#jerry the hammer brother | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

itsamenickname · 2 years ago

Text

To Break the Bonds Within Two Kingdoms Chapters 5-9

Chapter 5

How did King Boo escape?

Where was he hiding before he invaded the Dark Lands?

Is he working alone or with another villain?

These were just a few of the questions that were running through the three royals’ heads as they stared at Jerry for what felt like hours. They wanted to ask their questions to the Hammer Brother, but fear prevented Mario, Peach, and even Bowser from uttering a sound as they were still trying to process Jerry’s terrifying announcement.

But the silence was soon broken when one horrifying realization came to the Koopa King.

“Where is Luigi?” Bowser demanded while refusing to take his eyes off Jerry. He couldn’t bear the thought of Luigi handling the invasion by himself, especially after the argument they had this morning, so he inwardly prayed to Grambi and the Stars that the green king was able to retreat to a safe place.

But the three royals noticed the apple in Jerry’s throat as the minion tried so desperately hard to keep his composure in front of them.

“K-King B-Boo…,”

Bowser didn’t give Jerry a chance to finish his response.

Because those two words were all it took for the Koopa King to rush out of the throne room.

“Bowser, where are you going?!” Mario questioned with annoyance and a hint of worry.

He didn’t listen. Mario’s questions, Peach’s pleading, and even Jerry’s explanation, Bowser ignored them all as his mind was consumed with the relentless thought of wanting to tear King Boo apart limb from limb.

That is, until someone got the idea to throw a turnip at the Koopa King’s head.

“Bowser, please just listen to us!” Peach pleaded after Bowser stopped in his tracks and faced the royal couple. If it wasn’t for the second turnip he noticed in Peach’s hand, Bowser would’ve ignored the queen and continued his brisk walk to the airship. “We understand you’re upset, but you can’t just rush back to your castle without thinking this through! We need to come up with a plan!”

“I don’t want to come up with a plan!” Bowser fumed. “It’s one thing for King Boo to take over my castle and make my minions join his side, but for him to not only have the NERVE to kidnap my husband, but to also keep him as his sick decoration?! No, that little marshmallow ball has taken it too far and now he’s going to fucking pay!”

“And what on Earth makes you think that he won’t trap you in a painting the moment you step foot into your castle?!” Peach screamed. She was relieved that Bowser was sort of willing to listen to her, but she refused to loosen her grip on the turnip. “You have never fought against King Boo before and both Mario and I know him well enough to know that you won’t be able to defeat him with just your fire breath and shell!”

“Oh, and I suppose you two have a better idea?!” Bowser jeered. He hated this. Every second he was arguing with Peach was a second he could be using to stop King Boo. Why did she have to choose this moment to be so stubborn? “Incase you’ve forgotten, your armies are still weaker than mine, so unless the rest of my minions escaped like Jerry did, King Boo will slaughter your armies like the little twigs they are!”

As Peach and Bowser continued to argue about the next course of action, they didn’t notice Mario thoughtfully staring at the airship. The red king knew they couldn’t just barged into Bowser’s Castle without some kind of weapon, but Luigi was the expert when it came to ghosts and other paranormal stuff. How did he defeat King Boo before?

That was when it suddenly hit him.

Without taking the time to think about the consequences, Mario quickly grabbed the turnip Peach used earlier and threw it at Bowser’s head. The action was enough to stop Peach and Bowser’s argument, but the Koopa King’s anger only grew as he now switched his focus to the red king.

“Ow!” Bowser yelled while rubbing the spot where the turnip hit his head. If looks could kill, Mario knew that he would surely be dead by now. “What the fucking hell was that?!”

“I have an idea on how we can defeat King Boo and save Luigi,” Mario revealed. “And his name is Professor E. Gadd.”

Peach and Bowser exchanged a confused glance before looking back at Mario. Now yes, they knew E. Gadd was friendly and very intelligent, but from the stories Luigi told them, Peach and Bowser thought of the professor as more of a mischievous and somewhat quirky old man.

Surely, Mario’s plan wasn’t going to entirely rely on the professor, right?

But when Peach and Bowser noticed the confidence and determination Mario had, it was easy to tell that they had the exact same realization.

It was.

“How the hell is that crazy old professor going to help us?” Bowser asked while raising one eyebrow.

“Luigi defeated King Boo at The Last Resort with an invention E. Gadd made called the Poltergust,” Mario explained. “It has the ability to suck up all types of ghosts, so if we just explain our situation to the professor, he’ll let us use the machine to stop King Boo once and for all.”

With each second that Mario thought over his plan, the more confident he became in that it was going to work. Granted, he had only really battle against King Boo back in Isle Delfino, but Luigi saved him three times with the Poltergust. How difficult could it be to battle against a ghost king with a vacuum cleaner?

But what happened next threw both Mario and Peach completely off guard.

Bowser started laughing.

Hard.

“That’s your idea?!” Bowser wheezed out. Tears started to form in his eyes as a result from laughing too hard, so Bowser used one hand to wipe his tears away while placing his other hand on his hip. “Your plan is to defeat King Boo with a fucking vacuum cleaner?! That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard of! What kind of idiot would lose to a cleaning supply?!”

As Bowser continued to laugh his ass off, it didn’t take Peach very long to notice Mario slowly charging up his Firebrand. She knew that her husband was on the verge of attacking Bowser, so she quickly grabbed one of Mario’s hands before giving it a gentle squeeze. She could tell her silent action was enough to force the red king to take a few deep breaths while also dissipating his Firebrand at the same time.

“If you’re going to stand there and make fun of my plan, then I would love to hear any other ideas you have in stopping King Boo,” Mario encouraged with an annoyed tone.

Truthfully, Bowser didn’t think it was such a terrible idea. He always loved it when Luigi told him about the tales of defeating his sworn arch-nemesis and found it especially heart-warming to know that Luigi would do anything to save the ones he loved, even when the mere thought of ghosts terrified the green king.

It was one of the things Bowser loved most about Luigi.

But was he willing to let his ego go and admit that Mario had a decent plan?

He certainly didn’t want to, but he could at least pretend that Mario’s idea was the only viable option.

“Fine, we’ll go with your plan,” Bowser admitted with a frustrated sigh. “I know where the professor lives, so we can take my airship and be there in four hours.”

“Then it’s settled,” Peach conceded, speaking for the first time since Mario threw the turnip at Bowser. “You two are going to retrieve the Poltergust from the professor and work together to save Luigi and the Dark Lands from King Boo.”

Bowser annoyingly nodded in acknowledgement as Toadsworth entered the castle grounds. The Koopa King was in no mood to hear his lectures, so he left the royal couple alone to deal with the old Toad while he used this time to inform the Captain of their new plan. It wasn’t until after he finished the conversation with the Shy Guy that Bowser realized what Peach actually said.

He was going to have to team up with Mario.

Shit.

*********

Chapter 6

King Boo had the biggest grin on his face as he watched his new prisoner struggle to break free from his prison. Now deep down, the ghost king knew that he should be preparing for the next phase of his plan, but he just couldn’t help but admire his new painting. For years, he had to watch Luigi suck up his minions with the vacuum cleaner that stupid professor made. Plan after plan and fight after fight, it was all thwarted by the scaredy-cat plumber and it frustrated the ghost king so very much.

But not this time. For the first time in years, the tables were turning in his favor and King Boo wanted to savor every single moment.

“Oh Luigi,” King Boo cooed. “I have been waiting for this day for so long and it brings me nothing but joy to finally have you as my prisoner. I hope you know that I specifically picked out this portrait frame just for you. It really brings out the terror in your eyes, you know.”

Luigi forced himself to ignore King Boo as he continued his attempt of breaking his invisible prison wall. He hated this. Since the moment he woke up, King Boo had done nothing but watch and admire him with such lust in his eyes that made the green king so uneasy and uncomfortable.

He desperately wished for somebody, anybody, to come and save him from this horrendous nightmare.

But the green king knew none of the minions could help him. So many of them died from the unexpected invasion and the minions who did survive swore their loyalty to King Boo.

Whether he liked it or not, Luigi was all alone.

And that thought terrified him.

However, as King Boo continued to stare at his new decoration, his attention was soon shifted when a Boo announced his presence with a knock on the throne room door. King Boo’s admiration was quickly replaced with frustration when he realized that he was now being interrupted, but relief couldn’t begin to cover the emotion Luigi felt when he saw that the ghost king’s focus was on something other than him.

“What do you want Boolderdash?!” King Boo shouted. “Can’t you see that I’m busy?!”

“Boolderdash…,” Luigi thought as he slowly stopped his struggles. He remembered that name. Boolderdash was one of the last Boos he had to capture from the first mansion. Granted, he was also one of the more difficult Boos to catch, but the fact that Luigi had seen the Boo back at Boo Woods at least explained why Boolderdash didn’t seem scared or afraid to talk to King Boo.

It was only when Boolderdash cleared his throat that Luigi decided to actively listen to the conversation.

“There’s one other important news,” Boolderdash informed. “In regards to the Mushroom Kingdom.”

Luigi felt his heart skip a beat. The Mushroom Kingdom? That didn’t make sense to the green king. King Boo already captured him and technically became the new king of the Dark Lands. Why would he be interested in his brother’s kingdom?

Luigi had a terrible feeling he was going to find out.

“What about them?” King Boo asked. By now, he noticed that Luigi was eavesdropping on the conversation, but it didn’t matter to him. Whatever news Boolderdash had about the Mushroom Kingdom was much more important.

“It has been confirmed that Mario and Bowser are working together in hopes of defeating you,” Boolderdash revealed. “In fact, the two kings are traveling to Evershade Valley right now in hopes of retrieving the Poltergust from the professor.”

King Boo couldn’t help but ponder at this new information. So Mario and Bowser decided to team up, huh? That was something King Boo didn’t expect to happen so quickly, especially given their past history. Then again, Luigi was important to both them, so it made sense that Mario and Bowser would set aside their differences to save the one person who mattered most to them.

