Chapter 8
I woke up to the sun beating on my face. I was lying on the bench, head resting in Luigi's lap and his coat draped across my shoulders. I looked up and Luigi was already awake. "Good morning," he said, noticing my eyes were finally open. I sat up and stretched. My body was stiff from the dress and resting on the hard, cold bench.
"Morning. How long have you been awake?"
"Not too long. I woke up when I heard everyone in the ballroom starting to clean up. You were shivering like mad, so I put the jacket over you."
"You could have woken me up," I scowled. I didn't want to make him uncomfortable with me passed out on him, probably drooling.
"I was enjoying the morning." He smiled, and I wasn't going to argue with that. It was probably the first morning he had enjoyed in a long time. "I think I'm going to make dinner tonight. It's been a while since I've had ravioli. And not the stuff in the can that Mario gets, but REAL ravioli."
"That sounds delicious. Do you make it from scratch?" He explained excitedly how he would prepare his own pasta and all the steps to making the dish. He didn't stop with the ravioli; he kept talking about side dishes that would go well with it, and the conversation somehow shifted to him describing all the different dishes his mother had taught him to make when he was young. He looks so different, so vibrant I thought to myself. His face had life to it, as did his hands which moved animatedly about as he talked. I even noticed his posture was taller, more self-assured. This is definitely a different Luigi! I smiled and nodded along as he talked. It was hard to follow along, he was talking so fast, and I knew NOTHING about cooking. It was as if he was catching up from all the years of silence.
"…and dad would always get mad because Mario ate all the spaghetti before he could have some. Mario would say it was me, but he would have spaghetti sauce all over his face! Mom wasn't pleased, and she'd threaten to hit him with dad's garlic bread. Mario thought it was funny, but I would've been scared if mom threatened me. Dad's garlic bread was always hard as a rock and was this…" he motioned his hands to show how big the bread loaf was, accidentally hitting me in the face.
He screamed and rubbed my face. "Are you ok? I'm so sorry! Did I hurt you?" His face started reddening, and I busted out laughing. He laughed, but kept one of his hands on my cheek, tracing the scar. We sat, frozen. We both smiled at each other, but neither one of us moved. I wasn't sure what I should do next, and apparently Luigi didn't either. It's strange how something as painful as death can bond people together. He continued to stare at my scar, looking like he wanted to ask me something. He began to speak, but we heard a yell inside and that immediately broke our trance. Luigi and I turned around to see Toad landing face first on the floor. Apparently, he was carrying a bag that was way too heavy for his small size. Mario and Peach ran over; Peach gently helped up Toad and Mario grabbed the bag.
"Usually it's me that is doing all the tripping. Glad it wasn't this time!" He snorted, looking at Toad. "Peach always insisted on cleaning up and giving people the day off after a party," Luigi said. "I always got stuck doing most of the work while Mario goofed off. I like cleaning, but he would intentionally make me mad. Once, I had a stack of chairs and he thought it would be funny to sit on the chairs while I was carrying them. The chairs were heavy enough as it was, but if you haven't noticed, he's not a very light guy." I laughed. "The chairs toppled over on me, but Mario managed to jump away."
"So, are you calling Mario fat?"
"Eh, it's brotherly love." He stood up. "I really don't want to help, but I guess they need it. Toad's worse at cleaning up than Mario. And Yoshi just wants to eat everything." He held out his hand. "Coming?" He helped me off the bench, and we dragged our feet inside. I had no desire to clean. I wanted to go back to my bed and continue sleeping.
When we entered the room, Mario and Peach turned around at our sudden appearance. Peach walked off to grab something, and Mario yelled at his brother. "Hey, can you help me put away the tables?" Luigi looked at the side of the room, noting that none of the tables had been touched. "I sent Yoshi home. He was trying to eat the chairs rather than move them." He walked over to a table and I heard him tell Mario he better actually help carry them or he'll conveniently need to tie his shoe in the middle of carrying it. Peach came up beside me and handed me a stack of clothes.
"I brought you something to change into. Do you need help getting out of your gown?" Before I could respond she yelled, "Boys, we'll be right back." I did need help, but I think her real intention was to talk to me. Peach and I went to a private room so I could change, and as soon as the door closed she started talking.
"I'm a little sad that I didn't get to see you last night. At first Mario and I wondered where you were. We thought you might have gotten lost. We looked around and couldn't find you anywhere. Mario even asked Waluigi if he had seen you." I was surprised; Mario never approached Waluigi unless it was life threatening. "He said you two had talked over an hour ago, and he helped us look for you. It took us ten minutes to realize you had gone outside." I felt the dress loosen as she talked. "Mario wanted to say hi, but I held him back." The dress fell, and I was able to fully move my body without constriction. "I do not mean to pry, and I do not want to impose on anything personal. I just want to know, did he talk about…" she didn't finish, but I knew what she meant.
"Yes, we talked about the incident." I didn't know what else to say. Peach had an odd look on her face; it was a mixture between relief and hurt. I knew with that look she was glad that he had finally opened up but hurt that he did not go to her or Mario. I needed to explain, but I did not want to go into full details on my past. It wasn't that I didn't like Peach; she was the closet girlfriend I have ever had. I wasn't ready to talk to her about my depression yet. I was too mentally exhausted. And while she suffered a loss, she did not curl up and die inside. She and Mario managed to keep moving, and still enjoyed life. Compassion and understanding are two different feelings, so I chose my words carefully.
"Last night I told Luigi an experience I had when my sister and parents passed. We both had a similar reaction to the death of a loved one. I think hearing someone else say what he had been thinking for years allowed him to open him up. Luigi told me how important you and Mario were, and are, and how lucky he was to have you two there to look out for him. I hope I didn't cross any lines talking to him last night about it…I just knew what it was like to be in that state of mind, to be that depressed. I thought he would like to hear how I regained myself. Maybe give him motivation to be able to do it himself." She gave me a hug so tight I could hardly breathe.
