Mario fidgeted with the cuffs of his gloves as he approached the Puzzlevision studio. Was it normal to be this nervous? I mean, realistically, what did he even have to be afraid of?? It's not like Puzzles could or WOULD hurt him! And it was just a question! If he said no it wasn't a big deal or anything.

That being said, Mario really hoped he wouldn't say no.

Earlier that morning, Mario had wandered into the SMG4 castle to see his best friend scurrying around, planning a party of some sorts. He was making a list of meals and snacks, had gotten an old Barbecue out of the trash where Depresso lived and had pulled out a big home pool that had yet to be filled with water.

"Es-Em-Gee-4?" Mario asked, "What's-a all this?"

"Oh! Mario! Hey! I was just planning for an epic pool party this afternoon!!" The blue guardian grinned.

"Pool party? Why are you throwing one of those?"

"Well, since it's getting hotter around here, I figured an event for everyone to chill out, have a meal and cool down would be really awesome! I'm gonna see if I can get SMG3 and Luigi on the barbecue since three makes meals for customers every day and Luigi had that thing going on with Gordon Ramsey so I'm guessing he has a bit of cooking experience? If not I can always invite Bowser..." SMG4 said, running through a list of his friends and determining who would be best suited to cook.

Mario shrugged and wandered over to the kitchen to find some leftovers.

"Well just don't forget Mario's spaghetti!" The Italian said

"Don't worry man it's the first thing on my list."

The man in red smiled at his best friend and began to eat.

There was a comfortable silence between the two of them as Mario stuffed his face and SMG4 continued to plan.

"So..." Mario started, mouth full of food. "How are things going with you and SMG3?"

SMG4 looked up from his list and a red blush fell on his cheeks.

"A-ah well... y'know it's going... good..."

"How many dates are you on now? 4?" Mario asked

"5 so far. And we've got another one planned for next week." Four blushed.

"Aww that makes-a Mario so happy." He smiled.

"Yeah... it makes me happy too..." Four mumbled to himself.

"Hey! Maybe this can be your 6th date! I'm sure SMG3 would love to be invited to the pool by his boyfriend!"

SMG4 spluttered, his face red.

"H-He is not my boyfriend!!" Four insisted. Mario gave him a confused look.

"Hmm? But you go on dates! You spend a lot-a time together and Mario has seen you two kiss each other goodbye! You are dating!" Mario complained

"Y-yeah we do all that stuff but that doesn't mean we're dating!" Four blushed "I haven't worked up the courage to ask him yet..."

"Well Mario can fix that easy! If you need help asking him out, Mario would be more than happy to-"

"No no no no not a chance Mario! You think I'd trust you with something as important as this?? I can handle it myself. I just need to figure out how I'm gonna do it." Four said.

Mario shrugged, "fine. But I'm always here if-a you need some help!"

"Yeah I know bro." Four sighed.

Mario lit up as an idea struck him.

"Hey! When you and SMG3 are boyfriends, can Mario finally come along on another one of your dates?" The Italian asked with pleading eyes

SMG4 laughed in disbelief. "Ha! Yeah no that's never happening again after you and Mr Puzzles crashed our first date."

Mario grumbled at his response and Four smiled at him. His smile faltered slightly and he thought back to the TV villain and his affiliation with Mario.

"Say, it's been a few months since we last saw him. Have your feelings towards him changed at all?" Four asked.

Mario looked at him for a moment and sighed sadly.

"Mario... isn't sure..." he admitted. "I haven't seen him since that night. Mario is worried that if I do see him again all of those scary, confusing feelings will return."

Four sighed and out and hand on his friend's shoulder. Despite still really not liking Mr Puzzles in the slightest, he had come to accept there's a chance his best friend might. Even though Four really hoped it was just infatuation.

I mean, sure, he wants his best friend to be HAPPY but did it really have to be with Mr Puzzles of all people?? Whatever, it wasn't like he could do anything about it other than support his friend and do what he could to help.

"Well... how about this..." Four sighed reluctantly, "you can... invite him to the pool party. See how you feel about him and then we can go from there. If your feelings are really gone then non of us have to worry about being around him again. But if they haven't gone..."

The two friends gave each other a worried glance.

"We'll just have to cross that bridge when we get to it." Four sighed.

And that's how Mario ended up standing outside of the Puzzlevision studio. Nervous sweat beaded his forehead as he took a deep breath and raised a fist to the door, knocking three times. He waited patiently for an answer but there was nothing. Mario went to knock again but he then heard the sound of heeled footsteps approaching the door.

"Yes yes I'm coming." He heard Mr Puzzles say from inside.

Just hearing his voice sent a nervous chill down Mario's spine.

Okay so maybe his feelings hadn't left.

There was no time to worry about that now however as Mr Puzzles swung open the door, looking down at Mario with an expression of confusion and annoyance.

Mario looked up at him and froze for a moment. Oh god was he always that hot? His tall, slim figure that towered above Mario; his clothes that knew how to make him look good in all the right ways; and of course his TV head. Ohhh boy Mario would watch anything as long as it was projected on that pretty screen of his...

Mr Puzzles displeased look remained present as he stood in front of the short Italian. There was a moment of silence between the two before Mario finally arranged his thoughts enough to greet the man.

"Hello TV man!" Mario waved, trying to not let his nerves show.

Mr Puzzles let out and irritated sigh as he addressed the man in red.

"What do you want Mario?"

Oof. Not a great start...

"Mario wants you to come to a pool party SMG4 is throwing at the Showgrounds!" He smiled nervously.

Mr Puzzles gave him a look that screamed 'are you stupid?', a question that everyone in the mushroom kingdom already knew the answer to.

"Mario." Puzzles said

"Yes?"

"I have a TV for a head."

"Uhh...."

"I can't get it wet."

"Ah..."

"So I'm afraid it's going to have to be a no. Good day!" Mr Puzzles smiled sarcastically before going to shut the door.

Without thinking, Mario put his foot in front of the door, preventing it from shutting.

Puzzles glared at him.

"Mario. Move your foot." He said

"Y-you don't have to go in the pool!!" Mario reassured, desperately trying to find something to convince Puzzles to go.

"I don't care Mario. I'm a very busy man and have no interest in going to SMG4's pool party. Now move!"

"There's also gonna be a barbecue!! Bowser is gonna make some super duper food! You can eat right?" Mario asked

"Uh... well yes I technically can eat but-"

"Great!! Bowser's food is really good. Mario is sure you'll love it."

"I'm still not going!" Puzzles said, pushing Mario out of the way and slamming the door in his face.

Mario immediately jumped up and knocked on the door again as he tried to think of a way to get Puzzles to come with him.

"Go away Mario...!" Puzzles warned.

"Oh pleeeaasseeee just come with Mario! It'll be fun!!"

"I do not care! Why are you so insistent? Is this just another one of your 'fake date' plans? Because I told you that was a one time thing!!"

"No! Mario genuinely wants you there!" The Italian pleaded. He continuously knocked on the door until Puzzles opened it just a crack.

"You... want me there?" Puzzles raised an eyebrow at this as Mario realised the implications of his words.

"Uhhh... y-yeah! Mario wants to watch TV whilst in the pool! Haha..." he chuckled nervously at the TV man who frowned at this.

"Yeah that's not happening." He said, shutting the door once again.

