so cute
h
taylor price

❣ Chile in a Photography ❣
RMH

Jar Jar Binks Fan Club
Cosimo Galluzzi

if i look back, i am lost
noise dept.
todays bird
$LAYYYTER
hello vonnie

🪼
The Bowery Presents

blake kathryn
NASA
d e v o n
official daine visual archive
seen from Venezuela

seen from Poland

seen from Singapore

seen from Vietnam
seen from Philippines
seen from Brazil

seen from Ukraine

seen from United States

seen from Netherlands
seen from Bangladesh

seen from Türkiye
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from Bangladesh
seen from India
seen from Mexico
seen from Türkiye
seen from Vietnam
seen from Bangladesh
seen from Vietnam
@mine4yo
so cute

Anya is live and ready to show you everything. Watch her strip, dance, and perform exclusive shows just for you. Interact in real-time and make your fantasies come true.
Free to watch • No registration required • HD streaming
Would anyone mind writing a story for me or help me write one?
everything’s real funny till i remember i’m not dating otw! michael
Idc, normalize kink shaming. Cause y'all be using “don’t kink shame” and “it’s fiction” to excuse being into incest, pedophilia, cannibalism, etc. Like, be so fr, you ship a 14 year old with a 30 year, want to get railed by your dad and want to see two brothers f*ck each other. I don’t engage with things fictionally that I don’t like/wouldn’t want to do in real life. Yes, I’m judging you.
⭑𓂃 part one here
Big headed boy ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ part two
Summer, 1964 — Gary Indiana
Michael ran back toward his brothers, his little dress shos kicking up bits of dust as he went. "I asked her!" He announced proudly.
Marlon looked over from where he and jackie were tossing the football. "....and?"
"She said no."
Jackie laughed, "told you."
marlon stopped tossing the ball and looked down at his little brother–michael. He squats down to his level to make direct eye contact with him. "That ain't shy."
Michael frowned, completely confused because he thought the little girl he had just spoken to a few minutes ago was just scared to play with him. "What is it then?" He looked at marlon, completely confused with those big round brown eyes that seemed so curious about any and everything.
"....she got an attitude."
The older brothers burst into laughter, truly laughing at the fact that their younger brother couldn't tell the difference between attitude and shyness, an attitude that you completely definitely did have.
Michael glanced back toward the driveway. You were still standing beside your mother, arms folded so tightly they looked glued together. You were desperately ready to go home even though you just arrived almost 20 minutes ago now.
".....I don't think she mean." Michael looked up at his brothers, he felt like they had the wrong impression of you, well you did look like you woke up on the wrong side of the bed, but still!, he felt as if they had you completely all wrong and he as determined to prove them wrong.
"Nah," jackie said. "She just look mean."
Michael still wasn't convinced. He watched as you absentmindely kicked at a pebble in the driveway, the colorful bobbles in your ponytails bouncing with every little movement.
".....she smiled."
Marlon raised an eyebrow, "she smiled at you?"
"....a little bit."
Jackie laughed. "You done made progress already, lock at you playa." He ruffled michaels short hair, laughing.
Meanwhile, angela and katherine had found themselves in the middle of the backyard, talking as naturally as if they hadn't gone weeks without seeing one another. "I swear," angela laughed, "that child woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning."
Katherine smiled knowingly. "They all have those days."
"Oh, (name)'s been having one since Thursday." Angela said. The woman laughed, "I almost left her home with her daddy."
"And miss seeing all this?" Katherine teased, angela looked around the yard. Women carried bowls covered with embroidered dish towels. Someone had brought sweet potato pie. Another auntie proudly sat down a peach cobbler she'd baked before sunrise.
The potato salad rested beside a mountain of fried chicken. There were pans of baked macaroni and cheese, collard greens seasoned with smoked turkey, cornbread wrapped carefully in clean kitchen towels to keep warm, deviled eggs lined up perfectly on a serving tray, and enough barbecue to feed half of Gary.
"You know these folks don't play bout bringing food," angela said. Katherine laughed, "girl who you tellin'? if somebody show up empty-handed, they'll hear about it."
"Oh, for months." The women shared another laugh.
You ended up wandering only a few feet away before stopping underneath the shade of a large maple tree. You preferred observing. You always had. Children fascinated you. They screamed, ran, fell, got right back up.
Somebody cried because another little boy his toy truck. Two little girls argued over whose jump rope it was. A toddler waddled around with watermelon juice running down his chin.
You watched every bit of it, you had no intention of joining in. You smoothed the front of your dress before carefully sitting on the cool grass. Your ponytails bounced as you settled yourself.
Click. Click. Click.
You absentmindely shook you head just to hear the bobbles clack together. You smiled to yourself.
click–click
Again.
click-click-click
That sound always made you feel happy.
"So....they do make noise."
You looked up.
Michael, the same big headed boy that seemed to find her everywhere. He stood a few feet away, hands tucked behind his back.
You hadn't even heard him walk over.
"....yeah."
"I thought maybe you was makin' it up."
"I wasn't."
He nodded seriously. "I know now that's f'sure."
Silence settled between them.
Michael looked at the grass, then back at you.
".....can I sit?"
You shrugged your shoulders, "I don't care."
He took that as permission and sat down, crossing his legs exactly like you was. Neither child spoke for almost a minute. Neither seemed bothered by it.
Finally, michael pointed toward your hair. "My sister got beads."
"Mhm."
"But yours got them little balls."
"They bobbles."
"Bobbles?" He looked at your hair with those curious wide eyes, like he was trying to remember every detail about you and your hair.
"mhm."
"They funny."
"I like em."
"They loud."
"I know." You shook your head again causing more loud sounds of clicks.
Michaels eyes widened and then suddenly he started laughing. "They soundbite maracas."
You frowned. "....what's that?"
"My daddy got one."
"He let you play with it?"
"....no."
"Oh."
"He say I'll break it."
You nodded, "my momma say that too."
"Bout what?"
".....everything." You shrugged your shoulders.
He giggled. "My daddy don't let us touch nothin."
"my mama neither."
"my brothers still do it."
"My cousins too."
The two children looked at each other, for the first time you gave a real smile. Not a tiny one. Not an almost-smile, an actual smile. And michael felt like he just made one of the biggest accomplishments in the world.
He smiled back, "I knew you wasn't mean." He said with a soft chuckle
And before you could argue, a loud voice rang across the yard. "Kids!" Every child turned. One of Katherine's sisters stood on the porch with both hands on her hips. "Wash them hands!" A chorus of groans rose from the yard.
"Awww!", "we just did!", "I ain't dirty!"
"I don't care!" She called back. "Everybody wash up before you touch this food." The children scattered toward the outdoor water spigot, forming a crooked line.
Michael stood. "Come on."
"I already washed mine."
"You still gotta wash em again."
"...why?"
"Cause grown-ups say so."
You sighed dramatically. "They always say so."
Michael nodded with all the seriousness a five-year old could muster. "They sure do." For the first time since arriving, you didn't mind following someone.
You quietly fell into step beside him, the colorful bobbles in your hair clicking softly as the two little children walked toward the water pump together, still strangers. But no longer quite as distant as they had been an hour before.
The line at the water spigot stretched almost halfway across the backyard. Children of all ages shuffled impatiently in the summer heat, each waiting for their turn while the older cousins fussed at the younger ones for trying to skip ahead.
A teenage girl standing nearby rolled her eyes, gently grabbing two little boys by the shoulders. "Now yall know better than that, everybody gon get their hands washed before they eat."
The boys grumbled under their breath but finally settled down. You stood quietly near the end of the line, watching everything around her. This family was so.....loud. Not in a bad way, just loud.
Everybody seemed to be talking over one another. Somebody was laughing so hard they had bent over holding their stomach. One of the aunties was fanning herself with a church fan while teasing another woman about burning her cornbread last Sunday. The uncles crowded around the grill, arguing over whether the ribs needed another few minutes.
It was busy, it was warm, it felt happy.
Michael noticed you looking around. He stepped a little closer, folding his small hands behind his back. "You ain't gotta stand all the way back there."
"I dont?"
He shook his head. "Nuh-uh." He pointed farther up the line. "My cousin keeps everybody in line."
You followed his finger toward an older girl, maybe twelve or thirteen, who had somehow managed to organize nearly twenty children without raising her voice.
"Oh."
Michael smiled. "She's nice, I promise."
You slowly nodded, ".....your family's big."
"It is."
"How many people live here?"
He tilted his head as if he had never really counted before. "Well..." He started holding up fingers. "Me....jackie.....tito.....Jermaine.....marlon." He paused. "And my mom and joseph, that's it." He smiled, looking at you.
You blinked, "Oh." You stared at him for a moment before quietly saying, "That's a lot....that's nice do you have sisters?"
He smiled proudly, "I got rebbie and latoya." You counted on your finger silently, ".....that's a lotta people."
Michael giggled. "It is."
"Do yall all sleep here?"
"Mhm." He nodded.
"All of yall?"
"Mhm." he nodded again proudly.
Your eyes grew wider. "......where?"
Michael laughed so hard he almost forgot to answer. "In that house."
"I know that." You couldn't help but to smile. "I mean....where?"
He scratched his head. "We share."
"You don't got your own room?"
"No."
"I got my own room."
Michael looked genuinely impressed. ".....really?"
"Mhm." You nodded. "My barbie bed in there too."
"You lucky."
"Yeah...." For some reason, that made both of them laugh.
By the time they had washed their hands and made their way toward the food tables, you weren't hiding behind angela anymore. You walked beside michael almost naturally now. And angela noticed immediately.
She gently nudged katherine with her elbow. "Look." Katherine followed her gaze. The two little ones had stopped talking for a second while deciding what they wanted to eat.
"They're getting along." Angela smiled softly, "I wasn't sure they would." Kaherine just laughed and shrugged her shoulders, "I told you.....children usually figure each other out faster than grown folks."
The table looked endless to you. You had never seen so much food sitting in one place before. Steam curled from giant aluminum pans. The sweet smell of baked beans mixed with smoky barbecue. Fresh biscuits sat wrapped inside clean towels. Bowls of potato salad, greens, macaroni and cheese, candied yams, fried chicken, sliced tomatoes, corn on the cob, and homemade rolls stretched from one end of the table to the other.
At the very end was dessert. Peach cobbler, sweet potato pie. Banana pudding, pound cake. Angela smiled down at you. "Whatchu want baby?" You looked over at every single dish with complete seriousness.
You pointed. "I want macaroni." Angela spooned a generous helping onto her plate. "And chicken." Another piece added. "Beans."
"(Name)," angela laughed, "let me get around the table."
"Oh." You giggled quietly.
Michael waited patiently beside you while katherine fixed his plate. "You like greens?" He asked. You wrinkled your nose. "....not really."
"I don't either."
"You don't?"
He leaned in slightly as if sharing an important secret. "My daddy make us eat em." You gasped dramatically. "My mama too."
"I hide mine"
Your eyes widened. "...you do?"
He nodded. "Sometimes."
"Where?"
He looked around carefully before whispering, "Under the mashed potatoes."
You burst into laughter. Not a little giggle. A real laugh. One that made angela look over her shoulder. "There she is," angela whispered to katherine. "I've been waiting to hear that laugh all day." Katherine smiled warmly as she watched michael grin proudly, clearly pleased that he'd managed to make you laugh
The two children found a nearby shdy spot beneath the big maple tree where several folding chairs had been set up. Their little legs dangled from the oversized metal chairs as they balanced paper plates carefully in their laps.
For a few moments, they simply aye.
You took a bite of macaroni before sneaking a glance at michael, ".....can I ask you something?"
He looked up immediately. "Yeah."
"Do you always sing?"
He blinked. "What you mean?"
"My mama said your family sings."
His face brightened. "Oh!" He nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah."
You looked at him. "Do you like it?"
"I love it."
"What do you sing?"
"Everything." He shrugged. He smiled sheepishly. "Jospeh makes us practice a lot."
"Do you ever get tired?"
He thought about it honestly. ".....sometimes, but I still like it"
You nodded. "My momma says you're gonna be famous one day."
He looked confused. "....what's famous?"
You blinked. "...I don't know" you said shrugging your shoulders.
The two children looked at each other for a beat before dissolving into laughter again. "I gues grown ups just say stuff," you said.
He nodded in a complete agreement. "They do." You smiled warmly this time, no longer trying to hide it. "I think you're nice."
Michaels cheeks lifted into the biggest grin you'd seen all afternoon. "I think you're nice too."
You looked down at your plate for a second before admitting, a little shyly now, ".....I'm sorry I was mean earlier."
Michael simply shrugged in the forgiving way only little kids sometimes can. "It's okay."
"You still wanted to talk to me though."
"Yeah." He nodded
"....why?"
He answered without hesitation. "Cause you looked lonely."
You looked up at him surprised. Nobody had ever said something like that to her before. You hadn't been lonely at least, you didn't think you had. But somehow, hearing it made something inside you soften.
For the first time that day, the cookout didn't feel like a place you'd been dragged to. It felt like somewhere she might actually enjoy staying.
To be continued....
ᨳଓ . 𝒯aglist: @superstar-t20 @soleantoinette @peterpansdreamer @aloeveraaa333 @youluvyanni @leahmariieee @muchixo @sayyoulovemeziya @totallyavixxen @yannaaaaaaaa @impala04 @prettygirlwmula
I LOVE this, it's so cute!!!

