Sam walked into the Lima Bean and spotted his friends. He headed over, stone-faced, so that they couldn't figure out his parents' decision.
"Well?" Blaine said hopefully.
"Guys, I did the best I could, but you know the situation-" He said in a disappointed voice, and Tina and Blaine's faces fell. "And they said yes!"
"What?!" Tina and Blaine shouted in disbelief.
"I'm going to New York, baby!" Sam cheered, and Tina and Blaine got up and hugged him.
"I can't believe this! I mean, it all just seems too good to be true!" Tina said once they sat down. "It was a great idea, but I wasn't sure if it could actually happen."
"It's all thanks to you guys, actually." Sam said. "That little dating ploy really worked."
"Ha! I knew it!" Blaine exclaimed triumphantly while Tina simultaneously yelled, "Damn it!"
"Lemon pound cake, darling!" Blaine flashed a charming smile and Tina groaned. "And if you're feeling generous, you might want to throw in a cake pop for your passionate lover."
"I will break up with you." Tina threatened, but none the less got up and headed to the register.
"Love you!" Blaine called.
"Yeah, yeah." Tina replied.
"What's that all about?" Sam said, amused.
"Tina and I had a little bet going." Blaine explained. "She said your parents wouldn't believe the dating ploy. I disagreed. Loser had to buy dessert."
"To tell you the truth," Sam laughed, "They didn't buy it for a second."
Blaine gave a mischievous grin. "Well, let's just not tell Tina that until after I finish my treats."
"So I just thought of something." Tina said as she returned to the table and handed Blaine the lemon pound cake.
"The fact that you forgot my cake pop?" Blaine said cheekily. Tina glared.
"What I was thinking while I waited in line for this little diva," Tina said, pointed to Blaine as he cut up his lemon slice into perfect squares, "It's great that your parents are on board, but what about mine and Blaine's?"
"Yeah, my Dad mentioned that." Sam said, stealing a bit of Blaine's cake. "He thinks your parents won't be keen on you living with two teenage boys."
"Not true. Mrs. Cohen-Chang loves me." Blaine said confidently.
"Yeah, when you're not under the same roof as her only daughter." Sam snapped.
"She has nothing to worry about, I'm gay!" Blaine shrugged.
"She does love you, Blaine." Tina said slowly.
"See?" Blaine said smugly to Sam.
"Well that gives me an idea. You should come home for dinner and we'll pitch the idea to my mom. You'll be a reminder to her that I'll be in good hands."
"Dinner at the Cohen-Changs? I'm there. Your Mom always has the best food." Sam said excitedly.
"Sorry, Sammy, not today." Tina said. "My mom will be reminded how charming you are, then ask me again why I am not dating you, then assume that if I move in with you we'll be taking off each other's clothes within thirty minutes." She finished matter-of-factly.
"Jesus, Ti, aren't you forward?" Sam said in surprise while Blaine burst into laughter.
"Just assuming what my overprotective mother would think." She shrugged. "C'mon, Blainey Days, you've got some coaxing to do."
"Oh, this is perfect!" Sam called sarcastically as Tina and Blaine started to walk away. "You two go have a delicious dinner, I'm fine!"
Tina sighed and turned back to her friend, handing him a dollar. "Go buy yourself a cake pop and stop complaining." She ordered, and Sam smiled widely.
"Hello, mother!" Tina said in a sing-song voice as she entered the house.
"Tina!" Her mother, Kim, exclaimed from the other room. "You're home early!"
"I brought a surprise for dinner." Tina said once she reached her mother in the kitchen, and Blaine poked his head in the room.
"Blaine!" Kim squealed, bypassing her own daughter to greet Blaine with a hug.
"Hello, Mrs. Cohen-Chang." Blaine laughed.
"Well, I haven't seen you in almost a week! Where do you kids run off too?"
"My pool, Breadstix, or the Lima Bean, most likely." Blaine admitted. "Although we should come here more instead. Breadstix gets expensive, and I find myself craving your Stir Fry."
"You're a sweetheart." Mrs. Cohen-Chang smiled.
Blaine and Tina had started becoming really close Senior Year, and since most of their friends graduated, sometimes they felt like besides Sam, they were all each other really had. This lead to them spending an awful lot of their time together, and even forming a bit of a bond with their families.
Mrs. Cohen-Chang was obsessed with Blaine. Since Tina was an only child, she often thought of Blaine as the son she never head. She also found Blaine incredibly sweet and charming.
"You know Tina," Her mother had said on numerous occasions, "I think if he wasn't gay, you two would be dating."
"No, Mom," Tina sighed, and said jokingly, "I think you would be the one trying to date him."
Blaine saw Kim Cohen-Chang as his second mother. His parents loved him very much, but they sometimes had ideas and dreams for him that did not match up with the ones Blaine had set for himself, which let to lots of conflict in the Anderson household. Sometimes Blaine needed an adult who would actually listen and give sound advice, which was what Mrs. Cohen-Chang seemed to do best. Although she was often very strict with her daughter, she was also very understanding.
"Hi, Mrs. Cohen Chang." Blaine had said dismally when she opened the front door in March.
"Blaine! I wasn't expecting you on a school night. Do you and Tina have a project to do?" Mrs. Cohen-Chang asked.
