Chapter Text
It'd been an accident honestly.
He hadn't seen the small jar containing the evil Koopa king sitting on the counter so when a buzzy beetle had infiltrated the mushroom palace, he didn't think twice and instantly scrambled on top of the counter to avoid it.
Several items toppled to the floor during his panic.
Apples. Coins. Mushroom power ups.
The jar.
It fell to the floor, the glass instantly shattering into a thousand tiny pieces.
Before he could register what had even happened, Bowser was on the move. He grabbed a super mushroom and began full on sprinting towards a crack in the palace walls. It was barely big enough for him to squeeze through. Just as instantly as he'd been freed, he was gone.
Luigi hopped down and chased after him. He shoved past the Toads in the way and caught sight of the King, well no- saw the red mushroom that was hurriedly making it way towards a pipe. He ran as fast as his legs would allow until skidding to a stop when a small noise tuned it.
The melody of a power up.
Bowser had eaten the mushroom.
He watched in horror as the turtle who'd been no bigger than four inches returned back to his previous size. If he had to guess, he'd say he stood around nine, maybe ten feet tall. His large stature was intimidating and Luigi found himself taking a fearful step backwards. He subconsciously continued taking several steps back until he tripped and landed with a thud.
The king laughed at him before disappearing through the pipe.
All the green dressed plumber could do was stare at the pipe Bowser had gone through dumbly.
What had he done?
Any and all rational thoughts left him. The only thing he could think about was how upset everyone would be with him- how bad he truly seemed to fuck things up. This was enough to make him hesitate. He knew he had to tell Mario what happened, but he wasn't ready to face him just yet. How could he? This wasn't something he could just ease onto him. It had to be done now.
With his heart racing he returned to the palace. He found Mario in the throne room talking to the princess. Instead of interrupting, he stood off to the side quietly until his brother spotted him.
"What's the matter, Luigi?" The older brother asked. "There's no work for today. Y'know that."
"I know, but something happened-
"Don't tell me you're awake because you found another biddybud in your room." Mario mused.
His brother had always been afraid of bugs. Ever since he could remember, he'd always have to come to the rescue whenever Luigi was too scared to kill a roach or a spider back in their small, cramped apartment in Brooklyn. It was something he used to find rather annoying, but didn't mind as much now. It was just a reminder that his brother would always need him, and selfishly, that made him proud. He liked being someone he could rely on.
"N-no, Mario." Luigi denied. He felt a little embarrassed that Mario would bring up such a thing in front of the princess, but he didn't dwell too much on it. He had to tell him Bowser escaped. "Something worse-
"Let me guess, it's a winged biddybud."
He was obviously having too much fun teasing him. Easing the information on to him was out of the question now.
"Bowser escaped!" He finally got out in a huff.
Mario's cheerful face disappeared in a fraction of a second and was quickly replaced with one of seriousness, as was the princess's.
"Lu." The older brother tried keeping his calm. "What do you mean Bowser escaped. What happened?"
Luigi stammered. This was all his fault. "I-I didn't know the jar was on the counter, and, well, I saw a buzzy beetle on the floor, so I tried to get away from it and I...I knocked the jar on the floor and he ran." The last part was said so quietly it was barely audible, but the two others definitely heard.
The entire room was quiet. Neither Mario nor Peach knowing what to say or even do for that matter. Bowser was once again free. There was no telling what type of scheme he'd come up with this time, and it all boiled down to being Luigi's fault.
"Oh, Lu...." Mario sighed sympathetically. "Start heading back home to Brooklyn and I'll try to fix this."
Finally Peach spoke up. "Mario, don't go into this so hastily. How are you going to fix this if we don't even know what Bowser's plan is yet? It'd be best to just wait it out and see what his next move is-
"Peach, we all know his plan is going to involve kidnapping you. I can't have Lu here getting in the way. What if he comes back and tries to take him? That would just set us back, so it'd be best if Luigi went back up to Brooklyn and stayed put. At least I'd know he's safe there. I can't lose him again."
