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pianokantzart · 2 years ago

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Small Shadows Part 2

Also Available on AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/47310646/chapters/119303674

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What followed was a blur.

Luigi could only remember scattered moments in a haze of panic, most of which were of him trying to hide from the brawl, ducking out of the way of splintering debris and swinging fists. In one moment of relative peace he had found a hiding spot behind a broken table, leaned up against the wall, and took a moment to try and find an exit amidst the chaos. But before he could discover a single ray of hope he was gripped by the ankles by an unseen assailant, dragged out of his hiding place, and flung like a projectile at an insectoid fighter attempting to come in for a dropkick.

At another point Luigi tried to army crawl behind the bar, but Torque was adamant about keeping that particular hiding place private. When Luigi attempted to climb over the bar entrance and squeeze in next to him, one of Torque’s vines gripped him by the waist and flung him over the counter into the center of the fight, where he was trampled underfoot until he managed to roll out of the way, and tuck himself into a corner amidst a small heap of broken chairs.

That was when he spotted Daisy, grappling the very same serpent that had threatened him earlier. She was laughing like a maniac as she bear-hugged his coils, having the time of her life as she flung him back and forth, slamming him like a wet sock against walls and furniture despite her smaller size. Her upper hand only wavered when the snake began breathing fireballs. While she mostly dodged with the tactful grace befitting her reputation, Princess Daisy steadily began to struggle in combating both the ensnaring scales and the spewed flames, and the fire was growing dangerously close to setting her alight.

“Daisy!” Without thought, Luigi scampered out of his hiding place and raced across the room, the leg of a broken chair in hand as he leapt over bodies and baseball-slid under the thundering feet. Dodging writhing coils, Luigi jammed the chair leg under the serpent's jaw and held it at both ends like a bridle bit, yanking with all his might. The snake let out a yell as its head was forced upward, flaming breath trailing black soot marks across the stone ceiling as he struggled to knock off his attacker.

It was all a blur from there. Luigi was violently thrashed about as he attempted to hold firm to the chair leg, only letting go the third time he was slammed into a wall. He wasn’t sure if that was when he lost consciousness, or some following blow was what finally took him out of the picture, or if he had been knocked out multiple times over the course of the fight and simply could not keep straight when he was awake and when he was not.

All he knew was that when he opened his eyes, everything had gone relatively still, and his head was laying upon soft fabric in Princess Daisy’s lap.

“Oh! You’re awake!” Daisy cheered, looking down at him with a smile as bright as sunshine, “How’re you doing sweetie?”

Luigi preferred not to say. Everything hurt; his face, head, and back had received the bulk of the beating, though his ribs and shoulders weren’t exactly unscathed either. He checked himself over for broken bones, and was relieved to find little more than bad bruising– though the fact that he had fallen unconscious meant that there was undoubtedly a concussion somewhere in the mix.

When his vision cleared he pulled himself to a sitting position, and looked around to find he and the princess were sitting on the floor– only because all the seats smashed so badly that there was no other option. He was also surprised to see how many eyes were on him, but the looks of suspicion and condescension from earlier were gone, replaced with sincere smiles. Some onlookers lifted up their drinks in salute… they were all drinking out of bowls now, the mugs laying shattered around the floor alongside the splintered furniture. A few goombas wandered about, some sweeping up the debris while others helped escort the more gravely injured out the door– a familiar snake tied up in a square knot being among them.

Despite the mayhem and destruction that had just ensued, the bar was still packed. Many of those who were beating each other to a pulp moments ago were now sitting on the ground, clacking drinks together, admiring one-another's newly earned bruises. Some were even helping tend each other's wounds, the barplant behind the counter reaching long tendrils across the room to pass around rolls of bandages.

Luigi adjusted his hat, fixed his overall strap, and continued to survey the bar with increased confusion. “What just happened?” he asked at last. At this, the bar filled with good-natured laughter, Daisy loudest among them. “You just survived your first bar fight, big guy. That’s what happened!” She declared. Bracing an arm under Luigi’s shoulder she helped the plumber to his feet, and once she was certain he was stable enough to stand on his own she grabbed his hand and raised it into the air. “Let’s hear it for Luigi!” She announced, “A true warrior of Sarasaland!”

