Despite Luigi's protests, Dimentio had refused to leave the house for many many days. The fact that he had lost two days of sleep had made him extra fearful of being caught, so he decided to just spend his time indoors, hidden from the world. Sure, it was a little limited, but at least he felt safe.

Mario still refused to make eye contact, but Dimentio no longer was afraid of the man in red running off and telling someone about him. If Mario were going to do something, he likely would have already done it long ago.

He actually was finding small ways to enjoy his time. Luigi had a number of books that Dimentio enjoyed reading. (Most were on astronomy, but Dimentio wasn't quite interested in that. The books Dimentio really enjoyed were fantasies or dystopian future novels. He liked relating these works of fiction to the real world and finding connections.)

The brothers also seemed to acknowledge the importance of keeping Dimentio hidden. For example, one day when one of Luigi's friends showed up for an unexpected visit, Mario was very good about shoving Dimentio in a closet and hiding him. Dimentio was honestly unsure if he was insulted by or grateful for the action.

The closet was actually fairly comfortable. There were no lights, but it didn't take Dimentio long to get himself acquainted with his surroundings. There were a few coats hanging up which he was able to take down and make himself a little nest on the ground with as he waited in total silence and darkness.

"So who was that?" Dimentio asked after Luigi's friend had left and Mario so graciously let him out of the coat closet he had been locked in, sighing at the mess Dimentio had made and going to clean it up.

"Just Da-"

"His girlfriend," Mario interrupted with a small smirk, hanging up the coats.

"MARIO!" Luigi exclaimed, his cheeks turning a light pink shade as if he was embarrassed. Dimentio noted that it looked almost as if he had been lightly sunburned but not to the point where it could cause any damage. "She's not-"

"Sure, sure," Mario laughed, hanging up the last of the coats and smiling at his younger brother. "Any why not exactly? You like her. She likes you. Just quit being awkward and ask her out."

"It's not like that! She may not like me! We don't know what she thinks!" Luigi exclaimed.

Mario gave him nothing more than a bored expression in response while Dimentio remained silent, looking back and forth from Mario to Luigi.

".... So you like her?" Dimentio asked, eyes finally settling on Luigi.

Luigi then looked at him, his eyes widening slightly as if he had forgotten Dimentio was even there until just then.

"I mean... I didn't say that," Luigi nervously replied, looking away and scratching the back of his neck.

"You didn't reject it, though," Dimentio stated, shrugging. He wasn't sure why it felt so strange to hear about Luigi harboring romantic feelings for someone. It was weird to imagine him in a relationship. "I didn't even know you liked people."

"I'm bi," Luigi shrugged casually.

Mario nodded, then crossed his arms, for once actually looking Dimentio in the eye as he said, "Yeah, and if you dare judge him, I swear to Grambi, I will-"

"I'm not judging him," Dimentio assured, holding up his hand as if he was signaling for Mario to calm down. He wasn't sure why this information was somewhat of a relief to him, but he almost felt as if a weight had been lifted. But, that was short-lived, as Dimentio remembered what they were talking about in the first place.

He blinked a few times, then looked up at Luigi once again. "You should tell her."

Luigi frowned, seeming almost confused by this statement. He was less confused by the words themselves since Mario said them to him all the time. What was more confusing was the fact that these words were coming from Dimentio.

"W-What?" Luigi asked.

"He said you should tell her," Mario clarified in a slower, clearer, and slightly more sarcastic tone. He then crossed his arms and smirked at Luigi. "See, even Dimentio agrees."

Luigi then looked back and forth from Mario to Dimentio, feeling utterly embarrassed. He opened his mouth to speak, but couldn't find a fair response, so he ended up just looking somewhat idiotic.

"I'm just saying," Dimentio started. "You should tell her before it's too late. What if something were to happen and you never got that chance? It's better to risk rejection now than to never risk it at all, correct?"

"I mean... I guess," Luigi muttered. "But I'm not going anywhere. I-it's not like I have to do this now."

"Well, I'm just saying my thoughts. Do what you will with them," Dimentio shrugged, pulling out a book and sitting down on the couch pretending to read, signifying that his part in the conversation was over.

He didn't want to talk about that anymore.

______

"Hey, Dimentio, get up," Luigi said later that night. The sun had set about an hour ago, so Dimentio was just getting ready to go to sleep, marking off another day.

Dimentio was slightly confused by Luigi suddenly barging in, but Luigi didn't give him time to argue. He walked over, grabbed Dimentio's arms, and basically forced him outside, despite Dimentio's protests.

"What are you doing??" Dimentio exclaimed, squeezing his eyes shut and shivering upon the sudden feeling of the crisp, cool night air. He tried struggling against Luigi's grip, but to no avail, he was unable to break loose.

"I'm listening to what you said. But with a different context," Luigi chimed, dragging him around the edge of town and into the woods, only instead of heading to the meadow, he was heading in a completely different direction. "Ever since you told me that I should tell Daisy before it's too late, I've been thinking about how I promised to teach you how to be happy. Especially since you said you're only going to stay for so long." He chimed.

"Okay, I told you to ask that girl out, not to drag me outside and risk getting me arrested," Dimentio breathed, still struggling against Luigi's grip.

"You won't get arrested. It's night, and no one comes out here anyway. Trust me, this'll be worth it!" Luigi chimed.

