Raise Your Glass For Me- Part 3
Title Raise Your Glass For Me
Pairing: Mike Chang/Tina Cohen-Chang
Rating: R for this part
Part 1
Part 2
--
"Mommy, now?"
"Not yet, Carrie," Tina soothes, lifting her daughter up and maneuvering them toward their tiny kitchen where she's draped crepe paper and balloons around the walls. The decorations are a little bit mismatched and tacky, but honestly she's spent so much money on car seats and toys and god knows what else for Caroline lately that she couldn't really afford to go all out in their small apartment.
"Now?"
Tina chuckles. Caroline is stubbornly impatient by default, and even though it's tough handling her full-steam-ahead personality, she reminds Tina of herself so much sometimes that it pretty much tears her heart into little pieces.
Tina places Caroline in a chair, gently releasing her before walking swiftly over to the refrigerator where the small round cake that she had purchased earlier that day is waiting. She has the urge to fuss over it a little more, just to make sure the icing hasn't smudged or anything, but she suddenly hears the sound of the door opening.
"Daddy!" Caroline shrieks, stumbling to get out of her chair as her father ambles into the room, dropping the duffel bag he uses for his dance things on the floor.
"Hey- oof!" Mike grins as Caroline practically steamrollers him in an attempt to jump into his arms. It still astonishes Tina how coordinated Caroline is for her age. Mike is always insisting that it's a sign that she's on her way to becoming a dancer, but Tina just tries to keep her out of trouble. With her constantly moving pair of feet, Caroline has somehow managed to find her way into every nook and cranny in their apartment.
Mike scoops Caroline up in his arms before straightening up again, flashing Tina a smile and pecking her on the cheek. She raises her fingers to touch the spot on her cheek, able to feel the warmth that his lips had imparted.
"Now?" Caroline bounces a little in her father's arms, her excitement practically bubbling over.
"Now," Tina nods, making her way back to the refrigerator to retrieve the cake.
"Now what?"
Tina doesn't answer him, more focused on the cake that she's balancing in her hands as she starts to walk it over to the table. Mike's face breaks out in a huge smile, but Tina's much more excited for what's about to happen next.
As she places the cake down, she approaches Mike and Caroline, nodding to Carrie as she starts to sing.
Happy birthday to you...
Caroline joins in, just as they had rehearsed twenty-some times before this moment, her voice wavering a little but still breathtakingly sweet and childlike.
Happy birthday to you...
Happy birthday dear Daddy...
Happy birthday to you.
Mike lifts one arm and envelopes Tina with it so that he's got both of his girls in an embrace and Tina's never, ever seen Mike cry before, and she's pretty sure he isn't right now either, but the way his eyes have gotten glassy, his lips pressed firmly together, makes her think that it's the closest he's ever gotten.
--
“Mike, sweetheart, you know I love your surprises but I really just want to relax at home today.”
“I know, Tee. I know.”
“I’m sorry,” her hand snakes over and rests on his thigh, “I’m being whiny again, aren’t I?”
“A bit. But at eight months pregnant I think I can forgive you.”
She laughs softly and Mike removes one hand from the steering wheel to squeeze Tina’s, eyes flickering to the rear view mirror where Caroline’s quietly eating carrot sticks with a headphone in each ear and then over to Nate in his car seat, head tilted to one side and drooling slightly in his slumber.
“You’re really not going to tell me where we’re going, are you?”
“Nope.”
The noise of protest Tina makes normally makes Mike grin, but he’s keeping his features as neutral as possible these days. He loves his wife, the two kids in the back and the other that’s kicking her is proof of that, but her pregnancy hormones are scary and Mike’s not really interested in Nate waking up to his mother shrieking at his father. He can feel the glare of her gaze on the side of his head, and Mike casts a quick glance at Tina; her crossed arms rest on the rounded swell of her stomach, long black braids just skimming the top of her stomach, and there’s a tenseness in her posture that he knows is going to leave her back spasming later.