But then one realization came to King Boo.

“What about Peach?” King Boo inquired. He knew Peach was the middle-man between Mario and Bowser, so he was interested in knowing if she decided to tag along on the adventure to prevent the two kings from arguing every 5 minutes.

“Peach decided to stay behind per Toadsworth’s request,” Boolderdash responded.

It didn’t take long for King Boo to discover the true meaning of Boolderdash’s response.

She stayed behind.

While Mario and Bowser are traveling to Evershade Valley, Peach agreed to stay behind to watch over the Mushroom Kingdom.

Which leaves an entire kingdom defenseless.

Luigi felt all the blood draining from his face upon coming to the exact same conclusion.

“No!” Luigi screamed as he slammed his fist against the invisible prison wall. He couldn’t let King Boo go through with this. The green king wouldn’t be able to live with himself if the ghost king conquered a whole other kingdom, especially when none of those innocent citizens were involved with his ghostly adventures. “Please don’t do this King Boo! I’m the one you want, not them! I’ll do anything you say, but please leave the Mushroom Kingdom alone!”

To say that King Boo and Boolderdash were surprised to hear Luigi’s outburst was an understatement, especially since the green king hardly said a word since he was captured just hours ago.

But King Boo’s astonishment was immediately replaced with amusement when he noticed the amount of terror Luigi had on his face.

It just made him want to do it even more.

“Oh my dear Luigi,” King Boo sighed with a chuckle. He started to make his way to the exit of the throne room with Boolderdash following closed behind. “You should have thought about that before you defeated me at The Last Resort.”

“No, wait!” Luigi begged while slamming his fists against the invisible prison wall. He continued to beg and plead to the Boos in hopes that one of them would stop and listen to his pleas.

But both King Boo and Boolderdash ignored him.

“N-no, p-please…,” Luigi whispered to himself after the two Boos left the throne room. He let his arms fall as he closed his eyes and allowed tears to fall down his face for the first time since his capture.

Peach…, Mario…, Bowser…

I’m sorry.

4 hours later…

Bowser sighed in exhaustion as he collapsed onto the king-sized bed in his quarters. For the past four hours, the two kings brainstormed hundreds of different ideas to save Luigi and the Dark Lands and defeat King Boo once and for all.

Although, with the way he and Mario couldn’t agree on a single plan, Bowser would’ve called it an argument more than a brainstorming session. Hell, on multiple occasions, the Koopa King had the thought of ditching Mario at Evershade Valley and rescuing Luigi by himself.

It was a miracle when the Captain suggested them to take a break until they landed.

“Why the hell did I agree to this?” Bowser muttered to himself as he rubbed his face with his hands. He loved Luigi, he really did, but his brother was a real pain in the ass to work with.

He almost wished that King Boo kidnapped Mario and Peach instead. At least with that, Bowser would’ve been able to assist Luigi with one of his haunted adventures. Plus, never letting Mario live down the fact that he helped Luigi save him and Peach was also a nice additional bonus.

“Why didn’t you bring Luigi with you?”

Bowser immediately stood up at the sound of an unexpected voice while quickly getting his fire breath ready to burn the intruder. The Koopa King paused and started to put out his fire breath when he saw that the intruder was just Mario, but it didn’t stop his anger from rising as he gave Mario a death glare.

“Don’t fucking sneak up on me like that,” Bowser growled while running a hand through his hair. He sat down on the edge of the bed as he forced himself to take a few mental deep breaths. “What the hell are you even doing here, anyway?”

“I’ve been thinking about our conversation at the castle when I realized something,” Mario answered. When it was clear that Bowser wasn’t going to burn him to a crisp, Mario decided to enter the room and sat himself down onto a nearby chair next to a desk. “This situation likely could’ve been avoided if Luigi came along with you to visit me and Peach, so I want to know why Luigi stayed behind to watch over the Dark Lands.”

“I thought you wrote the letter,” Bowser explained with a hint of annoyance. “And considering our current relationship, I didn’t exactly take the time to think about the logic of the letter.”

“But Luigi is still my brother,” Mario informed. “And even if Peach and I wanted to meet with you in private, it doesn’t mean that Luigi can’t come with you to spend some quality time with me afterwards.”

“Luigi chose to stay behind and watch over the Dark Lands,” Bowser confessed. It wasn’t a complete lie. Luigi did make the decision to stay behind after their huge fight, but Mario didn’t need to know the factors that impacted his brother’s choice. “And besides, even if he wanted to visit you and Peach, I would’ve made him stay behind because I didn’t want to do anything that would make you hate me more than you already do.”

It was quiet as Mario tried to think of a proper response, which was a huge relief to the Koopa King. Stars, this entire conversation was really getting on Bowser’s last nerves. He despised how Mario was insinuating that this entire adventure was his fault. Although, thinking back about the decision, it probably wasn’t the best idea to leave Luigi alone to watch over a kingdom who still thought of him as an enemy, but how the hell was he supposed to know that King Boo escaped?! Plus, it certainly didn’t help that the red king wasn’t even giving him the benefit of the doubt. Bowser loved Luigi more than anything else in the world, dammit, and Mario was acting like the vows he made to Luigi on their wedding day didn’t mean anything!

But what Mario said next completely blew Bowser away.

“I don’t hate you, Bowser.”

Now up to this point, Bowser made a goal to keep his anger in check, even though every part of his body wanted to start any ridiculous argument with the red king. It wasn’t because Mario was sensitive or emotional, but it was more because both of them wanted to save Luigi from King Boo’s clutches and they knew the best chance they had in achieving that goal was by actually working together instead of arguing every five minutes.

But for Mario to act like their rivalry was all in Bowser’s head?

That was the final straw for Bowser.

“You have got to be fucking kidding me,” Bowser deadpanned.

“I’m not-,”

“Bullshit!” Bowser shouted as he shot up from the bed. “Since the day Luigi and I revealed our relationship to you, you have never given us your fucking approval! Hell, even Peach accepted the fact that Luigi and I are in love, which is really saying something considering the fact that I have put her and her kingdom through hell and back since she and I became the official rulers of our kingdoms! Just face it Mario: you always have and you always will hate me for dating Luigi.”

“Oh, don’t even try to act like you’re the victim in all of this!” Mario screamed as he shot up from the chair. “You have been nothing but selfish and egotistical since the day Luigi and I came to the Mushroom Kingdom, but now you expect me to let go of the past and accept the fact that my baby brother is with someone like you?! I knew people like you back in the real world and I know that it will only be a matter of time until you break my little brother’s heart and trust and go back to your old ways!”

“If I wanted to go back to my old ways, I clearly would’ve done that by now,” Bowser admitted. “I have been a changed Koopa for almost 18 months now and the fact that you still can’t see that proves that you’re the one who hasn’t changed.”

If the Captain hadn’t interrupted their argument at that exact moment, Bowser knew Mario would’ve instantly instigated a full-on brawl. He was sort of thankful for the intrusion, but at the same time, he would’ve loved to finish Mario off once and for all.

“Your Majesties, I’m here to inform you that we’ve just landed,” the Captain announced. Neither Mario nor Bowser could tell if the Captain was too stupid to realize that they were arguing just seconds ago or was only pretending that their full-on screaming and yelling didn’t faze him.

Whichever it was, Bowser didn’t care. He just wanted to get as far away from Mario as quickly as possible.

“Good,” Bowser grumbled. “I’m fucking done with this conversation anyway.”

Bowser didn’t wait to hear Mario or the Captain’s response, or even acknowledge them, as he exited the quarters. The only thing he could think about was the future lengths he would go through to make sure he would never have to team up with that aggravating, big-nosed, pipsqueak king again.

*********

Chapter 7

When Mario exited the airship after his and Bowser’s fight, the first thing he noticed was the lack of…well, anyone, waiting to greet him outside of the airship. Now yes, the red king knew E. Gadd well enough to know that the professor had a tendency to ignore all of his surroundings when working on an invention, so it logically made sense that he and Bowser would need to be directly in front of E. Gadd for him to realize that the two kings were visiting.

But Mario had met the Evershade ghosts after the Dark Moon adventure and he knew the curious, yet mischievous, minds they had. The fact that they didn’t even come outside to investigate the commotion was a little unsettling to the red king.

That is, until he noticed the terrible state of the laboratory doors and the important detail that the doors were also completely wide open.

It was as if someone broke into the laboratory.

And considering that Bowser was nowhere in sight, the red king was quickly able to put two and two together.

Mario couldn’t help but let out a sigh of frustration as he walked to the entrance of the laboratory. He loved Luigi to death, he really did, but he never understood what his twin saw in that short-tempered and self-centered Koopa.

“Mamma mia Bowser, has it ever occurred to you to just simply knock?” Mario scolded while stepping foot into the laboratory. “You can’t just barged into a building…”

But the red king’s words quickly died out on his lips as soon as he saw the actual condition of the laboratory.

It was as if a tornado went through the entire laboratory. Monitors, testing equipments, inventions, every single piece of electronic was damaged beyond repair to the point where Mario honestly wouldn’t have recognized that the room was supposed to be a laboratory if the Dark Moon incident hadn’t happened.

This was alarming to the Mushroom King. He knew how furious Bowser was after the Captain interrupted their argument, but he was also very familiar with the Koopa King’s methods of destruction and could tell that Bowser didn’t destroy the laboratory.

This was someone else’s work.

But if that was the case, then where was E. Gadd?

“Professor?” Mario called out with a concerned and worried tone. “Bowser?”

Upon inspecting the laboratory, Mario noticed a hallway on the right side of the room as well as two closed-off rooms on the other side of the laboratory. While his mind was urging him to inspect one of the closed-off rooms first, Mario went with his gut and decided to first investigate the hallway. As soon as he stepped foot into the hallway, the red king couldn’t help but let out a sigh of relief when he saw Bowser looking into one of the rooms at the end of the hallway.

“There you are,” Mario sighed while walking towards the Koopa King. “What were you thinking to barge into the laboratory like that?”

