Well, I couldn't decide about making this chapter long or short, funny or dramatic, harsh or mush, so…it's a little of both, and everything. And it's a chapter that, if you've read this far, you should have been possibly looking forward to, maybe, I hope. Either way, enjoy!
...
[Bowser]
Night fell as I wandered back into the hallway of our rooms. While I was focused on going to bed by this point, I slowed my pace as I neared Mario's door. It had been two days since he left…since I forced him out for the Games. My hand gripped the doorknob and I gently turned it open. Quietly, I slipped inside and shut the door behind myself.
He was already asleep when I came in, with nothing else to do, nowhere to go. Even in the dark, I watched his body steadily rise and fall. My heart raced while I inched closer to the bed and he shivered. Part of me begged to lie beside him and sleep with him, but another part screamed not to wake him or else. Conflicted, I stood over his bed and limited my breathing as I observed him.
As I turned to leave, a short tapping noise sounded from the floor. My eyes flashed back to Mario, who continued to sleep. Carefully, or as much as I could, I reached down and picked up a ball of paper. Mario groaned and I crept further away from him, back to the door. My heart continued to pound as I came toward it, with my eyes bouncing back and forth between escape and my lover, my prisoner. A bit too quickly, my hand slipped on the doorknob and opened it too hastily. He murmured again and I scrambled out of the room.
My heart hammered and I waited for him to wake up, with the door still open and me clearly visible. I didn't even know what he would do, or what I would do. But a minute passed, then two, and he continued to sleep. Exhaling, I pushed the door closed and gently shut it. Again, I waited and glanced down at the crumpled paper ball in my hand. With a shrug, I strode over and into my room.
"What the hell was I thinking?" I mumbled as I crashed onto my bed, burying my face into the pillow.
Momentarily, I picked my head up and peered at the paper, still clenched in my fist. Rubbish, possibly, but it is Mario's, so…I can't burn it right away. On top of that, it's also the only thing I got from my…whatever that was.
Slowly, I turn on a light, unwrap the paper, and open it up to several written lines. A letter. The words are upside down and I turned it over to start from the top. At first, I let it rest on the pillow and want to just read it from there, but my hands latched back onto the paper, as if I could hold him again by grabbing it. Instead, my head rested on the pillow while my hands locked the letter in front of me.
My Dear Bowser—oh, damn him, it's for me. Did he plan this? …No, he couldn't have. I didn't even plan that.
With a sigh, I try to buzz through the words, but stop hard at the beginning. He writes that he's going crazy over my absence and I'm confused for a minute. "Metaphorically, probably," I dismiss it and try to continue, ignoring my heart plummeting to my stomach as I glaze over what he considers as the unrealistic relationship we have.
He goes on about how we haven't been together long, and that's when I realize it's dated. A month has already passed since I first started this. His compliments, however, drive me forward through the letter.
Most of all, it was you who made me feel worthwhile. My cheeks burn up as I read that line and my hands trembled. I'm already dating him, or…was; either way, how can I feel so…?
The letter goes on about how Mario gets sick of heroics and being everyone's idol. It's surprising, but then, not so much, now that it's written here for me. My breathing became tense as he stated that I helped him get beyond that, gave him confidence, protected him. I gave him everything…and he realized that.
I had you. And yet, I left you.
Something stirred or grinded inside of my stomach while my hands shook more violently, and I couldn't understand what it was exactly. Sorrow? Rage? Confusion? Pain? What is this ambivalence? What do I call everything mixed into one?
Still, after steadying my breathing and hands, I kept going. (If I could read him questioning us, I should read an apology too, right?) He goes on about the past events we struggled with, and then asserted that he left for the Toad's sake, as he had during our fight. Though…he admitted then that he knew it was wrong, and that the whole situation was risky.
And I'm caught when he writes: You hesitated to tell your son the truth, I've kept it from my friends; it was too much of a risk. Our relationship, as it turned out, nearly cost me my entire army. He was right. And if he still hasn't told his friends, then he's still right about the risk.
Further along, his words line up with what he explained to me back at Seaside, that he realized he went against what I wanted for someone else…like the hero would. But he was sorry for it, and yet I…didn't listen.
