Chapter Text
The last thing Luigi could remember was calling for help. The louder he yelled, the less he had to focus on himself; after all, Mario was the one who’d been knocked unconscious.
What a surprise it had been to wake up in the hospital wing, wrapped in the folds of soft white sheets as he took in the cobblestone ceiling of Peach’s castle. A slight tug in the crook of his arm drew his attention to an IV; a closer look proved that it was stocked not with saline, but with blood.
“Luigi?”
Who else to expect by his bedside but Mario? His older brother, at first glance, looked none the worse for wear, no doubt having had his fill of healing mushrooms. The stubble on his jaw, however, betrayed his lack of sleep, as did the bags under his eyes.
“Mario!”
Had the needle in his arm not kept him pinned, Luigi would’ve returned his brother’s hug in full. Instead, he settled for the warmth and comfort brought about by Mario’s bear hugs, trying his best to ignore the strong heartbeat just beneath the skin.
“I’m sorry,” Mario mumbled.
“It’s okay, bro.”
“No, it’s not.” Mario drew back, shaking his head as though the motion could clear away what was brewing. “I should’ve figured something was wrong.”
“Kinda hard to do with me keepin’ secrets,” Luigi said, shrugging as Mario went back in for another hug.
“I almost lost you.” The patterned linen of his hospital gown clung to his shoulder as his brother broke down into tears. “Not once, not twice, but three times in two days. It was bad enough dealing with Dracula, but then we came home and you almost—”
He cut himself short. Luigi could vividly remember what his twin meant to refer to, but before either of them could complete that thought—
“You mean how Luigi almost burnt to a crisp as the sun came up?”
The interruption was more than enough to get Mario’s attention, turning from Luigi toward the door with a glare. Luigi leaned over to get a better view of their guest.
“Good to see you up, my boy!” The Professor was more disheveled than usual, with even his glasses askew. “If I had known what exactly was lurking in that realm, I would’ve kept our noses out of it.”
“You mean you didn’t know?” Mario got to his feet, forming a shield between Luigi and E. Gadd. “You sent Lu anyway, even though you didn’t know?”
“Would you rather have had those monsters get a jump on the whole universe?” E. Gadd shook his head. “I was getting readings I had never seen before—many of them. It’s been a very long time since I’ve been fit to do field work, and I couldn’t send Gooigi out on his own.”
“So you sent my brother?”
“He was the only one I could trust to get to the bottom of this.” E. Gadd remained calm as he readjusted his glasses. “Act all you want like I forced his hand, but Luigi chose to go.”
“H-he’s right, Mario.”
Luigi put a hand over his forearm as his brother turned to face him. It was becoming a familiar reflex, hiding the absolute proof of how this all had started.
“I didn’t w-want anything to hurt us i-if I could help it,” Luigi stammered. The more he talked, the less he had to think about the puckered scars beneath his palm. “I know it can be dangerous, going across worlds like that—”
“Estremamente!” Mario exclaimed.
“Someone had to do something before he figured it out himself!”
He found himself at the foot of the bed, clutching his brother’s shoulders. Mario’s eyes darted from his unblinking stare to Luigi’s arm, where Dracula’s bite lingered on his pallid skin.
“You don’t know how things could’ve turned out,” Luigi said, trying his best to not let himself waver.
“And you did?” Mario countered.
Luigi said nothing. Already, he was growing weak, having disconnected himself from the dreaded vitality hanging by his bedside.
“I’m sorry,” Mario sighed, helping Luigi back into bed as the Professor prepared another stick. “I just want you to be okay. That’s all I ever want.”
“I don’t think I’m ever gonna be okay,” Luigi answered, trying his best not to cry as E. Gadd stuck the IV back in his arm.
“Now, now, sonny,” E. Gadd tsked, reaching out for Luigi’s hand as he pinched a pulse oximeter onto his index finger. “What makes you say that?”
“I’m a vampire.” Luigi drew his knees in. “You know what that means, right?”
“That we need to buy more sunscreen?” Mario offered jokingly.
Luigi shook his head. “It means I’m just as dangerous as Dracula.”
“It’s a good thing you’re nothing like him, then.”
Slowly, Luigi turned back to E. Gadd, who offered him a box of tissues.
“Would Dracula have saved his brother?” E. Gadd asked. “Would Dracula have braved the sun to get him home safely?”
“I don’t think he has a brother, Professor.”
“Did that old bat have the guts to go beyond his own domain? To keep going after something despite how scared he was?” E. Gadd shook his head with a warble. “Of course he didn’t! You might be a vampire, but you’re no Dracula, my boy. There’s really no comparison to be made.”
Luigi said nothing, taking the opportunity to dab at his eyes before settling the tissue box in by his side.
“It’s still too early to tell,” Luigi sniffled, wincing at a distant commotion that the others hadn’t picked up on. “Things could change.”
“So what if they do?” Mario patted his arm. “We’ve got you, bro.”
“And when everyone else finds out?”
“Like we didn’t already hear the news?”
An all-too-familiar hedgehog had materialized in the doorway, oblivious to the black envelop sticking out of his quills. Following him into the room was a two-tailed fox, the little brother of said hedgehog, who was in the process of unshouldering a backpack before setting it down on the foot of the bed.
Such a sight would explain the earlier disturbance.
“Sonic?”
“Who else, Lu-wiggie?” Sonic flashed him a grin. “It’d be hard to find anyone who didn’t hear about you and the old mosquito. Word travels fast—for once, faster than me.”
“Y-you don’t say.” Luigi pulled the sheets closer to his chest.
“Look at him, being so modest,” Sonic chuckled, leaning back as Tails tugged the envelope free from his spikes. “You’d think someone else had kept the next big threat at bay.”
“We brought you something,” Tails announced, holding the envelope out to Luigi. “Actually, we brought a little something from all our friends.”
“Are these…?” Luigi shook his head. Surely, they hadn’t gone through the trouble. Not for his sake.
“Get-well-soons, thinking-of-yous, and, erm…” Sonic frowned as Luigi took the card. “That one’s a thank you. From Eggman.”
“I see.”
Carefully, Luigi tore open the envelope. Inside was a card emblazoned with that ever-familiar insignia.
“‘Truly appreciate you taking out Dracula,'" Luigi read out. "'World domination is hard enough without additional competition. Hope your recovery is swift. Eggman.’”
“That was…oddly appreciative.” Tails hopped onto the bed, his backpack unzipped, as he dumped out a modest pile of cards. “Sorry that had to be your first one.”
“You handed it to him, little buddy.” Sonic shook his head. “Speaking of which…”
Sonic darted out of the room, returning with an assortment of things that were immediately dumped onto the side table. Luigi barely had time to register what was happening before the hedgehog ran back out for more, setting armfuls of stuff on every open surface before popping back up beside Mario.
“The Toads were taking their sweet time getting all this up here,” Sonic said, reaching over Mario’s head to pluck a particularly large card off the end table. “You'd think they were doing the opposite of a speedy recovery. I was supposed to just put it all back on the cart, but I was already on my way up, so…I figured I'd make a few extra trips.”
Upon closer look, the card appeared to be made of posterboard, folded over and illustrated with what could best be described as a creative interpretation of what transpired in Transylvania. Though his memory of the fight was fuzzy at best, Luigi didn’t remember setting Dracula on fire, nor did he recall striking a victory pose over his smoldering corpse. Still, to receive an original work from Bowser Jr. was a special thing, made even better when Luigi opened the card to find not one, but eight well wishes addressed to him.
HEY! LUIGI! DID YOU PICK THIS CARD UP FIRST? If you didn’t die, this better be the first thing you see when you wake up. I spent a lot of time getting the flames right…
Luigi, I have no idea how you outwitted the most powerful vampire across worlds, but color me impressed. I suppose you’re now part of a rich literary and musical history —if you had any idea how much of a legacy Dracula had…
Sounds like you put that guy in his place. Heard the sun’s getting you real good now, so I slipped you an extra pair of shades…
“How do I look?”
It would’ve been hard to miss the hot pink shades enclosed in the card, now perched upon Luigi’s nose. Even through the tint, he could see both Mario and Sonic giving him a thumbs-up. He propped the glasses up in his hair and kept reading.
Please tell me you’re not about to start dressing up like some stuffy old fart. Dracula might’ve been super powerful and all, but his wardrobe was clownier than Lemmy on a sugar rush…
Wendy’s right. Dracula looked like a very sad clown, so maybe don’t get a cape. Or wear a poofy pirate shirt. Can you turn into a bat? That’d be a pretty cool trick…
Going up against Dracula was nuts. Still, Morton’s glad to hear you’re okay. No way you’re stronger than Morton, though…
Sorry that the sun almost burned you alive. Not sure what else to say, except maybe stay out of the sun? You should come to the Darklands sometime! Dad said it’s okay, but only if you come without Mario and leave the Boos alone…
I don’t have much room left, but I hope you’re doing okay! Do you know how that guy managed to drag you between worlds without a staff or a special machine? I’m not gonna pull a Drac, I swear! I just wanna go visit Ness and Lucas…
“There’s a lot more where that came from." Mario grabbed a package wrapped in flower-patterned paper before it could slide off the table. “Looks like Daisy got you something nice.”
"S-She did?" Luigi took the gift from his brother, slowly picking the wrapping paper apart as Mario turned back to the pile for another.
“Uh, Mario?” Tails’s voice was wavering with worry. “I think we need a doctor…”
Mario turned back to the bed, expecting to see his younger brother turning blue from a shortfall of fresh blood. Instead, Luigi was sobbing, his tears running red down his cheeks as he wiped his eyes, creating a crimson smear that lingered on his wrist and got dangerously close to staining the cards on his lap.
“Luigi!”
Mario was scrambling for the tissue box, forcing wads of the stuff into his brother's fingers. They were quickly put to use as Luigi dabbed away his tears.
“Luigi, what’s wrong?”
“I-It’s just a lot to take in,” Luigi cried, crumpling up the bloody tissues as a fresh round of tears gathered in his vision. “E-Everyone sent such nice c-cards, a-and T-Tails gave me a special umbrella f-for the sun…”
"I-It was nothing, really," Tails said with a nervous chuckle. "Just something I threw together—"
"You spent all night on it, little buddy," Sonic chimed in.
"A-Are you okay?" Tails reached out before pulling back, unsure of what to do. "Do we need to, uh…"
"Is crying blood normal for him now?" Sonic asked.
"Sonic!"
"What?"
"I-I-It's okay."
Luigi sniffled as he took up another tissue, doing his best to dry his eyes.
"I-I just…everyone's been so nice to me, what with all the cards. Now Daisy’s g-giving me a sunshine badge?” Luigi held the golden emblem in his palm, looking from it to the others with wonder in his eyes.
“I mean, she’s the last person who’d want anybody stuck inside all day,” Mario said sheepishly.
“Yeah, b-b-but—” Luigi sniffled, scrunching his nose up as more tears came down. “I d-don’t deserve any of this!”
It was true, wasn’t it? Who sent presents to a fledgling monster? The only thing keeping Luigi from pouncing upon the pulses in his presence was the drip line stuck in his arm. If it weren't for that pesky IV, his lifeline, tether, and restraint, his closest friends would be his next meal.
