Title: 'Let me Down Easy'
Rating: NC-17 (just for the first three paragraphs)
Genre: Hurt/comfort, slash
Pairing: Harvey/Mike
Word count: 3,466
Summary: Mike gets electrocuted. Harvey hates his apartment.
A/N: Written for this prompt at the kinkmeme. Sorry, but I changed the circumstance of him getting electrocuted.
"Don't worry Mike, I'll take care of you," Harvey says, leaning up to suck on a patch of skin just under Mike's chin. Mike lets out a low moan, clutching Harvey closer to him.
"Just fuck me," he whispers, thrusting down onto the three fingers Harvey has lodged against his prostate. "I'm not made of glass, I can fucking take it."
"Oh yeah? Is that what you want?" Harvey demands, removing his fingers. Mike nods, panting into Harvey's neck, whimpering when Harvey lines himself up. "Fine that's what you'll get-"
BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP
Annoyed, Mike slams his fist down on the alarm clock glaring at the damn thing. "Really? Couldn't even let me get to the good part?"
He stands up, groggily rubbing his eyes lumbering towards his bathroom. Turning the shower on cold, he climbs in, willing his erection to go down by picturing his Granny in a bathing suit. As he's lathering his hair with shampoo, he hears an insistent buzzing from somewhere in the living room. "Fuck," he curses as he slams his toe into the side of the counter, rushing to get to his phone. He sees Harvey's name flash across the screen and he flushes as memories of his dream comes rushing back to him.
"Yeah?" He answers, slightly breathless.
"Did I interrupt something?" Comes Harvey's wry voice, wrought with amusement.
"Nah, I was just taking a shower. Waddya need?"
"We have to meet a client at eight; I'm picking you up at your apartment in twenty minutes. This would be so much easier if you had just agreed to move in with me the first time I asked, genius. Now try and get some coffee in you, I know you; you will sound like an illiterate fool until you do."
"Right, sure." He hangs up, and climbs back into the shower quickly rinsing his hair. He climbs out of the shower haphazardly wrapping a towel around his waist and scuffling his way into the kitchen. He puts in one of those coffee packets and presses the start button on his Tassimo – his one expensive indulgence – and waits to hear the lovely sounds of coffee pouring into his cup. Not hearing it, he stares at the coffee machine, trying to telepathically figure out what was wrong.
"Damn, it's too early to have to fix things," he mutters, checking the water first then ensuring he'd placed the packet right. Seeing both things fine, he pouts for a few seconds before a thought hits him. He reaches back behind the counter, hand sliding into the tiny gap, bracing one hand on top of his cluttered refrigerator to support himself. It's only when he has the plug firmly in his grasp does he realize that his hand is still wet from the shower. He goes to pull back but the knock on the door startles him and his hand slips off the top of the counter. Instinctively he closes both hands to try and grab something stop himself from falling but when he does, his fingers close around the plug and, with a start, he feels a jolt of electricity enter his hand from the life socket.
He barely has time to think well this isn't good before the water on his hand reacts with the energy pulsing out of the wire of the coffee machine. His hand clenches tighter around the plug, his body going into shock and convulsing.
Mike leaning over the counter, his towel falling off his hips and he's convulsing, making weird, slightly scary sounds – that's the sight Harvey is greeted to when he opens the door using the spare key Mike gave him. Under any other circumstances, Harvey would take that as an invite but he knows, from experience that those are not the sounds Mike makes when he's enjoying himself.
"Mike!" Harvey calls, rushing over to him, forgetting to close the door behind him. Mike's eyes are shut and his face, while screwed up in pain, does not show any indication of him having heard his lover. He peers behind the counter and sees Mike clutching the plug like his life depended on it. Quickly finding something to buffer his hand with, he reaches down behind the counter and covers Mike's hand with the towel. He yanks and Mike's hand comes free, releasing the plug with it, vaguely noticing with shock Mike's fingers and palm covered in blood and burns.
He pulls Mike off from over the counter, laying him gently down on the floor as he pulls his cell phone out of his pocket. Dialing 911 he gives all the pertinent information before hanging up and attending to Mike.
"Mike? Come on, love. I need you to wake up. Mike!" Harvey shouts, trying to garner some reaction from him. Trying another tactic he hesitates, "Mike, if you don't wake up this second, I'm going to fire you!"
