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( This story is part of my "Roman Holiday Request Run". My request queue is extremely full, so this is an effort on my part to clear out my queue.
I AM NOT TAKING ANY REQUESTS AT THIS TIME.
Now that that's out of the way, this story was requested by SmashBrosFan96 Jr. on FFnet, who wanted a story on how King Boo sees Hellen after their plan fails. I was unsure if I wanted to take this as a last request before I closed my queue, but after a month of not writing HellBoo and a bit of a block on ideas for them, I decided to pick this up and use it as a warm-up.
*sigh* March was crazy, but I'm glad to write another story with these two. Hope you all enjoy!)
Disclaimer: I do not own Mario, the "Luigi's Mansion" series, or any of its characters. *cracks knuckles* Alright, time to try and be productive…
The Taste of Failure Isn't as Bad When I'm Around You
After the fury had burned itself out, after long hours of lashing his tongue against the glass out of sheer rage and doing everything to try and escape the container yet getting no closer to freeing himself, all that was left was exhaustion.
The royal Boo floated in his container, facing away from the long row of mostly empty containers behind him. His arms fell softly against his sides, and his tail drooped with emotional fatigue.
Even Polterkitty had been released. Even the cat, who had caused more trouble for Luigi and E. Gadd than any other floor manager ghost in the hotel, had been let out for good behavior.
It stung.
Red eyes roamed the sides of the containment capsule, studying the little details and lights dotting the shape of the larger container. Small beeps and chirps from the circuits kept the capsule from being completely silent, and the circuitry was so advanced, the Boo could see the electrical currents running through the machinery.
As much as he didn't want to look at his prison, he didn't have much else to do.
Over the past weeks, everyone had been let out, slowly but surely. Unsurprisingly, Morty was let out first. He was gone almost a day before Luigi and his friends left for their home. Then went Steward, Chambrea, Kruller…
With each new week, another manager was let out. If they were good and kept out of trouble, then they were released early to help out with the new hotel that rose up in the Last Resort's place. One by one, they all left. And now, the cat was freer than he was.
Anger simmered in his form, but a wave of exhaustion blew away the embers.
There wasn't really a point. He had tried to escape the capsule every way possible, each time meeting with more failure. Until E. Gadd decided what to do with him, the Boo was certain he was going to rot inside the container, staring at the inner walls of the capsule until the judgement day.
At this point, he was almost ready to be turned back into a painting.
Little taps sounded behind him, and he could feel the weight of her soft smile without seeing it. "My king…? How are you feeling today?"
The sound of her voice, a lot softer than it had been when they had both been free in the Last Resort, drifted from her containment capsule to his. Even with the little speaker connecting their capsules together, the crisp delivery of her soothing tones met his form, clear and undisturbed.
Comfort touched his form, but he kept silent. He knew without looking that his silence would have her drop her head slightly, a bit of color rising to her face as she thought that his silence was fury directed at her.
They had been in the containment capsules far too long for her to give up at a simple conversation though. Whether he liked it or not, they were the only two ghosts left.
Hellen piped up from where she was, her voice slightly shaky. "I'm doing fine for today, my king, though part of this situation reminds me of a book I once read when I was in the realm of the living… I wasn't too keen on the relationship between the main protagonist and his apprentice, but the main plot kept my interest. The plot went a little something like-"
She continued on, filling the space between them with meaningless conversation to pass the time. It wasn't much, but there was only so much one could take of silence.
He liked it. As much as he didn't want to let E. Gadd know that she could sway him, her empty words kept his mind off his failures. Listening to her discuss the arts, books, or interior décor gave him something to focus on, and even though he couldn't care less if rose-red trim matched perfectly with a sunset-orange curtain, her voice kept him stable and centered in the present time.
There was no reason why he should be comforted by her voice. If she had organized their traps better… if she had sent more ghosts to ambush Luigi when he was least expecting it… if the floor manager ghosts had done their jobs correctly…
Reasons to be mad at her stacked on top of each other, and it was always a subject that he found hard to ignore. Why wasn't he furious with her? The Boo was livid with every other creature within a five-mile radius of the hotel, but when it came to her, all his anger melted away at the mere sound of her voice.
Maybe it was because she was sorry for how things had gone wrong. An unspoken apology was apparent in her tone, just beyond the empty words of conversation. He could hear it lingering there, the "I'm sorry the plan failed, and I'm sorry that we're in this situation" at the tip of her tongue but gone before she could muster up the courage.
His tail drooped further, and a small mimicked sigh came from him as his eyes looked to the higher parts of the inner capsule. The red light, a tiny colored bulb that signaled if E. Gadd or another ghost was listening to their conversations, glowed bright against the greens of the circuitry.
Hellen's words continued on, droning on about something related to a businessman and his assistant forming a loving relationship outside of work.