And that makes the next words all the more painful: It's probably too late to tell you so, too late to smooth things over, but I need you to know that I still love you, that I still want to have you in my life. A tear slipped down my eye and I blinked to find that several had already hit the pillow. Damn him.
If that torment isn't enough, he insisted that he wanted to make everything right, claiming that I had already done so much for him. The letter explained that he couldn't think clearly, that his nightmares returned to torment him, even after he went home to his friends. And guilt panged inside of me when I realized that he shivered while asleep in the room just a slight distance away…I thought I helped him before, but now I…don't.
Will you forgive me?
Mario asked that, in spite of thinking it too much to ask me. Moreover, it was after he wrote what I thought was his wavering confidence in us, but here, he wanted my determination. He wanted us to still be a couple, regardless of his reservations over everything, even after everything…but before I had…
My mouth shook as I buried my face into the pillow puddle and sobbed a bit. "Why couldn't I have just listened before?" I heard my hollowed voice wail.
Filled with self-loathing, I slammed the paper over onto my table and pushed myself upright from the bed. How was it that he was going to fix everything, and then I went and screwed it all up?
Brushing my eyes, I glanced at the flipped over letter on my nightstand and saw something scratched down on the back. Just a single word, two letters, but it looked practically carved onto the paper, with how thick and deep the black ink went into it.
NO.
It was my answer to his request of forgiveness. It's what I gave him after he had looked to salvation from me, only to have it blow up in his face. As if I had been without sins, as if I had never made mistakes, and that's what I gave him when he begged for me back. Two. Icy. Letters.
"I'm a moron," I voiced my thoughts to no one but myself.
Digging my claws into my soaked pillow, I clenched my teeth together. I ruined us. Here I was thinking that he had given up already, that he was being too stubborn, but it was…I did this to us.
…Damn him.
"No," I forced out aloud. It hurt to hear, but I shook my head. Mario tried to put us back together and failed. He could have kept trying to explain this to me, but I forced him into submission, to give up. No more.
Determined, I rolled back over and began to plot out how to make this right. We both screwed up, but I'm moving past that and winning Mario back over. I'll just need to figure out how to get him to like me again.
Somehow.
[Mario]
This morning, I was awoken by the pleasant sound of my door slamming.
Panicked, I jolted up, alarmed by my inability to jump up. My eyes refocused as I realized I was still tied to the bed. Groggily, I turned to the door and saw Bowser grinning at me, hands behind his back and the door closed.
"Good morning, Mario!" he practically sang. Even if my eyes were only half opened, I glared in response. "You look gorgeous!"
With a bit of drool still stuck on my face and an idea of how my hair must be standing up in several different places, anyone else would think he had lost his mind and I was inclined to agree.
Still cheery, he inquired, "So, would you like me to undo those binds?" If you're looking for me to strangle you, certainly, you may. But, as if he read my mind, he added, "I will if you promise not to lash out at me right away. …And you have to actually tell me 'yes' or 'no,' since I'm pretty awful at reading you."
No he…wasn't. "Fine, yes," I muttered.
Smiling, Bowser let one hand fall from behind his back and quickly scratched off the ropes that held my legs back, and then the ones on my arms. It was almost as if he wanted them off more than I did. And now that I got a closer look, I caught that his cheeks were rosy colored.
"Better?" he asked. I nodded as I rubbed my wrists. "Good!"
"…Are you all right?" I questioned.
He blinked and nodded. "Yes, I was just…well…" I gave the king a quizzical look and tried to peek around him to the door, but he shifted a bit, as if avoiding…
"What do you have behind your back?"
"Nothing," he lied. "Why would you think there's anything there?"
"You haven't moved your left arm since you walked in," I pointed out. "And you haven't turned away from me the entire time."
"I can't keep my eyes off of you!" Bowser insisted.
"…So, what do you have?" I nonchalantly asked.
He puffed out his cheek as he brought around a bouquet of red and white flowers and a heart shape box of chocolates.
"Are you kidding me?" I blurted out and my face burned.
