Summary: Luigi calls Daisy up after feeling a bit down. However, upon her arrival, Daisy finds that Luigi is gone in favor of his sarcastic and even patronizing counterpart, Mr. L. The princess finds that even the most frozen heart can feel the winter cold. One-shot. Rated K for nothing kids can't handle. Mr. L x Daisy if you look at it the right way.

This little one-shot is completely separate from the Thunder Storm/SBG Universe. Meaning that Mr. L and Dimentio were strictly platonic and Luigi hasn't been doing anything to hurt himself. Physically anyway. (I think we can all agree he doesn't have the highest self-esteem.) However...Does Mr. L like Daisy? If so, does she feel anything for him in return? We shall see. Enjoy!

Daisy was sitting in her room, reading a book, when her phone rang. She heard a soft, musical chime indicating that her boyfriend was calling her. With a smile on her face, Daisy answered and put the phone to her ear. "Hello?"

The voice on the other end sounded tired and even depressed. "Hey, Daisy…"

Her tone softened. Luigi didn't sound too good. "Hey. You okay, lovebug?"

"Not really..."

"Aw, hon. Are you sick?"

"No."

"Well, what happened?"

"Nothing happened," Luigi said, slightly irritated. "Honest."

Daisy blinked. Luigi didn't lie to her often. "Well, then...What is it? I know you're not feeling your best today."

"I don't know. I can't really put my finger on what's wrong. I think it's all this snow..."

The princess looked out her window. The sun was shining. There was a nice breeze going by, making the trees sway. She glimpsed at her calendar. December 23rc. It had to be snowing somewhere. "Well...You want me to come over? Help cheer you up?"

The princess could picture Luigi trying to smile for her. "Sure. I'm at my father's cabin. Just be careful. It's pretty cold out."

She grinned. "No worries. I'll be fine! You're lucky nothing's going on in Sarasaland right now. Otherwise, I'd never be able to reach you."

Luigi chuckled. "Just get here quick, okay? I'm feeling kinda lonely."

"Sure thing! I love you, hon!"

"Love you too, Daisy…" With that, Luigi hung up.

The princess went to her closet and grabbed her favorite winter coat, which was a mellow shade of orange. Next, she changed into a blue sweater and a pair of matching jeans. She shoved a pair of orange gloves in her coat pockets and slipped into a pair of brown winter boots. After turning her closet upside down, she couldn't find her favorite scarf. Shrugging, she went to the nearest Warp Pipe. Not too long ago, she had the staff build a pipe to Luigi's cabin. She could never forget the place where he confessed.

The wind seemed to be targeting Daisy that day. It blasted in her direction along with snow rushing to her from everywhere, turning her whole body numb. Maybe that was an exaggeration. Still, it wasn't exactly the type of winter a Sarasaland princess was used to. Shivering, Daisy dragged her feet through the snow and knocked on the cabin door. She got no response, not even after waiting and trying again.

"Huh, that's funny," She thought aloud. "Usually, Luigi always comes when I knock." Trying one last time, she called his name, "Luigi!" Silence. Daisy frowned. "Maybe he's sleeping or something."

After stepping inside and taking off her winter clothing, Daisy searched the cabin. Again, she saw no sight of Luigi. She started to get worried when she found him in his room. He stared at his window, his back facing her. She grinned. "Luigi! There you are!" When he turned around, Daisy's stomach dropped. Silver eyes. Not this guy…

"Y-You...What are you doing here? How'd you get in?" Luigi asked with an American accent.

Daisy gulped. In the calmest voice she could muster, she said, "My boyfriend, Luigi, told me to come here."

He furrowed his brows. "At my cabin?"

"Yes. I knocked, but...No one answered the door. I figured he was asleep."

He blinked. "That was you earlier?"

"Yes, Luigi..."

"Why are you calling me Luigi?" He interrupted. "You know that's not my name."

Daisy sighed. "Sorry, Mr. L."

Mr. L smiled. "I forgive you."

She narrowed her eyes. There he goes again with that cocky smile. I wanna slap it right off of his face. "So, what? Want me to leave now?"

He shrugged. "You know what? You're here. I don't know how and why, but you're here. And a pretty face always cheers me up when I'm feeling down."

She blinked. Luigi mentioned he wasn't feeling right. She wondered if his counterpart had anything to do with it.

