Work Text:
The sweet scent of vanilla laces itself in every corner of the kitchen as Luigi hums a soft tune, cracking eggs into two metallic bowls and mixing in the flour.
Luigi made sure to wake up extra early so he'd have enough time to bake this cake. His blood pressure rises at the thought of its reciprocates and how they are going to react to his gift.
He checked the date at least six times in the last twenty minutes, making sure that he did, infact, have the right day. What if he was remembering wrong and he embarasses himself in front of the two of them? Or what if they don't even accept the gift and all his hard work will be for nothing?
No, Luigi wouldn't allow that. They'd have to accept a gift either way. If not for the cake, then for what he's going to put inside of the cake.
The thought still makes his heart race. Could what he is doing be considered treason in the Mushroom Kingdom? He'd have to think so, yet he knew Princess Peach wouldn't hurt him, or anyone for that matter.
The sound of footsteps transports him out his thoughts as he finishes mixing the batter.
Mario appears at the bottom of the staircase, stretching his arms as he takes a sniff of the air. His eyebrows rise at the smell.
"Caspita, Luigi, what is this?" Mario takes a seat at their island, staring eagerly at the bowls of batter in front of him.
"It's a cake, and it's not for you," he explains as he grabs the bowls to put in the oven.
Mario's face falls into a frown lightheartedly. "Not for me? Then who's it for?"
Luigi pauses for a moment, unsure of how Mario is going to react. "Well, today is Bowser Jr's birthday. I thought I might as well give him a gift."
Luigi doesn't turn from the oven to look at his brother, but he knows him well enough that his thoughts would be clear on his face if he did.
"Mamma mia, Luigi. What have those two done to deserve one of your perfect cakes?"
Luigi turns now, finding Mario with his hand rubbing at the temple of his nose.
"They might not have done anything to deserve it, but Bowser Jr is still just a kid. A murderous one, sure, but still a kid. One gift from me isn't going to hurt them."
Mario sighs, finally giving his attention straight to Luigi. "Sometimes you're too nice for you own good, fratello. But, if you want to bake a cake for them, then be my guest. At least let me lick the whisk?" He motions towards the batter covered whisk on the table with pleading eyes.
Luigi chuckles with a sigh, grabbing the whisk and handing it to his starry eyed brother. As his brother digs in, he's unsure of where to take the conversation.
"Do you have any plans today?" he finds himself forcing out .
Mario, with batter in his mouth, hums a yes. "Me and Peach are going to see this Toad movie," he says, taking another lick at the whisk. "I can't remember the name, but she seemed really excited about it."
"Sounds like that will be fun." Luigi begins to clean the island of the mess he made to busy himself.
"Now that you mention it, I should probably go get ready. She wanted to take me to the market before hand."
"Don't want to be late to an appuntamento with the princess, now do we Mario?" Luigi teases as he places the flour back in the cabinets. He doesn't have to turn to see the blush appear on Mario's face.
"Hai Ragione, I'll go get ready." He places down the whisk on a towel and rushes upstairs.
It's not long until he's back down, wearing his overalls and having his mustache perfectly combed. He grabs his hat from the rack and places it atop his head as he heads for the door.
"Leaving already?" Luigi questions from the stool he now occupied as he waited for the cake the finish baking.
"Tanto vale. Knowing Peach, it's unknown how long we could be in the market. You might have to come find us in two days time," Mario jokes, getting a laugh out of Luigi.
"I'll make sure to remember that if you two suddenly go missing."
Mario smiles at his brother and turns towards the door, turning the knob and letting the outside light in.
"Ciao, Luigi."
He's already out the door as Luigi says goodbye, closing it behind him. Luigi watches as he walks down the path from their home. The top of Mario's hat leaves his view, and Luigi has to lean forward in his seat to make sure he's really gone.
Pushing himself away from the island, Luigi stands, almost knocking the stool over from the motion.
His nerves were already showing, and the cake wasn't even done yet. Who knows how bad he'll be when he actually has to bring the cake to the Koopas.
He shakes the thought out of his head and makes his way up the stairs towards his room. The door is already open and he enters, making a beeline to his bed. Getting on his knees, he reaches under the bed and feels for his hidden object.
