Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The battle had long subsided, the treacherous journey now being a feat able to be put behind both the one having gone through with such a quest—and the small creature, who remained by his side throughout.

The temple had soon collapsed beneath itself after periodically crumbling, a sequence that had notably begun the very moment the gruff treasure hunter defeated the ancient spirit waiting for him at the end—The Golden Diva.

Few dared to enter the pyramids, to risk their lives for the sake of fortune, yet an opposite pairing had taken the opportunity; one of which in search of a lifelong fortune, the other only doing so for the name of science.

These of which being Wario and the scientist Mad Scienstein, and the accompanying creatures of a small black cat… and a spirit with the nose of a key, supposedly named ‘Keyzer’.

As Wario stood beside his newfound companion, the pair shared a laugh as the building which once encapsulated fortune beyond belief was now nothing more than grains of dust where it once stood.

A sigh escaped Wario, not one of relief, but rather, one of annoyance as the joyous atmosphere soon washed over him.

Glancing to the sack of treasure beside him, he considered for a moment how Mad Scienstein would react to his stolen fortune.

Would he himself attempt to steal it back from him?
Would he evaluate Warios findings, only to sell them forward and keep the rewards for himself?

Or, worst of all… would he donate it to charity?

The thoughts plagued Wario, yet only for a brief moment, his attention suddenly shifting to the rustling of the crimson rope that once secured the burlap sack he’d been carrying his stolen treasures within.

He initially thought nothing of it, assuming it was the consequence of carrying so much within it, but instead…

A selection of jewellery spilled— or, rather, floated out, notably that of the ones The Golden Diva wore.

A tiara, necklace, pair of bracelets and even a pair of earrings; all of which followed route to the small black cat, enveloping her within a multicoloured glow.

The lighting emit from the scene was blinding—jarring, sending Wario onto his backside, raising an arm to shield himself from the scene laying out before him.

“Great heavens!” Cried out a voice, recognisably Mad Sciensteins. “Could it be—?!”

Wario paused for a moment, glancing back to the elderly man, as, while the scientist adjusted his glasses, Wario couldn’t help but notice the reflection of the glow emitting from his rays, watching the way it began to shape itself from a helpless creature that once relied on Wario for assistance, to that of a… person.

The silhouette had been notably crouched, propping itself up as it finally came to its true form; one Wario could make eye contact with, as a sectioned group of sparkles divided, revealing the very princess from the newspaper Wario had been reading before his arrival to the temples.

“By Jove! It is!” Cried out Mad Scienstein, but before Wario even had the chance to tell the old man to can it, Shokora had begun to approach him.

“Thank you, Wario…” her voice was quiet; barely below a whisper, as a hand reached out to cup the side of his face, as Wario… in a move that surprised himself, made no attempt to shoo her away.

In fact, he embraced this affection, as Shokoras lips soon came in contact with his—probably gross—cheek, in a firm kiss that left Wario beaming; and Mad Scienstein questioning the princesses motives.

“…Heh. It was nothin’.” Wario could only give a bashful laugh as Shokora parted from him, a light descending from the skies; angels beginning to swarm around the princess.

“—Wait! Your highness!” Cried out Mad Scienstein, as even Wario looked surprised at how quickly things seemed to be moving.

“…Wario…” Shokora only ignored his pleads, turning her attention to the man in front of her, unaware of the darkened clouds forming behind her.

“You’re my hero.” Was Shokoras parting message, but before she could embrace her peaceful exit, allowing herself to finally rest in peace once more, she felt a sharp grip wrap around her.

“You really thought you defeated me?!” Bellowed a voice, Wario immediately jumping to defence, whereas Mad Scienstein adjusted his glasses for a more clear glance at the sight before the group.

“Why, I don’t believe it! It’s— It’s the Golden Diva!”

Shokoras heart sunk at his words, yet its grip was far too strong for her to sneak in her own glance.

“That was only the beginning for you, you little brat!” It bellowed, snapping its fingers as Shokora watched both Wario and Mad Scienstein disappear before her eyes in a cloud of smoke.

…What?

“And now—” turning Shokora to face itself, its face no longer shielded by its mask, it raised a claw to her face; as all she could do was shield herself with her hands. “It’s time to care of you! ONCE AND FOR ALL!”

“NO!” Shokora cried out, a plea of mercy—her eyes opening, finding herself no longer in the grasp of the Golden Diva.

Instead, she was sat on a… undeniably cheap sofa, the springs digging into her skin, a blanket over her body.

