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It was hot. It was way too hot. He felt like he was floating in a haze, with waves of heat brushing against his skin. He opened his eyes and saw only darkness, but then as he blinked he thought he saw a faint orange glow. Or maybe his eyes were playing tricks on him in the darkness. They were burning too, watering the longer he kept them open. Everything was burning.
His brain felt like it was melting and he frowned as confusion washed over him. Where was he? What had happened?
He tried to move, only to feel his arm, which he was barely able to move anyway because it felt so weak, stopped by something. His arm was pinned to his side. He tried to move the other and came up with the same result.
His breath hitched and the room felt like it was spiraling around him. Was he tied up? He felt like the surface he was lying on was swinging back and forth, and a horrible jolt shot through him.
Was he back in Bowser's prison? He felt so hot and unsteady and his head was pounding. Had he been recaptured? Why couldn't he remember? Or , the sudden horrible thought occurred to him, did I hallucinate being saved? What if I never was saved and I'm still trapped there forever?
Luigi struggled again, and felt his restraints loosening. With a burst of strength he didn't feel, he managed to yank one arm free of whatever was tightly wrapped around him. He tried to roll on his side to better free the other arm, but then yelped in panic as he suddenly felt empty air beneath him. He was falling.
Instead of falling and colliding with painful, burning lava, however, Luigi only fell for a second before his back hit something solid. It knocked all the breath from his lungs in a choked wheeze. He tried to breath in, but an invisible band tightened around his chest and he started coughing harshly. His head was spinning like crazy when he finally managed to suck in a breath and actually hold it. He could still feel whatever had been restraining him wrapped around his torso, and he struggled weakly to pull himself out of it.
Sudden light flooded into the room and Luigi flinched back, squeezing his eyes shut against the brightness that made his already pounding head feel ten times worse.
He heard what sounded like a muffled voice asking something, and then the voice raised in volume before Luigi felt footsteps coming toward him through vibrations in the floor.
It was his captors. They were coming to make sure he didn't escape. Luigi flinched back and tried to curl up into a ball, unable to do much else in his condition.
Then he felt someone touch his shoulder and a jolt of panic shot through him. He flinched backward, violently enough to half sit up. His back and head hit something hard, sending waves of pain through him and making him see sparks behind his eyelids that were still tightly squeezed shut. He didn't want to see whatever monster had been sent to bring him back to his cage.
"N-no!" he cried weakly as he raised a hand in a futile attempt to shield himself, "No, p-please I'm sorry! Don't hurt me."
He heard the voice again, but he still couldn't make out what it was saying through the roaring in his ears that reminded him of flames and lava. Man it was so hot.
He felt hands grab his shoulders again, and he cried out and tried to struggle away, but the grip tightened. He was shaken lightly, which made him whimper in pain as his head protested the movement, and then the voice yelled something in front of him that he was suddenly able to understand.
"-u! Lu, it's ok! You're ok, Lu please," Luigi flinched at the volume, but he immediately recognized the voice.
He opened his eyes slowly, squinting at the light that wasn't orange, but instead a soft yellow. It was shining behind whoever was crouching in front of him, making it hard for him to see who it was. He squinted and his vision swam before his eyes adjusted enough to make out the face in front of him.
Wide blue eyes stared at him with fear and uncertainty, and Luigi felt himself relaxing immediately. His brother often had that effect on him. Now that he was here, Luigi was confident that whatever was going on, it would be ok.
"M-mario?" He asked, his voice shaking and slightly breathless. Why was it so hard to breathe?
"Yeah, yeah it's me Lu. I'm here, you're ok, I'm here," Mario said, voice strained as he loosened his grip on Luigi's shoulders and started rubbing them instead.
Luigi hummed softly, and he felt his eyes closing against his will.
"Why's it so hot?" He asked, voice slurring as the room seemed to tilt again.
"What? It's not-" Mario began, before he cut himself off. A hand suddenly rested against Luigi's forehead, and he flinched slightly in surprise before leaning into the touch. It was so cool and felt amazing against his burning skin. Burning. He was burning.
