Work Text:
He doesn't get it.
It's not that he thinks a job needs to be perfect. No, he understands jobs you take out of necessity. He understands jobs that lose their lustre after a while. He understands jobs where the benefits outweigh the cons. He's had his fair share of shitty jobs with shittier employers, so yes, he understands a job for the sake of a job. But there are limits. Limits are apparently something Mario can't understand though.
Luigi doesn't need to look up to know his brother was in a bad mood. He slams the door hard enough on his way in their apartment that he gets the clue. Still, Luigi tempts fate a little, pushing the metaphorical buttons.
"How was work today, Mario?" He says casually as he can, even flipping a page of his newspaper for emphasis. A pizza shop is opening downtown.
"Do not start, Luigi." He grumbles. He pulled off his hat and threw it down on the kitchen table. He collapses onto the chair next to his brother. Luigi watches him. He starts to squirm. He glares at the table, then the ceiling, then the fridge and the coffee pot and the pictures on the wall. Luigi stays quiet, keeping his eyes on him. The silence stretched.
"Fine!" He exclaims suddenly, making Luigi jump. "Fine. It was a bad day. Is that what you want to hear?"
"I mean, I don't want to hear you had a bad day," Luigi sighed, finally putting down the newspaper, "I do want to hear you quit, though."
"Not an option, Lou. Just drop it." He reaches across the table and grabs the top of the newspaper, tipping it towards him. "Anything interesting?"
Luigi shrugged. "There's a new pizza place opening up next week. Looks like it's replacing that old diner they gutted a few months ago."
"Oh yeah. I'll miss that place." Silence overtook them once again. This time, Luigi broke it.
"So... what happened at work today?"
"Luigi!" He raised his hands in defence.
"I'm just asking how your day was!" He exclaimed.
"Well, it sounds like you're looking for an excuse to tell me to quit." He was, but Mario didn't need to know that.
"Okay, okay! I won't say anything, I swear." Luigi caved, taking another sip from his mug. Mario eyed him suspiciously
"It was a regular day. I went to work, Spike was a jerk, then I came home..." He gestured to the papers he had thrown down on the table. "With these. Apparently, Spike has 'too much work' and needs me to do his paperwork for him."
"That... doesn't sound legal. Are you allowed to sign those?" Mario shrugged. He leafed through the forms, half-heartedly scanning its contents. Luigi craned to see what it was. Supply orders, release forms, was that a contract? What?
"Is the project going well, at least?" Luigi said. Maybe changing the subject will be less weird.
"So far, yeah, actually." Even Mario seemed surprised. "Demolition is almost done. Apparently, some pipes are giving Spike a hard time, so he's redirected most of the team to focus on that. Redirecting the force means way more work for me, but I'm getting it done. I'll probably be late coming home tomorrow. Otherwise things have been just peachy. Mostly."
He nods. It had been happening more frequently. He was beginning to wonder, but the new workload must be it.
"That's great!" Luigi frowned. "What do you mean by mostly though?"
"Well..." Mario rubbed the back of his neck. He looked up at Luigi as if trying to predict his reaction. "One thing went wrong today."
Luigi's gut knotted, but he waved for his brother to continue.
"Don't react too badly, I swear on my grave it was an accident," he began and Luigi could already feel the despair the next words would bring, "the second floor has this hallway, it's open to the first, so people can look down at the dance floor. It was some kind of venue I think. For weddings and so on.
"When we started tearing everything out, Spike saw the rail on it and ripped it out." He mimed Spike's burly muscles and moved like he was pulling a weed. "To be fair, they were hideous. But then there wasn't a rail up there. It didn't bother me that much, I've walked on narrower paths than that without a rail, but you know Jack? Yeah, his balance is awful. He was bringing some stuff up there and tripped on his feet. He fell over the edge and-" he showed one fist falling, whistling as it did, and suddenly squashing his other fist, which sat right below it, "fell on me."
"Fell on you? He fell on you?" Luigi stared, slack jawed. "How high was it? Did you file an injury report? That should have a rail! Are you reporting this?"
Mario shook his head vigorously. "No, Jack might, but I'm not hurt. I mean, it hurt but I'm not injured."
"Mario, that's illegal! You need to report it. He needs to have a rail there. How high is it?"
