18.

TAGLIST (click here to be added!): @pinkkycherrish @hismainchic @laniiimariee3 @junkie05 @buckybarnessweetheart @h3avenlyglory @soimightlikeoldmen69 @fifi-asco @chaotuics @arithescorpio @myhobari @niyahctrl @somenichegirl @mxnijuana @freshbonggwater @spencerreidismyhusband123 @mrsj4cks0n @liyahhsnuckhere 🩷

“these bitches be peasants, just address as me as your majesty.” + “you sure that’s your nigga? ‘cause i really can’t tell. not by the way he be calling my cell.” + “and stop calling that nigga phone while we together. he busy, bitch.”

you were never a monogamous type of woman. maybe during your teen years, but as you grew older, you thought the idea of committing to just one man was essentially useless. why let one man lock you down when you could go have fun with as many as you wanted?

that’s exactly how you’ve been spending your time lately — with a phone full of various sexy and incredibly easy men who would drop everything the second you wanted something, no matter what it was that you wanted from them. you were gorgeous in the face, a 10 in your physique, and your sex game was top tier, so who wouldn’t want to run to you as soon as you called?

you’d always tell yourself not to pick favorites in your roster and just continue to use them freely without showing one more attention than the others… but after you met Jermajesty, all of that flew out of the window quicker than you initially wanted it to.

you didn’t get attached to him, nor did you drop the rest of your hoes for him, but you did start to ignore them a bit more than usual and pick Jermajesty over them. it wasn’t intentional at all, but after the first time you slept with him, you started craving him more than you’d usually crave other men on your roster, which honestly freaked you out a little because it had never happened to you before.

you didn’t want to end up catching feelings for him and you didn’t want him catching feelings for you because you knew exactly how that would go, especially since you’ve had to cut off a few of your old hoes in the past for catching feelings. Jermajesty knew what kind of woman you were when he met you, so you hoped he wasn’t the type to try and change who you were — mainly because it wouldn’t work.

things between you, Jermajesty, and your other hoes had been going smoothly lately until… well, until his weird ass ex decided that she wanted him back and completely exposed your relationship with him on her Instagram story today while also simultaneously putting you on blast, causing the blogs to be all over your asses.

it was obvious she either stalked you or had someone else stalk you for her because the photo she shared of you two with her defamation post was from two weeks ago — the first and last time you and Jermajesty went in public together. it was a photo of the two of you hand-in-hand walking into a movie theater together, your faces as visible as day with identical grins.

unfortunately, that was the moment shit started to go downhill. your phone blew up the moment you were posted on blogs holding another man’s hand, your other hoes and your friends texting you all at once to talk about the controversy happening and understand what the hell was happening.

you were struggling to reply to everybody’s overwhelming spew of messages while also plotting to get on Jermajesty’s ex for telling your business, but the moment some of the men on your roster cut you off because of the fake news, it sent you on an incredibly disrespectful rant on your Instagram live in retaliation to her lies earlier today — specifically, an hour ago.

“you too busy watchin’ where my pussy goin’ instead of gettin’ a fuckin’ hobby, you dumb ass bitch,” you scoffed as your eyebrows furrowed and you crossed your arms, glaring at your propped-up phone, “i don’t give a fuck who y’all seen me with and where you saw me with ‘em, i’m single as hell. fuck what the blogs say and fuck whatever she say, she don’t even know me like that!”

“she got all this disrespectful ass shit to say about me just because i’m fuckin’ on her ex— he is not your damn boyfriend!” you exclaimed as your face slightly scrunched up and you laughed bitterly, “shit, as far as i’m concerned, whatever problem you have is with him, not me!”

“then this ho had the nerve to try and call me ‘miss community pussy’… ooh, i swear i almost told her somethin’. bitch, i’m young and real sexy, i can have a roster if i want to, the fuck?” you scoffed lightly as your eyes briefly scanned the comments in your live and you watched the viewer count continue to skyrocket, “talkin’ all kinds of shit about my pussy, but your ex love to bury his face in my shit on a daily basis, so what’s really tea? it’s givinggg that you mad ‘cause your pussy don’t pop like mine, boo.”

“oh!— and another thing! stop fuckin’ sneakin’ pictures of me when i’m out in public, you creepy ass ho, because i can be outside with whoever the fuck i damn well please! shit, i could be with your baby daddy tomorrow night if you got one!” you exclaimed with a snort of amusement as you rested your hands on your hips, “don’t let this social media shit gas your head up and get your ass beat ‘cause i don’t play these types of games with nobody.”

“somebody just commented ‘idk sis, that whole post felt like some cockblocking shit’— because it literally was, bro, i’m tellin’ y’all! this bitch literally made almost all of my other niggas cut me off with this bullshit!” you exclaimed with a dry laugh as you slightly flailed your arms, “like, why are you so worried about me and what i do in my private time?! and why the hell are you so worried about what your ex got goin’ on and who they fuckin’ on now?! y’all, i really don’t think this weird bitch got a job or some shit ‘cause it’s gettin’ real spooky out here…”

before you could continue giving his ex a big piece of your mind that would ultimately end up with your Instagram being either taken down or restricted, you ended up getting a FaceTime from Jermajesty mid-live, which you quickly accepted and ended your live without saying anything else. the minute the call connected, Jermajesty popped up with a slight clench in his jaw and his eyes slightly darker than usual, his expression giving away his feelings of frustration.

the call was shorter than your usual FaceTimes, but the last thing Jermajesty said to you was “don’t post or say nothin’ else to her ass. i’ma be at your house in an hour.” before the call abruptly ended and left you standing in your home in deafening silence.

you were a bit amused by the angry change in his demeanor, honestly finding it sexy that his ex badmouthing you had completely thrown off his mood and made him want to defend your honor, even if the two of you weren’t together.

it didn’t make you any less frustrated though because all of the drama his ex caused over that photo made your roster drop from high to low in the short span of just two hours, only three of them — including Jermajesty — remaining by your side through the ongoing conflict.

luckily for you, that hour you spent alone and off of social media flew by quicker than you expected it to because it led to where you are now: getting up from the couch to answer the front door.

unlocking and pulling the door open, you rested your other hand on your hip as you looked up at Jermajesty, his eyes back to their soft brown the moment he looked at you yet that slight clench in his jaw still remained.

