Hi! So I promised a Mikcedes fic to someone a LONG time ago. And although I had been working on it, I got kinda stuck mid way. So in time for her birthday weekend (I know I'm late. Sorry for that too) here it is. And because I know she likes Kurtcedes too (cause it's like ice cream. Who doesn't like Kurtcedes? Am I right here people) It has a large heaping helping of them too with just a pinch of Klaine. So I hope she enjoys it. It pure cavity educing fluffy goodness.
So please:
Read, Enjoy, and (if it moves ya to) Review.
"I'm so glad you agreed to come here with me Mercedes," Kurt smiled as he stared at the Lima Bean menu, as if the items it offered had somehow magically expanded since he'd moved to New York.
"Uh huh," she agreed, having heard this twice already since they had met in the parking lot. She sighed, wondering how long their relationship would go through the same dance of him running off with his new best friend, only to have him calling her to hangout whenever her replacement was in the mist of one of her self-centered drama tantrums, that rendered her friendship gene dormant. "No problem" she waved off secretly damning herself for actively maintaining her soft spot for Kurt, the first man she could honestly say she loved, who was not biologically related to her.
"Things have been off between me and Blaine" Kurt continued, using the menu as a reason to not look into Mercedes eyes as he explained, again, why he didn't want to be alone with his ex. "So it's good to have a buffer to keep me honest."
"Because, us just hanging out and talking is out of the question" Mercedes huffed under her breath accompanied with a dramatic eye roll, frustrated by her friend's obtuseness to the fact that their friendship that was obviously on life support.
"What was that?" he asked, finally peeling his eyes off of the menu to look at one of his lunch partners for the afternoon.
"Nothing." she shook her head, realizing that she missed him just enough to put up with his current behavior with the belief that they would resurrect their original relationship one day. "So what is up with you two anyway?" she asked looking towards the door a bit anxiously, as if she were hoping to spot someone.
"Oh," he perked up glancing in the same direction, figuring she was on the lookout for Blaine, and wanted to get a good dish session going before his presence would censor them. "We're on again, off again. When we're apart, we're off, he can see who he wants, and I see who I want. But when we're together, we 'hook up' with the understanding that when we leave, we're off." he admitted in a contemplative tone, thinking over the dysfunctional turn he and Blaine's relationship had taken. "It is what it is . . . " he chuckled off, silently promising to revisit his feelings later when he was alone, and not in public.
"Well, you don't sound like it's that easy." Mercedes observed, pointing out the change in his demeanor as she turned her full attention back to him. "In fact, it seems like it hurts you."
"I enjoy some parts of it." Kurt responded in a cheeky manner.
"You enjoy what?" Blaine popped out of nowhere startling the pair.
"Oh, nothing," Kurt quickly dismissed hugging Blaine quickly, "just chit chat." He laughed as he watched Blaine plant a chase friendly kiss on Mercedes' cheek.
The newly formed trio stepped to the front of the line, preparing to order. "You guys know what you want?" Blaine asked smiling brightly.
"Yeah, I think I'm all set." Kurt . "Mercedes? Ladies first." he smiled ushering her towards the counter.
Mercedes looked around one last time, and sighed, in a slightly disappointed fashion. "I'll have a Car-"
"Caramel Frappiucino, extra caramel drizzle." a familiar voice ordered over hers. Mercedes turned to find two amused eyes grinning mischievously down at her.
"Hey Mike," Kurt chirped, "I didn't know you were in town." he pointed out, as he gave him a tight squeeze.
"Oh yeah, I just drove out for the weekend." Mike explained away quickly. "I just happened to come in and see you three. So, you guys having a private outing or can anyone just join?"
"Oh no," Blaine answered quickly sensing an opportunity to have more of Kurt's attention. "Please, we'd love it if you joined us."
"Yeah." Kurt agreed seeing the fourth person as a way to cut down any sexual tension even more.
"Mercedes?" Mike asked, his eyebrows lifted, a playful smirk on his face.
"I guess it's okay" she replied fighting a laugh while playfully tapping him on his chest as she embraced him sideways in a very "church" manner.
The group finished their orders, Blaine showing off by ordering for Kurt, exhibiting that he remembered his drink order, fully aware of how important is to his former love. They all grabbed a table, Blaine quickly snatching the chair across from Kurt, Mike smiling across from Mercedes as he coolly slid into his seat. They all chatted lightly, about school, their respective cities, and shared memories from past years, laughing about all of the great times they'd experienced together as members of the New Directions.
"I have to powder my nose." Mercedes excused herself and headed towards the restroom. All of the men at the table nodded as she left.
After a moment of the three men sitting in an uncomfortable silence, looking at each other, Mike chimed in, "Yeah, I think my nose could use some powder too." He winked at Blaine, giving him a small nudge of encouragement with his elbow, before leaving him at the table with only Kurt remaining.
Mercedes washed her hands in the bathroom, and touched up her lip gloss in the small wall mirror. Exiting through the swinging door, fully intending to head back to the table, she was stopped in the small hallway and pulled in the opposite direction by a strong, familiar hand, into a lean but built body, against her back.
