I recommend listening to the titular song by Journey while reading this.

In the days leading up to the rescheduled Grand Finals for the doubles match, Mario did what he could to make it up to his lil' bro for his misconduct on that fateful afternoon. He maintained his distance, giving Luigi the space he needed to work past the last of his raw emotions. He had all sorts of goodies, gifts and care packages delivered to his bro's doorstep. Every morning, afternoon and evening, he called Luigi to check up on him. The man in green kept their conversations short, but he appreciated his elder brother's gestures.

As for Luigi, he regularly visited the gym to sweat out his aggression. He went to the sports complex, armed with his tennis racket, to practice for the final doubles match, whacking tennis balls fired at him by a machine. But when the emotions got too much, he retreated to his room, locked the doors, opened the windows and curtains, turned up his music and danced. Well before the sporting events started, dancing to his music was always a deeply therapeutic experience. He stripped down to his leggings, socks, cap and gloves and danced until he was plastered all over with sweat, always feeling better after he finished. By and by, he felt that knot of hurt and anger loosening from his chest and stomach, his mind stopped racing over the incident, and he slept better each night. However, he would still wait until after the doubles match to make his next move.

But he wasn't gonna abandon Mario during this crucial moment. Not by a long shot.

…

The day of the rescheduled final doubles match dawned like any other. It was relatively warm, and the sun shone brightly in the sky. It didn't take long for the Peach Dome to fill up with spectators eager to watch the Mario Bros take on Yoshi and DK.

Meanwhile, Mario sat on a bench in the locker room, holding his tennis racket with both hands. While he was relieved that Luigi wasn't pushing him away and was still willing to be his doubles partner, the guilt still weighed heavily on him. He'd made an impulsive decision that day, and now he was facing short-term and possibly long-term consequences. There was hope that Luigi could forgive him, but it would be hard for Mario to forgive himself.

"Okay," Mario chided himself. "Okay. It's time to focus. Whatever happened between us, we're still gonna do our best out there."

A hand rested on his shoulder.

"Yes, we are," a voice joined in.

"Hey, Luigi."

"Hey, Bro."

Luigi settled down next to Mario, a gentle hand still on his shoulder. A weight hung. They were unable to make eye contact. Mario knew that some anger was still there on Luigi's part, and Luigi was worried that if he looked at Mario, then he'd lose it and make the situation worse.

Mario spoke up. "Luigi, I…"

"Shh," Luigi said softly, now rubbing circles into the small of Mario's back. "I know. But regardless—I'm with you to the end of the line. We're gonna go onto that tennis court, and we're gonna show God and everyone why we're the Super Mario Bros. Can I count on you?"

"Absolutely," replied Mario. "Can I count on you?"

"Definitely."

Mario sighed in relief.

Luigi squeezed Mario's shoulder one last time. "I'll see you out there," he said quietly.

"Yeah. See ya."

Mario heard Luigi's footfalls as he walked out of the locker room, and then he closed his eyes and psyched himself up.

We can do this. We can do this. We can do this—

…

"Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls," said Toadsworth. "The long wait is over. Today, the doubles portion of the Power Tennis Tournament will come to an end, and one of two teams will take home the trophy!"

The audience cheered.

"Introducing first—the team of Yoshi and Donkey Kong!"

More applause and DK and Yoshi strode onto the court, waving to the crowd and holding their rackets aloft.

"And finally, let's welcome—our Super Mario Brothers!"

The audience was on their feet as Mario and Luigi strode determinedly onto the court, still a united front in spite of what had happened earlier.

"This match is scheduled for five exciting sets," said Toadsworth, "and the team who wins the most of these five sets will be crowned the 2004 Doubles Tournament Champions! Are you ready?"

The audience roared in assent.

"Then let the final doubles match begin!"

The two teams approached center court and shook hands before taking their places. DK and Yoshi would serve first.

Mario heard Luigi say his name.

He turned.

Luigi stood there with his racket, a hard, determined expression on his face. He held out his free hand.

Mario grabbed it.

And then they shook.

"Let's-a go!" they shouted in unison, earning more cheers from the audience.

The Bros faced their opponents, and the referee gave the signal to start the match.

…

The final doubles match was almost as intense and as sweaty as the final singles match, maybe more.

Mario had positioned himself closest to the net, paying attention to the shots coming at him and hitting them back. But while his head was in the game, his mind was on Luigi. He knew that his lil' bro still had a lot of pent-up feelings to let out, and why he chose to let them out like this was anyone's guess.

Luigi stood behind Mario, near the corners. When the opposing team's shots managed to get past Mario, he used his faster speed and higher jumps to return them or relied on his ghost vacuum to pull the ball back onto the court. The memory of Mario's little stunt only served to give him extra energy to power him and his bro through this match.

He could've just stood there and let the ball soar overhead, allowing DK and Yoshi to score a point. He could've let Mario carry the weight of this match on his own. He could've denied Mario the satisfaction of a victory. He could've used this moment to upstage Mario, like Mario had upstaged him. But he didn't. And for the life of him, Mario couldn't figure out why.

While on the lookout for the ball, Mario felt Luigi's eyes searing into his back. He heard his bro shuffling along the court to catch the shots he missed. He heard Luigi's deep breaths and low grunts and the cracks of his racket meeting the ball again and again and again. When it was their turn to serve, he heard Luigi's slow, deliberate inhale as he tossed the ball into the air and served it. The man in green was channeling his anger into something constructive, rather than something destructive. And he was doing it to help the person who'd angered him in the first place.

Why are you helping me, Luigi? Why—after what I've done?

The first set was finished, and DK and Yoshi were in the lead. Mario readied himself, hearing the soft rustling of fabric behind him. Luigi was taking off his shirt, a sure sign that he was gonna throw everything into the remaining sets. Not just to try to win—but to support his bro.

