"La la la la!" The young white-haired girl sings, "Today's gonna be a great day! La la la la! Today's gonna be a great day!" Then, she carefully molds the dough she had prepared, before placing the result on a cooking tray, "Got some snacks and a pint of cola! Oh oh whoa oh, today's gonna be a great day!"
After that, the young girl turns and faces a small red jar, "Dangit! I'm going to need…" She carefully moves her hand closer to the jar, "Those succulent… sweet… delicious… chocolate chips…" She licks her lips in anticipation. "Come on Lincoln! You need to get a hold of yourself! You need to finish these cookies for… him." Her cheeks go red as she is filled with embarrassment.
"No! You're just going to hang out with the most… dreamy… nice… kind… handsome boy you've ever met." Linka's heart begins to race as her mind fills with the idea of spending a day with the young man. "Nope! He's just a friend! That you've kissed… dangit Linka what's wrong with you?!" Immediately, the young girl grabs the bright red jar and dumps the contents on the tray, covering the snack in chocolate.
Linka's eyes go wide with that, "keep your cool Linka, you don't need to eat all the chocolate…" Then she takes one of the chocolate chips and throws it in her mouth… before grabbing a handful and eating those as well.
After that she chews and smiles, "Heh, I guess being a chocoholic isn't that bad, after all, I don't have to fight ten sisters at least!"
"Hey Linka." Rita greets as she walks into the kitchen, "How's the cookin' going? It is your first time preparing snacks after all." Then the woman rubs her chin, "Now that I think about it, why are you making this stuff anyway?"
The young girl smiles, "It's because I'm goin' on a picnic with a friend and I wanna make sure we have plenty to eat!"
"Uh-huh." Her mother responds, "Is there something you wanna tell me Linka? After all it seems that you're making quite the meal for just one friend."
"What are you talkin' about mom?" Linka tilts her head in confusion, "I just made a few things. It's not like I made a hamburger that eats people!"
"Yes, that's true." Her mother responds, before putting on a soft, caring smile, "But you did make some heart-shaped burgers." Then she points to the stove, which had several patties formed and cooking, "Care to explain?"
Linka rubs the back of her head, "Oh those? They're just for the heart-shaped buns I made." She puts on a nervous smile, "I haven't gotten around to making the heart-shaped tomatoes and lettuce, and I have to add the cheese when they're cooked. No big deal." While she thinks, "My burgers are Ron Andy's favorite… I hope he likes these…"
"Haha!" Rita rubs her daughter's hair, "Come on, why don't you tell me what's really goin'? I'm your mother after all." The woman quickly looks from side to side, before whispering, "You can tell me anything. I won't tell your father."
"Nope!" The young girl immediately responds, "I just wanted to make some heart shaped stuff is all!"
"Oh really now?" Rita chuckles, "Even the heart-shaped cookies?" She motions at the dough that had been shaped into perfect Valentine Hearts. "Plus, the fact that there's chocolate still on them means you've been fighting your chocoholic urges."
Linka puts on a sheepish smile, "It's nothing! I just want these to be special and stuff!"
"Hmm." Rita rubs her chin, "So it's either you're doing something for Heart Disease awareness day or…" The woman continues with a cheerful singsong voice, "Someone's hoping that a certain someone's gonna to take her to the Valentine's Day Dance I heard the boys talking about!"
"I uhh…" Linka's face goes red with blush, "It's nothing! It's not like the boy I like is the friend I'm going on the picnic with! It's not big deal mom!"
"Haha!" Rita laughs, "Don't try to lie Linka, I said the same thing when I was your age." Then the woman squats down to her daughter's height, "So who's the lucky boy? I'm sure he will love to dance with you!"
"Dance?!" Lynn Sr. shouts, "Did I hear someone mention a dance?!" Then his eyes fall upon his only daughter, "It's almost Valentines Day. Are you going to a valentine's dance?! Are you planning on asking somebody? Are you already making plans?! Do you already have a date?!" Then, the man grabs hold of his daughter and begins shaking her, as he continuing with a frantic voice, "Is a boy going with you?! Who is he?! When I find him I'll-"
"Lynn Bertram Loud Junior!" Rita shouts, cutting her husband off… only for Lynn Sr. to turn to her, unfazed by her attempt, "Uhh, honey, that only works if you have a sort of tranquil fury behind it."
Rita pinches the bridge of her nose, before continuing, "Our daughter would like you to let go of her now."
"Huh?" the man goes, before looking and realizing just how hard he was holding onto Linka, "Oh…" He quickly lets go of his only daughter, before adjusting his sleeves and continuing in a fatherly voice, "Linka, you know you're too young to go to a dance!"
"But dad!" Linka goes, "I-"
"Lynn," Rita cuts in, "It's a Valentine's Day Dance for kids her age. She'll be fine!
