Chapter Text
Mr L slept for a good four hours before a Koopa Nurse came in to check on him. They did the usual. Blood pressure, temperature, checking his head wrapping and asking a few questions about what he could remember.
Despite being bone tired, he tried to answer. He still couldn’t recall more than his name starting in an L, that he was Italian, that his favorite food was Pizza, and that he remembered a TV show called the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. That one confused the Nurse but they wrote it down anyway.
The human was able to sleep a few more hours, this time he woke up a bit more naturally. Sitting up, still feeling that constant ache in his head, he looked around the dimly lit room. His eyes hurt some, but he suspected that was partially because of the head injury.
Oh well.
Reaching over to the bedside table, he took hold of the water bottle he had left there, cracking it open and taking a few sips. Honestly he was getting tired of water, but figured it was the best thing for him at the moment. Last thing he needed was to get dehydrated.
When he set down his bottle, he heard a knock on his door, and a moment later a Nurse Koopa made their way in. They paused, then smiled. “Oh good. I was afraid I would have to wake you again.” Rounding the door, they held up a platter filled with hot steaming scrambled eggs, roasted carrots and potatoes, sausage, and a bowl of oatmeal and berries covered in brown sugar. Held in the Nurses other hand was a tall glass of Orange Juice.
L licked his lips, eyes sparkling as the smell hit his nose. “That looks r-really good! And here I th-thought hospitals gave the w-w-worst food!” He chuckled, then paused, his expression changing to confusion. “Wait…”
The Nurse pulled up a bed stand and set the platter down, pulling a clipboard from his hip. “Looks like you unlocked another memory. Can you tell me about this hospital that gave you bad food?”
Blinking, Mr L squinted, pulling the platter closer to him. “I… remember it b-being pretty crowded there. And… pain in my…” He paused, his head giving a throb as he tried to remember.
It came as less of a memory and more of a phantom pain in his body as he put his hand to his side. “I… had my appendix taken out… I th-think? I think it h-had burst. When I was l-l-little.”
“Ah, a ruptured appendix… probably due to an onset condition known as Appendicitis. That is very good information to have, even if it causes you discomfort.” The Nurse scribbled this all down on his clipboard before smiling a Koopa grin. “You eat up. I’ll have Kammy or Kamek come in later and evaluate you. If you had Appendicitis or had your Appendix removed, we will need to know. For now, eat up. I’ll be back in an hour or so to take your plates. If you get bored at any point, you can always buzz myself or another Nurse in later.” The Koopa Nurse handed him a little blackish blue bowl looking thing with a white rim.
When Mr L turned it over in his hand, he found it had a yellow bottom. Curiously, he poked it, and a little turtle guy with solid red eyes popped its head out. It’s whole body then started to buzz in his hand. “W-woh!” He said, before chuckling and giving the odd turtle thing a pet on the head. It’s buzzing turned into purring. “Heh heh, it’s l-like a little cat turtle!” He said with a smile, tickling it under the chin.
“It’s a Buzzy Beetle. Just set it down and point to the door and it will grab the closest nurse or doctor to you.”
Mr L nodded. “Okie-dokie!”
Smiling, the Nurse turned and left, leaving the human alone with a purring Buzzy Beetle on his lap and a full tray of good food to eat.
The eggs were fluffy and buttery without being greasy, the potatoes and carrots had some kind of steak seasoning on them to give them a nice seasoned kick. The sausage, to Mr L’s surprise, was filled with a very melty sharp cheddar that stretched when he bit into it. Like a fresh mozzarella stick! Finishing off the main plate, he pulled the still warm oatmeal to him, looking down at the berries. Blueberry halves, chunks of raspberry and blackberry, melted elderberry jam and banana slices all coated in a sprinkling of some lovely dark, brown sugar. When he took a bite, it all just melted in his mouth in a cascade of refreshing summer flavor. The berries were juicy and full of flavor, tart without being sour, sweet without being tooth achingly so. The oatmeal too was buttery and flavorful, chunky without being thick like paste.
