*ding dong*
The door to the Timber home rung. As no one else was home, the youngest Timber girl was left to open it. Her small heart fluttered in anticipation, although she did not fully know why.
It all seemed so familiar.
The young girl in blue leapt off the couch and rushed to her door. Peeking out of the side window she could see a boy her age with distinct white hair. She giggled at the fact he was carrying a bouquet of roses. Grinning, Cristina proceeded to open the door to greet her guest. The sound of undoing locks alerted the boy to the girl's arrival.
"Umm, hey Cristina. I know this upcoming Spanish project is going to be awkward since…" The chipped tooth boy waved the flowers as if he was about to elaborate but decided against it. His free hand scratched his neck and his eyes looked towards the sky in embarrassment. "Well you know. So I thought that should come and apolog-"
"Are those for me?" Cristina pointed to roses the boy held. A big grin stretched from ear to ear because she knew the answer.
"Huh? Oh! Yes. These are for you." The bouquet was presented to the curly haired girl. She giggled at the boy's nervousness. "I-i'm sorry about what happened."
"Apology accepted!" The girl swept the roses from the boy's grasp. Blue hem lifted as she spun in place while smelling them. "*Sniff* Ahhh… These are wonderful Lincoln." She looked up to the gentlemen in the doorway.
"It's a bit old fashion," Cristina snuggled into the orange collar of Lincoln's shirt. "but I like old fashion."
"I'm glad you like them… When did you want to-"
"I'm free tomorrow, we should go to a movie!"
"..."
"I meant for the project."
"Oh yeah," the young girl hid an embarrassed smile inside the many red petals of her gift. "You can come in now if you want."
"Um, sure." Lincoln's foot passed the threshold of the Timber abode. As if knowing the layout, he effortlessly moved to the kitchen. Cristina literally danced as she followed him. In the kitchen were several blank pages of paper detailing their Spanish assignment. Without acknowledging that his classmate had not sat down, Lincoln began reading the blank paper aloud.
In her own world Cristina performed several plies before floating down into a seat. She did not listen to the boy's words and solely admired his face. Her incessant giggling finally caught his attention.
"Cristina? What's up?" Lincoln asked with a gentle smile.
"Oh nothing *giggle*, just thinking." Cristina replied.
"Tell me."
"Oh just a wish I had."
"Tell me and I'll make it come true."
"Hmm, *giggle* I was just wondering if you could gi-"
The front door opened as if pushed by a gentle breeze. Clicking of boot heels on tiles came closer and closer. Lincoln quickly turned away from Cristina, a bright smile on his face to greet the new arrival.
"Honey bee!" The boy clad in orange leapt from his chair and in a single bound reached his target. Lincoln was swept into the waiting bosom of Cristina's older sister, Quinlan.
"Wait!" The young girl in blue called.
"I brought these for you, honey bee." Out of nowhere the boy produced a bouquet of roses. Cristina's eyes widened before glancing down to her hands. They were empty.
"Wait I thou-"
"Oh thank you sweetie!" The teen in yellow took a big whiff of the flowers. "Let's go to my room."
"Yeah, lead the way!" The boy shouted excitedly.
"No, what about me? Lincoln?!" The young girls cries went unanswered. Holding hands Lincoln and Quinlan disappeared down a dark hallway.
The furniture and room around the lonely girl disappeared. Alone in a single spotlight, Cristina felt a pang of sadness as sharp as any chef's favorite knife.
*sniffle*
Cristina awoke from her slumber. Her bedroom was dark, and as she sat up, the cold air caused her skin to erupt with goosebumps. Shivering a bit she wiped away crusty tears from her eyes. The glowing of a small digital clock read 2:12 AM. With a grunt she got out of her bed.
Pillow in hand, the young girl made her way out into the semi lit hallway. A single nightlight meant to illuminate the bathroom entrance guided her along the path. Small creaks did not deter the girl as she was too tired and determined. Without knocking she slid into her sister's bedroom.
The cooing of a dove was the first sound to be heard by Quinlan this morning. Its partner not in range warranted the avian to continue bellowing its call. The busty brunette sat up allowing her arms to stretch towards the sky. With a mighty, yet silent, yawn her senses returned to her.
The dove's song finally garnered a response.
Stirred by the movement next to him, Lincoln opened his eyes. The warmth of blanket, pillow, and small arm wrapped around him nearly put him back to sleep. Two coos coming from wedded doves would not let him though. Quinlan twisted her spine making a rapid firing of cracking noses run down her back. The tired boy winced at the very sound of it. Now in a state of relative awakeness the boy tried to sit up.
A pesky kitten chased the doves away.
Lincoln couldn't sit up. Small fingers gripped the side of his pajamas. Not unfamiliar with a younger sister, like Lana or Lola, wanting to sleep together after a nightmare, the white haired boy tentatively pulled away the comforter. Quinlan watch with curiosity as the blanket lifted to reveal a snuggling Cristina, still asleep and very comfortable.
