After she surveyed her friends around the table, Daisy leaned forward, pushing her plate away from her elbows.

"All right, this is news for me too," started Daisy. "When did you two hook up?"

"Almost a full month ago." Mario lightly poked at his napkin. "Tonight will be it to the hour."

"Aw, that's so cute, counting the time together," teased Daisy. She poked at Luigi. "Babe, how long has it been for us?"

"About a year and half."

"Do you remember when I asked you out?"

"Uh—"

"Wait, wait, she asked him out?" Bowser turned to Mario. "I thought you told me he asked her out."

"I never got to the specifics."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"Huh." Bowser shrugged. "Ok, continue. Sorry to cut you off."

"Nah, no worries." Daisy folded her arms past her head and leaned back. "I was all, 'Hey, this dork looks adorable,' and waited until I found out he was single, and then I pounced!"

"She actually tackled me the day she asked me out," muttered Luigi, as Mario and Bowser laughed.

"It added to the excitement!"

"Is that what you call it?"

"Blah, blah, blah."

"Ugh." Luigi sighed as Daisy grinned. "After that, she shoved me against a tree, and slid up seductively with, 'Hey, you're single, right?' So, I went, 'Uh, um, yeah,' and she turns around with, 'Cool, I think you're super cute! Let's date.'"

"That's…that's how it happened?" Bowser lifted an eyebrow as Luigi shrugged.

"Basically."

"It's his fault for agreeing to it," mocked Daisy. "It wasn't supposed to work, and I didn't think he'd accept with that approach, yet he did!" She scooped up Luigi's hand and lifted it between hers. "But, I got a little softer, so he's in better hands now. Isn't that right, sweetie?"

"Yes, dear."

"Ah, I love that." Daisy grinned and turned to Mario. "So…? You two next!"

"Ok, so, last month, I stopped Bowser earlier in the week, and after I brought Peach back to the castle, I went for a walk around the grasslands," recalled Mario. "And after strolling, I spotted Bowser, and he was just sitting by Starview Lake, so I went over to him."

"Ooh, you guys almost fought, didn't you?"

"Nope, I was tired by then." Bowser placed his head on his hand, drumming at the table. "Even I need to rest every so often."

"Gotcha. So…?"

"He gave me a gruff, 'What do you want, plumber boy?'" Everyone except Peach laughed at Mario's impersonation of Bowser. "So, I told him that I was just out for a walk, and asked if I could sit beside him for a bit."

"And I agreed, which surprised him to bits." Bowser lifted his plate and waved it. "His eyes went about as big as one of these."

"Please be careful with that," interrupted Peach. She blinked as everyone turned to stare at her, but Bowser dropped the plate down.

"Sure, whatever." He turned back to Daisy. "Anyway, he's all shocked, but he sits beside me, and we just stare out at the lake for a while."

"Who broke the ice, who did it?"

"I did."

"Of course Mario would." Daisy laughed as Bowser stuck his tongue out at her. "What, did you try to ease the tension?"

"Yeah."

"And did you?"

"Not right away."

"Oh, this is so predictable, I love it!" Daisy leaned forward more. "How'd it go?"

"Well, I tried, commenting about how calm the night air was, and how nice the lake looked, and Bowser just gave me grunts or one note answers." Mario smirked as Bowser folded his arms and looked away. "I did just foil his plans the day before, so it probably wasn't great timing."

"Definitely not," murmured Luigi.

"But then what?"

"Eventually, I turned around with, 'What's your deal, anyway?!' Mario just sits there and tilts his head, and then goes, 'What do you mean?' Honestly."

"I was being nice!"

"You would be." Bowser shook his head. "So, I tell him, 'You just kicked my butt, and you could be doing anything else, but you're sitting here with me, so why?' And he turns around with, 'Well, you seem ok when you're not kidnapping Peach or attacking the kingdom, so I was just taking the time to enjoy the calm with you.'"

"That is so you, Mario." Daisy smirked at Mario blushed, tracing a circle on the table. "Ok, then what?"

"Well, we were just watching the lake for a little while, and I tried pointing out stars in the lake's reflection, where I found a Mushroom shape, and Bowser found fireballs," described Mario. "Then we started skipping stones over the lake, and Bowser muttered about attacking it, I think."

"You didn't have to tell them that part!"

"He was like, 'Take that, you stupid lake,'" whispered Luigi to Daisy.

"Nobody asked you either!" Bowser tightened his fists as he blushed, while Daisy and Mario chuckled.

"All the while, we kept talking about sports, hobbies, and we had some fun." Mario shrugged. "So, I asked if he just wanted to hang out tomorrow, because I wasn't doing anything, Luigi was out with you, and I figured why not?"

"And this still isn't even the dating part yet?"

"Not yet."

"Crazy."

"Oh look, tea's here," pointed out Bowser, as the Toad shakily set it down by Peach. "Thanks, little Toad guy!"

"Yuh-you're welcome," managed the Toad, and he promptly hurried off from the gardens, and Bowser watched until he disappeared.

"…Why should I bother being nice?" Bowser turned to Mario, who patted his arm.

"Good question," muttered Peach.

"What was that?"

"Please, help yourselves."

