A/N: for context, i feel like i should mention that most of what i have written or will write about tina & mike's families are also completely made up by me. like, the only things that are actually canon on the show are mike's parents' names, that tina is adopted & the asian community is super tight. tina also has an older sister according to the glee books but i don't know if it's actually connected to the series. oh and i stole tina's parents' names from jenna ushkowitz's actual parents. other than that it's made up but it is real to me 3
Mike makes his way to the back of the crowded gym for William McKinley High's annual homecoming pep assembly and takes a seat beside his best friend, Matt. The gym is filled with chatty students and teachers who are grateful to be out of class but are also dreading the presumably mind-numbing presentation they are about to endure.
As he waits for the assembly to start, Mike anxiously bounces his leg in anticipation of the performance that is to come. His Spanish teacher, Mr. Schuester, has been teasing that the glee club will be performing today and he can't help the concern that he feels for Tina.
Despite the distance that has grown in their relationship, Mike still deeply cares about Tina and he feels a little guilty for not being able to protect her from the torment she has to suffer from other students. He promised her mom that he would look out for her but if this performance is as lame as Mr. Schuester makes it sound (there was a lot of talk about disco), then it would only worsen her reputation at this school and he doesn't know how to shield her from it all.
His worried thoughts are paused when he notices the curtains pull back to reveal the glee club on stage. He briefly makes eye contact with Tina and offers her a supportive thumbs up which causes her to give him a small smile and he swears her face turns red a little. He silently says a quick prayer that this performance goes well.
Then, his jaw drops.
The glee club is currently performing Salt-N-Pepa's "Push It" and the choreography is… well, it's scandalous, to say the least. He stares at the stage, wide-eyed, both in amusement and disbelief.
He knows that Tina has grown a lot from the shy 7-year-old girl he became friends with at camp but he never expected this from her. His breath hitches and he can't take his eyes off of her.
At the end of the performance, he joins the rest of the students in standing up to cheer for the glee club. Waiting until most of the students and teachers have left the gym, Mike approaches Tina with a smirk plastered on his face, "Hey, nice moves out there."
"Thanks," she says, her voice dripping in sarcasm.
"When you said that glee club was fun, I didn't think you meant it was that kind of fun." Mike teases, earning an unamused glare from Tina. Mike chuckles in return. "No, but really, all jokes aside, you guys were great."
"Thank you," she looks down at her feet and crosses her arms before adding, "Can you please do me a favour and never bring this up to my parents? I really don't know how they would react."
"I won't mention a thing to them, don't worry."
She nods and begins to walk away but turns around when she suddenly remembers something. "Oh, and don't tell your parents either. You know how they like to talk."
Mike chuckles and crosses his heart. "Your secret is safe with me."
"Oh my god." Mercedes Jones reaches her arm beside her to clutch Tina's wrist when she hears the song blasting over the speakers.
"N-no way." Tina's jaw drops in disbelief seeing the sight before her.
The two friends are sitting in the crowded bleachers to support their other friend, Kurt Hummel, on the night of his big football game. The Titans have been playing poorly the majority of the night which comes as no surprise because McKinley's football team is notoriously terrible. What does come as a surprise is watching the entire football team perform the full choreography of Beyoncé's "Single Ladies" in the middle of the game.
As she watches the football team dance, she locks eyes with Mike and smiles widely at him, cheering him on. He smiles back at her just as brightly and continues doing the choreographed movements in hopes of stunning the opposing team.
The rest of the night flashes by in a blur and the next thing Mike knows McKinley High is winning a football game for the first time in a while.
At the end of the game, Mike decides to find Tina in the stands. She excuses herself from her conversation with Mercedes when she sees Mike approaching her. Before Mike has the chance to even greet her, she says with a cheeky grin, "Hey, nice moves out there."
Mike playfully rolls his eyes. "Ha ha, very funny, you're using my same words against me."