To allow him to walk in the sun would put everyone in danger.
“Dude, if you keep putting yourself down like that, you’re gonna end up underground.”
Sonic was leaning on the bed rail, his cocky grin quickly turning into a frown.
“Not sure if you meant to say all of that out loud,” Sonic remarked, tapping a steady rhythm against the railing, “but you’ve got a lot of friends that were worried sick about you. You know the umbrella Tails made? It automatically tilts to block out the sun.”
“That’s a-very nice,” Luigi said, averting his gaze in case it betrayed his hunger.
“Heck yeah, it’s nice. Why should you get anything less for saving all our butts from the biggest, baddest vampire?”
“Because I might be the next big bad vampire!” Luigi wiped his face, tossing the crumpled wad of soggy tissue paper aside. “I c-could lose control, and h-hurt you, and it wouldn’t be enough because I’ll just get hungry again and g-go after somebody else!”
There was so much more Luigi had left to say, but his breath was hitching too much to be able to get it all out. Rather than back away, Sonic leaned in closer.
“Uh huh. I take it Dracula said that?”
“Sonic, c’mon.” Tails pulled at his brother's arm as Mario stood up. “He's still got a lot to process.”
“Please,” Mario pleaded. “Whatever point you’re trying to make, let it go for now—”
It was then that the Blue Blur lived up to the moniker, disappearing before anyone could register what was happening. All that could be seen was a bright blue light, going to and fro in a miniature whirlwind that sent cards flying, before Sonic came to be on Luigi’s left, a roll of bandage tape dangling from his wrist.
Only then did Luigi look down at his arm.
“What are you doing?” Mario asked, looking from his brother’s newly-applied bandage to the hedgehog across the bed.
“Seeing if what he said was true,” Sonic answered, his voice as level as his stare.
"Sonic!"
“Okay, Lu, you're off the line!" Sonic leaned against the bedrail like he was announcing the ultimate choice in a game show. "Time to choose! You can either have at me…"
“Sonic, please…” Tails trailed off with a whine.
"…or what's left in the bag," the hedgehog finished, with a flourish toward the IV for emphasis.
“Whatever you’re doing,” Mario said with a glare, “cut it out.”
“Better yet…” Sonic held out his own arm, seemingly oblivious to everyone’s protests. “I'll make it easier for you. There’s just one catch.”
Luigi, who was beginning to shake, looked from the offering to the hedgehog smirking back at him.
“You’ve gotta be faster than the fastest thing alive,” Sonic stated, “who would absolutely save everyone’s bacon, along with his own, before you could so much as bare your fangs.”
Between three sets of beating hearts and his own dread, Luigi could only tremble, not even daring to open his mouth in fear that he’d be proven right. He shook his head and shut his eyes, trying not to give in, to lunge upon the speedy staccato hanging right in front of him, with its promise of nourishment singing a siren's song. The rest of the room dissolved around him, leaving him alone with those dreaded thoughts, telling him to go ahead and sink his teeth into such easy, willing prey.
Except…
That wasn't his voice, and it was fading fast.
He opened his eyes, to the peach-fuzzy arm dangling in front of him, inviting him to bite. Unlike before, at Dracula's castle, the urge to strike wasn't nearly as compelling. Come to think of it, none of the blood surrounding him, wearing the faces of family and friends, was beckoning him as he'd come to expect.
Just what was going on?
There wasn’t much time to ponder that before E. Gadd re-entered the room, toting along a fresh blood bag for the IV. The sight of new visitors, the avalanche of cards upon every surface, and Luigi’s bandaged arm made him dart forward, shoving Sonic out of the way as he did.
“I leave you alone for ten minutes, and I come back to chaos.” The Professor shook his head, brushing the cards and crumpled tissues aside to lay down the bag. “Did you take the drip out?”
“That would be my doing,” Sonic chimed in, catching what fell off the bed.
“Hmm. Wouldn’t have taken you for a medic,” E. Gadd muttered, taking up Luigi’s arm. “Just tight enough. Not that I foresee any circulation issues, of course.”
With a click, Luigi’s finger was freed from the oximeter.
“Better than earlier,” E. Gadd nodded. “Oxygen’s looking good, but your heart rate spiked a bit. Care to tell me the cause?”
Luigi shook his head.
“Would it have anything to do with the line being taken out?” E. Gadd ventured. “You never were one for needles.”
Again, Luigi shook his head.
“A certain someone,” Mario answered, hugging Tails close as he nodded to Sonic, “thought it would be a great idea to put Lu’s willpower to the test.”
“I see.” The Professor continued to prod at his arm. “How did it go?”
“I-It was okay,” Luigi said softly. “I was okay.”
Everyone around him, except for Sonic, did a double-take at his response.
“I-I was getting into my head again,” Luigi explained. “All this time, I was convinced I was a monster, but Sonic…” He smiled toward the hedgehog, his lips curling up a bit at his canines—a genuinely warm gesture he'd abstained from since his return. “Sonic proved me wrong.”
Again, his vision began to waver. He sniffled as he reached out for another tissue, smiling as he wiped away the tears.
“It’s strange, really,” Luigi said, taking a wet towel from the Professor to clean his face off. “I know I’m surrounded by all the blood I could ask for, but I…I can hold off. It’s not even that hard to do.”
“Well, yeah,” Sonic remarked. “It’s a lot easier to get a hold of yourself when you’re not auto-subscribed to an evil broadcast in your head."
“Have you already gone through these?” E. Gadd asked, nodding toward the disheveled pile of cards on the couch.
Luigi shook his head. “Just the ones on the bed.”
“You might want to get on it, then,” E. Gadd responded, grabbing the blood bag off the bed as he fiddled around with his pockets. "Gives me a bit of time to fix this up...”
Between Sonic, Tails, and Mario, it was no trouble at all to clear the bed of the cards Luigi had already read; Mario even made sure to prop Bowser Jr’s card up where everyone could see it.
“That you, Luigi?” Sonic pointed to the painted battle. “Love the flames.”
“Heh, look at Dracula,” Tails snorted. “This should be in a museum.”
“Maybe I should frame it?” Mario pondered. "I've got some scrap wood laying around."
“I didn’t know you did woodworking,” Tails said in awe.
“Had to pay the bills before becoming a plumber. Anyway…” Mario picked a few unopened envelopes out. “Looks like the Starfox crowd wanted to check in with you.”
“I’ll take them,” Luigi said, taking the brightly-colored envelopes before the Professor tapped him. “Oh, E. Gadd, can’t that wait?”
“A new vampire needs to feed,” E. Gadd chided, thrusting the bag toward Luigi. “I’m not about to start deviating from what Alucard and those other fellows had to say, and neither are you."
"B-But I—"
"I even brought a straw."
Said straw, with a diameter somewhere between a coffee stirrer and a juice box implement, was jammed into the center port.
“We can read some of these out loud while you take care of that,” Mario offered, tearing open a forest-green envelope.
“Are you sure?”
“It’s no trouble at all, bro,” Mario assured him with a smile.
“I-I mean watching me, um, eat.”
“Oh no, whatever shall we do?” Sonic pretended to clutch at metaphorical pearls. “A vampire, tending to his needs with the world’s squishiest juice box?” The hedgehog shook his head with a smirk. “We’re not gonna judge. Go ahead. Drink up.”
With that, Luigi took a hesitant sip, waiting for someone to voice their objection. Such control was hard to manage when his tongue was flooded with warmth and notes of cocoa. Another sip brought forth hints of chili, followed by cinnamon, allspice, and cloves. It was cozier than he expected this to be, especially after being forced to partake by Dracula himself, a goblet gulped without any regard to the flavor.
It was, dare he say it, kind of nice.
“Say, I’ve been meaning to ask,” Sonic postured. “Anyone hear anything about another Olympics on the horizon?”
“Not that I’ve heard of,” Mario answered. “Should I be looking for an invitation?”
“I don’t know,” Sonic said with a shrug. “It just feels like it’s supposed to come around again, y’know? It’d be a nice breather until Eggman stirs up something again.”
“You know he’s going to be there, right?”
“Yeah, but considering how badly Bowser got burned last year…” Sonic tilted his head. “We might actually have a peaceful two weeks for once, if all our antagonists just come out to compete.”
“Wouldn’t be much different than inviting him for a kart race.” Mario ran a finger along his mustache.
“It’d be great to see you guys again,” Tails added. “I mean, if you want to go, of course.”
“How about it?” Sonic asked. “If we get another Games, can we expect to see you guys there?”
Luigi pulled away from the straw, swallowing a sip as he thought about it.
“I wouldn’t miss it for the world,” he declared.
Notes:
I didn't know I had it in me to go a whole chapter without changing perspectives or doing a timeskip, but damn, I did it. Can't say that's going to become a regular thing, but I didn't know I had it in me.
Revised 4/9/2025.
Chapter Text
Mario wasn't the sort of guy to feel alone in a crowd. Considering all those gathered were close friends, both from his world and another entirely, one would expect the ambiance to be lively, excited.
Instead, he was in the midst of confusion, surrounded by frightened folks who demanded an explanation as to what was going on.
"What the heck was that?"
"Are you okay?"
"Is he okay? Daisy's been knocked out!"
"Did anyone see where that...that thing was going?"
"Oh my stars, Mario, that's a lot of blood…"
The concerns of others were almost suffocating; the words of each question lost their edges and became part of the same stream of noise. There were bits and pieces that made it through the buffer: references to a monstrous creature, remarks about the mess, but nothing that answered the most important question of all.
Where had Luigi run off to?
"Since no one has bothered to ask my opinion, I say good riddance."
At once, the room fell silent, with every set of eyes directed toward the person furthest from them. How a man didn't melt under such burning glares, let alone allow himself to fall quiet before them, was beyond Mario. Had he not been so overwhelmed, he'd be the first to step up to Eggman, ready to swing for all that maniacal man had put his brother through.
Instead, he growled, "Get out."
He expected some protest, perhaps even a retort. Instead, Dr. Eggman quickly slipped out of sight, with his daughter tailing close behind.
"Now that he's out of the picture," Vector said, centering the collective attention back on Mario, "tell us what really happened. Why are you such a mess? Where's your bro?"
"I…"
Now that he was able to breathe, the depth of the situation began to set in—especially when he glanced down at his athletic gear, drenched in his own blood. Shakingly, he took his fist away from his chest, a wrinkled plastic bag fluttering to the floor. It was similar to another discarded bag a few yards away, though not as mangled by frenzied fangs. Any words he meant to say quickly died in his throat, overtaken by the vivid detail of recent memory.
"Stars above, where'd that bastard go?"
Daisy had gotten to her feet, cradling the back of her head with one hand as she steadied herself with the other. Luigi hadn't meant to, but he'd shoved the Princess away with the sort of force that left an imprint on the wall.
"Well? Where's Eggman?" she asked the crowd. "If Luigi hadn't gone after him first, I would've wailed on him. Where'd they go?!"
She took a step forward before stumbling to the side; in an instant, both Mario and Peach were holding her steady.