Mike moans for a second before squinting his eyes and glaring at him. "I'm up, don' need ta be adick."
"Well you weren't up for a little bit there."
Harvey glances at his phone trying to estimate how far out the EMTs are when he hears more odd whimpering sounds. Looking down, Mike is convulsing again, flailing about in a multitude of unnatural positions. Worried, Harvey tries to pin him down to stop him from hurting himself when he hears a commotion in the hallway. Tenants, presumably Mike's neighbors are peering into the open door. They scatter when they notice Harvey looking and two seconds later, the EMTs appear, basically pushing Harvey out of the way to get to Mike.
They throw out many phrases which Harvey has never heard before which doesn't necessarily surprise him seeing as he studied law and not medicine but when they say his blood pressure is low and his heart rate falling, he knows that can't be good. He fibs and tells the EMTs that he and Mike are engaged so he can ride with Mike to the hospital.
God, that had to be the longest ride of his life, Harvey couldn't help but think as they were unloading Mike from the ambulance. Mike had almost crashed twice and each time, Harvey thought his heart was about to stop. As they were rushing through the halls, Harvey just kept murmuring to Mike, trying to comfort him and keep the alarm out of his voice.
"Sir," The doctor states, stepping in between Harvey and the gurney, "We really need you to step back. You need to stay here. I will come inform you when we are done working with Michael. Until then, I need you to give your information to the nurse, please." They pull Mike away and Harvey can do nothing but watch as they wheel him down the hallway towards the OR.
He sinks into one of the uncomfortable plastic chairs as it hits him what really happened. Mike was electrocuted. Mike was so severely electrocuted he had to be worked on. He flashes back to the image ingrained in his head of Mike's hand and he shudders. He can't lose Mike to the crappy apartment, damnit!
He scrubs his face with his hands, before he comes back to real life, realizing he had so many calls to make. He starts with Donna, telling her exactly what happened and from there goes on to call Jessica, telling her that none of them would be in today, as Donna was already on her way to the hospital and proceeding over to the nurse's station.
The next three hours pass in a blur, Harvey barely registering when Donna arrives and wraps a comforting arm around his shoulder, knowing to stay quiet.
"Harvey Specter?"
Harvey bolts out of his chair, "Yes?"
"Well, Michael is out of surgery, stabilized but he has a slight arrhythmia which we need to keep an eye on. We had to wrap his hand but he might need to pursue the option of skin grafts, because the burns melted away some of the skin." At that, Harvey winces, mentally picturing Mike's hand. "Other than that, the side effects of the shock should be limited, he might experience some discomfort, numbness or involuntary muscle contractions. We will have to keep him overnight for observation, but if he has someone to be released to, he should be able to go home tomorrow or the day after."
"He'll be released to me."
"Is he in a room yet? May we visit him?" Donna asks, her voice showing the worry her face doesn't.
"Of course, right down this hall, he is in room 1189. I have to warn you though; he'll be out of it. The anesthesia has not had the chance to wear off yet."
Donna ignores the doctor, rushing off down the hall once she hears the room numbers but Harvey hesitates. "Thanks, Doc." He follows Donna down the hall turning into the room he saw her disappear to.
He stops in the doorway, unprepared to see Mike looking so young and so vulnerable in the hospital bed, the sheets wrapped tightly around him.
Donna is sitting beside him, holding his uninjured hand with tears in her eyes. "He could have died, Harvey," she whispers. "Our puppy could have died."
"I know," Harvey states, the reality of what happened hitting him. "I was going to propose tonight."
Donna whips her head around. "What!" She exclaims.
"I've had the ring for weeks. I reserved a table at Merc. I was going to surprise him." Harvey states brokenly, his eyes watering before he swipes at them, not letting the tears fall.
He moves next to Mike's bed, stroking Mike's face gently, placing a soft kiss on his forehead.
Donna smiles at the sight. "He would have said yes."
"He still will," Harvey states determinedly. "Just not tonight."
"Of course." They wait patiently for about thirty minutes before Mike starts to groan. Both start and stare at him eagerly.
"Mike?" Harvey calls tentatively.
"Don' fire me," Mike moans pitifully.
Donna throws Harvey an incredulous glance, silently asking what the fuck?
"I threatened to fire him if he didn't wake up."
"An' I did. I jus'…had to go sleep 'gain."
