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Bowser’s thumping footsteps echoed through the trees as he trudged into the castle garden, a bouquet of green tulips held in his clawed hand. Dark gray clouds covered the sky, and a steady rain fell, bouncing off the king's scales and soaking his red hair.
Kamek had tried to hand him an umbrella as he walked out the door, but he just brushed him off, not even bothering to glance in the magikoopa’s direction or even acknowledge his presence. It's not like he'd feel the rain, anyway. Bowser hardly felt anything anymore, not since that dreadful night. The night that wretched disease claimed Luigi’s life.
As he followed the stone pathway, Bowser noted various areas of the garden that were starting to look overgrown, no doubt missing his late husband's care. The more he looked around, the more he remembered the hours they'd spent out here together caring for the plant life.
He remembered stealing small glances at the human when he wasn't looking, feeling that familiar warmth spread throughout his body. He remembered the smile Luigi always wore, and the way the garden seemed to light up and glow brighter when he was out here.
For a moment, it was as if his husband were still alive. The memories played themselves out in front of him like a movie. Visions of the human playing hide-and-seek with Junior, of the three of them having an evening picnic while they watched the sun dip below the horizon.
The images were so crystal clear in his mind that he felt like he could just reach out and grab onto them, allowing him to stay in this moment in time, before the disease had confined Luigi to his bed, too weak to move or even keep his eyes open. Those blue eyes growing dimmer each day as the life slowly drained from him.
Looking back, the signs were all there. Occasional fatigue, nausea, random pains that seemed to linger longer than normal, but nothing that would cause alarm.
Over time, however, the pain became unbearable, sometimes lasting for days and weeks. Bowser took action after he found Luigi curled up in the fetal position on their bathroom floor one morning, clutching his stomach and whimpering in pain.
The king summoned every medic and magic user he could find, and paid them whatever they wanted, desperate to discover what was causing his husband’s sudden illness, but none of them came close to figuring it out.
Having no other options, Luigi traveled back to Brooklyn to see a human doctor. Bowser remained in the castle, for obvious reasons, but he felt hopeful. Once they found the cause, they could get to work making whatever this was go away. Everything could go back to normal.
It was around mid-afternoon when the human returned home. Bowser was in the kitchen, having just made lunch for Junior. He dropped the rag he’d been cleaning with into the sink when he noticed Luigi standing in the doorway, quickly asking him how everything went.
But the man wouldn’t answer him, or show any signs of hearing him at all. Instead, Luigi wrapped his arms around his husband, his legs nearly giving out as he sobbed into the koopa’s chest. Bowser just held him, deciding his questions could wait for another time. Whatever it was, he was sure they could beat it.
The day they announced his death, the kingdom went into shock. No one knew what had happened, only that Luigi had slipped away during the night.
Bowser knew the truth, of course. He’d been the only one with Luigi the night it happened, but he had yet to come out and fully explain everything. He knew he needed to at some point, but he didn’t know if he’d ever find the courage to. Once everyone learned the truth about how he failed to save their human king, they’d come for his head.
Bowser shook himself free of those agonizing memories, and continued his hike into the garden, making a mental note to have the groundskoopas do some trimming when he returned to the castle.
He passed through the grove of piranha plants, their heads lying limp on the grass, not even bothering to look up or snap their jaws at him as he stomped by. From there, the path led him through a field of fire flowers, then across a wooden bridge that sat over a small stream, which had slowly started to rise as the rain fell.
Moments later, Bowser stopped dead in his tracks, his breath catching in his throat as fresh tears filled his eyes. His free hand clutched around the small silver wedding ring that hung on a chain around his neck, lightly tracing the outline with his thumb. A feeling of dread building in his gut.
He was standing in front of a towering wall of hedges that formed a complete circle around the heart of the garden. A mix of purple and white tulips poked through the dense green foliage. The hedge wall had a grand archway cut into it, allowing visitors to pass through to the other side. The stone path he’d been following ended just a few feet in front of it.
