Chapter Text
This was horrifying, Luigi had no idea where he was or what had happened to him or his brother. All he wanted to do was help his brother save the city and fix that underground pipe but no, he had to be sucked into some kind of portal. At least the place Mario was taken to looked safe. Unlike he was currently, he had no clue those things that had been chasing him earlier were, he could only assume they were the undead since they looked like skeletons and wouldn’t stay down, even after their bodies had, for lack of a better term, exploded; and then there were those little red guys that had captured him. Though, all of that would have been preferable to the situation he was in right now, being levitated into the air to be presented to this enormous dragon-like creature, who was spouting on about how he was going to rule the world and his wedding and all Luigi could do was play along.
“Yay,” Luigi said weakly as his chin was tilted upward by a clawed finger
He had expected Bowser to go on some kind of rant about his plans but Luigi noticed that the Koopa King was almost dissecting him with his eyes as he started creeping closer, until he was close enough for the plumber to feel the other's hot breath on his skin.
"Wait," Bowser started, sniffing at Luigi again "oh. Oh, no!" he spoke with varying tones, ranging from surprised to confused and then concerned
Luigi assumed the worst and started groaning, biting his lip to keep any more sound from coming out of his mouth when the Koopa King's eyes snapped back onto him.
"What is wrong, Lord Bowser?" Kamek asked
"Send him to my room" Bowser said looking at the magikoopa "we have things we need to discuss"
Tilting his head in confusion at the request before the dots started to connect, Kamek realized what had happened when he noticed how dilated the king's eyes were.
"Of course, sire" Kamek said raising his staff to poof Luigi away to Bowser's bedroom, dropping him on the bed
The sudden drop and lingering effects of the magic left Luigi momentarily disoriented and he was left staring up at the ceiling as his vision cleared. Once he was able to get his bearings he scrambled off the bed and took in his surroundings.
"Ok, Weegie, be smart about this. What would Mario do?"
Looking around the room he saw some windows, an armoire and dresser, a desk, a piano, and a fireplace, along with two different doors. So maybe there was something he could use to help him escape; but there was nothing on the desk, only some pens and paper, the armoire was full of pink princess dresses with the dresser being not much different just with more casual outfits. Maybe he could use the dresses to make a rope since there weren't any bed sheets, just lots of pillows, but then he realized that idea wouldn't work, he'd need wings in order to get out of the castle. He didn’t bother checking the doors, figuring one led to a bathroom and the other was locked, but maybe he could eavesdrop on what was happening in the hall and use that to try and come up with a plan. So he pressed his ear against the door he thought would lead out to the hall.
"Who do you think would've been next after we destroyed the Mushroom Kingdom?"
"Lord Bowser wasn't planning on destroying it"
"Oh, please. There's no way she was going to say yes and he knows that. It's why he turned me into a Dry Bone"
"Ok, then where do you think was going to be next?"
"Probably the Jungle Kingdom maybe Dinosaur Island"
"Lucky for them he found his soulmate before we got anywhere"
"Yeah" the other chuckled, "that makes for a much better fairy tail wedding don't you think?"
"Soulmate?" Luigi whispered aloud
Backing away from the door Luigi pulled his hat off of his head so he could shove his face into it and muffle his scream as he walked backwards until he felt the bed hit the back of his legs and he sat himself on it. Setting his hat in his lap the plumber felt his limbs become heavy, like all of the adrenaline that had been powering him left his body with his scream and he passed out. He wasn't sure how long he was asleep for but he was sure he was alone when he passed out, but now there was a heavy arm around his waist and someone was softly snoring behind him. His breath froze in his chest when he felt the person nuzzling into his hair and he was pretty sure he was trapped; the arm was keeping him almost flushed against the chest of the person behind him. He could have tried to wiggle his way out of the grip but when he moved his legs he realized that whoever was wrapped around him.
