A longer story detailing Percy's past with Bowser.

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The sun rose slowly through the thick clouds, casting a bright light on the whole room, tinged with sapphire as it filtered through the cerulean curtains hanging over the double doors. One of the french doors had been carelessly left open and a cool breeze flowed in, carrying with it the smell of the sea and the sound of the gulls. The walls were a blue-grey shade, with painted white clouds. Many photos of the sea lined the walls, likely pictures Percy had taken on journeys back when he was a sailor. The furniture in the bedroom was fairly large, mostly built from hickory brown wood that seemed imbued with the smell of ocean water. They all had a sort of nautical feel to them, which made sense, considering Percy’s past profession.
Larry snoozed peacefully on a king-sized bed with a wooden frame, the little Koopaling looking comically tiny against the gigantic mattress. He was bundled up in the turquoise blankets, looking like a small cat curled up in a laundry basket, dreaming contentedly of his big brother Ludwig. Percy had given him a spare bedroom to sleep in, but since Percy was a few feet taller than his younger brother, every piece of furniture in the room nearly towered over Larry. He was a little intimidated, but he never let it bother him, and was able to sleep just fine.
Percy slowly opened the bedroom door, peering in on his brother, who was happily adrift in dream land. He knew Larry had a habit of oversleeping when he was younger, and figured he never grew out of it. Combined with the fact that the two siblings had a bit of an exciting time the day before, Percy figured Larry would be more exhausted than usual. He sat gently on the edge of the bed and laid his hand on Larry’s side, slowly rubbing at it.

“Hey little bro… Time to get up.” Percy crooned, the larger Koopaling smiling.

“Hrrrnnnmrrrghhh… fivemoreminutes…” Larry mumbled, rolling away from Percy and pulling the covers over his head.

“C’mon bro, it’s already past ten,” Percy stood up, waddling over to the French doors and pulling the curtains open to let more light in, “You don’t want me to dunk you in the ocean, right?”

Percy had a habit of countering Larry’s oversleeping by doing similar things in the past. Larry detested being awakened like that. He glared up at Percy, his eyes half-open and still full of sleep.

“Noooooo…” Larry whined and sat up slowly, wrapping the blanket around himself.

“Heh, I knew that’d wake you up, slugabed,” Percy waddled over to the door, “Come to the kitchen when you’re ready. I made you some breakfast.”

Percy left the room and closed the door behind him. He could be heard slowly waddling down the hall, his cobalt diaper emitting noisy crinkles that were audible even behind the door.

Larry sighed and pulled the covers off of himself, revealing his moderately soaked diaper. He didn’t care too much about changing right now; Percy didn’t mind used padding, and Larry figured it could hold more before needing to change. He hopped out of bed and slowly toddled into the adjacent bathroom. He dragged a step stool over to the sink and hopped up on it in order to actually see himself in the mirror. Larry grumbled as he looked his hair over; no matter what he tried, Larry always woke up with bad bedhead and was forced to spend a lot of time fixing it back into place. He combed through his cyan hair meticulously, eventually getting it to stand back up in his signature mohawk. When he was finally satisfied with his hair, he moved onto his normal morning routine: brush his teeth (his prominent fangs especially), wash his face, and even give his shell a good polish. Despite being the youngest in the family, Larry took great pride in his appearance. Growing up in a royal family always taught him to look his best, and he cut no corners in order to make sure he looked presentable.
He hopped off of the step stool and waddled his way through Percy’s house to the kitchen. He passed by several rooms, each with a different theme to them. Larry wasn’t entirely sure why Percy had so many rooms, since Percy lived alone for the most part. All he knew was that the furniture in every room was large for his size. Percy was six, almost seven feet tall, so it was understandable to some degree; to Larry, who stood at four feet exactly, the furniture seemed ridiculously out of proportion. Larry made his way to the dining area, literally climbing onto the barstools in order to sit at the counter. He got comfortable on his seat, eagerly awaiting the breakfast his brother made for him.

