twister, pools and llamas
SUMMARY: Michael realizes he has feelings for his best friend.
CONTENT: inspired by the twister and pool scenes in ‘Michael’. Friends with feelings for each other. Fluff. This will probably be a small series! lmk what you guys think.
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There was one thing Michael Jackson still hated admitting.
Especially in that weird in-between stage of his life where everything felt like it was changing too fast.
Off the Wall had exploded.
People looked at him differently now.
And somehow the house in Encino felt emptier because of it.
Tonight was supposed to help.
Michael had spent an embarrassingly long time setting up Twister in the living room because he’d convinced himself his brothers would actually play with him for once.
“C’mon,” he tried again, holding up the box dramatically while his brothers grabbed jackets near the front door. “Just one game.”
“We already got plans, Mike.”
“We’ll play another time.”
Michael’s shoulders slumped slightly.
The front door shut behind them.
Michael stared at the bright Twister mat spread across the carpet for a second too long before quietly sitting down beside it.
From the kitchen, Katherine Jackson looked over sympathetically.
“I’m fine,” Michael muttered immediately.
Which meant he absolutely wasn’t.
Meanwhile, from his armchair, Joe Jackson barely glanced up from the television.
“You too old to be sulking over games.”
Katherine shot him a sharp look immediately.
Michael just looked down at the mat.
And then the doorbell rang.
Katherine moved to answer it, and seconds later a familiar voice drifted through the hallway.
“Mrs. Jackson, my mom said you forgot your baking dish again—”
Then Y/N L/N appeared in the living room doorway and stopped mid-sentence.
Because spread across the floor was Twister.
Her entire face lit up instantly.
Michael looked up slowly.
Y/N pointed aggressively at the mat.
“Are we playing Twister?”
“Michael.” She looked genuinely offended. “I love Twister.”
And just like that, something heavy in his chest loosened instantly.
Because Y/N always did this somehow.
She was the Jacksons’ neighbor in Encino. Loud, funny, dramatic Y/N who showed up unexpectedly and filled rooms without even trying.
“She distracts him,” he always grumbled whenever she came around.
Which honestly? Only became more true with time.
Because Michael looked at Y/N differently than he looked at everybody else.
Like he could breathe easier around her.
Even if neither of them fully realized why yet.
Y/N dropped onto the floor beside the mat dramatically.
Michael laughed softly for the first time all evening.
“Oh.” Y/N crossed her legs. “So this is serious.”
Twister turned out to be a horrible idea immediately.
Mostly because Y/N cheated constantly.
Michael laughed so hard he nearly collapsed onto the mat.
Needed someone who didn’t treat him like a celebrity or a machine or the future of music.
At one point Y/N got completely tangled beneath his arm and burst into helpless laughter.
“Yeah, well, you like that about me.”
Michael opened his mouth automatically.
Then smiled shyly instead. “I actually do.”
Y/N blinked at him for half a second too long before immediately looking away.
Because sometimes Michael smiled at her and her brain genuinely stopped functioning for a moment.
Not that she’d ever admit that out loud.
Meanwhile Katherine watched the entire thing from the kitchen trying not to smile too obviously.
Joe, unfortunately, noticed too. And he didn’t like it one bit.
Because Michael had spent all week locked in the studio obsessing over demos and rehearsals and choreography. Focused. Disciplined.
Then Y/N showed up and suddenly he was sprawled across the floor laughing over Twister like the weight of the world wasn’t sitting on his shoulders anymore.
Katherine looked at him flatly.
Eventually the game dissolved into complete chaos because Y/N stopped following the rules entirely.
Then somehow they ended up on the couch with multiple cartons of ice cream spread across the coffee table while an old black-and-white movie played softly in the background.
Y/N sat curled into the corner beneath a fuzzy blanket she’d stolen from Michael’s room earlier.
“This,” she declared seriously around a spoonful of strawberry ice cream, “is the peak human existence.”
Michael laughed softly beside her.
“You say that about everything.”
“Only because I appreciate the beauty in life.”
“You said mozzarella sticks changed your life last week.”
Michael shook his head fondly.
She was absolutely ridiculous.
But tonight something warm settled quietly in his chest every time she made him laugh. Because earlier she’d noticed he was upset immediately.