"You awake?" Bowser asked, quietly enough that if Luigi had been asleep he wouldn't have heard
Luigi thought about staying quiet and pretend to still be asleep "Yeah"
"Good" Bowser said, propping himself up on the arms he was laying on “because we have a lot to discuss”
"We do?" Luigi squeaked watching the Koopa get out of bed to open the armoire and dresser
"Oh," Bowser said looking at the dresses "these probably aren't your style are they?"
Luigi wasn't opposed to wearing dresses or skirts, after all whenever he and Mario played knights with their niece he was always the princess, but these clothes were clearly made with someone else in mind "No" he swallowed the lump in his throat “not, not really”
Bowser hummed, holding a dress in front of himself "I wonder if Kamek can fix this?" He put it back and started digging through the dresser until he found a black skirt and light pink button up shirt that had short puffy sleeves.
"Do these work for you?"
"...Sure" Luigi said, his voice uneven
Handing the clothes to Luigi, Bowser pulled out a three panel divider that had been hidden behind the armoire.
"I'll be waiting outside for you" Bowser said, right before he stepped out “and if you leave what you’re wearing on the bed I can have some servants launder them”
Now Luigi was confused the last time he'd seen the Koopa he was probably thirty seconds away from being thrown into the lava that surrounded his throne and now Bowser was acting like nothing had happened. He didn’t have time to think about it, he just slipped out of his overalls when he remembered the conversation he'd overheard, what he assumed was yesterday. Great, now he was nervous for a whole different reason! He had to calm himself down because having a panic attack wasn't going to do him any favors.
Once he was in his new outfit Luigi felt delighted when he realized he could fit into a princess's outfit. Letting out a breath he folded his clothes on the bed and opened the door to Bowser standing in front of it, waiting for him.
Luigi was about to say something when the Koopa King smiled at him, the words dying in his throat when he was picked up and no matter how hard he tried, no more words were able to form as he was carried through the castle's hallways. As Bowser walked Luigi was becoming overly aware that everyone was looking at him when their king passed by, expressions ranging from indifference to annoyance. Where was the Koopa taking him?
It didn't take long for him to get the answer when he found himself back in the throne room, feeling the need to grip the Koopa's finger as he was carried up the steps to the throne, terrified he was going to fall into the magma below. That became the least of his worries though, as when Bowser took a seat he set Luigi in his lap. The plumber had to stare down at his hands in his lap, wondering just how red his face had become.
"Good morning, your highnesses" Kamek said, floating up to the throne on his broom
"Morning, Kamek" Bowser said "I need you to fix Luigi's cloths"
"How would you like me to do it, sire?" Kamek asked
"Get rid of the pink"
"Yes, sir" Kamek said zapping the shirt into a light green with his wand
"Now go fix the rest of his cloths" Bowser ordered, waving the magic koopa away
"Of course, sire" Kamek said before poofing away
Surprisingly Luigi didn't jump when he felt Bowser playing with the hair that were peeking out from under his hat, in fact it felt kinda nice; the Koopa's claws gently grazing against his scalp, in fact he even started to relax. That was until the Troopa, Patroopa, Goomba, and Shy Guy generals approached their king and he sat there listening to Bowser and his generals talking, giving him a pretty good idea of what had been happening before he'd shown up. Maybe it would be best if he played along, at least until he could find a way to escape or his brother came to rescue him.
"What's wrong?" Bowser asked, gently tilting Luigi's head so he was looking at him
"Uh," Luigi mumbled as his stomach growled
"Oh," Bowser said "you!" He pointed as the first Shy Guy he saw "show Luigi to the kitchen so he can get something to eat"
The Shy Guy saluted his king, waiting for the Koopa to step down from his throne to set his soulmate on the ground, before leading the plumber back into the castle and to the kitchen. When they got there Luigi managed to find enough ingredients to make something similar to carbonara. He didn't care if it was morning he was starving.
"It smells delicious in here" Kamek said, flying into the kitchen
"Thanks" Luigi said, straining the pasta "can I ask you something?"
