"See ya around, Mr. Frederick!" Lynn Sr. called.
"Take care, Lynn! You as well, Lincoln!" Mr. Frederick called back.
Lynn Sr. smirked and gave Lincoln a gentle pat on the back, rousing him from his drowsy state, "Don't you wanna say goodbye, squirt?"
Lincoln's heavy eyes fluttered open and he lifted his head from his father's shoulder to wave at Mr. Frederick with a little flutter of a wave. "Bye-Bye, Mister Fred…"
His eyes fell back closed before he could see Mr. Frederick's beaming smile return back to him. Not long after, he felt the crisp air of the air-conditioned building switch to the chilly mustiness of the outside world, causing Lincoln's nose to wriggle appreciatively. The world smelled so good!
Lynn Sr. chuckled as they approached his car. "Wow, that nap you took really left you in quite the stupor, didn't it?"
Lincoln couldn't disagree. Through the fault of his biological need for constant rest, Lincoln had fallen asleep for the last hour or so of Lynn Sr.'s shift, thankfully not having any nightmares in the process, but left undeniably heavy-limbed upon waking up. "Mmhmm…" He managed to mumble, rather cutely, his father thought.
"Well, don't sleep too long now," Lynn Sr. chuckled. He lifted his foot to pull the door open and began bringing Lincoln into the back. "I would hate if you had to miss out on the rest of the day. I made such great plans."
Lincoln's eyes fluttered open, piqued by Lynn Sr.'s words. "You did?" He asked, forcing his arm up so he could rub his eye.
"Yup!" Lynn Sr. said, reaching out to buckle Lincoln in, "I wanted to take some time to spend with you, get to know you better." He smiled and reached out to ruffle Lincoln's hair, "After all, a daddy should know his little one."
Lincoln blushed, and smiled shyly in return, "I'd like that. I really like spending time with you, Mister Daddy."
"And I like spending time with you, Lincoln," Lynn Sr. said warmly in response. He buckled the last buckle and stood back up from the inside of the car, making quick way for the driver's seat. "Now, we don't wanna risk burning any more daylight now, do we?"
"Uh-uh," Lincoln said, shaking his head.
Lynn Sr. moved into the driver's seat, inserting his keys into the ignition with an excited little flourish, "Then let's get going, son!"
And before they knew it, they were off, moving down the road with warmth residing within both their hearts.
…
"How was school, girls?" Rita asked when her daughters clambered into Vanzilla with her.
"Eh, you know, books, teachers, homework, all that jazz," Lori said, taking her spot at the front with her mother. "Not much of note if I'm being honest with you."
"What about that boy we saw in the hallway?" Lynn chirped from the backseat, "The one you almost ran into a wall when you saw."
Lori jolted, "Lynn! I did not almost run into a wall! And it was certainly not over some boy."
"Ooh, Lori, do you like a boy?!" Leni asked, leaning forward to glean a look at her elder sister's rapidly reddening face.
"No!" Lori objected, shaking her head emphatically.
"Aww, come on, tell us," Luan chimed.
"There's nothing to tell!" Lori huffed, crossing her arms over her chest.
"It sounds like there is, considering how against talking about it you are," Luna said observably.
"Now, girls…" Rita interjected. "If Lori doesn't want to talk about it, she doesn't have to talk about it. We need to respect her privacy. Understand?"
"Yes, mom," The other girls affirmed.
"Good," Rita said with a nod.
"Thanks, mom," Lori sighed in relief.
"No problem, sweetie," Rita replied. She gave Lori a sideways glance along with a kind smile. "Though if there's anything you wanna talk about, feel free to come ask me any questions you have, alright?"
Lori blushed, grateful that her mother kept that to a whisper, "Alright."
Rita returned her attention to the road and continued with, "So, any plans for the rest of the day, girls? After your homework is done, that is."
"We're gonna put a play on for Lincoln!" Luan instantly replied, her voice filled with such gusto that everyone else in the car actually jumped a little.
