AN: Hey everyone. Just wanted to step in and say something. The song that Ludwig and Aria sing together, Bonding with Love and Excitement, is based on a real life song. The song in question is called "Macaronage of Love and Excitement." It's worth a listen to; in fact, its to the exact same tune as the song here! However, the lyrics are going to be vastly different because…well, the original song is in Japanese. And, again, posting copyrighted lyrics on Fanfiction is against the rules. So, while the tune will be the same, the lyrics will be, for the most part, completely different (although there will be some parallels to the original song sprinkled in there every now and then). Also, Aria will sing the lyrics that align with Cure Macaron's lyrics (purple), and Ludwig will sing the ones that align with Cure Chocolat (red).

Anyway, onto the show.

Chapter 6 Bonding Over a Song

The door of the bathroom closing didn't happen soon enough. Behind it, away from the possibly concerned and wondering eyes of Aria, Ludwig found his body sweating like it would if he went in front of a firing squad. He shook his head, all while pressing his hands against the smooth surface of the door.

"Oh my God…." he shook, the sweat becoming more profuse. "Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God!" He stepped away from the door, his emotions entering what could only be described as a heightened panic. He got a glance of himself in the mirror. He noticed wide eyes, eyes that once again resembled someone being led to their execution.

"What do I do?" He almost yelled out those words, only stopping himself when he heard somebody clearing their throat in one of the stalls. Realizing he wanted to draw as little attention to himself and his plight as possible, he instead went up to the sink. He gripped the sides of it, practically squeezing the life out of the stone. He took deep breaths, hoping he could stop the panic consuming him. Unfortunately, it didn't turn out to be easy. He stood there for the better part of five minutes, which just so happened to be the amount of time it took for the other person to wash their hands and leave. Once he was gone, and Ludwig felt certain that he was all alone, he looked himself in the mirror and repeated his question from earlier aloud.

"What do I do?"

On some level, he recognized that his fear was irrational; illogical, one could say. All that Aria had offered to him was going up and singing. Sure, Ludwig wasn't thrilled at the idea, but his current emotions were a little too high strung for such a small suggestion. This was all the more apparent because this was Ludwig von Koopa, a person who loved performing in front of others. He had been performing since he was a child; ten years old at the earliest. He knew how to deal with things like nerves and stage fright (in fact, the latter wasn't any issue for him and hadn't been ever since he turned twelve). So why was he freaking out?

Maybe it was just the thought. That one thought, of getting closer to the girl who he had wronged. Every base instinct within his body fired off inside him, telling him that he had no business getting as close to Aria as the activity of performing with her on stage called for. Sure, it wasn't anywhere near the level of intimacy and closeness that, say, having sex called for. But still, it didn't appeal to him. Especially seeing how the song in question was one that had lyrics sung by characters who had been established as lovers…

Ludwig shook his head. Maybe that was what was causing him to freak out the most. Actually no, there was no "maybe" about it; that HAD to be what it was. He seemed to just be pulling a classic Ludwig, overthinking something that was more than likely an innocent gesture. Aria didn't see them as lovers! Why would she; they hadn't talked to each other in fourteen years! Aria even said to Nori that she and him weren't dating! There; that right there was the ultimate sign that he was freaking out over nothing! He had no reason to worry about this song was supposed to mean in Aria's eyes. They were friends; that's all they were. Yes, definitely.

Still though…that realization didn't exactly lessen the queasiness in the oldest Koopaling. He didn't want to go up there. He would rather stick his eyeballs out with spoons, throw them into a fire, and dance to the sound of people laughing at his blind suffering. The activity still called for him to get uncomfortably close to Aria; he didn't want that.

But Aria did.

Ludwig's breath caught in his throat when he had that thought. He grimaced as the argument Lemmy had made earlier, the very one that encouraged him to come out on this outing in the first place, popped up in his mind. This was what Aria wanted. Considering all he had done to her in the past, giving her what she wanted was the best move. He owed her a lot. He owed her a smile or two, a few good nights to sprinkle onto the cake made up of her good memories.

