Moments (or A Year in Retrospect)
Title: Moments (or A Year in Retrospect)
Author: psykonaut07
Pairing: Tina Cohen-Chang/Mike Chang
Spoilers: Up to New York
Rating: PG-13/R
Summary: A year is a long time and looking back on memories made and memories lost, there are always a few moments that don’t slip through the cracks.
000.
A relationship is built on the mundane moments. The ones that aren’t worth remembering that involve shared meals, forgettable walks through the park, or whispered nothings that eventually fade with time. These moments serve as the foundation of relationship, but slip through one’s fingers like grains of sand. But a year is a long time and looking back on memories made and memories lost, there are always a few moments that don’t slip through the cracks.
There are always a few one never forgets.
---
001.
They dance a lot for different reasons. Sometimes it’s to practice choreography for the latest Finn-and-Rachel led group number. But more often than not, it’s because it’s just the two of them alone in the choir room and Mike offers her his hand with a goofy smile. They dance and sway and dip (and do all sorts of things she always wanted to with him) that the smile it brings to Tina’s face is nothing but genuine.
---
002.
While it’s pretty obvious he thinks Britney Spears is completely lame and honestly, who could blame him because he’s a teenage guy, Mike manages to muster some fake enthusiasm and cheering after his raven haired girlfriend smacks him in the arm.
Mike’s rewarded later when Tina sings snippets of “(You Drive Me) Crazy” into his ear as she’s unbuttoning his shirt while straddling him on her bed.
---
003.
Even as she sings the first few bars of “One of Us”, Tina can feel Mike’s eyes on her and she can’t help but sneak a glance back at him. She meets his gaze for a few seconds, but smiles anyway when she feels his eyes linger on her for a few more seconds afterwards.
---
004.
He doesn’t want to do the duet. The very idea of singing a solo, much less a duet, in front of the rest of the glee club and showing off his thoroughly average voice terrifies him more than Sue Sylvester and that’s saying something.
But a relationship is supposed to be about compromise. It’s supposed to be about growing as a person and bringing out the best in one another.
And sure, “Sing!” isn’t going to be winning any competitions, although it’s still way better than Finn and Rachel’s offensive pseudo-sexual religious song. But it brings the biggest smile to Tina’s face that Mike almost forgets he wants to puke on his electric yellow sneakers immediately after the performance.
---
005.
The thought of Mike in drag, wearing fishnets, a corset, and all kinds of make up, shouldn’t make Tina giggle, but it totally does.
She’s kind of amused, and then a little surprised to find when she’s kind of turned on.
---
006.
“To be fair, you were the one who told me about the method and told me to cool off, so…”
---
007.
Artie starts talking to her again, not at all coincidentally after he starts dating Brittany, and Mike can’t help but feel a little worried that maybe he’s the one who’s more invested in the relationship than she is.
---
008.
They practice their little duet in “Marry You” over and over again until Mike can sing the harmony in his sleep and Tina no longer breaks down giggling when she has to reel him in like a fish as part of the choreography.
---
009.
Tina temporarily forgets how mad she’s supposed to be at him when the crowd is roaring at their performance of “Valerie” and she hugs him from behind, beaming so hard her face hurts.
---
010.
His heart cracks just a little bit when he hears the words “Artie” whispered from her lips, all earnest and melancholy. Even if she was the one doing the dumping, those feelings are still there (and probably always will be) and it just hurts to think they might have a connection Mike will never have with her.
---
011.
It’s adrenaline that has her picking up the ball and sprinting down the field, faster than she’s ever run before. It’s adrenaline that has blood roaring in her ears as the crowd cheers her on. And later that night, when she’s safely cuddled up against his sleeping body, it’s adrenaline that she blames when she first tells him she loves him, even if he wasn’t awake to hear it.
---
012.
When Mr. Schuester (predictably) announces that this week’s assignment is love songs for Valentine’s Day, Tina laughs softly when Mike points at himself and mouths “me?” questioningly. She whispers quietly back in response, “Who else would I sing to?” and smiles.
She thinks of light up wheels and glasses briefly and her smile falters for just a second.
---
013.
It’s a stupid idea. No, scratch that, it’s a really stupid idea. But Sam legitimately has all the Glee girls swooning with his awful choreography and that annoyingly catchy song. Even Tina, who apparently thinks that “Baby” is actually a really great song. This coming from a girl who listened to nothing but Lykke Li, Meg and Dia, Florence + the Machine, and all kinds of other music by weird female artists he’s never heard of before.
And so, when Puck and Artie rally him to join their own Justin Bieber tribute band, the first thing Mike does is go out and buy a hunter green American Apparel hoodie and the cheapest G-Shock watch he can get his hands on.
---
014.
