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Mario and Luigi caught up with the villain in a mezzanine, following the trail of shattered glass and thankful as ever for their work boots. They weren’t the first ones though, as the sounds of shouting proved even before they ran out into the wide space and saw that strange scientist locked in combat with Bowser, of all people.
“What’s he doing here?” Luigi said, looking to Mario as if he’d have answers. His brother just shrugged.
They were up on the balcony, and the stairs weren’t immediately visible, so Mario and Luigi both started trying doors. Hallway, hallway, coat closet, powder room, hallway. And all the while Bowser and the scientist were fighting.
Checking the doorways right beneath them Luigi could see the ceiling shake, and occasionally catch a whiff of Bowser’s strange scent. Warm, spicy, but sweet. Like an autumn dessert. The first time they’d met him Luigi and Mario had needed to stop and check in with each other before engaging in a fight. He wasn’t an omega, was he? Not that they wouldn’t fight an omega under the right - or wrong - circumstances, but there were standards.
He couldn’t be one, could he? The koopas didn’t seem to have them. Neither did toads, or beanish, or a few of the other people they’d met in this world. But plenty of people did, in more or less the same numbers as humans.
No one ever said anything about it, and no other koopas they met smelled like him. Maybe it was cologne, or maybe koopas only smelled sweet when they hit nine feet tall. Mario and Luigi wrote it off as just another odd quirk of their new world and forgot about it.
“Found it!” Mario called from the other side of the room, and Luigi dashed across the floor to join him. Sure enough, the narrow staircase had another broken beaker littering the steps. Why was this guy running around with so much chemistry equipment?
A roar shook the room, and Luigi glanced back out of habit. Bowser had the scientist pinned against the railing, already starting to crack and strain. If they waited a moment they might not need to use the stairs at all.
Then the scientist pulled a glass tube from his coat and shoved it into Bowser’s neck.
It took a second to realize what had just happened. Bowser reared back and pulled the thing off, and only then could Luigi see the gleam of the needle and drops of blood. He gasped, and heard Mario next to him exclaim, “Oddio!”
“What did you do to-” Bowser began to say, but the injection must have already started kicking in. He stumbled, swore, made a swipe at the scientist that missed, then toppled over the railing and came crashing to the floor.
Mario and Luigi glanced at each other, as the scientist took off running on the upper floor. Bowser was… Bowser, but it wouldn’t be right to just leave him like this.
“You go,” Luigi said. “I’ll catch up.”
“Right,” Mario agreed, and they split up.
Bowser was curled up on the ground, one arm clutching his stomach, even his tail tucked between his legs. Luigi heard a pained groan as he approached, but Bowser was at least still conscious and breathing. That had to be a good thing, right?
He smelled the change before he saw it. That scent, spiced and sweet, was suddenly filling the air like the perfume counter at the mall. And at the same time as Luigi's pulse began to race and his temperature started to rise, he saw Bowser's scales turning dark.
Deep black, with the gaps between so bright they seemed to be glowing. Within seconds Bowser looked like he was sculpted out of magma and stone. But he was still groaning, still quaking with pain, and still smelled like that.
"Are- are you okay?" Luigi managed to ask.
Bowser turned his head enough to look at him with one eye. His face had darkened too, and there seemed to be light coming from the back of his throat. "You," he grunted. "What are you doing here?"
"I wondered the same about you," Luigi said.
“Guess that sicko robbed more than just my castle.” Bowser shuddered, claws scraping across the floor.
“What’s wrong? What did he do?” Luigi asked, taking a step closer. That scent was drawing him in, like a moth to a - literal - flame.
“What’s it look like, genius? Is that nose just for show?” Bowser gasped, and this time it didn’t sound like pain. “He triggered my heat.”
Luigi backed up.
He should have known. He should have put it together the second he smelled the way Bowser’s scent had warmed and spread like candle flame. But he’d spent so long thinking it had to be a coincidence that the thought hadn’t even occurred to him.
“You’re an omega?” Luigi blurted.
Bowser looked at him like he was an idiot, which for once was fair. “You didn’t know?”
It made sense, now. Bowser’s son must have come from somewhere, and there was that spiked collar… But still! Were they just supposed to assume?
“I- I don’t know, I- we thought koopas didn’t, um, work like that?”
“Well, we do.” Another grunt. Was this normal? Some of the sounds were pleasant but he seemed like he was under a lot of strain.
Suddenly wanting to look less stupid, Luigi added, “For humans the omegas tend to be, um, smaller than alphas.”