A pang of need stung him, and there was a large part of his form that wanted to curl up next to the speaker connecting to her capsule and just listen to her voice. But that meant showing affection to her, and if E. Gadd or any ghost knew about how he felt about her, he knew they could potentially use it against him.
Even if he was seen as weak or soft, that would be nothing to him. The royal Boo wasn't one to mess around with, and he could easily bully back when a ghost tried to challenge his power. But if his captors did something to Hellen and tried to use it against him…
"My king? Have you read any tomes similar to the one I described?"
More silence echoed throughout the capsule, the few chirps and beeps keeping everything from total quiet. Seconds dragged by, each one lasting forever before dropping off for another eternal second to take its place.
A few taps sounded against her glass, without rhythm or direction. Without looking, he knew the moments her fingers would make against the glass, the limbs drumming against the sides in a way that gave her a little entertainment while she waited for his answer.
There was every reason to be mad at her. But when he tried to be, when he tried to summon up any kind of fury against her, it all melted away.
The only thing he wanted from her now was the touch of her hand. Something to accompany the soothing tones of her voice and something that took away the ever-present sting of his newest failure.
His eyes kept to the red light at the top of the capsule.
"…Perhaps you've read something else?" There was a lighter tone to her voice, one that sounded like she was trying to keep up a happy note. "I used to be a voracious reader before I began managing my hotels. I read a variety of genres, though romance was one of the few guilty pleasures I had-
She kept on, going back to chattering. King Boo's eyes kept to the light, exhaustion further filling his form with each slow blink of the red bulb.
He was confused as to why she hadn't been let out yet. Based on how good she had been over the past few weeks, she should have been outside the container, working with E. Gadd on managing the hotel. But instead, she was here.
Was it because she felt sorry for him? Pity meant nothing to him, and sticking by his side out of sad shame would have only driven him into a rage. But there was nothing that gave off that she was doing it solely out of pity.
Was it because she still wasn't trusted? That wouldn't have made sense. During the first few weeks of being in the containment capsules, E. Gadd had released her from the main capsule to discuss a matter that King Boo still didn't know about. He remembered the embers of anger that had built up in his form, jealousy that she of all ghosts would be let out before some of the other passive ghosts.
All of it had melted away when she had rushed back into her containment chamber, a stoic expression to her face. Other ghosts had asked her what E. Gadd had talked about with her, but she had refused to say anything about it. Since then, E. Gadd had never summoned her, and even with her good behavior, there was no sign that the scientist wanted to release her any time soon.
…So why wasn't he angry at her?
As he stared at the slow blink of the red light, her chatter continued on. She changed subjects a few times, doing well to keep up the one-sided conversation. Time ticked on, minutes dragging by, and the Boo's eyes kept trained to the red light.
After what felt like forever, the red light dimmed and stayed dark.
"-and I was sure that Mr. Hutsu would live up to his name, but unfortunately the author-"
"…Gravely."
Everything went quiet.
The bulb continued to stay dark.
With slow ease, the Boo lowered himself to the floor of his container. The bottom of his form flattened a little to allow him to better lay on the ground next to the built-in speaker that faced the direction of her container. His arms stayed loose at his sides as he leaned against the glass, his empty crown just barely touching the clear container.
Right across from him sat Hellen, also leaning in the direction to where he was. The hotel owner sat on the floor as well, her dress curled under her as if her legs bent behind her. Her left shoulder pressed against the glass, and the large hairdo draped down her shoulders, still with a bit of pompadour but unable to stay maintained without more of her makeup.
Yellow eyes met red, and he saw a bit of shame fill the light color before she ducked her head.
"Why did you let your cat go free?"
Hellen kept her gaze away from his, her lips moving slightly before sound followed. "I couldn't… She's…" Loneliness and sorrow painted her words. "I couldn't keep her locked up with me. Polterkitty needs more space to run around, and it was better for her for me to let her go."
His tone was emotionless, not out of apathy, but because he didn't know what emotion to have. "Oh."
They leaned toward each other, forms resting against the sides of the capsules, letting the beeps and chirps fill the space again. The other empty containers mocked them, letting them know that they were the only two that weren't free. And if E. Gadd wasn't planning to let them out, then there was no doubt that they would be turned into paintings.
His mouth moved, and after the Boo nickered softly, his voice came back to him. "Gravely…"
"I'm… I'm sorry."
A little bit of anger balled in his chest. It didn't take a genius to know what she was apologizing for, and the mere thought of the failure he had been trying to avoid acknowledging struck a nerve.
Hellen continued, spreading her right hand against the glass. A soft frown tugged at her lips. "I'm sorry I failed my part of the plan. I was sure that my staff could handle anything Luigi had, and I'm sorry that we're stuck in here because of my failures…"
"Not just yours." King Boo looked away from her, an equal amount of shame on his face. "I had Luigi right in front of me, his friends captured and a power gem at my disposal… and yet here we are."
