A/N: I'm back, with a new oneshot to celebrate the fast approaching occasion we know as Christmas! This one's pretty long, and similar to my other stories in terms of the hurt/comfort genre and Luigi as the main character... I don't know if I'll be able to post any more stories before Christmas, because I only write fan fiction when I have good ideas, but I'll try.

Enjoy.

Whispers in the Night

Luigi heaved a long, despairing sigh and adjusted the end of his scarf as the first rays of silvery winter light streamed in through the window. It was morning, approximately 7AM, and he was watching the snow from the warm, cosy interior of the house he and Mario shared. It wasn't actually snowing, but it had during the night and a thin white blanket still covered the ground in a few places, especially on the steep hills that surrounded Toad Town just down the road.

He turned his gaze upwards to the empty grey sky, which let through only the smallest amount of sunlight; it nearly always looked like this in the depths of winter chill. Another sigh escaped, vaporising into a pale mist that swirled in front of his nose. This was no ordinary day, as much as he wished it was. Today, the Princess was hosting a Christmas party at her castle and the 'Mario Brothers' had both been invited to join in the festivities. She'd promised ludicrous amounts of food and drink as well as incredible decorations around the castle, and that had been enough to convince Mario to accept the invite. Not to mention guests from all over the kingdom would be attending and many of them longed to catch a glimpse of their hero.

It wasn't that the attention lavished upon his brother made Luigi upset; after more than a decade of dealing with the same thing, he was used to it – in a resigned sort of way. He was happy for Mario and knew he deserved the fame he got, having put his life at risk to protect the Princess and her kingdom time and time again. How could Luigi resent him for enjoying the spotlight after he'd worked so hard all these years? He knew he could never steal anything from his brother, especially when he considered himself unworthy of such attention.

The Christmas party was meant to be a chance for everybody to let their hair down, so to speak – even the Princess herself would be wearing casual clothes, or at least, a slightly less formal pink dress than usual. Mario, of course, would be going in the same red shirt and blue overalls that he always wore, albeit deciding to drop the signature cap just for one evening. The high-quality food and entertainment promised a night of fun and unwinding, a perfect opportunity to relax with the chaos of Christmas itself barely a week away... but not everyone would be enjoying it as much as they wanted to.

Suddenly, the peace and quiet of the early morning was shattered by the sounds of someone quite heavy stomping down the stairs, and Luigi turned away from the window to watch, lips twisting into a half-smile at the sight of his older brother stumbling into the kitchen with a yawn that looked like it could suck in galaxies.

'Hey, bro,' said Mario, voice thick with sleep. He rubbed his eyes and tried to focus. 'What's for breakfast?'

'Bacon and eggs. The usual.'

'Great!' Having not made breakfast for himself in about three years and with no intention of starting now, Mario threw himself down at the kitchen table and yawned again. 'By the way, bro,' he said as Luigi quickly and efficiently set about making the food, 'you're coming to this party tonight, aren't you? Peach'll be disappointed if you're not there...'

Luigi dropped a fork on the floor and bent to pick it up, using the distraction as an excuse not to answer for a moment. When he stood up, he looked at his brother and replied indifferently, 'Oh, I don't know, Mario. You know I don't like crowds much, and I'm sure you'll have fun without me.'

'Right,' said Mario, picking up his own fork and tapping the blunt end on the tabletop, producing a dull clunking noise. 'I wish you'd come, though. Daisy will be there...'

So? Luigi thought, using for the privacy of his own mind to say the things he didn't dare say out loud at that moment. I'm sure she's got more important things to do than look after me. Maybe she even has somebody else to go with... Although he and Daisy were technically together, he couldn't help feeling that she'd abandon him and ask someone else to attend the party with her. It was no big secret that he lacked self-confidence and both Mario and Daisy were constantly trying to make him feel better about himself, but that nagging doubt in his head still remained, telling him that he wasn't good enough for someone as amazing, kind, and clever as Daisy, and that she'd soon realise that and decide to leave him behind.

He shook the thoughts away and busied himself with frying the eggs, staring at them with such fierce concentration that they'd probably keep cooking even if the power went out. After a few minutes of silence, he served Mario his breakfast and immediately went to make himself a cup of coffee. He didn't like eating in the morning.

'Thanks bro,' said Mario, already wolfing through his food. For a while there was nothing to be heard except the clinking of metal cutlery and the sounds made by the coffee maker. Then: 'Um, Luigi, I kinda need to tell you something.'

The green-clad plumber glanced up suspiciously over the rim of his mug. There was a hint of something in Mario's eyes that he didn't recognise, for he so rarely saw it – guilt? Sheepishness? 'What is it?' he asked warily.

