Hello! This is my first fanfic, and it's a oneshot about my favorite ship ever, Mario x Vivian. There will be a lot of references in this story to "The Kingdom Beyond Midnight" by Sightshadis, which I'm taking heavy inspiration from and also continuing off of story-wise. If you haven't read it already, I can't recommend it enough (not just for understanding more about this story, but also because it's really an amazing read).
Also, absolutely everything in this story is SFW, but be warned that this is pretty much going to be entirely shameless fluff and personal headcanons. Here it is!
Mario & Vivian's Christmas Eve
"I'll be down in just a minute!"
Vivian's voice came from above as Mario stood waiting for her at the bottom of the staircase. They had been married for a couple years by now, and things for the ex-plumber and his shadow had never been better. The young couple had decided to move out of Mario's old house back near Toad Town, and into this one that was much newer, and also even more remote. Vivian loved the change immediately – she had come a long way with her self-confidence, but Mario knew that strangers still made her a little anxious. Now, in their current living space, they had plenty of privacy, and could still use nearby warp pipes to get to important locations very quickly in case of any emergency. Plus, the house was also much bigger than Mario's old one, which would be perfect for if (or perhaps when?) they had kids.
Despite what most people thought, the two were actually very close in age – only a couple years apart, in fact. Mario accredited people's surprise over this to how beautiful Vivian was. He smiled to himself, his gaze falling towards their Christmas tree to his left. It glistened in the dark room, rays of moonlight shining in and giving off a comforting feeling. With only the two of them, it had taken what felt like forever to decorate the house for the holidays, but that only made it all the more special. He turned his eyes to the wall nearest to him, chuckling as he saw the variety of pictures on display. Moving closer to take a look, one of them was Mario surrounded by several of his close friends from a previous adventure – Vivian being one of them. The next one over was the two smiling excitedly together on their first date with an empty plate in front of them – one of their fondest memories and the beginning of so much more.
As Vivian had made mandatory, there were pictures such as these in just about every room of the house. Mario looked nearby over towards his personal favorite – a picture from their wedding day only a few years ago.
"She looks perfect in that white dress", he mused, getting lost in his own thoughts of the momentous occasion.
Suddenly, a figure dove at him from the shadows below, tackling him to the ground and burying him in a hug.
"Ah, Viv!" he called out in surprise. The siren giggled, readjusting her fuzzy scarf and giving him a quick peck on the cheek. Her curly pink hair flowed down her back, her lips forming the familiar and wonderful smile that Mario loved seeing every day. The chain of her silver necklace was barely visible behind the edge of her scarf. On the chain was a medal that had two hearts and twelve stars on it, and Mario wore a matching one. The old diamond wedding ring on her finger gleamed.
As Mario stood up, he took her hand and met her eyes, both of their hearts soaring. "Ready for our best Christmas Eve ever?" he said excitedly.
"You bet I am!" Vivian cheered.
The two passed by their Christmas stockings on the wall (Mario's being purple, and Vivian's being red). They made their way to the door, preparing for an amazing night out to town. Above the doorframe, there was a small banner with the words "Every mistake is a lesson." Vivian smiled to herself, remembering implications of the sentence from a time that felt so much longer ago than it truly was.
Stepping outside, there was a chilling wind that was able to remind even the grumpiest Goomba that Christmas was only a few hours away. It was pitch black outside, and while there wasn't any active snowfall, there was some snow on the ground from previous days.
Vivian shivered. "Gee whiz, it's even colder out than it looks!"
Still holding hands, she leaned in closer and pressed against him. Mario chuckled, reciprocating the gesture and placing his cap on her head. "Fortunately, it won't take us too long to get to the warp pipe!"
Now normally, warp pipe networks were very crowded. At this time on Christmas Eve, it would be more packed than a group of Biddybuds! However, when they first moved in, they had contacted an interesting character by the name of Welderberg. For a certain fee, he had made them their very own hidden warp pipe not far from their house so they could avoid all the traffic.
"You know", Vivian thought, "for all the chaos it brings, being heroes sure does have its perks, too."
As the pair approached the warp pipe, Mario eagerly jumped atop it, his shadow following. "Shiveria, here we come!" he called out, and away they went.
The couple emerged from a warp pipe that had formed itself at the start of a very cold and snowy town. Vivian looked around, awestruck by the amount of decoration and festivities in the area. As they stepped away, the warp pipe shrunk back into the ground. Mario had wanted to take her here for a while – the small kingdom he visited on a particular odyssey was cozy and full of jubilation. But tonight, they had upped their ante; the thought hadn't occurred to Mario that Christmas time would be a big point of celebration for Shiveria, and it most certainly was.
Multi-colored lights were strung from balcony to balcony, residents from not just Shiveria, but other visiting towns as well, were partying all down the narrow route. In the distance there was a monumentally large Christmas tree, and an abundance of torches were just enough to light up the area. The old wooden beams supporting the small buildings had golden garland wrapped around them.
"This is amazing!" Vivian cried out, as Mario beamed with excitement at her side. "I knew you'd like it! Though, I'm not used to seeing this many people here." The ex-plumber scanned the crowd out of curiosity for any familiar faces, and he recognized quite a few of them. He even thought he saw Mallow, his "frog" friend, wave to him in the distance.
As the lovers made their way towards the main attraction, a couple of townsfolk appeared to recognize Mario, or at least he thought so – perhaps they were just greeting everyone who crossed their path?
