Diarchy By Ninetails2000/RVroovie99 Chapter 6: Aurora Rapport

Luigi woke up with his chest feeling lighter than it had ever been. He jumped right out of bed and hummed his way through a quick breakfast and a bath. As he finished dressing himself in the mirror, he couldn't help but think about how plain his clothes looked. Practical for plumbing and world saving alike, but not very good for a casual hook-up.

He looked in Peach's wardrobe, still amazed that she seemed to have entire varieties of clothes for multiple different events. At the back of the wardrobe he noticed a small bell. After taking it out and looking it over, his curiosity got the better of him and he gave it a soft ring. In an instant a fashionably dressed magikoopa appeared before him.

"Royal seamstress at your service Princess Pea-...I mean Luigi."

"She even had a magic seamstress at a bell's call?" Luigi couldn't help but ask out loud even though he had become desensitized to all the gratuitous service Peach and vicariously he got by now.

"Of course! And let me tell you, she runs us to the bone." The Seamstresskoopa grumbled bitterly. "So what do you need, Green Man?"

"Oh, nothing much...But..." Luigi thought for a second and continued. "Well, I wanted to have something a bit more casual to wear than my same old overalls...Think you can come up with something simple?"

"Hmph, can I think of something simple? You know who was in charge of designing Peach's dress for the 2008 Smash Brothers get together? I think I can handle something simple, honey." With that, the Seamstress Koopa waved her wand high in the air, charging magic up and letting out a laugh. With an anticlimactic pomf, Luigi's overalls were transformed into a classy pair of denim jeans. His turtleneck was changed to have a looser, puffier collar and wider, rolled sleeves and his cap was rotated at a slightly off-center angle. "Badda-bing, badda-boom, casual wear." The Seamstress Koopa smugly smirked at the plumber. "Men are always so much easier to work with."

"Huh, this actually looks pretty nice..." Luigi looked himself over in the mirror. He looked modest, he looked handsome and it was a look he would have never seen Mario in. "Thank you so much!"

"No problem at all. Don't worry about your old outfit, we have your specifications on file, so we'll whip up a spare set for you in the mean time." The Seamstress Koopa sassily jumped onto her broom. "And if that's all you need for now, honey, then I'll make my leave." With that, the magikoopa disappeared in a puff of sparkly black smoke.

"Right..." Luigi took a deep breath and put on his brightest smile. "Time to go hang out with...my new friend Bowser..."

Bowser was sitting in the garden, an absolute mess of frazzled nerves. Between last night and today the reality set in for him. He actually called one of his worst enemies his best friend AND HUGGED HIM! AND CRIED WITH HIM! AND HELD HIS HAND! How could he be so stupid as to let his defense down so completely? What if Luigi takes advantage of his vulnerability? What if he tells Mario? What if they actually do become best friends!? He was a bold gambler and often took major risks, but THIS? This was just STUPID! Why would he even THINK of making such a dumb move!?

And then he remembers those eyes. Those sparkling blue eyes. He'd never known a pair of eyes to house so many different emotions. He remembers the sobbing. The heart breaking isolation. The familiarity with such pain and the declaration he made...yeah, that's why he's doing this...Whether he likes it or not, Luigi needs him and he's got to be there...when the fuck did he start assuming Luigi needed him? What's Luigi to him? What IS Luigi to him? What indeed...

"Bowser! Che piacere vederti!" Luigi greeted the great king, who seemed to be off in his own world.

"HURR!?" Bowser jumped at the interruption, before seeing it was just Luigi. "Oh, H-hello Luigi." Bowser looked the plumber up and down, the new set of clothes striking out at him immediately. "You...Look...pretty well dressed..." Not exactly the most coherent compliment, but it gets the point across.

"Aah, thank you. I asked your seamstress to make something a bit more casual since I was meeting up with a friend." Luigi smiled proudly, enjoying the compliment to his outfit.

"Friend? Who's that?" Bowser looked around and scratched his head, confused.

Luigi gave Bowser a flat look. "You, Coglione."

Bowser took a moment to process what was just said. They're friends now, that's right. "Oh! Right right right." Bowser chuckled, embarrassed. "I still haven't gotten used to the whole...You know..." Bowser motioned between himself and Luigi. "Thing..."

"It's okay, I guess. It is a bit weird that it all just kinda...happened..." Luigi shrugged, sitting down next to the large king. "So...Uh...What do you wanna do?"

