Larry sat on his bed staring at the currently turned off TV, he was bored, but he didn't feel like doing anything, not while he had a lot on his mind. He didn't sleep well at all last night and despite how cozy it made him feel, his Super Bell didn't help him much. Which really says something. Sure, he did get some sleep, but not nearly as much as he wanted. He wished he could hang around Lemmy to calm his nerves, but he had left for his getaway spot a little while ago so that option was off the table.

Given how quiet it was, he wanted to just lie down and take a nap, but he still couldn't get his mind off of what Lemmy said. Between Lemmy telling Luigi about his problems with the Koopa Troop, the plumber supposedly supporting him, Lemmy giving the key to him without a fight, the possibility of Lemmy telling Bowser about his problems and him potentially finding out what really happened, Larry was massively on edge. Everything Lemmy had told him yesterday made it really difficult for him to relax.

Larry winced as he looked down at his shaking hands, Luigi willing to help Lemmy? Larry still had a lot of trouble believing it, like it was some sort of nightmare that induced psychological fear inside him. But on the other hand, Lemmy wouldn't lie about something like this. But does Lemmy actually know for sure?

Larry had a horrible feeling that Luigi faked it in hopes of possibly using Lemmy's vulnerability as a way to gain an advantage in a future kidnapping mission, like using it to blackmail Lemmy into letting him through without a fight. The mere thought of it made Larry sick and terrified.

But the more he thought about it, the more he had trouble actually believing it. While he sees Luigi as a bitter enemy, what Lemmy said about him does make some sense. Luigi has never been known by the toads to pull underhanded tricks and Bowser has done plenty worse things in the past. Lemmy didn't spot any sort of act, and the comfort he got from Luigi did seem genuine. Given how Lemmy described it, Luigi being genuine and truly wanting to help him was entirely possible, he couldn't deny it.

Larry really wanted to believe that. But thanks to his long history of battling with him and growing up always seeing him as bad, Larry struggled to do so.

Did Luigi genuinely want to help Lemmy? Or does he have an ulterior motive? Both scenarios are possible, but both also felt unlikely at the same time, Larry had no idea what to think about Luigi. If only there was a way he could know for sure that Luigi indeed has pure intentions, it would really help him with the anxiety of the situation.

He took in a shaky breath and exhaled, even though he trusts Lemmy, Larry couldn't just blindly trust Luigi on a whim. But given what Lemmy had done, with the venting out and faking the battle and all, Larry had no choice but to trust Luigi, and he was really uncomfortable with that.

Larry shook his head vigorously with an annoyed grunt, he wanted to get his mind off it for a bit, he really hated feeling like this. He's been stressed out since yesterday, he's tired and he wanted to just relax for a bit, and he had an idea on how.

Crawling over to his cubby shelf on the side of his bed, Larry reached into one of the cubbies and pulled out his Super Bell. After setting it down on his bed, he looked at its striped golden surface and its glow. He always loved the way it looked. Larry could see his own reflection in the powerup and he couldn't help but smile a little.

He picked it up and pulled it into his chest. With the same powerup activation sound along with the sound of a ringing bell he has heard every night, the Super Bell disappeared and Larry now dawned a fluffy cat suit that matched his shell color with a white underbelly and paws. The light blue fur also had a subtle star pattern like the birthmark on the side of his head.

Larry immediately felt the warmth and coziness brought upon by the powerup, which did make him feel a bit more relaxed. On the other hand, he did feel a little weird wearing it mid-day. Normally he would only do this whenever he goes to bed at night, but since he didn't sleep well, he was really craving for some comfort right now. Who knows, maybe he might actually take a proper nap?

While he doesn't necessarily like talking about it, it was no secret to the family that he likes wearing it. Sure, he does get the cool cat abilities like climbing walls and being able to run faster, but he really only wears it for sleeping. Larry can confirm that they were better than any set of pajamas he has ever worn. After all, he felt like a living teddy bear while wearing one and he had this particular Super Bell since he was a baby. Due to the nature of powerups, it will always fit him. He would even bet that it would be a very popular choice for pajamas. But since Super Bells are only found in the Sprixie Kingdom, it wasn't easy to get them.

Larry grabbed the TV remote and turned on his favorite cartoon channel, maybe that can help him get his mind off things. But he was a bit disappointed to find that there was nothing interesting playing right now. Then he had an idea, he changed the channel to one that displayed a gentle waterfall and river with calming ambient drone music playing in the background.

