˚⊹ ₊࿔ There's a place ࿔₊⊹˚
Feeling down you decide to go on one of your frequent lonely walks, unaware that it would lead you to meet Michael
✿Masterlist✿
Fandom: Michael Jackson
Type: oneshot
Pairing: Michael Jackson x Reader
Tags: Thriller era Michael, Reader and Michael don't know each other, feeling of loneliness on both sides, Michael being an animal lover he's the cutest<3
Note: took me a while to finish this one 'cause I started off really inspired, but then I let several days go by and had to polish some details😆 briefly inspired by There's a Place by the Beatles🫣 hope you like it!
(English isn't my first language so sorry for the mistakes!)
The night is cold, but not cold enough to make you want to go back home now. After all it's not like there was anything or anyone genuinely waiting for you, so there was no rush. You're sitting on one of the park benches and not too far away you could see the city skyline all lit up. Your hands tucked into your coat pockets as you watch the occasional people pass by.
You didn't go out with the intention of ending up here specifically. You were just walking. Looking for a place to be. A place to go when everything feels heavy. A place where you belong.
After thinking about it for a while you finally admitted it to yourself. The truth is you came because you wanted to find someone to talk to. A silly hope of running into someone, anyone, to have a conversation with about anything at all, and not feel so alone for at least a little while.
What you don't know is that just a few feet away there was someone who had gone out for exactly the same reason. Michael had left his house much earlier than you. He had been walking aimlessly for longer than you. The silence of his home felt uncomfortable tonight, his record player was on but it all just sounded like background noise, his phone full of contacts but no one real to talk to. He'd come out with the same hope of running into someone to talk to, but unlike you he knew it from the start. He was lonely.
You're focused on looking at the view so you don't catch the few seconds he stops before reaching where you are. He genuinely hesitates about whether he should approach or not because he wouldn't want to make you uncomfortable, but before he even realizes it he's already standing a few steps away from you.
-Good evening
-Good evening- you reply lifting your gaze towards him.
-Is this taken? he asks, glancing at the empty space beside you.
You understand the gesture immediately and shake your head.
-Oh no, go ahead- you shift in your own seat as if trying to give him more space (more than there already was).
Michael sits down at the opposite end of the bench, leaving a careful distance between the two of you. Both hands in his pockets. The cold isn't having mercy on anyone tonight.
For a couple of minutes neither of you says anything. You're both looking in different directions. It's not entirely an uncomfortable silence but the longer it goes on the more you feel the need to say something. Maybe this is the opportunity you've been waiting for and it would be a shame if he left and you hadn't tried anything. Come on. Anything. Weather. Sports. Traffic. The news. Anything at all!
-It's cold out isn't it? // -not many people out here tonight huh?
Coincidence. Great. You both let out a small laugh at the overlapping words. So light yet so genuine at the same time. You feel a certain relief realizing you weren't the only one thinking about saying something.
-Sorry you said first- he says.
-Oh don't worry. I was just saying it's been cold today
-Really cold... I feel like my hands are freezing- he pulls his hands out of his pockets and rubs them together -they're saying it'll be like this for the rest of the week
-Yeah I heard that too. Can't get worse I guess- you pause for a moment -and no, the park's been pretty quiet since I got here. Couple of people walking their dogs and that's it
-Do you come here often?- he asks curiously. He's surprised at himself that someone is genuinely keeping the conversation going.
-Not exactly but I know the whole place. You?
-Same
Another silence settled over you. But this one was different. More comfortable. More familiar. More pleasant. The wind blows unhurriedly rustling the tops of the trees as leaves scatter across the ground. The light rain from over an hour ago had left puddles spread all throughout the park.
Michael thought the same. Even if it had only been a few words it felt like a complete victory to him. You saw him smile out of nowhere while looking at a tree, which made you look in the same direction to see if he'd spotted something funny. There was nothing there.
Before either of you could make the next move, a labrador retriever approaches Michael and starts licking his hands while wagging his tail excitedly. In that instant you saw his face light up with the biggest smile you'd seen on anyone all week. He gets up from the bench to come down to the puppy's level and pet him. "Why did he come straight to him?" you wondered confused. Even so, you couldn't help but let out a smile. It's a tender scene after all.
-Hey you still have your leash on. Where's your owner huh? A precious little angel like you can't be out here alone at this hour- he talks to the puppy in a sweet tone. His voice is naturally like that, but the presence of the animal made it even gentler.
You look around to see if by chance someone might be coming over. Not a shadow of anyone.
-His owner must be around here. He couldn't have come from very far- you add, moving a little closer to Michael who is still kneeling beside the dog.
-I hope so, I'm not leaving him here alone- he answers with complete seriousness, still petting him.
You noticed it. The connection was immediate. That puppy was gonna be safe whether the owner showed up or not.
-It's like he already knows you
-Right?!- he replies with excitement.
His excitement is genuine. Anyone who didn't know who he was would think he's the owner. He makes it look so simple, so easy. So much so that you proceed to kneel down as well and see if the puppy gives you a bit of the attention Michael had unintentionally stolen. Luckily for you the pup turns and starts licking your hand. Good. You didn't end up embarrassed in front of the dog whisperer.
