Going through the Motions

Lincoln wanders through his house aimlessly, his gaze showing extreme exhaustion from whatever his sisters had pulled him into this time. The boy didn't know anymore, the various chores his siblings had him doing always took a lot out of him. Like a never-ending list of various demands and activities

He walked up the stairs towards his room, passing his older sister without so much as a second thought. Not that the teen cared for her younger brother, hadn't for a while. She was always glued to her stupid little cell phone or talking to her precious boo boo bear boyfriend.

He let out a sigh, veering to the right towards the singular bathroom. With the grace of a figure skater, he ducks and weaves around the various sibling meandering through the hallways. He wanted to reach the one place he may have any semblance of privacy in the crowded home.

He shoves his way into the bathroom, slamming the door shut behind him. With a click, the door locks. An added measure to keep his sisters from busting in and interrupting his private time.

He sits down on the closed lid of the toilet, leaning down towards a tile he knows is loose. He gently pries the tile out of place, retrieving the packet of cigarettes and lighter wrapped in a plastic baggy from its hiding place.

He knows smoking is bad and probably killing him later down the track, not to mention what his parents would do if they ever found out. But the boy is stressed beyond belief, the smoking helps reduce that stress

Lincoln fishes one of the cigarettes from the pack, placing it between his lips. His hands shake slightly as he raises the lighter, his thumb striking the flame. He sighs, lighting the cigarette. He takes a long drag, holding the toxic smoke in his lungs

"Mom and dad are going to kill you if they catch you" A monotone voice says, startling Lincoln

"L…Lucy, Shit" Lincoln says, coughing up the cigarette smoke "What are you doing in here?"

"I was in the vents, contemplating my miserable existence when I heard the bathroom door slam shut. So, I went to investigate, catching you in the act of smoking" Lucy says gloomily

"Alright, want will it take to keep you silent. Well? Bi-weekly poetry readings, some weird ritual or maybe you want to give you my allowance for a month" Lincoln snaps, his voice tired and dejected

"None of those things. Lincoln, I want you to talk to me" Lucy says, resting a hand on the boy's forearm

"Huh?" Lincoln looks surprised, taking another drag from his cigarette

"I know you well enough Lincoln to know something's bothering you and you don't want to burden us with your problems. But I want you to talk to me Lincoln, Do or I go straight to Mom and Dad" Lucy says, worry edging into her normally monotone voice

"I'm just so tired of everything Lucy. All the activities I'm dragged to, all the blame and all the problems I must fix. I want to be a good brother, prove I'm worth something to you guys. But every problem I fix, two more crop up and one is usually my fault. I just can't do it anymore" Lincoln vents, also expelling the smoke from his lungs.

"I'm sorry that you have to burden this pain alone and for being one of the causes of your heartache" The goth tells her brother, cuddling up to the older boy

"No, I'm sorry. I should be stronger than this. It's just the stress gets to me sometimes, it shouldn't but it does" Lincoln puts his arm around his sister, looking down at the girl

"Thanks Lucy, for making me talk and caring enough to listen to my problems. I love all you girls but some of you can be so self-absorbed. I'm glad at least one of you has the decency to see how I feel" Lincoln hugs his sister after put his cigarette down

"Just remember that when you need to talk, instead of trying to kill yourself with cigarettes. Where'd you even get them from?" Lucy asks

"Flip doesn't keep careful watch on his merchandise when a "health inspector" shows up" Lincoln says with a chuckle, explaining how he'd conned the con man out of cigarettes.

"You always have a plan don't you Lincoln" Lucy says with a faint smile, watching the boy take a final drag from his cigarette

"I try to, not always a good one but I try. We should probably get out of here, I can here Lynn coming" The boy says knowingly

Almost scarily on cue, there is a bang at the door and a jiggle of the lock. Lynn's voice called out, telling them to hurry up in there cus she need to drop a load. Lucy looked at her brother confused, the boy smiling at her as he puts away his secret stash.