Tina laughs. "I mean it! I remember how much you loved to dance when we were kids and you are great at it."
Mike looks down at his feet as his cheeks flush. "Thanks, Tee."
"You know, we could really use those moves in glee club," she suggests.
Mike shoots his head up to see if she's being serious. "Really? I don't know… I don't even sing."
"Yeah, but we do need some dancers. And I know, it's not the coolest thing in the world but I think you'd like it there… Just think about it." Mike nods as he considers her words.
"Hey, Tee! Come on, we're gonna go celebrate my big win!" Kurt calls with Mercedes waving her hands beside him.
"I gotta go. Congratulations, by the way," she says, fleetingly touching his arm before leaving to join Kurt and Mercedes.
"Can you please stop making googly eyes at my teammates? My dad is right there and you're supposed to be my girlfriend," Kurt jokes when Tina joins them.
"N-n-no one actually believes that I'm your g-g-girlfriend," she says rolling her eyes, "And I w-wasn't making g-g-googly eyes at anyone."
"Mmhmm, sure." Mercedes and Kurt share a look, raising their eyebrows, unconvinced.
"Why do you wanna join so bad?" Matt asks Mike, his eyebrows pulled tight, as they stand by his locker the following morning after the football game.
Mike leans against the locker and shrugs before crossing his arms and looking down at his feet. "I don't know, I thought dancing was fun."
Matt nods, eyeing him skeptically. "Uh-huh, and you're sure it's not anything else… like a girl perhaps?"
"What? A girl? No - it's just the dancing thing," Mike stammers.
"Really?" Matt asks with a raised eyebrow. "Because you know you can just ask Brittany out, you don't have to join glee club to be with her."
"Brittany?"
"Yeah? Don't you like Brittany? I mean, I've seen you rewatch that Single Ladies video like a million times, you're not slick man… Unless…" Matt looks around the hallway before whispering, "Were you watching it for Kurt?"
"What? No, I wasn't watching for Kurt."
"So, Brittany, then?"
Mike fights the urge to roll his eyes at the way Matt had completely ignored Tina's presence in the video but chooses not to remind him. Recently, Mike has been having trouble getting Tina out of his mind and that Single Ladies video did not help at all. He knows that commenting on it will only lead to teasing from Matt about feelings that Mike does not yet understand nor wants to acknowledge.
But he considers Matt's words. Brittany? Sure, she's attractive and they have been friends forever but he's never really thought of her that way. It kind of makes sense, he figures. "Oh, I guess, yeah, Brittany's cool," Mike says shrugging. "I mean, I still wanna join the glee club, though. So, I'd really appreciate it if you joined with me."
Matt pauses to consider Mike's request. "Okay, fine, I'm in."
"In what?" Puck asks as he approaches the two.
Mike and Matt look at each other apprehensively before slowly answering. "… Glee club."
"Oh, cool. I'm in too," Puck responds with a shrug before walking away, leaving Mike and Matt with their jaws slacked, slightly confused at his change of heart towards the club.
"Hey guys, let's give a big Glee welcome to our three new members fresh off their big win on Friday night. Noah Puckerman, Matt Rutherford, and Mike Chang."
As he walks into the choir room for his first glee meeting, Mike catches Tina's glance from across the room and smiles at her. His heart flutters at the sight of the bright grin she directs him in return. And the fluttering of his heart continues when she goes to the front of the classroom and she begins singing "Tonight" from West Side Story.
When glee rehearsal is over and everyone starts heading home, Mike reaches out to touch Tina's arm as she grabs her bookbag, "Hey, you were really good."
"Thanks," Tina blushes and brushes a strand of hair away from her face. "But Rachel probably would've done it way better."
"I'm sure she would've been great but you were awesome. Come on, own it," he nudges her shoulder with his causing her to laugh slightly.
Tina crosses her arms and tucks a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "You know, I didn't think you would actually join."
