"I would want to be treated kindly and with respect."
Those words echoed in Bowser's mind. They were concepts he was not familiar with. He was never shown such weakness, unless it was to his own kin. Besides them however, he had been taught to be as ruthless as he possibly could.
But if it was the only way to get Peach to love him, then sacrifices would have to be made.
Sunbeams trickled through the window the following morning. Luigi groaned and rolled over, hoping to catch just a few more minutes if he covered the blanket and pressed his face back into the pillow. Surely a few more minutes wouldn't matter. He was trapped after all.
Then it hit him. He wasn't lying on a cold metal floor. He was lying in a bed. A comfortable one, and not like his bed in Brooklyn with the lumpy mattress.
His eyes fluttered open. So it really wasn't a dream.
What was to become of him? Was this all some twisted game that Bowser was playing?
It didn't matter. At least, not now.
Making his way to the window, he gazed longingly at the scenery below him. Past the lava pits, the plants with sharp teeth, the bridge made of bones, and the overall darkness, there was hope. Freedom, maybe. He could see mountaintops and greenery, and bright blue skies. How we wished he could be there, with his brother by his side. Instead he was trapped.
His melancholy thoughts were interrupted by a fierce tapping on his door. He didn't have a chance to utter a word, before the stranger trotted in.
She was a small female goomba with a blonde ponytail, and one of her eyes was consistently squinting. Somehow without arms she was carrying a tray full of food.
"Good morning!" She chirped. "I brought your breakfast! There's toast, eggs, muffins, orange juice and black coffee!"
He stared at her suspiciously.
"I thought it would cheer you up." She added. "Since you miss your brother and all."
Luigi felt a lump in his throat.
"Whoops, sorry that was insensitive," The goomba laughed sheepishly. "I really should have read the room."
"S' okay." He was careful not to become over emotional again.
"Um, sooo... my name's Goombella."
He snorted. "Goombella?"
"Hey, don't laugh, it's a family name! And you must be Luigi." She dropped the tray in front of him. "I should get going. It's my first day of work here and I really want to make a good impression. Enjoy your breakfast!"
"Wait." Luigi frowned at the food. "How do I know this isn't poisoned?"
"Poisoned?" Goombella blinked. "I don't remember being told to poison it. Oh no, was I supposed to?"
"I..."
Goombella perked up, as though she had remembered something. "Nope, its not poisoned. The King specifically didn't want to poison your food. Here, I'll try some to prove it to you!" She gulped down a muffin in one bite. "See?"
Luigi wasn't feeling particularly hungry, but he took a slice of bread with jam and nibbled at it just to humor her. And the coffee did help with his pounding headache.
"Feel better?"
"A little. I'm confused though."
Goombella frowned. "Why?"
"Well, for starters I'ma prisoner and I'm currently staying at a room better suited for a luxury resort hotel. Minus the, ah, volcano in the distance."
She hummed. "King Bowser didn't want you to be in a cage anymore with the others. He didn't actually say why though. It could be a way of saying thanks? I really don't know."
Luigi dipped his head in acknowledgement that they were both confused.
"Oh! One last thing before I go, since you brought him up~" Goombella said. "Bowser requested to see you again. Urgently."
He paled, now feeling queasy. "Oh?"
"You will be escorted there promptly after you finish eating." She took the tray and cheerfully scurried away, oblivious to his growing anxiety.
Luigi had no clue where he was being taken this time, but once again he found himself following the cranky wizard koopa.
There were in the lower parts of the castle, where not many guards roamed, and the halls were dimly lit. He could hear the muffled melody of a piano forte playing in the distance.
"His evilness is in here." Kamek finally said, opening the door with his magic.
Luigi stepped inside albeit very hesitantly.
The stone covered walls decorated the echo filled room. It was bigger than the throne room, however there was nothing in it, no furniture of any kind, save for a red and gold tapestry with the Koopa King on it. Aside from that, there was also a piano.
And Bowser was playing it.
Bowser seemed almost connected with the music. His claws were surprisingly dainty as he played the sweet sonata to a slow tempo.
He felt something inside him as he watched the Koopa play. Bowser's eyes were full of bliss, yet still had some concentration, while Luigi's heart thumped in his chest. By the time Bowser had finished, he found himself only able to utter one word.
"Bellissimo..."
Bowser stopped playing abruptly to turn towards the man by the door. "Hm?"
"You play incredibly."
He suddenly looked like a deer in the headlights. He hadn't even heard Luigi come in! And here he was, watching him play and complimenting it?
"What? Um- I---oh--" Bowser refrained from showing any sign of being flustered. "Duh, of course it is. I told you I'm a genius at this." He gestured towards the piano bench for Luigi to sit next to him. "Although between you and me, my son taught me that one. He's more fond of classical stuff and I like to humor him."
