AN: Hey, everyone. So, this is just a short little oneshot that I am dedicating to one of my fans. Samantha Nuttly, thank you for the support that you have given to me and to the Super Koopalings series. It really means a lot.

So, this one is for you. I hope you enjoy :)

"Ugghhhh…"

Bowser observed the green clad plumber through the bars of the dungeon cell. He groaned loudly, pathetically. The noise was probably audible to the Koopalings all the way up on the second floor of the East Wing. On some level, this made Bowser feel...bad.

He didn't even know why he felt bad. This was Luigi. He was right here, in his clutches. He was his prisoner, his captive, his hostage. Bowser could do whatever he wanted with the sibling of his arch enemy. He could torture him, maime him...heck, if he wanted to, he could even use him in a hostage negotiation. He could see it now; the princess and the plumber cowering at his feet as he described all the horrible things that he could do to Luigi.

But...he didn't...want to do that.

There was something in his gut that was telling him no. It wasn't very strong, but it was present. It was present, and it was growing. What's more, it only grew stronger the longer Bowser stared at the plumber.

"Ohhh…."

Bowser bit his lip. Maybe it was the moans he was letting out, the moans that would make a dying cat blush. Maybe if he was fed and hydrated, he wouldn't be feel so horrible, and Bowser would feel more up for the possibility of torture. Yeah, yeah! That was it; there was no fun in torturing someone who was barely conscious.

"Servants!" Bowser barked. He clapped his hands, and before long, a Koopa troopa appeared right before him. "Fetch this man some food. And none of that gruely, inedible stuff; get him something worth eating."

The Koopa troopa servant raised an eyebrow. They looked suspicious, but they knew better than to object to a direct order from the king.

"Yes sire."

With that, they made their way up to the kitchen. Bowser put his hand to his head and rubbed his temples. He didn't know why he was getting a headache now of all times.

"M...Mario…"

Bowser blinked and turned toward the cell. The way that Luigi called out his brother's name...it was pitiful, sure, but there was something about it. It stirred something within the Koopa King's heart. It...there was something about it; he couldn't put his finger on it.

"Mario?"

Maybe it was due to the fact that the younger Mario brother wasn't even lucid enough to realize where he was. Yeah. That had to be it. Bowser sighed and started making his way toward the kitchen himself. He had to make sure that the food for his VIP (very important prisoner) was being prepared properly.

When he got to the kitchen, he was hit in the face by a wave of scents and aromas. The tart tanginess of citrus, ripe from the tree, wafted through the air. The bitter sweetness of chocolate made Bowser drool the tiniest bit. The warmy and honey smell of turkey made him smile.

"Oh! King Bowser!" said one of the chefs. He dismounted his stool and gave the king a bow. "We are preparing some turkey for Luigi, as well as some fresh squeezed orange juice and chocolate cake." He lifted his head ever so slightly. "Is...is that alright?"

Bowser nodded. "It's more than alright; it's exactly what I asked for. You keep doing what you're doing and deliver it to him once he's done."

"Yes, your majesty."

Bowser sighed as the chef made their way back to the counter and whisked the batter for the cake. He put his hand to his head again, for his headache was growing stronger. Seriously. It wasn't migraine season, he hadn't been overusing his flame pipe. Why was he feeling this way?

Well, whatever the reason, he couldn't just let it simmer. He needed to find something that could blunt it, and blunt it hard. He made his way out of the kitchen and toward his bedroom. He had a bottle of peppermint oil there; perhaps that was what would be able to ultimately stop the aching.

At the very least, he hoped that was the case.

As he walked up to his bedroom, his mind was on Luigi. He didn't know why though. He was not someone who should be concerned about Luigi of all people. If anything, he should be glad that he was down in the dungeon. He should be happy that he was rotting away in the cell.

"Aughh!" The headache flared up again. Bowser stopped, put his hand to his forehead, and sucked some air through his teeth. His head was pounding like a kettle drum; there was a searing sting behind his eyes. This pain would surely kill him if he didn't take care of it properly.

