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Snow fell heavily in Boo Woods, incasing the bare forest in a thick blanket of white. The eternal moon shone down on the land through the clouds, providing a mere dim light to aid the way. The dead trees swayed as a faint gust of wind passed by, and an owl flew out of a hole from one of the trees, likely having been startled by something.
Deep within the wasteland of cold, there was a large mansion that seemed to glow yellow from within. The mansion was old, like a grandfather clock in an abandoned home, but it seemed to radiate a kind, loving warmth. It was inviting, drawing in anyone that happened to be wandering around Boo Woods for some reason, and didn’t have its normal scary atmosphere. Calming white lights decorated the outside of the mansion, which provided even more light in the dark night.
Inside the mansion was a lavish party, filled with mostly Boos, and... a few other people of various species as well, surprisingly enough. A Koopa here, a Bob-omb there, as well as a Toad or two. They were talking amongst other guests, and noticeably, a Shyguy was holding hands with one of the Boos.
The inner decorations of the mansion seemed to be quite old fashioned. There was a large wooden table of food and drinks in the grand foyer, as well as a few red colored couches and dark wooden chairs spread across the room. There was a large Christmas tree in the middle, decorated with a variety of ornaments. A gramophone standing on a little table in the corner of the room was playing various Christmas songs, and a few people were dancing or lightly singing along to it. It was currently playing L.O.V.E by Frank Sinatra.
A room to the left of the foyer had the most warmth of all, despite it having one of the coldest beings inside. It was a living room, furnished with some couches, a leather rocking recliner, a coffee table, an oddly modern TV that was mounted on the wall, and a large brick fireplace that had a roaring fire.
On the leather rocking recliner was a rather large Boo, though, there was a somber air around him despite the warm atmosphere. He wore a purple Christmas hat instead of his typical crown, and the ball at the end of the hat had been replaced by a miniature version of the gem typically on his crown.
“Y’know, sire, I don’t think I’ve seen you this glum ever since your previous loss with the green plumber.”
King Boo snapped out of his thoughts at the comment, and glanced over to the Boo who said it. “Bootha,” he began in a formal tone, “It’s been a while since I’ve last seen you...”
Bootha rolled her black-button eyes. “Oh, quit with the formalities, King. Why are you acting so uptight? You’re at a party, ain’t ya?”
King Boo grunted at that, and settled further into the recliner he was in. “It’s...” He debated whether telling her the truth... “It’s... nothing. Why don’t you go dance with your partner?”
Bootha squinted at him. “Is that why you’re acting like a kicked puppy? Because your partner ain’t here?”
King Boo paused, before exhaling a breath that he didn’t need. “Yes, I... I do wish my partner is here,” he admitted. He never thought that he would say something like that in all his years of living— or rather, in all his years of unliving, but... here he was, saying that he, the infamous King of all Boos... missed his loved one.
Bootha snorted. “Stop actin’ like they’re dead. I’m sure the human will get here eventually.”
“I’m not acting like they’re dead,” he grumbled. “I just haven’t seen them in a while. It’s been... nearly a week and a half since I've last seen their face.”
“Maybe they’re getting you a gift?” Bootha said with a shrug.
King Boo scoffed, and waved his little nub. “I highly doubt that human is going to get me any gifts anytime soon. I already told them I don’t want anything.”
Bootha hummed thoughtfully, and began to think about it for a moment...
A Boo with a red Christmas hat soon came up to them, and had their brow furrowed. “Hey, sire... um, if you don’t mind me asking... where is the human?”
King Boo grunted. “Not here, Boon. I believe they may still be stuck at work, since they said something about it the last time they were here. They have been awfully busy as of late...”
Boon furrowed their brow further. “Can’t you just teleport the human here?”
“Yes,” King Boo began, “but... the human dislikes teleporting, so even if I did ask them if I could teleport them here, they would probably refuse… I would’ve gone over to the human’s workplace to accompany them on their walk here, but... as you can see, I have a party to host.”
“You could’ve gotten one of us to accompany the human, sire!” Boon said with a huff. “We would’ve done whatever you asked! I would have gone to their workplace!”
