Dinner went surprisingly smooth, all things considered. With a full belly and a hot shower behind him, Luigi was ready to sleep for as long as he possibly could. It was early, but he didn't care. He was exhausted.

But as soon as he was about to climb into bed, he heard a knock at the door. He rubbed his eyes blearily. "Uh, hello?"

"Don't worry, it's only me!" Goombella chirped as she barged in, unprompted. "Hiya Luigi! Turns out Lord Bowser needs you for one last thing tonight."

"Oh?"

"He decided he needs to practice his proposal to Peach with you."

"Oh?" Luigi repeated, turning a brilliant shade of scarlet. "Wait what?"

"Yup yup! All you need to do is get dressed."

"Get dressed? But I'm already-"

Before he could finish his sentence, three paragoombas flew in, one was carrying a long flowing pink gown, another had a blonde wig, and the last one had a pair of red heels.

"Sorry, Bowser's orders. You need to get out of those peasant overalls pronto."

"But I like my- wait, has he always had her clothing ready to go?" Luigi wondered aloud. "That's a little

"This was all a very sudden decision." Goombella explained. "Bowser was getting antsy, and then Kamek suggested he dress up as the Princess but then Bowser said he would rather you do it."

"But why does anyone need to dress up?"

"Because dresses are pretty!" She shrugged.

Luigi couldn't deny that. "Let me understand this...Bowser, the big scary monster just so I'm clear, wants me-" He pressed a thumb towards his chest. "Me." He repeated for emphasis. "to dress as the princess so he can practice proposing?"

"Exactly!"

"That's ridiculous, I- I'm not a princess! I don't even know how to act like one!"

"Don't worry, it's like my old theater teacher told me: Goombella, please stop eating the props."

"How is that going to help me?"

"It'll only be a little while. Just until Lord Bowser builds his confidence. I've never seen him so nervous before, and he seems to like you. Sooooo, are you in?"

Luigi sighed wearily. "Pass me the dress."

Although Luigi had worn dresses before, he had never worn something as elaborate as Peach's. The petticoat was fairly easy, but after that, he struggled to even put on the hoop skirt. The corset was straight up impossible.

He had to begrudgingly ask Goombella for assistance. Despite her not having any arms, she was able to tie the corset until his ribs were sore successfully.

He delicately pressed down on the fold of the dress with his gloves, glancing anxiously around as Goombella fixed his wig. When she finished, she took a step back to admire his new look.

"You look amazing!" She complimented, and she truly meant it.

To his surprise, she was right. The dress was simple, a pale pink shade with a blue and gold gem in the heart shaped bodice. The wig was smooth and soft, and even though it was obvious that he wasn't the Princess, he still felt...pretty.

"We should get going." announced Goombella, who started to usher him out of the room

"Wait!" He protested. "Aren't you going to teach me how to be a princess? Like, um, I don't know...put books on my head? Teach me how to walk in heels? Something like that?"

"Eh?" She blinked. "I don't know how any of that stuff has to do with being a princess. Just be yourself and you'll be fine."

He took a deep breath. "Alright, no problem. Just be mysel- woah!" He took one step in the heels, and promptly flopped down on his face. "Give me a second."

He staggered to his feet, already feeling cramps swell up from the heels. "Ugh...this is not how I expected my year to go."

Goombella tilted her head and led him out the door. "What do you mean?"

"What I mean is, if you told me a few months ago that I would start a business with my brother, get transported to a magical world, captured by turtles, and now helping said king of the turtles impress a princess from another land...I'd have thought you were crazy."

"Did you think you would be talking with a goomba either?" She asked.

He chuckled and shook his head. "I still don't know what a goomba is."

"I'm a goomba, silly!" She giggled, hopping down the steps.

"Yes, but are you mushrooms or something else entirely?"

"Hmmm..." Goombella thought for a second. "I'm not sure!"

They were quiet for the rest of the way there. Mostly because Luigi constantly had to slow down with his heels painfully digging blisters into his ankles.

He didn't know why he agreed to this, but it was too late to turn back now. Goombella cheerfully knocked on the throne room's skyscraper sized doors and waited.

He gulped. "Goombella, I'm not sure I can-"

"Enter." A voice interrupted, and by then it was too late to backtrack.