“so what took you an hour to come over here, J?” you asked, raising an eyebrow, as you stepped to the side and allowed him in, your eyes following his movements while you shut and locked the door behind him.

“had to take care of business, mama,” Jermajesty answered casually as he walked towards the living room and you followed behind him, a small grin pulling at the corners of your mouth from the term of endearment, “made some calls and got all that shit took down.”

your eyebrows almost immediately furrowed and a look of confusion crossed your face as the two of you took a seat on your couch and leaned back into the cushions, his arm instinctively wrapping around your waist to pull you closer to him while his hand splayed across your side.

“you bein’ real vague right now and you know i hate that shit,” you huffed as you instinctively leaned into his touch and turned your head to properly face him, your eyes searching his expression, “c’mon, ‘Majesty, spit it out.”

“i called my ex and made her delete all that shit she posted about us. then i made her get in touch with all them blogs that reposted her stuff and made ‘em delete it, too.” Jermajesty explained, a hint of pride in his voice, as both of your eyebrows slightly raised in pleasant surprise and you grinned widely, earning a soft chuckle from him.

“oooh, you handlin’ business like that?” you teased as your grin smoothly converted into a smirk and you playfully rested your hand against the center of his chest, “okay, big daddy, i see you.”

Jermajesty laughed and lightly shook his head, his curls gently shifting with his movement, as your smirk slightly widened and you slowly caressed his chest with your palm, the motion suggestive yet you played it off as casual.

“stop playin’ with me like i’d let somebody talk shit about you and get away with it,” Jermajesty chuckled softly as he glanced down at your hand and smirked a little before gently grabbing your wrist and bringing your hand up to his mouth to press kisses against each of your knuckles, “you rubbin’ my chest like you want somethin’, mama.”

“maybe i wanna piss your ex off some more,” you smirked, your voice shifting into a tempting tone, as you watched him kiss your knuckles before shifting your hand in his grasp, cupping his chin in your hand and resting your thumb against his cheek, “give her weird ass more reasons not to like me.”

Jermajesty grinned at the sound of your words, though you could tell that he was on the same page as you by the glint in his pretty brown eyes, and his other hand slightly tightened on your side before he pulled you onto his lap, your hands moving to rest against his shoulders while you shifted your hips to properly straddle him.

“and maybe i wanna piss your other niggas off,” Jermajesty murmured as he gripped your hips and held them securely before leaning forward and pressing kisses along your jawline, “tired of havin’ to share you anyway.”

“sounds like a personal problem to me… damn near all my other niggas cut me off over all this shit anyway,” you chuckled softly as you cradled the back of Jermajesty’s head and let out a faint hum, leaning into his kisses, “you bad for business, J.”

“mm, sounds like a personal problem to me, mama,” Jermajesty muttered against you, using your own words against you, as his thumbs rubbed small circles against your hips, “just means i get more of you to myself. and speaking of problems… i was on your live earlier before i called you.”

“you were?” you asked in amusement, your smile slightly widening, as Jermajesty hummed lowly and gently squeezed your hips in response, earning a soft snort from you, “what’d you think about my rant, boo?”

“i think,” Jermajesty deliberately paused and lowered his head into the crook of your neck as he left open-mouthed kisses against your melanated skin and used one of his hands to grip your chin and slightly tilt your head to the side, exposing more of your neck to him while his other hand splayed across your back, “it was real sexy hearin’ you tell everybody about how i ‘love to bury my face’ in that pussy.”

“oh, you got flashbacks from that, huh?” you teased, your voice suddenly softer than before, as Jermajesty smirked a little at the change in your tone and latched around a particularly sensitive part of your neck, gently sucking at it and coaxing a soft moan from you.

“somethin’ like that.” Jermajesty mumbled, softly nipping at your skin, as you inhaled sharply through your nose and slightly nudged his shoulder with your other hand, silently reminding him of your “no hickeys” rule that he was clearly breaking by biting and sucking on you.

“Jermajesty,” his name left your mouth in a breathy warning tone, trying your hardest to sound firm as if he wasn’t practically making out with a sensitive part of your neck, “no hickeys, boy. i told you that from the beginning.”

smirking, Jermajesty slowly pulled away from your neck and raised his head as he looked up at you, his eyes lingering on your lips before flickering up to meet your gaze.

“well, since everybody already thinks we together… might as well claim what’s mine,” Jermajesty taunted playfully as he let go of your chin and wrapped his hand around your neck, his thumb rubbing the faint markings on the side of your neck, “they look good on you, too. might give you some more later on.”

“i swear i’m gon’ hurt you.” you huffed softly, though a small grin crept onto your face, as Jermajesty grinned back at you and you leaned down to him, cupping his jaw in one of your hands before attaching your lips to his.

“i might like it… your threats sounds sexy.”

your back arched up off of the couch and a loud cry of bliss fell from your mouth as your orgasm rocketed through you and onto Jermajesty’s face, his hands firmly gripping your thighs to keep them pulled open while he continued hungrily lapping at your pussy. your fingers wiggled through his curls and a broken whimper fell from your lips as he ate you through your climax, helping the orgasmic shocks subside while you panted heavily underneath him.

“fuck,” you exhaled deeply, your body slowly coming down from its orgasm-induced high, as Jermajesty placed one final kiss against your clit before pulling his head back and looking up at you, a slight smirk on his face while he ran his tongue over his lips, “maybe i needa’ brag about you givin’ me head more often.”

“your other niggas gon’ be mad at you if you do,” Jermajesty smirked, slightly raising his eyebrows, as he let go of your thighs and moved up your body, hovering over you for a moment before leaning down to softly peck your lips, “thought that was somethin’ you wanted to avoid, mama?”

“they already mad now, so it’ll be alright,” you snorted softly, looking up at him, as you leaned up to him and pecked his lips twice in return before lowering your hands to the waistband of his pants, “take these off, baby.”

“take ‘em off for me since you wanna be bossy.” Jermajesty jokingly demanded, earning a soft laugh from you, as he leaned down to you again and kissed you deeply, your lips curling into a small grin against his while you returned the kiss.

as the two of you kissed, your hands worked on undressing his lower half, his hips shifting to help you out until he was completely bare just like you. easing his body on top of yours, his hips naturally slotted between your thighs and his erection pressed against your core, causing you to moan softly into the kiss while his hands returned to your thighs and gripped them to spread you further open.