Mr. L grinned and gestured to a nearby chair. "Why don't you sit, Flower? Make yourself comfortable?"

The princess sat down and crossed her arms. "I don't like that nickname."

"Why? What's wrong with it?"

She shifted uncomfortably. "I have a boyfriend. You know that."

The man in green smirked. "Ah. That Luigi guy, huh? Well, whenever you get tired of him, you know where to find me."

Daisy shot him a look. Man, this guy is so annoying. What makes him think I'd want to get with him?

Mr. L didn't seem to notice. "So, anything you wanted to do in particular?"

Daisy thought for a moment. She could leave if she wanted, but Luigi asked her to be there. Besides, he could snap out of this at any minute. "Actually, can I have something to drink first?"

Mr. L nodded and stood, looking in the direction of the kitchen. "Sure. I have water, tea, coffee..."

"Any hot chocolate?"

He grinned. "One hot chocolate coming up! Sit tight, darling." He left the room.

"Don't call me that!" Daisy cried.

He laughed. "Too late!"

The princess frowned and looked out the window, watching the snow. Peach told me what happened with Count Bleck a few months ago, but why does this creep still have to be around? What's wrong with Luigi's head? She sighed and shook her head. No. I shouldn't think that way. This is still him after all...But why does he have to be so frustrating?

The man in green came back with a small plate along with two cups of hot chocolate. "I'm back!" He set the plate down on the nightstand and handed Daisy her cup by the handle.

She grinned and took the cup. "Thanks." Without thinking, she took a sip.

"Be careful! That's-"

The hot liquid scorched her tongue. "Ow!" She instantly set the cup down.

Mr. L frowned. "You should've known it was gonna be hot."

"Well, thanks for warning me!"

"I was trying to-" He stopped. "Oh, forget it."

There was a moment of awkward silence. Mr. L stared at his cup for awhile before taking a sip. Daisy wrapped a warm, blue blanket around her. She forced a smile. "So, um...How about the snow out there?"

The man in green frowned. "What about it?"

Talk about the weather. Way to make original conversation, Daisy. She ignored those thoughts and gestured to the window. "Come on! Look at it!" Mr. L looked at the window. "Doesn't it look pretty?"

"It looks freezing."

Her smile faltered. "Well, yeah. It's winter. Of course it's cold out."

Mr. L stared at the window silently. Daisy looked outside, watching the snow come down in tiny flurries. The snow-covered ground glittered, covering up all the dirt and weeds. Her smile grew. "I've always loved the snow. In Sarasaland, we never get anything for winter. It's a nice breeze at best. Here, the whole landscape changes into something out of a kids' book! I just think it's so cool!"

"In fact, when I was a kid, my cousin Peach and I would spend at least an hour outside, making snowmen and snow angels. And when we went inside for hot cocoa, I actually burnt my tongue like I did earlier, but it was still worth it!" She laughed, taking a sip.

He huffed. "That was a nice little anecdote."

Daisy turned back to face him. He had his arms crossed, attention fixed on his gray boots. "What?"

"Nothing! I said it was nice…"

"Yeah, but you seem upset about it."

Mr. L frowned. "I'm not upset."

"Well, you've been acting off ever since I got here. What's wrong?"

"Nothing!" He said, like a child hiding stolen candy behind his mother's back.

She groaned. "Come on. Just tell me the truth! I know you. I know when something's wrong, Luigi!"

He glared and raised his voice. "Why do you keep calling me Luigi!? You do it! And so does that silly hero in red and everyone else in this kingdom! I'm not him! I don't know who you're talking about!" He dug his hands through his dark hair.

"I-I'm sorry..." She said, hurt seeping into her voice.

Mr. L softened his expression. "Daisy…" He sighed. "You know I didn't mean it like that. I just get so annoyed when you all…"

"Why did my story upset you so much?" She interrupted.

The former mechanic let out a tired sigh. "It reminded me of my old friends…"

Her eyes widened. "Is that what's been bugging you?"

He replied quietly, "Yes." There was another moment of silence. This one felt less awkward, but sad and sullen. Mr. L looked up at Daisy. "You know what happened when the Light Prognosticus came true, correct?"

"Peach told me bits and pieces. I know Count Bleck sacrificed himself for the greater good, along with his wife."

"Exactly. We're not quite sure if they're actually dead. Either way, when that happened, the group fell apart. One of our friends betrayed the Count."