Bowser didn’t speak. Hell, he didn’t even turn to acknowledge that he heard Mario’s question. Whatever was inside that room had all of Bowser’s attention.

But Mario was too busy ranting to realize that his question was met with silence.

“I mean, what part of you thought it was a good idea to break down the professor’s doors?!” Mario interrogated with an angry tone. He stopped short behind Bowser when he was close enough to the Koopa King before he started pacing back and forth. “Do you have any idea how rude and disrespectful it was to break into E. Gadd’s laboratory like that?! You’re lucky that this isn’t the Mushroom Kingdom because Toadsworth would’ve given you such a long and ear-aching scolding that would make me look like a saint.”

Mario could’ve sworn that five minutes passed before the Koopa King finally decided to talk.

But what the red king didn’t expect was for Bowser to speak with such a croaky and quiet voice.

“Breaking into the professor’s laboratory is the least of his worries,” Bowser choked out.

Now that statement actually scared Mario. He didn’t know what prompted Bowser to make that specific comment, but there was one thing Mario could tell with absolute certainty.

Something was terribly wrong.

“What do you mean…?” Mario hesitated.

Bowser didn’t respond. Instead he moved out of the way in order for Mario to see the inside of the room.

But what Mario saw made him pale.

If a tornado had gone through the laboratory, then a devastating hurricane must’ve caused the demise of this room. Not only was every single piece of technology destroyed to the point of irreparable damage, but other objects shared the same fate as well. Cabinets, scientific equipment, whoever caused this destruction made absolutely sure that no stone was left unturned.

But Mario ignored the state of the room.

Because in the center of the room was Professor E. Gadd with a knife in his head.

“O-Oh S-Stars,” Mario stammered while clutching his stomach. He was going to throw up. Never in his life had he seen anything like this and the fact that someone was willing to kill E. Gadd, a kind, intelligent, and a little crazy at times man, made Mario absolutely sick to his stomach.

No, it wasn’t just someone. He knew exactly who was responsible for this. And judging that Bowser saw E. Gadd’s body before him, Mario had a pretty good feeling Bowser knew who the culprit was too.

“He killed him,” Bowser growled as he started to tightly clench his fists. Mario quickly noticed blood dripping out of Bowser’s palms from clenching too hard, but the Koopa King paid no attention to the self-inflecting injury as he kept his eyes glued on E. Gadd’s body. “That old professor was our best chance in saving Luigi and my kingdom and King Boo had the NERVE to murder him?! Forget formalities. I am going to make that bastard regret ever escaping from that canister.”

For once in his life, Mario couldn’t help but agree with him. It was one thing for King Boo to kidnap Luigi and conquer the Dark Lands, but to have the capability of killing an innocent bystander and for what? Just because Luigi defeated him at The Last Resort?

No, this wasn’t just about the hotel anymore. For years, King Boo had an ultimate goal of conquering the Mushroom Kingdom, but every time he made an attempt to put his plan into action, Luigi and E. Gadd were always there to stop him. Since the day Luigi rescued him in Boo Woods, Mario knew that his brother and the professor would need to be completely out for the picture for King Boo to achieve his life-long goal, but he never actually expected the ghost king to go through with it.

It was scary to see this new side of King Boo.

But it was nothing compared to the horror Mario instantly felt as he remembered that Luigi was still King Boo’s prisoner.

“Wait, what’s in there?”

Mario was brought out of his thoughts when he felt Bowser’s hand on his shoulder. He noticed that the Koopa King was using his free hand to point at something and was surprised to see an undamaged cabinet on the other side of the room. While he was hesitant to walk over the broken monitors and destroyed testing equipment, especially since the professor’s body was between them and the cabinet, Mario forced himself to take a few deep breaths before slowly and carefully making his way to the cabinet.

Minutes ticked by, but the red king was able to eventually make it to the cabinet. He was reluctant to open the cabinet, for fear that something was going to pop out and injure or kill him, but as he started to think about his brother’s now uncertain fate, Mario quickly pushed the fear down and opened the cabinet doors.

What he saw made him gasp.

Because inside the cabinet was the Poltergust 3000 in perfect condition.

King Boo must have not known a Poltergust was in here.

Mario carefully took the Poltergust 3000 out of the cabinet and strapped it on himself before facing Bowser. Even though the Koopa King’s face was unreadable, it was clear to see the thoughts that were running through Bowser’s head.

Because Mario was also thinking about the exact same thing.

“It’s obvious that we don’t like each other,” Mario admitted.

“That’s one thing we can agree on,” Bowser affirmed without hesitation.

“But, we can also agree that we both want to save Luigi,” Mario added as he started walking back to Bowser. “And in order to do that, we need to set aside our differences and take King Boo down as a team. It’s not going to be easy for either of us, but can we agree to call a truce until we rescue Luigi?”

Bowser was conflicted. He hated the idea of working with the red king, but what other choice did he have? Both Luigi and the Dark Lands were in dire trouble and as much as the Koopa King didn’t want to admit it, he wouldn’t stand much of a chance against King Boo if he fought him by himself.

He had to team up with Mario.

“I’m willing to call it truce on the condition that you agree to call it truce as well,” Bowser answered before grudgingly holding out his hand as a sign to officially show his peace.

Mario stared at Bowser’s hand for only a few seconds before giving him a firm handshake.

“I am,” Mario announce while staring at Bowser.

“Good,” Bowser responded. He let go of Mario’s hand before cracking his knuckles with a wide and devilish grin. “Then let’s kick that little marshmallow’s ass.”

As Mario and Bowser exited the laboratory, they quickly made a mad dash to the airship in order to not waste anymore time in saving Luigi and the Dark Lands.

But if they had taken even one second to notice their surroundings, they would’ve been able to see the Mushroom Kingdom in the far-off distance.

As well as the smoke that was engulfing the castle.

*********

Chapter 8

5 hours later…

No words could express the relief Mario felt as he stepped foot into the guest quarters Bowser allowed him to stay in during their travels and collapsed onto the bed. Since the minute the airship left Evershade Valley, he and Bowser have discussed new strategies in saving Luigi and defeating King Boo once and for all. The ultimate plan they both agreed on was that one of them was going to need to learn how to use the Poltergust 3000 before stepping foot anywhere near the castle. While neither of them have ever used the vacuum cleaner before, Mario volunteered to wield the Poltergust because he had at least some experience in seeing it being used in action (from watching Luigi battling King Boo). At first, Bowser was reluctant with this idea, but it didn’t take him long to cave in when he realized that the vacuum cleaner couldn’t properly rest on his back due to his shell.

And so for the next 4 and a half hours, and with the help of a few willing Shy Guys, Mario became familiar with the Poltergust’s mechanics while the airship set a course to the Dark Lands. Now don’t get Mario wrong, while he was entirely grateful that some Shy Guys were willing to help him practice using the Poltergust, he couldn’t help but worry that his practice would end up being all for naught because he knew deep down that vacuuming up ghosts and Boos were going to be much different than vacuuming up a living creature.

It didn’t take him long to start thinking about his brother as he wondered how Luigi became a Poltergust wielding master in one single night.

Luigi…

Mario wiped the newly formed tears away off his eyes as he stared at the ceiling with fear and anxiety. Since the day he met him back in Isle Delfino, Mario had never thought of King Boo as someone who was capable of killing anyone, but after seeing E. Gadd’s dead body, the red king was forced to change his entire viewpoint of the ghost king. So many things were now not so off of the table and it terrified Mario to no end that his twin, someone he vowed to protect and keep safe since they came to the Mushroom Kingdom, was now in the hands of a murderer.

Or maybe King Boo already killed Luigi and was now just waiting patiently for him and Bowser to return to the Dark Lands in hopes of killing them too.

Mario desperately hoped that wasn’t the case.

“Hey.”

Startled by the sudden voice, Mario instantly shot up from the bed while quickly conjuring up his Firebrand. He soon realized that the unexpected visitor was only Bowser, so the red king let out a sigh of relief before remembering to put out his Firebrand.

“Hey now, don’t go shooting out fireballs in a wooden airship,” Bowser warned, but with the jokingly tone in his voice, Mario could tell that the Koopa King didn’t intentionally mean to scare him. “The Captain informed me that we’ll be landing shortly and since that we are now officially working together, I figured that I should let you know too.”

“Thank you,” Mario responded as he sat down on the bed. “Are we going to land at the runway next to your castle?”

“As much as I really want to, the Captain and I decided that it’s not a good idea for us to land there,” Bowser answered as he leaned back against the wall as far as his shell would allow him. “There’s another runway about 5 to 10 miles from the castle, so we’ll land at that runway instead. The walk to the castle will really suck, what with the pouring rain and all, but given that everyone in the castle is likely on his side, I rather have the element of surprise.”

Mario nodded as he faced the window to watch the pouring rain. While it logically made so much more sense for them a good distance away from the castle, Mario was not thrilled with the idea of carrying the Poltergust for 5 miles, especially in the middle of a heavy storm. Maybe he could convince Bowser to take turns carrying the vacuum or ask the Shy Guys to drop them off closer to the castle before landing the airship-

“I’m sorry.”

Wait, hold on a minute.

Did Bowser, his longtime arch-nemesis, just apologized?

No, that was just ridiculous. Surely, the red king must have imagined it…

But when Mario looked at Bowser, the one very important critical detail he discovered was that Bowser’s eyes were locked onto him.

Bowser had never done anything like this before, even back when he kidnapped Peach every week.

Which could only mean that the Koopa King was being sincere.

“What for…?” Mario hesitantly questioned.

As much as he didn’t want to admit it, Mario became familiar with Bowser’s small tells ever since Luigi and Bowser revealed their relationship to him and Peach. From the tiny twitch in the Koopa King’s eye down to the slight tapping of his toes, these little signs gave Mario a better idea of how Bowser was feeling at that particular moment and the possible thoughts that were running through the Koopa King’s head. So naturally, when Mario noticed that the tension in Bowser’s shoulders and the very slight shake in his posture, he realized that this wasn’t the same arrogant and self-centered Koopa he had grown to despise with every bone in his body.

