This is a sequel following the previous imagine.
And then a hero comes along
With the strength to carry on
And you cast your fears aside
And you know you can survive
"Hero" - Mariah Carey
~~~~
Michael
"No, please," a voice whispered, causing me to open my eyes. When I opened my eyes to view the dark room, I immediately caught sight of the restless, shirt-clad body lying next to me. Y/N was moving around slightly, one of her hands gripping her shirt tightly. "Please, please. Michael, Michael I need you. Please. Help me!"
My eyes widened as I sat up quickly. Gripping her shoulders gently, I began trying to shake her awake. "Y/N. Baby, it's just a dream. Come on, now." I tried to wake her gently. I was afraid that, if I woke her too roughly, it would frighten her further. She'd already been through enough within the past couple of days. The last thing I wanted to do was make matters worse.
Rather than waking up from her nightmare, however, she attempted to fight me off in her sleep. "No, stop! Please!" Grabbing her wrists, I restrained her, afraid that she would end up hurting herself with her flailing arms. As soon as I attempted to immobilize her, she began to flail harder. "Michael, help me!"
"I'm here, baby. I'm right here! Please wake up," I pleaded, beginning to panic as her movements only got wilder. It was clear that she was trying to make desperate attempts to escape my grip. "You're gonna hurt yourself!"
At last, she sucked in a gasp and opened her eyes. She sat up sharply as she looked around the room, a look of confusion spread across her face. Then, she noticed my hands holding her and began to struggle once again. "No!" She cried, tugging at my grip. When she tried to jump off the bed, I quickly caught her by her waist and tugged her back to me. "Baby, baby, it's me! I'm here!" I said, attempting to calm her panic, "It's just me."
Almost instantly, her struggling came to a halt. "M-Mike?" she choked, looking at me. Her facial expression held nothing but utter shock. It was as if she hadn't expected me to be here. She was so engrossed in her realistic nightmare that the sight of me sitting next to her couldn't register in her mind. My heart broke at the sight of her terrified, watery eyes.
"I'm right here. It was only a dream," I whispered, rubbing her back.
After another moment of shock, her bottom lip began to quiver. "I-I . . ." she began, unable to get a sentence out.
My eyes softened. "Oh, baby. Come here," I said, pulling her to me. Y/N was still injured from the incident, so I acted gently as I positioned my hands around her waist. She wrapped her arms around my shoulders and tucked her head into the crook of my neck. There, in the comfort of my arms, is where she released her sobs. I smoothed my hand over her long, tousled hair, beginning to rock her back and forth. "It's okay, baby. You're okay, now."
As much as I tried to comfort her, I couldn't shake the anger that boiled within my heart. Those devils were bold enough to break into our family home and attempt to sexually assault my baby. My blood boiled as I thought about the possible alternative outcomes of the situation. The police said they reached the bedroom 'just in time', but I strongly disagreed. 'Just in time' would have been before those imbeciles got the chance to lay a finger on Y/N. I let out a sigh as I held her closer. Though I was infuriated by the events that took place, I was thankful that she was safe.
Lately, she'd been struggling with recovering from that night. She never wanted to be alone, so I never left her alone. I didn't want to leave her side, anyways, but I was glad that she wasn't tiring of my constant close proximity to her. Her injuries had caused her to become extremely dependent on me, which I didn't mind. It gave me another excuse to keep her close to my side. When she adjusted herself in my arms, a small whimper escaped her lips. My heart jumped as I stopped my movements. "What's wrong? Did I hurt you?"
She shook her head. "No," she whispered in a hoarse voice, "I-It's okay."
Unconvinced, I moved my hands to her sides, gently rubbing the skin that was covered by my white shirt. She didn't want to wear anything other than my shirts, and pajama pants when she got cold, because my cologne left a lingering scent on the fabric. I placed a kiss on her head before running my fingers through her hair. "Do you need more ice?" When she shook her head, I let out another sigh. "Are you sure? Do you need anything? Water? Some food?" I'd grown worried because she hadn't been eating much.