'Well... I kinda took a bet with Peach. About you.'

That caught him off-guard. He had honestly expected Mario to say something far worse, but he didn't let himself be relieved just yet. There was obviously some sort of catch if the look on his brother's face was anything to go by. '...A bet? On what?'

'It's nothing terrible!' Mario protested, raising his hands in the air. Luigi just stared at him, so he sighed deeply and said, 'I betted three hundred coins that you and Daisy would dance together at the party. And Peach bets that you won't.'

He wasn't sure what he was more surprised by – his brother betting coins on his success, or the Princess' belief that he wasn't strong or brave or... or courageous enough to do it. Who says he wasn't capable of dancing with his girlfriend at a party? He loved Daisy, and he'd gladly throw away his fear of crowds to dance with her, but the tingling doubt that always hung like a grey fog in his mind made him reconsider. Would she even want to?

Mario leaned over the table and poked him on the arm, a look of slight concern appearing on his face. 'Hey, Luigi? Uh, you've been staring into space for nearly a minute.'

Luigi scratched the back of his head, embarrassed. 'I don't know, Mario,' he said honestly. 'I mean, I don't want you to lose your money because of me, but I just don't know if I can dance with Daisy... I wasn't even planning to go to this party, I told you.'

Mario gave him a sympathetic look that was tinged with something else – frustration, maybe? 'It's your choice, bro,' he said. 'But if you decide to come, I'll be supporting you the whole way! Just remember that.'

Luigi smiled weakly as his older brother stood up and gave him a comforting whack on the shoulder before trundling out of the room. I wish I had your confidence, bro, he replied silently, not trusting himself to say it out loud. Then things would be so much easier.

Feeling sick, both with anxiety about the party and the yawning panic that he was going to let Mario down, he set to work cleaning up the breakfast dishes and tidying the house, just like he did every morning. Maybe the simple physical routine would help to calm his nerves.

Why does everything have to be so hard?

'Mario, I'm so glad you're here!'

Princess Peach, ruler of the Mushroom Kingdom, was smiling brightly as she bent down to give Mario a kiss on the nose. Behind her, a few party guests tutted good-naturedly at the sight of their monarch kissing a mere commoner, but because they knew he was also the hero of the kingdom they didn't complain. As the two lovers separated, Peach took Mario's arm and led him off towards a table near the huge buffet, which was vacant and had obviously been set up for two people. They sat down and immediately turned to deep conversation, each pair of blue eyes never leaving the other.

Luigi thought about following, then wisely decided against it, knowing they would want some time alone. Feeling even more jittery than usual, he made his way over to an empty chair and sat down on the edge of the seat, wringing his hands together unconsciously. Even with his thick white gloves, emerald-green scarf and signature cap, he was cold. And it wasn't entirely down to the temperature in the room.

Looking around, he saw everything he'd expected to see. It was a lively Christmas party that was sure to only get more chaotic as the evening turned into night and the guests had a few too many drinks. A massive fir tree, at least eight feet tall, utterly dominated the centre of the room, and underneath it lay a small mountain of colourfully-wrapped presents. He couldn't read the name tags from that distance, but saw several pink-wrapped ones that he guessed were for the Princess herself, and quite possibly even more red ones.

'Hey, bro!'

He startled involuntarily at the voice in his left ear before scowling and turning slightly. He really shouldn't let himself drift away like that; what if something horrible happened while he was lost in his own world? 'Mario, what's up?' he asked, a little surprised that his brother had torn himself away from Peach long enough to actually talk to him. 'Where's Peach?'

'She's fine,' said Mario, glancing back towards the table that he and the Princess had been occupying together. 'I just came to get some drinks for us, and I thought I'd stop and see how you were doing on the way over.'

'Well, I'm fine,' Luigi muttered, too quietly for anyone to hear over the growing din of the party. He looked down at his shoes and added, more audibly, 'I'm all right, Mario. You ought to go back to Peach, she'll be missing you!'

The older man nodded distractedly, again glancing back at the spot where he'd last seen the Princess. 'Listen, bro, I just wanted to remind you about... about... you know.'

Luigi sighed. How could he have forgotten? He'd practically been in a cold sweat all day because of this stupid bet Mario had going on with Peach. He knew he should try to relax. If he was any other guy, he wouldn't be terrified of this opportunity at all – in fact, he'd probably be thrilled about it. But then, he had never been like most people, and just thinking about trying to dance with Daisy – or anyone else, for that matter – was sending chills up and down his spine.

