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Almost a year ago Bowser kidnapped Peach for the last time. Exactly 11 months and 13 days ago, the two rulers signed a peace treaty. And, in a week there is a party. Unsurprisingly the Mushroom Kingdom decided to celebrate the anniversary in their typical fashion; a huge event. Stalls and fair games will be placed along paths near the palace for those wishing to escape a crowded dance within the castle. Koopas and mushroom people alike are invited to the festivities.
This is where we find Luigi; finishing a snack stall for one of the locals. Without receiving any thanks he leaves to help another vendor only to be stopped by his ex-enemy. He wishes he could deny the small yelp from being startled. Bowser chuckles at the plumber before greeting him boisterously. The sentiment is returned, albeit much quieter but just as joyful. Witnessing the display of Luigi’s unsuspecting strength the Koopa King teases him, claiming that he’ll be giving him a run for his coins soon. Across the shy plumber’s face spreads a maroon from the complement. To hide it, Luigi bows with a flourish of his hat and plays into the joke.
Being friends with Luigi came easier and more natural than with his twin considering that the two barely knew each other. He and Mario had a sour history that made the reconciliation feel less political and more like children being forced to apologise after a fight on the playground. While the princess found it quite amusing, the men did not. Then came apologising to ‘the green one’. As half assed as the apology was, he was forgiven much quicker than with his actual nemesis. In fact, Luigi had invited him to ‘hang out’ or something which baffled Bowser to no end. Yet he still agreed and caved into the timid smile.
During the week the two barely separate while helping for preparations, swapping jokes and deep conversations as they have been the whole year.
Rambles of his garden follow the pair down the path to the Mario Bros’ house, and as they get closer the human grabs the koopa’s hand. His excitement renders him oblivious to his company’s stunned reaction to the simple gesture. There is a small garden laid before the front door, it had been a project in Luigi’s spare time. Bowser notes that the stars in the shorter man’s eyes tell him that it’s his pride and joy far more than his words were currently trying to. It’s impossible for him to resist joining in on the plumber’s mirth. Teasing remarks are comfortably traded while Luigi shows Bowser his humble flower beds before moving to sit on the lawn.
The conversation begins to sway between topics like the grass blades do in the breeze, the larger of the two softly watches a flower crown being weaved by his unlikely friend. He’s so caught up in the rustle of Luigi’s hair and the sun lighting up his eyes to match the sky above that it takes him a second to realise the crown is being placed on his head.
“There! A king needs his crown, bello come sempre amore mio,” his face burns as he corrects himself, “amico mio.”
Still dazed from his sedated hour in the cosy sun with the fantastic view, he doesn’t question the plumber’s gibberish like he normally does. Instead he thanks the world that whatever it was made the man prettily flustered.
“Then where’s yours?”
At first, Luigi falters, his smile dims and his body freezes. Quickly enough though, his face goes from pink to maroon and picks up his hat to hide behind it. Some of the Italian curses make it past the fabric to the koopa’s ears. The same koopa heartily laughs as the hat is swatted against his arm.
“Mama Mía, Bowser! You can’t just say those things!”
“Even if it makes you smile this much? Bit contradictory there Green Bean.”
“Bruto, bruto assoluto. You’re a brute, I hope you know that.” Wait, Luigi knows that grin-
“Yeah, you love it though.” He does.
Royals and citizens in fancy outfits pack the ballroom but Luigi pays no mind to them. Koopalings terrorising (pranking) them is much more entertaining. They aren’t quite who he wants to see but the fondness hugging him nearly makes him forget about who he was looking for. When he does find the person, everything fades away. Bowser stands there, talking to Kamek, in a black suit with a deep green shirt unbuttoned at the top. It makes Luigi want to undo a few of his own just to be able to breathe a little.
“Stop ogling him and ask him to dance.”
“Waah! Don’t sneak up on me like-a that, Daisy!”
“Never. Besides, I said ‘hello’ at least twice. Ask him to dance.”