King Boo reached over to pat the Boo’s head, sighing deeply. “But that would’ve taken your precious time away from the rest of the Boos. I know some Boos don’t come to the mansion often, and I want them to spend time with the Boos they haven’t seen in a while. Besides, it’s too late to do anything about it now, so there isn’t any use in talking about it any longer.”
Boon began to pout. “Sire...”
“Don’t 'sire’ me, little Boo. Go have fun with the rest of the Boos— and you too, Bootha.”
Bootha, who had been still thinking about something, rolled her eyes when she heard what King Boo said. “King, with all due respect, you’ve gotta let us help you— we’re your subjects, aren’t we?”
“Yes, but—”
“But nothin.’ I’m gonna look for that human of yours, and make sure they’re alright, alright? Alright.”
Before King Boo could say anything, Bootha phased through the nearest wall, leaving Boon with King Boo...
Once Boon saw that King Boo was becoming a bit pissed off, they laughed loudly and nervously, before floating backwards a bit. “R-Right, um... Oh, I just remembered that I had something to do!” Boon said quickly, and escaped into the foyer, not wanting to deal with King Boo’s wrath.
King Boo glared at the wall for a long moment, before sighing deeply. “It’s Christmas,” he grumbled to himself, “Just let them be...”
—
An entire hour has passed since Bootha went looking for you, but to no avail. The party has calmed down from earlier, and gentle music was playing from the gramophone in the foyer. Bootha hasn’t returned yet, and you were still a no-show.
“Don’t worry, sire,” a small Boo comforted him, “I’m sure they’ll show up soon!”
“Yeah!” Another Boo called out from the foyer. “They’ll show up, they will!”
The King of all Boos heaved a heavy sigh of oxygen that he didn’t need, and slouched further into recliner. “They’ll show up? Really? Because I doubt it.”
A different Boo lightly pouted. “Oh sire, don’t be like that! Can't ya sense the human if they’re close, or somethin’ like that?”
King Boo sighed once more. “What's the point of sensing them out? I highly doubt they’re anywhere close— if they were, then they would be here already!”
A Boo with shaded golden eyes drifted towards King Boo from the foyer— they were a Boolossus Boo, it would seem, and this particular one is known for having a whiny attitude.
“What is it now, Fred?” King Boo asked with yet another heavy sigh.
“S-Sire,” the Boolossus Boo— Fred, began nervously, knowing that King Boo wasn’t in a good mood, “Um... where’s the human?”
All the Boos in the living room collectively turned to squint at Fred, some groaning.
“Where have ya been, Fred?! That’s all we’ve been talking about for the past hour!”
“Yeah Fred, where have you been? Under a rock?”
“Fred, you dumb as hell!”
Fred whined. “I’m sorry that I didn’t know that King Boo’s human has been missing! I was busy!”
“Busy doin’ what? Smooching on that Koopa in the foyer?” A stray Boo called out, cackling. Some of the other Boos joined in, cackling as well.
A more mature Boo off to the side scoffed. “Boomb, everyone— stop being so mean to Fred. He didn’t know that the human hadn’t arrived yet.”
The stray Boo who said the previous comment— Boomb, rolled his eyes. “He should’ve known that the human hadn’t showed up since the King was lookin’ so sad.”
“I am not sad,” King Boo grumbled in a sad tone. “Besides, you have nothing to say, Mr. I like to eavesdrop on everyone.”
Boomb sputtered. “N-NO! I would never eavesdrop on anyone!”
King Boo narrowed his purple eyes at him, and Boomb lightly shied away from his strong gaze. “Uh-huh. Because you certainly didn’t eavesdrop on me and my human during Thanksgiving, right?”
“Th-There were other Boos there, too!” Boomb said, trying to defend himself. King Boo kept staring at his eyes, and Boomb slowly blushed pink, now hiding behind his nubs. “B-B-But I apologize regardless!” He squeaked out.
A few Boos cackled at Boomb, but were silenced when King Boo cleared his throat. “Now, my subjects, let this be a valuable lesson to stop asking when the human is going to get here!”
