Duality (Luigi x Reader)

Ch. 35

Luigi looked back at you with a familiar fear and desperation in his eyes as his chest rose and fell in a rapid manner from uneven breaths.

His eyes then widened as if he finally processed what he had just said.

Luigi let out a shaken sigh as he turned away from you and nervously ran his hands through his hair, before walking over to the raised platform and sitting down against its base. He covered his face with his hands as he rested his forehead on his knees, the sight looking as if he just wanted to disappear.

It was eerily silent after that.

The only sound you could hear was your growing heartbeat as you tore your eyes away from Luigi and looked down at the drawing you still had clutched tightly in your hand.

Are his nightmares about...

...

No...

Please, no...

You slowly walked over to Luigi and quietly sat down against the platform next to him.

"Luigi?"

"I-I'm so sorry, y/n." He stuttered out before you could say anything else. "I-I shouldn't have yelled at you like that..."

"Honestly, you had every right to yell. I shouldn't have gotten so angry towards you..." You quietly said as he rose his head from his knees to look at you. "What exactly did you mean when you said... nightmares?"

You handed the drawing that had caused all this over to Luigi, which he hesitantly took with a slightly shaky hand. He gazed down at it as he held it in front of him, his ocean eyes filled with exhaustion as he looked it over for a while in silence.

"I... um- It's nothing you should have to worry about..." Luigi muttered while keeping his gaze focused on the drawing in front of him. "I-I'm sorry, I didn't even mean to bring it up. Let's just forget I ever said anything..."

"The last thing I'd want to do is forget..." You silently mumbled while instinctively reaching out and placing your hand on his arm. "Are your nightmares about... that masked koopa?"

Luigi looked away from the paper and over to you the moment you placed your hand on his arm. His face flushed as he looked into your eyes with a small look of surprise, before nervously clearing his throat.

"I just don't want to burden you with it..." Luigi said as he suddenly stood up from the ground and started to hyperfocus on cleaning up the scattered mess on the floor, with him placing a few books and papers, including the drawing, back into his bag.

"Luigi, please..." You said as you also stood up from the ground and walked over to him, your heart racing as your mind started to run on pure emotion. "It wouldn't burden me to know what a friend is struggling with. If you don't want to talk to me about it, that's fine... but will you at least tell me if your nightmares are about that masked koopa?"

Luigi paused his attempt to gather his things as silence fell between the two of you for a brief moment.

"Yes... they are about them..." Luigi eventually began to explain while staying turned away from you, your heart sinking as you heard those words. "I've been having nightmares about that masked magic user ever since me and my brother encountered them at the ruins in Bowser's Kingdom. I-I know it's foolish... I know it's cowardly..."

I... I really did cause him this pain...

"Why would you continue researching them if it only makes it worse?" You questioned as you continued to slowly approach him, trying your best to keep your eyes from becoming misty from this realization.