Author's note:
Chapter 3 is here!
Even though they were almost twenty, Mario and Luigi still slept in the same room. They were twins and lived in a smaller sized mushroom house, so it wasn't as weird as one might think. Of course they had separate beds, toothbrushes and closets, but they still shared a bathroom, which does get a little hectic.
On the side table between their two beds, the minute hand on the shine sprite alarm clock pointed to twelve. The sound of an ear piercing bell rang in the brother's ears. Mario was the first one to bolt awake, wearing a wide smile across his face, "Bro!" he shouted over to his brother to the bed beside his, who was clutching a pink Amazy Dayzee plush while he slept.
He threw off the fluffy, star designed red sheets and jumped off the bed in a rush. Rather than the clock, the sound of the ruffling of Mario's matching red PJs and the sheets woke Luigi up.
He drawled in a low, tired voice, "Mariooo…" and he flipped the green koopa shell patterned sheets over his head to block out the ruckus. Luigi snuggled against the Amazy Dayzee stuffed plush, closing his crusty, sleep filled eyes, "Ughhh...why did you set the alarm so-a-early, bro?"
"Early?" Mario laughed, bending over his brother's lying body to shake his shoulders, "Bro, you can't be-a serious! You know I'm a morning person, Weege!"
"But this is too early!" Luigi pouted from under the sheets, "It's-a six in the morning!"
It was true, Mario was a big morning person, something about the sunshine rising over the horizon had always raised his spirits. Today, however, Mario was more boisterous, like he would be during a holiday. Luigi knew he would be, given what they were going to be doing that day. He should've prepared himself for that.
Luigi got no response back from his brother and he rolled his eyes. He flopped back onto the pillows as Mario bounced out of the room and down the darkened hallway. He could barely close his eyes and relax with Mario's skipping footsteps at the other end of the wall, "Mama Mia, Mario…"
The door to the bathroom was swung open and the mushroom-shaped light turned on. Grabbing his red and white toothbrush and strawberry flavored toothpaste, Mario began brushing his teeth in the mirror. As he scrubbed his naturally white, perfectly framed teeth, Mario began bobbing his body up and down to a small tune in his head. He glanced down at a small radio sitting on a stool and cranked the wooden knob.
Coincidentally, the song Mario he secretly wished would play, came on. It was almost halfway through the song, but Mario didn't mind and embraced the fortuitous occurrence. Through his toothpaste filled mouth, Mario began to sing the lyrics,
"Strangers waiting
Up and down the boulevard
Their shadows searching in the night...
Streetlights, people, living just to find emotion
Hiding somewhere in the night"
Mario sang like his heart was pouring out of him, he knew the lyrics so well that they just flowed naturally.
"Workin' hard to get my fill
Everybody wants a thrill
Payin' anything to roll the dice just one more time..."
He shut the door of the bathroom, knowing his parents would yell at him as loud he was singing if they were to hear. Mario ignored Luigi wailing just a few ways down the hallway, "What is that-a-horrible sound?!" He was missing out on the fun anyway, clutching onto that toy he probably found in the girls' section of a toy store.
"It's-a-the number one song, Weege! Come out-a-that rock you're under!" Mario said to himself before continuing to sing.
"Some will win, some will lose
Some were born to sing the blues
Oh, the movie never ends
It goes on and on, and on, and on"
He spit the toothpaste filled saliva into the sink before the lyrics started back up again.
"Strangers waiting
Up and down the boulevard
Their shadows searching in the night...
Streetlights, people
Livin' just to find emotion
Hidin' somewhere in the night"
He held his voice long and high without it cracking horribly during the last note of the lyric. That was always his favorite part of the song and he was the only one in his group of friends that could pull it off without sounding like a dying goat (that's what he thought, at least). It made Mario pretty dang proud, since Reggie always patted him on the back for it during karaoke nights at the club.
After recovering his breath during the pause in the singing, Mario plopped the toothbrush back into its container, right next to Luigi's green one. He bobbed his head to the guitar solo, his frizzy brown hair flopping in and out of his face as he did so. While reaching for the comb in the bottom drawer to put it back into place, Mario began air-guitaring to the higher notes. To an outsider, he may have appeared to look like an idiot, but he didn't care. No one was here to crush on his solo party.