“Tina, babe, relax. I know you’re not feeling so hot today, but please trust me?”
“I do trust you,” she whispers, “I’m just… really uncomfortable. It feels like your child is dancing all over my ribs.”
The red light is welcome even though Mike knows they’re on a tight schedule-it took longer than expected to pick Carrie up from dance-but Mike leans over to the passenger seat and presses his lips to the peak of Tina’s stomach, mumbling against the fabric.
“Stop it, you. You’re bugging your mother.”
“Mike!”
“I’m serious, kiddo. Cut it out.”
He straightens when the car behind them honks and hits the gas pedal, relaxing a bit as a full smile plays on Tina’s lips for the first time all day. It hasn’t been an easy pregnancy for her, especially not with having two other kids that still require attention, but she’s held up remarkably well until these last few weeks when Mike’s been able to see the frustration and exhaustion begin to get the better of her positivity. He cuts the engine when they finally make it to the parking lot, Mike turning in his seat to watch Caroline toss her headphones, technically his headphones, onto the seat.
“Ready to go, Mommy?”
“Go where?”
“A whole afternoon of relaxing,” Mike says, fingers snaking through hers again, “I know your parents are going to be here on your actual birthday so I thought you and Care-bear could get a massage today, have a pedicure… enjoy some girl time away from us boys?”
“Mike…”
“I know what you’re going to say, and don’t worry. They have some special polish and stuff that’s safe for pregnant women, just in case. I asked.”
“… I didn’t really mean to yell at you about not being able to paint my own toes anymore…” Tina whimpers, tears rolling down her cheeks.
“I know, gorgeous. But this way you can still feel pretty, okay? Even if I think you don’t need nail polish or anything, I want you to feel good. You deserve it.”
Mike holds out the box of tissues they always keep between the seats to Tina, whose cheeks are marked by the trails of tiny black mascara lines
“Ewww. Kissing!”
--
"I hate surprises." Mike pouts as they wait by the arrival gate which Tina finds absolutely hilarious, and she knows it's not just the surprise that's bothering him- it's the fact that she drove here, too. Mike and his typical need to assert his manliness or whatever it is.
"No you don't," she counters, "You surprise me with things all the time."
"Okay. I hate it when I don't know the surprise. I don't get it- are we waiting for someone?"
When Detroit's deplaning is announced over the speakers and Tina takes a few steps forward, Mike's eyes narrow. "Detroit? Tina, what's going on?"
"Be patient."
The passengers on the flight begin to emerge from behind the doors one by one, and Tina waits, holding her breath and watching Mike's face because she needs to see his reaction.
When Mike's face breaks into the most bewildered expression she's ever seen in her entire life, she knows he's here.
"Matt? What are you... how did you...?" Mike is totally spluttering at this point, and Tina grins triumphantly.
"Hey man!" Matt is as friendly and as cheerful as ever, giving Mike a big, genuine man hug after letting go of his luggage. He still looks the same, even though his laugh lines are etched a little deeper and his hairline has receded a bit, but he's still the same old Matt they've known since high school.
"Damn, I haven't seen you in forever. What are you doing in D.C.? Wait..."
As realization dawns on Mike's face, Tina can't help but giggle uncontrollably. "You did this? Tina." Mike is staring at her with huge, huge eyes and suddenly picking her up and spinning her around even though Matt and the remainder of US Airways' customers are all right there.
Mike finally sets her down, kissing her hair fiercely before turning back to Matt. "How have you been?"
Tina totally gets Mike's friendship with Matt. The first time she ever saw Mike, he was with Matt, and up until the point when Matt had transferred after their sophomore year, they had stuck by each other's side. As they make their way toward the exit, Mike and Matt chat like little schoolboys again. They're babbling on and on about each other's jobs, about the latest football game or something, and many other things Tina can't process because honestly, she's just overwhelmingly giddy over how excited Mike is.
