Chapter Text
Luigi smiled as he looked at his math test grade and raised his arms over his head in joy. "Yes! I've gotten a hundred and ten percent!"
Mario looked at his brother as he ate his lunch. "Bro, how do you even get a hundred and ten? Is that even mathematically possible?"
Luigi smiled at his brother, a genuine, happy smile. "It is if you go the extra mile, Mario."
Mario chuckled, nudging him with an elbow. "Extra mile? You sure you aren't just fucking the teacher?" A Toad sitting at their table laughed, and Luigi blushed, shaking his head.
"What the—no! I just asked Ms. Toadilina for some extra credit projects."
Mario sighed, looking a bit impressed but mostly exhausted for him. "Extra credit? Man, she gives enough regular work as it is. You should take a breather, Luigi. These years are important, sure, but you're gonna burn yourself out before we even graduate."
"I’m not burning out," Luigi insisted. "I’m setting myself up for success. This shapes our entire future."
Mario leaned back, his expression softening. "I get that, bro. I do. But the future is a long way off. I just don't want you to look back and realize all you remember from high school is the inside of a textbook. You're young once—come hang out with us more."
"I do hang out! We’re literally at the same table right now," Luigi pointed out. "And I play sports! That's a social life."
"That’s a scheduled activity," Mario countered with a small grin. "I mean actually hanging out. No books, no drills, no overthinking. You don't have to have a job or a car to just... exist for a bit, you know? Just don't spend the whole 'here and now' worrying about 'ten years from now.'"
Luigi sighed as the bell rang, signaling the end of lunch. "I just want to be ready, Mario."
Mario clapped him on the shoulder as they stood up. "I know you do. And you will be. Just don't forget to have a little fun along the way, okay?"
The bell rang, signaling the end of lunch. Luigi sighed as he and Mario joined the crowd of students flowing into the busy hallways. Halfway down the corridor, Mario peeled off to meet his girlfriend, Pauline, who was leaning against her locker waiting for him.
Luigi was on his own now. Unfortunately, his locker wasn't anywhere near Mario's, nor was it close to his next class. He took a left and jogged up the large staircase to the second floor, pushing through the heavy double doors at the landing. He navigated the crowded corridor until he reached his locker, which was tucked all the way at the very end of the hall.
Quickly spinning his combination, he shoved his Algebra books inside and grabbed his textbooks for English—his most hated subject. Slamming the metal door shut, he sprinted back through the halls and practically burst through the door to his English class, huffing and puffing.
A few students turned to stare at his loud entrance, but Professor Fungi didn't even blink, continuing his lecture as if Luigi were completely invisible. Luigi couldn't care less. He caught his breath, kept his head down, and slipped into his empty seat beside a pretty ginger named Maple.
Maple smiled at him with a friendly wave as the teacher talked.
Luigi forced a smile as he returned her friendly wave. Maple was a pretty ginger freshman. Luigi had ended up becoming friends with her; they were bonding over their love of sports. She did tennis and had been doing golf since she was a little kid with her father, who was a stereotypical rich white man—her words, not his.
He sat down, and she smiled bigger. He sat next to her. "Hey, Luigi, how are you?"
He made a thumbs-up motion with his hand.
"That's it, you can't speak?"
"Miss Maple, please be quiet," Professor Fungi said to her in a condescending tone. She blushed in embarrassment.
"Sorry, sir..."
Luigi gave a sympathetic smile to her, and she seemed to blush more. Luigi didn't have a clue why, though.
Professor Fungi turned to the class, wiggling his mustache as he smacked the board with a yardstick. "Now everyone, now that you know who Toadlin Toadofsky is, you will read his most famous book: Great Expectations. Then, write a five-thousand-word essay on the book in cursive."
Everyone in the class groaned. One student had the nerve to call out. "This isn't a college class, old man, it's high school!"
Professor Fungi looked around the room. "Which one of you little ingrates said that?!"
Not surprising at all. The student didn't have the nerve to take responsibility for what he said and repeat himself.