Bowser’s brow, black and red, furrowed. “Who protects the eggs then?”
“We don’t have… We have live births.”
His snout wrinkled too. “Gross.”
Luigi let out an awkward laugh. “It… it is pretty gross, yeah.”
Another shudder, and Bowser started to push himself upright. He seemed to have gotten over the initial flood of hormones, but his face was still strained and his breathing came with puffs of smoke. When he tried to stand up he grunted and fell to one knee.
Despite knowing what a bad idea it was to get closer, Luigi couldn’t stop himself from rushing to help. “Are you okay?” he asked, again.
“Obviously not, greenie,” Bowser growled.
“Is it always this bad?”
Bowser gave a huff. “This is better’n usual, actually. Think I can get over it in a day or so.”
“This is better than usual? You look like you’re in pain.”
“I am,” Bowser said, fangs snapping in Luigi’s direction. He flinched, but didn't back up.
Luigi reached out his hands, tentatively, and Bowser leaned against him without a word, finally getting both feet flat on the ground.
“Where to?” Luigi said, trying to breathe shallowly. It would have been worse if they were touching skin-to-skin (Luigi had never been so grateful to wear gloves), but it was still almost overwhelming to be right next to the source of that scent. He couldn’t help himself, he could feel his body starting to react. As long as he got away in the next few minutes he should be able to calm down, but…
“Can’t make it to the ship,” Bowser said. He was, in fact, putting a lot of his weight on Luigi. It wasn’t easy to walk like this but Luigi would rather die than admit that right now. “Find a closet or something, barricade the door.” He winced. “And go give that sicko a beating for me, will ya?”
“Si,” Luigi said, lower than he meant to. That… that… Calling him a “sicko” was right. What kind of person would intentionally send someone into heat? What kind of intentions did he have? Luigi didn’t want to think about it. The best thing to do would be to find him quickly and not give him the chance to explain.
“You’re growling,” Bowser said, sounding amused.
Luigi tried to relax his jaw. “Well it’s- it’s not right.”
“Damn right it’s not right. If I could I’d beat the shit outta him myself, but-” Bowser gritted his teeth, a little more weight pressing against Luigi’s shoulder. “Not happening.”
“Um. Over here.”
Luigi led (dragged) him over to one of the doors he’d opened earlier, the powder room. It was a genuine old-fashioned powder room, not a tactful euphemism, with nothing but a sink and a mirror and a padded bench. Bowser managed to squeeze through the doorway and the three steps it took him to reach the back wall, and promptly collapsed once again.
“Is there anything else I can do?” Luigi asked. “Should I go… find someone?”
“Nothing they can do either.” Bowser was sitting with his shell against the wall and his tail curled between his legs, eyes shut, breathing labored. “Look, greenie, I appreciate that this protective alpha bullshit has been helpful for once, but get out of here before I do something you’ll regret.”
Despite the tail, this pose was only making his scent stronger. It took real effort to keep Luigi’s eyes on Bowser’s face.
“I don’t feel right leaving you like this.”
“Don’t you?” Bowser grunted.
“You said you took your airship here? Is it nearby? Did you… bring medicine, maybe?”
“Nope,” Bowser said. His chest was heaving as he breathed, making it even harder to focus.
“If it’s usually worse than this, what do you do?”
“Suffer,” Bowser said with a dry laugh. “I know I’m better off without that bastard, but my body still-”
His jaw snapped shut.
Luigi asked before he could stop himself, “What bastard?”
A low growl came from the opposite end of the room. Survival instinct temporarily overrode Luigi’s desire, and he stepped back out of the doorframe.
“You don’t… have to tell me. Mi dispiace.”
“I know I don’t,” Bowser said. He shifted his weight, grunted, and winced. “You noticed it’s bad, right? That’s why. I’ve got a broken bond.”
For just a second, Luigi’s blood ran cold.
Bonding was a big deal. Not even married couples bonded, sometimes. And a broken one could lead to all kinds of problems, including, like Bowser said, painful heats. His body was craving his alpha, and until another alpha could fill that void, he’d be stuck suffering.
“How long has it been?” Luigi asked.
“Not long after Junior hatched,” Bowser said, through clenched teeth. Luigi wasn’t sure how old Bowser Jr. was, but it had to be at least five or six years. He’d been enduring this all that time?
No wonder he had such a bad temper.
“He’s a bastard and we’re better off without him,” Bowser said. “I told him, if I saw him again I’d kill him with my own- Why am I telling you this?”
