"Thank you for joining me for tea, Luigi." Peach said, stirring some sugar into her pink cup of chamomile. It was a cheery day in the Mushroom Kingdom, perfect for sipping tea on the castle balcony. The pinnacle of luxury and sophistication. Not to mention he needed to distract himself, and when Peach invited him, he had happily accepted.

"Heh, thanks for inviting me, Princess." Luigi replied, holding his own cup, although he had green tea. It truly was a magnificent spread, not only because of the tea and tiny sandwiches, but the strawberry and chocolate fairy cakes, truffles, eclairs, caramel coated toffees, rose creams and lemon cookies that were being saved for dessert.. Luigi would have to ask Peach if he could snag a few to go-he knew Mario was obsessed with the rose creams especially.

"I know you've been busy. You and Mario both."

He nodded. "Ah ...yeah with plumbing jobs here and in Brooklyn, it's been hard to find time off."

"Well, I'm glad you could join me. It's been a while since we've had one on one time." She smiled softly. Indeed they had spent time together, usually once a week to chat whenever they were both free. They had grown closer as friends in the time, even with Luigi's slight guilt at his first impression with the Princess.

Though he acknowledged this, he still looked troubled, and avoided her stare.

"You know...they say tea calms the mind." She added, sipping hers slowly. "Coin for your thoughts?"

"Ehhh..." Luigi sighed, stirring his tea. "It's just...I was thinking about the first time we met...it was a little awkward."

"You mean when we met on my wedding day?" She gave a very unladylike snort. "I admit it wasn't the ideal way to meet."

"No, I mean- I was really unkind to you, Princess. I snapped at you."

Peach's eyes went wide. "You don't...think I resent you for that, do you?" He shrugged. "Luigi, I would never! You thought Mario was dead for Grambi's sake, of course you would be in a state! I don't blame you at all."

"I know but that doesn't excuse my behavior!"

"Luigi." Peach stared at him until he met her blue eyes. "You had the right to be upset. You were scared. We all were! But now it's alright. We're all okay. Well, relatively speaking...ah." She frowned, outlining the edge of her cup with her fingernail.

He knew exactly what she was referring to. "Hey, I'm still okay. That whole thing with your party-"

"It never should have happened." She whispered. "I should have known Bowser would come back, I should have at least tightened security! What kind of friend, let alone Princess am I? I let you get captured by that monster-"

"Hey," Luigi stopped her. "Now look who's playing the blame game?"

She gave him a weak smile. "Me, I guess."

There was a long pause as they continued to sip their drinks. "Bowser didn't harm me, you know." He muttered after a long pause.

"What?"

"Mario didn't believe me either. But he actually brought me back himself."

"That's...odd. It's like how he surrendered at our wedding. Thank goodness he did, but still..." Peach took a sip, thinking. "Did he say anything else? Something that would indicate why?"

His cheeks reddened. "Er, no! Nope. Nothing at all." But Peach was sharper than he had anticipated, and she raised an eyebrow in response.

"Is everything okay?" She asked, slow and careful.

He exhaled and stared back at his half empty cup. "It's...it's confusing."

"You don't have to tell me if you're not comfortable, I understand. You could always talk to Mario, I'm sure he would-"

"No." He shook his head. He trusted her. Even if she was closer with his brother, he knew she would keep things private if he asked. But it was still so scary, so uncertain even thinking about it made him panic. But perhaps she would provide some insight on what to do.

"I can't talk to Mario about this. Like I said, when I told him Bowser was different, it was like he didn't hear me. All he could talk about was how to protect me."

She chuckled. "That sounds like him alright."

"Right? And even if he didn't, ugh, he would be embarrassed, I just know it."

She tilted her head. "What do you mean?"

"Peach, I think Bowser's changed because..." He bit his lip. "Because of me."

"You don't think...?"

He turned pink. "I...I dunno-I didn't connect the dots until I saw him. His minions took me to see him, you know? He wasn't even there. And...and when he saw me..." He trailed off, focusing back on his teacup instead of her continued curious gaze. "He was angry, but not at me! He was angry that I was hurt. Apparently he never meant for me to be captured."

