Harvey sat in his office chair with his legs crossed and his elbow propped up on his desk so he could support his head with his hand. He was reading over some last minute files before he headed off to meet a client. He took the pen he was biting out of his mouth and put it on his desk, then looked at his watch. He pushed the button to contact Donna.
"Yes?" Donna's voice came over on speaker phone.
"Where the hell is Mike? He was supposed to be in my office two minutes ago. We have to meet a client." Harvey asked, putting his files into his brief case and standing up.
"I don't know. Oh, wait I see him coming now."
Harvey nodded even though Donna couldn't see him, and looked out through the glass walls of his office to see a flushed Mike walking quickly towards his office. The older lawyer walked around his desk and met his associate at the door.
"Sorry, I-"
"Shut up." Harvey deadpanned. "We've got to go."
He saw Mike avert his eyes to the ground and nod his head, before heading in the direction of the elevators with his associate following closely behind.
Luckily, the pair didn't have to wait long for an elevator because the silence between them was awkward. Harvey noticed that Mike's mind was elsewhere, which he found to be a common occurrence. The older man was about to say something but the sound of the elevator reaching their floor stopped him and they both entered the empty cart.
Harvey was watching the numbers slowly descend as they passed each floor, while Mike just stared straight ahead and occasionally at the floor. The were twelve stories from the lobby when the lights started to flicker and the elevator gave a slight jerk, which caused Mike to jump. Harvey gripped the rail to keep from doing so himself.
"What was that?" Mike asked, finally looking at Harvey.
"Probably just a short. No big deal." Harvey answered, with a shrug of his shoulders. He noticed the screen display floor eleven, then with much more force than the last, the elevator jerked, coming to a complete stop and the lights went off completely sending the two lawyers into pitch black darkness for a few seconds, before the back up generator lights flickered on. Harvey blinked a few times to adjust his eyes, then noticed Mike was gripping the handrail with a death grip while looking around the elevator.
"No big deal?" The younger man asked, his voice almost sounding shaky if Harvey wasn't mistaken.
"Damn it." Harvey cursed, ignoring Mike's question. He let out an annoyed sigh and took out his cellphone. He dialed a number, then waited for the person to answer.
"Harvey Spector's office. How may I assist you?" Her voice filtered through the phone.
"Donna, Mike and I are stuck in the elevator." He said, while pinching the bridge of his nose.
"Oh my God. Are you guys okay?"
"We're fine." Harvey answered, not even paying any attention to Mike. "Just call the client. Explain the situation and reschedule. When you're done with that get somebody down here to get us out."
"Is there anyone else in there with you?"
"No it's just me and Mike."
"Okay, I'm on it." She said.
"Thanks." He replied, hanging up the phone and slipping it back into his pocket. He turned his attention to Mike and raised an eyebrow. The younger man didn't notice him since he was standing against the back of the elevator with his eyes closed, breathing a bit quicker than normal.
Harvey chuckled. "Oh, please don't tell me you're afraid of being stuck in an elevator."
The younger man didn't open his eyes, but shook his head vigorously.
Harvey stopped laughing, but still kept a small smirk on his face.
"Then what's your problem?"
Mike swallowed thickly and opened his mouth to speak, but shut it soon after. He did that few times before his voice wavered out of his mouth in almost a whisper.
"Nothing."
"Bullshit. You look like the nerdy kid in horror movies that always gets killed first, because he's a pansy ass." Harvey shot back, now standing directly in front of Mike.
"T-that's not why he gets killed. He gets killed first because the "Mr. Popular" guy wants to be a jerk, and puts the nerd in the most danger. Hence, the nerd is killed first." Mike answered, his eyes still closed but seeming a bit more calm, but once he quit talking his breathing quickened.
Harvey rolled his eyes. "He's still a pansy."
"I guess so." Mike answered, squeezing his eyes tighter if it was possible.
Harvey was sure he heard Mike's knuckles pop as he tightened his already death-like grip on the handrail.
"Seriously, what the hell is your problem?" Harvey demanded, a bit more harsh than he intended to.
"Nothing, I-I...just don't like being trapped in small spaces." Mike answered, his voice going in and out as he took quick breaths.
Harvey rolled his eyes.
"Great. You're claustrophobic." The older lawyer said.
"No... I'm not."
Harvey laughed. "Yes. You are. Being afraid of small spaces, that's what claustrophobia is."
"I know. I'm not afraid of small spaces. I'm afraid of being trapped in them. I don't mind being in them, just as long as I can get out."
"That's the same thing."
Harvey stared at him for a few seconds, then shook his head. It was getting hot in the elevator so he unbuttoned his jacket and took it off, rolling up the sleeves of his shirt afterwards. He loosened his tie, by only an inch or so, but left his vest untouched.
He turned his attention back to Mike, after placing his stuff in the corner.
"Take your jacket off before you have a heat stroke." He ordered his associate, but the younger man didn't move.