No, the Koopa King standing in front of him was nervous.

King Bowser Koopa was not the type to be afraid of anything.

“For this…,” Bowser answered as he gestured at the entire room. “If I had brought Luigi along with me or took 5 seconds to think about the actual logic of the letter, then none of us would be in this mess.”

Mario could only silently watch with concern as Bowser started to run a hand through his hair while pacing back and forth.

“I mean, I am a king for Grambi’s sake!” Bowser raged, but Mario could hear a faint quaver in his voice. “I am supposed to put my husband and my people first, but because I was so focused on getting your stupid blessing, I basically gave away everything I care about to a fucking lunatic!”

Mario was utterly speechless as he stared at Bowser. Since the day he first met him, he never expected to see the Koopa King act anything remotely close to this. Remorseful, regretful, guilt-ridden, it was such a bizarre thing for the Mushroom King to witness and he had absolutely no idea what to do.

So it was a complete surprise to Mario when he impulsively decided to reassure Bowser.

“Luigi made the decision to stay behind,” Mario consoled as he continued to watch Bowser. “Plus, I read the letter King Boo sent to you back at the Mushroom Kingdom and it was terrifying to see just how well he impersonated me. Neither you nor Luigi could have predicted any of this and I don’t blame you for where we are now.”

Mario slightly flinched when Bowser instantly stopped dead in his tracks and stared at him like he grew a second head.

And his worry only grew when Bowser soon started to laugh.

“You’re wrong,” Bowser insisted with a smile of disbelief. He started shaking his head as very small tears started to form in his eyes. “If you knew the choices I made to get where we are today, you would be blaming me for all of this.”

Knew the choices he made? That actually scared Mario. When Bowser put it like that, he made it sound like he went back to his old ways. But there was no way the Koopa King would do that, especially after all the “lectures” Mario gave him since the day the Koopa changed his life forever.

Would he?

Mario was very hesitant, but he had to know.

“What did you do?”

It felt like hours before Bowser finally answered his question, but that wasn’t what got Mario’s attention. It was the fact that the Koopa King completely froze, in what seemed like fear, as soon as he heard Mario’s question.

That detail really peaked the red king’s interest.

Because it could only mean that Bowser knew something that he clearly didn’t.

The question was what did the Koopa King know.

“You don’t want to know,” Bowser responded as if he could read Mario’s exact thoughts.

Now that answer made Mario’s heart deflate. Okay, yes, he knew Bowser well enough to know that he was not one to give him the answers he wanted that easily, but this whole topic has turned into something much bigger than either of them. The Dark Lands and Luigi were already in dire danger, but if King Boo was planning to take over his kingdom and maybe even the rest of the world, then Mario had at least the right to know the events that led up to this moment.

“Bowser-,”

“No!” Bowser snapped as he smacked the chair across the room, an unexpected action that made Mario flinch. “If I tell you what really happened, the little trust you have for me will be completely destroyed and I am not going to put Luigi through that. He has already been through so much ever since we became a couple, but it will break my heart seeing him feel like he has to ultimately choose between his only living relative and the Koopa he married for love.

Mario was completely conflicted as he listened to the raindrops hitting the window as well as thunder roaring in the far-off distance. On the one hand, he desperately wanted to press Bowser for more information, but this entire situation was now like a minefield and he knew that taking the wrong step would lead to another huge fight.

The red king didn’t want to risk that, especially when they were one step closer to rescuing Luigi. He needed to trend this conversation very carefully if he wanted the answer to his ultimate question.

“Did you go back to your old ways?” Mario quietly asked.

It was eerily silent for a few minutes before Bowser spoke.

“No.”

Okay, this was definitely a good start. Now granted, Mario still had no idea what happened that led them to this precise moment, but at least he now had a better idea of the actions he needed to do in order to successfully cross the minefield.

“Did you join secretly forces with King Boo?” Mario interrogated.

This time, Bowser answered without hesitation.

“No.”

Okay, so that was really reassuring to know. Bowser wasn’t just teaming up with him in order to gain in trust only to have that trust ripped out of him at the last possible second.

But that still didn’t explain why Bowser is still acting hesitant and afraid.

It was almost as if the Koopa King did something so terrible and bad that he didn’t want anyone to know.

That was when a new question came to Mario.

“Is Luigi in trouble because of you?”

That was the exact moment when the Captain knocked on the door, an action that caused Bowser to turn away from Mario before he could have a chance to see the Koopa King’s reaction.

“Your Majesties, I’m here to inform you that we’ve just landed.”

*********

Chapter 9

3 hours later…

“There it is!”

When Mario’s voice brought him out of his thoughts, relief and encouragement were just a few of the different emotions Bowser felt as he looked up from the ground and saw the castle’s front doors in the not so-far-off distance. With the pouring rain and a walk that took much longer than either of them anticipated, the two kings were soaking wet, exhausted, and just mentally done with everything that didn’t have to do with their ultimate goal.

So naturally, when they realized that their destination was now within arm’s reach, that brought both Mario and Bowser an enormous amount of comfort and reassurance.

Luigi, sweet, innocent, and pure-hearted Luigi, was somewhere inside the castle, waiting for someone to save him from his terrible nightmare.

And the onlything that stood between his freedom and his two strong-willed heroes was King Boo.

Bowser inwardly swore to the Stars and Grambi that he was going to beat King Boo to a pulp for invading his kingdom and treating Luigi as one of his prized trophies.

But the thought of being Luigi’s dashing hero quickly vanished when one particular realization came to the Koopa King.

It’ll only be a matter of time until Mario finds out about the argument.

Now that thought actually made Bowser stop dead in his tracks with fear. He knew the lengths Mario was already going through in hopes of breaking off his relationship with Luigi, which Bowser found more frustrating than anything, but the thing that really terrified the Koopa King was revealing the choices he made in a desperate attempt to get Mario’s stupid blessing.

Or maybe Mario already connected the dots and Bowser just didn’t know it. Neither king spoke during their 3-hour walk to the castle, so it was entirely possible that the red king had already put two and two together.

And even if Mario still didn’t know about the fight, Bowser knew he wouldn’t be able to hide it from the red king forever. Mario and Luigi had one of, if not, the, strongest brotherly bonds in the entire galaxy, so the ultimate question was whether Luigi was going to be confident enough to bring up the argument or whether Mario would use his twin telepathy to figure out that something had upset his younger twin.

Either way, Bowser was not looking forward to that future conversation with Mario.

“So, how should we break into the castle?”

Bowser opened his eyes, not remembering when he closed them in the first place, and noticed that Mario was watching him with a curious expression. Afraid that Mario would be able to read his thoughts if he stared at him long enough, Bowser took his eyes off the red king to watch any outside activity around the castle.

“I think it’s safe to assume that King Boo has the castle crawling with ghosts and other minions who are loyal to him,” Bowser admitted with annoyance, a statement that made Mario silently nod in agreement. “And as much as I want to storm into the castle and Bowserize everything, our best plan is to sneak our way in without getting caught.”

“I’m okay with that strategy,” Mario remarked before turning to observe any outside activity with Bowser. “But, are there any secret entrances we can use in order to sneak into the castle without raising any alarms?”

Any response Bowser had to Mario’s question instantly died out on his lips when he noticed two Boos having a conversation in front of the castle’s doors. While he couldn’t hear the exchanged words between the Boos, the detail that intrigued Bowser was the weird gestures the smaller Boo was making.

It looked like…he was mimicking someone climbing up a wall…

That was the moment when a lightbulb went off in Bowser’s head.

“Do you remember that Fawful and Dark Star fiasco?” Bowser questioned without taking his eyes off of the two Boos.

“I do,” Mario affirmed before turning to give Bowser his utmost attention.

“Well, not too long after we saved the world, I had the minions replace some of the outer castle’s walls with that weird soft dirt Peach had on her castle,” Bowser explained. “It just so happens that the soft walls will take us directly to mine and Luigi’s room, not to mention that my back is still loose enough for me to use my Spike Ball ability.”

“That’s not a bad idea,” Mario beamed as he thought back to that adventure. He remembered the frustration he and Luigi felt as they tried to find a way to sneak into Peach’s Castle after Fawful took over, so it really was convenient that Bowser learned from that adventure and created an easier way for them to get into the castle.

Hopefully, the Boos and King Boo weren’t smart enough to realize that the oddly weird patches of soft dirt could be used as a secret entrance.

But that was when Mario noticed one fatal flaw in Bowser’s plan.

“Wait, how am I supposed to get up there?”

Shit, Bowser knew he was forgetting something.

The Koopa King forced himself to take a few deep breaths as he thought about each of his now-limited options. He couldn’t fit both Mario and the Poltergust inside the Spike Ball with him and considering that the master bedroom was on one of the highest floors in the entire castle, Bowser was confident that there would need to be a miracle in order for Mario to reach the balcony with his jumping abilities.

There just had to be another way to get Mario to the balcony without alerting the Boos or King Boo.

But what?

That was when Bowser noticed that the smaller Boo from before was flying to a nearby window.

At the same time, that was also when Bowser knew exactly what to do.

“I have a way to get you up to the balcony,” Bowser answered with a smirk. “But you are going to hate it…”

__________________

Mario made a mental note to have a long talk with Luigi after this adventure was over.

Now to be fair, the red king was genuinely open to hearing out Bowser’s idea in getting him up the master bedroom balcony. Bouldering up the castle with the outer walls, getting creative with his jumping abilities, or even using a different entrance altogether, these were just a few ideas Mario thought Bowser had in getting him to the balcony.

But the last thing Mario expected was for Bowser to throw him like a football.

At least Bowser’s aim was on point, all things considered. Mario was able to successfully land onto the balcony with no injuries or issues at all, but because they have officially agreed to put their differences aside less than 12 hours ago, the red king couldn’t help but wonder if it had crossed Bowser’s mind to ‘unintentionally’ miss his target as a petty way to get back at him.