“Ah, there you are. Took you long enough, I’m guessing you were combing that messy hair of yours again?” Percy teased.

“Hey, I’m a royal!” Larry puffed out his chest, “I always have to look my best for the people!” He giggled.

Percy chuckled and rolled his eyes. “I can’t believe you took such a liking to that stuff Bowser says,” He grabbed a plate from the stove, “But hey, I go through a morning routine like yours, so who am I to say anything?”

Percy set a plate of incredibly thick and fluffy-looking pancakes in front of Larry, served with a pat of melting butter and a small cup of maple syrup. The warm and sweet aroma wafted into Larry’s nose, perking him up with a happy smile as Percy also set down a glass of orange juice.

“Wow, pancakes! Just like the ones you used to make back at home!” Larry proclaimed, eagerly grabbing a fork and digging into breakfast.

“Haha, I didn’t think you’d be that eager! I figured you’d like pancakes for breakfast. You used to go on and on about how much you loved my pancakes when you were younger.”

Percy grinned, methodically pouring the syrup over Larry’s pancakes while Larry stuffed his face with forkfuls of the fluffy cakes, savoring their sweet and airy flavor. Percy happily watched his younger brother devour his cooking.
Soon the entire plate was cleaned, and the young Koopaling let out a hearty belch. He felt very satisfied as he rubbed his full belly.

“OoooOURRRRRRRRP! Oooh, Percy those were so good!” Larry exclaimed, “I’ve never had pancakes as good as yours… I gotta know what the secret is! How do you get ‘em so big and fluffy like that?” Larry quipped, leaning against the counter slightly in his seat.

Percy was now leaned up against the counter himself. “Heheh, alright, but I’m only telling you cause you’re my little bro!” He leaned in close, like he was divulging top-secret information. “The secret is to make ‘em in a rice cooker. That’s how they get super thick like that, but still stay really spongy and fluffy.” He beamed with pride, “Evidently there’s something about that method that works! You took down those cakes so fast I’m surprised you didn’t swallow the fork.” He playfully rubbed the top of Larry’s head.

Larry smiled happily, the little Koopaling beaming like a little ray of sunshine. But his expression slowly shifted as he grew upset, tears welling in his eyes. He uselessly tried to wipe them away, sniffling incessantly. Percy’s eyes widened as he kneeled down in front of Larry, actually at eye level with his younger sibling.

“Woah, hey, hey! Why are you crying? I know they’re good, but there’s no need to get all teary. Is something wrong?” Percy asked, half-concerned and half trying-to-cheer-him-up.

Larry leapt off of the barstool and wrapped his arms around his older brother, weeping into Percy’s shoulder.

“I-I missed you, b-big brother!!” Larry bawled, a little hysterical as he tried to get the words out past tears, “Y-You just suddenly disappeared… I-I was s-so worried when D-Dad told us you ran away…” The young Koopaling sniffled, hugging Percy tighter. “Y-you were gone so long Percy… I-I thought you... d-died....”

Percy was stunned by the rapid change in emotion, hugging his little brother close to him as he stood up slowly. Larry continued crying, weeping as if he hadn’t cried in years. Percy sighed, a few tears welling up in his eyes as well.

“What, me? Die? Heheh, you know I’d go out kicking and screaming, little bro. Nothing’s gonna kill me that easily.” He sighed. “I missed you too, little brother,” He admitted, “And I’m sorry I had to leave. I regret not telling you before I did it... but I had my reasons.”

Percy slowly made his way to the couch, gently sitting down with a crinkle as the two brothers shed tears together, holding each other closely. Larry eventually calmed down, his arms still wrapped around Percy.

“Why did you have to leave..? And… and why couldn’t I come with you?” Larry sniffled, wiping away the last of his tears.

