Kids Inc | Kiss Me [3]: Spark

[luxken27fics]

Title: Kiss Me
Author: luxken27
Fandom: Kids Incorporated
Universe: Canon (Season 3+)
Genre: Friendship, Romance
Rating: T
Summary: Sometimes a kiss is just a kiss…and sometimes it means so much more. Seven pivotal moments that defined Stacy’s life and shaped her perceptions of love. A Valentine’s Day ficlet serial.

Author’s Note: Based on prompts chosen from challenge set one at 7snogs. Each ficlet can stand alone as well as be read into the context of a larger story.

DISCLAIMER: The Kids Incorporated concept, storyline, and characters are © 1984 – 1993 Thomas Lynch/Gary Biller/MGM Television/20th Century Fox Home Entertainment/Disney Channel. Any resemblance to any person currently living or deceased is unintended (aka, I am writing about the characters, not the actors who portray them). No money is being made from the creation of this material. No copyright infringement is intended.

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Prompt #3: Spark
Word Count: 1,354
Universe: Season 4, Episode 7, ‘You’ve Got the Wrong Date’

~*~
Stacy was unable to suppress her smile as she gazed out over the crowd at the P*lace. For once, one of Riley’s wacky ideas had come to successful fruition – the first annual Sadie Hawkins Day dance was in full swing. The band had spent the day helping Riley decorate the front room of the neighborhood soda shop, and it was totally decked out, swathes of silver and gold covering the walls, contrasting nicely with the red checkered tablecloths. Kids Inc was providing entertainment as well as attending themselves, and they’d spent the better half of the last hour rocking the place.

All of that was well and good, of course, but best of all? Stacy had her very first date. Jason was the cutest boy in her class at school, and a lot of girls had been vying for his attention. She felt incredibly lucky and special to be here with him, even if it was only by happenstance. She’d really made a mess of things, convincing Renee to ask Jason for her, only to have him think it was Renee who wanted the date. She managed to track Jason down and straighten things out only the afternoon before, and he seemed excited at the prospect of attending the dance with her, instead of her sister.

Stacy couldn’t help but feel very grown up that evening, her confidence further bolstered by the reception of the audience to the band’s latest set.

Riley clambered up on stage, grabbing a free microphone. “All right, everybody,” he announced, “we’re going to give the band a break, and let them enjoy the dance. They’ll be back later for the second set – in the meanwhile, I’m pleased to announce the services of DJ Barney!”

The audience snickered good-naturedly as Riley’s cousin Barney came out on stage, tripping over his own feet as he did so. The band members busied themselves with setting aside instruments and mics, with Ryan giving everyone a reminder of when to meet for the second set before they scattered in different directions. Stacy smiled when she noticed Jason waiting next to the stage for her.

“I’m glad you guys could take a break,” he said, reaching shyly for her hand as she descended the stairs. “Would you like to dance?”

“Sure,” she agreed softly, allowing him to lead her out onto the dance floor. She could feel the jealous eyes of her classmates on them as they began moving with the up-tempo beat of DJ Barney’s first selection, but she didn’t care. She was having the time of her life.

Only…she couldn’t seem to keep her eyes focused solely on her date.

From across the way, she noticed Renee, dancing with her old boyfriend, Jules. He wasn’t her date for the dance, but they’d been spending an awful lot of time together lately….and then there was the Kid, center of his own whirlwind, dancing in the middle of a group of girls, all vying for his attention. Stacy smiled, sending him a thumbs up as he caught her eye. He grinned, returning the gesture.

Richie and Connie, the youngest and newest members of the band, were holding court at the food table, where Riley was keeping a watchful eye on them as he scooped his sun-daisy-maes for customers. Richie’s big mouth had already gotten him into trouble on more than one occasion, even if he was mostly charming enough to rescue himself. Still, the last thing any of the band members wanted to deal with tonight was another one of his hare-brained schemes.

“I’m really glad I’m here with you tonight, Stacy,” Jason said, drawing Stacy’s attention back to him as the pace of the music changed. She was startled to realize that he was gazing at her intently.

“I’m happy, too,” she murmured in reply, averting her eyes as a blush stained her cheeks. “Thanks for coming with me, after everything that happened…”

Jason swept her into his arms as a slow song filled the air. “No problem,” he replied, hesitantly closing the space between them by winding his arms around her waist.

Stacy’s heart began to race against her ribs. All around them, people were filtering off the dance floor, leaving behind only couples swaying to the music. From the corner of her eye, Stacy noticed Renee looking dreamy as she continued to dance with Jules. As she and Jason swayed ever closer to her sister, she briefly wondered what’d happened to Renee’s date – or Jules’s, for that matter.

“You look really nice tonight,” Jason complimented her as they swung away from Renee and Jules.

Stacy smiled, feeling very grown up in her crimson-colored silk dress. “Thanks,” she replied happily, tightening the brace of her hands on his shoulders. “So do you.”

It was Jason’s turn to flush at that, and he looked away, swallowing hard. With that, Stacy didn’t feel quite so guilty for letting her mind wander during their dance. For some reason, she felt restless in his arms, unable to completely relax, her thoughts not quite settled. It wasn’t until her eyes landed on a shadowy corner of the room near the stage that she figured out why.

There, at a table pulled as close to the wall as possible, sat Ryan and his date, Melissa. They were sitting close, engaged in low conversation, both looking quite serious and interested in each other. A wave of heat washed over Stacy as she stared at them, followed almost immediately by a chill. No matter how much she wished she could look away, now that she’d found him, she couldn’t.

In truth, there had been many reasons why Stacy had struggled with asking Jason to the dance – and one of them was that he hadn’t been her first choice.

She wasn’t sure when her feelings for her long-time friend and bandmate had gotten all complicated, but one day, they had. Suddenly, she felt shy around him, tongue-tied and awkward, her heart outracing a hummingbird’s whenever he was close. She started to notice just how good-looking he was and how flirtatious he could be, especially during their concerts. Heck, he’d even smiled at her a time or two, and it’d been enough to send her floating on air for the rest of the day.

Renee had noticed and recognized the spacey behavior, correctly guessing that Stacy was nursing a burgeoning crush on someone, but had mistaken the object of her sister’s affection. It was just as well, Stacy figured, considering she didn’t have a chance with Ryan. He’d been going on and on and on about Melissa for weeks, and had been ecstatic when she finally asked him to the dance. It was obvious that he had eyes only for her, considering he’d made a beeline to her when the band had finished its set, and they’d been deep in conversation ever since.

Stacy watched with trepidation now as Ryan smiled, reaching out to twine his fingers through Melissa’s hair, before drawing her into a long, lingering kiss. Almost immediately, Stacy turned away, a hot flush of embarrassment washing through her. Why do I even care? she asked herself morosely. That’s never going to be me.

Dimly, she became aware that the music was fading, and Jason’s arms had closed even further around her. She glanced up at him just in time to realize he was leaning closer, and her stomach flopped. Renee had told her how wonderful first kisses were supposed to be, full of sparks and fireworks and ringing bells…but when Jason’s mouth brushed against hers, she felt absolutely nothing of the sort.

As much as she was looking forward to her first kiss – and as pleasantly surprised as she was that it had happened, so unexpectedly – she couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed all the same. She liked Jason well enough, but there was no spark with him.

No, Stacy considered, her eyes drifting back to that dark corner near the stage, the only sparks she felt were for someone else entirely – someone who had no clue how badly she wished her first kiss could’ve been with him instead.

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