"Stop," Mario scowled, "its fine. Spike says he's been planning to put something up, we just gotta be patient. I don't want to argue, anyway."
"R-right. Sure, Mario." He didn't want to argue either, but surely Mario couldn't be that relaxed over this? Paperwork that wasn't his and OSHA violations? Luigi didn't know Mario's boss personally, but he had heard enough. He was a big enough name in Brooklyn demolition, but he wasn't afraid to break basic safety laws. More than that, he was awful to work with, if his treatment of Mario said anything. It made Luigi fume, in spite of his brother's insistence that nothing he can't handle.
Mario got up, strolling over to the fridge and opening it. "So what's for dinner?"
The next time Mario comes home from work, Luigi doesn't even get the chance to ask how his day was.
"I am fucking sick of Spike!" He swears as soon as the door is closed behind him. Luigi startles, dropping his screwdriver and nearly throwing their blender off the table. Once steady he looks up at Mario who is pacing, furious. "He's so focused on those stupid pipes! I ask, 'Hey Spike, not that I mind the overtime, but can I have maybe one or two guys to help me out with my work?' And he laughs at me! He's gotten insufferable! Those pipes have become the entire project to him, and he's leaving everything else to me! I don't even have the right tools. I almost got crushed by a wall falling over today! One of the bricks missed me by an inch and Spike wasn't even there to notice!"
"A wall!? He asked you to bring down a brick wall all by yourself?" Mario shook his head.
"No, one of the other groups was halfway into it when they got pulled away. It fell when I was walking past it." He laughed, though it sounded strained "I jumped really hard when it happened. I saw it tip from the corner of my eye and did a little scramble to get away. I must have looked like a cartoon!"
Luigi gaped. "Mario... Did you tell anyone? A coworker? Spike? HR?"
"We don't have HR. Spike doesn't care anyways. I could do nothing at all at this point and he wouldn't notice."
"Why don't you?" Luigi manages, wide eyed at his brother's rant.
"Well... I don't know. He yells at me either way." Mario begins to deflate. "I should get something done, at least." "If he's gonna yell anyways, why not give him a reason?" Luigi said, setting the blender down properly. "If he's gonna yell anyway, why give him a reason?" Mario countered, sighing. He sat down, though it was more of a slump. Luigi frowned. Today must've been a really bad day. He gets up and goes into the kitchen, shuffling through the cupboards. He pulls out a single mug, a bright red one with a big M emblazoned onto it. He had gotten it for Mario for Christmas a few years back, and it quickly became his favourite.
A few minutes later he returns to the table, mug steaming with coffee. Mario takes it, sipping the drink.
"Thanks, Lou." Luigi watches his brother take a sip.
"Look, I know y'had a bad day, Mario," Luigi starts, "but it really isn't right that Spike treats you like this."
"It's not so bad." Mario shrugs, clearing not believing himself either.
"Well, if you don't mind me saying, being a freelancer is way more rewarding."
"Maybe, but a solid job with guaranteed work is also pretty rewarding."
"Eh, you couldn't make me work for Spike if it was the best gig in the world." Luigi said, picking up his screwdriver. "That's the best part about freelancing, if you want to leave, you just gotta get up and go."
Mario hummed, sipping his coffee. Still not in the mood to talk about a career change. With a sigh, Luigi dug back into the blender. It had stopped working in the middle of making a milkshake today. Ordinarily he would have fixed it up and moved on in less than ten minutes, but he decided to make it a project. The motor was small but he was sure that with a few tweaks he could make it unnecessarily powerful.
"Any plans for the rest of the night?" Mario asked. Luigi looked up. His brother stared at the blender, looking a bit defeated.
Mario had a long day. Honestly, he was always having a long day. He looked down at the half finished blender. He never did end up having his milkshake, but seven in the evening, it was getting a little late for it anyway. A blender on steroids would be great but...
"I was planning on ruining our blender," Luigi started. Mario drooped. "But now that I think about it, I'm in the mood for a video game sesh, how about it?"
Mario definitely perked up at that. Luigi had less than a second to react as Mario threw himself from his chair, racing for player one.
Luigi woke up way too early. It had to be eight or nine at best and last night's gaming session went far too late for him to want to wake up any earlier than eleven.
