93Special thanks to SpaceDimentio for helping me with this chapter!
EDIT from 4/16/20: This one will probably change the least. I noticed a few tiny grammatical errors, but that's it.
Chapter 5: A Surprise
Mr. L and Dimentio returned to the castle and set their groceries in the kitchen. The former let out a sigh a relief. "I'm so glad to be back."
"I am too." Dimentio snapped his fingers. However, instead of a spell going off, two goombas came forward. One of them had those same red eyes that the Koopa from earlier had. The other one looked untouched and even had a mischievous spark in his brown eyes. Mr. L wasn't surprised; some of Bowser's minions turned to their side willingly. "Be good goombas and put these away for us, will you?"
"Yes, sir!" The goombas said.
"Wait, Dimentio," Mr. L interrupted.
"Yes?"
"Um...Can't we put away our own groceries?"
Dimentio raised an eyebrow. "Why would we need to do that? We have people who do it for us." The same could be said about grocery shopping, but that was only so Dimentio could talk to Mr. L further. He didn't see the same opportunity in putting things away, aside from small talk.
"I know, but this seems simple enough." With that, Mr. L turned to the goombas and pointed. "You two, go make yourselves useful and...I don't know...clean something!"
"Yes, sir!"
The goombas left. When they were out of earshot, the one with the red eyes asked, "When do you think he'll figure it out, Kevin?"
"I don't know, Gary. It's already been a month and a half. You'd think he'd get it by now."
"Well, Luigi is one of those stupid Mario brothers."
"Let's just let the poor sap think he's the great 'Mr. L' a while longer," The goomba said with a smirk. "He's pretty funny when he's like this."
"Okay!"
The friends snickered as they returned to their duties.
Meanwhile, back in the kitchen, Dimentio furrowed his brows. "Why did you do that?"
"I don't know. I didn't really think before doing," Mr. L admitted. "But we might as well put these away." With that, he began taking food out of the large paper bags.
Dimentio watched with fascination and confusion before pitching in as well. "Is it something personal? I can't help but notice you've been giving the servants less of a hard time than usual."
"No. I mean...it might be a little personal. I was in their place for a while until Mimi took pity on me," Mr. L said, thinking back to that day in this same room.
He had only been around for a week. Mr. L was thrilled that morning when he heard he was going on his first mission for the Count, so one could only imagine his disappointment when his supposed "mission" was just getting the groceries. As he set his bags down in the kitchen, he mumbled, "I can't believe they misled me like this. I'm the Green Thunder, gosh-darn it! I deserve to do so much more!" He sighed. "Oh well..."
With that, he started loading food into the fridge. After putting away the eggs, milk, and some snacks, he saw bright green out of the corner of his eye. He turned and noticed a small green girl with pigtails. "Hey."
"Hi. You're that guy who slept in my bed that one time, aren't you?"
Mr. L smiled sheepishly and scratched the back of his head. "Heh...Oh, yeah. Sorry about that. I was really tired for some reason."
"You can't remember why you were tired?" She asked, tilting her head.
"Uh...It's a long story." In truth, he couldn't remember why himself, but he didn't feel like making up a reason. He continued putting things away, but he felt the girl watch him the whole time. He turned. "Why are you watching me?"
"Come here."
He walked over to her. "What is it?"
A small smile appeared on her face. "I just realized that I never learned your name. Mine's Mimi!"
"Oh. I'm Mr. L," He replied.
"It's very nice to meet you." She got a little closer to him, lightly touching his forearm. "Tell me...Do you know self-defense?"
Mr. L furrowed his brows, not sure how to react to her touch. "Uh...What?"
"Do you know how to beat people up and stuff?"
"Well...I guess..."
She grinned. "Good. I hate to see all that potential go to waste. How would you like me to talk to the Count for you, get you promoted?"
His eyes widened. "You'd do that for me?"
"Of course! Why wouldn't I? I am a nice person."
He beamed. "Thank you so much!"
She giggled. "It's no problem!" Mimi started to leave the room, then turned back at the last second. "Oh, and have you ever thought about a costume change?"
Mr. L blinked a few times. "What do you mean?" He asked, looking down at his clothes.
