a/n: i may or may not have had some fun writing cohevans in 5x10 like tike is obv still number one but i mean they made that cohevans makeout canon on the show i might as well enjoy it!
After breaking down in the hallway when Sue announced the cancellation of the senior lock-in and Blaine and Sam comfort her by proposing they do their own lock-in, Tina extracts herself from their arms to quickly touch up her makeup in the bathroom before their next class."You think Mike could give us any advice on how to deal with all this crying?" Sam leans in and whispers to Blaine.
Blaine turns to look at Sam to find him staring at Tina's ass as she walks away and knots his eyebrows at him incredulously. "You think Mike is gonna react very kindly when he finds out how much you've been talking about Tina's boobs?"
His blunt words cause Sam to finally look back at his best friend in surprise and disbelief. Sam opens his mouth to protest but a quirk of Blaine's eyebrow makes him start stammering. "Wh— I – Mike used to do the same thing all the time!" Sam defends.
Blaine places a firm hand on Sam's shoulder and looks him straight in the eyes. "Exactly," is all Blaine whispers to him.
Sam pauses, his eyes slowly widening in realization, before taking a deep breath and nodding. "We can probably figure it out without Mike's help."
"Probably," Blaine says in a condescending tone. "I'm sure he could help but I'm just looking out for your safety."
"Yeah… I remember how he threatened Coach Beiste when Tina said her name while they were making out," Sam recalls the intimidating look on his friend's face as he warned their football coach to "stay away from his woman" and he walks away with a shudder.
Blaine stays in his spot and furrows his eyebrows, processing this unheard story about their close friends. "Tina did what?" he inquires as he chases Sam to their next class.
Later that night, Sam, Blaine and Tina sneak into McKinley for their senior lock-in but their plans were soiled when they were caught by Becky. To avoid getting into trouble, they concede to Becky's ridiculous demands and consume her 11-hour energy drinks while playing Twister in the auditorium. That is how Blaine, Sam and Tina find themselves tangled with each other on the stage.
"Left foot, blue!" Becky calls. Sam, Tina and Blaine slowly move their limbs to the command but Tina stumbles causing her body to press against Sam's and they both lose their balance. "Ha ha, you both lost, you losers!" Becky gleefully announces.
Sam holds out his hand to help Tina stand up and they both roll their eyes. As they dust themselves off, they exchange a look, signalling that they need to get out of there immediately.
"Yeah, I'm gonna go use the washroom," Tina excuses herself.
"Okay, I'll go with you," Sam offers, placing his hand on the small of Tina's back and guiding her outside of the auditorium.
They don't even make it two steps away when Blaine's voice fills the room. "Tina knows where the washroom is," he points out, raising an eyebrow at them while still awkwardly positioned on the Twister mat.
"Well, it's not safe for her to go wandering around an empty school at night by herself!" Sam insists and Tina nods her head exaggeratedly in agreement.
Blaine narrows his eyes at them and huffs. "Fine, but come back quick."
"We will!" they both call over their shoulder as they hastily exit the auditorium.
"I don't actually need to use the washroom," Tina admits, leaning into Sam when they are out of Blaine and Becky's earshot.
"I don't actually think you need protection going to the washroom," Sam says with a wink and they both laugh.
"Shouldn't we feel bad for leaving Blaine alone with Becky? Who knows what she'll make him do?" Tina wonders.
Sam shrugs and leads her inside the astronomy classroom. "Eh, I think he can handle her on her own for a little while."
Tina sighs as she takes a seat on top of one of the desks. "It's just annoying – we only have so much time left together, I was hoping the night would go a little more differently."
Sam offers her a sympathetic half smile as he sits next to her. "Didn't we already promise to you that we're always going to be friends?"
"I know but it won't be the same," Tina pouts. "It got all weird when everyone graduated last year and it's only gonna get weirder now that we're graduating too."
They sit in silence for a moment, an air of sadness floating through the classroom. Then, Sam's voice cuts through to ask, "You asked me when was the last time I spoke to Mike but when was the last time you spoke to him?"
"I do not wanna talk about Mike… I just don't want to waste any time thinking about him again," Tina groans and shakes her head with a frown. "I've been so emotional and sad about growing up and leaving all this behind… and I love you and Blaine for being there for me through it… and I know it's so stupid but all I really want is him. I miss him so much."
