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Mr. Puzzles hummed as he flipped through his mail, waiting patiently at the table as Mario cooked some delicious spaghetti. The wafting smell of fresh spaghetti was comforting to the couple, especially when their home was overwhelmed by the rain outside.
As Puzzles organized his mail by importance, with trash on his left and bills on his right, his attention was caught by a stamped invitation he accidentally sorted into the trash.
The red wax stamp resembled that of a rose with thorns wrapping around it, and the envelope was a creamy yellow color. Intrigued, Puzzles opened the envelope and found a hand written invitation.
“Mario, can you come over here for a moment?” Puzzles called, reading the invitation several times over as his eyes grew wide. Mario, now curious, turned off the stove and wandered to his partner’s side, peeking over his shoulder. He had immediately noticed the wax stamp on the envelope, and was now intrigued.
“‘Dear Peter Puzzles, the kingdom of truffles formally invites you to the yearly Mushroom Gala, to commemorate the union between the Mushroom Kingdom and Truffle Kingdom. All we ask is that you bring a partner to accompany you for the formal dance at the end of the night. Yours Truly, The Truffle Kingdom.’” Puzzles and Mario looked at each other, and then at the envelope. Mario turned back to his lover and smirked. “Peter Puzzles?” He teased, and Puzzles groaned.
“I didn’t choose it, don't make fun of me.” Puzzles flipped the paper and scanned for a date he’d have to attend, and was surprised to find it was only two days away.
“Shit. How am I going to find a suit in time?”
“What about a plus one?”
“You know I’m taking you, darling.” Puzzles turned back to Mario and pressed his screen to Mario’s forehead, causing a zap of electricity to spread across him. The sensation made Mario giggle as Puzzles pulled away. “Dear, do you think you could help me find a suit of sorts?”
“I can try, but I don’t think I could find much without... Y’know...” Mario rubbed his neck nervously as he looked away, glancing at the pot on the stove. Puzzles, realizing the problems that could arise, sighed and stood up, resting the letter on the table. “It’s okay. I’ll try looking through my costume closet for something. Why don't you resume your cooking, hm?”
“Okay! Let me know if you need anything.” Mario jumped up and pressed a kiss onto the adwares vent before turning back to the pot on the stove and resuming his cooking. Satisfied, Puzzles wandered out of the kitchen and down a long hallway, where his office, bedroom, and costume closet sat behind closed doors.
Upon opening the closet, he was greeted with bouts of clothes crammed onto hangers, some being puffy and taking up space, while others were so small they could hardly be seen. The rest were moderately sized, but very, very colorful.
As Puzzles began to rummage through the closet, beginning his humming once again as he slid clothes to one side and another.
Upon sliding a princess gown to the side, Puzzles was stunned to find that he had a dress-suit mix sitting in the closet gathering dust. Intrigued and curious, he grabbed the mix and shook out the dust and webs to admire the outfit in its entirety.
The suit came in three parts: The outer coat, which had a long train that reached the calves of the pants, the inner coat that covered the dress shirt underneath, and the veil train beneath it that gave volume to the outer coat. The bowtie was glittery and sequined, and while Mr. Puzzles found sequins to be overdramatic, he found them quite fitting for this outfit. The pants also had a sort of outward flair near the bottom, giving the illusion that whoever wore these pants had larger legs than underneath. Puzzles liked this outfit, but he didn't know how to feel about the outer coat.
Better ask for a second opinion.
Back in the kitchen, Mario had shoved the mail aside and placed his and his lover’s plates onto the table, though he cared enough to keep the trash mail and the bills separated.
“Mario, dear? What do you think of this suit?” He heard Puzzles ask, and upon turning around to the entrance to the kitchen, he found Puzzles holding the suit over his body. His face immediately warmed up as he imagined his boyfriend wearing the suit, looking as dashing as ever.
“I want to wear it, but I’m not too confident about the train in the back...” Puzzles lifted the white train and waved it around a bit, watching the folds collide with each other. Mario smiled widely as he sauntered to the adware, jumping up and holding his face in his hands. “You’d look great in it if you wore it. I think the train makes it look better!”
“... It is my size...” He contemplated, holding up the suit once again. With a sigh, he nodded his head, and Mario grinned gleefully. “Alright, I’ll wear it. But we still need something for you to wear.”
