Well, that only took 4 months... Huh, why am I getting the strange feeling of Deja vu? Anyway, sorry to keep you waiting because I had a LOT of trouble writing this one out and kept getting stuck. (Not because I was procrastinating, absolutely not!)

Now, I have some more news, but that's for the author's note at the end. But for now, enjoy this chapter!

Luigi was left dumbstruck, his face filled with shocked disbelief, he struggled to say anything. All he could do in that moment was stand there and watch as the sounds of Lemmy's sobbing pierce him inside.

After Luigi finally broke free of his shock, he knelt down and gently placed a hand on the child's shoulder. This caused Lemmy to flinch and recoil with a gasp as he stopped crying and looked up at him with tears flowing down his face. Luigi lifted his hand slightly and gave the kid a sincere look. Lemmy quickly calmed down and relaxed his muscles, implying it was just a reflex.

Luigi spoke gently as he made eye contact with him, "Lemmy, I… I don't know what to say, other than…" Luigi looked away briefly before making eye contact with the boy, "I'm sorry…."

Lemmy froze, "H… huh?" He was stunned, he wasn't sure he even heard him correctly. Lemmy tried to speak, but all he could do was utter a few quiet stammers while scanning Luigi for any signs of an act, which was difficult with his tears clouding his vision slightly. But like the green plumber, he came up empty handed.

Luigi, getting the message, placed his hand back on Lemmy's shoulder, "I know we don't have the best history, but a kid like you shouldn't have to live like this, you deserve better. I just…" Luigi sighed, "I genuinely hope that your situation improves."

Lemmy reached up, gently grabbed Luigi's arm and gripped it, the look in his eyes showed pain and sorrow. But underneath, Luigi could see a look of plead and gratitude being overshadowed by his emotions.

Luigi quickly caught on that he was silently implying that he desperately wanted someone he could just cling on to and not let go. Anything that might offer him some kind of solace from the crushing amount of stress he faces. After making the connection, Luigi leaned in forward and gently embraced the young boy.

Lemmy's eyes widened with shock at his sudden gesture of kindness. But as much as he wasn't expecting this at all, he couldn't help but feel more free. His long time predicament had always felt like a darkness that was slowly suffocating his pure and innocent heart. But now, for the first time in a long time, someone else had finally listened to his problems and actually cared. Something he hasn't felt since he first told Larry years earlier.

Despite regarding him as his enemy, Luigi hugging him like this felt… relieving… to the smallest Koopaling.

After about a good 15 seconds, Luigi released him, upon doing so, he helped the kid up to his feet and remained kneeled to stay level with him. He then examined the kid's face and body language. From everything the boy told him, it was clear that Lemmy had bottled up so much pain and grief inside of him for so long and was desperate to get rid of all of it. Even going as far as to open up about your personal life to his enemy and break down in tears right in front of him.

Even though he always had a negative opinion of him, the genuine pain and hopelessness along with the sight and sounds of Lemmy's crying on top of the sad reality of his situation, seeing him so lost and broken was enough for Luigi's heart to ache so much that it hurt.

Seeing how he reacted to his suggestion that he talks to his father about how he feels, it was obvious he was scared. After all, it was what finally broke him.

Despite being enemies, Luigi didn't want to just stand by and leave him like this, he wanted to help him get through this. Or make a positive difference at the very least.

But if he was going to do it, he had to approach the matter delicately. After taking a deep breath and exhaling to calm his nerves, Luigi spoke gently to him, "Lemmy, why can't your father know about how you feel?"

Lemmy visibly tensed up as he turned his eyes away, he was beginning to move and sound a little squirmy. Upon noticing this, Luigi quickly reassured him, "Y-You don't have to answer if you don't want to. It's just…" From what he gathered, Luigi already had a hunch on why Lemmy reacted so strongly. "I might know why you feel that way."

Lemmy turned his eyes away from him and towards the ground, tears welling in his eyes, he began to answer, stuttering most of the way. "He prides himself so much on our loyalty to him… our willingness to carry out his orders, even if they are morally questionable…" Lemmy hung his head a little, "If I reveal that I don't want to do this anymore, he might think I'm breaking my undying loyalty to him when I'm really not…. He might think of me as disobiedient while all I want is to be a more normal kid..."

Lemmy's voice began to shake a little, "Even worse, he might take it completely out of context, thinking of me not wanting to do these kidnapping missions anymore as a sign I want to switch sides or something…" he began tremble as much as his voice was, "What would happen to me…? What would Dad do to me?" His breathing becomes more intense, "What if he punishes me? What if he locks me up in the dungeon? What if he exiles me!?"

Luigi quickly and firmly places his hands on the kid's shoulders, "Lemmy!" Lemmy froze and looked up at Luigi, not saying a word, startled by the sudden action. "Take a deep breath, and calm down… just breathe…" Lemmy obliges and starts taking deep breaths. He was shaky at first, but he got progressively calmer and relaxed.