"I'm not mad at all! I was hurt he never talked to us, but I can understand. I did not go through what he did." Peach let go and looked at me. "It was difficult to see him treat himself so harshly, and we were always worried. We tried to talk to him, but he would just shrug us off. The harder we tried to help, the more he pushed us away. When we arrived at the ball last night, we were hoping that he would dance with us, engage with his friends, and maybe it would help cheer him up. But he just went outside and sat. Mario followed him on the balcony and tried to convince him to join us, but he said he wanted to be alone." She hugged me again, patting my back. "And I'm sorry you went through that. You will always have me to talk to if you need to. But thank you for talking to Luigi. It means so much to all of us." She finally stopped hugging me and let me resumed to getting dressed.
"Waluigi told us he walked by the balcony before he left. He was going to tell you good-bye, but you two were not to be approached. Mario and I decided to give you two all the space you needed. When we arrived this morning, you two were fast asleep. Mario heard Luigi snoring and said that was the first time he had done so since Daisy had passed. We saw you awaken, and we watched for a moment. I know Mario wanted to have you two help, mostly because he did not want to do any of the cleaning. But after watching Luigi talk to you, Mario did not argue about the lack of assistance and went straight to work. We both saw something we had not seen in a long time. We saw Luigi look happy."
I smiled. "Well, I'm going to have to brace myself when he talks. He got really excited this morning and smacked me in the face." Peach laughed. I was done getting dressed and we started walking back to the ballroom. I heard Mario yell at Luigi.
"Oh no," Peach moaned. We entered the room and Luigi was bent over, tying his shoe. "Boys! At this rate, we will be here until tonight! Please, control yourselves!" It was only Mario and Luigi left in the room; Toad had left when the men started fighting.
"Don't worry, Peach. We'll be done soon. I have a lot to do today." Luigi grinned. "I'm making dinner tonight."
Mario dropped the table. "What?!" he exclaimed. Distracted by the prospect of dinner, Mario forgot that he was the only one holding the table. "Ouch!" he screamed as the table hit his foot. But he was still completely focused on Luigi, and held his mouth shut tight.
"Yup! I am going to make ravioli, cheese and garlic bread sticks…" Luigi was cut off by Mario.
"Say no more! You'll make my mouth water!" Mario, ignoring the pain in his foot, suddenly started picking up tables and putting them away at a blazing speed. I was impressed by his strength and speed and thought Luigi was right; Mario was food motivated. We finished cleaning up the room in less than an hour. Mario was putting the last chair up when Luigi whistled, walking out the door.
"Mario, do you mind if I cook at your house? I haven't cleaned my pots and pans in a while, and I need to get started on the pasta." Mario gave a big thumbs-up sign. "Great!" He practically skipped out the door, and I heard him mumble off ingredients he was going to need to pick up.
I grabbed the bag that my dress was in and all three of us shortly followed Luigi's path. Mario decided to go with Peach and I to her place. "He gets cranky if you get in his way," he explained. "One time I wanted to taste the sauce he was making and he chucked a spoon at my head. Another time I wanted to sample the pasta and he chased me around the house with his apron and oven mitts on. I don't want him to start throwing knives at me because I want to make sure the bread sticks are done." We all laughed, and when were at Peach's, Mario stopped me. "Go on in, Peach. We'll be right there." I hope he's not mad at me. It's one thing for Luigi not to talk to Peach, but it's another for him to talk to me over his own brother. I braced myself for Mario to be mad.
"Why didn't you do this earlier? We could've been eating fresh spaghetti almost every night. No one here makes Italian food like Luigi does." At ease, I laughed and started to head in. Mario grabbed my arm; apparently, he wasn't done talking. "Seriously, whatever you did, whatever you said, thanks. Thanks for bring back my brother." He patted my shoulder, and we headed in the house.
Night began to fall, and we headed over to Mario's home, Peach and Mario holding hands, while I was slightly ahead of them riding my bike. Close to the house when Mario yelled. "Mmm! I can smell it from here!" I turned around to see Mario patting his stomach as he walked, and his face looked like he was in ecstasy. I laughed, and he caught sight of me looking at him. "You don't understand how much I love authentic Italian food. This is serious business." I glanced at Peach and she giggled.
"The way to Mario's heart is through his stomach." Mario stopped and kissed Peach.
"You've already got my heart," he gushed. I turned back around and heard Peach's reply.
"Awe, how sweet. But it's probably because I make you lots of cakes!"
I caught a whiff of the air and smelled the aroma of food. My mouth watered, and I peddled a little faster. I heard Mario say "Hey! Don't leave us behind," but I was already at the front door. I turned and looked at them, barely rounding the corner. I knocked on the door, eager to see what Luigi had made.
Luigi opened the door wearing a chef hat, apron, and an oven mitt. "Hey, Jelina!" I reached up and wiped a bit of flour from his face. "Sorry I'm a little messy," he mumbled as his nose turned pink. His eyes were so full of life. My hand lingered on his cheek and I slowly dropped it. Why do I feel compelled to touch him? It's like his touch soothed me, and I was thinking he felt the same way.
"I hope you made a lot of servings! I plan to eat enough for two!" Mario yelled behind us. Luigi pulled me in, and I gasped.
"YOU made all of this?" On the table were mounds of food. There was a bowl with salad, a pot of soup, three large plates of different pastas, breaded chicken, chopped fruits and vegetables, and bread sticks. Four wine glasses filled with wine were in front of the chairs, along with plates and utensils.