"Jeez! You got a megaphone back there, Luan?" Lori groused, bringing a finger into one of her ears.
Leni's eyebrows rose and she stretched herself over the chair to look into the back row. "I don't see a megaphone, Lori. I think Luan's just really loud."
"Thank you, Leni…" Lori said with a sigh.
"A play? What kind of play?" Rita asked, glancing at her jokester daughter in the rearview mirror.
"A puppet show play!" Luan chirped. "We're gonna bring the little puppet theatre in from the basement and tell Linky a story! Just like he asked yesterday."
"Oh, that's right…" Rita said in a hush of realization. "Lincoln did ask for you to tell him a story yesterday. I completely forgot about that, thanks to…"
"Thanks to Linky having his nightmare," Leni morosely replied.
"Mommy…" Lynn spoke up next, "Isn't there anything we can do to help Lincoln? He looked so sad after he had his nightmare."
Rita frowned empathetically and glanced a quick look at her youngest daughter, "I know, sweetie, he did look sad." She took a breath and looked back to the front, "Unfortunately, Lincoln has gone through a lot of stuff, so there's no telling how long it'll take for him to get better."
"So there's nothing we can do for him?" Lynn's eyes grew big and her lower lip began to tremble. "We just have to watch him be sad and scared?"
"No, there's stuff we can do, Lynny." Then, to the surprise of everyone, Luna spoke up next, pushing herself a little higher so she could turn to look at Lynn.
"Like what?" Lynn sniffled, bringing up a single fist to rub at her eye.
"We can be there for him," Luna said, reaching out to pat Lynn on the head. "By doing that, I think we're helping him feel better a little bit at a time. If we keep doing that, I'm sure we'll help him get past his nightmares, I just know it."
Luna wouldn't have said what she said if she didn't have prior proof of the matter. While her words left her lips, her mind conjured the night she had caught Lincoln in her arms, holding his feather light form against her, practically as fragile as a baby bird in Luna's own comparatively skinny arms.
He had had a nightmare then as well, and by some divine miracle, the simple acts of holding him and singing to him had been enough to calm him down.
"You think so?" Lynn asked, briefly derailing Luna's train of thought.
Luna beamed at her youngest sister and nodded, "I know so."
"Wow, Lunes," Lori said with an impressed little whistle, "It's not often we see you so confident. What brought this on?"
Luna turned back in her seat after giving Lynn a quick ruffle of her hair. "I-I dunno, really." She shrugged and looked down with a blush, "I think I just really wanna help our Little One…"
"I just wish he'd let us give him a big hug!" Leni exclaimed, wrapping her arms around herself. "If I could just get him in my arms, I bet I could hug all those bad feelings away!"
Luna recalled the way she held him, rocking him back and forth as she hummed the frightening apparitions away from his mind. Maybe Leni's got a point, Luna thought in mild surprise, Maybe Lincoln really does just need a hug?
Solid theory, brah! Considering how much the little dude calmed down after you hugged him, I think it's safe to say that'd be the way to go! Luna couldn't help but smile at the crow of her inner voice, acting rather positive to her for a change.
"We all wish we could give Lincoln a hug, Leni," Lori mumbled. "But he's still so scared…"
"Of us?" Luan asked.
"No, not of you, sweetheart," Rita interjected with a shake of her head, "He's scared of being hurt."
"But we would never hurt him!" Lynn cried in protest. The thought chilled her to the deepest pit of her stomach; the very idea that any of them could ever inflict any kind of harm on her dear baby brother nearly made her sick. "Me especially! I love him!"
"Awww! Lynny!" Everyone else in the car exclaimed, touched to the core by Lynn's passionate proclamation.
"I know you wouldn't hurt him, sweetpea," Rita cooed. "It's just that—his mother…"
"His Mama hurt him, right?" Leni guessed. She brought her fist to her lips and brought her legs up to curl into her seat. "That's why he's always scared. Because if you were afraid of your mama, who wouldn't you be afraid of?"