The crowd cheered. Luigi blushed and waved sheepishly. He was unsure of where the adulation was coming from, but the praise seemed genuine, and his heart swelled. “ A true warrior of Sarasaland! ” He drowsily rolled that title around in his head. Was getting one’s face caved in during a meaningless bar fight all it took to earn that title? And yet, after weeks of disappointment, being rallied on by a room full of fighters twice as experienced as he was felt so good. He only wished that Mario could’ve been there to see it.

Then came the drinks, bought for him by his fellow warriors, pushed into his hands with hearty congratulations. Luigi would’ve said no in any other circumstances– he was punch-drunk enough as it was– but given the newly earned comradery, he was afraid of letting them down. Three drinks in, and Daisy had to start taking the alcohol off his hands to ensure that he was still capable of stumbling back home without blacking out, and once the two were suitably intoxicated they waltzed out of the bar with many a goodbye, arm in arm, a plastered plumber and a tipsy princess.

Halfway home, Daisy veered off her original route, flitting away from the main streets toward a narrow flight of stairs that led up along the overhanging balconies of the tightly-packed buildings. Luigi, knowing he was hardly able to keep up with Daisy even when he was sober and on solid ground, attempted to protest, but before he could say a thing he found himself lifted up, and carried along bridal style.

“Relax! This is a shortcut!” She assured, adjusting him so that he could wrap his arms around her neck before she took off running across the rooftops, leaping across the building gaps and alleyways with perfect precision despite the fact that Luigi could still smell the alcohol on her breath.

Luigi couldn’t help but laugh as he felt himself flying through the air. Heights did not scare him the way they used to, Peach’s suspended obstacle course and his own repeated use of the super leaf had numbed that particular phobia. He didn’t doubt his drunkenness had also taken the edge off his usual sense of self-preservation, but more than that… he somehow felt safe in Daisy’s arms. She was strong, far stronger than she looked, with a firm grip and not an ounce of clumsiness. Her confidence, too, was contagious, despite how foolhardy it was. Eventually, Luigi released his group on the princess and spread his arms out like a bird. He released a loud “Yahooooo!” as the cold air tickled his mustache, his stomach fluttering with every bound as Daisy’s castle rose into view, marble pillars and domed arches glowing beneath the sea of stars. “Woohoooo!” Daisy cheered as she pressed Luigi close, squishing her face up against his as she leapt the final distance. Her large dress fluttered like a sail beneath her, and a gust of wind carried them over the expansive palace garden directly into an open window on the second story. They were both laughing by the time they landed upon the carpeted floor of the castle gallery. Daisy attempted to set Luigi down, but being unsteady on his feet he nearly collapsed before Daisy caught him, which served to only add more fuel to their drunken giggles.

“What a night, huh?” “What a night!” Luigi agreed slurredly, giving Daisy a playful shove the moment he regained his balance, “But, you know what? You know what? I’m actually glad I did it!” “What? Face your fears and take on a bar fight?”

“No. That was the worst!” Luigi chuckled, reaching beneath his crooked hat to give his aching head a rub, “I’m glad I went with you! I had fun!... eventually.”

“Oh?” Daisy shyly twirled one of her locks of auburn hair, returning Luigi’s playful shove with an equally playful bump of her hip, “Well, maybe you can stick around! You can show me how people in The Brook Lands have a good time.”

“Brooklyn.” Luigi corrected, “And I can’t. Team Mario hits the road tomorrow! bright and early! But uh…” Luigi fidgeted a bit, trying to determine through his intoxicated haze how to proceed. Should he invite her to The Mushroom Kingdom? Was that alright? Or was that something only royalty could do? Maybe he could invite her to Brooklyn, or figure out some break in his work schedule where he could travel out to Sarasaland. Before he could form a coherent response, he felt Daisy’s gloved hand gently cup his chin, and turn his head up to look at her.

“Well, if ‘Team Mario’ ever decides they’re too good for you, you’ll always have a place here,” she giggled, one hand gently tapping Luigi’s nose while the other held his chin. “No matter what they think, you’ll always be my number one.”

“… What?” Luigi asked in a whisper, looking perplexed, the mixed feelings incited by her statement dampening his drunken glibness. He stared for a moment of uncomfortable silence, hoping for clarification, when he heard a familiar voice called out his name. “Luigi!”

Luigi pulled away, and looked at the small shadow that had appeared at the entrance of the gallery. It was Mario, dressed in his Pajamas, looking disheveled. The moment they locked eyes his bare feet hit the ground running in a bee-line toward Luigi.

