Chapter Text
Luigi had always wanted to become a florist instead of a plumber.
There was just something more appealing to have your fingers covered in mud instead of oil and dirt. Instead of fixing and replacing old and broken pipes, he was creating something new. And best of all, it was a relaxing job that was exactly what Luigi needed right now. He also wanted just a tiny bit of space away from his brother Mario and walk on his own path for a while. Not like he didn’t like hanging out with his dear brother, quite the opposite. But sometimes he did mind being in Mario’s shadow. So, he wanted to step to the side and do his own thing for a while.
His shop was, well, it wasn’t really a shop. It was a wooden sale stand with a striped awning and rows of flowers of different colors and many varieties that peeked strongly over the counter. Both behind and under the table there were more flowers and he had the tiniest corner where he could package the order into a nice bouquet. Sometimes, he had his lunch break in said corner. The wooden chair he used daily had only three legs and was more trouble than help. And the paint job over the counter … He did not want to even talk about the messy green letters that simply said; ‘Flowers’ with two o’s. His shop had no other name.
Luigi’s sale stand was only one among many others, but it was his. And he was the only one selling flowers which made his business bloom.
His stand had been up for only a week but he had gotten very familiar with the daily routine within the town square. One blue toad brought out homemade pastries all by himself with a cart before the sun rose up. The sale stands next to Luigi were selling clothes and old mysterious belongings. Every single day a child would want a balloon, and by the end of the day said balloon would either be deflated on the ground or flying towards the clouds. By noon the square was full of customers, and when the clock struck four Mario would come by, make sure Luigi had fed himself and then continue his way back home where he’d start cooking dinner for the both of them.
Today was different.
Just an hour before Luigi had to close, someone stomped past his shop. Throughout his life Luigi had seen all kinds of creatures and magical beings. He worked next to little mushroom guys every day. Even his own brother was sometimes flying in the sky, dressed up as a raccoon. But this one was much more. Large, threatening and so wide that everyone had to step out of his way. He stomped towards the castle where Princess Peach, a character Luigi could almost call his friend, lived.
Of course he knew who it was. They had a history together.
Bowser, the king of the Dark Lands. His kingdom used to be at war with the Mushroom Kingdom which made everyone expect the worst of him despite the eternal peace signed between the two islands. It has been a very, very long time since anything dangerous happened because of Bowser. But despite the peaceful deal, people were afraid of him, especially today. As Bowser entered the castle far away in the distance, people were already whispering whether he was going to kidnap the princess again, or worse, burn the whole kingdom down.
Luigi’s curiosity immediately took the best of him, making it impossible to focus on his work. That was his nature - Putting his nose where it didn’t belong.
Besides, who wouldn’t be curious to see what their former enemy was doing nowadays?
Luigi shook his head and desperately tried to continue selling flowers, doing his best to get rid of the shakiness that had taken over his knees already. When it was time to close shop, Luigi started packing up his flowers, making sure they could rest safely until tomorrow. He leaned down to place some of the flowers underneath the table as they didn’t need sunshine as much as the others, and just when he peeked back out, a large hand smacked a few coins down onto the counter.
“How do I tell someone to ‘piss off’ with flowers?” a voice roared over to his ears.
Now Luigi could see him properly.
Bowser was so big his form was towering a little over his whole shop. His horns pointed towards the sky, his red mane flowing in the summer wind and his large spiky turtle shell made him look … well, intimidating. Especially his large hand and the sharp nails scratching down against the wooden counter. Luigi knew he shouldn't be afraid. After all, a king wouldn't disrespect a deal, especially when he was simply visiting a kingdom. Still, Luigi was shaking in his boots.
“What?” was the first thing Luigi managed to spit out.
“Are you deaf, greenie?” the king crooked an eyebrow.
Luigi swallowed nervously. “I’m … I’m closing shop.”
Bowser released a tired, annoyed sigh and dropped another coin on the counter. “Well, I am paying for you to stay open a bit longer. Now, let me repeat - How do I tell someone to ‘piss off’ with flowers?”
Luigi blinked slowly. He has never witnessed Bowser buying anything. Kidnapping? Yes. Stealing? Absolutely. Breathing fire like a dragon? Oh, yes! But being a paying customer? Now that was strange. But maybe a plumber selling flowers was a strange sight, too.
“What’s the occasion?” Luigi asked and pocketed only one of the coins he had been offered. That was for his time. And for scaring him.