"W-WAIT!" Mario screamed, realising he messed up, "Mario is sorry! I won't use you for TV time I pinkie swear!! Just please come to the pool party!"

"No!" He heard Puzzles shout from inside.

Mario felt his heart clench at the rejection. Oh how could he be so stupid?! In retrospect he should have planned what he was going to say...

Oh was there anything at all that could convince Mr Puzzles to come to this party?? There had to be something or someone that could- WAIT THAT'S IT!!!

"MEGGY!! MEGGY IS-A GONNA BE THERE!" He shouted desperately.

There was a moment of silence before Puzzles came back to the door and swung it open.

"My little Leggy?" He asked cautiously.

"Yes! Mario knows you two aren't on the best terms right now but she's like a sister to Mario!! I can put in a good word for you and you can talk to her at the party!!" Mario hurriedly explained.

Mr Puzzles looked at the fat Italian as he weighed his options. On one hand, he could finally speak to Leg- Meggy. Perhaps clear the air a little and earn her forgiveness. On the other hand, he really didn't want to have to rely on Mario to do it. After the disaster that was the 'double date', Puzzles was inclined to never trust one of Mario's schemes again!

But... if it would get Meggy to talk to him...

"Ugh..." Puzzles groaned, head in his hand. "Fine. I'll go." He muttered.

"WAHOO!!" Mario did his signature jump and then grabbed Mr Puzzles' hand, dragging him in the direction of the Showgrounds. "Come on!! We don't-a wanna be late and miss all the food!" He smiled.

Puzzles rolled his eyes but allowed himself to be dragged along by the Italian.

The journey from Puzzlevision studios to the Showgrounds was little over half an hour. Usually Mario would have complained about the long walk time but with Puzzles present, he figured it'd be best to keep his comments to himself. He was on thin enough ice with the TV man as it was, he didn't need to make him resent Mario anymore than he already did.

As the two trudged along the forest path, Mario hummed his theme song to himself whilst Puzzles followed along without complaint. Neither man had anything to say in terms of actual conversation so they carried on in mostly silence, the only noise from the duo coming from Mario's hums.

But after hearing the same song on repeat for 20 minutes, Puzzles groaned in irritation.

"Do you have to sing that silly song everywhere you go? Doesn't it get exhausting to hear?" He grumbled.

Mario looked at him, almost offended by the mere thought of being sick of his own theme song.

"Of course-a not! Mario loves his theme song!" He said.

Puzzles scoffed, "Well my dumb little Italian, you obviously lack any form of musical taste if you think that constitutes a decent theme song. Especially when mine is clearly better."

The TV smirked at the smaller man in red who rolled his eyes in response.

"Oh please! Don't give me that crap. My theme song is 100x more iconic than yours!"

"Hmm... that may be true. However there is one tiny detail you're missing when it comes to comparing our theme songs..." Puzzles said.

"Oh yeah? And what's-a that?"

Puzzles' smirk widened as he leant down to whisper in Mario's ear.

"Mine's catchier~"

Mario could feel the hairs on his neck stand on end due to the static radiating from Puzzles' screen. His cheeks tinted with a light blush with how close the two of them were and Mr Puzzles stood up straight again, chuckling.

"Aw... what's wrong? No snappy comeback?~" the TV inquired.

"Psh. Y-your theme song isn't catchier than mine... Anyone who thinks it is must be coo coo crazy." Mario said, hurriedly trying to hide his blush. Luckily, Puzzles didn't seem to notice how flustered he had become.

Puzzles sighed and looked up at the trees they were walking under.

"Oh Mario, the only reason people think your theme song is better is because you're more well known than me." He looked down at the Italian, "Just you wait. Once I reach my 5 stars and become the greatest producer in the world, everyone will know me and my theme song. It'll be all you can hear for miles oh! I can picture it now! Wouldn't it just be amazing Mario? To be known and adored by the entire world?!"

Puzzles grinned enthusiastically as he lost himself in his fantasy. Mario gave him a look of concern as he thought to his own experiences in the spotlight. And boy, he sure had experience.

Being the face of Nintendo for the last few decades was hard work. Being swept up every few years to make a new Mario game where he had to go on some big quest to save Peach. It was just annoying at this point. I mean, how many times does she realistically expect him to save her ass? Bowser can just keep her at this point. The kingdom will be fine. Marty can take it over! Plus, Bowser's kids need a mother figure and Mario would finally be able to relax! It's a win-win!

But no, Miyamoto wants more money so Mario had no choice but to save a stupid princess. And that's not even mentioning all of the events he had to go to. Fans he had to greet. Merch he had to sign. Hell, if it weren't for the SMG4 crew he would be nothing but a marketing tool for Nintendo! He was lucky to have his friends there to keep him sane throughout it all. Even then, he almost lost them all back in 2022 when Lawyer Kong sued SMG4.

Without his friends, he'd be a shell of a person. They had his back.

But nobody had Mr Puzzles' back.

If he truly became as successful as he dreamt of being, who was going to be there to stop his mental state from completely deteriorating? Who was going to brighten his day when the work load got too much? Had Mr Puzzles even considered these as possibilities?? It didn't look like he had. Perhaps Mario should warn him...

"Uhm... Mr Puzzles?" Mario asked

"Yes?" Puzzles said in a displeased tone.

"You know, you don't... need to become super popular. Plenty of people will enjoy your shows anyway. You don't need the whole world's approval."

"Preposterous! Of course I do! Why, the more people who rate me five stars, the more powerful I become! And the more powerful I become, the greater the stories I get to tell!!" Puzzles said proudly.

Mario sighed. He knew there would probably be no getting through to Puzzles. That man had been so focused on being the best for the past few years that trying to change his mind now would be futile.

"It's just... Mario knows what it's like to be in the spotlight. And... it's not all that great. Mario probably would have gone coo coo crazy from it if it weren't for Mario's friends. But... you don't have any friends. Who is gonna support you when it's-a too much for you?" Mario asked worriedly

Puzzles glared at him. "Thank you for the painful reminder that I have no friends." He said sarcastically.

Mario face shifted to one of panic as he started to backtrack.

"I-I didn't mean it in an insulting way! Mario was just worried that without friends, the spotlight may become too much at times and you won't know how to handle it alone." He explained.

"Oh pish posh! That won't matter to me! Mario dear, I have been working my whole life to reach the top. Do not fool yourself into thinking that just because you can't handle the life of a star, the rest of us will have the same problem. Oh, the spotlight is truly wasted on you. Such a shame as well... if only you could appreciate how lucky you are to be born a star." Puzzles tutted as he walked along.

Mario would be offended by Puzzles' accusation that he just 'can't handle' the spotlight but he knew that Puzzles only thought that way because he had a glorified view of being popular. He couldn't fathom the stress of having all eyes on you constantly. Of loosing yourself to your work. For Mr Puzzles' sake, he hoped that he would never have to experience that. But who was he kidding? Mr Puzzles was a natural talent with a likeable personality, gorgeous body and a determination to see his dream through. There was no way he wasn't going to end up on broadway. Mario just hoped that he'd be able to have people that would help him when he really needs it.

"Okay... just... don't forget about Mario when you become a big star! Aha... ha..." Mario tried to play off his worries and swiftly bring an end to the conversation.

Puzzles gave him and funny look and then smiled, leaning down to ruffle Mario's hair through his hat.

