Bowser sauntered into his smaller throne to begrudgingly chat with Kamek. He expected to see a few minions, heck, even Kammy with them but there was nobody else there. The room was empty, save for all the decorations and spare thrones.

"What's this about?" He raised an eyebrow suspiciously. "Where is everyone?"

"I'm afraid it's just us this meeting."

He internally groaned, knowing exactly what that meant. "I'm not in the mood for a lecture."

"This won't take long, I assure you, your impatientness."

"Fine. What do you want?" He demanded. "I don't have all night."

"It's not what I want," Kamek replied slyly. "It's what you want."

He scoffed. "Oh, like you're suddenly an expert on what I want. Cut the crap Kamek, you know what I want. To rule over the Mushroom Kingdom and have Princess Peach as a bride! And eternal glory and all that."

Kamek didn't seem remotely convinced. "Ah, but is that truly what you desire, Lord Bowser?"

"Ha! What kinda dumb question is that?" Bowser moved him aside to examine a portrait of himself flexing. "You of all koopas know that by now. Unless you've gone and lost your memory, old timer?"

"I may be old, but I am not senile." Kamek retorted. "I'm also not blind to the obvious."

"Oh yeah? What's the obvious?"

"You want the green human."

That caught him off guard. "Wh-what? What him to do what?"

Unfortunately Kamek was not amused at his terrible attempt to play dumb. "You want him in the same way you want Princess Peach."

"Ha!" He flipped around and laughed in his face."That's gotta be the dumbest joke you've ever told!"

"I'm not laughing, sire."

"Good, because it's a stupid joke anyway. Like I said." He huffed some smoke in the magikoopa's direction-which he narrowly avoided by floating downwards. "Tell me what you really want."

"To address this properly." Kamek's grin seemed to widen. "You've grown fond of him, haven't you? Perhaps even a bit soft."

"No!" He said, a little too quickly. "Of course not. I'm using him as a way to get to his brother. Get under his skin, you know?"

That was the initial plan, even if it was a bit outdated with the current situation.

"I thought you were going to kill him, sire. Right in front of his brother."

"Yeah well, you know that isn't necessary anymore."

"And then, despite this, you decided to use him to practice proposing for Peach. Normally you would ask me to do that."

"Is that what you're upset about?"

He threw his hands up comically in exasperation. "No!"

"Then get to the point."

"The point is...any free time you get, you spend it with him. You let him roam the castle like he's simply a guest. You hardly show up for meetings because of that human."

"His name is Luigi. I thought I already told you that!"

"Case and point." Kamek fluttered closer to Bowser, who seemed for once, stumped and out of retorts. "Practice was one thing. The quality time, the fancy meals, the flowers..."

"Hey, giving him flowers was Pom Pom's idea. And...it was just...something I thought he would like. That doesn't mean anything!"

"You literally took a bath with him."

"I did not! He just happened to be there. It was pure coincidence."

"Regardless, I've known you since before you hatched. I practically raised you as a young prince and now advise you as king. I know you."

"So?"

"So, I also know you've acted exactly the same way around Princess Peach. You look at him the same way too."

Bowser's expression hardened. He hated the way Kamek was staring at him with such smug satisfaction at being right. He knew he wasn't exactly subtle with his emotions, positive or negative, but even he was surprised at how fast Luigi had warmed up to him. And vice versa. But Kamek wasn't finished.

"Everyone knows about it. Even the Dry Bones, and they don't have brains!"

"And the kids? Do they know?"

"I believe they have their suspicions."

He shook his head in dismay. "Advise me then. What should I do?"

"Focus on the mission, sire. You can't let some petty plumber get in the way of your plans."

"I've already been focusing!" He snapped. "The ambush worked perfectly. Thanks to my genius intellect."

"The ambush that I came up with and General Koops led."

"Those are minor details!"

Kamek exhaled a heavy sigh. "The point I'm trying to make is, you need to keep your feelings on the down low. You can't fall for the brother of your sworn enemy."

"Okay first of all-" Bowser jabbed an accusatory claw in Kamek's chest. "I have not fallen for Luigi, stop putting words in my mouth. Second of all, Mario isn't my problem anymore. He's dead, end of story."

He had investigated the cause of death after probing some goombas. Apparently during the ambush on Rainbow Road, Mario had carelessly fallen off course alongside Donkey Kong. Before they could drown, they were swallowed by a giant Maw Ray. There was no way they could have survived that.

