A/N : See endnotes for additional notes and review replies!
- Orpheus Firefly
Chapter 2: Recovery.
Clink.
Clink.
Ka-chunk.
Mario drowsily watched his younger brother swiftly unlock the aged, wooden front door of their home, drooped eyes following the circular motions of the tiny silver key in the door's lock. The other, unused keys on the small keychain clinked against each other with the momentum, jangling softly with quiet metallic tinks. The door, slightly rotten on its well-worn edges, rattled in protest against its bare frame as it was unlocked, and Mario swore he saw a few flecks of ancient red matte paint fly off as it stiffly budged. He gazed at the faded coat of paint covering the door, the erosion of the warm colour almost creating a gradient effect across the length of the oak pane. As his brother began to completely open the weathered door, smiling brightly back at him, he felt a sudden wave of melancholy sweep over his body.
"Does it need to be red? Green would suit the house way better, bro."
The younger brother held up a large tin of paint, a flathead paintbrush tucked behind his ear, grinning slightly. He stared thoughtfully at the door, pondering, before gasping, turning to face the elder, his excited expression almost parodying that of the energetic mascot adorning the face of the tin.
Mario almost laughed.
"Here's an idea! Dual tone! Red and green! Best of both worlds bro!"
Mario remembered telling his brother that his idea, whilst unique, probably wouldn't work, that perhaps sticking to an ordinary block colour would be far more tasteful than a gaudy flashback to the crazes of times gone by. He had expected his brother to sigh with disappointment and appear deflated, dropping the paint can with a sonorous clang that would linger in the air for far too long to be comfortable, the atmosphere overall to become one of awkwardness between the two. Yet, he was surprised when Luigi didn't seem fussed, and just fetched the already open red paint tin before starting to haphazardly splash vermillion matte onto the white-washed door, droplets of paint flying from the brush, covering the surrounding area with a vermillion fallout.
The older sibling watched his brother for a while before raising his head, looking up at the calm, tranquil skies, watching the white, puffy clouds beam down at him, the slight wind tickling his skin. He stretched out slightly, raising his arms up towards the sky, and exhaled, face bright. This house...the Mushroom Kingdom...
This is where they belonged.
The man frowned, eyes scrunched slightly. That coat of paint was at least five years old, if not older. He quickly diverted his eyes from the weary paint job, as if ignoring it would make the task of repainting disappear, and brought his attention to the now fully open door, said door screeching and creaking as it wavered slightly in the breeze, flexing its worse for wear hinges, their once golden, bright colour lost to a forest of green specks, dotted all across their surfaces.
We really need to replace those hinges.
The older brother begrudgingly added the menial task, as well as repainting the door, to his mental "to do list", before sluggishly following his younger sibling, who had already set himself down on the quaint leather sofa in the brothers' living room. Mario struggled somewhat with his lanky crutches, the rigidity of the instruments making his movements appear like those of a fawn, fresh on its feet. He clumsily crossed the threshold of his home, not noticing as the right crutch caught against the slightly raised doorframe, causing the weakened man to stumble, losing his pitiful balance completely. Toppling like a felled tree, he cried out feebly, clenching his eyes shut, internally bracing himself for the inevitable searing pain that would undoubtedly force its way up his thickly plastered calf, and to the rest of his aching body.
Time seemed to slow to a crawl.
This is gonna hurt. This will hurt...big time.
A few seconds passed, and the injured man suddenly realised that he hadn't fallen dramatically into the embrace of the cold, hard ground, arms flailing in an undignified fashion, like he thought he would have.
...What?
Upon not feeling the ground or his theorised unbridled pain, he knew that he must've been mistaken in his predictions; that or he had lost all feeling altogether.
He sincerely hoped it wasn't the latter.
His fears were dispelled when he realised a tight grip on his upper torso, preventing him from falling onto the wooden, unforgiving floor, preventing both the hurt and humiliation. He was comfortably rested in the trembling arms of his sibling, the younger brother's face full of concern and, from what Mario could interpret and understand, a certain fear. The younger's gloved hands held a vice-like grip on his brother's clothing, as if he was afraid he would just vaporise into thin air right in front of his eyes, or be torn away from his arms by an unknown entity if he let go.
