CAN WE TALK ABOUT HOW ADORABLE THIS FUCKING GIF IS

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7:47 pm, at Delphine's
Ross' car parked effortlessly into one of the many empty lots. Well, all of them were. When he turned off the engine, we took our seatbelts off.

The entire ride was quiet, especially while I'll Be There by The Jacksons [when they used to be The Jackson 5] came on the radio. I expected Michael to ask Murph to turn it off, but he didn't. Instead, I noticed him smiling to himself as he listened to his child-self sing. It took me back to that one day when Michael and I shared the piano at the basement. I smiled to myself, also wondering if Michael remembered that moment too.

I didn't realize Ross has opened the door for me. I thanked him and slid out the back seat before Michael and Alex, who told us to be as lowkey as possible but is also wearing a James Charles inspired eye make up that could be noticed from the entrance of the restaurant.

"M'Lady?" Michael said to me in a funny british accent, holding his arm out.

I giggled and laced my arm with his, "You're so kind, sir." I attempted my best to do a Mid-Atlantic accent, imagining as if we were in a 60's Hollywood movie.

Alex was walking in front of us when he turned around to wiggle his eyebrows and throw a wink at us. I cleared my throat and tried to think of something else to say in order to avoid any more awkwardness.

"So, where's everybody?" I asked, referring to the empty parking lot while trying to ignore the loud clicking of my pumps' heels against the pavement.

"Y/N, I hope you haven't forgotten that we're one of the most wanted squads by the feds," Michael reminded me, giggling.

"So we rented the whole place out for a couple of hours," Alex smirked as we reached the front door.

I took a few seconds to admire the big header on top of the entrance, which read Delphine's in a gold, cursive font with a black background. Fancy. Murph opened the door for all of us to walk inside. Just by the smell of the air conditioner, I could tell this place was expensive.

"Welcome to Delphine's! My name is Denali and I will be your waitress during the evening," A petite woman greeted us with a couple of menus in her hands. Her mahogany hair was up in a bun with a couple of hair strands framing the sides of her face. She seemed tired, but she was trying her best to keep a smile.

"Feel free to pick any table and I will be with you shortly," Denali smiled, not taking her eyes off Michael, which also made me feel a tad bit irritated.

Michael didn't mind her though. I was still holding Michael's arm while I followed him to a large rectangle table with enough seats for the five of us. A heavy white cloth was covering it while a flower pot decorated it as a center piece.

I was about to pull a chair out for myself until Michael did so first.

"Thank you," I smiled at him before he slightly pushed the seat forward so I could sit down. He proceeded to sit next to me; Alex and Murph sat opposite from us, and Ross settled at the end corner of the table.

"Did you find anything?" Ross broke the ice, reaching out for his utensils. He stared at Michael impatiently.

"No," Michael replied, disappointed. "I couldn't find the passports, nor Lew's body."
His face read defeat all over.

"We better figure out what this mans up to," Murph shakes his head.

"Yeah, it's definitely not about that warehouse," Alex agreed and leaned back on his chair.

Ross shifted on his chair, hinting he was uncomfortable. I assumed he was still sensitive about the topic of his hero being a liar.

"Hey, Alex." He cleared his throat, "I forgot to tell you. . . You did a great job with Y/N's dress."

Alex noticed what Ross was trying to do, but he chose to follow along. "Why, thank you, Ross. It's nice to have someone who actually supports my dreams." He glared at Murph before quickly staring back at Ross, flashing a smile.

Murph rolled his eyes and leaned forward to pick out his utensils as well. "So, what's the plan now? Jonathan would have told us what he was up to if he wanted us to know." He wondered.

"We wait," Michael ordered. "If he figures out one of us was snooping around in his room, he'll be furious and it will mess things up."

His answer made me anxious. Wait for what? I would rather stay at that humongous house in the woods deep into one the darkest parts of New York instead of moving to a foreign country with the most repugnant man I've ever met. If we don't do something, this could end bad. Especially after Jonathan realizes Lew is dead and his documents are gone.

"All we know is he's taking revenge on Y/N's father," Michael added. "There is no doubt Y/N will be getting hurt from it. We can't let that happen to another girl. . . not again." He trailed off at the end, grabbing Alex's attention. Thanks for the clue.

So, there was another girl before me, I thought. Michael had told me that I was the first hostage they've ever had, therefore I became even more curious to know about this girl. However, when he said that last sentence, there was a look in his eyes as if he was lost in thought. They were full of rage, but he kept staring down at the table, fiddling with the napkin that was wrapping his utensils.

The waitress, Denali, shows up at our table as if on cue, carefully placing the menus in front of us. She held a small notepad on her delicate hands while searching for a pen from her apron's pocket.