"But still! The human- erk, Luigi, is a commoner. Not even that, but he's weak and he's limited in any positive traits that Peach possesses."

"To you maybe." He grumbled under his breath.

Kamek seemed to soften up, although he did not acknowledge Bowser's comment. "Sire, I know this might be a confusing time. But remember how much you care for Peach."

"I did write a whole song for her."

"Exactly! And if you marry her, both your kingdoms will thrive together! What benefits does falling in love with Luigi have for you?"

A companion. A friend. Someone who listens to me, someone who actually seems to understand what it's like to feel alone. Someone who bonds well with my children, who treats them with respect. Peach would do all those things with reluctance, out of an obligation. Not that he really blamed her.

Part of him knew he was an unlovable monster. It didn't take a genius to figure out all the reasons why Peach had rejected him before. He had the confidence, he had the glory and the power, but he was no human.

Yet with Luigi...there might be a chance.

No. He couldn't. Not when he was so close to winning. He didn't need any of those things anyway.

"These feelings for him will subside then." He said, sounding slightly unsure.

"Of course they will, sire." Kamek assured him in a soothing tone. "You haven't known him for very long."

"In a way, it feels like I have. Ever since I saw him, I felt a need to protect him. He looked so afraid, so delicate and innocent. I like him for almost the same reasons as Peach. I didn't realize until I finally got to know him how much I enjoyed his company."

"Sire!" gasped Kamek, who looked about ready to faint.

The color drained from his face. "Did I say that out loud?"

"Oh Grambi, you have it really bad. Really, really, really bad! This is a disaster!"

"Get over yourself!" He roared, flames sparking from his snout as a warning. Whether it was from anger or from embarrassment, he really didn't know. "He wouldn't like me anyway, especially if he finds out about Mario."

The wizard chuckled to himself with glee. "I'd like to be there when you tell him." He stopped when Bowser's expression didn't change. "You will tell him, won't you?"

"Er, well I mean...I wasn't planning to? If he finds out, he will hate me!"

"And that's a problem, how exactly?" Kamek fought the urge to roll his eyes. "It's up to you whether to tell him, but you needn't forget about your goal here."

"There's nothing more important than my conquest. But even still, I can't let him know."

"He isn't stupid, he'll find out eventually. If I may bring up a suggestion, perhaps you took this practice proposal too far. Your feelings are all over the place."

"Eugh, I hate to say this, but you might be onto something. Like you said, I'm treating him like I would with Peach. That must be it!" He snapped his fingers and marched towards the door. "I need to treat him like the prisoner he is."

"Excellent idea!" said Kamek. "I'll escort him back to his cage right away!"

"No!" Bowser dismissed. "Just...put bars on his window and call it a day. That will be all."

"If you say so, sire." As the wizard was about to leave, he was greeted with a small puff of smoke to his face and a sneaky little koopa was the culprit.

Junior cackled, having been hiding under a spare tapestry.

"Young Prince, I thought I told you not to use your fire breath inside!"

"Nice work Junior." Bowser praised, swelling with pride for his son.

Junior stuck his tongue out at Kamek, before trotting over. "Dad, are you coming to say night?"

"Yes, of course. Do you need a bedtime story tonight?"

Junior hummed. "And Larry too."

"Alright, let's get you both settled in and I'll tell you an awesome tale of how I defeated the Waffle Kingdom..."

Kamek meanwhile, had much work to do.

In the morning, Luigi could tell something had changed. He had finally grown used to his usual routine at the castle, and this definitely wasn't it. One notable change was the bars on his window, replacing the curtains. He climbed out of bed to investigate.

"What the-" He pulled at the bars as though that would do anything. Predictably, they were latched on tight. Something was off, that was for sure. Why were there now bars on his window? After all this time of being treated like an esteemed guest, what was the cause of this? Did he say something to offend Bowser? He couldn't remember if he did. Yesterday was exhausting, as were most days.

Luigi frowned, deciding to get ready for the day despite the change. It had to be a mistake. Surely Bowser wouldn't have done this... or would he?

As soon as he finished his shower, he was alerted by a knock on the door. Pulling on his clothes hastily, he made his way to the front of the room. "Come in!"

The door unlocked. He didn't remember locking it last night.

Shy Guys marched in two by two, holding a tray of food. Another strange change. Normally Goombella was the one who would serve him breakfast.