His hold was so intense that Mario feared he might bruise a little.
"Y-you okay? You okay bro? Sorry, I should've stayed and helped, I-"
Luigi was interrupted by the slow shifting of his brother's body in his arms, as he flashed a sincere, thankful smile. He carefully slid his arms into the crutches once more, trying to ignore the way they snagged the sleeves of his trademark red shirt, jauntily trying to retain his balance; though, Luigi could tell he was finding some difficulty due to the way he his bare knuckles turned white and stiff as they gripped the crutch handles, and how he trembled and shook, like a wilted leaf in a strong gale.
Fratello's in such a state...
"Bro, let me help, please."
The older brother turned around with an exerted effort, surprise as plain as day on his visage, his mouth opening slightly but not uttering a sound, as if he were tongue-tied. Luigi, not waiting for the imminent answer of stubborn refusal from his prideful brother, scooped him gently, yet firmly, into his arms, cradling him carefully as to not cause any further harm. The crutches, not being properly fitted onto Mario's arms in the first place, fell effortlessly to the floor, producing a loud and obnoxious clang as they did so. Luigi winced slightly at the noise, before sheepishly grinning at his somewhat stung brother, the latter's expression mirroring that of a petulant child.
He's probably embarrassed about having to be helped. He's always been stubborn.
He chuckled quietly to himself, ignoring his brother's questioning and somewhat piercing gaze, a scrutinising gaze, one that was trying to figure the younger man's intentions out, one that was trying to understand the younger man.
He knows I'm doing this because I love him, and I don't want to lose him, right?
...Right?
We're each other's only family, after all.
Luigi walked somewhat stiffly, and Mario noted a glazed look in his eyes, and despite his apparent joviality a few seconds beforehand, the corners of his mouth were now twisted into a firm, strong grimace. He wondered what had gotten into his usually carefree brother, what exactly had caused such a dramatic personality twist and change in demeanour. It couldn't have been from what had just happened, a minor fall would have been painful, of course, but it was nothing compared to what had happened a few days prior.
...A few days prior...
This memory suddenly stopped the elder in his trail of thought.
His aggression with Bowser...and now this?
The man furrowed his brow, lost and nearly drowning in a senseless sea of his own thoughts, both openly optimistic and gravely pessimistic. He let out a slight groan, massaging his temples as he felt a sharp, stabbing migraine coming along to further aggravate the existent pains in his body.
He's just overprotective right now. I did almost die before. It's understandable, if you think about it.
...But to this extent? This is creepy, it's not just concern anymore!
It's nice he cares this much.
He's obsessive over you! This isn't just concern! This is-
"He-llooo? Earth to Mario, you in there?"
The older brother was forcefully yanked out of his torrent of thoughts, and blinking slightly, he turned to lock eyes with his younger sibling standing still in front of him. Sitting up on the sofa that his brother had laid him on, Mario threw a questioning look towards the younger man. Luigi smiled somewhat nervously, holding a small glass of tap water, the water rippling in accordance with the tremors of his hand. Upon making eye contact, he slowly held the water out towards the injured man, eyes focused on the sofa rather than the man he was handing the beverage to.
"H-here. I...I'm not sure how to really help but uh...well, this was the least I could do...I suppose..."
The younger man coughed awkwardly, his arm still outstretched, the glass still shaking in his quavering hands. Mario stared at the glass; he recognised it, he definitely recognised it, the small chip on the rim, the faded happy toad decal, the buttercup polka dot pattern...
"I bought some glasses for the cupboard! Pretty neat huh? They're sweet, look!"
The elder let out a lilted laugh.
"They're very nice, Luigi."
The younger sibling grinned, eagerly tearing away the polystyrene casing of the newly bought glasses. Unwrapping all five of them, Luigi wasted no time in filling their new pine drinks cabinet with the glassware. Mario watched silently, a fond smile adorning his face.
"You're enjoying the whole 'decorating the new house' thing, aren't you?"
At this, Luigi turned to the speaker, laughing and nodding.
"Yup! This'll be the best home ever, you'll see Mario!"
"You'll see!"