"Of course, sire" Kamek started "you can ask me anything you wish"
"So what's the deal with this soulmate thing?" Luigi asked as he started mixing everything together
"What do you mean?" Kamek asked, tilting his head to the side a bit
"Well, soulmates don't exist where I come from. Like I know the general idea of it but..."
"Oh, well, we Koopas and most of the creatures that live in this world have one, and we find ours through scent, which is why Lord Bowser was smelling you”
“Ok, what exactly does that mean for me?”
“It means that Bowser will want you to stay in his kingdom with him and become his queen. We already have such a lovely wedding planed for you! Though we will have to do a bit of re-working to replace all the pink with green"
"What about that princess Bowser was talking about marrying before I got here?"
“There’s no need to worry about her. Lord Bowser was simply confused about her being his soulmate"
"That's not really what I was worried about" Luigi mumbled quietly
"What was that, sire?" Kamek asked
"Nothing," Luigi sighed, getting up to put his dishes in the sink, “have you found your soulmate yet?"
"I have, but I don't get to see him often"
"Oh, I'm sorry"
"Don't be," Kamek said, holding a hand up to his cheek as he reminisced, "we are both very busy people, so it works out for both of us, but the time we do get to spend together is wonderful!"
“That's good. Hey, is there a library in the castle?”
“Yes, I can have someone take you there if you wish"
"That would be great!" Luigi was relieved that he had something he could fill his time with while he was here "would Bowser be mad if I don't go back to the throne with him?"
"I can tell him you wanted to aquatint yourself with the castle"
"Thank you" Luigi sighed
The library only had one person inside of it, a Koopa Partoopa that had on a pair of glasses was flying around the shelves, organizing the books.
“Hey there,” The Koopa Patroopa greeted, while landing in front of them “how can I help you guys?”
Once the librarian was present the Shy Guy left.
"I was hoping I could get somethings to read over the next few days"
"Is there anything in particular you're looking for?"
"I'm not sure" Luigi did have his favorite books but he was wondering if this being a different world would mean that they would have completely different kinds of stories.
"I'll get you a nice variety of genres then " The Librarian said before flying off to several different shelves, grabbing a book from each "hopefully this will suffice"
"Thank you" Luigi said, taking the stack of books “would you mind getting someone that could show me back to my room?”
He might not have been thrilled about being forced to share a room with the Koopa King, but it was arguably the place he was most familiar with and therefore would be where he'd feel most comfortable.
"No problem" The Librarian said, flying out of the library only to return not even a second later with two Goombas
The two took the books from him before leading him back to his/Bowser’s room, probably guarding the door after they'd set the books on the floor next to the desk, having tried to set them on top but it was too high for either of them to reach. Now where was he going to sit? The bed didn't feel right and the desk was too high up to be comfortable, unless he stood on the chair. Good thing there was a fireplace he could curl up by.
Grabbing a couple of the oversized pillows off the bed he set them around the fireplace, which lit up automatically when he sat down and cracked open the book that sat on the top of the stack. He sat there for the next few hours sorting the books into piles of what he liked and what he didn't, when a pair of Troopa's brought him a tray of food when lunch time rolled around; the small group being the only members of the castle staff that bothered him. That was until Kamek showed up.
"Good evening, sire" Kamek greeted "Lord Bowser has asked me to bring you to dinner"
"N-now?" Luigi asked
"Yes," Kamek started "the cooks have just finished and the servants are about to set the table"
"Ok" Luigi said, felt like he should change into something more appropriate for a fancy dinner with royalty, “j-just give me one second”
“I will be right outside waiting for you?”
He only felt that way because his Nona always insisted to everyone in the family that every occasion was something to dress up for, no matter how innocuous, and he could practically hear her scolding him from the other side. Opening the armoire he saw what the magikoopa had done with the clothing, the pink having been changed to green along with other small changes, different necklines, longer or non-poofy sleeves, and the skirts of the dresses were less full and much more simplistic. He settled on one of the gowns, a green version of Peach's signature dress but with tank top like sleeves and black accents.
