"Mrs. Chang, I didn't think anything could beat your green tea ice cream but this red bean is proving me wrong!"

"Thank you Blaine, you're a good boy." His mom beams at Blaine, and Mike has to kick him under the table because jeez way to make him look bad.

"It's really good mom."

"Thank you Michael."

She barely spares him a glance before turning back to Blaine, "You must come over more often! You are such a good influence on Mike. Maybe we can have your parents over for dinner sometime. Mike mentioned they were Filipino?"

"Uh, only my mom, but uhm, yeah, that sounds really nice Mrs. Chang. I'll ask them."

She leaves, after reminding Mike to send the video of "You Should Be Dancing" to his colleges as follow up because "you can never be too eager. Show them how you're constantly working, and how diligent you are!"

Or, as his dad put it, clapping one hand on his shoulder a little too hard, "I expect another video by next week, Michael. You can't slack off on your dreams."

They work on their homework for a while after going upstairs and it's weird to have someone else over and be doing homework. He's pretty sure Blaine's the only one of his friends who'd not only agree to getting his homework done right away, but actually suggest it.

It's one of the reasons they're best friends, to be honest. They don't have to try and be cooler than they are. They can just do homework and watch So You Think You Can Dance and sigh over how stupidly in love they are.

Although that last part probably won't be happening tonight.

"Kurt cheated on me."

Mike doesn't say anything. He's not sure if Blaine would hear him if he did anyway.

"Kurt cheated on me."

Blaine shoots him a furious look and for a second Mike's mentally scrambling because what did he do? Then he realizes that Blaine's glaring at the wall behind him and lets out the breath he hadn't realized he was holding.

Mike's pretty sure that it's not that cut and dry, just going by the way Blaine's been repeating it for the past ten minutes, a muscle jumping in his jaw like a fish on a hook.

He raises an eyebrow carefully, "In class―"

"I know he said he didn't, but he did."

Mike tries to remember the books he'd read on couples counseling, back when he and Tina had been fighting a lot. "Well. What did he do?"

Blaine looks betrayed that he even asked.

Mike's honestly impressed at how he manages to keep from immediately just going back to rubbing circles on Blaine's back. Kurt's his friend too, and a good guy.

(Even if Mike kind of wants to punch him right now, for making Blaine look like he was falling so far down he couldn't even remember the sun anymore.)

"He―," Blaine lowers his eyes and Mike's struck by the way his eyelashes quiver, as if what Kurt's done has shaken him from his toes to the tips of his eyelashes, "he, uhm, was texting another guy." His eyes fly up immediately, "But not like how I was texting Sebastian. I mean, technically it was the same, but it really wasn't."

Mike just nods, because Blaine's getting a little high pitched and panicky.

"Kurt was, Kurt was texting him all the time. When I texted Sebastian it was always because he texted me first, I was just replying. I was, I was just being polite." Blaine's voice is wretched, like he still can't believe someone would take advantage of that. Mike's pretty sure he can't. There's a part of him that can't too.

Blaine doesn't even bother to swipe at the tears gathering in his eyes, just lets them fall as he leans further into Mike's touch. It's a sign of comfort, of openness, that makes him cuddle Blaine to his chest, despite the awkward angle and Blaine's surprised squawk.

His neck is hot and a more than little wet when Blaine repeats, his voice more petulant than angry now, "He cheated on me."

Mike pets Blaine's neck a few more times before finally asking, "But he didn't… actually, you know―"

Blaine shoves back and Mike can see his eyes, red and angry, before Blaine's up and pacing.

He keeps nearly running his hands through his hair before abruptly aborting and clenching impotent fists in the air above his his paint slick of hair. Mike's noticed that his hair has gotten more and more gelled as the year went on. He wonders how long Blaine had to spend this morning, staring at himself in the mirror while he wrestled with the one thing he could control, before he could bring himself to leave the house.

Finally, he whirls on Mike, who's still sitting cross-legged at his feet.

"It would have been better if he'd just kissed him!" Blaine explodes.

Mike just looks at him, and holds out a hand. Blaine doesn't take it. He turns his back and talks to Mike's bed, pacing and rubbing his hands so fast they're a blur.