As quickly as the memory came to the man, it left, leaving the elder with long-lost remnants of a time gone by.
Why am I getting so nostalgic...?
The man shook his head slightly, taking the glass from his expectant brother and clasping it tightly, noting the faded and washed out colours of the design. He sighed, before eventually trying to initiate conversation.
"Haven't seen these glasses in a while, bro."
"I...j-just found them in the back of the cupboard recently, actually...I thought it would be nice to use them again and all...haha..."
The younger man's words trailed off as he glanced around the room, seemingly taking interest in the most mundane objects rather than the person he was speaking to.
Mario nodded curtly at his brother, redirecting his attention to drinking the liquid in his glass.
He carefully sipped some of the water, the liquid instantly cooling his throbbing throat. He sighed audibly, starting to relax slightly before clenching his eyes at another sudden jab of pain from his head, the ache dispersing all over his body. Gritting his teeth, the man refused to let out a sound of suffering, his apparent pride forbidding him from doing so. Even through the wave of pain, Mario could distinguish the sofa sinking down slightly next to him, and he turned his gaze to his brother, who had made himself comfortable against the tapestried cushions. He held a small, translucent orange plastic bottle in his hands, along with a clear 5 ml dosage spoon. He hummed slightly he poured the syrup-like liquid out, yelping slightly when he spilled a few stray drops of the substance onto his lap.
"B-bro, we need you to take this medicine daily...it's meant to help with the pain and all that...but I don't know what it does specifically. I wasn't really listening to the Doc, I was too busy...uh...worrying I guess..."
He awkwardly laughed a tad, before turning to face his brother, steadying the full spoon to avoid spilling the liquid again. He tried passing the spoon to his brother, however, Mario's shaking hand made it all but impossible to achieve. Luigi frowned, glancing down at the spoon before raising his gaze to his brother.
"...I'll help you. Open your mouth, Bro, I don't think it tastes too bad..."
Mario groaned slightly, sulking and clearly not impressed or amused by the apparent essential spoon feeding. Reluctantly, he nodded and slightly opened his mouth, averting his gaze; he couldn't believe he had to be treated as though he were an ill child again. He was about to close his mouth and complain to Luigi about the absurdity of the situation when the spoon was jabbed ungracefully into his mouth, the tart aroma of the medicine causing his eyes to widen in shock, threatening to tear up as his taste buds were viciously attacked. As quickly as it intruded, the spoon retreated, leaving the man with the foul taste of the liquefied drug. He couldn't quite describe the taste, but if he were to try, it would be a horrid concoction of artificial lemon that was far too sour to be appetising in any sense of the word, mixed with a slight soapiness and chemical taste that made Mario doubt the validity of the medicine, and to top it off, it had a feeble, grainy texture, almost as if he were forcing sand and grit down his throat.
To put it frankly, he didn't enjoy taking it.
He supposed his displeasure must've shown, for Luigi was frowning at him in sympathy.
"Is it that bad? I didn't realise, I could try and find some home remedies instead, i-if you want."
Mario shook his head rigidly, his face still contorted due to the aftertaste of the abhorrent liquid.
"If the Doc prescribed it, it's the best thing for me...even if it is...disgusting."
He grinned slightly, before raising his eyes to meet Luigi's.
Mario found that his smile faded rather quickly.
Luigi was staring at the ground, his eyes blank and hardened, cold. He seemed to be acting in the same way he had done before, with Bowser a few days prior.
"Do they really know what's best for you? They don't know you..."
Mario was about to interrupt, trying to joke about the Doctor's obvious medical prowess over their own, when he heard a delicate murmur from his brother.
"They don't know you like I do..."
Mario raised his eyebrows at that comment, eyes wide and questioning, slightly worried about the meaning behind such an odd comment.
He is OBSESSED. You just won't accept it!
The man held back another disgruntled groan as his migraine returned, trying to ignore his inner conflict on the recent actions of his brother, the change in his brother.
Has he really...changed...?
Mario couldn't answer that. Of course, his brother had been acting strangely but...that wasn't permanent, right? He was clearly just overwhelmed, and Mario completely understood why that could be the case.
He's just really worried right now; he wants the best for me, as I would for him.
