The man in red had been up all night, trying to come up with a way to break the terrifying news to his poor brother. It took a lot of arguing with himself, but eventually, he decided the best thing to do would be to just tell the truth. 

He sighed and grabbed a stack of firewood, carrying it to the chimney so he could make a fire later. The temperatures were supposed to drop drastically that day, so he wanted to be prepared.

"Why are you getting more firewood?" Luigi questioned, watching his brother set it down in front of the fireplace and organize it.

"We're expecting really bad weather today. It'll be below freezing, so I need to be prepared." Mario replied, trying to avoid eye contact. He really was just stalling before he had to bear the bad news to Luigi.

"Below freezing?!" Luigi squeaked, sounding much more shocked than he meant to.

"Yeah. Below freezing. But don't worry. We have heating as well as firewood, so we're all set," Mario assured.

"Wh-what about people who don't have any way to warm themselves?" Luigi stuttered, though unsure why. All the houses in the Mushroom Kingdom had excellent heating. Princess Peach made sure of it since it was her job as ruler to make sure all her citizens were safe and comfortable during the winter season.

That was when he realized. He wasn't asking because he was worried for the citizens of the Mushroom Kingdom. He was asking because he was worried about Dimentio. Though he had NO idea why.

"Why do you ask? Most houses around here have heating." Mario replied.

"Uhh, no reason," Luigi nervously lied. 

Again, he felt something inside of him start to burn. Luigi knew with 100% certainty that Mario could tell he was lying. 

Mario was about to press on, but he didn't have time to wonder. He had accepted the fact that Luigi had an oversized heart and cared for everyone long ago, so there was no point in probing him. He needed to tell him about Dimentio. He nervously sat the last of the wood down and stood up, dusting off his hands and turning to Luigi, placing his hands back into his pockets and rocking back and forth on his heels.

"H-hey, bro?" Mario nervously started with a soft, gentle tone. "I just have to tell you-"

"I need to go!" Luigi suddenly interrupted, surprising himself. 

His brain didn't tell his mouth to say that.

Before he knew it, he was quickly standing up and grabbing a stack of firewood. His brain didn't tell his body to do that either. What was happening?! 

"S-sorry. I just remembered something. I promise I'll be back soon. Breakfast is done, so help yourself! Peach and Daisy are coming over soon, right?" Luigi asked, confused as to what the heck he was doing.

What the heck was he doing?!

Mario just stood there, offering Luigi a slightly weirded-out glance. "Uhh, yeah. They should be over soon. But listen! I have to tell you-"

"We can talk once I get back, but I gotta get this to someone before it gets too cold," Luigi called while grabbing his scarf and wrapping it around his neck. "I'll be back in a few! I promise!"

He quickly shut the door and started running off, leaving Mario all alone.

"....Well that was odd..." Mario observed out loud, when the lights briefly flickered with a large gust of wind. It was going to be a cold winter day. "He better be back before the storm hits..."

Luigi ran through the woods, holding the firewood to himself so it didn't get wet. It was slightly windier and he could tell that the snow was starting to pick up. It was lightly snowing at the moment, but by the look of the clouds, he could tell it was about to get much colder and much more blizzard-like.

"Grambi, I must be the biggest idiot in all the worlds," He murmured to himself, as he came upon the bridge. 

Without hesitating, he sprinted over and knocked on the door.

"I'm such an idiot, I'm such an idiot, I'm such an idiot, I'm such an idiot," He told himself under his breath, before knocking again. "Dimentio?" He asked, somewhat frantic.  "Are you in there?"

No response.

"Okay, I know this is, like, a huge invasion of privacy, but I'm coming in!" Luigi called, opening the door and stepping inside, a gust of wind slamming the door shut immediately once he was inside, making the man in green gasp and jump.

He immediately hugged himself and shivered. It was deathly cold in there. He saw Dimentio in the same spot as before, huddled up in a blob on the floor in front of the empty fireplace. His eyes were shut again, so Luigi assumed he was asleep. He let out a nervous breath and immediately rushed over, taking the firewood and organizing it over the fireplace.

As he organized the wood, he briefly eyed Dimentio. The jesrer looked almost peaceful. Almost, but now quite. He was still shivering violently, teeth chattering. Luigi frowned slightly, pity filling his eyes when he got back to work. Once the fire was done, he took a match and lit it, watching as the wood slowly caught fire. He watched the red flames grow and dance around, occasionally cracking, bringing a nice, warm wave of heat with them. He could feel the heat slowly spread through the room, fighting away the cold while the light from the flames fought the dark.

