Not What I Expected (Bowser x reader)

Chapter 7

After finally putting some food in my body and getting another pain relief spell from Kamek, he, Bowser, and myself met in his study to discuss our next move. 

"My magic by itself is pretty weak, which is why I prefer to channel it into objects, like my staff. That being said, I think we should get it back and get Lia out of the mushroom kingdom while we're at it. Kill two birds with one stone, right?" I explain to them while Bowser paces in front of me. Kamek turns to me, "This Lia person... you know her very well? Would you say you'd trust her with your life?" He says eyeing my cast suspiciously. I nod quickly. "She's basically my sister, of course I trust her. And stop looking at my hand every time I mention her, she had nothing to do with it." He raises his hands in defense and floats away, decisively ending that conversation. Then Bowser steps forward, "You keep saying that, then how did your hand get broken so badly? Jr. told me that you said something about her and some Crystal person in your nightmare." I inhale through my teeth and stare at the mahogany desk behind me. He steps closer, towering over me, and lifts my chin with his claw. "Best you come clean now, fugitive. Last thing I wanna find out is that you're leading us right into a trap." I swallow the lump forming in my throat. I really don't wanna tell him... don't want to be a burden. "Tell him what, y/n? We can promise you won't be a burden if you just tell us." Kamek floats back over to us. Dammit, I forgot he could read minds. I take a deep breath. 

"Those kinds of "dreams" have happend before. I get really bad nightmares, always in the same forest, with different parts of my past coming to haunt me. And every time, I always end up injured in real life. I don't know why or how, but it happened ever since I lost my family. Because..." Tears well up in my eyes again. I turn away from them and frantically wipe my eyes. Bowser gently places his hand on my lower back, "Because why, y/n." Kamek adds, "You don't have to tell us if you're not ready, and you can cry if you need to." I whip around and sob into Bowser's chest, my breathing ragged and choked.  "I-I've never told anyone this, not even Lia! I-I... I caused the fire that burnt down our whole apartment complex and killed both of our parents." I break down and crumple to my knees, overtaken by guilt. I've always hated my magic, but Peach saw it as a gift and forced me to train with Mario and Luigi to harness it. To "protect our prosperous kingdom" she said, but I knew she just wanted me to sacrifice myself for her. Bowser lifts me into his arms, and whisks me off to my room without a word. 

He shoves the door open and kicks it shut behind him before lying both of us down on my bed. He stays silent as I continue to whimper and sniffle my emotions away. He wipes the last of my tears away and lets his hand linger on my cheek. I look up at him, gazing deeply into his unreadable eyes. He moves a strand of hair out of my face and leans down to plant a kiss on my forehead. My face flushes, not from crying, from this light fluttery feeling in my chest. He keeps one arm under my head acting as a pillow and the other draped over my side, gently squeezing the small of my back so I don't roll off the bed. "Rest, y/n. You've more than earned it." He says simply, his voice low and husky, rumbling in his chest. I snuggle closer to him, taking in every ounce of his being. His scent, his warmth, the feeling of his touch, the weight of his arm keeping me close to him. My eyelids feel heavy, but I'm afraid to sleep. "What if I have another nightmare?" I say, tracing over the scales on his bicep. He kisses my forehead again, "I'll make sure you don't. I'll be right here until you wake up, I promise from now on, you will be safe y/n." I almost laugh at that word, 'safe'. People have told me that a thousand times over, and somehow I always find myself in not-so-safe situations. And yet, I believe him. I don't detect even the slightest hint of dishonesty in his voice and I don't know if it's just because I'm really that tired or if I actually believe I'm safe here. I want to believe him, so I close my eyes, and let myself drift into a blissful dreamless sleep.

                                                     (816 words)

AN: Sorry it took me so long to get this chapter out, but hey were half way to a thousand reads! Thank you all so much for the overwhelming support on this story. I'll probably be doing more fluffy stuff with this cause the last few chapters have been kinda angsty, and you'll be getting a lot more Jr. content! Again, suggestions are open, and please go read my original story, it would really mean a lot to me. 

                                          Love you all! <3

                                                                       Author Shed