Chapter Text
"Mamma mia, Luigi! How many times are you going to dust everything?!”
Mario was going crazy watching Luigi running frantically around their house the past hour dusting as many areas as possible. Luigi has always been a neat freak, but this was going too far, even for him. Before dusting, he swept, wiped, vacuumed, and washed everything no fewer than ten times each. When he wasn’t working on the house, he was working on himself. For his clothes, he made sure his overalls and shirt were ironed, cap free of dirt, and boots shined. It didn’t stop there, however. He made sure his hair was neatly brushed and his mustache impeccably groomed. Heck, he most likely would have dumped a whole bottle of cologne on himself if Mario wasn’t there. Mario chuckled to himself thinking all that effort would go to waste due to how much running around Luigi was doing.
“Sorry, Mario,” Luigi apologized but still diligently dusting the coffee table. “It’s just that I want everything to be perfect when the princesses arrive.”
But of course, Mario thought with a sly grin on his face. Princesses Peach and Daisy were visiting the Mario brothers at their home today. Daisy was the Princess of Sarasaland, and she was visiting the Mushroom Kingdom for two weeks. Peach and Daisy are best friends though they don’t see each other as often as they used to due to running their respective kingdoms. Once Luigi got word that the princesses were to spend the day with him and Mario at home, he couldn’t stand still. While Peach has visited their place before, Daisy has not, and he wanted to make a good impression by keeping his home as tidy as possible.
Mario knew Luigi was really fond of Daisy. He can't remember the last time Luigi felt this way about a woman. However, he also knew Luigi was very self-conscious and lacked confidence around women in general. This was especially true with Daisy considering she’s a princess. He knew Luigi didn’t think he was worthy of someone like her, and he couldn’t blame him. He’d never admit it aloud, but he felt the same way about Peach. He let out a long sigh and chuckled to himself again upon the realization that he and Luigi were pretty much in the same boat when it came to the two princesses.
Putting those thoughts aside, Mario had to stop Luigi before he tired himself out, surprised he hadn’t done so already. He rose from the couch and headed towards Luigi. Grabbing his brother’s shoulders, he gave them a firm squeeze to calm him down. He rubbed Luigi’s shoulders, and he could feel how tense his younger twin brother was. It appeared to be working as Luigi settled down after the spontaneous massage. “Relax Luigi, everything’s going to be just fine. You’ll see.”
“Are you sure?” Luigi asked, uncertainty still present in his voice.
“Positive,” Mario replied confidently. “Now, come sit with me on the couch. You could use the rest. Besides, the princesses won’t be here for at least another twenty minutes.” He walked to the couch and sat down in his previous spot. Luigi followed him and sat to Mario’s left.
“Sorry, Mario. I know I drove you nuts with my constant cleaning,” Luigi apologized for the second time in a five-minute time frame. “I’m just really anxious to see Daisy again.” He let out a longing sigh shortly after.
“You really do like her, don’t you?” Mario placed a hand on Luigi’s shoulder, rubbing it gently.
“Yeah,” Luigi answered softly, his big blue eyes shining brightly.
Mario smiled at Luigi’s expression. He really did have it bad. He also knew Daisy liked Luigi as much as he liked her, maybe even more so. He was happy for his brother, especially since he (being Luigi) haven’t had the best luck when it came to women. Seeing that they still had time before Peach and Daisy arrived, he wanted to know how Luigi really felt about the Sarasaland princess.
“What is it about her that you like so much?” Mario inquired, genuinely curious.
Luigi jumped at the question, causing Mario’s hand to fall off his shoulder. He was reticent to talk about his personal feelings like this, for fear of being judged or worse, teased. However, Mario was his brother and the person he trusted more than anyone. Although Mario did tease him from time to time, as brothers often do (and he was just as good as giving it back), he knew Mario would never embarrass him over something like this. Since it was just the two of them, he decided it would be fine to talk to Mario about his crush.
“Well…” Luigi began.
---
Unbeknownst to Mario and Luigi, Peach and Daisy arrived at their house earlier than expected. Peach walked to the door, while Daisy stood next to a window a few feet away. Seeing that the window was cracked open, Daisy could hear the brothers’ conversation. What caught her interest was Luigi confessing to Mario that he really liked her. This made Daisy’s heart swell because she really liked the green plumber herself but wasn’t sure if he felt the same. He was always so guarded and nervous around her, so it was hard to get a good read on him. She heard Mario ask Luigi why he liked Daisy so much. As Luigi was about to start talking, she noticed Peach was about to knock on the door.