Jermajesty slowly rolled his hips against your pussy once, allowing you to feel just how hard and girthy he was, and you whimpered quietly at the feeling as your hands cradled the back of his head and the two of you deepened the kiss simultaneously, both of you eager to feel each other closer than you already were.

however, before you could continue any further, the sound of a phone ringing struck through the heated silence in the room and the two of you groaned in unison before pulling away from the kiss and turning your heads towards the coffee table where both of your phones were.

“whose damn phone is that?” you huffed, a small furrow forming between your eyebrows, as your hands moved down to his forearms and you watched him slightly lean over to the coffee table to look between both of your phones — and by the look on his face, you already had your answer before he even said anything.

“it’s mine,” Jermajesty chuckled, grabbing his phone, as he leaned back into his original position and turned his phone around to show the screen, revealing an unsaved number and the ‘Answer’ or ‘Decline’ buttons underneath the digits, “guess who it is.”

“she can’t take a hint or some shit?” you scoffed, the furrow between your brows slightly deepening, as your eyes flickered between the phone and Jermajesty’s face, “block her or somethin’. she annoyin’ the fuck outta’ me.”

“nah. i know exactly what i’ma do,” Jermajesty’s lips curled up into a smirk — it wasn’t his usual smirk and that alone should’ve alerted you — and he flipped his phone around back to him as he looked at it for a moment before looking down at you, “you trust me?”

you slightly narrowed your eyes at him and searched his face, as if trying to gauge what his intentions were and where his mind was at, “not with that look on your face, J.”

“i’m not gon’ do nothin’ bad. a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ is all i need,” Jermajesty answered simply as he slightly tilted his head and trailed his free hand up to your waist, gently squeezing it before caressing it slowly, “do you trust me?”

you looked at him silently for a moment before slowly nodding your head, a small grin pulling at the corners of your mouth, “…yeah, i trust you.”

Jermajesty’s unreadable smirk turned into a full-blown mischievous smile and before you knew it, he had both of your legs thrown over his shoulders and his phone rested near your head, your eyes slightly widening once it started to connect in your head what he was about to do.

answering the call with one hand, Jermajesty purposely put the phone on speaker and slipped his other hand between your legs, his thumb momentarily teasing your clit before his hand shifted to grab ahold of his dick and guide it to your entrance.

“hello?”

“…hey, Jermajesty. um… look, i know i’m probably the last person you want to hear from right now, but i just wanted to say that i’m sorry for everything i posted today. i was wrong for that. i was just… really hoping we could talk about getting back togeth—”

as she spoke, Jermajesty’s hips steadily pushed forward until his dick was buried to the hilt, which ultimately coaxed a long high-pitched moan from you since your legs being elevated on his shoulders put him at an advantage to dig deeper inside your walls.

he smirked proudly at the sound and slightly tightened his grip on your waist as his other hand gripped one of your thighs to keep your leg steady on his shoulder and he began thrusting into you at a quick yet deep pace, the sounds of skin-slapping filling the room and most likely echoing through the phone while he continued fucking you like you owed him something.

“ohhh, fuuuuck— nnnngh— baby!” you cried out, your head falling back against the cushions, as your back tried to arch up from the couch but Jermajesty’s grip on your waist kept you pinned down, a loud desperate whine falling from your lips while you clung to his arms, “‘M-Majestyyy!”

“mhm, that’s it, mama. take that dick. keep takin’ it like a good girl f’me,” Jermajesty leaned down to you, essentially folding you in half, and he pressed kisses against your collarbone before inching his head up to rest in the crook of your neck, gliding his tongue across your skin and pulling a whimper from your vocals, “you sound so pretty when you moanin’ for me like that, baby. love the way this pussy wettin’ me up.”

you were so far gone that you forgot that the two of you were still on the phone with Jermajesty’s ex since she had went completely silent, but he didn’t, and that’s why he was fucking you like this. he wanted her to hear everything — the way you’d moan with each rock of his hips, the way you’d cry out his name when he went too deep, the sounds of your bodies repeatedly colliding and becoming even slicker, the filthy things he’d say to you while deep inside you, and so much more that would send that poor woman into cardiac arrest.

raising his head from the crook of your neck, Jermajesty let go of your thigh and wrapped his hand around your jaw instead as he tilted your head back down, “look at me, pretty girl.”

your eyes dazedly met his and you blinked rapidly through the pleasurable haze your mind was being shoved through as your hands left his arms and you cradled his face instead, a desperate attempt to ground yourself in the moment while he continued fucking you into the couch cushions as his ex-girlfriend listened.

“talk to me, mama. tell me how i’m makin’ you feel.”

“y-you—ngh!—you makin’ me f-feel soooo good, J!”

“yeah? you like when i fuck you like this, beautiful?”

“yes! ooh, fuuuuck— yes, babyyy!”

the moment you felt Jermajesty slightly shift the angle of his hips and thrust a little harder was the moment you completely shattered underneath him. you gasped loudly and your jaw went slack as your mouth hung open and your sounds grew higher in pitch and louder in volume, your noises beginning to punctuate each of his thrusts while your eyes rolled back again and your eyebrows furrowed.

“oh, i found that spot, didn’t i, mama?” Jermajesty smirked cockily, maintaining his angle, as your hands shot to his back and you gripped him tight, profusely nodding your head while your nails left crescent-shaped markings in his skin, “mhm, that’s what i thought. hold onto me, baby, i got you. know i can’t let my pretty girl down.”

your head fell back for a second time and a rough sob of pleasure left your mouth as your legs locked up on his shoulders and your knees started to graze your shoulders with each of his thrusts, earning a very high-pitched whine from you while your stomach muscles began to tighten and your walls started to flutter around his dick.

“i feel you, baby, you cummin’? hm? you cummin’ on this dick f’me?” Jermajesty cooed, smirking a little, as he watched your body slightly jerk underneath his weight and took notice of the change in your vocals, knowing he had you right where he wanted you.

“ughhh, yes!” you cried out, your voice wavering, as you quickly nodded your head and your eyes squeezed shut, your thighs beginning to tremble before your orgasm suddenly crashed down on you, “ohhhh, my fuuuuck— Jermajesty!”

as Jermajesty continued fucking you through your climax, both of you were unaware of the fact that his ex had hung up the phone before he asked you to tell him how you were feeling — but it’s not like either of you would’ve actually cared if you had known.

she should’ve known better than to call his phone while he was with you anyway.