Professor Fungi wiggled his mustache in annoyance. "Well, if you must know, this may not be college, but this is high school, not middle school. And I will give you as much work as I deem fit for you all to be ready for the next grade. Also, whoever said that has a week's worth of lunch detention. Please see me after class to get your detention papers. If this hooligan won't show himself, you all must come after class and see me for your lunch detentions, thank you."
Luigi sighed. This was why he hated English; he had Professor Fungi as his English teacher.
Professor Fungi sat in his chair as he wiggled his mustache. "Now, class, I want you all to read the story on page three forty-nine and answer the questions. What you don't get done tonight will be homework, along with your written essay, which is due in one week."
Fice T., a black-spotted Toad, stood from his chair. "Are you kidding me, you old fart?! We don't have enough time to read this book and write a five-thousand-word essay on it!"
Professor Fungi wiggled his mustache. "Be thankful I made the assignment easier for you, boy. Last year, I had the class do the exact same assignment, only I wanted them to write the essay in Hyrulian."
The Toad's eyes widened. "You're the craziest teacher in this school!"
Professor Fungi nodded. "That was a bit of a hyperbole, boy. You earned yourself two weeks in detention. Plus the detention for whoever made the outburst. And before you ask why, it's because I think you're the one who started that previous outburst. You already made an outburst of your own anyway, so I don't care, and you're annoying. Please see me after class, boy."
The Toad glared at Professor Fungi. "I have a name, and no, I won't be seeing you after class, you fungus brain."
Everyone in class gasped at first, then let out a giggle.
Toadsworth nodded. "So be it then, boy. I will take off some of your behavior points for the month, which will leave you at... a D average, and the essay is forty percent of your semester grade. Quality counts for about seventy percent of the entire grade, so good luck this quarter, my boy."
Fice T. flipped his desk over, flipped Professor Fungi off, and walked out of the classroom.
Professor Fungi sighed as he looked around the room. "Well? Get to work. You all wasted ten minutes watching the outburst that fool made. I suggest you get to work if you want to get a grade over an F on your essay."
Everyone groaned at this, including Luigi. "Oh my gosh, I hate this guy..." Luigi nonetheless took out his book, opened it to the desired page, and began reading the story. "I need to get this done before I get home; I can't afford to have distractions at home."
Luigi finished his essay and was onto the questions when the bell rang. He closed the book and then put it into his bag, then went to Professor Fungi's desk. Professor Fungi didn't stop the students who didn't come, making them feel that they were off the hook, but Luigi knew better than this; Professor Fungi was going to punish those who did not come. The only ones who came were him and Maple. Luigi gave Professor Fungi a dull look as he said in a stoic tone.
"I'm here to get my detention slip."
Professor Fungi nodded. "Wait a sec, I'll write it for you." He took out a pink slip, wrote his name, and signed it. "Here, you need to sign it too, but do it on your own time. You need to get to class now."
Luigi nodded as he left the classroom to get to his next class. Maple grabbed his arm, stopping him in his tracks.
"Um... L-Luigi, can you wait for me outside? I, uh... kinda need to talk to you."
Luigi nodded. "Yeah, I'll wait a few minutes."
Maple smiled at him with a blush. "Thank you, Luigi."
Luigi walked outside the class and leaned on a locker waiting for Maple. He watched as some of the people walked by. Before he knew what was happening, though, he had someone wrap an arm around his shoulders and pull him into a headlock. It was Wario again.
"Sup, nerd?!"
"Ugh, Wario, get off!"
Wario released him and chuckled. "I got more homework that needs getting done."
Luigi sighed. "Wario, I have enough to do that doesn't include you, okay?"
Wario looked at him, surprised. "Aw, come on, man, I'll pay you double!"
"No!"
"I'll pay you triple! Forty bucks a paper!"
Luigi looked at him skeptically. "Make it eighty, and you got a deal."
"Wahaha, my man!" He clapped him on the shoulder, making him slam into a wall.
"Oof! Watch it, you big galoot! Where are you even getting this money from?"
