๐๐ค๐ซ๐ ๐ค๐ฃ!
(๐๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐๐ช๐ป! ๐๐ช๐ค๐ฉ๐ข๐ฆ๐ญ ๐น ๐๐ง ๐ด๐ช๐ฏ๐จ๐ฆ๐ณ!๐๐/๐๐ฆ๐ข๐ฅ๐ฆ๐ณ)
๐ด๐ถ๐ฎ๐ฎ๐ข๐ณ๐บ: ๐๐ง๐ต๐ฆ๐ณ ๐บ๐ฆ๐ข๐ณ๐ด ๐ฐ๐ง ๐ฑ๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ต ๐ถ๐ฑ ๐ข๐ฏ๐จ๐ฆ๐ณ, ๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ค๐ฆ ๐๐ข๐ณ๐ฃ๐ข๐ณ๐ข ๐จ๐ฆ๐ต๐ด ๐ฆ๐ฏ๐จ๐ข๐จ๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ธ๐ช๐ต๐ฉ ๐๐ช๐ค๐ฉ๐ข๐ฆ๐ญ ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ต๐ด ๐๐ช๐ข๐ฏ๐ข ๐ธ๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ฆ ๐ด๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ฃ๐ฆ๐ญ๐ฐ๐ฏ๐จ๐ด.
๐ธ๐ข๐ณ๐ฏ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ๐ด: ๐๐ช*๐ฏ๐ข ๐*๐ด๐ด, ๐ท๐ช๐ฐ๐ญ๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ค๐ฆ, ๐ซ๐ฆ๐ญ๐ข๐ฐ๐ถ๐ด?, ๐ข๐ฏ ๐ข๐ฅ๐ถ๐ญ๐ต ๐ฃ๐ฆ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ท๐บ ๐ข๐ฃ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ต ๐ฌ๐ช๐ฅ๐ด ๐ฅ๐ช๐ข๐ฏ๐ข๐ธ๐ต๐ง๐ช๐ด๐บ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ณ๐ฑ๐ณ๐ฐ๐ฃ๐ญ๐ฆ๐ฎ.
HAYVENHURST, ENCINO. FEBRUARY 1979
Neither of them were fans of napping or taking some sleep, but the arms of eachother under warm blankets while they watched The Aristocats on a cold day of middle february, looked like a nice scenario to be asleep.
Michaelโs chest was incredibly warm, and Barbaraโs arms were so cuddly, so when the movie ended, that white noise in the background that suddenly stopped waked Barbaraโs light sleep.
โGood evening, angel faceโ She said smiling at her boyfriend awake from the sudden movement, he kept his eyes closed and smile flustered, she softly approached his face kissing very very softly his lips, waking her prince, more like king, by the true loveโs kiss.
โTinkโฆ Donโt call me that please, I- Iโm not-โ Michael mentioned with that voice he would only rasp when he woke up while he stretched his long limbs right before trap her into his arms, also tangling their legs.
He softly grunted mixed with a whine stretching again squeezing her, she laughed while he covered his flushed face with his hands looking away from the view with heart eyes of Barbara, Michael always got so flushed when it came about compliments to his good looks specially when the someone who told him.
โYes, you are pretty boyโ The young women cupped in her hands the face of her boyfriend who just opened those beautiful breath-taking bambi eyes โso so so pretty Mikeโ she started pocking the sides of his waist tickling him so as he started to answer by tickling her too at the sides of her ribs.
Somewhere after a cuddle and makeout session the phone on the night table next to the bed rang, Michael talked with his brother-in-law Connor about the time his sister would get home, the phone call ended with the promise Michael would take her back at 9 o clock.
โWhat would yโ like to dinner, then?โ Barbara asked with a smile as now she knew they had only 2 more hours of company, she hugged by his waist hiding her face into the crook of his beautiful brown neck.
Michael hummed a long โmmmโ before taking the sides of his girlfriend face to look at her beauty โHow about ice cream, huh?โ he smiled knowing that way Barbara couldnโt say no to the sight.
She quickly closed her eyes while she chuckled, she wasnt going to fall for it this time โBabe thatโs not dinner!โ as she softly caressed his bare chest between the sides of his partially unbuttoned shirt โI can make you Mac and cheese, you love itโฆ or maple syrup cookies? But I want you to eat some real foodโ stated very very softly pressing her palm on his chest.
He chuckled as he shake his head โFine, we can make Mac and cheese for usโ Barbara standed first while they hold hands, dragging his arms until he finally stood with her.
HAYVENHURST AVENUE, ENCINO. FEBRUARY 1979
"I don't know what to do! He gave me a copy, but I know I'm going to hate it, no matter what!"
Barbara paced back and forth in the space between the Sony TV and the armchair where her brother was stretching, ignoring her while he flipped through the channels, she had a good dinner with Michael and as a gentleman he drove her home 8:59 but before she left, he handled a copy of โThe Wizโ as it was late to watch it together.