…
“When’s the human gonna get here?” A brave Boo snickered.
King Boo quickly turned his head to glare at the Boo, about to say some awful words, but he paused when he heard the front door swing open. The party went near silent, save for the soft music still radiating from the gramophone, and there was a plausible tension in the air...
Large, heavy footsteps slowly made its way to the living room once the door slammed closed, and people began to murmur.
“Is that the abominable snowman?”
“No, I think it’s some sort of yeti...”
“I thought the abdominal snowman and yetis were the same thing?”
“It’s abominable snowman, not abdominal, dummy!”
“Did E. Gadd send one of his creations over here again?”
“...Did E. Gadd create the abominable snowman?”
“I thought the abominable snowman came from that one movie?”
The creature— whatever it was, shuffled right past King Boo, and towards the brick fire place, shivering all the while. "Heeeat,” the creature hissed, rubbing their mitten-like hands together as if they were conducting an ancient ritual to persuade the fire right into their hands. They brushed some of the... snow? Off their body, revealing a... black coat underneath. The creature was you.
“Human,” King Boo huffed, floating behind you. “You’re going to walk straight past me, and not even say hello?”
“I-It’s cooold,” you said while looking at him with cute eyes, like he would be able to solve all your problems... though, noticeably, there were dark bags under your eyes. Your teeth were lightly chattering together, and you shivered every other moment.
“Well, firstly, take off your damn coat,” he huffed again, a bit louder this time. After a pause, he began to take off your coat for you, brushing away any snow that was in the way.
You smiled... a little nervously, oddly enough, and let him help you, only moving when needed. While he worked on getting the zipper down, you took off your shoes so you won’t track snow on the clean floors. He threw your coat near the fire, and brushed away little pieces of snow that was still on your face...
“I miiissed you,” you said while hugging him. Offhandedly, you noticed that the Boos were keeping a good distance from you, probably so you could have some quality time with King Boo. “It’s been, like, forever since I last saw you, KB...”
King Boo sighed, and hugged you as well, settling a nub on your back. He’s been getting better about showing public displays of affection. “I missed you too... even though it hasn’t even been two weeks since I last saw you.”
“Really? Well... it has felt longer than that!” You pouted.
King Boo... cackled as a thought came to his head. “Do you really miss me that much, dear? You’re like of those koalas.”
“Nuh-uh, I’m no koala,” you mumbled, but kept hugging him.
King Boo patted your head, cackling some more. “Uh-huh. And, you know that fat, jolly old fool doesn’t like liars, either.”
“Man, KB, you really shouldn’t talk about yourself like that,” you said as soon as the joke appeared in your head, teasing him right back— and laughed when he glared at you.
“You’re lucky I love you so much,” he huffed.
“...What if you didn’t love me?” You said cheekily.
“Well, if I didn’t, then you’d be in a painting!”
“Would I at least be in a pretty frame?” You said in a cute voice. “And, would you hang me in your throne room?”
“I’ll hang you somewhere alright,” he grumbled, but leaned in to kiss your cheek.
You giggled, and gave him one last smooch before stepping back, looking him up and down while yawning... “I like your hat,” you said with a smile, changing topics.
King Boo grunted. “Didn’t you suggest I should wear something more... festive, to the party?”
“Did I?” You said innocently, “Or are you imagining things? Maybe you just don’t want to admit that you like Christmas.”
“I know for certain that you were the one to suggest I wear a Christmas hat, you turkey,” he hissed, poking your shoulder. “Quit fooling around.”
Your cheeks were starting to hurt from how much you were smiling. “I thought I was human, not a turkey?”
King Boo squinted down at you, before scoffing, and floating away. You debated whether following after him or not, but even if you wanted to follow him, a Boo came up to you immediately after he left the living room.
“Hey, human! How have you been?”
You recognized the little Boo, and waved to them with a smile. “Hey, Peek-a-Boo, I’m doing fine!”
Then, another Boo came up to you— “Jingle jangle— Hey there, sugar! You’ve been doing good?”