She drives them back safely to their place despite the heavy snow, and she's so thankful that their kids are spending the weekend at her parents' place, because honestly? She doesn't think she can handle three kids and two crazy old best friends who haven't seen each other in ages.
When Matt goes up to their guest room to freshen up and settle in, Mike turns to Tina with the most exuberant expression on his face and it seriously makes the whole effort to bring Matt here worth it.
"Tina. Tina, Tina, Tina you wonderful woman." Mike wraps his arms tightly around her and even though she kind of feels like she's getting suffocated, she loves it.
"I thought it might be kind of a nice birthday surprise to fly him out here today," Tina says happily as they break apart and he showers her with little individual kisses, each one more breathtaking than the last.
--
Tina doesn't like to make a big fuss out of things. Quite the opposite, actually. She likes to lay low and she likes to keep things simple. Things like graduation, anniversaries, and other flashy events? She's never been into the grandeur of those kinds of celebrations.
But... well, it's her birthday today and Mike hasn't even mentioned it so far. She can't help but wonder if he's simply forgotten. After all, his dance company is putting on a huge show in less than two weeks and he's been stuck at their rehearsals for hours at a time. Today, he manages to arrive home well past eleven- long after she's tucked the kids in for bed.
Tina's sitting up against the headboard in their bed, thumbing through a magazine, when he enters, his collared shirt unbuttoned and tie loose around his neck. She has to admit it's kind of hot, but right now she's a little more preoccupied with the fact that her husband's head is so far up in the clouds that he's forgotten her one special day of the year.
"Hey," he greets her; the exhaustion that lies heavy in his words makes her forget about her little birthday gripe for a moment because she really just wants to lie him down and massage the fatigue away. She watches Mike shed his clothes, stripping down to his boxers, before sliding into bed next to her.
"Hi."
"How were the kids today?" He asks absently as she stows the magazine away, sinking underneath the covers with him.
"Rowdy. They decided today that they want to put on a recital for us this weekend, so they spent the whole day rehearsing and running around the house for props."
Mike wraps his arms around her so that she's snuggled up against his body, and even though she loves it when they fall asleep like this together, the alarm clock on the nightstand now reads 11:37 and there are officially only 23 minutes left in her birthday.
She has to say something. She just has to. Because even though she doesn't like to make a big deal out of things, the only proof that Tina has that it's actually her birthday today and not just some figment of her imagination are the cards from her bank, her dentist, and the texts from a couple of her friends. Even her kids haven't acknowledged it.
"Mike?"
"Hmm?"
"Did you... did you forget?"
She can feel his arms tensing up around her, "Forget what, Tee?"
"My... my birthday."
He's mumbling something incoherent into her hair.
"What?"
He shifts uncomfortably behind her before sighing heavily. "Tee, how could you even suggest that I forgot your birthday?"
"You...didn't say anything all day. What's going on?"
"I don't wanna say," his mumbles become slightly more coherent.
"Say... say what?"
He sighs reluctantly. "I asked my parents if they'd take the kids for the weekend."
"...What?"
"So we can take a trip to New York. Just the two of us. For your birthday."
Tina's vaguely aware of the fact that she's blushing nearly from head to toe- her entire body feels like it's overheating. "R-really?"
"Yes, really," he pokes at her side. "You ruined the surprise, missy." He kisses her temple gently.
She's starting to feel more embarrassed than ever. To think that she was being selfish and needy and doubting when this whole time, Mike's been planning a romantic getaway weekend for the two of them.
"And... and the kids?"
"Completely in on it."
Tina flips around to face him, drinking in his adorable, sleepy smile, and immediately takes his lips with her own, completely intoxicated by everything from the knowing twinkle in his eye to the fact that he's probably the best husband ever.
"But for the record?"
"Hmm?" Honestly, she has no idea how he can even muster up words right now; all she can think about is the taste of his lips...
"Happy birthday, beautiful."