Rita found herself wishing Leni hadn't been so astute at that moment; but she was right. "Yes, Leni," She admitted with a sad nod. "Because of his mama, Lincoln is afraid of everyone."
"How horrible…" Luna whispered.
"Was it his mommy who hurt his arm?" Lynn asked hotly.
"That's a conversation for another time," Rita replied, not wanting to inflict any more sadness on her children. "Right now, we should just focus on being there for Lincoln, helping him get better bit by bit, just like we have been doing."
"Yeah!" Luan crowed, throwing her hands into the air, "And with my play, he'll know we're all here for him!"
Luan said that with such zeal, no one in the car could resist the slight pick-up in mood.
"I'm sure you will, Luan," Rita said with a cheery nod. "In fact, I know you will…"
…
"Thanks again for the assist, Flip!" Lynn Sr. said, hopping into the little convenience store with Lincoln in his arms. "I know how stingy you can be with the bathroom keys," He chuckled, dropping the keys on the counter.
The irascible middle-aged man peered over at Lynn Sr., continuing to "clean" the counter with a filthy dish rag, "Eh, you're just lucky I ain't heartless enough to turn down a kid with a full bladder. Otherwise, you'd be buying at least a dozen 'flippies' before I gave you that key."
Lynn Sr. chuckled and looked to Lincoln, appearing as bashful as ever thanks to his embarrassment for having to stop for a bathroom break. "Trust me, I know," He mused, shaking his head, "Do you want to say thank you to Flip, Lincoln?"
Lincoln pinkened and lifted his head just an inch to acknowledge Flip. "Thank you, Mister Flip," He mumbled.
"Just keep it to Flip, small fry," Flip replied with a nod. "And don't expect much of this same kindness next time. Bathrooms are for paying customers, capisce?"
Lincoln shrank a little bit against his father in response.
"Well, I suppose we should be on our way then," Lynn Sr. said, rubbing Lincoln's back comfortingly. "Thanks again, Flip, see ya around."
"See ya around, Loud," Flip said, not looking up again.
The ringing bell of the door closing behind them preceded the first refreshing wind that coaxed Lincoln into looking up at his father, seeking further comfort from the man who had been treating him so well throughout the day.
"That man was scary," Lincoln commented.
Lynn Sr. smiled understandably at Lincoln, "Yeah, ol' Flip is kind of a character, I admit, but don't worry about it; he's got some good qualities underneath it all. He did let us use the bathroom without buying anything, after all."
"I'm really sorry about that," Lincoln meekly said, his gaze falling again.
"What? For having to answer the call of nature?" Lynn Sr. laughed good-naturedly in response, "Think nothing of it, Squirt. We've all been there, trust me." He brought them back to his car and opened the door with his foot again, "Now let's continue on our way. We're almost to where I wanted to take you!"
Lincoln blinked curiously and regarded his father inquisitively as he was being buckled in his car seat. "We are?"
"Yup! I got a final grand stop on our tour that we're gonna have a ton of fun with!" Lynn Sr. exclaimed.
"Tour" was definitely the right word for what they had been doing. Driving along the roads and highways around the Royal Woods area, Lynn Sr. had pointed out the various locales and points of interest that could be found in and around Lincoln's new home.
From the Royal Woods mall, to which Lynn Sr. said he would probably see a lot of thanks to Leni, to the various restaurants that dotted the area (Lynn Sr. held a particular fondness for one specific restaurant called Bangers n' Mosh), to the enticing park area that was present in Royal Woods proper, Lincoln found a great many parts to his new home that he couldn't wait to see up close and personal when he got the chance.
"Here we are, Squirt!" Lincoln had been so enamored with looking out at his new home, that once again, he found himself startled when the car stopped and the engine and music went with a click of the keys being pulled from the ignition.
Lincoln's sight flew forward just as Lynn Sr. departed from the car, and his eyes caught the bottom portion of a name on a building in front of them.
Lynn Sr. laughed heartily when he opened Lincoln's door, "Spacing out again, Squirt?"