Luigi groans, knowing she’s not going drop it. They make a deal; he will if she buys him a drink for confidence first. Daisy quirks a brow at him downing it considering he’s never been a big drinker. True to his word, he hands his best friend his glass, bids her a ‘fuck you’ and strides up to Bowser.
Even from the slight distance she can tell her friend is getting worked up with anxiety. Where Bowser stands it’s even worse, he just smirks while the smaller man stuttered through the request. To Luigi’s further dismay the taller of them pretends to have to think it over.
Bowser leads, mostly out of convenience with their sizes, his claws more than covering Luigi’s waist. Due to their heights Luigi holds on to the koopa’s bicep rather than his shoulder and they clasp their other hands together, albeit a little awkwardly. After a few moments of getting in the rhythm they begin to feel more comfortable, naturally gravitating closer. By the end of the song they are firmly pressed together head to chest with Luigi having his eyes closed and trusting Bowser to guide them both. A flourish of instruments boldly finish the music before starting the next slow dance. The king doesn’t notice. He can’t notice anything other than how Luigi looks up at him like that and before either even realise they both start leaning in.
Right as they’re about to meet in the middle Luigi pulls back. Fiery eyes snap open to meet icy ones. Neither move away.
“Y’alright, Greenie?” Had he read this wrong? The plumber shakes his head and looks down.
“I, I can’t do this,” he meets Bowser’s gaze again, “I really want to but I can’t.”
Confusion mixes with the koopa’s concern as the words register. A million reasons brew in his mind, but Luigi isn’t shallow enough for any of them to make sense. He tests it anyway, a small puff of smoke from his nostrils accompanies the question.
“Cause of what I am? Who I am?” It’s more tentative than angry. “No! N-nothing like that!”
“Mario? He still got a problem with me?” His small chuckle quickly gets cut off by the shorter man leaving his arms.
“Bowser. I can’t do this because I can’t be a back up. I grew up as everyone’s second choice, fine, I’ve accepted it. But you? I can’t put myself through that.” Tears crack his voice but don’t fall.
“Back up? Greenie-no-Luigi, you’re not second. I want you.”
“Because you can’t have her. We both know you’re only settling for me because a treaty stops you having her.” Seeing Bowser’s face twist so painfully gave a tear permission to fall. The anger in the king’s eyes throws him off.
“D’ya really think that little of me?” People notice his voice raise and curiously eavesdrop. Not realising the situation Luigi immediately fires back.
“Of course not! I think that little of myself!”
Cheerful ballroom music has never sounded so somber than it does now, in an otherwise silent hall. Bowser himself flinches back from the outburst while stares drown the two of them. It isn’t until Mario touches his shoulder that the situation hits the younger twin.
“Fratello? You good, Weegi?” Before he finishes asking, his brother is bolting out of room. All the former foes can do is look at each other in concern as Peach gets the party running again.
One slightly awkward explanation later has Bowser pacing and Mario stunned.
“You kissed my brother?”
“Tried to. That’s what you’re focusing on?”
Mario nods uncomfortably, “right, scusi. I knew he had self-esteem issues but I thought he was getting better, not worse. Did I do this to him? I try to help but-“ A snort cuts him off.
“Look, we don’t get on but ’m not stupid. You’re a good brother, I’ve seen it.”
Being reassured, by Bowser no less, halts the spiral Mario begun going down. A few seconds pass before the plumber fiercely catches the koopa’s gaze and asks if Luigi was right. Suddenly the stare was mutual.
“Fuck no! I got over Peach a long time ago, I only kidnapped her for political reasons after a while.”
“And my brother?”
“I really have to say it?” The Italian’s glare hardened, “okay, yes! I like him!”
“What are we? Ten? Like him, really?”
“Fuck you. I don’t do this feelings shit, ‘s new for me. You really wanna hear your arch-nemesis admit he’s in love with your little brother?”
Without hesitation, “if it makes him happy then yes. I do.”
“An’ you thought you were a bad brother. Alright short stack, I love your little brother. Now, whose gonna talk to him?”