"You're a father?"
"Don't act so surprised, I need to keep my awesome legacy alive." Bowser replied. "That's also why I wanted Peach to be in their life. To have another parental figure to help me guide them ...it's all I want for them. Another strong role model." He stopped, worrying he was becoming too mushy.
"Besides, I'm quite the catch if you haven't noticed."
Luigi blushed as Bowser sent him a quick wink.
"And yes, I'm a proud father of eight."
"Eight?"
He smirked. "Indeed."
"Mamma Mia..." Luigi coughed, took a quick glance at the sheet music, then back at Bowser. "Well, you have a lot of talent regardless. In piano!"
Bowser's eyes darted away, as if he were embarrassed. "Yeah, whateverthanksIguess. Anyway, I thought about what you said, and I spent all night writing this song for Peach. Will you listen to it?"
"I'm not much of a musician, but I can, si."
The song Bowser was interesting to say the least. Once he finished, Luigi clapped politely. He couldn't help but feel even more enchanted by Bowser's surprisingly smooth singing voice.
"Thoughts?"
"I liked it. Repeating her name was a smart choice."
"Are you just saying that?"
"No...?"
"This will win her heart for sure. She'll be practically begging me to propose after I serenade her!"
"And if she doesn't?"
Bowser scowled. "She will."
Luigi sighed and climbed off the massive piano bench. "That's your problem. You can't force love."
He was suddenly reminded of the koopa who had said something similar.
"What if she says no?"
It had not ended well for that random koopa.
He felt a low growl in his throat.
"Don't talk all smart with me, I'm still your---"
"No, listen, please." He pleaded, which made Bowser rethink using his fire breath. To his surprise, he let Luigi explain.
"I understand you have feelings for her, but you still need to respect her answer if she says no. Grand gestures are nice, but they aren't a guarantee."
"Then what's the point?"
"The point is having a mutual connection with that person. Mutual as in, you both agree to start a relationship."
Bowser turned his attention back to the piano. "Hmph. Human emotions are strange."
"That's what makes us so interesting, I guess." He chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck. "I liked your singing though."
Bowser stared at him suspiciously. "You did?"
"Of course," Luigi said. "It was very nice. You...sound very nice."
He grunted in response, which almost sounded like 'thanks'.
"It's a nice hobby. Helps me keep my mind off things." He admitted. "What about you?"
"Me?"
"Yes, what activities do you enjoy doing? Unless all you do is unclog sinks."
Luigi chuckled. "Well, er, I like to cook a bit. Before we moved, I also gardened."
"Gardened?"
"Yes, I haven't done it in a while though."
"So you like flowers."
"I...yeah?"
"The Princess likes flowers." He commented. "The non biting ones. Perhaps I should consider getting her some..."
After the second encounter, Luigi was free to roam the castle unsupervised. There was no explanation, just a simple comment from Kamek and that was it.
At some point he found himself down a hallway with several differently decorated doors. The one that stood out to him was a sign on the door that read 'KEEP OUT' with several crudely drawn skulls. He decided that it would be best to stay away from that one.
He returned to his own room shortly after, seeing as he wasn't in the mood to be bombarded by various koopas. With his luck, he could get a nap before dinner.
But to his surprise, there was something waiting for him when he arrived.
A bouquet of flowers with a note.
Had to contact a few friends in Maple Treeway to find these, since the only ones I had were fire flowers. Hope you like it or whatever.
-B.
Luigi hesitantly touched the wrapping, startled by how much effort it took to compile all these flowers together. Blue hydrangeas, green carnations, pink roses ...and a single lily of the valley.
He had no knowledge of flower languages, and he couldn't imagine Bowser knowing it either. But the gesture was unexpectedly sweet.
He smiled.
"Flowers..." Kammy said slowly. "You gave him flowers."
Bowser groaned with his head in his hands. "It seemed like a good idea at the time!"
"You've become attached to him."
"No I haven't!" He snapped. "You're speaking nonsense!"
Kammy flew forward and smacked him with her scepter. "Look at yourself! He's supposed to be a prisoner, a way to get to your new enemy and now---"
"He was supposed to help me with Peach." He admitted lamely.
"Is that what it is? Because anyone with a brain could tell you otherwise. Except for yourself."
"Leave me be, Kammy." Bowser dismissed her. "I need time to think."
Whenever he wasn't wandering around the castle exploring, Luigi found himself in his room staring at the flowers. Kamek was kind enough to put them in a vase. Thankfully, they had not started to wilt.
He was still in shock that Bowser had done something so thoughtful. If he was trying to impress Peach all this time, then why did he bother with Luigi? It didn't make any sense.
Unless... He shook his head. No, don't be stupid. He's the same guy who put you in a cage over lava. There's no way he would----
Somebody knocked on his door, causing him to jump and forget about what he was thinking.
