Fresh Air

by Drones-of-Innocence

Princess Peach is secretly a stripper. Everyone in the Kingdom knows that Mario has a crush on her. She's suspicious of him; what sort of guy just rescues Princesses purely out of the kindness of his heart? Her bet is that he fakes it for the money and fame. He hasn't given her a reason to think he's not a good guy, yet. So what's she to think when she finds him at her strip club?

3. Chapter 3

O~o~O

"Ehm, pardon me, Princess. But I was wondering...Why did you want to see me today?"

Peach lowered her cup, eyeing him over her tea. "Why wouldn't I want to see you?" she raised her eyebrows.

Luigi rubbed the back of his head and looked down at the floor. "Well, you know, I just…" he stammered. He had the exact same nervous ticks as his brother, maybe even more pronounced. "I mean, if you do not need both of us, then you talk to Mario, yes?"

He glanced up at her, quickly, before he looked back down at his own empty cup. The poor man. She figured he drank quickly because he was nervous. He had already had two cups, so she was hesitant to offer more, for fear that he was sipping compulsively. But perhaps having something to do, like drink tea, was helpful to his nerves?

"Well, I wanted to talk to you." Peach reached for the tea pot, as if she were going to lift it, and gave Luigi a look to ask if he wanted more. He wasn't looking at her. "Is that alright?"

With a jolt, he looked up with wide eyes. "Wh— Well, yes. I don't mind. Oh, yes, please." he finally noticed her hands on the teapot, and held up his cup for her.

She smiled and poured him a cup. His question came as no surprise to her. Luigi struck her as the kind of man who was a little more eager to address and move past social conventions than Mario.

Yes, he was quite different from his brother. She had deemed it important to get to know him as well as she could. Mario was always mentioning how Luigi would be worried for him, or how Luigi would feel if he went on some errand for her, or even asking if Luigi could come along. They were obviously very close.

When they had first arrived in the Kingdom, Luigi had been so skittish. He had a difficult time answering questions directly, and would often stumble over himself. Mario, she had learned, was much the same, only he stumbled more with his words. She found their display to be endearing. And, she knew it was valuable to be close to both of them. They were her primary line of defense, after all.

So she started to meet more with each of them as often as she could. The best way to get to know Luigi was through Mario, and the best way to get to know Mario was through Luigi.

Then, of course, she began developing feelings for Mario. That complicated things. She had a feeling Luigi only asked her because her bias toward Mario was clear. After all, she had been meeting with him quite frequently, certainly more often than she asked for Luigi. She wondered how perceptive Luigi was, exactly. Mario seemed to be able to identify her intentions on the surface quite easily. Perhaps Luigi had a similar sense?

He took a sip of his tea, and tilted his head back to look out across the Kingdom. Her balcony offered a fantastic view; fluffy clouds tinted with creamy orange of the fading light, the silhouette of Toad Town like a lavender horizon. He cleared his throat after a moment. "Princess, ehm, I am curious about something." he took in a deep breath. His expression was distant, thoughtful. Peach sat up to show she was listening. He averted his eyes, only for a moment, before he fixed her with his innocent look. "Do you like Mario?"

Oh, so he was on to her. His steady gaze offered no judgement, only genuine curiosity. Peach blinked. "Well, yes, of course. I quite like the both of you." her automatic reflex was to pretend she didn't know what he was talking about. But he could see through her. She could tell when his eyes narrowed just slightly.

"Ah, that is good. We like you, too. But that is not what I mean." he said, and then winced. He set down his teacup. "I'm sorry to be so...frank. What I mean to ask is, are you attracted to him?"

He must have really wanted an answer. With the way he was watching for her every move, and the direct wording of his question, he wasn't leaving her very much room at all to talk her way out of it. She wondered why he wanted to know. Luigi couldn't have meant her any harm or offense. There was some reason he was asking. If she could discern that, she might be able to negotiate her way around the issue.

She gave a stiff smile, and delayed her response, hoping the silence would make him feel awkward.

It worked. Luigi held up his hands and shook his head. "I'm so sorry. It is very rude of me to ask. You don't have to answer if you don't want to." He rubbed the back of his head.

Now she had some room. She closed her eyes as she went to take a delicate sip of her tea. "Well, I'll humor you. Let's presume for the moment that I was, in fact, attracted to Mario. Why might you be so inclined to ask me?" she inquired, with an amused smile.

Luigi gave a funny little grin. "Oh. Ehm. I ask because you meet with Mario a lot recently." he leaned back in his chair, searching the skies for words. "I thought maybe you invited me today so you can get to know him better."

Shit. He was even better than his brother. His tone was light, but his words were heavy. She sensed his underlying accusation and thought of several ways she could try to deflect it. She could play the guilt card, and make him believe with a good deal of acting that she never intended to make him feel that way. But no, he wasn't out to hurt her, so it wasn't worth trying to make him feel bad. She could be defensive, though that may only reinforce what he believed and push him away at the same time. She didn't have many choices that would give her the reaction she wanted. Her options were to go back to playing dumb, or continue her risky, roundabout entertainment of his notions. That way, he could only be confused.

Just as she opened her mouth, Luigi sat forward in his chair and waved his hands. "Ah, Princess, I'm so sorry. It is very rude of me to assume or say such things. But the truth is, I would not mind if that was what you wanted." he spoke quickly, to get to his point.

Peach stopped. "Oh?" she asked, trying not to betray her surprise. "And why is that?"

He let out a deep sigh, rubbing the back of his head. His posture was slouched, uncertain. "Because, well, I have been wanting for him to, ehm..." his voice got quieter. He wouldn't look her in the eye. "So if you...no, I'm sorry. This all sounded better in my head. I don't think I should have said anything." He fiddled with his hands beneath the table.

"Go on, now I'm curious." Peach teased. "What are you trying to say?"

Luigi shifted the way he was sitting. "Ahi, it just sounds silly when I say it out loud." he admitted, with an uncomfortable smile toward her.

She assumed he was done talking, until she recognized the contemplative look in his face. It was the same expression Mario made when he was trying to put his words together.

"It's just, I…" Luigi looked up, and then let out a long sigh. He grimaced. "I want for him to, to find someone. Do you understand? He is lonely. He has not had much luck in the past, with, with...Ahi, this is a mess." He sank back in his chair, combing his hair and making his hat crooked on his head.

That was enough teasing him. She could barely hold back a smug look when she reached forward to get his attention. "You want him to find a lover." she put it bluntly.

"Yes! Yes, exactly!" Luigi lit up.

The instant before he could say anything else, Peach held up a hand. "And you want that lover to be me." she lifted the teapot to pour herself another cup.

She was aware of his eyes on her, but she didn't look at him for a long moment. She wanted him to be the right amount of tense; if he got too comfortable, he wouldn't feel any pressure to answer her. If he got too frightened, then she wouldn't be able to get anything accurate out of him.

Her eyes finally flickered to his with an intense look. He gave an instinctive, nervous grin. "Yes?" he sounded less sure.

The light breeze stirred her hair. She folded her hands neatly on the table with a measured smile. "Why?" she asked.

Why was Luigi playing the wing man? Was this some game he intended to play, to try and influence her to like Mario more? Surely he knew of Mario's feelings; if they were obvious to her, then they had to be obvious to his own brother. Why was he bringing up the subject of romance between Mario and herself directly? Didn't he know he was risking Mario's entire secret, assuming Mario wanted his feelings to remain a secret? He was straightforward about his goal. He wanted Mario to find a girlfriend, or something. But why did he want it to be her, specifically? Could it be, perhaps, he suspected that she had feelings for him as well?

There was no way. She treated Mario like a tool. Luigi couldn't have put anything together. Maybe he was just hopeful that there was something between them.

Before her was a deer caught in the headlights. Frozen, under her piercing gaze that didn't let a single detail get past her. Luigi did not move for several moments. The sky behind him was spectacular. A gentle breeze edged past, and Peach tilted her head while she waited for his answer.

His jaw finally began to open and close. His hand twitched, almost knocking over his teacup. "I, ehm…" he cleared his throat. "Well, you, you are a very kind person, and Mario, he admires that a lot. I just, I think that you two would be…"

Luigi trailed off when he looked at her face. Her vicious smirk, her eyes gleaming in the dying sunlight.

She delivered the next blow, in a tone as light as a feather. "Does he like me?"

He nearly choked on his own smile, and jolted to wave his hands. He was helpless. "Ehm, tha— that I don't— I mean, I cannot say, I don't think I know?" He was babbling. With his cringe, Peach finally leaned back, satisfied. He knew that she knew the answer already, long before she had even asked.

He gave an uncomfortable, defeated laugh. "Princess, you are very sharp," he raised a hand to rub the back of his head, making his hat crooked.

Peach gave a delicate smile. "I know." She took a sip of her tea, and closed her eyes to enjoy the taste. Then, setting the cup down, she folded her fingers together and put her focus back on Luigi. "Now, then. You've made me curious, Mr. Wingman. Why would you go to all this trouble to bring up the subject to me? Why are you trying to set up your brother?"

It was strange. Luigi leaned back in his chair, with an idle, thoughtful glance to the sky. He appeared infinitely calmer than he had been moments before. "Well, it is simple. I want for him to be happy." he gave a friendly shrug. "I think that you two are, ehm...compatible." he reached across the table to pour himself another cup of tea.

Ah. Peach raised her eyebrows. Luigi had wanted to be found out. He had deliberately put the information for her to deduce the truth, so that he could get on with the conversation that he really wanted to have with her. Clever man. Perhaps he really did suspicions all along that she might have feelings for Mario as well. He wasn't concerned with the charade that she had put on for him; he already assumed what her feelings were and he wanted to address them instead of playing along.

"Well, wouldn't Mario be upset if he found out that you gave away his secret to me?" she frowned. She had no intention of causing a rift between the brothers.

Luigi let out a soft chuckle. "I gave away nothing. You knew already." he said. Then in a conspiratorial tone, he leaned toward her. "Besides, you and I both know he is very bad at keeping secrets."

She had to agree with him on that one. As good at Mario was at literally everything else, he had the unfortunate virtue of being entirely too honest.

He was such a sweet man. As she looked to Luigi, who had gone and opened up an entire opportunity to freely discuss her frustrations, she knew she had to bite her tongue. And yet, he had expressed that he felt they would be compatible. It was as if the universe was sending her a sign.

But she couldn't do it. There was too much of a risk.

"I can't." she looked down at the table. Luigi tilted his head, and looked on. "Your instincts are quite impressive, Luigi, but I...I am not in a position where I could pursue…"

She glanced up. He encouraged her to go on with a nod and a sad, understanding smile.

"You see, I have a secret. If Mario were to find out, one way or another, then it is my belief that his feelings would be quelled. But this secret is fundamental to who I am. I could not keep it if I were to be with him." She adjusted her gloves. There was something about Luigi that eased her mind, that told her that she could trust him with anything. "It is a very dangerous secret."

