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dragon-creates · 2 years ago

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Just How Fast The Night Changes (Does it Ever Drive You Crazy?)

Chapter 1/Chapter 2/Chapter 3

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Trigger warning, there is a panic attack in this one but it doesn't last for long. One final reminder that this was written before the Mario Movie's release. Other than that, enjoy!

Future

The first thing Luigi received when he stepped foot into the mushroom kingdom was for Mario to come speeding towards his brother and tackling him in one of the biggest hugs that he ever got in his life. The older was crying into the younger brother’s shoulder, before pressing his forehead against Luigi’s, looking at him as though he was making sure that he was really here and that this wasn’t a dream. “I’m so sorry Lu!” Mario sobbed, bringing Luigi into another hug and lifting him off the ground, “I should’ve kept a tighter hold on your hand, that way you wouldn’t have-!”

“It’s okay bro, you did the best you could,” Luigi reassured him, Mario gave him another squeeze before setting him back down on the ground, “I’m here now, its like you always say, everything will be okay…”

“As long as we’re together,” Mario finished for him, his smile wobbly and eyes red with more tears to come.

“So, you must be Luigi,” a soft feminine voice spoke up.

Luigi pulled away from Mario as he laid eyes on one of the most beautiful women that he had ever seen. Her hair was the colour of the sun on its brightest day and was tied into a high ponytail, her big blue eyes sparkled like a summer ocean and her skin looked as soft as a rose petal. She was also wearing what seemed to be a motorcycle suit. Luigi clasped his hands together tightly, shyness overcoming him as the young woman looked at him with the sweetest smile.

“Yes, I am ma’am,” He nodded.

“I am Princess Peach of the Mushroom Kingdom. It’s so nice to finally meet you,” she gently took his hand into hers and shook it, “You were all Mario could talk about for our whole journey, he even fought a giant ape just to make sure we could get you back!”

“What?!” Luigi let out a disbelieving laugh, “That actually happened?!”

Mario chuckled sheepishly and rubbed the back of his neck as well.

“He even turned into a cat to beat him, well, more like a cat onesie, but it didn’t stop him from acting like one.” Peach giggled.

Luigi cackled at those words, slapping his knee as Mario face turned as red as his shirt. “Thank you for that information, Princess,” he gritted his teeth at her.

Peach only smirked back at him, before her face became serious. “As happy as I am that you’re both reunited, I’m afraid we have more pressing matters at hand. Bowser is on his way, and we have the Kong army in order to defeat him.”

“Wait a second, weegee, how did you escape him?” the thought suddenly dawning on Mario.

“Well, that’s the thing,” he stimmed with his hands as he answered, “He let me go.”

“HE WHAT?!” Mario and Peach chorused. Luigi jumped at the sudden noise; the duo noticed his small fright for they both quickly apologised for their sudden outburst.

“How about we go into my castle to discuss this?” Peach suggested, “We’ll be able to talk about what happened while we wait for Bowser to eventually arrive.”

And so, the three of them trekked into the castle where they headed to a balcony outside of what seemed to be the princess’ bedroom. Tea and biscuits were served while Mario and Peach patiently waited for Luigi to tell his story. Luigi let the warm liquid calm his nerves while he told them everything that happened in Bowser’s kingdom. From how he let him bake in the kitchen, to eating meals with him and his son, him saving Luigi from the boos, Bowser soothing Luigi with his nightmares (he didn’t share the fact that they also slept in the same bed) and how Bowser let Luigi go, not because of any malicious plan or intent, but because he just wanted Luigi to be free.

Mario and Peach glanced at each other and then back at Luigi. The younger brother could almost hear the gears turning in their heads. “It’s been a long time since Bowser has done anything so selfless,” Peach murmured.

“You don’t think this is a trick, is it?” Mario asked her.

“No,” Peach quickly answered, “I’ve encountered Bowser’s tricks many times before and unless we get word of any spies near my kingdom, I have faith that this was done out of genuine kindness.”

Luigi clutched his cup tightly in his hand, “So, what do we do now?”

“For now, you should get some rest,” Peach told him, “We still don’t know what to expect from Bowser so it’s best that we keep ourselves prepared. I’ll have someone make up a room for you and your brother Mario, so the both of you can catch up.”

“Thank you, Princess,” Mario grinned, Luigi swore he could see a tint of pink light up on the princess’ cheeks.

That night, after a bed was set up for Luigi, all he and Mario could do was talk to one another. Mainly it was Mario blubbering apologies to Luigi, the latter reassuring him that all was forgiven, the night ended with the two of them cuddled together on Mario’s bed instead, as if they were children once again, clinging to one another as though their lives depended on it.

.........

It was only three days later when there was finally news about Bowser. Apparently, his floating island was approaching the Mushroom Kingdom, ready to attack with the superstar he had gained from the penguin’s kingdom.

Luigi felt like he was going to be sick, his heart going in two opposite directions. Was he really willing to fight Bowser after everything that they shared while in his kingdom? Or was he going to stand aside and let him defeat Mario and take over the rest of this world?

Mario easily sensed his brother’s panic, making sure that he was calm enough to not spiral into an anxiety attack before telling him that he did not have to be a part of this fight. Peach had requested that he stay in his room and be guarded by two toads until the battle was over and while Luigi still felt conflicted, he agreed that this would be the best option for everyone.

And so here he was, hidden in the shared room he had with Mario as he watched the battle from the inside.

His heart squeezed in his chest as he saw Mario fight back against the troopas, his brother was dressed head to toe in some kind of flying racoon onesie, dodging their punches while the princess was battling with the army of apes that she had recruited.