Mario was staring down at him with the same expression of concern he'd worn back at the house that morning. He gave Luigi a bracing pat on the shoulder, trying to convey how much he wanted his little brother to succeed in this. 'It'll help with your self-confidence, Luigi,' he said firmly. 'Think how much better you'll feel once you manage to do this!'

'I-I... I'm not sure about this, bro,' the younger man stammered, gazing up at him with wide, frightened eyes. 'What if I just mess up? I mean, almost everyone in the kingdom is here right now! If I screw up, they'll all see me! They already think I'm enough of a weakling.'

'They don't, Luigi!' Mario tried to reassure him, without much success. 'You're my brother! You can do this! Look, over there.' Grabbing Luigi's arm and hauling him to his feet, he spun them both around and pointed a gloved finger straight through the dense crowds of party guests. Surrounded by old Toad ministers and a few less important-looking people intent on talking to her, stood none other than Princess Daisy herself. She was grinning, chatting enthusiastically with everyone around her, not seeming at all unnerved by the multitude of people. Luigi broke out into another cold sweat.

'Mario!' he growled under his breath. 'I can't do this! I'll just make myself look like an idiot in front of the whole Mushroom Kingdom!'

'Yes, you can!'

'You only want me to do it so you'll win that bet with Peach!'

As soon as that sentence left his mouth, he wished he could take it back. Mario's eyebrows drew together in surprise and possibly anger, before he gave his brother a hard shove in the direction of the crowds. 'I'm doing it for you, Luigi!' he almost-snapped. 'You need to be more confident, braver! Just go do it.'

Annoyed at being ordered about, Luigi shrugged off Mario's hand and stalked away across the room. He hated it when people tried to force him to do things, even though he knew in his heart that Mario and Peach only wanted to make him a more self-assured individual. Sometimes he didn't want help; sometimes he just wanted to crawl into a dark corner and be left alone. Forget trying to be more confident; he needed to leave this party, right now.

As he turned towards the main doors, however, something caught his eye. He wasn't sure what prompted him to turn back and look – if he hadn't known better he might have called it fate – but he stopped and let his gaze rove through the crowds, scanning the chaotic scene spread before him. Over two hundred guests had come to the castle tonight, and picking out one person among what seemed like thousands of others was close to impossible, but he was certain he'd spotted a vaguely familiar flash of purple among the dancers in the middle of the room.

Then he saw it. A tall, thin figure moving swiftly between the huddles of people. His eyes narrowed in recognition. Waluigi! What was he doing here? According to Peach, he had been banned from events like this because of an incident two years ago involving a bob-omb and a lot of Goombas hidden inside Christmas presents, which had nearly ruined the entire party. He hadn't seen Waluigi at any large kingdom events since that memorable night.

Then he felt something like an electric shock running through his body. At Waluigi's side was an even more familiar figure in a bright orange dress, laughing up at the tall man as he made some snide joke. Luigi couldn't take his eyes off the unlikely pair as they suddenly spun around together on the dance floor, their sweeping movement immediately clearing the area as the other dancers scuttled away to give them space. As the Toad band in the background started to play a slightly faster melody, they began to dance.

Luigi couldn't watch it anymore. A sense of betrayal was filling his chest, along with the horrible crushing feeling of having his worst fears confirmed. He'd been right all along; Daisy had found someone else. His throat was slowly closing up with the urge to cry. He turned around and charged straight through the doors, head down, not looking back.

'Luigi! WEEGEE!'

Waluigi snorted, folding his skinny arms in obvious exasperation. 'Leave him, Daisy,' he said irritably. 'He ain't worth the trouble, the little loser.'

He was caught off guard as the orange-clad princess suddenly whirled on him with a fearsome glare. He backed away a little, hands raised in surrender. 'Don't you dare talk about him like that,' said Daisy, quietly but menacingly. He nodded meekly, not being brave enough to argue with someone as fierce as her, even though he was quite happy to insult anyone when they weren't listening.

She quickly left him alone on the dance floor and hurried off in search of Luigi, glancing around everywhere and getting worried when she couldn't see him. Just as she was about to give up, thinking he must have gone home, Mario came sprinting out of nowhere and stopped in front of her. There was a slight frown on his face, and Daisy knew him well enough to know he was close to panicking, even though he was pretty good at not showing it.

'Mario, have you seen Luigi anywhere?' she asked before he had a chance to speak.

He shook his head, confirming her suspicions. 'I haven't seen him in nearly twenty minutes,' he said. 'I'm worried, Daisy. I told him to do something he didn't want to do and... and I'm worried he might have taken it badly.'

