Busted Ticker- Luigi x Bowser (REMAKE)

Chap 10: Meetings

ᵀʰᵃⁿᵏ ʸᵒᵘ ᵀʰᵉᴹᵉⁿᵗᵒᵏ ᶠᵒʳ ʸᵒᵘʳ ᴹᵃʳᶦᵒ ᵛᶦᵈᵉᵒˢ ˢᵒ ᴵ ᵈᵒⁿ'ᵗ ʰᵃᵛᵉ ᵗᵒ ᵈᶦᵉ ʳᵉˢᵉᵃʳᶜʰᶦⁿᵍ ᵃˡˢᵒ ʷʳᶦᵗᶦⁿᵍ ᴵᵗᵃˡᶦᵃⁿ⁻ᴳᵉʳᵐᵃⁿ ᵃᶜᶜᵉⁿᵗ ᶦˢ ᵗʳᵃᵘᵐᵃ ᵃˡˢᵒ ʰᵒʷ ᴵ ʷʳᶦᵗᵉ ᵃ ʷʰᵒˡᵉ ᶜʰᵃᵖᵗᵉʳ ᵒⁿ ᵂᵃʳᶦᵒˀˀ

Wario's POV (Set- 2 pm, Luigi napping): 

   As I step out of my magnificent, vintage 1958 Cadillac Eldorado, painted in an alluring shade of regal purple, I find myself taking off my driving goggles. My eyes fixate on the imposing facade of none other than Waluigi's residence, a place stuck looking like the most basic of homes. Boring.

   Ever since the splendid day I acquired my magnificent castle, a persistent enigma has perplexed my thoughts: Why does Waluigi, a deserving soul, not seize the opportunity to revel in the splendors of his very own castle? The idea lingers in my mind, leaving me curious and annoyed.

   As I knocked on the door, the sound of hurried movement preceded Waluigi's opening. He appeared a bit flustered yet masked it with a sharp smile and upright posture. "Hey, bro, bitte come in! I... I'll get some snacks together-a."

   I stepped indoors, and an odd and perplexing experience lingered in my mind with his reactions. Shaking it off for the moment, I continued on my way, making my way around the corner and entering the cozy living room. But to my surprise, a delightful yet unexpected encounter awaited me – a vibrant sunflower, seemingly reaching out to greet me with its radiant beauty, its petals brushing against my face as if to say hello.

   "Eh? Vhy do you have so many of these-a in art around your house if you have a sunflower-a alive here, ja?" As I sat comfortably in the living room, Waluigi left the kitchen. In his hands, he carried a beautifully arranged charcuterie board, a delightful assortment of savory meats, cheeses, and delectable treats, which he placed gently in front of me on the coffee table. As I admired the artful display of culinary delights, he settled into his own plush armchair, arranging it to his liking before reclining in relaxed contentment. I don't care that I'm drooling.

   "Are you gonna-a hear vat I gotta say before eatin'?" Unbeknownst to me, my hand had already instinctively reached out towards the platter of delectable delights without my conscious awareness. "Ja, ja, fine, fine! Get talking, will ya? How 'bout you start with the sunflowers, eh?"

   "Eet has to do with ze symbol on my hat-a." He reclines in his chair, a moment of respite washes over him, and he gently shuts his eyes. Meanwhile, my curious gaze fixates upon his hat, searching for the symbol he speaks of. Could it be the upside-down L that he's referring to? I can't help but wonder why Papa possessed that peculiar emblem instead of the more conventional W.

   As the rhythmic ticking of the clock filled the room, Waluigi's eyes began to slowly open. Gradually, he sat up in his chair, his movements deliberate and measured. Suddenly, his finger extended like lightning, aimed at Wario, an expression of astonishment etched across his face. "Ah, you thought it vas-a an upside down L!? WAHAHA!"

   "Well vot else can it-a be!?" I sat there, facing Waluigi's relentless laughter, I couldn't help but feel my cheeks turning into crimson embers, betraying my inner turmoil. His boisterous taunting seemed to echo through the room, amplifying my embarrassment. "Eet means Gamma, it is the-a capital of it!"

   "Huh... I vas wondering-a why it vasn't a W like mine." Waluigi's mocking laughter echoed once more in my ears, I couldn't help but feel a tinge of anger creeping up my cheeks. What on earth could I have possibly said to evoke such a response from him again? "Eh, your W is a lowercase Omega! Nonna just had a thicker style of lettering und it worked-a with the W of Papa's name."

   "Then vy do you have ze Gamma one if it was-a Papa's hat?" Waluigi reveled in the aftermath of his boisterous laughter, a gentle thought took over, calming him. Gradually, the corners of his lips curled upward, forming a nostalgic smile that danced upon his face. I haven't seen that expression in a long time. "Papa said during his and Mama's wedding, vith her being accepted into ze wedding and Nonna still wasn't accepting of her, so she-a never made a hat for her. So, he gave her his hat as vell as the ring."

   I felt my patience waning, even upon hearing something endearing about Papa and Mama. Why did he call me here to discuss trivial matters instead of something that seemed to make him really uncomfortable? "Once again, vhy did you call-a me-a here?"

   The fleeting and small smile that adorned his face quickly dissipates, replaced by a gesture of apparent defeat. He lowers his hands to his face, covering it completely as if seeking refuge, "Vell, Daisy and I got together after a few-a dates..."

   I had a strong hunch that he concealed his face out of embarrassment, and this realization filled me with genuine excitement on his behalf I thought he had finally won over his crush, only to be taken aback as I noticed his shoulders trembling with emotion. "Ah, it turns out she was-a dating Luigi for-a whole year, and ze moment I finally kiss her, he catches us... On his-a anniversary!"

   "Ah, vould you need-a me to break zem up...?" Waluigi's eyes widened as he fervently waved his arms around, tears welling up in his eyes being a completely different reaction than he suspected. "No, I need-a your help rescuing Luigi from-a Bowser so I can apologize!!"

   "Save-a Luigi? Fight Bowser!? Are vou crazy?? That'll take half of my clientele and I'm-a not saving your rival and my rivals brother!" Waluigi quickly got up leaning in front of me, "Can you not-a think about ze money for five-a minutes! I thought you finally were on medication for-a zat, but I'm-a guessing that was-a just a lie too!"

   "Dont. You. Dare. Say that to me. Goot luck-a looking for zat help!" I felt an overwhelming surge of frustration as I firmly pushed him away, my emotions swirling like a tempest within me. I couldn't fathom how he had the audacity to utter those hurtful words directed at me. The weight of his disrespectful remark hung heavy in the air, gnawing at my soul like a persistent ache. I turned my back to him, my heart pounding in my chest, and made my way toward the door.

   "Wait please Wario I didn't-a mean it!" "Really I didn't mean it please-a don't go!"

ᴵᶠ ᵗʰᶦˢ ʷᵃˢ ᵗᵒᵒ ʰᵃʳᵈ ᵗᵒ ʳᵉᵃᵈ ᵖˡᵉᵃˢᵉ ˡᵉᵗ ᵐᵉ ᵏⁿᵒʷ