Stepping into the bathroom to change Luigi was amazed with how well stocked it was with the thickest and softest towels he’d ever seen; there were also shelves of salts, oils, soaps, and shampoos now in the room, with a massive tub dug into the ground. Slipping out of what he was wearing he changed into the gown; it fit, but not as well as what he'd been wearing, it was just a smidge too tight but it wasn't uncomfortable. When he walked into the dining room the first thing he noticed was that Bowser seemed nervous, moving everything around on the table, only to put it right back where it was before he'd touched it. It did make him feel better that Bowser seemed to be just as nervous about the dinner as he was.
"Luigi!" Bowser exclaimed, when he saw the plumber "you made it"
"Yeah," Luigi chuckled nervously. It's not like he had much of a choice.
"Here," Bowser held out a bouquet of Piranha Plants for his soulmate to take, that instantly started trying to bite at his face, the koopa immediately taking them back so he could stomp them into the ground before picking Luigi up to get him farther away from the flattened plants.
"What was that?!" Luigi asked, staring down at the plant
"A Piranha Plant" Bowser said, kicking the plant further away "in hindsight they probably weren't the best choice since we do breed them to be aggressive"
"Ok" Luigi squeaked as he was set down in front of the table
"Please," Bowser started, pulling out a chair wanting to change the subject "have a seat"
"Thank you" Luigi said taking the offered seat
He was genuinely surprised that Bowser was showing him any kind of chivalry, and was attempting to build a relationship rather than acting like they were already in one. He figured what happened this morning was just because he didn't want to leave him alone in a room all day with nothing to do. Or maybe someone had told him he should try and and romance him.
"So, uh," Bowser started, taking his seat across from Luigi "where'd you come from?"
"Oh, um," Luigi said "I live in an apartment in Brooklyn with my family"
"How'd you end up here?"
"My brother and I were trying to fix some pipes in the sewer and I got sucked into this really big green one and ended up here"
Bowser was about to say something but the food was brought out and set in front of them. They fell into silence as they ate but oddly enough, at least to Luigi, it wasn't an uncomfortable one.
"I want to show you something" Bowser said when dinner was over
The Koopa didn't wait for a response and was on his feet walking around the table to pull out his soulmate's chair, carefully picking the plumber up to carry him to the throne room. Standing before the throne, Luigi noticed the glowing star that was floating above it. Reaching up Bowser grabbed the star and handed it to his soulmate and the plumber could feel the power radiating off of it as it floated in his hands.
"What's this?" Luigi asked
"The Super Star" Bowser started, taking a seat in his throne setting Luig in his lap "with it we are the most powerful beings on this planet!"
"What are you gonna do with all that power?" Luigi asked, handing back the star
"Well," Bowser started, setting it back in place "I'm not sure. I stole this to impress someone, but now that I've found you I guess I'll have to figure something else out... I guess I could try taking over the other kingdoms, the Dark Lands could use the extra resources"
"Don't do that" Luigi said, realizing he had to come up with a reason when the Koopa looked at him with an arched eyebrow "if you're off concurring other kingdoms then we won't get to spend any time together"
"Oh, yeah, I guess you're right"
The two sat on the throne together for the next hour or two talking; it was nice Luigi couldn't deny that he liked being around the Koopa King. Maybe he could make this situation work, as long as Bowser didn't try waging war on anyone, but he still missed his brother and he desperately wanted to reunite with him. Over the next day Bowser noticed that Luigi had a far off look in his eyes and was distracted when he tried to talk to him.
“Kamek!” Bowser exclaimed, practically breaking down the door to the magic Koopa's lab “Luigi’s sad, how do I make him not be?"
"Well," Kamek started, setting down the papers he was looking over "perhaps he's simply nervous about the wedding or maybe he's homesick. You must remember this isn't his world"
"That's true" Bowser mussed to himself as he thought the information over "what do you think I should do?"
Kamek hummed "Perhaps you can take him for an air ship ride and show him the kingdom. Or maybe you can ask him what’s been bothering him, your cluelessness”
Now Bowser felt stupid, he should have thought of that, it seems so obvious now. Leaving the lab he went off to look for Luigi, finding him sitting in their bed, the blankets he’d asked for wrapped around him as he read, though he still seemed distracted.
