Male Balloon World Blues [Super Mario Odyssey]

[riyona_ebooks]

yo guess who's back on her bullshit! hint hint it's this fucker

so while i forgot about the forum's existence I cobbled together this sickfic based on our (read: my) favorite plumber's newest release (not counting smash ultimate >.>) and then i remembered. "i have a snez forum account post that shit here".

so yeah, balloon world blues.

[MINOR ENDGAME SPOILERS AHEAD!]

--

“Luigi..?”

Something was off about Luigi today. And it wasn’t just the shivering-even then that had grown weak.

He could see it in his baby brother’s drooping, tired eyes—the normally brilliant crystal blue dulled down to a weak baby blue hue. Not to mention the redness in them, as well as his frost-nipped cheeks and nose—no wait, Mario could recognize that blush anywhere. He had a fever.

”Luigi?” The concerned older plumber questioned....and tried again when he didn’t get a response from the disoriented younger sibling. “Luigi!”

”hh-!! W-Wha...? Oh..hehh..h-hey, big bro..!” There was even something wrong with his voice, and it seemed to be obvious when Luigi attempted to hide a sniffle as he lifted his hand to subtly scrape at his nose.

“Something wrong, baby bro?” He started, at least until he heard the telltale hitch of Luigi’s breathing. “h-heh..h-hhaah..” He desperately scraped at the rims of his raw, leaking nostrils, doing all he could to not lose control in front of his big brother.  Something’s wrong with Luigi, Mario thought.

Only one thing was on Luigi’s clouded, muddled mind. Don’t sneeze. Don’t sneeze. Please please PLEASE don’t sneeze. Not in front of Mario. Don’t…

“H-Haaa… aaaAAAH…” Luigi’s nostrils flared rapidly as he struggled, both hands instinctively reaching to attempt to rub away the unbearable itch in his nose.

Don’t sneeze! Don’t sneeze!! DON’T SNEEZE!!! But he was too weak to hold it back any longer. Luigi’s watery eyes fluttered closed, and then..

“AAH’TSHOO!!! HAH’TSHOO!!!! A-Aaah…. h-hhAAAA’SHOO!!”

Luigi sneezed three times into the air, not having enough time to cover his mouth and nose before. Thankfully the spray that resulted from the explosion was aimed downwards and directly away from Mario.

“g-guhh...S-Scuse’ be…” Luigi stammered afterwards, wiping his leaky nose on his sleeve. “I-I’b beed ki’da s-sdeezy f-fuhhh… huhh..”

His sore nose started to tickle again, causing Luigi to groan in discomfort and quickly take a swipe at his leaking nostrils. “h-huhh..d-doe, dod’t…” He had already failed once, and he wasn’t going to again, even though his resolve to not show any sign of sickness in front of his beloved big brother was fading, fading fast… Still he tried his hardest to stifle the oncoming explosion—and he did. Only now his sore nose started to hurt, and Luigi was now regretting his decision. More tears started to fill his reddened, tired eyes as he now struggled to get rid of the itch in any way possible.

“Luigi! What’s wrong?!” A worried Mario shouted. His concern increased when Luigi desperately fanned at his nose with one hand and mouthed “stuck”.

Mario could see that Luigi was in need of help… and now. He cautiously stepped forward towards his obviously sick little brother and pulled him closer to the ground. “This might hurt a little bit,” he warned before tentatively rubbing Luigi’s irritated nose in a spot where he knew was the most sensitive out of pretty much anywhere on Luigi’s nose-right between his flared nostrils.

Luigi’s watery eyes immediately widened. The irritating itch in the back of his nose suddenly sprang back to life as soon as his older brother’s gloved fingers touched his nose. He was hitching uncontrollably almost immediately, and the poor plumber knew right away that covering his nose wasn’t an option, and instead could only whip to the side and away from Mario as the almost burning prickle that was residing in his raw airways finally got the better of him.

