Chapter Text
It was such a gorgeous evening, too… not all that long ago Luigi had been knuckledeep in his flowerbed, sweetly humming to the chirping talkatoos on a delicate Summer day. A playful breeze tickled his neck, and sweat trickled down his brow as he uprooted another pesky weed to drop in a bucket with the rest.
That was when his hat was swept clean off his head by the gust of a massive airship soaring over their cabin. Not a second later Mario had thrown himself out the front door, spatula still in hand when they were just about to sit down for a nice, relaxing dinner.
“LUIGI!”
Both the past and now seemed to overlap as Luigi blinked back to reality to find himself sprinting down elegant white halls, hand in hand with Mario after he’d realized his brother had fallen behind.
“HURRY! You want to save the princess, don’t you!?”
“Yes! Yes,” He picked up his feet, now struggling not to overtake his brother when he did not want to be the first to confront the man responsible for besieging Peach’s castle.
It’s been some time since an invasion, hasn’t it? Last he checked, beyond Bowser’s typical frustrating shenanigans in less-fortunate kingdoms, the Koopa King has been eerily quiet. He should’ve expected his dinner to be ruined, it was simply long overdue he’d try to kidnap Peach, or even conquer the Mushroom Kingdom.
Distracted once again, Luigi rounded the corner and collided head to chest with a poor toad who slid a good few feet across the pristine checkered floor with stars spinning around his head.
“S-Sorry—!” “Princess!”
Mario interrupted Luigi’s apology to direct all their attention to Peach, who was looking over her shoulder with big, worried eyes.
“Mario! Luigi!” She exclaimed, taking Mario’s hands, overwhelmed with relief. Somehow, her voice remained soft even when she shouted with her chest. “Thank goodness, Bowser—he’s just upstairs!”
“Princess,” Toadsworth had been tugging at the hem of her dress for quite some time, patience quickly wearing thin, “The guards will hardly keep him long! We must get going! Let Master Mario handle that fiend!”
As if on cue, Bowser’s fiery, guttural roar shook the ceiling above, dropping dust from the curtained canopy while he stampeded down the halls, rallying his troops.
“FIND HER! THAT DAMN TUNNEL SHOULDN’T HAVE GOTTEN HER FAR!”
“Hey!”
A koopa troopa, clad in armor and wielding a sad spear, called to them at the end of the hall. His eyes lit up at the sight of all three of their targets, clearly alarmed, but also excited to be the first to find—
“THE PRINCESS! SHE’S RIGHT H—!”
He was silenced by a boot to the plastron. Luigi kicked the shell down the hall, turning back with a partially worried, but ultimately disappointed look on his long face when he really wished he was gardening right now.
“Yes! That’s it!” Mario cried, striking his palm with the side of his fist, stealing all their attention again with a wide grin that Luigi knew much too well. He was about to share an incredible idea that he was not going to like. “Luigi, you can distract Bowser and buy us time to get the princess out of here!”
“What!?” An entire chorus answered Mario’s grand plan, including the toad Luigi trampled that finally raised his sore head.
“But bro,”
“You can do it! I’ll be right back anyway, I just need enough time to get her somewhere safe!” He tried to say it in a hushed voice as he ushered the royals down the hall, but he was still shouting to be heard over the ongoing rampage above when it sounded like Bowser had begun to destroy good furniture in frustration. A bad omen if you ask our green-clad plumber.
“I-I—” Luigi wanted to outright tell Mario that he can’t do this, but… he was supposed to be a hero, too. They were the Mario brothers. He owed a lot to Peach as well, and, truth be told, if he could defeat Bowser all on his own, he might finally get the recognition he knew he’d earned. Not from his brother, who he knew already believed in him, especially when he was about to send him in alone against Bowser, but from the kingdom that seemed to only know him as Mario’s brother. “O-Okay.” He stammered, swallowing his fear, taking a few wobbly steps down the opposite end of the hall, “You go! I’ll… I’ll handle this! I’ll buy you time!”