Who the hell cooked this? Because he needed to marry them yesterday!
The thought made him chuckle.
Washing it all down with the big glass of OJ, Mr L leaned back, pushing the rolling bed tray away and running his hand over the Buzzy Beetle’s back like a cat. It purred and vibrated happily. Giving a mustached smile, the Italian leaned back and closed his eyes, intending to sleep some more.
However, sleep didn’t come. He figured it was because he had been sleeping for so long. He was restless, but he couldn’t exactly get out of bed now, could he? No… The random throbbing in his skull, bouts of dizziness, and the blurry vision were just a few reasons why getting out of bed would equal a lot more headache in the end… Literally.
Still…
Looking down at the Buzzy Beetle once more, he ran a single finger down its back, making the critter rattle. It shook itself out, as if it was being tickled and shaking off the sensation. Mr L smiled and giggled before doing it again. This time, the Buzzy Beetle gave a little “Sweeee!” Almost like a baby pig. Minus the snort.
Mr L retracted his hand, but the Buzzy Beetle jumped and flipped onto its back… shell? Shell, and started to kick its little legs about, seeking attention. Mr L laughed out right at this and started to rub the Buzzy Beetle’s belly like it was a dog. All in all this was a cute little… thing. He wondered what it was for a time, contemplating if it was a bug or not… However, looking at its feet and face, he was pretty sure it was a reptile. Probably another kind of turtle.
Tic
Toc
Tic
Toc…
Glancing over to the Clock on the wall, Mr L noticed it was hardly twelve past eight. Pretty early, but not ungodly so. Sighing, he flopped his head back onto the pillow and gave a soft groan. Would he be stuck contemplating his own thoughts all alone the whole day? Only the occasional Nurse or Doctor to come in and check on him? Hell, they didn’t even have a TV in this room!
Wait… did they have TV’s here? They had to, right? With their level of supposed sophistication, they must… right?
Did they have Video Games? That would be cool. He was partial to Pokémon himself. Grass and Bug type were his favorite. He would have to say his favorite starter was Chikorita! He thought that Meganium was a pretty cool final and could learn some powerful T M’s such as Earthquake, Sword Dance, and even Giga Impact! Sure it took a grand total of 32 levels to get to… and it’s stat’s weren’t the best out there, but it was still a pretty tanky Pokémon if you raised it right.
As he was daydreaming about Pokémon and going up against his rival, he heard a knock at the door.
Thought bubble popped, he turned to see Al holding up a small box with a smile on his face. “Hey! Hope I’m not intruding. I had a couple hours before I needed to go on duty and thought you might want some company. I even brought a multi game box in case you were bored.” He smiled a big, happy Koopa grin.
Mr L beamed, sitting up and scooting his back against the backboard of the bed. “Oh! Y-yes please. I’ve been b-bored out of my skull. Heh… No pun intended.”
Al chuckled a little before walking over, then noticed the Buzzy Beetle on its back. “Awww! You got it to show it’s belly? Lucky. Buzzy Beetles are really hard to befriend. Even the Socially Bred ones…”
“Huh…” Mr L shrugged, giving the Buzzy Beetle’s belly a little rub before looking down at the box of games being set down on his bed side tray. Once the box was opened, he was suddenly… very confused. Some of the games looked very similar to his own. Such as chess, Parcheesi, and a deck of cards! Yet… they were all a little off. The chess board had an extra row and piece on each end, one he had never seen before.
But he did recognize one! “Oh, Mancala. I kn-know this one. Easy.” He smiled, picking up the folded out wood with the little bowls and lined up the marbles.
Accept… these weren’t marbles, but instead gems. Bona fide GEMS! Like, big rubies and sapphires and emeralds…
Mr L gawked for a moment, picking up an emerald and turning it from side to side in his hand. It was so pretty, so clear and well cut. It was somehow also pretty big. Not like the tiny, crumb sized gems in his world. These ones were at least the size of silver dollars and had such a lovely shine, he wondered if they were glass. So, while Al was pulling up a chair, he asked, “A-are these real g-g-gemstones? Rubies a-and Sapphires and such?”