Finally grabbing onto something, he pulls and finds what he's looking for. A box. The sight of it makes him stop in his tracks.
Was he really going to do this? Was he really going to risk getting in trouble for something that wasn't even asked of him?
He thinks back to Mario's words, and he's knows that he's right. He knows that the Koopas have never done anything to deserve anything from Luigi. Hell, all they've ever done is make Luigi's life harder.
Despite all this, there's still something in the back of his mind talking him to do this. That it's the right thing to do, and if he doesn't then something bad will happen.
He sighs tiredly, opening up the box to reveal its contents.
There's a couple of mushroom powerups that he's stashed, a map with a compass that he got from a toad in the markets, a couple flasks of water (he doesn't even know if the koopas need water, and now that he thinks about it, he's never seen Bowser drink any), and finally, the most prestigious of the items; the key to their cell.
He had taken it off one of the Toads on his weekly visit to the Koopas. He doesn't know why he did it, or what force made it possible for him to pick pocket the Toad in the first place.
He could never imaine himself in a million years trying to pull off something as criminal as this, yet here he is now, holding a stolen key that can unlock the cell holding two very much wanted Koopas.
The cake must be done he thinks as he cautiously stands with the box in his hands, his grip almost making it slip out. It feels like forever when he finally makes it back down to the kitchen.
Placing down the box on the island, Luigi opens the oven to find two good looking peices of baked cakes. He takes them out and sticks in a toothpick, proud to find both of them clean.
He lets them sit in the pan on the counter as he waits for them to cool for the first ten minutes. He hadn't really thought about what to do, his mind still running with thoughts and ideas of what could happen.
He places the cakes onto the cooling racks after the ten minutes is up, and it settles on him that he'll have to wait even longer until he can even start thinking about decorating the cake. He presses his fingers to the baked batter.
Still hot.
Letting out a huff, he takes himself to the living room, grabbing a book from their tiny bookshelf and taking a seat. He's unable to get uncomfortable, and it isn't long when Luigi comes to terms that reading will not help calm his nerves as the words seem to be flying off the page.
He closes the book with a sigh. He wishes Yoshi were here right now. He has the power to comfort Luigi like a dog. A dog. Did this realm even have dogs? He doubts it as the creatures he's seen here barely resemble anything from the human realm to begin with.
Finding his thoughts going nowhere, Luigi stands, his antsy getting to the better of him. He reminds himself that he doesn't need to be doing this; doesn't need to be making his anxiety skyrocket through the roof for no reason, but he knows he can't stop now.
He sits back on the stool and looks out the window above the stove. He watches the way the leaves sway in the wind; watches how the branches cast a shadow onto the green grass below, and how the birds jump and chirp together on the branches.
Birds.
Sure, the birds in this realm were very different then back home, but they were still birds. Maybe there's a chance that dogs do exist in this realm after all.
Luigi glances at the timer and groans when he sees that only seven minutes have passed. He rubs a hand down his face, messing up his mustache in the process, but that mattered very little to him right now.
He hops off the chair and goes to feel the cakes. They are still warm, but Luigi has worked with worse. It's not like the two are even going to eat the cake anyway, save for a few slices that Luigi won't hollow out.
Making up his mind, Luigi places the two pieces of cakes onto a plate and gets to work. He goes through the motions almost robotically, frosting the top of the first cake and placing the second slab on top of it. He then works on the sides, smothering them with vanilla frosting.
It's definitely not his best work, with some of the frosting not sticking great to the hot cake, but he can't say he hates it.
Finally, the time has come to hollow out the cake. He makes sure that this is the most percise step, as one mess up could have him need to restart all of his process. He begins with cutting a slice off the top, then he mentally reminds himself not to cut all the way down the cake or take too much off the sides. As he hollows the cake, he makes sure to leave a quarter of the cake filled so that the two could still enjoy a slice. By the end, he's nearly sweating, but he's able to successfully pull out the rest of the unnecessary insides.
He stands back and admires his work; a perfect hollowing. He can't help but gleam at the cake, his hard work not being for nothing. Grabbing the box, he unloads the items into the cake, making sure they all fit nicely.
Taking one last look at the insides of the cake, Luigi places the top of the cake back on and frosts it over. Topping the cake with strawberries that he took from Brooklyn and some sprinkles, he stands back to admire his work for a second time.
