Work Text:
The months after their impromptu arrival in the Mushroom Kingdom and Luigi's rescue were far harder than that first adventure, not because of any danger but rather the following nightmares.
Mario's were blessedly brief. That didn't make them easy. Dreams of not making it in time, of losing his brother forever. Of having to tell his family what happened. That he couldn't protect his little brother.
But they passed after a few nights of waking up with Luigi still in the bed beside his. Still alive, still whole. Still safe.
It wasn't so easy for Luigi to let go of what happened. Mario couldn't blame him. As horrible as it had been to worry, not knowing if he would be rescuing a brother who was whole or broken, he couldn't imagine the terror of being the one in Bowser's clutches.
Luigi never talked about it. Mario knew he was just trying to keep him from worrying.
But how could the older twin not when he was still being awoken by nightmares? Not his own, but Luigi's. The sounds of whimpering and crying in his sleep as he was haunted by everything he went through, everything he felt while trapped in that cage. The flurry of regret and emotions he surely was feeling when it seemed like hope was lost and he was going to die a burning death.
Mario wasn't sure what he was dreaming about that night when he awoke again to the sounds of Luigi whimpering. The sight of his little brother's eyes squeezed shut tighter as if he could stop the images, body shivering. It broke Mario's heart to see it.
People always say not to wake a person up during a nightmare. Mario thought they were full of crap. Like he would sit there and let Luigi go through this again.
So Mario pushed himself out of bed, padding over to the one not far from his and sitting on it. He reached out, putting a hand on Luigi's shoulder, and gently shook him.
Apparently, that was enough to shock Luigi out of his nightmares as his eyes shot open, a deep gasp of air filling his lungs as if he'd just broken water. "Mario!" It was always the first word to leave his lips when awakened from whatever was tormenting him.
An ever-present reminder that Mario was the one he would always look to when he was scared.
"Hey, it's okay," Mario said softly as Luigi's eyes darted around the room, expecting whatever he'd seen in his dreams to still be there. "You're okay, Lu. I'm right here."
Luigi finally looked at his big brother, breath still heaving. He looked so terrified. Blue eyes filled with tears as he all but threw himself at Mario, letting out a wail.
Mario accepted his little brother, wrapping his arms around him and rubbing his back soothingly. He always would, as long as Luigi needed him. Most people would think it was ridiculous that a grown man was still dependent on his older brother.
Most people didn't grow up with Luigi as a little brother.
Luigi wasn't like most people. It wasn't a bad thing. He had the biggest and kindest heart Mario knew of. If he loved someone, he loved them with all of it. There were no exceptions. Family, friends… not that he had a lot of those. Neither did before arriving in the Mushroom Kingdom. They only ever really had each other to rely on.
Unfortunately, Luigi was also afraid of… everything. Most people thought it was cowardice. Instead, it resulted from a very sheltered man who had been hurt too many times, primarily by people. But it wasn't the only pain that caused him to stop trusting that the world was safe. Nothing he went through before was even close to what he went through since they were sucked into this world, though.
"I'm s-sorry…" Luigi hiccupped as he tried to get control of his emotions again. "I'm sorry…"
"Hey, you're okay…" Mario whispered, threading fingers into Luigi's brunette hair soothingly. "Everything's okay. I'm right here. You're safe."
Luigi tried to say something in response, but it choked into another sob. He curled into his brother, burying his face in Mario's neck. Despite being taller than his older brother, Luigi always felt safer when he tried to make himself smaller. Mario let him. Whatever he needed.
Nothing was more important than keeping Luigi safe. Sure, he'd proven he could fight just as well as Mario, given the right motivation. Finding that motivation was the hard part. He'd been able to do it against Bowser because Mario was in trouble. At his core, Luigi felt the same protective instinct Mario did for him. The only time he ever fought in his life - which wasn't often, as Mario could generally handle things - was to protect Mario.
Mario was always fighting to protect Luigi, though. Because the one thing Luigi couldn't do was stand up for himself. He didn't have enough confidence, enough self-worth inside him, to do it. Didn't think he was worth it, let alone strong enough to do it.
Maybe that was Mario's fault. Perhaps he would've learned to do it if Mario didn't always fight Luigi's battles for him. It was one of the many, many things their dad got on his case about. He never got mad at Luigi - no one in the family did. There was a time in his teenage years that Mario resented that. It was a stupid time, as Luigi hadn't deserved it. It wasn't his fault.
Especially since Mario realized they weren't as hard on Luigi as him because they genuinely thought Luigi couldn't do better. That was why they were so hard on Mario, especially where Luigi was concerned. It was expected that he'd always take care of his little brother. They thought he was dragging Luigi down because they didn't believe Luigi could do better on his own.
How messed up was it that their own family thought their youngest son - twin or not, younger still - was basically broken?
"I'm sorry…"
"Hey, stop apologizing," Mario replied. "You didn't do anything wrong."
"It's all my fault, though… it's my fault everything happened…" Luigi whimpered. "I dragged you into this world… I'm so pathetic…"
"Hey!" Mario said far more sternly this time. He pulled Luigi back and looked him in the eyes. It hurt to see how much pain there was in them. "Don't you ever talk about yourself that way. You're not pathetic. None of this is your fault."
"But…"
"No buts. You never could've known any of this would happen. Now, say you're not pathetic. Come on, say it," Mario chided.
Luigi stared at him momentarily before wiping his tear-stained face with a pajama sleeve. "I'm not pathetic," he finally muttered.
"Say, 'Mario's the coolest brother in the world,'" Mario teased this time, grinning.
Luigi finally smiled. It was sweet, like him. Not a mean bone in his body. Bless him. "Mario's the coolest brother in the world," he echoed. He said it like he meant it. He probably did.
"Now say… 'I'm gonna give all my coins to my brother because he deserves some new boots.'"
"Now you're pushing it!" Luigi laughed. He shoved Mario, causing him to fall backward on the bed. At least he wasn't upset anymore. It was all Mario wanted.
"Can't blame a guy for trying!" Mario laughed as well. He pushed himself up, asking more seriously, "It's still the middle of the night. Are you good to sleep alone, or do you want me to stay?"
Luigi bit his bottom lip. It was probably hard to admit that he still needed his big brother when he had terrible dreams. But Luigi had never been above holding onto the things that made him… him, even at his age. "Would you?" he asked lightly.
"Of course," Mario nodded, scooting himself to the comforter's top and sliding down in the bed. He then held out his arms.
Luigi didn't hesitate anymore. He threw himself on top of his brother, who made a loud "OOF!" as the wind was about knocked out of him. Still, he let Luigi snuggle in until his face was again in the crook of his neck.
Mario didn't object. He knew Luigi would be asleep as soon as his head touched down. Luigi was the fastest sleeper he knew. Still, he smiled and wrapped his arms around his little brother, laying his cheek on his soft hair.
"I love you, little bro," Mario whispered, hoping the sound would scare off any bad dreams this time. "No matter what happens, I'm right here. I'll always protect you. I promise."