AN: Hey everyone! Happy New Year! :D

Chapter 5 Date Me

"Woah, head rush!" Bowser said. He put his hand to his head, taking deep breaths to try and gather his bearings. He wobbled a little when he tried to take a step, almost falling flat on his face. This was why he always despised teleportation as a magical spell; sure, it sounded cool on paper, but the sheer amount of discomfort and pain that it caused whoever used the spell canceled out the coolness and made it not worth it in the slightest. At least, that was Bowser's opinion (and he was the King, so his opinion was objectively correct).

But that was neither here nor there. The second Bowser was feeling fine enough to stand without trouble, he lifted his head and took in the sights of the Comet Observatory. The beacon shone right in the middle, illuminating the whole place with a heavenly, whitish-blue glow. The domes, as well as the areas that surrounded them, stuck out in the most quaint and charming way possible. Bowser wanted to sit in the grass around the Terrace and splash around like a little kid in the water near the Fountain. The colors also popped, and when paired with the backdrop of space, it created a sight that was unlike any the Koopa King had ever seen before.

"Wow," Bowser said under his breath. A smile grew on his face. He did not doubt in his mind that Rosalina was the one who was responsible for the appearance of such a grand place. He needed to compliment her on it, because she deserved every kind word someone could say about her Comet Observatory.

Of course, that wasn't why Bowser was here, was it?

The Koopa King smiled. Adjusting the… less than stellar suit that Kamek had selected for him (seriously, Kamek had no taste whatsoever), he took another deep breath. He adjusted his hair, making sure to put on the most gorgeous smile a Koopa could possibly wear.

Okay, Bowser, this is it. Every last moment of your life up to this point has been building up to this. Was that statement a little too dramatic…? Eh, it didn't matter. You are going to find that goddess. You're going to sweep her off her feet, make her fall in love with you, and then… you're gonna kiss her. That shouldn't be too hard to do, considering you are a top-notch lady's man. He chuckled to himself, for there wasn't a universe out there where that wasn't true about the mighty Koopa King.

So, he took the first of many thunderous steps, preparing himself to search for the Lady of the Shooting Stars. He had just taken his fifth step, causing the dirt near the Terrace to smush under his feet when he heard a cooing noise. Bowser blinked, looking around to see what in the vast universe could have made such a sound when, suddenly, something fast and plushie hit him right in the chest.

"Woah!" Bowser exclaimed as he got pushed back. He looked at the thing that had hit him, noticing it was pink and star-shaped. Frowning, he peeled the luma off of him and held them at arm's length. "What was that for?"

The luma huffed at him, crossing its arms. Bowser looked around him and saw other lumas surrounding him. Because of all the colors they came in, like red, green, yellow, and blue, Bowser felt as though he was looking at the most child-like rainbow he had ever seen.

"Why are you here?" asked the pink luma in his hand. They pulled themself out of Bowser's grip (an impressive feat, all things considered) and flashed them a glare (which just looked more cute than angry). "What are you planning?"

Bowser chuckled. "Planning? I have no idea what you're talking about!" He smiled, hoping the expression would cover up his true intentions. He swept his hair back and looked at all the other lumas. "I'm looking for your Mama, if that's okay."

The lumas seemed to seize up. They exchanged looks, looks that conveyed the worry and even terror occupying their minds. Bowser sweated when he saw this. He remembered how Lumaliar had said that the other lumas were aware of Rosalina's weakness. What if these little guys saw right through him and tried to prevent him from smooching their Mama? Or, worse yet, what if they threw him out into space? That would be terrible, extremely so. Sure, the lumas didn't look like they had the strength to even lift Bowser's pinkie, but still. The thought was not pleasant.

"Um…" a blue luma, who looked like they were the most worried out of all the lumas here, approached Bowser. "Why do you need to see Mama?"