After setting the volume to his liking, he set the remote back on the bedside table and got comfy under his blankets. While he was still very stressed out, he had to admit, he was starting to feel more relaxed.

Between the soothing sounds of the flowing water, the ambient music and the warm and soft cat suit, Larry felt like he could sleep all day. He closed his eyes and sighed with a smile, "This feels nice…"

But then a knock on his bedroom door instantly snapped him out of it. He opened his eyes just in time to see Lemmy walking into the room. Lemmy immediately noticed Larry in bed, "Oh, hey Larry." Larry sat up in his bed, "Lemmy?" Lemmy scratched the back of his neck awkwardly, "Am I disturbing you?" Larry shook his head, "No, you're not."

Lemmy looked up at the TV and then back at Larry, "What are you doing?" Larry looked down at his blankets with a bit of a gloomy look, "Trying to calm my nerves…" Lemmy was puzzled at first, but it quickly clicked in his head. Lemmy gently shut the door behind him and looked at Larry with a look of guilt, "It's still bothering you, isn't it?"

Larry reached over and picked up the TV remote, "Worse. I'm freaking out. I've been so on edge that I had a lot of trouble sleeping last night." Larry pressed the mute button to stop the calming sounds, "Since I couldn't ask you for help, I figured I'd try wearing my Super Bell and playing one of those long channels meant for relaxing to calm down a little."

"You mean one of the dozen or so ambience channels?" Lemmy said as he walked up to in between their beds. Larry rolled his eyes, "Whatever." He grabbed his chest and with the powerup deactivation sound, he manifested the Super Bell back into existence as he yanked it out of his body, turning back to normal in the process.

Lemmy looked up at him with a concerned face, "How are you holding up?" Larry sighed as he gently set his Super Bell to the side, "I've been better." Lemmy looked up at his younger brother with sad eyes, "Aw, Larry, I'm really sorry I've caused you that stress." He stood on his tippy toes as he held both of his arms out towards him. Larry reached over and helped Lemmy up onto his bed, after which, he crawled over and kneeled next to him. "You don't need to apologize, Lemmy."

Lemmy gently placed a hand on Larry's, "I know, but still, it's kinda my fault you're all stressed out and worried." He looked up at Larry with guilt, "I was the one who told you about what happened between me and Luigi after all." Larry placed a hand on Lemmy's shoulder, "It's okay Lemmy. I'm just happy you didn't hide this from me."

Lemmy gently gripped Larry's arm as he looked back at him with sadness, "But look at you, you've been massively on edge, it's painfully obvious that you're still upset. All scared and worried for my sake. I mean, I can tell you had trouble sleeping last night." Lemmy gently lifted Larry's hand off his shoulder and set it down on his bed, "Again, I'm really sorry I made you feel that way… I hate seeing you like this…"

Larry turned his eyes away from him to look towards a part of his bed, "I… I understand." He then looked back up at him, "Still, thanks for being here for me, and thanks for being honest with me yesterday." Larry took in a shaky breath, "Yes, I'm feeling pretty uneasy. But if I found out you were hiding this from me, I would probably feel even worse." Lemmy winced, "Yeah, you would probably be upset with me." Larry sadly shrugged, "I would've been less upset about you not trusting me enough to tell me, and more upset about the fact I couldn't help you at all during it. I mean, what if something bad happened and I had no idea?" He looked over to his Super Bell resting on the bed next to him, "I would've felt awful about it."

Lemmy also turned his eyes away from him, "I know, that's why I told you in the first place. Because I do trust you." Larry looked back at him, "And I really appreciate that." Lemmy didn't say anything, all he did was keep his eyes turned away from Larry awkwardly.

Larry noticed that Lemmy looked a bit more antsy than sad, "Uh, Lem?" Lemmy shook his head and snapped out of his thoughts to meet Larry's concerned eyes, "H-Huh?"

"You okay there?" Lemmy looked away for a moment before he sighed, "Larry, I need to tell you something." Larry's heart dropped, "Oh no, not again… Is it about yesterday?" Lemmy half shrugged, "Well, technically it's today, but it is related to it." Lemmy's face turned into that of a puzzled one, "Something pretty bizarre happened while I was at the tree earlier." Larry sat there blinking at him, he was expecting Lemmy to be all somber again. As such, he couldn't help but be curious, "O-Oh…? What happened?"