“Because I’m listening?” Luigi said. “It’s impressive that you got rid of him even though you were bonded. That took strength.”
“Yeah,” Bowser said, blinking.
For some reason being praised seemed to throw him off. Had he expected Luigi to look down on him? After all these years of fighting, Luigi knew Bowser. He wouldn’t end a relationship without a good reason.
“What the hell,” Bowser muttered, seemingly to himself. He raised his head, and snapped, “Hey! I told you to barricade the door.”
“Ah! Right.” Luigi started looking around for something to use. There was that padded bench, but the door had opened inward, which made it awkward. Could he ask Bowser to-
“Which side of it you’re on is up to you,” Bowser added.
Luigi froze. He couldn’t mean… Could he? If Luigi stayed in here, then…
“You heard me,” Bowser grunted.
Luigi could almost feel his brain cells shutting down. “Are- are you sure?”
“Did I stutter?” Bowser snapped. “I want to get over this so I can beat that sicko into the ground. Fastest way to do that is to get fucked by an alpha. You’re convenient, that’s all.”
Luigi swallowed. He shouldn’t. He wanted to, badly, so badly he could feel himself trembling, but he didn’t want to just be… convenient.
“B’sides,” Bowser muttered. “How many damn alphas do I know that I can actually trust?”
Luigi shut the door.
He tried to ignore the knowing grin Bowser shot him from across the tiny room. The pounding of his heart and the tightness of his overalls. That scent, filling every crevice.
He couldn’t say no, he couldn’t resist this, but he had to pretend, for just long enough to know…
“What’s my name?” Luigi said.
“What?” Bowser said, his smile fading away.
“Before I decide, I need to know. Do you know my name?”
There was a silence that dragged on for much too long. Luigi started trying to force his hand back to the doorknob, willing himself to follow through on his threat.
Then he heard a low rumble, and realized a second later that it was Bowser laughing.
“So you do have a spine,” Bowser said. He was flashing him a toothy grin that, with his alpha blood running this hot, only made Luigi want him more. “Fine. Luigi.”
Luigi just barely managed to remember to lock the door and drag the bench in front of it before he started shedding clothes. Bowser laughed at him again, but he had no leg to stand on when he was reaching out for Luigi before he’d gotten more than his gloves off.
Touching skin-to-skin was electric. Luigi gasped aloud, heard Bowser moan, and gasped again when Bowser squeezed his hand so hard his fingers squished together.
“Okay, that answers the compatibility question,” Bowser said. He yanked Luigi forward, pulling his body against his stomach. “Hurry up,” Bowser growled.
Luigi’s half-fastened overalls were not doing enough to keep him grounded. “I’m hurrying,” he said, hands fumbling with the last button.
His legs were just barely braced on the ground on either side of Bowser’s tail, and the scent wafting up from between them was making him dizzy. He didn’t dare look.
A thought occurred. “I don’t, um, have any protection?”
Bowser looked down at him, brow pulled down over his eyes. “Good. It’ll pass faster that way.”
“But, what if-”
“If something happens I’ll take care of it,” Bowser said, flatly.
“Ah… right.”
“Won’t anyway,” Bowser added. “This heat’s unnatural, what’re the odds it’d take?”
“Right,” Luigi agreed, feeling a little more relieved. “Then, should I just…”
“Just fuck me, greenie.”
Swallowing a mouthful of drool, Luigi let his overalls drop to his knees. Bowser shoved him back enough that he could roll over onto his stomach, raising his tail and finally giving Luigi a look…
It was small. Compared to the rest of his body, at least, which came as a surprise until Luigi remembered what he’d said about koopa omegas being larger than the alphas. If anything, Luigi might be bigger than he was used to. And though it didn’t quite look like what Luigi was used to either, it wasn’t like he didn’t know what to do with it. A hole was a hole, as the more vulgar contractors used to say…
One hand braced against Bowser’s tail, Luigi asked, “Are you ready?”
“Get on with it,” was all Bowser said.
With that, Luigi (finally!) guided himself inside. His hormones were working faster than his head, it was only after feeling the intense heat on his dick that Luigi thought maybe humans and koopas weren’t biologically compatible, and that side-effect that made Bowser look like he was made of lava was more than just aesthetic… But the heat swallowed him up easily, not enough to burn, just enough to make his toes curl in his boots.
He wanted to ask if Bowser was all right, if this was enough, if he could start- But all that managed to come out of his throat was a growl. He heard Bowser grunt in response, and that was enough.