"That's ok, Mike. I just needed to make sure you weren't dead."
"Well obviously I'm not dead," he states a little more lucid. "Unless this is heaven. God, heaven hurts."
Donna, relieved with Mike being his usual self again, lets out an incredulous smirk before she swats Mike across the stomach with a rolled up magazine. "Bad puppy," she exclaims, the tears now rolling down her eyes despite her somewhat strained smile. "You can't do that shit to us again! I swear to God, if you ever so much as think of dying again, I'll make you hurt so badly you'll be afraid to die."
Mike doesn't doubt Donna for a second, so rather than object and tell her he didn't actually think about dying, it just sort of happened, he nods stiffly, staring at her with fearful eyes.
"And now that you're awake and I am sure you aren't going to die, I am going to go get coffee that isn't this horrible cafeteria crap." She stands, her heels making a crisp clacking sound on the linoleum as she makes her way out.
"She scares me," Mike states, turning his head towards Harvey.
"I better!" Donna calls from halfway down the hall.
"Like that! How does she do that?"
"There are some things that are best left unknown."
Harvey leans forward, capturing Mike's chapped lips in a kiss that steals his breath away. Literally.
Mike pulls away gasping, the beeping on his heart monitor indicating a quickening of pace.
"How are you feeling?"
"I've been better. My heart stills feels a bit abnormal, fast maybe, and my right arm keeps twitching," he motions to the arm that twitches on cue, "and my hand hurts like no other."
"You would think that when you're being electrocuted your first instinct would be to let go of the thing that is burning you. But no, you have to have completely backward instincts and grip it tighter!" Harvey snarks, eyes alight with some unidentified emotion.
"It's called involuntary muscle contraction, jerk. I couldn't help it."
"I know, and the Doctor said it'll probably continue to happen for a little while, which reminds me. You have to stay the night, maybe tomorrow as well but then you'll be released into my care."
"Why can't I go home now? I promise I'll be good!" Mike whines, his face folding into a cringe.
"Because you have a heart arrhythmia. You know what that is right? It means your heart is skipping a beat every now and then. Now, I know I'm amazing at everything but even I can't save you if your heart arrhythmia turns into something more serious in the middle of the night."
Mike sighs and rolls his eyes. "Can I at least have some water?" He pouts.
Two days later, Mike was released to Harvey's care with the promise to return if anything felt off. Using clothes Harvey had brought for him in the rare time Donna made him leave, Mike was wheeled out to the curb where Ray was waiting good-naturedly for them.
Ray helped Harvey move Mike out of his wheelchair and into the car and went out of his way to avoid hitting potholes and waited, albeit in the car, while Mike threw up on the side of the road, listening to Harvey murmuring words of comfort, "It's ok, the pain medication tends to make a lot of people nauseous," and reassuring Harvey when he turned around with a panicked look that, "No, we do not need to take Mike back to the hospital, he will be fine." Personally, he was wondering how Mike was going to deal with a hovering Harvey for the next couple of days.
Harvey practically carried Mike up to the glass elevator, propping him up with one arm while the other was clenching his phone as he ensured Donna knew what pain medications to get. He settled Mike into his bed, turning the blinds down and trying to make Mike sleep despite his adamant protests that he had slept enough at the hospital.
Harvey was settled on the couch with a brief in hand, sipping coffee when Mike makes his way out the next morning, one hand clutching a blanket around his shoulder while the other twitches spasmodically by his side occasionally.
"So how long did the Doc say I have to stay here?" He mutters, sitting on the couch next to Harvey and taking the coffee out of his hands for a sip.
"He didn't." Harvey doesn't even attempt to take his coffee back knowing that a Mike in the morning without coffee is not one he wants to mess with.
"So when can I go back to my apartment?"
"Never!" Harvey exclaims, outraged. "That apartment burned your hand. It ought to be condemned!"
Mike rolls his eyes. "How about you call someone to have them fix it? Someone you trust. Would that make you feel better?"
Harvey stares at him sulkily. "Maybe."
Trying to cheer Harvey up, Mike leans in and kisses him, pulling back when he tried to lean on his injured hand. "That's going to make highlighting briefs hell."
"Oh! Donna dropped these off yesterday. You need to take one."
Examining the label Mike shakes his head adamantly. "No, I'm ok without it."