"Thank you?" He accepted the tray from the masked creatures with some hesitation. These were the same fellows who had captured him in the first place. Not to mention their soulless eyes coming from their identical masks added to the creep factor. "Um...why are there bars on my window?"

The Shy Guys stared, unblinking.

"S- sorry I shouldn't have asked, I'm actually really cool with bars! Bars are…fun."

One of the Shy Guys huffed.

"I just don't remember locking my door or having bars on my window. Did I do something wrong?"

Again, no response. "Oh, do you not speak English? Mi può aiutare?"

The Shy Guy with the nozzle on his mask made a sound that almost resembled a laugh. Luigi joined in, only because his anxiety was rising.

"Guess not." He muttered.

"Eat. Lord Bowser made this for you." The Snifit said.

"He made this for me?"

Instead of answering, the Shy Guys wordlessly retreated and slammed the door in his face. Luigi attempted to open it, but it was, of course, locked. Just like the bars on his window, no matter how hard he pulled, it wouldn't budge.

He groaned, eyes flickering towards the tray of food they gave him. To his surprise, it was burnt pancakes. Just like the ones he showed Bowser and his kids how to make…

Now that was unexpectedly sweet.

He was about to start eating around the burnt parts, when he noticed something sparkling beside the tray.

A tiny bobby pin. It must have fallen from the wig he once had. Now, it was his way out, and perhaps a way to get answers.

He recalled the time from when he was around nine, listening to his Uncle Tony (who was high on painkillers due to breaking his ankle) explain how to unlock a door.

"Now what you wanna do is grab something small, and something sharp." Tony had instructed. "Like this!" He plucked a hairpin from his black curls and showed it off.

"Then what?" Luigi asked, leaning in closer to watch his uncle demonstrate.

"You wiggle it in, and then voila! You just got yourself an unlocked door. I will not tell you how many times I've locked myself in the bathroom and had to use one of these babies! It's truly a marvel."

Luigi knew for a fact Tony had lost his marbles long before then, but he was definitely up to something with that stroke of genius. Scooping up the hairpin, he made sure to be precise when it came to placing it inside the keyhole. Knowing himself, he had to be careful in case he dropped it. He twisted it, and then with a click: it opened.

"Oh, grazie Tony!" He silently thanked his uncle as he dashed out. Thankfully he remembered a few turns from Wendy's tour, and his direction skills had improved significantly. He had to figure out what was going on.

For once he was grateful Mario was obsessed with parkour. Being the ever observant little brother, Luigi had picked up a few moves himself-even if he was a lot clumsier. He maneuvered through the castle hallways, barely avoiding a terrifying trio of Dry Bones. His first encounter in the Darklands was with those creatures, and he wasn't looking forward to meeting them again. Luckily he managed to hide behind a banister in the nick of time as the skeleton turtles trotted past him, the rattling of bones sending a chill up his spine.

He would never get used to those things.

It didn't take long before he found the throne room. Bowser was almost always there. Although Luigi didn't schedule a meeting with the king, he hoped he wouldn't mind a visit.

Seeing as there were no koopa guards, he took a deep breath and made his way to the door. But as soon as he put his hand on the doorknob, he was interrupted by someone-something growling behind him.

Slowly, he turned around to face it.

A Chain Chomp was rolling close to him, chains rattling behind it and barking madly.

"Gah!" He jumped and pressed his entire body against the wall in pure fear. In a whirlwind of panicked breaths, he managed to stammer out: "N- nice doggy. Please don't eat me."

The chained creature barred its pointy teeth and snapped its jaws.

He squeezed his eyes shut and yelled out the first person he could think of. "Mario!"

Predictably his red clad brother did not burst through and rescue him, but instead an odd looking koopaling with an explosion of green hair on their head strolled in.

"Good boy, Rover!" Iggy praised, patting the Chain Chomp on the head, and letting the ball roll back. "Excellent work, my pet. You managed to catch the prisoner all by yourself, and you didn't even need one of my brilliant inventions!"

"Wh- what?" Luigi blinked, startled.

"Still, I'm impressed you actually made it this far." Iggy sighed, revealing a remote control from behind their shell as they finally addressed Luigi. "Sorry about this Luigi." They pressed the button, and in an instant his wrists were bound with metal cuffs.

"Hey!" He shouted angrily. "Let me go!"

