Hello, dear reader! Guess what? It's Mar10 Day!

If you don't happen to know, I like to post Mario fanfics, and I normally update my ongoing works for this day. But, last year, I had written a story specifically for Mario Day, and I wanted to give it another shot.

Originally, I had a different idea in mind, but that would've taken too long to write up. So, instead, I tried going through the fanfic tropes and AUs that I haven't explored yet, and settled on the mundane world where Mario and Bowser are shop owners.

But not just ANY shop owners!

There's apparently a flower shop and tattoo parlor AU, and I was like, "You know what? Why not?" It's probably been done somewhere in the Mario archive, but I couldn't immediately find it, so, I rolled with it. (Granted, I know nothing about either, so...I'm sorry if it's not the best/genuine experience. But, it's pretty gay, so, hopefully, that's a redeeming factor!)

Anyway, I do hope you enjoy.

... ... ...

Standing before a flower shop, a trembling claw lifted up for the door. Resting his hand against the door, slight scraping came from the shuddering nails while the creature gritted his teeth, glancing back and forth. A few citizens eyed him with some suspicion, and watched as he surveyed his surroundings. None moved for him though, in spite of the uneasiness in the air. Fed up with waiting, his claw pressed against the door and pushed it open.

Wind chimes rang as the door opened to the soft blue and green painted shop. There were a variety of floral scents that wafted around the entrance, as the soft breeze stirred the nearest flowers. Sweet smells, mixing between mayflowers and wisteria, helped the visitor's shoulders drop as he gazed inside. Several customers within stared in silent horror at the intrusion to their easygoing day.

Across from them, at a table not too far from the register, a man sat quietly humming to himself, arranging a bouquet of carnations, shifting green flowers between the red and mauve ones. His white gloves were mixed with brown and green stains from working with several plants, but as he completed the arrangement to his satisfaction, he smirked and merely wiped his hands together, dusting them off a bit. For a moment, he reached for a fresh pair within a nearby box, but studied his current set and merely shrugged. Adjusting his red cap and brushing a few leaf shreds from his mustache, he chuckled as he admired his work.

A quiet hiss of "Excuse me!" stole his attention. The man blinked and turned to an elder woman with a white and pink mushroom on her head, who narrowed her gaze from the lobelia she was admiring. This older Toad adjusted her spectacles and frowned at the approaching florist.

"May I help you ma'am?" His welcoming tone did her no favors.

"Yes, if you could escort that brute right back out," she whispered, and pointed at the newcomer to the shop.

He was a rough looking turtle type, a Koopa, bigger than the usual sort that the shoppers were used to. A spiny purple shell and the studded wristbands certainly didn't help when combined with his bulkier frame. Fangs protruding from his mouth gave him a fierce appearance. Even a soft appearing pink face failed to do him any favors, considering that his eyes were hidden behind red sunglasses. Still, there was a trembling in his arms that belied such a menacing demeanor.

Frowning first to the Koopa, and then returning his attention to the Toad, the red-capped man shook his head.

"He hasn't given me any reason to send him off."

"Excuse me?"

"Certainly." Though the florist turned to leave, the Toad grasped at his arm. "Ma'am?"

"Come now, you've lived in this kingdom for how long?" The elder Toad glared at the florist. "His kind shouldn't be welcomed here."

"A customer?"

"A Koopa."

"This is a flower shop, ma'am." There was a sharper edge to the man's tone, as his eyes narrowed to her. "So long as he doesn't cause any trouble, I fail to see any reason to force him out, nor see any harm that he's caused."

"His mere presence—"

"Does nothing to this atmosphere." The florist's deep blue eyes narrowed. "However, your request for interference ensures problems. If you continue to ask for disruptions, I may need to ask you to leave."

"Well! I never!" The Toad twisted away from the florist. "Your darling brother seemed to agree the last time that I spoke with him."

"My brother is a little more wary than I am."

"And with good reason!"

"Not always."