He started taking off his hat and apron. "Yeah, I thought I went a little overboard. I just couldn't stop cooking! But then I remembered how much Mario eats, and wasn't sure if I would have enough." He turned around to see Mario and Peach coming in, Mario practically drooling at the sight.
"It all smells and looks wonderful, Luigi," Peach said. She approached Luigi and hugged him. "I've missed your cooking, too." Peach patted his back and Mario walked over to us. She turned around to face Mario and put her hand on his shoulder. "And we all know Mario has missed your cooking," she smiled.
"Enough talk! Let's eat!" Mario clapped his brother's shoulder, and then walked over to the mounds of food. "I'm starving! Where to begin…"
Dinner was amazing. Peach and Mario weren't kidding when they said that Luigi was a great cook. Mario outdid himself and ate four platefuls, and by the time we were all done eating, all that remained were a few bread sticks. "Ahhhh, food coma," Mario grunted. "Great dinner, Luigi. What are you making tomorrow?"
Luigi looked up at the ceiling, thinking. "Hmm, I'm not sure. I'll have to look through my cookbooks." Mario grinned at the thought of meals like this being more frequent. "I won't have time to make as much if we are going to look for the hole, so you'll have to control your portions." We all laughed as Mario frowned. "Plus, I don't want your pants to accidentally burst on the trip…"
"Ha ha, Luigi," Mario retorted. "Very funny. And I wear overalls on adventures…they allow for expansion."
Sipping on the wine and enjoying the aftermath of the meal, I thought of tomorrow. "Hey, is it alright if I join you on your hunt? I really want to ride my bike, and I know I can't go out on my own." Mario and Luigi thought about it for a second.
"Only if you stay with us, within eye sight. No wandering off," Mario instructed. "I already have to keep an eye on Waluigi, so I don't need to worry about you deciding to ride off in the sunset without us." I nodded, promising I would stay with the group.
We got up and helped Luigi clean up. Well, it was more like I helped Luigi while Mario talked with Peach on the couch. Peach tried to help but Mario begged her to play a game with him. She caved in when Luigi said it was fine. "He'll just sit and complain, which I don't want to hear right now. Plus, he isn't very good at doing dishes…there is usually still food left on them after he 'washes' them." Luigi and I were left alone in the kitchen with sounds of Peach and Mario screaming at the tv. It was strange to hear Peach yell, but she was competitive. Not as much as her late friend, Daisy, but still more than me.
I methodically washed the dishes when I felt a splash of water on my face. "Hey now!" I said as I shot my head over. "I don't need a shower." Luigi looked at me confused. "You just splashed water on my face." He looked at the towel in his hand; the end had accidentally dipped in the water and must have splattered me when he was drying the pan.
"Oh, sorry…" he murmured. He rang out the edge of the towel so he wouldn't splash me again.
"It's ok," I said, and slyly looked at him. He wasn't looking at me, hiding his red face in front of a plate. I waited for him to drop the plate and splashed water at him.
"Whoops," I laughed. "You still had flour on your face, just wanted to make sure you got it off." He squinted, rubbing the water off his face. He didn't say anything, and I thought I had made him mad. "Hey, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you mad…I was just…" and before I could finish, a puff of flour from Luigi's oven mitt hit my face and hair. Luigi put his hands on his stomach, bending over from laughing so hard. I joined in; his laughter was contagious.
"Whoops. Your face was a little wet. I thought you needed to dry it off with a little flour." I rubbed my face and patted the front of his shirt.
"Thanks, that's exactly what I needed." We smiled as we finished cleaning. "Your food was really good, Luigi. Impressive! I could never cook like that."
"Sure you could! It's not as hard as you think, just have to be patient." Luigi put up the last dish and fully faced me. "How about you come over sometime and I'll teach you some easy dishes?"
"Only if you go on bike rides with me." I knew I had to have supervision, and Luigi would be enjoyable company.
"Deal! I'll have to make sure to clean up the mansion…I've slacked on cleaning duties." I wasn't surprised about the mansion. Once I asked Peach where Luigi lived, and she said he had a mansion near the Boo Forest. Peach said he loved his mansion, especially since Mario didn't have anything quite as extravagant. Though, I had the impression that Mario would soon be inheriting a castle. Still, a mansion is very impressive. Luigi held out his hand to shake on the deal. I grabbed his hand and shook. He took his other hand and dusted some flour off my nose. The flour tickled my nose, causing me to sneeze. I squeaked, sounding like a mouse. He laughed, but still wouldn't let go of my hand. "Sorry to make you sneeze."
He looked at our hands, his eyes trailing up my arm where the three lines were. "Does it still hurt? Your scars," he asked quietly. I shook my head; I could barely feel them anymore. Sometimes my face hurt a little if I slept on it wrong, but otherwise it was almost healed. "Not physically, but you know…"
"Sometimes I still get a nightmare that Bowser is chasing me, but I haven't thought much of it lately. Honestly," I insisted as he gave me a skeptical look. "I can't do anything about it," I spoke confidently, and Luigi continued to look at me sadly. "Really, I'm surrounded by great people and while I'm pissed at what he did, I can't dwell on it."
A smile crept across Luigi's face. "You're something, you know that?" He flicked more flour off my nose, and I sneezed again. I heard the game end, Peach cheering in victory. Luigi looked in the direction of the room, and Mario stormed in.
"Not fair, she was lucky." He stopped and stared at us. We instantly dropped our hands, and I had the feeling we had a 'deer in the headlight' look. Mario looked at the flour on my face and on Luigi's shirt and smirked. "And I thought I was the messy one." He grabbed a drink out the fridge and walked back out. "Want to play a racing game with us? Peach will have a hard time trying to distract all three of us so she can win."