“Peach, wait!” Daisy whispered loudly right before Peach’s fist touched the door.
Fortunately, it was enough to catch Peach’s attention as Peach flinched and faced Daisy with a puzzled look on her face. “Huh, what’s going on, Daisy?” Peach whispered back, figuring there was a reason Daisy was whispering. Daisy waved Peach over, and Peach discreetly made her way over to the opposite side of the window.
“Shh,” Daisy put an index finger to her lips. “Luigi’s about to talk about me! I want to hear what he has to say!”
Peach sighed and shook her head at her friend. She didn’t think it was right to eavesdrop on Mario and Luigi, especially over something like Luigi discussing something as private as his feelings for Daisy. “Daisy, I don’t think this is right,” she whispered disapprovingly.
“Oh Peaches, no need to be a prude!” Daisy whispered back. Peach’s cheeks turned pink, and her full lips puckered into a cute pout. Daisy held back a laughter at Peach’s face, mainly not to alert the brothers inside. She thought Peach looked cute when flustered, and she enjoyed teasing Peach almost as much as she did Luigi. She also knew Peach didn’t like to be called Peaches, mostly because Bowser calls her that all the time. She knew Peach only let her get away with it because she’s her friend, but she was the only one who could. I bet she wouldn’t mind Mario calling her that, she thought holding back a smirk. Speaking of whom...
“Besides,” Daisy cocked an eyebrow, not holding back a smirk this time. “There’s a chance Mario may talk about you next. I know you’re interested in what he thinks about you!”
Peach gasped and her cheeks turned pink again. She hated how Daisy could fluster her like this, and from the wide smirk on Daisy’s face she knew Daisy took great pleasure in doing so. After recovering from Daisy’s teasing, Peach thought about talking Daisy out of eavesdropping on the brothers. However, she knew it would be futile because once Daisy set her mind to something, talking her out of it was nearly impossible. She was just as stubborn as Bowser, though Peach would never tell her that, seeing how much Daisy hated him. The thought of Daisy’s reaction after being compared to Bowser in just about anything almost made Peach smirk herself. Finally, as much as she hated to admit it, Daisy was right in that she was interested in what Mario thought about her. In the end, her curiosity got the better of her and thus decided to go along with Daisy’s eavesdropping.
“Fine,” Peach sighed resignedly. Daisy flashed Peach a triumphant smile, which Peach playfully rolled her eyes at. The princesses stood close enough to the window where they could hear the conversation but far enough where they couldn’t be spotted.
---
“Well,” Luigi began, “she’s fun, passionate, and friendly. She’s full of surprises in that you never know what to expect from her. In addition, she’s very ambitious. She doesn’t let anything stop her from getting what she wants. She appears to be competitive and tough on the outside; however, deep down I know she’s really caring and sweet.”
Daisy pouted mockingly at Luigi’s last sentence, which would’ve made Peach laugh if she wasn’t concerned about being caught. Unfortunately, some soft laughter did escape from Peach, which got Daisy’s attention. Daisy rolled her eyes at Peach before turning her attention back to Luigi.
“Also,” Luigi took a breath before continuing, a strong blush forming on his face, “she’s very pretty. I love her orange hair, round cheeks, pert nose, and pretty lips. She has a gorgeous smile that makes my heart melt faster than a Venus Ice Trap after being hit by a fireball. Her best feature, however, is her eyes. They are like two beautiful blue pools I could swim in for hours.” Luigi sighed and looked longingly at the wall in front of him.
Mario put his hand back on Luigi’s shoulder and gave him a warm smile. There was no doubt that his younger twin had it bad for the Sarasaland princess. Also, he had to agree with Luigi that Daisy was indeed very pretty. Mario first met Daisy after rescuing her and Sarasaland from the alien Tatanga, and admittedly he was taken aback by Daisy’s personality. While Peach was elegant, soft-spoken, and feminine, Daisy was brash, outspoken, and tomboyish. He guessed he expected Daisy to act similar to Peach since they were both princesses, which was a preconceived notion on his behalf. Once he got used to Daisy, however, he began to like her as a friend. In a way, her less refined manner made her easy to get along with. He didn’t have to act proper around her, nor did he feel as jittery as he did with Peach. However, that’s not to say that he didn’t like being around Peach (he would never say such a thing, and him just thinking anything negative about Peach hurt his heart). He saw Daisy like the girl next door who he could shoot the breeze and play sports with. Speaking of sports, Daisy was the one person who brought out his competitive nature in a good way. Sure, there were others who invoked this side of him such as Wario, Waluigi, and Bowser when he was on his best behavior, but those wore more destructive (then again, he wouldn’t have Bowser participate in these events in the first place if it were up to him, but he digressed). He thought Daisy would be perfect for Luigi, and so far, he’s been proven right.
