Happy Mother's Day, everyone! Er, sort of. The holiday's not until Sunday.
So... this is just a cute little idea I got. As a forenote, I do not ship Bowser and Peach, nor do I think they should end up together. but, I have always thought that the 'Mama Peach' concept was cute, at least regarding Junior and Peach. I would think that, since Junior does not have a mother in his life, he seeks Peach out as a mother figure, whether she wants it or not. This story focuses on that. I tried to make it sweet, which is a bit outta my element. Ah well, it's good practice.
Upload Schedule: Everyday up until Mother's Day!
Disclaimer: Rated K-plus for mentioned, non-explicit injury, non-detailed violence, and minor swears. Bowser's at it again with the language. X)
I guess there's nothing else to say... enjoy the first chapter!
May 8, 1601
Afternoon
So booooored. Junior grumbled as he stomped through the halls of the castle. He had nothing to do. He didn't want to play any of his video games, all his single-player ones long beaten. And Mario Kart wasn't fun anymore, not since his Papa took away his online access. He'd tried drawing, but his ideas had run short. Plus, his hand was aching. He'd tried to start a game by himself… but playing alone was no fun. Junior's only playmate was down for the count.
Junior kicked at the red carpet. He was so bored so bored so booooorreeed. There was nothing to do in the whole castle! No games, no one to play with, nothing! Junior growled.
"Hey, Jewel!" a voice rang out, followed by the fluttering of feathered wings.
Junior perked up. He could give the guards a scare! He smothered a giggle, narrowing his eyes as he hurried over to the wall. He stuck close to it as he neared the corner, taking his steps one inch at a time.
"Skylan!" a female voice chirped.
Junior poked his head around the corner, spotting two blue-shelled Koopas; a hovering Paratroopa guard and a 'Troopa maid. They were under a golden statue of his Papa, which the maid had apparently been polishing. Both wore smiles. The crown prince grinned. They don't even know I'm here! He was going to get them good. He'd been practicing his roar, and, while it was far from being as fearsome as his papa's, he was sure it would scare the two out of their shells.
"Did you buy that necklace for Mom yet?" the Paratroopa, probably Skylan, asked, touching down on the floor.
Jewel, the 'Troopa, shot him an 'are you serious?' look; her eyes scrunched and smile sightly lopsided as she crossed her arms. "I bought it two days ago, I sent you a message, remember?"
Skylan chuckled, rubbing the back of his head. "Uh… I haven't been checking my mailbox."
Jewel shook her head with a sigh. "Skylan…" She turned to rub the foot of the Bowser statue with a cloth. "Did you at least get the cake like I asked you to?"
Skylan stiffened, his eyes drifting off to the side. "Uhhhh… I thought you were gonna make one?"
"Skylan!" Jewel gasped, whipping to face him.
Junior ducked out of sight. He pulled his bandana up over his snout. He tensed his legs in preparation of leaping out, and he filled his lungs with the air for his roar.
"Mother's Day is tomorrow!" Jewel went on, "I asked you to get the cake yesterday so neither of us would have to be scrambling to get it after our shifts today!"
Junior froze. The air and tension left his body in one big rush. Mother's Day… Mama's Day? Tomorrow is Mama's Day? He jumped out from hiding, pulling his bandana down. "Is tomorrow really Mama's Day?" The two jumped with gasps, Skylan taking to the air. They turned glares towards him. He jabbed a claw at them. "Don't lie to me!"
"Um… yes…" Jewel replied slowly, her eyes wide.
Junior gasped. Mama's Day! I gotta tell Papa! He raced past them. If tomorrow was Mother's Day, then they would be invading the Mushroom Kingdom again! Bowser always got Junior Peach to spend the day with— or at least until Mario showed up and stole her. But Junior hadn't even been told of such an invasion, nor had he seen any signs of preparation. Maybe his papa had forgotten! He did that sometimes.
Junior skidded to a halt in front of Bowser's cracked-open door. He shoved it open and rushed inside the dimly-lit room. "PAPA!" he screamed, "Guess what?!"
Bowser groaned. The Koopa King was curled up on his bed, his face pressed into the mattress. As Junior neared, he winced upon spotting the bandages that were wrapped around his majority of his papa's body, not to mention his shell had lost several of its spikes. Another looked to be close to withering away, as it was blackened and cracked.
"Oh… sorry Papa…" Junior mumbled, toning his voice down. In his excitement, he'd nearly forgotten about the state his papa was in. Barely two days prior, Bowser had gone to inspect a Bob-omb Factory per the owner's request. During said inspection, it had accidentally blown up, killing a good number of the employees and severely injuring others. Junior had only caught a glimpse of the burns Bowser had received from it, and they had been pretty bad. He had needed to look away.
"Just keep your voice down," Bowser rasped, his voice weak and barely above a whisper. He raised his head, his only exposed eye glazed. The other half of his face was slathered in bandages. "What d'ya want? Make it quick."
"Um…" Junior tapped his claws together. "Papa, are you still gonna get me Mama Peach for tomorrow? It's Mama's Day." Well, his papa didn't have to directly get her himself. That would be a bit ridiculous given his current condition. But that didn't need to stop him from just ordering a get-Junior-his-mama mission.
"No. I feel like crap, Junior. I'm not doing any kidnapping until these star-forsaken burns go away." Bowser pushed himself to his knees, hissing. He shot Junior a glare. "Do I look like I can fight Mario?"
"No." Junior folded his arms, sticking out his lower lip just slightly as he shot his papa a flat-eyed look. "But you can still just say 'Get Mama Peach for Junior. It's Mama's Day tomorrow.'"