"Oh, no reason." Bowser put on a smile filled to the brim with charm. "I just want to see her. After all, she just so happens to be the best goddess I've ever met." (HA! Oh man, Bowser was so good at lying sometimes that he could probably win dozens of awards).

The lumas exchanged looks again. Some looked fidgety, some looked downright scared. The sweat fit that Bowser experienced grew worse, more unmanageable. Nevertheless, he wasn't going to reveal his emotions to these little aliens, so he just continued smiling and fought against the urge to wipe his brow.

Eventually, the blue luma nodded. "Well… I guess seeing Mama wouldn't hurt," they said despite the uncertainty in their voice. They sighed, floated over to Bowser, and grabbed hold of his hand. "Come on. Mama's in the bedroom. I'll take you there."

Bowser giggled. Man, this plan was working well so far, like a well-oiled machine. It was almost scary how well things were going, especially considering Bowser was someone who never made plans that ended up working.

The luma led him toward the dome, all while the others followed closely behind them. Bowser tried not to let this bother him. After all, they didn't know anything. They couldn't know anything; they were just stupid little kids! There was no reason they had to suspect Bowser! Well, except for the fact that he showed up in a tux out of nowhere, but that wasn't strong enough evidence to convict him.

When they got to the bedroom, the luma shushed him when they stood in front of the door. "Mama's probably asleep; let me go wake her up."

Bowser blinked. Wait, Rosalina needed to sleep? Wow, that was odd. Not a very conventional Goddess, that was for sure. As Bowser battled with his confusion over this new information, the luma floated into the dome. Bowser twiddled his thumbs while waiting, all while doing his darndest to not let the stares of the other lumas bother him too much. This plan is going to work out fine, this plan is going to work out fine…

Eventually, the luma emerged from the dome with their Mama. The very first thought Bowser had when he saw her was Wow. Even after just getting out of bed, Rosalina looks gorgeous. He swiped his hair back, putting the charming smile back on as Rosalina gave him one of the most bewildered looks of all time.

"Bowser! What are you doing here?" She raised an eyebrow. "How did you even get here?"

Bowser chuckled. "I had my advisor teleport me here." He wiggled his eyebrows at her. "Although, I think you would've already known about that. I mean, aren't goddesses supposed to be omniscient?"

Rosalina's jaw dropped. "Uh, I would hardly consider myself a goddess, but…" she shook her head. "That's not important. You still haven't answered my first question."

Bowser reached into his hammerspace, pulling out a bouquet of roses. They were red, a color that he had only ever reserved for his true love, Princess Peach. Rosalina gawked at the sight, and the lumas all had wide eyes as Bowser got down on one knee and presented the flowers.

"These are for you, my fair lady."

With her jaw still dropped to the floor, Rosalina struggled to speak. "Uh…um…" she took the roses. She inhaled their scent for a minute before looking back at Bowser. She looked like her whole worldview had shattered right in front of her. "You… you…" she looked back down at the roses. "They're… beautiful…"

"I thought you would like them." Bowser stood back up. "And I figured they would only be appropriate to give to the most special girl in the universe."

The lumas whispered amongst themselves as Rosalina did a double take. "I'm sorry. 'Most special girl in the universe?'" Rosalina lowered the bouquet to the ground. "Is… is this a joke?"

"Absolutely not!" Bowser exclaimed as he put his hand to his heart. "I never joke about my romantic intentions." Rosalina's face turned pale as he took a step toward her. "You see, Miss Rosie, I have done a lot of soul-searching recently. I have explored the deepest regions of my heart and questioned what the best thing was to do. I thought I was okay with going after Princess Peach of the Mushroom Kingdom, but I realized that didn't satisfy me anymore. I'd much rather go after you, Princess Rosalina of… wherever you're from."

A silence overcame the Comet Observatory. Rosalina trembled, her face as pale as a ghost. The lumas now looked scared, scared beyond belief. A yellow one even floated up to Rosalina and took hold of her hand.

