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They had been publicly official for quite some time, now.
Bowser couldn't be prouder to beam and announce his beautiful partner, someone to finally mother his motherless children, who adored this little omega just as much as him.
Luigi was finally where he wanted to be. Surrounded by so much love at all angles, children that suffocated him under a sleep pile almost every night, purring and trilling their sweet, childish noises.
But there was something different about today. There was this urge, an itch at the back of Luigi's head one evening where he finds himself in the brooding suite, a gigantic room just as big as Bowser's with the blueprint of a massive nest right in the centre, blanketless.
Luigi had never slept here in this room, despite Bowser's gentle insistence that it was all for him whenever he wanted it. Luigi preferred to sleep close to the alpha, basking in the scent of burning wood and fire.
But today? Luigi sat at the open door of the brooding suite, tail swaying slowly behind him on the floor, unsure of what to do. 'This room is too plain. Needs blankets. Lots of blankets! Every blanket I can find!'
With a wag of his wolfy tail Luigi backs out of the room and goes hunting. Not your typical hunt, one that found him with a maw full of duvets, throws, blankets, pillows. Anything the needy omega could find that was soft, he would dump in the brooding suite and leave to find more until it became too much.
It was definitely too much. The pristine tiles were covered in all these soft furnishings that Luigi struggled to push open the door to the suite, squeezing through the tight gap and falling inside onto the cushy floor.
But... Where to start?
Luigi had made a few pathetic attempts at nests back at home, with family, and his brother. All of which turned out messy, uneven, a terrible balance between too many pillows on one side and not enough blankets on the other.
It had frustrated him, so much. Luigi curled up on these pathetic nests, uncomfortable and bothered. Defect. They would whisper, malicious with the intent to hit him where it hurt. And it did. So very much.
Little Junior, his sweet boy, often asking when Mama will make them a nest to cuddle in, and every single time Luigi had to dodge the question, ashamed. What sort of omega was he, if he couldn't even make a nest? Not even for his children?
Luigi paces around the blank canvas of a nest in the middle of the room, blankets and pillows bunched into a pile so he had room to think, to plan. What plan? An omega shouldn't have to plan something like this! It was instinct! Why couldn't he do this?! What was wrong with him?
"Sire."
The Magikoopa sits there on his broom in the air, watching Bowser surrounded on all sides by the Koopalings taking turns with their bath.
Junior wriggles as that sandpaper tongue grazes harshly over his tufts of hair, growling softly in dismay. Each child hated their weekly grooming, they all agreed that bath times were way better.
Bowser however doesn't look up at the presence of Kamek waiting patiently for acknowledgement.
"Your Highness." Kamek coughs into his fist, lowering himself on his broom. "You seem to have a distressed omega currently pacing the brooding suite. It seems your presence is needed."
Bowser instantly stiffens mid-lick. Luigi had said he needed a little bit of space, which was understandable with the way every child had been hounding him since the moment he woke up. Luigi deserved some space to breathe, going from a family of two to double digits was proving overwhelming for him.
"Brooding suite?" Bowser cocks up an eyebrow, nosing Junior out of his vice-like grip to stand up. "Stay here with your grandfather. I'll be back soon."
"Is Mama okay?" Junior sits up from where he had been harshly nosed onto his back, beady eyes watching as Bowser gets up onto all fours and approaches the door.
"He's okay, kiddo. I won't be long." Without so much as another word Bowser slips out of the door quickly, dodging and weaving the giant hallway to the very end where the brooding suite was.
Immediately there was the familiar whiff of his partner, a sweet cinnamon scent, a pinch of spice. It was stronger, clearly he was distressed about something.
Bowser noses open the door to see Luigi dragging stray blankets into the nest and doing his best to assort them perfectly along the edges of the canvas he had been given.
That wolfy face was pinched together in utter focus, pulling and tugging what he could into place and growling in complete frustration when it didn't go right.
Then the scent hit Luigi, burning oak. He perks up to see Bowser in the doorway, watching silently. Instead of wagging his tail, smiling, purring like he always did. He felt... Blank. Luigi felt the tears instantly and dropped the blanket in his teeth, head bowed in shame.
They met each other half-way into the brooding suite. Despite the reassuring purrs from his much bigger partner, Luigi didn't feel at ease. Instead he sits down right in front of him, burying his furry face into Bowser's plastron, whining.
"What is it? What's the matter?" Bowser coos quietly, gently as Luigi snuggles closer, shoulders sagging. The draconic-koopa nestles his snout down into his partner's head, nuzzling it gently. "What has you so worked up? You never come in here."
"I just... I want to make a nest. For you. For me. For the kids. For all of us! And I can't do it! It's my basic function as an omega and I can't even do that!" Hot tears soak into the fur around his eyes, stressed. Luigi never shifted like this unless he was feeling strong instincts, he was more comfortable as his human counterpart.
"Have you ever nested before?" Bowser asks carefully.
"Mmh..." Luigi pauses. "I...I suppose not. I've tried, for someone before, a long time ago. But every nest was wrong, they told me it was wrong. Too little, too messy, too much on one side, pathetic..." Luigi finally pulls away to walk back to the scraps of fabric, sitting there with ears pinned back. "Defective. I was a pathetic excuse of an omega, I put them to shame. I put myself to shame. I swore to never nest again after that."
Bowser listened, he didn't follow. He gave his partner that space to vent and only approached once Luigi had finished, purring his reassurance. "You are not defective. You just need a bit of guidance, that's all..." Bowser nestles his face into the side of his, murmuring. "Let me help you."