Lincoln blinked again in response, lifting his arms to let Lynn Sr. pull him out when he was unbuckled. "Uh-huh," He admitted, "I don't mean to; there's just so much to see and so much to…"
"Absorb?" Lynn Sr. guessed. He hoisted Lincoln up against him. "Yeah, that's understandable. Maybe that'll actually help you out. Maybe you'll be able to keep track of a lot more stuff that way." He turned his face towards the building, "Now, feast your eyes on it, Lincoln! A place your old man holds near and dear to his heart!"
Lincoln looked at the letters above the awning of the building, his face scrunching up slightly as he tried to make sense of them. "Um…Mister Daddy?" He said after an unsuccessful attempt at deciphering them.
"Oh, right!" I forgot he couldn't read. Lynn Sr. coughed and looked back at Lincoln, using his free arm to gesture towards the building. "Lincoln. This is Gus' Games and Grub! Royal Woods' premier arcade!"
Lincoln tilted his head, appearing rather adorable to Lynn Sr., "Arc-Ade?"
Lynn Sr. smirked, "Why don't we just head in? You'll love it, trust me."
And with that, Lynn Sr. carried Lincoln forward, grabbing the door, and releasing the sounds of a dozen different videogames and pinball machines upon the boy's ears.
…
"So that'll be twenty dollars' worth of game credits and a large pepperoni for here, am I right?"
"Yes, thank you kindly," Lynn Sr. said.
Lincoln took in the multitude of colorful boxes and tables surrounding him from his spot by his father's legs, gripping the cloth of his pants with one hand as he cautiously surveyed everything around him.
The sounds of various videogame sound effects and the clang of pinball bumpers had only grown louder the further the two of them ventured into the arcade, surrounding the boy in what he had to admit was a frightening cacophony of sounds and commotion.
But despite that squiggling fear, Lincoln just bit his lip and soldiered on there by his father's side, intent to not ruin their beyond wonderful day like he had done so of the previous one.
Though he did also make sure not to move beyond an inch away from him. Lynn Sr. was his only lifeline there at that moment, and despite the short time they had spent together, Lincoln knew he would come to his rescue should something go amiss.
"Alright, Squirt, we're all set to go!" The fear was quashed just a bit by Lynn Sr.'s cheerful timbre, and Lincoln looked up just as he was brought back in his gentle hold.
Lincoln brought his hand to grip the shoulder of Lynn Sr.'s shirt, looking forward along with him as the rows of arcade cabinets took them in.
So many colors, so many sounds, the smell of popcorn, pizza, and candy assailed Lincoln, pulling his gaze in a thousand different directions with such tenacity, it was a miracle the little thing didn't up and pull a muscle in his neck.
"GRUAAAAAA!" Then, out of a direction Lincoln wasn't looking, a highly digitized roar, utterly terrifying to the entranced boy, tore through the air.
"Augh!" Lincoln squeaked like a frightened churchmouse and immediately curled up against Lynn Sr., hiding his face in the crook of his neck.
"Aww! Lincoln, don't be scared!" Lynn Sr. said, bouncing him in his arms and patting his back lovingly. "That's just Sinistar, one of the games we just walked by."
Lincoln shook against him, but forced himself to pull away from Lynn Sr. "S-Sinistar?" He quailed, looking at his father with quivering eyes.
Lynn Sr. nodded and turned around, "It's just a space game. Here, I'll show you." He walked the two of them to a rather nondescript arcade cabinet, emblazoned with the game's title and antagonist.
"BEWARE! I HUNGER!" Lincoln tensed up when he saw Sinistar, a monstrous looking creature of the palest white with glowing red eyes and frightening looking horns.
"It's nothing to be afraid of, just a game," Lynn Sr. soothed, "I could show you how to beat it sometime. It's more fun than you think."
Lincoln bit his lip and looked down, "Maybe…"
Lynn Sr. laughed and turned back around, "But that's for another time, there's a more classic game I wanna show you."
"RUN, COWARD!" Sinistar boomed out a final call, one that actually made Lincoln wanna look past his father's shoulder to stick his tongue out at the creature.
