🐾 — backstage ii, michael jackson
bad!michael x black!reader
summary :: michael comes home from tour to see you packing your things.
warnings :: cheating , pregnancy , wife!reader , not proofread / edited !
It had been three months since you left Michael standing in that dressing room.
Every time he closed his eyes, he saw you standing there, tears streaming down your face, your hand trembling as you slipped off your wedding ring.
"Ten years... and your threw it all away in two months."
Those words echoed through his mind every single day.
He wrote letters. He called every other hour. He sent flowers, gifts — anything he could think of to get you to talk to him.
But he never got an answer, and it was absolutely destroying him. He tried to listen to Bill's advice, to give you space and focus on the tour, but he couldn't.
The last thing he ever wanted was to lose you.
A soft knock interrupted his thoughts.
"Five minutes, Mike," Bill called as he stepped into Michael's dressing room.
Michael nodded, murmuring a quiet thank you.
Bill lingered for a few seconds, taking in how exhausted Michael looked.
You were his rock, and everyone who knew Michael knew that. Without you, he was lost, and he had no one to blame but himself.
Bill quietly slipped back into the hallway, leaving Michael alone again.
His eyes drifted to the coffee table where a glass of untouched orange juice sat beside a small stack of entertainment magazines someone had tossed there.
Mindlessly, he reached for the one on top, flipping through the pages, hoping to find something — anything — that would take his mind off you.
Then he saw his own name.
His brows furrowed as he read the bold headline.
Michael Jackson's Estranged Wife Spotted With Alleged Baby Bump.
He couldn't believe what he was seeing. It had to be another tabloid rumor. The press had made a fortune spreading lies about his family before.
Then he saw the photographs.
There you were, walking across your university campus with an unmistakable baby bump, one hand resting protectively beneath your swollen belly.
"Oh, god…" he whispered, tears filling his eyes.
Michael had always dreamed of becoming a father. The two of you had spent countless nights talking about baby names and wondering when the perfect time would be to settle down and start a family.
You had finally been able to give him everything he'd ever wanted and he had repaid you by being unfaithful.
His hand slipped into his pocket, pulling out the wedding ring you had placed in his hand three months earlier.
Another knock sounded at the door.
"Mike," Bill called from the other side. "We're ready."
Michael looked back down at the magazine, his eyes lingering on the pictures of you.
Then they settled on your stomach.
A month later, Michael was finally home.
The moment he stepped inside, the smile on his face quickly disappeared.
Cardboard boxes were piled everywhere.
He walked farther into the house, but instead of finding you, he found even more boxes.
Slowly, he climbed the staircase. The closer he got to your shared bedroom, the heavier the knot in his stomach became.
When he reached the doorway, he froze.
You stood with your back to him, carefully folding your clothes before placing them into an open box resting on the bed.
Your curls were pulled into a puff, and you wore one of his old concert T-shirts with a pair of black leggings.
As you shifted slightly, you caught him out of the corner of your eye.
You had hoped he'd get home later — after all your things were packed and gone.
But between classes and doctor's appointments, there hadn't been enough time. Waiting until summer break was your only option, and unfortunately, that meant Michael came home while you were still there.
"You… you're leaving?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.
"Yes," you replied quietly, picking up another shirt to fold.
Michael swallowed hard, his gaze slowly drifting around the room.
He stepped past you into the bathroom. His side of the sink was still cluttered with his belongings. Yours was completely empty. His clothes still filled one side of the closet. Yours were gone.
"You can't," he said, shaking his head as he stepped back toward you. "I promise you, Minnie... it didn't mean anything."
"It still happened, Michael," you sighed heavily. "Saying it didn't mean anything doesn't change that."
"What…" His voice cracked. "And the baby? What about the baby?"
"I'm not going to keep you away from your child, Michael," you assured him. "How involved you want to be is up to you."
Relief washed over his face as he wiped away the tear sliding down his cheek.
"But being a father and being my husband…" You slowly shook your head. "Those are two very different things."
A crease formed between your brows as Michael suddenly dropped to his knees in front of you, his large brown eyes glistening with tears as they searched yours.
"I want to fix this," he pleaded. "Please… tell me what I have to do to make this right."
Michael Jackson — the same man who commanded attention everywhere he went — was on his knees in your bedroom, crying.
"There has to be something," he choked, reaching for your hands. "I made a mistake."
"No, Michael." You gently pulled your hands away from his. "You made a choice. For two months, you chose to sleep with another woman while I was here… waiting for you to come home."
A tear rolled down your cheek.
"I just can't understand how someone can love me the way you always said you did…" Your voice broke. "…and still choose to betray me like that."
His head hung low as quiet sobs shook his shoulders, your words settling heavily on his heart.