Luigi let himself go, giving in to every instinct he’d ever been ashamed of. Fucking hard and rough and unsteady, like Bowser was nothing but an object for him to use. In the rare seconds his head cleared it sort of felt like that too, since all Luigi could see was shell and spikes and tail.
The tail had bite marks in it. When had he done that?
Luigi could hear Bowser’s breathing get heavier as he himself got close to his peak, but he could barely process what that might mean when all his body wanted was to reach the end. He came with a feeling of more relief than release, and kept his grip on the edge of Bowser’s shell while he waited for the aftershocks to die down.
And then Luigi took a step back, and as he saw mingled seed and slick dripping from Bowser’s twitching hole he realized what he’d just done.
“Ah… merda.”
Bowser groaned, his tail lowering again, and sat back up with a hand on his back. He was still breathing hard, but he didn’t look pained anymore.
He’d done that. Luigi had done that. How was he ever supposed to fight Bowser again knowing that they’d- How could he even look at his face?
Bowser, apparently unbothered, looked Luigi right in the eyes. “You didn’t knot.”
That was true. And it was weird. Bowser was probably the last person Luigi had planned to sleep with, but even then the heat should have been enough for his hormones to kick in.
Something else was a little weird. “You didn’t… finish,” he said.
“Doesn’t matter if I do or not, I just want to get over this.”
“No,” Luigi said, squaring his shoulders. “I can do better.”
So much for his mental crisis. It was too late to take it back, so if he was doing this he was doing it right.
Luigi had softened after his orgasm, but his blood was still boiling and that sweet spiced scent was still filling all his senses. It wouldn’t be long before he could go again.
“What do you like?” Luigi asked. “Was it too hard, or…”
“No, that was… fine,” Bowser said. He gave an awkward cough. “Pretty good.”
That was probably the closest to praise Luigi was going to get. Bowser was used to receiving praise, not-
Ah.
“You felt amazing,” Luigi said.
He was sure he was blushing. Sex was one thing, but talking about it was something else. And even though it was true, he was saying it now because he wanted a reaction. This was something like acting, so he had something like stage fright.
"Don't think I don't know how lucky I am to have this chance."
Bowser snorted smoke. "You'd better. It's not going to happen again."
"I know," Luigi said. "I don't expect anything outside this room. I just want to enjoy it while I can."
A rumble came from Bowser's throat. "Might as well."
"And," Luigi took a step toward him, "I want to make you feel good too."
"Worth a shot," Bowser said. He cleared his throat and turned around, bracing his hands against the wall.
Luigi could already see clawmarks in the wallpaper from last time. Bowser had been enjoying it, it just hadn't been enough. If Luigi could pay better attention…
"No," Luigi said. "Other way, I want to see your face."
Bowser looked back at him, eyes narrowed.
“Per favore.”
“I’ll take that as a ‘please,’” Bowser said. He turned, wedging his shell into the corner between wall and floor, like he had been before.
Trying not to trip over himself, Luigi shucked his boots and the rest of his clothes. His shirt was already damp with sweat, he noticed. And in bare feet he could tell the heat radiating off Bowser’s body had even warmed the floor. Combined with the scent filling the room, it felt like being inside a fresh-baked pastry.
Ah, but that probably wouldn’t make Bowser happy to hear. He should stick to the obvious.
“You’re so… intimidating,” Luigi said as he approached. “It’s hard not to be scared of you.”
“Ha! You should be scared,” Bowser said. He flashed his teeth, before his current position sunk in and the grin faded. “Most of the time, anyway.”
“I’m still a little scared now, but only because I want to impress you.”
Bowser’s eyes drifted downward. “You’re not doing too bad.”
Luigi flinched and went to cover himself, while Bowser laughed aloud. He shouldn’t be embarrassed, they were both naked, but he still felt like he was at a disadvantage.
“Hey,” Bowser said, suddenly. “Are all humans hairy like that?”
“Oh, um. Yes, more or less. I’m definitely on the more side.”
“Hm.” Bowser was looking at his body with a strange amount of focus. His eyes roving around, drinking in the sight. Come to think of it, with the way he’d been pursuing Peach all this time… Did Bowser have a thing for humans?
Advantage, Luigi.
“Are you ready?” Luigi asked.
“Been ready, greenie. You left me wanting last time, remember?”
“It won’t happen again,” Luigi said. He closed the distance between them and leaned against Bowser’s stomach. “My king.”
