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"Mario, slow down! I-I'm gonna fall!"
"Try to keep up! I gotcha if you do!"
Luigi's legs fail to keep him steady on his feet as his brother drags him along, hand in hand. Mario is out-pacing him, seemingly very eager to get to wherever he plans to take him. The description was vague at best, almost like Mario wanted to surprise him. Mario just kept saying how cool it was, how it was something Lu had to see for himself, how they had to experience it together. Mario had never led him astray before, and his eyes were practically sparkling with excitement. Luigi had nothing to be afraid of — save for his brother's quicker feet.
"Just over this hill and we'll be able to see it! C'mon!" Mario shouts back, tugging Luigi's hand and picking up pace.
"Okay, okay, great!" Luigi huffs out, exhausted. "But what is it, bro?"
As they finally reach the top curve of the hill, Luigi stops just for a moment to catch his breath and hold his knees. Mario stands close, not nearly as tired, adjusting his cap and staring out into the distance. When Luigi raises his head, he's met with an incredible view.
A sprawling, distant field of fire flowers. There has to be millions of them, Luigi thinks, the Mushroom folks really take care of their gardens! Night had fallen by the time they got here, but the radiant orange-red glow from those shimmering magical plants is enough to make the sky look like it's catching fire. It replicates a kind of sunset, and Luigi can't seem to look away.
Mario's attention is on Luigi, though, smiling softly at the bright light reflecting in his little brother's eyes. "Told ya it was awesome."
"How are you being so cool about this!? It's amazing! Those are fire flowers, right?" Luigi's fists are tight against his chest as he bounces up and down excitedly. "The princess told me about them. I had no idea they just... grew like this. This world is crazy..."
He takes another moment in the silence to gaze from the flowers to the great, gnarled tree they surrounded, then up at the impossibly clear sky, full and bright with stars. Some of them twinkle in and out of sight, some zip across the sky in a flash. You could never get a view like this in Brooklyn, that's for sure, Luigi thinks.
"C'mon! I'll race you this time!" Mario gives him a pat on the shoulder and practically spins as he runs down toward the field.
"Wah! W-Wait— okay, fine! You're on!"
Finding the strength in his legs again, Luigi sprints after him, eventually picking up enough momentum to catch up. It carries him past his bro, and as he glances back, Mario looks surprised for a moment, before that face is followed up by an expression of sheer intensity, like he was going to spring forward and immediately breeze past him.
Before Mario could do that though, Luigi stumbles over his own feet.
"Wah!"
"Lu!"
Mario springs into action, and before Luigi could tumble too far, he grabs him and wraps his arms around his middle — but the hill is too steep, and Mario's weight isn't enough to slow them down. After silently accepting their fate, they roll and fall over each other down the hill, finally falling in a soft patch of grass near the field. Mario tumbles backward and lands prone as Luigi trips over one final rock and flops on top of his brother's belly.
"Oof—"
"S-Sorry, bro. You okay?" Luigi brings a hand up to his hat and rubs a spot on his head. As his senses clear, he realizes just how close he is. One knee slotted between Mario's legs, belly-to-belly, Luigi's chin rested against Mario's chest, their noses nearly bumping together. It's no cause for concern or embarrassment at this point, but this proximity always makes Luigi a little red in the face.
"Yeah, yeah, I'm good. You?" Mario anchors an arm to the ground to himself to sit up, shifting Luigi away just a bit.
Even when he's a bit disheveled, or doing the most mundane little task ever, Luigi remains in awe at how handsome his brother is.
"Y-Yeah. My knees failed me again," He jokes sheepishly, chuckling and rubbing the back of his neck.
"It's alright," Mario suddenly brings a hand up to Luigi's face. His skin twitches a bit where he uses his thumb to rub a spot of dirt away from his cheek, then softly brushes his mustache. "I still won, though. Technically."
Part of Luigi wants to retort so badly, the cocky little shit, but most of him just wants to melt under his touch. "Yeah, whatever. You win," He acquiesces, and for just a brief moment, just enough that he can get away with, he leans into his brother's touch and nuzzles softly into his palm. Mario's gaze lowers and he smiles gently at the affectionate gesture.
They take a quiet moment like that. Mario doesn't really take to mind Luigi's weight against him, he's far too busy staring at how his hat had shifted slightly, how his usually perfect mustache is a little messier. The now roaring glow from the fire flowers shines brightly in his big blue eyes, and accentuates the soft pink blush high on his cheeks.
Equally enraptured, Luigi's eyes can't help but roam around to various places of his brother's body. Mario's mustache was also a bit messy, as it always was, and there were a few faint bruises around his neck. It's typical, but it doesn't ease the little pang of sympathy in Luigi's heart. He traces the bruises with his fingers, and Mario hums softly.
"So..." Mario cocks his head to the side, catching Luigi's hand between his neck and shoulder.
Luigi would have flinched at the silence being broken had it been anyone else's voice.