“h-hUHH’IIISSHHEEEW!!  hhHHHG’TSHHEEW!! A-Ahh-HAAA-T’SHOO!! hhHHII’IISHOO!! hhHAAA’ASSHOO!!!” The younger plumber finally exploded forwards in a violent fit of sneezes, each one bigger and more desperate-sounding—not to mention wetter—than the last. He was barely able to lift his hand to cover his mouth-not that it mattered, anyway. His gloves and sleeves were coated in an assorted mix of fine mist and watery snot from his earlier sneezes, as well as frost and snow from being outside in the cold. And all while Mario could only cringe in concern and worry for Luigi. He hated seeing his beloved baby brother so ill.

Minutes later his irritated nose had finally settled down, leaving Luigi sore and wheezing and snotty. He shivered helplessly as he pawed at his still-dripping nose, rubbing away the moisture that leaked out of it while trying not to coax out another sneeze. “Ughh… T-Tha’gs, B-Bario..” he mumbled.

“Mama Mia,” Mario muttered, going up to him with a tiny travel pack of tissues. He ripped open the small pack, pulled out a single piece of tissue and tentatively dabbed at Luigi’s nose with it. “That was...a lot.” He knew right away that he needed to get Luigi somewhere warm as soon as possible before his cold got worse...or before he himself got sick.

“I-I’b fide Mario,” Luigi slurred through thick congestion. “I-I wad s-sayi’g *snf* ugh..tha’d I’b b-beed ki’da s-suhh..hehh..”

Another small hitch escaped the younger brother, but this time he suppressed it and tried to continue. “Haah...I-I-I’b beed ki’da sdeezy *snf* f-for a while.... D-Do you..*snrff* w-wadda hide a b-ballood o-or *snf* s-sobethi’g..?”

A comment from Cappy—Mario’s newfound hat-ghost friend—summed up what Mario was thinking about Luigi’s current state of health. “He looks awful,” the headgear specter piped.

”I think you have a cold...” The older brother gently pulled him to the ground and placed a firm, steady hand on Luigi’s forehead- and Mario couldn’t help but notice that Luigi’s eyelids flickered dangerously as he groaned and leaned into the elder plumber’s touch...only for Mario to almost recoil at how hot Luigi was. He was almost burning up! This immensely concerned the older plumber.

”Luigi! You’re burning up!” Already he was fretting about poor Luigi as he gripped his ice-cold hand and basically dragged him inside of the Odyssey. “You aren’t going anywhere with that fever.”

Once the two siblings were inside Mario almost tore off Luigi’s suitcase and tossed it to the side, and wasted no time getting a thick, fluffy fleece blanket thrown around him. A reassured smirk wormed onto Mario’s face when Luigi rasped out a weak “thanks” as he sank into Mario’s arms, soothed by the warmth and security of the blanket. He let out a weak groan as his eyelids fluttered, he was ready to doze off right there and now...

He guided Luigi to the small couch-bed and gently eased him onto it, keping the blanket swaddled around his shivering body. “Stay here. I need to take your temperature.” And no sooner than when Mario pulled away from him and ducked into the bathroom, Luigi slipped into a less than peaceful doze, not even waking up when his shirt was shifted around and the thermometer was prodded under his arm.

“Mama Mia,” Mario gasped to himself as he looked at the thermometer reading. 100.4°.

“What are we gonna do, Mario?” Cappy asked him, looming over the now sleeping plumber. He was worried as well.

The older brother thought for a minute. “First, we need to get that fever down.”

—
Warmth.
He was surrounded by—nay, swaddled in warmth, aside from the bag of ice water perched on his forehead. Both of these admittedly felt nice. But how did the ice pack get there, and where was he?
The ill plumber came to at least an hour later, coming face to face with both his brother and a worried hat ghost looming over him.

Hat ghost....
Hat ghost!!!
Luigi immediately began to panic, thrashing wildly as he attempted to escape his fleece confinement (he was still wrapped in the blanket). Cappy just floated there, admittedly rather stunned that Luigi was suddenly terrified of him—he was okay with him earlier when they first met!

Meanwhile Mario was doing everything he could to calm Luigi down and get him back into bed, including whispering a series of comforts to him. It took a while, but the younger plumber eventually calmed down, and immediately slumped into Mario’s arms when the blanket was wrapped around him again, whimpering pitifully as he was hoisted up into his big brother’s grip.

