pairing : michael jackson x singer!black!fem reader
warnings : mdni, angst with happy ending, hurt/comfort (eventually), timeskips, you have a bsf named serenity, desperate michael, mentions of d*ana ross, cursing, various pet names, use of y/n (like once)
a/n : this is going to be in two parts for my sanity. i got tired of proofreading over and over so if you see a mistake, no you don’t. enjoy reading <33
disclaimer : I use em-dash but I don’t use ai !!
that woman always managed to weasel her way into places she didn’t need to be—like your relationship for example. you and michael were doing so good, great even. the honeymoon phase was never just a phase for you both—the word “lovebirds” basically originated from your relationship. that was all before she came into the picture.
michael’s family had warned you about his obsession with her in the past, but you dismissed it as ancient history. that was a mistake. now, you and michael weren't even on speaking terms. all because of her.
it’s almost three in the morning and michael still hadn’t come home. you knew for a fact he wasn’t in the studio because you went there yourself to drop off dinner and he was nowhere to be found. this wasn’t the first time but today will be the last. instead of sitting around and sulking, you decided that enough was enough.
when michael finally came home, he was expecting to cuddle and sleep next to you for the rest of the night. instead, he was met with you packing all your stuff into a suitcase.
“plannin’ a trip?” he joked.
you were too mad to say anything rational so you kept your mouth shut while you packed. michael noticed the tension in the air and slowly made his way over to you, not wanting to provoke you any further.
“what do you mean by home? this is your home.”
you took a deep breath before turning around to face him, your eyes full of rage and hurt. “where were you tonight, michael?”
his eyebrows burrowed in confusion. “I was at the studio.”
you laughed under your breath as you crossed your arms over your chest. this man had some damn nerve. “so you’re gonna lie straight to my face? I know you weren’t at the studio because I went there myself to find you and you were gone. now you’re coming home smelling like another woman’s perfume. where the fuck were you.”
michael’s face shifted from confusion into panic, he knew he was caught. “..I was out.”
“gee, thank you so much for telling me what I already knew.” you said sarcastically, rolling your eyes as you picked up your suitcase and walked out of the room.
michael ran out after you, blocking you from the staircase. “I was out with diana, okay?! she came down to the studio and insisted that I needed a break. she only took me out for drinks, it was completely harmless, I swear.”
this was old news to you. diana has been “subtly” leaving her claim on michael—like she was a damn animal—for months. on multiple occasions, she would call michael at midnight just to “check up on him”. you’ve tried to tell him that you weren’t happy with how invasive she was but he dismissed you ever time, claiming that it was normal in their friendship. he just wouldn’t believe that she was trying to break you both up. this was all getting really old (like her).
“if it was actually ‘harmless’, you would’ve told me beforehand. you’d rather spend time with her than come home to your girlfriend.”
michael took your hand in his, rubbing his thumbs over your knuckles. “that’s not true, baby. i didn’t think it was that big of a deal. can we please jus’ go back to bed and talk about this?”
didn’t think it was that big of a deal?
those words stuck with you for a while. he was making you feel like you were going insane, as if this was all in your head.
“move out my way, michael.”
every time you tried to maneuver past him, he would just block you again and again. “no, you are stayin’ right here until we finish talkin’.”
“what is there to talk about? you lied to me, don’t you get that? she’s been doing this for months and I’m sick of this shit. I’m not going to fight for your attention anymore.” the more you spoke, the angrier you got. you were mad at him, mad at diana, and mad at yourself for putting up with this bullshit. “I physically can’t do this anymore, I refuse to be second best.” your lip was quivering as tears were threatening to spill over your cheeks. the last thing you needed was letting him see you cry.
you pushed past him with all your strength ran out the front door before he could even attempt to speak to you, never seeing him again.
it’s been two weeks since you’ve last saw michael—not that you were keeping count. it’s been pretty rough to say the least, most nights were spent with stale tissues on your pillow while his records play in the background. you weren’t sure what stage of grief you were on anymore. every time you thought about that night, you would get angry all over again. it wasn’t any easier that his face was basically plastered everywhere you turned.
you took this time to drown yourself in work, spending most of your days in the studio. the only one who knew about your situation was your best friend, serenity. you confided in her with most of your problems since she deemed herself trustworthy over the years and gave you the best advice. she would take you out on occasion just to get you out of your funk, even if it was just for a few hours.
michael was still trying to reach out to you every single day. he would leave bouquets of your favorite flowers at your doorstep, multiple messages on your answering machine, baskets full of your favorite snacks, and a whole bunch of expensive clothing.
you made the mistake of listening to one of his messages. your manager informed you that he left one on your answering machine so you gave it a listen. before you could delete the rest of the messages, his voice came through.
