Authors Note:
Here's the second chapter! I hope you all enjoy.
Mario was stopped, he felt as if an ice flower had just struck him where he stood. His mouth was agape, finding who was sitting next to his papa. The old toad was there, hunched over the table, twiddling his bony fingers, and giving the young man a cruel side eye. From what he saw, his parents had catered to his presence, setting down a napkin on the table and a pillow under his chair. It was like they were compensating for their sons' and their unruly friends' behavior towards him lately.
Mario gulped, not knowing what to say, "Alfredo?" He asked.
From behind him, his three friends crowded at the doorway with their eyes peering into the house, "Man, what's goin' on?" Lou slapped Mario on the shoulder, "We're hungry, I'm dyin' for some of that 'fredo, dude." He added, also picking up on the smell of heated cheese and boiling pasta once he stepped through the door.
Reggie and their other friend did the same, they didn't complain like Lou and instead leaned over Mario's shorter body. Their heads peaked in alongside Lou's and at the same exact moment, all of their eyelids flew open. Mario realized they had noticed too, feeling the tense in their bodies.
They knew not to say a word, catching the cold gleam in Papa's azure eyes. The friends held back any sassy remarks they may have had and swallowed them down with the spit that built up in their mouths.
"Ohh, Mama Mia…" Luigi drawled to himself. He had been pushed behind everyone else and was blocked from seeing the sight inside. Sensing the stiffness in his brother's and his friend's bodies, it indicated that something was askew.
After he heard some maneuvering around in the kitchen nearby, Mario heard briskly footsteps heading towards the table, "...Ma's coming." he thought to himself.
Mama soon came into his view, coming to stand at the edge of the table, just a few feet away from the toad. She threw a dish rag into one of the pockets on her red rose styled apron and crossed her arms. Her face was turned down into a frown as she made eye contact with her son. "Mario. Luigi." Mama spoke in a harsh Italian accent, which sounded very similar to the brothers'.
"MAMA!" Luigi pushed through his friends as well as his brother at the sound of his mother's voice. His arms flailed apart, running towards her with tears running down his eyes in relief,
"You-You wouldn't believe what-a-Mario made me do!" He threw his arms around her waist and cried obnoxiously into her apron. Mama was not amused. She didn't untie her arms to comfort her son, like she would usually do.
Luigi peaked up from the apron, "Mama?"
"Are you blind, bro?!" Mario shouted, to which Luigi whipped his head around. He happened to do so in the old toad's direction. Meeting that stare made Luigi jump. He scurried back towards his brother and away from the toad, "How did he get-a-here?!"
Mama turned her heavy gaze towards their three friends, who were still cowering at the door. Do they not have the decency to leave already?
"So, no alfredo?" Lou asked, shrugging his shoulders and ignoring the elbow from Mario to shut up.
She was not happy with his comment, and she stormed over to the three of them. Whipping the rag out of her apron, Mama flung it around in front of them, "Now shoo!"
"Let's skedaddle, boys." The third friend remarked, pulling both Reggie and Lou by their arms and away from Mama. The three skidded out of the doorway, once the moist rag was spun in their faces. They scrambled down the patio, their feet clamoring on the shaking wood. Hopping down the stairs, they fell onto the stone driveway and disappeared down the dimly lit street.
Once they were gone, Mama reached behind Mario to slam the door. Once it shut, both Mario and Luigi gulped. They were alone with an angry Mama, Papa and toad, with nowhere to escape the harsh scolding they were inevitably going to get.
Papa was the first to speak, "Boys."
Mama pulled two chairs out from the table, across from Papa and the old toad, "Sit." She added, and her sternness was nothing to scoff at. There was no joking now.
Obediently, Luigi moved quickly and took his seat across from Papa. He did not want to be looking into those beady eyes for however long they were going to be sitting there. Seeing that Mario stood back, Luigi shrugged at his brother's disobedience.
"I don't-a-wanna sit!" Mario exclaimed, throwing his jacket off and crossed his arms, "I want to eat some alfredo!"
"Stop with the alfredo already!" He heard his Papa say.
Mama scowled, "Well you better! And if you keep that attitude up, you won't have any and I won't make it again for another month!"
Mario knew he could not give that up. Not being able to have his Mama's specialty alfredo pasta for a whole month was a horrifying thought. He sucked in his pride and took his seat next to his brother.
The brothers avoided making eye contact with their parents as they began to speak.
"Charles." Papa addressed the toad, "Tell me what's going on with our boys."