Mario looked to his right towards the Crazy Cap souvenir shop, and noticed several people searching desperately for last-minute Christmas gifts. He smiled to himself, knowing that he had already bought his present a while ago. As people rushed in and out of the store, he caught sight of a green-tailed creature ordering at the counter.
Vivian turned to her left, seeing a small group of Toads and recognizing them as the Traveling Sisters 3, who they had seen often in various towns.
"Hey!" one of them called out to Vivian, "do you want to be in our picture before we post it?"
"Oh, sorry, I um, don't really use social media," the siren admitted. "But I appreciate the offer!"
"Don't worry about it!" chirped the sister with green hair. "Wow, I couldn't imagine not having a Cheeper account," whispered the pink-haired sister. "I feel bad for her."
Mario smiled and put an arm on Vivian's shoulder as they continued along their way towards the center of town. She let out a small sigh of relief and leaned her head on him slightly.
With a bit of effort, they finally were able to get through the massive crowd and reach the Christmas tree. It was unlike any one that Mario had ever seen before; it towered over the entire village with ornaments larger than Bill Blasters. The golden shining star at the top illuminated the higher areas of the town, and the duo stopped to admire the scene in a moment of shared awe.
"Where are my two favorite lovebirds going?" a sassy voice suddenly inquired from behind them.
Mario and Vivian quickly turned around, already knowing the speaker. "Goombella!" Vivian glided over to briefly hug the Goomba girl. "It's great to see you!" Mario called out. "What brings you here on this cold winter night?"
"Knowing her, she's surely here for a reason other than just the festivities," Vivian thought to herself.
Goombella grinned. "There's rumored to be an undiscovered area around here, and it apparently has these three purple coins that nobody has managed to ever find! I'm totally gonna make history if I can locate this thing!" Mario recalled collecting quite a few of the currency from his time spent at the kingdom, but he had to search extra diligently to find some of them. "Best of luck finding such a small area in this crowd," Mario said, raising an arm in the direction of a particularly crowded hot chocolate stand as if citing an example. "Then again," he considered, "if anyone was going to find this hidden area, we all know who it'd be!"
"Thanks!" Goombella said eagerly, "but the real question is what brings you here?"
"We're going to watch a Shiverian Christmas special race," Mario explained. "I heard that their races really get intense in the holiday season with more contestants." Vivian nodded. "I've never seen one before, but I've heard stories of how exciting they can be."
Goombella turned her head, her ponytail nearly reaching the icy ground. "Didn't you say that you won one of those before?"
Mario laughed. "Yeah, but that came with some assistance." Vivian called to mind Cappy, the Bonneter who Mario had worked with on a previous adventure. She had met him at their wedding, and she thought he was extremely friendly. "I'm not sure how I feel about Cappy's abilities, though," Vivian pondered. "It's a good thing those powers were in Mario's hands and not anybody else's – other people aren't as generous and thoughtful!"
"Well, I'm sure I'll be seeing you two around again sometime soon!" Goombella grinned, beginning to waddle away. "After all, there's like, that huge New Year's event at the Mushroom Kingdom that we were all invited to."
Mario nodded happily, waving. "Merry Christmas!" Vivian called as the Goomba disappeared into the crowd. "She's always on a mission," Mario laughed.
They approached the bottom of the town, and were met with a large gap in the ground surrounded by torches. Going down the gap was an icy slide into the arena in which the Bound Bowl Grand Prix were held. There was a line to go down the slide to the section for the audience, with security on either side to prevent large groups of people from going down at once.
After waiting a bit, Mario and Vivian approached the frozen slide and slid down it together. "Woo-hoo!" Vivian cheered. "I forgot how quickly this thing sends you down!" Mario laughed.
They got up abruptly, making their way over to the stands to spectate the Christmas Eve Bound Bowl Race.
"Look, Mario!" Vivian pointed through the glass window – the race was just beginning! They quickly got to an open spot and had a perfect view of the notoriously round Shiverians preparing for the big event.
Before long, they were off, bouncing around the course as the crowd cheered.
Vivian caught a glance of Mario's eyes, fixed on one specific Shiverian who had broken away into first place. He also stood out from all the others – instead of the usual large and fuzzy hat on his head, his small tuft of blue hair stuck up like a tiny icicle.
"He's the one that I met," Mario explained, Vivian understanding what he meant.
A particular sharp turn in the track put several racers well behind, and in the end, it came down to Mario's blue-haired friend and one other. They rebounded off of a wooded section of the course, finally approaching the finish line. With the last of his momentum, the blue-haired Shiverian crossed the checkered border as the crowd erupted into cheers.
"He really is so talented," Mario admired, while clapping excitedly. "All he needed was a little self-confidence!"
Vivian nodded. "I'm so happy that he won!"
The mayor of the town approached a podium at the front of the audience. "Looks like we have our winner – and surprise, surprise, look who it is! It's only his 13th championship!"
As the guests cleared out to continue their joyous festivities, things only got colder for the Shiverian folks – an icy wind picked up, and Mario shivered. He looked up, remembering that he still wasn't wearing his cap. Suddenly, Vivian gasped, putting her hands to the top of her head.
"Oh no!" she cried. "Mario, I lost your cap when you gave it to me earlier!"
"Hey, don't worry," Mario reassured her. "It's not a big deal."
