Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Luigi woke up in the dark, aware of where he was. This could have scared him, even in his current situation, but he was more afraid of something else than the darkness around him.

Deep breath, Luigi. Deep breath. He thought as he breathed in and out as he got up. His body felt heavy and stiff as he worked on waking up. His mind went into panic mode like always, but he pushed through them, focusing on what needed to be done. He got up and placed his hand on the wall, following it slowly before picking up speed into a run. This was his daily routine: making sure his body felt light and free, calming the mind, and focusing on feeling like himself again.

Luigi wouldn't need to do this daily if he was normal and back home. Instead, he could be caring for his garden, cooking food for his brother, or having tea with the Princess and reading an excellent book after a long day of work. At the same time, Mario returns with a story of his new adventure.

But instead, he was hiding in the castle walls, watching everyone live their life as if he never existed. He had to watch as the Toads screamed at him in terror before forgetting that they ever saw him, the Princesses didn't remember who was supposed to be joining them, and his brother admitted that he didn't have a sibling. It had slowly broken him over the past years.

Luigi made it out of his hiding hole, making his way to the throne room with planks that he's placed to get around by the ceiling instead of the floor. This was the easy part of his day, moving around and watching people, but it got more challenging as the day went on. After all, his loneliness can only last for so long - it has been at its breaking point for a while now; anything can break it if he keeps at this way of life.

He soon made it to the throne room, going to his hand-made balcony to watch Mario act out his adventure to Princess Peach, Princess Daisy, and all the Toads. They all laugh and clap as he pretends to be Donkey Kong and the silly thing he did. This honesty brought a sad smile to Luigi's face, making him remember the time he would just do this for him.

"And then I sat on the ground and slid all the way down on the mountain!" Mario said as he slid across the living room floor. Luigi covered his face as laughter came out.

"At least that explains why your whole bottom half was wet." Luigi said, a smile across his face.

"What can I say? It was the fastest way to get down the snowy mountain." Mario shrugged as he got up, "Next time I go, I'll take you with me. That way, you can see the penguins. I know you'll love -Achoo!" he sneezes.

"You need to get in bed and rest first." Luigi pushes him toward the bedrooms.

"Fine. But promise you'll tag along next time."

"I promise, Mario. Now bed rest."

"Yes, Mamma, hehe."

Just a little longer, that's all I need. A little longer, Luigi thought as he wiped the tears that came from the happy memory and the happy time that was below him. He had repeatedly wished that it would be just a bit longer till he was back to normal and not a wooden doll anymore. But till then, he was just that, a Nutcracker everyone had forgotten about. A Nutcracker that was becoming more wood than human.

He returned to the show his brother was putting on. Listening to his story in the jungle, he imagines the adventures that Mario used to take him on when they were younger and had more time together. Those memories cheer him up a bit, but only when Mario talks; if he remembers what had happened on those adventures, he will cry himself to sleep.

It wasn't a blessing or a curse when Luigi realized that the laughing and the clapping turned into screaming and rumbling. He watched as the wall came down, Mario grabbing Peach and making a run for it. At the same time, Daisy and some beaver Toads stayed behind to fight the Koopas that entered the palaces. Finally, he got up and ran out of there himself, his balcony falling behind him as he ran to the hole in the wall. It was terrifying for him as some rubble fell on top and around him. Luigi luckily didn't get trapped, but he started to feel that way as he descended to the ground. However, the ground wasn't as safe as he thought. Both Toads and Koopas were fighting as the castle was falling apart. Luigi was terrified as these small rooks that could once fit in his human hand felt like borders coming down. He looked around; his only goal was to help his brother.

He knew who was attacking but kept dodging the Koopas and Toads as they fought. Finally, he made his way to the outside world, escaping the castle's chaos and seeing the royal gardens for the first time in years. He soon saw the blond hair of the Princess and ran toward it; his plan backfired as he couldn't see anything.

It was just a maze to him at his current height. However, he kept running until he ran into something. That something was a person - no, more like a Koopa.

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Junior looked down to see what hit him. When he saw the little Nutcracker on the ground, he couldn't help but pick him up and look at him.

Junior was here helping his father kidnap the Princess again, but he had lost sight of her and the red human. He was about to return to the fortress when the Nutcracker hit him. He looked around to see if anyone had thrown it at him or if it could have fallen from somewhere. Still, nothing like that could have happened. So he took a closer look at the wooden doll.

To Junior, it looks like the red human that always saves the Princess but different. This one was tall, skinny, and green; his face looked sad and sacred. It had cut marks, dirt, and fading paint all over him as if he had just forgotten about it in the garden. The little Koopa felt terrible for the broken toy. He knew he should look for the Princess but wanted to help the toy first.

With a whistle, Junior summoned his Clown Car and hopped in. "Don't worry, little guy, I'll take care of you. You'll be brand new by the time I'm done!" He yelled as they both made their way to the fortress.

Once home, Junior ran to his room. Like every six-year-old, it was a mess - toys and drawing supplies on the floor, the bed was undone, and some uneaten food from that day was lying around. He places Luigi on some cardboard he uses to paint as he looks for paint that matches Luigi's old colors. He had a darker shade of green that he lightened with some white before painting Luigi's hat and shirt; the blue matched the overall nicely, and the brown was a little too dark, but it looked about the right shade in the light. Junior added red to his little dot on his cheeks before the white in coats since it didn't want to stay white, but he made it work, but now he had a problem with the eyes. The eyes were so bad that Junior couldn't tell what color they once were as if they were dull and had become broken over the years. Junior thought of the red human his father always fought; he moved over to his paint to make baby blue paint and painted Luigi's eyes, letting it dry before adding white eye shine. Proud of his work, Junior imagined the Nutcracker was someone he had just given a makeover and moved it over to the full-body mirror in his room.

"What did you think of my work, Mr. Wooden-Doll?" he said.

"I look brand new! Thank you, Junior!" Junior said in a fake voice as he moved Luigi to match the voice.

"See! I told you so, hehe!" he giggled. Junior looks at Luigi, happy to give his new toy a new life. Before he would keep playing, a knock could be heard. An old Koopa could be seen poking his head into the room; his pointy blue hat and round glass could be seen.

"Junior, your father wishes to see you." the old Koopa said.

"Yes, grandpa Kamek" he placed Luigi back on the cardboard, "I'll be back soon," he promised before he left the room.

Luigi blinks, looking over his new environment before looking at his hands. A fresh paint of white gloves was on him as his boot and overall was also new. Then, he wanders over to the mirror again, giving himself a prover look over - especially his face. Tears formed in his eyes, both from joy and the overwhelming feeling of pretending to be just a Nutcracker and the kindness he had missed all these years. He couldn't stop touching every little detail that Junior did for him, even painting the cut marks to hide them as best he could.

His pleasure soon turned to horror when he realized he was no longer in the Mushroom Kingdom but in Bower's Castle. He had too many emotions at once to tell which to feel right now, but he knew that Bowser's son thought of him as a new toy that he would play with for the next few days. Junior would just play with him, not hurt him if he didn't move. Luigi just needed a plan, so he moved back to the cardboard in case Junior came back and started to think.

Luigi soon thought of a plan: Get the layout of the castle, see if the Princess was here while he played with the prince, and escape without anyone seeing him.

Easier said than done.

Chapter Text

Like Luigi thought, Junior played with him for the next few days in his bedroom. It wasn't bad; it was actually lovely for him. No one was running away from him or trying to throw him away or in a fire, and Junior would talk to him about pranks or his father. Which was a surprise from what Junior was telling him. Luigi thought Junior would speak about his father as a badass monster that would one day rule the world - which he did. Still, Junior mostly talked about Bowser as if he was just a lonely single dad. Kidnapping Princess Peach and letting her spend time with Junior that way, he could feel like he had a mom. Junior made it sound like the more time he goes behind his father's back, the more the Princess would like it here and would marry Bowser. Which Luigi knew was never going to happen, not as long as Mario saved her.

Of course, not everything he said about Bowser was good, like how he was always busy or how they fought when Bowser told him not to visit Peach. With all the good things Junior said about Bowser, something bad followed. Today was slightly different, as Junior came running in, crying instead of annoyed. He jumped into his bed, crying into his pillow; Luigi felt terrible as he watched that he wanted to move and comfort the little Koopa. Luckily the little Koopa did that himself, grabbing Luigi and placing him on his lap.

"Mr. Wood-Doll, I wish you were alive," he shifted his tears back, "That way, you can help me and my dad." Junior looked heartbroken, and Luigi wanted to know what had happened. After all, Junior would talk to him if Bowser yelled at him or ignored him because he was busy, but this time it was different, and Luigi wanted to know.

"Aw, what happened, Junior? What did you and your dad fight about?" Junior said in his fake voice again he always used it for Luigi.

"Dad was mad at the Princess. She had told him something that really made him angry; I only came in towards the end. She said, 'The only good thing about this place is your son. How I pity the boy for having an awful father like you.'" he said, holding back tears, "Dad is known to fight that Red human Mario and hurt him but I've never seen him hurt the Princess before. He always broke an item or shot fire outside - shot, I've even seen him punch the wall. But he grabbed her and shook her so badly that I think he bruised her from how he grabbed her." he said, tumbling as he spoke. Luigi saw a side of the Koopa prince that he never knew, the side of being scared of his dad for the first time that broke even his own heart.

"I tried pushing him away from her but he told me that this was between them. I got mad and yelled at him to stop hurting Mama. That made them both stop, and the Princess told me that she would never be my Mama. Dad pushed her back in her room before locking it, and tried to make me happy by saying that she was just mad but I didn't believe him." he started to cry again, "Mr. Wooden-Doll, I just want to have a Mama sniff I just want my dad to be happy" he cried hugging Luigi as he got under the cover and cried himself to sleep.

Luigi's heart broke even more for Junior. He and Bowser were lonely people who felt the same way Luigi did; they were just going about it the wrong way. Luigi let out a sigh before he made a decision: he was going to move around Junior. The Koopa had magic, it wouldn't be odd if he came to life, and it would be nice to talk to someone - even if it was just a kid. So tonight, he would stay as Mr. Wooden-Doll; tomorrow, he would be Luigi the Nutcracker.

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Junior woke up late, not in the mood to wake up. He could smell the food they brought in while asleep, but he didn't want food either. So instead, he pulled the cover over his head, moving his tiny arm to find Mr. Wooden-Doll, but when he couldn't feel him, he got up from bed.

"Mr. Wooden-doll, where are you?" he asks as if the doll would answer him; he jumps to the floor and looks under his bed to see if it is down there.

"Why are you down there? I'm up here," said a voice that sounded like the red human but on a higher pitch. Junior got to his feet and looked on his nightstand; he saw his food and Mr. Wooden-Doll with a fork in its hand. "Morning, Junior," he said

"Oh wow, Mr. Wooden-Doll! You can talk!" Junior said with joy, happy his wish had come true.

"I can do more than talk," Luigi said, "I can move, jump, and help with your problems," he said with the same accent that the Red human uses. Junior jumped up and down joyfully, thinking this was the answer to all his problems.

"Mr. Wooden-Doll, I'm so happy! Let me take you to my dad, that way you can help him too!" he said, but before he could grab Luigi, he moved back.

"Hold on Junior. There are some rules and something you should know about first." Luigi explain

"Like what?" he questions

"Well, for starters, my name is Luigi. That way you don't have to keep calling me Mr. Wooden-Doll." he said, as Junior said, 'Ah.' "Second, I know that Koopa can use magic but if anyone else sees me then they may think I'm evil."

"But grandpa said that's why we use magic."

"But that doesn't mean that your grandpa was the one that brought me to life."

Junior was a bit confused by that. What does Luigi mean that magic wasn't used for evil? Or the fact that maybe it wasn't his grandpa that brought him to life? Does that mean that someone else can use magic?

"I don't really understand what you're trying to say, Mr. Wood- I mean Luigi, but we can skip that part for now. What else do I need to know?" he asked; he never really had a toy that came to life or one that had someone else magic, but he'll work with it.

"I have three simple rules; One, you can't tell anyone that I can talk or move. That way no one can take me away from you. Two, if you leave me anywhere - and I mean anywhere - let me come back to the room by myself. I don't want you to get in trouble if you left me somewhere you shouldn't have left me. And the last rule is," he said as he took his wooden hat off and pulled out a tiny purple gem to hand Junior, "Don't ever let the glow from this gem go out or I go back to being a normal Nutcracker."

Junior looked at this tiny gem he had to hold with his claws. It was old and looked like it was broken off of something else, but he mainly relied on the fact that the gem was weak. Its light was fading to the point that there was almost no more light; it fleshed very slowly as if it would stop any moment; this made Junior worried.

"How am I supposed to keep it glowing if it looks like it's about to go out?" he said with a sad voice.

"With magic," Luigi said, "it doesn't matter what kind, as long as it has magic. If you or your dad breathes fire on it once a day - even a little then it shows work," he explained. Of course, Junior can't really breathe fire, but he'll think of something. After all, He can lie a little to his dad and grandpa. He nodded to that before putting out his hand so Luigi could stand on it. When he did, Junior shared a smile with him.

"Ok Luigi, I promise to keep this between us. For now let's get a bit more magic before I show you the castle. Don't want you getting lost." he said as he ran out of his room to start the day.

Chapter Text

Junior was happy that Mr. Wooden-Doll was alive but still had many questions about how he came to be. He wanted answers but would hold out until he absolutely needed them; for now, he was glad to have a friend.

He made his way to the garden to look for some piranha plants. This garden was more of an indoor nursery with plants they had gathered from other kingdoms that didn't want to grow in the Darklands. The few that did succeed in growing in the Darkland and Boswer loved to grow were the piranha plants. Junior knew that since he couldn't breathe fire and couldn't ask his dad or grandpa to do magic for him, he thought that the best way to do it was with a Fire piranha plant.

"Here," he said, putting Luigi on one of the tables with many different plants. Junior started to look at the label his dad put on the pot to see what type of piranha it was; it was a shame that his dad didn't have a green one to make this easier.

"You have a garden in the fortress?" Luigi asks, looking at the Fire and Ice flowers next to him.

"Dad said that it's more of a nursery than a garden." Junior started, still looking, "But we do have a garden back home! It has a lot of plants, my favorite is the peach tree that dad planted to cheer up the Princess…she doesn't really like it…." Junior stopped, still thinking about what she had said to him. He felt like crying again.

"Hey, Junior…look at me," Luigi started softly, waiting for Junior to look at him. Once Junior turns around, he sees Luigi's arms out to make it look like he wants to be picked up or hug Junior. Junior returned to him, placing his chain on the table so Luigi could embrace his head. It was odd, but Junior needed that hug - he even cupped Luigi. That way, he could hug him back.

"The Princess is just scared. Her anger isn't at you, so don't let her words hurt you. I'm sure she would be less scared and angry if she felt at home." Luigi said as he rubbed Junior's head. This got Junior thinking; what can he do to make her less sacred?

"And how do I do that? I think she only wants to go back to the mushroom kingdom…" he said, trying to think of what she would like to make her happy.

"Have you tried tea?" Luigi ask

"No"

"Then there you go! She loves tea, it helps her relax! Since we're in a garden, what kind of flowers do you have that are pink and white?"

Junior looks around, moving to the window to the ordinary flower and not the power-up. He spotted a pot with pink lilies and carried them to Luigi's table. He ran back to grab some chamomile and did the same thing as Luigi cut some lilies off.

"Is that Chamomile?" he asked. Junior looks at the label.

"It is! Is that good?" Junior ask, a bit confused

"It's perfect, you can make it into a tea." Luigi explained. "Go to the kitchen and get me these things: a teapot with hot water, a jar of honey, a thin cup for the flowers and some cookies."

"Teapot, honey, cup, and cookies. Got it," Junior said, running to the kitchen to get the items. As Junior left, Luigi made a small bouquet of lilies and chamomile for Princess Peach. Once done with it, he got some more chamomile to make the tea.

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"Your nastiness, We'll be back in the Darkland in about a day," Kamek said as Bowser sat at his desk, trying to force on his work. However, he couldn't do that, not after what happened yesterday. The relationship between Him and Peach is an odd one to say at this time. Initially, he wanted to marry Peach; that way, he could have someone to help rule the Darkland, and Junior could have a mother. It still is the plan, more or less, to marry a royal and give Junior a mother, and Peach is still the best option. However, the routine of kidnapping her and Mario coming to destroy his castle has become more of a headache over the last year.

With all that said, the fight between him and her lingers. It was pointless and all over the fact that she didn't want to leave her room. Over the many years that this kidnapping has been going on, even before Junior was born, it has evolved to the point that both of them didn't see this as a kidnapping - it was an arrangement. Bowser kidnapped Peach at least six times a year; Peach stayed at his castle for at least two weeks, and they paid for the damage they both caused. However, that didn't mean she had to get mad at Junior too. Peach was always sweet to his son, even if she and Bowser got into a fight about how nasty of a time it was to kidnap her or how he couldn't keep her longer just because Bowser kidnapped her earlier than he thought. Bowser dropped the papers in his hand on the desk, leaning back in his chair, and let out a sigh that let out some smoke he didn't realize he was holding on to.

"Are you alright, my boy?" asked Kamek. Of course, Kamek only called him 'my boy' if he could see that Bowser needed more of a Father figure than an advisor, something he's been doing since Bowser was crown king.

"It's Peach and Junior, Kamek," he admits.

"You mean the fight that happened yesterday?"

"Yes, that. I get that I pushed her to the point of an outburst, but she had to bring up my parenting skill! And when Junior came, she didn't need to tell him that she would never be his mother. She could have just told him to leave like I had. I don't know, Kamek. This last year has just been going down faster and faster. Maybe…maybe it's time I kick the bucket on this whole - whatever you call this - kidnapping or arrangement. It's clear that I'm destined to stay alone forever." he said as Kamek listened. Bowser's ego had been broken lately, and being the punching bag for a plumber made it hard to fix it. He doesn't know what to do now, and his anger is the only thing keeping him hidden from the world that he has slowly been giving up.

"Bowser, I think the best thing to do now is see how Junior is doing. This arrangement is troubling you, and you should speak with her Highness to see about…ending it if that is what you choose to do so. But right now, Junior is going to need a sit down and face the fact that a few things are going to change. The big one being that Peach may not be in his life anymore." Kamek explains. Bowser nodded; that was what he should do - no, he was going to do it, and now. So he got up and made his way out of the office, heading to Junior's room.

Bowser's journey was short-lived as he made his way to the throne room, seeing Junior with a new toy and a tray of tea and flowers going down the hallway that led to Peach's room. Bowser could see Junior having difficulty with the tray, putting it down, and moving his toy onto it since it was falling out of his arms. Bowser came closer, seeing exactly what was on the tray and what the toy was since he didn't remember getting him this toy.

"Junior, what are you doing?" he asks as Junior turns around, grabbing the toy. It looks like a wooden Mario but green. This raises some red flags in his head. Did Peach give him that, or did he pick it back in the Mushroom Kingdom? "And what's that toy you have?"

"Well, Peach was upset yesterday, and I thought I would cheer her up with tea. She likes tea after all," Junior said before looking down at his toy, "Um…this is Luigi…I found him" Bowser raised his eyebrow at that explanation, but Junior spoke again before he could say anything else. "Since you're here, why don't you take the tea to Peach and apologize? That way, she could be happy!"

"I don't think that’s a good idea; she needs space. Also, I don't like that new toy of yours. It looks so much like Mario. Maybe you should give it to Peach once she calms down."

"No!" Junior yelled as he hugged the wooden doll named Luigi. "Luigi is my friend, and I promise him that I will take care of him!"

"Yeah! He painted me and kept me safe and sound in his room. I don't want to be lost in the garden again!" Junior said in Luigi's fake voice, moving it to Bowser's face to see the new paint coat that covers cut marks—Bowser sighed, both out of stress and relief. Glad to see that Junior wasn't upset about yesterday and that he didn't want to get rid of the green Mario.

"Oh, alright…what was his name again?"

"Luigi"

"Alright, Luigi, I'll let you stay with my son," he said, playing along till he could throw away the Nutcracker. "And you, my dear son, if I take the tray to Peach, would you put the toy back in your room?"
"Yup! I promise!" With that, Bowser picked up the tray with the tea, and they headed to Peach's room.

Bowser got nervous as they stood outside Peach's room. He thought this was a bad ideaas Junior knocked on her door. She didn't ask who it was but opened it immediately with an angry look. It only turns sad when she turns down to see Junior. There was an uncomfortable silence before Junior started talking.

"Peach, I want to say sorry," Junior started.

"Oh no, Junior-"

"Wait, I have more." he cut her off. Peach looked at Bowser with disgust as if he was making Junior say all this. "I want to say sorry since I know that you don't like staying here. I also want to say sorry for not leaving when Dad asked me to yesterday. So I- we brought you a gift, tea and cookies!" he said, moving behind Bowser so he could give her the tray. Junior looked up at him and nodded his head; that way, Bowser could say something.

"And I would like to apologize for my outrage yesterday. I should have respected your needs, and I'm sorry about that." Bowser handed her the tray. She took it and moved inside to place it on the dresser, grabbing a lily. Peach smiles as she looks at the lily; Bowser is surprised that she seems happy in his home. It made his heart skip, but it didn't last long when she returned to them.

"Thank you for the apology, Bowser; I, too, should say sorry. Especially to you, Junior," she said as she bent down to be level with him. "I was mad at your dad and shouldn't have told you those things. It wasn't right, and I promise that I'll never do that again. So, can you forgive me?" she said, offering him the lily in her hand. Instead, he ran and hugged her.

"I forgive you." Junior said, pulling back to smile at her that she returned. That was when she saw the wooden doll that touched her arm.

"Why that's a lovely Nutcracker you have; he looks like Mario," she said as she giggled, but for some reason, this made Junior mad.

"Why does everyone keep calling him that red human name? His name is Luigi!" he said, giving the doll a sad face.

"Luigi…that sounds like a similar name I've once heard…" she said, but she looked troubled by it. Bowser keeps a note of that before tapping Junior's shoulder.

"Well, I think that it's time for lunch. Let's go, Junior. I hope you enjoy your tea, Peach."

"Bye, mom!"

"Bye, Junior mom!" Luigi's fake voice came out so Peach could giggle. They both left, Junior, running to his room to put that toy away. Bowser has a skip in his step, happy to see that, for one, he made processes with Peach. Maybe something could come out of all of this.

Chapter Text

"And this is the garden, Luigi," Junior said as he put Luigi on the floor so he could walk. It's been two days since they got to the Darkland, and Luigi is already having a bad time. It's full of lava that he has almost set himself on fire, and there are a lot more Koppa here than on the flying fortress they were on. If the Koppa were like the Toads, he didn't want any of them seeing him in case they screamed and tried to kill him like a rat.

"It's much bigger than I thought. I'm just glad that there's no lava." Luigi said as he moved over to some rose brush next to them. He also half expected it to have only power-up and, of course, the peach tree Junior told him about.

"Yeah! It's the only piece of land that would actually grow plants so dad makes sure that there is nothing nearby that can burn them," Junior said, moving toward the peach tree. "This way Luigi! I want you to see the peach tree! The peaches are starting to grow!"

Luigi followed him, taking in every flower in the garden. Most were red, like roses, tulips, marigolds, and bleeding hearts. The following popular colors were yellow and green, rarely seeing any other color besides the pink and white that only pop in one area - near the peach tree. Once at the tree, Luigi noticed how big it was, not because of how small he was but because it was a fully grown tree. Luigi thought that it was a newly planted tree, but it was a peach tree about to grow peaches. It had all the flowers on it.

"Once those flowers start to go away, the peaches will start growing, and they taste amazing! Peach shows me a pie recipe I'll make with her!" Junior said, looking up at the tree with a smile. "I can't wait till you have some!"

Luigi averted his gaze, putting on a sad smile. He found it sweet that since Junior found him, he treated him as if he was a person and not some toy, but it broke his heart, opening old wounds.

"That's very kind of you, Junior, but…I can't eat it. I have no need for it." Luigi told him. When he first turned into a nutcracker, his biggest fear was how he would take care of himself. How would he eat and drink if he had a hole in his back? How will he sleep and know if he is sleeping? How would he know if he was in pain or was missing some part? He soon learned the answer to all of those questions when he was in a cage, locked up in a forgotten room for no one to hear him. No one to see him. No one to save him.

"Why not?" Junior asked; it was an innocent question, but it felt like a knife was stabbing Luigi.

"I'm… I'm just a toy. Toy don't need food to live. They also don't need water, or sleep…they don't need the things that you need to live." He explained, not wanting to explain this to a child.

"But you always pretend to fall asleep when I do, why can't you do that with food?"

"Because of my back," Luigi said, turning around, "it has a hole in it. It's there so my mouth can move, and when I put something in my mouth…it just falls out. It makes me feel empty, like a ghost."

"Oh," Junior said, sadness showing on his face, "Well…what if I wish you real?!" His face turned into a smile at his grand idea. "If I wish you could be alive, then what stops me from wishing that you're a real person?!"

Luigi frowned; this isn't a wish; it's a curse. A curse that he can't tell anyone about; he learned the hard way when he told Professor E. Gadd. Luigi still remembers the horror of what happened to him, the professor's eyes turning white as he covers his ears. He kept yelling to make the noise disappear, crying as his body slowly turned to stone. Luigi tried to save him, he wanted to make it stop, but when Luigi touched him, he, too, started to turn. Finally, his wooden body turned so hard that he couldn't move, he lost his voice, and his sight began to turn black. And the noises, oh, how the noise hunted him since it was just that laugh. That god-awful laugh before he saw those glowing purple eyes turn pitch black. Luigi nodded no, hoping that he hadn't started crying.

"No, Junior. That's not how wishes work." He told him, thinking quickly to make a cover story, "Everyone gets one wish. Once a wish is used, you can't make another wish."

"What about you then? If everyone gets a wish, doesn't that mean you get one too?"

"A wish doesn't get one since its only purpose is to make the person who wishes it happy. You wish I was alive that way; you can have a friend to talk to and who can help you with your dad and his love life. I don't need a wish if I only wish to make you happy." Luigi tells him, but Junior's face tells him that he is heartbroken by this. Luigi felt terrible, but he wouldn't make the same mistake again, and he wouldn't let that monster find him again either. He just wasn't.

"If I had known, I would have made my wish to be that you made my dad happy as much as you make me happy," Junior said, holding his tears back. Luigi hugged him, Junior getting on his knees to return it.

"It's ok, if anything, if that is what makes you happy, I'll do everything in my power to do so." Luigi jokes, just trying to get Junior to smile, but this gives Junior an idea.

"Wait, I just had an idea! When we gave Peach her tea, both she and Dad were really happy. What if we help them get together? Make it so they could be friends - maybe even more! You can tell me what to do and what Peach likes, and I'll tell Dad what to do so he can use it! That way, you don't have to speak with Dad, and I'm not breaking any of the rules since he'll think that Peach told me." Junior tells him the plan. Luigi wasn't sure about this; Mario was with Peach. They have been together for years, even though people still think they're just friends with feelings for each other. Then again, he wasn't against the fact that Peach and Bowser should be friends, especially if it meant that she could come and visit Junior after Luigi was forgotten about or worse. Mario doesn't know that he has a brother, and Peach doesn't seem to remember Luigi, so it can't hurt either of them. It can't even hurt Bowser since he didn't recognize him, either. This was just a son trying to help his father get his happy ever after. Luigi wouldn't stop Junior from being hopeful, even if it would stop at just being friends.

"I'll help but if they can't be more than friends we have to stop ok?"

"Ok, we'll stop if they can't be more than friends."

"Do you promise?"

"I promise, Luigi. Oh, I can't wait to see those smiles on my dad's face!"

"Yeah, me too Junior. Me too"

---------------------------------------

Peach was making her way to the garden. It was the only nice place she liked to go to in the Darkland. At this point in her life, it was like a second home, a second home that she would much prefer if she could make changes. Along the way, she bumped into Bowser, who had a teapot and cup in one hand and cookies in the other. Ever since he and Junior came to her room in the fortress, Bowser has brought her tea daily. This has always brightened her mood; just having tea and cookies makes her feel even more at home. However, something is bothering her, and a couple of things are actually.

That day after tea, she felt as if she had forgotten something. She remembers Bowser and Junior being there but can't remember if someone else was there. It was nagging at her, and the more it did, the more it hurt her feelings. Finally, she shook it off once again, bringing her force on the giant Koppa in front of her.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Bowser," she apologized.

"It's fine," he said, stepping back, "I guess you're going to the garden?"

"Indeed, care to join me?" she asked. She knows that being here, she would have to hang out with Bowser occasionally, and since the two weeks are almost up, why not speak to him for a while.

"Are you sure? I know that you're only asking to be nice."

"I'm positive. Besides I don't want to leave on a sour note, let's get some air," she said, walking ahead as Bowser followed. They walk in silence as Koppa keeps a curious eye on them. Peach could feel the look from everyone, even the side glances that Boswer was giving her before he spoke up.

"Junior in the garden, he was playing with a new toy. I was going to ask you about it, since it was…well I personally don't like it." he said; this made Peach raise a bow.

"What is it that you don't like about it?" Bowser was silent to her question as if he was getting embarrassed by this.

"It looks like Mario. It's this wooden doll that's painted green but it's a tall Mario!" he said, annoyed at this toy, "I was wondering if you gave it to him."

"Me? I haven't given him anything." Bowser looked troubled by her answer, which made her worry a bit. Not many times has Peach seen Bowser worried. "Is it just that it looks like Mario that's troubling you?"

"No," he admitted, "you may find this odd but…I have this feeling that I've seen it before. Mind you this is the first time I've seen it but it reminds me of another feeling I've been having, one of forgetfulness."

"Have you been feeling it since you gave me the tea the first time three days ago?" Peach asked; Bowser's eyes went wide when she said that.

"Yes, that's exactly when it started! The morning after that, I felt I'd forgotten something but knew I had everything in check. And after seeing that toy, the feeling just got stronger." They both shared a look of worry. This started to scare Peach as this didn't seem like something the Koppa would do, particularly if Bowser was also feeling the effect of it. She needs to know more, but Bowser stops her in her tracks. She saw they were already in the garden, watching Junior play with what Bowser said - a wooden doll, or what she called a Nutcracker.

Looking at it, she now understood what Bowser was saying. The feeling of forgetfulness was getting more robust, and it was unsettling. She never saw the toy before, yet there it was, making her body shake in fear. The more and more she stared at it, the more and more it became blurring, making her head hurt as a headache started. She had to close her eyes since the pain was worsening, and she was slowly bending over.

Bowser saw this and dropped everything in his hands, breaking the kitchen wear and making a mess. This made Junior turn his head; he placed Luigi down and ran over to her and his father to see what was wrong. Peach managed to open her eyes to see Bowser's hands holding her, Junior running out of the garden, and a ghost. She stared at this ghost, her face turning white as it started at her. It was tall, and his silhouette looked just like Mario's but thin. It was staring at her, and those purple-glowing eyes made her scream. Bowser picked her up, taking her away as Junior followed. The pain and horror made her drift into unconsciousness. Bowser carried her bridal style down the hall, yelling at the Koppa to get a doctor fast.

Luigi got up from his motionless body, feeling horrible that he had done that to Peach again. It wasn't the first time, the second, or even the third, but he was glad that Bowser took care of her. He remembers the first time this happened. Luigi managed to get into her room after returning home. Mario didn't see him even though he yelled and pulled on his clothes. She was at her dresser when he dropped down on it and called out her name. When she looked at his wooden body, it looked like she couldn't see him, but then she looked up and screamed. He waited till the next day to see if she had told anyone, and she did, telling Mario that she saw a ghost of him, tall and thin, staring at her with purple-glowing eyes. Luigi was horrified when he heard that. He had to look in a mirror to ensure that wasn't true.

His baby blue eyes stared back at him as tears fell, knowing that no matter who he talked to, they would never be about to help him.

Chapter Text

Junior wanted to know what happened yesterday. He was worried sick when he saw Peach faint as his dad took her back to her room. He wanted to know, but no one was telling him anything. Neither his dad nor Peach hasn't told him anything once she worked. Junior was increasingly upset by this, and Luigi picked up on it.

"Hey, little guy, something troubling you?" Luigi asked, looking up at Junior as he sat on his bed. Junior sighed as he looked down at Luigi, wondering why no one would tell him.

"I was worried about Peach…and no one will tell me what happened." He said. He watches as Luigi's face grows worried before it turns guilty. Luigi turned away before he spoke, making Junior confused.

"I…may know what happened to her…." Junior jumped off his bed, grabbing Luigi and making him yelp.

"What happened?!" He yelled, shaking Luigi.

“Please-stop-shaking-me!” Luigi yelled. Junior did as told, waiting for Luigi to stop spinning in his hand.

"Thank you, but please don't do that again." He said before continuing, "Remember how I explained how everyone only gets one wish?"

"Yeah"

"Well there are more rules to those wishes."

"What kind of rules? What are the rules with you?!" Junior asked, shaking him again. Luigi was whipping, starting to cry. Junior stopped, feeling bad that he began to shake him again. "I'm sorry…" he said, putting Luigi down. Fearful, Luigi ran behind the dresser in case Junior tried grabbing him again.

"I-it's fine. I understand w-why you're mad…b-b-but! I can explain it a bit more." Luigi said, shaking as he tried to calm down. "With a wish ...depending on what kind. It can give others an…effect."

"What kind of effect?"

"Well, for starters, one of the effects is that no one remembers me" Junior stopped to think about that. If no one remembers Luigi, then what about him?

"That makes no sense. I remember you, is it because I wish you were alive?"

"Sort of… it's because of the gem I gave you," Luigi said, "When you wish me alive I need…a heart! And the gem is just that, it keeps me alive and it makes it so that only you know I'm here and it gives people…negative effects."

"Like how no one can remember you."

"Yes, right on the nail," Luigi said with a smile. Junior sat on the floor thinking, did seeing Luigi yesterday cause Peach to faint? After all, it was just Luigi and him in the garden, but this brought up another question, what about his dad? What negative effect does seeing Luigi have on him? Not to mention the gem that Junior now holds. What will happen if he loses it? What would happen if he gave it to his dad and Peach? So many questions were going through his head that he didn't know which one to ask first.

"Ouchy, my head hurts from all this info and all these new questions I have!" Junior said as he rubbed his head.

"We don't have to talk about it!" Then, as he emerged from behind the dresser, Luigi said, "Why don't we do something else? Like, um…a dance?"

"Hmmm, it would be a nice break for my head. But dancing? Really?" Junior asked. He was a bit self-conscious due to the shape of his body. He loves to move and shake his tail to the beat, but when people start staring, he becomes self-conscious.

"We don't have to!" Luigi corrected him, "It was just my first idea that I thought of…what do you want to do?"

Junior thought of some ideas. Checking on Peach, pulling pranks on people around the castle, staying in his room and painting, planning how to help his dad with Peach, and even taking his Clown Car and flying out to the nearby village to show Luigi more of the Darkland. But his ideas kept going back to dancing, then to the thought that he and Luigi were just doing what he wanted. Junior has been carrying him around to show him his home in the last week and a half. Luigi followed along with his ideas of setting his dad up with Peach or the little pranks they had already done. This was the first time Luigi suggested something.

"Tell me about yourself." Junior said Luigi was caught off guard by this. He pulled a worried face before looking up at Junior.

"There's not too much to know but I'll try to give as much info as I can…" Luigi trails off, waiting to see what Junior asks.

"You suggest we dance. Do you like dancing?" Junior ask

"Very much so," Luigi said, his face a little less stressed. "I know a few dance styles."

"What kind do you know?"

"I know, tap dance," Luigi said as he tapped his feet on the ground. "A folk dance we call the tarantella, waltz, and swing. All which need more than one person. And my newest favorite, Ballet."

"Ballet? You mean the one where they wear tight and on their tippy toes?"

"Yes, that's the same one," Luigi said, as he couldn't help and get on his own tiptoes. Junior watches as Luigi kicks his leg slightly, always going out slowly before he pulls them back up to his knees. His arms are out in a circle by his hips, and his feet go up and down as they cross one another. Junior got to his own feet when Luigi started to spin, kicking his leg out, seeming that he'll never stop spinning. Finding this fascinating and exciting, Junior wanted to copy Luigi. He stood up as straight as he could, put his arms in a circle, and tried to do what Luigi had done with his feet. So far, Junior was only going up and down on his toes, unable to cross them.

"How did you do that? The whole crossing your feet?" Junior ask

"Watch this," Luigi said, putting his heels back to back. Junior did the same, finding it odd to do it like that.

"First, you go up with your toes," Luigi explained, as he did as he said by going up, "and when you come down, bend the knees and put your right heel in front of your left heel."

"Like this?" Junior asked as he went up on his toes, almost falling over but catching himself, as he bent his knees and placed his right heel in front of his left.

"That's it!" Luigi said, both of them sharing a smile. Junior copies Luigi again when he goes up and places his left heel in front of his right. Both could be heard giggling and laughing as Luigi showed Junior some easier ballet moves. Finally, Junior fell to the ground as he tried to spin, letting out a giggle as he stayed sitting.

"Who knew that this girly dance was so fun!" Junior said, catching his breath.

"It's not girly if everyone dances," Luigi corrects him, "it's only girly if you let it be."

"Can you keep dancing for me? I want to see you perform!" Junior asked him, which made Luigi bow.

"Of course, this dance is called…'Sugar Plum Fairy,'" Luigi told him as Junior clapped his hands. It was slow and elegant as Luigi danced at first, only picking up slightly as the dance ended. Junior claps as he asks for an echo, making Luigi dance again. He even throws in some other dances, all of which Junior watches.

It was the first time in years that Luigi felt like a Human. There's been a lot of down, but today was by far his favorite day, to the point that if he were to die that night or no one ever remembers - at least there will be one who remembers. Junior would remember that Luigi was smiling till the end.

Chapter Text

Bowser sat at his piano, his finger on autopilot as he kept playing the same song over and over again. Mario once again had come and defeated him, as is the norm at this point, and to add insult to injury, Junior had watched the whole thing. Just seeing Junior's face turn from him rooting for Bowser to utter heartbreak that Peach was leaving once again made Bowser feel so weak. His fingers stop as Junior's face pops up again, and him letting out a sigh. Kamek pops out of thin air on his broom as if Bowser sighing was his cue to come to see him.

"Your nastiness! Your nastiness!" Kamek yelled; Bowser turned around to the sudden exhilaration in his voice as he continued, "Princess Peach has sent you a letter!"

"She did?!" he yelled, knocking over the piano stool as he stood up. "Head it over!" Peach was rescued just a few days ago, and this was the first time that she was sending a letter first. So this was by far the most heart-pounding experience he has ever had. As he read, his heartbeat slowed down. His face of disappointment came on as he read that she was sending the cost of the damage, followed by asking that he not kidnap her for the next four months since she wouldn't be in the Mushroom Kingdom. He couldn't help but rip the letter in half in a fit of rage before throwing it on the floor.

"My boy-"

"DON'T CALL ME THAT!" Bowser roared at him, making Kamek bow.

"I'm sorry, your nastiness. I-"

"STOP!" He roared again, "Don't call me that either! Just- Just get out!" he yelled, turning away from Kamek. Kamek had a frown on his face, seeing his King and child in so much distress. Kamek simply patted Bowser's shoulder, letting him know that if he changed his mind and wanted to talk, he just had to call him, and in a puff of smoke, Kamek was gone.

Bowser stood still until he looked around the room, wanting to let his anger out. He walked past the instruments to the door since he wasn't going to smash any of those, but the door was far game. He pulled back and punched right through the door as if it was nothing. Then he grabbed hold of it, yanking on it with a force that the hinges started to pull out of the wall. When the hinges came off, Bowser moved backward; the door swung as it hit a gong, making it fall over. Once balanced, Bowser grabs it by its side, lifting it over his head. Then, with a slight running start, he threw it against the hallway wall, smashing it even more as it broke on impact. He let out smoke from his mouth as he watched the door pieces burn from the lava river that ran before storming down the hall.

His anger is still on the rampage.

--------------------------------

"Careful, careful, careful! Careful, Junior, care-!" Luigi yelled as a bag of nut flour fell on top of him. Junior is standing on a wobbling stool, holding onto some ingredients.

"Ah! Are you ok, Luigi?!" Junior yelled, almost falling as he balanced himself.

"Mhm!" Luigi sounded as he waved his free arm. He even tried pushing it off, but it didn't work. Junior jumped off the stool onto the counter, knocking it over as he dropped more ingredients. He placed whatever he had in his arm on the ground and moved over to take the flour off of Luigi. He shook his head, taking a deep breath.

"Mamma mia, thank you Junior." Luigi said, taking deep breaths.

"Sorry about that, I'll be more careful," Junior said, putting the flour down before helping Luigi up.

"It's fine. I was more scared of you falling."

Junior and Luigi had watched the fight between Bowser and Mario several days ago. Peach waved goodbye to Junior as Mario took her away. Junior was upset but was more upset that his father was sad, so he wanted to cheer him up. So Luigi suggested they make Bowser some sugar plum candy to cheer him up, which is why they were in the kitchen. It didn't take much to make them, so Luigi thought it was a quick pick-me-up; he never thought that it would cause him so much worry.

"Ok, so what did we need again Luigi?"

"We need dried fruit, some nuts, nut flour, spices, honey, and sugar," Luigi said, moving over to what Junior had gotten. It was a mixture of different things, but they only needed some of it. So he first moved to the nuts to see what they should use.

"Is your dad more of an almond or walnut kind of fellow?"

"Walnut," Junior said, moving over to the spices, "He also loves Cinnamon. We have to add that."

Luigi let out a giggle. He never imagined that the King of Koopa, A Beast Luigi feared for his intimidating figure, had a sweet tooth. In fact, being in the castle has made him learn a lot about Bowser and his people. Like on his sleepless nights, Bowser would go on walks in the garden. Sometimes he was sitting down and writing something; Luigi heard it once, it was a poem for Peach, and it was indeed one that a hopeless romantic wrote. Or the times that Bowser would be with Junior and Kamek, like an actual family. The last time they were together, they were in the music room. Bowser showed Junior how to play the piano, while Kamek used his magic to get the other instruments to play themself. Peach was even listening from outside when she was here, a smile on her face, slowly dancing as she heard the beautiful music that followed along with laughter.

"Don't forget to grab some Cardamom and Rosemary; that will help," Luigi told him as Junior got the other spices to add.

"I got them! What else-"

"Who are you talking to Junior?"

They both froze, Luigi, dropping the walnuts and making himself look lifeless. Junior turns around to see Kamek on his broom.

"I was just talking to my toy," Junior said, trying to cover Luigi.

"But I heard someone in here with you," Kamek said, trying to see Luigi, but Junior kept blocking him. "Junior, why do you keep covering your toy?"

"I just don't want you taking it away. Besides grandpa, you're getting old, maybe you just heard something." Kamek was getting annoyed at Junior's behavior, so he made Junior float in the air, "Hey!"

Kamek looked at his toy and found it odd. It wasn't because it was a wooden doll or because it looked like Mario, but because of the purple light surrounding it. To a non-magic user, it would be naked to the eye, but to Kamek, there was magic on this doll. He picked it up, only to drop Luigi on the floor, as it had sung his hand. This also affected Luigi, making him gasp as he lay on the floor. This was a first for him, and he didn't like it as his air was being stuck out of him. Luigi looks up at Kamek in horror before wandering over to Junior, who only yells to run.

Luigi did so, as Kamek put Junior down to use his magic on Luigi. It was hard to breathe as he dodged the lighting shooting at him, listening to Junior scream for Kamek to stop. Luigi made his way to the door as a Koopa opened it, letting him out of the kitchen as lightning hit the poor guy. Luigi wanted to stop running and catch his breath, but he couldn't as he heard the old Koopa yelling for him to return. He didn't understand what happened when Kamek grabbed him, the sudden loss of air, his body getting poked by a thousand needles, the ringing in his ears, and the white light. Where did the white light come from? Was that him passing on to the afterlife? No, he didn't want to believe that; that was just another side effect; it had to be. So he ran, avoiding the lava rivers trying not to pass out from the lack of air he still felt. The lack of air soon became the least of his problems.

The wind was knocked out of him again as he hit something soft but firm. Luigi was gasping as he tried to catch his breath, not noticing that the thing he hit was Bowser's leg.

On the other hand, Bowser had noticed, looking down at what hit him with anger in his eyes. His head started to hurt as he stared at the doll, making him close his eyes; he shook his head, forced his eyes to open, and stared at it again. It was becoming blurring, but soon it started to focus, as the tiny green dot soon turned into a red human wheezing.

"Mario," Bowser snarled, which made Luigi look at him in horror. Bowser stomps closer to him as he tries to crawl away, yelping as he hits some lava, burning his arm. "HOW DARE YOU COME BACK HERE AGAIN!"

“N-n-n-no!” Luigi said, struggling to say just that, "I- I'm not Mario- I-"

"LAIR!" Bowser roared as he slammed his hand on Luigi, pinning him to the floor. Luigi was now trapped between Bowser's fingers and the lava river above him, feeling the dreadful heat from it and Bowser's mouth. Luigi's eyes started to water, desperately trying to move Bowser's finger, but it was useless.

"Don't give me those crocodile tears!" Bowser growls as he pushes down on Luigi. This got a painful scream out of him, and the sobbing soon followed. Luigi now wished that he had just been struck by lightning, as the pressure was hurting him even more.

"Please, Bowser! I'm begging you!" Luigi cries, "Just listen! Mario-"

Bowser curled his finger, lifting Luigi in the air as he hung over the lava, getting even angrier that Luigi wasn't admitting that he was Mario.

"Are you calling me stupid?! I know how you look, Mario! With your stupid overall with the red hat, and mustache! You can't trick me!" Bowser yells in his face as smoke spills out, "Admit it already! Or else."

"Please…" Luigi whispers, begging. HOPING. That Bowser would listen and look past the effect of the curse. "It's Greenie," He said as he looked Bowser straight in his hateful red eyes, watching his clouded eyes with the same hit of the purple lining that Luigi saw with everyone who got hit with the full effect of the curse.

"Please…remember me…" but Luigi's heart broke again.

"Lair," Bowser said once more, grabbing Luigi's left arm. Luigi tried to pull away, terrified, as he felt the pain of his shoulder being ripped from its socket. His hand went numb as his vision became blurry from the tears; Luigi wanted it to stop, for everything to stop. Before he knew it, a pop could be heard as he got a glimpse of his arm in Bowser's hand.

Next, Darkness.

Chapter Text

"Toss him over here!"

"No, no! Over here! I need him."

"You're all a bunch of brats! Hand him over right now! I wasn't done with him!"

"You want him so bad? Then fetch!" Yelled a ghost with turquoise skin in a red vest as he threw a Wooden-Doll to his identical twin.

"I got him! I got him! I-" yelled the twin in a purple vest, failing to catch the Wooden-Doll as it hit the wall hard. "I don't got him."

Luigi held his head as he lay on the floor. Being the new punching bag for many ghosts, you'd help imprisonment in painting was not fun, especially when some held a grudge. Luigi tried to get up but stumbled as he couldn't. He looked down at his feet to see if something was pushing him down or had trapped him. But, instead, he saw that his right leg was gone, out of sight. It had detached.

"AHHHHHHH!" Luigi screamed in agony as he turned on his back. "Oh stars, OH STARS! My leg! W-what happened to my leg?!" Luigi started to hyperventilate as tears built up. It was already a nightmare that he couldn't eat or sleep, as food still made his stomach growl, and the nights still made him tired. However, now his leg was gone. There was no feeling in his hip, but the sense of a leg was still there; a ghostly pain as if he just broke it soon started to creep in. It was insufferable.

"Look what you two did!" Scolded a grandma ghost, "Leave before you break the funny man again!"

"You're no fun, Nana!" Said the red vest ghost.

"Yeah!" Add the purple vest ghost before they both left.

"Oh no. King Boo isn't going to like that we broke his property…" said a slim ghost with a pool stick.

"Oh please, Slim. King Boo only cares if he is brought back to him. I've seen the funny man beaten just as much as he is now." Nana replied, picking up Luigi's leg as he had a panic attack on the floor. Luigi was rocking back and forth as he tried to calm down. But the shaky breath, the constant shaking, and the deafening silence made his heartbeat worse. He wasn't going to be calming down any time soon.

"Key word there is beaten. Not broken," Slim said before leaving the two unattended, not wanting to watch what would happen next. Nana rolled her eyes; she lined his leg with his hip before she tapped his shoulder.

"Luigi, my funny man. I need you to focus on me." Nana said, placing her hand behind his hip. Luigi only paid attention briefly, but it wasn't on her - on his leg. He started to pull back, trying to run away, but with her hand by his hip, he couldn't escape. "This is just like a dislocated shoulder. It will be over soon."

"NO!" Luigi yelled as he shot himself up. His breathing was heavy as he took a second to pat himself down. That was a bad idea as his left arm sent a wave of pain. He held it as he thought about that memory, making him shake. He felt that he was back in Evershade Valley.

"I see that you're awake" This spooked him turning to Kamek, watching him brew something in a cauldron. That's when he noticed where he was. It was a tower with different magic items on shelves and some hanging off the ceiling. It also had colorful window-stained glass that let the light in, making the room bright and not spooky. Luigi would think that the right-hand man of the Koopa King would have a mysterious tower, not a colorful one. Kamek soon puffs his broomstick away and moves to Luigi; Luigi notices him and tries to move back but feels the stone wall behind him. "Easy, Luigi. I'm only here to help."

"Please… don't touch me." Luigi pleaded, trying to make himself smaller.

"Don't worry, I don't plan to. I have yet to figure out whose magic is enchanted on you. My grandbaby has told me about this 'wish' you told him about. But that is not true, is it?" Kamek explains. Luigi turned away; Kamek was an odd case. Luigi believes he's never met him, so the curse didn't work on him as it did on the others, at least not until the monster got a hold of him. At the same time, he wouldn't be surprised if his memory was failing him. Even then, Luigi still couldn't speak about the curse.

"I'm sorry Kamek, but whatever you want me to tell you…I just can't." Luigi said.

"You don't have anything to worry about. I'm a magic-user," Kamek said as he giggled, "I can see a curse from a mile away, and from what Junior has told me about this so-called wish; I say that you found a handy loophole."

Luigi looks away, feeling ashamed.

"When you talk to people about…the wish. You learn what you can say and what not to. I feel terrible for all the times I failed them…"

"And I'm guessing that with everyone, correct? The one who knows and the one who don't know you." Kamek asks as Luigi nods to his assumption. "That's a shame."

"That's not even the worst part…." Luigi mumbled, slowly relaxing around the old Koopa. This was a terrifying and pleasant time he was having. Someone who understood what was going on was a relief after so many years, but it was stressful as he feared that he'd mess up.

"By the way, Mr. Kamek…Thank you." Luigi said as he nodded to his left arm. Before he had a blackout, he had seen it in Bowser's hand, ripping it off his shoulder. This was maybe the fourth - fifth time it happened, Luigi always blocking out the memories. Of course, there is a chance that it may have occurred more times, but he'll never know.

"I only did what I was told to do. Junior was balling his eyes out for me to fix you. Begging me to save you." Kamek said, placing some of the brews next to Luigi for him to have. Luigi just looks away from it.

"W-what about Bowser?"

"Bowser…" Kamek said, trying to word it, "He has forgotten, for the most part. Saying that the last thing he remembered was breaking Mario's arm before he knocked him out. When I mentioned you, Juniors' toy, he said that he hadn't seen you or that he even knew that he had you. Care to explain how that works?"

Luigi felt guilty as he heard the news, but now he had to fight out how to explain the curse. Explaining it to Junior, he didn't need to say much for him to accept it as fact. But, to Kamek, it may be more complex.

"That may be hard. But, um, the best way I can explain it is by saying that it's a rule. The rule is that the longer I've been…around someone or how often they've seen me, the worse the effect is. The first time, they just see a nutcracker. The second time is when it starts going downhill…" Luigi said, trying his best to explain it. It didn't look like Kamek was lost, but he couldn't tell with those giant round glasses of his.

"And how many times has Bowser seen you?" Kamek asked.

"Three," Luigi said, "That seems like the lucky number from what I learned." Kamek hummed in deep thought as he started to pace.

"And he saw Mario when that happened…why is that?"

"I don't know. Everyone sees something completely different," Luigi admitted, "I believe the rule is set to…oh what is the best way to say it without setting it off…" he thought for a second before it hit him. "It's like a book summary. You based your opinion on the summary…do you understand what I'm saying?"

"You mean how people perceive you?"

"Yes! So far I've learned that Mario thinks of me as a shadow. He can't see or hear me, even if I touch him. Peach sees me as a ghost. Perhaps because I'm always in the room but never noticed, I used to scare her if she didn't look out for me. Daisy on the other hand sees me as a shy guy. I try talking to her but no words come out, and Daisy is headstrong so I've been kicked out a lot of time. Now Bowser and -"

"And he sees you as Mario since you look like him."

"Yeah…" Luigi said, getting up so he could do something other than sit. Holding his arm as its hurt. "And after they see me…you can guess what happens. Sad part is, it's on loop, happening again and again. The effects get worse after every one. Peach just has to meet me once and if she stared long enough. She gets scared and faint. It was like that too when she first saw me, and that was because of…close connection that grew over the years."

"That is bad," Kamek said, summoning his broom after he poured some of his potions into a bottle. "Junior also mentioned a gem. Saying that the gem is why he remembers you and how you're alive." He said, levitating Luigi with his wand so he could take him to Junior. Luigi got scared but realized this was the only way Kamek could hold him.

"The rules said that if no one has met me, they always remember till…." Luigi couldn't say more than that. Luigi has tried saying 'the person who did this' or 'They who should not be named' as cover before, but they have never worked. He certainly didn't want to try with Kamek.

"Who? The one that did this?" Luigi didn't say anything or nod at Kamek's question, fearing it might trigger the effect. "Why don't we give it a name."

"A name? You don't understand, I can't give more information than that. T-that would be bad!"

"Not if someone else said the name first it isn't. I see that your loophole is still limited but that doesn't mean that I can't add anything." Kamek explains. Luigi was confused but thought about this- he had a point. If Luigi can say yes when someone guesses something right, then what's stopping him from letting them from giving him a word to describe the person who did this?

"We can try…what do you have?"

"I once heard a story about a Nutcracker. The villain was a Rat King. Why don't we use that? Give it a try; I want to hear what this Rat King did." Luigi raised a brow, a story about a nutcracker and a ring of rats? He shook it off but would try.

"Ok, the wish rules say that a person who never met me can remember me until…the Rat King comes and places the effect of the wish on them." Luigi closes his eyes, trying to roll into a ball. He waited for the magic to stop and Kamek to turn to stone, but after a minute, nothing happened. "Wait…What? W-w-wow. I-I can't believe that work!"

"Of course, it works!" Kamek laughed, "Like I said, I know a curse when I see it. And I know a few tricks for them." Kamek soon places Luigi down. Luigi recognized the hallway they were in; it was the one that had Junior's room. He didn't realize how quickly they got here, or it could also be that wherever they were, it was close to his room. Luigi thought he had a good layout, but he may not.

"Wait… you're just going to let me go? Don't you want me to tell you more? What about the gem? I still need to tell you about it. Also you're not scared of letting me near Junior or how bad it can get if Bowser sees me?" Luigi asked, his mind wondering why he wasn't demanding answers.

"Oh, don't worry, Luigi. I have a feeling that this isn't going to be the last time we talk about the wish," He said, "as for Junior and Bowser. I've seen the happy face Junior has now that he plays with you, and if I know anything about my grandbaby- I know that he would do anything in his power to see my boy happy. Even if it means getting some help from somewhere small." Kamek flew close to the ground.

"I may not be able to help with this curse, after all, even we magic-users have limits. However, I can help by hiding you - your mine and Junior secret." And with that, he turned into smoke. Leaving Luigi to run back to Junior's room.

---------------------------

Junior lay on the floor surrounded by paper, art supplies, and drawing he had done. After he and Kamek found Luigi, his heart dropped. They found him broken in Bowser's hand over the lava river. Junior ran over to them, even tripping and falling as he lay beside his dad's motionless body, afraid since he was hurt too. Junior had grabbed Luigi first. That way, he didn’t fall into the lava before shaking his dad to wake him up to no avail. He cried for them to wake up before Kamek took them away.

He just had to make some get-well cards and try to forget about it after that. Especially Luigi. Luigi had been out of it for a week, which scared Junior. What will happen to Luigi now that he's broken? Will he still be alive or just be a normal Nutcracker? If so, Junior didn't want to lose his little friend. Luigi was part of his family now; he didn't want to lose him too.

He didn't want to focus on that either. He wanted to ensure everything was comfortable when Luigi was back in his arms. Just how his dad was relaxing in bed right now. Junior had taken everything off his nightstand and replaced it with a wooden box. The big box could fit two watermelons, with one side being opened like a doll house. Junior even had one of the Koopa guards add some windows and a second floor so Luigi could have a top floor. He painted it a blueish green on the outside while painting the inside with browns and bright lime green. Next, Kamek made the tiny furniture that Junior used to decorate it. The top looked like a bedroom for a king, while the bottom was more open with a reading chair and a painted fireplace. Now Junior was drawing pictures so Luigi could see a different season outside his bedroom window.

As he worked, he heard a tapping on his door. When he walked over, he slowly opened the door, seeing Luigi look up at him as he held his left arm.

"Luigi!" Junior yelled, tears building up as he picked up Luigi into a tight hug.

"Ow, ow, ow, ow! Junior! My arm!" Luigi yelled as Junior dropped him, making him hit the floor with his butt.

"Sorry! I-I'm just so happy to see you!" Junior cried, letting the waterworks run. Then, Junior picked him up again, gently this time. "I was hiccup s-so scared…."

"Oh, Junior…" Luigi said, returning his hug with his one-arm hug, "Don't be. No matter how many times I fall apart… I'll always return to you…." Luigi's voice cracks as he says those last few words, not believing in them.

"P-p-p-p-please don't ever sniff fall a-a-apart again!" Junior hiccuped, crying even more than he already was. Luigi couldn't help and cry with him, digging his face into Junior's neck.

"O-ok, Junior. I promise to never fall apart again." Luigi reassured him. He felt guilty for doing this to Junior; for so long, he has forgotten that his actions affect others too. I won't cause you any more pain, Junior. Luigi thought, making that promise to himself.

"O-ok…" Junior said as he sniffed his tears back. He pulled Luigi back, putting on a sad smile. "I made something for you. I-I hope that it cheers you up," He said as he took Luigi back into his room.

When Luigi saw the wooden box house, he wanted to cry for another reason.

"Oh Junior. What did I ever do to get such an amazing thing." Luigi said, not wanting to cry from the overwhelming happiness he felt.

"You became part of my family," he simply said as he put Luigi on the nightstand. While Luigi looks at the new home and tries not to let the waterworks out again, Junior grabs a small piece of cloth. "Turn around for a second."

Luigi did as told, letting Junior touch his broken arm. Then, surprisingly, he was gentle as he looped the cloth under Luigi's arm and looped it back behind his head - making a sling for Luigi's arm.

"Wow, Junior. I didn't know that you knew how to do that."

"Oh yeah!" Junior said proudly, "I always ask Kamek and the doctors to let me help fix up my dad after one of his fights or rampage. So I picked up a few tricks!" He soon picked up Luigi and placed him on the second floor in the king-size bed.

"That's very kind of you, Junior." Luigi complimented him, admiring the soft bed that they had made him. It was like he was human again as his body melted into the mattress, feeling his tired bones aching for rest. Even his eyes felt heavy as he felt like sleeping for the first time in five years.

"I try to be the best son there can be!" He cheers, moving over to what looks like a gramophone record player. Then, turning the handle, soft music started to play. The sound of a string orchestra makes the feeling of sleep much more realistic. "And now, the best caretaker for my best friend Luigi! By putting on a Ballet show!"

Luigi giggled as he lay on his side to watch Junior Ballet. Junior straightened his back as his arms were in a circle, his feet flat on the ground. Once the music picked up a little, Junior got on his tippy toes or the best he could. He crossed his feet like Luigi taught him before doing small jumps. He looked like he was skipping as he held his arm out, one pointing to the sky while the other rested next to his hip. As the music slowed, so did he, kicking his tiny leg out before pulling them back as he tried to reach his knees. Luigi smiled as he watched, it wasn't graceful, but Junior was having fun, and Luigi loved that. Junior then stood on his tippy toes and did a spin; it looked like he wanted to go for one that seemed to never stop. He managed to do two whole spins before he stopped and did another two before he fell. He giggled as he got up again, striking a pose. His right arm is by his head, and his left is across his belly. And his right leg is crossed behind his left leg.

"Whoa! That was an amazing dance, Junior! I…yawn, I can't wait to see more…" Luigi spoke softly, surprised that he yawned. He also felt it harder and harder to keep his eyes open, which was odd, but it became apparent when he heard Junior's voice.

"Sorry, Luigi, I broke the rules. I wanted you to feel at peace. So I told Kamek that you were alive and asked him to make a bed that would put you to sleep." Junior admits as he moves over to the nightstand. "I hope you're not mad, but now you can sleep! Hopefully, he can help with your eating problem; till then, good night…." Junior leans over and places a kiss on Luigi's head like how his dad did for him. Luigi felt the small smile that formed on his face; now, he could have a day to sleep in as he fell asleep.

Chapter Text

"Apologize!"

"I'm only looking out for you, Daisy!"

"By insulting my fiance and trying to ruin my wedding planning!? You can be such a jackass sometimes, Mario!"

"Language!"

"Guys, please, let's just talk about this…"

"NO!" They both yell simultaneously.

"Peach, if Mario doesn't apologize in a week, I'm uninviting him. Hell, I'll even get a new maid of honor if that makes you put your boy toy in place!"

"Go right ahead! I'll pack right now! I'm not going to watch you marry a criminal!"

"Wario isn't a criminal!"

"He is too!"

Peach let out a sigh. That thickheaded fight between those two still plays in her head, even after a good three weeks since then. Of course, it didn't help when she and Mario returned to the Mushroom Kingdom.

"I can't believe you! All you had to do was say sorry!"

"I'm not going to apologize! Both he and his brother have a track history of all the awful things they'd done. Did you forget when they stole my identity to make some gold coins and tried to ruin my name!"

"No, I didn't but-"

"But nothing! They haven't changed!"

"You don't know that! When was the last time you even ran into them?!"

"Does it matter?!"

"YES! People change, Mario! Some exclusively to better themself for someone they love. I should know; we both change for each other."

After that, Peach ran from their rough patch. Usually, when this happens, she runs to Daisy. But Daisy was mad at her because of him, so she decided to head to the Darklands. She never thought she would be running to Bowser after she and Mario got into a fight; it was kind of funny. She had taken the long way, using her motorcycle to travel rather than using the pipeline to get to the Darklands. Not that she minded; a nice walk or ride to clear her head was always good for her. Finally getting to the Darkland, she made her way to the castle. No one stopped her as she approached the front doors.

Kamek heard the banging at the front door. It was odd for someone to do that since most Koopa would just let themself in. But, not just the Koopa but the Goombas, Bob-ombs, Bullet Bills, Shy Guys, and even the Koopalings all came running in without knocking. So when he opened the door, the last person he least expected to see was Princess Peach.

"P-princess?! W-w-what are you doing here?!" he asked, stuttering as this had thrown him off.

"Is Bowser here?" She asks,

"Wait. You're looking for Bowser?" he asks as he raises a brow.

"Yes. Is he here?"

"Oh, my stars…." Kamek muttered as he opened the door to let her in. Then, as she followed, he slowly flew into the castle. Peach found being in Bowser's castle odd when she wasn't kidnapped, others stared too, and she didn't blame them. He led her to the throne room, where she could hear laughter. When he opened the door, she was met with the sight of Bowser playing with Junior at a game of wrestling. They didn't see Kamek or Peach as Bowser fell backward on his back, holding Junior as he fell on top of him. Junior got on his legs and stood on top of him, striking a pose in his victory.

"I win this time, Dad!" Junior said as he jumped on Bowser's stomach.

"Oh…you sure did," he said as he felt the kick Junior just gave him, "How about we go again? Best out of 5?"

"That may have to wait, your nastiness," Kamek said, making them both turn. Bowser looked shocked, while Junior's face lit up when he saw Peach.

"Mama!" he yelled as he ran toward her. Giving her legs a hug.

"P-Peach, what are you doing here?" Bowser asks, getting off the floor. "I thought that you were busy."

"I had a change of plans…um, do you think we can speak alone?" She asked as she hugged Junior.

"S-sure! Um, Kamek, can you take Junior back to his room for a bit?"

"What! No! I want to hang out with Peach!" Junior yelled as he held on harder.

"Don't worry, Junior," Peach said, rubbing his head, "I'm going to be here for a while."

"Really?" The three men said simultaneously. Bowser and Kamek shared a side glance of disbelief, while Junior soon grew a grin of mischief.

"Ok then! Kamek, let's get Mama's room ready!" Junior yelled as he ran to the door before speaking softly when Kamek was next to him. "We can also work on 'Beauty and the Beast,'" he giggled, looking up to see Luigi sitting in the archways like he always does before they both left.

