Words are food and I am gastrointestinal distress :')
The floor finally gives way and he's falling before he can even piece together what happened.
Angry tears float in front of his face and he's grateful at least he's too far away for anyone to see them but he knows they're there, like the harshest of tiny little mirrors, reflecting his failures in ways too numerous to count…if he could count that high…or even see in the first place.
The world was too blurry to see. His velocity renders his hearing useless as well, so all he can do is wait for the eventual impact. It still probably wouldn't hurt as badly as he hurt in that moment.
Damn them.
He'd been too enraged, too rash, too…he hated to say unhinged but that's likely what Kamek would have labelled it, had he been here to see him…he just wanted to crush them, HOW DARE THEY STAND IN HIS WAY-
…Too unhinged, desperate to prevent the inevitable that he ended up just sort of causing his own demise because he'd been too blinded to notice the irony in it all. He'd been his own undoing long enough for the universe to quite literally illustrate it out when he'd refused to read the signs. The floor, like everything else, crumbled away beneath the weight of his own ambition, and it pained him greatly to admit he'd just destroyed what had taken years to manifest in a matter of minutes.
He's sure his father is having a good laugh at his expense about now…wherever the hell he ended up. He tries not to think about it too much as he hurtles downward, considering their reunion may be sooner than he would've liked.
He supposes he probably felt the same way when his time came.
He couldn't give less of a damn about what was going on above him. Up there was a fairy tale at its end, where the 'evil monster' is defeated and the princess gets rescued and other such plot points he and Kamek used to turn up their noses at because it never amounted to more than a lifeless list of bullet-points. Emotions linger long after the book is shelved, images more vivid than the inspired, chaotic scenes his son would paint for him to put up on his bedroom walls because actions spoke more of love, of loss than lists ever could.
No one ever spoke of after…after was too messy. Maybe the 'evil monster' wasn't remorseful.
Maybe the monster wasn't even evil. It was a tough debate no one seemed interested in, so long as it was much easier in the long run to just kill him off so there was no need for complexity, nuance…gray areas unwelcomed in between black text and white pages because they only muddied up the experience.
Just slay the monster so the damn book can end so you can put your stupid kids to sleep already-
…He missed them. Thinking about them made his heart explode all over again and he notices the ground rapidly approaching.
Kamek…
He's not ready.
No one ever is, but it's not his decision to make anymore. He set himself down this path, and he can only hope in his last few moments of sentience that he left enough of an imprint on this kingdom, this tragedy, these…his children…as he was surely about to leave in the stone floor below him.
He stares up towards the ceiling but he can't even see it. Just fragmented remains of everything he ruined.
Kamek…Junior…kids…I'm sorry.
And for a moment, he truly did regret everything.
Orange, red, purple, yellow, black, green, blue…and every other conceivable color surges forward, splattering his vision into a kaleidoscope of agony, and hitting the ground feels like splitting open.
Then suddenly it all fades away, and he feels like he's floating upwards…up…
…up…up…gathered…gathered up into Kamek's arms before he could protest that he was too big to get swung around like luggage…his strength never failed to surprise him.
"No! You promised we would go outside-" He tried to squirm out of his grip but he was unsurprisingly unsuccessful. Kamek only laughed at his pathetic attempts like it never failed to amuse him.
"I did. But it's late, and you're tired. I can tell. We'll just have to postpone until tomorrow-"
"You always say that! You said that yesterday, and the day before too! An' I'm not tired, liar! You're just sayin that because you don't wanna go! It's not fair-!"
Before he could continue his justified tirade, he was interrupted by a yawn he failed to stifle. Embarrassed, he hoped Kamek hadn't heard him somehow, but he knew it was a lost cause when momentarily froze to eye him dubiously. His face broke out into an irritatingly victorious smile. He grumbled, burrowing his face deeper into Kamek's robes because he couldn't stand to look at it anymore.
"Life often isn't. Though…that isn't to say we can't tip the scales every now and then…"
He muttered more to himself than anyone else and he stopped listening to Kamek's more mundane chatter that followed…limitations and boundaries and things he wasn't old enough to do yet…it was easy to tune him out but hard to resist the comfortable lull of the darkness he found buried in his shoulder…
With his eyes closed he could just barely notice the subtle way Kamek bounced as he carried him to bed, how he felt heavier with each step, his droning, lazy hum echoing around them as he walked…with his eyes open he could see it written all over his stupid smug face that he knew exactly what he was doing.
He'd definitely make him pay for this tomorrow.
Once he'd been gently deposited in bed, Kamek pulled the blankets around him as he always did, but there existed an odd sort of hesitation where there hadn't been before. It didn't mix well with his exhaustion and it almost felt like he was being chased but he didn't know by what.
"I'm sorry you're disappointed. I…I'll make it up to you, alright?" He moved to leave but he bolted upwards, grabbing at fabric until there was enough clenched in his little fists to satisfy him.
"Kamek-"
He stopped, turning to regard him curiously.
"Hmm? What's wrong?" Concern filtered over whatever had been there before like he had only just imagined it, and suddenly he flushed with embarrassment again because he wasn't willing to admit how stupid he felt for making a big deal out of what was probably just Kamek being weird old Kamek. Still, he couldn't bring himself to let go if it meant he'd have to sort it all out alone.
Which meant he had to think of something to keep him from leaving. Hard enough thinking of ways to get him to get off his back but this was unfamiliar territory-
"…Tell me again."
"What? Oh-you've heard it countless times from me, there's nothing new or interesting since the last time I went out-"
"Are there really dinosaurs out there? Like really?"
"The Yoshis? Ugh, unfortunately-nasty little things-but you knew that. I admire that you're inquisitive but there's a time and a place-"
"Yeah so? Not like you're gonna take me there anytime soon! I don't get why I can't even go with you…it's just outside. It's not that scary..."
Kamek's crumpled sleeves slipped away from between his fingers and he grumpily buried himself within the nest of blankets, turning his back to him only to feel the bed sink further under his additional weight. A hand nestled into his messy hair despite his fortifications and he sighed in irritation at his lack of sufficient energy to ward off such a blatant attack to his resolve.
"Bowser, you're still quite young. I don't expect you to understand this yet, but the world is much, much larger and more dangerous than you think it is. I know you're frustrated…but you must know that I would do most anything to keep you safe. But you won't be young forever. And when the time comes, you have my word that you may do whatever you feel in your heart is right; I'll be there with you every step of the way to support you. But first we must let the rest of you catch up to that spirit of yours, hmm?"
He mumbled something incomprehensible in response, bitterly supposing he probably had a point so long as he was still small enough to crawl somewhat comfortably onto his lap because he always inexplicably smelled and felt like home.
The blanket was pulled over him again, and he was determined to sleep there on top of him, Kamek ensnared in an ingenious maneuver designed specifically for the purpose of vengeance…or at least it would have been had he actually showed any signs of discomfort.
"…you can't go…not without me…promise…?" He sniffed.
That strange feeling returned as Kamek sighed like he was being crushed…it was uncomfortable and he hated thinking about it. He wriggled in his cocoon, ready to make a scene with his last remaining energy if he had to until Kamek stilled him, imparting a silent promise with his eyes but he couldn't for the life of him figure out why he was so nervous all of a sudden like he couldn't be seen with him…like he didn't want him around…
He flopped back down into his lap and an arm draped around him again, making those thoughts disappear as quickly as they surfaced. It was stupid…no, Kamek was stupid if he didn't think the world of him like he tried to…
He just tried to sleep to stave off the lingering fear because for better or for worse, Kamek had always made it clear that he had no intentions of ever leaving him alone…but that didn't mean he really cared what he was thinking because he didn't want to know what he truly thought of him.
He hadn't even noticed Kamek slump back against the wall, resigned to his fate, evidently attempting to pass the time more quickly by amusing himself with the multitude of various designs he was tracing over the top of the blankets he was buried underneath; entertaining himself by mumbling in the same way all the adults usually did when he was around about…well he didn't really know, but it likely wasn't interesting anyways.
He must have sensed he was too tired to fight with him any longer, the way he exasperatedly prattled on, delving into a bedtime story he never asked for, and it was always the same but there was a certain comfort to the monotony…or at least there would have been had he actually bothered to come up with a decent ending to it…
There was always a king, imposing but seemingly fair, corrupted by the actions of a queen, evil and ambitious; their child the only decent product of their union until she attempted to make him like, her evil minion or something…why she'd ever want a baby to rule made little sense to him but he never commented on it…blah blah King turns bad too and bitter blah blah blah and chases the poor prince into hiding. He never went outside either because the world is scary and big and dangerous and other words that endlessly echoed through the empty halls of their boring stone fort…
The end.
Nothing resolved because that wasn't the point, but just because Kamek was trying to hide a lecture in a tall tale didn't mean he had to take him seriously, or even listen to him when it was this late.
"Do you understand?" Kamek inquired when he was finally finished blabbing, but there was an unsettling urgency that marred the simple question that caused him to wither slightly for ignoring him.
"…you can't…scare me…" He was interrupted by another yawn, settling in at last, and though he couldn't see Kamek's expression he noticed the way his shoulders fell in exhaustion and mild disappointment.
"You're a reckless little thing, aren't you...? I wouldn't blame the world for being afraid if it saw you rampaging through it, you know…"
He trailed off like his voice was far away and he dropped the topic, choosing instead to run another hand through his hair as soon as he noticed his eyelids were drooping heavily.
"What am I to do with you…?" But the way he had asked sounded more like he was only asking himself because it was a tangible dilemma. His stomach churned again and he nearly headbutt Kamek because some primal part of him was convinced he was about to dump him somewhere.
His laughter was tired, but warm all the same, and at last he relaxed, allowing the currents of sleep to pull away at him so long as he was convinced he'd wake up in the same place the next morning. Kamek made no move to leave, continuing to hold him…he was just being paranoid, right? Still…
"Sleep well, Bowser."
"…night papa…"
"…ap…! Pap…! PAPA!"
Wh…
Pain. It's all he feels right now and there's…yelling…SHUT…
Can't move, can't see…where…?
Alive.
It hits him like a moving train and he's wildly flying again…can't focus…
"…arry ple…! Calm do…!"
"…rst back, no…else is here…he's alon…"
"Wha…what do we do…? He won't…!"
"…dwig…! P-Pa….! P-Papa!"
Who…? There's crying…frantic noises like swarms that failed to muffle the wailing completely so he's stuck listening to the irritating sound until someone makes it stop…make it stop…he's so tired…he just wants to sleep…
"It's okay…! It's oka…!"
"…hurts…"
"I know…I know…you're doing gre…kay? …ing so brave…! Almost done…!"
Where…where is he right now…?
"Done! All better…!" But the sobbing continues, the nervous frittering continues and there's nothing he can do to make it stop…whatever it is…it's definitely not better…
"Hey! It's okay…! They'll co…k soon…! And uhh…pa's just rest…ow…he'll be up soon…he?"
It's only getting worse.
"What do we do?"
"…ot an idea…just be su…reful now…"
"Right…!"
"C'mere kid…nna see him? He's right over he…ook…there he…ere's papa!"
The noises finally stop and he's relieved…nearly manages to slip away back into the blissful unknown until he actually feels something pressed into him and he tries not to freak out. He still can't open his damn eyes because every time he tries he feels like they're glued shut…
It's scratchy and small but it moves…it burrows itself into his side and the pain he felt in that moment is unimaginable not because of his physical state but because he now realizes what it is.
