It was “Mr. Brightside” by The Killers! The reactions amidst the audience varied between amusement and exasperation upon recognizing the song. It was such a familiar song that pretty much anyone could sing along. And for some people, that’s exactly what happened.
You, Cat and Araña found yourselves joining in on her song, letting the waves of nostalgia flow through you along with the reverberating beat of the music. A few times, you even caught Flint, Hobie and Benga mouthing the words mouthing the words to themselves.
After the song had finished, Ember proceeded to chug an entire can of beer and was about to pick another song, but you stopped her from getting her hands on the tablet. After all, it was Flint’s turn.
—--
The big man groaned at the attention that he was receiving. Unlike everyone else, he didn’t have the benefit of having his judgment impaired by alcohol. But Flint Marko was no coward. He was a lot of things, but you would never call him a coward. In many ways, he was far braver than you.
The guy was even committed to leaving his home planet for the woman he loved. His unwavering loyalty was something to be admired, for sure, but the same couldn’t be said about his musical talents.
So, despite the fact that you both knew he couldn’t carry a tune to save his life, he picked an old song that he was very comfortable with singing.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4xmckWVPRaI (“We’re Not Gonna Take It” by Twisted Sister)
This was another one of those songs that everyone could sing along to. And this time, everyone joined in. Maybe it was the beer, the good food, or the generally cheery atmosphere, but not even the Prowler could refuse to have fun for this long. Especially when this could be his last night as a Desperado.
The thought of that saddened you momentarily, but you quickly shoved it back down and went back to cheering on your best friend. No matter how tone-deaf he was, you couldn’t help but think that he looked like a star out there.
Right before the song ended, though, you snuck over to stand beside Hobie and slipped the tablet into his free hand.
<span class="mu-r">“Clock’s ticking, pal. Sooner or later, you’re gonna have to take the spotlight. This is your party, after all.”</span>
<span class="mu-g">“That depends on whether you’ve got any decent songs on this thing.”</span> he replied, scrolling through the catalog so fast that you doubted he could even see what he was looking at.
<span class="mu-r">“I seem to remember you singing along to the last two.”</span>
<span class="mu-g">“Hey man, a classic is a classic for a reason.”</span>
His finger paused its rapid scrolling for a moment, and his eyes widened momentarily.
<span class="mu-g">“And speaking of classics…”</span> he muttered, quickly selecting a song and giving you back the tablet.
When you looked at it, your eyes widened as well.
<span class="mu-r">“No way…”</span>
<span class="mu-g">“Watch and learn.”</span> Hobie said, waving back at you without turning around.
(Cont.)