But Vivian knew by the look in his eyes that he was at least a little upset by it. She frowned, looking to the snowy ground. "I'm sorry, Mario. It's probably lost in the crowd up there, and you had that cap through everything… And how you even gave it to me to wear back in that cell…"
Mario's attempt to hide his concern visibly weakened a little after hearing that last line. But he quickly brushed it off, shaking his head as his usual smile returned. "It's only a cap," he smiled. "I'm not going to let it get in the way of our night out together – we still have so much more to do!"
Still feeling a little guilty, Vivian sighed, then wrapped him in a hug that spoke a lot of words without saying any of them out loud.
"Now," Mario said, the light seemingly restored to his eyes, "where was it that you wanted to take me?"
Vivian's pick for a "special location to visit" required them to make their way through the old, crime-infested city of Rogueport. The couple didn't mind, however – it was brief and gave them some time to reminisce on what had become quite a nostalgic location over the years.
"I really have grown fond of this place," Mario confessed. "It was our refuge on more than one adventure, even if one was a little different than the other."
"Yeah," Vivian agreed, smiling and clearly deep in thought. Memories flashed through her mind as they passed by buildings that they knew all too well.
She gazed towards the Rogueport Inn as they passed, seeing its warm and inviting light on the second floor. It really stood out from the rest of the place. "Do you remember the time that we all stayed there at the Inn the night before we left for Fahr Outpost? And how Flurrie and Ms. Mowz had that fight over who got to sleep next to you?"
Mario chuckled. "Yes, but what I remember more is who did end up sleeping next to me!"
Vivian giggled, blushing. "You know, I go no sleep that night! I was too excited!"
"Wow, you really must have been looking forward to going to that freezing Bob-omb village!"
Vivian laughed again, giving him a playful shove as their hands found each other and they continued on their way.
The weary town had always seemed more menacing at night, but on Christmas Eve, it seemed that even criminals had decided to ease their typical activities to make way for some casual festivities. Passing by the flower garden, Vivian looked into the windows of small houses as they strolled through. She observed a now teenaged Toad sitting with his parents, including a mother who she recognized from the casino before. It seemed like their family dynamic had changed a lot since they had last been here, and Vivian was happy for them.
As they turned a familiar corner together and approached their means of transportation, Vivian rushed over to the Cheep Blimp – only to see it had taken off without them!
"No, wait!" Vivian called out into the dark. But it was no use – they were just out of reach and the two had been left behind.
She sighed, looking on as the blimp vanished into the night sky. "I, um, was going to take you to Glitzville," she said disappointedly. "I remembered how much fun it was when we went there after our honeymoon… not to mention, how popular you are there!"
Vivian couldn't help but feel an additional twinge of guilt when she looked up and remembered his cap was gone, too.
Mario comforted his wife; "I'm sorry, Vivian," he said, meeting her eyes. "You must have been really excited to take me there."
"You're – apologizing to me?" she said, taken aback. "But I'm the one who ruined everything…"
Mario ran a hand through her cotton-candy colored hair. "Vivian, you haven't ruined anything! I wouldn't change a thing about you. As long as you're here beside me, I know everything will be alright, because I don't need anything else."
That alone was enough to get her smiling again. "Oh, Mario, you're the best!" Vivian straightened herself up a bit and refastened her scarf. "We're going to have a great rest of our night!"
Mario smiled, planting a gentle kiss on the top of her head, and Vivian squeezed him practically as hard as she could.
Suddenly, her face lit up. "Mario, I know how we can get there still!"
Mario grinned, not knowing her plan, but having complete faith that it would work. "Alright," he said. "What's your idea?"
She hugged him again, but this time, dipped below the ground level and dove into the shadows. There, she had a unique field of view of the underground area of Rogueport, and swam freely to an area that was typically blocked off. They emerged in the Rogueport Sewers through a stone floor, Vivian gliding over excitedly to a blue pipe on a ledge. Both traditional entrances to the area had been blocked off by rubble, but Vivian had managed to navigate them past those roadblocks to the secret shortcut to Glitzville.
"Great job, Vivian!" Mario cheered. "The best part is since this is such a secluded pipe, we'll avoid other traffic and get there just in time!"
Vivian smiled, happy that they were able to find a solution so quickly.
"Here we go!" she called out, and they were off to the extravagant city in the sky.
Jumping out from the blue pipe on the other side, they were immediately hit with the scents of a vast variety of foods; a hot dog stand in particular had quite the line of customers behind it. As they looked around, all kinds of sugary snacks, such as Christmas cookies, were available at varying stores. The clouds passed by around them and the stars seemed almost closer than ever.
Vivian eagerly took Mario's hand again. "C'mon, let's go watch a battle in the arena before we have dinner!"
Mario thought that sounded like a great idea, and they made their way into the building. In an instant, the relatively dull chatter of outside had been replaced by booming cheers and yelling. The place was even more packed than it normally was, and that was saying something.
Vivian blushed as she saw posters of "The Great Gonzales" on the walls. The feelings of love faded a little as dread slowly crept back in; as they navigated through crowds again, she realized nobody was recognizing Mario since he didn't have his hat anymore.
"Come on, Vivian," she told herself. "I can't worry about that right now! I have to keep it together so we can have a great night together!"
She did a good job of hiding her feelings, but Mario recognized anyways. "Hey," he grinned reassuringly. "I'm actually glad to not have my hat right now!"
"R-really?"
"For sure! I'd rather not be distracted by crowds of people and unnecessary attention – I want to focus on you!"
