(A/N: All right, I have impressed myself by turning this story into a 5-chapter fanfic. I honestly didn't see that coming when I got the idea for it. Well, it's time to get this chapter going before you begin to riot!)
After a long while of silence and togetherness, Mario suddenly asked, "Peach, what time is it?"
"Oh! Let me see..." said Peach, reaching into her purse and pulling put her smartphone. She looked at the screen and saw, much to her surprise, that it was 10:45 p.m.!
"My goodness! It's a quarter to 11:00!" Peach replied in surprise.
"Mama-mia! We've been out here that long?!" Mario exclaimed.
"I guess so. I tend to lose track of the time whenever I'm with you." Peach replied.
"So do I. But we've got to get home... However... I don't think I want to go home. I know that I should, but... I don't want to leave you. Not yet." Mario said.
"Don't worry, Mario. You can stay at the castle if you feel the need to. You know that you're always welcome over there." Peach reminded him.
"I think I will stay there tonight, since it means that I get to be close to you." Mario said, hugging his future bride tightly.
"Okay, then. Come on, let's go back to the castle now." Peach said.
So Mario and Peach stood up, folded the picnic blanket, and put everything else back in the basket, which Mario carried. Then they walked back to the castle.
When they reached the castle, the building was dark, but thankfully, the doors were unlocked. The Toad guards had been informed by Toadsworth that the princess was out with Mario tonight, so they knew that the doors must be kept unlocked until she came back.
"I'm willing to bet that Toadsworth might have fallen asleep waiting for us to get back. I'll go check on him before I go to bed." Peach whispered to Mario as she opened the doors.
"Are you going to tell him about us if he's awake?" Mario asked.
Peach looked at the ring sparkling on her left hand, then shook her head and replied, "No. I'm afraid that if I tell him right away, he'll get over-excited and spill the secret of our engagement before we can tell my people, your future subjects, about it. He's going to find out the big surprise tomorrow, with the rest of the Mushroom Kingdom."
"Okie-dokie. Now Luigi knew that I was planning to ask you la grande domanda, the big question tonight, but he knew that I was nervous as anything. Since you want to tell everyone tomorrow, I won't tell him that I followed through with the proposal, nor what your answer was. He'll find out at the same time as everyone else." Mario said as they walked into the castle.
"All right. Is there anything you want before going to sleep?" Peach asked after locking the doors.
"Sì. How about un bacio della buona notte, a good-night kiss?" Mario asked.
"Okay." Peach smiled.
The couple leaned in close and kissed each other on the lips. As much as they wanted to stay like that, they knew they couldn't. They had to get some sleep. So they eventually broke apart, blushing like crazy.
"I'll see you in the morning, Mario." Peach said as she made her way to Toadsworth's room.
"Until then, amore mio, my love." Mario said, walking to the guest room he and Luigi shared when they stayed here. But most of the time, it was Mario who went on the rescue missions, and he'd stay the night every time he brought Peach home.
Peach blushed even more when she heard Mario say that. He always knew how to flatter her, by calling her sweet little nicknames in Italian, and adding the English translation. She was glad that they would be married soon.
Peach managed to get herself to look normal by the time she reached Toadsworth's room. She quietly opened the door and peeked in to see that the old Toad was indeed asleep. When she was younger and had to go out with her suitors, he would be waiting up for her when she returned. But it was really late, so he was too tired to wait for her. Plus, she was with Mario, someone he could trust.
"Prepare yourself for a shock tomorrow." Peach whispered to the sleeping Toad, before quietly closing the door and making her way to her own room.
Once he reached his guest room, Mario pulled his smartphone out of his pocket and dialed Luigi's cell phone number. He wondered if Luigi had planned to wait up for him.
At Luigi's Mansion, the green-clad plumber was in his pajamas and in bed. He'd already turned in for the night and was sound asleep.
Suddenly, Luigi was awoken by the sound of the "Super Mario World" title screen music coming from his bright green smartphone, which was sitting on his nightstand. That was the ringtone he had assigned Mario.
"What?! Oh, Mario, cosa stai pensando? what are you thinking, calling me up at this hour of the night?" Luigi asked as he looked at his smartphone and saw Mario's name and picture on it. He answered, "Ciao?"
"Luigi, it's-a me, Mario." Mario's voice replied.
"I know it's-a you, bro. But why are you calling me so late? I was sleeping." Luigi said.
Polterpup, who had been lying at the foot of the bed (his usual spot), had also been awoken by the tune coming from the smartphone and trotted over to the head of the bed, looking at his master.
"I'm sorry to interrupt your slumber, Luigi. I didn't know that you'd already gone to bed. I thought you were going to stay up and wait for me. Anyway, I'm calling because I wanted to let you know that I'm staying at Peach's Castle tonight. I didn't want you to stay up all night, waiting for me." Mario said.
"I guess that's understandable. But I know I don't have to worry about you too much. You're a big boy and can manage things." Luigi said.
