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Disclaimer: I do not own anything but the story idea and any OC(s).

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Chapter 28:
Growing Feelings

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Luigi felt so embarrass… He never thought something like that would happen to him.

He was in the bathroom, getting himself ready to take that cold shower he promised himself. He just finish taking off his last article of clothing and was about to turn on the shower when the door suddenly opened.

Everything happened in a total of five seconds. It took one second for him to hear the door to open and another one for him to know that it was Wendy who opened it. But it took a whole three seconds for him to realize the situation they both were in.

He was pretty sure it was him that screamed. Of course that was only natural when someone walks in on you while using the bathroom – especially if you didn't have any clothes on.

Luigi sighed heavily and fell back on the bed with a soft thump. It was so humiliating; he had to put an extra shirt on just to ensure himself that he was completely covered. But as uncomfortable as he was, his main concern was still on Wendy.

Not too long after her quick exit out of the bathroom, he heard her ran towards the bedroom door, yelling out something as she did so. Naturally, he blamed himself. He should have known to lock the door. Now Wendy's out there completely mortified at what she just saw.

"Great," He sighed desperately "This day just couldn't get any worse."

There was a knock on the door and Luigi was force to get up. He walked over to the door and answered it. When he did, he saw a very upset purple koopa standing in front of him.

"And it just got worse."

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X~~~X~~~X~~~X~~~X~~~X~~~X

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Wendy felt dirty… That was the best way to describe it really.

Never in her life did she never think she'll get to see that.

After leaving her room, she quickly ran through the castle halls. She faintly remembered hearing someone call out her name, but she was too much in shock to care. She didn't stop until she reached the court yard that she stopped.

She sighed and leaned against the stone wall. She slide down to a sited position and rest her head on her knees. As she did so, someone started to approach her from the side.

"Miss Wendy, are you alright?"

The pink koopa lift her head up to see Kammy right next to her. The purple magikoopa was looking down at her with worry. Wendy sighed,

"Yes, Kammy; I'm fine."

Kammy frowned. "You don't seem that fine to me. If fact, these last few days you've been acting rather strange lately,"

"Things have just been on my mind, is all,"

"I see," Kammy walked over and sat next to her against the wall. "Well then, why don't you tell me everything that is bothering you; maybe I can of some help,"

Wendy sighed. She might as well talk to her. Kammy was the closest thing she had to a real mother and one of the only people she can go to for some advices.

"Okay, it's like this…"

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Luigi grunts loudly as he watches Roy laugh his shell off. The purple koopa had came to him after he saw Wendy run off, thinking he did something to upset her. Of course, his anger quickly turned into laughter after everything was explained to him.

"Man, dat was hilarious," Roy said once he calm down.

"I'm so glad you're amused," Luigi mumbled, clearly troubled about this.

"Ah, don't feel so mad about it. It was an accident; coulda happened to anyone."

Luigi still looked unsure. Roy shook his head and patted him on the back. "Oh relax; Wendy is gonna be fine. She'll get over it."

"You think so?" Luigi asked hopefully.

"I know she will...eventually," Roy said. "But just in case, keep a bit of distance from her. It never hurts to be a bit cautious with Wendy."

Luigi smile at his help. "Thanks Roy,"

The koopa nodded. He walked over to the door and exit outside the room. Once he was gone, Luigi's smile disappeared. He sighed as he falls back on the bed. He stares up to the ceiling as he thought back to his dream.

It couldn't have been random; it had to mean something. He closed his eyes and started to think. He wouldn't deny that he had grown to like Wendy, but how much is the true question. Their relationship had change and neither of them have notice it…that is, until now. Him and Wendy, they were getting along so well...it was almost like they were friends. But from what his dream showed him, they were becoming more than just friends.

'Have I…fallen for Wendy?' He thought to himself.

This was actually a surprise to him. He had convinced himself long ago that Daisy was the only one meant for him. But when she refused him in favor of Waluigi, he thought he would never fall in love again. Apparently he was wrong.