Mike stood on shaky legs, his hands wrapped fiercely around the handrail behind his back. His breaths were quick, but sometimes he couldn't get one deep enough. Sweat was glistening on his forehead and making his hair stick to his head.
"Hey. Are you listening to me?" Harvey asked, snapping his fingers in front of the man's face. "Open your eyes."
Mike shook his head no.
"Mike, open your eyes." Harvey demanded, forcefully, then warned, "You are not going to freak out on me."
"I can't." Mike gasped.
"Damn right you can't."
"N-no. I mean I can't ...open my eyes." Mike said.
Harvey sighed. He didn't do things like this. He didn't calm people down, or comfort them. He had every intention to sit down and check his emails while telling Mike to quit being a wuss and sit down, but for some unknown reason the words just wouldn't come out of his mouth, and he couldn't make himself ignore his associate either.
His phone started ringing and he bent down to get it out of his jacket that was laying on top of his briefcase.
He looked at the caller ID, and noticed it was his assistant.
"Donna, thank God! How long will it be till they get us out of here?"
"They are working on it as we speak, but I don't know how long it will be. The other elevator is stuck, too. There's about seven people in that one. Are you guys still doing okay?" She asked.
Harvey hesitated. "I am, but boy genius is freaking out."
"Freaking out? Well, calm him down Harvey." She answered, talking more alert.
"I can't. He won't open his eyes or even move." Harvey stopped talking when he heard a beep through the phone.
"Harvey, that's maintenance calling. I have to go. Try to keep Mike calm!"
"Donna! No, wait! I-" But it was to late. She had already hung up. Harvey let out a frustrated sigh and dropped his phone onto his jacket.
He looked at Mike, who's shaking had worsened.
"Damn." He muttered under his breath and stood in front of Mike.
"Okay, kid. We're going to do this slow."
"No. Stop." Mike pleaded, trying to back away from him, even though there was nowhere to go. Harvey ignored him.
"Open your eyes." Harvey demanded. When the younger man started to protest, he cut him off. "Now, Michael."
He watched Mike slowly open his eyes. His eyes darted all over the elevator, unable to focus as panic rose to his chest.
"Look at me."
Mike's eyes moved over Harvey's face, but didn't stay there.
"Look at me." The older man demanded once more, this time his order was fulfilled.
Harvey nodded at him, his mouth in a straight line.
"Keep looking at me." He said, his voice a bit less stern, but demanding all the same. He moved over to Mike's left side and grabbed a hold of his wrist.
"Let go."
"N-no. I can't." Mike replied, closing his eyes again.
"Hey! I told you to look at me. You can't do that if your eyes are closed, Einstein." He said, while slapping the side of Mike's face lightly.
The younger man's eyes opened again and he looked at Harvey.
"Good." He nodded, but then his face fell serious. "Now let go."
Mike looked down at his hand, then back at Harvey. Slowly, he complied by lifting on finger off at a time until he wasn't holding on anymore, but he only made it a few seconds until he felt the need to hold onto something. He made a move to grab the handrail again, but Harvey caught his wrist.
"No." The older man forbid. He dropped his associate's wrist once the kid agreed to keep his hand off the rail. He moved over to the other side of Mike and did the same thing. It took a bit more forcing this time, but Mike eventually let go. However, he had apparently been holding up most of his weight by his arms, because his legs buckled beneath him. He sank to the floor and pulled his legs close to his chest, his arms wrapping around them.
Harvey was immediately kneeled down in front him, keeping the younger man's head up with his own hand.
"Mike. You've got to calm down." Harvey stated, taking in the kid's deteriorating appearance. Mike didn't react, as he stared at seemingly nothing. His breathing was coming in gasps. Harvey sighed while dropping his head for a second.
"Okay." He slapped the side of Mike's face gently. "Look at me."
Slightly glazed eyes, met his.
"Do. Not. Close your eyes." He warned.
Mike nodded and Harvey let go of his head. The kid stared at him, while breathing quickly.
"Just breath, Mike." Harvey watched him do his best. "We're going to get out of here, but you just have to be patient."
Mike nodded indicating he had heard his boss, but buried his head in his knees that were pulled to his chest. His breathing was quick, but not as desperate. He heard Harvey moving around, and tightened his arms around his legs as the elevator shook a little at the motion. He felt something brush against his shoulder and cracked one eye open to see Harvey sitting beside him. The older man noticed.
"Relax, kid." Harvey nudged him with his elbow and smirked. "Now, tell me why the hell you're scared of being stuck in an elevator, yet you ride your bike through New York city, just asking to be ran over."
Mike's eyes were closed again, his head still buried in the crook of his arm. He wasn't going to answer, but Harvey didn't say anything else and the silence was making his panic level rise.
"I-I was in a car...accident." Mike swallowed thickly, and tensed as he realized what he was about to tell Harvey, something he had only shared with Trevor. He must have gotten lost in his thoughts, because Harvey's voice brought him back to reality, the horrible reality he was in.
"And?"
"I was trapped...they had to cut us out."
Harvey noticed the kid's voice was hollow, and shaky.