This is...fine.
After convincing himself of the acceptability of his brother's odd acquired tendencies, Mario felt far more relaxed, finally able to ease his shoulder muscles that had been tense since his brother had been sat beside his person, finally opening his posture, no longer inadvertently uptight and confused. Luigi noticed this change in attitude in his brother, shifting his eyes to watch him eventually lower his stiff shoulders that had made him appear like a vulnerable animal, curling up in on itself.
Wonder what he was worrying about...I would've made sure he would be safe, no matter what.
"Fratello?"
Luigi watched as his brother listened carefully to his voice, the cautious air that had once surrounded him no longer present. Luigi noted that, for the first time in weeks, his face seemed completely devoid of any stress.
Perhaps it's my influence...I've been doing a good job!
The younger man felt a strong sense of pride for that achievement, before snapping his mind back to the current conversation, before his brother started to worry again.
"You know that I would never l-let you get hurt right? There's no need to be cautious here, this is your home, bro."
His brother nodded, somewhat lethargically, his roughed up and tightly tangled locks of chocolate lightly swaying with the vertical movement. His eyes were half-lidded, and he appeared to be trying his utmost to keep his head from dropping down against his chest, to keep himself from entering the realm of sleep. Luigi cracked a sympathetic smile at the drowsy man, carefully sliding his arm around his sibling's shoulders, pulling him towards his body, towards his natural warmth.
Whilst Luigi had expected his brother to enter dreamland relatively quickly, he hadn't expected him to conk out as soon as he was rested against Luigi's upper torso, snoring faintly, his gentle breathing grazing the skin on the younger's neck. Tussling his older sibling's hair, the man smiled to himself.
I'll always look after you Fratello, just like we promised.
We'll always be with each other.
Always.
Warm sunlight streamed in strong rays through the frosted window pane, making it appear opaque with shimmering shards of ice, and lightly skimmed the warm, cream walls, adding a new sheen to the paintwork. The room was cold, yet not enough to be uncomfortable; the temperature was just right as to be refreshing, the crisp air from the slightly ajar window freshening the room.
Upon feeling the gentle touch of the light and warmth of the morning dawn on his cheek, Mario slowly opened his eyes, adjusting his somewhat blurred vision to the clear brightness of the early morning, yawning silently and rubbing at sleep which had lightly crusted in the inner corners of his eyes. Moving his head by a tiny amount, he threw a lazy glance towards his younger sibling, slightly nudging his chin a little. This didn't seem to wake the younger of the duo, and Mario inwardly sighed. He didn't want to wake his brother; the calmness of his face and the air of utmost tranquillity around him persuading the elder to let him be in his blissful sleep. However, due to his brother's ever firm grip around his shoulders, the man found it to be difficult to shift his body out of his twin's arms without slightly disturbing him somewhat; and the tired, annoyed grunts from the still snoozing man signalled to him that perhaps wriggling about wasn't the greatest or the brightest of ideas. Eventually, the injured man ceased his attempts of escape, instead settling down against Luigi's torso again and hoping to catch a few more minutes of shut-eye, at least until his sibling awoke from his slumber.
He's always been...clingy...
The man's eyes started to droop again, as his mind began to slow to a dozy state.
Clingy...
Completely shutting his eyes, the older brother began to relax once more, trying to achieve the calmness of sleep to pass the time. For a few minutes, he continued to lay in his trance-like state, listening to his brother's steady, rhythmic breathing, and the sweet melodies of waking songbirds outside in the front garden, the gentle ticking of the mantelpiece clock lulling him into a state of slumber once more.
Ring.
Mario's eyes snapped open upon hearing the harsh screech of the doorbell slicing through the air, and he felt his brother stirring slightly, grumbling and complaining tiredly, running one hand through his hair, the other rubbing his temples somewhat.
Knock.
Ring ring.
Whoever this is, they're persistent.
His younger brother eventually opened his eyes groggily, somewhat annoyed with the disturbance to his otherwise peaceful sleep. He glanced down at his older brother, suddenly cheering up and smiling softly.
"Buongiorno, Fratello."
Knock.
Luigi hissed faintly at the sound, groaning and sitting up, finally releasing his hold on his brother.
