Love in the Oddest Places (bowuigi story)

Chapter 2: Throne Room Face-Off

The ground beneath them rumbled and he was violently lifted off his feet. Junior screamed and fell to the side; Luigi yelped and cushioned his head with his hand. He was hanging onto the bar, roughly leaning to the side. His cell looked like he had been turned, almost as if a massive hand had picked up the castle itself and turned it. Luigi grunted, "Junior! Junior, you okay?!"

Junior groaned. "What was that?"

An earth-shattering roar echoed through the room as it once again violently moved. Luigi gritted his teeth. Alarms blared in the distance. The plumber grunted, "Grab the bars!" he ordered. Thankfully, the young Koopa obeyed. Luigi moved so he was shielding him, his free hand protectively on his head. A few loose stones fell from the ceiling, but thankfully missed him. And as soon as it came, the earthquake stopped. The world straightened. Luigi's ears were ringing. He opened an eye, "What just happened?" he asked.

Junior glimmered with fear. "That... that was my dad."

Another roar cut through the air. They ducked their heads, shielding themselves from the falling debris. A mix of hope, joy, and fear bubbled inside him. His brother came for him! But now, he was having a showdown with a beast four or five times his size; Mario better have tricks up his sleeve. Luigi could not bear to see his brother hurt. He hoped Mario somehow brought help; it was a much better thought than thinking his brother was fighting Bowser alone. Luigi stood to his feet, straightening Junior in the process; the koopa prince had a look of great worry on his face. The imprisoned plumber felt like someone punched him in the stomach, focusing more on his brother and ignoring whom he is fighting. Junior must be just as worried for his father as Luigi is for his brother. Right now... a little sympathy could go a long way. The man in green furrowed his brow, "Junior. I need you to let me out," he said.

Junior jumped. "What? NO!"

Luigi clenched the bars. "I need to get out of here. This whole place is coming apart; plus, I need to do something."

"So, you want me to let you out so you can go beat up my dad?!"

"No! It's not like that..."

Junior shook his head, glaring at him. Luigi looked at him with pleading eyes, "I'm trying to help you, Junior. Not my brother. Please..."

Junior turned his back to him, arms crossed. Luigi frowned. He was unsure if the prince was old enough to understand what he was trying to do. One thing Luigi would do (if he was truly brave) was reprimand Bowser for bringing his son; who brings their child to an invasion?! However, at the same time, he wants to commend him for not leaving him alone. Ugh, damn that king and his complexity! And curse his easily swayed heart! He has only talked to Junior for a few minutes and was already protective of the dark prince. Luigi just wanted to stop Bowser and Mario's fight for his and Junior's sake; with the force they were fighting with, the fortress could fall into lava with all of them inside. Moreover, the man's heart broke seeing how worried the boy was; Luigi detested the fact that violence was involved.

The sound of metal screeching made him jump. Junior grabbed one of the bars and pulled at it, bending the metal with ease. Luigi stared at him in shock, his jaw nearly hitting the floor. If he was this strong at a young age... how strong was Bowser? Junior looked up at him, "You're coming or what?" he asked. Luigi's expression quickly morphed from shock to gratitude, a small smile on his face. It has been a while since he has done so. He crawled through the small opening, feeling like he could finally breathe once he was out of the cramped cell. Luigi cracked his back, sighing with satisfaction at being able to move in a space bigger than ten feet in length. Junior grabbed onto his pant leg, "Promise me you won't hurt my dad," he sniffled.