"Let me in!" a muffled high pitched voice that he did not recognize demanded. "I wanna talk to you!"
Luigi carefully opened the door for his visitor. He expected it to be a servant of some sorts, but instead he was face to face with a tiny version of Bowser. If it weren't for his height, Luigi would have assumed he was the king of the koopas. He was small and round, with a green spiky shell and flaming red hair. The resemblance was uncanny.
"Uh hello?"
Little Bowser scampered inside with his nose scrunched up. "Wait...you're Luigi?"
Luigi awkwardly chuckled. "It'sa me. And you must be...?"
"Junior." The boy replied. "Bowser Junior."
"Oh! You're Bowser's son." He didn't know if he should bow or not. It felt awkward to bow to a child. But child or not, he was still a prince.
"Mhm." Junior was staring at him strangely. Then he randomly said, "You don't look like a princess."
"U-uh because I'm not----"
"Is your mustache real?"
"Um, yes?"
"Dad says he likes your mustache."
"He- he said that?"
Junior ignored his question. "I think it looks dumb."
Luigi had no idea how to respond to such a statement. Thankfully, Junior didn't need him to, and instead plopped a series of art supplies on the floor.
"Draw with me."
Luigi crouched down. "Uh, sure."
Junior passed him a green crayon and a sheet of paper. He honestly had no clue what to draw, but decided to humor the kid.
After an hour of him drawing various doodles, he glanced at Junior's paper. "What did you draw?"
Despite the drawing clearly being made by a young child, it was very impressive. There was a castle and an ocean of lava. Bowser Jr stood in the middle wearing a golden crown and a super star.
It was honestly adorable, if a bit disturbing considering the fleeing mushroom people on the edge of the page.
"It's the kingdom I'm gonna rule," He boasted. "Dad says when I'm bigger, I'm gonna rule everything."
"That's...nice. What else do you like to draw?"
Junior hummed. "I like to draw hard stuff. Like this castle. Or my siblings. Or Mama Peach." His eyes sparkled. "I'm gonna draw me fighting the bad guys!"
Luigi ruffled the boy's hair. "Sounds like a plan."
"Junior? Junior!" Bowser bellowed through the halls. "I told you not to run away---" He stopped at Luigi's doorway. "Oh."
"Papa!" Junior bounced from his spot and presented his drawing. "Look what I drew!"
Bowser smiled fondly. "Excellent work son. I shall hang it on the walls. If there's space." He chuckled and patted the boy's shell. To Luigi, he asked in a hushed tone. "Was he bothering you?"
"No! Not at all." Luigi assured him. "He's a good kid."
"Good. Sorry, ah, he has a tendency to bolt."
"I get it. Well, I don't actually get it because I'm not a parent but---"
"No, no I understand. Anyway-"
"Daaaaad!" Junior whined. "Tell him."
Bowser shot his son a warning glare.
"Papa wants you to join us for dinner." He said slyly. "I heard him tell Kamek."
"Wh-"
Bowser yelped, shaking his head furiously. "You don't have to. It was just an offer if you wanted to. Junior, go play with Larry now---"
"But that's why you brought him the flowers!"
"Junior!" He lightly nudged the boy out of the room. "Kids, am I right? They say the strangest things..."
"I'll see you at dinner then." Luigi said softly, a playful smirk appearing on his face that caught him off guard.
It was extremely easy to get lost in the castle. No matter how much he wandered about, he always ended up taking a wrong turn. None of the guards seemed happy to help him either. Which made sense, considering they all saw him as a prisoner from another world.
He didn't really feel like one.
But once he heard the loud babbling of children coming from the last door, he knew that was where he was supposed to go. He fixed his collar, brushed off his overalls and walked in.
The dining room was pure chaos. Though it looked as fancy as any other room---complete with a long and elegant table and sparkling chandelier. However there were seven koopa kids sitting at the table, all of whom were having separate conversations with each other.
"Ah, you came!" Bowser greeted, sitting at the end of the table. He cleaned up well, with his flaming locks slicked back slightly.
Immediately all the kids stopped talking and glared at Luigi.
"Who is that?" asked one with neon green hair and glasses.
"He looks funny, Dad." said another with a pink bow.
"What's that on his face?"
"I thought you were gonna bring us a mom!"
"Is he supposed to be in here?"
"I think he's a farmer..."
"That's Luigi!" Junior exclaimed, pulling out a chair for him to sit. "He's our hostage!"
"Ohhhhh!" The kids chorused.
"Yes, and he's helping me with important information, so there's no need to bombard him with questions," Bowser told them. "Luigi, I apologize for not telling you that they would be eating alongside us. Family matters and all."
"No problem, I think."