"Tsk tsk, you were told not to run away, weren't you?"

"No! Nobody told me anything!" He said-almost as a whine.

Iggy's smirk only grew. "Ooh, then that means I'm the one to tell you! How thrilling!" They strolled over and crouched down to meet Luigi's eye level. "You aren't allowed to leave your room anymore. Dad's rules, not mine."

"Why?"

Iggy cackled louder.

Luigi could only think of one way to reason with the young koopa. He had seen it work once after all. "Ignatius, stop!"

"Ha! That isn't gonna work," Iggy bonked him on the head with their scepter. "You're not my dad. You can't discipline me! Deal with it." For added insult to injury, they stuck their tongue out and blew as a raspberry in his face.

"Now, let's take you back to your room, boomer." Iggy instructed the Chain Chomp to herd Luigi involuntarily back upstairs to the dimly lit hallways.

"Iggy, please, can you at least tell me what is going on?"

"If my research is correct, I'm currently taking you back to your room."

"That isn't what I meant and you know it." He yelped as the Chain Chomp barked at him from behind. "Why am I not allowed to move around the castle?"

"Hmmm..." they tapped their chin, pretending to be deep in thought, when in reality they were merely stalling. "That's a good question."

"Porca miseria...you're almost as impossible as your father."

Their eyes darkened. "Shut up! I'm not like my Dad at all!"

Clearly he had unintentionally struck a nerve with the koopaling.

"Sorry..."

"Look, I'm not the one to ask, 'cause I don't actually know why. Maybe Dad finally remembered that you're a prisoner. Not his friend. Not even his pet. Got it?"

Luigi couldn't hold back a scowl at the smug teen. "I made pancakes for you all yesterday..."

"That was yesterday. And mine were slightly burnt, soooo..." Iggy shrugged. "I don't even know why you're complaining. You could be in a cage right now with all the others. Heck, if I wanted to, I could dissect you like an experiment. But I won't, because I'm nice."

They grunted and shoved open his bedroom door. "Now be a good prisoner, and stay put!"

Luigi sighed, dipping his head. He was too worn out to try protesting any further. The action made Iggy frown.

"I...listen." They said, "I don't think Pops is actually made at you. He didn't seem mad, that is."

"Really?"

They snapped their fingers, and the metal cuffs disappeared. At least they had the grace to do that.

"You need to stay put though. Sorry."

With one last wave, they closed the door. He slumped down, realizing Rover the Chain Chomp was definitely guarding his room, judging from the snarling sounds from outside.

He ran a hand through his hair and made his way to the window. The skies were as dark as usual. He wasn't certain if he had even seen sunlight since he left Brooklyn.

"Mario, send me a sign." He whispered. "Let me know you're okay."

He had never intended to push back the proposal. It just...happened. Bowser had thought with Mario out of the picture, he would fly over to the Mushroom Kingdom as soon as he could to finally make his move.

But something was stopping him. Even after locking Luigi away, he couldn't stop thinking about him. And it was killing him.

"Sire, I know you're struggling...but you should really start getting ready for your proposal!" Kamek flew in on cue. "Kammy and I can help you get ready for it tomorrow."

"Why tomorrow?"

"Peach has returned back to the Mushroom Kingdom. It seems as though she has admitted defeat after losing the Kong army, which means it's the perfect time for you to propose."

"Oh!" He sat up straight, smirking as an idea struck him. "I'll need to rehearse the pick up lines I did with Luigi. Apparently the 'coming out of my shell' line is a bit cheesy. I'll have to try something meaningful, show her how truly awesome I am." His smile faltered. "Speaking of...is Luigi alright?"

"Define 'alright'?"

"Considering he fainted and cried the first few days upon arriving here I'd say...better than that?"

"I imagine being told to stay locked in a room for an unseeable future might take a toll on him, but I wouldn't worry." Kamek replied.

"It's hard not to. I haven't even decided what I'm going to do with him once I marry Peach."

"You know, sacrificing him with the other prisoners is still on the table."

"I'm not doing that!"

"But why? He's useless to you now. He's always been useless."

His eyes twitched. Although he would agree that having Luigi be locked in his room did indeed help him focus and it was the right decision to make, he found his temper flaring at the way Kamek talked about him.

"Enough! He isn't useless. You know that."

"Are you talking about Weej?" piped a squeaky voice from behind a mural of Bowser and the koopalings. Somehow Junior had stayed perfectly still-so still that neither koopa had noticed the young boy.