"I just think you could use some new clothes is all," She said, returning to his side. She eyed his outfit critically. "No offense, but those overalls are so played out. I can help you with that. I design most of my own clothes and I can design something awesome for you too! I would just have to get your measurements first."
Mr. L thought about rejecting her offer, but then again, Nastasia did mention a change in wardrobe... "Okay. Fine."
Mimi's smile returned. "Great! How about meeting in my room after dinner, maybe around 6ish?"
"That sounds great. Thank again for your help."
She grinned and walked out. "Oh, you're welcome."
"...And so, she designed my mechanic outfit for me and gave me a boost up the social caste," Mr. L explained.
Dimentio chuckled. "I once heard Mimi going on and on to the Count about this man who needed to be included in his court. Is that really how she went about it?"
"Yeah. We'd hardly talked and yet she wanted me on board." He put some canned food into the cupboard. "She even called me her 'new project' for a little while," Mr. L added, making air quotes. "Not that I liked Mimi branding me as such, but..."
Suddenly, Mimi was in the doorway. "I heard my name. Are you guys talking about me?"
"We were just talking about our first meeting," Mr. L replied casually.
"How did that come up? And..." Mimi furrowed her brows. "What are you guys even doing?"
"Putting things away."
"Why? We have people who do that for us."
Mr. L sighed. "Mimi, don't you have something better to do? Like writing about how much you love the Count or something?"
Her eyes widened. "Mr. L, have you been reading my diary!?" She spoke with a mix of shock and disgust.
"No." He gestured to Dimentio with his thumb. "He has."
Dimentio grinned. "'I imagine the Count and me on a lovely beach. It's a sunny morning and the sand is warm...'"
Mimi covered her ears. "LA LA LA LA! I'M NOT LISTENING!~"
While Dimentio kept quoting Mimi's diary and she sung over it loudly, Mr. L decided to give the girl a break. He pulled out a small dead bird from one of the shopping bags. "Here. Take it." He and Dimentio spotted it on the way back. While most people would've ignored it and kept on, he knew that some spiders ate birds.
Mimi uncovered her ears. "Ha! There is no way you're gonna make me drop this with some..." She stopped. She started sniffing the air, drawing closer to the bird. Mimi let out a sigh of pleasure, even showing a small smile. However, she replaced it with a frown in an instant. She grumbled and took the bird begrudgingly, shooting a glare at Dimentio. "I'll get you, Dimentio. Just you wait!" With that, she left the kitchen with the dead bird.
Dimentio chuckled. "She's an amusing girl, isn't she?"
Mr. L allowed himself a smile. "Yeah, I guess she is somewhat entertaining."
After packing a few more things, the magician decided to test his idea some more. "So, it's obvious that Mimi is eager for her 'special someone.' How do you feel about romance?"
Mr. L shrugged, not giving it much thought. "I mean, it'd be nice, but I don't think it's happening anytime soon. What about you? Are you looking for a woman?" He quickly added, "...Or a man?"
"Yes, actually. I once had a nice girl, but we simply weren't meant for each other," Dimentio replied. It was half true. A long time ago, he met a girl who liked him, but he just didn't like her back for whatever reason.
"Hey, don't worry. You'll find someone." Mr. L put some apples in the fridge and noticed that the grocery bags were now empty. "I think that's all of it."
"Really? It feels like we had more when we were still shopping."
"Yeah, I agree, but at least we got that out of the way. Well, see you later."
With that, the man in green left the room. Dimentio watched him with satisfaction. His more emotional approach with Mr. L had potential, but just in case, he also needed to see about that floro sprout. He would wait until tomorrow. Then he would follow O'Chunks into the Land of the Cragnons.
Mr. L stroked his chin, deep in thought. Now that he got the groceries taken care of, he might as well get back to working on Brobot. "Hmm...Now, where did I leave my notes? I haven't worked in the garage yet today, so they can't be there." He thought about it before remembering that he left his notes in the library. "Of course. Hopefully, Nastasia didn't touch my notebook."
He went to the library. Mr. L was about to enter when a voice from inside stopped him. "No, no! Not that one! This one!" Mr. L stepped back to listen. "Nastasia doesn't want a trace of the man in green! If you see anything about him, get rid of it! Shred it, burn it! Those are direct orders!"