"Oh don't worry my dear! I could never forget about the original star of my shows!" He smiled.

Mario couldn't tell if it was genuine or not but he'd rather pretend it was.

After trudging through the forest for what felt like hours, the two of them finally arrived at the entrance to the Showgrounds where they could see the SMG4 crew and other side characters either running around the pool, swimming or conversing around the barbecue as Bowser cooked up some meat.

Puzzles suddenly felt very nervous looking at all of his former puppets. They justifiably did not like him so why on earth would he be welcomed? What was he even expecting from this event?? Maybe it would be better if he went back home...

As Mr Puzzles was about to turn around and leave, Mario grabbed his hand and smiled up at him.

"Stage fright isn't a good look on you~" he smirked.

Puzzles scoffed, shocked at the mere notion that he could have stage fright.

"Stage fright? Me? Ha! Oh you do make me laugh Mario. No no no, I was simply... er... composing myself! I'm, uh... I'm good to go in now." He sheepishly smiled.

Mario grinned at him and led Mr Puzzles into the Showgrounds.

"Hello!" He waved happily to his friends. They all turned their heads and as they laid eyes on Mr Puzzles, their expressions changed from smiles to a vast array of confusion, disgust and fear. A few people even pulled out weapons like Swag and Saiko.

"Guess who Mario brought with him!!" The Italian smiled as he gestured to Mr Puzzles, not registering his friend's faces.

"H-hello." Puzzles awkwardly smiled.

A few members of the crew began whispering to each other which only made Puzzles feel like even more of an outcast.

This was a mistake.

Just as Mr Puzzles was about to turn to leave, SMG4 approached him and Mario.

"Heyyy Mario! Glad you finally made it." He greeted his friend.

"Sorry Mario is late. It took a while to convince TV man to join me." He smiled up at Mr Puzzles "But, Mario got him here eventually."

"I can see that..." Four gave Puzzles a suspicious glance, still not fully trusting him.

"What the hell is he doing here?" SMG3 asked as he appeared behind SMG4, pointing an accusatory finger at Mr Puzzles. "You'd better not be here to ruin Four's pool party because if you are I swear to god I'm gonna-"

"Three, relax dude it's all good. I invited him." Four said, putting a hand on Three's shoulder.

The contact made Three calm down a little but he was still rightfully pissed and confused.

"Excuse me? Why the hell would you do that?! Especially after last time when him and this idiot crashed our date!" The purple guardian shouted, gesturing to Mario.

SMG4 sighed and dragged SMG3 away from the others.

Once they were out of earshot, SMG4 turned SMG3 to face him whilst still keeping an eye on Puzzles and Mario from afar.

"Look, I don't want Mr Puzzles here anymore than the next guy. Especially after all of the shit he's tried to pull-"

"YEAH! Brainwashing us into being his actors for a whole MONTH, trying to take over your meme factory, CRASHING OUR FIRST DATE!" Three interrupted.

"Exactly. We can all agree he's a piece of shit villain who we don't want to be around. However... unfortunately for us and the rest of the crew, after Mario and Puzzles essentially stalked us on their fake date, they apparently had a nice time together once they left the restaurant. So nice in fact that it got Mario to question his feelings for the damn TV!" SMG4 explained.

"Oh you have got to be kidding me."

"I know, I know. I'm not thrilled by the idea either. But, Mario said he isn't sure about his feelings for the guy so... ugh... I said he could invite him to figure out how he feels..." Four admitted.

Three groaned at this, knowing there was no way Puzzles wouldn't be attending this party now.

"This is so annoying." He muttered.

"I know. But it's only one time! I'm sure it won't ruin the vibes of the party." Four reassured him.

"Oh it had better not. Because I swear to hell, if this guy messed with this party in even the smallest of ways I'll make sure he-"

"Woaahh okay easy tiger~" Four smirked at Three who shot a glare in Puzzles' direction. "It'll all be fine. He isn't stupid enough to try anything here. Let's just enjoy the party okay?"

Four gave him a sweet smile and Three couldn't stop his own lips from tugging up slightly.

He sighed, "fine... but I'm still going to be keeping an eye on him."

"That's alright. Just don't let it ruin your fun okay? I still want to have a good time with you." Four said.

The two guardians smiled at each other, their face tinted with a small blush. SMG3 then leaned forward and gave Four a kiss on the cheek; the blue guardian's face turned a deep red as he turned his head in an attempt to hide his embarrassment.

He was still extremely easily flustered by Three despite going on several dates with him at this point. They weren't technically a couple but neither of them could deny the attraction that was present between them. He wanted to ask him out so desperately but it never felt like the right time. A part of him wondered if this party would be the right place but the rest of him highly doubted it. It was too crowded and there were too many eyes on them. It wouldn't feel natural if he asked him here.

No, he'll keep waiting. But dammit it sure was getting harder and harder to not be dating SMG3 with every passing day.

Three, Four, Puzzles and Mario walked over to the rest of the guests who were still suspiciously glaring at the TV man.

"Don't worry guys. It's all good. He can stay." Four reassured them.

Saiko and Swag lowered their weapons at this but kept their suspicious looks.

Puzzles looked around at the crew anxiously before his eyes landed on Meggy. He gave her an awkward wave which she did not reciprocate. Instead turning around and returning to the party along with the rest of the crew.

Puzzles sighed sadly at this and Mario looked up at him with sympathy. He reached up and tugged on his hand, gaining the TV's attention.

"It's-a okay TV man. Mario will talk to her." He said.

Mr Puzzles smiled gratefully at him and the Italian chased after his sister.

Meggy was standing by the snack table, filling a paper plate with party sausages and salad when Mario came up behind her and tapped her shoulder.

"Hello Meggy!" He greeted cheerfully.

"Hey Red." She replied, her tone not meeting her friend's.

"Hey, are you okay? You seem saaaad." Mario dramatically frowned, hoping to put a smile on her face.

Meggy sighed, "It's just... ever since the whole Meme Factory thing, Mr Puzzles has been acting... strange whenever he runs into me. Stranger than usual. He's... nice? I think? I don't really know. He keeps trying to talk to me and he'll try to leave me gifts and apologies. Also he won't stop calling me 'Leggy'. The whole thing is just really weird and I don't know what's gotten into him."

Mario listened to her words and then thought for a moment.

"Hmm... maybe he feels bad for what he did?" Mario suggested, not fully believing his own theory.

"Ha! Yeah, fat chance. I'll bet he's just trying to manipulate me into being his puppet again. Well THAT'S not happening anytime soon! I'll never side with him!" Meggy declared.

"I... don't think that's what he wants." Mario admitted and Meggy groaned.

"Well what else could he possibly want with me?? When I got turned into a meme he used me as a soldier to break into SMG4's factory! He tricked me into helping him!! And I barely even remember how he did it! That guy is bad news Red. I don't trust him."

"Mario thinks that's maybe not the full story." He explained. "I might-a have not been there but TV man isn't really the type of person to have help with his schemes. I'm-a sure he would have gotten into the factory just fine on his own."

"Well then what did he need me for?!" Meggy asked.

"Mario does not know. But perhaps you should ask him yourself? You know, it seems like he would really like a chance to talk to you and explain-"

"No way!! Why are you even trying to get me to talk to him? Are you- wait a second."