He could feel the rumble of Bowser purring beneath his hands. Luigi slid one down, lower and lower, keeping his eyes on Bowser’s face, until he found what he was looking for. Those piercing eyes widened, then drifted half-closed, expression so warm they were almost glowing.
Scratch that, they were glowing. Luigi could see the light reflecting on Bowser’s darkened scales.
“You’re beautiful…” Luigi said.
The second time went much better. Luigi wasn’t quite as overwhelmed, and whenever he opened his eyes he could see Bowser’s face up above him, reminding him to drop another compliment. He could watch his expression and see whenever a word or a movement struck a good spot.
And somehow it seemed a little more conversation had loosened up Luigi too, because he could feel the warmth building in the pit of his stomach. He was going to knot this time for sure.
Then, curiously, he felt warmth on his stomach too. Looking down, Luigi saw something like a yellow tentacle snaking up from between their bodies. He startled and jerked back, nearly tripping over Bowser’s tail.
“What?” Bowser growled. “Come on, it was just getting good.”
The tentacle… wasn’t. For some reason Luigi hadn’t thought about whether Bowser would also have a dick, and it shouldn’t have been a surprise that it looked different from a human’s, but that was very different. Long and slick, with a flared head that looked more like an alien flower than anything Luigi was familiar with.
And if it was only coming out now Luigi had really failed the first time, hadn’t he?
“Right, right,” Luigi said. “Sorry, just… impressed.”
“Damn right,” Bowser muttered.
There was one more thing to pay attention to now, but at least it was something Luigi was familiar with. He could stroke in time with his thrusts, note the way it twitched as Bowser clenched around him, and try to hold off as long as he could.
No matter how much be tried to focus on the details though, nothing could change that Luigi was getting close. He kept his eyes on Bowser’s face and the depth of the gouges he was leaving in the wall, and with one last thrust he finally felt Bowser squeeze tight around him and let out an inhuman roar.
It would have taken a far stronger man than Luigi to resist that. He came at last, riding through the first wave until his knot swelled, and letting his head rest on Bowser’s stomach while he tried to catch his breath.
Bowser’s dick was still hard, trapped between them, and Luigi was still pumping cum inside him, but for a long moment they both lay there unmoving. The sounds of their breath the only thing they could hear.
“Not bad,” Bowser muttered.
“C’n do better,” Luigi replied.
Bowser just grunted.
“I can.”
Luigi sat up, caressing Bowser’s dick with one hand. He grunted again, but his body couldn’t lie and the twitches gave away how much he liked it.
“How do you feel?” Luigi asked.
Bowser tilted his head back, horns adding a couple more gouges to the wall, and covered his eyes with his hand. “Shut up.”
“Want me to stop?”
“No.”
Like that, the time until Luigi’s knot shrunk down passed pretty enjoyably.
Luigi found Mario on the roof, fighting that thieving scientist. It had been over an hour since they parted and Luigi had seen signs of traps and puzzles along the way, so it seemed like Mario had been just as busy as Luigi. Although in a… less pleasant way.
Then again, Mario loved this stuff, so maybe he wouldn’t have traded places.
Before Luigi could start figuring out how to jump in and help fight, Bowser roared behind him and vaulted over the last few steps, throwing himself into the frey and slamming the scientist into the ground. It was hard enough to make the building shake, smashing the gadgets he’d been using to fight and leaving a massive pattern of cracked and broken roof tiles.
Luigi was hoping he wouldn’t have to explain. Maybe Mario would be distracted enough not to ask where they’d been for all this time… Seeing Bowser wail on that creep scientist was certainly distracting Luigi.
He was really wailing on him too, both fists pounding like pistons, as if trying to beat him into paste. It was almost hard to watch. Luigi glanced over to Mario, getting back on his feet after Bowser’s landing knocked him over. He saw his eyes widen, saw him start forward-
And the next thing Luigi knew he was blocking his brother’s path with his teeth bared in a snarl.
“Luigi?” Mario said. He took a step forward, and Luigi growled. “Bro?”
Luigi shook his head, trying to clear the fog. He hadn’t gone alpha on his brother since they first presented. “I’m sorry, it’s…”
“What’s wrong?” Again, Mario tried to step toward him, but this time his nostrils flared and he backed up even further. “What happened?”
Luigi had tried to clean both of them up, but there was only so much you could do with a sink and a handkerchief. “I’ll tell you later, okay?”
“Does it have anything to do with that?” Mario gestured past Luigi, where the sounds of carnage were still ongoing.
“Let him have this,” Luigi said. “He deserves it, trust me.”