Larry. It's…
The invasion. The plan…the fall…
He's in the infirmary. And if Larry's here too…
His anger is insurmountable, and he begs his limbs desperately to move in that moment so he can wrap himself around this child that needs him more than anything now…but he can't. They refuse to move and he's stuck listening to Larry attempt to even out his breathing on his own…
Here! I'm here..!
He tries to call out mentally but he's crumbling apart again and soon enough he can't even feel him anymore. The pain swarms him again and his body pleads with him to plunge again into unfeeling oblivion like he'd walked in on something he wasn't supposed to.
The only thing he's left with before he ultimately fades away again is a sickeningly familiar scent that ignites his body. Larry faintly whimpers and he can only pray the blood he's smelling is his own.
Blood…there's blood everywhere.
He hates that he wishes it were enough to be fatal, but they're both still stubbornly standing because as much as he loathed to admit it, they were more alike than he initially thought.
Like father, like son…
"You…will never take the crown…as long as I live…" He heaved, an ugly, guttural sound, tending to a nasty gash in his side but smiling wildly nonetheless.
They both pause for as long as it takes for them to lick their wounds and it's not long before his actual father bursts into the throne room.
"Lord Bowser-!"
He's disheveled and slightly bloody too, to put it mildly, having emerged from the chaos of the battle ensuing inside the castle walls. In his typical fashion, he has eyes for no one but him, boring holes into his soul like he's horrified by what he sees. He couldn't afford to pay him any mind when the king started to laugh with all the unrestrained glee of a madman who'd discovered a meaning to life that roughly translated into gibberish.
"You-! Can it be so…? Ah, my old friend, I must say I'm quite surprised! How long I've waited for your return! Here I thought you despised traitors, and yet you stand to settle her affairs-"
"She is no more my queen than you are my king. That has not changed."
"Nor have you, it would seem! Always a man of action, you were…I suppose I can't configure why you've come to let her bastard stain the purity of this line, to slaughter me in the process…why waste everyone's time for this long? Why save my life at all if all you wanted in the end was to take her place?"
His first instinct was to ignore him; it wasn't as though it was the first time he'd ever been insulted in such a way, but one look at Kamek's pale, sunken face was enough to rekindle his fury.
"Who're you callin' a bastard, you…you-YOU MURDERER! I don't want anything to do with you any more than you do me, but we look the same, so don't even try it!"
But the king's attention remained curiously fixated on Kamek, who looked as though his words had ripped his soul clean away from his body, and he only stood there frozen and bent over, breathless and bereaved. He tried once again to pull his focus away because the longer they stared at one another the more he was reminded of how little he actually understood, how out of place he was, how unwanted…
"Enough! Leave him out of it!"
The king's eye roved lazily over to him at last, but it did little to comfort him. He grinned again, a smile stained red and he barked out another terrible laugh as though he didn't care if it pained him. Wiping away at the corners of his mouth he groaned, clutching at his side but straightening himself nonetheless.
"Quite the task, considering this entire mess is HIS doing."
The air rushed out of his body, but he didn't know if he was wheezing because he'd been blindsided or because the statement was so ridiculous…
"You're crazy-! He-!"
Kamek wasn't making eye contact with him anymore, seemingly speechless for the first time in all the years he'd known him, but despite everything it was increasingly difficult to refute that he really DIDN'T know him…
"He hasn't told you, has he?"
Another raucous laugh rips the air to shreds, and he found himself wildly looking from side to side between them, like he'd only ever been a spectator in the world's most messed up tennis match. The king simply sneered.
"Oh, dear Kamek…I thought you knew better than that. You must know he's good for nothing; you'd have him die this woefully ill-prepared so he'd never figure out what you really are…even I couldn't see it until now. But, I suppose I do owe the boy something so long as he's still breathing…"
"SHUT UP! I don't wanna hear anything you have to say-!" He roared, rushing forward, swinging recklessly.
He heard Kamek regain his bearings, yelling after him but he doesn't care, he's just so angry that any more sensible thoughts in his head evaporate nearly immediately in the heat of the moment. His target only continues to howl with laughter-
His arm is stopped in midair, caught and with a strength he doesn't expect he's thrown up against the stone wall, pinned with little time to react. The end was so close he could feel it…the king was so close he could hear how shaky his breathing was but nothing happened. He opened his eyes to find tendrils of energy wrapped around them both and they're stuck there.
Kamek hitched in front of him, wand extended in a sudden last-ditch effort to keep him alive, but as much as he fought to keep himself upright, his cast grew more feeble by the second. This was only a temporary solution. While it kept the king in suspension for the time being, one of his arms is still against his chest, effectively fastening him to the wall.
"You see how hard he fights to keep you from the truth? This is his nature. I was in your place once…he swore to me, as I'm sure he did to you, his loyalty and support…promised me he'd protect me from my enemies until I vowed to do whatever I could to maintain order in this kingdom. I called him my most prestigious advisor, my friend…but it was when he realized he could no longer manipulate me into doing his bidding that he decided that I was the enemy. And here you are…what a fine little puppet you've become…"
"Better his puppet than your son-"
The king flushed an incensed shade of red, straining his limbs to move. Then suddenly the trembling stopped, a crooked smile shot across his face and he spat in his face in a wordless rebuke. It didn't deter him from saying them anyways.
"You're a disgrace."
"You're the disgrace-blaming Kamek for your shortcomings. He didn't make you murder those people. How desperate do you have to be to drag him down? I'm here-we're here to clean up the mess YOU made-"
"I reiterate, it is a mess I inherited from him. He knows I speak the truth…though I am happy to have been alive to inherit it in the first place. Without his interference, I fear now you would be king after all. It's all your mother ever wanted…she conspired with my own generals in order to accomplish her goals. She would have me killed to put you, a mere infant, on the throne. With you too young to rule, she would serve as ruler in your place until you became of age…by then no doubt molded into the perfect vessel for her to impose her will on the entire kingdom."
Ice flooded his veins…he'd heard this story before from somewhere…
"Fortunately for me, one of them couldn't resist bragging to his troops…" He couldn't move, but he attempted to look over his shoulder anyways, and despite Kamek's focus his eyes widened a small amount.
"You served under Ignatius, didn't you? You remember what he was like…he was as grandiose as he was foolish…thankfully you had the sense then to inform me of the impending catastrophe. From there I was able to take matters into my own hands-"
"Sounds like a confession to me. You sentenced them all to die so no one would be able to oppose you again, didn't you? Those generals, my mother…so many innocent people too…you tried to wipe them all out because you were desperate!"
"I did what I had to do in order to prevent civil war. Too many people were supportive of her black-hearted ambition, the kingdom would have crumbled to dust long ago if I hadn't made the decisions I did…though I do seem to recall, Kamek, that I had your blessing at the time, didn't I? What did you say…? 'For the greater good', I think it was…I hadn't a clue you were so furious with me until today, but I suppose time does have a funny way of skewing one's memories."
"Quit lying! It's over! You're just trying to get in my head because you know you can't beat the two of us! I don't care what your reasons were, you tried to kill me before and it didn't work, what makes you think today'll be any different?"
"I hated you, it's true. I looked at you, and I saw her. I wondered how she could betray me in such a way that it drove me mad to even be around you. It was the queen's will to rule through you, and as such, I swore I would never on my life allow that to come to pass. That's the extent of my involvement, really…it was Kamek who poisoned you."
His wretched smile was the last thing he saw before it became too bright to see, and the king very suddenly was yanked across the room by an invisible force with an enraged cry. Kamek wobbled, falling to his knees, but though he breathed heavily there was a control in it allowed by just enough adrenaline to make it known.
He could only stare at his surrogate father as every intrusive thought he'd ever had resurrected itself like they could smell death in the air. Kamek returned his gaze with a look that screamed of guilt…he knew it because he'd seen it so many times before, though he could never place in his youth why he always seemed to be terrified of disappointing him, why he felt the constant need to meticulously preserve him like he was already dead…because he was supposed to be.
"You have…some nerve…trying to pass your horrid…judgment off onto me…I never…NEVER wanted…to do it…I COULDN'T do it…and didn't…because I knew it would…make me just…as monstrous as you…I only pretended to…dispose of him…because I knew one day…you would die…as bitter and lonely as…you deserve to be…you never deserved him…I never deserved…him…"
"Kamek-!" But he'd gone silent, slumping at last with the last of his energy spent. He nearly moved to him, but laughter again fought for his attention, once booming and imposing now a broken rattling sound as the king tried and failed to scrape himself off of the opposite wall.
There was no time to dwell on it. He had to end this now, or they were all as good as dead.
He stormed over, expression as dark as the shadow that now loomed over his crumpled form. He still found it within himself to grin even then, because he'd already proven the extent of his blatant disregard for life that he didn't even bother to hide it anymore.
"What a miserable thing he ended up…They're all the same, you see…those scholarly types…egomaniacs, really…always looking to make their mark on the world, not caring who they deface in the process…but I felt as though I could trust him. I'm sure you did as well, though I can't blame you, my son, for making the same mistakes as your father-"
He roughly plucks him off of the ground, his weight sagging, but he refused to allow himself to be dragged down with him.
"You…" he rumbled darkly, trembling with a frenzied rage that made even his pain silent, "are not MY FATHER!"
It seemed to amuse him, which only finally untethered him to the world around him as he seethes red…the last thing he hears before his vision blurs is a broken rasp that crushes him all the same…laughter…
…laughter…ingrained in him…he shrivels, waiting for it to end but it doesn't…
It only gets softer, more delicate as it goes on until it's a completely different sound…light and carefree and it's a comfort he wishes he could slip into until he's reminded of his son…
He has no clue where Bowser Junior is but it's too much to hope that he's there with him somehow…
Kamek…
One of the last things he hears from the king is a warning.
"Be wary. The moment you stray from his beaten path, the second you come to value something greater…he'll steal the very air from your lungs."
He'd never put any thought into it until he tried to breathe because breathing wasn't something you were supposed to think about.
The way he'd felt then, like he'd had a gash ripped into his side because there was a chunk of him missing…he'd never felt an ounce of sympathy until then…
He's still in pain, that much he knows.
But the world feels a little less muddled, and though he still can't will his eyes open he can hear clearly for the first time in what may well have been forever.
What a captivating sound it is…someone is humming a beautiful song he can't place until the laughter mixes with it, and the two distinct tones harmonize with one another a while until the melody is punctuated with a sigh.
"What's so funny?" The tone is light but the voice is quiet, gentle, if not a bit exasperated…
"Nothin', you just…you don't sing it right! It's supposed to go like this!"
A louder, less deliberate attempt at the song ensues, and he's able to dimly recognize the tune, having heard it once or twice resounding in the hallways outside of Ludwig's room.
A snort breaks its rhythm, and it too is cut off just as abruptly.
There's another attempt from the quieter voice, and he's enraptured by its foreign qualities, sinking into the feeling the realization brings. He's never heard anything like it, and it's then that it dawns on him how unusually confident Morton sounds. He rarely ever heard the kid speak and here he was, like he was more comfortable than he'd ever been around him…
"What? Okay, maybe not then…but that's the way I remember it. I think mama used to sing sometimes-"
"Your mama. I never got one of those…"
"Everyone's got one, Larry. Otherwise, you wouldn't be here…" Morton giggled. Larry is not as amused.
