Author's Notes: This is just a fluff piece of what could have happened in H-A-double-P-Y. Takes place between the scene of Mike and Paige researching together in his room, and Jess showing up the next morning.
I figured we all need a bit of PIKE fluff to get us through, what I hope is an emotional rollercoaster, of tomorrow night's episode. Though I have already seen the preview where Mike and the gang find out she's missing and I was displeased, (however felt oddly clairvoyant at some of the similarities to Mike finding out in the episode Paige was gone and how he found out in my story Safe).
Yawns are contagious.
She hears him yawn, and she yawns as well.
It is time to call it a night. That's the problem about putting two workaholics in a room together. They will just keep going and going.
"Ok! I'm going!" Paige pushes herself off the floor to a standing position. Gathering her stuff, she prepares to flee Mike's room.
"No! No. Stay just a little longer." Mike reaches up and grabs her hand from where he still sits, stopping her from leaving.
"Mike, it's two in the morning, and that's the third time you've yawned." Paige pulls her hand away to place both hands on her hips, but doesn't leave immediately. "It's time to call it a night."
"Fine." Mike said, closing the laptop that has sat uselessly in his lap for the past hour, ignored, as he chatted with Paige. "I'll put it away, just don't leave yet."
"I need to go to sleep!" Paige whines playfully.
"Sleep here tonight." Mike shrugs, tidying up the mess of papers across his floor. Paige looks at the clock and calculates how soon she could have a quickie and still get to sleep.
"Mike, I'm too tired right now." Paige admits honestly. She doesn't think she has the energy to drag her ass down the hallway to her room, let alone to participate in one of her and Mike's marathon sex sessions. She looks at him shyly, a little worried for his reaction.
This is the first time since they'd started hooking up that she'd passed on a chance for sex. The two of them had somehow found every opportunity to mess around. The thrill of sneaking about and the newness of their arrangement had led to some truly creative and enthusiastic sex sessions. What if this was the beginning of the end for them? If the sex faded away what did they have left? Would they go back to just being friends? Could they?
"I'm not talking about sex. Just sleep. I promise." Mike wraps his arms around her waist and kisses her sleepily on the forehead. "Sleep here tonight."
"But I have a bed just down the hall." Paige's eyes look towards the door.
"But I have a bed here…" Mike nuzzles her neck as he tries to convince her to stay.
Paige is pretty sure this has to be a ploy to get sex. Maybe she should just give in now and hope she doesn't fall asleep mid-session. Mike's clever and stubborn. So is she, but pure exhaustion has dulled her will to fight. It may be better to concede now so long as he agrees to be on top…
"...and I like sleeping next to you." Mike adds this last part almost shyly, like he's not sure if he crossed some imaginary line of intimacy. Things between them were great, but sometimes Paige could be a little avoidant of anything to do with feelings. And Mike most certainly has feelings. He's just not sure whether their current agreement allows him to talk about them.
Paige completely misses his tone and subtext, partially because she's exhausted, and partially because she's been willfully blind of any developing emotions between her and Mike. Mostly she misses it though, because what he's just said is total bullshit.
"No you don't! I hog the covers and the bed, and I kick like a drunk soccer player." Paige laughs, remembering being bewildered by the mysterious bruises on Mike's shins after their first night together, until he had informed her of her late night proclivities.
"Even so, I still like sleeping next to you. Come on." Mike tries to entice her to stay by adding, "I got you something."
"Ooooh! I get presents?" Paige teases girlishly, though she's genuinely curious. What is an appropriate gift for your roommate/colleague/friend/lover? Was it some sort of special occasion or anniversary she missed? Mike walks over to the bedroom and returns holding a purple toothbrush.
Paige isn't sure what she was expecting, but it wasn't that.
"Are you trying to tell me my breath is bad?" Paige arches an eyebrow at him.
"No." Mike laughs, kissing her on the lips to assure her he finds her kissably sweet. Holding out the toothbrush for her to take, he tries to explain his logic in a way that sounds light and playful and doesn't smother her with commitment, "But I thought it would be easier, when you secretly sneak away to brush your teeth in the morning right before I wake up."
"Alright. One, you were supposed to be a gentlemen and have the good graces to pretend I always wake up minty fresh, and two, we can't leave proof of that lying around. What if someone sees it?" Paige says, not reaching out to take the toothbrush.
"No one ever goes in my bathroom." Mike puts his hands on her hips kissing her sweetly, toothbrush still in his hand. "Besides, they all think I'm so anal retentive that they'd probably just assume I have a morning toothbrush and a night time one. Come on. Let's go to bed."