Then he watched the jester slowly stop shivering. Dimentio relaxed slightly, seeming much more comfortable. 

Luigi couldn't help but smile. He stood up so he could leave and get home before the worst of the storm hit, now that his job was done.

This was when a loud gust of wind blew the windows open, causing the jester to immediately sit up and gasp.

"D-don't worry, I got it!" Luigi assured, running up and closing the windows. Once they were all shut he let out a sigh of relief.

"You came back?" Dimentio questioned, making Luigi's shoulders tense up in fear.

Luigi nervously turned to face him and offered a guilty shrug. "I...I came back." He nervously squeaked.

"What are you doing here?!" Dimentio demanded, slowly scooting closer to the warm flames.

"I'm gonna be completely honest, I don't really know," Luigi admitted. "M-Mario said it was s-supposed to be extra s-stormy today, a-and I remembered how c-cold you were... s-so I brought y-you firewood." Luigi nervously stuttered.

"Why do you care?" Dimentio questioned, not sounding mad or accusing, but genuinely confused.

"I'd tell you if I knew," Luigi breathed, looking at the door, then back at Dimentio. "Look, I-I gotta get going. A storm is coming and I gotta get home before I get snowed in-"

He was suddenly interrupted by the sound of wind blowing loudly. He immediately turned and looked out the window to see the snowstorm pick up, large snowflakes falling and blowing harshly.

He shook his head and pressed his hands to the window, muttering a soft, "Oh no..."

"Oh no indeed. Looks like you're a little late for that," Dimentio laughed. "Perhaps you should have thought this through. Must be a nightmare, being stuck with your worst enemy, with no one to help or protect you. Ah ha ha."

Worst enemy?

"My worst enemy?" Luigi softly questioned. Then... he smiled slightly as he turned to face Dimentio again, crossing his arms. "You think you're my worst enemy?"

"Well, yes," Dimentio muttered, slightly thrown off by Luigi's words. "Obviously. Who's done you the most harm?"

"Sure, sure. You've definitely traumatized me the most. But I'm afraid the title of worst enemy goes to King Boo," Luigi chuckled. "You can hurt me all you want, but if you put my brother in a painting, that definitely makes you worthy of the crown."

Dimentio's smile faded and he looked at Luigi with an almost offended expression.

"Are you serious? I nearly ended all worlds," Dimentio pointed out.

"And he's a ghost," Luigi argued back.

"That's quite literally the worst argument I've ever heard! I'm a 'psychotic clown,' as you people put it!"

"Ghosts are scarier." Luigi shrugged, smiling more and more by the minute, almost forgetting the dire situation.

"That little snowball was defeated with a literal vacuum cleaner!" Dimentio pouted, crossing his arms. "There are other foes you have crossed who couldn't be beaten with a cleaning product."

"Okay, okay. Fine. I guess it's not fair for me to rule out all other villains..." Luigi muttered.

"Finally!" Dimentio chimed. "Thank y-"

"Yeah. I think Antasma would make a pretty good worst enemy as well." Luigi said with a serious expression, before breaking out into laughter.

"ARE YOU SERIOUS?!" Dimentio shouted. "THE BAT?!"

"Yes. The bat. I mean, those poor Pi'illo people!" Luigi giggled.

"I could have ended them too!" Dimentio argued.

"Yeah, but Nah." Luigi laughed.

"Yeah but Nah?! What kind of response is that?!"

"It's a good response,'" Luigi beamed, before suddenly getting serious. "But in all seriousness, joke aside, we all know who my real worst enemy is."

"And who would that be?" Dimentio questioned.

"Oh, him? Just The baddest-bad guy I've ever come across in my whole life. The man who's quite literally my definition of evil. Gosh, he's the worst. He wears a purple and yellow hat and pointy shoes."

"Finally!" Dimentio sighed, leaning forward slightly, expecting to hear his name. "Thanks for finally recognizing-"

"Waluigi." Luigi interrupted.

Dimentio suddenly froze, his right eye twitching slightly. "I-I beg your pardon?"

"Waluigi. THAT'S my worst enemy. 100%." Luigi said, doing his best not to break out laughing and keep that serious expression on his face.