"Mama-mia..." Mario thought as he facepalmed. He was glad Luigi didn't say that in front of Peach, 'cause it embarrassed him.
"Now correct me if I'm wrong, but did you just say you're staying at Peach's Castle tonight?" Luigi asked, trying to wake up some more.
"I did. In fact, I'm in my guest room right now." Mario replied.
"You are staying there! So that means you proposed to Peach, right? What did she say? Tell me how it went!" Luigi asked, now more awake and sounding very interested. He had a good feeling he knew what the answer was going to be.
"Oh, sorry bro, but I'm not going to be putting you out of your pain tonight. You're going to have to wait until tomorrow morning before I tell you anything." Mario replied.
"Aww, but Mario, sono tuo fratello gemello, I'm your twin brother, which means you should be able to tell me about it now." Luigi said, wishing Mario wouldn't leave him in suspense.
"No, Luigi. It's-a late, you're still tired, and I need to get to bed myself, so you're just going to have to wait until tomorrow to find out whether or not I'm getting married. I'll see you then." Mario said.
"Okie-dokie. Buona notte, good night, Mario." Luigi said, disappointed that Mario wouldn't tell him anything.
"Buona notte, good night." Mario replied before ending the call.
"Mama-mia..." Luigi sighed as he set the phone back on his nightstand and laid his head back down on the pillow. Polterpup looked at him, making a confused sound.
"I'm pretty sure Mario asked Peach to marry him, and I know she gave him the response he wanted to hear. He wouldn't be staying at the castle if he didn't ask her, or if she gave him another negative response." Luigi said. He liked the idea that Mario must have gotten the response he deserved to hear from the woman he loved, rather than one that would've sent him back here in tears.
Polterpup was glad to see that his master looked happy about Mario's proposal.
"But unfortunately, Mario won't tell me, his own brother, what Peach said. He said that we're going to have to wait until tomorrow to find out what happened." Luigi said, his face falling a little.
Polterpup sensed that Luigi was feeling unhappy about the response he got from Mario, but the dog knew how to make him happy again. He started licking his master's face. That usually cheered him up.
"Hey! Doggy, cut that out! It's-a too late for you to be giving me doggie kisses!" Luigi said, laughing as he managed to push the dog away from him.
The dog stopped licking his master, but he was panting happily as he looked at him. Luigi reached up and petted the dog's head for a moment, before saying, "Come on, Doggy. We've got to get back to bed if we want Mario to tell us what happened."
So Polterpup trotted back to the foot of the bed, laid down, and fell back asleep. Luigi then closed his eyes and allowed sleep to claim him again.
After ending the call, Mario set his smartphone on the nightstand, got undressed, and crawled under the covers of the bed, feeling happy that he asked Peach the question he wanted to ask her, and that she gave him the answer he wanted to hear. He went to sleep, dreaming about the happy future he and Peach were sure to have together, as husband and wife.
In Peach's room, the princess felt happy as she got ready for bed. She glanced at the ring Mario gave her, and she still couldn't believe that they were engaged to be married. Her subjects were going to be thrilled when they found out that their princess was finally getting married. And the man of her choice was the man they trusted as much as they did her!
"But they'll all get to find out tomorrow." Peach said to herself as she walked out from behind her white linen dressing screen, dressed in a pink satin nightgown. And then she crawled under the covers of her bed. It wouldn't be just hers for much longer. Pretty soon, Mario would be in here with her every night, sleeping right next to her. She was wishing he was actually in here right now, so they could cuddle.
"I know we're not supposed to share a bed until after we're married, but all I want is to cuddle with him. And I'm sure he wouldn't mind if that's all we did. We wouldn't think of going any further than that until the wedding night." Peach sighed as she rested her head on the pillows and closed her eyes. She fell asleep and dreamed about her and Mario's big day, which would be a happy one.
The following morning, after breakfast, Luigi clipped a leash to Polterpup's collar and took him for a walk to Peach's Castle. But as the castle came into view, so did something else: a huge crowd of people. Well, it made perfectly good sense; it was said on the radio that Princess Peach and Mario had a big announcement to make today around this time, so he guessed he shouldn't be surprised that the whole kingdom had shown up to hear it.
"I gotta get closer so I can hear what Peach and Mario have to say." Luigi mumbled to himself as he picked up his ghostly pet and began to weave his way through the crowd, saying, "Per favore scusami. Please excuse me." Before long, he was close enough to where he would be able to see Mario and Peach when it came time for them to come out onto the balcony and make their big announcement.
During that time, Mario and Peach were upstairs in Peach's room. They were sitting on Peach's bed, having a quick make-out session and feeling happy to be together. Then Peach suddenly stood up, looked out the window to see the crowd below, and she said, "I think everyone's here now. Are you ready to go out there with me and make the announcement about us, Mario?"
"Yeah, I am. Luigi was pretty upset that I wasn't going to tell him how last night went. But I think he might have guessed that the fact I stayed the night here meant something good. Well, now it's-a time to officially put him out of his pain and tell him and everyone else the good news about us." Mario replied.