”Just rest, baby bro. You’re gonna be alright,” Mario reassured. Luigi tried to respond, but all he could manage was a weak, hoarse “T-Tha’gs” followed by a deep, wet cough. He let out a groan as he sunk deeper into the fleece blanket. It was so warm, enough for him to drift off to sleep right then and there.

...at least until a good two hours later, when Mario woke him up. “Weege?” he called, feeling his cheek again. It was hotter than before.

“Mama Mia...that fever’s going nowhere but up…” he groaned in defeat. He squatted down so that he was at eye-level with Luigi, and then gently rubbed his shoulder in an attempt to soothe Luigi to sleep. Maybe his fever would break if he rested some more.

He pulled back the blanket—quickly soothing Luigi as he whined and tried to pull the cover back—and began stroking his shoulder, only to jerk back as he touched his brother’s skin. Luigi was incredibly cold to the touch, and he could have sworn he saw ice crystals growing in his clothes.

“Mama Mia! You’re as cold as ice!” He shouted, startling poor Luigi out of his sleep. he needed to warm up his little brother, and fast!

He paced around the small space as he tried to figure out something. While a nice hot bath seemed like the best bet, Mario figured it probably wasn’t enough. What do I do, what do I do…?

It was then that Mario’s eyes flitted to the fireplace.

Without hesitation he hurled a fireball right into the pile of wood, setting it ablaze immediately.
He then plucked up the sleeping Luigi—startling him out of his doze again— and gently lowered him in front of it, blanket and all.

“There you go, baby bro. You should warm up soon, okay?” Mario reassured. “I’ll go run a nice hot bath for you if this doesn’t help.”

His only response was a congested snore-Luigi had dozed off again, this time soothed by the warmth radiating from the fireplace.

—
“hhg...hAA’ASSHHOO!! Ahh...h-hh-hhaaAAA’PSHOO!! Ugh...”

The sneezing returned barely hours after Mario left to run a nice hot bath for him.
Luigi was alone in the bathtub, his knees raised up to his chest. He sat curled in a fetal position in the hot soapy water, trying to warm himself up by cupping some of the suds into his hands and rubbing it onto his cold skin. But he was still shivering.
He had to admit, he felt awful. Cold and snotty and woozy and...just awful. Not to mention that he could barely keep his eyes open.

The plumber sniffled and curled as tightly into himself as he could, anything to stop the shivering. He even ran more hot water into the bathtub—which helped, somewhat.

Luigi let out a groan as he let himself sink into the bath water as much as he comfortably could. It was very warm and felt really soothing, and the ill plumber would have dozed off in the bathtub if his nose hadn’t started itching.

“-hh-hehh…” He hitched again, both hands instinctively reaching to attempt to contain the explosion. He had figured that trying to stifle his sneezes was a bad idea after what happened earlier. “A-Aahh… haaahh…” And then the itch dissipated, leaving him disappointed and miserable. “Ugh…”

Throughout his bath he was plagued with false starts-whenever he thought he’d finally sneeze, the teasing tickle in the back of his nose would recede-and by the time he had warmed up considerably, Luigi had given up trying and just rested on the side of the bathtub, his head comfortably nested in his arms. The chilly porcelain combined with the steaming water surrounding his body felt really nice, and he would have immediately dozed off if that prickle hadn’t returned at full force, startling the ill plumber out of his sleep. “--Hh! HURsshhh!! h-hh-hHHTSHOO!!”

He sneezed twice into the air, past the point of caring if he didn’t cover his mouth. He felt too sick to care anymore.
Luigi groaned in frustration as he wiped his sore nose on his arm, lazily dipping it back into the water as he drifted off to sleep again...at least until his nap was interrupted again when Mario knocked on the bathroom door.

“Weege? You alright in there?” he asked. No response.

“Can I come in?” the older brother tried again. “I have some clean and warm clothes for you, too.” Mario was getting worried, so he pushed the bathroom door open anyway and couldn’t help snickering when he saw Luigi half-asleep and dangling out of the bathtub.