"I'm gonna kick his ass," she muttered.
"Not like this, you're not," Peach said. "You need to go see the doctor."
"I'll be fine. Jus' tell me where—"
She nearly fell on her face, saved only by her friends' quick reflexes.
"Where's the hospi'al?" she said blearily.
"On the other side of the Village."
Along with the others, the sudden appearance of Eggman's only daughter nearly scared Mario out of his shorts.
"Oh, great…" Wario groaned.
"Haven't you done enough?"
"Just get outta here, Sage!"
Again, the room descended into discord. This time, however, Mario found his voice.
"Enough!"
He hated to yell, but it proved the only way to get everyone's attention. The sooner he could quell the panic and potential rumors brewing amongst them, the sooner he could go find Luigi.
"Luigi's been running on fumes for days," Mario explained. "He didn't want to tell us, but someone—"
"Egghead!" Sonic interjected.
Mario shook his head. "Dr. Eggman made off with the only food he can really eat right now."
"I thought he drank blood," called out Knuckles. "That's what vampires eat, right?"
"We brought along some fruits," he said, taking a breath to restore his patience. "that are just as good for him as blood, but not as hard to get. Plus, they keep longer. The point is…" Mario looked around. "Eggman stole them for something and starved my brother for days. What you saw running out of here, what attacked Eggman…"
And Daisy, he kept to himself, as well as you.
"That was Luigi," he said somberly. "He was angry, but he was also scared. I don't know where he's gone, I don't know if he's hurt…"
I don't know whether he's still alive.
"Father intended to create fleets of nanobots."
Sage had finally spoken up.
"Plasma fruits contain more naturally-occurring iron than any other foodstuff in my databases," she stated. "Father thought that the resources would be better spent on the Eggman Empire than for a single person's consumption—a decision he affirmed after sampling one for himself."
Despite the gravity of the situation, Mario couldn't help but picture Eggman spitting out a hunk of the fruit in disgust. Luigi insisted that the plasma fruits had notes of the regions in which they were grown, but Mario had only tasted pennies.
Perhaps that was why he motioned for Sage to continue. The idea that she could crack a joke at her maker's expense might mean she was attempting to help.
"The plasma fruits are hidden all over the city," Sage explained, "and are guarded by Eggbots. The only way to obtain them is to compete against the bots in organized sport."
Aside from Bowser's (understandable) dissent, the room had only ears for her.
"That's as far back as I can roll back their parameters," Sage said. "I cannot shut them off, or else the fruit becomes inaccessible. I've advised Father on multiple occasions that this plan would cause more harm for him than good."
She flickered where she floated, looking from the crowd back to Mario.
"Allow me to assist you in finding the fruits," Sage offered, "as well as your brother."
Mario said nothing, instead crossing his arms as he fixed her with his coldest stare.
"In return," Sage added, "I will ensure that Father won't cause any more disruptions."
"How can we trust you?" Silver countered, stepping forward as he did. "You just admitted to helping Eggman steal this stuff."
"Because I have locked Father in his room."
Mario had to admit it; that was the last thing he expected to hear from a dutiful daughter like Sage.
"I've also cut off his network access," Sage said, "though he'll likely find a workaround within the next six hours. That should be enough time to spread out and search the city."
"What if he comes back online before then?" Tails was understandably worried.
"Then I'll likely be recalled for insubordination." Sage put her hands together. "This is the best I can do. If I can locate him, then I can put up a beacon. That beacon will outlast me, should I be unable to help further."
"Surely there's another way?" Blaze crossed her arms.
"Can't Tails just come up with something?" Amy asked.
"Anything we come up won't be as efficient as teaming up with Sage," Tails responded. "It's really up to Mario, though. How should we go about this?"
It really did come down to him, didn't it? Whatever was left of the collective debate dwindled down to silence as the others waited for his word.
"I say we give it a shot," Mario declared. "Let's go find Luigi!"
He turned toward the exit, more than ready to go.
"Hey, Mario?" Sonic was by his side in an instant. "Not saying it would freak people out, but you miiight wanna go change first."
Right. The blood. Luigi would either panic or pounce.
"Go clean up." Sonic clapped his shoulder. "We'll pick teams while you're gone. Just remember to come back, okay?"
He would. Why wouldn't he? With a curt nod, Mario set off for the locker room.
"…he seems to be waking up. Looks like Mario has the paramedics beat to the punch…"
The world Luigi woke up to was a blur of light and shadow, slowly sharpening into metal beams and overhead lights. The ground beneath his fingertips was coarse—right. He was still on the floor. A gentle press made the surface give a little. If he listened carefully, he could just make out the creak of the springs below.
"Luigi?"
He'd last been standing, shaking as he stuck the landing. The routine had exhausted whatever energy he had left; he was surprised he didn't faint during any of the tumbles and leaps. He could barely turn his head toward his older brother, but he could hear the worry in that single question.
He shook his head and tried to stand.
"Easy there!" Another voice filled his ears; of course Daisy had come to help him up. "We've got you, okay?"
They locked their arms behind him, allowing him to walk off the floor with their shared assistance.
"Where…?"
"First aid," Mario said.
"I can't…"
"You're shaking like a leaf, Honeybee," Daisy chimed in. "We're cracking into the stash."
The stash!
He shook his head frantically, feeling more and more like a bobblehead before thinking to grind his heels into the floor. They couldn't know he'd been sipping at it for the past three days in a desperate attempt to keep going—one sip a night, as there weren't enough blood bags to last otherwise.
He couldn't let anyone know what had happened to the fruit. He just couldn't. Otherwise, Mario would make him drink in front of everyone, shattering whatever shred of normalcy he'd been able to cling to.
"It's gonna be okay," Mario reassured him. "I can take some power-ups tonight and get more drawn."
Luigi's attention had already been directed elsewhere—to a heated conversation down a service corridor. He shook himself free of Mario and Daisy before walking toward the noise they couldn't yet hear. The door he opened creaked, but the argument continued.
"That's not where first aid is…where are you going?"
He ignored those behind him as he stepped into the hall, drawn forward by talks of schemes and stolen fruit.
An alcove was a decent spot to watch an afternoon storm. Granted, the storm was more of a steady downpour, with little wind or thunder to speak of, but it was still nice to be shielded from the elements.
Especially in this particular spot, where Luigi could sit and let his wings heal up. Everything ached, but nothing moreso than his heart, broken over the realization that he truly was nothing more than a monster—a creature as wretched as Dracula, forced into his true form by a thirst he could never slake.
He couldn't return to the Games. He couldn't even go home. He couldn't trust himself around others after what he'd done in the depths of the stadium. His fury had clouded his mind, but if Luigi concentrated, he could call forth disjointed snippets of a memory—the splatter of blood, a hand on his shoulder, the overwhelming desire to rip throats out.
Nothing hit as hard as seeing his brother pinned under his talons.
Slowly, he crept toward the entryway, holding a hand out to catch the rain with. A glance down to a puddle between the stones made him jump before he peered in closer. A crimson-eyed creature glared back at him, its nostrils flaring as he sniffed the water. The ensuing ripples distorted the verdant demon that moved as he moved, bared its fangs as he did. Even its pointed tail waved the same as his.
He toed the water with a single talon—one of the three on his hawk-like foot. He looked like a gargoyle that had flown off its cathedral perch, an amalgamation of all sorts of beasts.
He looked like a monster.
That's because you are.
He crept backward into the alcove, sinking against the far wall as the tears began to fall. He'd been a fool to think he was anything except a risk.
"You took them?"
The exclamation sapped whatever breath Luigi had, forcing him to lean against the door as he came to face Dr. Eggman and his daughter.
"I thought you were supposed to be the smarter brother," Eggman remarked, stepping toward the door as Luigi shrunk back. "What clued you in?"
"I h-heard you talking a-about it." Luigi sidestepped into the room, wincing as the other man flung the door back against the wall.
"So you eavesdropped, is what you're saying."
"Why d-did you take my fruit?" Out of context, the question sounded silly, like a little kid whose snack had been swiped. Such a comparison fell to the wayside as Luigi caught himself from falling.
"Right, the plasma fruits," Eggman repeated. "Surely you're aware of their iron content?"
Luigi nodded weakly. It was a huge part of why he could supplement his blood-centric diet with them.
"Each fruit has the potential to become a portable nanobot synthesizer," Eggman explained. "All I'd have to do is implant a bit of hardware into each one, give them time to sift through the muck, and then I'd be able to do whatever I please!"
"Father, I've already told you—"
"Not now, Sage. I'm gloating." Eggman's face twisted into a wicked grin. "I can use these nanobots to repair my existing fleet, level the city, or perhaps take over the unsuspecting populace of Paris. It really depends on how initial tests go."
"The nanobots will rapidly decompose upon deployment—"
"That's why we got our hands on every last crate," Eggman said. "I suppose if I keep you around, I'll know where to find more fruit, but that shouldn't be necessary once I've captured the city."
Luigi continued to tremble, but not from lack of energy. Eggman's plans had ignited a fury he didn't know he had, sending a wave of energy coursing through his system.
"You seem a bit angry. Is it because I took your things without permission?" Eggman stepped closer. "How's about this? You allow me to proceed with the plan, and in return, you can have your pick of whatever prisoners I happen to capture. Trust me, you'll have a neverending supply."
He was seeing red, not unlike what had happened before he turned on Dracula. Luigi doubled over, unable to hold back what was coming.
"You!"
The last thing he remembered before the memory faded was the urge to tear out the doctor's jugular. Maybe there were others there to hold him back, because Dr. Eggman had survived, right?
He couldn't be entirely sure.
For a while, it seemed that Luigi had truly been left alone. He hadn't cried loudly, and the rain was surely putting a damper on what passersby picked up on. Shouldn't he feel relieved that nobody was coming for him?
No wonder Sage's sudden appearance had sent him scrambling.
"I don't intend to inflict further harm," she stated. "I come to you with a message, should you want to hear it."
He didn't have a choice, did he? He got to his feet, towering over her as she hovered in place.
"Your actions suggest one of two possibilities: that you wish for me to leave, or that you wish to hear what I have to say."
He didn't know, and he couldn't tell her. This ghastly version of himself had lost the ability to speak.
"I shall tell you anyway," Sage decided, "but first, allow me to notify the nearest search party of your whereabouts."
Aside from some chatter and the rain's pitter-patter, the search had been solemn and silent. Together with Sonic and Tails, Mario had taken to the streets, holding his brother's umbrella over their heads while the fox scanned their surroundings for any sign of a Luigi lost.
That had been what they'd agreed to before they'd departed: search high and low, then let him know. The only participant who hadn't gone forth in a group had been Sage, who could not only remain behind in case of trouble, but could deploy additional instances of herself to aid in the search. A handful of the Koopalings offered to stay behind to keep an eye on her; in return, Metal Sonic had remained in the village to mind the Koopalings. It wasn't ideal as far as contingencies went, but given the circumstances…
"Mario, look!"
He stopped to let Tails show him his handheld. The screen, alight with a map and a radar, had honed in on a spot just a block away.
"It looks like if we take the next left, we'll be able to find—Mario, wait up!"