"Go on." She urged.

"It's kinda funny. When I was captured the first time, he brought me in to ask advice on how to impress you."

"Are you serious?" She couldn't stop herself from giggling. "I can't imagine...actually, no I can. The way he acted when he proposed to me, he was trying to be all sweet and gentleman-y. To the best of his abilities."

"I can't believe he actually took my advice to heart," He shrugged. "He wasn't good at it at first, and even later on. He's still a work in progress, as you probably noticed."

Peach nearly dropped her teacup as Luigi ended up rambling the entire encounter with Bowser start to finish. But she didn't seem appalled, just intrigued.

"I can't believe I told you all of this." He took a long sip of his tea, gulping it down. "You probably think I'm crazy."

"No, I really don't," She said. "If what you're saying is true...I think you might be onto something, though I can't deny it is hard to wrap my head around. But as someone who was also the object of his affections at some point, I can see it."

"Do you think...that he likes me?" His voice was quiet, but somehow sounded a bit hopeful. "and maybe he's changed?"

"Well..." There was hesitation in her voice. "I think anything is possible. Anyone is capable of changing, but it's up to them to change themselves." She lightly tapped his gloves. "Not you. Otherwise it's this unhealthy cycle of pushing yourself to change him. He needs to change himself."

Luigi hummed in agreement. "I know. And I hope you dont think I'm excusing what he's done to you."

"Don't worry, I get it. How do you feel though? You've mentioned Bowser a lot, but not yourself."

"I..." His eyebrows furrowed. "I want him to be better. Not just for me, but for everyone. And..." He swallowed. "I don't know about my own feelings, not yet anyway."

"Feelings are complicated." She agreed. "Just, please be careful. He's still dangerous, you know that, we all know that."

"I'll be careful." He vowed. "But I do want to give him a chance. If he's really changed, then that's great. Still, it's not like I'm going to…marry him or anything." He laughed at his own attempt at humor.

Peach seemed relieved at that. "Phew, I was worried for a second there. Although...if you do like him, that isn't necessarily a bad thing-"

"I can't." He interrupted. "It's like you said. To you, to everyone else...to Mario, he's a monster." He regretted the words once they left his lips, almost wishing he could wash his mouth with soap for saying such a thing.

"Promise you won't tell anyone? Not until I've figured it out."

She put a hand to her heart and crossed it. "I promise."

"Not even Mario." He added for clarification.

Peach seemed surprised. "Are you sure?"

He decided to not mention the nightmare he had. "I will tell him, just not yet. So..."

"I won't tell him, I promise."

"It feels weird not telling him." He admitted. We usually tell each other everything! Even embarrassing stuff."

"You're not alone." She said softly. "I can't talk to him either."

"Huh...what do you mean?"

Peach straightened, realizing the words had slipped out. "Ah! Er, um, nothing. Do you want more tea?"

"Peach..."

"Or maybe some more teacakes?" She laughed weakly, sliding the plate over.

"I just vented my own relationship issues, the least you can do is tell me what's going on," He said, although he did accept a mini trifle with cream from the tray. "Why can't you talk to Mario?" Then it hit him before he could nibble at the sponge cake. "Wait! Unless..." He did not dare accuse her of anything, but the signs seemed to be lining up. Could it be?

He knew for a fact Mario had a crush on Peach. That was made blatantly obvious with how nervous he acted around her. It would be wonderful if she felt the same way.

She groaned, covering her face with her hands.

Before he could stop himself, he blurted it out. "You like him!" Suddenly he felt like they were two teenagers squealing about a crush, but he couldn't help it. "You like Mario!"

Peach responded by taking a bite of a chocolate eclair. In her attempt to look natural, Luigi quickly realized he might have been too eager in his assumption. Especially since she seemed more likely to deny such a claim.