“I’ve got plenty of suits! Let's just sit down and eat, okay?” Mario gestured to the table, where the steam from the spaghetti had already disappeared. Puzzles smiled, slinging the suit over a chair in the kitchen before following his boyfriend to the table.
~
Two days passed. The day of the ball was upon them.
Mario stood happily outside the bedroom as he hummed, casually fixing his red tie as he waited for his boyfriend to finish dressing up. He himself was wearing a white suit, with fancy white diamonds lining his lapel. For some reason, he was still wearing his iconic red cap, even though he had a top hat to go with the suit.
“Alright, you can come in now!” Puzzles called, turning towards the door. Mario entered the room with a wide grin, and gasped as he took in the sight of his boyfriend in the outfit.
It fit him almost perfectly, the white coat lightly hanging at his sides before flaring outward for the train that hung behind him. The pants did flare outward, though a bit of ironing had reduced their ballooned size. Nonetheless, he looked beautiful, but he was missing something...
Mario’s gaze drifted towards the bed, where he saw the red, sequined bow tie sit alone. Puzzles followed his gaze and sighed, lifting the cloth and holding it to his neck. “I can’t tie these to save my life... Think you can help me out?”
“Of course!” Mario grinned, holding out his hand for the tie. Puzzles smiled and kneeled to his level, placing the tie into his boyfriend’s hand and waiting as Mario tied it around his neck. His hands were quick and gentle.
When he finished, he made one final tug at the cloth before kissing his boyfriend, a smile on his screen. “Thank you dear.”
“My pleasure! Now,” Mario stepped back and held out his hand elegantly, smiling gently as he tugged on his cap. Puzzles’ screen burned brighter as he processed how handsome he looked.
“Shall we go, mi amore?”
~
Outside the grand castle of the Truffle Kingdom gathered a selective cast of strangers ranging from toad servants to feline security, as well as some human guests. Mario and Puzzles were climbing the stairs of the entrance to enter when Swag had stopped them suddenly.
“Invitation please.” He requested, crossing his arms as he looked up at the adware in front of him. Rather than be annoyed, Mr. Puzzles smiled and pulled out his invitation, presenting it to the low-poly guard as he smiled. Swag took it from his hands, scanned it, and handed it back to him, nodding in understanding. “Who’s your plus one?”
“That would be me!” Mario announced, waving at the guard. Swag looked at him, narrowing his eyes as he glared at the Italian. Finally, he looked back at Mr. Puzzles, raising a hand to gesture to the entrance. “Welcome to the ball.”
“Thank you, Swag.” Puzzles thanked, grabbing his partner’s hand and striding past the guard, gently pushing apart the doors as he and Mario were met with the beautiful sight of the ballroom.
The ballroom was grand and large, with several crystal chandeliers lining the ceiling and giving light to the floor below. The balconies were studded with rubies and other gems, and the floors had a symmetrical orange and gold checkerboard. The outfits of strangers varied in many colors, though most partners wore the classic black and white pairing of outfits.
“This is... So gorgeous!” Puzzles beamed, loosening his grip on Mario’s hand. Mario, rather, paid no attention to the appearance of the ballroom, but rather, to his boyfriend’s appearance under the light. The way the golden light shined over his gray frame, how it reflected off of his screen... It only endeared the adware to Mario more.
“When do you think the dance is?” Puzzles asked, turning to his partner. Mario blinked and shrugged, his gaze wandering to a buffet table. “Ooh, food! Are you hungry?”
“Uh, no-”
Mario gripped his hand and dragged him to the buffet table, whereupon he began to shovel cupcakes and other sweets into his mouth. Puzzles, embarrassed, grabbed him again and pulled him to a far wall as he dusted off his boyfriend’s suit.
“Are you crazy? Are you trying to ruin your suit?” He asked, pulling off his glove and wiping the crumbs and frosting from Mario’s face. Mario didn't like this, but didn't fight against it, instead opting to make defeated grunts as he crossed his arms. “You’re such a slob...” Puzzles stated, picking off a few more crumbs before turning to dust off Mario’s suit. Mario scoffed and turned his head towards the ballroom floor, where a colorful group in the middle caught his eye.