He knew that Mario and Peach were fighting for a good cause, to protect the kingdom from the koopa king taking over with the power of the superstar. Yet he still couldn’t help the guilt swarming in his stomach, towards Bowser, towards his brother, towards everything!

God, he wished he could be a bit like Mario right now, he always knew to do the right thing and to act upon it without any doubts. Just like when he protected him from Spike all those years ago, despite knowing what his horrible uncle was capable of, Mario’s first instant was always to protect Luigi…but what if the younger brother could do that now?

Despite how he felt towards Bowser, what if he could finally repay his older brother for all that he’s done for him? He remembered what he and Bowser has said to each other the day he left, how both wished that they could’ve fallen in love under different circumstances, what if he had the chance to make that difference to make things better, not just for him, but for everyone?

He felt himself stand a bit taller, running towards the bedroom doors and shoving them open, the guards outside startling a little bit. Luigi stuttered an apology to them before taking off down the hall. He had figured out the mapping of the castle the few days he was here, so after a few tries, he managed to find the exit.

He couldn’t stop running, not even for the koopas that lunged for him, or for the apes and toads that gawked at the other Mario brother charging towards Bowser’s castle. His lungs burned and his legs ached, but he couldn’t stop, not while he had this mission in mind. There were some koopas that didn’t go for him, but rather stare as well, wondering if Luigi had changed his mind and was going to join them instead. But Luigi ignored them, he couldn’t focus on what they were thinking about him, he had to keep going.

Eventually, he made it into the castle, hiding in the little spaces that he remembered from his time here and corners in the hallways and other guards marched by. If his memory served him right, there were a few more turns that he had to take before he officially made his way towards the throne room where he and Bowser met. He remembered how the superstar twinkled in front of him, as though witnessing his and the king’s interaction first hand, knowing that it was the reason the two of them had met to begin with.

He made another turn, down the hallway leading to the throne room when suddenly, he was stopped by a familiar face.

“Sam?!” the human exclaimed with surprise.

“Luigi?!” the koopa retorted with the same tone, “What are you doing back here?!”

“I-uh…” Luigi thought about making up a quick lie, something to derail the guard a bit. He didn’t want to hurt his feelings; he knew that he was a sweet guy who showed him nothing but respect even when he went back to his brother. Yet, that was also the reason why he couldn’t fib to him, Sam didn’t deserve that, no matter what side he was on.

“I’m going after the star,” Luigi replied honestly.

Sam’s eyes widened with shock at the sudden information Luigi had said, but then they narrowed a bit, as though he was contemplating something over. He looked over both his shoulders, making sure there was no one there before whispering to Luigi, “Do what you need to do, and I’ll pretend you weren’t here. Take it as a form of gratitude for what you’ve done for me and the royal family.”

A grin broke out onto Luigi’s face and pulled Sam into a hug, “Thank you Sam! I won’t forget this!”

The koopa awkwardly wrapped an arm around Luigi’s back, patting it before the human eventually let go. They nodded to one another and soon, Sam was running down the hall, like nothing had ever happened.

Luigi continued down his path, until finally making it to the throne room, his eyes scanning the place until landing on the bright, glowing Superstar that everyone was after. He ran up to the throne, scaling the giant seat carefully and gently took the star into his hands. Holding it tightly, he jumped down back onto the ground, smiling with pride as he looked over the magical artifact. He did it, he actually did it! He got the star!

He was about to turn and run back out when he noticed a dark, large shadow looming over him. He gulped, turning slowly, his eyes traveling up a familiar body until his eyes met the ones of the koopa king.

“Well, well, well…” Bowser purred, his amber gaze trailing up and down Luigi, who’s knees were trembling at the thought of what the king was going to do to him. After all, Luigi was currently with his enemies, holding the one thing that Bowser was after. “Couldn’t help but come back, eh?”

“I-I, w-ell,” Luigi stuttered as Bowser began to circle him. He clutched the star tighter.

He forced himself to bite back a yelp as Bowser tucked his claw under the human’s chin, tilting his head upwards to meet his face. “I don’t blame you though,” Bowser chuckled, his finger coming up to caress his cheek, “I was tempted to follow your scent the minute you left. After all, dragons often like to keep their treasure safe.”

The star, he had to be talking about the star. Following his scent, keeping the treasure! He probably started making plans to go after Luigi when they both parted their ways. But Peach did say that she trusted his kindness, and there was nothing in sincerity in Bowser’s voice when he said that he wouldn’t follow him. But how could he tell? This wasn’t his home! And now he made this stupid plan to retrieve the star all by himself when he was completely defenceless against the koopa king.

The air became warmer, everything started to blur, he couldn’t breathe…

He couldn’t breathe…

Bowser immediately pulled his claw away when he saw tears form in Luigi’s eyes. When he spotted the little green man in the throne room, everything that he felt for him during their shared time together came rushing back to him. The longing, the happiness, the need to see his smile and the need to keep him happy. He wanted to tease the man, but just a little bit, like how he did during their first breakfast together, he missed the little blush on his cheeks.

For a moment, he forgot about the different circumstances that they were in, that Luigi was now on the side of the Mushroom Kingdom, helping defend it from Bowser, getting the star in order to keep Peach’s people safe. And being face to face with Bowser, someone who swore to destroy everything and everyone in order to have that star, was definitely terrifying for the anxious human.

Luigi’s breaths became sharper and shorter, like when he…oh no. Bowser crouched down to meet Luigi’s height, his large hands resting his shoulders and he did what he remembered help the human the last time he witnessed his panic attacks. “Breathe, one, two, three, four,” Bowser murmured softly.

