Now for a chapter that's a little slower as we learn more with Mario and Bowser. That includes the curse…and a few other bits here and there. If you like fluff, you'll like this. Enjoy! (Oh, and the poll is still running; it's a closer match than I thought it would be! And I didn't even list any pairings yet.)

...

[Mario]

Hours zipped by while Bowser and I waited for Kamek's return. Most of the time, Bowser tried to keep my mind off of what I had gone through. He told me jokes, flirted, and stories about his castle, none of which seemed to really stick with me. Eventually, he gave in and we sat quietly in his bed, with him massaging me periodically.

"You don't have to do this," I murmured, as my body melted into his arms.

"Are you joking? I love feeling these!" Bowser squeezed the muscles in my arm and pressed against my chest. "And this too!" He slipped a hand over my belly and rubbed around it a bit. "Oh, but then there's—"

"Actually, I meant staying with me." That got his arms to stop, and I bit my lip.

"Why wouldn't I?" He let his head drop on top of mine.

"Pick any reason. Helping the others research, run the kingdom, check on your son—"

"Junior's fine," Bowser asserted. "The kingdom doesn't crumble because I'm not making a decision every second of the day. And there are eight of them sorting through the Study downstairs, which should be plenty."

"But you're working yourself up over me." I sighed and leaned back into him as he wrapped his arms around me. Firm grip. Gentle. Safe.

"Hardly." Bowser chuckled and I relaxed into the soft vibrations. "Staying around you helps me calm down. If I were doing anything else, I'd probably be a panicking mess."

"Right now, I'm all right." I looked up as he hung his head over me, giving the most skeptical expression he could pull off. "Well, I'm awake and feel fine."

"So, that's it?" Mama mia, here he goes again. "I should just calm down and leave you in peace? Forget that you literally hallucinated, fainted, and had your recurring nightmares? Get over my concerns, bury my emotions, and—"

"Ok, ok!" I wrapped my arms around his head. "Sorry I tried to relieve your burdens."

"This isn't a burden." He kissed the top of my head.

"That's a lie; I've ruined your life countless times." I sighed, guilt bubbling inside of me. "Including recently. And now I'm only adding to your stresses."

"Oh no," Bowser deadpanned, "my boyfriend is dredging up the past and thinks he does nothing to alleviate my problems by dating me."

Annoyed, I smacked his head. "I can't be that helpful to you. I cause problems."

"So do I." He cuddled me and nuzzled his head against my hair. "And you have no idea how much this helps me."

"My hair?"

"No, you moron, you." He shook his head. "Being with you, not holding everything in. Us." He sighed. "Even when you're giving me a heart attack, I still feel better now than I ever was without you."

His tail brushed against my leg, and then my thigh. He kept one arm around my waist, and used the other to gently scratch at my shoulders.

"When are you going to understand that?"

Rolling around, I turned to look at him. My mouth parted open a bit, but I couldn't think of anything to tell him, no ways to contest his point.

Not waiting for me to think of something, Bowser leaned in and gently pressed his lips to mine. Shutting my eyes, I kissed him back, letting his warm breath sidetrack me from my thoughts.

He pulled back for a breath, and then I pressed into him again, licking at his rough lips. Opening them, he moaned as I slid my tongue over his, tapping at his sharp teeth. Bowser pushed his tongue under mine and bounced it a bit, which tickled and caused me to break away laughing. He giggled and placed his hands on my waist.

"See?" Bowser seductively whispered. "Feels good."

"You make a good point," I murmured back to him.

We moved closer, into one another again, caressing one another's faces. His cheeks were rosy and mine were heated. Desperately, craving him, I didn't want this to end.

But a pounding from the door made us pause. Bowser squeezed his eyes shut and grumbled quietly. The rapping came again.

"One minute!" Bowser boomed.

Quickly, I scooted off of him and sat back on the bed. Bowser rolled around to get up, but turned and kissed me instead. It wasn't long and he pulled back, but with a grin for me. Still, he got up and trudged to the door.

"What?" He asked as he opened it. I glanced past his legs to see that it was Ludwig.

"Greetings…sire." Bitterness, possible hostility, was evident in Ludwig's tone. "Kamek has sent me to fetch you and your beloved."