Percy set Larry on his knee and leaned back into the lavender couch, relaxing as he collected his thoughts for a moment. Larry got as comfortable as he could, the padded Koopaling leaning against Percy’s massive belly. Percy cleared his throat.

“I’ll tell you everything that happened that night…”


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Bowser made me captain of his naval division when I was about 14. He seemed to notice my desire to be on the sea and, surprisingly, appreciated what I had to offer to his army even as a teenager. He put me in charge of an entire fleet of ships, and even supplied me with an entire navy’s worth of troops that I could train and order around. Not wanting to disappoint him, I got right to training up as many soldiers as I could, appointing the best of the best as my higher officers and letting them take over some of the daily regimens to ease the pressure on myself. Soon enough I had a well-trained navy that was ready to take on the seas, and I did just that. We handled multitudes of battles on the sea with ease, each one bringing us more experience in true combat. As the years went on, we just got better and better. We were an unstoppable force on the seas, and if I can toot my own horn here, I think my navy was the best division Bowser’s army has ever had. He never had to worry about an attack from the oceans as long as I was on the job. I loved my place in the army, I loved my troops, and I loved every aspect of what I was doing during those years. I think my job is what saved me from how manipulative Bowser could really be.
Being on the seas so long, I spent a lot of time away from Bowser. I never hung around him as much as you all did. He considered all nine of us his children, but I didn’t feel the connection was mutual; I knew in the back of my mind Bowser wasn’t actually my dad, and I knew he wasn’t actually a parent to any of us, really. So I found it odd once I started noticing just how controlling he was over everyone. He riled everyone up; he’d get my troops in this weird mood where they’d just go on and on about how much they hated Mario, about how great Bowser was. It was strange, because I knew they’d only get in that mood when he’d come by to check up on us every once in awhile. Something about his presence made people obey his orders. You guys were no different; soon he had all of the siblings riled up, wanting Mario’s head on a platter. Hell, I even remember you telling me you wanted to fire a cannonball through Peach’s Castle one day.
I also kept noticing how you’d all refer to him as “Dad”, when I knew full well none of us were really related to him. A lot of us struggle to remember where we really came from as a result of that… But you were all convinced he was your father. Iggy, Wendy… Even Ludwig started talking about how great Dad was, how he wanted to be just like Dad, how he wanted Dad to rule the world. Sirner was less convinced that he was related to Bowser, and I was too. He had the rest of you all under his thumb at that point. Even today I’m not exactly sure how we’re all related or if we’re even related. But I think you’ll be happy to hear that I’ve dug into old records of the family, and I can confirm a few things for you, lil bro. Iggy and Lemmy share both of their parents, Ludwig and Sirner are closely related, I think through their father. You and I… we both share a mother.

“Wait, we do?!” Larry perked up.

Sirner nodded, “Yup. You and I are actually related, little brother,” he beamed, “You have no idea how happy I was when I found that out.”

Larry beamed and crinkle wagged very happily, “Yay!”

Unfortunately, I couldn’t find anything on Roy, Wendy, or Morton’s parents. I looked as hard as I could for information about their families, but there was just nothing there. I also admittedly don’t know how to find any of these relatives, or who they even were. So… I don’t think we’re gonna be able to meet our mom, Larry. I’m awfully sorry about that. If anything good came out of this, it’s the fact that few of us share actual blood. I think we all bonded together under Bowser’s rule better than we would have trying to deal with family disputes. We all share something in common anyway: Bowser manipulated us all into thinking we were a true family and that he was the patriarch of it all. And to make matters worse, Bowser ordered Kamek to enforce the brainwashing of all nine of us siblings. You, Ludwig, even Sirner… You’ve all been physically manipulated into letting Bowser have more influence on your thoughts and actions. He wanted absolute control over all of us without us knowing. He wanted us to be his loyal family… like something out of a creepy abduction story.

Percy pointed to the bracelets around Larry’s wrists, “This is how he did it. This is how he’s controlling you, and that’s why I was able to get away before it happened,” Percy showed his bare wrists.