The doors swung open, revealing Bowser's massive form sitting in his throne. He had brushed his hair significantly, but still looked as menacing as the day Luigi first saw him.

"Ah, Princess Peach..."

He gulped. Did Bowser not know? Or was he simply playing along? He tried to call for Goombella, but she had scurried off in a hurry.

Bowser raised a friendly claw. "Please come in."

Luigi raised his skirt so he wouldn't trip again and stepped closer. "Um, hello."

"I must say, you look exquisite." His deep voice rumbled, leaning forward in his seat. "That dress is breathtaking."

"I- I do?" He squeaked, nearly forgetting that this was all pretend. Bowser was practicing for the princess, not him. "Thank you?"

"I couldn't keep my eyes off you during dinner, actually." Bowser admitted, his voice sounding oddly sultry, especially for someone supposedly acting. He cleared his throat and stood up, making giant strides towards the tiny plumber. Luigi shivered, backing up.

The koopa knelt down, crimson eyes staring into Luigi's, causing him to blush profusely. His fight or flight response was kicking in, not from fear, but from flustered embarrassment.

"Do you mean that?" He blurted out.

"Huh?"

"I-" His smile faded as he hugged his chest. "No one's ever said that about me before. I just want to make sure you aren't messing with me."

Bowser's claw lightly grazed against him, lifting Luigi's chin in an all too familiar way. "I would never joke about this."

Has the room suddenly gotten warmer?

"I want you to rule beside me and become my Queen."

"Wh-whathewhatnow?" Luigi sputtered.

"Think about it. We'll be the best, kickass power couple there is! All you need to do is accept my proposal."

"Proposal?"

From behind his back, Bowser pulled out what presumably was a ring-although it was much too large for Luigi's finger and would work best as a bracelet. It had a gold band and a shimmering sapphire inside.

"Will you marry me?"

Luigi was left gobsmacked. "I- I-I -"

"Ewww are you two gonna kiss?"

For the first time ever, Bowser looked mortified at the sight of Iggy Koopa's mischievous grin. They were standing idly by the door watching with some interest.

"Iggy! This is your dad's private time!" Bowser hissed. "What are you doing here? It's past your bedtime!"

"Chillax old man," They said, waltzing past Luigi. "I left my comic in here."

"Fine, grab it and leave."

Iggy smirked, picking up the fallen comic and tucking it under their arm. "Were you two really gonna kiss?"

"Ignatius Koopa!"

Iggy groaned. "Fine, fine I'm leaving. Jeez!"

Once they left, Bowser recovered and put his ring away. "You can go now, Luigi. I ...have a meeting anyway."

"Okie dokie."

"I'm sorry about them." He grumbled awkwardly. "They're nosy."

"It's...alright. I'll just...go."

"Alright. Bye."

Hiding his flushed cheeks with his wig, Luigi darted out of the throne room.

Being the Ruler of the Darklands was never as fun as the title would suggest. Sure, he had everyone cowering at his presence and serving him everything he could possibly want, but there were definitely some annoying parts of it too.

Luckily it gave his mind a break from thinking about his embarrassing practice proposal with Luigi.

"According to the diplomatic structures of our last encounter with the Ice Kingdom's super star..." Kamek droned on as Bowser barely listened while sitting on his throne. "our next best invasion should be in Sarasaland."

That made Bowser stand up in alarm. "Sarasaland? No, no way!"

Several koopa troopas blinked in confusion.

"Sarasaland can keep their Super Star. I am not messing with Princess Daisy again!"

"There's a reason why he only kidnapped her once..." Kammy muttered under her breath.

"Because she almost had me devoured by a pack of Chain Chomps!" Bowser groaned. "Whoever said all princesses were sweet and innocent are out of their minds!"

"Alright, then what about the Beanbean Kingdom?"

"We can't waste troops and resources on irrelevant kingdoms that nobody knows nor cares about." Bowser climbed off of his throne and glared at his koopas. "Mario is coming, and he's being trained by my beloved Peach. And since he's now recruited the kongs, our chances of winning this battle are slim."

Some of the goombas looked a bit nervous. Kamek immediately chimed in with his own idea.

"Which is why we need to create an ambush." His lips curled into a smirk and tapped his claws together. "Have him believe he has the upper hand, and then come in for the kill."

