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[That reaction just makes him even more smug, but also just kind of stupidly happy that Cisco is also having a good time, because even if Taako was the one that needed cheering up, it'd suck if Cisco came all the way out here for him just to not enjoy himself.

Taako is still "wearing" the costume, apparently having zero plans to drop the illusion.]

You didn't forget I used to be a performer, right?

[It wasn't quite like this, but his cooking show was at least 50/50 on the actual cooking to the flashy magic and Taako putting on a show.]

How could I!

[ It's one thing, knowing that Taako had had a cooking show and experiencing how charming he can be in person. But it's really something else entirely, seeing him turn things up to 11 like that and just perform. Cisco wishes he could have seen one of his old cooking shows - before Sazed had ruined things, which is information that Cisco is going to have to get used to.

All that laughing and cheering has gotten him a bit parched, and Cisco takes a long drink from the drink Taako had bought him. He's feeling properly tipsy now, which is good, considering he's going to be on the stage alone, next time. ]

Seriously, I'm glad I'm not going right after you. You're a pretty tough act to follow.

You're absolutely right, that poor asshole up there must be struggling.

[He makes a point to look Sad and Dramatic towards the stage, and the person who's actually doing a pretty decent job of a power ballad from some other universe, but it's hardly the little show that Taako put on.

He's about to add something more, when a waiter comes over to trade their table number for a basket of fries, covered in cheese and bacon, and Taako puts his hand very solemnly on the waiter's arm in thanks, before he turns his attention back to Cisco, still looking far too serious.]

I need you to not judge the things I'm about to do to these fries.

[He's very hungry and they're very greasy.]

[ Cisco laughs at Taako's treatment of the waiter, and his grave expression and tone of voice as he delivers his half-plea half-warning. ]

No judgment, man, long as I can have a couple.

[ And they spend the next few minutes very contentedly devouring the fries: well, Taako does most of the devouring and Cisco steals a few off the edges. As Taako chows down, Cisco chatters away (he's tipsy enough that his verbal filter is a bit shot and he's even more talkative than normal) about french fries and their startling availability in Central City and his world more generally.

Taako polishes off the food in a pretty impressively short amount of time, and shortly after, Cisco sees his name come up on the board indicating who is next. That sets off a momentary spike of alarm, and he quickly takes another gulp of two of his drink. ]

Uh, so. Me next, I guess. What am I singing?

[He's content to share, if only out of sheer bribery so that Cisco doesn't tell anyone that Taako ever wants to sleep with about what happened here tonight, with the plate of fries. He's also glad that Cisco seems willing to chatter away while he eats, because Taako at least has the shame not to talk with his mouth full of cheesy fries.

As Cisco's name comes up and he asks about his song, Taako holds up a finger in a wait gesture so he can go skipping up to the song selection, pop the choice in, then come back to reclaim his seat.]

It's a secret, you gotta just roll with it.

[get ready to be rickrolled.]

[ Despite the fact that he had also been a bit mysterious in revealing what song he wanted Taako to sing, Cisco feels a momentary twinge of worry when Taako goes to input it without even letting Cisco know what it is. He narrows his eyes a little, dubious, but gets to his feet once Taako returns.

Cisco makes his way up to the stage right as the guy before him is finishing, heartrate picking up a little. He shouldn't feel nervous. It's stupid to feel nervous. But Taako's solo act had just been so charming, had looked so effortless and fun. What if he picked something that's way out of Cisco's range, or something he hasn't heard of, or...

He gets onto the stage, taking the mic between his two hands, nervously waiting for the lyrics to come onto the prompter. Before they do, however, the background music kicks in, and it doesn't even take a full second for Cisco to recognize it. And then he is bent double, hanging onto the mic stand to keep from falling over, laughing so hard he almost can't breathe. Just roll with it. And he hadn't even realized...

He straightens up, gasps back giggles and fans a hand in front of his face, trying to get hold of himself before the singing part starts. Cisco sounds a little choked for the first few words, clearly barely keeping himself from bursting into laughs again. There is scattered laughter in the crowd, too - at least half of them seem to know what is happening, why this is funny.

Cisco settles into the song, belting it out in a pretty serviceable impersonation of the great Astley himself. In a way, it was the perfect selection for Taako to make; Cisco doesn't worry about singing beautifully, about acting sexy or like a diva or any of that. He can just be funny, and being funny is something Cisco is good at. He replicates some of the sillier dance moves from the music video, laughing as a few members of the crowd stand up to join in.

When the song ends, Cisco goes bounding off the stage and back to Taako. ]

That's gonna be stuck in my head forever, now, I hope you're happy.

[ By which he clearly means: that was wonderful, thank you. ]

Edited 2017-07-21 02:02 (UTC)

[Th reaction is even better than what Taako expected, and he's so pleased with himself for having realized the potential for the joke, while Cisco had been scrolling through songs earlier.