"But Rita, by the sound of it, there are going to be kids on dates!" The man holds his hands up and begins motioning around what could happen, "I know that girls grow faster than boys, but my baby girl is still too young to deal with boys!"
"Mmm hmm," Rita crosses her arms, "I seem to recall a certain someone's father saying he was too young to go to his first Valentine's Day dance too, so he just went anyway under the guise of going out with friends."
"That was different Rita." Lynn throws his arms up as he does so.
"How so?" his wife counters.
The man hesitates for a moment, before gritting his teeth in defeat. Then with a soft sigh he regains his composure, "Do I at least know the boy?"
Linka's face goes red once again, before she stammers, "What boy?! There's no boy!"
Rita holds her hand over her mouth and chuckles, "Aww, she's already covering for him!"
"Sweetie, we can do this the easy way or the easier way. " Lynn speaks with a soft, fatherly voice… only for Rita to respond, "Actually Loni's going to be away with his club for a bit. So asking him is a no go."
"Phew." Linka mentally wipes sweat from her brow. "While Loni is nowhere near as big a tattletale as Lola, if you tell him a secret while not telling him it's a secret… he'll spill everything!"
"Dangit." Lynn Sr. whispers. "Now how are we going to-"
That's when Loki walks in on his phone.
He quickly looks up and spots his sister, "Hey Linka, great." He shoves the device in his pocket, before continuing, "Listen Bebe asked me to have lunch with her at the new Italian place at the mall and she wanted to know if you wanted to double up and go with," The young man then looks up… only to be met by his father's waiting eyes, "Rrrrraaa… uhh…"
And with that, Lynn Sr. stares at his eldest son, who put on a sheepish smile while Linka does the same.
"Ra who Loki?" Lynn Sr. asks, a cold authority filling his voice.
"No one dad!" Loki responds, desperate to keep the secret.
"Wait. Didn't you tell us that Bebe had a little brother with an R name? Roberto? Romeo? Rascal? Richard? Rich? Rocky? Rat? Remy? Ronaldo?" Rita speaks up.
The flinch at the name Ronaldo was all the confirmation their father needed for the air in the room to start filling with an uncomfortable heat.
"I see. Your girlfriend's little brother has his eye on your little sister." Lynn Sr. then looks at his daughter, "And Linka here seems to like him back."
"Aww that's adorable!" Rita goes, "I remember my first love!"
Lynn Sr. facepalms, "Ugh, when's he supposed to come? I need to make sure a few things are clear before you do anything with him." The man's voice fills with defeat
Linka gives a nervous smile in response; "He's supposed to be coming along any minute now…"
Then man then turns to his eldest son, "Loki, make sure your brothers know to be ready, got that?"
Loki nods, "Yes sir." And with that, he turns and walks out of the kitchen. Lynn Sr. takes one final look at his daughter, before turning and walking out as well.
"Why do I have a bad feeling about what's about to happen?" Linka then sigh.
"Don't worry Linka." Rita assures, placing her hands on her daughter's shoulders as she does so, "He's doing this cause he loves you." Then she stands up, "Now, why don't you finish preparing for the picnic? It may be winter, but the weather makes it feel like spring." And with that, Rita steps out of the room as well.
Meanwhile…
"Ok you can do this Ron." Ron Andy whispers, "There's absolutely nothing that can go wrong." He takes a deep breath, "She's just the girl of your dreams! You've kissed her in public! You've gone places with her before! She seems to like you back!" he looks at his left hand as it clutches his bag, "Why am I so worried?!"
"Hey Ron, something bugging you?" Cristopher asks, "You look like you're about to storm the beaches of Normandy, getting married, or about to a business meeting."
"Nothing Cris, I'm just nervous about asking Linka out to the dance." The boy looks at his companion, "After all, she likes me too, but I'm still afraid she'll say no or something."
"Calm down mate. You've done stuff with her before!" Cristopher looks forward and gives a soft chuckle; "After all, you've hugged and kissed her in public! You've helped her with bullies! Heck, you've even gone shopping with her! You'll be fine!"
Ron smiles, "Thanks Cris." Then he looks forward and puts his hands behind his head, "So how about you mate? Who are you planning on askin' to the dance?"
Immediately Cristopher's face goes bright red and he stammers, "Oh uhh, I uhh, no one in particular I, umm."
"Haha!" Ron Andy goes, "It's Claudia isn't it?!" He then playfully punches his friend, "Bro, just ask her out, I think she likes you!"
"What, you really think so?" The boy responds.
"Yeah bro. Plus, it couldn't hurt to just ask her out." Ron Andy then smiles.
"But she's into girls isn't she?" Cristopher looks down in disappointment, "But she did kiss me… so I'm not sure."
"Remember what she said about that?" Ron Andy goes, before the duo turns onto a familiar block.
"Don't think about it?" Cristopher responds.