“My bracelets?” Larry looked at them worriedly.

“They’ve been hexed. Kamek’s magic makes it so you’re more likely to obey an order from Bowser without hesitation. He doesn’t want any of the siblings defecting,” He sighed, “Like I did.”

Larry’s expression grew doubtful, “But how do you know all of this?”

“One night as I was heading to Bowser’s quarters, I overheard a conversation between him and Kamek,” he explained, “I don’t remember exactly what they said, but I’ll do my best to impersonate them,” Percy cleared his throat.

“Sire, I’ve finished hexing these bracelets for you,” Percy spoke in a snivelly voice, “They should convince those kids to follow your commands a bit more easily.”

“Hahaha, excellent work Kamek!” Percy now impersonated Bowser, sounding more gruff, “Those Koopalings should have no trouble staying in line now.”

Larry giggled, “You should just like them.”

“I’ve had time to practice,” Percy boasted and cleared his throat again.

“Sirner’s wearing a pair of them already, right? We need to keep him in line far more than the others. His skills with technology are too good to let go. Heck, I should take more measures to make sure he doesn’t get away from me. I might keep pushing him underground! He’ll be away from all the others and they won’t put ideas in his head.”

Larry’s eyes widened. “Bowser said that?!”

Percy nodded, looking more solemn, “I may have exaggerated a bit.”

“No need to worry, my magic will keep him from deviating too far my king,” Percy resumed impersonating Kamek, “I agree with you, Sirner’s too useful to let him get away from us.”

Percy looked at the floor, visibly upset by the memory.

That was about where I composed myself and went into his quarters, pretending I hadn’t just heard them talking about my brother as if he were a pawn. I was giving him my daily report on the navy’s successes and shortcomings, which was the usual procedure.
“Ah, thank you Percy! Glad to hear you’ve been winning so often. In fact, you have perfect timing! Kamek just brought me these bracelets for you and your siblings, and I’m giving you one in thanks for all your hard work!”
Kamek handed me the bracelets, with some weird smile on his face. They looked just like yours, only bigger so they could fit my wrists. I could feel something wrong with them, and considering what I had just heard, I wasn’t keen on trying them on. But I had to fake it.
“Thank you Dad, this means a lot to me. I’m proud to serve you,” I faked a smile and a respectful bow, “And I’m proud to be your son.” That one was hard to say.
Kamek prodded me with his wand. “Try them on! I want to see if they fit nicely.”
I wasn’t in the mood to deal with the kook. “Terribly sorry, Kamek, I’m needed elsewhere. I’ll try them on at home.” I didn’t give him room to argue. I left as quickly as I could, taking those ugly things with me.
I threw those bracelets in the fire as soon as I got home. I was disgusted. They were treating my siblings like chess pieces, and they were forcing Sirner further underground… They were imprisoning him down there. I knew being cooped up down there wasn’t good for him. They were forcing him to work for Bowser… All because he “owed them.” I hated Bowser. I hated what he stood for. I hated what he did to my brother. The damage from working alone so long… It wrecked his self-esteem in a way that I don’t think he can recover from.