Luigi shook his head, terror and distrust gracing his features. Bowser heart sank, knowing that he was the most likely cause of why those emotions were there in the first place. “I won’t hurt you,” he spoke firmly, his thumb now stroking Luigi’s shoulder, “I could never hurt you. Not now, not ever. One, two, three, four.”

It seemed to have worked a little bit, the small man was now copying Bowser’s words, trying to count the seconds in his head as he carefully breathed in and out. When his breathing returned to a bit of normalcy, Bowser lifted his thumbs and gently wiped the tears from his soft cheeks.

Both he and Luigi’s eyes softened, both lost in their shared little world together until…

“GET AWAY FROM MY BROTHER!” Mario screamed, the tail of his suit smacking Bowser across the face, the king yelling in pain. Mario looked to his brother and ran up to him, his hands coming up to cup behind his head as pressed their foreheads together. “Lu, are you alright?” He asked, panic lacing his tone.

In a small state of shock, Luigi answered with a small, “I’m fine.” He was still shaking a little bit, but other than that, he was unharmed much to Mario’s relief.

With his worries about his brother subsiding, it was then when Mario finally noticed what his brother was holding. “The Superstar!” he gasped, the corners of his mouth turning up into a proud grin, “You found it!”

“Y-yeah,” Luigi laughed nervously, “I just wanted to do what I could to help.”

Mario sighed with nothing but pride and affection for his little brother. “Lu,” he smiled, brushing Luigi’s air out of his eyes. If this was the Luigi before they went into the pipe, he would’ve been scared shitless and not want anywhere near this mess (not that Mario could blame him), but there was something different now. While Luigi still looked scared, there also seemed to be something stronger about him as well. “What made you want to do this?”

“I-”

Before Luigi could answer, an ear-splitting roar blasted throughout the throne room. The brothers turned as they saw that Bowser had quickly recovered; his eyes now darkened as he glared at the star.

Mario quickly scooped his little brother up into his arms. “You can tell me later, let’s get this back to the princess!”

With that, he flew off, but Bowser wasn’t going to give up that easily. Now on all fours, he ran after the brothers, animalistic growls escaping his throat. “YOU CAN’T TAKE WHAT’S MINE, RED!”

Luigi whimpered at the noise and buried his face into his brother’s shoulder, making the older of the two tighten his hold on him protectively.

Soon, they made it out of the castle, not without a few soldiers throwing whatever weapon they had to take the star that the green brother had, yet they still managed to make it out. Bowser was still chasing after them however, Mario making sure that he was flying high enough to avoid the koopa’s claws and teeth.

Mario flew up to the highest balcony of the castle, placing Luigi down on his feet and kept his arms out to make sure that Luigi didn’t have any dizziness from the speedy flight. Luigi wobbled a bit, using his left arm to hold onto Mario while the right kept clutching the star.

“You should be safe now,” Mario said in a reassuring manner. “You feelin okay weegee?”

“Yeah,” Luigi panted, his head starting to return to normal, “I’m good.”

“Right,” Mario nodded, “Don’t worry, Bowser would be an idiot if he tried to get you up here.”

Just as the older brother finished his sentence, a large bang rattled the entire castle. Both brothers shared a glance, ran to the edge of the balcony and peered over. Luigi gasped when Bowser began to scale the walls of the castle, his determination fuelling his speed as he climbed faster and faster.

Luigi began to tremble again, hugging the star for comfort. Mario noticed his brother’s uneasiness, his face breaking into a scowl as he looked down to the koopa again, his protective instincts taking over again. “Wait here,” he grumbled angrily, his rage focused on Bowser, “I’ll deal with him.”

Mario took off again, his tail spinning as he flew down towards the king. “Mario, wait!” Luigi reached his arm out, trying to get his brother to stop, but he was already at the king’s face, landing punches as the giant koopa shouted in both pain and anger.

Mario raised his fist again, preparing to land another hit when Bowser suddenly raised his paw and slammed the red plumber again the brick walls of the castle, the racoon suit disappearing as he landed on a balcony below him.

“Mario!” Luigi screamed. Bowser’s eyes locked onto Luigi and made his way up again, his stare not leaving the human’s.

Luigi yelped and took off out of the room that he was in and down the hall. He took the extra time that he had, knowing that Bowser was still climbing he probably had a good chance to hide somewhere with the star. He made it down a set of stairs when he felt the ground rumble.

Bowser was coming.

He kept running, he refused to look over his shoulder and let it hinder his progress. He finally found a set of doors and made a beeline straight for them, immediately shutting them once he made it inside.

Luigi took this moment to let his legs rest. Looking around, he found himself in what seemed to be some sort of council room, with a set of stairs leading up to what seemed to be Princess Peach’s throne.

He felt the ground shake again, his eyes darted around the room, scanning for a place to hide, when the doors suddenly flung open.

Within seconds, Luigi was pinned to the floor, Bowser’s paws on each side of his body, caging him while the human clung to the star, quivering beneath the giant. Bowser huffed, the warm air making Luigi flush while the crazed, rage-filled look in the king’s eyes started to calm down as he took in the situation. Here was Luigi, whimpering with fear with Bowser on top of him after chasing him down like a mad man all over a silly star, at least, Bowser thought it was the star.

Actually, now that he thought about it, seeing Luigi in such a frightened state suddenly being taken by his supposed enemy set off the more primal part in his brain, the part that needed to keep Luigi safe from those who posed a threat to his safety. But Mario wasn’t a threat, he was just trying to protect Luigi too. Now here they were, Bowser inches away from his life-long goal…and someone he never knew he was waiting his entire life for.

Luigi seemed to have noticed the mental storm in Bowser’s mind. His trembling lessened and his eyes – still holding fear – filled with concern for the king. “Bowser?” He managed to whisper out.