Anya is live and ready to show you everything. Watch her strip, dance, and perform exclusive shows just for you. Interact in real-time and make your fantasies come true.
Free to watch • No registration required • HD streaming
HELP ME PLEASE!!
I need help writing a story about an actress in a horror film called 'My Stalker' or like write it for me... Either one I'm not complaining.
Can I rant to the mj communtiy real quick??
Look, I love the smut but maybe its just my homepage but there is such little fluff and angst, it makes me sad a little. Like mj was such a sweet and amazingly great man let me see that side of him pleaseeeee. Especially mature michael. Like I love that era. LOVE it. But half the time all the fics written for that era makes reader half his age, or acts like a child the whole time. And its just nasty ass smut (which i love obviously dont get me wrong) but I want some cute ass stuff too!!
Anyway if anyone has any good fluff or angst recommendations let me know, or any good writers out there! (ㅅ´ ˘ `)
Genuinely how it feels sometimes tryna find angst or fluff ૮ ․ ․ ྀིა
Darling Boy
synopsis: You met MJ at a pool during the beginnings of his 'Off the Wall' era. Both of you partook in the strange idea of hanging out at the public pool late at night. You broke in. MJ saw you and climbed the fence. pairing: Michael Jackson x gn!reader (this part is specifically MJ in his OTW era) author's note: Woah! This is my first time posting here. I watched the Michael movie a few days ago and safe to say, I am now YEARNING for this man (it isn't funny guys, the michosis got me BAD). I plan on making a continuation for this that will contain FAR more angst (with equal comfort). Constructive feedback is very much welcome :) Word count: A little under 2k (I am a yapper, sorry!)
July 20th 1979, Encino California
Enclosed in a black metal fence glistens lightly a pool, reflecting the moonlight off its dark still surface. It's long past the establishment’s closing time. Every door and gate is locked up tight. Still, that didn’t stop you from clambering over the lame excuse for security and making yourself a nice place to… moonbathe? Sure.
my girl ! 𖤓 。𖦹°‧ ⋆☀︎. [michael jackson x black!fem!reader]
⤷synopsis: you’re michael’s best friend, but the two of you have had feelings for each other for the longest. what begins as a casual hang out one summer afternoon ends with him confessing his love for you.
⤷content: fluff, flirting, cheesiness, teeny tiny bit of angst, confession of feelings, friends-to-lovers, kissing
⤷word count: 3.6k
⤷no use of y/n. reader referred to by pet names
i could fucking kiss you with how good this fic was. omg.
summary: during michael’s invincible album release, he does a meet and greet with his fans. not only does he meet the cutest little boy, but his mother might also be a sweet lil thing too..
sorry guys been xtra busy recently. more stories and the requests coming next week, also thank u for all the requests i’ve seen them and will be writing𑣲⋆
read part 2 and part 3
“are you okay, baby” you said quietly, crouching slightly to whisper in the boys ear.
“i’m okay mama, it’s just very loud” zain whispered back, his head slightly bowed, the fedora tipping slightly.
you grabbed his tiny hand tighter, squeezing it to reassure him that you were there protecting him and nobody would hurt him.
you and zain were stood around 6 people away from michael, his cd signing allowing 500 lucky fans to get into the store.
when you had heard of the chance to meet michael, you did absolutely everything in your power to do so, for your little boy.
zain had loved michael from the moment he had first heard him on the tv when he was 1 years old. he had heard black or white, standing infront of the tv watching the music video whilst shaking his little shoulders, asking you to replay it multiple times before it became practically engrained into the walls.
it was then you went down a rabbit hole with him, playing every michael jackson song that was available to play at his request, his favourites accumulating to don’t stop till you get enough and remember the time.
he had even stood in the living room trying to copy the dangerous dance breakdown, eventually almost mastering it to the best of his toddler abilities.
he had become one of michael’s biggest fans, and he was only three and a half years old.
now you both were stood in the music shop, blessed to receive access after you had bought the invincible cd the day before, your son had been wrapped up in your arms as he bounced up and down, so excited to get his hands on the music.
the line finally began to shorten after what felt like years of being stood in the same spot, the sequins on zain’s white glove digging into the skin of your palms. his tiny suit ruffled every time his legs moved, restless from standing still for so long.
the table became easier to see as you got closer, michael sat there whilst his hands signed the cd alongside listening attentively to what the fan infront of him was saying, nodding politely.
you picked zain up, placing him onto your hip so you could talk to him closer.
“okay we are nearly there now, don’t worry baby. can you see him right there” before pointing towards michael.
“oh my gosh mama! he’s right there!” he squealed slightly, his hands grabbing your shoulders and wrapping around the back of your neck to hug you.
you giggled at his excitement, so happy to see your son laughing and getting tense with energy.
the joy ran like honey through your veins, it had been a difficult few months. struggling with money in order to put food on the table for your son and you and paying for clothes and bills. but you had finally gathered your footing, starting a new job that payed exceptionally, now able to fund zain’s michael jackson obsession.
the large, burly security guard stood next to the large sign beside the table, gently guiding you and your son forward and putting space between you and the person behind you, probably wanting to protect the little boy that shuffled his feet in anticipation along the carpeted floor.
michael’s eyes scanned the room, moving down the line towards the people he was about to meet. his dark brown eyes glinting and glittering under the bright lights before locking onto someone, the little boy dressed up as him. he laughed out loud, his hand coming up to cover his mouth as he stared in shock.
michael tried to focus on what the man standing in front of him was saying, his hands signing the cd with the all too familiar signature, but his mind and eyes kept wandering back to the little boy.
you moved forward, going up the steps of the platform to the table, guiding your son towards the table. your heartbeat began to race, an unexpected nervousness overcoming you at the sight of the handsome king of pop.
the cloth covered table covered the majority of zain’s body, only his bright eyes and fedora peeking over at him, his hands gripping the table so tight his knuckles nearly turned white.
“come on, honey, he can’t see your outfit” you said, laughing quietly at his pose.
your hands went under zain’s arms, placing him onto the table infront of you, hands resting gently on his lower back to steady him and make him feel safe. a symphony of ‘awh’ echoed behind you, the cuteness of the moment forcing everyone to look.
michael laughed loudly, his head tipping back before his head came forward, looking over zain’s outfit in awe.
“you look like me!” michael exclaimed, his voice going a tiny bit higher, his finger grazing zain’s tiny knuckles.
“well… i-i… mamaaa” zain stuttered, turning around suddenly and burying his face into your neck.
he had become all of a sudden to nervous to even look michael in the eye, one of his favourite people ever was stood infront of him but all the attention was too much.
“it’s okay, baby. look, show him your dance moves, you said to me before that you wanted to show him something didn’t you?”
your comforting hand running over the length of his back, trying to coerce him to turn around to look at michael, who was staring at him in awe and you with a certain look in his eye that you couldn’t quite name.
zain turned, his back pressing against your chest as he leant against you. he looked at michael, a tiny hand coming out for him to shake.
“hi, i’m zain” he whispered, the other hand coming up near his mouth.
