✧˙°. — DREAMER
''𝗱𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗺𝗲𝗿' 𝗽𝘁. 𝟮 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲.ᐟ
୨୧ 𝗈𝗍𝗐!𝗆𝗂𝖼𝗁𝖺𝖾𝗅 𝗑 𝗋𝖾𝖺𝖽𝖾𝗋 | m. list
— “𝖽𝗋𝖾𝖺𝗆𝖾𝗋” 𝖻𝗒 ‘𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗃𝖺𝖼𝗄𝗌𝗈𝗇𝗌’ 𝗂𝗌 𝖺𝖻𝗈𝗎𝗍 𝗋𝖾𝖺𝖽𝖾𝗋 (𝗹𝗲𝘁𝘀 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝗴𝗮𝗺𝗯𝗹𝗲 & 𝗵𝘂𝗳𝗳 𝗱𝗶𝗱𝗻’𝘁 𝘄𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗼𝗻𝗴…)
𝖼𝗈𝗇𝗍. 𝗐𝖺𝗋𝗇𝗂𝗇𝗀𝗌: 𝗆𝗎𝗍𝗎𝖺𝗅 𝗉𝗂𝗇𝗂𝗇𝗀, 𝗃𝖺𝗇𝖾𝗍 𝖻𝖾𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝖻𝗂𝗀𝗀𝖾𝗌𝗍 𝗂𝗇𝗌𝗍𝗂𝗀𝖺𝗍𝗈𝗋 𝖺𝗅𝗂𝗏𝖾, 𝖼𝗋𝗎𝗌𝗁 𝖾𝗑𝗉𝗈𝗌𝗎𝗋𝖾, 𝖾𝗑𝖼𝖾𝗌𝗌𝗂𝗏𝖾 𝖻𝗅𝗎𝗌𝗁𝗂𝗇𝗀, 𝖿𝖺𝗆𝗂𝗅𝗒 𝗍𝖾𝖺𝗌𝗂𝗇𝗀, 𝖿𝗅𝗎𝖿𝖿, 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗆𝗂𝖼𝗁𝖺𝖾𝗅 𝗃𝖺𝖼𝗄𝗌𝗈𝗇 𝖻𝖾𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗁𝗈𝗉𝖾𝗅𝖾𝗌𝗌𝗅𝗒 𝗌𝗆𝗂𝗍𝗍𝖾𝗇
it had started with janet.
it always started with janet.
“you’re coming tonight,” she’d said over the phone earlier that week, not even giving you a chance to decline.
“janet—”
“nope. no excuses. i don’t care if you’re tired or if your cat learned how to talk. you’re coming.”
you laughed. “i don’t even have a cat.”
“exactly. see you friday.”
so there you were. backstage at the destiny tour.
the venue buzzed around you in a way that felt almost unreal. crew members hurried past carrying equipment, stagehands spoke into headsets, and distant cheers filtered through the walls as thousands of fans settled into their seats.
janet sat cross-legged beside you in a folding chair, peeling the label off a soda bottle.
“you nervous?” she asked.
“for what?”
“being around all this.” she gestured vaguely.
you shrugged. “not really.”
before janet could respond, movement caught your attention.
michael emerged from farther down the hallway.
he looked beautiful under the fluorescent lights. dark curls framing his face, costume pressed neatly.
he glanced up, his eyes landed on you.
and immediately widened.
you smiled, waving.
“hi, michael.”
“oh—” he blinked, looking you up and down. you were wearing a cream trench-style jacket with a belted waist and oversized lapels. you paired it with a brown pinstripe mini skirt with ruffle and lace-up detailing across the waistband, along with dark brown knee-high boots. your naturally curly, voluminous hair fell just right below your shoulders, framing your face perfectly with your baby hairs laid.
“hi.”
he continued walking — directly into a stack of equipment cases.
janet stared.
michael stumbled backward.
“i’m okay,” he muttered quickly, face turning pink before disappearing around the corner.
“…interesting,” janet mumbled.
you frowned. “what?”
“nothing.”
“janet.”
“nothing.”
you narrowed your eyes, but she still refused to elaborate.
· · ─ ·ʚɞ· ─ · ·
by the time the lights dimmed, the entire arena erupted. the screams were deafening.
janet grabbed your hand, excitement practically radiating from her.
“this is my favorite part.”
the brothers took the stage to roaring applause.
and michael,
pretty much transformed.
gone was the shy boy who couldn’t make eye contact for more than three seconds backstage. under the spotlight, he became a superstar.
he danced effortlessly, smiling here and there, and took over the stage like he usually did. you couldn’t help smiling.
janet bumped your shoulder.
“told you.”
song after song blurred together beneath flashing lights and endless applause.
until the familiar opening notes of “dreamer” floated through the arena.
across the stage, michael adjusted his grip on the microphone, then began to sing. his voice wrapped itself around the lyrics with an ache that made your chest tighten.
there was something different about it, something quieter; more vulnerable.
his gaze swept across the crowd.
fans screamed, arms waved, camera flashes sparkled like stars.
then — “a romantic fool….
thats what i am. i think about you all day long.”
his eyes found yours as his brothers sang the chorus.
you blinked. for a moment, you assumed it was coincidence. there were thousands of people, he couldn’t have been looking at you. right?
he looked away, continued singing. you relaxed.
until it happened again.