The doors burst open again, flooding with toad guards, the kong army, Kamek, the koopa army, Princess Peach and Mario, the latter dawning red and white overalls while holding a fireball in his hand. The plumber, princess, apes and toads were all on one side of the room while the koopas stood at the other, both groups snarling at one another.

“It’s over Bowser!” Peach snarled and pointed her axe at him, “Release my friend and hand over the star!”

Bowser gazed down at the star again. He could use it right now, fulfil his quest and easily take out everyone in this room. But then that gaze met Luigi’s, the scared look that the human held tugged on his heartstrings in the most painful way. He remembered how he felt in the castle gardens with Luigi, how he wished that they had met within a different context, without this war having to tear them apart and make Luigi feel horrible about himself for loving Bowser and making him feel that he was betraying him.

Suddenly, Bowser found himself wishing that he never started this war, how he let his greed take over his mind and led his kingdom to be feared and hated, how one day Junior might have to carry that same burden as well, how he sabotaged himself for finally and selflessly loving someone but losing them because of his own entitled actions. How he wished it could’ve been different…and maybe it still could.

“As you wish,” he murmured, retracting himself from Luigi and slowly stood up, raising his arms above his head in surrender.

The toads and apes gasped at this sudden revelation while the koopa army whispered to one another, wondering why Bowser was giving up so easily, Kamek found himself smiling as though already knowing the answer. Peach shared a shocked look with Mario, the latter shrugging at the royal. Luigi titled his head cutely with confusion, making Bowser smile warmly.

“I surrender myself and my army,” The koopa king announced, “I will hand the star over to Princess Peach where she will return it to its rightful owners. I will release my prisoners back to their respective kingdoms and will carry out whatever punishment that I deserve for the crimes I have committed. If the time comes and you find it in yourself to forgive me, I am willing to sign a peace treaty to make sure none of this ever happens again. Though I don’t blame you if you can’t find it in yourself to forgive the misdeeds that I have done.”

Peach quickly snapped out of her confusion, motioning for her guards to take the star. Two toads quickly ran over to Luigi, helping him up and gently taking the Superstar from him and made their way back over to the princess with the plumber running over to his big brother. “And how are we able to trust you?” she demanded “After all you have ransacked multiple kingdoms, stole the Superstar, threatened to destroy mine and held my friend’s brother prisoner!”

Bowser looked to her solemnly, knowing that she would say this and with every right to. He turned his attention to Luigi, and what happened next shocked everyone.

Bowser stepped closer to Luigi, Mario immediately stood in front of him, a toad and an ape raised their weapons at him while the koopas readied theirs in case of another fight breaking lose. Kamek raised his arm to stop them, his focus never leaving the king. Luigi put his hand on Mario’s shoulder, the older looking at his little brother with doubt for a second before stepping away, giving him and the king space.

Their eyes met. Everyone waited with bated breath when suddenly, Bowser dropped to the ground…and kneeled.

Everyone gasped when both the king’s knees hit the floor, his hands resting by his sides as his head bowed in front of Luigi.

Luigi raised his eyebrow, “I’m confused, what’s happening?”

Kamek spoke up, “In our lands, royalty never kneels for anyone. A monarch’s subject must always be the one to bow before their leader. The only time royalty is to bow is if they are of a higher rank, let’s say a prince bowing before a king and even then, never bow to nobility from other nations.”

“And Bowser just kneeled for you…the king of the koopas just kneeled for you…” Peach breathed.

“W-what?!” Luigi yelped, “B-but I’m just Luigi! I-I’m only a p-plumber!”

“But to me my dear,” Bowser murmured softly, Luigi gasping at the sudden sound of his voice as Bowser lifted his head, his face filled with so much love, “You are so much more that what you believe yourself to be.”

The king bit back a chuckle as he watched Luigi’s face turn as red as his brother’s overalls – said brother was still glaring daggers at Bowser but held himself back for Luigi’s sake. Bowser rose to his feet as Peach walked over to him. “You and your army will spend tonight in the dungeons,” she began, “In the morning we will discuss the punishments you will face after all that you’ve done. After that, we will see if there is a possibility for a peace treaty.”

“Of course, princess,” Bowser nodded, he turned to his shoulders, “You heard her, lower your weapons. This war is over.”

The koopas all shared a glance with on another, still processing what was going on until a clang hit the ground. It was Sam, he was the first to drop his weapon, holding up his arms in surrender. He looked to Luigi and smiled, the plumber returning it with the upmost glee for his friend.

One by one, each koopa dropped their weapon to the ground and were let out of the room by the Toads, even Kamek had dropped his wand, though he didn’t look too displeased about it. Bowser was the last one to be led out, not even putting up a fuss the Toads pointed their spears at him to make sure he wouldn’t get any ideas (even though those spears were like toothpicks to the koopa).

He shared one more glance with Luigi, the two sharing a look of longing before the king was taken away.

Peach exhaled heavily, placing a hand on her chest, “Well that was definitely something!”

“You can say that again,” Mario agreed.

Peach grinned with relief, her face beaming, “It’s over, it’s really over! We could actually get a peace treaty with the Darklands!”

Mario nodded, still a bit dazed but otherwise pleased with the outcome, “Yeah. You know, I’ve never seen this side of you before Lu.”

Luigi turned to his brother, raising his left eyebrow in confusion, “What do you mean?”