Mario desperately hoped it didn’t.

“Pretty good aim, if I do say so myself.”

Mario couldn’t help but smile in a sarcastic manner as he turned around just in time to see Bowser unrolling himself from the Spike Ball.

“Considering that you threw me up here without any warning or even just a little heads up, I would agree with you,” Mario sarcastically remarked. “You are aware that I could’ve easily died from your little throw, right?”

“You could’ve, but you didn’t,” Bowser emphasized while handing Mario the Poltergust. “Besides, the thing you’re forgetting about is that we are on a time crunch and the longer we stand around and get nothing useful done, the more time King Boo has in deciding on whether he should keep Luigi alive or not.”

Almost every part of Mario wanted to disagree with Bowser and his statement. The red king wanted to bring up the fact the King Boo kept him alive during the three haunted adventures or justify that King Boo’s ultimate wish was to have a Luigi painting.

But as much as he didn’t want to admit it, Mario also inwardly knew that Bowser had a really good point.

They couldn’t afford to waste any time.

Not with this new and unpredictable side of King Boo.

“Are you coming or what?”

As Bowser’s voice brought him back to reality, Mario quickly shook his head and noticed that Bowser was waiting for him near the bedroom entrance. With each second more precious than the last, Mario wasted no time in leaving the balcony.

But as soon as Mario stepped foot into the bedroom, he stopped dead in his tracks.

The bedroom was overwhelmingly enormous, easily at least twice the size of Mario and Peach’s room. There was a bed that could fit three Bowsers with plenty of extra space, a fireplace that had such an impeccable design that almost made Mario jealous with a green sofa nearby, a dresser not too far from a closed-off room that Mario suspected was the master bathroom, and a little writing desk and chair in one corner of the room. There was a Bowser-shaped lamp on the desk, but the thing that sparked Mario’s interest was the small unmarked green book that was also on the desk.

Because Mario himself had seen that green book before and knew that it was actually his brother’s diary.

It was such an unusual sight to see. For as long as Mario could remember, Luigi always preferred a small house because he never felt like he needed that much space to live in. Now on occasion, the younger twin spent some nights in his mansion in Boo Woods, but even after Mario moved into Peach’s Castle, Luigi always considered their small house outside of Toad Town his home, so for Mario to visually imagine Luigi living in a bedroom this large, much less an entire castle, made him open up his eyes for the very first time since the green king revealed his relationship with Bowser.

Luigi, his baby twin brother, was all grown up.

“Will you stop gawking at the room and focus on the damn task at hand?”

Mario was instantly brought out of his thoughts when he felt someone roughly shaking him. While he was annoyed at the sudden intrusion, he was grateful with the amount of patience Bowser had for him within the past 15 minutes.

“Sorry,” Mario apologized while he looked around the room one last time. “It’s just…so difficult to imagine Luigi living in such a enormous place like this.”

“I get what you mean,” Bowser admitted as he let go of Mario’s shoulders. He started to make his way to the bedroom entrance as he looked at the little things throughout the room. “It was…difficult for Luigi too…”

Now that confession actually made Mario’s eyes widen. It wasn’t because of what Bowser specifically said, but it was because this was the very first time he was hearing about this.

Luigi had a difficult time living here with Bowser?

“What happened…?” Mario hesitantly asked.

Bowser took a deep breath before giving Mario his utmost attention.

“The night we came back from our honeymoon, Luigi had a panic attack,” Bowser confessed. “He kept freaking out about how he was going from a normal citizen to a full-on royal and was terrified that none of the Dark Lands’ citizens were going to accept him as their new king. It was so, so gut-wrenching for me to see him like that, so I took him to a guest room down the hall and told him that we were going to sleep in that room until he felt comfortable enough to sleep back here.”

Bowser closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths and opened them once he felt calm enough to continue speaking.

“We slept in that guest room for two weeks before he started to feel okay enough to sleep back in here,” Bowser explained as he stared straight at Mario. “But if you want my honest opinion, if he wanted to sleep in that guest room for two days or two years, I would’ve been perfectly fine with it because Luigi’s happiness is the only thing that mattered, and still matters, to me.”

To say that Mario was shocked after hearing Bowser’s story was a complete understatement. From the moment Luigi and Bowser revealed their relationship to him and Peach, Mario had always assumed that Bowser was only pursuing a relationship with his brother for his own selfish reasons, but to hear that Bowser chose to put Luigi’s needs above anything else, even his own comfort, that started to make Mario rethink his entire opinion of the Koopa King.

Maybe Bowser really was a changed Koopa.

“You must really care about Luigi,” Mario whispered just loud enough for Bowser to hear.

“I do,” Bowser affirmed without a moment’s hesitation. “I would do anything for him.”

It was quiet between the two kings, but the silence was soon broken when Bowser opened the bedroom door a few seconds later.

“Plus, if you found out that Luigi was upset under my care, then you would’ve traveled all the way over here to give me one hell of a time,” Bowser jokingly added. “And believe me, after everything he and I have been through, the last thing we needed was another one of your annoying ‘big brother’ lectures.”

To the Bowuigi fans who are suffering from Ao3 withdraw (including myself):

I present you with this very long post (that I will break down into 3-4 different posts) I have luckily kept in my computer files that I hope will ease you in these hard times.

Enjoy. :)

To Break the Bonds Within Two Kingdoms

**********

Chapter 1

For as long as he could remember, King Boo wanted to become the greatest villain the Mushroom Kingdom has ever seen. From the heroes dying right in front of him to the damsel pleading for their very life, King Boo fantasized hundreds and thousands of plans all with the same end goal of him becoming the new king of the Mushroom Kingdom. So naturally, when King Boo was given an opportunity to defeat Mario, the said hero of the Mushroom Kingdom, at Isle Delfino, he was ecstatic. This, he thought, was the first step in conquering the Mushroom Kingdom and possibly the entire world. If King Boo could defeat Mario, nothing could stop him from achieving his life-long dream.

Except Mario did stop him.

Now yes, King Boo was frustrated at his and Bowser’s ultimate loss, but the ghost king knew that he would be given a second opportunity to defeat Mario. He just needed a new and different angle to work with, but what new angle would allow him to have the advantage over that annoying red plumber?

The answer to that question was Luigi.

After his defeat at Isle Delfino, King Boo was informed that Mario had a younger twin brother named Luigi. This new piece of information allowed King Boo to come up with a new perfect plan that would surely stop Mario once and for all. All the ghost king had to do was kidnap Luigi and Mario would come crawling on his knees and beg him to spare his little brother’s life. Surely, nothing would go wrong with that plan, right?

Wrong. That so-called “perfect” plan backfired on King Boo.

Three times.

To say King Boo was angry after his third defeat is an understatement.

While his hotel plan ended in a total disaster, the one good thing that came out of it was that Luigi didn’t capture all 16 Boos with that Poltergust he hated so very much. King Boo was grateful that the uncaught Boos were loyal enough to distract the professor long enough for him to break out of the canister.

But the ghost king knew that it wouldn’t matter in the long run.

As long as Luigi and Professor E. Gadd were around, King Boo knew it would only be a matter of time before he would get captured and be put back in that infuriating prison again.

And that thought alone fueled him with nothing but anger.

“ARGGH!”

In a fit of rage, King Boo threw his crown at a nearby mirror. As his anger slowly started to simmer back down, he realized that he was essentially powerless without his crown, so he quickly placed his crown back on his head before staring at his reflection in the now-broken mirror.

He hated, no, loathed, Luigi. If King Boo ever saw his face again, he would make sure that scaredy-cat plumber wished he didn’t defeat him in that first mansion all those years ago. If only he had a new angle to work with, he could-

“Um, Sir?”

King Boo swiftly turned around to see a Boo watching him with a worrisome expressions. Boos who served under King Boo for a long time were used to seeing him frustrated and angry, so the fact that this Boo seemed nervous to be anywhere near him told King Boo that he was one of the Boos they recently recruited.

At least that small piece of information reassured King Boo that he could still fear into the young Boo.

“What reason do you have to interrupt me?!” King Boo shouted. He was fuming with rage and he felt that he had every right to be. This Boo interrupted his loathing of Luigi and he should’ve known better than to barged into the room like this.

The Boo nervously gulped before speaking.

“I-I think y-you should see this,” the Boo stammered while holding out an object with a shaky hand.

It took King Boo a moment to realize that the Boo was holding out a newspaper. He yanked the newspaper right out of the young Boo’s hand, without even muttering a thank you, and read the front page headline.

PEACE TREATY AND ALLIANCE BETWEEN THE MUSHROOM KINGDOM AND THE DARK LANDS!

A peace treaty between Peach and Bowser?

This peaked King Boo’s interest.

Upon further reading the article, King Boo learned that Queen Peach and King Mario are willing to sign a peace treaty with King Bowser and King Luigi, despite everything Bowser did to the Mushroom Kingdom in the past. King Boo wasn’t sure why Mario would agree to sign a peace treaty with his sworn arch-nemesis, but he figured that the red king didn’t have that many options since Bowser and Luigi are a married couple.

Speaking of Luigi…

“Remind me of the relationship status between Luigi and Bowser as well as the relationship between Mario and Bowser,” King Boo ordered while staring at a picture on the front page. It was a picture of Mario, Luigi, Peach, and Bowser with jubilant and cheerful expressions surrounded with all kinds of different decorations. King Boo could tell that the picture was taken on Luigi and Bowser’s wedding day due to the fact that all four of the royals were wearing the most extravagant clothes he had ever seen in addition that Bowser was also kissing an embarrassed, but overjoyed, Luigi on the cheek while carrying him bridal style.

Grambi, King Boo despised every single thing about the picture.

“Luigi and Bowser were officially married almost three months ago and their coronation took place three days after the wedding,” the Boo informed. “While Mario gave his public approval to the wedding, multiple spies from both the Mushroom Kingdom and the Dark Lands have confirmed that Mario and Bowser still don’t like each other.”