The gardeners had placed a wooden sign into the ground next to the entrance that read…
“The King’s Willow.”
Bowser stood motionless at the mouth of the archway, an icy numbness seeping into his limbs. He's never made it past this point before, not since the day they buried his husband out here all those months ago.
There were a few times where he almost pushed through his fear and took that next step, but he always ended up retreating to the safety of his castle, downing excessive amounts of sleeping potion before passing out in his bed.
There, he could dream of a simpler time. A time filled with love and hopes of a promising future. A time before his entire world fell apart in the blink of an eye. A time when he actually felt alive.
"I'll get there next time," he'd tell himself, even though he knew deep down that he wouldn't.
Bowser closed his eyes and inhaled a deep calming breath, keeping the dry, volcanic air in his lungs for a few seconds before slowly releasing it. He opened his eyes and summoned the nerve to continue, finally stepping through the archway and into the grass covered clearing on the other side.
There, in the center of the clearing, stood a large willow tree. The same one Bowser had commanded them to plant when he learned how much Luigi loved them. The same tree that had witnessed their first kiss, and the first time he confessed his love for the human. As he walked, he noted the hollow, dismal aura that now hung in the air, making him feel like a stranger lost in some foreign land.
The rain seemed to intensify as the king grew closer, almost as if the elements were trying to force him back inside, but he was determined to push through. The willow’s long drooping branches lightly swayed with the wind and brushed against the wet grass below.
At the base of the tree was a headstone, its dark marble surface still in pristine condition, given that it was only seven months old. The slab had bold characters meticulously hand-carved into it, reading:
King Luigi Koopa
Beloved father, husband, and brother.
10/11/1980-3/11/2025.
White roses littered the ground around the headstone, evidence that many paid their respects in the days following Luigi’s funeral. The younger koopas had all left notes and pictures for their human king, each one sealed in a mint green envelope.
Someone was supposed to have brought them all inside, but here they were, still lying in the large wicker basket beside the headstone. Each letter was still sealed, and most likely ruined by the rain.
Bowser came to a halt at the foot of his husband’s grave, his gaze firmly on the words etched into the stone. Even after all this time, they still didn't look real. He gently placed the tulips on the ground, leaning the soft green petals against the stone’s wet surface.
He stood back up, still and silent like a dormant volcano, watching the rain bounce off of the tulip’s petals. There was so much he wanted to say in that moment, so many apologies he wanted to make, but each word quickly died in his throat. The longer he stood there, the more surreal it all felt to him.
“It’s... been a while,” Bowser finally spoke, his voice rough like the edge of a cliff. “Seven months, I think. I’m sorry, I... I know I should’ve come out here sooner, but I didn’t know what I’d say, or if I could even face you again, after... everything.”
He paused for a moment, as if expecting some sort of response, but there was only the sound of the rain hitting his shell and a growing sense of unease. He twisted the wedding band he still wore on his finger, an anxious habit he’d developed while they worked to find a cure for the disease. Back when he still believed they had a chance.
“Junior’s... he’s been taking it the hardest,” he continued. “I want to explain everything to him. I want to tell him I’m sorry for what I did that night, but I can’t even look at him without hating myself. And I know I need to tell him eventually, but... I’m afraid.”
The willow seemed to deflate at his words. Thunder rumbled in the distance, a sign that a storm was coming. Bowser thought he heard footsteps just beyond the hedges, but he didn’t bother to check.
“I don’t know what to do anymore,” he admitted. “Everything is falling apart, and... I’m trying to hold myself together because I don’t have a choice. I don’t get to break down because everyone’s expecting me to take control and lead them through this. And I’m trying my best, but I don’t know how much longer I can go on... pretending anymore!”
Lightning flashed across the sky as Bowser grew more agitated, illuminating the dark clouds overhead. Booming thunder soon followed that sent a tremor through the ground beneath his feet.
