1
"You know you want to," Mike can't resist goading Harvey a little.
He expects Harvey to scowl and order him out of his office, if Mike's being honest. It was instinct to offer a fist because that's what Mike does. It has been Mike's go to way to convey brotherly affection since Mike and Trevor were seven, and had to escape Trevor's crazy elder sister daily.
Sometimes they succeeded in avoiding her by hiding in the attic. Fist bump, simple as that.
Sometimes they were caught, dragged into Amy's room, and weren't allowed to emerge from the pit until hours later when they had the suitable amount of make up adorning their faces and nails.
So when Mike holds out his fist to Harvey, Mike isn't expecting the older man's knuckles brushing gently, but firmly across his own. Mike's not going to lie to himself. At that small gesture Mike feels surprised, a little happy, and a whole lot victorious. It's kind of like what he used to feel like when he got high, but you know….
Better.
Mike starts plotting then and there different ways to have Harvey Specter make silly gestures for him because there's no way he wants to let this feeling go.
"Mike! Did you get done with the … "
Crap.
2.
The second time Harvey isn't really making any specific gestures, or touching Mike in any kind of way. Mike is eyeing the large black foam encasing Harvey's hand, and decides that this counts anyway. One of Harvey's more eccentric clients loves the New York Giants; she never misses a home game.
Mike guesses that Harvey wanted a chance to schmooze her before the renegotiation of the firm's terms on her business that's occurring next week. Mike doesn't know why he is here, with his tendency to repel the customers into spending more time with their grandchildren and the like, but he's glad he is. More than anything he wants a camera and sneaky ninja moves to be able to take a picture of the lawyer waving his fist enthusiastically when the Giants score a touchdown. Like he's doing now.
Mike belatedly realizes this means he should be getting up and clapping in encouragement or something, and when he does that Harvey looks at him oddly.
"You ever been to a game before, Mike?" Harvey asks with a smirk in his tone if not on his face.
His comment makes Mike think back to high school. He thinks how Trevor and he were never jocks because they never had enough drama to fit in with the popular crowd. Or muscles, or something. He doesn't really want to share that information and Harvey really doesn't want to hear it so Mike settles on something simpler, but no less true.
"Grams couldn't really handle the stairs," Mike says as if that sums it all up and if Harvey knows him at all, it really does.
Mike doesn't want to see pity or anything else in his eyes, (which Mike knows is highly unlikely because Harvey Specter doesn't do emotions) so Mike averts his eyes to the foam finger raised up a few inches above Harvey's head.
A few moments pass like that until Harvey nudges his shoulder. When Mike looks back at Harvey's face the typical smirk is there.
"If you like this thing so much," he says shaking the black foam back and forth, "Why am I the one wearing it?" Mike chuckles a bit remembering how he had to beg, cajole, and finally insinuate that the client would be impressed by Harvey's originality or some shit like that before Harvey would put the contraption on his hand.
"Maybe I think it doesn't go with my complexion," Mike replies cheekily. Harvey barks out a startled laugh before leaning in close.
"Rookie, I've got a lot to teach you. The Rule of the Foam Hand: No one has the right complexion for it. It looks bad on everybody."
Mike smiles and enjoys the happiness firing around the synapses in his brain for the rest of the game.
3.
Mike spends the next week wishing he had taken a picture of his boss at the football game. None of his coworkers believe the happenings at the game ( Ex: foam hand) and of course Harvey has denied it every second since then. Mike would be surprised but Harvey's a lawyer, and a damn good one. Lying comes with the territory.
Right now Mike is waiting on Donna to get back from wherever she is so she can give him the files that Harvey deemed himself too important to mess with. Harvey is sitting down in his office with Louis nagging about the latest crisis or whining about how unfair his life is. Mike doesn't care. Harvey can handle himself. Louis' back is turned to Mike and this gives Mike a wicked idea.
Next time he sees Harvey look over, Mike squishes his nose and crosses his eyes while clearly facing Louis' back. When he sees a twitch at the edge of Harvey's mouth, Mike takes it for encouragement. Over the next few minutes the faces Mike makes get sillier and sillier. Finally, Louis turns to get something out of his briefcase and whatever he was saying to Harvey must have been really frustrating the other man because Harvey opens his mouth wide and hangs his head imitating death.