During the next three sets, speedy and fierce shots came the Mario Bros' way. But Luigi stayed on the outside, breathing deeply, keeping his eyes peeled for any tricky curve shots that managed to overshoot Mario. Occasionally, those emotions threatened to well up, but he expertly wrestled them back down, keeping them simmering just beneath the surface. He immersed himself in that singular state of hyperawareness, drinking in every last detail. From muscles twitching to the ball soaring towards him and Mario to every breath filling his lungs to the heat bubbling from every pore in his skin and to the sweat dripping and trickling from him. The weight of the racket in his hand. The energy zipping from the crown of his head to the soles of his feet. Mario in front of him, hunched over slightly with his own racket and the need to help him win this or at least try to help him win…

Halfway through the third set, Mario took his shirt off, too, welcoming the feel of an oncoming summer breeze on his skin.

The game went on, both Bros translating the emotions raging inside of them into their swings and their serves. But Mario was soon conscious of a dull ache deep inside of him, an ache which stirred each time Luigi covered him from his outside position, rather than just letting the ball run out of bounds. He'd never understand his brother; his mind worked in mysterious ways. Luigi wound up left in the dust after a rescue mission, and he'd turn around and help Mario all the same. Instead of capitalizing on the situation three years ago, Luigi had risked it all to bring him home, emerging beaten, burned, slashed and traumatized. Mario had thrown a little hissy fit because Luigi won over him in the singles bracket, and yet here he was, helping him in the doubles bracket. He knew he was still a bit upset, but he was aiding him nonetheless.

I wish everyone in the world had a brother like mine, thought Mario.

As the final set began, the two teams were tied 2-2. And at that point, the Bros started maneuvering and breathing in sync. Whenever Mario saw that he wouldn't return a certain shot, he'd curve it toward his bro, who sent it rocketing back over the net. Or, one bro would use his Defensive Power Shot to send the ball to the other, who'd hit it with his Offensive Power Shot. By working in tandem, the duo began muscling ahead of Yoshi and DK.

"I got you," Luigi said breathily. "I got you."

"I got you, too," replied Mario.

The feelings brewing within Luigi were more persistent than ever now, whispering for him to hit Mario with the ball when it was his turn to serve. Something sharp was bubbling, too, but Luigi just swallowed it all back and focused everything on his swing, his racket and the ball. Even so, Mario still felt Luigi's eyes on him, still felt the controlled flare of emotions radiating from the younger bro. It must've taken a ton of willpower to play this game alongside him while trying not to think about what he did.

But in Luigi's eyes, it didn't matter at the moment. As he said in the restaurant several days prior, never would he ever bail on his bro.

It was now the last half of the final set, and both teams were neck-and-neck. The team who scored the next point would win. Mario turned slightly and glanced at Luigi, who was liberally glistening with sweat and breathing deeply. Luigi met his eyes and nodded to him.

Together.

They steeled their faces, and then Luigi served, grunting softly with the effort. The tennis ball volleyed fast and hard between the teams, mixing short-range shots with long-range shots. Luigi's gaze continued drilling into Mario as he kept lunging forward and returning the shots which escaped his bro's reach. He reared back on the inhale and let his swing fly on the exhale, watching his opponents' movements, watching his bro's movements and watching for moments where they could coordinate their shots and truly work as a team. And Mario continued feeling Luigi at his back, supporting him and even silently encouraging him. At that moment, Mario truly realized just how selfless his brother was. They could have their bad days, but in the end, the man in green would always return to help when all hope seemed to be lost.

Mario swung his racket at the approaching ball and missed.

But Luigi was ready for the ball. Concentration blazed all over his face as he lunged forward and then leaped into the air, lobbing the ball with enviable strength and practically blasting it over the net.

Silence.

And then—

"Game, set and match—Mario and Luigi!"

The Bros were given a standing ovation as Yoshi and DK graciously smiled on. Mario caught his breath, swinging around to gaze at Luigi. They'd done it. They'd actually done it. They'd put aside the lingering tension between them to win the doubles bracket! Luigi slipped his hand into Mario's and raised their arms in the air to signify their victory. And as Mario slid his gaze over the cheering Peach Dome, he felt emotions of his own beginning to swell within him.

…

A little later, Mario and Luigi were officially crowned the 2004 Power Tennis Doubles Champions. Together, they walked onto the stage set up for them, where Toadsworth, Peach and Daisy presented them with the trophy. Of course, Daisy shot a look in Mario's direction, but for Luigi's sake, she held her tongue.

Mario held one end of the trophy while Luigi held the other. And as he shared this victory with his baby bro—all of the guilt came crashing down on the man in red like a tidal wave. He couldn't take it anymore. He didn't deserve this. He didn't deserve a brother like Luigi. And Luigi deserved better than this.

The audience gasped as they watched Mario fall to his knees, both hands pressed over his mouth. His body trembled violently, his breaths became high-pitched and jerky and his eyes became glassy with tears.

Something was wrong!

Trophy all but forgotten, Luigi rushed to Mario's side, gathering him in his arms.

"Bro. Bro, I'm right here. Talk to me. Please, just tell me what's going on."

"I—I don't…" Mario spluttered, but the words just wouldn't come out. Again, he pressed his hands over his mouth, stifling his sobs.

Employees and officials rushed toward the Bros, but with just a look, Luigi halted them.

Turning back to his big bro, he asked, "Wanna go outside for a bit?"

Mario nodded.

"It's okay, everyone," Luigi said to the concerned crowd. "My bro just needs some private time. The two of us—we've been through a lot of stuff lately."

The spectators murmured among themselves.

Gently, Luigi lifted Mario off the ground and carried him, bridal style, out of the venue.

Please R&R.