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Three was in his café, taking a gentle sip of his amazing coffee while Eggdog napped peacefully beside him. It was really quiet, yet peaceful inside the building.
There were no customers, no work to do. Just him, his beautiful Eggdog and the sound of coffee machines humming to keep them company.
Three slowly closed his eyes as he took a sip of the warm liquid, taking his sweet time to appreciate the taste of coffee and milk blending together in his mouth.
Then the front door barged open with a loud slam, instantly startling SMG3 into dropping the cup with his cappuccino to the ground. The liquid spattered on the ground beneath him, leaving a huge puddle on the wooden floor.
His shockened state was quickly overtaken by fury as he got down to pick up the cup. Once he got a hold of it, he stood up and yelled at the customer, “OI! BE MORE CAREFUL NEXT TI- oh...”
SMG3 stopped talking once he saw who was at the door. It was SMG4, looking effortlessly handsome as always with his stupid grin and beautiful eyes. His hat was a little off to the side and there were a few drops of sweat falling down his face. Three felt his stomach flip at the sight.
“Hey, scrub,” SMG3 tried to play off his sudden nervousness as Four made his way towards the counter, “You want your latte?”
“Yup…” SMG4 replied with a tired smile, taking deep breaths as he leaned over the counter for support. SMG3 tilted his head at him.
“Why did you enter in such a rush?” Three asked with genuine curiosity as he placed the coffee grounds in the machine to brew. As he waited, he cleaned the mess on the floor with a mop.
After composing himself, Four managed to reply, “Mario wanted me to try some spaghetti he made because apparently he can ‘cook’ now. I ran away and now I’m here.”
“Cool…” SMG3 nonchalantly muttered back, hands too busy placing the mop away, warming up the milk and carefully pouring it into the cup with the espresso. He managed to form some decent latte art, the shapes forming into a tulip of sorts.
“Here you go,” Three chimed once it was done, handing it to his meme guardian counterpart. Their gloved hands brushed against one another for a second, leaving SMG3’s stomach churning nervously.
Then, a soft hiccup escaped his lips.
SMG4 tilted his head at the sound. He couldn't help but chuckle and ask, “Huh, got the hiccups?”
Three shrugged and muttered, another hiccup leaving him as he spoke, “Damn, I guess so.” He felt annoyance gripping at him the more unexpected yips he let out.
“Hey, don't worry,” Four reassured casually, taking a sip of his drink and definitely not burning his tongue in the process, “I know a technique that’ll get rid of them in no time!”
“Oh yeah?” Three questioned with the raise of an eyebrow, watching how SMG4 made his way beside him and gently placed his latte on the counter.
“Yeah! Just like, swallow air for a few times when you feel the hiccup coming. Works for me after a few times,” Four explained, gesturing at his face and neck. He gulped some air himself for demonstration.
Fuck- That looked kinda majestic-
“Okay,” Three mumbled, covering his face that had started feeling just a little too warm with his fist. He tried it once he hiccuped again, leaving him a little strange.
As he was doing that, Eggdog slowly opened his eyes and yawned as he stood up from his spot on the counter. The meme looked around and barked happily once he saw their usual visitor.
“Aww hey Eggdog!” SMG4 beamed, leaning over and gently petting the already content meme.
SMG3 had been too occupied in trying to get rid of his hiccups to notice the meme and the guardian. After swallowing more air, he didn't feel them coming back. He waited a few seconds to make sure.
His hiccups had ceased.
“Yes! They’re gone!” Three exclaimed in relief, looking over at Four to see his reaction. He found him too busy playfully petting Eggdog as the meme yipped with joy.
SMG3 stared, silently admiring the cute interaction playing out in front of him.
“Hic!” He involuntarily yelped, then he angrily fumed, “DAMMIT!”
—
An amusement park had opened in The Showgrounds a few days ago, this time with no villain seeking out to torment them. Once he checked it out—and made sure it wasn't owned by Mr. Puzzles—SMG4 urged his crew to join him in a day of pure fun!
They all agreed and after planning the date and time, they bought their tickets and made their way inside, splitting into smaller groups according to what they wanted to do.