"I wouldn't be here if she wanted me…"
It's a sentiment that makes his chest hurt, and again he tries to show some sign of life so Larry and Morton won't believe he's abandoning them too. He's again unsuccessful, but before he spins away into despair again, he hears Morton sigh gently like he's been long accustomed to this particular conversation.
It only serves to make him wonder what else he's been missing before he had an excuse.
"So what? You don't like me, then?"
"…didn't say that…" Larry's voice sounds muffled, like he's buried it somewhere, and when his brother laughs again, he figures he's latched onto him somehow like he would always do anytime he was near.
"Well, we're here together, right? So it can't be so bad…the others'll be fine. You know sis, Roy…nothin' ever knocks 'em down-"
"…we did…we got licked bad…you think they'll tease us?"
"Dunno. Probably not, though Roy's always braggin' about everything, all these scars he's got but I ain't never seen 'em before. But if he does start up…uhh… well, he's gotta go through me first, okay? Sound good?"
"Yeah…okay…you do get kinda scary when you're angry!" Larry concedes.
"Yeah…" Morton's tone shifts like he's thinking about something and the silence he's used to hearing from him prevails for a bit. So much so that it clashes with Larry's previous statement…Morton never got angry-
"I don't know what I'll do though…m'not as strong as you, Morton…I got hurt so easy…I lost dad's wand-stick thing…I feel like trash…"
He hears Larry choke out the last word and there's such a weight attached to his statement that he can't see so much as he feels it in his sinking heart.
This isn't fair, they're right in front of him, so close he can hear them clearly, probably close enough for him to reach out and touch and he wants so badly to make it known somehow that he hears them…he's here for them and would do anything to take their pain away…If he could just talk to them…
Morton hushes him and the sound of fabric shifting follows. Larry's sniffling becomes muted, drowned out by more persistent humming of that same consistent tune.
"…you wanna know something…? I think you're pretty special…you got the same star as me. You know what that means?" He pauses for a moment to let the question permeate Larry's inquisitive little mind.
"We're both trash-?" Larry's conclusion is interrupted by Morton's vibrant laughter.
"No! No…! It means we were still brothers…even then. No matter what. I think that's kinda cool, don't you?"
Larry doesn't answer, and Morton doesn't prod him. He just goes back to his humming, and it's a sound he decides whenever this is all over he needs to hear more of.
"…you still don't sing it right…" Was the final smothered complaint from him until he fell silent again.
Morton doesn't speak either, but for the first time he's intrigued by it. He'd always assumed him to be a relatively shy child, but there was so much understanding woven into his simple words that he failed to fully grasp how he chose to express himself. He was there for Larry when he couldn't be, and it was likely a safe bet he'd been someone's rock on more than one occasion when he'd failed to do his damn job correctly-
He feels like a failure.
Though his insides are burning he can't will them to do anything more than smolder in the fire he started. He was leaving them behind again, after he swore he'd never-he didn't mean to but that didn't matter-they were doing just fine without him.
What may have in the past brought him solace made him panic and he felt like the life had been sucked out of him again and he couldn't feel anything anymore. He knew they were capable but it wasn't the point, they shouldn't have to-
They didn't need him…they didn't need him…
He couldn't blame them, he brought it on himself…
They didn't need him to be complete any more than Larry needed a mother to be whole…
It's a point he can't make without contradicting himself…it's splitting him in two and he feels like he's about to…
Crack.
The egg he's curled around begins to fracture.
And the world around him explodes with grief, pain, fear, everything that he'd kept frozen and locked away for weeks on end…it all thaws out and his senses are so flooded he nearly drops it.
It's happening…it's happening-he's not ready. He couldn't do this-
He hurriedly placed the egg across the only room in the little shack he's made his home before he could do any serious damage to it. As he backed away from the cot, the tide of emotions recedes, and while he's no longer numb as he had been, he's left with an inexplicable pang of loneliness despite the fact that he'd never really been alone…even though she was gone…
He can only sit and wait for the panic to devour him but his anger gets there first.
He wasn't ready-he wasn't ready-he always messed up everything, he was so stupid!
He never should have left…
But he wasn't ready to be king any more than he was ready to be a father, he never really even wanted to be king-he'd never even seen the kingdom before-everyone hated him anyways, how could they love anyone with parents like his-he really thought no one would miss him-Kamek could run the kingdom well without him-
He'd only been out here in order to familiarize himself with it but there was nothing left-he'd been doomed to fail from the start, but like an idiot he'd told Kamek to stay back because it was something he needed to do on his own…his stupid pride…how could he ever face Kamek like this-?
The shell chips again, barely visible fissures tangle like the world's most delicate timebomb, and his adrenaline pumps because even if he survives what comes next he'll never be the same.
He wasn't the same after he met her…she'd just been trying to survive…he couldn't bear to tell her the truth until it was too late…but he'd never known love like that before and he was terrified that no one could ever love him after what he'd done…after what he'd failed to accomplish…
He was so stupid…so ignorant…he wasn't supposed to be alone, he wasn't supposed to be here in this home they built together by himself…she never loved him if she could leave him this barren but…he supposed he never truly loved her either if he could lie to her about who he really was like that…but she never even said goodbye…
Maybe he was only in love with the prospect of the freedom he had out here on the outskirts of the kingdom, where no one knew him yet, no one despised him…he would have thrown everything he'd fought so hard for away to be a person of his own choosing…but it was never that simple, was it? He'd never be able to escape himself, much less now with an egg to remember her by.
He reached for the note she had written him before she had gone, her messy scrawl seared into his soul.
There's a crumbling sound but he paid it no mind because it wasn't out of place.
"What little I had to give you've taken. It's up to you to give them the life they deserve. I can't forgive you; I can't bear to have anything to do with either of you now. Just promise you won't lie to them too."
But he can't promise because even he doesn't know who he is anymore.
Rage seeped in again at the injustice of it all, it's one thing he'll never be numb to. How dare she abandon her child? It cuts him deeply because he knows what it's like…he knows the life this child will live before they even enter the world and there's nothing he can do…he won't ever be enough on his own and he has to make peace with it quickly now.
How could he ever tell the child who they were, who he was? What legacy they were doomed to? Would they grow up lonely? Knowing there was a piece of them missing out there that didn't want to be found? That he could never hope to replace? He knew what it felt like to feel unwanted…though Kamek did his best…
There's an odd familiarity nestled into his musings and for the first time he wonders if Kamek ever felt the same way.
He bitterly crumples the letter in his hands before burying his face in them. He knew it wouldn't be enough to stop the inevitable. For the first time since that day in the throne room he's a sobbing wreck, mourning everything from his kingdom, his people, the life he almost had, the life he never wanted, Kamek who was probably worried sick by now, the child he was terrified to let down, the simple fact that history was doomed to repeat itself endlessly, the cycle could never be NEVER BE-
Broken…
It's…the egg…
And he finally realizes he's not crying alone.
He scrambled to his feet, but he can't stop the tears from flowing any more than the child can at this point. He listens for a moment to the frightened mewling and moving becomes exponentially harder knowing it's his fault. The kid didn't even ask to be born and this was the world he was receiving him into…? He caught him unprepared, like a celebration he should have been planning that was abandoned halfway through, forgotten things dangling overhead that only made him more upset than he had any right to be-
He wasn't ready. He wasn't ready for this-he wasn't ready to be a-he was afraid to look, almost…what if they looked like her-?
Color returned to his face, frustration melting fear, and he beat his temple with his fists for good measure. Was he honestly that big of a mistake? Was he just doomed to repeat everyone's errors-? Was it too much to ask that he at least could be a screw-up in his own way? It didn't matter what they looked like, they were his now…he could only hope they turned out better than he did…
He shuffled over to the cot, heaved a sigh, and sat, crunching wayward remains of the life he'd left behind beneath him. He moves to pluck the kid up to at least give him peace and some time to think of what do next but then he laid his eyes on them. And for the first time he SAW them…him…his little boy…
He's tiny, wailing with a strength that would impress even Kamek, little fists clenched like he's already prepared to take on the world, he's got so much fight in him even now, despite everything…it's hard not to smile and once he does he can't stop.
He probably looks crazy, maybe he's finally lost it but the feeling's more euphoric than he thought it would be. He just couldn't stop looking at him because he's the most beautiful thing he's ever seen…just being near him now was something that made every knot in his heart untangle and while it was far from a painless process, he didn't feel alone anymore.
A wet laugh escapes him, and he wipes his eyes before finally pulling his son into his arms. He has to shake the debris off of the only shabby blanket he has, but once he wraps him up in it, he only has a moment to wonder whether or not he's overdoing it when the wailing stops, replaced by a series of quieter hiccups and squeaky whining.
"Yeah…I know, I know…that was a pretty shitty welcome, wasn't it? Definitely not fit for a prince…guess that puts us in the same boat though, huh?"
It takes awhile for the baby to quiet, but he's there every tenuous step of the way until he finally calms and settles into him.
"Yeah…that's it…you're okay…this big old world of ours is scary, isn't it? But you don't worry about it none, 'cause your old man's way scarier. And he's gonna fix it up for you, okay…? You'll see…I'm not goin' anywhere."
Their breathing syncs and he remembered how often he forced Kamek to make that same promise. In the end though it was him who ran away…
He knows what he needs to do now because as much as he once wished, there's no future for him out here. No future for his son. And that's something he absolutely can't tolerate.
Besides, his luck was only gonna last for so long…in truth he had no idea what he was doing. Kamek probably didn't either but he wasn't about to let his trial run go to waste when his son deserved better than the hand he was dealt.
If he had to face the music then so be it.
Right now all he can do is hold him, rocking him slowly if for no other reason than to steady himself because his own nerves are still shot. He doesn't realize how exhausted he's been until the rhythm lulls him too, but his son is so warm…
He should probably think of a name but he's been so dead to the world until this moment that he had no ideas…but he'd be damned if he let Kamek name him.
It wasn't something they'd discussed much because they weren't expecting a child at all…
His time had run out, and though he was content, it didn't mean he was any more…
"…ready to confront those feelings like that…but it all just kinda hit me on the way back."
Where-?
The dull thrum of the infirmary returns and his eyes, damn them, still refuse to cooperate. He briefly mourns the loss of his son until he dimly realizes his daughter is talking to him now.
He can feel her hand in his and he's nearly mad with excitement but he then hears her exhale like the air is being compressed out of her.
"And now look at you. I knew this was a stupid idea…"
It was nothing surprising, he was well aware of her objections before, though he did think she'd put them to bed when she eventually agreed to participate. He's also not surprised to hear her disapprove of him so openly, though it isn't any easier to listen to her now than it was the first time.
He is surprised she's willing to be open with him at all, so he listens to the best of his ability.
"…it's just…ughh…you're so hard to understand, y'know? How could you do this? I…I can't believe how far we even got listening to you…especially now. But…that's the weird thing…it's…I know we wouldn't have ever made it at all without you…so which is it? What are you trying to do…? You keep splittin' us and we're not strong enough on our own…"
He feels her press her forehead into her hands clasped in his.
"…I'm not strong enough on my own…I…never even got to know my brothers, really. I'm so tired of being alone…"
He's heard her mention her mother on rare occasions, but it was honestly rarer for him to hear Wendy so vulnerable…to say nothing of the realization that she, like Roy, lost her siblings…it turns his stomach violently because she'd never bothered to bring it up, no less appear bothered by it. He'd always known Wendy to be a difficult nut to crack, abrasive at times, but until now he'd figured it could always be attributed to the company she kept.