"Well, I was trying to surprise you, but—"
"Why would you even think that this would make me feel better?" I snapped. "O-or that it would make up for anything?"
"Yikes, calm down!" Bowser placed the flowers and chocolates on the bed. "I didn't get this to make up for anything. It's just…the first part of…my…plan?" The last bit didn't sound quite convincing.
"Plan?" I repeated. "For what?"
"You!"
"…What?"
He laughed and strode back toward the door. "You'll see. Just get up in a little bit and then, uh, come on out?"
"I'd rather not," I folded my arms and turned away. "Besides, I haven't washed the entire time I've been here, again, and the last—"
"Time you ended up smelling really bad," interrupted Bowser. "Got it, a good shower will fix you up then! I'll go get it ready."
"Wait, what?" was all that I could get out before Bowser left.
A sigh escaped me and I stared at the flowers, which were carnations mostly, but I dug through them and noticed that he placed two Fire Flowers in between them. Either Bowser was trying to be very generous, or wanted me to burn him to pieces. The red box of candy I left alone as I pushed both away from me, along with the bed covers. Slowly, I turned myself to the edge of the bed and tried to fix my hair.
"Was he honestly relying on the most cliché method to win me back?" I demanded from my empty room. And honestly, I'm not sure what bothered me more: that he did that and expected more favorable results, or that I actually was flattered from the gesture. "I'm supposed to be angry with him," I murmured as I shook my head and forced my cap over my head.
Just as I stood up, a pounding sounded at my door and I fell back onto the bed. Bowser opened it a bit and poked his head in.
"Shower's ready!" he announced and grinned.
"Fantastic," I deadpanned and brushed my hands over my eyes.
He slipped back out and I grabbed my gloves and shoes. As I got up and trudged to the door, I hesitated. A minute passed and I shifted my clothes around. I pulled off my cap again and glanced at it as I added it to the pile. Another minute went by and Bowser popped his head through the door again.
"What's wrong?" he checked. "I thought you wanted to clean up."
"I did."
"Then what are you doing?" Bowser questioned. "You've got yourself together. Do you want me to have your clothes washed?"
"I—"
"Wait. That's a dumb question. Of course you do." He marched back in and took what I wasn't wearing into his own arms. "You can pass me the other stuff when you're in the bathroom, like last time."
"Last…?" I started, but remembered. "Ah, right. Sure."
"Well then?" Bowser walked back out the door and waited for me in the hall. I rolled my eyes and lumbered out after him.
The bathroom wasn't too far, so staying silent walking up to it made things easier. I went up to the door, but Bowser opened it for me before I could even touch it.
He frowned at my glare, so I clarified, "I'm not helpless."
"I'm just—"
"And I don't like to be mothered."
Bowser opened his mouth to defend himself, but shut it and nodded. I slipped past him into the washroom and closed the door behind myself.
Angrily, I threw my clothes off and glared at my reflection in the mirror. Instead, however, I paused and admired the white stones of the room, which were refreshing to the eyes after seeing nothing except black and gray corridors all day and night. Even in here, though, the curtains and rugs were red.
"Mario?" Bowser called in.
"Yes?" That's too soft. "What?" I snapped.
"Your clothes?"
"…Oh."
Quickly, I opened the door, shoved my clothes into Bowser's empty hand, and slammed it shut behind myself.
"Uh…I didn't look," assured Bowser.
"Good," I murmured as I walked away from the door and turned on the shower.
Hot water poured on me and I let each drop slide down my skin as I stood quietly, with my hand clutching a soap bar. The shower blocked out any noises that would have sounded outside, but it only gave me more time to think.
"He hurt them, and he hurt me," I muttered to myself. "I don't care how overly sweet he's acting. I can't just give in to him and pretend nothing happened."
Absent mindedly, I had doodled heart shapes around the steam-coated stones on the wall. Annoyed, I smeared them away and continued to wash off.
After about a half hour, I stepped out and slipped a red towel around myself, only to hear another pounding sounded at the door.
"What Bowser?" I wearily asked.
"Bowser?" questioned Kamek's voice. "No, it's just me, and I've brought you spare clothes."