Al nodded. “Yes, of course. The Koopa Kingdom is dripping with natural gem deposits. We also have a few gold veins, silver, and even some iron if you go deep enough. It’s what our land trades the most. Remember how I said my Boyfriend, the Koopa you saved, was searching for Obsidian? It’s something a bit more rare, but still found often here.”
“Oh…”
They went silent for a moment as they worked together to set up the game. Mr L would pick up a few gems and move them forward, Al would do the same, and so it continued.
“So…” Al broke the silence. “Can you remember how you ended up in the Badlands yet? Or…”
Mr L picked up his gems and moved them forward, a deep frown set on his face. “Not really. I feel kind o-of pathetic for not r-r-remembering anything. I’m… like a b-blank book someone u-used to jot d-down random information. L-Like me being italian or th-that I like pokemon and r-r-remember a show about n-ninja turtles that are teenagers and l-like pizza! It’s all s-so… random.”
Al chuckled. “Sure sounds random. But don’t feel bad. From what Chester tells me, your head was so bloody he couldn’t even tell you had hair at first! You must have really knocked your noggin into something pretty hard…”
“Chester?”
“Oh! Yes, that’s my boyfriend's name. Heh. Guess he never introduced himself. I’ll have to have him do that tomorrow on our day off. Which reminds me, if Kammy says it’s alright, do you wanna go for a walk tomorrow? You would probably have to stay in a wheelchair, but it might be nice to get some fresh air and see more of the Kingdom!”
Beaming brightly, Mr L nodded enthusiastically, then gripped his head with a slight wince. It didn’t lessen his smile though. “Y-Yes! Si! Please
Mio amico
!”
Al tilted his head, brow raised with a slight smile. “O-OOh um… means “my friend.” Um… Can I c-c-call you my friend?”
Smiling, Al gave a sharp nod. “Of course! You saved my dumb boyfriend after all, and you seem like a pretty cool guy. I would love to be your first friend in the Koopa Empire!”
Smiling, Mr L felt his heart swell and a happiness flow through him. His first friend in this new, strange world. Honestly he still didn’t know where this place was, and why it was so different from what he thought he could remember, but it wasn’t like he was in danger.
Everyone had been so nice to him so far, and he had a feeling of belonging. It was a strange, foreign feeling, but one he would embrace.
Mr L and Al continued their back and forth before Mr L spoke up. “So… h-how did you a-a-and Ch-Chester meet?”
Al paused, rubbing his nose… beak…? The end of his face bashfully before replying. “It’s nothing special. We were in the same platoon for training. We didn’t have much in common, but he made me laugh and he said he liked how warm I was towards him when everyone else kind of just… shunned him.”
“Sh-shunned him?”
Nodding, Al frowned, moving a few gems forward and taking some of Luigi’s. “His father had been in a HUGE scandal involving under aged girls and because of that, his whole family disowned him. News travels fast here and no one can really keep a secret to save their lives. Everyone assumed he was just like his dad… just another Koopa to take advantage of the youth in the worst way… but I never saw him that way. I knew about his past, and what his sperm donor did… but we can’t judge others based off the actions of their parents! It’s unfair. He was just a kid at the time too. I think around fourteen or fifteen. He’s been living with his mother since the news about his father came out, and they have been struggling for years. It’s why he hasn’t left the military, even though his training years are long behind him. It’s half the reason I am sticking around too. He sends almost all of his stipend to his mother, leaving him with very little. I just… I don’t know… I felt bad. He was judged for things he never did and both he and his mother got punished for the actions of some… disgusting excuse of a Koopa… So… Somehow, we slipped into the couple's life. Living together, cooking for each other. It wasn’t until a year in that he finally asked to be my boyfriend. I was a bit taken aback at his request, but he told me… he told me I was the only one to really give him a chance since he and his mother moved out of his fathers house.”
Looking up finally, Al had a big smile on his face, his eyes reflecting love and devotion. Loyalty. Commitment. And most of all, bliss.
