Ever since Luigi started to be more active in everyone's life, Junior began noticing things. Like when they eat. Luigi gets some Koopas, or sometimes he gets Dad or Grandpa to start making dinner for the three since he wants them to have a family dinner for themselves. Junior was used to eating by himself occasionally, at big gatherings that got the staff eating together or one-on-one with his Grandpa or his Dad, but those weren't dinners. But with this new routine, Luigi had them eat while he watched with his wooden spoon, hitting them if they bought up work or their latest list of taboo words that Luigi had said they couldn't speak at dinner time.
Junior noticed how sad Luigi looked. Sure, he was happy and giggled along with them, but Luigi only had to stare at the food for Junior to see that he looked hungry. Sometimes Junior would offer his food even though he knew that Luigi had told him before that he couldn't eat, but he still wanted to try it. And every time he offers, he gets turned down, which starts to upset him; what was the point in family dinner if not everyone is eating?!
Junior was sitting in Kamek Tower thinking about that as he watched Kamek work on something that he didn't know what for. Junior was working on his own things in his little notebook with pranks and plans for setting his Dad up with Mama, but that was another thing on his mind. What was going to happen between the two of them? They're friends now like Luigi said, and he was going to keep his promise to him, so he now had to give up on Peach being Mama, but can he really do that?
"Is something wrong Junior?" Kamek asks as he notices that Junior is in deep thought.
"Grandpa...what's going to happen now?"
"What do you mean?" Kamek asked as he stopped what he was doing and sat next to Junior. Junior soon put his notebook on the table between them, pointed to one called 'Happy Dad,' and pointed to a step that said 'Get Mama to like Dad.'
"What's going to happen now that Mama is gone and Luigi took her place?" Ask Junior. This was surprising to Kamek since both he and Bowser were trying to figure out a good way to explain to Junior that Peach may be out of the picture now. However, he never thought Junior would think Luigi would replace Peach.
"Well, before I can answer that let me ask you this; what is Luigi to you?" Junior thought for a second before he answers
"He's my best friend and he's part of the family."
"In what kind of way? Like a little brother to you or like a Mama like how Peach is?" Kamek said as Junior went quiet. He turns the pages to show Kamek a few drawings in his notebook and stops at one with just Junior and Luigi together.
"I don't know...he kinda acts like Mama. He's nice, teaches me new things, and is always looking out for our family." Junior admits before thinking something, "but in every story there's a perfect family, and every perfect family has a Mama and Papa...would it be perfect if I don't have a mama but another dad? A Papa instead of a Mama?"
"Junior, let me tell you something about stories and reality. Stories are hardship and things that you create to live out your deepest desires, the family in those stories are one that someone wishes they can have or one that they do have and wish to get away from. In reality, there's no such thing as perfect. Your Dad didn't have a Mama or Papa, he had me. Does that mean he didn't have a family?" Kamek tells him as he looks at the drawing again. Junior and Luigi held hands with some writing underneath as it was a bit messy to read, but he could tell it was something happy.
"No, cuz he had you. You're his Dad." Junior answered him.
"Does that also mean that since you don't have a Mama that you don't have a family?"
"No, I have you and Dad."
"And now you have Luigi." Kamek told him, "This is your family Junior. It's perfect as long as you love them and they love you. And in case you don't believe me let me tell you this; I love you Junior, you're one of the best things that has happened in my life."
"I love you too, grandpa." Junior said as they gave each other a hug. Junior was still a bit confused about what a family should look like, but he knew that the one he had and now with Luigi that it was perfect in its own way.
"Now then go get ready, dinner should be ready soon, we don't want to be late." Kamek told him, and Junior nodded as he grabbed his notebook and ran out of Kamek's room down the steps. When he got to his room to wash his hands, he thought he should write a new plan in his notebook before going to the kitchen. He simply wrote down, 'Papa Luigi.'
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"Ok, everyone, eat up!" Luigi said as he held his wooden spoon as Kamek and Bowser started to eat, but not Junior. Junior was still thinking about what Kamek had told him. Still, he also got upset when he came into the kitchen and spotted Luigi just standing on the table. His mind had gone back to one of his original problems: Luigi being unable to join them in eating at dinner time. He just poked at his cooked lamb crop with creamy mushroom pasta, and all three of them saw that Junior wasn't eating.