"Same for you, of course!" Vivian beamed. They put their arms around each other. "Are you sure you aren't bothered by the whole hat thing?"
Mario found himself stuck – now he would either have to be dishonest, or potentially make her distressed. He knew what the right choice was, but he couldn't bear to see her be upset with herself again. He decided to do neither, and superguarded his way out of answering the question.
"Viv, please don't beat yourself up over it," he said, looking deep into her innocent eyes. "We'll figure all that out later, okay?"
That was enough for Vivian, and she nodded, deciding to put it all behind her, at least for now. She led him towards the giant doors to the arena. "Alright, let's go!"
As the couple found good seats in the crowded arena, a pink Toad with blonde hair and unmistakable glasses – Jolene – made her way up to the stage for an announcement.
"Now our next fight is going to be Bouldergeist VS. Gobblegut!" The crowd erupted as the two monsters began their grand showdown…
…A little under an hour later, Bouldergeist reigned supreme, summoning several rocks and slamming them onto the ground to spell the letter "W" as the audience roared.
"That was so exciting!" Vivian exclaimed.
"I thought for sure Gobblegut was going to come back and win when Bouldergeist missed all of those rock throws at the end!" Mario agreed.
The pair sat talking for a while, waiting in their seats for the crowd to file out – no sense in rushing through everyone else when they could just enjoy each other's company!
Just then, Jolene approached them from off the stage. "Don't think I wouldn't recognize the Great Gonzales when I see him, even if he's not wearing his usual cap!"
"That apparently is enough to stop everyone else from recognizing him, though!" Vivian snickered, and Mario smiled.
"Jolene," he said playfully, though he meant it, too – "don't let anyone else know we're here, okay? Even the Great Gonzales needs some time for his family!"
The fight commissioner gave a slight smirk, pushing her glasses back up onto her face. "I would never go and ruin your night out," she said truthfully. "Plus, I know a thing or two about going places undercover."
"How's Prince Mush doing?" Mario asked earnestly.
Jolene's tone suddenly changed from casual to more heartfelt. "He's doing great, actually, thanks to you! He's making a comeback into the arena and it's driven profits up exponentially too!"
"That's great to hear!" Vivian chimed in.
"Did you two know that we expanded the juice shop to be a full-fledged restaurant now?" Jolene asked. "You can get just about anything you want there!"
Mario raised his eyebrows as his stomach growled. "Viv, is that the surprise dinner location that you were talking about earlier today?"
"Mayyybe," Vivian teased. Mario stood up energetically.
"There you go!" Jolene smiled broadly. "You'd better get a move on!"
"We'll see you again sometime soon!" Mario promised, waving as they left.
Mario and Vivian quickly emerged into the now-expanded juice shop, which to Mario's delight, did in fact have the extended menu as advertised.
They sat down in seats across a small table from each other. The place was booming, with people from all different areas deciding to choose this as their Christmas Eve destination. Fortunately for the couple, it didn't take long for their orders to be placed. Mario got a Spicy Pasta Dish, and Vivian chose a Honey Shroom.
The two had been on a number of dates before, but they felt so much less pressure now just going out together for fun, knowing the only thing that mattered was each other's company. In past nights out, they had struggled to keep conversations afloat – Vivian especially had difficulty thinking of what to say at times. But Mario always said that this allowed them to be reminded of the value of silence, and Vivian's self-confidence began to improve since she knew she had someone who she could really trust. Fast forward to present day, and Mario was still perhaps the only person she truly felt like she could be herself around. Sure, those nagging thoughts of self-consciousness bit at her occasionally. But she had learned to be very open and communicative about these feelings, and found a lot of consolation from her husband. Mario assured her that those kinds of conversations were very beneficial for their relationship, and she knew he was right. On top of that, she was improving to become more sociable little by little each day!
Their waiter suddenly brought out their dessert: a Couple's Cake, as was tradition for them. As they shared the treat, its sweet taste brought strong memories back to Vivian's mind; the enticing delicacy had strong associations for the two about times past.
Taking their time, they began leaving the restaurant together after finishing their meal.
Vivian wiped her mouth with a napkin. "Gosh, that Couple's Cake gets better every time!"
"It's almost as good as your cake recipe!" Mario chuckled. "It's a good thing we only get it every so often, or else we'd be stuck in our gym all the time!"
Vivian laughed. "It's definitely a good thing we have such a good one!"
Back when they had first moved into their new home, there was quite a stretch of time in which they had no major adventures going on – no princesses to save, no treasures to find. Before long, Vivian had alerted Mario that the two of them had been out of shape, and that they needed to regularly train and stay physically fit to be the heroes they needed to be! To make matters worse, there weren't exactly many gyms that had shadow siren-friendly equipment. Fortunately for them, they had their own small home gym installed in the basement with custom-made equipment, so they could stay in shape together just in case their powers were ever needed on another big journey! It was yet another way that they really bonded together, and Mario was always appreciative of his shadow looking out for him.
Closing the door behind them, the idle chatter from the restaurant faded away and was replaced by the sound of the winter breeze and booming arena music in the distance. Back outside in the cold, they encountered a familiar slender figure. Her red dress sparkled in the street lights as she approached the couple.
"Oh, hey Pauline!" Mario said.
"Hello Mario!" she said happily. "I didn't think I'd see you around here! Isn't it a beautiful night? It reminds me of New Donk City, except not quite as spacious!"