“Its just that, for our whole lives I knew that you had so much potential within you, but I don’t think you fully believed it, especially with all the bullshit Spike said about you.” Mario explained, “Yet here you are now, charging headfirst into battle to help us despite being afraid. Within the time that we got separated and seeing you again, whatever happened with you and Bowser, you finally realised that. I might still be wary about Bowser, but if he managed to help you see just how amazing you are and that he’s able to turn over a new leaf, then I have the feeling only the best is to come.”

Luigi’s lips wobbled and he pulled his older brother into a hug, silent tears dampening his brother’s shirt as he buried his face into it, “Thanks Mario…you know, it was because of him that I finally believed what you told me all those years ago,” he whispered. “I’m sorry it took this long though.”

Mario pulled away and grasped his brother’s shoulders firmly. “You have nothing to apologise for, nothing! What happened to you was not your fault, okay? You’re allowed to heal now weegee.”

Luigi sniffled and all but collapsed into Mario’s arms, the older of the two sitting them both on the ground, cradling him like how he did when they were children. Peach joined the two of them on the floor, wrapping her arms around them and rested her cheek on Mario’s head.

“We won today because of you Luigi,” the princess told him, “You’re a hero.”

Hero

The title was new and quite foreign to the younger Mario brother…but he liked it. He really liked it.

.........

One Year Later

It’s a little bit hard to believe that so much can change within the span of twelve months, but anything was possible in this new crazy home of Luigi’s. After Bowser spent his night within the Mushroom Kingdom’s prison, he was ordered to let his own prisoners go and return the superstar to its rightful home, he and his troops would then go onto repairing all the damage that they had caused, lastly was signing the peace treaty between both Bowser’s and Peach kingdoms, which Bowser agreed to with no hesitation (it also helped that the entire time he couldn’t keep his eyes off Luigi’s excited smile).

Within that time, Luigi had also helped Bowser repair his mess. Often the two would just talk about anything and everything until they had to part ways when the sun finally set, and the stars began to rise.

“It’s beautiful,” Luigi had told Bowser, “We rarely get to see the stars in Brooklyn, so its pretty magical seeing them now.”

“It is indeed,” Bowser had nodded, “Though they are simply nothing compared to the shine of your eyes my dear.”

Bowser chuckled at how hard Luigi had blushed.

Soon, Luigi had started staying when the night appeared. Bowser didn’t want him traveling home in the dark and had offered to let him stay in his old room. Luigi had protested at first, claiming that it was no big deal, but his yawning and swaying on his wise was all Bowser needed to scoop him up into his arms and carry him to his bed.

That was how their new routine had started, Luigi would help Bowser during the day, spend the rest of their hours together doing whatever they pleased (Junior would soon join them as well) and Luigi would retire to his room by the end of the day. Of course, Luigi would still have his nightmares, but Bowser was always attentive and caring each time they would come, staying by Luigi’s side and giving him whatever they needed until he was comfortable enough to fall asleep again, Bowser refusing to leave his bed to make sure there wasn’t another one lurking. One night, it had gotten so bad that Bowser carried Luigi back to his own room to keep a closer eye on him, fretting over the plumber until his fears had subsided. From then on, Luigi had opted to stay in Bowser’s room, noting how much better he slept within the koopa’s sheets and the king right by his side, protecting him.

Soon, Luigi’s stays would extend to the point that he began bringing his most of his belongings from his and Mario’s little cottage in the Mushroom Kingdom, because when he’d ‘leave’ he would be back in a few short days so there was so reason to just keep packing and unpacking when he could save the hassle by keeping his essentials in the Darklands.

Then, up to when the treaty was finally signed, Luigi’s visits had stopped being, well, visits and he had uprooted everything from his new home in the Mushroom Kingdom to Bowser’s castle. Junior had been over the moon when his Papa and Luigi announced that the human would be permanently staying, immediately jumping into Luigi’s arms and giving him a tight hug. The rest of the kingdom were also quite happy with Luigi’s choice to stay, having grown fond his kindness and respect towards their king. Sam was especially glad to have his companion back, their friendship becoming much stronger as they exchanged pleasantries whenever they saw each other and gossiped about their partners. Truly, everything had worked out better than everyone imagined.

That was how Luigi now found himself here, waking up to the sun rising outside, wrapped up in a cosy blanket in a pair of green pyjamas and Bowser snoring softly beside him with his tail curled around the human.

It seemed that Bowser had also begun to stir himself awake, his sleepy amber eyes meeting Luigi’s as he smiled softly to his partner, “Good morning.”

“Morning,” Luigi replied gently, shifting a little bit to press himself closer to the koopa.

“Did you sleep alright?” Bowser asked, his expression becoming concerned and wrapped his hand around Luigi’s back, “No nightmares that I wasn’t aware of?”

“No, no nightmares,” Luigi said reassuringly, “I slept like a log, though, I’m not surprised I did when I’m in the comfiest bed in the world and have my own giant heating pad next to me.”

Bowser smirked. Luigi gulped; he always knew that koopa was up to no good whenever he had that smirk. “Does that mean you find me hot greenie?”

“You know what I mean!” Luigi spluttered, burrowing his blushing face into the koopa’s chest, “Don’t twist my words you overgrown lizard!”

Bowser chuckled at the other man’s antics, lifting his hand and running it through Luigi’s soft brown locks. His focus then shifted to the faded scars on human’s arms and back as he continued stroking and frowned. Eventually, Luigi had told him about what he and Mario had when through when they were kids; the destruction of their home, the death of both their parents and being forced to endure the misery upon them by their ‘uncle’. Luigi never told him what happened to Spike, saying that they never heard from him since they moved out, but he did know about what Spike did to him when they attempted to do so, he knew everything about what Spike did to Luigi. Looking at each scar, no matter how big or small they were, just seeing them was enough for Bowser to want to protect Luigi more and make sure his human felt safe no matter what. Though he was certain of one thing, if he ever did come across this Spike, he wouldn’t even last five seconds within his presence before begging for mercy.