"…I know you're trying…I know I'm tough to be around…I just don't know how to feel about a lot of stuff…I'm just worried…you'll leave like they did…like he did…sheesh…I finally make up my mind about you and you go and splatter yourself all over the tile you…you big idiot! How could you do that to them? Morty's gettin' nightmares again, Larry clingin' to my leg all the time…it better have been worth it to you, because…because…!"
She sighs heavily and recollects herself. He wishes he could apologize, but he knows it would be useless. It's not like he can take it back…even if he wanted to. Of course, he's devastated he can't even help clean up the mess he made because they shouldn't be left to pick up after him when they weren't even supposed to be here with him in the first place.
"I don't want my mother to be right about something, okay? Can you just…stay…? For me…? Or…I guess not me. Stay for Roy, at least. He's gonna need you when he gets back…"
He would honestly do anything she asked him to do anyways. Though…it's still heartbreaking to hear her at her tender age say out loud what he'd been thinking. He had never been particularly optimistic about anything…he only hopes that he can get his stupid body back in semi-working order before that happens.
Her hands shift a moment and he feels the bracelets he gave her on his arm…he never thought to ask what had happened to the beaded one but he could speculate…it was a miracle she hadn't thrown them into the ocean the moment he was out of sight. The sentiment warmed him because for Wendy, it meant her words were as good as written…there was hope for him yet…
He wills himself to do something, anything to let her know that he's here, that he's not going anywhere, that he'd do anything for her regardless because she was his…
And finally, his body responds.
His eyes are still cemented shut but he's able to weakly squeeze her hands in his. Before he's able to tell if she felt it or not, he hears her gasp, and immediately drop his arm down to the bed he's laying on.
He doesn't have the strength to reach for her, and their line of communication is effectively severed. Nevertheless, he's confused when her footsteps get quieter, like she's backed away from him entirely.
"Wendy? Are you okay?" He hears Morton enter.
He doesn't even have time to wonder what he did wrong before her footsteps grow rapid, quieter and quieter like she'd sped away without a word. Morton still calls after her, and each subsequent time he deflates that much further…how did he mess this up too…?
What was…
"…wrong with you…?" Kamek finally asked after about the seventeenth sigh.
They're both neck-deep in paperwork, searching all day for specific documents he was convinced at that point probably just weren't there.
"What do you think?" He snapped, but immediately regretted it. He really was appreciative of his offer to help; there's no way he'd have the patience to look through this mess on his own.
"…Sorry…why's it gotta be so messy though? Why can't I just…adopt them? Who cares about all of this?"
"Your Impulsiveness…remember, we agreed it would be best to check first. They may have living relatives that can take them-"
"And split them up? How well do you think that's gonna go down? Honestly, it's been months since they've been here, you'd think if they actually wanted them, they'dve shown up by now-"
"My Lord…" Kamek warned but it was devoid of any of its usual bite. "…I know it's hard. But we've discussed this already…it's what's best for the children to be reunited with their kin. If you like, we can always arrange a time for them to meet again…but I'm speaking in the future-tense…first we must see what we can do. I'm sure they're buried somewhere in this heap…"
"Sure, or in that one, or that one…this is torture. Why'd I ever let you talk me into this again?"
"Because I know you love them. You'd do anything for them if it meant their happiness, right? Even comb through stacks of dusty old documents, and, dare I say, actually read a few of them…!"
"Yeah yeah, but I gotta say, they're losing their appeal pretty quick. They're cute, but not that cute…"
They laughed comfortably together as they worked, tossing files and folders alike into piles that would never be properly sorted. Not like they ever were to begin with…he supposed the last administration was more concerned with its body count than the census…
In the hours that came they didn't manage to find much of anything more significant than odd trivia despite their best efforts.
"Morton's a junior? He never mentioned that…"
"It doesn't seem the type of thing a toddler would mention, does it?" Kamek remarked, lowering the registry because it didn't provide them with any of the information they were looking for. Nothing about parents, no relatives, nothing…after hours of searching there was literally just…nothing. Almost as though they didn't ever exist in the first place…
"…it's curious though…" Kamek said as he appeared to inspect the document more closely.
"What? You of all people'd find something on a barely legible piece of kindling-"
"That's just it-I…where'd you say you found this?"
"Over there, by that row of cabinets."
They migrated there to find them all suspiciously empty despite the mess around them. They eyed each other uneasily.
"I think I may have found our problem." Kamek opens another and the rusted metal screeches in disuse as it slides. He reached in, and before he could think to question him, he pulled his fingers out and the tiny remnants of ash peppered on their tips answers any inquiry he could have had.
"All those records…burnt…? Why…?"
"Desperation, perhaps…they didn't even think to clean these. But who can accuse you of slaughter if your victims don't exist?" He fumed, incensed.
"But…we were all here…they were our people…surely it'd be obvious-"
"To us, maybe…but not to the world. I've always told you it's a large and dangerous place…but the trouble is, its only crime is apathy…and that is infinitely more difficult to prosecute, to come to terms with…you just have to understand that some people simply don't care for you. And there's nothing you can do about it. Like…that blasted Mushroom Kingdom…ohh I could tell even back in my younger days they'd have celebrated the minute we fell to ruin-"
"Kamek…? I hate to interrupt another one of your monologues, but we're getting a bit off topic here…you know…bigger fish to fry and all that. Stop wasting your energy on them, we've got enough to worry about right here as it is."
He huffed, adjusting his glasses in embarrassment, but nevertheless complied.
"Right…apologies. But it appears as though you may well get your wish after all."
"You mean-"
"Give it until the new year. If no one claims them by then, I think it would be fair of you to ask them first. In the meantime, it wouldn't hurt to keep searching." He smiled, snickering in amusement at his sudden excitement.
Much as he was excited, it did cause him to shrink a bit.
"…Ask 'em, huh…I guess it's the right thing to do…"
It was one of those things that was much easier said than done…how in the world was he supposed to do that? He could only hope they felt comfortable around him in the present, though some days were better than others, some kids more adaptive than others, and sometimes it was just plain, unmitigated chaos he himself had to weather out until it stopped but he wouldn't have it any other way…he wanted them to be his so bad but he wasn't sure the feeling was entirely mutual. What was he supposed to say? How could he ever-?
It didn't matter what he wanted…he had to keep reminding himself of that. But he was still determined more than ever to adopt them if it meant they would in some legal sense be recognized as an inseparable unit. He knew they didn't need him, but he knew they definitely needed each other. He wasn't about to let anything or anyone get in the way of that, no matter who they were.
He was sure Kamek would probably protest…and though they disagreed frequently he wished they could be a united front just this time…everything was too messy and complicated and as horrifically never-ending as a pile of papers to the ceiling. Still, he couldn't stop the grin that wormed its way onto his face.
"Y'know, for once, I'm feeling pretty confident about this one."
Kamek mirrored his fond expression, shrugging nonchalantly.
"…Who's to say what the future holds?"
He's awoken by a scoff.
"In any case, it's not my problem."
"Not your-you're insane! This is Bowser we're talking about! And besides, I felt him move! You're really gonna stand here and say he's got no chance?"
"Wendy, the guy's been sleeping for like, almost a month now. I'm just saying it doesn't hurt to be realistic."
Iggy…
The thrum of the infirmary is perforated by the sharpened points of an argument going on around him. It's not the first time he's frustrated by his inability to intercede, but there's a tension in the air where there wasn't before and it makes him more nervous than he's ever been.
"It doesn't hurt to not be an asshole either! Now I gotta go find Larry and fix him 'cause of you!"
"He's not broken just because he knows the truth, when are you guys gonna finally learn that?"
"The truth? Okay, last I checked, you ain't a doctor but…so what? What's he supposed to do with it, then? He's just a kid-!"
"And we aren't? Why's it always falling to us to fix someone else's mistakes?"
"I don't know, maybe because he's your brother? We're all he's got right now-!"
"Yeah, not a very hard sell, sis. Just tell him to go bang on Ludwig's piano a bit; no doubt he'll be back before he gets halfway up the keyboard-"
"You're not funny, you know that? I'm gettin' real sick of tryin' to explain to you why you should actually care about us, about anything-"
"Why bother? I try, but it's never enough, is it? That's how it always is. It never stops them from leaving anyways…everyone always leaves…only…it hurts less if you hold the door because at least then you see it coming…it's just easier that way."
Iggy always had a habit of unexpectedly coloring his perspective, like a bucket of paint teetering precariously over the doorframe. Much like then, though he hadn't been his intended target, the experience was less than pleasant, and a sickly feeling seeps into him everywhere and stains.
Why were they so convinced he was going to abandon them? It's a thought he desperately wants to blame on his condition, that if he can just sleep for a week and heal their fears will be assuaged somehow…but he knows it isn't that simple. The better he gets the worse he feels because it meant having to listen to everything he's worked so hard for unravel before him, exposing rips and tears and cracks he'd only ever tried his hardest to paint over-
If even Iggy was beginning to come undone now…
He loved them. And it hurt him just to hear for a moment that they ever thought differently.
"You think if you watched me punch you right now it'd hurt any less? No, right? That's just stupid. So why drive yourself nuts wondering if I'm gonna do it or not in the meantime? Maybe I'll hit you, maybe I won't, but life ain't about wondering, it's about doing. Whatever happens, happens, and after that just do your best to keep going."
"…You know I can tell you're scared too. Because you know I could be right…if you were still mad at me, you'dve just punched me for bein' a buzzkill and been done with it."
"You're just bitter because I can see right through you. You can't fool me with that old routine. Roy does it, Ludwig does it…even I do it sometimes. Guess they rubbed off on us a bit, but that just means we know better. Everyone who says they don't care always do the most…"
He feels Wendy's hand on his shoulder.
"You just wish you didn't."
Iggy's grasp is much more tenuous, reluctant, and he hadn't realized how cold his hands had been until he touched one. The realization causes his heart to pound, no wonder Iggy thought he was as good as dead…
"…Does it not hurt you to live like that?"
"Duh. It ain't easy, but what's the alternative, dying? You gotta know you're worth more than that. Maybe if you spent a little less time with those damn machines you'd stop thinkin' like one, you freak-"
Iggy inhales sharply, standing quickly and he internally flinches, preparing for his violent temper to flare up again, wondering desperately how in the world he'd ever be able to break up a fight when he couldn't even see-
He hears him move suddenly but Wendy's surprised cry is muffled and he all but fights to stay awake because he can feel himself drifting again-not here, not now-
He wrenches his eyes open and the world is one big, bright, disorienting blur. His senses are practically overloaded as his vision hungrily devours what it had been severely lacking but even then it's not enough to decipher more than two blobs in the corner of his vision-
Hugging. Iggy's thrown his arms around his sister in a move that probably surprised them both and he's forced back into the darkness against his will because he doesn't have the capacity to continue holding his eyes up like that. They aren't fighting, which is always a relief…
So why does he still feel hollow?
"Freak, huh? Real rich comin' from Roy Jr. You'd be at the bottom of the ocean if it weren't for me-" Iggy snorts.
"And Ludwig." Wendy gleefully corrects.
"Don't make me laugh! He draws a nice picture but it doesn't help that the guy can't count to ten, let alone solve for-"
"You tryin' to put me in a coma too or what?"
