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

77

"Prison bars. Not a good look on her." Mario jokes as they watch Mimi get taken away.

"Did she petrify Merlee?" Luigi asks Clark.

"According to her, they argued over Merlee's prediction. Merlee was convinced Mimi was gonna try and get her fired, so she tried negotiating with Merluminia about swapping studio space. But when Merluminia didn't go for it, Mimi blamed Merlee and trashed her house, hitting her with a nightmare chunk, then upon seeing Merlee petrified, hightailed out of there."

"So she didn't know it would petrify Merlee?" Luigi asks.

"Merlee's talking with the authorities now." Clark says, "But that's where our job ends."

"Well done." Mario praises.

"Merlee's the real hero." Luigi downplays.

Clark rolls her eyes with a smile as she walks away, before the three of them leave.

Luigi really shouldn't be surprised to see Destiny right by the front door with her arms crossed, but he is.

He turns around to close and lock the door, then slowly turns to face her, moving closer so they're face to face.

Destiny's clearly waiting for an answer, so Luigi says, "I know you're pissed, and I don't blame you." She nods, so Luigi goes on, "You deserve to have someone who's not scared to tell you the truth."

He sighs, "But I am, and that's not gonna change."

"Because of him ?" Destiny demands.

"Leave Mario out of this." Luigi orders. "You knew I was bi when we met, and I told you flat out, if I'm with you, it's because I want to be."

"Then why don't you want to be with me now?" Destiny's too smart to not see where this is going.

Now comes the hard part. Luigi takes a breath, then says, "I've just started to scratch the surface of my past, as well as the future I want to build." Another breath, then he just blurts it out, "I'm sorry, but I can't marry you."

Destiny comes closer, holding his face in her hands. "Even now, as you're breaking my heart, you are incredible, Luigi Turner."

A while later, after Destiny's already packed up and left, Luigi's sitting in the hallway outside his apartment, holding his knees when Mario finds him.

"I told you I was fine." Luigi says wearily.

"And I knew you were lying." Mario replies, sliding down the wall to sit next to him. "Are you okay?"

Luigi shrugs, "How could I not be? Just a really good dream, remember? Maybe a little more bittersweet this time."

Mario nods, then changes the subject, "What're the odds Merlee's dreams came true, literally? Maybe I shouldn't have been so quick to count her out."

Luigi gasps in mock surprise, "Did Mario Mario just admit he was wrong about something?"

"Only because I'm still trying to puzzle it out." Mario tries to defend, but they both know he doesn't mean it. "Maybe there's more to that side of the pipe than meets the eye."

"Maybe." Luigi echoes in agreement.

"So what..." Mario reaches into his pocket, "Am I gonna do with this lepidolite?"

Luigi's eyes widen again, "Did you say--"

"A lepidolite. That's right, me, Mario Mario, skeptic, looked up the name just so I could impress you." Mario grins. "Looks like the leeches stayed away, so Merluvlee wasn't a phony either."

Luigi's gonna tell him the truth, he swears he is, but right as he's about to open his mouth, Mario takes Luigi's hand and hands the crystal to him.

"Hold onto it for me, kay?" Mario asks. "Kick those leeches to the curb."

Whatever Luigi was gonna say dies, and he finds himself just sitting there, staring at the lepidolite in his hand as they sit there in solidarity.

Destiny pulls out her phone as she walks down a dark alley.

"It's me. He said no." A beat, then, "Uh huh. He had the biggest crush on me in high school, and he still said no." Another beat, then, "Sure, I'm not going anywhere. What do you have in mind?"

As whoever's on the phone keeps talking, she nods and keeps walking away.