Shopping Spree with my Older Brother
Rating: T
Summary: Wendy takes Ludwig with her to buy unlimited makeup, bows, and bracelets. Since Roy lost patience with her, the last time the brute lad accompanied her and snapped, she got mad and left him behind without anything in her hands. This time, she puts her trust in her older brother, knowing he has some patience and control over his temper.
Disclaimer: I don't own the characters.
Wendy Koopa day was yesterday, so I'm delayed lol. Enjoy!
Wendy O. Koopa adjusted the large pink bow perched atop her head as she peeked around the corner of the castle hallway. Her heels clicked softly against the polished stone floor.
She had been searching for the right brother for this mission, and after last time's disaster, she knew exactly who not to ask.
Roy was out of the question. That much was certain.
She found Ludwig in the music room, as expected. The blue-haired Koopa sat at his grand piano, fingers dancing across the keys in a complicated melody that filled the chamber with elegant, sweeping notes. Sheet music was scattered across the polished lid, and a half-empty cup of tea sat forgotten beside him.
Wendy cleared her throat.
Ludwig’s fingers stilled. He glanced over his shoulder, one eyebrow raised. “Wendy. To what do I owe the interruption?”
“I need to go to the store,” she said, clasping her hands in front of her. “I want a new makeup kit. And some new bows. And bracelets that actually match. Proper ones. Not the cheap plastic ones Larry keeps stealing from the toy aisle.”
He turned fully on the bench, resting one arm along the back of it. “And you’re asking me… why?”
Wendy’s expression darkened for a moment. “Because the last time I went with Roy, it was a complete nightmare.”
Her older brother's gaze sharpened slightly. He remembered. Everyone in the castle had heard the aftermath.
Three weeks earlier…
The department store had been crowded that afternoon. Wendy had been in her element, holding up different shades of lipstick against her wrist, comparing them under the bright lights.
“This one is perfect,” she declared, holding up a soft coral shade. “It matches my shell.”
Roy had been leaning against a nearby display, arms crossed, looking thoroughly unimpressed. “It’s makeup, Wendy. You’re a Koopa. You don’t even need that stuff.”
“I like it,” she shot back, eyes narrowing. “It makes me feel pretty.”
“Pretty?” Roy scoffed. “You’re already the only girl. What, you think putting that gunk on your face is gonna make you look less like...”
“Don’t you dare finish that sentence.”
The magneta-shelled Koopa rolled his eyes and shoved his hands into his pockets. “This is taking forever. You’ve been standing here for twenty minutes. Just pick something and let’s go.”
Wendy’s voice rose. “I am trying to decide! You don’t just grab the first thing you see! This has to match the bows and the bracelets!”
“They’re bows and bracelets,” he snapped. “They’re childish. You’re acting like a little kid playing dress-up.”
Wendy’s face flushed with anger. “Childish?! You think looking nice is childish ?!”
“I think standing in a store for an hour while you hold up every single shade of pink is childish, yeah!”
Their argument had grown louder. Other shoppers started glancing over. Wendy’s voice cracked with frustration as she accused Roy of never caring about anything that wasn’t smashing or fighting.
He, in turn, had called her spoiled and dramatic. The argument escalated until a store employee approached, looking concerned. Roy, thoroughly fed up, had finally thrown his hands up.
“Fine. Do whatever you want. I’m done.”
And he had walked out, leaving Wendy standing alone in the cosmetics aisle with an armful of half-considered products and tears of pure fury burning in her eyes. She had been in a foul mood for days afterwards, snapping at anyone who even looked at her wrong.
Back in the present, Ludwig studied his sister’s face carefully. He remembered how Roy had returned to the castle that day looking like he’d been through a brawl: not from any physical fight, but from the verbal thrashing Wendy had given him once she got home. The sunglasses lad had been bruised in pride more than body, but Ludwig had seen the aftermath clearly enough.
Music composition could wait another day.
Ludwig closed the lid of the piano with a soft click and stood. “All right,” he said. “I’ll go with you.”
Wendy blinked, clearly surprised by how quickly he agreed. “Really? Just like that?”
“Just like that,” he adjusted his cuffs. “I have no interest in repeating Roy’s performance. Besides… someone ought to make sure you don’t get talked into buying something ridiculous.”
A small, hopeful smile tugged at Wendy’s mouth. “Thank you, Luddy.”
The store was quieter than it had been three weeks ago. Ludwig walked a half-step behind his sister, eyes scanning the aisles with the same careful attention he gave to a complex musical score.
He noted the exits, the other shoppers, and the placement of the security mirrors. Protective by nature and habit, he kept his posture straight and his expression cool.
