time away ݁⋆⭒˚.⋆ m.jackson
synopsis: you and history! michael finally have a date night after being full time parents. based on this request!
warnings: some cursing
notes: i get so worried i am so wordy sometimes like girl get to the point. enjoy though and thank you for 100 followers!!
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“mommy i don’t want you to go. i wanna be in the house with you and we play in my room.” prince cried.
prince had latched himself onto you as he cried into your shoulder. you stroked your hands up and down his back trying to calm down your toddler. he had been in this position for about ten minutes as you attempted to leave the house. janet agreed to watch him and paris while you and michael had a night out together. it had been about six months since the two of you had alone time. your son was your little shadow, while paris was michael's. michael was currently upstairs consoling your daughter as she wept into her pillow. you and michael hated being apart from your babies, but being full time parents was causing a lot of stress for the both of you.
you pulled your son away from your embrace and wiped away the tears from his flushed face. janet came and squatted down next to the two of you.
“baby, daddy and i are just going to hangout for a few hours okay? when we come back i’ll come get you and you can sleep with us. i told auntie janet about all of our games and cartoons so she knows your favorites.” you say.
“yes prince mommy told me you have dvd’s of the simpsons. let’s go get paris and we’ll check out which to watch first. maybe when mommy and daddy leave we can make ice cream sundaes. what do you think?” janet says.
prince smiles and nods quickly. you give your son a large grin and give him multiple kisses across his face. janet picks him up and you give him another kiss before telling him you love him. the two of them disappear down the hall as they head to paris’ room to alleviate michael. after a few minutes he comes down the hall and you spot a wet spot on the front of his shirt. you giggled as you pointed to the matching one on your shoulder. michael chuckles and then presses a kiss to your forehead.
“these kids are just complete drama! no matter how many things i promised paris she would just cry harder. then here comes janet promising ice cream and then all is well.” michael says.
“you’re telling me! same thing just happened with prince, i can’t believe them. let’s make a run for it before they start up again.” you say.
michael took your hand, and the two of you hurried out to the waiting car before either of your toddlers could decide they wanted one last hug.
as soon as the doors shut behind you, the house faded into silence. for a moment, neither of you said anything. then you looked at each other and burst into laughter.
"i can't believe we almost got held hostage by two toddlers," you teased, shaking your head.
"they've definitely mastered the guilt trip. i was two seconds away from canceling.” michael chuckled.
"you and me both." you say.
the drive to the bowling alley was filled with easy conversation, the kind that had become rare lately. instead of talking about diapers, nap schedules, or cartoons, you found yourselves reminiscing about your first dates, singing along to the radio, and enjoying the simple fact that you had nowhere to be for the next few hours except with each other.
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“you know you throw that ball as hard as you can, your points are going to catch up to mine.” you said giggling.
michael stood at the beginning of the bowling lane staring at the several pins still standing that he attempted to knock down. you had scored three strikes in a row, michael had only scored one and a couple spares. michael was very competitive. which wasn’t surprising with him growing up with so many siblings. every time it was his turn to bowl he would change his method trying to get a strike. you couldn’t help but laugh at his frustration. he walked over with his head low but you could see him trying to hide his smirk.
“i can’t begin to comprehend how you just prance over there roll the ball and then immediate strike. you have to be cheating, tell me your secret baby.”he says sitting down next to you.
“well mr. jackson where would the fun be in that? i have to stay mysterious and kick your ass.” you say.
he flips you off and rolls his eyes as you stand to take another turn. you lined yourself up perfectly as you began to roll the ball. you let the ball glide out of your hand and a gasp left your mouth as the ball leaned towards the left and hit only one pin. michael clapped his hands letting out a loud laugh. you looked up at the screen seeing now that michael was in the lead. you had a second turn and this time you only hit three pins.
“so much for being mysterious huh?” michael asks, still laughing.
you walked over to your seat and sat with your arms crossed across your chest. michael scooted closer to you trying to kiss your cheek while you dodged each one.
“oh come on princess, it's okay to not always be number one. you can’t be as good as me and that’s okay.” he says with a cocky grin.