They both giggle softly, but the silence that follows is no less uncomfortable. He can feel them staring at him.
"So c'mon, what's really up with you…?" Wendy prods gently and Iggy sighs.
"I've seen this before. My mother…when I was young…I thought she was sleeping too; resting, in a weird, morbid way. I guess that's just death though, isn't it? Although, she didn't plummet like three stories and flatten herself into a pancake…you really gotta hand it to Bowser…he goes out with panache, I'll give him that…"
I'm still-
He hesitates because for the first time he's not sure what good it'll do anyways. Even if he could talk to them somehow, what would he even say? They've been managing without him for so long now he knows it's only second nature to them to carry on as usual, even though his heart and conscience are taking turns screaming at him for ever letting them be alone again. The younger kids may have once been comforted by his presence but they weren't so little anymore-they weren't the same kids he took in.
He's been gone a month…
Was this what they were like when he wasn't around? Mistakes he couldn't escape relayed in front of him like movies he couldn't do anything but scream at endlessly with no hope for a change in the end result. What was done was done and past, images burned into his mind nonetheless. Odder still that he was so deeply unsatisfied with a production of his own creation-
"What're we gonna do…?" Wendy whispers.
"What we always do. We just…wait. Lemmy'll be back soon. Just gotta pray he's in one piece because we're gonna need him. He's always been better at this kinda thing than us…hope Ludwig and Roy come back intact, but…you know how they are…they never know when to quit. Those guys'll probably have to literally bury them before they admit defeat…"
"What matters is that they're all still takin' care of business out there. Least we can do is the same on the home front, right?"
"Right…guess that means we'd better go dig Larry out from under the couch, huh?"
Wendy laughs, but her voice floats away until it's faint.
"I'm sure they'd appreciate it. Bowser too, probably. Kamek…wherever he is…"
Iggy's footsteps move to follow her.
"…you think he'll ever come back? Junior too-?"
He strains to hear Wendy's response but its too far away for him to make out and he's left there alone.
What is there to come back to? He's barely even able to think straight, let alone fix the mess he's left the others to clean up…he hates feeling this way because he knows what it's like. There's no way for him to let them know he isn't dead, he's still fighting because it's all he knows how to do at this point. He wouldn't know peace if it knocked him out itself, so he shouldn't be surprised that they don't either, despite his best efforts.
The worst pain he's felt so far is knowing he wasn't enough. As hard as he tried to make things right, he'd only made everything worse. He'd been blinded by his need for revenge, his stupidity and his selfishness in assuming they could feel the same way as him simply because of the way he thought of them as his own despite the circumstances that literally screamed to the contrary. He thought he could ignore it; he was louder, he was stronger, he was angrier…until it overwhelmed him, leaving him lifeless, voiceless, limp, and ignored himself by the world around him.
He should have been used to it, considering his damn neighbors…but he was so tired…
He couldn't fight anymore…
So tired…
Darkness overtook him again but he was still so angry…
So angry…he could barely…
…Hold it together. Hold it together. Hold it together….
Iggy was finally asleep in his arms-he couldn't afford to mess this up but he was just so furious that it caused his vision to spot.
He felt the child tense like he'd been squeezing him too hard, and in an instant he forced himself to pump his brakes, releasing the steam built behind his eyes from his nostrils in a heavy stream of a sigh. The melted, deformed medallion on the floor glinted the last rays of a disappearing sun straight into his eyes, no doubt the reason they were watering at the moment…
It was better than the alternative. Looking at Iggy was impossible with the same eyes that had brushed over pieces of his death sentence like scrambled letters etched on tombstones. Apologies, diplomacy, moral high ground that would only ever rot and fall away to the very dirt bodies were buried beneath….
His lungs seared with hot ash as he was reminded that Ludwig's parents probably didn't even get that dignity-
He couldn't help himself, slicing clean through the wooden floor in his anguish, and though the sharp movement seemed to disturb Iggy for a moment, he ultimately fell back into the numbing static before he could process what it was he'd seen.
A pang of guilt struck him as he thought over it…he should have better control over his temper-now he'd gone and scared the daylights out of him-what kind of example was he setting? Kamek was always keen to remind him of that every time his anger bubbled over…especially after the Mushroom Kingdom incident…he didn't know how badly he'd been suppressing it until it all fired without warning on Princess Toadstool.
Her response was missing…he couldn't bring himself to feel awful about that too when there was so much else to feel awful about…
How else was he supposed to react?
Kamek would rant forever about how little they cared but he always figured he'd just have to care enough for everybody to make up the difference until he'd found one tiny body too many in the wreckage that day and he realized he'd never make up that difference…someone had to pay because he had nothing left anymore to give.
He never expected to find her instead of the king Kamek described, but he never knew what to expect anyways, and it didn't matter who was at the helm so long as they were still content watching others sink around them…
But then she'd been innocent, and he believed her when she affirmed as such day after day…but he was in too deep now, desperately trying to convince himself she was lying like it would somehow fix things to have someone to point at. He'd been really tired of being pointed at himself…
Desperate for some form of justification to keep neighbors from beating down his door over this when they'd done nothing but ignore him for years…desperate for a reason to keep himself from letting her go because he felt after years of screaming in a barren wasteland someone was finally listening to him…to have someone actually care…
It wasn't the first time he'd been punished for his selfishness, and she was gone before he could ever think of thanking her.
Still, he did try for her.
He swore he'd reign in his temper and refocus on his reconstruction efforts. He'd built these ships to fly out supplies to those who needed them, transport materials as soon as he got whatever meager amount he could manage…there wasn't any time to wonder about anything else, and until today he'd considered their negligence a blessing.
The screaming had stopped, replaced instead by a chilling, hollow silence when laughing it off was too difficult or downright inappropriate in some cases. He became what he thought was more respectable, that maybe if he could just keep his head down and behave like he was expected to he'd earn back their trust somehow because they were destitute, much as he loathed to admit it. They needed help now, but…they'd needed help that just wasn't coming for a while now.
It both frightened and sickened him to know that the end result he had been working towards, what he'd initially thought would be the best version of himself for them had only been the very thing that failed them in the first place.
So what was he to do now…?
Suddenly, his vision flashes white and the ship's interior violently blurs like there's a crack of lightning that won't go away. Noise fills up his head quickly but he can't decipher where it's coming from…wherever it was Iggy didn't seem to hear them because he's still limp but it brought him little comfort.
His son runs in and he shoots straight up like it's too good to be true…wait…what? Iggy's body flops to the floor and he's still motionless but before his blood can run cold-
"Dad! It's me-!" Junior yells but it's…it's not his voice…?
Lemmy. It's Lemmy's voice for some reason and in an instant he's blinded by shapes again-he feels like he's jumped ship, senses abandoning him like he's falling into the sky…falling…why's it always-
"Holy-!"
"Papa-! You okay-?"
"You gotta wake up-!"
"I'll be damned-!"
"Well-?! Don't just stand there-!"
"Why didn't anyone tell-?!"
"-not the time to be-!"
They all screamed at him simultaneously, chaos scrambling his already disoriented brain. He tries to speak but he just can't, his lungs are scorched and breathing hurts…even opening his mouth leaves him choking, drowning on all the backed-up things left unsaid for so long-
Then as quickly as it began it ends. The light is swallowed in the darkness of a dying sunset, the voices are overtaken by the steady whir of the airship's blades, and Iggy's sleeping somewhat peacefully in his lap again before he has any time to wonder what in the hell had just happened.
Until he realizes why it's so hard for him to accept that Junior's no longer there. Why he can't stand to look at Iggy right now in this moment…because it's not the moment he remembers. Until this point, he'd been reliving his life like the world's worst home movie, but he's not as trapped in the past as it seems…this time he's only dreaming, and though he's content it means he's probably not on the expressway to purgatory like the whole 'life flashing before his eyes' bit would suggest…
It's not his Iggy.
Still, he gazes at him fondly as he unconsciously curls into him, brows furrowed like he's in deep thought even now…just as he did remember. His body acts in accordance with them now, and he feels himself gingerly removing Iggy's glasses as he had done then, vowing to protect him, vowing to avenge them-but before he can get to that part of the memory he stops short, letting the shock to the system he experienced drain him of his remaining rage. He slumps against the wall in exhaustion and he feels the fabric of the dream slowly ripping apart at the seams because it's no longer sustainable, no longer effective if he's aware of its purpose.
This Iggy belongs in the past. This mindset, this anger…it all belonged here because if he kept dwelling on it, he'd be torn apart for real. That isn't to say he'd change anything necessarily…he did what he had to do because he wasn't about to sit on that information when his children were literally plucked from the ruin that derived from it…but what's done is done now. So long as he's still here, so long as they're still here with him…he just needed to refocus again.
It's not any easier to deal with what came after this than what came after anything else…after was a relentless, unconquerable beast he couldn't hold a candle to. But so long as he was alive to see it…he supposed he'd fall forever if it meant he'd live another day with them…he missed Junior so much it hurt…
He just feels guilty he's taking his time to heal when he can literally feel them breaking in front of him…
His eyes grew heavier again and he didn't fight the weightlessness that followed. He hears his son's whining from outside the cracked door…a sound he'd gladly plunge for…a crewmate hushes him but oddly enough it's Lemmy's voice again…
The last thing he hears as it all falls away around him, before he joins Iggy in tumultuous sleep.
"It's okay. Everything's gonna be alright."
"Ever the optimist, aren't you Master Lemmy?" Static crackles on an old receiver. He feels the mattress underneath him sink as he shifted on top of it. Even so, a light giggle floats through the air.
"Well…someone's gotta be, right? I mean, it's gloomy enough around here! I'll never know how such a lively guy can be so afraid of a little color, y'know? Guess I'm a bit biased though, to be fair…he'd never ever let me decorate but…can you imagine? I'm just glad his toddler's got better taste!" Lemmy snickers but despite his best efforts, it sours in its last moments.
How could he expect him to be happy in this situation? Still, he admires him for trying his best to remain his vibrant self even now.
He tries to open his eyes again but Lemmy stops him with a question of his own.
"Speaking of which…how's the search going?" His tone is chipper, despite heaving an atmosphere's worth of oxygen out of his tiny lungs only seconds earlier.
"…No better than before, I'm afraid. As per your request, we've re-checked certain sectors for areas we may have missed before in the rush but…you'll forgive me if I don't share your optimism…I'm sure they're out there somewhere, it's just…well, you know how Kamek is…he's very difficult to find if he doesn't want to be found."
The voice on the other end grainy beyond recognition and it frustrates him to hear him speak at all, let alone listen the news he carries. It's just what he expected, but he doesn't expect Lemmy to have concerned himself so much with that when he's just returned, no doubt still licking his own wounds from on and off the battlefield alike. But then he remembers their conversation from that day, at one of the lowest points in his life, atop the balcony and he dimly supposes that Lemmy's haunted by the ordeal himself. Yet still, that shiny exuberance of his persists…
The realization crushes him, and his heart would've been smashed to pieces if it hadn't been already ten times over by now.
"Yeah…I suppose…we'll probably have to organize something a bit more sophisticated huh…that's more of Ludwig's department. But somebody won't pick up the stupid phone…"
"Master Lemmy…? Are you alright? How are you faring-?"
