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“I believe we aren’t asking for much, Princess.”
Princess Peach shook her head, her arms folded casually across her chest. She looked up at the ghastly white man in front of her, her soft blue eyes meeting with his bright purple ones. Boo tried to read into her expression, but he found himself stumped with the Princess as she cleared her throat to speak.
“What you seem to be asking is that we, the Mushroom Kingdom, give up valuable research and knowledge on ghost culture, make-up, and behavior simply for as you state it…comfort.”
“Yes! I only ask because-“
She put her hand up in front of him, making Boo bite his tongue to silence himself. The last thing he needed was a pissed off Princess.
“…and frankly, I believe that is quite selfish of you. Withholding information about your species is on par with conspiracy, and I am afraid to inform you that I cannot agree with this plan of yours.”
Boo felt the rage start boiling up inside him. His cheeks went purple out of frustration and the urge to turn invisible grew ever more appealing.
No.
He cant back out now.
Not in front of him at least.
Bowser sat in the seat across from Peach, his interest in their discussion lacking until the Princess claimed she wouldn’t support King Boos proposal. That seemed to perk him right up.
“Princess, I regret to inform you that the…researcher you’ve sent to study my people is undoubtedly unqualified for his position.”
King Boo began to pace back and forth, folding his arms and tapping a finger on his bicep all the while.
“Not only are his methods faulty and dangerous for Boo-kind, his equipment can be painful when used. It takes a lot for a Boo to feel any sort of discomfort, I’ll have you know, and the fact that his machines cause that on the daily baffles me that you of all people would condone his research! Surely, you have to believe me, Lady Peach. I receive no sort of gain from lying to your face, and even if I did, my subjects always come first.”
“Your words humble me, Helenus, but my decision is final. I will not put a stop to this research, nor will I fire the Professor. You must understand- This is for the safety of all kingdoms. Boos are an enigma to us all, and the more we know about them, the safer we’ll all be.”
Boo only grew angrier as he heard the King of the Koopas let out a mighty roar of laughter. He always hated that oversized turtle, but this was the final nail in his (literal) coffin. The countless hours of torment he and his Boos received simply for being different had reached its limit, and Boo wasn’t going to leave without something being done. That is, until, the Princess projected another horrible thought his way.
“If you do not allow the research to continue, or do anything to try and withhold it's progress, we will have no choice but to put you back inside your painting.”
“…you misunderstand, Princess. I already reside within my painting! 24/7, I’ll have you know! I’m only released when it benefits that crazy old man, and at this point that rarely happens. While the paintings themselves may not be harmful to us Boos, the idea that he forces us within them is unethical. Surely you can agree with that?”
Peach simply shook her head, letting out a soft sigh as she twiddled her thumbs.
“I agree it’s unethical, but…it’s what’s safe for everyone. The Boos are unpredictable, and we need to keep a check on them, do you understand? It’s not that we despise the Boos, we’re simply keeping taps on their behavior so nothing goes wrong.”
Boo scoffed, looking away from the other two royals simply to keep his pride. This ghost slander was unprecedented, and he wasn’t about to just stand here and let this human talk smack about his people! But…at the same time, she was Princess Peach, ruler of the most powerful kingdom around. The Boos had no power over her.
“…very well then, Princess. If…if you think that’s what’s best for your people.” He hissed out, his eyes going dark as he ‘poofed’ away in a cloud of translucent purple fog.
This would never end, would it?
. . .
Luigi was once again called to do some ghost busting, arguably one of his least favorite activities. It’s not that he was scared, it was more so that he felt bad for all the ghosts he had to capture. E.Gadd definitely wasn’t the most humane professor. (Were the Boos human once? He had no idea.)
Despite how he felt, he had a job to do.
Capture King Boo.
…Again.
E.Gadd said that he was tricked into releasing the ghost while he was half asleep, and while not out of character for the notorious trickster, seems a little cheap by his standards. Taking advantage of someone? Luigi got that, but while they were sleeping of all things? A new low for the King of the Boos, Luigi pondered as he pushed open the foyer door.
He could probably run around this place blindfolded and still know his way around he’d been inside the mansion so many times. Every crack in the wall and loose floorboard he could recite from memory, so it wasn’t a surprise that Luigi immediately started checking every room he expected King Boo be haunting out in.
What he wasn’t expecting was the sound of a grand piano filling his ears.
Luigi perked up, subconsciously following the haunting melody in an attempt to find it's source. The fact that the piano was gravely out of tune wasn’t an issue, considering the entire thing was out of tune. It also added to the spooky atmosphere of the mansion, which Luigi was a fan of.
He slowly pushed open a large wooden door, its face covered with all sorts of decorative swirls and patterns. The wood felt smooth and well maintained under his gloves, much different to any other wooden object you’d find in a place like the mansion.
What his eyes were met with put him at a loss for words.