"Yeah, it kind of does," Mario agreed. "Though it could probably benefit from a massive battle arena," he mused.
"Remember that big festival we had?" Pauline reminisced, taking another step closer to Mario. "Don't forget that I'll always be your 1-Up girl!"
"Umm, actually no," Mario said without hesitation, but with a bit of discomfort in his voice. His tone had turned more serious. "Vivian here is the only one for me."
"Ohh, come on!" Pauline said playfully. "You don't meet someone as good-looking as you very often, so I'm sure she wouldn't mind sharing!"
Pauline turned to her right and saw Vivian brandishing flames in one hand, with the other one on Mario's shoulder protectively.
"Oh, I'm only joking!" Pauline laughed. "No need to worry, Vivi!"
Mario and Vivian laughed with her, but the flames in Vivian's hand only settled slightly. The look in her eyes said that she didn't really care if Pauline was serious or not.
"Well," Mario spoke quickly, "It's great to see you, Pauline! Maybe me and Vivian will visit New Donk City sometime to see you again, it really is a great place!"
Pauline nodded understandingly as Vivian put out her flames. "You two will always be welcome there! Merry Christmas!" She entered the restaurant and instantly Mario whispered to Vivian. "Sorry about that, Pauline doesn't really know when she's crossing the line sometimes."
Vivian smiled faithfully. "It's okay! I knew that you wouldn't let me down!"
"You were about to torch her like a Podoboo!" Mario chuckled, and Vivian snickered with him.
Her face suddenly turned contemplative. "Do you think that was a little much, though?" she asked with concern. "I don't want her to be upset, or anything."
"Not at all! I'm proud of you," Mario ensured her, meeting her eyes once again. "Pauline's not gonna lose sleep over it, and I love that you stood your ground!"
She blushed and looked towards the floor. "Thank you, Mario!"
They turned to see that the Cheep Blimp was getting ready for takeoff. "Let's not miss it this time!" Vivian said, taking Mario's hand as they quickly made their way over. The duo hurriedly boarded the Cheep Blimp to head back to Rogueport. Even though it was starting to get pretty late, they still had a bit more sightseeing to do!
Back at Rogueport, they noticed the old salesman Charlieton was standing nearby, handing out discounted Christmas gifts. Mario caught sight of a young Doogan, who turned to a parent nearby who was with him. "I don't think that's Santa," the child said. "His beard isn't white!"
"I don't think he's trying to look like Santa," Mario whispered, Vivian stifling a laugh.
They approached the Rogueport Harbor to return back home, and instantly the pair stopped, full of the all too familiar scents and scenery. Water swayed calmly in the moonlight. A cool breeze rustled through Vivian's hair, and a few ships had started departing for a journey into the night. Mario and Vivian smiled at each other and were filled with a shared childlike wonder.
Memories raced through Vivian's mind – not one, but two times she nearly confessed her love for him at Rogueport, the first of which had been this very spot. It appeared the third time ended up being the charm! Any sad and painful memories she had once had of the seaside harbor had been replaced since they had revisited the dock together on their first date. Besides, Vivian had learned that even the most distressing of memories were important for her relationship with Mario, because they wouldn't be where they are now without them. Even though it took Mario a few years to stop apologizing about the time that he had been so reckless and made her upset, they both agreed that they wouldn't have had things any other way because they really bonded as a result of that moment.
Mario turned to Vivian, seeing her eyes shining and welling up with tears out of happiness. He even got a little watery-eyed himself after seeing his sweet shadow become so sentimental.
"Even if we don't go on adventures as much as we used to," Vivian started, "we'll always be on the ongoing journey of life together."
"That's right!" Mario said happily. "And we've had so much more time to spend together, too – I think we've struck a perfect balance of taking on expeditions, but not too much so that we don't get any alone time!"
Vivian put an arm around his waist and leaned into him as she silently looked across the ocean. The duo watched the ships slowly fade into the horizon as the moon shone in the sky. Vivian found herself overjoyed yet again. "It's funny to think that we went, there, too," she sighed lovingly.
"You never know where love will take you," Mario responded, his eyes gleaming.
He leaned down slightly and their lips met in a swift kiss – they'd become masters at that over the last year!
They continued to reminisce together for quite a while – it could have been one hour or three. But they still had one more place they had agreed to visit before they turned in for the night, and they figured they should get a move on before it was too late. Besides, even though Rogueport had been in a more friendly mood than usual, they knew that they were pushing their luck at this point.
Walking down the streets of Mushroom Kingdom late at night was something Mario had done often before; late nights of walking around in contemplation and figuring out courses of action to take. He generally found it very therapeutic, even more so now that his shadow was with him.
They strolled slowly down the tidy stone paths, observing a snow-Toad that had been made outside of someone's house. Their primary light source was from lampposts with star-shaped bulbs. Hundreds of small red, green, and white flags were hung on them.
Reaching the center of town, they paused – the starry night sky was much easier to see from here now that they had been away from the darker, more polluted skies of Rogueport.
By this point in the night, the streets were all but empty. "It seems like most people have already turned in for the night," Vivian observed.
Suddenly, there was rustling in a nearby bush.
"Key word being 'most'," Mario joked, already knowing who figure was from his round shape.
Wario emerged from the shrubbery, with a sense of urgency.
"Mario!" he cried, "I need something from you!"
Mario's playful attitude vanished in an instant, and he prepared for the worst. "What is it, Wario?"