"Sorry about that. He just loves ya." Bowser said once the door was closed.

"None taken. After all, I love Junior just as much."

They were both silent as this was an uncomfortable territory. They weren't even looking at each other as they stood beside one another. They could cut the air with how awkward this was.

"Ahem," Bowser started, covering the silence with a cough, "What do you wish to talk about?"

"Ah," Peach said, facing him, "Well, um, you see. I ran away."

"You did what?"

"It's a long story."

"Well, it better be if you're here on your own free will," Bowser said, having to sit. His mind ran a hundred miles as he processed this; Peach ran away from home, and she came to the one person everyone would assume kidnapped her again. Peach sat down next to him as he was still processing this info.

"You see, Daisy is getting married, and me being her best friend, I'm going to be her maid of honor. Or should I say, I was her maid of honor." She explained, letting out a sigh.

"Two questions. Who is she going to marry? And why aren't you her maid of honor anymore?"

"I don't know if you know them, but they're the Wario brothers," Peach said, making Bowser roll his eyes. "I'm guessing that's a yes."

"You betcha; I don't like them. Just as much as I don't like Mario." Bowser said, crossing his arms, "Why is Daisy marrying one of them?"

"Because she loves him? My goodness, you're just like Mario!" she said, getting up and starting to pace, "I get it! They don't have a good track history, but have you met Daisy? She's a tomboy that loves to start fights, has almost zero manners, isn't afraid to tell you off, and has a thing for bad boys and tall badass women. Of course, she's going to marry her boyfriend of almost four years, who has changed for the better of her, treats her the way she wanted to be treated, and is still a troublemaker who acts like a pig! They were made for each other! As for why I'm not her maid of honor is because of Mario!' She ranted, still working on her story.

Luigi watched as he heard her ranting and Bowser trying to figure out what to say. He nodded to everything, quietly agreeing till he saw Bowser opening his mouth.

"Well, it sounds like you don't think the guy is good for her. Maybe you should tell her, after all, she is your best friend" Luigi smacks his head as he hears Bowser's problem-solving statement.

"THAT'S NOT THE PROBLEM!" she yelled at him; Bowser was caught off guard at her raising her voice like that. Luigi shook his head as he watched this conversation go on, Bowser keeping his mouth shut for the rest of the ranting.

"The problem is that Mario went too far! He and Wario have a history just like he does with you, and once you're on his bad side, he has a hard time believing that people can change for the better! Not trusting them when they show him otherwise! I swear, how’s the sweetest and most caring man I have ever met could be such an idiot!" Peach said, facing away from Bowser, but Bowser was speechless as he didn't know what to do. Luigi needed to help him, so he quickly made his way down to the floor, careful not to hit his broken arm. Then, he hid behind the throne; that way, it sounded like Bowser was talking.

"Because he's the jealous type. He's always afraid that he'll lose the ones he loves, so he tries to see the bad in people to protect the ones he loves. He's doing the same thing he does with us, protecting Daisy because he doesn't know the full story, only letting him see what we want him to see. It's not a good thing, but it works for him and sometime it's hard to admit that he is in the wrong," Luigi said, hiding as Bowser turned his head to his voice. When Bowser turns back to Peach, he sees her looking straight at him in shock.

"Did you just say that?"

"Um…yes?" Bowser said, with a smile that wasn't convincing, but it didn't matter as Peach was still shocked to notice.

"Huh," was all she said, "you're right."

"I am?"

"Yeah," she said, looking into his eyes, "and you know what, I needed to hear that. He's so headstrong that sometimes I forget that he has no way to say his true feelings till push comes to shove." She went quiet for a bit, surprised at Bowser's words. "But, um, I ran away. That way, I could have some space for myself. So can I stay here for a bit?" she asked awkwardly.

"O-of course!" Bowser said as he got up, "If you want, I can take you to your room; that way, you can keep ranting." he offered as he put his hand out for her to grab. Luigi took a peak, watching them. Peach stared at his hand as if this would change everything between them, hesitant to take it. But, instead, she took it and stood beside him, arms locked, smiling at him.

"I would love that," she said to Bowser, who gave his own sweet smile. Luigi felt a smile on his face, but his chest was in pain. He soon leans back against the chair and hears Peach talk more about her fight with Mario and Daisy until he is alone in the room.

My chest hurt; maybe I should stop putting myself in these situations. So Luigi thought as he took a deep breath, but the pain didn't come from his chest but from the heart.

Oh, how he had wished sooner that he had known that this. This wasn't the pain from a panic attack but from an aching heart that had slowly fallen in love.

Chapter Text

Luigi looks down at the garden from Kamek's window, watching Bowser, Peach, and Junior having a picnic by the peach tree. Junior was showing Peach his ballet move that he's been working on; Peach dancing next to him with her own ballet move, Bowser looking at peace as his smile rested on his face. Luigi couldn't help but stare at him, watching him dazed by Peach dancing as the laughter could be heard from Kamek's window. This was by far the happiest Luigi has seen him, and Bowser always seems happy when he takes care of Junior.

The aching pain was coming back. It's been returning for a while, mainly when Peach was involved with Bowser and Junior. Luigi had concluded that this feeling was from pity and not for Peach but for Bowser. After all, he knows the sadness and heartbreak which don't match.

"You're staring~" Kamek teased Luigi as he worked with some gems he had gathered. Luigi rolled his eyes as he faced him. Now that Kamek has been Luigi's primary interaction source while Peach is here, Luigi has told him everything he sees the new 'friends' have been doing. He also told Kamek about the aching pain to see if he could help. However, this backfired, as Kamek has only pointed out silly things. One of those silly things is that Luigi has a little crush.

"I'm watching all of them, Kamek. Just because I'm staring doesn't mean that I'm staring at Bowser." Luigi said, knowing what Kamek had meant by that.

"Who said anything about staring at Bowser?" Kamek said as he pulled a cocky grin. Luigi made an angry face; at this point, the old Koopa was testing him.

"Anyway, how's the spell coming along? Do you think it will work?" Luigi asks, changing the subject.

"I think so." Kamek said as he dipped a gem into his cauldron, "But only one way to find out."

Luigi jumps off the windowsill, adjusting the sling to be more comfortable. He wanders over, letting Kamek levitate him onto the table. Luigi watches as the purple liquor turns blue as Kamek dips in another gem, turning it red as a blue glow surrounds it before fading away. Luigi still finds it hard to believe that Kamek has found a way to give the same effect as the Dark Moon gem without Luigi going through hell.

The Dark Moon was a gem that made ghost friendly; it's also the whole reason Luigi was in this mess. Professor E. Gadd wanted to study the Dark Moon, but then King Boo escaped, breaking the Moon into pieces. Luigi regrets ever getting those pieces and using the Moon on King Boo. He regretted even more when he had to break a bit off himself when escaping.

The effect of the gem now in Luigi's hand has made it so that the full impact of the cures isn't active, but they need to test it to see if it is accurate or if Luigi was putting too much hope into this.

"By the way, Luigi, how's your arm?

"Better. It's still broken, but at least it's healing faster. I think I could get rid of the sling sometime next week." Luigi said as Kamek put the gem on the table, giving him a closer look. It had a pulsing light, like the Dark Moon, giving it a light glow.

"Good, I was worried since I couldn't do more than reattaching it."

"I'm used to it, someone once told me; it's like a dislocated shoulder. It will be over soon." Kamek hears the fear in Luigi's voice as he grabs his arm at those last words. It made Kamek frown as he dipped in another gem, this gem coming out blue. He placed it on the table, seeing Luigi staring out into space with a bitter smile. Kamek wasn't going to push on what he meant; all he did was pat his head.

"What a nonsensical way of thinking. Whoever said that has no clue about medicine," Kamek jokes, getting a laugh out of Luigi. Luigi gave a bittersweet smile to Kamek before seeing him dip a few more gems, all turning different colors; green, orange, yellow, pink, and so on.

"Why so many if we don't know if it works?" Luigi asks, watching as the gem on the table piles up.

"I can easily eliminate the magic on them, so I don't mind making many. As for why, I like to be ready. After all, you have a lot of friends."

"I-" Luigi started but was cut off as the door slammed open; Bowser stood in the doorway. Luigi gulped as he tried to back up; he was still a bit jumpy around Bowser after what happened, even though this would be the first time Bowser saw him again after the whole arm thing. Of course, it didn't help when he walked in and stared right at him; Luigi tripped over one of the gems.

"What is that…thing, and why does it look like Mario?!" Bowser said, angry as he turned to Kamek.

"It's a new toy."

"For Junior?!"

"No. For you."

"WHAT?!" Both Luigi and Bowser yell, looking at Kamek before looking at each other. Luigi was scared right now, while Bowser was starting to feel a headache coming on.

Kamek was told what to look out for when the curse was used. So he grabs the red gem he made, quickly turning it into a necklace while they are both distracted; he slips it on Bowser while Luigi closes his eyes. Then, Kamek got in between them. That way, the effect of the gem could work.

"I made him just for you, your nastiness. With Peach here, I thought that you could use a little help. He can get around easily, knows just the right thing to say, and looks like one of Junior's toys. No one would notice a thing!" Kamek explained, "by the way, how is your head feeling right now?

"I'm starting to get a headache because of this plan of yours! I don't want to spy on Peach! What if she finds out about - that!" Bowser said, moving Kamek to the side so he could look at Luigi. Bowser's eye gets a lining of blue every time his eye lands on the scared toy. "We're finally on the same page! She's not annoyed or upset - she's here on her own free will! I don't want to ruin that."

"I know, I know, but give the little guy a chance," Kamek said before whispering in Bowser's ear, which made him turn his upset face into a pitiful one. "Well, what do you say? He's just a sad toy, rotting away in this tower. He knows no better."

Bowser let out a sigh before putting his finger in front of Luigi. Luigi looked at his finger before looking at Kamek, who had a goofy-looking smile with both his thumbs up. Then, he slowly got up, wondering what he had told Bowser. Honestly, he was afraid to touch Bowser; what if the curse was more potent than Kamek's magic? Or what if the effect of the gem doesn't work, and Bowser forgets the next day? Luigi gulped one last time, using his right hand to shake Bowser's finger.

"H-H-hello, BoW- I mean, your nastiness…." Luigi corrected his greeting as Kamek waved his hand to stop him from calling him Bowser. Luigi puts on a stressed grin as Bowser looks at him annoyedly. Oh, how this brings back awkward memoirs between the two.

"You may need to keep working on him Kamek" Bowser said, taking his finger away, "what's your name, Greenie?"

Luigi wanted to tear up at that name. That once stupid and insulting name that soon became one that shows their friendship hit him hard. It was like the fear and worries he had just melted away as a warm feeling of hope and joy replaced them.

"I-" he has to stop himself for a second, "I don't have one. B-but I would like a name, c-can I have that one?" Luigi said as he lied, just wanting to keep hearing that nickname.

"Sure. Makes it easier for me." Bowser said, forgetting why he was there in the first place as he returned to the garden. Luigi was still staring at the door even after he left; Kamek had a smug face as he was at eye level with him.

"If I wasn't so dumbfounded right now, I would be yelling at you."

"I think the word you're looking for is 'Thank you.' And you're very much welcome~" Kamek vocalized as he returned to his work.

"I'm serious! What were you thinking?! His new toy? And what did you whisper in his ear that made him go along with this crazy plan of yours!?"

"Why does it matter? After all, I'm helping both of you in your woebegone love lives."

"Woebegone love life?!"

"Yes, woebegone. Want me to say it in another word? Gloomy, down in the dump, downcast, miserable, pitiful, shameful. Basically PATHETIC love life you both have!"

"And I keep telling you that I'm. Not. In. LOVE. With him! The aching pain is out of pity, I should know! I've felt different kinds of sadness over the years now!" Luigi yelled at him. They both stare at each other, not wanting to back down. Luigi became uncomfortable as he broke eye contact. Finally, he turned away from Kamek as he took deep breaths. "I'm just happy that one of my friends isn't going to suffer because of this curse anymore. And Kamek, if you haven't forgotten, we're supposed to be helping Junior and his plan."

"My grandbaby can play matchmaker all he wants, but we both know that nothing will come out of this," Kamek said, levitating him that way they were face to face. Luigi just had a sad face as he kept looking down at the floor, knowing that Kamek was right. "My boy has been through enough heartbreak from someone who doesn't love him."

Kamek places Luigi on the windowsill before he leaves the tower. He was letting Luigi watch Bowser go back into the garden. Junior ran up to him, jumping into his arms as they hugged, Peach having a warm smile. Bowser and Peach talked about something that made their smile grow, Junior's smile growing as he saw them getting along. The aching pain came back, and Luigi became upset that this was too painful to watch. Bowser will get his heart broken again if this keeps going, and it makes Luigi's heart ache for him. But he also had a familiar feeling as he watched; The feeling of loneliness.

It was like he was watching his friends and family live life without him all over again, just like it was in the Mushroom Kingdom. Mario and Peach are laughing at something while Daisy watches their love bloom. The sound of happiness was hunting him again.

Soon, Peach was holding Junior in her arms as Bowser placed his hand on her back leading them out as the laughter slowly died out. From the tower, Junior looked like he had the perfect family. Playing matchmaker worked so well that Luigi didn't want to break the ideal moment he had just witnessed. He didn't want to break the dream that Junior was living in, but can he really call this a dream? Loneliness and forgottenness remind Luigi that this is a nightmare, and the aching pain reinforces it.

"My boy has been through enough heartbreak from someone who doesn't love him."

Luigi shook his head, trying not to let Kamek's words get to him. He couldn't even believe he was letting his words get to him. But, unfortunately, everyone can see that Bowser is setting himself up for that same heartbreak, and Luigi can see that Kamek is trying to play matchmaker too. The type of matchmaker that makes Luigi the primary target for Bowser's love - a replacement for Peach.

Luigi shut his eyes, trying to hold back the anger and sadness that wanted to take control. Ignoring the voices that scream for him to run and leave and the sound of begging that wanted him to stay and try to find a way to break free. When he opened his eyes, nothing changed but the tear that ran down his face as he knew that he would just stay and watch. Like he has done all this time.

Chapter Text

"I'm sorry, Peach. I was angry and just said whatever came to mind. I shouldn't have said any of those things and had listened," Mario said out loud as rehearsal those words as he made his way to Daisy Castle. He knows that just saying those words won't work on Peach, but it was the best he's got right now. After all, he didn't like how Peach left once again to Daisy after they got into a fight. It's like their fighting scared her, and Mario didn't want to let the problem linger longer than it already had. It's been almost a month since that fight, and he thinks it's time they sat down and talked.

When he got to the castle, it was nicely lit, and the night was calm; you could even hear the waves. Mario felt the cold wind hit him as he took a deep breath and knocked on the door. He waits for a bit till someone opens the door, that person being Wario.

"Oh," they both said, annoyed to see each other.

"Mario"

"Wario"

It was just an angry staring contest between the two. They were not backing down; it was like they were trying to get the other person to look away as they slowly got closer without realizing it. It went on for a good minute, their forehead touching, before they heard a voice.

"I don't think it's a good idea to cheat on your significant other with her best friend's boy toy. Especially when you're getting married, but hey! Give the rainbow a try, it may be your last chance." Waluigi said as he took a bite out of his apple. Wario and Mario pull away from each other, now staring at Waluigi in anger.

"Like hell I'll ever do that with this wannabe!"

"I'm the wannabe?! That's funny coming from the sad man who had to steal my identity!"

"Well you're not as famous as you think you are, Mr. I-still-can't-get-the-princess-to-date-me! At least I'm marrying one!"

"You know nothing about mine and Peach's relationship! So back off pig!"

"Make me, you damn pipsqueak!" They held each other's shirts, about to punch each other when Waluigi stepped in. Forcing them apart.

"Hey! That's enough!" he yells as he pushes Mario away, "Mario what do you want? If you're not here to apologize to Big Bro W, then get out of here. We have a wedding to plan."

"I'm not here to do any of that! I'm just here to see Peach, we need to talk," Mario told them. Wario and Waluigi shared a look of confusion; this also made Mario confused.

"What are you talking about? Peach not here," said Waluigi

"Yeah," added Wario. They were silent, as Mario was dumbfounded by this. "Maybe Bowser took her again."

"What no! That's not possible! When he had her it had already been a few days since I reduced her! Bowser wasn't in the mushroom kingdom when she left!"

"Well she's not here! Daisy is still mad at her and you!"

"Then where the hell is she?! And don't say 'Bowser!'"

"Well who else could have taken her?" asked Wario, "you have a lot, and I mean a lot of enemies."

"Yeah…and only one who would take her. But Browser isn't one to attack again right away, he waits a few weeks."

"So what? She just left?!" Wario and Waluigi shared another look before looking at Mario. Mario may dislike the brothers, but he knows they aren't lying. Mario's face was in horror as he sat on the cold ground. The peaceful night had turned into one of the worst nights he had ever had. His beloved was missing, and he couldn't save her. Wario went back inside to fetch Daisy as Waluigi stayed behind to watch a defeated Mario. The night was only going to get worse as Little Boo watched this. The news of Peach missing was never heard of before, and the Boo wouldn't fail his King.

------------------------------------------------

"Slow down, Mr. Luggs! You're dropping all the food!" yells a beautiful ghost as she stares into a hand mirror.

"Don't think that matters; Spooky is cleaning up after him," said another ghost with his nose in a book, pointing out the ghost dog trying to eat everything.

"Exactly! Besides, most of it has already gone through me!" Joke, Mr. Luggs, as he grabs some chicken from the table.

"Shivers!" yelled the female ghost

"Yes, Ms. Lydia?" Shiver said, bowing to his master wife.

"Take Mr. Luggs out of here. I don't want to see him, and throw the dog outside! He's a guard dog! Not a lapdog!"

"Right away," Shivers said as he forced the two out of the room. The Boos that floated around the room giggles as they watch the scene. The Little Boo that was at Daisy's castle came into the room, and he, too, started to giggle.

The ghost with his nose in a book looks up to see who entered, remembering the Little Boo he had sent.

"Ah I see that your back." he said as he waved Boo over.

"I am, hehe! The fat man is being stupid again I see, Mr. Neville! Hehehe!" the Little Boo giggle

"Boo, please, stop calling Mr. Lugg a fat man. We all know he is one, no need to refer to him like that." Neville scolds him, "Now then, what do you have of Luigi's whereabouts?"

"Nothing"

"Nothing? I sent you out to see if he was with that Tomboy of a princess."

"And I did visit Daisy castle." The Little Boo said, "and I found out something better than him."

"King Boo wants him, nothing else. What could it possibly be?"

"Princess Peach of The Mushroom Kingdom is missing. And she wasn't kidnapped by King Bowser of the Darkland~."

"Wait," cham in Lydia, "she's missing? Isn't Luigi's brother, Mario supposed to be near her 24/7?"

"Yup! Hehe! But he has no clue where she is! That's the funny part! Hehe," the Little Boo giggled, "Now! Were his majesty!" The couple looked at each other before getting up from their seats. It may not be the news they hoped for, but it was news never the last. After all, Peach was a dear friend to Luigi; maybe he had something to do with it.

In the Treacherous Mansion, hide a large room. There was no window or doors as it had pillars in a circle surrounding a cage that hung from the ceiling. The primary light source was on those pillars, as the purple flame barely lit the room. It was probably for the best, as paintings and statues with faces of terror were placed in between each pillar. The rusty sound of the chains swinging back and forth was the only sound in the room, as the glow from a giant purple gem on a crown lit the space even more. The door from the cage still hangs open as King Boo pushes it, making it spin, the noise getting louder.

"My king," sounded Neville outside the room, waiting to be let in.

"Yes?" King Boo purred, wondering why they were bothering him. One by one, they came in, the Little Boo floating between the couple. King Boo turns around to face them. "I hope this has something to do with my exquisite Nutcracker…."

"Not exactly…" Neville said

"But it is news." Lydia jumps in, "News that may help find that useless nuisance."

King Boo's eyes narrowed at her comments; it even made his tongue be pulled into his mouth. He didn't like it when others called his property names - especially the one that he actually liked.

"I'm sorry, but…." He said before floating up to her, seeing her eyes get fearful as she realized she had missed up, "Did you just call my most prized possession useless."

"I-I'm deeply sorry, your majority," Lydia said as she bowed her head, "I didn't mean to insult your beautiful trophy…."

"Good," King Boo hissed, "You don't want to end up in this room as a painting now, do you?" He said, floating over to one of the smaller statues. There you can clearly see that it was an old man with glasses and a bit of hair sticking out from the top of his head, covering his ears. And behind the old man were a few paintings behind him, too; so far, 3 were hung up. "I'm sure the Professor would love to have you by his side again. Ahahahahah!"

"Hehehehe! That's our mischievous King for you!" said the Little Boo. So King Boo floated back over to them before stopping in front of Little Boo.

"Tell me little one, what news do you have for me?"

"Princess Peach of The Mushroom Kingdom is missing. And she wasn't kidnapped by King Bowser of the Darklands! The Nutcracker brother has no clue on where she is! Hehehe!" He giggled. King Boo started to laugh at this. Peach is missing? And Mario is none the wiser? He couldn't help but wonder if Bowser had anything to do with this. Either way, this was the perfect chance to implement his plan.

"At least one of my Boos is useful. Neville! Get that mutt of your, it's time the three of us visit an old friend…Ready or not, Bowser. The ghosts are coming to play~ Ahahahahah!"

Chapter Text

"Here you go, Peach," Kamek said as he gave her a necklace with a blue gem, "it's a gift from Junior."

"Oh, it's lovely," Peach said as she looked at the gold necklace that made the light blue gem pop. It even looked like it was glowing as she put it on.

"Indeed, Junior told me to give it to you as a gift from Bowser." Kamek explains, which made her hold the gem. "But we both know you would never accept a gift from him." And that comment made her uncomfortable.

It had become clear Kamek had some bitter feelings towards Peach, but he still treated her with kindness. She never noticed these feelings, maybe because she hardly spoke to him or they were never around each other for so long. He was always cheerful when talking to her, but she noticed he tried to avoid her as much as possible. Like the other day, when Junior invited him to join them in the garden for a picnic, he told them he was busy with a new spell and couldn't join. Puffing away before they could ask him to stay. Even when Bowser was calling him, and he didn't show up, he had to go all the way up to his tower; Bowser still didn't bring him down when he came back. Peach shifted her weight as she wondered what she did that made him dislike her.

"Is something the matter?" Kamek asked. Peach watched his face, but she only saw his round glass, not telling how he felt.

"Um, Kamek, can I ask you a question? It's one that may hurt someone's feelings but I want to know the truth."

Kamek raised a brow but nodded to let her ask.

"Do you hate me?" Peach asked, which made him open his mouth as that caught him off guard. Even though he was in shock, returning from the straightforward question didn't take long.

"Hate is a strong word. Disfavor would fit better." He admitted, Peach looking down to the ground as she kept listening to why that was.

"I know you hardly know anything about Bowser besides the things you've learned from all the times you've been kidnapped or the three weeks- almost a month you've been here is all you know but." Kamek stopped, letting out a tired sigh, "Bowser is like my son. I watched and raised him as if he was my own. It hurts to watch him get heartbroken over and over again by the same person… He's my King first and foremost but I'll always look out for him as if he was my son first and foremost. Till then, I'll do my best to make you feel like family. I don't wish to cause bad blood between us."

"That's going to be hard knowing the truth…." Peach said, looking at the old Koopa

"You wish for the truth, and you got it." He replied as he started to fly past her before stopping next to her. "When you see Bowser, thank him for the necklace. Not for my sake or his, but for Junior." And he kept flying till she was left alone in the hall. Peach looked down at the necklace before putting it on so Junior could be happy. She decides to talk to Bowser about this just to reassess herself. She didn't want to feel this anxious feeling any more than she already was.

---------------------------

Junior carries Luigi over to Bowser's offices as he tells Luigi all the fun things that have happened between him and Peach.

"And she's been teaching me how to make cupcakes! With homemade buttercream! It tastes so good!" Junior told his story.

"That sure sounds like her. You should ask her how to make her signature homemade pear pudding cake; that's actually good." Luigi giggled as he sat in Junior's hand.

"Pear pudding cake? I've never had any, I'll ask her when I see her today!" Junior said before slowly stopping, "Um, Luigi, why did it sound like you met her before?"
Luigi's eyes widened as he realized his mistake; he closed his eyes and waved his head.

"Well, both you and your dad talk about her so much, it makes me feel like I've known her my whole life," Luigi said with an award smile.

"Then what about the whole pear pudding? I didn't know she knew how to make that. Did dad say something about it?"

"Y-yes, he did. He has a sweet tooth, after all… it's only natural that he knows all the desserts she can make…." Junior stared at him as if he didn't believe Luigi, but before he could say something, thumping noise could be heard coming their way.

"Ah! Dad's coming! What should I do?!" Junior said as he looked around to hide Luigi.

"Remember what I told you! Your dad thinks your grandpa made me, and you don't know I can talk. Just tell your dad you found me in his tower, okay?" Junior nodded as Bowser got closer. Junior took a breath and walked around the corner. Bowser was thankful alone when he spotted Junior and Luigi, and he grew unhappy when he saw them together.

"Junior, what's that in your hand and why do you have it?"

"Um, it's…a new toy I found in grandpa's tower! Yeah, and I name him Luigi!" he said as he shoved Luigi toward Bowser.

"Junior, hand the toy over. Kamek is going to be mad that you took it," Bowser told him as he put his hand out.

"Oh, come on, Dad! It's just a wooden doll! Can't I play with him a little longer?:

"Junior, toy. Now." Junior pouted as he handed Luigi over to Bowser. He crossed his arm once Luigi was in Bowser's hand.

"This is so unfair!"

"You have plenty of toys in your room. How about playing with them? In the meantime, I'm taking this back." Bowser said as he turned away, going back from where he came from. Junior watches as Luigi is taken away, hoping he'll be okay and his acting skills are good enough. Bowser didn't take Luigi far, just somewhere where it was private before he turned his hand into a fist.

"What do you think you're doing near my son?!" Bowser growls at Luigi as he closes his eyes.

"N-nothing, your nastiness! He doesn't know anything, I-I swear." Luigi said

"He better not, Greenie! I want you as far away from him as possible, and you better listen. I'm not afraid of breaking a talking doll." Bowser threatened. I know, Luigi thought as he looked away from Bowser, not wanting to know precisely how he planned to do that. Why did he go along with this crazy plan?

"I'll try. I have a feeling that he's going to ask Kamek if he can play with me…" which isn't true since Luigi sleeps in Junior's room. That didn't amuse Bowser as he huffed a puff of smoke in Luigi's face, making him cough, "I mean, he'll never play with me again."

"Good," Bowser said, releasing his fist so Luigi could sit on his palm. This had started getting Luigi exhausted as he breathed a breath of relief. One minute he was just Junior's toy that he wished was alive; now, he's that and Bowser's problem-solving talking doll that helps him get Peach to fall in love with him. He had to be careful with the two of them to avoid messing up with what they believed he was; a toy and a problem. He started to think people not remembering him wasn't bad. After that thought, Luigi soon gave himself a mental slap since he knew being forgotten was worse than playing pretend.

"Look, your nastiness, we got off on the wrong foot. How about we start over and be friends?"

"Start over? Why would I want to be friendly with a doll with fake memories? Especially when those fake memories come from Mario." Bowser explained as he put Luigi down. Luigi was shocked by this. Was that what Kamek told him? That he was a copy of Mario, that doesn't hate Bowser?

"W-what do you mean by that?" Luigi asked; he had to know more now.

"Why does it matter? Kamek enchanted you to forget when I spoke about this; you'll forget about this all by tomorrow. I'm only doing this since I felt pity for a wooden doll with no real personality being cursed with those bastard memories." Bowser said, staring at Luigi; his red eyes were searching for his reaction.

Luigi couldn't believe this, so that's why he went along with this plan? Because he thought that he was a pathetic version of Mario. Luigi started to tear up in frustration as that thought came to mind, and it wasn't just that. It was also the fact that Kamek told him that he would forget, the fact that now Luigi had to pretend that he was his brother, the fact that he had to pretend that he was nothing but a stupid nutcracker, and the fact that Bowser did this out of PITY. That last one was the kicker to Luigi's anger since that was the one thing he didn't want anyone to feel toward him. Junior felt pity for him, but Junior was a child that didn't know that Luigi was a person. Bowser, on the other hand, Bowser knew that Luigi was human even if he couldn't remember right now. But he cries despite Luigi wanting to yell at Bowser since yelling at him won't make sense.

Bowser saw the little toy cry at his words, was this going to happen every time he told him the truth? If so, he wouldn't tell him again; he was grateful that Greenie would forget by tomorrow. But now Bowser had a new problem; how would he stop Greenie from crying? Was he like a child or what? He knew nothing about Mario, so he couldn't cheer him up that way besides showing him to Peach. Yeah, that was never going to happen.

"Bowser!?" Peach called out, making Bowser shoot his head to the door. Oh no, Bowser thought as he quickly turned back to Luigi.

"H-hey! You got to be quiet…." Bowser said in a whisper, but Luigi wasn't calming down. "Look, I didn't mean any of that!"

"Y-yes you did, liar…." Luigi said bitterly as he moved away from Bowser, but Bowser grabbed him. Even then, Luigi wouldn't stop, and Bowser holding him in his fist wasn't helping as Luigi didn't look at him.

"Oh, come on! I'm your King, for goodness sake! You got to listen to me!" Bowser said, a bit too loud for his liking.

"A-and I was made by Kamek, so that m-makes him my creator!" Luigi said between angry sobs as he tried to keep the act up. Before Bowser could start yelling, he heard a knock.

"Bowser? Are you in there?" Peach asked as Bowser started to panic.

"Y-yeah, um, O-one sec!" he yelled as he grabbed a blanket and wrapped Luigi in it. "Don't make a sound," Bowser whispers as he puts Luigi on the table and opens the door to see a concerned Peach looking at him. He also noticed her new necklace as she had held on to it.

"Are you okay? I thought I heard crying…." Peach said as she looked past him, "And why are you hiding in the closet?"

"Of course I am! Never better!" Bowser said, trying to block her view, "But, um, I was just looking for some blankets. It can be hard to pull them out from the back." he added, pulling on a random blanket that led more to fall on top of him.

"Oh my," Peach said, letting out a giggle. Luigi unwrapped himself from the blanket watching this; after all, Peach seemed to be enjoying herself. It could give him some time to wrap away the angry tears.

"Well, I was hoping to talk to you about something." she said as she helped Bowser remove the blankets from his head. "It's about Kamek."

"Kamek? What about him? Did he do something?" Bowser said, surprised by this

"Um, well, I um…have a feeling he doesn't like me," she told him, holding back information.

"What? No, Kamek likes you! Just like how Junior likes you! What makes you say that?"

"Well… he's been avoiding me. Like the other day. We invited him to the picnic and he didn't want to join us…"

"W-well, he was busy. I checked on him, and he was working on a spell," Bowser explained, not telling her that the so-called spell was Luigi.

"I guess. Hard to tell with him, you know, because of his glass," Peach joked as she faked adjusting her non-exist glass. Bowser let out a laugh.

"You can say that again, I still do that from time to time. You should have seen it when I was younger." Bowser laughs as Peach joins in. Peach soon places her hand over the necklace that she got from Kamek.

"Oh, by the way, thank you for the necklace."

"Necklace?" Bowser said before playing along, "Ah yes, the necklace, I hope you like it, hehe."

"I do," she said as she fiddled with it, "but I should go now. I promised I would bake with Junior; that boy sure does have a sweet tooth." She said, waving goodbye. She fidgeted with her dress down the hall. Bowser sighed as he watched her leave, his eyes half closed as he stared.

"You know she was anxious, right," Luigi said, snapping Bowser out of his trance.

"What do you mean anxious? She was having fun!" Bowser said as he closed the door to ensure no one saw them talking.

"Fun? She was fidgeting with the necklace. She does that to distract herself," Luigi explains; Bowser soon leads in to listen to the toy. His face soon turned curious and worried.

"W-what else give it away?" Bowser asks, his eyes looking down at the table.

"Oh, now you want my help!" Luigi said, crossing his arm and turning his back to Bowser. "I thought I was nothing but 'a wooden doll with no real personality'"

"Hey! Don't use my own words against me!" Bowser said as he slammed the table, which made Luigi jump back into the blanket.

"Then you shouldn't have been so rude about it!" Luigi talked back as he hid, and Bowser was taken aback by this.

"W-well you…you shouldn't have been a known-it-all!"

"Really? Is that the best you got?"

"Would you like to see my anger instead? I'll gladly do so!"

"Okay, okay! No need for you to threaten me! All you have to do is apologize!" Bowser pulled back, taking a deep breath in before exhilarating. Luigi pecked out of the blanket to see him calm down.

"If I apologized, well you explain why she was anxious."

"Yes…but you also can't refer to me as Mario!" Luigi said, hoping that Bowser would keep that part of the deal even after Luigi played dumb.

"...Fine," Bowser said begrudgingly. He took another deep breath in, then exhilarated before getting to eye level again. He even lifts the blanket that covers Luigi's head. "I'm sorry that I insulted you. I'm also sorry that I threatened you. Can you tell me now why Peach was anxious?"

"What's the magic word?" Luigi said, which got Bowser to growl at him, "I was looking for please but t-that works too…"

"Peach gets anxious when people don't like her. Being the princess is hard enough, and she knows that even some of the Toads don't like her, at least her decisions but that doesn't change the fact that she always wants to make everyone happy."

"So her thinking that Kamek not liking her is what causes her to be like this?"

"Yup, and sometimes she's not good at hiding it when it comes to her feelings. She fidget with her dress or hair, she tells jokes to lighten the mood, and cuts things short. She doesn't do it a lot but when it does happen she stresses out a lot." Luigi explained Bowser had to pull back with a troubled look, biting on his thumbnail.

"Is there a way to calm her down?"

"Two ways really," Luigi said as a smile came on, "have anything that can keep up with her motorcycle?"

Chapter Text

Bowser took Luigi to a part of his castle packed to the brim with Koopas. Luigi was scared as he saw so many of them since he tried to avoid the large crowds. He only ever saw this many during the morning rush, and even then, he would stay in Junior's room. He wanted to ask Bowser some questions about where they were going, but he didn't want to set him off either.

He didn't need to ask them as he got glimpses of rooms that they passed by. It was as if this whole area was just for building and repairs. He saw Koopa building armor, weapons, flying ships, and even smaller stuff like tools and parts. They also had repair rooms where they fixed these things up; those rooms were quieter than those with banging hammers. The further they walked down, the less Koopa they saw until they were in a dark room.

"Where are we?" Luigi asks, waiting for some sort of light to come on.

"The Kong calls it a garage, so I borrow the name. Like the name better than the tunnel," Bowser said as he took a deep breath. He soon let a breath of fire out to light some torches. Luigi fell out of Bowser's hand because he feared Bowser's fire would burn him. He soon saw different cars and bikes; he couldn't believe Bowser had so many. Even the two Clown Cars that he and Junior use. Soon they walked over to a lower car with no roof and its engine sticking out. It was yellow with some green flame painted on it, and one of its doors, Bowser's logo on it.

"I call this one Flame Flyer. Nice, isn't it?' Bowser said, placing his hand on the handle and opening the door for Luigi.

"More of a kart person myself, but it is nice," Luigi said, polite and respectful, as he tried to jump into the car, but he still couldn't get in even with it low to the ground. Bowser picked him up and placed him in the passenger seat while he sat in the driver's seat.

"Those tiny things? Yeah no, this is a real car." Bowser said as he started it. "Now hold on, let's go get Peach!" And soon buck it, a small scream could be heard as they left the tunnel.

"Princess Peach," Kamek said as he entered the kitchen, seeing Junior and Peach eating some pudding.

"Oh! Grandpa! Come have some pear pudding cake! It's so good!" Junior yelled in excitement.

"Soon, Junior. I have to do my job first," Kamek giggled before turning to Peach. "Bowser wishes to see you."

"Oh? What for?" She asked awkwardly. After the encounter with Kamek, she was a bit awkward around him. Maybe Bowser wanted to talk to her and Kamek about what she told him about Kamek. Or maybe Kamek is just trying to talk to her alone by saying that Bowser wanted to speak to her. Either way, she was anxious.

"He wants to take you on a ride, or in his words 'have a little race'. He's waiting outside for you, your bike is also ready."

"Oh! Can I go too?!" Junior said as he jumped out of his chair, already making a beeline to the door.

"Not so fast, mister," Kamek said, stopping Junior, "this is just between the adults, besides our friend is with your dad," Kamek whispered that last part to Junior, which got a smile on his face.

"Oh okay! Then I'll clean up the kitchen with your help, grandpa! Mama, you should go." Junior said as Peach raised a brow. She could see that they were planning something but didn't know what.

"Alright, I'll go for now," Peach said suspiciously, eyeing the two. She left to go to her room quickly; she loved her dress but wouldn't ride in it, so a quick change before anything else. It was fast since it was just a white jumpsuit with some pink on it that she put on. She also put her hair in a ponytail as she headed to the castle's front door. Once outside, she saw Bowser hanging out in a long car low to the ground, with flames on its side that matched his colors, her bike next to his. He looks relaxed as he lays back in his seat, and his arm hangs over his door.

"What's all this about?" Peach asked as she got closer, making Bowser sit up.

"Well, I noticed that you were in trouble so I thought we could do something together."

"And you thought a race would be just that?" she said, getting on her bike.

"Well, it's the best that I got that doesn't require us to touch and I know how much you like your boundaries so…yeah, a race. Something that requires two people to do but no physical contact." Bowser explains

"That's very thoughtful of you, Bowser," Peach said, a bit surprised that he thought about it. She also liked that he suggested a race; she could finally get out of the castle and enjoy herself without anyone assuming she was just leaving and not coming back.

"What can I say, anything to make you feel more at home."

"Thank," she said before diving off, "Let's see if you can catch up!" she yelled behind her, Bowser getting a gin on his face while Luigi held on. He centrally didn't want to be flying out of the car, like he almost was when Bowser buckled it a while ago. They didn't have a plan for where they were going, just that they were trying to pass each other. This was new for both of them, a new kind of respect they were forming.
Meanwhile, Luigi was the third wheel in all of this. His only goal was to stay quiet and out of sight, but he was struggling. With every reckless turn and the multiple times he saw the car get close to the lava pit because it had tilted, he wished he had just stayed in the castle. He was also glad that he hadn't fainted, but he'll faint real soon if this keeps going on much longer.

It wasn't much longer, but it hurt when Bowser stopped too fast, sending Luigi flying against the glove box. He wasn't going to get up after that; he needed a break from the crazy diving Bowser did. Bowser noticed the little toy on the car floor and was about to pick him up but stopped when he heard Peach's voice.

"Man, I need that. Thank you Bowser."

"Oh, of course. Like I said, if it makes you feel more at home, I'll help." Bowser said as he turned to Peach, who was parked beside him. She didn't look at him; she was busy looking at the ocean. They had driven all the way where the sea and land meet, away from the lava and smoke. It was still dark and cloudy, but it was better over here. They stayed silent for a while, enjoying the view, but Bowser felt uncomfortable with the silence.

"Do you miss the Mushroom Kingdom?"

"A little, but I'm used to it. I've always been away for a while now."

"But it's been awhile since you've been gone for a while."

"Yeah…" Peach sighs, still not looking at him. Bowser turned his head to the view before him, giving Luigi a side eye to see if he was okay. Luigi has given up for now and still needs time to just lay on the ground.

"Bowser, thank you again."

"No need to keep thanking me," Bowser said, turning his head to her again.

"But I really do. I know that you may be hoping that we may be more than…whatever you call this. Are we acquaintances? Friends? Enemy? I don't really know anymore. But I do know that you've been very helpful these last few weeks, and I'll admit that I've learned a few new things about you."

"You have?"

"Indeed, and that just from hanging out with you." She admitted turning to face him this time, "it's been nice getting to know about you."

"Yeah, same here. Safe to say that we're close acquaintances." Bowser said, both smiling at their relationship's new title.

"Yeah, close. That's safe to say."

"Is it also safe to say you're no longer anxious about Kamek not liking you?" Peach turns away when he asks that. It was clear that Bowser just ruined the moment that they were having by asking that. But this was why Bowser wanted to talk, to ensure she got over this.

"No, not really." she said, before looking back at him, "how do you get over it?"

"Over what?"

"People not liking you. You have people who don't like you, even if they're not your enemy. How do you get over it?" she asks worriedly.

"I don't have a good way of letting it go. I'm already the bad guy, I expect everyone to dislike me in some way. But it's not about if everyone hates me, it's about whether my family likes me or not. Hate me all you want, that will never hurt more than my own son telling me that he hates me." Bowser tells her, "Only listen to the one that matters, the rest will soon fall on deaf ears."

"Is that how you handled that? I've seen you get mad about thing people tell you to your face."

"That's why I said I don't have a good way of letting it go. I still get mad, and I'll still attack, but the words and the opinion themself don't hurt me as much as them trying to push my buttons."

"I think you're just trying to act cool."

"Is it working?"

Peach smiles at him before looking out once more. They stay like that for a bit longer, Peach saying that she headed back first since she wanted some alone time to think about what Bowser had told her. Bowser nodded as he stayed there long. Luigi was back in the passenger seat, waiting for Browser to start the car so they could go home.

"You were right," Bowser told him; Luigi turned to face him

"Well with the memories of a bastard, you know what will work."

Bowser let out a laugh at Luigi's comments.

"You're just going to keep using my own words against me, aren't you?

"It's easy really, but yes. Yes, I am, your nastiness."

"You cocky son of a Goombas. You're a crybaby but boy so you have something hiding under all of that." Bowser said, poking Luigi in his chest. Luigi gave him a small smile, the familiar action that Bowser was doing made him feel human again.

"I've learned a few things from a few dear friends of mine…." Luigi said, placing his hand over where Bowser just poked, "One of the more aggressive ones being this one I didn't become friends with till later in my life. He said, 'words are a double blade sword, you learn that and you learn how to hurt them back'"

"Did you learn that from Kamek? He taught me those words when I was younger. Always is a good reminder, but I don't think he's aggressive, Greenie."

"Sometimes he is, but yeah…I learned it from him." Luigi lied as he saw Bowser turn the car on. He got comfortable, grabbing onto whatever he could.

"Don't worry Greenie, I'll drive slower."

"Slower isn't the answer I was hoping for." Luigi said, grabbing on harder to the seat, "can't we follow the limit?"

"Nope!" And off they went.

Chapter Text

"UNGRATEFUL LITTLE DOLL!" King Boo yelled as he threw Luigi against the wall. Luigi groaned in pain as he got up, making himself smaller as he looked up at King Boo, who was going on a rampage. Luigi has never seen King Boo this mad before- mischievous or cruel but never mad.

"I-I-I just want to go home…I-"

"Silence!" King Boo yelled, grabbing the Dark Moon and squeezing it. This made Luigi bend over as his chest started to hurt, making it hard to breathe, to speak. "This is your home! How dare you try to leave it! And to go to that old man for help!"

"Y-you had… he turns to…stone," Luigi said, gasping for air, tears in his eyes, "This… isn't home…."

King Boo hissed at his words. He raised the Dark Moon in the air, slamming it against a table, making it crack slightly. Luigi felt his heart stop briefly, as did all his senses. He felt like something ripped his soul in half as an unbearable pain came crashing over his body. It was worse than when he transformed, it was worse than when he lost his leg, and it was far worse than he imagined. He had heard the expression of a slow and painful death, but he never imagined this feeling of coldness that passed him as he let out a silent scream. He thought he was deaf at that moment, but it was just his voice, unable to let out the pure agony that he was feeling. He was glad he was already on the floor since he would be on his hands and knees crying out from the pain, bagging King Boo to stop.

"Look at what you made me do, Luigi. YOU DID THIS TO YOURSELF!" King Boo said, getting closer to him. King Boo pushed Luigi up against the wall, forcing him to look at him as he cried. "Why did you make me do it, my beloved Nutcracker?"

"King Boo…" Luigi cried in fear and saw his next mistake as King Boo got even angrier at his own name. He didn't wait as he slammed the Dark Moon next to Luigi's head on the crack. Luigi's eyes went wide as he felt the same pain again, as he lost his breath. He started to shake, wanting to dig into King Boo's arm, but it didn't work.

"Where are your manners?" King Boo hissed; he wanted Luigi to listen to the rules he had engraved on Luigi's mind over the last year.

"I-I'm sorry…so sorry-" Luigi sobbed, forcing those sick words out, "m-my king." King Boo let him fall to the ground, turning away from Luigi. He floated to the door, tugging on the Dark Moon to let Luigi know to follow him. Luigi was having a hard time getting up, and he was lucky that King Boo knew that he wasn't going to get up right away. When Luigi did get up and slowly move next to King Boo, the pain was lighter but lingered as King Boo started to move. They walk in silence, ghosts leaving the hall as they pass. Luigi spots Melody; she mouths sorry before leaving, her own fear on her face. Luigi wondered what King Boo would do with him now; until now, he had just been locked up in the mansion, roaming around and being a punching bag for the ghost. What will happen to him now that he's pissed off King Boo?

He didn't have to wait long to find out as he saw two massive doors in front of him. When King Boo opened the doors, Luigi had to step back as it was nothing but a pitch-black room; Luigi was very much afraid of pure darkness. King Boo enters, slowly lighting it in the wretched excuse of so-called light. Luigi's body told him to run, and he wanted to listen, but the Dark Moon said otherwise. His body moves forward, and he mutters to stop and listen to himself.
Once in the room, the door shut, disappearing to show only a room with pillars with small lights, no windows, and a cage in the middle. Luigi backed up till he hit the wall. Luigi had a good idea about what King Boo was doing, and he wasn't going to stay.

"HELP!" Luigi cried, banging on the walls, hoping any of his ghost friends would come to help him.

"No one's coming, Luigi." King Boo said as he floated behind Luigi, "You broke my trust, and now this will be your new room. Your new home."

"NO! Please, Bo- I mean, my King. I'll never leave again; I'll listen, I-I swear!" Luigi begged as he turned to face him. Luigi didn't want to be locked up in a cage or in a room in pitch darkness without any windows or doors. Wasn't being a nutcracker enough for this madman?

King Boo smiled before grabbing Luigi. He tossed him in the cage, throwing the key away as Luigi shook the cage. King Boo laughed as he watched Luigi try to break out of the cage, with horror in his eyes.

"Why?! Why are you doing this?!" Luigi ask

"I'm doing this because I want you to see what it's like to be trapped against your own well. I want you to see what it's like to be hung on a wall and be forgotten. I want to see you suffer." King Boo said as he floated closer and closer with every word he said. However, his reasons only got worse. "But that was at the beginning."
"W-What do you mean…?"

"I mean, I still believe in all those words I said, but…" King Boo girn grows, "I have found that I love your dancing. The Ballet that you do when you're with Melody; they are so breathtaking to watch. It's like you're a little doll in a music box. A music box that belongs to me."

"You're insane!" Luigi yells; King Boo didn't think of him as a person. All he saw was property, and Luigi calling him insane made him angrier. King Boo slammed the cage against one of the pillars, making Luig stumble as he swung in the air.

"No one takes what belongs to me, and that goes for you too." King Boo hissed as he floated away, "Maybe some alone time will do you good. Then you'll be more willing to listen."

"NO! Let me out of here! Don't leave me in the dark! Please, King Boo! King Boo!" Luigi yelled as King Boo left him in an empty room, and the lights went out one by one. Leaving Luigi in the dark.

Luigi shot up from his bed, shaking from the nightmare. Since that second week, he started falling asleep; Luigi had been having nightmares. Some were fine, just memories of the last few years when he was hiding in Peach's castle. But some were sickening to him, like the one where King Boo were in. He wasn't going to go back to sleep; he feared that that nightmare might go on repeat.

Jumping out of the makeshift home and getting down from the nightstand was easy as he approached the door. The hard part was opening it. Junior had put a string on it for him to open it, but it was still hard as he had to pull down and in with all his weight just to get it open. He got it open and peeked out the door, waiting for the Koopas that were patrolling to pass as he went in the opposite direction.

Luigi didn't want anyone to find him, so he went to a balcony that mostly seemed forgotten. He thought this since it was in a tower that no Koopa was guarding. It had a great view of the Darkland and was quiet for him to think. But thinking wasn't what he wanted to do right now, but as he climbed the steps to the balcony, his mind kept returning to the nightmare. Back to that room that made him get used to the dark, the room that reminded him of his mistake, the room that made him lose hope every single day.

When Luigi got to the balcony, he almost lay on the floor. Just lay on the ground and stared at the roof, but he wanted to look outside to remind him that he was not trapped inside. Using the cracks in the frame, he climbed to sit atop the balcony to watch the night slowly go by. It was nice as he felt the wind on his wooden skin, making him listen to anything that would let him be at peace. But there was no sound at this time of night, making him start thinking again. He moved his knees to his chest, hugging them to calm down, but the nightmare had done its damage.

Luigi placed his head on his knees as he started to cry. It was the only way he could let out the emotion; after all, the only person he could think of who would understand being locked up was Peach, and she didn't remember him. Junior is a child and Kamek…Kamek would ask too many questions he didn't want to answer. He wishes it could have been any other nightmare that just didn't have King Boo. He hated the ones with King Boo in them; he was the one who hurt him the most.

"Hey,"

"Aha!" Luigi yelled as he turned to see Bowser. Bowser was not a quiet guy, so the fact that he managed to scare Luigi was new. It's also been about three days since Luigi tagged along on his race date with Peach. Bowser has been bugging him about her in those days, but they also talk about other stuff. Like asking for stories to use as blackmail or what is an excellent game to play with Junior. Other than that, it's been a simple build-up of their closeness.

"Woah there, it's okay, Greenie. It's just me," He said as he leaned against the balcony.

"S-sorry," Luigi said as he sniffed back another sob, "I didn't hear you."

"I can tell, you always seem to hide the minute you hear anything." Bowser said, looking out on his Kingdom. "So, why are you crying?"

"Why are you up this late?" Luigi asks, not wanting to talk about it.

"Why are you avoiding my question?"

"Do I have to answer your question?"

Bowser chuckled, shaking his head as he turned to face Luigi.

"Is this a game to you?"

"Do you want it to be a game?" Luigi asks as he meets Bowser's eye; he is surprised they aren't mad since Luigi is just avoiding the questions. All he saw was how sad they looked. Before he continued, Bowser had to twist his whole body to look at the crying toy.

"This isn't the first time you avoid questions, is it?"

"What makes you think that?"

"What makes you think I won't make you stop this?"

"Why are your questions sounding like statements?"

"What statement?"

Luigi bit his tongue when Bowser said that since he was about to reply with 'that one.' Luigi could see the cocky grin that was growing on Bowser's face.

"What statement do you want to hear?"

"You know that's a bad comeback, Right?"

"What's a comeback?" Luigi said, not having any more witty questions. Not that it matters since Bowser started laughing.

"Alright, Greenie. I see that this isn't going anywhere and I don't want the topic to change." Bowser said, slowly getting the laughter to die, "but no more questions. What's gotten into you?"

"I thought you said no more questions?" Bowser rolled his eyes before picking up Luigi, "H-hey I was joking!"

"Sure you were," Bowser said before he took Luigi and headed back inside. That's another thing that he's done more often. Picking up Luigi without his permission and carrying him around. Some have asked why he had a toy; for the most part, Bowser just tells them he's holding on to Luigi for Junior. Everyone believes it since everyone has seen Luigi with Junior before, so they left it like that.

"I-I can walk on my own."

"And get burned? I don't think so." Bowser said as he took them down the stairs of the towers. They were quiet till Luigi talked again.

"Why were you up there?" Luigi asks as he wonders why the King of the Koopas was hiding away from the rest of his castle in an old empty tower.

"To look at the view," he simply answered, "now you have to tell me why you were up there."

"To do the same…"

"And the view brought you to tears? It's a nice view but not that nice." Bowser said, opening the door to the tower. It was like a ghost town in Bowser Castle as they passed by open windows. It would have looked lovely if the moonlight was beaming in, but the cloudy night wasn't letting it. However, the lava that ran between the floor and the wall made up for it, creating a gradient effect of red and orange from the floor and the dark blue and light grays from the outside world.

"You don't know that," Luigi told him, wiping away the tears as they went down the hall. Bowser rolled his eyes at that comment but accepted it for right now. They went quiet again as Bowser took them both to the kitchen where the most light was. He places Luigi down on the counter, letting him sit as he grabs a cup of milk. Bowser was still learning about Luigi, but he knew that his fatherly skills could work for now. Like when Junior was having a rough night, he would make them some hot cocoa and stay up with Junior as long as he needed. He grabs a chocolate bar from the cover before dangling it over the cup, blowing on it lightly with his fire to let it slowly melt into the milk. He mixes it together as he pulls out some cinnamon and tiny marshmallows. He added a dash of cinnamon and soon tossed in the marshmallows, lightly toasting them until golden brown. He heated the cup. That way, it was nice and warm before grabbing a smaller cup for Luigi to have some hot cocoa. When Bowser placed the tiny cup next to Luigi, he turned away from it.

"I'm sorry, your nastiness; I can't have that…I physically can't eat or drink…." Luigi sheepishly said as he kept his body turned. Bowser wouldn't let that stop him, so he grabbed the tiny cup with his claws and nudged it into Luigi's hands.

"Then don't drink it, just holding it will make you feel better. Junior sometimes doesn't drink his coco, but he likes the warmth that comes from the cup." Bowser said, taking a sip from his drink as he watched Luigi look at the one marshmallow that floated in his cup.

"Thank you then, your nastiness."

"Don't call me that, at least not tonight. Bowser is fine."

"Thank you…Bowser," Luigi said with a shy smile as he poked the marshmallow.

"So, why are you up so late?" Bowser asks as Luigi lets out a sigh.

"I don't want to talk about it, it will just ruin the night."

"I'm guessing it was something that happened earlier today. Or maybe a nightmare?" Bowser said as Luigi pulled an uncomfortable face. Did Luigi really want to talk to Bowser about this? Sure, Bowser knows how to imprison someone, but does he know what it's like to be stuck in a cage? Luigi looked up at Bowser as he waited for him to tell him what was happening. He looked back down and sighed; Bowser wasn't going to leave him alone about this, was he?

"I d-did have a nightmare…about being locked up…in a cage by a Rat King," Luigi said, waiting for Bowser's questions and odd looks. But when he looked up, no strange looks or questions came from Bowser as he drank his drink with a straight face. Waiting for Luigi to finish.

"The Rat King is…a character I have nightmares about from time to time," Luigi started, just waiting for Bowser to stop him, "In most of them… he has me in a cage and torments me…I-" Luigi had to stop to continue, but he pushed through. "I-In this one…it was the first time he had ever put me in a cage…the first time I have been so helpless…so useless and pathetic…."

Luigi couldn't help but start to cry; he didn't want to relive it. He didn't want to relive the sound of his bagging, the silence that followed in the emptiness, the darkness that blinded him from his surroundings and time itself. Luigi could feel himself relieving it, being in a pitch black room, tightening his grip on his cup as if it were the bars on the cage. He also stared at Bowser as if he was the statue of Professor E. Gadd, the real Professor that Luigi got turned to stone. However, Luigi thanked the stars when he was brought out of his dark memories by Bowser rubbing his head in circular motions with his finger. It ground him that he wasn't back in that room and was safe and sound somewhere far away. Bowser didn't say anything, and Luigi was glad that he didn't, no grand words of how strong he was or how it wasn't his fault. Luigi had heard enough of that before; he just wanted to be heard right now. He tries to sob his way through the rest.

"H-he wanted to teach me a lesson…a cruel and u-unreason lesson…." Luigi said, but he realized that he couldn't keep going. "I…I-I don't want to t-talk about it…it hurts…it hurts too much."

"You don't have to," Bowser said, still rubbing his head as Luigi wiped away the tears. "It sounds like…this Rat King has put you through a lot."

"You have no idea…"

They sat silently, with Luigi sniffling being the only sound they focused on. It was nice as Bowser finished his drink and Luigi's, and Luigi let Bowser calm him down with his head rubs. And when the crying stops, the head rub continues, as if Bowser knows that he still needs them.

"Feeling better?"

"A little… I'm glad that you listened, you're really good at it."

"I have a six year old. Listening to their nightmares or silly ideas is a big part of it. That and being King but with that I can pick and choose what I want to listen to." Bowser said as Luigi let out a giggle.

"Maybe I can return the favor, anything you want to get off your chest?"

"That's a whole can of worms that doesn't need to be opened tonight. Besides, it's mostly my insomnia acting up tonight. I woke up and couldn't go back to sleep."

"Is that why you went to the tower?"

"Yeah… it's far from the hustle and bustle, and no one uses it. I like to go up there to look out on the Kingdom and get some fresh air."

"So no walks in the garden or new poems?" Bowser chuckled as he stopped Luigi's head rubs.

"Not tonight, I've been spending too much time there lately. But I see that you know about my sleepless nights."

"Kamek's tower has a great view of the garden."

"Then I'll just have to look up from time to time now. Just don't be a creep, Greenie."

"A talking nutcracker creepy? Never!" Luigi jokingly said as they both shared another laugh. What started as an awful night was slowly turning into something cheerful. Bowser mostly lets Luigi talk as he listens to him and his joke. Luigi messes with Bowser when he asks questions or makes a comment. Even when the sun rose, they still shared a good laugh.

Leaving the nightmare behind.

Chapter Text

Bowser watches as Peach and Junior play. Kamek is next to his side, reading the news in his and the other Kingdoms, and he can see Greenie up in the ceiling hiding in a corner. Bowser never looked up until he started talking to the wired toy, but now he did, and he's gotten good at finding him.

"Dad! Dad!" yells Junior as he jumps in front of him, "When can we pick the peaches from the peach tree? I want some peach pie!"

"Soon, Junior. We still need at least 2 weeks before we reap them."

"Two whole weeks?! Awww...but what if Mama is gone by then?" Bowser looked over to Peach, who had shrugged her shoulders. It was a shock that Mario hadn't come in to 'save' her, especially since it would be his first idea to come to Bowser if she was gone, but it's been a good month and a half - two months, really.

"Don't worry, we can always buy some peaches or some other fruit at the farmers market." Peach reassures Junior, which puts a bittersweet smile on his face. Bowser was about to get up so they could go out, but soon the room went dark. Everyone started to look around to see what was going on.

One by one, the torches lit up with purple flames, not having a purpose but signaling the arrival of a nuisance. Bowser growls as Junior runs up to Peach, as she holds him, wondering what is going on.

"Look at the flawless family..." said a chilling voice before barking and growling followed afterward. Even the sound of giggling could be heard, "The only thing that's missing is a pet."

"Hey!" yelled Peach as a ghost dog that almost looked like a bulldog started to tear her dress. She let go of Junior as she began to pull on his dress. The dog thought of this as a tug of war, and then more laughing could be heard as King Boo appeared in front of them. Neville also appeared in the archway of the throne room; his only job was to look out for Luigi. He looked around, trying not to get anyone to notice him, and when he looked up; there shaking in fear behind a beam was the very person he was looking for. Luigi also looks down to see if it is just King Boo and Spooky, but his eyes lock with Neville when he looks down. He almost fell off the beam but stayed on, making a run for it; he wasn't going to stay in that room.

"What are you doing here, King Boo?" Bowser demands, narrowing his eyes at the laughing ghost.

"Well, hello to you too, Bowser. Long time no see." King Boo said as he looked at everyone in the room. "I hope that you're having fun."

"Your type of 'fun' is problematic. A dog ripping Peach dress isn't fun."

"It is if you get to see her play tug of war with it," King Boo said as the fabric of her dress ripped off, exposing the lower part of her left leg, just above the knee. Spooky also shallow the material that was in his mouth.

"Look at what he did!" Peach yells at King Boo before turning to Spooky, "bad dog bad!"

But Spooky didn't understand her, as he started to bite at the rest of her dress. Peach pulls her skirt back, but Spooky still tries to bite it. It leads to her running around the throne room as a dog chases her. Junior tried to help her, but he wasn't as fast as the two, and King Boo was laughing at the scenes. Bowser decided to help, too, giving King Boo a chance to look at Neville, who was still looking around the throne room. When Neville saw King Boo looking at him, he simply nodded as he left the throne room.

Meanwhile, Luigi was running for his life. How did King Boo find him? Did King Boo know that he was here? What if he finds out that he managed to tell someone about the curse? Will he try to make it stronger? Will he try to turn Kamek into stone? Question after question ran into his head, getting worse and worse as he ran to Junior's room. Before he could make it down the hall to turn into the hallway that Junior's room was in, Neville popped out from the wall.

"AHA!" Luigi screamed as he turned around and ran down a different hallway as Neville chased him.

"Luigi! Wait!" Neville yelled as he chased after him.

"NO! GET AWAY FROM ME!" Luigi cried out as he ran, almost falling when he took sharp turns or catching himself when he tripped over a rock or something. Neville goes through walls when he turns or barely misses Luigi when he stumbles.

"I just want to talk, Luigi! Stop running!" but Luigi didn't believe him. Neville was with King Boo, meaning that whatever King Boo ordered him to do, he'll do it. This would be another story if Neville was here alone or if he had found Luigi by mistake.

As he ran, Luigi accidentally turned into the wrong room. He ran into a sitting area instead of the library, where he could have hidden on the shelves. The setting room was simple, with a fireplace and a Victorian-era chaise lounge couch and armchair to match it. But it was closed off, the door he came in from being the only exit; he had backed himself into a corner in his panic state. He ran towards the fireplace to see if he could get himself out if he climbed inside, but that wouldn't happen.

"Ow!" Luigi let out as he got slammed against the wall; as he felt the cold hand of Neville, he had forgotten how cold they were. Neville had slid across the floor to catch Luigi; if he were alive, he would be out of breath.

"I said, stop running Luigi!" Neville said as he got up with Luigi, "do you want Spooky to pick up your scent?"

"It's better than being spotted by that psycho! Put me down, Neville!" Luigi said as he tried to struggle out of his grasp.

"And let you run off again? I think not! Besides, where have you been?!"

"Hiding," Luigi said bluntly. He has been running and hiding for three years now. He wouldn't stop doing that as long as he had hope now, "Neville, you can't tell King Boo that I'm here."

"I have to, Luigi. Do you know what happens after we help you? Melody, The Whirlindas, and Polterpup all got turned into paintings by him when he found out that we helped you escape. He also knows that there were two others that helped!"

"Wait...they got caught?" Luigi said as he stopped struggling, looking up to see Neville's sad face.

"They did. He believes that Nana and Shiver are in on this. I guess you can say that Shiver is part of this now."

"Wait, does Shiver know that you've helped me?" Luigi asked

"Know? Shiver saw the whole thing, and when questioned he admitted that he thought that he saw two other ghosts. King Boo thinks that he's just saying that just to cover his own bottom but Shiver is loyal to me. We can trust Shiver, after all, Shiver has been under the watchful eye of King Boo's Boos. The same goes for Nana, and she's locked up in her bedchamber until she admits that she helped." Neville explained. Luigi had a shock of horror as he heard this. This changes everything now. If Luigi gets caught by King Boo again, that means that he could never leave. The only way that Luigi escaped that awful room was because of Neville and the help of the others. The only ghosts that helped him through this hell of a nightmare; now they're living their own suffering.

"T-that's just more reasons why you can't tell him you saw me." Luigi said as he looked into Neville's empty eyes, "I’m begging you, Neville. Let me go."

"I-" Before he could say any more, a light of lightning sent him flying, making him drop Luigi on the ground hard. When they looked up, they saw Kamek in the doorway, his wand pointing at Neville, about to send another wave of lightning at him if he moved.

"Are you okay Luigi?!" Kamek said as he moved closer to him

"Y-yeah," Luigi said as he moved behind Kamek.

"From the look of it, you two know each other."

"Indeed," Neville jumped in, getting up but not moving closer, "and I can tell that Luigi had told you much more than what he should have said."

"Luigi, go to Bowser's room. It's one of the few places in the castle where ghosts can't enter. It's also the closest, so you should be safer there. Me and your ghostly 'friend' need a talk." Kamek orders Luigi to do so, his wand turning a different color.

"Luigi, if King Boo found out you're here and I let you go, we may be in bigger trouble. I don't want to see you locked up, but it's better than whatever he has planned if he catches us. I can still help you." Neville told him, but Luigi didn't believe that. It was hard for Melody to get him out by herself the first time, and she was more scared of King Boo than he was.

"I'm sorry, Neville, but... I'm not going back. I won't go back." Luigi said, turning around and getting out of there, herding the sound of an explosion. Luigi turned around out of worry, but that was a mistake, as Spooky was at the end of the hall.

"H-h-hi, Spooky..." Luigi said as he backed up, Spooky growling, "Nice doggy, who a nnniicccceeahhhhhhhh!" Luigi screamed as Spooky started to chase him. Luigi ran down the hall once more, this time moving into the library. It was massive; from the floor all the way to the roof, there were books. In the more open areas, there were smaller sleeves with more books and chairs for people to stay and read. The one-room Luigi found that was mainly built in wood as the wall shelf had a gap between the stone wall and bookshelves. The perfect place for Junior and him to play Hide and Seek.

