Thank you all so much for your reviews, I ate them up like Bowser eats Cheap-Cheaps (sorry for the disturbing mental image) lol
When you see the asterisk* listen to the song Yonce/Partition by Beyonce. It was what I was listening to when I wrote this, it adds to the mood. Not a demand, just a suggestion.
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!
I also don't own anything related to Harry Potter, all that belongs to J.K. Rowling, but thanks go to her as well because, using her wonderful work, I can expand this story to make it more interesting :)
Chapter Eighteen
It took a lot more than a few gentle words to get Daisy off of me; I damn-near had to pry her hands from around my neck so that I could get to the front of the restaurant and pay the bill. I saw Mr. Salvatore there on his stool, speaking to the attendant. When he saw me with Daisy in tow, he winked.
"Did you enjoy your evening?" He asked.
I smirked a bit and said, "You could say that. I'm here to pay the bill."
"Nonsense!" Mr. Salvatore said to me, "It's on the house."
"Really?" I asked dubiously.
The owner insisted in the affirmative and would take no form of payment I tried to offer, so I thanked him and left it at that. I led Daisy by the hand to the door and then wrapped my arm around her shoulders when she shivered. It'd gotten colder.
"Looks like I have money for a cab after all," I joked to myself.
"A cav?" Daisy echoed curiously.
I glanced down at her and kissed her forehead, saying against it, "It's a form of public transit. A driver gives you a ride for a fee."
"Like an escort?" Daisy asked.
I knew she was thinking of the hired coachmen that were so common in the Mushroom World, so I nodded. Suddenly Daisy brightened with excitement.
"Luigi," Daisy breathed with a smile on her lips, "can we take a cav? It sounds nice."
"It's not."
"Can we?"
"You won't like it," I told her, "They're overpriced, overrated. And the cabbies around here talk too much."
"Luigi..."
We were walking so slowly to my car and had at last gotten to it. I stopped and looked at the girl under my arm. She was giving me her most pathetic, pleading look. It was super effective. I sighed and kissed the bridge of her nose softly, then pecked at her mouth.
"Have it your way," I relented. "But we're only gonna' circle the block and come back to this lot, okay?"
Daisy grinned and nodded. I sighed again and guided her by the waist over to the curbside. She was instantly intrigued when I just stood there with my arm out.
"What are you doing?" She asked, "Where's the cav?"
"Cab." I corrected. "I'm hailing it. They usually come round about every five to ten minutes. There shouldn't be much...ah, man."
I frowned because, although the traffic going would be good, the traffic coming back would be slow, I could see that now. I turned to Daisy as a yellow vehicle came driving up. I had a feeling the speedy arrival was due in part to her. Daisy beamed at the sight of it. I found her innocuous awe at the taxi and the biting cold were working to dispel the remains of my arousal. I reached into my pocket and pulled ten dollars from my wallet.
"Just run us around the block, please." I spoke to the driver.
He turned his head as Daisy and I got into the backseat and took the money with a nod. Usually I'd wait until I got where I was going to pay the driver but not tonight. This was just a joy ride. I sat at the left end of the backseat and buckled up, then showed Daisy how to do the same. She grinned excitedly and held my hand.
"Thank you," Daisy said to me. "Thank you for the dinner and for this."
"You're welcome, Daisy." I told her. "I would do anything to make you happy."
Daisy kissed me on the cheek and then leaned her head on my shoulder. Maybe it was the champagne, or maybe it was Daisy giving me a new outlook; either way, I actually enjoyed the next five minutes. The ride was smooth and the lights looked sort of magical as they whirred past the cab window.
Yeah, it's the champagne
Daisy looked absolutely angelic as she lay her head against me. She'd closed her eyes a bit and I could see the lights reflected in them. Her breathing was slow and even. I put my arm around her and stroked her arm, kissing the top of her head fondly. This was a good moment. A moment I could revisit and relive in my old age.
"I love you," I said into her hair.
Daisy gazed up at me and smiled serenely, saying, "I love you, too. Can I ask why you did all this?"
"Hm?"
"Not that I don't appreciate it," Daisy said quickly, "I just wanted to know if there was a reason why you've done this."
