"Does he know?"
Harvey's eyes shot up to meet his associate's large worried blue eyes. "What?" His voice was quiet, afraid for the man he'd grown to care so deeply about.
"When we were preparing... he looked at me and for a minute I just... he looked suspicious." He clasped his hands together in his lap, eyes focused on his mentor. "Does he know?"
Harvey couldn't respond. His first instinct was to lie; to save Mike from reliving all those other nights where they knew they were totally screwed. He didn't want the kid to live with all of the fear they'd had in them since he first started at Pearson Specter all that time ago – it seemed like only yesterday. But he knew he couldn't lie; it wouldn't change anything. And he couldn't risk his relationship with him for anything – not after all they'd been through.
Picking up his drink, he moved from his seat over to the comfortable leather couch Mike was seated on, relaxing beside him, and arm over the back of the couch over top of Mike's shoulders, and he knocked back the glass of fine scotch in one swig.
"Harvey?"
He ignored him. Unable to make the words come out. He slumped back into the couch, letting his head fall back and his eyes close, letting the tips of his fingers droop down to feather across the other man's suit – silently taking note of how the quality of this suit contrasted with the ones he'd worn when he'd first been brought into the firm. He'd come so far. There was no way Harvey could ruin that now.
"Harvey, tell me." Mike's voice cracked with his panic, realizing what Harvey's silence would mean.
Without opening his eyes, the lawyer pulled Mike against him until the blond was tucked safely into his side. His arm dropped and his hand wrapped around his elbow, keeping him where he was.
"Tell me!" He hissed, grabbing onto Harvey's overly expensive shirt, creasing it crudely in his fist. Harvey pulled him tighter, and Mike – being a fluent speaker of Harvey – lost all hope for the matter. He knew. Henry knew.
Harvey let the younger attorney press his face into the side of his neck, giving a frustrated huff. His breathing was shaky, and in effort to comfort him, Harvey wrapped his other arm around the agitated form, allowing them to sink further back into the seat together. "You're safe, Mike." He whispered. The responding laugh was short and angry, hands tightening their hold. "He's not going to say anything."
"You don't know that." The words ground out against his skin, a tickling sensation that made him repress a shiver.
Kissing the top of his head forcefully, he rejected the sudden lack of trust he was receiving. "Just let them try." It was a promise. Harvey would never let anything happen to Mike. He was his, and no one could touch what was his.
SUITS
"Man, Louis is a bitch." Rachel shook her head, the taste of hard alcohol still burning her tongue. For the life of her she couldn't unscrew her face from its disgusted expression – and whether it was from the taste of the drink or the name that fell off her tongue she didn't know.
"You can say that again." Donna agreed, taking another shot. "You know what he said to me? He said—Rachel are you even listening?"
The brunette was facing away, staring at something at the other side of the fancy place they were in.
"Oh," Donna mused, eyebrow raised and smirk plastered where a frown had just been. There, in the far corner of the building, was a lovelysight. Harvey and Mike, cuddled up on a couch, drinks forgotten.
"What's going on?" Rachel wondered out loud, not bothering to hide her very much weirded out inner dialogue – or lack thereof.
"No idea. Let's find out." She took the girls hand, and after another shot, they slunk into the shadows.
SUITS
Their knees were touching, the tips of their fingers were touching from their mildly uncomfortable position on the cool leather, and they were both staring at the floor.
"Hello, sir." They both jumped as a face appeared between them, red hair falling forward and retreating with her leaving a lingering smell of perfume.
They recoiled, jumping away from each other; the sudden lack of touch leaving them both with a wish of reunion. The girls sat in front of them; Donna in the chair that Harvey had previously been sitting in, and Rachel in front of Mike.
"What brings you two boys here?" Donna smiled slyly, waving over the waiter. "Two martinis please," she ordered for the ladies.
"Another for us as well," Harvey waved toward his scotch glass, showing the waiter what he wanted.
"What an unexpected surprise." Rachel said, smiling at Mike with question in her eyes.
"We won a case, we grabbed a drink." Harvey filled in, twirling his glass on the table, fidgeting nervously. He'd been hoping for a night alone with Mike after the rough day they'd had. Not that he minded Donna's presence...
Small talk was made, and drinks were drunk. It wasn't lost on the group just how many drinks Harvey was drinking that night – Harvey who never had more than one, always wanting to be in control. By the time he'd lost count, the room had begun to spin and he had become completely lost on where the conversation had gone. He was about to order another when Mike put his hand on his chest, and looked to the waiter. "I think he's had enough for tonight." He smiled kindly, then turned to Harvey as the worker left. "We should get you home."
Indignant, Harvey pushed himself away from Mike, up to an unbalanced "standing" position – in which Mike had to quickly stand to aid him. "I'm not drunk, Mick." He said sternly, and then smirked at his own slur. He shook the man off when Mike rolled his eyes at him, and turned in the direction of the men's washroom, loosening his tie as he stumbled along.