Sam watches her carefully as she rants about how much she misses Mike and wraps a comforting arm around her. "Okay, so tell me. What does Mike usually do when he tries to cheer you up? Maybe I can do the same thing so you don't have to think about him."
Tina rolls her eyes, scoffs and rests her head against Sam's chest. "Please, we would usually just end up making out."
Sam pauses, rubbing his hand up and down her arm as he stares down at the floor and he can't help but notice how nice her bare legs look hanging off the desk. "Okay."
" 'Okay', what?" Tina asks, looking up at him in confusion.
"Let's make out," Sam suggests simply. Tina opens her mouth and starts to protest but Sam grips her face and his infamous trouty lips stop her from doing so.
"Hey, man, are you really sure that you're over me and Tina ditching you to make out?" Sam ensures, wrapping an arm around Blaine as they walk together in the hallway.
"You know what, Sam? Yes, I do forgive you… Because my anger and disgust with the two of you making out is nothing compared to how Mike is gonna feel about it," Blaine remarks with a smug smile.
A look of fear crosses Sam's face and he stops breathing for a moment. "Oh, God… Mike is gonna kill me."
The New Directions came in second place at nationals and according to Coach Sue – or sorry, Principal Sue – that wasn't good enough, so the McKinley High glee club is being disbanded. She finally won.
The alumni come back to Lima to mourn the glee club together and reminisce on all the time they've spent singing, dancing, learning, and growing with each other. They are not the same people they were when they first entered the choir room. Thanks to Mr. Schue and the glee club, they are now completely different versions of themselves. Some are so much better, like Rachel who's about to star in Funny Girl and Mercedes who has an actual recording contract. Some are still finding themselves, like Brittany who is now a certified genius but has lost that sparkle in her eye that is uniquely hers.
At the beginning of the week, Mike and Santana go to the Lima Bean together to catch up and discuss their concern for Brittany. "So, I was thinking about doing a dance duet with Britt to Valerie, you know, to hopefully get her to remember how much she loves dancing," Santana proposes as they settle into an empty table. "If you wanna help me out with that?"
"Yeah, of course – I'll even ask Jake to help out too if you want," Mike suggests before taking a sip of his coffee. "You know I love Britt and I just want her to be happy."
"Yeah, adding Jake in the number would be good too!" she enthuses. "So, great. You're gonna help me with this and then I'll help you with Tina."
Mike scrunches his eyebrows at her. "Tina? I don't need help with Tina?"
Santana rolls her eyes and gives him a look of dismissal. "Please, I'll help you – don't worry."
Mike just stares at her in confusion as he takes another sip of his coffee, too astonished to reply or even ask what she's planning because she is wearing that trademark devilish look in her eyes.
The following day, Mike upholds his end of the bargain and helps Santana with the "Valerie" number and now he feels slightly frightened about how Santana plans to return the favour.
Upon Puck's suggestion, the New Directions make their way to the auditorium, Mike walking beside Santana and suspiciously eyeing the way she is currently smirking. Santana increases her speed to loop her arms with Tina when they enter the auditorium, suggesting that they sit next to each other. Tina goes to sit on the empty two-seater but instead of joining her like she thought she would, Santana sits on the single seat on her opposite side.
Mike trails right behind them and is about to take a seat on the chair opposite Santana but she steps her leg out in front of her causing him to stumble on her foot. With a twitch of her eyebrow, she subtly glances at the empty seat beside Tina, signalling for him to sit beside her. Mike's shoulders drop exasperatedly and he gives Santana an annoyed look earning a threatening look from her in return. Tina looks around the room awkwardly as Mike looms above her, silently arguing with Santana.
"If you could all take a seat, that would be great," Puck reminds everyone but pointedly looks at Mike.
Mike sighs, making sure to give Santana one more look of displeasure before taking a seat on the ground next to Tina. Santana scoffs and glares at him before Puck pulls out his guitar and starts singing "Keep Holding On" for Quinn.
As they sit and listen to Puck sing, a feeling of nostalgia overwhelms both Tina and Mike, remembering how this song was the first number they ever performed in glee club as dance partners. Then, the original members stand up to perform the original choreography and they try to ignore the way the familiar moves make their hearts race.