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the two of you stepped out of the bowling alley with matching smiles spread across your faces. your stomach still ached from laughing so much. between michael's ridiculous bowling techniques and the way he tried to convince you the lane itself was against him, you couldn't remember the last time you'd laughed that hard. it reminded you that before the late nights and busy days, the two of you had always been best friends first. michael had lost by twelve points and wouldn’t let you hear the end of it.
“baby you’ve gotta accept that i’m quite amazing at bowling.” you say.
michael groaned.
“i told you, it was getting hot in there and my hands were getting slippery. if it was only a few degrees colder i would’ve beat you fair and square.” he says.
you shook your head, trying to hide your smile. there was no point arguing with him when he got like this. michael hated losing almost as much as he loved pretending he wasn't bothered by it. the two of you continued walking through the arcade, the sound of flashing games and distant music filling the mostly quiet space around you.
the employees stayed nearby, occasionally checking on the machines. as you rounded the corner, the something caught michael's attention. a row of arcade basketball games sat against the wall. michael slowed his steps and then he stopped completely. you looked over at him and immediately recognized the grin slowly spreading across his face.
“okay absolutely not this won’t be fair! you know i’m not athletic this is a complete set up and easy win for you.” you whine.
michael grabbed your hand and pulled you over until you both were standing at your own machine. he dug into his pockets placing coins in each of the slots. as the balls slid down the lane michael grabbed the first one he could get his hands on. you sighed following michael’s lead grabbing the basketball. michael giggled and quickly stole a kiss from you as the numbers counted down.
“one round babe and when i beat you i’ll only rub it in just a tiny bit.” michael says while shooting the ball perfectly into the hoop.
you rolled your eyes but couldn't stop the smile that appeared on your face. michael was already fully invested. his competitive side coming out as he jumped between laughing at your missed shots and cheering whenever you managed to get a few in a row. every time the ball went into the hoop, he would give you an exaggerated look of surprise as if he couldn't believe you had actually made it. you couldn't help but laugh at how seriously he was taking an arcade basketball game. it wasn't even about winning anymore, he just loved seeing the two of you joking around like you used to.
“see? i told you this wasn't fair.” you said as another basketball bounced off the rim.
michael laughed as he grabbed another ball, shaking his head at your complaint.
“baby, you're doing great. you're just not doing better than me.” michael says.
“you're so annoying.” you say laughing.
he loved when he could get you to laugh, especially after the last few months of feeling like the two of you were constantly trying to keep up with everything around you. moments like this reminded him that underneath everything, the two of you were still the same couple who could turn anything into a competition.the timer eventually reached zero, the final score flashing across the screen. michael looked up at the numbers with a proud smile, raising his hands slightly in victory. you shook your head as you watched him celebrate a win that technically came from a machine designed for children.
“you're really proud of yourself right now, aren't you?” you asked.
“very.” he says quickly.
you laughed, walking over to him as he wrapped an arm around your waist.
“you know this doesn't count as a real win.” you say.
“a win is a win, baby.” he says, snaking his bottom lip in between his teeth.
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the rest of the evening passed by in a blur of laughter and playful competition. the two of you challenged each other at every game you walked past, from racing cars to skee-ball, neither of you willing to admit defeat. michael celebrated every small victory like he had just won a championship. however, you made sure to remind him of every game you managed to beat him at.
by the time the two of you finally decided to move on, you weren't even sure who had won overall. you just knew you couldn't remember the last time you had laughed this much together. with your tickets collected and michael's hand locked with yours, the two of you made your way toward the prize counter. out of the corner of your eye you caught two large teddy bears.
“even though i’d love to use all of these tickets on us, look at those! the kids would love them mike!” you exclaim pointing to the bears.
“you’re right and this will be a perfect distraction from all of their tears earlier.” michael says, looking over at the stuffed animals with a smile.
“prince is gonna love this, and you already know paris is gonna want to carry hers everywhere.” you say.
the ticket counter employee turned around checking the tag to see how many tickets they would cost. the two of you had just enough to be able to purchase the two of them. you squealed in excitement as the employee handed over the stuffed animals to the both of you. you both thanked him and headed into the parking lot , ready to get home to your children. the drive home was filled with light teasing as you two reminisced on the night. even though you both missed your kids, having this time alone was something the two of you desperately needed. it reminded you that before you were parents, you were two people who loved spending time together, and that part of your relationship was just as important to take care of.
