#subtle mareach

[queenperri]

Super Mario Bros: Princess Placeholders

Characters: Mario, Luigi, Bowser, Peach, Toadette, Original Side and Main Characters

Genre/Themes: Hurt/Comfort, Slice of Life w/ Overarching plot, Post-Super Mario Bros Movie

Additional Info: Bisexual Mario, Mix up of Mario Characters from all game series (Paper Mario Etc), Peach is written as a combo between paper Peach and movie Peach.

Summary:

After finally setting up and settling down in the Mushroom Kingdom with his brother Luigi life has been smooth sailing. For the most part anyway, there's still a lot to get used to after his first whirlwind adventure on the superstar continent; like being considered a hero to the masses!

For now Mario is content in his little home with his little brother and a simple life. With Bowser locked away, and a new position as lead plumbers life couldn't be better for the Mario Bros!

At least; that was until all the leaders of the Superstar Continent were called to a last minute meeting. Now Peach has entrusted the Mario Bros and the Toads to keep the kingdom running smoothly while she's away.

Will they manage to keep the kingdom in working order long enough?

Can Mario push past his overwhelming self-doubt?

How many of Peach's dresses can Luigi wear before Toadette just gifts him one?

Push it to the present with Mario and Friends in this slice of life fic!

(Part of an overarching series; updated when I feel like I have a good amount written.)

With squinted eyes he looked at the paper in front of him in the dimly lit room. Her handwriting; elegant in the manner only a princess would be carefully trained to do. Mario rubbed his temples as he pulled the fire flower on his desk ever closer in order to better survey the notes writing. 

Dear Mario,

She always started like that,

Thank you for taking on the kingdom during Toadsworth and I’s extended absence. I’m sorry for leaving without saying goodbye, the meeting between all leaders of the Superstar Continent was swiftly called. 

The toads are usually capable of taking care of the kingdoms affairs without my heed for short periods of time; but considering these gatherings take so long (and since Toadsworth this time is so insistent on joining me) I am trusting you to take heed of the kingdom in my place. Dras T. and Toadette will be there to help and guide you. There shouldn’t be too much excitement as your tasks will be simple and pre-prepped due to my planning ahead. I’ve also arranged rooms for both you and Luigi at the castle. 

You are a very capable person Mario, do not forget that. 

I’ll be sure to bring both you and Luigi souvenirs from my travels. 

Yours truly,

Princess Toadstool Peach

Mario chuckled to himself: his eyes followed the way the princess’s well drawn cursive sign off was intercepted by the much stronger font of the Peach written in that glitter pink pen he had brought her from his occasional trips back home. 

He’d taken to reading the letter every night; it was grounding in a way, it reminded him why he’d been put in charge in the first place. He was capable, and if Peach believed that then he’d simply have to prove her right. 

A week had already gone by without a hitch. Everyday a meeting was held with all the high ranking toads of the kingdom; and usually Dras. T with his ever serious voice; led those without a fuss. 

Then there were rounds about the kingdom that usually culminated in Mario and Luigi doing the odd plumbing and mechanic job when needed. 

And after all that; all that was left to do was to simply log any changes that occurred in the kingdom that day in that big ol’ book in the first floor library. 

Simple; easy work, Luigi had likened it to being “glorified custodians”

Mario was just glad Peach trusted them enough to even do this in the first place. Letting them stay in the castle was a nice gesture; even if the distance between him and his brother's rooms was a little disconcerting. 

Okay maybe not just a little…

There was a reason Mario was up so late after all; and it wasn’t cause of the dimensional time zone differences (he’d long since gotten over that)

The real problem? It was quiet.

Horribly; horribly quiet!

See, Peach had set the brothers up with separate rooms. It wasn’t a big deal really; it was good actually, it saved Mario from Luigi’s terrible snoring! 

Yet at the same time, well, it meant Mario was forced to face the one thing he hated more than anything else. Quiet. 