“hi zain, it’s lovely to meet you! you look amazing, your mama said you wanted to show me something?” he leant closer, his other hand coming up to bend the small fedora back to uncover his face.
zain shuffled forward a little bit, before getting into position. he span in a circle, the cloth bunching under his feet, before he brought one hand to his lower stomach and one hand to his hat, his leg propping out. zain ended his quick performance with his hand grasping the little fedora and tilting it down to block his face, and then coming up to a point.
michael clapped, getting to his feet to give him a proper standing ovation. he wrapped the boy up in his arms, giving him a hug and a kiss on the top of his head, a huge smile painted across his face.
“wow, that was amazing! you could take my place one day.”
looking at the interaction between michael and zain, any random person would think it was between a father and son the way he cared so much. he held his hands in his, nodding along and consistently complimenting zain, whether it was on his dance moves, his outfit or his cute curly hair.
“and mama must be very proud of you, huh? at having a son with such god given talent” michael said suddenly, pulling you out of your thoughts, your eyes meeting his.
“oh he’s amazing, he’s loved you since he’s been able to move around, always dancing in the living room to your songs, aren’t you?” you tickled zain’s sides lightly, causing a high pitched giggle to fall from his mouth.
“is that so, zain? well you have made my day with your little dance moves and your cute little smile” michael said, “guess we know who he got that from”
his eyes locked onto your face, more specifically your shiny lips, before running up and down your body, taking in your full appearance.
you shyly dipped your head, a small, nervous tilt of your lips making you look even more prettier to michael. the black zip of your bag brushed against your hands as you opened it, reaching into grab the cd and place it on the table.
“zain was so excited to come here, dressing up as you was his idea actually. but it was a surprise cause he usually doesn't like wearing this stuff” you looked at zain, his hands locking infront of him as he swayed from side to side.
michael’s hands took the cd off of the table, before taking the cap off the pen and bringing his head down, writing a little message to zain with absolute concentration before signing off with his iconic signature.
you turned your head to zain, tilting his hat back and pulling his jacket down as it had ridden up to his waist in all of the chaos. you asked how he was, wondering if this was becoming too much for him before he smiled at you, confirming that he was as happy as can be.
“here you go, little man”
he placed the cd in zain’s hands, his large eyes scanning over the writing before turning it towards you.
“mama, what does it say?”
you and michael burst into laughter, zain’s head tilted as he looked at you with confusion.
“we will read it later baby, come on”
the security guard motioned to michael that it was time for you to move on, the moment stopping all too soon for his liking, but he understood the need to keep on time.
“well it was lovely to meet you zain, and you too mama, you have raised him beautifully” he whispered towards you, his hand taking yours in a handshake before bringing it to his lips.
you felt your body get hot, eyes widening in shock, a slight sweat building up on your brow bone as you grew increasingly flustered.
turning towards zain, a nervous laughter bubbling in your chest as you moved to pick him up off of the table.
“say bye, zain” you whispered in his ear.
zain shot forward, wrapping his arms around michael’s neck in a hug, his face buried into the crook of his shoulder.
michael’s large hands moved to his back, one supporting his back, the other engulfing the back of his curly hair. his eyes shut as a warm smile grew on his face at the young child’s sweetness.
“bye zain, thank you for coming today”
zain moved backwards towards you, his legs wrapping around your waist and head resting against your chest, your hands moving to grip his back slacks to hold him up.
he waved a small goodbye, his eyes filling with tears at the departure.
“bye mikey!”
you smiled at michael, before walking down the steps, around the back of the set up to leave the store.
zain stifled a small cry, his lip trembling and a few tears slipping down his chubby cheeks.
“mama, i miss him already” he muttered into your shirt, your hand resting on his head.
michael’s doe eyes followed you out, before turning slightly to his head of security and whispering something into his ear before getting a nod in return.
the man gripped the walkie-talkie on his waist and brought it up to his lips before saying something inaudible into it.
as you walked closer to the door, whispering comfort into zain’s ears as he sobbed gently into your neck, a man dressed in black stopped you, the words ‘SECURITY’ painted across his chest.
“are you zain’s mother, the little boy michael just met?” the man said, sounding very serious, a pit forming in your stomach.
“oh um.. yes i am, is there a problem?” your voice twinged with confusion, wondering if you had done anything wrong.
he glanced around to see if anyone was nearby before reaching into his pocket, pulling out a folded note and placing into your slightly closed hand that rested on zain’s hip.
“have a good day, ma’am” ,turning and walking back to the cd signing.
staring in confusion at the man’s back as he walked away, you glanced back at your son, a deflated look painted across his face.
“let’s go and get something to eat, and we can read what michael put on the cd, yeah?”
you walked into the cozy restaurant, being led to a booth in the corner, placing him along with your bags into the corner and sitting down yourself.
you read zain the menu, allowing him to pick what he wanted before reading it off to the waiter along with your own order.
the day had clearly began to wear on zain, his eyes beginning to droop and gradually becoming more clingy and wanting your affection.
you wrapped your arms around his shoulder, guiding him to lean against you as you held the cd in your hands.
“should we read this together then, baby?”
zain nodded his head, his legs swinging over your thighs and getting more comfy so you can read the message to him.
“okay, it says: dear zain, thank you for showing me your dance moves, i was very impressed at how good you are - especially that spin, that was amazing. i might have some competition!
keep dancing, keep smiling and i hope you enjoy this album, maybe you can make some new moves for me? love, michael jackson”
zain’s smile widened, his pearly teeth showing, “mama, he said that i was amazing?”
“he did, baby! you must have blown him away with your coolness!” you giggled, ruffling his curls as his eyes squinted due to his grin.
you turned the cd in your hands to look at the full thing, before flipping it onto the back, black marker standing out against the blue background.
your eyebrows furrowed at it, wondering how you had missed him writing on the back.
‘mama, there is something very special about your son, the way he allows the music to take over his body is amazing, it reminds me of when i was a child. he has a beautiful spirit and i hope he keeps that for the rest of his life. you have done an amazing job at raising him.
take care of yourself, michael’
you read it in your head, a warmth in your chest growing. someone else had noticed the spark in your boy, the ever growing spark growing brighter in his eyes as he grew older, something different from the other children in his class.
remembering the note that had been placed into your hand and then stuffed into your bag as you focused on finding somewhere to eat in the big city, slipping into the black purse and pulling out the note.
‘please call me, i would love to meet you and your wonderful son again. - michael’
the number underneath was written in big bold letters, a contrast to the cursive writing on the cd, obviously written by the security guard.
smiling at not only the note on both the cd and the paper, but also at your sons excitement, the plates clinked against the table.
grabbing the knife and fork and cutting your sons food into smaller pieces, passing the fork to him to eat.
“i’m glad you had fun today, baby. i love you”
part 2 here

