Kids Inc | You’re the One That I Want [IV]: Love Somebody

[luxken27fics]

Title: You’re the One That I Want
Author: LuxKen27
Fandom: Kids Incorporated
Universe: Season 1
Genre: Friendship, Romance
Rating: T
Summary: Mickey didn’t realize just how much Gloria had come to mean to him until it was almost too late.

Author’s Note: A (much belated) gift for gloriafan's fandom_stocking. This story was also written for a prompt in my 2012 Summer Mini Challenge table. Further author’s notes can be found here.

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IV.
Love Somebody
From the minute the band began to plan that performance, he’d known that it would be the perfect moment to make his move – he just wished that it didn’t have to be this move.

Mickey could’ve kissed Renee for the idea. She and Stacy had rented Grease with their family one warm spring weekend, and both of them had completely fallen in love with it. They’d shown up to rehearsal the following Monday, still full of enchantment, with Renee suggesting that Kids Incorporated perform a selection of numbers from the popular musical. Everyone had immediately jumped on the idea, all of them craving a novel concert after weeks and weeks of the same old thing. They’d ultimately decided to make a big production out of it, scheduling it for the last Friday of the school year as a kickoff to summer.

The band worked on it for a solid month – and Mickey worked on gathering the courage to tell Gloria just how much she’d come to mean to him. He couldn’t deny the way he felt about her any longer, but he wanted the moment that he confessed his feelings to be perfect. She deserved nothing less, in his estimation: an amazing moment for an amazing person.

It turned out to be more than he could’ve hoped for, even better than he dreamed it would be. The concert was flawless, every member of Kids Incorporated at the top of their game as they sang and danced their way through the famous musical. The atmosphere on stage was truly electrifying as they worked up to that final song – “You’re the One That I Want.” It was his moment, and Gloria’s, and never before had he been so acutely aware of the meaning of the words he sang.

It was the moment that he’d wanted – but now, knowing what he knew, it felt bitter instead of sweet.

The roar of the crowd still filled his ears as he lowered his microphone, leading the band in a bow before taking a step closer to Gloria and reaching for her hand. “Gloria,” he murmured, drawing her attention, “could I speak with you? Alone?”

Her eyes searched his for a long moment. “Sure, Mickey,” she finally replied, giving his hand a squeeze.

They left without taking another bow, leaving their fellow bandmates to soak up the glory and ovations from the crowd. Instead, they wove their way off stage, stopping only to put down their microphones in the wings before continuing on through the backstage door, their hands entwined all the while.

It was almost a relief for him to step outside into the cool night air, the sun already low in the sky, its amber rays reflected against the side wall of the P*lace. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, concentrating on the weight and warmth of her hand in his, the softness of her skin as her arm brushed against his, the sweetness of her scent, even after a long performance under the hot stage lights.

“Gloria,” he finally said, breaking the stillness of the air, “I have to tell you something, and – ”

“I know, Mickey,” she interrupted quietly. “And I think I know what it is.”

He opened his eyes and turned to her, his heart sinking. “You do?”

She nodded, pulling away from him, clasping her hands in front of herself as she moved a few paces ahead of him. “I know I’ve always said that I don’t mix singing and dating, but…” She paused, color rising to fill her cheeks. “I’m willing to make an exception for you.”

Mickey swallowed hard as he stared at her back. He never thought that hearing those words would actually hurt. “What?” he choked out, almost hoping against hope that he’d heard her incorrectly.

She turned slightly, standing in profile to him, a small smile pulling at the corners of her lips. “I really like you, Mickey, and I think that you like me, too. As more than just a friend.” She pivoted to face him fully, lifting her eyes to his. “Isn’t that what you wanted to tell me?”

Yes, he wanted to scream, I love you, but the words lodged in his throat, choking away his air. The look on his face must’ve been horrific, for her hopeful expression fell as she gazed at him.

“Oh, God,” she whispered, taking a step back, covering her face with her hands. “That wasn’t it, was it?”

Finally, he found his feet. “Yes – I mean, no – I mean – ” he sputtered, reaching out for her. “Gloria, you aren’t wrong.” He touched her shoulder. “I do like you – as more than just a friend,” he added, borrowing her phrase. “This last year with you and the band has been the absolute best – and you have no idea how long I’ve wanted to hear you say what you just said.”

Her hands fell away from her face, but still, she couldn’t meet his gaze. “But?” she prompted, a trace of dread in her tone.

“But…” he sighed, knowing no other way to say it, other than just straight out. “I’m moving.”

She exhaled sharply. “W-what?!” she whispered.

“I’m moving,” Mickey repeated, the words somehow even harder to get out the second time around. “My family is moving. To Connecticut.”

For a moment, she simply looked stunned, her eyes wide and unfocused as she absorbed his words. “No,” she breathed, stumbling away from him. “This isn’t true. This can’t be true.”

