otw!michael jackson x popstar!reader
synopsis: popstar!reader is a famous singer with a guitarist for a boyfriend in her band. she brings michael up on stage to dance with her. little does she know, michael is enamored by her and shows it onstage, to her boyfriend's dismay.
content: otw!era mike, i imagined a black reader but it's not explicitly mentioned, fluff! cheating boyfriend trope, i did use diana ross's song as inspo for this so that's lowkey a diana mention i'm sorry if that's triggering. reader is lowkey a bird, hmm what else. i think that's it. some kisses, some suggestive dancing ayeeee!
notes: this is basically based on that one clip of diana inviting michael onstage to sing upside down. again tw: diana references i'm so sorry it just happened. the synopsis sounds really ass i'm so sorry LMFAO. no but just read it like it's my first fic give me grace. i lowkey have an idea for a part two.
the dingy new york discotheque welcomed you with open arms on a chilly night in 1980. you and your band, the satisfiers, were in the middle of performing your newest single ‘upside down’. while the groove was distractingly sharp, the lyrics were perhaps your most raw, because it unveiled the tumultuous relationship that you had with your boyfriend, who also happened to be the bassist in your band. the lyrics came to you on a solemn saturday night, where you found out that your boyfriend was cheating on you with his ex. and yet you couldn't seem to let go. your band is at the height of their success and a scandal like this would only hurt that. or at least that was the justification your boyfriend convinced you to go with.
you let him continue to embarrass and betray you as long as he kept the status quo onstage, the narrative that it was you and him. you let the hurt fester inside you until it was unbearable enough that you wrote about it. you let him smirk at the lyrics that shamefully admit that you carry the burden of loving him no matter what he does. at least writing about it got you somewhere. it brought you to the discotheque's stage, where you happily danced to your tragic song alongside your other bandmates. the crowd didn’t seem to mind the solemn lyrics you sang; your voice was that of a siren, carrying them into an alternate dimension where their problems were miniscule.
you were almost at the segment where you bring up someone from the crowd to dance with you. through the sea of bodies, all sweaty and probably coked up, you spotted a familiar tall silhouette with the nicest curls you'd ever seen, apart from your own. the strobe lights roamed up his slender figure and captured his face. it's none other than michael jackson, the guy that’s been on everyone's minds and moodboards since he was 10.
"now y'all know i can’t do this next part on my own, i need someone to help me. ” you strut across the stage, twirling a finger in your hair.
“i need someone tall and fine, someone who can dance.” you put your hand over your eyes, as if you were searching through the crowd. but you already knew who you were going to pick.
"i think i see someone, is that-- is that michael jackson?" as soon as you uttered his first name, the crowd erupted in applause and laughter and utter joy.
the strobe light, right on time, shined on his face for a quick moment and you see michael smiling deeply, looking down on the floor.
the truth was that he was enamored by you. completely and utterly enamored.
you guys have only met in passing, at award shows or other industry events. you always greeted him with that wild and crooked smile that he couldn't stop thinking about. everytime he got the chance to be near you, he only had about 30 seconds before you were dragged away by your team as you apologetically yelled empty promises of working together over your shoulder. because the industry is the industry, he’s heard that you and your boyfriend are not exactly the happiest couple. and it angered him, because he knew you could be treated way better.
"come dance with me, mike!"
while it was hard to see him in the darkness, you could make out his hands coming up to his face, trying his best to shield his flushness. he jogged up the steps anyway, gave you a side hug, and waved at the other members. well, everyone except your boyfriend, he doesn't so much as look his way.
"you know this part, mike? or you need me to teach you?" you tilted the mic towards him.
your eyebrows perk up in amusement. you turn to the crowd, who were equally amused, with a smirk on your face.
"ohhhh okay. he's confident, i like that. what makes you think you know my dance, mike?"
"well i watch you do it all the time, girl!" the crowd was a mix of ooohs and laughter at his response.
"you think you can do it better than me?" you teased. this time, instead of leaning in to answer, michael grabbed the mic, looking you dead in the eye before replying, "i know i can."
as soon as you signaled the drummer to drop the beat, you, michael, and your bandmates began your iconic dance break. and just like that, the mere movements you created in your bedroom became instantly refined through michael. it was like he transformed into a whole other person while on that stage, looking out into the crowd with a smile that could melt the building.
you both looked at each other with wide smiles, still dancing, until he took the mic from you, and ultimately your song.