Now that Luigi had his attention, he dropped his hands from Lemmy's shoulders, "Mario and I have been clashing with him for many years now, and we have seen firsthand what kind of awful things he has done throughout that time. I may not know your father on a personal level, but I've known him for long enough to know that he would never do something like that. Even for him, that would be too far."

Lemmy turned his eyes away from him looking unconvinced, "But I do know him… You've seen how bad his temper can be, right? Well… you probably don't know just how easy it is to trigger it. When in a blind rage, he tends to act without thinking, a total spur of the moment… I know he probably wouldn't mean to and would likely regret his actions, but still... I'm scared of what might happen..." Lemmy began to shake a little as he trailed off.

Luigi looked at the kid with sympathy and sighed, "You're really that afraid, aren't you?" After a few moments of uneasy silence, Lemmy swallowed nervously before silently nodding as tears began to well up in his eyes again, "I can't do it… I can't tell him… Or anyone else for that matter… The only person I've told is Larry." He sniffled as he looked up into Luigi's eyes, "He's the only one I can trust with this… He's the only support I have and words can't describe how grateful I am to have him. It's largely thanks to him I was able to hold out for this long…" Lemmy then hung his head again, "But aside from him… I…" He shut his eyes tight "... have nobody…"

Lemmy's trembling began to intensify, clearly on the verge of crying again. Luigi could hardly stand the sight, so he tried to ease him up a little, "That's not true, Lemmy." Luigi was about to place a consoling hand on the kid's shoulder, only for Lemmy to gently shove it away, "Yes it is!" Lemmy buried his face in his hands as he started to cry again, "It's true… Larry is all I have… and nobody else…"

Now, it's true that Luigi knows Lemmy is a professional at acting and performance, he was also not an idiot. Despite the limited knowledge he had of his morals before setting foot in this freezing room, he can absolutely tell that this was no act. There was no reason for Lemmy to ever lie about something as serious as this, even if he was ordered too. In that moment, what little adversarial bias Luigi had left towards him was tossed aside. Upon doing so, all Luigi saw in the kid was just that, a young innocent boy and nothing more. One that strives to be just that, but couldn't. Between the whole story he was told and seeing Lemmy's very real emotions, Luigi had made his decision. Despite being adversaries, he was going to help him get out of this darkness the kid finds himself in. No matter what it takes!

"Well, it's not true anymore."

Lemmy opened his eyes and did a double take, "Huh?" Lemmy had abruptly stopped crying and looked up at Luigi, who then continued, "You said that Larry is the only support you have, right? Well, you can add me to that list as well because frankly, you don't deserve this." Lemmy was caught off guard by this and through his teary eyes, scanned Luigi's face for any signs of a facade and once again found nothing.

"W-What…?" Lemmy was at a total loss for words, after a moment of stunned silence, he was finally able to muster a proper sentence, "But… but I'm your enemy! You can't support me!" Luigi? Willing to help him? He can't be serious!

...

Can he…?

Luigi, catching the message, felt the need to break this long standing mentality, "The fact we're on opposing sides doesn't matter here. Enemies or not, I can't just stand by and leave you like this. Helping others is what Mario and I do best." He placed a hand on his shoulder, one that was gentle but firm. "You have my support Lemmy, and I will do anything I can to help you. If there's anything you need, just ask."

As the shock slowly wore off, Lemmy silently pondered for a moment before looking up at Luigi with tears clouding his vision slightly. Lemmy looked up at him with the eyes of a hopeful child, looking as if a huge weight was getting ready to be lifted off him.

Luigi caught on quickly that Lemmy wanted him to confirm it. He gave him a slight but very warm and sincere grin and a light nod while keeping his hand on his shoulder.

Luigi was about to formally reassure him, but not before Lemmy threw himself into the green plumber, hugging his waist tightly and began crying again, desperate to not let go of his new found solace. Luigi was caught off guard by this and froze momentarily before he smiled and gently placed a hand on the top of his shell to comfort him.

After a few minutes of this, Lemmy finally separates from him, sniffling and wiping his tears away. He looked up at Luigi and finally smiled, "I… thank you, Luigi…" Lemmy was so overjoyed he was trying to not cry again.

Luigi was relieved he was able to calm him down, but not as relieved as Lemmy was to finally have someone hear him out. But then a thought crossed Luigi's mind that made his smile fade.

"Wait, so, aside from your brother and myself, you've kept this a secret from everyone, right?" Lemmy's smile also faded, "His name is Larry. But, yes, you and him are the only ones who know. It's a deep secret I've kept from everyone. I can never bring myself to tell anyone else. I told Larry because he and I have always been super close and I know he would have my back, and…" Lemmy looked into the plumber's eyes with an unsure look, "I guess I only told you out of desperation that someone would listen."