Mr L used the corner of his blanket to wipe away some tears in his eyes, not expecting such an emotional story. “W-wow… Y-you ssss-said nothing special b-but that is r-really special Al! I am s-so glad you f-f-found your other h-half. I am glad h-h-he found you t-too.”
Blushing, the Koopa rubbed the back of his head and shifted in his seat. “Hah hah… well… ya I guess. I am a Lucky Koopa to have Chester in my life now. I wouldn’t have it any other way if I could.”
—
Al and Mr L played their game for little over an hour before the doctor came in to take away his plates from breakfast. He once again took the humans vitals, wrote down more of his little memory bubbles, and walked off to treat the next room.
Eventually, Al needed to head off and start their military training, as it seemed both he and Chester were part of the Koopa Empire’s military forces and they had a lot to do.
This left Mr L alone with the buzzy beetle once again. Unlike last time, he was able to fall into a bit of a light sleep this time, his eyes having closed, but could still hear the background sounds of the clock on the wall and Koopa feet outside his room when someone walked by.
Eventually, Mr L was able to take a bit of a nap, which was broken by lunch. Ham sandwich on a toasted bun with melted swiss cheese, kale, and fresh tomatoes. He also had the option of mayo or mustard. He chose mustard. That with a grapefruit split in half and some drink that reminded him of Sprite, but without the fizzle. It was cool and refreshing.
The day wore on, another two check ups and no new memories he could think of without his head pounding. Night fell, and morning rose once again.
By mid morning, somewhere between nine and ten o’clock, Al and his partner Chester showed up!
Mr L was pleased, seeing that, despite the eyepatch and a bit of discoloration around his face, the Koopa he had saved looked like he was healing well. “Alfred! Ch-Chester! I w-w-was starting to wonder if y-you two forgot about mmmm-me!”
Chester, eyepatch still on and half his face bruised, walked up to Mr L and took his hands in his claws. “Sir, Mister L, I must properly thank you. I know my lover Alfred has done it already on my behalf, but I wish to do so properly.”
Blinking, Mr L opened his mouth, but Chester continued. “I would have been Toad Food if you hadn’t shown up when you did. Sure, my eye is fucked, but I would have been in much worse state without you. Maybe dead. So from the bottom of my heart, thank you. I hope I can one day repay you for your kind deed.”
Taken aback by this, Mr L just nodded, staring with wide blue eyes at the Koopa. Now that he wasn’t seeing the Koopa through a harsh concussion and blurry vision, he could properly see him. Unlike Al, Chester had a small patch of hair on his head the color blue, but from the roots close to his yellow scalp, Mr L could tell his natural color was more on the rose color, which he found rather odd. His one eye that wasn’t covered in a patch was also a rosy pink, not so much red. One one side of his face, the side not half swollen, a single pointed tooth stuck up from his bottom jaw, sharp and thick. His shell was a very light green compared to the deeper summer green of the other Koopa Troopa he had seen.
A thought came to L at that moment, and he couldn’t help it when he said. “You’re… albino?”
Chester blinked, then broke out laughing. “Hah hahahahah! Yes. Yes I am actually. Heeehehehe. Sorry sorry, most people just dance around that rather than addressing it head on. But, I guess you’re all about being
head on
aren’t you?”
Both Luigi and Chester started laughing, and soon Alfred was in on it as well.
After they got their giggle fits out, Alfred helped Mr L into a wheelchair while Chester insisted on pushing. Heading out of the room, water bottle in hand, they headed out of that room. FINALLY. Luigi couldn’t help but look EVERYWHERE. Even though it hurt his neck and by extension, his head a bit, he couldn’t help it. His blue eyes wandered everywhere. He spotted more Koopa here and there, saw other patients that all looked like soldiers based off their gritted expressions, and how some held badges on their shells.
It was all so interesting. Unlike a normal hospital that was many rooms, long halls and a single nurses station, this place was more open. Each room was set in a wide, open space connected by glass doors. Each section was listed from A to Z with a number over the door leading up to 20. There were several small stations for nurses and in the center of the room was an indoor garden.