Something crashed in the kitchen. Luigi groaned. He fumbled blindly for his alarm clock, dragging it to his face. He blinked. The clock had to be broken. He grasped for his phone, flipping it open and staring blankly at the screen until he saw the time. Same as it was on the clock.
What the hell. He stumbled up and out of his room, dragging his blanket over his shoulders. He stifled a yawn walking into the kitchen, leaning on the table as Mario darted around the kitchen.
"Hey Mario," he yawned as his brother darted past, "what are you doing up at six thirty in the morning on a Saturday?
"Spike called," he explained. He snatched up an apple. "He needs me to come in today to clean up the mess with the wall."
Luigi stared in disbelief for a second. His brain must be broken, because he can't be serious.
"Say no!" He exclaimed. "Say that you're busy! It's a Saturday!"
"Part of the job." He grunted, shoving his lunch into his work bag and swinging it onto his back. "Unpredictable hours."
Luigi gaped. Mario booked it out the door, yelling a promise to his home by four. He stood helplessly at the door listening to Mario's heavy footsteps fade from earshot as he ran out of the apartment.
Luigi spent the rest of the day with his mind buzzing. He answered phone calls and made lunch, all while thinking in the back of his mind:
How did I get Mario to quit his job?
Getting him fired was out of the question. Luigi was confident that, fired or not, Spike wouldn't have a word of praise for his brother, but it was a matter of pride. Getting fired would make Mario miserable and being miserable is exactly what Luigi doesn't want.
Convincing him to quit was pointless, an uphill battle he had been stuck on for months. The brief thought of sabotaging Spike's business, reporting him to the Department of Labor or just destroying all his documents, flashed through his mind. It wouldn't be hard, Spike had been busted by OSHA in the past, and one more strike could be what brings him down for good. It was tempting, but if Mario found out, and he would, he would be furious. For putting him and his buddies all out of a job, especially before they finished this contract. Mentally, he shelved the idea. It could be his plan B.
As he set up an appointment with a client, something about a broken pipe under their sink. They were on a weird tangent, talking about how they'll be away from the house the morning of. Through a series of events, involving crashing a baby shower of a stranger and a golden retriever and something else that Luigi was sure would be a fascinating story were he not occupied, the woman had ended up volunteering to supervise a class of eight year olds on a field trip in exchange for a new waffle iron.
Supervise…
A grin lit up Luigi's face. Of course! Mario was in denial about just how bad his job was, so if Luigi made a surprise visit, he'd be forced to see it the way Luigi sees it. He spun in place and leapt in the air in excitement.
"Sir? Are you still listening?" A choppy voice cut through his celebration, and Luigi yelped.
"Y-yes, Ma'am!" He stammered, "Sorry, but something just came up. Could you call me back in an hour to finish giving me the details?"
She barely manages to reply before he slammed the phone down on the receiver. He takes off to his room- their room technically, they shared a room, a desk, but thankfully not a bed -and pulls open the top drawer on the filing cabinet. Mario kept all the paperwork and info on his job here. Which, luckily, had been unlocked today. He scans all the folders in the cabinet closely, ignoring anything personal. It didn't take long to spot the one tactfully labelled, 'work.' He leafed through each set of paperwork carefully, before he yanked out the one he needed.
The door creaked and Luigi jumped. When he looked up, no one was at the entrance, the door only moving slightly with the breeze from an open window. It wasn't anything too private, though getting caught with it might not look too good. Either way, the only thing Luigi cared about is the big bold address printed on the top.
He heads to desk, and quickly writes it down on a sticky note. He shoves the note in his pocket, then carefully replaces the document and its file. And not a moment too soon. A door swung open and boots thumped loudly on the tile of the kitchen.
"Luigi? You home?" Mario's voice called, sounding tired. Luigi wishes he could say he's surprised.
"Coming!" Luigi replied, double checking the paper was secure in his pocket. He stepped out in the kitchen, ready to act natural. He froze instantly.
"Mario..." he pointed at the puddle forming around his feet. "You're dripping."
His brother nodded, staring helplessly down at his feet.
"... I'll get you a towel."
Mario's had begun stripping off his overalls when Luigi returned. He exchanges them for the towel, patting his face and shirt dry as possible.
"You know those stories about crocodiles in the sewers?" Mario says suddenly, rubbing the towel on his hair. "Well, they're true."
Luigi laughs, until he realizes Mario wasn't.