Originally, he was hoping Wendy would eventually accept him as her spouse out of respect. He never counted on actually falling in love with her.

'But can I really love Wendy? I mean, truly love her… like I'd love Daisy?'

It was a difficult question. But to Luigi, the answer was very simple.

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Kammy remained silent after listening to Wendy explained her troubles. The pink koopa was in turmoil. It seems the relationship she previously had with the plumber has taken a turn in another direction and she didn't like where it was going. She was in denial to say the least; refusing to acknowledge the connection they had formed by distancing herself away from it.

"Miss Wendy, perhaps you are over exaggerating just a little bit?" She said gently. "This…bond between the two or you, it may not be a bad thing."

Wendy turned to her with a raised eyebrow, surprise she even say such a thing. "Like how?"

"Well," Kammy started. "You've dated several koopas by now, and how did they turned out?"

"Either lame or not my type."

"Right; after them, you had your eyes set on Sir Kalvin and what were the results you got from him?"

"At that point, I was already married." Wendy said with a slight bitterness. "But then later, I figured out he was a self centered jerk who probably never really cared about me to begin with."

"Exactly; you had high hopes for all these men, thinking that they might be the one for you, only to find out that they weren't. On the outside they seemed perfect, but there are times when it's the inside that matters."

Wendy frowned. "What you talking about, Kammy?"

"What I'm talking about is…sometimes the best things in life tend to come in a simple package – or in this case, a simple plumber."

Wendy shook her head. "Wait, wait…are you encouraging that I start dating that plumber?"

"Not quite; what I'm trying to say is that you should really consider this more thoroughly before you can come to a conclusion. I know this is not easy… When you first met Luigi, he was your adversary, someone you hated. After your marriage, you were forced to recognize him as someone other than your enemy. Over these last few months, your feelings towards him changed; you accepted him as your partner and have grown to see him as a possible friend. Now, those feelings are growing even further. I'm not saying you have to rush into things, but I do think you should give him a chance to prove his worth to you. Only then can you make your decision."

Wendy grew silent at the older koopa's words. She turned her gaze down to her knees as she thought it over. She sighed, feeling frustrated with the situation she was in.

"Why?"

Kammy raised an eye brow. "Why what, mistress?"

"Why does it have to be me?" She frowned. "Why was I the one force to be with him?"

Kammy sighed. She could understand what Wendy was feeling. She too was against the marriage force upon her by the King. But deep down, she knew Kamek's prediction were never wrong so she didn't put up much of a fight.

"Because…" She spoke softly. "You are looking for the same thing he is right now."

Wendy shot her a glance. "And what's that?"

"Love," She answered. "Kamek predicted that he'll be a great asset to us in the upcoming battle. However, this cannot happen without the proper motivation. You, Wendy, will become his motivation – the reason why he'll want to become stronger and succeed in life."

Wendy's head shot up in surprise. "I will?"

Kammy nodded. "The bond he once shared with his brother has weakened and he no longer feels devoted to his own kingdom. He needs something to reassure him. It has to be someone important to him; someone he could hold close to his heart, someone who can free him of his loneliness, but most importantly, someone who can help encourages him to change for the better. And I do believe that you are his someone."

Once again, Wendy grew silent. Kammy sat beside her as she thought it over. After a few moments, she spoke softly.

"Fine, I'll give it a shoot...but I'm not going to like it."

Kammy smiled. "That's fine. It's the end that really matters."

Wendy puffed and turned her gaze back on her lap. Kammy stood up from the ground, intending to leave. It would be best to let the pink koopa figure the rest out by herself.

"I'll leave you to ponder on what to do next."

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Luigi was starting to get worried. It's been hours since Wendy left and she still haven't return. She didn't show up at dinner and it was nearly midnight.

He paced around the room. He still remembered the last time Wendy came home late like this. He had found her in the hall, acting completely intoxicated. It was later find out that someone had drugged her.

"I should go look for her," He said to himself.