"…Oh. Uh…just—"
"Here," Kamek called as the door burst open while the clothes whipped across the air and into my face. Within a second, the door slammed shut again. "You're welcome," the Magikoopa called in.
"Um…thanks?"
I pulled everything off my face, which included a red button shirt, blue pants, fresh socks and underwear, white gloves, and…I glanced up to see black shoes at the edge of the room.
"Lord Bowser requests you to dry and dress quickly," instructed Kamek. "He's looking to meet with you downstairs."
"Where his troops are?" I questioned as I dried off. "And some of which still want to kill me…or us? That doesn't sound smart."
"Too late, I've already tried to talk him out of it," murmured Kamek. "He's insistent on you going down there."
"And if I refuse?"
"Please don't," pleaded Kamek.
"Why not?" came my agitated response.
"Because then I'm to drag you down, dressed or not," he informed me. "Please tell me that you're dressed now."
"Getting there," I muttered as I began to dress myself.
"Could you hurry along then?"
"Not really, and I'm already going as fast as I can, whether Bowser likes it or not," I snapped. "He can wait an extra minute or two."
"Sure, it's only my hide, but please, take your time," complained Kamek.
As I buttoned the shirt and squished my feet into the shoes without untying them, I was compelled to ask, "Just who wears these clothes?"
"Koopas," answered Kamek. "They wear clothes too, sometimes."
"But who matches my sizes this closely?"
"Apparently, more than one Troopa," noted Kamek. "Are you done?"
"With your impatience? Yes, and beyond it too," I dryly responded. "You're worse than my brother."
"Well, your brother doesn't serve a fire breathing king with a short fuse temper, now does he?" questioned Kamek.
"True," I relented as I did the last button. "Though he might claim otherwise."
Kamek chuckled as I brushed my hair and shoved the gloves on. I opened the door and turned to see the old Magikoopa as he grabbed his wand and pushed off of the floor.
"Shall we?" Kamek gestured to the door and we walked over to it.
As he opened it and we walked into the spiral stairwell, I asked, "Does it bother you?"
"Working for Lord Bowser?" he assumed. "Some days, but I practically raised him myself, so I can't really hate him, and really—"
"Actually," I interrupted, "I meant our relationship."
"Oh. Ah, that," Kamek suddenly became fascinated with his wand. "Well, it's certainly atypical on several grounds."
"So, you don't approve," I figured.
"On the contrary," Kamek turned from his wand and gazed at me. "You're the first person in ages that the king has been trying to have a genuine romantic relationship with, and he could have chosen from far worse options." He paused on the step to adjust his spectacles, and then continued, "At least you're able to keep up with him."
"Keep up?"
"Physically, mentally, I'm not sure about emotionally, but I'm going to assume so," Kamek assessed. "I suppose it's only been about a month, but I find it more favorable than others."
"What about Junior's, uh…mother?" I inquired.
"Can't remember her," admitted Kamek. "Actually, it's as if the boy just appeared."
"That's…odd," I decided.
"Truly, but considering that we've never heard from the mother since, I wouldn't imagine her to be much competition to you," shrugged Kamek.
"Uh, I didn't mean to imply—"
"Of course you didn't, I'm joking," he chuckled. "…Mostly."
"Why does that sound familiar?"
"Well, I practically raised him myself," repeated Kamek. "Ah, here we are."
I blinked as he opened the door; I hadn't even realized that we had reached the bottom of the stairs. Rolling my shoulders, I stepped through and Kamek quickly hurried after me, readying his wand.
"That bad?" I checked.
"Quite honestly, I'm just not taking any chances," he explained.
No sooner had the words left his lips as a hex sparked and came at us. Kamek quickly countered it with a barrier spell, which he then launched down the hall.
It snared around a figure in the distance, which we cautiously approached. As we neared it, I realized it was an ordinary Koopa Troopa trapped in the glowing net. Kamek scoffed as he picked up a wand from the floor.
"What, your rebellious friends thought you could handle the master Magikoopa himself?" taunted Kamek.
"They didn't tell me that I'd be dealing with you," whimpered the Koopa.