After what felt like a million years, Bowser finally got to his bedroom. He fished for his peppermint oil in his drawer. When he found it, he sang hallelujah and thanked the Lord in his head. He squirted some onto his finger and rubbed it on his temples. The icy hot liquid flowed down his face, making him feel like he was just emerging from an ice bath.

"Oh yeah, that's nice," Bowser breathed out. He laughed and stood up. "Now I can finally get back to Luigi...AUGHH!"

The pain returned. He grit his teeth and gripped the sides of his face. It felt like his head would explode! It felt like he was being burned alive!

"Kamek!" Bowser roared. He groaned and got down into a feeble position as he waited for his magikoopa advisor. He whimpered like a puppy dog, not sure if he could handle the pain for much longer.

"Your highness?" Kamek said once he entered the bedroom. He knelt before the Koopa King, who at this point was crying from the pain. "Are you alright?"

"No! I wouldn't call you if I was alright!" He whimpered again, gripping his head even tighter. "I'm going to die!"

Kamek sighed. "You aren't going to die."

"I need to write my will! I haven't done that yet!"

"You don't need to write your will until your 50th birthday."

"I need to go to the hospital!"

Kamek sighed and patted Bowser on the head. "Look, this storm will pass. Just try not to let it bother you so much."

Bowser groaned and sat up. "How? I already tried peppermint oil."

"Hmm," Kamek mused. He put his hand to his chin. "How long have you had this headache?"

Bowser racked his brain. Surprisingly, doing so allowed the aching to clear. "Well…" he began… "I think I started having it when I was down in the dungeon."

"The dungeon?" Kamek held his wand down by his side. "Were you observing Luigi, by any chance?"

Bowser nodded. "Yes! I was!" He groaned again. "Oh, the pain's coming back. OWWW!"

Kamek sighed heavily and made his way into the king's personal bathroom. He returned with a cup of water and an aspirin. "Take this."

Bowser nodded and gulped down both items. He took deep, heavy breaths, hoping the flow of oxygen would make the headache go away.

"Bowser," Kamek said. "Do you think it is at all possible that you feel...guilty?"

Bowser blinked. "Guilty?" He laughed. "For what?"

"For holding Luigi hostage."

Bowser laughed again. "Why would I feel guilty about that?"

"Because...perhaps, you feel bad for Luigi?"

This time, Bowser laughed so hard that his sides hurt. "Bad? For Luigi?" He wiped a tear from his eye. "Kamek, the only reason I would feel bad for Luigi is if I ended up squashing Mario while he watches."

Kamek sighed. "Bowser…"

"The only reason I would feel bad for Luigi...is if I saw him soil himself when faced with King Boo!"

Kamek rolled his eyes. "Stop…"

"The ONLY reason I would ever feel bad for LUIGI...is because I know that I have separated him from his brother and his friends, and am currently holding him in a dark, grimy dungeon where there is no sense of hope to be found!"

Kamek blinked. "What?"

Bowser paused, realizing that he had more or less thought aloud. "Uh...I mean...I would feel bad for him because he plays second fiddle?"

Kamek gawked at the king. "Oh my goodness. You don't like keeping him in the dungeon!"

Bowser hesitated before shrugging. "Okay, you've got me. But even if I do feel bad, there's nothing I can do about it. He's my prisoner. I'm not just going to let a prisoner go!"

"Why not?" Kamek crossed his arms. "You clearly can't keep him here."

Bowser blinked. Kamek was right. If he was feeling bad about Luigi, bad enough that his body started to attack him from the inside out, then he clearly couldn't keep him rotting in the cell. He needed to let him go.

But that was crazy talk! Bowser did not let prisoners go! He was the almighty Koopa King, and keeping hold of his prisoners was one of the ways he conveyed that.

"Look, Bowser," Kamek said, "I do not believe it is healthy for you to deny your feelings. You can't keep the green clad plumber in the dungeon. You just can't."

Bowser growled. Darn it, why did Kamek and his conscience have to make things so difficult for him?

"I...I know…"

"Well, that's good. Now that you know, you need to release him. Let him run wild, let him be free."

