birthday ݁⋆⭒˚.⋆ m. jackson
synopsis: it’s michael’s 44th birthday and you want him to feel special
warnings: slight mention of case and crying
notes: this one is more lengthy bc i get so emotional thinking about what he was going through mentally during this time (i’m not crying you are).
˖ . ݁𝜗𝜚. ݁₊
today was michael's 44th birthday, and you wanted to make it as special as you possibly could. the past several months had been unimaginably hard on him with the allegations and ongoing trial hanging over his head. the stress had slowly chipped away at him, leaving him quieter than you'd ever known him to be. lately, he spent most of his time alone, disappearing into another room or wandering off somewhere in the house just to be by himself. you knew it wasn't because of you.
he was simply trying to carry the weight of everything the only way he knew how. most nights, the two of you would lie in bed watching whatever movie happened to be on, the silence between you louder than the television. michael felt guilty for how much he'd withdrawn, admitting more than once that he hated how much he was shutting you out. every time, you reassured him that you understood and that you weren't going anywhere. whenever he was ready, you'd still be there waiting for him.
the clock read 7:35 p.m., and you knew michael would be home from his parents' house any minute. he had dropped the kids off there so the two of you could spend his birthday alone together. you had told him you were staying behind to tidy up the house a bit, but in reality, you'd been busy putting together a little surprise for him. the living room was decorated with gold balloons spelling out happy birthday, while matching balloons were scattered across the floor.
the coffee table was covered with all of his favorite snacks, a record played softly in the background, and sitting in the center was his birthday cake with large number 44 candles waiting to be lit. in the distance, you heard the front door creak open followed by the familiar sound of michael setting his keys down. your heart raced as you reached for the lighter on the table and carefully lit each candle before he walked into the room.
“baby I’m back. you should’ve seen paris, she was such a trip I-”. michael says and then pauses.
“happy birthday angel!” you say with a large grin.
michael stood in the doorway of the living room scanning the room and then put his hand over his mouth. he shook his head and removed his hand from his mouth and placed both over his face. you picked up the cake slowly walking over to him singing happy birthday. the candles lit up his face and you saw tears forming in his eyes. michael stared at you through the fire with glossy eyes.
“make a wish”. you whisper.
michael closed his eyes for a moment, as tears slipped down his cheeks before he took a shaky breath and blew out the two candles. the tiny flames flickered before disappearing, leaving the room lit only by the warm glow of the lights around you. you lowered the cake and pressed a soft kiss to his lips before the two of you made your way over to the couch. carefully, you set the cake back in its original spot on the coffee table.
before you could even sit down, michael wrapped his arms tightly around you. you immediately melted into his embrace, your arms circling his waist as he rested his chin on top of your head. quiet sobs shook his body while you gently rubbed your hands up and down his back, silently trying to soothe him through the overwhelming emotions. after a long moment, he finally pulled away, letting out a shaky breath. a small, shy smile found its way onto his lips, his eyes still glistening with tears.
“you didn’t have to do this for me, pretty girl. i would’ve been perfectly fine just spending the night in bed doing nothing with you”. he says with a sniffle.
“michael you deserve this, things have been at such a high. i wanted to remind you how loved and how special you are to me, you’re my husband”. you say.
tears began to stream down his cheeks again as you two held each other's gaze. you grabbed his hand leading him to the couch. micahel took a seat and pulled you onto his lap, thumb rubbing your waist.
“i am your husband and i’ve been so disconnected from you and the kids and it makes me feel so ashamed. i don’t mean to isolate myself. i just don’t know what to do with my emotions and i don't want to come around and kill the mood sulking around. you say i deserve this but I don't. this is for a man who is present in his wife and children’s lives”. he says.
his sobs only grew louder as you shifted until you were straddling his lap, wrapping your arms tightly around him. without a word, he buried his face into the crook of your neck, holding onto you like you were the only thing keeping him together. you held him close, gently running your fingers through his hair as he let every emotion he had been bottling up finally spill out. your own eyes began to burn, tears slipping down your cheeks as you cried with him. the two of you stayed like that, wrapped in each other's arms while months of built up emotions finally ran their course. it hurt so much to watch Michael beat himself up like this.
he deserved so much more than the guilt he carried. he deserved happiness, peace, and every good thing life had to offer. more than anything, you wanted him to feel as loved and as worthy as he truly was. michael had always been so hard on himself. he was always the first to criticize himself. yet when it came to you and your children, he poured nothing but love into your lives. he made sure each of you knew how deeply loved, appreciated, and cherished you were every single day.
you wished more than anything that he could see himself through your eyes, even if only for a day. maybe then he would finally understand just how much he meant to the three of you. maybe then he would see the incredible man you saw every day, the man who loved his family with everything he had and never failed to make you feel safe, adored, and valued. in your eyes, there could never be a better husband or father than michael, and there never would be.
“baby I hate that you speak so low of yourself. you are such a blessing to us and no matter how many lies the filthy tabloids spew out about you, it’s never going to be true. we as your family know that you are the complete opposite of anything they could ever make up. i know things have been hard for you lately, don't blame yourself. you deserve to have your time away to process what’s going on. i just want you to always know that i’m here for you whenever you’re ready. there’s so many more people in the world that love and adore you compared to the people who are speaking negatively of you. i love you okay and i always will you’re perfect to me. remember that, always perfect to me”. you say.
your hands cupped both sides of his face as you spoke through your own sobs, your voice trembling with every word. michael's lips were pulled into a small pout as he listened intently, never once looking away from you. slowly, you watched relief wash over his face, and he gave you a quiet nod. your thumbs wiped away the tear streaks under his eyes and rested your forehead against his. he repeated numerous "I love yous" as ran his hand up and down your back. in this moment after all the months of disconnection you finally felt connected to your husband again.
