"Serves you right then," Kamek mumbled as he waved his wand and in a flash, the Koopa disappeared. To my astonished face, Kamek simply uttered, "The dungeon."
All I could do was nod and follow Kamek soon after. He guided me down another four halls and led me up a smaller and straight flight of stairs, to another door.
"This is your stop," he pointed to the door and began to walk back down the steps.
"Aren't you coming in?" I asked.
"The king gave me the impression that it's just for the two of you," chuckled Kamek.
As the Magikoopa walked away, I tugged at my mustache. Exhaling, I pulled the door open and walked through it.
To my surprise, it led outside and onto a solid, wooden deck. It extended out a bit over the some of the land below, but I didn't see any ways down. Bowser sat by a table near the railing, with his head resting on his right hand, staring out at the mountains and volcanoes in the distance. On the table was a plate of love pudding, heartful cake, and love dish noodles. He turned and grinned the second he noticed me, quickly pushing himself up from the table and knocking the food off in the process.
"Damn it!" Bowser growled and glared at the mess he made.
"I wasn't hungry, anyway," I mumbled and shrugged.
He returned his attention to me and smiled, but I turned away and walked to another side of the deck, which had part of its view obscured by a tower from the castle. Bowser lumbered up behind me and put his right arm around my shoulders as he grabbed the railing. I scowled, but didn't push away from his warmth, his…no.
"Do you think I should build this out more?" he asked. "I don't really get many chances to come back here, and I haven't taken you out before, but now that we're here, yet the view could be better, so—"
"You should do whatever you please," I muttered and kept my attention fixed on the scenery, trying hard not to look at him.
We sat in silence for a minute, but Bowser broke it, "Would you like me to serenade you?"
"No."
"Want me to…" he wrapped his arms around me, "keep you warm?"
"It's hot out here," I deadpanned and pushed away from him.
"…Would you like your hat back?" Bowser asked as he shoved it down onto my head.
"Thanks," I snapped and shoved it up above my eyes.
"Well, at least that was a more positive response, if only a bit," Bowser tantalized.
"Is this all you brought me out here for?" I demanded.
"What's wrong with me trying to spend time with you?" he groaned.
"Here's what: I'm still angry at you!"
"For how long though?" he questioned. "Mario, I've practically begged for your forgiveness, apologized repeatedly, tortured you, tormented myself, publically revealed our relationship, fought for you, and now I'm swarming you with love and attention. What does it take?" At the last part, he grabbed my shoulders and shook me. "Just tell me! What do you want from me, what do I do?"
My arms flew up and knocked his away. "Not that!" I yelled. "None of this! I just…I need my space, all right?"
"But I—"
"Bowser, just leave me alone," I pleaded. "Please?"
He stared at me, begging longingly with his watery red eyes. "If that's what you want," he relented.
"That's not what I want, I just…I don't know," I admitted. "I…I need to go."
Barely watching him nod, I pivoted and hurried back to the door, closing it too quickly behind me as my heart raced.
[Bowser]
I flinched at the door slam and grimaced. My claws dug into the railing and I carved at the wood beneath them. Hearing the railing beginning to crack, I relaxed my grip and pulled myself away from the edge.
"What does it take?!" I bellowed to sky. "What do I do with him?! Why am I hated every time I try to fix things?! Why can I never find or bring happiness to someone without having it thrown back in my face?! What does it take to not be such a screw up over everything?!"
My hands clawed through my hair, with an intention of ripping a few strands out. I panted as my breathing steadied, but my heart still hammered.
"Once. Just once, can't I make things right?" I moaned. "Am I always going to be the villain to everyone?"
Shaking, I dragged my left claw over my face and heaved.
"How can I get Mario to like me again?" I pondered aloud. "I've poured my heart out to him, I've given him everything that I…"
Wait. No, I haven't yet. It's a stupid idea, but considering how awful I've done already, what have I got left to lose?
[Mario]
Regret filled me as I stared at the door from my bed. Any minute, I was bound to run out and go searching for Bowser. Forcing myself to roll over, I threw the pillow over my head and peeled my attention away from such thoughts.