"Should I get it, Luigi?"
Turning to his older twin, Luigi shook his head rapidly, waving his hands from side to side and laughing quietly.
"No no, it's fine Fratello, I'll get it..."
He quickly rose from the sofa, hurrying himself to the entrance to the living room.
"See? I'm here already, so don't worry yourself."
Mario slowly nodded, a quiet "uh huh" escaping his lips as he did so.
It does make sense. You can hardly walk.
It was true; without his crutches, Mario couldn't walk at all, and even with the aid of the essential instruments, Mario found that his walking appeared to be akin to that of a robot.
In any case, he wasn't suited to movement at all in his current state.
Yet, there was something about his brother's answers, something about the tone of his brother's answers that perplexed him, leaving him nonplussed.
Why was he so...flighty about it? He's not...hiding anything...
Is he..?
The wounded man sighed solemnly, blocking out the sounds of his brother opening the front door, blocking out the world.
He needed time to think. He needed time to understand everything.
Luigi peered through the open door to come face to face with the Kingdom's very own princess, her pretty, pale face shining in the morning light, giving her a lush, healthy glow. She smiled at the younger brother, her hands crossed over her front, luscious blonde locks swaying slightly in the breeze and tumbling down her dainty shoulders.
"Good morning Luigi. I trust you're doing well; how are you? It's a beautiful morning, isn't it?"
The man froze, his hand trembling on the door handle.
I could just slam the door, and she would go away. Everyone would stay away.
He glanced towards the floor, awkwardly kicking at it before feebly responding;
"Y-yes, princess."
Gulping slightly, he raised his eyes to meet the princess' warm baby blues.
"W-what brings you here?"
The woman frowned faintly, her gaze lowered, as she clasped a delicate gloved hand on her chest, the palm laying over the sapphire pendant on her dress. Her eyebrows furrowed, and she fell silent for a moment before speaking softly.
"I wanted to see if Mario was doing well...after what happened a week ago. I couldn't stop worrying about him, and as soon as I heard he had been discharged from hospital I knew I simply had to visit...do you mind if I come in?"
Luigi so desperately wanted to say no, to prevent the root cause of his brother's continual suffering from interacting with him any longer, but he knew that if he did such a thing, Mario would most definitely take it the wrong way. He could almost visualise the hurt that would be plastered on his brother's face, the sadness and disappointment. Perhaps his eyes would water slightly, or perhaps they would lower with fury? Would he never trust his brother ever again?
Luigi didn't know, and for that reason he didn't want to take any chances.
Plastering a false smile across his face, he stepped away from the door, gesturing inside to the pretty woman in pink.
"Y-yes, of course, Peach..."
Peach smiled gratefully, nodding slightly at Luigi as she passed gracefully by him, her soft rose dress fluttering behind her as she walked.
"Thank you..."
Luigi closed the door, the resounding "click" rattling him. He wasn't comfortable with this woman, the woman whose incapability only lead to his brother's pain, being so close to his sibling, his only family. He wanted to cut all ties to the lady, to completely nullify the chances of his only family being snatched away from him like it almost was a week ago.
He just wanted to protect his sibling.
We look after each other. I know Fratello won't be taken away when I'm with him.
The young man stood still, gripping and contorting his hands, trying to ignore the presence of the lady in pink.
Not waiting for Luigi to join her, Peach tenderly stepped foot into the living room, her eyes scanning over the room. It was rather small, quaint, with randomly sized photos and cards littering the mantelpiece near the window. A television set that looked rather old sat in the far corner of the room, and Peach inferred that it hadn't been used for quite a while due to the large collection of abandoned cobwebs and layers of dust adorning its surface. A variety of old, battered video cassettes lay stacked in a tiny plastic crate, some spilling out onto the floor, their labels faded. Peach could vaguely make out some dates on the tapes, dates linking back to twenty or so years ago.
Family tapes...
The floor was wooden, garnished with a light checkerboard pattern. It was suitably clean, yet it was obvious that it hadn't been properly cared for due to the fading of the once brilliant shades of mahogany, and the princess found herself wishing that the brothers were as good at cleaning and housework as they were at their heroics. She stopped her brutal inspection of the quiet room and instead brought her attention to the man sat limply on the sofa, his eyes glazed and distant. She resisted the urge to frown and instead kept her sweet smile on her face, placing herself down carefully next to the older brother, arranging her skirts neatly.