Lincoln and Quinlan shared a look of confusion. The boy looked at his girlfriend, his girlfriend looked back. They held each other's eyes for a few moments before shrugging. Leaning over the boy, the teen poked her sister in the cheek. Cristina began to stir.
"One more hour…" Cristina barely uttered through muffled words. Quinlan poked again. "Geez, what?"
"Sis? What are you doing?" The busty brunette inquired of the youngling.
"Sleeping. Duh."
"But why in Honey Bee's bed?" And on top of me, thought Lincoln.
"Because I want to." The girl snuggled in more. "Now let me sleep."
QT examined the girl once more but with a sigh she let it go. Lincoln was already attempting to slide out of the young girl's grasp. The teen managed to roll out and was followed shortly by the boy. Unfortunately for the boy, a small hooked finger managed to forced him to leave without a shirt. A small whistle alerted the boy to look upwards. A Cheshire smile graced Quinlan's face. In a dramatic fashion QT waved her hand as if a fan and gave Lincoln an 'oh'ing face as if it had suddenly risen several degrees in the room. A bright burn radiated off of Lincoln's ears as he turned to cover himself. The teen chuckled at the response.
The boy grabbed his bag and left the room allowing the older Timber girl to dress in peace. Needing to pee, the boy proceeded to the bathroom. A light radiating underneath the door alerted him to wait in line as usual… wait a sec. This isn't the Loud house.
The bathroom door swung inwards and a curvaceous women stepped out. Her hands were held out in front of her still dripping wet and as if she was attempting to stay sterile. White sleeves were rolled up to mid forearm and she audibly scorned whoever did not replace the hand towel. Her dark hair was wavy and pulled back into a pun allowing a clear view of her face. Lincoln searched the back of his memory bank to recall if there was a third Timber sister.
There wasn't.
This was Mrs. Timber.
"Oh!" The woman finally looked down to the half naked boy. Realizing his own shirtlessness he fumbled through his bag quickly and put on the only shirt his father had packed, an Ace Savvy decaled tee. Adjusting himself to be presentable, he hurried to introduce himself.
"Sorry about that ma'am." The woman in scrubs and a lab coat looked at him with uncertainty. "My name is Lincoln Loud, it's nice to finally meet you." His hand extended ready to shake.
"Oh, umm." Mrs. Timber looked at her wet hands. "Uhh, elbow?" The woman stuck out her elbow and waggled it slightly. Reading the situation Lincoln bent his arm and tapped his elbow with hers.
"Woo~! Alright walk and talk Mr. Loud, I need to get going soon." The boy left his bag near the bathroom door as he followed her white coat tails. The women hurried to the kitchen several boxes were placed on top of the game board him and the girls had played with the night before. "So you spent the night here, Mr. Loud?"
"Uh yes, we went to a game last night and it turned out that it would be easier if I stayed the night." Lincoln watched as the mother found a dish rag to dry with.
"Oh, a game that's nice." Mrs. Timber went to the several boxes and double checked their contents. Her hand reached in and pushed around the unknown items. "Who was playing? Who won?"
"Actually we didn't stay till the end." The Ace Savvy boy raised a finger trying to catch the mother's attention. He wanted to ask something but he wasn't able to before the box closed up.
"That's too bad." Cardboard folds bent and twisted until they couldn't come apart. The bunned mother looked to the boy with a awkward smile. "Um, Mr. Loud could I ask for your help with taking these out to the car?"
"Oh, yes. Of course, ma'am."
"Such a gentleman. Take this one." Handing the boy a box, he struggle to get a grip before the weight dropped. He fumbled quickly till he was able to comfortably carry it. "Alright, follow me."
The women took her own box before striding to the front door. Using her thigh to hold the box up she clumsily opened the door. Making a b line to the car she bumped the expensive looking car with her hip causing the trunk to automatically open. Lincoln followed behind closely and waited for the slow door to fully open before placing in his box.
"Alright thank you, Mr. Loud." Another hip bump and the trunk began to close. "I have to get going but it has been nice meeting you." The women proceeded to the driver door of her car.
"Um, Mrs. Ti-"
"Bye. Maybe we'll meet aga-" The women momentarily waved back at the boy without looking.
"Mrs. Timber!" Lincoln exclaimed.
The women froze at the sudden shout. Her hand was already gripped on the door handle but she stopped to look at the peculiar boy. The doctor noticed the lad's pleading look, she released the handle.
"Yes, Mr. Loud?" Mrs. Timber asked.
"Quinlan injured her hand yesterday. It might be broken. Could you look at it?" Lincoln clasped his hands in a praying fashion. The Timber women looked at the boy wide eyed. Her daughter's hurt?
Without a word she began walking back to the house. Her steps were quick and showed a different determination than she had while leaving. Her shoes clanked as she crossed the wood floors of her home. Reaching her daughter's door, Lincoln watched the mother knocked and announced herself.