"So...?"
"You wanna start shooting fire from your fingers, or are you gonna just gawk at me all night?" Mario teases, raising a provoking eyebrow.
That causes Luigi's face to light up. "...Oh!" He quickly pulls himself off his bro, flustered. He looks around quickly to remind himself where he is. "Right! I- I want fire power! Let's-a go!" As if to blow off some steam, Luigi immediately takes off into the large field of flowers. Mario just chuckles. I'll let him go explore for a bit.
Mario had been wanting to take Luigi out here for months. The atmosphere was umatched — quiet, peaceful, wrapped in an effervescent glow... in essence, romantic. He removes his cap and sits down on a particularly stool-shaped rock near the tree. He brushes some more dirt off his hat and is suddenly met with a memory.
He's sat here in this exact spot before, without Luigi. Left wondering, worrying sick where he'd been swept away to, not knowing whether or not he was okay, or even alive. He had looked to the stars that night, desperately, for any guidance, believing that maybe if he wished hard enough, Luigi would be found safe and sound.
He looks over to see his brother, all light and all things pure and perfect, grazing his hands across the glowing flowers and playing with the fire he ignited in his hands. Excited—so much so that if Luigi had a tail, it'd be wagging with incredible speed—he waves to Mario, spinning in place and making a show out of his flaming hands.
"Mario! This is so cool!" Luigi shouts at a distance. "I feel like I could do anything!"
He flicks a small fireball into the air with one hand and catches it in the other. After another minute, he began shooting mini fireballs one after another toward the sky in some attempt to make fireworks, probably. Luigi shakes his head and taps his foot, maybe a little frustrated that he couldn't pull it off quite right. A fond, warm smile blooms across Mario's face.
Maybe there is some real magic in the whole wish-upon-a-shooting-star thing, after all.
"Can we play like, baseball with these?" Luigi calls out, tossing another fireball up and down in one hand. "Or just catch? Or, uh..."
Mario heads in his direction, grabbing a flower with more force than is probably needed, as his clothing's palette changes to match his twin's and a small fireball ignites in his fist. Without a word, he tosses it to Luigi.
"Wah, wait—!" Luigi promptly puts his hands up in defense, and to his surprise, the fireball lands in his gloved palm, hovering, still spinning and ignited brightly. "Whoa!"
"Hey, nice catch!"
Luigi laughs and gives his brother a sneer before tossing it right back at him, twice as fast. They exchange a few tosses back and forth, challenging the other more and more with each throw.
It's nice, they both think, separate from one another, but ever linked by telepathy. Just the two of us like this. Always.
After their volley, Luigi takes a seat on the same stool-shaped rock and removes his hat, wiping some sweat off his forehead. "Whew. I guess it would get hot playing with fire, huh?"
"Whaaat, you can't handle the heat?" Mario sits next to him on the ground. Luigi just gives him a playful shove as they share a soft laugh. After a quiet moment, Mario looks up at the stars again, then back once more at his twin.
"Y'know... last time I was here—"
He stops for a second. No... wait. Should I even bring that up? I was out here with the Princess, in this incredible place, but he was... what if just the memory of it all... while he was in the Darklands— ugh, I don't wanna upset him just to bring up how lost and stupid I felt without—
Kind, patient Luigi tilts his head down a bit. "Yeah?"
Mario flinches and meets his gaze. "Uh— last time I was here... all I could think about was you."
Luigi's brows furrow in sympathy. He knows.
"I... I was so scared, Lu. And listen, I-I know you had to have been a million times more scared, I mean— mamma mia, I can't even imagine the horrors Bowser and his stupid minions put you through—"
"Mario, hey," Luigi puts a gentle hand on his shoulder and gives it a soft squeeze. "I was scared. It was awful. It was one of the scariest things I'd ever been through."
"Lu..."
"But you saved me. I stayed strong through all of that because I knew... somehow, some way, you would."
Mario's eyes glisten as if he's about to burst into tears. He turns away quickly and looks down at his boots, noticing that they're a bit singed from all the roughhousing.
"I was so worried that I wouldn't be able to. That I wouldn't be strong enough," Mario sighs, his shoulder muscles relaxing a bit under Luigi's touch. "Something about these flowers..." He reaches out to touch another one, and despite already having the power-up, his clothing flickers again on contact. "I dunno. They just made me think of you even more. I missed you so, so much. And the sky... it was so clear then, just like now. Just like it always is here."
Luigi stays quiet, and Mario hardly takes notice to him scooching off the rock to sit next to him on the dirt floor.
"The stars were so comforting, somehow. Like I could sense them saying, 'it's gonna be okay'. I wonder why that is."
"Maybe everything comes from stars, like we thought when we were kids," Luigi suggests, tilting his head and smiling at him. "Maybe they're like... family? In a weird, spiritual kind of way?"
Mario smiles back at him. "Maybe. Something like that. I definitely felt... hope, after that. The princess also had faith in me then, for some reason. At the very least, she believed I'd find you."