One of Mario’s favorite memories of Daisy is when she and Luigi met for the first time. Daisy was visiting the Mushroom Kingdom for Peach’s birthday, and he and Peach introduced Luigi to her. Luigi, as he did with Peach, paid his respect by bowing because she was a princess, only to have Daisy walk towards him and crush him with one of her patented hugs. Luigi’s eyes looked like they were going to pop out of their sockets and his face matched the color of a fire Yoshi. Mario was surprised she didn’t crack any of Luigi’s ribs because that woman didn’t recognize her own strength sometimes. The look on Luigi’s face still makes Mario laugh to this day; in fact, he was trying hard not to do so now.
---
Meanwhile, Daisy’s hands were folded at her chest. Hearing Luigi describe her in such a manner had her glowing brighter than a Starman. She could feel her heart beating at what seemed to be a million times per second, and her face flushed a deep crimson at Luigi’s words. She had a feeling Luigi liked her, but she didn’t realize he liked her that way. She tried to hold back a wide grin but was failing miserably at it. She decided not to hold back and just let the grin happen. Her trance was broken when she heard some soft snickering. She looked at Peach who had her hand to her mouth desperately holding back her laughter. Peach eventually was able to control it and shot Daisy a wide smug grin of her own, showing off her perfect pearl white teeth, followed by her mouthing 'I told you so'. Daisy quickly shot Peach a dirty look but had to reluctantly concede Peach was right all along.
Peach was always telling Daisy she was beautiful and there were guys who thought the same, but Daisy never believed her. In a rare display of vulnerability, Daisy – who was the most confident and extroverted between her, Peach, Rosalina, and Pauline – admitted to the other three she thought they were gorgeous and was jealous of them, believing she was the ugly duckling. She was envious of how the guys flocked to them instead of her, and the few guys who did approach her were eventually turned off by her brash and outspoken nature. Her beating them at almost every sport didn’t help matters either, as most of the guys didn’t like being shown up by a girl as they so eloquently put it. The other ladies would compliment her all the time, but she thought they were only saying those things to make her feel better. It got to the point where Daisy lashed out at them, leading to a heated argument that resulted in her shutting them out and not having contact with them for nearly a week and a half. In the end, Daisy felt awful for blowing up at them after some self-reflection and apologized to them. The three women apologized to Daisy themselves for not really understanding how Daisy felt. Daisy invited them to Sarasaland for a spa getaway in the Muda Kingdom to make up for everything. Hearing Luigi say he thought she was pretty made her week, let alone day.
---
“Last but not least,” Luigi recovering from his longing daze, “she accepts me for who I am. There aren’t many women who do. I know I’m not the most confident guy around, but that doesn’t seem to be a problem for Daisy. I think the moment that really sunk in was during Princess Peach’s Christmas ball last year. I was paired with Daisy that night. I went to get her a drink and tripped over my own feet walking back to her. I ended up spilling both drinks I was holding on her dress.” Luigi’s face turned maroon, and he frowned remembering the humiliating moment.
Mario rubbed Luigi’s back consoling his younger brother. Mario remembered something similar happening their senior year in high school during the Homecoming Dance. Luigi was talking, or rather stuttering, to his date – who was the cousin of Mario’s date – when some punk subtlety but deliberately bumped into Luigi, causing him to crash into the refreshments table. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the worst of it. Upon hitting the table, Luigi knocked the punch bowl over, with most if not all the punch spilling on his date. After he regained his balance, Luigi was mortified at seeing his date drenched in punch, her hair and dress completely ruined. Luigi frantically tried to apologize, but it was all for naught because she slapped him hard across his face, leaving a dark red handprint on his cheek; he was surprised he didn’t lose any teeth after that. As if that wasn’t enough, she nearly ruptured his eardrums screaming at him, calling him every derogatory name she could think of before storming out of the gym. Almost everyone in the gym taunted and laughed at him, which made Luigi sob and curl up into a ball. Unfortunately, that just made the taunting even worse. Mario and his date felt bad for Luigi, knowing everything was an accident. Mario went to check on his brother while his date went to look for her cousin to see how she was doing. Mario stepped in front of Luigi and glared at the other kids, telling them to knock it off or they would answer to him. The others immediately stopped, knowing that Mario was one of the most popular kids in school and fiercely loyal to his brother and friends. Mario then took Luigi home, and the two spent the rest of the night playing their favorite games together when Luigi calmed down. Sadly, that event traumatized Luigi even more when it came to the opposite sex. For a while, he was downright terrified of even looking at girls, let alone talking to them. He’s gotten better since then, but there was still some residual damage from the incident.