He rounded the corner of an old cathedral, expecting to see his brother in the rain. Instead, he found himself at the intersection of two stone staircases, leading down to a lower terrace. Slowly, Mario began his descent, sticking his hand out to brace himself. His fingertips brushed up against ancient masonry up until his last few steps, where the brick gave way to empty space.
He turned his head toward the wall, where a domed archway had been tucked in beside the stairs. It was a holdover from a time long past, a sanctuary to hold sacred things that could also shelter lost souls.
How fitting, then, to find Luigi there.
"Mind if I join you?"
It wasn't a surprise to see Luigi so startled; he had appeared out of nowhere, after all. Still, Mario crept down into the alcove with trepidation, drawing the umbrella in before setting it against the wall.
"Looks like you kept yourself nice and dry."
A quick adjustment kept the umbrella balanced against the old stone and plaster. Mario took a breath and a small step forward, reaching around his back for his knapsack.
"I would've been here sooner, but I came across something you'd really like."
He crouched down, dropping the backpack in front of him, before he began unzipping the largest pocket.
"Peachy and I had to compete for these," Mario explained. "It was a team thing. I know it's not the whole crate, but…"
The creature before him—his little brother, he reminded himself—came closer the moment food was mentioned. He crouched down in front of Mario, the daggered tip of his tail hanging beside him like a warning.
"Will this be enough?"
Slowly, Luigi reached out, extending the veiny folds of a crimson-tinged wing before closing his sharp claws around the open knapsack. He dragged it away from the center as he stepped away, his talons clicking against the stone.
"Luigi?"
There was no telling what could happen. Mario kept still as his brother sat down, reaching into the bag with a glint in his eye…
Only to lean back and toss a single plasma fruit into his gaping maw.
A bit of juice dribbled down his jaw, diluting the streaks of tears long since cried. He held his hand to his mouth to spit out the pit, setting it beside him before partaking in another fruit.
"Heh, looks like someone was hungry."
Sonic and Tails had finally caught up, shaking themselves dry before coming to sit beside him.
"Good to know that the signal rang true," Sonic said. "How're you doin', Luigi?"
Luigi stopped chewing, having realized that he now had company. He spat out the stone of another plasma fruit (another for the growing mound beside him) before going back for more.
"That means he's doing better, right?" Sonic asked. Mario could only nod. "He's really mowing through those things."
"Looks like we didn't end up too far from the Village." Tails was tapping away at the device in his hand. "We won't have as long a trek back as the others, but…"
It was then that Mario realized he hadn't heard the rain in some time. Dreading the worst, he turned to face the alcove's entrance, where rays of sunshine were already stealing away precious shade.
"My umbrella's not big enough to shield someone that big." Tails bit his lip as he looked from Mario to Luigi, looming above them despite his bowlegged stance. "I didn't even know Luigi could turn into that."
"It's okay," Mario assured him, getting to his feet. "We both thought it was just a one-time thing."
"You mean he's done this before?"
A low whine got Mario's attention. Luigi had reached the bottom of the bag, pulling out spares of the shorts and shirt he'd been wearing before he'd shapeshifted out of them.
"Of course I brought you a change of clothes," Mario answered. "I made sure to grab everything you need!"
"Uh, Mario?"
"What is it?" Mario spun around to face the others.
"We don't have the sunshine badge."
Merda.
Come to think of it, Luigi hadn't been wearing it during gymnastics; why throw off his balance if he was competing inside? In all the commotion of getting his brother to first aid, he'd completely forgotten about the gym bag he'd left on the sidelines—the only other place beside their apartment where the badge would be.
The sunlight continued creeping forward.
"I can go get it," Sonic offered. "Gymnastics bleachers, right?"
"There's not enough time," Tails said nervously. "They've probably cleared everything out by now."
"Well, what about lost and found? The apartments?"
"What lost and found?" Tails shot back.
"I don't have my keys," Mario groaned.
"No big deal. I'll just break a window."
"Sonic, you can't do that!"
"Why not?"
"Because of the sun!"
"Tape the curtains over the hole, then!"
"Are you three done bickering?"
The alcove fell silent. Mario looked over to the sunlit entrance, where another hedgehog glowered at them all from the bottom-most step.
"We are now," Sonic answered. "What brings you here, Shadow?"
"The same reason we're all out and about," Shadow scoffed. "I was looking for Luigi."
"Well, we found him!" Sonic flung a hand toward the younger of the Mario brothers, who was in the middle of shaking his shirt free from his horns. "All there's left to do is to get him outta here."
"So I heard."
Shadow said nothing more as he stepped inside, passing up the others in favor of the receding shade. He stood before Luigi, undaunted by what loomed over him, sizing him up before turning back to Mario and the others.
"I can take him," Shadow declared.
"What? Shadow—!"
"Back to his apartment, idiot," Shadow added with a groan.
"You're the one who phrased it like a square-off," Sonic muttered.
Shadow ignored him, turning to Mario instead. "You and your brother are on the same floor as Rouge, correct?"
Mario nodded.
"Directly across the hall?"
Again, he nodded.
"Don't worry about the keys. I'll leave the door unlocked."
He said nothing more on the matter, offering his hand to Luigi as he got ready to leave.
"Grazie mille, Shadow," Mario said. He meant it, too. Without his intervention, they would've had to wait until nightfall, assuming the sun didn't reach Luigi first.
Without another word, Shadow and Luigi disappeared from sight, leaving only a flash of lightning and the fizzle of residual Chaos energy behind.
"Right, he can just do that," Sonic said. "Heh, good thing he showed up, right, guys?"
When Mario got back, all the curtains had been drawn. An electric kettle whistled on the countertop, set beside two empty mugs prepped with teabags. Had Shadow not walked out of Luigi's bedroom with a roll of tape, Mario would've assumed he'd been left alone.
"I figured you wouldn't want to take any chances," Shadow explained, setting the tape roll down on the table. "Rouge was able to track down your bags."
"I see." Mario had nearly tripped over them on his way in. "I hope it wasn't too much trouble—"
Shadow held up a hand.
"If anything else happens," the hedgehog said, "I'll be across the hall. Rouge invited Omega and me over for a movie."
He put his hand down. Mario shifted from foot to foot.
"Sure you don't want to stay for tea?" he offered.
"I prefer coffee," Shadow answered, already halfway out the door, "but I appreciate the offer."
The front door slammed shut as the bathroom door opened.
"I'd like some tea, if that's okay."
The quick reflexes of the supernatural were nothing against Mario's sheer relief. In the span of a second, Mario was lifting his brother off the ground, with the sort of hug that only a fool would dare escape from.
"Good to see you too, bro." Luigi cracked a small smile as Mario set him down. "A-Are you okay?"
"Am I okay?" Mario could've done a double-take. "You're the one I should be asking."
"Well, I asked first."
"A lot better, now that you're here."
Mario lifted up the kettle, pouring a steady stream over each bag before setting it aside. He carried the mugs out to the sofa, where Luigi had cocooned himself in a fluffy blanket.
"Is this chamomile?" Luigi took a sniff, his mustache fluttering as he did so. "Yep. Chamomile."
"You might want to let it steep."
"I know."
They set their mugs on the coffee table, watching as wisps of steam curled upward.
"What do you wanna watch?" Mario took up the remote. "I heard we have access to pretty much everything."
"Maybe later," Luigi answered, settling back into the cushions with a sigh. "Hey, Mario?"
"Yeah, Lu?"
"Can I ask you something?"
"Anything."
"Did I scare you earlier?"
Mario set the remote down, weighing his words carefully.
"You gave us all a good scare when you ran off," he said slowly.
"I meant at the stadium. When we found Eggman…w-when I…"
His little brother's words trembled off into a silent shiver as he pulled the blanket in tighter.
"Y-You can be honest," Luigi stammered. "I g-g-got a good look at m-myself earlier. I-I'd be surprised if y-you weren't—"
"I was terrified."
It was no use lying; even if Luigi couldn't hear his heart skip, he would still be able to tell if Mario had fibbed. He had a number of tells that his fratellino knew all too well.
"When you had me pinned to the ground," Mario said, "I froze up. All I could do was watch. When you tore the bag, and it got everywhere…"
He shouldn't be saying these things, not to Luigi. Still, Mario pressed on.
"Even though I was scared," he admitted, "I was still worried about you. You were hurt, and scared, and then you ran out into the city without anything to protect you. If it hadn't been raining, then what?"
Luigi said nothing as he reached for his mug. Mario batted away his pale, shaky hands before he could take some tea.
"Don't you want sugar?" he asked. Luigi could only hiccup in response. Already, the tears were welling up.
The sugar would have to wait.
"I was scared, but I still went looking for you," Mario said, "because I was even more afraid of something happening to you. It didn't matter if I'd come across you like this…"
He gestured to his bundled-up brother, who shivered within his cocoon.
"…or the way you were when I found you. You're still you. Nothing will ever change that. Got it?"
He got up, turning back to look Luigi in the eye before going in for one more hug.
"You're my bro," he mumbled, sinking his head against the fleece. "You can grow horns and wings and claws the size of my finger all you like. You'll always be my brother."
A vampire, by nature, wasn't warmblooded. Such creatures spent eternity running cold.
In that moment, however, Mario had never been in a hug as strong, nor as warm, as the one Luigi gave in return.
Notes:
So uh, ever seen Castlevania's Dracula when he's officially going off the deep end? Picture that final form, but smaller. Eggman's lucky to have survived.
Chapter 3: Anything Else You Haven't Told Us?
Chapter Text
"You sure you want to do this?"
It was a question Mario had asked several times now: once at the Warp Pipe, twice on the subway, and now on the stoop of their old stomping grounds.
"You keep actin' like I'm gonna change my mind," Luigi answered, his breath a puff of frosty steam in the autumn air. He adjusted his scarf, moving the dampened patch around as he tucked a drier spot below his nose.
"I'm just giving you an out, that's all."
Luigi said nothing more, shifting from foot to foot as he tugged his woolen cap over his ears.
"You know Ma wants to see us," Luigi chided. "It's been over a year."
"I'm not worried about Ma."
Inside, a familiar set of footfalls turned their direction. Luigi shoved his hands in his pockets as the doors were flung open, a warm welcome extended both from a billowing gust of heated air and sturdy arms pulling both brothers into the foyer.
"Well, look who it is!"
The chuckle that followed was almost enough to put Luigi's worries at ease.
"About time you boys came to visit," their dad said, giving them both a once-over as he stepped back out from the embrace. "Have you eaten yet? You're lookin' like you could use somethin'."
Luigi's hand hovered over his stomach. He didn't have to look Mario to know that the very mention of food had pushed his worries aside. As for himself?
He'd fed the night before on his brother's blood—not too much, but enough to put their worries at ease. His nerves had kept him from partaking in the last of a plasma fruit torte, which he'd meant to finish off this morning, but had forgotten about in the rush to get here.
"Your mother's got some soup on the stove," Papa said, leading them inside and up the stairs with their worn carpeting and creaky floorboards. "Just the thing to warm us all up, eh?"