From Bowser's raised, stiffened shoulders, it was obvious that he was no happier about this than Ludwig. He glanced to me and rolled his head forward to beckon me over. Getting up, I walked over to them and went out into the hall to follow Ludwig downstairs. The blue haired Koopaling studied me with contempt before turning ahead. I waited as Bowser shut the door and strolled beside me.

Though we weren't far from Ludwig, he didn't hold the door open as he went down the stairs, with Bowser having to catch it before it closed. I shrugged as Bowser rolled his eyes and gestured me onward with a wink.

Again, we reached the center room with the Warp Pipe, and again, Ludwig let the door close behind him. Grabbing in, I glared into the darkness after the Koopaling, with Bowser taking the door as I followed Ludwig in.

"So would the…uh, maybe not happy…let's go with 'odd couple,' shall we?" He snickered. "Anyway, after—"

"No, please," I interrupted. "Mop heads first. To clear the path."

At the Koopaling's snarl, I smirked. We listened as he went down the black Warp Pipe, and hesitated.

"Well, after you?" Bowser reached around for my waist, but missed. "Uh…sorry."

Perhaps unexpectedly for him, I laughed. Climbing up onto the rim of the Warp Pipe, I kissed his cheek before jumping down.

Launching out from the other side, I watched as Ludwig opened the door and glared back at me before letting it slam shut behind him. Bowser came through and I helped him down before taking off. Storming from the pipe room, I grabbed Ludwig and forced him to a halt.

"Let go."

"Fine, but we're not going anywhere."

Bowser stopped and gave me a puzzled look, but nodded in agreement.

"Obedient pet," Ludwig muttered.

"Repeat that and I'll toss you right over the bridge!" Bowser snarled.

"And that's just it. Ludwig, why do you hate us so much?"

"Mm. 'Hate' is a strong word." Bowser and I lowered our eyes at him. "What? I don't hate either of you, really. This just…irks me."

"What?" I folded my arms. "Is it because we're dating?"

"Well, in part—"

"Oh, to hell with that." Bowser folded his arms as well. "You've been giving me attitude for years now, but it's been at an all new high lately. What, were you that put off by not getting your way amongst your siblings?"

"Please." Ludwig flipped his hair. "Don't make me sound so juvenile and petty."

"Then what is it, Ludwig?" He tried to turn away, but I forced myself into his line of vision. "We're not going anywhere until you talk."

The Koopaling spun around to do just that, but Bowser thought ahead and blocked his path.

"Just talk to us, Ludwig," I insisted.

"You?!" He snapped, fury firing into his dark eyes. "Why, for all of the Mushroom Kingdom, should I be able to talk to you, of all people?! As far as I'm concerned, you're still a hindrance to us all!"

Glaring, Bowser reached down to his shoulder. "Hey, Ludwig—"

"No, get off!" Ludwig batted Bowser's hand away. "You don't control me!"

"Not completely, but while you're in my kingdom, my castle, you follow my orders!"

"Bowser."

"What?"

He leaned around and stared at Ludwig, who shuddered and tightened his fists. In his eyes, I thought I could see tears well up.

"Ludwig, what is it really?" He scowled at me, but I softened my face instead. "Just talk. Even if you don't like us, it's better to just get it out."

For a minute, Ludwig remained silent. However, after he swallowed and roughly brushed his eyes, he moved aside and faced us.

"It's the same as it's always been." He directed this to Bowser. "I was your top officer, and you gave me command of every—"

"Oh, this again?" Bowser groaned. "How many times—?"

"Wait, what?" I intervened.

"It's about his rank compared to my son." Bowser rolled his eyes.

"Not just your spoiled brat of a son!"

"What did you say?!"

"Cool it!" I slid between them. "Both of you." They glared past me, but nodded. "Ludwig, explain it calmly to me."

Inhaling, then exhaling, Ludwig nodded. "You know how Bowser keeps us ranked high amongst the troops. You remember how we used to be practically his own children back when we first met." I nodded. "Well, after losing to you once to many, and after he slept ar…after Junior was born, Bowser quickly began to shaft us."

"He's my son." Bowser grumbled, and shot a look to me, but I shrugged. "Of course I'm going to give him preferential treatments."

"Fine, but don't outright ignore us!" Ludwig choked and coughed, clearing his throat. "We may not go with all of your plans, but there are times you wouldn't even ask us to help you!"

