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"you know I'm not allowed to celebrate my birthday" Michael says.
you were hanging out in your rehearsals room in the Motown building, waiting for the clock to hit twelve in the morning. "we're not celebrating anything", you say as you set down three gift boxes. Michael was turning sixteen in exactly ten minutes, and even though he wasn't able to celebrate, you wanted him to begin a new year of his life happy.
"then what's with the gifts?" he asks and you stare a him blankly. "call 'em a token of appreciation for your existence" you say. Michael smiles as he toys with one of the boxes' ribbons, you've managed to make his birthday special every year, with endless gifts and a lot of love each time.
he looked up at you as you stare down at your watch, he bit the inside of his cheek. Michael has been feeling those intense emotions every time he's around you for months now; happiness, nervousness, this overwhelming sense of giddiness, and this horrible, horrible feeling on nausea.
Michael looked down at his hands and wondered if you felt those things too. his head would slightly spin every time you'd touch him, his palms would start sweating and his knees feel like jello whenever you'd say one of your oh so sweet compliments. his stomach immediately fills with butterflies the moment you're in sight.
he also got intensely jealous whenever you're around other people, especially other boys; including his brothers. he hated seeing you with someone else, at the beginning of this year you attended the Soul Train Music awards with John Travolta and he refused to even watch the broadcast. just this morning he saw you joking around with Jermaine and Randy, and it felt like his whole afternoon was ruined. doubly ruined when his brothers kept asking why he was in a bad mood.
Michael was slowly coming to terms with the fact that he might be in love with his best friend.
might be?
he was. he was just too scared tell you, too scared to even acknowledge it himself fearing that he might ruin the fifteen years of friendship between you.
he has to tell you though, he needed to like he needed air. he looks up at you, counting down.
"five! four! three! two! one!"
Michael sighed with a smile.
"go! go! go! open the gif- appreciation things- whatever!" you clap your hands. Michael grabs the first box, pulling the on the ribbon then taking off the lid. he frowns a bit, then his jaw falls open, "woah.."
"I know you've been wanting these" you smile, he pulls out several vinyls. "the complete James Brown collection!" he exclaims admiring the records, "yeah. well, until his next album." you chuckle. "I've been wanting these for so long, Y/n" Michael laughs, "I had to get them for you"
"this means so much to me, you don't even know" he looks at you with a big smile. "open the next one!" you clap, Michael giggles. the fact that you got more than one 'token of appreciation' meant a lot to him. he opens the second box. this one was a big white box that was closed off with a black ribbon, he looks at you for a split second then opens the box. a small white card greets him at the top,
Mister Michael J. Jackson, Christian Dior and Y/n Y/l/n would like to send you love and light as you being this next year of your life. thank you for being the amazing person you are and thank you for being an even better friend. best of luck.
"seriously?" Michael asks and you nod.
he pulls out the white tissue paper that covered what's inside, Michael gasps as he pulls it out. "Y/n I c-can't take this.." he whispers, "oh come on!" you whine, "it's just a little thing" you shrug. "this probably cost you a fortune!" he says examining what he just pulled out.
"Michael, I would spend every last dime I have if that's what it takes to see you happy", and your words made his eyes gloss over.
it was a custom made leather jacket. midnight black, vegan leather on a simple get gorgeous design, Michael's initials we're embossed on one of the front pockets and a little microphone was embroidered in white on one of the sleeves. he turned it around, the word "JACKSON" and the number "58" were embroidered on the back. "thank you, Y/n, I really can't say it enough" he chuckles.
"you think this is a lot?" you ask, and Michael looks at you like you're crazy, it was. it was a lot. you were making him feel real special, you were giving him your undivided attention and he knew you don't do things like for anyone else, only him.
"you're not ready for the last box" you smirk as he wipes away a tear, "oh, god. what is it?" he asks, and you hand him a small box. he opens the last box and his jaw drops open, he tried to speak but immediately covers his mouth as tears streamed down his cheek, "oh god" he mutters and and begins full on crying. "stop! you're gonna make me cry too!" you say as you fan away your tears.
inside was a framed photo. a photo of when you two were younger, when you were babies. you were maybe one or two years old in it, he was dressed in a little black and white tuxedo and you wore a white dress with a flower crown on your head. he was the one keeping this photo when it was first printed, but he lost it in the process of moving to the big house. he never thought he'd see it again, let alone in better quality and framed.
"I thought I l-lost it" he said through tears, you move away the empty box and pull him into your embrace tightly hugging him. "my dad had a copy of it, I know how much you loved it, I had to", you rub his back. maybe it was the current circumstance, or maybe it's because Michael was in your arms, but he knew how he felt.
Michael was in love with you.
"thank you" he muttered, "I love you.. so much", and you hug him tighter, "I love you more" you smile. Michael silently hoped that maybe, just maybe, you loved him the way he loves you. Michael closed his eyes as he melted into your embrace hoping that someday he will be able to tell you how he feels; but for now he's happy with what you have.