Ron Andy nods, "Yeah, just don't think about it and just ask her, the worse she can do is say no."
And with that, the two boys stop in front of 1216 Franklin Avenue, "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to ask a certain white-haired girl out for the night of her life." And with that he steps forward and walks up to the door.
"Good luck mate!" Cristopher shouts, "Just remember: if you get cold feet you can call her from behind this bush!" Ron Andy glances back to his friend once more, before raising his fist and knocks on the red wooden door, silently hoping that his hand doesn't break through… again.
"Here we go." The boy think as a soft *click* emanates from the door in front of him… revealing the father of the girl he sought to go out with.
"Uhh, hi there Mr. Loud." Ron nervously greets, "You look well today!"
The man stands before him in silence for a moment, before greeting, "Hello, are you Ron Andy?"
"Yes…" His voice trails off, "It's nice to meet you!"
The man stares at the boy with judging eyes, before stepping aside and motioning for him to enter, "Come inside, I have to talk to you before you do anything with my daughter, got that?"
Ron nervously nods, before entering the Loud Residence. Lynn Sr. scans the area for a second and slams the door shut.
"Good luck Ron." Cristopher whispers, before stepping out from the bushes and dusting himself off, "Now I just have to…"
"Hey Cristopher!" Claudia runs over, "What are you doin' here?"
Immediately Cristopher's face goes red in embarrassment, "Oh uhh hi Claudia." He then rubs the back of his face and stammers, "I'm just uhh, here because Ron uhh…"
Claudia looks at the boy in annoyance has he continues spouting random gibberish. "Dude, calm down. You're acting like you saw another weird fanfic of us or something."
Immediately the boy's face gets even redder, "I- I didn't! I uh…" Then he sighs, "Hey Claudia."
"Good." The girl responds, "Now, why're you here?"
The boy rubs the back of his head, "I was just with Ron… he was just about to ask Linka to go to the Valentine's Day Dance with him."
"Huh, ok then." Claudia goes, before turning around, "Well since our friends are busy, do you wanna, I don't know, hang out or something?"
The boy's face goes red again, "Are you sure Claudia? I uhh, I mean would you rather way for Linka?"
Claudia shrugs, "It's not like it's a date or something. Plus you, as well as I, know that when those two start hanging out together, they won't stop until someone comes in and forcefully separate them."
"Good point…" Cristopher responds, before taking a deep breath and nodding, "Sure Claudia, let's hang out."
And with that, the girl grabs hold of his hand, "Cool."
Then they walk away.
A few minutes later...
Ron Andy sits directly across from Lynn Sr. at the adult table. The man stares at the boy with determination, causing a patriarchal atmosphere to overtake the room.
"Let's start shall we." The man declares, before pulling out a small, black notebook.
The young boy looks at the man in fear, but chooses not to speak up, no doubt out of fear. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Linka preparing the picnic they had planned to go on, while her ten brothers stood in behind the family patriarch.
"What is your full name, kid?" The man's voice is filled with a commander's strength.
"Uhh…" The boy starts, causing Lynn Sr. To glare at him in annoyance. Yet, the boy pushes passed his fears, "My name is Ron Andy… sir."
"Full name son. I want your full legal name." The man immediately responds, his demeanor remaining hard.
Ron Andy hesitates for a moment, unsure whether or not to be offended, "Uhh, my full legal name?"
"Yes, stop stalling and answer." Lynn Sr. goes; while the ten brothers glare at him in a judgmental annoyance… save for Loki, who just looks at him in annoyance.
"Uhh… My full legal name is Ronald Andres Nicolao-Prospero Garcia-Shapiro Santiago." The boy sits up straight, desperate not to break down in fear.
Lynn Sr. then turns and looks at Loki, "Is he tellin' the truth son?"
"Yeah dad." Loki calmly responds, while not breaking eye contact with Ron.
"Good." The man quickly jots down some notes, before continuing, "Got a criminal record?"
Ron shakes his head, "No sir."
"How did you meet my daughter?" Lynn Sr. leans in intently as do the boys.
"I'm going to die…" Ron thinks, before he takes a deep breath. The room fills with tension as he answers the father; "I used to well… be the class bully."
Lynn Sr. clenches his fists, as do the brothers.
"I'm not surprised." He continues with a regretful tone, "I never bothered her though. I only messed with the other boys…" He looks the man in the eyes, "But then, one day, she stood up to me to protect one of her male friends."
"Hmm?" The man stares at him, "And?"
Ron Andy nervously rubs his arm as he continues, "After that… I began to well… notice her more… her beautiful blue eyes… her majestic white hair… how nice she was to everyone…" He takes another deep breath, "So after that, when this mean girl in our class, Chandler, tried to bully her I decided to stick up for her." A nostalgic smile begins to form on the boy's face, "Heh… so we decided to spend some time together. And we ended up dating."