The argument afterward had not gone.. well. Mostly because it stopped being about jealousy almost immediately—that would’ve been easier. Instead it became about disrespect. About spending an entire evening standing in a room full of people while another woman monopolized her boyfriend’s attention. About feeling invisible and like a second choice. About Diana acting like she possessed a claim on Michael that nobody else was supposed to fucking question. Then, Diana made the catastrophic mistake of questioning her right back. Michael doesn’t remember every detail because the second the tension started rising, his survival instincts kicked in and his brain effectively left the building. But he remembers (Name) asking if she could maybe have five uninterrupted minutes with her own boyfriend. He remembers Diana not appreciating the tone. He remembers trying to smooth things over then—the drink in (Name)’s hand found itself splashing in Diana’s face before Michael had to physically pick up and pull her away while another nearby did the same with Diana.

Now Diana is on one side of the club pretending none of it happened. His girlfriend is on the other side pretending he doesn’t exist.

And somehow Michael is the common denominator in both disasters.

After spending nearly fifteen minutes pacing around the bar (like a condemned man awaiting execution), Michael finally orders her favorite drink. Then orders another because his hands are shaking badly enough that he drops the first one. By the time he starts walking toward her booth, he’s rehearsed approximately seventeen? different apologies and forgotten every single one of them. His girlfriend notices him immediately but she simply chooses not to acknowledge it. Michael stops beside the table and waits. Nothing.

“Hi.” Silence. “Hi,” he tries again, somehow sounding even more nervous the second time. Still nothing then carefully, he sets the drink down in front of her.

“..I got this for you, baby..” That finally earns him a reaction: she looks at the glass. Then at him and back at the glass. A smile appears and Michael’s stomach immediately drops to the floor. Because it’s not her happy smile. It’s the smile. The one that means she’s about to make him suffer.

“Oh.” One word as she picks up the drink and studies it thoughtfully before slowly lifting her eyes back to his. The smile widens.

“Oh,” She says again. “Finally remembered who your girlfriend is?” And just like that, every apology Michael spent the last fifteen minutes rehearsing evaporates completely.

Michael just stares at her. Which, unfortunately, is probably the worst possible thing he could be doing right now. He just.. stares. Partially because he's terrified and genuinely, sincerely terrified in a way that feels ridiculous considering he’s a rising star, one would think very little scares him. But he’s staring mostly because she’s angry, and he's never actually seen her like this before. Not really—not directed at him. Usually when she’s upset, there’s still something soft underneath it. Its huffy, pouty, there’s some visible crack where he can see his way back in. Tonight there isn’t. Tonight she’s sitting across from him looking completely unimpressed, completely unaffected by his presence, and somehow so damn beautiful. She’s beautiful everyday, yeah. But right now? Whew. Her eyes seem darker, her posture straighter and there’s a confidence that feels like she owns the entire nightclub and everyone inside it. Michael knows he should be apologizing. Knows he should be speaking. Knows he should be doing literally anything other than staring at her. Instead, his brain completely betrays him by noticing how pretty she looks when she’s mad.

The silence stretches longer than it should and her eyebrow slowly lifts. Michael continues staring.

“Hello?” Nothing. “Michael?”

His brain finally restarts with all the grace of a car refusing to turn over. “Pardon?” The second the word leaves his mouth, she lets out a short laugh and leans back against the booth cushions.

“Oh my God,” she mutters. “You're not even listening to me.”

Michael immediately opens his mouth to argue before deciding against it. Bad idea. Very bad idea. Then she gestures casually across the club toward Diana and smiles in a way that makes every survival instinct in his body activate at once.

“Please go back over there before I drag that old bitch.” Michael’s eyes widen and his gaze instinctively flickers toward Diana before snapping right back to his girlfriend. Huge mistake. She catches it immediately.

“Oh, don't worry,” she says sweetly. “I’m sure she’d love to see you.” And suddenly Michael understands that this isn’t really about Diana at all—or at least entirely. It’s about spending an entire evening making his girlfriend feel unwanted while he floated around Studio 54 like he didn’t even have one. The realization settles heavily in his stomach, and for the first time all night, he's no longer scared of her being angry. He’s scared because she has every right to be.

(Name) stares at him for another few seconds before letting out a long sigh and sliding out of the booth. Michael immediately straightens because the fact she's standing up usually means a decision has been made, and Michael has a horrible feeling he isn’t going to like it. She smooths down her outfit, picks up her purse, and points directly at him.

“I’m leaving.” She says and Michael blinks.

“Okay..” He nods.

“You can stay if you want.” His face falls instantly. “But,” She continues holding up a finger, “I’m changing the locks if you do.” The statement confirms he is, in fact, still very much in trouble and (Name) watches the realization happen in real time. His shoulders sink. His mouth opens. Closes. Opens again. Then without a single argument, he simply stands up and follows after her immediately with no hesitation. He’s trailing along a few steps behind like a giant, miserable puppy that knows exactly why it’s being punished.

(Name) makes it approximately ten feet before glancing over her shoulder and finding him still there looking guilty and pathetic. Looking like if she left him alone in Studio 54 for more than twenty minutes he’d probably just stand in the corner thinking about life. The sight nearly breaks her resolve. Nearly.

“That's what I thought,” She says, reaching back and hooking a finger into the collar of his shirt and Michael doesn’t even protest. If anything, he seems relieved to be collected. (Name) rolls her eyes and starts steering him toward the exit while he obediently follows along behind her. They’re halfway across the club when a familiar voice cuts through the crowd.

“Well, look at this.” Quincy appears out of nowhere, drink in hand and a grin already spreading across his face as he takes in the scene before him. (Name) with one hand on Michael’s collar. Michael following behind her with all the dignity of a man being escorted out of kindergarten. Quincy immediately starts laughing.

She brightens instantly. “Hi, Q!” she calls cheerfully, as if she isn’t actively dragging her boyfriend through the middle of Studio 54. “We're leaving!”

Quincy glances at Michael and at the hand attached to his collar. “I can see that, sweetheart.”

She nods enthusiastically. ”Early too!” And behind her, Michael closes his eyes for a brief moment as Quincy nearly doubles over laughing.

“What’d you do, Mike?” Quincy asks.