--
Dinner is always chaos, but it’s the sort of chaos Mike’s gotten used to having with three kids, each with very different personalities. Sure, there’s a part of him that remembers the quiet dinners they used to have where they could whisper and hear each other; where they actually got to eat their food without an interruption every five seconds, but there’s a sense of normalcy about the organized chaos Mike comes home to every night. Normally he’s home just in time to help Tina set the table and toss a salad or do whatever else she asks because it’s really the least he can do when she’s spent all day with three rowdy kids; tonight he’s a bit startled that not only is everything ready but also what Tina’s placing out smells distinctly like the best Korean dish he’s ever tasted.
“That smells delicious, Tee.”
“I know it’s your favourite,” she grins, laughing as Mike nips at her ear as he passes.
“Did you do choreography today, Dad?”
They’ve fallen into a routine seating pattern at the kitchen table and Mike grins as Caroline, chopsticks in hand, instantly goes to her favourite topic. She’s a splitting image of Tina, petite and curvy and soft features, but Mike still can’t quite believe how much she eats, breathes and sleeps dance at such a young age. His attention is mostly on Caroline-- Tina’s across the table patiently trying to help Adriana with her chopsticks-but Mike’s been a parent long enough to reach underneath the table seamlessly, nabbing the opened book out of Nate’s hand.
“Dad!”
“No reading at the table,” Mike responds in time with his wife, shooting Tina a smirk identical to the one he’s receiving.
“Why do you guys have to say it at the same time? It’s weird.”
“Because your Dad and I know you, Nate,” Tina laughs as she takes the chopsticks from Adria’s hand and replaces them with a fork, “Besides, eat or there’ll be no desert for you.”
Desert isn’t exactly a common thing in their household and Mike’s ears perk at the mention; it’s not that they avoid it or anything, there’s just enough hyperactivity in the house without loading the kids full of sugar every night a few hours before bed. Once in a while, sure, and on special occasions, but from the way all the kids, even Adria, have fallen silent Mike’s got a feeling whatever Tina got is really good.
He can feel Tina’s eyes on his head, Mike looking up and giving her a small smile because more and more he’s picking up on something about tonight being out of the ordinary. Tina’s head tilts to the side slightly, eyes narrowed, and Mike knows too well it’s the look she gets when trying to figure out what he’s thinking but not telling her. And while the kids are mostly silent aside from the sound of chopsticks and fork scraping along the side of their bowls, they’ve also been together long enough that lip-reading is a talent that’s come in handy on more than one occasion.
“What?” Tina finally mouths, looking at him intently.
“Desert?” he points down the bowl, “This. Why?”
“You know why.”
The roll of Tina’s eyes is playful, like she thinks he’s being foolish but Mike’s really not sure what she’s getting at, shaking his head slightly above the kids heads.
“No?”
“Seriously?”
Her breath hitches and Mike can tell she’s trying to hold back her laughter; there’s something so incredibly dainty and alluring about the way Tina’s hand comes up to cover her mouth, long curls falling around her face as she takes a few gasps of air. He feels like an idiot because there’s obviously something he’s forgetting and while he knows it’s not an anniversary or one of the kids’ birthdays or Tina’s-
“Your birthday?” she mouths, shoulders shaking with restrained laughter.
The ‘o’ his mouth forms does it for Tina, laughter bursting from her small body and Mike joins her because who forgets their own birthday?
“Uhh….Mom? Dad? You guys okay?”
--
"How was the primary?"
Mike's voice sounds crackly over Skype, no doubt due to the crappy Wi-Fi the hotel she's staying at is providing. But Tina can see him quite clearly, and even though she's only been gone for a day, seeing him makes her miss him. A lot.
"Never mind that, I can tell you about it when I get home."
"Just tell me now," he urges cheerfully. "I wanna know." It still boggles Tina's mind that he's always so eager to hear about her career when he's never had a scrap of interest for politics. She's long since given up chatting with Mercedes over the phone about the latest news regarding her job, but Mike is always, always curious.