"No," she spoke in a small voice, "I just want you." I placed a kiss on her head, following it with a kiss on her moist cheek. "Okay, baby. I'm not going anywhere. But please, if you need anything, say something—"
I felt her shiver in my grip. I ran my hand over her back. "Are you cold?" When she nodded, I loosened my grip on her body. "I'm gonna go get you some pants, okay? Do you want some of mine?" When she nodded and unwrapped her arms from around my neck, I began scooting to the edge of the bed. My feet hit the floor and I stood up. As I walked over to the dresser, I glanced back at Y/N. She was curled up on the bed, watching my movements. I gave her a small, comforting smile before I opened the third drawer. My blue plaid pants were the first item I saw, so I swiftly grabbed those and closed the drawer. I turned around and held up the pants. "Your favorite pair," I said playfully, causing a small smile to spread across her face. At the sight of her smile, I smiled.
"There's that smile," I said softly, walking back to the bed, "I've missed seeing it."
The incident had really stripped Y/N of her normal bright, chipper mood. It was as if an enormous dark cloud had settled above her head and tormented her with every opportunity it got. I hated seeing her like this. When she bit her lip and looked down, I chuckled, taking a seat on the bed, once again. I handed the pants to her. "Do you need my help?" I asked, looking into her eyes. At first, she began to shake her head, but when she eyed the pants in her hand and looked down at her injured torso, she released a sigh. "Can you, please?" she asked.
"Of course," I said, wrapping my arms around her waist. Once I had a comfortable grip on her, I helped her stand up from the bed. When I'd successfully helped her to her feet, she handed me the pajama pants. She wrapped her arm around my shoulders as I held the pants open. Slowly lifting her left leg, she positioned her foot over the pant hole and stepped inside. Doing the same with her right leg, she lifted it and positioned her foot over the pant hole. However, she lifted her leg a little too high, causing a gasp and whimper to escape her. I turned to look at her. "Be careful," I warned, "Here."
I crouched in front of her, holding the pants at a lower height. She barely had to lift her foot to get it into the hole. Once she was in, I pulled the pants up to her waist. Standing up, I tightened the elastic slightly, leaving enough room for her to comfortably move around. "How's that?" I asked.
"It's good," she responded, nodding her head, "Thank you." I shook my head. "You don't need to thank me, Y/N. You never need to thank me."
"But I do," she argued softly, "You're doing so much for me. I feel like a toddler. I'm constantly asking you for help with everything and I never want to leave your side. No doubt I'm getting slightly irritating to deal with."
"Baby," I began, "I never would've left your side even if you wanted me to. The only way I can keep you safe is to be with you. I made a promise to myself that I'd never let any harm come to you again."
"Michael, this was something that was out of your control."
"And if you're with me," I finished, "it's in my control."
She grew silent, averting her gaze from mine. I pulled her to me, placing my chin over her head. "I'm not gonna let anything happen to you. I'll promise you that. I've tightened my security, you know I've been speaking with Bill on that. I want—"
"You've been missing studio time," she interrupted, "I feel so selfish keeping you here, but I need—"
"You're coming with me from now on," I said, "I'm not leaving you here alone anymore. When I return to the studio, you can sit in during our sessions."
"Michael," she said, pulling away and looking up at me, "I'd be interrupting your work. That's too much to ask. Way too much."
"Let's just talk about this in the morning, hm?" I said, rubbing my hand down her back. After a long night of nightmares, I knew she needed some sleep. She let out a groan. "Michael."
"In the morning, Y/N. Come on. I know you're tired," I replied, guiding her to the bed. She pouted. "Not anymore," she said, causing a laugh to escape me.
"Mhm," I hummed, helping her onto the bed, "Just lay here. Try to get some sleep, okay? I'll be right here in the morning."
~~~~
Hi, my loves.
I hope you guys liked this one. I've always loved writing imagines that capture the intimate affection from love and solace. There's something about Michael's tender, loving affection that makes him so angelic. He was the most compassionate, sympathetic person in the world. Geesh, I love him.
Anyways, I just wanted to say that I can't believe this book will soon reach 150 thousand reads. I have no words. This is bonkers. Thank you so much.
All my love x.