Luigi's brow furrowed at the last part, "Poor Lemmy." It really rubbed Luigi the wrong way and he wanted to make the kid feel like he had another pillar he could stand on. Luigi turned his eyes away briefly as he thought on how to word it, he rested his hand on the knee that wasn't touching the cold ice floor and looked back at Lemmy, "Since this is a very personal and private matter, if it makes you feel better, I won't tell anyone without your permission. You have full control over who you tell, what you say, and when. I am available when you need to talk." Lemmy stared skeptically at him, "Do you promise?" Luigi patted his chest above his heart with a reassuring smile, "I promise. Don't worry, your secret is safe with me."

Lemmy stared silently for a moment before his face turned back into a smile and sighed with what sounded like relief, "I… really appreciate that. Thank you." But then his face fell and returned to that of sadness as he looked down towards his feet again, "I will have to tell him eventually… won't I…?"

"This is something you can't just bottle up forever, the fact that it's taking a heavy toll on you makes this a really unhealthy way to live. If you want something to change, you will have to tell your father at some point."

Lemmy felt uneasy after hearing that, "Are you… asking me to tell him…?" Luigi shook his head, "Of course not. I would not tell him the second you get a chance too. In a situation like this, I would try talking to others who know about your problems first. You should get into the habit of having one on one conversations with Larry or myself about this. That way, you would become more comfortable when talking about it. This whole thing clearly has an extreme negative effect on you, so this would help you cope better with it."

Luigi, placed a hand on his shoulder again, "Regardless if you plan on actually opening up to your father to begin with, it's still good to get comfortable talking about it. When you do, you can discuss it with your father. Don't dive in head first and instead, take your time on this. If you're going to tell him, do it when you are absolutely ready to."

Luigi then dropped his hand off and continued, "If you're scared about telling him, that's okay, you can choose to not tell him at all. Either way, vent out to those who know as much as you can. But don't do it excessively as that can increase the anxiety and stress of the situation."

Lemmy looked down and away as he shuffled his feet awkwardly, "I don't know about that… can I really talk about it regularly? Would that really work?"

"Trust me, venting about an issue that runs as deep as this does help, even if it's only a little bit. If the worst case scenario is that nothing changes, what do you really have to lose?" Lemmy looks back up at Luigi with sad eyes, "But if nothing changes, I…" Lemmy hangs his head a little, "I don't think I can muster up the courage to tell King Dad…"

Luigi once again places a reassuring hand on Lemmy's shoulder, "That's okay, Lemmy, you can take as much time as you need. You only tell him when you are ready, it won't do you any good if you have no confidence built. You are once again in complete control over what, if, and most importantly, when you tell him."

"If worse comes to worst, you know who to turn to when you need help."

Lemmy stared at him silently before sniffling with a smile. Lemmy threw himself into Luigi once again, wrapping his arms around as far as he could reach and hugged him tightly, once again tears were flowing, but that of relief and with a smile. Luigi gently hugged him warmly, enough to the point where he completely forgot he was in a freezing cold ice tower.

After around another minute, they finally separated, Lemmy sniffled and wiped his tears away. Once he was done, he looked up at Luigi with a smile and a look of gratitude in his eyes, "Th… thank you… Luigi…" Lemmy sniffled again as he regained his composure, "I really needed that…"

"Your welcome, Lemmy." Luigi said as he gave him a nod.

After staring at each other in silence for a few moments, Lemmy started to giggle slightly, "You know… when it comes to venting out to someone about my problems and them showing their support for me…" Lemmy continued to giggle before stopping and looking back up at Luigi, "Funny… I never thought it would be you of all people who I'd tell."

Lemmy took a shaky breath and exhaled, "It feels like a thwomp has been lifted off me, the air feels so much clearer now…. Words can't describe how relieved I am to know that others are willing to help…" He began to shake a little with joy, "Seriously, Luigi… Thank you. Thank you so much!" Luigi couldn't help but smile.

After a few moments of silence, Lemmy's smile once again faded into a slight solemn look, Luigi was about to ask when Lemmy beat him to it, "I guess it's… time for us to battle now." Luigi's face also fell.

Oh, right…

Throughout all the revelations, conversation, and comforting, Luigi had completely forgotten about why he was here at all. He still has to defeat Lemmy in a very physical battle to advance. But after the boy opened up to him and revealed a ton about his personal life and being there to comfort him and give his support, Luigi wasn't sure if he can actually go through with jumping on his head the signature three times now.

Looking at Lemmy's face, it was clear he didn't fancy the idea of battling either. But knowing they weren't going to be leaving until after they fight and that Lemmy was likely obligated to carry out orders, Luigi sighed internally, "Yeah… I guess it is."