"I see." Lynn Sr. declares, "And for how long have you been dating my daughter?"
"About nine months at this point." The boy rubs the back of his head once again.
"What do you think boys? Do you give him permission to date your sister?" Lynn Sr. turns to the ten boys waiting behind him. The young men's expressions are filled with a fatherly determination as they nod in agreement.
"Very well." The man declares, before going under the table and pulling out a baseball bat, "I'll let you continue dating my daughter Ron Andy." His voice fills with a solemn authority, "But so help me, if you break Linka's heart-"
The brothers crack their knuckles while Lynn Sr. raises the bat, "So help me I will shove this baseball bat up your arse so far, it'll come out the other end, got that punk?"
Ron Andy frantically nods in response, "Yes sir!"
"Good." The man turns to his sons, "All of you are dismissed, prepare choco-shortage protocol." He grits his teeth, "With Valentine's Day coming up and the amount of young, hormonal, women that will probably pass through this home, we're going to need a chocolate reserve to stay safe.
The boys nod in affirmation, before filing out of the room, leaving Lynn Sr. alone with his daughter's admirer.
"This is your only warning." Lynn Sr. coldly mutters, before turning, and following his sons out the room.
The young boy's heart races in fear, as he stands up, turns around and enters the kitchen.
"Hey Ron!" Linka greets, as she calmly places the heart-shaped burgers in her picnic basket.
"Uhh, hey Linka." He responds, nervously rubbing the back of his head, "So, uhh, how's the picnic lookin'?"
The girl turns to Ron with a beaming smile, "I've finished everything! Just get your sweater on and we'll be set to go!" Then she steps over and grabs a red button-down sweater and drown hat off the coat rack, "You ready to go?"
Ron looks passed the girl for a moment, and notices Loki peering over the corner, "Yeah Linka, I'm ready to go." And with that, the boy picks up the basket, and secures his own backpack, "Huh, this feels like you made a ton of food!"
"Course!" The girl holds her hands together, "We are goin' on a picnic!" Then she playfully punches the boy, "Now come on! We're burnin' daylight!"
And with that, the duo turns and walks out of the home.
Loki sticks his head out the Loud Residence door… followed by the rest of the Loud Bros.
"We're going to follow her, right?" Leif steps out into the lukewarm winter day.
"Of course Leif." Loki responds, "Sister is on a date protocol is now in effect!"
Luke then strums, before continuing, "Man your stations!"
And with that, the brothers follow the duo.
A few minutes after that…
Despite the beautiful weather, the Royal Woods Park is deserted. Oddly enough, the lack of snow should have attracted many residents… not that Linka and Ron minded.
"So that's what you needed that pony for?" Linka throws her head in laughter, "I never thought you could do that!"
"Heh." Ron Andy steps into the park, "Don't worry, I've seen people do even crazier things with a pony, some duel monsters cards, string and can of cola." Then he looks at the girl walking along side him and adjusts his grip on the basket, "So, where do you think we should have this picnic?"
Linka scans the park for a moment, before pointing at a random part of the grassy field, "How about there? It looks pretty comfy!"
"Sure Linka." He responds, before dropping the basket. And within a few minutes, the duo has their picnic entirely set up.
"So what'd you make Linka?" Ron asks.
The girl responds by digging into the basket, "Let's see…" Then she pulls out a heart-shaped cheeseburger wrapping in tin foil, "One of my cheeseburgers!"
Ron's eyes go wide as he takes the sandwich in hand, "You made me one of your burgers?!"
Linka nods, "Yeah!" She looks away and blushes, "After all, what kinda picnic would this be if I didn't bring something you love…"
Ron Andy blushes as well, before dropping his backpack and digging into it, "I know it's nothing like one of your burgers but…" Then, he pulls out a small, red, heart-shaped box, "I got you white chocolate, your favorite."
The girl's eyes go wide in surprise, "I… I don't know what to say Ron." Then she takes the box in hand.
"How about, try them first." Ron smiles, as he unwraps the burger, "After all, you need to taste them before you can tell me how you feel!"
"Heh, good point Ron." Then, the young girl pulls the fabric bow off the box, before carefully pulling the lid off, revealing several white chocolate treats all cubed up for her. Her heart races as she fights the urge two simply scoop them all up and down them in a single volley. "Why doesn't this feel weird at all? Why am I enjoying this so much?!" Then, with a careful movement, she takes one in hand and simply pops it in.
The white chocolate treat wastes no time melting in her mouth, its sweet taste filling her mouth with joy, "I don't care! Screw it!" She closes her eyes and smiles from the feeling.
"Haha! I guess it's safe to say you liked them!" Ron quips.
Linka then responds by throwing her arms around the boy, "I love it Ron! You're the best!"
"Haha! Only the best for my girl." Her responds, before returning the hug.