It was an adjustment when they moved to the Mushroom kingdom. No longer was Mario’s ears met with the sound of New York city nightlife; no more whooping of police sirens echoing through the streets. No more clanking of garbage trucks hitting the manhole lids with a furious thunk. No more of that constant mechanical low drone that seemed to come from no place in particular or that wonderful noise of cars driving by; as the lights faded out and past the cracks of the blinds of the apartment. 

Mario had never noticed the noise before; not until it was taken away and replaced with quiet. 

Luigi’s snoring had turned from that of annoyance to comfort in a matter of days; and all because the Mushroom Kingdom was not nearly as alive in the night as New York was. The mushroom kingdom slept soundly in natural silence. That was not something Mario was very fond of.

In silence came thoughts; and in those thoughts came that sickening feeling that something was terribly terribly wrong. The worry that maybe his life had really been a dream; that he’d wake up in that shared apartment in Brooklyn with his family; back at square one with nothing to prove. 

Mario shook his head rapidly; no, this was real, and Mario was capable; maybe not at getting any proper amount of sleep, but he was plenty good at everything else! 

Just another week or two of playing glorified custodian: just another week or two of having to constantly fix Bowser's tiny, tiny piano; another week or two of a silent castle and then he could go back to a snoring brother and a delightfully small house that they had tucked away in the corner of the Mushroom Kingdom. Just another week or two and Peach comes back and everything goes back to normal. 

-

“How'd you manage to do that!?” Luigi wore an exasperated look. Mario merely reached his hand out to his brother, looking not nearly as surprised as he should be. You’d think after all these years dealing with artifacts the Toads would be a little less clumsy.

“Lemme see that Lu.” 

A staff; clearly ceremonial, bent in a 90 degree angle. It was a pretty thing to; dazzled to the nines in large jewels. The orb on top though, it certainly was… gaudy. 

“I’m uh right to assume this isn’t what it’s supposed to look like yeah?” 

The two toads in front of them looked down sheepishly,

“It was an accident really!”

“Do ya think she’ll notice?”

Fiddling with the staff in his hand; Mario surveyed the damage, “That her staff’s been turned into a venerated boomerang, eh probably.” The good thing was that the staff itself was made of some kind of lightweight metal; “We can take this back to our house and reshape it using some of our tools, easy fix overall.” 

“Oh yeah, easy easy fix” Luigi gave the toads a thumbs up.

Mario watched as the toads breathed a visible sigh of relief, 

“Oh thank the stars…”

“That would’ve the 3rd staff this month.”

Seriously, what did the Toads do with these things???

As the toads walked off to their respective tasks Mario and Luigi were left alone in the castle's foyer. Mario sunk himself into one of those cushy benches that lined the grand hall and slumped down.

“Tired bro?” The seat shifted slightly as Luigi’s body weight joined the cushion. 

“That obvious?”

“Considering the fact you've gone about the whole day with your eyes half closed I’d say yes. That’s a safety hazard ya know?”

Mario chuckled, “How can bein’ a little sleepy be a safety hazard?”

“You’d be surprised bro; you need to get better sleep. What, are those nightmares bothering you again? Need another pair of eyes to watch out for ya while ya sleep;” Luigi poked at Mario’s side, moving his hand away quick enough to avoid his brother swatting it, “You haven't been midnight snacking again have you? You know how weird those dreams can get.”

“Lu, quit that, you're starting to sound like Ma.”

“Whaat am I not allowed to worry for my big bro?” 

Mario slumped down even further; taking in the comfort of the velvet cushion, “Mm you're only allowed to worry if I do something crazy.”

“Like wearing a racoon suit and flying over a pit of boiling lava?”

“Tanooki, Luigi, it's called a- ugh nevamind.” 

Mario felt his brother's arm go around his shoulders, “okay okay, seriously though, what’s bothering you?”

Bothering him? Mm, the quiet was one thing but that was only because the quiet gave way to other thoughts. Such a simple question, but so loaded at the same time. Mario let out a deep sigh, “Well, I guess that-”

“Master Mario, Master Luigi.”

