I'll Watch Over You

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Warning: Fluff of the DreamStar variety.
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Starlow couldn’t sleep. No matter how much she tossed or turned, she just couldn’t seem to find a comfortable position in her makeshift bed made of Mario’s cap and Dreambert’s cloak. The Star Sprite knew she didn’t really need to sleep, but after watching Luigi sleep without a care in the world countless times on their quest to find Princess Peach and rescue the Pi’illo folk, Starlow couldn’t help but want to experience that kind of careless abandon for herself. But her mind was just too restless and she was too energetic to relax enough to sleep.

Groaning in frustration at her inability to relax, Starlow decided it was a lost cause to try to sleep any longer. Floating from the warmth of her makeshift bed, Starlow absently took in the sight of the temporary camp the brothers had set up earlier.

Not far from her, Mario and Luigi lay in a sprawled heap. The two brothers having cuddled up to each other sometime since falling asleep. Luigi was currently using Mario’s stomach as a pillow while Mario simply seemed to have subconsciously curled protectively around his younger brother in his sleep.

Starlow couldn’t help but giggle at the adorable sight.

Earlier she had had her doubts when Dreambert had suddenly announced that they should stop for a brief rest when they had reached this particular clearing in Somnom Woods, but looking at the brothers now, she could agree that it was the right choice. Mario had been going nonstop since the start of their journey, and Luigi, despite his constant napping on Pi’illos, seemed to be drained as well. This was a much needed reprieve for the two brothers, Dreambert had made the right call on this one.

But speaking of the Pi’illo prince…

Looking around the little camp, Starlow couldn’t help but notice that she couldn’t find Dreambert. Zipping around the campsite in sudden panic at the realization that one of their group was missing, Starlow was just about to wake the brothers to start a search when a soft whisper suddenly sounded from behind her.

“Are you well, Starlow? You seem panicked, has something happened?”

Squeaking in surprise at the sudden voice, Starlow whirled around to face the speaker. “Don’t do that!” She hissed, trying to keep her voice low so she wouldn’t wake up the brothers, but still wanting the other to know that she was not happy with the near scare.

“A-apologies,” Dreambert quickly amended, all too familiar with the little Star Sprite’s temper. “I merely wished to inquire about your wellbeing. You seemed troubled when I returned from scouting the area. Does something worry you?”

“Huh?” Starlow blinked, momentarily confused by the question, only to turn a deep shade of pink when she remembered why she had been freaking out earlier.  “O-oh! Uh, no, I’m fine! I was just thinking! That’s all!” Starlow giggled nervously, not wanting the Pi’illo to know that he had been the reason she had been freaking out earlier.

“I see…” Dreambert didn’t look convinced, but thankfully, he didn’t press the issue. “Perhaps you should get some rest,” he said instead, looking pointedly at the sleeping Mario brothers not far from them. “The journey to the Zeekeeper is still a long one. You will need all your strength for the coming trials.”

“Oh, I’m fine,” Starlow quickly interjected, secretly touched by the other’s concern. “We Star Sprites don’t need as much sleep as other beings do. Star Sprites mainly run on positive energy, and being around positive people is like a power nap for us! In fact, being around Princess Peach for those few minutes at your castle gave me enough energy to go months without needing sleep! I’m good to go!”

Her enthusiasm earned a small chuckle from the Pi'illo prince, but as she listened to it, Starlow couldn't help but notice that something seemed...off about Dreambert's laugh. Narrowing her eyes in sudden suspicion, Starlow studied her friend to see if there was something that could be bothering him.

What she saw only made her worried all over again.

Dreambert looked exhausted. Really exhausted. The Pi'illo prince's usually vibrant aura was nearly nonexistent, making Dreambert look unusually pale and sickly in comparison to how he usually looked. There was a dullness to his eyes that made him look dead on his feet, and the worst part of all, Dreambert was actually standing on his own two feet! Dreambert never stood on his own two feet, he always hovered or floated wherever he needed to go!

Something was definitely wrong.

"Hey, uh, are you ok?" Starlow asked hesitantly. "Shouldn't you be resting too? Like you said earlier, we have a long way to go to meet the Zeekeeper. You need to rest up too, you know?"

"I..." For a split second, Starlow could have sworn she saw a flash of fear pass over Dreambert's face, but that didn't make any sense. Why would Dreambert of all Pi'illos be afraid of going to sleep? It's not like had any reason to fear sleep, it's not like he's had a traumatizing... experience... with...

Oh...

"Dreambert," Starlow found herself hesitating, unsure of whether or not she should ask. But curiosity and concern won out, and she continued in as gentle a tone as she could. "Are you...afraid to go to sleep?"

Dreambert flinched, bowing his head in shame as he refused to make eye contact with the worried Star Sprite.

"I... I know it is foolish. I have been freed from the confines of the Nightmare Chunk, and my mind is my own once more, but... I cannot help but fear that darkness. I fear that the darkness still lingers..."

"Th-there's nothing foolish about that. Heck, that's nothing to be ashamed of either!" Starlow tried to encourage her distraught friend, not liking how defeated he looked. "Anyone would be shaken by what you've been through! Yet you're still fighting to save the other Pi'illos and you've confronted that creep Antasma multiple times! You're one of the bravest guys I know!"

When all she got in response was Dreambert's silence and the distant sound of the Mario brothers' continued snoring somewhere in the background, Starlow knew she would have to take drastic measures in order to help her distraught friend.

"What if I watch over you?"

Her question was rewarded with Dreambert looking up at her in confusion. "I do not understand..."

Starlow couldn't help but giggle, the dumbfounded look on the usually calm and collected prince's face was just too priceless.

"I can watch over you," she repeated, smiling cheerfully in the face of Dreambert's confusion. "Not only do we Star Sprites run on positive energy, but we can give off positive energy too! There's no way the darkness can reach you with a Star Sprite watching over you!"

"I-I couldn't possibly ask-"

"Who said anything about asking," Starlow interrupted Dreambert with a huff, fixing the surprised Pi'illo with a meaningful look. "I'm telling you I'm going to look after you. And that's final! A Star Sprite will always take care of their friends, whether said friend asks or not!"

"I thank you, Sarlow," Dreambert breathed, stunned at the other's reference to him as a friend. A feint dusting of pink gracing his pale cheeks as he smiled in sudden embarrassment.

"But of course," Starlow chirped, guiding the exhausted Pi'illo prince over to where Mario and Luigi were still asleep in a sprawled heap. After making sure Dreambert was comfortable curled up next to Luigi, the Star Sprite quickly retrieved Dreambert's borrowed cloak from where she had been using it as a makeshift bed earlier, and gently draped it over the barely conscious Pi'illo. "Now you rest up! I'll wake you guys later when it's time to go."

"Thank you, Starlow," Dreambert barely managed to mumble, already drifting off when Starlow answered.

"Don't worry about it. I'll watch over you, I promise."