"Wait, are you serious?" Luigi exclaimed. He gaped at his brother, reevaluating the water dripping off of him. "Why the hell were you in the sewer?"
"A storm drain technically. Spike needed me to take a look at something underground, to see where those pipes went." He grimaced, "I climbed down and used a pocket light one of the boys had to look around. It was pitch black, so I moved around to get a better look at all the pipes.
"I wasn't looking where I was going of course, so I tripped on this big branch. I had no idea it was actually a tail until it turned around and took a lunge at me! I jumped on its face to get over it and it chased me all the way up the ladder. Last time I ever go into Brooklyn sewers."
"Wha- Why did you agree to that!" Less demanding than shocked. Of course Brooklyn would have crocodiles. What else could go wrong with Mario's shitty job? "You could have died! Again! You didn't even have an actual flashlight! A crocodile almost ate you!"
"I don't know Luigi. No one else wanted to do it, so I volunteered." Mario yawned, trudging out of the kitchen. "I think I'm going to hit the hay a little early today. I'm exhausted."
"You need to quit your job." Luigi blurted, before his brother could get too far. Plan or not, If he could get Mario to stop now, then that was his best option. The safest option. Mario just sighed.
"Job’s almost over. I can't quit now."
Maybe he should go with plan B
He really should have gone with plan B. The situation was weighing more and more on him, and Mario has been downright miserable. It was out of character. He was usually more lively and dramatic about, well, everything. But still, he wanted to at least try to do this in a way that wouldn't piss him off. So here he was sitting outside the half-demolished building Mario had been hired to wreck.
When he first got there, he had considered trying to get in himself, but ultimately decided against it. In Brooklyn, anyone with half a brain would have locked it up and he didn't have a lot of interest in telling the police that he was just trying to break into his brother's workplace. Instead, he found a nice bench and sat.
Mario was supposed to show up at seven thirty. It was about seven fifteen, so he had some time to burn. Unfortunately he left behind all of his books and projects. He shuffled through his bag, double checking that he had everything. To be honest, he didn't need two flashlights. Or enough snacks for an entire movie night. Or three water bottles. But it doesn't hurt to be prepared.
Satisfied that he had over packed, he turned his gaze on the street. It was a nice spot. This part of the city was clean, more or less. A park sat across the venue, flanked by some clean looking shops and cafes. In the park, some kids were throwing a pink frisbee, while a cute golden retriever puppy flailed wildly, trying to catch it. They giggled and laughed every time the puppy failed to catch it, some shouting words of encouragement. Luigi was a fan of dogs, he found them kind and loyal and very smart. Too bad his allergies had been a consistent roadblock in ever getting one for himself. His eyes wandered.
Finally, a truck drives up. A blue pick-up, with tacky flame decals covering its side. It skids to a stop in front of the building and a burly, bearded, annoying looking man hops out. His blue shirt is emblazoned with the bold logo of Spikes Wrecking Crew.
This must be the infamous Spike then. Luigi already had a low opinion of this guy, and he did nothing to help that impression. Nor his impression of pick-up trucks. He swaggers up the sidewalk, freezing when he meets Luigi's eyes.
"Who the fuck are you?" Charming.
"Uh... my name's Luigi," he replied, wishing once again that he had gone with plan B. "Mario's brother."
This, for some reason, makes him laugh. It grated on Luigi's ears, the kind of booming, sharp laugh that makes you flinch.
"Even his brother shows up earlier than him! What a joke!"
"Right..." Luigi gritted his teeth. Never mind his documents, that stupid shirt was starting to look very flammable. "I came to help Mario. The workload you've dumped on him has been getting to him."
Immediately, Spike's demeanour flipped. "You came to work? Are you a demolitionist?"
"Well... yeah. Among other things."
"How much do you want?"
Luigi leaned back slightly, confused.
"Money, how much do you want?" Spike repeated, pulling out his wallet. Luigi floundered and Spike continued, "Why don't I just hire you? What's your current pay, I'll match it."
"Wha- no, I'm not looking for a job." Luigi stands waving his hands frantically. What kind of guy hires someone who invited themselves onto their job site? How desperate was Spike? "Consider it a favour for Mario. I don't need any money."
For a second, Spike looks ready to argue, but a loud gasp cuts him off.