"Bad Spooky, bad!" Luigi yelled as he jumped on one of the smaller bookshelf shelves. Spooky jumps trying to bite him, when Luigi moves out of the way, making Spooky push the books out on the other side of the bookshelf. Luigi started to climb as Spooky kept jumping, but once near the top - he felt the bookshelf moving. When he looked down, Spooky was hitting the frame. Luigi held on, and books started falling over from above; a few hit him, but that wasn't as bad as when the bookshelf began to fall backward. Luigi could stand up and run as the bookshelf hit the next one next to it, that one falling as a domino effect started to happen. Jumping from one falling bookshelf to the other, Luigi tries his best not to slip and land on the floor where Spooky is biting every book flying toward him. As the last bookshelf fell, Luigi jumped to the library's second floor and dangled as he pulled himself up. He ran out of breath but pushed on as he made his way to the window, getting it open to get on the ledge.

Manna Ma! Luigi thought as he looked down; from where he stood, he could see the massive amount of lava below him. Luigi pinned himself against the wall as he could feel the heat of the lava mote coming up, his mind playing tricks that it was slowly rising. He shimmies across the ledge, looking up to calm himself as he looks at the cloudy sky. When he got to the next window, he peeked inside to see Spooky, who was eating some books. Luigi took a few quick breaths to psych himself up before running across the ledge to find Bowser's room.

As he ran, he noticed that the ledges that were just on the walls and not by the windows were more damaged. A few times, he would have to step back or pin himself against the wall again as his floor fell from underneath his feet. He stopped a few times in fear when he looked down, too, his mind telling him that the lava was getting closer just because the heat was unbearable for Luigi. When he made it to Bowser's windows, he tried to push and pull on them before noticing they were locked inside. No, no, no! Luigi thought as he looked around him; he returned a bit to one of the areas he almost fell from. He used whatever strength he had and gave himself cuts as he managed to get the floor to crumble a bit to have a rock in his hand.

"Forgive me, Bowser...." Luigi whispered as he started to bang on the glass, breaking it gradually. When he hit it one more time, he fell into the room, landing on the glass as he hit the floor. Luigi didn't know if it was a good or bad thing as he got up in pain without stopping to hide; maybe it was a good thing since he didn't need to let his body rest since he was in a panic. However, deep down, he knew it was terrible since he kept the groan down, the pain telling his body to stop moving for one second and pick out the glass stuck in his hands. He didn't even take a chance to get a look at Bowser's room as he hid underneath the bed, crawling to the bedframe to reach the wall to sit there and wait.

----------------------

Back in the throne room, about where we left off

King Boo kept laughing as Spooky chased Peach, Junior trying to stop him. It wasn't until Bowser picked her up and roared at the dog, did the chase stop, and silence fell onto the room. It also didn't last long as Spooky ran out of the room.

"Kamek"

"I'm on it, your nastiness," Kamek said as he flowed to the door.

"I'll help!" Junior said as he followed Kamek, leaving the three rulers alone. Bowser put Peach down, who placed her hand on her hips in anger as she faced King Boo; Bowser did something similar by crossing his arms.

"Awww, what's with the angry face? Didn't like my joke?" King Boo said in a mocking voice.

"Joke?! You let your dog attack me!" Peach yells, pointing at her ripped dress.

"His so-called 'jokes' are nothing but cruel acts he likes to do," Bowser said as he stepped to King Boo. "And I want to know why you're here causing trouble."

"You used to be fun, you know that?" King Boo said as Bowser was in his face, both of them staring daggers at each other.

"It's called growing up, now talk before I get Kamek in here."

"That old Koopa doesn't scare me," King Boo said as he floated away from Bowser, "But I guess I'll bite. A little ghosty told me that Peach was missing and that you weren't the one who caused her to disappear. Guess only part of it was true."

"She-" Bowser started but got cut off.

"I came here on my own, so it was true of what you hear."

"Oh?" King Boo said, floating to her, "This is new. Did you get sick of that annoying red plumber you like to play along? Or did you finally decide that it's finally time to combine your two kingdoms and get married?"

"Neither," Bowser said, stepping in between the two. "She is simply here to spend time with Junior."

"And play make-believe? You're making yourself sound like children, Bowser. You say that you've grown up, but I see that you're still the same little lovesick fool."

"And you're still the same madman that taught me that cruelty is what makes a Kingdom run." Bowser growls

"Call me a madman again, you damn Beast."

"Gladly, you madman."

Before King Boo can comment, the door swings open. Kamek had Neville and Spooky in a spell, spikers of lightning coming off them as they got pinned to the floor. King Boo hissed at Kamek as his smile disappeared.

"What's the meaning of this?"

"It's me doing my job," Kamek said, letting the spell go, "You're sneaking as ever I see, getting these two to destroy my nastiness home while you infuriate him. Still the same King Boo from all those years ago."

King Boo narrowed his eyes before turning to Bowser and Peach, who also narrowed their eyes at him. King Boo looked around before his eyes landed his two henchmen on the ground. He scruffed as he floated to the door, knowing he wasn't wanted.

"I would watch your back, Bowser. After all, you changed for the worse. If you keep this up - then consider me your enemy."

"Consider it done then. You haven't been welcome here for a long time. Now get out!" And they did, Neville and Spooky struggling to keep up. As the three ghosts left, King Boo was angry as they floated back to Evershade Valley.

"Well?" King Boo hissed as Neville and Spooky followed behind him

"He wasn't there," Neville lied, as Spooky coward behind him. "My King, I still think that he may be hiding in the Mushroom Kingdom."

"If he was hiding there, I would have had him back by now." King Boo said as he turned to face Neville, "Luigi had turned so many of his worthless friends to stone already, this is the only place that no one had turned to stone! Either he's dead or he's being cautious! And I can tell you it's not the first one."

"What should we do then?" Neville questions, the least he could do is give Luigi time to get out of there.

"We broke Bowser of course." King Boo said, "He's so easily manipulated, that even Luigi could fool him if he's hiding there. What we need to do is take the one thing that brings him joy, the one person who can make his anger go out of control. We need Peach out of the picture."

"And how do we do that?"

"Oh, we're not going to do it. Mario is. Let's help the poor fool find his true love. Once Mario destroyed the relationship that Peach and Bowser had seen to form, we used it to make him have a field day in the Mushroom Kingdom. Get him out of the Darklands so we can tear it apart! I will find my Nutcracker. And when I do, I'll make sure he'll never leave me again."

Chapter Text

"What was that about?" Peach asks as King Boo and his ghost leave, leaving the three of them in the room.

"Nothing but trouble," Bowser said as he moved to the exit, "I'll be in my room if needed," and left.

"You'll have to forgive Bowser. Him and Boo were once good friends that went south."

"What do you mean?" Peach asks.

"Well, I have known King Boo longer than Bowser has. We would talk about magic and he would help with some of the problems in the Darklands. When Bowser met him, he wanted to grow up to be a good ruler, and King Boo took him under his wing. Promising him that he'll teach him how to be a ruler."

"What happened to make them bitter towards each other?" Peach asks as she looks at the door, wondering if Bowser is okay.

"He learned the truth," Kamek said, "King Boo was using him, and the damage had already been done."

"Should we-?"

"No, he needs some time. He needs to let his anger out." Kamek said as he pushed her out of the throne room. "Besides you need to change, so off you go."

Peach looked back at Kamek, who was going down the hall that took him to his tower, before looking down the hall that brought her to her room. She sighed, thinking that maybe he was right about Bowser, that she should leave him alone. She picks at her dress, feeling the giant rip in it; she must take care of herself first before caring for someone else.

Meanwhile, Kamek heads to his tower. Think about what that ghost had told him, his head lost in thought as he replayed their little talk.

"Look, no need for violence."

"That's funny coming from one of King Boo ghosts. Why were you after Luigi, who cursed him, and what do you mean when you said if King Boo found him?" Kamek asked as his wand light got brighter.

"The fact that you know that it's a curse is shocking: most don't remain in their original body, they all get turned to stone." Neville said, placing his hand on the armchair.

"I'm not afraid to zip you," Kamek said, zipping sounds from his wand.

"I can tell," Neville said, "but if you want me to answer your questions then a little less hostility towards me."

Kamek only stopped the zip from his wand, but it was still pointing at Neville. Neville could see that this was the best he could get out of him.

"Look, Luigi and I are friends," Neville started, "I was only talking to him, giving him an update. I wasn't going to turn him in."

"It didn't look like that," Kamek said, "and you still haven't answered my questions."

"If you let me finish then you would have had them. King Boo is after him; he was the one who did this and he wants Luigi back in his procession." Neville told him. Kamek lowered his wand in shock. He had connected the dots to what the ghost was telling him; King Boo was the one who cures Luigi. This also confused him. He recognized King Boo's magic and the kind of curse he does, so why is this one different?

Before he could think of an answer, he saw the armchair approaching him. He shot it with a blast from his wand, causing an explosion; Neville was nowhere in sight when the pieces of the chairs fell.

It didn't take long afterward to find both ghosts in the library, but Kamek kept thinking of those words after today's events. King Boo was behind Luigi's curse and wanted him, but why? Did Luigi do something that made King Boo so mad that he turned him into a nutcracker and is now hunting him down?

Kamek needed to talk to Luigi about this to avoid jumping to conclusions. When he got to his magic room in his tower, he realized that he had forgotten something, more like someone. He forgot that he told Luigi to hide in Bowser's room.

"Oh boy; I forgot, didn't I?" He spoke to himself, "Oh, he'll be fine…I think"

----------------

On his way to his room, Bowser couldn't help but get annoyed and angry at what happened. King Boo had shown his face in his home after so many years. Sure, Bowser had let a few boos in and out of his castle, but not once had he allowed King Boo to return once he was crowned King. He was a fool for thinking King Boo wouldn't try to return to his life.

When he opened the door to his room, he slammed it shut without a second thought when he entered. Bowser's room was massive that it was divided into two parts. The front part was a setting area where most enter from. It was more open space as bookshelves were on the far right next to some plants he's been taking care of that didn't want to grow in the garden. There were two red Victorian Parlor Chairs next to the shelves with some children's books on the floor that Junior forgot to pick up. On the far left was a fireplace with another Victorian Parlor Chair and lounge on top of a black fluffy rug. The fireplace wall was lined with drawings from Junior and paintings and photos of Bowser with either Junior or Kamek; some had all three. Last was the middle, where a large round table with a small lace table topper and a glass flower centerpiece.

The table would become the first victim of Bowser's anger as he flipped it over, causing the centerpiece to shatter on the floor and the table to hit the sliding door that divided the sitting room and where his bed was.

"I swear! It's like that madman knows when I'm at my most happiest and just comes and ruins it!" Bowser yells as he knocks over the chairs by the bookshelf, pulling out books from self-worth to help books of being a good father and ruler. All getting thrown to the floor or across the room, hiding the painting, and those paintings falling to the ground. "He lives to torment me!"

Nothing was safe as he went for the plants and smashed them on the ground. The chair and lounge by the fireplace were thrown against the sliding door, too, the lounge making a hole in the door to show the second part of his bedroom. The photos were soon ripped off as if he didn't want to see the happy time with his family. One of the photos was a Self-portrait of when he was crowned King of the Koopas. Instead of ripping it off the wall, he dug his claws into it. Ripping the actual hand-painted portrait and destroying it.

His anger still lingers as he moves to the sliding door, throwing the round table and chair to the side. The lounge was stuck in the door, so he just ripped the whole door off and tossed it with the other furniture. In the second part of his room was his personal area, where his bed, restroom, and walk-in closet were; He also had a desk that he used to work on when he was not in his office, with a full body mirror next to it. He stomped to his nightstand, grabbing the Candelabra with some lit candles on it. He didn't wait as he threw it at the mirror, shattering it too, but he didn't expect a yelp to be heard behind him, coming from under the bed.

When Bowser heard the yelp coming from under his bed, he couldn't help but wonder who was under there. He bent down, getting on his hands and knees to lift the bed lightly, thinking that Junior was hiding in his room. However, Bowser didn't see his son. Instead, he saw a scared green nutcracker, his arm and hand up in the air covering his head. Bowser's eyes went straight to the glass that poked out of his hands as the nutcracker shivered in fear.

"Greenie? What happened to you?" Bowser asks as he reaches his hand out to Luigi. Luigi lowered his arms when he heard that it was Bowser, letting out a shaking breath in relief that Bowser had found him and not one of the ghosts. But his eyes started darting when he thought that.

"T-t-they're gone, r-right?"

"Who's gone?"

“The g-g-ghosts…” Luigi said as he reached out to grab Bowser's hand, stopping himself from touching him. Luigi pulled away, only noticing that his hands were covered in glass; he didn't want the glass to hurt Bowser. So he pulled his hands to his chest, lowering his head as if he was apologizing.

When Bowser saw Luigi pull back, his anger got worse. Did King Boo and his stupid ghosts come to destroy his home and hurt his subject? Were they the ones who caused this to Luigi? Luigi may be a toy, but he was still a subject as long as he worked with Bowser. He started to crush the bed frame as he scoped Luigi up before dropping the bed. Luigi got scared as the bed hit the floor, making a loud bang noise.

"What happened?" Bowser growled, making Luigi shake even more.

"I-I-I got scared. I don't do w-well with ghosts. Didn't help when Spooky chased me…."

"Spooky?"

"T-the ghost dog…that was what the other ghost called him..." Luigi explained, forgetting that no one knew that he knew the ghosts. He could see Bowser's finger trying to not crawl up into a fist as Luigi lay in his hand before he continued. "They c-chase me till I ended up o-outside. I-I had to run on the ledge as I came in through the w-window. Forgive me, your nastiness, I d-didn't mean to break into your room…I-I just need to escape t-them."

Bowser's anger boiled as he heard Luigi tell his story, only to feel instant guilt and sorrow for him. Luigi was asking for forgiveness for something that wasn't his fault. Bowser looked up to see the broken window he came from. Bowser didn't even notice the window was broken, but when he looked at it, the drop from up there for someone tiny like Luigi would have been like a vase falling and breaking. He could have broken bones or worse if he wasn't made of wood. Bowser couldn't believe that Luigi would care more about a broken window and coming into his room without permission when he was being tormented by ghosts. Bowser looked back down at him, Luigi's hands in his chest as he looked down at the floor, shaking as if he was freezing. He moved over to his desk, softly putting Luigi down as he opened the top drawer and pulled out a first aid kit.

"Your nastiness, I-"

"Quiet," Bowser hissed as he opened the first aid, pulling out tweezers. "Give me your hands."

"I don't need-"

"I said, give me your hands," Bowser demanded more harshly than he would have liked, but his anger was coming back as the fact that that bastard came back and caused fear in someone so helpless. Luigi flinched at his demand, slowly reaching his hand out. Grabbing his hand with his claws, Bowser slowly started to pull out the glass from Luigi's hand in a slow manner to not cause him more pain - if he even felt pain, that is.

"If I ever hear you apologize like that again, I will make sure it really was your fault." Bowser started, "You get chased and you think that breaking a window that saves you is something you need to apologize for?! Do you think I would care more about a stupid window than my own subject?!"

"N-no, your nastiness…but-"

"NO BUTS!" Bowser roared as he let go of Luigi's hand to slam the table. His angry red eyes stared at Luigi as he bared his teeth, but slowly softened into worry and a frown as Luigi rolled into a ball on his desk, eyes shut tight as if trying to hold back tears.

"I-I'm sorry…" Bowser whispers softly as he rubs Luigi's head, "I let my anger get the best of me…I promise I won't raise my voice again."

"A-a-and the slamming?" Luigi asks, slowly moving away out of habit.

"I promise no more." Bowser said as he grabbed Luigi's hand again, pulling out the remaining glass. "But I mean it. I don't care about a window, I'm used to my castle being destroyed by a plumber."

Luigi didn't say anything as he kept shaking. Bowser focuses on pulling out the glass from the block of wood that Luigi calls a hand.

"Your nastiness-"

"Bowser. Just Bowser."

"Bowser… it's pointless. You don't-"

"If you keep trying to tell me what to do, I'm going to lose my temper again," Bowser said, trying not to raise his voice again. Luigi shut his mouth again as Bowser worked with the tweezer to pull out the glass. Luigi watched, trying not to yank his hand away as he really didn't want Bowser to do this. It was pointless as the pain would have gone away at some point, then he would have just wiped the glass off, not like his body healed like it used to. As he watched, he also listened to Bowser's grumpy mumbling; it sounded like nonsense since Luigi didn't know what Bowser was saying, just that he was mad. When he finished both hands, Bowser pulled out two little bandages to wrap Luigi's hands.

"Thank you Bowser." Luigi said as Bowser finished wrapping his hands.

"I understand what it's like to be scared of ghosts. I was once controlled by one, both figurative and literally." As he put the kit away, Bowser said, "I know what it's like to have to fight your way out to escape, getting hurt in the process just to be safe. I don't want anyone to feel that way, even if you're just a toy." Soon he got up, picking up Luigi as he entered the destroyed sitting area. He opened the door to his room, placing Luigi outside so he could make his way to Kamek Tower.

"Bowser-"

"Only in private, Greenie. Off you go now." Bowser said, closing the door. Luigi stared at the door before looking at his hands. He was tempted to rip off the bandages, but he smiled at the fact that they were there. He walked down the hall, just a bit away from Bowser's doors, when he ran into Junior.

"Luigi! Are you okay?!" Junior asked as he saw his hands.

"I'm fine Junior, just cut myself when I was running is all." Luigi told him, "What are you doing over here?"

"I came to check on dad. I heard he was sad, so I wanted to cheer him up." Junior said. This gives Luigi an idea of how he can repay Bowser.

"Then why don't we do that together? We never got to make him any sugar plums, why don't we do that now?" Luigi asks as he grabs Junior's hand. Junior got excited about cooking something with Luigi for his dad. He picks Luigi up and places him on his shoulder.

"Yeah! Let's go work on that now!" He said as he ran down the hallway with Luigi.

Chapter Text

"What color should I use? A light yellow or yellow?" Junior as he looked up at Luigi, who was holding onto a paintbrush that was the same size as him.

"Well, I would say light yellow if you're using it for my skin but won't a light brown work better for wood?"

"Nope! I want to make sure that I get the right colors!" Junior told him. Luigi and Junior decided that they would have an "all-day sleepover" in his room today, so they were going to stay in his room all day. So far, they've slept in, played board games, and eaten sweets that Peach dropped off with Kamek, who ensured Junior ate his late breakfast. Lunch was a Peanut butter and Jelly sandwich cut in the shape of a Dry Bone skull. Junior found it really cute, while Luigi found it odd but was warming up to it as Junior enjoyed it. Right now, Luigi and Junior are doing portraits of each other. Junior was much faster and better than Luigi was; Luigi was still working on his first drawing while Junior was on his third one. Luigi wasn't in a hurry as he took his time, trying to not step in the wet paint as he lay it on the paper. However, since he was being careful with the drawing, he wasn't being that careful with the open paint, making himself fall backward in the red paint. Junior let out a laugh as Luigi got up, but he slipped from the paint that got on the bottom of his shoes, making him fall face-first into yellow paint.

"Hahaha, Look! You're a Koopa like me now!" Junior giggled at Luigi as he got up from the yellow that covered his whole front side now. Luigi wrapped the yellow from his eyes to see that he was dripping with the two colors.

"I guess I am!" Luigi said as he joined in on the laughter, feeling a mischievous grin come along, "And I want to give you a big hug."

"No!" Junior jokingly said as he got up on his feet. Luigi started to chase after him, Junior laughing as Luigi tried to keep up with him, leaving paint on the stone floors and always pretending to miss him when he got close. Soon Junior stops at the paint, dripping his hand into green and blue paint as Luigi jumps on his back, giving him a back hug while he avoids the spike on his shell.

"Hey!" Junior laughed as he painted himself.

"I gotcha ya!" Luigi giggled as he got off Junior, leaving a yellow paint of his entire body on his shell. When he moved to the front, he saw Junior putting light green on his arms. "What are you doing?"
"Body paint," Junior said, "If you're going to be a Koopa, I want to be you!"

"Junior, that is very sweet but this isn't the safest paint to put on your skin. How about we clean up then we'll cut up some green bed sheets and make you a costume?" Luigi suggested, trying to not get Junior to give himself lead poisoning.

"Can we make one for you too? With a Koopa shell like mine?" Junior asks as Luigi pulls him toward the bathroom.

"Sure we can; now go take a bath," Luigi told him.

"Okay! I'll be out soon," and off he went in. Luigi returned to where they were painting and grabbed the napkins they were using for the paintbrush, cleaning himself the best he could. Once he knew that he wouldn't ruin any of the paintings, Luigi started to tidy up a bit. He picked up his portrait of Junior, which had a few yellow footprints on it, moving it underneath Junior's window to let it dry on the floor. When he went to grab Junior's painting that he did of Luigi, the first one was a full-body drawing of Luigi holding the paintbrush. Luigi smiled at it and decided he wanted it by his little room. He put the picture in his mouth and started to climb the nightstand; once at the top, he placed the painting down before jumping down again. The second painting was just a painting of Luigi's head with a big smile. Luigi giggled a little as he thought he was smiling that big; He did the same thing again by going up and jumping down to grab the last drawing.

The last drawing was actually a drawing of a family. It had Bowser holding Peach's hand while Kamke held Bowser's other hand on his right. In the middle between Bowser and Peach was Junior, and it looked like he was hugging Luigi. It had everyone smiling, and at the very top, between the corner sun and the tree in the background, it said 'My Family' written in green. Luigi felt warmth from the fact Junior added him to the drawing, feeling the tear build from the amount of joy he was feeling. He let out a laugh, he shouldn't be tearing up, but boy, he couldn't help it; Junior's small actions were so pure and genuine that they made Luigi forget that he was a nutcracker. Luigi's smile grew as he ran his hand over the painting, tracing everyone individually. Kamek, Bowser, Junior, himself, and Peach. When he traced Peach, a strange feeling started to creep in. It was odd and wrong, like he should feel guilty for having this feeling.

He covers her with his hand, reading 'My Family' and only showing the four of them. Luigi liked how much better it looked without her in the drawing, but he felt guilty for doing it. So he covers himself and reads 'My Family' with Peach in the photo. This upset him; everyone always wanted Peach. Luigi gasped in shock at his own thoughts; Peach was his friend, and she had done nothing wrong but show kindness to him. But, the more and more he looked at her in this drawing, the more and more he felt like he was angry?

Peach always wanted everyone to like her, but Luigi always saw everyone pick her. When Mario became her knight in shining armor, it felt like he would drop everything with him to go save her. Mario was friendly to at least finish Luigi's food or finish the small thing they were working on together before running off. Daisy would do the same thing, but when Peach came running, Daisy would leave with her - not even a goodbye as Luigi waited for Daisy. And with Bowser -Bowser loves her and wants her to be by his side, to be the mother that Junior never got. Everyone seemed to pick her as he stood by the sidelines; he didn't know why he felt like this; he's done the same things. Luigi has left Mario without saying a word, and he has tried to hurry up the little things to help Daisy in her need. He was at fault for the same things, but it felt like it was always once in a blue moon when that happened, and he always made it up to them. With Peach, everyone would willingly do it in a heartbeat, not thinking of the person they left to help her. That was when Luigi had thought, was this feeling of anger, he was feeling jealousy actually - was he jealous of Peach?

When he moved his hand to show all five of them again, he felt the ache in his chest. He was jealous of her, and he didn't know why.

"Oh! Hehe, what do you think of the drawing, Luigi?" Junior asked as he came out of the bathroom; his hair was still wet as he saw the drawing in Luigi's hands. Luigi was glad his back was towards the bathroom; he feared Junior had seen his upset face.

"It's lovely, Junior. Thank you!" Luigi smiled, "Do you think you can help me put it up on the wall?"

"Yeah!" Junior said as he picked Luigi up and put him on the nightstand. He opens the top drawer and pulls out a few things. One of them was a music box that caught Luigi's eyes.

"What's that Junior?"

"Oh! I asked Kamek to make me this back when you broke your arm. Look," Junior said as he opened it; inside was a short version of Luigi with his name on the bottom of the lid and all sorts of things. It had the Dark Moon piece that shined so bright from the last time Luigi saw it, small drawings of things that Junior and Luigi had done together like baking and dancing, and recipes on index cards; the sugar plum recipe having a superstar on it with 'my favorite candy' underneath. "These are all my memories and treasures of what we have done together. Even the song that plays is the first time I tried Ballet too!"

Junior told him as he twisted the key in the music box; once he stopped, little Luigi started to spin as the music played. Luigi watched it while Junior put the paintings on the wall; Luigi couldn't believe the small details that Junior had put into the music box just for himself. When he pulled away, he saw the drawing all hanging up, including his.

"That looks perfect," Luigi told Junior as he held his head high.

"I know! Now, let's play dress up!" Junior said as he moved to his closest

"Okay, but dry your hair first! It's still wet!" Luigi said as he jumped down to follow him.

---------------------------------------

"I can't believe you ruined good bed sheets," Kamek said as he sat on the floor, sewing the sleeves to Junior's shirt. "You could have called me and I could have gotten fabric."

"But we didn't want to ruin the surprises!" Junior said as he glued some cardboard to make a half sphere.

"More like we were in the moment, I'm sorry Kamek." Luigi said, marking out the fabric to be cut out.

"I'm just glad that I came to check in on you two before you try to cut up the blue sheets to make overall. I swear, you two are going to be the death of me."

"I think dad is going to do that first!" Junior joke, Luigi letting out a giggle.

"Yeah yeah yeah, laugh it up. At least I'm not part of this, I certainly don't want to be a plumber."

"Being a plumber is a honest job," Luigi snap at him.

"Yeah!" Junior agrees just to side with Luigi, "Beside, you would be Peach!"

"Wait, I have to wear the dress?!"

"Yeah! You already wore one on a daily basis." Junior told him; Luigi couldn't help but start laughing.

"It's called a robe and you know it, mister!" Kamek scolded Junior, and he started laughing too. "What about Luigi? He can wear a dress this time around."

"Oh no, I'm already going to be Junior by painting myself yellow. I'm not wearing a dress." Luigi as he calms himself down.

"No, you're going to dress up as Dad now! That way you can hold Peach's hand!"

"If that's the case why am I working on a green shirt!? Are you going to be Mario?"

"No way! I don't want to be that short plumber! I want to be Luigi!" Junior said as he pouted, "Mario always ruins our fun…."

Luigi and Kamek both share a look at his comment. Kamek nodded his head to Junior so that Luigi could come up with an idea, or he offered to wear a dress.

"How about this then Junior," Luigi said as he got up and walked over to him. "How about we just keep it between us? I'll be you, and you'll be me. After all, Peach and your dad don't know about me."

"I guess…but I want Kamek to join in on this too."

"This old Koopa is missing his nap right now; I don't need to dress up." Kamek said, yawning, "I would be done by now if you had let me use my magic."

"It's funner to make it, though!" Junior said, finishing the Koopa shell for Luigi.

"It really is, I'm having a blast." Luigi said as he let Junior put the shell on his back to see where the steps needed to be.

"Even so, you'll never finish today. Come over here, Junior; let's try on the shirt." Kamek said as Junior put down the fake shell. He tried on the shirt; it was baggy, and one of the sleeves was longer than the other. It didn't help that the sleeve that Kamak was sewing came undone, leaving the bed street lying on Junior's arm.

"Sewing isn't your thing is it?" Luigi told him.

"Nope, it is not my thing. But this is," Kamek said as he pulled out his wand, with a wave and magic surrounding Junior; not only did the green shirt fit him now, but he had the overall, a set of white gloves, and a green hat with the JR on it. "There you go, now your Luigi."

"No I'm not."

"What do you mean?"

"What about the mustache?" Junior said as he pointed at his little muzzle. Kamek smirked as he waved his wand again, a tiny little mustache made out of cardboard now on his muzzle. "There, happy?"

"Very much. How do I look?" Junior said as he put his hand in an L shape under his chin.

"Like twins," Luigi jokes, copying him.

"Now for you Lu-" but before he could finish, a loud bang went off, with a roar following it. Kamek didn't wait as he puffed himself out of there.

"Hey! Wait for us!" Junior said as he picked up Luigi.

"Ah! Wait, Junior!" Luigi yelled as Junior ran down the hall.

"No time to wait! What if Dad's in trouble!?"

"That's why we shouldn't be going! What if you get hurt!?" Luigi said, trying to stop him.

"I'm not scared of anything! Besides, if my dad is fighting for our home - I'm going to do the same thing!" Junior said as he kept running to the sound of roaring.

Chapter Text

"Any sight of her?" Daisy asks as she returns to the base floor, where the boys are also returning.

"Nothing," Waluigi said as he sat on some rubble. They were currently in the Shifting Sand Land, looking inside the old pyramid. Mario and the rest of them have been traveling to as many kingdoms as possible to look for Peach, yet they still haven't found her.

"Well she has to be somewhere! Look, how about we look in the Ice Country next? Or check out Dinosaur Island?" Mario suggested.

"Oh for crying out loud!" Wario said, turning to Mario, "can we just stop with the wild goose chase and check out the Darklands! We all know that she's there!"

"We don't know that!" Mario yelled back.

"I think you just don't want to admit that she ran to Bowser!" Daisy said, standing by Wario's side. Waluigi was going to stay out of this, but boy, did he wish he had some popcorn to watch this with.

"She would never do that! Not after all he puts her thought! Being locked up, her kingdom being destroyed, and the awful way he flirted with her! Have you heard some of the pick up lines he uses on her?"

"Yet she's not anywhere she likes to go to. She's not anywhere she would be held captive. Where else would she be?!" Daisy yelled back at Mario. Mario was in denial; he knew that Peach would never do that. But the more and more they look, he knows deep down that it may be true. Sure, Peach and he fought like an average couple, but the fact that she went to another man, his own enemy, hurt him so deeply that he wanted to cry. He held back his tears, he wasn't going to admit that she willingly went with Bowser, nor would he let Daisy and those two crooks see him breakdown for a second time.

"I still think we should check-" Mario started but stopped when he heard crying. Everyone started to look around till Waluigi pointed out a Boo. Wario quickly went over to the crying Boo.

"Hey, why are you here?!" Wario yelled out as if he was going to fight it. The Boo didn't move or turn to face Wario; it just started talking.

"I-I'm hiding. That meanie chase me out of the pyramid…I was only trying to help...."

"Help? Who were you trying to help?" Waluigi said, thinking that this was a bit fishy.

"The princess…Princess Peach…she begged everyone to help her."

"Peach?!" Mario said, running over to the Boo, standing next to Wario, "Where is she?!"

"You miss her…she was here but was taken back to Bowser castle in the Darkland…I tried to save her but I couldn't. Not with that spell he has on her."

"What spell? What did that monster do to her!" Mario shouted, his anger blinding his reason.

"Well, before they left, she was…enjoying his company," Boo said. Mario's blood boiled at those last words. He knew that Peach would never go with him willingly, and now Bowser would pay for it. He ran out of the pyramid without missing a beat, leaving the other behind. Daisy also ran out when she heard this, her blood boiling just as much as the Koopas went this low. Wario chases after the two while Waluigi stays back a little. He looked at the Boo, hoping that something would change, but it kept crying. He had no choice but to leave to not fall back too far, but this didn't seem right.

Once the four humans were gone, the Boo stopped crying and laughed.

"That was way too easy, hehe." The Boo said as it started to leave, "oh King Boo is going to be so happy. That hot head of a plumber is going to make a mess! Haha!"

That was almost three weeks ago, and the group of four was standing outside of Bowser Castle, watching the Koopa guard it. Mario was just going to run in like he always did, but they stopped him from doing such a thing. He was mad that they stopped him but calmed down when they explained that they needed to go this quietly as possible to not scare Peach if what the Boo said was true. So Waluigi was in charge, making them all lay low for the time being.

"When can we go in?" Mario asks as he keeps his eyes on the castle. They were waiting for hours, and he was ready to move.

"You see where those guards are passing by?" Waluigi pointed to one of the Castle walls, "The guards are just using it as a walkway. We'll jump over it once it clears from the bottom and top." Mario nodded as they watched. Once the top was clear, Waluigi made them move closer to the wall to do this faster. This waiting made Mario antsy, but he knew it would be harder to save Peach if he ran in there now. Once the bottom was clear, Mario was the first to run over to the wall; he looked up, wondering how he was going to jump up there.

"Wait Mario!" Daisy said in a loud whisper. Mario turns to them to see Waluigi lock his fighter together.

"Once you're up there, drop down some rope. Don't run off," Waluigi told him.

"And you better listen, Mario!" Daisy added. Mario nods at the two before he gets his foot up in Waluigi's hand. With a boost from Waluigi, Mario jumps to the top of the wall, looking to see if any Koopa are around. When it was clear, he looked for some rope. It was short, but it was enough to grab with a jump. He helped the others up individually, Waluigi being the last one, as he led them down the castle wall.

It was odd to Mario as he sneaked around the castle, it wasn't his first stealth mission, but it was the first time he did this in Bowser Castle. Waluigi took them down hallways, stopping or making them hide as Koopa passed them. Soon they passed by the garden, and Mario took the opportunity to grab a fire flower. He uses it to have it ready, even though he is now in white, making it easier to be spotted. As they came to a crossroads, Waluigi turned left.

"Where are you going?" Mario whispered as the three started to go left.

"To get Peach! Now come on!" Wario whispers back.

"But the throne room is on the right! She would be there."

"And the dungeons are on the left! If she locked up then she would be there!"

"That just shows you don't know anything about how Bowser likes to keep her locked up." Mario said as he didn't keep his voice low, "I'm going to save her, and nothing is going to stop me - not even you, Wario!'

Mario soon ran down the hallway, the other trying to stop him in his recklessness. Lucky for them, there were no guards down this hallway as Mario slammed the door open into the third room. He gasps as he sees Peach and Bowser sitting next to each other, holding each other's hands as they turn to look at Mario. The others soon came into view and witnessed the same thing, all of them gasping as Peach got up, Bowser following after her.

"What are you guys doing here?!" Peach asks as she looks worried.

"We're here to save you!" Daisy yelled.

"And it looks like we were just in time! That Boo was right! They put a spell on you!" Wario said as Waluigi nodded.

"Spell? No, you have it all wrong!" Peach said, trying to explain what was happening. "I and Bowser have this arrangement that we were talking about. We were just talking about how we should change it after all these years since we're friends now."

"She's right, and you shouldn't trust the Boos! They-" Bowser added as he got cut off by Mario.

"Friends?! Arrangement?! What are you talking about?! Have you forgotten what he had done to you? To the Mushroom kingdom? Who are his allies and all the trouble they cause us?!" Mario said.

"As much as I dislike Mario, he has a point." Wario added, "Bowser is clearly using you. Making you like him to get what he wants, how is this not a spell?!"

"I haven't forgotten anything!" Peach yells, "Sure there's something I can't forgive him for but that doesn't mean that I haven't gotten to know him! I'm not under a spell and this arrangement isn't something we just made up right now! This has been going on for years!"

"YEARS?!" they all said in shock.

"Peach, why didn't you tell us?" Daisy asked, "is he blackmailing you or something?!"

"No one is doing such a thing!" Bowser yelled at them for all these accusations they were making, his anger starting to come along.

"Stupid up!" Mario yells back, "you have no right in any of this!"

"No right? NO RIGHT?! THIS INVOLVES ME AND PEACH! NOT SOME PROBLEMATIC PLUMBER!" Bowser roars as he starts to see red. He wanted to fight, but soon, he felt Peach lightly touch his arm. She clearly didn't want this to become a brawl, making him look down for a few seconds.

"That's rich coming from a MONSTER! Daisy grabs Peach!" Mario ordered as he sent a fireball right at Bowser. It caught him off guard as the fireball hit his head; it didn't burn or sting, but it made him sore, as if he got punched in the face. Daisy ran to grab Peach while Wario and Waluigi helped Mario. When Bowser looked back up from being blinded, he saw Wario coming from the right and Waluigi from the left. He twists his body so Waluigi can hit his shell, stopping Wario's punch from reaching his stomach. This didn't stop Waluigi as he used the ground to jump over Bowser and landed a hit on his head, making him let go of Wario's hand. Mario also jumps in and kicks Bowser into his throne, causing it to break and his necklace to shatter.

Now this was pissing him off. He got up, growling at this outrage. Once up, he took a deep breath before letting his row of fireballs at the three of them. They all took cover till the fireballs died out, and when Mario came out to attack, he didn't realize a chuck of stone was coming at him. It hit him, making him lose the Firepower as Bowser grabbed another chunk of his broken thorn to throw at him again. However, Wario and Waluigi came back and did their attack again, hitting Bowser in the stomach. He drops the stance as he binds over, Wario and Waluigi grabbing a horn of Bowser and throwing him in the center of the room. Mario pushed the boulder off of him as it cashed louder than he thought; Bowser lying in front of him as he moved over to where he was.

When Kamek appeared in the throne room, he saw the three humans surrounding Bowser as he tried to get up. Without hesitation, Kamek started to levitate some of the pieces of the broken stone from the throne, and he threw one at Waluigi, making them all turn to him.

"You lay another hand on his nastiness, and I'll make sure that you'll all end up more broken than that chair." Kamek threatened as he raised the boulder again. Wario and Waluigi soon shared a look before grinding.

"Gladly. After all, the Koopa we need just shows up." Wario said as Waluigi started to run toward him. Kamek and Mario were confused, but that didn't stop Kamek from throwing boulders at the two. Mario puts two and two together and thinks this is a bad idea, but he stoops down to their level if the Magikoopa can get rid of the spell on Peach. While Wario and Waluigi had his attention, Mario got behind him, jumping up to grab his broomstick. Kamek was taken back then on the ground as Waria took a rock and hit him in the head. Kamek was knocked out cold. Waluigi grabbed the old Koopa and headed to the door, the other following after him as Bowser worked on getting up.

-----------------------

"Daisy, would you stop running!" Peach said as she pulled back on her hand, getting it free from Daisy.

"Peach, you're my best friend. Whatever is going on- spell, blackmail, or something more serious- tell me." Daisy said with worry in her voice. Peach got mad at this. If this was back after the two weeks she first got here, she could have thought that the Koopa had put a spell on her without knowing, but it's been two months. She had been at the castle for two months to visit the different villages and landmarks in the Darklands, joining in on family activities like picnics or music night with Bowser and Junior - sometimes Kamek, and getting to know Bowser and reworking future plans. It's like he had slowly turned into a better person over the last two months, and the fact that no one wants to listen is also pissing her off.

"For stars sake! Would you just listen to me! Bowser isn't doing anything wrong!" Peach yelled, "I came here after Mario and I got into a fight once we got back to the Mushroom kingdom. I couldn't be near him so I left and since you were mad at me for not forcing Mario harder to apologize to Wario I know that I couldn't go to you. Bowser took me in after needing some space."

"Then why didn't you send word to anyone? Why make us worry if you were safe?!"

"For this reason alone! You accuse Bowser of blackmailing me, of hurting me, and putting a spell on me! You can't lie to me and say that if I wrote to you saying that I was with Bowser that you won't tell Mario and tell him to come get me!" Peach said as Daisy lowered her head at the truth. "I know that this is hard to believe but I am fine."

"But-" Daisy started but was cut off by a small voice.

"Hey! Leave Mama alone!" Junior yells as the two princesses turn their heads at him and Luigi. Daisy started to get a headache as her eyes landed on Luigi while Peach's eyes widened. She remembered the little toy Junior liked to talk to as if he was a person when she checked on him in his room, but she didn't know that it could move. Meanwhile, Daisy was losing the headaches, looking up to see Junior and a shy green guy beside him. She knew those two couldn't hurt them, but she didn't want to fight a kid; she didn't mind kicking the shy guy, though.

"Junior, I don't think it's a good idea to be here!" Luigi said as he could hear the angry roaring. Peach and Daisy gasp at him. They didn't know that he could talk too. That's when Mario came from behind them, Wario and Waluigi following while Kamek was in Waluigi's arms.

"Grandpa!" Junior said, pulling an angry face. The three boys couldn't focus as they got their own headaches, Luigi pulling a worried look as he knew what was happening. Peach and Daisy check on the boys, turning their back to them, Junior is going to run at them, but Luigi stops him.

"Luigi!"

"You can't stop them Junior, it's five against one. Not to mention that they are way too big for you."

"But what about Grandpa? What are we going to do?" Junior said, looking back at them, Luigi doing the same thing. That's when he saw some old and decayed statues with axes next to the group and gulped. He had to make a choice and quickly; help Junior get Kamek by hurting his brother and friends or let them go and let them take Kamek, the one person that could help him break his curse. He looked at Mario, who was already beaten up; he must have fought Bowser before looking back at Junior and his worried face. He looked like he was about to cry. Luigi caved when he saw that; Junior had made a choice for him, and he hoped that Mario could forgive him.

"Get ready to get Kamek, okay?!" Luigi said as Junior just nodded. They didn't notice as Luigi ran to the statue and climbed it. Junior started to see what he was doing and went to the other statue so the group could keep their eyes on him. At the statue's hand, Luigi started to kick at the ax handle, making it move slowly. Peach looked up at Luigi, seeing what he was doing, but she heard Junior before she could say anything.

"Leave my family alone!" Junior said, breaking the statue's arm to let the long ax fall down on them. Peach grabs Mario and Daisy just as Daisy pushes Wario and Waluigi out of the way. Junior jumped between them as Luigi broke the ax in half, falling next to Junior. It was heavy, but Junior grabbed it and dragged it over to Waluigi, who looked up to see Junior and a Boo with a hat. His eyes went while Junior barely left the stone ax over his head and brought it down, Waluigi letting go of Kamek and rolling out of the way. Luigi jumped on his head, blinding Waluigi with his hat as Junior picked up Kamek and ran down the hallway. Luigi let go as he followed Junior, Waluigi giving him an angry face as he got to his feet.

"Junior, hide!" Luigi told him as he pointed at a door that was left open. Junior listened, got in quickly, and shut it; Luigi kept running as he looked back to see Wario and Waluigi running after him. Good, they were running after him; now he just needs no one to come out of nowhere that would attack them so he can lead them outside. Luigi leads them to the closest exit he knows, but when he turns the corner, he sees a pissed-off Bowser that just spotted him.

"Your nastiness, I-it's not what it looks like," Luigi said as he saw the two out of the corner of his eyes, but when he took a closer look at Bowser, he saw him shut his eyes and grab his head. Please don't tell me it's happening again, Luigi thought as he looked down for Bowser's necklace. It was gone, and what he said next sent shivers down his spine.

"Mario"

"Not again!" Luigi shouted as he ran back from where he came from, straight towards Wario and Waluigi. Wario and Waluigi grind as they see the Boo go towards them but soon have their grins ripped off as they know why the Boo is running back. They turned around and ran, too, as Bowser shot fire at them.

"Turn left! Turn left!" Luigi yelled at the two in front of him looking back, Bowser running after them. Luckily they listen and turn left, but Luigi turns right. He didn't need to look back as he heard Bowser roaring at him to stop running away, but he wasn't going to let him rip his arm off again.

"Kamek! Kamek! A little help here!" Luigi yells in the open as he watches out for lava, hoping he is awake by now.

"HOW DARE YOU CALL OUT TO KAMEK! DO YOU REALLY THINK HE'LL HELP YOU AFTER YOU GANG UP ON ME, YOU COWARD!" Bowser roars as he stops and grabs a statue nearby. He held it and threw it towards Luigi.

Mario! What did you do this time?! Luigi thought as he saw a shadow get bigger and bigger over him; he looked up to see that statue coming down. He jumps out of the way just in time to see it break, Bowser running and getting too close for comfort. Luigi started to run again; think Luigi! What would Mario do right now!? He knew the answer to that, Mario would fight, but Luigi wasn't going to fight Bowser. The next idea was to insult him, but he was already mad and didn't want Bowser's next attack to be fire-breathing. Outrun him? Trick him? Trap him? Everything that popped into his head worsened as he couldn't think of an excellent way to escape this. At this rate, he had to do this his own way.

"Look Bowser, I know what I did was stupid-!"

"Stupid?! What you did was infuriating and insulting! And to add on top of it, you took Kamek!" Bowser snarls as he tries to claw at Luigi. Luigi groaned at this; what did Mario do besides fight Bowser that got him this mad.

"Can you blame me, though?! You're my nemesis! I'm going to think that you did something wrong!" Luigi said, trying to act like his brother, hoping that Bowser could give him more light on this as he turned the corner.

"Accusing me of blackmailing and putting a spell on Peach is something I would never do to her! And you telling me that MY BUSINESS WITH HER IS NONE OF MY RIGHT!? I'M GOING TO RIP YOU APART MARIO!" Bowser said as he sent a breath of fire to Luigi.

"AH!" Luigi said as he moved out of the way, finding himself in the hallway that led to the garden. Bowser wouldn't use his fire in the garden, and now he didn't want to be Mario, so he was going to do what he did best; hide. Running into the garden, Luigi jumped into the first flower bush that came into sight. It was a rose bush, and the thorns poked him as he descended. He held his breath when he heard Bowser calling out Mario's name and calling him a coward, as he could feel Bowser stomping closer and closer to him. Bowser wouldn't burn down the garden, would he?

"Dad!" Junior yells with tears in his eyes, which gives Luigi a sigh of relief. He couldn't see what was happening, but just the sound of Junior's voice could tell he was crying.

"Junior? What- KAMEK!" Bowser yells as Luigi hears him stomp away from him.

"H-he's going to be okay, right dad?" Junior sounded sacred as the sound of silence fell for a moment.

"He is Junior. Just out cold," Bowser said as he let out a sigh. "Come here Junior. Everything is okay now."

Luigi steps out of the bush to take a quick look at what's going on. Bowser still looked pissed off as he stared at the ground, Junior hugging him while Bowser held him and Kamek, who was out cold, in his other arm. Luigi knew he should be glad that Mario and the others got away, but he felt so angry at them for doing this. He knew that if he went after them right now, they wouldn't remember a thing, but that didn't mean he would let this happen again. Sneaking out of the garden, Luigi went to Kamek's tower. Peach had her necklace when she was with Daisy, meaning she'll remember him the next time she comes back, but not the other. He needs the others to remember, and he will ensure they do. He just hopes he can make it in time.

Carrying a gem wasn't hard, but taking four downstairs was heavy. He was lucky that the Koopa troops had attacked Mario at the front gate when they tried to leave that way. He saw the Troop picking themselves up when he got there, running past them till he was on the drawbridge. Halfway through, he saw the group taking a break as they looked beaten up; he dropped the gems on the bridge and yelled.

"PEACH!" this got their attractions - the only one who didn't hear him was Mario.

"What does that sky guy want?" Daisy asks as she sees a shy guy jumping and yelling at Peach.

"Shy guy? Love, that a boo yelling," Wario said as Waluigi nodded.

"You two must have hit your head, that's a shy guy."

"I must be really messed up then," Mario said, "I don't see or hear anything."

While all three of them help Mario, Peach moves over to Luigi.

"What are you?" Peach asked as she bent down to look at him.

"There's no time for that. Look Peach, I don't have time and Mario needs some help. Please can you have them wear these?" Luigi said as he didn't give much explanation. He moves the gems over to Peach, who picks one up.

"Wait, do you seriously just want me to trust you? Who even are you?! How do you even know my name?! What do these gems do?!" Peach asks, not trusting an odd toy. What if this thing was a trap? What if Bowser had been using this the whole time? That thought made her mad. Was Bowser spying on her? Is that why she felt that he was becoming a better person? Luigi saw her face change from confusion to anger before returning to confusion.

"I'm nobody," Luigi told her, which took her aback. "My only job is to take care of Junior, the nanny to say. Junior doesn't like nanny so they made me. A toy that talks back to him and takes care of him. Look, Junior loves you, but he's not some dumb kid. He knows that you can't stay, he knows that you're not his real mom, and he knows that when Mario comes, that will be the end of his fantasize of having a normal family."

Peach pulls a sad face when she hears that. After all, she knows that Bowser and herself just change a few things about the arrangement. Like no more kidnapping, as well as if Peach stays in the Darklands longer than two weeks, she can have anyone and whatever many people she wants to come with her. Meaning that Mario could come and stay there too; that is, if he behaved since Bowser would still have the right to kick him out if he caused trouble.

"But still, what do these gems do?" she asks, still not trusting him. She even looks back to see that Mario is in bad shape and that they need to leave now.

"Nothing, they were going to be turned into gifts once you left to give to Mario and the others," Luigi lied; he just needed her to give them the gems so they could remember him. "It was a work in progress. Since no one knew what your friends liked, they were going to make them jewelry. Peach, I don't care if you trust me or like me. But believe me when I say this: Junior is already sad that you're leaving, don't break his heart by not coming back. The last two months have been such joy for him; I would hate to see him lose it."

Luigi pushes the gems toward her again; Peach picks them up this time. They were small in her hand, but they would work. They both share a look of worry and sadness. Peach didn't trust this thing; he's been around Junior this whole time, and he could have hurt him. Meanwhile, Luigi was worried that Peach wouldn't give his brother the gem; he needed her to provide Mario with the gem no matter what.

"Peach!" Daisy calls out, making Peach stand and face them, "Hurry up!"

"One second!" she yelled back, but when she turned around, Luigi was gone. She looked around but didn't see him. She held onto the gems as she ran back to the group. Luigi pops out from under her dress, watching her and the others leave. Luigi couldn't help but lift his hand and wave, hoping one of them would turn and wave back.

Sadly, no one did.

Chapter Text

The next morning, Kamek woke up with a splitting headache and Luigi beside him.

"Ow, what happened?" Kamek asks Luigi as he gets up to move closer to him.

"Oh good, you're awake, Junior was worried sick about you." Luigi started, "but Mario and a few others attack to get Peach back and it looks like they took you too. From what I managed to get from Bowser chasing me, Mario thought that a spell was on Peach, which is why they took you too."

"That sounds about right…goodness my head is killing me…"

"That's because you were unconscious for most of the afternoon and last night. I think Junior is still in bed when I came to check on you this morning…." Luigi explained.

"And Bowser? If I remember correctly, Bowser was lying in the throne room."

"Not anymore; he went on a rampage chasing after Mario- after me. This necklace came off of him." Luigi told him as he pushed a bowl of soup beside him, "You should also have something to eat before you do anything else."

"I don't have time for that," Kamek said, getting up and heading towards the door.

"Kamek, you shouldn't move right away! It’s not good for your health…" Luigi said as he watched Kamek ignore him as he left him in the tower alone. Oh boy, Luigi thought as he knew this would be a long day. Luigi felt that it was best to stay with Junior, as Junior was also in a sad mood before he left him this morning. When he got back, Junior was still in bed. Yes, it was indeed going to be a long day.

The next three days were difficult. Most of the Koopas were sore from the fighting, and most did not want to be near the throne room right now. Kamek had ordered that they fix the third room before they did anything else that needed to be fixed. However, Bowser had been yelling at everyone to stop working on it and get the battleship ready. At the same time, Kamek kept telling them to fix the room before listening to Bowser. It caused a lot of confusion, Koopas, and many more fights between everyone, especially between Bowser and Kamek. Luigi mostly stayed out of this as he only checked in on Kamek and Junior; he was afraid that Bowser still didn't have the necklace back.

It was only on the second day did he spot Bowser and Kamek yelling at each other that he saw the necklace back on him, this time in the shade of a light green and not red. That's when Luigi started to check on him, but it was hard to get close to him as Bowser was breaking everything that he could find. He caused more trouble and worked for the Koopas, who had to rebuild the castle. Bowser keeps yelling at them to stop fixing the castle and get ready to go to the Mushroom Kingdom. Luigi had gotten close enough to call out to him, but Bowser ignored him, curing under his breath about how he was going to kill Mario.
He started worrying about the three as Kamek looked weaker by the second every time he checked on him, refusing to sit and rest as he left his food untouched. Bowser won't stop yelling and breaking things, and Luigi starts to get scared of him again, but he still wants to help him. But the real fear was when Junior stayed in bed the whole time.

"Come on Junior! You've been in bed all day! It's not healthy for you to be in bed like this! Especially if you've been in bed for the last two days too!" Luigi said as he pulled on his bedsheets. Junior just pulls them over his head again, making Luigi fall over.

"I don't wanna… what's the point when mama isn't here?" Junior said as Luigi got up.

"Junior, this isn't the first time that Peach has gotten saved by Mario. I've seen you jump right back up afterward."

"But Mama hasn't been here this long!" Junior told him, throwing the cover off himself as he sat up in bed, staring at Luigi. "Mama was happy here! And the stupid plumber took her away again!"

"Junior, Peach has a home that she needs to go back to. It's-"

"This is her home!" Junior cut him off, "the plan was working! We were helping Dad and Mama to be happy together and it was going so well too!"

"But Junior, you have to remember that we promise that if they can't be more than friends we have to stop. You can't force someone to love you if they don't want to."

Junior just let out a frustrated Ah, as if he was about to throw a full-blown tantrum like all kids do when mad.

"I wish Mama was always here!" Junior yelled out as he hit the bed.

"Everyone gets one wish, Junior. I already told you this, Junior." Luigi said, trying to keep his voice calm and reasonable.

"Then I wished I should have used my wish on that instead of you!" Junior yelled in his face, covering himself up once more. He let out a soft cry as Luigi stood there in shock. He felt the wave of ache in his chest, the same one he had felt since Peach showed up, as tears built up. Luigi kept his tears back as the sadness took over, slowly walking to the edge of the bed and jumping off to leave the room. That was the last straw for Luigi, he couldn't lose someone to Peach again, and he wasn't going to lose the one good thing that had happened to him in years. He opened the door with the string and headed to Kamek Tower. Kamek was the best person to ask for help since Bowser was still pissed off and would probably listen to him better.

As he went, he saw many more Koopas around; most were just irritated or stressed from Bowser and Kamek fighting and those giving them mixed orders. It was a good thing as they opened the doors for him as they walked through without them noticing him, and a few were visiting Kamek, so this made his mission easier. Once inside, he waited till Kamek was done fighting with a Spiny Shell Koopa about how Kamek should just listen to Bowser and Kamek telling him to get out before he turned him into a Buzzy Beetle. The Spiny Shell Koopa only listened to him after he called Kamek a few rude names and slammed the door behind him, leaving Kamek with a headache. Luigi waited for him to sit down before coming up to him.

"Kamek, I know this is bad timing but-" Luigi started but was cut off by Kamek.

"Go away, Luigi," Kamek said, rubbing his head.

"Please Kamek, I need your help! Junior is crying his eyes out and isn't getting out of bed! He needs an adult that he'll listen to!"

"Then get his father!" Kamek said, getting up and walking away from Luigi as he held his head, "I swear I have to do everything around here… Can't I get a few days off? That son of a Goomba had a mean throw…."

Luigi got annoyed at his reaction. He knew that Kamek needed rest, but Luigi also needed help.

"Kamek, you're not any better yourself right now!" Luigi starts when he knows Kamek hasn't taken care of himself either. "When have you eaten anything in the last three days?! How much have you slept?! I know there are bags under those glasses!" Luigi soon tries to get Kamek to stop and look at him, "I can only do so much right now."

"Not my problem. My problem is Bowser and how he plans to attack the Mushroom Kingdom over this. I swear, this is why I think you should just get him to fall in love with you! Peach isn't worth my boy's love; it would save me from this headache!" Kamek rented.

"Not this again! Kamek, I'm not falling in love with him, and he's not falling in love with me! Right now, the best we got is a friend thing going on- nothing more!" Luigi told him as a wave of pain returned after hearing Peach's name again. It's been three days. She has been gone longer; why are they making a big deal about this? He wanted them to just stop.

"Then you're out of luck! I'm not in the mood or have the energy to help take care of another child throwing a tantrum, while I try to calm down the King in his!" Kamek said as he pulled out his wand, "I need to work on these spell and get everything ready for Bowser, and you coming in here to ask me to take care of myself and Junior is something I can't do right now, especially since I'm also trying to fix the throne room and fighting with Bowser about it!"

"I understand that you busy but you shouldn't throw your health away for-"

"Would you be quiet?! You raising your voice isn't helping my head. You're just like Mario! Annoying and loud. You never learn when to drop the topic, and keep pushing it! How about you bug someone else, I got work to do!" Kamek said as he waved his wand to do as he said he would.

"Kamek-" But Kamek just turned to the hurt Luigi and teleported him away. Luigi ended up outside Bowser's room, getting mad about this. Mad and hurt. First, Junior wishes that Peach was here, and now Kamek is comparing him to Mario. He took a deep breath, they're one more hope, and that was Bowser.

When the sound of yelling and smashing came from the room, Luigi could tell that he was in there. He wondered how he would open the massive door in front of him, but his problem was solved when he saw a green Koopa shell break through the door, creating a hole for him to go in. With one last deep breath, he took all the courage he had to walk in and spot Bowser. Seeing the back of a giant Koopa that was picking up a round table and bringing it back down to smash it made him want to run away. Still, he was doing this for Junior and Kamek. He was just going to ignore his fear that screamed for him to run.

"Y-y-your nastiness?" Luigi said in a loud, timid voice. He had hoped to say that in more of a confident voice, but it's the best he got right now when facing an angry Bowser.

"What!" Bowser yelled as he turned around, he thought it was another Koopa going to ask him about the broken doors and walls he was breaking, but all he saw was a sacred Greenie. He rolled his eyes when he spotted him; why was the annoying toy bothering him right now?!

"B-Bowser, we need to talk about your-"

"About my what?! My anger?! My decision to focus on an attack on the Mushroom Kingdom?! My fights with Kamek?! WHAT DO YOU WANT TO TALK ABOUT?!" Bowser yells at Luigi. Just looking at him was pissing him off; he looked so much like Mario. Why did Kamek have to make him look like Mario?!

“A-a-about you s-son…” Luigi said as he had put his arms up to cover himself when Bowser yelled at him. He slowly lowered his arms and continued, "H-he's been in beds for days. He-"

"Get Kamek to check on him, I have an army to take care of." he tells Luigi as he turns his back on him.

"B-Bowser, I really think you should-"

"Are you telling me what to do?!" Bowser raised his voice in anger.

"NO! Not at all, I'm just suggesting that you talk to him…do a little check in?" Luigi said, hoping that he'll listen.

"Look, if this is about Peach, Junior can hold off for a few more days. I will make all his dreams come true by marching over to the Mushroom Kingdom. He'll finally get his wish granted of having a mama," Bowser said, not looking at Luigi. Honestly, Luigi was glad that Bowser wasn't looking at him. He was upset that they went on about this again, talking about Peach. He couldn't get upset right now, even if the aching back was back.

"But would it look bad if you did! Peach won't-"

"Peach was filling this place up with joy! I WILL GIVE MY SON THAT!" Bowser said as he turned to face him again, seeing the shock and defeat look in Luigi's eyes. He turned his back on him once more before adding, "Now get out! I don't want to keep looking at a rip-off of Mario."

"Excuse me?" Luigi softly said in disbelief; he was trying his hardest to be patient with him - with all of them. But he just got yelled at by Bowser; that he was doing all of this for Junior. None of this looks like he was doing it for his son; it seems like he was doing it for himself.

"You hear me! Now get out, I said! I need to figure out a way to bring Peach back here. She's not going to be happy, but if I can figure out how to make her see it from my point of view, she'll understand." Bowser said, and that made Luigi lose all the patience he had. For three long days, he has been facing the consequences of his brother, the Wario brothers, Daisy, and most of all, Peach. Luigi was trying to clean up a mess that he didn't make, and the more that he was trying to clean up, the more it only got worse the more he tried helping.

"Shut up," Luigi snapped. Bowser turned to the wooden doll, shocked to hear his tone with him. "It's always 'Peach this, peach that!' and if it's not everyone's favorite princess it's always her knight in shining armor! ’Mario did this, Mario did that!' When did everyone become so obsessed with them, huh!? When did the world start to orbit around them like the sun?! Tell me. Seriously, tell me! Cause I can't seem to see what is so great about them right now!"

"You watch your tone, Greenie! I am not in-”

"I've been watching my tone since the first day I showed up here!" Luigi cut him off, not done being indignant, "I am sick. And I mean sick of them always being everyone's first choice, everyone's first priority, and everyone's first problem! There's not a day that goes by where I don't hear their name, and there's not a day that goes by where I want to scream and cry from the top of my lungs from hearing their name! Bowser, your first choice should be checking in on the rebuilding of your Throne room and not destroying the rest of the castle because Mario beat you! Your first priority should be your family! Kamek and Junior - not Peach! Your first problem should be checking in on Junior since he hasn't left his room since Peach left, hasn't had proper meals nor sleep since he saw Kamek unconscious body being carried away, and is refusing to get out of bed because his Mama is gone!"

"I-!" Bowser started, but Luigi wasn't done. He had dealt with all three of them being upset, cranky, and moody for the last three days - he was going to make Bowser listen to him for the next three minutes of his irate speech, whether he liked it or not.

"I'M NOT DONE YET, BOWSER!" Luigi yelled, "I've also learned that you and Kamek really are like father like son! When both of you are upset, you both shutdown and lash out. While Kamek is self-destructive, you have it the worst. Making an example of yourself for Junior by destroying anything in your path, not caring about what others are feeling! Guess what those actions have on Junior! He's shutting down and lashing out because that's what his father does! That's what his grandfather does! All because of some princess who will NEVER LOVE YOU BACK! A princess that made him believe that he had a normal family! A family that was perfect in his eyes because he didn't know any better! Don't tell me that you're going to give him all his dreams and wishes if he can't keep this one from breaking apart over and over again!"

Luigi was heavily panting as he stared at Bowser, his chest aching from his jealousy and heartache as he watched Bowser stand there with a hollow face. Luigi didn't want to hear any more about Peach and how she made everything perfect here, and he sure as hell didn't want to hear about Mario and the problem he had caused. Bowser kept opening his mouth to shut it just as fast; he was so speechless that he didn't know if he should yell back or try to make more excuses. When he does talk, Luigi's annoyed state gets worse.

"What does a little toy like you know about family?! About how broken it is and how I'm trying to give my son a chance of normalcy! Peach-"

"STOP saying her name!" Luigi yelled at him again, "You may have your own form of a broken family, but I have my share too!" Luigi should keep his mouth shut right now. He should stop talking or pretend to be Mario since that's who Bowser thinks he is, but he is so bent out of shape that he doesn't care what he tells Bowser.

"I know what it's like to grow up in one, and it wasn't grand and safe like the one you have given Junior! Struggling to keep up with bills that keep piling up, wondering when you'll get your next meal since you haven't eaten in days, and making sure that your brother stays out of trouble because if he didn't then he would be forced to give up his guardianship over you! Two twin orphans just trying to keep one another as long as possible till they were adults. Junior is by far one of the luckiest kids I've ever met! He still has his father, a great grandfather figure that raises both of you, and a princess with no obligation to be called his mother but still lets him do so. What does any of that sound normal to you?! His normalcy of a family is the people who cherish him and care for him! He didn't need Peach to be happy! You don't need her!"

Bowser's face was in shock before it went sad. He never knew the hardship Mario had to face. Yet, this little toy always seemed so joyful during the day despite the countless nights Bowser had caught him in the tower alone. It also sounded odd to him, as if someone else was talking about this and the fact that Mario had a brother. What happened to his brother?

"I'm sorry…" Bowser said, not knowing what he should say or do. He knew he overstepped when he told Luigi he had no understanding of family; he got so used to seeing him as a toy that he forgot that an actual person's memories were inside it.

"I don't want pity." Luigi said, tired of all this, "If you're sorry, just stop. Stop, and listen. Stop being angry. Stop focusing on trying to hurt others to make yourself happier. Stop and listen to what you need. Not want."

"What I need is what I can't get." Bowser told Luigi.

"No, it's not." Luigi talked back to him, "Bowser, tell me, when was the last time you actually sat down and thought about what you needed and what you wanted." They were silent, which spoke to both of them loud and clear.

"You know what," Luigi said as he threw his hands in the air, "since you don't know what you need, I'm going to tell you what you need. What you need to do is go tell Kamek that you're sorry for going overboard, grab Junior and pull him out of bed and meet me in the kitchen so that all three of you can stop being grumpy on an empty stomach!"

"You're sounding like a nagging mother right now." Bowser said. "I'm not going to-"

"Oh yes, you will! I'm the only one who has kept a cool head until now, and if I don't see you three in that kitchen in an hour. YOU HAVE A WHOLE HOUR TO GET YOUR BUTT THERE! IF YOU THREE AREN'T THERE BY THE TIME THAT HOUR IS UP, I'LL SHOW YOU THAT I CAN BE ONE HELL OF A PROBLEM!" And with that, Luigi left Bowser's room through the hole again and headed toward the kitchen. As he made his way there, he stopped two Koopa that were heading in a similar direction; in his irritated voice, he told them that Bowser had ordered him and some Koopas to cook dinner for him. The Koopas didn't believe him, but when Luigi threatened to go get Bowser, they soon fell in line and followed him. They didn't want to deal with Bowser right now.