“I have been doing good, Mr. Boojangles, thanks for asking!” You said, recognizing his southern accent. A few other Boos had a southern accent, but you knew Mr. Boojangles typically started his sentences with either ‘jingle’ or ‘jangle,’ or sometimes a mix of both.
“H-Hey, human!”
“Hey, Boolivia!” You smiled, noticing her flower hat. Soon enough, you felt someone poke your back, and your turned to see... “Hey Boop!”
“Boop!” The little Boo said, poking you again.
You were going say something else, but yet another Boo came up to you... and then another.... and another... and...
—
King Boo grumbled a few mean words under his breath while floating into the foyer. Some of the mortals gave him wary looks, but he didn’t pay them any mind. You were reaaal lucky he loved you, because like he said, he would have put you in a painting if he didn’t. Maybe he should put you in a painting anyways, just so you’ll stop being such a bone-head…
“Hey, bro,” a Boo called out, floating over to him. “What seems to be wrong?”
“The human, is what’s wrong,” King Boo grumbled, before floating towards the front door.
The Boo furrowed their brow, and floated beside the King. “That’s totally gnarly, bro. What’s wrong with them?”
“It seems they’ve caught a case of ‘annoyingest human at the party.’ They’re especially annoying today.”
Despite what King Boo said, the Boo couldn’t help but smile. “Aww, they’ve missed you, bro.”
“Uh-huh, whatever you say, bro,” King Boo said with the roll of his purple eyes, and phased through the front door, going outside.
Snow was still falling heavily on the ground, entirely casing the first couple of steps leading up to the front door. A Boo near the bare trees had a yardstick in their nubs, and seemed to be measuring how much snow had fallen. From what he could see, nearly one and a half feet of snow was on the ground.
“I'm serious, bro!” The Boo he had been talking to phased through the front door. “I bet your human has missed you just as much as you’ve missed them!”
King Boo grunted. “I doubt they’ve missed me that much, despite what they said, since they were extremely late to the party… And, shouldn’t you be mingling with the other Boos, instead of bothering me?”
The Boo ignored his question. “I’m sure your human was busy wit’ something. Didn’t they have work?”
“...Yes, I believe they did have work today, since it’s Friday, and I understand that they were probably busy, but… they were two hours late, Surf Booard,” King Boo sighed. “How would someone ever be two entire hours late?”
The Boo— Surf Booard… shrugged. “I dunno.”
“You look like you don’t know,” King Boo scoffed, and stared out into the forest. The Boo with the yardstick was gone, but he figured that they went further into the forest to measure a different spot.
Surf Booard frowned, but stayed quiet for the time being, watching the snow fall from the sky…
“…You should go back inside,” King Boo told him with a bit of force. “I’m sure your friends want to talk with you.”
Surf Booard seemed like he wanted to stay with the King, but… he eventually nodded. “Okay. I’ll head back inside… but, just know that the human does miss you, bro.”
Before the King could respond, Surf Booard went back inside, phasing through the front door. King Boo stared at the spot where he phased through, before groaning, and rubbing his forehead.
“Urgh… my head hurts just from talking with him…”
“H-Hey sire!”
King Boo grunted loudly, and turned his head to see Fred’s shaded golden eyes. “What do you want?” He said grumpily. “I’m not in the mood.”
Fred… paused at that, before smiling sheepishly. “Welllll, I saw you and Surf head out here, and… I was just wondering if you were fine...?”
“I’m very much fine, Fred,” King Boo said, narrowing his eyes at the Boolossus Boo.
Fred gulped, before chuckling nervously. “O-Okay! I was just… making sure! Haha, ha…”
“…Did the other Boolossus Boos tell you to ask if I was fine?” King Boo asked, knowing that the Boolossus Boos shared a hive-like mind… However, he slowly narrowed his eyes further at Fred. “Or, did you decide to bother me on your own accord?”
Fred's face slowly turned a gold color as he blushed. “I-I just wanted to make sure you were fine, sire!”
King Boo pushed him towards the door with a grunt. “Go back inside, Fred!”
