Anyone still reading?
Sorry for the humongous wait and short chapter; other than that...
Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to Mario or its franchise; it belongs to Nintendo and their affiliates. I just am really grateful to its creators for giving me such a wonderful game and media series to write about!
Chapter Ten
Even after months had passed since that final, fateful battle in the Badlands, she was still having occasional bad dreams. However, what she just woke up from wasn't a nightmare. Not exactly. She couldn't remember what went on in the dream, but she knew it wasn't all bad and that it involved, in some way, the baneful Dark King. Odd.
Maybe it was a dream where I actually got to finish him off instead of Ludwig, she pondered tiredly.
Daisy yawned and rose from the sheets and then stood. She wasn't that bothered by the dreams and nightmares, not anymore. He was gone and couldn't hurt her anymore. She didn't fear things that no longer existed.
In the living room, Daisy found her boyfriend on the couch. Glancing out the window near the door, she saw that it was still very dark, very late.
He must've just gotten off work, she mused.
Daisy crossed the carpeted floor and approached Luigi, smiling fondly down at him. He still had his uniform and shoes on. She could imagine him coming in, locking the door behind him, dropping his keys to where they now lay on the coffee table and then collapsing on the couch. The girl bent down to her knees and leaned over him. Very gently she pried apart the buttons on his jacket and pulled it off of him. She took the jacket his closet and hung his keys on the wall near the door. Then she came back to him and pulled his trainers off his feet and pushed his legs all the way onto the couch. From the closet in the hall she grabbed a green blanket and draped it over him, then put a pillow from his bed under his head. The last thing she did was gaze at him, lying on his stomach, and gave him a kiss on his cheek. She resolved to talk to him about his extremely late hours as she walked back to the bedroom and went to sleep.
Of all the friends he'd ever had, Junior was by far the most unique in that Lemmy never could tell what was on his mind or why he behaved the way he did. From the prince's short time in the bunker, Lemmy had found out how much the child adored and clung to his father. Now, all he could associate the former king with in his friend was distress; it was probably because of him that the five-year-old was huddled in a corner in the long corridor, silent as a mouse with his thumb in his mouth.
Lemmy approached the boy carefully, having come in with Larry and Iggy after playing a rousing game of tag. He'd not seen his companion til now, and didn't know what kind of mood he was in.
"B-Jun?" He spoke softly.
He laid a small hand on the redhead's shoulder and Junior immediately stiffened and jerked his head around. After he saw it was only Lemmy, he relaxed and turned all the way around from where he'd been facing the wall. His clothes were clean today, a rarity since he didn't bathe and no one made him. He wore a smooth navy shirt and periwinkle sleeveless vest over it, with a pair of loose black pants of the same material. For once he had on shoes, black boots, but he kicked them off as if just realizing they were there.
"Why you in the corner?" Lemmy asked.
Junior humped his shoulders, his face blank. He needn't say it, but Lemmy knew he was feeling sad. He was often sad.
I need to cheer him up then, Lemmy amended.
"You wanna' go play in the kitchen with me?" He proposed.
Junior again shrugged, as if he couldn't be bothered to care either way. Lemmy thought hard for a moment.
He then asked, "You wanna' make the dough this time?"
Junior's face lit up a small bit for a moment as he smiled widely around his thumb. He nodded and let his hands drop by his side, then held one of Lemmy's and walked with him to the kitchens. Once there, Lemmy led him to their table and grabbed the large aluminum bowl. He let Junior follow him over to the sink and climbed a step-ladder that had been placed there just for them. Lemmy reached over and grabbed the burlap sack of flour from the counter, handing it to Junior. He promptly spilled a lot of it before he gained a good grip on the sack that was almost as heavy as him. Lemmy, with his unusual strength, hadn't noticed its weight til now.
"Here, let me help you," He offered.
"No, I wanna' do it all by my own self," Junior declined.
The prince poured some flour into the aluminum bowl, but most of it went right into the sink and down the drain. Lemmy had a feeling they might be hearing about this later from the Mistress.
"That's enough," Lemmy instructed, "Put some water in it now."
Junior turned the handle on the faucet and let a slow stream flow into the bowl. At Lemmy's call he turned it off and then used a wooden spoon to mix the contents together. When the entire process was just about done, and the children were much less clean than when they'd started, he stepped down from the ladder.
Junior
The boy froze suddenly. His father, he'd heard his father's voice ring loud and clear in his head. With a sort of stricken look, he tried to communicate back with his sire telepathically, but it was no use. He could not. Lemmy stared at him, troubled.
"What's wrong, B-Jun?" he asked tentatively; he had a feeling he already knew what was happening.
Junior come to me
"But...I don't know where you at." The boy whispered to himself in mild distress.
Lemmy's keen ears caught this and he surmised he'd been right in thinking the former Dark King was speaking to his son. The older boy waited patiently for their correspondence to end. Junior was making confused faces.
"But we went there," He argued softly, then said, "I don't know where that is."
Lemmy fiddled with his hands. he rubbed bits of powdery flower against the sweat and water in his palm until it grew sticky and dark. He shifted his weight from foot to foot and then could take it no longer.