"Refuse me once, shame on me. Refuse me twice—"

"And that's it?!" Ludwig held a glare against Bowser. "We respected you for years. I followed your wildest orders. Even now, even when I can't stand some of the choices that you've been making, I'm still standing under your rule. And how do you even thank us?!"

"By giving you a stabilized home? Compared to where else you go?" Bowser raised a brow as Ludwig turned away. "I've brought all seven of you in when no one would even consider—"

"That doesn't fix anything!" Ludwig yelled. "Just once, can't you…?"

"What do you want?" Bowser threw his hands up in aggravation, but I touched his side and calmed him slightly. "Ludwig, you're the wisest of your siblings, but you're the most difficult to please! What do you want from me? We don't see eye-to-eye, but I can at least get the others to work with me. What is it that you want?"

"…I don't know."

"Yes, you do." Bowser turned to look at me, puzzled. "He wants your approval. Bowser, you're like a father-figure to him, like the other Koopalings."

"Like the other…?" His eyes widened and the Koopa King nodded. "Ludwig—"

"No!" He spun away from us. "That's…that's not it, not at all!"

"Ludwig, please." He turned his head to look only at me. "Bowser may not show it as often as you would like, but he really cares about you, and your siblings. He wouldn't keep you under his wing if he didn't feel as close to you as you do to him."

Dropping his arms, Ludwig looked away from me as well. Bowser shared a look of concern with me, and then looked back to the eldest Koopaling. He stepped forward and placed his hand on Ludwig's shoulder, and he jumped. For a moment, he left Bowser alone, but Ludwig recovered, and brushed Bowser's hand away.

"Your sympathy is noted, but I don't need it. And we don't need you." He stepped away from Bowser.

"Maybe not. Maybe it's just that I need you." Ludwig spun back around. "And Mario here definitely needs you, as does Kamek. And Junior loves having all seven of you around." He sighed. "The seven of you round us out when we need it most. So…I do really need you."

Silently, Ludwig nodded. Bowser shot a smile over to me and I returned it.

"Well…let's go then."

"Ludwig—"

"No, heart-to-heart is over." He shook his head and walked toward the bridge. "Mario needs to speak with Kamek and we've taken too long already."

Without another word, he continued onward and crossed the bridge. Bowser heavily exhaled and I grabbed his hand. He softly smiled at me again and I nodded.

We walked into the green-lit Study, where the other Koopalings were placing several books back on the shelves. Larry shot a quizzical look to Ludwig, who stared off before joining in.

I stared at the shelves that they reorganized, studying the wooden shelves that lined the walls and towered over even Bowser. Kamek sat by the desk, glancing up at us, but lowering his head back down to stare ahead.

Approaching him, Kamek stood up and turned a book around to face us. I gazed down at the white and gold book, titled: Divine Arts and Studies of Divination.

"That's from before, when I first came down here," I observed.

Kamek nodded. "I hadn't realized it before, but you were on the right track." He bit his lip. "My apologies for dismissing it."

Shrugging, I nodded. "It's a fair reaction."

"And usually a foolish one." He shook his head. "But that's neither here nor there."

"Right," agreed Bowser. "What's up with this curse?"

"As you're aware, the curse stirs nightmares in its victims." He nodded to Mario. "From what you checked, ages ago, these are meant to be false dreams that cause the victim to follow a psychic's bidding." His expression went grave as he continued. "However, these dreams do have some basis on events that are possible to come. Thus, one could actually pull certain events that occur in the dream and relate them as they come to life, so to speak."

"Does…that mean they'll happen?" I questioned as my heart raced and my hands shook. Bowser scooped one into his and rubbed the back of my hand with his thumb.

"Ultimately, it's impossible to tell, as the future isn't exactly written. Or, so I'd assume." Kamek shrugged. "The symptoms are numerous, but…"

"But what, Kamek?" Bowser urged.

"Mario…displayed an unhealthy number of them." He sighed as our eyes widened. "They include the nightmares, obviously, but also involve hallucinations, passing out in at least one deep slumber, though more are possible. Along with those include irritability or other mixed emotions, latent magic abilities to surface, recurring visions or symbols—"

"Like a bird?" I paused as Kamek glanced up at me. "In…in a few of my dreams, I've been with a firebird of some kind. I don't understand how it's involved—"

"Doesn't matter. If you've had at least one recurring symbol, it's a definite sign of the curse." My heart hammered as Bowser squeezed my hand. "I believe you get the point. Along with that, the nightmares tend to be in a recurring location, and with Shamans predominantly hailing Star Hill, it's the typical setting for these to occur."