-See! He loves you too!- he exclaims followed by a laugh that ends up being contagious
-I wasn't gonna let you win! I have my own charm too y'know- you answer without looking at him directly since you'd gotten caught up in petting the animal.
You can feel his eyes on you. You can feel the smile forming on his face at the sight. For some reason a small shiver ran through your body. You stop yourself from returning it (you don't know why) but the dog, as if this were all planned and he were the main accomplice, moves away from between you, leaving you both face to face. Your eyes meet and without being aware of it, you end up smiling back. A warmth appears in your stomach as if someone had turned it on with a switch at just the right moment.
-Let's go find the owner they must be close- Michael breaks the moment and stands up offering you a hand to help you up.
It wasn't abrupt or anticlimactic. It didn't feel like he wanted to get away from there as quickly as possible. But you could notice the shyness that had taken over him and made him react that way.
You start walking in the same direction, looking around, hoping to see someone with even a slightly worried expression.
-What do we do if we don't find anyone?- you ask still looking ahead -I think I could take him with me and-...
-I'll take him to my place- Michael cuts you off suddenly, which makes you turn to look at him -he can spend the night with me and tomorrow I'll figure out how to track down his owner
His tone is serious. Yes, it's that serious. To him it is. You don't want to contradict him so you don't say anything. It's an argument you had a feeling you wouldn't come out of winning. You're fine with that. At one point the dog barks and tries to pull free from your grip to run toward an elderly couple standing beneath a flickering streetlamp.
-That's them!- Michael says looking first at the dog's reaction and then at the couple. He signals to you and you both take a few more steps until you're standing in front of them.
-Kiwi there you are!!- the woman says loudly as she bends down to pet the dog. Their relief is more than evident.
-You're a troublemaker Kiwi! You can't just run off like that every time you meet new friends- the man adds in a scolding but understanding tone -did you two find him?
-Yes sir- Michael answers first with that enormous smile covering his whole face -we were over that way when he came up to us
He carefully takes the leash from your hands and gives it to the woman. A faint brush of his fingers against yours that didn't go unnoticed.
-Sorry for the trouble, Kiwi gets excited when he sees other dogs in this park. We don't come very often and when we do he turns into a total tornado
-A four-legged tornado you mean!- the woman says sending the two of them into laughter. Michael and you joined in.
-Thank you both so much I don't know what would have happened to our dog if he hadn't run into you
-Tell him that- you point at Michael with your thumb -Kiwi went straight for him like he was a pile of kibble
The laugh that came out of Michael was something you hadn't heard even in the best stand-up shows.
-That's not true!- he tries to reply between laughs.
-Yes it is
-No!
-I believe the girl- the man settles it and you smile. Finally a win.
-We gotta go before the rain catches us again- the woman suggests now looking up at the sky. The treetops are swaying strongly, warning of possible downpour
-Alright Kiwi it was a pleasure meeting you- Michael crouches down again to get level with the dog -don't go scaring your parents like that again. Remember you have to take care of them okay?
As if it were a real conversation the dog barks in response to Michael's words. Does he actually understand him? you wonder internally. You're about to think he has some kind of telepathic ability.
You lean in to say goodbye to the puppy too.
-And if it ever happens again I hope you're lucky enough to run into another Michael to look after you- you say softly as a small but warm smile spreads across your face.
Michael goes completely still and his eyes go wide with surprise at hearing his name come from your lips. He knows at no point had you actually introduced yourselves. Not by name. Or by anything.
After more thank yous and handshakes the couple walked away from you, leaving you both under the light of that still-flickering streetlamp.
-You already knew my name
-You're not exactly hard to recognize you know that right?- you say the last part with a hint of sarcasm tilting your head slightly.
-I'm sorry for not introducing myself properly before- he replies with a noticeable regret in his voice -I didn't want you to think that just because of who I am I didn't feel like I had to do it and-...
-Don't worry about it I didn't think that- you cut him off before he starts over-apologizing.
-I'm Michael — he extends his hand toward you shyly. He thought you wouldn't notice but he was trembling. You tell him your name and reach back.
-Come on then- you give him a gentle squeeze though no less firm, pulling a small laugh out of him as soft as a whisper.
You were so distracted by the canine rescue operation that you didn't realize the raindrops had started falling a few minutes ago. Michael notices them on the ground and you extend your hand out to feel them landing on your palm as you look up for a few seconds.
-Will I see you around here again?- he asks with his best attempt at nonchalance. A poor one though because you can see his bright eyes giving him away completely. Those big expressive eyes that keep him from hiding what he thinks and feels.
-Possibly- you answer softly and without even thinking about it you're already walking in the opposite direction, leaving his figure behind.
That single word was more than enough to give Michael a new motivation to go out walking more often. A new reason to visit that park more often. A place that at some point had been a companion to his loneliest moments but now could become a witness to new, warmer memories.
And for you, from now on, your walks alone would no longer be aimless. Maybe -just maybe- you had found a place you'd actually want to come back to. A place you can go not only when you're feeling low or blue, A place where for the first time in a long time, someone just might be waiting for you.
Before anyone comes to point out inaccuracies, labrador retrievers are medium-to-large dogs. I already know about Michael and the small dog thing because of Elizabeth Taylor's dog but anyway😭
Credits dividers: chrisssiren