"M-mario I don't-" Luigi began, before he broke into a few more weak, gasping coughs. The room tilted again, and then he realized that he was also tilting. The roaring returned and he closed his eyes and tried to focus on breathing, but the entire world was spinning again and the heat was becoming unbearable.
When the roaring faded he found himself lying on the floor with Mario gently shaking him again.
"-ake up! Come on Lu, wake up, please wake up," Mario sounded nearly frantic now, and Luigi jolted in surprise and forced his eyes open. He'd never heard Mario sound so. . . so scared before. Mario wasn't scared. Mario never got scared, that was Luigi's job.
Luigi couldn't see his brother's face properly in the dark with the faint light from the hallway outside the door backlighting him, but he could feel that the hand on his shoulder was shaking.
He needed to know if Mario was ok. He didn't know what was happening, but Mario was acting strange and he didn't like it.
"Mar? You . . .k?" He asked softly, not having enough energy to speak louder.
Mario slumped forward next to him, and Luigi heard him exhale shakily.
"Yeah, yeah I'm ok. But Lu, you're, you're burning up. I don't-" Mario broke off again and Luigi felt his grip on his shoulder tighten again.
Luigi felt a bit like he was floating away at this point, but he wasn't worried. Mario was here, and Mario always made everything better.
Luigi turned his head more toward his brother and reached a hand out weakly, but his arm shook too much and it dropped. Before it could hit the floor, it was caught in Mario's hand.
"I's ok," Luigi mumbled, feeling his eyes closing again. Man he was tired, "You're here. I's ok."
He felt his grip go slack in Mario's hand and he thought he heard someone saying something else, but it was too late. He was falling again into the heat and smoke, and he didn't know anything else.
~~~~~~
Mario was having a bad day. Or technically night. First he had been woken up by another nightmare of failing to save his brother, those of which had started back up after they moved to the mushroom kingdom, and so he'd gone into their kitchen to get a glass of water and drown in his thoughts in the dark.
Then he'd heard a loud thump coming from their shared bedroom and had been running before he even knew what he was doing, flipping on the hallway light and throwing the door open. He'd found Luigi on the ground next to his bed, half tangled in his sheets. He hadn't responded to either of Mario's calls of his name except to curl up into a shaking ball on the floor, and that had spurred Mario into action.
He'd knelt down next to his brother and lightly touched his shoulder, only to reel back as Luigi jerked away from him, colliding with the dresser next to his bed. Luigi's half coherent pleas broke something in Mario's chest and he'd grabbed Luigi again, begging for him to snap out of it.
Luigi had finally opened his eyes, and in the faint light from the hallway Mario saw how glassy and dull they looked. Something was clearly wrong.
As his brother had made eye contact with him, Mario felt the tense muscles in Luigi's shoulders slacken almost instantly, which had worried Mario until his brother had shakily said his name.
Mario had reassured his brother that he was here, and that Luigi was ok, only for Luigi to suddenly ask why it was so hot. Mario had been confused for a second because it wasn't that hot in their room, before his eyes had widened as he realized something. Placing his hand on his brother's forehead, he'd almost pulled it away in shock. Luigi's forehead was burning hot. Luigi had leaned into Mario's touch, mumbled something that Mario couldn't quite catch over the pounding of his own heart in his ears, and then his brother had promptly pitched sideways.
And that's when Mario had begun to panic.
He'd laid Luigi down on the floor and tried to rouse him, and for a few terrifying seconds Luigi had been unresponsive. Then his brother had opened his eyes again, asked him if he was ok like Mario was the one who had an incredibly high fever, and Mario had ended up rambling again. He didn't know what to do. Sure they'd both been sick before, but never like this.
Horrible scenarios flew through Mario's brain about possible illnesses in this new world that neither of them were equipped to deal with. Then Luigi suddenly reached out and Mario caught his hand before it could hit the floor.
"I's ok. You're here. I's ok."
The words were so weak Mario could barely make them out, and Mario felt his heart break again. His brother trusted him so much, and Mario was letting him down because he didn't know what to do.
Then Luigi's weak grip on his hand went slack, and Mario panicked all over again.