"That's great, but how do we get rid of it?" Bowser's voice seemed to mix annoyance with concern.

"In order to have a curse removed, another Shaman would need to be able to take care of it." Kamek tapped at the notes beside him. "And it does need to be performed in the location that the nightmares occur, so you would need to go to Star Hill to rid yourself of this curse."

"No." Bowser and Kamek gazed at me while I shook my head. "It's too dangerous."

"Actually, it's not as bad as leaving it in you." Kamek double checked his notes, flipped through a book, skimmed a page, and nodded. "If untreated, you could go delirious, for a much more extensive period of time, or your body could begin to have physical reactions to the dreams. For example, if you get cut in the dream and actually begin to feel it—"

"It could happen to him in real life?"

"His body will feel like it has, which…could be potentially worse."

"I can die, can't I?"

"Theoretically speaking, yes."

Bowser grabbed my shoulders and turned me to him. "You are going to Star Hill."

"No, I can't!" I shook my head.

"Why not? You run a risk of dying if we don't do anything!"

"How likely would that be?"

"Mario!"

"Someone dies there!"

The room grew quiet as the Koopalings turned around to stare. Noticing their own silence, they quickly returned to shuffling the books and papers back onto the shelves, between small statues and potions. Bowser gaped at me while Kamek adjusted his spectacles.

"Dies?"

"Yes! And I don't know who, but it could be you." Bowser's shoulders slumped down as he continued to gaze at me. Kamek observed me carefully, as if he could learn something else. Maybe. "How likely is it that those symptoms will overcome me?"

"Stronger than your dreams being accurate," assessed Kamek. "However, both are possible."

"Then we're not going," I reaffirmed. "Better for me to suffer alone than—"

"What, the off chance that I could die?"

"It's not just you." Bowser locked his eyes into mine, before they widened in horror, understanding. "We can't go."

Kamek shook his head. "I highly advise you to do so. You won't need to spend long there, just enough time to find a Shaman that can get rid of the curse."

"Are they a threat?" Bowser inquired.

"Depends. Shamans are quite private with their lives, but I'd imagine that one would recognize you two."

"Who wouldn't?"

"The trick is which one would be most inclined to help." Kamek shifted his hat around. "Some may like Mario for his heroics, some may enjoy the trouble Bowser has caused, though I suspect many will not even want you there."

"We'll find someone."

"Bowser—"

"Look, we're going. I'm not letting you die Mario." Desperation. "Neither of us will be dying anytime soon." Determination.

"You can't promise that though."

"Watch me."

He grinned confidently, but I don't share his enthusiasm. Kamek shifted his face between the two of us and shook his head.

"It's getting late. We'll talk more tomorrow."

Both of us nodded, and Kamek turned the books around, organizing them on the desk. He looked me over one last time and nodded before walking out.

[Bowser]

It was definitely the early morning, but even a few hours later, Mario was still awake. His breathing was irregular and he shifted uncomfortably repeatedly. My sigh caused him to jump.

"How long have you been awake for?"

"About as long as you."

"Well, sleep." He rolled away from me. "This is exactly why I didn't want to be on top of you tonight."

"Oh, but you're not…yet." I chuckled as he rolled back over to whack me with his pillow. "You set yourself up for that."

"I'm trying to be serious."

"Not when you're all grumpy like that. It's too cute."

"Go to sleep, Bowser."

"Not while you're awake. I'll worry too much."

He groaned and rolled away from me. Not letting up, I turned with him and slipped my arms around his sides. His heartbeat raced and his whole body was tense.

"Don't."

"We're just lying together."

"But—"

"Mario, if I can't love you, can you tell me who can?" He didn't answer. "Who are you going to let in?"

"No one."

"That's a horrible decision."

"It will keep people alive."

"Forever? No, it won't."

Again, Mario was silent. Still, I rubbed his chest, resting my head above his.

"Talk, at least to me. What happened?"

"You died. I died."

"I got that, but I need a little more than that."

Heavily, he sighed. "I dreamt of three possible ways it could go down. The first involved Peach falling from a cliff near a waterfall." He paused as my eyes widened; her death I hadn't expected. "After that, we saved her, but you were killed as we escaped from a cave-in. And on the last run, you both made it, but I was stabbed by a mysterious assailant on Star Hill."