Both the brothers sat up straight at that; Luigi nearly flew off the cushioned bench all together. 

“Where did you even come from?’ Mario wheezed out; at this rate he’d never get used to that booming voice especially mixed with how Dras T. always seemed to come in at the most unconventional times. 

“My… apologies. I’ve come to inform you that another meeting between the High Council of Toads needs a mediator.”

“Wait a minute, didn’t you already have a meeting earlier today?”

“Yeah, Lu’s right. We already did that today, why have anotha one?”

Dras T looked off to the side; that ever dramatic expression littered his features. He seemed to be addressing some imaginary force, 

“Problems have arisen in our fair kingdom, and it is up to us to face them head on. We cannot lay down on these issues another hour.”

“That would be inspirational if it wasn't so ominous…” Luigi muttered. 

“Meet me in the grand hall in an hour,”

Mario rubbed at his eyes, “Didn’t you just say we couldn't wait anoth- and he’s disappeared.”

The bros stared blankly at the empty space in front of them for a moment before turning back to each other.

“Whatdysay we get somethin’ to eat before this whole meeting fiasco eh?” 

Luigi tapped his fingers together excitedly; “Oh yeah! I sure hope Toad’s cooked up something tasty!

-

The sizzle and the impressive panwork Toad exhibited always impressed Mario, the way how with a flick of the wrist he’d so seamlessly flipped in several layers of deliciousness was nothing but astounding. If it weren’t for his own mothers cooking Mario may even call him the best chef he ever knew; of course only counting when the dishes didn't include mushrooms (ironic in and of itself).

Luigi pointed excitedly at the diced tomatoes that sat on the counter next to Toads cooking setup “Oh, and a little bit of that too!” 

“Weegi ya sure that you finish that whole omelet before the meeting?”

“Aw come on Mario, have a lil faith in your little bro, ha cha cha, he’s my best eater, annnd a flippage” Toad flipped the omelet and it land perfectly folded back in the pan before he smoothly slid the food onto Luigi’s eager plate while dooting out what can only be assumed to be a super rad guitar solo. 

“Now what do you want in your omelet Mari-bro,”

“Don’t call me that.”

“Marisnow, Marigo, Mario the man; Mario the concept, Mari-”

“Cheddar cheese, tomatoes, spinach, and go really light on the onions.” Mario deadpanned. 

“Ahh yeah yea, going right with the classic, doing the Mario as I like to say.”

“You’ve never said that before now.”

“It’s gonna catch on, trust me.” 

Mario chuckled and rolled his eyes while holding out his plate for his Courtesy of Toad (™) omelet. He sat back as he listened to Luigi and Toads idle chatter. Luigi had always been a foodie, he was a mama’s boy after all. He’d always be right under Ma’s feet whenever she was cooking. Mario was just glad that Lu had someone to talk to in the mushroom kingdom that was just as passionate about delicious dishes as he was. Luigi just had a certain nuance for food that Mario could never match; so to see his brother and his (self proclaimed) best friend get along well was comforting. Comfort… speaking of comfort, was it just him or were these luncheon chairs the softest thing in the world. And when did everything get so dark and quiet?

Mario opened his eyes to his brother and Toad, staring at him with a mixture of amusement and worry. 

“Taking a quick power nap there Mario?”

“Meh, more or less,” he didn’t even notice he’d already been given his food, luckily his hand had been steady enough for it to not go rolling off the plate. 

Eating their late lunch meals the bros watched as Toad had begun preparation for his next set of meals; explaining them away. Mario wasn’t really paying attention, only tuning in when the conversation began talking of a special banquet.

Luigi spoke in between bites “Oh- oh so all these recipes you're trying out are for the princess’s return?” 

“Uh no, no it's for the special visitor coming. You don’t know?”

Mario raised a brow as he swallowed the last bit of his food, “I uh don’t, think we were clued in on that.” Mario had a feeling he now knew what that last minute council meeting was called for. 

