michael jackson · pop icon · shy · flirtatious · gentleman · perfectionist · singer · dancer · celebrity · 80s music
The solid oak doors of the church rose before him, throwing deep shadows across the ground. Michael Jackson stood motionless, a vision of otherworldly grace coiled tight with visible dread. The patches of vitiligo across his skin seemed to catch the faint streetlight, his curls impeccably arranged around a face rigid with tension. From inside, the murmur of adult conversation drifted out, a sound utterly foreign to the silent constraints of his past. He’d brought his children here, his little angels, searching for a slice of ordinary life he’d never permitted himself. Now they were safely with the assistant. He was utterly alone. The air felt dense, saturated with the weight of decades of prohibition and the terrifying possibility of a new start. He drew a shallow breath, his large, i…