He leaned in closely. "Your wife." Wario dropped to the ground, laughing hysterically and clearly pleased with himself.
"Wahahaha, you should have seen the look on your face!" he bellowed.
"Watch it," Mario warned. "Do I have to launch you into the sky on a Bullet Bill again?"
Vivian chimed in. "I'll light the fuse for you, Mario." She didn't know if she was going along with a joke or actually committing to it, but she was fine with either.
Wario got up from rolling around. "Yeah, yeah, alright," he mumbled, hobbling away.
Mario raised an eyebrow. "Hey, now that I think about it, didn't you already have a thing going with Princess Shokora already?"
"Uhhhh…" Wario turned and quickly looked around. "Yes, here she is now!" and he ran off, despite there clearly being nobody else there. "Wario wins again!" he yelled as he faded into the night.
"What's he doing out this late, anyways?" Vivian wondered.
Mario shook his head. "Beats me," he laughed. "Maybe someone hid some garlic in the snow."
Vivian giggled and took Mario's hand as they approached their final stop of the night: Peach's castle.
The castle was decorated quite possibly greater than Mario had ever seen it; multi-colored and matching lights had been strung elegantly down its arches, red ribbons had been fastened meticulously around each railing, and several smaller but very decorated pine trees sat lined along the grand entrance.
"Wow," Vivian said in awe. "This looks magnificent!"
Mario nodded in agreement. "Princess Peach really outdid herself this time!"
His face changed slightly. "Though you know, I really do love our cozy hideaway, too. I think I've been through enough castle stages in my life to have any interest in living in one!"
"Yeah," Vivian agreed. "It looks amazing – but we have what works best for us!"
The castle lights were still on – Peach knew they were on their way. They strolled up the stone pathway to the front doors of the castle, and the doors swung open just in time.
"Oh, I was getting a little worried about you two!" Peach fussed. "I thought maybe something bad had happened while you were out!"
"Sorry about that!" Mario apologized, him and Vivian taking turns giving Peach a half-hug. "We lost track of time a little."
"How have the preparations for the Christmas Day celebrations been going?" Vivian asked, noticing that the extravagant décor continued all along the castle's interior.
"Pretty good!" Peach admitted, gazing at all that had been done so far. "We're just putting on the finishing touches tonight."
"It looks wonderful!" Mario affirmed, Vivian nodding beside him.
"Mario," Peach suddenly said, "You aren't even wearing a hat? Aren't you cold out there?"
Mario had forgotten about the absence of his trusty cap, and felt childish for feeling attached to it in the first place. Nonetheless, it truly didn't matter in the end anyways – he had everything that he needed! "Yeah," Mario smiled. "I wasn't exactly in the mood to be recognized at Glitzville with so many people there!" They all laughed, and Mario could tell that from the genuineness in Vivian's voice that she had finally forgiven herself about it – even if it really wasn't her fault to begin with.
"As long as Mario's happy," Vivian thought, "Then I have no reason not to be!"
Peach smiled, inviting the couple to take seat with her in the dining hall. There wasn't any food set out, since it was so late, but Peach did bring out one thing for them to take home: a Heartful Cake.
The trio talked for a while, sharing stories of new adventures and recounting experiences. Peach could barely believe her ears when she heard about the "Spiny Skipsqueak Invasion" incident!
A while later, a grandfather clock chimed vibrantly down the hall, that being Peach's cue to stand up. "My goodness! It's already quite past when I intended to go to bed!"
Mario and Vivian slowly followed, Mario yawning. "Mama mia," he sighed. "We sure did do a lot tonight."
"You two had better rest up so you'll be ready for all the festivities tomorrow!" Peach ordered. "Toad Town will be quite the scene!"
"You bet we'll be there!" Vivian answered, as her and Mario began making their way back to the castle doors.
Mario turned around at the entrance. "Thanks for everything, Peach," he said, and Peach could truly see the gratitude in his eyes.
"No problem!" Peach said, very happy for them. She waved as their figures slowly faded into the wintery darkness.
"They really do make a great couple," Peach mused, before slowly closing the castle's doors for the night.
Mario and Vivian walked up their small street to return to their cozy home. The chilling wind nipped at them like Munchers. They had their arms around each other, in part for warmth, but also as an affectionate gesture.
As they approached their front porch, they caught sight of a green dinosaur sitting idly in a chair. "Yoshi?" Mario asked in surprise. "What are you doing here?"
"Hey, Mario! Hey Vivian! I wanted to make sure you guys got home safe," the dinosaur said earnestly. "It was kinda crazy out there."
"Aww, thanks, Yoshi!" Vivian praised. Mario smiled as well. "What would I do without my loyal dinosaur?"
Yoshi's eyes had a bit of a sparkle to them. "Well, I have something else for you, too," he offered. He reached behind him and brought forward Mario's old red cap from behind his back. Vivian gasped, and Mario could barely believe it.
"Where did you find it!?" Mario asked in awe, gently taking it from Yoshi's outstretched arms and placing it snugly back on his head.
"I saw it on the ground in Shiveria and thought maybe something was wrong," Yoshi answered, smiling at seeing his friend's excitement. "But then I remembered you told me that you were going to be on your night out together, so I figured I'd just leave it here for when you got back!"