“B-But, I don’t want—”
King Boo pushed him a bit further, and Fred’s body squished against the door since he hadn’t turned incorporeal yet. “GO! INSIDE!”
Fred puffed his cheeks out, but got the message, and let his body become incorporeal so he could phase through the front door. King Boo glared at the door, before visibly deflating with a sigh. “So annoying,” he grumbled, “Is there any other nuisances I should be aware of?”
Immediately after he said that, he heard a noise within the forest ahead.
With a deep scowl, King Boo floated forwards, figuring that he didn’t need to use his sensing abilities to see what it was. “Boolt! Is that you? Are you finished measuring the snow?”
When he didn’t get a response right away, he huffed, and floated further into the forest. It was oddly quiet, save for the wind bushing against the bare tree branches, but he didn’t pay that fact any mind. As he floated along, he soon noticed footprints in the snow.
He thought that they were your shoeprints at first, but he saw that the prints were heading away from the mansion instead...
King Boo followed the footprints while furrowing his brow, seeing where they lead. He would have followed them further, but they suddenly stopped. He glanced around, but didn’t see any other footprints in the snow.
“What the...? Oh, enough of this baloney,” he grumbled.
King Boo was about to use his sensing abilities, but he paused when he noticed a strange black cube at the base of a nearby tree…
—
A couple hours had passed since your arrival, and the party was coming to a close. In that time, you’ve spoken with nearly a hundred Boos— you’ve counted— along with their partners. It was a bit overwhelming, but you adapted to the chatter fairly well, considering the fact that you wanted to do nothing but fall flat on your face from exhaustion.
While you talked, you didn’t see KB anywhere, but you figured he was busy. As the night went on, people began to leave, and by now there were only the Boos left. They didn’t need sleep, but the other mortals at the party did... Perhaps it wasn’t a good idea to think about sleep right now, but you still thought it was cute that the Boos that had a relationship with the mortals went out to lead their fleshy partners back home.
Since everyone was settling down, you figured it would be a good time to relax. With a sigh, you flopped down onto the leather recliner, resisting the urge to fall asleep right then and there…
“…Boop?” A Boo poked your shoulder.
You smiled, and peeked an eye open. “Hey there, Boop. Want to lay down with me?”
“Boop!” The Boo said excitedly, and immediately went into your arms, snuggling up close to you.
You giggled, and petted Boop while lightly rocking the chair back and forth. As you sat there, you listened to the sounds around you. In the foyer, several Boos were cleaning up, and the gramophone had stopped playing music once the mortals left.
“Hey, has anyone seen our King?” You heard a Boo ask from the foyer.
“No, I haven’t seen him anywhere...” A different Boo spoke up.
Another Boo grunted. “Wasn’t Surf with him at some point? Where’s Surf?”
“I’m over here, bro!” Surf Booard said from the kitchen.
“Hey Surf, have you seen our King recently?”
“Naw, man. I haven’t seen him in hours. He’s probably busy with his human, or something.”
“I’m over here,” you called out, “And I haven’t seen KB since I got here earlier... Where did you last see KB, Surf?”
“He was outside, bro, but... I dunno if he ever came back inside...”
You hum in response, and looked down at Boop, continuing to pet the little Boo. King Boo couldn’t have gone that far... right? Maybe he was just doing something, like, like... something...
“Should we go look for King Boo?” A female sounding Boo asked.
A Boo in the living room about to say something— you recognized him as Boon since he had a Christmas hat on, but he... paused, before frowning deeply while looking over to you. “Hey, human... did you come across Bootha when you traveled through the forest?”
“...I didn’t come across any Boos,” you murmured.
...A beat of silence went by as the cogs turned in each Boo’s head...
“Oh no, they’re dead!” A Boo gasped out.
“They’re already dead, dummy!” A small Boolossus Boo hissed.
“Should we go look for them?”
“Are they in a hidden spot in the mansion, somewhere?”
“It isn’t likely, since Bootha and King Boo are missing...”
“What if we go missing too, if we look for them?”
With a deep sigh, you got up from the leather recliner while letting go of Boop. You stretched, before walking over to your thick black coat and shoes by the brick fireplace.
