Chapter 4 Awkward and Uncomfortable

Ludwig put on a smile. Junior sat in bed with a raised eyebrow, and Ludwig didn't blame him. This was unusual by anyone's standards. This whole thing was an artificial scenario that would never have occurred if Bowser used any of the brain cells he had access to. As such, Ludwig fidgeted with his cloak. He started to sweat, feeling self-conscious of the sensation. Whether he liked it or not, he had to do this. He had to do this, and he would do this.

Of course, Junior was more than aware of Ludwig's unease. He raised his eyebrow even higher as he adjusted his position in bed. "What are you doing here?"

Ludwig chuckled. "Well… I wanted to help you out. Is that okay, Baby Boo?"

Baby Boo? Ludwig screamed in his head. What the hell is wrong with me! Who calls their sibling Baby Boo? Resisting the urge to throw up at his HORRENDOUS childcare skills, he took a step further into the room. Much to his chagrin, Junior scooted further back in his bed. The crown prince had this "deer in the headlights" expression, where he looked like he wanted to run for his life yet couldn't because his fear was too strong.

Ludwig covered up the fact that this bothered him by making his smile appear bigger. "Come on, Buddy! I know that something is bothering you, and I just wanted to see if everything was okay."

Understanding flashed across Junior's face, understanding and contempt. He let out a sigh as he pinched his brow. "Ludwig…"

"I know Junior, I know. Things are a little bit up in the air right now and you're dealing with some confusing emotions. I get it. Everyone has that kind of trouble in their life sometimes. Everyone has times where they feel as if nothing makes sense." He chuckled again, instantly stopping when he noticed how unnatural it sounded. He looked into Junior's eyes, studying the prince's expression. He prayed nonstop, hoping that this pathetic attempt at consoling would help his brother. After all, the faster Junior felt better, the faster Ludwig could wash his hands of this situation and run out of this room at top speed.

Unfortunately for Ludwig, Junior didn't look even remotely comforted by those words. In fact, he looked more actively frustrated than he did before. "How can you even say that?" He reached for the glass of water on his bedside table and took a sip. "I'm assuming Dad sent you, right? And if he did, that means that you know what he told me." He glared at Ludwig. "And you're smart; you should also know how horribly messed up and awful my birth story is!" Ludwig blinked when he saw Junior looking a little misty-eyed. "It shouldn't have happened! It was a mistake on Dad's part, and there is nothing anyone can do to change it!"

Ludwig felt a pang. He didn't feel bad because of the words so much as the way Junior said them. He sounded like he believed them with all his heart, every fiber of his being. He believed that what Bowser did was a mistake, which meant he was a mistake by extension. Honestly? Ludwig could empathize with Junior on some level. While he hadn't experienced emotions exactly like what was happening now, he had dealt with similar stuff.

"Junior…" Ludwig thought about his next course of action before putting the smile back on. "Do you want a hug?"

It was only after he said that that he realized how… awkward that question was. How sudden it had been said, how completely out of left field it was. Junior seemed to be aware of this too, as he looked scared. No, not scared, terrified! He probably wanted to run now more than ever, wanted to get away from the creepy eighteen-year-old and make a beeline for the nearest exit.

As such, Ludwig decided he needed to try a little hard. "I mean… hugs are the best medicine. They are sweet and… and…" Ludwig couldn't even finish his sentence because his internal self was cringing at his words. I am a sick, sick Koopa, his inner self said after dealing with a round of gagging. In fact, the gagging in his head was so strong that it caused him to gag externally. He felt like he was about to throw up as he heaved and coughed.

Which, as one could imagine, worked wonders when it came to Junior's mood. "Wow. You really think that I'm willing to buy that load of horse shit?" Ludwig was about to comment that Junior was too young to curse, but Junior jumped right into a tirade before he got the chance. "The only people who would get ANYTHING out of hugging right now are mushy gushy morons without ANY sense of how messed up this is."