Anya is live and ready to show you everything. Watch her strip, dance, and perform exclusive shows just for you. Interact in real-time and make your fantasies come true.
Free to watch • No registration required • HD streaming
ladies’ night
you meet michael jackson in a club and he talks to you about llamas.
pairing. michael x blackfem!reader
tags. fluff, michael rambles and you’re both awkward, he’s a smartass to his brothers but he’s sweet to you, marlon’s loud ass
notes. inspired by a tiktok I saw and that video of mike singing ladies’ night
“Is that Michael Jackson?" your friend's voice cut through the noise of the club as she tapped your shoulder lightly.
“No way. Don’t even joke like that.” you gave your friend a side eye and she just pursed her lips, hands gripping your shoulders to roughly turn you ninety degrees. And holy shit! It was actually him. Walking into the club you were at.
Him dressed to the nines, clean and immaculate among the mass of sweaty bodies separating the two of you. Jerry curl freshly styled falling in loose waves. He looked perfect, flawless in every way as he smoothly moved through the crowd and to what you assumed was a vip area, disappearing from your sight, your eyes trailing him all the way.
You turned to your friend, jaw on the floor and hands on your face. “I told you.” she grinned, taking in your excitement. She knows how much you loved Michael. Everyone in your life knew how much you loved him. You listened to him constantly, talked about him even more often. You’d waited in line for hours to get his album, Off the Wall, when it came out a bit ago. You even came to this specific club tonight because you knew they played his music often.
You’d been following him since you were both young with the Jackson 5, he'd been your favorite member even then, his powerful vocals leaving a lasting impression on you. You admittedly had a little crush on him too, his smooth voice constantly invading your thoughts. He just seemed so charming and suave through his music and stage presence.
Admittedly, your obsession may be teetering on a little parasocial, as your friends and family never failed to remind you. But you knew people far worse than you were, had heard stories.
“Oh my god. It was actually him. He’s here. Do you think he’ll come out?” you were practically vibrating with excitement, grinning toothy at your friend, gripping her arms.
She cast a side glance past your head, attention elsewhere as she spoke, “It looks like he’s coming out now actually.” For the second time tonight you swung your head around and saw Michael’s head ducking under the curtain entrance to the vip area. He smiled at the man beside him holding it open and patted his shoulder.
You watched as he began to make his way down to the crowd, head bobbing to the music a bit like he just couldn’t help it, steps in rhythm as he made his way. It wasn’t until then that you noticed that he wasn’t alone and that his brothers, Marlon and Jermaine you recognized, were on either side of him.
You noticed the increased attention they got as more and more people started to notice the celebrities and as much as you wanted to give into the buzz and try to get a moment with him, you also didn’t want to be a bother as a fan.
“Are you sure you don’t wanna try to go over there? Even for a moment?” you looked back towards the crowd before shaking your head albeit sadly.
“Nah, I’d pro’bly be too nervous to say a thing anyway.”
From then, you tried to enjoy the rest of your night out dancing away, careless until a sheen of sweat gathered on your body, trying (and failing) to rid the thoughts of Michael Jackson a few yards away.
You eventually were so into the night, you didn’t notice shy eyes trailing over you, watching your body swaying to the music with rapt attention. Since Michael got here he’d really been itching to dance and, watching you, the itch was becoming a burning need.
“Mike, you’re starin’. It’s a bit creepy, you know.” His brother, Marlon spoke to his left, arm snaking around his shoulder.
“And is that… drool?” he spoke obnoxiously loud over the club’s speakers and brought his hand up wiping it over Michael’s face playfully. To which he swatted his hand but didn’t tear his gaze away from you.
“Marlon stop, I ain’t starin’.” he definitely was. And hard.
Marlon just raised one of his sculpted brows head turning between his brother's face and the direction he hadn’t yet peeled his gaze from. “Yeah, and I ain’t black.”
Michael didn’t respond, his attention too focused on you. You looked so at peace, caught up in the bass and smooth vibrations of the music, moving like it lived in you. He distantly recognized the Bee Gees playing right then, but his real attention was on how the multicolored lights reflected off the material of your dress, it caused you to stand out, highlighting your movements further.
He’d been admittedly working up the courage to talk to you all night but hadn’t really found the right moment between all the attention he’d been having to share. He’d silently hoped that you would’ve joined the small crowd that gathered but you’d kept your distance the whole night to his disappointment. Of course that would've been too easy.
“Mike, got an idea, and hear me out on this one, go talk to her.” Marlon held his hands out like he was presenting the deal of a lifetime. “Lay some of that Jackson charm out.”
“Never heard of it.” Michael was quick to respond, rolling his eyes.
Michael soon realized that he wasn’t really being given much of a choice when Marlon grabbed him and gave him a rough shove in your direction with a comment, “Just gonna let you know, if you don’t, I definitely will.”
And that was how Michael found himself on the dance floor. He wouldn’t be so bold as to approach you directly. But he could think of one way to grab your attention, one of the few ways he knew he could.
When he was close enough to you for you to maybe notice him from the corner of your eye, he began to dance, the high energy sound of Kool & The Gang, bringing his body to life in the way it always did. He didn’t pull out anything too flashy or elaborate, he didn’t wanna scare you off, but he tried to match your movements, even going so far as to repeat some moves he saw you do.
Michael was thankful no one else tried to approach him, too preoccupied with their own fun. He was mid spin when he noticed your head subtly turn his direction.
Your eyes locked on his and he registered your surprise as the bright lights flashed through your eyes. The attraction was immediate and like magnets, you both closed the distance with small movements toward each other.
You had a shy smile on your face when you were about arms length from him. Internally however, you were trying not to freak the fuck out. Because some higher power had answered your pleas and sent this beautiful man dancing shyly in your direction.
“Hi.” you spoke first, pitching loud enough over the club speakers so he could hear you.
He said something back that you didn’t catch and you craned your neck closer to hear what he’d said. It was so loud in this damn club.
Michael knew you wouldn’t be able to hear him if the DJ kept cranking the volume up every five seconds so he decided then to move closer to you, leaning to your ear as you two still moved together, fitting like it was instinct.
“I said, hi.” he spoke into your ear, his voice soft like silk as his breath gently caressed your ear, his arms coming up around yours, fingers just barely brushing.
You couldn’t believe this was happening. Your pulse quickened a bit at his closeness, while practical, but you were still positively giddy at the turn the night had taken. You were trying to think of what to say back that wouldn’t completely embarrass you but he spoke up first.
“I like the material of your dress.”
Out of all the things he could’ve said. He nearly closed his eyes of embarrassment. But you just lit up at the compliment like Christmas came early.
“Thanks. I thought it would be a little too much but…” your voice trailed off as you took in his expression. Big brown doe eyes staring down at you with full attention. It made it a bit hard to function looking at him looking at you like that. His eyes were something you always admired, looking at magazine cutouts and posters you saw of him, they were beautiful.
He was beautiful. And you were going crazy.
“Yeah, it looks like a mix between satin and lamé. It catches light real nice.” his eyes took in your appearance and while his words were innocent ramblings about the material of your dress, his eyes were telling you a different story as his teeth caught his lip pulling it into his mouth.
“Lamé? What’s that? Some typa fabric?” you inquired, curious, leaning further into his body. He nearly choked on his next words, the smell of your perfume wrapping itself around him, the proximity starting to get to him even though he initiated it.
“Yeah, its uhm woven or knit, mostly used for performance costumes or dance costumes. It’s normally gold or silver but it can really be any color. A good bit of mine and my brothers fits use it, it’s very popular ‘nd it’s really a ni-” he cut himself off turning his head slightly to the side a bit expression turning coy. “And I’m probably boring you to death.”
“No! I promise you’re not.” he didn’t seem to believe you and raised one of his brows giving you a look.
“Scouts honor.” you raised one of your arms in salute and he burst into giggles, eyes lighting up. You felt your heart melt to the floor and puddle beneath your feet. You weren’t sure what you’d expected from the star but his gentle breathy voice in your ear explaining the fabric of your dress wasn’t exactly on the list.
Not that you minded one bit.
“I’m Michael by the way.” he introduced as if you didn’t already know who he was. You gave him your name back and wrapped your arms around his neck, you two dancing together.
You two spent the whole night talking and dancing in each other's arms. You learned a lot about Michael Jackson that night. About how shy he really was, the same suave and powerful voice you’d listened to now explaining how llamas can carry up to thirty percent of their body weight and about how they communicate with each other by humming. You two even tried it at one point ending up giggling at how ridiculous the whole thing was.
He spoke about anything and everything. You particularly liked when he would go into details about the music that played. You could tell when a song he really liked came on when in between singing the lyrics, he would go on to talk about the construction of the song in intricate detail and motifs that came back around like a musical scholar. He gave even club music, made for playbackability and dancing, more substance than you knew the average person thought about.
He had you laughing the whole night tipping your head back in his arms as he watched you laugh, this large smile taking over your whole face. He’d had fun that night, though it started a bit awkward and he really liked you. And he liked talking to you. And he liked how you liked to talk to him, listening to all his yapping about really anything that came to his mind.
When your friend came up to ask if you were ready you said your goodbyes. He didn’t normally do this but he wanted to keep talking to you and to see you again so he gave you his number.
You gently kissed him on the cheek before you left, and a love struck Michael made his way back over to his brothers where he knew a hard time was waiting for him.
“You were over there a long time, lover boy. So what you say to her?” Marlon had his arms crossed staring his brother down.
Michael had a shy smirk on his face as he just shrugged, “We talked about llama’s.”
“That’s a real freak metaphor Mike.” he could hear his brother cracking up behind him.
“It’s not a metaphor schmuck, I’m bein’ for real.” and of course Marlon didn’t believe him. Neither did any of his other brothers when he told them.
©megsnotokay
note. i wouldn’t be opposed to a follow up to this, I love hearing him talk. mind the mistakes, I gave up proofing
this reminds me of those vids where girls ask they’re bf to act like they’re approaching them at a club in the 80’s lmao
finally made a masterlist YAYY!
ladies’ night
you meet michael jackson in a club and he talks to you about llamas.
pairing. michael x blackfem!reader
tags. fluff, michael rambles and you’re both awkward, he’s a smartass to his brothers but he’s sweet to you, marlon’s loud ass
notes. inspired by a tiktok I saw and that video of mike singing ladies’ night
