Forbidden Fruit (A Bowigi Fanfic)

Planning, Plotting, and Handholding

Luigi scowled but deep down he was flattered. They really thought quite highly of him here. It was refreshing, other than Mario, Peach and Daisy, no one else seemed to see him as much more than a coward.  He was always second to Mario.  Mario certainly deserved all the love and adoration he had, which was why Luigi simply had to defend his brother. 

"He'd be able to get here without me. He does tons of adventures without me."

"When he knows you're safe," Amakehil pointed out. They had a point. 

Luigi felt his stomach drop. Mario had no idea if he was even alive. Luigi had thought he was a goner when Bowser found out he wasn't Peach. There was no reason Mario wouldn't be panicking.  He remembered back when Mario had been captured by King Boo, he had to frequently hum tunes to keep himself sane. 

On cue, Luigi's hand started to glow. Amakeshil nearly dove out of their seat to get away from a perceived attack.  Kamek tried to get in front of Bowser to block him but the King gently maneuvered around him and sat next to Luigi's chair.

Luigi tried to focus on his breathing but all he could think about was how Mario must be feeling. Scared, desperate, alone, maybe even hopeless. 

"Hey, Greenie, what's going on?" Bowser's voice was calm, cutting through Luigi's panicked thoughts. 

"I'm worried about Mario," it was also concerning the panic looks on the other two koopas faces. "Why are they scared? Am I going to hurt you again? Do they think I'm going to hurt-"

"No, Luigi." Bowser quickly turned to Amakeshil who was now trying to guard Kamek. "Cut it out," he growled at them.

Almost comically, the two jumped apart, and Amaksehil saluted.

Bowser now turned back to Luigi. If he hadn't just eaten, he probably would have swooned.  The King's eyes were gentle, searching, and concerned but the intensity of having all of his attention was almost overwhelming.  Luigi felt his heart race. 

"Mario will likely be here by tomorrow morning as per our last update.  My troops have orders not to hurt him.  Would planning for his arrival help?"

Unable to speak Luigi attempted both a head nod and shrug.

"Would you like to try? You can always let me know if it's not helping."

Luigi nodded, he felt almost dizzy, his breath hot. He was floating and needed a tether.  With his non-glowing hand he grabbed Bowsers, trying his best to ignore the wide-eyes from Amakshil and Kamek and they exchanged a glance. 

Bowser didn't flinch, just gently his hand squeezed back.  "Do you mind if Kamek has a look at you?"

"P-p-please."

"Kamek. Come here." Bowser ordered. "Can you see if everything is stable or stable enough?"

Kamek nodded and approached cautiously. He looked to Bowser which Luigi found odd but he was also glad because he'd rather Bowser explain things to him. Talking to multiple people while your hand is slowly becoming a glowing weapon of sorts is a lot. 

"Is it alright if Kamek uses magic to inspect you? He may-," Bowser glanced over at Kamek. "He will have to touch you."

Luigi nodded and Kamek gently lifted his hand. Immediately his arm was enveloped in cold. The icy feeling, mixed with the static that seemed to accompany the glow was an odd sensation. He was grateful for Bowser, he was doing his best to distract him from the weird sensation. If he wasn't so uncomfortable, he'd probably laugh or dismiss the thought but right now, it was almost more overwhelming than his hand.  

After a few long moments that probably would have felt like hours if it hadn't been for the Koopa King, Kamek announced he was done as the glow slowly faded."

"It seems to be very similar to the magical energy of a powerup, but this is happening how often?"

"Twice a day." Luigi responded. He was very aware that he was still holding onto Bowser but really didn't feel like letting go. He refused to look over but it was comforting to know the King wasn't pulling away either. 

Kamek nodded. "And His Majesty has been able to stop them effectively."

Luigi paused. He had been stopping them.  Even if it hurt him, Bowser dropped everything to help, even though they barely knew each other.  He nodded.

"This is quite unusual. I'll look into it right away- " He paused when Bowser held up his free hand.

"We need a plan for Mario's arrival."

It didn't take long for the four of them to come up with a decent plan. After all, they were all very experienced in these sorts of last-minute endeavours. 

It was decided that Bowser would tear apart the clothes Luigi had arrived in and singe them around the edges making it look like Luigi had escaped.  They all wanted to keep Mario away from the castle and koopas as there was a non-zero chance of him causing great harm or death to anyone he may think had his brother.  Once Kamek had word of Mario being nearby, Luigi. would don the dress again and mess up his hair and unfortunately his mustache.  Once Mario's exact location was found, Kamek would magic Luigi near him so he could call out and the twins could reunite.

During the entire conversation, Luigi realized he was still holding Bowser, and even worse, both Kamek and Amakeshil had noticed.  They said nothing but would occasionally give each other a look. 

"You know," Kamek started once the plan had been set. "It's starting to get late. Should we all maybe go see the sunset by the gardens?"

His tone of voice was strange, rehearsed almost. Amakeshil joined in with a similar tone.

"That would be lovely."

Luigi glanced over at Bowser who looked equally as confused by the tone shift. 

"Uh... ok?"

"Do you even have gardens?" Luigi asked the King. 

Bowser placed his hand on his plastron in mock offence. "Of course I do. " He turned to Kamek and Amakeshil. 

"I don't know what you two are up to but we'll follow."

Luigi paused. That last bit was in Koopa and he understood every word.