They silently and solemnly moved to their normal battle ready positions. Luigi got into a proper battle ready stance, albeit, he was trembling a little. Lemmy had gotten back on his ball and rolled back over to where he normally would be at the start. Drawing out his wand, he wobbled on his ball a little.

As they awkwardly stood opposite to each other in silence for a good few moments, Lemmy lifted his wand and tried to cast one of his bombs. But he struggled to actually wave his wand, he really didn't want to do this. Lemmy tried again, he got his wand to glow, but he couldn't concentrate, so when he flicked his wand forward, nothing happened.

Seeing this, Luigi felt bad, it was very obvious he was struggling to even start the battle, and frankly, Luigi doesn't blame him since he himself is not doing much better.

Lemmy was about to try again, but then he stopped, he looked at his wand that was raised above his head. He thought for a moment as he lowered his wand. Staring at it for a few seconds, Lemmy's eyes lit up and he smiled before putting the wand away in his hammerspace.

Lemmy, standing on his ball, rolled up to Luigi and reached into his hammerspace. There, he whips out a shiny and sparkling golden key Luigi knew all too well. While Luigi did flinch a little when he did, he was a bit confused, "Is that…?" Lemmy nodded and held the key out to him with a smile, "Here, I want you to take this."

Luigi knew exactly what Lemmy was trying to do and he was a bit unsure if he should take the key, not for his own sake, but for Lemmy's, "But, I can't, I shouldn't."

This didn't deter the child though, who started speaking in a serious, but charmingly grateful tone, "Luigi, you did me a huge favor by listening to all of that and being there to comfort me. In return, I'm giving you a free pass. Besides, I don't think I have it in me to battle you anyway. That said, I officially forfeit."

Luigi was still a bit hesitant to take the key though, "Won't you get in trouble for doing this? Surely your father will not be happy about this." Lemmy scoffs and smirks, "That is, IF he finds out. I can play it off that you beat me again, I might even fake a couple injuries too. Honestly, King Dad can be a bit easy to fool sometimes." Lemmy took Luigi's hand and placed the key in it and gave him a cheery smile, "This whole thing is our little secret!"

Luigi looked down at the key in his hand, while he didn't feel right about it, he also would rather not fight him either. As such, he finally relented, "I… Thank you, Lemmy." Lemmy shook his head, "No. Thank you, Luigi. I'm so happy I got to open up to someone about this." Lemmy gave Luigi a sincere and cheery smile, "I haven't felt this way about the situation in a long time, this is a big step for me. And you did what you do best when you helped me by being there for me. If anything, we both won today."

Luigi looked back down at the key, then up at Lemmy and smiled, "Helping others is what the Mario brothers do best. If there's anything you need, just ask." Lemmy giggled a little before he rolled to the side, "Welp, you know where the key goes. Good luck on your journey to the castle. Not that you'll need it of course, but it's good to have it just in case." Lemmy said in his signature joking manner.

Luigi walked over to the other side of the room and unlocked the door with the key, when he did, the stone door vanished like normal. Before leaving, Luigi took one glance back at Lemmy, who smiled and waved, "Bye Luigi! And thanks again."

"You're welcome, Lemmy." Luigi said as he gave him a nod before turning and walking out the door to the exit of the tower.

After he left, Lemmy looked over at the windows and rolled back over to them. He looked out and saw the snow had stopped falling and the sun now showed.

Then a thought crossed Lemmy's mind, he couldn't go back looking completely unscathed or else people would get suspicious. Realizing this, he facepalmed, "Maybe I should've had Luigi jump on my head at least once or twice." Then he remembered something else, he thought about it for a moment before smiling, "Hm, that could work." But all in good time though, he wants to enjoy the moment for a while.

Pushing his idea aside and shifting on his ball to get comfortable, he leaned his arms on the windowsill and gazed at the snowy landscape that shined brightly in the sun. Lemmy took in the beautiful sight outside once again like how he was before Luigi had shown up. Only this time, with a smile.

Whew. I'm glad that Lemmy finally has someone he can talk to-... oh wait they have no way of contacting each other, whoops. Meh, that's their problem.

I actually finished this chapter yesterday and have made a ton of progress into chapter 6, I would even say it's at least halfway done. Probably because I'm having a WAY easier time writing it out than this one. And I have once again overshot my 2600 to 3400 word mark. Ugh, if this keeps happening, I might as well increase it.

On that note, I will give you guys a head up that there's a possibility that I will merge chapters 1 and 2 back into the original chapter 1 to make it better fit with the word lengths of the rest.

Also, I have renamed all the chapters off of a first person style and into more normal names. Turns out coming up with names with that first person style is really hard, so I'm just going to do it the easier way.

One last thing, before I published this chapter, this story was at exactly 15000 words, which sounds satisfying!

Anyway, I have made a lot of progress into chapter 6, so expect it soon. See ya guys!