Chapter Text
"I'm... I'm going to miss this place." SMG4 sighs, looking off into the distance.
He and his best friend, Mario, sit on the roof of Princess Peach's castle, the sun setting in front of them. This was a somber moment for both men, but what were they to do? Lawyer Kong had backed them into a corner. With the Super DMCA signed and their friends gone, there was nothing that Four could use to defend himself. It was clear that he wasn't wanted in this world anymore, and if he didn't leave, there would be horrible legal repercussions for Mario and his Nintendo licensed friends. Four cared too much about Mario to put him through that, especially when it was inevitable that they had lost.
Mario's expression drops as he stares at the ground below him. He didn't want SMG4 to leave, to go who knows where. They had been best friends for eleven years, and to think it was all thrown away by a stupid ass monkey? But, Mario tried his best to push his anger aside and enjoy his final moments with the man who's always been there for him.
"Heh... Remember the time we had that chain chomp chase after us?" Four smiles, leaning back on his hands.
"Oh..." Mario quietly whimpers in sadness at the time he remembered very clearly.
"Or that time you got your pingas stuck in a door?" SMG4's nostalgic grin quickly switched into a frown as he also turned his gaze to the tiles on the roof.
At the mention of yet another fond memory, Mario's frown turns deeper. His lips begin to quiver as he bites back the tears that were threatening to fall from his eyes. He was desperate to not let Four see this vulnerable side of him right before he dies, or goes off into the abyss, so he just stays as still as he can as he continues to listen.
"Or the time we had to fight a cosmic eldritch monster." Four says, this time as more of a statement than a question.
Both of them look away from each other, with SMG4 looking to his right and Mario looking to his left. For a moment, everything was silent as they tried to decide what to do, what to say next. Then, Mario finally snapped, throwing his arms around his best friend as tight as he could. He was afraid that, if he ever let go, the man next to him would never return.
"SMG4! Don't leave me!" He chokes out a broken sob, trying to wrap himself tighter around the other.
Four looks crestfallen as Mario's tears stain his overalls. His eyes close as he hugs the man in red just as tight as he does. Despite trying to have a good attitude about all this, in reality Four was terrified. He knew that he was about to die, and the truth of it all just made him feel sick to the stomach. He found himself, in that moment, never wanting to let Mario leave his embrace.
Lawyer Kong clears his throat and holds up a clock, but it goes completely unnoticed by the Meme Guardian and his Avatar. They just keep holding each other and crying, all of their emotional distress flooding out of them. They mourned the loss of their friends and feared the loss of Four. Speaking of the man in blue, he knew that his time was running out, and it was best not to keep Lawyer Kong waiting a whole lot longer. At the realization, he reluctantly pulls away from the hug and finally accepts his fate.
Mario realizes that Four is leaving, but he is determined to keep him by his side, even if it was only for a moment longer. He repositions his hands so that he is grabbing Four's overalls while Four's hands are awkwardly at his side from when he pulled away from the hug. He raises an eyebrow at Mario quietly, motioning to Lawyer Kong who is getting more and more pissed by the minute. When he notices that Mario isn't showing any signs of letting go, Four decides to whisper in his ear.
"Mario, what are you doing? You're making him-" He is cut off with a finger to his lips.
"Hey, you big-a monkey. Give Mario one more minute with his best friend!" He shouts at the lawyer, who looks like he has just been stabbed once he hears Mario directly defy his orders.
He is about to respond, but he's given no time to do so. Mario positions himself nearly in Four's lap, wraps his hands around his waist, and plants a kiss right on his lips.
SMG4 lets out a mixture of a surprised squeak and a sigh before ultimately deciding to kiss his best friend back. He curls his fingers in Mario's hair, closing his eyes as he savors the touch of his lips. Mario leaves small love bites on Four's bottom lip before pulling away almost as quickly as he started the kiss.
They both sit there with flushed faces, and SMG4 with a swollen lower lip. Then, they simultaneously gasp and look up at Lawyer Kong, expecting him to be scarred and even more upset. In reality, he's just mildly annoyed and confused. The big monkey still knows that he's gotten his way, after all, so there was no reason to overreact about a little goodbye kiss.
"Get that out of your system, Mario?" He asks, though he doesn't bother to wait for an answer. "Good. Now, come on, SMG4."
"R-right." Four gulps, standing up as his gaze lingers on Mario for a second longer than it should have. "Can I say one more goodbye?"
"Very well." He sighs, gesturing for the man to get a move on.
"Guys, thank you all so much for watching SMG4. Goodbye." He addresses his fans, which are always hiding somewhere behind that fourth wall.
"Es Em Gee Four!" Mario begins to cry yet again, reaching out for his hand.
"Mario." He says, giving it a little squeeze before letting go. "I love you, man."
He then watches with horror as Four's body goes stiff. His eyes roll to the back of his head as he drops to the ground, dead. His corpse sits there like a cold reminder of all that Lawyer Kong has done, all that he has taken away from Mario. It completely broke his spirit to see the man he was kissing not only a minute earlier now dead, a product of Mario's own incompetence. He could've stalled Miyamoto for longer, he could've convinced him to not sign the DMCA in the first place, he could've-
"Come on, Mario. Miyamoto-San is waiting for you at Nintendo HQ." Lawyer Kong reminds him, placing a cold hand on his shoulder.
"O-okay." The Italian takes one more look at SMG4, at everything that could have been, before turning around.
He would find a way to save them all, he had to. Even if he was on his own, he was Mario. He would find a way, no matter what it took him. But for now, he couldn't help but cry and drag his feet. Because SMG4 was gone, and he watched him die. Just like everyone else whose lives were sucked away yesterday.
Everyone was gone, and Mario's life couldn't be more miserable.
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1233 Words