“I don't wanna talk about it,” Michael mutters.

“He knows what he did,” She answers at the exact same time, giving his collar another tug toward the door and Quincy laughs even harder. Michael wishes the floor would open and swallow him whole.

The walk to the car is painfully embarrassing for Michael but she saves him from the embarrassment of the paparazzi because releases his collar the second they step outside, but somehow that’s worse. At least when she was dragging him around, she was touching him. Now she’s just walking beside him with her purse tucked under her arm and her expression fixed firmly ahead. The night air is cooler than inside the club, carrying away some of the heat and noise of Studio 54, but none of it helps the growing sense of dread sitting in Michael’s stomach. When the car finally pulls up, he nearly lunges for the door handle, rushing ahead to open it for her before she can do it herself. She doesn’t acknowledge the gesture beyond sliding into the seat without a word and Michael follows a moment later, settling beside her as the door shuts and the city begins moving past the windows.

The silence inside the car feels louder than the music had.

(Name) sits with her arms crossed tightly over her chest and one leg thrown over the other, looking out the window because she’s suddenly become fascinated by New York traffic. Michael glances at her once.. then again. Then a third time. Every few seconds his eyes drift back toward her before darting away when she doesn’t react. He lasts maybe five minutes before finally giving up. Slowly and cautiously, he reaches across the seat and rests his hand lightly on her knee.

She just refuses to look at him.

“Lovey..” Michael says quietly. No response.

“I’m sorry.” His thumb moves against her knee. “Will you look at me?” Nothing.

“Please? What can I do?” The worst part is how sincere he sounds. He’s not making excuses or defending himself. He’s just being her Michael. Soft and sweet and looking so genuinely miserable that she can physically feel her resolve beginning to crack down the middle. She hates it. Hates how easy it is when he uses that voice. Hates how his eyes get all sad. Hates that she still wants to forgive him..

So instead she turns her head slowly and narrows her eyes at him. Michael immediately brightens.

Big mistake.

“Don't,” she warns and his smile falters. “You are going to massage my feet until your hands hurt.”

For a moment he stares at her then relief washes across his face so quickly it’s almost embarrassing. “That's it?”

Her eyes narrow further and Michael wisely corrects himself. “I mean.. yes. Absolutely. As long as you want.”

“Good.”

“Okay."

“And I'm still mad at you.”

“I know.”

“Very mad.”

“I know, lovey.”

She turns back toward the window, fighting the smile threatening to appear on her face and a few seconds later, Michael’s hand quietly slips from her knee into her hand.

This time she lets it stay there.

The second she lets his hand stay in hers, Michael immediately gets hopeful in that cutie way he gets when he thinks he might still be forgiven. She doesn’t even have to look at him to feel it. Its the little glances he keeps sneaking at her and the way his thumb moves against her knuckles. She keeps her gaze fixed out the window acting like she hasn’t noticed any of it even though she absolutely has.

The quiet doesn't last long.

“..Can I have a kiss?” Michael asks, voice softer than it already is because he’s testing whether the ground is stable again. (Name) closes her eyes for a second like she’s physically bracing herself, then finally turns her head toward him. The look she gives him is unreadable, but it doesn’t stop her from leaning across the space and pressing a quick kiss to his lips anyway. It’s brief, barely even a second, and the moment it’s over she’s already pulling away and turning back toward the window like nothing happened. Michael goes completely still beside her for a second then lets out a small, disbelieving laugh under his breath.

“I got a kiss,” he says softly, and she immediately groans and hides her face in her hand.

“Don’t start,” she warns, but her voice isn’t nearly as firm as she wants it to be. And Michael, still holding her just leans back in his seat with a smile that makes it very clear he knows exactly what he’s doing to her.

By the time they get back to her apartment (he pays for), the argument has started to lose its intensity. She kicks off her shoes the second she walks in and Michael follows her in without a word, already looking for ways to make things right without overcomplicating it.

A few minutes later she’s settled on the couch with one leg tucked under her, a cigarette resting between her fingers as she leans back into the cushions, watching him move around the room. Michael eventually ends up sitting on the floor in front of her, carefully taking her feet into his hands and he starts massaging slowly, thumbs pressing into her arch. She doesn’t look at him at first, just exhales smoke toward the ceiling, acting like she’s still mad, but her foot relaxes in his grip anyway, betraying her before she can stop it.

Michael glances up at her once, then keeps going when she doesn’t tell him to stop. “Still mad at me?” he asks quietly, like he already knows the answer but needs to hear it from her anyway.

(Name) doesn’t look down at him right away. She just takes another slow drag from her cigarette, considering it for a second longer than necessary, then finally tilts her head slightly in his direction with the faintest trace of a smile pulling at her mouth. And Michael, still on the floor with her feet in his hands, keeps massaging like he’s already accepted whatever verdict she decides to give him.

Michael keeps working his thumbs into her feet and she lounges back into the couch like she’s testing how long she can stay annoyed before it dissolves on its own. She finally speaks without looking at him, voice light but still edged with something he knows better than to fully relax around.

“I dunno,” she says, exhaling another thin stream of smoke toward the ceiling. “Do you think I should still be mad?”

Michael pauses for half a second, hands still resting around her ankle. Then he looks up at her properly, curls a little messy, expression soft and painfully earnest.. that look always makes her anger feel less solid than it should. “Yes,” he says immediately, then corrects himself just as fast, “I mean—no. I mean.. I think you were right to be mad.”

That earns him a look.

So he keeps going, “I was stupid,” he admits, thumbs resuming their slow pressure like he needs the movement to stay grounded. “I should’ve been with you more. I didn’t mean to.. make you feel like that.” His eyes flick up again, searching her face carefully, like he’s trying to read whether he’s losing her in real time. “But I.. also really don’t want you to stay mad at me.”

(Name) watches him for a moment, cigarette still between her fingers, expression unreadable in a way that makes his stomach tighten slightly. Then she tilts her head, studying him like she’s deciding something she hasn’t fully committed to yet. Michael doesn’t move, he just waits there on the floor with her foot in his hands.

Finally, she lets out a small breath through her nose, something almost like a laugh buried in it, and leans her head back against the couch.

“You’re lucky you’re pretty,” she says, not quite forgiving him but not holding on to the anger either. Michael lets out a relieved breath he clearly didn’t realize he was holding and immediately goes back to massaging.

