Title: Team Sleep
Genre: Family, comfort
Rating: K+
Additional notes: 1. I wrote parts of this when I couldn't sleep. Then I kept going because I liked the idea that much XD
2. Expect a LOT of sleepy wholesomeness and a bunch of slice of life one shots from me. It's a comfort thing for me!
3. When Luigi talks to Mario in Italian, here's the translation:
Sei preoccupato per noi? - Are you worried about us?
Dormi bene, fratello- Sleep well, brother
Six days.
For the past six days, Mario hasn't been getting enough sleep. Half of it had to do with taking care of Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup all at once- not that he minded, of course, but it could be so exhausting sometimes, his head couldn't stay focused. Luigi offered to take over on separate occasions to give his older brother a break.
The other half of it had to do with the fact that Mario had been having some pretty... nasty dreams about a few things. A certain bratty blonde ruler of the future, being berated by the futuristic Mushroom Kingdom citizens, losing the ones he loved, and Bowser and Mojo Jojo taking over the world. Even if none of these were real, to him, they felt more real than anything he had ever experienced.
Sometimes, he would feel himself zoning out, hallucinating a part of a dream he had- -for example, one of the girls being a futuristic version of themselves, being made into someone new- and every time Luigi, Peach, or either one of the girls called his name, he'd get startled out of it, shaking his head vigorously.
One time, Buttercup saw Mario laying his head on the kitchen table, trying his hardest not to doze off. She nudged the red plumber's shoulder, causing him to yelp and look around in a panic. Once he saw the lime clad, he relaxed.
"Mario, you okay?" she'd asked. "You've been acting pretty weird lately..."
Buttercup could've sworn she'd seen Mario's eyes widen with surprise and most likely fear.
"Me? Weird? Pfffft," Mario playfully spat out. "Nah. I'm- I'm fine! I guess I must've gotten distracted. Ahahaha."
"Are you sure? You don't look fine-"
"Uh-huh! I'm positive. All is well."
When seeing the pouting yet concerned look on her face, he patted her head softly and plastered a smile on his own. "Hey, don't worry about me. It's MY job to worry about you girls!"
Buttercup nodded, but still worried about his health. He is definitely not okay, she'd thought.
Numerous times throughout the week, he'd been told to take a nap, get some sleep, all by different people. Each time, he declined, saying he'd be "fine". No one believed him, especially since he'd been extremely tired, his movements sluggish.
At separate points of time, Blossom and Bubbles had asked him if he was okay, if he needed anything. He told them the same thing: "I'm okay. I've got a lot on my mind, but I'll be fine."
When asked what was on his mind, he'd either distract them with something random or he'd tell them not to worry about it.
Luigi, on the other hand, knew that Mario stood up late numerous times. There were times that he'd stay up for a day or two- three, if he was feeling pushy- but he had never seen Mario up for six straight days. He'd wondered if he was going for a world record of no sleep.
"Mario, I know you throw yourself into taking care of the girls and work and other things to avoid sleeping, but over nightmares?" Luigi asked. "At some point, you've got to sleep."
The red plumber rubbed his eyes sleepily. "I know... I-" He was interrupted by his own yawn. "...I know, bro. I just- I-I can't help but stay awake... every dream I had involved either or ALL of you just-"
Mario didn't bother finishing his sentence. He just covered his face with both hands, sighing deeply. He didn't want to relive those dreams all over again. He'd felt himself getting worked up and anxious- what if something did happen? What if SHE came back to taunt him? What if everyone died? What if-
"Ehi- fratello," Luigi spoke softly, grabbing his shoulders. He already knew what Mario was about to say. "Sei preoccupato per noi?"
Having been caught off guard, Mario looked up at his younger twin. How did Luigi know that he was worried about them? Did he not hide it well enough?
The red plumber sighed softly. "Si... I am worried," Mario's tired voice cracked. "But I'm more or less scared that something might happen to either one of you, and... I'm not there."
Luigi pulled his brother in a hug, catching Mario by surprise. A few seconds later, he hugged back. His eyes were tearing up, but he tried not to show it. After a few moments, they let go, with the green plumber patting his brother's back.
"It's going to be okay, Mario," he told him. "No one is going anywhere. No one whatsoever. The hug only proves that we're alive- that I'M alive. We're all safe."