Blue suit, messy hair... Purple suit, gloves with a Roman 3... Orange hair and a glittery dress... Robotic arm...
Mario gasped as he realized who resided in that clustered group. Puzzles, who heard the gasp, paused his dusting to look at his boyfriend worriedly. “Are you okay, love?”
Mario turned back to him and grabbed his head firmly, pulling him close. “The crew, my friends, they’re here!” Puzzles’ screen flipped to surprise and then worry as his mind began to race. What were they going to think if they saw them there?
Mario glanced back and saw that they had disappeared from their position, instead wandering up the stairs to the higher balconies. In a panic, the Italian grabbed his lover’s arm and dragged him to a far hall, out of sight of anyone lurking by the balconies.
When he stopped to catch his breath, Puzzles crouched to the floor and held his head in his hands, shivering violently despite the layers he had on. “What are we going to do? We can’t let them see us!” He yelled, his screen glitching slightly. Mario looked at him with worry as he began to panic, watching as his boyfriend’s screen began to static and glitch with each breath he took.
“Hey, hey, breathe, amore.” He said, walking towards him and grabbing his hands, squeezing them gently. “Please, calm down.” He requested, sitting on his knees and inching closer. Puzzles looked at him with worry as he tried to control his breathing, tightly gripping his lover’s hands. “It’s gonna be okay, my love. We’ll stay far from the dance floor. Maybe we’ll even explore these hallways.”
“But what if we get in trouble?”
“Who cares? I have a plan for that.”
“Oh dear...” Puzzles sighed as Mario helped him stand up. As a grin spread across the Italian’s face, Puzzles couldn’t help but giggle at how stupid he looked. Before he knew it, he and Mario were venturing through the halls hand in hand.
~
“This is pretty fun, don't you think?” SMG3 asked, twirling a glass of wine in his hand. SMG4 scoffed and looked over the ballroom, watching as couples pranced about and chatted in fancy outfits. Both Three and Four were wearing their spy outfits from WOTFI 23, while Meggy and Tari were wearing glittery dresses, which conflicted with their hair colors in blue and orange. Meggy’s had a slit down the thigh while Tari’s had veiled sleeves.
Four, with an annoyed grown, turned around from the balcony edge and held his hand to his forehead, shutting his eyes as he felt a headache creeping up on him. “God, this place is too damn shiny...” He complained, dragging his hand down his face before letting it drop to his side once again. Tari glanced over the balcony fence for a moment, but was quick to return to her original position near the wall. “Why are we so high up, Four?” She asked, her arms quivering slightly.
“Because it’s too damn crowded downstairs. If I had known there would be 100 or more people here, I would have crumpled that damn invitation in the trash.”
“But you didn’t!” Three teased, taking a swig of his drink. Meggy rolled her eyes as she walked towards the balcony, resting her arms on the fence as she leaned forward. Her eyes scanned the crowds below as she sighed, looking for someone.
“It’s a shame Mario didn't want to come with us.” Tari noted, tugging at her sleeve as the net got caught in the crooks of her prosthetic. Three shrugged and took another sip of his drink. “I never took Mario as one who favored fancy Galas like this one.”
“I don’t think he ever will, honestly.” Four added, pinching the bridge of his nose. Tari sighed as she finally released the sleeve from her prosthetic. Meggy sighed and shook her head, turning her back to the edge of the balcony. “Feels like he’s drifting away from us, honestly...” She muttered, twirling a stand of hair.
~
“Mario! What are you doing?!” Puzzles yelled, watching as his Italian boyfriend swung a display sword at the walls, barely managing to not scrape and cut the wallpaper. Mario, oblivious, looked at him and grinned. “Cool sword!”
“Mario, we’re gonna get in trouble!” Puzzles exclaimed, running towards him and reaching for the sword.
Bad decision.
Mario made another swing and spun around, accidentally slashing Puzzles in the arm and tearing his sleeve. A strange mixture of oil and blood seeped from the cut, staining his suit and the carpet below as Puzzles gasped and gripped the wound.
Mario, realizing his mistake, dropped the sword and rushed to his partner’s side as he fell to his knees, holding his arm gently. “Oh my god, mi amore, I-I’m so sorry!” He apologized, waving his hands as he had no idea what to do with them. Puzzles glanced at the dark blood on his suit and glove, then at his boyfriend, whose expression was mortified. Good to know he cared.