Bowser snorted. He eased himself back down, letting out a sharp inhale. "Damn these…" he muttered. He let out a rugged sigh. "No."
Junior's mouth fell open with a squawk.
"I'm not going through any of that, Junior. I'll kidnap her after I heal up. Not before. I'm not fighting Mario like this. And nobody else is allowed to be the final boss. That's my job. I'm the only one awesome enough for that."
Junior's hands clenched into fists. His nostrils flared with his heavy breaths. His tail drooped, and a weight dragged down on his heart. He blinked back tears. "That's not fair!"
"Life's not fair," Bowser countered. "You can do your Mother's Day stuff with her the next time she comes over." He hissed, wincing. "If you see Kamek, tell him to get me another sleeping drink, or whatever it's called."
"No!" Junior whipped around and rushed out of the room. He slammed the heavy door as hard as he could, though due to its immense weight, it closed with hardly a tap. "You're supposed to get me Mama Peach for Mama's Day! I don't care if you don't wanna fight Mario! You're the worst papa ever!" He covered his eyes and ran. It didn't matter where he went.
How could Papa? How could Papa say no? Didn't his papa understand? Junior always looked forward to the annual holiday. The day he could have his mama all to himself. The day they'd play together, and she'd read to him, and he would show off his drawings… nobody to interrupt until that mean Mario came.
Junior stumbled to a halt, lowering his hands. He sniffled. He turned about and made his way back to his room. He slammed the door behind him. He threw himself on his bed. Tears trailed down his cheeks as he beat his bed with his fists. It wasn't fair. It just wasn't fair! Junior loved Mama's Day! And his papa wasn't letting him enjoy it! There was no way he'd be able to bring her himself. He couldn't fight Mario on his own, and Mario wouldn't listen to him even if he promised to bring her back by the end of the day.
Junior froze, raising his head. His eyes widened.
Maybe… maybe he didn't have to take Mama Peach at all.
Maybe… he could go to her.
Junior gasped, jumping to his feet. He clapped his hands. Yes! What a wonderful idea! If he spent the day with her, in her castle, he wouldn't have to worry about Mario taking her away! He would get the whole day with her, and nobody would be able to stop him! Not Mario, not his stupid green brother, and especially not the Toads. He wouldn't be able to tell anyone at the castle about this plan. He knew his papa wouldn't let him go, due to it being 'too dangerous'. Please! He probably wouldn't see how good the idea was.
He wiped tears off his face. His hands curled into fists. Yes! Me and Mama Peach can have the best Mama's Day ever! He'd have to leave early. By Clown Car, the flight to Peach's Castle would take a little over an hour. He wanted the whole day with her, so he'd have to set an alarm. He scratched his head. But I don't have one… He perked up. I'll just steal Kamek's! He giggled. The old Magikoopa could go a day without it. He'd give it back after he came home.
Junior slipped off his bed, rubbing his eyes one last time before he exited his room. He hurried through the halls to Kamek's study. He hovered outside the door for a moment, tilting his head in the direction of the room. Kamek's voice muttered beyond the door, and Junior held back a groan. Of course stupid Kamek has to be there. I need his clock now! How could he distract him?
His papa's request for a 'sleeping drink' rang back through his head. He grinned. Perfect! Kamek would be none the wiser.
"Kamek!" Junior barged into the room, startling the Magikoopa and making him drop the vial in his hand. It smashed on the ground, its green liquid fizzing. Kamek hissed a curse under his breath, grabbing the brim of his hat. "Kamek, Papa wants a sleepy drink!"
Kamek raised his head, a scowl prominent on his face. Junior could almost feel the heat of the glare he was shooting at him through his thick glasses. "Would it be so hard to knock next time?"
"Who cares about that? Papa's hurting again. He wants a sleeping drink. A… potion." Yeah, that was the word. "Papa wants a sleeping potion." He clasped his hands behind his back, ducking his head as he kept his eyes on Kamek. "Papa's really hurting and wants it now."
Kamek nodded. "Thank you for notifying me, young master." He removed a large, triangular-shaped bottle, filled with a purple liquid, from one of the many shelves that lined the wall. He snatched his wand up from his desk. With a wave of the sceptre, he spun and vanished in a puff of smoke and blue sparks.
Junior giggled. Too easy! He marched up to Kamek's small corner bed, snatching the alarm clock off his nightstand. He slipped it into his shell and dashed out of the room. Kamek wouldn't even notice it was missing. Not until the next day, at least. Even if he did figure out someone took it, why would he ever guess Junior had done it? The little prince never bothered to wake up early. He never needed to.
Junior shut the door to his room behind him. He took out the alarm clock, holding it out in both hands. He arched an eyebrow. How the heck does this thing work? That would be the tricky part.
It only took Junior a minute to figure out how to set it. He just had to wind up a few keys and turn a knob or two. He set it to go off at six the next morning. That'll give me lots of time with Mama Peach! He set it on his own nightstand, aligning it to face his bed. He snickered, his tail swishing slightly. I can't wait!
Ohh, Junior you naughty little boy.
The only reason Bowser's hurt is because I needed to find a reason for him to actually say 'no' to kidnapping Peach. The only things that would stop him would be some crazy threat (of which would be a whole story in itself) or something serious happened to him or one of his kids. It was between Bowser being injured or sick. It had to be an accident or else there'd be mass panic or a larger plot. This story is more about the little moments.
Anyhows, I hope you liked it thus far! The cute stuff (in my opinion) will come soon!
Questions? Comments? Critiques? Let me know in a review or PM! I aim to improve with every word!