He may not have a gift for singing, but he did for dancing.
"Don't stop believing
Hold on to that feeling...
Streetlights, people...
Don't stop believing
Hold on…"
"Streetlights, people…"
"Don't stop believing…"
The song began to drown out after that point, just as Mario finished combing his hair back into position, "Lookin-a good, Mista Mario!" He clicked his mouth and gave himself a point in front of the mirror. The radio began playing another song, one that he didn't care for and Mario turned the volume lower.
He opened the door to the bathroom. He was all ready to slide to the bottom of stairs and into the living room to wait for everyone to get up. Once the door opened, someone was already awake, "Bro, that horrible sound was only the best song ever-!" It wasn't Luigi. The taller figure standing at the doorway was Mama, with her arms crossed, hair draped down to the base of her neck and nightgown still on.
"What are you doing up?"
From down the hallway, Luigi spoke up, "That's what I asked…"
"Shut up, bro!" Mario screeched, only to be shushed by his mother, I'm getting ready early for the visit to-a Uncle Vince, Ma!"
Mama rolled her eyes, "I should tell you everyday is a visit to Vince's just so you'll get ready earlier instead of lounging around in the living room."
"I'm a morning person, Ma"
"It's six o'clock, Mario, we're not leaving for another hour and a half." Mama took her son by the shoulders and guided him back to his and Luigi's room, "I can't believe I have to tell my twenty year old son to go back to bed."
Mario didn't respond to that and instead gave a huff when he was dragged back into his room. How could he go to sleep with all this morning energy cooped up? Mario pouted with puffed up cheeks, "Maaa…"
"Go to sleep, you and your brother were up late." It was over when Mama shut the door.
Mario fumbled his way back to his bed, which was the one closest to the door. He fell onto his abdomen on the bed, digging his face into the sheets.
From beside him, Mario could hear his brother snickering and he mumbled, "What are-a you laughing at?"
"I can't-a believe they're still letting you go to Vince's for the weekend, after what you did." Luigi admitted.
"I did?!" Mario pulled his face up from the sheets angrily, "You were-a there too!"
'I don't-a do half the things you do!" Luigi noted.
"What did Pa tell you about owning up to stuff?!"
Luigi gave his easily flustered brother a collected response, "Whatever, Mario." He snuggled closer to the Amazy Dayzee plush, "Mama and Papa always believe me anyway."
"Like hell they-a do!"
"Probably Uncle Vince will too, once he finds out about everything."
"Come on, bro! He's the chillest dude ever!"
For the sake of Star Haven, Luigi didn't want to poke the flames with Mario anymore. Learning from the past, their petty fights can drag on for hours on end. It would put everyone in the worst mood, "You know-a what, Mario?"
"What?"
"I'm done here, bro." Luigi threw the covers over his head again, "Hope your sleep isn't as bad as your singing."
The last thing he heard before his brother finally turned over and went to sleep was an offended gasp. Luigi had to hold back a laugh.
Mario lugged his suitcase down the wooden staircase, his nostrels welcomed by the sweet aroma of espresso, sweet rusk bread and hot milk. He gave an excited sniff, which added to the excitement that was bubbling in his chest.
Once he arrived at the bottom of the stairs, Mario set his suitcase at the edge of the table. His eyes were greeted with what he smelled earlier. His spot on the table was set with a plate with a piece of toasted bread covered with jam and near to it was a warm glass of hot milk.
Mario sat himself down in the cushioned chair and immediately began to dive into the morning meal.
While he ate, Mario heard footsteps from the ceiling above and he huffed with a mouthful of food.
"Better get down here, Weege!" Mario called to upstairs, "Or else I'm eating it all!"
"NOOO!" He heard a pained voice shout from above him, "MARIO!"
The threat was childish and immature, but it still sent Luigi flying down the stairs with his suitcase. It smashed against the sides of the wall, making the lights and paintings shake from the multiple impacts. Papa peered up from his newspaper at the noise, "Calm down, son!"