“Is that Michael Jackson?" your friend's voice cut through the noise of the club as she tapped your shoulder lightly.
“No way. Don’t even joke like that.” you gave your friend a side eye and she just pursed her lips, hands gripping your shoulders to roughly turn you ninety degrees. And holy shit! It was actually him. Walking into the club you were at.
Him dressed to the nines, clean and immaculate among the mass of sweaty bodies separating the two of you. Jerry curl freshly styled falling in loose waves. He looked perfect, flawless in every way as he smoothly moved through the crowd and to what you assumed was a vip area, disappearing from your sight, your eyes trailing him all the way.
You turned to your friend, jaw on the floor and hands on your face. “I told you.” she grinned, taking in your excitement. She knows how much you loved Michael. Everyone in your life knew how much you loved him. You listened to him constantly, talked about him even more often. You’d waited in line for hours to get his album, Off the Wall, when it came out a bit ago. You even came to this specific club tonight because you knew they played his music often.
You’d been following him since you were both young with the Jackson 5, he'd been your favorite member even then, his powerful vocals leaving a lasting impression on you. You admittedly had a little crush on him too, his smooth voice constantly invading your thoughts. He just seemed so charming and suave through his music and stage presence.
Admittedly, your obsession may be teetering on a little parasocial, as your friends and family never failed to remind you. But you knew people far worse than you were, had heard stories.
“Oh my god. It was actually him. He’s here. Do you think he’ll come out?” you were practically vibrating with excitement, grinning toothy at your friend, gripping her arms.
She cast a side glance past your head, attention elsewhere as she spoke, “It looks like he’s coming out now actually.” For the second time tonight you swung your head around and saw Michael’s head ducking under the curtain entrance to the vip area. He smiled at the man beside him holding it open and patted his shoulder.
You watched as he began to make his way down to the crowd, head bobbing to the music a bit like he just couldn’t help it, steps in rhythm as he made his way. It wasn’t until then that you noticed that he wasn’t alone and that his brothers, Marlon and Jermaine you recognized, were on either side of him.
You noticed the increased attention they got as more and more people started to notice the celebrities and as much as you wanted to give into the buzz and try to get a moment with him, you also didn’t want to be a bother as a fan.
“Are you sure you don’t wanna try to go over there? Even for a moment?” you looked back towards the crowd before shaking your head albeit sadly.
“Nah, I’d pro’bly be too nervous to say a thing anyway.”
From then, you tried to enjoy the rest of your night out dancing away, careless until a sheen of sweat gathered on your body, trying (and failing) to rid the thoughts of Michael Jackson a few yards away.
You eventually were so into the night, you didn’t notice shy eyes trailing over you, watching your body swaying to the music with rapt attention. Since Michael got here he’d really been itching to dance and, watching you, the itch was becoming a burning need.
“Mike, you’re starin’. It’s a bit creepy, you know.” His brother, Marlon spoke to his left, arm snaking around his shoulder.
“And is that… drool?” he spoke obnoxiously loud over the club’s speakers and brought his hand up wiping it over Michael’s face playfully. To which he swatted his hand but didn’t tear his gaze away from you.
“Marlon stop, I ain’t starin’.” he definitely was. And hard.
Marlon just raised one of his sculpted brows head turning between his brother's face and the direction he hadn’t yet peeled his gaze from. “Yeah, and I ain’t black.”
Michael didn’t respond, his attention too focused on you. You looked so at peace, caught up in the bass and smooth vibrations of the music, moving like it lived in you. He distantly recognized the Bee Gees playing right then, but his real attention was on how the multicolored lights reflected off the material of your dress, it caused you to stand out, highlighting your movements further.
He’d been admittedly working up the courage to talk to you all night but hadn’t really found the right moment between all the attention he’d been having to share. He’d silently hoped that you would’ve joined the small crowd that gathered but you’d kept your distance the whole night to his disappointment. Of course that would've been too easy.
“Mike, got an idea, and hear me out on this one, go talk to her.” Marlon held his hands out like he was presenting the deal of a lifetime. “Lay some of that Jackson charm out.”
“Never heard of it.” Michael was quick to respond, rolling his eyes.
Michael soon realized that he wasn’t really being given much of a choice when Marlon grabbed him and gave him a rough shove in your direction with a comment, “Just gonna let you know, if you don’t, I definitely will.”
And that was how Michael found himself on the dance floor. He wouldn’t be so bold as to approach you directly. But he could think of one way to grab your attention, one of the few ways he knew he could.
When he was close enough to you for you to maybe notice him from the corner of your eye, he began to dance, the high energy sound of Kool & The Gang, bringing his body to life in the way it always did. He didn’t pull out anything too flashy or elaborate, he didn’t wanna scare you off, but he tried to match your movements, even going so far as to repeat some moves he saw you do.
Michael was thankful no one else tried to approach him, too preoccupied with their own fun. He was mid spin when he noticed your head subtly turn his direction.
Your eyes locked on his and he registered your surprise as the bright lights flashed through your eyes. The attraction was immediate and like magnets, you both closed the distance with small movements toward each other.
You had a shy smile on your face when you were about arms length from him. Internally however, you were trying not to freak the fuck out. Because some higher power had answered your pleas and sent this beautiful man dancing shyly in your direction.
“Hi.” you spoke first, pitching loud enough over the club speakers so he could hear you.
He said something back that you didn’t catch and you craned your neck closer to hear what he’d said. It was so loud in this damn club.
Michael knew you wouldn’t be able to hear him if the DJ kept cranking the volume up every five seconds so he decided then to move closer to you, leaning to your ear as you two still moved together, fitting like it was instinct.
“I said, hi.” he spoke into your ear, his voice soft like silk as his breath gently caressed your ear, his arms coming up around yours, fingers just barely brushing.
You couldn’t believe this was happening. Your pulse quickened a bit at his closeness, while practical, but you were still positively giddy at the turn the night had taken. You were trying to think of what to say back that wouldn’t completely embarrass you but he spoke up first.
“I like the material of your dress.”
Out of all the things he could’ve said. He nearly closed his eyes of embarrassment. But you just lit up at the compliment like Christmas came early.
“Thanks. I thought it would be a little too much but…” your voice trailed off as you took in his expression. Big brown doe eyes staring down at you with full attention. It made it a bit hard to function looking at him looking at you like that. His eyes were something you always admired, looking at magazine cutouts and posters you saw of him, they were beautiful.
He was beautiful. And you were going crazy.
“Yeah, it looks like a mix between satin and lamé. It catches light real nice.” his eyes took in your appearance and while his words were innocent ramblings about the material of your dress, his eyes were telling you a different story as his teeth caught his lip pulling it into his mouth.
“Lamé? What’s that? Some typa fabric?” you inquired, curious, leaning further into his body. He nearly choked on his next words, the smell of your perfume wrapping itself around him, the proximity starting to get to him even though he initiated it.
“Yeah, its uhm woven or knit, mostly used for performance costumes or dance costumes. It’s normally gold or silver but it can really be any color. A good bit of mine and my brothers fits use it, it’s very popular ‘nd it’s really a ni-” he cut himself off turning his head slightly to the side a bit expression turning coy. “And I’m probably boring you to death.”
“No! I promise you’re not.” he didn’t seem to believe you and raised one of his brows giving you a look.
“Scouts honor.” you raised one of your arms in salute and he burst into giggles, eyes lighting up. You felt your heart melt to the floor and puddle beneath your feet. You weren’t sure what you’d expected from the star but his gentle breathy voice in your ear explaining the fabric of your dress wasn’t exactly on the list.
Not that you minded one bit.
“I’m Michael by the way.” he introduced as if you didn’t already know who he was. You gave him your name back and wrapped your arms around his neck, you two dancing together.
You two spent the whole night talking and dancing in each other's arms. You learned a lot about Michael Jackson that night. About how shy he really was, the same suave and powerful voice you’d listened to now explaining how llamas can carry up to thirty percent of their body weight and about how they communicate with each other by humming. You two even tried it at one point ending up giggling at how ridiculous the whole thing was.
He spoke about anything and everything. You particularly liked when he would go into details about the music that played. You could tell when a song he really liked came on when in between singing the lyrics, he would go on to talk about the construction of the song in intricate detail and motifs that came back around like a musical scholar. He gave even club music, made for playbackability and dancing, more substance than you knew the average person thought about.
He had you laughing the whole night tipping your head back in his arms as he watched you laugh, this large smile taking over your whole face. He’d had fun that night, though it started a bit awkward and he really liked you. And he liked talking to you. And he liked how you liked to talk to him, listening to all his yapping about really anything that came to his mind.
When your friend came up to ask if you were ready you said your goodbyes. He didn’t normally do this but he wanted to keep talking to you and to see you again so he gave you his number.
You gently kissed him on the cheek before you left, and a love struck Michael made his way back over to his brothers where he knew a hard time was waiting for him.
“You were over there a long time, lover boy. So what you say to her?” Marlon had his arms crossed staring his brother down.
Michael had a shy smirk on his face as he just shrugged, “We talked about llama’s.”
“That’s a real freak metaphor Mike.” he could hear his brother cracking up behind him.
“It’s not a metaphor schmuck, I’m bein’ for real.” and of course Marlon didn’t believe him. Neither did any of his other brothers when he told them.
©megsnotokay
note. i wouldn’t be opposed to a follow up to this, I love hearing him talk. mind the mistakes, I gave up proofing
this reminds me of those vids where girls ask they’re bf to act like they’re approaching them at a club in the 80’s lmao
finally made a masterlist YAYY!
༉‧₊˚.HOW DEEP IS YOUR LOVE ?⭑.
offthewall!michael jackson x blind!reader
(pictures are purely for aesthetic !! zero racial descriptors. ALSO ARTWORKS ARE NOT MINE!!)
⋆ summary : a blind girl and a boy who spent his life being looked at, but never truly seen, meet through a wrong number. forming a bond that neither friendship nor romance could ever fully define.
⋆ word count : 6.3k
⋆ tags : one-shot, strangers to friends, friends to lovers, comedy romance, close proximity, fluff, idiots in love
⋆ a/n : heavily inspired by the manga 'veil' and many more !! ALSO sorry for not posting for a while (i just graduated YEY !!) i've been drafting ideas left and right and this story stuck with me, and i wanted to write it and share it w y'all. hoping you guys will love this story as much as i do^-^ !!! enjoy reading (tag list at the very end!!)