"Yes, sir!" A group of minions chorused.
Mr. L blinked a few times. "Man in green? But that's me..." He heard a shredder being put to work. He hesitated. "Just be casual..." The man in green took a deep breath, then strolled in casually. He saw that six koopas were in the room, one of which was in charge.
"Hello, man in green," They greeted.
"Yeah, hi. Have any of you seen my notebook?
Their leader spoke up. "The one you left in here last night?" Mr. L nodded. "It should be upstairs, in your room. I knew you would worry about it, so I put it up while you were out."
Mr. L let out a sigh of relief. "Thank you, um...I wanna say your name is Jeffery?"
The koopa frowned. "Jeremy."
"Right, right," His smile faded. "Before I go, may I ask why Nastasia wants you to destroy stuff with me in it?"
"I don't understand, sir."
"You said she wants you to get rid of material with the man in green. That's me," He said, pointing to himself.
Jeremy shook his head. "No, not you. This man here." He showed Mr. L the piece of paper that he was holding. It was an article about Luigi. His picture was front and center, Mario being absent. This must have been an adventure he took on his own.
Mr. L nodded. "I see. Thanks for clearing that up." The man in green left the library. As he climbed up the stairs to his room, he muttered to himself, "Why would they want to destroy stuff about Luigi? That loser's really not worth all the fuss."
The smallest koopa watched him leave. He turned back to his leader. "He's gone."
Jeremy let out a sigh of relief. "Thank Grambi. That was a close one.
The others were so concentrated on the mistake they nearly made that they didn't sense another presence in the room. Dimentio stared at the group of Koopas, invisible. Coincidentally, he also had to go to the library, but he made it much faster due to his teleportation powers. After watching the exchange with Mr. L and the Koopas, he couldn't help but chuckle. These minions were so incompetent that they almost let Mr. L figure it out. They even left the door open!
Then again, that was the Count's problem, not his. Dimentio looked through the material on the table. He had to choose carefully; any that he didn't take would be destroyed. After thinking hard, he picked the best few resources. As soon as he touched them, they became invisible along with him. Dimentio grinned and left the room. He had to research Luigi if he wanted his plan to work.
Mr. L made sure to wake up bright and early the next morning. It was partly to get some work done, but also to make up for sleeping in the day before. He set his alarm for 7:30 and placed it on his writing desk on the other side of his room; that way, he would have to get up to press the Snooze button. When it went off, Mr. L got up and crossed the room, turned off the alarm, then started to get dressed. For some reason, he felt like brighter colors this morning. He chose a green shirt and jeans. (Of course, he still wore his mask.)
After getting dressed, he headed downstairs. He grabbed a quick mug of coffee and stepped outside to get started on his second build of Brobot. The night before, Nastasia mentioned that some smaller parts arrived. He could piece them together with what he had salvaged. When he came across the garage door, he entered the code. 6183. As the garage door slid open, Mr. L walked in, stretching along the way. He turned on the lights and went to the table where he left his blueprints. However, they weren't where he left them.
Mr. L furrowed his brows. "Huh? Who messed with my stuff?" His face grew sour at the thought of people messing up his work space. He clenched his fists and shouted, "I HAVE A SYSTEM, PEOPLE!"
"Looking for this, L?" A voice asked. Dimentio turned visible, holding the latest design for Brobot in his hands. "I love the design, by the way. Very unique."
Mr. L sighed. "Why am I not surprised?" To Dimentio, he said, "Would you quit doing that?"
Dimentio floated by his side. "Why? It's so much fun! Besides, do you not like it when I come and see you?"
"I don't mind you dropping in. I just don't like when you startle me like that." He walked closer to him and held his hand out. "May I have that back, please?"
"Well, since you asked nicely, here." Dimentio handed the blueprints back.
The man in green examined them, making sure that his friend hadn't ruined anything. Thankfully, he hadn't. He looked back up at him. "What are you doing in here?"
"I was waiting for you. I knew you'd come by here eventually, being the workaholic that you are."
Mr. L frowned. "That's nice. What'd you want to do, watch me work again?"
Dimentio shook his head. "No, I just wanted to talk."