I laughed and said, "There doesn't need to be a reason, but honestly I felt terrible for all I've put you through since you've got here. Not just the stuff at the club."
"Oh Luigi, you didn't have to feel bad." She told me. "That's just life, I guess. Not everything goes how we plan. Don't feel bad. I'm just glad you brought me here to live with you in the first place. I'm grateful for every day I get to be with you."
"Not as much as I am," I whispered back to her.
I think there was something in my eyes because there was a faint prickling sensation coming over them. I blinked until it went away.
The cab slowed to a halt with the engine still running. It'd happened, we'd hit it; the terrible traffic. The driver turned and faced us.*
"We're gonna' be a while," He warned, "meter's still running, by the way."
"Good to know," I replied with a smile that was overly genuine in my zeal to make it sarcastic.
As if in some sort of move for consolation, the driver turned the radio up. I winced when the car rumbled behind the force of the bass in the song. Sultry lyrics poured through the speakers.
Boy this all for you just walk my way
(Just tell me how it's lookin' bae)
Do this all for you baby just take aim
(Just tell me how it's lookin' bae, how it's lookin' bae)
"Looks like we're stuck," I said to Daisy. "Sorry, it's the traffic."
Daisy gave me a devious smile and put her right leg over my left. She splayed a hand over my chest and kissed my temple.
The girl whispered near my ear, "It's alright. I'm sure we can find something to do."
There was a click as she turned and unhooked her seat belt and moved closer to me. She put one hand on my shoulder while she pushed a kiss under my jaw. The other hand of hers was pressed onto the seat in between my legs to support herself. I got chills at the feel of her breath on my neck, then shivered when she ran her hand from my shoulder down my arm. She laced her fingers in mine and I took my free hand to remove hers from between my legs. It was making me itch. Not that Daisy's fluttery little kisses along my throat and chin weren't doing the same thing.
Yonce all on his mouth like liquor
Yonce all on his mouth like liquor
Like like liquor
Like like like liquor
"I can taste the champagne on your mouth," Daisy murmured.
She'd worked her way there by now. The half-drunk side of me made my smile sort of sloppy.
"What else you taste?" I asked, my voice coming out a bit huskier than I planned for it to.
Daisy laughed. She was in my lap now. The girl moved fast, or maybe the alcohol was making me slower, I didn't know. Didn't care. Her lips were impossibly soft and warm and damn was that her ass in my hands? I moved them to her thighs.
"Mm, Luigi you can put them back." She spoke playfully.
So I did. But they didn't stay there for long, because when Daisy started rocking her hips into mine and I felt the blood rushing to my lower half, I tightened my fingers around her thighs, under her dress.
"Ow!" Daisy hissed.
"I'm sorry!" I blurted in turn.
I knew I'd gripped her thighs too hard and loosened my hold.
Daisy pulled back and looked down at me. I had a real good view of her chest from that vantage point, but her seductive expression had my eyes locked on hers. It was getting hot, getting hard to breathe normally. Daisy's breaths were coming in pants as well, making her chest heave up and down; my attention was pulled back down to it once more.
"I didn't mean to hurt you," I said slowly, distractedly.
"You didn't hurt me," She said, "not really."
"Uh-huh." I murmured absently.
"You don't have to stare," Daisy smirked.
She then reached forward and took my wrists. First she slid them up her taut stomach, covered by her dress but warm nonetheless, then she moved them over her chest. All the while she fixed that same sexy stare on me; it was a mix of lust and challenge. I closed my fingers over her breast and she gasped and bit down on her bottom lip. Her hands ghosted over my shirt and down to my pants. I flinched violently when she slipped her fingers behind my belt.
"Don't," I told her in a low voice, "Not here."
"That's what you said before." she stated almost plaintively.
"I know but if you touch me there I'll lose my mind." I said baldly.
"And that's a bad thing?" Daisy asked coyly.
I felt a smirk tugging at my lips and shook my head. Daisy was trying to put my hands under my shirt but I took them and kissed the backs of her knuckles.
"Daisy," I spoke slowly, "I don't wanna' fuck you in the back of a taxi."
Daisy's eyes widened at first and in those streetlights I could see her blush. But then she put her weight on her hands and her hands on my knees and leaned forward. She dipped her head to the side of mine and ran her tongue up my jaw. Like a snake, another whip of desire coiled tightly in my body.