Santana glances over her shoulder at them and bites back a grin, sensing their ambivalence radiating from their bodies. When the newbies join in the choreography, she notices that Blaine and Tina are smiling at each other, silently agreeing to be each other's dance partners but before he could get to her, Santana reaches down and pulls Blaine beside her.
Tina and Blaine briefly exchange a look of confusion before Blaine shrugs at Tina apologetically causing Tina to roll her eyes and shake her head. But then, Mike is holding his hand out in front of Tina and she gives him a tight-lipped smile, accepting his hand and they dance together like they did four years ago.
Mike's breathing becomes staggered as he reflects on how he was just a pining little boy who didn't even know that he had feelings for Tina when they first did this choreography. But now they are broken up and he is every bit aware of how she is the love of his life and his absolute favourite person on the planet.
When the number ends, everyone ventures off to their own discussions. Santana uses this opportunity to spark a conversation with Blaine, Tina and Mike, forcing the ex-couple to reconnect after spending time not speaking with each other.
"So, that was a fun number," Santana extols.
"Yeah, it was!" Blaine enthusiastically agrees, oblivious to the way Tina and Mike squirm uncomfortably.
"Tina, Mike, do you remember when we did that the first time? It just brings back so many memories," Santana recalls in a loud, hyperbolic manner.
Mike stands up and clears his throat before grabbing Santana by the wrist and quickly excusing themselves from the conversation as he drags her away despite her protests. "Santana, you have a problem. Why are you always trying to force me and Tina together?"
"Because you two are idiots that can't do anything yourselves," she explains as she rolls her eyes and crosses her arms. "Now, go talk to her – I'll take care of Blaine."
"What are you gonna do to him?" Mike questions, his eyes widening in fear, knowing the kinds of stories she's told him about Lima Heights.
"Not that kind of take care," she corrects with a shake of her head before pushing him back towards where Blaine and Tina sit. Santana forces Mike to sit down beside Tina again, pushing down on his shoulders before donning an exaggerated fake smile. Tina nervously laughs in confusion as Santana pulls Blaine away for a private conversation leaving Tina and Mike to awkwardly sit together in silence.
Mike takes a deep breath, unable to take the silence any longer. "So, how have you been?"
"I've been okay, I guess. It's been a very eventful year," she replies with a polite smile.
Mike nods his head as he thinks of something else to say, she wasn't really giving him much to work with. "Do you know where you're going next year?"
Tina shakes her head and shrugs, sadness crossing her features. "I got waitlisted at Brown."
"You're gonna get in," he assures. "They'd be crazy not to want you in their school."
"Thanks. And I really want it too… but everyone else is going to New York."
"Yeah, New York was always your dream," Mike recognizes, remembering how that dream is part of the reason why they broke up in the first place.
"I know," she acknowledges. "Part of me still wants it."
"Are there no schools in New York still accepting applications?"
Tina purses her lips in thought. "Well, there is one but it's for Jewish students."
"Your dad is Jewish," Mike suggests, his eyebrows raised.
Tina tilts her head in consideration. "I guess it wouldn't hurt to try."
They share a soft smile and marvel at how nice this is. It's been some time since they've last seen each other and Tina has healed from a lot of her anger and she's just missed being his friend. They spend the rest of the afternoon chatting with each other and catching up on everything they've missed when they weren't talking.
The next morning, having learned a lot of new information from Tina the day before, Mike searches for Sam at school and finds him standing by his locker. Mike clears his throat loudly and shoves his hands in his pockets. "So… I heard you made out with Tina."
Sam squeezes his eyes shut and takes a deep breath as he slowly closes his locker. The past week, Sam has been avoiding Mike, feeling guilty about what happened between him and Tina. "It felt really wrong – just like it did dancing with her to 'Footloose'—" Sam desperately explains before muttering under his breath, "– except, I don't know, I wouldn't be mad if we made out again."
Mike is taken aback and he goes silent for a moment, feeling his throat suddenly go dry. "You danced with her to 'Footloose'?"
Sam silently curses himself for mistakenly revealing that information to Mike. "I thought of you the entire time!"