Bowser would hate to admit he had jumped in surprise at the sight of his youngest child, who had once again snuck into the throne room. "Junior!" He exclaimed, exasperated. "I thought Lemmy was with you!"

"He's getting his circus set up." Junior explained, as if that clarified everything.

"Regardless, I told you not to eavesdrop!"

"But Dad..."

"No buts! This conversation doesn't concern you."

"Yes it does! You're talking about Weej!" Junior stomped his foot. "You didn't even answer my question!"

Bowser shot a weary look at his advisor. "Kamek, can you...?"

"Oh, would you look at the time!" Kamek pulled his robe sleeve up to reveal a nonexistent watch. "I've got a thing to do. At a place. Have fun parenting, your grumpiness!"

"Urgh, if I didn't rely on him so much, he would have been fired by now..." Bowser sighed, irritated, but still intrigued by his son's enthusiasm. "Yes, son, I was talking about Luigi. Why do you ask?"

Junior climbed on his father's lap. "I like him! He's nice to me."

That made him chuckle lightly. "That's good, I'm glad he is."

"I used to think he was only being nice because he was so scared. But now he doesn't seem scared at all! He told me we could draw again sometime. I might show him my spray cans..."

Junior was starting to ramble. He was a good kid, but he had a tendency to go on for hours on end-even to the point of forgetting his own original train of thought. Still, Bowser couldn't fault the boy.

"Is that so?"

"Also..." Junior seemed deep in thought as he pondered what to say next about Luigi. "Oh! I almost forgot, Dad, he has hair on his face! It looks like the kind King Bob-bomb has. Did you notice it?"

If it wasn't his own kid saying this, he would have rolled his eyes. Instead, he ruffled his son's hair. "Yes, yes I did notice."

"Dad." Junior poked his father's snout. "Dad. Dad...Dad!"

"What?"

"Can we keep him?"

Bowser's eyes went wide at the question. That wasn't what he expected. "Keep ...Luigi?"

"Mhm! I was thinking because I like him, almost all the Koopalings like him...except for Ludwig but Ludwig doesn't like anyone!" Junior leaned closer and giggled. "And you like him!"

"I do not-" Bowser protested.. He didn't want to spend time arguing with a six-year-old. "He's a prisoner, Junior, and I'm in love with Peach."

"I know, I know, we all heard your song. But you can still marry Mama Peach!" He explained. "So that way, I can have a mama, a papa and a Weej!"

"That's not how it works..." Bowser muttered. In an ideal world, maybe, but he knew Luigi wouldn't willingly want to stay as soon as he knew the truth about his brother. It was only a matter of time. "Junior, I need to prepare for tomorrow's visit to the Mushroom Kingdom."

"We're going to the Mushroom Kingdom tomorrow?"

"No, Kamek and I are going. You're staying here with your siblings."

"Aw Dad.."

Bowser laughed again, nudging his son with his muzzle, like that of a mother cat. "Go along and play with Lemmy. I have work to do."

"Okay!" He made a few chirping noises and scurried off.

There was a glimmer in the boy's eye that made Bowser realize he was going to cause some mischief.

And he couldn't be prouder.

Since there wasn't really anything to do while he was trapped inside his room, Luigi spent his time thinking about what he would do once he finally escaped.

No doubt he would be reunited with Mario. The brothers had never been separated for so long before, and it drove him to near insanity wondering where he had landed.

Was he safe? Was he finding some way to help him?

Was he even alive?

He shook his head, dismissing the morbid thought. He had to be alive. He was going to come to rescue him in no time. They would leave together and head back to Brooklyn. They would continue their plumbing business, become household names, and live normal lives. Lives that didn't involve giant turtles or talking mushrooms.

Although Luigi imagined if he hadn't accidentally wandered into that mysterious green pipe, his life wouldn't be much better.

But at least then Mario would still be with him. He didn't know what he would do if he didn't have Mario by his side. Some scoffed at their bond, insisting that they couldn't rely on each other all the time...but Luigi disagreed. They relied on each other just the right amount. They were a team and they would always be that way.

He decided staring out the window dramatically wasn't going to make him feel any better. It only made him think about how Mario was doing, and frankly, he didn't need that stress in his life. He was anxious enough as is, and it wasn't like he could do anything.

He was stuck.