"Why not?" She breathed next to my ear.
I think she'd had a little too much champagne, too, because there was no way she'd just asked me that. I stiffened next to her, then felt a bit of relief when she pulled back with a laugh. She was kidding. She was teasing me.
Damn that was cruel.
There were six little assets sitting at the table and yet Ludwig was ready to cut his losses and say to hell with them all. They were frustrating him in their own unique ways. The feeling was mutual in regards to almost each of his siblings as well. Wendy, for one, could hardly stomach staying in the same vicinity as her older brother. Over the course of the last month, she'd grown farther and farther apart from him. Now she didn't even recognize him as the older brother that he used to be. That could be taken in the physical sense, to a degree; his hair had gotten longer, it would've reached his tailbone if he hadn't have cut it in the center of his back, and darker. His emerald eyes were noticeably flecked with gold, too, standing out against his alabaster skin.
He may look flawless on the outside, Wendy thought to herself, but inside he's a monster. Who else would do this to their own brothers and sister?
To what she was referring was their training. Her session earlier had been particularly hard on her. Basic training was grueling as usual for her, but her one-on-one time with Ludwig only cemented her resentment towards the fickle ruler. The lesson started out bearably enough, a simple lecture on how to freeze water. Wendy had picked that up in no time at all. She could innately feel and manipulate the particles in the water and could pack them together to make ice. That was easy. At last she'd gotten a word of praise from the relentless taskmaster that was her brother.
But then Ludwig had told her that her control was not limited to just water, that she had rule over any liquid substance. He told her that if she could manipulate water, she could manipulate blood. She hadn't believed him. So he brought forth a few Koopas and that's where things got nasty. He told her to search for the coppery liquid within the Koopas and seize hold of it; he wanted her to freeze their blood. He wanted her to kill them.
Naturally, she refused. They argued a great deal, and then he did the one thing he knew would get to her; he'd said since she refused to obey him, he'd go after Munson and give her a proper demonstration of how the move should be executed.
Evil, despicable, lying monster, Wendy thought bitterly.
But under the anger there was an extensive amount of guilt and shame. She'd believed Ludwig when he threatened Munson, and so she'd caved. She'd done as her brother asked, she'd frozen the Koopas' blood and watched them crumple to the ground. The flow to the brain was frozen, hence their momentary bout of unconsciousness. But as soon as they collapsed, Wendy had gotten spooked and the blood had a chance to thaw and, with the Koopas' remarkable immune and recovery systems, they were sputtering and coming to soon after. She was incredibly and irrevocably scarred.
Speaking of scarred, her youngest brother was facing a similar psychological dilemma. He was only seven and yet he felt an immense weight on his mind not only from his feelings regarding his harsh training, but also as to the morality of keeping his best friend's secret. Granted, he didn't know of this all, but he could feel the turmoil in his reluctance to make a decision regarding outing the prince or staying quiet as he'd been told to.
He, like Wendy, was weary from training and hungry, but he couldn't eat for how badly his mind was working over these troubling thoughts. He picked at his mashed potatoes in the same way that Wendy was as she sat across from the little child. Lemmy pushed a lock of his multi-colored hair behind his ear and blew out a sigh. Not only was he torn about telling Ludwig what he'd seen, but more importantly he was missing his friend. Since that frightening night, Junior had not been back upstairs.
He didn't even come up to eat, Lemmy realized with concern. He suddenly glanced up at his eldest brother.
"I need to go." He declared.
Ludwig rose a brow in question.
Lemmy said, "I need to take this food to B-Jun because he's probably hungry and I don't really want to eat it."
Ludwig thought it strange that he'd not seen the late king's heir in some days but didn't remark upon the matter. He gave his brother a nod and watched the child climb down from the table with plate in hand, then hurry off towards the double doors leading out of the dining hall.
Larry was also watching and he, too, thought it strange he hadn't been seeing the prince around. He was much too preoccupied with his own thoughts as well, though. He was still uneasy about the things he did while training with Ludwig, but if his eldest brother said it was fine and that it didn't hurt anyone in the end, he supposed it was alright. He was eating lightly from his plate of food, much less full of smiles and jokes than he'd ever been. He spared a glance next to him at Wendy, who had a mix of emotions vying for dominance over her features, and then glanced to the left where Iggy sat at the head of the table opposite Ludwig.