"Hey, I don't think Mike's acting is that bad!" She stopped and looked at Connor with a completely serious expression; he stared back, confused.
Barbara took a breath before tossing the โThe Wizโ VHS tape at him and counting to a thousand in her head so she wouldn't lose her temper.
"No! It's not about Michael, anything he does, he does well! It's because of the... Ugh!" Connor looked at the cover, where his sister's โbest friendโ note the sarcasm, was featured in the foreground. Diana Ross. In the colorful vocabulary of his sister, who was enjoying recent success with the release of a debut album full of delightful lyrics, Ross was described as a decrepit, senile old whore with nothing better to do than steal hair from brooms to wear on her head, and who had once gotten the hopes up of her current boyfriend's celebrity crush when he was just a kid.
"Oh! So she's the Wicked Witch of the West, I guess?"
"Say hello to Dorothy! Ugh! I'd rather lie to Mike than watch that!"
Barbara sighed in resignation and flopped onto the armchair, stretching her legs out onto the carpet.
"What if I watch it and tell you about it?" He glanced at the cover again. "No! I can't, I can't... God, what was Michael looking at? I think he still has vision problems."
Connor said this as he shifted his gaze from the cover art to the Scarecrow's current love interest, just before the woman in question smacked him on the head.
"What do I do?" I finally convinced him that I couldn't watch it with him, he looked so excited... And I know he did a great job, but I don't know if I can stand an hour and a half of that bitch who said my boyfriend clearly isn't gay!โ Barbara clutched her head, frantically tugging at her curls, she only stopped when the phone beside her rang and she answered it. "Hello?"
"Barbie! It's Applehead, have you seen it yet?"
"Oh, hi, love. Not yet, but Connor and I are about to watch it together, sweetie."
Connor, the man in question, watched in astonishment as the womanโs tone and expression shifted almost bipolarly, she was speaking with incredible sweetness and affection.
"Thatโs great! Iโll come by later to take you out to dinner. Love you, Curly Head!"
The siblings remained silent for a few moments after ending the call.
"So, what are you going to do?"
"Give me that before I change my mind." Barbara snatched the VHS from his hands, walked over to the TV, and inserted it, harboring a faint hope that the tape inside might be broken. What followed was roughly thirty minutes of pure torture, filled with screams from both of them at every sudden jolt, especially whenever the camera zoomed in tight on Diana playing Dorothy, until Michael finally made his on-screen debut.
By the time the tapeโs two-hour-and-sixteen-minute runtime ended, both siblings had sore throats from screaming in fright, complaining, or hurling insults at the face of a certain person on screen; yet, Barbara had managed to follow the story, and she found herself wiping away a few tears. The woman went to her room to touch up her makeup for a date with her boyfriend. Her brother, meanwhile, removed the VHS from the player, before putting it away, he carefully tore the paper cover art from the case, used his fingers to neatly cut out Dianaโs face, stowed the tape, and pinned his cutout onto the dartboard behind the front door, right alongside photos of other people.
One shouldn't expect much effort put into home dรฉcor by two young adults. Back in her room, Barbara tried on a few outfits before finally getting ready and calling her ride.
"...Hey, Angel Face. So, are you coming to pick me up?"
"Barbs! Don't call me that." She heard a soft laugh, the kind that, she swore, gave birth to a thousand fairies.
"I'm on my way, beautiful. See you in about ten minutes."
Eight and a half minutes later, Barbara said goodbye to her brother, left the house, and got into the passenger seat of the Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith, with her beloved Mike behind the wheel.
"Hello, beautiful." They embraced once seated, and he didn't start the engine until he made sure the speed-loving adrenaline junkie had fastened her seatbelt. On the way to Du-parโs, a restaurant popular with local artists thanks to its round-the-clock hours and convenient location, Michael kept his left hand on the steering wheel and his right on his companion's left knee.
The drive felt short as they chatted about trivial things and sang along to whatever was playing on the radio. He parked, and they stepped out of the car and into the restaurant.
"So? What did you think?" The young man asked, eagerly awaiting her answer while they waited for their order to arrive.
"You were excellent; itโs clear you really enjoyed the role." She answered with complete sincerity, after all, she certainly wasn't going to speak ill of her co-star, and second-best friend, right after their date.
"Thanks, I really appreciate your thoughts... And what about the movie, the film itself?" Ever since theyโd met, Barbaraโs dislike for the older woman had been obvious, even if never explicitly stated. Michael had even wondered if it was jealousy, given that heโd once mentioned how attracted he was to her. Even if that wasn't the actual reason for her anger, he still wanted to probe the subject.
"Uh... Itโs good! I like the spin they put on it, and the metaphors they used, and all that." He took a deep breath before letting the words out with a sigh. "Diana... Diana did a good job."