“And I’ll be right back!” Mario reassured, clutching Peach’s hand and sprinting off. Leaving Luigi all alone to turn around and walk towards the danger.
“Oh, no. Oh no no no no…” Luigi mumbled to himself as he went deeper into the castle, heading for Peach’s royal chamber. He was honestly surprised by the lack of footsoldiers throughout the halls, confused as to where they could all be. Maybe Bowser didn’t bring all that many, expecting this to be an easy kidnapping. Right. He definitely didn’t know Mario.
Or maybe he did, because when Luigi finally bounced up the pearly white steps to Peach’s throne room, the golden doors sitting at the top slammed open, startling Luigi so bad he tumbled right back down, scrambling to his feet at the very bottom with a sore head and a sore ass only to feel his breath hitch when he stood at the very top.
Bowser.
He looked angry. Obviously he was angry, how could he not be? Peach managed to slip right through his fingers using a pesky trap door that no one else was able to pry back open, not even him. He had smoke billowing from his scaly nostrils, fire broiling in his gut as he stomped his way forward, staring Luigi down with those piercing red eyes that slimmed like a dragon before he puffed out his chest, making himself even taller to look down on the pesky plumber. As if Luigi wasn’t already shaking in his boots. Luigi slowly, nervously took a defensive stance before he donned a more determined face.
“Y-Y-You won’t take a step further!” He winced at his own stutter, and then grimaced as his stomach flipped in retaliation to the small flame Bowser snorted in amusement.
“Where’s the red guy? Is it just you, Greenie?” He scoffed, that deep, rumbling voice breaking through the tense air between them like a roll of thunder. Just a couple of foot soldiers had gathered around Bowser’s feet, quietly snickering beside him when Luigi wasn’t nearly as intimidating as his older brother. In fact, there was something endearing about the way he held his fists close to his chin, his tight shoulders and wobbly knees making his offensive stance look much more like a desperate ploy to protect himself.
“Cute.”
Bowser marched down the steps, and watched Luigi shrink before him, bringing his arms to his chest and staring up at the king with big, fearful eyes that had realized he had signed up for far more than he bargained for. Luigi’s brows knotted, huffing out the breath he was holding to reluctantly fix his posture, preparing for Bowser to strike first.
…
“Yeah, you’ll do.”
Luigi was swept right off his feet. He cried out, flailing in Bowser’s grasp after the koopa had plucked him up by his waist to throw over his hard shoulder. Once he overcame his shock Luigi began to fight, slamming his fists against Bowser’s shell and kicking his knees into the koopa’s thick plastron, wriggling in his grasp as he screamed, “MARIO! MARIO! HELP!”
“Oh shut it,” Bowser bounced Luigi on his shoulder, knocking the wind right out of him. He stomped back to the princess’s balcony (which had a remarkable view of the kingdom below, by the way) to take the handle of a dangling rope ladder. All too suddenly they were ripped off the ground, inciting another scream in the plumber as he watched the castle soar away from them, right when a familiar red hat popped into view.
“MARIO!” Luigi cried one last time, clinging to the last syllable as Bowser chuckled beside him, turning around just to get a good look at the so-called hero that screamed Luigi’s name back before the airship’s bay doors slammed shut.
“H-Hey! Let go of me!” Luigi pleaded, wriggling again against his shoulder. His fighting was rewarded by Bowser casually plucking Luigi off to hold in front of him in one hand, dangling him by his waist again to shoot the human a stern look that immediately stole the fight from his trembling body.
All too quickly Luigi’s face grew remarkably warm. Bowser’s grip was like iron, but he didn’t squeeze too tight either, reminding him of just how big and scary the Koopa King is when his entire hand wrapped perfectly around his torso, manhandling him like nothing. He was completely frozen in his grasp, clutching Bowser’s wrist, mere inches away from the sharp metal spikes that were no joke when they were this close.