And instead of brushing it off or teasing him, she stayed. Like his feelings mattered.
And Michael didn’t realize how badly he needed that until now.
Y/N’s voice slowly got quieter and quieter while she rambled about how old movies needed ‘better kissing scenes.’
Then, eventually, silence.
Michael glanced sideways and froze slightly.
Because Y/N had fallen asleep against his shoulder.
Michael smiled instantly.
Carefully, trying not to wake her, he adjusted the blanket higher around her shoulders.
And for a second he just sat there looking at her.
At the way her hair spilled against his arm.
The faint remains of eyeliner beneath her eyes.
The tiny pout she always got when she slept.
Something in Michael’s chest ached suddenly, warm in a way he didn’t fully understand yet.
A few minutes later Katherine walked into the living room and immediately stopped.
Michael sitting perfectly still so Y/N could sleep comfortably against him.
The empty ice cream cartons abandoned everywhere.
The old movie flickering softly across both their faces.
Katherine’s expression melted instantly.
“Oh,” she whispered softly.
Then Joe appeared behind her.
“There she goes again,” he muttered. “Distracting him.”
Katherine looked ready to argue until Michael glanced up briefly.
And the look on his face stopped her. Because her son looked peaceful.
Not exhausted. Not pressured. Not overwhelmed.
Like for one evening he got to simply be a young man sitting on the couch with his best friend instead of carrying the weight of becoming Michael Jackson.
Katherine smiled quietly to herself.
Meanwhile Michael looked back down at Y/N sleeping against him and smiled too.
Even if he didn’t know it yet.
A few days after the Twister episode, the California heat had turned the Jackson backyard into something straight out of a magazine ad.
The pool shimmered bright blue beneath the sun.
Music drifted softly from outdoor speakers.
And floating lazily in the middle of the water was Michael Jackson with a notebook balanced against his bare chest, completely lost inside his own head.
One arm dangled into the water while he scribbled lyrics messily across the page, humming little melodies beneath his breath every few seconds.
His dark curls were slightly damp from the heat already, and his aviator sunglasses rested low on his nose while he concentrated so hard he barely noticed anything else around him.
Michael always got like this while writing.
Like the song became the only thing existing in the world.
Which was exactly why his brothers chose that moment to interrupt him.
“What are you doing?” Jermaine asked while stepping outside with Marlon and Tito trailing behind him.
Michael barely glanced up from the notebook.
Jermaine stared flatly at the inflatable raft.
“You’re writing music in a pool.”
Michael ignored him completely, scribbling something down quickly before muttering the melody beneath his breath again.
“What’s got you acting possessed now?”
Michael finally sat up slightly, curls falling into his face while he pointed the pencil toward them dramatically.
“You’re at the pool, Mike.”
“If I don’t finish it, God’s gonna give it to Prince.”
His brothers exploded laughing immediately.
“That is not how music works!”
Michael pointed accusingly at them.
“You laugh now but when Prince releases this six months later don’t come crying to me.”
And then the back door slid open.
Michael looked up automatically. Big mistake.
Because Y/N L/N stepped outside.
And every coherent thought immediately left his body.
She looked like actual summer personified, wearing a tiny red-and-white checkered bikini tied at her hips with little bows, her hair piled messily on top of her head while oversized aviator sunglasses sat on her nose.
Michael’s aviator sunglasses.
The realization hit him instantly.
“Oh my God,” Jermaine whispered-yelled beside him immediately. “She stole your glasses.”
Michael barely heard anything.
Because Y/N was already walking barefoot toward the pool, sunlight glowing against her skin while the sunglasses practically swallowed half her face.
And somehow the fact she was casually wearing his things made the situation ten times worse for him.
“Oh!” Y/N smiled brightly when she spotted everyone. “Hi boys.”
Brutal silence. Jermaine slowly turned toward Michael.
And immediately started grinning.
Because Michael looked absolutely doomed.
His eyes widened slightly before darting downward toward the notebook in his lap like he suddenly remembered he was supposed to be pretending to work.
“Ohhhhh,” Marlon whispered delightedly.
Michael snapped back to reality instantly.
Tito crossed his arms trying not to laugh.
