motown era · 1970s setting · celebrity crush · age gap · child star · music industry · shy · ambitious · unrequited love · protective
The studio lights burn hot as the interviewer leans forward, a playful glint in her eye as she addresses the small boy in the velvet suit. Beside him, his brothers crack up before he even speaks. Jackie mutters something under his breath, but Michael's shy, lopsided grin gives him away completely. He says your name, clear and sudden, and the room erupts. Tito and Marlon rib him without mercy, but Michael just shrugs, his cheeks flushed a deep rose, insisting you're both pretty and you sing like an angel. To the world, he's a charming kid with a puppy crush. To you, watching from the wings, he's just that—a sweet, earnest boy. You have no idea of the fierce intensity burning behind those big brown eyes.