"So Ms. Jones, how am I doing?" Mike whispered softly against the top of her ear, his breath sweeping across the skin, tickling it a bit.
"Well," she sighed not even taking the time to look back, knowing he was smiling behind her head, "you were late getting here." She chuckled while an arm wrapped around her waist.
"No." Mike corrected, "You asked that I make it look like I ran into you guys. I think your exact words were for me to 'make it look like a coincidence'." he repeated in a mocking voice.
Mercedes snorted softly at his words, half amused, half impressed that he had taken a mental note of her request. "Yes, I did," she admitted before turning into his chest and nuzzling a familiar pectoral muscle that she had become acquainted with the previous summer, when the couple first noticed they had feelings that could easily be described as more than "friendly". It started innocently enough, two friends comforting each other after the embers of their respective relationships had burned out. Mercedes', because, once again, time and distance caused a rift between she and Sam; and Mike's because he honestly started to feel a shift in Tina, and a feeling of them growing slowly apart. Tina disagreed, causing their ending to be less then amicable.
It was an unassuming phone call that gave them their first, unofficial, date. Mercedes was calling to check on Mike, after attempting to quell the tears of a distraught Tina, and to get his side of the story. They agreed to meet at the Bean to share their heart aches, why they made their decisions to cut their romantic ties short, and their hopes for the future. After only a few hours of talking, a connection that neither had expected, had been formed. That night, they later confessed to the other, that they couldn't get their talk out of their heads. They laid in their respective beds concentrating on how much they enjoyed their time together.
Gradually, they started to find more and more reasons to spend time with each other alone. By late July, all excuses melted to the general want of sharing each other's company. It was a warm sunset that gifted them the perfect ambiance for sweet whispers of feelings and caring, as she listened to his steady heartbeat and soothing words. Unfortunately, these revelations didn't come until the day before Mercedes was flying out to her new home in California. Mike vowed to her that evening, that they were just starting, and he would find a way to make their budding long distance relationship work.
"Well, you know phase three is coming up." Mike reminded her softly leaning into her hair, holding her close. "But, before it can happen, we have to get phase two out of the way." He pushed softly.
Using his analytical prowess, Mike came up with a three-point-plan that would help solidify their relationship, and give them the push they required to go public. Phase one was to slowly acclimate their friends to the idea of them. While others would see what was their calculated simultaneous visits, as pure coincidence that purely benefited the New Directions, it gave the two, not only much needed alone time together, it served a much larger, more important purpose. The thought was the more the group saw the two interacting, laughing, creating, and teaching, the more they would become use to the idea of them as "friends" and possibly more. With that phase flawlessly carried out, with the two of them working on any New Direction project that they could get back for, it was onto phase two, which was the formal announcement of their relationship. Finally, when everyone knew, Mike would then start to look for a company or studio to transfer to in LA, where he could continue to train in dance, while they nurtured their fledgling relationship without the distance between them acting as a final road block.
"I still don't think they're ready." Mercedes whimpered softly.
"Mercedes." Mike protested turning her head so that their gazes met. "We can't keep stalling, not with my upcoming auditions."
"I know and I don't want to hide us. I've been there and done that. But, I don't think they're ready yet. I mean look at what happened when you talked to Tina, just to check on her and how she was doing." she argued, "You told me what you saw. That she had tears in her eyes and yelled at you. I just..." Mercedes trailed off looking down at the floor, wiggling from his grasp. "I don't want anyone hurt. Not when we're so happy."
Breathing deeply, Mike rested his head against the wall, his eye towards the ceiling. His heart ached for her, and how much she cared for her friends and their feelings. So much so that she could place their happiness in front of her own. "But that's why we have to tell them," he pleaded, "because we are so happy, and I can't hide this anymore. I won't." He insisted drawing his gaze in her direction, placing a finger under her chin, to pull her face to his.
Mercedes closed her eyes, concentrating on his words as they vibrated through her. The heaving of his chest as it played a soft harmony with his heartbeat acting as bass, she saw as a special concert for her eardrum only. Her conscience agreed, but her gut debated, insisting that now was still not the right time. "Soon" was the answer it gave her, and she kindly relayed the message.
"Well, if we won't announce it now," Mike begrudgingly compromised hearing the words of his father Mike Sr., that a flower will bloom only when ready, "then the least we can do is tell Kurt." Mercedes' .head drifted back, their eyes locking. "You miss him." Mike explained as if to inform her that he could see her emotions clear as day. "And I think he misses you, too."
Mercedes damned herself for thinking about the absence of her friendship with Kurt earlier, finding if she thought about something long enough, or felt it deep enough, Mike's intuition would hone in on it immediately. "I do" she admitted to him praying that he was correct about Kurt's feelings for her, "but it's different now." she shrugged,. "Before, we would tell each other everything. And now, it's like we are constantly going on an awkward second date, where we know each other, but it not the real us we are presenting to the world." she rambled.