Luigi hadn't expected such a gentle response. Bowser was always good to him, so, so good to him. But why wasn't be upset? What made Bowser so different, so understanding? Why hadn't Luigi been shown such compassion and empathy for his nesting anxiety before?
"You're not mad?" Luigi squeaks out.
"Why would I be mad? Sure, I was a little curious that you hadn't made the children a nest despite their begging, but I wasn't going to force you to listen to their demands. Nesting anxiety is very common, you have nothing to be ashamed of." Bowser shrugs, nonchalant. "Every omega needs guidance. I had to learn a thing or two bringing the little ones up from infants."
Luigi turns to stare at Bowser who was focused on the stray fabrics along the messy nest and floor, then their eyes met. There was no catch, no malice. Those red eyes were softer than ever, full of understanding. Bowser leans towards him, gently nosing him. "Let me guide you. Teach you how to follow your instincts."
With a deep breath, Luigi finally nods. "Okay.."
Bowser left the room after that, leaving Luigi there for five minutes before coming back with a plethora of fabrics in his maw. The smell instantly hit Luigi, the scent of all their children mingled with the scent of his mate. It instantly flattens the fur on his neck, unclenching his jaw.
"Use these as your guide." Bowser nudges them towards Luigi. "Feel it, deep inside. Where do you want your kids to sleep? Where do you want me to sleep?"
Luigi hesitantly pads over to sniff over the fabric with a purr, taking the scented blankets into his mouth and heading back for the nest that was blank now, a fresh canvas.
"Keep the children safe." Luigi mumbles to himself, using his paw to scratch the mattress. "In the centre, surrounded by all sides. Safe." Luigi continues to scratch at the mattress as the fabrics were placed, using his nose to nudge them into place where he wanted them the most.
Bowser sat and watched, scaly tail swaying behind him, pleased. "You can do it, baby." He purrs as Luigi became hyper-focused on his task, like a switch had been flipped.
Luigi scratches some more, dragging Bowser's fabric into the mix and angling it to surround the blankets belonging to the children. "Alpha will keep them safe. Surrounded. Protected."
While Luigi was busy with the fabrics, Bowser made a few more trips back and forth to fetch pillows and throws from their nest in his chambers, strongly scented. Luigi snatches them up quickly, purring his thanks and Bowser catches the whiff of a strange undertone to the cinnamon smell. It was milky, warm.
He said nothing.
Luigi was finally doing it. He arranges pillows on the outer nest as a shield, a new instinct taking over. It was no longer shame, but belonging. His alpha sits there on the tiles cooing his praise, refusing to interfere with an omega nesting by instinct, growling softly in warning if Bowser came too close just yet.
Bowser, who was never swayed by those empty threats before, backs off. He knew better than to interfere with an instinctual omega nesting, watching as Luigi arranges everything so very particular, neat. If one thing was out of place he growls and starts the entire section again.
There was barely a crease in the blankets and throws arranged in the nest, rubbing off his milky smell on the unscented fabrics.
An hour of patience. Bowser never complained once, happy to sit there and watch his partner make his first ever nest for his family. The pride on his omega's nest was priceless.
"It's beautiful." Bowser mumbles his praise, taking a few careful steps towards Luigi who had curled himself up in his designated spot closer to where the children were meant to lay. The soft rise and fall of his breathing told Bowser he was finally relaxed, no longer anxious, those pheromones were long gone.
Bowser sniffs the outer-shell of the nest, gently rubbing his scent along the fabrics left unscented for him, very carefully, very slowly clambering inside. Luigi did nothing, clearly wanting this.
Bowser continues his scenting around the nest, as Lou's purring gets louder as the smell of burning wood surrounds him on all sides. He looked tired, laying there on his side with his eyes closed.
"You did such a good job." Bowser mumbles gently into his cheek, nuzzling it and settling himself to curl just behind his back, enough for the little omega to feel safe at least. The draconic-koopa buries his face into those scent glands hidden in the fur of his neck, sniffing there intently. Yes, there it was, the milky scent of cinnamon.
Bowser lets his brows cross as he sniffs, taking it all in. Things were about to change.
"Mmm..." Luigi murmurs in content, burying closer into Bowser. "This is perfect... Thank you."
"You have nothing to thank me for." Bowser mutters into the side of his face, before resting his muzzle gently atop the omega's head, a natural shield. "How have you been feeling these last few days?"
"Mmh.. Tired? Anxious?" Luigi snuggles closer into him, scenting the giant who buries impossibly closer. "Where are my babies?"
"Our babies." Bowser corrects playfully, raising his head towards the door left ajar and makes a series of loud chirps and clicks.
It took only a few seconds for the koopalings yo barge through the door and stand there with loud gasps of shock and awe at the giant, perfect nest their parents were curled in. "Your mother requests your presence." Bowser gestures to Luigi buried there in the blankets, letting out a series of his own chirps calling for them.
They wasted no time answering. Junior was first to run ahead and into the nest, surrounded by the scent of his parents that kick-starts every child into purring as they settle into Luigi's warm flank. Ludwig and Roy let out a series of pleased trills. "This nest is perfect, Mama." Wendy pipes up.
"Even better than Papas.." Lemmy adds sleepily, already settled down with Morton and Larry, while Iggy was pressed close into Luigi's chest, listening to that steady thrum of his heartbeat that comforted each child every night.
Surrounded by such loud, healing purrs, Bowser observes Luigi finally shifting into his desired form, supple pink skin pressed into his scales, unruly brown hair shielding sleeping eyes. Peace at last. Peace that wasnt going to last much longer.