Luigi frowned. "Too dangerous to trust him with?" he gave her a funny look. "Princess, I don't think you understand how much he is devoted to you."

She let out a soft sigh, and glanced away, down off the balcony. "Too dangerous," she echoed.

With a low nod, Luigi reached across the table to get her attention. "No worries," he grinned, but she could see the soft cloud of disappointment behind his eyes. "I can always listen if you ever need someone to talk to, Princess."

O~o~O

"Aren't you worried that he'll find you out?"

"Hmm?" Peach glanced up at Pauline with a bobby pin in her mouth, before looking back in the mirror. "Oh, well. He's sharp, but men tend to have a hard time recognizing faces when it comes to makeup." she bit down on the bobby pin with her teeth and moved her lips around it to speak.

Pauline let out a light sigh, and her eyes flitted to the mirror while she styled her dark hair around with her fingers. "I don't know, dear. Maybe you should consider some colored lenses, or even some hair dye." she shrugged.

Her golden blonde hair was pretty distinctive. Peach had thought of dying it. She could dye it a lucious brown, but the club already had two brunette dancers as it was. Pauline and Daisy both covered that. She could do a more platinum blonde, but Rosalina practically owned that aesthetic. Perhaps she should go with a dark shade of ginger. That was drastically different enough from blonde. She would have to consider that.

"You're probably right." she gave a little smirk, and then frowned when her hairdo started to fall out. "Would you mind helping me with this? Anyway, why are you asking? Do you think Mario's going to come back tonight or something?"

Without hesitation, Pauline turned and started to work her magic. "He has been making it somewhat of a habit. Every other week or so." she said, focused on her task. "He likes talking to you. His friends might have something to do with it; they just want to see him mess around for the sake of the drama. But for him, I think he just genuinely likes talking to you. Well, the dancer you. He likes you plenty as the Princess. But he also likes Milli Vanilli."

Peach got the vaguest sense that Pauline had some kind of aim. "What are you trying to say?" she narrowed her eyes with a teasing smile.

Pauline finished with her hair and put her hands up, shrugging away the accusation. "Hey. All I'm getting at is, decent guys are pretty hard to come by. It's not every day you meet a man who respects both Princesses and strippers equally." she shook her head, matter-of-factly. "Besides, you're smart. If you really didn't want him to find you out, I think you'd be trying a lot hard to disguise yourself."

The heavy makeup had the wonderful benefit of disguising the rush of color to her cheeks. "I don't know what you're talking about," Peach scoffed, but even she couldn't keep a full degree of seriousness to her tone. "Just because he's nice to me doesn't mean he respects me." She checked her getup in the mirror, and glanced at her coat on the rack in the corner.

"Just because he's being nice doesn't mean he's hiding bad intentions," Pauline countered, and she gave a pitying look. "I know it's hard to believe, but sometimes people are nice just because they're good people." she touched her shoulder.

Sweet, beautiful Pauline, who was always so blunt and clear with what she was thinking. Peach looked down at her hands. She had told herself time and time again that taking those final steps toward Mario, meeting him in the middle, would only result in catastrophe. She tried so hard to convince herself that there was something wrong about him, that he was only pretending so that he could get close to her.

But here the universe was, with everyone around her giving her gentle pushes in his direction. Was it really so wrong of her to follow her heart? Would it really be so bad if she were to tell him the truth?

The chilling thought of his blazing anger made her heart drop. No. It was far too much of a risk. She didn't want to bet on something that she knew she couldn't win.

Mario would eventually give himself up to her, put his heart and soul on the line for her to see. She knew he would. A brave man like him would find it in himself to offer up his whole heart. He was a gentleman, though, and he would give it time before he rushed into a confession. Knowing him, he would put together a romantic gesture that was better than anything she could ever dream of.

And she would have to turn her back on him. The thought was so painful. But it was better for them both to be hurt this way than the alternative.

Until that day came, it was a tender game of cat and mouse. But Peach was no longer certain of who was the cat, and who was the mouse.

"I don't know," she finally murmured, and started to get up to grab her coat. The air outside was going to be chilly, and her outfit was quite revealing. "I'm going to take my break."

Pauline gave a sad smile. "Just give it some thought, dear." she called after Peach.

With a vague nod, Peach grabbed her coat, opened the door, and headed outside.

The alleyway between the club and the office building next to it created quite a draft. Peach only did up two of the buttons on her coat and haphazardly tied the belt around her waist. She normally came out with something to distract herself, like a drink or a paper to check over, but she didn't bother to grab anything. She wouldn't be able to focus on any important documents anyway. So she leaned against the grubby brick wall and hugged her arms.

She wondered what sort of world she and Mario would be able to be together. Was there a world where they could be happy? Perhaps one where she had never become a stripper. She pursed her lips and shook her head. No, she would be a different person if she had never started dancing. She would be cold, and uptight, and everything that everyone thought she was.

Maybe one where Mario had some secret, some flaw that would shock her the same way finding out she was a stripper would shock him. But she couldn't fathom anything he could possibly do that might surprise her. What was worse than being a stripper during the night?

The cold wind bit at her nose, and blew right through her coat. She shuddered. Maybe the only world where they could be happy was one where they had never met. You can't mourn over what you never had. She closed her eyes and blew into her hands. If only they had never crossed paths. If only, if Bowser hadn't kidnapped her, if Mario hadn't stumbled his way into her kingdom, if he hadn't responded to her call for help and rescued her, if his friends hadn't dragged him into a strip club to try to get him to loosen up. If any of those things hadn't happened exactly the way that they did, if the stars had been aligned in any other way, then she would not hold these feelings so close to her chest. And neither would he.

But then again, her life before she met him was dreary. She went through her days with mistrust toward nearly everyone around her, with the nights as her only breath of fresh air. The only exciting aspect of her life was an elaborate lie.

Her connection with him, though, that was real. Even though it was impossible for them to be happy together, the moment she opened her heart to him was one she didn't think she would want to give up. Even if she could. In that moment, the room around her had been filled with color and life that was so very beautiful. A world of possibilities had opened itself up to her, and however short lived it was, Peach would never forget the overwhelming, visceral surge of warmth in her chest.

She remembered reading once that it was better to have loved and lost, than to have never loved at all.

"Oh come on, man, you gotta live a little!" Peach heard voices coming down from the main street. "I'll tell you what: you pick any girl in there and I'll pay for a whole hour in one of those private booths. You can even pick that little blondie you're always talking to."

Peach couldn't help herself and crept a little closer on the wall to hear better. She was careful to step slowly so her heels wouldn't click. "Come on, I already told you. I don't want any of that." The exasperated voice that came next was one she knew all too well. Her heart almost stopped. "I just want to make sure you two don't get in trouble."

Mario. It was him, right there, walking with his friends toward the club. Peach darted to the opposite wall, to the shadows, and propped up the collar of her coat like it would do any good. They still had some ground to cover before they would pass her.

"Oh yeah, he is always chatting up that one chick. Say, you spend all that time talking to her, but you never actually do anything to her." one of them was saying. "But I always see you forking over cash. Is she doing stuff under the table or what? Why do you pay her?"

Quick to shake his head, Mario waved both of his hands. "No, no. She does nothing to me but talk. I pay her because she gives me time. And time is money."

The other one, the tall one, spoke up. "I told you, bro, he's got it bad for Peach. Which is totally understandable, I mean have you seen that ass?" he looked up as if he was imagining her right before him, and gave a smug grin. "But sometimes you just gotta know when you don't have a chance. And that's what strippers are for!" he gestured to the club.

"Yeah, man. She's a princess. You know she's gonna be married off to some fat cat, so the best thing for you to do is to fool around with some bitch who you'll forget about in the morning. Rinse and repeat until you can't even remember why you liked the princess in the first place." the shorter one offered his profound words of wisdom on the topic.

Peach had to bite on her thumb to keep from laughing at the expression on Mario's face. "Ahi," he huffed, once he got over his initial shock. "You think the only reason I like her is because of her body, but it's not true."

The two shared a look. "Sure, Mario." the tall one snickered. "Do you think the human race has been around for so long because of men who like women for their brains? Pfft. Come on."

The short one crossed his arms. "Answer me this, Mario. What would you do if Peach walked up to you, naked as the day she was born, right now?"

The noise that Mario made was not one that Peach could describe, and the shade of red of his entire face was quite close to that of his cap. She used both hands to cover her mouth, giggling helplessly when she could practically see the steam coming out of his ears. "What kind of question is that?!" he demanded, and his friends fell into a fit of laughter.

Peach found herself wheezing silently, trying so hard to hide her laughter. Luckily, none of them seemed to be paying attention to the crooked little alleyway as they came closer.

"Answer the question!" the tall one insisted, while the other one was still pulling himself together.

Flustered, Mario gave a clumsy gesture with both of his hands. "I don't know, ask her if she's cold?"

The two brothers absolutely lost it, and had to stop walking. Mario let out a sigh and rubbed his temples. Their roaring laughter seemed to echo down the road, drowning out the bumping music coming from inside the club, and the buzzing of the steady neon lights.

Ask her if she was cold? Peach backed into the wall and bit her knuckle to keep from following his friends into a fit of laughter. She wondered what kind of situation had come to his mind when his friends prompted him to imagine her approaching him on the street, naked. It would, of course, be wildly out of character for her. She wouldn't be surprised if his immediate assumption would be that she was in distress. Asking her if she was cold was actually quite a caring and concerned question; it wasn't abrupt or demanding as to what was wrong, rather, it was a gentle way to prompt her to tell him if she was okay. Though, out of context, she couldn't help but find it hilarious.

An image appeared in her head, a brief moment playing out. A dark room, with cool air but a hot presence before her. "Are you cold?" a soft, breathless voice asked her. And in response to a touch like fire, she caught her breath long enough to smirk and tell him, not anymore.

Peach froze for a moment, before she shook herself of her fantasy. No, it couldn't happen. It wouldn't happen. It shouldn't.

As the two beside Mario continued to split their sides, it occured to Peach exactly what her situation was. She glanced down at herself, peeking at her skimpy outfit under her coat. Her position was in the ideal space of coincidence. Maybe she wasn't completely naked, she thought with a grin to herself, but it was close enough. Her coat dropped to the ground.

"Come on, I don't want to be here all night," Mario muttered, nudging the brothers forward again toward the club.

Just then, a loud laugh startled all of the men enough to look up. Peach came stumbling out of the alleyway, taking fast steps and making sure one of her heels caught on the lip of one of the cobblestones. She made like she was about to go down. No one had enough time to react. But she had rehearsed this little dance over and over again; at the last second she twisted around and caught her balance, giggling all the while with a hiccup thrown in here and there.

The first few moments went by with the three men looking at her in stunned silence. Peach pretended to have a hard time focusing on them, and wavered from side to side.

"I think your prayers have finally been answered, Mario." the tall one couldn't manage to close his jaw, positively gawking at her.

Mario elbowed him hard and hissed something under his breath, before he took a step toward her. "Blossom?" he asked her. As soon as he got closer, Peach let her ankle cave in. "Whoah!"