“Boop?” The little Boo said with a frown, nudging your shoulder.
“I’m going to go find out where King Boo and Bootha went,” you announced, putting on your mostly dried coat and shoes. “Lock the windows and doors after I leave.”
“Human!” A Boolossus Boo said with a grunt. You don’t remember their name, but you knew this Boo wasn’t Fred. “We can’t let you go by yourself! What if you get hurt? Our King will never forgive us if you get injured!”
You... rolled your eyes while standing up straight. “You won’t have a King to forgive you if he doesn’t show back up. But... if I’m not back by... What time is it?”
“It’s three in the morning,” a random Boo called out.
You hummed. “If I’m not back by six am, then come looking for me,” you said, before finalizing it with a nod.
You headed over towards the front door, ignoring the Boos that called out for you. A burst of cold came when you opened the door, and you slowly gritted your teeth. Taking a few steps forwards, you gazed out into the frozen wonderland from the top step, watching a puff of white come out of your mouth every time you exhaled…
—
“Urgh…” King Boo rubbed at his hat-less head, glancing around as he opened his eyes. “Where am I…?”
“You’re in my base, sonny!”
“Oh, okay,” he said, and snuggled against the glass floor… “Wait.” His eyes flew open, and he glared at the Professor himself— “Elvin Gadd,” he snarled.
The old man in the white lab coat— Professor E. Gadd… laughed. “That’s my name, don’t wear it out!”
“What is the meaning of this?!” King Boo hissed, floating upwards. Noticeably, the Professor was much larger than he was… Was he in the blasted glass canister again?!
“Oh ho ho, I could ask you the same thing! Capturing a human,” he tutted. “I thought you were better than that!”
King Boo squinted at him like he was stupid. “What.”
“Yes, yes— you captured a human! I bet you thought that nobody would notice! Oh, but I noticed. I knew something was up when Luigi said he saw a human with you during Halloween!”
King Boo glowered at that. So, it was Luigi’s fault why he was in here!
Before he could say anything, E. Gadd cleared his throat. “Now, I know you may be a bit angry, but I want you to tell me a few things, King Boo. Where are you keeping the human?”
“I’m not telling you anything, old man,” King Boo growled. He certainly wasn’t going to tell the Professor that he was currently dating you, either.
The Professor sighed deeply, and went over to his chair. “I was afraid you were going to say that.”
King Boo glared at him from where his canister was, thinking of several ways to murder the Professor at the moment. It seems like E. Gadd was moving up mentally on his most annoyingest person list. Currently, Luigi took the top spot, and you still were second, but E. Gadd was becoming more annoying than Mario, making the Professor the third annoyingest person in the world.
“Only you would capture me on Christmas eve,” he grumbled.
“Technically, it’s Christmas day,” E. Gadd said with a smile, typing a few things on the large computer he had. The screen itself completely took over one side of the room, while the keyboard reached from one side of the wall, to the other.
King Boo growled lowly. “That’s just lovely.” He wanted to give you a gift, but… it seems like that will have to wait...
King Boo slowly glanced around the room he was in to see if there was a way to escape, noticing the assortment of gadgets scattered around. He noticed a familiar black cube, and cringed. However, he didn’t see any of his Boos… E. Gadd probably kept them somewhere else, since he likely knew the strength of the Boos around him made him stronger… speaking of strength, he was feeling pretty… weak, at the moment. Like something was draining his energy…
“Are you draining my energy?!” King Boo blurted out with a grunt, watching as the Professor laughed.
“Excellent observation! Every time you avoid a question, the canister you’re in will suck some of your spectral energy!”
“That’s just fantastic,” King Boo hissed sarcastically.
“I know, right?” E. Gadd laughed, before pressing something on his keyboard. Once he pressed that key, he felt his energy levels stabilize. “Now, you’re going to tell me where that nice human is, alright? Are they… in your mansion?”
King Boo narrowed his eyes at E. Gadd, not saying a single word.
The Professor hummed thoughtfully. “So, they are at your mansion. Where in your mansion are they being kept?”