Meggy cut herself off and leant closer to Mario, inspecting his face with a frown. As if she was looking for something that was off with her Italian friend.

Mario nervously stood still as she inspected him until she pulled away.

"He's not mind controlling you right now is he?" She asked

"W-wha?!" Mario exclaimed

"You know! With his whole 5 star thing! How do I know he isn't puppeteering you to get me to talk to him!?" Meggy pushed.

"That's-a not what's happening! Honest!" Mario tried to defend himself.

"I'm not buying it! The Mario I know wouldn't care about his friends reconciling with a villain! So what's really your motivation for doing this?" Meggy raised an eyebrow at Mario and stepped further into his personal space.

"Mario just wants-" the Italian paused for a moment, not wanting to say something he might regret, "...everyone to get along and be friends! Y-yeah! That's all!"

Meggy let out a dissatisfied huff but took a step back anyway.

"I don't believe you. But even if I did, why Puzzles of all people? May I remind you he hates you? Like really, truly despises you. Why are you trying to give him a chance?"

Meggy's words stung something deep inside Mario. Yeah, he knew Puzzles hated him. Trying to win his favour was most likely futile and winning his heart was out of the question. Despite this, Mario felt the urge to do what he could to get the TV to like him. Or at the very least, tolerate him.

Whether it was helping him find plots for his shows, trying to get his friends to give him a second chance or even just buying him an ice cream and falling asleep with him in a park bench, Mario just wanted to make Mr Puzzles happy.

"Could you just consider talking to him? Please?" Mario asked.

Meggy let out a defeated sigh as she rolled her eyes.

"Fine. I'll think about it." She grumbled.

Mario's face was overtaken by a cartoony grin as he perked up and captured Meggy in a tight hug.

"OOOHH THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU MEGGY!!" He smiled

"H-HEY! I said I'll think about it!! That doesn't mean I'll actually do it Red!" Meggy tried to fight against his grasp but it was futile. She eventually gave up and returned the hug.

Mario eventually released her and wandered off to go and talk with his other friends, leaving the ex-inking alone to contemplate her next move.

Whilst all of this was going on, Mr Puzzles was approached by Bob.

"Yo." He greeted in his usual AI voice.

"Um, hello?" Puzzles greeted.

Bob pointed to Puzzles' screen with his blade.

"You got booby channels on that thing?" He asked plainly.

Puzzles frowned, frustrated that the only reason Bob wanted to talk to him was to use his screen.

As he was about to answer, a small cube-headed meme guardian with a brown hat and bent antenna walked over.

"Bob, it's rude to just go up and ask a question like that!" SMG1 said.

Puzzles looked at him curiously as Bob groaned and rolled his eyes.

"Ugh. You're such a party pooper." Bob complained before walking off to go bother Boopkins and Jub Jub.

"Sorry about him." SMG1 said.

"It's fine." Puzzles replied.

"So, I hear you're a friend of Mario's?" The teal guardian smiled.

"Friend is a... strong word..." Puzzles grimaced.

SMG1 nodded in understanding.

"Yes I suppose he can be a bit much at times." He chuckled, "But he has a good heart. He's a very trustworthy person. Too stupid to be cunning. If he invited you here, it's probably just because he wants to be around you."

Puzzles scoffed, "yeah right. I find that hard to believe. He only invited me because he wants to watch TV on my head."

One sighed, "Well I don't know what to say to that."

Just then, Beeg and Eggdog bounded over to SMG1, yapping in their meme language that only a guardian could understand.

Puzzles stared in confusion as the two memes spoke to One, Eggdog jumping into his arms and licking his face affectionately.

One chuckled and pet the memes, smiling at them.

"Well thanks for letting me know. We'll be right over." He spoke to them.

Satisfied, Beeg and Eggdog left to run over to their dads and the rest of their friends who were gathered around the barbecue.

One looked at Puzzles, "They're starting the barbecue now. Do you eat?" He asked.

"Uhm, yes I do." Puzzles said, pointing to his vent.

"Great! You should let Bowser know now what you'd like to eat so he can start cooking it." One smiled.

He then walked over to the barbecue to join everyone else and Puzzles soon followed behind him.

The crew and side characters sat around the pool, happily chatting and eating as they watched Beeg, Eggdog and Mario splash about in the pool.

Mr Puzzles stood away from everyone, picking at the meat on his plate. He couldn't really taste and needed very few calories to function so he was mostly just eating it out of politeness.

The TV man wistfully looked up at everyone else smiling and laughing together. The familiar feeling of loneliness washed over him as he enviously watched the group. A part of him wished he was on good terms with them so he could join in the party, making lasting memories with people he could consider friends.

But the logical side of him knew that it would be a stupid waste of time to even attempt to be included. He learnt that lesson a long time ago. No no no, he was better off left to his own thoughts.

He looked down at the half-eaten beef on his plate and frowned. He knew he didn't have room for any more. Bowser would probably be disappointed that he wasn't able to finish his food. Great. Just another person he's on bad terms with.

Puzzles sighed to himself as he started to think of ways to dispose of the food without Bowser seeing when he heard the sound of a certain Italian paddling over to him.

"Hello!" Mario waved at him from the pool, bringing up a little bit of water as he did so.

"Oh, hello Mario." Puzzles said.

Mario looked between Mr Puzzles and the rest of his friends, confusion showing on his face.

"Why are you all alone?" He frowned.

Mr Puzzles let out a sad sigh as he looked down.

"Well my dear, truthfully I don't think I'd be very welcomed. I, of course, understand why that is the case. I take full responsibility for this; however this is a feeling I will never get used to..."

Mario cocked his head, "What feeling?"

"This. Watching everyone from a distance. Never feeling comfortable enough to just join in. Unless I am approached first I always find it safer to stay on the side." Puzzles explained.

Mario thought for a moment, "But... if you stay on the side, how will people know to approach you?"

Puzzles smiled sadly at him.

"They don't."

"Oh."

There was a somber silence between the two of them. Mario felt bad for the TV man despite everything. He glanced over at the rest of the group, making brief eye contact with Meggy. He really had hoped she would be willing to talk to Puzzles but judging by the way she quickly turned her back to talk with someone else, Mario guessed she wasn't quite ready to talk to him.

Mr Puzzles looked at his leftover food and then at Mario.

"Say, how come you don't have anything to eat? I thought you loved food?" He asked

Mario smiled at him, "Oh Mario does love food! But he loves food a little too much. Es-Em-Gee-4 said I have to wait for everyone else to eat so that there's enough to go around. Mario is quite hungry though..."

The Italian looked down at his stomach and sighed.

"Would you... like the rest of this beef?" Mr Puzzles offered him his plate, looking away in embarrassment as he did so. He didn't want people to think he was being nice to the guy he hated. He just needed to get rid of his food! And Mario was like a human trash can so it's a win-win.

Mario looked up at him with a big smile and nodded enthusiastically, leaning over the side of the pool to grab at the plate. Puzzles handed it to him and Mario quickly devoured the contents. Once finished, he looked at Puzzles with a goofy grin and handed the plate back to him.

"That was-a so nice!" He smiled.

Puzzles rolled his eyes as he looked at Mario.

"Ugh. You've gone and gotten your face all dirty." He said

Mario looked at his reflection in the water and sure enough, his mouth had a ring of condiments and crumbs surrounding it.

"Oh that's-a not a problem! Mario can just wash his face in the pool!" He smiled.