“Mario? I thought you were asleep!” Luigi opened his arms to embrace his brother, but he underestimated how much Mario’s body colliding with his own would hurt, letting out a yelp of pain as his sibling slammed against his bruised ribs, nearly toppling him. Mario gripped Luigi by the shoulders before he fell, looking him over with wide-eyed worry.

“Where were you!? What happened to you!? Why do you smell like a bunch of roses died in a bottle of amaretto?”

“Training! Did Toad tell you?” Luigi answered, unable to suppress a drunken giggle as he struggled to keep track of Mario’s questions, “I fought a snake!”

“For six hours!?”

“Six hou- no, Mario… no no… it wasn’t that long.” “I dunno, Luigi.” Daisy chimed in, looking amused as she crossed her arms and leaned against the frame of the open window, “You were unconscious for a while there before we started breaking out the drinks.” “Unconscious!? Luigi!” Mario groaned. He gently cupped his brother’s face, turning it toward the light to get a better look at the extent of the bruises and swelling.

Daisy sighed and shook her head. “Yikes. Are all the heroes from The Mushroom Kingdom so soft? Calm down, Tubby. If you don’t let him get hurt, he’s never going to learn anything.”

This comment earned her a spiteful look from Mario. “Really! And what’s he supposed to learn if he’s too drunk to remember anything?” “Uh, duh! It’s about muscle memory.” Daisy retorted, hands on her hips as she condescendingly bent down to meet Mario’s eye level, “Jeeze, a guy gets called a ‘hero’ for a couple of months and suddenly he thinks he’s an expert!”

“Guys! Come oooon! Don’t fight. We’ve all had a crazy day,” Luigi muttered. Caught in the middle, he roped one arm around Mario’s shoulders and another around Daisy’s, and drowsily pulled them close. “Let’s just hug it out, alright? We’re all sleepy.”

“I agree with that last part,” Mario growled. Still glaring daggers at the princess he held tight to Luigi’s arm, and pulled his brother away. “C’mon Lu, let’s get you to bed.”

Luigi kept his arm slung around his little-big brother for support as he was guided toward the adjacent hall where the guest bedrooms were kept. Raising his free hand, he called out a cheerful “G’night Daisy!” before he found himself being pushed toward the exit a little faster than he liked.

“Good night Sweetie!” Daisy called back as the two brothers disappeared out of view. She crossed her arms over her chest and sighed, leaning back against the window frame. Her eyes drifted to the stars above and she began quietly humming to herself, a gentle smile forming on her lips while a light blush spread across her face.

#Mario Movie #Mario #Mario Fic #Super Mario Brothers #Luigi #Movie Verse Daisy #Princess Daisy #I claimed 'light luaisy' but she is beginning to lay it on THICK #Pardon me if this is a mess I'm proofreading this REALLY late at night #and I'm a little eager to get to some proper brotherly moments in the next chapter #this is going WAY longer than I expected it to lkjlkfdsdkl

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pianokantzart · 2 years ago

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Small Shadows Part 3 (Final)

Daisy takes Luigi on an outing with the intention of teaching him to fight, but as it turns out their approach to training, their approach to friendships, and their outlook on the world couldn’t be more different. In the process, Daisy accidentally brings to the surface some of Luigi’s deep-seated insecurities. Part 1 here: X Part 2 here: X AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/47310646/chapters/119510722 _____________________________ On the way back to their room, Mario stopped to let his brother vomit into a potted plant. He just barely managed to hoist Luigi off his shoulder and guide him to the nearest possible container– an ornate vase full of blooming jasmine flowers– before Luigi emptied the contents of his stomach. Mario held his brother’s cap, patted his back, and kept a lookout for the castle guards, trying to figure out how to explain things if they were caught. But the coast remained clear, and as soon as Luigi was ready Mario helped him back to his feet, and continued ushering him toward their room.

Peach, Toad, Mario and Luigi were all given their own chambers in the castle. Peach, being fellow royalty, obviously got the fanciest suite, but Mario found that even the lesser guest rooms were far more extravagant than he liked. They were too large, with far too many trappings, and while everything was beautiful it felt wrong, like an ill-fitting glove. He liked Peach’s castle far more– it was ornate, but everything felt like it had a reason and a place while being just fancy enough to do the title of “Princess” justice. Daisy’s castle was an over-the-top display of wealth, overbearing and immoderate as the princess herself.