“I’m not telling you shit, old man!” King Boo snarled.
The Professor tutted, and pressed something on his keyboard. Instantly, King Boo felt the energy being sucked straight out of him, and he became a bit transparent.
The Professor pressed something on his keyboard again, and looked back over to King Boo. The draining sensation stopped. “Do you want to tell me now?” He said, adjusting his large glasses.
King Boo glared at E. Gadd, but… seemed to contemplate something for a long moment… “The human is in the mansion,” he confirmed, “But… I refuse to tell you their exact location.”
E. Gadd sighed. “Well, that’s good enough, I suppose… What condition are they in? Are they well fed?”
King Boo thought back to the sandwich you inhaled in the guest bed a few weeks ago— that room was becoming your room more and more each day— and… nodded. “Yeah, they’re well fed alright.”
Gadd smiled, and typed a few things into his computer. This time, when he typed into his computer, King Boo didn’t feel like he was being drained. “Good, good… that’s good… That also means they’re not in a painting, ha!”
King Boo tried not to wince. He didn’t realize he accidentally revealed that you weren’t in a painting… He was going to say something in response to try and take his words back, but he paused when he heard someone knocking on a metal door.
“I’m coming!” The Professor called out, before heading out of the room.
King Boo grunted, and debated whether he should scream or not to get the attention of the person at the door. What are the chances that it would be Mario, or… or Luigi?
He could hear muffled voices from afar, one of which was obviously E. Gadd’s voice.
He listened to the other voice for a good while, and— and gasped in realization. Was that your voice he was hearing? How… How did you know where to find him?!
He called out your name, and you paused in the middle of what you were saying. Slowly, footsteps came down a set of stairs, before the door to the room he was in slooowly creaked open.
You peeked your little cute face in, and frowned with worry. “King Boo?” You called out softly, before opening the door some more. “Are you okay?”
King Boo squinted at you. “Do I look okay?”
That got a smile out of you. “Well, you’re not dead… again.”
King Boo grunted. “You’re lucky I love…” he was about to say that he loved you, but he noticed E. Gadd standing behind you.
E. Gadd laughed, but there was a… nervous edge to it. “Oh, don’t worry, sonny. I got an ear full from your partner already.”
King Boo turned to stare at you, and you gave a sheepish shrug, before walking over to him. “I, um, was really worried about you, King Boo,” you said, like that was a sound reason…
King Boo… eventually groaned. “It’s Christmas,” he mumbled to himself, before speaking louder. “I… I was worried about you too, human. I… missed you.”
You lightly cooed, and made grabby hands towards the glass container he was in. “Ooh, KB, you’re sooo sweeeeet,” you said, before making kissy noises.
“Mortal! Don’t kiss the glass when the Professor—” aaand you were already smooching the glass, obviously not caring who saw you.
King Boo slowly, embarrassingly… began to blush a bright shade of purple, and winced when he heard the Professor mumble about taking notes that King Boo can, in fact, blush.
King Boo resisted the violent urge to hide behind his hands, and ignored everyone as they talked.
“Can I take him out of this container?” You asked the Professor, resting your hand on the glass.
E. Gadd blinked, before zoning back into reality. “Oh yes, of course!” He then paused, before chuckling. “When he’s not in my base. I’m sure you understand, fellow human. He would kill me if you let him loose now, and we can’t have that happening!”
You huffed, but… nodded in understanding. King Boo certainly would kill him if you released him right now, and you didn’t want this old man dead. When you talked with the Professor at the door above the stairs, he seemed… okay. A little insane, maybe, but he seemed okay. He explained that Christmas was the perfect time to catch King Boo, since he’d likely be distracted, but he had good intentions with his plan… Well, maybe not completely good intentions, since he also talked about testing Boos but… his intentions were good enough.
The Professor went over to the canister, before unlatching the canister from the table it was attached to. He handed the canister to you, making sure not to drop it. “Press that green button on the bottom of the container to release him, alright?”
“Alright,” you sighed, cradling the canister to your chest. “Um…” You stared at the Professor, having a lot of things to say in that moment… “What about the other Boos?”