Mike shakes his head, processing this new information and he leans against the lockers. Sam just watches him in concern, his eyes wide with fear. "Sam… I can forgive you for making out with Tina because let's face it, everyone makes out with everyone here – it happens… but being her dance partner in 'Footloose' is just a whole other level of betrayal."
"I'm sorry, bro, it was her idea to do 'Footloose' and it just did not feel right to do it without you," Sam laments, patting Mike's shoulder. "I also think that a part of me is still in love with Mercedes and you two have been weirdly close this past year."
Mike scrunches his forehead in confusion. "There's nothing going on between me and Mercedes."
"I know. And there is nothing going on between me and Tina… anymore," Sam promises and Mike gives him a hug of forgiveness.
"So what crazy dream did you have this time?" Rachel asks Tina as they continue packing up the New Directions' trophies after Tina recovers from Sam hitting her head.
"Crazy dream?" Tina echoes.
"Well, last time you hit your head, you dreamt we all swapped bodies," Rachel elaborates. "I'm assuming another crazy thing happened this time?"
Tina laughs and nods. "I did have another crazy dream, actually. It was like an episode of Friends. We were all living in New York together and we were working at that diner that you, Santana and Kurt work at… You got a ridiculous tan from a Vietnamese donut shop—" Rachel widens her eyes in horror at the mere image of that, "And then, everyone else from glee club ended up moving to New York too."
Noticing the way her demeanour changes with that last sentence, Rachel quirks an eyebrow, "Everyone?"
"Yeah, at least us originals… you know… Cedes, Britt, Puck… Mike."
Rachel smiles widely in amusement at the way Tina suddenly becomes sheepish and avoids making eye contact with her. "Mike?"
"Yeah… he said he was there to win me back," Tina details with her cheeks flushed and her voice soft and dreamy.
Rachel watches her carefully as Tina resumes wrapping their 2010 regionals trophy in bubble wrap, unable to contain the smile on her face. "Are you still in love with him?" Rachel inquires.
Tina looks back at Rachel and shrugs before taking a deep breath and nodding. "I think I'll always love him."
Later, the glee club and alumni gather in the auditorium upon Kurt and Mercedes' request, specifically demanding Santana and Rachel's presence.
Rachel sits beside Mike and observes the way he smiles widely when Tina enters the auditorium and passes by him. She notices the longing look in his eyes when Tina returns his smile and he watches her sit beside Ryder. Rachel smirks at him in amusement. "You know she still has feelings for you, right?"
Mike is taken aback by her voice and is pulled out of his trance, finally taking his eyes off Tina to look at Rachel. "What? Who?" Mike tries to subtly ask.
Ignoring his mumblings, Rachel continues pointedly, "And you still have feelings for her."
"I – it's really complicated between us, Rachel."
"But you're not denying it," she points out with a raised eyebrow.
Mike sighs with a laugh. "No. I'm not denying it."
Rachel is about to press further but she hears Santana scoff from behind her as she enters the auditorium with Brittany and she loses her playful energy.
A few days later, Santana quits as Rachel's understudy in Funny Girl and the two finally make amends and repair their friendship. To commemorate this momentous event, they decide to perform "Be Okay" together. When their performance ends, the other members exit the choir room but they remain in their seats at the front, catching up on the gossip they've missed when they weren't friends.
"Do you know what's going on with Quinn and Puck?" Rachel inquires once everyone has left the room.
Santana shrugs in response. "I have no idea… do you think they killed her boyfriend together? I wouldn't blame them if they did – although… he was loaded and I'd be real upset if Quinn fumbled her bag like that."
"Oh, and did you see the way Mike and Tina were dancing together during our performance? They're definitely still in love with each other, right?" Rachel chatters, leaning in toward Santana and fleetingly tapping her wrist.
"100%, still in love with each other," Santana affirms while nodding her head and crossing her arms affirmatively.
"Should we do something about that?" Rachel wonders.
Santana sighs and rolls her eyes. "Mike specifically asked me not to meddle in their relationship anymore, so, I can't do anything, but if you want to do something, I'm not going to stop you."
On the morning of graduation, Mike is in the middle of picking out an outfit for the ceremony when he hears someone knocking loudly and rapidly at his front door. He rushes downstairs, wondering who could be at his door so urgently and this early in the morning.
He opens the door to find Tina with a wide grin and bouncing on her heels. "I got in!" she exclaims.
