Beta Note: Dammit, I had a nice long note for you all typed out, and then my stupid email opened a webpage in this window and it all went bye-bye. Alas, you'll have to deal without my random ramblings for a few days. I know, it's sad.
Disclaimer: I own Felix, but sadly, he isn't in this story. Elle owns Dean, and the plot. Meg Cabot owns just about everything else.
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Chapter Twelve...
Mia and Michael arranged things so that when Dean got home, he'd never know they'd spent the entire night making out on the couch.
But Dean wasn't stupid; he'd been expecting something to happen. So when he walked in to see them sitting on the couch, a good distance apart, watching the end of Return of the Jedi, he didn't buy it. He didn't buy it for a second.
"So," he said casually. "What did you guys do tonight?"
"Oh, nothing much," Michael replied, at the same time Mia said, "Watched movies."
"Right. So you won't mind if I sit here between you guys and finish watching the movie with you, then?"
"No, not at all," Michael said, knowing that Dean was onto them.
"Are you sure? I mean, I wouldn't want to get in the middle of anything..."
"Uh, no. Sit down," Mia said.
"Thanks, I will." Dean carefully wedged himself down between the two of them.
After a few minutes, Dean said, "Ah, isn't this nice? Us, three friends, just hanging out, watching a movie."
"Yeah," Michael agreed. "Nothing beats friendship."
"That's an interesting choice of words, Moscovitz," Dean said, turning to him.
"What? Friendship?"
"No, no. The one before it. 'Beats'."
Michael gulped, he knew exactly where Dean was going with this.
"What's going on?" Mia asked, completely clueless.
"Oh, I think Michael knows what I'm talking about."
"Listen, Dean, let's talk about this later, ok?" Michael pleaded.
"Why? Do you not know your girlfriend to know about something?"
Mia flushed bright red; Michael wasn't looking too good either.
"Uh, I'm not... I mean, we're not... There's nothing..." Mia sputtered.
"Cut the crap, Mia. You think I'm stupid? I know what's going on with you two, and I can guess what happened here tonight, other than watching the movies, of course."
Nobody said anything. They knew the game was over. It hadn't even begun and it was already over.
"So you don't deny it!" Dean cried, jumping up.
Mia and Michael merely looked at each other and shrugged.
"All right, get up, Moscovitz. Get up, get your stuff, and get out."
"What?" Mia cried. "You can't kick him out! It's nearly midnight!"
"I can do whatever the hell I want to do, Mia."
"Well so can I," she retorted.
"No, you can't. I'm protecting you..."
"You don't have to protect me from Michael! He's your best friend!"
"Mia... Shut up. And Michael, get the hell out before I throw you out."
Michael didn't need to be thrown out; he ran into Dean's room, grabbed his stuff and bolted out the front door.
As soon as he was gone, Mia jumped up and stood defiantly in front of her brother.
"What do you think you are doing? And don't you dare say 'protecting me' because let me tell you, I needed more protection from Kenny than I would Michael."
"Mia, I'm not going to get into an argument with you about this."
"Why not?"
"Because it's pointless. I'm not going to allow you to date Michael, and that's that."
He started walking towards his room, but Mia wouldn't let him have the last word. "Well guess what, Dean? I don't need your permission!"
Then Mia stormed off into her own room, slamming the door behind her.
Mia refused to talk to Dean all weekend. And she didn't dare call Michael in case Dean found out.
Michael himself didn't try to contact Mia either; he was too worried Dean would pick up the phone.
And on Monday morning, although Mia had tried to leave without Dean, he still managed to get into the limo. Mia's heart fluttered when she saw Michael standing on the side of the road.
But then Dean called out to the driver to carry on.
"What are you doing, jackass? Michael's right there!"
"Precisely."
"So you're not even going to talk to him. You're taking this too far, Dean. You may not want me to talk to Michael, but you can't let this ruin your friendship with him."
Dean's only reply was a snort before he turned and looked out the window.
The first time Mia was able to see Michael, who arrived late to school, was in G&T.
"Hey," he said, sitting beside her.
"Hi," Mia said nervously. She'd never had a boyfriend she actually liked before. What was she supposed to say to him? Did he even still want to go out with her after the problems Dean had caused?
"Have you spoken to Dean?" she asked.
"No. But I will. I'll make him see sense, it'll all be ok." He squeezed her knee encouragingly. "I won't give you up so easily."
Mia hoped so, because she had a feeling Michael wouldn't kiss her, in case it got back to Dean that he had. And Mia wanted more of his kisses. She needed them.
When Mia got home that night, it was strange to not walk into Dean's room to see him and Michael playing Nintendo. Instead, Dean had his homework open on the desk.
"What do you want?" he asked, not looking up.
"Nothing," Mia replied, just as rudely. She'd only gone in there to see if, by some miracle, Michael was there.
She was just shutting the door behind her when she heard him say something else. "I'm just trying to look out for you, you know. Doing what I think is best."
Mia walked back into the room and leant against the wall. "I know. But I just wish you weren't. Because you can't keep me from dating forever, eventually I will have to marry to produce heirs. It's part of my wonderful legacy."
"I know," Dean sighed as he said it, probably wishing he could keep Mia in iron panties for the rest of her life. Chaste and safe.
"So then what's the problem?"
"It's just... It's Michael!"
"So? You know him; you're his best friend. Or at least you used to be."
"Exactly. He's my best friend. And I know for sure that I don't want a guy like me to be dating my little sister."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"It means that I'm not the kind of guy who should be dating a princess."
"But you know, you and Michael aren't all that alike," Mia informed him.
"Yeah, I guess. But still, I don't know if someone who's best friends with a guy like me should be dating you. You know?"
"Dean, this is getting ridiculous. At least you know Michael, and you can..." Mia hesitated to say it, "Keep an eye on him."
"I dunno, Mia."
"Well, Dean, I hate to tell you, but you don't really get a say in who I date. So if I want to date Michael, I will."
Mia stormed out of the room before Dean could reply.