Mario rubbed his eyes once more, except to wipe his tears. "Eheheh... y-yeah. You're right," he replied. "I- I never thought of it like that before. Thank you."
"Any time. Now promise me you'll at least take a NAP?"
The red plumber playfully rolled his eyes and nodded. "I promise, bro. I'll try, at least."
"Good."
Mario did NOT take a nap, nor go to sleep the next day. That time, he truly didn't know why- his phone may have been really distracting him, and he'd dozed off for ten minutes, but that was it. All he was focused on was trying to keep his family safe. Right now, he was leaning against the couch, mindlessly watching TV.
Luigi had enough of him avoiding sleep for another day. He and Blossom had come up with a plan to help his brother fall asleep, no matter what it took, and they'd tried playing soothing music and ambience noises, telling a boring story to Mario since he always fell asleep to those, and finally, trying to count actual goombas. The brothers always used this technique whenever they couldn't sleep.
None of them worked. Mario was too stubborn.
However, when Luigi found his brother laying on the couch watching some TV, that was the perfect moment to lure him back to his bedroom. Taking a deep breath, the green plumber stepped over to the couch, being casual. "Heyyyy, bro!" he spoke. "Listen, Blossom needs your help on-"
With those words, Mario practically jumped out of fear. "She needs my help?!" he exclaimed. "W-what's-a wrong?! Is she sick? Is she having another anxiety attack? Is one of her sisters being-"
Luigi raised his hands in surrender. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa! She's okay! She told me this was too important." He then proceeded to point towards Blossom's room. "You may wanna see for yourself."
The red plumber nodded, then ran up towards her room. Opening the door, he saw... nothing? The room was totally empty.
"Huh," Mario muttered. "Blossom, Luigi told me you needed something? If this was to play hide and se-"
Before Mario could finish his sentence, he could feel himself getting lifted from the ground. His eyes widened, and he saw Blossom carrying him to HIS bedroom. He tried to tell her to put him down, that he could walk himself there, but Blossom retorted with, "Nuh-uh! You're not going anywhere."
After that, the pink clad gently put Mario on the bed, laying his head on a pillow. Taking a good look at her, he'd noticed she hadn't slept since yesterday- whether it was because of an all nighter or nightmare or both, he never knew. But he definitely knew she shouldn't be doing this to herself either way.
"Ahh- Blossom, what are you doing?" he asked.
Blossom sat down on the bed next to him, frowning slightly. "Luigi told me everything," she responded. "Having to take care of us, dealing with your nightmares, trying to stay awake..."
Mario sighed softly, rubbing his eyes with his arm. Damn it, Luigi... he thought. You just HAD to tell her, didn't you?
Out loud, he told her, "Honey, it's not a big deal. I don't mind. Besides, it's my job to take care of you."
"Not a big deal? Mario, you've gotta go to sleep! You have bags around your eyes!" Blossom pointed out.
Mario only smirked slightly, sitting up. "Hey, you didn't sleep yourself... I mean, considering the nightmares you get as well, that's not healthy to just keep it inside. When was the last time you slept?"
"I-" Blossom started to retort, then paused for a few seconds, pouting slightly. "That doesn't matter! Now sleep!"
Blossom gently pushed Mario onto the bed, his head hitting the pillow again. He didn't even mind.
"Last night when you were comforting me, you looked so tired... I know you said not to worry, but I am," she said. "I- I don't want you to get hurt."
Even though she looked really tired as well, she was also concerned, tears threatening to come down. The poor girl definitely looked ready to cry.
Mario felt bad for her- he definitely knew she had the same sleep issues as he did, so he understood being on the high scale of worry. Laying on his side, he opened his arms. "Come here," he spoke gently.
Blossom didn't hesitate crawling in his arms and proceeded to hold onto him for dear life. She whimpered a bit, and her little body shook from the anxiety induced state she was in.
All Mario could do was hold her close and pet her head to calm her down. Bits of tears streamed down her face, and Blossom buried herself onto the red clad's chest to avoid further embarrassment.
"Awww, Blossom… it's okay, it's okay," Mario reassured, wiping her tears away. "I'm here, I'm not going anywhere."
"But- but what if you get sick, or someone hurts you, or you have another-" Blossom started, but she got interrupted by Mario's voice.
"Hey, hey, hey, heyyy- I'll be okay. Nobody's hurting me. Besides, I've got you, Luigi, Bubbles, and Buttercup to protect me if something went wrong."