In the next instant, she was facing the sky and being cradled in his arms. Her head lolled to the side until her temple bumped into his chest. "Hi," she gave him a clumsy wave and a cheeky grin.

"Holy shit, Mario," the other one spoke up behind him. She could already tell with a covert glance at his flushed face exactly what he was thinking. It may not have been the Princess who stumbled out in front of them, but it was damn well close enough. They really had no idea how close they were to their nude Princess fantasy. She smirked. "Look, I understand if you want to take her home for some fooling around and have her all to yourself, but we're buds, right? So if you're feeling generous—"

The scathing glare Mario shot over his shoulder was enough to shut him up. "This is why I don't trust you two in a place like this." he snapped.

They both answered him with a scoff. "Geez, Mario, relax. We're just messing around." one shook his head. "Can't take a joke."

Peach recognized the look on his face. Pressed up to him, she could feel the temperature around her rise. That sharp intake of air and the laser focus of his eyes never failed to make her a little nervous. At the same time, being clutched in his arms gave her feelings of excitement and security all at once. Like fire and ice colliding. So this was what heaven was like. She had to relish it while the moment lasted.

"You think this is funny?" Mario asked them, never once raising the tone of his voice. "If this is a joke to you, then please, explain to me. I don't get it."

The shame of being called out on their behavior must have finally outweighed the indignance. Neither of them could answer him except for a couple of incoherent mumbles.

Mario made them stew in their guilt for a moment while he looked over her face. Probably for some sign of inebriation. "Blossom, are you okay?" he asked her. He kept his voice low so the others wouldn't hear. But his tone was so gentle and sweet, Peach didn't have to pretend to suddenly become a little handsy with him.

With a grin, Peach reached up and adjusted his hat so it was crooked. "Keep talking to me like that, and I'm going to be more than okay," she made sure to let her words slur together just enough to be convincing, and then accentuated her performance by poking his nose and laughing.

She knew by his expression exactly what he was thinking; he felt he was the only adult around. He rolled his eyes with a sigh, and shook his head at her. That hint of a smile of amusement made her heart leap for joy. He turned around to address his friends. She was still held firmly in his arms. Mario, the hero of the Mushroom Kingdom, in the middle of the street, carrying a stripper. "I have to help her. Go on ahead. But if you try to make a move on any of the dancers, I will drag you out and take care of you myself."

Damn. He meant business. His friends nodded hurried on ahead to enter the club, glancing back at him over their shoulders just before they slipped through the door.

Mario narrowed his eyes after them before he turned his attention back to her. There was such clear apprehension and concern in his eyes, and Peach knew she had to drop the charade before it got too far. He started walking toward the alleyway she had come out of.

"My hero," she crooned, placing a hand on his chest. "I knew you wouldn't let those naughty boys have their way with me."

His entire body stiffened as he caught on. The clarity of her words, the control of her actions. He stopped at the edge of the alley, and hesitated to look into her eyes. A blush had been present on his cheeks the entire encounter; after all, she was barely wearing anything. Other than a silly little pleather bra and panties, at least. Despite his careful grip around her, he couldn't avoid how his gloves were only in contact with her skin. He moved into the alleyway so that she was no longer in view of the street, however, it didn't matter so much to her. There was no one on the street anyway. "You know how to put on a show," he muttered, moving to set her down.

As soon as she was on her feet, she went to pick up her coat from off the ground and swept it on in one fluid motion. By the time she turned around, tying the waistband, Mario cheeks had burned brighter red. "It's my job, hon. Oh, don't be so bashful; you wanted an excuse to get away from them, even just for a bit." She tapped her chin and leaned down closer to him. "Or did you just really like my outfit that much?"

Averting his eyes, Mario rubbed the back of his head. "Ahi, no." He gave her a wry, but guilty smile. "I am sorry for carrying you. It was indecent." he said.

She pretended to heave a dramatic sigh and shook her head at him. "Mario, if I didn't want you to carry me, then I would have let you know quite clearly. Don't worry about it." she assured him with a wink. Then, she winced. She had been standing around in heels for hours. "Ugh. my feet," she muttered under her breath, looking down her legs to make sure her feet weren't visibly red or swollen.

"Are you—? Mario started to ask with a frown, but she waved him off.

With a quick, humorless smile, she nodded. "Don't worry, I'm fine." She wasn't; the week had been particularly busy with lots of walking and lots of dancing. And she couldn't be seen in either of her professions without heels.

The poor man. He shifted from foot to foot, and adjusted his gloves. He knew better than to push it. So he changed the subject. "You, ehm, you are not shy about your body. I mean—! Sorry. I don't know how to say in English." he smacked his forehead. "I mean, you don't care who sees you. Even when it is cold and you are wearing nothing. Does that make sense?"

Yeesh, he wasted no time. There was hardly any introduction, any greeting, and he wanted to jump right into a conversation. It somehow made sense; Mario struck her as the type who didn't like to waste time. Why go through the whole social script when you both know each other well enough? "Yes. That's true." she confirmed for him.

He looked up at her, and tilted his head. "Why?" he asked.

Peach realized, looking at his face, that he wasn't inquiring because of his own embarrassment at her near-nudity. Rather, he was asking quite a personal question concerning her way of doing things. He wasn't asking "Why are you naked? It's making me uncomfortable." Instead, it was "How did you get to the point where you could defy society's norms and be confident in your body as you are?"

At least, that was what she put together from context, both knowing him and the sort of questions and beliefs he had brought up in the past. She was nearly certain in her interpretation. And, before she could think critically about the consequences of her answer, she felt an immense pressure to express it all to him.

"Well," she began, her tone becoming lower. More serious. "To remove shame is to take back power that other people have over you. Women, we are told we have to cover up. We have to be these perfect beings who are modest and quiet, we fold our hands and don't put our elbows on the table, sit with legs crossed and try to be as small as possible. To reduce ourselves to the smallest fraction."

She paused, to gauge Mario's reaction. He nodded to show he was following.

With a deep breath, she went on. "That sort of environment fosters a crippling fear to be exposed. To have all those eyes on parts of our bodies that are not supposed to exist in the public eye. But the truth is, I do have a body. I go to the bathroom just like everyone else, and I also happen to bleed every month. So does everyone with a body like mine." she gestured down to her abdomen. "But if I willingly expose myself, if I am unafraid to have those criticizing eyes on the parts of me society would rather forget, then society loses that power over me. I have no shame."

She fell quiet, satisfied with her answer. Mario did not respond for a moment, but his silence was not the sort that compelled her to continue like before. He was processing her words.

"I think I understand." he finally said. "We are ruled by shame. But you are free."

Peach blinked, and then nodded. Geez, what took her several minutes to express could take him two seconds. She shouldn't have been surprised. After all, as she remembered reading a long time ago, brevity is the soul of wit. "Nailed it, as usual," she gave a cheeky grin and nudged him with her elbow.

The gears were still turning behind his eyes. He must have had more to say. He looked off and away from her. "Where I am from, the work you do, it is really popular. But people also see it shamefully." he rubbed the back of his head. His eyes were focused on someplace far away. "Some of the women I knew, they work at the club because they have to."

As opposed to wanting to. Peach raised a brow. "Why did they have to?" she frowned.

He gave her an uncomfortable smile. "The money," he shrugged. "Me and Luigi, we were in a rough part of town. The women there did not have a lot of money. They did not have any other way to make enough. So they had to, ehm, how do you say...they had to sell their bodies. That is what they say in America." He glanced down at the ground.

Right. Of course. She remembered Mario had hinted at something a while back, which gave her the impression that he and his brother had literally never seen the sheer amount of wealth they had acquired in their travels in their entire lives. But he had never given her any details about his past before. She was too stunned to react; why was he getting so personal with her? She was a stripper. Not that it was unusual for men to open up to her, but this was Mario. Didn't he consider the Princess a closer friend? Why was he sharing with her rather than his crush?

She sensed he was coming to a greater point. At her silence, he continued on. "They were always very nice. I tried to give them money when I could spare it. But me and Luigi, we were not much better off." he gave a small, sad smile. "But you? Please tell me if I am wrong. But I think that you are not here because you need money. You are here because you like the work, yes?"

Shit. There was no indication in his expression at all whatsoever that told her the answer he was hoping for. Was he setting her up? Was he trying to get her to admit that she was just some bratty, bimbo bitch? That she liked dancing naked in front of a bunch of men? Would he laugh when she gave her answer and all that he heard was that she was just another stupid blonde slut? Was there any way out of this?

Mario's eyes widened and he shook his head. "I am sorry. I think I said that wrong. I don't want to offend you."

Her heart thumped away, and she tried to disguise a shaky breath in. All this time, she worried so much about what Mario would think of her if he found out about her secret life. His reaction to her answer here might give her a preview to what it would be like to reveal herself. She had to be honest.

"No, no, you're right." she put her hands up, like she was guilty of a crime, and chuckled. She wondered if he could possibly detect the faint tremor of fear in her voice. "You got me. I don't need the money. I do this because I want to. Sue me."

At once, his expression relaxed. He let out a big breath with a smile. "That is a relief," he told her. And she hardly had any time to react, blinking at him, before he went on. "Those women, I think about them every day. I can only pray that they have enough to get by. We have been there, my brother and I. We know what it is like to not know the next time we can eat. I don't want for anyone to have to live like that."

He looked up then, right into her eyes. The intensity of his expression caused her heart to catch in her chest.

"Ah, anyway, I wish that more people could do what it is they enjoy. It makes me very glad that you can do that." his tone was genuine, his soft expression earnest. Those soft blue eyes of his fell away and he rubbed the back of his head again. "I left Wario and Waluigi in there too long. I think I need to check on them. They could be getting into trouble."

Peach tried to disguise the tremor in her voice with an exaggerated laugh. "You don't have to worry about them, hon. They're popular with the girls," she winked. Her heart felt like it was pounding all the way up in her throat.

With a frown, Mario tilted his head up at her. "But they are very rude?" Of course. He was worried about Wario and Waluigi being terribly inappropriate toward her coworkers.

She still had control. She tried to focus on a deep breath, but her compulsive smile kept her from relaxing. "Oh, darling, don't you know the ones who talk the worst pay the best?" To distract him from noticing her forced demeanor, she moved toward the door. "I have to be onstage in a few. Good luck wrangling your friends. If I don't see you again, then have a good night, alright?"

He seemed startled by her movement. She realized she was going quite abruptly, but she had to get a hold of herself before he noticed and started asking questions. Just over her shoulder, she managed to wink at him.

"Okay. Good luck, Blossom. Goodnight." he waved after her with a confused smile.

As soon as the door was shut, Peach let out a long, shuddering breath. Noise from inside the club had gotten louder, but still muddled. The room around her seemed to be cold and hot all at once. Her heart thudded along, so hard that for a moment she fretted that Mario might have been able to hear it through the door. "What is happening?" she whispered to herself.

"You're confused," a voice spoke up from further in the room. "Because he is everything you could ever want him to be."

