(As Long as We're Together) Everything's Gonna Be Okay

Tell Them. The TRUUUUUUUUTH!

"What's the word?" reads the text from Mario as Mr. L sits in his living room.

"Thankfully nothing." he says out loud as he types it out. "But that doesn't mean anything. Whoever made them wants us to do something."

"Yay! I caught you!"

Mimi's reappearance almost makes Mr. L fall right off the couch before he breaks his fall.

"Biggest, fattiest breakfast I could find, and there's enough for both of us to chow down!"

"You rock!" Mr. L cheers as he takes the grease-stained bag from her. "Have I mentioned I don't deserve you?"

"Well considering I just caught you, that would be a no." Mimi teases.

"Well I don't. I really, really don't." Mr. L pulls out a waffle dripping in syrup and butter and jams it into his mouth. "Stars, I've gone straight back to the Underwhere, and I'm never coming back!"

"You could've gone yesterday, but you were adamant on no 'distractions'." Mimi reminds him, attempting to keep any accusations out of her voice. "Because of the big job at the racetrack you told me about."

"And I was right!" Mr. L doesn't take the bait. "Heck, it's a distraction right now! Only difference being I'm not at the track yet."

He pulls out a pancake and offers it to her, but she just sighs and barely nibbles at it, which Mr. L notices. "What's the matter?"

"I swear I was gonna keep quiet, but I can't." Mimi says. "You said you were gonna be at the racetrack all day, and yet I saw you in town. With Mario."

"Mario!" Peach chides. "It's rude to ignore someone when they're talking to you!"

Mario looks up from his phone. "Sorry..."

"I've just been going on and on about how the Sammer Kingdom is slowly being rebuilt to its former glory, and you've barely blinked. What's wrong?"

"Nothing." Mario says too quickly. "Just staying up to date on the latest. But now I am, so I'm all yours."

"I know you better than that." Peach shakes her head. "You're hiding something. Spill."

"I was going to be at the racetrack all day." Mr. L doubles down. "But Mario called to run me through more questions the castle might still want to ask me, so I decided to step back from the big job so we could both be prepared."

"Of course." Mimi sighs in relief. "I knew it had to be something like that. Listen to me, asking pointless questions."

"Hey, no." Mr. L denies. "I'm the one who did it. Do I have to be worried about you getting jealous of my brother again?"

"Of course not!" Mimi says, then caves, "Okay, yes."

"You don't need to be." Mr. L assures her. "I'm here, the only place that feels like home."

"That's because you are home." Mimi gestures around them. "But thank you for not lying to me."

"What? No I'm not!" Mario says immediately. "I'm just...distracted. I'm hungry." He starts to walk away. "Where can I find some good pasta not far from here?"

"What're you distracted about?" Peach asks, and finally, Mario sighs.

"How about the fact that even with the case dropped, the authorities are still asking questions, and even asking Luigi to weigh in."

"Oh I know." Peach nods. "But you have to know this is the easier part. Now tell me something else."

Mario freezes, but Peach isn't having it, "Is it about Wario?"