She wondered what Mario could have possibly done to make his brother react so strongly, but decided now wasn't the time to ask questions. 'Listen, you stay at the party in case he shows up,' she told him. 'I'm gonna go outside and look for him, right now.'

'Is that a good idea?' he said doubtfully. 'It's freezing cold and dark out there... what if something happens to you?'

Daisy just shot him a grin as she headed towards the main exit, luckily not being noticed by any of the dancers that blocked the way. 'I'll be OK, you just stay here and keep an eye out.' Then she was gone, the doors swinging open briefly to let a blast of cold air and drifting snow through, then shutting with a slam.

I was right. She doesn't really care.

Luigi repeated the same words over and over in his mind as he walked slowly along the riverside, trying to let the repetition – and the icy cold in the air – dull his searing emotions. Hands in pockets, he kicked a pebble and watched in jump twice across the surface of the water before vanishing from sight. Suddenly feeling very tired, he leaned against a tree trunk and stared up at the glittering night sky overhead.

This place was so beautiful. He'd discovered it a couple of months ago, and had wanted to come here with Daisy sometime, but had never been able to muster the courage. This was his favourite place to go whenever he needed to be alone – to relax, to think, to cool off after a fight with Mario, which was rare but certainly did happen from time to time. 'This place' was in fact a small forest glade close to Peach's castle, with a river – or rather stream – running through the middle of it. It was fairly unremarkable in the daylight, but when dark fell it became a scene of such breathtaking beauty that it instantly calmed his nerves to be here.

However, tonight it wasn't helping. He quietly observed the familiar pattern of the lichen growing on the trees, the mud near his feet and the way the stars reflected upon the ink-dark surface of the water. Maybe it was because he'd always intended to show Daisy this place someday, but right now being here wasn't helping him to forget about her.

He heaved a soft sigh that turned to thick white vapour as it escaped his mouth, reminding him of how cold it actually was. Wrapping his scarf more tightly around his neck, he felt a pang as he remembered that the hand-knitted garment had been a gift from Daisy last Christmas, one that he'd treasured ever since. Did everything have to remind him of her? Without even realising it, he'd allowed Daisy to become an integral part of his life, and now it had all been ripped away like dust on the wind. She meant everything to him, but he was worthless to her. He must be, otherwise she'd never have gone to that party with Waluigi... would she?

What Luigi had felt for Daisy had always been more than common love, or lust. It was a feeling of deep security, of comfort and reassurance whenever he was with her. She'd been his girlfriend, but she'd also been his very best friend, and most of the time he had felt happier with her than with his own brother – and considering how dependant he was on Mario, that meant a great deal.

But obviously those feelings hadn't been entirely mutual. She had done exactly what he'd always feared; she had found someone else, someone stronger and braver and more confident that he would ever be. He wanted so much to just be glad for her, but his heart wouldn't let go of all the happy times they had shared over the years... and the prospect of never getting those times back was physically painful for him.

Stop moping, he growled to himself, forcefully digging the toe of his shoe into the slick grey-brown mud. She's happy. Just let her be happy with someone else...

He knew he couldn't. In a heartbeat the momentary anger had switched back to mere despondence, and he started to feel pathetic. More so than ever before. A thought came into his head, quite unexpectedly: Well, looks like Mario's going to be three hundred coins short by tomorrow morning. That nearly drew a chuckle from him, but the humour died quickly. I need to go home... Careful not to trip on anything in the darkness, he started to head up the small slope that would lead him back to the main forest path.

'Luigi!' a voice called out in the distance.

He froze dead, his heart jumping straight into his throat. Then he slowly let himself relax, recognising the voice – then tensed again when the realisation of who it really was sunk into his mind. 'D-Daisy?' he whispered.

'Luigi! Are you in here?' the voice shouted through the darkness, loud and clear. He contemplated running away from it, but then the full reality of the situation hit him for the first time. Daisy had come here to find him? Why? He'd have expected her to still be at the party with Waluigi...

Despite his depressive state, he felt a spark of curiosity. There must be some reason she had come here, but he wouldn't allow himself to hope for anything. She had probably just been sent by Mario to look for him in case something was wrong. After all, Mario cared about his safety more than anyone else he knew.

Taking a breath of frosty air, he called out into the darkness that surrounded him. 'Daisy, over here!'

There was a rustling of plants, and suddenly a figure came sprinting out of the dense trees right in front of him. He automatically reached out to take her into his arms as he would've done when they were 'together', his eyes quickly noticing the rips and tears in the bottom of her dress and how out-of-breath she was. She must have run without stopping through the forest until she found him. A second later, he released her completely and stepped back as if burned, struggling to hold the surge of emotion that threatened to overwhelm him.