In the hour, Luigi got the two Koopas to cook a comfort food he always made for Mario; Creamy chicken tortellini soup. It was already simple to make, especially when Luigi started his garden to grow all the vegetables he needed back in the Mushroom Kingdom. He also had them make some sweets to lighten the mood, but those were still being prepared by the time the three came walking into the kitchen
The three all took a set at the table in the kitchen, Luigi standing on top holding on to a wooden spoon as the boys grumbled and crossed their arms, the food being served to them. Luigi waved his hands at the Koopas so that the four could be alone, and soon the two Koopas left to avoid the mess that was about to happen.

"Now then!" This time, Luigi said in a scolding manner, "I am tired of the ridiculous behavior you three have been pulling, and I will not stand for it anymore! The only thing I want you to do next is eat and finish your bowl of chicken tortellini soup. there will be no mention of the Peach or Mama, Mario, fixing the throne room, wanting to go back to your bed or room, you want to go to the mushroom kingdom and start a war, starting an argument about whether you should fix the castle or go to the mushroom kingdom first, or that you're not hungry or tired."

"But I really am not hungry," Kamek said, making Luigi's eyes twitch. He walked over to Kamek and calmly cleared his throat.

"Thank you, Kamek, for being the prime example of what happens when you don't listen." Luigi said, lifting the wooden spoon into his hand. To Luigi, he felt like he was holding onto a giant hammer, like in cartoons where a little Mouse or baby had this oversized hammer that looked like only a bodybuilder should be lifting it and swinging it like a feather. Without hesitation, Luigi swings the wooden spoon over his head, bringing it down on Kamek's head and making him cry a loud Ow!

"Luigi! Isn't that a bit too harsh? I don't want to get hit by a spoon!" Junior said as Bowser was caught off guard that Greenie was using violence. Not realizing that Junior acted normal around a talking doll.

"Then you better not say those words and eat." Luigi said as he pointed at his bowl, "I'm no longer the fun and talking toy that you three get to push around or yell at when upset. Right now, I'm the one in charge until you're done eating!"

"With how you're acting, I'm not going to eat at all!" Kamek said as he got from his seat. Heading towards the door.

"Me too!" Junior said as he followed; Bowser stood up when Luigi started to speak.

"Three doors down and four to the left" This stopped Kamek in his tracks, slowly turning to see a cocky smirk on Luigi's face.

"You wouldn't dare," Kamek said as he stepped away from the door.

"Take the staircase on the far right-"Kamek soon ran back to his seat as he picked up his bowl of soup and drank it. Luigi soon looked at Junior and did the same thing. "Under the bed in-”

"Wait! Please don't say anything!" Junior said, getting up into his seat, grabbing a spoon, and properly eating it. That is when Luigi turned to Bowser.

"Want me to do the same thing to you, your nastiness?" Bowser had a staring contest with Luigi as if he was testing his bluff, but when Luigi kept holding his stare and didn't turn away, he just sat back down and started eating with them.

"You can be real scary when you want to be, Greenie." Bowser said as he took a bite of his food.

"And mean…" Junior added

"I think the word you're looking for is cruel. Scary and cruel." Kamek said, putting his bowl down and grabbing a spoon to eat the chunk.

"And I'll stay being scary and cruel if it means that you'll listen. No amount of kind words or kind action seems to get through to all of you when you're upset. So if I have to do the opposite to get your butt in gear, then so be it." Luigi scolded them; they all looked like sad chain chomps that just got caught doing something wrong. Luigi let out a sigh; he could never stay mad. After all that yelling he did at Bowser, he almost got it all out but was still feeling hurt.

They did talk amongst themselves, but they looked like sad puppies when they did. When he saw the puppy dog's face, Luigi was getting soft and caving in. Man, he really was a pushover. He kept his face angry and the wooden spoon ready, but he no longer felt mad. So when they were done, all three showed him their bowl.

"See, that wasn't too bad, now was it?"

"No…" Junior said as he looked back into his bowl, "in fact…can I have seconds? Please?"

"I think I'll grab seconds too." Bowser added as he grabbed Junior's bowl, then the three soon turned to Kamek. He let out a sigh as a smile came on his face.

"Well? I haven't eaten in days, get me some more too." And Bowser grabbed his bowl too. They soon ate a second bowl, then a third and fourth till the whole pot was gone. During that time, they talk. Bowser, having a habit of trying to talk about Peach and Mario, who got a few hits from the wooden spoon by Luigi, was rubbing the back of his hand by the time everyone was on their sixth bowl. Once all the soup was gone, he told them that there were sweets in the oven that should be ready by now, Bowser being the one to pull them out of the oven. It was a simple sweet of chocolate chip cookies that made the room smell sweet, and Kamek grabbed the glasses of milk so they could have something cold with the nicely warm cookies. They were in a much better mood after the soup and cookies.

Junior suggested that they play a game while they clean. Learning that Luigi had a mean throw as he aimed for Kamek's head again when he wanted to bring up fixing the throne room. Bowser and Junior laugh at Kamek as he tries catching Luigi, cashing him around the room. It led to Luigi picking up his wooden spoon and having a sword fight with Kamek as he used his wand as a sword. Luigi won when he hit Kamek's foot, making him fall on his back. Once with a clean kitchen, a full stomach, and still with a lot of energy, Junior wanted to play outside, dragging Bowser and Kamek out of the kitchen to play. Luigi stayed on the table, leaning against the wooden spoon. He watches them leaving, having the habit of waving goodbye to them. He didn't get his hopes up this time, thinking that now that the little family was in a better mood, they didn't need him. He was ready for them to keep walking away.

"Hey!" Bowser raised his voice as he turned back to Luigi as he pulled his hand back down, "Are you coming?"

Luigi saw the three waiting for him, Junior jumping up and down as Kamek and Bowser mimicked each other by using their heads to tag along. Like father-like son, Luigi thought as a smile crossed his face; he jumped down to the chair before landing on the floor, rolling into a run to meet them at the door.

Bowser put his hand down so he could carry Luigi as he jumped into his head and placed Luigi on his shoulder. Luigi now had the best seat, holding on to Bowser's choker so he wouldn't fall off as Junior led them outside.

Chapter Text

Bowser lay in bed, staring at the ceiling. He had been rethinking his choices in the last few months. It was fun, having Peach there to play with Junior, and seeing Junior have such a happy time was bliss for the two of them. But when she left, it was a mess, and it was clear that he let it get to his head - especially if a little wooden doll yelled at him. Greenie, or Luigi, as Junior called him, seemed to have some good points regarding family, and now Bowser thinks he may have a point. He didn't like it, not one bit, but the more he thought, the more the toy was right. He kept making the same promise to Junior about having a perfect family. He didn't realize that he had broken that promise all over again once she left. He didn't know that he felt she needed to be here to have joyful moments when Junior had already made those moments with him and Kamek. And the most significant thing was that he didn't realize that Peach being here was a want like Greenie said; he never needed her here, he never needed to marry her, and he definitely didn't need her to make Junior happy. He let out a deep sigh; he really didn't know what he needed and wanted, which was upsetting and confusing. Can he really just give up on his love for Peach? Would it break Junior's heart if he told him that Peach wasn't going to be his Mama anymore? What would happen with the Darkland and the Mushroom Kingdom? The Arrangement? The newfound friendship that he made with her?

Bowser sat up and put his head in his hands. This was too much to think about right now, and he still had another problem to deal with at the moment as well. That problem is Greenie. The day after Greenie's outburst, Bowser needed to talk to both Kamek and Junior about this since he never wanted Junior to know about Greenie. They admitted that Kamek had been letting Junior play with him since Junior kept asking for a new toy. Junior told him that it's been going on since he took Greenie away from him. This set him off a bit, but they told him it's a good thing since Greenie has a good influence on him, and Junior loves having him around. Junior also told him that the doll liked being called Luigi, even though he thought the name Greenie fit him better.

Bowser got out of bed and decided that he was going to drink some hot milk to go back to sleep. As he left for the kitchen, he decided to take the long way, hoping walking around the castle would do him good too. He just kept thinking about his worries as he walked down the hall, letting his body take him to the kitchen, but instead, his body took him to the empty tower. He couldn't help but wonder if Greenie was up there tonight, too; he always seemed more awake at night than the rest of them and still had energy for the next day. He went up the tower; talking to him could help his troubled mind.

Not much of a surprise when he saw Greenie sitting on the balcony, looking out on the kingdom again. He would run and hide when he first started to check on him, but now he just stayed seated and glanced at Bowser before returning to the view. Bowser would just leave afterward to give him space, but tonight was not that night. He leaned against the balcony next to Greenie as they both looked at the village in the distance; bright lights and noise could be heard as they watched silently.

"What are they celebrating?" Luigi asks in wonder. Bowser had to think since he didn't join the celebration since he finds that most Koopa gets a bit stressed when he shows up.

"I believe it is for the harvest that's coming up, bring hope that it will be good this year before winter comes." Bowser said as he looked out.

"You guys get snow out here?" Luigi asks, a bit confused.

"No we don't, but we get a lot of rain during that time. Also the land here is just awful to grow crops so in the fall is really the only good time it is good to grow food since the soil softens up a bit and the rain helps," Bowser explained as he looked down at Luigi.

"Why aren't you down there?"

"I don't do so well at parties, besides I already know the outcome. It's going to be the same as last year - barely any food for the kingdom." Bowser said as he saw Luigi pull a sad face at that. Bowser looks back down, not wanting to add that he will have to attack another kingdom to cover for the rest of the food shortages.

"Is it like that every year?"

"It is"

"Then you're doing a good job." Luigi said. That caught him off guard; how was that a good job? Or was he trying to imply something else? He turns to look at Luigi to see him staring at him.

"What do you mean?" Bowser asked him.

"You're trying your best to feed your people. It's hard to live in a land where there's no real plant life and is filled with lava, yet I haven't seen one unnourished Koopa or Goomba in your kingdom. Heck, I've never heard any guards talk about how they wish there was more food or the lack of water there is. You deserve to hear that you're doing a good job as a good ruler, even if you're in doubt." Luigi said as he looked Bowser in the eyes. That was the first time anyone had told him he was doing a good job, despite the fear that he was doing more bad than good. Kamek is helpful, but he tries not to tell Bowser that he's doing an excellent job since Bowser always believes he is only saying that to cheer him up. But hearing it from someone who has only started to see this place as their home was lovely made him bashful.

"Oh, um, y-you really think so?" Bowser asked doubtfully, looking back to the village that way Luigi didn't see him all flustered. However, it was too late as he heard a giggle coming from Luigi as he had seen his shocked look turn bashful over his words.

"I do, and I don't say it lightly," Luigi said, which got Bowser to remember what he had told the other day. About how he went hungry daily when he grew up, it also reminded him how he felt odd, like someone else was talking about it.

"Tell me more about what it was like growing up. Since going hungry is a sensitive topic for you, isn't it?" Bowser asks and sees the same sad face that comes to his face.

"Yeah…a lot of topics are nowadays. It's tragic really, but being around you guys is nice. I can slowly recover from all of it, I slowly am." Luigi said as Bower pulled a smile on his face. He couldn't help but rub Luigi's head with his finger as Luigi led into the rub. He starts to talk about his past for a little bit.

"I know that our parents were alive when we were babies, but I don't remember much about them, just the time we were living on our own. The orphanage we grew up in always tried to separate us when new adoptive parents came since no one wanted to adopt twins. It came to the point that we ran away and lived on the streets for a few good years until we were taken in by a different orphanage. That didn't last either since we were teenagers, and we were both taking multiple part-time and side jobs just to make some cash. Running away once more to get our own little home. It was hard, and going hungry was the norm…a norm I never wanted to go through again." Luigi said as Bowser picked up that something had happened to bring back those bad memories. He didn't want to ruin the night, so he asked for something else.

"What about your brother? What was he like?"

"Umm, I don't want to hear about my brother. He's very much like Mario. In more ways than one." Luigi warned him, which got Bowser to roll his eyes.

"He's that cocky huh?" Bowser said that got Luigi laughing.

"Oh yeah. Short and just as hot-head too." Bowser laughed at that.

"He sounds like a teapot," Bowser said, putting one arm on his hip and his other bent. "Short and stout." They both shared a laugh. Their laughter got cut off as their attention briefly heard a pop. Looking back at the village, they could see fireworks going off in different colors. Bowser's eyes only watched until they went to Luigi, who was focused on them; the pure joy of seeing the pretty lights go off made him smile.

"Big fan of fireworks?"

"No not really, too much loud noise going off at the same time scared me," Luigi said, but Bowser didn't believe him with how he watched him. He was going to say something, but Luigi continued, "but I haven't seen them in years. From this far away, they look like shooting stars in the night. Each one popping for a wish being made."

Bowser looks back at the village, watching them get shot into the air. He saw one get sent up in the air and decided to make a wish. Please bring joy to my family. Whether by my desire or… Bowser thought as he looked back at Luigi, the new addition to this family.The next thing he knew, the firework went off, popping into a green color that he caught out of the corner of his eyes.

"What did you wish for Luigi?" Bowser asks, still staring at him.

"I wish-" Luigi said but stopped before meeting Bowser's eyes, "did you just call me Luigi?"

"I did. I heard Junior call you that so I assumed that's your name. It is your name?" Bowser said that got a big smile from Luigi.

"It is, but you can call me Greenie. I do like the nickname, your nastiness."

"Don't get cocky with me, Greenie," Bowser said, poking him, "after all, I'm going to make my wish come true this time around. I thought about what you said, about how I can't make a promise and keep breaking it over and over again. I have a new plan on making this one come true."

"Oh? What did you wish for?"

"A wish wouldn't come true if I tell you," Bowser said as he placed his hand down, which Luigi got on. He soon started to take them downstairs.

"And here you wanted me to tell you mine. That's quite rude, you know." Luigi teased him as he enjoyed the ride.

"I was just curious, you're a toy after all. I imagine that you want to be a real human."

"Now, I'm definitely not telling you. I will admit this; I do hope to be human…I can finally walk around the castle without being stepped on." They both let out a giggle, Bowser felt that he was holding back on something, but he could figure that out tomorrow. Right now, they need a cup of cocoa.

Chapter Text

A Boo watches the castle from afar, getting worried. He came to the Darklands as Mario just finished saving Peach with all the other gullible humans helping him as they carried him back home. At first, the Boo was happy, Mario got a good beating that showed that Bowser would get his revenge soon, and he just had to wait to see him leave.

However, after what he thought would be only a 2-day thing turned into 4, then a week to now. A whole 2 and a half weeks had passed, and he could tell this was bad. Bowser was quick to anger; that's how King Boo trained him to react to situations like this, and he has yet to act. The Boo knew that if he came back to King Boo without any good news, he was going to be dead again.

He needs something that could be good enough to bring back to King Boo since he can imagine that his not being back after only a few days has already upset him. He floated towards the castle, hoping to find anything useful. He wandered outside the castle, eavesdropping on the Koopas that were around; most were talking about other Koopa or how this harvest event was happening. He even got stressed when he couldn't go through the wall; it looked like the annoying Magikoopa finally got the time to enchant the whole castle, for ghosts couldn't just float in. He tried windows and doors, but it was the same thing, so he tried to look for open areas to see if he could enter that way; as he moved, he stopped when he heard a Koopas talking about a toy.

"That little guy has been really helpful, don't you think?" said a Koopa with a red shell and wings

"You mean that toy Junior was playing with? Doesn't it have a name?" asks another Koopa with a red shell but without wings.

"Yeah, but I've heard two different names…Greenie is the one I heard the most."

"Either way, he sure is helping us with the Kiddio. No more babysitting for us." which got the two to laugh. Were there two talking about who he thought it was? He needed to at least see if he could spot the toy before leaving. He looked through every window he could find, and just as he looked in one and was about to leave, he saw Junior. He looked back in the window and saw Junior dressed up in a green plumber outfit, and behind him was a tiny thing dressed up as a Koopa. That's when he noticed that the toy was a Nutcracker. He had found Luigi! That must be why Bowser hasn't done anything! The Boo quickly leaves to go back to Evershade Valley.

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King Boo was annoyed as he drank some wine that Neville had Mr. Shiver brought in for the two. King Boo had these little meetings with the head of the mansions to see if there was any other problem in these godforsaken places. It went in one ear and out the other as Neville talked, not listening at all as his anger sat as he watched the other Boos playing jokes with one another. He watched them, and seeing how they were doing nothing but goofing around made it worse.

"That's enough," King Boo shouted, making everyone quiet.

"Is something wrong my King?" Neville asked

"You know exactly what's wrong. That Boo isn't back yet." Boo said, getting a refill in his glass, "where is he?!"

"Maybe it took longer than what we thought, we're not in a hu-" Neville said but cut himself off when he saw a new Boo come in. All the other Boos soon move to the side of the room to give the newcomer the center stage.

"Took you long enough!" King Boo said in anger, "where were you?"

"I'm sorry, my King. I was only doing as I was told by watching the castle for Bowser to leave. H-he never left." The Boo said. This left King Boo dumbfounded as Neville got up from his seat and floated toward the Boo to get away from King boo.

"AHHHH!" King Boo yelled angrily, throwing his glass of wine at the wall. All the Boos ran and hid at his anger as Neville stood in the center of the room. He had lost all his patience at the news of Bowser still in the Darklands; his plan backfired, and he didn't know why.

"Why didn't that Beast attack the Mushroom Kingdom?!" He yelled at Boo, who had hidden behind Neville as well.

"W-well I don't know" That wasn't a good answer as King Boo's crown started to glow. "I-I mean! Um, he was going to attack. I saw Koopas getting ready for an attack but stopped after 3 days."

"Why did they stop?!" King Boo hissed as he got closer.

"Not to be rude, My King, but let the poor thing speak. I'm sure he has some kind of information on this or an idea at least." Neville said as he moved over to the wine on the table. He poured himself a glass for King Boo. King Boo took it and slammed it back in one gulp, waiting to see what the Boo had to say as Neville sipped his drink.

"I-I do! I overheard some of the Koopas talking about a new talking toy that the prince was playing with! A-and looking through one of the windows and I saw it! It was Luigi!" The Boo hurried to say; this caused Neville to spit out his wine.

"Luigi?" King Boo said as he was face to face with the tiny Boo, "YOU found MY Nutcracker?"

"Y-yes, he was playing with the little Koopa son of Bowser." Boo said as he stared into the purple-glowing eyes of his King.

"ALL OF YOU GET OUT!" King Boo yelled as all the Boo started to leave, even Neville, "but not you Neville."

Neville stopped in his tracks when he heard his name. He has to be careful with what happens next; if he gets caught that he was guilty of leaving Luigi in the Darkland, then it would be bad news for both of them. Once everyone was gone, it was just the two of them as King Boo got close to Neville.

"Care to explain why a simple Boo was able to find Luigi but," King Boo said as his crown glowed brightly; he soon blasted Neville as he hit the wall, "MY OWN RIGHT HAND MAN WAS ABSOLUTELY USELESS!"

Neville groaned as he tried to get back up, but he saw a glow surrounding him as he got pinned where he lay on the floor.

"My King, I know this look bad-"

"Looks bad? LOOKS BAD IS AN UNDERSTATEMENT!" King Boo said as he yelled at Neville. He sent another blast at Neville, causing him to scream in pain. "You lied to me.”

"I did no such thing!" Neville said as another wave of pain was sent at him, "I searched for your beloved nutcracker in that rotten castle but he wasn't there! He must have come when Mario did!"

But King Boo didn't believe him; there was no way that Luigi wasn't there last time if he managed to stop a mad Bowser. King Boo was going to get him to admit to his crimes. However, Neville wouldn't throw Luigi to the monster that wanted to hurt him. He had sided with him years ago and wasn't going to break that trust even if he had to act like a fool as well as get beat as one. King Boo kept at it, trying to get him to spill the beans, but Neville kept his fake innocents till King Boo called in his Boos to go get Nana. When she came in, King Boo made one last threat to him.

"Admit that you lied to me! Admit it or she goes back into the painting!"

"HA!" Nana laughs in his face, "You were already planning on doing that for when Luigi left. Blaming me for his escape. Neville my boy, I'm fine living in a painting, so whatever this false ruler wants then just give it to him."

Neville knew what she meant by that; she wanted him to lie to King Boo. His own mother wasn't afraid of King Boo, but he still needed to be his right-hand man and not break the false trust he had.

"I didn't see Luigi in the Darklands when we went," Neville said, keeping the same story. King boo turned to Nana and hit her with a blast, screaming as her body dislocated and morphed into a painting, hitting the ground with a thump.

"Take her to Luigi's Room! He'll be happy to see her again after we bring him home," He ordered the Boos as they did as told. King Boo then turns back to Neville, "Next time you fail me like this again; the rest of your family will be thrown into forgottenness."

King Boo soon started to leave, his anger still at its peak.

"Where are you going?" Neville asks as he tries to get up

"TO GET MY NUTCRACKER!" King Boo shouted as he floated through the door. All the ghosts got out of his way as he made his way down the hall.

I finally got you, Luigi. There's nowhere to run now. King Boo thought as he exited the mansion, heading towards the Darklands.

Chapter Text

Ever since Luigi started to be more active in everyone's life, Junior began noticing things. Like when they eat. Luigi gets some Koopas, or sometimes he gets Dad or Grandpa to start making dinner for the three since he wants them to have a family dinner for themselves. Junior was used to eating by himself occasionally, at big gatherings that got the staff eating together or one-on-one with his Grandpa or his Dad, but those weren't dinners. But with this new routine, Luigi had them eat while he watched with his wooden spoon, hitting them if they bought up work or their latest list of taboo words that Luigi had said they couldn't speak at dinner time.

Junior noticed how sad Luigi looked. Sure, he was happy and giggled along with them, but Luigi only had to stare at the food for Junior to see that he looked hungry. Sometimes Junior would offer his food even though he knew that Luigi had told him before that he couldn't eat, but he still wanted to try it. And every time he offers, he gets turned down, which starts to upset him; what was the point in family dinner if not everyone is eating?!

Junior was sitting in Kamek Tower thinking about that as he watched Kamek work on something that he didn't know what for. Junior was working on his own things in his little notebook with pranks and plans for setting his Dad up with Mama, but that was another thing on his mind. What was going to happen between the two of them? They're friends now like Luigi said, and he was going to keep his promise to him, so he now had to give up on Peach being Mama, but can he really do that?

"Is something wrong Junior?" Kamek asks as he notices that Junior is in deep thought.

"Grandpa…what's going to happen now?"

"What do you mean?" Kamek asked as he stopped what he was doing and sat next to Junior. Junior soon put his notebook on the table between them, pointed to one called 'Happy Dad,' and pointed to a step that said 'Get Mama to like Dad.'

"What's going to happen now that Mama is gone and Luigi took her place?" Ask Junior. This was surprising to Kamek since both he and Bowser were trying to figure out a good way to explain to Junior that Peach may be out of the picture now. However, he never thought Junior would think Luigi would replace Peach.

"Well, before I can answer that let me ask you this; what is Luigi to you?" Junior thought for a second before he answers.

"He's my best friend and he's part of the family."

"In what kind of way? Like a little brother to you or like a Mama like how Peach is?" Kamek said as Junior went quiet. He turns the pages to show Kamek a few drawings in his notebook and stops at one with just Junior and Luigi together.

"I don't know…he kinda acts like Mama. He's nice, teaches me new things, and is always looking out for our family." Junior admits before thinking something, "but in every story there's a perfect family, and every perfect family has a Mama and Papa…would it be perfect if I don't have a mama but another dad? A Papa instead of a Mama?"

"Junior, let me tell you something about stories and reality. Stories are hardship and things that you create to live out your deepest desires, the family in those stories are one that someone wishes they can have or one that they do have and wish to get away from. In reality, there's no such thing as perfect. Your Dad didn't have a Mama or Papa, he had me. Does that mean he didn't have a family?" Kamek tells him as he looks at the drawing again. Junior and Luigi held hands with some writing underneath as it was a bit messy to read, but he could tell it was something happy.

"No, cuz he had you. You're his Dad." Junior answered him.

"Does that also mean that since you don't have a Mama that you don't have a family?"

"No, I have you and Dad."

"And now you have Luigi." Kamek told him, "This is your family Junior. It's perfect as long as you love them and they love you. And in case you don't believe me let me tell you this; I love you Junior, you're one of the best things that has happened in my life."

"I love you too, grandpa." Junior said as they gave each other a hug. Junior was still a bit confused about what a family should look like, but he knew that the one he had and now with Luigi that it was perfect in its own way.

"Now then go get ready, dinner should be ready soon, we don't want to be late." Kamek told him, and Junior nodded as he grabbed his notebook and ran out of Kamek's room down the steps. When he got to his room to wash his hands, he thought he should write a new plan in his notebook before going to the kitchen. He simply wrote down, 'Papa Luigi.'

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"Ok, everyone, eat up!" Luigi said as he held his wooden spoon as Kamek and Bowser started to eat, but not Junior. Junior was still thinking about what Kamek had told him. Still, he also got upset when he came into the kitchen and spotted Luigi just standing on the table. His mind had gone back to one of his original problems: Luigi being unable to join them in eating at dinner time. He just poked at his cooked lamb crop with creamy mushroom pasta, and all three of them saw that Junior wasn't eating.

"What's wrong Junior? Don't like the food?" Bowser asks, but he nods no.

"Or the ingredients? I know that I'm not a big fan of mushrooms." Kamek started picking out his mushrooms, but Junior still shook his head no. Luigi walked over to him and placed his spoon down, and sat on the table as if they were going to have a one-on-one talk.

"Junior, we can't help you if you don't tell us what's wrong," Luigi said calmly as they watched. Soon Junior mumbled something, but Luigi didn't catch it. "What was that?"

"I…mumbled mumbled mumbled," Junior said as he crossed his arms.

"You gotta speak up a lot louder than that Junior." Bowser said as he kept eating.

"I don't like how…how we're all just eating…" Junior admits just a little louder

"What do you mean by that?" Luigi asks Junior, then he lets it all out.

"I don't like how you're not joining us!" He said, his voice raised, "I know you plan out the meals and join us at the table, but you don't eat anything! I know you can't, but…it makes me sad to see you suffering like that…just like when I found out that you couldn't sleep…." This touches Luigi's heart, and Junior still wants to make his life more comfortable even after all this time. Luigi could feel his eyes water up as he turned away and giggled to cover up the fact that he was starting to cry.

"Why didn't you say anything?" Kamek said as he pulled out his wand and, with a wave, summoned a green bandana. It was about the same size as Luigi, if not a bit smaller, with white, red, and yellow colors on it, and the design was based on what looked like some nutcracker dancing, gems, and stars on it; the only thing out of place was some weird symbols that outline the bandana.

"I've been working on this for a while now," Kamek tells them; soon, he folded in half and wrapped it around Luigi's neck, and since it was big enough to cover his upper body, he had enough fabric to make the back into a bow. That's when the bandana outline started to glow as Luigi felt a tingling sensation on his back and chest. It almost felt like an empty stomach filling up until you had to unbutton your pants, but with wood growing to fill in holes. It was uncomfortable, but it wasn't painful, at least not till he felt his stomach, making him fall to his knees from the overwhelming feeling. It was clear that his stomach was eating itself, and he started to cry. Still, he began to cry for many reasons, like the fact that he felt his stomach that he thought disappeared when this curse happened or the fact that the pain reminded him of his childhood, and he never wanted to feel this way again. But he was happy; he would consider these tears as happy ones since they brought back something he had lost. In fact, this was the third thing that the Bowser family gave him back that made him feel human, normal, and free.

"...Luigi! LUIGI!" The yelling snapped Luigi back from his senses as he realized that he was in Bowser's hands; Junior crying as he held onto Bowser's arm, and Kamek gave him a worried look as he bit his nails. Luigi quickly wiped away the tears as he started to giggle.

"Sorry, I'm sorry." Luigi started, "I'm just so happy right now." That got Bowser to let out a breath that he was holding on to, same for Kamek.

"Don't sacred us like that!" Kamek scolded him.

"Y-yeah! I thought we hurt you…" Junior said as he wiped his tears too.

"You can never hurt me," Luigi reassured him before Bowser put him down.

"Just don't give us another heart attack again." Bowser said as he got up to grab a small plate and a toothpick. He grabbed a few pieces of pasta and a single Mushroom before putting it in front of Luigi, "here you go Greenie."

Luigi stared at it as he started to drool, and his stomach growled so loud that all four of them could hear, but he didn't care as he picked up the toothpick. He stabbed one of the pasta and took a bite as the rich flavor covered his mouth, making him tear up.

"I'm going to cry all over again," Luigi told them as he did so as he kept eating. Kamek and Junior have a smile on their faces now while Bowser rubs his head.

"You're such a crybaby, Greenie. How the hell do you manage to get so mad when all you do is cry?" Bowser giggled, which made them all laugh. Junior soon started to eat as well, watching Luigi stuff his face.

This was a perfect family; seeing Luigi cry over food and finally having a regular family dinner made Junior see that.

Chapter Text

"Dad, why aren't you dancing with us?" Junior said as Kamek and Bowser watched Junior and Luigi dance with each other.

"I" m not that much of a dancer; besides, I can't dance ballet. I have short legs." Bowser said as he pointed to his feet.

"So does Junior and look at him go." Luigi said as he leaned forward with a leg in the air, "not every move is like this."

"Yet those are the ones you're teaching Junior." Bowser said, eyeing the toy, which got Kamek and Junior to give each other the side eye as they shared a smile.

"I bet you that I can make you dance a bit of ballet," Luigi said as he moved over to Bowser; Junior followed behind as he stood next to Kamek. Bowser has to get up to watch what Luigi is doing.

"This is good right?" Junior whispered to Kamek, who nodded to his question.

"This is very good. At this rate, those two will be more than friends." Kamek said as they watched Luigi put Bowser in a simple pose of one leg straight and the other being dragged behind it; it didn't show that much of a difference.

"Is Dad part of this this time? He seems to just be going with it instead of saying that he still loves Mama." Junior asks, Luigi now making Bowser cross his feet, which wasn't working for him.

"Nah, your father doesn't need to know about it. Bedside, look at how much fun they're having without us butting in." Kamek said as Luigi twisted into a spin, and Bowser followed. Bowser didn't have the balance he needed to do this on one leg, which made him fall on his back. Luig actually got off the ground from the thump that Bowser did, and he almost fell over too. Junior and Kamek giggled while Bowser tried to get up with the poor excess of Luigi's so-called 'help.'

"I told you I can't do it." Bowser told Luigi as he sat up.

"It matters that you try. Besides, I'm not going to give up on you, I think you can do it." Luigi said as he looked over at Junior and Kamek, "now it's your guy's turn."

"Oh no~," Kamek said as he placed his hand on his hit, "I think my hip just popped right now. It hurts so much! Guess I'll have to sit this one out~" Kamek said as he took a seat, Bowser and Luigi rolling their eyes while Junior giggled. They let him sit while Junior went over to his dad and started to dance some more ballet with him, with Luigi joining them until it was time for dinner.

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At this point, it was routine for Luigi to just wake up and wander the Castle or go to his tower after waking up from a nightmare. Still, a new thing he had been doing was drinking the hot cocoa that Bowser had been making for him. Luigi had checked to see if Bowser was in the tower since if he was awake, he would be there already, but he wasn't, so Luigi just wanted to know if he was sleeping. If he was being honest, it wasn't half bad that Bowser knew about him. Sure, it was a bit rocky, but that was about the same back when Bowser did know him as human. Not to mention all the new things he had learned about Bowser that he had never told him back when they were both hanging out in secret; maybe this plan wasn't so bad. Luigi still wouldn't let himself fall in love with Bowser, but with his help and Kamek, maybe there was hope after all.

As he walked down the hall, he enjoyed the quiet for once in a long time as the moonlight was actually coming in. He felt that a lot had changed for him to see the once dark and dangerous Castle that he needed to hide in was now a home that was indeed still dark and dangerous. Still, he could get around that to all the tiny little detail Junior was adding. Little platforms and stairs for him to use and the arch bridge for the large pools of lava that Luigi shouldn't cross by himself, and the best part was that they were next to the wall. That way, they weren't getting in anyone's way. But tonight, he was on the floor walking when he turned down one of the hallways. He felt a slice of coldness that passed him.

This felt odd to him. Maybe it was because fall was about to hit them, and it was getting colder, or Kamek put a spell on the Castle to give it that effort. As he walked deeper into the hallway, he noticed more lava puddles running down it, and the temperature was becoming disagreeable for him as it only got colder. Soon, he felt like the wind was passing him, sending him into a dark place. All of this was wrong. He felt like a ghost had passed him and went into panic mode.

Luigi started to walk faster; it was just the wind that was blowing tonight that was giving him goosebumps. However, the wind began to hum a tone that sent shivers down Luigi's spine. His speed walk has now turned into a jog as the cold got colder and the tone got louder.

"Hm hm hmm hm-hum~, hm hm hmm hm-hum~" His breathing gets heavier as he tries to calm himself down and not go into an entire run. The humming was loud, clear, and hard to tell where it was coming from, but Luigi didn't want to stay where he was. He needed to just get to a room that was open or to Bowser to clear his mind, but when he turned the corner, he lost his breath. Right in front of him was the monster he was trying to hide from, and it had spotted him as it floated right toward him.

"Oh, my stars…it really is you, Luigi. Oh, my beloved Nutcracker, I've finally found you." King Boo said in sweet whispers, but that disgusted Luigi as he slowly stepped backward. His eyes went wide when he saw the Koopa bodies on the ground as if they were lifeless behind King Boo, and that made his heart pound like crazy as the fears and memories of this man came back rushing in full force, tears coming down. His body started to shake to the point that he felt like his legs were going to fall from underneath him.

"Look at the poor state those beasts put you through…" King Boo said as he took in Luigi's appearance, "Those bright colors on you are just an eyesore. I much prefer when your colors are dull and lifeless, like the rest of the Valley. And that ugly piece of cloth around your neck covers half of your beautiful body and its scars. Don't worry, I'll save you" Luigi's mind was running a hundred miles away as it kept trying to get him to run away, but his fear kept him frozen as he backed into a wall; King Boo reached out and tried to grab him.

"G-G-GET AWAY FROM ME!" Luigi cried out, making King Boo stop, his eyes narrowing.

"Ugh! They also taught you bad manners! What had they done to you my beloved?" King Boo asks as he tries to reach out again, but the way King Boo calls him beloved makes Luigi mad. His fear was very much still in control, but those words brought a bit of reason and courage to him to remind him that King Boo had no power here.

"D-DON'T YOU DARE T-TOUCH ME!" Luigi yelled at him as he stopped once more, but this pissed King Boo off.

"What did you just say?" King Boo hissed, and that made Luigi gulp. Luigi knew that when he hissed, King Boo was going to hurt him. Luig tried to keep that courage, but it was more held back.

"D-d-don't touch me. G-g-get a-away!" Luigi repeated himself while King Boo's eyes got angry. That's when King Boo pins Luigi against the wall, making him yelp as Luigi realizes he messed up.

"HOW DARE YOU! I came to rescue you and this is how you repay me?! By yelling and telling me to leave?! I thought I taught you to stop being an ungrateful little doll." King Boo hissed at Luigi as he cried even more, "I'm taking you home right now!"

"This is my real home!" Luigi shrieked at King Boo.

"Here? You think this is home?" King Boo pointed out into the hall, "I'll show you why this place can never be your home." Without warning, King Boo threw Luigi towards one of the puddles of lava, making him hit the floor hard as one of his arms fell in. Luigi yelled in pain as he pulled out of it, patting himself to put out the fire that was starting. King Boo wasn't down yet as he grabbed a rock and threw it into the lava, splashing it onto Luigi's back. He cried out even more as he lay on the ground, as the pain was too much.

"See? This place isn't safe for a wooden little thing like yourself. Let's just go home and I'll forgive you, I'll even make your cage bigger if you just come willy." King Boo said as he floated closer. Luig felt like he couldn't breathe as he grabbed whatever he could, getting a hold of a little rock that fit in his hand. When he turned to face King Boo, he threw it into his eye, which made him stop and yell. It was enough as Luigi pushed through the pain and ran.

"LUIGI!" King Boo roared, getting big to fit the whole hallway, breaking whatever crossed his path. Luigi only looked back once to see what kind of trouble he was in as he tried to dodge the debris that came flying toward him. He missed a couple of times as he got hit and burned a bit more, but he rather that happened to him than King Boo touching him again. Luigi kept going as King Boo got stuck, yelling Luigi's name to get back there. It was hunting as Luigi ran down the hallway to where Bowser's room was.

"HELP! HELP ME PLEASE!" Luigi begged as he banged on Bowser's door, hoping he was awake, turning his head to see if King Boo had caught up to him as he caterwauls Luigi's name in anger. For a moment, it looked grim, but the door opened for him; all the noise had woken Bowser up as he opened the door, and Luigi ran in between his legs.

"Woah there, Greenie. Yawn, What's gotten…." Bowser said, closing the door as he saw the buried marks and his tear-stained face on Luigi. The way he shakes and the fear in his eyes work up Bowser more than the noise now, "What happened to you?!"

"The R-Rat King- H-H-H-He's in the Castle. He-"

"LUIGI! LUIGI, OPEN THIS DOOR! OPEN IT NOW!" King Boo called out, him banging on the door in an attempt to break it open. Bowser knew who that voice belonged to, and Luigi started to squall as he ran toward the other half of Bowser's room to hide, which made Bowser put the two together when he said that the Rat King was here; King Boo was the Rat King. That's when his anger boils since he remembers that night when he found Luigi crying and telling him about this Rat King….

"The Rat King is…a character I have nightmares about from time to time," Luigi told Bowser; he listened to the little toy story, "In most of them… he has me in a cage and torments me…I-" Luigi pauses for a second. "I-In this one…it was the first time he had ever put me in a cage…the first time I have been so helpless…so useless and pathetic…."

Bowser had to put his cup of cocoa down when Luigi started to cry. Watching him begin to shake as he hunched over and tightened his grip on his cup, he was even trying to keep his leg down as it went up a little as if trying to go into a ball. Bowser let him cry till Luigi looked up at him, his eyes looking at him with tears, but Luigi's eyes were small as if he was in horror. It was as if Luigi was seeing someone else as he looked at Bowser. Bowser didn't know what to do, so he moved his hand over Luigi's head. He was a bit hastened to touch him, but Luigi wasn't reacting to his hand yet, so he just placed his finger on Luigi's head and started to rub it. Luigi let out a shaking breath as he slowly came back. Bowser watches the little toy take in the rubs with his eyes closed, trying to find the words to keep going.

"H-he wanted to teach me a lesson…a cruel and u-unreason lesson…." Luigi forces out in a sob.

Now Luigi was crying in fear and pain from the Rat King chasing after him as he ran across the room, still trying to run away from him. Bowser felt a new kind of anger he didn't know was possible. He was calm, but all he could think about was how he was going to beat that wannabe marshmallow piece of shit into the ground. He let Luigi run to where his bed was as he went to his door; he turned his right hand into fits as his left grabbed the door and opened it.

King Boo pulled a cocky smile when the door opened, but his eyes went in shock when he saw Bowser, who had pulled his fit back at this point, and launched it at his face. King Boo hits the wall behind him, making an indenture when Bowser punches him in the face, closing the door behind him in case Luigi comes out. King Boo groaned as he got up, spotting Bowser throwing another punch at him as he disappeared. Bowser hit the wall, getting it stuck as his nostrils let out smoke, his eyes darting to see where King Boo went.

"What do you think you're doing?" King Boo hissed as he appeared on Bowser's left side in the middle of the hallway, his face bruised and red from the hit and anger he was feeling.

"My goddamn job as a ruler." Bowser snarled as he pulled his fist out of the wall, "How dare you hurt Luigi."

"You keep his name out of your mouth!" King Boo yelled at him, "he's mine."

"Yours? You dare call him your?!" Bowser says abruptly as he stomps to him, "YOU LOCK HIM UP IN A CAGE!"

King Boo's eyes went wide when he heard that. No one is supposed to know that except him, his ghost, and Luigi. If Bowser knew about that, something was wrong with the curse, and the worst part is King Boo didn't know how much of it had come undone. In his shocked state, he didn't notice Bowser grabbing a piece of rock and dipping it into the lava; it was only when Bowser towering over him did he see it held up in the sky about to come down on him did he focus on the fight once more. It was quick, but King Boo put up a forcefield from his crown, making another indenture in the floor this time as Bowser brought down the rock persistently to break the magic shield.

"Listen when I say this, Bowser: you don't want to risk your life for what doesn't belong to you. Don't fight a losing war!" King Boo threatened Bowser, but his words fell on deaf ears as Bowser broke through the shield, getting the rock stuck in it. King Boo stared into Bowser's eyes to see what kind of anger he was pulling all this energy from, but he felt cold when he looked into his eyes. Bowser's eyes were calm as if there was no anger in them, but the slit eyes he had showed that he was indeed angry and that this was personal.

King Boo now knew that he wasn't going to win this, so he broke the forcefield himself that pushed Bowser back. He disappears as Bowser tries grabbing him before King Boo leaves. Despite his effort, King Boo got away as Bowser watched to see if he would return. The minutes passed, and he didn't show up, but Bowser didn't want him in his home anymore.

"Kamek," Bowser said; Kamek popped in on the ground in his pajamas, yawning as he scratched his butt.

"It's…2 in the morning, my boy yawns. What do you need?" Kamek asks as he puts on his glass to look at the time.

"King Boo got in, and I think he's still in the Castle. He's after Luigi." Bowser snarled, still coming down from his anger. He wishes King Boo didn't run so he could still be beating his ass, but he needs to focus on other things. Kamek woke up to his word; this was bad for all of them - especially Luigi.

"I'll get right on it." Kamek said as he summoned his broom, but Bowser stopped him.

"You told me that you made him. Why did King Boo say that Luigi belongs to him? And don't try to cover it up, I know that Luigi was torture by him." Bowser said as he looked at Kamek, who was worried.

"Now is not the best time, my boy. It's late, and this is something we need to talk to Luigi as well…w-where is he right now?" Kamek asks, which got Bowser's eyes to unslit.

"In my room…fine. We'll talk about this a different time. Just make sure that that madman is gone" Kamek nodded as he went to look for King Boo, and Bowser returned to his room. He made his way to the second part of his room and carefully slid the door as he heard crying from inside. He didn't see Luigi in the open as he moved next to the bed, where the source of the crying was coming from. Bowser got on his hands and knees to look for Luigi.

"Luigi? Hey, it's ok…." Bowser whispers as he tries to get Luigi out from underneath the bed. But from what he could see, Luigi sobbed in a ball, hunching over, shaking uncontrollably as if he was in pain. Bowser slowly lifted his bed to not scare the poor thing using his free hand to reach him; when Bowser's hand touched him, Luigi screamed louder, which made Bowser pull back a bit. He knew he couldn't leave him like this, so Bowser scooped him up, leading Luigi into fight mode as he tried to kick his way out of Bowser's hand.

"Luigi, it's me, Bowser! He's gone, I swear!" Bowser tells him in a soft voice, but Luigi just keeps his back to him as he tries to get out of his hands. Bowser knew he had to be careful, but he needed to get him to calm down first, and the only thing he could think about was rubbing his head. He was only going to be a bit aggressive, even though he knew that it was a bad idea. Still, he had to do it, so he tossed Luigi in his other hand and held him in his fist as Luigi's arms got trapped. Luigi kept fighting with his eyes closed, but now Bowser can try calming him down. He took off Luigi's hat to show the wood that was supposed to be his hair, two little sticks puking out to resemble hair poking out. Bowser places his free hand behind it and uses his thumb to rub his head, feeling the indents that were in his hair that were carved in to show where the part was. He never noticed those carvings before, but he traced the lines as he slowly watched Luigi stop kicking. His sobbing became softer compared to his breakdown until he slowly opened his eyes.

When Luigi opened his eyes, he feared that it would be those glowing purple eyes that tricked him into thinking that it was someone else. Still, instead, he was staring into big red eyes full of worry in them. Luigi tried calming his crying as Bowser opened his palm, still rubbing his head as Luigi grabbed Bowser's other thumb. He hugs it and rubs his cheek against it, just needing to hold onto something to stop the shaking and calm his breathing.

"It's ok…" Bowser said, sitting on his bed; Luigi was still crying but was calming down. Bowser had so many questions that Kamek needed to answer, but some of those questions Luigi needed to answer too. "He's gone, no need to be scared now…."

"I'm sorry. So so sorry…" Luigi sobbed as he hid his face, feeling ashamed that this happened.

"Don't apologize, don't ever apologize for that madman." Bowser said.

"B-but now that he knows… he's not going to stop till he has me…."

"He can sure as hell try," Bowser said, wiping the tears away from Luigi's eyes, "you're safe here, ok?" Luigi nodded, afraid that if he agreed aloud, the monster would return and destroy it in seconds. Bowser's face is saddened as Luigi still holds onto his thumb, not saying anything else.

"Do you want to talk about it?" but Luigi nodded no, "then how about you stay in my room tonight?"

"I-I can't… I'm only going to stay up the rest of the night…I need to be alone for a bit." Luigi said, his eyes widening as he realized he had overstayed his welcome. He started to pull away from Bowser's thump and push away the other one, and he was about to ask that Bowser put him on the floor, but instead, Bowser dropped him on his bed. He was shocked as he got stuck in the mattress and all the comfortable bed sheets, only getting unstuck when Bowser lay beside him.

"You already have me awake; I'm not going back to sleep at this point. Besides, I don't think you should be alone right now…" Bowser said as he pulled Luigi closer to his head, this was a really embarrassing situation that Luigi had gotten into. Luigi turned away to get up and leave when Bowser pushed him back onto the bed, keeping his hand on top of Luigi this time. He turned his head to see those red eyes again, watching him and making him feel safe, but he felt them burn the more they stared at him. The red bot on his cheeks heated from just Bowser's gaze, and his heart began racing. Was this the same aching that he's been feeling or something new? Either way, Luigi was still as he read his eyes to see what emotions were there. They were tired and worried, but there was also comprehension in them as his thumb started to rub against Luigi's cheek.

"No more crying now…" Bowser whispered, making Luigi avert his eyes. He wiped them away with his own hand before getting comfortable under Bowser's. He knew there was no fighting it anymore, so he hugged Bowser's thumb and closed his eyes, letting Bowser rub his cheek as Luigi listened to Bowser's breathing. Hoping that by faking being asleep, Bowser could fall asleep faster and give Luigi a chance to calm his panic attack by himself. But as the minutes passed, Bowser was still rubbing his cheek, and the aching in Luigi's chest was getting worse as this wasn't pity or jealousy causing it. Maybe it was from embarrassment or part of an anxiety attack, but Luigi felt his heart race, and he hoped that Bowser didn't feel it. That's when he heard humming that made him sit up, not realizing it wasn't the same tone King Boo hummed.

"Do you not like it?" Bowser said as Luigi faced him.

"N-no…I thought that it w-was the Rat King humming…he likes to hum too much," Luigi told him as he lay back down.

"I'll stop then, I thought humming a lullaby would help calm you down."

"Do you do it a lot with Junior?" Luigi asked as he went back to hugging Bowser's thumb.

"All the time." Bowser said as he adjusted his hand to rub Luigi's face again.

"C-can you keep going? I like it better than staying in silence…" Luigi asks as Bowser does as told. He hummed softly while Luigi imagined he was dancing again on stage. He closed his eyes, listening to Bowser's lullaby and heartbeat, until he heard nothing, and the rubbing stopped.

Bowser had fallen asleep, but Luigi stayed awake under his hand, waiting for him to wake up.

Chapter Text

When morning came, Bowser's hand hurt. His main focus wasn't on his well-being when punching King Boo, but he could have soaked it in hot water before falling asleep. He turned his head and spotted Luigi still there, hugging his thumb; his face stained with watermarks from his tears. They should have been dyed by now, but they were still wet as he rubbed Luigi's eyes and wiped whatever tears that were left; he must have been crying again while Bowser was asleep. Bowser got off his stomach and twisted his body to lay on his left side, getting up just a little so he could bend his arm and place his head on his hand while keeping his right arm still to make sure he didn't disturb Luigi. Looking down at Luigi, Bowser's heart broke. How did Luigi cross that madman, and why would King Boo ever hurt such a beautiful soul?

Bowser stops his thoughts for a bit. Did he just think that Luigi had a beautiful soul? It's no lie that Luigi is kind and has been very patient with Bowser since he met him, but he didn't know that his first thought would call him beautiful. Bowser shook his head. Beautiful shouldn't be the first word to use when discrediting a good person like Luigi; maybe good-natured or selfless; even lovely or charming could have been his first thought, but his mind went to beautiful. Bowser returned to Luigi, slowly rubbing his cheek once more before pulling his hand away to see the damage he got last night. Luigi's whole arm was burned, which left it black, with what looked like places where the wood had been chipped off from. Bowser couldn't help but trace every chipped and uneven area that he saw, watching to see if Luigi was in pain from his touch. Luigi's face changes painfully, mostly when Bowser touches his brunet arms, but his chipped area and cut don't bother him before Bowser returns to Luigi's face.

He did the same thing as he traced the little details on his face. Luigi's hair, which he got a better look at last night, reminds him of chocolate. His mustache also had a craving that twisted around itself. The red dots on his cheeks, round and warm, and all the tiny cuts that follow the outline of Luigi's face. Bowser lightly tapped on each one with his nail as he counted how many there were; some had overlapped with each other, and Bowser didn't know if he should count them as one or figure out how many there were. This pissed Bowser off the more he counted, and how he imagined that every last one that he counted was from King Boo that he had to stop counting before he let out a deep breath; what was going on?

"DAD! DAD!" Junior yelled as he came running into the room, "LUIGI GONE! I-"

"Not so loud Junior. He's sleeping right now." Bowser said as he got out of bed. He walked over to Junior and picked him up to try to get him out before he saw how bad in shape Luigi was in. However, when Bowser picked him up, Junior saw Luigi clearly.

"Luigi…W-what happened to Luigi?!" Junior said as he struggled in Bowser's arms, trying to get to Luigi.

"Junior, now is not the time. We have to let him sleep." Bowser said, trying to get Junior out of the room.

"NO! I want to see Luigi! I want to stay with him- I want to stay with Luigi! Let go of me!" Junior yelled, throwing punches and kicks at Bowser's arm as he tried to escape them.

"You're being too loud, Junior! You can see him later!" Bowser scolded him as he started walking into the setting area, and Junior bit down on him to let him go. It worked for the most part since Bowser did let go of him, but Junior wasn't able to get past Bowser.

"Bowser K. Koopa Junior! That's enough!" Bowser yelled at Junior as tears built up in his eyes, "Go to your room right now before I forbid you from visiting Luigi! I won't let you act like this!"

"B-but-"

"No buts! Now go!" Bowser cut him off as he pointed to the door. Junior was about to sob and leave when a weak voice could be heard.

"I-it's okay Bowser… I'm up already…" Luigi said, his little bandana twisted to cover his arm from Junior's view. Junior ran past Bowser and turned to face him; Junior picked Luigi up into a hug as he held back a hiss of pain.

"Luigi! W-what happened to you?!" Junior asked as he held Luigi, trying to pull back the bandana to see the damage, but Luigi made sure that he kept it in place. Bowser kneeled beside them with a heavy heart; how would he explain last night's events to him and how there may be changes to all this new information. Luigi did all the work for him, however.

"I messed up, I wasn't paying attention to where I was going. You see, it can be really hard for me to see in the dark even with the glow from the lava. And you now know how I can be clumsy sometimes…without realizing it, I tripped over a rock and I burnt myself real bad." Luigi explained, lying through his teeth as if it was sweet honey that even Bowser would believe him if he wasn't aware of last night.

"Why would you do that then? Why walk in the dark? Also what about the damage outside? There are holes in the wall and on the floor."

"I had a bad dream and you're always telling me about how your dad makes a good hot chocolate to help with bad dreams. I wanted to try it." Luigi said before he started to push Junior away to let him know to put him down, which Junior did as Luigi made sure that he couldn't see how bad it was. "As for the wall and floor, they were already there when your dad found me…with how bad I hurt myself, I'm not going to be able to sleep in your room for a while."

"T-that's right Junior. The doctors need to see him but they need to do it where there's a lot of space…like my room." Bowser added to the lie, watching Junior sit on the floor as he grabbed onto Luigi's bandana, just holding onto it as if he didn't want to let go.

"C-can I at least see it? Or sleep in here tonight? I-I've got too used to you sleeping next to me…" Junior said, sniffling as he tried to be a big boy.

"Junior, you can't-" Bowser started to talk but stopped when he saw Luigi show Junior his hand. It was black and looked like it could fall off at any moment. Junior slowly moved his hand over Luigi's hand, shaking Junior lightly, touching his hand as Luigi hissed in pain. Junior pulled back, scared, his tears coming back as Luigi hid his hand.

"Remember what I promise you Junior: I'll always come back to you, no matter how many times I fall apart."

"Y-you promise that you won't fall apart again…" Junior said, wiping his tears away as Luigi rubbed his hand.

"I know…and I'm sorry I didn't keep it but I promise I'll get better, okay?" Luigi said as Junior nodded, giving Luigi another hug before Junior carried him back to Bowser's bed.

"I'll bring your bed later okay Luigi?"

"Okay, Junior…how about you and your dad get it for me now? That way, I can sleep a bit more." Luigi suggested as Junior nodded as he approached Bowser and grabbed his hand. Bowser just gave Luigi a worried look as he didn't want to leave him alone right now, but Luigi just smiled and waved as Junior started to pull on his hand to go to his bedroom.

When the two of them left, Luigi let out a shaking breath. He was awake the whole time as he felt Bowser touch him, feeling all his imperfections and scars on the right side of his body. His heartbeat raced as he tried to stay as still as possible, and he felt like his heart was about to burst out of his chest when Bowser went back to feeling his face. Rubbing his cheek before Luigi felt what he assumed was Bowser's claw tap, his jawline made his cheek heat up. Luigi hopes that Junior doesn't tell Bowser that he needs his bed to actually be asleep; in fact, he wishes that Bowser would have kept his mouth closed. When Luigi said that he couldn't be in Junior's room, he planned to hide within the walls or stay with Kamek for a while - not in Bowser's room!

Feeling the pain in his arm, Luigi got out of bed, landing badly as he stopped and breathed. If anyone can heal this, it's Kamek and Luigi need to get to his tower before Junior and Bowser come back and focus on him to stay in bed all day. With Bowser leaving the door open, Luigi saw the damage from the last night Junior was discussing. Bowser must have been furious if he did all this, but then again, King Boo was just outside the door…Bowser didn't fight him, did he? Luigi's chest aches, Bowser shouldn't have fought that psycho even if he knew that he would win. What if he came back and hurt him instead of Luigi? What if King Boo goes after Bowser and his family because of him? Should he leave to save them from that monster's wrath? His chest started to hurt even more when he thought about it. He didn't want to leave; he wanted to stay here; this was his home and his family now. Yet every part of his body was telling him that he needed to leave. To leave and never come back because this was all his fault.

He was the problem. He brought this bad omen into their home, their home that has slowly welcomed him without knowing the whole truth. Luigi felt so guilty that he didn't know if he should have just listened to Neville when he had the chance or just stopped letting this fear control him and stopped running away. He may have to say goodbye to Junior and the others after he gets better, but for now, he needs to be healed as he enters Kamek's room. Kamek was at his table, looking over paper that seemed a bit old. He also was writing something down that had all his attention to it.

"Kamek." Luigi said, Kamek looking down at him before he jumped onto the floor.

"Luigi, what are you doing here?" Kamek said as he started to see the damage, "oh my. Was this all from last night?"

"Yeah, and I guess you know who did this right?" Luigi said as he hissed when Kamek moved his arm.

"I do, and Bowser is waiting for us to tell him the truth." Kamek said as he stopped touching him and started to see what he had to help.

"What? Kamek you told him?!" Luigi ask.

"He figured it out on his own." Kamek said, pulling out bottles and moving bowls with powder in them, "King Boo-"

"Don't say that name!" Luigi freaked out, having to grab his arm because of how suddenly he moved it. Kamek stops momentarily and looks at Luigi, a frown on his face as he slowly returns to work.

"I'm sorry about that… I'm more used to his name than the Rat King." Kamek apologized.

"It's fine. Just…not right now." Luigi said as Kamek nodded. They were silent as Kamek made something in a big bowl until Kamek started again.

"Did Bowser ever hear you use that name? The Rat King?"

"He heard me say it last night. And one other time when he found me after a really bad nightmare…" Luigi admitted. That's probably how Bowser figured out that King Boo was behind all this, all because Luigi had to talk to someone about his stupid night terror.

"That's how Bowser found out then." Kamek commented as he brought the bowl down to the floor, "now we have to tell him what's really going on…you haven't even told me the whole story."

"That's because it's a living nightmare, and it's all my fault. I have no one to blame for my downfall…do I really have to tell the whole story?" Luigi asks, Kamek levitating him over the bowl.

"Well, I think he would want to know what you did to cross The Rat King, that's for sure. Now, hold still; magic and medicine are very picky with your body." Kamek said as he lowered Luigi. It didn't hurt at first, but the minute it touched the burn mark on his back, it stung, and when the liquid touched his arm, it burned.

"Ah! Son of a Gomba!" Luigi cried out, hoping this would be relaxing and helpful - not painful.

"I told you! I'm still working out all these little details to make your life easier." Kamek said as he grabbed another bottle, "here, have some of this. It'll make you drowsy but it should numb the pain a bit." He only put a few drops in and mixed it well; whatever he put in the mix did its job a little too well. Luigi slowly started to relax as the pain went away, but his eyes got heavy; it felt like he was about to pass out as he felt his body go limp.

"I-I think… I'm about to…" Luigi whispers before closing his eyes.

When Luigi opened his eyes again, he heard voices talking with what sounded like fire popping. Luigi felt the soft mattress underneath him instead of the bowl he was lying in; Kamek must have brought him back to his bed. Wait, he remembered that his bed wasn't in Junior's room right now. Luigi shot up, letting out a groan as he scolded himself to stop doing that. The talking stops as he turns to see Bowser and Kaemk sitting on the lounge on his left and hear the fire going on to his right; at least Luigi's bed was in the sitting area instead of next to Bowser's bed. Luigi was quiet, rubbing his sore arm, waiting for all the questions they had.

"How are you feeling?" Bowser asked. Luigi's eyes widened before avoiding eye contact. He would much like it if they asked questions rather than small talk.

"Still in pain but I think whatever Kamek gave me helped." Luigi admitted.

"It's a start, but all it did was knock you out. Not heal you. At this point, we may need to make you a new arm." Kamek explained.

"We don't need to do that. I may be made out of wood but it will heal. Trust me."

"After last night, I don't think I can," Bowser said, crossing his arms, "it's time to start talking."

"It's a long story," Luigi said, trying to postpone it a little longer.

"We have all day. It's still early afternoon, so you can start at the beginning, so start talking," Bowser said, waiting for him to start. Luigi sighs; no more getting out of this now.

"Fine I'll talk but I'm going to need Kamek help. You see, if I say certain words, bad things happen. I've told Kamek about the Rat King and the wish that is going on but it would be a lot easier and safer if Kamek explains that part. I'll add more if needed." Luigi explained as he looked at Kamek, who nodded since it would be faster. So Kamek clears his throat as Bowser and Luigi face him.

"Of course. So just to clear the obvious at this point, The Rat King is King Boo, and the wish refers to a curse on Luigi." Kamek started, waiting to see if Bowser had any questions before continuing, "This curse is supposedly caused by King Boo, but they're a second type of magic trapped in a gem that Luigi calls the heart. I'm doing research on it, but it's hard without the actual name of it. So far, we have managed to take what we know to block its negative effects."

"What kind of effects?"

"The main one being forgottenness. You forget that Luigi exists. Another side effect is that since Luigi is non-existent, your mind replaces it with something else. It's based on how you perceive him." Kamek explains.

"In your case, you see me as Mario…who is also my brother." Luigi said, which got Bowser's eyes wide open.

"Wait, you're telling me that this whole time I've had someone related to that annoying and irrelevant plumber in my home?! Around my son!?" Bowser said, annoyed.

"Can you wait to get mad after we're done? This is already hard and I don't want to repeat myself." Luigi said that got Bowser to grumble, but he listened. "Yes, Mario is my brother but that's a whole nother thing that's not important. What is important is that when you see me without your necklace, I'm Mario in your eyes. It…hard since so far you think that you have broken his arm and he has run away from you when in reality that's all been me."

Bowser took all this in. His annoyed face slowly turned from that to processing, then to realization. His face showed signs of guilt, trying to think of something to say, but Luigi kept going.

"Depending on who it is, they all see and remember something totally different. The other side effect increases headaches and fainting spells that happened before and after the episode. The effect happens faster after it restarts itself after three times that someone sees me without a gem."

"Which is why I've been giving everyone a gem. That way, no one has an episode in case they have crossed paths with Luigi from before this curse started." Kamek explains, watching Bowser's disappointed face before he turns to Luigi, "but that's for the most part with the curse…at least what you have told me."

"Honesty that as much info I know that I can tell. Every time I've tried to tell someone about the wish…it always failed. You two know the most information in the last three years."

"THREE YEARS?!" they both said simultaneously.

"W-why didn't you tell me that part?!" Kamek asked Luigi.

"Because that's how long I've been on the run from that psycho. Even then, I've been stuck like this for five, and once December comes it will be six." Luigi watched as they went speechless, letting this cruel fact set in. Luigi turned away from them; he didn't want to see the pity on their face, "I don't want to hear it. I don't want to hear your pity comment."

They both shared a look of sadness. Now they see why Luigi didn't want to talk about this. They can only imagine what had happened within those years. Kamek didn't want to hear the rest of this, he knew that this was hard and they should just stop, but Bowser wished to know.

"What…what did you do?" Bowser asks. He wanted to know what King Boo did, but he wanted to know what led him to hurt Luigi.

"He wanted revenge," Luigi tells them, "before this event, I first came across King Boo back in my early 20s. He has tricked me into believing I won a mansion in a contest that I didn't even sign up for. Me and Mario were foolish to think it was real, but we wanted to see how well-maintained it was so we could sell it. He imprisoned Mario in a painting and I had to save him, which led me to meet a professor who became a good friend of mine, and he helped me imprison King Boo in his own painting."

"And this is his revenge? Turning you into a doll? Why?" Bowser went on.

"He knew that a painting can easily be broken free from; He broke from one and I've broken plenty of things from painting. People also remember you if you're in a painting, he need a way to control both me and others without anyone realizing it." Luigi explained to them, "He used the heart to trick me again. Making me believe that once all the pieces were back together…everything would go back to normal…I thought I was doing everything right but I was wrong. "Luigi pulled his legs to his chest, hugging his legs and facing the fire.

Bowser reached out to touch Luigi, but Kamek stopped him. Bowser turned to Kamek and saw him shake his head no before Bowser pulled back to let Luigi finish at his own pace. This was wrong in more ways than one that Bowser tight his hand into a fist.

"The Rat King laughed in my face as he crowned me the biggest fool he ever met, that he brought me along to see him break free all the other ghosts I helped imprison. They all remember my past actions against them. A lot of them resented me, while others didn't want anything to do with me. However, The Rat King gave them one job: Never let me leave. He didn't care about the mean as long as the damage was kept to a minimum and the heart was in his procession at all times. It took months to get them to trust and help me before he locked me up in a cage. I was looking up for a year and a half in pure darkness, only being allowed to leave if I was being misused but the ghosts that pretended that I was simply a doll." Luigi told them, feeling the tears build up and a ball getting stuck in his throat, "I-If I wasn't allowed outside of that awful room, I would be visited by that psycho every day. Forced to do what he said, and if I didn't do it- I was to blame and got punished for it. He would beat these sick so-called 'manners' into me so I would act like all the other ghosts that were scared of him. I-I was - no, I still am his property that is expected to call him 'My King' every time I saw him. Expected to call every sick and cruel thing he did or made beautiful and lovely even if I didn't want to. Listen and obey every order he gives me, and talking back was a big no no. If I ever step out of line or try to run away, he would hurt me, then sweet talk to me as if it was an accident. Calling me sweet things like beloved that made my skin crawl as he stared at me with glee as I had tears in my eyes from the pain he caused me. He said he was teaching me a lesson but all I ever saw was a psycho that enjoyed seeing me suffer."

Bowser stood up; he wasn't going to sit there and do nothing. King Boo had already pissed him off last night, and now he would face this beast as Bowser was about to storm towards his door. Only stopping when he heard Luigi.

"It's pointless," Luigi cried, still facing the fire, "you're going to lose if you go after him now."

"I won against him last night, I can-"

"NO YOU CAN'T," Luigi said as he turned to Bowser, seeing the hurt in his eyes. "Thank you for saving me but you can't beat him if he's with the others. He'll use every last ghost as a shield and weapon like pawns to get me. Not to mention that he'll use every dirty trick he knows, that includes hurting you and Junior…I-I don't want to see anyone else get hurt because of me…."