His presence alone was terrifying, but then he had the audacity to drop his maw and let Luigi feel the heat spill off his scaly lips. The fire broiling in his throat smothered Luigi with dark smoke after he was cruel enough to huff it right in his face, and Luigi coughed, swatting away the ash. In spite of all this he somehow steeled his nerves to confront Bowser’s amused mug and muster a few choice words.
“Mario will rescue me!”
“Good. I plan on it.” He tutted back, walking Luigi to a cramped prison cell nestled in the hull of Bowser’s frankly gorgeous airship, to the point where its craftsmanship distracted Luigi even when he was being dropped on his ass and locked behind bars. He had to wonder where Bowser could've possibly sourced such high quality materials, and then found the artisans to carve equally intricate details into a space as trivial as a prisoner’s holding cell.
“What? What do you mean? What are you planning!?” He cried, shooting to his feet, clinging to the bars and rattling them just to ensure the door was locked. Bowser had already walked away. “You won’t get away with this!”
“Watch me!” Bowser snarled, making Luigi cower again even when he really, really didn’t want to.
There was no light in the hull. The only reason Luigi could even see Bowser was from the fire spilling from his throat, illuminating his face in a downright unsettling way. Other than that he had the strong crackles of lightning to rely on to identify his towering figure, making this all feel remarkably staged. Once they finally broke through the blanket of clouds, however, the setting sun began to pour in, and Luigi could get a good look at Bowser from the floor.
They both seemed to stare for some time, caught by the fact they never had much of an opportunity to take in each other whenever they were fighting. Just as Luigi gawked at Bowser’s massive frame, Bowser balked at Luigi’s small, cowardly appearance. In Bowser’s eyes, he was no more a threat than a particularly bold goomba. It was Mario he was concerned about.
Meanwhile, Luigi’s memories reluctantly leapt to the first time they’d met, when Bowser interrogated him, tortured him, then nearly boiled him in lava as some kind of twisted wedding favor. And then, of course, all their subsequent confrontations since, where Bowser had plenty of opportunities to put Mario and himself within an inch of their lives. The Koopa King was a cruel, deadly beast whose presence was not to be taken lightly. In fact, perhaps Luigi felt a little too confident goading him like this, but at this point he’d struck this monster down so many times that beating the odds had become routine. Their victory, guaranteed.
Granted, he always had Mario beside him to make that possible… actually, Mario was mostly to thank for most of those victories, as sweet as his brother was to reassure him that he played a key role. All to end up right back where he started.
Kidnapped.
“KAMEK! GET DOWN HERE!”
Luigi winced when Bowser roared those words, mouth falling agape after a familiar magikoopa popped into existence beside his king. Last he knew Kamek wasn’t capable of casual teleportation. What a frustrating development.
“Yes, your impatientness?”
“There’s been a change of plans.” He grumbled, gesturing unenthusiastically to Luigi, giving him the opportunity to watch Kamek’s head swivel and see the shock bloom on his face before he swiftly turned back to his king.
“Sire! I thought we were capturing the princess?”
“I SAID CHANGE OF PLANS!” The words exploded from him like fireworks, complete with sparks that flew from his lips that Kamek raised his arms to shield from his wrinkled face. “We’re taking Greenie hostage. We’ll use him as bait to drag that pesky plumber straight to my kingdom, and get rid of him for good!”
“Sire…” Kamek sighed, glancing at Luigi again, mulling over this idea properly. “Yes, yes, we can work with this…”
“Y-You won’t win!”
“Ugh.” Bowser barely rolled his eyes, and looked back at Luigi with palpable annoyance. But then Bowser kept looking at him, his eyes briefly glossing up and down Luigi’s figure, curious about the man in front of him again. Luigi shrunk under his gaze and slunk further back into his cell when he’d finally realized he didn’t want to bring anymore of Bowser’s ire onto himself.
“Hmph. You’ve got the princess’s eyes.” He grumbled. Luigi wavered.
“What?”
“Nothing.” He turned back to Kamek and shoved the magikoopa to the floor. “And what do you mean you can work with this? It’s a GOOD plan! Way better than the old one!”
