Luigi looked at himself with a nervous look in the mirror. Daisy had told him that he shouldn't dress up so much, just feel sexy, but sexy was a word that didn't fit into the boy's vocabulary.

"Are you ready?" his friend entered the room.

"How did you go inside? Can't you knock? Someday I could be naked and it would be weird," he frowned.

"I made a copy of your keys during vacations" She sat on the bed "Ready for today?" she smiled.

"It's a joke, right? Being in a noisy and crowded place... Yeah, I definitely don't think I'll get out of there alive."

"Ugh, Lu, we already talked about it" she got up "You'll never make friends if you don't take risks" looked at him for a few seconds "Okay, let's fix this" got closer "First of all, the shirt is untucked" put her hands inside his clothes "Second, ruffle your hair a bit" shook him "And finally, relax" she kissed his cheek "Lu, you're very cute, I'm sure many people will like you."

"Like them?" He arched an eyebrow.

"What do you think we're going for?"

"To torture me," he confessed.

She chuckled and took his hand. "Shall we go?"

He took a deep breath and assent reluctantly.

They walked a few blocks until they came to a place with a long line of young people waiting to enter. Luigi swallowed hard at the amount of people he would be up against, unlike Daisy, who just smiled a mischievous smile, eyeing someone attractive. And it is that anyone would be lucky if they asked her to dance, because that night she looked more attractive than usual with a black miniskirt, a gold sequined top and a high ponytail; she would definitely attract the eye of anyone with good taste, or so Luigi thought.

They stood in line for about fifteen minutes, until Daisy rolled her eyes and pulled Luigi out.

The boy thanked the heavens for the little patience of his friend, but he didn't count on the fact that the heavens were not on his side that day and she only pulled him towards the main entrance.

The guard lowered his gaze and stared at them. The girl raised Luigi's face and showed him a photo of the last Luigi 's mansion, the guard nodded slightly and let them pass.

"Did you really use my face to force me in?" He looked at her.

"I know, I'm a genius" she got excited as she took her hand "Lu, I present to you my natural habitat."

For a moment, Luigi felt his soul leave his body. No matter where he looked, it was as if all of his fears had gathered in one place and were now taking shape right before his eyes. The people, the disorganized noise and loud music were driving him crazy in just a few seconds.

Although that wasn't what surprised him the most, if not several flags of the LGBTQ+ community hanging on the walls and same-sex couples dancing and kissing without shame on the dance floor.

"Daisy, where did you bring me?"

"A gay bar," she replied without much interest.

"WHAT!? Do you realize the trouble I can get into if my brother finds out I was here?"

"How will he find out? Hey, if you keep a good eye, you can see several students from the academy. Or do you really think that you are the only one who is not attracted to your destinated? Look, there are Link and Sidon!" She pointed at them in the distance.

"Wait, are you telling me that Link is gay?"

"Haven't you noticed? Dude, you should check your gay radar" go to bar to order a drink "Anyway, they can't burn you with you being here why would they give themselves away, so calm down" a guy approached her a glass.

"And that?"

"A sangria, try it, you'll like it" she winked "Whatever, it's my time to go"

"It's obvious that you won't be able to socialize if you're stuck to me all night, so I'll sacrifice my night of fun so you can get something."

"You can't do that!" he yelled.

"I know, I'm a very good person" she laughed "By the way, I put a tracking chip in your cell phone, so if you run away I'll know."

"Daisy, I really don't like this. You can't leave me here, I'm sure I'll have a nervous breakdown"

"Lu" she stood firm "You said you wanted to make it up to me, right? So do this for me, just two hours and you're free to go wherever you want. But please try"

The boy snorted.

"Hour and a half?" he pleaded.

"Okay," she ended up agreeing "Take care of yourself, don't accept drinks from anyone, and be careful who you give your information to. I know you're smart enough not to fall for anyone" She hugged him "Bye"

As soon as he saw her leave, he found an armchair and sat down with a certain air of defeat. Luigi felt as lonely as in the academy; It didn't matter how many people surrounded him, because he knew that they were accompanying someone else, never him. Despite seeing familiar faces, he couldn't help but feel like crying because of how alien he felt in space.