Percy stared into space, a single tear rolling down his cheek as he lost himself in his thoughts. Larry was leaning up against him, fidgeting with the spiked bangles on his arms.
“I have a question…” Larry looked up at Percy, “Why would Bowser only give all of us bracelets? If he wanted to control everyone, why not just make bracelets for everyone?”
“Bowser figured the troops were dumb enough to just follow orders. Since he was putting all of us in commanding positions, he figured he just needed control over one person to control the whole division.” Percy glanced at Larry, “Besides… the amount of magic it would take to brainwash an entire army is incredible. Even Kamek’s not that powerful.”
Larry glanced away for a moment, then back to Percy. “So… I’m being brainwashed so I stay loyal to Bowser? And all of my troops are just… following me?”
Percy nodded. “That’s about the size of it… I’m sickened that Bowser would put you up to something like this. Especially since you were so young when he did it.”
Larry nodded and slowly offered his hands to Percy, closing his eyes. “...Can you please take these off of me? I don’t… know if I can trust them right now.”
“Sure, little bro,” Percy responded with a slight smile. He unclasped the bands and set them aside.
“Thank you, big brother,” Larry sighed and relaxed as he rubbed the empty spots on his wrists, “I do… feel a little different. I feel lighter… or something.” He smiled up at Percy and snuggled into him.
Percy wrapped an arm around his younger brother and kept him close. “I’m glad you trust me enough to do that, hun. That must’ve been hard considering how used to it you are… And considering I probably sound like a total nutjob right now, it means even more.”
“I trust your story… If Bowser and Kamek said those things about us, then there’s really no point in arguing about it,” Larry shook his head, “Besides, you’re too smart to be wrong, Percy.”
Percy smiled and kissed the top of Larry’s head. “You’re too cute, little bro. Should I continue with the story now?”

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So yeah. My siblings were being manipulated, my job was assisting the ludicrous dreams of a sociopath, and Bowser kept forcing me away from the love of my life because Sirner was too important for him to lose. I was pissed. From then on, I did every job less efficiently. I constantly talked with my troops and tried to get them to see how manipulative Bowser was. I was doing everything I could to weaken Bowser any way I could.
One night I came to an epiphany: If I were to be removed from the picture, a substantial portion of Bowser’s military would be heavily crippled, even more so if the entire navy disappeared from the picture. He would lose respect among the siblings if he drove away one of their own. So I formed a plan to run away and take my entire fleet of troops with me. I figured maybe if I left, some of you guys would follow my lead, but I underestimated Bowser’s hold on all of you, which was disappointing.
After discussing plans with Bowser about upgrading some of the ship’s weaponry, I noticed a window of time where Bowser would be unable to check on our progress for about three days. I started to think about ways I could use that time to make my escape, because it would be far easier to leave without any supervision. I’d have to disassemble most, if not all of my ships in order to maximize the impact. I planned on taking the entire troop with me, and I never faltered in that; I didn’t want to risk any of them being punished or threatened for associating with a traitor like me, which I figured Bowser would do.
The hardest part of the whole thing was that I couldn’t risk telling any of my siblings. I couldn’t risk one of my own selling me out because they falsely believed Bowser was in their best interest. I didn’t know the extent of Kamek’s magic; for all I knew, I could have told you or Ludwig the plan and those bracelets would have forced you to spill everything. That’s why I never told you about my plan to run away, and that’s especially why I felt like I couldn’t take you with me. It hurt me greatly. If my plan was successful, there was a good chance that I would never see any of you ever again. The thought of never being able to see you or Ludwig again… The thought of Sirner suffering under Bowser without me… It made the decision to mutiny so much harder. I wanted so badly to take Sirner away from Bowser’s toxic attitude towards him… But I was afraid Bowser would find out about it. I let myself believe he really had so much control over all of you, and maybe he did. The fact that I couldn’t trust any of you with my plan was awful, and it just made me feel even more convinced that what I was doing would be right for me. But I was selfish in thinking me leaving wouldn’t hurt any of you… I should have just stolen Sirner away from Bowser. He got worse after I left, I heard.

Percy sighed, “So I’m sorry, Larry. I’m sorry for leaving you behind that day, and I’m sorry for leaving Sirner to suffer under that bastard. My biggest regret to this day was not taking any of you with me,” he looked Larry in the eyes, “I hope you can forgive your big brother for being so scared of him.”
Larry sniffled. “Aw...Percy, it’s okay. Hearing about it now, I think what you did made sense,” He huffed, “Even if it did suck that I didn’t get to see you any more…”
Percy chuckled. “Thank you, little brother. At least we get to see each other more because of it.”