It was… kind of beautiful. There was a skylight with the glass above it shifted up and to the side to let in some fresh air, a few birds pecked on the ground in a small clearing and patients sat on benches or in wheelchairs themselves to either be walked around, feed the birds, soak up the sun or just enjoy the patch of nature.
The garden was about the size of a high school basketball court, not counting stands and such, and had a small water feature by the edge with three ducks. Two white and one looking like a Mallard male. It was all so… pretty.
There were flowers he had never seen before, plants of so many strange kinds. There was a MASSIVE plant that looked like it had a mouth and teeth that someone was feeding pieces of what he assumed with steak The plant’s head was roughly the size of Mr. L’s torso with spiky, saying leaves. It moved like it was alive… like alive alive! Not just plant alive. It extended its leaf hands out, clapped, even laughed and made little grunting sounds and musical hums.
Fascinated, he turned his head to look at Al, and asked. “Wh-what kind of p-p-p-plant is that?”
Turning his head up, the Koopa said, “Oh! That’s a Piranha plant. They are fairly common here and in Kong Country. Wild ones are very dangerous, but domestic ones are as tame as well trained puppy dogs if you raise them right. Most aren’t smarter than your average dog, but sometimes you’ll find yourself face to face with a fully articulate Piranha Plant. Those who are lucky enough to get a talking one usually have very committed relationships with them and spend a lot of money to make sure they are mobile, happy and well fed.”
Mr L gawked. “Th-they… they are s-sentient???”
Chester snorted. “Hell ya they are!”
Al elbowed him, which only made Chester chuckle more. “There is even a King! Sort of… Petey Piranha. Big fella with flowers around his head and mobile body. Even wears clothes! Sort of… He is just shy of King Bowser's height and is just the sassiest.”
Rolling his eyes, Al piped up. “Petey, not really having a gender identity, is just called Petey, though they go by He/Him to make it less complicated for the non plant folk.”
Rolling past the garden and towards the main entrance, Al and Chester stepped out into the sunlight with no issue. Mr L however, struggled a bit. Squinting and hissing at the bright light, he shielded his eyes as best he could from the sudden flash bang of sunlight burning down on him.
Accept… it wasn’t the sun at all! When Mr L’s eyes adjusted, he looked up, and realized there was a GIANT FUCKING MOON in the sky. He nearly jumped out of his wheelchair, startling both Chester and Al.
Al rushed up to him. “Hey, is everything ok? Is something wrong? Is it your head?”
Mr L just stared up at the moon. It was… it was just so close and big it frightened him. “I… I… I… The mmmm-moon… wh-wh-why is it sssss-so big a-a-a-and ccccc-close???”
His stutter got a little worse, a sense of panic hitting him square in the chest. He gripped at his night gown, squeezing hard enough to pull on a few chest hairs. His breath started to catch and something cold started to flow through his veins.
What was happening? Why was he reacting this bad to the moon? Why was he suddenly…
And then it hit him.
“O-Oh… Oh fffuuuu–ggg…” Aaaaand he slumped.
—
A few minutes later, L woke up with a slew of doctors around him, all talking over one another and trying to make statements about his condition.
“He must have broken a vessel!”
“No, clearly he wasn’t fed enough and passed out from fatigue.”
“You baboon! He must have been awe struck by our glorious kingdom, thats all.
“No it was-”
“It had to be-”
“Surely he must have-”
On and on it went before there was a sudden roar that shook the earth and caused all the doctors and nurses to stall.
Rubbing his eyes and turning, Mr L spotted the massive figure of King Bowser, stomping his way forward while Kamek followed close behind… On a broom stick?
What the actual hell was this backwards world? Did he fall into Neverland? Is he no longer in Kansas? Well… Brooklyn anyways.
Wait…
Before his mind could focus on that detail, Bowser raised his voice. “
What in HELLS name is going on? Why is there a patient outside and on the floor?