Luigi checks the time and feels like crying tears of joy when he's on schedule. Heading back upstairs, Luigi changes into his usual overalls (his cooking clothes were now covered with frosting, but that's what he gets for forgetting his apron) and fixes his mustache in the mirror.
He almost jumps down the stairs, a new wave of excitement rushing over him as he opens the closet and pulls out a trolly that he borrowed from the castles kitchen. It finally dawns on him that he's going to have to cart his cake all the way to the castle without making it fall over and his excitement quickly diminishes.
Carefully, he transports the cake onto the cart and makes his way towards the door. Grabbing his hat from the rack, Luigi props the door open with a large rock that they use as their door stopper and successfully manages to get the cake outside the house into the noon sun.
He closes the door behind him and silently congratulates himself for completing one part of the long trip ahead of him.
He rolls the cake as carefully down the trail as he can and he enters the kingdom not long after.
Many Toads give their hellos and compliment him on the cake, while others make sure to keep their distance as to not accidentally end up getting in the way.
The castle finally comes into view after an eternity, and Luigi could sing to the heavens in joy. Guard Toads nod in greeting as he wheels the cake along the bridge towards the beautiful, gigantic doors.
The Toads part open the doors to let Luigi through. It's not long until Luigi makes it to the stairs down to the prison, the path almost muscle memory at this point.
The Toad guarding the stairs gives the cake a quizzical look.
Luigi does his best to give the Toad a merry smile to hide his nervesz
"Ciao, Toad!"
"Hello, Luigi," Toad begins, still eying the cake. "What's this for?"
Luigi feels himself begin to sweat, and he has to remind himself that Toad isn't suspicious, just asking questions. It's just a cake. It's just a cake.
"It's a cake! For Bowser Jr's birthday. Thought I might as well give him a regalo."
Toad hums understandably at the response. "Need any help with it? I wouldn't want it to fall and splatter on your way down.
He's just trying to help.
"Please, grazie."
Together, the two make their way down the spiral staircase, making sure not to drop the cake. As they finally touch onto the bottom step, Luigi can't help but let out a sigh of relief.
The two Toads at the prison door marvel at the cake as Luigi takes hold of it himself.
"I can take care of it from here. Molte grazie."
The Toad smiles and gives him a triumphant nod.
"Open the door for him, would you?" he calls out to his Toad comrades, and one of them quickly opens the door for Luigi. Giving his thanks, he makes his way into the prison hallway. A lot of the cells are empty, given that not many crimes happen in the Mushroom Kingdom, and it takes a while before Luigi finally reaches the cell of the two Koopas.
The two are playing cards on the floor (something that Luigi had snuck in for them), with Bowser facing away from the cell bars. However, Bowser Jr is able to instantly notice Luigi, his eyes widening and mouth opening in a gasp. Startled, Bowser turns, only to soften at the sight of Luigi.
"Woah!" Bowser Jr practically screams as he stands, running to the bars and clasping his tiny claws around them. "Is that for me?"
Luigi smiles, holding the cake higher in his hands. "Happy birthday, Bowser Jr!"
Bowser Jr's tail wags, his smile growing wider then Luigi had ever seen on another person. Or Koopa, he corrects mentally.
"You remembered my hatch day!" The Koopaling pauses, finally remembering who it is he's talking to; his enemy. The two have days where they are ble to get along, but Bowser Jr was still weary, and rightfully so, though Luigi knew he would come around some day. He was still a kid after all.
Now trying to act nonchalant, the Koopaling shrugs, scratching the side of his face with one of his claws.
"That's cool, I guess. Yet another reason why me and my dad probably won't kill you when we end up escaping!"
He grins villainously, and Bowser laughs at his son's antics, knowing well that Jr learned it from him. Luigi lets out an exaggerated sigh of relief as he places a plate onto the floor. "Why thank you, oh royal prince. I am forever grateful for your generosity!"
Bowser Jr can't help as his tail wags as Luigi cuts him a peice of cake and opens their food flap to give it to him. Licking his lips, he sits on the cold stone floor and places the plate in his lap. As Luigi is cutting a peice for Bowser, he picks off one of the strawberries with his claw, bringing it to his eye and examining it.
