I’m a failure…I’m just a shadow…I’ll never be as good as him…No one cares about me like they care about him…No one even wants to know me…Everyone treats me like a baby, and I’m sick of it! I’m not a nobody! I’m NOT A NOBODY! I EXIST TOO! MARIO IS NOT THE ONLY BROTHER! PLEASE NOTICE ME! 

Oh god…Everything’s going blurry…I can’t focus on anything in the room…So many colors, it’s overwhelming…There’s heavy weight on my chest…It hurts to breathe. It feels like an elephant is laying on my chest…I need to breathe heavier to make up for it. 

But it isn’t working…I feel light-headed from breathing so hard…It’s making everything worse. Why does my hand hurt-? Oh…I’m scratching it raw…that makes sense. 

Help…I feel my knees giving out…I’m gonna fall! NO! The hard ground is gonna hurt! 

Hard ground…it’s coming…

…It should be coming…right? 

G…Ground…? 

N…No hard ground? Why can’t I feel the ground? 

Wait…I feel…arms? Whose arms? What color are they? 

They’re yellow…Why are they yellow? I don’t know a person who wears yellow. Who is this? 

“Shh-shh-shhhh…”

I widen my eyes. Mario? Is that you?! Why are you wearing yellow? I never see you wearing yellow! 

“It’s okay, I’m right here.” 

Mario is here…I’m not alone. Mario cares. He has always cared about me…

I wrap my arms around Mario and let out a shaky breath of relief. Mario had saved me from falling and hitting my head. I’m safe in his arms.  

I feel Mario hugging me back. His yellow clothes are very comfy. I feel my eyesight getting better. I’m able to see more than just the random colors. I look down at Mario's back, and widen my eyes when I see it…

A waving cat tail…? 

Wait…Why does Mario have a tail?! 

“M-Mario?...” I call. 

“Yes, Lu?” He replied. 

I reach my arm out and touch the yellow tail attached to my brother. “Am…Am I losing it?” I ask him. 

“No. What’s going on?” He asked. 

“Then-” I took off my glove and felt it. It was real! “Why on earth, do you have a cat tail?!” I finally asked. 

Mario let go of me to reveal his costume and wagged the cat tail. He was wearing a yellow onesie with a hood with cat ears. “I’m a cat.” He explained. 

I didn’t know whether to burst out laughing, or coo with cuteness overload. “I-” I lifted my hat up and scratched my head. “Why are you wearing a fur suit?!” I asked. 

Mario giggled. “It’s a powerup.” Mario admitted to me. “It’s the powerup I used to beat Donkey Kong.” He admitted. 

“You beat a gorilla…by dressing as a cat…” I clarified, not at all believing him. 

“I did! I skittered all around him-” He reenacted it in front of me. “And I scratched him on the face a few times! This powerup is sweet.” Mario told me. 

I think for a moment. “If you’re dressed like a cat…and you have claws like a cat…” I smirked. “Does that mean you act like a cat too?” I asked next. 

Mario rolled his eyes. “I don’t know. I’ve only used it once, Lu.” Mario admitted. 

I smile as I wipe the leftover tears from my own eyes. “Can…Can I try?” I ask. 

Mario shrugged his shoulders. “Sure! Whatever helps you feel better.” He told me. 

I scooted myself closer to him and looked at his back. I brought up my hand to pet his back, but…I retreated it with an embarrassed laugh. “Sorry, this is really weird…” I admitted.

Mario chuckled. “Yeah, I imagine.” 

I reached out my hand closer to his back…but I made the mistake of looking at Mario’s face. Something about seeing Mario’s face surrounded by the yellow fur of a cat, made it look like he was being eaten alive by the cat suit. 

I dropped my hand down as laughter bursted out of me. “Ihit’s so hard to take you seriously when all I see is your face!” I admitted. 

Mario wheezed and hung his head as well, bursting out in his own laughter. “Ihihis ihit really that hard?!” He asked. 

I attempted to pull myself together. But…One little look at the suit…And I had thrown myself onto the floor, busting out in even more laughter. “Sohohorry! Gohod-” I reacted, my voice squeaking slightly. 

I rubbed my eye as I let myself laugh. The entire cat suit powerup thing was way too hard for me to properly process. All I kept thinking was ‘De yellow cat go mew’ and ‘Cat bro so kawaii’. It was next to impossible to take him seriously. 