"Hello again, can we get started on what would you guys like to drink?" She held the pen over her notepad, waiting for us.

"I need some air," Michael muttered and stood from the table, leaving us behind before he walked out the doors. We all stared, realizing the conversation has upset him.

Alex cleared his throat, silently scanning the text on the menu, "I'm in the mood for a piña colada. Make sure sure you put enough alcohol in it, it's going to be a long night." He rolled his eyes.

"I'll take a margarita," Murph ordered.

"A glass of your finest wine, please," Ross ordered, making Alex scoff and look away.

"I think I'm good with a glass of water at the moment," I pursed my lips.

"Alright," Delphine scribbled on her notepad and slid it back into her pocket. "I'll be back in a couple of minutes to get your orders." She walked away and disappeared behind the metal kitchen doors.

I couldn't help but keep on glancing back the restaurant's front doors. I felt the urge to-

"I'm gonna see if Michael's okay," I said, quickly shifting into my feet. I fixed my dress and made my way towards the front doors. I walked out of the restaurant and the gorgeous sunset before me caught me off guard. It was as if God took a paint brush and painted it pink and orange with hints of purple himself.

I did a 180 degree turn, searching for Michael but I couldn't see him from where I was standing. So I decided to walk back to the parking lot. Since we were the only ones here, he was very easy to spot while he sat on top of the car's trunk. I approached him carefully, hesitating whether I should talk to him or turn around and give him his space. I was about to turn on my heels when. . .

"I figured you would follow me," Michael chuckled softly.

I looked back to where he was sitting and our eyes locked. He motioned his head to the side, signaling for me to come closer to him. The only sound audible was the awkward clicking of my heels against the concrete. I can't wait to take these off.

"Isn't it beautiful tonight?" He breathed, staring at the sky above us. He clearly was acting like nothing was bothering him.

"I know you're upset," I folded my arms across my chest. My head cocked to the side while I stared at him.

He sighed deeply and looked down before looking back at me. "I-. . . I'd rather not talk about it." His voice was so soft and husky, just like he was talking to me last night. There was nothing but pain shown in his eyes; I even started to feel it too. I dropped my arms and gulped.

"She must've been important to you." I dared to say, hoping he wouldn't get even more upset.

There was a long moment of silence. Michael kept looking down while I inched closer to where he was sitting. His wonderful cologne added the perfect scent for this moment. He didn't look up at me as I slightly leaned against the car's trunk. I was next to him now. Since he didn't say anything, I sighed in regret of saying a word about her.

Stop being so nosy, I thought.

I couldn't stop myself from staring at him. His side profile was perfectly designed; lucky guy, not everybody has a good side profile. His usual ponytail was loosely tied at the back of his head as tiny curls escaped from it and hung close to his ear. As he was staring down at his hands, he slightly bit his lip like he was holding himself back from speaking. Then, his jaw clenched.

"She was everything to me," He finally looked at me, gulping.

My eyes slightly widened at the realization of the possibility that this girl is dead. I immediately felt guilt take over me at the thought. I feel like I shouldn't have asked.

"Maybe if. . .I-" He stuttered, slowly shaking his head. "I wish it was me, not her. She's dead because of me, Y/N. Do you hear me?"

"Yes," I gulped under his piercing stare. I didn't know what else to say.

"She would've loved you, Y/N." He smiled to himself, looking back at the sky. "She was a terrible singer, but she loved music as much as you and I do."

His comment made me less tense. I'm glad he didn't do any more self-hate talk.

"How did you meet her?" I asked.

"I have no idea how Jonathan found her, but he brought her home to be one of us. When I laid my eyes on her, it was like I was staring at the most beautiful angel I've ever seen." His eyes lit up as he talked about her in such a manner I've never heard a man speaking. "Love at first sight was bullshit to me until I met her. . . Leah." He breathed.

I grinned, but feeling slightly jealous. I may be young, but it made me wish somebody talked about me the way he did. I've never been in love; sure, I've had crushes on guys before but I never felt the will to leave everything behind for that one person. To sacrifice yourself for their well-being.

"And what happened?" I bit my lip as Michael's eyes became dark again. The sun was almost done setting, leaving us under the infinite beaming stars.

He sighed. "We kept our relationship quiet, because we knew Jonathan was in love with her. She obviously didn't feel the same. . . Until one day, he came home early and saw us together. . . H-He completely lost it and-"

"Michael," I stopped him. "If you don't want to talk about it, I understand. I can tell how it ended."

"I've never talked about it with anybody, Y/N." He looked at me and stared down into his hands after. "If I don't let it out now, it will keep torturing me for the rest of my days."