"What did he say?" He blurted.
Junior bowed his head over the bowl that was enormous in his small hands and blew out a soft sigh.
"I don't know what my Daddy is meaning." He spoke, "he told me to come to him but I still don't even know where he is."
"Did you ask him?" Lemmy inquired.
"Yes, but he didn't say nothing back," Junior replied.
"Oh." Lemmy said.
The boys shared a somber moment, but one such as that could only last so long between young children. In the next minute they resumed their work of mixing dough and playing at their table, the words of Junior's father dispelled from their minds.
"Your boyfriend is really cute; I hope you don't mind me saying that."
In all honesty, Daisy did mind a little bit. But then she remembered that her co-worker, Alicia, had a boyfriend of her own.
"I don't mind," Daisy replied, "I know he is."
Alicia smiled broadly. She was beautiful; light brown skin and pretty dark eyes worked in combination with her shapely body and thick black curly hair to complete her video-girl look. She was the most outspoken of all the people that worked in the shoe department, and also the kindest, once Daisy learned to see past her initial cattiness. The young woman worked at the front register with Daisy most of the time, when she wasn't in the back hunting for a pair of elusive heels to reserve for herself, that is.
"How long have you known him?" Alicia asked.
She and Daisy had plenty of time to sit and talk, there weren't many customers in the later part of the afternoon. So they both sat reclined in their black bar stools, watching the few people in the store mill about. Upon being questioned, Daisy had to think a bit before answering.
She said with a soft smile, "About a year."
Saying that out loud made her feelings for the pale young man seem all the more real. She smiled even more widely and Alicia smirked.
"So you're really close and all?" She pried.
Alicia was a nosy little thing. Daisy had learned that early on. But she knew now that it was out of sheer curiosity, out of an innate need-to-know drive, not out of any sort of hostility. She rested her chin in her hand with her elbow on the glass surface of the counter, awaiting Daisy's reply.
"We're close," Daisy responded with a shrug.
She looked down at the glass counter and ran her slim finger over the top of it. She knew that she and Luigi were very close, mostly because of all they'd endured together, but she did want so much more.
"What?" Alicia asked, ever astute.
"Nothing."
"D..."
Daisy smiled after hearing her new friend's nickname for her. Alicia nudged her shoulder with two fingers playfully and didn't stop until the dark-haired girl caved.
"Alright," Daisy conceded, "I just. I wish. I know we're close, I just..."
"...Wanna be closer?" Alicia guessed.
Daisy nodded.
"I see." Alicia hummed.
She tilted her head and her big, bushy ponytail swayed to the side. She sat and swiveled in her chair, left to right and back again, for a few minutes.
"You know," She began, twirling a long curl around her pinky finger, "When Dean and I first started dating, he was shy. Like, really, really shy."
"That's pretty much how Luigi is." Daisy noted. She then amended, "Well, he's not shy, he's more um, modest, I guess you'd say."
"Ah." Alicia nodded, "I understand. Sometimes it's good to tell the person you're in love with what you want from them."
Daisy colored a bit and said, "I don't know about that."
"What?" Alicia grinned, rubbing her shoulder against Daisy's. "It's alright to tell him what you want. He's your boyfriend. No doubt he wants to make you happy."
"I know, but this is something kind of...hard to put in words." She struggled to explain.
Alicia ducked her head over to Daisy's and whispered, "How hard can it be to tell him you want him to-"
"Okay, okay," Daisy cut in, "I see your point but it's just not that easy. Luigi gets nervous when we talk about stuff like that."
"Then don't talk. Just do." Alicia suggested simply.
"Again: it's not that easy." Daisy stated.
"Sure it is, girl." Alicia insisted, "Just make the first move and he'll follow."
"You make it sound so easy," Daisy spoke wryly.
"Because it is. Trust me." Alicia claimed. She said, "You know what, I've got an idea. What are you doing today?"
"Um. Nothing. Why?" Daisy asked carefully.
"Good. We're going shopping." She declared.
Daisy recalled the mall and its high expense wares. She knew that wouldn't be possible on her sort of budget. She'd gotten a little careless the last time she was there by not checking the prices beforehand. And having a card made spending that much easier.
"I don't have the money to go shopping right now," Daisy admitted.
"I got you." Alicia said at once. "Don't worry about it."
"Really?" Daisy asked, her expression and tone equally unbelieving.
"You can pay me back by getting some action," Alicia grinned.
They shared a laugh and made plans for the evening.
A/N: Yo. I'm back. Yes me. That one person who used to write fanfiction. Lol. Like I said, sorry for the wait, and the short chapter. It seems like all I do is apologize to you poor readers. Hopefully it won't keep you from leaving a review?
I've got a lot in store for this story, so whoever's still reading, you're in for a treat! We'll check in with the girls and also see what good ole' Luigi is up to. Ludwig and his siblings will also get some time, and who can resist the lovely, magnificent Prince Peasley? Haha. He's my favorite, I think. Who's yours?
I'll 'see' you guys and girls next update!
~DymondGold~