"...Honestly, I never thought It'd get to this point." Bowser decided blunt honesty was the way to go. "If I was still antagonizing you, I'd be able to brag or talk smack about Mario but...That seems like it'd be in bad taste..."

Luigi nodded. "Hmm...True...I'm sure we can come up with SOMETHING..." Luigi thought it over. Looking across the garden, he smiled at all the wild tropical flowers. "The garden is looking pretty beautiful today. Impressive what your men can do."

"Yeah...They work hard to keep this place looking nice even with the environment working against them." Bowser smirked. "I guess that's just the Koopa way though. Fight through adversity."

"Reminds me of a poem back home." Luigi mused absentmindedly. "About a rose growing from concrete or something like that...I'll have to look it back up..."

"Yeah..." Bowser looked down at his new friend and couldn't help but smile. "I don't know much about poetry, but I do know how how to break through adversity...Well, up until you and your brother came along...Then I got stopped cold..." Bowser rolled his eyes.

"Maybe you're just going about things the wrong way." Luigi absentmindedly replied. "You're kinda like Mario in a way. You both have really pig-headed ways about things when you could really take a lot less effort if you took a moment to look at your options..."

"Me like Mario? Don't get ahead of yourself, little man." Bowser playfully tapped his new friend on the head.

"Hey, cut it out!" Luigi chuckled, holding onto his cap. "See? Just like Mario, you're toying with me."

"It's hard not to when you're so fun to toy with." The words just fell out of his mouth so naturally. He didn't even realize he was saying it out loud until it was out there. Hearing it made his blood go cold and he froze in place. "Uh...I mean...You know..."

"Hey Bowser, it's okay..." Luigi smiled up at his friend. "I understand what you meant. Sometimes what you mean is less intense than how it comes out."

"Y-yeah..." Bowser nodded, shyly.

"Hehe, juuust like Mario." Luigi flashed Bowser a sly grin.

Bowser blushed a bright rosy hue and huffed. "Why you...You're lucky I'm trying to be nice or I'd have roasted you like...like...Like a magikoopa in last year's robes!"

"Oof! I can feel the intensity from here!" Luigi toyed around, pretending to shield himself from imaginary flames. "Absolutely roasted to cinders..."

"Hehehe, It'd be a horror show." Bowser guffawed heartily. It'd been so long since he'd had such a good laugh that wasn't laced with malice or insults. It felt good. "Aah...But...I guess I did kinda mean it that way..." Bowser looked away shyly. "I mean when we're go-karting or playing tennis and stuff. You're much more clever than Mario is so it's fun to play with you..."

"Oh...Well thanks Bowser..." Luigi found himself blushing. "Laying it on a bit thick, are we?"

"Well...I'm just trying to...you know...make things more comfortable..." Bowser scratched his head, slowly getting used to the heat he was feeling in his cheeks. "I've never really had friends before so..."

"You're just trying to find yourself?" Luigi patted the turtle king on the arm.

"I guess...This is still really fuckin' weird though..." Bowser cleared his throat. "I feel like we should be fighting or something, but then I have to remember it's your brother who's like that, not you."

"Aah, Mario...always willing to beat someone up if it's the right thing to do...One of his best qualities...and one of his worst." Luigi wistfully thought about his brother. "I wonder what he's doing right now. I bet he's stuck in an ice world somewhere, not willing to watch his step on the ice."

"Mario? Well my last intelligence report stated that he found Peach and..." Bowser hesitated for a moment, re-assessing what he was about to say before continuing. "And...last I heard he was taking her home. He should find my note for you and then be...right here..." Bowser awkwardly smiled at the plumber, hoping he could get away with not telling the whole truth.

"I can tell you're keeping something from me, Bowser. I'm not dumb." Luigi gave Bowser a deadpan look. "But...I suppose it's your 'master plan' so you HAVE to keep your secrets secret."

"Aww, don't be that way...I mean you're kinda right, but don't be that way about it." Bowser huffed at Luigi's incredulous tone.

"Yeah yeah..." Luigi shrugged. "Sometimes I wonder if I'm really worth a chase like that."

"Hmph, I think you're worth the chase. Otherwise I wouldn't have captured you." Bowser looked down at the plumber with concerned eyes. "How...How do you live with that kind of confidence?"

"What confidence?" Luigi looked at Bowser, annoyed.

"Exactly." Bowser looked right back at Luigi, matching his irritated look.