“I…I was afraid the same thing that happened to me in high school was going to happen again. Daisy had the same look that girl did before she slapped me. She even raised her hand in a similar manner. I remember flinching and my eyes watering, awaiting the slap. However, she placed her hand on my shoulder and started laughing.” Luigi smiled slowly at the memory, his face turning back to its natural color. “She assured me everything was fine, and that it wasn’t the first time something like that happened to her. I knew right then and there she was someone special because not many women would react the way she did."
---
Daisy smiled as Luigi recalled that moment at the ball. She admittedly was taken aback at first when Luigi spilled the drinks on her, but she quickly brushed it off. She knew Luigi could be clumsy at times and didn’t do it on purpose. It broke her heart to see how scared Luigi was, as if he was expecting her to let him really have it. Luigi eventually told her about his high school incident, which helped her understand why he reacted that way. It also didn’t hurt that she used it as an excuse to get more intimate with him. Besides, she did the same thing years before she met Luigi. She was the date of the son of a high-ranking nobleman during one of the galas hosted in the Sarasaland castle. She was talking to the guy while holding a cup of punch when her heel got snagged in her dress after taking a step, causing her to stumble and spill her drink in the guy’s face. Daisy was mortified and repeatedly apologized to him. She even offered to wipe his face, which he refused. The guy assured her it was fine, and the rest of the night went without incident; however, Daisy couldn’t live it down for a while. Also, Daisy – as much as she didn’t like to admit it – is just as clumsy as Luigi sometimes. She is especially prone to spilling drinks on herself from time to time and thus, she made sure to have multiple dresses available for such events, which included the aforementioned Christmas ball.
“Sure, Daisy may not be the most elegant lady around. She can be too competitive at times, with her gloating when she wins and tantrums when she loses. I may need to have a chiropractor on speed dial every time she hugs me. She teases me a tad too much. But you know what, Mario? I wouldn’t have her change for the world. She is a remarkable and unique woman who can do no wrong in my eyes.” Luigi smiled dreamily again thinking about the Sarasaland princess.
---
Aww, but I like teasing you, my green clad cutie, Daisy looked at him with puppy dog eyes, not that he could see her, of course. Outside of surprising him with her hugs, one of her favorite things to do is brush her shoulder against his and flirtatiously bat her eyelashes at him when getting his attention. Every time without fail, Luigi would go stiff, and his face would turn beet red. Daisy may be a tomboy, but she could turn on the feminine charm when she felt like it. As for the rest of what he said, as much as she tried, she couldn’t disagree with him. Besides, she knows Luigi didn’t mean those things in a negative way. Her cheeks flushed at the part when he called her a remarkable and unique woman, and she couldn't hold back a huge smile that looked like it would split her cheeks.
Peach looked at Daisy with a small smile of her own. She had a hard time recalling the last time Daisy felt this way about a guy. She was happy for Luigi as well. Like Mario, she thought Daisy and Luigi were a great match despite having pretty much the opposite personalities. Daisy helped Luigi be more confident in himself, and Luigi helped Daisy get more in touch with her softer side.
---
Mario wrapped his arm around Luigi shoulders. “Wow, I’ve never heard you talk about a woman like this before, little brother. Daisy must really be someone special if she’s causing you to behave like this. Can’t say I blame you. I completely understand how you feel.”
“Yeah,” Luigi added. However, something Mario said caught his attention. Mario understood how he felt? Wait, did that mean…? Suddenly, Luigi raised his eyebrow and looked at Mario with suspicious interest. “You understand how I feel, huh?”
Mario looked at Luigi’s face and seeing that they had an idea what each other was thinking, he immediately knew what Luigi was implying. Shrooms, I said too much, Mario thought. He quickly took his arm away from Luigi and put his hands together. “I -I don’t know what you’re talking about, Luigi!” He then looked at the ceiling and started whistling, his face matching his cap in the process.