“Bowser,” Luigi’s soft voice broke him out of his train of thought. “Are you okay?”

Bowser sighed, wrapping Luigi up into his arms and stroked his hair gently.

“Just…thinking about what you’ve gone through,” Bowser huffed, pressing his nose into the chocolate locks, letting the gentle scent of rosemary fill his nostrils, “Knowing what that man did to you, how he made you hate yourself to the point when someone shows the smallest bit of gratitude, you either get so overwhelmed or think it’s a trick. A part of me wishes that I was there, somehow, and just protect you from everything that happened.”

“Oh, Bowser,” Luigi whispered, tracing small circles on the koopa’s chest with his index finger.

“I just want to keep you safe,” he admitted, “I want to take away all the hurt that you have, but I know that’s not possible. I can promise this though, I will make sure that no one will ever hurt you again, they’d have to get through me if they tried. I’m sure your brother and the princess would have no trouble with assisting me.”

Luigi laughed a little bit, “I have a feeling they would, and I have no doubt that you would be able to protect me, but I don’t want you to beat yourself up about what happened to me, okay? We never knew each other exited, so you would have no idea how I was treated, and you are not responsible for what Spike did to me.”

He put his hand under Bowser’s chin, guiding him so they could properly face each other, “You’ve already done so much for me by just being there for me. Not only did you help me realise what I’m worth, you helped me recognise that my brother saw that as well. If you didn’t do that, I never would’ve had the courage to get that star from under your nose,” he booped the scaly snout for effect, making Bowser scrunch it up and chuckled from the human’s affections, “Yes, I was overwhelmed by you saying how much you liked my baking and listening to my rambling, but it was those little things that made a big difference for me. Other than Mario, no one else cared for me that way since my parents died. It’s why I love you so much Bowser, maybe even marry you one day.”

“What was that?!” Bowser suddenly bolted up, his tail falling from Luigi’s side and stiffened with shock.

Luigi turned red, he meant to just say that in his head! “N-nothing, just me rambling again!” he laughed nervously.

“Well, you did say that I love hearing you ramble,” Bowser purred, rewrapping his tail around the human’s body and nuzzled his neck (he learnt a while ago it was one of Luigi’s ‘special’ spots). “Say it again.”

“Y-you already heard it the first time,” Luigi pouted, “There’s no reason for me to say it again then!”

The koopa gently shoved Luigi into the pillows and put his paws on each side of him, making sure he didn’t sense any hesitations from the man and giving him space in case he wanted Bowser to back off. “Aw, come on Greenie, don’t leave me hanging like that. Say it again.”

Luigi pursed his lips together and turned his head away.

“Say it,” Bowser nuzzled his snout into Luigi’s neck again, smirking when he heard Luigi trying to stifle a laugh, “Say it again!”

Luigi shook his head again, keeping his mouth shut knowing that if he tried to speak again, he would break out into laughter.

“Say you want to marry me!” Bowser began to chortle, “I know you said just let me hear it one more time!”

Giggles escaped Luigi as Bowser kept nuzzling his ticklish skin, the koopa knew he wouldn’t last long now.

“Come on baby,” Bowser grinned when the snickers got louder, “Say you want to marry me!”

“Yes, yes, I want to marry you!” Infectious laughter burst out from Luigi’s lungs, his little body trembling from it all, “I want to spend the rest of my life with you and love you! I really want to marry you one day!”

Bowser laughed along with the small human, removing himself from Luigi’s neck and rolled onto his back, keeping a paw on Luigi’s back as he lay on his stomach. They waited a while until Luigi got his breath back, resting his chin in his hand as he looked at Bowser as he rolled his eyes, “There, happy now you useless reptile?”

“More than anything,” the koopa murmured softly, the sudden change of tone making Luigi bit his lip, leaning forward to gently press a kiss to Bowser’s. There a rumble coming from Bowser’s chest, he cupped Luigi’s cheek as both deepened the kiss.

“PAPA! BABBO!” Junior burst through the door, making the two pull away from each other as the young koopaling clambered onto the bed and buried himself under the blankets.

“Morning Junior,” Bowser smiled at the boy, shifting to let Luigi off his stomach as the human went on the other side of the boy.

“Good morning il mio piccolo,” Luigi whispered, pressing a kiss to his head, “Did you sleep well.”

“Yeah, I slept good,” Junior gave them both a toothy grin before burying himself into Luigi’s side, the plumber wrapping his arms around the boy in return.

Bowser moved once again, laying in a position as though he were a dog as he pulled the two – still wrapped in the blankets – against his side and started purring.

The three stayed like that for a while, Bowser thumping his tail against the bed as Luigi stroked Junior’s hair as they dozed.

At least half an hour passed before Kamek came in, with tea and breakfast on a cart and used his want to open the curtains, sunlight pouring in.

“Good morning, Sire,” Kamek handed Bowser a cup as the king sat back up, “Luigi, young prince. I take it you all had a comfortable night.”

“As usual Kamek, thank you,” Luigi nodded to Kamek, making the magikoopa smile as he handed the human his own cup. “And for you, young master.” Junior gasped with delight as Kamek floated a mug of hot chocolate to him, the child blew on it before taking a big gulp.

“Now we all have a big day ahead of us,” Kamek started “It is the ‘union festival’ today to mark one year since the treaty has been signed so we’ll have to make sure the entire kingdom is prepared.”

“Don’t worry Kamek,” Bowser patted his surrogate father in the head, the elderly koopa scoffed and swatted his hand away with his wand, “You’ve put your heart and soul helping us prepare for this. Everything is going to be great.”