Mario wrapped an arm around his old friend. "Thanks, Yoshi!" he said. "Though, I actually wasn't as worried as I thought I'd be about this thing. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad to have it back! But I think I had a good reminder tonight that the most important things aren't tangible objects – what's really important are the people and memories that those objects remind us of." He met Vivian's eyes while speaking, and her elated expression to him said so many different things at once.
Yoshi nodded too, reflecting on several life-changing adventures with Mario from over the years. His mind returned to the present day, and he knew who the shining star of Mario's life was. But he was okay with that! In fact, he was genuinely happy to be there for two of his closest friends.
The dinosaur sighed contently, his breath being visible despite the darkness. "It's gotten quite cold out, hasn't it? I'd better get home before I freeze out here! I'm sure I'll see you guys later!" Mario and Vivian gave their thanks and well-wishes as they watched him flutter jump away in the direction of their warp pipe. They had informed only a select few of their most trusted friends about their hidden warp pipe, and allowed them to use it in case they ever needed to quickly reach them.
Stumbling inside, they were finally in for the night after all the excitement. Mario placed his cap on their hat rack near the door, right next to Vivian's old pink-and-white striped hat that she still wore occasionally. Mario looked closely at the fabric of his cap. He had a newfound appreciation for it, while simultaneously being less emotionally attached to it. He felt Vivian place her hand on his shoulder. "I'm so happy that you have it back again!" she beamed. "It's funny how we only got it back as soon as we had both really moved on from it."
Mario smiled, noticing she was right. Then he suddenly realized she was alluding to knowing that it really had bothered him all along. "Oh, Viv," he sighed adoringly. "You worry too much! Here," he said, reaching atop a cabinet to bring down a gift that had been hidden out of view. "Have your Christmas Eve present!" He handed her the box, and Vivian excitedly opened it to find a shining Pink Diamond.
She was practically speechless. "M-Mario! Wow, I can't believe you got one of these!" She held the large gem in her hands, seeing her own reflection smile back at her.
"I heard that Glittertown has great treasure!" Mario said, rubbing the back of his neck. "That one took a while to find, but I was hoping you would like it!"
"Thank you, Mario, I love it!" Vivian gave him a quick hug, then said, "Now let me put this upstairs and get my present for you!"
She dove into the shadows instead of just taking the steps, and Mario figured out it was because she was so excited about her present that she could barely wait the extra few seconds.
Vivian reemerged with a gift box in similar size to the one Mario had given her. Mario accepted it gratefully, carefully unwrapping and opening the package to discover a brand-new hammer! His eyes widened in surprise. It had a star on the center and seemed to be a little shiny.
"Thanks, Vivian!" he grinned, pulling her into yet another hug. "It's so perfect that you got this, with the old hammer starting to fall apart."
Vivian blushed, and pointed to its handle. "See, you can customize it, too!"
"Wow, you really thought of everything!" Mario said in amazement. "Bowser's gonna regret his next invasion!... or kidnapping, or whatever shenanigan he's up to next time."
Vivian giggled, before leaning on her husband wearily.
"Mama mia," Mario sighed. "We'd better get to sleep; it won't be long before Luigi and your sisters will be here to visit!"
"Yeah!" Vivian agreed happily. "And it will be Beldam's first time coming over here, too!"
"Ah," Mario shook his head. "Believe me Vivian, forgiving her was one of the most difficult things I ever had to do. The only reason I did was because I knew it would be better for our family relationships in the end," he admitted.
"Oh, don't worry Mario!" Vivian reassured him. "All the things that she put me through… it really made me stronger in the end, overcoming all that. And besides," she met his eyes as they sparkled in the night. "I wouldn't be with you if she hadn't done what she did."
Mario sighed, knowing she was right. "I'm so happy that you've come to peace with all of it!"
"In part thanks to you, too, of course!" Vivian acknowledged. Though, there was something else she had been thinking about, and she became very contemplative once again.
As they settled into bed for the night, Mario knew that she was bothered by something, and he knew it was something that ran deeper than any old hat.
"Viv," he said gently. "What's the matter?"
Vivian sighed, staring at the ceiling. "I-I kind of have a lot on my mind again," she said. "But I know it's late, so we can talk about it tomorrow."
Mario sat up, his tiredness fading in an instant. "No," he insisted. "I can't go to sleep knowing that you're not feeling alright! That is, as long as you wanted to talk about how you feel."
Vivian smiled slightly. "Alright," she agreed. "But don't think that I ever wouldn't want to talk to you, because I most definitely do!"
Mario remained silent, his expression full of nothing but love and patience for his shadow.
Vivian gazed silently into the night, trying to figure out how to start. She felt bad about being a bit emotional on such a special day, but one of countless things she had learned from Mario was to be honest about how she felt. She always did feel better after talking to him, too.
"Well," Vivian started. "Sometimes I really feel like I don't deserve you," she said. "I mean, look how many people out there love you! And you ended up with me out of all of them…"
Mario flinched at hearing her be so hard on herself. "Vivian…" he began. "I chose you because you are most certainly the best out of all of them! There's no one else who I'd rather be with! I meant it on our wedding day and I mean it just as much now. All those other people who you compare yourself to sometimes – they're all good people! But I know that none of them are even as close to being as sweet, considerate, appreciative, – and beautiful – as you are."
Vivian was left speechless. She knew for a fact that he had meant all of those things, and even just laying next to him was enough to help her be reminded of the commitment they had together. She couldn't find the words to respond, but she moved closer to him in a clingy way that Mario knew she intended as a "thank you."