Her words speared him. “Gloria – ”

“Tell me you’re lying,” she interrupted, lifting a wide, pleading gaze to him. “Just like when you told me about Chris and Danny – !”

He reached for her again, clasping her shoulder, as if to anchor her back to the ground, to reality. “I’m sorry,” he said in a low tone, shaking his head. His fingers curled into the fabric of her shirt. “Please, don’t make me say it again.”

Her breath was ragged in her chest as stood there, letting his words sink in. She looked away from him, her expression a mixture of shock and sadness and disbelief. “When?” she choked out.

He gave her shoulder a comforting squeeze. “In six weeks,” he said quietly. “Right after the fourth of July.”

“Oh.” She crossed her arms over her chest, her gaze still pinned to the sidewalk. “Have you told anyone else yet?”

He grasped her other shoulder, bracing her with both hands, not wanting her to turn away from him. “No,” he murmured. “I wanted you to be the first to know.” He gazed at her, feeling desperate and helpless. “I don’t know what I’m going to do without you,” he confessed.

She sniffled. “You’ll survive,” she informed him in a wavering voice.

Please, don’t cry, he pleaded silently, tightening his hold on her. “Gloria…” he tried.

Tears spilled over her cheeks. “What are we going to do, Mickey?” she cried, lifting her eyes to meet his. “What am I going to do – without you?”

An overwhelming tide of sadness flooded though him as he watched her cry, feeling her anguish in every fiber of his being. “I don’t know,” he admitted despairingly, tears prickling behind his own eyes. “You mean so much to me…and the band…” He swallowed hard around the lump that had risen in the back of his throat. “You’re what made Kids Incorporated work – you’re the reason we succeeded. I don’t know what I’m going to do without you – without any of you…”

Her arms circled his waist as she closed the gap between them, burying her face in his shoulder. She sobbed as she clung to him, so he did the only thing he could think of – he held her close, wrapping his arms securely around her shoulders, and tried to stay calm, to let her cry enough for the both of them. He closed his eyes, burying his nose in her hair, and concentrated on keeping his breathing steady and relaxed, even though he could feel his heart beating just as fast as hers.

Why does it have to be like this? he wondered sadly, his hands drifting into her hair. Why did I wait so long to tell her how I felt? Why was I afraid? It was hard not to think of all the good times they could’ve shared, if only their moment could’ve happened sooner – before the end of the school year, before his dad accepted a job two states away, before his parents dropped the bombshell that they were moving, forcing him to leave the only neighborhood he’d ever known, the only friends he’d ever had…the only girl he’d ever loved.

“It isn’t fair,” he muttered, feeling his latent anger and frustration with the situation bubble up all over again. He’d had the fight to end all fights with his parents when they’d informed him of the move, and he still wasn’t really speaking to them. Instead, he’d thrown himself into studying for finals, preparing for this concert…and this moment.

This moment he wanted to be so perfect, but which had instead ended in tears.

Gloria sniffled against his shoulder. “No, but it’s all we have,” she replied, surprising him; he didn’t think that she’d heard his dark remark. She drew away from him, lifting her hands to wipe away the remnants of her tears. “So we have to find a way to deal with it.”

He didn’t let her go – he couldn’t let her go, not completely. “Do you have any suggestions?” he asked despondently, his shoulders tugging down in a helpless shrug as he gazed at her.

Her eyes found his. “Just that we make the most of the time we have left,” she murmured, summoning a brave, if forced, smile.

~*~
Though he might have expected to the contrary, breaking the awful news to the band hadn’t been any easier than telling Gloria had been.

He told them at their very next rehearsal, the first Monday afternoon of summer vacation. He’d taken the weekend to pull himself together, and to ponder Gloria’s almost cryptic statement. He didn’t really know what she meant, but he knew her well enough to know she wasn’t one to talk in empty platitudes. Even worse, he felt like their relationship was in limbo – what use was it to admit feelings that couldn’t be acted upon?

Still, he was grateful that she didn’t shrink away from him when he arrived at the Garage that afternoon. Instead, she’d stuck firmly to his side as they watched the others trickle in, one by one, all of them relaxed and chatty and excited for summer. He hated the idea of ruining their collective happiness, but he knew he had to – so he told them.

His announcement, unsurprisingly, was met with stunned silence.

The Kid was the first to speak. “You’re kidding, right?” he asked suspiciously. “Please, tell us this is all just a joke!”

From the corner of his eye, Mickey saw Gloria bow her head.

“Some joke,” Renee snorted derisively, folding her arms across her chest. “With Mickey gone…”

“But you can’t leave!” Stacy burst out, bounding up from her place on the floor and throwing her arms around Mickey’s shoulders. “You just can’t.”

“I don’t want to go,” Mickey assured them as Stacy curled into his lap. “But what choice do I have?”

