A/N: Hello, long time no see! I haven't posted anything in about half a year. The problem is not that I've gotten bored of fanfiction, but that I don't have any ideas. So for the purpose of giving you something new, I've dug up a very old story (I have no idea when I originally wrote it) and cleaned it up a little. It's nothing special, just some brotherly hurt/comfort, my usual thing.

Enjoy!

Watching My Back

Luigi wrung his hands together, then let out a short sigh that vaporised in the cool evening air.

He'd been waiting anxiously outside the castle for what felt like hours. Mario had rushed inside, heedless of his own safety, after seeing Bowser dragging an apparently unconscious Peach and Daisy over the threshold. Giving pursuit, he had shouted at Luigi to stay put before the huge oaken doors slammed shut with frightening force behind him, his concerned face suddenly disappearing from his brother's view.

An agonising and indeterminable amount of time later, the doors swung open and Mario emerged, covered head to foot in ash and dust, limping heavily, supporting a similarly hobbling Peach on his right side. Daisy was walking proudly alongside them, looking none the worse for her capture and imprisonment in the castle, though she was keeping one eye on the other two as if waiting to catch them.

Luigi rushed forwards with the Toad medics to help them stumble away to the safety of the royal carriage.

'Bro, you did it!' he cried, grinning tremulously at his war-torn brother and giving Daisy a quick one-armed hug. 'You're all OK...'

'Course we are, silly!' said Daisy, hitting him playfully on the arm before hurrying to help Peach and Mario get to the carriage.

'Y-yeah,' Mario added with a returning grin, but it looked more like a grimace. 'Just about made it.'

Luigi's smile faltered. 'Are you OK, Bro?'

'Sure thing.' Mario waved his concerns away with a dismissive flick of his gloved hand, but it wasn't convincing anyone, least of all Luigi.

'But your ankle - '

'A badly-timed side-flip, nothing to worry about.'

'Ah... well, if you insist...' Luigi glanced over his shoulder to see the Toad medics opening the carriage door for the two princesses, insisting that they climbed inside before they helped Mario to follow suit. 'Is Peach all right? She looks a little off...'

'Of course,' chuckled Mario. 'She just got knocked out by a flying vegetable while we were escaping. Luckily she woke up a few minutes ago. Don't ask,' he added hastily, catching sight of his brother's blank stare at the mention of flying vegetables.

'Well... I'm glad you made it back in one piece.'

The Toads then hastened them into the royal carriage, longing to return to the warmth and security of their own castle, and Luigi found himself absently holding onto his injured brother's elbow as they climbed the steps.

Peach, in gratitude for Mario rescuing Daisy and herself, offered to bake a huge cake for everyone once they were safely back in her castle. The Toads happily agreed to take part in the festivities, but Luigi turned her down. He had no desire to join any noisy, overcrowded parties tonight, not after such a hard day of travelling. Sure, he might not be the one who had rescued the princesses, but that didn't mean he'd sat back and done nothing.

For him, the most difficult part of this adventure – or any adventure – was waiting for his brother to come back alive and unharmed, wondering if he even would.

'Luigi?'

He heard Peach's worried voice behind him and turned around, startled to see that she'd followed him onto the castle balcony. He'd come up here hoping for a temporary escape from the chaos, but she must have been concerned enough about his wellbeing to come looking for him. The thought touched him slightly.

'I'm OK, Princess,' he replied with a smile that he was sure came out strained and unnatural. 'I'm just... thinking.'

'About what?'

For a moment, he was very tempted to say 'None of your business,' but something in her expression stopped him. Instead he simply replied, 'I'm fine, Peach, please don't let me ruin the celebrations. Go and have fun!'

'You're not ruining anything!' she exclaimed, obviously shocked. 'But... if you're sure... just tell me if you need anything, all right?'

Luigi nodded without paying attention, and continued staring up at the night sky until he heard her quiet footsteps walking away. Then, with a little sigh, he retreated indoors to find his brother.

Inside the castle, the atmosphere was one of chaotic excitement. He could compare it to the time he'd watched a herd of Yoshis charging through the middle of Toad Town after being startled by one of Bowser's numerous invasions. It was obvious that preparations for the party were already beginning, and Toads were frantically rushing back and forth in front of his line of vision, carrying platters of food to the table. He could smell a delicious variety of dishes in the kitchen area, along with the distinctive aroma of one of Peach's famous Black Forest cakes.

As he passed quickly through the crowds, he couldn't help thinking, All this is just for Mario. He's the one who did all the work and rescued them. He's the hero...

Suddenly a familiar voice jolted him out of his musings, calling his attention over to a nearby smaller table. 'Hey, Bro!'

'Hey, Mario,' he replied despondently, placing his hands flat on the tabletop before slowly sitting down in the only vacant chair. 'Why aren't you with the others, enjoying the celebrations? It's your party, after all.'

Mario shrugged. 'Not really my thing. I'm just waiting for the food, to be honest.'

That drew a weary laugh from his brother.

'But they're all celebrating for you, Bro,' said Luigi, looking at Mario almost pleadingly. 'Why don't you join them? Look at the effort they're putting into this party for you...'

'Why does it bother you so much?'

Before he had time to activate his brain-to-mouth filter, Luigi was rambling.

'You're the real hero here! You saved Peach and Daisy and defeated Bowser – again, not to mention you've rescued Peach hundreds of times before, a-and...' He paused for a moment, faltering and almost falling silent, then he forced himself to charge on. 'You're the one who deserves all this fame and glory! Not me! I shouldn't be attending this party at all, I don't deserve it, I haven't done anything! Why am I here?'

No response. Luigi stared hopelessly at the tabletop and knotted his hands together tightly, feeling the uncomfortable silence starting to consume him. He knew what his brother was going to say – something along the lines of 'Stop being an idiot, Bro'. But to his surprise, no such answer came.

'Luigi,' said Mario, very seriously. All trace of earlier humour in his eyes was gone, replaced by something so intense that Luigi couldn't help but meet his gaze. 'Don't be so hard on yourself. You know you haven't just sat back and done nothing all this time – you deserve fame as much as I do. C'mon, don't you remember when you saved me from that haunted mansion a few years ago? Or when you helped collect the Grand Stars to save the universe a while back?'

'Th-those things aren't important...' Luigi muttered, though he was already seeing the flaws in his own argument.

'How are they not important?! You've done just as much good as I have, Luigi! Stop being an idiot!' Mario's voice rose in pitch as his exasperation grew.

Finally hearing the expected phrase, Luigi chuckled faintly and felt the atmosphere lighten as the sound left him. 'I suppose...' he murmured. 'But you've saved Peach so many times. It just seems like I've done a lot less. I feel... lazy, I guess.'

Mario leaned back in his chair and rolled his eyes. 'You're being melodramatic, Bro. You've helped us out a lot. I'd probably be dead if it wasn't for you... c'mon, you know how I always rush into danger without looking first... at least I know you're there to watch my back!' Mario playfully hit his sibling on the shoulder.

Luigi's tremulous smile turned into a grin. Mario's words were not only reassuring, but also held some truth – hearing it said that way, he realised that he had done more than enough to help his brother. He might not go on dangerous adventures every day, or face Bowser head-on, but he wasn't useless. 'Thanks, Bro.'

'Anytime.' Mario yawned and glanced longingly in the direction of the royal kitchens, where delicious smells were still drifting from the open doorway. 'Hey, Bro?'

'What now?' grumbled Luigi with half-hearted annoyance.

'D'you think the chocolate cake's ready yet?'