As he was about to go underwater, Mr Puzzles quickly grabbed his chin with one hand and pulled Mario to look up at him.

"Oh no you don't!" He said.

Mario froze, his face beginning to turn red as Mr Puzzles held him in place. He stared up into his TV screen, completely enamoured by the displeased look on his face.

Mario was so distracted by the pretty TV holding him in place that he didn't even notice as Mr Puzzles reached into his pocket and pulled out a wet wipe.

"You'll dirty the water like that. You need to clean yourself properly." Puzzles sighed as he wiped around Mario's mouth.

Mario couldn't do anything other than wait for Mr Puzzles to clean him up. He remained silent even after Puzzles had wiped his face clean and released his grip on the Italian.

"There. Now you at least look presentable." The Tv smiled.

"Mhm..." Mario nodded, his face red as he stared wide-eyed at Mr Puzzles.

"You know, you really shouldn't swim after eating my dear. Why don't you step out of the pool for an hour so that the food can digest properly?" Puzzles suggested.

"O-okie dokie..." Mario nervously swam to the ladder and climbed out of the water.

He dried off and slipped a shirt on, his cheeks still dusted with a slight blush as he thought back on what happened.

Puzzles offering his food to him meant more to Mario than he initially realised. Puzzles could have just as easily thrown it away or disposed of it some how but instead, he gave it to the man he claimed to hate. That had to mean something right?

Or maybe not. Maybe Mario was just delusional and grasping at straws trying to justify a reality where Puzzles could like him back.

But, it's like they say:

The way to a man's heart is through his stomach.

And Puzzles had just simultaneously kept both of them full.

An hour or two later, Mario was finally able to eat the leftover food from the barbecue. As he happily chomped away, Puzzles watched with a slight smile on his face. A small part of him found Mario quite endearing. Maybe almost sweet? Eh. That part was probably wrong. At the end of the day he was just an annoying Italian who just wanted to eat food and watch TV. Puzzles would be a fool to think he was anything more than that.

As he was thinking, he was approached by Meggy.

"Um... hey?" She greeted nervously.

Puzzles was startled by her presence but quickly composed himself.

"O-oh! Leg- MEGGY! Hi!" He said, trying not to sound too enthusiastic. He didn't want to overwhelm her after all.

"I... didn't realise you and Mario were, um.." she trailed off, trying to find the right word, "friends?"

"Friends is a strong word." Puzzles said

Meggy looked at Mario who was distracted by the mountain of food.

"I honestly thought you hated him."

"Hate is also a strong word..." Puzzles sighed.

There was an awkward silence between the two before Meggy spoke up again.

"So hey, after Mario has finished eating, some of us were going to chill in the pool. You interested in joining us or...?" Meggy asked

Mr Puzzles seemed almost surprised by the offer to join them. He didn't think any of the crew would appreciate his company, let alone invite him into the pool. It would have almost been flattering if it weren't for the fact Meggy was probably only asking out of politeness.

"I appreciate the offer, however I'm afraid water and electronics don't particularly mix. If someone were to splash some water on my precious TV then thing's wouldn't end well for me. Plus, I didn't bring a swimsuit." Mr Puzzles explained.

"Oh well that's okay! The only ones who would splash are Bob and Mario and we can just force them not to. And I'm sure SMG3 would be willing to lend you something to swim in if we asked." Meggy suggested.

Puzzles thought for a moment before smiling and nodding.

"Alright then. I'll do it."

"Great!"

Meggy led Mr Puzzles over to III's Coffee n' Bombs, leaving Mario alone to finish his meal.

Meanwhile, SMG3 and SMG4 were in Three's 'evil villain lair' getting ready to go into the pool.

"Come on man! Mario's gonna be done soon!" Four called to Three. He knocked on the bathroom door, hoping to speed him up.

"Hold on! I can't decide between purple trunks or black with skulls on them!" Three complained through the door.

"Ugh does it really matter that much? Who are you trying to impress anyway? It's just your friends! They won't care!" Four said.

"I-it's not them I care about! I know they won't give a shit what I wear. It's just... well..." Three trailed off.

SMG4 sighed and leant against the door.

"Is it because I'm here?" He asked

"...yeah..." Three admitted.

Four smiled and blushed at the thought that SMG3 wanted to look good for him.

"Awww Three! You know I'll think you look amazing in anything. They're just swim trunks dude. No wrong decisions." Four reassured him.

"Yeah... yeah you're right. I'm being ridiculous. Okay I'll be out in just a sec." Three said.

Less than a minute later the bathroom door finally opened and Three stepped out wearing the black trunks with skulls on them, his cheeks dusted red.

"How's this...?" He shyly asked.

Four's eyes widened as his jaw slowly dropped. Taking in the sight of SMG3's body seemed to have caused his brain to temporarily malfunction, his face turning a bright red.

"Uhhh...."

He couldn't even put his feelings into words. His heart was beating a hundred miles a minute and he tensed up, eyes struggling to lock onto Three's.

"Y-you look... Uhm... oh fuck..."

SMG3 gave him a look of confusion as Four tried his best to arrange his thoughts, but to no avail.

Oh god he just looked so HOT! His arms and chest covered in dark hair. His pudgy stomach peeking over the waistband of his trunks. The goddam happy trail...

Four didn't stand a chance. The only thought he could string together in his mind was nothing more than:

God I want to date this man. I want him to be all mine.

Four looked down at the ground as he attempted to calm down his reddened face but he was startled when he felt Three gently take his hand.

"Hey... you okay?" He asked, his voice laced with concern.

The two guardians locked eyes and before Four could even register what he was saying, he blurted out:

"Please be my boyfriend."

"Wh- HUH?!?" Three's face turned as red as Four's and he felt Four's grip on his hand tighten.

"Please."

"F-FOUR! Are you serious right now?!" Three asked loudly.

"I've never been more serious about anything in my life."

"Y-YOU CANT JUST ASK THINGS LIKE THAT OUT OF NOWHERE!!"

"I'm sorry, I was going to plan something a little more romantic but I actually don't think I can wait another goddam second. So please Three, will you date me?"

Three blushed and angrily turned around, trying to hide how flustered he really was.

"You're such an idiot..." he muttered before looking up at him, face red with a scowl "Yeah... yeah I'll date you... baka..." he blushed.

Four's face lit up with a huge smiled with SMG3 sheepishly returned. Four squeezed Three's hand as both men stood there, smiling at each other. Neither of them knew what to do next. Should they hug? Kiss? What even was there to say??

"I- err..." Three stammered. Four looked at him curiously. "I love you." He admitted.

Four beamed at this, his smile widening.

"I love you too." He said.

"Wow... that feels weird to finally say." Three huffed.

"Y-yeah, I know right? It's nice to finally get off my chest though." Four blushed.

Three chucked slightly before taking SMG4's other hand. The two guardians looked up at each other nervously, their intentions clear.

SMG4 began to lean in slowly, Three did the same. Their eyes closed as their lips finally met in the middle, sealing their love in a kiss.

Four's hands trailed up Three's arms, gently stroking them whilst Three's hands moved up to cup the blue guardian's cheek. Four sighed as he relaxed into the kiss, leaning in further to enjoy the feeing of Three's lips against his own.