Peach jumped from the wall, blood roaring in her ears, before she let out a sigh and put a hand over her heart. "Rosalina, yeesh."

In all her esoteric splendor, Rosalina moved into view. Her sharp eyes looked at Peach with the elegance of an entire galaxy. "And you cannot reconcile how you might just be everything that he could ever want you to be." she finished her thought as if Peach hadn't said anything.

She stopped wondering a long time ago about the sheer depth of Rosalina's perception. "But I can't be!" she let out, conscious to keep her voice low. "I lied to him. There's no way he would be okay with the truth. He's infatuated with the Princess. There's no way he could ever come to feel the same way about Blossom."

Rosalina placed a cool hand on her shoulder. "One cannot always discern an accurate truth. At times, there is too much noise to make out what is based in reality and what is based on affect. But often, with people, it will not hurt to ask them directly. People like to express their own feelings, so you do not have to assume what they are for them." she had a serene smile the entire time she spoke.

Taking a deep breath, Peach felt her body relax, finally. "I'll never know unless I try?" she rephrased the point with a cheeky look.

There was a hint of an amused quirk in Rosalina's smile. "Yes." she responded. "Now, I believe it is about time for your dance."

Oh. Right. Her dance. Peach undid her coat and went to adjust her outfit. Her nerves were alight with the cold pricks of pins and needles. The idea that Mario might watch her did nothing to slow her heart.

She managed a quiet acknowledgement to Rosalina before she moved to head into the club. The room seemed to move around her, instead of her moving through the room. The door opened. The music was as harsh on her ears as the bright lights were on her eyes.

If anyone were to speak to her, she would not have been able to notice or respond. Her stomach was tight. The smile plastered to her face, as she walked out on the stage, was there by force of habit and nothing more. Her hands nearly trembled at her sides, up until she got to the pole. Oh, stars. The lights swept across her vision, blinding her to the audience. Her body knew what to do better than she did. She got to work, spinning and moving through the air like she had no need for gravity.

She couldn't see. She couldn't focus on the outside world. The idea of his eyes was too much for her to be able to think about what she was doing. Thankfully, the long hours of work and practice allowed her body to do the work for her. He could be watching her. The prospect was exhilarating and terrifying. Even worse, he could not be watching her. But that was too painful to think about. As long as she was spinning, she wouldn't know which one it was.

Her body reacted with the music and the crowd. All those familiar whoops and hollers in her ears, all those beats and notes all blending together in a glorious chaos for her to interpret and move with. She could conduct the crowd like an orchestra. Cacophonic perverts. She wanted the shouts, the gasps. She wanted to move them, to tempt them. To inspire their fantasies, just like any other artist.

Because really, were they any different? She flashed a sultry smile to the crowd as she flipped up and around. Her body was the canvas, the brush was the pole. And the medium was physics. She wanted to paint all sorts of pictures for them. And she did, all without ever showing that she was trying.

But deep in her heart, she knew. They were different. A painter and a musician were classical artists. She could not compare, at least, not to society's eyes. And those eyes were much harsher than any lights she blinked under. No matter the amount of work she put into her craft, someone would always be able to put their nose up at her. To be a stripper and to be proud was to have a prescription to be shunned.

No one was an exception; not even herself sometimes, and most certainly not Mario. Even through all of his careful words and genuine respectful expression, he had to look down on her, at least a little.

Her throat closed up. He could love little miss prim and proper, but Mario could never love Blossom. He could never love all of her.

She wanted to cry. But she kept that stupid, pretty smile on her face. Always.

The performance was over in a blur of color and light. And just before she turned her head to avoid looking for him in the crowd, her eyes caught on to a head of blue hair.

O~o~O

"Is anyone able to explain why Prince Haru has not returned to his own kingdom?"

The gentle inquiry was met with silence, as her advisors all looked at one another.

It had been over a week since the conference in which Princess Peach had first encountered Prince Haru, and knowing he was still in town left her with a constant sour aftertaste in her thoughts.

He was so annoying. He insisted on making a spectacle of visiting her castle every day to further their relations, to which Peach was running out of ways to deny him. She did not want an exclusive meal with him, nor a day about the town. The stars above knew how much he would try to take advantage of a photo opportunity. She especially did not want to accompany him at night for dinner at the finest restaurant in the vicinity, when she knew full well what became of men like him in the dark.

She almost wished for Bowser to suddenly appear at her doorstep again. Prince Haru would surely leave in a hurry if the Mushroom Kingdom were to come under any sort of trouble. Though, she knew better than to hope for disaster.

Backed into a corner, she had but one option left. If Prince Haru was going to take advantage of the Mushroom Kingdom's famed hospitality, then she was going to do whatever she could to keep busy and only just miss every little opportunity he might find to pester her. She wouldn't let one ounce of impatience seep into her tone; instead, she would let it consume him.

"He has been making himself at home on the estate," one advisor offered meekly, pushing up her glasses. "I do not believe he wishes to leave any time soon."

Another sat up. "As of now, he should be on his way here to meet with you for, erm, "brunch," as he calls it." he squinted at his notes.

Peach nodded. "Of course. And oh, wouldn't you know it, I just remembered the Mario brothers are on their way to the castle as well. Could you remind me what for?"

She noticed all of their quirked little grins as the scribe rifled through the pages of the transcript. "The Mario brothers are on their way for a meeting with Her royal majesty that takes precedence over recreational activities with the Prince of the Flower Kingdom." The scribe recited, with the tiniest hint of amusement showing through.

Her secret weapon was none other than the Jumpman himself, and also his brother. Those two had been driving Prince Haru up a wall. Her favorite part was the look on his face when he was just about to present some idea for an outing to her, only to find that she was deeply occupied with the brothers in one manner or another. Plumbing, construction, planning, consultation, the brothers both had multiple talents that could pass for official Jumpman duties. Whatever that meant. It didn't really mean anything except to use up time to discourage the Prince.

The best part about the whole thing was she wasn't even specifically requesting the brothers to do anything. They came up with the tasks completely on their own.

"And may I ask for the whereabouts of the brothers?" Peach asked, folding her hands.

There was commotion coming from the halls outside the room. An awful lot of shuffling and voices. Almost everyone raised their heads from their notes and documents.

"Your majesty!" said the guards in unison as they opened the doors. The source of the commotion was not immediately there, instead, it was further down the hall. The man standing in the doorway suddenly realized just how many eyes were on him, and he gave an awkward wave.

The eyes all went to her. "Luigi, what a nice surprise." she greeted him pleasantly, and she wouldn't have been surprised if everyone noticed the way her shoulders dropped with relief. Thank goodness it wasn't Haru who had managed to get to the door first. She wondered if the commotion further on had anything to do with him. "Is something the matter?"

It was a rehearsed question. Luigi rubbed the back of his head in a similar manner to how Mario often did. "Oh, yes. Well, I just got word that you are needed in the castle gardens. Quickly," he added, with a glance to his left. The commotion was coming closer.

She didn't waste time getting to her feet. "The gardens! Oh, this sounds most urgent, I suppose I'll have to cancel all of my appointments lined up for the next couple of hours!" she called over her shoulder, as she picked up the front of her dress to move faster. The advisors all affirmed her order and she could hear the scribbling of pens on paper. She didn't miss the smiles the guards were trying to hide as she evacuated the room.

Luigi matched her pace. As they hurried along, Peach pretended not to notice the Prince calling her name behind them.

Upon their arrival to the gardens, Peach finally dared to take a deep breath. She glanced over her shoulder. No one had followed them; some guards strolled past on their patrol, but no one else was in the garden.

Beside her, Luigi gave a small laugh. "I think we lost him." he joked. She could tell he was trying to ease the pressure. Perhaps he picked up on her worry that Haru was right on their tail.

Right. It was only Luigi. She was hesitant to disclose herself, but she knew without a doubt that Luigi could be trusted even with the most sensitive secrets. He was a safe person. So, she allowed her posture to relax, and stretched her arms. All of that work with her advisors, hours of merely drafting her speech for the annual celebration of Mushroom Heritage Day involved a lot of sitting properly and not a lot of movement. "I wouldn't let him catch me. Even in heels." she tried to smile, but she winced instead when the arch of her foot reminded her to take it easy with a sharp ache.

Luigi gave her a sympathetic look and stepped a little closer so she could hear him when he lowered his voice. "Are you feeling okay?" he asked her.

She was quick to nod. "Oh, yes. I'm just fine." While her hands quickly brushed down her dress to make sure her outfit was all in order, she noticed out of the corner of her eye that Luigi was smiling. She narrowed her eyes. "What?" she asked.

Pursing his lips, Luigi shook his head. "Nope! Nothing," he said, with a grin that indicated the converse. "Nothing at all, I have nothing interesting to say. Not one thing."

Peach put her hands on her hips and shook her head. He clasped his hands behind his back and started to whistle innocently, while she tried to tame her smile. "What is it, Luigi?" he must have had the exact same sense of humor as his brother.

"Hmm, well, you see," Luigi began, trying to sound very formal and official. "I just thought it would be of your Highness' interest that Mario has not been able to stop talking about you for the past twenty-four hours."

Peach blinked. Then, trying to regain her sense of self and not be thrown into daydreams of what exactly might be going through Mario's head on a daily basis, she pressed a finger to her lips. "Keep your voice down." she tried not to seem frantic when she whipped her head around to see if anyone might have heard.

Nodding, Luigi lowered his head to disguise his smile. "Oh, yes of course. I will try to be quiet about my brother's feelings for you. How he waxes romantic about the sound of your voice and the scent of your perfume. Very quiet." he gave her a cheeky look.

She had to admit, hearing that Mario spoke of her so much was thrilling. Just the mere idea that she was on his mind at all was quite a lot to handle. But every confirmation, every little push that he was infatuated with her managed to access the tiny, hopeful side of her that dreamed of being together with him. Because the stars above knew that if she had anyone to talk to, she would not be able to shut up about Mario for months.

And then, the rational side had to come in like a cold wave. She took a deep breath. "Luigi, I told you before." she said, trying to sound stern. But, looking off to the side, she clasped her elbows. "I can't do it. I would love to, more than anything, but I can't."

"Ahi, I know, Princess, I know." Luigi shook his head with a sad smile, getting her attention with a gentle touch to her shoulder. "I'm sorry. It just pains me to watch forbidden love."

Forbidden love? He made it sound like she was living some sort of fairytale. She was about to say so, when she stopped and blinked. Well, she was a princess of a magical kingdom inhabited by mushroom people, who kept getting taken away by an evil monster. And she had her very own hero to come and save her. Who happened to be in love with her. The script was all there. If one could conveniently leave out the fact that the princess was also a stripper.

Peach slowly lowered her arms, looking past Luigi into the gardens and questioning everything about her life that had led up to that moment.

Before she could start to think of anything to say, there were footsteps behind them. A distinct laugh. A voice that froze her heart and inspired a fire within her all at once. Peach and Luigi both turned to look behind them.

