A/N: This is a very short story I wrote in about ten minutes. Just a small thing to celebrate the New Year. It probably could have gone in my Mario Collection, but I kind of wanted it to be its own piece, too.
Enjoy!
Luigi yelped involuntarily as Daisy's gloved hand closed over his, tugging him along the ice-slicked cobblestone pathway. It was almost midnight and the streets of Toad Town, while cleared of any traffic, were made precarious by the cold weather. Nonetheless, Daisy seemed to not care, laughing as she ran with him towards the town centre.
'Wh-where are we off to now...?' he managed, reluctant to break his own concentration by talking.
'We'll have a better view of the fireworks from up here!' she replied, increasing her pace, much to Luigi's horror. 'Come on, quick! We've only got a few more minutes until-'
Suddenly, a deep and resounding bong rang out through the streets. Startled, Luigi forgot the dangers of the slippery path and lifted his gaze to see moonlight reflected on the smooth face of the clock tower. The hands were both pointing directly at the twelve.
'Come on!' said Daisy again. Her enthusiasm infected Luigi, and he found himself laughing uncertainly with her as they ran to the town centre, gripping onto each others' arms for support. The wind was freezing and the sky was clear, and he could hear a tumult of voices rumbling like thunder just a few streets away – hundreds of people, all talking and laughing and cheering as that deep bong crashed out again, and again – twelve times in total.
He and Daisy staggered into the plaza right on cue. As the last clock chime rang out, a series of fireworks in every colour imaginable rose up into the air and exploded, sparks and trails and star-shaped bursts. Lights flashed everywhere, and the screaming cheers of the crowd reached a deafening crescendo.
Luigi gazed up at the display, tightly gripping Daisy's warm hand and feeling her gripping his in return. He was vaguely aware of several things – such as Mario's grinning face a few feet away, obviously excited to see his little brother joining the party, and Peach smiling fondly at him – but most of his attention remained on the fireworks, and on the peculiar feeling in his chest.
It was a new year. The first of January. It felt as though everything had reset itself, going back to the beginning where the cycle could repeat over again. As the seasons rolled on by, he knew that life would no doubt bring him new challenges to face, and maybe a few surprises.
But he wasn't going to think for too long about the future; he didn't need to. Right here, right now, was the only thing that mattered. Here, feeling the cold air whipping against his face, hearing the explosions echoing above him, and feeling the unmoveable, unfaltering grip of Daisy's hand around his.
Whatever the coming seasons brought to his life, he hoped – he knew – that she would be a part of them.
And that, he reflected as a particularly spectacular starburst exploded right above their heads, was good enough for him.