An idea suddenly lit up the Kid’s features. “I know! You can stay here,” he suggested. “By yourself – you could live in the Garage!” he expounded, throwing his arms open and gesturing at the cavernous space.

Mickey and Gloria exchanged a look. “I don’t think so, Kid,” she replied gently. “His family would miss him.”

The Kid cocked his head. “But we wouldn’t,” he mused with a shrug, as if the logic of his scheme was patently obvious.

“Yeah,” Renee sighed glumly. “What’s going to happen to us? Where will we practice?”

“Maybe whoever buys the Garage from Mickey’s dad will let us stay,” Mario put in hopefully from his seat behind the drum kit. Aaron and Shanice, sitting nearby, nodded in agreement.

“Maybe,” Gloria hedged. “But just in case – I asked Riley about the old storeroom at the P*lace, and he said it was okay with him if we used it as a practice space.”

Stacy peered at the others from Mickey’s lap. “But can we still be Kids Incorporated without Mickey?” she asked in a small voice. She looked up at him. “You’re the one who started the band.”

Mickey’s heart skipped a beat as he contemplated her question. He wasn’t sure that he wanted to hear how the others were planning to carry on in his absence. A tiny, selfish part of him did want the band to break up, but another, larger part of him wanted them to continue on. They’d already put so much work into the group that it would be a shame for it to cease existence just because his parents had decided to yank up their roots and drag him two states away.

He still hadn’t made up with them. Not completely.

“What do you say, Mick?” Gloria murmured, bringing him back to the present, drawing his attention to her.

They held each other’s gaze for a long moment. “Kids Incorporated isn’t my band,” he finally replied, turning to look at each of his erstwhile bandmates in turn. “It’s your band – and I want you guys to continue to be Kids Inc, even after I’m gone.”

Glum silence reigned in the wake of his pronouncement.

“But he’s not gone just yet,” Gloria said, touching his arm as she gazed at the long faces surrounding them. “We still have six weeks together, and I say that we make them the best six weeks ever.” She stood, granting them all a cheerful smile. “Let’s play our favorite songs! Let’s put on the best shows we possibly can!” she urged, fisting her hand and pumping it in the air. “Let’s rock the P*lace, in Mickey’s honor!”

“Yeah!” cheered Mario, raising a drumstick in solidarity.

“Yeah!” echoed Aaron and Shanice, bouncing to their feet.

Renee and the Kid exchanged a skeptical look.

“Come on, you guys,” Gloria cajoled, kneeling between them and draping her arms around their shoulders. “This isn’t a time to be sad. We’re still together! We can still do fun things, and we will.”

“Yeah, Stace,” Mickey piped up, giving her a little hug. “Let’s make the most of the time we have left!”

His eyes rose to meet Gloria’s, and they shared a knowing smile.

Stacy squinted up at him. “You mean it?” she inquired somberly, curling her arms around him again.

He gave her a sardonic look. “You’re not going to get rid of me that easily,” he replied loftily, setting her on her feet as he rose from his seat. “This is still a rehearsal, you guys, and we still have a show to work on.”

Renee and the Kid, still looking wary, stood up as well, with Gloria rising to her full height between them. “That’s right,” she chirped cheerfully. “Just because its summer doesn’t mean we can slack off.”

“Okay, okay, okay,” the Kid finally relented, reaching for a tambourine and giving it an experimental shake. “Where should we begin?”

~*~
Six weeks was mercilessly too short, as he knew it would be. It flew by way too fast.

Still, Mickey was grateful that his friends persevered, keeping him – and themselves – in good spirits for what little time they had left together. Kids Incorporated continued to work hard and play hard, just as they always had. They held a special dance contest at the P*lace, and even had a week-long concert series on the Diamond Park boardwalk.

Two days after that last performance on the beach was the day he was to move.

“I think that’s everything,” he announced, shoving one final box into the moving van parked just outside his building. He took a couple steps back, brushing the dust from his hands as the moving men hustled forward to make sure everything was secure before they closed the truck.

He turned, looking up to see his friends huddled together on the stoop, watching him with sad eyes and glum expressions. They all looked even more depressed than they had the day he broke the news at rehearsal. It was as if it had just hit them, collectively, that these were their last moments together.

“Hey, guys,” he called to them, climbing the steps. “C’mon, why the long faces?”

The Kid shrugged, resting his chin in his hand. “We’re gonna miss you, is all,” he sighed. “Are you sure you have to go?”

Mickey smiled wryly. “I’m sure,” he replied. He pointed over his shoulder with his thumb. “All my stuff’s already in the van.”

His parents appeared just then, pressing through the heavy outer door of the apartment building. They exchanged a long look before sidestepping the band, who were sprawled out across the landing. “Come on, son,” his father said quietly, patting Mickey’s shoulder. “We need to get on the road if we want to get there before nightfall.”