He’s swaying back and forth drunkenly and legitimately confused when Tina pulls him into the empty Home Ec room after they’re done rehearsing “Blame It”. Although she’s no longer sorting out her feelings for him (or for any other guys for that matter), the jealous streak she felt when Rachel tried to feel him up just validates the conclusion that Mike Chang is hers (and she is his).
And well, if she shoves him against the locked door and drops down to her knees, she tells herself that a helpful reminder is always appreciated.
---
015.
Mike might be super oblivious to about 90% of things, but if anyone in the Glee club knows anything about afternoon delight, it would be him and Tina. He bobs his head along to the song and smiles slyly, winking at Tina when he catches her gaze. She crosses her arm and rolls her eyes a little, but he doesn’t miss the way the edges of her lips curve up just a little bit.
There is a reason why they aren’t in the Celibacy Club, after all.
---
016.
It’s surprising enough when Santana Lopez, of all people, comes to Tina to write her original song. But nothing can prepare the gothic lolita for what ensues during the songwriting session. She’s practically crying with laughter when she texts the lyrics to Mike that night.
---
017.
“Go.”
There’s nothing more Mike wants to do than hold her in his arms, the beautiful, unique and so talented girl who has captivated him for so long. The same one who was quite recently reduced to tears by the Heckling Club. He wants to punch Mr. Schuester in the face for suggesting that what Tina went through is “a good thing” and he wants to just spirit her away, far far away from this mess of a fundraiser and kiss away her tears.
But he recognizes this tone of voice. It’s the one she gets when she’s determined and boy, is that girl stubborn. Firmly, Tina presses a hand to the front of his shirt, trails of tears and mascara still drying on her face.
“You’ve worked too hard. You have to go on stage. The show must go on,” she adds weakly, her voice hoarse from crying. Tina pauses briefly to wipe away her tears and sniffles a little. “Go. I just need to be alone for a second.”
Mike lingers, his face worried and words unspoken on the tip of his tongue. Sam had promised to hold off for five minutes, but no longer. He hesitates another second.
“Go!”
---
018.
She won’t admit it to anyone, but the Night of Neglect shook her confidence. Tina had spent the last year and a half building up her self esteem brick by brick, learning to find her voice and figure out who she was. There had been roadblocks along the way - Stuttergate, that whole thing with Madonna, Figgins telling her to stop dressing like a vampire- but she’d finally gotten to a place where she felt okay being herself and nothing else. Mike had been nothing but helpful in that process, aside from that little incident at Sectionals.
That stupid Heckling Club. That stupid Heckling Club.
The whole experience starts making her question almost everything about herself and so she starts wearing blue contact lenses, telling everyone she knows that it’s to be more fashionable. It's not a terrible thing to want to fit in and look like everyone, right? Perhaps if she wasn't so different from everyone, a fact she used to embrace triumphantly with her hair, clothes, and tastes in music, she wouldn't get hurt quite as much. If she was wrong about thinking people would embrace her the way she was, maybe she was wrong about everything else.
Maybe if they all start believing it, she’ll start believing it.
Except Mike’s not convinced. Sure, the Asian heritage thing is a convenient excuse, but even if he doesn’t talk very much, Mike knows her better than that. Better than pretty much everyone else, actually. She ignores the way he looks upset (and the hurtful, but accurate accusation that she was self-hating) and hopes that if she wears them long enough, they’ll just become a part of her. Then, he'll be forced to accept it and maybe, so will she.
It takes hearing Rachel and Quinn - two of the most beautiful girls she knows - singing about feeling pretty, but clearly not believing a single lyric they were singing, to see the error of her ways. Mike apologizes wordlessly with a kiss and she can’t help herself from smiling. She apologizes with one the next day too.
And then another. And then several more, until Mr. Schuester has to physically separate them.
---
019.
All the girls he talks to at school giggle when they see him and glance down at his pants, so Mike is super confused until Puck rather helpfully points him to Brittany’s YouTube channel.
That certainly makes for an interesting conversation starter with Tina.
---
020.
If Tina spends all of “Jar of Hearts” making out with him as some kind of territorial reaction to Brittany’s inappropriate grinding, Mike certainly doesn’t complain.
---
021.
She claims to be too busy rehearsing her part for Jean Sylvester’s funeral performance to have time to audition, but Mike finally knows better. It breaks his heart to realize Tina’s self esteem is still recovering from the terrible fundraiser that she doesn’t have the confidence to audition for the Nationals solo.
---
022.
She’s still running on a performance high after her little duet with Artie in “Light Up The World” and her ears are drowning in the roar of cheers from the audience. When Tina finds herself sandwiched between Mike - the guy she never thought she would find herself falling for - and Brittany - an unlikely, but surprisingly good friend - she can’t help but think about what a great year it’s been.