Bowser kneels next to the table as Luigi looks away; he hates how they're looking at him right now. Full of pity and sadness that he didn't want to face Bowser right now, but the minute he felt Bowser's thumb rub his cheek again, wiping the tears away as his plan rested behind Luigi's back made him face him. Luigi must have looked like a mess in front of Bowser as all he could see was concern and anger on his face; it was clear that Bowser wasn't going to show him a look that he didn't want to see.

"Luigi, I know how it feels. The pain, the sickness, the feeling of guilt, and the feeling stupid. I know it too well, and I would never wish for anyone- not even Mario to feel like that. As a King, I swear I'll listen and repeat your wishes. But as your friend- as part of this family, we're going to fuck him up for the bullshit he's done. No one messes with the Koopas, not even a rotten marshmallow." Bowser said that he got a little chuckle out of Luigi when he called King Boo a marshmallow. Luigi couldn't help but lean in; he was already emotionally drained and didn't care what he was doing right now; leading in was not going to mean anything anyway.

"Thank you…" Luigi whispered as he closed his eyes and rested against his hand. Bowser's mind was running a hundred miles from what he would do to King Boo once he had his hands on him to how can Luigi trust him? Bowser can't even remember who Luigi is or what he was to him if he has forgotten him. Yet all he remembered was when he was being rude to him and all the times Mario acted odd. Was that really him? If so, then he hurt him badly. To the point that if it was himself, Bowser would never trust him again. Bowser looks back down at his arm again and remembers last night's event; how can Luigi try stopping him when that madman did that to him? He just rubs Luigi's head, Bowser's heart breaking to see a new side that the light had shined on all this, and he hates it.

The fireplace popping was the only sound that was heard as the three stayed silent. Kamek decides to leave after a bit of Bowser just holding on to Luigi. Now was not the time to make jokes or push their relationship, but he knew they both needed space, so he left as quickly and quietly as possible. When he was outside, he saw Junior sitting on the floor, his knees up against his chest and eyes watering. Kamek sat beside him and wrapped his arm around him in a side hug.

"How much did you hear?" Kamek asked as Junior hugged him back.

"E-enough to know that he was never a toy…Grandpa, we're going to keep him safe, right?" Junior asks as he looks up at Kamek, who smiles bittersweetly.

"We're going to do more than that. He's going to have a happy ending, I can promise you that much." Kamek said as he picked Junior to his feet, "How about we make something for you Dad and Luigi? Afterwards we can hangout with them for a bit, how does that sound?"

"Can we make them sugar plum and coco?" Junior asks as Kamek pulls him away from Bowser's room, nodding as he takes him to the kitchen.

Chapter Text

Back in the Mushroom Kingdom, Mario was getting all patch up with the Wario Brothers. The Toads asked Peach what had happened to her and the others, but all she wanted to do was go to her room and rest after 48 hours of non-stop journey. Once in her room, she removed her crown and started to undress as the dress she wore felt gross and stuck to her skin.

"PEACH!" yells Daisy as she opens the door without knocking. Peach covered herself as best she could as Daisy walked over without closing the door.

"Can you at least close the door before you come any closer!" Peach said as Daisy turned around and did so. She soon sat on Peach's bed as Peach walked over to her restroom to wash herself.

"Okay Peach. What happened while you were at Bowser Castle, and why the sudden change in feeling?" Daisy asks as Peach turns on the water in the bathtub.

"What are you talking about?"

"I mean, why are you being nice to Bowser now? You always talk about how he annoyed you and how you want to come home every time you're there. Why were you fighting us this time?' Daisy asks as she walks over to the door or the restroom when she hears the water come on. She didn't go in, but she did lean against the wall next to the entrance to listen to Peach better.

"I got to know him okay?" Peach started as she got in and started to wash, "I'm always just staying there for roughly two weeks so I never bother to learn anything about him. I got to hang out with him and Junior a lot better this time around."

"Playing mommy for your enemy son isn't a good idea, Peach."

"I've been playing mommy since he was born, cut him some slack - for both of them," Peach said, relaxing into the bath, "Junior really likes having me around and I enjoy all the cute things he does. Not to mention that he's a sweet boy, always looking out for others even when he's trying to be bad like his Dad. Speaking about his Dad, Bowser is trying his best. Poor guy is drowning in work and when he's not, he's playing with Junior. I would find him up in the late hours of the night working or wondering about. I'm glad he has Kamek to help him, but Kamek is old and slow. He can't take on so much workload and the work he does have is still too much."

"It sounds like you feel sorry for him, Peach," Daisy says as she sees Peach come out of the restroom in a bathrobe and her hair in a towel, making her way to her closet. "Nothing good can come out of this."

"I get that you don't like this but give it a chance." Peach said as she pulled out a dress to change into, "I and Bowser have gotten to be friends and with the new arrangement, things should start to get better."

"That's another thing. What is this arrangement that you're talking about? The one that none of us knew about?" Daisy asks as she sees Peach come out again dressed in her pink dress.

"Look, a few years ago, maybe six- seven years ago or so Bowser asked me about an arrangement. He had told me that he had a kid on the way, and refused to tell me who the mother was but that he needed some help when the baby did come. I was skeptical since why would he have a child with another woman if he was always chasing after me? Not to mention that what kind of woman would want to be with him? But he kept pushing it till I gave in, which was honestly better for me than him. The arrangement was that he kidnapped me at least six times a year; more or less depending on who much help he needed. I stayed at his Castle for at least two weeks or more but I would just stay for two weeks. And we paid for the damage we both caused; I paid more than he did since Mario really likes to make a mess of things sometimes." Peach said, taking a beach from her rambling before she went on, "Once Junior was born I was speechless that he was telling the truth. I felt that it was my job to at least keep my end of the arrangement but I knew that none of you would listen to me so I kept it from all of you. But now it's different since we made a few changes to it."

"What kind of changes?"

"Like no more kidnapping and if I do stay in the Darklands for more than two weeks, I can bring anyone with me," Peach tells her as she dries her hair, "I still have to visit but at least no more worrying about the Kingdom to be destroyed or having it all random. I get to choose when I go."

"Peach not to be mean but this is an awful Idea even for you." Daisy tells her.

"She right, you know" That's when they both turn to see Mario and the Wario brothers at the door, listening to all that was said.

"How long have you been standing there?"

"Since the part that you were explaining about this arrangement. Seven years Peach? You've been doing this for seven years?!" Mario said as he walked closer to her, Daisy moving over to Wario to watch this all go down.

"Yes, and I'm not sorry about it Mario." Peach said as she looked over to Daisy, giving her a side glance and a nod at the door to leave them alone.

"I think that our cure is to leave," Daisy said as she pushed the boys out.

"Come on, let us hear her chew his ear off!" Wario said, soon yelping as Daisy pulled on his ear.

"No, now get moving," Daisy said as she dragged Wario out. Waluigi followed as he didn't want her to return and grab his ear too. Once gone, Mario started up again.

"Do you not trust me?

"I do trust you but not with Bowser. Whether it's trying to be peaceful or finding a way to stop him you always try to stop it or take over." Peach tells him.

"I do that cuz I don't want to see you get hurt." Mario raised his voice, trying to keep a calm head, but this was upsetting for him.

"I'm capable enough to take care of myself!" Peach replied with her own voice being raised.

"But I'm not capable of facing the fact that I may lose you!" Mario yells. This got Peach to step back a bit, her eyes wide as Mario took a deep breath to keep him calm. "Look, we have ups and downs. We work through them but I don't want to lose the only family I have."

"Mario…"

"I just feel that you're going behind my back for a terrible monster that has hurt you and your home for so long. We can't trust Bowser." Mario said as he grabbed her hands, giving them a little squeeze.

"But Bowser isn't what we thought of. Yes, we can't forget his past actions but I saw something when I was there. A man- well Koopa who isn't pure evil, he's just misled." Peach said, pulling Mario's hands closer to her.

"He could be using it to mislead you."

"I knew Bowser and his tricks; this isn't one of them. Mario, you don't have to like or trust him. I'm not asking you to; I only ask that you give him a chance." Peach said, giving him puppy dog eyes. Mario knew that little trick of hers, using it to get her way because she knew he'd give in. He turned away to keep from giving in, and after a few moments, he turned back to see her pouting her lip. Goodness, was he going to hate this?

"Do I have to?" Mario groaned out, Peach pulling a smile.

"Yes, and you want to know why?" Peach said, kissing him on the cheek.

"Why?"

"We're going back. And I mean all of us are going back." Mario looked at her as if she was crazy. He should have just walked away when she gave him the puppy dog eyes.

"Peach, we just got back! I'm not going back there!"

"Then we'll wait. Give us enough time to pack to stay there for a while and it lets me set up for my absence," Peach said as she pulled her hands out of his and headed towards the door.

"Peach-" Mario started, but Peach cut him off

"No, Mario. Nothing you say will change my mind. Now go tell the other while I go get everything ready." Peach told him, leaving him in her room as she went to her office. As she said, the next few days were just her planning her absence, from setting up meetings to figuring out how long she would stay in the Darklands. At the same time, she got some Toads to make the gems that little Nutcracker gave her into brooches. That was one of the things she wanted to talk to Bowser about and what he was. A Nutcracker that was alive was unheard of, so this was something new, and she wanted to see if it was telling the truth about how it was nothing but a nanny.

Daisy and her little group had tried to get out of this, but Peach told them that they were just at fault, like Mario was. They need to get to know Bowser too. After much fighting, they gave in, leaving to go back to Daisy's Castle to pack up for the trip and meet Peach back in the Mushroom Kingdom. With everything set within the Kingdom, everyone wearing their new brooch as one of the many Koopa they can meet in the Darklands, and their bags filled for a 3-month trip, Peach was thrilled to go, but the others did not.

"So we all remember the rules, right?" Peach said as she looked over the four individuals with arms crossed and their bags next to them.

"This is a bad idea, Peach," Mario said, him being the grumpiest out of the four, "Bowser will never let us stay."

"Pipsqueak is right, Bowser hates the three of us." Wario said as the two other boys nodded at him.

"As much as I'm at odds, I'll still give this a chance. But do we all have to go? At the same time?" Daisy asked Peach as they stared at her, trying to back out at the last minute.

"Yes, you all owe me that much after the way you acted. Besides, there's a lot to do in the Darklands so that we won't be bored or cold for Fall." Peach tells them as they all do the side-eye each other.

"Can we at least go the long way? I'm not in a hurry to get there," Waluigi said as he got up since there was no point fighting against Peach anymore.

"Only way that happens is if we do, we have to take the long way back home. Deal?" Peach tells them.

"Deal," they all said, getting up as slowly as possible.

"Great! I'll get the karts ready, I promise that you'll all have a great time."

--------------------------------

Back in Evershade Valley, King Boo was returning from his journey in pain and irritation by his defeat in the Darklands. The only good thing about that whole visit was that his Nutcracker was there, and it didn't look like he would leave any time soon. He went to the Treacherous Mansion, where he slammed the front doors open, scaring the smaller ghost and all the Boo away before he yelled.

"Everyone! Time for a meeting!" he yelled as the most potent ghost came in one by one, from Neville's family to a ghost with a giant head with all the Possessors behind him. A few had gone missing from this lineup of 38 over the years, but the main one everyone noticed was Nana, who was locked up but still forced to come to these meetings was gone. No one spoke about it as they looked at King Boo, who was bruised and smiling.

"The long game of hide and seek has finally come to an end! We have found Luigi!" King Boo said as they cheered at this news. They cheered since they knew that King Boo wanted them to cheer, but honestly, most of them didn't care, others hated the idea that Luigi was coming back, and Neville was beyond scared as he heard this. When the cheer came to a quiet, Neville knew that he had to take control of this somehow.

"That's great news my King, should we celebrate by taking care of your bruises and pop open a bottle of red wine?" Neville said as he floated over to King Boo, but King Boo put up his arm.

"We don't have time for that! What we need is to start planning on how to get him back!" King Boo saw as he moved past Neville, "I've waited 3 years for this, I don't want to wait any longer! That annoying old Koopa probably ridge the Castle for us to not enter anymore. I want ideas, and I want them now!"

It was dead silence as everyone thought of what could be a good idea.

"We can freeze the spell so we can catch him," said Sir Weston, once an Arctic explorer, now just a ghost staying in the cold.

"Are you stupid or something? I need ideas that will work. Not stupid ideas that wouldn't even last for 5 seconds because the Darklands is made of lava!" King Boo yelled at him as he floated back and forth, "give me something else, something that isn't going to make me want to turn you into a painting!"

"How about a trap? Bait Luigi out instead of us going in." Suggest Lydia. King Boo thought of it but shook his head.

"After the last two failed attempts, He's not leaving that Castle. The only way he'll leave that awful place is to break him." King Boo said before a thought hit him. "Wait. Maybe that might work; after all, Bowser had a wave of anger in his eyes so pure…Oh, Luigi, you really do want to come home. This is one of the best gifts that you could give me." King Boo chuckled. From Bowser's reaction, Luigi has been there for quite some time. He has so much time that he's built quite a few relationships with them, then maybe using Bowser and his family will do just the trick.

"Clockwork Soldiers! Follow me, I may have found a way to get Luigi back," King Boo said as he floated toward the hallway, "Waiting a bit longer is just what we need. As the rest of you, get me some Koopas- especially ones that are guards for the royal family. The closer they are the better."

Chapter Text

"Please let go of me; it's painful." Luigi groaned as he tried to pull away from Bowser, who was putting some ointment on his arm. It was an ointment that Kamek had turned into using the liquid that works on Luigi's burns; it works like regular burn ointment and helps with pain. But Luigi was right about how his arm didn't need to be replaced as most of the damage was gone, and soot was left over, but that didn't get rid of the agony pain that he was in.

"It would go faster if you stop fighting it," Bowser said as he kept his hold on Luigi. The last few days have gone like this; Bowser was the only one who could do the caretaker job since Luigi didn't want Junior to do it even though he had shown that he could and was willing to do, but. Luigi put his foot down and told him no. Kamek, on the other hand, cannot physically tough Luigi, and his magic mixing with the ointment only seem to make it worse, not to mention that Luigi doesn't want any other Koopa touching him in fear that it would end badly - leaving Bowser the only one for the job. Luigi didn't like this, but the three Koopa have learned that he will not take care of himself if left alone, so he had no say in this.

"It ne- Hhhh! never goes faster," Luigi hissed as Bowser rubbed the ointment on a sensitive and painful part of his burn, "you did that on purpose."

"All I did was put the ointment on you," Bowser said with a smile, ensuring that every part of Luigi's arm was covered before wrapping it up in clean bandages. "See, now that wasn't so bad. Now all we need is the back."

"Can we ship the back? I hate laying on my stomach," Luigi said as he pulled away, but Browser wasn't having any of it. He grabbed Luigi and made him lay on his stomach as he grabbed more ointment and started on his back. It wasn't as bad as his arm. However, he still needed to get treated for it despite Luigi saying that it wasn't necessary. Still, there was another reason that Luigi didn't want any of this.

Ever since that night, it became clear that Bowser was becoming a bit touchier. Bowser has always been touchy, but he does it a lot more now; taking care of Luigi, carrying Luigi around, making Luigi sit in his hand so that way he can rub his head and the trancing. The trancing had been the worst since Bowser would do it out of nowhere, which led to Luigi's heart racing and his face flustered, which led to Bowser asking questions about each cut and dump he found. All of this confused Luigi as the ach in his chest started to show up to just Bowser being in the same room as him, and it got worse with every touch. This feeling wasn't pity anymore that left when Peach did, but now he couldn't tell what it was. A new sign of anxiety, pure embarrassment, or what Luigi dreads the most right now, is that Kamek had finally gotten to him, which was that this a sign of a crush.

Luigi can't be falling for Bowser; he shouldn't be falling for Bowser. Bowser was just being nice, and his action had no deeper meaning. It's like when Luigi lets Bowser rub his head because he's in a panic, and Bowser knows how to calm him down. Or when Bowser allows Luigi to sit on his shoulder since Bowser learns that Luigi sometimes feels trapped in his hand when he carries him and likes to be higher up than closer to the ground. Or when they hang out in the Tower…talk about personal stuff, and then go to the kitchen for a late-night snack that Bowser made for them—always making sure that the cup with the hot cocoa was small enough for Luigi but big enough to hold two tiny marshmallows since Luigi always needed an even amount of marshmallows in his cup. Oh dear star, did Bowser's action have a deeper meaning that Luigi is just thinking of right now?

"Hey, are you ok? You've been awfully quiet," Bowser said as Luigi returned to reality, his face redder as he realized that Bowser was already down with patching him up. How long was Bowser just staring at him when he was spacing out?

"Y-yeah, I was just thinking of something to distract myself from the pain…" Luigi lied as he got up; the pain was almost non-existent on his back as all it did was leave an itching feeling. Bowser put his hand down next to Luigi so he could jump on, but he didn't know if he should jump on or not. It wouldn't change anything from the last few days where he had just jumped into his hand, and Bowser let him sit on his shoulder.

That's right; nothing will change from Bowser just being nice. This was just his way of being friendly, and I've already been doing it. Nothing will change; nothing will change. Luigi thought as he jumped into Bowser's hand, letting him bring it up to his shoulder. Luigi took his spot and grabbed Bowser's collar as he made his way out of the room.

"What were you thinking about that got you spacing out?" Bowser asks out of curiosity. Luigi had been trying to get away from him every time he worked on Luigi back, so the fact that he stayed still got him a bit curious. In particular, the fact that Bowser was trying to get a reaction out of him by retracing his back. It always made Luigi snap at him, letting Bowser get a giggle out of it. Still, he mainly did it to understand each scar better and hear its story since Luigi always avoided discussing it upfront. Yet when Luigi didn't say anything when he started trancing, it made Bowser wonder whether he was getting used to it, or was he enjoying it?

"Um, nothing particular," Luigi said as he adjusted himself, "Kinder time was the main one."

"Must have done the trick if you didn't react to me trancing your back," Bowser said as he turned slightly to see Luigi out of the corner of his eyes. Luigi opened his mouth slightly as it shocked him, was he that deep in thought that he didn't notice? He quickly closed his mouth before looking away, his face getting hot and his heart racing. He didn't even know what kind of lie to use.

"W-w-well, it's like wandering back…back to Mario and the silly things he would do!" Luigi said. Bowser would surely drop it if Luigi started to talk about Mario.

"And what kind of silly thing did he do that made you so quiet?"

"Oh, um, I thought you wouldn't want to talk about him…" Luigi said in shock that he faced the floor.

"I don't," Bowser said, "But you're part of this family, and he's still part of yours. So maybe I'll hear a story about him once or twice. So let me hear it."

Luigi didn't know what to do. He couldn't just start talking about Mario; he didn't even want to talk about him right now. Even then, he didn't know what would be the best one to tell; he was starting to panic.

"Dad!" Junior yelled as he ran toward the two, Luigi being very glad that he showed up.

"What's wrong, Junior?" Bowser asked as Junior grabbed his hand and pulled them toward the throne room.

"Mario is in the Castle! And he brought all his mean friends! Peach too!" Junior said, which got Bowser to look at Luigi, who had gone pale. This would be the first time Luigi would see Mario again, and hopefully, Peach had given him the gem; if so, then that meant that he would see him too.

As they got closer, Luigi could hear their voice, with Kamek being loud. He was ready to see them again as a nutcracker this time, but he got scared when they got to the door. Maybe this wasn't the best, maybe Peach didn't give them the gem, Maybe he should wait outside till it was better, but before he could back out, Bowser walked in.

"Mama!" Junior yelled as he ran to Peach, giving him a big hug. Luigi would be lying if he said he wasn't getting a little jealous of her being here, not to mention that Junior just called her Mama.

"It's good to see you, Junior, and you two Bowser" Peach said, looking up at him before pulling a shocked face, "It's you again…"

"Oh, are you talking about Luigi?" Bowser said as he pointed at Luigi, who was clearly getting closer to Bowser's head and redder as he realized that he was sitting on Bowser's shoulder in front of his brother.

"What is that?" Mario asks, "And why does it look like me?"

"Kill me," Luigi whispers, letting only Bowser hear it. The first time Mario sees him again in five years is him sitting on his Arch nemesis's shoulder, leading closer to his head because he had to hold onto his collar. His face is probably redder than a tomato.

"Oh! That's Papa! Isn't he great!?" Junior said that made everyone pull a dumbfounded face except Luigi, whose face was in horror and indeed redder than a tomato now.

"Ahem," Bowser said as he cleared his throat, his cheeks showing signs of pink to them, "This is Luigi. He's one of Junior's toys…"

"T-t-that's all I am! I also act like a nanny, not a Papa…" Luigi said in a panic as he looked down at Junior, who had just pulled a mischievous smile on his face. Oh, he did that on purpose.

"And he looked like Mario because Junior wanted a quote on quote 'someone that everyone sees as a hero, and don't forget to make him act like one too'. Since he already had a toy that looked like his father, I used what came to mind." Kamek said as he summoned his broom and got on.

"He at least doesn't have that insufferable personality of his," Bowser commented as he glanced to the side, crossing his arm. Mario pulled an angry face, tightening his fist as Waluigi put a hand on his shoulder to keep him from doing anything. Luigi couldn't help but elbow Bowser in the cheek when he said that, making him uncross his arms as he glanced over to Luigi, who was also glancing back at him as he frowned.

"No need for you two to start a fight," Peach said as she stood up, "We're here to get to know one another. After all, this is Bowser's home. He makes the rules here."

"Nicely said, Peach." Kamek said as he puffed their bags away to their own room, "And like I was explaining before Bowser came in, everyone will get their own room and will all be next to each other. Dinner will be in the dining room around 7pm or at least 9pm. And due to our past history, it's best that all of you stay in your room after 10 to avoid any misunderstanding. It's also best to let you know that I will kick you out if you start any trouble~. Question?"

No one said a word as they all shared a look, nodding to let them know that there was nothing that they wanted to add.

"Great, now if yall follow me, we can get you settled!" Kamek said as they followed him, Junior pulled on Peach, but Bowser stopped him and her.

"Junior, how about you go with Kamek and let me talk with Peach and Mario briefly." Bowser said as everyone watched him.

"Ok, come one, Papa! Let's go with Kamek." Junior said as he reached out to Luigi, Bowser put his hand next to him so he could jump in his hand, but Luigi didn't want to. Luigi wanted to know why Bowser wanted to talk to them, wanting to know how long they planned to stay. Foremost he wanted to stay and watch, taking in the fact that his brother saw him, heard him, knew that he existed, he loved Junior. He would go with him any other time, but this wasn't it. Thankfully, Junior understood when he saw Luigi pull closer to his Dad collar and give a side eye to Mama and Mario; even Bowser felt Luigi get closer and remove his hand.

"On second thought, I'll make sure that everyone is nice and comfy! Come on, Grandpa! Let's go show everyone's room!" Junior yelled, running to the door as Kamek followed. Soon, they left, leaving only the four in the room alone.

"Well?" Mario said, crossing his arms as Peach gave him side glances. Mario already hates it here and the funny new things Bowser was pulling - like that new talking toy. The poor thing looked scared and was covered in bandages - it didn't even want to go with Bowser's son; they must have hurt it. Not to mention that it kept looking at him, which means that it was asking for help or pertaining to be doing so; that way, it could trick him.

"Mario, we talk about this," Peach said as she pulled an uncomfortable smile to distract from Mario's rude behavior. She was also watching Luigi, finally getting a name for the toy as he kept looking over at Mario. He seems different from last time, covered in bandages and envious instead of being in a hurry and desperate. It almost made her think that something terrible was happening behind the scenes.

"Don't worry; I just want to put two rules that Mario has to follow." Bowser started.

"Why am I the only one that has to add two more rules?"

"Because you're the one that causes the most damage," Bowser tells him, getting annoyed with Mario, "Look, it's just two simple rules. The first one is that you can't visit any of the towns, most Koopas aren't going to like you in the Castle, so don't bother leaving unless it's going home. I don't need them to worry about the mess you'll make."

"That's a bit rude, Bowser, but understandable. We just plan around that, what's the second rule?" Peach asks.

"The second," he said as he grabbed Luigi, who was not expecting Bowser to grab him. It was more unexpecting when Luigi found himself in Mario's hands, "-is to hang out with Greenie here."

"What?" The three of them said. Looking back at each other before looking at Bowser, who had a sung grin on his face.

"Bowser, I don't think that a good idea," Luigi said through his teeth as Mario put Luigi down.

"Oh, I think it is. The reason I'm doing this is because - well, because I just like Luigi's attitude more than Mario's, and he just needs to learn a bit from him."

"Why I oughta-" Mario shook his fist at Bowser as Peach grabbed it and covered Mario's mouth before he said anything foul.

"I'll make sure he'll play with Luigi," Peach said, uncovering Mario's mouth but not letting go of his hand, "I think we better go to our room now."

Peach dragged Mario out of there and gave Bowser a death glare as they made their way out of there. Once it was just Bowser and Luigi, Bowser put his hand out again for Luigi, but Luigi had a few words for him first.

"What was that about?! 'I just like Luigi's attitude more than Mario's' Seriously, Bowser?! Oh, star, what if he doesn't like me? What if he hates me after all this?! I can't lose him again, Bowser! I-I just can't, I-" Luigi said as he choked up a bit, trying not to cry about this. Bowser picked him up and wiped the tear that wanted to come out.

"Look, Luigi, I know that it was rude, but Mario would never listen if I was being nice." Bowser explained as he tried to calm Luigi, "Besides, don't you want to spend time with your brother? It's the whole reason I made that rule up."

"Wait, y-you did that for me?"

"Of course!" Bowser grinned, "After your story, I ask Kamek more about your situation and how the mind does the whole replacing thingy work. I would hate to not be about to not be able to talk to Junior and him, forgetting me or thinking of me as a shadow. Thought it would cheer you up after that rat came to be with your brother."

Oh star, now that would surely kill Luigi. How come Bowser never showed this side before to anyone? Luigi wishes that he would have shown it sooner so that he wouldn't feel this way, as his heartbeat as those sweet words left Bowser month, his cheeks heat up as a smile creeps across his face, and Luigi's eyes. If he weren't just crying and having them filled with worries, he would have an amorous glance at them, showing the truth of his feelings.

"Thank you Bowser. You truly are kind." Luigi told him as he gave him a close eye smile; Bowser's own heart skipped a beat when he saw it. He ignored the random heartbeat and placed Luigi back on his shoulder, happy to see he could help get the two brothers back on track to getting back together.

Chapter Text

"This is wrong in so many ways," Mario complained to himself. Peach and Daisy wanted Bowser to give them a tour of the Castle to see how much fun they could have there since they may only visit a few of the towns in the Darklands. The boys were with them until Wario and Mario kept stepping in between the girls and Bowser and then slapping and bumping into Bowser when he touched one of them. Peach told them to knock it off, but when that didn't happen, Daisy took matters into her own hands and beat some sense into the two before making Waluigi babysit them back in the garden as they went on by themselves. That also didn't go as planned, as Mario went off alone while the Wario Brothers headed to the kitchen instead. He wanted to see if he could catch up to Peach again, but the more and more he wondered, the more he got lost. He knew the main layout of this place, but wherever turn he took led him to a part of the Castle that didn't look familiar to him at all; he never really knew the layout if he only went to two places.

"Um, h-hi…" said a small voice behind Mario. When he turned around, he saw Luigi, scared and almost closed off as he held his arms close to his chest, like he was hugging himself. Mario looked straight at Luigi, getting annoyed, before turning his back on him. He didn't expect to hear crying and panic once he did.

"No, wait - please! I'm sorry! Please d-don't turn your back on me again! I–I-I'm-" Luigi cried as he ran after Mario, who had already turned around when he heard him say wait. When Mario knelt, Luigi had to stop himself just out of reach of Mario in fear he wasn't able to touch him. Luigi was only a toy, and his yelling out like that wouldn't change anything.

"Hey, it's okay," Mario said as he looked at this nutcracker, his eyes filled with tears and shaking as if Mario was going to hurt him. Not to mention the odd phrases he said about turning his back on him again, "I don't want to hurt you."

"I'm sorry, I w-want to have a normal talk a-and - I'm sorry," Luigi said as he tried so hard to stop the crying and not step away from Mario. It was just like him to stop and help those in need; Luigi just wished that Mario wasn't doing that just to be nice. However, Mario was confused, wondering what happened to him to make Luigi so scared of- well him.

"You're fine," Mario said as he sat down in criss-cross applesauce, watching Luigi as he got a good look at him, "You're pretty scared, aren't you?"

Wouldn't you be too if we switched places? Luigi thought as Mario gave him a bittersweet grin. Luigi was terrified as he took deep breaths, Mario doing them along with him to help him. He messed up the first time when they got here, not saying hello or pushing the idea of talking to him. Luigi wants them to become friends again and not mess it up even more.

"Y-yeah…Sorry, it's just- never mind, that's too straightforward. I'm just going to leave." Luigi said, afraid that telling Mario that he acted like his brother right out the gate was a bad idea. However, Mario stopped him by picking him up, leading Luigi to hissing in pain as he grabbed his arm.

"Ah," Mario said as he put Luigi in his lap after he heard his hiss, "did I hurt you?"

"No- I mean, you did-, but it was an accident! Y-you wouldn't know - I mean, you couldn't have known since you weren't here…but! It's fine! I'm fine," Luigi said in a panic; Mario raised a brow as if he didn't believe him. Luigi quickly went quiet when he saw Mario's face, turning away to hide, showing his back. It was no longer bandaged but looked like burn marks were left. Mario couldn't help but think of the worst.

"Does Bowser burn you?" Mario asks him point-blank, leaving Luigi in horror as he turns to face him. Out of all the things that he could have asked, it was if Bowser was burning him -was hurting him?!

"What? NO! NEVER! Bowser wouldn't do something like that!" Luigi said in a hurry.

"But he has done something, right? Look. If he's hurting you, I can help you. All you have to do is tell me, and I can help you." Mario tells him. Mario knew that Bowser was hurting the poor thing; now, all he had to do was help Luigi. Luigi felt uncomfortable with where this was going, so he got off Mario's lap and put some space between them. Luigi wanted this to be about getting closer again, not about Bowser.

"H-he didn't mean to hurt me okay? It -it was a different time and he didn't know what he was hurting! Bowser would never hurt me like that again." Luigi said as his words slowly went into a whisper by the time he got to Bowser's name. His hand went over his wrapped one, which didn't make Mario believe him even more.

"Luigi, right?" Mario said as Luigi faced him and nodded his head, "this isn't healthy. Look at yourself! Are you really telling me that Bowser didn't cause that?" He soon pointed to his arm. Luigi would have just looked away in guilt and not said anything, but he knows Bowser better than Mario did. He couldn't let him say all these things.

"Y-yes I am. Bowser would never hurt me this badly! He's been kind and helpful! A-and if you can't see that then- then-" Luigi said, not knowing what he should say. Mario just let out a sigh.

"You're one hell of a loyal subject," Mario said as he got up and walked past Luigi. If Luigi didn't want to listen, then he'd let him be.

"W-wait!" Luigi said, but Mario kept walking, "Don't go that way!"

Mario soon stops, putting his hands on his hip, tapping his foot, and looking down. He was losing his patience with the little guy as he gave him the side eye. Luigi was giving him a worried look as he faced the ground. The only reason he's listening to this toy is because Bowser and Peach told him to, or Bowser will kick him out, and Peach will stay here for the remaining three months.

"What's down this hall that you don't want me to see?" Mario asks Luigi, who tries walking past him as if he was a stray cat.

"I-it where Bowser's room is. Only family members are allowed-" Luigi said but was cut off.

"Wait, Bowser's room here? Which one is it?" Mario asked as he started to look around to see which it was. Mario started to open every door in that hall without missing a beat. He can go home if he can look around and find a plan or something that shows this was just a setup.

"Mario! Stop it!" Luigi said. This was bad; what if Bowser showed up? What if Kamek shows up? What if he makes a mess out of the place? Luici couldn't let Mario find Bowser's room, but it was too late as Mario walked right in.

"So this is his room, huh? I was expecting it to be torn apart." Mario said as he walked over to the fireplaces, seeing the little bead and medical supply on the coffee table. With a cocky smile, Mario points out the bed when Luigi is in view, "Do you sleep in here?"

"No! I mean I am right now because of my arm but I sleep very much in Junior's room!" Luigi tells him as he goes up to his leg and starts to pull on his pants as if that would work. This was also giving Luigi flashbacks of dark times in his childhood, Mario and Luigi breaking into people's houses- mostly bullies' houses - and robbing them. All the while, Mario is pointing out things and teasing Luigi about them while he wants to get out of there as quickly as possible. Mario just picked him up and put him on the little bed.

"My stars! You look like a baby toy in the bed," Mario said, laughing as he turned away and kept looking around.

"I am no baby toy! I'm a nutcracker!" Luigi said as he got a shiver from saying that. He's human, not a nutcracker, but goodness, it shocked him how natural that came out. He got out of bed and jumped off the table before running under the lounge to run over to Mario, who was pulling a book out of the bookshelf.

"Jeez, all of these books are self help books and kid books. Doesn't this man have any story or a diary in this?" Mario said, putting back the books and taking out another one.

"Not all those books are that kind, there are a few story and photo books-Wait a second, would you stop! If Bowser found you in here, he will kick you out of the Castle! Do you really want that to happen?" Luigi tells him. He must stop telling Mario things and get him out of there. When Mario heard that there was a photo book, he started to look for it while thinking about Luigi's questions.

"He's not going to catch me. Look, I'm not proud of this, and if you tell anyone, I tell them you're lying, but I used to do this. Snaking around in other people's homes, it's not that hard…Ah ha! Found it!" Mario said as he pulled out a photo book. It was old, so it must have been one of Bowsers' instead of Juniors'. Luigi was having a hard time trying to keep his mouth shut about Mario's past. He knew that it wasn't hard, especially when you had someone to plan and help you out every time you did it. Luigi was going to tell him that that was enough but stayed quiet as he saw Mario open the photo book on the floor so that Luigi could see it too.

The first picture that Luigi saw was a younger Kamek and a baby Bowser sharing some cookies as Bowser fed one to Kamek. Bowser looks almost identical to how Junior looked in the photo, even with the bandana he had in the picture next to it - it just didn't have a drawing of a toothy smile on it.

"They look like twins," Luigi said as he giggled.

“It’s kinda creepy,” Mario said as he flipped to show more and more pictures. Most were of Bowser and Kamek doing father-and-son stuff, and every picture had a date and comment in Kamek's handwriting. “I thought there would be more embarrassing pictures. How disappointing.”

Mario soon closed the photo book and returned it, even though Luigi still wanted to keep looking through it. Once Mario was back up, Luigia took the chance to get Mario out of the room.

“Now that it's all out of your system, it’s time to leave. I've been nice but you should go back to your room.” Luigi said once more, which got Mario to sign.

“Fine, I’ll go. Only because it looks like he keeps all his documents somewhere else.” Mario said as he headed to the door, stopped just as he was about to open it, “are you coming?”

“Me?” Luigi asks, surprised.

“Yeah, there’s no one else in here I’m talking to. Besides, I’m kinda lost…” Mario said as he rubbed his neck and avoided eye contact, his way of showing embarrassment that Luigi missed.

“So that's how you ended up in this hallway! If that's the case let go already.” Luigi said as he had to jog over to Mario, who opened the door slightly.

“Yeah, maybe you can also show me around that way-” Mario said as he closed the door fast, laying against it as if blocking it, “-fudge! Bowser coming down the hall!”

“I knew you should have left!” Ugh! This is just like you, Mario! Luigi thought as he panicked, looking around. Luigi was just enjoying the fact that Mario was hanging out with him, and he didn’t realize how much time had passed. The door was the only exit that Luigi knew about, besides a small escape route that was too tiny for Mario. He looked over to see where Mario could hide.

“Under the lounge! Quickly!” Luigi said as he pointed. Mario listened as he ran over and started to crawl under it, his hat falling off. Luigi grabs it to hand it to Mario; he grabs it and pulls it under the lounge as the door opens. Luigi also moves to the middle of the room and watches Bowser walk in.

“Bowser! Your back! Um, how was the tour?” Luigi asks as he sees Mario out of the corner of his eye, Mario's head lying on his hat.

“It was good for the most part, it became better when Mario wasn’t there.” Bowser said as he bent down and placed his hand down to let Luigi pick him up. Luigi didn’t wait to jump onto his hand so he could avoid Bowser turning his head to see Mario under the lounge.

“Oh? W-what happened?” Luigi asks as Bowser sits on the lounge and places Luigi on the table.

“Mario was just being a pain is all,” Bowser said as he grabbed Luigi's arm and took the bandage off, Mario pecking out just a little, just enough to see what was happening. “He just didn’t want me to be near Peach so he kept getting between us, not to mention when he started bumping into me. I almost lost my temper if it wasn’t for the fact that Peach and Dairy lost their first.”

“That does sound like him,” Luigi said as he tried to pull away, “what else happened on the tour?”

“Besides the fact that it was just me and the girl after Daisy beat up Mario and Wario, nothing much. We ran into Junior, who was annoyed that Wario and Waluigi eat all the Zeppole- is that right? The little deep-fried dough balls are called Zeppole, right?” Bowser asked to see if he had heard what Junior had called them right.

“Yes, they are indeed called Zeppole.” Luigi giggled as Bowser put ointment on his arm that got him to hiss.

“It still hurts that bad?”

“Y-yeah…the pain can last for months but Kamek has been doing a great job at reducing it. My back doesn’t hurt anymore, so that's good.” Luigi said, looking down at the floor in guilt, but soon tensed up when he saw Mario's face peeking out between Bowser's legs.

“It still left burned marks on your back, and it burnt a bit of your bandana too…it hasn’t affected you eating right?” Bowser asks as he stops putting on the ointment and wraps it up again. Luigi pulled away quickly once he was done with the bandage.

“Nope! I’ve been eating just fine and a new fresh coat of paint will cover those up in no time!” Luigi said in a quick, nervous voice as he looked away. Bowser saw this and knew that something was bugging him.

“Luigi. I know you're a good liar but I can tell that something is bugging you. What's wrong?”

Luigi looks away as he tries to think of something that will be believed to tell him besides the fact that Mario is right under him.

“I- I think the other may be thinking something bad is happening. Not with you know who, but with me and my bandages…” Luigi said if Mario thought Bowser was hurting him, Luigi wouldn't be surprised if the other did. It was also a good lie that had some truth behind it. Before placing his hand down so Luigi could jump on, Bowser caught on to what Luigi was trying to hint at.

“I see; if they do, tell me so I can talk to them. I know we can’t tell them right now what’s going on with you but we can clear up any misunderstanding. No need for them to think we’re hurt you…Why would they think that anyway? Play rough maybe but hurt you?” Bowser asks as he lets Luigi get on his hand, places him on his shoulder, and gets up, heading to the door.

“I would think the same thing if that was me.” Luigi tells him, looking back to see no one was poking out, “We’ll have time to show them otherwise thought so I guess I can relax a bit....”

“We do-” Bowser said as he opened the door, “-the girl also really wants to hang out with you.”

“I-I’ll hang out with them a different day, I promise Junior to help in the garden. He wants to set it up for a tea party.” Luigi said as the door closed. Mario waited a bit before coming out. It was surprising to watch all that, as Bowser was…calm and soft. Seeing a side that wasn’t angry and in the mood to kill was a rare sight, but he also found it hard to believe it. Mario knew that Bowser didn’t realize he was there, but there was no way Bowser would act like that. Maybe Luigi had something to do with it; after all, they acted as if they were close friends. He‘ll keep an eye out for now as he looks out the door and leaves Bowser’s room.

What felt like the whole day passed by before his eyes; Luigi was finally heading to Kamek tower. Bowser told him that Kamek was looking for him and was about to head that way when Junior showed up. Peach and Daisy felt terrible about what Wario and Waluigi did, so they helped Junior make more Zeppoles and handed them to everyone. Luigi and Bowser got their own Zeppole in the shape of crowns with strawberry jam filling. Junior likes the idea of the guests and his family having different ones so the rest can go to the guards. When Luig finished his, he got on Junior's shoulder and headed to the garden with him to clean it up and get it set up. Seeing this, Peach and Daisy found it cute that Junior copied what Bowser was doing.

With all that done, Luigi is finally heading to Kamek's room just as the sun sets. Guards leaving for the day and some coming in to take their post for the night, waving hello and grabbing whatever Zeppole were left. It was nice to have a sense of routine now that Luigi didn’t have to hide like a rat just to get around the places; the Koopas even helped open the door for him if they saw him coming towards them or if Luig asked, he just wishes that more guards where around if he was in trouble was all. A Koopa leaving for the night stops to open the door for Luigi to Kamke Tower, letting him climb up the stairs. Once at the top of the stairs, Luigi pulls on a little string that Kamek enchanted so that the door can open on its own. Kamek only has it on his door since he found it very ugly to just put random pieces of strings on the doors throughout the castle. So until he finds a better and more pleasant way for Luigi to open the door without reaching the handle, no more magic doors for him.

With the door open, Luigi didn’t see Kamek as he walked in and stood in the middle of the room. Kamek wanted to see him; where was he that he wasn't here?

“Luigi~” Kamek sings as he appears in front of Luigi, holding a Zeppole and popping it into his mouth.

“Mamma Mia!” Luigi said as he jumped in fear, “don’t sacred me like that! What if I was by the stairs?! I could have fallen down them!”

“Oh, stop being dramatic. Besides, I have some good news, or bad news depending on how you hear it.” Kamek said, landing before his broom disappeared.

“That's an awful way of putting it. Now you're making me worry.” Luigi told him.

“It's not my fault, you get scared easily.” Kamek said, “but onto the news, I may have figured out how to break this curse!”

“Really!?” Luigi said in excitement. This is by far the best news he heard.

“Yup! True love!”

“Wait. what?” Luigi said, dumbfounded. Was this some kind of sick joke? “you gotta be kidding me”

“Nope! True love.” Kamek said again, “Look, I figure out how King Boo -”

“Kamek, what have I said about that name?” Luigi scolded him. Even if Kamek knew the truth and nothing terrible had happened to him by saying it, Luigi still didn’t like it.

“Oh, don’t be a shy guy! I know how to keep his magic off of me.”

“I would still like it and feel a lot safer if you just call him Rat King.” Luigi told him.

“Fine, as I was saying - I figured out how ‘the Rat King’ put the spell on you and how to break it. For you see the Rat King has common magic that we use here in the Darklands and when I meet you, I told you I have yet to figure out whose magic is enchanted on you.” Kamek said.

“Yeah, but it’s been a few months now and you know much more about the wish and how it works. Why are you telling me that he has the same kind of magic as the folk of the Darklands?” Luigi asked. He didn’t think he needed to know this or how it relates to true love.

“Because every magic user has a glow to them. Mine is Blue, and his is purple, however!” Kamek said as he pulled out a gem. It was just a clear one with no magic in it. “I couldn't tell it was his because of one of these. The little heart gem of yours has its own kind of magic that I haven’t seen in a long time, and honestly I thought it was lost to the world. Since I thought of it as nothing but a simple power-up that was being used to keep you in this form I didn’t take it into account until I did more research on it.”

“So how is the heart behind all this?”

“I’m glad that you asked!” Kamek chuckled, “You told me that the brighter it shines the more you feel human but the least glow it has the more nutcracker you feel-”

“Yeah and if it goes out I’m stuck like this forever.” Luigi cut him off and wanted Kamek to hurry up and stop telling him everything he knew.

“Let me finish! Jeez, Bowser is being a bad influence on you.” Kamek commented, adding some magic to the gem and turning it red to prove his point. “Anyways. The brighter the gem is, the more I can see the difference between its own magic and the Rat King's magic. Knowing this I can make an elixir to spite the two magic and this is where true love comes in."

He soon puffs himself a few small jars with some different liquid in them from one of the shelves. He drips the gem in a jar with yellow in it, and it turns orange. "This is how your heart looks like now, and this," he said as he picked up a blue jar, "and this is true love. What we have to do is use my magic to block the Rat King magic -the yellow liquid- that way we can see the red in the gem. This purple liquid will be the elixir with my magic and true love, watch what happens when I pour the liquid on it."

The gem started to glow brightly as he poured the purple liquid on it. It was still orange, but underneath it, Luigi could see that little red and yellow balls started forming as if it was yarn. Luigi's eyes widened as he saw this happen. Could this be how he can break free? Kamek smiled as he kept talking.

"You see how the two are disconnecting? That's how true love will break this curse. Once King Boo magic is in this form I can come in with my magic.” Kamek said as he poured the blue liquid on it, and the yellow ball was soon encased in a blue sphere, “in this sphere, we can block out the Rat King’s power and only the gem's magic is left. That when you can break free from this by getting someone feeling the same love you do for them. However there's a catch. This doesn't destroy The Rat King magic, only weakens it for you to break the curse by getting Bowser to confuse you."

When Kamek said that last part, Luigi soon started to worry. Luigi has started to get a little crush on Bowser, but it still isn't enough for this to work.

"I-is there any other way of breaking this wish?"

"Now you gotta be kidding me. Seriously Luigi?! I give you the key to the front door and you still want to sneak in from the back?!" Kamek yelled at him, "the only other way is getting King Boo crown and using it to break the curse!"

"I'm being realistic! I'm also scared, ok!?" Luigi tells Kamek, "this is my chance to go back to my normal life but if Bowser is still in love with Peach then it's all over and I'll still have to face the Rat King. I-I just want to have a safety net if this goes wrong.”

“I understand, but this is the better opinion of the two. Besides, you're telling me that you're going to grow a backbone like you did with Bowser and face King Boo?” Luigi stayed quiet; he never wanted to see that monster again; just hearing his name put him over the edge. “That's what I thought.”

“Ok, maybe I don’t want to face that Rat but we will still need his crown if your solution isn’t permanent. You said it yourself, his magic isn’t destroyed.”

“You're right but it would be a lot easier if you were back as a human. You beat him once, you can do it again!” Kamek tells him, “Look, this will set you free. Are you telling me that you want to stay like this?”

“Of course I don’t want to stay like this! My life was destroyed when I became like this…” Luigi said as he faced the ground, “but…would everything now stay the same?”

Luigi hated being a nutcracker. He hated how he was tiny that people could knock him over with a single push, pick him up as a rag doll, not able to do basic things like open the door or cook, always having to watch his step to not burn himself, and the lack of sleep and the consistent hunger that haunts him that he just want it to all stop. He wanted to be human again, but what would happen once he was back to normal? Well, Junior still likes him? Will Bowser still let him stay? Will Mario let him stay and be with Bowser? Luigi shook his head, depicting the pain and suffering; this pain gave him something he loved and didn’t want to give up. Once he’s no longer a nutcracker, can he keep all that he has gotten? The new family, the new home, this newfound love that scared him more than rejection. Can he keep it if he is back to normal?

Kamek watches Luigi think this all over, his face full of worries as he thinks of his options. From what Luigi had said, he must be thinking about Bowser and the rest of them, thinking about how they would feel once he was human. Kamek knew they already cared about Luigi and that he was part of this family, wooden or not. Still, he must be thinking of his other family. His only brother was Bowser's worst enemy and the only family that Luigi had for years till now. This must have been hard for him to choose who he’ll go to after all this.

Kamek went to the window to see if he could spot something to make Luigi's choice easier, much more concrete than second-guessing himself. What he saw was Peach and Bowser talking in the garden; he looked back at Luigi, thinking that it would be a bad idea if he saw the two together. But what if this shows him that Bowser doesn’t love her anymore? What if this was the end of that part of Bowser's life? Kamek has been watching Bowser for years and knows the signs of his love style; maybe Luigi saw them too.

“Luigi, let me show you something,” Kamek said as he elevated Luigi to the windowsill. Luigi saw Bowser and Peach talking and having a fun time together. This made his chest hurt; he knew that Bowser still loved her and that he could never replace her as they shared a moment. He waits to see the longing in his eyes, watching him stare at her as she turns away and leaves, waiting to see him have the chance to touch her as much as possible and just hold her. Luigi waited to get his heart broken from this, but instead, it was whipped up even more. When Peach waved goodbye, Bowser just waved back. He didn’t ask for a hug or handshake; his eyes didn’t follow as she left as his eyes went in the opposite direction. His eyes were happy, but there was no sadness for her leaving or longing in his eyes. Luigi's heart went crazy as he watched Bowser pick tiny flowers that were kept between two fingers, making sure he didn’t crush them. Were those flowers for him? Was Bowser picking flowers for him?

Luigi soon got an answer as Boswer looked up toward Kamek Tower. His smile turns into a charming grin as he waves to them. He even turned his whole body to point at the flowers as he lifted them in the air before mouthing ‘for you Luigi.’ Luigi held his breath as the sound of his heart was beating loud, his face turning red and into a goofy smile as he waved back. It didn’t last long as he turned away, realizing what that was; that was him submitting to his little crush. Him giving in to his love for Bowser, as all he did was do a regular caring act for a sick person, and Kamek wasn’t helping.

“He’s staring~” Kamek whispered, which got Luigi to turn around again. Bowser was still smiling, waiting to see what Luigi said about the flowers in his hand. When he looked into his eyes, Luigi just saw a Koopa who was happy, there was no longing in them, but his action was yelling a lot louder even if Luigi was overthinking it all over it again.

“Thank you,” Luigi mouth back to Bowser, which made his smile bigger. Bowser soon month one more thing before Luigi turns around and jumps off the window sill to keep him from looking back. I’ll meet you in our tower tonight, Luigi repeated in his head; Bowser had called it our tower. He could have said anything else, like the abandoned tower, the west towers, or the tower everyone had forgotten about, but he called it our tower.

“That was unfair…” Luigi said as he felt the aching in his chest grow. Can he even call them aching pain if this was just his heart beating fast? Enjoy the silly and nice thing that Bowser did with it, not meaning anything else? Yes, he had to keep calling it that, just an aching feeling despite it being warm and fuzzy, despite it making him happy and wanting to keep feeling it. It was so joyful that it scared him, scaring him so much that if he accepted these feelings - it would break him more.

“What you call unfair is just another way of saying that you’re in denial.” Kamek said as he kept watching Bowser, who had kept staring up at him for a bit longer before going back to flower picking, “but with that being said, Bowser isn’t in love with Peach anymore and you saw that. It could work, all that matters now is; are you willing to give it a shot?”

Luigi thought for a moment. A chance to be free and keep the newfound family if he did pursue Bowser was a win-win, a dream come true in Kamek’s eyes as his dear son finally got the love he always wanted. But with big rewards come more significant consequences, and in this case, they were threatened in the form of a giant ghost. Luigi looked up to Kamek, who was waiting for his answer; Luigi had come so far and had changed so much in those five years. He felt the pounding in his chest, a warm feeling filled with the aching pain of dread as he took a shaking breath.

“What’s the way to Bowser heart?” and with that, Kamek showed his giant goofy smile, letting out a squeal.

Chapter Text

"My, these are delicious," Peach said as she grabbed another frosted toffee cookie from the center of the table.

"No kidding! Yo Bowser, who made these?" Wario said as he grabbed a handful for him and Daisy, who were stuffing their faces.

"Oh, um, they're an old family reprise…" Bowser admitted as he sipped his cup of tea, turning away as he found himself in uncomfortable situations. For you see, Junior had set up a tea party for the Rulers to enjoy themselves and get to know one another. It sounded like a fun and silly idea to indulge Junior, but the fact that Bowser is at the table now with Peach and Daisy, he never thought that meant Mario and the Wario brothers, too. So, him sitting here admitting that he made the dessert for this party was uncomfortable.

"Are you saying that you made these?" Mario said, shaking the cookie towards Bowser. His face showed doubt, as if he didn't believe him. Bowser looked annoyed at his comment but knew that Mario was just being a pain in the ass.

“Yes, I did. Do you have a problem with that?” Bowser said his question through his teeth as he tried not to yell at Mario. Mario glared at Bowser when he answered and was about to toss his cookie until Peach shoved it in his mouth to shut him up.

"He doesn't; he is just surprised like the rest of us. We learn something new daily as we hang out, isn’t that right Mario?” Peach said, having a cheerful smile. Mario just grabbed his drink and nodded before taking a sip, his face still looking mad, but now he was quiet.

“Dad makes the best dessert! Peach is a close second,” Junior said as he finished his cup of apple juices; he wasn’t much of a tea drinker.

"I can taste it," Waluigi said as he tossed another one in his mouth, “It’s also funny to think the big bad baddie is secretly a big old softie who can hurt you with a cavity.”

Wario laughs at Waluigi's joke. The two have a laughing fit as Bowser rolls his eyes. He honestly wanted to throw them across the garden, but that would lead to him ruining the party. Not to mention that Luigi was watching them, and he had told him to not mess this up for Junior.

“Haha, very funny indeed,” Bowser said through his teeth as he could hear his annoyance come out in his voice. It was clear to everyone else that he wasn’t enjoying the joke. Dairy smacked the back of Waluigi's head, not trying to hide the fact that she was hitting him.

“Ahem,” Peach cleared her voice, trying to not let a fight get out, “It’s a shame that Kamek and your little friend couldn't join us. It would be nice to have them around.”

“Now that you mention it, where is the little guy? Um, what was his name?” Daisy asks as she snaps her finger, trying to remember Luigi's name.

“Luigi. His name is Luigi, Daisy,” Peach said as she sipped her tea.

“Luigi! That's it! It's actually a cute name for a toy,” Dairy said, taking a bite of the cookie that Wario was waving in her face. She starts to talk again as she covers her mouth to not show it is full of cookies, “Where is the little guy?”

“Papa likes to hide in plain sight,” Junior said as he grabbed a cookie, “he is just timid but he is in the garden with us.”

Everyone except Bowser and Junior starts to look around for Luigi. It was hard to miss a green talking wooden toy in a primarily red and yellow garden, but they were having difficulty seeing him. Junior giggled as he saw them looking but didn’t say a word as he poured himself a cup of tea with sugar and honey. On the other hand, Bowser was tilting his head to the side, letting them know where Luigi was. Daisy caught on to what Browser was doing and looked behind her to see the arcade that outlined the gardens. At first, she looks at the ground and the little wall that outlines the bottom before moving to the flowers planted by them. She was about to turn back around before following the vines leading up to see something green on the dark stone. Luigi was lying against the frame behind the tiny leaves, eating one of the frosted toffee cookies that were as big as his head, breaking it into smaller pieces as he took a drink out of a cup that looked like a thimble. Daisy got up and rushed over to him, making everyone's eyes follow her as she went to talk to Luigi.

“Hey!” Daisy yells as Luigi drops his cookie crumb. Luigi looks down to see Daisy looking up at him before looking at the table to see everyone watching the two. He made himself smaller, not knowing whether he should be sacred. It was just Daisy being herself, but he didn’t know how he should act; he didn’t want to make a fool of himself.

“Hi…” Luigi said as he moved the leaves a bit to see Daisy better.

“Come on down Luigi!” Daisy said, waiting for him to come down.

“N-no, I’m good! I don’t want to bug any of you-”

“You're not bugging anyone!” Daisy yells at him, cutting him off, “we just want to get to know you.”

“I’m not very entrancing, I’m just a toy!” Luigi said as he hoped Daisy would just go back and leave him alone.

“You're a talking toy, how is that not entrancing?! I will climb these vines if I have to!” Daisy said as she grabbed her hair and started putting it into a ponytail.

“Wait, don't do that!” Luigi said as he removed the leaves that hid him and let out a sign. Even as a complete stranger to her, she still acts rashly just to make everyone included. He grabbed the vines and started to climb down himself. He made it halfway before Daisy scooped him up in her hand and took him back to the table. Luigi was clearly self-conscious as he looked down at his feet, not knowing where he should sit or if he should sit. Daisy sat again, grabbed a cookie, and handed it to Luigi.

“Here,” she said as she waved it in Luigi's face, “to make up for taking away the one you were eating.”

“Thank you,” Luigi said as he just sat down where he was, eyes still wide as he saw their eyes on him. Peach wanted to ask him something when Daisy thought she should go first.

“Now that you're here, tell us something about yourself, Luigi. How long have you been here? What's it like being a toy? Can you use magic like the Koopa?” Daisy asks as Luigi gets more nervous than he already is. The questions were simple, but did he really need to answer them? He didn't want to in case it led to more unwanted questions.

"Daisy, you're scaring him," Waluigi said as he picked up Luigi, making Luigi tense up even more as he picked him up from his bandana. Luigi held onto the bandana as Waluigi put him in his hand.

“Please put me down, you're scaring me more than her.” Luigi said, but Waluigi didn’t listen and grabbed his black arm.

“Don’t be like that, beside I want to know what happened to this arm of yours.” Waluigi said as he shook Luigi's arm. Luigi let out a hiss, trying to pull his arm away from Waluigi.

“Please let go, that hurts!” Luigi yelled, but Waluig only got more curious. A toy feeling pain that was new. He couldn’t help but wonder how much pain he was in, so he put some pressure on his arm. Luigi let out a yelp, making Waluigi let go, but it also scared everyone when Bowser slammed on the table.

“He said it's hurt,” Bowser said as they saw smoke come out from the side of his mouth. They had pissed him off that he was about to shoot fire at Waluigi if he didn’t put Luigi down now. Waluigi soon put him back on the table, letting Luigi run across the table to where Bowser and Junior were. Junior picked up Luigi and started to whisper to him, Luigi making sure that Junior wouldn't get too worried about him.

“Sorry about that. Waluigi is just curious. Right?” Daisy said, smacking him on the head that his hat fell off. He rubs his head, grabs his hat, and puts it back on before facing Luigi.

“Sorry about that, just didn’t believe ya that you were in pain. You are a toy after all.” Waluigi said, Luigi looking down with a frown on his face.

“It’s fine I-”

“It’s not fine!” Junior yelled, cutting Luigi off, “he should have listened when you told him to let you go! He hurt you and you're not going to get mad at him?!”

“Junior, he apologized. It’s fine.” Luigi said, still looking hurt as he rubbed his arm. Luigi didn’t want to blow this up even more when Bowser did an excellent job keeping his cool. This made Junior mad; he wanted Luigi to get angry at Waluigi for hurting him. Junior put Luigi back on the table and ran off to his room.

“Junior! Wait!” Luigi yells, about to run off before turning back to the rest of them, “I’m sorry for ruining your tea party.” and off he went after him.

Everyone stayed quiet as they watched them disappear. Daisy slaps Waluigi again, making him rub his arm this time. Bowser turns to face Waluigi and points a finger at him.

“Listen here, you little grape,” Bowser said, in a low growl, locking his eyes with his to make his point clear that he wasn’t joking, “this is the only warning you're going to get - you hurt Luigi again, and you're out of here. And don’t you dare call him a toy; he’s a person- a human. I hear you calling him a toy again, and I’ll show you how rough we play with our toys.”

This actually sends chills down their spines. Bowser was loud and liked to destroy things. If he was mad, he would flip this table right now and start blaming everyone at that table, but he didn’t. Bowser kept his cool and spoke in a low voice. Making eye contact as he stayed seated and didn’t chase them out of the castle with his fire. They saw smoke come out of his mouth, but the fact that he seemed so calm scared them.

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Waluigi said, taking a sip of his tea and looking away, but he still felt Bowser's eyes burning through him. Only until he straightened his back and looked at the other did Waluigi relax.

“That warning goes for everyone too. I’ll do more than just chase you out of here if I found out you did something he didn’t want you doing,” Bowser said, taking his drink and chugging it down, “Now, if you excuse me, I have to check on my son.”

Bowser soon left, leaving everyone wondering: What’s really going on between him and the mystery toy?

Chapter Text

"Let us go!" Yelled some Koopas as they shook the bars on their cage. One minute, they were going home to rest before their next shift, and the next, they were being dragged away by ghosts. They didn't get an answer from the Boos or the ghosts; they just threw them in a cage and left there, only coming to bring them food. They couldn't tell what time it was or how many days had passed, but they wanted out now.

“What are we going to do?” asks one Koopa in a red shell, looking to see if he can spot a different way out.

“Nothing. It must be days now, and we still haven't gotten out of here. All we can do now is wait.” said a blue shell Koopa as she sat on the floor.

“How can you be so calm about this?! My wife and son must be worried sick about me! I have to get out of here!” said the green shell, shaking the bars again even though he knew that wouldn’t work.

“Well too bad! You don’t think that my papa isn’t worried sick about me either?” said the blue shell Koopa, “We just need to wait till the next set of Boos to come to get out of here.”

“Yeah right, that could take-” the red shell started but stopped when he heard a door echo open. The ghosts don't use the door in this place from what they got from being here, so how could they have just opened it? They heard no footsteps but heard talking and giggles, meaning a ghost had just come down to speak to them. They wonder who could have come to see them this time. When the ghost stopped in front of their cell, they didn’t expect a Boo.

“Ah,” King Boo said, looking at the three Koopas as the Clockwork Soldiers stood behind him.

“What do you want from us?” Ask the Red Shell Koopa. King Boo's smile just grew as he watched them get more naves.

“Nothing much, All I need is your body,” King Boo explained, but the Koopas didn’t know what he meant by that.

"W-what do you mean by that?" One of them asked.

"When I say, I need your body. I mean, I'm going to possess you and use your body as puppets." King Boo said as the Clockwork Soldiers started to float toward the Green Shell Koopa.

"As if we'll let you do that!" Said a Blue Shell Koopa, standing in between the Soldiers and her fellow Koopa. King Boo laughed at her foolish bravery.

"Hahaha! I wasn't asking, I was warning you." King Boo said, getting his crown to glow. He started to float the Blue and Red shell Koopas in the air before slamming them against the back wall and keeping them there. The green shell Koopa tried to run and help, but the soldiers grabbed him and pinned him to the ground. He struggled, not noticing that King Boo was pulling out a bottle filled with a dark purple liquid, almost black and thick as sludge. The Green Clockwork Soldier grabbed the Koopa's mouth and focused it open, Letting King Boo float over the poor Koopa as he started to empty the bottle. "It shouldn't hurt so much."

The Koopa gags as the liquid burns his throat, not letting him breathe properly as he tears up from his pain and fear. The sludge burned his body and sent slight, sharp, needle-like pain from his throat to his toes. Once all the sludge was in his body, they shut his mouth to keep him from coughing it up. His friends tried to escape the magic that kept them pinned, but it was too late. They started to hear the muffled screams as his body began shaking violently like he was having a seizure. All of a sudden, he just stopped. He was lifeless on the floor, the two soldiers letting him go but the green one. The green one went into his mouth.

The next moment, his body was making a cracking sound as if his bones were being broken, slowly getting up as if it were a broken puppet on strings. His eyes were pure white, as if he had rolled his eyes behind his head. King Boo claps as he watches the Clockwork soldier move the Koopa's body as if it was its own. With a few falls here and an undesirable sound that came from its mouth as it tried to figure out his vocal, it sent shivers down the remaining two Koopa, and it didn’t help when King Boo turned to them.

“Who's next?” King Boo said, giggling as he dropped the Red Shell Koopa, “I'll give you a 10-second head start.”

The Red Koopa soon realized that King Boo wanted him to run; he was making this a sick game as King Boo started counting down from 10. He was frozen in fear for at least 6 of those seconds before he began to run. As the Clockwork Soldiers chased after him, King Boo looked back at the Blue Shell Koopa, throwing her at the wall out of the cell. She hit it hard but still got a glimpse of the Red Koopa being pinned to the ground as her now-possessed friend stumbled along, walking and falling like a dry bone.

“Guess you're the lucky one, you get an even better head start,” King Boo said as he floated over to the rest of them. She didn’t wait like the Red Shell and ran for her life. She ran in circles until she found the staircase. She ran up them as some of the steps broke under her, making her stumble, but she kept pushing till she was at the top. However, she only saw the dungeon she had just run out of. She turned to go, that maybe she just took the wrong staircase, yet when she turned back around to the stairs, it was gone.

"No," she whispered as she started to run again. Running in the same circles to the same staircase that broke under her weight once more. Every new floor had a unique sound of laughter that sent shivers down her shell. Getting louder and louder till she was faced with the Boo, who was laughing.

"Found you," King Boo said as her possessed friends grabbed her arms, knocking her over to be on her shell.

"No! Stop!" She yelled as the last Clockwork Soldier forced her mouth open.

"Not till I get back what belongs to me. Don't worry little Koopa, you won't remember anything after this." King Boo giggled at that, "but maybe your body will."

"Yo wn't gt awy wth ths…!" She said to the best of her ability as it sounded more like muffled noises before the liquid was poured down her throat.

"I already have," King Boo said, smiling as he watched the final Koopa come to the potion, the last Clockwork Soldier taking over her body. It took a bit to adjust, but it stood upright as the other two finally adjusted to the Koopa eyes to show their pupils. Their gray-green eyes turned into a yellow with a hint of green to them. King Boo was delighted to see how it turned out, as the only side effect seemed to be the changing of eye color.

"Perfect, just perfect!" King Boo said as he floated them and grabbed the Green Shell Koopa's face. He turned its head to see if there was any rush or other signs of disfiguration to the bodies. He could see this working as he just needed to wait and watch.

“Biff Atlas, Grimmly.” King Boo called out as the two ghosts came to his call. Grimmly hid behind Biff Atlas as he stood tall.