“Every day, I feel them all staring at me!” he roared, no longer caring about the weather, or if anyone heard him. “Every day I have to pretend that I don’t know what they’re all thinking! That I don’t think the same thing every single day! That I’m the one who should’ve died! Not you!”
Bowser collapsed to his knees, tightly hugging himself as loud sobs wrack his entire frame. The branches of the willow tree started thrashing around angrily as the storm continued to rage, a few coming within inches of striking the king’s face, but he didn’t seem to notice. Another low grumble of thunder sounded as he tried to regain control of his breathing.
“It should've been me," he whispered, sitting back on his heels and whipping his eyes. Suddenly, the violent wind and rain settled down. The willow’s hostile branches had calmed as well, swaying just as they were when he arrived.
"Junior, Kamek, our kingdom...everyone... They’d all be so much better off with you here instead of me,” he sighed, sweeping away the willow leaves that kept landing on his shoulder. “You would've gotten everyone through it because you always knew how to make everything better. And I'm... I’m trying, Lu. I'm trying so hard to be what everyone needs me to be, but I'm just......I'm not good enough.”
The tree’s limbs drooped further as Bowser cleared his eyes and rose to his feet, brushing the grass and mud from his knees. His gaze returned to his husband’s grave, watching the water roll over the letters that formed his name.
“I don’t know how to fix any of this without you,” he sighed. “I don’t even know if it’s something I can fix,” he said. “But I’m gonna do everything I can to make it right. I love you, and I miss you, and... I’m sorry I couldn’t save you. Fino alla prossima volta, mio amore.”
Bowser kissed his palm and placed it against the headstone, letting it linger for a moment on the wet surface and hoping Luigi would somehow know he was there.
He turned to leave but froze when he saw Kamek standing just a few yards away. The black umbrella he’d brought with him had slipped from his grasp and rain was soaking his blue robes. Tears leaked down the sides of his face as he stared at his son. Bowser hoped he hadn’t heard anything during his breakdown, but the look on his old face told him all he needed to know. He’d heard everything.
“Kamek, I uh... I was just-” before Bowser could finish, Kamek teleported directly in front of him and tackled him in a hug. The king felt startled for a moment, but he carefully hugged his father back.
“Don’t you dare believe a word of that,” Kamek said, tightening his grip on the larger koopa. “Not for a single second.”
They stood together like that for a few moments, both thoroughly soaked but not caring in the slightest. They hadn’t embraced like this since Bowser was younger, before their father-son dynamic changed to what it is now. He’d never say it out loud, but he missed the comfort and safety Kamek provided in these small moments.
“I thought we could cure him,” the king whimpered, clutching Kamek’s robes like a lifeline. “I looked Lu in the eyes and promised him we’d find a way. But he... he just kept getting worse and worse every day, and I couldn’t stop it! If I’d just... noticed something was wrong with him sooner, he’d still be-”
“Enough!” Kamek sternly cut him off, tightening his hold. “I know you’re grieving, but I will not allow you to believe that any of this was your fault. Nor will I allow you to believe that any of us would be better off without you!”
“But it’s true!” Bowser roared, breaking loose from his father’s arms. “Kamek, I’m sorry, but I can’t do this anymore! I feel so... empty all the time, and I hate it! Everything’s falling apart, and I can’t do anything to fix it! Even my own son hates me!”
“He’s in pain!” Kamek snapped back, grabbing Bowser by the shoulders. “We all are! We’re all trying our best to heal and get through this, but he’s a child! He needs you to show him how to deal with it!”
Bowser lowered his head, looking at the ground as his father’s words sunk in. Kamek let out a heavy sigh and released his son’s shoulders, retrieving the black umbrella he’d dropped earlier. He clicked it open and held it above both of their heads, the tail of Kamek’s blue hood barely sticking out into the rain.