Her lips parted in confusion, as she stared down at herself.

No longer was she in her dirtied ballgown, but instead, wore a yellow shirt; one undeniably far too large for her; her reaction being to awkwardly tug at it, peeling it away from her sweat—soaked skin.

“…Where am I?” Was her first question, though a wave of relief washed over her at the realisation that no longer was she the victim of the Golden Diva. Instead, she was the victim of unknown circumstance.

“Jeez, you’re finally awake.”

A voice caught Shokoras attention, as she glanced over the edge of the couch to see—

“Wario?” Her eyes widened at the sight of him, donning his usual overalls, with the exception of his hat and gloves, a garlic clove in hand.

“Aha! If it isn’t Shokora? Good morning, sunshine! Hope you’re ready to roll! WAAHAHA!”

Chapter Text

Standing before her was the man she recognised as her saviour… Wario. She learnt his name when trapped in the form of Kuro Neko, after having watched he and Mad Scienstein having a small debate in regard to who does what with the treasure.

Mad Scienstein wanted to preserve them within the safety of a museum, but Wario… well, Wario wanted it all for himself—naturally.

Truthfully, Shokoras riches were the last thing on her mind. Her temples had collapsed, and she believed her bestowing ownership of her wealth onto Wario, despite him having stolen them, were was least she could do to thank him after everything he had done; even if he didn’t do it for her specifically, he still rescued her, regardless of how unintentional it was.

…Although, this brought into question her current situation.

She glanced ahead at Wario, wearing his usual overalls with the exclusion of his hat, as he seemed to be far too focused on the garlic clove he was eating; whereas Shokora herself had woken up in— well, presumably his home, no longer wearing her originally gown, but rather an oversized shirt; its colour matching that of the one worn by Wario.

“If I may,” she began to speak, pinching at the clothing she wore as a means of closer examination. “What happened to my dress?”

“Eh, nothing much. Just that it was all old ‘n tattered, looked like it could sure make a pretty penny if you sold it! WAHAHA!— But then ‘too good for this world’ Waluigi acted as if you were gonna die ‘cause you got a ruined dress. He was all— well, we can’t just leave her like this!” When imitating Waluigi, Wario intentionally did an impression of a woman, earning a quiet laugh from Shokora. “And I told him you’d be fine. But he insisted, so I decided to give you the honour of wearing one of Warios shirts! Ladies would be lining up for this opportunity! Not a big deal. Don’t mention it.”

“Thank you.” Replied Shokora, almost immediately, due to not having been treated with such kindness since before she was cursed by the Golden Diva.

“I said don’t mention it.” Wario repeated, stuffing his garlic clove into his mouth—yet, he didn’t sound too annoyed with Shokoras gratitude.

“But, if I may ask another question,”

“Yeesh! You’re just full of ‘em today!” Wario groaned, to which Shokora hid her slightly amused smile behind her hand.

She had to admit, she’d never met anyone quite like Wario, both before and after she had been trapped, but… she was most certainly beginning to enjoy his company. After all, she’d seen how easily he decimated his way through the temples with his large, strong hands; he wouldn’t be a bad person to have around in case the Golden Diva ever did come back. And, she had to admit, whilst his appearance seemed to deter others away, even Mad Scienstein making a comment on it when the pair had first met, Shokora found him strangely… appealing.

“Well? You gonna ask or what?” Wario questioned, growing impatient, yet Shokora couldn’t help but stare due to having gotten distracted.

“Eyes up here, princess.” He scolded, as Shokora immediately snapped out of it, her cheeks flushing pink upon the realisation of how awkward her prolonged silence must have been.

“Sorry!” She blurted out, but Wario didn’t seem to mind.

“Psh, I don’t care. You ain’t the first and you definitely ain’t gonna be the last to check this out!” Wario gloated, flexing his muscles, but Shokora had to remind herself to stay focused on what she was originally going to ask him about.

“Well… to begin with, who’s Waluigi?” The question was innocent, but it was one Wario rolled his eyes at.

“Just my lousy brother! If you’re unlucky, you might be here when he gets back. He left to visit town this morning. I’ve been waiting so long for him that I shaved my mustache and grew another one in its place!"

“Oh, right!” Wario grimaced at her words, fearing Shokora was going to tell him she had the displeasure of already meeting his brother; but, luckily for who he considered to be the both of them, she instead asked… Yet another question.

“I don’t exactly remember what happened after you broke the spell and returned me to my… current form. I’m assuming we’re in your house, but— where exactly are we? What happened to everyone?”