"No, no no no Lu you have to stay awake until I can figure out what's wrong ok? Lu? Lu please," Mario pulled Luigi's hand closer to him and patted the side of his brother's face gently in an attempt to rouse him. Heat was practically radiating from his brother, and his breaths were weak and wheezy.
He didn't know what to do.
Mario looked around the room like he was hoping to find an answer in the dark, but of course he saw nothing.
"Come on," he turned back to his brother and patted his face again, "Come on, wake up. Wake up."
Luigi didn't even twitch, and Mario sucked in a choked breath and blinked rapidly as his vision began to blur.
"I - I don't know what to do. I don't know what to do," Mario mumbled to himself as he reached up with his free hand, the one not holding Luigi's in a death grip, to grab at his hair. He could feel his breathing speeding up and his heart was pounding in his throat as he stared down at his twin's unmoving form.
Mario closed his eyes and bit his lip as he struggled to get his breathing under control. No, he couldn't afford to freak out now. Not when Luigi needed him.
Mario opened his eyes and reached out again to feel Luigi's forehead. It was much too warm, and Mario could tell even in the dark that his brother's skin was much too pale.
"I need to cool you down," Mario mumbled to himself, before he carefully moved to scoop Luigi into his arms. Even though he was shorter than his brother, Mario was still able to lift him with only mild difficulty before depositing him on his bed.
"I'll be right back Lu," Mario said, smoothing some of his brother's hair off of his forehead. A part of him was screaming not to leave his brother's side, but he knew he needed to get Luigi's temperature down somehow.
Mario quickly hurried out into the kitchen and grabbed a towel that he held under the running water. He wrung it out so it wasn't dripping, and then he paused. Luigi might be thirsty when he woke up, and Mario didn't want to have to leave his side if he could avoid it. He quickly filled a glass with water and then hurried back to their bedroom.
Luigi hadn't moved, and Mario quickly placed the cup down on the side table before placing the wet towel over his brother's forehead. Luigi made a small sound and his face scrunched slightly at the cool contact before he went still again.
Mario just stood there, feeling awkward and unsure of what to do. They didn't have any medicine here yet, something Mario was kicking himself over not thinking of sooner, and Luigi wouldn't be able to take any medicine anyway because he was currently unconscious.
"How did this happen so fast?" Mario asked the quiet room as he reached out to run a hand through Luigi's hair, "You, you were fine yesterday. I don't-" he stopped and closed his eyes.
He'd never felt more helpless in his life.
Not even when Bowser had beaten him bruised and bloody and thrown him through Punch Out Pizzeria's window.
Because his brother was sick, and Mario didn't know how to help him. He could leave to try to find help, but he didn't know how medicine or sickness worked in this world, and he didn't want to leave Luigi like this. He could only watch and pray it didn't get any worse.
Mario felt a few tears escape his eyes and trail down his cheeks and he quickly closed them and rubbed at his face. He took another deep breath and looked back down at his brother.
Well, if all he could do was wait and be here, then of course that's what he was going to do. Mario would do anything for his brother.
"Here, move over," Mario said in a soft voice even though he knew Luigi couldn't hear him. He gently scooted his brother over on the mattress before he climbed up onto the bed and sat down next to him with his back against the headboard. He then turned and carefully pulled Luigi's head into his lap. He readjusted the towel and began running his fingers through his brother's hair.
He looked up at the ceiling, where his brother had stuck some glow in the dark stars to mirror the ones in their old room in Brooklyn from back when they were smaller, and Luigi had had a phase where he was obsessed with space.
"You gotta pull through Lu," Mario whispered softly as he listened to Luigi's soft wheezing breaths, "I don't know what I'll do if you don't."
And he stayed there in the dark, holding his brother and hoping.
~~~~~
Luigi felt warm. It wasn't the same burning heat he vaguely remembered. This warmth was pleasant and soft. He felt comfortable and wanted to stay this way forever. But then he took a slightly deeper breath than before and felt his chest constrict suddenly as he started coughing.
That chased away the haze of sleep really quickly, and Luigi's eyes blinked open as the coughs went away.
He felt something shift underneath his head and his eyesight swam and blurred as he squinted to try to fix his vision.