“What’s wrong?” Bowser asked, taking a seat on the edge of the bed, resting a hand on his soulmates shoulder
“I miss my family” Luigi said, closing his book "and my brother. We've never been apart for this long"
“Oh!” Bowser said, relieved that it was something that was easy to fix “I’m sure we can figure out a way to get you back so you can visit after the wedding and your brother is in the Mushroom Kingdom so it won't be that difficult to find him"
He just didn't want to find the red brother. After all his introduction to his existence was as competition for Peach's affection and even if he was no longer a romantic rival he could still try and take his soulmate away from him and use Peaches resources to keep them apart or even take him back home to Broklyn and never come back. Shifting closer to Luigi, Bowser brushed some hair behind his soulmate’s ear, even though it wasn't long enough to be in his face and stayed with him, gently rubbing his back, until he looked less upset.
"You wanna help set up some of the wedding stuff? Might get your mind off things for a while. Or we could do something else if you want"
"...Sure" Luigi sighed, pushing the blankets off "why not" he could use the distraction and he might as well get some idea of what his own wedding was going to be like
Once his feet were flat on the ground Bowser picked him up so he could carry him to an oversized balcony that already had several rows of pews set up for the guests. The Koopa King had set him down, but still kept a hand on his back as he showed him around; so excited to tell him every little detail about the wedding. It was cute.
"And this is where we'll sacrifice our prisoners!" Bowser seemed almost proud about this part of the ceremony
"I really don't want you sacrificing anyone for me" Luigi said
"Wha-" Bowser asked, sounding genuinely disappointed "really?"
"Yes," Luigi said as firmly as he could manage
Bowser’s face dropped and his shoulders slumped "Alright" he motioned to get some Troopa's attention "release the penguins!"
"To where, sire?"
"I don't know," Bowser said, "just take them back to their kingdom or something"
“Th-thank you” Luigi said, looking at the Koopa in amazement
“Why do you sound so surprised?” Bowser asked, taking Luigi’s hand in his “this is your wedding too and I won’t settle for it being anything less than perfect for both of us” he noticed the heart shaped arch was being set up "no! That doesn't go there" he stormed over to the arch and started yelling at the Partoopas about where it was supposed to go "put it there where Kamek will marry us!" Grumbling to himself Bowser walked back over to Luigi "so, what else do you want to add?"
"Well," Luigi started "in my parents wedding photo's they had floating candle center pieces in like these water vases and I always thought they looked nice"
"We can do that" Bowser said
The two sat together in the front row of the pews to watch as everything was set up, well everything that could sit out for a few days without being ruined and out of the corner of his eye Luigi noticed that three Troopa's were sitting on the ground cutting up candles into a third of their original length and then carving out the wicks of the candles that needed it. They played eye-spy and it was surprisingly kinda fun, Luigi was really enjoying coming up with ways to describe the stuff he had no idea what it was and Bowser liked the challenge of figuring out just what in the hell his soulmate was talking about.
"Alright," Luigi said "I give up. What is it?"
"That Thwomp" Bowser said, pointing at the angry stone, "so, Kamek mentioned you're a pretty good cook. Not to brag or anything, but I know my way around the kitchen pretty good myself"
"Oh really?" Luigi asked
"Yup"
"Prove it" Luigi said, giving the Koopa a gentle nudge
"Huh?" Bowser asked, unsure of if he'd heard right
"You heard me. Prove it"
"Alright, I will!"
Standing up Luigi headed off for the kitchen, leaving Bowser behind as he processed what had happened.
"Hey!" Bowser exclaimed getting to his feet "wait up"
Luigi tried to stay ahead of his soulmate, but the Koopa had a much longer stride than him and was able to snatch him up in no time.
"No fair" Luigi chuckled as he was carried the rest of the way to the kitchen
When they got there Bowser pulled out some decently sized chicken legs out of the cold box and got to work seasoning them.