We played games for a few hours. It was fun to watch the three get into the game. I wasn't very good and ended up in last almost every time. But it didn't bother me; I was having a good time. I didn't care about winning, not like they did. After losing for the tenth time, Peach let out a yawn. She looked at the clock. "Oh my, we need to get to sleep! We all have a busy day tomorrow, and I know these two," she pointed at Mario and Luigi, "won't wake up if they don't get at least eight hours of sleep." She stood up and stretched. We all got up and started walking to the door.
Mario and Luigi walked us home. Mario was grumbling to everyone about how the two didn't play fair. He also rounded on me about how I didn't help keep them back. Like I even knew what I was doing I groaned to myself. When we arrived at Peach's, I walked to the side to park my bike. Luigi was beside me to let Mario say good-bye to Peach without feeling awkward. We had to keep my bike hidden so if Bowser or one of his followers came by they wouldn't be tipped off on where I was. Luigi helped me put my bike in the little shed that sat beside her house. We walked back, seeing Mario and Peach still kissing good-bye. Luigi rolled his eyes and cleared his throat, breaking the two apart. They didn't look embarrassed, and Peach headed inside. I walked over to the door and Luigi followed, meeting up with Mario.
"We'll come to pick you up tomorrow. Er, if we're not here by ten, call us…just in case we slept in." Mario started to turn around and I walked in the doorway. Luigi grabbed my shoulder.
"I'll be right there, bro," Luigi called over his shoulder. "I'll catch up." Mario raised his eyebrows and continued to walk down the street. What is he doing? I thought as I remained in the doorway. Without warning he pulled me in a tight embrace. "Thank you."
"For what?" I asked. "Cleaning?"
"No, for reminding me that it's ok to live again." He smiled. "I'll see you in the morning." I watched him go, skipping to catch up with his brother.
My time in the Mushroom Kingdom seemed to fly; I had been there over six months. I often joined Mario, Luigi, and Wally on their search for the hole in the sky. It was amusing to watch Wally throw bombs. Every time he launched one in the air, he gave off a short, hysterical laugh and danced in the spot. Mario would mark off the area on a map and inspect the surroundings. Sometimes a cave or pipe was revealed, but they were only hiding grounds for shy guys and snakes.
Luigi and I hung back collecting power ups and putting them in my bike basket. I had fun smashing the rocks to find coins, red mushrooms, and flowers. The first time I found a flower I thought it was pretty and wanted to buy a vase for it or attach it to my basket. "No, this is a fire flower. It gives you the ability to throw fireballs. Watch." Luigi squeezed the flower, making it disappear, and his hands began to glow. A large green flame emerged from his hands. I watched, amazed that it wasn't hurting him. He threw his hands back and the fireball bounced away, hitting Mario directly in the ass. I gave Luigi a high five and Mario scowled. I saw Wally laughing, too. Even though the three weren't friends, they seemed to meet a truce for my benefit. I often complained to them on how they were all my friends, and I didn't care if they had old grudges. They were civil, and that's all I wanted.
When I wasn't out with the boys, Peach and I would tend to her gardens and help out around the town. Peach's castle had a giant flower patch surrounded by large trees. It was beautiful, and we often had picnics under the shade. On one of our picnics, Peach was making Mario a card for their anniversary. They had been together so long I wondered why they weren't married yet. While we cut out little hearts and she pasted them on the paper, I asked her.
"We want to, and sometimes we say we informally are. Before Daisy's death, we had thought about it. If we wed, Mario would become king. He looks out for the kingdom, and I know he'd be a great leader. Even Toadsworth approves of Mario's leadership. But after Daisy died, Mario had other personal things to worry about, and the responsibility would have been too much to bear. Plus, we didn't want to do that to Luigi after he just lost his love." She held up her card, kissing the top to leave a small lip mark. "I cannot imagine myself with anyone other than Mario. Before he arrived, I met suitors from all around the country. They never seemed to…fit." Peach smiled at the card, then opened it up to write a personal message; probably something really mushy. "By the way, how did dinner go last night with Luigi?"
Luigi and I had kept our deal. At least three times a week Luigi and I met up for cooking and riding. He'd meet me at Peach's and we'd ride our bikes to get ingredients and head to Mario's house or his mansion. At first, we went to the mansion, which I loved, but we'd end up hanging out late and it took a while to get back. We'd get lost in the time talking, playing games, or watching tv. Once it was well past two in the morning when we returned, and Peach was first worried then annoyed. After getting lectured about how 'we all have to get up early' and 'what if something happened that late' from Peach, we stayed in town. "I didn't burn anything this time," I shrugged. "I don't have the gift like he does, but it is fun watching." I laughed, remembering the last time we cooked I forgot about my soup and it started to boil over. Luigi was cutting a tomato and got distracted, and the tomato squirted all over him.
"Well I know Mario loved the left overs, and we both appreciate the alone time." I knew I wasn't in the way, but since Mario was always busy in the day, and I was staying at her home in the evening, the two didn't spend as much time together. "And we are pleased to see Luigi back to his old self." She tucked the card in an envelope and put it on the blanket. "Are you excited for our game night tonight? I was thinking of baking fresh cookies for everyone."
"I told Wally I'd stop by his place for a little bit, but it'll be fun having a big group over!" Peach got up and I grabbed the plates and cups on the blanket so we could clean up.
"I'd better get to baking! The boys will be back soon, and Mario could eat an entire batch by himself." We headed back to her house and the boys were already there. Wally was waiting for me, sipping a large bottle of what looked like apple juice, but that didn't seem like something he would drink.
"Ready, Jelly?" I waved to Mario, Peach, and Luigi, telling them I'd see them tonight. Wally and I started to walk towards his house and I looked at the drink.