Bowser groaned again. "I...I can't Kamek!" He sat down on his bed. "He...he's too valuable of a prisoner! He's the brother of my arch enemy!"

Kamek approached. "And maybe that's part of the problem."

Bowser looked at him. "What do you mean?"

"Maybe you feel bad about separating siblings like this. Maybe it's possible that you feel this way because it reminds you of the relationship you had with your brother?"

Bowser's heart stopped. No! Kamek couldn't bring this up! He knew better than to bring that up!

"Kamek, don't you dare…"

"Why not?" Kamek crossed his arms again. "You can't hide from the truth forever. You just can't; it's not healthy."

Steam shot out of Bowser's nostrils. "Well then, let me not be healthy! Okay?"

Kamek shook his head. "I cannot. For the sake of your Kingdom, I need you to be at your best performance level mentally."

Bowser groaned and whimpered. Why did Kamek have to be so persistent? It was annoying!

"Fine!" He sighed. "I…" He sighed. "He never came back. He was captured by the Mushroom Kingdom and never came back."

"Yes. He was." Kamek placed his hand on Bowser's forearm. "How does that make you feel?"

Bowser sniffled. "I don't know! I want to believe he's alive, that he'll come back some day. I...I have to believe that. Flare wouldn't just let the Mushroom Kingdom do whatever they want to him."

Kamek's eyes grew moist. "He wouldn't. But even Flare waa not made of steel. Bowser...it's been thirty years."

Bowser sniffled. "I know. I know how long it's been. I keep track of the days."

Kamek sighed, heavily and sadly. "And don't you think Mario would keep track of the days too?"

Bowser turned away and started mumbling. "He's a pesky plumber. A horrible pesky plumber. But….I don't want to hurt him the way I hurt. I want him to be able to keep his cheery attitude. If something happened to his brother because of me, and he found out...he would be destroyed."

"Yes. Definitely."

Bowser turned around. "But so what if he is? He's my arch enemy!"

Kamek looked Bowser deep in his eyes. "But there are some forms of pain people wouldn't wish on their worst enemy, right?"

Bowser bit his lip. "Good...good point." He put his head in his hands. "I don't know what to do."

"Why don't you do what's right?"

Bowser shook his head. "I don't do 'what's right.' That's not who I am. I'm King Bowser."

"You're also hurting," Kamek said, all without missing a beat. "And you have a good heart. Why else would you try to earn Peach's respect so that she can be a mother to your son?" He stroked his forearm. "Bowser, please. You need to do what's right. If not for your sake, if not for Luigi's or Mario's...then for Flare's."

Bowser took a deep breath. For Flare. For Flare….

…

Later that day, Bowser made his way down to the dungeon. "I cannot believe I'm doing this," he uttered. "I cannot believe I'm doing this."

He strutted down to Luigi's cell. The green clad plumber ate his turkey a d drank his juice with an emotionless face. This made Bowser bite his lip extra hard.

"Yo, Drain Brain."

Luigi jumped up when he heard Bowser address him. "Ye...yes Bowser?"

Bowser glared at him, allowing the tension to stew a little bit, before he sighed and unlocked the door. "You're free."

Luigi blinked, dropping his slice of turkey as he did so. "Wh...what?"

"You heard me! You're free!" He opened the door and gestured toward the exit of the dungeon. "Get your sorry butt back to the Mushroom Kingdom!"

Luigi blinked twice before bouncing up. "Ye...yes Bowser! Th..thank you."

"Yeah yeah yeah, whatever. Tell Mario I expect to see him Saturday during the next kidnapping."

Luigi nodded before bolting away.

AN: So, yeah. Obviously, this does not take place in the Super Koopalings canon, as the way I have it set up makes it impossible for Bowser to have a brother. I just thought this would be an interesting way of humanizing him.

I bet, Samantha, that you noticed the title. I wanted to pay homage to your work in some way. One of your stories is called Storge, which is a type of love. So, I decided to name mine Philia, another type of love. Brotherly love to be more specific.

I hope you enjoyed this. Thank you for all the support, Samantha. And to everyone else...thanks for reading :)