Forbidden Fruit (A Bowigi Fanfic)

Let them eat cake

Luigi was mesmerized. If Peach's gardens were wonderful, this was simply breathtaking.  The soft glow from the fire flowers spread throughout the garden made the whole bailey glow with a hazy orange light. Luigi managed to name a few flowers as some he'd seen in the Mushroom Kingdom and even one or two from Earth.

How did Bowser get those?

Speaking of...

Bowser had beelined it over to a beautiful gazebo covered in flowering vines and was now hunched over the table occupied with something. Luigi made his way over.

As he approached Bowser's left, not wanting to sneak up behind him,  he paused. The King hadn't noticed him yet. 

The soft light reflected off his scales in such a way that it appeared that he was glowing like fire flowers.  Luigi had always seen him in the heat of battle, actively trying to kill him.  He never noticed the gentle lustre of his scales, the way his red hair softly brushed against his horns in the gentle breeze.  He almost looked gentle. 

 If Luigi didn't know better, he'd have said Bowser was gentle based on his treatment of Luigi the past few days.  Other than the incident on day 1 that was quickly and strangely apologized for. 

The King was focused intently on something on the table in front of him. He was scowling but he also appeared confused, amused and could that be embarrassment?  Whatever the thoughts going on in his head might have been, he seemed wholly focused on the object before him. For a wild moment, Luigi wanted to know what it would feel like to have a gaze that intense on him. 

He shook his head, just because Bowser was being kind, didn't mean he needed to get all carried away.  A man being nice was usually just that.  This was also the same Bowser who had tried to kill him on multiple occasions. To be completely fair, maybe Bowser wouldn't have actually killed him if push came to shove.  Luigi knew that he also fought aggressively and perhaps Bowser thought he was also trying to kill.

As he reached Bowser, he leaned around to see what he was so intent on and snorted.

In front of Bowser was a delicate cake that he was in the process of cutting and rearranging.  Unfortunately for the king, he was trying his best to not destroy the cake and hadn't fully rearranged it.  Luigi could tell immediately that it was heart-shaped. 

His snort turned into a chuckle and if Bowser could blush, he'd be beet-red. 

"I was hoping you wouldn't see it," Bowser grumbled.

Luigi laughed even more heartily, it was extremely charming seeing Bowser flustered like this.

"I knew those two were up to no good," Bowser tried to continue his grumbling but Luigi saw him struggling not to smile.

"Does it at least taste good?"

"I have no idea, I was a bit ... busy."

Luigi laughed again.  Would it be a bad idea to push? He'd never seen Bowser at such a loss for words. Usually, he always had something to say, even if, no, especially if it wasn't needed. 

"We could try, " Luigi was looking at the cake, he knew he was talking about the cake, and yet he was finding it difficult to speak.  He barely even got out the last word and was so close to swapping into the common tongue.

Bowser leaned down toward him... or the cake. When had Luigi moved so close to the table? He was now standing For the first time since Luigi entered the gazebo, he got what he'd been wishing for.  Bowser had shifted his entire focus away from the cake and the table and was staring at Luigi with the same intensity. 

 It was extreme, unlike the other times he'd had the attention of the King, there was no malice here.  Instead, Bowser seemed to be trying to decipher exactly what it was that Luigi meant. In the moment of silence, Luigi wasn't sure whether he was going to crumble or bask if this searching stare lasted any longer. 

Bowser seemed to find what he was searching for and smirked at Luigi as he reached around him toward the cake.  

"Why not?" Bowser's response fit the conversation but it seemed like he was talking to himself. 

He grabbed a piece of cake with his hand.  Luigi followed suit.  It briefly occurred to Luigi that there were utensils on the table but the thought to use them didn't linger on.  He almost felt dizzy, perhaps a side effect of whatever had been bothering his hand.  He lifted his hand with the cake a held it up to Bowser.

"Cheers?" 

Whatever strange half-trance Bowser had been in, dissolved as he chuckled and gently tapped the backs of their hands together.

"Yeah, Greenie. Cheers."

At first, Luigi had wanted to kick himself at how stupid his offer of cheers was.  The way Bowser had just gone along with it, even though he was surprised and definitely confused made him feel at ease.  He was really starting to understand why those in the King's inner circle showed little fear of him.  If only everyone could see this side of him, maybe they wouldn't fear trying to make treaties with him. 

Luigi took a bite of the cake and softly sighed.  It tasted amazing.  The cake was lightweight and nearly melted in his mouth.  It wasn't like anything he'd ever tasted before and the Mushroom Kingdom was known for their sweets. 

"Taste good?" Bowser continued to sound amused at Luigi's every action.

Luigi nodded and opened his eyes. He hadn't even noticed that he had closed them. 

"Does all the food here taste this amazing?" He gushed. "I haven't had a bad meal since I've been here."

"I'm a bit biased on that one," Bowser smiled and then paused. "Did you like that wine?"

Luigi furrowed his brows.  That was a tricky one.  In the moment, it had been terrifying but Bowser had told Luigi what was going on and even gone sip for sip with him to make it an equal playing field. Sure, it wasn't great to be affected by some magical wine, but he couldn't deny that without it, he wouldn't trust Bowser at all.  Let alone to the extent he currently was, half trapped between him and the table. 

"I do now."