“hey baby…it’s me, michael. I’ve lost count of how many messages I left but I don’t care anymore. I miss you, angel. please talk to me. I jus’ need to hear your voice, even if you’re yellin’ at me.”
the message ended with him blowing kisses into the phone, repeating the words “I love you” over and over. you haven’t heard his voice in weeks and the desperation in his voice kind of did something to you. it was annoying how he could get you so hot and bothered, even when he wasn’t in the room. maybe you were too harsh on him? no. snap the hell out it, you need to get a grip. you told your manager the next day that he couldn’t leave messages on your machine anymore.
during all of this chaos, you wrote two certain songs that were very messy—there was nothing subtle about them. you were pretty hesitant to put them out because if you did, you would be doing it out a spite. one song was targeted toward michael while the other was targeted toward diana. for a while, you left them untouched—until one late night.
you and serenity were eating pizza on the floor of her living room, talking about life in general.
you stopped eating your pizza and set it down, turning your body to face her. “do you think i should release them?”
serenity nearly choked on her pizza. “ok so we’re doing this now,” she mumbled, taking a sip of her drink before giving you an answer. “if I’m being honest, you’re gonna cause more problems than you’re gonna solve. are you sure you want to do this?”
“I’m just tired of diana thinking she can do whatever she wants with no repercussions. someone needs to do something and I’ll be damned if she tries me.”
she nodded along while placing her pizza down next to yours. “let’s do it then.”
that same night, you ultimately decided to release the songs with your best friend by your side.
you woke up to your phone ringing loudly in your ear, almost bursting an entire eardrum. you wiped the crust from your eyes as picked it up, trying to read the caller id. why is your manager calling you so early?
“what’s so important that you had to call me at eight in the morning?” your voice was still groggy from sleep.
“i’m sorry but i had to get ahold of you, your songs have been all over the radio!”
you immediately sat up. “all over the radio?”
“isn’t this so exciting? everyone is loving it!”
you looked at your phone again before putting it back against your ear. “ok, it’s too early in the morning for all of this. I’ll call you back.”
“before you go, i have some brands that want to do some photoshoots and interviews with you. you have to give me an answer by the end of today, don’t forget!” he shouted as hung up.
you took a moment to sit with yourself and stare at your walls. you weren’t that famous as other artist so it came as a surprise to hear that your songs had actually done some numbers—the most you expected was some of your fans listening to it and going on about their day. how did this all happen so soon?
you called serenity who was surprisingly already up. “girl, I got some shit to tell you.”
serenity gasped. “I got some shit to tell you. I just heard one of your songs playing in my cab to work this morning.”
you placed your hand over your forehead. “holy shit so this isn’t a dream?”
“nope, this is definitely not a dream. what was it you were you going to tell me?”
“oh, yeah, my manager just told me i have brands reaching out to me. isn’t that insane? what should i do, I have to give him an answer by tonight.”
serenity sucked her teeth at you. “are you kidding? call him back and tell him you’re taking the deals.”
she was right, this was your one opportunity to finally make a name for yourself in the industry. you took serenity’s advice and called back your manager.
oh my gosh, this was really happening!
this past month since your unexpected success has been a whirlwind. your life went from sitting at home and writing music in your notebook to being on magazine covers and getting signed under a label—you even made an entire music video. your schedule was so busy you didn’t even have time to think, or cry, about michael. speaking of, it’s been six weeks since you last saw him—crazy how time flies.
your work phone starts ringing in your purse, playing your ringtone over and over until you answered.
a young man’s voice entered through the speaker. “hi is this ms. l/n?”
“this is she, and who am I speaking with?”