An hour passed and he hadn't even been able to finish the drink her friend had bought him. Although he wouldn't deny that it was pretty good.

He listened to several songs go by one after another, some good and others quite mediocre for his taste. He had the pleasure of laughing of the people at karaoke and the misfortune of having to deal with several guys who wanted to ask him to dance.

"Hey" the sixth of the night approached "Did your date stand you up or why so alone?" he sat next to him.

"I'm waiting for someone," he lied with notorious insecurity.

"Really? Well, it seems rude to me that someone leaves a beauty like you waiting for more than half an hour" he caressed his face.

"Don't do that, please," he broke away.

He giggled "Are you one of those who likes to beg? Come on, let's dance."

"No thanks," he looked away.

"Okay, I don't really like going around the bush either, if you want to go to a motel I know a very good one" he whispered in his ear.

The brown-haired man could feel a chill run down his back and as a reflex he threw what was left of his drink over the boy.

He let out a grunt as he got up "What the fuck is your problem!?" He grabbed him by the shirt.

"I'm so sorry" he hastened to say "I don't know what happened to me, it was a reflex and..."

"You won't escape from this with babbling and false innocence. Do you even know who I am?"

"Not really," he mumbled.

"You're dead, idiot." He pulled him towards him.

"Honey" a third voice entered the conversation "Sorry for the delay, I was looking for a place to park" he took Luigi's shoulders.

The brunette would never understand why, but that touch made him feel safe and warm. He didn't doubt that he was a person with the only intention of helping him.

"Oh don't worry. I didn't wait that long" he acted together with him.

"I'm glad. Is everything okay?"

Luigi hadn't seen the person behind him yet, but he could tell from his shadow that he was taller than his attacker.

"Everything's in order," he blurted out reluctantly and left.

"Really thank you" Luigi turned to the person who saved him.

The first thing he encountered was a pair of bright brown eyes that could easily be mistaken for wine red. It was a boy with brown skin and fiery red hair in a mullet cut that reached his shoulders. He was gorgeous.

"Are you okay?" he asked him, "Did he hurt you?"

"No, nothing like that. You arrived just in time" he laughed nervously "Emm, I'm Luigi" he introduced himself.

"I know" he smiled "You and your brother are one of the most famous faces in videogames"

"Oh, right," he turned his gaze embarrassed. "And what's your name?"

The other was somewhat surprised by the question "Uh, my name is Bowie" he replied.

"A pleasure, nice name"

"Don't lie, it's ridiculous"

"Not at all," he laughed.

He laughed back as he shoved his hands into his pockets. Then there was a silence between them.

"Um, do you want to go outside?" Bowie proposed.

"Sure," Luigi agreed immediately.

They walked to a nearby park and sat on one of the benches. It was approximately eleven at night, so his only lighting was the moon and a lantern next to them.

They were in a silence that Bowie considered a bit awkward, but Luigi enjoyed it to a point that was helping him relax from all the emotions of that night. He even felt like he could finally breathe normally.

The redhead noticed this detail and cleared his throat to get his attention.

"You feel good? Do you need anything or...

"Don't worry, really, I'm just not used to that kind of place," he confessed, "what about you?"

"Not really, I was just bored in my bedroom and I thought I'd go out for a while to see if something interesting happened," he replied.

"Bedroom? Are you going to Fungwarry too?"

A slight blush formed on his face when he realized that he revealed that information by accident "Yes, erm I'm part of a new game" he scratched the back of his neck.

"Seriously? Great. What category are you?"

"Category"

"You know, hero or ally"

"Hero"

"Makes sense, your face is just like a protagonist" he smiled.

His blush became more evident "That doesn't count, you're much more attractive than your brother and still you're just an ally" he looked away as he dropped his hand on the bench, brushing against the brown one's "I'm sorry" moved it immediately.

Luigi chuckled "Hey, you really need to relax. I swear that if there is someone who is not going to judge you, it is me; I'm almost always a complete mess."