He and Luigi had agreed to share a room. The bed was more than big enough for the two of them to sleep on, (it was almost big enough for two elephants to sleep on), and they agreed they would rest better if they shared a space. So needless to say, the last thing Mario expected was for his little brother to disappear without warning. Happy as he was to have him back, he had questions, and given Luigi’s present state it seemed like answers would have to wait until morning.

Mario opened the door to their bedroom, guided Luigi through the lounge area and up a small flight of stairs, then set him down upon the large feather bed on an elevated platform, surrounded by little hanging lanterns. Once Luigi was seated, Mario raced away to the minibar, where he rummaged about to find water and ice. Luigi attempted to get comfortable. He tried to toss his hat onto the night stand (missing it completely), clumsily removed his gloves, and struggled to take off his shoes, whispering at them to “stop moving” as he undid the laces. At some point he gave up on loosening the laces entirely and simply yanked them off his feet, nearly falling off his bed as he tugged on the soles of his shoes until they popped off. He had begun unbuckling his overall straps by the time Mario returned from the minibar, supplies in hand.

“Here, drink this,” Mario insisted, pressing a tall crystalline glass of water into his brother’s hands. “You’re gonna have the mother of all hangovers in the morning.” “Like I don’t have the mother of all hangovers right now,” Luigi said, the slur in his voice growing worse as the bedtime routine threatened to lull him directly into unconsciousness. Mario hopped up on the bed, and began running his hand along his brother’s scalp in search of the injury. It didn’t take long to find the point of impact as Lu winced, and pulled away so violently that he spilled most of his water on himself. “Ow! Hey!? What was that!?” “Trying to figure out whether we need to use one of our healing items. Peach said they’re for emergencies only,” Mario explained. He returned to his examinations, this time being extra delicate around the sore spot. There was definitely a lump, but it was small, and though there was a dark bruise forming under the hair there was no trace of blood or indentation. Mario sighed. He placed the ice-bag against Luigi’s head, and guided his brother’s shaky hand to hold it in place. “We’ll stick with the ice for now and check your condition in the morning.” “Alright, Doctor Mario!” Luigi joked, closing his eyes as he relished in the damp cold against his throbbing skull. Mario didn’t respond to the quip. Again, he left his brother’s side, this time to rummage through his backpack for the med kit. Luigi put down his emptied water glass and struggled to onehandedly undo his shirt buttons while pressing the ice to his head. Whenever he wasn't distracted by the impossible task of removing his shirt he looked over at Mario, and steadily realized in his drunken fog that he was not exactly in the best of moods. “… Uh… how long’ve you been awake?” “You should've told me where you were going.” Mario responded sharply, ignoring the question. “I did! I mean, I told Toad to tell you that I was out training with–” “That’s not where. How was I supposed to help you if something went wrong?” “But I didn’t know– I mean how? How should I have known where? I mean, I just got here.” “But you could’ve… Oh, forget it.” Mario waved off the argument. He didn’t consider himself a particularly “grumpy” person, but the past few hours of sleepless uncertainty had stretched him thin. But it wasn’t right to take it out on Luigi, not right now when he was too drunk and injured to know which way was up and which way was down. Finally locating the med kit, Mario hurried back to his brother. He helped undo the final few buttons and guided Luigi’s arms out of the sleeves, tossing the green shirt to the side so he could get a better look at the damage. There were scrapes, but nothing that would scar. There were bruises, but nothing that suggested internal injury. Nonetheless, Mario took out an antiseptic wipe, and carefully dabbed at some of the deepest scrapes on Luigi’s arms, just to ensure things healed up well. Luigi hissed at the burning sensation, but smiled little as he piped up. “Heh, just like when we were kids, huh?” “Yeah, only you were always the one fixing me up.” Mario grumbled, “Seriously Lu, I thought you were supposed to be the careful one.” “I dunno. Everything’s been all mixed up tonight.” “Well…” Mario pulled out a little green bandaid, and placed it over his brother’s particularly scraped up elbow. “Pull a stunt like this again, and I’m leaving you at the house next time.” Mario had said this jokingly– or at least, he thought he had– which was why, when he heard Luigi’s breath hitch and shudder, he was worried it was a pain response. Mario looked up to ask what was wrong, and was surprised to see tears welling up in Luigi's