The thing about Mike is, he's awesome.

Like seriously, very few people, if their awesomeness was broken down into quantifiable elements and rated (humor, looks, ability to pop and lock, encyclopedic knowledge of lesser known beasts like werewolves and chupacabras; basically just the important stuff) and then put into a numeric list from most awesome to least, Mike would probably be in the top ten percent. (He'd probably actually be in the top ten, period, but saying that would knock down his humility score from a nine to a four, and that would knock him from the top ten. It was a vicious cycle.)

Mike could let people know about how awesome he was, but as any elderly mentor figure would say, "With great power comes great responsibilty," and Mike knows that you have to listen to grey-haired gurus. That's what they're for. As soon as people are in the know, he'll be expected to like, rescue little kitties from trees and help all the old ladies cross the street and sooner or later, he'll have to get a new identity and relocate.

And to tell the truth, he kind of likes Lima.

He's not sure why.

The problem is, the school, and the order of his fellow jocks that seem to be at the top of the hierchy. He personally does not "rule the school" like they seem to, but only because he stays low key. He's never slushied anyone, or slammed them into a locker or demanded they do his homework, or, (to jack a phrase from Ben Kweller) kill them with karate that he learned in Japan. And there's one person that keeps needing someone to scoop her out of the tree of isolation and slushies she seems to be stranded in. (and yes, come to think of it, his metaphor is flawed, but even he isn't perfect.)

Because the thing about Rachel Berry is, the only crime she's ever commited was having dreams, and no matter what Quinn says, she's got the same starry-eyed ambitions, she's just learned to hide everything she wants (someone to love her, to get out of this town, whatever) inside of her steely blond ice-queen perfection.

So the next time Karofsky goes to hit her with a face full of ice, his spider senses start tingling, and he crosses the hallway before he does, wraps his arm around her waist, and starts mid stride. "I'm so excited for Jackie Chan. You know he's been waiting for twenty years for this role... to be the old master instead of the oung grasshopper."

And then Rachel is looking at him funny like they weren't just having this conversation. (It takes him a second to remember that he was only just thinking about it, and that everyone isn't privy to his private thoughts, which happens sometimes, and seriously, what a bummer for the rest of the world.)

"What?" Karofsky yelps, and Rachels eyes swivel to him and grow huge. He can feel the muscles in her lower back tighten against the inside of his wrist and something inside of him gets angry.

"Need something, Dave?" he asks him, pulling Rachel against him, hand wrapped around her hipbone.

He looks confused, because he's never really needed to interact with Mike, not personally, and probably doesn't know who he is, even.

"Rachel and I were just discussing the casting for the new Karate Kid, which we're going to see immediately after school this afternoon," he explained, pulling the story out of thin air. (His spouting bullcrap score pulls a solid ten.) "She picked this outfit out specially for it," he continued, glancing meaningfully at her weird, frilly easter-egg top. "And I would be seriously seriously irritated if we miss the previous on account of her having to go home and change."

Dave and Rachel were wearing mirror-image surprise faces, until Rachel's head snapped up in a brisk nod to confirm it.

"On account of the fact that they'll probably be showing the preview about the cyborg people that get hacked. It's a contemporary version of posession," Mike explained further, gesturing emphatically with the hand that wasn't splayed againt Rachels hip.

"Um, yes," Rachel agreed, sounding strange, "we're, uh, quite stoked."

Mike plucked the slushy from Dave's hands as he stood staring. "Ew, it's purple. Gross. Must be for you, Rach," and led her away while Karofsky stood dumbfounded.

"Pardon me for saying, but that was rather ... unexpected," she said, turning towards him and breaking his gentle hold on her once they'd turned the corner and were out of earshot.

"You bet it was. I've been saving that element of surprise for the last three years of high school with the Silent Asian act. Karofsky probably thought I was FOB with no Engrish Skeels."

"You really shouldn't have wasted it," she said, frowing. "Karofsky will just return angry monday moringing, waiting with a slushy that isn't my favorite flavor."

Mike grinned wryly. "How about a Thank you, Mike."

"Thank you Mike," she echoed, blushing. "Sorry."

"Don't mention great power comes great responsibilty, you know? That's been a long time coming. And we'll cross Karofsky like a bridge when we come to it."

"How can I make it up to you?" Rachel asked, feeling both strange and warmed by the 'we.'

"Well, I wasn't joking about The Karate Kid," Mike grinned. "Come with me after Glee and I won't have to see it by myself. Except, you have to go home and change first into something normal -- uh, I mean ... warmer!"

Rachel looked down at her micro-skirt and frilly top like she didn't see the problem with them. "And miss the Hijacked Cyborg prewiew?"

Mike grimaced. "Desperate times. We'll just have to stay afterwards."

She leaned in to take a sip of the slushy, which was indeed in her favorite flavor. Something in the resigned tone of voice made her grin around the straw. "Were you planning on doing that anyways?"

Mike answered her question with a riddle of his own. "How many licks does it take to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop?"

"... the world may never know?" she guessed.

Mike laughed, and the sound reverberated in her ribcage, warming her with its openness. "The world will never know," he confirmed, looping his arm through his and walking her to her next class.

Hey everybody; sorry about the delay with Popular and When We Were Dasies -- I've been having computer problems and then got caught up in editing my NaNoWriMo. (My proof copy just came! :)) Anyway, this is a little gift to the reviewer on Dasies who suggested I try Mike/Rachel. I know he's only had, like, two lines in the first thirteen episodes, but I have high hopes for him, and I'm very fond of him.

In other news, by the time I update Popular, it will probably have a different name, as a few Populars have popped up in the last few weeks. I'm certainly open to suggestion.