"Quinlan, it's Mom." Her voice was loud enough to go through the wood but not a shout. In it could be heard urgency and concern. The sound of someone approaching the door was heard. QT opened the door with a raised eyebrow.
"Mom? I didn't know you were home, don't you have wo-"
"Hand." The mother raised a palm up for QT to place her own.
"Huh?" The teen thought for a second before seeing a peeking tuft of white hair. "Oh, here."
Quinlan's right hand had remained wrapped and splinted for the entire night. The mother momentarily looked at the bandages, she mentally noted the proper usage before looking back at her daughter.
"Alright, couch young lady." QT bobbed her head in a silent nod.
Hand held by the woman, QT was lead to the front room couch. The pair sat down together while Lincoln took the seat right behind the injured teen on the three seat couch. Undoing the splint and wrappings, the doctor placed the items to the side before examining her patient. The hand was a bit swollen and had clotted cuts on the knuckles. The women let out a knowledgeable hum before looking her back at her daughter.
"So... you punched someone." The mother gave a knowing smirk.
"…Yeah, I did." QT admitted.
"Did they deserve it?"
"You bet!" The dark haired women chuckled only slightly.
"I bet they did, I bet they did…"
"Ouch!"
"Sorry, dear…"
"Ow! Mom!"
"Mmmhmm, you have a fracture on the metacarpal leading to your pinky finger. It'll heal within a month if you forgo use." The Timber mother looked up to the concerned face of the white haired boy. "Did you wrap her hand, uh, Abraham?"
"Lincoln, ma'am. And yes I did." The boy gave her a small grin.
"Sorry, I flipped my harmonic. Sometimes it's so hard to remember patient names so you have to come up with tricks." The mother pushed a fallen bang out of her face. "I guess I just flipped yours."
"It's fine. I can re-wrap QT's hand." The boy grabbed the splint and dirty bandages. The teen smiled at her boyfriend.
"Thank you, Lincoln. Please rewash Quinlan's hand before applying new bandages." The women began standing. "Also… maybe use a new disinfectant." The two raised an eyebrow at the mother.
"Whatever you used is a bit… fruity?" The mother's statement caused both their faces to show alarm. It went unnoticed as she moved to the front door. "Anyways, clean the wound, change those wraps, and rest that right hook of yours." Quinlan puffed her cheeks at the parent's comment. As the women reached for the door, Lincoln interrupted her again.
"Mrs. Timber!" The women froze again but turned to him more calmly than before.
"Yes, Lincoln?"
"I-i just want to let you know, I'm taking good care of your daughter and I respect her." The boy stood firm but his slight stutter showed his nervousness. The mother couldn't help chuckling at his display.
"I'm happy to hear that." Mrs. Timber opened the door. "I'm glad I can leave my daughters in the hands of such a capable man." Lincoln could not hide his grand smile. The door clicked shut behind the departing doctor.
Silence prevailed over the room for a few seconds before Quinlan slowly brought Lincoln into a hug. She gave him a soft smile and he returned it. Her nose snuggled quickly into his ruffled hair before a small yawn interrupted the moment.
Looking up the couple saw the younger Timber girl. Cristina dragged her feet along the wood as she made her way into the front room. She still had her nightie on but more peculiarly she had chosen to also put on Lincoln's pajama, button-up top. Slightly too big, the orange sleeves hung past her palms and she left the front unbutton. Quinlan couldn't help but feel a bit jealous at her sister's capability to wear Lincoln's shirt. The young girl rubbed the crust out of her foggy eyes.
"*Yyaawwnnnn* Was Mom just here?" The yawning girl asked.
"Yeah she was. Sorry sis, just missed her." Quinlan held Lincoln in her lap both of their legs criss-crossed in front of them. Her eyes momentarily darted to a hanging clock. "Dang, we slept in. Who wants Brunch?"
"Sure…" Cristina muttered out.
"Yeah, that'd be great." Lincoln said to the group, "How about some Spam Mushushi?" Quinlan looked at the boy peculiarly.
"Lincoln, I told you it's called 'Spam Musubi'." Cristina shook her head slightly. QT looked between them slightly tiffed. Her cheeks puffed as she silently glared at both of them.
"So that's a no?" Lincoln nervously looked behind him into angry eyes. He looked at her pleadingly but her cheeks did not unpuff. With a frumph she turned her nose at him. Her arms crossed across her sizable chest and she squeezed the boy slightly between her thighs.
"You know honey bee…" the boy continued. QT held her pose but opened a single eye to glare at him. "I've never tried it before. I'd love to try it...especially if you are the one cooking it." The teen continued to bare her eyes into him but through frowned lips she relented.
"Y-you really want to try some?"
"Only if you cook it."
Quinlan let out a huff of air.
"Fine… if you insist."
The bombshell rolled her eyes, but by the later fact that she ate more than anyone else, it was clear she didn't need much convincing.