Three smiled, the happiness of finally having Four in his arms and being able to call him his own was amazing. He pulled him closer, wanting to appreciate every single part of his SMG4.

The two meme guardians were broken from their kiss when the elevator door dinged, startling them. They quickly pulled away from each other, faces red as Meggy and Mr Puzzles stepped out of the elevator.

"Hey guys. Hope we're not interrupting anything." Meggy smiled, noticing the blush on her friend's faces.

"Wha- WHATS HE DOING HERE?!" Three demanded, face red from either anger or embarrassment.

"Relax Three, we were just wondering if you had a spare pair of swimming trunks? Puzzles is gonna hop in the pool with the rest of us but he didn't bring anything. Would be it okay if he borrowed something from you?" She asked.

Three glared at Puzzles who awkwardly waved back.

SMG3 sighed "sure, whatever. Take what you need then get lost."

Meggy smiled, satisfied with his answer before leading Mr Puzzles over to Three's closet, hoping to find something that would fit the taller man.

Four looked at his boyfriend and gave his hand a reassuring squeeze, causing Three to look up at him.

"We should head back up. Mario will be done by now." He said.

"Yeah, alright let's go."

As the couple walked hand in hand to the elevator, Meggy glanced over to them.

"We'll be up in a few minutes! Don't wait up!" She said.

"Alright, see you upstairs!" Four said as the elevator doors shut

Upstairs, Mario had long since finished his meal and was now back to splashing about in the pool with Bob and Boopkins.

They were having a good time, splashing each other with water guns (both of them targeting Boopkins specifically) and laughing together as a few more crew members got into the pool.

"Hey! Quit shooting water at me Bob! Before I shoot you with a REAL gun!!" Saiko threatened, causing Bob to lower his water gun.

Mario chuckled at this when he suddenly saw his Three and Four coming over to the pool, hand in hand.

His smiled widened as he waved aggressively to his best friend.

"Hello!! Mario is over here!! Get in!!" He shouted to them.

Four rolled his eyes and smiled fondly at Mario as the two guardians joined everyone in the pool.

"Hey, where Meggy?" Tari asked after a few minutes.

"And... Puzzles. Shouldn't someone be keeping an eye on him?" Luigi asked

"Oh no! What if he kidnapped her?!!" Boopkins began to panic at the thought and Three let out a sigh.

"Don't worry, they'll both be out in a bit. Meggy was just grabbing one of my swimsuits for Puzzles to wear." He explained.

"Wait, TV man is getting in the water?" Mario asked, confused

"Yeah." SMG3 shrugged.

"Isn't mixing electronics and water a really bad idea?" Luigi asked

"I think as long as nobody splashes him it'll be okay. Bob." Four said, putting emphasis on the last part.

"What? Why the hell are you singling me out!?" The Garo complained

"Because you're the only one still holding a water gun." SMG1 said. Bob then tossed the plastic weapon over his shoulder.

"No I'm not." He said, innocently.

One sighed, turning to Four. "I'll keep an eye on him."

Four nodded gratefully at this before looking over at his best friend who was unusually quiet.

"Mario? You good man?"

Mario looked up at him, surprised.

"Y-yep! Mario is okie dokie!" He gave him a nervous thumbs up.

In reality, Mario was not 'okie dokie'. The knowledge that he was going to be sharing a pool with Mr Puzzles in nothing but a bathing suit truly terrified him.

Not because he didn't want to see that. He very much did. But because he had no way to predict how his stupid heart would react to such a thing.

What if his cheeks burnt so hot he burst into flames or something??? Or if Puzzles or one of his friends caught him staring at the adware? Or god forbid he blurts out something stupid as soon as he sees him like "please be my boyfriend,". Man. What kind of loser would he be if he were to say that as soon as he saw him without a shirt on?! A pretty big one that's for sure.

Mario was just worried that his heart would rat him out to his friends, or worse, Mr Puzzles. If his body were to react in a certain way or if he simply stuttered over his words around the adware, his friends could catch on. They weren't stupid. At least, not all of them. They'd definitely know something was up.

Whatever, he would just have to... not look at Puzzles? Yeah, yeah that was a totally normal and reasonable solution. Absolutely no issues with that plan whatsoever!

Mario felt his nerves leave his system at this, confident he would be okay if his feelings decided to make an unwelcome appearance.

That was, until Meggy and Mr Puzzles eventually did show up.

"Hey guys! We're here!" Meggy called as she walked over to the pool with the adware closely behind her.

"Ugh, I feel ridiculous..." Puzzles muttered.

"Relax dude, you look fine!" Meggy reassured him. "Mario!" She called, causing the Italian to jolt slighty. "Don't you think he looks good?" She grinned, hoping to boost Puzzles' confidence.

Mario, refusing to turn around, gave a nervous nod and thumbs up.

Meggy frowned and rolled her eyes. She then walked over to him and grabbed his head by the hair.

"Hey! You didn't even look at him!" She complained.

"M-Mario is sure he-a looks very nice." Mario said, desperately doing whatever he could to not look in Puzzles' direction.

"Ugh. Come on dude! One little look won't kill you!" Meggy said as she turned Mario's head around, forcing him to look at the adware. And boy did Mario look.

Mr Puzzles stood there with his usual displeased expression, a hand on his hips and the other one hanging by his side.

The world seemed to melt away from around the pair as Mario took in the gorgeous sight in front of him. His body was a shade of inky black to match his wires. Cables and mechanical parts were visible through cracks in his cyborg body. He was mostly machine whilst part of his arms and chest were still flesh.

Mario's face was red as he stared wide eyed at the TV man's body. He subconsciously bit his lip, thankful that his moustache covered the action as he tried to find the right words.

He felt as if his mouth was incapable of forming any kind of sentence. Seeing Puzzles' body like this had completely thrown him for a loop and now he was desperately trying to find a way to not let his feelings for the man be known.

"Uh... Mario? Are you okay?" The TV asked, stepping closer to the short Italian. Mario let out an 'eep' as Puzzles towered over him, a confused look projected on his screen.

"M-M-Mario is..." he stuttered, his face growing redder by the second. "Mario is okie dokie..." he managed to say, relieved to have not accidentally let his feelings be known.

"Are you sure, you seem to be burning up?" Puzzles asked innocently as he tilted Mario's chin to look up at him.

The Italian instantly pulled away like a reflex.

"AHH- YES! MARIO IS JUST FINE! AHAHA!" He said, a little too loudly.

The others in the pool gave him odd looks whilst Three and Four just snickered amongst themselves at the absurdity of the situation.

Mr Puzzles raised an eyebrow at Mario but decided to just chalk it up to him being his usual random self.

He and Meggy climbed into the pool, Meggy swimming over to Saiko and Tari whilst Puzzles reluctantly went over to Mario since he was more or less the only person he was on good grounds with.

With everyone now in the pool, conversation sparked like wildfire in no time. Swag and Meggy chatted about weaponry and decided to have a shoot-off at some point in the future to decide who had the best aim; Chris talked to Luigi about his flower business and the possibility of buying some from him; Three and Four spoke to One and Two about boring meme guardian stuff which left Mario and Mr Puzzles mingling with Melony and Saiko whilst Boopkins happily swam around the pool.

Whilst chatting, Melony glanced over at Bob who was still swimming near SMG1 but it looked as if he was looking for a chance to get away.