Then, she breaks the embrace, and pulls out a small zip-lock bag, "I've got something else too! Cookies!"
Ron smiles before taking the bag and pulling out a treat, "Heh, awesome Linka, you're the best." He then munches on the treat, "Heart shaped and chocolate chip?! You shouldn't have!"
"I know, I know. I had to fight the urge to eat them all, but I managed!" Linka closes her eyes and rubs the back of her head nervously, "Now that I think of it, why am I going along with this so easily? The picnic, this date? It all feels… so oddly right."
The duo looks at each other with that. Their hearts race as they lean in closer and lay a soft, kiss on each other's lips.
A million thoughts run through the girl's head just as before, and yet, they all end with the same image: of herself kissing the boy of her dreams.
After that, the couple breaks up and begins to simply talk. They feel no need to do anything else, given that life in Royal Woods was more than interesting enough to fill their time.
Eventually, the sun begins to set over the town, signaling that it was time to head home.
"I guess it's time to head home Ron." Linka declares as she turns to the boy, "After the crazy things that have happened in the past few months, I guess this was a nice change of pace."
"Agreed Linka." Ron stretches as he stands up. Then he goes into his bag once more, "By the way… there's something I've been meaning to as you…" The boy awkwardly rubs the back of his head.
"Yeah?" Linka turns to face the boy. Her heart races in anticipation for what this could possibly mean, "Oh my, he's going to ask me to the dance! He's really going to do it! He's going to ask me out!"
The boy looks the girl in her eyes as he continues, "I wanted to know if you… well… if you wanted to…"
The girl's eyes go wide in anticipation.
"If you wanted to go to the Valentine's Day dance with me?" The boy then shows off the overly pink flier covered in random hearts
Linka doesn't hesitate to throw her arms around the boy, "Yes! Of course I'll go with you!" Then, she places a soft kiss on his cheek.
"Awesome." Ron returns the hug, "Now, it's getting late, let's get out of here."
And with that, the duo packs up their romantic picnic and leaves the park.
Later…
*Yawn* Ron Andy goes as he walks into his simply home. "Hey Bebe, I'm home!"
*Squeal!* The boy's elder sister goes, before she rushes down his home stairs, "You did it! You asked Linka Loud out!" Then she throws her arms around boy and lifts him up.
"Uhh sis…" Ron nervously responds, "Yeah, what about it? I wanted to take her and stuff anyways."
"OMG! I'm going to have to find you something nice to wear! I'm gonna have to find something you can wear! Hmm, I think I-"
"Bebe!" Ron shouts, "You don't have to help me!"
Yet, the girl, simply carries him up the stairs, "You are going on a date! Of course you're gonna need my help!"
"But Linka likes me just the way I am!" He counters, "She never mentioned wanting me to dress up for the dance! It's casual wear and stuff!"
Bebe simply responds by laughing, "All girls say they don't care when in fact every single detail matters! I heard from Loki that Linka made a romantic picnic just for you! She wants only the best!"
A wave of dread begins to overtake the boy, "Is… is she right? Am I not ready for her? No…" He shakes his head, before sighing, "Fine Bebe, what do you suggest I do?"
His sister rubs her chin for a moment, before snapping her fingers, "Ok, I know just what we're going to need to do." Then she carries the young boy into her bedroom, "I'm going to start your make over! And if the Loud Brothers come, they'll help us out too!"
"Why do I have such a bad feeling about this?" Ron thinks, as Bebe drops him on her bed and pulls out a cute orange shirt.
"Oh no…"
Well this doesn't bode well for him.
Meanwhile…
"I'm home!" Linka declares as she opens the door to her home…. Only to be met by her eagerly waiting ten brothers. "Uhh, did I miss anything?"
Loki steps forward, "So how did it go?"
Linka shrugs, before walking into the home and shutting the door behind her, "It was fine guys." Then she pulls out the flier for the Valentine's Dance, "He asked me if I would go with him to the dance and stuff."
The bros immediately start looking at each other, a soft, authoritative air overtaking them.
It only takes Linka a moment to realize what they are thinking, "Guys! I don't need you meddling with this!" She throws her arms in front of her, "Ron Andy is a nice boy! He's not going to do anything bad!" Then she looks away and rubs her arm.
"No problem Linka." Luke goes, "We won't mess with him unless he hurts you." Then Loki continues, "Why don't you get some sleep? After all, you've just came from an all day outing and you must be tired!"
Linka yawns with that, "Ugh… sure guys." And with that, she walks passed them and up the stairs to her room, leaving the brothers behind.
"So, are we actually going to not interfere?" Levi calmly asks, before pulling out a notebook. "Because if our previous patterns of behavior are any indication, we're going to do something in the next ten minutes."
"Bingo Levi." Loki declares, "Just because Ron Andy is Bebe's little bro, he may not be ready to take Linka to a dance." Then he pulls out his phone and begins texting.