“I should hope so,” said Kamek, “Though, if Luigi wasn’t there to make sure I didn’t overwork myself I wouldn’t be able to keep standing on my feet.”

“I just wanted to do my part Kamek,” Luigi told him, “You shouldn’t burden yourself with everything all the time.”

“Well, thank you again Luigi,” Kamek smiled, taking his own cup and spent the rest of the morning with his family.

The journey to the Mushroom Kingdom didn’t take long when you had a giant flying fortress. They used the day to get ready for the festival, making sure the subjects were ready, gathered the food to provide for both toads and koopas and getting changed into their finest garments.

Luigi had opted to wear a dress for the festival, he had slowly been building up the confidence to start wearing dresses occasionally on the days he wasn’t busy until he felt comfortable enough to wear them out on public, and the festival would be a good opportunity to wear one that was tailored to him that he had grown fond of (he also really liked the look Bowser gave him whenever he wore one). It was quite simple, just a simple green dress with a pleated tea-length skirt, a cream blouse underneath and a tiny black ribbon wrapped in a bow under a peter pan collar.

Bowser was dressed in a normal suit consisting off a blouse, blazer, trousers and shoes all being the same black colour, he even had eyeliner on the top and bottom of his eyelids. Junior wanted to match his father but was wearing a white blouse instead of black like Bowser and skipped out on the eyeliner.

Currently, the three were waiting in the throne room, Bowser on his throne with Junior in his lap and Luigi in the crook of his arm, chatting about whatever came to mind or sitting in comfortable silence. Often, Luigi would fidget ands stim with his hands and Bowser would clasp them in his own, stroking his thumb over them to help Luigi calm himself. The human wasn’t nervous for the festival, he was excited to see his brother and the princess, but old habits don’t die easily but they were simpler to face with his new partner to remind him how loved he was.

Soon, the fortress landed next to the castle (in a little area that was built for whenever there were going to be events such as this one). The three immediately got off the throne as they made their way towards the exit.

All the guards were lined up outside, bowing courteously to the couple and prince. It still amazed Luigi that the koopas treated him with such fondness and respect, almost as though he were as much of a royal as Bowser.

“Well, you did help stop a war for them and helped them repair the kingdoms, it doesn’t surprise me that they like you this much, love,” Bowser had told him a while back.

Kamek suddenly appeared out of thin air to stand with the koopa royals and human, making his way over to the two toad soldiers guarding the entrance. The magikoopa cleared his throat, “King Bowser, Consort Luigi and Prince Bowser Junior would like to announce their presence to Princess Peach and Consort Mario for the ‘union festival’.”

The two toad guards nodded. “This way,” one of them instructed, the four of them following behind.

They made their ways through marbled hallways until arriving at the throne room, Princess Peach was sitting in her plush throne with Mario standing beside her. The princess was adorned in a baby pink dress with a straight neckline and long bell sleeves, while the rest of her bodice and overskirt was pink and decorated with small white flowers, the front of her bodice and underskirt was a pearly white.

Mario wore a red frock coat with gold accents and buttons along the edges over a white dress shirt and black trousers. He even wore some fancy boots that Peach had gotten for him. The red plumber’s face suddenly beamed the moment he saw his younger brother.

The other toad guard raised his voice, “King Bowser, Prince Bowser Junior and Consort-”

“-LUIGI!” Mario interrupted the guard, running down the steps to lift his brother up into a tight hug, making the green man snort and wrapped his arms around his older brother.

The toad stood there stunned for a moment until his face morphed back to be serious again, “Yes, Luigi. If that is all your highnesses, I will take my leave until the festival starts.”

Peach sniggered Mario’s behaviour, the whole day he had been on his toes with excitement, anticipatingly waiting for his brother to arrive, as though it had been years since he’d seen him (it was actually three days). “Thank you, yes, that will be all,” Peach nodded as the guard left.

“Lu, I’m so glad you’re finally here!” Mario cheered, still not putting his brother down, “I missed you so much!”

“Mario, relax!” Luigi cackled, “How am I the younger brother when you’re acting like a big baby?!”

“Hey!” Mario gasped, feigning shock as he put his brother down, “I’m happy to see my little brother and this is how I’m treated! Peach, hold me!” He pretended to faint into the princess’s arms, making her roll her eyes and pat his shoulder.

“Gee princess,” Bowser snickered, “I didn’t know a walking melodramatic theatre was the one that was able to give you butterflies.”

“What can I say?” Peach shrugged as Mario stood up and wrapped an arm around her, “He makes me laugh.”

Mario blushed faintly, even more so when Peach placed a kiss on his nose.

“Uncle Mario!” Junior bounded over to the red man, jumping in his arms as Mario caught him with ease, being used to the child doing that since Luigi began a relationship with Bowser.

“Hey, amico!” Mario grinned, “How you doing?”

Junior then proceeded to talk his ear off, Mario listening intently, as Peach made her way over to Luigi and Bowser. “And how are you two doing?”

“Very well princess,” Luigi said, leaning over to give Peach a hug to which the latter responded by giving him a careful squeeze, “Anymore plans been added to the wedding yet?” He gestured down to the sparkling engagement ring on her finger, missing her usual white gloves on her hands.

“Not yet,” she said, “We’re both hoping to have you both here to help plan, after the festival of course.”

“Absolutely, one step at a time,” Bowser agreed, a cheeky grin forming on his face as he glanced down at Luigi, “And maybe after that, we might have another wedding to plan.”

Peach gasped, covering her mouth to hide a wide smile, “Are you two-?!”