“Yes, my king?” Biff Atlas said as she spotted the three Koopas.

“Take the Clockwork Soldier back to the Darklands, as for you Grimmly. You're going to be the messenger.” King Boo said as the three Koopa walked over to the two.

“M-messenger?” Grimmly asked.

“Yes messenger. The Clockwork Soldiers have to stay in the castle at all times, so I need someone else to report back to me. Why not the useless hermit that stays in the dark.” King Boo said as he got closer to him. “Now you can be useful. Now off you go.”

The group of five nodded their heads, leaving as both Neville and Madame Clairvoya came to see King Boo.

“Ah, if it isn’t my two favorite ghosts. Tell me, any good news?” King Boo smiles as Neville clears his throat.

“We did as you ask and searched the old man's lab. We found quite a bit of Luigi belonging but the most interesting one was a fold up picture of him and his brother.” Neville explained before Madame Clairvoya spoke.

“And we have already seen into the future with it. Sad to say this, My King, but Luigi is not back in your possessions by the 49-day mark.” King Boo thought about this. He was upset that he didn’t have Luigi within a month, but it also meant that none of his little Koopas had gotten caught within that time. He lets out a huff from his anger, but he’ll wait a little longer; after all, he has waited for three years for this moment. Waiting another two or so months won’t kill him.

“Fine, I’ll wait, but I want an update after the 30 day mark. Do I make myself clear?”

“Yes, My King,” they both said as King Boo floated out of the dungeon. However, Neville sighed as Madame Clairvoya put a hand on his shoulder.

“We gave him some time, Neville. That's all we can do." Madame Clairvoya tells him. When they had first found the picture of Luigi and Mario, Madame Clairvoya had seen Luigi and Bowser together outside of the castle alone, where one of the possessed Koopa would scoop him up and bring him back here in 25 days.

"I know, and I got to warn him of the danger that will come. Thank you again for doing this for me." Neville thanked her as she nodded.

"I see Luigi as a good friend of mine, even before we came back. I'll try to keep pushing it back as much as possible but King Boo will eventually get him back if we're not careful." Madame Clairvoya warned him as she went back to her room.

Neville soon took his leave after the three Koopa and the two ghosts. He needed to warn Luigi before it was too late.

Chapter Text

“Mario, it's been a week. When are you going to stop acting like this?” Peach questions him in anger as she watches Mario walk back and forth. Mario has been here for a week, and Bowser wasn’t acting normal. First, he was willing to let them stay in his home, and then he was being nice to a toy. He also can't forget how calm Bowser was when he got mad at Waluigi because of that toy, and now he’s hosting a game night with just the adults. Event after event, Bowser was being way too nice for Mario’s liking.

“He’s acting strange, Peach. Why are you letting him fool you?” Mario asks in return, but Peach pitches the bridge of her nose when he asks that.

“For the last time Mario, he’s not acting strange! This is how he really is! I should know, I spend more time with him then you have.” Peach said as she walked to the door, “so unless you stop acting like a child, I’m going to be with the other!”

Peach soon slammed the door shut to Mario's room. This was a mess, and Mario didn’t know how to fix it. It was hurting not just his ego but his own feelings, too, and he didn’t know if he was to blame or Bowser. Maybe it was a mix of both; perhaps it was his fault, but he just didn’t want to admit it, and it was easier to just blame Bowser. He shouldn’t care; he was forced to be here. He’ll just sleep and apologize to Peach in the morning. Mario went under the cover and tried to fall asleep, hoping he would wake up feeling better in the morning. As the minutes passed, Mario tossed and turned in bed, still feeling hurt as his anger turned to sadness. He tossed and turned even more as he looked at the clock to see that not even an hour had passed, and he groaned. This was unbearable, and his pride hurt him more than anything else. He got up and decided to join the others, leaving the room to see if he could figure out where he was going.

Mario remembers Peach saying something about pasting the Throne room and going down the right hall in the far left corner. But when he got there, he didn’t know which entrance she meant, and he just went to the left corner like she had said and took that hall. It was hushed as Mario didn’t know where he was going; he took a flight of stairs and then down a hallway with so many turns that he knew for a fact that he was lost now. He sighed as he came across a hallway with a row of windows: they overlooked different parts of Bowser's Castle till Mario looked out of one that pointed into a tower's window. There, he saw Peach and Daisy talking, and then he saw Bowser joining them. Mario was glad that he found them, but it wasn’t the place he wanted to be as he leaned against the window frame. Man, how he felt so lonely right now.

On the other hand, Luigi was returning to Junior’s room to get some shut-eye. Planning different events with Bowser was fun, but it was wearing him down with all the interaction with his old friends and planning going on, not to mention that he was getting a bit lonely. Bowser was a great host to his guest, but Luigi wanted some alone time with him that didn’t involve some sort of planning for his guest. Luigi shouldn't get so jealous and lonely about this; he had Junior and Kamek to keep him company. That should be enough, right?

Luigi let out a sigh. It would have been enough if he wasn’t trying to get Bowser to fall in love with him. It also wasn’t helping that Luigi was falling faster and faster each day. He went down one of his favorite hallways, a hallway with a row of windows that let the cold color of grays and blue in. When he walked down it, he wasn’t expecting to see Mario looking out of one of the windows, his face sad and lonely. Luigi slowly walked up to him and wondered what he was looking at.

“Rough night?” Luigi asks Mario as he momentarily turns away from the window, then back. Luigi spots Mario, watching the others have fun with Bowser in one of the rooms across from them. The girls seem to be having a blast while the Wario brothers talk with Kamek.

“This is all wrong. Bowser is just putting on a front, and everyone seems to be falling for it.” Mario said, just making small talk with Luigi. He didn’t know why Luigi was there, but Mario would pretend he wasn’t lonely.

“What makes you say that?”

“He’s evil! He destroyed the Mushroom Kingdom and kidnapped Peach multiple times. He had threatened other kingdoms and tried to force Peach into marriage. And don’t get me started on all his buddies who have caused so many problems against us, too. It just- I just have a bad feeling about this.” Mario tells Luigi. Mario also didn’t know why he was telling him all this. Luigi works for Bowser, the one person he hates and is bad-mouthing about. This toy had been shown so much more kindness from Bowser; how can he even understand the pain that Bowser has caused Mario and his home.

“You're right about that. Bowser has done a lot of bad things,” Luigi tells him. Mario raised a bow at his comment; one of Bowser’s own was bad-mouthing him, too? Not only that, Luigi even seems like Bowser's favorite little subject from the way Bowser acts around him.

“Why are you agreeing with me? Don't you like Bowser?” Mario asks.

“I do, he’s family.” Luigi told him as he stared out the window, “But everyone has a flaw in them. He has flaws, I have flaws…you have flaws.”

“You don’t know anything about me,” Mario told him as he turned his head at Luigi, who had turned to face him again. Luigi's face went sad, as if Mario just hurt his feelings.

“You're right, I don’t, but I know what they have told me. Peach tells me that you're a great guy who's always looking out for others. Sweet, brave, funny, and caring is how she sees you; Bowser on the other hand thinks otherwise. He thinks of you as annoying, infuriating, problematic, and all sorts of things that I shouldn’t say.” Luigi tells him that as Mario's face got angry at all those rude things Luigi just told him, “But all that tells me is that you're just like him.”

“I am nothing like Bowser,” Mark said as he turned back to look into the room, watching Bowser start laughing at something Daisy said. Luigi went back to watching, too, but he mostly watched Mario react as his face showed anger; he was hurt, too, as if not being in that room was hurting him more.

“I would say otherwise; Hot-head, protective of your loved ones, and you both never give up. I say that's a lot of things you two have in common.” Luigi said, moving closer to Mario to see what he would do, but Mario let him get closer, now only two feet apart. “You may not see it, but we all do. It may be the reason that you don’t like him.”

“I don’t like him because he keeps chasing after Peach,” Mario told him, getting a bit annoyed at Luigi and how he keeps trying to say that they are the same, “Plus like I side before, he’s evil.”

“He’s not in love with her. At least, not anymore,” Luigi told Mario, ignoring the second comment about Bowser being evil.

“And what makes you think that he is not in love with Peach?” Mario asks as he looks at Luigi in disbelief. Luigi just went back to looking out the window and watched the group.

“Just watch how they act,” Luigi said, getting Mario to take another look at them. They were all playing a board game now, Peach next to Bowser as he gave her the dice to roll. He didn’t look at her nor touch her when he gave her the dice. He didn’t move closer or get up first to help her up when she did to act out the card she got. He did watch her play out the card in her hand, but he went back to the board when she was done, never watching her sit back down.

“They’re acting like how they were a minute ago, how does that show he’s not in love with her?” Mario asked as he looked at Luigi, who only had his eye on Bowser now.

“Bowser shows his love through touch and his actions, one of the main acts he does is admire them. Back when I first started to be around the two, Bowser would always have his eye on her. Admiring her when she left, admiring her when she spoke to him, and even admiring her when she played with Junior. All eyes were on her at all times, and so were his hands when he was allowed to touch her. A side hug, his hand on her back, or a handshake. Anything to get that touch from her, and he loved it even if it was small…he loved it all, but now he doesn’t have that longing in his eyes like he did. All he has now is her friendship.”

Mario watched Luigi as he explained it all. The way Luigi stared into the room, eyes half closed as if they were only on Bowser. His body is leaning against the window as if he’ll faint from how he talks about Bowser. And the way he hugged himself once he started saying that Bowser would be touchy just to show that he was in love with someone. Luigi sounded and looked like he was in love with Bowser - Mario's eyes went wide, and out of pure surprise, he said, “You're in love with him.”

Luigi didn’t look at Mario as he said those words; he just looked down at the ground as if ashamed of listening to his emotions. Hugging himself tighter as if Mario had just hurt him.

“Is that so wrong?” Luigi asks, looking up to see Mario's worried face. It looked like he was going to say yes. He shouldn’t be in love with him, but even with all the worries on his face and eyes - he didn’t say that.

“I-I don’t know…” Mario said, crossing his arms, “He’s bad for anyone. No one should love him because he’ll end up mistreating you, but…but the way he acts around you. He’s kind to you and treats you nicely, yet all I see is him trying to trick you. You're a good toy Luigi, you shouldn’t fall for someone that's just going to hurt you.”

“But he won’t.” Luigi said as he turned to face Mario, “I know you may find it hard to believe but he is kind, sweet, and caring. You saw it on your second day here, and the way he was being gentle. I know you have never seen that side of him but…but this is by far the happiest I’ve been in years. Even if he doesn’t know my affection for him, I'm happy with the way he treats me. I'm happy with the closeness we have. I’m happy with this new found family and home that he let me have.”

Mario had to stop himself from cutting Luigi off, especially when he said that this was by far the happiest he'd been. Mario was going to tell him that this was bad, maybe even worse than whatever he was talking about, but he didn’t know that.

“What happened in these past years? What happened that made you think that being in love with a-a beast was better?” Mario asks as if he is hurt. Why were people starting to like Bowser when all he’s done is nothing but cause harm?

“I lost my family,” Luigi told him, which got Mario to shut up quickly when he said that. Peach was Mario's only family, and he didn’t know what he would do if he lost her. But Mario's heart broke more when Luigi kept going. “M-my brother, he- he was taken away from me, and it wasn’t just him. I lost my friends, my home, my freedom - all of it - gone as it was just a snap of a finger. I have suffered so much in so little time…but Junior brought me here. Gave me a new home - a new family to call my own. Is it really a sin if I chose to fall in love with a so-called Beast when all he’s done is help me?”

“No…no, it’s not,” Mario said as he hit the wall with his back, sliding down it as he sat on the floor. Mario looked at Bowser again, starting a new game with everyone. Mario now sees what Luigi saw when it came to Peach. How Bowser didn’t watch or touch her, but he couldn't see the kind, sweet, or caring Bowser Luigi saw, which made him pull a long face. Luigi saw this and watched the other with him. Luig knew that Mario would be against this; he didn’t know why he bothered to tell him all of this. Yet he wanted Mario to know; he wanted him to see that Bowser was all those things…maybe if he talked about his “brother,” Mario would see how much this meant to him.

“M-my brother, he acts so much like you…it’s why I feel so valuable when I’m around you. So scared when we first talked, since I saw my brother all over again,” Luigi told him, getting Mario to look back at him as Luigi also turned to look at him, “that being said, he also doesn’t like Bowser. If he was here…If you were my brother, would you let me be with him? Let me love him without hating more than you already do. Would I still be your brother?”

Mario stayed quiet, thinking about all this. He wasn’t Luigi's brother, but he felt so connected towards the toy. He understands what it’s like to love someone you thought could never love you back, people telling him she was out of his league. He also saw how kind Bowser was to him in his room, how he was concerned and only wanted the best for Luigi. But if Mario had a brother, he would never let him be with Bowser. Mario was about to right out say that he would probably break their relationship, but seeing the hope that Luigi was staring at him with. He couldn't do it. The toy had been through enough from the cut on his body, and what Luigi just told him, Mario didn't want to hurt him even more than he already had.

“I wouldn't like it, but I would want to see my brother happy,” Mario said, looking away from Luigi, “I would also think if your brother was a good person he would do the same thing too. I mean, look at the idiot, he can't even beat the girls at a board game. How does he plan to hurt you?”

Luigi giggled at that, looking back to see Bowser, who was indeed losing. Luigi soon turns to see Mario with a bittersweet smile, the saddest Luigi has seen in years. Change sacred Mario more than a scary ghost or fire-breathing turtle, and Luigi knows that. He went up to Mario and gave his arm a hug.

“Nothing changes overnight, Mario. You may never learn to like Bowser either, but all that matters is that you try. You try for Peach...”

“Yeah…” Mario said, placing his other hand around Luigi to return the hug, “Thank you for listening.”

“Any time…hey, do you want some creamy chicken tortellini soup?” Luigi asks as Mario's face lights up a bit.

“You know how to make creamy chicken tortellini soup?” Mario said, grabbing Luigi as he got up, “I would love some right now.”

And they both left to the kitchen, talking about stories of their past. Mario and his troubled past, and Luigi telling stories of his and his brother's wild adventures.

Chapter Text

“There you are,” Bowser said as he took his spot next to Luigi in their tower. After the talk with Mario, Luigi couldn't stop thinking about it, which led to him having difficulty going to bed and sneaking out of the room to get some quiet. Luigi didn’t say hi or look at Bowser; he just stared down to see half of the Castle and the lava surrounding it. Bowser knows Luigi's sad mood and nudges him, getting Luigi to look at him as he asks, “What's wrong?”

“I’m just thinking about things,” Luigi said, going back to look down at the ground.

“Is it about Mario? After all, you two were together earlier tonight.” Bowser asks. He had asked where Mario was when Peach only showed up with Daisy and the Wario brothers. She said that he was being stubborn, so he stayed in his room. It wasn’t until everyone wanted a late-night snack that they found him and Luigi laughing together, sharing a bowl of soup. Luigi soon shut down when they came in. Mario lit up even more, running to hug Peach as she was happy that Mario was at least trying to get along with one of Bowser's subjects. Bowser soon saw Luigi excuse himself, leaving quickly that no one else seemed to care if he was gone as they smelled the soup Luigi had made for Mario. When Bowser tried to follow, Waluigi made him take a set as Mario seemed to be in a good mood now, that he wouldn’t pick a fight with him. Odd but relaxing as Mario was being friendly to him, but that left him worrying about Luigi. Once down with his soup, he returned to his room and looked for Luigi, not finding him anywhere. So he went to the only other places he knew that Luigi would be, and here they were now.

“Yeah, but it’s not because of what happened in the kitchen.” Luigi said, getting a bit of a bittersweet smile, “Me and Mario were talking about old memories. I was really happy about that…until I had to keep most of them to myself as he shared the one I want to share. It’s…weird to have to listen to someone share a memory of something you did together, only for it to be told differently because they don’t remember you and you’re gone from the whole story.”

“He’ll remember soon, don’t worry, Luigi,” Bowser said as he rubbed his head, but Luigi didn’t seem to cheer up by that. He still looked upset and hurt as he held his hands together, looking down.

“Yeah, just make me wonder how he remembers that last moment with me…He must remember getting mad about something Peach did, hehe,” Luigi jokes around, but his face shows even more sadness. Joking around wasn’t something Luigi did; he was awful at doing them to show that he wasn't sad, but that one Luigi just made clearly shows how hurt he really is.

“It can’t be that bad,'' Bowser said, as he stopped rubbing and trying to pick Luigi up. However, Luigi pushed his hand away. He didn’t want to be picked up; he wanted to sit on the cold stone, hiding away from everyone. Bowser pulled a sad face when Luigi pushed his hand away, so he just rested his hand next to Luigi in case Luigi changed his mind.

“It is. The worst, actually. That last night we had together…makes me wonder if it even happened in his memoirs. I mean, how can you remember getting mad at someone if they don't exist?” Luigi said with a high-pitched voice, trying to giggle it off as a joke, but it sounded like he was about to cry. He thought that this would be easy, getting Mario to like him and be friends, but the more and more time he hung out with him - the more upset Luigi got that he couldn’t talk to Mario like he used to.

“What- actually, never mind,” Bowser said; it was clear that Luigi was upset about it all. He shouldn’t ask what happened that night.

“You want to know what I’m talking about, don’t you?” Luigi snuffled as he turned to face Bowser, who rolled his shoulder back in discomfort before nodding at Luigi. He really wanted to know what happened, and if Luigi was offering to tell him, he would take it.

“It was so stupid…We- I shouldn't have gotten so mad about it…” Luigi said, looking back down. It was true; they were both mad at each other, but Luigi was so angry at Mario that he couldn't help it. He couldn't stop himself from fighting with him.

“I don’t think it’s stupid.” Bowser said as he placed his hand behind Luigi, but Luigi shook his head no as Bowser kept talking, “everyone makes mistakes, it matters if you take responsibility for them or not.”

“The mistake I made was leaving. It's why I’m like this,” Luigi admitted, looking back up at Bowser with self-hatred in his eye. He couldn't help but make a disgusted face as he thought of how much he hated his choice that night. He looked back down again to escape the sad eye Bowser gave him, “I guess you won’t understand just from that…I guess I should start from the top. You see, me and Mario were already drifting apart ….”

Luigi and Mario were already drifting apart at this point in their life. Sure, they live together, but they never seem to cross paths while at home anymore, and when they do - they would just eat in silence. Luigi had been spending more and more time in a dance studio than working in the family business of plumping. He was getting tired of all the new jobs they were getting, and Mario ran off in the middle of them because the Toads wanted him to go save Peach instead of letting Mario work. So he decided that once all their jobs were done, Luigi wouldn’t take anymore and leave the family business- maybe even shut it down.

This led to a disagreement with Mario, but he, too, understood that it was probably for the best since Peach paid Mario for his trouble that they didn’t even need the business. However, this was Mario's baby; it was what gave him and Luigi a new start in life. He didn’t want to close it down, so he kept the business open until all the jobs they had were done to see if they would close it. So Luigi kept at it till he got cast for a Ballet, making him start getting ready for a one-night performance. It was a Ballet of a Toad falling in love with a doll. Luigi had the lead role of Franz, the Toad who fell in love with the doll. When Luigi got the part, the first person he told was Mario, who was happy for his little brother for the first time in a while. He promises Luigi that he will be right there when that night comes along.

So Luigi practices almost every day, from sunup to the late hour of the night. This was by far one of the most challenging dances he had to do, but he wanted to be ready for it. Luigi also wanted to ensure that Mario would show up, so he kept reminding him every month until he started doing it every week. It was clear that Mario was getting annoyed by the consent reminder, but Mario kept his mouth shut and told Luigi that he would be there. Luigi believed him, but he always got stressed when Mario left the Mushroom Kingdom since he could be gone for two days or 4 months.

As the day of the event got closer, Luigi started to remind him every day. And every day Mario got madder and madder that Luigi was treating him like this. To the point that Mario left the house once more, Luigi started to stress the whole time about how Mario wouldn’t get back in time. On the day of the performances, Luigi was beyond stressed as Mario wasn’t back in the Mushroom Kingdom yet. He asked around most of the morning to see if anyone had seen him, even going as far as to see Peach to ask if he was there. There was no sight of him, and Luigi had to go to the theater to prepare everything.

As Toads entered the theater that night, Luigi stood by the door in full costume, greeting Toads, who stopped to say hello or break a leg. Luigi only had eyes looking for his brother that no one had seen. Daisy had come with Wario and Waluigi as Daisy pluses, Peach was side by side with Toadstool, and E. Godd with his own popcorn- hell, even a Koopa with a letter addressed to Luigi saying that Bowser wouldn't be able to make it but wishing him the best of luck showed up. But there was no Mario. Luigi was heartbroken that he couldn't wait any longer to see if his brother would come and the ballet started.

It was one of Luigi's most fantastic nights as everyone gave him flowers and cheered for his lovely performance. However, Luigi couldn't enjoy it - all he wanted was Mario to tell him that his dancing was remarkable, that he was proud that Luigi took his first steps of wanting to be a dancer rather than a plumber. Luigi gave everyone a smile as they left, only to walk home with a frown. Once home, he thought he was alone until he saw Mario sleeping on the couch in the living room. Luigi felt himself getting mad at Mario as he slept there and was just going to walk to his room and cry out of frustration in his pillow like he always did. However, after hanging out with Bowser lately, he wasn’t going to do that this time. Luigi grabs one of the couch pillows and throws it at Mario's face to wake him up.

“Ah! W-what time is it?” Mario said, waking up as he rubbed his eyes.

“What time is it? That's what you're worried about!?” Luigi said, letting his anger do all the talking.

“Oh, hey, Lu. What are you doing coming back so late?” Mario said, lying back on the couch and relaxing after he looked at the grandfather clock behind Luigi before his eyes were on him. This pissed Luigi even more; his face looked like it was getting red from how mad he was.

“Woah- What?! I can’t believe you Mario!”

“Hey! Why are you getting mad at me?! I've only been back for a few hours!” Mario said, setting straight up to Luigi's random outbursts.

“A few- How long is a few hours?!” Luigi snapped; Mario saying he was back a few hours, made him throw his kindness out of the window. This was a one-night thing, and Mario didn’t attend it. If he was back a few hours ago, that means he could have shown up even if he was late. Luigi would have wanted Mario to be late than not be there at all.

“I don’t know! Like five- six hours ago? I came back home and you weren’t here!” Mario yells, getting really annoyed at Luigi's anger. He didn’t know why he was so mad, but Luigi shouldn’t be getting mad at him for doing nothing.

“That's because I was at my Ballet! You know, The one that you promise to be at!”

“Wait… that was tonight?”

“YES! And the fact that you had come back just as we were starting is unbelievable! You said that would be there Mario!” Luigi said as he felt the tears come up, but he wouldn't cry this time. He was going to listen to Bowser and be angry.

“I'm sorry, Lu! Look, I'll go tomorrow night. How does that sound, huh?” Mario said as he got up with guilt in his eyes. He felt terrible that he missed the opening night of Luigi's ballet; he had forgotten that it was tonight - not tomorrow.

“Tomorrow?! There is no tomorrow! It was for one night and one night only!”

“Then I’ll make it up to you with your next performance! It’s not a big deal!” Mario raised his voice at Luigi as he tried to reach for his hand, but Luigi slapped his hand away. Making Mario look at Luigi in shock before staying quiet.

“It is Mario! It was a HUGE deal! My first lead performance and you miss it! I worked so hard to get that role! I worked so hard to make sure that you were there! I work and work to show this kingdom and my role model, my big brother, my ONLY FAMILY THAT I FINALLY MADE IT AND YOU DIDN’T SHOW UP!” Luigi shouted, pointing and swinging his arms to show his anger and disappointment. Once he was done, Luigi watched as Mario's face turned from guilt to annoyance.

“You worked hard to make sure I was there?! YOU TREAT ME AS IF I WAS A CHILD! REMINDER AFTER REMINDER AS IF I WAS IRRESPONSIBLE! DON'T YOU KNOW HOW THAT MAKES ME FEEL?! I FELT LIKE MY OWN BROTHER DONES’T TRUST ME!”

“AFTER TONIGHT, YOUR RIGHT ABOUT THAT! I WISH I DIDN’T HAVE A BROTHER WHO CARES MORE ABOUT THIS KINGDOM THAN ME!” Luigi replied. Mario's face dropped, his mouth slightly open and hurt, his eyes full of sadness as Luigi could see tears building up at the end of them. Luigi felt awful as he didn’t actually mean it. He just got caught up in the moment and was about to take it back and apologize, but Mario's hurt face turned into anger as if he was showing hatred.

“I WISH I DIDN’T HAVE A BROTHER WHO’S USELESS! ALWAYS FOLLOWING ME AROUND LIKE A LOST PUPPY!” Mario would yell at Luigi out of one of his hot-head moments. This led to Luigi not caring what he said next.

“I WISH I DIDN’T HAVE A BROTHER WHO HAD A ENORMOUS HERO COMPLEX! ALWAYS FEELING WORTHLESS IF HE’S NOT BEING THE HERO!” Luigi yelled back.

“I WISH I DIDN’T HAVE A BROTHER WHO'S AFRAID OF EVERYTHING! EVEN HIS OWN DAMN SHADOW!”

“I WISH I HAD DIDN'T HAVE A BROTHER WHO CHOICE A DAMN BIMBO OVER HIS OWN BROTHER!” Luigi said as he shoved Mario, making him bump into the end table.

“DON'T YOU BRING PEACH INTO THIS! IT'S YOUR OWN DAMN FAULT THAT YOU PUSH ME AWAY!” Mario said as he lunge towards Luigi, tackling him to the ground. In self-defense, Luigi punches Mario in the face. What was just an argument turned into a struggle as both the brothers started to hit each other. Mario got slammed against the coffee table and chairs; Luigi was getting a few punches and kicks to his body. The fight didn’t stop till a photo of the two fell from the fireplaces breaking into pieces. Making the two get away from each other.

“I WISH I NEVER HAD A BROTHER! I HATE YOU!” they both said, panting as they had run out of breath from fighting each other. Soon, Mario grabs his hat and heads towards the door.

“Where are you going?!” Luigi yelled as he followed Mario to the door. He wasn't going to let Mario walk away from this.

“To Peach Castle! I’m staying there for the night!” Mario said as he opened the door, about to leave, until Luigi spoke again.

“Why don’t you just stay there for good!”

“Maybe I will!” Mario said as he turned to face Luigi.

“Fine!”

“Fine!”

“And don't expect me to be here to help you move out!” Luigi tells him as he crosses his arms.

“Gladly! I won’t have to deal with you trying to stop me!” Mario slammed the door with that. Luigi stomps to his room, throwing his ballet bag on the floor. He opens the top drawer of his dresser. It was filled with wire and little inventions that Luigi mainly had made, but the thing he was looking for was called ‘Game Boy Horror.’ A device created by Professor E. Gadd that allows the elderly Professor to contact Luigi. It has a few glitches and primarily works when closer to the Professor's lab. Still, after adding his own tweaks to the device, Luigi managed to get it working for long distances. Luigi soon called Gadd and waited for the old man to answer.

“OooOooOoo, Luigi my boy. Good to hear from you again, especially after seeing your ballet.”

“Yeah…hey, are you still thinking of going to that place, um, Evershade Valley?”

“Indeed I am! I already had my lab set up there before I came! Are you taking up my offer to study the ghost there?” Luigi shivers at that word. Ghost. It had to be ghosts, but his anger blinded him so much that he wasn’t considering his fears.

“Yeah, I am. Are you still in the Mushroom Kingdom?” Luigi as he started to pack.

“Indeed, I am my boy!”

“Good, I’ll meet you outside the theater.” Luigi hung up, packing the Game Boy Horror in his bag with his clothing. Luigi didn’t wait; he didn’t leave a note nor stop by the Castle. He simply grabbed the picture from the broken frame and met up with the Professor, who was already waiting for him….

“...Before long, all this happened, and two years had passed. I didn’t see him or hear from him for two years till that day I came back,” Luigi said, trying to hold back the tears. “He looked straight at me before turning his back on me. As if I was a ghost, a shadow to him. I was nothing in his eyes…”

“Mario! Mario, down here! Oh, thank goodness!” Luigi said as he caught Mario’s attraction. Mario looked straight at this nutcracker, confused, before his head started to hurt as he closed his eyes and grabbed it. Luigi only ran up to him a little when Mario opened his eyes again. But at the time, Luigi didn’t know that Mario had forgotten him. When Mario looks around, even looks straight at Luigi - all he does is turn around and start to walk away as he holds his head.

“Wait! Mario! I’m sorry! I shouldn't have gotten so mad! I shouldn't have left! Please Mario! Stop ignoring me! I need you! I need my big brother!” Luigi cries out, trying to get Mario to listen. Luigi ran in front of him, trying to stop him, and even started to walk backward to look at Mario's face. “It was my fault! I shouldn't have treated you like you would forget! I should have trusted you! Please Mario, I’m begging you! Look at ME! LOOK AT ME!”

Luigi yells, falling back on his butt. Soon, he saw the bottom of Mario's shoe. It had come down on him and thought him as he lost his breath. Mario kept walking away, Luigi patting himself down as the tears came. Mario had gone right through him as if he was a ghost.

“No…no…no, no, No, NO, NO, NO!" Luigi cried as he turned to face to see Mario back, still sitting on the floor. Luigi watches as Peach comes out from the corner, placing a kiss on his brother's lip. It was quick and sweet, but the word said next was what broke Luigi.

“Mario, I have a question,” Peach said as she patted Mario down.

“Yes?”

“Do you have any family? Brother, sister, aunt, uncle?”

“Nope. just me. Kinda sad, I always wish I had a brother.” Mario said as he grabbed Peach's hands and held them in his.

“That’s a shame.”

“Yeah, well, you're my family. You're all that I need.” Mario said with a smile as he pleased a kiss on her hands. He walked away as Luigi sat there on the floor, watching him leave him behind.

Luigi started crying in the second part of his story. The first time, the realization of why Mario never came to save him and that even his brother wouldn’t remember him no matter their strong bond was terrible. Even recognizing that day made him feel worse as he leaned into Bowser's hand, thankful that it held him. Bowser lets him cry, moving his other hand to Luigi so he can have a cover. It pisses Bowser off that Mario did all that, and for what? To not be the bad guy? It angered him but upset him even more when he heard the last party to his story.

“Yeah, well, you're my family. You're all that I need.”

You're all that I need, huh? Bowser thought as he started to rub Luigi's head, thinking about those words. He knows he shouldn't be so mad about it. No one remembers, but seeing how bad this affected Luigi really pisses him off. People really like hurting him, don’t they?

“It’s not your fault-” Bowser said, but Luigi cut him off by pushing his hand away and looking him dead in the eyes. When Bowser saw Luigi's sky-blue eyes, he saw that they had become a thunderstorm. Dark and gloomy as they were filled with tears, sending his heart into a panic.

“It was my fault! Everything is my fault!” Luigi yelled at him. He was going into hysteria as he replayed the night in his head. “I was the one who got mad! I was the one that started the fight! I was the one who left! I was the one who let King Boo trick me! I was the one that brought this nightmare to your home! I am the one that is putting your family in danger! All of it! It's my fault!”

Luigi was shaking so badly that he felt he would fall over if Bowser's hand wasn’t there to keep him up. This was the first time he talked about that night, the first time he let it sink in that none of this would have happened if he had just kept his mouth shut. If Luigi had cried in his pillow that night and let Mario make it up to him. He never blame anyone but himself this entire time he was like this. Yet hearing Bowser say that it wasn’t his fault made the madness of years of self-hatred out in a hysterical cry that Luigi couldn't stop. He didn’t believe this wasn’t his fault. Luigi knew that Bowser was just saying that, just saying it to make him feel better. Luigi was having a hard time breathing from all the coughing he was doing, he didn’t want to hear that this wasn’t his fault; he knew it was his fault as he looked up at Bowser, who was blurring due to the tears. Luigi felt like he was finally going mad as he kept hearing himself say that it was his fault. He was the one that did this, he was the one that ran, he was the one that started that fight, and he was the one that fell for that madman trap and became this. It was his fault, and he hated himself for it.

Bowser had fear in his eyes as he watched Luigi fall apart. Bowser had seen Luigi break down, but never like this. Luigi was shaking uncontrolled, looking like he was having difficulty breathing, which scared Bowser more and more as he looked into those eyes. It was a thunderstorm full of pain and hate, and it hurt Bowser the most as he knew that hate wasn’t for him. It was for someone else, and it scared him to think it was Luigi's hate for himself.

“Luigi! Hey! You're scaring me…!” Bowser said as Luigi was staring at him, wheezing as the sob of his crying got muffed by it. Bowser picks him up to hold him as he rubs his back, hoping that it would calm him down. It didn’t work as Luigi was still crying, his eyes becoming half closed from the lack of oxygen he was getting, and Bowser didn’t know if he should stay still or call Kamek. He shouldn’t have asked what happened that night if it was going to turn Luigi like this. He felt awful and helpless.

“Luigi, please, please take a breath and breathe,” Bowser whispered as he used the hand on Luigi's back to wipe away the tears from his face, leaving his wooden face stained. Luigi started to hiccup as he tried to stop, but he couldn't; Luigi couldn't control this crazy amount of tears coming out. He never realized the amount of guilt that he had because of this, the guilt that got buried from the pain and suffering he had gone through. His hiccups got worse and faster as he went into hyperventilation, sending him into a panic as he tried to stop. Luigi grabbed Bowser's thumb to make him stop wiping his tears; he just wanted to hug someone as now the fear of blacking out from his hysterics.

“D-d-d-d-don’t leave- leave me!” Luigi managed to say in between his broken sobs, holding onto Bowser's thumb as if he were holding onto dear life. Bowser used the hand that Luigi held onto and moved it to his cheat so Luigi could lay against it. Hoping that the sound of Bowser's pounding heart would help the fear that had sunk in. It looked like it was helping, even if only a little, as Luigi's crying was becoming calmer, but his shaking and hyperventilation were still there as Bowser started to rub his back.

So that's the whole story… Bowser thought of how all this started. Luigi and Mario's fighting was the reason that led Luigi to meet King Boo again and how King Boo turned him into a nutcracker. It made him sick to think about that and all the information Luigi had told him over the last few months. The pain and hurt that he learned to deal with and learned to handle so well, yet it was his own brother forgetting and blaming himself that sent him into madness as he had suppressed for so long. It sickened him and made his blood boil, but all Bowser could do right now was stay still in fear as all he heard was the cries of Luigi get more shallow and quieter. Making him worried, he felt Luigi hug his thumb tighter as he slowly turned into a ball.

“I’m not leaving. I’m right here till the end,” Bowser said as he unconsciously placed a kiss on top of Luigi's head as if he was placing a kiss on Junior's head to calm him down. It had shocked Luigi enough to realize what had happened, but he went back to crying, now just trying to enjoy the safety of being held.

Trying to forgive himself for that one night.

Chapter Text

Bowser lay in bed, wide awake, as Luigi lay on his chest and Junior beside him. With all the crying that Luigi was doing, he had passed out. So Bowser had to take him to Kamek to check on him, and Kamek said that Luigi would be fine and just let him rest, even giving him a small blanket to wrap Luigi in. It had really scared Bowser as he walked back to his room, hoping that Luigi would wake up soon, and to his surprise, he found Junior waiting in his bed when he came back. Junior had a nightmare and wanted to sleep in Bowser's bed since Luigi wasn't in his room, and he could see why when his dad came walking in with him. Bowser didn't tell Junior what had happened and just told him that Luigi had fallen asleep, which was enough as Junior had asked if the blanket had put Luigi to sleep. Bowser told him yes and got in bed, letting Junior give Luigi a kiss before he cuddled up against his dad and fell asleep.

However, Bowser has been up since then, thinking about what he should do and can do. He should confront Mario and tell him how much of an ass he is, but he knows he can't. He can give Luigi more free time to hang out with Mario, but should he if Luigi is just going to keep breaking down from the constant reminder that his brother doesn't remember him? He should leave this alone, but he can't. He can be helpful but shouldn't get in between the two. He should be focusing on building relationships for peace and not fixing family drama. Still, he can help when he shouldn't. He should do this or that, but he wouldn't, couldn't, and shouldn't with every thought that came to mind. Now, Bowser was the one who was going mad with all this as he kept looking down at Luigi to make sure he was okay. Making sure that Luigi wasn't faking being asleep like he did every time he lay in Bowser's bed since Bowser had to find out through Kamek that Luigi couldn't sleep either unless he was in his own bed.

It made Bowser feel helpless as he tried to help the one person who, indeed, was vulnerable. All he can do right now is take care of him as he uses his index finger to give him head scratches since Luigi was using his thumb as a pillow. Despite his head and hair being wood, it felt like actually hair that was just playing on a hard surface as Bowser claw traced the indents in them. He wished the same could be said about Luigi's face since it was just smooth wood and not soft skin.

"What am I going to do with you?" Bowser whispers, noticing as bits of sunlight are coming into the room. It was already morning, and he didn't realize it as he turned his head to rub his eyes, the motion waking Junior up.

"W-what time is it?" Junior yawned as he rubbed his eyes, too.

"Time to go back to sleep, the sun is only waking up," Bowser told him as he ruffled his bed hair. However, Junior just places his muzzle over Bowser's chest, looking at Luigi as he reaches to fix his blanket on him. He patted him down to smooth out his blanket, letting his hand rest on Luigi and underneath Bowser's hand.

"Papa is okay…right Dad?" Junior asks as he gives him a side eye to watch his reaction. Bowser just gave him a bittersweet smile before trying to sit up, but it was more like he just used his elbows to hold him up as he balanced Luigi on his chest.

"Of course he is, he's just tired is all. Staying up late will make you super sleepy." Bowser told him, but Junior just pulled a long face.

"No, Dad, I mean, is he okay. Okay with…Mario and the others being here?" Junior asks as Bowser gives him a shocked stare, "After all, Papa is thrilled when they're here, and a little scared but…but it looks like he's forcing himself to be happy. I mean, he likes Mama Peach, but he looks annoyed with her when no one is looking or if I call her Mama. Or when he's with Mario, he's happy but gets scared or maybe sad every time he stops paying attention to him. I sometimes see him do it with you, too, Dad."

Bowser raised his brow at the last part before looking at Luigi. Luigi did it with him, too? He hoped that it was good, as his heart skipped a beat before it started to pound. No, it was probably nothing, and Junior was just up to something, but Bowser didn't know if the pounding was from fear or some sort of crush. After all, his heart pounded like this when he first had a desire for Peach. A crush that would be ridiculous; he can't fall in love with a doll. Well, Luigi was human, so it's not too absurd, but still, won't it look a little weird?

Bowser looked back down at Luigi, who was just sleeping without Bowser's hand being his pillow. It brought a smile to think that this would have never been the case months ago, plus Junior loved him. If Junior loves him, then that's enough to let him know that Bowser may have a chance to fall through on his potential crush as he reaches over to pat Luigi's head before moving to Junior's.

"He's okay Junior. Luigi- Luigi is just having a lot of emotion from seeing his old friends again." Bowser told Junior as he just took Bowser's word for it.

"If you say so Dad," Junior said as they shared a smile. Soon, Bowser grabbed Luigi and moved him onto the pillow as Bowser got out of bed.

"I'm telling you, Luigi is fine. He just needs a little bit of time. Now, keep an eye on him; I'll go make breakfast so we can eat." Bowser said as he placed a kiss on Junior's forehead before putting one on Luigi's forehead, too.

-----------------------------------------------

"Soooo~ how is it going~ anything happened last night?" Kamek asks Luigi as he does a check-up on him. Luigi's cheeks started to heat up when he asked that, rubbing the back of his neck as he looked down at the ground.

"Um, not a lot if that's what you're hoping for. I was just a complete mess is all." Luigi tells him.

"Uh huh, sure. Do you want to change that answer of yours, Mr. Pink Cheek." Kamek teases him, which makes him turn even more red.

"I-I mean it! I was a complete mess! After all, he was only doing was hold me and gave me a forehead kiss-"

"He kisses you?!" Kamek said as he physically touched Luigi. It hurts both of them as Kamek pulls away, and Luigi tries to catch his breath. It had been a long time since Kamek did that as he always made sure to use his magic on Luigi to not hurt each other; maybe that should be one of the following things he fixes.

"Kamek! Really!?" Luigi yelled at him as Kamek rubbed his hands.

"I'm sorry, I- I just got excited is all. I wasn't thinking straight." Kamek apologized to him.

"I can tell!" Luigi said as he rubbed his chest, "Now I'm scared to tell you what happened this morning…"

"Wait, what?" Kamek said as he got closer to Luigi, his glass was all Luigi could see when he faced him again, "what happened this morning?"

"I don't know if I should tell you after your overreaction to a kiss on the forehead!" Luigi told him as he stood up and started walking over to the table's side.

"Luigi, don't be like that!" Kamek said as he straightened his back, "Please, I promise to behave. Besides, you need my help and I can't help you if you don't tell me~."

"The only thing you want to do is gossip." Luigi told him as he sighed, looking back at the ground as he kicked his leg shyly, "he…give me another kiss…while I was asleep."

Kamek let out a squeal, this one being louder than his last that Luigi had to cover his ears. It took him a minute to calm down as he fanned himself, Luigi using the time to get away by jumping onto the windowsill. He got a good look outside and saw the girl out in the garden having their tea time. Luigi let out a sigh that Bowser wasn't there due to embarrassment of what had happened last night and this morning, but his body said otherwise as a sneaky smile came onto his face from the thought.

"OoooOOooo! Looks like someone happy about getting a smooch!" Kamek said, hovering as Luigi tried to stop smiling.

"Would you stop teasing me! I swear, you're just like Mario sometimes." Luigi said, just watching outside as Kamek also looked out to see what he was watching as Luigi kept telling the story. "But it felt…nice. I know he just did it because he felt bad for me but it was like how a mother's love is supposed to feel. Warm, soft, loved and more important, I felt safe."

"A lover's kiss could feel the same way, too, you know. And a bit more too~" Kamek said, as a cocky grin came to his face, Luigi just rolled his eyes. As much as that thought put a sweet smile on Luigi's face, he knew that wouldn't happen, at least not in this form.

"We both know that he doesn't feel that way. I have yet to see that same kind of longing in his eyes that he had for Peach," Luigi tells Kamek.

"Maybe you don't see it, but I do. I see the way he stares at you when you're with Junior, or when you're dancing. I even see how happy he is when he's with you, maybe even more than when he was with Peach," Kamek said, which did make Luigi happy, but something told him that it wasn't true. Maybe it was a lack of faith in himself or perhaps his anxiety at play, but he felt like Bowser was just being nice. Yes, Luigi saw all the signs: the touching, the staring, and small acts of kindness, but there was no longing. That is the one thing Luigi always saw, not just with Bowser when he was in love with Peach, But Peach when she was with Mario and Wario when he was with Daisy. The love and longing he always saw in their eyes when they were with their love was the only thing Luigi wanted to see in Bowser's eyes to know if he felt the same way.

"Maybe…honently at this rate I have better luck just coming right out and saying 'I love you' to Bowser," Luigi said, about to keep going, but a voice caught his attention.

"Man, I didn't know that wooden boy was head over heels for the grant lizard," Waluigi said as Luigi and Kamek turned to the door. There, Waluigi and Wario stood by it, laughing as Wario slapped his knee.

"You can say that again, hahaha!" Wario said. Luigi's face turned red; how much did they hear? How long were they there? Are they going to tell Bowser or anyone?! While Luigi had a mini panic attack, Kamek was more annoyed than anything.

"What are you two doing up here?!" Kamek with annoyance.

"We can up here cuz Daisy saw the toy up in the window. So she asked us to see if you wanted to join them but wowie I wasn't expecting a secret like this." Wario said with a cocky grin on his face.

"Now it makes sense why the King of Anger Issues was so mad at me. I was picking on his lover, or should I be calling you his bed warmer? Not that you can do much with how small you are." Waluigi says that got them laughing again. This was humiliating for Luigi; it was okay if Kamek or Mario knew, but these two? Oh, they're going to hold this over his head, aren't they?

"How dare you two!" Kamek started as he flooded over to the two, "first you come into my room unannounced and now you're making fun of the future Queen of the Koopas, I should report you two to his nastiness!"

Luigi was now in horror when Kamek called him the future Queen of the Koopas, and it didn't help that the Wario Brothers were now laughing harder at that. Luigi knew Kamek meant well, but this was not the time for him to say crazy things like that, especially when Luigi didn't know if Bowser was actually falling in love with him or if he was just being nice. Luigi jumped down to the floor and made his way to the door. He was going to run out and get some space from them, but Waluigi put his foot in front of Luigi.

"Hey were you going? You're not running off to your master now are ya?" Waluigi said that, getting a giggle out of him and Wario.

"The only people who should be leaving are you too! Now out!" Kamek yelled at the two, but all they did was turn at him.

"Oh yeah? What are ya going to do about it, old man?" Wario said. Without warning, Kamek pulled out his wand and hit Wario with a spell. Luigi knew that spell; it was the same one Kamek used on him when he teleported Luigi away from his room. He turned to Waluigi to get rid of him, too, but Waluigi was faster and picked up Luigi. When the spell went off, instead of hitting Waluigi, it hit Luigi, teleporting him into the dead forest outside the Castle.

"Oh come on!" Luigi said. This was going to be a pain to get back to the Castle with all this world in the way.

"Hey!" Wario yelled as Luigi turned to see a mudding and very angry Wario who was staring at him with daggers as he tried to charge at Luigi.

"Sweet honey iced tea!" Luigi said as he started running to get away from Wario, running in a random direction. Luigi was getting really sick of all these events that kept happening where he was running for his life from a furious person and trying to lose them. If Wario wasn't going to tell Bowser about his little crush before, he was now.

Luigi ran farther away from Wario and the Castle, but that all stopped when he saw two ghosts before him: Biff Atlas and Grimmly. Luigi hid behind a rock as he heard Wario yelling in the background, but Luigi could only think about why those two were there. Sure, Biff Atlas wasn't the brightest, but he's strong, and if he caught Luigi, he knew he couldn't escape from Biff Atlas gasp. However, why was Grimmly here? Grimmly was a hermit, like to stay inside and in the dark, so why did King Boo send him here?

"Ah ha! Found you!" Wario said as Luigi snapped back to his first problem. Luigi was stuck between a rock and a hard place; in the most literal sense, it could come as he didn't want the two ghosts to see him and didn't want Wario to grab him. As Wario got closer, his once cocky grin soon turned to horror as he started to back up, making Luigi look up to another ghost: Neville. Luigi tries to run away, but Neville grabs him before he gets a chance as Wario runs for his own sake.

"Wait! Come back! Help me!" Luigi yells at Wario, but Wario is already gone. Luigi tries to get out of his hands, "HELP!"

"Would you be quiet! Those two twits can still be around," Neville told Luigi as he covered Luigi's mouth. Luigi bit him as he pulled his hands away; Luigi didn't like the feeling of cold hands anymore, not after what happened last time with King Boo and how he acted when he came.

"Whatever you want to talk about Neville, you have to put me down right now." Luigi told him

"Only if you promise not to run back to Bowser's Castle Luigi. This is really important." Neville told him as Luigi nodded. Soon, Neville looks around before putting Luigi on a rock and Neville taking a seat on a stump. "Luigi, you're in danger."

"That's nothing new," Luigi told him as he rubbed himself to warm up and calm his nerves.

"I mean it, Luigi. King Boo sent in the Clockwork Soldiers to get you this time. There in the Castle as we speak." Neville spoke firmly, but when Luigi heard that, his face went white.

"Wha- how?! How are they in Bowser Castle?! No, no, no! This can't be happening! Not now!" Luigi said, trying to keep his panic down, but how was he supposed to feel safe in his home now? How was he supposed to get rid of brainless toy soldiers who only listen to King Boo? How was he supposed to find them?

"King Boo forced some Koopas to be possessed by them. That's how they're inside, but wait there's more," Neville said as Luigi looked at him with more panic in his eyes, "King Boo asked Madame Clairvoya to see into the future. We lied to him and told him that he didn't have you in 49 days but Madman had seen you and Bowser together outside of the Castle alone, where one of the possessed Koopa would scoop you up on the 25th day."

"I'm going to be sick," Luigi told him as he lowered himself to the ground; he felt like throwing up at that info. Not only did they possess Koopas, but now Luigi had to worry about that 25th day. "H-how long ago did she do all this?"

"17 days ago," Neville told him. Luigi stopped his breathing when he heard that. 8 days till he was back in King Boo's hands. 8 days to enjoy his last days of freedom. 8 more days, he will feel like he's dying.

"No…No!" Luigi yelled at Neville. He wasn't going back; he had to think of a way to change this outcome, but his mind was somewhere else. Lost in fear, the thought of being locked up again in a dark room scared him. Being watched by lifeless statues and paintings as time escapes him, while that monster focuses him to dance. Luigi needed to run and hide, but he was so scared at the awful news that he didn't know what to do. His mind and body fight one another while Luigi stares at Neville, trying not to cry.

"Listen to me, Luigi," Neville said as he picked up Luigi, which forced him on what's happening now, "you need to stay in the Castle no matter what. Madame Clairvoya will do another seeing on the 30th day, and I'll try to come back to you when that happens, but you have to stay in till that day passes, do you hear me?"

Luigi nodded; it was all he could do right now. How was he going to get away from the Clockwork Soldiers now with this fact? And even so, should he tell anyone about this? Kamek and Bowser should know, but would that give it away to King Boo that someone betrayed him? He already got rid of most of them; what if he gets rid of Neville, too? Luigi was really shaken up.

"Thank you Neville," Luigi said as Neville took him to the castle

"It's the least I can do after the hell you've been through. Plus mother really loves you, shame she got caught." Neville told Luigi as his face turned sad at the news that Nana was finally caught, and Luigi could imagine that she got turned into a painting, too, from the look on Neville's face. They both didn't say another word after that.

Luigi hated the feeling of Neville's cold hands as he sat in them, Neville trying to get Luigi back to the Castle as soon as possible, and Grimmly who had watched the whole scene fold out in front of him as he left to go tell King Boo what Neville had done.

Chapter Text

When Gimmly came back, he went straight to Treacherous Mansion. He knew he couldn't talk to the others for fear that they may warn Neville, so he looked for King Boo's rightful subjects to locate King Boo. The Boo love Treacherous Mansion as they float in larger groups than the other Mansions, but this doesn't mean King Boo was always there.

"Have you seen King Boo?" Grimmly asks, but most Boo ignores him as they play their games and tell their jokes. He keeps asking the same question till a Boo answers him.

"We're in the middle of a game here," said a cranky Boo after she got annoyed with Gimmly, going back to her game with her friend.

"He's most likely in his room, hehe," said the Little Boo, passing by as he floated over to a scared looking one.

"He's not in the best of moods," warned the scared Boo as he and the Little Boo left Treacherous Mansion. Grimmly gulped as he heard that, but he needed to see King Boo before Neville saw him.

King Boo, however, wasn't in the mood to see anyone unless it was Neville. Neville had left, only leaving a message with Madame Clairvoyant that he would keep an eye on Biff Atlas and Grimmly, but this pissed him off because this was Neville doing whatever he wanted, which was unacceptable. Even if it's to make sure everything was going to plan.

"M-my King? May I come i-in?" called a voice that King Boo hiss out. He knew who that voice was and wasn't in the mood to talk to him, but King Boo sent him on a job, and now he has to listen.

"What are you doing back here so soon!?" King Boo said as Grimmly floated into this room. It hadn't been that long since King Boo sent him away to keep an eye on the Clockwork Soldiers. It was bothersome to think this useless coward was back without any real news.

"I have news, M-My King. it's about your right-hand man." When King Boo heard it was about Neville, his attitude changed from annoyance to curiosity.

"Oh? What is this about?" King Boo said as Gimmly moved close to him, looking around like this was a secret he didn't want anyone else to hear. He cupped his mouth as if he was going to whisper it in King Boo's ear when he spoke.

"Your right-hand man is in cahoots with your beloved nutcracker. He told him about the Koopas. And it's not just him, but so is Madame Clairvoya. She lied to you about her reading, but now it would change because of what Neville told your beloved." Gimmly whispered, backing away from King Boo as his face was dumbfounded. King Boo didn't say a word; he only went over to a table that had wine glasses and a bottle of wine and poured himself a drink. He only took a sip as the sweet, rich flavor of the wine made him start laughing.

“He. hehehehe hahahahaHAHAHAHAHHHHHHHH!” King Boo yells as he throws not just his glass but the whole table. It all made sense now. How Luigi got out of his cage all those years ago, how he wasn't first noticed when they visited Bowser, Neillve was so shocked when they found him, and how he instead was the one on top of finding him back then. He wanted to be in charge of keeping Luigi away from him. He wants Luigi far away from his home. King Boo was seeing red at this point as he turned to Gimmly, who had hidden behind a chair.

"What the hell did he tell Luigi?!" King Boo hiss as he floats over to him.

"H-h-he told him t-that a Koopa w-would scoop him up on the 25th d-day. That he needs to s-stay inside t-till it has passed. H-he also said t-that when M-Madame Clairvoya does her r-reding, he'll visit L-Luigi to warn him of w-what to come." Gimmly explains as he stays hidden behind the chair and watches King Boo's eyes fill with even more anger.

They lied to my face! King Boo thought as he floated back and forth in his room. It had only been 19 days, meaning that he could have had Luigi back in 6 days if Neville hadn't betrayed him. Now, King Boo would have to wait longer. He thought of what to do. King Boo needed to get rid of Neville to make his plan work, but now with Luigi having an inside of what's going on, it would be odd if he didn't show up.

"Gimmly, I have another job for you," King Boo said as Gimmly nodded, "I need you to keep an eye on those two. Luigi would find it odd if Neville doesn't show up in 11 days…but I also need you here on that 11th day. Watch them as they do the reading. I bet they'll tell me another lie about what they see."

"Yes, My King. I-is there anything else?" Gimmly asks as King Boo turns to him with a smile on his face.

"Yes, a new right hand man, and you seem to be just what I need." King Boo which gives Gimmly a smile.

"I won't let you down, my king."

"I better not," King Boo said as he looked outside his window, "Your move, Beast."

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Peach walks down the hall, watching as Koopa after Koopa gets called into Bowser's offices before leaving in confusion once they leave the room. Bowser was angry when He heard that the Wario Brother had done something to the little toy. Kamek and Daisy yell at the two as well, while Mario and she try to calm everyone so that way they don't get kicked out. Bowser would only kick Wario and Waluigi out at that point, but Kamek told him that Wario was married to Daisy and to think hard about this. Meanwhile, Daisy gave the two a good beating and said to them that the next time they saw Luigi, they owed him an apology.

Everything came to a close when Luigi showed up shaking like a leaf, calling out to both Bowser and Kamek to follow him. Bowser just said that he'll think about whether the two can stay after he talks to Luigi, but that was two days ago. Since then, Bowser, Kamek, and sometimes Luigi have been locked up in his offices, calling Koopa in left, right, and center. Peach wanted to know what was happening as she knocked on the door to Bowser's offices.

"Come in," said the booming voice as she opened the door and entered. There, Bowser was at his desk, and Kamek was floating next to him as she didn't see Luigi there.

"Princess, what brought you here?" Kamek asks as he adjectives his glass.

"I know something is going on, and I want to know what that is." Peach told the two as they shared a look.

"This is a family issue, Peach. I won't-"

"Aren't I family? I've been acting like Junior's mother his whole life. Doesn't that count?" Peach cut Bowser off as she wasn't going to let him hide this from her. After all, it could be something dangerous, and if it is, she needs to know so she can help her own people.

They didn't say a word, only shared another look before Kamek whispered something in Bowser's ear. Bowser just nodded before Kamek summoned a chair for Peach, and he flew out of the room, leaving the two. This was odd and new as Bowser was being more professional and almost acted like a ruler as she took a seat. Bowser let out a sigh as he took a moment to tell her what was going on.

"Do you remember when King Boo came to visit me because he heard that you were here on your own freewill." Bowser asked as she nodded.

"How can I forget? My dress was destroyed all in the name of a 'joke'" Peach told him as just thinking of that day made her blood boil, "but what does any of that have to do with what's going on now?"

"You see, King Boo has another plan going on that day that I didn't know about until recently. He's after Luigi." Bowser simply said as Peach was in shock.

"Luigi? You mean the talking nutcracker? Why does he want something Kamek made?" Peach questions him as he avoids his eyes.

"Luigi… wasn't made by Kamek. It's not my place to tell you his story but I should say this to make it clear what's happening. Luigi was once a human. A human just like you and the other and King Boo was the one who did this to him," Bowser said. Peach covers her mouth when she hears this. Luigi was a human? Why would he lie about something like this? And if Luigi was human, why didn't she know about him? Humans aren't that common in their land, so why didn't he ring a bell?

Bowser watches as Peach stumbles to get any of her questions out, looking back at him just to turn away again. It got to a point where she got up and started to pace, stopping only for a moment till she sat back down and looked at Bowser. Worry and fear in her eyes, she asks, "Bowser, what will happen if King Boo gets Luigi?"

"He will put him in a cage and lock him up in a dark room, all the while making us forget him for the rest of our lives. That would be the most likely thing he would do from what Luigi had told me." Bowser said, dead in her eyes as she got up. She felt sick from just the thought of that. What had Luigi done to deserve such a thing? Did he even deserve it? Does that also mean all those cuts on his body were from King Boo and not Bowser? Was Bowser calling him a human a hint of what was going on behind the wall? So few answers Bowser gave her as the questions started to pile up. Bowser stood up and walked over to Peach. Grabbing her hands as he stared into her eyes with a sad smile and even sadder eyes.

"You may have noticed but…Luigi has become dear to me and my family. You can even say that I may have feelings for him perhaps, and that has made me want to protect him at all costs. From the monster that did this to him and the rest of the world that seems to love to hurt him." Bowsers told Peach as her eyes turned from worry and fear to shock.

"Bowser…are you saying you're in love with a nutcracker?" Peach asks as Bowser looks away as if it isn't true but soon turns back to her.

"If I say yes, would that make me crazy?" Bowsers ask

"No, it makes you a changed man - well, Koopa, but you're becoming a better person for him, and that's all that matters." Peach said as she gave Bowser a hug. Back then, this would have made his heartbeat go crazy, but now it was a surprise comfort that he needed as the thought of Luigi being taken away has him stressed right now.

"Thank you Peach, it makes me happy to know that this isn't something strange. But that still leaves the problem at hand. King Boo has possessed my Koopas for his own gain and now I don't know who's normal and whose are the spies. All I know is that Luigi doesn't feel safe right now." Bowser told her as she stepped away from him.

"That is bad, but what will happen once you find these Koopas? Won't King Boo figure out his own man got caught?" Peach asks as she wonders how they are going to stop him.

"That's one of the problems. From what Luigi told us, there is a ghost out in the forest who's keeping an eye on them. Going to be reporting back to King Boo ever so often to make sure that they're doing their job. But without knowing who the spies are..."

"You can't send a decoy in their places." Peach finished his sentence as Bowser nodded, "That is bad."

"You have no idea," Bowser said as he took a seat back down, Peach doing the same thing, "Kamek had already done as much as he could from a while back but I don't know what to do nor what else to do to help him. Luigi is putting up a brave front for everyone, but he's scared to even leave Junior's room in the morning right now."

"You're really worried about him, aren't you?" Peach said as she leaned in. Bowser hummed as they heard a knock on the door. They turn to see Kamek opening the door, Junior and Luigi poking into the room.

"Dad! Don't forget that you promise to join us at dinner tonight!" Junior said, a smile on his face as Luigi pulled a bitter one.

"If there is anything you want tonight, let me know now. The others want Rigatoni with Mushroom Sauce and kung pao tofu, and Kamek is asking for fettuccine alfredo. Want to add anything else?" Luigi asks the two as Bowser thinks for a moment.

"Can you make more Creamy chicken tortellini soup?" Bowser asked as Luigi nodded.

"Princess?"

"Oh, um, everyone is making choices for dinner so I choses something for dessert? Do you know how to make pear pudding cakes?" Peach asked before Junior started to jump up and down.

"I know how to make them!" Junior yelled as Luigi giggled.

"Dinner will be ready in an hour or two," with that, they left Bowser and Peach alone again. This time, Peach started to giggle.

"What's so funny?' Bowser asked her with a smile.

"He acts like your wife," Peach said, making Bowser blush before giggling.

"I won't go that far," Bowser joked before he added, "at least not yet."

Soon, they both laugh at that. Letting Bowser have a break from the stress he's been giving himself trying to help Luigi, while Peach learns something new about Bowser. It gives them a sense of peace as the laughter dies down. Peach wanting to know how this came to be, she starts to ask questions. Bowser happily told her as he went off, listing Luigi's cute behavior when no one was watching him. How Luigi was acting like a second father to Junior. How Bowser enjoyed Luigi's cooking and the secret late-night talk they had. Slowly forgetting the danger of what was in the Castle at the moment as they were called to dinner.

Chapter Text

Luigi was hiding in the oddest places today. When he first woke up, he left a note saying that he would stay inside and not talk to anyone the whole day till tomorrow. When Bowser and Kamek saw that note, they knew he was doing it because of what Neville had told him, and they knew that today was the 25th day. However, Junior, on the other hand, was hurt by this and wanted to play with Luigi. Bowser and Kamek try to devise an excuse until Peach tells him that Luigi is playing a game of hide and seek. Junior was glad about this and started looking for Luigi, while Peach stayed back, asking about what was going on now.

But so far, Luigi has hidden in the walls. Behind statutes and inside armor suits. In the pots in the kitchen and the laundry basket with the dairy laundry. Now, it was noon, and Luigi was currently hiding in the fireplaces of an unused setting room. He knew it was unused as the furnace was covered by dust cover as the fireplace was left dirty from the last time it was used. It still had cinders in it as Luigi used it to cover himself. It may be a bit crazy, but Luigi wasn't going to take any chances, as he had painted himself black with the cinder and lay in wait on the side where no one could see him. It was lonely and reminded him of all those years as he sighed. Luigi was unhappy right now as sitting in a cold fireplace brought back memories. Maybe he should have stayed in bed today, but thinking about being in one place all day scared him as he didn't want to feel trapped right now. However, feeling lost and forgotten wasn't helping him either. It was a lose-lose right now for him, and he didn't know what to do.

It didn't matter as he soon heard the door open. Luigi pecked out just to see a Koopa head peeking in. He soon pushed himself against the wall, covering his mouth so he didn't make a sound as he heard what sounded like multiple Koopas coming in. He didn't move as he heard the door closed and the sound of cracking bones being heard; Luigi closed his eyes when he heard that awful noise. Only opening it when he heard a thump.

"Body…breaking…" said an almost robotic voice, and Luigi knew who that was without even looking. It was the Pink Clockwork Soldier, and another set of cracking bones was heard as Luigi tried not to yelp from that noise.

"Let…body…rest…then…fix," said the Blue Clockwork Soldier as he always acted like the leader of the three before the last set of carking was heard.

"Look…for… master's…toy…" said the Green Clockwork Soldier as Luigi could guess what he meant by that.

"No…must…wait…" said Blue as he pulled out a bottle from the blue shell Koopa's body, "fix…body."

Soon, the Blue Clockwork Soldier floats over to the red shell Koopa and pours the liquid down its throat. It shook violently, letting out an awful noise as if in pain. Luigi didn't want to know what was happening, but it sent a chilling feeling as it went quiet. He wanted to look, but he was scared they would see him. When Luigi heard the cracking of bones again, he was sick and needed to know what was going on. He peeks just a little to see the Clockwork Soldier returning into the body, moving like dry bone as they get up. Then, it sends goosebumps when they talk again.

"That should work," said the Blue shell Koopa, her voice mixed with the robotic male agent that sent chills down Luigi's spine.

"We shouldn't wait; let's at least get rid of that old man," the Green shell Koopa said, the robotic voice slowly and smoothly going back to the regular voice of the Koopa as if it was never there in the first place.

"We stick to the plan. Master will tell us when we'll attack," The Blue shell spoke again, this time only having the female voice to her as she opened the door. "Let's go"

One by one, they left, shutting the door as Luigi started to breathe crazy. He jumped up and wiped most of the cinders off him as he went to his exit. That was too close of a call for him, and he needed to hide somewhere else before they decided to return and take him away. He went to the mouse hole in the wall to escape.

The day was still young, and Luigi hated it.

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"Do we really need to do this?" Mario asked as Peach took his hat.

"It's just a night with the boys, I think it would be great bonding time with them," Peach said as she ruffled his hair.

"As fun as that sounds, I would have much preferred a date night that we had planned for tonight." Mario tells her, grabbing her hand into his, "Can't Daisy wait till tomorrow night to have a girl night?"

"You know how she is. Besides, we haven't had just a girl night since we've been here, and you need to get along with not just Bowser but the Wario Brothers, too." Peach told him as she pulled him along. Mario just groaned at this last-minute change. Peach did this infrequently, but it was a bit annoying when she did. Especially when he has to spend time with people he dislikes.