Inside the room was a beautiful wooden floor, identical in care with the door he had just entered through. The walls had the rich purple wallpaper that lined the entire house, but in this particular room it seemed to glow softly. Maybe it was because of the chandelier above him? Countless candles adorned it's ends, lighting the room eerily. The rich purple curtains on the few windows fluttered in the wind, the chilly air making itself known as it made Luigi shiver intensely.
That’s when he saw him.
The ghost he had been looking for was perched upon a bench, in front of him was a large grand piano. The dark stained wood of it's makeup was jaw droppingly gorgeous. Luigi couldn’t help but stare in wonder at the instrument.
More melodies made their way from the open top, sending tingles of fear into Luigi’s heart as he stopped to simply listen.
His tranced state was quickly cut short by the harsh eyes that met his.
“Luigi..?”
The one mentioned jumped, freezing in place at his adversaries speaking.
“What in the world are you doing here?! E.Gadd claimed he gave you the day off…”
Luigi cocked a brow, looking confusingly at the apparition in front of him. Had the Professor really said that? To King Boo of all spirits? Why would he lie about him being at the mansion..? And why was the King out of his painting?! Luigi instinctively powered up his Poltergust, pointing it at Boo as he flicked it on. Frankly, he wasn’t in the mood for the Kings nonsense tonight, and his planned ghost hunting expedition was going to go as planned this time. He would put King Boo back into his painting, and then go home and get a good night's sleep. Luigi's eyebrows furrowed as he approached the King.
“…you get that wretched thing away from me this instant! I have no intention of harming you!”
Luigi scoffed.
“How am I supposed to believe a known trickster? I’d be a fool to even consider the idea of you telling the truth!”
Boo opened his mouth to speak, but found no sort of retort for Luigi's words. He sighed, putting his attention back onto the large piano in front of him. Boo mindlessly prods at a random key as he rests his opposite elbow onto the keyboard, putting a hand to his cheek.
“…this game…cat and mouse…it’s become a drag to me…wouldn’t you agree? Our pursuit of one another has become stale, and I long for change. I propose to you…a truce of sorts. In no way are you inclined to accept, but I feel the idea of mutual tolerance intrigues us both.”
Luigi did like that idea…a world where he didn’t always have to chase him around? One where he didn’t chase Luigi around? If Heaven was truly real, then Luigi imagined himself in it right now. He slowly lowered the vacuum cleaner, taking a couple cautious steps towards the ghost in front of him. Luigi knew King Boo, and (for the most part) he wasn’t one to lie about things. Unless of course they involved capturing Luigi or one of his family members. That was different.
King Boo removed the hand from his cheek in favor of the bench he sat on, lightly patting the open space next to him. He beckoned Luigi over, playing a slow and simple melody on the piano with his other hand. Curiously, Luigi sprang forward, taking a seat next to the ghostly King as he looked over at him. He noted how chilly it was next to him, and just how big King Boo was compared to a lowly human like himself. He of course started to shiver slightly, his teeth chattering softly as he heard the King begin to speak once more.
“Have you ever played piano, Luigi? It’s a lovely instrument. So many possibilities…and anyone can play it. It truly is close to being perfect.”
Luigi shook his head in response, looking down at the sea of white and black in front of him. To be honest, he had never really been near a piano. His family was always too poor to buy one, and the only time he was around pianos was at Peach’s castle. To him, they always seemed like a royal thing to own, and the fact that the King of the Boos owned one only solidified his belief.
“No…I’ve never played a piano before! Honestly, I haven’t been around too many…”
“Well, we can change that tonight. Would you like to learn a song with me? It won’t be that difficult, considering you’ve never played a piano before.”
Luigi blushed. Was his sworn rival offering to teach him how to play piano? A sworn rival who, Luigi must admit, is very talented at said instrument? His mind started to kick into overdrive as his thoughts raced. What should he say? Was this another trick?…What if he really did want to learn from King Boo? Would that make him evil? His moral compass was currently screaming at him, yelling that no villain could ever be nice to a hero like him! It was impossible!
Frankly, he had no idea why he said yes to him.
This is exactly what he didn’t want.
Don’t get attached to the enemy.
King Boo grinned, his signature giggle making itself known as he grabbed onto Luigi's right hand. The latter had little time to react to the sudden drop in temperature before he witnessed the gloved hand dissolve into his own. He panicked silently, watching his hand as he flexed his fingers. Except, he wasn’t the one doing it.
Boo shifted, his body being uncomfortably close to Luigi's own after he so rudely slung his right arm around his shoulders. Not to mention the fact he had just possessed the plumber's hand. Luigi began to flush the more he thought about it, and about how comfortable he really was. He was pretty chilly, yes, but at the same time he felt like he was being wrapped in a deathly pale blanket. He could get used to this.
Wait.
He remembered he was sitting on a bench…
With his sworn enemy…
And one could argue they were currently cuddling.
What the hell.