"So, you all just stopped talking to each other because of that?"

Mr. L sighed. "I don't know. Maybe. I guess we all just went our own separate ways. As far as I can tell, they've moved on. But me...I'm just stuck in the past and I can't seem to move forward. No matter how many times I visit Castle Bleck and try to wave the old days goodbye, I still want them back." He looked up at Daisy. "Don't get me wrong, princess. You're lovely, but you can't replace all of them."

"Well, I can understand why you would miss your friends. You were kinda made to serve the Count," She said. Literally. "Same with the others, right?"

He nodded. "Yeah..."

"But they're still alive. Can't you find a way to contact them?"

"I don't know what I'd say. They probably all think I'm rotting in the Underwhere, where that backstabbing traitor sent me." He sighed, scratching the back of his neck. "And I have patches in my memory while they know everything. It's just too complicated right now."

"Oh…" Daisy glanced outside. "Why does the snow make you think of them?"

Mr. L looked in the same direction. "We'd have childish fun out there just like you and blondie did." His voice softened. "I remember one winter...We were all sitting around, bored out of our minds. Then, someone had the bright idea to go out and start a snowball fight." He smiled. "I think it was actually Dimentio. Anyway, we had to have ground rules. I couldn't use my bro-"

"Your bro?" Daisy asked with a tilt of her head.

"Brobot," He replied.

"Oh."

"And Mimi couldn't change into a spider," He finished. "Dimentio promised not to use magic too, although I'm not quite sure he kept his promise the whole time. I could've sworn some snowballs plopped on top of my head out of nowhere."

Daisy thought for a moment, twirling a thick strand of hair with her finger. "Mr. L…"

He turned to face her. "Yes?"

She smiled. "Wanna go outside for a bit?"

Mr. L laughed. "Weren't you listening? That's been my whole problem today!"

So, he really did bring me here. That's why Luigi wasn't feeling right earlier. Daisy beamed. "I know, but maybe facing it will make you feel better!"

The man in green crossed his arms. "Pfft. Please... I don't want to go out there."

She placed her hands on her hips. "Oh come on, you big scaredy cat! What? Are you afraid of snow?"

Mr. L frowned and stood. "The Green Thunder is afraid of nothing!"

Daisy started to leave the room. "Well, I'm getting my coat on. You can stay in here and mope around if you want," She teased. She made sure to make her movements slow.

"Wait."

She turned around with a smile. "Yes?~"

Mr. L sighed and muttered, "I have a coat in the closet. I'll be with you in a minute."

Daisy cheered and left for the living room, putting her winter gear back on. Mr. L entered the living room in a black coat. He carried two scarves, one red and one green. He handed the red one to Daisy. "Here. I don't want you getting too cold."

She raised an eyebrow, but took it. "Where did you get this one?"

"Red left it here one time."

Daisy paused. "Wait. You and Mario are friends now?"

Mr. L shook his head, somewhat offended. "We're nothing of the sort! He left it here after trying to convince me that I was his brother or something. It was absolutely ridiculous and completely untrue, but that's what he believes. Can't help that he's mental."

The princess frowned. I'm sure Mario won't mind if I borrow this. Plus, I can drop it off at his house after I leave. With that, she wrapped the scarf around her neck and the two headed outside. Mr. L shivered as soon as they stepped out, but Daisy offered her hand. "Come on. I know this area way better than you might think."

Mr. L stared at her hand, then took it. It may have been her imagination, but Daisy thought his cheeks turned bright pink. "So, what should we do?"

"We can just walk around the woods if you want," She suggested. Mr. L nodded and the two went in that direction. "So, um, Mr. L...Don't you ever wonder about your past?"

"All the time," He replied. "But my mind always comes up blank. Well, actually, I have dreams, but they make no sense. They're just random memories from back then, and I usually forget most of it."

"What's one dream you remember?"

Mr. L thought for a moment. "Well, I was with this kid. We were both sledding down a snowy hill and I was really scared for some reason, but that boy just loved it. A woman at the end of the hill was yelling at us to be careful while a man was waving at us."

Daisy's eyes widened. The man in green groaned and rubbed his head, then went back to being silent. "What was the boy wearing?" The princess asked, knowing who it was.

"I don't know! I can't remember!"

She frowned. "You remember more than you give yourself credit for."

He shot her a look. "Why are you sticking your nose where it doesn't belong?"