"Yeah, well, I do really like dancing." He shrugs before adding pointedly, "Plus, someone told me once that glee club was kinda fun."
"Well, welcome to the New Directions. I hope you like it here," she says earnestly.
"You know, I think I will," he says as they begin walking out of the choir room together. "By the way, I really like the blue streaks. They look good on you."
After finishing their performance of "Somebody to Love" at the invitationals, the New Directions flood into the choir room. They are all buzzing from the adrenaline of their first official performance in front of a crowd as a whole team.
Mike is making his way towards the back of the choir room where Matt is sitting when Brittany approaches him and places her hand on his wrist. "Hey, Mike." She bats her eyelashes at him. "Do you wanna go out with me sometime?"
"Uh, yeah, sure. I mean, we hang out all the time, you never have to ask—"
Brittany interrupts him, her eyebrows furrowed. "No, I mean, do you wanna go out with me… like on a date?"
Mike matches the confused expression on her face. "What?"
"Well, Matt told me that you were into me."
Mike's eyes drift off behind Brittany to see Matt giving him a thumbs up and mouthing some encouraging words that Mike can't make out. He sighs. Of course, his best friend had to open his mouth.
Mike's glance shifts slightly at Tina who is currently chatting with Artie by the piano. He notes the way her eyes sparkle at him and her inability to stop smiling. He suspects that the two of them like each other and would probably start dating soon if they weren't already. Mike doesn't understand why the thought gives him an unsettling feeling.
Mike shakes his head and returns his focus on Brittany who is looking at him expectantly. He carefully considers her question. He's on the football team, she's on the Cheerios. It was bound to happen eventually, right? Mike takes a deep breath before answering. "Sure, let's go out on a date."
"Awesome," Brittany exclaims before skipping towards where Quinn and Santana are chatting.
Mike returns his attention to Tina and Artie, watching as she flips her hair and laughs at whatever joke he just made. Mike blows out his cheeks, before muttering, "Yeah, awesome."
Tina turns to Mercedes and they share a worried glance. When Mr. Schue announced the boys vs. girls' mash-up competition, the girls assumed they had it in the bag. Since when had the guys shown any effort in anything, right?
But the boys' performance is actually… good. They were not expecting this at all. Tina watches their performance in disbelief, her mouth slightly ajar. She really underestimated them and now the girls were probably going to lose.
Her thoughts about how screwed the girls are in this competition are interrupted when Mike leaps into the air from behind Artie and dances.
Really dances.
And Tina can't keep her eyes off him.
She stares at him, mesmerized, thinking about all the times she has seen him dance or even danced with him when they were younger. It was usually at weddings, or parties, and even once at the arcade playing Dance Dance Revolution.
But she's never seen him dance like this before. She sees a brightness in him that comes with every move he makes that she's never noticed. The sight warms her heart. He just looks so free.
Mike was trying really hard to listen.
He's sure whatever Rachel was rambling about makes sense in some way but for some reason, it seems like she's speaking even faster than usual and he just could not comprehend any of it. He hears something about needing sunshine and optimism but none of her words register in his mind. He's too distracted.
All he can focus on is Tina.
Behind Rachel stands Tina wearing a bright, yellow dress – a stark contrast to her usual attire. Her face is lit up with a shining smile to match her outfit and she looks like a literal ray of sunshine.
While he thinks she looks great in her typical, gothic attire, the way she is standing on stage, glowing, takes his breath away. His eyes are locked on her throughout the girls' performance.
After the New Directions were separated into two teams, Tina and Mike had spent most of the week together in Sue's Kids. Mike rejoices at the thought that his friendship with Tina is slowly being restored since he joined the glee club.
Currently, the glee club is in the auditorium performing "Keep Holding On" in support of Quinn and somehow Tina and Mike managed to be partnered up for this number. Mike is confused at the way it is causing his heart to beat so rapidly.
It's just Tina.