The pink clad sniffled and nodded slightly. "Y-yeah... b-but your lack of sleep..."
Mario rubbed her back in circular motions, trying his hardest not to doze off- it succeeded. "Shhhh... I know, Bloss... I know. I'll try to get some shuteye later on- you just focus on sleep."
The pink clad groaned tiredly, not wanting to let go of her adoptive father. "I-I'll try..."
After a half an hour or so, Blossom had finally calmed down, and Mario let her go, laying on his back this time. The only problem was, the red plumber did not want to sleep, no matter how fatigued he was. Even the pink clad noticed that he didn't close his eyes yet.
"Are you going to sleep now...?" Blossom asked tiredly.
Mario thought to himself for a minute. "Hmmmm... no," he replied.
"Sleep. Now good night."
The bow haired girl proceeded to lay on her side and pretended to sleep. Seeing this, Mario rolled his eyes playfully, and then played along by closing his eyes. What did that girl think she was accomplishing? the red plumber thought.
"Aren't you gonna say good night back?" He heard Blossom ask.
Mario snickered softly, then shook his head. "Good night back," he joked.
Blossom giggled at that.
"Good night, Blossom."
"It's not actually night time!"
"...I can't win, can I."
"No... but you do need to sleep."
The red plumber sighed wearily as he kept his eyes closed. There was no way that she could make him fall asleep that easily.
For fifteen minutes, he played along with the charade, until he felt Blossom begin to move. Now was his chance to remove himself from the situation! After reopening an eye to see if the girl was "asleep", he quickly closed an eye, then slowly started to lift himself away from the bed. He tried to put a foot down on the floor, but was interrupted by a familiar voice.
"Mario, I know you're not asleep."
Freezing up, Mario's eyes darted to Blossom, who was still laying on her side. She knew because she also felt his movements. Awww, mama mia, he thought.
He proceeded to put himself back on the bed, then laid his head on the pillow once more. "Okay, okay, you got me..." Mario muttered. "I just- I'm not THAT tired. Are you gonna sleep some time soon?"
Turning around, Blossom cuddled the spare pillow that was on the bed. "No... not until you do," she answered.
The plumber let out another tired sigh, this time, it was louder than before. Just to make her happy, he closed his eyes once again, faking his slumber.
Another half an hour later, Mario reopened his eye the second time to see if Blossom was asleep for real. She wasn't, but she was definitely sleepy due to the lack of sleep she herself had. The pink clad was trying her hardest not to sleep in order to make sure Mario slept peacefully.
Soon enough, Mario himself started to get drowsy. His eyes kept threatening to close, but he wouldn't allow it- he threw his arm around his eyelids. It couldn't do much, but at least it was something. He could also feel Blossom snuggling against his shoulder, not letting him go.
The red plumber uncovered his eyes so he could take a peek for a few seconds. She looked even sleepier than he did, and he didn't sleep for a week so far. The bow haired girl may be smart and independent for her age, but she was still a little kid who needed a solid 8 hours of sleep.
He then looked away, letting out a huge yawn and covering his eyes with his arm again. "Blossom... when are you going to sleep...?" Mario asked sleepily.
Instead of receiving an actual reply, he heard her humming a very familiar tune. It sounded like that one show about a high school boy whose entire life changed because of one girl with a terminal illness. It took place in a Japanese high school setting, as some animes do, and its closing credits song reminded him of a lullaby one would sing to their child.
Within seconds, Mario realized what she was trying to do.
"You're not seriously singing me a lullaby, are you...?" he inquired.
Blossom stopped humming and looked up at him in disbelief. "You're STILL not sleeping?" she asked him.
Mario suppressed the urge to yawn once more, and instead let out a tired hum. "...Trying not to fall asleep..."
The pink clad frowned- then she proceeded to actually sing the song.
"Dango, dan... go... dango, dango... dango, dango, dai...kazoku..."
"Sto-"
"Dango, dango, dango, dan... go..."
The red plumber was too exhausted to anything else, so he simply let his drowsiness take over. There was no way he could get her to stop- she was trying to help. "...Where did you learn this...?" he muttered.
"Bubbles sang this..." Blossom replied. She went back to singing the song.
Makes sense, Mario thought.
