I've Got the Strangest Feeling This Isn't Our First Time Around

31

Spikes comes out of the kitchen and sits next to Pauline on Mario's couch, Luigi still watching the camera feed, and Mario gone to bed.

Even when Spike plops down, Pauline doesn't stir, so he leans over and whispers, "Pauline..."

No reaction, so Spike leans closer and taps her shoulder, whispering again, "Pauline."

When that doesn't work, Spike drops the pretense of whispering and just says louder, "Pauline!", and that finally does wake her up.

"Wha--?"

Spike pretends to stretch and yawn, "Oh good, you're up." And adds, "So..."

"Are you serious?" Pauline is not impressed. "You're gonna try something now?"

"Oh come on." Spike rolls his eyes. "I just wanna talk."

"About what? Intimacy coordination?" Pauline says.

"Just tell me why we don't work." Spike begs.

"Why is it so important anyway?" Pauline turns it around.

"Because I like you." Spike admits. "And I think you like me too. If that was too much too soon, we can ease up. Hang out at your place? Go get ice cream?"

"Watch the sunset and walk along the beach?" Pauline adds, then shakes her head. "That's not my style at all."

"You mean I'm not your style." Spike fills in the blank.

"Nobody is my style." Pauline corrects. "I'm not the serious type."

Spike nods in resignation, "Fine.", and so Pauline smiles, then promptly closes her eyes.

"Are you serious now?" Spike asks, making Pauline sit up and glare at him, before saying, "Shut up.", and closing her eyes again.

Right as Mario comes out of his bedroom rubbing his eyes, noticing Luigi is still watching the camera feed, eyes wide open.

"You're still here?" Mario asks as he comes closer, a smile of amusement on his face.

"Duh. Still looking for the pink Toad." Luigi says without looking up. "But another Toad looks like he's about to get very lucky."

"Lu, take a breath." Mario says, chuckling.

"God, this is amazing." Luigi says. "Seeing people like this."

"Like they are when they think no one is looking?" Mario asks, which finally does make Luigi look up.

"That's part of it, but I'm talking about being so...exposed." Here, Luigi looks right at Mario. "Honest. It's incredible. No wonder Toad blew off adventuring for this.", then back to the camera monitor. "Uh oh. I think the lucky Toad got more than he bargained for."

"Alright, that's it." Mario comes right over and pulls Luigi up to his feet. "You're stepping back. Now."

"What the hell's going on with you?" Luigi demands.

"Is it a crime to make sure you're okay?" Mario retorts.

"It is when it means you won't let me do my job." Luigi accuses. "You've been like this all day, starting with the phone call. Checking my vitals in the Dream Lab, not letting me dreamwalk..."

"That's my job." Mario reminds him.

"You're my partner, not my brother." Luigi says.

"You're right, I am your partner." Mario steps closer so they're face to face, upset. "When you're dreamwalking through the dreams of someone you don't even know, it's my responsibility to be there every step of the way and wake you up safely!"

"I know!" Luigi exclaims. "I even read up on all the creatures in all the worlds this side of the pipe as a precaution. There is nothing I don't know about this job and what we're doing."

"Liar." Mario shuts that right down, both upset and angry now. "You don't even know how wrong you are." Luigi seems to pause at that, so Mario continues, eyes wet, "The Dream Lab records every dreamwalk that we conduct. You know. For analysis and all that."

"And?" Luigi doesn't get it.

"I'm gonna show you something." Mario decides. "And you're not gonna like it."

Then he walks back towards his room, so Luigi reluctantly follows.

"If I leave now, there's no telling what the sample's mind will do to him!"

"If you don't, you are going to die!"

"Jump through the portal before it closes and WAKE HIM UP!"

Mario and Luigi watch the video on Mario's laptop as they sit on his bed together, before Mario pauses it, letting out a shaky breath.

"What happened?" Luigi finally asks, looking at him.

"We underestimated how corrupt the sample's mind was." Mario says quietly. "It started to infect Bowser's mind, and he couldn't fight it off. By the time we woke him up, there was nothing we could do."

"It killed him?" Luigi asks, shocked.

"No." Mario shakes his head. "But the corruption had already gotten to him. He's been unconscious for so long now."

"You had no way of knowing." Luigi says, trying to be comforting, but when Mario doesn't seem to buy it, Luigi insists, "You can't hold yourself responsible!"

"Yes I can." Mario seethes, looking right at Luigi. "And if it's the last thing I do, it will not happen again. Not to you."

They share a look, but before either of them can say anything else, there's a knock, making them turn to Pauline in the doorway.

"Get your butts back out here." Pauline orders. "We found something."

Luigi nods, then gets up first, walking out, while Mario closes the laptop, then follows a moment later.