"You? " he looked at him surprised "But you're Luigi"

"And an anxiety bomb with legs," he said, "Hey, I can't even see the villain in my game because I'm in a total panic. Today I even wanted to cry when he brushed his arm against me in class. I hate being a playable character, I feel in danger almost all the time and now it seems I'm in the middle of a sexual crisis" he looked at the sky "All this in two days"

"Heavy start?" he teased.

"I hate every new semester," he confessed, "But at least I get to see Daisy, she's the best friend I could ever have. Although she can be quite invasive at times."

"I'm sure it's just because she cares about you."

"I know," he heaved a heavy sigh as he dropped onto the bench, "This is my first quiet moment of the night. Thanks for getting me out of there"

"Whenever you want."

Luigi's cell phone vibrated and he found a message from Daisy.

"(You left ten minutes before, I hope you have a good explanation)"

The boy laughed.

"Hey, do you think we can take a picture? If not, my friend will never leave me alone" he looked at Bowie.

"Oh is that really it or do you want to show off a one night stand?" He shot him a flirtatious look.

"Huh?" he blushed "No, I don't...

"Just kidding" he nudged him with his elbow and took the phone. "Let's take it."

When that topic was put aside, they stayed chatting about more trivial things. Their connection to each other was almost instantaneous, as if tonight's meeting had been preordained. Both were surprised about the things they had in common, especially in their way of seeing the world around them.

"I think the roles are stupid" Bowie mentioned "No matter what you are, after you graduate, sooner or later they will forget you."

"I never thought I would hear a hero say that."

"And what about you? You are technically one."

"Nothing like that."

"Of course, you have your own game, a fan base, you save princesses...

"But I've never felt like one," he interrupted.

There was no answer; then Luigi was able to concentrate on the curious appearance of the person next to him.

Despite having undeniable good looks, his style was what made him stand out the most. He was wearing an outfit fit for a member of royalty. With a white shirt, a dull yellow vest and an olive green jacket with matching pants. His shoes were also expensive; however, what stood out the most was undoubtedly a gold crown, which could be considered medium, right in the middle of his head.

"Can I take it for a few seconds?" He asked curiously.

"What?"

"The crown"

"Oh, um, not really. Don't get me wrong, it's not that I don't trust you, it's just that it is precious to me and I would hate for anything to happen to it."

"I understand." He returned his gaze to the ground.

"Hey, do you think you can give me your number?" he whispered with a small blush.

"Huh? Sorry, I'm straight. I only went to that bar because Daisy made me and...

"I just want the picture too," he smiled at him.

"The photo? Good God, what a shame! I thought that...

Bowie got up as he held out his hand.

"Don't worry. Shall I accompany you to school or do you prefer to go alone?"

"No!" He stood up suddenly, "I'm going with you, it'll be much safer.

Laughter.

It wasn't hard for the redhead to notice Luigi's obvious fear of the dark. Which he certainly found adorable.

"And was the sangria good?"

"How do you know about that?"

"A guy who doesn't move all night can be quite conspicuous," he replied.

"Did you realize everything that happened?"

"Seeing you was quite entertaining. But when I started to see you very uncomfortable I decided to intervene."

He formed a slight smile "Doesn't that make you more of a kind of anti-hero?"

"I like that term"

They reached the building. They both looked up and heaved a heavy sigh.

"Returned to martyrdom," Bowie whispered.

"Not even say it," Luigi murmured.

They opened the large wooden doors and a huge scream caused a shiver in the chestnut that led him to unconsciously stick to his partner.

In the end, Bowie accompanied him to his room.

"Here" he handed her a piece of paper.

"Whats's this?"

-And that?

–It's my number, if you want to talk, just send me a message– he winked at him –Rest, Luigi.

–Buona notte– he said goodbye to him and then closed

He slumped against the door with the paper pressed to his chest. He felt his heart beating at an accelerated rate; after all, it had been a night full of emotions. But in the end, he couldn't help but form a smile.