At Least Your Brother's Not Gonna Die Because of You!

Here Comes That Promised World of Hurt

"I will never complain about our tiny shared room again." Luigi promises as they walk into the house, grabbing Mario's shoulders. "What did you tell the doc to convince him to let me come home?"

"Just that you're taking orders from me to not do anything too strenuous." Mario grins. "Sit.", then pushes him towards the couch.

"Mario--" Luigi tries to protest.

"Don't 'Mario' me." Mario pushes him again, finally getting him to sit down. "Can I get you something while I'm still standing? Went grocery shopping. Or are you gonna puke?"

"I don't have the stomach flu." Luigi protests as Mario goes to the kitchen. "Nothing's wrong with me!"

"You don't know that!" Mario warns, pouring them both coffee in their red and green mugs. "Until the doc gives the all clear, just call me your personal butler.", then coming back to the living room, handing Luigi a mug.

Luigi takes his, laughing. "Whatever you say, Alfred."

"Oh, and here." Mario hands him a jewelry box. "These are for you."

Luigi opens it curiously, surprised by the new diamond studs.

"Those old ones were so dirty, I'll be surprised if the doc tells us you have tetanus from those things." Mario jokes. "So I got you a new pair."

"Aw, thanks." Luigi smiles. "But you didn't even know I had them. In fact, you've been giving me a hard time about a lot of things lately. Why the change of heart?"

At this, Mario's smile drops off his face.

"I'm going out. I want to see how Luigi is doing." Peach tells Toadsworth.

"Of course, princess." Toadsworth says. "Give him our best from all of us."

"Look, I may not believe all the crap about Wario cursing you, but believe me when I say you scared me, Weegee." Mario tries to make him understand.

"I scared myself." Luigi tells him. "Until I finally listened to you and remembered Wario's a con artist on top of an idiot."

"An idiot that was working with Bowser, who does know dark magic." Mario reminds him.

"Then I think I should be more worried about you being cursed, seeing how often you go head-to-head with the guy." Luigi turns it around.

Mario sighs. Should've seen that one coming. "But I never passed out with no explanation." He reminds Luigi. "Right after Wario 'cursed' you."

"Only a coincidence." Luigi says confidently.

"Just take the studs, okay?" Mario begs, ready for this talk to be over.

"I only took my old ones off because of the MRI, and the doc let me come home anyway."

"With no current explanation for your high white blood cell count." Mario won't let him forget that.

"Which has multiple explanations." Luigi says, holding up a hand to count them. "Stress, physical and emotional. All this stuff with Wario and Bowser fits the bill, don't you think? But we finally got rid of them, at least for the time being in Bowser's case."

"Right, of course." Mario nods. "But would it hurt to wear some studs that aren't all grimy and dirty?"

"I will never turn down a present from my big brother." Luigi replies, smiling.

"Lean forward." Mario says, and when Luigi complies, Mario takes one stud and puts it on one of his earlobes. "You got the other one?"

"Mhm." Luigi makes quick work of putting the other one on.

"Looking good." Mario praises, then hugs him, only to be interrupted by a knock, then a door opening, with the princess walking through it.

"Peach?" Luigi asks in surprise.

"Your Highness." Mario stands up, flustered. "S-sorry, didn't realize you'd be coming by."

Luigi goes right over to hug her, as she says, "It's so nice to see you two back under your own roof together, where you belong."

"Have you heard anything from the doctors?" Peach asks as she sits across from them.

"Well, the doc said there's a lot of reasons someone will faint like I did." Luigi tells her. "I could just be dehydrated, my blood pressure could've dropped, but whatever it is, I'm okay now. Really."

"He's only saying that because the doc let him go home." Mario adds. "But the doc only let him once he did the other tests."

"That's good to hear." Peach smiles, right as Luigi's phone goes off.

"Scusa, principessa." He apologizes, going over to pick it up. "It's the doc."

He answers. "Hello?"

" Good afternoon, Luigi. I just got your test results back. "

"You did? Tell me." Mario comes over to stand next to him.

" I'd rather you come to the hospital so I can tell you in person."

"Um, okay?" Mario mouths, what's he saying? , but Luigi just shakes his head in confusion as he hangs up.

"The doc got my test results, but he wants to tell me in person." Luigi tells them.

"Then we should get going, don't you think?" Mario says as Peach stands up as well.

"Why would he want to tell us in person if it was good news?" Luigi asks softly.

"Unless he hasn't read them yet either." Peach points out.

"And the doc made it clear he wanted you back there when the results did come in." Mario reminds him.

"All true." Luigi admits.

"So there's no reason to freak out yet, okay?" Mario assures him, rubbing his arms.

"What if I accompany the both of you?" Peach offers. "Since we both know this one," she points at Mario. "Isn't going to let you go by yourself."

"Why not?" Luigi shrugs.

"Princess!" Toadsworth bursts into Luigi's hospital room. "You're needed back at the castle immediately."

"Is everything alright?" Peach asks.

"Yes, but this really needs your presence back at the castle." Toadsworth says.

"Very well." Peach sighs, then goes over to hug Luigi. "Everything will be fine, I promise. And I'll be back the moment whatever matter this is is finished."

Then she follows Toadsworth out, leaving Mario and Luigi alone.

"You know she's going to wish for you to be okay." Mario tells him as he pulls him in for a hug. "Because I already am."

"Hello?" the doctor walks in with his nurse.

"Hey, doc." Luigi turns around to greet them. "What's so important you had to tell me in person?"

"Because everything I have to tell you would've taken too long over the phone." The doctor explains.

"That's not ominous at all." Luigi quips.

"Luigi..." The doctor's face looks grim now, which should've been indicator enough, but the words that follow leave no room for doubt. "You have a mass inside your brain."

Luigi's eyes widen, and before he can say anything Mario's already pulling him away and wrapping his arms around him, glaring at the doctor.