"Mike, don't be stupid. If it hurts, take it!"
"I will. When it hurts. Maybe to help me sleep, but right now I can deal without it."
"Fine."
They sit in companionable silence before Mike asks, "When will my apartment be ready?"
Harvey groans. "I don't know. I have to talk to the construction workers I'm going to hire."
"Construction? Geez, Harvey, what do you think is wrong with the apartment?"
"Oh, you mean besides the cracks in the walls, the faulty wiring, that, by the way, got you electrocuted, and the shaky foundation?"
"Er…yeah?"
"It's a dump. I don't think a rat could inhabit it, let alone my boyfriend."
Mike doesn't respond to that and when Harvey looks over to see what's going on, Mike has a goofy grin on his face.
"What?" Harvey demands.
"That's the first time you've referred to me as your boyfriend?"
"What are you talking about?"
"You've always introduced me as your associate or as someone your seeing, never as your boyfriend."
"Surely I've-"
"Never." Mike smiles adamantly, pulling Harvey into a deep kiss again.
If that's the response I get for calling him my boyfriend, what's going to happen when I introduce him to my parents as my fiancé? Harvey thinks as he pulls away.
They sit in companionable silence after that, Harvey reading a brief, Mike leaning contentedly on his shoulder, reading it silently.
Two weeks later, Mike is cleared for work, minus use of his hand, and he goes in for the first time since the accident. The associates are surprisingly nice to him, congratulating him on surviving and everything and Louis doesn't drop tons of files on his desk. Actually, the first thing Louis does is hug Mike which scares everyone, including Harvey, a bit more than a little. Then he barks at the rest of the associates scaring them back into their place and Mike smiles. There is the Louis we all know and love – er, well, love to hate.
Jessica calls him to her office and Mike worries that she might fire him for missing so much time – if he wasn't so close to Harvey, he feared it might be something he would do – and gets an interrogation on how's he's feeling and when he'll have full use of his hand again. At least it was better than being fired.
He spends lunch with Rachel, hashing out all the gory details of what his hand looks like, mostly because he refuses to have to redo the bandage after all the time Harvey took putting in on last night.
Donna holds him at her desk as Harvey is getting ready to leave with a little knowing grin on her face as they discuss his day.
Harvey closes the door behind him, meeting Mike with a peck on the lips. "Finally, everyone else has been hogging you all day!" He whispers firmly.
Donna waves them off with a call of 'Good luck!' down the hall.
"What does she mean by that?" Mike asks as they step in the elevator going down.
"Who really ever knows what Donna means by anything she says?"
Mike nods, a contemplative look crossing his face.
Ray drives them home, throwing a smile at Mike and a knowing look to Harvey as he drops them off.
Harvey spends the elevator ride to his apartment with his face buried in Mike's neck, nibbling on the sensitive skin there. He pulls away when the doors open and he practically drags Mike to the bedroom. He pushes Mike in before muttering something about the bathroom and turning the other way quickly. Mike doesn't pass the threshold of the doorway for a good few moments, caught staring at a picture frame on the nightstand. He had one just like that in his apartment. And the one of the dresser seems oddly familiar as well.
Suspicious, Mike walks over to the absurdly large walk-in closet and gasps.
"Harvey? What's all my stuff doing in here?" Mike yells turning around to find Harvey on one knee behind him holding a velvet box in his hand.
"What's going on, Harvey?"
"I love you, Michael Ross. And I want to marry you." He flips open the lid of the box to show a simple but elegant platinum ring. "I had all your stuff moved here during the day with Donna to dictate where everything went so if it's not in the right places we can rearrange everything but I just can't stand you living in that crappy apartment and you already spend so much time here, even before the accident. And I'd planned on doing this that Friday night, but somehow I didn't think it seemed all that appropriate to propose to you in the hospital. Mike. Say something? At least, let me down easy if you're going to say no."
Mike stares down at Harvey, tears threatening his eyes as he nods. "Yes. Yes, of course!" He drops to his knees to kiss Harvey as he sneakily slips the ring on. Hugging Harvey close to him, he stares at his finger over Harvey's shoulder, admiring the gleaming of the light.
"At least I hurt my right hand, not my left," he mutters into Harvey's ear. Harvey laughs, pulling Mike up to his feet and pushing him gently on to the bed, falling on top of him.