It was quiet as King Boo continued to read the rest of the article. It wasn’t until he started to read an article about a Toad explaining the disadvantages of the peace treaty that King Boo realized what the Boo actually said.

They still don’t like each other.

Despite the wedding and the peace treaty they’ll soon sign together, Mario and Bowser still hate each other.

King Boo couldn’t help but laugh at the situation that was now presented in front of him.

This didn’t just peak his interest anymore.

This was fantastic news.

No, this was absolutely perfect.

King Boo instantly tossed the newspaper aside as he gave the young Boo his full attention for the first time since he entered the room. Hundreds of ideas started to swarm in the ghost king’s head, but they were all easily pushed to the side as one thought consumed his mind.

This was his new angle.

“Gather all the Boos to the corridor immediately!” King Boo exclaimed to the Boo. He stared at his reflection with the biggest grin he ever had while brainstorming his brand new master plan. “We are going to pay a visit to our dearest friend!”

***********

Chapter 2

One week later…

If there was one thing Luigi could change about himself, he would like to be much more confident. For their entire lives, Luigi always admired the enormous amount of confidence Mario had in any situation he was put into and wish he could have half the courage his older brother had. From battling villains without hesitation to being the spotlight of a party, Luigi wondered how it was all so easy for Mario when he would have the most difficult time talking to even one person.

Even if that said person, or rather, Koopa, was his husband.

Luigi watched the interaction between Bowser and the airship crew as he twiddled his thumbs in an anxious manner. While he couldn’t hear the conversation, Luigi could tell that Bowser was demanding the Shy Guys to finish the airship preparations based on the authoritative body language Bowser was using and the nervous posture the Shy Guys had.

He understood why Bowser was so eager to leave. A heavy thunderstorm was expected to hit the Dark Lands for the first time in weeks and both he and Bowser knew that flying an enormous wooden airship in the middle of a thunderstorm would certainly lead to disaster. The Koopa King wanted to leave before the thunderstorm could have a chance to hit them and Luigi didn’t blame him one bit.

But just because Luigi understood Bowser’s reasoning didn’t mean he agreed with his husband’s decision.

Now that the Shy Guys were working at a satisfying pace, Bowser faced Luigi and immediately noticed how anxious the green king was. Hating to see his spouse so distressed, Bowser walked back to his husband’s side and wrapped his arm around Luigi’s shoulders.

“I’m sorry about that, love,” Bowser apologized before kissing the top of Luigi’s head. He turned to watch the now-frantic Shy Guys making the final preparations as he gently squeezed Luigi closer to him. “I know you hate it when I yell at the minions, but every once in a while, they need to get it through their heads, you know? It’s like I need to babysit these idiots in order for them to actually do their job.”

Luigi was quiet. He knew he should’ve responded, or, at the very least, acknowledged Bowser’s statement, but his mind was too preoccupied with something far more pressing.

He wasn’t the only one who noticed that Bowser’s statement was met with silence.

“Are you alright?” Bowser asked worriedly. While keeping his right arm around Luigi’s shoulder, he used his left hand to gently turn Luigi’s head in order for him to see how concern the Koopa King was for him. “You’ve hardly said a word all morning and I can tell that you’re thinking about something serious. What’s going on?”

Luigi needed to tell him. He already voiced his concerns to Bowser ever since they received the letter two days ago, but they would always get pulled away by their royal duties before they could finish the conversation.

Maybe Bowser would listen to him this time. It was just the two of them in front of the airship and Luigi didn’t think the Shy Guys would be brave enough to interrupt their conversation. Would Bowser take his words to heart?

Luigi desperately hoped so.

“I-I don’t think this is a good idea,” Luigi confessed while staring at Bowser.

Neither of them spoke for a minute, although it felt much longer to Luigi, as Bowser processed his words. Once Bowser fully realized what Luigi was referring to, he took his arm off of Luigi’s shoulders and carefully held his husband’s hands.

“There’s no reason for you to worry about this,” Bowser responded. He started rubbing Luigi’s hands with his thumbs in a circular motion in hopes of easing his husband’s worries. While he noticed a visible change in Luigi’s nervousness, Bowser could tell that his actions weren’t enough to completely calm the green king down just yet. “It’s just a meeting with your brother and Peach. I don’t see anything wrong with that.”

“The problem isn’t about the meeting,” Luigi explained as he looked down at his hands. “The problem is that Mario and Peach want to meet with you alone.”

Luigi looked back up at Bowser as the Koopa King tried to think of a response to his statement. When he saw that Bowser was struggling to find the right words to comfort his anxiousness, Luigi continued.

“I know Mario wasn’t…thrilled about our wedding,” Luigi hesitated. “But even still, Mario and I have been very close our entire lives. I’m just confused on why Mario wants you to visit the Mushroom Kingdom by yourself. I know he already gave you the protective big brother lecture at our wedding and when we all signed the peace treaty last week, so what other topic does Mario want to discuss with you that I can’t or shouldn’t know about?”

If Bowser was completely honest, he had no idea what the meeting with Mario and Peach was going to be about and that terrified him. Ever since he and Luigi announced their relationship to the royal couple, Bowser never felt like he actually got Mario’s approval. He couldn’t blame the red king, especially after all the hell he used to put the Mushroom Kingdom through, but he and Luigi have been together for almost 18 months now. Surely, Mario would at least realize that Bowser loved Luigi just as much as he did, right?

Then again, judging by the tone in the letter, Bowser highly doubted he was going to get Mario’s approval anytime soon.

“Your Majesties,” a Shy Guy announced as he interrupted the couple’s conversation. With the dark blue jacket and the captain’s cap the Shy Guy was wearing, both Luigi and Bowser could tell that this particular Shy Guy was the Captain of the airship crew, or, at the very least, a Shy Guy with a very high rank. “The airship is ready for departure. If we want to reach the Mushroom Kingdom before the thunderstorms hits, I suggest we leave immediately.”

“Excellent work, Captain!” Bowser exclaimed, not realizing Luigi’s question was left unanswered. He gave the Captain one unexpected, hard pat on the back before wrapping his arm back around Luigi’s shoulders. “Prepare for takeoff while I have another minute with my husband.”

Luigi watched the Captain as he bowed to Bowser and left them alone to notify the airship crew. Once the Captain was out of their sight, Bowser took his arm off Luigi’s shoulders and gently grabbed his husband’s shoulders to make sure he had Luigi’s full attention.

“I should be back by tomorrow night at the absolute latest,” Bowser informed. “The only thing you’ll need to focus on is the meeting with the royal court later today, but both Kamek and Kammy will be there to help you with that as well as anything else you’ll need while I’m gone. You’ll be okay handling the royal stuff without me, right?”

Luigi had never felt more like two completely different people than at that moment. On the inside, he was begging, pleading, and doing anything else he could desperately think of to stop Bowser from entering that airship.

But on the outside, all he could do was silently nod.

“Good,” Bowser responded with a smile. He gave Luigi one last kiss on the head before he let go of his shoulders. “I love you and I’ll see you tomorrow night.”

As Bowser started to make his way to the airship entrance, Luigi’s world instantly started to crumble right in front of him. He had no idea why his brother wanted to meet with Bowser in private or why his husband didn’t find Mario’s letter suspicious, but there was one thing Luigi knew with absolute certainty.

He can’t let him go.

He cannot let Bowser get onto the airship.

“STOP!”

Luigi was surprised and relieved when Bowser stopped in his tracks and turned around to face him. Luigi noticed Bowser’s bewildered facial expression, but he couldn’t dwell on his husband’s emotions. He had to be brave.

“You can’t get on that airship,” Luigi demanded. He was fully aware that he sounded like a parent ordering a child to not do something, but it didn’t matter to him. The only thing he could think about was preventing Bowser from entering that airship.

“Luigi, I’ll only be gone until tomorrow night,” Bowser reassured. He started to take a few steps towards Luigi in hopes of calming him down. “It’s going to be-,”

“No!”

Bowser immediately stopped walking after Luigi interrupted him. By now, the entire airship crew was watching the conversation unfold, but neither Luigi nor Bowser noticed. They were too busy focusing on their significant other to realize that they now had an audience.

“Every time we try to talk about this, something always interrupts us to where we can’t finish the conversation,” Luigi explained. “But I’m not going to let that happen this time. This trip is a bad idea Bowser and I won’t let you get on that airship.”

Wait, what?

He had to be joking.

There was no way Luigi would try to prevent him, the King of the Koopas, from entering the airship, right?

But as Bowser looked at his husband, he realized that Luigi’s nervousness and anxiousness from before was now completely replace with something that almost resembled confidence and determination.

Oh yes, Luigi was actually being sincere.

Now Bowser just couldn’t help but laugh at that.

“You won’t let me?” Bowser scoffed. He took a few intimidating steps towards Luigi with the goal of scaring him a little bit. Even though Bowser noticed a small change in his husband’s demeanor, it didn’t stop Luigi from keeping his ground. “How do you intend to stop me? It may have been a while, but we both know I can defeat you in a fight.”

“The Shy Guys will listen to me,” Luigi responded. He inwardly knew that Bowser could very well easily crush him like a bug, if he really wanted to, but Luigi couldn’t let that thought break his confidence. “And if they decide to follow your orders over mine, I learned my way around an airship and I know the parts that can prevent it from flying for days or even weeks.”

“Are you seriously trying to blackmail me right now?!” Bowser screamed while running a hand through his hair. If he wasn’t so frustrated with how stubborn Luigi was being, Bowser would’ve honestly been proud to see his husband standing up to him for something he truly believed in. “It’s just a stupid meeting with Mario and Peach! Why are you so hung up over this?!”

“It’s not just about the meeting!” Luigi argued. He felt the tears welling up in his eyes, but he refused to let himself cry in front of Bowser. “Ever since you got the letter, I’ve been having this really bad feeling that something terrible is going to happen if you enter that airship and visit the Mushroom Kingdom! And besides, if it’s just a ridiculous meeting, then why are you so obsessed about it?!”

