You tossed the tablet back at Cat, brought the mic up to your mouth and pointed directly at Hobie.
<span class="mu-r">“Prowler, you beautiful bastard, this one goes out to you.”</span>
He raised an eyebrow at that, and Felicia and Araña were soon hollering as if your statement had been a particularly promiscuous one. And it only got worse once the music finally kicked in.
<span class="mu-g">“Prowler’s not here right now.”</span> Hobie called back.
<span class="mu-g">“Don’t worry. I’ll make sure that he sees this.”</span> Flint chuckled.
Hobie just shook his head.
<span class="mu-g">“I swear I’m never putting that mask on ever again. I’m changing my name <span class="mu-i">and</span> my costume.”</span> he proclaimed.
<span class="mu-b">“You do that, and we’ll have to do this all over again. You’ll be treated like the new guy on the team.”</span> Cat countered, giving him a devious grin. <span class="mu-b">“I hope you’re good at making coffee runs.”</span>
Ember gave her a startled look. She was most likely trying to figure out whether Felicia was joking or not. You would’ve liked to join in on the jokes, but you were too busy singing your heart out and staring deep into Hobie’s brown eyes. And as he quickly found out, it was profoundly simple to maintain eye contact with someone when you were wearing a full face-mask. You couldn’t help but feel a swell of pride when you got him to look away first.
From what you could tell, the audience was enjoying your performance immensely. You always thought that you were a decent singer, but like Araña, you were great at hamming it up. Your exaggerated gestures and enthusiasm more than made up for the lack of coordinated dancing. Because singing karaoke wasn’t at all about showcasing skill. It was about letting loose, having fun, laughing at others, and being able to laugh at yourself. You didn’t have to be perfect. You just had to be yourself.
By the time your song ended, you hoped that you’d managed to get your message across. Ember, Hobie and Flint were the only ones who hadn’t sung yet.
<span class="mu-g">“Nice going there, Benny.”</span> Flint said, giving you a heavy pat on the shoulder.
<span class="mu-b">“I don’t know about Prowler, but you had <span class="mu-i">me</span> swooning towards the end there.”</span> Cat said with a subtle purr in her voice.
<span class="mu-r">“Eh, it was a little too sappy for my tastes, but I thought you did alright.”</span> Araña put in.
You were about to ask Ember what she thought when she shoved the tablet into your chest.
<span class="mu-r">“Hold this for me. It’s <span class="mu-s">my</span> turn.”</span>
You blinked in surprise for a moment, but you were quickly shouting your encouragement along with the others as she stepped up to grab the microphone.
And when the music started, you didn’t even have to glance at the tablet to see what she’d chosen.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gGdGFtwCNBE(Cont.)