"Just be ready for a fight to break out," Mario warned her, but she just rolled her eyes as they went to the meeting spot. Bowser was already there as Peach showed up with Mario in hand, while Daisy showed up with the Wario brothers being dragged in by their ears. They were just yelling for her to let go and how they would behave, but Daisy still held on for now.

"Um," Bowsers said as Peach let go of Mario's hand, kissed him on the cheek, and pushed him in front of her. On the other hand, Daisy only kisses Wario on the cheek as she tosses them till they fall on the floor.

"You two better behave," Daisy said as she shook her finger at the two, "I don't need you two making any more trouble, do you hear me?!"

"Yes, ma'am. Yes, love," they both said simultaneously, rubbing their ears as they stood up.

"And Bowser, please be nice," Peach said as she had a feeling that something may go wrong, "if they do something stupid, just tell us. Okay?"

"No promises but I'll try," Bowser said as the girls shared a look.

"We'll be in my room," Daisy said as she locked her arm with Peach, "see you boys in the morning."

With that, the girls left, leaving the boys in awkward silence as they had no clue what to do. It felt like a standoff; the first one to move would be the one everyone else would jump on as they glared at each other. This was supposed to be a calm evening, but it felt like a final battle. It felt like hours even though it had been just 7 minutes till Waluigi broke it.

"So, are we just playing an award game of 7 minutes in heaven, or are we actually going to do something fun?" Waluigi asks, which got him a punch from Wario. Waluigi rubs his arms as Bowser walks away, Mario watching him.

"I don't have many ideas, but I'll leave you three be. I'm busy." Bowser told them as they raised a brow.

"Doing what?" Mario asked, coming off a bit demanding as Bowser let out a sign so he wouldn't be the one who started the fight.

"If you must know, I'm looking for Luigi," Bowser said as he turned toward them; however, he wasn't expecting their reaction when they said that.

"Ooooooooh," they said. Wario and Waluigi said it cheerfully as they shared a smirk. While Mario was more concerned as he crossed his arms and looked at the ground. Browser looks between the three, confused, before he crosses his arm.

"What was that about?" he asked as the two brothers shared a laugh while Mario avoided eye contact.

"Nothing," Wario said as his smile got bigger.

"Yeah, you don't need to worry too much." Waluigi added with a giggle.

"You two are a bunch of idiots," Mario said as he let out a sigh before looking at Bowser and asking, "Why are you looking for him?"

"He's been hiding the whole day. I'm just worried about him," Bowser explained as the Wario brothers shook their heads.

"Look like there is trouble in paradise," Waluigi whispers to Wario.

"Tell me about it," Wario whispered back as Mario turned to the two. Bowser also turned to them; something was going on, and he wanted to know what that was.

"Okay, why are you three acting so weird about this? It's starting to piss me off," Bowser told them as the three looked at each other before Mario spoke up.

"They're idiots. They don't know what they're talking about. Bowser, we only act weird because of the way you act around him." Mario explained as he tried to get off the topic they were trying to pull. He didn't know if the Wario brothers knew about Luigi's feelings for Bowser. Still, Mario would like to keep it a secret since Luigi wanted to keep it that way.

"Sure," Wario said as he rubbed his nose, "after all Bowser, you sure have a favorite when it comes to your subjects."

"Or is he more like your plaything like Mario is to Peach," Waluigi said that pissed off both Mario and Bowser.

"You don't know anything about Me and Peach," Mario said as Bowser stepped forward.

"Or me and Luigi. So before you start causing more trouble, remember whose home you're in." Bowser growled that last part as the brothers rolled their eyes.

"Yeah, yeah yeah. We know." Wario started as Waluigi took over

"But you can't deny the fact that your two are close for just being a ruler and a subject. Admit it, you two have something going on. Your little toy thing so"

Bowser raised his brow. What did he mean by that? Did Luigi say something to them? Did Luigi think of them as something he didn't want to put a label on just yet in fear that he'd scare Luigi away? Are they just saying that to get him to talk? Or were they telling the truth? It was confusing, but Bowser wasn't going to tell them anything.

"He's Junior's toy. He tells me things about my son. That's all," Bowser said as he turned and walked away. He didn't stop as he left the three behind; Mario couldn't help and got mad at them.

"What the hell was that about!?" Mario asked as the two just shared a look. They both nodded before replying.

"We overhear the toy talk. He's in love with Bowser." Wario said as Waluigi added.

"And we thought we'd help the little guy. Bowser did say to be nice to the thing." Waluigi said in a teasing manner. They both shared a snigger, trying to hold it in so no one else could hear them.

"That's not your place," Mario scolds them. "Let Luigi tell Bowser about his feelings. It feels wrong since he's not a Koopa or human but just leave them be, okay!"

Mario also just stormed off afterward. He started to remember the night when Luigi told him about his crush on Bowser. He felt confident about it as, on the one hand, he felt terrible that he had told Luigi that Bowser would end up mistreating him and that No one should love Bowser because he's evil. But on the other hand, just watching Bowser these last few days shows that Luigi was right. Bowser wasn't in love with Peach, and there were some things that Mario had never seen him do. It wasn't wrong in the scene where his feelings came from, but Mario can't help that they both may be hoping for a life they can't have. Mario sighed as he turned the corner and soon felt something hit his leg. When he looked down, it was Luigi, looking like he had just seen a ghost.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Mario asks as he lowers his hand so he can pick up Luigi; however, when he does, Luigi crawls into his shirt. It tickled him as he tried to get Luigi out of the back of his shirt but stopped when he heard his voice.'

"Y-you never saw me, o-okay?" Luigi said, hearing the terror in his voice as Mario stopped moving. Before he could ask what he meant, a green shell Koopa came into his view.

"Hey!" yelled the Koopa as he walked up to Mario, "have you seen Luigi?"

Mario looked at this Koopa up and down. Nothing seems wrong with him - a bit rude - but nothing seems off. Mario did notice his eyes. They were almost lifeless with the shade of light gray they were, almost coming off as pure white. It was odd since most Koopa eyes were black or blue, with a few having green, yellow, or red. Mario crossed his hands behind his back to touch Luigi as he ensured his back was toward the wall.

"Why? You need him or something?" Mario asked, wondering where this was going. The Koopa let out an annoying huff before answering him.

"Bowser is asking for him in his bedchamber. Need to talk to him about something. Now have you seen him or are you just wasting my time?" was all he said. Mario knew he was lying. Bowser was just with him a minute ago. Something was going on.

"No, I ha-" Mario said, but the Koopa just shaved him out of the way. Mumbling to himself as he walks away. Mario didn't say a word; he just waited for the Koopa to be gone before he went to look for Bowser. It wasn't long as he just followed the hallway he had gone down and found himself in the kitchen. Bowser was on his knees, lifting stuff as if he had dropped something underneath them.

"Are you still looking for Luigi?" Mario said as he worked on getting Luigi out of his shirt, and Bowser not looking at him as he stayed on the floor.

"Yes, and unless you're going to help, I would very much like it if you left me alone," Bowser said as the other two walked in.

"Ugh! I thought we lost you two!" Wario said as he sat, wondering what Mario and Bowser were doing.

"Yeah! We were just going to start our pie eating contest," Waluigi added as he waited for Bowser to put down the fridge. Bowser just sighs, putting the fridge down with a thump and getting off the floor.

"I can say the same- what on earth are you doing?" Bowser asks as he sees Mario moving all crazy.

"Trying to get Luigi out of my shirt!" Mario said, getting annoyed with him, "would you get out already!"

"No!" Luigi yelled as the three looked at Mario. "I'm staying right here till midnight!"

Bowser soon walked over and reached into Mario's shirt, getting a yelp out of Mario and Luigi as he got a hold of him. When Bowser pulled him out, he placed Luigi on the table -who immediately went over to the fruit bowl, knocking out the apples and pears and flipping the bowl over. He hid right underneath it as Mario had to hold his shirt close since the top buttons popped off when Bowser reached in. Everyone was cornered and confused about what was going on- everyone except Bowser.

"Luigi, you don't have to hide right now." Bowser said, tapping on the Bowl so Luigi knew he was okay.

"Nope! I'm not safe right now! Not with them wandering around!" Luigi shouted, but it sounded like a muffle as the boy leaned in.

"What is he going on about?" Wario asks Bowser. Bowser sighed as he rubbed his neck, and Mario spoke before he could say anything.

"I think it has something to do with the Koopa that was chasing him." When Mario said that, Bowser placed his hands on his shoulders and forced him to face him.

"What did this Koopa look like? How did he act? Was there anything that will set him apart from the others like a scar or him being a dry bone?" Bowser asked, trying not to shake the answer out of Mario, but he was unintendedly digging his claws into him.

"One, your claws are starting to draw blood-" Mario said as Bowser let go of him, saying a small sorry before he answered," -and two, nothing really. He looked like most Koopas, but the one thing I did see was his eyes. They were a gray color - almost white- but that's about it."

"It was awful," Luigi yelled again, lifting to bowl up only a little so they could hear him better. "I heard what happened when they possessed the poor Koopa."

"Wait, did he say possess?" Waluigi said as they turned to Bowser since Luigi wasn't going to give them answers.

"It's a long story." Bowser sighs, "But all you need to know is that I'm having a ghost problem. A nasty one that involved my Koopas being possessed and chasing after Luigi."

"Why do a bunch of Boos what a toy?" Wario said that made Luigi yelp. It made them stare at the bowl while Bowser turned to him with a piss-off look, smacking him on the back of his head.

"That word is forbidden in this castle, so don't use it," Bowser growls the last part, making Wario mumble as Mario starts to form questions about all this.

"Fine, we won't say it but you should at least answer his question - why are they after him." Mario asks again, not letting Bowser dodge the question.

"That-" Bowser sighs as he runs his hand through his hair. "-that's not my place to say. All I can say is that Luigi is scared and needs our help."

The three men looked at the bowl, wondering what had happened to the toy that made it so terrified. It was clear that Browser wouldn't say anymore, and Luigi was too scared to think straight. So they only had their imagination and the info they had to wonder about all the bad things that could have caused this.

"I say we just found out what we're doing for this boy's night." Wario said as Waluigi smiled.

"I think I know where this is going- Mario what color was the shell?" Waluigi said as Bowser Mario and Bowser started to pick up on what the two were going on about.

"His shell was green," Mario told them as Bowser added.

"Good, so we're looking for a Green shell Koopa with gray eyes. There are a total of three ghosts in my Castle right now. If you see any Koopa with gray eyes - stop them." The Wario brother's smile turns into a devilish one; Mario shoots them a glance before just nodding as Bowser taps on the bowl- making Luigi pop out for a moment.

"When you have the chance, go to my room or Kamek's, okay?" Bowser told him. Luigi nodded as he went back under the bowl again.

"Time for some ghost hunting!" Waluigi said as he and Wario ran out of the kitchen, and Bowser followed them. Mario, however, stays in the kitchen, lifting the bowl to see a scared Luigi, shaking as he tries to hold back his tears. Mario soon places his hand down so Luigi can get on.

"Hey, it's okay Lu," Mario said as Luigi's eyes went wide at the nickname, the tears forming as the childhood name came back, "lets put you somewhere safer than here."

Luigi wiped the tears as he got on Mario's hand. Mario put him in his overalls this time as he left the kitchen, letting Luigi tell him where to go so that he could leave him there, knowing he was safe.

Meanwhile, the clockwork soldier was looking for Luigi, opening doors and asking other Koopas if they had seen him since Bowser was looking for him. Everyone told him no, but they'd let him know if they did see him. The Clockwork soldier was annoyed with that answer but just said thanks, not to blow his cover. He wonders till he decides to look for the other two, feeling that the Koopa's body is starting to fight back again.

On his way to the meet-up spot, Wario and Waluigi were walking down the hallway with rope in their hands. The Soldier ignores them as he walks down the same hallway, but they spot him as they look him up and down.

"Hey," said Wario as he stepped in front of the Koopa, Making the Clockwork Soldier step back.

"What?" The Clockwork Soldier said, almost snapping back at him as Waluigi went next to him. They spotted the gray eyes, sharing glances before Wario talked again.

"Are you the Koopa that's looking for that toy?" Wario asked. The Clockwork Soldier narrowed his eyes at that question.

"Why do you want to know?" he asked, finding it a bit suspicious.

"We have the little guy, but…." Wario said, starting to giggle at the idea with Waluigi

"We hang him upside down in one of the sitting rooms," Waluigi finishes for Wario as they burst out laughing. The Clockwork Soldier started to laugh alongside them, too. This sounds like an easy job now, and he can finally leave this flesh body he hated so much.

"That's funny as hell, but I need the little guy, mind showing me where he is?" The Clockwork soldier said as they nodded, taking him down the hallway. They didn't take him far, as they took only a few turns before Wario opened the door to show an empty sitting room. The Soldier walked in to see if Luigi had fallen from the ceiling, but the space was empty as Wario and Waluigi locked the door behind them.

"He's not here!" the Koopa yelled, his voice coming out wrong, as if he was sick or something.

"We know." Wario said. Soon, they rushed the Koopa while he was off guard.

The Clockwork Soldier got tackled by the two. He punched Wario in the face before kicking Waluigi off. As he tries to get up, Waluigi grabs his tail, pulling him so he can fall back. But it didn't work, as it only led to a kick to the face; lucky Wario jumped on his back and knocked him to the ground. The Koopa let out a non-human screech, making Wario cover his ears as the Koopa elbowed him in the side. It didn't push him off, only making him groan as Waluigi grabbed the rope. Wario grabs the Koopa's wrist and pulls them behind his shell, letting Waluigi tie up his hands.

"You idiots! Let. me…go..." it said, slowly turning in a robotic voice with the hit of the Koopa voice mixed in. The Koopa started to shake, its eyes rolling behind his skull as its mouth opened. They both saw a hand come out of its mouth. Waluigi soon jumped on his mouth, closing it as a muffled screech was heard. Waluigi soon ties the month shut as Wario gets off the Koopa and watches as it unruly struggles against the rope. The outline of his eyes slowly became stained by black, heavy breathing and muffled screams as they saw the pupils come back, staring at the two in fear and anger as they now showed different eye colors.

One ghost down. Two more to go.

Chapter Text

"How is he?" Peach asks as she sips her tea, Daisy and Bowser with her as they wait to hear what Bowser tells them. Bowser sighs as she asks that, the stress showing as he rubs his face.

"Better, but he's paranoid right now. He thinks that all the Koopa are out to get him, even though he knows that the only ones he needs to be scared of are those with gray eyes. He's hiding again like he did when he first showed up at the Castle…" Bowser said in a sad voice. He can't blame Luigi for feeling this way; he almost got caught by one of King Boo's ghosts. Yet he still has to find the other two, who may or may not still be gone now, and the Koopa they do have. The poor thing looks like it's fighting for its control back while Kamek works on trying to make a cage to keep the ghost in places as quickly as possible. Till then, they can't question the ghost and heal the Koopa till they are apart. They have to watch for any Koopa coming in and out of the dead forest and recheck every Koopa and their eyes to ensure they haven't already talked to them. It was a mess.

"Damn, Bowser, sounds like you're having a hard time too," Daisy said, grabbing a cookie and eating it. She was soon roped into this after last night's events, Peach and Bowser having to go over all the events again with her and the boys since they wanted to know. At that point, Luigi was back in Junior's room, sleeping with him, so he couldn't tell the whole story even though Bowser had told them that he had only found out the entire truth a while back himself. But they both told the general information to them all; they showed signs of anger for keeping all this info from them since they had seen the scars on Luigi's body. They now knew that King Boo can't get him back no matter what.

"Yeah, and I think it's affecting Junior too. He's with Luigi right now trying to cheer him up because Luigi had a "nightmare," but Junior isn't stupid. He's going to figure out that it was just a cover up of what's really going on." Bowser told them.

"What you need is a break," Daisy told him, her mouth full as Peach waved her hand as if in agreement.

"Or a date." Peach said, a smile growing on her face as Bowser waved his hands.

"It's charming that you two want to help with my love life, but I don't think now is a good time. Not with everything that's going on." Bowser told the two of them, but they just side-eye each other.

"Okay then when?" Daisy said in a passive-aggressive voice as Bowser rubbed his neck.

"Um, maybe once we have King Boo?" Bowser said with little confidence in his words.

"So another 2 or more years," Peach said as she sipped her drink before putting it back on the table.

"No, I'm not going to let that mad man chase him for that long! He needs to be stopped right now!" Bowser told them as he brought his fist down on the table, almost flipping it over as Peach took her cup off the table before it spilled. Daisy copied him and banged her fist on the table, rattling the table.

"Then you need to take Luigi on a date and woo him!" Daisy yelled as they had a staring contest.

"I think what Daisy is trying to say is," Peach said as she put her cup down now that it was safe to do so, "is that both you and Luigi are going through some troubled times. I know you want to help him and stop King Boo but right now Luigi doesn't need that. What he needs is someone he can trust, calm his nerves and show that not everything is bad right now."

Bowser sighed at that. What they said was true; Luigi is just seeing all the bad more than the good right now. He should focus on cheering up Luigi rather than stopping ghosts for him right now.

"I guess you're right but what should I do? My kind of date is a grand gesture that ends up in the dumps afterward. I don't think he'll like that." Bowser told them as they thought about a few date ideas.

"How about dinner?" Peach said.

"We have dinner with each other every night."

"How about a playful race with karts?" Daisy said, but Bower shook his head.

"Luigi can barely get from place to place on his own two feet. Karts aren't a really good idea."

Soon, they started to shout random ideas out while Bowser put them down.

"A walk in the park?"

"No, Luigi doesn't want to leave the castle."

"Movie night?"

"I'll fall asleep right away…”

"Baking Together?"

"We already do that, and get Junior to help us from time to time."

"Gift giving?"

"Luigi loves the food I give him as a gift."

The two princesses felt like they were banging their heads at this point.

"Is there anything a couple related things you two haven't done yet?!" Daisy asks as Bowser thinks for a moment. They could only do a few things due to the size difference. He took his sweet time, thinking about all the things he would like to do with Luigi if he was human. All the things include Luigi's favorite thing to do, dancing.

"I, um, have yet to waltz with him…that is something I really want to do with him…" Bowser admitted shyly. It was kind of embarrassing to say that out loud. His cheek heated up as he watched the two princesses' smiles turn into grins.

"I have the best idea," Peach said as Daisy smiled, "let's have a ball!"

"A ball?" Bowser asks

"Yup, a ball!" Daisy said, "All rulers and their partners must know how to dance the waltz so what is the best way to get Luigi to get to dance? Tell him that he needs to learn it!"

"We can plan a Ball in December. That way it gives us a little over a month to practice our dancing." Peach said, getting excited about this upcoming ball.

"Not to mention all the dancing you and Luigi would be doing~" Daisy teases Bowser as he avoids eye contact with her. It was an excellent idea, even if it was just an excuse to dance with him. However, there was still a problem with the size differences.

"As much as I like this, it still leaves the problem of being too giant for Luigi." Bowser told them, but they just shared a grin.

"And? Just because Luigi can't get bigger-" Peach started while Daisy finished the sentence.

"-Doesn't mean that you can't be smaller." Bowser's eyes widened. They were right. Just because Luigi can't use power-up doesn't mean that Bowser couldn't. He felt so stupid for forgetting that one tiny fact, but then again, he wasn't the type to use power-ups, so it wasn't his first idea. "You're right; how can I forget that! Kamek!" Bowser yelled, which summoned Kamek. They seem to have summoned him at a bad time since his face was covered in black ash, almost like in a cartoon where a bomb goes off in the character's face, leaving it black.

"Yes?" Kamek said, removing his glasses to clean them, leaving two large circles showing his skin and his eyes closed.

"Sorry, Kamek, was this a bad time?" As Kamek puts his glasses back on, Bowser asks, still leaving his face black.

"No, not really. Just a spell going wrong, but what can I do for you?" Kamek asks, and this time Peach answers him.

"We want to plan a ball. However, Bowser needed to practice his dance moves with Luigi. By chance do you have any Mini Mushrooms?" Peach asks. Kamek thought momentarily, remembering what he did and didn't have.

"No, I don't believe so. I know I have some Super Mushroom for the drink I'm making for Luigi but no Mini…quite hard to find but I'll see what I can do. Anything else?" Kamek asks, waiting for them to say anything else.

"That's all, just let us know when you have some." Bowser told Kamek, simply nodding and puffing away.

"Now that that's out of the way," Daisy said as she rubbed her hands together, "it's time to put Date night into action!"

"Hear, hear!" Peach and Bowser cheer as they start planning for the ball and how this date night will go.

—————————————————-

”What's this all about?" Luigi asks as Mario carries him to the ballroom.

"Peach just ask me to take you to the ballroom with me - left or right?" Mario said as he came to a stop.

"Left," Luigi directs him as Mario keeps walking, "but why does she need me for your guys' date night?"

"I honestly don't know. One minute she's telling me about a ball they want to plan, the next she wants to do a date night with us dancing. I don't know why she asked us to dress up or why she wanted you there but she wanted you there." Mario told him. Honesty, he knew why she wanted him there since she told him this was a group date night. But Mario had to lie since Mario already told Luigi about his date night with her and didn't want to scare him away from the fact that Bowser was his date. Mario's only job was getting Luigi to dress up in the gold tuxedo they gave him, getting him to the ballroom, and ensuring he didn't know what was going on.

Luigi, on the other hand, was a bit stressed out. Mario and he had been hanging out for the whole day, and then he suddenly asked if Luigi could try on a golden Tuxedo. It was clearly made for a doll or, in this case, for him as Mario lied his way through this. Luigi was still able to tell when Mario was lying as he would start to scratch the right side of his face rather than his left side when he was thinking about something.

"I still think that I should be left out of this. I know it's your date night with Peach," Luigi said as Mari stopped before a door.

"Look, after how sacred you've been about these ghosts you need a bit of fun." Mario said as he watched doubt come to Luigi's face.

"You don't know these ghosts like I do, Mario. It-"

"It's not safe. I know, I know. That's all you've been saying! Just…just go with it. Have a bit of fun- that's all I ask." Mario said as Luigi put on a bitter smile. Maybe a little fun won't hurt him, but there was the fear that the Clockwork Soldiers would come to get him. Luigi looked down and just nodded, going along with Mario's plan like aways. It felt odd and sad, but it comforted him as they were acting like brothers. When they entered, Daisy and Peach were talking while Wario stood by a table set up in the ballroom.

"Oh goodie! Your two are here!" Peach said as Mario walked up to her. Luigi just waves at them as he wonders what he should do.

"Um, thank you for inviting me but I don't want to be a b-"

"Oh no! We're not having any of that," Daisy cut him off as she reached for him. She waited for Luigi to get into her hands as Luigi stared at them. He sighed as he left Mario's hands and went into Daisy.

"Princess-"

"Daisy"

"Daisy," Luigi corrected himself, "I glad that you and the other want me to be here-"

"Yup! And it's going to be so much fun," Daisy said, cutting him off again. It annoyed him, but she had a feeling that he would try to get out of this if she kept letting him talk. She placed him down on the table as Peach went behind him on the other side.

"Daisy I know that you like making new friends but I really can't-"

"Yes you can. We want you here. We want you to have fun!"

"Would you please stop cutting me off," Luigi said, getting more annoyed as he tried to escape this.

"Only if you stop trying to get out of this."

"You don't understand the danger I-"

"The only danger is yourself and ruining the night!" Daisy started to raise her voice as she poked his head. Luigi rubs his head as he pulls an angry frown. He should have remembered that she was going to be stubborn about this. Maybe it's because he was so used to her respecting his boundaries that he thought he could just leave without her stopping him. Yet, he forgot that all she saw was a stubborn nutcracker who didn't want to be out in the open.

"Maybe this might change your mind about staying, Luigi." Peach said that made Luigi turn to face her. When he did, he wasn't expecting to see Bowser. Small and on the table.

Luigi was shocked. He made his way over to him, making circles around Bowser as he got a good look at him. He got to take in his blue suit, how his hair was slick back but slowly coming undone, and how small he was. Once back in front of him, Luigi slowly placed his hand on Bowser's face. Bowser couldn't help but nuzzle into his hand, placing his hand over Luigi's. It was the same size as Bowser finally getting to hold his rough wooden hand while Luigi put his other hand on the other side of his face.

Daisy and Peach shared a smile as they grabbed Wario and Mario and made their way to the dance floor, leaving the two as the music started to play. Luigi focuses on the effect that the Mini Mushroom has on Bowser. It made him small, but he was still a few inches taller than Luigi, about 5 inches more but roughly the same height. Luigi's heart felt like it would jump out of his chest as he felt his cheeks heat up. He soon pulled away, sheepish, as he just noticed Bowser nuzzling his hand.

"S-sorry, not used to seeing you so…tiny, hehe," Luigi said, getting embarrassed as he placed his hands behind his back. Bowser found it cute as he watched Luigi rock on his heel in his outfit and offer his hand with a gentle smile.

"Thank you. It's nice to know we're the same size now," Bowser told him as he waited for Luigi to take his hand. Luigi looks off to the side, seeing Peach with Mario and Daisy with Wario as they dance in their own world. He looked back at Bowser's hand, spotting his red eyes as he waited for his hand. It was as if time stopped itself, letting Luigi and Bowser be in a world where they're the only ones in it. With a gulp, he reached for Bowser's hand, letting Bowser gently pull him in as he placed his other hand on Luigi's lower back.

"I may not know ballet, but I do know how to waltz, so don't be scared of me stepping on your feet," Bowser joked as Luigi let out a short, nervous laugh, calming himself down a bit as he placed his other hand on Bowser's shoulder. The music played as Luigi moved his eyes down to the ground, watching Bowser's feet as they started to dance slowly. It was just a simple box step, but when they began to move, he started to make mistakes.

One step, two steps, and a step on Bowser's foot.

"Ah, I'm sorry about that," Luigi said, trying to pull away, but Bowser kept a hold on him.

"It's fine, I didn't feel anything. After all, I bet you haven't done this in a while." Bowser told him as Luigi nodded. They try again.

One step, two steps, and he tripped over his own two feet. Bowser was still holding him, as it looked like he had just dipped Luigi, but he had just caught him.

"O-oops, heheheh…" Luigi said awkwardly before getting pulled up again. He knew how to waltz - he could easily do it, but his anxiety was getting the better of him. Luigi was too busy thinking about all the things Bowser did for him. And how he was loving it. He loves how Bowser took the time to plan this, how he took in every detail to make this night fun for all of them, and how he took a mini mushroom to dance with him. It made Luigi's heart beat like crazy that he was becoming shy, and his anxiety mixed up the rapid heartbeats as him being scared and not overjoyed from his crush wanting to dance with him. However, it also made him look like a fool who doesn't know how to dance. He keeps his eyes on the floor as he tries to dance once more.

Bowser noticed as Luigi kept his eyes on the floor, his face full of anxiety as his joyful smile slowly came apart. It was clear that Luigi was nervous about something; after all, he was being clumsier than usual. Maybe he was still worried about the ghost or waiting on the news that his ghost friend would bring, but Bowser needed to get him out of those thoughts and focus on what was happening now in the moment. Bowser stopped as he held onto Luigi's hip.

"Hey…" Bowser whispered, moving his hand from Luigi's and placing it under his chin. He lifted his face so that their eyes could meet. "Focus only on me, okay?"

Luigi felt his heart stop at those words. His body took control without his knowledge, and his anxious face melted away as a soft smile replaced it. His eyes got pushed up with his cheeks as they became soft, too. It was a sudden change, but it was a nice one. One that Luigi thought he would never feel again as he felt safe with Bower. He simply nodded as Bowser stared into his baby blue eyes, watching them shine brighter than they had for the last few days. It took Bowser's whole body and soul to not say something stupid or just kiss the wooden man before him. Bowser simply smiled, matching Luigi's, and grabbed his hand again.

This time, Luigi's body did all the work as his mind went blank. With Bowser leading the dance, Luigi had to follow his footsteps into a box. Twisting as Bowser went up and down the table with the music.

"You really are good at the Waltz," Luigi said as Bowser parted, still holding onto Luigi's hand as he turned.

"I told you so," Bowser said as Luigi twisted back into his arms, his back against Bowser's chest. It felt like a slow dance with how they were. Luigi stays there longer than he should have, but Browser doesn't mind. He enjoyed the little back hug he was giving Luigi, resting his head on the curve of his neck and shoulder. Luigi didn't even notice as he was so used to being near Bowser's face that he forgot that it was the other way around this time.

When they pulled apart again, they came face to face again. More in his element, Luigi wasn't scared to get closer to him. Bowser saw how his mood changed and started to dance a bit faster. He could feel the pounding in his chest, his smile getting more prominent as Luigi buried his head into his chest. Luigi was finally enjoying himself, and he was glad to see it. Bowser was glad that Peach and Daisy pushed him to do this. He just wishes that Luigi stays like this for longer and does not worry about what is to come, just that he lives happily within the walls of his home. Within the loving found family he creates. Within the embrace of Bowser's arms.

Bowser had to wave those thoughts out of his head. Luigi would most likely want to go back home to the Mushroom Kingdom once this is all over, but Bowser could dream and enjoy what was happening now. Enjoy the fact that Luigi may feel the same way he does as they dance to a new song they didn't even know started playing. Peach and Daisy shared a look as they saw the two having a blast and not noticing them.

"Let's finish this date somewhere else," Daisy said as Wario nodded. Peach and Mario also share a look before nodding in agreement. The girls left with the boys, going to finish their own little date and give Luigi and Bowser some alone time.

They didn't notice as they followed the music.

Step, step, and turn.

Step, twist, step.

Step, jump, spin.

Each a different move as Bowser took the lead, letting Luigi have a fondness of dancing. It wasn't until the last song and their parting to bow to one another that they noticed they were alone. Their laughter burst out as the hand on the clock passed midnight.

"Did we really dance the night away?" Luigi asks as Bowser offers his hand once more.

"Not really, after all the night is still here and I'm still small. So show me your world, Luigi." Bowser waited; this time, Luigi was more confident. He grabs Bowser's hand and leads him out of the ballroom and into the hall. Bowser knew where they were going as it was to the kitchen, but it was all so different.

"Is this how you always feel?" Bowser asks, Luigi humming.

"Yup, but it's nice. I finally have someone to share it with," Luigi said as he led the way. Bowser smiles, squeezing Luigi's hand as he sees all the little holes and cracks in the walls that look like little pathways. Feeling the heat of the lava puddles that look like lakes now. The suits of armor look like giants. Bowser saw this new little world right by Luigi's side as he pointed out all the daily dangers he had to face.

All while holding hand in hand as they went to get a midnight snack.

Chapter Text

“What do you see, Madame Clairvoya? Neville asks as he watches the crystal ball. The day had finally come to get an update on Luigi's future. Neville hoped it was good and nothing bad would happen within the next 49 days.

“I see good things…” Madame Clairvoya started, only having eyes on her crystal ball as Neville lit up to the sound of that news.

“What good things? Is he safe? Does King Boo get defeated? What is it?!” Neville asks, wanting to know what happened.

“Looks like our dear friend has fallen in love with the Koopa King. I see them dancing as a human and Koopa, and it looks like he breaks the curse or temporarily stops it. The Clockwork Soldiers have been stopped as well.” Madame Clairvoya said as she looked, smiling as she kept going, “Luigi has grown to be his size again and he’s going to confess to King Bowser at sunrise on one of these upcoming days.”

“Delightful! Good things are finally happening, Madame Clairvoya! I must go tell him,” Neville said as he was about to leave the room, but Madame Clairvoya's words stopped him.

“Do be careful, Neville. You must tell King Boo first of what is to come.” Madame Clairvoya warned him. Watching as he turned to face her again.

“I know. I’ll let him know of the ‘bad news’ that Luigi is still out of reach. Then I’lll go and let Luigi know.” Nevile rescues her. Leaving her in her room as she wandered away from her crystal ball, not knowing that Grimmly watched from the shadows. Grimmly soon follows after Neville as the crystal ball future turns from delight to horrors that wait to unfold.

Neville had to turn his cheerful attitude to a gloomy one as he made his way to King Boo's room. He had to make sure that this plan stayed the same, not letting the future change like he made it change last week. When he made it to King Boo's room, he took a deep breath. As he opened the door, he saw all the Boo there, floating and laughing as King Boo sat in a lounge. Neville floated over to him, the Boos giggled, leaving in the room till it was just King Boo and him.

“My King,” Neville said as he bowed. Watching King Boo as he drinks his wine. He had been calm, not in a hurry these last few days. At first, Neville thought that something was off, but King Boo told him that he was just waiting. After all, Grimmly had yet to come back, and King Boo wanted this plan to work, so he's playing it safe for now. Yet, Neville knew that it would be his downfall.

“Neville, please tell me you bring me some good news.” King boo said in a bored and tired voice. Waving his now empty wine glass as he waits to hear what Neville will say.

“Sadly, I have none, My King. Luigi is still with Bowser and in his castle.” Neville lied to King Boo, who let out an annoyed sigh as he got up. He fluted over to his little table, where he kept his wine, and poured another cup.

“Shame. What about the Koopas we sent?” King Boo asks as he puts the bottle down. He took a sip of his drink, his back still toward Neille.

“No more have yet to be found.'' This put a sinner smile on King Boo's face. King Boo turned to the side so he could see Neville out of the corner of his eyes.

“Good, if that's all you can leave.” King Boo said, that sinner's smile never leaving as Neville bowed and shortly left. King Boo soon hears the slight cough of a scared man. Grimmly had come out of the dark, his hands holding on to the brim of his coat as he waited for King Boo to speak to him.

“Grimmly,” King Boo started as he floated over to the hermit. Slowly getting close to his face as if he was about to make a threat, he only asked, “What did she really see?”

“She saw that Luigi had fallen in love with King Bowser and how he was dancing with him as a human. She may think that he broke the spell or at least put a temp stop to it. She also mentions how they stopped the Clockwork Soldiers and how Luigi confessed his love to King Bower,” Grimmly said. This set King Boo off; to think that Luigi would have fallen in love with a beast he had created made his blood boil. After all, King Boo made Bowser into the monster he was, the villain that would start wars and destroy the connections his kingdom had made. Ruin and drain the power the Darkland once held, all in the name of overthrowing that love-sick fool. Now, that love-sick fool took what belonged to him, and he wasn’t going to let him have it. King Boo floated away from Grimmly, taking a deep breath in before letting it out. He could wait a bit to destroy this little romance; right now, he needs to make sure his spy didn’t get caught.

“Go tell the clockwork soldier there's been a change of plan.” King Boo said, his sinner smiles coming back, “Tell them that they need to attack and scare Luigi. Make him doubt Neville’s words as they make him believe that his confession will make bad things happen.”

“Should I tell them what I told you?” Grimmly asks as King Boo giggles.

“They are nothing but toys. You tell them the truth, and they’ll talk their mouth off.'' King Boo said, soon grabbing Grimmly's face using his hand, “All you need to tell them is that if Luigi confesses to Bowser, then his worst nightmare will come true. Making sure that he stays in the castle and not to drag him back here. I want to put the fear back into him.”

“Yes, my king. I’ll go do that right away,” Grimmly said, but King Boo shook his head.

“No, not yet. We need more ghosts in that castle.” King Boo said, letting Grimmly go, “Get every last ghost who will listen to you and send them to Bowser's castle. I don’t care if they possess Koopas, Gomba or Dry Bones. It’s clear that once that last Clockwork Soldier is caught I won’t have anyone on the inside.”

“Of course my king. I’ll see what I can do,” Grimmly said, hurrying off as soon as possible. King Boo soon made a whistling sound, one so high that only dogs could hear it. One by one, Boos started to enter his room, smiling as if it was a party.

“Follow me, little ones. It's time to put up more paintings.” King Boo said as they all started to giggle. Meanwhile, Madame Clairvoya was cleaning her room when she noticed her crystal ball turn dark. It only did that when the future had been changed, good or bad; she did not know till she took a closer look. When she did, she let out a gasp of horror. The horror that unfolded before her made her escape the crystal ball as she heard the screams of those poor Toads and Koopas. The one that scared her the most was the one that Luigi let out.

“Neville…what have you done?” she whispered as a giggle came from the shadows.

“He’s betrayed me.” King Boo said, his army of Boos filling the room as their giggles sent a chill down her body. A feeling she didn’t even know she could get as a ghost as King Boo's voice became low with his awful hiss, “Your fear speaks so loud. You should have kept your loyalty to me.”

All that was heard afterward was the sound of her crystal ball being shattered.

---------------------------------------

“Come on, Come on,” Luigi whispers as he paces back and forth. Neville should be here by now to let him know what would happen. He wanted to know what the future would hold for him and the others. Maybe it will be less terrible news for him and be something decent for once or just something that will keep him from not being scared in his own home.

“Luigi,” Neville said as Luigi jumped up high in the air from his voice.

“AH!” Luigi yells before falling on his butt after jumping up so high.

“Shh! Not so loud!” Neville hushes him as he helps Luigi up, dusting him off as Luigi calms himself down.

“Sorry, but it’s kind of hard not to be scared when there may be other ghosts may be around,” Luigi told him as he looked around to make sure that it was just the two of them.

“I know,” Neville told him as he put Luigi on a rock so that he could talk more face-to-face as he sat on the floor, “but I have some good news.”

“Good news? What kind of good news?” Luigi asked. Yes, he was hoping for some decent news, but was this a sign that Luigi was actually getting some good news from Nevile in the last three years.

“You break free, Luigi,” Neville said point blank, as he didn’t want to beat around the bush on this fantastic news.

“Free?” Luigi was in shock, his mouth wide open as he asked, “As in, I’m no longer a nutcracker?”

“Yes! Or, at the very least, you put a temporary stop to it,” Neville said in joy before calming down.

“W-when does this happen?!” Luigi asked as he ran up to the edge of the rock. Neville had to put his hands at the edge just in case Luigi missed a step and fell off.

“I am not too sure, but we know that you're dancing with King Bowser as a Human.” Neville explained. That was the only downside of this good news. There was no telling when it would happen like last time.

“Bowser and me, dancing as humans and Koopa? Oh, Neville, thank you!” Luigi said, almost in tears, as he bent down to hug Neville’s hand.

“Don’t thank me yet,” Neville said, moving his hand up so that Luigi stood again, “I still have to tell you what else happens.”

“What will happen?” Luigi hoped that this was more good news. He didn’t want to hear bad news after the news he just got.

“You're going to confess to him, and all the clockwork soldiers will be caught.” Neville watches Luigi's hint of worry wash away and slowly replace it with a hint of blush.

“Me confessing? w-will he accept my feelings for him?” Luigi asks nervously. This made Luigi worry about his relationship with Bowser and his brother. It was a blessing to think that Luigi finally got to tell Bowser how he felt and didn’t need to hide it anymore, but how will this play out in the long run? After breaking free and then remembering? Luigi didn’t have to worry about Bowser if he did feel the same way that Luigi felt about him. Bowser would most likely accept his decision with him wanting to stay with him in the Darkland, but Mario was a different story. This confession will be the one thing that can fix their relationship or break it even more.

“He must have if you two are dancing.” Neville reassures Luigi as he sees the nervousness in his eyes.

“My luck is finally turning around…thank you for telling me, Neville,” Luigi told him as he hugged his hand again. Not only had Bowser and the Koopas been ensuring his life was improving, but now his luck was turning around. At this rate, King Boo can't hurt him anymore, and Luigi can finally finish what he set out to do for E. Gadd: Fix the Dark Moon and trap King Boo once and for all.

“It’s the least I can do. Besides, seeing you so happy again after a long time brings me joy.” Neville said as he let Luigi hug his hand. This brought a smile to his face, making him feel like he had right the wrong he had done to Luigi by helping him. He knows that not everything can be forgiven, but he’ll live with that as long as he sees Luigi as a human. “Now it's time for us to part ways.”

“Okay, and don’t worry about keeping me updated.” Luigi told him as he let go of Neville's hands, “I’ll make sure that I stay human.”

“If that's the case, I’ll be going. If anything changes, I’ll come as soon as I can to warn you.” Neville told Luigi as he nodded. He picked up Luigi and took him back to the entrance of the dead forest so that he didn’t have to walk all the way back. After that, Neville took his leave as Luigi walked a bit till he was out of the forest. He meets up with a Lakitu there since Luigi is still a little wary of the Koopa Troopa. But with what Neville told him, that worry will be gone soon.

The Lakitu took him back to the Castle, dropping Luigi off in the garden to see Browser and Peach talking politics with their tea. Luigi decided that he’d talk to them later. He ran out of there, running down the hall with a smile as he spotted Daisy and Wario sharing a cake. Just seeing everyone made Luigi feel a bit more at peace as he made his way to Kamek Tower as he waved at Junior and Waluigi. Who was running away from Mario as he tried to catch the two from the look at it. A Fir Bro. was nice enough to open the door for Luigi as he climbed the stairs to the top.

“Ah, Luigi, there you are. How did it go?” Kamek as he finishes up a potion he is working on.

“It went great! Better than I could hope for!” Luigi told him as Kamek lifted him onto the table, “So much good news that I can’t wait to see it all come true. My luck is turning around, Kamek!”

“I’m glad to hear that!” Kamek said as he took a bottle of his new potion and slowly tried to make it into a gummy, “I hope that I can give you even more news myself. I have a new potion that will hopefully help you.”

“What does it do?” Luigi asks as he watches Kamek make a gummy out of it.

“It makes you big,” Kamek said, showing Luigi the little gummy in his hand. It was shaped like a mushroom, red on the top and white on the bottom - like a super mushroom. “It has limits as its only purpose is to make you big. It doesn’t turn you back into a human, so you're still a nutcracker - but at least you would be human-size. So no more almost getting stomped on.”

“I can be big again? Is it p-permanent?!” Luigi said, his smile starting to hurt from the amount of joy that he was feeling. This was about to become his second favorite day, the first being when Junior found him.

“Sadly, no. That's its biggest flaw, the only thing that has given me a hard time. You would need to take it twice a day in order to be big all day, but it’s a start.” Kamek explains to Luigi. That was a bit sad, but it wasn’t enough to ruin his mood.

“I’ll take it.” Luigi said as he put his hands out for Kamek to give it to him, “I don’t want to be tiny anymore.”

“Being tiny has its benefits, but we would like you to be big too.” Kamek told him as he levitated Luigi down to the floor first. Once his feet hit the ground, Kamek gave him the gummy as Luigi stared at it in his hand.

No more running from the fear of losing, no more letting King Boo control me. I’ll make this future stay true. Luigi thought as he took a bite out of the gummy and another until it was gone. He felt warm and light as the gummy worked its magic. The wood grew as his arm and legging got longer, and his upper body grew to ensure it supported their new length. Luigi passed how tall Kamek was quick as Kamek stepped back a bit to make sure that he didn’t hit him. Once he was done growing, Luigi slowly flipped his hand to see them big, Kamek small, and him able to reach the table by himself.

“It worked! Ah ha- Woah!” Luigi yelled, jumping a bit only to fall real quick. He groaned as he felt his joint lock and his body stiffen, making him way heavier than he thought he would feel as he tried to move his body. Kamek ran over to him to help Luigi, physically helping him up as Luigi barely managed to move his arm up to grab hold of the table.

“Careful, my boy, you may have gotten bigger, but that doesn't mean that you are lighter,” Kamek told him as he grabbed his wand and summoned a cane for Luigi for the time being. “Those wooden joints of yours aren’t used to being big, and they're heavy now. One thing at a time.”

“Sorry, Just got carried away. I guess I better start practicing on how not to lock in place when walking, hehe,” Luigi said as he took a seat for a second, taking the cane from Kamek. He was a bit disappointed that he couldn’t walk normally right away. Still, he didn’t care as he couldn’t wait to use this new power to play with Junior, hug Mario and his friends, and dance with Bowser. He regained so many things now that he can do them himself.

“You just need to get used to being big again. I’ll also make you more gummy so you can become big again.” Kamek said as he helped Luigi stand up. It was now the oppressed as Kamek stood at Luigi's knees instead of being more significant than Luigi. He watched as Luigi's leg didn’t want to move but soon started to shake as he took baby steps to the door as Kamek held his hand while he was on his broom.

“I can’t wait to show Junior and Bowser this…do you think they like this?” Luigi asks as he turns to Kamek.

“They already love you. They'll be overjoyed now that you're back to your normal human size.” Kamek reassured him as they made their way down the stairs.

Meanwhile, Neville got back to Evershade Valley. It was quiet, and he didn’t see any ghosts, which was odd as the little ghosts all like to cause mischief in one way or another. He didn’t pay it too much mind as maybe the ghost just went to a different area. Once at the Treacherous Mansion, Neville soon learns something is wrong as there is dead silence. This was the home where the Boos would giggle and try to scare you, and not a single sound could be heard, nor ghost was seen. He looked around, trying to find anyone within the mansion's walls with no luck till he ended up in the Study alone. He didn’t know what to do or where to go, but that didn’t matter as a set of white arms wrapped around him kept him in place. Neville looked behind him to see that Boolossus was holding him as he tried to escape his grasp.

“Hello, Neville,” King Boo said as Neville turned to face him. Boos slowly filling the study one by one.

“My king…what's going on here?” Neville asks, wondering what is going on as he struggles against Boolossus.

“A new change of plan-” King Boo said as he floated over to Nevllie, placing his hand underneath his chin, “-your no longer my right-hand man.”

“Wh- what?! My king! I-” Neville was about to ask what he meant by that, but King Boo soon slapped him; Neville's eyes went wide.

“Silence! You have backstabbed me far too many times. Years of going behind my back to keep Luigi away from me, stop today! I will get my nutcracker back this time if I have to get rid of you and that Beast gang!” King Boo yelled from the top of his lungs. When Neville heard that, his heart started to beat fast in fear; King Boo learned the truth, and now he doesn’t know how to stop him.

“How-” Neville asks, but he just got slapped again, this time King Boo floating away from him as he moves to a darker conder of the study.

“My new right-hand man warned me of your insubordination. One that's honest. One that doesn't go behind my back.” King Boo said as he pointed at the conder. Soon a ghost came out of there and took his place by King Boo's side. Neville's mouth dropped.

“Grimmly?! H-how could you!?” Neville yelled at him. He couldn't believe this. One of the few ghosts who spent the most time with Luigi backstabbed him?! Neville was so shocked that he forgot to be mad at him.

“Sorry, Neville, but I wasn’t going to take the fall of your sins when all the Clockwork Soldiers got caught. I saw my chance and took it, and I’m not ashamed. After all, Luigi was just going to lock us up again in those paintings…why not let him suffer a bit more….” Grimmly told him that it made Neville's blood boil. He tried to get out of Boolossus' arms to run and warn Luigi before it was too late.

“You're mad! All of you!” Neville yelled, trying to fight and run, but all he heard was the sound of King Boo laughing alongside the giggles of the Boos.

“Ahahahahha!” King Boo laughed, floating over to him as he grabbed his face. King Boo's eyes nearing as his smile gets more prominent, “and you think you were safe from it all? I can’t wait to see your and my beloved face when I have him again. Watch as I take everything I wanted from him, those old friends of his, too. All while you watch helplessly.”

“He will break free, King Boo. He will win.” Neville threatened him, but that only got a laugh out of King Boo.

“Will he now? With what army? As I recall, he's nothing but a figment of everyone's imagination.”

Chapter Text

“There you go! A stack of Dry Bone Pancakes!" Luigi said as he placed the stack of pancakes next to the orange juices and bacon in the center of the table. Luigi didn't wait as he got used to being big again, getting used to the heaviness of his body as it reminded him of the days back in the walls of Peach's castle. It was rough those first few days, but with his joyful mindset and getting back into his old routine, this was nothing but a workout.

"Yay!" Junior said as he grabbed a few off the stack as Luigi started to serve himself breakfast. It was just the two of them this morning, as it's been a while since they spent some time alone. Junior has been playing with Peach and the others, trying to get along with everyone as they stay here. It was nice to see him getting along with everyone, especially Mario. Luigi won't have to worry about leaving the Darkland if all goes according to plan.

"So what do you want to do today, Junior? Visit some shops in town? Ask your dad for some karts? Plan out some pranks to do?" Luigi asks as he fixes his bandanna so it doesn't get dirty as Junior eats his breakfast. He was quiet, thinking about what he wanted to do. He could think of so many things they could do now that Luigi was taller than him, even though it was only a few hours until he had to get more medicine to keep him big. Junior swallowed his food before answering Luigi.

"Can we go into town and visit the fair?" Junior asks as Luigi takes a sip of his orange juice.

"A Fair? At this time of year?" Luigi asked. Sure, the Mushroom Kingdom had a fall fair where people could get pumpkins, but that was when it was starting to get cold but not too cold, and you didn't have to wear a winter coat. It was already over halfway through fall. Maybe it's because it's still warm in the Darkland that they can have a fair so late in the year, even with the rain that's been coming and going.

"Yup! It's called the Blue Shell Fair! Since we don't get snow like the other kingdoms, we like to have a fair to show our winter Cheer." Junior explains as he grabs more pancakes.

"But it's in the middle of Fall, won't the fair be held in winter make more sense?" Luigi asks, trying to understand how this fair works.

"Yeah it would." Junior said as he took a bite of his pancake before talking with his mouth full, "But it's always hard to tell when it will be Winter. Dad once told me a story about how one year when he was a little older than me that they didn't have the Blue Shell fair because one of the Koopa that came back from another kingdom said that there was no snow there. It wasn't till Winter passed that Dad found out that Koopa had come back from the desert, and it hardly ever rains in the desert!"

"That does sound awful - don't talk with your mouth full," Luigi said as he grabbed a napkin to clean Junior's face as Junior swallowed his food.

"Sorry. But after that, they decide that they will have the Blue Shell Fair on whatever day the snow falls in the mushroom kingdom, and it will be the week we have the fair. So the next year, after Dad missed the Blue Shell Fair, the mushroom kingdom had its first snowfall. We didn't know that snow had come early and melted the same day. All we know is that when snow falls, and we keep it like that. Even after we all found out that that happened in the fall."

"Now that makes more sense on why it's held so early." Luigi said as he started to clean up the empty plates.

"Yeah, so can we go?! Dad never wants to take me; Grandpa is always the one that takes me, but he always gets tired after only half an hour."

"Why doesn't he want to take you?" Luigi asks as he washes the dishes, his hands feeling heavy and getting dark from the water.

"He said that all the Koopa get sacred around him, but every year, they all ask if Dad is coming this year," Junior said as he dropped his plate over, grabbing the stepping stool to help Luigi clean up. Luigi remembers Bowser saying something like that back when they watched the fireworks, how he doesn't do so well at parties. Maybe that was the case, but things have slowly changed over the months, and Luigi knows that the Koopa are very kind when they are not ordered to do something evil.

"Sure, why not? Let's see how well this goes, and later we can invite your dad to come with us, okay?" Luigi said as Junior hugged him. Junior soon jumped off the stepping stool and was the first out of the kitsch to get ready. Luigi put his hands over a fire to help dry them off faster after finishing the dishes as Mario came in.

"What are you doing?" Mario asked as he took a seat. Seeing Luigi this big was odd, as he'd been below his knees this whole time, stopping just the middle way of his bottom leg.

"Drying my hands. My wooden body loves to absorb water like a sponge," Luigi told him as he lowered his hands so they could dry faster without him burning himself.

"And Junior? I saw him running out of here," Mario asks as Luigi smiles.

"We are going into town today to go to a fair."

"A Fair? At this time of year?" Mario said as Luigi giggled.

"That's what I said!" Luigi said as he pulled away from the fire and looked at Mario. "But Junior really wants to go so we're going."

"That's nice. Mind if I join you two?" Mario asks as Luigi turns to him, a little confused as to why Mario wants to hang out with them. Mario saw the confused face Luigi was pulling and decided to tell him what everyone's plans were. "Bowser and Peach are busy trying to set up the ball within the month and write a peace treaty for them to sign. They've been working on it for almost a week. Going to be honest, I was getting jealous that she was spending so much time with him, but after settling in on their police talk, I got bored really quickly."

Luigi let out a laugh when he heard that. He understands the feeling, especially when he sees them alone together. Still, even when he gets a bit envious of Peach, Luigi knows that Bowser won't do anything with her.

"I guess that makes two of us. I get the same way when I see the two spend a lot of time together." Luigi said as he turned off the fire and sat next to Mario, taller than him like the old times, "What about Daisy and the others?"

"Daisy and the Wario Brothers left back to the Mushroom Kingdom last night. Peach asks them to go get some stuff and bring it back to the Darkland. I think I overheard Daisy tell Waluigi to go back to her kingdom to get something for her." Mario told him as he noticed he was taller than him even when he sat down. It was a bit unfair that a toy could be a bit taller than him when he had a power-up.

"So that just leaves you alone with no one to hang out with." Luigi said as Mario rubbed his neck.

"Yeah. I don't know how to say this but lately I've been feeling…lonely." Mario said as he traced the table, "like I'm missing something but I can't put my finger on it. The only time when I don't feel it is when I'm hanging out with you."

Luigi had to keep his mouth shut when Mario said that. Forgetfulness was the feeling most people felt when they saw or were near him, but this was the first that he'd ever heard of anyone feeling lonely from being away from him. Maybe it was because they were twins or something similar, but knowing how Mario felt brought joy and heartache.

"Then you should come with us to the fair!" Junior Yell as Mario and Luigi turn to him.

"Junior, how long have you been there?" Luigi asks as Junior smiles.

"Long enough to know that Mario was lonely," Junior said as Mario and Luigi shared a look.

"Already, kid, you got me," Mario said as he got up, Luigi following him as they moved next to Junior. "Are you ready to go?"

"Yeah! Let's go!" Junior said as he grabbed their hands and started to head out.

Once in the village, it was set up with blue, white, and silver colors. Making it pop agents the red, dark brown, and dark gray of the buildings and the Darkland landscape. There was fake snow made out of wool on the pop-up stands, making it as fluffy as they could smell the hot chocolate and freshly baked sugar cookies.

"My, this is wonderful," Luigi said. Mario nodded as he looked around.

"I know, right! There is snow sliding, snowball fights, snowman building contests, ornament making, and so much more!" Junior said as he pointed out the activities that he was saying. The snowsliding was on a hill covered with ice melting faster than the Koopas going down it. The snowball fight was made out of shaved ice that they were trying to keep from melting in the bowl they were in as they had their fight. The snowman-building contests used wool to make the snowman, and a few got clothes to dress the snowman in. The ornament-making table had a live tree next to it with a few ornaments already as the Koopa children put them all over the tree.

Mario and Luigi both shared a look of sadness. It was a pretty fair with how nice it looked, but all the activities were unfortunate to see. It was clear that the Koopa knew what snow was and the activities that you do with it, but the fact that they had to use ice that was melting and wool to make it so was heartbreaking, to say the least.

"Junior, have you ever played in the snow?" Mario asks as Luigi elbow him in the chest. Mario had to gasp as he grabbed his chest, having a coughing fit. He soon gave Luigi the sink eye as he tried to regain his breath.

"Well, yeah, I've seen and played in snow before," Junior said as he rolled his eyes, "but the snow doesn't really work in a land with a lot of lava. We're lucky we get rain."

"Um, Junior, can you do me a favor and go buy us some food? That way, while walking, we can snake on something?" Luigi said as he handed him some coins. Junior nodded as he ran off without a word.

"Real subtle, Lu," Mario said after a while, "was that really necessary?! You're made out of wood! That hits just as bad as getting hit by a Bald Clefts!"

"Oh get over it! You've been hit by worse," Luigi said, making sure that Junior wasn't around, "but really, Mario? Did you really have to ask that question?!"

"Do you not see how sad this all is?" Mario said in a low voice as he saw a few Koopa staring at them.

"I can see that, but Junior really wants to have fun at this fair, and we're going to have fun," Luigi scolded Mario as he pulled on his ear at the end of his sentence.

"Okay okay! Just let go of my ears!" Mario said as Luigi did so, just in time to see Junior return with food and friends.

"Oh wow, hello, and who might you all be?" Luigi asked as he saw seven other Koopas that stood out from the rest. Mario gave them all an annoyed look as he knew ecstasy who they were. Junior went on to tell Luigi who they were.

"These are my friends, the Koopalings!" Junior said as they all stared at him. They all look amazed to see a talking wooden man as Luigi waves back.

"It's very nice to meet you all. Care to tell me your names?" Luigi asked as the smallest one approached him, jumping on a yellow ball as he jumped up and down to meet Luigi's eyes.

"My name's Lemmy. Are you really a toy that came to life just by a wish?" said the colorful mohawk of yellow, magenta, and cyan Koopa. One of the main things Luigi noticed was that his eyes were crossed. He only really keeps one eye on Luigi as he jumps up and down, switching legs as he does so.

"Yes, I am," Luigi told him. He didn't want to tell Junior's friends the truth as it would be weird to tell them immediately. Soon, the Koopa, fixing his hair, came over and grabbed Luigi's hands with his left hand, looking at the cuts on his arms.

"For a toy you have a lot of cuts, what happens with all these cuts? And are those burn marks?!"

"Larry, don't just ask him a question without introducing yourself!" said this Koopa with fluffy blue hair with a middle part and a little tooth that pokes out of his top lip as it stays in the middle of his mouth. He soon pulls Larry off Luigi's arm and pushes his chest out, "I'm Ludwig Von Koopa! The oldest and leaders of my brothers!"

"Ah ham!" sounded the Koopa with pink lips and high heels as she placed her hands on her hips. Ludwig rolls his eyes as he sighs.

"And my sister- ah," Ludwig said before she pushed him to the side.

"Wendy O. Koopa. I must ask, why would such a gem like you want to dress like a certain wash-up hero that has no fashion sense? You can do so much better." Wendy said as she circled Luigi before giving Mario the sink eye as it was clear she didn't like him.

"Watch it kid," Mario said as they all stuck their tongues at him as Luigi tried to figure out the remaining three.

"Hehe, It's nice to meet you, Wendy, and you three. What's your name?" Luigi asked as the tallest Koopalings spoke, fixing his glass.

"Iggy Ziggy and I'm the cool one," he said, almost mocking and mimicking Ludwing as he pointed to himself with his chest out.

"That's so lame!" laughed a Koopa with these oversized pink sunglasses and a pink head, "you're the crazing one more then the cool one. If anything I'm the only cool one here. The one and only Roy Koopa."

The Koopalings all seemed so lively and lovely that Luigi was happy to see that Junior did have some friends around his age, or maybe a little older than him.

"What about you?" Luigi asks the last Koopaling, who had stayed quiet this entire time. Standing by Junior, he just nodded to what everyone said.

"Morton," he said, a smile on his face as Wendy led over to Luigi.

"He's a Koopa with few words," she said as he nodded before Luigi overheard Roy whisper to Iggy.

"More like a Koopa with few thoughts," he said as Iggy giggled at his comment. Wendy smacked Roy on the head as she also heard his comment. Luigi smiled before looking at Mario, who had a frown on his face. Luigi must have missed something these last few years, as he never really remembers Mario saying anything about them on his adventure. Still, they all seem to know him, just as Mario already knows who they are. Before Luigi could ask what was wrong, Mario clapped his hands.

"Well, it was annoying to meet you again, but it's time for us to go. Let's go make some ornament, Lu, Junior," Mario said but soon was stopped by the Koopalings.

"WHAT?! NO!" They all yelled, and soon Luigi was pulled to the ground by the Koopalings. One by one, someone grabbed something as Junior held Luigi's head.

"We don't want to make boring ornaments!" yells Roy as he holds Luigi's arm.

"Yeah! We want to go do some snowball fights!" Yell Larry and Ludwig as they started to pull Luigi over to where they were having the snowball fight.

"That's all you three ever want to do! We want to go sliding!" yell Lemmy and Iggy as they pull on Luigi's other arm; this soon becomes a tug of war.

"No! We haven't eaten all day!" Wendy yelled as she tried to pull her brother off of Luigi, "you know how I get when I'm hungry!"

The only Koopaling that wasn't pulling on Luigi was Morton, who had been watching this all play out as he stood by Junior—only nodding to what everyone said as Mario groaned. It was clear that this day may turn south really quickly if Luigi didn't do anything, from Mario chasing off children to Junior later being mad about it.

"Junior! Um, how about we do some wood carving?" Luigi said as everyone let go of him; he was now lying on the ground, and even Mario looked over at him in confusion.

"Wood carving?" Junior asks as Mario helps Luigi up as all these little sets of eyes look at him.

"Yeah, wood carving. One thing that we always had in our house when it was Winter was nutcrackers." Luigi said as Mario slowly got what Luigi was implying.

"Oh, I see, you want them all to make their own nutcracker." Mario said as he laughed, "I haven't made one in years."

"What's a nutcracker?" asks the Koopalings. This reminds Luigi of when Luigi told Junior what a nutcracker was, too. It also made Luigi embarrassed as both Mario and Junior pointed at him and spoke at the same time.

"He's a nutcracker," and the loud Ooo heard from the group.

"How is that any fun?" asked Larry as they all nodded.

"Well, we get to look for wood in the forest and make a game out of it. My brother and I used to make this game called Little Nut, Big Nut." Luigi said as Mario snapped his figures

"Oh I know this game! My friends and I used to play it all the time! One of us would be the big nut and the other one would be the little nut. We were both racing to find the biggest log or a bunch of sticks so we can trade them in for logs." Mario explained as a smile came to Luigi's face. Luigi soon took over and explained the rest.

"Once you have a log, you get to crave your Nutcracker out of it. I once made a nutcracker that looked like my brother, and I made one that was a Koopa and a toad, too." Luigi said as the Koopa started to look excited about this, "We later painted our Nutcracker and showed everyone what we made. Part of this game includes prizes."

"Prize!?" they all said as Mario nodded.

"Yup! When my friend and I did it, he had to do all my chous for a week since I found the bigger log. However, he got a few 'get out of free' cards since he won the most creative Nutcracker." Mario giggles as he feels something odd about what Luigi said. Yes, he was happy, but the way Luigi talks about Little Nut Big Nut made him feel forgetful, and when Luigi said that, he made his brother, a Koopa, and a Toad remind him of the nutcrackers of his friend. Sadness washed over him for a minute. Mainly because he couldn't remember what his friend looked like.

"Can it be any prize?" ask Lugwigk as Luigi nods.

"It can be anything. You can ask for anything or a favor from your sibling as long as your sibling can do it. there has to be a time limit if you ask for a favor, no longer than two weeks if it's something like 'you have to do everything I say' or 'cover for me'." Luigi explains as they ask more questions

"Since there are so many of us, who's the Little nut and Big nut?" asks Larry as Luigi points at himself and Mario

"I always did it by how old you are, since Mario is older than me, I'm a little nut and Mario the big nut." Luigi said as Mario pointed at Iggy, Roy, Lemmy, and Ludwig.

"So that means that you four are on my team of Big Nuts." Mario said before pointing to Larry, Morton, Wendy, and Junior, "And you four are with Luigi as Little Nuts."

"Yes! I get to be on a team with Papa!" Junior said as he went to hug Luigi's leg.

"Is there a time limit for looking for logs?" asked Wendy as Mario thought.

"Well, it's usually short, like 5 mins, but I say that we can do 15-20 mins?"

"20 mins should be fine, and the only wood that counts is the one that you can carry." Luigi told them as he pointed at each one of them. "So no picking up a whole tree or a heavy log that you can't even pick up."

"Got it!" they all yell.

"So when do we start?" asks Roy as Mario smirks. In a teasing mood, Mario quickly pulled Luigi's hat down; it stuck a bit, and Luigi fell back as he tried to pull his hat off.

"It's starting now, go go go!" Mario said as they all started to run to the dead forest.

"Cheater!" Wendy yells as Morton helps Luigi pull off his hat. Luigi was more hyper than mad at Mario when he did that; it reminded him of old times when Mario had done the same thing. Mario always got the head start, as Luigi got up on his feet. Luigi put his hat back on and squid before he urged Junior to come closer to him.

"Get on my back, Junior, so we can catch up." Luigi said as Junior listened. Once on Luigi's back, Junior smiled, getting cheered as he yelled.

"After them!" Luigi ran with the Koopalings next to them into the dead forest.

Luigi didn't go far in, staying near the entrance as the Koopalings and Junior started to look. Luigi was looking for something small but something he could carry alongside Junior's log since He would mostly ask Luigi to hold it for him. Morton was the first one to find a log that he liked. It was the size of a mason jar that may hold up to 16 oz. The wood itself fits in the palm of his hand, and he can almost touch his fingers as they warp around the wood. The wood was a nice dark side of Taupe on the outside, while the inside held a lighter plum wine color.

"That's a nice piece of wood, Morton," Luigi said as Morton smiled.

"Morton is happy with color. Colors remind Morton of his own colors," he said as he showed Luigi the bold, light color on the wood bark. It had no shape, but Morton traced a star on the spot.

"I wish I could find one that looks like me," said Wendy as she looked for her log.

"I think the only ones who can do that is Papa and Morton," Junior giggled as he found his log; his log was long and skinning; it wasn't thick enough to carve into on its own, but if they cut it in half, and glue it together, he can make something out of it. "Look I found my log!"