"Toad Ale, want any?" He offered me a sip, and I found the drink surprisingly refreshing. "We had a pretty good day today. We think we found a crack, but it started to get cloudy so we'll have to go back tomorrow. But it looks promising!" I smiled at the news, but then found that I had a big frown on my face. "Why the long face?" We reached his house and I sat on the couch. "Drink?" I nodded; he grabbed me a beer and waited for me to explain.
"I don't know, I'm torn if I really want to go or not," I said, swirling the liquid around in the bottle. Really, I'm scared shitless to see how much time has passed since I left. What if it's been years? Where would I go…? I heard my inner voice trail off, and I thought of going back to find my house ransacked, full of squatters, or police tape blocking it off. Then I'd have to go to the police and try to come up with a story on why I was gone. "I don't want to have wasted all this time if it turns out I just stay here."
Wally kicked his feet up on the coffee table, grinning. "Toots, we all knew you probably weren't going to leave. In fact, we all had made a list of reasons why you shouldn't leave. We love ya here, and I will personally come after you with a bazooka if you really go back." He sipped his beer. "It didn't sound like you were ever too excited about Phoenix. Sounded like you hated it."
"I don't hate it. It was the only place I knew. So, if you all thought I would stay then why are you still looking?"
Wally looked serious. "We're all glad you are here but think about it. What if more people wandered in, people that weren't as enjoyable as you? Or Bowser stumbles across it, having access to ANOTHER world? We want to make sure no one else goes in or out. The pipe that was connected to Brooklyn had a lot of protection around it. Only a handful of people here even knew about it. Nah, it's better to find it and secure it. So, do we need to use our excuses on you to convince you to stay?"
"What excuse were you going to give me?"
"Mine will just more or less make you feel bad for everyone else. If you haven't noticed I haven't been setting the town on fire. I'd go back to my pranks and not set up my shop."
I glowered. "You wouldn't dare!"
He nodded. "Yup, I'd terrorize the citizens of Toad Town. You wouldn't want that now, would you? If you stayed, I'd be well behaved." I glared. He knew I'd be mad, and I would feel bad subjecting the town to that, especially since I had just started to know everyone. "Still thinking of going back?"
I sighed. "I only want to go back to pick up a few things."
Wally finished his beer and went to grab another. "What do you have there that you can't get here?"
I didn't have much at home that I personally cared about. I didn't own any jewelry, I didn't have any family heirlooms, and really there was nothing of value at my place. I was originally upset that my music was gone, but Peach found someone to put spells on my iPod, bringing it back to life. "There are only a few things that I want. Probably the most important things are these two pictures by my bed. One is of my sister and I, and the other is my entire family with me when I was born. I obviously can live without them, but it'd be nice to have them. They're special. Sentimental." Wally said no more, understanding the value of the people in the frames.
We relaxed, watching tv for a little bit. A commercial appeared on the screen, advertising a carnival close to the town. Pauline worked at the carnival, and I turned to Wally. "How are things going with Pauline? Still strong?"
Wally grinned. "She's got the weekend off and coming over tonight for dinner."
"You two can come and play games with us, if you want. I'm sure it'd be fun." Wally stuck out his tongue at the idea.
"No thanks. I like to cheat, and they get really mad if they lose. Not a great combination unless you want a fight."
"Well, let's make a deal. You two lovebirds come and join a game night after the hole is found, and I will stay in the Mushroom Kingdom." Wally grumbled. "You wouldn't want the thought that all you had to do to make me stay was play a few games with my friends, do you?"
"Touché, toots." He held out his hands and shook on the deal.
"What is Pauline making for dinner?" I had hung out with the pair before, and she hated the idea that Wally's form of cooking was a sandwich and bag of opened chips.
"I don't care as long as she's only wearing an apron…or nothing…" his eyebrows wiggled, and I leaned over to smack him. "I know, I know. You're jealous that I'm getting laid." I rolled my eyes, taking a sip of my beer. "By the way, speaking of getting laid, I've been meaning to ask you something. What's going on with you and sir big nose?" I choked on my beer, almost shooting it out my nose, and turned a deep shade of scarlet. "You like him, don't you?"
"Nothing. We're friends." It was true that we were close friends. I looked forward to the nights we cooked and rode bikes. The time didn't seem to exist when we were together, as we were always entertained. We talked about everything, and lately I was surprised that he started telling me stories of Daisy without guilt or grief. But to be romantic? I can't deny I hadn't thought about it, but I didn't want something to develop only to leave. I couldn't do that to him, not after he just regained himself back. And more importantly, would he even like me in that way?
"Well I know nothing is happening, Luigi is too much of a pansy to make a move. Drove Daisy nuts when they started dating. I think she had to molest him to get any physical action." I glared at him, and he held up his hands. "Just joking! Well, not about her getting annoyed…but don't deny to me that you don't have a crush on him. I've seen the way you two act, looking all googly eyed at each other." He wiggled his fingers in the air, fluttering his eyes.
"Googly eyed? What?"
"You guys will be doing something and stop and just stare at each other. I think Mario timed you two doing this for a minute before he finally threw a rock at you two to catch up because we wanted to move on." I remembered that, but I swore we were talking about a power up.
"Whatever, I think you're exaggerating." Wally looked at me and did not move. I stared back for a little bit, but then became uncomfortable. My feet started tapping rapidly, and finally I fidgeted in my seat, breaking the awkward gaze. "What? Is there something on my face? Why are you staring at me? Quit it!"
"There you go! You just proved my point. If anyone else looks at you for more than a few seconds you get all worried and freak out." Wally got up to throw away his bottle. He came back and I leaned back in my seat. "Look, he's not my favorite cousin, I'll admit, but if it makes you happy, so be it. But if he dares messes with you or makes you cry, don't expect me to sit back quietly." I looked in his eyes and knew he wasn't kidding. Wally was protective of me, and I had seen how handy he was with a bazooka gun. "Though, I think you would be the one to hurt him rather than he hurt you. He doesn't have the balls to…"
The doorbell rang, and I jumped. Thank you, saved by the bell. Wally went to the door and smirked. "Your prince charming is here." He opened the door and Luigi was at the door with our bikes.