"Okay." Was all I said, so he continued.

"Jonathan was enraged, he was going to kill me." He shrugged. "But she stepped in-" His voice cracked as tears welled up in his eyes. He tried to hold them back, but failed miserably. He quickly wiped them away. Seeing him in such vulnerable state felt like a punch went through my chest.

"He aimed for my head, but Leah stepped in." He bit his lip. "He shot her straight in the head." His palms covered his face now. I felt the urge to do the same thing; I can't stand the mental image of someone getting their brains blown out, let alone Michael who actually witnessed it.

I reached out to rub his back, but I retrieved my arm. I feel like I've invaded his space enough.

"You should've seen everybody's faces once we realized what Jonathan had done," he shook his head. "It was awful."

"Michael, I'm so sorry. . ." I breathed. "I can't imagine what you were feeling back then."

"You're right. . . You can't." He murmured. 

There was a moment of silence, again. Michael and I have shared many silent moments, but this one was awkward; at least for me. I wished I knew what to say to make him feel better.

I looked up at the brilliant sky above us. Maybe if the excessive light pollution wasn't present, we would've been able to enjoy a short session of stargazing. However, many stars were visible; it was still perfect.

"You seem to have a thing for the night sky." Michael said.

"There's just something so comforting about it." I shrugged, still gazing up.

"Noted." I heard him smile, and it made me look at him.

"How are you feeling?" I asked.

"I'm very happy I could count on you to talk, Y/N." He assured. "Your company makes me joyful."

"I'm glad my presence made you feel better." I giggled. "I think we should go inside." My thumb pointed back towards the empty restaurant's entrance.

"Yeah, my stomach's starting to grumble." He agreed, hopping off the car. We started walking together back to the restaurant.

"How's your arm?" I asked him as soon as I remembered about yesterday's incident.

"It's alright," he shrugs. "It's not the first time I get shot by Jonathan."

I scoffed and stared at him in disbelief. "What?"

"The only reason I'm still breathing is because of his awful aiming." He laughs. I'm sure he wished it was the same case for Leah.

I giggled as well, but deep inside I felt concerned. He sounded so confident, as if there wasn't a possibility of Jonathan aiming right for the next time.

8:30 pm, still at Delphine's 

"Guys, listen to this!" Alex announced and wiped the chocolate from the corners of his mouth. He moved the plate where his slice of chocolate cake used to be aside and took a sip from his drink. We all quiet down and turned our attention towards him, waiting for whatever he had to say. 

"So," He cleared his throat. "After a lot of digging and surfing the 'net, I managed to communicate with my parents! Like. . . my biological parents."

When he made the clarification, I watched the celebration take over our table. Alex giggled, he seemed truly excited.

"Alex, that's fucking great!" Ross smiled so big I wondered if his cheeks hurt. "After many years, you finally found them."

"Yeah," Michael agreed. "What are you going to do now?"

"Well, we agreed to meet up this Saturday at their house," He shrugged. "I really don't want to go alone, will you guys come with me?" The table fell silent now. 

The three of them looked at each other in doubt, before taking a glance at me, then at Alex. It took me a couple of seconds, but I realized it too. It is the last day my father has to pay for my rescue.

"What?" Alex asked, skeptically.

"That is Y/N's last day with us. We still haven't figured out what Jonathan will do." Michael bit his lip, clueless.

"R-Right, um. . ." Alex stuttered and his eyes stared at the chocolate stain he left on the tablecloth. It broke my heart because I didn't want my situation to dim his light of joy. I wanted to be there for him.

"Can't you ask them to meet you before that day?" I suggested, hoping it was as easy as it sounded in my head.

He sighed. "I could, but I'm not so sure they will be able to. They have already booked their flight here from France."

"France, you said?" Murph asked, surprised.

Alex smirked, "Yeah. They're french." 

"Oh," I breathed as guilt washed over me. "I'm so sorry, Alex. I really wanted to be there with you."

"It's not your fault Y/N." He assured me, "I'm sure there can be another way. What's important now is to figure out what miss Johnny is up to."

Ross cleared his throat before taking a final sip from his wine. When he set his empty glass on the table, he didn't look at any of us. Instead, he stood up.

"Alright, I'll go get the bill." He looked around, searching for Denali. 

Michael was quick to catch up on his behavior. "What's up with you?"

Ross finally looked at the four of us, who were watching him every time he acted suspiciously uncomfortable at the sound of Jonathan's name. He gulped. "Nothing."

