A/N: I got this suggestion, or something akin to it, from a few different people. Although I had a prompt in my random draw bag that would have fit this, I decided to just go ahead and write it now. Wholesome snow fun. :)

Day 5

Prompt: Snow Day

Characters: Mario and Luigi

Summary: The residents of the Mushroom Kingdom awaken to find that the first snow has fallen over the land.

'Hey, Bro!'

The excessively loud, cheery exclamation jolted Luigi from what should have been a peaceful, undisturbed sleep. Groaning, he cracked his eyes open to see the blurry figure of Mario standing by the bedroom window. Twisting over, he peered over the edge of his bed (he slept on the upper bunk) to get a better look. Finding his brother awake earlier than him was not a common occurrence.

'Uhm, Mario?'

Mario turned briefly to look over his shoulder, showing an expression filled with childish delight. 'C'mon, look out the window!' he exclaimed, and Luigi grudgingly climbed down the bed ladder.

'This had better be worth it...'

'Of course it's worth it.'

Luigi loved mornings, he really did, but he couldn't function very well until after he'd drunk his morning tea (or coffee, or whatever other warm beverage sprung to mind). Thus, it was with awkward movements and half-lidded eyes that he walked over to accompany Mario by the window. But when he tugged the curtain back far enough to see outside, his eyes immediately widened.

'I told you it was worth it!' said Mario, grinning.

An unbroken plane of ghostly-white snow covered the ground outside - so thick than not even a fleck of grass could be seen. The trees that flanked the cobblestone road leading into Toad Town were heavily laden with snow, making the bareness of their winter branches seem more alive, more colourful than before. If Luigi pressed his face against the window and peered sideways, he could just barely make out the wooden steps by the front door, also covered in a blanket of whiteness.

'I'm going out,' said Mario. His childlike excitement hadn't diminished, and when Luigi glanced around, he realised that his brother was already rummaging through the closet in search of his winter coat, scarf and gloves.

'Woah, slow down, Bro. Gimme a second and I'll come out with you.'

The snow crunched under Luigi's boots as he tried to follow Mario down the steps. Despite being bundled up in a thick coat, knitted scarf, and two pairs of socks and gloves each, he still felt the icy chill seeping through his many layers of clothing. The temperature in the Mushroom Kingdom had plummeted overnight, bringing not just snow, but a wave of frosty wind that made breathing painful. Struggling down the steps, he waded through the ankle-deep snow to reach his brother.

Mario was several paces ahead by then. He either wasn't feeling the cold, or was much better at hiding his discomfort. Grinning, he reached down to scoop up a handful of snow and clumped it together into a ball.

'C'mon, Luigi!' he called, tossing the freshly-made snowball at Luigi's feet before running on ahead.

'It's cold...' Luigi complained. His spoke too quietly for Mario to hear, though. Letting out a sigh that released a cloud of frozen vapour from his mouth, he tried to quicken his pace.

The cobblestone road was slick with ice underneath the layer of snow, making it treacherous. Mario's heavily studded boots gave him no trouble, but Luigi found himself slipping and skidding on every other step. The last thing he wanted was a column of snow going up his nose, so he walked very slowly in an effort to avoid falling. It didn't take long for Mario to notice this.

'Oh, yeah, your shoes aren't the same as mine, are they?' Moving lightly, he ran back over. 'Here, hang onto me until we get off this road.'

Grateful, Luigi put a hand on Mario's shoulder and used the slightly shorter man as a crutch to hold himself upright. If he did fall, he decided that he'd simply push Mario underneath him. Not that he wanted his brother to be cold and wet, but Mario was very obviously less concerned about such things, and would probably laugh the whole experience off.

They reached the edge of Toad Town a few minutes later, and the slippery cobblestone mercifully gave way to scraped-clean gravel streets - the Toad-driven snow ploughs had made sure it was safe for everyone. However, the grassy areas of the town, such as the flower garden and the park, remained blanketed in thick snow, and numerous children could be seen running around and throwing snowballs at each other. As Mario and Luigi passed the flower garden, one young Toad - grinning deviously - chose to hurl a missile straight at Mario's head.

A crunching, splattering noise drew Luigi's attention around, only to see Mario blinking in surprise, half-melted snow plastered across his cheek and jaw. The Toad kids were all laughing uproariously.

'...I think that was a challenge,' he murmured, watching as the kids began to arm themselves with fresh ammunition.

Mario wiped the snow off his face with a dramatic gesture. 'Then I answer the call to arms!' With a cry, he scooped up a snowball of his own and charged forth, hurling it into the midst of the Toads. They laughed, swarming him, and he quickly found himself outnumbered. With a yelp, he tried to hide behind a stone archway whilst evading snowballs. 'Luigi! You're supposed to be helping me!'

Luigi rolled his eyes. 'You're the one who got yourself into this...'

'Luigiiii! We have a combat situation on our hands!' Mario yelled dramatically.

'Come and join us, Luigi!' one of the Toads shouted, waving. 'We need more people to make two teams!'

Luigi was already freezing cold, thinking longingly of the warm coffee shop down the road where he could take off his damp coat and enjoy a hot drink and a cake. But, somehow, the enthusiasm of his brother and the Toads was drawing him in. Oh, just join them. It doesn't snow very often around here...

He reached down, gathered up a hefty snowball, and began to advance menacingly.

'OK, you asked for it. TO WAR WE GO!' He leapt into the fray, amid a chorus of joyful laughs.