"Maybe he could help-
"No. He can help by keeping away. You know how long it took Lu to stop having night terrors when we got him back. Being Bowser's prisoner messed him up."
"You're right."
Princess Peach and Mario continued their discussion. The young plumber listened for a bit until their voices faded out. One sentence that his older brother had said rang loudly in his head.
I can't have Lu here getting in the way.
Is that really all Mario thought he was doing? Just getting in the way and messing things up. It'd been an accident. Then again, maybe that was just him making excuses for himself. Now that he thought about it, maybe he was the one holding Mario back.
He recalled the first phone call they'd received when they started their plumbing business. If he hadn't been so scared and careless, he would've never broken the dogs bone, caused trouble, flooded that lovely couple's bathroom, and gotten Mario teased for being a failure.
Because Mario wasn't the failure- he was.
His dad had told Mario "you're dragging your brother down with you," but that simply wasn't true. It was the opposite. He was the one dragging Mario down.
Mario was only trying to be a good brother and include him in things but he kept ruining it.
So maybe he'd let his older brother handle things on his own. "I'll go home. 'm sorry for getting in the way."
Seeing the mistake he made, the man in red flinched inwardly. He hadn't meant it like that- no. He had, but maybe he should've phrased it better. Luigi was sensitive and took things to heart. The last thing he wanted was his little brother thinking he was a burden. "Lu, wait. I didn't mean it like that. Come back!" He called after the man who had his head ducked and walking away.
When his brother didn't turn back around he simply called out. "Ok, I'll stop by later to see you!"
Once Luigi was out of sight, Peach placed her hands on her hips and stared down at the shorter brother, clearly judging his actions. "Why did you send him away like that? He could've helped."
"I just don't want him getting hurt-
"So you tell him he's getting in the way instead?"
"I'll apologize to him later. He knows I love him more than anything in the world. It's always been me and him. There's nothing I wouldn't do for him. He knows that."
The princess only sighed in return. "I understand. I feel the same way about my Toads. There's nothing I wouldn't do for them."
. . . .
Luigi trudged his way to a pipe and jumped in. The pipe's mysteriously warm magic clung to him for a few seconds before spitting him out coldly in Brooklyn's sewers. He knew he was supposed to head straight home, but he just couldn't do it. Telling Mario about his grave mistake was one thing, but how was he supposed to face his family? No doubt they'd question why he'd returned home so soon, and truth be told, he wasn't in any mood to deal with whatever they had to say.
They'd probably scold him, lecture him or worse of all- pity him.
H-he couldn't deal with that.
He was already on the verge of tears, yet he was holding them back because he didn't deserve to cry or feel sorry for himself. Not when all of this was his fault. Everything was. If he wasn't always so scared of things, none of this would have happened. He'd accepted this. That's why he just couldn't bring himself to let go of the salty tears that stung his eyes, or give into the itch in his throat that signalled he was about to sob.
No. He had to fix this. Crying and being scared wouldn't solve anything.
He just didn't know how to make things right without inevitably making them worse first.
For now he'd listen to Mario and just head home.
With his mind in a downward, self hating spiral, he made his way back to the apartment where his family was at. It didn't take him as long as he'd hoped, and before he knew it, he was standing outside the door. He turned the door knob and was instantly greeted.
"There's my boy." His mom said softly, pulling him into a tight hug before peeking around. "Where's your brother?"
"He'll be by later-
"What do you mean? You two are always together. Why didn't he come with you?"
Luigi bit his lip anxiously. "I-I messed up. R-remember that spiky turtle guy me and Mario fought a while back?"
Though it had seemed like something out of a dream, his mother recalled watching her two boys through the window fighting some type of monster like that. "Yes. I remember. What happened?"
"I-I, well, I kinda knocked over the jar and set him free. It was an accident but now he's back to full size and- and I don't know what to do. Mario is going to try and handle it b-but he shouldn't always have to clean up my messes-
"Oh, Lu." His mother said. Her voice a mixture of understanding and sympathy.