Daisy narrowed her eyes. "That's the type of person I am. If someone needs help, I make it my business to help them."

Mr. L grinned. "Ah...So you care about me then? I'm flattered."

The princess' cheeks grew hot. She clenched her fists, shouting, "It's not like that! Jeez, not everything has to be romantic between us!"

The man in green laughed. "You're funny." Daisy glared, but Mr. L didn't seem to mind. In fact, he hummed a tune nonchalantly. The princess' eyes widened. Didn't Luigi used to hum that tune in the haunted mansion? Oh, Grambi. Why are you doing this to me?

Daisy stopped walking. The former mechanic glanced at her. "What's wrong?"

"Do you have a sled anywhere?" She blurted out.

Mr. L smirked. "There's one in the shed. What? Do you want to go sledding now?"

She nodded firmly. "Yes. Yes, I do."

"And I'm guessing you want me to come with you?"

"Right again."

The man in green shrugged. "You'd need my help if you wanted to get into the shed anyway. It's usually locked, but I know where the key is."

The princess nodded. "Okay. Lead the way."

With that, they went back to the house and took the key, which hung from a small hook in the kitchen. Next, they went to the shed and unlocked it. He stroked his chin. "Hmm...Let's see. Where did I leave it?"

Daisy looked around and helped sort through a lot of items that seemed useless for the winter time. Finally, she noticed a red item sticking out in a box, covered in dust. She grinned and pulled it out. "Found it!"

He turned. "Where was it?"

"Back here. In this box full of stuff."

Mr. L grinned. "Nice work."

"Come on. Let's get outside. I know a hill somewhere close by."

When they arrived near the top of said hill, Mr. L watched Daisy place the sled down. He asked, "Have you ever gone sledding before?"

"A few times when I was a kid. It's been awhile though."

He nodded. "Uh-huh...Why did you want to do this again?"

She turned and noticed his skeptical expression. "Well, when you mentioned it in that little dream of yours...It reminded me of how long it's been and I had the urge to get out here and do it!"

Mr. L laughed. "Okay, but if you're trying to help me remember things, forget it."

"So, you don't want to remember?"

He crossed his arms. "That's irrelevant. My friends have tried to help me remember things before. All of their efforts were unsuccessful, to say the least." Daisy frowned and glanced at the sled once more. It seemed to have enough room for the both of them. They stared at it for awhile. Amused, Mr. L asked, "So, are you going in front or should I?"

"It doesn't matter."

"Okay. I'll stay in the back. I want to protect your fragile form, after all," He teased.

The princess didn't take this well. "Hey! I don't need protecting."

"Unlike your cousin. I admire that about you," He remarked with a laugh. She frowned, debating whether or not she should defend Peach or ignore that comment. Mr. L smirked. "Tell me, princess, is there anything you admire about me?"

"I admire how much of a pain you are."

"If I'm a pain, why do you want me to go sledding with you?"

She groaned. "Just get in here, gosh-darn it!"

"Your wish is my command, your highness." He got in the back of the sled.

Daisy sighed, running a hand through her hair. This is so weird. Is my Luigi even in there?

Mr. L watched Daisy. "Well, I say we get going."

The princess smirked, an idea coming to her. She got in the front of the sled. "I couldn't agree more."

With that, she began sledding down the hill. The man in green seemed taken back by this. His eyes widened. "Hey, wait! What are you-!?"

She laughed. "Sledding! Duh!"

Mr. L grew more tense. Frantically, he blurted out, "Daisy, I don't know about-THIS!" The two of them picked up speed as they went down the hill. The princess giggled. The man in green was quick to notice a tree in their way. He wrapped his arms around Daisy, squeezing her a bit too tight for her own protection. "W-Wait, Daisy! THE TREE!"

Daisy grinned and confidentially steered away from the tree. Panting, Mr. L glanced down at her. "How did you-!?"

"Oh, come on! Don't you know what steering is?" He frowned. She laughed and added, "Just use your legs!" With that, Daisy showed him how to steer, demonstrating the basic positions. Mr. L stared ahead. She smirked. "Come on! It's fun! Or is that something the Count didn't teach you?"

The man in green grinned, a new spark in his eye. He steered to the right, laughing. "You underestimate us, princess!"

"I underestimate you? Please!" She joined in on his laughter. The princess looked back at him. For a few seconds, there were splashes of blue in his silver eyes. She gasped.