"Well I wouldn't say I lack confidence entirely...I just...well..." Luigi lifted his cap and scratched his scalp awkwardly. "Well...I'm Green Mario. Player two. If they don't need me, I tend to just blend into the walls..."

"Hmph, that's a crock of shit." Bowser spoke honestly. "No man should just 'blend into a wall.' From the lowest koopa to the mightiest king, everyone has a place and everyone has a face and a name and a life to live just as much as everyone else. And YOU, Luigi..." Bowser exaggerated his point by poking Luigi in the chest. "You've got a place that's pretty damned important."

"I suppose so...but Mario's got it covered better than I do." Luigi shrugged. "He's the one everyone loves because he takes the lead. I do sometimes manage to outdo him, but because I'm the more cautious one of the two of us, I'm not going to be winning that many awards for my heroism compared to him..." Luigi heaved out a sigh. "And now there are members of Peach's court who are training to do the same stuff me and Mario can do. They've even helped us take you out once or twice."

"Oooh, so that's why those blue and yellow fucknuts were following you two around like stray cats, I'm guessing?" Bowser nodded in understanding.

"Not...the most respectful way to put it...but yeah..." Luigi curled into a ball. "With them joining us, just as foolhardy as Mario is, it's often times like I come in fourth place. I know what I can be capable of and I've proven myself countless times...but because I don't have charisma like Mario, I'm just...left behind...forgotten" Luigi looked up at Bowser, a pitiful look on his face. "And that just feels..."

"Like you've been given a pile of shit on a paper plate." Bowser looked down at the plumber, his own insecurities bubbling up. "I know how that feels way too much."

"I never noticed how much you swear before, Bowser..." Luigi eyed the koopa king curiously.

"Well...I hold my tongue when I'm around Peach." Bowser rolled his eyes. "Wouldn't want her having a fuckin' baby because I said 'fuck' too many times in a fucking row."

"Heh, true..." Luigi let a small smile creep onto his face. "...I kinda like it...reminds me of home..."

"R-really?" Bowser finally found himself able to keep his cool when he felt himself heat up. He'd have to get used to compliments. "So everyone swears like that in the Brooklyn Kingdom?"

"Heh, you couldn't go three feet without hearing someone saying something about someone else's mother." Luigi chuckled softly. "I try not to swear that often since Nona taught me better, but Mario..."

"Mario's got a sailor mouth? Really?" Bowser couldn't help but snicker.

"He's cooled down a LOT since we moved here, but at his peak? Well his favorite insult was to tell people to go to hell before they died."

"BAHA! That's rich!" Bowser chuckled loudly. "Hearing that little pipsqueak swearing has GOT to be a treat!"

"Haha, it really is!" Luigi snickered. "Mario's always trying to keep his image squeaky clean now, I bet if he found out I told you this, he'd be pissed."

"Baah, fuck Mario and his 'image.' Image doesn't matter for jack if you're a conceited dick." Bowser rolled his eyes. "And I don't know how you feel about him being his brother and all, but in my eyes Mario's got serious narcissism issues." Bowser pointed to himself. "And that's ME-Mr. Puts-My-Face-On-Everything-saying that."

"You got that right, he's ALWAYS got to be the center of attention." Luigi grumbled. "Sometimes I just wanna forget he exists..."

"Hmph, me too..." Bowser crossed his arms and sighed huffily.

"...Well then, let's forget about him..."

"Hmm?" Bowser looked over at the plumber.

"Let's not worry about Mario while we're together then. Since we can't stand him..." Luigi smiled brightly at Bowser. "Besides, there's someone much more interesting right in front of me to talk about..."

Bowser wanted to curl up into a little ball and die from embarrassment. Nobody had EVER said something like that to him. Despite himself, he nodded in agreement. "R-right back at you...Until he shows his sorry ass around here, you'll be the only one on my mind." Bowser picked his words carefully, hoping to appear as if he wasn't.

"Deal!" Luigi held out a hand to Bowser to shake.

"Yeah..." Bowser perked up and grabbed the man's hand, shaking back. "Bet on it!"

Days passed in the castle as the king and the plumber got acquainted with each other. Idle chatter and basic subjects gave way to deeper conversation as they got more comfortable.