"You had me at soup," Mario answered, with just the right touch of wistfulness to get a laugh out of Pops.
"She's gonna be over the moon when she sees you two."
They came to a stop near the back of the hall. The twist of a scratched brassy knob brought forth the sort of sights and sounds Luigi had long called home, along with the aroma of a soup left to simmer.
"Is that who I think it is?" someone called from within.
"I said I wouldn't come back up without 'em," their dad responded. "Come and see for yourself."
Luigi perked up as a distant burner was dialed back several ticks, the robust boil sustained as their mama stepped out from the kitchen. Unlike Mario, Luigi hadn't bothered with his coat just yet, knowing fully well they'd be swept up in another hug before either of them could blink.
And swept up he was, squished alongside his twin as notes of oregano and orchid filled his nose.
"It's so good to see you," Mama said, letting them go before offering a hand to take their things. "It wasn't too rough a journey, now, was it?"
"Nah," Mario answered, ducking down to unlace his boots. He'd manage to get his coat and hat up on a peg, leaving Luigi still dressed for the cold. "Smooth sailing up until the subway. How about you?"
"Ah, more or less the same," mama said with a shrug. "My knee's been actin' up, but it's gettin' cold, so no surprises there."
"Have you been doing your stretches?"
"Oh, every morning."
"Kind of a shame you picked today to visit," Papa lamented. "Art's chaperoning Lyn's field trip, Marie's booked solid, and Tony's taken Nonno to the doctor. If you were looking for a proper homecoming, well…"
He gestured to the empty dining room, to the mercifully quiet apartment.
"I'm afraid it's just us," Papa shrugged.
"Until 4, anyway," Mama interjected, reaching for Luigi's hat and scarf as he shrugged his overcoat off. "Here, let's get you out of all that."
"It's all right, Ma," Luigi said quickly, bringing his jacket around like a shield before hanging it up beside the rest of the family's outerwear.
"Didn't Marie make this one?"
"I think so?"
Luigi wouldn't have been able to dodge his mother's swift swipe if he tried. Any hopes that she hadn't gotten a good look at him were dashed the moment she fumbled the hangup.
"What's all this?" she asked, stepping forward as Luigi took a step back.
"It's, uh—"
"Is this some sort of Halloween thing?"
What a wonderful cover that would've been. Too bad it was the middle of November.
"Kinda late for the getup, dont'cha think?" Papa barely seemed fazed. "Did Mario put you up to this?"
"What?" Mario shot up in disbelief.
"I'm just messin' with ya." Papa shook his head. "You might've actually scared some kids this year, what with the golden eyes an' all."
"Y-Yeah?" Luigi stammered.
"You can't tell me you haven't seen yourself in a mirror. You haven't?"
Papa walked out for a moment, returning with a silver compact tinged with time's tarnish.
"Wasn't that Nonna's?" Luigi asked quietly.
"Pio, you better put that back where you found it," Mama warned from the kitchen.
"I will, I will." Papa pinched it open, fanning out the mirrored panels as he clapped a hand on Luigi's shoulder . "C'mon now. Aren't you a sight?"
It took all Luigi had to keep from bolting, to stay still while the beat of his heart threatened to betray him. Perhaps if he kept from looking at the twin reflections, his dad wouldn't look away from him.
Don't look, he willed, hoping that he'd somehow been gifted a sliver of his creator's hypnotic capabilities. Don't look at the mirror, don't do it, don't…
"Yep." Luigi did his best to grin a bit as Papa snapped the compact shut. "Definitely something to see. You were right."
His dad was frowning; had he chanced a glance and seen the wall, but not his son, in those antique mirrors? Before Papa could say another word, they were all called to the table, where Mama and Mario were setting down steaming tureens of soup.
"Made your favorite," Mama said, planting a kiss on Luigi's cheek as he settled into his seat. "Let me know if you want more, okay?"
"I will."
"You better," Mama answered, sidling back into the kitchen to grab some for herself.
As expected, Papa and Mario dug in with gusto. Luigi, try as he might, couldn't will such an appetite into existence. It wasn't until Mama sat down did he realize that he was playing with his food moreso than consuming it.
"You feelin' alright, hon?"
He managed a nod, another spoonful of soup, before shoving his chair out from the table.
"I need to tell you something," Luigi declared in a rush.
"Tell us what?" Papa asked, his brow raised.
"That I'm, well…"
"You don't look it," Papa remarked.
"Lu?" Mario set his spoon down the moment his twin stood up. "You sure now's the time?"
"This isn't makeup," Luigi confessed, running a pallid finger along his cheek for good measure. "These aren't contacts, and my ears are, well…"
He brought his hand up to the side of his head, brushing his hair off his ear as he tugged at the pointed cartilage. He knew by now that this was all just another part of him, but Luigi half-expected to pull off a plastic, skin-colored cap.
"I really don't know how else to tell you this..." Luigi looked around at the family, his eyes darting from face to face. "But I've put this off long enough."
He took a deep breath, the better to steady his nerves.
"I'm a vampire," he said.
Even with just the four of them present, the already-quiet apartment took on an almost deafening level of silence. Only when Ma found her voice was the spell broken, though not without leaving the others slack-jawed in a combination of shock and utter disbelief.
"How do you mean?" Mama asked. "Is this like when you came out and said you liked boys as well as girls? Another one of those realizations?"
"Not exactly, no." Luigi scratched the back of his neck. "I, uh, got bitten by Dracula—"
"You mean like in the movies?" Papa interjected. "The Bela Lugosi ones?"
"Sort of?" Luigi grabbed for the cuff of his sleeve, though he deigned from rolling it up. "I-I don't really like biting people, but I still…I still have to drink blood…"
He began to rock on his feet, toes to heel and back again.
"There's a really good substitute for that, though!" he added. "It's a type of fruit. Most of what I eat and cook with's got that in it, so I'm not a total mosquito, y'know?"
Luigi trailed off with a nervous trill of a laugh, a chuckle that cracked in the middle of its delivery.
"I can't tell," Papa finally said, "whether this is all a joke, or if you've gone nuts."
"Pio!" Ma turned to her husband with a glare that would set anyone else ablaze.
"I get that you've been livin' abroad in some other world," Papa continued, a scowl settling in. "One with power flowers and talkin' mushroom-heads and a bigass firebreathin' turtle. Did you forget to tap out after your last outing?"
"I'm sorry?"
"This is all just a power-up, ain't it? A practical joke on your old man?"
"It's not—" Luigi stammered. "I-I'm not…I'm not joking. I'm being c-completely serious here—"
"You did good," Papa interjected. "Honestly, you might've gotten one up on Tony if he were here. But the bit's gone on long enough. Go wash up."
"I…I can't really change out of this," Luigi wavered.
"You can, and you will," Papa ordered. "I'll get you some more soup. Now go change."
"Dad, he's not kidding." Mario was on his feet, his soup long since consumed. "You said it yourself—we've been livin' in a whole other world entirely. Why's this so hard to believe?"
"Gee, I don't know?" Papa brought a hand to his chin. "Because you don't live in Transylvania?"
Like a Fire Flower's petals left to drift to arid fields, the room was soon alight with argument. Alongside his Ma, Luigi stood witness, unsure of how to intervene in the barbed exchange between father and son.
"You saw us fight magic skeletons, and this is where you draw the line?!"
"I'm drawin' the line at stringin' your brother along."
Mario grit his teeth. "Along on what?"
"On pretendin' he's not sick." Papa crossed his arms. "Can you really tell me, to my face, that he's okay? Don't they have doctors where you live? Why haven't you gotten him any help?"
"You think that I haven't?!"
They continued to argue as Luigi stepped back, inching ever closer to where the dining room met the den. Was it really any surprise that his parents had noticed something off about him? In a way, Papa was right; pretending that nothing was wrong was going to lead to this back-and-forth, the voices of his loved ones threatening to overwhelm him with their crescendoing volume.
"Wanna go somewhere quieter?"
Mama, of course, had been watching it all, stepping in with a strong hand against her son's back before he bolted, imploring him to slow down and think. It would be a tricky thing to explain, the assistance and accommodations that had been made for his condition, largely from friends who resided in dimensions far different from this one and the Eight Realms.
That was before he even got to why he'd been worldhopping in the first place.
"I won't pry," Mama added. "About, well, whatever's going on. You know these two are gonna keep going, so—"
"Could you hold this for me?"
Deft hands had unpinned the sunshine badge from his sweater, tucking the pin back into its clasp without so much as a glance. Luigi was so used to taking this talisman on and off that he didn't even worry about sticking himself anymore.
"It's a lovely bit of work," Mama commented, "but why—"
"Just…"
Luigi lowered his voice, the better to keep from accidentally entering into the center fray.
"Get ready to shut the blinds, okay?"
"What?"
Her confusion wouldn't last long. Luigi stepped into the living room, coming to a halt at the hem of the carpet and the bands of afternoon light across it. The light was softened by the chill and clouds, but none of that would matter without a protective emblem.
He took a deep breath and rolled up his sleeve, holding his unbitten arm before him like a lantern in the dark. Smooth pale skin twitched as his fingers folded into a fist.
Here goes nothing.
He stepped into the sun.
Long before the boys were born, Pio played with fire. It was a fascination that could turn risky had his younger brothers possessed it, but which instead gave Pio a knack for working the sorts of jobs that most others would balk at.
Back of house at the pizzeria. Shifts at the firehouse. There was something about a flame that garnered his respect, whether he stoked or stifled it. Only after he'd gotten a particularly bad burn across his back did he hang up one helmet for another, figuring that construction gigs would be somewhat safer and more profitable for a growing family.
The sight before him brought those time roaring back like an inferno, minus the smoke and searing heat. His youngest was screaming, his oldest was yelling, and his wife stood by the blinds, gripping the cord like a lifeline as thin slits of sunlight shimmered on the floor.
There was no fire, but Luigi was burned—up his arm and across his face. His skin had gone from pallid to puckered, grey-white giving way to a molten mix of reds and browns. There was no telling how the rest of him was faring, seeing how tightly he'd curled up against his twin.
It took all Pio had to stay calm.
He took a step back, bracing himself against the doorframe with one hand while the other grabbed for the landline—an anchor in such times as these, but also a beacon, a call for help.
"Don't!"
For all the times they'd bickered, Pio had never seen Mario so serious.
"Callin' an ambulance isn't gonna help here," Mario said, slowly and calmly, as though Luigi weren't going into shock. "I know this looks bad, but Ma closed the blinds, so all we gotta do now is wait a bit."
Hesitation, the silent killer. Already it had sunk its knife into Pio's gut, much as it had into Mia and Mario. He couldn't keep looking, but he couldn't keep from looking anywhere else.
That's when he saw the coffee table, knocked askew, with one leg splintered and shattered beyond repair. That piece had been solid wood, older than Pio himself. To break it would require many swings of a mallet, something far stronger and more destructive than what his home could provide.
That, or a couple of kicks from something strong. His boys were solid, but this was something else.
"What's going on?" Pio kept his tone level as he stepped into the living room, slowly approaching his sons. His resolve, however, was short-lived."If you say one more thing about vampires, I'll—"
"It was the sun," Mia finally said, her voice a wavering tremble.