“I’m okay, love... It’s just a scratch!” He joked, faking a chuckle. Mario didn't buy it, however, and instead opted to pull the adware to his feet and drag him through the hall, holding his hand tight as he called for a guard.
“Mario, what are you-”
“I’m getting you help! I refuse to let you be injured and have it be my fault!” He paused his walking, looking down at the carpet as he processed his sentence. Puzzles blinked, his screen glitching slightly as his wound remained open.
“I’m not letting you stay injured because of me!” He corrected, continuing his marching through the hall as he yelled for someone. Puzzles immediately burst into laughter.
~
Tari watched as a flurry of guards dash into the west hallways, an eyebrow raised as she noticed one was carrying a first aid kit. “What do you think happened over there?” She asked, nudging Meggy to point her to the hall. Meggy looked and shrugged, her attention turned somewhere else. “Someone probably got hurt or something.”
“... I’m gonna check it out.” Tari tugged at her sleeve as she began to walk to the hallway, only hearing a hummed response from Meggy as she walked away.
Upon approaching the hallway turn, she perked her head around the corner and scanned the hall, trying to peek behind the group of guards gathered around a couple. What she could see, however, was a pair of antennae. And was that... Mario’s voice she was heading?
“I’m so sorry, amore! I-I swear I didn’t mean it!” She heard him yell, and later heard a response from someone who sounded like Mr. Puzzles. “Don’t worry, I’m not gonna break up with you over that... But you seriously shouldn’t mess with swords.”
“I know...”
Break up... With Mario? Tari thought to herself, cocking her head sideways. As the guards parted from around the couple, she realized her suspicions were correct; It was Mario and Puzzles!
Puzzles’ sleeve was stained a dark shade of red, with a thick layer of bandages over it absorbing most of the blood. The carpet beneath him was also slightly stained. Mario, however, was as clean as a napkin, though his expression was teary and distraught. Tari’s eyes widened as she realized what was going on.
Tari ducked behind the wall, her hand over her mouth in shock. “Are Mario and Puzzles... Dating?!” She asked herself, running her hand through her hair as she thought about this. This suddenly made so much sense. Mario would often elope from the castle at random points in the day for no reason, and sometimes wouldn’t come back until late in the evening. He often talked about a new friend he’d made during those travels, but never offered or asked if he could come over, and when Four asked if he could visit, Mario would decline almost immediately! It was all making sense!
But was he happy like this? Running off to date a villain?
Tari peeked around the corner once again, noticing how only 3 guards remained in the hall to scold the couple, and Mario and Puzzles were standing close. Puzzles was even kneeling to the floor just to be level with the Italian. No one ever did that for Mario...
Tari whipped back around the corner, her expression stern.
He was happy like this. If she told Meggy or Four about this, they would go off on Mario, and he’d never be the same. She knew what she had to do.
She could keep a secret, but she had to talk to Mario. Just to clear things.
With a deep breath, Tari rounded the corner and began to walk towards the group in the hall, her heels faintly clicking on the carpet. Mario and Puzzles turned their attention towards her and froze, fear evident in their faces. Upon arriving at the group, Tari turned to the guards and nodded. “They’re with me, sir.” She noted blandly, and the guards nodded, marching away.
When it was finally them alone in the hallway, Tari looked at Mario with a gentle gaze. Mario swallowed fearfully. “Are you... Gonna tell Four about this?”
“No, I won’t.”
Mr. Puzzles immediately let out a sigh of relief, his expression flipping from fear to relief in a second. Mario also sighed, raising his hand to his chest as if his heart were gone. Tari smiled and chuckled. “I won’t out you two for being happy, but I do need some answers, Mario...”
“Of course, anything you ask, I’ll answer.” Mario stated, and Puzzles grabbed his hand and gripped it tight. “We’ll both answer.”
Tari smiled wider, her hands wandering to her chest as she admired the sight of the couple together. “Even better. Let’s make this quick.”
~
“Hey, Meggy, did you see where Tari went?” Four asked, shoving a cupcake into his mouth haphazardly. Meggy, disgusted, rolled her eyes and shrugged. “She told me she was gonna explore that hallway over there.” She pointed towards the west hallway, and Four glanced at it. His brow then furrowed as he watched Tari emerge from the hallway, a stupid grin stamped on her face.