"Get ready for this Larry." Lemmy attempted to make a joke to lighten the atmosphere, "I'd hold on to your Super Bell, because it might get blown away." Larry slowly reached over and moved his Super Bell closer to him while tentatively keeping his eyes on Lemmy, "Uh, Lem? Where is this going?" Lemmy awkwardly turned his eyes away as he saw Larry's mood didn't improve, "You're probably not going to believe me, but…" He looked back up at him, "I encountered Luigi while I was sitting under the tree."

Larry froze while he processed that info, and when it did, he did a double take and shook his head vigorously, "D-... What!?" Lemmy nodded, "I know, I was shocked too, and so was he!" Larry just sat there gawking at him, "You're right, I don't believe it." Lemmy held his hands out at him in agreement, "Neither could we, we were both absolutely stunned!"

Larry narrowed his eyes suspiciously, "Hold it, how did he know that you were there?" Lemmy shook his head, "He didn't, he just happened to be nearby. He glanced at the tree and saw me by sheer coincidence! Seriously, that was a twist neither of us saw coming!" Larry was in disbelief, "What? But… how is that possible?" Lemmy shrugged, "That's what I said! Like, what are the odds of that happening?"

"Don't ask me, I don't know!" Larry's face fell as it all sank in. He was really hoping that Lemmy's news wasn't about Luigi, the last thing he needed was more stress over it. While he wasn't particularly thrilled, Larry was admittedly pretty curious about the encounter. Larry looked back up at Lemmy as his face softened, "So, what happened next?"

Lemmy shifted into a more comfortable position before answering, "Well, after telling him why I was here, I brought him up to speed on everything." Larry gave a puzzled look, "You told him about your secret resting spot? Also, when you say, 'brought him up to speed on everything', what exactly did you tell him?"

"Yeah, I told him about it. As for what I said, I gave him a rundown on everything that happened yesterday after we parted ways. About how I faked my battle and that I told you about what really happened in the tower." Larry recoiled a little before glaring at Lemmy with a bit of an irritated look, "L-Lemmy! You know, I would really appreciate it if you asked me first!" Lemmy awkwardly chuckled, "S-Sorry, Larry, I... In all fairness, it was pretty sudden. I wasn't thinking straight."

Lemmy's tone fell back to one of guilt, "But seriously though, I'm really sorry, Larry. I want to get as much help from you and Luigi as possible, so I feel like I should keep you both updated as much as I can. Which is why I'm telling you this now and to be honest…" Lemmy scratched the back of his neck, "I'm probably going to tell Luigi about this very conversation next time."

Larry shook his head with a sigh, but then got caught on that last part, "Wait…" Larry looked back up at Lemmy, "Next time?" Lemmy then remembered, "Oh, right! Remember how I said that Luigi said I should have one on one conversations with you and him regularly?" Larry slowly nodded, "Uh… Y-Yes?"

Lemmy then proceeded to tell Larry about the arrangement he made with Luigi. Larry was particularly interested in the part where he planned to meet up with him next weekend, "So, you're going to meet up with him every week now?" Lemmy nodded, "Yeah, just to talk about my issues when they're getting to me and maybe some chatting here and there, I know that this will definitely be a huge help for me."

While he was happy that Lemmy was heading in a positive direction in regards to his situation with the Koopa Troop, Larry started feeling sick again, knowing that Luigi is going to play a big role in this, he still doesn't trust him.

Lemmy took notice, "You okay there, Larry?" Larry shook his head, "No…" Tense and worried, he hung his head and sighed, "I can't for the life of me figure out how you can just trust him like that." He then looked back up at Lemmy, "This whole thing with your problems in the Koopa Troop, this is a huge thing to trust him with!"

Lemmy placed a hand down on top of Larry's and gave him an understanding look, "I know how you feel, Larry. We've spent our lives seeing the Mario brothers as bitter enemies. I can't blame you, because I feel the same way." Larry looked back up at Lemmy, looking so lost, "Then… Why are you willing to trust him so quickly? I feel like you're playing with fire. I don't like this one bit…"

"I know, Larry. But Luigi knows just how big of a deal this is, and that we don't have the best history with him. All three of us are well aware of that." Lemmy gently squeezed his hand, "But I'm willing to ignore the past and look at the fact that this is bigger than our rivalry and from what I can tell, Luigi understands that as well."