“i just can't wait, ‘til i go to sleep
i’ll be with you, all night long.”
his gaze returned to you as his brothers sang the chorus again.
if anything, he looked startled each time your eyes met. as though he’d forgotten you could actually catch him staring.
janet slowly turned her head.
looked at you, then looked back at michael.
who was singing directly toward your section.
looked back at you.
“it's fantasy, i just like to share these moments together.”
“…oh my god.”
you frowned. “what?”
she grabbed your arm. hard.
“oh my god.”
“janet.”
“look at him!”
“i am looking at him.”
“no. look at him.”
you opened your mouth to argue, then stopped.
because michael wasn’t scanning the audience.
he wasn’t performing for the crowd.
he was looking at you — performing for you, eyes dropping shyly whenever you noticed.
blushing beneath stage lights.
the realization sent warmth rushing through you.
“janet—”
“that song is about you.”
your heart nearly stopped. “what?”
“that song is about you.”
“don’t be ridiculous.”
“i’m serious!”
“janet—”
“he has looked over here literally the entire song!”
you glanced back toward the stage.
michael reached the chorus.
his voice remained steady. his hands did not.
even from where you sat, you noticed the way his fingers tightened around the microphone whenever he looked your way. as though gathering courage, making your pulse flutter; because suddenly, moments from the past few months replayed differently.
the way he laughed too hard at your jokes.
the way conversations with you always ended with pink cheeks and nervous smiles.
how he’d volunteer to walk you to janet’s room only to stand awkwardly in the doorway afterward.
how his brothers exchanged knowing looks whenever you entered the room.
you swallowed. no. surely not.
then michael looked over again.
and this time,
you didn’t look away.
instead, you smiled. just for him.
the effect was immediate.
his eyes widened.
he missed his cue, causing marlon to elbow him sharply. michael startled before recovering, the tips of his ears turning bright red.
janet made a strangled sound beside you.
“oh, he’s gone.”
“janet.”
“he’s in love with you.”
your face burned. “he is not.”
she pointed toward the stage.
michael, somehow still singing flawlessly, couldn’t stop smiling.
the grin lingered for the remainder of the song.
it softened his features. made him glow.
and every now and then,
he looked at you again.
· · ─ ·ʚɞ· ─ · ·
backstage after the show was chaos.
crew members celebrated, voices overlapped, the brothers laughed about missed choreography and costume mishaps.
you stood near janet, trying desperately to ignore the pounding of your heart.
then michael appeared, still flushed from performing.
still so beautiful.
he froze when he noticed you. janet’s eyes lit up.
too late, you realized exactly what expression she wore. the expression of someone about to cause problems.
“so,” she said loudly.
michael blinked.
“…so?”
“how long have you been in love with my best friend?”
everything stopped. michael’s entire face went crimson.
“janet!”
“michael joseph jackson!”
“janet!”
you stared. janet stared.
michael stared at the floor.
“…i’m going to kill you,” he whispered.
“you sang dreamer to her in front of thousands of people!”
“i did not!”
“you absolutely did!”
silence.
your voice came out softer than intended.
“…dreamer?”
michael froze.
to him, the room suddenly felt very small. he looked up, his dark eyes meeting yours. all traces of embarrassment remained.
but beneath it, there was honesty.
he glanced toward janet, toward his brothers, then back at you.
“…yeah,” he admitted quietly.
your breath caught.
he rubbed nervously at the back of his neck. “i didn’t mean for anybody to know.”
“michael—”
“i just…” he laughed weakly. “i wrote it because i thought that’s all it’d ever be.”
your eyebrows knitted together. “what?”
he looked down. “a dream.” his voice barely rose above a whisper.
“you and janet were always together. and you’re…” he shook his head, smiling shyly. “you’re you.”
you stared at him.
“and i’m me.” his cheeks darkened.
“yeah.”
something inside your chest ached. despite sold-out arenas and screaming fans and stage lights bright enough to rival the stars,
he looked at you like he couldn’t understand why you’d ever choose him.
you stepped closer.
“michael.”
he finally met your gaze.
“i’m really glad janet made me come tonight.”
his expression shifted into 3 emotions in 5 seconds; hope, disbelief, joy.
“…you are?”
you smiled again, just like when he was performing the song. just for him.
“yeah.”
for a second, he simply stared.
then —
he smiled back.
behind you, janet shrieked.
“I KNEW IT!”
michael buried his face in his hands. “janet!”
“don’t janet me! i have been waiting months for this!” you laughed, michael looking up at the sound.
and just like he had during “dreamer,”
he looked at you as though the entire world had disappeared around him.
“…so,” he said shyly, “would you maybe wanna…go out with me sometime?”
janet gasped dramatically.
you smiled. “i’d love to.”
michael blinked.
“…really?”
you laughed. “really.”
his answering grin was so bright it rivaled every spotlight he’d stood beneath that night.
and somewhere down the hallway, janet was already planning exactly how she’d tell la toya she had to ‘pay up’ $10.
''𝗱𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗺𝗲𝗿' 𝗽𝘁. 𝟮 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲.ᐟ