Author: psykonaut07
Pairing: Tina Cohen-Chang/Mike Chang
Spoilers: Up to New York
Rating: PG-13/R
Summary: A year is a long time and looking back on memories made and memories lost, there are always a few moments that don’t slip through the cracks.
000.
A relationship is built on the mundane moments. The ones that aren’t worth remembering that involve shared meals, forgettable walks through the park, or whispered nothings that eventually fade with time. These moments serve as the foundation of relationship, but slip through one’s fingers like grains of sand. But a year is a long time and looking back on memories made and memories lost, there are always a few moments that don’t slip through the cracks.
There are always a few one never forgets.
---
001.
They dance a lot for different reasons. Sometimes it’s to practice choreography for the latest Finn-and-Rachel led group number. But more often than not, it’s because it’s just the two of them alone in the choir room and Mike offers her his hand with a goofy smile. They dance and sway and dip (and do all sorts of things she always wanted to with him) that the smile it brings to Tina’s face is nothing but genuine.
---
002.
While it’s pretty obvious he thinks Britney Spears is completely lame and honestly, who could blame him because he’s a teenage guy, Mike manages to muster some fake enthusiasm and cheering after his raven haired girlfriend smacks him in the arm.
Mike’s rewarded later when Tina sings snippets of “(You Drive Me) Crazy” into his ear as she’s unbuttoning his shirt while straddling him on her bed.
---
003.
Even as she sings the first few bars of “One of Us”, Tina can feel Mike’s eyes on her and she can’t help but sneak a glance back at him. She meets his gaze for a few seconds, but smiles anyway when she feels his eyes linger on her for a few more seconds afterwards.
---
004.
He doesn’t want to do the duet. The very idea of singing a solo, much less a duet, in front of the rest of the glee club and showing off his thoroughly average voice terrifies him more than Sue Sylvester and that’s saying something.
But a relationship is supposed to be about compromise. It’s supposed to be about growing as a person and bringing out the best in one another.
And sure, “Sing!” isn’t going to be winning any competitions, although it’s still way better than Finn and Rachel’s offensive pseudo-sexual religious song. But it brings the biggest smile to Tina’s face that Mike almost forgets he wants to puke on his electric yellow sneakers immediately after the performance.
---
005.
The thought of Mike in drag, wearing fishnets, a corset, and all kinds of make up, shouldn’t make Tina giggle, but it totally does.
She’s kind of amused, and then a little surprised to find when she’s kind of turned on.
---
006.
“To be fair, you were the one who told me about the method and told me to cool off, so…”
---
007.
Artie starts talking to her again, not at all coincidentally after he starts dating Brittany, and Mike can’t help but feel a little worried that maybe he’s the one who’s more invested in the relationship than she is.
---
008.
They practice their little duet in “Marry You” over and over again until Mike can sing the harmony in his sleep and Tina no longer breaks down giggling when she has to reel him in like a fish as part of the choreography.
---
009.
Tina temporarily forgets how mad she’s supposed to be at him when the crowd is roaring at their performance of “Valerie” and she hugs him from behind, beaming so hard her face hurts.
---
010.
His heart cracks just a little bit when he hears the words “Artie” whispered from her lips, all earnest and melancholy. Even if she was the one doing the dumping, those feelings are still there (and probably always will be) and it just hurts to think they might have a connection Mike will never have with her.
---
011.
It’s adrenaline that has her picking up the ball and sprinting down the field, faster than she’s ever run before. It’s adrenaline that has blood roaring in her ears as the crowd cheers her on. And later that night, when she’s safely cuddled up against his sleeping body, it’s adrenaline that she blames when she first tells him she loves him, even if he wasn’t awake to hear it.
---
012.
When Mr. Schuester (predictably) announces that this week’s assignment is love songs for Valentine’s Day, Tina laughs softly when Mike points at himself and mouths “me?” questioningly. She whispers quietly back in response, “Who else would I sing to?” and smiles.
She thinks of light up wheels and glasses briefly and her smile falters for just a second.
---
013.
It’s a stupid idea. No, scratch that, it’s a really stupid idea. But Sam legitimately has all the Glee girls swooning with his awful choreography and that annoyingly catchy song. Even Tina, who apparently thinks that “Baby” is actually a really great song. This coming from a girl who listened to nothing but Lykke Li, Meg and Dia, Florence + the Machine, and all kinds of other music by weird female artists he’s never heard of before.
And so, when Puck and Artie rally him to join their own Justin Bieber tribute band, the first thing Mike does is go out and buy a hunter green American Apparel hoodie and the cheapest G-Shock watch he can get his hands on.
---
014.