"…Why can't you dream of happy things?" He spun around and punched my shoulder as I laughed. "Sorry! I shouldn't have, I'm sorry." Stopping, I kissed his forehead. "So, you had a dream that resulted in someone dying after we corrected each issue that came up." Mario nodded. "Heavy stuff."

"What am I supposed to do about that? I can't just willingly bring you into danger, let alone anyone else on top of that." He squeezed his eyes shut.

"Well, I'll tell you now, we're not going to be with Peach when we go to Star Hill; she's still rallying against me, in case you didn't know. So, like Kamek told us, it's not even certain that those dreams will come true."

Slowly, he opened his engrossing blue eyes and nodded. Smiling, I slid one arm down to his waist, taking hold of his hand.

"We both know that I can't guarantee anything." Admitting helped enforce it into my own mind, along with letting him know I understood his concerns. "Honestly, I'd really like to not die. But I also don't want that happening to you. And on top of that, you've suffered enough from this curse."

His free hand moved up and covered my lips, at least as well as he could. "Bowser, I have one brother and fans. You run an entire castle, where you live with an adoptive father and eight children. Tell me, which of us is worth living?"

"Oh, are we going to weigh our lives against one another?" My tone was mixture between amusement and annoyance. "Let's see…villainous king that has some of his own subjects that despise him, let alone the rest of the greater kingdom he lives in, versus the symbol of hope that the greater kingdom practically worships, let alone a hero of galaxies." He frowned at my smirk. "So, if you're looking to measure the two of us, try harder. Because kingdom hero versus parent king is a pretty tight race."

"Why can't we be talking about go-karting?" We shared a small laugh. "You raise a good point, but I still can't have you do this."

"Would you feel better if I grabbed some troops to go with us?"

"Depends on the soldiers."

"Kamek can pick some reliable options. And the Koopalings are usually a good choice."

"All right, then that would ease my mind a bit, since you were the only one from here to be with us." I tilted my head a bit. "It was the two of us with Peach, Luigi, and Daisy."

Snorting, I shifted my head on the pillow. "If there were five options, why was I one of the three to die?" Again, Mario hit me. "Hey, that was a fair question."

"None of you should have died."

"War doesn't usually allow for complete survival on both sides."

"This might not have even been related to the war!"

"If it's not, I'll be stupefied."

"Still…"

"Still, we need to go to Star Hill and find you a Shaman."

Pleading, Mario stared into my eyes with a hint of tears in his, probably hoping to sway me otherwise. However, I quickly kissed him instead.

"Bowser, please—"

"No, Mario, we will go, and it's better to go sooner when it's just the two of us." Though I smiled, I was adamant in my decision. "You can't seriously expect me to continue to watch you suffer and do nothing but hug you. We need a real cure for you. And as much as I'd like to think the 'super boyfriend' role works, we can't rely on that forever."

That got a nice laugh out of him, a delight to hear. Not wanting him to stop, I wiggled my hands around him, making him laugh some more. After a couple of minutes, I stopped my tickle torture and let Mario catch his breath. Once he did, I kissed him again, getting nice brush from his mustache as he kissed me back. Still low on breath, he pulled away after a minute, as both of our heartbeats danced. Softly, I caressed his cheek, easing him back into a steady breathing.

"Well, has my 'super boyfriend' come up with any ideas to get me to relax and sleep?"

Grinning, I massaged his back and moved my tail near his leg. "Oh, I have a few ideas. So, how about we—"

A knocking sounded from my door and I let out a heavy sigh. Mario laughed and kissed my cheek.

"Perks of ruling?"

"Not even close."

Lingering, I ran my hand through his hair before bouncing up from the bed. Opening the door, I stared down at my son, who gazed up at me with tears in his eyes.

"Junior? Son, what's wrong?"

Shuddering, my boy couldn't speak.

"You have a nightmare, son?" Quickly, he nodded. Softly, I chuckled and picked him up. "Guess you've got more in common with your Papa than I thought."

"Wait, you?"

My eyes widened as I glanced back at Mario. Nervously laughing, I slipped from the room and closed the door behind me, leaving him without my answer.