Mario and Meggy competitively crashed into each other in the bumper cars, Luigi and Tari took it easy fishing in the duck pond, Bob and Boopkins shot targets for special prizes, Saiko put her strength to the test on the high striker, and Melony took care of their stuff in a table near the food stands, definitely not asleep.
Three and Four looked around to find the perfect ride they could go on. Just then, SMG4 spotted a haunted house ride, complete with cobwebs, tombstones and even shattered windows to sell the look.
“How about that one?” Four suggested with a small grin, pointing at the fake run-down house with a relatively small queue. SMG3 didn't look amused.
“Oh please- A scary ride? Did you forget you’re a scaredy-cat or something?” Three teased, silently following his meme guardian counterpart to the line.
“I’m not! You’re the one who’s scared of the dark! That makes you more of a scaredy-cat than me!” Four retaliated back, thinking back to their infamous moment in WOTFI 2023.
“Nuh-uh!”
“Yuh-huh!”
“NUH-UH!”
“YUH-HUH!”
“NUH-UH!”
“YUH-HUH!”
“Wait- WAIT! Let’s make a deal to settle this,” SMG3 started, instantly catching the attention of SMG4, “Whoever gets scared first owes the other person 20 bucks. Only then we’ll see who’s the real scaredy-cat. Deal?”
Four smirked, shaking Three’s hand tightly. “Deal.”
With that settled, the two meme guardians waited impatiently until their turn was up for the ride. They were crammed into this small track car and locked loosely in place with a metal rod.
The tired worker then pressed some buttons and off they went into the ride.
“Okay, this is fine,” SMG4 muttered to himself as their surroundings began losing the light from the outside world. They were being taken into a dark room where they couldn’t see much.
“It’s barely starting, Four,” SMG3 rolled his eyes with a smile, “I’ll definitely get those 20 bucks.”
Just then, bright flashing lights blinded their eyes as screams filled the room. Both of them were startled, but not enough to scare them.
They opened their eyes to find themselves slowly moving forward in a room with dim red lights. There were eerie paintings on the walls with fake blood and skulls surrounding them. Sometimes, faint screams would be heard through hidden speakers.
“Oh noooo, so scary,” SMG3 sarcastically droned, comically yawning to further prove he was already bored. SMG4 knowingly shook his head at the comment, a small smile on his lips.
Their cart began tilting upwards, so they looked up to see this animatronic of a creepy-looking ghost whispering to them in a foreign language. It was probably gibberish.
The car stopped once it was really close, then the ghost’s hand reached out. Suddenly, they were practically flash-banged and felt their cart drop backwards at insane speeds.
“AHHHH!”
“AHHHH!”
Four couldn't stop himself from holding onto Three for dear life as they twisted and turned with loud bangs and animatronics jumping at them.
SMG3 barely had time to process what was going on, yet he couldn't miss SMG4’s arms wrapped tightly around his torso. He didn't push him away.
After a few more seconds of bright lights, jumpscares and turns, the cart slowed down, turned around and began slowly moving upwards.
“Oh my GOD! What the HELL WAS THAT?!” Four yelled, still too distracted to notice what he had done.
“Uhh, Four?” Three asked, arms trapped in SMG4’s tight hold. SMG3 looked down at him while Four looked up at him.
Seeing SMG4’s innocent face shift from confusion to pure embarrassment while still having his face shoved in his chest was a sight he was already sure he’d never be able to get out of his head.
His stomach did summersaults at the closeness they were sharing.
Four instantly let go, sheepishly scratching the back of his head, “Shit- sorry, dude.”
“It’s-” Three hiccuped, the sound internally annoying him, “-okay.” Still, he smirked and added, “Though, I do believe you owe me now.”
SMG4 rolled his eyes as he pulled up his wallet. He handed SMG3 his stupid 20 bucks as the cart took them to the exit of the ride.
Three spent his new $20 on overpriced food and drinks while desperately trying to get rid of his hiccups. The rest of the day was spent playing and having fun with his friends. It was a good day for the SMG4 gang.