Maybe when he was braver.
"Here we go!" Fortunately, Lynn Sr. took Lincoln's mind off Sinistar, instead bringing his attention to a much more festive looking arcade cabinet, with blocky yellow letters, a round, yellow creature, and several colorful blobby things.
"Lincoln, I'd like to introduce you to my friend Pac-Man!"
Lincoln tilted his head, "Pac-Man?"
Lynn Sr. pulled a barstool up to the cabinet. "Yup!" He said, placing Lincoln on top of it, "One of the great-grandaddies of gaming, and a long time taker of your daddy's quarters!"
Lincoln eyed the screen he was now in front of, taking in the iconic maze that Pac-Man and his ghostly adversaries inhabited. "He took something from you?" He queried.
Lynn Sr. laughed again and reached into his pocket for the card he got at the front counter. "More like I kept coming back to give him more." He swiped the card against the little payment terminal, standing up quickly to press the start button at the corner of the control pad. "Here, I'll show you! Can I have your hand, Squirt?"
Lincoln offered his good hand, letting his father gently take it into his own. Lynn Sr. then brought his hand over to the lone joystick in the middle of the control pad, laying Lincoln's hand along the ball at the top while carefully laying his own hand over his.
"Here's what you do," Lynn Sr. said, beginning to guide Lincoln's hand as the game began. "You control Pac-Man with this stick, and the goal is to eat all the little pellets around the maze while avoiding the ghosts, those little colorful blobs in the center, understand?"
Lincoln's eyes widened, transfixed by Pac-Man moving in response to his and Lynn Sr.'s administrations, "I-I think so…"
Lynn Sr. smiled, Ooh, I think someone's interested in the game! He continued to lead Lincoln, tenderly pushing his hand to guide the joystick, bringing Pac-Man towards one of the power-pellets.
"Here comes the ghosts!" He said with a false sense of playful urgency, "But don't worry, to fight back, we just need to grab one of these!"
Lincoln gasped when a series of loud beeping chimes came from the game with Pac-Man's eating of the power-pellet, and suddenly, he was being led against the ghosts, now flashing blue and white with little looks of panic written on their pixelated faces.
"And got 'em!" Lynn Sr. let out a congratulatory cry when all four ghosts were sent back to their central hub. "Now we have a little bit more breathing room to get the rest of the pellets!"
And that's what they did. Together, they guided Pac-Man through the rest of the maze, gobbling up every last pellet until the screen flashed with the final one being chomped on.
"Haha! Way to go, Lincoln!" Lynn Sr. leaned down so he could show Lincoln his beaming smile, "Ya did it! You beat the level!"
Lincoln looked over at his father, "I did? But you were helping me?"
"You were still the one with your hand on the controller, it was still you, Squirt, great job!" Despite the truth of Lincoln's objection, his father's words did fill him with a sense of pleasant accomplishment.
His father was proud of him!
Lincoln blushed and looked down at the joystick, where their hands were still laid. "Thank you, Mister Daddy…" He said, unknowingly thanking him for so much more than the assist.
"You're very welcome, Lincoln," Lynn Sr. said warmly. He got his attention back with a gentle jostle, "Now, focus back up! Looks like Pac-Man wants another fill!"
Lincoln snapped back to the screen, now filled with another maze and another array of pellets. "R-Right!" He said with a jolt. He leaned forward, a determined little glint coming to life in his eyes, "Don't worry, Mr. Pac-Man! I'll help you!"
And Lynn Sr. grinned, happy that he found another thing to share with his son.
…
"Okay! Just put it right here!" Luan directed, gesturing to a spot in between the couch and TV.
Lori and Luna placed the little theater set down; a cardboard structure cut to resemble a little castle with a large window for shows in its middle part, in between two little parapet towers. Along the castle walls, little spirals of several colors were drawn, appearing as vines with little stylized flowers drawn by the girls quite a while ago.
Across the arc at the top, a scrawl of messy letters saying, "Theater" rang out boldly, complete with a childish facsimile of the masks befitting "Tragedy" and "Comedy".