“None of your business”, Bowser bared his teeth. “Look, I’m a little busy.”
So was Luigi. He was hungry and in a rush to go back home and eat some spaghetti. He’d rather be anywhere than having this awkward conversation with an old enemy. But instead of refusing service - not because he was scared or anything -, Luigi relaxed his shoulders and sighed.
“Well, I have petunias that represent anger and resentment”, Luigi pointed at the lilac flowers on his right. Then, he pointed to the other end of the counter. “A-and yellow carnations. They symbolize disappointment and rejection.”
Something glimmered in Bowser’s eyes and he inhaled strongly. He banged only one of his fingers against the counter, making it shake. “You think I got rejected, punk? Hah! Not a change!” he laughed obnoxiously loud.
Ah. So he did get rejected. How odd that the princess would do such a thing after all those kidnapping attempts.
Luigi looked around his shop, scratching the back of his neck. There weren’t many flowers with ‘negative’ meanings to them. Everyone bought flowers to show that they cared for someone, or simply for table decoration. The only flower with a strong hateful meaning behind it would be a black rose, which is known to translate to ‘You are dead to me’. But black roses don't grow naturally and Luigi didn't have any in his shop, anyway. Besides, their message was simply too dark. Luigi looked around a little more until he found another possible candidate.
“T-then I guess Rhododendron would be good –”
“Stop stuttering”, Bowser ordered.
“I’m not. That’s the flower’s name. It’s a bit of a tongue twister”, Luigi said and picked up a round blush colored flower with a bit of a spicy scent. He offered it to the king who picked it up extremely carefully, his nails sharp enough to snap the stem in half.
Bowser smelled it quietly. “This is poison”, he declared.
“Well, uh, yes, if you turn it into honey”, Luigi commented. He immediately realized his mistake. Had he really just offered to sell a possibly deadly flower to a king who’s only known from trying to take over the world and who was possibly buying these flowers for the princess herself? Luigi swallowed nervously and watched as the Koopa King curiously inspected the flower, clearly considering purchasing it.
Luigi reached for the flower and gently grabbed onto its stem, his fingers ever so gently brushing against Bowser’s hand. “I-I’m sorry. I don’t think I can s-sell this to you”, he said with an awkward chuckle and placed the flower back with its own kind. Bowser didn’t fight back. In fact, he seemed to agree. He pushed the rest of his coins on the counter closer to Luigi and then pointed at the yellow carnations.
“I’ll take a bouquet of those”, Bowser said. The sound of both his foot and tail tapping against the ground was strident.
Luigi began to work immediately. He took a handful of the yellow flowers along with different kinds of greenery to make the whole thing look more full and natural, and wrapped them in old newspaper and then in decorative wrap. He picked a white ribbon to keep it all together before handing it over to Bowser, who had been surprisingly patient. He even had stopped tapping his foot against the ground as to not disturb the florist.
“S-s-so, disappointment and rejection?” Luigi asked, referring to the flowers and their meaning. He even pointed at them to get his awkward question across.
Bowser rolled his eyes. “Yeah, yeah. Don’t rub it in, greenie.”
Luigi pocketed the rest of the coins and continued closing his shop. He wanted to correct the king and remind him that this ‘greenie’ had, indeed, a name, but decided to stay quiet. Not like it mattered if Bowser knew his name - Although it would be nice to be remembered. It wasn't always just Mario who was there to rescue the princess. Luigi was around, too.
Bowser sighed, then shrugged as he didn’t know what to say, and then carefully turned around, watchful of his tail. Once again he stomped towards the castle, this time with flowers, and oddly enough Luigi couldn’t stop himself from shouting after him when something popped into his head.
“Y-you know, Peach likes c-c-common flowers!” he shouted. He wasn’t lying. A princess who lived in a castle surrounded by a grand garden would be tired of seeing the same type of flowers again and again. Mario had long ago said that the princess liked the kind of flowers that were usually cut down. Dandelions, especially. That's why Mario never brought any gifts to the princess as she already had everything and valued things you could not buy. Kind of like Luigi, come to think of it.
Bowser stopped, stood there for a few seconds before looking over his shoulder. “Common?”
“Yes”, Luigi nodded strongly.
Bowser blinked slowly. “And you?”
Luigi fiddled with his fingers wildly, a nervous tick of his. “I like all kinds.”
For whatever reason, that made the king smile. He continued his journey back towards the castle, and when he came back, still with the bouquet of flowers, Luigi had already went home.