He hadn't realized Mike had followed him until he noticed him in the mirror when he came up from splashing his face. Grinning when he turned, he had to reach out to grab Mike's waiting arm for support when the room spun.
"Oh, hi, Mike." He didn't retract his hand.
"What's up with you? Are you ok?" The concern in the younger man's voice would have been obvious if Harvey hadn't been so drunk.
"Don't mock me; I'm still your boss." He snarled, and then the snarls turned to sarcastic laughter.
"Let's get you home." He said softly, bending his arm to hold the man's who was still holding his.
"If I had told myself three years ago that Michael James Ross was taking me home after a few drinks..." He laughed again, pulling the younger man against him. The hug was short lived though when a more-intoxicated-than-usual brain decided to get a little mischievous. Holding tighter, digging his fingers into the blond's back, the lawyer started placed open mouthed kisses across Mike's cheek towards his mouth. First only one, to test, and then more.
"Harvey," Mike warned, trying to pull back, but Harvey stepped with him, turning his face to run his lips across his jaw and to the other side of his neck. "Harvey." He said again, trying to bring his hands to push against him, but they were standing too close together to have any affect.
Harvey snickered. "Don't act like you weren't trying to seduce me.
Suddenly he was shoved off of Mike, who didn't look pleased. He laughed, not really giving much of a damn.
"You're drunk." He told him, although the excuse was more for himself.
It was Harvey's turn to roll his eyes. "I'm not that drunk." Before Mike could so much as scoff, he was once again intruding his personal space; pressing him up against the sink and pinning his hands down on the counter behind them. Ignoring the protests, he resumed where he'd left off, nibbling at Mike's ear and down his neck to his collarbone.
Before he was pushed back again, he could have sworn he'd heard Mike whimper at the touch – a thought he'd have to come back when he wasn't busy trying to find his feet.
Laughing at his misfortune when he couldn't right himself, he slumped onto the ground, shaking his head – despite the way it made the world whirl and twirl around him – and pulled one leg up, leaving the other stretched out in front of him. "I'm drunk." He admitted, rubbing his hand across him mouth, turning the grin into a grimace.
Mike nodded, sitting down in front of him, both legs up, and arms resting loosely on his knees. "So talk to me. What's going on?"
Harvey shook his head again, turning away against the question. What could he possibly say? He felt so protective of the kid, and after years of fretting that he'd end up in a federal prison where he couldn't protect him, it became more and more difficult to keep track of his feelings. It was an understatement that he was both annoyed and disappointed by the arrival of the two girls, and it was confusing to feel that way; and it was more so, the jealousy that he felt whenever he saw Rachel. Add a couple – to be generous – drinks to the mix and everything went downhill from there.
"Harvey, look at me." His voice was softer now, trying to understand the thoughts of the man on the floor in front of him. When Harvey visibly bit down on his lip, Mike scooted closer, deciding that maybe tonight Harvey didn't want to have to be the strong one. He was always taking care of everyone – whether he acted in a caring way or not, it was the truth – and he always put on a brave face of bored disinterest. He tried to pull Harvey's chin to make eye contact, but the man was defiant, refusing. With a sigh, he rocked himself up onto his knees and crawled between his boss' legs, putting a hand on either side of his face and turning him; this time he obliged.
With watery eyes, Harvey looked up at his associate. His thoughts were all a jumbled drunken mess at that point, and his emotions had a colourful variety – something that he was definitely not equipped to deal with, especially at that time.
When he didn't get an answer, he relented, planting a kiss on his forehead.
"Thank you..." Harvey whispered, almost too quietly to hear.
"Yeah, well, you're not going to remember any of this in the morning so..." They grinned at each other, knowing that was probably true. And thank god for that.
Harvey reached up to hold onto Mike's forearms, stopping him from pulling away. He looked down, unable to meet questioning blue eyes. Sighing, Mike leaned down to rest his forehead against Harvey's, letting the man hold onto him.
Tentatively, Harvey tilted his head back, leveling it so that his lips were mere centimeters away from the other's – so close he could taste the alcohol on his breath. With a groan, Mike seemed to come undone and he smashed his lips down onto Harvey's angrily. The breathe seemed to rush out of him all at once, shocked at the forwardness Mike was showing – something Harvey would have never expected. But the recovery was fast and he was pulling the younger man closer to him, dancing his tongue across his lips in anticipation.
All too soon, Mike broke the contact, leaving Harvey gasping, reaching out to pull him back in. "I can't do this." He said, shaking his head as if to clear it from temptation. "I can't cheat on Rachel."
It took a little longer than it normally would have for Harvey to understand what he was being told, but when he did, he shook his head and attempted to get back up on his feet.
"Let's go back then." He muttered, walking around the kid and back out to meet Donna.