"Focus, girl!" Mr. L said sharply, his voice bringing her back to reality.

Daisy flinched and turned back around. "I am so sorry!"

The former mechanic softened his tone. "It's fine, mia principessa! I was a bit harsh, huh?"

There it was again. Her cheeks growing hot. Her heart pounding, leaving an echo in her ears. The way his deep, smooth voice played with her emotions. Am I…? She shook her head. No! I am most definitely not having those thoughts about him!

"Don't worry! Just..." Mr. L trailed off.

"What? I should what-?" She looked ahead, noticing a large rock. Her stomach dropped. "Oh no."

"H-How do we stop?" He asked, sounding smaller than her for once.

"Like this!" Daisy blurted out, quickly planting her legs in the snow.

Mr. L copied her actions, but the sled didn't appear to be slowing down. "I-I can't stop it!" He said. "What do we do!?"

She tried to think quickly. "We gotta bail out!"

"What?" He asked, surprised.

"Come on! You can do it!"

"How do I-?"

With that, she closed her eyes and rolled out of the sled. Somewhere down the hill, she heard a distant CRASH! The princess sat up, shivering. My face is so cold. I need to get inside...

Daisy looked around. "L? Where are you?" She stood and walked towards the sled, or at least where she thought it landed. She felt dread growing as she approached the rock. It was smaller than it looked from a distance, surprisingly. But wait. Where was...? She stepped a few feet in front of the rock and her eyes widened. Gasping, she noticed the man in green in the snow, face down.

"Oh Grambi..." She whispered. "L!" The princess ran, appearing at his side. "L, are you okay?" He didn't respond. She got down and began shaking him, shouting, "Hey! Come on! Talk to me!" No response. Next, she flipped him over, his head in her lap. "Oh no...Oh no..." Tearing up, she whispered, "Please, Grambi. Please! LUIGI!"

For a moment, Daisy felt like she was on the verge of a panic attack. However, she came to her senses. Freaking out wouldn't help Mr. L...Or Luigi for that matter. "No..." She said aloud. Wiping her tears, she picked him up. "I'm gonna get you inside. It's gonna be okay…Just hang on…"

With that, Daisy carried Mr. L to the cabin, his body leaning towards the snow over her shoulder. She groaned, feeling her side grow numb. "Ugh. Why do you have to be so heavy, Luigi?" When she arrived at his room, Daisy let him fall onto the bed. "Okay. Now, what do I do? Oh, I really hope I don't have to take you to the hospital for this!"

She sighed and buried her face in her hands. "This is all my fault. If only I hadn't been so stupid…" However, she shook her head and uncovered her face. "No. That won't help." Daisy peered down at him. "I'm just gonna have to take care of him until he wakes up."

Some time later, she noticed him stirring. "Huh?" He muttered.

Daisy lit up. "Oh, you're finally awake, Mister-"

"Daisy?" He interrupted softly, opening his blue eyes.

She froze for a couple of seconds, but quickly smiled again. "Yep!"

He looked around. "When did you get here?"

The princess frowned. "You, um...You hit your head when we were out sledding earlier." At least she didn't have to fabricate a complete lie.

"When did we go sledding? I don't remember that..."

"Oh, come on! You have to remember something."

Luigi furrowed his brows. "Well, I remember calling you over here...But I have trouble remembering why."

Daisy grinned. "At least you remember that much. You were lonely. That's why you called me. But don't worry about that! I'm here now."

"Do I need to go to the hospital?"

Daisy shook her head. "I don't think so, but don't move around too much just in case."

Luigi grinned. "Thanks, Daisy. For looking out for me. I may not remember much, but you're the best girlfriend in the world. I love you."

She smiled. "Love you too, weirdo."

Just a simple holiday special type-fic for the holidays coming up. I hope everybody can see their families okay. And if your mom/sister/whoever sucks, I'm your mom/sister/whoever. I can even be that wacky distant cousin who writes fanfiction for some reason. (Oh, and my version of Mr. L speaks in an American accent. Deal with it!)

I want to explore original stories, but that's a lot harder to me. While I at least have an idea of what to write and who to use in fanfics, I need to just make up everything for original fiction. It's a bit scary. I do have a first draft, but I just made it up as I went, so it's objectively terrible. We'll see where we get with it.

Happy Holidays!

-Colorful and Free