”
Oh, when did Mr L get pulled out of his wheelchair and laid down? Sitting up, Mr L groaned and rubbed his head, making the small crowd gasp and back off.
It was then that Bowser noticed who it was. “
Greenie? What are you doing out here? What happened?
”
Kamek looked to his king, then floated down to Mr. L’s level and raised a wand. Or what L assumed was a wand. Maybe a suptr? Regardless, a wash of purple light and charms in the shapes of squares, circles and triangles rolled over his head and made its way down his body. “His head has not been affected, Sire. Maybe it was the shock of leaving the facility?”
Bowser rubbed his chin in through before L spoke up. ”N-no… you’re all wr-wrong… Mmmm-mostly. I got sss-startled by the mmm-moon. I’ve n-never seen it s-so big and it gave me a start! Wh-where I am from, the mmm-moon is much smaller, farther away. If it w-was this close on my world, the ocean’s w-w-would have risen so h-high, there would be no life! Just… water.”
Blinking, Bowser looked up at the moon, then back to Mr L. “
Ah, you come from a science world then. I have heard a little about those kinds of places. No… the moon does not affect the tides here. Not so drastically anyways.
”
Kamek adjusted his glasses as he nodded. “Yes. You see Mister L, here, our world is controlled by Magic. It is an element we Koopa discovered several thousands of years ago and have developed our entire species around. We control it easily and mold it to our will. We still have science, but the magic that lives within every aspect of our world controls much more than we have the knowledge to fathom.”
Setting his feet on the ground, he moved his broomstick to the side. “We Koopa are expert weavers of Magic, but even I, an experienced master for many years, does not know EVERYTHING about magic.”
Stepping forward, Chester carefully helped Mr L back into his wheelchair, which Alfred quickly pushed forward. L rubbed his head, glanced at the moon, and shivered.
“This p-place is nothing l-l-like Brooklyn…”
Raising a fuzzy eyebrow, Bowser asked. “
What is Brooklyn? Is that your Kingdom? The Brooklyn Kingdom?
”
Mr L thought about it, closing his eyes as he tried to think. A flash of… tall buildings? But then his eyes flashed wide and he put his hands to his head and screamed.
A few of the Koopa jumped back but Al and Chester stayed close, trying to ask him what was wrong. L held his head and continued to scream as he felt something… moving in his head. Something… alive. His nails dug into the wraps around his head, ripping at them, even when the two Koopa Boys tried to stop him.
L managed to pull the bandages away enough to show the opening in his head. His hair had been shaven in a patch near the back of his head and a gash had been stitched up nice and tight. Mr L tried to dig his nails into it, but Al and Chester pulled his arms away. It was then that he started to thrash and paint, screaming, “IT HURTS! IT HURTS! MAKE IT STOP!”
A few of the Koopa around them looked worried and confused, until Bowser stepped forward. Al and Chester were having a hard time containing the supposedly rather strong man before the King wrapped a single hand around him and squeezed.
Not enough to squish him, but subdue him. He held the squirming man before looking to Kamek. “Yes my lord.” He raised his staff and cast a spell. The magic wrapped around L’s head, massaging it, soothing it, cooling the aching burn. Slowly, Mr L’s eyes started to close and his struggling lessened until he fell limp in the Koopa King’s hand.
Bowser squinted at the man before looking back to Kamek, who now had his sister Kammy at his side. ”
What happened?
”
“I am not sure sire.” Kamek said. “Perhaps there is more to this then a head injury. We should take him back inside before he has another fit.”
Snorting a cloud of smoke, Bowser gently set Mr L back in the wheelchair, looking to Chester and Alfred. “
Take him back inside. You will not have to go on duty for the next two days. Stay with him, learn what you can. Your task is to find out who he is and where he is from. Got it?
”
They both stood at attention, fists to their chests before bowing their heads. In unison, they replied. “Yes sire!”
Taking the man back inside, they worked together to lay him carefully back into his bed. A nurse put some fresh wraps on Mister L’s head, gave him a cleaning, and left the three alone for the time being.