SUITS
The group was talking animatedly again, and Harvey was waving Donna over to sit next to him. Of course she got up right away.
"Did you bring me here to tell me why Harvey Specter, the most controlled, calm cool collected guy in New York, has been drinking so much tonight?" She asked expectedly, folding her hands in her lap.
Leaning in so that his mouth was next to her ear, and his face was turned away from the group – he had to put his hand on her leg to balance – he whispered to her, "Henry knows." He felt her tense beside him, and she grabbed his hand, pulling back and looking at him with scared, hurt eyes. "He's not going to tell anyone."
Pursing her lips, she nodded, trusting him completely even if she didn't trust that damned professor.
SUITS
The cab drove fairly quickly through the New York City streets. Although it was the city that never sleeps, it was late enough for traffic to be at a minimum.
Mike sat beside Harvey, looking out the window. He decided to make sure he got home safely before returning to his own place, not trusting the man to be able to make it so much as to his elevator, let alone his bed.
"I don't want you to worry, Mike." Harvey said, breaking the silence and pulling his friend out of his reverie.
"I'm always going to worry, Harvey."
He smiled softly, a pained expression in his eyes. "I know."
Giving in – again – Mike pulled himself over to the other side of the cab to sit closer to the lawyer, letting his head fall forward onto his shoulder, letting out a breath at how safe Harvey's presence made him feel. "Have I ever thanked you?"
"For what?" He chuckled, resting his hand down on the thigh beside him.
"Everything," he breathed. "For risking everything every day for me. And for forgiving me a million chances. And for caring."
"You know it's all for selfish reasons, right?"
Mike smiled at this, knowing how true that statement probably was. "Doesn't matter," he acknowledged, kissing his cheek once before returning his head to his shoulder.
Happily, Harvey leaned his cheek down against soft blond hair, humming a half coherent tune.
SUITS
They didn't know how they got there, but when the sun came up and Harvey's phone began to buzz, he was lying in just his briefs, on the couch, with an equally dressed man on top of him.
Thinking back as far as his hangover would let him, he tried to recall exactly what last night had entailed...
They'd pulled up in front of the building at almost three a.m. Mike had half carried Harvey to the elevator, and by the time they'd got it working – which took an unfortunate amount of touching, stumbling, and grabbing before they got anywhere – they were pressed into the corner, hands running through each other's hair.
By the time the elevator doors opened into the posh condo, Mike had come to the same conclusion that he'd had before, and broken away from "the other woman" so to speak. Harvey went to grab a couple of glasses – to fill with water this time, not alcohol – and Mike had stepped up behind him, tugging ever so slightly at the sleeve of his friend's suit.
Turning and handing him a glass, Harvey leaned in and kissed his cheek once, lingering for a second before walking towards the couch. Mike whined though and wormed his arm back against Harvey's. "I know," the lawyer had whispered, putting their waters down on the coffee table, and turning to take off Mike's jacket, folding it over the back of a chair, and then doing the same with his. He kicked off his shoes and sat against the arm of the couch, taking off his tie while Mike took his own shoes off – clearly not planning to leave any time soon.
"We don't have to work tomorrow," Harvey mentioned, tugging until Mike was lying against him, face pressed back into the man's neck. "Let's watch a couple movies." He meant it as a statement, but it came out more as a question, unsure and worried.
Mike let out a sigh, pulling his phone from his pocket and typing with one hand: I'll be home later, not feeling too well. It probably wouldn't seem weird to Rachel; there had been enough times that the men had woken up in the office after having fallen asleep working on a case. Mike had also spent more than a few nights at Harvey's after... him. So it wasn't so unusual a thought that if Mike had had a couple too many, that Harvey would insist that he sleep it off on his couch rather than go gallivanting through the New York City streets.
"Rocky marathon?" He chuckled, breath warm against the older man's skin.
Harvey hmm-ed an answer, but neither made any move to get up. It was so perfect where they were, they didn't want to end the moment. They each tickled patterns across each other, memorizing each and every line and contour their bodies had to offer.
Harvey kissed his temple, wrapping his arms securely around him.
Mike kissed and nuzzled into the bottom of Harvey's neck.
Harvey kissed the top of his head, letting his fingers move up to play with the hairs at the nape of his neck.
Mike turned to lie more fully across Harvey, making sure that every part of them that could touch were touching.
Harvey moved his hands down to Mike's waist, rubbing circles on his hips as he shifted his legs beneath them, letting them fall in a pattern of Harvey Mike Harvey Mike.
Mike whimpered at the touch, and craned his neck up to nibble beneath Harvey's ear.
Harvey lost control.
It was a mess of clothes being torn off, pulling and grabbing at each other to get closer, and needy, desperate kissing, biting, and obscene noises. Grinding became more fervent, gasps and groans became more frequent, and suddenly everything was lost in a world that was just them, and they were seeing stars.
And then it was morning.