Larry bowed his head slightly as he turned his eyes away from Lemmy. Lemmy placed his other hand on Larry's chin and gently lifted his head to look at him, "You'll get used to it, Larry. Just give it time and take it slowly. You're not the only one experiencing this. Luigi and I have to get used to it as well. It was all pretty sudden after all."

Larry somberly looked at Lemmy's hand gripping his own before looking back up at him, still retaining his sad eyes. "I just…" With a sad sigh, Larry hung his head again and muttered, "I just hope you're right about him…"

Seeing this, Lemmy felt sorry for Larry, he gently lifted Larry's head to look him in the eyes. There, he noticed in his eyes just how pained, conflicted and lost he looked, which made the little koopaling's heart ache for him, "Do you need a hug, Larry?" Larry sniffled, "Y-Yes please…"

Lemmy gently hugged Larry, who tightly embraced him back. Lemmy could feel just how shaken up he still was, the fact Larry felt this way really made him feel upset. He gently patted Larry's shell, "I'm here for you, Larry…" Larry closed his eyes and sighed as he just held him in his arms.

After a couple minutes of silently embracing each other with the occasional comforting words, they separate. Lemmy held Larry's hands in his as he kneeled in front of him, "Feeling better?" Larry sniffled as he looked back up at Lemmy, "Y… Yeah…" A tiny sob escaped from him before he gave a very slight smile, "Th… Thanks, Lem." Lemmy gave him a shy smile, "Anything for my baby bro."

Saying that made Lemmy recall a bunch of memories from his pre-Koopa Troop life with Larry. Many times were that of Larry sticking to him like glue when he was actually a baby, always following him and always showing his love for him, especially after he learned to walk. Not that Lemmy was complaining, he never wanted to be away from Larry anyway.

Lemmy placed a thoughtful hand on his chin, "Heh, saying that reminds me of when you really were a baby." He started to speak with a slight baby talk tone, "You were so sweet and cute back then, and still are."

Larry's face fell to an unamused one, "I'm not cute." Lemmy playfully smirked, "Aw what? Yes you are." Larry crossed his arms and pouted, "No I'm not!" Lemmy giggled, "Yes you are!" Larry then placed his hands on his hips and closed his eyes assertively, "Nope, and that's final!" Larry stuck his tongue out in a taunting manner, "Ha!" He smirked triumphantly.

Lemmy glanced over at Larry's Super Bell powerup nearby and smirked mischievously, "That's where you're wrong cat boy!" Lemmy quickly snatched the powerup and smacked it into Larry's chest. The powerup activation sound played along with the ringing bell and Larry now dawned his cat suit again. Startled, Larry yelped as his face turned red from embarrassment, "Lemmy!" Lemmy pointed and laughed at him, "Now you're definitely cute! Ha!"

Larry narrowed his eyes at him and spoke in a sinister yet playful tone, "So, this is how it's going to be." Lemmy stopped laughing, "H-Huh?" Larry smirked, "You do realize I have the urge to act like a cat now, right?" Lemmy was puzzled at first, but once it clicked, his eyes widened, "Uh oh..."

When Larry started to slowly get up from his seating position, Lemmy slid off Larry's bed and climbed onto his, all the while keeping his eyes on Larry, who was slowly moving on all fours towards the edge of his bed. Lemmy began shuffling to the other end of his bed, struggling to keep himself from breaking his act, "Larry, don't you dare!" Larry slowly crouched into a stalking cat pose and started to wiggle his feet.

By the time Lemmy realized, Larry leaped across the gap between their beds. Lemmy yelped as Larry tackled him, pinning him to his blankets, "Larry!" Larry was giggling to himself, "I may be cute, but I just pinned you to your bed!" He then smirked, "What are ya gonna do about it?"

Lemmy smirked, "Well, I could do this." Lemmy quickly reached down and started tickling Larry's underbelly, causing him to snicker before rolling off him and laughing, "L-Lemmy! Hey!" Having turned the tables on his brother, Lemmy kept tickling him until he got up. Then he quickly scrambled to the edge of his bed, reached into one of his cubbies, and pulled out his own Super Bell. Afterwards, he promptly equipped it and now had an orange cat suit on.

