Paying off debts (Koopaling x FEM!reader)

The Prank

After that eventful day, nothing had happened for a few days. I went about my days as normal, with a funny story to tell some of my fellow soldiers. Most of them didn't believe me though, and I don't blame them. How could an unremarkable koopa such as myself catch the attention of every single koopaling all at once? I was a nobody. A face in the crowd. Someone who stood idly by as the real heros and villains wrote their own stories.

The most exciting thing to happen was a letter from my parents. The restaurant was doing a lot better thanks to my paychecks, but it still wasn't enough. I'd serve for as long as I could until I was 100 percent certain that my family would be able to support themselves again. Then I would go back to my quiet life, away from all of the trouble. I would live my normal, peaceful life out in the outskirts, not having to worry about some red dude in overalls or royalty with spiked shells.

Today was just another day, like the previous days. I was patrolling with Kraig again, making idle chit chat about our hobbies. It wasn't that interesting of a conversation if I'm being totally honest. Just small talk to fill the quiet air as we waited around for something interesting to happen.

"Hey! You there." A voice commanded. Both me and Kraig stopped and turned around. Larry Koopa stood in front of us, expression dead serious. "I need you to come with me." He grabbed my wrist firmly.

I looked to my friend for any sort of help, but he just shrugged.

"Uh- Yes sir. What do you need from me?" I moved my arm out of the koopaling's firm grasp, shaking it off just a little.

Larry turned on his heel, then gestured me to follow. "I'll explain on the way."

I followed the young prince in silence for a while. It seemed as though whatever he wanted us to do together, it was supposed to be secret. Other guards crawled all over the place, and it wasn't until we got to a more remote area of the castle that Larry turned his head to face me. He had a wide, toothy grin, with a mischievous glint in his eyes.

"We're gonna prank Iggy." He said rather bluntly.

"Wh- Huh?" I felt my anxiety spike. Pranking a prince? That was definitely grounds to be thrown into a lava pit. "W-Why exactly?"

"Because we're in this heated prank war right now. That punk nearly got me to dye my hair pink. Put some of the stuff in my conditioner." Larry crossed his arms and snarled. "He knows how important my hair care routine is! But I'm gonna get him, and I need your help!" He grabbed onto my shoulders, his eyes sparkling brighter the more he talked. I could feel myself shrinking.

"Uhhh- Why me specifically?"

"Because you were the first koopa to come to my mind when I thought up this genius plan." Larry let go of me, only to slap his hand on my shell. "Not everyday that someone like you gets to be my right-hand koopa with these schemes! You must feel pretty lucky."

If I was being honest, I did feel just a little lucky. Not because I thought Larry was particularly great, but mostly just because I blend into crowds so well. The fact that I was the first koopa someone thought about at all felt just a little nice. Though I did have one main concern. "Won't I get in trouble for pranking someone like Iggy? I don't wanna make him mad."

"Psshhhh!" Larry made a dismissive gesture with his hand. "You won't make him mad. Even if you did, I'd just have to work the ol' Larry Koopa charm, and you'll be off scott free!" His expression suddenly shifted. I couldn't quite place it, but something was different. He still grinned, but the glint in his eyes was gone, and his smile seemed to have just a hint of anxiety just below the surface. It seemed just a little more genuine. "Besides, it'll be fun. I promise. Y-You don't have to if you really don't wanna. I can just find another koopa."