it started with a wrong number.
michael had been trying to call someone else.
ring!
ring!
“hello?”
a girl’s voice.
he glanced at the number, then frowned.
“…sorry. i think i have the wrong number.”
“congratulations.”
a pause.
“what?”
“you successfully identified the problem.”
michael blinked.
then the line went dead.
for a moment, he just stared at the receiver.
then his laugh slipped out. the kind of laugh that caught him by surprise. because what kind of response was that?
he shook his head and set the phone down. and that should’ve been the end of it.
…but it wasn’t.
the next evening, he found himself thinking about it again.
and because he was bored. he dialed the number again.
the phone rang twice before you answered.
“hello?”
michael grinned deviously.
“it’s the wrong number.”
silence.
“…you called me on purpose.”
“maybe.”
“that’s embarrassing.”
“i know.”
“should i be worried?”
“probably.”
a pause. then you laughed.
and somehow, the conversation lasted twenty minutes.
then forty..
then an hour.
you both talked everyday for a week.
neither of you intended for it to happen, it just did. like a habit forming before either of you noticed.
and neither of you knew much about each other—
not names, jobs, or ages— not even where the other lived.
the conversations simply happened so comfortably and effortlessly. it’s like you both were picking up in the middle of something that had started years ago.
michael was usually the one calling.
it’s not because you didn’t enjoy talking to him. you clearly did. you just never called first.
at first, michael just assumed you weren’t interested.
then he noticed something else.
you never asked for his number, never wrote anything down, and never mentioned calling anybody.
it struck him as odd.
but not odd enough to question. besides— every evening, after a ring or two. you answered, and that was enough for him.
⋆
“you sound upset.”
you said. a pause.
“…how did you know?”
“you’ve been clicking your tongue for ten seconds.”
“oh.”
silence.
“was it really obvious?”
“painfully.”
⋆
“you seem tired.”
“what gave it away?”
“you yawned.”
“…i didn’t yawn?”
“yes you did. you yawned in the middle of a sentence.”
“…maybe a little?”
⋆
“you sound happy.”
“really?”
“mhm.”
“what does happy sound like?”
“you talk faster than usual.”
“…i do?”
“and you keep humming.”
a beat.
“i didn’t know i did that.”
“now you do.”
the strange thing michael seemed to notice was how observant you seemed.
it’s impressive to think you knew when he was smiling, nervous, pacing, or lying during calls.
it was actually a bit terrifying how accurate you were.
“do i get any privacy?”
he said.
“nope.”
“that ain’t fair.”
“you called me.”
“and you keep answering.”
“…i’m gonna hang up on you now.”
“hey— i was kidding!”
⋆
and then there were the comments. the ones michael never thought much about— at least not at the time.
“…i didn’t see that coming.”
“yeah. nobody saw that coming.”
“actually, i never see anything coming.”
⋆
“you’ll have to paint me a picture.”
“okay.”
a pause.
“just so we’re clear, not a real picture— unless you paint.”
“i know.”
“just checking.”
⋆
“you should watch it sometime. it’s a great film.”
“a bit difficult.”
“how so?”
“i have a long history of not seeing movies.”
“…”
“…”
“you’re impossible.”
“i know.”
you laughed.
⋆
sometimes, you would make jokes that left michael completely lost and confuse.
“y’know what my biggest weakness is?”
“what?”
“stairs.”
you said seriously.
and michael tilted his head, confused.
“what about them?”
“never trust them.”
“what are you talking about?”
“they’re always plotting.”
the laugh escaped him was loud enough to make you grin.
“you make absolutely no sense sometimes.”
“neither do stairs, pal.”
⋆
“do you know how many things i’ve walked into this week?”
you said, out of the blue.
“why would i know that?”
“fair.”
“wait— how many?”
“five.”
“—five?”
“six if we’re counting my dignity.”
⋆
“how was your day?”
michael asked.
“fantastic.”
“you sound sarcastic.”
“i knocked over a lamp.”
“a lamp?”
“on the bright side—“
“you broke the lamp.”
“yeah… i did.”
you said defeatedly.
⋆
the thing is, michael assumed you were joking.
you joked about everything. nothing ever sounded serious or ever sounded like something worth asking about.
so he never did.
──────────────────────
the record store was nearly empty.
it was a blessing, really. especially for a young star like michael.
he discovered that if he picked the right places at right times, he could occasionally exist like a normal person.
not often. but occasionally.
and today was one of those days.
michael was wearing a pair of sunglasses and a hat pulled down low, covering half his face.
he wandered through the aisles, flipping through records, enjoying the rare luxury of not being surrounded by screaming crowds.
the store speakers hummed softly overhead. a record crackled through the listening stations.
it feels normal for once.
—thunk!
michael looked up at the sound.
it was a girl. who had just walked directly into a display stand. not hard or enough to hurt.. enough to make a noise.
you paused.
“…rude.”
you muttered, before continuing to walk as if absolutely nothing happened.
he blinked. the display stand remained innocent.
he continued to look around, not even for a few minutes before another—
—thump!
this time, you bumped into a shelf.
you frowned.
“okay. it’s doing it on purpose now.”
you muttered to yourself again, and continued to walk.
while michael was biting his cheek to contain his laugh. the shelf was also innocent.
‘what was she doing?’
the strangest part that michael thought was that you don’t seem embarrassed— because most people would. but instead, you looked completely unbothered like this happens every day.
which judging by your attitude, it probably did.
a few moments later, you appeared beside him.
you were close enough that he could see your mismatched socks peeking out beneath your jeans.
one striped and one plain.
he stared. then glanced down at his own shoes just to make sure he wasn’t somehow wearing two different ones.
“you work here?”
michael looked down at you.
‘oh. she was talking to me.’
“no, i don’t.”
a pause.
“hm.”
you tilted your head slightly.
“you sound like you work here.”
“what does that mean?”
you shrugged.
“i don’t know. you just do.”
michael laughed, and you immediately pointed.
“there.”
“what?”
“your laugh.”
“what about my laugh?”
“you sound nice.”
he stared. he’d never met someone determined a person trustworthy based solely on a laugh before.
“that’s a very strange thing to say.”
“i’ve been told that before.”
you turned towards the shelves.
“since you don’t work here, can i still ask a question?”
“sure.”
“i’m looking for something new.”
“okay, what kind of music?”
“good music.”
“well, that’s not very helpful.”
“i know.”
michael laughed again.
you smiled. not at him, toward the sound.
you folded your arms.
“so? can you recommend me something?”
he looked down at the records, then a terrible idea entered his head.
a funny one.
michael pulled his own album from the shelf.
“what about this one?”
you took it from him, and holding it carefully. running your fingers over the edges.
he noticed how you’d never looked at the cover. you just… held it.
“what is it?”
“off the wall.”
“any good?”
michael pressed his lips together.
“yeah.”
“you seem confident about that.”
“i’ve heard good things.”
you nodded seriously.
“no offense to your source, but i’m gonna listen to it first.”
you handed the album back.
“fair.”
you both walked toward one of the listening stations.. or rather—
michael walked.
you on the other hand somehow drifted through the store with complete confidence before lightly smacking her shoulder against another display.
“ow!”
a beat.
“rude as hell.”
he couldn’t help but laugh.
you slid into one of the chairs and settled the headphones over your ears.
you listened quietly, head tilted slightly. your fingers tapping against the armrest. occasionally humming along to the melody.
and by the end of the song, you were smiling. a genuine one.
you liked it. very much so.
and michael found himself smiling too looking at you.
a few minutes later, you removed the headphones.
“well?”
he asked. and you nodded approvingly.
“your source was right.”
“i told you.”
“i’ll buy it.”
he grinned.
then a voice called from the front of the store.
his bodyguard, bill.
“michael—“
bill immediately stopped and realized his mistake.
too late.
michael’s eyes widen, and turned to look at you.
you blinked.
“michael?”
bill recovered instantly.
“mike. his name’s mike.”
a beat.
“oh.”
you nodded.
“thanks for the recommendation, mike.”
you said, still smiling. then started to walk away—
—THUNK!
another display.
you scoffed.
“unbelievable.”
then you kept going.
michael watched you disappear into the next aisle. shaking his head and laughing to himself. completely unaware that there was now bothering you.
not the name or the album.
it was his laugh.
because you swore you heard it somewhere before.
for the first time in all week— you couldn’t stop thinking about where.
──────────────────────
the phone rang at exactly the same time it always did.
ring!
ring!
“hello.”
“hi.”
you smiled.
“there you are.”
the familiar sound of him settling somewhere came through the line.
a chair creaking. a fabric rustling. a quiet sigh.
you’d become strangely good at picturing his habits.
not what he looked like. but the little things— the way he paced when he’s restless, or the way he hummed whenever he was thinking, or the way he always seemed to smile before saying hello.
“how was your day?”
he asked.
“hm.”
you thought about it.
“that’s never a good start.”
“i got into a fight.”
michael choked.
“y-you what? a fight? with who?”
“a display stand.”
“…”
silence.
“you lost, didn’t you?”
“sadly.”
“i thought you were being serious for a sec.”
you laughed.
the conversation drifted naturally after that like it always did.
until eventually—
“oh.”
“what?”
“i bought a record today.”
there was a brief pause.
“yeah? what album is it?”
for a moment, you paused.
“i don’t know.”
“…you bought an album and you don’t know what it is?”
“apparently.”
“how does that happen?”
“it happens very easily, actually.”
“you didn’t ask?”
“he told me the name but i forgot.”
“did you look?”
“…no.”
“so you just trusted some random guy then.”
“his laugh was trustworthy.”
the line went silent.
“a trustworthy laugh?”
“yeah.”
“what does that even mean?”
“you sound trustworthy, too.”
“that’s not… how it works.”
michael shook his head.
“you’re unbelievable sometimes.”
“i know.”
“so what songs are on it?”
you thought for a moment again.
“i don’t know.”
“you don’t know the album.”
“no.”
“you don’t know the songs.”
“no.”
“you bought this thing completely blind.”
a beat.
then you snorted. your laugh uncontrollable.
“that’s usually how i buy things.”
michael immediately laughed too. a loud one. the kind that escaped before he could help it.
you smiled automatically—
then froze.
something tugged at the back of your mind.
the record store.
the guy who recommended you the record.
the guy with a trustworthy laugh.
your smile slowly faded.
“huh.”
“what’s wrong?”
nothing. you were listening— the way he caught his breath afterward. the slight hitch at the end. the exact rhythm. the exact sound.
michael—
or mike.
“hello…?” he asked.
“hm?”
“you got quiet.”
“oh.”
you leaned back in your chair. trying not to smile and not to laugh at yourself.
“sorry.”
“somethin’ wrong?”
“nothing.”
“seems like there’s something on your mind.”
you hesitated.
“you ever hear someone’s voice somewhere you’ve heard before?”
the line went quiet, but it was only for a second.
“sure.”
“…hm.”
“hm?”
“nothing.”
“you keep saying that.”
“you sure do ask a lot of questions.”
“that’s because you’re weird.”
“you’re the one who keeps calling me.”
the two of you laugh. but this time, as his laughter echoed through the phone again—
you listened very carefully.
because now you were certain.
you’ve heard that laugh before. and unlike him— you were starting to put the pieces together.
──────────────────────
a few days later, michael found himself back at the record store again.
there was something about the place that he found comforting. maybe because of how quiet it was or how calm it gets inside, while outside the record store, he found it very noisy and overwhelming.
and also, he wasn't back here again because he'd been thinking about a certain girl who had purchased his album without knowing who he really was.
definitely not. that would be ridiculous!
after spending nearly half an hour browsing, he left with a paper bag tucked beneath his arm.