When Luigi and Bowser first started dating, the Koopa King made a promise to himself to not take his anger out on Luigi whenever he was frustrated about something, even if Luigi was the cause of his anger. Bowser knew how sensitive and emotional his husband was and the Koopa King especially didn’t want to do or say anything that would greatly upset the man he vowed to love and protect.

But this time, Bowser let his anger get the best of him.

“Do you really want to know why I want to go to this meeting so badly?!” Bowser snapped. “Fine! I want to go to this meeting because I want to get Mario’s blessing! You may have a fantastic relationship with your brother and Peach, but incase your idiotic brain didn’t realize it, Mario despises my guts and ignoring him certainly isn’t going to get him to like me! I’m going to this damn meeting whether you like it or not, so you can either suck it up and accept it or cry about it like the fucking disgrace you are to everyone!”

No one uttered a sound after Bowser’s emotional outburst. The Shy Guys have worked with Bowser for many years, but to see Bowser so livid and enraged terrified them to the point where they were too paralyzed with fear to even move.

It was beyond horrifying to witness the Koopa King like this.

But the Shy Guys and Bowser were especially surprised when it was Luigi who finally broke the silence.

“S-So that’s how y-you really feel about m-me?”

When he heard Luigi’s quiet and brittle voice, Bowser instantly realized the harsh words he said to his husband. Bowser was very hesitant to look at Luigi, but he knew he needed to see just how much of an impact his words had on the green king if he wanted to apologize for his outburst.

But what he saw shattered his heart.

Luigi was visibly shaking so much that Bowser couldn’t help but wonder how he was even able to stand. The tears the green king desperately tried to hold in during the argument were now pouring down his face and he was hugging himself so tightly that Bowser had a feeling that bruises were going to form on Luigi’s arms within the next few days.

It was a gut-wrenching sight to see.

But what devastated Bowser the most was that he was the reason for it.

“Luigi,” Bowser whispered. He had no idea what to do, but he knew he needed to do something. Bowser carefully took one step towards Luigi as a way to show that he wanted to apologize for his outburst and help comfort his distressed husband.

Luigi took one step back in response.

“I-If that’s how y-you really feel about me, then I-I won’t stop you from l-leaving,” Luigi stammered while taking a few more steps away from Bowser. “E-Enjoy you t-time away from a d-disgrace like m-me.”

Luigi hastily ran back to the castle before Bowser could utter a response. Every part of the Koopa King’s mind wanted to follow, call out, or literally anything else he could think of to let Luigi know that he was sorry and that he didn’t mean to take his anger out on him.

But his body just simply wouldn’t let him. All Bowser could do was watch Luigi as the green king ran farther and farther away from him.

“K-King B-Bowser?”

Bowser turned to see the Captain watching him with fear and terror. He completely forgot that the Shy Guys were waiting for his orders and considering that he now no doubt knew that the entire airship crew saw his and Luigi’s fight unfold was especially a nail to the coffin.

“W-We really need to g-go if want to m-make it b-before,-”

“I hear you loud and clear,” Bowser interrupted with a sigh. He gave the castle one last look before walking towards the entrance of the airship. “I’m ready to go.”

***********

Chapter 3

When Luigi and Bowser revealed their relationship to Mario and Peach, the Mushroom couple had mixed feelings. At first, Peach was very hesitant about the relationship, but her opinion soon changed when she saw how happy Luigi and Bowser were together. From putting the other one’s needs above his own to supporting each other through all the hardships, Peach noticed all the little interactions between the odd couple during their stays at the Mushroom Kingdom and it warmed her heart to see that Bowser was a truly changed Koopa.

For Mario…, it was really difficult for him to give Luigi and Bowser his blessing. Sure, he announced his approval of the relationship to the public eye, but Peach, Bowser, and even Luigi knew that it would take time for the Mushroom King to fully accept Luigi and Bowser’s relationship.

Bowser couldn’t blame Mario for his reluctance. Up until two years ago, he considered both Mario and Luigi as his arch-enemies, so it made sense to the Koopa King that he would need to gain Mario’s trust in order for the red king to truly accept his relationship with his brother.

But the last thing Bowser expected was for Mario to antagonize him.

Constantly.

You see, every time Luigi and Bowser visited the Mushroom Kingdom, Mario sort of made it a goal of his to anger Bowser to the point where the Koopa King would cause a massive scene and prove to everyone, especially Luigi and Peach, that he was the same Koopa he used to be all those years ago. Whether it was criticism or complaints, Mario would try every tactic he could think of to push Bowser over the limit.

I don’t understand how your minions are still loyal to you after all you put them through.

This is not how you should rule a kingdom.

You don’t deserve to be with Luigi.

Bowser had considered telling Luigi and Peach about Mario’s behavior on multiple occasions, but he decided long ago that it wasn’t worth mentioning to either of them. Mario was Peach’s entire world and Bowser was smart enough to know that Peach would easily take her husband’s words over his.

As for Luigi…

The green king had been through so much ever since they announced their relationship to the public. From the Mushroom Kingdom treating him like a traitor to the Dark Lands still seeing him as an enemy, it pained Bowser to see all the battles Luigi faced just to live the life he wanted to have.

If Luigi ever found out about Mario’s behavior towards the Koopa King, it would break the green Italian’s heart.

Although with everything that happened today, Luigi finding out about his brother’s behavior was honestly the least of Bowser’s worries.

“What the hell have I gotten myself into?” Bowser sighed as he rubbed his face with his hands.

Three hours have gone by since the airship left the Dark Lands, but to Bowser, it was three hours since his huge fight with Luigi. As soon as he entered the airship, Bowser ordered anyone within earshot to not disturb him until they landed. He didn’t wait to hear any of the Shy Guys’ responses (but he knew that none of them would risk angering him) and took the most direct route to his quarters. The Koopa King didn’t even acknowledge the Shy Guys who stopped and bowed to him, although the minions were sort of used to it at this point.

But as soon as Bowser was alone in his room, he broke down.

Why? Why did he lose control like that? All Luigi wanted was to voice his concerns about Bowser’s trip to the Mushroom Kingdom. It was a simple request that Bowser could’ve easily agreed to, but instead, he essentially destroyed his entire marriage all because he was so determined in getting Mario’s stupid approval.

Was this ridiculous meeting with Mario and Peach really that important to him?

Bowser heard a knock on the door before he had time to consider the question.

“Enter,” Bowser grumbled as he ran a hand through his hair.

The door opened to reveal the Captain, but with the way his hands were fidgeting and his whole body was rocking back and forth, it was obvious that the Shy Guy was terrified to interrupt whatever Bowser was doing.

“I-I’m here to inform y-you that the a-airship just l-landed,” the Captain nervously announced.

Bowser was hesitant. As much as he didn’t want to, he would need to figure out his situation with Luigi later. Right now, he had to prioritize this meeting with Mario and Peach.

Sighing one last time, Bowser looked at the Captain and spoke with an aggressive tone.

“Let’s just get this over with.”

King Mario felt a headache coming on as he listened to the argument between Peach, Toadsworth, and the royal court. If it was purely up to him, he would’ve ended the meeting hours ago, but ever since he and Peach signed the peace treaty, his days were filled to the brim with all kinds of different meetings with the royal court explaining their reasons on why signing the peace treaty was a terrible idea.

It’s not like he could blame them for being such nervous wrecks. Luigi and Bowser have been together for almost 18 months and Mario still hates Bowser with every fiber of his being.

Not that he would admit that to anyone.

“Your Majesties, we cannot trust King Bowser on keeping his promises,” a male Toad insisted, interrupting Mario’s thoughts. With the white spots on his black cap, Mario recognized the Toad as one of the higher-ranking members of the royal court. “He has caused nothing but trouble to our kingdom for years and he expects us to pretend that his actions never happened?”

“By boogity, that’s exactly what he wants us to do!” Toadbert explained before adjusting his glasses. Mario watched Toadbert as the longtime serving Toad looked through the dozens of papers scattered in front of him. “King Bowser hopes to gain our trust with the peace treaty, and once he sees us letting our guard down, he’ll use that opportunity to attack us, by boogity!”

“What do you suppose we do then?” a female Toad with red spots on her white cap explained. Based on the way the Toad was rubbing her forehead, as if she was stressed, Mario could tell that she was likely a newer member of the royal court. “His armies have always been, and still are, much more powerful than ours. If we attack him now, he’ll surely destroy us, but we can’t just sit back and wait for him to make the first move.

“King Bowser is not going to betray us!” Toadsworth exclaimed while slamming his cane on the floor. He took a few deep breaths before looking at each member of the royal court. “Have you all forgotten that he is married to King Luigi, one of the heroes of the Mushroom Kingdom? He would never allow King Koopa to attack our kingdom.”

A male Toad with white spots on his orange cap slammed his fist on the table before anyone could have a chance to respond.

“King Luigi betrayed us the moment he started a romantic relationship with that vile Koopa,” the Toad stated. “For all we know, he could be plotting with King Bowser to conquer the Mushroom Kingdom. We cannot trust either of them.”

Mario was grateful that Peach chimed into the conversation at that moment because he would’ve gone off on the idiotic Toad for even considering Luigi as a traitor had she not intervened.

“That is enough!” Peach shouted while shooting up from her chair. The entire royal court turned stiff upon hearing the queen’s sudden outburst, but Peach paid no attention. “We have been in an official alliance with the Dark Lands for less than a week and no one is even willing to give Bowser a chance! Yes, he has done nothing but terrible things to the Mushroom Kingdom in the past, but he wants to be a better Koopa now. Need I remind you all that the peace treaty was entirely his idea, not ours, and not to mention that he went through a lot just to have a public relationship with Luigi? That right there proves to me that Bowser is not the Koopa he used to be all those years ago and it greatly disappoints me that none of you can see that.”