“If you say so…” Mario said. He didn’t look convinced. “We’re not going to get answers if Bowser kills that guy, though.”
Luigi glanced back over his shoulder. Bowser had slowed down, but there was an evil grin on his face that made Luigi shiver. “I… don’t think he’s going to let him off that easily.”
Mario watched for a moment longer, then turned away with a wince. “Should we go?”
“Might as well. There’s not much we can do here.”
“Right.” One last glance, and Mario led the way back down the stairs. The sounds of pummeling never stopped.
Whatever that creep scientist had been up to would just have to remain a mystery. Luigi was perfectly happy not knowing how a person like that thought.
A few days after the most awkward conversation Luigi had ever had with Mario in his life, he wrote Bowser a letter to make sure he was okay. They hadn’t talked much about what would happen afterward, but Luigi didn’t feel right pretending nothing happened. If Bowser didn’t respond… that would be his answer.
Bowser didn’t respond.
Weeks passed. Months. Luigi tried not to think about it, to remember how it felt, to try and breathe the last remnants of Bowser’s scent from his clothes… He failed, most nights. But he tried.
In trying to pretend he wasn’t thinking about him, it was a while before Luigi discovered no one had heard from Bowser. The koopas along the borders weren’t acting any different from normal, so it wasn’t like Bowser had shut himself away, but he wasn’t up to any of his usual hobbies. No amassing armies or building new contraption, no thinly-veiled threats or construction projects based on his head. It was like he was… calm, for once.
Mario gave Luigi a knowing glance when he said it, but Luigi wasn’t sure. It had been six months already and the discreet research he did after what happened indicated that koopa omegas had their heats twice a year. If Mario was right, Bowser should have been back to normal by now.
More and more time went by, and still, there wasn’t a peep out of Bowser. Had he really given up on his ambitions? Or was something wrong?
Without news, there was nothing Luigi could do…
Life, as always, went on. Peach decided to host another kart racing tournament, sending out invitations to all the usual participants, including Bowser and his people. Luigi asked, casually, if she’d gotten a reply and she said yes.
He tried not to get his hopes up. After all this time there was no way Bowser would want anything to do with him. But at least he might be able to find out why Bowser had been so quiet; it was always easy to get gossip out of the pit crew once Luigi warmed them up with some engine talk.
The team was prepping, the Bowser team in their area and Mario’s team in theirs. Luigi had missed their arrival, but now he kept stealing glances as often as he could get away with. Mario had noticed, everyone else seemed to think Luigi was just excited to get started.
“Go over there,” Mario murmured to him as he handed him a spanner.
“I can’t,” Luigi said. “I shouldn’t.”
“You’re not going to stop wondering until you do.”
Luigi just shook his head.
And then, as the racers started moving into position, Luigi noted a distinct lack of what was usually the biggest kart on the track. Bowser… wasn’t racing? It was still his team, but…
Luigi sidled his way over to the closest racer, who happened to be Bowser Jr. That could be good, though Luigi felt a little bad about manipulating a child.
“Your dad’s not racing today?” Luigi said, as nonchalantly as he could.
“No,” Bowser Jr. said, not even looking up. “He’s gotta take care of the baby.”
The baby.
The track seemed to go silent around Luigi.
It wasn’t, it couldn’t be, there must be a dozen engines revving up and thousands of people beginning to cheer in anticipation, but all he could hear was the rushing of air in his ears.
The baby.
The baby.
“What?” Luigi heard himself say.
Bowser Jr.’s reply was barely audible, but he caught the words “sister” and “hatched” before he turned and walked away. As he passed by Mario his brother caught his arm in his grasp and asked him something Luigi couldn’t hear.
Luigi shook his head, and then Mario put an arm around his shoulders and helped him off the track.
He wasn’t sure how much time passed. The race went on without the two of them, at least judging by the sounds that occasionally made it through and the fact that Mario never left his side except to bring him water. When Luigi was finally able to pull himself to the present he took a shaky breath and forced his fingers to relax around the crumpled plastic bottle.
“Sorry,” Luigi mumbled.
“Don’t be,” Mario said. “Are you with me now?”
“I think so.”
“Can you talk about what happened?”
Luigi opened his mouth, trying to come up with the words to explain, then closed it and shook his head.
“Okay.”
“Sorry you missed the race.”
“I’d have lost anyway if I was worrying about you,” Mario said with a smile.
“Thanks for… Thanks.”
“Anytime, bro.”
They sat and watched for a couple more laps, then Luigi stood up. “Okay, time to go.”
