Chapter Text
The yellow white glare of the spotlights blinded him from this position, causing him to squint unpleasantly. Luigi retreated back into the shadows just to the side of the drum set, heels tapping with each backwards step.
It was a cool Saturday night in the midscale bar they were playing in that night, bright poppy music flowing from their cheap and well used speakers.
Peach’s voice flowed through the open space by the bar like a smooth energetic wave, voice light and joyful.
As always, her outfit was perfect, and her makeup stunning.
They had been trying to break into bigger and better venues, Luigi mused, fingers fluttering against the bass guitar in his hands.
A neat image with matching outfits helped that.
(Still, Luigi cringed at the small crown pinned to his head… And he had always preferred darker colors than the light whites and reds and greens “The Mushroom Kingdom” was trying to make themselves known for…)
He sighed. At least he got to keep his boots. Small mercies…
Looking up and listening, Luigi froze for a second, hands moving on autopilot.
The song was about to reach a lull. (He knew that. They had rehearsed this song for hours, all five of them…)
Still, it made him nervous.
Ten seconds, all completely riding on him.
Mario looked back at him from mid stage with a wide smile, fingers dancing across the piano keys. He whistled to get Luigi’s attention, before gesturing forward with his head.
(Oh God…)
Luigi took a hard swallow, before moving forward.(He took exactly three steps, putting him right in front of Mario on the relatively crowded stage.)
This new position made him look out onto the crowd, instead of some random poster of a famous musician the owner liked on the wall.
Luigi bit his lip, fingers grasping his guitar pick just a little harder.
(There was a reason he hated being center stage!-)
There was at least thirty faces and eyes stared back at him. Most were smiling and cheering. They were enjoying the music, a couple with phone camera’s lit like lighters. (That reminded Luigi of different days, fondly remembered, where he woke up early in the morning to carpool with a friend to attend loud screaming concerts.)
Others stared back flatly, looking annoyed. (Clearly pissed at having their evening out drinking ruined by some pop band.)
Those people unsettled him. Luigi quickly flinched back slightly, intently staring down at the fretboard.
They all felt like they were staring. Judging him.
(Even if rationally, he knew they weren’t, it still felt like they were!-)
They were probably staring at Peach, their singer and front woman, or Daisy, with her insane outfits and wild movements when she did everything but play guitar, or even Mario, with his accompanying vocals and wide smile.
They probably weren’t looking at the shy “string bean”, with shaking knees and skittish eyes that just couldn’t seem to settle on one thing.
A scared rabbit, he had been called by an uncle one time at a family reunion, with a punch in the shoulder.
Regretfully, when he got like this, there wasn’t much disproving that statement.
(When his knees got knocking, and his brain got staticky, and his voice became a shaking stutter…)
Luigi took a deep breath, and stood still, face frozen in an awkward mask.
(The piano stopped, the guitar played one ringing chord, and he knew it was his turn to carry the song.)
His heart felt like it was about to stop as his fingers went up up up, and back down the fretboard, and he could’ve sworn his black nail polish was chipping with each set of notes.
(He stared straight ahead awkwardly as his fingers flew, legs locked rigid.)
And just as suddenly as it began, the other parts started coming in. (First the guitar, mimicking before launching back into chords, then the piano, and finally, Peach’s voice.)
It ended, and the song returned to form.
(Just like always, you pulled through L. He told himself, breathing in slowly.)
He played it flawlessly, just like every other time.
(Why then, was he always so nervous?-)