At least I'm not the only one who's feeling kinda meh, Larry thought when he saw the look on Iggy's face.
Iggy was glaring down at his food in consternation. He felt like something was wrong, very wrong. He didn't know what it was, couldn't put his finger on it, but he could feel something off inside his body. There was a restlessness just festering in the pit of his stomach, like some kind of foreign magic. He knew what his own magic felt like, he'd had his powers since he was a small child, even if he couldn't remember anything else from before.
And speaking of that, he couldn't remember what happened to his invention, the one from a few days ago whose formula he'd altered so as not to kill anyone. Ludwig had concocted a lethal mixture for him to use in conjunction with a new weapon Iggy was supposed to be developing, but Iggy couldn't remember where he put his notes or his work and Ludwig hadn't said a word about it.
That's not like him, Iggy knew, he's the type to hound me until I've done what he's asked. There's something going on here.
Added to the puzzle was the matter of Ludwig casting frequent glances at him: Iggy's suspicious nature was aroused. He leveled his eldest brother with a long, gauging stare. Ludwig looked away, but only because there was an attendant of his with a piece of mail. While Ludwig read over it, Iggy let his eyes rove over to his oblivious brother MJ and then to the lean, muscular Roy sitting next to him. While MJ was shoveling food in his face as per usual, Roy was brooding. He was staring down at his food with his fork clenched tightly in his right hand. Every now and again Roy would cut his eyes over to Ludwig, then angrily glare back down at his food.
I wonder what's bothering him, Iggy thought idly.
Roy was directly affected by his sister's mood. He could see the overt emotions she was displaying, and her petulant anger at Ludwig and anything related to training was frustrating to him.
Can't she see I'm trying to make this easier for her, Roy thought with mild ire. He wanted to get her used to the idea of bettering her skills but she wasn't having it at all. His anger wasn't towards her, though, not really. He could clearly tell Wendy was deeply bothered by something else. He saw flashes of guilt and sadness and felt a stab in his gut each time he caught them. He wanted to talk to her and comfort her, but he didn't know what the problem was or how he could help, mainly since Wendy still wasn't on good terms with him.
I wish she'd cut that petty shit out and just let me stop her from hurting, Roy thought.
"It would seem we've been invited to a wedding in two weeks." Ludwig announced.
That made everyone look up. Larry was the first to speak.
He asked with muted enthusiasm, "Who's getting married?"
Ludwig folded the parchment of mail into thirds and stuck the paper under his plate. He leaned back in his chair and was eyeing Iggy when he responded.
"Mario and Peach."
"I remember them," MJ stated, then frowned and added, "I think."
"If you have to think about it, you probably don't remember," Iggy spoke up.
MJ said, "Huh?"
Ludwig glanced sharply at Iggy but Iggy just sat slouched back in his own chair, his tone casual but his eyes hard. He knew Ludwig wasn't telling them about their heritage and he knew that Ludwig knew that he knew, hence the sharp look the navy-haired king was shooting him.
"You'll remember them when you see them," Ludwig spoke to MJ with his emerald eyes still on Iggy.
"So we're all going?" MJ asked.
Of his siblings, he was the only one who seemed to be behaving normally. His obliviousness was a blessing in disguise. Ludwig finally looked at MJ and was pleased to see the sixteen year old had cleared his plate and was now scratching lightly at his star-shaped scar.
"Cool." MJ remarked.
At least one of them is being cooperative, Ludwig thought.
"No, it's not cool." Wendy suddenly stated, her light blue eyes flinty.
Ludwig rolled his eyes, thinking, here it comes.
To him Wendy said, "So I can go to some stupid wedding but I can't go into town?"
Ludwig was silent. He found it would prevent any excessive dramatics when it came to his sister. She was even more incensed at his silence, though.
"Can I at least bring Munson?" She asked in a very soft voice.
Ludwig said, "You already knew the answer to that before the words even left your mouth. But to clear any confusion, no. You can't."
"Fuck you." Wendy spoke in a low voice.