“What’s got you smiling, sugar?” Meggy asked, flirting. Tari giggled at her remark and shrugged, reaching for a cupcake from the buffet table. “Oh, nothing... I just saw a cute couple in the halls. They were so worried for each other.”
“What happened?” Three asked, taking a bite out of a sugar cookie. Tari took a bite from her cupcake. “Oh, the wife fell and scraped her knee. The husband was so worried, he called for 5 guards to help her.”
“Overdramatic much?” Four retorted, shoving yet another cupcake into his mouth. Meggy let out a groan at the sight of the guardian shoving frosting down his gullet. “You’re so fucking gross.” She cussed.
“Fuck you too, Megster.”
“You little-” Meggy spun around and lunged for the guardian, though Tari was quick to grab her and pull her back. This is a good way to keep the secret off her mind.
Meanwhile, far away, Puzzles and Mario watched the whole ordeal with stupid smiles.
“Your friend is very careless with his clothes, isn’t he?” Puzzles remarked, chuckling to himself as he gently rubbed his bandages. Mario nodded quickly. “He takes after me.” He said proudly, and Puzzles shot him a weird look. “Do you consider SMG4 your son?”
“Kinda? Is that weird?”
“No no, it’s just- If we were to get married, it would be weird calling SMG4 my stepson.” Puzzles stared over the balcony, watching the fight play out. Mario, however, stared at his lover with surprise. Did he not realize what he just said?
Mr. Puzzles blinked as he glanced at Mario, whose eyes were wide. He turned to him with worry as he lowered his voice. “Did I say something wrong?”
Mario blinked, backing up from the balcony. “Uh, no. I feel like we should back up, though. Don’t want to be seen.” Puzzles nodded in agreement as he stepped back from the fence, his shoes lightly thumping on the carpet as he and Mario walked to the wall. Mario fumbled with his suit tie as he gathered the courage to ask something.
“Can I kiss you?” He finally blurted, clenching his fists as he looked up at the cyborg. Puzzles’ screen glitched slightly at the question, a line resembling a heartbeat quickly crossing his screen. “U-Um, sure! Of course.” As the adware kneeled to the floor, Mario gently took his hands and squeezed, leaning in and pressing a kiss against his boyfriend’s screen. Puzzles, flattered, leaned forward into it, sending little zaps through Mario’s face as it stretched on.
When the couple finally pulled away, Mario smiled softly at his lover. “I love you, amore.”
“I love you too, dear.” Puzzles responded, pulling the Italian close and kissing him repeatedly, zapping him again and again on the cheek and forehead. Mario giggled at the sensation, like little lightning bolts dancing on his skin.
“Attention, guests,” A voice called out from the center of the castle, startling the couple out of their moment. Puzzles stood up and wandered towards the edge of the balcony, leaning over the fence as he looked to the source of the sound. Mario followed quickly, glancing at the crew below to make sure they weren’t looking. After checking, he turned to where Puzzles was looking to see a lady holding a mic.
“The final dance of the night is upon us. Please gather in the center of the ballroom floor and pair with your partners for the dance. It will be a slow spin waltz with interchanging partners. We hope you enjoyed the night.” The lady finished, handing her mic to a knight nearby before wandering off. Mario felt himself be dragged back my Mr. Puzzles, the adware grabbing his arm and leading him back to the wall. As he looked up at him in confusion, Puzzles had a smug look on his screen, the heartbeat line present, but almost transparent.
“Do you want to dance, love?” He requested, offering out his arms to carry the Italian so they could be face to face. Mario let a grin spread across his face as he nodded, walking closer to his boyfriend and wrapping his arms around his neck as he felt himself be lifted.
Once Puzzles was standing up properly, Mario adjusted his arm positions, so that one was on his lover’s shoulder and the other was cupped on his lover’s frame. Puzzles tilted his head so slightly to lean into his palm, a smile evident on his screen. Mario chuckled as he pressed a kiss onto his screen, feeling the fuzzy static on his lips.
As the music began to play downstairs, Puzzles slowly eased into swaying in tune, the train of his suit lightly floating off the ground as he danced. Mario, though he couldn't do much to be in sync with his lover, opted to sway his upper half left and right with each turn Puzzles made. This prompted the adware to laugh, as it made Mario look slightly drunk. Mario laughed with him.