Luigi would regale Bowser with tales of past events from his perspective, the adventures that he himself had tackled and even some stories about growing up as poor immigrants in Brooklyn Kingdom(Which he still insisted on calling a kingdom despite Luigi's protests just to be annoying). As he soaked up every adventure and detail, Bowser quickly realized that he'd never known such an interesting man in his life. Even the all-consuming supernova Mario faded into the background as Luigi stole the show with his unique and deeply personal charisma and style

Luigi grew to love Bowser's blunt, vulgar attitude, noting that the king was probably the only person he'd met in this world that actually realized and acknowledged the faults within it. Tidbits of Bowser's lonely past slipped out slowly. How he was discriminated against for being Dark Kingdom royalty, isolated from others as a child in order to ensure he grew to adulthood, having to bare witness to the cruel life of Darklanders outside of their kingdom and having to grow up too fast to take his aging father's place on the throne. With every new secret, Luigi found himself attracted to the enigmatic king more and more. The rough edges they both held seemed to perfectly intertwine and often times they would find support and understanding they had never known within each other.

Before either of them knew it, weeks had passed and a month was out. Just as quickly as the friendship began, they had become genuine confidants. Both of them were aware of the fact that their relationship was progressing stupidly fast but both of them finally came to the agreement that they didn't really care as long as Luigi was held up in the castle. Despite the good time they've been having together, one niggling issue had been silently eating away at Bowser...

"WHERE THE HELL IS HE!?" Bowser roared out at his kids, slamming his fist into the table, leaving a crater in the polished lava rock. "It's been THREE WEEKS and he STILL isn't here!?"

"We're sorry father! We haven't been able to track him." Ludwig apologized profusely. "He's not in any of the patrolling kingdoms and we don't have any confirmations of death from either the Mushroom Kingdom or our own scouts. It's like he's just gone missing entirely!"

"On toppa 'dat, we never got confirmation that Peach made it back." Roy interjected. "Botha them are just gone. But the strange bit is that the kingdom isn't still on high alert, they came down a few hours after Mario snagged Peach."

"Did Mario just run away with the princess?" Bowser thought it over. "That can't be right, Peach would never go for that. She's a princess, it's not like they could elope."

"Papa!" Everyone turned to see the study doors blown open by Bowser Junior, who seemed to be in a frenzied rush. "PAPAPAPAPAPAPAPAPAPAPAPAPAPAPAP-"

"ENOUGH!" Bowser held out a commanding hand to his son, who froze in his tracks. "How many times do I have to tell you, boy? Use your WORDS."

"Papa, I saw Peach on TV!" Bowser Junior jumped onto the table, running up to Bowser and shoving a portable television in Bowser's face. "There she is with Mario!"

"WHAT!?" Bowser couldn't believe what he was seeing. There they were, Peach and Mario! Dressed to the nines and walking down the steps of a chapel.

"-This past weekend on the luxurious Isle Delfino." A reporter spoke over footage of Peach and Mario waving to a crowd of Piantas, Toads, Yoshis and Nokis. "It was only weeks before that Mario had reclaimed Princess Toadstool from Bowser's castle after his last attack so to say that the short notice was a shock through the entire kingdom was an understatement."

The TV cut to footage of Peach speaking to the press from a podium. "Well we were flying back from the Koopa Kingdom and my retainers just shoved me and Mario onto a plane to rest and celebrate our engagement and...well...We figured now would be as good a time as any." Peach let out an excited giggled. "I've loved Mario longer than I can even remember, so I didn't want to spend a moment longer not being his wife."

The footage cut abruptly to Mario on the same podium. "I'm truly humbled by the warm welcome I've gotten. It means the world to me to be able to stand proudly with Peach as my wife. I promise to continue my work as the hero of the kingdom while also taking up the mantle as king." Mario waved proudly to the crowd as the audio muted.

"Princess Toadstool-Mario's coronation ceremony will commence in a week's time where she will be crowned as the new queen and Mario as the new king. Up next we'll hear commentary from friends and family of the happy newlyweds including Princess Daisy of Sarasaland and Captain Toad of the Toad Brigade..."

Bowser sat, jaw agape, hands nearly crushing the tiny box. "No way...No fucking way..." Bowser looked around at his kids, who all shared his utterly shocked expression. "She actually eloped!?"

"What a totally trashy thing to do, the whore." Wendy rolled her eyes. "Obviously she's never heard of the right time and place. Just imagine the catering, it was probably a slapdash job!"

"Forget the catering, what are we gonna do about Mario!?" Morton spoke up. "We gotta stop him before he becomes king for real!"

