To End a War
By: MarkTheMonitor
Chapter 2
This chapter was a bit of a struggle, I'm surprised I managed to finish it so soon.
As Mario brings Peach back to her castle, he can't stop thinking about what happened in Bowser's throne room. He can't help but feel bad for Bowser. He knows how embarrassing it is to have your pants rip in front of others. But, at least Peach wasn't there…
"Mario, are you doing alright?" Peach asks, breaking Mario's train of thought.
"Yeah. I'm ok. I'm just worried about Bowser," Mario admits, causing Peach to stop, not sure how to respond.
"Did something happen?" Peach asks, beginning to look a little worried.
Mario pauses, he doesn't want to lie to her… but at the same time, this really isn't something he should share… "Out of respect for Bowser, I'd rather not talk about it," Mario finally replies, causing an awkward silence.
The two of them continue walking for a bit, before Peach breaks the silence. "Mario… Do you like Bowser?" Peach asks.
"While I don't approve of him kidnapping you and trying to force you to marry him, at least he doesn't hurt you, and he tries his best to be nice. But if he stopped kidnapping you, I'd think he could be a good friend." Mario explains, having trouble reading Peach's expression.
"... You're right…" Peach sighs, before her expression becomes angry. "I still don't appreciate being kidnapped though."
Mario gives Peach a look of sympathy, but doesn't say anything. The two walk in silence for a few minutes, before eventually, the two start having a casual conversation.
After escorting Peach back to her castle, Mario heads off to his house, his mind wandering back to Bowser. He finds himself thinking of all the time he's spent with Bowser outside of rescuing Peach… and begins to realize that, perhaps he and Bowser would make a good couple… but then Mario remembers how Bowser kidnaps Peach, and his heart sinks.
"Hey bro, welcome home," Luigi calls out from the kitchen when he hears Mario enter the house. "You hungry? I just finished making dinner," Luigi asks as he sets two plates of spaghetti on the table.
"Thanks bro," Mario replies as he sits down at the table and begins eating, the chair creaking slightly under his weight. As Mario eats the spaghetti, he can't help but imagine sharing it with a certain beefy koopa.
"What's on your mind bro?" Luigi asks, snapping Mario back to reality.
Mario pauses for a moment, he doesn't want to worry his brother. But at the same time, he might worry Luigi more if he doesn't talk about it. "I'm thinking about Bowser," Mario answers honestly. "I… think I might have a crush on him… but at the same time… I'm kinda afraid of him, because, you know."
Luigi pauses for a moment to process what Mario just told him. Mario can tell that Luigi is thinking of how to respond.
"Well… maybe when Bowser gives up on trying to marry Peach, he'll realize that kidnapping isn't the way to go when you want to win someone's heart. And even if he doesn't, you can just point it out to him," Luigi explains, blushing at how cheesy that sounds. "Just remember that no matter what happens, I'm here for you bro."
Mario smiles, glad that he can always count on Luigi to be there for him. "Thanks bro," Mario says after finishing his spaghetti, standing up to give his brother a hug before heading off to bed.
As Mario lays in bed, he still can't stop thinking of Bowser, and decides that, he'll host a kart race, and give Bowser an actual invitation this time.
Writing this chapter felt like navigating a minefield. It was tough trying to get Mario to acknowledge Bowser's biggest flaw in a way that (hopefully) doesn't sound like Mario's just ignoring it.