Though, I had to admit…It felt amazing to just laugh till my stomach hurt. It felt so relieving after my panic attack. Mario’s cat costu- powerup, had already helped cheer me up. Even then, this was only the beginning. There was so much I could do to explore. 

I finally sat up and wiped a few tears out of my eyes. I was still giggling…but thankfully, I was calming down at least a little bit. It took me a second to realize Mario was holding up something in his hand. It looked like an old-fashioned bell you’d put on a cow. Or a bell you’d have at the end of a cat toy. But the only difference was…it had beady black eyes. 

“Whahat-” I blinked a few times and looked at Mario. 

“Take it.” Mario told me. 

“What is it?” I asked. 

“It’s the cat powerup.” Mario told me. 

“Oh…” I responded. I bit my lip and slowly brought my finger out to poke it. When I felt my finger touch it, I felt a surge of power overcome my body. It was so quick and so overwhelming, I didn’t know what to do with myself. But I gasped as the power calmed down. 

“Meow!” I heard. 

Wait…that was my- I widened my eyes and covered my mouth. Did I just do that?! Did I just meow?! Oh NO! That’s so embarrassing! 

I looked up at Mario, likely visibly embarrassed. But Mario smiled at me. “Meow!” He replied back to me. 

For some strange reason…his meow made me feel a little bit better about it. I instinctively uncovered my mouth and let out a guffaw. “I couldn’t control that! That was instinctual, I swear!” I reacted. 

Mario laughed. “I know, right?! It leaves your mouth before you can comprehend it!” He admitted. 

“It really does!” I agreed, still surprised. 

Mario stretched out his front paws, in almost a ready position. “You in the mood for a good ol’ fashioned cat fight?” Mario asked me. 

I smirked and got myself ready in virtually the same position. “You betcha~” I replied excitedly. 

The last thing I processed was Mario’s smirk towards me. And then the cat fight had begun. Mario tackled me to the ground while I rolled myself over and bapped Mario in the chest to get him off. Mario ran a good two feet away, and reached his right paw out to bap me. “Dooon’t you do it.” Mario warned. 

I smirked and slowly walked myself closer to him. “Oooh, I just might~” I teased. 

Mario smirked and raised his paw higher. “I’m warning you!” 

I swished my tail with excitement, before tackling Mario to the ground. “Warn me better next time!” I declared happily. 

Mario let out a cat-like cry, before kicking me with his back paws. “NO!” He shouted, bringing his head closer and showing his teeth. 

I smirked and rubbed my face and ears into Mario’s belly. 

I heard Mario wheeze and felt him bap my head in an attempt to get my head away. “WAHAITNAhahahaha! Luhu- nahahaha!” Mario laughed. 

“Looks like the kitty cat’s still ticklish~” I teased, gently fluttering the claws against his belly for good measure. 

Mario actually squealed, and rolled himself over to try and cover himself up. But little known fact about Mario: His back sides were ALSO very ticklish! And being his twin brother, I knew that fact all too well. 

So naturally, like any other brother would, I took advantage of the exposed area. 

“MAMA WAHAHAHAA!” Mario shrieked like a little girl, and wiggled around like a turtle stuck on its back!

I bursted out laughing. “Did you seriously forget about this spot?” I asked. 

“HAHAHAHAHA- YEHEHEHESSS!” Mario shouted. 

I couldn’t help but laugh at his struggle. “You really didn’t think any of this through, did you?” I asked with a giggle. 

Mario shook his head amidst his laughter. “NOHOHOHO.” He replied. 

I suddenly yelped as Mario pushed me off with his foot and flipped himself over. “Noho mohohore…Plehehease…” He muttered. 

I chuckled and scratched the back of my head. “Right…I forgot…you never could handle much tickling…” I admitted. 

I watched as Mario shook his head and huffed. “Gosh…I know you like to play, but…” He wiped off his sides. “Be careful.” He cleared his throat. “You know how anxious I get…” 

I widened my eyes in worry. Anxious? Did-Did I make Mario anxious?! 

No…Oh god…I messed up! I shouldn’t have tickled him!  

I wrap my clawed hands around myself and bring my knees up to my chest. How could I have made such a preventable mistake?! The playful tickling is too much for him to handle! Luigi, you know that! You know he can’t handle it! 

You’ve known since we were children! 

But-...But it was a spur of the moment thing…Mario started being playful with you first…

NO. Luigi, you need to stop doing what your heart wants to do! Think with your head! 