"But how would we go about that?" Ludwig mused out loud. "It's not as if they're still just friends, they've tied the knot. Our busting in there to kidnap her would have...unfortunate implications for our kingdom..."

"Moreso than what we have already?" Larry rolled his eyes at the whole situation.

Bowser sat, absolutely frozen with shock as the rest of his family fell into bickering among themselves. He couldn't believe it. He couldn't believe it was true...Luigi was right about Mario...about all of them. He scanned the news for any commentary on Luigi in relation to this. Nothing at all. Channel after channel. Daisy, Wario, Waluigi, a whole gang of Toads even voiceless people like Donkey Kong and Yoshi got a taste of the spotlight...and not one mention of Luigi...Not even an inkling that Mario even had a brother.

"Papa?" Bowser Junior tugged at his dad's arm, looking up with innocent eyes. "Does this mean...Peach...isn't going to be my mama anymore..."

"I..." Bowser had no idea how to respond. His master plans were crashing down in flames, his potential wife and mother to his kids was officially off the market and for some reason still unknown to him, the thing that broke him up most was how Luigi was not only correct in his assumption that nobody would care he was gone, but that it included his very own brother! "...Hmph..."

Regaining his composure, he cleared his throat and spoke loudly over his arguing children. "Alright kids, listen up! It's obvious that none of us could have possibly planned for this turn of events." Bowser scratched one of his horns in a moment of confusion. "Honestly, I didn't think they would be so dumb as to dive into things like this...But regardless...At this moment in time, the wisest choice we could make would be to observe and wait to formulate a plan."

Bowser looked around at his confused children, giving them a reassuring look. "We have a week until the coronation and if it gets to that point then sure, we can dive in guns blazing to put the kibosh on that pipe squeezer getting the crown." Bowser continued. "But if we can come up with a more clever way to avert this, then that should be our top priority." Bowser thought for a moment and looked around to his children. "Alright, you kids take five and if you come up with anything, be sure to bring it to me at tomorrow's briefing."

"And what of Luigi? Certainly they should be on our door to retrieve him after he missed out on Mario's wedding." Ludwig chimed in, curious.

Bowser winced at the demonstrably false implication behind his son's words before continuing. "Luigi is still precious bargaining fodder to us, so I will continue to keep him under my watch."

"You been spending every day with that two-bit plumber, ain't ya tire of him yet?" Roy asked his dad, confused. "One of us can take over for you so you can get a break." Roy cracked his knuckles. "Make sure he stays real quiet, get what I mean?"

"N-no!" Bowser barked out louder than he wanted to. Luigi getting roughed up by his kids would shatter the trust he had built up over the past month and end their friendship cold without question. That was something he just couldn't risk.

"I mean...I don't mind dealing with Luigi. We have a bit of an understanding going and he's being compliant...I wouldn't want any of you to pull the wrong stunt and hamper that...It was my plan in the first place, so he's mine to watch." The koopa king heaved out a sigh of frustration. "Alright kids, I think we're done here...Tell me if you come up with anything and try to stay out of trouble for my sake. We're kinda walkin' on eggshells right now, so I don't want any fuck-ups from anyone-me included." With that, the koopalings filed out, Bowser Junior sticking behind for a moment to give his father the biggest hug of reassurance that he could before rushing to catch up with his siblings. Finally by himself, Bowser flopped back into his chair, groaning with frustration and pain. "Damn it all...Damn it all to hell..." His thoughts drifted to Luigi. "I can't tell him...If I do...He'll just..." Luigi's pained eyes and bitter tears flooded his memory. The self-hatred, the pain Bowser himself felt deep down in his gut whenever Luigi would dismiss himself. "I can't...I can't let him get to that...He doesn't deserve this..." Bowser looked down at his clawed hand, the warmth of Luigi's hand lingering in his mind. "Neither of us deserve this..."

Luigi could tell something was up. Bowser was eerily quiet today and barely seemed invested in their small talk. Even without the month of acquaintanceship under his belt, he knew that Bowser keeping his mouth shut meant only bad things were going on.

Bowser was an absolute mess. How the hell was he supposed to break the news to Luigi? That his beloved older brother not only went and got hitched without him, but didn't seem to care that he was gone? If only he hadn't gotten so attached, he could gloat and absolutely ruin Luigi's hopes...but that's no way to think about things like this. Luigi is his best friend...his ONLY friend...and as hard as it is for him to do so, he had to be a good friend...So why was this so hard!?