Paige resists the urge to make a crude joke and allows him to take her hand and drag her over to the bathroom. He puts toothpaste on her new toothbrush and on his own, and begins brushing his teeth.
Paige stares at the toothbrush in her hand.
Mike had put her toothpaste on for her.
Something about that is just so... sweet.
In the mirror's reflection she sees him looking questioningly over at her staring sentimentally at the toothbrush. She blushes and begins to brush her teeth, unable to stop smiling. He finishes before her and spits his toothpaste out in the sink and then cups his hands to rinse off his face. He grabs a piece of floss, and gives her a little satisfied smirk, before beginning to floss as he walks out the door to give her some privacy.
The door shuts behind her and suddenly Paige is left alone in Mike's bathroom. It feels strangely intimate getting ready for bed with Mike. On the few full nights the two spent together, it was usually because they just ended up falling asleep after sex. She was almost tempted to go in there and screw his brains out just so she didn't interrupt the pattern.
She didn't want to get too attached or emotional about this. It was just a fling. Sure they liked each other and were great friends, and the sex was amazing, but it was temporary. Soon he'd be back in DC. Mike had made that perfectly clear earlier this evening when she'd asked him if he was going back to DC. She didn't even want to think about that right now. He was keeping his options open and so should she. Her and Mike were having fun. She wouldn't think beyond that.
When she's finished in the bathroom, she feels a rush of butterflies in her stomach as her fingers touch the handle to the door to Mike's room. She opens it, and the light from the bathroom shines out illuminating Mike already shirtless and in bed waiting for her.
"Hey." She murmurs, which is a stupid thing to say because the two of them have been hanging out together for the entire night.
"Hey." Mike grins, not seeming to find her comment stupid at all.
He folds the covers back for her to join him, and she scurries across the floor like it's lava. She quickly steps out of her sweatpants leaving her in just her underwear and white t-shirt as she crawls into bed (substantially more than she's used to wearing in Mike's bed).
She snuggles up beside him and begins kissing his neck, her hands roving over his bare chest, trying to to get herself back to their normal routine. She was tired but somehow the nervous energy from the simple act of brushing her teeth next to him has her ready to go.
Mike rolls over on his side kissing her, slow and deep calming her frantic kisses with his own. She could almost swear he was doing yoga breathing while he was kissing her. Somehow, his kisses fade away to him pulling slowly back but remaining close. He runs his fingers along her cheek staring down at her, a tender expression on his face as he tucks her hair back behind her ear.
He brings her wounded hand to his to kiss gently, and Paige knows he still feels guilty for that. She wants it to hurry up and heal not so much for her own sake at this point, but so maybe Mike will stop beating himself up over it.
"Thanks for cheering me up tonight. I know I'm unbearable sometimes." Mike's voice has dropped to a hushed and serious tone.
"You're doing good, Mike. I know you're going to get those buses."
"How do you know?" Mike's insecurity briefly shines through his blue eyes.
"Just the same way you know I'm going to get my girls back." She whispers comfortingly, leaning in to kiss him soft and deep.
Mike kisses her back gratefully, but again pulls away when she starts to go further. Mike repositions them on the bed so that she's facing away from him and he's spooning her from behind, his arms wrapped around her. He lays a soft kiss on her shoulder as he pulls the blankets more tightly around the two of them.
"Wait, so you really didn't want to do anything except sleep?" Paige is a little confused at this turn of events. What was Mike's game here.
"It's late and we're both exhausted." Mike whispers into her ear, and from the way she's laying she can't see his expression.
"Well then why did you ask me to stay?" Paige asks.
"I told you. I like sleeping next to you." Smiling and biting her shoulder playfully he adds, "Even if I have to wear a cup for protection, Kicky."
"Well, you said that, but I didn't believe you!" Paige tries wiggling to turn to face him, but his strong arms keep her locked in place. "I thought you just wanted to get laid."
"Well you should always believe me, because as history has shown, I can't lie to you Paige Arkin." Paige isn't sure if he's being sweet now or if she feels rejected. It's true that Mike's never been good at lying to her, and it seems like he's given up completely recently, even if it's telling her things she doesn't want to hear. She likes that, it makes her feel different, but at the same time he doesn't want to sleep with her right now even if she's willing. She's never had a man turn her down for an offer of sex before. She's just about to start pouting until she hears the smile in Mike's voice as he adds. "Plus if we rest now there's always the chance for morning sex..."
Paige grins at the thought, snuggling back closer in his embrace. She hears him yawn, and she yawns as well.
Yawns are contagious.
And little does Paige know, so are feelings.