Dimentio eventually stopped struggling against Luigi's grip as soon as they got deep enough into the woods. However, instead of heading west, they headed further east, up a large hill. Luigi walked fairly fast, so it was difficult for Dimentio to keep up, even with Luigi yanking him along.

After about fifteen minutes, the trees cleared away, opening the clear night sky up, Luigi stopped walking, letting go of Dimentio and holding his arms out. "Tada!" Luigi chimed.

Dimentio took a step forward, looking around at the scene. They were on top of a grassy hill that overlooked the entirety of the Mushroom Kingdom. Dimentio could see all the lights from the town.

But the coolest part was the reflection of the sky in the water surrounding Peach's Castle. Dimentio then looked up, seeing the infinite stars and planets, seeming to be randomly scattered around like a painter made a mess of dots on a dark blue canvas.

Luigi then sat down and lay on his back, looking up at the sky.

"You know... I'm still trying to figure you out," Luigi noted.

"Huh?" Dimentio asked, looking down at Luigi now. But Luigi didn't look back at him as he spoke. It almost looked as if the man in green was talking to the sky and not to Dimentio.

"I'm trying to figure out what happened. You disappear for a year, then you randomly reappear. I mean, I'm not surprised that you lived, but I guess I'm wondering where you've been." Luigi admitted.

Dimentio paused, then looked down at his feet, staying silent. He wasn't going to answer that.

"Have you been alone all this time?" Luigi muttered, his voice slightly smaller than before as if the thought saddened him.

"I... it's complicated," Was all Dimentio could say.

Luigi hummed in response, then waited a few more moments in silence. Dimentio eventually sat down next to him, leaning back but not quite lying down as he looked at the sky. With all the astronomy books Luigi owned, Dimentio wouldn't be surprised if Luigi could name each and every one of those constellations up in the sky.

It was funny how people could waste so much time learning about stars, especially since they were so far away. They hardly even mattered. What good would learning about them do?

".... What happened to your magic?" Luigi eventually asked after Dimentio had finally gotten used to the peaceful silence.

Dimentio didn't look back at him. He just continued looking at the sky. "I never said it was gone."

"It's gone," Luigi lightly laughed. "You would have used it a number of times if you had it. You would have made yourself invisible when going outside, you would have teleported to get yourself food, there are a number of things you would have done differently if it was available to you. What happened?"

Dimentio softly hummed in response, thinking about how much easier this would have all been if he had his magic. Things would have gone down so differently. For one, he would be nowhere near Luigi. He'd likely be doing one of two things.

A. He'd be trying to find a way to extend his three months (which he still planned on doing.)

Or B. He'd be trying to create his perfect world once again.

"... I traded it away," Dimentio finally said, somewhat shocked by the honesty.

"Really?" Luigi asked, sounding somewhat shocked as well. "For what?"

Time, Dimentio thought. I traded it for time.

But of course, he didn't say that. "Nothing," is what he actually said, which was funny, because it actually was everything.

Luigi didn't push him any further with the conversation since it was clear that Dimentio didn't want to elaborate. He just looked up at the sky, watching as the occasional shooting star shot across, a small trail of light following each and every one. The sky looked much better and brighter from up there than it did from the window in the guest bedroom Dimentio was currently residing in. It was probably due to the lack of light and pollution since they were fairly distanced from any homes or light sources.

"Isn't the sky amazing?" Luigi asked. "I mean, just think about it. Infinite worlds, galaxies, solar systems! It's incredible!"

Dimentio paused, thinking about Luigi's words. He waited a moment as he tried to identify the feeling he felt as he looked up at the large sky which seemed to cover the world like a sheet.

"It's scary," Dimentio eventually said.

"Really?" Luigi asked, sitting up and finally looking at Dimentio. "Why?"

Dimentio noted the total confusion in Luigi's eyes. Yes, he had confused Luigi with his words many, many times, but this look was different for some reason.

He swallowed, then lay down, feeling the soft blades of grass lightly tickle the back of his head. His eyes were drawn to a small star just to the right of a cluster. The star almost looked like an outcast.

"I just... feel how unimportant we are," Dimentio finally said. "I feel small."

"But that's good," Luigi smiled, lying down beside him and smiling.

"I don't think so," Dimentio replied, his tone having more emotion than usual. "I... I want to mean something. I want it to matter that I'm here."

"Ah, you want to make your mark," Luigi smiled, nodding up at the sky as if he understood.

"Doesn't everybody? Don't you?" Dimentio asked.

Wasn't that all anyone ever wanted? To be remembered, to be known. Would life be worth living if no one knew he was there?

"I think..." Luigi trailed off, clearing his throat and pausing for a moment as if he was trying to gather his words. "I believe," he corrected. "I believe you make your mark inside yourself."

"But I want more," Dimentio said. "I want someone to know I was here."

"Well, yeah. But you have to start with yourself. You have to let yourself know you're here," Luigi said with a small smile.

Dimentio waited a moment, thinking about those words. He never really thought about it that way.

Was that how Luigi saw everything? Was that why he was able to seemingly find joy in every place he looked?

"...I don't do that, do I?" Dimentio asked, his voice smaller.

"Nope," Luigi replied.

Dimentio paused, closing his eyes so he no longer had to look at the sky and the stars.

"That's what makes me scared."