Written for a prompt on Suits_meme over on LJ. This one asked for Mike to be the piano man at a restaurant, and Mike being friends with most of the Pearson-Hardmen crew. Except for Harvey. How does Harvey woo Mike?
All of the songs mentioned are real. Several of them are also very beautiful. I have deviated from the prompt slightly, by allowing Mike to play more than just the piano. Feel free to look up the songs and to offer suggestions.
"I don't believe this." Louis Litt stared at the front of the beautiful restaurant suspiciously, before glaring at the man standing next to him. The building was classy but not the usual stuffy place Harvey tended to visit. A sign, proclaiming the place, Moretti's in gilded letters hung just above the door."Harvey, just what do you have up your sleeve this time?"
For his part, Harvey Specter just rolled his eyes. "Believe me, Louis. Just this once I have nothing planned to humiliate you. Jessica insisted that you celebrate your promotion to senior partner and I know that you weren't going to. So we are going to eat dinner at this amazing restaurant and then tomorrow I will go back to making fun of you."
"If that was supposed to be comforting..." Louis half growled but paused mid-sentence. Strains of music could just be heard as a couple opened the door to leave the establishment. It was a piano, the tune Mozart's Piano Concerto 23. Possibly the only piece of music that both Harvey and Louis agreed upon. It was softly played, the tune soothing to both of the overworked men.
"There wasn't a piano player last time I was here..." Harvey spoke softly as he passed his co-worker to open the door. Harvey adored music, and perfectly played classics were his weakness. Perhaps, this night wouldn't be a complete waste after all.
The inside of the restaurant was stunning, as befitting it's high end patrons. There was a candle in the center of each table, a rich red, that perfectly matched the tablecloths and the fabric on the chairs. The walls were cream and adorned with scenic paintings. The music came from a piano that was tucked away in the very back of the restaurant, enough to keep it from standing out but that allowed the music to fill the room. There were sconces on the walls, dimmed low enough to give the room a cozy atmosphere.
Louis, who after a moment of surprise at the place, glanced at Harvey. "When did you say you came here? I don't remember hearing about this restaurant."
Masking a frown at having to focus on Louis rather than the beautiful melody, Harvey shrugged. "It's new, I met a client here last week for lunch. The food is pretty good."
The host, a stiff looking man in a dark green collared shirt greeted both lawyers formally. "Good evening sirs. Do you have a reservation?" He opened a thin black book, looking from one to the other expectantly.
"Yes, table for Specter." Harvey replied.
"Ah, yes. Right this way please?" He made a note in the book before closing it sharply and leading them to a table near the back of the restaurant. "Your waiter will be with you in a moment." The host bowed politely before heading back to his post near the door.
"I have to admit, Harvey, this is rather nice." Louis still sounded suspicious, occasionally glancing toward the piano, studying the blond man that was seated there.
Harvey made a noncommittal noise, his eyes also on the young man that was making the piano sound so wonderful. He was younger than Harvey, thin and dressed in the same dark shirt and pants that the host was. A pair of thin wire glasses framed blue eyes that seemed huge in the dim light. His eyes were on the keys, keeping most of his face in shadow, but already he had Harvey's attention. Musical talent, glasses and blue eyes? The young man could have practically walked right out of Harvey's fantasies.
Louis again distracted Harvey from his musing on the pianist, by standing and walking over to the man as he finished the song. "Is that the only song you know?" His tone was the same as usual, abrupt, and demanding. It made Harvey roll his eyes.
Finally, the young man looked up, his face attractive and fresh, his expression open. "No sir. Do you have a request?" Contrary to Louis's tone, the pianist's was soft, a tenor, and held a hint of amusement.
"Do you know Beethoven's Sonata #1? Or Chopin's Fantasie Impromptu?" Louis scowled, because that was what was most familiar to him. "Something exceptionally lovely, like the Moonlight Sonata?"
A soft chuckle was all the warning the short man received before the blond man placed his hands on the keys again, pausing for just a moment. Then the bright strains of Sonata #1 sounded, light and cheerful. The pianist's long fingers fairly dancing over the keys, before he switched mid-song and smoothly to Louis' second request. The second song the opening notes held power, and the subsequent notes were delivered with a speed and precision that left Louis' mouth open slightly. The pianist smiled slightly, taking Harvey's breath away for multiple reasons as he switched songs again. Louis' final request, was probably Harvey's favorite song to hear on a piano. The song started low, building so slowly that it never failed to captivate. Unfortunately, the young man only played a portion of the song, the same as the others, before looking up at Louis.
Surprisingly, the short man smiled. "Impressive. I haven't met many people that know Fantasie Impromptu."
"Believe it or not sir, it was my teacher's favorite."
"Your name?" Louis wasn't known for his social skills, and he clarified when the blond raised an eyebrow. "I make it a point to shake hands with people such as yourself."
Harvey suppressed the urge to laugh. He'd heard that tone from the older man before, when he was trying to woo a client or on the occasional attempt to lure Donna from Harvey's side.
"Mike Ross. Now, what can I play for you?" The smile he directed toward Louis was friendly, apparently having enjoyed the musical challenge. For some reason, that bothered Harvey. He didn't want this musical genius, Mike, being too friendly with someone like Louis.