"Hey, the group's headed to the mansion. Thought you'd like to ride over."
I smiled and whispered to Wally, "Behave."
He gave a devilish grin. "I won't, someone has to have some fun. I know you'll be beha-" I slammed the door mid-sentence, and I heard him laughing on the other side.
"What's that all about?" Luigi asked.
"Nothing. Just Wally being Wally." We rode happily to his mansion. Luigi told me Peach was bringing dozens of cookies, while Mario was bringing cases of beer and mixed drinks. We decided to have the party at Luigi's mansion since we were going to be drinking. That way we wouldn't have to worry about how people were going to get home; he had plenty of rooms for us to crash in. Toad, Toadette, and Yoshi were joining us, which made for a larger group to play games.
"So, Peach told me she invited Rosalina but she couldn't make it this time. BUT if we have another one in a couple of months, she, along with some people from outside of the kingdom might come! Maybe even Samus. You two would get along great! Though, Samus is kind of scary when she gets mad…" I wondered why Luigi was telling me future plans, and then I remembered that they were all going to convince me to stay. I didn't say anything but did agree the idea sounded fun.
When we arrived, everyone was already there. We walked in the door and Mario immediately handed us a glass with a drink in it. Luigi had made homemade pizza for dinner, which we devoured. After dinner, we changed into our pajamas and started to play games. I was not very good at racing or sporty games, but I was pretty good at games that involved puzzles or trivia. I made Mario mad when I beat his high scores, and he challenged me to a rematch, just the two of us. I beat him by over 100 points.
"Lucky. Rematch later, but I think the others are ready to play something." Mario got up and passed out more drinks. "Peach, dear, you can pick the next one."
Mario had made some rather strong mixed drinks, and all of us were on at least our second drink. I felt a slight buzz by the time we started playing a game similar to Monopoly. I hated Monopoly, and even though this one focused on obtaining kingdoms and building castles, the idea was the same. I was horrible and ran out of coins pretty quick. The rest of the group was very focused on the game. All of them were trying to get a specific piece of land on the board. It reminded me of the Boardwalk space. Yoshi threatened to eat it if anyone else got it. With that announcement, Mario made him sit as far away from the pieces as possible, though Yoshi could eat something halfway across the room. It was my turn and I landed on a "draw a card" space. "Move four spaces up. If space is available, claim kingdom or castle. If space is a consequence, do nothing." I moved ahead, and everyone glared; I landed on the sought-after space.
Yoshi started to stick out his tongue, but Toad pinned him down.
"WHAT!" exclaimed Mario. "Not fair! You don't even have to pay for it!"
"I needed that space!" Luigi whined. "I have the one that goes with it!"
"Did you rig the cards?" Peach asked. "Did you pull a page out of Waluigi's book and cheat?"
Even Toad and Toadette weren't happy by my sudden burst of luck. "Not cool. Now you have control of the game. Everyone is going to want to buy that from you, and you can bargain a high price that could cost us to lose land and a lot of money. Not fair." Everyone looked murderous at me, and I smugly smiled. I've never been one to cause such envy; it was kind of fun!
I moved my piece to the space and Luigi grabbed my hand. "I think you counted wrong."
"Nope, I think I counted just fine. Got to claim my land."
Luigi didn't budge his hand. "You don't even want it. All you own is one little pipe and some tax." I smirked and picked up the kingdom card. "Sell it to me, pleeeease?" I laughed as Luigi tried to suck up for the card.
"No. I have to see what everyone else offers."
I heard Peach laugh. "No, you don't cheat, you are worse! You tease! So, we all have to make offers and hope it is good enough? I agree with Toad. Not fair at all." I put my card in my tiny pile and Luigi made a mock sad face.
"I know you want to sell me that land." Luigi pretended like he was going to cry. "You know you want to." I shook my head, finding the whole thing amusing. "Well, I didn't want to do this, but…" Before I knew it, Luigi began tickling me. I snorted while laughing and could barely breathe. "All you have to do is say you'll sell me the castle," he mused. I finally couldn't take it anymore, and gave in. "Good," he gloated. "I knew you would."
I shot my head over. "You knew I would?"
"I assumed you would give it to me. I deserve it the most." I heard Mario snort in the background, obviously disagreeing with his statement.
"No, I think you deserve this instead." I pounced and began tickling him, trapping him on the floor. He tried to twist and turn out my grasp, but he was helpless. He laughed so hard, finally crying out uncle. I sat back up, only to have him grab my wrists and setting me on his lap. He wrapped his arms around my torso and arms which prevented me from moving. I squirmed and found it to be of no use. "I take back my offer of the card," I muttered, trying to twist away.
"Whatever, deals a deal. That should keep you still." I gave up and settled in his lap. He didn't loosen his grip around my arms, but he leaned back a little and I leaned back with him. I looked at the group and they were giving us strange looks. I was reminded of the conversation Wally and I had earlier. I don't think he's the only one that has suspicions. None of them looked annoyed by our behavior, but rather amused. Mario was giving Luigi a sly look, while Peach beamed at us; everyone else just snickered. Luigi didn't seem to care, grinning. He rested his head on my shoulder. "So, how much you want for the castle?" I sighed and quoted the price on card. He loosened is arms, eventually letting me go, but I stayed on his lap.
