How many times had he done this before? How many evenings had he spent here, on the terrace, staring out at the bustling town below? Here, at this very table, he watched the world go by. A world that cared nothing for him, nothing about him. A world filled with people who defined him only by his outward appearance, by his name and choice of friends. Well…make that friend. If he could even call someone who seemed to view him as only a partner-in-crime that. Maybe he'd brought this upon himself. If that was so, he should never have left Shroomley Heights. The place where his father, as far as he knew, still resided. But he'd never been welcome there, either. Nothing in his life could have saved him from this fate. He'd become a vagabond, and then he'd become a common criminal. Some destiny he'd turned out to have.

Waluigi laughed bitterly, startling some of the patrons around him. They only moved their chairs further away, staring at him with utter disgust. Then they returned to their high-class chats, talking about finances, tea, and luxury in the same affected tones. He watched them out of the corners of his eyes as he sipped at his drink. Look at them. These hoity-toity Toads with their suits and pearls. I have just as much of a right to be here as they do! Little do they know, the blood of NOBILITY runs through these villainous veins!

Yes, that was right. He came from a long line of prestigious people. Long before Toad Town was even built, his family line had been among the wealthiest in the Kingdom. He, his father, and his father's father before him were bearers of great ancestral blood. But now, it seemed, the Waluigi family name had been forgotten, their legacy reduced to nothing. If anything, those who knew of them assumed them to be nothing but a long line of thieves. People only knew him by his last name, for crying out loud! And that was only because of its similarity to a certain other's name. It was sickening that his full, honorable name, Vittorio T. Waluigi, III, wasn't even acknowledged. All because of that other guy. It was humiliating, too. And, above all, it was sad.

Waluigi rose from his seat, and went downstairs. He quickly left the restaurant; from the dirty looks he was getting, he had most definitely outstayed his welcome, and he didn't care to hear the whispered insults and jeers tonight, too.

He strolled the streets of Toad Town, looking at all the sights. Most ignored him, some gave him a wide berth, and others whispered behind his back. His reputation in town was not a good one. But he didn't care. If you were a villain in the Mushroom Kingdom, microaggressions, gossip, and overall dislike were par for the course. Except maybe if you were Bowser, or some other monster. Then the 'Shroom-Folk would be running, screaming, and hiding away in fear instead.

Walking under the lights and between the cozy houses, he made his way to a public rose garden. It was a park-like space, with strings of lanterns overhead and the sweet scent of flowers in the air. And it was there that he spotted them: the silhouettes of a Toad couple, holding hands by the fountain. With honed stealth, fine-tuned by many a mischievous scheme alongside Wario, he crept behind a tall, intricately shaped topiary. He was curious, he told himself. Nothing more, nothing less. But deep within his so-called black heart, something was quivering at the sight of the pair.

"Dear Sweet T…I cannot imagine life without you." said the gray-capped Toad.

"N-neither can I without you, Dour T." the teal-capped one replied. Then they stood up on tiptoe, to kiss their taller paramour.

The two held the kiss for a long time, before at last pulling away. Even then, neither of them left the others' arms. They stood in a passionate lovers' embrace, staring up at the shining full moon.

Waluigi felt a bit of moisture creeping into his eyes. His face reddening a bit, he brushed the wetness away. These cursed roses! Messing with my allergies again… As silent as before, he crept out of the hedge, and away from the Toad couple. As he strode further and further away from the rose garden, his heart pained him. He missed the aroma already. More still, he missed the tender sights he had seen. The cheesy, yet heartfelt sentiments he'd heard.

Though the whole Kingdom thought his heart to be stained with greed and malice, and, at least partially, they were right, there was a part of it that Waluigi didn't reveal to anyone. He didn't even acknowledge it himself, though he was reminded of its existence constantly. Every. Single. Day. Almost every waking moment, too.

Mario and Peach were dating, as was common knowledge in this crummy Kingdom. As impossible as it seemed, smelly old Wario was with Mona, that gelateria worker- no, that cheerleader, no…oh, who cared what she did?! She and Wario were together, or, at least, were crushing on each other. Even Mr. Eyeballs himself, that…that LUIGI, had someone to love: Daisy, the fair, strong ruler of Sarasaland. Everyone, it seemed, had a special someone. All except for him. He was the only one left alone. Without someone to love. Except for the lovers in his dreams…

Ah, who cared? Certainly not the Great Waluigi! He cared for no one, and nothing, aside from his darling Piranha Plants. That was where he headed next: to his greenhouse, outside the mansion he shared with his co-schemer. They would likely all be sleeping now, just as he'd left them. But he wanted to check one last time before he himself went to sleep. For some odd reason or another, he was fatherly over the little dears. Maybe it was because they seemed to be the only ones who'd listen to him, or show him any real affection. True, their "love bites" left tiny, silvery scars, but they cared about him in their own way. That was more than could be said for anyone else in this starforsaken Kingdom. He sighed happily as he looked the slumbering plants over. Each one in its own place, each one with its own name. Just as it should be, he thought to himself. He gently patted one of them on the head as he exited the greenhouse.

He entered the dark mansion, the torches on the wall casting long shadows as he walked inside. He was tired, and it had been a long, depressing day. All he wanted to do was sleep. As long as Wario's snoring doesn't keep me awake, he thought with disgust. I can hear it all the way in my wing of the mansion!

Soon, he was ready for bed, dressed in comfortable pajamas. But…there was one last thing to do. One part of his nightly ritual that he never neglected. On slippered soles, he padded over to the window. The stars twinkled up in the night sky, galaxies and galaxies of them. According to lore held dear by the Toads for countless years, every one of those stars cared immensely for everyone and everything. There in the ancient sky, they watched over all who lived on the planet, blessing them with peace, prosperity, and love. He narrowed his eyes as he scanned the heavens. With the way his life had been, he wasn't sure if he believed it. Yet every night he found himself here at the window, looking heavenward. He didn't know why. It was just one of those things he didn't question. Probably one of those things he shouldn't question, for his own good.

Yawning, he walked to his bed. Slipping under his covers, he laid his head on the pillow with a sigh of relief. "Little do they know," he whispered, "there is rest for the wicked!" He chuckled to himself at his little joke, and his own sense of humor, as he went to sleep. There were plenty of rotten deeds to accomplish tomorrow. Right after he slept through the night. And right after he forgot about what and how he'd felt tonight, there, in the rose garden.