"upside downnnn!" he adlibbed as he pranced around the stage. you couldn't help but laugh. the shock on your face amused michael. it fueled him. he couldn't believe he was up here with you, reunited again. at one point during his little takeover, he mocked your infamous expressions, and even your voice. you laughed even harder. but in the moment you didn't realize that it meant he was studying you. and he did.
he loved how theatrical you were. he watched your content footage over and over again, excited at the way your strutted confidently across the stage. the way your hard work showed in the sweat glistening around your neck. the way you smiled and interacted with the audience. although he was your peer, he was also a student of you. and all he wanted to do was study the hell out of you.
he took your hand, spun you around, and dipped you. while your ears were flooded with the crowd's hysteria, but you couldn't help but hear the bass guitar leave the song for a moment, as if someone stopped playing it. you turned your head to see your boyfriend with a stern look on his face, eyebrows furrowed. his fingers were nowhere near his guitar. you looked away, hiding a smirk from your obviously jealous boyfriend. why not lean into it a bit?
you stood upright and began to roll your body against michael, hips swaying to the beat. he quickly followed suit, putting his hands on your waist, his slender body rolling with you. for a moment you felt like you and him were in the dim corner of the dance floor as opposed to being brightly lit up onstage. you got lost in the feeling of his body heat against you, his shallow breath on you. but a moment of shyness overcame you, and so you playfully pushed michael away, and he reluctantly let go.
you gestured for him to give you back the mic. he did so immediately. you grabbed his left hand and raised it in the air.
"give it up for michael everybody!!" the crowd erupted again. "done stole my damn song," he laughed heartily at your mock irritation.
still holding your hand, he bought it to his lips and kissed it, staring at you.
this sent sparks all through your body. a feeling that reminded you of how you felt when you first met your boyfriend. a feeling you haven't felt since the first time you met your boyfriend.
it was moments after you performed onstage. you were splayed out on the couch, wiping away your sweat with a towel. there was a wide grin on your face as you mindlessly strummed your guitar, replaying those moments between you and michael on stage, dancing carefree. you thought about the sparks you felt when he kissed you and how you'd give anything to feel that again.
your boyfriend walked in, drenched in sweat. his bass guitar was still draped around his body. for once, the indifference on his face was replaced by something else: frustration. jealousy even. that was your cue to get up, kiss his cheek, and quell his growing temper.
"that was good wasn't it, baby?" you asked as your hands drape around his neck. you’re doing all you can to keep him at bay, as you were too tired for another argument about the missteps or the lights being too bright, or some other excuse to hide his overall bubbling resentment for you.
he kissed his teeth and smirked, irritated. "what was? the performance or michael coming on stage and kissing up on you?"
your smile dimmed. "it wasn't nothin'. you ain’t jealous are you?"
your boyfriend squinted at you in what seemed like annoyance. he stepped closer to you.
"is it something i need to be jealous about?" he leaned forward and planted a kiss on your neck, and another, before you pushed him away. whatever he was trying to do wasn't working. you found a new high.
“you know that’s real hypocritical,” you say, before plopping back down on the couch.
“oh yeah? write another song about it then for all I care.” he leaves, and with him, all the words you wanted to say to him. unfortunately, there was some truth to his words, because all you want to do in that moment, besides dance with michael, was write a song about it.
shortly, you hear a knock on the already opened door. you look up to see the same shimmering tuxedo that was onstage with you. the darkness of the venue did not do michael justice. the harsh green room lighting didn’t either, but at least you could see every last detail of him. you smiled at him. that wild and crooked smile that he dreamt of seeing again. seeing it twice in one night was a miracle, he thought.
“hey, mike.” you laughed. "are you even okay with me calling you that?"
“sure. I mean, you can call me anything you’d like.” he laughed. what he said made you freeze a little, but you quickly recovered, grinning to yourself.
“did you wanna sit down or something?”
“no, no, i, uh… well i’d love to, don’t get me wrong. but everyone I came with is about to leave.”
you rose from the couch. “you did great tonight, thanks for coming up and helping me.”
he stepped a bit closer to you, and your breath got stuck somewhere in your throat. not only was his cologne attacking your senses, you were close enough to feel his minty breath on your lips.
“they’re probably looking for me right now.” he laughed, his breath again reaching your lips and sending a shock down your body. “i, uh, just wanted to tell you that i had a good time, and was wondering when i’d be able to see you again?”
“see me again?” you repeated, kind of shocked by his directness.
but he quickly added, “to make some music?”
“right. i hope you’re not hitting on me, mikey. i’m in a relationship, you know.” you playfully shoved him, but he caught your hand and pulled you as close as possible.
“a happy one?” he smirked, before planting a quick peck on your cheek and walking away. "hope i see you soon."
before that moment, you were convinced that nobody could make you feel the way your boyfriend did.