When the night finally arrived, I got right to work putting my plan into action: I ordered all of my troops to dismantle the ships and to board my ship with their belongings. There were hesitant. They questioned me. I stood firm and told them it was what was best for them in the long run. My officers continually asked me what my intentions were; I told them everything about what I overheard that night, about Bowser’s heartless dominance over my family and what his ridiculous goals meant for everyone. I could tell they weren’t readily accepting the idea, finding it unbelievable at best. My officers, while hesitant, trusted me. I’d led them to countless victories time and time again, and I always treated every single one of my troops like they were family. I had no reason to lie to them about something so grave. They rallied all of the troops together to get to work on taking the ships apart.
We efficiently dismantled as many vessels as we could in the span of 72 hours. 63 boats were pried apart, their materials used for other things like better hulls and sails for my ship. Eventually only two ships remained, my own and the largest ship we had on hand. I miraculously managed to get my entire navy on both ships, and after extensive preparations for a long journey, we set off on the day Bowser was suppose to come and check on us. I can imagine his face when he arrived to a completely empty dock. It makes me happy.
I commanded my own ship with the help of my right-hand man, a Sledge Bro named Ace. Two of my top Hammer Bro troops, Stein and Zennir, commanded the other one. We had no goal other than to just sail as far away from Bowser’s kingdom as we could. We sailed countless seas, and saw so much of the world. We started asking our troops where they’d always wanted to visit, and we’d go there to see what it was like. At one point, some of my troops decided they wanted to start new roots in these places. It became routine: We would dock at an island or a major port, explore around a bit, and if any one of my troops wanted to stay behind, we would bid them farewell and continue our voyage. We did this for a large majority of the navy. They were spread out all over the world, and Bowser would never be able to get them on his own. I’ve seen a lot because of what we did. I’ve had a lot of amazing experiences with my crew members, exploring the summit of Mount Pajamaja, basking in the sun at Keelhaul Key, and hanging out with the Yoshis on Lavalava Island. I was far happier making my troops’ dreams come true than I ever would have been working for Bowser.
Eventually our numbers dwindled to myself, Ace, Stein and Zennir, and a handful of loyal, higher-ranked soldiers. We all seemed content sailing the seas until we found a place where we felt safe, a place to call our home. I’m genuinely grateful for the troops that stuck around for as long as they did; they swore up and down that they would follow me to the end. I was proud to have such a positive effect on their lives. We kept sailing for months, watching the world go by. We enjoyed each other’s company. We enjoyed our freedom.
After a year and a half of sailing the oceans, we came to this island. We were given a warm welcome at port, which was surprising. Normally folks were intimidated by two large warships hauling anchor in their harbor, but these people were different. They were friendly, and they took us in and welcomed us even though they knew nothing about where we had come from or who we were. The mayor of the city was especially courteous, extending an invitation for us to stay when he heard about how long we had been traveling, which we accepted. He and I talked for a long while, and when he heard about my expertise in naval warfare, he asked if I was interested in being in charge of defending his city. He told me the island probably wouldn’t see a whole lot of action, but still figured having a line of defense around would be better than not having one. I told him that I would consult my crew about the offer first; after all, we were in this journey together, and their opinions were just as important as mine.
When I called them all together that night and told them about what I’d been offered, they overwhelmingly told me to accept. My crew loved the island, they loved its people, and they felt like they had finally found a place where they felt safe and accepted. Some of them had already acquainted themselves with the locals... Heck, some of them started trying out diapers. They told me it was mostly because of me, and the fact that a lot of the locals around here are padded up themselves. They felt happy here, and I shared that sentiment. I met with the mayor and accepted his offer. He was overjoyed to have someone like me around; he offered his thanks by letting me build a naval base on the coast, and even set me up with this house. I was overjoyed by how much he appreciated me in comparison to Bowser. After all, he never would have built me such a nice home himself, let alone provide everything I needed to set up such a technologically advanced defense system. Life was great.