“Yes, but it would’ve been easier to plan for if we knew before we stormed Peach’s Castle—”
Bowser snatched up Kamek and held him in a tight fist to confront eye to eye.
“Which one of us is king again?”
“You, Sire,”
“RIGHT.” Kamek squirmed as Bowser’s grip tightened, nearly squeezing the air right out of him. “For a second, it almost sounded like you thought you were King of the Koopas. Now go check on business for me.” He tutted, tossing Kamek aside, heading for the door,
“Wait! What about me!?”
“Oh, don’t worry. I got big plans for you.” He growled over his shoulder, making sure to bite his tongue and flash Luigi a smug look that incited quite a flurry of emotions in the plumber before slamming the door behind him.
“Lord Bowser…” Kamek grumbled, fixing his robe, scowling at the door before magically popping out of existence once more.
“...Hello? Anybody?” Luigi mumbled. Holding the bars. Staring off into the dark room before he slumped back onto the floor, dropping to his knees to fully process the situation he’s in.
I’ve been kidnapped.
A groan spilled off his lips and he curled up on the ground in a sorry heap. His frustration could easily be pointed at Mario, who proposed this whole fend off Bowser idea in the first place, but he was certain that if Mario knew Bowser would kidnap him, he wouldn’t have sent him to distract the koopa in the first place! Not even Bowser seemed to anticipate this, surprising himself with the grand idea.
Great. He was never going to be taken seriously now after getting snatched up like some damsel in distress. Again.
He could be gardening right now! He could be having a nice, relaxing dinner at home, watching the sun set on the Mushroom Kingdom in his quaint little cottage after a hard day’s work of tending to his flowers. Instead, the cold wood floor was digging into his cheek as Bowser’s airship rumbled through the sky, rattling on nasty currents when as we speak it was fighting the hot, aggressive heatwaves of the Dark Land’s volcanoes. It cut through pillars of black smoke, smothered Luigi with its heat as the wooden ship flew precariously close to thick, smoldering pools of lava that streaked down obsidian rock like the bitter tears down Luigi’s face.
It was all wishful thinking, anyway. He knew deep down that if he wasn’t the one kidnapped, then Peach would be sitting in his place, and he’d be halfway across the world alongside Mario to go rescue her, again. A part of him felt he should be relieved it wasn’t Peach in his shoes, knowing what Bowser’s plans could have been.
The ship jostled when it finally parked in the castle’s hangar, coming to a rude, abrupt stop that made Luigi’s head strike the floor. He groaned again as he rubbed the sore spot in his temple and rose to his knees to meet the eyes of a squad of austere koopas.
“On your feet, prisoner!” The red one cried, pointing his spear at Luigi through the bars, stepping aside so another could bring a key to the door. “And no funny business!”
Luigi stood up, already considering a plan. Just three koopas? Seriously?
“BACK UP!” The soldier cried again when his green compatriot opened the cell door, and the third blue koopa held up a thick rope already fashioned into a pair of cuffs. “Turn around! Now!”
Luigi went to turn around, but the moment a koopa entered the cage he spun back and struck them with the sole of his boot. They soared backwards, tucking into their shell before they collided directly into the chest of the green koopa, sending them spinning across the room as the blue koopa panicked. He sprinted forward to capture Luigi just to get knocked back with another simple strike to the shell. Luigi didn’t really want to hurt anybody, he just wanted the purchase to sprint past, barreling out the hull, leaping up the steps and—!
“OOF!”
Bowser’s chest nearly sent him right back down the stairs again if the king hadn’t caught his arm before he fell, swallowing it in his grasp and scooping him off his feet. Restraining Luigi just by holding the plumber’s arms down against his sides.
“You’re going to regret that.” Bowser groused, impatiently gesturing for the koopas downstairs to come up while other troops crowded the scene. He watched with an air of entitled annoyance as they all scrambled to his feet, apologies spilling from their beaks for their insolence, swiftly tying Luigi up after Bowser had spun him around so the king wouldn’t have to hold him long. Really, it was humiliating how Bowser manhandled him, squeezing his arms tight, stripping any and all power Luigi may have once had with such a dismissive look… “And where did you think you were going? Huh? You really thought you could get away like that?”
