It had been too long since the castle of the Koopa Kingdom had been filled with the sounds of truly joyous, honest laughter from so many people. The resident orchestra that played at Boo's various parties had traded their usual place in the ballroom for a large grandstand out in the castle gardens. The majority of the wedding guests had filtered out there earlier in the day after the ceremony had taken place, enjoying the refreshments, entertainment, and gossip that was being provided to them. As the sun began to approach the horizon and the orange hues of sunset tinted the sky, Bowser and Peach made their entrance, again to the sounds of cheers and applause. Whether it was because the guests were genuinely happy to see them or whether they were all so drunk that they applauded everyone who entered the party regardless of who they were, neither Peach nor Bowser knew. But they also didn't care. It didn't matter what everyone else thought, or what gossip had surely been circulating about them just moments before. All that mattered was that they had just gotten married. And they were damn well entitled to celebrate that fact. They made their way through the crowds of people- everyone from noblemen to farmers had been invited to join the festivities- picking up a goblet of wine each as they walked past one of the many serving tables. They pretended to mingle for a while; although they mostly just stood talking to each other, sipping on their wine, and laughing louder than anyone else around them, Toadette occasionally passing by and giving Peach a subtle hand squeeze or soft smile. But, once their goblets were empty, Peach smiled up at Bowser and he caught that familiar twinkle in her eye. Without a word, he offered his arm out to her, his own smile forming on his lips. She wrapped her arm around his and together they walked over to the paved area surrounding the grandstand that had been set as a temporary dance floor. People parted to let them through and soon they were stood in the middle of the crowd. Upon seeing the couple enter, the orchestra began to change the upbeat, playful tune they had been playing into a slower, calmer, more romantic song. In a familiar set of motions, Bowser pulled Peach towards him, Peach placed one hand on his shoulder, and their free hands intertwined. Together, they began swaying to the music. And, just like on the night they had met, the whole world drifted away until it was just the two of them. They danced for hours, lost both in the music and each other.

"Are you happy, my princess?" Bowser asked her later into the evening, the stars above them shining in her eyes as she looked up at him.

"Happier than I've been my entire life," Peach replied with an honest smile.

"As am I," Bowser smiled back.

"However, I am getting rather tired," Peach leaned forwards to try and cover her yawn, "I know it's still quite early, but it has been a long day,"

"I agree," Bowser nodded, noticing how tired his body was beginning to feel, "shall we retire for the evening?"

"I would like that," Peach smiled, blushing slightly. Bowser then pulled back from Peach before bowing deeply. Peach responded with a curtsy, her smile widening- she knew exactly what Bowser was doing. To prevent prying eyes and any guests who, fuelled by either curiosity or drunkenness, wanted to followed the newlyweds inside, Bowser and Peach separated in full view of the crowd, appearing to disappear in opposite directions in order to further mingle with the guests. They each then slowly made their way around the outside of the crowd and reunited by a door around the side of the castle, well away from the rest of the party.

"That was very clever," Peach smirked, reaching out as Bowser offered his hand to her.