Though the woman had a mind to continue, she merely shook her head and stomped behind the lobelia once more. Sighing and adjusting the gloves on his hands, the florist stepped back to his flower arrangement. However, the Koopa had inched closer to him, glaring as he passed a nosy purple Yoshi, who ducked behind white heather and vervain. Two more Toads shuddered as they hurried behind a counter with foxgloves, huddling with each other behind them.

Raising an eyebrow as the young Koopa came closer to him, the man pushed his flower arrangement aside and dusted the counter. He inhaled lightly through his nose, exhaled from his mouth, and faced the next customer.

"Hello, welcome." The florist offered a small smile. "May I help you?"

"Hey, yeah. Um…" The Koopa rubbed his bald pink head and grimaced at the florist, spotting his nametag. "Uh…Mister Mario?"

"The one and only." Mario chuckled and smiled to his customer.

"Ah. Uh, well, I was…I'm trying to get something nice for someone." There was hesitation in the Koopa's unnerved tone.

"We do have several many flowers for multiple purposes," lightly joked Mario. "Perhaps it would help if we narrowed down who you were shopping for, Mister…?"

"Oh, uh, I'm Roy." There was a pause as the Koopa rubbed behind his neck. "Right, ah, I'm shopping to get something for my sister. Like…roses, I guess."

"Roses are the staple favorite of many." Mario smirked. "Though, buying the wrong one for your sister may be a bit…odd."

"Well, what do I get so it's not weird?" There was a slight impatience growing in the Koopa's tone as his brow furrowed.

"Since you were suggesting roses right away, did you have any in mind?"

"Uh…yellow ones?"

"Hmm." Mario picked at his mustache. "Those can be used for different meanings. Sometimes as friendship, sometimes for intense emotion or apologies." He raised an eyebrow. "Also for betrayal, jealousy, or a broken heart."

"Wait, seriously?" Roy fumbled back and gripped at his head. "It can mean all of that?"

"Several flowers have multiple meanings, so, yes." Folding his arms, Mario tilted his head. "Was there some kind of occasion these were for, or…?"

"Her birthday is coming up," noted Roy. He paused as Mario lowered his eyes, and Roy lowered his head. "And…she might be ticked at me, lately. Which…may be kind of my fault, for not showing up when she needed me."

"In that case, I recommend hyacinth instead," determined Mario. He pointed to the flowers near the wall. "Specifically, a mixture of blue and purple. You want to show forgiveness and that you'll be more faithful going forward."

"Those are good for that?"

"Of course."

"Huh." The Koopa adjusted his sunglasses and smiled, relaxing more. "Ok, I'll take some of those then."

"Wonderful!"

Gathering the flowers and setting them in a vase for the Koopa, Mario smiled and hummed as he sorted through the work. Charging for the flowers, Mario took the coins that Roy offered, and then tied a pink and red ribbon around the clear vase. Grinning at the packaged hyacinth gift, Roy clutched it carefully under his arm. With his free hand, he lifted his sunglasses and beamed to Mario, as his mouth parted from spotting the unusual blue eyes on the Koopa.

"Thanks a bunch, Mister Mario! This…really means a lot." Roy gazed down at the gift. "My sister told me this shop had the best flowers, but I didn't think that…when I came, I just thought it would be…different."

"Don't worry about that." Mario smiled to him. "I'm glad I was able to help you."

"Yeah, for sure. Thanks again!"

Taking the flowers, Roy lowered his sunglasses and waved to Mario, before heading out the door. Mario blinked as he checked around the shop, and sighed when he realized that the other customers had hurried off while he helped Roy. Shaking his head, Mario glanced down at the leaves on the counter and brushed them off into his hand, dumping them into a wastebasket, over the pamphlets promoting the Mushroom Kingdom army.

Heading back to his project table, Mario sat before his set of carnations. He gently ran his hand past a red one and tugged up the stem for a green carnation, taking a small look at it. Mario quietly stared at the flower, weary eyes lowered above his frown, and he checked over his next project, with various tulips still waiting to be set up.

Before he could tuck the green flower back into place, the wind chimes rang as the door flung open. Jerking up, Mario's eyes widened as a much larger Koopa stormed into the building. Unlike the more nervous Roy, this one had several tattoos on his arms, and came in quite angry.