"Can you dice these for me?" Bowser asked, handing Luig a bag of potatoes
"Sure" Luigi said grabbing a knife so he could start peeling the potatoes
While Bowser was busy cooking the potatoes and making some kind of fluffy garlic paste Luigi figured he could work on dessert. As he was mixing up the batter he could feel someone looming behind him. It was a familiar feeling, a feeling he got whenever he'd bake something back home.
"Ow!" Bowser exclaimed, holding the hand Luigi had just smacked with his spatula "how'd you know what I was gonna do?"
"My brother and uncles to swipe the batter of whatever I'm trying to make every time I bake"
"Come on, let me try some"
"No!" Luigi said grabbing a pan "no, grubby fingers in my batter"
"You know," Bowser started "I could just pick you up and take some"
"You could" Luigi said, pouring the batter into the pan
But he didn't, the Koopa just walked over to his oven to check on the meat when he heard water running behind him.
"What're you doing?" Bowser asked watching as Luigi had turned on the faucet to get the water nice an warm before he started washing dishes
"I'm gonna clean while the food cooks" Luigi said squirting some soap into the sink so it could suds up
"We have servants for that"
"I wasn't raised to let other people clean up after me" Luigi started "if I make a mess then I'm the one that cleans it up"
"Why?" Bowser asked, a look of almost disgust on his face. How could it be possible that his soulmate wasn't treated like a prince?
Grabbing a rag, the plumber dunked it in the water before ringing it out so he could start cleaning all the while Bowser stood behind him, watching him.
"Could you put these away, please?" Luigi asked handing the Koopa King a bowl to put away
"...Sure"
Bowser had to look around the kitchen because he had no idea where it went as he only knew where a few things in the kitchen were and it was mainly the stuff he’d need when he and Junior wanted a midnight snack so he eventually just set it on one of the countertops. The kitchen staff could take care of it later. By the time Luigi had finished the dishes the meat finished cooking and most of the dishes had been cleaned.
"It's done," Bowser said, getting his dish out of the oven, Luigi almost yelling at him to put on oven mitts before remembering he has thick scaly hands, "voilà!"
"It smells great!"
Grabbing a couple of the plates that had been set next to the sink to dry along with some silverware Luigi followed his soulmate out to the dining room as Bowser carried the food, plus desert. Setting the table Bowser pulled out his soulmate's chair for him again before taking a seat next to him. This dinner was even nicer than their first date, with zero of the awkward tension that existed last time. He even found himself laughing a lot more than last time; but as he was laughing Luigi felt a twinge in his heart that made him ache for his family; he hoped they weren’t too worried that he and Mario hadn’t been home yet. Once dinner had been finished the two retired to their room; Bowser was playing his piano while Luigi sat by the fireplace reading, sitting in his pile of pillows that the koopa had turned into a cozy little nest for him.
"What?" Luigi asked, feeling Bowser's eyes watching him
"Nothing" Bowser said, starting another song
"Really?" Luigi asked, not believing him
"It's just," Bowser started, “I know this is kind of a sudden question and I don’t want to scare you or anything, but…” his eyes drifted to something on his desk, making his soulmate nervous, “how do you feel about kids?"
Luigi knew he shouldn’t be surprised at the question; Bower was royalty after all so it probably was expected to carry on his bloodline, but it did.
“Well,” Luigi started, closing his book, “I've never really though about having kids before, but I've always liked them. My brother Mario and I used babysit our niece a lot when she was still a baby”
"That's great!" Bowser exclaimed, getting up from his piano bench to grab a picture frame off of his desk "here," he handed it to his soul mate
"Who's this?" Luigi asked looking at the image of what he thought was a young Bowser
"It's my son" Bowser said proudly
"Oh," Luigi said, looking at the king, wondering if there could be an angry ex he would have to worry about
"It was one of the happiest days of my life when the stork brought him to me"
"Is he here?"