And…well, he liked the idea of seeing her smile. A smile that lit up those gorgeous purple eyes, that caused the dimples on her face to become visible…oh, it was such an astounding image. It did things to Ludwig's heart, making it beat in a rhythm that could easily be interpreted as joyful. Not only did he owe her making her happy. He wanted to make her happy.

So, Ludwig took in one last deep breath. Making sure his feet stayed safely on the ground, he looked himself in the mirror. The wide eyed fright was gone. All that was left was rigorous determination.

"This is what she wants," Ludwig said to himself. He stared deep into his own eyes. "It's all going to be fine." He chuckled. "In fact, you just might win over the entire restaurant with your perfect pitch." He nodded his head. "You can do this Ludwig. I know you can."

With that, he turned and made his way out of the bathroom. He noticed no singing, which meant that the karaoke stage was still wide open for him and his childhood friend. He tried to smile once he saw his table; there was still some leftover squirminess that prevented him from doing that successfully. He did manage to do it successfully when he saw Aria though. Unfortunately, he wasn't nearly as pleased to see Nori back. Aria's friend eyed him with suspicion, a suspicion that cut through the apathy and disinterest that seemed to be her default setting.

"Where'd you run off to, Mr. Blue Hair?"

"Same place you did." Ludwig took his seat. "Also, you're really exhausting that nickname, aren't you?"

Nori shrugged. "What can I say? It fits."

Aria snickered, all while Ludwig just shook his head at Nori's lack of creative naming conventions. "It's fine. We're all friends here; everything's all good." She turned back toward Ludwig. "So, what's your answer? Do you want to come up on stage with me?"

Ludwig let out a breath before nodding. "Wouldn't hurt."

"Great!" Aria's face fell a little. "You've heard the song that I want us to sing, right?"

"Oh yes. Many times." Ludwig smirked. "Even if I heard it only once, I have enough faith in myself to reproduce the melody."

Nori snorted. "Looks like I should've called you Mr. Humble instead."

Ludwig smirked at her. "Would've at least been more creative."

In response to this, Nori rolled her eyes and went right back to staring at her phone. As she did, Aria stood up and took hold of Ludwig's hand.

"Well, come on!"

Ludwig stood up too, once again feeling the rush he got while holding her hand (although it was to a much lesser extent now; he must be getting used to it). They went over to the person managing the music and told him what song they wanted to do. They gave Ludwig an extra microphone, and together they went up on stage.

"Ladies and gentlemen," they said. "The next song will be Bonding with Love and Excitement, performed by Ludwig von Koopa and Aria Shellcreep."

And then, the opening cords played out. While Aria bobbed up and down to the beat, Ludwig took notice of the people in the audience. Some didn't seem all that interested in what was happening up on stage, but others were looking at the two of them with what could only be identified as interest. Ludwig actually smiled. These people better be ready to drop their jaws.

The opening cords finished, and Aria put the microphone up to her mouth. "I'm feeling moody now," she sang. "And I don't quite know just how. I guess I'm right in the here and now." She turned to Ludwig, who by now was reeling at how smooth and melodic her singing voice was. "When I look into your eyes…"

Ludwig smiled at her and held up his own microphone. "I well up with surprise."

Aria beamed at him, as did some other people who were impressed by their duet. "You're just looking so sweet in your sin! My dear one…"

Ludwig's heart rate picked up as he sang his next part. "I know you just can't help…You even shout and yelp…To hide that feeling you felt!" He turned to face Aria as he sang the next part. "Why don't you stop tearing me apart? And tugging at my heart?"

A playful twinkle appeared in Aria's eyes. "I just can't help it…"

"I see through your lies," Ludwig sang.

"I'll throw a hissy fit…"

"I know it's not wise…"

The entire restaurant seemed focused on the two, their hearts beating to the beat of the song, as Ludwig and Aria sang the first line that both singers shared. "I think this is something more than just white lies!'