The color drained from his face. "Did I guess wrong? Mamma Mia, I'm so sorry Princess I shouldn't have pushed you. It's none of my business."

She shook her head, swallowing the truffle. "No, you were right."

"Do you like him?!" He couldn't hold back a grin. "You like Mario!"

"Shush!" She covered his mouth with her hand. "Scream it to the whole kingdom, why don't you?" Despite the sarcasm, she looked pleased.

"Sorry!" He lightly lifted her hand away. "This is just...wow. This is amazing news!"

"It would be if I could talk to him. Every time I try, I mess it up, or he doesn't get the hint." She sighed. "I don't think he likes me like that."

"Are you kidding?" Luigi looked astonished. "He's always talking my ear off about how sweet and kind you are! And he's still in shock that you asked him to dance."

Now it was Peach's turn to look flustered and even touched. "He...really said that?"

"Principessa, I can't believe you're surprised about that. He's not exactly subtle."

"Of course I am! We've only been friends for a short while, I never knew that he...and I..." She poured another cup of tea for herself, accidently spilling some on the tablecloth. "I'm a mess. Now that I know this, it makes everything feel so..."

"Real?" He supplied.

"Yes, real." She sighed. "Guess we're both stuck in our own relationship issues."

"At least we have friends who will listen," He said with a laugh. "I'll keep your secret, if you keep mine?"

"You know I won't tell Mario about you and Bowser. But...I think I might tell him about my feelings. Soon. Maybe?"

"We'll do what feels right. No rushing, no stressing."

"Agreed. Oh, Luigi, I'm so glad I have a friend like you."

"You know...I'm glad I have you too. And…you have a chance with my brother. I know you do. For me and well, you know, it's less than likely. I'm okay with that."

"Are you certain?"

He nodded. With his spirits lifted and his confidence growing, somehow even his tea tasted sweeter.

Everything would be okay.

"You know what I think we need?" Peach said. "A distraction."

"A distraction?"

"Something to get our minds off of this." She waved vaguely. "How do you feel about go karting?"

When Peach had announced that they were going go karting, Luigi had no idea what to expect. Honestly, he thought she was kidding.

But here he was, in the early afternoon heat, holding a motorcycle helmet under his arms while standing by his shiny new green and silver kart. A pink and white dirt bike leaned against it, alongside a red kart.

"You excited, bro?" Mario asked, eager to get racing.

Luigi glanced warily at the road ahead. He had only gone kart racing once in his life-on his fifteenth birthday. It was Mario's idea of course, and it seemed like a safer idea than indoor skydiving. He ended up crashing into the decorative flagpole and ruining the race for everyone.

He was also familiar with driving in New York traffic, another unpleasant experience.

This was nothing like either of those examples. The Mushroom Kingdom seemed to have a very different idea of how to safely drive. There were pastures filled with grazing cows, apparently called Moo Moos in this universe, which felt silly to say, but regardless that was what Peach referred to them as. The road was barely visible, and even hilly at some points. It was intimidating.

"Excited...sure," He replied, trying to hide his nerves. He had done far more dangerous activities in the Mushroom Kingdom, surely he would be fine.

"Man, it's great to ride these again without the whole saving the kingdoms and our lives thing going on. Trust me Lu, you are gonna love this!"

"Ehhh..." Luigi seemed doubtful as he put on his helmet. "Love is a strong word."

"You'll do great, I've got complete faith in you," Mario said, and Luigi did brighten at that.

"Unfortunately we couldn't go back on Rainbow Road, but Moo Moo Meadows is just as fun!" said Peach, joining in. "I even brought some friends along."

Right on cue, a car horn honked obnoxiously in their general direction. Donkey Kong drove in his kart with a smaller monkey with a baseball cap sitting on his shoulders.

"Sup nerds."

Mario's eyes twitched. "You ready to race?"

"Ha! I'm ready to win, baby," He honked his horn again for good measure. To Peach and Luigi he said: "Hey gang."

The smaller monkey jumped from the kart and smiled. "Hi, I'm Diddy Kong! It's nice to meet you!"