His wife had found her voice at last, letting go of the cord to approach her boys from behind.
"I didn't know what he was gonna do," she said, digging through her pockets as she crouched down beside her sons. "We were just tryin' to step away, and then Lu's handin' me his pin, and then next thing I know…"
She held out her hand to Mario and Luigi, unfurling her fingers to reveal a golden sun. It was the same sun he'd seen on Luigi's sweater, glinting under the light of the chandelier as his youngest steeped his spoon in scalding broth.
"I let him," she said shakingly. "I didn't think he was bein' serious, Pio…"
"So it's true, then," Pio said with a sigh, coming to sit beside them all as he took a better look at his son. The mottled mess of raw skin and blisters had already healed over, but the scars were fresh, tinted with the rust of dried blood. "All of what you were sayin', about vampires, and you…"
Part of his brain still vehemently denied it. The rest of him, however, had cracked open like a broken seal, allowing all he'd been told to finally seep in.
"Who did this?" Pio asked. He didn't mean to make Luigi flinch, but there wasn't much to do against the fury building up its pyre in his chest.
"Dad, leave him alone—"
"What happened?!"
Pio shouldn't have been so shaken; the boys had seen their share of scraps. Still, it was Mario who took the brunt of the blows more often than not, having gone from starting fights to finishing them.
"…didn't I say who did it earlier?"
He wasn't entirely coherent, but his son was alert, helped to something of a seated position by his brother.
"Dracula got me," Luigi restated, rolling up his other sleeve to show them all his maker's handiwork. From the looks of it, the bite had punctured quite deep into the flesh. "The real deal."
"When did he…?"
"About a year ago, now?"
It was then that Pio remembered a change of plans, a cancellation a week before Thanksgiving. Mario had been rather terse in that exchange, saying that something had come up and they wouldn't be able to make it.
"So a while back, I got caught up in ghosthunting," Luigi confessed. "I know what you're thinking, but just…let me explain, all right? The Professor—he got me into all this—needed someone to check out some weird rift that appeared out of nowhere, and he rung me up because all the readings suggested something paranormal. So I hop on through, end up in this old castle somewhere in Europe, and then, well…"
"Ghosts are real, too?" Pio asked.
"Oh yeah," Luigi chuckled. "They're everywhere, if you've got an eye for 'em. But that's about when Dracula got the jump on me. He took the old stuff out, put some new stuff in, and sent me back."
By now, it was as though Luigi's face had never seen the sun—paler than what Pio was used to, but no longer ravaged like a blight.
"So then what happened?" Mia piped up.
"A lot of denial, at first…" Luigi said sheepishly.
"You killed Dracula, though," Mario interjected.
"Yeah, but adjusting…"
Luigi averted his gaze, his golden eyes focusing on a stray thread on the seam of his jeans.
"It was hard," Luigi admitted, sinking his head into his hands. His fingers combed away the hair from his ears before he straightened back up. "Still is. Garlic's not a bother, but the sun's a deadly laser. I don't even know if I can do vampire things besides drink blood."
Pio looked from Luigi to the broken table.
"I don't know of anything besides the blood thing and the strength," Luigi amended.
"You've gotten a lot faster," Mario smirked.
"Not as fast as Sonic and all of them," Luigi said with a laugh. "He wiped the floor with us at the 100-meter dash."
"Who's Sonic?"
Pio ought as well have asked why the grass was green, based on the stares of his sons.
"Sort of our nephew?" Luigi answered. "He lives in another world, too."
"But not Dracula-land?" Pio followed up.
"Castlevania, you mean?"
"Just how many worlds are there?"
Luigi drew his lip in, curling it beneath his fangs as he pondered that.
"I take it there's a lot you haven't been telling us," Mia remarked.
"Where do we start?" Mario shrugged.
"I'll figure it out once we all find a proper seat," Pio said, getting to his feet with a grunt. "Need a hand?"
With a firm grip, he pulled Luigi to his feet. What Pio hadn't counted on was his son being unable to stand up, shaking like a leaf as he fell forward.
"Easy there," Pio assured him, keeping both hands on Luigi as Mario helped to guide him to the couch. "You good?"
"'m fine," Luigi answered, shaking as he sank back into the cushions.
"Didn't you have breakfast?" Mario asked.
Luigi shook his head.
"Oh, that's not good."
"What's not good?" Pio demanded.
"The healing factor takes a lot out of him," Mario explained. "If someone had remembered what was in the fridge…"
"You said we had to be here," Luigi groaned.
"That didn't mean skip a meal!"
It was then that Pio noticed a flush of blue creeping into his son's face.
"I don't have the supplies," Mario said frantically. "I didn't even think to throw some fruit in the coat pockets…"
"…Mario?"
"Hang tight, Lu."
"…I can wait until we get home."
"You need something now, bro."
"No!"
Luigi's breaths were growing shallower as a bout of panic set in.
"I can't get you to the Warp Pipe if you can't walk." Mario frowned as he rolled up one of his sleeves. "I'll be fine. Just—"
"I can't!"
The tears were flowing over newly healed cheeks. Mia had already handed her son the tissue box, which he dug into before dabbing blots of blood away from his eyes.
"Baby, it's okay," Mia said softly, scooting in beside Luigi as she drew him in for a hug. "Take a deep breath. We're gonna figure this out."
There were a few more sniffles before Luigi drew in a breath, one after another.
"I need blood," Luigi said, "but I can't feed—I can't do it here."
"Why not?"
"Because then you'll both see that I'm—I'm not—"
He was working himself up again, to Pio's dismay. How could his son be so scared of what they'd do when he'd dusted Dracula himself?
What you would do, or what you'd think of him?
Luigi had been scared of what they'd think, and he hadn't been wrong at the start. Why did his boys have to put themselves in harm's way to prove their points?"
"Here."
He held his forearm out, right where Luigi could see it.
"What're you…" Luigi looked from Pio to his wrist.
"Take what you need." Pio sat himself down on the armchair beside them, holding firm as his son considered it.
"I'm gonna take too much," Luigi finally said. "'m really not doing good."
"You're not."
"Are you sure?"
Pio chuckled. "You know I can bounce back from anything. Besides, I never remember when the blood drives are. There oughta be plenty."
The tears were stopping. Luigi was no longer on the brink of hyperventilating.
"Just promise not to turn me, all right? Can't really afford to give up my day job."
At last, a genuine laugh and smile.
"I won't," Luigi said. "But you better tap me or somethin' if you're gonna pass out."
"If I don't, they will," Pio answered, nodding to Mario and Mia. "Anything I oughta know before you stick me?"
"It'll hurt a little?"
Pio snorted. "Figured as much. Get it over with, then."
With that, he looked up and over Luigi's shoulder, wincing as sharp fangs sank into his skin.
I'm sorry for bein' so hard on you.
At the end of the day, his son hadn't left a mark. Perhaps he'd heard him. Perhaps not.
Notes:
And they never told Pio that Sonic was a hedgehog.
Chapter 4: You Can Always Come Home
Chapter Text
It started with a glass of red, poured generously from the jug at the center of the spread. With nothing else to partake in as the rest of the family feasted, Luigi had accepted the glass to at least give him something to do with his hands.
A bit of twirling led the drink to his lips; despite the table wine being a familiar staple, Luigi had never tasted it like quite this. Much like the plasma fruits he'd come to enjoy, the wine carried notes of where it was from. It was enjoyable enough to overlook the empty plate set before him, carrying on as his uncles topped off his glass throughout the evening.
Fortunately, said uncles weren't going to let him imbibe by himself. Stars, no. Arthur and Tony were determined to get to the bottom of the jug alongside him.
"So he didn' look anythin' like Lugosi?" Tony asked.
Luigi snorted as he shook his head. The usual reservations about recalling that fight were falling to the wayside the more he indulged.
"Uglier," Luigi answered; from what he could remember, he wasn't wrong.
"But he had the castle?" Tony followed up with. "And the cloak, and the cape, and all that?"
"Big castle," Luigi answered with a hiccup. "Aren' cloaks and capes the same thing?"
"Cloaks have hoods," Arthur interjected, "and they wrap all the way around."
"I know where to get him a cape," Tony smirked. He leaned in to look past Luigi, to where Mario sat beside the three. "Mario knows, too."
"Absolutely not," Mario said, though not without a smile. He was still working on the one glass he'd poured himself.
"C'monnn…"
"I'm not diggin' through the closet right now."
"Then how's Luigi gonna slip away into the night?" Arthur had his arm raised to his nose, grinning and chuckling in a manner more mirthful than menacing.
"Go get the vampire his cape at once!" Tony commanded.
To believe that more than a year ago, this sort of spectacle would've made him shrink low into his chair. It wasn't until his uncles started chanting for the cloth did Mario shove out and depart for their old bedroom.
"I haven' worn a cape since that commercial," Luigi mused. He felt far warmer than usual, especially in his cheeks—a welcome respite from the biting cold of late December. "Waiiitt a minute…"
Only then did he realize what Art and Tony were up to. There wasn't any time to protest before he found himself wrapped in a swath of sunshine, frayed at the edges and carrying the subtle smell of long-term storage.
"Nooooo," Luigi managed between fits of laughter, fighting against the cloth closing in with the onset of a brother's hug. "I don't wanna look like an old bat, c'monnnnn!"
"Careful now," Arthur warned. "I don't think Lu's fit to fly."
"Mariooooo!" Luigi sank back against his brother, his giggles paced out by hiccups. "I don' wanna be a bat!"
"You're not a bat, little bro," Mario answered, letting go and leaving Luigi to a fight with the fabric. "Bats can't be yellow."
"Not a vampire bat, anyway," Arthur said.
"A fruit bat, though?" Tony raised a brow. "Hones'ly, a fruit bat makes sense."
"Wouldn't you know, o' brother of mine?" Arthur smirked, kicking the last sip back.
"Oh, shaddup, Artie."
"Since when d'ya call me 'Artie'?"
It was around this point where time began to skip frames, with every blink a blackout of input to Luigi's brain. His efforts to stay with it, to keep laughing and basking in the mirth, only made such gaps wider, until he found himself on top of his old bed with only a patchwork of the path he'd taken to get there.
It shouldn't have been so funny, but it was enough to get him to crack up once again.
"'re we the las' ones up?" Luigi asked, chuckling as the ceiling rotated ever so slightly above his head.
"Nah," Mario answered. Luigi could hear him from across the room, but to look would send his head spinning. "Considering you're three sheets to the wind, I'm surprised you're still conscious."
"What're 'ey singin'?"
"To be honest, I didn't know they were tryin' to sing."
Mario took the opportunity to shut the door.
"Tone deaf to no tune." He shook his head. "That's quite a feat."
"Mhmmm. I don' think…they know what song it is, either…"
His uncles were singing an improvised medley; in the room beside theirs, Mama and Papa slept soundly. Nonno was snoring away in his little room down the way, leaving two generations of twins awake at this hour.
With the last bit of coordinated effort he could muster, Luigi shuffled out of his sweater and slacks. He darted under the sheets as fast as he could, settling in just so as to tuck himself in.