Right before they jumped into the chorus, the lights on the stage lit up. Ludwig was initially flustered by this; he reasoned that the coordinator was so entertained by this performance that he wanted to make it extra special. Or this was just something the restaurant commonly did whenever two people performed this song together. Either way, when Ludwig looked at Aria, he noticed her beauty illuminated extra bright as they sang the chorus of the song.

"My heart is yearning for us to just stop with this charade," they sang. "And to soak up the beauty of this moment we made!"

"My heart flutters," Aria sang.

"When I look at you."

Aria blushed, clearly flattered by these words even though they were just prewritten lyrics to a song. "I cannot deny that which I know to be true!"

Ludwig actually felt his own face grow warm as they jumped right back into singing a line together. "There is an open secret that's involving you and me…" Ludwig almost tripped over his words as he sang the next line, only now remembering what it was.

"I love you now can't you see!"

Aria's blushing skin grew darker, which flustered Ludwig even more. It's just song lyrics, he thought to himself. It's just song lyrics; that's all that it is.

"I can't just let this end," he sang, his face growing hotter than the surface of the sun.

"I don't know how or when," Aria sang.

Ludwig swallowed a lump, singing in unison with her the closing line to the first chorus. "But we will soon meet again." He took in a breath. "Oh yes, we'll soon meet again…"

With that, the instruments jumped right back into playing the cords. Now that those first lines were out of the way, Ludwig now felt better. He actually smiled looking at Aria, dancing along to this quick and catchy love song. His smile only grew brighter when she returned it. Man, it was such a sweet look; appropriate for one of the sweetest people he had ever met. He looked back into the crowd, who now all looked upon them with glee. There was no disinterest or apathy present here; everyone in the restaurant was fully engaged and fully appreciative of Ludwig and Aria's duet.

This only made singing the first line of the next verse sweeter to him. "Your cool and dainty side…just makes me smile wide…I am in love with your gorgeous pride…" he grinned at Aria, both because he loved the fact this song took a moment to slow and cool down, and…well, she was just beautiful. He really did appreciate that. "I hope we don't depart."

"Right here or in my heart," Aria sang, her voice carrying the sort of seductive pleasure that the female singer in the original song got across.

"You not being here is so sour! And so tart…"

"I'm through with all these games…I know you feel the same….I guess you have me to blame!" Aria turned toward him, looking deep into his eyes. Once again, his heart fluttered looking into their violet sheen. "I always pussyfoot my love! No sweet words from up above"

Ludwig almost laughed; he always did find that particular lyric humorous for some reason. "Stop with all your cries…"

"I just can't help it…

"Your misery I despise…!"

"It hurts to say it…!"

Ludwig's heart rate grew. If his body recognized the excitement his mind felt…well, there was really no turning away from this situation with dull eyes, that was for sure. "Looking at you in the eyes is my sweet prize!" the two of them sang together. This time, jumping into the chorus, Ludwig actually felt rather confident and playful. Might be he was getting involved in the song, might be because he was used to the bright stage lights now. Either way, he sang with a noticeable level of enthusiasm.

"It's so odd to think that we are polar opposites," they sang together. "Our love has proven to be a smooth and natural fit!"

"I feel something new," he sang.

"I know that it's true," she responded.

"My heart rate has spiked right now while talking to you!"

"I will protect your smile and your bright and shining face," they sang together.

"Your love is what I will embrace!" Aria sang, carrying the high note at the end of the line in a way that soothed Ludwig's sensitive ears. "I think I feel it now…"

"Though I don't know how…"

"I hope this will never end…" they sang together, Ludwig's heart rate slowing down now that they were moving away from the chorus of the song. "Yes this will not surely end…"

With that, they were in the instrumental break. Now, Ludwig couldn't for the life of him say exactly why he did this, but he put his hands around her dancing waist. She blinked, caught up in surprise as he lifted her into the air. The whole restaurant gasped at this display; even Nori actually looked impressed. Aria turned toward him just as the instrumental break came to a close, her excitement just as strong as the excitement that the song lyrics conveyed.

"Hold me now," she sang.