"And you did."
Mario's expression softens further. "That hope's the same thing I feel..." Mario gives Luigi's nose a playful poke. "Lookin' at your goofy mug, right now."
"Huh!?" Luigi blinks a couple times before laughing and swatting his brother's pesky finger away. "Could say the same to you, bro," He emphasizes the 'bro' by poking his twin right back.
"Heh, sorry, uh..." Mario's chuckle fades as he trails off, "Jeez, I'm not even sure what I'm trying to say anymore. Just..."
Luigi scoots ever closer, that caressing hand on Mario's back trailing upward to cup his cheek. "Hey, I know what you're gettin' at. Er, I think."
"Yeah? Think you can read my mind or something?" Mario smirks.
"Uhh, you were probably gonna wrap up your heartfelt speech to me with something like, 'and as long as we're together, everything is gonna be okay!', right?"
"Hey, how'd you know that?"
"Ehhh... intuition," Luigi gives him a cheeky smirk right back.
His gloved palm still rests on Mario's face, exceptionally warm to the touch. Mario takes to first removing his own gloves before returning the gesture, and just like always, Luigi leans into his palm like a cat—for longer, more confidently this time. The older twin uses his thumb to brush Luigi's mustache. It's always so soft to the touch; no matter how often Luigi tries to teach Mario how to maintain the smoothness of his facial hair, it eludes him to just how bunny-soft his brother is. He reaches up and takes off his little bro's cap, carding his fingers through equally soft brown locks.
Mario tilts his head down to rest his forehead against Luigi's again. Luigi closes his eyes and exhales a wistful sigh, relishing in the physical attention. He'd lay on the ground with his head in his big brother's lap and let him pet him forever if he could.
"Hey," Mario's voice is quiet and low as he pulls away just a bit, fingers still gently scratching the back of Luigi's head. He looks so relaxed, eyelashes leaving tiny shadows on his rose-dusted cheeks, the glow from the flowers creating a halo that circles his soft hair—Mario could look up into the galaxy and beyond, and still not find another view quite as satisfying and beautiful.
Luigi opens his eyes to meet his gaze. Mario's radiance in these colors, drenched in this field's natural glow—it nearly blinds him, as if he were staring directly into the sun.
No words are needed beyond that before Mario gently pulls him close again, and their lips quietly meet.
Luigi melts into his brother, hands falling down to Mario's back, roaming. Mario parts his lips just a bit, prodding and nipping, and Luigi lets out a soft little sound. He doesn't push further, relishing for now in just a teensy taste.
They pull away at the same time, and Luigi sighs. "W-wowie..."
"Y'know, it's a huge confidence boost knowing I can take your breath away every single time we do that," Mario teases.
Luigi, too heartstruck at this point to be embarrassed, just yanks Mario back into another kiss. Mario laughs into it, and squishes Luigi's cheeks. They share a couple more quick pecks, and Mario tops it off by giving his sweet little bro's cheeks a couple more smooches.
As they pull away from each other, Luigi takes both of Mario's hands in his own.
"Hey."
"Yeah?"
"...Thanks for bringing me here," Luigi's eyes wander again to the vast expansive of shimmering, glowing, flaming flowers around them. "It's beautiful out here. It's... hard to describe... there's like a big fireball in my chest," He chuckles, suddenly unable to meet his brother's gaze.
Mario's expression softens for the thousandth time tonight as he tilts his head, enchanted. "I think that might be a little something called... love, Lu."
Luigi's head whips back to face him, eyes wide and sparkling. "...Hey, you're absolutely right! Mario, I love you!" As he says it, he jolts upward, standing proudly, spreading his arms out wide. He throws his head back and practically shouts to the stars, "I love you, Mario! I love my big brother Mario!"
"W-Whoa, hey—!" Mario stands up quickly, instinctually to make him be quiet, but he realizes that there... sure is no one out here. Nobody to even hear, save for the stars, millions of miles above them—which seems insane to him considering the breathtaking, perfect spot they're in. Perhaps the Mushroom Kingdom residents are simply used to having this glory in their backyard.
He, then, decides that he no longer cares who hears. He smushes Luigi's cheeks and kisses him one more time. Their noses bump uncomfortably, but neither of them seem to mind. When he quickly pulls away, Luigi is like a deer in headlights for just a moment, and Mario pumps both his fists into the air.
"I love my perfect, sweet, incredible, brave little brother Luigi! Nothing can stop us, as long as we're together!"
Luigi puts a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Uh, bro, I think the line is 'nothing can hurt us', right?"
Mario turns and is met with Luigi smug-mugging him. He blinks, scoffs, and starts warming up a fireball in his hand.
"Uh-oh!"
Luigi takes off running, laughing so much that he's practically wheezing, and begins to roll up fireballs of his own. Mario takes off like a bolt after him.
"You couldn't just, accept my sentimentality!? Come on!"