Barbara had to bite her tongue to keep from thinking this was a nightmare, though no nightmare could possibly include her beloved boyfriend, that was impossible. He could tell how uncomfortable she felt sitting across from him.
"Yeah..." Michael nodded, luckily, their meals arrived just then. "Thanks." He thanked the waiter, who quickly walked away. Nerves getting the better of him, he started eating, not minding that his girlfriend still hadn't dared to try her own dish.
"I know sheโs your friend and all, Michael, and I can accept that she did a good job, but that doesn't mean Iโm going to forget what she said. I don't think sheโs a good person, let alone a respectful one." She admitted this with her head bowed, then began to eat slowly to mask the anxiety that was eating her alive.
"You mean the thing about New York?"
"What? When you stayed there? No, not that, I mean, yeah, that bothered me, but I trust you enough to know she only said that to stir the pot. I was talking about what she said to me."
Michael felt a weight lift off his shoulders. The night heโd had to stay with Diana in New York for the shoot had been more than just uncomfortable for him; having a thirty-two-year-old woman making passes at him, an eighteen-year-old with a girlfriend, was incredibly awkward.
He felt guilty for not having said anything about it, but in Barbieโs opinion, it was better to just let the matter drop.
"What? What did she say to you?" The young man, who had lowered his glass of orange juice before taking a sip, went pale, he knew Diana could be... difficult to deal with at times.
"A couple of years ago, after a performance, she told me I wouldn't get anywhere by being a prude and I should get out of her way." Barbara could have sworn she saw the color drain from Michaelโs face; his expression shifted slightly to one of sheer shock as his mouth slowly fell open.
"Babe, I honestly don't know why you're surprised. She's the same woman who got mad at you for picking up choreography too quickly. She's envious, green with envy!" He let out a sigh and slumped back in his seat.
"Thatโs the sign I needed... Iโm notโIโm not going to let her back in... let her try to intrude on our private life again. Why didn't you tell me sooner?" She mirrored her boyfriendโs movement, looking away, if she met Michaelโs bambi eyes, she knew she would burst into tears.
"Because... I knew? Know you are- were? I don't know how to explain it. The point is, I knew you were attracted to Diana, and when we started dating, I felt like if I manipulated you into staying away from her, youโd get angry with me... But it was driving me crazy watching a grown woman flirt with my sixteen-year-old best friend."
Jackson was completely stunned. Barbara had always made it clear that his insecurities were his own, and he valued the confidence boost she gave him. Yet, he had never imagined that someone would take his feelings so seriously. It was at that moment he realized,after so many years blinded by abuse hidden as advice from someone who โactually loved himโ that he didn't want anyone else to worry about him or defend him fiercely, he wanted only his โlittle doll,โ his Barbie, the lady in his life, to do that.
He asked himself who it was that had not only cared for him but had also cheered for him, clapping so loudly when no one else did that he wouldn't even notice who hadn't joined in. Who had supported him at two in the morning when he wept from loneliness despite being surrounded by people? Who had stayed by his side, loving him in silence even when he was too naive to see it, and who would have been content with a "situationship" had it not been for a revelation just like this one?
"Michael?" The woman with teary eyes made eye contact with the young man, his gaze fixed on her.
"What?" Barbara's face was a picture of utter disbelief. Her boyfriend had barely finished the sentence before he quickly but carefully moved the plates aside and leaned in to kiss her.
"Barbara, I love you, and I know no one would do what you do for meโฆ I love you, and I want to show it to you just as you show it to me. I don't want anyone else in our lives but us. Please marry me." From the inside pocket of his jacket, Michael pulled out a beautiful ring. When he placed it on Barbara's finger, it fit perfectly, neither too big nor too small. They were made for each other.
"I bought it a few months ago. I didn't know what to wait for to ask you. I wanted it to be something special, but not public or too elaborate, because I know it would have made you uncomfortable. But whatever I needed as a sign, this was it. I'd like you to be my wife, Barbs."
"It's beautifulโฆ Now I can say I'm taken, happily married to my gentleman."
Later that night, two young lovers ran through the strangely empty streets of Los Angeles, laughing, hugging, and kissing, at one point, their feet began to ache from shoes ill-suited for such spontaneous late-night antics. To Michaelโs pleasant surprise, rather than letting the magic of the moment fade, Barbara kicked off her shoes and ran barefoot, just like him, to the car through the gentle February drizzle.
STUDIO 54, NEW YORK. APRIL 1979
Between awards ceremonies, recording sessions, and finalizing the details of his first project as a solo artist, all while navigating life as an engaged couple, their schedules were packed. Finding free time to simply enjoy life was a challenge, so when her future husband suggested a visit to their favorite haunt, a place that felt worlds away from their usual fantasy-like existence, she couldn't say no.