They've danced together as kids many times and, while he's always enjoyed it, he's never reacted like this.
Every touch sends a shiver down his spine and makes his mouth go dry. And when he grabs her hand as part of the choreography, he prays she doesn't feel how sweaty his palms are. He is so lost in the feeling of dancing with her that time seems to float by.
The next thing he knows, rehearsal is over for the day and everyone starts making their way home.
Just as he was getting ready to leave, he feels a hand on his arm that makes his skin buzz. "Hey," Turning around, he sees Tina giving him a warm smile. "You were a great dance partner today. Thanks for not dropping me at that lift. Kurt drops me all the time."
Mike returns her smile. "No problem. You were great today, too."
"By the way, let's make this clear… I'm Asian. You are Other Asian," Tina smirks, accentuating her point by gesturing between the two of them.
Mike chuckles and playfully squints his eyes at her. "I'm older than you. Don't I get seniority?"
"Yeah, but I was here first," she shrugs smugly.
Mike pouts his lips, pretending to be in thought and considering her argument before nodding. "Okay, fine, fair enough. You are officially Asian Number One." Mike mimes placing a crown on top of her head before bowing in front of her causing Tina to giggle at him.
"Good, I'm glad we agree. I'll see you tomorrow," she says before making her way out of the auditorium.
"See you!" Mike waves goodbye to her awkwardly as she walks away before cringing at himself. He is grateful that her back is currently turned towards him and she did not see that.
Unbeknownst to him, Matt was still in the back of the auditorium, watching the whole scene play out before him. He approaches Mike with a laugh and pats his back. "Woah, did I just travel back in time to the third grade?"
Mike furrows his eyebrows at him. "What are you talking about?"
"I'm talking about you having a thing for Tina — again. Like in the third grade." Matt tells him pointedly. "Can't believe it took me this long to connect the dots."
"Okay, no, that was a little childhood crush and I'm completely over it now. Tina and I were just talking," Mike denies.
Matt narrows his eyes at him. "Uh-huh, I thought things were going good with Brittany?"
"They are… I think?" Mike shakes his head in confusion, "I don't know, man. I mean, Santana's usually there too and it feels like we're all just hanging out."
"Are you at least hooking up?"
"Yeah, sometimes, I mean, it's nothing official or anything," Mike says, "But I'm pretty good with how things are going."
"Well, yeah, of course, you don't wanna be locked down since you've got a crush on Tina again," Matt teases.
"I do not have a crush on Tina again. Shut up." Mike lightly shoves Matt. "Besides, Brittany's not really a locked-down kind of girl."
"And you're not a hookup kind of guy."
"You don't know that."
"Yes, I do. It's just not who you are."
"What do you mean? I'm a teenage boy – it's in my nature."
"Yeah, but you believe in love and monogamy and all that crap." He gives Mike a stern look. "Be real with me, did you join this club for Tina? You did, didn't you?"
Mike sighs exasperatedly. "I already told you why I wanted to join-"
"Nah, man, I said be real with me." Mike sheepishly shoves his hands in his pockets and looks down at the ground in response. "I knew it! You were cheesin' at her real hard when we walked into that first glee meeting, don't think I didn't notice."
Mike groans and shakes his head before picking up his backpack and making his way out the door. "You are so annoying."
"Okay, man, deny it all you want but if I'm right, then you better make your move quick. Before she and the wheelchair kid become official."
"What the hell are we gonna do?" Matt asks, slamming his locker shut.
"I don't know, man. I don't wanna quit glee." Mike closes his eyes and leans his head back against the lockers.
"But they're gonna make our lives miserable if we don't."
"I know," Mike opens his eyes to see Tina across the hallway, laughing with Kurt and Mercedes by her locker and sighs, "But, I have a feeling it might be worth it."
And when Tina leans in towards him at the end of glee practice that day to whisper, "I'm really glad you're still here," he thinks that it was.