The toad rolled his forearm over his mouth, shifting around in his chair, "Well, sir, they've trespassed on my property with a few of their idiot friends for the third time this week and have been pullin' all sorts of pranks on me."
He added, "It's been scarin' my chickens too!"
"Boys."
Luigi cried out, pointing over towards Mario, "Mario made-a-me do it! I didn't-a-wanna!"
Mario hissed, "Could you let-a-me handle this?!" after slapping Luigi on the shoulder.
"Be mature." Mama scolded.
"This guy-a-hasn't been giving Weege his-a-tips for his-a-paper route!" Mario said, "Everyone on the entire block gives my bro tips, but he-a-hasn't!"
The old toad pulled a frown and bared his displaced teeth in anger, "Because I couldn't!" He blurted, "My wife's been ill and I've been puttin' all the coins I have to her and I can't waste any!"
Eyes widening with shock, a wave of guilt struck Luigi. He sulked back in his chair modestly, and put a hand to his temple, contemplating what he had just heard. He was wrong in thinking Mario would do the same.
"It's just five coins! Everyone else on the neighborhood does it!" Mario stood up from his seat and towered over the sitting toad. Mama and Papa's were appalled at their son's words, they stared up at him intently, "What's everyone looking at-a-me for?"
Suddenly, after he looked down at Luigi and saw his expression, Mario realized what he had said. He once again stood frozen, now just thinking about what the toad had to say. He cursed himself internally, Good Stars, he just belittled an old toad about his financial situation. A shout from his Papa brought him back to Earth, "Sit down!"
This time, Mario did as he was told and settled back in his chair, avoiding eye contact with the man and peering down at his hands now settled in his lap.
The toad took a deep breath, "Well, it's very late now and I should be getting back."
Mama moved out from her seat and moved over to the refrigerator. She brought out two styrofoam containers of chilled pasta and placed them on the table near him. The toad took the two containers, "Thank you for listening to me. It's been just dandy." He nodded to both Mama and Papa, who both thanked him back profusely.
The toad turned back to the brothers, before he was in the doorway, "Now, you two. I don't want to see you near my property again, ok? Only if you're there to mow the lawn, help feed the chickens or clean my house."
Papa opened the door for the toad and once it shut, he went back over to the table where his wife and sons were sitting, "That would be a good little job for you, Mario."
"Nah." Mario rolled his eyes.
"Luigi has the paper route, you need something too. It'll get you some work experience." Papa suggested, "If you want to work with Uncle Vince, you both need to be a little more mature."
Mama almost laughed as she rose an eyebrow at her husband, "A little?"
"C'mon...Mama…" Luigi sniffed, "I swear to the Stars Mario is the one bringing me into this stuff!"
"Could you stop for-a-once?!"
Papa shouted, "ENOUGH!"
He immediately caught the brothers' attention. their eyes were snapped away from each other and towards their frustrated Papa.
"We have two things to work on with you both." Papa said, "Luigi, I want you owning up to things and Mario, I want a little more respect out of you."
Dinner that night was slow...and awkward to say the least. It was unlike most nights, where the atmosphere would be lively with the sound of hearty conversation and laughter. Fresh food also wasn't pouring out from the kitchen. Mama didn't make as much food. She usually made an assortment of dishes, pasta, breadsticks and salad galore that could feed an entire toad army but today, it was only cold alfredo linguini. Papa didn't go on about his day at work nor did Mama. The whole family sat in silence with one another.
Mario slurped up his alfredo fast and eagerly as if nothing changed while Luigi ate much slower and kept his head turned downwards. Within a few minutes, Mario had cleared his plate and placed it in the sink. He didn't look back at everyone when he bolted upstairs to his and Luigi's room.
Luigi watched his brother and heard the footsteps upstairs march towards their room.
"Luigi." Papa said.
"Yes, Papa?"
"We're making some decisions regarding you and your brother right now."
Hearing this, Luigi's ears perked up with interest. Something about that whole sentence gave him a chill. That could mean literally anything.
"What...kind-a-decisions?" He expected a vague answer and he got exactly that.
Papa and Mama glanced at each other as if they were communicating through their eyes, "Changes for the better. The better of both of you." Mama said.
Author's note:
I'm sorry Mario is kind of a jerk here, I guess it's just how I picture him at a younger age. Also, Mario loves his alfredo sauce. (In Partners in Time, the Star Gate says that Mario should "lay off the alfredo sauce". lol)