Ludwig frowned. Man, I'd probably be really pissed off right now if he wasn't one hundred percent correct. It was at this point that Ludwig realized that he should cut the shmaltzy, lovey-dovey crap. Not only was it making him cringe, but it was also crystal clear that Junior wasn't responding positively to this. And Junior kind of needed something he could respond positively to if Ludwig could deem this mission a success!

So, he decided he was just going to be straight with him. "Look, Junior, you're right. Your birth story is highly unusual, and it is… well, it can mess with the way you see yourself. I get it, our siblings get it, your Dad gets it; EVERYONE gets it." He looked at Junior with an expression that… wasn't a glare necessarily but also wasn't forcing itself to appear more cheerful than it needed to be. "But you can't spend the rest of your life sulking in this bedroom. That's inappropriate."

"You think I care about that?" Junior took another sip of his water. "I'm the prince. I can do whatever I want. I don't need anyone's permission, and I ESPECIALLY don't want you to help me, Ludwig!"

Well, I suppose that makes two of us. Ludwig didn't say that though, which in turn meant he had to bite his tongue harder than normal. He took deep breaths, trying to enter a clearer state of mind without coming off as an insensitive jerk.

"I know. Believe me, I am well aware of that. But I need to…"

"You don't need to do anything!" Junior tightened his grip on his water glass. "Hell, there's nothing you really can do! Nothing! This whole thing sucks! This situation sucks, my Dad sucks for being so stupid, and the fact that he thinks you have any shot at fixing this sucks!" He started to tremble. "There's no way to fix this! The sooner Dad gets that through his thick skull, the happier we'll all be."

Ludwig held back a grunt. "I know." One would think he was a know-it-all with how often he was using the phrase "I know," but… eh, that didn't matter. All that mattered was that Ludwig got his message across to Junior. "It sucks, I get it. But like I said before, all of us have been through sucky situations. That doesn't mean you should stop living your life."

"Well… maybe it should!" Junior put on a pouty face, gripping his water glass even tighter. "If life throws crap at me that's even remotely similar to this, then maybe I should stay locked up in this room."

"Junior, that's really impractical…"

"I DON'T GIVE A SHIT!" Junior glared at Ludwig now. "Will you stop with this!"

"With what?"

"With this trying to encourage me! You're talking out of your ass! I know you are! You don't actually want to help me! All you care about is yourself and your music! You wouldn't even be here if my Dad didn't make you!"

Ludwig's fingers started to smoke. "Excuse me! You really think it's wise to…"

"I DON'T CARE ABOUT WHAT'S WISE!" Junior jumped up onto the bed. "In fact… why don't you just leave? This is a waste of both my time and yours. You don't want to be here, and I don't want you here!" Junior pointed toward the door. "Get out!"

Ludwig growled. He wanted to say "Gladly!" to Junior and stomp his way out of the room. He REALLY wanted to do that, and he probably should. But he didn't do that. Even though he knew it was probably the best, most sensible thing to do, he didn't do that.

What he did instead was clearly worse. "You know what? Maybe I would leave!" He got off the bed, glaring at Junior as his fingers caught fire. "If you're gonna be difficult like this, maybe it'd be best if I leave!" Junior's breathing got heavier as he said that. "Cause you're right. I don't want to be here. I mean, I think someone knocking some sense into that head of yours would be the best possible outcome." His eyes shot daggers at the prince. "No matter how impossible of a task that would be."

Junior seethed now. A vein in his forehead bulged and he gripped his water glass so tight it was a miracle it didn't shatter. "Ludwig…!"

"You know, other people have problems too you know! The six other Koopalings and I don't have a mother either! We have no idea who our birth parents are or even what they were like! And yet, do you see us moping in our beds about it all day? I don't think…"

Before he could finish his sentence, Junior screamed and chucked the water glass at him. Ludwig shrieked and ducked, causing the glass to smash into a million tiny pieces when it came in contact with the wall. Ludwig's jaw dropped as he looked at the glass, at the shards that would probably be sticking out of his eyes if his reflexes were just a smidge slower.

"You… you…" He gawked at Junior, and as he did, the ability to restrain himself and keep his emotions in check went completely out the window. The lightbulbs in the room flickered. The fire covered his entire body. "You… YOU COULD'VE KILLED ME!"