"I wonder what he's up to?" She asked

"Don't worry about it. One is watching him and I'm sure he won't let him get into any trouble." Saiko said before turning to Puzzles.

"So, we haven't formally met. What's the deal with you trapping our friends in your TV show parodies?" She asked directly.

Puzzles frowned, slightly upset that he didn't even get the chance to make a good first impression on the two remaining crew members.

"Ah. So the others told you about that huh?" He asked

"Yeahhh... I don't really like people who are mean to my friends, so don't think I trust you for a second! But..." Melony looked down at Mario "You at least seem to treat Mario as a friend so... I guess I can give you a chance."

Puzzles mentally scoffed at the prospect of Mario being a friend of his but since he didn't want to make these two dislike him any more than they probably did, he let it slide.

"Ah yes, this little Italian is quite the star! He certainly adds a certain... pizzazz... to my shows." Puzzles forced a grin, grabbing Mario's side and pulling him closer.

Mario froze as he felt Puzzles' hand on his waist. He glanced up at the TV who glared down at him.

"What? I need you close so I can use you as a human shield in case anyone decides to get my glorious TV wet." Puzzles explained with a frown.

"O-oh, okay." Mario said but he didn't complain.

A blush rose to his cheeks as he allowed himself to get used to the feeling of Mr Puzzles being so close to him. The conversation faded for Mario as he became focused on Mr Puzzles' hand loosely holding him by the waist. It was... nice? The contact was surprisingly comforting for Mario. So comforting in fact that the Italian began to carefully shuffle closer to Mr Puzzles, not wanting to alert the TV to his shenanigans whilst still being close to him. Puzzles didn't seem to notice this and continued chatting away with Melony and Saiko. Mario smiled to himself and looked up at Mr Puzzles, his cheeks dusted red.

This was nice.

Then, out of the corner of his eye, Mario spotted Bob sneaking away from SMG1 with a suspicious look on his face. Mario squinted at the Garo, watching carefully as the soggy cloak leaned over the edge of the pool to retrieve his previously discarded water gun.

Mario's eyes widened when he saw the weapon as a looming sense of dread washed over him.

Oh no.

Mario looked up at Mr Puzzles to see if he too had noticed the oncoming water fight but the TV man was still distracted by the conversation.

Crap! He had to warn him before-

"COWABUNGA BITCHES!!" Bob shouted as he began attacking everyone with water shots that were surprisingly powerful. Seriously, each hit did about as much damage as Meggy's splattershot. Who designed this thing??

There was a panic in the pool as a full blown water fight erupted. Most of the gang was enjoying the sudden turf war, pulling out weapons of their own and drowning their competition.

Puzzles on the other hand, now acutely aware of the situation, was desperately trying to find a way to protect his precious TV head. If some water were to get on the wrong wire, it could be the end of him! But unfortunately the ongoing water battle made it impossible for him to swim to the ladder, forcing him to nervously back up to the edge of the above-ground pool.

Mario followed him, doing his best to watch out for water balloons and other wet projectiles. He was the reason Puzzles was even in this situation to begin with. The least he could do was try to protect him now.

"Don't-a worry TV man! Mario will protect you!" He tried to reassure him. Puzzles wasn't convinced.

"Oh, really? HOW DO YOU PLAN ON DOING THAT GENIUS?!" Puzzles shouted angrily.

Unsure, Mario looked around, trying to think of a quick solution to get Puzzles' head out of the pool. But thinking isn't exactly Mario's specialty.

Suddenly, Mario saw Bob getting ready to throw a water balloon directly at Mr Puzzles' screen. The Italian panicked and before he could even register what he was doing, he jumped up on Mr Puzzles' body and grabbed his TV head. Mario yanked the head from its shoulders and leaned it over the edge of the pool, using his own body to shield Puzzles from any stray water drops.

Mario wrapped his legs around Puzzles' waist to prevent himself from falling over the edge of the pool and onto the grass below.

It was definitely an odd position. Mr Puzzles' headless body pushed up against the side of the pool with Mario leaning over him, holding his head over the edge. But in the heat of the moment it felt like the best way to protect Puzzles' TV.

Mr Puzzles looked at Mario with widened eyes, a mix of confusion and surprise projected onto his face. Mario stared back with an awkward smile. He laughed nervously, hoping to ease the tension between them when suddenly he felt his grip on the TV slipping. It was too heavy!

Mario desperately held onto Puzzles' head, trying his best not to drop him whilst also not realising how far over the edge of the pool he was leaning.

It didn't take very long for the weight of the TV to become too much for the Italian, pulling both himself and Puzzles' body over the edge of the pool and harshly landing on the soft grass.

The two men yelped as they fell onto the dirt, one on top of another. Mario was a little disoriented but quickly regained his balance when he looked down and realised he had landed on top of Puzzles' face, he arms either side of the TV's head. He tried to sit up to give the TV man some space but he felt the heavy weight of Puzzles' beheaded body on top of him.

Mario blushed, sandwiched between two different parts of his crush was definitely not something he thought he'd experience at this party (or ever) but alas, here he was.

He tried to wiggle out of their strange position but to no avail. He was completely tangled in a mess of limbs, pinned down by Mr Puzzles' lanky body. Not that Mario minded...

Eventually, Puzzles returned from his dazed state and looked up at Mario, confused and slightly angry.

"What the- Mario?! Get off of me!" He demanded.

"M-Mario can't!" He said, gesturing to Puzzles' body which was currently pinning him down under its weight.

Puzzles made a surprised expression before looking to the side, a little embarrassed.

"Oh... my mistake." He mumbled.

His body stood up, allowing Mario to crawl off of the TV. He then picked up his head and tossed it back on his shoulders, happy to be in one piece again.

Mario was still sitting on the ground, flustered and trying to rearrange his thoughts when suddenly he noticed Mr Puzzles offering him a hand. He took it, allowing himself to be hoisted to his feet by the taller man.

"Uhm... thank you. For... trying to protect me. Even if it didn't quite go as planned..." Puzzles said with a blush. He was embarrassed to have had to accept help from Mario of all people.

The red Italian also blushed; for a different reason of course.

"I-it was no problem..." he smiled up at the TV.

The was a silence between the two of them as they looked at each other with tinted cheeks. That was until SMG4 and Meggy interrupted it.

"Woah, Mario! You guys okay?" He asked the duo from the pool.

"Y-yes we're fine Es-Em-Gee-4." Mario reassured them.

"That's a relief. Sorry about all that. We've retrained Bob now so the water is safe again." Meggy gestured over to the Garo who was being aggressively held down by SMG1 and SMG3. She turned back to Puzzles, "You think you'll be getting back in?" She asked hopefully.

"Ah, sorry Meggy dear but I think I've had enough water for one day." Puzzles said. "It'll be getting dark soon. I should really get dressed and head back home."

Mario looked up at him with sad eyes "Awwhhh." He moped, causing Mr Puzzles to look at him.

The TV smiled softly at the Italian and leaned down to ruffle his hair.

"Do not fret my dear. I had a good time! But unfortunately all good things must come to an end. Excuse me." He said before walking in the direction of III's Coffee & Bombs.

Mario watched as he walked away, saddened that he would be leaving already.

SMG4 cleared his throat, catching the Italian's attention. He turned around and saw SMG4 smirking at him. Mario gave him an annoyed frown and sighed.

"What?" He asked.