"We were in there...for a long time." Mike whispered.
It sounded as if his mind was wandering off again, and then Harvey realized Mike used the pronoun 'us'.
"Who were you with?"
He heard Mike swallow before he answered, his voice strained.
"My...mom."
Harvey instantly regretted the question, not that he felt sympathy. He fell silent, along with Mike, but the younger man spoke after a few minutes.
"I...I know it's ...stupid. It was a long time ago. I shouldn't be...like this...I just..."
Mike trailed off.
"Is that why you ride a bike?" Harvey asked, an idea forming in his head.
"Yeahhh." Mike answered in a long breath. "And I can't afford a car, but...it gives me good exercise. I ...like it."
Harvey nodded, though Mike couldn't see him.
"You need it, with the junk you eat. Maybe you'll build some type of muscle, even if it is in your legs."
"I have muscle." Mike retorted, his voice sounding a bit more regular.
"Your freakish brain doesn't count."
"You're impressed." Mike shot back, rolling his head along his arm, so that when he opened his eyes he was looking at Harvey beside him.
The older man smirked.
"I'll take you Vegas, Rain Man. If you earn the million dollars I put up for the plaintiffs on the Travis Tanner case, then I'll be impressed."
"You know how well that worked out for Tom Cruise's character right?" Mike asked, his head still laid on his arm and his legs still drawn to his chest, but he was looking at Harvey, breathing normally.
The older lawyer said nothing, though he was glad Mike wasn't completely freaking out.
"Hey, you know he had a change of heart in that movie. He eventually quit caring about the money, and more about his brother." Mike stated, randomly after a few minutes of silence.
"So?" Harvey raised an eyebrow.
"So...if I'm Rain Man, that means you're Charlie."
Harvey stared at him for a few seconds, wondering if calling the kid Rain Man really had a bizarre effect on him, before finally figuring out what his associate was implying.
"Not a chance. You're a representation of me. I care about me."
Mike gave a short laugh, and rolled his head back into the crook of his arm. Silence fell over them and Harvey noticed the kid tense up again, the shakes returned to his figure.
Harvey thought back on their conversation.
"Does it bother you to ride with Ray?" He questioned after a moment.
"What?" Mike asked, rolling his head in Harvey's direction and looking at him with a confused expression.
"Do you freak out when you ride with me, when Ray is driving?"
"Why?" Mike inquired. "Could it be you suddenly care, Charlie?"
Harvey smirked. "No." He easily dismissed with a shrug of his shoulders. "I just wanted to make sure we wouldn't end up in this predicament again."
"As long as we don't wreck, we're good."
"I'll tell Ray to stock the car with tranquilizers, just in case." Harvey joked. They shared a laugh, that quickly turned into a sigh of relief when the elevator jerked and started moving again.
Mike quickly jumped up from the floor, and stood near the doors. Harvey sat for a bit longer, laughing at Mike's eagerness.
Once the doors opened and revealed the Pearson Hardman lobby, Mike stepped out quickly, taking a few slow steps before falling to his knees and touching the ground with his hands and face. "Oh! Thank God!"
"Do you know how disgusting that is?" Harvey said as he stepped out of the elevator. Mike didn't get a chance to answer as Donna ran up to them.
"I'm so glad you guys are out! Are you guys okay?" She asked, talking quickly. She glanced between Harvey who she stood in front of and down to the floor at Mike.
"I am, but Mike probably has a bunch of diseases since he is laying on the floor." Harvey said the last four words directly at Mike, who took the hint and stood up slowly. He rubbed a hand over his face a took a deep breath.
"Yeah, I'm good." He said with a great amount of relief.
"Good." Donna confirmed. "Well, I moved your client meeting to tomorrow, but Jessica wants to see you in her office and Louis wants to see Mike."
Both men dreadfully looked at the elevator, back at Donna, then at each other.
"I'm taking the stairs." They said simultaneously.
"Do you both realize how many flights that is?" Donna asked, incredulously.
"Yes." Harvey answered, as he followed Mike to the stairwell door.
"I need the exercise, or so Charlie says." Mike said, over his shoulder, then glancing at Harvey.
"Who's Charlie?" The assistant asked.
Harvey rolled his eyes, and shoved Mike. "Start climbing, Rain Man or I'll push you down the stairs. Better yet I'll make you ride the elevator."
Mike smirked, as he opened the door to the stairwell, but stopped and faced Harvey.
"Hey, are you still taking me to Vegas?" He asked.
"Go." Harvey deadpanned, as he nodded his head towards the stairs. Mike did as he was told.
"Oh, now it makes sense." Donna called to Harvey, as she realized they were referring to each other as the brothers in the movie Rain Man.
Harvey rolled his eyes, and shook his head as if he was annoyed, but the smile on his face told the truth.
"Donna, make it impossible for the kid to take the elevator from now on, okay?" Harvey stated, then followed Mike up the stairwell.
AN: Just a little one-shot I had rolling around in my head. Hope you liked it! Reviews are greatly appreciated! Thanks for reading! :)