Ch. 4: Luigi


His eyes droop quickly, closing before I can say goodnight. She drops the syringe in a red bin and sheds the layer of latex from her hands before leaving, "He should be out for a while."

I nod, a half-hearted smile on my face, "Thank you."

"He's going to be fine," she assures, patting my forearm. My knotted stomach twists again, making it all the more tangled. "Get some rest yourself while you're at it." She peers over my shoulder, "Both of you."

I turn, watching the Princess settle the room, dimming lights, turning off the TV, fixing his blankets. She squeezes his hand before whispering to me, "You're staying with him?"

I glance at my wrinkled sheet and blankets on the recliner, my bag of toiletries that have been occupying the corner of the counter for the past week, "Yes."

"Great," she replies, but hesitates to grab her coat. She stares at me, expectant but I simply stand by the door, staring back. A cart rolls past in the hall as her lips start to loosen; they part slightly, creating the thinnest crack of black before coming together again. Her shoulders lower as she exhales and bends to plant another kiss on my brother's lips. Still. Soft. Long. I look away. She murmurs to him, too quiet for me to decipher but in this case it's safe to assume.

I turn back to the sound of a clearing throat. The princess pulls on her coat. She comes closer to take words out of my mouth, "Will you walk with me?"

I hold the door, "After you."

Birdley straightens on his perch as we leave, forcing his eyes to stay open. With how energetic he usually is, it's almost surprising to see signs of fatigue. Almost.

Despite the time and lower foot traffic, the hospital halls are still alive. Beeps and whirs continue to be audible, fluorescent lights still shine, and nurse's are talkative at their stations. A cleaner mops the floors as we cautiously pass, headphones blaring "Jump Up, Superstar" at a damaging volume.

At the elevator, doors sealed, box descending, I speak, "So, you two are together now."

She blushes with a smile, lowering her head at first to hide it, "Yes." My gut twists again as she straightens, bringing her hands together to lace her fingers. "All these years and we've finally found our way to each other." The air hangs between us, stale, regardless of the closed space. "It's great," she adds when I don't, but her grin wavers.

Words collect on the tip of my tongue en masse; it takes me a few moments to decide which to release, "It's surprising."

"Not really," she says, tilting her head a little. "We've had feelings for each other since the beginning."

"And yet you didn't act on these feelings until now."

We come to a halt, doors chiming and opening earlier than expected. Her smile's tight and thin as Toads pile in, offering chipper hellos –even at this hour– before facing forward. I follow suit but feel the princess of all people failing to do so. Mere seconds between floors never felt so long, with her eyes glued to me, beckoning me to stare back. I turn my head ever so slightly, facing her frown. Any other time this expression would cause me to soften, but my face holds firm. Flat. Resolute. We stand stagnant, waist deep in a small sea of mushrooms. Above and out of view, I can look at her how I see fit. And she can, too.

I'm thankful for our guests, as they loiter with us in awkward silence, and take time to shuffle out of the box when we reach their respective floors. The last few exit in the lobby, too, heading in a direction opposite our own slowly, so slowly that I have plenty of time to prepare for whatever words may come out of Peach's mouth.

When the other riders round the corner she turns to me, calls me by name though pain is present in her voice, "Is everything alright?" Her eyes are wide. A silent sigh escapes me; just because this thought's on my mind doesn't mean I like sharing it with her. On the contrary. But how can I not? What kind of brother would I be?

Will I be?

I shake the notion off quickly, starting, "I'm confused." Her brows rise slightly, likely not expecting this response. "And concerned."

"Whatever for?" she asks, taking a small step forward. "You heard the doctors: Mario will recover. It will take a bit more time than usual but he'll be jumping through the eight worlds with you again in no time."

"I know that," I reply, watching her outstretched hand hesitate to clasp my arm. "His recovery isn't what I'm worried about."

"Then what else is there?"

The question leaves her lips so softly, innocently. Ignorantly. Still I remain resolute, "You love him?"

She blinks, "Of course but what does that have to do with—?"

"Why now?" I feel fear creeping up, trying to send a chill down my spine. I stand firm. "Why tell him now?"

She hesitates, but I can't place if the pause is due to the answer (in her eyes) being obvious or because she's hurt I even have to ask. Or she still doesn't see how this is relevant. Maybe all of the above.