"Mario?"
The man almost immediately turned to address her, shocked, his expression mirroring that of a rabbit in the headlights. Upon recognising the woman who sat beside him, the man relaxed, laughing weakly.
"Sorry, I was daydreaming...when did you get here Peach?"
Peach giggled in amusement, leaning back into the inviting plush cushions on the sofa.
"I've only just arrived; your brother let me in."
She let her eyes wander, and it was then that she noticed the way that the man's hair was ruffled and tousled, sticking up in all directions like overgrown foliage. She tittered, bringing her hand up to smooth down one particularly offending cowlick on the top of the man's head. Mario, half asleep and not expecting this action, just sat still, somewhat stunned.
"Were you sleeping before I came?"
The man glanced down, trying to ignore the redness that threatened to show itself on his cheeks.
"Yeah...I must be a complete bed-head, huh?"
Mario laughed, a happy lilt in his somewhat weakened voice. Peach grinned at the sight, feeling relieved at the man's seemingly high spirits. She sat silently for a few moments, listening to the man's calm breathing next to her, before raising her voice again.
"The military advisors don't think Bowser will attack for quite some time; he's disbanded his troops that were once stationed on the Kingdom Frontiers."
She paused to glance at Mario, who was nodding, understanding what she was stating.
"That's good. It will give you a break, Peach; It can't be healthy, being forcefully moved and kidnapped all the time."
The princess failed to hide a grimace and turned to fully face Mario, surprising the latter slightly.
"That's... not quite what I'm getting at. Mario, look at yourself. You need a break, a holiday of some sort...not me. I'm not the one traversing perilous worlds, I'm not the one who was nearly fatally injured...that was you, is you. Please, take a break..."
The hero opened his mouth to argue slightly, but cut himself short upon hearing a small whisper from the woman beside him.
"...for me."
Mario sighed somewhat shakily. He didn't really want to 'take a break', as even if Bowser himself was out of commission, plenty of other no-good villains would be happy to seize the opportunity and attack the relatively weak kingdom.
The Mushroom Kingdom wasn't known for its military prowess; many people didn't even believe it had soldiers at all.
Besides, Isle Delfino definitely taught me a lesson about going on holiday.
Biting his lip, the man averted his gaze from the worried lady in front of him. He couldn't say no to her, he didn't want to upset her...but at the same time, a break was most definitely out of question.
"Mario? Are you alright? You've been quiet for quite some time, is there something bothering you?"
Lost in my thoughts again...
"No, nothing's wrong Peach..."
He paused, considering his apparent options before sighing in defeat.
"So... what would you suggest for a break, then?"
The woman perked up at this comment, delighted by the man's acceptance of the idea.
"I was thinking we could go together, like Isle Delfino...that was a fun trip, wasn't it? The fruit was to die for!"
You seem to be ignoring the part where I was a criminal and you were kidnapped...
"Si, it was fun...but perhaps not there again."
The hero coughed awkwardly, and the princess sympathetically smiled.
"Ah yes...perhaps not there then. Oh, how about-"
Another cough broke the conversation, although this time the cough was less raspy and weak, and more overly polite. Peach quickly noticed that this time it wasn't her dear friend beside her, but rather a man leaning in the doorway, said man looking rather...
Annoyed.
Did I do something to offend Luigi? Oh heavens...
The younger brother glanced at the clock, before speaking monotonously to the fair princess.
"It's time for Mario's medicine, sorry Princess. You see, he's really ill, perhaps too ill to travel..."
The younger sibling sighed, overemphasizing an expression of disappointment and raising his arms, shaking his head slowly.
"It's a shame, but his health comes first, right?"
The princess frowned, suddenly feeling rather guilty, clasping her hands on her lap.
"Y-yes of course..."
The woman looked sadly towards the older brother, her mood sullen. She brushed her hand slightly over the injured man's on the sofa, squeezing it slightly.
"I didn't realise it was that bad..."