Luigi knew Mario was hiding something, and he wasn’t going to let him get away with it. “Come now, Mario. I’m the last person you should try hiding something from. Let me guess, you couldn’t be thinking about a certain princess yourself, right?” A sly smile appeared under Luigi’s mustache.
Mario thought about denying it, but nothing came to mind. Besides, the more he tried, the more he knew Luigi would press the issue. Luigi could be stubborn in that way. “M-maybe I am,” he sputtered.
---
Outside, Peach’s ears perked with interest. Maybe this was where Mario shared his thoughts about her. Then again, Mario didn’t mention anyone by name. For all she knew, he could be thinking about Rosalina. She knew it wasn’t Pauline because although she’s an important figure herself, she was a mayor not a princess. Plus, Mario and Pauline were already an item, and the two were nothing more than friends now. Her thoughts went back to the space princess. Rosalina was beautiful, elegant, and powerful, so Peach couldn’t blame Mario if he was infatuated with her. However, the thought of it disappointed her for some reason, and a small frown appeared on her face.
Daisy looked on with huge interest herself. It appeared Luigi was done speaking about her, now she was curious to see if Mario had some glowing remarks about her best friend. She looked at Peach with giddy anticipation, but she saw Peach look down about something. Something’s not right, Daisy thought. Peach should be excited to hear what Mario may say about her, yet she looks like she burned her favorite cake. “Peach, are you OK?” Daisy whispered.
Peach snapped out of her funk upon hearing Daisy’s whisper. “Yes, I’m fine,” she whispered back.
“You don’t look fine to me,” Daisy whispered accusingly. She then took a lighter approach. “It looks like Mario is about to talk about you. You should be dancing a jig!”
“I don’t know, Daisy,” Peach whispered with uncertainty. “He could be thinking about someone else.”
“Girl, the man’s crazy about you!” Daisy whispered harsher than she meant to. “Why would he risk his life to rescue you all the time? Most guys would’ve given up by now.” She saw the look Peach gave her and immediately regretted what she said. “Sorry, Peach. I didn’t mean for it to come out that way.”
“No hard feelings,” Peach replied quickly. She gave Daisy a small smile, letting her know she accepted her apology. “It’s just that he didn’t even mention me. Luigi instantly mentioned you, but Mario didn’t say anyone’s name. He could be thinking about Rosalina for all I know.”
“Oh,” Daisy whispered, perhaps sensing some insecurity in Peach. “He may like Rosie, but not in the way you think. Besides, I don’t think Rosie’s interested in anyone like that. She’s too busy looking after her cute Lumas.”
“You may be right, Daisy,” Peach turned her attention back to Mario and Luigi, with Daisy following suit. “It looks like we might find out soon.”
---
Back inside, Luigi was still on Mario’s case, trying to get as much information out of him as possible. This went on for a minute before fortunately for Mario, a timer in the kitchen went off, causing Luigi to stop bantering him for the time being. He forgot Luigi was baking lasagna for the get together. Luigi got up from the couch to go check on the lasagna but gave Mario a look letting him know this wasn’t over.
Saved by the bell, Mario thought. Still, Mario felt like a hypocrite. Here he was, encouraging Luigi to talk about his crush but refused to do the same. He made up his mind and decided to tell Luigi his feelings for his special princess when he returned from the kitchen. As if on cue, Luigi returned to his spot and told Mario the lasagna was ready and that it should be cool by the time the princesses arrived.
“Luigi,” Mario began, placing his hand back on Luigi’s shoulder. “I asked you to talk about Daisy. It’s only fair I do the same about a special someone in my life. I will share with you my thoughts about Princess Peach.” Luigi placed his hand on Mario’s back and gave him a knowing smile, ready to listen to what his brother had to say about the Mushroom Kingdom monarch.
---
“See, what did I tell you?!” Daisy whispered enthusiastically, eager to hear what Mario had to say. "He's head over heels for you!"
“Yeah,” Peach whispered with mixed feelings. On one hand, she was oddly relieved Mario was thinking about her. On the other hand, there were some serious butterflies floating in her stomach. A part of her wanted to march to the door and knock before Mario started talking. However, she knew Daisy wasn’t going to let that happen. Heck, Daisy was more excited to hear what Mario was going to say about Peach than Peach herself was! She took a deep breath before returning her attention to what was going on inside the house. She came this far, now she was going to see this through to the end.
Well, this is it! Peach thought to herself, anticipating what Mario was going to say.