If you don’t…then you’ll throw him into an anxiety attack as well!

Experiencing an anxiety attack because of your own thoughts is one thing…

But putting someone else into an anxiety attack because of your thoughts too?! That’s unacceptable! Inexcusable! Selfish, even! 

Oh no…Luigi, you’re doing it again. Stop thinking these thoughts. You don’t want to go back to square one, right? 

Don’t be so stupid! You know better!

Come on, Luigi…Pull yourself together! Come on! Breathe! For the love of god-

…?

…H-Huh?

…..What-...

I feel…W-Warm…It’s…fl-fluffy? What is- 

“Shhh shhh shhh…It’s okay…” 

Mario…Mario’s voice…It’s soft…quiet…

I feel warm…cozy…What’s making me feel so comfy? 

I look down, and see a red blanket. Red…Mario’s favorite color…It’s his blanket…He’s letting me use it…It smells like him too…

Hm? I feel something hugging me…Hands? Arms? Who’s holding me? It feels…nice. 

I look up to see Mario’s red shirt. “It’s okay, Lu. It’s okay…I got you.” 

I smile. Mario’s here. It’ll be okay. It’s okay, Luigi...You’re okay. 

“There you go…” I hear him say. 

My heart isn’t beating as heavily…My breathing has slowed…I feel…a little more calm…more safe…

“You okay, Lu?” I hear. 

I bite my lip and look up at Mario as best I can. “Did I make you anxious?” I ask him. 

Mario shook his head. “No. You didn’t.” He replied. 

I frown. “I almost did…” I told him. 

“What do you mean?” I hear him ask. 

“I could’ve…” I shove my face into the red blanket. 

I hear Mario sigh and pull me closer. “You didn’t make me anxious…If anything, your tickles kind of surprised me a little bit.” I heard him say. 

I open my eyes a small bit. “They…didn’t make you anxious?” I asked, still fearful of what I might’ve done to him. 

“Not even a little bit.” Mario said back. 

Wait…I don’t understand. “Y-You said-” 

“Luigi…” I feel him rub my back. “There’s a huge difference between being surprised, and being anxious.” He told me. “I think I may have used the word ‘anxious’ in the wrong context…” He admitted. “But…I want to tell you…” I felt as Mario let me go slightly and fixed the blanket on my shoulders. “You did not make me anxious.” 

Every little brick that was balancing on my shoulders, had slowly fell off my shoulders. It felt like I could properly breathe again. The warmth and comfort Mario was giving me…was helping me exponentially. 

“You feeling better, Lu?” Mario asked me. 

I smiled and nodded my head. “Y-Yeah…” I admitted softly. 

*knock, knock, knock* 

“Mario? Luigi? Are you in there?” Someone called. 

Mario widened his eyes. “Peach!” He reacted. 

PEACH?! 

“SHOOT!” I pushed myself out of Mario’s grip and threw the blanket off myself. I fixed my hair and threw my hat onto my head quickly. “Come on, Mario.” I grabbed Mario’s hand. 

“Luigi hold oOOAAH!” Mario shrieked as I pulled him up onto his feet. “Geez…Okay.” 

I heard him rub his overalls free of any dirt while I ran up to open the door. “Hello Princess!” I greeted. 

Peach crossed her arms. “Took you long enough…” She teased. “What were you two up to?” She asked. 

I bit my lip, and struggled to come up with an excuse. I didn’t really want Peach to find out we were cuddling…

“I was about to give Luigi the biggest revenge attack ever.” Mario declared right beside me. I lit up. “Y-Yeah! That!” I said…only for me to realize what I just said ‘yes’ to. 

“What kind of revenge?” Peach asked me. 

I could feel the sweat dripping down my forehead. “U-Uh…” I hesitantly tried to protest. 

“The ticklish kind~” He teased me with the biggest grin on his face. I squeaked as my eyes fell upon Mario’s wiggling, villainous fingers. 

They were torturous to watch…Just wiggling…ready to pounce and cover me in overwhelming ecstasy. 

Before I could properly process my inevitable doom, I felt Mario’s hands grab my wrists while the smaller, gloved fingers of the Princess began to skitter and squeeze my sides and belly. If I knew THIS was gonna happen, I would’ve waited an extra 5 minutes before getting off Mario. 

But…alas…I was wrong…