It was a huge relief to Mario when a maid announced her presence with a knock on the conference room door right then and there. He didn’t have to look at the royal court to know that the meeting would’ve instantly turned into a verbal bloodbath if the maid arrived even one second later.

“Your Majesties, you have a visitor in the throne room,” the maid informed.

“Who’s the visitor?” Mario asked, speaking for the first time since the meeting started. He and Peach weren’t expecting any visitors today, but it was also entirely possible that the visitor could’ve just slipped from their minds, especially given that this past week had been exhausting for the royal couple.

The entire throne room noticed the stutter in the maid’s voice.

“I-I think it’s best if y-you see for yourself, Your M-Majesty,” the maid answered with an anxious tone.

Mario and Peach exchanged a worried glance before following the maid to the throne room. Usually, the maids or guards would announce the visitor to the royal couple, but considering the fact that the maid refused to provide the visitor’s name, in addition to that she was reluctant to respond to Mario’s question was rather alarming.

Who was the mysterious visitor?

Upon entering the throne room, Mario and Peach were relieved to find that the mysterious visitor was just Bowser. Mario now understood why the maid was nervous in answering his question and couldn’t blame her for the way she reacted.

But Mario’s relief melted away when he noticed two important pieces of information.

Luigi wasn’t with Bowser in the throne room.

And Bowser didn’t have his usual confidence.

“King Bowser.”

“Your Majesties.”

The throne room was painfully quiet for what felt like an eternity. None of the three royals knew how to break the silence.

It was only when Mario finally spoke that the atmosphere of the room took a 180˚ turn.

“What are you doing here?”

***********

Chapter 4

Wait, what?

This wasn’t at all where Bowser thought the conversation would be going.

Okay, sure, the actual purpose of this meeting had honestly been a mystery to the Koopa King ever since he received the letter, but he did have a few ideas on what the royal couple wanted to discuss with him. Between his relationship with Luigi and the peace treaty they all recently signed together, it would make sense for Mario and Peach to check in on him and make sure that he wasn’t going to back down on the promises he made to them.

But for Mario to ask why he was in his throne room when this entire meeting was his and Peach’s idea?

That was the last thing Bowser expected to hear.

“You wrote a letter that said you two wanted to speak with me in private,” Bowser answered while keeping his temper in check. He wasn’t sure how they could forget about a meeting, much less a meeting with him of all people, but with everything the four royals had to deal with since the signing of the peace treaty, Bowser figured that this meeting was likely not a high priority for the royal couple.

That hopefulness was thrown out the window when Mario spoke again.

“I never wrote you a letter.”

Okay, now that just didn’t make any sense to Bowser. It was one thing for Mario and Peach to forget about a meeting, but for them to have the audacity to act like they didn’t plan this meeting in the first place?

That started to anger the Koopa King.

“What do you mean ‘you never wrote me a letter?’” Bowser bellowed in a mocking tone. “Two days ago, I received a letter from you saying that you and Peach wanted to have a private meeting with me. You didn’t provide any purpose or reason for the meeting, but considering the fact that you don’t think too highly of me, I figured that you two wanted to do another ridiculous check up on me.”

Bowser could tell he struck a nerve when he saw Mario clenching his fists and momentarily conjuring up his Firebrand. While he was able to keep his composure in front of the Mushroom couple, Bowser couldn’t help but inwardly smirk at his small unintentional victory.

“You better watch what you say, King Koopa,” Mario threateningly demanded while ruining Bowser’s little victory. “I don’t know how it works in your kingdom, but here in the Mushroom Kingdom, you are expected to treat me and Peach with respect.”

It was a miracle that Peach interrupted the small argument right then and there because if she hadn’t, Bowser would’ve instantly dropped the formalities and used his fire breath to burn Mario to a crisp.

That would’ve been an interesting way to tell Luigi that he broke the peace treaty and started a war against his brother’s kingdom.

“Mario, sweetie, calm down,” Peach pleaded as she placed her hands on her husband’s shoulders. Bowser was amazed by how calm she was despite the amount of tension that was now hanging in the throne room. “Can you please show us the letter we allegedly wrote so that we can clear this matter up?”

It took a few moments for Bowser to realize that the question was directed at him and not Mario, but once he noticed that Peach was looking directly at him, the Koopa King immediately grabbed the letter out of his shell. He held the paper out to the royal couple, but Mario was quick to yank it out of Bowser’s hand, without even muttering a thank you, and start reading.

It was quiet as Peach and Bowser waited for Mario to finish reading the letter. Every part of Bowser wanted to tap his foot or sigh in annoyance, but he forced himself to take a few deep breaths because he knew that his impatience would only fuel Mario’s happiness. When five minutes have passed, Mario handed the letter to Peach before giving Bowser his utmost attention.

“We didn’t send this letter.”

Now that.

That statement made Bowser furious.

“Bullshit!” Bowser fumed. “I have seen the letters you two wrote to me and Luigi after we became an official couple and I know for a fact that those seals are real and official!”

“Yes, that is true, but this is neither mine nor Peach’s handwriting,” Mario explained. “Plus, we have a few Toads who are authorized to write letters on our behalf, but Peach and I always review the letter before we give the approval to mail it out to the recipient. This is the first time we’re seeing this letter and I can guarantee you that none of the Toads have this kind of handwriting.”

“Okay, so if none of you guys wrote the letter, then who the hell did?” Bowser inquired with a frustrated tone.

Before the royal couple could have a chance to think about Bowser’s question, a Hammer Brother suddenly barged into the throne room. Mario and Peach quickly went into a battle stance, but Bowser immediately shot his arm out to prevent any conflict from breaking out as he recognized the now-exhausted minion as one of Luigi’s personal guards.

“Jerry, what the hell are you doing here?” Bowser asked. “And why are you so out of breath?”

It took far too long, in Bowser’s opinion, for Jerry to catch his breath. Come to think of it, he wasn’t even sure why the minion was so out of breath to begin with. Jerry’s devoted loyalty to the royal family and high status in the Koopa Troop gave him the privilege to use the Koopa Clown Car Kamek and Kammy specifically made for the highest ranking minions.

But what Jerry said next made the three royals’ blood run cold.

“King Boo has taken over the Dark Lands!”

2 hours ago…

Luigi sighed as he stared at his reflection in the master bathroom mirror. With his red face and puffy eyes, it was easy to tell that he had been crying for quite some time and Luigi knew the minions well enough to know that it wouldn’t take long for the entire castle to find out that the green king sprinted to his and Bowser’s room with tears in his eyes.

And considering that his fight with Bowser was loud enough for even the Comet Observatory to hear them, Luigi knew it would only be a matter of time until everyone put two and two together.

It was such a relief that the master bathroom was directly connected to the master bedroom.

Luigi decided to give up on trying to look presentable, so he exited the master bathroom and collapsed on his and Bowser’s king-sized bed. He grabbed one of the pillows on his husband’s side of the bed before giving it a tight squeeze as a way to comfort himself from everything that happened in the past hour.

“How could this have happened?” Luigi whispered to himself while staring at the ceiling.

Why? Why did Bowser have to yell at him like that? All Luigi wanted was an actual conversation with Bowser about his private meeting with Mario and Peach. Granted, it probably wasn’t the best idea to express his concerns to the Koopa King right before he was scheduled to leave the Dark Lands, but Luigi didn’t think he was asking for too much. Was it really that difficult for Bowser to stop and listen to him for ten minutes?

Judging by the way their conversation ended, it apparently was.

Luigi didn’t want to think about Bowser or the argument anymore, so he forced himself to sit up on the bed and look around the room for something to distract himself with. It wasn’t until he saw the balcony entrance that he remembered the entire reason for Bowser’s early departure.

The thunderstorm was going to start soon.

And despite all the alarms that were running through his head, Luigi suddenly wanted nothing more than to take a walk in the rain.

With his mind now made up, Luigi got off the bed and walked to the bedroom door with a sense of urgency.

But he only took a few steps before the door was instantly sealed off with a purple gate.

A purple gate? He hadn’t seen that since-

Luigi could’ve sworn he felt his heart stop upon remembering the last time a purple gate blocked the exit.

“N-no,” Luigi trembled as he frantically looked around the room for any possible exit. He quickly realized that the rest of the exits were sealed off with the same purple gates, so he started to hysterically knock on the wall next to the bedroom door in hopes of making enough noise for any minion to hear him. “No, no, no!”

He talked to E. Gadd two weeks ago. He reassured Luigi that his arch-nemesis was still trapped in that canister along with all the other ghosts he captured after that horrendous hotel adventure.

It was impossible for him to escape again.

But horror struck Luigi as soon as he heard the all-too-familiar and low chuckle he heard so many times in his nightmares.

And even though his mind was begging him not to, Luigi forced himself to turn around to face the one Boo he never wanted to see again.

“Well, well, well, if it isn’t my dear friend, Luigi,” King Boo taunted. “How long has it been since our last little reunion? One year? Two years? It’s hard to tell since I’ve been trapped in that canister for quite some time.”

Luigi couldn’t respond. He wasn’t sure if King Boo’s questions were rhetorical or actually genuine, but Luigi honestly didn’t care one way or the another because his mind was pleading him to scream, run, or do anything else he could think of to get away from the Boo who caused so much trouble for him and his brother.

But he was far too petrified to do anything.

And it didn’t take King Boo that long to notice this.

“Not in the mood to talk, huh?” King Boo asked upon noticing Luigi’s terrified expression. “That’s fine. I figured we would have a short reunion before I start my ultimate plan.”

Ultimate plan? What did that mean?

Luigi’s questions were immediately answered when he saw King Boo summoning a painting frame. The green king didn’t even realized he was screaming in terror as thunder rumbled in the distance at that exact moment.

But by the time the thunder stopped, he was already gone.

#self reblog #reblog #To Break the Bonds Within Two Kingdoms #go to original post for the rest of the tags #I usually add all the tags to each post but I can't this time #it's a lot of tags #may delete later

63 notes · View notes