"All right. Let's do this." Peach said. She opened the French doors, and she and Mario stepped out onto the balcony. They heard a lot of cheering and applause from everyone below as they appeared. The Mushroom people loved their princess, as well as the man who stood next to her.
"My people! All of you know and respect Mario as much as you do me!" Peach began.
"Mario! Mario! Mario!" the crowd below chanted in happiness.
Mario just smiled and waved to everyone, making them cheer even more.
"All of you know how special he is to me, and how much he loves me." Peach added.
"Ti amo così tanto, mia cara principessa... I love you so much, my darling princess..." Mario said, giving Peach a big hug, which she was glad to return.
"Awwww...!" everyone said as they watched their favorite couple share a hug. They were so happy together, and the sight of them in love looked so... right.
"Now I want you to know that he shall be even more special to you, because last night, Mario asked me to be his wife... and I said yes!" Peach announced.
It took a few seconds for Peach's message to sink into their heads, and when it did...
"YAHOO!" everyone cheered, jumping for joy!
"YES! I knew Mario asked Peach the big question! And I just knew she was gonna say yes!" Luigi cheered as he hugged his ghost dog out of happiness.
Polterpup was so overjoyed to see his master so happy that he started licking his face again.
"Oh no! Doggy, per favore! Please not now!" Luigi pleaded between laughs. He had to set the dog down to make him stop. So the puppy just settled with barking in happiness.
"The following weekend, there will be a party here at the castle to celebrate our engagement, and all of you are invited to come!" Peach said.
The crowd went wild at this news. They still couldn't believe that Mario and Peach were finally going to get married. This had to be the best day ever in the Mushroom Kingdom, and the days after that would continue getting better once Mario and Peach tied the knot.
After Mario and Peach told everyone what time the party would begin, the crowd started to disperse, much to Luigi's relief. Now he could go talk to that brother of his and congratulate him and his future bride. So the younger plumber walked up to the castle doors and knocked politely.
Mario and Peach saw Luigi approaching from their place on the balcony, and Mario hurried back into the castle and made his way downstairs to let Luigi in.
"So, you did hear the announcement about our engagement, didn't you?" Mario asked his brother when he saw him standing there.
"Well, when you called me and said you were staying the night here, I actually had a pretty good idea that you had asked Peach to marry you, and that she said yes. It was obvious that you'd want to stay with her if the answer she gave you was a positive one." Luigi said, trying to hold Polterpup back so he wouldn't pounce on Mario and lavish him with doggie kisses (though Mario was so happy he wouldn't have minded it this time).
"I guess it really wasn't that hard for you to figure out what happened when Mario called you last night." Peach smiled as she hurried down the stairs and pulled Mario close to her.
"You two seem to love each other more than any couple I've ever seen." Luigi told her honestly.
Then Mario remembered something, and he beckoned for Luigi to come close. When he did, Mario whispered to him, "Oh, I should let you know that Peach gave me her answer before apologizing again for what happened during... that time..."
"The adventure that ended with you coming home with a broken heart?" Luigi asked.
"Sì. But we're all good, for we're going to be married to each other, rather than have Peach forcibly married to someone she can't stand to be with." Mario added, loud enough for Peach to hear.
"Someone I don't want sitting with me on the Mushroom throne." Peach said.
Mario and Luigi couldn't argue with Peach's logic. Bowser would be a terrible king for the Mushroom people, and the princess knew better than to marry someone like him.
The following Saturday was Mario and Peach's engagement party. Everyone was there (including characters who lived outside of the Mushroom Kingdom), and they were all very happy for Mario and Peach. The guests couldn't congratulate them enough on their engagement. At one point, Mario was even able to talk to the Toad who told him about Shooting Star Summit.
"Mario, you have asked the princess to go with you to Shooting Star Summit ever since I suggested it to you, right? I know you said you might consider it, but..." the Toad started.
"It's-a funny you should ask me about that because that's where I took her last weekend when I popped the question. But it was also a date, with a picnic under the stars. I proposed to her after the picnic." Mario explained.
"OH! That's even better! I always knew Shooting Star Summit was a great place for a date, but now you have proven that it's an even better place to propose marriage! Mario, you're so awesome!" said the Toad, whose eyes were now wide with surprise.
"I wasn't trying to prove anything romantic about Shooting Star Summit. All I wanted was to propose to mia principessa, my princess, in a special way, at a special place, and I did. Either way, your suggestion of taking her there was what helped me figure out where I could propose to her. So grazie. Thank you for the suggestion." Mario said to the Toad.
"I'm glad I was able to help you, Mario." the Toad smiled happily.
Several months later, Mario and Peach were married in a joyous ceremony in front of everyone in the kingdom, and all their friends, and they lived happily ever after!
The End
Wow, that was great! Mario proposed to his princess, she said yes, and Bowser didn't even show up to ruin anything this time! I hope you all enjoyed this MarioXPeach fanfic!