"Hey, Louie, what gives?" His fierce tone had filled the silence of the shop. "I came in yesterday, and I wasn't given any special treatment, but then today, you have that Koopa in, and I…uh." The broad Koopa's eyes finally focused on Mario. His scowl faded a bit, and he lifted an eyebrow as he stared taking in the man. "You're…you look different."

"That's because I am different." Keeping a level tone, Mario twirled the carnation around between his fingers as he stood up. "My brother is actually called Luigi, not Louie, and I'm his twin—"

"Mario."

Freezing at his name falling from the Koopa's mouth, Mario blinked and tilted his head. Having calmed from when he entered, the Koopa brushed behind his head and sighed.

"Sorry, I, uh…overheard him talking with you on the phone the other day, before I came in here." The Koopa lowered his eyes as his annoyance returned. "Then when he spotted me, he freaked out completely and ordered me off."

"Ah, I see…I should apologize on his behalf." Mario lowered the flower as his shoulders dropped. "Luigi gets nervous around newcomers and he gets intimidated when someone much larger comes before him." Chuckled, the florist shook his head. "He gives off terrible first impressions, but he's actually very kind and gentle. I don't think I could live life without him."

"Huh. Well…I'm not great at first impressions either, so that's fair." The Koopa snorted and glanced away. "He shouldn't let that cut into his work, though."

"Very true, and I'll have to talk to him later." Mario stepped aside from the table and stared up at the great Koopa. "Is there anything that I can help you with today, Mister…?"

"Stars, I didn't even introduce myself." The Koopa lifted his arm and waved to Mario. "Name's Bowser, and I just set up shop in the tattoo parlor right next door."

"Oh, so you own that." Mario smiled. "I was wondering about that, and you guys just moved in a couple of days ago, right?"

"Yeah." Bowser folded his arms and as he eyed Mario up and down. "It's, uh…well, it's mostly me working there so far. Came from the wastes closer to that Koopa King's castle, but none of my old employees from there followed with the move, so, I'm starting fresh, I guess."

"Makes sense…"

Both quieted, as Mario took a moment to study the parlor owner. He was much larger than the average Koopa, with horns protruding from his head, and fiery red hair that mimicked a flame on his head. Thick eyebrows were set over his red eyes, with an expression that softened on anger since the Koopa walked in. Several fangs protruded from his broad mouth. Like Roy, Bowser had a spiny shell and studded wristbands, though both seemed even longer and sharper than the smaller Koopa's had been. Unlike Roy, he also wore a spiked collar around his neck.

Living up to his profession, Bowser had a few tattoos decorated around his arms. The sleeves had a few different designs on them, mixing different kinds of flame patterns with dragons, which shifted to swirling water patterns with turtles and an anchor along his right arm. On the left, there were mountain shaped designs higher up, with what seemed like an eagle along one side. Barely visible with his folded arms were swords in a crossed pattern. Lower along the arm, Mario spotted a few floral decorations, including roses, watched over by the design of a guardian lion.

"So…should we be taking pictures of each other?"

"Oh, sorry." Mario's face flushed red as looked away to thornless roses. "I didn't mean to stare."

"Ha, don't worry about it." Bowser smirked as he rubbed his shoulder, cheeks burning a bit red as well. "I, uh…I was doing the same thing."

"Were you?" A chuckle escaped Mario. "I don't think you have much to take in here."

"Odd for you to think that, because I thought there was a lot going on," determined Bowser. "Even with the leaves and petals all over your clothes, you've got neat hair, an evenly trimmed mustache, and everything looks well put together." He nodded as he lowered his arms. "Seems like you're hard working and enjoy getting into what you do, but you like to keep yourself organized." Bowser waited as Mario gawked at him. "Was something wrong with that?"

"Actually, that's…pretty accurate." Mario cleared his throat to try hiding his face for a bit. "I wish I could lie about making an assessment on you too, but I…I was just caught up taking in your appearance and the tattoos."

"Bigger Koopas are rare, so that's fair." Bowser shrugged and lifted one arm. "These weird for you?"