Wendy made a beeline for the cosmetics section. She picked up a sleek black makeup kit with gold trim and held it up.
“What do you think of this one?”
Ludwig took it from her, turning it over in his hands. He opened it, inspected the quality of the products, the mirror, and the hinges. “The packaging is decent. The brushes look better than the cheaper sets. Not a bad choice… but the eyeshadow palette is limited. You’d be stuck with the same three shades.”
She considered that, then set it back and reached for another. This one was a soft rose-gold case with more compartments.
“Better,” he said after a moment’s inspection. “More variety. And the quality of the products seems higher.”
She tried on a few lipstick shades while Ludwig stood nearby, arms folded, offering quiet but honest opinions.
“Too bright. It washes you out.”
“That one’s better. Complements the pink in your bow.”
“The glitter one is excessive. You’ll look like you rolled in fairy dust.”
His sister laughed under her breath at that last comment, but she listened. When she moved on to the bows, Ludwig was just as precise.
“That one is too large for everyday wear. You’ll knock it against doorframes.”
“This smaller one sits better. And the ribbon quality is finer.”
At the jewellery display, he examined several bracelets with the same critical eye, rejecting ones that looked cheap or that would catch too easily on things.
After nearly forty minutes of careful selection, Wendy finally stood in front of a small mirror near the registers, wearing the chosen bow, the selected bracelets, and a soft application of the new makeup.
She turned her head from side to side, then looked at her older brother expectantly.
He studied her for a long moment.
“…You look gorgeous,” he said.
Wendy’s cheeks flushed a deeper pink beneath the makeup. “Really?”
“Really.”
She gathered the items and started toward the register, already reaching for her coin purse. Ludwig stepped past her, placed the items on the counter, and pulled out his own wallet.
Wendy’s eyes widened. “Luddy...wait. You don’t have to...”
“I know,” he said, handing the payment to the cashier. “I’m looking out for you. And for the others, in a way. Someone in this family ought to make sure you don’t come home in another foul mood because all of your brothers decided your interests were beneath him.”
Wendy stared at him, speechless for a second. Then her expression softened into something genuine: a real smile, warm and unguarded.
“Thank you,” she said quietly. “Really. I… I trust you with this. For next time, too.”
Ludwig gave a small nod, the corner of his mouth lifting just slightly. “Good.”
They returned to the castle with shopping bags in hand. The moment they stepped into the main hall, shouting and heavy footsteps echoed from the large sitting room.
Roy and Morton were tearing across the polished floors, a battered football clutched under Roy’s arm. The grey-shelled Koopa charged after him with a roar of laughter, knocking over a side table as he went. A vase wobbled dangerously.
Ludwig’s expression darkened instantly. Wendy’s did the same.
“Roy! Morton!” Ludwig’s voice cut through the chaos like a blade.
Both brothers skidded to a halt. Roy still had the ball.
The older brother strode forward and snatched it cleanly out of Roy’s hands. “Are the two of you completely incapable of thinking? You could break something or someone. If you have this much aggressive energy, take it outside.”
Roy’s face twisted. “Oh, come on, Luddy. We’re just...”
He shoved Ludwig hard in the chest on purpose, more out of stubborn pride than real force.
Wendy rolled her eyes so hard it was a wonder they didn’t stick. “Mature, Roy. Really mature.”
Ludwig steadied himself, jaw tight, but he did not escalate. He held the football out of reach and fixed both of them with a cold stare until they grumbled and stomped toward the courtyard doors, still arguing under their breath.
Once the hall was quiet again, he exhaled slowly and set the ball aside.
Wendy looked up at him, the earlier tension melting from her shoulders. She adjusted one of her new bracelets, then spoke in a softer voice.
“Hey… Luddy?”
“Yes?”
“Do you… Want to play makeup with me? In my room. Just for a little while.”
Ludwig considered the scattered sheet music waiting for him back in the music room. Then he looked at his sister: new bow perfectly in place, new bracelets glinting, a genuine smile still lingering on her face and gave a quiet nod.
“All right. Lead the way.”
They walked down the hallway together. As they passed the common room, Iggy and Larry peeked out from behind a couch.
The moment they saw Ludwig following Wendy toward her room with shopping bags in hand, the two younger brothers exchanged looks and dissolved into poorly muffled snickers.
He ignored them completely.
Wendy, walking a step ahead, glanced back once and smiled again: small, private, and full of trust.
For the first time in weeks, the store no longer felt like a battlefield.
And for Luddy, for his part, found that he did not mind the interruption to his music at all.
End!
r&R