"But it was my traps, my plans, that didn't work-"
"And I wasn't able to capture Luigi at the very beginning." The royal Boo felt a disgusting taste roll over his tongue, and he winced inwardly. "There were a lot of things that screwed everything up, Gravely."
She fell silent, and King Boo could feel the sorrow radiating from her form. He pressed himself harder against the glass, more than one part of him wishing he could just feel the gentle touch of her hand one more time.
Oh, if his Boos or any of his enemies saw him now…
Red eyes flicked back in the direction of the bulb before drifting back to her. The volume of his voice dropped, almost a whisper. "…I'm thankful that you're here, Gravely."
Hellen perked up her head, a spark of shock in her eyes as she jerked her head toward him.
"Don't let anyone know that," he grumbled. "I'm… just tired. Tired of failure, tired of trying…" The whisper came back, and his eyes darted away from her. "…I'm glad I'm not alone again."
Chirps and beeps filled the space between them.
After a few moments, Hellen spoke up again. "What do you think the professor is going to do with us?"
The bulb kept dark.
King Boo nickered again, tapping his right arm against the glass. "If I know him, he'll either fight to run tests and experiments on us… or put us in paintings."
Hellen made a distressed sound, and the Boo closed his eyes as he pushed himself against the glass.
"It isn't so bad, Gravely…" He tried to mimic the soothing tones she usually had when talking to him. "Usually the painting stuff is quick. You don't really feel anything. It's just a moment where you feel helpless and unable to escape… and then you don't feel anything at all." The Boo chuckled, the laugh dry and humorless. "It's like dying. You don't feel anything after that. Everything just goes… dark. I remember E. Gadd turned me into a painting after the second time I tried to capture Luigi, then I remember you releasing me."
Hellen's form gave off waves of distress, and as the Boo looked to her, he saw flakes of her makeup start to chip away. Ghostly teeth bit her bottom lip, and her right hand dropped to run over her left.
He had only served to make her more stressed and scared.
A guilty frown screwed up on his face, and his eyes looked everywhere as his mind struggled to find the right words.
A hushed noise, one that sounded close to a note of fear, echoed softly in his container. "Do… Do you really think…"
"Yes."
Hellen fell quiet.
After several moments went by, King Boo cast a quick glance back at her. He saw the fear in her eyes, then he watched as she mimicked a deep breath and steeled her expression. Her yellow eyes were to the ground, but he could see the subtle acceptance of her possible fate.
She wasn't afraid anymore.
Warmth filled his form, and it took everything in his power to keep his form stoic and not let out the sharp mew Boos usually did when they craved a loving touch.
"…Gravely."
She lifted her eyes to meet his.
The whisper came back again, this time softer. "…If E. Gadd put us in a painting together… I wouldn't mind."
She kept silent, though the shock in her eyes deepened.
King Boo made another sound as his brow drooped, covering up more of his eyes. "…I don't know what you said to E. Gadd… but thank you for staying with me." His voice faded, and he barely spoke into his speaker. "I couldn't handle being alone again…"
Hellen gave a soft smile as she spread her fingers against the glass, mimicking as if she was resting her hand to his form like she used to do when they were free. "Of course, my king," she cooed. "I've always admired you, and I want to stick with you until the end because I lo-"
Before she could finish, her eyes widened in a burst of fear, then a hand rose to her mouth. As she looked the other way, color touching her cheeks, she mimicked clearing her throat into her hand. "Of-of course, my king."
He had a feeling he knew what she had been going to say, but he didn't know how either of them would react to the few words.
The bulb stayed dark.
King Boo curled up close to the side of the glass, shrinking his form just a little bit to show his comfort. His eyes closed as a hum came from Hellen's container, the music wrapping around his form and lulling him away from his misery. Very softly, and almost completely out of his control, the sharp mew sounded from his mouth as Hellen hummed a soft tune that reminded him of the times when he was free.
He had failed. He had failed in capturing Luigi and his friends, and there was a good chance E. Gadd was going to put him back in a painting for however long it would be until he was freed from an outside source. He was furious at everyone and everything, the taste of defeat filling his mouth nearly every time he was conscious and making him disgusted in his form.
The tune tugged at the warmth in his form, and King Boo finally let the sharp mew fill both their containers.
He had failed, but he wasn't completely alone.
Song Inspo: "OTW" by Khalid (feat. 6LACK and Ty Dolla $ign). This song fits with another ship I really like, but after not finding another song that gave me inspo, I let this song guide me through this story. I try not to have too many couples sharing songs, but if inspo hits, I probably shouldn't suppress it. Especially not during this time…
HHH, I really hope you all liked the story! I'm glad this story request got me back to writing something, and I'm exceptionally happy that I'm starting to get cracking on the requests I have in my queue. I might work on some more HellBoo in between getting those done… I have to shake off a bit more rust for writing them, but I hope I can get out a few little oneshots or drabbles for them while I complete my other requests…
Thank you all for reading, and I hope you all enjoyed! :D
XD