(out out damn spot)

"I'm― I'm not stupid. I know Kurt's leaving soon." Mike hears the desperate (so soon) that Blaine doesn't say, because he's remembering the way Tina smiles at him in the morning and thinking it too, "and he'll make friends in New York. Friends like Chandler" Blaine actually sneers when he says the name, lip curling. It startles Mike with its ugliness, "who he can talk to actually in person. And, they'll have Kurt. His body anyway. Not. Not like that," he adds quickly, "but, they'll have him there. With them. And I. Won't."

Blaine stops, and looks over Mike's head to stare at the wall. Mike doesn't have to look to know what he sees.

His voice is quiet when he starts again, "I would rather they have his body than have his heart. That's mine." His voice breaks on the last word. "Just like my heart is his." His hand curls over his chest, like he's trying to force his heart back in.

Blaine falls down next to Mike with a thump, and reaches out a hand apologetically. Mike takes it.

"Kurt was talking to him. Like he used to talk to me. And…that's cheating. To me." He knocks his head gently against Mike's shoulder, "I'd be able to just forgive him if it was kissing or…whatever. If it didn't mean anything. Like, if Kurt had gotten drunk at a bar and made out with some stranger, I'd have forgive him." Mike sees the days of bargaining and promising Blaine had made with himself, lying in his bed and thinking of Kurt in a bar in New York, to get to those words as clearly as if Blaine had handed him a photograph.

Blaine's hands twitch, claw-like, and Mike watches them warily. They're already covered in tiny half-moon bruises from Blaine's nails.

"Because I would still be the one he loved, and the one he wanted to actually talk to and be with." Blaine bites down hard on his knuckle, "but…it did mean something. Chandler gave him something I wasn't."

Mike quirks an eyebrow at Blaine, "But you do usually. You just…"

"Had my head up my ass." Blaine sighs heavily, eyes fluttering closed, "I just…wanted to protect myself. I didn't think I could handle hearing any more about how much he can't wait to leave." His voice breaks near the end. Mike offers him a spoonful of mostly melted red bean ice cream. He takes it gratefully.

"You know he didn't mean it like that, right? Kurt's just…kind of tunnel vision-y sometimes." Mike decides not to mention the last time he saw Kurt this insanely focused and ignoring all rational signs. It had ended with Finn in a red shower curtain, and he was pretty sure he still didn't have the full story there.

"He loves you so much."

"Yeah I know." Blaine mumbles around the spoon. But he won't look at Mike while he says it, staring into the red bean ice cream like maybe it will reassure him.

Mike looks at the ceiling and wishes desperately that he and Tina had worked out Asian Telepathy by now. He's sure she would be way better at this. Sometimes it sucks being Blaine's best friend, but only because he's sure Blaine deserves a whole lot better.

"You know." He says slowly, still staring at the ceiling because it's easier than trying to think while looking into the pools of abject misery that are Blaine's eyes right now. "I didn't— I didn't realize that Kurt was unhappy last year." He starts again because he can tell he's struck a nerve with Blaine. They don't talk about how long it took New Directions to try and help Kurt; it's better for both of their sanity. "Because, well. I guess I just didn't realize because I didn't know what he looked like when he was happy. Really, truly happy I mean. Unguardedly so. Even when he was with us, he had…shields up, you know? He didn't mean anything by it, it was just his default." He looks at Blaine, who stares at him completely uncomprehendingly, "Or, I mean. You don't know. But that's just it, isn't it? He never tried to shut you out. You always saw…him."

Mike nudges Blaine's knee, "I didn't realize how unhappy he used to be until I saw what he looked like actually happy. Until I saw him with you."

Blaine smiles at him, and until that moment Mike had never seen Blaine smile like that at anyone other than Kurt. Love and shock and so much gratitude.

"Thanks, Mike." Blaine's all choked up, and Mike can feel the sympathy-tears welling up in his own eyes. He steals the bowl from Blaine and slurps down the last of the red bean ice cream, tilting the bowl so he can furiously blink back the tears from behind it.

When he puts it down, Blaine just looks at him. With the spoon dangling from his nose.

"Betcha I can keep that there for a solid minute. If I win, we watch The View."

Mike sets his watch. He can feel his face breaking into a smile to answer the one on Blaine's.

"Game on."

xXx

The day I wrote this, Jenna Ushkowitz (Tina) was on The View, hence the shout out. Plus, I just think that

There will be one more part of what I'm calling The Don't You Wanna Dance? Trilogy in my head. That's a little long though, so it might end being called The Tiny Dancer Trilogy

Author's notes: this could not have been completed without Jakia and nowishforwings. They are made of amazing, and they midwifed this baby into existence.