SUMMARY: When Michael finally meets this woman, uninterested and indifferent to who he is, he plans to pursue her. She is just hoping he gives up. For Michael, that definitely is not an option.
PAIRING: Michael x fem!reader.
ERA: Dangerous.
GENRE: Angst, fluff and my poor attempt at writing a romantic comedy? idk what this is at this point
WORD COUNT: 2,8k.
WARNINGS:None for this chapter.
NOTE FROM AUTHOR: another chapter of this slow burn ass thing. For plot reasons I made a guesthouse outside the main residence in this part, I'm still battling myself on how I'll handle the rest of this year because 1993 was a tough year for Michael, and I'm trying to be respectful but at the same time realistic and maybe answer this "what if..." question I have in my head. Anyway my writing might be shitty but at least it's not AI! Thank you for reading!
⏮ part ii - ❀ - part iv ⏭
iii. i’ll change the rules for you
July 10th, 10:46 A.M
The day finally comes. Michael is eager, expectant, excited to welcome the kids and their families on Neverland. The bus stops outside the great guesthouse, a fine wooden marvel beautifully built that makes kids, parents and hospital personnel alike to awe. He waves at each one of the children, who receive a bag with a special souvenir and some more stuff as a gift. There’s nothing else that fulfills the warm desire of his heart of goodness that these kids and all the countless donations, visits and special trips to his ranch to give the kids a good time. But when the doctor gets out of the bus, his breath stops for a second.
She’s one of the last guests to go down the bus stairs, a simple flannel shirt and pants replace her uniform and the so respectable white coat. He swears she smiles at him through her sunglasses when everyone is finally awaiting for his welcome speech between the light breeze of the park and the sun rays filtering over the huge trees that surround the guesthouse. Bill stays by his side with a big umbrella, protecting him from the natural light as he talks.
Michael tells of hope, remarking over again to take care of all the children for they’ll be our future, and even though life and the system might have been unfair, he’ll do anything to support their most special and urgent needs, not only through the weekend, but for the rest of their medical stay. It comes as a nice surprise for the families that are present, and the doctor’s heart warms at his kindness.
“Let’s make a promise to ourselves today, this weekend we’ll forget about everything that’s not fun. We’ll set aside all of our troubles to enter this place meant for magic, where all of us remain as pure beings of love, and all adults, please think like children. This is a safe space for all of you, don’t forget where your hearts come from.”
There’s a round of applause and laughs, and thank yous everywhere. The guide walks everybody to the guesthouse, providing the keys to their rooms and the itinerary for both days, the time for breakfast, food, dinner, the rides they’ll play on, the train tour… Everything’s there.
Michael sees the doctor waiting at the end of the line, so he comes closer to her and says hi the only way he knows.
“You came.”
The doctor chuckles. “Had a free weekend, had to take it.”
He nods, biting his lip. Of course he made this possible. “You deserve it. I hope you enjoy the stay, anything you need just let me know.”
“Thank you, Mr. Jackson.”
“Y’know Javier?” he says as they get closer to the entrance of the house, remembering the mother he saw crying the first time he got to the hospital with his broken ankle. Turns out this hispanic kid had a very bad accident, got really low chances of walking again, but he made sure his foundation covered his previous therapies and treatment, now he was back on his feet. Slowly recovering like a champ. Javier was the son of immigrants, and Michael just knew how difficult immigration expenses are to pay, so he took it under his own matter, let it be lawyers, applications, relocation, every part of the debt was cleared.
She hums, making memories of the kid. “What about him?”
“We paid his family’s immigration debt, shouldn’t have to worry about the money anymore.”
He takes out an envelope out of his jacket, the doctor receives it, amidst shock and relief. “Oh, what a kind gesture, Mr. Jackson, I know they’ll be grateful, this is… I can’t describe it, but why don’t you give this yourself?”