"Alright, just a little more to the left…" Luan's tongue poked out from the corner of her lips, and her hands, pulled into a box shape like a director, framed the theatre. "Just a little bit more…There! Put it down!"
Lori and Luna gripped the castle towers, stilling their jostling movement.
"Alright, cool," Lori said, patting the cardboard onto the carpet. "What's next, Luan?"
"Next is the actual puppets and decorations," Luan stated. She jogged to the bottom of the stairs, "Leni! Lynn! Do you have the supplies!?"
Her answer was a hyperactive Lynn, vaulting down several steps from the upstairs hallway with a sizeable box in her arms. "I got the puppets!" She crowed, hopping down the steps three at a time.
"Lynn, be careful!" Leni's fearful cry came soon after, following after Lynn with a box of cloth fabrics. "You might hurt yourself!"
"As if—Wha!" Of course, Lynn tripped on that next jump, tilting forward with a squeak and widened eyes.
Thankfully, Lori was quick, and Lynn fell safely into her arms, scooped up against her like a mother eagle swooping up a falling chick.
"You were saying, Lynnie?" Lori said plainly.
Lynn blushed and smiled sheepishly. "Thank you, Lori…" She said, going to give Lori a grateful smooch on the cheek.
Lori rolled her eyes and set her down, She's lucky she's cute.
"Did you find the black cloth we needed?" Luna asked Leni.
"Uh-huh! I managed to find some in the new linen closet!" She set the box down and pulled out a large flowy bit of black cloth, dotted with little sparkles along its semi-translucent fabric. "Are you sure this won't scare Linky though, Luan?"
"As long as we don't cover the Nightmare Lord's face, I think we should be okay," Luan replied, turning to the actress that would play their villain.
Lori scowled and glared at the ground, her fists on her waist, "I don't see why I have to be the Nightmare Lord…"
"Because Lincoln will be the least scared if he sees it's you," Luna reasoned. She gave Lori a placating smile, "You know how much he likes you. Remember yesterday in the car?"
The girl's frowned, remembering the first half of their little brother's episode; the heartbreaking breakdown Lincoln fell into.
"He hugged your arm," Luna said, going to hug Lori's side. "Lori…Lincoln trusts you. He won't be scared of you, no way, no how."
Luna was soon followed by the rest of the sisters, going in to wrap their arms around the eldest until Lori was engulfed in a four-way group hug.
"As much as I hate to admit it," Luan said, "Luna's right. Linky won't be scared of you."
"Yeah!" Lynn agreed, looking up at Lori with a glittery fondness in her eyes, "Lincoln knows you're nice! Just like we do!"
Lori's sour expression fell, washed away by her sisters' affection. "Aw jeez…" She huffed, bringing her arms to hug her sisters back, "Way to butter me up, you guys." She sighed and looked over at the bit of black cloth, "Fine…I'll be the stinkin' Nightmare Lord."
The girls laughed and parted from Lori.
"Great!" Luan cheered, going to grab the cloth. "Leni, can you get Lori ready!? We need to start practicing for the show!"
"Got it!" Leni said, taking the cloth and going to Lori, "Alright, Lori! You ready?"
Lori took immediate notice of the pincushion in Leni's hand. "Sure…" She said, tensing up. Oh, man, why did you have to hug my arm, Linc?
…
"WE GOT A LARGE PEPPERONI PIE FOR LYNN! LYNN, YOUR PIZZA IS READY FOR PICK-UP!"
Lynn Sr. turned towards the direction of the announcement, "Looks like our grub's ready, Squirt! Ya hungry?"
Lincoln frowned, a little bit peeved when he missed a jump and caused the man now known to him as Mario to run into a barrel. "Aww, okay…"
Lynn Sr. chuckled and picked Lincoln up, "Don't worry, we'll play a few more games after we eat. Pinky swear."