Taako is applauding very loudly by the time Cisco gets back, caught between the urge to laugh and wanting to look totally cool and smug. The former wins out, really.]

Very happy, bubbale. You look like you had fun.

[And that's what's important, really.]

Are you kidding!? You and me conspired to rickroll an entire room full of helpless strangers, of course I had fun!

[ Well, the conspiracy had all been Taako, and the execution had all been Cisco, but he thinks of it as an act of teamwork nonetheless. He can't seem to stop smiling, and his cheeks are actually hurting a little, but he doesn't care. Cisco's throat feels a little scratchy and he finishes the beer Taako had bought him. Now that he's sitting down, he can feel much more strongly the fact that he is definitely drunk - not uncomfortably so, but unquestionably past tipsy. ]

Wait, I got an idea-

[ His idea (which is nothing more revolutionary than just the thought that they should take a selfie together, while Taako still has his little faux Britney Spears outfit on) gets put on hold, however. Cisco is about to go for his phone when there's a strange feeling, something different than the slight spinniness of the room in general. It's a dropping sensation, a lurch in his stomach, and then his face goes utterly blank, in the same way Taako has seen twice before now.

The vision is a comparatively brief one - Cisco sees himself, in his workshop, bent low over a pair of intricate-looking gauntlets, singing quietly to himself as he works. They don't look like the gauntlets he'd seen Tony wearing, or the ones from the ATOM suit.
There is no power source. Instead, from what Cisco can see through the blurred, blue-tinted haze, they look like they are meant to channel energy, maybe amplify or hone it. But before he can get more than just a glimpse, the scene is flickering out and sound comes flooding back and he is in the loud karaoke bar once more, swaying a little, looking across the table at Taako.

He blinks a few times, getting his bearings. ]

What was I saying?

[This situation is familiar enough by now that Taako doesn't worry, just waits for Cisco to ride out the vibe, though he does scoot a little closer so he can put a hand on Cisco's arm, just in case he decides to go toppling over.

But Cisco doesn't go anywhere, so once the vibe is over, Taako leans back.]

You had some great idea, which I'm gonna guess wasn't the vibe.

[He's starting to get an idea about how this works, but he wants to mull it over for a while before saying anything.]

Edited 2017-07-21 23:46 (UTC)

Oh, right. I was gonna... selfie.

[ But Cisco doesn't reach for his phone, his enthusiasm for that idea seems to have evaporated. He glances down at Taako's hand, and then quickly looks at the tables around them. Was anyone looking? Had anyone seen...?

There are no curious faces turned their direction; Cisco scans the whole room, twists almost completely in his chair just to check. Nothing. He's glad they are in the corner, that the bar isn't very brightly lit, that it is full of people and noise and distraction. It's rare, that he has had a vibe in a place this full of potential witnesses.

He returns his attention to Taako, the tension leaving his shoulders. He had been lucky. ]

Don't worry. Wasn't about you this time. Wasn't something horrible this time, either, which is a nice change.

[ And Cisco manages a very sheepish, small smile. He's not nearly as freaked out as he'd been, the last few times this had happened around Taako, but the vibe did somewhat dampen his exhilaration and glee. ]

[Even drunk and generally kind of self-centered, Taako can't miss the fact that the vibe seems to have practically leeched all excitement out of Cisco, replacing it with tension. He frowns, a little worried, as Cisco glances around to see if he got caught, and Taako makes another note to himself, this time to remember that he should toss up some kinda illusion to cover this up, if it happens again.]

Do you wanna head home, pumpkin?

[Taako doesn't sound too bothered by the idea, since he'd rather not force Cisco to stick around and be uncomfortable in the wake of the vibe, even if it wasn't a shitty one.]

What?! [ Cisco looks up at Taako quickly, seems genuinely shocked by the suggestion. He shakes his head from side to side, setting his hands flat on the table, adamant as he leans forward. ] No!

[ He is careful to speak softly enough that they won't be overheard, but there's no hesitation in his voice, and his expression is one of fierce determination. ]

No way am I gonna let these stupid powers control my life, and that absolutely includes interrupting our fun drunk karaoke night. We got a duet coming up, and we're gonna sing it, and it's gonna be dope. And after that, we're gonna go to my apartment and watch a stupid movie and probably fall asleep on the couch, and in the morning I'll have a hangover and you won't because you're a magic elf with magic powers, and we won't even remember that... that that even happened.