"I'lll, uh, introduce them." He gestured towards the smallest koopaling with multicolored hair. "This is Lemmy, he's seventeen."
"Hi!" Lemmy bounced on his seat excitedly.
Luigi could have sworn Lemmy would have been the youngest with how tiny he was.
"There's Roy, he's sixteen."
Roy was a bald pink koopa with sunglasses. He didn't acknowledge Luigi at all.
The koopaling with neon green hair spoke up next. "Sup, I'm Iggy! I'm an aspiring evil genius."
"Oh...okie dokie."
"They're a little eccentric but they're harmless." Bowser said. "Iggy, don't experiment on your food---"
"Ugh, Dad..." Iggy rolled their eyes as they reluctantly threw a series of chemicals behind their back.
"Then of course, there's my daughter Wendy." He said referring to the girl koopa with the pink bow.
Wendy seemed overall uninterested in Luigi, and instead was texting on her phone. "Whatever..."
"I'm Morton." a grumpy looking koopaling chimed in. "Can we have food now?"
"Yes, just one more kid to introduce." Bowser assured Morton, gesturing towards the final koopaling. "This is---"
"Larry! I'm Larry!" He said. "And I just turned nine!"
Bowser nodded his approval. "Yes, thank you Larry. And of course you met Junior."
"Hi Luigi!"
"It's nice to meet you all," Luigi meekly said. "But er...I thought there were eight of you?"
"Oh, right." Bowser shook his head tiredly. "My eldest Ludwig won't be joining us this evening. He's nearly grown after all, so he decided to focus on his latest symphony instead."
"Ugh, he's so pretentious." Wendy complained. "Can't even eat dinner with us."
"We don't wanna see im' anyway." Roy shrugged.
There was a silence that followed, since nobody knew what to say. But soon after, several magikoopas came floating in with hundreds of plates filled with all sorts of various different foods for each person. And his didn't look too strange, which was a relief. With all of them being an entirely different species, there was a possibility that the menu would be unique, to say the least.
Luigi's plate resembled roast beef and potatoes, even some veggies, and the smell was intense and rich. He took a quick glance at Bowser Junior's meal, which looked like a bunch of dinosaur shaped chicken nuggets.
"Dad looked up human foods!" He explained. "Try some."
"He did?"
"I did not---" Bowser argued. "I ...just wanted to be sure. The cooks did all the real work and research."
"Just in case for Peach, right?" Luigi asked.
He didn't answer, not that he had to.
After they finished (and Luigi was once again surprised by how delicious it was), the koopalings eventually left them alone. Both Lemmy and Iggy actually bid him farewell as they left.
Junior was the last to leave, staring at his father and Luigi expectantly.
"Junior..."
"What? I'm just watching."
"You don't need to watch," Bowser pretended to scold the boy. "We'll only be together for a minute."
"Hmmm okay Papa!"
After he scampered away, they were alone.
"They seem to like you." Bowser commented.
"Do they?" He seemed skeptical, although seeing little Larry wave him goodbye did melt his heart. "I thought they were just trying to be nice."
He huffed out a laugh. "Those kids don't act nice to anyone. They're trouble, and I couldn't be prouder. And yet..." His ruby eyes stared curiously at Luigi.
Luigi wished he had pockets so he could have something to do with his hands. "I see. I didn't expect you to show me your kids so soon."
"That wasn't intentional," Bowser insisted. "You saw Junior, he just ran right into your room. I had no choice. I recognize that they're a handful."
"I was only kidding," Luigi assured him. "Besides, it wasn't nearly as chaotic as family dinners back home with mine."
"With ugh, Mario?"
"Him, our parents, our Uncle Tony..." Luigi said. "We all gather around and it's pure chaos. This was actually pretty tame in comparison."
Bowser looked relieved. "Um...so... did you enjoy the meal?"
He nodded. It wasn't anything like the meals he and his mama cooked together back at home, but it definitely was better than the food he was served while trapped in a cage.
"I'm glad." Bowser's features seemed to soften.
It was quiet again, and worse, there were no chattering children or chimes of silverware to ease the silence. It was awkward.
Bowser seemed to sense it. "Luigi."
"Y- Yeah?"
"If you ever...you know," He refused to make eye contact. "need anything to make your stay more comfortable, feel free to let me know. At least until your brother arrives and tries to save you before he inevitably fails." He smirked, trying to joke.
Luigi actually giggled, which only made Bowser both confused, and for some reason delighted at the sweet sound.
"He won't fail, Bowser. But grazie. Will I see you tomorrow?"
"You will. Just for more ...practice. Princess Peach should be here any day now, and I need to impress her as quickly as possible." He said without any confidence or usual gusto.
Luigi's shy wave as he left made his stomach twist into knots.
Something felt seriously off.