"Good thinking, Kamek."

Bowser's mind flickered back to Luigi's hurt expression. If the human found out he was doing this, he would be crushed.

No. No, he already knew Bowser was evil. That was how the story goes.

He had to win.

~•~

Shortly after the…interesting discussion with Bowser (and after he switched his dress and heels for overalls and boots) Luigi was back to walking down the halls. It was late at night, and there didn't seem to be Koopas, troopas, or those strange Goomba creatures hanging about. He recalled Bowser mentioning an evening meeting. Something to do with conquering the next kingdom. He shuddered at the thought.

Even though he was growing to tolerate, perhaps even like the King, he still remained fiercely loyal to his brother. If anything were to happen to him, he wouldn't know what to do with himself.

He passed by the door to the throne room, hearing a few voices sharing their thoughts. Because he couldn't hold back his own curiosity, he pressed his ear against the door.

A gruff voice was first to speak. "Mario is coming, and he's being trained by Peach. And since he's now recruited the kongs, our chances of winning this battle are slim."

Luigi's stomach dropped. That sounded an awful like Bowser. The same Bowser who invited him to dinner just an hour ago, and bragged about his sweet children. Luigi listened intently.

Which is why we need to create an ambush. "Have him believe he has the upper hand, and then come in for the kill."

His eyes went wide in panic, praying what he was hearing was not true. No...no please no. Not my brother.

He covered his mouth, cursing at his own naivety. How could he possibly have believed that Bowser wasn't anything more than a horrible monster?

He had to get out of there.

But standing around, trapped like a damsel in distress wasn't going to help matters. He had to help Mario. Somehow. Even if it killed him.

Then, a stroke of luck hit him.

As he turned the next corner, he saw his ticket out of the castle. The door at the end was slightly ajar, just barely enough for him to sneak through. Best of all, there were no guards anywhere. All he had to do was run straight for it.

Luigi put on a brave face. "Hang on Mario. I'ma comin'."

Running while also trying to stay quiet was not an easy task, but with Luigi's sudden burst of adrenaline, he managed to slip out.

He nearly inhaled smoke from the lava fumes, and tripped over a series of jagged bones, but it didn't matter.

He was free.

The trouble was, he wasn't sure exactly where to go. There certainly wasn't a map of the Darklands, let alone a GPS letting him know where Mario was.

Luckily he remembered a few bits and pieces when he and the masked guards flew him over in a hot air balloon. Meaning he had some idea, and thanks to a few parkour tricks, he managed to maneuver around, only tripping twice.

His next obstacle was a set of stepping stones over a massive river of glowing hot lava.

"Ugh, Mamma Mia, why did it have to be lava?" He groaned. "Those steps don't look very sturdy." He tore off his cap and threw it on one of the stones. He shrieked as the stone (and his precious hat) quickly sunk into the molten lava pit upon impact.

There was no way he was crossing that alive.

"Okay, new plan." For some reason he never considered it sooner. He still had his phone with him!

He reached in his pocket and fished around for the device. Not that he needed Wi-Fi, but he was surprised that the Darklands did in fact have three bars of service.

He dialed the familiar number, heart racing as he waited for Mario to pick up.

"Ciao, you've reached Mario Mario's personal number. Wahoo, it'sa me!"

"Oh thank goodness, Mario it's Luigi, I-"

"I'm a little busy right now, so you'll have to call me back!"

Luigi's shoulders dropped in dismay. Now what was he to do? That was his only hope to get help, and he messed it up. As usual.

He crumpled to the ground, trying to remain confident and optimistic, like Mario would be. But he couldn't. He felt so tired. So weak.

If Mario was in his situation, he would have escaped on the first day, no question about it. Mario was a fighter, through and through. He was sharper and much more stubborn than he was.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry Mario. I couldn't do it."

Just as he uttered those words, the ground began to quiver, a noise from behind one of the creepy trees alerted him of some other presence. Flinching back, he braced himself for whatever was out there with a terrified gulp.

With his luck, it would be more Dry Bones or Shy Guys ready to recapture him.

He hoped Bowser wouldn't be too furious upon finding out his escape attempt.

"Wh- who's there?"

But then he heard whimpering and a few hiccups, and he didn't feel on guard anymore.

"...go away."