Harvey straightens up before Louis can turn and catch him. Mike isn't satisfied with leaving it at that. He's always been a have-your-cake-and-eat-it-too kind of person, so he empties out two of Donna's candy bowls (The woman has one hell of a sweet tooth!) and sets them atop his head , open side facing Harvey, and tries his best to imitate the rat he thinks Louis acts like.
Of course Louis chooses that moment to be done with his conversation. He turns and sees Mike mocking him. Mike has just enough time to register the rage flash across Louis' face before he turns and flees, nearly knocking Donna over in his haste.
"Sorry about the mess on your desk!" Mike calls out. He remembers the smile on his boss' face at his antics and can't feel really disappointed in how today turned out.
Louis is going to make his life a living hell, but what's different there?
4.
"No," Harvey says clearly, firmly.
Mike contemplates different strategies, before hesitantly saying, " You know you want to?"
At Harvey's snort he revises, "Look, I just need one picture to spruce up Gram's room. Please, Harvey?"
Harvey sighs. "I do not have a problem taking a picture with you for your grandmother. I'd take five, but not in a single one of those pictures will I be posing like a juvenile high school student."
Mike blinks.
"I wouldn't go that far with it, boss. It's just a peace sign," Mike tries to reason with him. Harvey steadily ignores him. Mike wonders if Harvey's ever going to realize that Mike is just as stubborn as he is. Mike takes a steadying breath.
"Do you know the history of the peace sign? I read an article on it its quite fascinating ," Mike says observing the way his boss glowers his computer. In the most technical and patronizing tone Mike can fashion he continues.
" The peace sign is a hand gesture in which the index and middle fingers are raised and parted, while the other fingers are clenched. It has various meanings, depending on the cultural context and how it is presented."
Harvey groans and turns towards him. "What did you do? Google it or something?"
Mike snorts and replies, "No, worse. Wikepedia. I could keep going for hours, about how if it's flipped the peace sign is an insult, its origin, or you could stop being a wimp and take the picture."
Mike thinks Harvey lets Donna take the picture of them both throwing up peace signs because he trusts her enough that he isn't worried about idle gossip flowing from her lips. He trusts her rightfully so. Donna doesn't say a word to anybody except to Mike.
Nevertheless, Jessica calls Harvey and Mike into her office to discuss the small matter of a certain picture circulating the employees' e-mail. Harvey's face looks like it was carved out of stone throughout the entire meeting. Mike just feels baffled. Why is Jessica scolding them over a silly picture that his grandma adores?
Then Mrs. Pearson brings up gang signs and the firms reputation and Mike pales. Did gangs use the peace sign? Isn't that an oxymoron? A long thirty minutes later and Mike's making himself scarce. It's true enough that their situation is Mike's fault, but Mike didn't send the picture around. He's pretty sure that was Rachel, but he never rats on a friend.
For the next month, whenever someone says bye to either Harvey or Mike they throw a peace sign, trying to be funny and Mike would laugh except Harvey kind of terrifies him.
5.
Mike takes a long break from instigating childish behavior in Harvey, since the last two times landed Mike in pretty big trouble with all three of his bosses. Part of him wants to call the whole thing off, but it is a very small insignificant part.
The rest of him is focused on the papers scattered all over the floor of Harvey's apartment. Harvey says they are working. Trying to find a clause that'll help their case, and that's a great theory if you discount the fact that Mike has already found several clauses in the contract that allows their firm some leeway.
And if you discount the dinner and beers they'd enjoyed an hour ago.
And the credits of the rebooted Star Trek movie trailing across the screen.
Mike has the remote in his hand when he's struck with another brilliant idea. Looks over at Harvey sees him relaxed and happy and decides now's the moment if any is.
"How'd Spock do that hand thingy?" He asks slurred, alcohol making his tongue thick and eyes heavy.
Harvey chuckles, "Are you serious? You're going to have to try harder than that, Mikey. What happened to your eidetic memory?"
He thinks it speaks for the states of both their minds when Mike lets the nickname stick without reprimand. He still frowns a bit, "I'm drunk and it flashed too quick for me," Mike settles on. He thinks he may be pouting, but this is his fourth beer and he's allowing himself to be a little tipsy. Especially after they broke out the tequila.