“But you’re definitely putting that mouth to work tonight.”

a/n: this is not proof read and this is also my first fanfic ever so constructive criticism is welcomed please and thank you so much!

divider credit: @uzmacchiato

new york city, 1977 .

sometimes you wonder if your impulsive behavior was an asset or a liability to your livelihood. when michael asked you to move to new york with him while he filmed the wiz, you were excited—probably way too excited, which is why your parents were hesitant to let you go in the first place. in your delusional and overly optimistic mind, you thought that this was your chance. you’d live in the big city with michael, away from the watchful eye of his close knit family (who you did love but were honestly total cockblockers) and his controlling father and you’d be able to run away from the pressure of being a solo artist after your musical group abandoned you disbanded to pursue new ventures.  

you had it all planned out in your head. you and michael would spend the summer traveling from club to club, eating at high-end restaurants, and with the new romantic atmosphere, michael would realize his feelings for you and he’d finally confess his undying love under the city’s beautiful skyline. it was supposed to be perfect, something you’d tell your grandchildren about in the future.

in actuality, new york is one of the shittiest and dirtiest places you’ve ever stepped foot in, you have a permanent banging in your head from how many times you’ve visited studio 54 in the past month, and worst of all, he never even planned for the two of you to be alone because he also invited his older sister, latoya, to live in new york with him, acting as a 24 hour cockblock and shattering any romantic ideas you had conjured up in your head on the spot.

this wouldn’t be the first time you had read too much into his otherwise friendly actions, but this is by far the stupidest you’ve ever taken it. dropping everything to move to follow michael across the country pissed your label off to the max. you wanted to use your newfound freedom to work on your discography, but as of recently, you couldn’t get a single producer on the phone with you, your former groupmates were too busy releasing platinum records to return your calls, and your label kept postponing meetings with you—not even your dad/manager wanted to return your calls anymore.

you were so fucked and it’s not even funny.

the only thing you could do now is distract yourself from your impending doom by shopping in various stores and ordering takeout. all of this without michael by the way, because while you were dying out of boredom everyday, he was filming scenes for the wiz while charming his longtime crush, diana ross. you had absolutely no idea how much time went into creating a movie and you completely underestimated how much time the duo would have alone together—way more than you and michael have had this entire time—and you were spiraling just thinking about what they got up to all day.

you always wanted to believe that the feelings you held for michael were mutual and the relationship the two of you shared was special, but the way he acted around diana was hard to deny and it didn’t help that she was the total opposite of you. she was older, absolutely stunning, confident in herself, and despite the fact she couldn’t hold a note to save her life, she had an insanely successful solo career. it was hard to believe michael could have feelings for you when she was so clearly his type. 

you let out a groan, tossing the throw pillow that you were holding onto the floor out of frustration. currently, you were sitting alone in yours, michael’s, and latoya’s shared manhattan apartment. michael obviously had left in the morning for filming and a couple of hours ago, latoya went out shopping for some records at the request of michael, which left you home alone with your own thoughts, which was never a good idea. the longer you were left alone, the closer you got to losing it. 

you were waiting for something—anything—to happen to give you something to keep yourself busy with. after a while, you simply started staring at the entrance to the apartment from your spot on the couch, hoping somebody would come through the door so you wouldn’t be alone anymore.

if on cue, the door slowly opens, and on instinct you pop up from your seat on the couch. your eyes light up and a smile forms on your face, assuming michael came back early from filming. however, that excitement faltered slightly when latoya came shuffling through the door with a ridiculous amount of shopping bags, causing her to shruggle to get through the door. 

“oh, it’s just you,” your smile drops slightly, as you plop back down on the couch, resting your head in your hands.

“wel, it’s nice to see you too,” latoya replies in that soft spoken, docile, voice that all the jacksons seemed to have as she dropped all the bags onto the floor in one unceremonious movement, “have you been sitting here all day?”

“damn, did you buy out the entire store? i thought michael said he wanted you to pick up a couple of records. this is way more than a couple,” you pointed to the pile of bags on the floor, opting to ignore her question.

“these are the records michael asked for!”

“oh shit,” you let out a surprised laugh. moving from your seat on the couch to the door entrance, crouching down on the ground so that you could ruffle through the various bags, picking up any records that caught your eye, “this is too much…”

“well, not all the bags are his. i went shopping as well,” latoya shrugged, “and i also got something for you too.”

“for me?” you perked up, unable to hold back the childish smile that was forming on your face.

“mhm,” latoya nodded, scanning through the mountain of bags on the ground, looking for one specifically and when she found what bag she was looking for, she pulled a record out it and handed it to you, “here, i thought you’d be interested in hearing this.”

you graciously accepted the record with a close eyed smile, wondering what music latoya had picked out for you. but, when you opened your eyes, your smile immediately dropped.

staring back at you was the face of your older sister and ex-groupmate on the cover of her globally successful album. the same album she released the day after she left the group, completely blindsiding you in the process. you were filled with so much anger, you started twitching, causing latoya to give you a concerned look. without another word, you got up from the ground, traitor’s album and headed straight towards the highrise balcony with latoya following close behind.

opening the door to the balcony, you quickly chucked the album off the balcony and dusting your hands of the trash.

“y’know that cost money, right?” latoya crossed her arms and huffed. 

“it’s alright, i’ll pay you in pizza when i order some tonight,” you patted her on the back, heading back to your seat on the couch.

“whens the last time you’ve been outside?” latoya followed after you with a raised eyebrow, suddenly becoming more concerned. 

“umm…” you scratched the back of your head sheepishly. 

“i’m going to see michael on set, you should come, okay?” latoya suggested, but the both of you knew that deep down, you wouldn’t refuse the offer. 

“i guess i could make some time in my schedule,” you shrugged feigning nonchalance as you slowly made your way towards your bedroom to change into something more presentable than the soda stained floral pajama pants and hockey jersey you were currently wearing.

after a short, 40 minute wardrobe change, you and latoya were out on the town (incognito of course), heading towards where michael was filming for the day. unsurprisingly, butterflies were swarming in your stomach the closer you got to the set. it had gotten to the point that you started fidgeting with a loose thread on your bell bottom jeans. it was like your heart was magnetically connected to michael and the closer you got towards him, the quicker your heart started beating. 

however, when the two of you finally arrived on set, you were met with the one sight you didn’t want to see: michael and diana cuddling up and laughing together. it seemed like everyone was taking a break and the duo were standing in a corner, far away from everyone else, giggling and whispering to each other like they were an actual couple.

you felt your stomach turn in a million directions and you wanted to throw up and honestly, you were considering it as a valid option to stop the scene in front of you. instead, you followed behind latoya with a look of mortification stuck on your face. 

after a second, michael noticed the two of you approaching and his smile grew wider as he turned his attention towards you both, causing diana to begrudgingly follow suit, “you guys? what are you two doing here?!” he asked genuinely surprised.