“The princess didn’t leave any notes on that did she?” Luigi asked nervously, “I read the instructions plenty of times, gosh how did I miss that?”

“Ay Lu don’t worry about it too much from the sounds of it this was a last minute addition.”

Toad snapped his fingers and pointed finger guns at Mario “And in that you'd be right, I just found out about it myself. It’s weird though, what kind of prince schedules a meeting knowing a princess won’t be there?” 

“A what?”

“So you two are really really out of the loop then.”

Luigi fumbled into a standing position as he grabbed Mario’s arm, “Come on Bro, let's-a get to this meeting and figure out what’s goin’ on!” 

Mario nodded as he also got up to go, “Thanks for the late lunch Toad, we’ll talk later.”

“Of course, and fill a guy in on the juicy deets on this prince character when you get the chance, yeah?”

Down the halls of the grandiose castle they went; headed towards the grand hall.

NEXT TIME ON SUPER MARIO BROS: SUPER STAR STEADY

Will Mario make it through this meeting without falling asleep?

Who will tell Luigi that he has a few crumbs on his mustache? 

Will ‘doing the Mario’ ever really catch on?

And who is this mysterious prince character? 

Find out in the next chapter of Mario & Luigi: Princess Placeholders

Here | Part 2 | ...

[elitadream]

I'll be honest: I've got no excuse for that one. This is just pure and unfiltered silliness. 😂

The idea that Peach finds Mario very handsome is one that I absolutely adore, and I love imagining that her friends would often catch her staring while he works around the castle. The man would never notice; too absorbed by the task at hand to remotely consider that his visible strain and skillful moves might be closely observed. But little does he know, those seemingly mundane displays of strength and deftness would have the Princess pining even harder for him! xD 💘

What can I say? It's been forever since the last time I drew her looking properly flustered in his presence. I just had to! 😏🤭

[chloecherrysip]

There's a huge universe out there, with a lot of galaxies.

[pianokantzart]

So if the bros actually are in Sarasaland for the sequel, why are they there? And if Daisy does appear, what would her role be? Perhaps something similar to DK’s role in the first movie?

Whatever it is, I hope they establish her as more than just Luigi’s love interest. I’ve seen some people mention how much they want her to appear in the sequel, but it’s only so she and Luigi can make goo-goo eyes at each other and nothing else.

If they are in Sarasaland, I'm going guess either

They need Princess Daisy's help either to find a macguffin or for political allegiance.

They got lost somewhere in their journey (maybe due to a malfunctioning warp pipe) and now need help finding their way home / to The Darklands to save Princess Peach.

In either case, I do imagine Princess Daisy would serve kind of a DK-ish role where she joins them partway through their adventure to give them a leg up. She acts as the muscle, mostly working in the background while having obvious on-screen importance in terms of turning the tide of battle.

As for her interaction with Luigi, I'm with you. Either I want her to have a respectful (albeit a little obvious) crush on Luigi that he stays entirely oblivious to for the entire movie or... better yet... I want them to handle it exactly the same way they handled Peach and Mario's relationship.

There's no moment that sparks fly, but you can see tiny things clicking into place: soft moments of connection and little instances of Daisy paying especially close attention to Lu's emotional state. From a distance it looks like just a strong friendship forming, but if you look harder you can see something a little stronger than that brewing beneath the surface.

[istadris]

Little Mareach idea :

During a formal event, some nasty diplomat/jealous royal/shrew businessperson tries to cause a scandal and insult Mario by snidely describing him as "the Princess's boytoy" in a conversation.

Except all the Toads around just hum and nod, because yeah, of course Mario is going to eat out Peach so she can relax her after the event, everyone knows that, that's a third of his job with plumber and kingdom-saving hero. What's the joke here ?

Meanwhile Mario and Peach think they're subtle as they sneak away, but everyone just goes "oh by the way the east wing salon is off limits for now, the Princess and Mario just went there."

"Oh sure, we'll just leave a plate of snacks near the door outside."