Luigi sighed, closing the door behind him and sinking into his plush chair. He kicked his shoes off and rubbed at his aching soles. Today had been filled with stress and anger. He had a job in the Mushroom Kingdom as a diplomat between the Sarasaland and Mushroom kingdoms, making sure that relations stayed friendly. Peach and Daisy were still close friends, but Daisy had been neglectful of her debt to the Mushroom Kingdom, and so Luigi's job was to help her pay them back. As such, he visited her kingdom often and almost knew all of the residents. The people of both kingdoms loved him more than his older brother. That was one reason for the added stress of the day. Mario hadn't kept up with the Toads in either kingdom and his gleaming reputation had perished. He was irritable and cold. It also didn't help that Peach had gotten engaged to their sworn enemy, although to Luigi it made sense. He and Mario were not royalty. There was not an ounce of royal blood in their systems. Peach was the princess of a large kingdom that was in need of some stability. King Bowser, though he looked vastly different, did have a royal line and could provide military strength in exchange for the princess's hand and her cooperation in merging the kingdoms. He would stop attacking the kingdom and its people, which Peach and Luigi agreed was worth the marriage. Mario, however, would not see reason. He burst into one of their meetings and yelled at Peach, calling her some nasty names and setting fire to one of her father's tapestries. Peach had burst into tears and Daisy had chased Mario out of the room angrily, leaving Luigi to comfort his friend. She had stopped sniffling after a while and they had exchanged small talk as they waited for Daisy to return. He had asked about wedding plans and she had asked about him and Daisy's relationship.

Daisy. She was the cause of most of his stress. They had been intimate for a few months now and he cared deeply for her. He thought maybe that her affections were true, but she revealed that he was simply her consort until a viable prince made an offer. She had been using him for sex. And that hurt him more than he liked to admit. He thought she had been faithful during their liaison but she also told him that a few suitors had come by and she had "evaluated" them thoroughly. His Daisy, who seemed determined to make trouble, had lied to him about their entire relationship. If that word even remotely described the quickies behind closed doors and the lack of public affection.

He cursed, standing from the chair and pouring himself a cup of fire brandy. He needed a stiff drink to forget about the ditzy princess of the desert who he had admired. He guessed this was how Mario felt earlier today with Peach. But Mario had known for a while that he was not king material. Luigi just deluded himself into thinking that Daisy would risk her crown for love. He took a sip, coughing as the liquid slid down his throat, scorching every inch. But the warmth in his belly, he hoped, would melt the ice that had frozen his heart.

A knock on the door shook Luigi from his thoughts and he set the glass down, narrowing his eyes. If it was Daisy, he'd slam the door in her face. He grasped the handle roughly and threw the door open, albeit a little too hard. He blinked in the darkness before making out the stranger. It was Rosalina, princess of the cosmos. She stood in her trademark blue gown, with a bag slung over her shoulder. She blinked at him, a small smile gracing her delicate features. "Hello Luigi."

"H-hi Rosalina." Damn his nervousness! He could feel the stutter in his voice and swallowed.

"May I come in?" Luigi stepped out of her way, motioning for her to step inside.

"Of course! What can I do for you?" He shut the door politely after her, catching a whiff of her hair. It smelled like tea and ginger. He hadn't ever noticed her smell before. The alcohol must be making him hyperaware.

"I was hoping you would have room for a guest. My ship had some technical difficulties and it proved too challenging for me to fix in the dark. I'd only need a few nights, then I'd be out of your hair." She fiddled with the skirt of her dress and Luigi could see a dark blush beginning to color her cheeks. How cute. He ruffled her hair playfully and laughed.

"Of course Rosie, you know you're welcome anytime." She ducked her head down.

"I'd rather not burden you."

"Oh hush, you're delightful. Now let me take your bag to the guest room." He hoisted the small pack over his shoulder and led her to the small room adjacent to his own. It was meager at best, but the bed was incredibly comfortable. He grinned sheepishly. "Sorry for the sparse decorations. I don't have many guests."

"It's lovely. I'm not one for intense décor." She smiled up at him. He stood a good eight inches taller and he could rest his chin on the top of her head. Her stomach rumbled suddenly and Luigi cursed under his breath. How rude of him not to offer her any sort of refreshment!

"Would you like something to eat or drink?" She nodded slightly.