Though he knew she was only trying to comfort him, he hated it. Hated how sorry she felt for him. The way she voiced it made it sound like she had expected this kind of thing from him. He wanted them to be angry with him, not pity him as if he were a child who'd made some type of fixable mistake. Why were they acting like this was something normal?!
"Ma." He said, taking a step back from her. "Is that really all you have to say? Are you not upset?"
"It was an accident, honey. Plus you said Mario is going to handle it. I have no doubt that he knows what to do-
"But it shouldn't be up to him to fix it-
"Mario always fixes things. He's a very good older brother to you. Don't worry about it. Now why don't you wash up? You're just in time for dinner."
Really?
He'd just let a literal villain escape and all his mother could do was tell him to wash up for dinner and let Mario handle it?
"No, ma. I have to be the one to fix this. I'm the one who messed up."
"Lu." His mother sighed, placing a hand on his shoulder. She admired this change of attitude from him, she really did, but she also didn't believe in him. There was a reason Mario protected him so much. A reason she looked out for him more than necessary. That reason was- he'd always been more on the sensitive side. If someone wasn't constantly looking out for him, he was an easy target for others to pick on. He constantly lived in the shadows and didn't really stick out.
No one knew him as Luigi.
It was always Mario's little brother.
The tag-along.
A side-kick.
It was as if he didn't have a purpose outside of that. As if he was destined to just follow Mario blindly like a dog.
He was tired of that.
"Lu, honey. Sometimes the best thing we can do is nothing. I'm guessing Mario sent you here because he doesn't want anything bad to happen to you, right? Let's just do what he says and let him handle things."
He was frustrated. She wasn't listening to him. He ran a tired hand through his hair and gripped the ends tightly. He hated how on edge he felt and how his mother was seemingly making things worse by not believing he could do something more to help. He had to prove once and for all he could do things without the help of his brother. "I'm not hungry. I think I'm just going to head up to my room and take a nap."
"Yeah, ok. Go rest up. I'm sure you've had a stressful day. I'll tell the others not to bother you."
Luigi didn't dignify her with a response. He simply walked away and shouldered past someone as they made their way to the kitchen. They called after him but he ignored it, choosing to instead head upstairs to his room and kick the door closed. He sat down on his bed and brought his knees to his chest. Instantly his thumb made it's way up to his mouth and he chewed on the nail nervously.
He couldn't just sit up here and wait patiently. He wasn't a child anymore.
He didn't need anyone to save him.
He could fix things himself.
All he had to do was go back through the pipe, re-enter Bowser's kingdom, and somehow get him to eat a mini mushroom. That would be simple enough, right?
Even if he ended up being captured again, he was sure he could make the plan work.
Then he could finally prove his worth.
Prove he wasn't just existing in Mario's shadow.
Feeling a sudden burst of energy, he rose to his feet and opened up his bedroom window. He peered down and gulped.
There was an escape ladder but it was old and pretty flimsy. He debated on whether he should risk climbing down it or just sneak out, but after a bit more consideration, he figured he'd rather take a tumble to the ground than confrontation from his family, so as quietly as he could, he placed his feet on the corroded metal bars and began making his way down.
The ladder creaked noisily, but luckily it didn't give out. He was able to descend it with no issues, holding his breath as he did so. He only relaxed when his feet finally touched the floor.
He did a silent, mental cheer.
This was the first time in his life he'd ever done something so dangerous.
It felt exciting. Like he was finally living.
Before he could chicken out, he rushed to the sewer cap he'd gone through and jumped down. The cold water quickly penetrated his overalls and soaked his shoes. Each step he took left him colder than the last. Finally he reached the pipe and allowed it to suck him in with a small yelp.
The mushroom kingdom came into vision as well as Bowser's kingdom. He remembered the fire-y lava from the first time he'd been pulled in and separated from Mario. Flashbacks of his time there flooded his mind.
The Dry bones chasing him.
The Shy guy's capturing him and taking him to their king.