Mario grinned and waved as he jogged to meet them. "Mamma mia, that guy does not know when to quit." he met up with them, eyeing her with a shy look. "He is gone now." he offered a tiny smile.

"How did you get him to leave?" Luigi asked, tilting his head.

With an odd glance down, Mario tried to shrug it off. "Don't worry about it." he said quickly, and started to walk further into the garden. "Let's get busy."

Peach and Luigi shared an alarmed glance. Though, with the way Luigi was trying to hold back laughter, Peach could not discern at all how Mario got Haru to leave or why he wasn't explaining it. Surely he hadn't been violent. What sort of ridiculous lengths did he go to in order to turn the Prince away?

Still, they followed Mario. He seemed to know his way through the garden better than she did. His pace was brisk, which Peach normally wouldn't have minded, except the arch of her foot was acting up again and every step seemed like a dare to strain something. She managed to disguise her wince.

Mario finally ended up in one of her favorite spots; the bush sculptures. Their bizarre and interesting shapes were quite entertaining, along with the hydrangeas at their bases. The flowers were like colorful little bubbles perched in the leaves. The best part was perhaps how the breeze wafted the scent of honeysuckle from another section of the garden.

He turned back to look at them, and both the brothers suddenly had their silly grins. "We thought you could supervise us while we trimmed up the plants," Luigi explained, and Mario looked down at the shears that had been left there for them to do their task.

"Oh," Peach clasped her hands to her chest. The brothers really were quite extraordinary at finding projects to do around her castle. And quite skilled; they offered their services to her ranging from cleaning, decorating, renovating, and building. She shouldn't have been surprised that they would be able to do garden maintenance, especially when they had insisted many times that they were, in their words, decent handymen.

And then, glancing at Mario, she felt something very tender in her chest. There was something so endearing about how the same man that traversed her Kingdom and fought off a mighty beast to rescue her was also good at something so quaint as gardening.

Shifting her weight to her right to spare her left foot, Peach nodded to give them the go ahead. "Certainly, this task most definitely takes precedence over any other matters, therefore requiring my undivided attention." she gave a hint of a sly smile, speaking with an exaggerated formal tone.

The brothers both beamed. Luigi went for a pair of shears, but Mario took a few steps toward her. "Here, Princess." he gestured behind her to a chair, one that he must have brought out ahead of time. She wondered when he had time to visit the garden to set up everything. As he arranged the chair for her, along with a small table and a cup of tea clearly placed there for her, he glanced up at her with a bashful look. "I thought you could relax while we are busy."

Peach felt her heart practically melting right out of her chest, but she had to keep herself together. "That's very thoughtful of you." she spoke in a measured tone, trying not to give away how touched she was. Hardly anyone had ever done anything for her with the pure intention being that she relax. The idea of sitting in the garden and sipping tea without any work to do was something right out of a dream. Especially with those big blue eyes of his watching her, hopeful and expectant.

The gesture was nothing short of a gift. His entire existence to her was a gift. She felt so consumed by the warmth in her chest that she nearly forgot Mario was waiting for her to take a seat.

She moved to sweep her dress up and sit down. "Oh! Ugh," the arch of her foot angrily reminded her to take it easy, and she winced.

Apparently startled, Mario moved closer and offered his hand to her. "Are you okay?" he asked.

He was standing so close to her, he could probably smell her perfume. She wished he could be closer. Declining his help with a strained smile, Peach sat herself down and waited until her skirts disguised her feet so she could slip out of her heels without anyone being able to tell. Stupid shoes. "I'm just fine. My feet hurt a little, but I'll be alright."

"Ah, yes." Mario nodded with understanding, standing back and nodding down at her feet. "Heels."

Wait. But how did he—? With a vague sense of deja vu, Peach felt her heart skip a beat. Shit. She had complained about foot pain as Blossom, too. That was how he knew. Her only consolation was Mario's casual attitude; no dots had been connected. At least, not yet.

So how could she keep him from connecting them? She had to distract him. "It's nothing a little rest won't fix," she answered first, before quickly moving on. "So how did you manage to repel Haru anyway? I've been trying everything and he still shows up. It's much like trying to get rid of a bug infestation." she smiled.

Mario gave a little laugh, and it seemed to her that he didn't mean to, because he covered his mouth with his fist and tried to compose himself just as fast. It gave her a slight thrill in her chest, that her joke had amused him. He cleared his throat. And then, glancing left and right, Mario shifted a bit closer and lowered his voice. "Ehm, Princess. I think I should tell you, Haru gives me very bad feelings."

Somehow, this felt familiar, too. She waved a hand. "You don't have to be worried. Haru is nearly powerless. He's more of a figurehead than anything; his father, the king, set many precedents before him that weakened the authority of the monarchy and leaves him hardly any foreign power but the ability to mediate between allies." she realized she had spoken too fast by the slight blank look Mario was giving her. "Essentially, there is nothing he can do to me or to the Mushroom Kingdom. Besides, he's not the first prince to try to "benevolently" harass me in such ways." she reached for her tea, only to hesitate. Oh, dammit. Her words vaguely echoed what she had told him as Blossom when he had confessed his concerns to her then.

Oh, but wait a second. Mario was bringing this up again. She had told him not to be worried that night at the strip club, but he was still adamant about speaking up. Especially now that he was repeating his gut feelings to Peach.

And though she was trying to placate him by explaining the politics, she realized that Haru may have a motive for lashing out. The King, a wonderful man who had sadly passed a year ago, was a pioneer in the effort to create, maintain, and expand the alliance they shared. This involved great demilitarization, and sending lots of resources to areas affected by disasters of various kinds. Especially the Mushroom Kingdom at one point or another, in their past. The Flower Kingdom was once mighty and regarded as a world power, long before Peach was even conceived, yet now it was renowned for its international efforts of relief and their exquisite flower exports and attractions.

She remembered that hungry, dark look in Haru's eyes. That was a man who had seen his kingdom's complicated history and glimpsed glory within it. That was a man who hungered for the power lost to time that he felt he deserved.

So that was what he was after. He was on a mission to use the Mushroom Kingdom somehow to launch his own back into its former tyrannical glory. Mario's gut was likely right all along, and here she was, going along like Haru was just any other politician all because she was distracted by fantasies of romance. She wanted to kick herself. How could she have let herself miss this entire threat to her kingdom's security?

"I don't know, Princess." Mario wrung his hands, with a troubled expression fixated on the grass. "I trust your judgement. But my instincts are telling me that something is very wrong."

She looked at him and gave a cordial nod of understanding. Should she tell him? He was her entire line of defense, after all. Mario - and Luigi, she noted, glancing to see him dutifully snipping away at the sculptures - were literally her only form of protection. The Mushroom Kingdom was not a military power by any means, clearly, after her encounters with Bowser. Perhaps that was why he was going after her in particular; he knew her Kingdom was vulnerable to attack. But there was also the issue of discerning what sort of threat Haru presented. Was he going to use force, or did he have something else up his sleeve?

She decided that it depended on what it was he was after. If she could figure it out, then she would tell the brothers. Until then, she was on her own.

Looking up at Mario, she offered a smile that was more confident than she felt, and she reached for her tea. It was cold by now. "I don't want for you to worry about me. I'll keep my eyes open." she assured him.

Mario gave an uncertain nod. Then, he backed up to pick up the shears, and left her to join Luigi to trim the bushes.

O~o~O

She didn't expect to see him at the strip club again so soon.

Fortunately, she was busy on the floor, so he wouldn't have been able to try and wave her down. Even so, she felt his eyes following her. She couldn't explain the icy feeling in her belly or the sudden lack of certainty in her knees. Of course, no one would be able to tell with the way she moved around, a stride optimized to show off every curve. Everyone's focus was on the shape of her breasts, the smooth tone of her stomach, her hips and lean legs. Not the panic behind her smile.

The way the flashing lights glinted off his blue hair, the way she couldn't get out from under his steely gaze, it was like Haru was able to pin her down from all the way across the room.

No. She wouldn't have it. There was no way he was really watching her that intently. She was imagining it. But if that were true, why were his eyes focused right on her every time she snuck a glance? It couldn't be. Maybe Mario talking about his instincts before made her own buzz with anticipation. Or maybe she was just more in tune with them because of the impending sense of danger that had her checking over her shoulder every few moments.

She took a deep breath. She had to be making it up. Even if she wasn't, Peach insisted to herself that she was.

He may have been able to push Princess Peach around and force her to disrupt her own duties to avoid him, but she would be damned if he could do that to Blossom, too. Peach may not be able to do much. But Blossom had a mouth, and she had sharp heels that she wouldn't hesitate to utilize. She wasn't a Princess and she didn't have to hold back.

A second deep breath. She gave a pretty smile and waved at a customer in a booth. She wasn't afraid.

The music changed as a few different girls alternated on stage. Peach went about her job and tried to shake off the eyes that followed her around. She felt like she was flung back to her younger self, when she had started this whole gig. She had the cab park a block away. That had been a mistake which she learned from very quickly. Someone had been watching her, but she was getting accustomed to the feeling of eyes. And she wasn't alone. The footsteps behind her had been amplified by the chilly silence of the night. No matter how fast she tried to walk, she could feel him getting closer, could hear his grin just by the way he breathed.

Her heart pounded the same way it did that night. Her head buzzed with panic and all she could do was hold her trench coat tighter around her. Her heels clicked helplessly on the pavement, glittering under the flickering neon lights. She could see the car up ahead. And, being so close to salvation, she picked up the pace into the best jog that she could manage in heels.

She remembered slamming the car door shut and angrily biting back tears before the driver could see. She was a princess, after all. Perfect and composed. She had to soothe herself. Force her breathing back into something that sounded calm, a save her bitter tears for when she was truly alone.

That was who she was before. She was not about to let some hoity-toity prince yank her back into that helpless mindset. She was older now, strong and proud. He was just a scumbag ogling at a girl in a strip club, and planning something against the only Kingdom in the alliance without a standing military.

She finished delivering a drink and finally looked directly at him with a smirk. She was the one with the reigns.

Just as she expected, the moment they made eye contact, he made a move to wave her down. This was an opportunity. She had worked with many politicians before him, surely he was going to be as easy in her hands as putty.

Rosalina was taking the stage. With all eyes on her, Peach scanned the darkened floor for any of her other coworkers. Daisy was nearby. They shared a nod with each other, and Peach knew that Daisy would keep an eye on her. The excitement she felt flowing through her veins allowed for the pain in the arch of her foot to be reduced to a low ebb. So she sashayed her way up to the prince, leveling him with a smirk.

"What'll it be, hon? You in the mood for another drink?" she jumped right into her service voice, pitched high and sweet. There were already two empty glasses on the table.

"Not tonight," he answered, leaning back and opening his legs, displaying his almighty crotch for her and the world to see. He met her gaze with a half lidded, self-satisfied expression. She grinned at the thought of punching that stupid look off of his face. "I want a dance from you, dearest."