By the time Larry realized what was going on, Lemmy made his way back over to him and tackled him. Larry gasped as he was now pinned to the bed with Lemmy on top of him, who started attacking him with more tickles, "Now I've got you, Larry!" Larry was trying so hard to get Lemmy off him, but it was hopeless. In bouts of laughter, he admitted defeat, "Okay! You win!" Lemmy was laughing hysterically with him the whole time, "You can't beat the king of fun!"

After a minute, they finally calmed down, with their sides hurting. Lemmy was the first to speak coherently after their laughing fit, "Aren't we an adorable pair?" Larry, while still snickering, was able to calm down a little, "More like a pair of weirdos." He then smiled, "But adorable too, yeah." Lemmy smirked, "So you admit that you're cute?" Larry chuckled, "Okay, okay, maybe I'm a little cute."

Larry then sighed as he fully calmed down, "Thanks, Lemmy. I feel a lot better now. I really needed this." Lemmy hugged his little brother, "You're welcome, Larry." Larry tightly hugged the smaller koopaling in return.

After they broke the hug, Larry yawned, "Man, I'm still tired…" Lemmy then remembered, "Oh right. You were trying to relax when I first came in." Larry's face fell a little, "Ugh, now I'm thinking about yesterday again, I don't think I can nap like this." Lemmy snickered, "You mean a 'cat' nap?" He started laughing hysterically, all while Larry just sat there blinking at him, "It's... not that funny."

Lemmy stopped laughing, "Okay, sorry. But anyway, I might be able to help you." Lemmy crawled over to the bedside table, grabbed the remote and unmuted the TV, "How about I join you? I can use some rest too." Larry shrugged, "Sure, it's been quite a while since we last did it." With a squeal, Lemmy eagerly hopped off his bed and leaped onto Larry's, with Larry following closely.

After getting settled in, Larry held Lemmy close to him like a teddy bear while Lemmy snuggled against him. He could feel just how warm and soft Larry's body was, it was very relaxing.

Larry looked at his smallest brother, "This feels a little awkward. But it also feels calming and… nostalgic." He sighed happily, "I forgot what it felt like…" Lemmy giggled, "Same here, Larry."

Larry hugged him tighter, "You know, Lem, looking back to some of my earliest memories, I remember we used to do this every night. With your Super Bell, you were my teddy bear… I think I also remember a crib?" Lemmy gently nuzzled Larry, "That's right, Larry! We shared a crib back then! You were the most precious little thing…" Larry smiled as he closed his eyes and started mumbling, "I remember one night from back then… I think it's one of my first memories…" His mumbling grew more fainter and softer, "I still remember a few things from that night… Something about… stars…" Lemmy beamed, he knew exactly what night Larry was talking about.

But then he noticed Larry's body had gone limp, he gently patted him and he didn't respond, Larry was fast asleep. "Heh, it still works like a charm." Lemmy yawned and closed his eyes, "Sleep tight my sweet little Larry…" he muttered before he turned his attention to the sounds from the TV. Not long afterwards, Lemmy had drifted off to sleep in his arms.

Those two sure love their Super Bells, don't they?

If you paid attention to what they were saying at the end, then you might know what's going to happen next... Okay it's obvious where I'm going with it... The second flashback chapter is up next and I've made some progress on it. Unlike some of the other one that came before and the ones that will come after, this one is kind of important or at least relevant to the main plot line, but not until WAY later.

I wanted to get this chapter done a while ago, but progress was slow because I had like three other chapters in a bit of a toss up with it to see which goes first. I wrote part of the flashback in the meantime until I worked it out. The second reason was that I had to study for an exam this week.

However, the biggest reason was that I had to be extremely careful with how I wrote out the serious part of this chapter, I had to get it just right. It's really subtle, but crucial. So crucial that it would've messed up the plot later down the line if I hadn't done it. I'll reveal why once we actually get there or sometime after that. Either way, its not happening for a long while. Not for another 20 chapters at LEAST. So you have until then to figure it out. That is all I'm going to say on the matter.

Anyway, second flashback chapter is up next, and based on what was said, let's if you can guess it is about. I'd love to stay, but I have places to go, so see you next time!

(REMINDER! Type in authour's note tomorrow!)

Oops! I forgot to remove that! Oh, it's stuck now... huh.