“Luigi…? Are you alright…?- No, of course you’re not! I just possessed your hand without your permission, you’re probably freaking out, aren’t you? Certainly losing all sort of feeling in your hand isn’t the most fun thing…I suppose I didn’t take that into account…”
Boo, embarrassed, started to blush softly, pinching the bridge of his nose. Luigi looked up at him, startled by his sudden shift in character. The annoying trickster he had grown to despise was…worried about how he felt? Surely this wasn’t the case. If both of Luigi’s hands weren’t being possessed and crushed respectively, he surely would’ve pinched himself. He had to be dreaming, right? There was no way that he was ok with this-
“It’s alright, Boo. I…I get what you’re trying to do.”
He totally was.
The King beside him shot him a worried look, but Luigi dismissed it with a smile and a small shake of his head. The other slowly started to smile back.
“I…if you are sure…then I will not worry about it. I simply want you to be comfortable…”
‘Consider that done.’ Luigi thought, nodding his head.
Boo cleared his throat. Luigi's fingers began to stretch out, and he watched as they settled themselves down on a set of keys.
“My mother would play this for me…when I was still alive, of course…I like to think of it as a small part of her I keep with me.” he chuckled nervously, his lips twitching slightly. “A-Anyways…think of your fingers like numbers, your thumb being number 1 and your pinky being number 5. I'm sure you can figure out the rest, right? You’re smart, I’ve come to learn that. I’m going to say a number while playing the keys with your hand, alright? It may feel a little funny, but it shouldn’t hurt at all.”
Luigi nodded as he looked back down at the keyboard, Boos voice ringing in his ears as he watched his fingers begin to move on their own. He managed to relax as best he could, putting the spoken numbers into his memory for later. The King was right, this melody wasn’t the most complicated and Luigi was convinced an infant could play it. He was slightly unimpressed, but he remembered the comment about his mother and figured that it must’ve been special to him. Luigi had silly things from his mother that he held dear, and he wasn’t planning on being a hypocrite tonight.
“Out of curiosity…and not to be rude or anything, but…why are you out of your painting..? E.Gadd doesn’t like letting his specimens roam around, especially ones as powerful as you.”
“Firstly, we aren’t specimens. We have feelings, Luigi. We are not lab rats.” Luigi began to sulk, kicking himself for the choice of words. Before he could wallow in his self pity for too long, he felt his body being jolted up, an invisible force seemingly holding him up like a puppet.
“Secondly, E.Gadd can be quite lenient for an old man. If I’m…’well behaved’…he will allow me to roam around my own mansion for a designated period of time. I'm only limited to certain rooms though, such as this one. I come here a lot solely because it’s the most interesting, and the most fun out of my options.”
A quiet ‘oh’ escaped Luigi as he glanced over at the King, his face dark. Luigi couldn’t quite figure out what he was thinking behind his eyes, but he knew better than to push someone like Boo.
“Well…that’s nice, I guess? Honestly…I don’t like how he treats the ghosts. It’s cruel…I mean, I wouldn’t want to be trapped in a painting for who knows how long! It seems cramped…”
“It is very cramped.” Boo, placing his free hand on the piano, began to play a more advanced version of the simple pattern he had been teaching Luigi. “You’re very compassionate, and I adore that about you. You are…much more considerate than your Princess is. I went to her regarding reforms on how E.Gadd handles us ghosts, but she shut me down completely, claiming some gibberish that was undoubtedly false. Something, something, research comes before comfort.”
“Did the Princess really say that…?”
“I may have exaggerated a smidge, but the idea is still the same.”
“Well…I’m sure she didn’t mean it…! She’s probably just stressed…”
Boo sighed, slowing his playing slightly to reflect his somber-ish mood. He looks over at Luigi, not helping the small smile and blush that creeps onto his face after he does so.
“I…I trust you. Maybe she is simply…stressed. She is a very important figure, after all.”
Luigi’s smile widened as he listened to King Boo, for once, agree with him.
“Yeah! She’s been super busy lately, so I’m sure if you talk to her in a couple weeks, she’ll be more open to your ideas.”
Boo nodded, leaning closer to the plumber as his eyes glowed with a soft purple tint.
“This talk of the Princess is putting me in a horrific mood…can I focus on you instead?”
Luigi let out a soft puff of air as he flushed red, Boo snickering softly as he looked away.
“U-Uhm…I…well…?”
“Is that a yes?”
Boo placed his hand over Luigi's smaller one, this time staying separated as he squeezed it softly.
“I’d love to play a duet with you…While the tune I taught you is boringly simple, it makes for a great melody for any sort of improvisation. I won’t go too fast, seeing as you only committed it to memory a few short minutes ago.”
Luigi watched as his hand moved again towards the keys, this time without Boos help. He found himself playing the short tune from memory, shifting his gaze over to the ghost next to him. The apparitions deft hands danced beautifully over the antique piano in front of him, his eyes closed as a small smile once again crept onto his lips.
Luigi knowingly blushed at the sight, the spine-chilling music they produced together plucking heartstrings he didn’t even know he had. Before long they were talking again, talking about whatever came to mind.
The Princess…
Their lives…
Each other…
They seemed to talk about one another quite a bit that night, but neither party seemed to mind.