"Oh, you know me, can't keep me down for long, I always bounce back! It's just frustrating, you know? I knew this was bigger than me, heh, most things are at my height! But…it's really unnerving to hear nothing but silence. But I always thought it was because I'm just used to people hollerin' all the time. I really hope everyone's okay…no one's heard from them at all. Kamek, Junior, Ludwig, Roy…it really is too quiet around here without 'em, especially with Lord Bowser out of commission-!" He laughs but he can tell it doesn't come easily when his voice breaks but his demeanor never falters.
"I meant physically…"
"Oh-! Sorry-! Didn't mean to-I mean, yeah, why would you-why did I-sorry-!" He sputters out a messy string of apologies and half-baked explanations and the voice on the other end responds in kind, apologizing for the awkward misunderstanding, if he'd like to talk about it-to which Lemmy immediately brushes him off because he's fine when even he, who can barely open his eyes, can see it's a lie.
The fact that he's even talking to someone he can't see is strange but he can't put a finger on why…surely there were more advanced ways for them to communicate, even without magic…maybe this broken piece of old scrap was all he had? Maybe Iggy had given it to him… and it was almost enough to let it go but Lemmy, for all his simplicity on the surface he'd learned, always acted deliberately. Maybe it was nothing, but he knew him too well for him to be comfortable letting it slide.
"Just…keep looking, please? We can't give up hope! We'll find them both eventually, and when we bring them back, Lord Bowser'll be so happy he'll have to wake up for real this time! Well…Junior, at least. He'd probably still throw Kamek off the side of the balcony if he had the strength to." His laugh is a rattle now, like an engine running out of steam-
"Alright. Here's hoping we'll get lucky, but we'll have to regroup sometime."
"We'll think of something!"
He opens his eyes and the world is bright again but in a way he's familiar with. Blurs around him he recognizes and they finally begin to sharpen into images he's seen before.
"I'm sure we will. Keep that hope alive, kid. We're probably gonna need it."
"I won't let you down."
A brief farewell and the radio signal crackles one last time, dying suddenly like the vibrancy in the room as soon as Lemmy thinks he's alone.
His eyes finally settle on his face, the first real thing he can see clearly in likely weeks-
He's crying.
Tears dripping off of his cheeks diverted by the lines of a haunting smile still stuck in its place. He's been crying this entire conversation. No one was around to see it, so by Lemmy's philosophy it didn't happen, but much as he felt as though he didn't exist, he fought for sentience in that moment if for no other reason than to make the occurrence impossible to deny.
"…I've let enough people down in my life as it is…"
What could he do? These things were becoming more and more difficult to solve, what was moving his arm gonna do besides scare him off-? Even if he could get his voice working it didn't change the fact that he had no idea what to say-
A shaky exhale cuts cleanly through his thoughts.
"…Roy's right. You do have some freaky sixth-sense or something…"
Lemmy's looking right at him. He sniffs, half-heartedly wiping away at his face, and he moves like he means to get up. He can only look back at him helplessly.
There's so much to take in, so many bruises and bumps and bandages on his small frame that he just now notices and its enough to make him tremble to imagine them all in a similar state-
Lemmy just smiles despite everything and leans forward, resting his hands on an arm to steady him.
"S'okay dad…we're gonna be okay. I'd tell you to worry about yourself, but…if you can make it through that, I'm pretty sure you can make it through anything. Just hang in there."
This kid irritates him so much; it's so annoying how he does that. It's an odd, slick trait he and Iggy and now Larry share…being so totally, obviously caught red-handed but any and every tangible shred of evidence slides off of them like butter to the point where they could convince anyone of anything, altering the fabric of reality itself like he couldn't trust his own senses to tell him what was right in front of him-
"I should go tell them you're awake-or, maybe not? I don't know, I don't wanna go all the way upstairs only for you to pass out on me before I get back-"
He's able to move about enough to grab ahold of one of Lemmy's wrists, and when they lock eyes again, he begs him silently to be a little selfish, just this once-an awareness filters in like he understands.
"That happy to see me, huh?"
He squints his eyes in what he hopes will read like a grin. Lemmy snorts again, crawling towards him carefully to avoid his injuries. He eventually settles against his side, and while it's a bit of an awkward fit, it's not necessarily unwelcome.
"It's okay. I didn't see anything if you didn't…right?"
He disagrees, but Lemmy pays him no heed, drying his tears with the crumpled corners of the sheets he's under.
By then he's lulled by his even breathing, the smallest fragment of peace emerges and he latches onto it as quickly as Lemmy latches onto him, and the two drift together for a bit…
Though the pull of sleep brings the unfortunate side effect of lingering, unresolved questions he'd had yet to…
Answers. He wanted answers.
Frustratingly, she stood in silent defiance, surely knowing what had to happen now but she never wavered. He remembered how terrified she'd been the first time, how nervously she'd shifted in his grip, how incoherently she babbled in her attempts to plead with him to hear reason…
He supposed times such as these were enough to alter anyone's perspective.
Her glare could melt steel and this time, she'd marched up to him triumphantly, like even though she knew she'd lose this battle she'd already won the war.
"Figures your brat would give me up…but it doesn't matter. You're too late."
He knew something had been up that day, he just wasn't able to configure what it was until he'd wandered into the hangar, faint buzzing alerting him to an incoming transmission from Ludwig's missing ship. He'd left tracks on the floor in his scramble to answer it, worried sick at the loss of contact but relieved nonetheless. He just wanted to know he was okay, just dropping a line to let him know that he'd fixed the malfunction in the system, and that he was sorry to worry him, but he wasn't afraid to talk to him anymore, wasn't afraid to just communicate with him because-
The voice that momentarily douses his wishful thinking isn't Ludwig's. It doesn't take much more than that to light his fuse once more, and he's gone before he even realizes where he's going.
There's littered stationary everywhere, discarded in a blatant disregard for their regal nature; remnants of her useless attempts to warn kingdoms already fallen. He'd love to correct her, wipe that smug confidence straight off of her face, but…that isn't why he's here.
"That 'brat', has been out cold for nearly a week, and you were the last person seen with him. I'm not gonna ask you twice, Princess. What did you do?"
Her expression is colored with emotion as the stone crumbles away, and she blinked like she was in thought. She eventually settled into something more sympathetic and it takes him everything to hold himself together because he wasn't gonna fall for that one again.
"Nothing. He overexerted himself; a decision he made on his own. With his energy drained, I saw an opportunity to escape, and I took it. I wasn't about to let you run rampant without a fight."
He hitches, scrutinizing every inch of her face but he knows it's hopeless. Despite everything, she never lied to him…something he knew Ludwig couldn't manage to save his life, much as it pained him. He should have known it was too much for him, he should have seen the warning signs when he agreed to participate but he'd been too grateful for the intricacy he provided to an otherwise brutish plot when he should have been more concerned about where those intricacies were coming from…why he was pushing himself so hard until he'd literally collapsed… a detail he can't get past.
"He didn't knock himself out. How'd it happen?" He accuses, and to his surprise, she looks caught, whatever the response just behind her lips yanked back before she can answer his question. Her silence only makes his anger bubble to the surface again, and she sighed heavily like she was reluctantly sinking into it.
"I did what I had to do. I, unlike you, do not act without reason-"
"I don't care what your reasons are! What good is it if you never act at all? You know what they did, how can you support them-?!"
"I don't, Bowser. But I don't support you either, and I never will. I won't stand here and allow you all to destroy each other. You know this isn't sustainable…but if you won't end it, then I will."
There's a finality to her tone like she means it that makes him shiver despite her words that stoke the hearth of his rage at his core…he tries to laugh it off because it's second nature to him at this point.
"Don't be too sure. Write all the letters you want; it won't save them because Princess, you're too late. There's nothing you can do-"
"I've already done it."
There must have been something in his expression that caused her to re-erect her stoicism, and the words hang in the air until the world crashes in around him like it had felt like then. A flare of phantasmal pain snakes across the back of his head, wrenching his eyes open in realization.
"…I'm sorry. I had no choice-"
"…where are they…?" He whispers in horror as he finally understands that they are more alike than he expected…it was something he'd initially admired about her, how quickly they were spurred to action by injustice…
It was marred now but a viscous, molten fury that swallowed him, blinded him to anything else and he finally erupted.
"WHERE ARE THEY?!"
"I don't know-"
"You know where they're going-!"
She didn't answer fast enough for him so he swept every last thing off the desk in front of him, fully intending to burn the wood to a crisp-
"The Pipe Kingdom! They're headed there-! I-I asked them to investigate there first because with Ludwig weakened it would be largely unprotected-!" She squeaks out, just barely audible over the pounding of his own blood-
"COWARDS! Attacking a child while he's injured-! Toadstool, what have you done?!"
"Ask yourself the same! I didn't know he was-this isn't my fault! I know it was you who decided to include them in the first place! You've no one to blame but yourself!"
A deafening roar splits the world in two and his ears are still ringing when a muffled, panicked tone only he recognizes orders the Princess to fork over a some of her stationary. His muttering blends with the rushed scribbling until it all ends in a pointed sneer.
"Prove to me…they aren't cowards…if the Mario brothers have an ounce of honor in them they'll face me instead…but just to give them the proper incentive…"
"Stop-!" He hears her protest and his eyes open to view the somewhat familiar scene.
The figure before him is made entirely of flame, though the Princess didn't appear bothered by it so much as she was bothered by it dragging her away with it…the surreal nature of it all oddly snaps him into place again, and despite being separate from the entity he feels its pain because he knows he's watching himself.
"Set a course for the Pipe Kingdom, NOW-!"
"Yessir! Commencing launch sequence in 3, 2, 1-!"
"SURPRISE-!"
Comes the collective cry, complete with a series of popping noises and celebratory whooping cut short by a deflated groan.
His eyes blink open blearily at the sudden change from dark to light, but he finds he can't keep them open for more than a few seconds at a time. Great.
"Sorry-I think you had me confused with someone else-" The doctor shuffles awkwardly into the room at the unexpected welcome, fumbling with a few pages on his clipboard until the tension becomes too heavy to let it linger.
"Stats are improving. He should be waking up more consistently from now on." He tries, though it appeared the kids were disinterested in whatever he had to say, disappointed by who knows what now, and ultimately his footsteps fade away into their muted chattering.
Finally, Wendy's voice breaks through.
"I told y'all this was a stupid idea."
He doesn't even know what she means but remnants from his last dream incline him to agree with her anyways.
It was almost comical how long it took him to figure out how far gone he was, how deeply rooted his anger was to the point where it fueled him. He'd dropped his letter off with an older, important-looking mess of a toad at the Princess's insistence, threatening him and everyone within earshot that if anything happened to Ludwig in his absence, he'd feed them all to the looming piranha plant he found adorning the throne room.
He never even thought to just take him home. He was just so angry, eager to get back at those who would dare challenge him, who would dare even think to raise an arm against them when he'd fought so hard to protect them…they'd read the letter and be diverted so Ludwig could continue to rest, and the everyone else would be spared. So he waited…but…as the days stretched into weeks, the longer he sat the more it dawned on him that the Princess could, in fact, lie to him. She'd only said she sent them to the Pipe Kingdom first because she knew it would keep him out of the way, and he'd played right into her hands despite having all the power.
Every consecutive day he waited was a day he could have saved them. But he sat there, waiting for his enemies to come as they picked off his children one by one and he'd let it happen because he was an open wound still bleeding, throbbing, and he couldn't think about anything else…
Now they'd been hurt because of him.