“Uh, okay, where are we going?”
“Not ‘we,’” Luigi said. “Just me. If you go it’s going to get… messy.”
“Are you sure you’re good?”
“No,” Luigi laughed, weakly. “But I have to go now before I talk myself out of it.”
Mario saw him out, and promised to make excuses so no one would warn Bowser before he could get there, and gave him a quick hug before he left. Luigi, in turn, promised to come back safe.
He’d remembered what Bowser had said about omegas “protecting the eggs.” If Luigi was the father (and considering everything else Bowser had said he didn’t doubt he was) then he shouldn’t set off Bowser’s defensive instincts. But another alpha would, and Luigi didn’t want to put his brother in danger.
So that was why Bowser had been so quiet for most of the last year. He was brooding, in the chicken term. Did he keep it close for body warmth, Luigi wondered? Or bury it in sand like lizards and turtles?
Luigi didn’t know. Might never know, now.
By the time he made it to Bowser’s castle the anger had begun to build under the shock. He had so many questions, so many of which could have been answered if he’d only been there. But he hadn’t, because Bowser hadn’t told him, because Bowser didn’t give him a chance.
No one stopped him until he was through the gates, then a few confused guards made an attempt at pointing spears at him until Luigi grabbed one and snapped it under his foot.
That felt good, but the growl that followed made him feel a little guilty. He didn’t want to be pulling alpha right now, but he couldn’t stop himself. That was his child in there, his daughter, and he had been kept from even knowing she existed.
A door creaked, and Luigi heard Bowser’s familiar rumble of a voice. Even as angry as he was, it gave Luigi a warm tingling in his stomach.
“All right, calm down greenie,” Bowser said.
Luigi turned, slowly, and glared at him.
A small bundle of cloth was tucked into the crook of his arm. From this distance Luigi couldn’t see anything inside it, but he knew. He knew.
“Come inside,” Bowser said. “I still can’t be out for long or I panic.”
Luigi swallowed, and nodded. If he was admitting a vulnerability like that, he must still trust Luigi.
He followed Bowser inside and up several sets of stairs, the now-intimately familiar scent drawing him like an obedient dog. Only once they were shut in a room painted in soft pinks did Bowser stop, and a little of the tension left his body.
Bowser looked different, and it took a second before Luigi realized his spikes were gone. They were retractable, weren’t they? Like most koopas? But Luigi had never seen them not on display, not even when they were…
“Here,” Bowser said, squatting down and holding out the bundle of fabric. Luigi reached out to accept it before reality fully sunk in.
Tucked inside layers of wrapping, a green face with big blue eyes looked up at him. Her skin was a bit wrinkled, like a newborn, but she was a lot bigger than any human newborn Luigi had ever seen. Carefully, Luigi tugged a bit of the blanket off her head until he got to a tuft of dark brown hair. Blue eyes, dark hair. She was his, there could be no doubt.
They both looked at each other until Luigi’s vision began to blur with tears, then the baby yawned and her eyes drifted shut.
“I don’t even know my own daughter’s name,” Luigi said, keeping his voice soft, but even he could hear the fury in it.
Bowser gave a surprised huff of laughter. “That’s what you’re mad about?”
“There’s a lot of reasons but I can only be mad about one thing at a time.”
“Wow,” Bowser said, “you and I are very different people.”
Luigi pulled his eyes away from the sleeping baby and glared at him.
Bowser put his hands up in mock-surrender. “You don’t have to be mad about that one anyway, she doesn’t have a name yet.”
“She doesn’t?” Luigi asked, hope sparking for a moment. Had Bowser waited for him?
“She only hatched three days ago, and it turns out I’m kinda bad at coming up with names. ‘Bowser Jr.’ is already taken so I’m stumped.”
“Oh.” That was disappointing, but… “I might have some ideas.”
“I’m listening.”
He sounded sincere, which only reminded Luigi of how long it had been since they spoke. “Now you’re listening.”
Bowser said nothing, but he eased himself into a chair (painted pink, just like the rest of the room) and gestured at another one. Luigi ignored it, staying on his feet.
“Were you ever going to tell me?” Luigi asked.
“Knew you’d find out eventually.”
“You weren’t?”
“I wanted to put off this,” Bowser gestured between the two of them, “as long as possible.”
“Talking to me?”
“All of it!” Bowser exclaimed, and quickly lowered his voice when the baby’s face scrunched. “Look,” he hissed, “I told you how I feel about alphas. I don’t want anybody thinking I belong to you, and I’m not looking forward to figuring out how joint custody is going to work. If I told you, you’d just be here fussing every day. If I waited, all I’d have to do is put up with you hating me for a while. And I’m already used to that.”