Both he and Spike turn to the voice. Mario stood by the curb, looking back and forth between his brother and his boss, bewildered. Spike turns to him marching forward.
"There you are! Late as usual." Luigi checked his watch. Mario was 5 minutes early. "Your brother even made it here before you! He's volunteered to be part of the wrecking crew until the job’s done." Luigi never said that. "So stop slacking and get in there!" Mario ran over to the door and slipped inside before another word could be said. Luigi stood bewildered. What timeline was Spike operating on? Had the door been open this whole time?
"What about the rest of your crew?" Luigi asked, shaking the rest of the questions off.
"I, uh... gave them the day off."
Luigi narrowed his eyes, tracking his brother's boss as he went inside. The look on his face... Luigi doesn't trust it. He grabbed his bag from the bench, quickly fishing out a small camera. He had saved it from the bottom of their junk bin, and now it would document everything. Just in case. Mario could be pretty stubborn, so having confidence in his plan, he strode forward and threw open the door.
...And immediately stubbed his toe.
He swore and stumbled into a hop, nearly tripping over the offending pile of bricks, narrowly missing a bucket of murky green water. He finally collapses on the ground, eyes watering. Finally, the pain subsided and he took his first look at the inside of the building.
He whips his camera out immediately, barely waiting to ensure Spike was no longer in the room, and takes pictures top to bottom. Tools laying around, platforms with no railings, precariously stacked piles of wreckage and.... explosives? His camera film could be filled in this room alone. Luigi had most of the big violations regarding working conditions memorized, because it was good information to know, but mostly to prove a point to Mario. This went beyond proving a point. Luigi could do more than just report Spike for this.
To think Mario had been working in these conditions. He shakes his head as he snaps a picture of a pile of shattered glass. OSHA was definitely hearing about this. Between the treatment and this... situation, he didn't care how mad Mario would be. He moved through the room, eyeing all the walls carefully, not wanting a repeat of Mario's experience a few days ago. Most were crumbling, though the back wall was completely caved in, revealing a set of stairs going down, its railing also missing.
Luigi sweeps the room one more time for the other two. They must be downstairs already. It makes him nervous to think that they were somewhere else, likely just as perilous. He snaps one more picture of the weird pulley system hanging from a ladder (which wasn't placed evenly on the floor, one leg not even touching the ground), then runs over to the stairs. Just at the top of the stairs, his foot catches a pole, or maybe a pipe, and he careens forward.
He releases an ear piercing screech, tumbling down the stairs. He hits the bottom of the stairs face first. He moans. His tailbone, his head, his everything really, was bruised. His head in particular pounded, and it was almost a relief to open his eyes to the musty dark of the old building's basement. Almost. It had a wet smell, and the floor was grimy with dust and moisture.
He pushes himself up, surveying his surroundings. It looked as damp and dirty as it smelled. Old storage bins were shoved off into a corner, stacked high enough that he'd have been able to touch the pipes running along the ceiling if he was willing to climb them. Which he wasn't.
Something felt off. Even just sitting at the base of the stairs, in the light streaming from the opening above him was enough for him to feel an odd, uncomfortable hum in the air. He had a distinct feeling that he should grab Mario and hightail it out of there.
Standing a few feet away, Spike was yammering loudly to his brother, who was inspecting a set of pipes carefully. That must be the pipe Mario's coworkers had been assigned to.
Ignoring the weird humming, he dusts off his suddenly very dirty overalls and stands, making his way over to the pair of men. Hopefully they hadn't noticed his embarrassing entrance.
"-ied knocking it down, cutting it, even blowing it up! Nothing works." Spike exclaimed loudly. Mario knelt to inspect the base of a large, green pipe. Luigi hummed to himself. How odd, to have a pipe painted green. Even in the low light, a quick glance at the many other pipes made it clear that this one was an outlier. More than that, it was open. No valve or cap attached, just a gaping dark opening.
"Did you check for a manufacturer? A serial number? Logo?" Luigi spoke up, sliding next to his brother. Spike was still yammering about how hammer, bricks and dynamite couldn't dent it.
"I did." He spoke with sign, a perplexed look on his face. It must be a silent day for him. "Nothing, though."
"It doesn't matter what the manufacturer is! Just get rid of the damn thing." Spike demands, "you got some experience with plumbing don't you? Maybe you might even be able to do something that those other guys couldn't!"