"You're telling me you haven't seen the Vulcan salute multiple times?" Harvey's voice is skeptical and heavy somewhere on the couch.
"Always been more of a Star Wars kind of guy," Mike mutters while gathering all the papers up. He really shouldn't be highlighting in his current state, so he sets them on Harvey's table.
" I saw the whole parting gesture between Trevor and you. Is that the reason you're always after me to do these ridiculous things," Harvey says with a nonchalance that probably means he doesn't want Mike to read too much into that statement. He's choosing to avoid Mike's eyes by staring at the television set. Mike being Mike, still sees right through it. He's silent for a moment, thinking carefully about what to say. Nothing ruins a relationship more than the other person thinking you're trying to replace another person with them.
"Hm. Nah, that's not the reason," Mike says and takes another pull of his beer. "Trevor and I saw Fight Club when we were ten, so that's where that gesture originated from. I've known him for almost all of my life. I'm sure my grandmother has so many embarrassing pictures of the both of us , that she could blackmail us for years if she was that sort of woman. Which she is that sort of woman so don't ever let her catch you with your trousers down," Mike smiles, inviting Harvey to share in the joke.
Harvey smiles back, "So that's where you get it from?"
Mike chuckles, "Yeah. Well , he point is Trevor's always been my go to guy for brotherly affection. He's easy. Hold up my fist, I get a fist bump. Hold open my arms, I get a hug. Simple as that."
Mike's a little drunk so he's not making his point clearly and Harvey's face is shutting down, so he rushes through the next part.
"But you, you're a little more difficult. I trick you into doing something juvenile, and you smile this little smile. It feels like victory to me, because really how often do you smile? It's like you didn't get enough hugs as a child or something," Mike grumbles.
Harvey unfreezes and slowly starts to smile throughout Mike's speech. At the end he chuckles. Honest to goodness chuckles and he finally looks Mike in the eyes again..
"It's because you're you that I try so hard," Mike ends simply.
Harvey walks over to where Mike is and slowly grabs his hand. "It's like this," Harvey positions Mike's hand in the Vulcan salute and the mimics it with his own hand.
"Live long and prosper," Harvey says with all seriousness. And to a drunk Mike, that was possibly the funniest sentence he's heard in all his life.
6.
"Tell me you have a better tie somewhere. I don't care if you pull it off of your bike handle, out of your pocket, hell, even out of your ass, but get a better tie around your neck before three o'clock," Harvey grits out.
Mike looks around at the other associates in their cubicles who are trying to hide their smirks. Some are more successful than others. Mike ignores any embarrassment or irritation he feels and instead focuses on his boss.
"Why what's happening at three?" Mike questions.
"Important client. Try not to make an ass of yourself. Jessica still hasn't forgiven us for the gang signs," Harvey grumbles, turning to leave before pausing and leaning slightly once more on the flat plane of Mike's cubicle.
"I heard your grandma was having trouble. I trust that she's okay?" Harvey says it like it's a demand. Like the force of Harvey's will can make Mike's grandmother twenty years younger.
"She's fine. She just had a little mishap, nothing serious though. Thanks," Mike says while silently in his head comparing the Twilight Zone and reality and finding them amazingly similar.
"That's good to hear. New tie by three!"
Harvey must think his good work for the day is accomplished because he continues on his way to his office. Before he gets to the door Mike feels like teasing him a bit and calls out, "Careful boss! It might sound like you care about someone!"
Harvey doesn't bother responding verbally, just holds up his hand and flips Mike the bird.
In a room full of associates.
Mike thinks he's probably a bad influence on the other man before a rush of pride makes him chuckle out loud. The look on everyone's faces just eggs him on more. A shocked silence fills the room with the exception of how loud Mike's laughter is.
Written for the suits meme at live journal. Feedback is crack, but you know….legal.
Prompt: You know how Trevor and Mike have that whole elbow thing when they said goodbye and the fist-bump thing. Now remember how Mike got Harvey to do the fist bump?I was hoping for a 5+1, where Mike got Harvey to do some silly/fun gesture with him, and the one time where Harvey was the one to instigate itBonus: if the +1 is done in front of a lot of peopleand if there are flashbacks of Trevor and Mike bromance