"I got you," he responded. He spun her around in the air before descending back down to the stage. Once Aria landed, she gestured toward him to follow her before bouncing off the platform. Surprised, Ludwig did just that. He smiled as she waltzed in between the tables, doing something similar himself to show the growing bond between the two people in the song.

"There's just so much," she sang, "that we have yet to do!"

"Yes that is so," he sang back, "And I feel that I need you!"

Aria stopped behind one table, drawing awe and joy out of the person who's chair back she put her hand on.

"So come take my hand…" she extended her hand to Ludwig, surprising him. "My strong and handsome prince."

"It's now showtime!" He went up and took her hand, smoothly walking to the beat of the music and grinning with the suave gentlemanly qualities he imagined the person whose lines he sung had. "My darling princess!"

Aria smiled, jumping right back into singing the last verse as they made their way toward the center of the crowd. Ludwig felt more comfortable singing the last verse, as the lyrics were lifted straight from the first verse and first chorus.

"I just can't help it," Aria sang.

"I see through your lies," Ludwig responded.

"I'll throw a hissy fit…"

"I know it's not wise…"

"I think this is something more than just white lies!" they sang together. "To no surprise!" Ludwig grinned; even though he knew these lyrics, they still made him feel excited. Like Aria, they were a close and personal friend that he really needed to jump into the habit of thinking more about and spending more time with.

"My heart is yearning for us to just stop with this charade!" they sang together. "And to soak up the beauty of this moment we made!'

"My heart flutters…" Aria sang, her voice somehow sounding much sweeter than it did the first time.

"When I look at you…"

Aria beamed. "I cannot deny that which I know to be true!"

Ludwig grinned, the expression cheeky as sin, as he pulled away from her. They ran around the tables, now resembling a pair of lovers hopelessly (yet at the same time playfully) running after each other.

"There is an open secret that's involving you and me!" they sang.

Despite the fact that this particular lyric really messed Ludwig up the first time he sang it, now he sang it with joy. "I love you now can't you see!"

Aria looked like she was going to swoon as she looked back at the stage. "I just can't let this end…"

"I don't know how or when…"

"But we will soon meet again." They made their way back to the stage, standing suspiciously close to another when they got back. Ludwig didn't care. "Oh yes, we'll soon meet again…" They danced around a little bit as the closing cords to the song played out. Ludwig did what resembled a little tap dance, with Aria snapping her fingers and bobbing her head. When the final cord rang out, they took each other's hands and faced each other.

And then…that was it. The song was over. The lights on the stage went out, and now he and Aria were in darkness. However, the darkness was not an empty or lonely one at all. Quite the contrary. Ludwig now stood so close to her he could feel her breathing, and it…well, it felt kind of nice.

What made it even better was when the audience applauded. Some people whooped, some people cheered, but not a single person in the restaurant was silent. Ludwig looked out into the crowd as the lights came back on, pulling away from Aria as he did. However, he still kept a firm grip on her hand. A good thing too, as this prompted her to bow when he did. As Ludwig pulled his head back up, he looked into the adoring crowd. All these people they impressed. All these lasting impressions they left on their hearts.

All this fun he had with Aria…

With a quick movement, Ludwig let go of Aria's hand, and together they made their way back to their table. Ludwig was pleased (though at the same time not surprised) to see Nori gawking at them. Her eyes were wide, her jaw dropped. All apathy went out the window as the two of them got back in their seats.

"That was incredible!" Nori exclaimed. She smiled, looking between both Ludwig and Aria. "You guys sounded amazing together! And the way you rose into the air…oh man, everything about those last three minutes was amazing!"

Aria chuckled, blushing as she curled a strand of her hair back. "Thanks Nori. We just really got into our roles." She looked Ludwig. "I thought it was pretty fun."

Ludwig smiled at her. Maybe he was going to feel guilty about this later, maybe he was going to berate himself for letting his guard down this much with her. However, in the moment, he didn't care.

"I had fun too."

This moment…was perfect.

AN: Woo, man that was an interesting experience. I had a lot of fun writing this one in particular. I hope you guys enjoyed it as much as I did! :)