"G'night, bro," Luigi said, smiling as that giddy drunken warmth settled in around him like another blanket. "Why're you lookin' at me like that?"
"Just glad to see you enjoyin' yourself," Mario said with a yawn. "Merry Christmas, Lu."
"Merry Chris'mas."
"Sorry you couldn't enjoy the Seven Fishes."
"It's okay." Luigi stifled another hiccup, grinning the whole way through. "Had a pretty good time otherwise."
"Remember to come get me after breakfast, all right?" The lamp was extinguished with the pull of a cord, but Luigi could still see the room, comfy and wavering with each exhausted blink taken. "We'll get you fed before everyone else gets here. No drinkin' on an empty stomach tomorrow."
"Sounds good." Luigi pulled the covers up to his chin. The warm flush of the wine made him feel like he was glowing. "Hey, bro?"
"What's up?"
"Fish have blood, right?"
"Pretty sure they do. Why?"
"Just wonderin', that's all. 'm not gonna go out and bite a fish."
"Why's that?" Mario asked. "Is it the scales?"
"Exactly! It'd be too slick, and cold, and gross…" Luigi shivered from the very thought of it. "I'm-a gonna sleep now, okay?"
"Sounds like a plan," Mario replied, yawning as he turned over. "Sleep tight now, all right?"
"…you too, M'rio."
With that, he drifted off on the dregs of that last bit of wine, into dreams of family and fish that were muddled and vivid all at once.
Given the tribulations of cross-dimensional travel, uninterrupted slumber was both a given and a godsend as far as Mario was concerned. He may not have passed out the moment his head hit the pillow, but he hadn't been kept up long with his thoughts.
Perhaps that was why it had taken more than a sharp gust of wind and the morning sun to stir him awake. Not even the aroma of his mama's cooking had lifted him from such a sound sleep. Rather, it had been a stifled retching and the clank of porcelain coming through the walls—the sort of distress that had Mario on his feet in an instant, and which hadn't required his brother's keen sense of hearing to track to the bathroom.
"Luigi!"
To his credit, Mario was keeping it together. There wasn't nearly as much red splattered about compared to the last time his brother had been sick to his stomach, and what he could see had at least landed in the bowl.
Still, that white-knuckled grip told him more than enough—help Lu to his feet, get him over to the sink, and try not to wince every time his twin shuddered.
"Everything all right in here?"
Seeing as Mario hadn't shut the door, his papa had chosen to knock and lean in for an answer. The apron he'd borrowed from Mama was dusted in smears of flour; by the looks of it, he'd been easier to dispatch.
"Never doin' that again," Luigi muttered, gargling another swig of water before rinsing the last of his mess down the drain.
"Too much with Art and Tony?" Papa questioned.
"Yep," Mario answered.
"Horrible when it comes back up," Luigi remarked under his breath, reaching for a towel. "Sorry about that."
"You're all right, son," Papa said, striding up beside them before clapping a hand on Luigi's shoulder. "How's about you come get somethin' to eat, eh?"
"Breakfast isn't gonna save me like it should."
"You sure about that?"
The query had a nudge and a wink to it, implied in Papa's cheeky grin and expressed through a gentle shake. Both Mario and Luigi had made it clear that human cooking wasn't as enjoyable for a vampire, a being whose tastes had been rewired for the sanguine side of things.
"At the very least, your zias would love to see you," Papa said. "Just real quick. If you're still feelin' sick after that, then you can go rest."
"It has been a while since the Three Fates have been over," Mario remarked.
"You're lucky your mom doesn't have your brother's hearin'. Now come get some breakfast, both of you."
"Inna minute, okay?"
Luigi had finally found his voice—a bit ragged from retching, but gaining strength much as the rest of him was.
"Of course, of course." Papa let his youngest go as he backed up and out the room. "I'll let you clean up. Don't take too long, all right?"
Luigi shakily extended a thumbs-up, holding it until Papa was long out of sight.
"Who's all out there?" Mario asked.
"Dess, Dee, and Mona, for starters," Luigi answered, cupping a hand to his ear as it flicked toward the unseen.
"All three of Ma's sisters?"
Luigi nodded.
"Tony better watch his step, then," Mario concluded.
"He's on his way upstairs."
"And the others?"
"Still gettin' ready."
To say the day would be interesting would be an understatement.
"At least Dess and Mona haven't stepped out to smoke yet," Luigi added.
"Probably won't be long, though."
"Not if their hands are full getting lunch ready."
Mario blinked. "Wait, seriously?"
"Yep."
"The zias are helpin' out Ma?"
"With some back and forth, but yeah."
"This, I've gotta see."
It wasn't too often that his aunts made their way to Brooklyn, let alone at the same time. To have them all under one roof, sounding off about one thing or another, correcting Ma and each other about how things should be?
Mario wouldn't want to miss it, but Luigi?
"Lemme get dressed first."
Luigi had a point; it wouldn't do to face their zias in their pajamas, even if Lu had more or less banished his hangover.
"Surprised you're willin' to put yourself in the fray," Mario noted.
"It's not often we've got everyone over," Luigi answered.
"You're ready for whatever they're gotta say?"
Nothing was sacred when it came to the Three Fates. The last thing Mario needed was for his brother to be peppered endlessly with questions, concerns, and remarks about how he'd changed so much since they'd last seen him.
If they hadn't made it a habit to only visit every few years, then perhaps they wouldn't have so much to ask about.
"After the way things have been," Luigi responded, straightening out the sun badge pinned to his cuff, "I think I can handle Dess, Dee, and Mona. Let's go say hey."
Their zias were much the same as they've always been. There was Mona at the table, nursing an espresso, offering the first of many greetings to come as the brothers stepped over the threshold. Across from her sat Dee, her hands busy as she polished the silverware, who offered what Luigi could best describe as an affirmative grunt of a bongiourno. Dess was nowhere to be seen, though Luigi could hear her and Ma cooking in the kitchen. Zio Tony was seated as far away from Dee as he could manage, for once content with keeping his mouth full of breakfast rather than banter.
"Well, look who's come home for Christmas!"
"I could say the same to you, Zia Mona," Mario replied. "I thought you and Dess were stayin' in Sicily."
"It was nice, but we missed Dee-Dee," Mona answered, oblivious to the glare shot across the way from her older sister. "We also had a couple of, shall we say, unfortunate events happen during our time there."
"Earthquakes," Dee interjected. "Scared the shit outta both of them."
"Like you wouldn't have freaked out."
"I don't have a lot of things to break."
"Dess didn't like that Etna's still active, either," Mona said, "so we came back to the States. Enough about that, though. What about you boys?"
"Watcha wanna know?" Mario asked, settling in with a stack of pancakes.
"How are things over in that kingdom past the pipe?"
"Pretty good, all things considered." Mario dug his fork into the syrup-soaked stack. "Nothing crazy lately."
"And those Princesses you've been seein'?"
The inquiry came not from Mona, but Dee.
"Kinda surprised you didn't bring 'em along as well." Dee set down her rags, her polishing concluded. "Especially from what I've heard of yours, Mario."
"Well…" Mario scratched the back of his neck. "It's not that Peach isn't comin'. I've actually gotta go pick her up later—she had to sort somethin' out with the Council or what have you—"
"And you were waitin' to tell me until now?"
Mama and Dess had entered the dining room at last.
"Why didn't you say anything?" Mama bemoaned.
"Because she wasn't sure if she'd be able to make it or not." Mario wedged off another bite. "She didn't wanna make a big deal either way."
"You're lucky I always make extra." Mama shook her head. "Imagine if I didn't."
"Worst comes to worst, Peach can have mine."
Luigi had meant it as a jest more than anything; Mario and Mama knew fully well that he'd be sitting around with an empty plate all day.
"It-It's not like I can have much of anything," Luigi added in haste. "With, y'know, everything going on…"
It also offered him the opportunity to deflect from where his zias were going with their questions. Nothing was sacred, not even a breakup, and it wasn't the sort of thing he wanted to revisit.
"Oh, we know, hon."
Luigi nearly jumped out of his seat. Dess, who'd somehow slipped in beside him, stepped back accordingly.
"Jumpy as ever, aren't ya," Dess said, ruffling her nephew's hair as she set something down on the table. "C'mon now! You thought we didn't know about all this?"
Luigi couldn't help but tense up beneath his aunt's fingers. It wasn't as though he'd been concealing anything beside the bite, but exactly how much did his aunts know about what happened?
"There's nothin' to be ashamed of," Dess chided. "Sure, you've got a pretty severe case of anemia, but so long as you up that iron intake, you'll be fine."
It was then that Luigi finally looked down at the table. Set atop an empty plate was a smaller bowl full of something dark and viscous—not quite solid, not quite liquid, and topped with chopped almonds and a curl of candied orange peel. A spoon had been set to the side as well.
"Is this…?" Luigi took a small scoop, lifting it to his mouth before giving it a sniff. Cinnamon and chocolate were the standout notes, but underneath it all was something shockingly familiar.
"Sanguinaccio dolce!" Mama and Dess proclaimed.
"Thickened just like Nonna would do it," Dess added with a wink. "Figured you'd like that better than cornstarch."
The realization brought forth a nearly-forgotten memory—he and Mario, offered the same dessert as children, getting the hell out of dodge once they realized what lay beneath the cream and cocoa. It wasn't the sort of dish to normally grace the family table. As Mama would later admit, it was quite the trick to ask around for a gallon of pig's blood.
There was no need for anyone to prompt him; Luigi stuck the spoon into his mouth, taken aback by the depths of the chocolate confection seeping down his throat. The pig had come from upstate, slaughtered the night before; its blood proved a good pair with the spices and sweetness folded into the mix.
"It's good, isn't it?"
Good was an understatement, Luigi thought to himself, as he dug his spoon back in for more pudding. For all the experimentation he'd done in the kitchen, incorporating sanguine substitutes into dishes he wished to enjoy again, not once had Luigi thought to turn to the more traditional of his famiglia's repertoire.
"Delicious," Luigi answered, setting his spoon down beside a bowl scraped clean. "Grazie, zia."
"Oh, come on now." Dess shook her head. "Didya really think that was it?"
"What do you mean?"
"Come and look," Mama implored, taking her son's hand in hers as he got to his feet. Luigi followed her into the kitchen, where all sorts of dishes were simmering or slowly roasting, and watched as she uncovered some of what lay on the stove and countertop.
"Stew thickened with hare's blood," Mama said as she uncovered a small pot on the back burner. "Pork blood stew and morcilla from the bodega," she said upon opening the fridge. "Sangre encebollada in that container, dinuguan from the Filipino place down the street, and…"
The refrigerator was shut in an icy huff as Mama turned for a covered platter.
"Blodplättar," she announced with a smile upon unveiling the reddish cakes wrapped in foil. "Got the recipe from the Anderssens. There's still a bit of blood in the fridge, along with your fruits. If you need anything else, just—"
"You did all this for me?"