"Bowser?" Luigi tapped Bowser on the shoulder. "The lights are on, but nobody's home, it seems."

"HURK!" Bowser jumped away from the small Italian man in shock. "S-sorry! I just...Well..." Bowser caught his breath and jump-started his heart, trying to rationalize himself.

"Something's up, isn't it?" Luigi gave Bowser a side-eye. "Something happened with one of your schemes, right?"

"Uuuuh...Well..." Bowser shrugged. "I suppose you could say that...But that's beside the point..." Bowser huffed at his small friend.

"And that point was?" Luigi shrugged to Bowser, completely lost.

"...Well, you see..." Bowser choked on the knot he didn't know had formed in his throat as he continued. "It's...Well...Let's just say it's complicated..."

"Aww come on big guy, it can't be that bad." Luigi reached out for Bowser's hand, scooping it up and holding on tightly. "Whatever it is, I can take it..."

"L-luigi..." Bowser looked down at the hand wrapped around his, blushing bright as the stressors mounted higher. "It's...How can I even explain it..." Bowser tried his best to avoid the problem at hand.

"Bowser, you're stalling." Luigi narrowed his eyes at the giant turtle-ox-man, running out of patience.

"Damn..." Bowser grumbled, finally finding the courage to spill his truth.. "Well you see it's like-"

"Newspaper delivery from the Mushroom Kingdom, special for Luigi!" A Paratroopa landed within the courtyard, messenger bag on his hip.

"WHAT THE!?" Once again, Bowser jumped out of his skin.

"Oh, right! Don't worry Bowser, this'll only take a second." Luigi got up and reached under his cap for some coins. "Ten coins, right?"

"Yes sirree. Honestly, when I signed up for this job, I didn't think it'd be this fun." The parakoopa chuckled. "Flying back and forth between the kingdoms is actually pretty thrilling. I've been setting new speed records every day since you and Lord Bowser requested this of me."

"Well that's just wonderful!" Luigi smiled brightly, knowing he was beginning to have some influence on the Dark Kingdom's subjects even when he was trapped in prison.

Bowser got to his feet, in a crappy mood from all the shocks and from being interrupted. "Luigi, we really should get back to-"

"Oh, Lord Bowser, would you like a copy of the paper to read as well?" Paratroopa pulled out a spare issue and held it open for the king, showing off a giant article spread across both pages with a big picture of Peach in her elegant wedding dress front and center. "It has a magnificent spread concerning the wedding!"

"Wedding?" Luigi cocked an eyebrow.

"HUH!?" Bowser felt liquid ice run through his veins as he saw Luigi's eyes instantly lock onto the page Paratroopa displayed.

"Yeah! The wedding of the century! Between Princess Peach and Ma-HURK!" The Paratroopa was cut off by Bowser grabbing the paper and shoving it into his mouth.

"That's ENOUGH out of YOU today, soldier!" Panicking, he grabbed up the Paratroopa in his mighty hand and hurled him over the castle walls, into the sky. "NOW BUZZ OFF!"

"The wedding of the century: Mario and Princess Peach..." Luigi read the headline on the front page of the paper. His eyes ran across a picture of Peach and Mario standing together proudly, surrounded by all his friends...all their friends...all Mario's friends...

"L-Luigi! Give me that!" Bowser dove for the paper in Luigi's hands, snatching it up and burning it to cinders with his fire breath, panic and adrenaline rushing though his veins. "How about we just sit back down and have a nice cup of coffee or something?"

"...So that's why...you were so distracted?" Luigi's voice seemed to be drained of life.

"Uh...W-well..." Bowser was sweating bullets trying to look everywhere but at Luigi. "You see...It's like..." Bowser finally forced himself to look down at Luigi and what he saw broke his heart in two.

"So...That's why it's taken him so long..." Luigi was numb. He didn't know how he felt. "It's because..." Something inside him was coming undone as he confirmed his own fears. "Mario...didn't..." His voice cracked.

"W-wait! Luigi, it's not what it looks like..." Bowser tried to rationalize to Luigi what he very plainly couldn't.

"Well then what DOES it look like, Bowser!?" Luigi snapped at the koopa, his turbulent emotions quickly boiling over. "What does MARIO GETTING MARRIED BEFORE HE THOUGHT OF ME look like!?"

"..." Bowser had run out of moves. "...I wanted...to break it to you gently..."