Mario stared, an offended gape creeping on his face. He fumbled for a minute, but Luigi beat him to it.
"Finding the manufacturer might be able to help us find out what we're working with," Luigi didn't mention that he may also be interested in the steel itself. He had a few projects that could use that kind of explosive resistant quality. "Also, why the hell didn't you get Mario to help if no one else was qualified? And what happened to the rest of your workers? Why did you try to hire me?"
Mario stood. He gave Luigi a wide eyed stare before angling his back to spike and signed sharply "He what? What are you doing?"
"Your boss is an idiot!" He didn't bother whispering back and Mario flinched, shooting a look back at Spike. He was beet red, and Luigi was worried that if he held his breath any longer, they'd have to help the paramedics get a stretcher through the explosion of hazards up stairs. "Did you even see the state of the main floor? I don't think I've seen that many hazards since that Halloween party at the old supply store!"
"I'm not paying you to be judgmental," Spike squeaked, fury still painting his face.
"You're not paying me! You just decided that!" Luigi exclaimed. Mario made a noise, looking back and forth between his brother and his boss. "Why did you want to hire me so badly? Where's your goddamn team?"
"I, uh... gave 'em a day off."
"So you could call in one worker on his days off? Try again."
"I fired them." Luigi narrowed his eyes.
"I don't believe you."
"Fine!" Spike all but yelled. "Half of them quit! The other half are in there!"
Mario and Luigi followed his finger with horror to the gaping maw of the green pipe.
Mario's head snapped back to Spike with a perplexed and.. Angry expression. He gestured wildly at the pipe. Spike scowled.
"It ain't my fault. We couldn't blow it up, dismantle it, and couldn't even dent it. A few guys got curious, and I gave 'em permission to take a peek inside. Fifteen minutes later, I sent another to get 'em out. And fifteen minutes later, another one with a rope." Luigi felt a chill run up his spine.
"Anyways, I still need to find those idiots. I was gonna send Mario, since he's not stupid enough to prank me." Luigi laughed, a hysterical edge in his voice.
"Ooooh no. We are leaving. I've had enough of you and your shitty building, I am not becoming a victim to a real life horror movie and neither is Mario." Luigi grabbed Mario's arm, only to grasp at empty air.
"Mario?" He turned around. Mario was half way into the menacing green pipe.
"MARIO!" Luigi lunges forwards, pulling him back. Or tried to. Mario, deceptively strong, pulled back, keeping his feet square. He met his brother's eyes and Luigi recognized the look with a sinking stomach. Mario raised his hands.
"My friends are in there." He signs. He pulls away.
There were some moments Luigi felt he should have just stayed home. Today was- well, no, today was not one of them. Both of them should've stayed home today. But if he had stayed home, Mario would be doing this alone. So, trembling, he picked up a rope and looped it around his waist. He turned to Spike.
"If we get attacked by an evil sewer monster, I'll be suing." If they made it back. The thought made him feel sick. He stepped beside Mario, who nodded happily, though Luigi's teeth chattered.
"This is a bad idea. We shouldn't do this." Mario only gave him thumbs up, and hopped up into the pipe. Luigi followed, groaning.
They walked down the pipe, green walls touching the tops of their hays. Or Luigi's hat at least. From the outside, the pipe was huge, sure, but it hadn't occurred it was person sized. He and Mario weren't the tallest guys in Brooklyn, but normally, a large pipe was not more than a quarter of his size. As they walked, he hummed softly to himself. Mario joined in as well, creating a haunting chorus.
They hadn’t gone far before the light from the beginning of the pipe began to fade, and Luigi risked a look back. The entrance looked like the size of a bottle cap now, half of it blocked by the annoying shape of Spike. Strange. It hadn’t felt like they had walked so far. He shrugged his backpack off, calling for his brother to stop. Mario watched as Luigi fished in his bag before he pulled out a pair of industrial flashlights. He handed off the stronger one to Mario.
"What? It's good to be prepared." He defended against Mario's look. Never know when your brother's boss will send you marching to your untimely death.
They continued, their path a little brighter. They walked, the only sound being the echo of their work boots hitting the curved surface of the pipe. It... had been going straight for an awfully long time, huh? They must be well away from the building now. If this were a sewer drain it surely would have led to a sewer by now. Where the hell did this thing lead? Luigi fidgeted. Maybe this was a secret entrance to a drug site. Or it's a private underground bunker. Worse, maybe it's haunted.