“I know Javier is really close to you,” he shrugs, not because he noticed it, but because he read it from the kid’s report. Apparently Javier wouldn’t stop talking about how nice she was with him and what a wonderful doctor he got to take care of him. Michael agreed with every single statement the kid had about her.
“But he’s your number one fan, like really huge fan… I think you should do it instead, I insist.”
“Well, since you’re his doctor I propose we should go together.”
She laughs under her breath and accepts.
Michael wants to take her sunglasses off to see her bright eyes behind the darkness.
When everyone’s checked in their rooms before lunch, Michael and the doctor drop the envelope and the good news to Javier and his family. The kid hugs them both as if they were his lifesavers, his mother and siblings say their thanks and ask for autographs that Michael is more than happy to deliver.
He swears there’s a proud look in her the whole time.
The rest of the afternoon it’s divided into the train ride, carousels and roller coasters, cotton candy and a visit to the zoo in the midst of the warm weather of July.
Dinner time comes, everyone gathers in the huge dining area. The buffet is the hospital’s personnel favorite, the kids ask for everything on the menu, parents take fine food they wouldn't find anywhere else for free. The night ends up with a nice, crowdy picture, the memoir of a getaway inside the gates of Neverland Ranch. Michael concludes the day has been satisfactory to his own requirements, but he feels something’s missing. He knows someone is missing.
The doctor says good night under Michael’s eyes from the other side of the room just as most parents and kids are leaving - who ask the singer for a tight farewell hug, even if they were just going to bed.
Once the dining room is empty and cleaned off, Michael goes back to the main residence sitting in the back of a golf cart Bill is driving, thinking and over-thinking, over and over. There’s a strange feeling on his chest, the empty ache of not getting any step closer to this woman and the happiness of seeing these kids having fun get mixed in their way.
When Michael gets to the loneliness of his bedroom, he remembers her laugh when they rode the carousels and how she wanted to get closer to every animal in the zoo just so she could feed them with a beautiful smile on her face. Whenever she hugged a little kid, he wondered how her hugs might feel, maybe like peace embracing chaos, quietening everything and everyone around so the only thing he would feel is her.
Michael tries to sleep, but laying down in bed and looking at the roof is just as useless as a sword made of rubber. He decides to go outside for a walk around the lake, putting on a warm jacket to protect himself from the cold night breeze without knowing she will be there as well, unable to fall asleep.
Michael sees her sitting down in front of the lake, contemplating the reflection of the moon on the water, the soft lamp lights creating a path that illuminates her figure perfectly. He wants to approach her, but he stops himself before acting. The idea of a huge date slash weekend getaway for the hospital kids has not been successful lately, so the same voices in his head question his next move.
Is she enjoying being here?
Should I talk to her? She might want to be alone.
I want to talk to her though…
Will I disturb her peaceful moment if I go?
I wonder how she feels right now…
Why isn’t she sleeping? It’s too late to be up.
His own feet get him closer to the edge of the lake, stopping at a considerate distance from the doctor. But he doesn’t need to move any further because she stands up and turns around.
“Hey,” she whispers and waves her hand.
“Hey…”
Michael takes the gesture as a queue to finally walk toward her, she doesn’t move.
“Trouble sleeping?” the doctor inquires.
“A bit, you?”
“I’m supposed to be at the hospital at this hour, thought I could have a normal night, my biological clock said no.”
Michael laughs under his breath, she joins him. God, he loves her smile.
“Wanna sit down maybe?” she invites him, and Michael nods.
They both sit exactly where she was just seconds ago. The ground is cold and the smell of water and grass fills his senses, but it reminds him he’s alive and most important, he’s with her.
“What about you?” she asks.
Michael shrugs and they watch the lake together.
“It’s been like this for a while, don’t sleep that much… Sometimes I need to take a walk around the park to get tired and, y’know, maybe a pill or two.”
She nods. “Yeah, I get that, especially if it’s been years under medication. It gets hard to get rid of them.”
Michael says under his breath. “It does.”