“This is ridiculous, ha ha!” Puzzles stated, pausing his dancing and kneeling to the floor. Mario nodded in agreement as he eased himself out of his lover’s arms, still holding his head in his hands. “It really is, hah!”
They both laughed together, leaning against one another as the music and chatter downstairs stretched on. It was just them in their own little world; No cares outside of each other. No worries of being found out, no worries of being reprimanded by guards, just them and their pure love. It radiated off of them like lamps, and they were both drawn to it like moths. Moths in love, those two.
When their laughter finally died, both of them noticed that the music was beginning to close up as it became more dramatic, preparing for the final note. Puzzles turned to his lover and held his hands in his own, smiling widely. “This has been the best night of my life, Mario, dear. I love you so much.”
“I’m glad I could make you this happy, amore.” Mario grinned, kissing his vent. Puzzles slightly shivered at the kiss, his screen glitching at the sensation as he chuckled. Mario’s smile faded slightly as his gaze wandered to Puzzles’ bandaged arm. “I’m sorry about your arm...”
“No no, it’s okay! It’ll heal, darling.” Puzzles reassured, pulling the Italian close and kissing him. Mario giggled as he felt little zaps line his cheek. “I don’t deserve you, you’re too kind.” Puzzles hugged the Italian tight, his fans whirring loudly in his head. Mario returned the hug happily, nuzzling his face into the adware’s shoulder. The music downstairs finally ended on a high note, and the lady with the mic returned once more.
“Thank you all for joining us for this union Gala, esteemed guests. The doors will open for your exit in 5 minutes, so please, gather yourselves as you prepare to leave.” The lady finished, and Puzzles glanced at his lover worriedly. “How will you get back to the castle without being seen?” He asked nervously, dusting Mario’s shoulders gently. Mario hummed softly as he thought over his options. He could sneak out with the SMG4 crew, but he risked being seen, even with Tari’s help. He could jump out a window and run for it, but he probably wouldn't make it back in time, plus his suit would be ruined. Then an idea clicked in his head. “Don’t worry, love. I’ll make it back safely.”
“Are you sure?”
“Positive.” He pecked a kiss onto the adwares screen, and Puzzles giggled. “If you say so. Call me when you can, okay?”
“I will, I promise. I love you amore.”
“I love you too, dear.”
The creaking of doors downstairs startled the two out of their moment, and soon enough, they heard the sound of chatter slowly fade out as all the guests left the castle. Mario, putting his plan in motion, leapt down the stairs and shimmied himself into the crowd, while the SMG4 crew didn't notice, Tari breathed a sigh of relief. Puzzles, who now had no concerns of being seen, sauntered down the stairs as he followed the clustered group out the doors. SMG4 happened to see him, and was quick to call him out.
“What are you doing here?” He asked, pointing a finger at the adware. Tari swallowed nervously as she noticed Three and Meggy turn their attention to Puzzles. Puzzles, thankfully, was unfazed by their reaction, and simply smiled. “I was invited to this event, just like you, SMG4.”
“Why didn't we see you anywhere?” Meggy inquired, holding a cookie in her hand. Puzzles shrugged. “I’m not a fan of large crowds.” Puzzles turned ever so slightly that his arm would be hidden, he didn't need the crew asking questions. Four glared at the cyborg, but ultimately sighed in defeat, turning away from him. “Let’s just go home, I’m exhausted.”
“Yeah, from eating so much food.” Three retorted, and Four became steamy. “Shut up!” He yelled, glaring at his guardian partner angrily. Puzzles, who had already split off from the group to walk back to his studio, chuckled as he heard the fight go on. “What a bunch of idiots.” He teased, tugging at his tie. The moon was high up above, and the dim light it radiated gave Puzzles’ head a silver glow.
He loved this night. If only it lasted longer. If only...
Puzzles shook his head as he erased the thought from his mind. It had to remain a secret. For his and Mario’s safety. He had to hope it wouldn’t eat away at Tari.
As Mr. Puzzles walked down the empty street, both his hands over his heart, replaying the night in his head over and over, he smiled gently. This really was the best night of his life.