"Hey, Mario, really getting the feeling we should be turning around right about now." He stopped, shooting a look back. The light was barely a pinprick now. Hair stood on the back of his neck.
Mario stopped as well, but only long enough to turn and shake his head. Curse his kind heart and stubborn heroic streak. Mario always defended others fiercely, and while it was something that Luigi always admired, he was wishing right now that he were a little better at self preservation. Luigi was always great at that, and right now the tingly feeling building in the air was telling him that losing sight of the entrance to the pipe was a bad idea.
Mario turned back, starting forward with a confident step, but it was interrupted with a gasp. He ran forward and slid to the ground. Luigi ran closer to his brother on instinct, not wanting to let him get too far ahead. Mario picked something off the floor of the pipe, brandishing it high so Luigi could see.
A wrench.
The tingling feeling stopped. Instead, an intense, electrifying buzz took its place, making Luigi's skin crawl and his heartbeat rise dangerously. Even Mario seemed to notice it now, glancing around uneasily. Luigi spun around, looking back at the entrance. There was no pinprick now, and Luigi couldn't make out any evidence of the light that had illuminated the tunnel.
But a new light took its place. The green pipe glowed, so white that Luigi was afraid touching it would burn his gloves. The buzz became a current and Luigi felt his feet lift off the ground. He yelped and flailed as he felt himself get sucked deeper.
"Mario!" He shrieked, grasping wildly in his brothers directly. A hand grasped his foot and Luigi twisted to see Mario's wide eyed stare, mouth bobbing in disbelief. The current grew.
Luigi grabbed his brother and pulled him close and tight just in time. The current of energy snapped like an elastic band. They screamed as they shot through the light, careening deep into the unknown.
Luigi woke slowly to something tapping his cheek insistently. He groaned, scrunching his face and turning over. Thankfully, the tapping got the hint and stopped.
Luigi melted back into the ground. He had been having a lovely dream. He had built an enormous robot. It was a marvel of engineering, though it seemed superficially like something you’d find in a Saturday cartoon. He piloted it around on the top of its head, which had been expertly crafted after his own face. Looking at it made him feel… some kind of way. Like, something wasn’t right, but it still filled him with an immense pride. At the beginning of the dream it had started off tiny, and he carried it in the palm of his hands. But then it grew ten times its size. Bigger and bigger, until it made trees look small. It was amazing, though he couldn't quite remember what he had called it. It was a great dream. maybe he could get back to it.
Ice cold water splashed on his face, stunning him awake. He shot up, sputtering through his now soaking moustache. Mario stood above him with one of his neon green water bottles in hand, now empty. He looked unimpressed.
"Mario! What did you-" his eyes focused. He blinked. On average, mushrooms usually stayed bite sized. Even in the forest when he and Mario decided to go for walks, they never got bigger than the size of a desert plate.
But the mushroom behind Mario was definitely bigger. It dwarfed him, and he struggled to think of something to compare this behemoth to. Bigger than a car. Even bigger than most of the trees you find in downtown Brooklyn.
Mario snapped his fingers, drawing his attention back to Mario. Right. He and Mario. They went through that pipe. He told Mario it was a bad idea and it was. He remembered the current and the uncomfortable sensation it created on his skin. He must've passed out when it dragged him through... whatever that was.
He stood up, shakily, and glanced around the clearing. There were more oddly sized mushrooms everywhere he looked, but no sign of that unsettling green pipe. He looked back at Mario, who shrugged.
"It went underground," he signed dejectedly, and gestured to a patch of disturbed dirt, "tried to dig it up, but digging in my gloves didn't work. I don't think we'll be able to find it."
"We'll... figure it out." Luigi tried. He couldn't really convince himself. He should've forced Mario to stay home today. "We just need to find help."
Neither of them moved for a minute. Then Mario slammed a foot down with a huff.
"We can do this. Together." Mario's words were confident and sure and Luigi felt himself perk up at his brothers attitude. "There's nothing that can get in our way. We'll find the others and a way back and once we do, I'll shove it to Spike. For good."
He held up a fist. Luigi grinned and knocked his own against it.
"We got this. Together."