He’s swaying back and forth drunkenly and legitimately confused when Tina pulls him into the empty Home Ec room after they’re done rehearsing “Blame It”. Although she’s no longer sorting out her feelings for him (or for any other guys for that matter), the jealous streak she felt when Rachel tried to feel him up just validates the conclusion that Mike Chang is hers (and she is his).
And well, if she shoves him against the locked door and drops down to her knees, she tells herself that a helpful reminder is always appreciated.
---
015.
Mike might be super oblivious to about 90% of things, but if anyone in the Glee club knows anything about afternoon delight, it would be him and Tina. He bobs his head along to the song and smiles slyly, winking at Tina when he catches her gaze. She crosses her arm and rolls her eyes a little, but he doesn’t miss the way the edges of her lips curve up just a little bit.
There is a reason why they aren’t in the Celibacy Club, after all.
---
016.
It’s surprising enough when Santana Lopez, of all people, comes to Tina to write her original song. But nothing can prepare the gothic lolita for what ensues during the songwriting session. She’s practically crying with laughter when she texts the lyrics to Mike that night.
---
017.
“Go.”
There’s nothing more Mike wants to do than hold her in his arms, the beautiful, unique and so talented girl who has captivated him for so long. The same one who was quite recently reduced to tears by the Heckling Club. He wants to punch Mr. Schuester in the face for suggesting that what Tina went through is “a good thing” and he wants to just spirit her away, far far away from this mess of a fundraiser and kiss away her tears.
But he recognizes this tone of voice. It’s the one she gets when she’s determined and boy, is that girl stubborn. Firmly, Tina presses a hand to the front of his shirt, trails of tears and mascara still drying on her face.
“You’ve worked too hard. You have to go on stage. The show must go on,” she adds weakly, her voice hoarse from crying. Tina pauses briefly to wipe away her tears and sniffles a little. “Go. I just need to be alone for a second.”
Mike lingers, his face worried and words unspoken on the tip of his tongue. Sam had promised to hold off for five minutes, but no longer. He hesitates another second.
“Go!”
---
018.
She won’t admit it to anyone, but the Night of Neglect shook her confidence. Tina had spent the last year and a half building up her self esteem brick by brick, learning to find her voice and figure out who she was. There had been roadblocks along the way - Stuttergate, that whole thing with Madonna, Figgins telling her to stop dressing like a vampire- but she’d finally gotten to a place where she felt okay being herself and nothing else. Mike had been nothing but helpful in that process, aside from that little incident at Sectionals.
That stupid Heckling Club. That stupid Heckling Club.
The whole experience starts making her question almost everything about herself and so she starts wearing blue contact lenses, telling everyone she knows that it’s to be more fashionable. It's not a terrible thing to want to fit in and look like everyone, right? Perhaps if she wasn't so different from everyone, a fact she used to embrace triumphantly with her hair, clothes, and tastes in music, she wouldn't get hurt quite as much. If she was wrong about thinking people would embrace her the way she was, maybe she was wrong about everything else.
Maybe if they all start believing it, she’ll start believing it.
Except Mike’s not convinced. Sure, the Asian heritage thing is a convenient excuse, but even if he doesn’t talk very much, Mike knows her better than that. Better than pretty much everyone else, actually. She ignores the way he looks upset (and the hurtful, but accurate accusation that she was self-hating) and hopes that if she wears them long enough, they’ll just become a part of her. Then, he'll be forced to accept it and maybe, so will she.
It takes hearing Rachel and Quinn - two of the most beautiful girls she knows - singing about feeling pretty, but clearly not believing a single lyric they were singing, to see the error of her ways. Mike apologizes wordlessly with a kiss and she can’t help herself from smiling. She apologizes with one the next day too.
And then another. And then several more, until Mr. Schuester has to physically separate them.
---
019.
All the girls he talks to at school giggle when they see him and glance down at his pants, so Mike is super confused until Puck rather helpfully points him to Brittany’s YouTube channel.
That certainly makes for an interesting conversation starter with Tina.
---
020.
If Tina spends all of “Jar of Hearts” making out with him as some kind of territorial reaction to Brittany’s inappropriate grinding, Mike certainly doesn’t complain.
---
021.
She claims to be too busy rehearsing her part for Jean Sylvester’s funeral performance to have time to audition, but Mike finally knows better. It breaks his heart to realize Tina’s self esteem is still recovering from the terrible fundraiser that she doesn’t have the confidence to audition for the Nationals solo.
---
022.
She’s still running on a performance high after her little duet with Artie in “Light Up The World” and her ears are drowning in the roar of cheers from the audience. When Tina finds herself sandwiched between Mike - the guy she never thought she would find herself falling for - and Brittany - an unlikely, but surprisingly good friend - she can’t help but think about what a great year it’s been.