"Thank you," Bowser smiled, opening the door and leading them both inside. They walked through the castle slowly, enjoying the peace after the continuously loud and busy day they had both just had. Eventually, they came to a stop outside the door to Bowser's chambers. After a pause, almost feeling like a moment of hesitation, Bowser opened the door and they both entered the room. The bed had been turned down by the servants hours before and the fireplace opposite the bed had been well stoked, heating the room nicely and casting warm shadows over everything. Peach closed the door behind her, but once she turned back around she saw Bowser stood a few feet away from her, looking suddenly very shy as he awkwardly fiddled with the end of his tie. Smiling, Peach walked over to him and reached out a hand to lift his face. Their eyes met and Peach couldn't help the blush that began to spread across her cheeks. Silently, she took his hand and led him over to the bed. Slowly, she sat down on the edge of the bed and, after realising Bowser appeared to be almost stuck in place, gently tugged his hand to get him to sit beside her. She reached up and stroked her hand down the side of Bowser's cheek and smiled as she felt the heat of Bowser's skin against her fingers. As her hand came to rest on Bowser's chin, she gently tilted her husband's head up slightly before shifting her body forwards and pushing their lips together. Bowser almost instantly relaxed and slid his arms around her waist, pulling her closer- she tasted faintly of wine and summer strawberries. Once they pulled apart, they stayed in each other's arms, Bowser gently leaning his forehead against Peach's. They sat there for a while, listening to the quiet sounds of the party continuing without them in the distance. Peach leaned up to kiss Bowser again, but Bowser dipped his head and began trailing kisses down her jawline and neck. Peach's breath caught as Bowser's fangs lightly dragged down the side of her throat. Almost instinctively, she tilted her head back and ran a hand through his hair. Bowser pushed his body forwards and leaned over Peach, placing his hands on the mattress either side of Peach's hips to balance himself as Peach's body melted underneath him. Peach grabbed onto his tie to stop herself from falling completely backwards, a quiet gasp falling from her lips as Bowser traced his way back up her neck and jaw. Once he reached her chin, Peach pulled on his tie and reconnected their lips. She kissed him harder this time and Bowser responded with equal passion, gripping onto her waist. Eventually, Bowser pulled back and smiled down at Peach, his breath coming out in quick, short bursts. She smiled back at him as Bowser placed a hand on the small of her back and pulled her back upright to sit next to him. He reached out and brushed away a stray lock of hair from her face and Peach leaned into his touch, pressing her cheek against his open palm.

"Come now, the hour grows late," Peach tried to smile but was interrupted by a yawn. She then stood and, much to Bowser's surprise and sudden embarrassment, turned away from him and began to undress herself. Bowser completely froze, not knowing what to do but not quite being able to look away from his new wife's slender form. He watched the gentle curves of her body as Peach turned around just as her wedding dress fell to the floor around her, leaving her petticoats and corset exposed. Upon seeing the almost terrified look on Bowser's face, she couldn't help but burst into laughter.

"Don't look so scared, my dear. I'm simply preparing myself for bed. And you should too," Peach smiled softly and Bowser let out a breath he hadn't even realised he was holding. After a few minutes, the two of them changed into their nightclothes and climbed into bed. Bowser lay on his back, holding out his arm to the side. Peach curled up against him, placing her head on his chest. Bowser leaned over her and blew out the candle at his bedside before wrapping his arms around Peach and pulling the covers over them both.

"Goodnight, dearest wife," Bowser whispered tentatively into the darkness.

"Goodnight, dearest husband," Peach smiled to herself, draping an arm across Bowser's torso. Within moments, the two were peacefully asleep, cuddled against one another.


- A few hours earlier -

Boo leaned against the low wall next to him, partially hiding in the shadows as he watched his brother and his new sister-in-law dance together. He slowly sipped his wine as he watched them, hearing their laughter even from this distance. He couldn't remember the last time he had seen Bowser look so happy. Maybe when he was around five years old? His heart ached in his chest; he was desperate for this to be the moment his brother wanted it to be, for him to finally have the love and happiness he had deserved his whole life. But something was holding Boo back from believing it to be true. Peach seemed nice enough and, in all honesty, Boo hadn't taken much of a chance to truly get to know her before the wedding, assuming she would leave Bowser long before making such a commitment to him. She seemed perfectly innocent and appeared to genuinely care for his little brother in a way he had never seen anyone else be able to do before. She looked at him completely without fear or judgement and never shied away from his touch. But, something just didn't feel right to Boo. Could she truly ever love Bowser for who he was? He couldn't stand the idea of him being hurt by her, or by anyone else for that matter. As both his brother and his king, it was Boo's job to protect him from such harm. And, as he watched Bowser take Peach's hand after their little escape tactic and lead her back inside the castle, he decided that was exactly what he intended to do.