He turns a little just to see her face, focused on the trees and the sky above, the stars illuminate softly and the moon is bright. But none of those things actually compare to how calm her solely presence is to Michael.
“Do you think medication helps you better?” she mumbles.
“Wish it didn’t.”
“Why do you take it then?”
“I… I had an accident like ten years ago. My scalp burned and since then nothing’s ever been the same,” Michael explains softly, without further details.
She then turns her gaze and focuses on him. “Sorry about that,” she says, he senses no pity on her voice. “Bet it’s not easy to be a superstar either…”
“No, it’s not. But I kinda like it there,” Michael confesses. “I wouldn’t be able to have these kids here if I wasn’t.”
“You’re right. It’s been nice, for everyone to be here, y’know. Javier went to bed really happy, I’m sure his family believes they owe you a big one.”
“Well, if they need my help again I’d do it without question.”
The doctor’s lips curve into a soft, tired beam. A cozy silence surrounds the garden. Both of them observe the breathtaking view, the ducks and swans swimming above the lake brings a light atmosphere, almost romantic - but probably this feeling is only inside Michael’s chest in a poor attempt to keep talking to the woman sitting by his side.
And he notices she doesn’t push with intrusive questions. She also doesn’t praise him eternally like most people do, doesn’t over react, nor asks for an autograph or a favor with double sided intentions… She’s just her.
It drives him crazy and he feels like a pathetic, ungrateful brat at the same time.
He has everything these kids and families would’ve wanted, money, fame, huge fortune to pay their medical bills… but it doesn’t replace what he yearns the most: love and the average life. Not being an act or a story that outsells every paper and magazine, just tranquil surroundings and people who see him as an equal. A human. Michael gets that feeling with her.
“Do you wish your life was normal?” she asks in a soft whisper, almost scared to talk.
“All the time,” he responds, a heavy sigh takes over him. “Don’t get me wrong, I love helping people. I love music, writing, creating my own music and my art. It's something I appreciate, I don’t think I can imagine doing anything else. And I know I have enough money to live ten lives if I could, but sometimes it's… it gets tiring. A lot of people see me like I was a performance, a figure beyond what they can understand or something like that and I just wanna be a person - like everyone else. I think that’s the hardest part of where I’m standing right now. Every time it feels like it gets worse, and bigger and bigger, and it’s swallowing me down…” Michael admits to the doctor.
“I can’t say I understand but it’s also hard to be normal, you don’t get free coffee or hospital visits whenever you want,” she tells a light joke, which makes him chuckle. “You really can’t go out and do normal stuff, can you?”
He shakes his head. “I’ve never gone shopping to the supermarket.”
“You can’t be serious…”
“Mmh,” he nods.
“Wow, that’s… that’s crazy,” she takes a pause and goes on. ”Well, work is all I’ve ever known, I sacrificed a lot of things to be where I am right now, I have a really hard job, don’t sleep that much, won’t eat well, which is kind of ironic when I’m taking care of someone else’s broken bones and their health when I just throw away my own, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything else. I think we all give up our freedom for something that’s bigger than us in different ways.”
“Yeah, I think so,” Michael agrees and then the silence comes again between confessions.
They stay there, talking about life, throwing glances and light jokes for another half an hour before Michael decides to walk her to the guesthouse.
He takes mental notes of everything they talk about that night: she enjoys nature, she likes good documentaries, loves reading, doesn’t watch TV that much and doesn’t know a lot about the actual entertainment industry, which is a relief for him when she confesses she barely has heard a couple of his songs and news about him. The doctor clearly doesn’t care that much, but she knew who he was, otherwise she’d be living under a rock. Her words, not his.
They get to the main door of the guesthouse in a quiet stroll. It’s not a weird silence, instead it feels familiar. As if they have known each other for a very long time. None of them insists on asking more questions because they’re almost saying good night. But Michael is intrigued about her and wants to listen to her and know her more and more in depth - He would listen to her speaking for hours if it was possible.