Leif then speaks, "So we're going to head over to Ron Andy's and make sure he knows how to treat Linka."
The brothers nod in agreement, before promptly walking out of the home.
A few minutes later…
Loki knocks on the door to his girlfriend's. His nine brothers stand behind him, all sporting looks of determination.
"Who is it?" Bebe calmly asks, and Loki responds, "It's me, Boo-boo Bear! And we're here for you-know-who!"
Immediately, the young woman opens the door and motions for the brothers to come inside. "You guys know what to do right?"
"Of course Bebe." Luke responds, "Who better to teach your little bro how to take care of our sis, than her brothers?!"
"True." Bebe shrugs, "Ok, in the meantime I'll be working on Linka's dress and the clothes for Ron, ok?" Then she turns and shouts, "Hey Ron, there are some guys here for you!"
"Coming!" The young boy responds, before emerging from his room and turning the corner, coming face-to-face with Linka's ten brothers.
"Poo-poo!" Leon shouts, pointing at Ron as he does so.
"Why do I have a bad feeling abut this?" Ron goes, before stepping down the stairs and greeting, "Uhh, hey guys, why are you here so late? I have school in the morning and stuff."
Loni then nonchalantly steps forward and goes, "We're here to make sure you're ready to take Linka on the night of her life! After all, just because she likes you and stuff, doesn't mean you're going to have an easy time with her!"
"So you're about to have a date! Of a time!" Lane throws his head back in laughter, "Get ready Ron!"
Ron gulps again, "I'm going to die aren't I?"
"If you hurt our sister yes." Lexx steps forward.
Then Levi scribbles down something quickly, "Let's begin shall we?"
The next day…
"I'm so excited Claudia!" Linka declares, "I can't believe that Ron asked me out!" She squeals in delight before turning and opening her locker up.
Claudia, instead of responding, simply continues to daydream.
"Hey Claudia." Linka snaps her fingers in front of her best friend's face, "Earth to Claudia!"
Immediately, the dark-skinned girl flinches, "Huh, oh, uhh, what were you saying Linka?"
Linka smiles, "So Cristopher's on your mind huh?"
Immediately, Claudia's face goes red, "What?! No! Just because he asked me to go to the Valentine's Dance with me doesn't mean I'm going to be overly excited for it! Who do you take me for?!"
"Haha!" The white-haired girl goes, before playfully punching Claudia, "Congrats Claudia! Did you accept?! Are you going tomorrow?!"
The girl smiles, "Yeah Linka, I'm going." Then she too opens her locker, "And from your excitement, I suppose Ron asked you out too huh?"
"Yep!" Then Linka quickly packs up her bag and turns. "Now time to head to class!" And immediately, she spots the boy that had asked her just the day before. Linka's heart races as she runs over and greets, "Ron Andy! How're ya doin'?!"
Immediately, the sweater-clad boy flinches, "Uhh…" but instead of replying, he turns and runs away.
"What the? What's going on with him?" Then she gives chase to the boy, "Ron Andy wait! What's going on?! Why are you running all of a sudden?!"
The boy turns and rushes down another corridor, causing him to go out of the white-haired girl's sight for a moment, "You're not getting away until you answer me Ron!" Then, she turns the corridor as well… only to run into a familiar redhead.
*Oof!* she goes, as she falls to the floor.
"Watch where you're-" The boy starts, before looking at who he had just ran into, "Oh, hey Linka."
"Hey Cristopher. Sorry about that. Did you see where Ron Andy went? He just started running away from me for some reason!"
Cristopher shrugs, "Sorry Linka, I saw him run that way." Then he motions at the hallway behind him, "But I haven't talked to him all day, he seemed very shaken up the last time I saw him." He looks at the girl with skeptical eyes, "You wouldn't happen to know anything about this would you?"
Linka shrugs, "No… he asked me to the Valentine's Dance yesterday so I don't know why he just started running."
"I see." Cristopher goes, before standing up and helping the girl to her feet as well. "Well, if I see him later I talk to him ok?"
"Thanks Cris." Linka responds, "And good luck with Claudia, she seemed excited to be going to the dance with you."
Cristopher's face goes red with blush, "Oh that." He nervously rubs the back of his head, "Haha! She's excited, I didn't think she would be!" Then he softens his expression, "Anyways, see ya later!" And with that, the boy walks down the hall.
"Strange I guess… I never expected Cristopher and Claudia to be a thing." Then she shrugs, before steeling her gaze and looking forward, "But that doesn't matter now. Right now I have to figure out what's going on with Ron!"
*Beep* *Beep* the watch suddenly goes.
"What the?" The young girl takes a look, "Dimension Waves Detected!" Her heart races once again, "Wait… I just bumped into Cristopher… does this mean that he is connected to the next fragment somehow?!"She then shakes her head; "I'll figure this out later." And with that, she steels herself once more, before stepping forward and rushing through the halls once more.