"Yes please. I'll change while you're fixing up whatever. I'm sure it will be delectable." Her pink lips curved into a genuine smirk and his stomach flipped. Rushing out of the bedroom, he looked through the fridge and was pleased to find the leftover minestrone soup he had made a few days ago. He poured a generous amount into two bowls and put them into the microwave. He tapped his foot nervously, waiting for the food to finish. It had been a good year since he had seen her. He and Mario had helped her save the galaxy from—guess who—Bowser. That had been his last big heist before settling down a little and working on his kingdom's wellbeing. Mario had dashed off to save Peach and Luigi had spent a good deal of time in the Observatory with Rosalina and they had become friends quickly. After Bowser's defeat, they had kept in contact. Luigi would be lying if he said he hadn't been starstruck by her when he first saw her. She had the most flawless skin and bright eyes that he had ever seen. She was well-read and very intelligent, which didn't help him avoid her. Luigi had just become intimate with Daisy and so felt responsible for her and their relationship. Hah. If he had known about Daisy's infidelity, he would've dropped everything and stayed with Rosalina. He had denied his feelings and buried his attraction deep within himself. But now with her in the flesh and his ties with Daisy basically severed, he was free to give his affection to anyone he wanted. Although with Rosalina just arriving, he didn't want to push his budding feelings on her just yet.

"It smells lovely, Luigi." Her soft voice startled him out of his inner musing and he turned around, his words caught in his throat. She was wearing a navy t-shirt and shorts that left little to the imagination. Her thighs were as creamy as the rest of her skin and Luigi was very aware of how she was affecting him.

"Y-yeah. Here you go, I'm going to change into my pajamas. Be right back!" He walked briskly to his room, adjusting himself subtly as he went. Damn woman with her beauty and grace. With Daisy it always took a little coaxing to get him prepared. But his ex-lover had no patience. His sex life suffered greatly because of her exuberance to get it over with. That should've been the first sign. Opening his drawer he grabbed a pair of sweats and a white t-shirt, slipping into them quickly. Before he exited the room, he checked the mirror to make sure a bulge wasn't obvious. The sweats were loose enough to hide the evidence and so he walked back into the living room. The sight that greeted him was enough to make him swoon.

Rosalina was curled up on his chair was a blanket and a book, her face framed by her platinum locks. The bowl of soup lay empty next to her and her eyes were staring intently at the page. Her neck was exposed by the shirt and he could see the hint of her calves under the blankets. She was the definition of sexy in his eyes. Luigi must've been staring because Rosalina looked up from her book and smirked at him. "See something you like?" She said, although her voice was far too alluring to ignore.

"You're beautiful." Rosalina was not expecting such a forward answer and blushed profusely. She murmured a thank you before closing her book suddenly.

"I'm curious Luigi. We haven't had much time to speak since I left. There was a lot I had to do, research that needed to be done. But I'm here now, so I'll ask. What's the relationship between you and the ruler of Sarasaland?" Luigi let out an audible sigh before sitting on the loveseat across from her.

"We…were lovers, until tonight. I thought she had feelings for me, more than friendship. But she was merely interested in the physical side of the relationship. Sure, we'd be friendly and flirty in public, but she never wanted to go out with me on actual dates or be seen holding my hand. It was always secret meetings at odd hours or a quick one in the mornings before her meetings. I never thought anything of it, until she told me earlier that a few princes have been vying for her hand and she's slept with every single one, thoroughly." He was fuming a little by the end, although he had quelled most of the anger. He didn't want to scare her away.

"I see. As you know, I raised myself from an early age and therefore, sexual education was not a part of my life. I had to learn that once I reached adulthood. And even then, it was centuries before I even felt the twinge of arousal." She blinked, her lips in a small frown.

"Clinical." He chuckled, watching her reaction. A small laugh escaped her and she flushed that lovely color again.

"Yes, I speak bluntly. But I had heard rumors and did not want to jump to conclusions. You two are not engaged?" Luigi sputtered and the resulting sound was an unattractive snort.

"Um…no, no we're not engaged. Sexually or otherwise." He said, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Good." His ears perked up at her response and she stuttered, her blue eyes wide with embarrassment. "W-well I…er, I mean…I'm sorry for your loss."

"Rosie, it's not a loss. Honestly, Daisy was lousy in the sack and I could never really talk to her about anything. Not like with you." The words fell out of his mouth before he could stop them. He watched that crimson blush return to her cheeks and her lips open once without any sound. "I'm…"

"Don't you dare say sorry." She said with a brilliant smile. Luigi would pay any price to see that smile again. It glimmered. Basically everything she did reflected the cosmos and its beauty.

"Alright, I'm not sorry." Luigi said cheekily, grabbing his long-forgotten glass of brandy on the side table. He took a long swig, sighing as the burn made his limbs tingle. Rosalina stared at the honey-colored drink with curiosity. "Want a taste? I'll warn you, it's pretty strong." She nodded and stood up to grab the glass. Luigi's eyes nearly bulged out of his skull as he noticed her shorts had ridden up, exposing a flash of pink. He wouldn't have guessed that Rosalina would wear pink underwear. The thought made him chuckle. She pressed the edge of the glass up to her lips and drank, eyes closing shut at the brilliant taste of the brandy. Though as soon as it hit the back of her throat, she coughed profusely, the fire scorching her throat.