"How long have you known this?" Luigi spoke coldly.

"Since yesterday..." Once again, honesty appeared to be the best policy for the king. "I...it was on all the news outlets...They got married...On Isle Delphino...It was apparently earlier this week."

"And did they mention me? Was there any sort of notice about me being gone?" Luigi looked over at the king, reading his face for any inkling of a lie.

"..." Bowser couldn't bare to be under such heavy fire. How could he possibly put this to not make it sting? "...They...were interested more in getting interviews with those...in attendance..."

"They...they didn't even realize I was gone..." Luigi said, lifelessly. "I didn't think...It would be so..." Luigi fell to his knees, the reality of the situation crashing down on him.

"Luigi..." Bowser was frozen in place, watching his newest and thus far best friend come undone.

"They didn't care..." Luigi's vision blurred with tears. "They forgot me entirely..." Luigi's voice was cracking up. "Mario...Why didn't you..." The dam broke. For the second time in his stay, Luigi broke down in front of the king of koopas. His worst fears have been confirmed. He wasn't worth anything. "Why does it have to be this way!? Why me!? Why am I ALWAYS forgotten!?" Luigi wailed in between sobs.

"Luigi..." Bowser couldn't bare to see such a painful sight. "Luigi, get up."

"Why bother? Why bother even living?" Luigi coldly fell into his darkest thoughts.

"Luigi, look at me." Bowser knew where that kind of talk could guide people and he wasn't about to tolerate it.

"I bet Mario wouldn't even care if I were to..."

"Luigi, look at me!"

"None of them would care! I should just-"

"LUIGI!" Bowser roared for attention. "SNAP OUT OF IT!"

Luigi was shocked out of his self loathing by Bowser's rage. "Bowser..." He could see the koopa king had fresh tears in his eyes, but he stood strong and resolute, arms wide.

"Get over here." Bowser motioned for Luigi to come closer.

"Um..." Luigi shyly stepped forward.

"Closer..." Bowser continued his open stance, trying to coarse Luigi to him.

Luigi's legs moved of their own will, step after step closer to Bowser.

"That's it...Bring it in..." Bowser wasn't sure if this would work, but it seemed to be going okay so far.

Luigi finally reached his friend, stopping when his belly met that of the koopa king's. Without warning, those huge arms that welcomed him in were taking hold of him and lifting him up to eye level.

Bowser stared Luigi directly in the eyes, trying to judge how Luigi was feeling inside. "...Don't...Think those thoughts..." He awkwardly stumbled through reassurance. "They won't help you at all..."

"Bowser..." Luigi was at a loss for words. His fated enemy was comforting him? And it was kinda working?

"Even if it's true...and Mario doesn't care for you...And I highly doubt that's the case..." Bowser could feel his face burning. "It doesn't matter because people do still care..." Bowser looked away. "...peoplelikeme..."

"...Bows-" Luigi couldn't even finish repeating himself before he was dragged into another hug. Less crushing than last time but no less soothing or heartfelt.

"It's okay Luigi...It'll be okay..." Bowser stroked Luigi's back. He actually found himself enjoying it, comforting someone who wasn't one of his kids. It was completely alien but at the same time it felt like this was something he'd been waiting for for decades to do. "I'm here for you...I'll always be here for you."

"...Thanks..." Luigi found himself resting his head on Bowser's shoulder, his harsh emotions slowly draining from him.

"You'd better appreciate this, Little Man." Bowser grumbled at Luigi, slightly annoyed by the situation despite how much he was enjoying it. "I don't do this for just anyone. I'm a bastard king with a reputation to uphold."

"Right...right..." Luigi smiled softly, a blush coming to his cheeks. "Though I'd disagree...you aren't that much of a bastard to me...at least not while you're holding me like this..."

"Grr...Don't say shit like that, or I'll drop you right here." Bowser rolled his eyes at Luigi. "I'm only doing this because-"

"Because you care that much about me?" Luigi smiled up at Bowser slyly. "After only a month as friends?"

"...If you want to put it that way." Bowser counted five cloud formations since his decision to keep his eyes locked onto the sky for the rest of his life.

"I think I'm okay...I just let my emotions get away from me..." Luigi returned Bowser's hug, wrapping his arms tight around the koopa king's neck briefly, being sure to avoid the spiked collar.