Luigi suddenly tripped on the last stair and he fell straight on his face. The suitcase slammed next to him on the ricketing wooden floorboards. Mario snickered while Mama gasped as if she had just come up from underwater.
Mama dashed over to her son whimpering into the floor, "Stars, son! You almost gave me a heart attack!"
"Mama…" Luigi lifted his reddened face, "Mario's being mean again! He threatened he was-a gonna to eat all-a my food!"
"Come on, Weege!" Mario sighed.
Mama slapped a palm to her face, "Oh Stars, help me…"
"Just ignore them, Aldina." Papa said, "Or we'll have this for the whole car ride."
"You're right." Mama helped Luigi to his feet and rubbed his face.
Mario hauled both of their suitcases into the trunk of the car as Luigi got in the backseat, "You could-a-helped!" He said
"You had to do-a-something around here!"
"Boys." Papa growled from the driver's seat.
The car ride was a bunch of...that...Mario and Luigi sassing each other until their Papa yelled at them to be quiet. After an argument, the brothers would cross their arms and turn their backs to each other, like they did when they were children. Their parents assumed they were pouty from last night. Mario tried to keep optimistic, but that annoyed Luigi.
It was late morning once they pulled into a long, paved driveway and Mario and Luigi's eyes beamed. They were fixated on the extensive freshly mowed front lawn.
"Mario, bro, this is the perfecta-a-place to play-a soccer." Luigi rolled down the window with the crank and poke his head out.
Mario cracked his knuckles, "You're-a excited for me to destroy you like I did last time we were-a here?!"
"Why-a do you always have to-a ruin my-a fun?!" He sniffled.
The car stopped in the part of the driveway that widened out into a small parking lot. It parked next to their Uncle's vintage, bright, baby blue vehicle.
Mario got out of the backseat first to unload his and his brother's suitcases while Luigi ran around and onto the porch.
Luigi leapt up the stairs, "Uncle Vince!"
There Uncle Vince stood, right in his front doorway and hearing Luigi's voice, Uncle Vince waved his nephew over, "Hey-a Luigi!"
Stepping out of the doorway, Uncle Vince threw his arms out to greet Luigi, who came running towards him happily. Vince was a pudgy, medium-tall man with messy, curly ash brown hair that was beginning to gray. Luigi always said hugging him was like hugging the softest pillow in the Mushroom Kingdom.
Soaring through the door, came a small chain chomplet. Its tongue came out to lick Luigi's foot, to which he gave a squeal in surprise.
"Don't-a be scared of him, Luigi." Patting Luigi on the back, Vince spoke in a heavy Italian accent and knelt down, "It's-a just Nico" The chomplet barked at his owner before leaping up into his open arms.
Vince effortlessly stood with his chain chomplet, Nico, in his arms. Noticing Luigi's cowering stance, Nico whimpered and stook his tongue out again to lick Luigi's cheek.
Mario soon came and he almost dropped the suitcases down the stairs when his eyes caught sight of Nico, "Nico!" He sat the suitcases on the patio floor and ran to his Uncle. Mario guided his hand over Nico's head and then down his body.
"Vince!" Said Papa, wrapping a hand around the shorter man's shoulders, "Nice seeing you again!"
"Hey-a bro! Your boys sure like Nico here."
"That's good." Papa sighed, "At least they have something in common…"
"So, how's-a Aldina?"
"She's here with us, Vince." Papa pointed over to Mama, who came up the stairs slowly. She needed to pull up her flowing, orange and blue flower-patterned dress to avoid tripping.
"Hello Vince!" Mama waved.
"We have a big-a surprise for you boys." Vince said, eyes batting from Mama and Papa to the brothers.
Mario and Luigi asked in unison with glowing eyes, "What is it?!"
"We'll-a discuss over-a dinner." He placed Nico back onto the floor of the patio for him to run and sit in between the brothers, "For now you boys play in the yard."
Author's Note:
I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! This one was really fun to write. Also, get ready for more 70s and 80s music in this fic.
I do not own Don't Stop Believing by Journey.