"Not at all, but the designs are very stylized and have a flowing theme to them," pointed out Mario. "It feels like there is a story behind them, but I couldn't piece that together immediately, and I ended up just staring at them."

"Sounds like you were going in the right direction, if I hadn't interrupted your train of thoughts." Bowser chuckled. "They're meant to mix classical elements in mythology, plus symbols that correspond to them, and hold meanings that I like."

"Wow, that's exciting!"

"Do you really think so?"

"Of course!"

"Not the usual first reaction I get." Bowser rubbed behind his neck. "You must be more adventurous than most."

"Me? No…well, more than my brother, I suppose." Mario tilted his head and eyed the tattoos. "So, not to keep you, but, what do they mean, if you don't mind my asking? The elements and relations?"

"Oh, uh, well, there are different myths that go over either four or five kinds of classical elements that make up the world," elucidated Bowser. "You know, before science explained the real stuff." He smiled while Mario laughed a bit. "It seemed cool when I first started anyway. Obviously, this arm has water and fire, since those are pretty popular and go well enough together. Red and blue, maybe opposites attract or something, and all that nonsense." Lifting his right arm, he showed off the work. "I haven't gotten a major symbol for the fire yet, but the dragons have different meanings, like wisdom or power. Plus, they're cool, and I can relate to them and turtles."

"They do seem related to you."

"Ah, just a bit." Bowser beamed at Mario's laughter. He cleared his throat as Mario settled. "Most get hung up at the turtle bit, so it's nice that you looked past them."

"What about the anchor?"

"Stability and loyalty, just some values that I like to share and find."

"Nice."

"This arm mixes earth with wood and a little bit of metal," explained Bowser while showing off his left arm. "Though…I feel like the mountain and the eagle make more sense for another element, which is air."

"It could go either way."

"Yeah, I thought that too, but I wasn't sure which way made more sense. There's a mythology about four elements of fire, water, air, and earth, but then there's another that goes by five world elements of earth, fire, metal, water, and wood." Bowser shrugged. "I guess I could just toss one more on the other side and use all six."

"Why not?"

"Anyway, I'm sure you didn't want to hear me blabber about all of these." Bowser snorted and looked away as his cheeks tinged pink. "Told you that I suck at first impressions."

"Oh, I was actually enjoying learning about those," admitted Mario.

"Seriously?"

"Absolutely!" Mario smiled and gestured to his shop. "Plants and flowers are supposed to speak their own languages, after all. So, hearing about the thoughts and meanings behind something else is enjoyable, at least for me."

"Well, well." Bowser chuckled. "Didn't think I'd find another nerd for symbolism working next door."

"Pretty apt description for me." Mario sighed. "Luigi is always telling me that I get too invested in meanings, and he tries to make arrangements more by harmonizing colors that blend."

"Bah, that's boring and typical." Swatting at the air, Bowser shook his head. He smiled and returned his attention to Mario. "Your style is more up my alley. It's more thought provoking and gives depth to everything."

"Exactly." Lifting a thumb up, Mario winked up to Bowser. "I'm going to have you come by when he's back in and tell him that, because then maybe he'll finally get it."

"Uh, maybe it's better if you're around with him too," brought up Bowser, rubbing his arm. "Don't need him yelling at me to leave again."

"I'm so sorry about that."

"No, that's not on you, and I…think I get it." Bowser smirked. "At least, you're making me like you more, so I'm going a little easier on him."

"Glad I can make a good enough impression to help redeem him." Both laughed for a bit, but Mario settled first. "I'll make sure to bring you back around myself, whenever you want. If we're working neighbors, we should get along."

"Think you're the only one around these parts that would want to."

Bowser sighed and glanced out through the shop's window. He and Mario watched as a Koopa Troopa and a Toad changed their paths along the sidewalk, deliberately avoiding one another by more than necessary after shooting one another disturbed looks. A Goomba across the road spotted a Yoshi coming his way and quickly darted back the way he came.

Mario returned his attention to Bowser, as his shoulders slumped from the sights. He hesitated as he lifted his arm, but then placed his hand on Bowser's upper arm, patting him. A blush crept onto Mario's face as he tried to avoid rubbing the sturdy muscle for too long.