We continued to play games and drink the rest of the night. Toad and Toadette were the first to pass out. Yoshi carried them on his back up to their room. Mario went to the kitchen and returned with a handful of shot glasses and a bottle full of some brown liquid. "We should celebrate! After all that searching we finally struck something useful today!" Mario was definitely drunk. I'm going to regret this in the morning. After a celebratory shot and excited chatter, I knew that I was done for the night. Yoshi had passed out, curled up on the floor. Luigi and I were leaning on the couch, and my eyes became heavy. Mario and Peach were across from us, becoming openly affectionate. It was weird to see Peach so relaxed and improper.
Peach kissed Mario's chin and he stood up. "Hm, maybe this is a good time to head to bed. Shall we?" he winked at Peach, and then looked at me and Luigi. "You two." I waited while he pointed at us. "See you in the morning." Peach and Mario walked to another end of the mansion, and I was glad that my room was nowhere near theirs.
"So, do you think you are going to go back?" Luigi asked, and looked unhappy that they found the hole.
I sat up, trying to focus. The drinks had hit, and my head swayed a little.
"To Phoenix?" I slurred. Luigi nodded.
"I'll hold you hostage in my mansion if you go, you know. And I could out ride you on your bike any day."
I chuckled. I doubted that was his real excuse to make me stay. "No. Well, yes, just to get some pictures, but to stay? No." I rested my head back on his chest, closing my eyes. His fingers were running through my hair.
"What pictures?" I felt him stand and pick me up, carrying me to a room.
"Yoshi…"
"Pictures of Yoshi?" He was confused.
"Yoshi needs his bed." He put me back on the couch and I closed my eyes. A bit later I felt him pick me up, carrying me to bed.
"Now, what were you saying about pictures?"
"One of me and Kat, the other my family and baby me." I felt him put me in bed, pulling the covers over my shoulders. "Those were my favorite pictures, make me happy." I looked around wondering if I was talking to myself at this point. It was pitch black and I didn't hear anything. "Luigi? You leave?"
I sighed into my pillow. Guess he headed to bed. I started to drift off but was startled when the bed shifted. "Nope, I'm still here. Just got some water and aspirin. Here, you should probably have some." I tipped the water in my mouth and drank, taking the pills in one swig. "Hope you don't mind if I curl up with you. I think Mario and Peach are near my bedroom and I don't want to have to hear whatever they are doing."
"I wouldn't either. Aren't the toads near them?" Luigi laughed. "Sucks to be them." I finished my water and turned to face him. He wrapped his arms around me and I nuzzled my face in his chest.
"I'm really glad you're staying." I smiled, feeling sleep begin to wash over me. "Goodnight," he said, and I felt him kiss my forehead. I wanted to return the gesture, to kiss him back, but I immediately passed out.
Morning came way too quickly for my liking. Luigi and I were tangled together when a loud knock boomed at the door. I heard Mario talking to Peach about what Luigi should make for breakfast. Luigi and I grunted. We didn't move, too tired and hung over to get up. "I'm coming in!" Mario burst in, allowing the bright light of the hallway to shine in our face. Luigi cursed, pulling the blanket over our heads. "Hey, sleepy heads, we're hungry!"
"Make your own damn breakfast, I'm still sleeping," Luigi grunted. "I'm too tired to cook right now. Help yourself to my kitchen but get out." Mario chuckled, pulling the blankets back so he could see us.
"Somebody is cranky, eh? Up too late?" I glared at Mario. "Oh, well…fine, I'll make something. I'll be back up in about an hour and get you two when I'm done cooking." Mario laughed all the way out, but thankfully quietly closed the door behind him.
I rested my head on Luigi's shoulder. I felt the slow rhythm of his breathing, and in a minute, snores emerge. I wondered if Luigi had mentioned liking me to anyone, or if they just assumed so. After last night, I was obvious we liked each other. Hell, we're in bed together. If that's not a huge 'no shit Sherlock' than I don't know what is. I smiled to myself, holding him a little more tightly while I fell back asleep.
I felt as if I had only just closed my eyes when Mario came back in. "Alright, breakfast is almost on the table! You owe me, bro." Mario shook us awake and kept the door open, taking away our pleasant darkness. "Toad finally woke up, said he heard a lot of ghosts screaming last night, wondered where your Poltergust was." Luigi put his hands in his face, and Mario belted out a big laugh. "Oh, if he only knew…" he walked out, and Luigi rubbed his temples.
"Morning," he muttered, "though I wish I was still asleep." I agreed with him, longingly looking at the pillows. "How did you sleep?"
"Good, but my head is killing me. Remind me not to have too many of Mario's mixes. They are lethal! And the shots? How is he so peppy?" He mouthed ghosts and gave me a look. "Oh, never mind. How are you feeling? You didn't seem too bad."
Luigi blushed. "Really good. Oh, I was pretty drunk. I think you were just too tired and drunk to notice. Hope my snoring wasn't too loud in your ear."
"Hope my drooling didn't chap your shoulder." We chuckled. "Guess we should head down before Mario physically picks us up and carries us out. And I know he would do it." Luigi started to get up, but before he could get off the bed, I leaned over and kissed his cheek. His face was hot from embarrassment. Guess it takes quite a bit of alcohol to take the jitters away. I got up and he was still frozen on the bed, staring wide eyed at me. "Coming?" He dazedly looked at me, putting one hand on his cheek, and slowly got up. With his free hand, he grabbed my hand with an odd, dreamy expression and we went to the kitchen.
Mario had made a simpler breakfast than what I'd imagine Luigi would, but it smelled good. I saw eggs, toast, bacon, pancakes, and fruit in heaping mounds, and two big pitchers of orange juice. Peach didn't look quite as energetic as Mario, and Toad and Toadette looked like they were still asleep. Yoshi was already eating, though not as eagerly as normal. Despite being tired and a little hung over, I was in a great mood.