"Good...You don't need to be feeling like shit when we don't know the whole story." Bowser softly set Luigi back down on the ground. "So...Luigi..." Bowser shyly looked away. He was about to make the most idiotic decision he'd ever made in his life. Months of planning down the drain...but that damned heart of his insisted he needed to do this immediately. His friend Luigi deserved it. "...Regardless of what the real reasoning is, it would appear my holding on to you would be a waste..."

"Hmm? A waste?" Luigi eyed Bowser suspiciously, wondering where he was going with this.

"Y-yeah...Not much use for my plan if Mario won't play along...He failed my game..." Bowser grumbled to himself. "So...Since you're not part of the plan anymore..." Bowser heaved out a heavy sigh, grumbling swears under his breath. "You're free to go."

"You're...setting me free?" Luigi was beside himself.

"I'm sure...there are answers to be sought in this situation...and I can't exactly hunt them down myself..." Bowser looked shyly at Luigi. "And...I don't know how to say this but..." Bowser's heart was racing, his face was burning. "The thing that would make me happiest in this case...is one of your million dollar smiles...And setting you free is the only way I can see that happening..." Bowser grumbled. "So get on, grab your stuff and jet. You can keep all the clothes and anything else you want...just...Please...Let's stay friends once you're on the outside..."

"...Wow..." Luigi was absolutely blown away. He'd never suspected Bowser to be capable of something so noble and genuinely thoughtful. "Bowser...I'm..."

"Yeah, yeah..." Bowser rolled his eyes, turning his back to the plumber to hide the storm of emotions overtaking him. "Just...make it quick...I'll even have some of my elites accompany you home to make sure you're safe."

Luigi looked in the direction of the Mushroom Kingdom. The thought of finally going home was alluring, too hard to give up...but then he looked back at the king, sulking at his own nobility. Having done all of this just to try and cheer him up. He smiled bright. He'd never felt so happy to have someone in his life...

"Well? What's the holdup? Move your ass!" Bowser barked back at Luigi, wishing he would leave already so he can mope in his chambers.

"...Actually..." Luigi stepped up to Bowser, reaching out to hold his hand. "I think...I'd like to stay for a while longer..."

"Wh-what!?" Bowser was absolutely beside himself. He actually wanted to STAY!? "I'm letting you go. You're free!"

"Yeah, I understand..." Luigi smiled up at the king. "I'm free to do what I want to..." Luigi faced Bowser and grabbed his other hand, smiling a bright smile. "And what I want to do is stay with someone who cares for me..."

"...Luigi..." Bowser had no idea relief could feel this good. "You mean...you want to stay with me?"

"You're my best friend after all..." Luigi held Bowser's hands tightly. "Obviously we have something good going here and I don't want to give that up to go hunting down my brother..." Luigi gave Bowser a sly smile. "If he wants me bad enough, he'll come for me...But until that time...I want to be with you."

"Oh man..." If you'd have told Bowser that hearing such a simple statement as 'I want to be with you' would break him like it just did, he'd have laughed you out of the kingdom. But here he was, emotions he had fought with his entire life finally on the back step for the first time. He couldn't help tearing up. "Dammit Luigi, how do you always manage to turn me into a pussy like this." Bowser sniffled, trying to keep his emotions in check.

Luigi chuckled and let go of Bowser's hands to run his across Bowser's plated chest. "Hehe, I told you there was a heart in there somewhere, you big lug..."

"Yeah, yeah..." Bowser grumbled, finally catching hold of himself. "Well then...I'm keeping to my word. You're no prisoner of mine..." Smiling brightly, Bowser lifted Luigi up by the armpits and set him on his shoulder. "So I suppose that means...You're nothing more than my guest now."

Luigi blushed brightly at the sudden display of affection. "R-right...Though I suppose that's putting it a bit lightly..."

Bowser chuckled a bit. "I agree...Now that we're at this point, we can only go farther." Bowser pumped himself and Luigi up. "How about we make a new room for you to stay in so you don't have to stay in that tacky-ass prison? I've got lots of spare storage chambers, I can easily convert one into a room." Bowser smirked up at his friend. "I'll even have it painted green for you..."

"Sure!" Luigi smiled warmly. "Let's do it together..." He ran his hands through Bowser's fiery red hair, giving him an affectionate pat.

"Right on, Little man!" Bowser's heart fluttered at the soft touch of his new friend. Without a moment's hesitation, he carried Luigi inside the castle, the two of them falling into discussion on furniture...