🐾 — flare up, michael jackson
thrad!michael x black!reader
summary :: your boyfriend invited you over to watch a movie after not being able to see him in weeks, but plans go to waste as his lupus starts to flare up.
warnings :: physical pain , suffering , lupus (not mentioned but hinted at) , not proofread / edited !
a/n :: yes, i use em-dashes. no, i don’t use ai
Gravel crunched beneath your tires as you drove up the familiar driveway of havenhurst. Michael — your boyfriend of a year and a half, had invited you over after not being able to see each other as he worked on his upcoming album.
For the past couple of weeks, every phone call had ended the same.
"I'm sorry, sweetheart... I promise I'll make it up to you."
Just as you pressed the small button to the doorbell, the front door swung open, Michael stood at the other side, his smile widening as soon as you caught his eye.
You giggled as he wrapped both arms around your middle, pulling you into a tight hug almost lifting you off the ground.
"I missed you, mama," he mumbled into your thick coils.
"I missed you too," you replied, wrapping your arms around his shoulders, accepting the tight embrace.
Eventually, he let go, stepping aside so you could step into the foyer, closing the door behind you.
He placed a hand at the small of your back, guiding you into the living room.
The lights were slightly dimmed, a large bowl of popcorn sat on the coffee table.
You sat down on the couch, making yourself comfortable as he went over to the rack by the TV, searching through the stack of VHS tapes before pulling out one for the two of you to watch, before sliding it into the VCR.
Michael dropped himself down on the couch beside you, grabbing the bowl, placing it in his lap as his other arm slid around your shoulders.
A small smile tugged at your lips as you curled up next to him as the movie began.
At first, everything seemed fine.
He muttered small comments, laughed at the funny scenes, and absentmindedly shoved hand fulls of popcorn into his mouth.
Then, about halfway through the movie, his laughter quieted.
He shifted repeatedly, his fingers flexed and tightened against his knee, from the corner of your eye you could see his jaw tighten as he try to subtly press a hand against his ribs.
"You okay?" you asked, peeling your eyes from the TV screen, that's when you noticed his face had become paler than when you'd arrived.
"Hm?" he hummed, shifted again.
"Are you okay?" you repeated.
He gave a small nod. "Yeah."
You tried to let it go, focusing back on the movie, but a few minutes later, you heard a small wince escape passed his lips.
You reached for the remote on the coffee table, pausing the television.
"Why'd you pause it?" he asked, looking over to you.
"You're in pain," you pointed, your eyes filling with concern.
He shook his head. "I'm not—"
He opened his mouth to argue again, but quickly snapped it shut as he looked down to his hands, sighing in defeat.
"Why didn't you say anything?" you asked, grabbing the bowl of popcorn from his lap, placing it back on the coffee table.
"I didn't want to ruin tonight," he muttered softly. "I finally had one free night to spend with you, and I though if I ignored it, it'll go away."
You shook your head, grasping onto his hand gently, careful not to worsen his pain. "You don't have to suffer in silence, Mikey. If you're hurting, I want to know."
"I know," he sighed, his inner eyebrows lifted, his eyes finally meeting yours. "Would it be okay if we called it a night?"
"Yeah," you nodded. "We can finish the movie another night."
Michael eased stood up from the couch, slowly making his way upstairs. Just as he changed into his pajamas, you stepped inside his bedroom with a glass of orange juice and a small bottle of ibuprofen.
"Thank you," he mumbled, grabbing the items from your hands.
You settled beside him on the bed as he took the medication, setting the glass on his bedside table.
He rolled over to his side, letting his head fall into the crook of your neck, as his legs tangled with yours.