“Thanks for the walk, I appreciate it.”
“Of course,” Michael says, a curve on his lips that threatens to become too sad if she leaves.
“I hope I didn’t break any rules by going outside at this time,” she laughs softly, infecting him with the brightness on her eyes.
“Not at all, don’t worry about it. It was nice seeing you.”
“Thank you, Mr. Jackson-”
“Michael.”
“Sorry?”
“Please, call me Michael.”
Her breath gets caught at the request. That was the first barrier between her unbreakable professionalism and his true intentions. It was now or never, otherwise he wouldn’t forgive himself for not asking sooner.
“I don’t think it is appropriate,” she whispers. “You were my patient…”
“That time’s past,” Michael shrugs, he doesn’t know where he’s getting bold from.
She chuckles lightly. “But why would you-”
“Can I have your phone number?”
“What?”
“I just- you’re really nice company,” Michael says with a gentle voice.
He swears there’s something shifting in her eyes. She hardly swallows and looks subtly everywhere but he - and he notices the slight change in her demeanour.
“But why?” she questions. “You know if- if we get close like friends you won’t be my patient anymore, right? It’s not ethical.”
“I can live with that…” he whispers.
The silence appears again, he notices she bites her cheek on the inside, fighting anything she’d do. And instead of saying yes or no, she disappears behind the guesthouse doors, leaving him all alone, closing the doors under his nose.
He wants to smack himself. Punch his face. He regrets every action he took and if he could turn back time, he would do it without hesitation, and he overthinks-
So stupid, why did I ask for her phone number now?
She might be thinking I’m a creep. But I had to try.
We had a good chat.
Why’d you have to ruin it like that?!
And the door opens again, she’s there, pretending she didn’t run her lungs out before he turned away and left.
“Sorry, I- I had to think,” she chuckles, catching her breath and handing him a post-it.
It’s her phone number.
“Just remember, if you break another bone you won’t be my patient anymore,” she teases.
Michael’s eyes light up, unfolding the piece of paper to see it. He can’t believe it worked.
“It’s a risk I’m willing to take,” he says.
“Better be ready,” she answers and opens the door again, more than ready to go to bed. “Good night, Michael.”
“Good night,” he almost turns around when she hears her speaking once again.
“And uhm, if it makes you feel better about this crazy life you have, I think your art must’ve saved a life more than once.”
Her gaze softened before disappearing into the guesthouse.
Michael laughs to himself and fist-bumps in the air when she cannot see him anymore, tracing the numbers on paper as if it were an expensive painting he just bought.
The next few days, Michael keeps her words on his chest and hears her voice calling his name, warm like a soft blanket wrapped around him. He feels like a teenager falling in love again.
My friends and I had a shared document on google docs for sharing fics. So none of this is mine and if you see initials by something, those are my friend's initials to show what character they brought to the table. The initials are mostly for the One Piece stuff though.
~
Collected For: Myself.
~
By akiranzee:
LOVESICK HUSBAND MUZAN WITH WIFE S/O!!
MUZAN WITH A SOFT S/O!!
MUZAN WITH ELEGANT S/O!!
“UNEXPECTED SURPRISE”
“HURT MY WIFE”
By kimetsu-no-yaiba-writings:
Goodbye
Muzan Kibutsuji is a proud man.
Muzan Kibutsuji being whipped for his wife + Upper Moons Reactions - Headcannons
My sweet Wife and Our Spider child
By fortune-fool02:
Whilst she sleeps
Wedding
A Surprise
Of both worlds
By colourstreakgryffin:
Trio of Disaster
New Member
Wondering Child
By lianwifyofkokushibo:
S/O wearing something exposed her skin a little more
sitting on their lap
Sleeping
By married-to-google-translater:
Shy!Reader
Comfort
By vrystalius:
Love Languages of the Upper Moons + Muzan
Touchy.
Fell first, fell harder — Demons.
