Neon dreams and forgotten promises (Part 2)
Summary: When Michael invited her to New York, she knew it was her chance to finally make a move on him. But between his recordings and his friendship with a certain Diana Ross, she's left hanging out with Marlon most of the time. Until she realizes she's been stupid, and decides to go back to California, leaving only a note for Michael. Once Marlon gives the note to him, though, Michael is determined to make things right, unaware that fixing a broken friendship may force him to confront feelings he's been avoiding for far too long.
Tags: Best friends, Michael Jackson x reader, jealous x jealous, zero use of y/n, pet names (a lot), Marlon Jackson is is this (i love him), reader is jealous of Diana, Michael is jealous of Marlon, miscommunication, misunderstandings, slow burn.
A/N: I know Michael lived with LaToya during the recording of The Wiz, and not Marlon, but please, suspend disbelief for a few minutes <3
Part one
She was not loving this place.
At first, Michael had been there almost any minute he could spare. Then, of course, with work and all, he’d been by the house a bit less, but he always tried to talk to her, ask about her day, tell her about his day… They’d even watched a couple of movies, Marlon inviting himself when he finished in the studio.
But now, two weeks had gone by, and she’d only seen Mike for a couple of hours top. She knew, logically, that he was busy, but she just felt. Alone and neglected. The only saving grace of this trip was Marlon.
Thankfully, when he wasn’t recording in the studio, Marlon spent his time with her, taking her sightseeing around the city, or showing her some hole-in-the-wall diner where they actually had good food and not a single fan in sight. He was quickly becoming… her lifesaver, so to say. She was pretty sure she would’ve been going crazy already if it wasn’t for him.
But still… she missed Michael horribly. She was used to Michael coming to her house unexpectedly, just so they could share comics or play some game. And now… it felt like he was slipping through her fingers like quicksand. Every time she actually got to spend a few minutes with him it was all “Oh, Diana did this today!” and “Did you know that Dee knew how to do that?” She was tired of hearing about Diana. And she knew that it was irrational to feel jealous over a woman that was twice her age, but… she was starting to question what she was doing in New York.
What was the point of Michael bringing her with him if he was not gonna with her at least for more than a few minutes a day?
She’d put everything on hold just for this trip, just for Mike, and now… Now she was starting to regret it.
“I don’t know, Marls, maybe… Maybe I should go home… ” She bit her inner cheek, looking at the TV blankly, the static making her sink into the couch.
“Now, let’s not take hasty decisions, Hollywood,” he said, voice serious. A hand placed on top of her shoulder brought her out of her mind.
She looked at him, an almost sad smile on her mouth.
“What am I even doing here?” She asked, the side of her face squashed on the couch. “I just— If it weren’t for you, I’d be all alone here, Marls…” She mumbled, her pain audible in her voice, and she couldn’t help but drop her eyes to the ground so they would not fill with tears.
Marlon frowned a little, wrapping her in his arms and rubbing her back, which in the end made her tears spill down her cheeks, silently grieving her relationship with Michael.
There she’d been, a month prior, thinking that she finally had the chance to make a move on Michael and that he was gonna say yes, and it turned out he was only interested in older women.
Suddenly, someone cleared their throat, and Marlon and her moved apart, looking to the living room’s door. There stood Michael, as if invoked there, staring at them both with an inscrutable expression. None of them had even heard him arrive, and she was scared he’d listened more than he was letting on.
As soon as he saw her crying, though, his face scrunched up in worry, and he went over to the couch, crouching down at her knees so he could look at her.
“What’s wrong, sunshine? Why are you cryin'?”
How was she supposed to tell her best friend that she was feeling neglected by him and jealous over another woman, and oh, yes. She had feelings for him, too, as if everything else was not enough.
“It’s nothing…” she mumbled, hastily rubbing her cheeks for any moisture left.
He took one of her hands in his, making her heart go haywire, and he raised his other hand to wipe her tears as carefully as possible, his thumb soft under her eye.
“People don’t cry over nothin’, sunshine?” Michael murmured, his doe eyes swimming in concern, and for once, she felt bad that she was making him concerned. “What’s happenin’? You can talk to me, y’know that.” He added, and her eyes unconsciously floated back to Marlon’s, who was staring at them both all serious.
When she looked at Mike, though, it seemed like he’d seen their shared look, and his own eyes had clouded in response, his face completely blank.
He let his hand drop from her cheek, and he stood up, placing his hands inside his pants pockets.
“What’s goin’ on?” Michael asked, his voice devoid of all emotion for once, and she… she didn’t think she’s ever heard him like this, didn’t think he’d even be capable of talking like that. “What, is Marlon your best friend now? You can talk to him but not me?”
She scoffed, his words taking her by surprise, and her arms went around herself in a mimic of a hug.
“I don’t think I can do this right now…” She mumbled, and stood up as well, making her way to the other side of the living room. She just wanted to go to her room and hide herself in there until Michael had to go to his freaking set again.
“You can’t do what? Talk to me?” Michael asked.
“Funny that you want to talk now!” She ended up throwing at him, turning around and almost giving herself whiplash, a mean laugh stuck in her voice, her heart in the back of her throat. “I’ve been wanting to talk to my best friend the entire month, but he was too busy!”
Michael flinched back like he’d been slapped.
“Do we, now? Or do you just come in here late, talk about your work during five minutes and call it a night?”
“I’m sorry that I’m doin’ exactly what I came here to do, which is work. I mean, one of us has to do it, right?” Michael bit back, and she flinched as if he’d slapped her. She hugged herself tighter, another tear in the delicate fabric of her already more than bruised heart. Now, apparently, she was also a freeloader.
She could see Michael’s regret in his eyes as soon as he said those words, but it was too late to take them back.
“Mike, I think you’re crossing a line here—“
“You shut up, Marlon. This is between her and me.” Michael barked at his brother, looking him dead in the eye, as if challenging him to say otherwise.
“Shouldn’t you be trailing little Dee?” She threw back, her voice soft and calm, no emotion whatsoever in it.
Michael stopped in his tracks at that, staring at her before he let out a sarcastic guffaw.
“Oh, is that where all this attitude is comin’ from? You’re jealous because I have other friends here?”
Boom. It was as if a hammer had slammed hard into her chest, her heart breaking into a million pieces. That’s what Michael really thought? That she was jealous that he had friends? Could he get more invalidating than this? She’d flown with him all the way from California, only to be treated this way because now he had more friends. There was a knot stuck to the back of her throat, making it hurt like nothing else, and her eyes got all red and watery.
“I sincerely hope you are a better friend to them than you are being to me,” she said, her voice trembling a little. “Or else, you are gonna end up alone.”
Finally, she turned around and got into her room, closing the door behind herself with a definite click, ignoring the calls for her name.