"Luigi, I think you have some ghosts back in your house. Have you checked for them lately? I heard all sorts of moaning and screaming last night," Toad complained. Peach turned pink, looking guiltily at Mario.
"That's strange, my end was quiet. I didn't hear any ghosts…guess I'll have to check on that." Luigi looked at Mario. "Mario, did YOU hear anything?"
"Nope, nothing at all." Luigi grabbed a plate and shook his head. I was really glad that Luigi and I were not on their end. I couldn't help laughing at Toad and Toadette. I stood behind Luigi for my plate and whispered thanks in his ear. He gave me a confused look, but I nodded at Mario and Peach. He understood. "Great night, though," Mario said thoughtfully with a mouthful of food. "We'll have to make this a regular occurrence." We all agreed, but I made a mental note to have someone else mix the drinks. We started talking about the plans for the day.
"I called Waluigi. He said he had important plans today, not in the mood, some excuse…so looking for the hole is out. What is so important?" Mario wondered aloud.
"Probably Pauline. She has some time off of work, and I bet they are doing something." I didn't mind if I didn't go out there today; I wanted to crawl back to bed for a few more hours.
"I'm too tired to look today, Mario." Luigi looked like he could barely keep his head from falling onto the table. "Maybe we can take a breather this weekend."
Peach lit up. "Pauline, doesn't she work at that carnival outside of town? Maybe we can go there tonight! I've wanted to go for a while, now." She looked hopefully at everyone. "We can grab dinner beforehand," she continued. "I heard they have a really great miniature golf course and even go karts!"
Peach eventually persuaded all of us to go, even though we were all exhausted. We finished our breakfast, excitedly talking about different things to do at the carnival. Peach got up after eating and looked at the time. "I need to do a few things at the castle with Toadsworth. Jelina, do you want to come with me, or stay with the boys?" I know she wanted to talk to me about last night, about Luigi, but I was too tired.
"Actually, I just want to sleep for a while, if that's ok. Especially if I want any kind of energy later this evening." She looked a little disappointed but understood. Mario and Luigi started putting things away, and she leaned over to me.
"Did anything happen last night?" I looked at the brothers, wondering if they could hear us. But I heard Mario and Luigi fighting on who was a better golfer, and knew our conversation was not important. "You know, with Luigi?"
"No, why?" I was curious to know what all had been said since I was a major point of the gossip.
She rolled her eyes. "Waluigi called while you two were heading over, and he informed Mario that you were not planning on going back to Phoenix. It's obvious you two have grown closer than what I would call a simple friendship. He's always talking about the things you two did on your visits, and whenever Mario or I even mention your name he brightens up. Unless we ask about romantic feelings, then he turns the color of Mario's shirt and starts talking about the weather." I stole a glance at the brothers again, and they were still bickering. She put her hand on my shoulder. "Waluigi said he also asked you what was going on, and you pushed away the topic." I blushed. "If you are worried about what we think, don't. We love you two together. I've never seen him this comfortable with anyone, and that is including Daisy. And if you are really no longer going back to Phoenix, it is something to think about." She removed her hand, smiling. "Just think about it, but if you didn't act, I'd say you are passing up a wonderful person." I continued to blush, looking at my orange juice. She went to Mario and gave him a kiss. "I'll see you soon, dear."
Yoshi, Toad, and Toadette decided to head out with Peach. It was only Mario, Luigi, and I left in the mansion. Mario put his arm around his brother. "Hey, I need to ask you a few questions about plumbing things." Luigi looked confused, but I was pretty sure 'plumbing things' was code for 'girl things.'
"That sounds boring," I said standing up. "Not my kind of talk. Mind if I go back to the room and take a nap?" Luigi was still looking at his brother confused.
"Sure, I'll probably be there to join you in a minute. I'm still beat." Mario gave me knowing look, and I headed up to the room. Well, looks like we are the topic for gossip. I crawled back in the bed, enjoying the softness of the blankets. A bit later I heard footsteps, and Luigi enter the room. I felt Luigi crawl in next to me, and I turned around.
"What was the plumbing emergency?" Luigi wouldn't look me in the eye, noticing his face was a little scarlet.
"Not sure what size snake to use for a pipe," he lied. "What was Peach asking you earlier? She looked serious."
I thought of a lie quickly. "Wanted to know if it was true I was staying here." It was partially true…it had come up in the conversation. "Is Mario still here?"
"Yeah, he offered to clean up. Surprised me, but I think he hopes if he stays I'll make him lunch." I chuckled; that sounded like Mario. I looked at him, and asked him a random, curious thought.
"So how come you want to lie in bed with me and not in your own bed?" He turned red. "Not that I mind, I like having company."
"I haven't checked the area for ghosts, and they scare me half to death." I felt him wrap his arms around me, and I put my head in his chest. I'm not going back, why shouldn't we be more than friends? I mentally weighed my pros and cons, and after debating, I knew the answer: I wanted to be with Luigi. I looked up to see his eyes closed. I scooted up closer to his face and put one of my hands on his cheek. He opened his eyes, questioning my sudden touch. My words caught in my throat. I wanted to tell him I like him, wanted to be with him, but I just dumbly stared at him. Not being able to find the words, I just leaned my head on his shoulder, his eyes still pondering what I was thinking.
I couldn't think of anything else to say but "I'm looking forward to going to the carnival with you." I tried to emphasize the word 'you' to make it clear I didn't care if Mario, Peach, Toad, or anyone else was there. He squeezed my shoulders, and he looked overjoyed. "By the way, what was your real excuse for me to stay?"
He didn't answer immediately, but finally mumbled "I don't want to lose my best friend." I held back a tear and felt my face glow. I closed my eyes, feeling light as air with bliss, but before I fell into my nap, his soft lips lightly touched my cheek.