MJ nearly fell out of his chair. Larry's eyes widened, but he didn't derive as much pleasure from the confrontation as he used to. He was just tired. Roy looked either impressed or was grimacing, and Iggy was observing Ludwig very carefully. Ludwig just sighed.
"You're not helping your case," Ludwig told her, "if anything this speaks for what a negative influence the little wretch is on you."
"Negative influence?!" Wendy suddenly shouted, "I haven't seen him in weeks! If anyone's the negative influence, it's you! You're the one who made me kill someone!"
"Calm down." Ludwig told her tonelessly.
Wendy did the opposite. She stood and balled her fists at her side. The blood was rushing to her neck and face.
"I'm not going to a wedding or anywhere else with you," She spat.
Ludwig said, "You will if I order you to."
"Right. Because you're king." Wendy snorted derisively. "You're king and that means you can force me to kill people and do whatever you like-"
"Wendy, sit down." Ludwig commanded.
"No!" Wendy yelled, then declared, "I hate it here. I am not spending another second in this awful place with you. I hate you."
Ludwig knew he should have felt something at those words, but all he felt inside was a murderous rage at being openly defied. He knew he wouldn't act on that rage, because it wasn't his. He'd never felt that way about anyone, let alone his one and only sister.
Wendy had tears in her eyes after she said that and a bit of regret passed over her face before she turned and stormed to her room. Everyone heard her door slam violently but only MJ was stunned.
At the table Roy faltered. He'd never seen Wendy like this before. His sister was not one to throw a tantrum of this caliber. He knew something serious was going on and he knew it was imperative he found out what made her say those things. He warred with himself a moment more, then stood and headed after her.
Ludwig said quietly, "This changes nothing. Every last one of you is going to that wedding."
"It doesn't matter where we go if we don't know where we came from." Iggy said softly, "Unless, of course, you feel like sharing something with the rest of us?"
Ludwig looked about ready to wring his brother's neck. He knew the game his younger brother was playing. Iggy's countenance was cool and aloof on the surface, but there was a cold well of disgust behind those inquisitive eyes. MJ looked between the two in confusion. Larry was caught in his own thoughts again, paying no attention. He was none the wiser to the electricity-charged stare-down between Iggy and Ludwig.
When Ludwig said nothing else, Iggy scoffed.
"That's what I thought." He remarked, then stood and said, "I'm going to excuse myself, Your Highness. It would appear I've lost my appetite."
With him left Larry so the only two at the table were Ludwig and MJ. The latter was thoroughly befuddled, and glanced around him warily. He felt like he'd entered an alternate dimension where nothing made sense anymore.
Aloud MJ asked, "What is up with everyone tonight?"
It could have been his eyes, but that mark had gotten bigger. It wasn't a large difference, hence Peasley's confusion. He idly recalled Luigi telling him about a device from his world that could draw up instantaneous replicas of moments in life, whether moving or still.
That would have been handy to have a few days ago, Peasley thought to himself. He could have been able to compare the phonograph image, or was it photograph? He would have the image to compare today. The red mark still didn't hurt or itch. It was just a mark.
He observed the blemish on the back of his hand a moment more, then glanced at his reflection in his bathroom mirror. He was otherwise flawless in terms of physical appearance. He went about the task of grooming himself in preparation for the day ahead. When he walked back to his bedroom in search of a pair of gloves, there was a knock on his door. He answered it, hiding his afflicted hand behind his back.
"Yes?" Peasley spoke to one of his guards.
"Your Majesty," The woman spoke, "You've received correspondence from the Mushroom Kingdom."
At the same time, she handed her ruler a beige envelope. Also at the same time, she snuck in an appreciative glance at her king's bare-chested form.
"Thank you, Griselda." Peasley stated in dismissal, his olive eyes reading over the mail.
Griselda bowed and then returned to her post.
"A wedding?" Peasley said, smiling faintly. "Well it's about time."
He thought then of what he would wear and who he would take. The mysterious blemish was already far from his mind.
Tonight I was playing an incredibly fun game of 'keep the raging testosterone-fueled emotions at bay and drive at the same time'. Note the sarcasm. It was my only defense against the rapid loss of control I was experiencing. I was 26 years old, I'd lusted after women in my life, not many but there were some. However, the desire was never this debilitating. It felt like my body was on fire and every one of my nerves were hyped up on caffeine, not to mention the. No. I won't mention the most obvious and pervasive symptom I was going through.