"We'll continue this conversation in my room if you'd like" Lincoln whispers, earning a simple nod from the girl

Lucy leaves through the vent and Lincoln through the door, being shoved out by his athletic sister. Lincoln simply wanders to his room, the hall now a tad calmer than before as the various sister went about their activities.

Lincoln enters his room to see Lucy sitting on his bed, one of his graphic novels in hand. He chuckles. The girl never ceasing to amaze him or surprise him when she appears out of nowhere.

"I never knew there were comics about vampires" Lucy simply states, looking up at her brother

"It's a graphic novel, not a comic. There's a difference, like the fact graphic novels are longer and more complex. They usually have only a couple books, whereas comic tell a story over many issues. Graphic novels tend to be more mature and feature darker topics" Lincoln explains, sitting down on the bed next to Lucy

"I can see that, do our parents now about this particular novel" Lucy says, showing a scene of a somewhat sexual nature

"No, they don't, I'd rather they didn't find out" Lincoln says, blushing slightly

"You are a boy going through puberty, I suppose they'd rather not be reminded of that. Do you ever fantasise about girls in that way?" Lucy asks, once again making the boy blush

"Y… yeah, what guy doesn't. I mean Ronnie Anne, Christina and Paige have made definite appearances" Lincoln admits, unsure why he's telling her this.

"It's ok I won't' tell anyone. I've had fantasies of my own, mostly my beloved Edwin and occasionally Rusty and... you" Lucy mutters the last part, just loud enough for Lincoln to make it out

"Y…You fantasise about m…me? But, you're nine…" Lincoln stammers, shocked by his sister admission "And I'm your brother"

"Girls mature faster sexually and I'm not one to shy away from taboo subjects. I'm sorry I brought this subject up, it was wrong of me" Lucy says, sounding miserable

Lincoln's heart twinged for his younger sibling, knowing that it's not uncommon for some girls to form an attraction to important male figures in their lives.

"Lucy, It's ok. I will admit, that sometimes…you girls slip into my fantasies. I know it's not normal but hey, I'm going through puberty like you said" Lincoln says with a chuckle

"Do you think a relationship between us would work?" Lucy asks, shocking her brother with a shimmer of her crystal blue eyes peeking through her bangs

"Honestly, I don't think it would. In our house, with out sisters. If we tried it, you'd get hurt eventually. I don't want that risk, I'm your brother and it's my duty to protect you from harm… Not cause it" The boy explains honestly, feeling a sadness hit him as Lucy eyes disappear beneath her bangs

"Thanks for being honest with me Lincoln, as painful as the truth can be. You're right, the risk is too great"

"I promise to look out for you Lucy, to make sure that nobody will hurt you and that you'll be happy. Also, any guy you date will have to answer to me, I'll see if they're worth of such a wonderful person like you Lucy" Lincoln smiles at his sister

"Thanks Lincoln, I don't know what I'd do without you. I love you Lincoln" Lucy says, hugging her brother

"Same to you Luc" Lincoln replies, returning the hug. "You should probably skedaddle, I think I someone else needs to talk"

Lucy looks at him confused, a knock on the door interrupting the moment. Lucy still couldn't figure out how he did, but she loved the mystery. Lucy broke the hug, strolling over to the door. Upon opening it, a distraught looking Luna stands at the threshold

"Oh, hey Lucy, Is Lincoln here" Luna asks, sniffling slightly

"Yeah, He is. Go ahead, I was just leaving" Lucy says, passing her distressed sister

Luna walks into the room, turning to see Lincoln watching her with a worried look. He beckons her over to his bed, pulling her into a comforting hug. He feels her sob into his shoulder

"Luna, What's wrong?" He asks her

"Sam broke up with me" Luna sobs into his shoulder.

Lincoln loves his sisters dearly, he would help them out in a heartbeat. But for the loud boy, sometimes it feels like he's going through the motions

A/N - Please note that this might not be a loudcest fic, it will depend on reader feedback. I will take your ides and try to incorporate them into the story in some way or another. So don't forget to leave a review to shift how this story turns out. This will be rated T for now, but my change later. It depends on you guys and how you want this story to go

As always, ciao for now friends