Arms draped over the back of the booth, he flashed some coins for her in his hand. Peach made sure to noticeably glance at it before making a move to approach him. "You got it." she stretched her arms and made a show of putting one leg way up on the table. The heels made it quite a stretch, but she was limber and her body easily prepared for the work. She knew the routine. Bask in his attention for a few moments, work herself up to it. The low lights of the club highlighted the shape of a woman in entrancing ways to men's eyes. So she took her time.

Just beyond the booth, she noticed movement at the entrance of the club. Yellow and purple. It was Wario and Waluigi! That could only mean one thing. She broke into a grin, unable to believe her luck. What were the chances that his friends would return so soon? Of course he would soon follow. Her plan was going to end up much simpler this way.

She drew herself up onto the table in one smooth movement. Arms up, hips swirling with the music, she got to work. Even her ponytail at the very top of her head was controlled; she tilted her head in all the right ways to move her hair where she wanted it to be. She was wearing her favorite outfit; a deep purple ensemble with intricate lace and sheer cloth. Though, she couldn't explain exactly why, the way purple looked on her and the way everything fit made her feel like a queen. A dark temptress.

The table wasn't enough. He let her do her thing for a few minutes, but the look in his eyes up closer had become ravenous. "I want you closer," he muttered, with a dazed look. He reached for her, his hands ghosting around her body.

"We have a rule here. You can look, but not touch," she teased, knocking her own tone down into something husky and seductive. She drew herself forward until her knees were at the edge of the table, and her hands gripped the top edge of the booth on either side of his head. Her cleavage was right at his eye level. With the look on his face, she wouldn't have been surprised if he started drooling. It wouldn't be the first time.

Slowly, excruciatingly, she lifted herself off the table and set herself right on his crotch. She made sure to plop down, just a bit, just to see him jump at the pressure. He jolted more than she anticipated. He let out a shaky breath, and she couldn't help a low chuckle. He really was only a man.

That was when the fun really began. She lifted herself again, until they were barely in contact, and began gyrating her hips very slowly. The whole time she kept her eyes locked on his. She was in control. The sweat beading up on his forehead and the shallow breaths he was taking told her so.

The song changed into something slower, but intense. Her movements followed. She slowed even more, in half-time with the music, but varied her pressure, just to see him squirm. Then, she started a sort of swinging motion and pressed her chest up against his. He held back a groan, and his head almost tipped back. He wasn't quite letting himself go, which Peach thought was curious.

After winding him up, she got ready to do the next part of her routine. Leaving them high and dry was quite possibly the best part, purely for their expressions as she got up. Though, just as she started to extract herself, Haru reached up and gripped her arms to keep her from leaving.

"No hands," she reminded him pointedly, but he clearly wasn't listening to her. She rolled her eyes.

He fixed her with a renewed hunger in his face. Flushed and horny. "I know your secret." he breathed, with a grin.

Peach shrugged off his hands and crossed her arms. "Oh?" she wrinkled her nose. "And what's that?"

He giggled then, clearly excited. Well, he was aroused for more than one reason, in any case. He leaned forward until he could speak into her ear. She could smell him. The stupidly familiar hint of garlic. He opened his mouth to speak.

"Your name," he said.

This was new. She raised her eyebrows. "And what's that?" she adjusted her stance, holding her weight in her knees instead of resting in his lap. The way his hips responded, practically wriggling around, told her that his body severely missed the contact. She wrinkled her nose. What a dweeb.

His arms went to hold her again, but didn't actually touch her. He was trying to coax her back down again. "It wasn't all that hard to figure out," he sneered, drawing it out. Him and his stupid sense of drama. Still, she played along with big eyes and an innocent look. "Blossom. I suppose you assumed it was close enough to a common stripper's name. Princess Peach Blossom Toadstool. And I thought you were smart, your highness. My father constantly raved about your intelligence, the clever young princess of the Mushroom Kingdom."

Her heart skipped a beat. Dammit. He knew. How he figured out that she called herself Blossom, she didn't know. But it didn't matter now. He was on to her. Her political training allowed her to not give anything away. Instead, she broke into a grin.

"Oh, I like this game!" she rolled her hips back down and rested her arms on his shoulders with her best bedroom eyes. He jolted again and his lips parted, his voice catching in his throat. "The Princess fantasy is a favorite of mine. Happens all the time, you can probably imagine. Blondes, am I right? Now tell me, big boy, what kind of things are you going to do to me now that you've uncovered the truth?" she winked, putting too much emphasis on her words.

Distracted by her work in his lap, he tried to smile, but instead gave her a hazy look. "I don't think you...You understand the position you're in," he tried to tell her, but she put a finger to his lips.

She reminded him with a firm twist with her hips exactly who was in control. He was beginning to lose himself in it, and he was already hard beneath her. Like she would allow him to get anywhere close to any kind of satisfaction. She leered; she was exactly in the position she wanted to be in.

He let out an unintentional groan, before his cheeks flushed and he tried to sit up and control himself. His body was just too responsive to her service. She wanted to laugh. He was practically sabotaging himself. "You skank," he breathed out, trying to sound harsher. His voice cracked. "A Princess is supposed to have some class, she's not supposed to be some common whore groveling for quick change in the low-class, greasy corner of her own town…What, is the Mushroom Kingdom going bankrupt or something?"

The fool really didn't know anything. Was he truly so distracted by his lust for power that he didn't know how well off her Kingdom was? She was almost insulted. Her foreign and domestic policies had kept her people at the very top of the list for standard of living and happiness, according to more than one survey she kept up with. Or, she thought with a smirk, he was betting that she would correct him. Maybe he wasn't so stupid after all.

"Oh, yes. The Mushroom Kingdom is coming up on a terrible financial crisis, you see." she raised the pitch of her voice and blinked prettily at him. "It'll be the worst recession we've seen in an entire century. What's a Princess to do to raise money except sell off her body?" she pouted.

He was getting close. She knew she would time it out just right. "Are you stupid? That's not how a recession works," his chest heaved, his entire body tuned to her touch.

There was doubt in his hazy eyes. She had planted the seed in his head, making him less certain if she was actually the princess or not. She just had to keep contradicting his judgement. "What would I know? I'm just doing my job. Do me a favor and play along, alright?" she curled a finger under his chin and gave another plastic smile.

"You're an intoxicating wench," he tilted his head back. He was almost there. "Once I expose your identity to the crowd, to the world, you will be forced to abdicate. The alliance would never stand for a tramp on the throne. Unless you agree to marry me. I have big plans, you see. With our combined strength and wealth, our Kingdoms would be unstoppable."

Ah, so there it was. She gave an icy leer. That was exactly what she wanted.

She abruptly stopped dancing. The lights danced across his face with the most pure look of surprise and frustration that she had ever seen. He had been moments away from satisfaction, only for her to shift off of his lap and out of the booth. "Sorry darling, time's up." she tapped an invisible watch.

His face flushed red, and she had to turn to hide her smile at the sheer unbridled rage in his face while she left him, stuck in his seat with his hands shielding his lap. "You bitch!" he called after her. "This is not over!"

Of course it wasn't. She had to move fast. His plot to reveal her identity to the crowd probably didn't bet on the Jumpman making an appearance.

She moved in a careful jog across the club, eyes roving the booths. Where was he? His friends were down on the floor before the stage, Rosalina still hypnotizing everyone with her dance. Her foot twinged with pain. There wasn't time.

He was normally so difficult for her to miss. But where was he now? Her senses were numbed by the pressure she felt all around her. If she couldn't find him, the next step was to try and leave the premises without being followed, but she had already lost precious time. Haru would manage to get up soon and start looking for her.

She couldn't possibly search every inch of the club for him. She couldn't call out to him, couldn't call attention to the situation. She bit her lip. Perhaps she was wrong. Maybe he didn't come along this time to watch his friends. She stopped and turned to judge the fastest way to the dressing room. To her right, a flash of red. There!

He didn't spot her until she was already a few feet away. His face lit up and his mouth opened to greet her. "Blossom," he started to say, only for her to hush him up by clambering into his booth and on top of him. "What—?"

Putting a finger to his lips, she pressed her body against his and hid her face in his neck. "Hey there, hon. I'm sorry about this." she whispered. "I don't have much time to explain, but I need your help."

She wasn't all that sorry, though. How long exactly had she been dreaming of the moment when she could surrender to Mario's embrace? Of course, her dreams didn't exactly include being on the run from Haru, or Mario's apparent reluctance to actually do the embracing. It was close enough, though. He relaxed and didn't push her off, and considering that she was only an acquaintance of his and also half naked, that was better than she would have expected.

"What is wrong?" he asked, keeping his voice low. She realized he was holding his arms up, but without touching her. Instead, his hands were hovering around her back. To make sure she didn't fall, she realized. Her heart ached. She closed her eyes and breathed him in, trying to calm herself down. She would never be able to have him. Not his embrace, not his heart, not him. But there were more pressing matters.

She didn't dare raise her head. "Where is Haru? Can you see him?"

Mario was silent. She felt him looking around, and he murmured a quick "sorry," just as he pressed his hand into the middle of her back, bracing her against him, while he sat up to check behind him. Then, he released her once he was sitting properly in the booth. "I don't see him."

Okay, so he hadn't gotten up just yet. She smirked. He was probably still wrestling with the problem she had left him with. She lifted herself and used her arms to hold herself up, locking Mario in on either side of his head. They met eyes. His weren't as reviled as she'd expected. Instead they were wide and wary. His cheeks were a deep shade of pink. "I have to pretend to be servicing you for just a moment, alright?" she told him, and he nodded. "Listen. You were right about Haru. You were right about everything. The Princess is in danger, and she needs your help."

His expression sharpened. "What do you need me to do?" he was already focused, having believed her without a shadow of a doubt. Bless him and his weird but friendly relationship with a stripper. And bless him for not asking her how she knew Haru's name.

"You have to—" she started to say, before he looked over her shoulder and his eyes widened.

He grasped her wrist. "He's there," he gave her all the warning she needed. "Get down."

She got down low, pressing her chest directly against him and working her hips, ghosting around his lap in lieu of actually touching him. Her other hand went through his hair. She was just a stripper doing her work on another guy. She had to hope that Haru hadn't gotten as good of a look of her back as her face. And under the flashing and colorful lights, it had to be more difficult to make out the color of her outfit or hair.

Through all the excitement, she wished she was able to enjoy the sensation of being so close to Mario. The worn denim of his overalls, the heat of his body, and his cologne were each sensations that she would not soon forget. Though, a more consensual and relaxed situation would be far more preferable.

Mario gently squeezed her wrist again. "He is looking on the other side now." he said.

They were really close. She sat up again and looked down at him. His blush had only worsened. She wondered if he wished for this kind of contact with the Princess. He may not after tonight. If anything went wrong, her only option was to forget it all and show him the truth about herself. Otherwise Haru would. Luckily, so far, he wasn't hesitating to help her. The risk would only get higher.

"You have to help me get him kicked out of the Kingdom. He's after me right now, but I don't have what he wants. Once he figures that out, he's going to go after the Princess." she explained, trying to speak fast. "I got him to admit his plan to me. He wants to marry her. Something about uniting the Kingdoms and world domination, most likely."