"GET OUT, LUDWIG! I DON'T WANT TO TALK TO YOU ANYMORE!"

A million thoughts filled Ludwig's head. They were horrible thoughts, listing all the creative and heinous ways he could teach Junior a lesson. He was so close… so close to acting on them, and yet…

"FINE!" Ludwig practically ran out of the room. As he stood outside of Junior's door, he took deep breath after deep breath. Unfortunately, none of that nor any of the other methods he used to try and calm himself worked. Parts of the hallway caught fire. It felt as if the castle was shaking.

"That brat!" Ludwig gripped his hands into fists. "That stupid… that awful…!"

"Ludwig?"

Ludwig turned his head to see Wendy coming down the hallway, staring at him with wide eyes. If Ludwig were to guess, he would say she was here to check on Junior. This meant that either Bowser came to his senses and asked for her assistance, or she was doing this of her own accord. Either way, she was here, and Ludwig had the perfect person to vent to.

"He threw a glass at my head!" He yelled. "Not a plushie, not a soccer ball, he threw a fucking GLASS at my head!" A vein in his own forehead bulged. "If I hadn't ducked in time, I'd have to go to THE HOSPITAL!"

Wendy approached Ludwig with a furrowed brow. "Okay! Okay." She looked at Junior's door. "Obviously, things didn't go smoothly in there for you guys." She approached the door. "I'll go see if I can help Junior."

Ludwig snorted. "Good luck! Just be hopeful he doesn't upgrade from glass to bullets!"

Wendy sighed and opened the door.

…

When Wendy came into the room, Junior was practically in tears. As much as he wouldn't admit it to anyone, he felt guilty while looking at the pile of broken glass sitting near the wall. It had more or less been a snap decision, something done on pure adrenaline and impulse. And now that Ludwig was gone from the room, he couldn't help but cry. Not just about his birth story, but also about the horrible possibilities of what could've happened if Ludwig hadn't ducked.

"Junior!" Wendy rushed over to Junior's bed. "Why did you throw that glass at Ludwig!" She came over to him, but he turned his gaze away from her. "Junior, is everything okay?"

"WHAT DO YOU THINK?" Tears pouring like a Category 5 Hurricane, Junior grabbed his pillow and squeezed it overtop his head. "JUST GET OUT!"

"But… but Junior…"

"I DON'T WANT TO TALK TO ANYONE!" The tears made it profoundly difficult to talk, making every word sound like a blubbery wet mess. "JUST LEAVE ME ALONE!"

Wendy stood in place for a few minutes, gawking at Junior, before nodding her head. "Okay. Okay; I'll leave you alone, Buddy." Slowly but surely, she made her way out of the room. The door closed gently behind her, shutting Junior in.

"See?" Junior heard Ludwig say from the other side. "He isn't listening to anyone!"

Junior heard Wendy sigh next. "Look, he's seven. He's just been told something bad, so of course he's going to have trouble processing his emotions."

The scent of smoke was detectable even behind the closed door. "That doesn't mean he has to act like that!" There was a brief instance of silence. "He's such a brat! Sure, I know I'm not the best at providing moral support, but he just took things WAY too far! He's just… he's impossible!"

"Ludwig, calm down." Another moment of silence could be heard. "We all still love him though. And I'm sure that includes you."

Another moment of silence, this one strong and daunting enough to make Junior's heart pound. "I do. I won't deny that. But… damn it, he makes it hard to do that sometimes, you know?"

That was the last of the conversation Junior heard, possibly because Wendy and Ludwig were walking away. This just left Junior to deal with the last few words he heard Ludwig say. He tossed them around in his head. They pounded in his ears along with his heartbeat.

As such, Junior fell backward onto the bed and cried into his pillow.

AN: Hey everyone. If you can give me feedback on this chapter in particular, I'd really appreciate it. After all, I get nervous writing argument scenes, and… I just hope that nobody crosses any lines in these scenes, you know?

Anyway, I hope you're enjoying the rewrite so far! :)