"Okay..." He looked at his blueprints. Mr. L went to the table and tried to smooth them out. "I got some serious work to do though. Another time."
"But Mr. L, this simply cannot wait."
The Green Thunder smirked. "What? Entering in the freak show and need some advice?" He chuckled at his own joke. However, Dimentio wasn't laughing. He wore an unusual frown. For some reason, it was a bit unsettling. His smile faded. "Dimentio, I'm teasing."
"I don't like being toyed with, Mr. L," Dimentio said in a rather serious tone.
He blinked a few times, confused. "I'm...sorry? What is this about?"
"Put down the blueprints first."
Mr. L did so, then asked, "Did I tick you off or something?"
"No, no. This is just a serious matter is all. I need you to answer a question for me and answer honestly."
"Okay."
"Were you just messing around in the village or do you really like other men?"
Mr. L blinked a few times. He waited to hear more, but Dimentio was silent. "Wait...That's what this is over!?"
The magician nodded. The man in green groaned. He knew that there were people in the world who were against two people of the same sex being together, but Dimentio didn't seem to mind yesterday. Why was he bringing that up now? "Yes. I like other men. Why? You got a problem with that?"
"No."
Mr. L turned away. "Good, because anyone who does can answer to Brobot L-Type."
"Brobot...L-Type?"
"It's what I've been calling the future build of Brobot. It sounds more snazzy than Brobot 2 or something."
Dimentio's smile returned. "No, Mr. L. I wasn't asking because I'm offended by it or anything of the sort. I was just wanting to test the waters."
Mr. L turned back around, tilting his head. "Huh?'
"You see, even though I saw you enjoyed flirting with that other gentleman, I couldn't be positive. Some heterosexual men flirt with anyone, but are never serious about it," Dimentio explained. He said it in such a way that he sounded convinced this answered all of Mr. L's questions.
However, that couldn't be farther from the truth. It only raised more. "Okay...?" He walked to the end of the desk and reached for his screwdriver. "Why would you need to 'test the waters?'"
Dimentio came closer. Mr. L's eyes widened and he stepped back a bit. "I wanted to see how you would feel about this..." With that, he pushed him against the wall. Before Mr. L knew what was happening, Dimentio leaned forward and kissed him on the mouth. His eyes grew even wider.
The kiss lasted for a few long seconds. On one hand, it was sloppy and forced, but on the other, it felt nice. Dimentio's kiss was nice and warm and Mr. L felt like melting in his arms and...Wait, what!?
The man in green pushed his friend away. "W-What are you doing!?"
Dimentio chuckled. "I have to say, Mr. L, you've caught my eye. Your silver eyes are like the moon that the crying wolf howls under, your voice is rich like the finest chocolate, and you drip with snark and sarcasm. I'm a bit infatuated."
Mr. L blinked a few times. He never would've guessed this. Not in a million years. "So, you're saying...you love me?"
Dimentio shook his head. "Love and infatuation are two different things. Though in this case, maybe lust is the better word. I'm not sure. I haven't decided yet."
He narrowed his eyes. "Is this some kind of joke? Are you going to use this to out me or something? I haven't told anyone else..."
"I'm always deadly serious, Mr. L. Why would now be any different?" Dimentio asked. Mr. L started biting his lips again. Then it clicked. He was anxious. "I'm not trying to embarrass or humiliate you, if that's what you're wondering. I just assumed you were straight, so I kept quiet, but now I know that I have a chance with you after all."
The Green Thunder tried to speak, but his words came out jumbled. He sounded like a stuttering mess, unlike his usual confident self. Mr. L took a deep breath and started over. "I-I don't know if I'm comfortable with this..."
Dimentio put his hands on his face. "It's alright, darling. We don't have to rush."
Mr. L frowned. Darling. Such a sappy pet name. He stepped back, taking the jester's hands off of his face. "That's too close. And don't call me that."
"Why not?"
"Because...I don't know if I'm comfortable with you and me," He replied, pointing back and forth between them. "Don't get me wrong! You're a good friend and I've really appreciated your support lately, but...I just don't know if I feel the same."
The jester stroked his chin, pretending to think. Luckily, he thought ahead of time, so he already knew what to do. "Hmm...How about we work out a little deal then?"