Meanwhile Y/N finally looked properly toward Michael.
Because Michael was shirtless.
And somehow her brain had never fully processed that possibility before.
Which now actually felt medically concerning.
The sunlight reflected against the water onto his skin while he sat stretched across the float in black swim trunks, curls messy from the heat, lean chest lightly glistening beneath the afternoon sun.
Y/N actually forgot what she was doing for a second.
“Oh my God,” she blurted out before she could stop herself. “You’re shirtless.”
One of his brothers made a strangled noise immediately, trying to suppress a laugh.
“I’ve literally never seen that before.”
Michael sat up straighter automatically. Which somehow only made everything worse.
Because now Y/N got an even better look at him.
And Michael got a very clear look at Y/N staring.
“Oh this is bad,” Marlon whispered gleefully.
Michael tried looking back down at the notebook again pretending very hard to focus.
Unfortunately his body had already betrayed him.
Because Y/N kept walking closer to the edge of the pool adjusting his sunglasses and smiling at him in that absentmindedly sweet way she always did.
Michael shifted awkwardly against the float.
Immediately realizing the problem.
Actual panic flashed across his face for half a second. Because now Y/N was kneeling beside the pool and Michael suddenly became very aware that his swim trunks were doing absolutely nothing to hide the situation developing in real time.
Jermaine noticed instantly.
And the grin spreading across his face became genuinely evil.
Michael snapped his head toward him immediately.
“You are fighting for your life right now, aren’t you?”
Y/N looked between them suspiciously.
“Nothing!” Michael answered way too fast and his brothers nearly collapsed laughing.
Meanwhile Y/N narrowed her eyes briefly before shrugging.
And before anyone could react, she jumped directly into the deep end of the pool.
Then immediately regretted it.
Y/N resurfaced flailing dramatically because she was way too short to comfortably touch the bottom.
“Y/N—" Michael started, but she launched herself at him without hesitation.
Michael barely steadied the float in time before Y/N practically climbed onto him in panic, arms wrapping tightly around his shoulders while she tried to keep herself above water.
The float tipped dangerously sideways beneath them.
And suddenly Y/N was pressed directly against him.
Legs tangled beneath the water.
Her thighs brushing his waist while she clung to him breathlessly.
Michael stopped breathing entirely.
Because this was already catastrophic before Y/N accidentally shifted against his lap trying to stabilize herself.
Michael sucked in a sharp breath.
His brothers turned away screaming laughing.
Michael wanted the earth to swallow him whole.
Because now he was painfully aware of everything.
The water dripping slowly down Y/N’s skin.
The coconut sunscreen smell surrounding her.
The fact she was wearing his sunglasses.
And most importantly: the very obvious problem he was desperately trying to hide while Y/N clung to him in the middle of the pool.
Michael grabbed her waist quickly to keep both of them from tipping over.
“You okay?” he asked, voice noticeably strained.
“I hate this stupid deep pool.”
Except now Y/N noticed something too.
But definitely the tension.
The way his hands tightened carefully at her waist.
The way he kept avoiding eye contact.
The fact his entire face was pink now.
And honestly? Y/N wasn’t doing much better herself.
Because Michael this close felt genuinely unfair.
His chest warm beneath her hands.
His curls damp and falling into his eyes.
His arms flexing slightly every time he steadied her in the water.
And the way he looked at her completely flustered and overwhelmed and trying so hard to stay respectful despite very obviously malfunctioning.
Y/N suddenly became very aware of how close their faces were.
“Huh,” she said softly before she could stop herself.
“You look really pretty like this.”
Michael nearly short-circuited on the spot.
Jermaine collapsed into one of the lounge chairs laughing while Tito slapped the table dramatically.
Michael groaned quietly, dropping his forehead briefly against Y/N’s shoulder in complete defeat while she laughed helplessly against him.
And somehow neither of them made any effort to move apart.
The sun was beginning to soften by the time they left the pool.
Everything felt warm and lazy in that golden late afternoon way California summers always did.
Music still drifted faintly from somewhere inside the house while the grass stayed hot beneath bare feet and the air smelled like sunscreen and chlorine.
And somewhere across the backyard, Y/N L/N was currently losing her mind over a llama. Specifically Louie.
