earlier, B, coulda saved me a whole lotta trouble." Vikki chuckled under her breath.
"…How long were staring at that for...?"
"Eh, I 'unno. Hour or two. Had a sick mellow goin'." Vikki unrolled a half-eaten bag of chips that had been sitting beside her. "Want some?"
"N-no thank you." Bobby said; the teenaged girl shrugged and started shoveling handfuls of chips into her mouth. Bobby used the silence to take a better look around her room: nearly every square inch of the walls were covered in posters, mostly band or surfing-related. There was a surfboard propped up in one corner too. "You surf?"
"Totally. What about you, B?"
"Of course not-"
"No, I mean, what's your deal?" Vikki asked, propping herself up onto her elbows. "What kinda stuff you into, lil' dude?"
"Oh… um, nothing cool like that…" Bobby mumbled sheepishly. "Just, y'know… reading. Video games. I like sci-fi a lot…"
"Oooh, sci-fi… right on. The other day I was blazed outta my mind watchin' that, uh…" Vikki snapped her fingers a few times as she thought. "That one movie, with Bruce Willis and the stones and that blue singing chick…"
"…The Fifth Element?" Bobby asked, perking up a bit. Vikki grinned.
"That's the one," She said. "Pretty sure it's, like, my favorite thing ever now. No idea what was goin' on, though. Hey, you mind if I smoke?" Bobby frowned slightly; he hated the smell of smoke, but then again it wasn't like this was his room… besides, thanks to Lupa he was far more used to it than he would care to be.
"Sure… u-um, just don't blow it in my face, please." Bobby asked meekly. Vikki snickered and dug through her pocket.
"No worries, lil' dude. Wasn't plannin' on it." The surfer gal placed a joint between her lips and lit it, taking a long drag and holding it for a few seconds before exhaling. She was sure to blow it away from Bobby, not that it made much of a difference; it ended up spreading towards him anyway. The young boy coughed and tried to wave it away. "Whoops… uh, sorry B. Guess I shoulda had a smaller hit…"
"…It's fine…" Bobby sighed. At least it didn't smell as bad as he had expected; it didn't smell like a cigarette at all, actually. It was pungent, but earthy… the same sort of smell the room itself had, in fact, kind of like freshly-cut grass.
It was kind of starting to grow on him.
"…Actually…" Bobby muttered. "I-I guess I could go for some chips, if you don't mind…"
"…Darth Vader."
"Huh?"
"Darth Vader," Bobby repeated, lazily pointing up at the stain on the ceiling. "Looks… looks like 'im." Vikki squinted up at the stain before a wide grin spread across her face.
"Oh yeah… guess it kinda does." She said. "Good eye, B." Bobby smirked and lowered his hand, his fingers coated with a thick layer of Dorito dust. He'd spent the last half hour lying by Vikki's side, sometimes talking, sometimes not… perhaps this was that 'vegging out' she had mentioned. Whatever the case, Bobby felt far more relaxed than he had in a long time.
"S'nice…" The boy mumbled.
"What is?"
"Ev'rythin'." Bobby let out a contented sigh as he settled back into the mattress. "…Nice to just… have some peace an' quiet for once." Vikki raised an eyebrow.
"Oh yeah… you've got, like, a big family… right?" She asked. Bobby nodded.
"…Yeah. Two brothers, ten sisters. Well… 11, if you count Bed... but she's more of a cousin."
"Damn, B." Vikki said with an impressed whistle. "Sounds pretty bogus."
"It is. I love them, but… it kind of stresses me out, sometimes." Bobby admitted. Vikki frowned and nudged him with her elbow.
"C'mon… lil' dude like you shouldn't be stressin' out. You're like, what, ten?"
"…Seven."
"Seven? Pretty smart for your age, then." Vikki said. "Anyway, it may be kinda hectic, but at least you got 'em, right? Not everyone's so lucky…"
"Hey… something wrong…?" Bobby asked, propping himself up slightly; he could detect a note of sadness to Vikki's tone.
"…Nah." Vikki muttered, giving a small, strained smile. "Just… never really had any family besides mom. No idea who my dad even is."
"O-oh…" Bobby mumbled sheepishly. He felt bad, now. "I-I'm sorry…"
"Nah, you got nothin' to apologize for." The teen chuckled and took another hit from her joint, being sure to blow it away from the young boy beside her… not that it mattered much at this point. "Maybe it's one of those things, y'know? 'The grass is always greener on the other side' or whatever. Heh, grass…"
"N-no, it's not!" Bobby stammered. "I mean… for a long time me and Reina were kind of alone, too… we never even knew about the others until two years ago. I-it was a big change, and it's not always easy, but I'd never want to go back to the way things were before. I'm... happier now, I think."
"There, see?" Vikki said with a grin, patting the boy on his back. "You got nothin' to worry about, lil' dude. An' don't you worry about me, either. I don't let things get to me the way I used to… got my good friend Mary J. for that." Bobby smiled and nodded. He wasn't sure who this 'Mary J.' was, but she certainly seemed to be a big help for Vikki… she was nothing like the surly, irritable girl he'd met years ago.
"Thanks, Vikki…" The young boy said. "This 'Mary J.' must be pretty cool."
"Oh yeah, she's most excellent." Vikki laughed. "And you're pretty cool too, B. We should like… talk more."
"You mean… be friends?" Bobby asked. Vikki grinned.
"Yeah, dude! You got a phone?"
"Y-yes!" Bobby clumsily fumbled his pocket for his phone; he couldn't help but feel a bit excited. This was the first time he'd made a friend on his own, rather than through one of his siblings. "What's your…" Bobby trailed off, his gaze growing hazy as Vikki's last hit finally reached him. He stared down at the lock screen in silence.
"…Lil' dude?" Vikki nudged him. "You good?" Bobby shook out of his daze.
"Yeah… hey, Vikki… check it out." Bobby turned to her with a sleepy grin adorning his face. "It's, like… a Spock screen." Vikki stared at the screen with a furrowed brow: the boy's lock screen wallpaper was an image of Spock. Slowly, a wide smile spread across her face.
"Dude… you're, like, a genius." She said with a snicker.
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