“I don’t hate you,” Luigi said. “I don’t think I ever hated you.”
Bowser shook his head slowly. “Very different.”
“Do you hate me?”
“No,” Bowser said. “Not anymore.”
“You did before?”
“Absolutely,” Bowser said, firmly, baring his fangs.
Luigi shrunk his shoulders, but managed to stand his ground. If he backed away now, holding their child, Bowser might snap on him.
“How could I not?” Bowser said. “Two alphas kept ruining my chance to have a partner that might actually make me happy. I hated you just as much as your brother. Sometimes more, since you smelled better.”
Despite the fear running cold in his veins, Luigi couldn’t help being pleased by the compliment. “What changed?”
Bowser snorted, dragging his hand across his face. “What do you think? I got to know you. Both of you. I didn’t want to admit it, but… you’re actually…” He grimaced. “Nice.”
Luigi smiled. “You like that.”
“And?”
“Nothing.” Luigi stroked a finger gently across his daughter’s cheek. It was so soft, like freshly-risen dough. “Is that why you kept her?”
“I like being a dad,” Bowser said. “Had nothing to do with you.”
“This isn’t what I thought you meant when you said you’d ‘take care of it’ if anything happened.”
Bowser sighed. “I really didn’t think anything would happen. My heat wasn’t due for three more months, what are the odds an egg would actually drop?”
Luigi glanced down at the baby and then up. “Pretty good?”
Bowser glared at him. “Fine.”
As much as he never wanted to put this baby down for the rest of her life, even after she got bigger than he was, Luigi’s arms were starting to get tired. He shifted his weight, and Bowser let out a low growl.
“Sit down,” Bowser said. “You’re not impressing anyone.”
“I… Okay.” He sat down on a pink padded footstool, the only thing low enough for him to sit without using his hands.
“So,” Bowser said. “What do you want?”
“What do you mean?” Luigi asked. Right now he wanted to go back in time, but even if he could arrange it that never seemed to go well.
“With the kid,” Bowser said. “‘Cuz taking care of a hatchling isn’t easy, might be better if you wait until-”
“Fifty-fifty,” Luigi said quickly. “Starting now.”
Bowser narrowed his eyes. “Now?”
“Now,” Luigi repeated. “If I let you put it off until she’s older, you’ll keep pushing back the definition of ‘older’ until it turns into a fight.”
“Hell, it’s about to be a fight right now. You don’t trust me?”
Luigi almost laughed. “Absolutely not. After this? After you kept her from me? I… I don’t know if I’ll ever trust you again.”
That glare was sharp enough to cut glass, but Bowser didn't say anything. He knew he didn't have a leg to stand on here.
"Fifty-fifty," Luigi said at last. "I'll… I'll wait a month, just so I can make sure my place is safe for her. That's all."
Bowser relaxed, minutely. "Fine."
"Good."
They sat there in silence for a few minutes, the only sounds Bowser's harsh breathing and their daughter's soft whistling snores.
"What about right now?" Bowser asked at last. "You planning on letting go of her any time soon?"
"Absolutely not," Luigi said. He'd never been more sure of anything in his life. "Is that a problem?"
"No," Bowser said, with a sigh. "You being here is… fine. It's not setting off my instincts, anyway. You'd be able to tell if it was."
That was true, Bowser's scent had permeated this room in a different way from when he was in heat. Like the pink paint, it was everywhere. And despite Luigi's feelings that scent still drew him in and made him want to stay.
“Stay put then,” Bowser said. “I’ll go heat up a bottle.”
“Ah… Okie-dokie.”
Bowser walked out without another word, leaving Luigi alone with their daughter in the nursery he’d decorated by himself. If he’d been able to help Luigi would have at least added a little variety to the colorscheme…
No. He had to stop thinking like that. As much as it hurt, dwelling on what did and didn’t happen would only drive Luigi crazy. He didn’t want to hold a grudge, the way Bowser did. He wanted to think about the future.
About his little girl, with her sweet little face and chubby little hands. He wanted to watch her grow up. And he wanted to do it standing by Bowser’s side.
Bowser still trusted him, Luigi was sure of that. He wouldn’t be alone right now if Bowser didn’t. The only thing he wasn’t sure of was how long it would take to convince Bowser to make him a true partner.
And if that would be more or less time than talking him into naming their baby Maria.