Misc:
Heatwave. (By muzansfangs) - Slightly suggestive.
You, Muzan, and Your Muzan Plushie (By kokusfluffyhair)
Soft!Muzan (By loveforeren)
Soft (By quirkyseastone)
Like Lovesick Puppies (By marshmellowzz)
A dream (By himiko-kuro)
Muzan & s/o struggling with emotional pain (By doumadono)
𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐏 (By kalinysu)
Newborn (By shinobuscanonwife)
when you grab their chest (By meowzfordayz) - Suggestive Crack
Uppermoons + Muzan reacting to Fem!S/O with bad period cramps (By imamuzansimp-oldblog-seoseoya)
Upper Moon 1-3 + Muzan with an Affectionate S/O (By mikasa-imadebiscults)
summary: (y/n) is gone and if the only way for draco to see her is through dreams, so be it
or
“grief is the price we pay for loving.”
warnings: it’s written in non-chronological order, draco is really going through it, grieving process, mentions of blood (not detailed)
(if there’s any more warnings you think i should add let me know!)
a/n: i’m usually one to write fluff, but i wanted to write something more personal, more raw. this one was a roller coaster to write. hope you enjoy it!
i. five months and twelve days after the accident
Draco opens his eyes in panic, breathing labored and loud. He’s scared and confused, and he would be downright spiraling into an anxiety attack if this wasn’t such a common occurrence.
(The first night it’d happened he found himself unable to breath. He’d desperately stumbled out of bed, the haziness of sleep making everything distorted and disorienting. He’d hit his knee against the door, he’d bled on the white tiles of their bathroom floor. He’d spent two hours in the shower that night, fully clothed. The coldness of the water hadn’t been enough to soothe the burning heartbreak that gnaw on his soul, but it’d been enough to anchor him back.)
It takes him a moment to realize he’s frozen mid-action, one of his hands reaching forward and his fingers slightly curved, as if they’d been grasping something.
No. Not something. Someone.
Suddenly everything comes back, jumbled pieces of a half-remembered dream.
Her smile, the small crinkle by her eyes, the warmth of her skin under his fingertips.
Draco chokes out a gasp.
He can’t breathe. He can’t breathe. He can’t breathe.
layer, don't suffer. autumn is not a season for stoicism. wear the big coat, wrap yourself in a scarf that could easily double as a blanket, let your sleeves swallow your hands. there is something romantic about being slightly hidden inside too many layers, like you're a mystery passing through the cold air.
walk everywhere. if the leaves are falling, you owe it to yourself to hear them crunch. take the long route home just to see how the streetlights catch on wet pavement. every walk is a small theatre piece when the world is turning golden and red around you.
hot drinks as a coping mechanism. it's not really about the coffee or tea; it's about the ritual. holding something warm so your soul doesn't leave your body. watching the steam curl in the cold air like poetry.
movies that feel like sweaters. dead poets society, for when you want inspiration to ache, when harry met sally, for the comfort of love wrapped in autumn leaves, little women, for that bittersweet warmth that feels like home and heartbreak at once.
read something dramatic. autumn is not the time for light paperbacks. it's for Brontë storms, Dostoevsky despair, Euripides wailing choruses. books that feel bigger than you, so when you close them, the silence of your room feels charged with meaning.
finally back with my usual tumblr posts right in time for the beginning of autumn hahah. <3
‘cause my heart belongs to you ; bakugou katsuki x reader, royal au
summary ;
The Barbarian King of the North.
The name alone is enough to make you shiver. The man who rules this harsh, icy expanse is feared far and wide—not just for his unyielding power but for his reputation as a ruthless warrior.
Or, in which you’re just a maid, unnoticed and unimportant, trying to survive in a world that doesn’t care for you—and he’s the King, a man carved from fire and fury, whose gaze burns through everything, including you.
chapter one — our eyes first met
chapter two — the winter began to melt
chapter three — in the swirling dance of shifting seasons