he left without seeing the very clumsy, strange girl.
there was a pang of disappointment he felt. then he shook his head.
across the street sat a small cafe.
one he'd passed before but never entered.
and today, he did.
tinkle!
the bell above the door chimed. and the smell of coffee immediately drifted through the air.
a few people sat scattered around the room. a couple was sitting by the window, and an older man was quietly reading a newspaper. the sound of someone quietly turning pages in the corner.
it was normal and peaceful. the same comforting feeling he had with the record store across the street.
michael liked it immediately.
he stepped up to the counter and ordered a coffee.
the cashier apologized that they had just run out of one of the cafe's best-selling pastries, joking that michael had somehow managed to arrive at the exact wrong time.
michael played along and let out an exaggerated sigh before laughing, the bright, effortless sound filling the otherwise quiet cafe.
across a few tables away.
a girl's head lifted from the sound.
you.
the conversations around you faded in the background. and for a brief moment, you simply listened. a small smile forming across your face.
"...mike?"
michael froze.
his first thought was immediate, 'oh no, a fan.'
he slowly turned toward the voice and saw—
one striped sock. one plain sock.
the girl from the record store. what are the chances?
"you."
"me."
"you.."
you let out a laugh.
"you already said that."
the familiarity of the response hit him instantly. and suddenly, he remembered the phone calls, the record store, and the album.
everything slammed together at once.
his mouth opened. then closed. and opened again.
"no way."
"way."
"you were the girl from the record store."
'and you were mike."
"and—"
you pointed.
"you were the wrong number."
michael laughed immediately. because what was he supposed to do? the whole thing was completely absurd.
"you figured it out"
he said.
"it took me a minute."
"really?"
"...maybe a few days. i wasn't so sure."
"but how?"
"you have a very recognizable laugh."
michael dropped into the chair across from her, still laughing and trying to process the fact that somehow the girl he talked through on the phone and the girl from the record store had been the same person all along.
"what are the chances?" he said.
"very low."
"maybe you're following me and i didn't know."
"oh please! you're the idiot who called me by accident."
"okay you're never letting me forget that."
"nope."
his drink arrived, and michael thanked the waitress kindly. and the conversation somehow picked up instantly where it had left off.
surprisingly, there were no introductions, awkwardness— just natural conversations between the both of you.
eventually he noticed a small bookshelf tucked into a corner. it was a community shelf, leave a book and take a book. it was a sort of thing that he'd always liked.
he nodded toward it.
"you ever read one of those?"
"no."
you answered rather quickly.
"not much of a reader, i assume?"
"no."
michael smiled.
"then how do y'know they're any good?"
"i don't."
"you don't seem worried."
"i'm not."
he laughed again. he picked up a nearby book and flipped through a few pages.
"well, you should try reading sometime."
a beat.
"—i can't."
he snorted, thinking you were joking like you always do.
"there you go again."
"what?"
"your jokes."
"my jokes?"
"the seeing jokes."
a pause. then you tilted your head slightly confused.
"mike, i ain't kidding."
michael smiled.
"sure you are."
"no—seriously."
you were starting to laugh at how slow he was. it was getting kinda ridiculous that he still didn't get the hint.
"i'm blind."
you said, rather a bit casually, like saying the grass was green.
the cafe suddenly felt very quiet, and michael just stared. his smile fell from his face.
"...what?"
"i. am. blind."
you lifted a hand and waved it in front of your eyes and showed him you were really serious.
and suddenly, every conversation replayed inside his head.
"you'll have to paint me a picture."
"i have a long history of not seeing movies."
"actually, i never see anything coming."
"you bought this thing completely blind."
"that's how i usually buy things."
the record store. the mismatched socks. the way you were strangely observant of sounds. the way you'd confidently walked straight into a shelf and simply cussing at it, before moving on.
"oh my God."
his hand flew to his forehead. the realization hit all at once like he was struck by lightning.
in fact, you were amused by the whole thing.
"you... really didn't know?
"NO."
his answer came out louder than he intended, and he covered his mouth with his hand quickly after when he noticed several people glanced over his table.
"you didn't tell me."
he said, his voice now lowered.
"you didn't ask."
"i thought you were joking!"
"jokes are half-meant. it's not my fault you're an idiot with a nice laugh."
"holy shit."
you choked a laugh, didn't expect him to cuss at all.
"you gotta admit, this is kinda funny."
you said, still laughing.
michael dropped his head into his hands. because somehow you were right.
"you dropped so many clues... and i still didn't realize."
"twenty-three."
his head snapped up.
"what?"
"it was twenty-three clues."
"you counted?"
"i was curious how long it would take for you to realize."
michael stared, then bursted out laughing.
of course you counted.
his laughter faded slowly, and left something quieter behind— something thoughtful.
because for the first time since meeting you, things suddenly made more sense.
not your jokes or comments.
it's you.
the way you always knew when he's smiling, pacing, or how you could tell he was upset before he'd even say a word.
and most of all, how you'd recognize him from a laugh.
a laugh.
nobody else would've noticed a laugh. nobody else would've listened that carefully.
but you did.
because listening wasn't just something you did. it was how you moved through the world. it's how you understood people— how you understood him.
suddenly, michael found himself looking at you differently. not because you were blind, because you weren't.
not in the way he first imagined. if anything, you'd notice more about him than most people with perfect eyesight ever had.
and for reasons he couldn't quite explain, that realization stayed with him long after the conversations moved on.
⋆
eventually the afternoon faded into evening.
the cafe began emptying. chairs scraped softly against the floor, and the waitress started collecting cups from the tables.
michael glanced out the window, then glanced back at you.
"you headin' home?"
"eventually. i'll get there."
you shrugged.
your answer somehow raised more questions than it answered.
michael stood as you did, and the two of you stepped outside together.
the record store across the street was already preparing to close. the familiar neighborhood buzzed around them. and for a moment, they stood in comfortable silence.
then michael remembered something—
"oh."
"hm?"
he turned around and looked at you.
"how are you getting home?"
the question seemed perfectly reasonable to him. but the look you gave him suggested otherwise.
"the same way i got here?"
"right."
michael stared.
"you live nearby?" he asked.
"about fifteen minutes. give or take."
he frowned because you looked entirely unconcerned. which somehow concerned him more.
"and you're just..."
he gestured vaguely.
"...going?"
"i mean, what else would i do?"
michael opened his mouth. then closed it. then opened it again.
"i... don't know?"
"you don't know?"
"no."
"you called me by accident and somehow survived."
"well that's because this is different."
"tell me how it is different."
michael pointed at the road.
"there are cars."
"there have always been cars, mike."
"that doesn't make me feel any better."
"it wasn't supposed to."
you started walking suddenly, which michael immediately followed.
"wait—!"
"what?"
"you can't just leave."
you stopped walking and turned slightly toward his voice.
"michael..."
"yeah?"
"i've been walking myself for years."
"i know."
"then why do you sound panicked?"
"because now i know."
you bursted out laughing,
and michael groaned.
"i liked it better when you didn't know."
the worst part was that he heard how ridiculous he sounded now that he had realized.
but he couldn't help but worry for you.
the image of you casually walking into shelves all afternoon wasn't helping.
"seriously."
"don't you trust me?"
"of course i do."
"stop playin'! you clearly don't."
"i don't trust traffic."
michael crossed his arms.
"how do you even do it?"
"do what? get home?"
"safely."
you thought about it.
"genuinely. i mostly just hope for the best."
michael's eyes widened.
"you what?!"
you started laughing at his reaction.
"i'm kidding!"
"that is not funny."
"it was a little funny."
"you can't just say things like that and expect me to let you go home by yourself."
"okay, okay."
you finally relented.
"i know the route."
"okay."
"i know every crossing is. i know which bakery means i've gone too far."
michael blinked.
"what?"
"the smell. i use the bakery and among other things."
you said, then pointed vaguely.
"there's a florist, a bus stop, then a church."
he found himself listening really carefully to the way you described it. not as directions— but as sounds and smells, as familiar pieces of the world.
it was like you carried a map that nobody else could see.
for the first time since learning you were blind, he relaxed just a little.
because clearly, you've been doing this for years. you knew what you were doing and were clearly capable.
and yet—
—HONK!
a car honked somewhere nearby.
michael nearly jumped out of his skin, and you— you didn't even flinch.
"nope."
he was still worried.
"what now?"
"i'm walking you home."
"i told you mike, i can walk on my own."
"i'm not asking. i'm telling you i'll come with you."
you laughed again.
"you are unbelievable."
"so i've been told."
a pause.
then you smiled.
he smiled back.
"fine. you can walk me home."
michael tried not to look pleased with himself. but failing completely because you clearly heard it in his voice.
"oh my God. are you smiling?"
"what? no i'm not."
michael said, trying to play it cool. still smiling.
"you shmuck. you are."
"okay, maybe a little."
you both laughed.
──────────────────────
the strange thing was that after all the revelations.
nothing really changed.
he was still the boy who called the wrong number.
you were still the girl who would answer his call after two rings.
the only difference now was that he knew you were blind. and you now knew that he was michael jackson.
neither fact seemed to matter very much.
at least not to you.
⋆
the first time he told you, michael had been visibly nervous.
you both were sitting in your apartment, while jazz music was playing softly in the background.
and michael finally asked.
"so... y'know who i am now, right?"
"mhm."
"and?"
"and what? is there more to it?"
a pause.
"i'm michael jackson."
"okay."
"okay. that's it?"
michael stared. you just shrugged.
"you were mike to me yesterday."
he let out a loud laugh he nearly fell of the couch.
⋆
your apartment quickly became one of his favorite places.
there were no screaming crowds, no flashy cameras pointing at him, and no pressure and expectations around him here.
just you.
he'd sometimes stop by after recording sessions, or after surviving rude interviews he didn't want to do in the first place.
and whenever touring pulled him away...
he'd always find time to call you every night like clockwork.
"hello."
"hi."
"there you are."
the same routine everytime.
⋆
unfortunately for you, michael had been alarmingly protective of you.
especially when walking outside together.
"—stop!"
"what?"
michael grabbed your shoulders and physically rotated you.
"there."
"what was that?"
"a mailbox. you were about to walk into it."
"oh. again?"
"yeah."
"the mailbox and i have history."
he buried his face in his hands.
⋆
another time—
"WAIT."
"what??"
—HONK!
michael immediately hooked an arm around your waist and pulled you towards him.
a car sped past.
you blinked.
"oh. i didn't hear that one."
"you— you didn't ?"
"it can't be helped. it happens"
he looked like he was about to have a heart attack. you patted his arm gently.
"there, there."
"don't 'there, there' me."
⋆
one afternoon you nearly walked directly into a street sign.
michael grabbed your elbow before you walked into it.
redirecting you, then kept walking.
"thanks."
"you're welcome."
a pause.
"y'know, most people ask before manhandling me."
"you lost that privilege after walking into a fire hydrant."
⋆