Quietly, I took Junior back to his room. Carefully, I crept through his room, avoiding the mess scattered around the floor. Reaching his bed, I sat down on it and went to put Junior down. Just as I went to, however, he quickly grabbed onto me again.

"What is it, Son?"

"Papa, I don't want to." He whined and tightened his hold on me.

"Junior, you need to rest." Softly, I sighed and put my hands around him.

"But then you'll leave."

Thinking for a minute, I offered, "If you want me to stay, I'll be right here with you."

"But…then Mario will be alone."

Freezing, I faltered in my response. "He'll…be fine."

"No, he won't. He wasn't fine earlier. Papa, you need to stay with him."

"Well, I can't be in two places at once." Junior pulled back and lowered his eyes. "Or, you could…stay with…us."

"Yes please."

Sighing, I nodded and rose back up. Not paying as close attention, I stepped on a block and yelped. Rubbing my foot, I tiptoed from Junior's room and trudged back to mine. Opening it, I stared at Mario, with his arms folded behind his head. He glanced at us and smiled.

"Will we have a guest for tonight?"

"Um…if you don't mind?"

"Not at all!"

My shoulders dropped in relief. Of course Mario wouldn't mind, but…it's nice to hear such. Sliding back into bed, I set Junior down between us. He slowly crawled under the covers, and still seemed just a bit wary around Mario. In less than a minute though, Junior settled in easily.

"Comfy?" He smiled and nodded. "Good. Now, let's get some sleep."

"But…I'm still scared, Papa."

Holding in my groan, I buried my face into the pillow.

"Do you want to talk about your nightmare, Junior?" I heard Mario ask him. "Your Papa's a great listener and helped me feel better after I had my nightmare."

"Really Papa?" I picked my head up and glanced from Junior to Mario.

"Uh…yeah?" Wait a minute. "Junior, you've told me about them before."

"This one's different." Junior squeezed the covers around him. "In it, Mario was still asleep and we couldn't get him up. And then you were really sad, and then angry at everyone."

"Aw, Junior, that's my fault from before." I ran my hand soothingly across his head. "I let myself panic over Mario too much, and I shouldn't have taken it out around you. But he's fine now, and so am I!"

"No, it was different. We went to a purple and blue mountain to get him help, but something went wrong and they told us that they couldn't help him."

Slowly, I gazed at Mario, whose eyes were as wide as my own. Neither of us had spoken to Junior about Star Hill, and even though he had overheard a bit from before, I couldn't recall taking him there.

"Junior, who were 'they' that you're talking about?"

"Um…people in dark cloaks, and you couldn't see much besides their eyes." He paused and pushed the covers away from his face. "Are those the Shamans that Kamek keeps talking about?"

"It sounds like that fits the description, if memory serves," murmured Mario.

"And who went to Star Hill?"

"Star Hill?"

"That's the mountain in your dream, son."

"It's real? That's what Star Hill looks like?"

"Yes, that's it; the purple and blue mountain where you can see shooting stars and make wishes."

"Wow!" Junior sat and thought for a moment. "Well, besides you and me, Kamek and the Koopalings came with us. But…they ended up disappearing while the dream went on."

"Disappearing?" Mario raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, they just suddenly weren't there anymore." He tugged off his bib and handed it to me to place off of the bed. "Each of them just kind of disappeared little by little as the dream went on. And then it was just you, Kamek, me, and the Shaman."

Mario and I stared at one another, unsettled by the information Junior provided. Studying us, Junior frowned and tugged on my arm beneath the pillow above him.

"Papa, are you going to Star Hill soon?"

"Well…I need to take Mario there. We need to find a friendly Shaman that knows how to remove his curse."

Junior's eyes lowered and he nodded. "Make sure you're careful with the Koopalings when you go then."

For a minute, I thought it over. "Maybe they'll stay here with you, son."

"But you'll need someone to go with you," argued Junior. "It can't just be the two of you. The Shamans are…weird."

"Kamek can come and he'll help us think it over before we go." I glanced at Mario, who bit his lip, but nodded when Junior turned to him.

"Ok…that's good." Junior yawned. "I'm…sleepy now. But…I don't…"

"Don't worry Junior," assured Mario. "Your Papa's good at chasing away nightmares too."

"He is?"

"Yep." Mario winked while I held in a small fit of laughter.

"Wow. That's…cool."