"Good Job, Junior," Luigi said as Junior showed him the burned log. It was burnt but lucky only on the tip of it as it can quickly be taken off and not ruin the rest of it. It was the same shade of Taupe color on the outside, but the wood inside was more of a burnt umber color from the areas that Luigi saw.

"As long as my log is better than Roy's, I don't care how big or small my log is," said Larry as he watched the tree's lower branches. He picked up logs and threw them to the side when he didn't like one, making little piles that he didn't notice he was making. He found one as tall as him that could work for this game. "I think this could work."

"Woah, that's quite big…can you carry it?" Luigi asked as Larry took a deep breath and tossed the log onto his shoulders. He looked a little red but carried it like the rule said.

"See! Easy peasy," Larry said as he dropped it, taking a few deep breaths as if tired from just holding it. On the other hand, Wendy has been getting logs and making a pile of ones she likes. She pouted as she looked over her opinion. She let out a sigh before turning to Luigi.

"Luigi, maybe you have a good eye for this since you're made out of wood," Wendy said as she dropped off some different logs in front of him. They look similar with the same shade of Taupe on the outside, but they all were different shapes, and the inside had different shades of color on the inside. Luigi didn't know much about Wendy, but from how she looked and acted, she picked out the biggest one she brought him. It looked like it was in the shape of a lilypad with all the bumps and curbs on the flat log, and it had this lovely shade of magenta, the closest color to match her pink bow.

"I like this one," Luigi told her as he handed the log back to her.

"I like it too, it's a nice shade of magenta. I know you would be the best person to ask." Wendy said as Luigi smiled at her.

"Thank you. That's very nice of you to say, Wendy," Luigi said as he picked a simple log from the pile. He liked how big it was. He thought that if he carved the wood small enough, he could maybe make three nutcrackers instead of one. "Does everyone have their log?"

"Yes, sir!" they said as they started to run back to the fair. Once they were back, Luigi grabbed one of the tables next to the ornament table and pushed it to another; that way, when Mario returned, there was enough space for all of them. Luigi also grabs some tools and food for the kudos as they wait for the others, coming up with ideas for their Nutcracker.

"It can be anything right?" Junior asks as Luigi takes a bite of his sugar cookie.

"Mhm," Luigi sounded before he swallowed, "It can be whatever you want it to be."

"Morton wants

"I'm going to make a princess, one in the most beautiful dress that anyone has seen." Wendy said as she looked over her log, taking sips of her hot chocolate.

"Boo, that's so boring. I'm going to make my favorite character from one of my games!" Larry said, brushing his hair before grabbing a bite like the rest.

"What about you Junior? What are you going to make?" Luigi asked as Junior was in deep thought.

"I have an idea but I don't know…what are you going to make?"

"I'm thinking of making you, your dad, and Kamek." Luigi said, which made Junior smile so big.

"Then my idea will work!" he said as Luigi saw Mario returning with the other Koopalings with a few big logs.

"Why haven't you started yet?" asks Iggy as they all place their logs down and start to grab food.

"We're not charter like you five," Wandy said as Mario giggled.

"I would have just started, but we can hold off till we all eat," Mario said as he grabbed food himself. Luigi laughed at how they were so busy eating that they didn't care about their logs. Junior was busy marking out where to cut as Morton did the same thing. Wendy was trying to make sure that none of her brothers took any of her food that she was eating. While they ate, Luigi and Larry went and got some tools from the locals that he asked to borrow. Once back, they handed everyone a tool, and he and Mario taught them how to carve. It was fun, as the Koopliang said what they wanted to crave. Iggy was craving his pet Chain Chomp. Roy was craving a Bob-omb. Lemmy was craving a clown with a ball. Ludwig was going to crave a robot, while Mario was going to crave a Wigger.

On the other hand, Luigi cut his log into three parts as Larry started to get angry at his carving. Roy wasn't much help as he teased him about how he couldn't crave right. Mario told him to stop, but Larry hit Roy with the wooden mallet. That made the two-run after each other around the table before Larry ran in between Luigi and sat in his lap.

"Coward!" Roy said as he tried to reach Larry, but Luigi kept Roy from him as Larry had just stuck his tongue out to him.

"Larry, you're going to need to apologize to Roy," Luigi told Larry as Roy stopped trying to reach him. Larry gave him a shocked face.

"Huh!? Why do I have to when he was the one bugging me?!" Larry asks as Roy crosses his arms and pulls a smug face.

"Cuz that's what older brother does. They bully their younger siblings." Roy said as if he had won this arrangement. Luigi, however, turns to Roy and waves his finger at him.

"Hold on, Roy. You need to apologize, too. I understand that your brothers and you'll tease your sibling from time to time but it looks like all you've been doing is just being mean to them." Luigi told Roy, who lost his smug smile and soon pulled a pouting face. Larry also put on a pouting face as it was clear they wouldn't willingly apologize to each other.

"How about this, you two apologize to each other and I'll…let you guys dress me up as a snowman! How does that sound?" Luigi suggests, hoping that bribing them will stop fighting and get them back to craving. The two thought for a bit, thinking if it was worth it. They soon shared a look and nodded before looking at Luigi.

"Deal!" they both said as Luigi put a smile on his face. Before he could say something, someone else shouted at them.

"Hey! What about the rest of us?!" Ludwig yelled as everyone turned to him.

"Yeah!" They all said as Luigi looked at Junior and the Koopalings as they all looked like they were mad that he was letting Roy and Larry do something that they couldn't. Luigi didn't know what to say or do, but thankfully Mario stepped in.

"Don't worry, I'm sure Luigi means all of you. Right, Luigi?" Mario said, getting the Koopalings to stop to look at him and then back at Luigi. Luigi shot Mario a dirty look. Mario pulled a smug face as he kept craving.

"Yeah… you'll all get a chance to do that, but Roy, what do you have to say to Larry?" Luigi said as he waited for Roy to start. With a huff, Roy turns to Larry.

"I'm sorry that I bug ya about your craving silks," Roy said. If Luigi could only see his eyes, he would have a feeling that he was rolling them as he apologized.

"Larry?" Luigi nudges him as Larry turns to Roy.

"And I'm sorry for hitting you on the head with a mallet." Larry said as he got off Luigi's lap and walked up to Roy. putting his hand out for him to shake, "truce?"

"Truce," Roy said as he slapped Larry's hand, turning it into their handshake.

"Good, now let's go back to craving." Luigi said, but Larry soon turned to him, being bored and annoyed with craving now.

"Nah, I want to go sliding," Larry said as a few others all nodded.

"Yeah! Sliding!" They cheered as they wanted to get off their butts and do something that made them run around.

"None of you are even done yet!" Mario said, trying to help Luigi to get them to sit down for a bit.

"We are now!" said Lugwig as he soon pulled out his wand. As he did, his sibling soon followed suit and tapped their logs. One by one, their nutcrackers were carved and painted and placed in a nice line to show them off. Junior taps on Morton's shoulder, making him bend down a bit so Junor can whisper in his ear. Once he did that, Morton nodded and tapped on Junior's Nutcracker, turning it into a mini Luigi. They all wrote their name under their Nutcracker before heading to the hill, leaving Mario and Luigi at the table.

"Well, that sucks all the fun out of this," Mario said as he picked up a blue hedgehog nutcracker with red shoes and white gloves that Larry craved.

"You don't have to tell me twice," Luigi said as he cleaned and put his logs aside. Soon, Junior came back and started to pull on Luigi.

"Come on Papa! I want you to slide with me!" he said as Luigi finished throwing away the eaten leftovers.

"Okay, okay, I'm coming. Mario, are you going to join us?" Luigi asks as Mario has gone back to craving his Nutcracker.

"I'm going to crave a bit more. Let me know when you start the snowball fight." Mario said, never taking his eye off his craving.

"Alright, catch you in a few," Luigi said as he got pulled away from the table. Once at the hill, he could see the Koopaling racing each other down the hill as the Magikoopas did their best to keep up with all the Koopa coming. Junior and Luigi grab a long red slide that could fit the two, waiting as Wendy races down the hill against Roy. Once it was their turn, Luigi sat in the rear while Junior sat in the front. Iggy and Lemmy park next to them, asking if they want to go against them in a race. Junior nodded as they got ready to go down. As they slid down, Luigi wasn't expecting it to go down so fast as it was so little ice, but he guessed magic ice and regular ice were a bit different with how slippery they were.

On that first ride down, Iggy and Lemmy won as Luigi fell off the slide, bringing Junior with him. They laughed as they lay on the ground before getting up and doing it again. This time, Luigi was ready as they raced against Ludwig and Larry. Junior and Luigi won this time as Larry came in second, and Ludwig came third.

While they slid, Roy went over to get snowballs for his next run. However, after getting the snowballs, he saw that Mario was still craving away. Without hesitation, Roy throws a snowball at Mario's head. It didn't mess up Mario as he had just left the craving tool off the wood, but now Mario was going to start throwing snowballs. He left his Nutcracker on the table, dodging the next snowball that came at him. Mario ran over to where the snowballs were and grabbed a few of his own. Luigi and Junior had gotten to the bottom of their ride when they saw Mario and Roy having a Snowball fight. Junior jumped into action and went to help Roy, while Luigi went to help Mario in this uneven two vs one match.

Mario and Luigi pushed them back towards where the others were, but that was a mistake as the two v two soon became a two v eight as Mario and Luigi had to make a run for it as they got hit. They had to take cover as now they were in the snowball area where there were hiding places, and it was easier to get snowballs. One of the Snowballs hit Luigi in the face, almost as if it was an attack that made Luigi small again. It looked like they were so busy with all the fun that he didn't realize he needed to retake his gummy.

"Junior!" Luigi yells to get Junior to look at him, seeing that he needs to take his medication.

"Hold on guys, we got someone down." Junior told them as they looked a bit confused till they saw Luigi.

"Woah, how did that happen?" Iggy asks as Junior goes to pick up Luigi.

"This is how big Luigi really is!" Junior said as Luigi held him up so the rest could see him. Luigi just let out a nervous giggle.

"Yeah, I have to take gummies to stay big, which I think I left them at the table," Luigi told Junior as he nodded.

"We'll be back okay!" Junior said as they ran off. Luigi soon saw snowballs flying again. Mario yelled that he would hit them all as they mocked him. Once at the table, Luigi had to look for the gummies since he didn't know if he had accidentally thrown them away.

"I found them!" Junior said as he handed Luigi the bag.

"Thank you, Junior," Luigi said as he sat on the beach and started eating one. It was a matter of seconds before he was tall again, but it would take a minute or two for him to walk again since he gets dizzy and can't stand on his own after he takes the gummy.

"How are you feeling Junior? Having fun?" Luigi asked as he wanted to check in on him since it's been one thing after another in the last few hours they've been at the fair.

"I'm having a Blast!" Junior said as he smiled, but his smile seemed bittersweet.

"What's wrong?' Luigi asks as Junior pulls a guilty face.

"Well, I'm having a lot of fun but it is kinda sad." Junior admitted to Luigi, who soon put an arm around Junior to pull him in closer. Junior liens in as he watches a family go by.

"Is this about your dad again?" Luigi asks as he spots the same family, and he feels Junior's head nod.

"Grandpa always got tired, and we would only be here for an hour, and Dad would never come…being here for hours with my Papa and friends made me really happy, but I'm sad that Dad and Grandpa are missing out on all the fun," Junior told him as Luigi rubbed his arm, confirming him.

"Well, if it makes you feel better, I plan to bring them along next time since I don't think we'll have time today. How about we come back tomorrow? Just the four of us. How does that sound?" Luigi suggested. Junior looked up at him with another simple, this time a sweet one that wasn't sad or bitter.

"I would like that. I can finally have a memoir of coming to the fair with my whole family." Junior said that made Luigi smile.

"And more to come," Luigi said as he kissed his head, "now help me up, I think I'm ready for round two."

Junior soon did, getting Luigi up as he strolled back to the snowball area, where they saw Mario running around soaking as the snowballs hit and missed him. Luigi and Junior laugh as they let the Koopaling win this time around. Mario was unhappy that he was the target of seven Koopas, but Luigi told him he would make it up to him once they returned to the castle. Next, the Koopalings took Luigi over to where they were building snowmen, getting little grins on their faces. Luigi knew what was to come, and he was not surprised when the Koopaling and Junior stayed to wrap him in wool and get small things like a top hat. Everyone, including Mario, put something on him; Iggy put black wool coals on his chest, Mortain put a black and gray striped scarf, Larry removed Luigi's hat and put a blonde wig on him, Wendy bride his new hair with flowers in before putting on a pink top hat, Ludwig put a laboratory coat on him, Roy put a pair of his sunglass on him, Lemmy gives him a stick to hold and made him act that it was a wand. Mario and Junior were coloring and cutting out stuff to put on Luigi while the Koopalings dressed Luigi. When they were down, Mario put an L on the top hat, and Junior put an orange paper cone on Luigi's nose to act like a carrot. They were so happy about the mismatched Luigi snowman that they made that they got photos of them with Luigi.

It made them laugh when Luigi tried to break free from it as they left him tangled in the wool and clothes. The last thing they did was make ornaments as everyone was slowly getting tired, and they had yet to decide a winner for the Nutcracker they made. They kept it simple this time as they knew they had to return home soon and wanted to get it down and find out who the winner was. They made ornaments based on their faces, making them out of felt and then stuffing them to give them a bit of pop. They each came out cute, as it seemed like they were masters at making felt ornaments. While they made their ornaments, Mario and Luigi asked some Koopa to choose their favorite Nutcracker and leave a candy by their feet to show which one they liked the most, so Mario and Luigi weren't picking favorites.

Once that was done, the Koopalings gave their ornaments to Luigi so he could hang them on his tree to remember them by. Luigi thanked them and soon took them back to the table to show them who had won their game earlier. Lemmy won as everyone like the clown doing a handstand on a ball nutcracker. Lemmy was more happy about the candy that he didn't care that he had won the prizes of using a favor on his sibling, but none of them were going to tell him the small power he had. Luigi brought them more food after that to ensure they didn't go home hungry before they parted ways. Junior had taken a nap after eating, so Luigi had to carry him home while Mario grabbed his and Luigi's logs. He also carried the mini Luigi that Junior made as the fair was coming to an end for the night.

"Thanks," Mario said after a while as they silently walked back to the castle.

"For what?" Luigi asks him as he ensures Junior is comfortable with his piggyback ride.

"For letting me tag along. After all, it was your day with the kid." Mario said as he tilted his head toward Junior. This put a smile on Luigi's face as he watched his step.

"It's no problem. After all… I'm going to have the rest of my time to spend with him. I'm just glad that you let me spend some time with you." Luigi said as he realized that this was his new life now. The role of Junior Papa was one that he was happy to have and one that he never wanted to give up, even if Mario one day remembered who he really was.

"Ha! You don't really mean that." Mario giggles as he gives Luigi a small bump. Luigi had only known him for two months now. There was no way Luigi would be happy to spend this much time with a man who was Bowser's enemy.

"I do! I really do Mario. It's like I got my brother back after all these years." Luigi told him. He did have his brother back for one day. They get to play Little Nut Big Nut like when they were kids. Tag teaming against the bully in a snowball fight and even getting into fights or teasing each other. That is what Luigi missed the most when he was with Mario. Luigi got that brotherly bond and how they act with each other today.

"I can't replace your brother." Mario said after a long pause on his end. Mario was glad to get to feel what it was like to have a brother, but he didn't want to be a replacement for what Luigi had, even if it was excellent.

"I know that," Luigi said, a bit heartbroken. After all, he had forgotten that Mario was just Mario to him at that very moment, not his brother. "But I'm glad I got to spend time with someone who's as great as him."

"And I'm glad to have hung out with such a cool little brother of his." Mario said, happy to know that Mario could cheer Luigi up. He even got to act like a brother himself.

"Thanks, Bro," Luigi said, soon realizing what he said. Before Luigi could change it, Mario gave him the biggest smile before saying.

"Anytime, Bro"

Chapter Text

"Man, I'm sore," Bowser said as he sat at the kitchen table. Just like Luigi had promised, he got Bowser and Kamek to come to the Blue Shell Fair with him and Junior. Bowser was awkward at first, not knowing if it was a good idea, but oh boy, he was glad he got to see how excited everyone was to see him there. Not to mention the pure joy on Junior's face as he pulled him around, even when it seemed that Bowser may have ruined it but didn't. It also brought him joy when he saw the fun Luigi and Kamek were having as they mostly watched the two. Jumping in a few times but mostly letting Bowser and Junior have all the fun while Bowser would catch Luigi getting flustered about something Kamek had told him since he had a cocky smile on his face every time Bowser looked at the two.

"You don't have to tell me twice," Luigi said as he grabbed two cups for both of them. Filling it up with hot chocolate instead of coffee as it has become the norm for him and Bowser to have hot chocolate this late into the night. Sometimes, Luigi would drink hot chocolate in the morning out of habit when he made breakfast. "I'm starting to feel my joints ache too."

"Thank you," Bowser said as Luigi gave him his cup, sipping Luigi's version of his hot chocolate. Every time, it tasted different, and Bowser loved it as Luigi tried his best to make the same kind of hot chocolate he did, but Bowser loved the charm that came with Luigi. The main thing that was always the same was the taste of peppermint, no matter if it was strong or you could only taste a hint of it.

"So, tell me, did you have fun?" Luigi said as he sat beside him, as the smile came to Bowser's face.

"I haven't had that much fun at the Blue Shell Fair in years. I honestly don't remember when was the last time I had this much fun at the fair." Bowser told him as he tried to remember the last time he went to the fair. He was maybe just a young teen the last time he went, not having fun as that was around the same time King Boo was around him 24/7. It made Bowser frown for a moment, just enough for Luigi to spot it before Bowser had a smile on his face again. "But this year sure take the cake, that's for sure!"

Luigi couldn't help but notice the sad face he pulled. The last time he wanted must have gone sour for Bowser that it tugged at Luigi's heartstrings. Luigi was at least happy to know that this year was different, but he felt that maybe there was more that he could do for Bowser. Get his mind away from the past and replace it with something new and sweeter.

"Hey, are you tired yet?" Luigi asked as Bowser raised his brow at the sudden change of topic.

"No, not at all. Why?" Bowser asked as Luigi pulled a shy smile.

"Want to go on a ride?" Luigi asked. Bowser was quiet at first, studying Luigi's face as if he had said something odd. The more he stared, the more embarrassed Luigi felt as his cheek started to heat up. It led to Luigi turning away from him as he began to stutter, "I-i-i mean we don't have t-to! I j-just t-thought that you like to. O-of course if you're t-too tired, we can go to b-bed together- I mean! You- yes, you- you can g-go to bed. Hehehe…wait, you just said y-you're not tired-"

Bowser watches Luigi as he stutters, mumbles, and fumbles with his words. Honestly, the only reason that Bowser was quiet at his question was the fact that he was trying to figure out if Luigi was asking him out on a date or just wanted to hang out as friends. Yes, he wanted to go on a ride with him. Yes, he wanted to go to bed and sleep next to him. He wanted to say yes to everything that was coming out of Luigi's mouth as he kept looking down; Bowser was just afraid that if he straight out said yes, he would scare him away. That he just wanted to hang out. Be buds. Not go out and do something lovers do.

Bowser snapped out of his thoughts when Luigi stood up and started to walk away. Bowser acted on his own when he got up and grabbed Luigi's arm, watching as Luigi turned to face him. They were both silent during the sudden act as Bowser noticed the blush hidden on Luigi's face by the red dot on his cheek. Luigi also noticed the look on Bowser's face; he was shocked and worried in his eyes, as if he was about to break down. Bowser had to look away when he looked into Luigi's eyes; he could see he was worried for him. Bowser let go of him and let out a cough, the blush now showing on his face.

"I would," Bowser said, covering up his embarrassment with another caught as he got the courage to look at Luigi again, "I would like that ride very much."

"O-okay!" Luigi said as he felt his heart skip a beat. He could finally calm down from that bit of panic he went into; however, his heart would feel stuck in his throat when Bowser offered his arm to him. Luigi knew Bowser was being nice, but it made him feel special. Like he actually sees him as a possible lover rather than just a friend. Luigi also found it cute when he looked up at Bowser's face. It was slightly turned away from him, but Luigi could see the blush on his cheek. With a timid hand, Luigi places it on his arm before locking it with his arm. Bowser seemed to stiffen up a bit, his face redder than before as he looked at Luigi.

They walk in silence. Both tried to figure out what to say to each other as they fought with their thoughts. Bowser was thinking about things like compliments and how to tell them to Luigi, asking him what he would like to do things like these more often or if Luigi was happy here and would stay forever. Yet everything in his body told him that he would scare Luigi away, that even right now, he was quiet. That offering his arm was too much, and Luigi didn't want him to look like a fool for doing such a thing with him.

On the other hand, Luigi was thinking his own thoughts, like how nice this was and how much he wanted to tell Bowser that. Or if he should be bolded and flat out say how he felt - ask if Bowser was just being nice or felt something romantic toward him. However, the only reason Luigi was staying quiet was the fact that he didn't know how Bowser would react badly again. After all, he was expecting him to say yes or no to him when Luigi asked to go on a ride, but instead, he just stared at him. He didn't want something like that to happen again. Thankfully, the sound of Koopas, who stayed up late to work on something, filled the silence for a bit.

"Here we are," Bowser said, breaking the silence as they entered the garage. "Go ahead and pick one."

"Oh, um," Luigi started as he expected to share a car. Not go in two different ones.

"What's wrong?" Bowser asks as he watches Luigi try to pick out a car or bike to ride. Luigi scratched the back of his neck. If Luigi was human right now, Bowser would likely see his ears bright red.

"I was, um, kinda hoping that we can…share one…" Luigi admitted as his voice was low. Luigi was embarrassed to say it out loud, but Bowser's heart found his voice coming off more cute as now he wanted to confess his love. Bowser shook his head, moved over to Flame Flyer, and opened the passenger door for Luigi.

"Then after you," Bowser said as Luigi lit up from his reaction.

"Thank you," Luigi said as he went over and took his seat. Bowser closed the door after him and soon made his way to the driver seat, happy and ready to get this hang-out going.

"Hold on!" Bowser said as Luigi prepared himself. Bowser booked it, letting out a cheerful cheer as they shot out of the tunnel. The night was cold, but the heat from the land made up for it. Bowser never once slowed down as he took sharp turns or went fast up a hill that they jumped off. To Luigi, this would have scared him, and it did for a bit, but as they passed lava that looked like waterfalls and flew across the sky without worry made Luigi cheer every time. Bowser got glimpses of those moments, seeing the smile on his face that made him want to stop for a moment and take it all in. Bowser got the chance as he started to head back to the castle. He was going the speed limit, maybe even slower, just so he and Luigi could talk more. On the other hand, Luigi looked up at the sky, letting his heartbeat calm down from all their close calls.

"It's so nice tonight," Luigi said, happy as he watched the clouds move by.

"It really is, the cold air helps," Bowser said as he felt himself railed all up.

"I just wish I could see the star," Luigi said, reaching his hand out as if he could grab the cloud and move them himself, just so that he could see the stars he missed seeing.

"Do you miss seeing them?" Bowser asks after some time in silence. It was the downside of the Darkland; the clouds and smoke never seemed to leave. Therefore, the stars never get to shine like they do everywhere else.

"A bit. They gave me hope on hopeless nights, and I learned a lot of facts about them to show off to people…" Luigi said, putting his hands down and turning to face Bowser, who had a serious face right now. Luigi doesn't see that face often, but it never seems to be for good emotions. He was about to say something else when Bowser spoke up.

"Hold on," Bowser said, putting their other hand on the steering wheel.

"What do yo- AH!" Luigi said, getting scared as Bowser broke as he pulled a U-turn in the middle of the road. It caught him off guard, but Luigi's heart rate went back up as Bowser sped up down the road again. Luigi didn't know where Bowser was taking them as he thought the ride was over, but the farther they went, the fewer clouds in the sky he saw. Soon, he heard the sound of waves; he looked down to see that they were by the ocean. The smell of seawater hit his nose as Bowser made his way to what looked like a small dock with a few boats at it.

"Um, where are we?" Luigi asks as Bowser gets out of the car and makes his way over to Luigi's side.

"At the end of the Darkland- after you," Bowser said as he opened the door and offered his hand to Luigi so he could take it. Luigi was a bit confused by the sudden change of plans, but he let Bowser hold his hand as he took them to the dock.

"Thank you…" Luigi said as Bowser released his hand as he got into a boat. He offers his hand again, waiting for Luigi to take it and join him, "you're not serious."

"I'm dead serious," Bowser said, reaching toward Luigi, hoping he would take it. This time, he did take it. He stumbled a bit when getting in, but it wasn't so bad as he took his seat and Bowser started to untie the boat from the dock.

"I didn't even know you guys were this close to the water or that you had boats," Luigi said as Bowser pushed them away from the dock. The boat tilted up a bit due to Browser size, but it wasn't much as he started to row them out to sea.

"We do a lot of fishing," Bowser explained as he rolled the boat, "we try to stock up on fish so we have food. But, um, I know the boat is not the nicest, but it would do the job for what I have planned."

"What do you mean by that?" Luigi said, leading toward Bowser as a cocky smile came across his face."

"You'll see; all you gotta do is trust me," Bowser said, "you do trust me, right?"

"I do," Luigi said, returning a sweeter smile to Bowser as his turned into a goofy, toothy one. Bowser rolled the small boat out to sea, Luigi leading over the boat occasionally to see if he could see some Cheep Cheeps or touch the water with his hand. Bowser would scare him from time to time as he rocked the boat, making Luigi let out a yelp before he would splash water at Bowser. At some point, Bowser just stopped rolling, and they were in the middle of nowhere.

"We're pretty far out," Luigi said, barely seeing where they came from. It looked like they were lost at sea.

"It's the only way to see them," Bowser said as he made Luigi look at him.

"The only way to see what?" Luigi asked.

"The stars. Look up" Bowser replay. When Luigi did just that, his eyes grew wide. Up high in the sky, he saw the starry night that he had missed so much. He was overwhelmed by them, slowly standing up as if he could touch them. Bowser, however, was admiring the reaction that he was having. Enjoying the shine in Luigi's eyes, the smile on his face as he slowly turned in the boat. Bowser watches him so closely that he almost misses Luigi's gasp.

"Oh wow…" Luigi whisper, getting a giggle out of Bowser

"Like it?" Bowser said as Luigi soon turned to face him. His face was still in shock, but his whole body screamed how happy he was.

"I-I love it…oh, look at how they shine, and so many new constellations I've never seen," Luigi said, looking back at the stars to see new constellations he's never seen. One looked like a Bob-omb, another looked like a Koopa, and there was even one that looked like a Boo, which Luigi quickly turned away from and went looking for the other constellations.

"Never was a star gazing kinda person, but…I thought I would give it a try," Bowser said as he looked at the stars, not understanding why Luigi loved seeing little dots of light in the sky.

"I can show you my favorite one then! Lay down so you can see it!" Luigi said, happy as he moved to the other end of the boat so that Bowser could lie down. Bowser was a bit nervous about that; the boat was just big enough for him to sit in, and he didn't think he could move without knocking them out. But that joyful face on Luigi made him bite down his tongue, and he made himself move. There was a lot of rocking, and he thought he would knock Luigi out, but it was fine as he got to lie down. Luigi soon joined next to him, their shoulders touching each other due to how squashed they were together.

"Alright," Bowser said, getting more nervous as he never thought they would be lying side by side together this close. "So which one is it?"

"That one!" Luigi said, pointing to the shape of a boot. In the boot, there was what looked like a goomba in it.

"Which one?" Bowser asks as he doesn't see it like Luigi does, only seeing some stars shining brighter than others.

"That one, it's called the Goomba's Shoe." Luigi said, pointing at one star and making the shape of the boot before adding the goomba on top of it. "You can see the goomba popping out of the boot."

"I kinda see it?" Bowser said thanks to Luigi for making the shape for him, but he still wasn't getting all of it. "But why is that one your favorite one?"

"It's a goomba in a boot! They name a constellation after seeing a goomba fall into a shoe and getting stuck. That alone is enough to make it my favorite." Bowser said, getting on his hand so he could look Bowser in the face. Getting a good look at Bowser's confused face as he looks down at him. Bowser soon turns away, smiling as he tries to cover it with his hand.

"Well, if you put it like that, it is hella funny," Bowser said, letting out a good laugh.

"I know!" Luigi agrees, resting his head on Bowser's chest as Bowser tries not to rock the boat while laughing. Soon, Bowser got his only good look at Luigi's face, noticing the slight blush that covered his cheek. Bowser was glad that he was about to notice it more and more.

"Alright, show me another one." Bowser told Luigi as he lay back down next to him. Bowser was finding this more and more enjoyable as Luigi started again.

"Okay, do you see that star right there?" Luigi said as he pointed to one that was brighter than the other. It took Bowser a second, but having Luigi point at it helped.

"Yeah," Bowser said as Luigi raised his hand.

"That one connects to that one," Luigi said as he slowly moved his hands up, connecting more stars together, "all the way till you get to the fourth one. On the fourth one, you have to connect it to the star on your left."

Luigi moved to the left as he connected stars to a mushroom's top. He went until he returned to the first star, showing Bowser the mushroom constellation. Bowser smiled as he kept looking at it.

"That's the mushroom constellation. You can see it every night in the mushroom kingdom," Luigi told him, realizing that they may actually be near the Mushroom kingdom. Luigi couldn't help but turn his head to try to see Bowser's face. His face was shocked, as if he could see the mushroom in the stars. His smile grew as he looked at it as if he found joy in knowing he could see a whole new world. He turns to Luigi, catching him as his smile softens.

"I can see why you like to do this…the stars are beautiful to watch," Bowser said, catching Luigi's eye contact.

"It's more beautiful when you have someone to share it with," Luigi whispers under his breath, lowering his arm down. No one said a word as they stared at each other. Luigi didn't break eye contact as he placed his hand beside Bowser. Bowser didn't break eye contact as he put his hand in his. They stared at each other a bit more before looking up as both of their faces were red.

"Would…would you like to see the stars more often?" Bowser asks, his eyes still up at the stars to act cool.

"Huh? C-can we really?" Luigi softly said, turning to him in fear that this was all a dream. In fear that if he screams in joy, it will fall apart.

"Of course…Besides, it's nice to get out every so often." Bowser said, seeing how scared and worried Luigi got. Bowser was just glad that he learned that look on his face and realized that he wasn't making that face because he didn't want that or because he was scared of him. He was glad to know that it was Luigi's disbelieving face that he got when he feared that it was too good to be true. Bowser gave him a smile, one that made Luigi's heart know what he said was from the heart. "So what do you say? Want to come back down here soon?"

"I would love that." Luigi whispers, squeezing Bowser's hand as they float on the water, watching the stars.

Chapter Text

Junior watches in silence as Waluigi and Wario join him. They watch from the balcony as Bowser and Luigi laugh while having a picnic in the garden. The days have gotten colder, but that didn't stop them from having their alone time in the garden during the day when Bowser takes some time off to relax. However, Junior has started to take these moments to make a new plan that he ropes Waluigi and Wario to help him with.

"For two who are clearly in love with each other they don't seem to catch the hints." Waluigi said, sitting on the stone fencing as he watched down at them.

"Honestly, it's kinda cute. Me and Daisy were the same way at first," Wario said, leading against it as he remembered the first few months of him hanging out with Daisy.

"Can we focus on the plan right now?" Junior reminds them. The plan was simple. Learn what Dad likes about Papa. That way, Papa can have an easier time winning his heart. Of course, Junior was doing this behind Bowser and Luigi's back, but anything to help them fall in love faster.

"Please. I don't need to listen to this story again," Waluigi said as he rolled his eyes. He didn't need to hear how Wario and Daisy started to date for the hundredth time. At this rate, he can retell it to anyone who asks, telling the story down to the tiny details at this point.

"The way that me and Daisy fell in love is sweet and wholesome and I will tell that story every time I get a chance!" Wario yelled as he waved his fist at Waluigi. He loves to tell that story, which annoys him whenever Waluigi tries to change the topic.

"Shhh!" Junior hushed them, an annoyed look on his face, "You're going to blow our cover!"

"Sorry," they both said, returning to what was happening below them. Bowser and Luigi clearly didn't see them as they were too busy making what looked like flower crowns. They were in their own world, taking bites of their food, and Luigi showed Bowser how to create the flower crowns. This was the closest thing the three had seen of them being on a date as they were doing their own things in different parts of the castle. The three try to get them to tell them more, but Bowser and Luigi are keeping their mouths shut. The three were just glad that Bowser and Luigi were awful at hiding their facial expressions, as the way they started looking lost and in love was a dead giveaway.

"What are you three doing?" a voice behind them said, scaring the boys.

"Ah!" they scream, turning around to see Daisy behind them with Peach giggling in the background.

"Peach, Daisy, what are you two up too?" Waluigi asked as he got off the fence.

"I can ask the same thing. You two better not be causing trouble," Daisy warned them as she waved her finger at Waluigi and Wario.

"We're not! We're just watching Dad and Papa," Junior told her as he defeated them. Peach had also walked up closer to them.

"Oh! We just saw them in the garden. It's quite sweet to see how that's coming along." Peach said, happy that Bowser had finally found someone he could form a relationship with. Daisy nodded to Peach's comment, glad to see the big guy being happy for once. She will admit that she thought Bowser was pulling her leg, but after the weekly tea party that she, Peach, and Bowser were having, it was a nice change of pace. Not to mention that Luigi was talkative with her, telling her things he may not have told anyone else. So, for the two princesses to see how close those two were, it brought a smile to their faces. It also gives them a bit of gossip to say to each other as they get some new ideas to help Bowser win Luigi's heart.

"Indeed!" Kamek said as he floated on his broom with Mario walking beside him.

"Grandpa? And Mario? What are you two doing together?" Junior asks. He can understand why the princesses were together and how they ended up with them as this hall is connected to the garden, but why were Mario and Kamek together?

"We were talking about Luigi. I wanted to know more about this "wish" that he was under." Mario told Junior. Mario actually caught Kamek on his way to the garden, wanting to talk about Luigi since hanging out with him has been bugging him. Not in the bad way that Mario finds Luigi annoying, but the way that every time Mario hangs out with Luigi, he's always left with a sad and lonely feeling. Since Bowser refused to go into more detail about Luigi's curse, he thought he would ask Kamek since he always saw Luigi talking to him. Kamek went into a bit more detail, the main one being that Luigi's cures only affect the one that Luigi has met in the past before he got cursed. This made Mario realize that he and Luigi had indeed met before Peach dragged them all to the Darkland. Yet, he has no memory of meeting him. Kamek also mentioned that the curses affect the person's memories, which answers Mario's question on why that was the case. It left Mario thinking till they ran in with the other.

"But I just wanted to talk about how happy he's been ever since the Blue Shell Fair," Kamek said, bringing them back to Bowser and Luigi. Going to the Blue Shell Fair with Luigi was a fun time. He teased Luigi and offered to watch Junior while Luigi and Bowser ran off to have their own fun. Of course, Luigi denied any offer at the fair, always going red and saying this was more of a father and son event and didn't want to ruin it. It didn't stop Kamek from noticing Bowser looking at them and then making a suggested comment so Bowser could see how bashful Luigi could get. It was a fun time, and now that Kamek sees Luigi spending more time with Bowser, it just makes him want to keep teasing him till Luigi confuses his love for Bowser.

"They both have been pretty happy since then, haven't they?" Peach said as everyone looked out of the balcony, seeing they had finished their crowns and traded them. Bowser wears Luigi's lovely red flower crown, while Luigi wears the one that Bowser made. It was a bit damaged but still came out nice, as Bowser used pink and red flowers.

"They have," Kamek said, everyone nodding in agreement to his words. This gave Junior an idea.

"If that's the case, to the kitchen!" Junior said as he started to head to the kitchen. They all share a look, but they decide, why not follow the little guy and see why this goes. They followed him all the way to the kitchen, grabbing some paper and crayons that he kept in one of the drawers. They all sat on a stool one by one while Junior stood on his.

"Okay, listen up!" Junior said as he drew quickly, "It's time to make a new plan! And this one is called 1-up!"

"Plan?" Mario asks as he looks around the room. A was wired that they were listening to a kid make a plan right now.

"Yup! A plan," Junior said as she showed his drawing; it was a drawing of Bowser and Luigi holding hands in a heart with a title. "This plan is to finally get Papa and Dad together!"

"That's nice, Junior, but I don't think they need any help," Peach told him. Yes, it would be nice to help out, but she felt like they were being too noisy instead of letting it grow independently.

"Are you kidding me? Those two are so blind for their affection toward each other, that they're like birds. Flying into glass over and over again and expecting the glass to be gone the next time the other one hits on them." Waluigi said as most of the others nodded in agreement. It was clear they were both too afraid to be the first to be confused, whether it was because of past expanse or lack in the romance department. Those two need help and fast.

"He's not wrong," Wario said, stating the obvious, "From what we saw from Bowser's attempts with Peach, the man doesn't know when someone is being nice or when they're flirting with him."

"Hehe, I can second that," Kamek adds, embarrassed to admit Bowser's lack of flirting skills. He was just happy that Bowser was at least good at being romantic, "not to mention that Luigi himself is always second guessing himself."

"It's settled then! Junior, what do you have?" Daisy said, excited to see how this all played out. Junior nodded as he retook the lead.

"Dad is really comfortable talking to Mama and Daisy, and Papa really likes to talk with Grandpa and Mario. So you four should try to get more stuff out of them. That way, me and the Wario bros can help set up a date!" Junior said, showing his plan out in little drawings as they see Bowser talking to Peach and Daisy, Luigi with Kamek and Mario, and the last one being Junior with Wario and Waluigi setting up a date.

"I guess that's a good start…" Peach said, still on the fence about this, but she'll play along.

"It's a good start but too vague," Mario said, surprised that the little guy was good at thinking this all out right on the spot. "How about we add this? We talk to them about a fancy hangout instead? I feel like at least Luigi will figure out what we're up to if we bug him about it but if we trick them…"

"Then they'll have to acknowledge their feelings for each other!" Wario said. This left everyone surprised that Mario was going along with this and that Wario was the first to pick up on what he was suggesting. Wario, with a big grin, pulled Mario into a side hug. "You know Mario, I thought you were nothing but a goodie two-shoe. Maybe there's a bad bone in you after all."

"Don't start Wario. We're finally getting along, and I don't need comments like that to change my opinion of you back to how it was," Mario said as he pushed him away. That calms everyone a bit, especially since Mario still dislikes Wario a bit.

"Alright, we don't need a fight between you two." Waluigi said as he moved Wario back to his seat before asking, "So, any ideas on what this "fancy hangout" is going to be?"

"It can't be dancing. We already did that, and they will figure that out quickly," Daisy said as they all thought of something. It couldn't be something that screams date, but it can't be something that screams hanging out, either. They thought real hard about it before Kamek had an idea.

"How about dinner?" Kamek said as they all looked at him. "They already do it, so they won't be suspicious if no one else shows up beside them."

"Yeah! And we can make it fancy, like with candle light under the moonlight sky!" Junior said as they all soon started to add to it.

"Let's make them their favorite food so they can talk about it," Wario said

"Not to mention, hosting it in the garden," Waluigi said

"We'll get Luigi to dress up nice," Mario said as he pointed to himself and Kamek.

"And we'll get Bowser all fresh up," Daisy said as Peach soon added, "and make sure that he has a gift to give Luigi."

"Then it's settle!" Junior said as he jumped off his chair, "Code Name 1-up is up and running! I'll start getting guards to get the supplies we need. Once Grandpa tells me that Papa and Dad are ready to hang out with the rest of us is when I'll get the Wario's Brothers to help me set up!"

"That sounds like a plan!" Wario said as he and Waluigi followed Junior out of the kitchen. It was time to help some love birds out!

--------------------------------------------------

"Kamek, I need more- Oh, hi Mario," Luigi said as he entered Kamek's room. He had returned to his normal size again, and before he knew it, he had run out of the gummies. Bowser was kind enough to drop Luigi off at the tower's base before he returned to work, still wearing the flower clown. "Not often that I see you two together."

"Hey Lu, I was just planning something with Kamek," Mario told Kamek as he nodded.

"Yup, we're planning a dinner party," Kamek added as he started to make more gummies for Luigi since that's what he's been coming up to visit him for the last few days.

"A dinner party! Oh, that's soon? This is going to be so fun!" Luigi said. With the help of the gummies and how calm and happy he's been, he finds small things like stepping out of the castle and hanging out with Mario make him feel like he is getting his life back. So, for significant events like parties, he could finally get excited about them so he wouldn't miss out on them. "When are you planning it?"

"Tomorrow," Mario told him. It would be better to get this rolling than wait for Luigi and Bowser to ruin their plan.

"Yup and we were talking about our favorite food." Kamek told Luigi as he took a seat next to Mario.

"Mhm, food," Luigi hums as he hears the word food. He knew he had just eaten, but he still had it on his mind. "Can I add one?

"Sure!" Mario said as he grabbed a pen and paper out of his pocket so he would remember which one Luigi wanted. "Which one would you like to add?"

“Italian Sausage & Pepper Frittata Affogato.” Luigi told him as Kamek handed him a gummy and put the rest in a little jar on the table. "I don't remember the last time I had that."

"Okay! I should go ask the others what they want," Mario said as he jumped out of his seat. He was glad he could get that info quickly without Luigi realizing this was a setup. "Remember, this is a fancy dinner, so wear something nice!"

"Something nice? Hmmm," Luigi thought as Mario walked out of the room. The only thing he had that was fancy was the yellow suit, which only fit when he was small. He wanted to attend this dinner full-size without worrying about being stepped on.

"Don't worry Luigi," Kamek told him as he could see that thoughtful look on Luigi's face. "I can make you a new outfit."

"Oh, you don't have to do that, Kamek. After all, you must be busy right now," Luigi told Kamek. Kamek is already doing other things on top of helping Luigi; he doesn't want him to stop all those just to help him look nice.

"It's fine; I can do it in a snap," Kamek said as he snapped his finger and put Luigi in a pink ballroom dress. It came with white gloves that passed his elbow and pink glass high heels, making Luigi worry that he'd break his leg. His hat was also gone as it was replaced with blue earrings on his ears. For a moment, he felt pretty, but then he hated it as he looked like Peach.

"Um, Kamek?" Luigi said, trying to hide the discomfort in his voice

"Yes?"

"Maybe less pink? Maybe a suit would be better?" Luigi told him as Kamek pulled a slight frown.

"But you look nice in it," Kamek told him as he liked the dress on Luigi.

"Yes but this is a party. Where everyone else is going to be at. I would like to at least fit in and not look like I'm trying to steal Peach's whole look." Luigi told him as he pointed at the pink getup. It was a lovely dress, but if he was going to be forced into one, then it better not look like Peach's whole look.

"Oh, fine," Kamek said as he snapped his fingers, putting Luigi back into his everyday look. "I'll get you a better outfit tomorrow."

"Thank you, I'll see you tomorrow then!" Luigi said as he grabbed the little jar from the table. He ran out the door so he could get ready for tomorrow.

"See you tomorrow! Hehe," Kamek said as he went to look over the papers on his desk. It had research papers on the Dark Moon and how to break Luigi's curse. If Bowser and Luigi hit it off before the Ball in two weeks, he thinks he can figure out how to break this curse without needing the Dark Moon.

Meanwhile, Bowser was in his office. He had a huge, goofy smile as he looked at the Flower crown Luigi had made for him. It pains him a bit that the flowers will die. Still, he knows that he isn't going to throw them away as he hangs his flower crown and Luigi on his wall, putting a picture frame around it so he can see it every day. As he admired it, the door slammed up and scared him. He looks back to see Daisy and Peach coming in- Peach being nice and closing the door behind them softly.

"Bowser!" Daisy said as she walk Bowser and grab his hand

"Um yes?" Bowser said, his face red from being scared and then seeing what he had done with the crowns.

"What kind of clothing do you have?" Daisy asks. This left Bowser confused now.

"Um, not that much. Maybe a suit or two, with um a top hat…why are you asking me this?" Bowser asks. It was a bit odd that it was the first thing that Daisy of all people would ask. The whole "clothing" thing sounds more like a Peach question.

"We have a dinner party tomorrow and we want you to look nice!" Peach told him as she pulled Daisy away from him to give him a breather.

"Um, who's coming to this party?" Bowser said. This was all short notice that he wasn't ready for a big party.

"Just the 8 of us," Daisy told him as Peach nodded

"Yes; it would be Mario, Luigi, Kamek, Wario, Waluigi, Daisy, you, and me," Peach told him as he saw his face relaxed from the news. However, just as he calmed down, his face was turning red.

"Oh that doesn't sound too bad…is this another, um-" Bowser said as his voice went into a whisper, "group date?"

"Not exactly, but similar," Peach told him as she got on Bowser's right side and Daisy got on his left side.

"Yeah, don't worry big guy. We're here to help," Daisy said as they locked their arms with him. They soon began to lead him out of his office.

"And well started with an outfit! Let's go see if we can find something for you by tomorrow," Peach told him as they started to take him to his bedroom.

"O-okay!" Bowser said nervously and excitedly about this. Then he looked at the two and asked, "By the way…do you think I can sit next to Luigi?"

"Don't worry, we have it all figured out. We can see you two having the time of your life!" Daisy said as a big grin came to her face. Peach smiles as she talks to Bowser about an outfit Luigi would love to see him in.

The next day, Kamek and Mario help Luigi with an outfit while Peach and Daisy teach Bowser what not to say to Luigi, like his pickup lines. Junior got Wario and Waluigi to set up everything in the garden. In contrast, he got some Koopas to start cooking the food. They also ensured the two didn't go by the garden so they didn't ruin the surprise.

Everyone also dressed up to make it look like they were going too. Once everything was set and done, the other went on ahead of the two so they could find a hiding spot to watch this date. Kamek ensured that Luigi got there, while Peach ensured that Bowser got there.

"Where is everyone? And why is there only one table?" Bowser asked Peach as she pulled a surprised look.

"Oh no, this wasn't supposed to happen. Stay here for a second so I can see what's going on." Peach said as she soon ran away, smiling as the first part was done.

"Why is it so quiet?" Luigi asks as Kamek floats next to him

"I'm not too sure, but-" Kamek said before cutting himself off. Luigi then saw Kamek facepalm his head, "I forgot!"

"You forgot what?" Luigi asks as Kamek does a U-turn on his broom.

"I forgot I had to do something! Go on ahead, I'm sure we were the last two so go have fun for both of us till I get there!" Kamek said as he flew off. Now, the second part of the plan is done. All they needed was the three parts. Kamek and Peach soon join the other in their hiding spot, watching Bowser wait for Peach to return.

"Look there he is!" Junior pointed out Luigi. He looked confused until Bowser spotted him. They both looked stiff and overwhelmed but soon broke into giggles.

"Let the show begin," Waluigi said as they all nodded, watching the two but unable to hear them. Bowser walks over to him, the two chatting as their body shows how nervous they are. Soon, Bowser brought Luigi over, pulling out the chair as Luigi sat. Once pushed in, Bowser also put a cloth napkin over Luigi's lap before taking his seat. The two were out of their element right now as they mostly avoided eye contact.

"Poor thing…look at how shy they are," Peach said as Daisy sighed.

"Oh yeah. Even with how far we are, it's plain to see how red they are." Daisy pointed out as they figured out how to help them without going over to them.

"Kamek, you think you can get those Koopas to come out with the food? That might help," Mario said as Kamek puffed out from there. A few minutes later, he puffed back in.

"That should do it," Kamek said as they saw the Koopa bring out the food. They both looked glad that something broke the tease as they started to eat. Now they were chatting even more, but nothing looked like it had changed from a moment ago.

"Man, it's like a game of chicken. It's a damn shame," Wario said as they all let out a sigh. At this rate, their plan might fail. They didn't know what to do without Bowser or Luigi turning their attention on one of them, giving the other a chance to run and hide. It was a lost cause with those two that Junior was about to run in there and just tell the two face to face that they both like each other. However, before anyone can do anything, they hear Bowser laugh. They turn to see Bowser and Luigi laughing hard, taking a moment to say something to each other and then laugh again.

"Oh, will you look at that?" Kamek said as they saw the two being more friendly, acting like their friends as Luigi would steal some food from Bowser's plate.

"Guess all they needed was to break the ice," Wario said as Junior looked down at them.

"Yeah, but it doesn't look like they're doing stuff from what a Mommy and Daddy would do on a date," Junior said as they all giggled.

"And what would that be, huh little guy?" Daisy asks as Junior turns to her.

"Well, hold hands, dance, share a plate of spaghetti so they could kiss-" Junior names a few as they giggle even more.

"Junior," Peach said as she knelt beside him, "You'll understand that more when you're older, but sometimes, it's not about what we can see. It's about what they can see."

Junior looks back at them. See how happy they were as they stole a bit of each other's food, trying to not knock over the flowers in the center of the table. Bowser has a smile that Junior has never seen on his father before as his eyes stay locked on Luigi. There were no signs that he knew that showed that they were falling in love, but it made Junior happy to see the pure joy that his father was having. More joy than he ever saw when Bowser was chasing after Peach.

"I don't really understand, but the smile on Dad's face tells me otherwise." Junior told her as she gave him a hug.

"I think it's time we have our own night out and love the lovebird alone." Waluigi said as they all agreed. Luigi and Bowser would be fine; after all, they looked like they were having a blast. The other didn't need to force something that was already in bloom. They just need to give it a bit more time to fully blossom. As the others started to talk about what they should do, Junior began to speak with Kamek.

"Next part of 1-up should be a kiss." Junior told Kamek as they fell behind the group.

"That we can't force, but we can get them to say three words," Kamek told him as Junior looked back once more to see the smiles on his Dad and Papa's faces.

"What are those three words?" Junior asked as he wasn't sure what Kamek meant.

"Those three words: I love you."

Chapter Text

"You should have seen how cute he was," Luigi said. Mario was still working on the Blue Shell Fair carve, and Kamek reviewed the document. At the same time, Luigi sorted out Kamek's potion ingredients.

"You haven't stopped talking about how cute Bowser has been since that blind date," Mario told him. It had been almost a week since that step-up they took, and Luigi had been more talkative about Bowser with Mario and Kamek.

"I thought you wanted to hear about my crush," Luigi said sarcastically as he teased Mario. In the same tone, Luigi added, "That's why you're here, right~?"

"I'm here cuz you ask me to help you," Mario corrected him as they shared a giggle.

"But you're not doing that, are you?" Kamek joins in, adding his own words as Mario stops carving.

"That's cuz Luigi told me that I had to help you with something else first. Which you still haven't told me about," Mario told him as he looked over to Kamek. His back to him as Luigi stops for a moment, too.

"I'm a bit busy at the moment," Kamek said. With the new fondness that Luigi has these last few days, he begins making his own experiment to see if there is indeed another way true love can help Luigi without having to get King Boo's crown.

"Oh come on Kamek, I'm finally being open about this crush. Telling you things that you wanted to hear and see. Why the sudden cold shoulder?" Luigi asks him as Kamek takes a break and turns to face the two.

"As much as I like hearing all this, I can not force on my research when you keep telling me that Bowser does a cute thing every five minutes!" As Mario laughed, Kamek said, and Luigi released a fake gasp.

"Not to mention how Bowser is spending more time with Junior," Mario added, which got Luigi to stop faking gasping and start getting embarrassed.

"Or how you like to see him workout when he has time to" Kamek said as he and Mario went back and forth.

"The late night talk they have"

"How his has a habit of picking a flower and doing the 'dose he love me, does he love me not'"

"The little notes you find from him with good morning or small poems."

"Always let you take some of his food after you're done with your."

"How can we forget the photo album that Bowser is working on that has photos of you in them."

"And the dance lesson you taught him as he learns ballet."

"The number of times you have spotted him taking a glance at you is 75 times in total as of now," Mario pointed out as Luigi was beet red. Luigi didn't realize how annoying he must have been when they just repeated what he had told him, which made him feel so embarrassed.

"That's actually 77, one from this morning and one from when he got here, remember?" Karek's current Mario as Luigi groaned.

"Dear lord, have I been that annoying about it?" Luigi asked them, his face in horror.

"Yes," they both said as Luigi covered his face.

"I'm so sorry about that," Luigi told them as they laughed again.

"It's fine, at least that makes me feel better. I know that you truly shared the same feeling as him." Kamek told him as it put a smile on Luigi's face. It even put a smile on Mario's face.

"I will admit. Never thought I would see someone fall head over heels for that man." Mario told Luigi. Luigi's heart ach a bit at that comment. Sure, everyone thought that at one point, Luigi thought that, too. He just never imagined that he would be the one falling in love with him first.

"Well, when you know him as closely as I have, you sorta…learn how to like the little things about him," Luigi told them as he thought about all those little things. It's a shame that no one ever gave Bowser a chance until all these bad things happened.

"Lu, can I ask you a question?" Mario asks, watching Luigi's eyes go sad at his comment. Not to mention the way he spoke of Bowser.

"What kind of question?" Luigi returned, wondering why Mario was now all curious.

"If I were your brother, would you be happy to hear I'm happy for you? Happy to see that you found someone who you love so dearly?" Mario told him. This caught Luigi off guard, and his eyes watered. Mario watched, seeing the shocked look on his face as if he had hit something right on the nail.

"Where…where is this coming from?" Luigi timidly said, trying to be strong and not break down from those simple words.

"Well, you once told me that I remind you of him, and ever since that Fair… I guess I've grown to see you as one. It may be silly, with how short of a time we've known each other, but I feel a connection I've never had with anyone else," Mario told him. It wasn't just the Fair that he started to feel like this; it also came with the nagging feeling he kept having.

"Well, if that's the case-" Luigi said, letting the tears fall as he finally had his brother back. Even if it wasn't how he wanted it, "-I can cry from joy right now."

"If you're going to cry, do it where you're not going to get my stuff wet!" Kamek joked as he had listened to their conversation this whole time. He knew what Mario was doing and that he was catching onto the hints of Mario being Luigi's brother, but Kamek knew not to say anything. The brothers laughed at Kamek's joke as Luigi wrapped his face.

“Haha, s-sorry Kamek. But, if you excuse me," Luigi said, smiling as he left the tower, tears still falling. He needed to be alone for a bit to enjoy this newfound happiness before it was taken away again. Mario was silent once Luigi left. He was left in deep thought as he wondered if he was right about his theory about his relationship with Luigi. His heart was happy, but now it started to feel lonely again.

"What is it?" Kamke asks, moving over to Mario as he sits beside him.

"I know you won't tell me besides that I once knew him but…I think I know who Lu is to me," Mario told him. Mario knew that Kamek had to know who he was to Luigi, and Luigi's reaction proved that Mario was Luigi's brother.

"And what about it? Are you mad? Sad? Lost for words?" Kamek asked him. Mario didn't know what he should feel. He just found out he had a brother who was turned into a nutcracker. Yet, that thought and realization didn't have an effect on Mario. It didn't feel right, but it didn't feel wrong. How can Mario feel so guilty and so happy about all this when the only thing he has is the fact that he figured out something that means nothing to him right now. Was he supposed to be jumping in joy? Was he supposed to be angry with himself? Was he supposed to be balling his eyes out and hugging Luigi? What was he supposed to feel when all he felt was confusion and loneliness?

"I—I don't know yet. All I know is that him saying that that - that it brought him joy- made me want to cry along with him. It made me feel warm and happy", Mario told him. At that moment, when Luigi said that, he did feel joy and went to cry along with him, but right now, he was just lonely again.

"Well, like we told you before, we can't tell you everything about Luigi, but I can say this much: You may have the right idea," Kamek said, patting Mario's shoulder to comfort him. Mario smiled, happy to see that he was on the right path. He just hoped that whatever happened between him and Luigi wasn't too bad.

------------------

"I'm just saying, you don't need to go if you don't have to," Bowser told Luigi as they talked in his room. Bowser tried to convince Luigi to stay the night in his room since Junior was at a sleepover with the Koopalings. So that means that Luigi would be by himself for the night.

"And annoy you? I don't want to do that," Luigi told him. After hanging out with Mario and Kamek, Luigi wandered around the castle, tears falling. Some of the guards must have told Bowser since he came looking for him. Bowser was worried sick, but Luigi had to calm him down, telling him that these were tears of joy and that he needed a moment. Bowser was still concerned and invited Luigi to come to his room. Once there, Luigi told Bowser what Mario had told him, leaving out the part about how Luigi found someone he loved. Bowser mostly listens, happy to hear Luigi say that he finally got his brother back and that none of this would have been possible if it hadn't been for the help of Bowser and his family. So, after a few hours of non-stop talking and Bowser informing Luigi that Junior would be with his friends, it led to all this.

"Who said anything about annoying me? I just don't want you to be alone," Bowser told him. He never found Luigi annoying. Well, that would be a lie, but nowadays, it was the truth; Luigi wasn't irritating to him.

"I've been alone for a long time; being alone for one night isn't going to be bad," Luigi told him. Being alone was still a horrible feeling for Luigi, but it's been better. He knows that he just needs to walk around the castle to find someone. One night of loneliness is better than three whole years of it.

"Uh huh, sure. That's coming from the nutcracker who still has nightmares even when you're with Junior." Bowser said, poking him as Luigi waved his hand from him.

"That is different," Luigi told him. Being alone and having a nightmare may come hand in hand sometimes for Luigi, but Luigi's nightmare was from the trauma that he got. Not the fear of being alone for the rest of his life.

"How is it different? You still leave his room and come find me," Bowser teased him. Luigi's face started to turn red from his bold statement.

"I do not!" Luigi said, turning away from him.

"Yes you do," Bowser teases again, poking Luigi's red bot cheek till he turns back to him. "Just spend the night here. It's not like this would be the first time you slept in my bed."

"It would be the first time being big in your bed," Luigi informed him. Yes, Luigi didn't mind if he was in the same bed with Bowser if he was tiny, but the gummi hadn't worn off yet, and Luigi didn't need a gay panic to happen to him.

"I don't mind; I like your company," Bowser told him. Bowser liked the idea of sharing a bed with Luigi while he was bigger. He didn't need to worry about crushing Luigi or losing him in the cover. Not to mention that Bowser made sure that Luigi could actually sleep in his bed because the sheets were the same ones Luigi used.

"You're a goofball, you know that," Luigi told him, smiling as Bowser returned it.

"I know, but that's why you deal with me." Bowser said, watching Luigi get annoyed at that comment.

"I don't deal with you. I like your company, too," Luigi said. It annoyed him when Bowser said stuff like that, saying how he was just dealing with him when he was actually like to hang out with Bowser. When Bowser heard that, his face turned surprised before going back to that smile.

"Then stay," Bowser said, grabbing Luigi's hand to ensure he knew he wouldn't let him leave so easily. Luigi looked at his hand in Boswer's. They were rough, but Bowser held his gently as if he was going to break him from just holding hands.

"Fine," Luigi said as he gave in, turning away as a blush came to his face.

"Yes!" Bowser yelled as he shot up like a little child. He couldn't help but get the bed ready as Luigi giggled at his cheerful reaction.

Luigi waited till the bed was ready to get into. Bowser got under the sheet as Luigi got conferred under them, too. He notices the little ruins in the sheets to let Luigi sleep as he feels the soft bedding suck him in a bit. Luigi looked over to Bowser, who was already on his side, his face staring at Luigi as he lay on his back. Luigi tried not to blush too hard, but Bowser saw his cheek turning red under those red dots. He smiled as his started to heat up.

"Good night, Luigi," Bowser said as he turned over to give Luigi space to calm down.

"Good Night," Luigi said, glad Bowser's back was now facing him. As the minutes tick away, Luigi just lays on his back to go to bed. It was hard as he didn't want to move too much to bug Bowser since Bowser told him he was a light sleeper. He didn't have anything to cuddle with, and even though he knew that Bowser wouldn't mind, he didn't want to risk it. Luigi couldn't stop thinking about all the what-ifs and what sleeping in Bowser's bed meant as his head went into a space of guessing. It was terrible that he didn't know if this was Bowser's way of telling him that he felt the same way, that he was starting to think of him that way, or if he was just being nice. Luigi couldn't think straight as his heart was telling him yes, that this was precisely what he meant. Still, his head was screaming at him that this wasn't the case, and Luigi was overthinking this all over again. He soon turned to face Bowser back, knowing that he wasn't going to sleep.

"Pss," Luigi said as Bowser's ears turned to listen clearly.

"Hmm?" Bowser said as he kept his back towards Luigi.

"Are you still awake?" Luigi asks as Bowser turns to face him. They both now face each other.

"I am. Is something the matter?" Bowser asked as he saw Luigi's tired look. He was also pouting, a sign that he was overthinking again.

"I can't sleep," Luigi told him as he avoided eye count.

"Is it because of the streets?" Bowser asks, seeing if there is something about his bedding before he asks what is on his mind.

"No, I know they're the ones Kamek made," Luigi told him. He knew he'd feel tired eventually, but right now, his mind was wide awake.

"What's on your mind, then?" Bowser asks as Luigi locks eyes with him. Luigi guessed that he had given himself away with his actions. He didn't want to say the truth, but he had to say something.

"I'm not used to sleeping like this," Luigi told him, as he didn't want to ask Bowser if this was how Bowser showed that he loved him. "I always had something to hold onto…I guess cuddling with Mario as a kid really made it hard for me to not sleep without anything like a pillow or something."

Bowser thought about what he said. Luigi was unable to sleep cuz he needed something to cuddle with? Well, it made sense since this whole time, Bowser had always seen him cuddle with Junior, him, or with a pillow up to this point, and was always awake when he was alone. He came up with a bold idea. Well, Bowser knew this was already bold when he asked Luigi to sleep in his bed tonight, but he thought of something more daring as he said, "Then maybe this might help."

"Wha—" Luigi stated but was cut off as Bowser pulled him closer to him. Soon after, he let out a yelp as Bowser lowered his body so that his head could lay on top of Luigi's chest. His heartbeat started to pick up as he tried not to let it run wild, but that wouldn't happen.

"There, that should do it." Bowser said, getting comfortable in his new sleeping prostitution.

"Um, a-are you sure? A-aren't you uncomfortable?" Luigi asks as he tries to get out of this. He didn't want to push Bowser off of him since it was really nice to feel something heavy on top of him. It felt like he had a weight blank, nice and warm.

"This is perfect," Bowser said. Trying to hold back a smile as he tried to push his limit on how close Luigi would let him be to him before he told him to stop.

"O-oh…" Luigi said. Soon, they both fell silent. Luigi focused on getting his heart in check as he stared at the ceiling. On the other hand, Bowser didn't like the quiet one bit.

"I can't hear it," Bowser started as Luigi looked down at him, a bit confused.

"Can't hear what?" Luigi asked.

"Your heart," Bowser said as he tried to listen to Luigi's heart. He had hoped to lay on top of it on the first try, but he missed.

"W-w-well, it's not located there. Y-you gotta move more to the left a-a-and move up highhh-!" Luigi told him as Bowser moved his head closer to his shoulder. Luigi's heart felt like it would have a heart attack with how loud and fast it was beating. Bowser put on a soft smile, listening to Luigi's heart make a lovely sound. It sounds like it matches up with how fast Bowser's heart is beating, and he loves that.

"It sounds strong and lovely…I can fall asleep to this," Bowser told him as Luigi felt his face turn red. It was a mistake to come into Bowser's bed as his normal size, not his small size. He could hide all these things so much better, but there Bowser was, hearing his heartbeat and calling it lovely. If it was possible for his heart, it would have gone faster.

"I-I-I-I-I don't know about that, hehe…I-I-I am a scary cat, remember?" Luigi said that, as he could feel Bowser move, he wanted to be more comfortable next to Luigi. Bowser moved his arms to wrap underneath Luigi so he could feel his back, making sure that his whole body weight wasn't on Luigi, as his head and upper chest were on top of him. Luigi felt Bowser's tail on his legs as the tip slowly wrapped itself around one of his legs.

"You're no scary cat…at least not anymore…" Bowser said as he sounded drowsy. He felt so at peace right now as he listened to Luigi's heart, feeling Luigi's hand pat his head and Bowser's arms against his back. This is what love must feel like, Bowser thought as his small smile turned into a big, giddy one that he hoped Luigi didn't see. He closed his eyes to fall asleep as he cuddled with Luigi.

"I…" Luigi was going to start, but he let it die as he saw Bowser with a smile he'd never seen on him and his eyes closed. There was no reason to ruin this mood by trying to say that he was a coward. All he did was let Bowser rest while he played with his hair with one hand and the other on his snout as he felt the purr that Bowser let out. It made him feel safe, calm, and, most of all, brave.

This isn't so bad, Luigi thought as he watched Bowser sleep. Yes, his heart may have given his feelings away, but this whole night felt like they were just flirting with each other. Even so, Luigi didn't want to let this go. The peace and quiet, the warmth and safety, and the love and care that Luigi had gotten had made him realize that he didn't want this to end. That maybe it was finally time to tell Bowser, tell him that he loved him.

Luigi closed his eyes, soon falling asleep to the sound of purring as he repeated the words 'I love you' in his head. Waiting for the sun to come up and say it out loud.