Despite the fact that the dinner with Louis went far better than anyone could have imagined, in spite of the lovely music that Mike played the entire time, Harvey was still dissatisfied. Thanks to Louis, spending a large amount of time quizzing the young man on various musical pieces, Harvey didn't even have the chance to introduce himself to Mike. It wasn't until he was back at his condo and sipping a bit of scotch, a frown playing at his mouth that Harvey realized he was being very petty. The night had been in celebration of Louis' promotion, it was only right that the annoying man got to enjoy himself. Plus, Harvey reasoned, Jessica would be happy that he had exceeded her expectation. Harvey would just have to make another excuse to visit the restaurant, perhaps take Jessica or Donna there.
Satisfied that he had the beginning of a plan to officially meet the man that could convey so much with his playing, Harvey finished his drink and let his dark mood dissipate along with it.
Fate is a fickle thing and Harvey ended up meeting the pianist in a way that he never expected and wished desperately that he could erase from Mike's mind. In the end, it was Jessica that ruined his chances. She dropped a pro-bono case in his lap with instructions to handle it gently. Harvey hated pro-bono cases. Not because they were free but because often they weren't as difficult as the high profile ones, and Harvey relished a challenge.
Which was why he was standing in a dull hallway, being told by a very irate nurse that he wasn't allowed to visit any of the patrons unless he was family. Harvey hated nursing homes. He felt that it was quite possibly the cruelest thing that could be done to a human being, and the fact that this one wasn't giving some of the people the proper care only reaffirmed his belief.
"Listen." Harvey interrupted testily. "I am here to meet with a man named Steven Pirtin. I have a paper signed by his daughter. There is no reason for you to refuse my visit."
"The staff doctor says otherwise. It is our policy to limit visitors due to the delicate nature of the patients." The nurse countered rudely.
"Your policy is a mess and your place isn't much better. I'm not at all surprised that someone is suing you over it. What kind of person would willingly put their relatives in a place like this." Harvey wasn't in the mood to be polite anymore.
"Probably, the kind of people that can't afford anywhere else." The new voice was familiar and came from directly behind Harvey. The lawyer turned and stared directly into wide blue eyes. It only took a minute to recognize the musician from the restaurant, but it was still enough time for the man to continue speaking. "Also, if you are going to cause a scene in the hallway, you should talk louder, not everyone can hear you and they don't get enough entertainment here." The pianist, Mike, crossed his arms, raising an eyebrow at the nurse.
"He was just leaving, Mr. Ross." The nurse again tried to shoo Harvey away and again the lawyer didn't budge.
"I'm not leaving until you let me speak to my client. If you continue to try and block me, then I will have you arrested." Harvey snapped over his shoulder, too surprised to look away from Mike. Even in jeans and a loose long sleeve shirt, Mike drew attention. Harvey was doing his best to ignore the glare that was behind the glasses. The other thing that drew the lawyer's notice was his height, Mike stood level with him, even if he was thinner than Harvey was.
"Good luck with that." Mike's tone was cool. "Lauren? Is Gram awake?" He ignored Harvey as he stepped around him to look at the nurse.
"She should be, I know she was in the game room playing cards earlier."
"Good thing, I stocked up on nickels. I won't have any when I leave." Mike smiled at the nurse, a wide friendly expression that made his eyes light up behind his wire frames. He waved lightly at the nurse before sliding around Harvey again and walking casually down the hallway.
Harvey sucked in a shaky breath and glared at the nurse again. In his mind, it was her fault that he had inadvertently insulted the beautiful musician. Harvey paused and took a different approach. "Say...nurse?" He began in his best flirting tone.
When Harvey finally got to see his client, he found himself in the presence of one of the few people that he automatically respected. Steven Pirtin was a World War II veteran and that alone made his deserving of all of Harvey's complete attention. Normally, Harvey found clients boring when they made obligatory small talk before business was discussed. But the stories that Steven entertained Harvey with were fascinating and the lawyer was actually disappointed when the time came to discuss the case.
According to Mr. Pirtin, there were forty people in the nursing home and only half of them actually received the full care that they deserved. Those were the people that had regular visitors, people that cared enough to check on their loved ones. The others, who either had no family or were estranged from them, were treated little better than chattel. After getting all of the necessary information and sincerely wishing Mr. Pirtin a good day, Harvey took a moment to scan the large meeting room for another glimpse of Mike, but was denied a chance to make amends. The thought of ending his first meeting with Mike on such a sour note, Harvey pulled his phone from his pocket.
"Hello! Pearson-Hardman law firm, Harvey Specter's office. How can I help you?" The cheerful voice made Harvey shake his head.
"Donna, I need a reservation for two tonight at Moretti's, say eight?"
"Not a problem. If you give me the address, I'll have Ray pick up your date for you."
"I'm pretty sure Ray knows where you live Donna." Harvey stated blandly.
"Oooh, I get to go to the restaurant that Louis has been talking about all day? What's the occasion, boss?" Donna sounded excited, which Harvey knew was because she loved going to fancy places.
"Do I need a reason to take my fantastic secretary out for dinner?"
"Okay, now I know something is up. I'll figure it out, don't think that I won't. If you're taking me, then you better not be late."
Harvey shook his head as his secretary hung up on him. He'd take Donna to the restaurant and then he could work on getting in Mike's good graces.