Mike's jaw drops in excitement for her. "You got into Brown?"
"I got into Brown!" she confirms before he pulls her in for a hug, lifting her from the ground and spinning her around in his foyer causing her to laugh.
"See? I told you!" he proclaims as he gently places her back on the ground. "They'd be crazy not to want you in your school!"
"Yeah, okay, you did tell me," she concedes as she tucks a loose strand of her behind her ear. "Thank you for believing in me."
"I will always believe in you, Tee," he promises, his voice soft. "When did you find out?"
"Like five minutes ago. I was picking up my dress from the dry cleaners when I got the call and I rushed over here… I wanted you to be the first person I told," she explains sheepishly.
Mike just smiles at her in appreciation, unsure of what to say, and stares at her. He feels breathless as he marvels at how beautiful she looks, glowing with excitement for her future to come. As he admires her, Tina notices Mike's mismatched outfit and rumpled appearance. "What's going here?" she asks in amusement as she gestures to his body.
Mike's cheeks flush red and he rubs the back of his neck. "Oh, I might be having some trouble picking out what to wear for the ceremony."
Tina just laughs before taking his hand and leading him up the stairs to his bedroom. He watches as she roots through his closet and the pile of clothes strewn across his bed, carefully considering his outfit. She is so deep in concentration that she doesn't even notice the box of things she gave to his mother earlier in the year tucked away at the bottom of his closet. She lands on the maroon blazer he wore to his junior prom and matching pants. "Here, it kinda goes with my dress."
"Thank you," Mike says as he takes the hangers from her hands.
"Well, I have to start getting ready. I'll see you later?" Tina asks.
"Yeah, of course, I'll walk you out," he offers and he guides her down the stairs.
"Tina!" Julia exclaims from where she sits with her husband in the living room when Tina and Mike both reach the bottom of the staircase.
"Hi, Julia! Hi, Mr. Chang!" Tina greets them both with a hug and Mike tries to ignore the way his heart flutters seeing the way she is still so close with his parents.
"Isn't your graduation today?" Julia inquires when she pulls away from Tina's hug. "I know because Michael has been talking endlessly about it."
"Mom," Mike groans in embarrassment earning a giggle from Tina.
Julia looks at him questioningly, not understanding why what she said was so incriminating, before shaking her head and refocusing her attention on Tina. "What brings you here? Shouldn't you be getting ready?"
"Yeah, I'm just about to do that right now. I just wanted to drop by and deliver some good news to Mike," she politely explains.
Mike notices the way his mom's eyes widen in excitement and he interrupts her before she could vocalize any of her theories about him and Tina getting back together and making everything weird. "She got into Brown!"
"Oh, that's wonderful!" Julia praises and she pulls Tina in for another warm hug. "Congratulations!"
"You can pursue the arts and still get into an ivy league school?" Mike Sr. questions. "Michael, why didn't you do that?"
Mike just rolls his eyes in response and sighs. "Well, Tina really has to go… big day and all." Tina laughs as she pulls away from Julia's embrace and waves goodbye to the Changs.
A few hours later, Mike picks up Santana at her place and they drive to the graduation ceremony together. "I asked Sue if she could include Brittany in the ceremony and she agreed so, she's gonna call her up at the end and surprise her. Do you mind just keeping her cap and gown with you so she doesn't notice?" Santana requests when he pulls up in the McKinley high parking lot.
"Yeah, no problem," he responds. "I also might have brought a sign for Tina, if you want to help me hold it up when she goes up the stage?"
"You should probably ask Rachel to help out with that," she suggests and he looks at her questioningly. "It would mean more to her coming from Rachel."
"Yeah, you're right," he supposes before stepping outside of the car.
They barely make it outside of the car when Tina rushes up to them excitedly and pulls them in for tight hugs. "Hi, you guys! I'm so happy you made it! You better hurry up and get your seats in the auditorium – you don't want to miss my big moment! I'm gonna go tell the kids the same thing but I'll see you both inside!" Tina jabbers so quickly that Mike and Santana don't even have a chance to speak before she's running inside.
They chuckle and shake their heads as they watch her run back inside the school. Mike notices Tina's family entering from across the parking lot and he waves a greeting at them before opening the trunk of his car. "Okay, since she's busy telling everyone to get inside the auditorium, I'm gonna sneak this inside before she can see it," Mike declares pulling out the two large signs from his trunk.