Wait. He knew that voice. He heard it at dinner only a few hours ago. Frowning, he crawled towards the source, and found a small blue shell shaking in the corner.

"Larry?"

"I said go away!" The shell- Larry's voice cracked when he yelled.

"I..." Luigi paused. Even if he was angry at Bowser, that didn't mean he should take it out on an innocent child.

So he took a seat beside the koopaling. "I won't bother you if you want to be left alone, but I just want to be sure you're alright."

Larry stayed silent, and predictably still inside his shell.

He suddenly grew protective over the crying boy, wanting to help him as much as he could.

"It's dumb." He mumbled.

"I'm sure it isn't. But even if it feels silly, you might feel better talking about it."

"Ugh, I'm not like you! I'm not a weak human who needs to talk about his feelings."

"It's hard not to be offended by that." Luigi muttered.

"It's kinda true though," Larry said. "Humans are breakable. Koopas aren't."

"Everyone has emotions. That doesn't make you weak or breakable. It just makes you, well, alive. Unless you're a robot."

That made Larry laugh a little.

"Roy said m' a baby." He finally said, barely above a whisper.

"Oh..." It took a second for him to remember which one Roy was. The punk koopaling. Luigi felt his heart ache and placed a hand gently on Larry's carapace. The boy seemed surprised by the kind gesture. "Why would he say such a thing?"

"Because I am!" Larry exclaimed, stomping his foot against the ground. "I- I- I'm weak and small and he said I should only play with Junior 'cause I'm a baby. And..."

Luigi could see Larry's big blue eyes staring back at him through his shell, blinking back tears.

"He found out I still sleep with my teddy."

"Oh, patatino..." Luigi reached his hand out for Larry to grasp. Finally the boy came out of his shell-literally, and took it. "If that makes you a baby, then I suppose I'm a baby too."

Larry scrunched his beak. "What do you mean?"

"I'm the younger sibling too." Luigi explained. "My brother used to tease me a bit when we were kids. Except we're twins, so even though I'm only three minutes younger, he still calls me little bro!"

Larry giggled.

"And all the stuff Roy's been telling you says more about him, then you. So what if you have a teddy bear? Teddy bears are cool."

Larry scoffed. "No they're not, Luigi."

"They are if you don't care what people think."

Larry curled up next to him. "Does your brother still tease you?"

"Sometimes we both tease each other." He replied. "But we never do it to harm each other's feelings. It's all in good fun, and we know that we love each other."

Larry scowled. "My siblings don't love me. They said no when I asked them to read me a story. I asked all of them!"

"Why don't I read you a story?"

Larry gasped. "Can you do the voices?"

Somehow Luigi found himself back in the castle in Larry's bedroom, reading a selection of short stories to the young koopa.

"And then, the Koopa King and Queen went ablaze amongst the penguin kingdom, effectively destroying...everything..." Luigi paled. "The end?"

Soft snores escaped Larry's snout, and Luigi smiled softly. The boy was already in a deep sleep under the covers, despite the story being graphic and violent, it soothed him.

"Sleep well, Larry." He whispered, closing the book and hopping off the bed.

As he tiptoed out of the room, he bumped into a large figure's plastron. "Oh!"

"Luigi?" Bowser raised an eyebrow. "Were you...reading a bedtime story to my son?"

"I- uh, yes?" He squeaked. "I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have- he was upset and I thought it would help-"

Bowser raised his hand to stop him from babbling, a gesture that for some reason made him blush. "You're not in trouble, I was just confused." He motioned for Luigi to move out of earshot from the remaining koopalings' rooms. "After my meeting I saw the front doors were open. No doubt one of my idiot minions left it unlocked. I keep telling Kyle to lock it behind him!"

Luigi took a moment just to process how massive Bowser was. He took in a shaky breath, wondering where the King was going with this.

"Yet, you didn't escape when you had the chance."

"I did." He swallowed. "I did try to escape. But then I heard Larry and..."

"And you stopped to comfort my son. My son whom you barely know. Why?"

"Because he's only a bambino. I would be heartless to leave a crying child alone."

"Even if you wouldn't get anything in return?"

"Of course. He's a child."

"I know that!" He snapped. "It still doesn't make any sense."

"It's the truth."