—
SMG3 exited his café with a duffel bag draped around his shoulder and over his torso, Eggdog walking behind him with sunglasses and a sun hat on his head. He made sure he had all the stuff he needed on his bag before zipping it shut and closing the building behind him.
The meme guardian was wearing clothes that were drastically different to what he’d usually wear. He had black sandals, purple swimming trunks—with bomb patterns surrounding the fabric—and a loose t-shirt with his café logo. The only piece of clothing that was the same was his purple hat.
He looked up to find the crew packing their bags inside SMG4’s? Luigi’s? RV and making their way inside. They also seemed to have unique outfits tailored to the trip. He sighed. This was the obligatory beach episode, wasn't it?
With a shake of his head, he walked over to his friends and placed his own luggage inside the trunk. Once he was sure he was the last one, he reached up and pushed the boot lid close.
“Hey Three!” SMG4 greeted joyfully, his head peeking out the window of the driver’s seat, “Wanna join me at the front?”
SMG3 smirked back, grabbing Eggdog and walking over, “Sure. I’m glad to ride shotgun.”
Soon, the whole crew piled onto the RV and SMG4 drove all 10 of them to the closest beach in the Mushroom Kingdom. When Three asked him why he suddenly decided to take them to the beach, Four could only reply with “WE’VE NEVER DONE A BEACH EPISODE BEFORE!!”
SMG3 shrugged. Makes sense, he supposes.
After about an hour of travelling, they had arrived at their destination. The SMG4 gang got out of the RV, took their stuff and began looking for places to put their things.
Due to the area being quite popular for tourists, the company in charge of that specific area of the beach already had designated spots with beach cots and parasols you could rent for the day. Each one had 2 sun loungers, 1 beach umbrella and a small table.
The group of friends decided to rent 5 of the spots, all next to each other. Three just grabbed one of the rented spots and sat down on the beach cot, hands busying themselves going through his duffel bag while his pet played around in the sand.
SMG3 heard soft footsteps growing louder until there was a sound of the beach cot in front of him creaking as a new weight settled in the rough fabric. He looked up to see SMG4.
The blue meme guardian was wearing one of those blue button up shirts with palm designs, white swimming trunks, blue sandals and his signature hat. Three silently appreciated the resemblance of the outfit to his usual long-sleeved shirt and overalls.
Moving back to his own thing, he got his sunscreen and towel out, tossing the bag aside and pulling the plastic lid off the sunscreen bottle. He squeezed a small amount of the substance on his hand, then began spreading it on his hairy arms.
SMG3 noticed Four doing the same.
The two of them shared a peaceful moment of silence as they prepared to go to the ocean, coating their skin with the protective solution to prevent any unwanted burns.
Three hesitated before grabbing the ends of his shirt and pulling it over his body, completely exposing his torso to the outside. He wasn't buff or anything, but he at least had just a little muscle going on. Still, he felt a little insecure. He wasn't used to this at all.
“SMG3?” The man heard Four call out, so he turned to find his meme guardian counterpart with his shirt off and his sunscreen bottle out. Three instantly took notice of the vein-like scars running down SMG4’s torso from an all too familiar incident.
Three never knew Four had those. He doesn't think any of his friends did either. He shook his head to keep his thoughts away from the “perfect” incident.
“Yeah?” SMG3 replied back, carelessly applying more sunblock to his chest and stomach. That’s when he realized he was only missing to cover his back, which was when Four spoke up.
“Could you help me get sunscreen on my back?” SMG4 asked softly—almost sheepishly—as he scratched the back of his head. Three blinked at him, so Four quickly added, “I’ll- I’ll help you get yours on your back if you help get mine on my back.”
SMG3 thought about it. Well, if there’s someone he’d trust to do this, it’d definitely be SMG4 …but- NOT because he TRUSTS him or ANYTHING. HE JUST… is the least likely to DO it WRONG.
YEAH… And it's not like he WANTS SMG4 to touch his back or anything. That’s WEIRD! He just needs someone- ANYONE to get the job done for him. Well- he could just ask Eggdog to do it, but he doesn't exactly have… arms…
Three completely ignored his nagging thoughts telling him he’d only feel comfortable with SMG4 touching his back and only SMG4 …and Eggdog- but again, no arms.