“No one is expecting you to be perfect,” Kamek continued, gently smoothing Bowser’s red hair with his hand. “Luigi was your husband, but he was like a second son to me. He was an amazing father to Junior, and a good king to our people. The entire kingdom is grieving right alongside you. Everyone knows you’re doing the best you can, and... Son, look at me.”
Kamek gently lifted his son’s chin so he could look him in the eyes.
“You are good enough,” he said with a watery smile, wiping a tear from Bowser’s cheek. “You are more than good enough, but you can’t keep blaming yourself for what happened. I know it’s hard, but we both have to accept that we did everything we could to save him. Torturing yourself won’t bring him back.”
“No... we didn’t,” Bowser thought to himself, his head dropping again.
They could’ve brought an Earth doctor to their kingdom to learn how to fight the disease. They could’ve let Luigi move back to Earth so he could be closer to people who could help. Ideas that seemed so obvious that he felt like an idiot for never considering them when they still had a chance.
“Now then... as your royal advisor, I recommend you appoint me as acting regent so that I may oversee the kingdom for a week,” Kamek said, wiping his eyes with his sleeve and adjusting his glasses. “But, as your father... I’m begging you to take some time for yourself because you can’t go on like this. You and Junior need time to heal, and... you need to tell him what happened that night.”
The king winced but kept his head down.
“He’s been asking me questions, son,” he continued. “Questions I can’t answer because you were the only one there when it happened. I know you have your reasons for not telling the kingdom, but Junior deserves to know the truth.”
“He’s gonna hate me,” Bowser muttered. “Everyone will.”
Before Kamek could address that, lightning flashed above them, and the rain poured harder than it had all day.
“Let’s go inside and get you dried off, hm?” he suggested. “We’ll figure it out together.”
“Fine,” Bowser relented, allowing Kamek to guide him back towards the castle. They’d almost made it to the end of the clearing, when...
“ACHOO!” the king sneezed, a small ball of fire accompanying it. Kamek sighed and shook his head, conjuring a red silk handkerchief and handing it over.
“And perhaps a hot cup of herbal tea while we’re at it.”
Bowser ended up with a nasty cold from being in the rain for so long, but the symptoms were mild and nothing to be concerned about. Kamek "politely" ordered him to stay in bed for a couple days, which gave the king plenty of time to plan his next move.
Junior was…less than thrilled to be forced into the dining room that afternoon. He tried to escape twice, but Kamek simply used his magic to teleport the prince back into his chair.
“You don’t have to do this alone, you know,” the magikoopa pointed out, standing beside the king outside the dining room door. “I don’t mind staying if it would make things easier.”
“Thank you, Kamek,” Bowser responded with a grateful smile. “But I’m the one who let this go on for so long. I can’t keep taking the easy way out.”
The older koopa looked like he might argue but decided against it. Instead, he put his hand on the king’s shoulder.
“If you need anything, just call,” he reassured, a small smile on his face. “I’ll make sure no one disturbs you two.”
With that, the wizard disappeared, a puff of light blue smoke left in his wake. Bowser turned to face the dining room door, mentally steeling himself for what was to come. After taking a couple deep breaths, he pushed the wooden door open, instantly locking eyes with Junior, before the prince sharply turned his gaze back down to the table.
You could’ve cut the tension in the room with a knife. The anger radiating off of his son nearly froze him in place, but he broke free and took his seat at the head of the table. Junior was already sitting in the chair to the left of his father.
Two troopas, both wearing forest green suit jackets, entered the dining room through the double doors that led to the kitchen, each carrying silver trays of food covered by a silver dome. Both troopas had pinned a white tulip to the lapels of their jackets, an emerald green ribbon forming a neat bow around the stems of both flowers.
Everyone who worked in the castle had been wearing similar ensembles ever since Luigi’s sudden death. Some even incorporated the man’s royal portrait into their personal designs. It was their unique way of saying goodbye to the human who’d done so much for their kingdom. It was their way of standing together in solidarity as the kingdom continued to heal.