"Okay," Lincoln said, settling himself in his father's arms and latching onto his shoulder. He waved at the Donkey Kong cabinet as Lynn Sr. walked them back down the aisle. "Bye-Bye, Mister Mario. Bye-Bye, Mister Donkey Kong."
"BEWARE, COWARD! I HUNGER!" And Lincoln made a point to stick his tongue out at Sinistar.
Over the past hour or so, Lynn Sr. and Lincoln had conducted a healthy tour of the arcade, getting a good sample of the various games that dotted the aisles of it. Well, all the age-appropriate games, that is. Lynn Sr. did have to make a point of avoiding the path of Mortal Kombat and House of The Dead.
Still, they had fun. Pac-Man, Donkey Kong, Bubble Bobble; and perhaps best of all, a state-of-the-art Mario Kart cabinet that both father and son got to enjoy together, with Lincoln sitting on Lynn Sr.'s lap. Together, they grasped the steering wheel (with Lincoln's casted arm only gripping it with his fingers), racing along the colorful tracks, laughing uproariously with the twists and turns of the courses.
Lynn Sr. was overjoyed. He had never imagined his first day with his son being such a wonderful one. Being there with Lincoln, he felt the same bond as that of the one between him and his daughters. Holding him in his arms, he knew he was holding his child, no ifs and or buts about it.
"You Lynn?" An employee asked when they got to the pick-up window.
"That's me," Lynn Sr. said. He took the piping hot pizza, billowing steam upward and walked over to a table, balancing it on his free palm with Lincoln in the other.
"Pizza?" Lincoln observed the melty dish with a curious expression, not unknowing, just curious.
"Oh, you actually know this food?" Lynn Sr. asked.
Lincoln nodded, "Uh-huh, but…" He debated telling Lynn Sr. his next thought. He didn't want to make his father sad, not after all the fun they were having.
"But what, Squirt?" Lynn Sr. pressed, lowering Lincoln into a seat.
Lincoln bit his lip, eyeing the pizza as it was set before him. "I—Um…" He looked down, bunching his shoulders up. "I've never had it while it was hot before…"
Lynn Sr. froze, "Oh…" Again, he was struck a little bit dumb by Lincoln's words; again, he had heard yet another detail of the boy's suffering. It was an admittedly small detail, but when added to the already massive pile of infractions, it was yet another straw to the rapidly breaking back of Lincoln's hardships.
"I'm really sorry if that makes you sad," Lincoln meekly mumbled. "I didn't mean to remember it. I just wanna keep having fun with you."
Lynn Sr. jolted out of his momentary surge of pity for the boy. Ding-Dang-Darnit, Lynn, keep it together! He mentally urged. This little guy needs smiles, not a pity party! Intent on listening to his inner voice, he gave Lincoln a beaming grin and sat across from him, "Aww, no worries, Squirt! You didn't make me sad." He took a paper plate from the middle of the table and pulled a piece for Lincoln, catching the boys' eyes with the stretchy cheese. "I'm just glad to be here with you now. You know how much I like feeding you new foods! Now I get to see you try fresh pizza for the first time!"
Lincoln's shoulders relaxed and he closed his eyes to take an appreciative sniff of the pizza when it was placed in front of him. "I really like getting to try all these new foods, too, Mister Daddy."
Lynn Sr. smiled and took a piece for himself. "Good thing you have me for a daddy then, Lincoln. You're gonna get to try a ton of new foods on my watch!"
Lincoln's legs swung from his chair happily in response and he picked up the pizza to take a large chomp out of it. He hummed in appreciation of the warm, toasty food and beamed at Lynn Sr. with an affectionate gleam in his eyes. "That makes me happy, Mister Daddy. Thank you!"
Lynn Sr. chuckled and took a bite of his own slice, "You're very welcome, Son."
…
"Thank you for such a fun day, Mister Daddy!" Lincoln looked through the cute little kaleidoscope he now held, a prize he and his father had won thanks to a few very lucky rounds of skeeball.
Lynn Sr. beamed at Lincoln in the rearview mirror, "I'm glad you had fun, Squirt! I did too."