It take her half of their break period to track down the boy she so sought, but when she finally catches up to him, he's cornered in a mass of lockers.
"Ron!" she shouts, as she approaches him, before dropping to catch her breath, "What the heck is going on, why are you running from me?!"
"Sorry Linka." He goes quickly, "I just…" Then he looks away, before rubbing the back of his head, "I just… I think things are going too fast right now and think we need to spend some time apart…"
"Wait what?!" Linka's eyes go wide in shock, "But Ron, the dance? I-"
"Look… I know you like and stuff…" Then he rubs his arm and looks away, "I'm sorry… I just can't yet… I'm not ready to take you. Please, I need you to understand that."
"But, Ron…" Linka's eyes begin to fill with tears, "I- I love you… please you don't have to do this! Why are you doing this?!"
The boy takes a deep breath, "Your brothers spent all night teaching me how to take care of you and I realized that well… I'm not ready for this stuff… I want you to be happy but… I just can't do it yet."
Ron Andy's words hit Linka like mini arrows.
Yet he still continues, "Last night… I heard Bebe talking about what hair color our children would have… about how everything seemed to work perfectly." Then he looks her in the eyes, "She even started planning the wedding." He then takes another deep breath, "Even your brothers threatened me several times that if I didn't get this right they'd pummel me…"
With soft tears slowly bubbling up, Ron turns and declares, "I'm sorry Linka." And with that, he walks passed the white-haired girl, leaving her alone in the hallway.
Linka can feel her heart shatter with that, as if the world itself had taken what she held dear and threw it off a cliff, before dropping boulders on it for no other reason than to make her feel. "Linka, why does this hurt so much?! You're a guy in a girl's body, right? You… you don't actually have feelings for him! He's… your body is just trying to…"
She then wipes the tears from her eyes, sniffles a few more times, and continues on with the day.
For the girl, school passes by within seconds and it only takes her a few moments to open the door to her home.
"Hey Linka." Levi goes, "How was-"
"I need chocolate, lot's and lots of white chocolate." She declares, before continuing on her way.
"Oh no…" Levi goes, before pulling out a small radio, "This is Brainy Loud. I seems Linka has entered a heartbreak-infused depression. We are currently at chocolate defcon three. Make sure to keep all chocolate out of the house until resolution."
"This is blue leader, I copy. Who's the idiot boy who broke… freakin' Ron Andy broke her heart didn't he?" Loki's voice fills with anger as he continues, "When I get my hands on that little idiot, I'm going to make him wish he never met her!"
"Don't worry Loki. Lexx, Lars, Lynn and I already have the shovels ready!"
And with that, the brothers begin their manhunt for the poor Ron Andy.
Later…
"Hey Linka, is something bothering you?" Lynn Sr. peaks inside his daughter's bedroom, "You've been in here for the past three hours just eating that chocolate."
Linka shoves another bar in her mouth, "I'm ok dad. Don't worry, everything's just fine!" She then proceeds to shove more chocolate in her mouth, as if she was trying to drown out her pain with the stuff.
"You know I'm not going to leave until you answer me." The father declares, running his hand through his daughter's long, white hair, "Now how about you tell me what's goin' on so I can help ya?"
"Ron broke up with me!" Linka declares, her voice filling with despair.
A tranquil fury begins to overtake the man, "Do you know why he did it Linka?"
Linka shoves another bar in her mouth; "He said that he felt things ere going too fast after he spent the night working with the boys." Then she pulls out a tissue and wipes her nose, "I thought things weren't going just right though!"
If there is one thing Lynn Sr. hates, it's boys trying to date his daughter. But if there is one thing he can't stand, it's to see his only daughter crying over a boy.
He takes a deep breath, before continuing with a solemn authority, "Rita! I'm going to need your help with this!"
A few minutes after that…
"So, care to explain yourselves boys?" Rita pinches the bridge of her nose in frustration, before she looks up at the boys.
All ten of her sons sat in the living room, while Ron Andy stands off to the side, bruised, battered, and slightly dirt-covered, but nonetheless still alive.
"We were getting Ron for breaking Linka's heart!" Leif stands up, "He made her cry!"
Rita glares at the Hispanic boy, "Care to explain yourself Ron?"
The young boy takes a deep breath, "I… I broke up with her…" He rubs his arm, "Because I was worried that things were just moving too fast between us…" His voice fills with a slight fear, "I mean after that night, you told me that I needed to take everything into account for this dance…" Then Ron shoves his hands into his pockets, "All I wanted to do was take the girl I like out for a night…"
The woman takes a deep breath, "I see." She kneels down and places her hands on his shoulders, "I have a feeling that you're going to be a great boy for Linka. But you've gotta stick up for her more, you-"
"With all due respect… I kissed her in public a few times…" He looks away nervously. "I wasn't really afraid to ask her out or dance with her until I was told I wasn't going far enough…"
"Well ok then." Rita's voice fills with slight annoyance, "There's a sad, white-haired girl, who really needs the boy she likes to go up and make things up to her, right now, got it?" Then she glares at her sons, "I'll deal with her brothers.