"What's wrong Junior? Don't like the food?" Bowser asks, but he nods no.
"Or the ingredients? I know that I'm not a big fan of mushrooms." Kamek started picking out his mushrooms, but Junior still shook his head no. Luigi walked over to him and placed his spoon down, and sat on the table as if they were going to have a one-on-one talk.
"Junior, we can't help you if you don't tell us what's wrong," Luigi said calmly as they watched. Soon Junior mumbled something, but Luigi didn't catch it. "What was that?"
"I...mumbled mumbled mumbled," Junior said as he crossed his arms.
"You gotta speak up a lot louder than that Junior." Bowser said as he kept eating.
"I don't like how...how we're all just eating..." Junior admits just a little louder
"What do you mean by that?" Luigi asks Junior, then he lets it all out.
"I don't like how you're not joining us!" He said, his voice raised, "I know you plan out the meals and join us at the table, but you don't eat anything! I know you can't, but...it makes me sad to see you suffering like that...just like when I found out that you couldn't sleep...." This touches Luigi's heart, and Junior still wants to make his life more comfortable even after all this time. Luigi could feel his eyes water up as he turned away and giggled to cover up the fact that he was starting to cry.
"Why didn't you say anything?" Kamek said as he pulled out his wand and, with a wave, summoned a green bandana. It was about the same size as Luigi, if not a bit smaller, with white, red, and yellow colors on it, and the design was based on what looked like some nutcracker dancing, gems, and stars on it; the only thing out of place was some weird symbols that outline the bandana.
"I've been working on this for a while now," Kamek tells them; soon, he folded in half and wrapped it around Luigi's neck, and since it was big enough to cover his upper body, he had enough fabric to make the back into a bow. That's when the bandana outline started to glow as Luigi felt a tingling sensation on his back and chest. It almost felt like an empty stomach filling up until you had to unbutton your pants, but with wood growing to fill in holes. It was uncomfortable, but it wasn't painful, at least not till he felt his stomach, making him fall to his knees from the overwhelming feeling. It was clear that his stomach was eating itself, and he started to cry. Still, he began to cry for many reasons, like the fact that he felt his stomach that he thought disappeared when this curse happened or the fact that the pain reminded him of his childhood, and he never wanted to feel this way again. But he was happy; he would consider these tears as happy ones since they brought back something he had lost. In fact, this was the third thing that the Bowser family gave him back that made him feel human, normal, and free.
"...Luigi! LUIGI!" The yelling snapped Luigi back from his senses as he realized that he was in Bowser's hands; Junior crying as he held onto Bowser's arm, and Kamek gave him a worried look as he bit his nails. Luigi quickly wiped away the tears as he started to giggle.
"Sorry, I'm sorry." Luigi started, "I'm just so happy right now." That got Bowser to let out a breath that he was holding on to, same for Kamek.
"Don't sacred us like that!" Kamek scolded him.
"Y-yeah! I thought we hurt you..." Junior said as he wiped his tears too.
"You can never hurt me," Luigi reassured him before Bowser put him down.
"Just don't give us another heart attack again." Bowser said as he got up to grab a small plate and a toothpick. He grabbed a few pieces of pasta and a single Mushroom before putting it in front of Luigi, "here you go Greenie."
Luigi stared at it as he started to drool, and his stomach growled so loud that all four of them could hear, but he didn't care as he picked up the toothpick. He stabbed one of the pasta and took a bite as the rich flavor covered his mouth, making him tear up.
"I'm going to cry all over again," Luigi told them as he did so as he kept eating, tears building up. Kamek and Junior have a smile on their faces now while Bowser rubs his head.
"You're such a crybaby, Greenie. How the hell do you manage to get so mad when all you do is cry?" Bowser giggled, which made them all laugh. Junior soon started to eat as well, watching Luigi stuff his face.
This was a perfect family; seeing Luigi cry over food and finally having a regular family dinner made Junior see that.