Lincoln pulled his kaleidoscope from his eye, "Can we go again sometime? Maybe with the girls?"
"Sure!" Lynn Sr. said with gusto. "I'm sure it'd be even more fun with them! Though we may wanna duck and cover if Junior gets overexcited with the skeeball game."
Lincoln giggled and wiggled his sneakered feet, "I'd be okay with that. But doesn't Lynn wanna go to the park?"
He's so considerate! Lynn Sr. internally gushed. "We can do both. We have all the time in the world, y'know."
Lincoln's hand gripped his kaleidoscope, and he looked down at his lap. "I hope so…" He mumbled.
"Well, I know so!" Lynn Sr. assured, catching Lincoln's little tinge of fear. "You're a Loud, Lincoln! Lincoln Loud!"
Lincoln smiled and looked up at his father, the man who had made him so happy that day. "Lincoln Loud…I like that…"
The rest of the drive was conducted in comfortable silence after that, with Lincoln gazing at the darkening sky, watching the first few stars appear in their shining glory.
The world sure was beautiful; far more so than those concrete buildings and cracked stone walls from before would have had him believe.
Unlike the rest of the day, the sight of the oncoming Loud house did rouse Lincoln's attention from the passing world. What did pretty stars compare to the prospect of seeing the rest of his family again? Spectacular as the day was, his little heart did still yearn for them to be together once more.
"Someone looks excited," Lynn Sr. mused when he saw Lincoln almost bouncing in his carseat as they pulled into the driveway. "You looking forward to seeing your sisters, Squirt?"
"Uh-huh!" Lincoln chirped. "Missus Mommy, too!"
Rita'll be happy to hear that, Lynn Sr. thought with a smirk. He put the car in park and pulled the key out of the ignition, putting the car and the stereo into a well-deserved rest. "Well, we don't wanna keep 'em waiting then, do we? Let's go!"
"Yeah, yeah, yeah!" Lincoln cheered, setting his good hand on one of the buckles of the carseat, futilely trying to undo it with his tiny fingers.
Lynn Sr. chuckled at Lincoln's adorable enthusiasm and quickly made his way to his side, "Hold your horses, Squirt!" He said, reaching for the buckles himself, "We don't want your little fingers to get pinched."
Lincoln lifted his hand from the buckles, his smile widening when his father effortlessly dispatched them. "Thank you, Mister Daddy!" He said, lifting his arms to let Lynn Sr. pluck him out.
"So many thank yous," Lynn Sr. said, grabbing the pizza box they had brought the food in. "I have to admit, I love the politeness, Lincoln, but do I really merit them?"
Lincoln didn't know what the word "merit" meant, but he nodded, "I have to say thank you! You were so nice to me, and I had so much fun, and…" He stopped and directed his focus to a piece of lint on Lynn Sr.'s shoulder, "And I've never had a daddy before…"
Lynn Sr.'s heart practically became molten with the warmth that ran through it, and he found himself having to blink a few times to keep his eyes from blurring, "And—And I've never had a son before." His voice was a little strained, and he had to clear his throat before he spoke again, "And—" He smiled at Lincoln and bounced him on his arm. "And I'm so happy that you're mine, Lincoln."
Lincoln blinked a few times as well, and peered up at Lynn Sr., his eyes a little watery as well, "And I'm happy you're mine, Mister Daddy."
The two regarded each other for a moment or two longer, a final piece of time to cap off what had been an exemplary day of getting to know one another.
"Well…" Lynn Sr. said after that moment ended. "We better get inside. Not only are your sisters probably looking forward to seeing you again, but they're probably hungry with a capital 'H' right about now!"
Lincoln laughed and looked to the front door as they ascended the stairs on the front porch, "Uh-huh! We'll be able to heat up the pizza again, right?"
"Of course!" Lynn Sr. assured.
And then, before Lynn Sr. could even reach for his keys, the front door swung open, and a symphony of jubilant cries assailed the father and son, followed immediately by a throng of hyperactive girls.
"Lincoln!"