Muffled sobs are interrupted by the door opening and light intruding into the darkened room. Around Luigi’s neck dangles a tie, crumpled and loose as if clawed at by a criminal trying to escape his noose. The tie sways with the man’s head snapping up, eyes glazed with a petrified sheen. Soft steps thud against the carpet cautiously in an attempt to not mess up again.
“Hey, Greenie.” With the way Luigi still stares shell-shocked it was almost as if Bowser hadn’t spoken at all. “‘M I good to sit?”
Sinking the plumber further into the bed is the mattress dipping under the king’s weight. Said king watches as Luigi crawls into himself as if he was the one with a shell to retreat in. It would amuse him had it not been so shattering. Nothing has ever bothered him more than not being able to hold the smaller man and protect him from anything able to induce this state. Nothing has ever terrified him more than remembering he induced this. He pushed too far and too fast, possibly ruining the friendship let alone the prospect of something more. A king shouldn’t grovel. A king as prideful as the King of Koopas shouldn’t grovel. Yet he goes to anyway.
“I’m sorry,” huh?
Heavy sobs begin to break through Luigi again, “I’m sorry, mi dispiace tanto!” A king shouldn’t grovel, and neither should someone the king deems more worthy of the title than himself. He shifts a little before pulling Luigi close. He shakes in Bowser’s embrace, letting out the stress from the past half an hour. Words of comfort become louder than crying as sobs dissolve into sniffles. Neither realise that the human ended up in the koopa’s lap and is completely enveloped by his friend.
Gravelly reassurances rumble from Bowser's chest helping to calm his friend who had stopped apologising in between sobs. Unbeknownst to the other, they both blamed themselves and believed they had fucked up whatever they had going on. And now that Luigi had settled, Bowser intended to fix it. It was based on being a replacement right? Easy!
“I've not liked Peach in a long time, Greenie. Political interest, definitely. Romantic interest? How could I when got to know you?” The Koopa's confident cadence almost made the plumber look up at him. Almost.
“But why? I’m the second choice, second place, good old forgettable player two.” A couple of tears re-wet his face. One lands on Bowser’s thigh, alerting him of the melancholic change. He shifts in a way so Luigi is facing him and gently lifts his head so that their eyes meet.
“I’m gonna kill whoever fed you that crap. Look, my kids love ya’, Kamek loves ya’. And as for me? Even in her best gown and makeup, Peach wouldn’t look half as stunnin’ as you do right now. I love ya’.”
Doubt still wracks his mind, it will probably always do so, but the way Bowser looks at him quiets the storm. There’s no hint of friendly teasing, no malice, no doubt or question. Luigi has never felt so seen, or utterly adored.
It shocks Bowser when Luigi surges up to kiss him. Eyes wide and eyebrows shot up to his horns. He recovers quickly enough to reciprocate without the other beginning to doubt himself further. Small hands gently hold his maw in response to him cradling the brown locks, clawed digits threading through the strands. They pull apart to allow Luigi to breathe, he’ll never tire of Bowser looking at him like that.
“Be with me?”
“‘Kinda question is that?”
“Weege! Grazie a Dio, stai bene? Cosa è successo con Bowser?” Mario practically leaps to hug his fratello.
“Sì. Mi sento meglio ora, scusa per aver rovinato la festa. Mi ha aiutato a calmarmi e abbiamo risolto alcune cose.” Luigi internally groans at the grin on his older twin’s face.
“Voi due insieme ora? Ti sei già baciato?”
“The hell are you two saying? You alright Greenie, ya’ look like you’re gonna do another runner.”
Admittedly Bowser’s not far off, the green twin is almost as red as his counterpart’s clothes. All he seems able to do is tell his brother to shut up while he hides his face in his hands. Bowser doesn’t like how Mario’s mischievous look is now turned to him.
“Did you try to or succeed this time?”
“Can it, short stack! We’re together now or whatever.”
Despite the exhausted words, he glances at his partner with affection and goes to hold him. Luigi accepts the hug, explaining to his brother that yes, they’re together.
“How good was he?”
“MARIO!”