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Luigi wakes up slowly, slowly opening his eyes with a yawn as he rubs the sleep from his eyes. However, as his pupils focus on the strange four poster bed he lies on does the panic start to set in.
This is not a room he is familiar with, where is he?
It’s then that he starts to recall the previous night’s activities; the celebration before the night turned to chaos. Luigi screaming Mario’s name as he is carried up and away in large set of talons before promptly passing out.
He’s not sure where he is, but he knows that he has to escape.
There are no locks on the door, so Luigi, cautiously, opens them to bring him out to a mezzanine. Numerous doors are scattered across the large space, but his eyes only focus on the grand staircase leading to the courtyard hidden in the dark of the night. As he quietly moves his way down the stairs, he spots a large gateway across the courtyard, and begins to rush down and towards his freedom.
The wind suddenly picks up around him as a large, something, slams into the ground in-front of the man, blocking his escape route. He can’t help but jump and scream in fright, and before he can realize what is happening, said object is pulling him back towards the direction he came from. Fearfully, Luigi turns and is confronted with an enormous creature. A dragon, Luigi realizes, immense in size, and currently smiling wide with its dangerous teeth on display.
And then the beast speaks, its voice thundering through Luigi’s entire being.
“Now where does my guest think he’s going so soon, hm~? asks the creature with a pur, leaning in to Luigi’s personal space. Luigi tries to take a step back, but he is literally pinned in place by the tail at his back, keeping him prisoner to the beast’s stare. Looking into those crimson eyes is when the previous evenings’ events really start returning to him; the party, the break-up, running to the balcony to weep in solitude afterwards before an immense shadowy figure draped the castle in darkness as screams broke out in the night. Before Luigi could even process what was happening he was being grabbed and lifted hundreds of feet in the air, screaming before exhaustion and fear took over and he passed out.
Unfortunately, it hadn’t been a dream at all.
"You look even lovelier up close in person, princess! Not that there was any doubt of your beauty of course - I could spot it miles away!”
At that, Luigi could only stare in confusion, relaxing his shoulders ever so slightly. “Uh, what?”
“Of course I noticed right away that you would make a fine princess”, interrupted the beast. “A fine princess indeed, for the great and mighty Bowser!”
“That’s not, I mean - what are you talking about?”
The creature, no, Bowser, frowned slightly. “I saw you at the party. Along with Peaches and that yellow princess, whatever-her-name is. I'm tired of that stupid red knight always coming in and stealing Peaches from me and foiling my plans, so I decided I would kidnap you instead!” The beast's grin grew wicked once more. “Also, there was no knight at your side, so it was much easier.”
The dragon stood proudly, boasting of his great accomplishment as Luigi could only stand there staring, breathless and still recovering from shock. At Luigi’s continued silence, however, Bowser frowned slightly, leaning his head down and closer, the smell of smoke nearly suffocating to the man.
“Unless you were stupid enough to trick me and are NOT a princess after all...”
A this Luigi quickly interjected. “N-no no! Of course not! I mean, of course I am! Why-why else would I be wearing such an outfit?” he chuckled awkwardly, ignoring the sweat running down the side of his face (you know, because of the giant, fire-breathing dragon of course!).
Bowser apparently accepted the man’s words, nodding his approval before a smirking again. “Just as I thought, how lucky it was then for me to notice you at the castle! Now though, I must ask…”
Before Luigi’s brain could catch up, the dragon had reached a long (and sharp!) claw out, gently tipping Luigi’s head up with said talon underneath his chin, forcing eye contact. There was no escaping those determined, crimson eyes.
“What is the name of my new treasure?”
Luigi can just feel his face flush, and he hates that he knows that this time it is not from the heat radiating off the literal dragon standing infront of him. For a few moments his brain can’t even parse the question, standing there quietly and awkwardly, Bowser waiting patiently for Luigi to find his voice.
“L-L-Lui”, he breaks to cough, “L-luigi, my name is Luigi. And you, uh, y-you said your name was B-Bowser…?”
It’s unnerving having so much of Bowser’s focus, those eyes never leaving his own. However, at the mention of the dragon’s name he snaps back with that prideful smirk, and giving Luigi room to breath.
“Yes! Lord Bowser, mighty king of the koopas! The fiercest dragon in all the lands! None can best me!” he bellows proudly, showing off by spouting fire into the air, finishing his introduction with a ridiculous, proudful pose. Luigi jumps at the sudden jump in volume of the creature’s voice (when had it gotten so quiet??“), ducking down with his hands over his head once the fireballs were spewed from his maw into the night. After a few moments of silence, Bowser squints an eye open to look at his guest, raising an eyebrow.
”...you really haven’t heard of me?? I thought that tales of my majesty were known throughout the kingdoms!“
Oh, unfortunately, Luigi DID know Bowser…though he had never seen the dragon in person, he had heard countless stories of Mario’s "adventures” fighting the great beast and rescuing the love of his life, Princess Toadstool. Many a times had Mario returned battered and bruised even in his scarlett armor, retelling his heroic rescue to Luigi as his brother helped tend to his wounds.
How was he THIS unlucky to come face-to-face with the exact same dragon? AND all while Mario was away??
“U-um..and uh, w-what are your plans with m-m-me?”
“Why, treat you as a princess should be treated of course! Spoiled rotten, treated to all the finest luxuries.”
“Soooo you don't want to eat me..?”
“WHAT? No!! Of course not, what would I want to do that??”
Luigi let out a small sigh of relief. At least he didn’t have to worry about becoming a small snack for the beast. But there were still other questions he had, and other problems. Luigi didn’t exactly want to be a prisoner in this terrifying, abandoned-looking castle.
“Um, am I uh, allowed to leave then?”
That looked to be the wrong question to ask, as Bowers’s expression changed immediately. His change in body language screamed danger, back arched so his spikes appeared even more menacing (because of course he does), and Luigi swears he can see a glow in his throat…
Yeah, that can’t be good.
“Of course not! That would defeat the entire purpose of me having you here in the first place! Why would I want you to leave? Why would you want to leave??” growled Bowser.
“Well um, it’s a bit spooky…”
Bowser arched a red eyebrow, turning his head to look around the space they were in. “What are you talking about? Nothing scary here!”
Bravely, Luigi turned and pointed to a pair or large statues that resembled Bowser over the stairwell. Their faces were a bit deformed, claws out and with apparently actual LAVA dripping down their maws.
“That? Hey, that’s art!”
Oh boy, Luigi was in for a long night…