He'd seen the way Ludwig had looked…bruised, beaten, disheveled, exhausted…nothing could stir him in spite of his best efforts…it was the only moment of clarity he'd had in a while sitting there, absently stroking his swollen cheek even though he'd never know he was there. At the time it spurred him onward, determined to prevent this from happening to the rest of his children because he knew at the very least it's what Ludwig would have wanted too.
Seeing him in such a state should have been the wake-up call he needed, but it only made him slip further away into dark oblivion.
He looks at the battered group solemnly and it occurs to him that he's still missing. Roy is still missing…
"Yeah, sure. Now shut up and eat your cake." Iggy rebuts like he's got a mouthful already.
"Easier said than done, you know…no offense, Morton."
"S'not that bad…" Morton argues weakly.
"I'll eat it!" Larry chimes in excitedly.
"You'll eat anything."
"Larry, no. You've already had like, three slices already-" Lemmy attempts to reason.
"I say we let him have Ludwig's, so long as he's gonna be a no-show to his own party. Kinda rude, if you ask me-"
"I mean, it was a surprise…is it even his birthday?"
It's then he becomes aware of the drooping balloon tied to his wrist, which spoke volumes about the entire affair in the awkward silence that followed.
"Look, I've got it narrowed, I know it's sometime this month, but if he wants to be a stickler for precision maybe he should just get over himself and tell us already-!" Iggy finally answers.
"You know he doesn't like to be pushed like that-" Lemmy responds gently.
"So? He's pushed us around for so long he's gone and pushed us away like he always does when he doesn't get his way. We all got rocked out there, 'cept for Roy, I guess…Ludwig ain't special-"
"I dunno Iggy…it's dead quiet up there. It's real creepy…" Larry wipes at his bandaged nose with his hands, then licks the frosting off of them. "You sure you saw him land…? Maybe he's not even home!"
"Oh, he's here all right…and from the looks of it, he got his ass beat too-"
"Wendy-" Lemmy chides, but Iggy's snickering is too loud for it to be effective.
"Maybe he's embarrassed? He knows we won't laugh, right? We just wanted to do somethin' nice…" Morton mumbles, tugging at Lemmy's arm.
"Everyone, calm down. I'm sure Ludwig is just fine…he just…needs some time to be alone right now. I'm sure he'll come around eventually. We just gotta keep an eye out-or rather-an ear out, huh?" He laughs at his own joke but painfully, it never lands.
"Lemmy?" Morton asks.
"Yeah?"
"…you gonna finish that…?" He points to the barely eaten slice on his plate. Lemmy flushes red, attempting to smooth it over with a bright, but embarrassed smile.
"…uhh…no, sorry…" He places it in Morton's outstretched arms. "You tried your best, though!"
"I want it!"
But Morton ignores his little brother's whining, padding over to where he is and he watches him tentatively place it on his bedside table.
"This one's for Bowser then. He loves cake…"
"No fair! Dad's not even gonna eat it-!" Larry complains.
"He's a part of this too." Morton quietly affirms.
"Yeah, like it or not, he's stuck with us for now. At least he's enjoying the party-"
"C'mon Iggy, give him a break. We're supposed to be celebrating-!"
"Celebrating what?"
Lemmy's demeanor droops like the balloon, hovering dangerously low before it swings back up again but it's too late.
"Just…drop it."
"Like he dropped us?" Iggy retorts and Lemmy snaps like the air is rushing out of him.
"Okay so, so what? Just stop! Honestly, I didn't think you of all people would be complaining-"
"Oh, I'm not. No complaints here. But it doesn't weird you out? It's really not like him to be so completely detached-you don't think that's a cause for concern?"
"Well, maybe…but what are we supposed to do? We're just gonna make it worse-seriously just give him a-"
"You keep saying that, but he never gave us a break-"
"Iggy! Quit twisting my words around! You're not making the point you think you're making-" Lemmy raises his voice like he's finally being beaten at his own game.
"Just tell him…" Morton sighs. Larry whips his head around like he's not sure what's happening or who to look at like a spectator without popcorn. Lemmy seems to be on the outside too, though by looking at his face drain of all color he looks much more distressed by his exclusion from his younger siblings' apparent secret covenant. Iggy finally relents.
"You know how bad he got…don't we kinda owe it to Lud to bother him? But no, now he wants to be alone when we need him-"
"We don't need him." Wendy elbows Iggy's arm and he jolts, adjusting his glasses in his surprise out of habit.
"Wen-you…you don't mean that-" Lemmy tries to sound stern but his voice breaks in half like his heart's torn along with it.
"Listen! We don't! We don't need anyone to hold our hand anymore! We know you guys are trying to make it all better, make it like nothing ever happened…we know you mean well, we really do-but Ludwig bein' all overbearing and worried about everything and Roy runnin' around for us tryin' to fight things that aren't there and…and you-Lemmy…"
She throws up her hands to encapsulate the out-of-place homemade decorum that the very walls seem to reject like for all his effort it would only ever stop just short of being meaningful.
"This…is not what we need right now! It's not what Lud needs right now, and it's definitely not what you need right now, so why are you doing it?"
"Okay! So it was a stupid idea! Fine! I just…" Lemmy's anger cracks into something more somber, frustration ebbing away to leave only pain in its wake.
"I just thought…I just wanted to make you guys happy. Feels like everything's always falling apart now…I thought I was helping. Roy and Kamek are gone, Ludwig's not speaking to anyone…dad's hurt bad…I need help. I can't keep everything together-I can't do this on my own-"
"What do you think we're here for? Decoration?" Wendy responds airily, but he sees the concern written all over her face as she looks to Iggy for support.
"Things fall apart, Lem. They just do. Especially if they're Ludwig's. This plan was bound to disintegrate the moment it was conceived. What matters is that we're all failures together. Some things just aren't worth fixing if you only have enough energy to do a rough patch-job at best."
"Then why did you go along with it? Why accept Bowser's proposal at all if you thought it would fail?"
"We figured it meant a lot to you, to Bowser...that was always more important. I guess we thought we were helping too, huh?" Iggy gives a half-hearted laugh but it falls flat so quickly he shoves another mouthful of cake down to mitigate the silence.
"You thought-I thought it meant-I thought I was helping you by-"
Lemmy barks out a laugh but it sounds bulky and weird like he can't breathe, nothing like his usual spirited giggling.
"See how dumb we are? Maybe we could have avoided the whole damn thing if we just like…talked to each other every once in a while. It doesn't hurt as much as I thought, at least, not as much as a boot to the face, eh Larry?" Wendy teases, and Larry's pulled away from his attempts to sneak a bite from the slice on the nightstand behind Morton's back at the mention of his name.
"…I wasn't ready…an' shut up! It didn't even hurt! Those 'stache guys were total wimps, I bet Roy's wipin' the floor with 'em right now! Right, Morton?"
"Larry, they probably already-" Wendy tries, but she's cut off by her younger siblings' re-enactment, Morton ever ready to abandon his cake-guarding duties to assume the role of his older brother as he fought off Larry's attempts to steal the confetti cannon 'wand' from his grasp.
Everything else forgotten in the whirlwind of their imagination, Larry chases Morton out of the room; comforting laughter lingers for a moment before all trace of them vanishes.
"…Never mind…"
"See? This was a good idea-!"
"Those two only came for the food." Iggy drawls, unimpressed.
The three that remain snicker amongst themselves, but their tones are much heavier and they sink until Lemmy bobs his head up again.
"I'm sorry guys, I didn't know you felt that way…I just wanted you to know that you'll always have me if you need me. It's okay if you don't I just-man, you'd think a guy like me would notice when his siblings are growing…heck, I think even Junior's probably taller than me at this point-!"
He's still rambling on, and the mention of Junior only makes everything worse because it's a word he trips and stumbles on consistently but Wendy grabs his shoulders to steady him.
"Lemmy. Just because we don't need you to make the sun shine anymore doesn't mean that we don't want you around. That's not how the world works. It'll be there regardless, but even so, it still always shines a little brighter when you're here. Even though your surprise party turned out a little depressing-"
"Well that's not my fault! The man of honor isn't here, so it's not technically a party yet, is it?"
"Honestly, it's not a party until Kamek has to put out a fire in the dining room because dad decided lighting thirteen candles individually was too much work." Iggy remarks.
Roy's last birthday was eventful, to put it mildly. At least then it had been a fire he hadn't intended to set, trying to light everything at once with a fireball that failed to impress as soon as it engulfed the entire table, to say nothing of the cake…Roy'd laughed it off at the time because he thought he was getting better. Though his anger flared from time to time, it would only ever amount to a residual memory he'd be numb to by morning. He should have known better…
Just listening to them talking to each other burned a hole through him, and he just knew when he finally got better they'd be stitched together haphazardly again like they'd been then without him…and he was so proud of them for attempting at all because they weren't the same children they once were but the fact remained that they were still children. They shouldn't have to worry about mending each other when they'd already tried and failed so many times because while it kept them together for a time all it took was a slight tug on one thread to send them all unraveling again-
"Okay, so when Kamek, Junior, and Roy come back, he'll just have to set one for the sake of tradition…whenever that is…"
"We'll find them, Lemmy. Just…one thing at a time, okay? For now, if Ludwig ain't gonna be polite and come downstairs, we'll have to bring the party to him. I think we can just…shoot confetti under his door or something until he opens it to yell at us."
"He could just yell at us through the door." Wendy counters.
"Damn…didn't consider that…but he'd probably want one of us to clean it up, and the only way for that to happen is if…"
Their voices grew faint as they moved out of the room, presumably to go bother Ludwig with his blessing because it was all he had to give when his thoughts wore him down to the frayed edges of his mind.
He was so exhausted again, just letting everything happen around him because he didn't have the energy to interfere…
Or was it that he was too cowardly? He hadn't thought to do anything to impede the incoming argument though he knew it was coming because he hadn't wanted to. Worse still is that it seemed to work out in their favor, what with Lemmy acknowledging his own feelings for once…but it was all contingent on whether or not they were able to actually get through to Ludwig too because they all depended on each other, whether they were willing to admit it or not.
They depended on him to ensure they wouldn't fall apart again like they had all those years ago, when they were still fragile enough for him to tuck away inside the folds of his castle because the thought had terrified him, and here he was, watching it all play out again in front of his eyes again.
Though this time was worse because he wasn't sure if this was something he could even fix anymore. They were all gone anyways because he wasn't going to be of any help like this. It's difficult not to be angry and conflicted…he always thought he was doing what was right, though his methods were sloppy…so why was he being punished like this? It was like being made to watch everything he'd worked so hard to built slowly erode and crumble away until he was back at the beginning; the king of ruins, sovereign of nothing, as he supposed he'd always truly been.
At least, until they stumbled into his life…with nothing to tether him but the deflated balloon, he falls into dreams as they once did into his.
His vision's blurry again as he waves Ludwig off, wishing him to be careful with a tearful wink. Ludwig only nods back as the wind begins to whip around them and through his hair until it becomes askew. True to form, he ducks in embarrassment, scrambling to fix it because some things never changed…it's a lost cause and he laughs, waving, calling out a farewell that's swung away by the propellers before he freezes like something's wrong. He covers his mouth, scrutinizing his face for something that isn't there, spitting like he swallowed something unsavory…he can't even attempt to see what was the matter before he disappears with haste below deck…
Lemmy grabs his hand out of nowhere and leads him to the next room which shouldn't have feasibly opened to the outside and he sits because it's what his brain tells him to do. He watches him scale a tree with ease and walk a makeshift tightrope and he knows Lemmy's just trying to cheer him up the best way he knows how. He claps and cheers him on but Lemmy suddenly lurches like he's startled, wide eyes piercing his soul in a brief moment before they dull and he silently falls.