"Hey, I don't pay you to ask questions, got it?" he said, grabbing him by the shirt, snarling. "All you gotta do is do my homework, get me an A-plus, and take my money, got it?"
"Okay, okay, Jesus Christ, give me the damn papers!" Luigi snapped.
Wario smiled a white, toothy smile and slammed the papers into his chest, slamming him into the wall again.
"Will you stop it?!"
"Wahaha, why? It's so much fun!" Wario said, guffawing at Luigi's expense.
Luigi stuffed his papers into his bag. "You're an asshole."
"Hey, hey, I'm paying you for this shit! Don't hate the customer, alright?" He then turned, did a little finger salute, and waddled off, hands in his pockets.
Maple frowned at Luigi. "You need to tell a teacher."
"Huh?" He turned to Maple, looking at her concerned. "Tell what to a teacher?"
"Wario! He's bullying you!"
"What? No! You don't understand, Maple—"
"If you won't tell, I will!"
Luigi groaned. "Maple—"
"Luigi, I can't stand seeing you treated like that! What he's doing is dos—"
"MAPLE, I'M NOT GETTING BULLIED!"
"Then what's going on?!"
"I'm doing his homework for him, and he's paying me."
"But, I saw him slam you around and manhandle you!"
"That's just the way Wario is. He's not a bully, he's just a dick that likes to throw his weight around."
"That sounds like a bully, Luigi," Maple said sternly.
"Oh, Mamma Mia, Maple, I'm not being bullied! Please don't tell any teachers, you'll get me in trouble."
She sighed. "You promise you're not being bullied?"
"I promise on my mother's life."
She sighed. "Okay, I believe you."
"Good."
"Well, um... I just wanted to know if, um..." She was blushing by now. "Would you like to maybe, um... work together on the essay?"
Luigi sighed. "No, not tonight. I have waaay too many things going on tonight. I don't even plan to start the essay yet."
"Well, we can work on it later when you have time."
"I don't have time, ever."
"Oh," she said, disappointed.
Luigi sighed. "But I can probably make some time."
Maple smiled big. "Awesome!"
"Luigi!" He turned to see Mario.
"Oh, hey, bro."
"Ready for practice?"
"Yeah."
"See you later, Luigi!" Maple said, and walked off.
"Please don't tell me you're dating that."
"Excuse me?"
"You heard me! Are you dating that freshman?!"
"That freshman has a name, Mario, it's Maple, and we are just friends."
"Okay, well, that friend of yours definitely wants to be more."
Luigi blushed. "Oh, don't be ridiculous, Mario, no way."
"Yes way! I'm warning you, bro, don't mess around with gingers."
"What?"
"Gingers, Luigi! Don't ever date one!"
"Why?"
"They're oversensitive, clingy, and have no souls."
"Mario, you're an idiot!"
"Not to mention she's clumsy, goofy, and her shoes don't match."
"Okay, the shoe thing I get, it bothers me too, but I don't want to offend her by bringing it up."
"Good! Don't! She'll burst into tears, her emotions are out of control."
"How the fuck do you know?"
"Ginger, Luigi, ginger."
"STOP STEREOTYPING HER!! Besides, I'm too focused on getting my GPA higher than a four-point-zero than I am with girls."
"I take it back, date Maple."
"Why?"
"You're a loser, she'll be good for you."
"Fuck off!" Luigi spat.
Luigi was in practice now, stretching, getting ready to practice. Mario was beside him, stretching as well. A lot of people on the team were humans, but there were some Toads on the team as well.
"Mario! Luigi!"
The brothers turned and waved as they heard Peach riding her bike down the sidewalk over to the soccer field.
"Hey, Peach!" they both said in unison.
Peach dropped her bike into the grass and ran over. "Hey, guys!" she said happily as she stopped before them.
Peach was homeschooled, getting what Toadsworth liked to call the "elite education." Peach apparently hated it, but her father insisted on her getting this education. She, of course, was allowed to go and play sports for any school she wanted, and naturally, she chose the team her two best friends were on.