However, the sound of the door bursting open got me to push myself back up and to turn around. Bowser marched in, with a long black wand in his hand. It had a red jewel at the top of it, but other than that, I wasn't certain if it was a personal scepter.
Moreover, his expression was hardened, even as he lifted his eyebrows to gently shut the door behind himself as he stormed in. I wasn't able to read just what he was feeling, which made my heart sink.
"Bowser, look, I—"
"Don't start, please," he pleaded. "I know you don't want me around, but I just need to give you a few things."
"But—"
"Yes, I know you're sick of my surprises already, but this is the last one for today, I promise," he explained as he waved his wand and opened a portal hole above me. Papers rained down on top of me as they coated my bed in a short matter of time.
"W-What is all of this?" I asked.
"It's all…for you," Bowser smiled and sat on the floor to watch me.
With a puzzled look plastered on my face, I dug around the papers and pulled one up from the pile, and then another. His handwriting was all over each sheet.
"Read them," Bowser insisted.
"Uh…all right." I cleared my throat before starting:
"Dear Nobody, since I'll never tell anyone about this,
Today, when Mario came by to get Peach back, the sun actually poured in through the hole in the roof and shined so magnificently on him, that I gawked blankly at him for the first two minutes he had rushed in.
Worse still, he grabbed me by the tail to throw me around, but his touch keeps making my heart pulsate, as I grow used to it.
I don't want to imply that I'm falling for him, but…I'm starting to like it."
Turning it over, I find nothing written on the back.
"Read another," Bowser persisted. "I kept throwing them aside, so they'll seem like I should have written more."
"But—"
"Please? Just do this for me and I'll leave you alone, I mean it," he vowed.
With a sigh, I grabbed another paper and read it:
"Today, Mario invited me to head out go-kart racing with him and the others. Usually, he just sends me a flier in the mail, or I just drop by parties and sport events unannounced, but this time, he specifically came to me and asked me to come. I think I accepted a little too eagerly, but screw it; I've been dying for him to do this. Who knows? Maybe we can distract each other on the racetrack a bit. Actually, wait, that's dangerous, forget it. But still."
Again, I glanced at him, but he just kept a smile on his face. Though I wanted to tell him that it was enough, Bowser kept shifting his attention between the pile and I. With a sigh, I picked up another paper.
"Roses are red,
Violets are blue,
Mario, when will you learn,
That I'm really into you?"
I place it down and smirked at him while he blushed.
"That was cheesy, but I couldn't help myself," he chuckled.
"It was adorable," I teased as I grabbed the next paper. "Damn Mario and his stupid mustache. For some reason, I couldn't pull my eyes away from it as I kept thinking about him kissing me. I bet every girl in the kingdoms that has the chance to steal a kiss goes wild over it. Just once, I'd love to do the same. And then after that, if he was up for it, we could—"
"No, wait, not that!" Bowser snatched the paper away and crumpled it up, blushing furiously. "Ah…ha, I forgot what that was about until the last sentence came up."
"There was still a lot left written on that," I complained. "I wanted to read more."
"Uh…m-maybe another time," Bowser scratched at the back of his head. "Just…read another instead."
Shrugging, I picked up another letter and read off:
"Dear Mario,
You'll probably never read this, and I'll lock it away somewhere you'll never see it, but I just wanted to tell you that I love you. Wow, this is dumb, but there, I wrote it down. And I don't care how much you love Peach, or that this might gross you out, or that you'll never really know how much you mean to me. But I've put it down somewhere, so now you know. And you know what? I'll sign this stupid thing so you have no questions knowing who wrote it.
Love,
Bowser
Ha, that's right, me! Bet you'd never have guessed…or felt the same. Oh well."
We lock eyes and he sheepishly smiled.
"How long have you had these for?" I asked.
"Uh…a very long time, longer than I care to admit. And I…really never thought you'd read that," he laughed. "Even now, the whole never finding out bit sounded accurate."
"But it's not," I pointed out.
"Of course it's not!" Bowser grumbled. "I just thought it sounded that way."
Stifling a laugh, I grab the next one. It's much longer.
"Mario,
Let's get this cleared up:
You're a moron."
My eyes lowered as I glanced up to glower at Bowser.
