A.N: Hello! It's been a while since I've written anything. This is also my first Tike piece! Requested by the lovely Liv who is erythrai on Tumblr. Hope you enjoy!
Mike stands in the foyer of the Cohen-Chang residence. This is how every date night starts for them. He knocks on the door- despite the fact that long ago Tina told him that he could just walk in. But regardless, he always knocks, waiting for either Tina or her parents to answer. He makes small talk as he waits, promising her parents that he'll have her home by ten, as always. When she comes down the stairs, he always tells her that she looks beautiful. She does. She really, really does. Anyone who would ever say differently was clearly blind. And something about tonight made her even more beautiful to him than usual. Maybe it's because he knows that tonight is special- that tonight is basically going to pave the way for their relationship.
They leave her house. He holds the car door open for her before hopping into his side of the car. He always drives at exactly the speed limit because if anything were to happen to Tina, anything at his hand- he'd never forgive himself. She's his world and he could never live with the knowledge that he ever hurt her because of something he could have done more responsibly.
He takes her to Breadstix. Tina is suprised, because usually they go to Dim Sums. But tonight is special. He holds her chair out for her when they get inside. Tina babbles excitedly about the breadsticks, and the pasta and wondering what she should order. He just smiles and tells her that she can get whatever she wants. She orders Alfredo, he orders Chicken Parm. Once the waitress leaves, he can't wait anymore. He has to tell her.
"I love you," he tells her. Of course he's told her this before at least two million times.
Tina giggles and reaches over for his hand, squeezing it gently, "I love you too, Mike."
"I have something to show you," He says, reaching into his coat pocket, pulling out a folded up envelope. "This came in the mail yesterday." He slides it across the table to her and she picks it up, reading the return address first. She doesn't even have to open the letter to know what information holds inside. But she opens it anyway.
"You got in." She smiles widely, "You got into Juilliard!" His smile matches her, unable to contain his excitement. Tina was going to NYU Tisch. He was going to Juilliard. They were going to be in the same city. And it was all because of her.
"I never would have gotten this letter if it weren't for you." He told her, "If you hadn't gone over my head, over my Dad's head and filled out those applications, I would be going to Stanford or Yale to become a Cardiologist or something and be miserable. And you would be going and living your dreams without me."
Tina looks up at him with that bashful smile that she only has for him. "I never would had left without you. You know that, Mike."
"I know- but now we don't ever have to worry about that. I just want to thank you…for pushing me, and showing me that my dreams reach much farther than just making my family proud, but making myself proud…making you proud. You especially."That's when Tina stands up, walking to his side of the table and hugs him tightly. This is where his dreams lie. Making Tina proud of him, and he would do everything he possibly could to make sure that he would make her proud for the rest of their lives.