“Yeah yeah- sure, whatever,” SMG3 feigned annoyance as he walked over and sat down on Four’s sun lounger and took the bottle out of his hands.
They silently readjusted to have both of them looking towards the ocean in front of them. Three squeezed some sunblock on his hands, then gently placed them on SMG4’s back.
He began spreading the solution all across his back, taking notice of the slight bumps coming from Four’s scars. The man smiled lightly as he continued, making sure to reach all spots and leave no skin unprotected.
SMG3 wouldn't admit this, but he let his hands dance around SMG4’s back for a few extra moments even though he was done. It’s just- Four has a nice back, okay?!
“There,” Three muttered a bit too softly, before clearing his throat and shifting back to his normal voice, “Now my turn. I’m too gorgeous to burn my back!”
Four rolled his eyes with a smile as they switched places. SMG3 handed his meme guardian counterpart the bottle before turning around and gazing at the beach in front of them.
He couldn't help but fiddle with his glove-less hands as he waited for SMG4 to begin. Three could practically feel his heart almost pounding out of his chest in anticipation.
Then, he felt Four’s hands slide themselves onto his back. His stomach fluttered with butterflies as the gentle touch traveled up to his shoulders and down to his waist area. He instantly felt fuzzy inside.
Oh shit.
First of all, SMG4’s hands were really soft- How are they super soft?! He doesn't know but they felt like freaking butter on his skin. Secondly, the cold sunscreen proved to also be useful in cooling him off from the beating sun, leaving him relaxed and calm.
Thirdly, he felt a little strange since this moment they were sharing felt weirdly intimate compared to the other times they’ve hung out. Not that he minded, though. And lastly, can his heart PLEASE stop thumping so loudly- what if SMG4 feels it and says something about it and-
“Hic!” SMG3 yipped, his surprise from the sound turning into fury in mere seconds.
Four chuckled once he felt the quick twitch coming from his meme guardian counterpart. He asked teasingly, “Hiccups again?”
“SHUT UP!”
—
SMG4 was editing one of his many videos quietly in his room, eyes deep in concentration and hands firmly on his keyboard when he heard a few knocks coming from his bedroom door.
He turned around to find SMG3 opening the door and peeking from the side. The meme guardian felt himself smiling at the known guest.
“Yo SMG4, do you wanna play Mario Kart World?” He called out, “Me and some of our friends will be playing in the gaming room if you want to join us.”
“Oh!- uh,” Four muttered, looking back at his unfinished work. He turned back to his cosmic counterpart and responded, “I think I’ll join you guys later, just gotta finish this.”
Three narrowed his eyes at him, looking unconvinced. He pushed past the door and made his way over to the blue meme guardian. SMG4 moved back with a flushed face as SMG3 got close, looking towards the computer behind him.
What is he-
“It looks done to me, Four,” Three finally commented, leaning back after he was satisfied with his inspection. “So I don't know what you’re talking about.”
“Well- I mean, technically it is done but, it just needs some adjustments, y’know?” SMG4 replied back, turning his chair around back towards the desk. SMG3 instantly turned him back around.
“Don't tell me you’ve been going back to- um, those old habits, SMG4.” Three cautioned, sounding almost concerned as he crossed his arms. “We don't want… more accidents like last time.”
Four blinked in surprise at the gentle tone SMG3 was using, before snapping out of it and reassuring, “No- no- I haven't been acting like that. Don't worry. It’s- It's not gonna happen again.”
Three didn't look convinced, yet he still sighed and urged, “Okay- well, do you at least promise me that if you start feeling like that again, you’ll let me know?”
SMG4 smiled softly, standing up from his chair and placing his arms on SMG3’s shoulders.
“I promise,” he stated fondly, Four’s eyes staring deep into Three’s. SMG3 smiled just slightly and replied, “Um- okay, good.”
Then, SMG4 smirked and teased, “Wow Three, I didn't know you cared about me so much.”