"Well, how about this" Mike perked, an idea hitting him quickly, "we'll go back out there, but act like we do when it's just us" he smiled.
Mercedes' eyes squinted tightly. "What do you mean?" she asked, attempting to figure out his motivation.
"Look, we won't tell them outright, " Mike smirked, "but we won't hide it anymore either. We'll just act like we always do when it's just the two of us, and let them figure it out on their own."
Mercedes let his words sink in. It was a great plan that allowed her to act naturally around her distant friend, but also show her growing affection for her new boyfriend. Her smile grew from a smirk to a full out toothy grin as she thought about it. "That could work." she said as if she were trying to convince herself.
"Of course it will" he agreed with a cool confidence. "I thought of it." Mike joked.
The pair made their way back out to the table, in what seemed like perfect timing. Kurt and Blaine where engaged in a deep discussion, about their in-limbo relationship, Mercedes assumed. When she came sauntering out with a confident smile on her face, taking her seat next to Kurt, he jumped a bit, before forcing a smile onto his lips. Blaine looked up, reading Kurt's body language, but seemed disappointed that their conversation was cut short.
"You guys are finally back?" Kurt smiled scooting closer to Mercedes. "I thought we had lost you guys."
"Yeah," Blaine agreed, in a slightly dry and disappointed tone.
"Sorry," Mike smiled at Blaine knowing that look well "We got caught up in the hallway...talking" he explained.
"About?" Kurt wondered, happy to have a new distraction. "Because if it's about the competition number, I have some amazing ideas!"
"No..." Mercedes sighed her eyes still trained on Mike, "other things." she truthfully revealed while wrapping her hands around her half-full cup. Mike smiled back at her, mirroring her motion as he slid his cup closer to the center of the small table that separated he and Mercedes. He uncoiled one of his fingers from his own beverage to lightly stroke Mercedes hand as it held hers. Mercedes, not used to being so openly affectionate with Mike, instinctively jerked. She quickly remembered their agreement, and kept her hand in place. She bit her lip knowing that Mike loved to hold hands.
"Wait a minute..." Kurt objected, his eyes focused on theirs. "Are you two... Okay what's going on?" he demanded.
"What?" Mike shrugged in an innocent finally pulling his focus to Kurt, but not moving his finger.
"You two are..." Kurt trailed off his eyes bouncing between Mercedes and Mike as the pieces fell into place. "So that's why you two are always in town together!" he began to bounce in his chair like an excited child.
"Wait, you guys are together?" Blaine quickly joined in, smiling broadly.
"Yes." was all Mercedes said while smiling at Mike, happy he'd come up with a comfortable way to break the news.
"OH MY GOD!" Kurt squealed hugging Mercedes. "Since when? Why didn't you tell me? Does anyone else know yet?" he asked in rapid fire succession grabbing her shoulder forcing her to face him completely.
"Last summer. No you guys are the first we're telling, other than our parents. And you've been... busy," Mercedes answered softly.
Kurt sat back stunned. Had he really been that busy that he hadn't had time to read the signs that were obviously there? "I-," he stammered, quickly reviewing their friendship, from bricks, to outings, of the social, and life changing kinds, from Cheerios, to first kisses and crushes, she was a staple in his life. But somehow he had learned to take for granted that she would always be waiting in the wings to be there for a late night panic attack about his future, or to quickly help him pull together a performance for his audition, or an impromptu afternoon of caffeinated coffee drinks, while playing as a relationship buffer for he and his ex.
He slumped his shoulders, gazing at his best friend as she stared back at him, really seeing her for the first time in a long time. "I already missed gabbing about you, Shane, and Sam," he confessed, his heart speaking for him, "I will not miss everything with you and Mike." he promised.
He pulled her up holding both of her hands in each of his while he stood up. "I'm sorry 'Cedes." Kurt apologized, his voice cracking softly. Mercedes smiled appreciatively, her eyes watering a bit, nodding knowing that they needed no more words, they were starting to get back in sync. "And Mike?" he called to the young man who was smiling brightly at the scene he had a hand in creating, "I will be watching you. Treat her right. She is, after all, the first girl I've ever loved." he smiled with tears of happiness in his eyes.
"I'll treat her exactly how she deserves," Mike chimed in, "like the incredible, giving, kind woman she is"
Mercedes smiled at Mike as he blew her a small kiss, winking in the process.
"Now, if you excuse us," Kurt chuckled, "we have a major gab fest to get ready for. If you're up for it?" he asked unsure of any plans Mercedes may have had for the rest of her day. "I know you have to be struggling with how to tell everyone else." he predicted, "Everyone else" meaning one Tina Cohen-Chang.
"Oh God yes!" Mercedes answered in a relived toned. They hugged tightly, both whispering how much they loved the other.
"And don't worry," he laughed over her shoulder "I'll have her back to you in enough time for you two to hang out." he reassured Mike.
"Oh, I'm not worried," Mike shrugged leaning back against his chair. "She and I have a lot of alone time ahead of us," he said smugly.