"No, he's off having his own adventure. Hopefully he won't be too upset when he learns that Peach isn't gonna be his new mama”
“Why would he think that?"' Luigi asked tuning his head to look at his soulmate, who quickly averted his gaze, “what?"
"Its nothing,” Bowser said, unconvincingly, “I uh, just used to think,” he took several pauses during his sentence, “that Princess Peach was my, you know, soulmate”
"Should I be jealous?" Luigi teased
“Wh-what?” Bowser stammered out “no, I” he tried sputtering out some of excuse but he could only make noises not words
Luigi started laughing, “I'm just messing with you. Kamek already explained what happened to me”
"Oh," Bowser breathed out in relief, "good," he looked like the took several years off his life “I think I need to go lie down”
Standing up, Bowser set his son's picture on the fireplace’s mantel before plopping himself on the bed. Placing his book on the ground next to him before getting up so he could also walk over to the bed so he could see if his soulmate needed anything, only to have Bowser quickly snatch him up, trapping him to his chest in an embrace.
“Hey,” Luigi chuckled, half-heartedly trying to push away from the koopa, “release me”
“Never,” Bowser also chuckled, nuzzling his snout into Luigi’s hair “besides it’s getting late and we have a busy day tomorrow”
"Oh right" Luigi chuckled nervously
The wedding was tomorrow.
The second Luigi opened his eyes the next morning, a group of Troopa's whisked him away from Bowser so they could help him get ready. He'd been trapped in the room he'd been taken to for hours now, having been poked and prodded with various types of beauty products and stuff to style his hair. Eventually they settled on a light application of green eyeshadow, some clear lip gloss, and some moose to his hair to give it some more volume. He was also given the dress Bowser had made for Peach but the skirt had been dyed a pale green ombre, white at the bodice and green along the hem, and he'd also been given a red pearl necklace and golden bracelets to wear, along with a spiked headband that the veil would be attached to.
“How are you feeling, sire?” Kamek asked, as he and Luigi stood in front of the door that he would be walking through in just a few moments
"Oh, you know," Luigi stated, trying to keep himself from ringing the stems of his bouquet or pacing “nervous"
Terrified actually, he thought to himself. Did he really want to go through with this? If he tried to run away would Bowser come after him in a rage, force him to marry him and then lock him away in a tower so he couldn't go anywhere? They had landed to allow the guests to board the floating land mass so he wouldn't have to jump, but there was still the fact that he didn't know where he was so where would he go.
Or maybe this could work out. Outside of their very first interaction Bowser had been very kind to him and even though he hadn’t been given his own room he was always given privacy and space when he asked for it, and it was very easy to talk to him, the two often spent every night talking until they passed out; plus he'd always hoped that soulmates were a thing. After all, he'd never had much luck in the romance department back home. Maybe this could work out like the fairy tail Bowser was hoping the wedding would be. Yeah. Yeah, Mario would understand!
“Before I forget, Kamek started, pulling out a vile "here” he tucked it into his dresses pocket “for the wedding night”
Luigi's entire face turned red, he wanted to ask what exactly he meant but he was pretty sure he already knew.
"It's almost time" Kamek said looking at his pocket watch
"Would you mind walking me down the aisle?" Luigi asked, hoping that having some one with him would calm his nerves
"May I ask why, your highness?"
"It-it's a human tradition"
"Then I would be honored, sire" Kamek said with a small bow "oh, that's our cue!"
Taking a deep breath, Luigi squared his shoulders and held up his bouquet before he took his first step. As he walked down the aisle he glanced around the pews at the guests, most of them seemed innocuous, a lot of kinda looked board, some like they were holding back tears, and then there was King Boo as soon as the ghost kings eyes made contact with him he felt his blood run cold. Despite his own nerves, Bowser could almost immediately sense his soon-to-be-husband's distress and also looked out into the crowd to try and see what had caused it, suspicious of it being King Boo, even if he hadn’t intentionally done anything. Reaching out his hand the koopa helped Luigi up the steps when he got to him so they could stand before each other.