"Lu?"
Luigi blinked at the voice, which sounded rough but hopeful. As he blinked the ceiling came into focus above him, lit up by the gentle morning sunlight streaming through the nearby window. He was in his room.
And then something else leaned into his field of vision. Mario's face swam into focus, upside down above him. His eyes were bloodshot and had dark bags underneath them, and his hair was also a mess, sticking up weirdly on one side like he'd run his hand through it one too many times.
"Mario?" Luigi asked, internally wincing at how rough his voice sounded. Then, before Mario could say anything else Luigi mumbled, "You look terrible."
Mario's eyes widened slightly in surprise, before they closed and Mario brought a hand to rub his face as he started shaking.
Luigi felt a thrill of alarm shoot through him, and he started trying to sit up, ready to ask Mario if he was ok, before he realized that Mario was laughing.
Except, he was also crying. But he was wheezing in the way Luigi knew meant his brother was trying not to laugh.
"You-" Mario began, before he broke off in another wheeze, "I can't believe - just," Mario paused to take a deep breath, seemingly at a loss for words as he wiped his eyes before looking back down at Luigi with a large smile and eyes brimming with relief and more tears.
"How do you feel?" Mario asked before Luigi could comment on any of what just happened.
Luigi frowned as he considered that. Then he tried to sit up.
"Woah careful!" Mario gasped, grabbing Luigi's shoulder as he immediately pitched sideways. Luigi's hand shot up to grab the side of his head and he squeezed his eyes shut as a spike of pain was shoved through his skull.
"Mmm, I've been better," Luigi groaned as the world tilted some more.
"Here don't, don't sit up yet," Mario said, and Luigi let him guide him back down. This time as he laid back down he realized something. His head was in Mario's lap. Had he slept like that all night?
Actually, now that he thought about it, he couldn't remember how he'd gotten like this. The last thing he remembered was going to bed feeling a little under the weather, but not enough to warrant telling anyone.
Luigi blinked and rubbed his head again with a wince before asking, "Uh, Mario? What happened?"
"You, you got sick," Mario said, sounding uncertain, "You fell out of bed and you were really out of it and you, you were burning up Lu. I thought - and then you wouldn't wake up-" Mario's voice broke and Luigi looked back up at him to see him rubbing at his eyes again. Then he looked back down at Luigi and Luigi saw in his eyes just how tired his brother was. The normally bright blue was dull and haunted.
Luigi jumped as Mario placed a hand on his forehead suddenly, but he stayed still as Mario apparently checked his temperature again. Mario frowned as he pulled his hand away.
"You're still warm, but at least you're lucid," Mario said, then he seemed to remember something as he sat up a bit straighter. "You need to drink some water. I think - that'll help right?" Mario glanced to the side before looking down at Luigi uncertainly. Finally he said, "I'm going to help you sit up ok?"
Luigi went to nod, but his head immediately protested the movement and he winced before saying, "K."
The change in direction made his entire world spin again, and Luigi screwed his eyes shut against the pounding in his skull as he let Mario maneuver him so that he was leaning against his brother's side.
"You good?" Mario asked, and Luigi turned to bury his face in his brother's shoulder as he waited for the spinning to stop.
"Y-yeah, once the room stops spinning I'll be fine," Luigi tried to joke, but his tone sounded more strained than he wanted it too.
Mario wrapped an arm around his shoulders to stabilize him better, before there was a sound of something scraping on wood.
"I have a glass of water here, you think you can drink it or . . ," Mario trailed off, but Luigi knew what he was asking. He grimaced into Mario's shoulder. He wanted to say that he could drink a glass of water by himself, but he was shaking now and didn't trust himself to be able to hold the glass without spilling it everywhere. He sighed. He hated feeling weak.
"I, I don't think I can hold it," he mumbled, feeling his face burn slightly with shame.
"That's ok," Mario said gently, not an ounce of judgment in his voice.
Luigi opened his eyes and managed to turn his head away from Mario to see the glass being held out in front of him.
The water was lukewarm, but it tasted amazing. Luigi hadn't realized how dry his mouth was until he'd drunk the first sip, and then he was greedily gulping it down.