"Oh nothing. You're just insanely obvious." Four said smugly.

"Yeah dude... what's going on with you and Puzzles?" Meggy asked.

Mario looked down, a blush on his cheeks. "It doesn't-a matter..." he mumbled.

Meggy wasn't satisfied with this answer but accepted it regardless. Maybe she could ask Four about it later?

As she swam away to go hang out with the others, Mario looked up at SMG4.

"You don't think he caught on... do you?" He asked nervously.

Four shrugged, "Nah. I don't think so. He probably just assumed your awkwardness was you being your usual dumbass self. Doesn't seem like he knows you like him."

Mario let out a relieved sigh. These feelings were all new to him. He had barely figured them out himself, the last thing he needed was everyone else knowing about them!

SMG4 smiled at him, "so, you going to get back in the water?" He asked, hopefully.

Mario looked up at him and thought for a moment.

"Nah. Swimming is a lot of exercise. Mario is pretty tired. I think I'll go home soon too." The Italian said.

Four shrugged

"Alright man, see you tomorrow then." He said before swimming back over to SMG3 and the rest of the gang.

"Yeah... see you..." Mario mumbled.

He pulled his shirt and overalls on over his swimming gear and shook his head like a dog to dry his hair before finally putting his signature cap back on.

By this point, Puzzles has emerged from III's Coffee & Bombs looking refreshed and relieved to be back in his own clothes.

Mario smiled and trotted over to him, "hello TV man!" He grinned up at him.

"Oh, hello Mario." Mr Puzzles greeted him in return. "Are you also heading home?"

"Yep! Mario has done enough exercise for one day. I need to lie down." Mario said, overplaying his exhaustion, making Puzzles chuckle.

"Oh my dear, I suppose you never were one for exercise..." he smiled at the Italian, leaning down to ruffle his hair through his hat once again

Mario blushing slightly at this. The small amount of physical affection from Mr Puzzles meant a lot to him. Even if it was supposed to be patronising, Mario adored it.

"Say, do you want-a Mario to walk you home?" Mario offered with a bright smile.

"Oh I'm really touched at the sentiment Mario but I couldn't ask you to do that. My studio is in the complete opposite direction of your home! It would add on another hour to your journey at least."

"Mario doesn't mind! He'd be more than happy to-"

Mr Puzzles placed a finger to Mario's lips, promptly shutting him up.

"No no, Mario. Really, I insist. I'll be fine. I've made the journey home countless times by now. You just worry about getting yourself home, okay?" The TV smiled softly at Mario who turned his head, cheeks slightly reddened.

"Okay..." he mumbled.

Satisfied with this, Puzzles stood up and stretched. As he was about to start his walk home, he turned to Mario one more time, a smile on his screen.

"You know... despite everything, I had fun today. So don't be afraid to invite me to things like this again, okay?" He said.

Mario looked up at him with wide eyes and a goofy smile. "D-don't a-worry! Mario will always invite you! Uh- b-but only if he can watch TV on your screen at some point..."

The red cladded man blushed, thankful he was able to squeeze out that last part before Mr Puzzles could grow suspicious of his feelings.

In response, the TV rolled his eyes and scoffed affectionately. And as he finally begin to make the journey home, Mr Puzzles kept thinking back through the events of the party.

Specifically, the events involving Mario.

That dumbass Italian had somehow managed to not only convince him to come along but also established some sort of trust between him and Meggy, introduced Puzzles in such a way to the side characters that they didn't hate him despite everything he had done, protected him during the water fight, and possibly the craziest thing of all was that he had somehow gotten Puzzles to consider Mario a friend. Not a fake friend or someone to use for his own gain. But someone who Mr Puzzles felt genuinely wanted to be around him. To share passions and help each other when they need it. Someone to be there during the hard times and who he could always rely on. Something Puzzles had never even dreamed he'd have.

The TV smiled to himself. A warm, giddy sensation bubbling up inside of him.

I finally have a friend.

Once Mario had returned home, the very first thing he did after grabbing a snack was flipping down and him bed and curling up into a ball.

"Ugh..." he groaned. "Mario hates these stupid feelings..."

Just then, he heard a knock at the door.

"Come in." He said, unenthusiastically.

The door opened and in walked his brother, Luigi.

"Hey Lui." Mario greeted.

"Mario?" Luigi looked up at the top bunk where his brother was laying. "Are you okay? You were acting strange today. And that's saying a lot for you."

"Don't worry about it..." Mario mumbled.

There was a moment of silence between the two before Luigi sighed and climbed the ladder to the top bunk, peeking over at his brother.

"Is it something to do with Mr Puzzles?" He asked nonchalantly.

Mario froze up at the question, his breathing hitched.

Luigi sighed and sat next to his brother, putting a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"Hey... what's going on Mario?" he asked.

"It doesn't matter. It's stupid anyway." Mario said.

"If it doesn't matter then there's no harm in telling me. I'm worried about you bro. You've never acted like this before. Just let me know what's going on." Luigi pleaded.

There was a silence between the two of them before Luigi heard some quiet sniffles coming from his brother.

"Mario..." he said sympathetically.

"I-I hate this Luigi..." Mario said, holding back tears.

"I hate feeling so confused. Not even knowing how I'm supposed to feel or deal with these feelings at all! I hate that every time I'm around him I feel like I'm eating the most delicious spaghetti in the world but when I'm away from him, it's like I'm constantly starving until I see him again. I hate that the only people I can tell this to are you, Three and Four. I hate being scared of how I feel. I've never felt anything like it before but it's not fun Luigi. It hurts. W-why do my feelings hurt Luigi??" Mario turned around to look at his brother. He was noticeably shaking, face red with tears welling up in his eyes.

It saddened Luigi to see his older brother like this.

"Mario..." he started, "are you... in love? With Mr Puzzles?"

His tone carried no judgment nor anger. Luigi asked it as if it were just a regular question. In a way that showed Mario that he genuinely just wanted to know so that he could help him.

Ashamed, Mario looked down and nodded, tears falling from his eyes.

"Oh, Mario..."

The green Italian didn't hesitate to pull his brother into a tight hug, letting him know it was okay to let his feelings out. So, Mario did.

He cried into his brother's shoulder, allowing himself to be held by Luigi as he haphazardly confessed his feelings for the TV.

"I-I thought love was supposed to f-f-feel good..." Mario cried. "T-t-this doesn't-a feel go-o-oood!!"

"I know Mario. It's okay." Luigi tried his best to comfort Mario, softly patting his back as he cried.

Once Mario had finally calmed down a bit, Luigi looked at him and smiled sympathetically.

"Hey, what if I make you a batch of ma's spaghetti recipe? Would that cheer you up?" Luigi asked

Mario sniffled and gave a small nod, prompting Luigi to hop back onto the ground and into the kitchen.

"It'll be ready in a few minutes Mario. Just try not to think about it until then!" Luigi called from the kitchen.

Mario tried his best to take his advice, trying to distract himself with memes, his friends and SMG4's dumb videos. But his mind couldn't help but wander back to thoughts of that sexy TV man. His looks, his charm, his personality, his humour, his voice... all of it was stuck in Mario's head like a bad song. And no matter how much he tried to distract himself from it, not think about it or downright ignore it, one thing was obvious enough.

These feelings were not going anywhere anytime soon.

Continued in part 3: Shots & Cowboys