Reunion

He stood in the airport pacing. Mike Chang is not a pacer, well, at least he never used to be. But here he was, pacing. People were beginning to take notice, especially the elderly people. Some of them gave him glares, like he was in THEIR space, others soft smiles like they knew what he was going through.

He had waited.

They had waited.

They had waited too long.

He saw her walk down the stairs. His body was no longer his own. He was running. She was running. They met in the middle, her bag dropped by their feet, their arms linked together.

"You're never allowed to leave me again." He whispered into her hair. "Ever."

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Pink

He stared at the necklace in his hand. Was it too soon? She'd just laugh at him. He frowned and looked at his phone. He could ask Matt. Then he thought about that. Matt's luck with women was about as good as the football team's record. Next up was Puck, but he knew that Puck wasn't one to keep any relationships. Then Finn, but he wasn't sure even Finn knew how he got into a relationship with Rachel…and he sure as hell wasn't going to ask Artie. So he picked up the phone and called the one person he knew would give him a real answer.

"Hey Mike."

"Quinn, I have a question for you."

"Shoot."

He poured his heart out to her, and she reassured him that, no it wasn't too much, no it wasn't too soon, and yes, Tina would love it.

She was right.

"Mike…it's…"

"A pink pearl…it was my grandmother's. It was the only thing she brought from China with her. She told me to give it to someone I loved…"

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Powerless

Tina Cohen-Chang was a strong young woman. She faced adversity every day, not just being a member of the glee club, but also because she was a visible minority AND female. And it didn't bother her. She was powerful. But there was one thing she was powerless against.

His smile lit up a room, it made her weak in the knees, it made her heart beat rapidly, it made her stomach drop to her knees.

There was nothing she could do. She was powerless.

.

Half asleep

Just when he thought she couldn't get any prettier, she fell asleep on his couch. They were studying Spanish, and actually studying at that. Midterms were killing everyone, Tina and Mike were no exception, especially since both of them were taking full load honour courses. They were through their third chapter review when she stopped answering. He looked over and she was curled up on his couch, her eyes closed.

"Tee. Tee, you sleeping?"

"Mmmm?"

He smiled and placed the knitted blanket they kept on the arm of the couch over her. Her eyes fluttered open. "'m not sleeping."

Grinning, he gently ran his hands through her hair. "It's okay. I'll go make some brain food. You catch a few winks."

.

You're not who I thought you were

She looked at the picture on her desk. It was of the glee club at their first invitational, with her leaning forward and Mike's arm draped over her. She was still with Artie then, but she knew that Mike was different. He was still a football player, but he was…different.

He helped her out of her costume when the zipper got stuck, he slammed his eyes closed so she could get something else on, where as all the other guys (save for Kurt) tried to sneak a peek.

"You're not who I thought you were." She said softly as he passed her his oversized hoodie.

"Who did you think I was?"

She shrugged. "One of them." Her eyes trailed to where Puck and Finn were making farting noises in their armpits.

.

Running

Tina hates running. Actually, she loathes running with every fibre of her being. There had to be a reason why she was sprinting as fast as her sneakered feet would take her. That reason was in front of her, quickly pulling away, laughing manically.

She shook her hair, feeling the water droplets fall onto her bare arms.

"MIKE CHANG! YOU'RE GOING TO PAY!"

"Gotta catch me first!" He laughed, dropping the rest of his ammo on the way to hop the fence.

"SO DEAD!" Her voice said she was angry, her face said otherwise. So her hair might be soaked, and her makeup may be smeared, but an impromptu waterfight can make ANYONE smile.

.

Reading

Mike wasn't completely illiterate like the rest of his football buddies, but at the same point he wasn't exactly known as a bookworm. That's why Mercedes and Quinn were stunned to see Mike surrounded by books, a flummoxed look on his face.

"What's up Mike?"

He frowned. "I'm looking for a recipe for Tina's birthday cake…but…the doctor couldn't figure out what was making her sick…so they took her off of gluten." He threw his hands up in exasperation. "What the hell is GLUTEN!"

Quinn smiled. "It's okay Mike, we'll help."

"You know what gluten is?" He asked pitifully, as the two girls pulled the cookbooks away from him.

.

Mess

There is was. A double fudge chocolate milk free, soy free, gluten free, egg free with vanilla icing birthday cake. It didn't look like much, but it was better than his last six attempts.

Quinn and Mercedes smiled, patting him on the back. "It looks great Mike."

"You're sure? I think it's kinda lopsided." He chewed on the inside of his lip. "Maybe we should try another one."

"NO!" They both yelled. "It's fine."

They were right. It was fine, and it actually tasted good.

"No one should miss out on their own birthday cake, allergies be damned." He said as a way of explaining to Tina and her parents.

For some reason, his parents didn't quite understand the reasoning when they saw the sink full of dishes.

.

Painkillers

"Are you, Miss Tina Cohen-Chang, trying to take advantage of me?"

Tina rolled her eyes and gently helped Mike into his house. "No Mike. Now sit down on your couch. The doctors told you to keep your arm still. I'll go get an icepack."

"Teeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeena. I might need more than an icepack…I need a cold shower." He sang, watching her rear shamelessly as she walked into his kitchen.

"Mike, just be quiet and stay still." She gently placed the icepack on his arm.

"Tina, you're pretty."

"Thanks Mike."

"No, wicked pretty."

"Thanks Mike."

"No, you're like the prettiest girl ever. Like, when God was thinking of making pretty girls, he made you and then made everyone else more uglier than you. Because you're HOT."

She stared at him before bursting out laughing.

"What?"

"Mike, while I appreciate the gesture, it would be better if you weren't drooling and high on painkillers." She leaned over and placed a kiss on his forehead. "But you're pretty hot yourself."

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Love

"You don't need to say it." He said softly, touching his forehead to hers. "I just wanted to let you know how I feel."

She smiled as she felt his hands in her hair. "Mike…"

"No, I don't want to rush you. I just feel that way." He grinned sheepishly and pulled away. "I'm gonna get going. I'll see you tomorrow." He started to get up.

"No…wait…Mike." She sat up and stared at him, her dark eyes wide.

"I…I love you too."

"Tee…I said."

"I know…I just wanted to let you know how I feel."