Kids Inc | You’re the One That I Want: II - Don’t Talk to Strangers

[luxken27]

Title: You’re the One That I Want
Fandom: Kids Incorporated
Universe: Canon (Season 1 – 1984)
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.

Links: DW | LJ | FF.net | AO3

It only took 4,000 words, but hey - I've made it into the canon! LOL.

This chapter is basically my take on the first episode of the series. It's nice to have a shippy moment right off the bat =) which is the main reason I decided to focus on this ep for the fic. That, and it's one of Mickey's key episodes - which, considering this is his *only* season of the show, is important, indeed.

Unfortunately, this episode is not readily available on YouTube :-/ (Though I suspect if you ask nicely, Charlieinpcbfl will grant you access to his version of it.) This meant I had to upload a few snippets of it myself. Even though I quote two scenes more-or-less verbatim, I opted to only upload one of them - for reasons I think will become clear soon :D

This chapter is all about control, or the lack thereof. The band has been together for a few months, honing their craft over the summer, and everyone is settling into a groove. They've brought so much business to the P*lace that the owner decides he needs to hire a bit of help. (Welcome aboard, Riley!) I also tried to weave in the Kid's introduction from the pilot, in keeping my headcanon as close to series canon as possible.

Once again, we see that it's Gloria who is the glue that holds this group together, even though Mickey gets all the credit. He doesn't readily admit to her importance in the group, but she's also not the type of person who needs credit/validation to know her own worth. Which is good, because Mickey lets being the leader of the group go to his head, and it very nearly costs him his friends.

To me, this episode displays just how insecure Mickey is - and how he deals with that insecurity. When he perceives the new kid as a threat (without even knowing his name in the original ep), he bosses his bandmates around to reassert control over the situation. He doesn't like that Renee (and Gloria) seem to be so taken with him, and he really doesn't appreciate them standing up to his bossiness. They have a huge fight and break up, though neither side really acknowledges it as such.

In my story, I've tried to really highlight this conflict in Mickey. He was reluctant to form this "version two" of the group; he's reluctant to give anyone else credit for their success; he's jealous of the attention everyone seems to be showering on the new kid - and he doesn't like the way said kid seems to be challenging his very status, not only with the girls, but with the band itself. Considering their growing popularity, that status could have a lot of social power - and Mickey's already got a bit of an ego problem :P

He views their fight (one of the scenes that was taken directly from the canon) as a mere formality; he's so sure that when they "cool off" they'll realize that he was only telling them what to do for their own good. He's the one with all this experience leading a group and all - he truly can't understand why the others would resent him for it.

Of course, it comes back to bite him when he realizes that his friends really are that mad at him, and it's basically a bad rerun of how the first iteration of the band disintegrated. That's what he's feared all along, and now it seems to have happened - and what's worse, he considers all of his bandmates to be friends now, so it's a double whammy. He finds them worth fighting for, though, so he sets off in search of them, hoping they can make up and move on.

He's disheartened when he learns that Christian, the new kid, has really been wining and dining them something fierce - but at the same time, it makes him mad. Who are they to abandon him for some flash in the pan? And who does this guy think he is, swooping in and stealing his friends away?

This leads us to the pivotal scene in the story. We swerve right back into the canon with this scene:

The crucial moment is 25 seconds in, when Christian propositions Gloria. Mickey's reaction gives us the first hint of a clue that maybe he feels possessive of her just as much as he does of the band.

Even thought Gloria turns Christian down quite nicely on her own, Mickey intervenes anyway, sarcastically announcing that her decision not to mix singing and dating is the smartest thing she's said all day. He is not exactly welcomed by his erstwhile bandmates or his rival, which flares up all the hurt again, as well as his pride. Yeah, he wants them back, but not enough to actually ask. He *is* willing to fight, however, and comes dangerously close to it before Gloria brings their pissing contest to a screeching halt. The others won't be in a band with either of them as long as they continue to be so immature. They're people, after all, not prizes or trophies.

She then turns on her heel and stomps off with the younger kids in tow, and Mickey feels like an idiot. Smooth, he thinks to himself. Real smooth.

^-- This is the scene I had in mind when I chose this prompt from my Summer Mini Challenge table. I think it perfectly describes the way he feels in that moment, watching his friends walk away for a second time. It also kinda dawns on him why they keep leaving - and he realizes he's going to have to change his attitude if he wants to get them back.

He goes after them and apologizes (another little bit taken from the episode, his apology and Gloria's response), acknowledges that there's more to the group than just him, and they all make up and move on ♥

Considering I was writing this based off an episode, it was surprisingly difficult. I wanted to incorporate all of the important elements (including that shippy moment!) while also keeping up with the narrative I'd constructed in the first chapter. Figuring out a way to bring the Kid and Riley on board was a bit tricky, but ultimately, it got them there - and the owner of the P*lace out of the way, LOL :P

I tried to shift the characterizations from what we saw in the pilot into the way the characters developed during the season. Mickey's obnoxiousness manifests itself as bossiness, hiding his insecurities and subconscious conflicting feelings for Gloria. Gloria gains a bit of a backbone, standing up to Mickey multiple times without really losing her temper. She also shows that she has plenty of self-confidence, not allowing Christian to bowl her over with his attentions.

This chapter's title was especially on point, and what ultimately made me decide to shoehorn in the Rick Springfield songs as chapter titles, LOL =) Mickey performs it twice - first, as part of the medley during the pilot, as well as later in the season, in a pretty shiptastic performance on stage:

When you were just a young girl and still in school
How come you never learned the golden rule
Don't talk to strange men, don't be a fool
I'm hearing stories, I don't think that's cool

Why don't you tell me, someone is loving you
Cause you're my girl, some say it's no longer true
You're seeing some slick continental dude
I'm begging you, please

Don't talk to strangers - baby don't you talk
Don't talk to strangers - you know he'll only use you up
Don't talk, don't talk, don't talk,
Don't talk, don't talk to him
Nobody, talk, nobody, ever told you...

Now who's this, Don Juan I've been hearing of
Love hurts when only one's in love
Did you fall at first sight or did you need a shove
I'm begging you, please

Don't talk to strangers - baby don't you talk
Don't talk to strangers - you know he'll only use you up
Don't talk, don't talk, don't talk,
Don't talk, don't talk to him
Nobody, talk, nobody, ever told you...

Hmmm...