The more he heard her tired voice singing, the more he felt himself falling into a deeper sleep. Try as he might, he couldn't resist- finally, the lack of sleep weighed in on him like two bags of sand on his shoulders. Finally, he fully went into a deep slumber.
Unbeknownst to Mario, the pink clad eventually fell asleep as well, satisfied that she did her job after all.
It had been an hour and a half now since Mario was taken to his own room by Blossom, just as planned. Luigi passed the time helping Bubbles with her homework and practicing with Buttercup over spar practice... that last one did a number on him. His entire body was sore from the aggressive sparring.
Now, he was going up to Mario's room to check on his brother and Blossom. He creaked the door open, looking over to see if the pink clad somehow managed to make Mario sleep. Judging from the way the older twin had his hat down to cover his eyes, his one arm on his head and the other sprawled out, and Blossom leaning against him, protectively holding him in her sleep, it worked.
Luigi sighed in relief- his brother could now sleep in peace. He left the room and proceeded to get a blanket from his own room, then wrapped it around Mario and Blossom. He looked at his older twin and patted him on the head. "Dormi bene, fratello," he whispered.
Mario's face scrunched at first, but then relaxed as he felt Luigi's touch. He could just recognize it, even in his sleep.
Luigi also proceeded to pet Blossom's head softly. "Grazie, Blossom," he told her. "I don't know what I'd do without you."
Due to the touch, Blossom smiled slightly in her sleep, but clung onto Mario tighter. She was that determined to not let him have any more nightmares. "Mmhmm..." she mumbled.
Luigi chuckled softly and then left the room quietly to let them get some much needed sleep. With all the lights off, he shut the door.
"We slept for HOW LONG?!"
"Almost an entire day, Mario. Well, Blossom woke up in the morning and decided to let you sleep longer. YOU, on the other hand, were knocked out cold- you didn't even wake up until 2 in the afternoon."
Mario stared down at his cup of coffee. It was true, he was so tired, he didn't realize that he'd fallen asleep at 5 in the afternoon yesterday. He didn't even hear Blossom get up. All the red plumber could remember was the feeling of someone being in danger and his nightmares, the concerned looks people gave him as they looked at his former state, and falling into a sort of dreamless sleep.
Luckily, Luigi caught him up to speed, and the more Mario listened, the more it all started to make sense. And the more guilty the red plumber felt.
"Mama mia... no wonder I've been acting all coo coo crazy," he spoke after moments of silence. However, another worry popped into his head. "Wait- where are Bubbles and Buttercup? I-I wasn't there for them, and whatever they needed help with, I have to-"
"Bro, it's okay! It's okay," Luigi reassured him, gently setting Mario back down on the couch. "I've told them what happened last night. They understood completely. Buttercup, especially. Do you know what she told me?"
The elder twin tilted his head in confusion. "No, what?"
Luigi darted his eyes back and forth, then leaned into Mario's ear and whispered, "She told me, 'Thank GOD- he's worse than Blossom is regarding sleep.'"
Mario froze in shock for a few seconds. Then, something came out of his throat that Luigi definitely wasn't expecting- a tiny burst of laughter. A few seconds later, the red plumber started off with quiet laughter. His laughter started to get louder until it was close to being hysterical- nonetheless, it was also filled with relief and sheer joy. It was something he hadn't felt for an entire week, and he was so glad to finally experience it again.
Being caught off guard by the sudden burst of laughter, Luigi sheepishly laughed along with him. However, since laughter was contagious, he started to match his brother's energy with a hearty laugh.
After a few minutes, they ran out of breath, having finally gotten the giggles out of their systems.
"Worse than Blossom... oooh boy, that's rich," Mario said breathlessly, wiping a tear from his eye.
"I know," Luigi's voice cracked. After a few seconds, he composed himself. "But I'm serious though. Don't you DARE go six days staying awake next time. It- it worries me sick!"
While Mario couldn't exactly promise getting a healthy sleep schedule, he did nod in agreement. "I won't, Luigi. It won't happen again," he told him, patting his back.
"You better be serious about this..."
"When have I not been serious about this?"
With a smirk, Mario got up from the couch, gesturing for Luigi to get up. "Come on. The girls are gonna be hungry any minute now. We'd better get some food ready."
Relieved that his brother was back to his normal self again, he followed Mario, and the two of them got some ingredients ready for their famous spaghetti.