“Maybe.” Luigi huffed, raising his chin high, turning his head away. Bowser laughed in his face, and Luigi felt his ears burn from more than just his fire breath.
“Cute.”
Luigi flushed harder, now throwing Bowser a scowl as he swung the freshly bound plumber around to shove him towards the plank and deboard the ship.
“Where are you taking me!?”
“Somewhere warm, and cozy.” Bowser purred, prodding his back again with one of his sharp claws, ushering him forward. “You’ll love the dungeon.”
“W-What!?”
Bowser laughed again, handing Luigi off to a couple charging chucks so he could make his leave. The chucks took one bicep each, plucking Luigi right off the velvet floor to carry him down the opposite hall, away from Bowser.
“YOU WON’T GET AWAY WITH THIS!”
“YES I WILL, GREENIE! I ALREADY HAVE!”
And ever for theatrics, a massive set of steel doors slammed shut between them, mocking him with the Bowser’s smug insignia.
“No, you haven’t…” Luigi grumbled, falling slack. Giving up. He remembered the dungeons well from the first time he came to this world, and understood deep down that some grand one-man escape just wasn’t going to happen. But Mario would save him anyway, if he doesn’t miraculously find a way to break out of this himself. Surely.
The chucks’ opened another big, heavy door, and unveiled the familiar sight of a deep pool of lava with dozens of metal cages dangling over the sweltering abyss. Not a single window peppered cobblestone walls that disappeared into a dark, cavernous ceiling above. Luigi swallowed in fear.
Surely…
***
As the sun struck the Mushroom Kingdom’s far horizon, Mario watched in horror as the bay doors of Bowser’s airship slammed shut on his brother, soaring deep into the sea blue sky.
“LUIGI!” Mario cried after him, desperation straining his voice when he already knew it was hopeless, now. He bounced on his feet before whipping around, sprinting off the balcony, eyes stinging with tears he pretended not to feel as he raced down the halls. “No! No!”
He skidded to a stop at the end of another hall, perking up at the sight of the princess. It seems she’d changed her mind about hiding once everyone realized what had happened, and the guilt on her face only frustrated him more.
“Where’s Luigi?” She asked as Mario ran past, doing her best to keep up with the man who wasn’t going to slow down even for her sake.
“Bowser took him,” He huffed, legs burning, chest hurting after he finally made it to the castle’s front gates, and watched Bowser’s airship disappear into the night sky. With heavy breaths, Mario snatched off his hat, anger swelling up in him when this was all his own fault. “Why would he kidnap Luigi!?”
“I don’t know, but we’ll get him back. No matter what.” Peach reassured, wiping her face as she caught her own breath. “Mario,”
“NO!” He flew down to the bottom of the steps only to stop again when he realized he didn’t have a concrete plan. “We need to get to the Dark Lands! He has to be taking him to Bowser’s Castle, we’ll go in and—and—” He faltered, bitterly recognizing he can’t just march into Bowser’s Castle.
“Anything you need. I’m sorry, Mario.” Peach took his shoulder, and Mario tensed under her touch, clenching his fists and closing his eyes when every single cell in his body was just angry.
His brother. His sweet, selfless, sensitive baby brother now sat helpless in Bowser’s claws, and honestly, he wasn’t sure if the King of the Koopas even needed him alive. Looking back on things, sending Luigi alone was completely and utterly reckless. They’d fought Bowser so many times together, it just never struck his mind that he would even consider taking him. What did he have to gain!?
That was a stupid question. Bowser may be impulsive, but he wasn’t stupid. He knew the leverage Luigi gave him. He knew how much his brother meant to him.
More frustrated tears spilled from Mario’s eyes before he started marching forward, leaving the princess behind.
“I’m going after him. I can’t let him hurt my brother.”
“Mario, we should really consider a plan.”
“I have a plan. I go in, I beat Bowser, and I take my brother home. I’ve done it before.” With Luigi. Not alone.