"No."
"...No?"
Because there's something much more important to address right now. "Happy birthday," she beams into the camera. She still feels guilty out of her mind that her job had basically forced her to be present at today's primary during his birthday, and if it weren't completely out of her control when primaries fall, she would have been sitting at home with him and the kids, probably goofing off with a round of Charades or something.
"Thanks, love. I- what are you doing?"
Tina can be confident, sure, but even though she's been planning this since the moment she boarded her plane to Philly, it's still a little unnerving to be unbuttoning her shirt in front of a webcam. She glances down at her chest for a fraction of a second, and then lifts her lids so that she has a clear view of Mike, his eyes wide and jaw open.
"T-Tina?"
There's something about the way his voice cracks- the way he confirms the thought that maybe she has some sort of effect on him- that emboldens her. At this point, the sleeves of her blouse are cascading down her arms and revealing a lacy black bra; conveniently his absolute favorite. Biting down on her bottom lip, she gazes at Mike from behind her lashes and quirks an eyebrow.
"Hmm?"
"N-nothing."
Slowly tracing her tongue over the edge of her upper lip, Tina reaches behind to unclasp her bra, smirking a little when it falls to the floor and her breasts spill out. She can hear Mike making a small, strangled noise that's always been able to turn her on.
"I miss you," she does her best to purr the words, leaning close to the webcam as she takes one of her breasts in hand, kneading it between her fingers as Mike watches, clearly entranced because his eyes are practically crossing at this point, and she can see his nose inch toward the webcam.
"God, Tina... what are you doing?"
"Wishing you a happy birthday," her voice comes out a lot throatier than she had originally expected.
As she shimmies out of her skirt, Tina backs up a little so that she can see her whole body in their Skype window. Mike's eyes keep darting to his right, which should be where the door is, no doubt in constant fear that their kids will suddenly wake up and barge in. But it's already eleven-thirty and Tina knows that they've long since entered dreamland, and the chances of interruption are slim.
"You're killing me, Tee."
"Really? How so?" Tina smiles coyly as she dips her fingers into her panties and, even though she's positive he can't see past the black fabric no matter how tiny the scrap of underwear is, she's fairly certain that he knows what she's doing.
"Tina.." His voice is strangled, barely louder than a whisper.
"Hmm?"
His eyes dart to the door again and it looks like he's practically grabbing the monitor of the desktop, his voice soft and urgent. "You are such a tease."
She grins, partly out of anticipation and partly out of pleasure. "Anything for the birthday boy."
--
Tina's glad they went to see a comedic movie instead of a horror one like they had originally planned. They're still giggling like little kids about it on their way back to their house. Mike pulls the car into the garage, his hand resting protectively on her thigh. As they stumble out of the car, he slings his arm over her shoulder, pulling her in for a quick kiss before his hand reaches for the doorknob.
"Wait," he whispers, stopping abruptly. "Do you hear something?"
She does, actually. It's the faint sound of banging and clanging and god knows what else- and it's coming from inside. Which means either Caroline is not upholding her promise to keep the other two kids in line while she and Mike were at the movies or a tornado is currently terrorizing the inside of their home.
Mike swings the door open, only to find Nate scrambling past with a heavy-looking pot in his hands. "Wait, wait, don't come in yet!" he shrieks, clearly panicking.
"What are you three doing?" Tina stares as she stomps the snow off from her boots before slowly entering the dining room where Adria is putting out plates and Nate is running around, looking ridiculous in Tina's apron.
Caroline enters the room calmly- or at least, more calmly than their other two children- with a heaping plate of spaghetti in her arms. "We made you and dad dinner. Y'know. Since it's his birthday today."
Tina turns to look at Mike, who's gaping at the set table with wide eyes. It's clear that their kids have also successfully made a salad and what looks like a crock of soup. The napkins and utensils are set out neatly, no doubt Caroline's doing, since she's consistently obsessed with aesthetic value.
