It's been a long time, fellow readers! I bet no one was expecting a second chapter to this, huh? Well, I've decided to turn that one-shot into a stream of super sporadically-updated chapters of adorable friendship and fluffiness. Welcome, everyone, to chapter two.
The Only Thing To Do After an Alien Invasion
The abandoned STAR Labs hangar never looked so celebratory. With lights strung up, music humming in the background, and the laughter of heroes echoing in the area, it certainly was a lively scene. As the night went on, just talking and drinking was getting boring for a pair of super friends, and they found themselves chatting in a corner.
"So, what did you think? First time on Earth-1," Barry said with a curious grin, drink in hand.
Kara shrugged, adjusting her glasses out of habit. "I mean, I thought it was gonna look a lot different from my earth, but...really it just seems more...depressing?" She searched for the right word, nose wrinkling as her forehead crinkled in a slight frown.
The speedster chuckled, shifting his weight from one foot to the other. "Yeah, I mean, thank Oliver for that," he joked, head nodding towards the hoodless vigilante. "But...you know one thing that would make this night amazing?"
The blonde's brow shot up in skeptical curiosity, but eventually it melted into excitement. Her mouth fell open before the grin spread across her face, and she couldn't help but give a bit of a squeal. "Karaoke rematch?"
Barry grinned even brighter. "You're on," he said, setting down his cup and pointing at her a moment. He turned towards the rest of the group, which was scattered about here and there, little clumps of people talking about this and that. Cupping his hand around his mouth, he took a chance and went for it. "Hey, what would people say to a little karaoke?"
It was quiet for a few moments, confusion gracing a few of the peers' faces, although one person in particular looked as if he were on the verge of giving in.
Kara looked awkwardly at Barry. "Was this a bad idea?" She whispered sideways, glancing back at the quiet crowd.
"Let's do it!" Felicity exclaimed, almost without thinking. She tugged Oliver over by the arm, determined to get the grumpy guy to sing something eventually. "You're welcome," she muttered to Barry as she passed.
"Uh..." He started, before a faint chuckle escaped his lips and he smiled at Kara. "Shall we?" He shrugged, jerking his head in the direction of a TV that had been set up for the satellite radio stations. Cisco was already reprogramming it at the moment.
The Kryptonian grinned again, following her friend towards the gathering group. As she scanned them, the entire spectrum of emotions seemed to be portrayed throughout the group. Sara Lance looked almost peeved, while Jax was looking smugly at Stein. Thea was avoiding all eye contact, while Curtis looked almost excited for this.
"Alright," Cisco sighed, clapping his hands together as he stepped out from the controls, "let's get our karaoke on."
Barry nodded to him, and in just a few seconds he had ran out and back, now with four wireless microphones and a grin to rival Kara's. "Let's do it," he said, placing the mics on the table. Everyone had gathered around by now, either on couches or just standing nearby, but the microphones acted as almost a repellant. Nobody wanted to go first.
"Oh, come on, guys," Felicity said, having Barry's back like nobody's business. "Somebody's gotta be brave and start us off."
"Why don't you, if you're so excited, huh?" Sara questioned smugly, arching a brow as she folded her arms over her chest.
The hacker spluttered nervously, avoiding eye contact with the Waverider captain as she glanced over at Oliver for help.
"I think that Barry should start—he was the leader out in the fight, why not here?" Oliver spoke, the faintest hint of a smirk on his lips as he jibed lightly at Barry.
Everyone seemed to be fine with that suggestion, and soon enough Barry was front and center with a microphone in hand. The speedster first looked at Iris, but she shook her head, unable to hide an amused grim; then he turned to Felicity, but her expression clearly said 'do not rope me into this;' finally, he looked to Kara, clearly pleading for her to help him with the situation he'd gotten himself into.
The Girl of Steel sighed, stepping out from her position on the outskirts of the group and grabbing a microphone. "When I said karaoke rematch, I didn't mean right off the bat," she hissed, but the song was already starting. Her eyes widened as she looked at the song, and immediately she started to splutter. "Oh no—no no no, Cisco why—why did you—?"
Barry's protests overlapped hers, but all was silenced by the meta in charge of the TV. "Ah ah, you stepped into the Thunderdome, baby, there's no escape now," he grinned triumphantly, winking at Caitlin who in turn smiled smugly at Barry.
The two supers muttered something under their breath before straightening up, looking at the screen. "I could drop a building on you, you know," Kara persisted one last time, looking at Cisco, although she couldn't be taken seriously. Not when this song was playing.
The speedster sighed, rolling his wrist once before starting.
"Anything you can do, I can do better—I can do anything better than you."
Now sure, Kara wasn't exactly surprised, nor was Caitlin, but the group still went silent, even the smuggest of smiles disappearing a moment.
"No you can't—"
"Yes I can—"
"No you can't—"
"Yes I can—"
"No you can't—"
"Yes I can, yes I can!"
By the end of the song, the two adults had been whittled down to a laughing heap, cheery grins plastered on their faces as they finished the classic. "Okay, okay, maybe I won't drop a building on Cisco," Kara chuckled, setting down the mic.
Barry hummed a chuckle of his own, still giddy from the hilarious number. "You definitely beat me in that one," he conceded, plopping himself on the couch next to Iris and putting his arm around her.
The Kryptonian's nose scrunched up in disagreement and she shook her head. "No way, I totally messed up that whole riff thingy in the middle," she said, seating herself in a nearby chair.
"I think—" Felicity broke in, holding up a finger, "—that you two just completely destroyed any shreds of self-confidence I had in my singing. Thanks for that," she spoke in a mockingly serious tone, although a hint of a grin could be seen underneath it.
"Told you he could sing," Caitlin added smugly, eyes glancing sideways to Cisco.
"Alright, alright," the metahuman said, holding up his hands, "I think it's time for round two. You," he pointed at Barry, "Mr. Sinatra, get up here."
The speedster stood up slowly, a chuckle on his lips as he put his hands up in mock surrender. "I'm not trying to—"
"Nuh uh. Quiet. We're battling. Now," Cisco cut him off, handing him a microphone in complete seriousness. "And we're going to handle this like men."
The song began, and Barry's brow arched in question. "So this is how we handle this like—"
"Like men," Cisco repeated, totally serious. "You don't know this song, I can't call you a friend any more."
The speedster sighed with a bit of a smile, looking at the screen again. "So who's gonna be—?"
"I am Javert. I'm always Javert," the determined man answered shortly, eyes glued to the screen.