Until he heard some giggling.

Luigi yelped, grabbing the nearest object-a pillow and held it like a shield. "Who's there?" He demanded. "Sh- show yourself!"

The giggling only continued, and in that moment, Luigi quickly figured out who it was. "Junior?"

"Awww you found me!" whined Junior, who appeared, quite literally out of thin air. The rainbow paintbrush he was carrying seemed to possess abilities that Luigi was incapable of understanding.

"What are you doing here?"

Junior sat on his rump and groaned. "I wanted to play with Lemmy, but he's busy practicing."

"Practicing what?"

"He wants to be a performer. Y'know, like in the circus. Anyway, he said he's busy so he can't play!" He automatically crawled into Luigi's lap-causing the poor man's knees to give out. "Now I've got no one to play with."

"Oh, piccolino...what about your other siblings?" He would never understand why each of the koopalings seemed to always want to be around him.

"They're all busy doing something!" He said. "I think they're making up excuses. So I came here, Weej! We had fun drawing last time."

"We did." He agreed. "Would you like to draw again with me?"

"Hmmm...nope!" Junior perked up. "I wanna play a game. Will you play with me?"

"Oh, I don't know..."

Junior pouted. "Please?"

"I'm not supposed to be leaving this room..."

"PleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasePLEASE!"

"Alright, alright! What do you want to play?"

Junior padded off Luigi's lap and smirked. "Hide and flame!"

The color drained from his face. Somehow he didn't think that game sounded safe. "Hide and...flame?"

"Yeah, you hide and then I look for you! When I find you, I use my fire breath!"

There were a million ways Luigi wanted to say no. He wanted to politely reject such a terrible game and suggest something else. But deep down, the way he saw Junior's pleading puppy dog eyes...he knew he couldn't. That boy had him wrapped around his finger, and worse, he knew it.

"I'll give you a head start, Weej! Promise!"

"Great, thanks. I really appreciate that Junior."

True to his word, Bowser Junior covered his eyes and proceeded to count to fifty. With his door unlocked, Luigi ran off to find a suitable hiding spot. One one hand, he didn't want to make it impossible for the kid to find him. On the other hand, being burnt by his fireball was not a pleasant image.

Still with some of his knowledge of the castle in the back of his mind, Luigi managed to wedge himself behind a statue of Bowser. Now all he had to do was wait.

He didn't have to wait for long. In an instant, bursts of flames came flying in his direction, causing him to shriek and barely dodge them.

He gasped and did a very clumsy midair split to avoid a fireball below him. "Mamma Mia!"

"Found you!" Junior cheered, bounding into Luigi's arms. "I win, I win!" He frowned. "Huh. That was way too easy."

"Too easy?" He fell to his knees, out of breath. "You nearly singed my mustache!"

"But I didn't!" Junior playfully patted Luigi's nose. "Weej, if you're gonna live here, you're gonna have to learn how to deal with fire. It's just common sense."

"Junior I'm not-" He gently adjusted the boy to his other hip. "I'm only staying here temporarily."

"What? You're leaving?" Junior looked hurt. "Why?"

"Because..." He bit his lip. "Because I'm not from here. My brother is coming to get me soon."

"But why?" He repeated. "Do you not like it here? Do you not like me?"

"No! No, of course I like you, piccolino but ah..."

How on Earth was he supposed to explain to a child that he was taken from his home unwillingly? He couldn't.

"I'll miss you if you leave! You can't go! I haven't shown you all my spray paints yet, or ...or..." His lip quivered, devastated. He jumped out of Luigi's arms and hugged his plastron. "

"I'll miss you too, Junior. Which is why...I'll try to come visit, okay?" He crouched down to wipe a tear from Junior's cheek.

He sniffed. "Promise?"

"I promise." He even crossed his heart for good measure.

"That won't happen for a while though!" Junior said. "Because dad wants to keep you for as long as possible."

"Does he now? How interesting." Luigi chuckled to himself. "I know you said you want to play more, but I really should head back to my room."

Junior's head went down. "I know. I'll walk you back, Weej."

"Grazie, piccolino."

Junior started to giggle as he led Luigi back to his room, even mumbling a few Italian phrases back at him. For once, despite him almost getting burnt alive-again, he was happy and relaxed.

That was until he saw Bowser standing by his door.

Both Luigi and Bowser Junior froze. The former gulped.

"Greetings."