The two troopas quietly served the king and prince their meals, both bowing before returning to the kitchen.
Bowser lifted the dome off his tray, revealing an overcooked cube of meat and what appeared to be raw carrots and broccoli. He let out a long sigh, looking over the small but poignant reminder of his husband’s passing.
The three had always prepared meals together. It was one of the few times where Bowser could fully unwind. He could let the heavy crown slip off his head for a while, and truly be himself without fear of showing weakness. There had been laughter, and messes, and the occasional oven fire, but none of that mattered because they were together.
“I wanna eat in my room,” the prince grumbled in his oversized chair, scowling down at his plate, pushing the food around with his fork.
“I know you do,” Bowser said, taking a sip of his water. “but I think we need to start eating together again... like we used to.”
Junior didn’t respond to that, opting to take his anger out on a piece of green broccoli on his plate. An uncomfortable silence settled over the room. Bowser was starting to think this was a mistake, that he was trying to push his son too quickly. But he quickly shut that train of thought down. It was now or never.
“Junior,” he said, placing his silverware on the table. The prince glanced up at him from his seat, an uncharacteristic scowl on his tiny face. “There’s something we need to talk about. It’s not exactly gonna be easy, but... it’s time you learned the truth about what happened to Luigi, so you can-.”
“No! I’m not talking about that! Not ever again!” the prince yelled as he stood from the table. “I’m going back to my room!”
Junior scrambled for the door, but Bowser was quicker, using his enormous frame to block the door.
“Not yet, Son. We need to talk about this first.”
“I don’t wanna talk about it! I wanna go color!”
“Well, you can’t!” Bowser snapped, quickly catching his temper before he lost control. “Not until you eat, and we talk for a while.”
“I said I don’t want to!” Junior roared, grabbing a nearby chair and smashing it to pieces against the floor, sending shards of wood flying in every direction. The prince glared defiantly at his father, trying to look threatening while angry tears leaked out of his eyes. “I don’t wanna to talk to you! I don’t wanna talk to you ever again! I never wanna see you ever again! I hate yo-”
Bowser gathered up the raging child in his arms before he could finish, hugging him snuggly against his chest.
“No! Put me down! I don’t wanna talk! I don’t wanna!” Junior’s harrowing wails echoed throughout the dining room as he writhed and squirmed, desperately trying to free himself from his father’s grip.
He started kicking and punching anything he could reach, even sinking his tiny teeth into the king’s arms at one point. Bowser grunted in pain, but never let go, his feet rooted to the floor as he rode out the tiny storm.
The prince’s squirming eventually died down, his rage filled shouts turning into choked, anguished sobs. Bowser slowly sat down on the floor, still keeping his son securely in his arms. Junior wrapped his arms around his dad as best he could, clutching to him like a lifeline as the tears poured out of him.
“Shhh... it’s okay, son,” he whispered, running his claws through the prince’s red hair. “It’s gonna be okay... I got you.”
They sat there on the dining room floor for several minutes. Bowser crossed his legs so he could set Junior in his lap, carefully stroking his son’s hair as his breathing slowed to its normal cadence. The room had gone silent, except for Junior’s occasional sniffling.
“Papa?” the prince croaked.
“Yes, son?”
“Did... Did Papa Luigi... hate me?”
Bowser’s head snapped down to look at his son, who was looking at the floor and fidgeting with the pointed edge of his bandana.
“What? Of course not. He wouldn’t... Son, look at me,” he said, lifting his son’s chin so he could look him in the eye. “Luigi loved you very much, okay? More than anything in the world. Why would you think he hated you?”
“That night... I wanted to show him my picture, but... he shut the door and wouldn’t let me in,” Junior said. “I told Kamek, but he just... disappeared. Everyone was ignoring me, and I... I thought I did something bad!”