Yawning again, Junior snuggled under the covers and soon fell asleep. Mario and I smiled as we watched his breathing rise and fall at a steady rate.

"Thank you," I whispered. "I wasn't sure how I was going to deal with that one."

"Sure you would have." Mario reached past Junior and held my hand. "It was just easier for me since I could relate quicker."

"…If I find out my son is cursed—"

"Bowser, I'm sure he's fine." Mario quietly yawned. "It's just a coincidence."

Rubbing his hand, I hesitantly nodded. "Hopefully."

"And here I thought you were becoming the optimistic one." Mario chuckled.

"Let's just agree not to put anything out of the realm of possibility." To that, Mario nodded. For a moment, we listened to the soft sounds of my son's sleeping breaths. However, I needed to make my original point clear. "So, we're going to Star Hill, and soon, ok? I don't need my son panicking over this for longer than he has to."

Slowly, Mario sighed and nodded. "You want to go tomorrow, don't you?"

"It does take a while to get there and back."

"Yes, I know." I squeezed his hand and smiled as he stared past me. He shook his head and looked back at me. Something about his blue eyes was calming, even in spite of everything else we were dealing with. "All right. But we can't take the Koopalings."

"Fair enough. Again, I'll have Kamek pick out some troops to take with us." Grinning, I added, "Oh, and no princesses. Or your brother." Mario glared at me while I stifled my laughter. "Just to be sure!"

"You just couldn't wait to add that in, could you?" He pouted and turned away.

"Hey, come on now." I tugged on his hand. "I admit, I'll need to get along with your brother some day. Peach, I'm not so sure about, but we'll try to address that again once we've taken care of you. All right?"

He rolled back over and I smiled at him. Mario smiled back and tightly gripped my hand. Soon after, though, he frowned.

"I'm scared."

"Me too," I admitted. "This certainly isn't something that either of us are familiar with. But that's why we'll face it together." Smiling more, I tightened my hold on his hand as well. "Anyone who crosses the two of us individually already had problems. Together though, they'll need to think twice." I blew him a quiet kiss. "We'll be fine."

"What about the environment itself? I don't think you can stop natural events from occurring around us, unless you've got tricks that you haven't told me about."

"Again, nothing's definite, but I promise you that we'll do our best to be on guard and watch out for even the slightest changes. If a pebble begins to crumble, we'll react to whatever follows. And we can get through that too."

"Hopefully." Mario smiled again. "I'm taking your word on that."

"And I intend to keep it." I winked at him and rubbed his hand again.

Softly, Junior grunted in his sleep. Mario and I silently hushed one another, and then quietly laughed. Still holding hands under the pillows above Junior, we watched one another as we drifted off to sleep.

...

They're finally plotting to go to Star Hill, yay! …Or maybe not yay?

While it's not guaranteed that Mario's dreams will actually unfold, there's still a risk there. And to add an eerie flavor to the mix, Junior had a nightmare of his own, relating to Mario's. Coincidence? Or something more? (Or was it just a way for me to shove another tender family moment into the story?) But either way, they're in this together, so Bowser and Mario can take small comforts in that. (Super boyfriends!)

Meanwhile, Ludwig. He's been a bit of a brat, looking back, though usually collected with how he goes about things. Still, something about him kept bothering both Mario and Bowser, which I wanted to have them confront. Bowser and Ludwig tend to clash with one another, so Mario was able to facilitate their discussion and get to the heart of the problem. (Also, I like the fandom belief that Ludwig was originally in charge of the Koopalings before Junior came along; while he's not the definitive leader in this story, he sure tries to act like it.)

As for the curse, it's lethal if left unchecked, and only a Shaman can remove a Shaman's curse. However, they're not a particularly common race (playing on the fact that they only appeared by species name in Super Mario RPG and with questionable appearances later on), so their reactions to both Mario and Bowser could go in any direction. Hooray, more moral ambiguity amongst the species!

For now, that'll be all. Next chapter, Kamek will grab some soldiers to team up with Bowser and Mario as they set off for Star Hill. If the Koopalings aren't going though, who will? And can Bowser really keep that safety promise to Mario, or is this just one more thing beyond his control? There's still so much more to come, so we'll see. Comments and criticisms are welcome, just send me a review or message. It's been quiet lately, so I'd love to hear more, but I understand that folks are pretty busy too, so no pressure. As always, thank you for reading!