"Hello! Are you here to race with us?"

Nah, I'm not really into that, I'm just here to keep track of the scores."

"DK, are you ...babysitting?" Peach asked.

"What? Nah, Diddy's my nephew."

"Nephew? I didn't know you had siblings," Mario said.

"I don't."

"What? But...but then...how can you-" Mario stammered.

But before he could ask any further questions, more vehicles screeched to a halt. The largest, a blue monster truck led the way, with Toad's smug grin sitting at the top. Beside his kart, was what appeared to be a pink buggy with a disgruntled Toadette inside.

"It was the only one left." She explained miserably. Luigi could only look on in sympathy at his disappointed friend.

At last, a sleek and stylish gold convertible pulled up. Princess Daisy leaned one arm out and winked, pulling down her sunglasses. "Your princess has arrived."

"Daisy!" Luigi greeted. "I didn't know you would be here!"

"Yeah, well, I like surprises," She said with a playful shrug. "Nice to see you too Luigi! And co."

Diddy Kong was already waving at the checkered starting line. "Everyone ready to race? The course is a full circle with one lap. Whoever finishes first is the winner! Obviously."

"What are the prizes if we win?" demanded Donkey Kong as he drove to the starting line, followed by the remaining cars.

"Hmm...infinite bragging rights!"

"Oh, it is on." He purposely glared at Mario. Luigi knew this was all for fun, but sometimes it was hard to tell with those two.

The karts, cars and bikes drifted to the starting line, tension and excitement building up as they all gripped at their handles. Diddy Kong hollered something unintelligible over the loud engines, and the race began.

Luigi would most likely have been in last, had it not been for Toadette's tiny kart lagging behind at the rear. He swerved to the right as he narrowly dodged a Moo Moo, feeling the wind hit his face, brushing against his mustache as he continued to pick up speed. He had never driven this fast before, usually opting to go just barely below the speed limit. Now his kart was moving without worrying about a non-existent speed limit.

No wonder Mario couldn't stop talking about racing. This was...actually amazing. Amazing and terrifying, He didn't dare pay attention to the other racers' shouts and playful jeers. He was here to win. And he had never felt so alive.

But that feeling didn't last long. His kart maneuvered clumsily against the road, tilting slightly as he ran over a stone in his path- causing him to go off course and slam straight into Donkey Kong's massive kart. He jolted in his seat, startled, but keeping his concentration.

"Hey! Watch it!" Donkey Kong barked, believing Luigi did it intentionally. In retaliation, he bumped his kart against Luigi's, harder.

Luigi yelped, squeezing his eyes shut as his kart spun completely off course. There was no use trying to slam on the breaks, the momentum from Donkey Kong's push was enough to shove it into a nearby tree, efficiently crashing. He clambered out of his seat upon unbuckling and scrambled onto the grass.

"Nonononono, ugh! Come on!" With the other racers in the lead, there was no way he could possibly catch up, let alone win. "Think Luigi, use that brain of yours..." He took some time to examine the damages closer. Some repairs would be needed, and two of his tires needed to be pumped, but surprisingly it was alright-for a kart at least. The trouble was, he wasn't a mechanic, or knowledgeable about fixing cars like Mario was.

Even if he did manage to fix it, he wouldn't make it in time to finish the race. It was hopeless.

"Need some help?"

"Gah!" Luigi just about jumped out of his skin. The motorcycle beside him slowed, and Daisy removed her helmet. "Wait, why stop when you could keep going and win?"

"So long as I'm not in last place, I'm good," Daisy replied. "and no offense to Toadette, but I think she has that spot covered. I'm here to help you."

"Are you gonna fix my kart?"

"Nah, we don't have time for that. Hop on, 'stache!"

Luigi climbed behind her, frowning. "We won't make it in time."

"Leave it to me," She grinned, turning on the engine; "I know a shortcut."

"A short cut?" He repeated, struggling to not fall off. "Woah!" He automatically held on to Daisy for dear life. "Where are we going?"