Michael sat on the back steps with a towel around his shoulders and watched in helpless amusement while his best friend ran dramatically across the grass trying to feed Louie strawberries.
“Louie!” she gasped. “Save the drama for you llama!”
Louie stared blankly at her.
Michael laughed softly under his breath.
She really did talk to animals like they were people.
Y/N held another strawberry out toward the llama carefully.
“You just get me emotionally, don’t you?”
Louie sneezed directly in her face. Y/N did not move an inch.
Michael laughed really hard at that.
Y/N wiped her cheek dramatically while glaring at the llama in betrayal.
“I thought we had something special going on, Louie.”
Her laughter echoed across the yard a second later anyway.
Real enough that Michael found himself smiling before he even realized it.
Because Y/N laughed with her whole body. Throwing her head back. Clutching her stomach. Nearly stumbling over herself every single time.
And Michael loved making her laugh more than almost anything.
Which was maybe a problem. A very big problem.
“You got it bad, don’t you?”
Michael startled slightly.
Bill stood beside the porch railing holding a soda, watching Y/N chase Louie around the yard with open amusement.
Michael immediately looked back toward the grass.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Across the lawn Y/N was now attempting to braid flowers into the llama’s fur.
Louie looked deeply exhausted by her existence already.
Michael smiled again without meaning to.
Bill noticed immediately.
Michael realized too late he’d done it again.
Done the stupid soft smile.
The one everybody kept noticing lately whenever Y/N was around.
Michael cleared his throat awkwardly.
Bill looked at him flatly.
Michael groaned quietly, dragging one hand down his face.
“You twenty something old scared of a conversation?”
Michael looked genuinely distressed. “Yes.”
Meanwhile Y/N finally succeeded in placing one flower crookedly behind Louie’s ear.
“Oh my God,” she whispered to the llama. “You’re gorgeous.”
Michael chuckled at her, feeling helpless again.
“You look happier around her.”
Michael’s smile faded slightly at that. Not entirely, just enough to become softer. Because the annoying part was that Bill was right.
Michael looked back toward the yard quietly while Y/N rammed dramatically into Louie’s side trying to hug him.
“She’s different,” Michael admitted softly.
Michael took a second to answer. Because truth be told? He didn’t even fully know himself.
“She doesn’t…” He paused. “She doesn’t look at me like everybody else does.”
“She just comes over and steals my food and makes fun of my clothes and talks during movies.” He smiled to himself faintly. “And when I’m around her I don’t gotta think so hard.”
Bill’s expression softened at that and he clicked his tongue.
Because Michael spent most of his life thinking too hard.
But around Y/N? He looked light. Young again.
Like the fame disappeared for a little while.
Bill glanced toward the backyard where Y/N was now laying in the grass beside Louie dramatically.
“She likes you too, you know.”
“What?” He blurted out desperately and ridiculously fast.
“No no no.” Michael sat up straighter immediately. “We’re friends.”
Bill took one sip of his soda.
“She wears your sunglasses.”
Michael froze. “That doesn’t mean anything.”
“She nearly drowned looking at you shirtless.”
Michael turned bright red instantly, feeling his cheeks warming up. “Well, that was an accident!”
Bill snorted. “And you almost passed out when she climbed on top of you in the pool.”
Michael buried his face into the towel he held immediately.
“Oh my God.” He let out, his voice muffled.
“Son, everybody sees this except you two.”
Michael groaned dramatically into the towel.
Because unfortunately he knew Bill was right.
He did feel different around Y/N.
Too aware of her all the time.
Too happy whenever she showed up unexpectedly.
Too nervous whenever she looked pretty.
And today? It had been particularly catastrophic for him.
Especially Y/N wearing his glasses and clinging to him in the water with her legs wrapped around his waist while he fought for his actual life.
Michael groaned, face still in the towel. “Bill, I think I’m dying.”
“No, son. I think you just got feelings.” He added between laughs.
Michael looked genuinely horrified by the concept.
Before he could answer though—
Y/N stood halfway across the lawn waving excitedly while Louie wandered behind her aimlessly.
“Your llama likes me more than you now!”
Michael smiled automatically.
Bill watched him for exactly one second before laughing quietly to himself and walking away.
That boy was falling hard.
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