'Luigi, where have you been?!' she exclaimed. 'Everyone's been worrying themselves to death about you!'

'S-sorry. I needed some... fresh air.'

She stared at him incredulously. 'Fresh air? In the middle of the night? It's like, minus three hundred degrees out here!'

'Sorry,' he said again, stupidly.

She looked at him a bit more closely, then her expression softened. 'Luigi, I know why you left the party.'

'Why, then?'

'You saw me and Waluigi dancing, right?'

He stiffened involuntarily, but tried not to show it. He knew the darkness made it impossible for her to see his face, but she had always been good at reading him regardless. 'Uh...'

'Listen,' she said, moving a step closer to him. He fought the urge to back away, only stopped by the knowledge that there was a freezing-cold body of water right behind him. 'I only did it because he wouldn't stop asking, and he promised he'd leave both of us alone if I did! I wanted to dance with you, Luigi, but you weren't there. I thought maybe you were hiding 'cause of Waluigi, so I tried to get rid of him for you.'

He glanced up so quickly he felt something in his neck click.

'You wanted... to dance with me?' he said, voice tremulous with disbelief.

She gave him a confused look. 'Of course I did, Weegee. Why d'you think I wouldn't?'

'I thought...' He hesitated. If he wanted to, he could turn around now, laugh hysterically and pretend it was all a joke. He could tell her he hadn't been worried at all, and if he was lucky she might even believe him. But for some reason, he wanted her to know the truth. 'I thought you didn't want me anymore.'

'Weegee...' The use of his old, silly nickname should have drawn some of the tension from the air, but it remained as tangible as ever. In an effort to dispel it, Daisy took another step towards him. Now the icy mist of their breath was merging together, white swirls twisting and eddying in beautiful patterns. Both were aware of their sudden close proximity, but paid it no attention.

'Luigi, whatever you saw with me, Waluigi, or anyone else in the castle, it wasn't what you think it is. I pretty much hate the guy. We've been friends for years, haven't we? I love you, and nothing's gonna change that. Nothing.'

He wasn't quite sure how or when it happened, but suddenly they were almost touching and he could feel her misted breath against his nose. He enfolded her hand with his own gloved one, trying to work some feeling back into both of their cold-numbed fingers. 'Daisy, lo ti amo,' he whispered, unconsciously slipping into Italian. 'Please, don't ever leave me.'

'I'm not going to leave you, Weegee,' she repeated. 'I promise, OK?'

Her eyes flicked sideways to look at the top towers of the royal castle, almost invisible in the darkness. It must have been impossible, but Luigi almost thought he could hear the faintest strains of music drifting from inside. 'Would you like to dance?' Daisy said, a note of playful challenge in her voice.

He put his hand at her waist and she slipped hers over his shoulder, and they began to turn slowly together. Both were good dancers, but this was less of an actual dance and more of a embrace as they gently spun around beside the moonlit brook, each step careful to avoid slipping on the mud. Above them, the clear sky glittered with thousands of stars that were reflected in the bubbling surface of the water, constantly in motion, jumping and distorting with the current. It was almost as if the glade were dancing with them.

After a minute or two – or maybe more – they were interrupted by the distant sound of the castle bell, deep and reverberating in the night air. Luigi paused and tilted his head slightly to listen.

'That'll be the signal to end the party,' murmured Daisy. 'I guess we've been here for longer than we thought.'

Neither of them released each other from the dancing position they'd fallen into.

'D-do you...' Luigi cleared his throat, hardly able to believe he was still nervous after what they had just shared. 'Do you want to come back to our house for dinner? W-we didn't eat much at the party, after all...'

'Sure!' Daisy responded immediately, giving him a reassuring smile in an attempt to ease his nerves. 'C'mon, let's go now. It's freezing out here.'

She slipped her hand into his and they set off quickly up the little slope, neither able to see the uneven ground in the darkness and stumbling frequently, gripping onto each other for support. Once they were back on the main path and the streetlamps provided enough light to see the way home, Luigi suddenly let out an unexpected chuckle and Daisy looked askance at him. 'What's up?' she asked curiously.

'Nothing,' he replied, trying to stifle his snickering without much success.

'Come on, tell me!'

He relented. 'It looks like Mario's going to be getting his money after all!' He dissolved into outright laughter, and after a moment of incredulous staring, Daisy joined in – despite not understanding what he was talking about. Luigi's laughter was just infectious that way.

'You're crazy,' she said as they headed up the path back to his house, still giggling uncontrollably.

Maybe I am, Luigi thought. But I really need to thank Mario for forcing me into his stupid bet. In fact, I might even thank Waluigi for making this happen...