"Uh… Mama…"

Rosalina pulled her hand away from the luma and took a step towards Bowser. She was clearly trying to look stern but was having trouble thanks to her shock.

"Bowser…" she cleared her throat. A solid minute passed, and Rosalina looked as though every second of it was torturous. "Do you…" she cleared her throat and stood up to her full height, looking at him right in the eye. "Do you honestly think that I would decide to be with you?"

Bowser faked a sigh and intentionally let his shoulders droop. "Oh, but Rosie!" Rosalina cringed at the nickname, but Bowser still didn't back down. "You don't understand! You see, I'm not a big, ferocious monster like everyone says. I'm simply a man!" He put his hand to his heart again. "I'm a man with feelings! I'm a man of principle! And, above all else, I'm a man of honesty." He looked her right in her sapphire blue eyes. "I can't imagine a world without you." What he said next was recycled directly from a speech he had given to Peach. "I have spent countless nights thinking about you. I have spent countless days longing for you. No other woman can even hope to satisfy me. Because…" he reached out and took her hand (another thing he recycled from his encounters with Peach). "Because I can't just ignore what my heart is telling me. And my heart only ever screams your name at full volume. I love you Pe… er, Rosalina." He smiled. "I would love it if we could take our relationship further. I would love it if you stay by my side, and I stay by yours."

Now it was Rosalina who sweated. She bit her lip, looking everywhere except for the Koopa King's face. She looked at her lumas, who by this point looked absolutely terrified. Bowser was worried that they were going to warn Rosalina about the dangers of this, about the risks that this scenario posed on her.

In fact, a red one attempted to. "Uh, Mama, I don't think you should…"

"Shush, Rory." Rosalina took a deep breath, pulling her hand away from Bowser and looking him in the eye (she must've finally worked up the courage to do so). "Bowser…" she shook her head. "I'm sorry. I can't trust you at this time. I really can't." She frowned, the expression surprisingly grim. "Not after everything you've done to my friends."

Bowser let out a sigh, one that he intentionally drew out. "I understand." He made his shoulders droop again, and he even threw in a tear for good measure (impressing himself in the process). "I should've seen this coming." He wiped his eyes. "Such an amazing woman as you would never go after someone with my looks, with my history." He pulled a handkerchief out of his shell and his blew his nose. "I… I'm so sorry! I guess I was expecting things to work out." He wiped his eyes again, this time with the handkerchief. "But… but I respect your choices, Rosalina. So much so that I don't think I should force myself on you." He turned away from her, this time whimpering. "I… I guess I should go." He started walking away, feeling the tension in the air as he counted every step.

"Bowser, wait!"

Bowser's heart leaped, but he tried his best to hide it as he turned back toward her. "Yes?"

Rosalina took a step towards him. "You… you're not going to try and kidnap me?"

"Kidnap you? Why would… oh." Bowser took a deep breath. "I can see why you would think I would. But honestly… I don't think that would benefit anyone. After all, it hasn't benefited anyone before." He turned his whole body back around. "Plus, as I said, I respect and love you. I can't kidnap someone I love and respect" (dang, just saying that out loud felt sacrilegious to him).

Rosalina blinked. "Oh." She hesitated, scratching the back of her head. "I… I guess you've grown since I last saw you."

Bowser grinned. "The only reason I might've grown is because of the positive influence you've had on me."

Rosalina smiled. "That… that's sweet." She looked back at the lumas, then at Bowser. A smile grew on her face, surprising everyone. "I… if this is the case… I suppose we can try our hand at a relationship."

Bowser gasped. "Rosie! Are you serious?" He laughed. "Oh, you just made my day!" He grinned at her. "You won't regret this! I promise you you won't regret this!"

"I… thank you." She looked down at her dress. "I… I suppose, if we're going to go on a date, I should go change."

The wide-eyed lumas shook. They looked over at Bowser as Rosalina went back into the bedroom. The Koopa King snickered and stuck his tongue out at them before going to another part of the Observatory to wait.