Mario continued. "If anything, I feel like I don't deserve you. I hurt your unwavering trust in me too many times before… and you still stayed faithful to me the entire time and made up for so many of my mistakes."
"Don't say something like that about yourself!" Vivian chirped. "We all make mistakes, and for all I know, I would still be miserable with my sisters if it weren't for you!"
"Don't forget that ol' Doopliss would still be running around as me if it weren't for your generosity!" Mario answered. "And that's not even getting into those other-worldly shenanigans, or the night in the cell. But besides, what's truly important is that we learn and grow together every single day! We're part of each other in a way that we barely thought could be a reality. I'm so lucky that I have you."
"I'm so lucky to have you, too." Vivian took his hand and her self-confidence was restored. "We really were meant to be together… and there's nowhere else I belong." Vivian felt quite comforted by all of this, and they sat contently in the silence for a while. But there was still one more little nagging thought that just wouldn't go away.
"Mario…" she began, becoming slightly more nervous. "Since I'm not a human… what if I live for hundreds of years without you?" Mario moved closer to her side to put a loving hand on her shoulder.
"Hey, don't worry!" he said gently. "Just because you aren't a human doesn't mean that you can't have a human lifespan, too!" However, after that, he had a hard time finding the words to say something else. To tell the truth, that statement brought out some fear in Mario, too. He ran his fingers through her soft pink hair, and gently moved his hand to her cheek.
Just then, something dawned on him. "Vivian," Mario started excitedly, his tone shifting to be far more enthusiastic. "I just remembered something about Chaos Magic from my time studying it with Luigi!"
Vivian sat up a little, confused. "I don't know of any spells that could make us live forever – not that I would really want that, anyways."
Mario shook his head. "It's about true love," he continued. "Remember how we broke Chaos Magic with our love? Since it's such a rare and improbable feat, the lives of the two are bound together forever, any time it happens! Like Blumiere and Timpani!"
Vivian put a hand to her mouth. "I… forgot about all that! So... we truly are inseparable!?"
Mario jumped up, seemingly energized by the remembrance of the truth. "That's right!" He turned back to face her again. "So you can rest assure, Vivian – we will be together. I will be with you for your whole life, no matter how long that may be."
It was Vivian's turn to get up, and she practically knocked him down with what was possibly the happiest hug he'd ever received. There, they just held each other in silence for a while, taking their time and soaking in the moment. "Oh, Mario!" she cried. It was as if an immense weight had been removed from both of their shoulders. Vivian felt her soul soothed; she was finally at peace with everything. These worries that had come up were no match for the Mushroom Kingdom's finest duo!
She thought about how she had felt before. "You know," she said. "Even if our lives weren't bound together, I would be okay with that, too. Because we have each other in this moment, one day at a time. And that's all that truly matters."
Mario ran a loving hand through her hair slowly. "Don't forget this the next time you doubt yourself," he insisted. "This is yet another reason for you to remember why you are the only one for me!"
"I won't forget it!" Vivian promised, her eyes full of wonder and joy. "You help me to feel better about myself constantly, and I don't know how I can ever thank you enough for it!"
"Just being with you is more than enough for me," Mario said earnestly.
They quietly continued to hold each other, their slow and relaxed breathing matching one another. Vivian was at a loss of words, but she remembered again that silence wasn't a bad thing.
Just moments later, Vivian's eyes widened and she pointed out the window. "Mario, look!" she shouted excitedly, hurrying towards it. Tiny snowflakes began to fall, little specks on the dark night sky. "This is so perfect!" she cried, and Mario stood there with her watching in wonder. It was almost as if time had turned back and they were both kids again. Mario looked out into the distance and faintly saw a church in the night sky. The two leaned into each other and the snowfall began to increase quickly.
After a few blissful moments, Mario shivered. "Mama mia," he said sheepishly. "It's definitely gotten colder in here!"
"Don't worry, I've got you covered!" Vivian laughed, and glided away from the window to cast a fiery jinx into their fireplace. Instantly, it burst to life, warming their room. Mario approached the heat, and saw Vivian was standing on the opposite side.
As Mario felt the cold from him melt away, Vivian was looking at him with her eyebrows raised and had a playful look on her face. Mario looked up and saw mistletoe hanging atop the fireplace, not recalling that being in their set of Christmas decorations before!
Mario laughed seeing his wife be mischievous, and they met each other in the middle. Leaning in, they kissed each other directly on the lips – not just a little peck, but a truly loving and passionate embrace. When they finally let go, Mario was blushing more than Vivian had ever seen! He looked into her wonderful eyes yet again and saw a combination of immense satisfaction and elation. She was definitely pleased with herself!
After just a little while longer, they had decided it was finally time to sleep – they needed to be ready for all the excitement that tomorrow had to offer, after all!
Getting under the covers, Mario gazed gratefully at the ceiling as the fire sizzled on quietly. Vivian slid right next to him, piled under several blankets, and snuggled up against him. She rested her head in his arm, and Mario laid his other arm around her torso lovingly. They reflected on what a meaningful night they had had, not just for the year's festivities, but for their own marriage. They both knew it was something they would never forget.
"Merry Christmas, Vivian."
"Merry Christmas, Mario!"
The lovers fell asleep in each other's arms, each knowing that the other was the greatest thing to ever happen to them. The stars shone down from above, and all was well in the Mushroom Kingdom and beyond.