Mario nodded with understanding. "Like a discount Bowser," he supplied, with a completely straight face.

Peach tried not to laugh. "Yes, exactly. But I've got a plan. It's not hard," she went on. "This has to be public. I can tease him some more; he's probably had something to drink and he's a little loose-lipped at the moment, if you know what I mean. I'll draw him out of the club, get him to admit more of his plan, and that's where you come in. You're the witness. And since you're the hero, everyone will believe you, and that'll be grounds to have him banished. How does that sound?"

Blinking at her, Mario tilted his head to the side. She saw his eyes dart behind her quickly. Just scanning for Haru. Then, he focused back on her. "So you don't want me to fight anyone?" he asked slowly.

The poor guy. He was probably used to using his fists when it came to trouble. Peach grinned. "No, I don't need anyone to get hurt tonight. Least of all, you." she tapped his nose.

Oh, the blush on his face was just furious. If Peach didn't know any better, she would think Mario was just as flustered as he was with her when she was the Princess. He must be so unaccustomed to having a woman sit in his lap. This was likely her final opportunity to be this close to him. On one nagging, selfish impulse, she leaned into him and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Thank you for helping me," she whispered into his shoulder. "You're the best hero a girl could ever hold out for."

Her heart soared when his arms came around her waist to gingerly return the embrace. Not like he was afraid to touch her, just polite. "No— no problem." he answered. His voice, so soft and sweet with that little dash of shyness could just melt her.

It was time. She had to let go. Let go of him and all of her chances to be with him. Tonight was the last time she could ever come close to him; she would either be forced to reveal herself, or she would resign to taking her dirty secret to her grave. For both of their sakes, she hoped it was the latter. She eased up off of his lap and moved out of the booth.

"I'll get his attention. You lay low, don't let him see you. I'll head out front. As soon as he tells me his plan, you come out to arrest him, alright?" she straightened her shoulders and crossed her arms.

Giving her a thumbs-up, Mario nodded. "Good luck. I have your back." he grinned.

She beamed, and with one final dainty wave, she turned heel and started working her way toward the front.

"Oh Haru-u," she called for him with a playful, sing-songy tone. "I'm waiting for you-u!"

Of course, there was no way he would have been able to hear her over the pumping music. But after a quick look across the club, she spotted him glaring into individual booths. Still looking for her. She kept her gaze trained on him, waiting for him to look up.

Sure enough, a few moments later and he was fixed onto her. Mario was nowhere in sight. Even if he was standing right beside her, Peach didn't think Haru had the capacity to notice. The look on his face was pure fury. From anyone else, perhaps Peach might have felt the cold rush of fear. But Haru was a weasel. And besides, Mario was watching.

She smirked. Posing with a hand on her hip, she beckoned him, before she whipped around and strutted out the front door. Right past a couple of bewildered customers.

Ooh, it was chilly. But after spending a couple of hours in the humid atmosphere of the club, the temperature felt nice. She stretched her arms, and then turned to face the door. The city lights were low and soft. The night was quiet.

Seconds later, Haru stormed out. Seething, like a child about to throw a temper tantrum. "Don't you know who I am?" he demanded, shrugging off his coat and letting it drop to the ground. His ridiculous pink and blue uniform. She watched him coolly, with arms crossed. "I am Prince Haru Merry Bloom of the mighty Flower Kingdom. I have inherited the potential to recreate the Flower Empire, from our golden age and regain our lost territory. You may consider yourself above me, Princess, but you would do well to know your place!"

Peach lips quirked. "Do you know how stupid Flower Empire sounds?"

Scandalized, Haru's face went beet red. "How dare you? You will worship that name by the time I'm through with you!"

The gall. Rolling her eyes, Peach glanced down to observe her nails. "Look, pal, I don't know or care who you are. I'm just trying to get through the night here, alright?" she shook her head. "I don't even know why you want this place. Besides, the Princess is as boring as they come." She remembered telling that to Mario, and how he disagreed with her.

Her attitude was getting to him. He opened his mouth, and then hesitated. He actually doubted she was the Princess. "She's— You're— That's not the point! This is the breadbasket Kingdom. Your land is rich with resources. By absorbing the Mushroom Kingdom, the Flower Kingdom would practically double in size, and triple its profits!" he took a step closer. Peach raised a brow. There were suddenly voices around them; they had an audience. "Together, we could dominate the continent. Bowser's Dark Empire wouldn't stand a chance. Now, the Mushroom Kingdom can either surrender peacefully, or I will take it by force. Think about it; King Haru, and his adorable Queen Peach Bloom. How does that sound?"

Peach sneered. The voices around them were getting louder. "Do me a favor?" she asked, and walked up to Haru with a smooth stride. He blinked at her. Once she was close enough to see her own reflection in his eyes, she reached up and flicked his nose. "Buzz off."

He flinched hard, and then started for her. "Why you little—!" he growled.

"Stop!" a voice called out, clear into the night. Peach's heart skipped a beat.

They looked up. Mario stood before them with a dark and threatening look focused right on Haru, fists clenched at his sides. Peach felt a small thrill flutter up inside of her. "You are under arrest."

Haru blinked several times. "You again, Jumpman," he wrinkled his nose. "You can't touch me! I've done nothing, just you wait until—"

"Enough," Mario raised his voice to be heard over the Prince's complaints. "We all heard you and your plans. I spoke with the Princess. You are banished from the Mushroom Kingdom."

He gestured around. Surrounding them was quite an audience; Daisy, Pauline, and Rosalina were standing nearby. Mario must have convinced them to follow him outside. Peach gave a wry smile when she realized everyone else in the club must have been curious and followed the strippers as well. All the better for others to see and listen to Haru and his libido-induced confession.

Her eyes met with Mario's, and she gave him a knowing grin. He didn't even know that he had actually spoken with the Princess.

Haru sputtered. "This is— this is preposterous!" he spat. "Who are you to speak to me that way?" he straightened up like he was going to make a move, but Mario took one step forward and that was all Haru needed to back down.

"Haven't you heard? Mario here was recently named the commander of the town guard." Pauline jumped in with a convenient lie. Peach raised her brows, and considered getting started on the paperwork to make that happen sooner or later. She didn't even have a formal town guard, just volunteers, so she supposed she should implement that as well.

A few of the townspeople nodded and murmured amongst themselves. "Yeah, Mario's the man!" a guy called out. There was a small clamor of agreement from the others. Mario didn't react to the praise except to glance off to the side for a moment. He was too focused on his job. Peach had to wonder if it mattered to him that the praise was coming from people who spent their nights in a strip club.

"Someone call the Yoshis!" a woman motioned downtown, and a few guys jogged off. Luckily, there happened to be a couple just around the corner, and they ran over to help detain Haru.

Mario held up a short rope for Haru to see, and then approached to tie his wrists behind his back. Peach grinned. "Ooh, maybe I should have you do that to me sometime," she winked.

Rolling his eyes with a smile, Mario got to work. Haru resisted for a moment. But all Mario had to do was kick his knee out with the toe of his boot, and Haru was down.

He glared up at her through his blue bangs. "You filthy whore. Just you wait. I'll be back to take you for myself." he took extra care to spit at her feet.

She snorted. Men never ran out of creative ways to address women when they were upset. "Sorry, sweetheart. I can't take you seriously with your little friend there." she gestured to his crotch, still tented for the world to see. The crowd stirred with chuckles, and Haru flushed beet red. "Somehow I seriously doubt we'll be hearing from you again. You literally announced your plans to take over the Kingdom to everyone. We don't want you here."

As Mario dragged him off to talk to the Yoshis, Peach put her hands on her hips. Haru glared back at her even as they forced him to be seated. She winked.

A hand fell on her shoulder. "Alright, sugar, when are you gonna tell him?" Daisy asked, with her trademark smirk.

"Tell what to who?" Peach looked up as Pauline and Rosalina joined them as well.

She knew what they meant. Following their gaze to the men sorting away Haru, Peach's eyes fell to Mario. He fulfilled his part so well. Better than she had asked him to. Just as she thought; the hero role was quite potent and more than enough to overshadow her before she was forced to reveal herself. But now, she thought, glancing between her friends, they were going to encourage her to bare herself to him anyway.

The main threat to her kingdom was neutralized. No one who knew her secret was going to throw her under the bus now. All that was left was her and her dirty secret that she could keep or give away on her own terms. It was her with the power, just as it had been all these years. She made the call, she held the reins, she was the one who sat on the throne. But her throne was fragile. One lie was the only thing that kept it together. One lie that, once revealed, could reduce her kingdom to rubble.

Pauline gestured to him, so certain, yet gentle among the rest of the people. "What have you got to lose?" she asked.

The men were beginning to ogle at the strippers all standing together. They had to move fast. "Everything," Peach insisted in a low voice. "I can still lose everything."

Her reputation, her chances, her kingdom, all of it was on the line if she confessed everything to him. "Your heart knows what it wants, and it may never quite heal if you decide to deny it now." Rosalina offered to her softly. They were beginning to migrate back indoors. Back to work. Customers weren't going to service themselves, at least, they all hoped not. The night was still ripe.

Daisy's smile softened. "Come on, girl. You two were made for each other. Get out of your own way and tell him how you really feel." she left with a sympathetic look and a lingering touch on her arm.

The men followed the strippers back into the club. With the excitement of the night waning, the interest in Haru disappeared through the dark doors. Normalcy settled back upon the quiet streets. The streetlamp behind them flickered briefly. Voices disappeared into the night.

Mario sent the Yoshis off, presumably to take Haru to the brig, before he clapped his hands off and turned to face her again. His silly smile didn't do much to ease her nerves. She clasped her hands together.

Just before he could open his mouth, she spoke up. "Hey, would you mind if I talked to you for a bit?"

He must have picked up on how she was looking at the ground instead of him, because he got that little concerned crease between his eyebrows. But he was silent about his worries. "No, I don't mind." he shook his head.

Nodding, Peach gestured for him to follow and made for the door to the club. Her heart fluttered all the way up into her throat, keeping a pace rapid and shallow. Her hands quivered just slightly. She felt like she had no power behind her grip. Once inside, the music and lights washed over her head in an all consuming buzz that clouded her head.

She checked over her shoulder once to make sure he was with her. He smiled. Not able to return it, she faced ahead and tried to take a deep breath.

"Are you okay?" he finally asked. He must have not been able to hold back, seeing her so clearly agitated. Perhaps he assumed she was shaken from her experience with Haru.

The booth she led him too was somewhat secluded, meant to be semi private. No one would be able to see Mario over the back; he was too short. All it looked like was a stripper servicing some guy who had paid for something a little extra.

Motioning for him to sit down, she followed, but perched herself up on the table so she was facing him.

"I have to tell you something." she leaned in a little closer. Her voice shook just slightly. But with the dulled music practically vibrating the walls with heavy bass, she hoped he wouldn't notice. "Mario, hon, I'm sorry. But I haven't been entirely honest with you."