"How was your guys' day?" she asked.
"Same as always," Mario said.
"Yeah, I'm glad it's over, though."
"Hey, Peach," Plum said to her.
"Hey, Plum!" she replied. She got into a conversation with Plum. She also went and talked with other team members from the Toads, to a Yoshi, and the other humans as well, even Pauline. They all talked for a good ten minutes.
Finally, Mario spoke up. "Okay, guys, enough chitchat, let's get to work." Everyone nodded.
The team was split between the Pink Team, which Peach was the captain of, and the Red Team, which Mario was the captain of. Luigi was on the Red Team naturally; he and Mario did everything together.
"Hey, that's not fair, you have two of the best players on your team, Mario! Luigi! Come over to my team!"
"W-what? B-but Mario and I do everything together..."
"Please?" Peach asked with a big adorable grin. Luigi relented.
Peach chuckled to herself. "Never fails..." And it was true; no one had yet to resist her charm.
Mario pushed the ball into the center. He stared into Peach's eyes, and she stared back. The buddy-buddy act was over, and the two people stared into each other's eyes, ready to go at it. Luigi flipped a coin; heads was Mario, Peach was tails. The coin flipped in the air; it landed on tails.
Peach smiled. "Yes!" She kicked the ball and they started. They didn't go easy, either. Mario kicked the ball towards her goal, and the others raced towards it. They fought hard. Someone on Mario's team got the ball, and Luigi kicked his feet out from under him. Peach got the ball and kicked it over to one of her team members, only to be intercepted by a Yoshi. One of the Toads tried to get the ball, but Yoshi kicked it to one of the human males, who kicked it to Mario's goal. However, the goalie stopped it and kicked it to Mario. Peach kicked Mario's feet out from under him, and Luigi got the ball. He kicked it to a Toad, who was able to get it back over to Peach, who kicked the ball towards their goal again, yet the goalie stopped it again.
Mario growled through gritted teeth. He ran towards Peach, slamming into her and knocking her to the ground, and kicked the ball to Plum. Plum got the ball and managed to get closer to Peach's goal, but Pauline was able to get the ball from her. She kicked it to Peach, who was on her feet again and kicked it at the goal again. This time it got in.
"YES!" Peach screamed at the top of her lungs in a most unladylike fashion. Toadsworth would have a stroke if he had heard it. She fell to the ground, blowing kisses to an imaginary audience in a most dramatic fashion, absolutely making a scene and being a sore winner.
"MAMMA MIA!!!!!" Mario screamed, enraged, as he stomped his foot on the ground like a toddler. Peach laughed at him and mocked him. He would have punched her had Luigi and another person not held him back. This only made Peach mock him more.
"Um, maybe we should take a break so we can cool down," Plum suggested.
Mario was heaving and puffing, red-faced. "Yeah, maybe you're right," he said as he stormed off.
"Good job," Luigi said quietly to Peach.
"You too," she said with a wink.
Five minutes had passed as the team sat around and drank water. Mario had calmed down and turned to Peach. She was bruised from where Mario had slammed her into the ground; her leg was scraped up too.
"Are you alright?" Mario asked.
She looked at him and smiled. "I'm fine, Mario. Trust me, it'll take more than that to do a number on me. Though I will say, I think you should learn to control yourself," she said with a giggle.
"Yeah, I guess you're right, huh?" Mario said sheepishly.
Luigi was talking to Plum at the moment.
They got back to work and started practicing for another hour before finally calling it a day. Everyone was wet with sweat, and Peach dried herself off with a towel. "Jeez, I'm beat. That was a really good practice. I'm gonna go home, shower, and play video games. I'll call you later."
"Hey, sounds good!" Mario said.
"Mario, you have homework to deal with," Luigi chided.
Mario rolled his eyes. "Okay, Mom."
"Hey, I'm only trying to help you get good grades so you can go to college and get a good job."
Peach smiled and hugged Mario. "Well, you two sort this out. I'm going home to relax in my bathtub." And with that, she got on her bike and rode off for home.