"What…what is that?"

"Fire Brandy. It's a Sarasaland special and one of the few reasons I'll ever go back." He laughed and rubbed her arm soothingly. "Want some water to chase it down?" Rosalina nodded, not trusting her voice. He stood from his couch and filled up a glass at the kitchen sink, their eyes meeting a few times. "Here." She took the cold water happily, sipping it down faster than he had filled it. The air around them was thick with tension and he gulped, his eyes darting around nervously. "Er…uh…what sort of research pulled you away from the Mushroom Kingdom?" He stuttered, trying to think of anything to talk about other than her creamy skin or those kissable lips. She blinked at him before a light pink dusted her cheeks.

"It was some personal research. Something I needed to investigate and learn about. It was beginning to cloud my logic and mess with my coherent thought processes, so I needed time away to figure out what was causing this feeling." She smiled at Luigi, her lips curved so sweetly. He gulped again, watching her intently. "It had begun after we established a close friendship. Every time I looked at you, my heart would beat faster and I'd feel heat pool in my stomach. I thought it was simply a flu, but it only happened around you. My library has very few romance novels," She held up the book she was reading earlier with a smirk and Luigi blushed. She had been reading smut! "And so I had very little evidence that I was attracted to you. But I have thought of little else since I left. And I was quite heartbroken when I heard that you and the princess of the desert were potentially engaged. That is partially true." She winked at him and Luigi forgot how to breathe. Was Rosalina flirting with him? How much brandy had he consumed? He prayed to whomever would listen that it wasn't some cruel dream sent to torment him. "And I didn't know anything of sexual relationships or even how to proceed. I…" She hesitated, the blush deepening. "I am out of my element. And I don't know if you reciprocate the feelings or if I am just delusional."

"I care about you Rosalina. You're not delusional." He placed an ungloved hand against her cheek, reveling in the softness he found. She blinked at him and the smile returned to her face. "May I kiss you?"

"Yes." Her response was breathy and damn if that didn't make his heart do flips. He leaned forward and pressed his lips to hers gently, sighing as she began to kiss him back. It was slow and soft, with Luigi leading and Rosalina following. After a few moments, Luigi pulled away, regretfully, for a breath of air and gaped at the woman sitting in front of him. Her lips were full from the soft kiss and her eyes cloudy with arousal. "That was…"

"Great."

"Too short." Rosalina added, chuckling. "But as my first kiss, it was spectacular."

"It was your first? I…I'm sorry." Luigi felt like a moron. He had stolen her first kiss from her. A part of his ego swelled with pride to think that he had been the first, but most of him was ashamed.

"I gave it to you, Luigi. I could think of no one better to kiss." Her smile melted his doubts and he wrapped his arms around her, sighing as she leaned her head against his shoulder. He leaned down to intertwine their fingers when the door slammed open. The two jumped apart, staring at a very flustered Mario who had just entered the flat.

"Mario! What the hell are you doing here?" Luigi asked angrily. Mario looked between he and Rosalina and nodded to her.

"I'm here to tell you I'm moving out. I reconnected with Pauline a few days ago and after this shitstorm with Peach, I'm leaving."

"Where will you be going?" Mario sneered at his brother, grabbing one of the jackets hung up on the wall. He checked the pocket and grabbed a cigarette.

"I'll be heading south to the city. Pauline has a job there and a nice apartment. I've also been hired as a bartender and I need the drinks to forget that bitch." He lit the cigarette and took a puff before walking towards his room. Luigi sighed, running a hand through his hair.

"Mario has changed." Rosalina mused, a tiny smirk on her features.

"Not really for the better." Mario had taken up smoking and drinking in the recent months. After Bowser's defeat in the cosmos, he had been out of a job, which caused him to turn sour. After a few minutes of his older brother shuffling around the flat, he came out with a suitcase packed full of clothing and personal belongings.

"I'll be back later for the rest of my stuff, Luigi. And have a good evening Rosalina." He smirked at the two of them, both flushed and avoiding eye contact. "Oh, and use protection!"

"MARIO!" With a laugh, he closed the door behind him and began his merry way down the road with a lit cigarette in his mouth glowing in the night. Luigi sighed, slouching once his brother left.

"Sorry about him. He's brash and likes to make suggestive comments." Rosalina gazed at him and smiled, placing her hand over his.

"Don't worry about it. I'm heading to bed. May I have a kiss goodnight?" She looked so innocent and gorgeous; her lips were full and those eyes shimmered like star bits.

"Always." He closed the gap and melted into the princess's kiss.