He rushes to catch him but he's gone, and his nose smashes against the unforgiving stone of the castle's interior before he has any time to wonder where it all went. Stumbling backwards blindly, he nearly stumbles over another small form, curled in on itself in the center of a mass of wrecked furniture and wall decorum violently yanked from its place. It's Roy.
He's bleeding, breathing heavily, eyes smushed closed because he's scared and sight is too painful. He moves to gently pick him up, attempting to clean him up a bit when he's impeded by something in his hands…he hadn't even realized he'd been holding his glasses until now. With Roy shaking still in his arms he's eerily quiet, still refusing to open his eyes until he carefully presses them against his clenched fists.
When Roy can finally see who's holding him his breathing quickens, then deepens like he's raking deep gouges into his lungs. His anger returns tenfold with just one look at him, and he's flailing, scratching, punching, fighting, but neither of them are able to make a sound. It's then he realizes the propellers are still too loud for them to be heard despite the ships being nowhere in sight-
He's hit squarely in the nose and stars cloud his vision, both hands cupping his injury but before he remembers he's holding Roy still he's vanished. The ruins have been replaced with jagged glass, and he only has seconds to duck before he can be hit by another beaker, and it smashes silently against the wall behind him. When his disorientation goes away he can see Iggy, mute but still screaming, arguing with no one, his grimace contorted with pain.
He tries to yell out but its no use. Iggy looks right through him like he was never there to begin with. He pulls at his green hair as if he's attempting to yank something right out, and when that doesn't work he begins to rap at his temples in frustration, glass flask clenched in his fist dangerously close to shattering-
His legs spring into action before his brain does and Iggy finally acknowledges him with his hands firmly around his wrists, preventing him from hurting himself further than he already looks. He looks up at him from behind his obstructive glasses, far too big for his face as Kamek had once lent him an old pair because his own were practically beyond repair…angry tears leak out of them as he looks up at him and slowly grins, amused, like he always did when he was being reprimanded. His body heaves as if he's laughing, but in time it quivers and melts into a series of sobs that remain silent and haunting as the smile still ghosting the corners of his face.
Iggy breaks free and runs away, out the door and out into the hallway so he gives chase. When he finally rounds the corner he follows the bobbing and sinking of distant movement for a minute until he can see what he's chasing outside…it's a little ribbon. The same old ribbon tied around her head the day he'd met her…he doesn't understand why she's running from him too. Her hands are pressed to her ears firmly despite the vacuum around them and when she's finally blue in the face she turns to him suddenly and he realizes how he towers over her. She's as small as she was then, but not nearly as frightened, stepping to him like she was looking down on him. She's yelling too, not around him, but at him.
She stomps, gesturing sharply with her arms, painting a picture he can't quite follow and it continues to frustrate her. The more he tries to placate her, the angrier she becomes, until finally she storms away over a hill to be swallowed by the landscape. His eyes are ravenous, noticing an odd trembling of a nearby tree as the world continues to disintegrate.
As he runs towards it, Morton emerges from the shadows of its branches. The toddler he once knew is hopelessly stuck, clinging desperately to its limbs far beyond his reach. The sky around him drains of color, and the ground beneath him begins to shake. He's begging Morton with his eyes to jump, to trust him because he's too heavy to climb up there and get him himself. He apologizes it has to be this way…if he could just climb the stupid tree…Morton edges to the end like he meant to, but the branch wobbles the slightest amount and he's clinging to it again, eyes squeezed closed in fear. He's screaming at him now, but he knows he can't be heard so long as Morton isn't willing to look at him.
He's too late. The tree's caught in the wind of destruction, scattering in a blast before he can even uselessly call out for a child he knows is gone. He's blown backwards against the crumbling stone of his rotting castle, pain in his back rivaled only by the pain in his chest. He can actually hear part of the ceiling collapse, and with it, the smallest of whimpers.
He scrambles inside before his brain registers it, digging frantically in the rubble for a nightmare to unearth itself at the slightest hint of blue beneath a thick coat of dust and debris. He throws the wreckage away but it always seemed to follow him…Larry's crushed but still moving, weakly reaching for him like he understands what's about to happen. He's crying freely now, pleading with the youngest to stay awake, for him to forgive him for failing to protect him like he promised-and though he can hear himself it's nothing but nonsense that falls out of his mouth.
Wind rushes through his hair as he wraps Larry's tiny body in a felled banner, aimlessly tearing off into the rest of the castle in the hopes he'd find someone, anyone, before it was too late-
He runs for so long he forgets why he's running. It's then he quite literally bumps into Kamek, who appears equally concerned.
"My Lord! What is going on?" He questions, brushing himself off. His eyes glance over the swaddled form in his arms and his memories slowly piece themselves together. He clears his throat but he's still breathing heavily.
"Take Junior and hide, please-! I don't have time to explain-!" He gently hands off the blankets that encase his infant son to Kamek's outstretched arms.
"What-?"
"Guards…picked up some intruders on the outskirts of the castle grounds-they said-these…these are the guys that have…been causing trouble…in the villages…I don't…I don't know what they want…but I'm not taking any chances…"
Kamek looks incredulous, but nods, and with a flick of his wand, he disappears.
"Lord Bowser!" He turns and the disheveled guard looks pale in the face. "They-they're in the throne room. They've-requested an audience…"
He growls angrily, sympathy worn thin for anyone who would further propagate the cycle of ruin, capitalizing on the destruction by stealing…he had to end this…bring down the hammer…it's what a strong leader would do, right? What a compassionate ruler he'd be to defend his downtrodden subjects from petty thieves…yeah. He still didn't know what he was doing, but he was ready to fake it if it meant keeping the peace around here for at least ten minutes…
"Fine." He lets him lead, ruminating on all the things he could say, punishment that would be harsh but fair, he couldn't be his father…he wouldn't be his father-
"B-but…Sire, there's something you need to be made aware of before-"
He rounds the corner, straightening himself to his full, intimidating height.
"What's there to know? Anyone who's gonna put someone else down to get ahead is a criminal in my books. I'm not gonna let this continue." He can see their tall shadows that stain the floor upon which they were cast. He yells so they can hear as he enters the room from the side.
"If you think you're gonna get off easy, think again! Tell me, does it bring you any pride, any worth to be a nuisance? You don't deserve to eat any more than they do, you selfish, good for nothing punks! And now you're probably here to steal from-"
He steps out from around his looming throne, having hoped his speech would instill fear, guilt, panic into the hearts of these…
Children. Emaciated, tiny, broken, filthy, frightened, sniffling…children.
The color drains from his face and he doesn't know whether or not to laugh, sigh in relief, yell at his guards, yell at the children…though he supposed he'd probably given them enough of a scare.
"What…what are you-?" He asks dumbly to no one in particular, and it echoes painfully in the emptiness of the room. "Is this a joke…?"
No one answers so he decides it is, laughing heartily but it only seems to terrify them further.
"What are you doing here?" He then decides is a reasonable follow-up question.
They all eye each other frantically until the one in the front takes a deep breath, and hands off the small child to the largest, already huddled around as many little ones as he could fit in his arms.
"Y-Your Highness…please. I know you're angry, but if we can't be forgiven…it was all my fault. It was all my idea…please just let them go-" He pleads, running his small hands through his dirty, matted, tangle of blue hair and he wonders how he can manage it.
He's stunned period, no idea what to say or do and he realizes for the first time that it's his call to make. He could let them all go, but they'd only end up back out on the streets with little in terms of resources, there was nowhere else for them to go…they'd only steal again. He could keep them here under the pretense of punishment because they did technically commit a crime but that definitely wouldn't go down well with his subjects, to say nothing of Kamek…he'd never come back from that.
They didn't seem dangerous anyways. Just hungry. And tired…lost…yet another thing leftover from his father's obsessive hunt…he then starts to feel bad for them. His father would've probably killed them on the spot, but he was determined to be better than the low bar that had been set. Clearing it should be super easy, all he had to do was feed them for a bit until he figured out what to do with them. It was the right thing to do.
So why was his heart beating so wildly?
"You're nuts if you think I'm letting you go now." They all tense and he mentally smacks himself, holding his arms up to placate them and pointing out the window to the raging blizzard outside.
"That storm'll kill you before I will. Nope. You're staying here tonight."
He doesn't know what to expect.
He definitely doesn't expect the wind outside to howl like an amplified anguished scream, and the ground quakes beneath him. He's worried for Junior for half of a second before awareness trickles in at last and he's again disgusted with himself for slipping into the character he'd been playing on a stage he'd demolished years ago.
The children shake and tumble along with everything else in the room, and as they look around in alarm, their features become something more familiar to him than a means to an end. He recognizes them now but he can't even look at them.
How could he ever have thought that way about his children-?
They're yelling at something he can't see as the window smashes, glass skittering across the tiled floor. It's hard to hear them over the sounds of the wind and the destruction around him as everything violently crashes down on them…his vision flashes white again but though the castle disappears they're still there, huddled together, scared and alone. The noises only continue-
"…op! Please-! ST-!"
"…y! NO-! It's…y!"
"WEN-!"
"Someone-! Hel-!"
"…eed help-! Someone go ge-!"
The pained wailing continues, punctuated by thudding and crashing-
"-oy! Please! Calm down-! You're okay-! It's gonna be-!"
Roy.
He can't open his eyes anymore…he can't…
The horrible sound floods his senses and it's too much because it's nothing he's ever heard before nor desires to hear ever again-
Everyone…yelling…
Roy's crying…sobbing…hysterical…
Doctors and siblings alike can't stop him as he destroys everything within his reach…
His siblings try their best to calm him but it's no use, he wants nothing to do with them, they aren't any substitute for-
His sisters. He…his family-
Every negative emotion he's ever felt in his life resurrects him, giving him power he was never meant to wield as he rises against his body's wishes, blind and furious at the injustice of it all. Damn these machines, damn the doctors now split, attempting to pin him down as well, damn those Mario brothers, damn the Princess, those kings, his father…nothing mattered in that moment and he was seething, ripping nearly every blasted thing out of his body to get to his son. He was a child…it pissed him off even more to know that he was in more pain than him because he at least deserved it.
He didn't get far; he was as blind as Roy. He roars in frustration, and he sways, nearly falling backwards because his body's giving up on him again when he needs it most-sick and twisted irony…
More yelling…crying…at least the smashing stops…he's starting to feel sluggish again unnaturally fast and he realizes he didn't quite accomplish his goals, gently fumbling with the tube in his arm with his numb fingers as the doctors unhand him and it becomes harder to think…
The world spins…shifts…crashes…he's staring at the ceiling again, there's yelling but he can barely hear it.
He hates the ceiling but he's stuck looking up…
He might as well be…
…falling…
…why is it always…
So I lied. There will actually be one more entry after all because brevity is the soul of dimwit.
On another note, I would like to personally congratulate Kamek fans for being more powerful than God. Y'all keep that energy and this movie might not suck. Bless you all and have a good night.