"....You can not be serious," Dimentio murmured, utterly insulted.

Luigi shrugged and laughed before sitting down next to Dimentio in front of the fire.

"W-what are you doing?" Dimentio asked while Luigi held his hands in front of the fire, much too close for comfort.

"Well, if I have to stay in here, I need to keep myself warm, right?"

"You're just going to sit in here with me?" Dimentio questioned.

"Well, I can't walk back home in the storm. I'll be buried alive, and I don't really feel like dying today." Luigi lightly laughed.

"What's wrong with you?! Have you actually forgotten who I am?!" Dimentio questioned, actually seeming perplexed.

"No. I haven't forgotten." Luigi admitted. "But looking at you right now, I can tell you're not gonna kill me."

"How?" Dimentio demanded. "Are you actually this naive? How can you tell?"

"I don't know..." Luigi shrugged. "I... just can."

______

"So... I couldn't help but notice your..." Luigi started a few hours later, pointing to his own face.

"My... face?" Dimentio questioned. "Ah. You're wondering where my old attire went?"

"Y-yeah," Luigi admitted. "Sorry. I-It's not bad or anything. I'm just curious."

"It's over there," Dimentio stated, pointing to the kitchen. "The drawer below the sink. I like to keep it out of my sight."

"Why?" Luigi questioned.

"It reminds me of my failures," Dimentio admitted. "And besides, it has no use to me now."

Luigi hesitated, before standing up and walking over, opening the drawer. Inside was a broken mask, cracked into three separate pieces. As well as his old hat and poncho, completely torn to shreds.

"The explosions destroyed.... everything," Dimentio shrugged, still looking at the fire and holding his arms up to it. "Everything except for what I'm currently wearing."

"The tank top and leggings? Aren't you freezing though?" Luigi asked.

"Obviously. But I have nothing else."

"Well, you could go to town and get a jacket." Luigi offered.

"No," Dimentio breathed, answer short, but final.

"What? Why not?" Luigi questioned. "No one would recognize you if you just covered your eye."

"Because I don't do snow," Dimentio calmly explained, still focusing on the fire.

"You don't do snow?! But it's so fun!" Luigi chimed.

"It's cold."

"Well, it's cold in here too!" Luigi pointed out.

"Yes, but snow is cold and wet. It'll make me colder than I already am, which doesn't sound too appealing at the moment. Plus it limits my magic. Besides, I've never had the pleasure of being out in it. It never snowed at Castle Bleck, and before then I never really... got the chance to experience it."

"Wait, wait, wait," Luigi started, holding his hands up. "Hold up, so you've actually never even been in the snow?!" 

"Nope," Dimentio replied. "And I don't plan on it."

"Oh. Well maybe someday-"

"No. Not someday. Never." Dimentio calmly interrupted.

"Well, what's your plan then? To stay in here forever? Do you even have food? You look like you haven't eaten in weeks" Luigi cried.

"That doesn't matter. My plan is to hide from this horrible world until death is kind enough to take me away." Dimentio answered, voice empty again.

"Wow. But that's... sad." Luigi mumbled.

"Well, what else am I supposed to do? I lost, L. I have nowhere to go."

"It's Luigi now..." Luigi corrected.

"Ah. Well, my apologies." Dimentio shrugged. "However, my point still stands. If I were to go out there I'd be killed in mere seconds. And I no longer have any reason to stop them."

"Dimentio, there are plenty of reasons to stop them," Luigi assured. "There's plenty of good left in the world for you to experience."

"Yes. Like murderers and liars." Dimentio sarcastically snapped.

"Or friends and loved ones," Luigi added.

"Darkness and ashes," Dimentio continued.

"Beautiful landscapes and sunshine." Luigi chimed, holding out his arms.

"Luigi, quit trying to shine a light on the world. It doesn't deserve it. The bad outweighs the good." Dimentio stated.

"Oh, but I disagree," Luigi beamed, voice almost the opposite of Dimentio's. So full of emotion. "You just have to look. The good's still there. It's just harder to for you see through all the bad. But believe me, it's there. "

Dimentio just sat there a moment in silence as Luigi waited for a response.

"Maybe for you. Not for me," The jester eventually replied.

"But it is there for you," Luigi begged.

The jester just shook his head, still looking at the fire.

Maybe I can help you see it, Luigi wanted to say.