"Well, your manners are hinting you know something you're not telling us about." Michael stood up too. In a matter of seconds, the tension grew immensely as Alex and Murph stood up as well. None of them broke eye contact from Ross, who remained silent. I flinched when the empty ceramic plates lightly thumped against the clothed table after Michael slammed his palm against it. "Ross!"

I became nervous and stood up, I couldn't stand feeling so little. I began to wonder, did Ross know about this the entire time? Will he tell Jonathan we're onto him? I became furious at the thought of him putting up an act and pretending to not know about Lew's alliance with Jonathan. 

Alex groaned, fixing his eyelash that he accidentally almost took off while scratching the corner of his eye. Murph was giving Ross a death glare. 2 minutes ago we were all merry and jolly, what happened?

"Sex trafficking," Ross said silently and I felt my heart and stomach drop. His reply also made Alex accidentally poke his own eye.

Fear took over me as soon as I imagined myself being forced to be a sex worker in God knows where in Italy. I felt disgusted at the thought of Jonathan touching me again, let alone many other men! My breath shortened; I feared for what my life will become, realizing there were only 5 days left. 

"He wants to sell Y/N to some sex traffickers he located in Italy, under his conditions. . ." Ross ran his hand through his hair. Oh, how I wanted to shave it.

"What?!" Michael's loud tone made me flinch, again. "What conditions?!" He turned around, taking a few steps away from the table before coming back.

Murph was still staring at Ross intensely as if he was ready to attack in case Ross pulled a wrong move. Whatever he was thinking about, he was ready to beat him up despite his size.

Ross gulped, "Jonathan will have Y/N pretend she's his wife, for his image as an artist. He wants to invest in his career with the money he makes from Y/N's. . . sex work."

I cringed at that last sentence.

"Unbelievable," Michael scoffed, shaking his head. 

Alex remained silent and carefully placed his hand on Murph's arm. Murph finally dropped his sight off Ross and stared down at the table, his fist tightening.

A heavy silence fell upon us, a very tense one. I immediately felt bad for them. After so many years of loyalty to the one who gave you a roof. . . imagine if they decided to abandon you all of a sudden?

"Guys, I'm so sorry this-"

"And, you knew this?!" Michael didn't even notice I was about to speak. He was so furious that he stared at Ross as if they were the only two in the restaurant. "This entire time you were lying to us! How could you?"

"I didn't know until earlier today after he called me," Ross tried to justify himself. 

"What did he tell you?" It was an order. At this point, if Ross didn't speak, Michael and Murph would jump him right here.

"He asked me if a man named Lew came over to pick up some documents he had to change the date of." He replied. "That's when he told me about his plan. The tickets are for November 1st during the early morning after a Halloween party he will be throwing."

Alex had already signaled Denali to bring the bill, so she brought it quickly and set it on the table before walking away.

"I can't believe you kept this from us, man," Murph finally spoke up. The situation seemed to pain him the most, taking into consideration his glossy eyes. "He gon' leave us. . . After everything."

"We'll be waiting in the car," Alex cleared his throat and Murph followed behind him out of the restaurant.

"This isn't over," Michael snarled, reaching inside his blazer. He dropped a stack of 20 dollars onto the table. "You pay the bill this time." 

Without another word, he turned around and started walking over to Denali. He stopped when he noticed I wasn't with him and looked at me, "C'mon, Y/N. I'm sure you're exhausted after listening to so much bullshit."

Oh, how I wish it was legit bullshit.

I took a quick glance at Ross, who shot me an apologetic look. I sighed in disappointment as I turned away from him and walked towards Michael. When I finally reached him, we notice Denali holding some recently-printed flyers about a missing person. I realized it was about me when her mouth slightly hung open after she made the association. Once again, Michael was quick before I could even react.

"I know where you live, Denali Stevenson." Michael glared at her, pulling his dark shades from his pockets and putting them on. "Do not even think about it."

She remained speechless as we walked past her. Damn, was I really that close to an escape? Speaking of which. . . they could literally let me go right now if they wanted to. Why haven't they? Probably because they will be dead meat when Jonathan realizes I'm gone, and he will be quick to find me. However, there was a dominant part of me that wanted to stay. I could take off my heels right now and make a run for it. But why come back to my abusive parents when these "strangers" make me feel safer? 

Michael opened the door for me to walk through first, then followed behind me.

"Thank you," I muttered before we enjoyed a quiet walk to Ross' car. I wanted to speak, but I'm sure everyone has had enough about tonight's topic. Especially during the quiet ride back.

9:54 pm

"Y/N, wake up. . .we're home," I heard a soft voice whisper, waking me up from my slumber.

"Home?" I mumbled and quickly looked out the car's tinted window. It surprised me that I was actually expecting to be parked in front of my house. We're back at the house.