"I almost lost him," she speaks, voice almost a whimper. Her eyes seem to glaze for a moment, focusing on a mental image that soon makes them water. "To think he could have died without knowing my true feelings were of equal measure to his." Her hand lightly brushes her cheek before tucking hair behind her ears and settling beside her. "Mario and I have wasted enough time dancing around a real relationship. It was time to come together."

My stomach aches at her response. So seemingly honest and yet pressure builds behind my eyes not out of joy, but fear and fear alone. "What about all the other times?"

"Pardon?"

"All the other times he almost died," I clarify, swallowing in an effort to keep my voice level. "Why didn't you tell him then?"

"Because his end never felt so palpable before," she replies. "Seeing him, bruised, bloody, barely breathing, I—"

"Bowser shooting him off his airship, out of the Cloud Kingdom, wasn't palpable?" I question, recounting the most recent events first. "Watching him –for all you knew— drift off into the depths of space alone wasn't real enough for you? What about watching him turn into a literal bean during our adventure through the Bean Bean Kingdom? Better yet, when Tabuu, Galeem, –whatever dark power you'd like to pick– nearly ended all of our games?"

As my emotions overflew hers do too, and for the first time in my life I see Peach, a princess, fail to drum up a proper response. Tears pool in her tired eyes as she stammers, stumbling over fragments and phrases like an anxious public speaker. Beyond anxious. And yet I keep going, "When you both were trapped in paintings —another vacation gone wrong for the two of you— and you had to depend on me. Me. Of all people to save you." I'm not oblivious. I know what they say. Think. I exhale a shaky breath, "Never once, in any of those past near-death experiences, did you think to confess to him?"

I didn't see her rub her eyes but they're as red as if she has been. Tears follow the same stream down her pained face. She stands there, mouth agape, no longer trying to produce productive sound. Around the corner, the elevator dings, and feet flit across the tile floors. Pairs walk right past the alcove we occupy, unaware of the silent souls in their periphery. The sound of laughter almost makes me jump, and I relax a little only when the joyous noise fades as its source turns to seek a late night snack in the cafeteria.

Alone again, but she still whispers, "Where is this coming from? Why aren't you happy for us?"

My insides somehow twist tighter, and I cradle them as I sit, staring at the small patch of carpeting beneath my boots. A mix of colors but a black stain stands out amongst them. Out of place. I focus on it. Try to.

I can't get her out of my mind…I didn't go off and save her with the intention of dying…but…

"My brother's been through a lot," I say, looking up at her as I do so. "More than you know, and as invincible as he may seem, he is human." His smiling face appears in my mind, a facade he's become all too comfortable wearing living here. With her. He's refined it, molded it, so well that at times even I can't tell if he's hiding something. Mario's always suppressed and withheld but he used to be easier to read. So much easier. But now? This kingdom's given us a lot of things to be thankful for but the invulnerable character role and my brother's commitment to it isn't one of them.

The clatter of metal from the cafe makes our ears perk. Clanking footsteps growing ever louder. My eyes find hers and start to water, spill over as soon as I speak, "Please don't hurt him."

She shakes her head, "I'd never."

"Anymore than you already have."

"Princess," one of her guards calls as soon as he spots us. "Apologies for the delay, we're ready to…is everything alright?"

For a moment she stands there, unresponsive, eyes wavering but focused on me. Worry streaks the toads faces as they go to her, just in time for formality to return.

"We're alright. Quite alright," she assures, dabbing her eyes with her sleeve before facing them, and pulling her coat tighter around her. "I'd like to go home now, please."

"Of course," they murmur, glancing at me before following her.

I stand. Despite the words just uttered between us, she keeps an erect posture as she walks. Unknowing eyes wouldn't notice a difference in her gait but I see how stiff her body seems, as if she's forced a board through her back. I imagine deep, controlled breaths, thin lips, a silent walk home. Pain blooms in my gut a final time and I call out, "Goodnight, Princess."

She keeps walking.


So, I was reading through the previous last chapter: Mario and Peach finally come together, happy ending, and thought: that's some cookie cutter, neatly tied, no loose ends closure, which didn't sit right with me. After discussing with Amethyst Goldenwind (another writer on here, go check them out!), I threw this bonus scene together.

Hope you enjoy. I've never written from Luigi's POV before and I rather enjoyed it. Please don't hate on the little bro, he has every right to want the best for his brother, and it's quite brave of him to make a stand and say something, though it led to discomfort.

As always, questions and comments are more than welcome. Officially done with this story now so no more surprises. Promise. Have a great one!