“Yeah, that’s right. You’re in Casa De Wario! WAHAHA! Not a bad looking place, eh? It takes after me! You better be feeling the honour right now, ‘cause not many get this opportunity!” Shokora immediately recognised that if Wario ever got the opportunity to brag? He’d take it in a heartbeat, even if it meant ignoring everything said prior.

She didn’t want to be rude and interrupt him, recognising he was clearly proud of himself, so she instead took to awkwardly patting her hands against her legs, waiting for him to come to his senses.

“Yeesh, you really are the luckiest girl alive ain’t ya? You get to be in my house, wearing my clothing, with the most eligible bachelor in the Mushroom Kingdom! ME! Women would fight to be in your position!” He only continued to boast, but his words caught Shokoras attention.

“The Mushroom Kingdom?” She repeated—before being cursed, she had heard of it; it was the neighbouring kingdom to her own within the jungle, but… she had been cursed a thousand years ago. She couldn’t even begin to consider what it looked like in the present day! But she did have to admit, she was rather impressed it managed to uphold itself for so long.

“Oh, right.” Wario came to his senses at her words, taking to digging his pinky into his nose, not caring as much about the newfound topic at hand.

“Yeah, that’s where we are. I had to carry ya all the way home, ‘cause after ya kissed me? You was out like a light! Probably starstruck at how awesome I am! GAHAHA!”

“The Mushroom Kingdom…” Shokora repeated,

“I just said that.” Wario reminded her, as Shokora nodded. “I’ve heard of it before! Long before I was cursed, it was—“

“Yeesh! That place is older than you? Princess Peach must be older than I thought! She does look it, I suppose…” Wario considered, yet Shokora only shook her head.

“I’ve never heard of Princess Peach, though. When I had first been told about this kingdom, it was instead ruled over by a king and a queen. So it seems this Princess Peach isn’t as old as you thought… hehe!”

Wario tensed slightly at her words, due to being, and this was certainly a first for him, incorrect! Shokora corrected him! The nerve of that girl! It was abhorrent. It was obscene! It was—

…Strangely charming.

“Ya tryna tell me that I’m wrong?!” He snarled, his hands now on the arm of the couch, staring Shokora in the eye—but her gaze was fixated on his large, muscular hands.

“Not exactly.” She reassured, evidently distracted, yet Wario only assumed her to be backtracking.

“Ya got guts, princess. I’ll tell you that.” He grinned at her as he spoke, “Not many have the courage to tell me when I’m wrong. They usually quiver in fear at my strength! And who can blame them?! Pshaw, I’d be running in fear too if I was anyone else! WAHAHA!”

“I don’t find you intimidating.” Shokoras words came out immediately, almost as though they were an automatic response, and, while he would’ve raged had anyone else said it, Wario couldn’t help himself but to smile at her.

“Yeah? Well… maybe you’ll be good company to have around.” Shokora smiled at Warios words, but couldn’t help herself as to giggle at what he said next. “Better company than Waluigi!”

“Well, I hope I make good company, because…” Shokora trailed off, unsure of how to break the news to him.

“Because ya ain’t got anywhere else to stay, so ya needa rely on Wario?! Whaddya think I am? Stupid? I was there when ya temples fell! I’m not a monster, of course I’ll let ya stay.” He reassured, to which Shokora let out a sigh of relief. “Under one condition—ya leave all of ya treasures to ya best friend Wario!”

“Even my jewellery?” She asked, albeit nervously, she knew this was an opportunity she couldn’t give up.

“Naw. Ya can keep all that! What I want is all the good stuff that’ll earn me a quick buck! Better in my hands than that nasty Mad Sciensteins.” Wario rubbed his gloved hands together at the mere thought of how much Shokora’s treasures were worth, but she quickly relaxed upon the realisation she could keep what was most important to her—her accessories, of course.

It took her a moment to decide, but she acknowledged that due to her temples falling, it’s not as though she could go anywhere else. And… it’s not as though she had any usage for mortal possessions anymore. Which is what prompted her to say—

“It’s a deal.” Wario grinned the second the words left Shokoras lips, watching the way he put her hand out to shake.

“…What are ya, a businessman?” He playfully asked, shaking her hand nonetheless; the heat rising to Shokoras cheeks at how firm his grip was.

“Anyways… I’m glad ya said that. ‘Cause I’ve already taken all of it! WAHAHA!” He boastfully laughed, and Shokora couldn’t help but to laugh along with him.

Maybe this domestic life wouldn’t be so bad…