Mickey nodded. “Okay, Dad,” he returned somberly. “Just – let me say goodbye to my friends?”

“Of course, dear,” his mother murmured, offering an empathetic smile as she hooked her arm through her husband’s. The two of them continued down the steps to the car they’d rented for the journey. Mickey had managed to make peace with his parents the night before, accepting the move for what it was, though he’d made it crystal clear that he still wasn’t happy about it.

Mickey turned to face his friends, suddenly feeling at a loss for words. “Well, guys,” he said solemnly, “I guess this is it.”

Renee, Stacy, and the Kid immediately rose from their seats, moving as one as they tackled Mickey in a haphazard group hug. “We’re really going to miss you,” Stacy informed him tearfully.

“It won’t be the same without you,” Renee acknowledged, her words muffled into his side.

“But we did get you a gift,” the Kid added impishly, wiggling out of the girls’ hold. “So you wouldn’t forget us.” He glanced over at Gloria, who was still seated on the landing, lost in thought. “Hey, Gloria, where did you put it?”

His question seemed to bring her out of her reverie. “Oh,” she mumbled, scrambling to her feet. “I – I think I left it inside.”

“I’ll come with you,” Mickey offered quickly, seizing the opportunity to have a moment alone with her. Before the others could protest, he swept forward, ushering Gloria inside before following her, pulling the heavy door back into its frame. He wanted the chance to say goodbye to her privately, without the others around.

She seemed to want the same thing.

She took his hand, leading him beyond the foyer but not into the building’s lobby, stopping instead in the little alcove between. She reached behind a potted plant, bringing a small wrapped package out into the open. “From all of us,” she murmured, pressing the gift into his free hand.

“Thanks,” he replied, accepting the present without looking at it. He gazed at her instead, his eyes tracing the lines of her features as he continued to hold her hand. They hadn’t really spoken about their feelings for each other, or the status of their relationship, since that disastrous evening after the concert. He’d tried to give her some space in the aftermath – she was the one who’d laid it all on the line, albeit before he had the chance to – but he couldn’t leave without knowing for sure just what it was that still brewed between them.

“Gloria, – ” he started, only to have her interrupt him.

“Don’t say it,” she broke in, wrapping her arms around his waist.

He shook his head as he returned the fervent embrace in kind, drawing her close. “I can’t leave it like this,” he said softly. “I – I still have feelings for you.”

She nodded against his shoulder. “I know.”

He swallowed hard, tightening the brace of his arms around her. “And you?” he whispered, not quite brave enough to look at her.

His heart skipped a beat when he felt her hand on his neck, her fingers sliding back into his hair. Slowly, she lifted her gaze to meet his, tears welling behind her chocolate-brown eyes. “I am going to miss you so much,” she replied, gently tilting his head down as she lifted hers up, her lips finding his in a searing, breath-stealing kiss.

For once, he knew how to react – his hands drifted up the planes of her back, clasping her shoulders and holding her close as that kiss cascaded into another, and another. He could feel her heart racing against his, beating furiously in time as fiery need burned between them. He held her for as long as he dared, not willing to move or change or even breathe if it meant having to let go of her.

It was their perfect moment, and he never wanted it to end.

But it had to.

She drew away from him, her breath heavy in her chest. “I’ll never forget you, Mickey,” she vowed, “and I’ll never forget how I feel about you.”

Mickey struggled to pull himself out of the spiraling haze of heat and desire, to discern the note of finality in her tone. “Why does it sound like you’re saying goodbye to me?” he asked warily.

Tears spilled over her cheeks. “Because I am,” she murmured in reply. She stepped back into the hallway. “What else is left to say?”

“That we can call,” he offered desperately, “or write, or – ”

“We’ll always be friends, Mickey. That will never change,” she assured him. “And maybe, one day…”

He took her hand, lacing his fingers with hers. “Definitely, one day,” he promised her, giving her a squeeze, sparking another current of electricity between them.

She simply nodded, and smiled, wiping away her tears one last time, before they joined their friends outside once more.

Comments

[gloriafan]

This was absolutely the perfect ending! Bittersweet and meaningful. I really loved every aspect...I'm actually left speechless!

Like you said in the author's notes, I like to think that kissing is a "zomg, big" thing. Which is why I think that the structure of that last bit is really, really fantastic. Like a big, fat, sad, beautiful punch in the gut.

Thank you so much for this! I totally love it. And it's quite a brilliant "first stab" at writing season one fic, if I do say so myself.

[luxken27]

it's quite a brilliant "first stab" at writing season one fic, if I do say so myself

From you, that is a high compliment, indeed! =)

So, so happy you enjoyed the story, even without a neaty & tidy HEA ♥ This has been one of my favorite KI fic-related experiences, for sure - it made me remember why I love playing in the canon universe to begin with! :P