“I’m coming with you.”
Mario stopped, turning around with a near offended look. “Princess, I can’t let you do that.”
“I was the one Bowser was supposed to kidnap. It’s my fault Luigi’s in Bowser’s clutches, and I can’t let you clean up after me. Luigi is still a citizen of the Mushroom Kingdom. It’s my responsibility to bring him home.” She listed, nearly losing her breath as she tried to lay down all her points as quickly as possible.
Mario looked like he’d swallowed a lemon, but deep down, he knew Peach was just as capable as himself, if not more so. They had adventured together plenty of times before.
But this wasn’t just another adventure. This was his brother. “Do I have a choice?”
“Nope.”
He sighed in defeat.
“But Princess! What about the kingdom!? What if Bowser invades again!?” Toadsworth implored, having caught up near the end of their conversation. Peach knelt down, gently taking his hands to give him a comforting smile.
“I can trust you to keep the kingdom safe, can’t I?”
Toadsworth barely stopped himself before he simply blurted out no, “I-I can do my best, princess, but really, you shouldn’t—”
“Thank you.” She interrupted his stammering with a soft kiss to the top of his head, standing up and giving Mario a determined look when he was already growing impatient. “Lets go rescue your brother.”
“Right.” Mario walked briskly, eager to return home and prepare for a long, perilous journey…
Hang in there, Lu. I’ll be there soon.
***
Dangling from a cage, you have plenty of time to take in your surroundings. He was the only prisoner in this frankly garish prison, which was a bit unnerving when the last time he’d been trapped here, he was surrounded on all sides by other prisoners to at least make conversation. Now, the silence was deafening.
He was careful to keep his feet away from the edges of his rounded cage when the lava below bubbled and burst, threatening to burn his limbs right off. It all felt deeply reckless, and clearly spoke to just how valuable Luigi must be alive if Bowser was willing to toss him somewhere so dangerous. As if Mario would possibly hold back if he found out his brother was boiled alive… he might as well already be well-done with this sweltering heat.
He’d taken off his shirt to wipe his face of all the sweat that dripped down his brow, eyeing gaudy murals along stone walls that he hadn’t noticed before when the sight had initially been obscured by dozens of other cages, and the air here wiggled back and forth. It seemed to be telling a story of some kind, but he couldn’t parse out the details. Just that it was violent, and greedy, and clearly meant to depict Bowser in a fearsome light. Just in case you somehow managed to forget who threw you in here.
What felt like a mile away, two goomba soldiers slept before the only exit, guarding the door as if Luigi might somehow find a way to not only break out of this solid steel cage, but leap the laughably long distance over a terrifying pit of lava. Maybe he could. If he didn’t break his legs on the landing.
As they slept, he tried swinging the cage back and forth, but there wasn’t anywhere to go, and it just made the room even hotter.
“Oh, Mario…” He mumbled, splaying his legs on the floor of the cage, staring into the ceiling above. Hoping he would materialize in the darkness…
Surely, his brother will be here soon. At least before he melts into a puddle.
“WAH-AH!”
Luigi was startled so badly by the magikoopa popping into his cage that he threw his head into the bars behind him, clutching his welt and moaning in pain as the little bastard grabbed his overalls, and all too suddenly, he’d blinked out of reality. Luigi was overwhelmed with a vibrant explosion of colors before he collapsed onto a soft red carpet. He groaned again, wiping his face, feeling the relief of cold air when it seemed he was no longer in that damn cage. What a remarkably short imprisonment.
He looked up from the floor and scrambled onto his hands and knees at the sight of Bowser sitting on a black throne, backlit by terrifying walls of lava. Luigi had been here before, and distinctly recalled getting half his mustache ripped out the first time Bowser shook him down. This time, however, instead of marching down to meet Luigi personally, he’d donned an insulted look, his cheek resting on his palm as a set of red, reptilian eyes glossed up and down the pitiful sight.