"Well," Michael corrected himself. "We're back."

We were the only ones sitting in the back of Ross' car, I assumed Michael stayed behind to wake me up. But they were nowhere in sight. 

I breathed and rubbed the side of my head; it was aching. I could've sworn the door opened by itself, but I'm sure it was Michael, since I was still sleepy and disoriented. I stepped out of the car and walked back to the house next to Michael. I heard laughter coming from inside, Alex's being the loudest. I don't know what was so funny, but Michael and I started laughing as well. It felt good; we were having a good time.

Michael opened the door for me and we walked into the dark living room. We were still laughing but the room was actually empty. It was just the two of us now. It didn't matter because Michael was with me and we were both joyful after the confrontation at the restaurant. It didn't last long, though.

Jonathan walks in from the hallway with a straight face. I expected him to be angry, but to my suprise he just giggled. I quickly went to reach for Michael's arm, as if he could be my shield from Jonathan's claws. But he wasn't behind me anymore.

"Let me guess. . ." Jonathan clapped his hands together. "Jonathan, I didn't expect you to come back so early!" He mocked my voice.

My lips released a shaky breath when I looked at him again. His smile was so eerie I didn't think it could get worse. But it did as soon as blood started to ooze from the corners of his mouth, into his white t-shirt. My eyes widened when he stepped aside, revealing both of my parents' corpses next to each other on the floor. I wanted to scream my lungs out for help, but who would help me in this situation? In the middle of nowhere? Even after an attempt, my vocal cords were muted.

My breath became shorter as my lungs struggled to inhale oxygen. I was immediately nauseous at the vile smell of rust and salt; blood. I turned around only to find a pile of the 4 bodies which belonged to the men I grew so close with in a matter of days. Tears blurred my vision, but the image of Michael's eyes bleeding is one I will never be able to shake away. Blood pooled around the bodies and it slowely started to reach my feet. I was stuck, the only thing I could move now was my torso and neck. When I tried to look back, Jonathan was already swinging the kitchen knife in his hand.

My eyes shot wide open while the bloodiest scream escaped my mouth. Drips of sweat rolled off my temples as I sat up on the bed, panting. I moved the covers off me to reveal I was still in my dress. What happened?

I was sobbing uncontrollably in anguish as I ran my hands through my hair, analyzing the vivid nightmare. It felt so real. 

I flinched when the my door flew open. A sane, healthy, alive-looking Michael rushed into my room. Alex stayed in the doorway in his bathrobe and a pink clay mask decorated his face.

"What happened? Are you hurt?" Michael was alarmed. He gripped my bare shoulders and examined my face.

I shook my head, "He killed my parents!"

"He killed all of you!" I cried out, panting. "He's going to kill me."

The mattress sunk a little when he sat in front of me. He sighed, rubbing my shoulder. "It was just a dream."

I took a moment to breathe, "Y-Yes." I was going to cover my face from embarrassment, but how could I not notice Michael's eyes, again? Or take my time to admire his facial features and how they all revealed his worry about me? 

There were small circles under his eyes, as if he's been losing sleep lately. The curly hair in his pony tail was messy, and some of it was stuck under the collar of his black hoodie. His doe eyes pierced through mine again, although I couldn't see him clearly because of my teary eyes. Before one rolled down my cheek, Michael caught it with his thumb and gently wiped it away. The touch of his thumb on my skin brought me back to last night when he caressed my hair. When he did those kind of gestures, a part of me felt uncomfortable, but the dominant one wanted him to do it again. It felt so sweet.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Michael's blinked. Damn, he has some nice eyelashes. 

His voice was also sweet and tender, it made me want to hug him. I wanted to feel what he made me feel last night, one more time. Plus after that traumatizing image of him, I was more than grateful it wasn't real. So, I threw my arms around his neck and hugged him as tight as I could, searching for the comfort I craved for. My face was buried in the crook on his neck, although some curls were poking my eyes; so I closed them. It didn't matter. I heard small footsteps walking away after my door closed. I forgot Alex was standing there.

Michael was hesitant at first, but he returned the embrace. I didn't know for how long this hug was going on, but I didn't care. I couldn't believe in a matter of 3 days and a half I've found someone who makes me feel safe. This was so wrong, but right now? I didn't care.

"I'm just so happy you're alive." I sobbed into his neck. He loosened his arms around me, which kind of bothered me.

"Y/N. . . What happened in that nightmare exactly?" He wondered.

"I'll explain later," I muttered. "Just don't let me go yet."

He embraces me again and gently caresses my head. "I wasn't planning to." He whispered.