SMG3’s eyes widened in shock so quickly as his face suddenly flushed. “N- NO-”
He hiccuped, causing SMG4 to start laughing at him. SMG3 fumed as he pushed Four firmly away, “I DON’T CARE ABOUT YOU, YOU BITCH. YOU CAN ROT IN YOUR ROOM FOR ALL I CARE.”
“Yeah yeah- whatever you say, man,” Four continued teasing as Three quickly left, shutting the door behind him and leaving him all alone.
SMG4 rolled his eyes with a smile as he sat back down and continued working. As he typed away, his mind thought back to SMG3 and their interactions together.
Four has always liked their dynamic; he never got bored of how their personalities meshed and blended together to form a cocktail of different scenarios that he always found fun and entertaining.
As he casually thought about their recent moments together, he suddenly noticed a common denominator that had recently appeared more often than not among all of them.
SMG3’s hiccups.
Huh. Lately, Three has been getting hiccups a lot which was a little strange, considering that never used to happen before.
Out of curiosity, SMG4 tabbed out of his video editing software and pulled up a new tab on Google. He typed “why does my friend always get hiccups” and entered it into the search engine.
He got a few articles talking about eating too quickly or drinking alcohol, but neither of those actions were being done when Three would get his hiccups. Then, he stumbled upon a publication about how strong emotions can lead to hiccups.
This caught his interest. It made more sense than the previous two. He clicked on it to investigate further.
Four read about the main emotions that can trigger them. Feeling overly stressed, nervous or excited to lead to the involuntary contraction of the diaphragm.
The blue meme guardian hummed to himself. SMG3 could be feeling stressed, maybe from his café but it didn't seem likely. The topic of his coffee shop was never present when the hiccups happened and he didn't seem concerned about the business side of his shop.
SMG4 then looked over the “being excited or nervous” part. Could it be that SMG3 was just feeling nervous? Maybe excited? It is a possibility since all other possible reasons don't make sense.
But… why nervous or excited? Four felt butterflies roam in his stomach. Could it be… that Three feels like how he does when he’s around the purple meme guardian? SMG4 thought about the recent instances when Three got his usual dose of hiccups.
The first time, he was in his café with Eggdog just talking. Well, seems normal enough. The second time, they were in the scary ride. Yeah- okay that one makes total sense. But, the third time… He was just applying sunscreen on his back.
That’s… that was one of the more intimate moments they had shared. Not to mention Three just got them when Four placed his hands on his shoulders and teased him.
SMG3 might just feel the same…
Maybe.
Guess he’ll have to find out the old-fashioned way: Experimentation.
—
It was the next day, and SMG4 very casually made his way towards his favorite café. He slowly pushed the door open to find SMG3 and Eggdog… having a tea party?
They were on one of the many tables present in the coffee shop, teacups and teapot in place for both of them. Three was lifting the pot and pouring tea on Eggdog’s cup with his lips slightly puckered in relaxed concentration.
“What the f-” Four couldn't help but sputter in utter confusion before Three and his pet noticed him. SMG3 instantly whipped his head at the sound in pure horror.
“AHH!” Three yelled as he grabbed the entire teacup set and threw it out the window, shattering the glass- and the china. He cleared his throat and tried playing off what he had just seen with, “AhEM- Uh- What brings YOU here, SMG4?”
“Uhh, I came here for some coffee? It says on the door that it’s open,” Four asked more than explained lightly, walking over to the table they were at.
“Oh,” Three’s demeanor changed as he muttered under his breath, “I should get rid of that sign.”
“So, can I get a latte?”
“Um, yeah sure,” SMG3 replied with a shrug, walking over to the counter as SMG4 followed behind him. He was about to grab one of his usual cups when Four suddenly stopped him.
“Uh- this time to-go, please.”
Three felt his stomach drop slightly. Psh- Whatever. He rolled his eyes as he grabbed one of the paper cups. Since when does he have those? He has no fucking idea. “Okay, scrub.”
Four waited impatiently as he mind raced through different scenarios. He thought about all the times they had spent together, all the times Three made him laugh or made his heart burst. He just hoped, begged that he wasn't the only one feeling this.
As SMG3 mixed the latte together, he notcied Four shuffling around slightly, something that wasn't usual for him. After a moment of consideration, Three decided to let his usually mean demeanor down and quietly asked, “Hey- uh, are you okay?”