Ron Andy nods, before turning and walking up the stairs.
"So, you almost scared off your sister's love interest by trying to meddle in her love life huh?" Rita pinches the bridge of her nose, "Then you cause her to cry over the boy you scared." Then she looks at her sons, "After the dance, you're all grounded, got that?"
The boys nod in a remorseful agreement.
"Good, now go look out for her, you know the deal." Rita orders, before turning and walking out of the room.
Upstairs, Ron Andy takes a deep breath, before knocking on the former linen closet door, "Hey Linka, it's me."
"What do you want Ron?" The girl on the other side counters.
"Mind if I come in?" He sighs, "I'm sorry for how I acted."
The girl doesn't respond. "Go figure."
"I was just afraid I wouldn't be able to please you. Your brothers said that you wanted me to be the best boy ever, that I needed to be able to do anything and everything for you." He holds his arm and looks away, "I felt like I just couldn't handle the pressure and well… I broke up with you. I'm sorry…"
The door slowly opens, revealing a young girl.
"Do you forgive me?" Ron asks, his voice filling with remorse.
"Ron, I already think that you're the best boy ever." Linka smiles, before throwing her arms around him, "I'll forgive you just this once." Then she gives him a stare look, "But you owe me so much chocolate!"
"Deal." Ron responds. "I'm sorry I broke up with you."
"Don't worry about it." Linka responds, before whispering with flames in her breath, "But do it again and I'll set you on fire."
Ron gulps in fear, before nodding, "Understood."
The next night…
Linka steps down the stairs in a beautiful orange dress, "I'm ready Ron!"
"Heh, bout time." Ron quips, "It took like three hours or something." Then he takes her hand, "You ready?"
The girl smiles, "Yeah, let's go dance."
The two both blush, before waving goodbye to the nearby brothers and parents. And with that, the duo steps out of the home.
And so, Ron and Linka hold hands as they step onto the school dance floor. For the first song of the night, the teachers had decided to give the Valentine's Dance a slow beginning.
Linka leans into Ron's chest and blushes as they dance. The boy makes sure to keep to be gentle as he moves her body around his own.
"I'm sorry I let the pressure get to me Linka." The boy sincerely whispers.
The young girl looks up at him and smiles, "Don't worry about it. Just, next time talk to me before you let the exhaustion get to you. You know I don't want things to move by quickly either."
And with that, the duo simply dances the night away.
A few feet away, Claudia and Cristopher do the same. Though lacking the issues Linka and Ron had.
Meanwhile…
Luke watches the couple closely through a set of binoculars.
"Heh, couldn't resist the urge to watch out for her huh?" A familiar girl greets, causing the boy to jump up and turn, "Nyla?"
"The one of many." The former hunter steps out from the shadows behind him.
Luke smiles, "What brings you here on Valentine's Day night?"
Nyla rubs the back of her head; "Well… since I've been stuck in this dimension waiting for my 'fate worse than death' I decided to get some tickets to a rock concert tonight…"
The young man raises an eyebrow, "And?"
The young woman pulls out two tickets, "They accidently gave me a spare and well…"
"You want me to your valentine huh?" Luke chuckles, "If what you told me is true, aren't we like… interdimensional counterparts?"
"Yeah…" Nyla quips, before looking at the young man, "But uhh… that's not how it works! Uhh…"
"I'm joking, sure I'll go with you." The young man then turns to his sister and her own date, "After all, Link looks like they'll be fine with Ron tonight, and when love's in the air, you can only be 'So Far Gone'."
Nyla smiles, "Haha! I get the pun." Then she takes Luke's hand in her own.
Luke smiles as well, "Awesome Nyla. Now let's go Juliette. Let's get there before the mosh pit's full."
"You got it Romeo." Nyla responds, and the two young adults blush, before walking off arm-in-arm.
On the other side of the school gymnasium, Bebe sighs as she watches her baby brother and his date dance. Next to her, Loki held a set of binoculars and watched them closely, ready to intervene in case something happened.
Suddenly, the young woman stands up and pulls out her phone, before turning a song on, the soft music complimenting the cloudless nights sky perfectly.
"What the?" Loki goes, before looking up at his girlfriend.
Bebe simply stretches her arm at him, "Come on. Dance with me."
"Huh? Here? Now?" Loki stammers, "But what about…"
"Come on Loki, we can't let those little knuckleheads be the only ones to enjoy this moment." The young woman responds, causing Loki to smile.
"Heh, ok." He responds. And with that, they too begin to dance under the soft moonlight.