"Happy birthday, dad!" Adria grins, dashing up to her father to give him a hug. Her white t-shirt has a huge stain across the left shoulder and she's obviously also sweated up a storm because her hair is a tangled mess and her bangs are stuck to her forehead. Pressing her lips together to prevent herself from cracking up, Tina pulls Adria close and begins to patiently work out the knots in her hair with her fingers, glancing over at Mike, who's still gaping at their children.
"I- thanks," Mike manages. Caroline holds out her arms next and Mike takes her in, too. "Did you know about this?" He asks Tina.
"No! I didn't know they had it in them," she teases, ruffling Nate's hair as he walks by.
"Me neither," Nate rolls his eyes. "Adria spilled the ranch dressing twice and I had to clean it up both times because Caroline was too busy making sure the table looked pretty." He says the word "pretty" with particular distaste.
Mike chuckles, giving Nate a quick fist bump. "You kids are great. Really. Thank you."
"We just wanted to do something for your birthday, dad." Caroline pipes up.
"Yeah! Happy birthday," the other two chorus, and Mike straightens up, looping his arm around Tina's waist.
Mike doesn't say anything for quite some time, a tiny smile on his lips. Tina elbows him, urging him to speak up because their kids are staring up at him expectantly, when he finally opens his mouth. "You guys are the best."
--
“I’m pretty sure I haven’t been this relaxed since before we had kids.”
Tina’s laugh carries along the sea breeze, head lazily rolling to stare at him from her reclined position on the sea-green chaise lounge. Mike can’t make out her eyes beneath the oversized sunglasses resting on the bridge of her nose, but he knows his wife well enough to imagine the way her eyes are crinkling in amusement as she takes a long sip from the daiquiri he offers.
“I don’t think I’ve been this relaxed since before I met you.”
“Hey!” he pouts, “what’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means you’ve always had a tendency to keep me on my toes.”
This time he laughs, taking a sip of the cool strawberry beverage before placing it back down on the pale white sand surrounding them. It’s too hot, it’s really way too hot, but Mike can’t imagine sliding back over to his own lounge chair and leaving Tina to hers; sure, that means they’re both a bit squished and a mess of intertwined legs but he’s really not lying when he says he’s relaxed.
The Dominican sun is a bit much, especially compared to the blizzard they left behind in Lima, but spending a week completely childless with Tina is more than worth being uncomfortably hot during the peak hours of the day. Especially when Mike factors in the boy shorts and bikini top Tina’s been favouring thus far; three kids later and he still has to remind himself to wait until they’re back in their suite.
“Do you think the kids are okay, though?”
“Yes love,” his fingers run slowly through her hair.
“You’re just as worried about them as me, Mike. They’re our babies.”
“The one most likely to burn down the house is safely in London. Nate’s more responsible than I am and Adriana’s in so many extracurriculars she doesn’t have time to wreak havoc. The house will still be standing.”
“When did you become the calm, rational parent?”
“When Caroline was born.”
He manages it with a straight face, only cracking up when Tina winds up and socks him in the arm, laughing as she contorts her face into a playful sneer that has Mike pulling her body closer to his. They’re spooning now, in the middle of the resort beach, and he can’t reach their daiquiri anymore, which Tina will no doubt have something to say about, but nuzzling his nose into her neck Mike feels completely content to just lie this way until their combined body heat makes him spontaneously burst into flames. It certainly wouldn’t be the worst way to go. Tina’s silent and Mike can feel the slow rise and fall of her body beneath his hands, fingers tracing playful patterns on her lightly tanned skin.
“I know I never told you this enough, but you’re a fantastic mom, Tee.”
“It’s your birthday, Mike,” she mumbles sleepily, “I think I’m the one who’s supposed to be doling out compliments.”
“Birthdays don’t need compliments. Raising three kids and not divorcing me for passing on hyperactive genes deserves compliments.”
“You did pass along some rather hyperactive genes...”