"H-Hey! Don't stop there!" he protested. "K-Keep reading it!"
"I don't know about that, this is a really long one," I admitted.
"At least read a few lines!" whined Bowser.
"Fine." I skimmed through the lines and read a few bits out:
"How could you not see that I'm doing this…all of it…for you?
…
Sure, you look a little pudgy from time to time, but that means you eat, unlike the boney princess…Of course, the mustache is a plus, as anyone could tell you.
…
It's not so good of a performance, however, that even you should be deluded by it. You're better than that and I know you are.
…
If I were to yell out, 'I love you,' would you hesitate then? Would you think more carefully, with a cleared mind, away from all of the lies?
…
What happens after, when the tyrant Koopa king relents in attacks and suddenly goes out to more and more parties and sporting events with what everyone foolishly considers his arch nemesis?
…
But it's you I prefer by far. I don't know how else to say it, but I prefer the more masculine and strong types. It makes a suitable match for me, reflects how I am as well.
…
I need a sign. I've told you so many times how important you are to me.
…
Are you nervous too? Are you afraid to bring out your deepest feelings? Can you not stand the thought of playing any role beyond the hero?
…
Yes, conquest. As I said, it's all for you. I act like a vicious ruler so no one can see my tender side, my vulnerabilities. In truth, I would probably make a very normal, if not boring, empire.
…
That's the point of total conquest for me: take control of everything, no more opposition. No more sides. You would be with me. There would be no more acting. I wouldn't need to make an excuse to see you or work with you. You would be mine and I would become yours. We could rule, both of us, together.
…
I delude myself with how much I want from this.
…
My heart bleeds and, more than anything, I fear that we will never be together.
…
There would be someone, somewhere, that would deny us, refuse our love. We would be outcasts. I would be overthrown from my kingdom. You would be banished and labeled traitor to the Mushroom Kingdom. They might even hunt us; do everything possible to separate us.
…
I wonder, again and again, if there could be a perfect world for us. I could wish on all the stars for us to be together.
…
There's so much that I wish to know. I want so much from you, from myself. I'm not brave, not like you. I'm afraid. I'm insecure. I need you, your guidance, to let me know if I'm right. I need to know if you want what I want. Mario, you are everything to me. No, you will never know, but you are everything that I could ask for, all that I pine for.
…
Years will trickle by. We will engage eternally in battle. We will never be together. We will die, again and again, longing for an impossible end. But as I've said, you should know by now: I will never give up.
Eternally never yours,
Bowser"
"That's a few lines to you?" laughed Bowser.
He stopped as soon as he realized that I wasn't laughing with him. My heartbeat fired up as I read through the words and grew lost in everything Bowser poured out over this letter. And he would have never showed me, thinking that we would never have been together. But now…
"Right," Bowser grunted as he stood up. "I'll, uh…I'll get going then." He turned away and started toward the door.
"Wait!"
I stumbled out of the bed of papers and scrambled to stop him. He pivoted back to me and caught me, helping me back up.
"Mario, what are you—?"
"You should read mine!" I blurted out. I went to reach into my overalls, but realized that I wasn't wearing them. "Uh, hold on, I must have…"
"Your apology?" he inquired. "I read that already."
"What? Oh, good, but not that." I zipped back to my bed and dug under the mattress for my own letter, the one my brother returned to me. "Here, I brought this and, um, it's similar to yours." I handed him my letter and he slowly took it. "I…I don't know what to say really. I'm sorry."
"It's fine," chuckled Bowser. "It'll be a fun read, I'm sure."
"No, not just that," I shook my head. "I'm sorry about…being so cold and unforgiving and treating you so horribly, even after you did so much to get me back. And…well, I didn't mean to be so—"
"Stop. You're good," he wrapped his arms around me and smiled. "After all of the years that I've been so nasty, even if I was just acting, I kind of had a little backlash coming. And…well, we still have a lot to work out, with everything going on."
"Then, let's get back to it," I offered. "Back where we were before, together."
"That's all I wanted," Bowser laughed. Softly, he put his head down on mine and pulled me in closer to him, and whispered, "More than anything, I want you."