Junior cried into his dad’s chest, and Bowser felt another wave of guilt wash over him. It broke his heart to know that his son had been carrying that burden this whole time, and his own father was too busy being miserable to notice.
“Junior... I’m gonna to tell you something that I should’ve told you months ago,” he began. “I shouldn’t have kept it from you for so long, but... I was afraid of what might happen if I told you.”
The prince looked back up at Bowser, who took a deep before continuing.
“Do you remember that day we all went to the beach, but Luigi stayed in his chair the whole time?”
Junior’s brow furrowed in concentration, but he eventually nodded his head.
“Well,” he continued. “... he had been sick for a long time before that, but we didn’t know what it was until he went to an Earth doctor. They told him he had... something really bad that humans get sometimes. We didn’t want you to worry, so we decided to keep it a secret.”
“But,” Junior whimpered, pulling away and whipping his eyes. “Why couldn’t he just take some medicine and get better?”
“Because there isn’t a...we didn’t have the type of medicine he needed here,” Bowser answered. “Kamek and I tried to come up with something on our own. I thought we’d find a way to cure him before it got too bad, but... there wasn’t enough time.”
“Oh.” Junior responded.
“And that night,” Bowser continued. “he was in a lot of pain, and it was getting harder for him to breathe. We knew he... didn’t have much time left. Kamek had gone to find something. I don’t remember what it was.”
“Luigi and I heard you calling for us, but…he didn’t want you to see it when he… when it happened. So... he asked me to lock the door so you couldn’t open it,” Bowser admitted, looking away from Junior. “I didn’t want to. I almost said no, but he was so upset and scared out of his mind, so... I locked it.”
Bowser went silent for a moment, those words settling over them like a dense fog.
“We heard you trying to open the door, asking him to let you in. We stayed quiet, but... I know it broke his heart. After you ran off, I just... cried, because I knew right then I made a huge mistake.”
Junior’s eyes filled with tears.
“After that, I didn’t know what else to do. I sat down next to his bed, and just... held his hand,” Bowser spoke in a broken voice. “He looked really tired, but he was fighting so hard to stay awake. I could see how much pain he was in... just trying to breathe, and I realized that... he didn’t want to fight it anymore.”
“We both knew he wasn’t going to get better, but I kept trying because I wasn’t ready to let him go. He was suffering because of me, and I didn’t... I didn’t want him to be in so much pain anymore, so... I told him.”
Bowser paused and took a deep, shuddering breath.
“I told him,” he continued, his voice quivering. “...that it was okay... if he wanted to rest for a while. That... I’d stay right beside him... the whole time.”
Something in the back of his mind begged him to stop talking, that Junior shouldn’t be hearing any of this, but he couldn’t stop himself. The dam had finally broke, and everything he’d been suppressing came tumbling out.
“He didn’t say anything, at first,” he painfully continued. “But then he looked at me, and... smiled, and I could tell he understood what I was trying to say. I got up, and... kissed his cheek, and I told him I would always love him. The last thing he said... was that he loved both of us very much, and that... he was sorry. Then he closed his eyes, and... he was gone.”
Bowser stared off at the table in front of him as he finished his story, painful flashbacks from that night playing on a loop in his mind of Luigi’s tear-filled eyes pleading with him to fulfil that final request, of those eyes closing for the last time. He tried to push everything back to the farthest corners of his mind and tried focusing on his breathing.
He looked down at Junior, who was staring up at his father with tears flowing down his face, mouth hanging open in shock. The miniscule sense of relief he’d been feeling since his confession was rapidly replaced by paralyzing guilt.
“Junior, I’m... I’m so sorry. For all of it,” Bowser said. "I promised Luigi I’d make him better. I thought we were doing the right thing by shielding you from what was happening, but all I did was make everything worse. You deserved a chance to say goodbye to him, and I stole that from you.”
“But... I need you to know that you made him very happy,” He continued, catching Junior’s attention. “He loved you so much, and... I know he was proud to be your dad.”