“Dearly beloved,” Kamek started after he’d poofed himself from next to Luigi and onto the altar, “we are gathered here today…”
As the wedding speech drabbed on Bowser noticed that Luigi's distressed expression hadn't faded completely.
"What's wrong?" Bowser whispered caressing Luigi's cheek with his knuckle, using his other hand to rub the back of his soon to be husband’s hand with his massive thumb,
Luigi took a deep breath before whispering back, "I just really wish Mario and the rest of my family were here"
Bowser tried to hide his displeasure at hearing his soon-to-be brother-in-law's name, but he should have known, just from listening to Luigi talk about his family it was clear that they were very close. Once he figures out a way that he could visit home he’d have to plan a second wedding for them to attend. An even bigger one!
"...Take Luigi to be your lawfully wedded husband?" It was the end of Kamek's sentence that snapped him out of his thoughts
"I do!" Bowser responded
"And do you Luigi take Lord Bowser to be your lawfully wedded husband?"
Luigi tightened his grip on Bowser's hands, "...I do"
“Then I now pronounce you husband and husband! You may now kiss the groom”
Lifting his soulmate's veil, Bowser looked at him with such soft eyes and warm smile that Luigi felt his heart starting to flip-flop in his chest. Leaning forward the koopa stopped a breaths distance away, waiting for Luigi to close it; and he did. It was the plumber's first kiss and it was amazing; he felt safe, especially when Bowser gently cupped the sides of his face. When they pulled away the crowd erupted into applause and the koopa was lifting him up onto his arms in a bear hug.
After that everything was a whirlwind, his new husband spent the rest of the reception showing Luigi off to his guests. While some of them were giving him sympathetic smiles, a lot of them seemed like they weren’t listening to most of what the Koopa was saying; like this is something that has happened before; even the pictures, speeches, and dinner went by in a flash until it was finished off in a fanfare as the happy couple retired for the night. Luigi was glad that Bowser was carrying him to bed because he was almost dead on his feet, the only time he got to sit was when they were eating.
"Is it over?" Luigi asked, sprawling himself out on the bed, closing his eyes
"Yes," Bowser said, hanging up his jacket and hat
Letting out a sigh, Luigi had just kicked off his shoes when he felt the bed around him dipping.
"Hi," Luigi murmured, reaching up to cup his husband's cheek
"Hi," Bowser responded, placing a gentle kiss on Luigi's cheek, "how do you feel?"
"Tired" Luigi responded as more kisses were placed along his face
"Not too tired I hope," Bowser said, kissing down to his neck, carefully mapping out which spots got a reaction
Luigi couldn't deny that it felt amazing and he was very much enjoying it, especially with the occasional grazing of teeth against his skin and feeling of massive hands running up and down his sides, but...
"Stop" Luigi said, gently placing a hand on his husbands chest
"What's wrong?" Bowser immediately put distance between the two of them
"I'm not really feeling up to it" Luigi said
Bowser looked at him for a beat before sitting up "Alright"
"Can you tie me?" Luigi asked, turning so his husband could unzip him
"Sure" Bowser said, undoing the zipped enough for the plumber to be able to get out of it
He heard Bowser blowing a quiet and displeased raspberry when he stepped behind the divider, chuckling softly as he slipped out of the dress and took off his accessories before grabbing a pair of boxers and a wife beater he wanted to sleep in. Once his husband was back in bed Bowser gathered up all of the blankets, creating a semi-cocoon around his soulmate as he held him close, tucking him under his chin as they both drifted off to sleep.
————
"Please," Peach pleaded, "without your help the Mushroom Kingdom will be annihilated"
"I doubt that," Kranky Kong said with a roll of his eyes, peeling open a banana "Bowser and his army're heading back to the Dark Lands as we speak"
"What?" Peach and Mario asked
"Yeah," Kranky chuckled "he even released all the penguins he'd taken prisoner"
"Did he release my brother?" Mario asked, feeling hopeful
"No, just the penguins were freed so if he's not a penguin he’s still there"
Mario and Peach looked at each other, unsure of what to do with this information.