but for someone so protective—
michael also forgot you were blind constantly.
"look at this."
silence.
michael froze, realizing what he just said.
"..."
"...i'm blind."
"right. sorry."
not even 10 minutes in—
"woah! did you see that?"
"mike."
"right."
⋆
one evening, he excitedly showed up to you holding a magazine featuring his album.
"look."
a pause. then immediate regret.
"oh."
he said.
you nodded.
michael groaned and you laughed.
"can you tell me what it is?"
"yeah— right. sorry."
⋆
the blind jokes never stopped once, and michael never knew whether he should laugh.
"well, i didn't see that coming."
"...should i laugh?"
"yes. i'm giving you permission."
⋆
"you're cooking, mike?"
"yeah. thought you might be hungry."
"m'kay, don't burn my kitchen okay? i've got my eye on you."
you pointed at him— or rather, pointing in the wrong direction where he definitely isn't there.
"you definitely don't."
you laughed out loud.
⋆
and the worst part was that eventually he started laughing at your jokes.
the jokes were objectively terrible, but your commitment made them funny to him.
there was one time, you were sitting together on the couch.
when suddenly, you leaned close.
closer.
and closer.
until both of your faces were only inches apart.
and michael forgot how to breathe.
"...what are you doing?"
"i'm trying to get a better look at you."
he looked at you for a moment, then laughed before he could stop himself.
he immediately covered his mouth.
"oh no."
you smiled, tilted your head. your faces still inches apart.
"what?"
"your humor is getting to me. it's contagious."
you laughed against his chest while he felt bad for laughing, but laughed anyway with you.
──────────────────────
by then, meeting up had become a routine.
sometimes it was the same cafe. sometimes it was the record store. or sometimes, a little family-owned restaurant tucked away in the city where michael could sit without being recognized every five minutes.
but today, it was the restaurant.
it was nearly empty.
just the soft clinking of silverware and quiet conversations drifting through the restaurant.
michael had barely settled into his seat before his eyes wandered beneath the table.
then stopped. he stared.
michael looked from one foot to the other.
one plaid. one striped.
"...those don't match."
you glanced down at your own feet out of pure habit, even though you couldn't actually see.
"...so i've been told."
"they're diffent socks."
"you say that like it's my fault."
you smiled, unbothered, and continued eating.
the conversation should've ended there—
but it didn't.
⋆
a week later, michael arrived carrying a small box.
"what is that?"
"a solution."
"to what?"
"your fashion crimes."
inside the box were neatly paired socks.
you laughed so hard you nearly dropped the box.
"mike..."
"i'm trying to help you."
"they're socks.
"and they matter."
and from there... things were escalated rapidly.
socks became shirts, skirts, dresses, jewelry, then shoes.
then somehow, michael had accidentally become your personal stylist.
⋆
one afternoon, he arrived at your apartment carrying multiple shopping bags.
and you heard them immediately before he even spoke.
"oh no. that sounds like it costs money."
michael laughed, and you smiled at the sound.
"you need better clothes."
"i have clothes."
"you have fabric. this is different."
the funny thing is that you genuinely don't care. it's not because you disliked fashion, because you literally couldn't see it, so you don't really see the use of it.
meanwhile, michael treated every outfit of yours like he was preparing someone for the red carpet.
"can you stand up for me?"
you shrugged and stood up.
then you hear michael circling around you. quietly thinking, analyzing, and judging.
"hm..."
"what is it?"
"the earrings have to go."
you snorted at how committed he was to your outfits, even if it's just a trip to the record store. people would think you were preparing to go to an event.
⋆
eventually, michael started doing your hair too.
at first, he was just fixing little things like a loose strand or putting on a ribbon to your hair.
the suddenly he was fully invested into it.
"stay still."
"what are you doing, mike?"
"fixing."
"fixing what?"
"everything."
you scoffed dramatically, offended.
"rude."
sometimes, he would recreate hairstyles inspired by women he'd admired growing up.
elegant curls. soft waves. vintage silhouettes. classic glamour.
the kind of beauty that michael loved seeing in old films.
and when he was finished, he would step back. admiring his work and felt completely satisfied.
meanwhile, you were restlessly sitting down. bored.
"can we leave now?"
⋆
there was one day where michael convinced you to let him do a little makeup.
it wasn't anything dramatic. it's the kind that enhanced rather than transformed.
you sat the entire time patiently and trusting him completely— which somehow made him more nervous.
"—there."
"is it done?"
"yeah."
"do i look somewhat nice?"
michael looked at you, and for a moment he didn't answer.
because the truth was...
you always had.
the dresses, the hair, the makeup...
they weren't what made you beautiful.
he simply loved seeing the person he already thought was beautiful dressed the way he imagined movie stars looked beneath golden lights.
sometimes he would smooth out a wrinkle from your sleeve, adjust a necklace, or brush a loose strand behind your ear.
he would quietly think...
'i wish you could see yourself the way i do.'
not because he wanted credit, and not because he wanted you to admire the outfit he'd bought for you—
just because he wished, even once, you could see what he saw every time he looked at you.
then, inevitably...
you'd ruin the moment.
"why are you so quiet? do i look ugly?"
you said, snapping out of his thoughts.
he nearly choked.
"no you don't!"
"good. don't tell me if i ever do."
he laughed.
──────────────────────
looking back, the clothes had never really been about clothes.
they were simply one of the many ways michael learned to care for you, and the more time he spent by your side... the more time those little acts of care quietly found their way into everything else.
because despite all his worrying, his redirecting, his hovering.
and all his constant—
"careful."
"watch your step."
"wait—"
michael never treated you like you were fragile. not really.
because he learned that you hated it. that you didn't want the pity. you didn't want people acting like you weren't incapable.
you didn't want someone to live your life for you.
so he adapted.
instead of doing things for you... he simply stood nearby you and was always ready when you needed him.
close enough to catch you if you fall— far enough to let you stumble if you insisted.
he'd quietly turn your shoulders before you walked into a street sign.
slide a chair beneath you before you sat down.
wordlessly move something out of your path.
it was small things nobody else would've noticed.
and somehow that meant more.
those tiny acts of care became their own language. a language that didn't make you feel incapable. only loved.
it became second nature.
so did describing the world for you.
just like your late-night phone calls, the mismatched socks he'd eventually given up trying to fix, or him spending an unreasonable amount of money filling your wardrobe because he refused to let you 'accidentally invent new fashion trends.'
just wandering into record stores, small coffee shops, bookstores—
anywhere the two of you could disappear for a few hours and simply exist.
when the city became too loud, the world felt unbearably heavy, and fame became too much for michael.
you both always ended up in the same place.
your rooftop.
it wasn't anything particularly impressive. there was no skyline, no luxury furniture, no grandview.
just a few chairs, a small table, and an outdoor sofa facing the view.
strings of fairy lights draped overhead above both of you, and the soft glow turned everything warm, comfortable, and safe.
it had quietly became michael's favorite part of your apartment.
not because of what he could see from there, but because of who was waiting for him there.
the evening breeze drifted through the air. neither of you had spoken for several minutes... just listening to the city below.
then—
"can i ask you something?"
michael looked over to you and nodded.
"yeah. what is it?"
a pause.
you hesitated. which was strange because you never did.
"what..."
you searched for the words.
"...do you look like?"
he blinked. because it wasn't a question he'd expected.
he laughed quietly.
"you've never asked."
"i know."
"do you want me to describe myself?"
"no."
another pause.
"i don't think words would help."
michael looked down at his hands. and for some reason, he couldn't explain. his chest suddenly felt tight.
because he'd spend most of his life wishing people would stop looking at him.
yet here you were—
the one person who never had.
"...can i..."
you hesitated again.
"can i feel your face?"
michael's heart forget what it was doing.
"oh."
a beat. then—
"...yeah."
he shifted a little closer, close enough that he could hear your breathing.
you slowly lifted your hand carefully.
tentatively.
as though asking one final time without using words, and michael answered by gently taking your wrist.
his hands were warm... and much larger than yours. he guided your fingertips to his cheek, and then he let go.
for a long moment, neither of you moved.
your fingers barely brushed his skin softly and curiously, but never invasive.
you traced the curve of his jaw, his cheekbones, the bridge of his nose, and his eyebrows. the gentle arch of them making you smile.
"hm..."
"what?"
"i thought your nose would be bigger"
michael let out an offended laugh.
"my nose?'
"i don't know."
"you imagined a bigger nose?"
"i had to imagine something."
he laughed again, and the sound made you smile.
your fingers found the corners of his eyes. his eyelashes fluttered instinctively against your fingertips.
"you blink a lot."
"because you're fingers are poking my eyes."
you laughed softly, muttering a 'sorry.'
then, you traced the outline of his lips carefully, almost reverently. as though committing every feature to memory.
michael had never felt more seen. not because you were looking at him— because you weren't. you couldn't.
but somehow... that made it mean more.
your hand slowly fell back into your lap.
"so...?"
michael asked quietly.
"what do you think?"
you tilted your head. thinking.
"i think.."
a tiny smile appeared.
"..you have a kind face."
and something in michael's chest ached.
nobody had ever described him that way before. not handsome, not famous, not beautiful...
kind.
you laughed softly.
"i wonder what i look like."
michael looked at you immediately.
"what do you mean?'
"i don't know. i've never seen myself."
your smile remained, but it was smaller now.
"i hope i'm pretty."
you said quietly.
and michael frowned.
"you are."
"you don't have to say that."
"i'm not saying it because we're friends."
"you kind of have to."
"i don't." "you do."
you smiled.
michael shook his head.
"no."
his voice came out softer than he'd intended.
"i just.."
he searched for the right words. "i wish you could see yourself the way i do." silence it wasn't the kind of silence that was awkward, it was full. you reached for him again, and michael thought you were going to touch his face once more. but instead— your hand rested lightly against his cheek, and you leaned forward, pressing the gentlest kiss against his closed eyelid. it lasted barely a second, then pulled away. you smiled. "i liked doing that." michael blinked. he still hadn't moved, still hadn't spoken. his heart was pounding, he was convinced you could hear it. "...why?" "i don't know." you shrugged, trying to find the right words. "it feels... more personal." "than kissing someone?" "mhm." you nodded. "a kiss is just a kiss." you paused. "but someone trusting you enough to close their eyes? i think that's special." you smiled at the thought. and for once, michael didn't know what to say. so he didn't. instead— he quietly reached for your hand and held it for a long time. while you quietly rest your head against his shoulder. neither of you called it love. but if anyone has asked what it was— neither of you would've known what else to call it. ────────────────────── tag list: @ugftugbjh @veraberaxx @dillydallyonthedaily @pinkdollyy1 @ttwot1me-nia @nata-de-coconuts @peterpanmj @aubrslifegio @thlayna @raaaabbithole @boredpretty @tallkitten @gjhffjfd @thebabykashmere @iris-xoxo-juhu @delictezz @lov3lylxvender @michcarrillo02-blog @smoothcriminalgf