"What is this, Greenie?"
Luigi perks his head up and notices the strawberry in his hand. "That's a fragola, or strawberry in English. They're fruit from my home back in Brooklyn." Luigi watches as Jr continues to examine the strawberry, still unsure.
"If you don't like them, then you could give them to your papà. Or me. They're my favorite." Luigi gives him a sheepish grin as he pushes Bowsers slice into the cell.
Giving one final sniff, Bowser Jr plops the strawberry into his mouth. He hums in enjoyment, his tail swaying slightly behind him.
"It's pretty good!" He wavers a second before adding a silent, "I guess," still feigning indifference.
Luigi only brought napkins, not bothering with utensils as most of the Toads didn't even use them, so why would they be needed for giant Koopas? He proven right, fortunately, as they dig in with their claws, not minding the mess.
Luigi isn't sure of what to do, not wanting to take a peice of his own because he would be taking from the few slices the have. But he also doesn't want to just sit there and watch the two eat silently. Usually he's able to find something to talk about, but his nerves are still all over the place and his heart feels like it could drop into his stomach at any moment.
Thankfully, Bowser does the work for him as he nudges his son slightly with his shoulder. "What do you say, Jr?
Bowser Jr grumbles, making eye contact with a random spot on the floor. "Thank you, Greenie."
Bowser chuckles at his son and turns his direction towards Luigi. "Thank you for the cake, Luigi. It might not seem like it, but it means a lot to me." He smiles towards his son as he devours his cake, paying no mind to the two of them. "To us."
Luigi can feel his jaw drop ever so slightly, any words he thought he would be able to force out dying in his throat. Has Bowser always had a softer side to him? He definitely did in his tiny form, but he was tiny. It probably messed with his head. Why was he being so soft all of a sudden? Was it because it was his sons birthday today? Because Luigi had taken time out of his morning to bake his son a cake for said birthday? Why could he feel a flush rising from the bottom of his neck?
With all the thoughts swirling around in his head, Luigi is only able to muster a small smile as he pushes the rest of the cake into the flap in the bars and thank god it fit under because he doesn't know what he would've done if it didn't.
He's finally able to let a couple words out, however they're slurred and rushed. "You guys can just take the rest of the cake, it's my treat! Make sure to cut very carefully, and again, happy birthday! Hatchling day. Hatch day, whatever!"
He jumps up and runs down the prison hallway, opening the large metal door and practically skips steps as he climbs back up to the surface
God, why do he do that?
~•~
Bowser watches as Luigi sprints out of the prison in a blink of an eye.
Weird, he thinks, furrowing his eyebrows at the now empty hallway. He looks down at the cake, confused by the plumbers words. He said to cut carefully and yet he didn't even leave them a knife to cut with?
Perhaps in his rush he forgot is what he concludes, though Bowser doesn't even understand why the man was rushing in the first place.
Noticing Bowser Jr's empty plate, he motions towards the cake with a point of his claw. "Want another slice?"
Jr's eyes shimmer slightly and he nods his head eagerly.
Using the tip of his claw, Bowser tries his best to cut the cake into a reasonable slice. It takes a minute and it isn't perfect, but when the cake flops down onto the plate he's surprised to see that—
"It's hollow!"Bowser Jr practically shrieks. "He stiffed us!"
Confused, Bowser lowers his head to look at the cakes insides.
"Hold on, there's something inside," he explains, looking back to his son. "Can you fit your hand in there and pull it out?"
Bowser Jr gives his father a confused look and then stands compliantly. Taking a step closer to the cake, Bowser Jr sticks his hand inside. He feels around and first pulls out one of the flasks, turning it around in his hands and shaking it before placing it on the rocky floor.
He repeats this with every item; the map, the compass, the power ups (which he gawks at), the other flasks, and finally the key
"That's everything," he says, stepping back to admire the array of items.
Bowsers heart almost stops as he pieces together the seemingly random items in the cake. Taking the key, he stands, striding towards the cell door. He turns the key around in his hands and finds the key hole, jabbing the rusty item inside.
A perfect fit.
"Luigi, you bastard."
He can't help it as he lets out a hearty-cackle. It's loud, loud enough for the Toad guards to definitely hear, but he doesn't care.
They're finally busting out of this place.