Larry was laid out across Percy’s lap. “Hehe, that’s really nice… How long has it been since you landed?” His eyes drifted up to meet Percy’s, full of admiration for his older brother.
Percy thought for a moment. “Let’s see, I left when I was 17… Spent a year or so on the sea…” He smiled down at Larry. “Almost 4 years, I think,” he said with a smile.
“Wow…” Larry cooed, “You’re so cool, big brother,” he said with a smile as he sat up and hugged Percy’s rotund belly.
“Oh, you’re too nice, little Larry,” Percy chuckled as he rubbed the top of Larry’s head. He leaned back against the couch and continued, “But now that I’ve reconnected with you and Ludwig and Sirner… My life couldn’t be any better. I have a job I love, a place to call home, and the freedom to do whatever I want with my life.” He scritched under Larry’s chin. “Someday I’ll rescue you all from Bowser. Then we can live out the rest of our lives in diapers together,” Percy said with a smile as he papped at his thick cobalt padding.
Larry wagged his tail excitedly, his soaked padding rustling up against Percy’s. “Hehe, that does sound really fun! I wanna live in this house with everyone!”
Percy grinned, “Living out our lives as big padded babies would be something, huh?” He poked at the front of Larry’s yellowed padding and chided, “Or soggy babies, in your case.”
Larry giggled. “Percyyyyyyyyy!” He blushed a little and pouted, giving his brother a quick kiss on the cheek. “Meanie.”
Percy hugged his brother close. “Oh you know I’m joking! Sorry for hurting your feelings little brother.” He thought about something and spoke, “I’ll even make it up to you. C’mon, I wanna show you something.”
Percy hoisted Larry over his shoulder and stood up, slowly waddling through the house with the youngest Koopaling giggling and squirming against him. He made his way to the room Larry had stayed in the previous night, tossing his little brother onto the bed playfully and plopping down next to him with an obnoxious crinkle.
Larry giggled and got comfortable on the side of the bed, glancing around at the familiar space and the photos of the sea. “Why’d ya drag me in here? Is there something special about this room?” He said as he tilted his head.
“Well… You know how I told you about how me and the crew took apart all those ships?” He said as he gestured to the various decorations on the wall as well as the furniture. “This entire room was built from the materials of one of the ships we took apart,” he said as he motioned to a steering wheel on the wall. He pointed to a nearby chair, “That used to be a barrel that held our fish rations.”
Larry gagged, “Bleeh! I was wondering why it smelled so bad.”
Percy chuckled. “Yep.” He pointed to the dresser across from the bed, “That used to be the hull of the ship… Everything in this room was built from the same wood.” He smiled at his younger brother. “I know it’s strange, but I like the smell of everything. It takes me back to my journey with my crew.”
Larry looked around the room in awe as Percy pointed everything out, fascinated by where everything came from. “Ooooohh.... I didn’t think any of this was real! I thought you just really liked dark wood and things that smell like old water,” he giggled, “But I’m glad you told me about this! This is all so cool!” Larry said with a wide smile as he crinklewagged excitedly.
“I’m glad you like it, Larry.” Percy pondered a bit. “This room is a constant reminder of what my life used to be like, and how much better it got when I ran away,” he said as he turned to Larry, “I like to come in here and think about how different life could’ve been if I hadn’t overheard that conversation that night.”
Percy smiled and held Larry’s hand. “I want to say I’m sorry again. I’m sorry I left you there. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you, and I regret not taking my family with me.” Percy sighed, “Running away was the hardest thing I’ve ever done… But when I did, it set me free.” He smiled. “Everything worked out in the end, and now that the siblings are reunited… I can love you all I want to make up for all those years you had to live without me.”
Larry sniffled, feeling tears well up in his eyes again. “Percy…” He hugged his brother tightly. “I love you, big brother…”
“I love you too, Larry.”