"Woah careful, I don't think you're supposed to drink it that fast. Just take little sips ok?" Mario said as he pulled the cup away a bit, and Luigi grumbled but nodded to show he would listen.
Soon the glass was empty and Luigi found his eyelids drooping again as Mario replaced the empty cup on the dresser. Luigi frowned. He'd just barely woken up, why was he so tired?
"How're you feeling now?" Mario asked, and Luigi grumbled and turned his face into Mario's shoulder again, pulling his legs closer to himself to better curl up. Mario chuckled softly and tightened his hold around Luigi's shoulders.
"Why am I so tired?" Luigi whined.
"Probably because you're coming down from one of the worst fevers I've ever seen," Mario replied, and Luigi didn't miss the way his grip on Luigi's shoulder tightened just a fraction.
Luigi felt bad again. He hadn't meant to worry Mario. Maybe if he'd mentioned the night before that he hadn't been feeling well . . .
As if his brother could read his thoughts Mario said, "Don't feel bad. You didn't have any control over this. Your only job right now is to rest and get better."
"Mmm you need sleep too. I bet you didn't sleep at all last night," Luigi leaned back enough to look up at Mario with an accusatory glance. He was rewarded with Mario deliberately avoiding eye contact and proving Luigi's statement correct.
"Hah, knew it," Luigi mumbled as he turned his face back into his brother's shoulder. Then he got an idea. He wrapped his arms around Mario's torso and then he yanked them both to the side so they slid off the headboard and onto the mattress.
"What- Luigi what are you-?" Mario gasped in surprise, and he tried to pull away from Luigi and sit back up, but Luigi quickly moved to rest his head on Mario's chest and tightened his grip.
"Nope. You're my pillow now," Luigi mumbled as he wiggled around a bit to make himself comfortable before he relaxed on top of his brother.
"More like prisoner," Mario complained, but he didn't try to push Luigi off. He stayed silent for a bit, and Luigi wondered if he'd maybe upset his brother and opened his mouth to apologize.
Then he froze as Mario's arm came up to rest over Luigi's shoulders, and he felt Mario lean his head against the top of Luigi's. Mario relaxed under him and Luigi smiled triumphantly before he closed his eyes and focused on the sound of his brother's heartbeat.
It had been a while since Luigi had done this. When they were younger Mario would often refuse to take care of himself when he was sick, and Luigi would have to trap him like this to get him to sleep. It was a perk of being the younger sibling. The older sibling didn't want to push him away and make him upset, and ended up falling asleep and getting the rest he needed.
Luigi felt himself starting to drift off, and he was very nearly asleep when he heard Mario whisper, "What would I do without you?"
"Die probably," Luigi mumbled back, and he felt Mario jump beneath him in surprise at the response, before he felt a hand on his head rubbing it gently.
"Go to sleep," Mario accused, and Luigi huffed and turned his face into Mario's shirt.
"No you," he responded, voice muffled by the fabric, and Mario chuckled softly before falling silent.
Then he started running his hands through Luigi's hair and Luigi melted. The repetitive motion was soothing and it helped to relieve the ache in his head.
Luigi had planned on trying to stay awake until Mario fell asleep, just to make sure his brother actually got some sleep, but unfortunately his brother knew his weaknesses.
"Night Lu," Mario whispered as he continued to run his fingers through Luigi's hair, and Luigi relaxed even more.
He hummed softly, unable to properly respond as sleep claimed him.
~~~~
Mario sighed as he felt Luigi's breathing slow down with sleep. He was finally starting to relax. Luigi wasn't better yet, but he was on the mend, and that was all that mattered.
Mario wanted to stay awake to watch over his brother, but it was much harder to stay awake after pulling a stressful all nighter when he was laying down. Not to mention Luigi was currently acting as a nice heater. Mario tried to fight it, but he could feel himself drifting off.
Then Luigi shifted in his sleep, moving somehow even closer to Mario and tightening his grip around Mario's torso ever so slightly. Mario smiled and rested his head against his brother's.
Maybe he'd let himself sleep. Luigi wasn't going anywhere.