From what he learned, there were people out to get her. And not just Wendy, her whole family was in danger. This Clawd character was a mystery to him and for whatever reasons he against Bowser. If he was still living in the Mushroom Kingdom, he probably would have considered him a possible ally against the Koopa King. But after what he did to Wendy and hearing some rumors about him, he discovered that Clawd was no better than Bowser and, if it were possible, may actually be worse.

Without anymore thought, Luigi started to head for the door. But before he could place his hand on the handle, someone else opened it. He blinked in surprise. He then sighed in relief when he saw who it was.

"Wendy…You're okay,"

The pink koopa enter the room with a bag in her hand. She raised her eyebrow slightly as she closed the door behind her. "Of course I am; why wouldn't I be?"

"Well, considering what happened last time, I was starting to get worried that you were in trouble."

"Oh that," She remembered that day. Everyone in the castle was still in high alert because of it. "Well, I'm stronger than you're giving me credit for. Something like that isn't going to stop me."

"I guess you're right," Luigi smiled. "I'm glad to see you're alright,"

Wendy faintly blushed. The plumber had waited up for her just to ensure she was safe. And if she was gone for any longer, he probably would have went out and search for her. She sighed and placed her bag down,

"Luigi…we have something to talk about,"

The green man frowned. "Okay, what is it?"

"It's about our… relationship." She said. "I'm not going to beat around the bush when I say it had fallen out of my control. Lately, we've been acting like friends when we're supposed to be simple partners. And even that's not enough,"

"I've notice," Luigi spoke. "We're becoming than just friends, aren't we?"

Wendy nodded. "Look… I just don't want to try anything that probably won't even happen. I mean, it's no big secret that we're both so different. How can something as unusual as us could possible work out?"

"We won't know until we try," He said gently. "I know that we're both different, but we do have one thing in common."

Wendy felt a sense of déjà vu when she asked, "What's that?"

"We're both looking for love," He answered.

Wendy chuckled and turned away. "That's funny, someone mentioned about that earlier."

"Well, I guess you can tell them that they're right." Luigi smiled sadly. "Over a year ago, my heart was broke by the woman I thought was the only one for me. After that, I thought I can never truly love someone other than her. That is, until now…"

He step forward and gently took her hand. Wendy turned back to him, her eyes matching his.

"I may not be entirely sure how, but I have fallen for you Wendy. And with a little more time, I might actually start loving you like I once did towards Daisy. You're my only chance in having true love again. I will do anything just to win your heart, even if I have to give up my own."

"Y-You…really mean that?" Wendy hesitated.

"Yes, I do."

She turned her gaze to the ground as she tried to decide on what to do. She thought back to Kammy's words, about her becoming important to him. She glanced up to see him waiting for her response. She still remembered over four months ago on how dull and lifeless his eyes were after she had told him the truth. Now they were bright again, firm too, and were shining with hope. Not the same hope he had before, but a different kind of hope. She sighed, finally giving him an answer.

"Fine, we'll give it a shot."

Luigi beamed. Grambi has just given him another chance to experience love and he wasn't going to screw it up anytime soon. His life was finally starting to get better and he dares anyone to take it away from him.

"Thank you, Wendy,"

"Yeah, sure," She shrugged. She still had some doubts about this whole thing. But the plumber seemed determine to make this work somehow and the least she could do is let him try.

"Oh, I almost forgot." She turned around and walk back to the bag she brought with her. She picked up it up from the floor and hands it to him. "Here, I got you something."

"For me?" Luigi said a bit surprise. He took the gift and look inside. He frowned in confusion and pull out what was inside. He examined it for a moment before he realized what it was. "A robe?"

She nodded. "Yup; something for you to wear while you're in the bathroom"

Luigi grew embarrass at that reminder. "Sorry about that."

Wendy shook him off and started walking towards the closet. "It's fine. I should have known by now to knock before I enter." She paused by the doorframe and glance at him with a slight blush on her cheeks. "Plus…you weren't exactly bad-looking either."

She disappeared in the closet, leaving a flush plumber standing in the middle of the room.

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