The Professor paused, before sighing. “Oh, alright— I’ll let them go too. It’s Christmas, isn’t it?”
You slowly smiled. “Yeah, I suppose it is… Uh, thanks for releasing Boolossus and some other Boos during Halloween. You really didn’t have to do that.”
“Can we hurry out of here already?!” King Boo hissed from where he was in the glass canister, stopping the Professor from responding to you.
You petted the glass as you ignored King Boo, sighing. “I trust that you’ll let the Boos go after I leave, Professor? I doubt I’ll be able to carry all of them at once.”
The Professor gave a nod. “Oh, of course, of course. I’ll make sure they’re released in a jiffy!”
“Alright, cool beans… Happy holidays, I suppose,” you laughed a little awkwardly as you walked towards the door.
“Stay safe out there!” The Professor called out, and you nodded as you waved him goodbye.
Quickly, wanting to get out of there as soon as possible, you maneuvered through his small base, and went up the stairs, before going out into the cold, dark night…
Once you were a few good yards away from the base, you let out a loud sigh of relief. “That was a nightmare,” you mumbled.
“Tell me about it,” King Boo hissed. “And, can you let me out now?! I wanna give that old coot a piece of my mind! How dare he try and capture the King of all Boos?!”
“I don’t want this night to end with bloodshed...” You said slowly... “I also don’t want you to hang his painting in the bathroom, either. It’s Christmas, KB... Please, be nice, okay?”
King Boo... seemed to contemplate your words for a moment...
After a pause, he groaned loudly. “I hope you know that I really do love you, human! I wouldn’t do this for anyone else, you hear?!”
You gave him a grateful, somewhat tired smile, and petted the glass. “I love you too, KB. And... thank you for being so calm about all this. Really, I thought you’d be more... violent, about the whole thing.”
“I was too busy thinking up ways to murder that old bastard.”
You busted out laughing at that, and held the container closer to your chest as you walked further into the bare forest. Really, all in all, you were just glad that King Boo was still alive... er, mostly alive.
—
(BONUS)
“K-King Boo, please help me— I can’t get up from the snow.”
King Boo laughed loudly at your expense, and you whined, wiggling around helplessly. After you exchanged presents with him this early morning— he gave you a new sweater, which you absolutely adore, and you managed to smuggle in a book that you figured he would like when you arrived at the party yesterday. You were extremely surprised King Boo didn’t feel the book in your coat when he took it off for you. It took you forever to find that book, too. That's why it took you forever to get to the darn party... At least you’ll be able to spend an entire week with your boyfriend... Though, it’s nearly impossible to forget his adoring expression when you revealed what you had gotten him for Christmas.
“King Boo,” you said with a pout. “Please help... I’ll be an ice cube if you don’t.”
King Boo cackled some more, and grabbed your outstretched hands with his nubs, pulling you up from the snow. Once you were back on your feet, you gave him a sweet smile.
“Do I get paid for this service?” King Boo asked with a toothy grin.
That comment made you huff. “Nuh-uh, you don’t get paid!”
“I don’t even get paid a kiss?”
You paused... but eventually shook your head. “Nope! Think of it as... a debt you paid off,” you said, remembering how he didn’t help you when his Boos wouldn’t get off of you this morning. They really liked to cuddle with you... That, or they wanted to show that they were glad you and KB were fine after that ordeal.
“Well, I suppose I have to resort to stealing, then!” King Boo exclaimed, before pressing a fat smooch to your cheek.
You giggled in a cute tone, before kissing him back... And jolted when you felt a freezing snowball smack against your back. You turned your head to try and spot the culprit, and you were barely able to see Fred’s shaded yellow eyes before you were pelted by a hurricane of snowballs. Once you heard several different Boos giggle and or cackle, you figured that this wasn’t the result of a single individual’s work.
With a war cry of your own, you— and King Boo, surprisingly— both threw snowballs back at them, starting an hour-long snowball battle. Once King Boo created a ‘truce treaty,’ everyone went back inside, spending the rest of the day watching Christmas themed shows.