"Near that Koopa King's castle, there are a lot of different folks that roam around. They can be a bit of a rough bunch at first blush, but they're…well, I think they can be good people." Bowser glanced down to Mario and smiled as he cupped his hand over the florist's, patting it in return. "You're kind of like us, not really getting too caught up in what you see at first. That's…not common, around the princess's territories."

"Princess Peach is doing her best to help relations between everyone," noted Mario. "I'm not sure if warring with the Koopa King makes it difficult to follow that ideal, but I've listened to some of her speeches, and she seems like she wants peace."

"See, where I come from, we all called her 'Princess Toadstool,' all the time." Bowser dragged his claw through his hair. "There was always this…distance regarding her in those wastes. Out here, people talk her up with all kinds of blessings and praise, but none of those that do really lived the harder life, or, not from what I can tell."

"No, I don't suppose they have." Mario's hand slid away. "Sorry about that."

"Hey, come on, quit apologizing on everyone else's behalf." Bowser took Mario's hand back into his. "You're not responsible for the world's problems, ok? In fact, you're actually a really nice guy, from what I can tell."

"I try to be."

"Well, it works, so good job." He snorted and glanced away. "Wish I could be."

"Maybe you could go easier on yourself too," suggested Mario. "I've thought you were pretty nice the whole time."

"Wait, really?" Bowser blushed a bit as his grip tightened a bit on Mario's hand. "I never come across that way first time around."

"Then you fooled me flawlessly."

As they stared into one another's eyes, Mario and Bowser held a steady gaze, before remembering that they were also holding hands. Quickly releasing one another, they giggled and muttered apologies, as they looked away from one another's reddened faces.

Clearing his throat, Bowser pointed to the flower in Mario's other hand.

"So, uh, what's up with the green carnation?"

"This? It's…from that arrangement." Mario pointed to his projects table, and walked over to the completed work. "Just a few carnations that I matched up. Red is for passion, mauve is for fantasies, and green is…I think for fascination."

"…After what we just talked about, with being nerdy for symbolism, you think I'm going to fall for you forgetting what it's used for?"

"Honestly, I was hoping…"

"Too bad, because I happen to know exactly what that one is used for." Bowser lifted his left arm, and pointed to the floral designs along his forearm. "See all of these?"

Having a better angle to see them, Mario spotted the different flowers included along Bowser's arm. Roses were the easiest to spot, but along with those were violets, lavenders, trillium, and the green carnation too. Mario blushed as Bowser proudly lifted his arm to show off.

"With wood symbolism, I wanted a way to express myself and my friends. Roses and rose petals are for love, but the others are based on who that love is for." Bowser pointed to each of the flowers as he listed them off. "Purple violets are for love between women, while green carnations are for love between men." He shot Mario a cocky grin, while Mario bit his lip. "The trillium is a bit bigger, since it's for love of men and women, but also since I relate to that best. And then I've got lavenders around for everyone that I didn't get yet, since they represent the whole spectrum of love and identity." Lowering his arm and his eyes, Bowser smirked at Mario. "Want to run your arrangement by me again?"

"…It symbolizes the fantastic and passionate love between men," quickly rattled off Mario, tugging his cap over his face. "And before you walked in, absolutely no one would even think of understanding that combination."

"Bold, and I think you might not realize when anyone else spots these things." Lifting an eyebrow, Bowser smiled to Mario. "So…?"

"If you're trying to figure out if it represents me, then that's a yes," murmured Mario, as he tugged on his arm. "I, uh…well, I think your trillium would work with me too, but I kind of favor the green…it's really silly for me to keep referring to love by flowers, isn't it?"

"What? No way! This is adorable." Bowser chuckled as Mario buried his face in hands, and rested his hand on Mario's back. His eyes widened at the firmness from the florist, and the Koopa shook his blushing head to focus himself. "I think it's really a quiet and cute way to be supportive and to express yourself. After all, I did the exact same thing with my art, so seeing you do that with yours is nice…and refreshing."

"Thank you."

"How about the tulips?" Bowser gestured to the flowers that Mario hadn't used yet. "You've got a bunch over there."