“N-not yet!” Luigi spluttered, blushing like back as he glowered at the currently laughing koopa, “He hasn’t-we haven’t…Like Bowser said, one step at a time, right?”

“Sorry,” Peach grasped onto Luigi’s hands, “I just got a little excited at the thought of you two getting married.”

“You two are getting married!” Mario’s eyed widened as he carried Junior piggyback style as the made his way towards his fiancé, brother and koopa.

Luigi buried his face in his hands, muffling an embarrassed groan as Bowser continued to chuckle, Peach joining in as well. “Don’t worry Mario,” Bowser decided to give his small human a break, “No proposals have been made…yet.”

“Bowser!” Luigi slapped his arm, the koopa began to snicker again.

“Don’t worry, if you two tie the knot one day then you have my full blessing,” said Mario, turning to Bowser, “You make Luigi feel special and happy, that’s all I’ve ever wanted for him and I’m so glad that you were able to help him realise this,” his smile then dropped as he stared at Bowser dead in the eyes, “But know this, you break his heart and I break you.”

“Make that two of us,” Peach agreed, cracking her knuckles as she matched Mario’s glare.

Bowser gulped, losing composure a little bit before straightening himself back up, “I wouldn’t dream of it. Luigi is very important to me, and I don’t ever want to lose his trust.”

“Aw, you guys,” Luigi wiped away a tear, happiness bubbling within him.

Junior leapt of Mario’s back and ran over to Luigi, wrapping his little arms around his legs, “Don’t cry Babbo, it’s okay.”

Luigi scooped up Junior into his arms, internally aweing at how cute his stepson was, “Don’t worry il mio bambino, I’m happy, just a little emotional that’s all.”

The door opened, revealing the guard from before, “The kingdoms await you your highnesses.”

Everyone glanced at one another, smiling at they turned back to the guard. “Then what are we waiting for,” Peach grinned, “Lead the way.”

The guard bowed as the royals followed him, making their way onto the balcony. On each side there were two guards, one was another toad and the other was-

“Sam!” Luigi exclaimed happily, putting Junior into his Papa’s arms as he made his way towards the koopa.

The guard perked up at the sound of the plumber’s voice, “Luigi, its great to see you!”

“How’s Enver?” Luigi asked, taking note of how the koopa’s eyes filled with nothing but love.

“They’re amazing,” he confirmed, “I’m sure I’m the happiest koopa alive whenever I’m around them.”

Luigi nodded, glancing at Bowser, “I know the feeling.”

“I don’t think I would be with them like this if it weren’t for you,” Sam told the human, “I’m grateful that we met Luigi, and would be honoured to serve you for the rest of my days.”

Luigi smiled, placing a hand on the koopa’s shoulder, “I’d be more honoured to have you as a friend.”

The koopa’s eyes widened at the kind words and nodded back, “Then I shall do just that.”

“I’ll catch up with later, enjoy the night same,” Luigi waved to him as he made his way back towards the others.

“You too Luigi,” Sam called back.

Bowser wrapped his arm around Luigi once he was back at his side, his hand warm and his gaze loving. Luigi returned it before looking towards Peach as she began her speech.

“Welcome toads and koopas to the first ever ‘union festival’!” she started, applause erupting from the crowd below, “This is the once in a lifetime event that we will ever experience, as we celebrate a day were two kingdoms united after years of fighting, becoming closer and stronger than ever in those twelve months. And we wouldn’t have been able to do this if it wasn’t for one human, who was able to stop with war by just being his kind and amazing self. If it wasn’t for him, we wouldn’t have the peace we all currently share and why I will be eternally grateful towards him. Everyone, I wanted to dedicate our first ever ‘union festival’ to the one and only Luigi!”

Luigi couldn’t believe what he was hearing, people were cheering, for him! They were happy for him to be here, happy for everything that he did, happy that the version of himself that they loved was the person he wanted to be all along…just him.

Spike was wrong, he was always wrong, but just seeing and hearing all the adoration that everyone in this beautiful magical world was giving him by being what his uncle detested him for filled him with a joy he never felt before.

“Luigi,” Peach’s voice broke him out of his thoughts, “Is there anything you would like to say?”

Luigi thought about for a bit and shook his head, although he was grateful, he didn’t think he was ready for a grand speech yet. He was still taking those baby steps.

“That’s alright, would you like to just wave instead?” she asked.

Luigi nodded at that; Bowser kept his protective hold on him as he made his way to the front of the balcony. He waved to the crowd below him, his eyes widening as the crowed cheered for that simple action. Soon, the rest of them started waving to the crowd as the festivities began.

Bowser scooped up Luigi into his arm with Junior, who immediately hugged the human tightly. Luigi stroked the child’s hair as he looked up towards the Koopa again.

Bowser turned to him, brows furrowed in concern, “Are you alright Greenie?”

Luigi answered by pressing a slow, soft kiss to the king’s lips before pulling away, whispering, “Thank you.”

“For what?” Bowser blinked.

“For everything,” Luigi replied.

Butterflies were fluttering in Bowser’s stomach; Luigi was making that sweet face that he loved so much again. He pulled the human in, resting his forehead against his as his sweet little human giggled.

Later, they would go to the town with Junior, Mario and Peach to indulge themselves with games, shopping, eating and more. But for now, Luigi wanted to stay like this, surrounded by those he cared for more than anything, knowing that one thing that was absolutely true…

He was enough.

#tw: panic attack #but it doesn't last that long #bowuigi #mario movie #mario bros #super mario bros #luigi #bowser #mario #princess peach #kamek #bowser junior #my writing #fanfic #fanfiction #mareach #luigi brain rot

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