"Listen to me carefully," They stared each other down intently. "This 'nice act' isn't going to make me change my mind. I may have given you some privileges around the castle, but that doesn't mean I'm going to give up my entire operation just because you were kind to my son."

"I know. And I'm not playing anything." Luigi folded his arms. "I'm showing compassion and support towards a child who needed it."

Bowser was growing impatient. "But why?"

Something about the way Bowser's fierce red eyes glowered at him, made Luigi remember exactly what he had heard prior at the meeting.

He knew what Bowser was planning. He knew that when Mario would eventually get there, he would be destroyed by any means necessary. It was quite possible that he had already been defeated, if the ambush had happened by now.

His brother could be dead, and it was all Bowser's fault.

"Because unlike you, I actually have a conscience!" He bellowed, nearly shattering the room with his voice.

The silence was deafening. Luigi tried to backtrack, but he was unable to. His eyes went wide in panic. Undeniably his outburst was not only unexpected, but out of character.

They both stood, stunned.

He gulped. "I- King- Bowser I- I didn't mean that."

Bowser turned away sharply. Normally he would take such a comment as a compliment, but when Luigi said it...it made him feel guilty.

"I never said I had a conscience. You were just foolish enough to believe I did." The hurt in his gruff voice was as shocking as Luigi's interjection.

"I'm sorry." He whispered, filled with remorse in his eyes. "I know you care about your children."

"Ha! You don't know me at all. You're from another world for Koopa's sake and suddenly you're an expert on my parenting?"

"I've seen the way your kids look up to you though. Junior told me he wants to rule over the Darklands just like you. An- and Larry said if you weren't busy tonight, you would have read him a story."

He dipped his head. "I normally read to him every night. It's...the least I can do."

Luigi found himself by Bowser's side, meeting his gaze.

"I struggle a lot with knowing what to do." He admitted. "My own father never showed me how to ... be a caring parent. He mostly left me to Kamek and Kammy and they were the ones that raised me. It explains why I'm a lousy dad myself. I didn't have a role model."

"For what it's worth, I think you're doing an alright job. And, father-son issues...I have them too." He chuckled awkwardly. "It's difficult."

"I never expected to be a father. With Junior, he and his mother were so happy, even if he wasn't planned." He smiled, as if recalling a fond memory that Luigi could not picture. "A little one of our own, our heir. The koopalings all showed up later on. I took them in when they had no one."

"You adopted them?"

Bowser grunted in response.

"Why?" Luigi intentionally echoed. "You adopted them even if you didn't have anything to gain."

"I- of course I had something to gain! I had warriors to train."

"Really? I don't know many warriors that call their superior 'papa'." Luigi teased. Any previous anxiety or terror he had for the king seemed to fade, even for a second.

"I wish I never told you any of this." Bowser muttered.

"I'm glad you did."

Bowser glared. "Hmm. I think I might retire for the evening."

"Oh yeah, heh, me too." He agreed. "I'll see you tomorrow. Goodnight."

"Goodnight...Luigi."

Bowser found himself stomping in his bedroom shortly after his talk with Luigi. Not because he was mad at the plumber, but because he was angry at himself. How could he fall victim to the man's charm so easily? He didn't think humans were smart, or capable of using magic. Luckily his advisor was there to reason with him.

"Lord Bowser, please! Remember your blood pressure!" Kamek exclaimed. "The ambush went splendidly. We have captured the Kongs! We need to celebrate!"

"That's-" He swallowed down any potential words of remorse. "That's great news! Wow, I'm thrilled." He slumped towards his bed and groaned.

"Sire?" Kamek scratched his head. "Is everything alright?"

"Yes, everything is fine. And what of Mario?"

"He and Donkey Kong were swallowed whole. No way they survived that."

No...Luigi will be devastated. Wait. Why do I care about Luigi's feelings?

"I feel strange, Kamek. I should be rejoicing but I feel so..." He roared into his pillow. "I think something's wrong with my head."

"You'll feel much better when you reunite with Princess Peach." Kamek said firmly. "I can already hear the wedding bells!"

Wedding. Somehow the thought of a wedding did not sound as appealing as it once did.

All he could think about was how he was going to tell Luigi that his brother was gone.

"You're right." He agreed. "It's time to celebrate! That obnoxious human is dead at last. I, King Bowser, have won!"