"That's supposed to be a compromise for Luigi and I," pointed out Mario. "Since we're the Fire Flower Shop now, I figured an arrangement to showcase that a little would be nice."

"Wait, did you guys get a rebranding?"

"Yes, we started as the Power Flower."

"Aw, that's cuter."

"Luigi got tired of everyone asking what Power Flowers were, and why we didn't sell them here."

"That actually makes sense." Bowser surveyed the shop. "But, you don't have any Fire Flowers in here. Do you?"

"Same as with the Power Flowers, I think we need a permit to sell powered flowers," joked Mario, and Bowser chuckled. "Those would be dangerous to have for just anyone to grab."

"Fair. So…what about these?"

"With the colors, the tulips make the image of fire, to match with the shop's theme," explored Mario. "Red, orange, yellow, and black, and I want to mix them around in a fashion to mimic burning flames. But then, each of them has a positive symbolism behind them, since red is for undying love and passion, orange is for appreciation and true love, yellow is for cheerful thoughts and hope, and black is for power and elegance." Mario watched as Bowser scratched his head while checking the flowers. "It's basically a long-winded way of implying how true and passionate love can give you strength and hope."

"Stars above, that's romantic," murmured Bowser. He coughed and cleared his throat, lifting his hand to cover his flushed face. "So, uh, who's…who's the lucky guy to land you?"

"Oh, no one." Mario shrugged. "These are just fun ways for me to play with arrangements."

Barely audible, Bowser whispered, "How is he single…?"

"What was that?"

"Nothing!" Bowser scratched at his chin, and then his eyes lit up. "You've got the kind of mind I like, I admit that. I'm hoping to teach my kid about looking at the hidden meanings in the world, but I think he's still a little young for that."

"Oh, you have a son?" Mario forced up a smile as his lowered fists tightened.

"Yep."

"That's really nice." Adjusting his cap to hide his crestfallen face, Mario set his attention on his floral arrangements. "I think he'll grow nicely with a dad like you."

"Sure hope so!" Bowser snorted. "Don't want him to be anything like his mother, anyway. Or his adopted grandpa, but that's more for playful reasons."

Pushing up his cap, Mario lifted an inquisitive eyebrow to Bowser. "Is his mother not a good role model?"

"She's not any kind of role model or in the picture at all," revealed Bowser. "She dumped the kid on me and took off. Didn't even know that I had him before that."

"Huh. That's…well, you have a son, so that's nice." Mario tried to turn and hide his small smirk.

"Yeah…how about you? Any kids?"

"Nope."

"Want any?"

"Maybe?"

"Like, your own, or adopted?"

"Either or, I think."

"Ok, ok, good stuff." Bowser blinked and covered his face with his hand. "None of this is really great first time conversation material, is it?"

"It's not the typical kind of talk, I don't think." Mario shrugged. "Not that I mind."

Starting for the door, Bowser uttered, "I should go."

"You really don't have to."

"Even without embarrassing myself, I still should."

"Is your parlor open?"

"Not yet, still setting up for now." Bowser turned back and lowered his hand. "My old man thinks it'll be a bust out here, but I think we'll give it a shot."

"Hopefully it works out." Mario smiled. "I'd enjoy having like-minded company."

"Same, for sure!" Hesitating for a moment, Bowser opened his mouth, but slowly closed it. "Um. It was nice meeting you."

"Did you have something else on your mind?"

"Just…you don't follow Toadstool's politics that closely, do you?" Bowser jabbed his thumb outside, towards the distant castle's direction. "Not an avid supporter or planning to toss up signs about her being the best, or…whatever?"

"Wasn't planning to any time soon." Mario smirked and raised an eyebrow. "Is that a deal breaker for you?"

"Depends on how she goes about her future, but currently…"

"No need to worry about me," insisted Mario. "I'm…not the type to get involved with that sort of mess."

"Me neither, honestly, and I plan to keep it that way. Would rather keep the old coot and my kid safe and sound." Bowser smiled, but it slowly faded. "…Do you…do you ever wonder, what it might be like, though?"