“Huh? Oh!” SMG4 exclaimed as he snapped out of his little trance. He nodded and replied quickly, “Yeah- yeah, I’m okay.”
There was a lull in the conversation.
“Well- Actually, I just- I want to talk to you about something…” Four finally admitted, scratching the back of his head and looking off to the side. This instantly caught SMG3 attention as his stomach twisted.
“Oh really? What is it?”
“Um- I kinda wanna tell you when you’re done with my drink,” SMG4 explained as he messed around with the gloves on his hands, “Then we can go outside and talk about it?”
“Oh, okay- That’s alright,” SMG3 replied, not even realizing he was speeding up the process of making the caffeinated drink in silent anticipation and curiosity.
Why is this latte TAKING SO LONG TO FINISH? WHAT DOES SMG4 WANT TO TELL HIM??
Three hiccuped.
Four instantly perked up at the sound, looking at his cosmic counterpart with a little surprise, then narrowing his eyes almost as if he were analyzing the man. SMG3 gave him a weird look in response.
Why is SMG4 looking at him like that?
“Uh,” Three murmured as he finished pouring the milk and closed the cup with a plastic lid. He passed it over to Four, stating, “Here you go.”
“Thanks, Three,” Four replied lightly as he grabbed it. Then, he shyly asked, “Can we go outside?”
SMG3 nodded, so the two of them silently made their way out the door and towards the dirt paths.
There were faint screams and fun music coming from the amusement park nearby. Four dragged his feet across the dirt as they walked, pushing a rock to distract his mind from the impending doom ahead of him.
If he isn't right about this, then the next couple of days will be pretty awkward for both of them.
“So? What did you wanna talk about?” Three finally asked, looking at his surroundings before settling his eyes on SMG4’s frame.
“Have you noticed how you've been getting a lot of hiccups lately?”
This caught SMG3 off guard. He tilted his head to the side as he replied, “I guess? Why?”
Four slightly smirked, taking a tiny sip of his latte, “Because I found a way to make you get them.”
“Ohh really?” Three challenged with a roll of his eyes, teasing the man with a small grin. “Sure you can, scrub.”
“I can! Just look at this,” SMG4 finished as he took a quick breath. He leaned over, grabbed SMG3 by the nape of his neck and plastered a gentle kiss on his right cheek.
Four let his eyes close as he took in the moment, liking the way the man’s beard lightly tickled him. As he let go, he couldn't help but enjoy the way Three’s face went from his normal color to a deep shade of red as he looked at SMG4 in utter shock.
“WH- WHAT THE FUCK FOU- HIC!” SMG3 hiccuped, causing SMG4 grin to widen as he laughed. Three looked down at himself angrily then up at his meme guardian counterpart to find his stupid little smirk.
WHY WOULD SMG4 DO THAT?? WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH HIM???
That’s when the gears inside his head began turning. Even though Four was looking at him with a mischievous smile, he also had a deeply fond look in his eyes as he stared deep into his pupils.
He could see the love radiating from his gaze.
“Oh..” SMG3 mumbled as he hiccuped yet again. He didn't know what to say, but luckily, SMG4 spoke first before he had the chance to.
“I like you, Three. I have for some time now. I- I didn't know how to bring it up until I started noticing your hiccups. I sorta realized they were from your emotions, especially when we were together so- uhh… Could we go out?”
SMG3 stared as his heart raced and his stomach flipped uncontrollably. He cannot believe this is happening right now- Oh my Eggdog.
He felt his heart pounding as he replied timidly, “I’d- hic!- like that…”
SMG4 smiled fondly, slowly moving his hand to hold onto SMG3’s. He chuckled, gently rubbing his thumb against Three’s hand, “Told you I could make you get hiccups.”
“Oh shut up, baka…” SMG3 replied quietly with no bite, attention too focused on the gentle swabs of Four’s finger. Three tightened his hold on SMG4’s hand before stating, “C’mon, let’s go.”
“Okay,” Four replied back, happily allowing himself to get dragged behind SMG3 as they made their way back towards his café.