They dressed in their finest matching outfits, opting for orange that day to complement the details on their wedding rings, which they were eager to show off to the paparazzi upon arrival and to anyone else inside the club. After weaving through the crowd on the massive dance floor and reaching the lounge area, they settled into their seats and ordered a couple of drinks: a strong Tequila Sunrise and a mimosa heavy on the juice and light on the sparkling wine.
"You look absolutely beautiful, Curly Head... Even more so than usual!" he said, raising his voice, the music was loud, even from a distance.
She could only smile bashfully and take a sip of her drink, her fiancรฉ doing the same. "It feels good to be back here after so long. Itโs like nothing ever changes, right?"
"Youโre absolutely right! Itโs like one big family, united by good taste in music and these wonders!" She raised her glass, clinking it in a toast with the man across from herโher own little bubble of happiness. A couple of women approached their table.
"Michael! Barbie! Itโs so good to see you two here! I was starting to miss you, girl, whereโs he been hiding you, eh?" Grace Jones, a close friend from the industry, kind, fun-loving, and well-versed in all things eccentric. Beside her stood the embodiment of evil in female form.
"Grace! Itโs been ages!"
Barbara didn't hesitate to stand up and hug the model, completely ignoring the woman accompanying her, who had the nerve to sit down next to her fiancรฉ.
"So, marriage, Mike?" She asked being very comfy around a married man in front of his wife too, even tho he quickly made some distance between them in the half circle booth, his wife sitted back on his side inviting Grace to be with them.
โYeahโฆ Settling down with my lady, Diana.โ
Jones felt really uncomfy as so interested watching all the drama right there, the silence maked more noise than the three involved.
โI donโt think I like her that way for you Mich-โ
โIโm hearing you, are you aware of that?โ
Michael took a deep breath as he saw how his fiancรฉ stood up again on front of the table in the middle of the couch, in front of the woman who made her life a tornado since she was thirteen.
โGood! Now you know youโre not the oneโ
It would be a lie if Barbara said she wasnโt scared about confronting the grown woman who bullied her and harrassed Michael, but she wasnโt a kid anymore, her love for her man was bigger than any fear and shyness.
โAnd who the fuck you think youโre to decide that, huh? Whoโs the right one, your fucking old ass?โ As she spoke Michael stood up by her side, he thought she wouldnโt get more agressive but it was always better to prevent, while Barbara got confident with every word crossing her arms.
Diana got up slowly, just like an offended mother would do โThereโs no mirrors here kid, so stop talking bullshit, got it?โ
It was like a switch turned on Barbara, Grace went away long ago, while Michael tried to find someone of his trust before he got stressed with the situation.
โYeah! I got itโ Diana looked very confused of the sudden change of tone from the young woman โI think its time to give back to you fucking raggedy Annโ said in the same happy way just followed to a nice punch that left the imprint of her rings on the woman's cheek.
She dragged Michael running to the exit avoiding smash into someone else. Itโs hard to tell wich one of them is more nervous, both of their hands intertwined were shaking in fear of getting caught.
Quickly Michael got them back in his car driving with the hotel as final destination, the way home was painfully silent considering how much they liked to talk and hear the sweet voice of eachother.
THE PLAZA HOTEL, NEW YORK. 1979
They both took the silent treat at the big hour of 3 am, While the woman took her makeup off in the bathroom right next to the bedroom, the young man looked carefully at the lights of the skyscrapers that surrounded them, he wondered what actions were the right ones from now on, his fiancรฉe had defended herself not only herself but also them as a couple, but in his view, violence was never the solution to things.
As she got out of the bathroom, he turned back at her both of them had that sad puppy look in their eyes.
โIโm sorry about what I did Mikey, I know youโre probably embarrased but I had to-โ
โNo! I. Am sorry, I should have stopped before, you know what i think of thoseโฆ reactions, but you had the right to do thatโ
He interrupted, placing a hand right on his heart, he truly meaned what he said.
โYeah! She knew what she was doing and acting like thatโ
Barbara could have just died right there in happiness, a weight and sigh left her body as she walked across the room to hug her slim husband, he did it back soothing her back as he felt a sobbing coming from her.
โThank youโฆ I love you so so muchโ
Himself left a couple of silent tears while his hands caressed from her curls to her back.
โI love you so so much more too, Tink. More than you can even imagineโ
โThatโs impossibleโ she chuckled while the tears keep on falling โI love you to the moon and back with turtle stepsโ
โOh so this is a challenge?!โ He grinned, holding her face. He walked forward making her step back until she falls on the bed and starts with a tickling attack full of laughter from both parts, they were indeed made for eachother.
a/n: hi! hope you like I tried my best I also appreciate interaction specially comenta i love to yap with everyone, if you have a request or question please send the message, love yall, xoxo.