eyes, spilling down his cheeks. “Please don’t.” Luigi whimpered. “H-hey. C’mon!” Mario panicked for a moment, blindsided by his brother’s sudden shift in mood, “I was just kidding.” “I’m sorry!” Luigi began crying even harder, dropping his ice pack to the ground and burying his face in his hands, “I’m sorry! I swear I’m trying! I really am!” “I know you are Luigi! It’s okay!” “No it’s not! All I do is slow you down!” “Says who?” “She’s right!” Luigi sobbed, burying himself deeper into his hands until he was covering his head with his arms, “She’s right, but I don’t know what else to do! I don't want you to leave me behind, but I don’t want to keep messing things up!” “She?” Mario scowled and shot an angry look at the door behind them. Luigi hadn’t answered his question, but he had enough clues to piece together the answer, and it certainly wasn’t Peach. Mario rummaged through the med kit again, taking out a package of tissues that had been buried under a roll of gauze and pressing it into his brother’s hands. “Lu, listen. Forget everything Daisy told you, alright? She’s an idiot.” “No she’s not.” Luigi mumbled, steadily coming down from the outburst as he wiped his eyes, and blew his nose. “She’s just a lil’ weird is all.” “Whatever,” Mario relented with a roll of his eyes. “Point is, you’re doing fine. You’ve had some bumps along the way, but you’re not slowing me down. You’re not slowing anyone down, you got that?” Luigi nodded, but he didn’t seem to quite take in the message. He sat dejectedly on the edge of the bed, staring down at the crumpled tissue in his hands. Mario picked up the dropped ice pack and jumped up on the bed next to his brother. Gingerly, he placed it against his Luigi’s head, taking a moment to think his words over before he spoke up again. “Y’know…” He said at last, “seeing you like this kinda reminds me of how badly I got beat up in the Ring of Kong.” “But you won that fight,” Luigi retorted meekly, eyes still downcast. “Only after I got the Cat Suit.” Mario gave Luigi a gentle nudge, taking care not to apply too much force to his battered body, “When I told you the story, I may have undersold how much DK tossed me around like a lump of raw pizza dough before I got ahold of the right powerup. He absolutely destroyed me, actually knocked out two of my molars slamming me against a metal beam, see?” Mario tugged his cheek back with his free hand for a second, revealing a small gap in the bottom-left side of his mouth where two teeth should have been. Luigi looked at his brother, expression going from one to sadness to one of worry, and Mario figured it better to push forward with his point before his little brother could ruminate too long on the old injury. “But I was still learning, like you are! I just have a head start, and I would way rather travel with a Luigi who is still learning than with no Luigi at all.” Finally, a little glimmer of a smile crossed Luigi’s face. Mario, determined to get his message across, slid down from the mattress and placed himself in front of his little brother. “Hey… c’mere…” He took Luigi by the shoulders, leaning in close so that he was looking firmly in his eyes. “Listen, who knows how much of this conversation you’re gonna remember in the morning, but if you remember anything remember this: you’re awesome, and there will never be a day I don’t want you as my partner.” Luigi’s smile grew. Tears of a different sort welled up in his eyes, and he didn’t bother to wipe them away as he reached out and wrapped his brother in a tight hug. “Thanks.” He sniffled, “I’m... I'm gonna make you proud. You’ll see.” “Heh, you already make me proud,” Mario chuckled, gently patting his brother’s back, “If you want to make me happy, you’ll lay down and get some sleep.” It wasn’t difficult to guide Luigi from the hug to the covers. He was out like a light the moment his head hit the pillow. Mario took care to tie up loose ends; slide an extra pillow under his head, balance the ice-pace against his skull, pull the blanket over his shoulders, and place a refilled cup of water on the bedside table. “Night-night Lu.” He whispered, taking one final moment to pick up his brother’s hat, brush off the debris, and hang it on the coat rack on his way out the door. Mario knew he needed to go to bed too. He needed sleep, but more than that he wanted to be there if his brother woke up at some point needing more help. He promised himself he’d return to his room soon enough… … but first, he wanted to have a little conversation with Princess Daisy.

#My writing #Mario Fic #Mario #Luigi #Super Mario Brothers #Mario Movie #FINALLY THE CHAPTER I'VE BEEN WAITING TO WRITE #Yes I headcanon they say 'night night' like they do in Luigi's Mansion 3 I stand by this #I also stand by the fact that Mario got teeth knocked out in his fight with DK #hence the ice pack in the scene right after #'cartoon violence' be darned that nonsense looked like it hurt

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