Paying off debts (Koopaling x FEM!reader)

Recovery and A Metal Bracelet

A/n: Sorry! There was a bit of a problem with the publishing of this part. It should be fixed now!

I would have never expected recovery to be so mind-numbingly boring.

Sure, the nurses were nice enough, and when the patients next to me were lucid enough to speak, they were decent conversation, but otherwise, it was just staring at a wall. I couldn't move most of the time. The bandages all over my body not only restricted my movement, but movement itself was a chore. It hurt everytime I moved certain parts of my body, so I was left bed bound.

It wasn't all bad, of course. I got a note from my parents wishing me a speedy recovery. They were doing a lot better now, apparently. The burger joint that nearly put them out of business was getting investigated for health code violations. My paychecks definitely helped. It was almost worth being bed bound. I'd take a million more fireballs if it meant being able to guarantee my family's well-being.

The Koopalings regularly visited as well. Most of the time, I was too tired to do much, but their presence lifted my mood. Larry was my most frequent visitor, often showing me crude drawings of his plans for our future pranks. I found it a bit endearing, just a little confusing. Larry wasn't the best artist in the world. He often had to explain what was going on in his drawings.

Iggy was probably in second place for most visits. He gave me frequent updates on Kraig, who was apparently in worse condition than I was, but slowly recovering like me. That was nice to hear. It even seemed like the two were becoming friends from the frequent visits, judging by the way Iggy talked about him.

"I caught him reading a series that Ludwig likes!" Iggy had said. "Made me consider reading it sometime. Apparently it's science fiction! Cool, right?"

I didn't understand most of his wild ramblings, but it made me happy to see him happy. His chipper mood seemed to rub off on some of the other patients too. I caught the koopa next to me grinning at the lanky koopaling's antics.

Ludwig didn't visit often, but when he did, he usually had a book with him. He would always sit and read quietly. Conversation with him wasn't lively, but I enjoyed his company nonetheless. One time, I was in a particularly bored mood, and asked him to read to me. To my surprise, he actually did, and even loaned me the book to read. I wasn't all that interested in its contents, but it killed time well enough.

Morton and Roy visited together most of the time. The two would go on for hours about the daily happenings around the castle. Petty guard drama, reconstruction efforts after Mario, and inklings of ideas for new plans to take the red man down. Most of the plans were utter nonsense. They once proposed a plan to kidnap Mario instead of Peach, which I thought was a bit stupid. He'd find his way out. He always did, apparently.

Morton gave me a fair share of 'get well soon cards', most of them illegible. I'm sure more than half of the cards I got were all from him alone. I appreciated the thought.

I don't think Lemmy visited me at all after that first time. When asking Iggy about it, he was very dodgy about why. It seemed like whatever Lemmy was up to, he didn't want me knowing.

Wendy visited me only once, and it was to give a gift to me that was from someone else, according to her. It was a small, silver bracelet with a lumpy looking heart charm. At least, I think it was a heart. It really resembled a bean nore than anything. Regardless, it was adorable. I've never received jewelry before, so I couldn't be picky. When I asked her who it was from, she suddenly became really dodgy about the subject, and left shortly after.

I've been thinking about that interaction a lot. It was most definitely from one of her brothers. There was no other reason why she'd purposely dodge a subject pertaining to this gift. Wendy didn't seem like the Koopa to throw her brothers under the bus. Despite her constant bickering, it was clear she had a great care for them. I certainly wouldn't tell my sibling's crush if they asked me not to.