Peach gestured to the tea before her, and folded her hands together. Bowser raised an eyebrow at her, but shook his head. Mario waited as Luigi and Daisy helped themselves to the first cups, pouring the tea in, and stirring it around as they liked. Passing it across to Mario, he poured his tea out first, and then poured Bowser's as well. Narrowing her eyes, Peach waited as Bowser placed his hands around the tea.

"Thank you, Mario." His nails drummed at the teacup, and he slowly lifted to sip from it. "Bleh." Bowser jerked his head back and stuck his tongue out. "This went cold."

"Wait, what?" Peach tugged a cup over and poured out the tea. She studied it, waiting to see a faint steam drift from it, but nothing came. "It was supposed to be kept warm…"

"No big deal." Bowser opened his mouth and placed the cup on his tongue. "Thee? Eathy."

"…Do I even want to know?"

Inhaling through his nose, Bowser raised his head and exhaled deeply from his mouth, some steam coming from him. Peach clasped her hands over her mouth, worried that the design would be ruined. Taking the cup back out, Bowser lowered his head and licked his lips. Once more, he raised the teacup up as he blew it a bit, sipped from it, and grinned as he nodded.

"Much better! Not a bad flavor, I'll give you that." He looked to Mario and held his hand out. "May I?"

"Sure, thank you."

Placing Mario's cup on his tongue, Bowser tilted his head back up, but less than he had before. He eyed Mario and inhaled again; as he did so, however, he slid his tongue around on Mario's cup, smiling as Mario blushed and glanced away. Exhaling slowly, Bowser kept his attention more on Mario than anything else, and slowly pulled the cup from his mouth once he finished. His tongue slowly slipped from the teacup and around his lips a few times, handing it back to Mario and winking at him.

"Should be nice and hot for you now." Bowser grinned at Mario's flushed face.

"Ha, ah, thank you."

"You're always welcome."

"Oh, can you do mine next?" Luigi raised his cup up.

"Huh? Right, sure."

Repeating his motions, Bowser plopped the cup in his mouth. Folding his arms, he breathed in and out, but a belch came up as he exhaled with a bit of smoke. Fumbling around his mouth, Bowser tugged the cup out and passed it back to Luigi.

"Uh…my bad." Bowser sheepishly grinned while Luigi winced. "Should be warm, though."

"Me next, me next!" Daisy practically shoved her cup into Bowser's hands. "This is so cool! You're like a dragon or something!"

"Well, yeah, that's…nah, don't worry about it." Bowser heated her cup quickly and passed it back over to her. "All fired up."

"Nice! That was wild." Daisy sipped from her cup. "Aw, it's so good! Peach, you did a great job with this!"

"Thank you, Daisy."

Staring at her cups, Peach studied each for the slightest burn marks over them, which there were a few. She wrinkled her face before she looked up as Bowser waited with his open hand. Closing it after Peach stared at him for a moment, he turned his attention back to his plate and saucer. Mario lifted his hand up, but Bowser gently pushed it down and shook his head.

"Hey, hey! Peach!" Daisy leaned in. "You got the cake there too?"

"Oh, I…yes." Peach opened the platter's lid and placed the cake before her. "Let me just cut it up a bit, and I'll serve it out."

Tugging the serving knife out from behind her, Peach twirled it around before lining it over the cake.

"Um, Peach?" She blinked and looked up to Mario, who frowned while he shifted his attention from the knife to her. "Why was that…tucked in your dress?"

"Hm? That?" Peach shrugged. "Just where I left it while I carried it around. Forgot to place it back with the serving set."

Mario blinked and glanced up to Bowser, who lowered his eyes and raised an eyebrow to his partner. They looked across at Luigi, a bit wide eyed himself, and Daisy, who stifled another laugh.

"Aw man, I've done that so many times," confessed Daisy. "I never would've expected you to do it too, Peach!"

"Ah…right, quite funny."

Slicing five pieces for the cake, Peach lifted her hand up, as Luigi passed his plate over. She served cake to him, and then swapped his plate for Daisy's next. Passing that back down, she turned to Mario and served his and Bowser's slices. Placing hers on the plate, she sat back down and gently picked up her fork. Glancing up, she eyed Bowser as he reached for a fork, but fumbled with the tiny utensil against his larger claws. He lowly growled, but stopped as a fork dug into his cake.

Blinking as his expression softened, he looked down as Mario smiled up to him. Guiding the piece to Bowser's lips, the Koopa nibbled it from Mario's fork and plucked it into his mouth. He swallowed and grinned as Mario took a piece of his cake and stuffed it in, watching Bowser as he pulled his fork out.

"That's so adorable…!" Daisy beamed as he nudged Luigi repeatedly, who dropped his fork from the pushing. "Uh. My bad."

"Just take mine," insisted Bowser. "Not like I can use it anyway."

"Sweet save, thanks Bowser!" Daisy reached over before Bowser could push it to her, and she slid back to Luigi's side, passing it to him. "All good!"

"Sure, thanks."

Luigi chuckled and returned to eating his cake, glancing to Peach as she watched everyone. He studied her cake, which Peach unconsciously poked at with her fork. She glanced to him for a moment, and Luigi quickly scooped his tea up, blowing it a bit before drinking.