"A deal?"
Dimentio nodded. "That's right. How about you let me do this, and in exchange, I can tell you a bit more about your past?"
Mr. L's eyes widened. "M-My past? But I don't have a past...
"Oh, sure you do. For example...Do you remember how you told that strapping cashier about Brooklyn?"
He shook his head. "That was just a random city that I picked out from the newspapers..."
"Think again. You were actually born and raised there. I would say that I'm impressed, but then again, you could have been drawn to it unconsciously."
Mr. L narrowed his eyes. "How do I know you're not making this up?"
Dimentio frowned. "Does it sound like I'm making this up?"
Mr. L let the idea sit there and supposed that it wasn't too absurd. While everyone else never heard of Brooklyn, Mr. L knew it well. He could see the city and smell it in his dreams. Plus, he didn't seem to have a family here. He had to have come from somewhere. "I-I guess not. But...If I was born in America, then how did I get here? In this world?"
"Oh, I don't know. I forgot. Ciao!" The magician started to head for the door.
Mr. L hesitated before calling out, "Wait!"
Dimentio turned back around with an impish smile. "Yes?"
"How do you know who I was? I don't even know that..."
"Well, I could tell you, but where's the fun in that?"
He took a deep breath. He couldn't believe he was going to do this, but there was something that had been on his mind for a while. "Okay. I'll give you something, but you have to answer a question of mine. Deal?"
The magician raised an eyebrow, genuinely curious. "What is it?"
Mr. L walked up to him and planted a sweet kiss on his lips. He broke the kiss and looked down at the floor. Dimentio stared, surprised. He almost thought it was for real until Mr. L went on, "I assume you know who my real family is."
Dimentio nodded, his smile faltering. Why was he disappointed? "That's correct. But is that all you really have to offer for information like that?"
He shook his head. "No, no. I just want to know if they're okay. Or if they're even alive, that is."
Dimentio hesitated. He really did like Mr. L. Maybe he didn't love him, but he liked him. He could tell him that his family was dead so he would be more inclined to turn to them. Then again, that could damage his morale greatly. "They're alive."
Mr. L felt a weight lift from his shoulders. He sighed happily. "Grazie Dio..." Then he remembered that Dimentio was still watching him. He cleared his throat and straightened his composure. "I mean, um...Thank you, Dimentio. I-I'll think about this..."
The jester grinned, satisfied. "I'll see you soon, darling. Ciao!"
Mr. L frowned. "I told you not to call me-"
Before he could finish his sentence, Dimentio teleported out of the room. He left the black outline of a square behind him.
Mr. L sighed and buried his face in his hands. He let out a loud groan. This wasn't supposed to happen. He wasn't supposed to get involved in romance. He was supposed to work on his brother, finish him, capture or destroy the heroes of Light, then forever be known as Count Bleck's top minion! However, literally none of those things were happening now and he had to deal with confused feelings to boot!
What had he gotten himself into?
Grazie Dio=Thank God
If you forgot, Gary is the goomba who got hypnotized by Nastasia. His friend didn't have a name in the game, so I named him Kevin. That's why they know about Luigi/Mr. L. Gary remembers his past but likes serving the Count anyway and Kevin joined the cause willingly. (Coincidentally, I watched some clips of a documentary in Psychology about two friends named Garrison and Kevin.)
Later, if you play Mr. L's second encounter as Mario, he says, "Those overalls are so played out! Have at you!" That's where I got Mimi's quote from about his overalls. (This doesn't necessarily mean that Mario will be the main for that battle, though.)
I forgot to mention this in SBG, but the garage code is 6183 because that's the date of Luigi's first video game appearance. He first appeared in the arcade game Mario Bros. on June 1st, 1983.
I really don't hope this story is bringing up the LGBT themes too much. See, I'm a lesbian, and I don't think there are enough stories (fanfics or otherwise) about gay relationships, although this one isn't exactly ideal. When I find one, it's usually either fetishized and/or a lemon. Plus, I rarely ever see bisexuality, and I think representation is needed, considering biphobia is a thing EVEN among gays and lesbians. (Which is stupid, btw.)
-Colorful and Free