“Mama Mia..” he sighed, helping his sick little brother out of the bathtub and draping a comfortably warm bath towel around him before he even got the chance to shiver. “If you were sleepy, you shoulda’ said something, baby bro.” He wasn’t even surprised when Luigi fell asleep right there, a low, congested snore rumbling out of him as he was dressed in the clean pair of pajamas.

With a gentle sigh Mario lifted his little brother into his arms, swaddling him in the blanket he had earlier, and carried him back to bed, where he then proceeded to layer on two more blankets for good measure. He had to admit- despite his illness, Luigi appeared rather peaceful in his sleep. Almost like an angel...well, a feverish, snotty angel, his snoring almost loud enough to drown out the Odyssey’s engine.

Once Luigi was in bed, Mario decided to hang the near-frozen clothes in front of the fireplace hoping this would warm them up some. He could take them to a laundromat in New Donk City tomorrow, but right now he needed to keep an eye on Luigi. Especially now that his fever might have gone up while he was in the bath.

He looked out the ship’s window, gazing at the pitch black sky. It was getting late.

Hmmm… If I leave a little later, then we’ll reach the city by morning. Mario thought to himself. Plenty of time for both of us to rest. That alone seemed like a good idea...but where was he going to sleep tonight? The only available bed on the ship was taken, and trying to squeeze next to Luigi presented a number of risks-mostly him getting sick as well.

With a sigh Mario retreated to the tops of one of the un-decorated shelves. He grabbed a couple of pillows and blankets and made a small pallet for himself. It wasn’t much, but hey-better than sleeping on the floor.

He didn’t realize how exhausted he was until he changed into his pajamas. By the time the airship took off towards New Donk City, he could barely keep his eyes open.

Mario nearly fell onto his little makeshift bed and immediately dropped into a deep sleep as soon as he hit the pillows.

--

...at least until not even an hour later when Luigi woke up coughing and gasping for air.

Groaning, Mario rolled out of his “bed” and trudged over to his little brother, rubbing his back to try and soothe him, even gripping his hand. “Just breathe, lil’ bro..” Mario soothed, even though telling a coughing person to “just breathe” was probably a stupid idea. But it worked, long enough for Mario to grab a cup of ice water for him.

“T-Tha’g you…” Luigi rasped after taking a shaky sip. “S-Sorry I w-woke you up..” Mario could see the guilt in his little brother’s hazy eyes.

“It’s fine, baby bro. You can’t help it, you’re sick.” Mario soothed. “We’re on the way to New Donk City, I can get you some medicine when we get there.” He didn’t notice the distracted look in Luigi’s eyes, getting lost in thought about how to take care of a sick person—and he flinched hard when Luigi tapped him on the shoulder.

“W-What’s wrong,bro?”

“I-I—huhh...I godda sdeeze…” Luigi stammered through hitching breaths. He was visibly struggling-trying his hardest not to sneeze and likely mess up his clean pajamas. “D-Deed a--haah..deed a t-tissue..”

With a single nod Mario rushed off to get a box of tissues and rushed back to his brother’s bedside, ripping out a clean wad of tissues before he even sat down. Unfortunately he was a second too late--before he could even hold the wad of tissue to Luigi’s nose, the younger brother suddenly reeled back-but this time he couldn’t turn away from Mario at the last minute.  “hh-hHHET'THHHSHHHUHH!!”

All over Mario’s arm.

“-guhh….S-Sorry, bro…” Luigi sniffled.

“...It’s fine, bro…”

 

Edited December 29, 2018 by Lumeme
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[Secret Sneezer]

I literally read the first couple sentences and my face heated up, this is so cute!

[riyona_ebooks]

On 1/4/2019 at 9:13 PM, Secret Sneezer said:

I literally read the first couple sentences and my face heated up, this is so cute!

aaAAA-

tHANCC.....

[Secret Sneezer]

On 1/10/2019 at 2:52 AM, Lumeme said:

aaAAA-

tHANCC.....

You're welcome!