"My parents and I got into a bit of an argument about NYADA and Tina said I could come over for dinner to get away." He admitted.
"Tina was texting while doing homework?" Mrs. Cohen-Chang exclaimed, and Blaine gave a small smile.
"I'm sorry, she said to come at seven, but the argument just got so heated I had to get out of there." Blaine explained.
"Oh, it's no trouble. Tina won't be allowed to come down until she finishes her homework, but you can stay as long as you want. Why don't you tell me what's troubling you?" She said consolingly, leading him to the kitchen.
Blaine and Kim went into the kitchen, and Blaine explained the fight. It was the same thing all over again; his father accused him of throwing his life away and following his ex-boyfriend to NYADA, which was not the case. Kurt being there was just an added bonus. Then his parents would say that they already had an actor in the family, and maybe Blaine should do something more practical, like become a doctor and a lawyer. Then Blaine would accuse his parents of favoring Copper. It was the same sort of topics every time, but today he just couldn't listen to them anymore.
"You know, Blaine, NYADA wasn't my first choice for Tina, either." Kim admitted.
"Really? But you're a cool parent!" Blaine said in surprise.
"Try telling Tina that." Mrs. Cohen-Chang laughed. "Think of it from a parents' perspective, Blaine. We put so much time into listening to your speeches on Lincoln, building your dioramas, going out to buy you new binders, being prototypes for your science experiment, and then you want to throw it all away and go to a school that doesn't even have math on its curriculum."
"Well, when you put it that way..."
"Why do you think I make Tina do all her homework every night before she can relax? To ensure she has a smart mind as a second option if the whole acting thing doesn't work out." She admitted. "But when I think how much music has done for Tina, transforming her from the shy, stuttering, punk Tina to the sociable, confident Tina she is today, I can't possibly keep her from her dreams. And when it comes down to it, I know your parents won't be able to keep you from yours."
From then on, Blaine saw Mrs. Cohen-Chang as a motherly figure, and was never afraid to go to talk to her about anything.
"Do you need any help, Mrs. C?" Blaine said as she set the table.
"Oh, no, Blaine, I'm fine, but thank you." She said. "I wish my daughter was as polite as you."
"Blaine, for the last time, please stop being so charming. It makes me look bad." Tina joked.
"So where's Sam tonight? I thought the three of you were up to your old shenanigans." Kim said when they started eating.
"Babysitting." Blaine lied, and added for good measure, "Because he's a really responsible young boy."
"Actually, we wanted to talk about Sam." Tina segwayed into the apartment conversation.
"Oh my goodness, are you two dating?" Mrs. Cohen-Chang exclaimed. "Blaine, you promised you'd text me if that happened!"
"I'm going to ignore all of that." Tina said exasperatedly while Blaine laughed loudly, "Well, Blaine and I feel really bad about leaving Sam behind, so we want to get an apartment together in New York."
"Who's we?" Her mother snapped.
"Sam, Blaine, and I."
"Absolutely not."
"What? But Mom-"
"You living with two boys in New York City? No way."
"I bet Dad will let me."
"Please, he'll probably be more opposed then I am!"
"But, Mom, living with Sam and Blaine would be so much better than being in a dorm. I don't want to be stuck with a Rachel Berry-"
"A who?"
"An obnoxious know-it-all."
"Better that than live unsupervised with two teenage boys. Honestly, if I leave you there alone, you and Sam will have each other's clothes off in thirty minutes."
"What did I tell you?" Tina said bitterly to Blaine, noting that Tina had predicted exactly what her mother would assume.
"Mom, Sam and I are not like that!" Tina yelled. "We just want to include him in our lives-"
"Mrs. C, what Tina is trying to say, but is doing a bad job explaining-"
"Am not-"
"Ti, I'm helping you, remember?" Blaine said calmly, and Tina closed her mouth. "Mrs. Cohen-Chang, I am ecstatic about going to NYADA with my best friend Tina, but I am also worried about leaving Sam behind. So I suggested that Sam take classes at a community college in New York, and the three of us share an apartment together. After all, I'm worried once college starts, I won't be able to see Tina as much as I'd like, but living with her would ensure I'd see her every day."
"If you go to the same school, you can make time." Kim said stiffly.
"Mrs. C, I know what you're thinking. New York is too big, wild, and crazy, of a place for three teenagers to live together unsupervised. But New York is even larger and more dangerous when you're a young girl in it alone. It'd be safer if she was living with someone she knew, someone who cares deeply for her. I promise I will always be there to protect Tina." He said seriously, and added lightheartedly, "And to text you on all the gossip about her with boys and grades and such."
Mrs. Cohen-Chang stared thoughtfully for a moment, while Tina beamed at her best friend in awe. "Well, Tina," Her mother began slowly, "Maybe this is something we can talk about as soon as your father gets home."
"Thank you, thank you!" Tina squealed, giving her mom a hug, and then crushing Blaine in a hug. "I love you." She whispered.
"I know." Blaine teased cockily, then added seriously, "And I do too, Tay-Tay. There's no one else I rather go to NYAYA with."
Author's note: What do you think so far? Please review! Also, do you like the flashbacks and the insight into the family life of our main characters? And FYI Blaine and Tina are JUST best friends and Tina's completely over the crush, so no need to worry.