“He was… proud?”
“He said it almost every day,” Bowser answered with a watery smile. “You’re a good kid. You care about other people, and I know you didn’t learn that from me. I will always be proud to be your dad, too. Nothing is ever gonna change that, but... I understand if you still... hate me for what I did that night. I know I won’t ever forgive myself for it.”
Junior seems to think for a moment. Feeling a little guilty.
“Papa... I’m sorry I smashed the chair,” he said quietly. “And, I don’t... hate you.”
“You don’t have to say that if you don’t want to, son. You’re not in trouble for-“
“But I don’t want you to be sad anymore!” Junior cried, breaking free from his father’s arms and scrambling to his feet. “I don’t wanna be sad anymore! Everyone is sad all the time now, and I... I hate it! It’s not fair! I want everything to go back to normal!”
“It is normal to feel like this when you lose someone!” Bowser exclaimed, taking hold of Junior’s shoulders. “It’s okay to be sad, and angry, and to just... cry for a long time because that’s how you heal from it. If you try to push those feelings away, you...you turn into this... giant monster who’s always hurting everyone around him, because he never learned how to deal with the pain. I don’t... want you to turn into that.”
Bowser let out a weary sigh, letting go of his son’s shoulders and sitting back on the floor. Junior stood rooted to the spot, watching his dad close his eyes and take a moment to breathe.
“I know it’s not fair,” Bowser continued. “... but this is just a part of life. I’m sorry you had to learn that so young. I’m sorry I haven’t been there for you like I should’ve been, but... I’m gonna be better, and we’re both gonna get through this together. I promise.”
Junior sits on the floor beside him, grabbing his hand.
“What do we do now?”
“I dunno,” Bowser chuckled dryly. “I didn’t think I’d get this far.”
Silence settled over the two, but the tension seemed to have lifted. Bowser felt a bit lighter after his confession.
“Do you... want to see the painting I did of me and Papa Luigi?” Junior asked.
“Yeah, I’d like that a lot. Why don’t ya run up and grab it? I’ll be right here.”
“Okay!” Junior beamed and scrambled out the dining room door. Bowser stood up, his knees aching a little as he moved. Now he understood why Kamek was always complaining about them, even if he occasionally milked it to get out of doing chores.
Looking out the window into the garden, he noticed the gray clouds still covering the sky, but the torrential rain had finally stopped. It had been like this for so long, he’d nearly forgotten what sunlight even looked like. He missed the way the sun warmed his scales.
The king’s eyes traced the hedges that formed a circle around the large willow tree, which swayed with the wind in the center of the garden. The tiny green leaves were shimmering the way Luigi’s eyes used to. He had yet to return to the grave since that day Kamek had found him in the rain, but maybe he should after Junior shows him his painting. A pang of sadness tore through Bowser’s heart, knowing Luigi would never get to see their son’s art ever again.
... Unless.
“That’s it!” he gasped as the idea struck him. It was so obvious, he almost felt stupid for not doing it months ago.
“I’m back!” Junior exclaimed as he rushed back into the dining room, his newest creation carefully held in his clutches. “I had to get the tape off of the corners so I could... Papa?”
Bowser snapped out of his thoughts and turned to look at his son.
“Junior, let’s go for a walk.”
Bowser and Junior stood together under the willow tree, a painted piece of paper held carefully in one of the child’s hands, his father’s larger hand gripping the other. Gray clouds still covered the sky, but the ground finally had time to soak up the rain. The grass felt soft beneath their feet.
The pair stood still for a few minutes, neither of them taking their eyes off the stone planted in the ground at the base of the tree. Junior cast a nervous glance at his father, who returned a reassuring smile. Bowser knelt in front of the child and held his tiny shoulders.
“It’s okay, son,” he said. “I’ll be right here the whole time. I promise.”
The prince responded with a timid nod and turned back to face his papa’s grave. Bowser took a couple of steps back to give his son some privacy.