"I just said a shortcut!" She shouted over the engine, swerving a hard right towards a cliffside. "How do you feel about heights?"

"I'm not a huge fan of them, if I'm being totally honest-"

"Good! Hold on tight!"

"Wait, what do you-" Luigi's eyes went wide. The cliff did not lead anywhere except the bottom, which seemed far away. "Daisy, it's a dead end! We're gonna fall!"

"Do you trust me?"

"Not really!"

"Well, you're gonna have to!" With a flick of a button on her handle, Daisy raised the bike into a wheelie as soon as they reached the cliff's edge. A yellow and orange hanglider sprouted from the motorcycle, making them fly through the air.

"Woohoo! Isn't this great?"

Luigi had no idea if this was great or not, considering he shut his eyes again and was screaming at the top of his lungs. He could already feel the teacakes from earlier coming up.

"Luigi...we're on the ground now, you can stop screaming."

"Are we still alive?"

"I dunno, you tell me." Daisy said, helping him climb off the bike. "We didn't win, but we did make it across the finish line."

"Fourth place is still respectable," Peach said, jogging over to them. "I got third. We're still trying to figure out who won..." She gestured towards Donkey Kong and Mario, who were, as usual, bickering.

"I won!" Mario said, folding his arms.

"No way, I crossed the finish line first! Diddy, back me up!"

"Well, you were both pretty close but it was hard to tell..." Diddy looked sheepish. "Um. I think DK won by a hair."

"You're only saying that because he's your uncle...cousin...whatever!" He jammed his finger on Donkey Kong's chest. Their eyes were locked so viciously, neither of them acknowledged Toad's vehicle rolling up. "I demand a rematch without a biased party watching."

"I can record it on my phone, then play it back in slow motion to see who crosses first?" Luigi suggested.

"Deal! Let's do it."

While they continued to negotiate terms, Peach snuck her way in between them, catching Mario's attention almost immediately. She pulled him away and whispered something Luigi could not hear, but whatever it was, it caused Donkey Kong to smirk and leave them alone, opting to excuse himself to chat with Toad.

"Guess we should follow suit, eh?" Daisy murmured, once she and Luigi were left alone. "What do you think they're talking about?"

"Do you even need to ask?"

Daisy cackled. "I'm only joking! I'm glad they're finally talking about their feelings."

"Mm, me too." Though he was happy for them, Mario and Peach's nonexistent relationship was the least of his concerns right now.

"You good, green bean?" She studied him for a moment. "I'd expect you to at least tease Mario within earshot by now."

"Just tired from the race. Go karting isn't really my thing. Though you probably noticed."

Expecting her to lie for the sake of being nice, he was actually relieved to hear her reply with an honest answer, "Yeaaaaah...you weren't great. But if you don't like it, then why did you come here?" She stopped. "Gasp, was it to see me?" Batting her eyelashes expectantly, she said: "You decided to do something you hate, for me."

One reason he had grown fond of Daisy was her sense of humor and wit. "Why yes, Princess, it was!" He placed a hand to his forehead dramatically. "You've discovered my secret. I'm madly in love with you."

"Be still my beating heart!" Daisy giggled. "I'm touched, what a plot twist! You have a way with royalty, Luigi."

"You have no idea," He said, deadpan.

"Okay, but seriously, what's going on? You don't have to tell me, but I want you to know I'm here for you."

"Ehhh...I came here to distract myself." It was true. He had accepted the invitation to go karting to see his friends of course, but he also did indeed want to not think about Bowser.

When he didn't elaborate, Daisy nodded. "I get that. But take it from me, distractions can only last for so long. Eventually you just gotta face whatever you're avoiding head on."

He was grateful she didn't ask what exactly he was trying to distract himself from. "You think so?"

"I mean, I'm not an expert," Daisy replied. "I'd say go for it. Otherwise you're delaying the inevitable."

"You're right," He nodded firmly. He knew what he had to do.

He had to see Bowser again.