While he and Santana start to make their way inside the school, Rachel arrives as well and walks alongside them. "Hey, Mike, what do you have there?"
"Oh, I got this sign for Tina," he explains as he holds up the sign for Rachel to see. "I was actually wondering if you could help me hold it up when she goes on the stage." Rachel steps closer to him to read the sign before looking up and smiling widely at him. "It's not too much, is it?" he asks sheepishly.
Rachel laughs with a shake of her head and lightly pats his shoulder. "No, she's gonna love it."
When the ceremony ends, the new graduates exit the stage to return their robes and pick up their diplomas, while their families and friends wait in the auditorium for their return.
"It's so nice to see that all this time can go by and yet you are still the same boy that is completely whipped for Tina," Puck remarks with a pat on Mike's back.
"Pfft, I'm not whipped?" Mike tries to deny, his voice high and squeaky.
"Oh, I'm sorry, so you're not the one holding a sign that says 'Queen T 4Ever'?" Puck teases.
"I'm not the only one holding it," Mike tries to defend, rolling his eyes.
"But who's idea was it?" Puck presses, narrowing his eyes at Mike and he silently looks down at his feet in response. "Yeah, I thought so… Whipped."
Quinn lightly hits Puck on the shoulder and scolds him, "Oh, please, leave him alone."
"Yeah, because you are also the one that is still hung up on the girl you impregnated four years ago," Santana points out.
Puck raises his hands in defence. "Okay, fine, I guess I'm a little whipped too."
"You should ask her to hang out this summer," Rachel suggests with a whisper, nudging him in the arm with her elbow. "You know, before she moves to New York with us."
"Well actually, she's not going to New York anymore," Mike corrects.
"She's not?" Rachel asks with a disappointed frown.
"No, she got into Brown this morning," he shares, beaming with pride for Tina. "She told me as soon as she found out."
Rachel is unable to hide the amusement from her face. "You're the first person she told, huh?"
"She was in the area," he reasons with a shrug, trying to seem nonchalant.
"Mmhmm," Rachel mumbles before nodding her head and gesturing behind him, "she's on her way back in if you want to talk to her."
Mike turns around to see Tina re-entering the auditorium and she grins at him when their eyes meet. He excitedly stumbles past Rachel, making his way to Tina causing her to laugh at the sight. "Hey, congratulations!" he commends, pulling her in for a hug.
"Thank you!" she says, returning his hug. "And I loved your sign. That was so sweet."
"I'm glad you liked it," Mike smiles sheepishly at her. "So, do you have any plans for the summer?"
"Other than prepping for Brown? No," she replies with a slight frown. "Apparently, I still can't be a counsellor at Asian camp, even without you."
"They're never lifting that ban off of us," Mike says while shaking his head with a laugh.
"Yeah, I just don't think it's ever gonna happen," she says, laughing as well, before shrugging smugly, "We are still legends there though."
"Well, if you don't have any plans this summer, what do you say we get out of here for a bit?" he suggests.
Tina raises an eyebrow and smirks at him in intrigue. "What did you have in mind?"
"Well, we always talked about going on a road trip," he elaborates as he shoves his hands in his pockets.
"I could be down with that," Tina concedes with a wide grin.
"What are we talking about?" Sam queries as he and Blaine approach them, wrapping an arm around both their shoulders.
"Going on a road trip," she responds.
"Would you two be down?" Mike asks.
"A road trip sounds like fun!" Blaine enthuses. "Kurt might have to sit out though because he's gonna be working in New York all summer."
"Yeah! We can go down to visit my family in Kentucky, I was already planning on doing that," Sam adds excitedly.
Tina gasps and lightly taps Mike on the arm. "And maybe we can go visit Matt in Columbia and then hit up Myrtle Beach after," she proposes before turning back to Sam and Blaine, "Matt is Mike's best friend that moved away before you two came to McKinley but you'll love him."
"Alright, well, it sounds like a plan!" Sam exclaims. "Count me in."
"Me too," Blaine agrees.
"Looks like we're finally going on that road trip," Mike tells Tina.
"Looks like it," Tina retorts, unable to keep her smile off her face.