He frowned and tilted his head. His silence, the weapon she had believed that only a politician like her could use, was compelling her to speak. Because he was better than her. He was thoughtful, and sensitive, and honest. He was empathic, and he genuinely wanted the best for her. That was why the tables were turned on her, why she was the one who felt her eyes stinging while she sat on the edge of the table. On the edge of a confession that would change everything.

"Mario, I—" she stopped, and looked down at the floor. She sniffed. Only he could do this to her. Because she loved him. She didn't want to lose him to her own lies, her own mistakes. But if she were to let him know her feelings, she didn't have a choice. She had to show him who she was if she had any chance at earning his respect in earnest. He reached his hand up and placed it over hers.

She shut her eyes. Her hand was so cold, and his was so much larger than hers, so much warmer.

Finally, she looked at him. "You might not believe me, but this is the truth." she told him, and she reached up to let her hair free. "Mario, I'm the Princess. I'm Peach."

There. The truth was out. She had never breathed a word of it out loud before, but now it was liberated into the open air. The world could judge her now. Because her world was him.

Mario blinked at her. Then, he gave her a guilty smile. "Ah, my Princess," he rubbed the back of his head. "I know already."

Peach froze, her eyes went wide. "What do you mean?" she asked with a low voice. Then, she tore her hands from him, horrified. "Since when? How long have you known?"

The lights went very dim just then, but she could still see his eyes. He held up his hands as if to calm her. "Not long! Not very long," he assured her. "Just since you, ehm. Since you sat with me before." his words were genuine, a promise to her.

"Before?" she hated that her voice cracked enough to be noticeable.

He scooted forward just a little, and put his hands on the table. "Just before. When you were hiding from Haru. You sat with me. You were very close, and I…" he trailed off, looking away. His cheeks went pink. "I recognize your perfume."

Of course. How could she have been so stupid? She felt the tension leave her shoulders. Mario was the only one close enough to both of her identities to know the perfume she wore. It didn't quite explain how Haru had figured her out. But that wasn't so important anymore. He was just lucky to figure out that she went by her middle name. "Well, now I know I better find a different perfume to wear as Blossom," she managed to joke. Mario let out a laugh, relieved.

"And I know why you don't do this for the money," he responded in a similar tone.

She gave a wry grin. "Yeah. I just do it for the fresh air."

Goodness. She sank down, touching her forehead. Mario didn't seem to be angry with her. In fact, he was acting like he was more worried that she would be angry with him. The wall between them, so ominous before, was leveled so easily. How could that be?

She slid off the table to sit with him, and adjusted her bra. A girl shouldn't ever be sad while she wore her favorite outfit; it undermined the whole point of wearing it. But there was more to explain. "You're not upset?" she asked him.

He didn't shift away from her, even when they touched shoulders. "No, why would I be? A lot of things make sense to me now. I am not really surprised." he shrugged.

The song changed, it was something faster and more energetic. Peach shook her head. "I don't understand. I'm a stripper. How can you be okay with that?" she gestured down to herself and around, to her lacy little outfit that didn't leave much to the imagination at all, and to the very establishment they sat in.

Mario's eyes widened, and he carefully touched her hand. "Oh, Princess. That does not matter to me. I told you, I know other strippers from before. To me, what is important is who you are, not what you do. But..." he looked away all of a sudden, and his blush became very noticeable. "This means that you, you ehm. You know how I feel, what my feelings are for you…" he moved his hands to his lap, fidgeting with the seams on his knees.

Right. The poor man. She had forced him to admit to himself, admit to her face, that he was deeply in love with her. He must be processing all of that right now; he was having a hard time looking up at all. She couldn't help but smile at him. He was so sweet. What was standing in her way now?

She put her hand on his cheek. "Oh, darling. Yes, I do know how you feel. So you deserve to know how I feel." stroking his face, she leaned in, and pressed the softest kiss to his cheek. He took in a sharp breath. "All it took was our chance meeting in this very club. I was so certain you had some ulterior motive, some dark secret that I could lure out of you like I do with every other man who wants to be close to the Princess, but you never did. It took that one meeting for me to figure you out, and I haven't been able to stop thinking about you since. What I fool I was, to be afraid…"

Mario blinked at her, and a shaky breath left him. He was silent while she moved, bringing her other hand up and cradling his face. She shifted a knee up on the booth so she could face him.

She could see every light reflecting in his soft eyes, every worry fading away and replaced with nervous anticipation. "I'm in love with you," she whispered.

His expression made her heart clench. Pure, disbelieving joy. "Really?" he asked.

Her leg swung over and she was in his lap again, just like before. But this time, her body pressed against his without restraint, without reluctance. His hands rested on her knees. Though, one was curiously near her foot that had been aching. Maybe he remembered how she had been hurting as both Blossom and as Peach. And, he must still be a little hesitant to really hold her. She could change that.

With a grin, she leaned in. "Can I kiss you?"

He swallowed hard. He blinked, and then, still trying to breathe, he nodded.

Pleased, she smiled. "Good." her tone was soft. Tilting her head, she leaned in, and pressed her lips to his.

She kept her eyes just slightly open, so she could watch his widen, and then close. His expression was everything. Desire and relief colliding. She moved with him, commanding, and he let her. He let her press the back of his head into the booth, let her hands roam through his hair and down to his chest. He probably didn't mean to let her draw a tiny moan out of him. But that was precisely what she was after. She smiled against him.

"Mm, you're quite good at this," she teased him, just to see his face flush. Still pressed close to him, she noted how his hands had unconsciously moved to her waist. The contact felt wonderful, his warm arms around her bare skin. "Now that you know the truth about me, I could show you some of my skills. You know, the sort that a Princess isn't supposed to know. Free of charge." she winked.

Just in case he wasn't sure what she meant, she accentuated with a small roll of her hips. He pulled in a tiny gasp, blinking.

He swallowed hard. The way he held her had become uncertain, and something about that was almost as endearing as how he tried to hide his expression with his mustache. "Ah, no, you don't have to do that," he finally spoke. He had a guilty smile. "This feels— this feels, ehm, a little fast."

Of course. They were brand new. She was getting ahead of herself. "You're right." she eased off of him, giving him an apologetic kiss on his forehead. "Another time. Alone. Maybe in my room." she gave a suggestive smile.

He gave a small chuckle. "Maybe," he agreed. "But I want to do this right, Princess. I love you. You're the best thing that ever happened to me. We have time. We can take it slow."

Peach sighed and let herself melt into him. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and she couldn't stop grinning when he held her back with just as much fervor. "I love you, Wonderboy. We can do this however you like." she murmured into his neck.

The DJ came over the speakers and announced the last call. Mario and Peach started to peel themselves apart. Glancing over the top of the booth, Peach knew their time was running out when she spotted Wario and Waluigi talking nearby.

"Ae you sure you don't want my service? I could take care of...Well, just promise me one thing," she told Mario, giving him a mischievous smirk. She made sure, as she was getting off of him, to allow her hand contact with his lap. When Mario looked at her curiously, she leaned in to whisper in his ear. "Promise that you'll think of me when you play with yourself tonight."

Alarmed, Mario's eyes went wide. He looked down at his lap and automatically flushed with embarrassment. Peach snickered and politely looked away while he adjusted himself.

Wario and Waluigi were moving around, looking for him. It was time to let him go for the night.

She stole one more kiss from him, reveling in his attention, his scent, his shy smile. And then she left the booth. "Alright then, darling. It looks like we'll have to pick this up another time. I hope to see you here more often." she smirked. "After all, you're my hero. What would I do without you?"

"Goodnight, Princess." he answered her. His hand lingered over hers, before he spotted his friends, and they had to fall apart. "Stay safe."

Sooner or later, she'd have to sort out with him that being in a relationship meant that he should call her by her name. Of course, she would have liked for him to do that all along, but she hadn't bothered with it since he seemed so nervous before. She couldn't wait to hear the way her name sounded on his lips. She couldn't wait to hear it while she was doing unspeakable things to him. She couldn't wait to feel his lips on her. Everywhere. But she had to put aside those fantasies for now.

After all, knowing that they could actually be real gave her all the patience in the world.

She waved her final farewell before sashaying off. His friends would surely make remarks that he wouldn't want her to hear, so she had to leave him alone to deal with that. She bit her lip with glee.

In the dressing room, Daisy slapped her on the back. "Way to go, girlie!"

"Congratulations! You deserve him, dear." Pauline chuckled while Daisy hugged Peach so tight that she could hardly breathe.

Rosalina just smiled at her, everything she meant to say being understood with just her gaze. "Thank you. Honestly, I'm so grateful to all of you. I feel like I could fly," Peach spun in a small circle as she tied the waistband of her trench coat.

She left the nightclub with a smile so big that it hurt. Breathing in the cold night, she didn't think she had ever tasted sweeter air. She looked up at the sky and thanked whatever stars there were up above that she was alive and she was in love. How could her day have gone so wonderfully? Not even an hour ago, she would never have fathomed being able to speak the truth to him. Daisy was right; it really had been herself standing in her own way.

But that was over now. Her doubt washed away and only left her with joy.

"Everything okay, Princess?" the driver of the cab asked her, as he took her back to the castle. She had been grinning out the window as all the city lights flew past.

"Hmm?" she looked up. "Oh, yes. I'm just having a good night."

The driver nodded with a knowing smile, and Peach rested her chin on her hand. The sweet, fresh air she breathed was new and familiar all at once. She didn't know what might lie ahead in her future, but with Mario at her side, she had to believe it was going to be wonderful.

She was in love. And she didn't have to hide it anymore.

O~o~O

Edit: I commissioned the cover image from Linkadynk! You can find him on Twitter and Insta with that handle. He's an awesome artist and I highly recommend checking him out!

This story involved googling so many weird questions. I'm going to start getting advertisements for nightclubs near me, just watch lol. Anyway, wow! Almost 20k words and this story is finally complete! I'm back! Well, actually, I've been here all along, I've just had an extremely hard time writing at all over the past couple of months. This chapter was partially written since last year, and geez it's already almost 2021. Hard to believe considering everything.

Anyway, this story was so much fun to write even though I felt like I was pushing some boundaries. I know if you decided to read this, chances are you were hoping for something a little more explicit, sorry again but that won't happen here. (Though, I could possibly be talked into creating a p/atreon and writing an 'extended ending,' wink wink, I mean I gotta make money too lol) But anyway, I'm glad I found the nerve to even post something like this, and I'm so glad I had the motivation to finish it, too.

Over the months I've been writer blocked, I received some of the nicest comments ever, and I kept checking back to read them again and again because they helped me want to write again. So thank you for reading my silly stories and taking the time to leave a word or two for me, it seriously means a lot. And I hope that during these hard times that I can help provide a bit of escapism. I have more stories in mind and hopefully I've really found my mojo haha, but we'll see!

Thanks for reading, hope you liked this gross oversimplification of stripping and feminism :)

-Drones