[ Before, the two of them hanging out and having fun here had been important because he was spending time with a friend, because he was helping Taako not to wallow in sadness and feel alone and miserable because of the situation at home. Now, though, it is important for another reason, too. It's something good, in his life. Something he doesn't want ruined. ]

[Taako's eyebrows go up, surprised at the vehemence of Cisco's response, but he's not too concerned, since it... seems like a good thing that Cisco isn't going to let his issues with his powers get in the way of having fun. He'd argue that bowing out early doesn't necessarily mean Cisco's powers are controlling his life, but that doesn't really seem like the point, so he decides to leave it.]

Okay, okay, okay. [Taako laughs as he holds up his hands in surrender, faux-contrite for having even suggested the idea.] I'm super digging the part where I don't get a hangover.

[He's the worst.]

Do you have something in mind for our grand finale?

[ And this really is one of the lovely things about being Taako's friend - one of the things that makes Cisco enjoy his company so much. He doesn't push. Doesn't insist that Cisco ought to leave, or try to pick apart Cisco's insistence that they move past this and act like the vibe hadn't happened. Taako is willing to just roll with it; not because he doesn't care, but because he lets Cisco make his own decisions.

A little of Cisco's fervor lessens, brow smoothing over again. He even laughs when Taako says he likes the part about not getting a hangover, rolling his eyes and joking back: ]

Figured you would.

[ Then Taako asks what would be a good finale, and Cisco had had a few things in mind, after their initial search through the machine. But now, the decision seems obvious, and clear. It's got a little of the humor that was so great from his solo turn, but it also seems just damn fitting, given the night they're having. ]

You know Hakuna Matata?

[ Please let that be one of the films someone has made Taako sit through. ]

It sounds familiar...

[Taako's memory is pretty good (ironic), it's something that helps with being a wizard, because there's not always time to look in a spell book to see what exactly is needed for a spell.

Still, he's consumed a lot of media in the past few months, some from Earth, but not all of it, so he has to wrack his memory for why the phrase rings a bell. After a couple of seconds, he snaps his fingers.]

The meerkat one, from uh, the lion movie.

[Meerkets aren't as cool as mongeese, but that's still what stuck out.]

Exactly the one.

[ Calling it that doesn't inspire a great deal of confidence in terms of Taako's familiarity with the song (which he should have expected, it's not like Taako grew up watching it over and over or singing along), but he has at least heard it and remembered basically what it was. Maybe that's enough? ]

Think you know it well enough to sing it?

[ Now that he's gotten his heart set on it, Cisco would be a little disappointed if he had to choose something else. ]

[Taako's quick to wave a hand, as if dismissing those unspoken concerns.]

I've got the basics, and they put the lyrics up, right? Also it's a fucking kids movie, there can't be a lot of nuance.

[Stop dragging The Lion King.]

Wow. Wow. In the interests of remaining friends, I'ma pretend I didn't even hear that heresy just now.

[ But whether intended or not (and... likely it's not), Taako's aspersions on the artistic merit of The Lion King are the final piece needed to really and properly distract Cisco from thinking about his powers. ]

I guess there's no accounting for taste.

[ Their names pop onto the 'up next' screen, and Cisco gets to his feet, sets his hand against the table to steady himself, and then once the room obliges him by not moving quite so much, he begins to make his way to the stage. As he's walking, he says over his shoulder. ]

You know just for that I'm gonna pick a kid's movie when we get home. Just for that.

Edited 2017-07-22 05:40 (UTC)

[Taako practically bounces to his feet, apparently past any wobbly-word effects of the booze, or he's just good at powering through it.

(It's the latter, he didn't really need to cuddle up to Cisco to keep from stumbling too much, he just gets affectionate when drunk.)]

You're taking this very personally.

[Why do people keep casting aspersions on his taste!!! It's a very rude thing to do and as revenge Taako is going to keep being a little bit of a shit about the movie, even if he has no real issues with kids films.

They can be more fun than movies designed for adults; Taako isn't really the type to watch a movie for a deep and interesting story, he's just there for pretty colours and jokes.]

If it's one about siblings I'll kick your ass.

[Just because those always result in too many emotions.]

Movies are very serious business.

[ Hard to make a pronouncement like that sound grave when Taako is clinging onto him like that and they're both weaving their way through a packed bar towards a stage where they're going to sing Disney karaoke. ]

No sibling stuff, got it.

[ Pretty much any other request Taako could have made right then, Cisco would've done the exactly opposite. But he knows Taako well enough to know that, jokes aside, it's just not a good idea to open that can of worms. Siblings feelings worms. Especially not when earlier in the evening Taako was so abjectly miserable.

They make their way onto the now-empty stage, and soon the song starts to play. It's been a little while since Cisco's heard the song, and Taako has only heard it once, so it takes a bit longer than the first performance for them to fall into the groove of it. But the message, at the very least, seems highly appropriate. And on the chorus in particular, the two of them shine. The whole "ignore your problems indefinitely" thing might not work in reality, but it sure is nice to pretend, for just a little while. ]

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