Returning his embrace, tightly, I moved my head up and kissed his neck. His arms tightened around me and squeezed me into him.
"We should read the rest in your room," I suggested.
"Why Mario," he gasped and pulled back. "We just got back together, and you want to hurry into my bed already? Are you sure you're ready?"
He snickered and burst into a roar of laughter as I punched his arm.
"Oh, come on," he slowed back to a controlled voice. "It was there."
"You're bad," I murmured.
"Yeah, that's the one thing I'm good at," he sighed.
"No, no you're good at a lot of things," I informed him. "Like being a Mario reader."
Bowser blinked blankly at me before he erupted into another fit of laughter.
"Ok, there, I used it," I kneed into him. "Quit it."
"I can't," he coughed. "That was so perfect."
"Right," I hid my chuckle and turned back to scoop the letters from my bed. I stopped when I felt him tug me back to him.
"Hold on," Bowser purred. "We need to make our relationship official again."
"With how determined you were, I didn't think you considered it over," I teased.
"With how thick headed you are, you act like you don't want what comes next," he fired right back.
He leaned down while I smirked and his hands scooped up my face. We shut our eyes as I moved closer and took in his warm, refreshing breath. Our lips don't touch just yet, and I tease him with the tip of my mustache, as I rub my hands across his cheeks.
"Now you're teasing me," he softly moaned.
"Yes, and I love it," I snickered.
"More than me?" he playfully asked.
Smiling, I pressed my lips against his and gently moved my mouth along his. He groaned as my mustache pressed against him, and pushed his lips further into mine. Softly, his tongue slid across them, parting them open a bit. We pulled back briefly to take a breath, but I quickly dived back into him. His laughter is lost between us as his tongue grazed against mine and we deepened the kiss. A minute passed, maybe two, but our breaths run short and we're forced to break apart again. We opened our eyes and I lost myself back in his fiery, bright red eyes.
"I like making up," Bowser chuckled. With a soft growl, he pulled me back in closer, and seductively whispered, "But I love you."
"I love you, too," I breathlessly returned.
"You realize that I'm never letting you come back to this room again, right?" he softly asked.
"By now, I wouldn't want to," I confessed.
With a giant grin, he pushed my hat off and tossed it aside. We shut our eyes and kissed once again, slowly losing track of time, and completely losing track of the world around us.
...
And they're FINALLY back together! Huzzah! The ship rises back from the depths of hell, and it is saved!
Gosh, it's been a while since Bowser and Mario kissed, huh? I suck at romances, I guess. (But, perhaps that makes me good at dramas! …Maybe? No? Ok.) Oh well, I was itching to get this chapter written and posted, as it's not much of a love story if the main couple isn't together for too long.
Hopefully, neither one comes off as too much of a jerk; Bowser's a bit pushy, Mario's a little over critical, but they're not perfect…individually. (Together, however, they're unbeatable! …Yeah, I wish.) Anyway, for better or worse, they got back together! Which means Bowser can go back to being a pervert while Mario can be artsy and sappy, because why not.
The little bit with Kamek and the rebel Koopa lets you know that, while Bowser's regaining control, he's still got dissenters within his ranks. (Hey, those friendly Koopa and Goomba villages needed to come from somewhere.) It was a pretty small incident, but the main dynamic was Bowsario, so whoops to those that wanted more brawls and stuff. (Even though there's been a lot of fighting for the past few chapters now. Huh. When did I switch to the action genre?)
Anyway, Bowser and Mario, back together. Warm and fuzzy feelings for everyone! (Just make sure it's not a Fuzzy; those guys are jerks and proud of it.) So, what will happen from here? Well…it is a romance, so the sappiness isn't quite done just yet. (More mushies, yay!) Besides, Bowser's Castle hasn't actually had to deal with Bowsario in full force yet, so that. As for the ongoing war…who knows? Oh, wait, I do. Uh…look, Bowsario kisses! (That should make a clever getaway, right?)
That's all here. If you'd like to cheer for the happy couple, or comment in general, send me a review or message! Those make me as happy…ok, maybe not as happy as those two, but pretty happy on my own merits! Thank you again for reading!