By now, Luigi had become accustomed to enjoying his meals alone—not so much for lack of company, but moreso that much of what he ate couldn't be shared. Most of what he concocted with the plasma fruit was only tasty to him, and the idea of offering anyone a sip of blood made him shudder in reproach. The fact that his mother and aunts had gone out of their way to accommodate him, to spare him from a day of waiting until he could sneak off and feed in secret, with enough blood-rich food to ensure he had leftovers?
He was getting choked up, as anyone in his shoes would, held off from a full-on cry by the fact that his zias hadn't received a full disclosure about the vampirism. The sight of his tears, red as the train around the Christmas tree, would surely ruin the moment.
"Oh, come here, Lu."
His mother drew him in for a hug, stepping around so as to turn him away from Dess. That small measure, coupled with the rag draped over Mama's shoulder, allowed for Luigi to slump into that warm, welcome hug.
"Thank you," he whispered, grinning from ear to ear as he squeezed his Mama tight. "Thank you so much, Ma."
"As if we were gonna let you sit out Christmas dinner," Mama gently tutted, rocking him from side to side as he did his best to keep his crying confined to the dish towel. "I don't even want to know what you had planned otherwise."
"Nothing like this, that's for sure."
His mother squeezed tighter, accompanied by Mario from behind. Luigi had no doubt that his brother had seen it all, even if he'd stayed quiet the entire time.
"You wouldn't mind if I grabbed a bit of all that for myself, would ya?" Mario asked. "Just to taste."
"Help yourself to whatever you want, bro." Luigi was grinning from ear to ear, and glad that his aunts couldn't see that fanged smile. "I'm glad I can finally share."
Of all the things to expect on Christmas, a spread catered to Luigi's needs and tastes hadn't been on Mario's list. He almost felt a bit silly loading up on breakfast, having anticipated a morning draw straight from his veins before the rest of the famiglia arrived.
It was unbelievable, what they were capable of. Mario could tell his brother thought it all too much, but as they went about preparing the house for later, their chatter drew out his twin's hesitant excitement.
"It didn't just look really good," Luigi said, lowering a stack of gifts to strew beneath the tree. "I could practically smell when the spices were ground. It's all so fresh!"
"What are you gonna try first, then?"
"Hard to say, bro."
The rest of their extended family trickled in as the morning went on. Arthur and Marie came up with Lyn just as Nonno wheeled himself out of his room. Every so often, the buzzer beckoned Papa down to welcome in those that had traveled far—zias, zios, and assorted cousins, their numbers always multiplying. Once all had arrived, and the grumbling of hungry stomachs marked the demise of the antipasto, Mama and Papa called them all to bless the meal, the cooks, and everyone who could make it to Christmas.
After that, it was time to feast.
Mario had to admit—the blood-centric dishes weren't that bad. The stews, especially, would have to be learned for the future. There was a unique note present that simply didn't exist in other foods, but the seasonings and preparation did wonders to give it depth.
He would have to have some of the sanguinaccio dolce later, once things had time to digest.
"Need a hand, Ma?"
It was more a heads-up than anything as Mario stacked up plates to wash; everyone else had migrated to the living room to watch TV and wait for their presents. Luigi had been bringing the leftovers back before Papa intercepted him, leaving Mario and Mama to manage the rest.
"You really don't have to, honey," Ma answered, squeezing a sponge to summon forth a soapy lather. "You sure?"
"It's the least I can do," said Mario, "considering I didn't cook a thing."
"Could you get the rest of what's out?"
"Already on it."
There wasn't much to gather; Luigi had already made a quick job out of putting away what was left. Mario chuckled at the idea of his brother zipping back and forth, unloading things into Tupperware and slinging the containers in the fridge at breakneck speed. The only things left for Mario to grab were the salad dressing and breadbasket, the latter of which was set on the counter and the bottles stowed back on their refrigerated shelf.
"Would you believe me if I said Lu got that out of the way?" Mario called to Ma, nudging the fridge door shut with his foot. "He even labeled everything."
"Sounds like something he'd do." Mama shook her head as she rinsed the bowl in her hands. "He really didn't have to."
"You know how he is." Mario took up a towel. "One way or another, he's gonna help out."
For a time, mother and son fell quiet to the flow of warm water, to the motions of washing and drying the fine china. Plates were stacked to return to the cupboard, while cups were set on the drying rack.
"It's nice to see you two enjoyin' yourselves," Mama remarked. "Especially Luigi."
Mario chuckled. "You really knocked his socks off with all that special stuff for him."
"Neither of you knew?"
Mario shook his head.
"Poor baby," Mama sighed. "I should've brought out somethin' last night."
"He wouldn't have taken the blood in front of everyone. Not like the wine."
"Even so…" Mama shut off the faucet, setting her towel down as Mario went in for a hug.
"You went above and beyond," Mario assured her, stepping back. "That's the first time I've seen Lu really enjoy himself since all this started."
Mario meant to reassure his mom. Instead, he'd frozen her to the spot with the sort of dread that accompanied the implication of a loved one's suffering.
"It must've been rough," Mama said softly. "If you two had just told me—"
"What would you have done?"
Mama took a breath. "Something. Anything."
"Even when he snapped?"
Mario turned back to the drying rack, reaching for something to occupy him as he told a truth he'd never dared to say aloud.
"I was in way over my head," Mario said, "and I didn't even get bit. Luigi's been dealin' with everything he knew bein' upended and refitted. He's been overwhelmed, and scared, and there were times…"
He sucked in a breath through gritted teeth.
"There were times," Mario said lowly, "where he didn't want t' go on."
He shouldn't be telling anyone this, not even Ma.
"Comin' across him half-starved in his room, lungin' at my throat because somethin' in him refused to let go—he wouldn't have wanted you to see him like that."
"Like a monster, you mean?"
Mario set his things down, bracing himself against the countertop.
"I shouldn't be thinkin' that," Mario shuddered, "let alone sayin' it, but yeah. Some days, I didn't know whether I'd be getting Luigi or Lugosi, and I look back and I hate myself for ever thinkin' that about him."
He was right about one thing—he shouldn't be speaking such thoughts aloud. Luigi would hear him, no matter where he was in the apartment, and he'd never let go of the fact that his own brother hadn't always believed in him.
Mario proved to be right on his first point—Luigi had overheard him. Like a sneaking gale, he glided from one end of the house to the other, the wind whipping at Mama's hair as he came to stand in front of the sink. Where Mario had been wrong, however, was believing Luigi would resent him for such a confession.
"It's okay," Luigi assured him. "You were still there for me, and that's what I needed most."
No amount of apology would get Luigi to budge, let alone keep him from squeezing the guilt out of Mario. Such a cozy yet cooling hug was far from what he deserved.
"We're actually about to start opening presents," Luigi said with a smile, letting his brother loose from the hug as he cupped a hand to his ear. "Okay, the little ones are already going at it…"
Mario couldn't help but chuckle.
"But they just started, so there's still plenty of time to hop in and take pictures and all that!" Luigi exclaimed, the words tumbling out one after the other as he grabbed Mario's hand. "Come on!"
The things he and Luigi unwrapped were thoughtful and nice, leaning more toward functionality than flair as they'd come to prefer. Still, there really was nothing better than having his brother there to enjoy it all.
When all was said and done, there was no better gift than a memory.
"Sorry I'm late."
"You're fine, Peach, I swear."
"I could've delegated some things."
"You know you'd have been worryin' the whole time."
The sun was starting to dip below distant skyscrapers as Mario and Peach rounded the corner. The Princess had finally arrived after a day of meetings and memorandums, and to say she was eagerly awaiting a celebration was, well…
"Sorry it's not gonna be a whole big Christmas thing," Mario said, shuffling through newly-fallen snow. "Everyone's been headin' out, tryin' to get home before dark."
"It's all right, really. I'd rather not be in another crowd."
Peach was dressed for the weather, though not in the way Mario had expected. Rather than pink, she'd gone for a black peacoat and pants, with a warm hat atop her hair that had come to glitter with flecks of snow. Between dealing with the council and the closely-packed cars of the subway, Mario shrugged his shoulders and rang the buzzer to his parents' building.
"I'm surprised Luigi didn't come with you," Peach remarked.
"He needed a nap after dinner," Mario shrugged. "Or I guess lunch?"
"Are you supposed to eat until you fall asleep?"
"I mean, we also had a full house to wear us out."
Mama came down to get them, drawing Peach into a bear hug before seeing them inside.
"I'm sorry things won't be nice and hot," Mama bemoaned. "But you fix yourself whatever you want, all right?"
"I will. Thank you."
Mario took the opportunity to step forth and open the door.
"Guess who's here!"
Tony and Arthur were soon beside them, welcoming in the Princess and offering to hang up her coat. The Three Fates, to Mario's surprise, were still hanging around in the living room.
"I thought you'd have left already," Mario said.
"We wanted to see your girlfriend," Dee shot back.
"Make sure she's real," Mona added.
Mario shook his head as he stepped away, leaving Peach to fend his zias' questions as he wondered how Luigi could sleep through any of this.
"Lu? You up?"
Mario didn't reach for the lights, but even from the doorway, he could see both their beds—untouched, made up, as though nobody had come in here for a snooze after all.
"Luigi?"
He wasn't hiding in the usual spots, which led Mario back out into the den.
"Anyone seen Luigi anywhere?" he asked, trying to stave off the onset of worry as Papa and his zios all shrugged their shoulders. Said worry soon subsided when he looked toward his zias. "Did he step out for somethin'?"
No response.
"Is he hidin' behind the couch t' scare me?"
His zias looked from him to their guest, who sat across from them like the subject of an interview.
"Why don't you come sit down, hon?" Dess began to wave him over. "Tell us how you met this lovely lady."
"I'd love to, really, but I have no clue where Lu is—"
"He's right here."
It was then that Mario looked to Dee, his eyes drawn by something shifting beneath her shawl. It was then that something small and brown crawled out from beneath his zia's draped arm—a bat with a squished nose and giant ears, leaping into the air before fluttering close to Mario's face.
"Lu?!"
The bat disappeared in a puff of smoke, leaving a beaming Luigi in its wake. There was enough color in his face from the meal and subsequent wine to really make him look alive.
"Surprise!" he said, the corners of his mouth drawn up in glee. "And good to see you, Princess!"
MistressOfTheVoid on Chapter 1 Fri 17 Jan 2025 02:42AM UTC
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bberetd on Chapter 1 Fri 17 Jan 2025 03:09PM UTC
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SmashBrosOdyssey on Chapter 1 Wed 02 Jul 2025 11:37PM UTC
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MistressOfTheVoid on Chapter 2 Thu 10 Apr 2025 06:01PM UTC
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bberetd on Chapter 2 Sat 12 Apr 2025 11:18AM UTC
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luigisrightglove on Chapter 2 Sun 29 Jun 2025 07:23AM UTC
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SmashBrosOdyssey on Chapter 2 Wed 02 Jul 2025 11:42PM UTC
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SmashBrosOdyssey on Chapter 3 Wed 02 Jul 2025 11:48PM UTC
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CoffeeCat1983 on Chapter 4 Sun 24 Aug 2025 11:01PM UTC
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SmashBrosOdyssey on Chapter 4 Mon 25 Aug 2025 02:58AM UTC
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