“we wanted to visit you, y'know see you in your element,” latoya grabbed you by your shoulders and shook you, while you simply kept your gaze on your boots, “what have you guys been up to today?” 

“oh nothing much, we just finished filming for the day and diana and i have just been hanging around,” michael shrugged, talking without thinking before he was reminded of something. suddenly, he called your name in his normal soft spoken voice, which forced you to finally look up at him and diana.

“have you met diana yet? i feel like you have but i’m not sure…”

michael’s casual tone did nothing to calm all the voices in your head, which were mostly telling you to scream and punch them both in their face. instead, you forced yourself to turn your head towards diana and give her a painful smile. diana stuck her hand out at you with an overwhelmingly confident smirk that made you want to crawl into a hole and die. despite it being painful, you smiled and extended your hand to meet hers.

“we haven’t met yet, but it’s an honor,” you started off, shaking her hand robotically before quickly adding with a smile that was just a little bit more genuine, “my mom is a huge fan, she’s been following you since she was a little girl!”

diana let out one dry life before snatching her hand away from yours. you suddenly felt just a little bit better about yourself, even though it was a low blow. 

“anyways, that’s great,” latoya let out an awkward chuckle before motioning between the two and adding, “well, tonight she offered to pay for dinner so we're heading out to eat. you guys should definitely come. we can do like a group thing.”

“that’s not even close to what i offered you,” you shook your head to yourself, scoffing in disbelief.

you were completely stunned by latoya’s offer. the thought of having to sit across from michael and diana for an extended period of time made you want to throw yourself from the balcony of our apartment. never once in your friendship had michael ever spoken in detail about the inner workings of his relationship with diana—no matter how much you pressed him for answers—but you knew he used to have a major crush on her when you guys were kids. that fact alone left you to speculate what they really meant to each other, which was worse than him just outright saying they were in a relationship because the secrecy let your imagination run wild.

“i’d love to go to dinner with you,” michael cut through your train of thoughts with his shy smile and quiet voice. he tilted his head to the side slightly and his smile widen, which caused you to imitate his movements. 

for a quick second, you forgot that anyone else was around as you just stared into each other's eyes. it was in moments like these, where you were able to convince yourself that you weren’t just being delusional and that he actually had feelings for you. the way he looked at you as if he was trying to peer into your head and read your every thought left you feeling overwhelmed in the best way possible. it was like the two of you were sharing a secret that no one else was in on.

“it’s funny that you say that actually, because michael and i are actually going to my house to rehearse lines. together. so, we can’t join you guys today, but maybe next time you can pay for our dinner,” diana interjected like a record scratch causing that personal barrier that you and michael built up to shatter immediately.

the way she grabbed onto his arm, pulling him unbelievably closer to her made you physically recoil. you were 99% sure she was attempting to leave a bruise on him with how tightly she sunk her nails into his skin. it was jarring to watch her cling to him like he was her lifeline, but it was also jarring to see how he immediately leaned into her touch with the same look you thought he had just given you.

your lip quivered ever so slightly, and the tiniest pout graced your lips before you finally spoke again, “well i wasn’t actually offering—”

“i mean you understand all the effort we have to put into this movie. we have to dedicate every free hour we have to each other,” diana cut you off and smiled, but you felt the mocking undertone in every giggle she let out.

“right…” you finally spoke, trying to make sense of whatever nonsense she was spewing out.

“not that we don’t already do that already,” she cut you off again, this time moving to wrap her arms around michael’s waist, resting her head on his shoulder, “its just that we get distracted very easily, getting caught up with other things.” but because she still had more audacity, diana leaned into michael’s neck, letting her lips gently press against his ear.

you turned to latoya sharing a look of confusion with her, before shaking your head again. you could only do so much to hide your frown. it hurt to watch the scene in front of you and it hurt even more that you couldn’t react. you felt so helpless to the cruelties of life. no matter how much you tried, you simply couldn’t control how michael felt about you and you couldn’t turn your platonic relationship to a romantic one. your friendship with michael was extremely grounding to you. your entire life you were forced to focus on music, and your brand and he was the only one who made you feel like a normal kid, and not just an adult stuck in a child’s body. you knew he felt the same way towards you, but you had always hoped his feelings for you would naturally develop into something more. before you even realized it, you were starting to hyperventilate. 

“i’m going home,” you threw your hands up in defeat. 

dramatic? probably. but, you were never good at controlling your feelings and you were never known for your discreteness. you started to walk off the set, not even turning around at the repeated call of your name. when you realized the call was following you, you started to pick up your pace, going from walking to running as the tears began to fall down your cheeks. you knew it was michael, but you couldn’t stop your legs long enough for him to catch up to you. you hated how weak you felt but couldn’t control it.

you soon realized that your dramatic exit was a mistake because after running for what felt like forever, you realized you were completely lost. you had no clue how the subway system worked (and had no plan of figuring it out) and you had no money to hail a cab, so you were forced to walk across new york city alone and miserable in boots that pinched your toes. you were once again left alone with your thoughts and you were spiraling trying to figure out how to come up for an excuse for your behavior but nothing came to mind.

by the time you reached the shared apartment, your feet were hurting and it was dark out, but you were grateful to get home without being mugged. you expected latoya to be asleep when you got home and michael to be with diana, so when you opened the front door, you were surprised to see michael walking back and forth, pacing throughout the living room while muttering something to himself that you couldn't quite hear.

at the sound of the door opening, his head immediately perked up and he turned to look at you. you could see the worried expression on his face turn into pure relief as he made his way over to you. quickly, he embraced you in a tight hug and wrapped his arms around your waist, which caught you off guard. usually you'd be quick to return the hug, using it as an excuse to be as close to michael as possible, but this time you just couldn't move. when he realized you weren't going to return his affection, he slowly pulled back and created space between the two of you but, bringing his hands up to your shoulders to maintain some physical touch. he spoke your name, breaking the silence between you two.