“Umm... Papa Luigi? It... It’s me.”
Junior turned back to face Bowser, who smiled and gave him a thumbs-up.
“You’re doing great. Keep going.”
He turned back to the grave.
“I uh...I painted this for you,” the prince continued, holding up the picture in his hands. “I finished it yesterday, and I was gonna hang it up in my room, but... I want you to have it.”
Junior took a couple cautious steps towards the headstone, holding the construction paper flush against the front of the stone while he put tape on all four corners. Bowser watched as his son's art covered up the words on the headstone, creating a much more fitting tribute to the man they had lost.
The painting was of Junior and Luigi, holding hands as they skipped around outside with a large yellow sun smiling down at them from the top corner of the page. The human was shown wearing his trademark green shirt and overalls, while Junior had painted his hair to look like a giant red mohawk. Bowser had no doubt that Junior would beg him for this haircut later.
“I’m sorry you got sick, Papa. I’m sorry you were hurt a lot. I would’ve made you that weird soup you like, and maybe that would’ve made it go away. I know why you didn’t want me to come in your room. I’m not mad about that, but... I’m sorry I didn’t hug you before you went to sleep. I love you, Papa Luigi. I’ll come back real soon, okay?”
He finished his question and paused, looking around as if he were expecting some kind of reaction to his words. When nothing happened, Junior’s head drooped slightly, and he turned away from the grave to join his father. Bowser knelt down and wrapped his arms around his son, who returned the gesture.
“You did great, son,” he said, pulling away. “How about we go get some ice cream?”
Junior nodded but kept his eyes on the ground in front of them as they started walking back towards the castle. They made their back across the clearing, nearing the archway in the hedges that separated the area from the rest of the garden.
“Do you think he liked it?” the prince asked, glancing up at his father.
Bowser was about to respond when something peculiar caught his attention. It felt like someone was watching them, but not in a threatening way.
Before he could put a name to it, he felt a sudden warmth on the back of his head. They both turned just in time to see something they hadn’t seen in months.
Sunlight. Poking its way through the clouds that were just beginning to evaporate.
Within minutes, the clouds were gone, revealing a brilliant, seafoam green sky. The dying plant life throughout the garden suddenly sprang back to their former glory. The Piranha Plants and Fire Flowers looked as good as new.
A swift breeze suddenly picked up, the branches of the willow tree moving along with it, pointing in the pair’s direction as if it were beckoning them both to return. Some of the willow’s leaves flowed towards them in the wind, dancing around the two koopas and lightly brushing against their scales before falling to the ground at their feet.
As the breeze faded, a strange emotion that Bowser had never felt before overcame him. An emotion so strong, it forced him to his knees and made it hard to breathe. His hand reached up and clutched his husband’s wedding ring that still hung around his neck, tears springing to his eyes.
As his mind tried to find a logical explanation for it, a feeling of peace settled over his whole body, putting his weary soul at ease for the first time in ages. He closed his eyes and let the feeling fully envelop him.
All the pain and heartache he’d been carrying over these past few months seem to roll off of his shoulders and into the grass. It felt like the warmest, most comforting hug you could ever dream of. The type of hug that could only come from one person.
Luigi...
Bowser’s eyes shot open, tears rolling down his face as he rose to his feet. He kept his gaze fixed on the spot under the willow tree where they had both been standing just minutes ago. The sunlight bounced off of the painting Junior had taped over the headstone, making it sparkle and shine brighter than any power star he’d ever seen.
This small patch of grass that once brought him so much pain now stood as a beacon of hope for a brighter future for him and Junior both. Because even though they’d both lost Luigi, they still had each other.
“Papa... was that?” Junior whispered, staring at the willow as its branches swayed in the sunlight. Bowser looked down at his son, a watery smile growing on his face as he nodded his head. Junior beamed back up at him, a gleeful smile stretching from ear to ear.
“I think he liked your painting, son.”