Their king, Bowser, ripping his moustache hair out of his face in the hopes he'd reveal any valuable information before swatting him away and having him imprisoned.
Then he was almost ritualistically sacrificed.
What if all of that happened again?
Mario wouldn't be here to save him this time.
He shuddered.
Wait.
That was the whole point. Mario wasn't supposed to save him like always. The whole reason he was here was to try and fix things on his own. To make a name for himself and finally leave his older brother's protective shadow.
That was the mission.
With a determined nod, Luigi let himself be pulled towards Bowser's kingdom. He landed with a thud. The thick, smoke filled air quickly assaulted his nose. Actual fear finally set in once it became apparent of the predicament he'd placed himself in.
He'd had nightmares about this place. Now here he was! He'd practically came crawling back willingly. What the fuck?
This time instead of being chased by Dry bones throughout the terrain, the guy on the broomstick appeared in front of him- Kamek. The wizard chuckled with sick amusement. "If it isn't our mustachioed prisoner from before. I'm sure the king would be very interested to see what happened to come down the pipe."
Using his magic, the Koopa carried Luigi to the castle. The last time he was here, he was simply thrown in front of Bowser, and then taken to the dungeon. Now he was being carried throughout the castle. He tried to take in everything, the corridors, the rooms, but ultimately it did no good. This castle was stupidly big and all looked the same. After what seemed like forever, he was dropped into a big room and forced to bow down.
Though his head was ducked, he could see the yellow, scaly feet of the King come into view.
"Well. Well. If it isn't Mario's brother." Bowser laughed darkly. He took a seat on his throne and eyed the small plumber. Last time this tiny, pathetic human had fallen through the pipe was a mere accident. This time couldn't have been. To have this happen twice was too far of a stretch. Either this guy was up to something or he just had some shitty luck.
Whatever the case, he was going to find out.
Bowser stood up from his seat and tipped Luigi's face up with a clawed finger. It was sharp and poked into him. Not enough to cut him or cause any discomfort, but it rested against him, the pressure being an effective, veiled threat.
Luigi whimpered softly. He couldn't move due to the Magikoopa's spell.
"Tell me, what is it that you're doing here?"
"I-I, uhm, I was on my way to the mushroom kingdom when I got pulled this way- Eek!" He squeaked out, feeling the sharp claw poke deeper into his flesh. It hadn't stabbed into him yet, but just knowing it might made him all the more wary.
The Koopa King hummed. "I don't believe you. You've been through the pipes more than a few times to understand how they work, so I'll ask again. What are you doing here?"
He knew with one swipe from that claw he'd be dead so he had to think of a lie quickly. As he racked his brain for any possible, believable answer, it seemed Kamek was getting rather impatient. He lifted his wand in the air, and in the blink of an eye, Luigi felt his entire body stiffen with pain.
"Hah." He crumpled to the floor in agony. His breath came out in ragged pants. His vision turned white, and his mind completely went blank. All he could do was writhe pathetically as his body was overtaken by pain.
"When his highness asks you a question- you answer-
At first Bowser had felt nothing but malicious content at seeing this stupid Mario brother suffering, but when tearful, bright blue eyes locked onto dark scarlet, he felt a tiny twinge in his heart.
Not because he felt bad, but because this sniveling human was far too weak to be under such torture. In fact, he was far too dumb and useless to do anything, so subjecting him to this level of pain was just overkill.
"Enough, Kamek. Don't kill him." The king signalled him to stop. "Get out of here and leave him to me. No spells."
"But sire." The wizard protested. "You can't trust him. He works alongside Mario. There's no telling what they've schemed up-
"That's an order. Plus this guy is no threat. Without his brother here to save or defend him, I'm sure he'll be as cooperative as a trained dog." Bowser grinned, leaning down so he could hover over the man who was lying down on the stone floor, small puffs of air leaving his slightly parted lips. "If he becomes a nuisance or I simply grow bored, I'll kill him."
Kamek nodded. "As you wish, sire." In a poof of sparkly smoke, he was gone.
"So, greenie. It looks like it's just the two of us."