“What happened to your shirt?” Bowser scoffed, shamelessly looking down at his bare chest. Luigi flushed, hiding it, panicking for a second before he whipped around and forced the shirt back on.
“I-I was hot! You put me over a pool of lava!”
Bowser rolled his eyes. He snapped his fingers a couple times, and Kamek materialized on his broomstick right beside him. “It was your idea, shortstack, you ask the questions.”
Kamek huffed, quickly landing before Bowser and magicking away his broom with a frustrated look. “Of course, your surliness…” He grumbled, flicking his wand, startling Luigi when all the sweat disappeared from his clothes. “What is the Mushroom Kingdom planning?”
“W-What?” Luigi’s eyes flitted from Kamek to Bowser, unsure whether he wanted to stand or remain on the floor. Sadly, that choice was made for him when Kamek picked him up with his wand and dangled him in the air, locking his arms and legs tight to his body. How horribly familiar. “Hey!”
“You have to know what the princess is plotting!”
“Do I?” That felt more like Mario’s thing, really, and even then, he didn’t know if Peach shared such intimate information with his brother in the first place. Truth be told, he wasn’t quite sure where Peach and Mario’s relationship stands, and whenever he tried to press his brother, he didn’t seem all that certain either. Heroes of the Mushroom Kingdom seemed to be the only official position the princess ever designated them…
Luigi cried out in fear when a fireball blasted right past his shoulder, casually spat by the king that still looked bored. He did grow somewhat amused by Luigi’s strong reaction, however. “What did Princess Peach say about me, huh? She dig the new look?”
Luigi’s eyes narrowed, not quite sure what was different about him in the first place. Sadly, Bowser seemed to notice when Luigi went quiet, and blasted another fireball at him, this time donning a vicious glare as he clutched his throne and lurched forward as if he were about to lunge.
“THE HAIR!” He roared, just as Kamek whipped around with a nervous grin.
“Which looks incredible, your nastiness! I’m sure the princess noticed!”
“Right.” He snarled, huffing another plume of smoke. Luigi was still shaken by the fact his own hair was nearly singed off his head, his poor hat now sporting a charred hole on the top. “HE DOESN’T KNOW ANYTHING!”
“We’ve hardly asked him any questions, Sire! Surely, the brother of your enemy will know something! Perhaps a weakness we can exploit?” He retaliated, turning back to Luigi with eagerness, earning a funny look from him.
“I’m not telling you that!”
“So, he has a weakness?” Bowser pressed, already over his outburst, shifting gears with a toothy grin. Luigi wavered.
“N-No! He doesn’t have any!”
“No bad back? No weak knees?”
“No!”
“COME ON! You WANT to be burned alive!? Just cooperate so we can get this over with!”
“I’m not telling you anything!”
Bowser groaned, and shot Kamek a dirty look. “See? Worthless.”
Kamek, just as frustrated, shook Luigi around, spinning him in circles and dropping him a few times for good measure.
“KAMEK!”
“We are torturing him, Sire, for information!”
“Yeah, but—” He scoffed, turning away, avoiding looking at Luigi as the dazed man’s head wobbled on his shoulders. “FORGET IT! He clearly doesn’t know anything! Just throw him back in the dungeons already!”
“Sire!”
They both turned back at Luigi, finally realizing he’d been mumbling something as his eyes spun in his head.
“I… I won’t… I’m not telling…”
Bowser scowled, and Kamek leapt when he pointed that scowl at him.
“As you wish.”
He magicked Luigi away. Bowser forced a sharp plume of fire from his nose, and stood up from his throne to march past the koopa.
“We can try again—”
“No. I have… a better idea, anyway.” He grumbled, shooing his minion away, leaving the room. Ignoring Kamek as he attempted to worm out whatever Bowser was planning before he was chased off by yet another fireball.
Luigi, back in the sweltering heat, whined in frustration as he took off his shirt again, not wanting to get it too sweaty this time. He was grateful Bowser had been too impatient to genuinely interrogate him, but at the same time, he could’ve done with less magic… now he was struggling not to throw up from the heat and vertigo.