“i was so worried for you. i tried running after you but you were too fast. what the hell was that about earlier on set? you could've gotten lost or even worse. that was extremely irresponsible” he spoke in a rushed, almost chaotic manner as he frantically scanned your face, searching for a response from you.

you kept your gaze fixated on the ground and you bit the inside if your cheek. you wanted to come up with a little but you weren't quick enough on your feet. the only reason you came to new york was to experience what you thought to be your one great love, but it seems like the only thing you’ve experienced so far is one big heartbreak.

“why did you even ask me to come with you?” you finally spoke in a hushed tone and if he wasn't standing 10 inches away from you, michael probably wouldn't have heard you.

“what? what do you mean?” he stuttered, caught off guard by the question and the fact you brushed off his own question.

“to new york i mean,” you clarified, looking up with teary eyes to be met with his brown eyes squinting in confusion, “why did you even ask me to stay with you? i don't understand it at all…”

you felt humiliated, being vulnerable like this in front of michael of all people. he hadn't even given you a response yet and your cheeks were already burning in embarrassment and your heart was pounding out of your chest. as if the gears were turning in his head for the first time in years, michael grabbed you by the arm and without any pushback, you allowed him to pull you out towards the balcony. the breeze of the city night hit you immediately and calmed you down just a bit.

“i think i finally understand what happened today…” he chuckled, which didn't feel appropriate to you, “honestly, i've been trying to figure out why you’ve been acting differently lately. i know i've been busy filming but i’ve noticed you've just been…off lately.” not being able to explain himself further, michael simply led you towards the balcony’s railing.

you knew exactly where he was going with this. how could you not? he rested his arms on the ledge and you followed suit, however you made sure to look straight forward, refusing to make eye contact with him. this isn't at all how you expect things to go. you close your eyes for a second, simply letting your hair blow in the wind as you prepare for the inevitable rejection.

at least michael was nice—it was one of the many reasons you found it easy to fall in love with him. you knew he'd be nice when he was rejecting you. he'd try his best to make you feel normal about your feelings and he'd say he still wanted to be friends—really mean it too. it still hurt all the same though.

“i know we've been friends for ages, but i just can't help the way i feel. if i could make myself not feel all these emotions, i would. in a heartbeat.”

you could easily feel michael staring at you for what felt like eternity. the longer the silence between you two stretched on, the more awkward you felt and you had to bit your bottom lip to keep from crying. you wanted to be as mature as possible since you already ran away crying like a baby once before.

“it's not like i want to be jealous and insecure all the time. i just can't help the thoughts in my head…” you continued, feeling the need to overcompensate for his silence.

“look…” michael spoke with a relaxed tone, cutting you off from ranting anymore, “whatever you think you know about diana and i know just isn't true.”

his words made you perk up a bit. although you couldn't meet his gaze yet, a sliver of hope was brought back to you, though it was short lived as he continued to speak, “when we were younger, i definitely had a crush on her. i was completely infatuated by her. she was the most beautiful woman i had ever met and i’ll probably always hold a special place in my heart for her…”

any hope you had left of michael recuperating your feelings were swiftly shattered and burned alive with a couple of sentences. immediately, you slumped up against the railing and let out a dramatic groan as you felt your heart genuinely burst into a million pieces.

“but i’m not 10 years old anymore. i’ve grown up and i've learned that there's a difference between childish infatuation and genuine love,” he quickly added and just to get his point across he continued, “i don’t love diana—at least not in a romantic way.”

with those words alone, it was like he had done a resurrection spell on you, and brought you back from the dead. it was an incredible feeling, knowing that all those hours you, regrettably, spent comparing yourself to diana and worrying about michael’s relationship with her was totally unnecessary. you were doing the calculations in your head and the chances of him accepting your confession immediately skyrocketed. they weren’t actually together, which calmed your nerves a lot, though you weren’t entirely convinced.  

“but what about all that flirty touching and cuddling you guys are constantly doing,” you mumbled, gagging at the memories while finally turning your head to face him.

michael smiled when he finally got the opportunity to look at your face again, even if it was you making silly faces at him. “that’s just how she is,” michael shrugged indifferently, “i think she just enjoys being desirable, not so much me. which is one reasons i don’t want to be with her.”

michael took a second to just stare at you again, which of course left both of you flustered. both of you were naturally shy people and it was only amplified under these circumstances. only once you broke eye contact did michael feel confident enough to make his next move, sliding closer towards you, only stopping when your shoulders were touching. then, with a smirk, he leaned down so that your faces were only inches apart. you had to swallow a lump in your throat and remind yourself not to let your eyes drop down to his lips.

“you want want to know the other reason i don’t want to be with her?” he asked in a tone that wanted to make you pass out from overheating.

“yes,” you quickly responded, not even taking a second to think about it. 

“because i already fell in love with someone else. she’s one of the most talented, beautiful, and funniest girl i’ve ever met, plus she has the voice of an angel, but i was too scared to confess to her because i didn’t think she’d feel the same way about me.”

“what?!” you blurt out in disbelief, face contouring into one of disgust. you thought you knew where this was going, but obviously not! this time, you didn’t have to feel heartbroken because you were so pissed. you thought you had to worry about diana, but really it was some mystery girl? you squinted your eyes at him in suspicion, “who?!” 

mentally, you were going through the list of young, talented, and beautiful singers in the industry that michael could’ve crossed paths with in fall in love with, it could’ve been anyone. you were about to demand more information from michael about this mystery woman, but you were cut off by the feel of lips pressing against yours.

immediately you went silent and your eyes widened. just as quickly as it happened, it was over and you were left with the lingering heat of his lips on yours. you cheeks heated up and you brought your fingers up to your lips and let out an obnoxiously high laugh that reminded you more of your 13 year old self rather than your current self.

“were you talking about me?” you giggled again, still stunned by the kiss, which caused michael to roll his eyes in mock annoyance.

“of course i was. how oblivious can you be?” he scoffed before lifting your head up between his fingers and kissing you again under the city skyline.

it really was a dream come true. this kiss wasn’t like the last one. it was longer and said so much more. it held years of unrequited love you both thought you held for each other, as well as the excitement about the next step in your relationship.