She sat silently for a while, before gasping, face bright with realisation.
"How about you stay at the castle? We have medics on hand, and we can arrange catered care for you; perhaps it would aid your recovery?"
Before Mario could even react, Luigi raised his voice, waving his arms and shaking his head in an absolute statement of utmost disapproval.
"A-absolutely not...he needs somewhere familiar, you can't replace the feeling of home...a-and I know exactly what to do for him, he doesn't need anything more...!"
Both Peach and Mario raised eyebrows at the outcry, the latter seeming somewhat surprised by the vehemence of the younger sibling. Their questioning gazes spoke volumes, and Luigi soon found himself nervously glancing around the room to avoid their scrutinising stares, and he feared that a bead of sweat might threaten to drip down his face.
"I…I just want him to get soon as quick as possible, I want everything to go back to normal as soon as it can…that's w-why I think he should stay here, familiar surroundings aid with recovery just as much as the m-medicine after all…."
Luigi knew full well he was grasping at straws, and fiddled with his hands in a flustered manner, eyes glued to the checkerboard laminate floor.
Please don't question me further, please don't question….
"I…I see. Very well, perhaps you're right, Luigi. Maybe he would recover better in a familiar environment."
The princess smiled weakly, slowly standing and straightening out the skirts of her frilled dress. She paused and glanced at the injured man on the sofa, throwing a sympathetic look towards him.
"Get well soon, Mario. If there's anything I can do…please, just let me know. It's the least I could offer you."
Said man nodded, grinning fondly back at the pretty woman in pink.
"Of course. See you soon, Peachy."
Peach giggled again, before making her way to the door to the lounge. Noticing that Luigi hadn't yet moved from his perch in the doorway, the princess coughed politely to attract his attention. Luigi, having been dragged out of his stupor, moved aside, muttering a feeble, forced "Scusa".
As Peach made her way towards the front door of the small, quiet house, she felt as though a million daggers were piercing her back, digging into her skin with the intention of forever scaring her away, and as she closed that tattered oak door, had she looked back she would've seen the eye of man glaring at her through the peephole; the glare holding such malice and hatred that she would have felt that the owner of the piercing stare thought her to be a universally hated criminal who had committed the most heinous act of treason.
A/N : Whew, that was a long one! I never intended to make this chapter so long, but I felt that there needed to be some nice familial and background development before the main action begins! (I won't spoil you too much, but starting from next chapter things will be...interesting, to say the least.)
Thank you for all the positive reviews, favourites and watches! I'm so glad my story is being well received, and I'm happy you're all enjoying it! I've also decided that I'll respond to reviews in these A/Ns, because otherwise I'll feel as though I've left you all in the lurch! (and that just ain't my style.)
Anonymous Girl Gamer: Thank you for the positive feedback! (I'm really happy you're enjoying the story so far!)Yes, editing on a phone was a...unique experience, and I must say that this site definitely works better on laptops... (for uploading purposes anyway)
NormanWhitesmith: Haha, your review did get a chuckle out of me, I will admit; always nice to see unique reviews like that! I'm really grateful for your amazing feedback, and I really hope you enjoy where the story goes in the future! (Don't worry, I'm sure Luigi won't actually come after you...although I can't make any promises!)
Rockster: Yeah, it is definitely difficult to get a right balance between Luigi's violence and Bowser's suffering (especially as I usually view the King as more of a comedic character than a serious one) though I'm glad it didn't come across as too one-sided either way! (We don't need any mindless violence, tut.)
Thank you for pointing out that typo in the last chapter; it most likely happened thanks to the wonders of mobile editing, and I just didn't notice it before I uploaded; good thing for the reviewers, eh?
A HUGE THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO HAS REVIEWED SO FAR!
Sorry I can't respond to each and every one of you, I would definitely want to, however, I don't want this section to drag out too long! I always read each review as soon as I get that email in my inbox (I'm always so excited that I have to check it right away) and it always brings a smile to my face to read that people are finding enjoyment from my writing. (I promise I won't be this sappy in the future; it definitely wouldn't fit the tone of the story!)
Anyway, thank you for waiting for this update!
Orpheus-Firefly