"What do you mean?"

"Being deeply involved with all of that war and campaign nonsense." Bowser rolled his hair through his claw. "You know, with Princess Toadstool and her champion knights or whatever going up against the Koopa King and his forces. Do you think we'd end up…well, how would we be, if we weren't just small shop owners?"

"Who knows?" Mario rubbed below his chin. "I like to think that I'd go on adventures and explore more of the greater kingdom itself." He shook his head. "But…fighting and going to war over matters between the royals…I don't think that's for me."

"Not my cup of tea either." Bowser snapped his fingers. "Speaking of! I'm not big on coffee, but tea is good stuff. So…would you, uh, you know…maybe want to get a cup or two sometime?"

"Tea? Yeah, I'd love to."

"Great! Um…I'll find a free day for myself, and you can find yours, or uh—"

"We'll work it out."

"Right, yeah, for sure." Bowser blushed and rubbed his horn. "So…again, nice meeting you. And…" He lowered his arm and smiled to Mario. "Thank you for being patient and understanding. I saw that other Koopa leave before, and seeing him with the flowers was nice at first, but then I thought it was me that was slighted, and now that I met you…" Bowser clamped his mouth shut and shook his head. "Sorry, I keep going off on rambles. And I think I kept your next customers away, so, sorry on that."

"Honestly, I've been enjoying listening and talking with you," admitted Mario. "It's pretty different from talking to customers." He lowered his head. "They all act like your friend and that they know you, but…it's sometimes hard to really get close with anyone when they're just a visitor." Lifting his head back up, he smiled to Bowser. "So, thank you for adding a little variety into my day. And…I really do hope things turn around nicely for you."

"If I keep talking with you, they just might."

"Ha, maybe." Mario winked. "Flattery gets you everywhere."

"Too true!" Bowser laughed, louder than he had before, and to Mario's delight. "Well, I can't keep you forever, or else they'll think I kidnapped you. Take care, ok?"

"You too, and don't be a stranger!" Mario waved. "Let me know if you ever need anything!"

"Sure! And I'm planning on coming back, so be ready!"

"Always."

"Good." Bowser waved off, checked over one last set of flowers near Mario, and exited the shop. "Later!"

Waving until his new companion was out of sight, Mario smiled and rested his hand on his hip. He turned around to check the flowers nearest to him, spotting bluebells and aster. Grinning, Mario cleared his throat to hide his blushing face, and made his way over to the tulips.

An ordinary life in the Mushroom Kingdom never felt so simple.

... ... ...

It's the little things that we enjoy. Bowsario holding hands, blushing, meeting for the first time...not being mortal enemies. Ah...the simple things.

Anyway, I like browsing about flowers a lot, since I don't get too many for myself ever. (I'm not a plant person irl...shocking, I know.) So, I figured that I could use that for a story about a flower shop owner, which I otherwise know absolutely nothing about. (Tattoo parlors either, ngl.)

While my mind hadn't immediately connected that to be a Bowser/Mario fanfic idea, I was trying to write up a story for an idea/a trope that I haven't used for them in fanfics, which...I've apparently used a lot over the years for them. Mostly in one fanfic. BUT! This came out kind of cute, and I had half a mind to give it a whirl. It's not the typical sort that one might search for regarding the pairing, but it seemed fun in my mind.

(Also, I am pretty surprised that I didn't see any Mario related fanfics that used both flower shop and tattoo parlor as an alternate universe. I'm sure at least the flower shop has been done, and I know Bowser with tattoos is a popular fan art idea, so...it's likely been done, but definitely not in a sense where Mario and Bowser can be super gay together.)

This is also my first fanfic where it is set in the Mario world, but the characters are living actually different lives from their usual roles. Mario and Luigi are florists, Bowser has Junior and Kamek for his family while working the tattoo parlor, and...well, that's enough to work with, haha. But, I usually just twist around the familiar Mario setting to my whims, rather than restructure crucial aspects of the world, so that was a fun new angle!

Ah, I should just leave the rambling to Bowser being cute and nerdy around Mario. And vice versa.

Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed this AU for the boys. Take care!