Stay focused on the road, I told myself, almost to my apartment now. Won't be much longer.
I knew I probably shouldn't have, but I glanced at Daisy. She was sitting in the passenger's seat of my car and had one leg crossed over the other. She looked like a model in a perfume ad. Her body was turned towards me and the main thing that kept me from thinking about what she'd look like sans the clothes was the troubled expression on her face.
"What's the matter?" I asked her gently, though the tone was warped because of my strain to keep my emotions in check.
"Nothing." Daisy said at first, then said, "Well, it's something. I'm just. Nervous."
I glanced at her again and saw the telltale signs; she was wringing her hands in her lap and worrying her bottom lip. I wish I could do that, her lip was soft and sweet, I knew from experience.
Focus
"Why are you nervous?" I then asked.
There was a red light coming up. Perfect. I slowed the car in advance in preparation to stop. Daisy looked even more gorgeous now that there was more light spilling into the car. She pushed her bang out of her eye and fiddled with the diamond choker around her neck. I took her hand in mine and kissed the back of her knuckles to calm her. It took a lot of will not to slip those slender fingers into my mouth like I wanted to.
"Luigi," Daisy started fitfully, "I don't, that is, I do want to um."
"It's okay," I said, thinking that she'd benefit from hearing those words.
She smiled a bit, then panned her features out to a slightly determined expression. She was going to say what was on her mind.
"I want you to make love to me," She stated. "Like you said earlier."
I tensed.
"I want to be intimate with you," She continued, "I want you to touch me in places no one ever has. I want to share myself with you, my whole self, but I'm nervous."
It would be best if I concentrated on her words and not the mental picture they were giving me. A car behind me honked their horn loudly, the light had changed to green, and that helped bring me back to the present matter at hand. I needed to drive home without wrecking my already crappy car. I needed to get home because the suspense was killing me. I glanced again at Daisy.
"You're nervous." I said, trying to jog my memory of what she'd just told me.
Gotta be the worst boyfriend, I assessed, not even listening when the girl is pouring her heart out to me.
"Yes," Daisy nodded. "I know what I want, which is you, and I know what I want you to do to me. But this is the first time I've ever done anything like this, so I'm very excited but also very scared."
"Okay."
Daisy's gaze clearly told me she was in want of something more. I just had no other excuse than I'd been blindsided. A year ago, I was hung up on my brother's fiancee and now I've got a girl who's pretty much giving herself over to me, a girl I love and would never dream of hurting, but who I really want to be inside of as soon as possible.
That was...blunt. Jeez, what is wrong with me?
"Luigi?"
"Yeah?"
"What do you think?" Daisy asked me.
Please don't ask me what's on my mind
"About what?" I frowned, then said, "Oh. Right. You're nervous. And scared. And excited. That's good, that's all good. It's pretty much what I feel, too."
"Really?" Daisy looked greatly relieved.
I nodded and said, "We can go slow with this. I think uh, I think that's what we need to do. Make sure we're both on the same page and uh. Um. Yeah."
I literally could not concentrate. There was just too much on my mind. That's why, when we got to my apartment, I released a breathy sigh; it was taking way too much energy to navigate the road and process all this at the same time. I killed the engine in the parking space and closed my eyes. My fingers were wrapped around the steering wheel so tightly because, unlike the situation, it was the closest thing I could get a grip on. I inhaled slowly and then turned to Daisy. She looked just as she'd said she was feeling; nervous and excited. She gave me a shy smile.
"Are you alright?" She asked me.
I nodded and said, "Yeah. I'm good. Come on, let's go."
A/N: I'm stopping here, so sorry. I will give you people what you want, don't worry. But it probably won't be what you expect... ;)
N-T-ways...
Hope you're enjoying the story! If you have any questions or are confused by anything, just review or PM me and I'll get back to you personally.
You guys have to tell me, what do you like most about the story? Who's your favorite character right now? What do you think will happen next? I mean, with DxL, it's pretty obvious...or is it?
Until next chapter,
~DymondGold~