“i’m andy schuon with mtv productions and I am thrilled to let you know that you’ve been nominated for several awards at this year’s video music awards! we would absolutely love to have you perform at the show. what do you think?”
no fucking way. you? perform at the vma’s? of course you would do it, why would that even be a question. “I would be honored too! thank you so much for this opportunity, I’m honestly speechless.”
“that’s great to hear! we’ll forward all of the information you need to your email, have a lovely day.”
things just keep on getting better and better! you have to start planning your hair and outfit asap.
when you got home, the first thing you opened was your computer. the email stuck out like a sore thumb, awaiting to be opened. when you clicked on it, it consisted of your nominations, the set list, and when rehearsals would be.
the list of performances showed that you would be the closing act of the night. now that you’re looking more closely, you recognize a name you wish you didn’t see—michael jackson. not only that, but he was the first act of the night. atleast you didn’t have to bump into backstage, right?
you immediately call serenity to debrief everything with her. she definitely saw this coming and honestly, she needed to get you and michael to talk this out. it was so obvious that you missed him, but you were too hardheaded to admit that. as the call progressed, you invited her to be your plus one to the event as a buffer and as your best friend—to which she accepted. finding a man to go with was the last thing you wanted to do, you’d much rather have someone you can actually tolerate.
the rest of the night was spent trading outfit ideas and eating takeout.
you arrived to auditorium in a very casual outfit—a blue juicy couture set with your louis vuitton purse. production notified you that you had three hours to rehearse, leaving you with five hours to get home, get ready, and arrive back in time for the vma’s. everything was happening so fast and all at once, you’ve barely had time to process.
you head backstage to your dressing room, setting your stuff down on the couch while you sat in the plush chair next to the vanity. within minutes, the door clicks open as someone walks in. what you expected was your makeup team but when you looked up, it definitely wasn’t them. it was michael.
you had so many questions that you didn’t know where to start.
michael was just as stunned as you—he hadn’t moved an inch ever since he opened the door. his hand was gripping the doorknob like it was the only thing that could keep him standing.
“I think you have the wrong room,” you said.
michael turned to see if anyone was in the hallway before closing the door behind him. “I don’t, I saw your name on the door. this was the only way I could see you since you’ve been avoidin’ me. jus’ spare me five minutes of your time, please.”
part of you wanted to shut him out, but another part of you wanted to hear him out—especially after so long. “…fine. you have to make it quick, my makeup artist should be here any second.”
michael stayed at the front of the room, scared to even move from his spot. “I can’t express to you how sorry I am. Its been real lonely at the house without you, it’s isn’t even a home if you’re not in it. I miss you so much it—“
you cut him off. “are you still in contact with diana?”
he looked at the ground in shame, his hands in his pockets. “well yeah she’s—”
you cut him off again. “then you’re just wasting your breath. none of this even matters if you don’t have the balls to talk to her face to face and set boundaries like the grown man you are.”
michael just stood there, letting every bitter word wash over him. the venom in your voice didn't push him away—it did the exact opposite. hearing you curse him out secretly turned him on. after all this time, he was just desperate to be in your presence again. “I know what I did was wrong and i feel awful. I’ll do whatever you need me to do.” michael wrapped his arms around you and rested his head on your shoulder. his hands gripped your sides so tight you thought they would bruise.
you hesitated before prying his hands off of you and lifted his head up to look you in the eye, holding his face in both hands. “you need to go, michael. you’re only hurting yourself the longer you stay here.”
the amount of restraint in your body was starting to dwindle and he knew that. however, nobody was more stubborn than you—especially not michael. not even his puppy dog eyes could save him.
“Im goin’ to make things right between us, I promise.” michael gave your palm a kiss before reluctantly leaving the room. he didn’t break eye contract with you for a single moment until you closed the door.
the rest of rehearsals went by smoothly but your mind was a complete mess. you crossed your fingers that the rest of night won’t be as complicated.
I do not consent to using my work for ai in any way, shape, or form. do not copy my work in general.
tags: @a-motherfcking-fish @itzpookiepooh @warmvanilla-musk @studio03 @gxsela @landlikelady @snaildoorhandle
a/n: I had no clue what to write for the summary please don’t hate me 🥹. I keep forgetting that I don’t have to write like shakespeare.
creds to @cursed-carmine for the divider !!
