Constricted
Prompt for: Meanruxi: Mike and Harvey fight. Mike becomes stressed with the fight and it causes an asthma attack and Harvey doesn't know his condition.
Something wasn't right. He had to be sick, but he didn't feel sick; he was just having a really difficult time breathing. Mike coughed into his arms as he stepped into the elevator. By the time he finished, he was breathless; he had woken up sweating, chest tight, throat scratchy and raw and his lungs feeling like a snake was slowly squeezing the air out of them. He wished he could've stayed home, but he knew if he called out or complained, Harvey would lecture him about getting his shit together. He dumped Tess, dumped the weed, cleaned up his act, what more did the guy want from him? His Grammy had died less than a month ago, he had a right to act out a bit. But clearly Harvey didn't care…clearly, he wasn't done berating him, because after coming back from a failed deposition, he let it rip.
"What happened to getting your shit together?" Harvey snapped as they walked into his office. "I knew I should've just left you here, you've been useless to me for the last two weeks."
"Harvey, I'm sorry! They blindsided us!"
"Not us. You, because you fucked up yet again. Your life is a mess; no matter how many times I tell you to clean your act up, the words go in ear and out the other. Maybe I should just cut my losses."
Mike frowned. "What's that supposed to mean?" His heart was racing, and he could feel his breathing start to pick up.
"Meaning I should've fired you when Jessica told me to. Just because your grandmother died, doesn't mean you get a free pass. Everybody dies Mike, you're not special!"
Mike felt like he was punched in the gut as he clenched his jaw, chest heaving and becoming strangely tight. He couldn't believe Harvey just said that to him. He would've thought him out of anyone here would know what it's like to lose someone close. God, why couldn't he breathe? Maybe because he was pissed beyond words.
"Fuck you," he managed to say before storming out and making his way to the bathroom.
The second those words came out of his mouth, seeing the hurt and anger in Mike's eyes, Harvey regretted it. "Shit."
Mike burst into the thankfully empty bathroom, loosening his tie and stumbling over his own two feet. He couldn't breathe, why couldn't he breathe? He coughed and wheezed, his lungs beginning to burn. Was this an asthma attack? No, it couldn't be, he hadn't had one for years. Why was this coming up now?
"Oh god," he choked, hunching over the sink and trying to get his breathing under control. Mike squeezed his eyes shut when his vision began to blur, tears dripping down his hot face. When he opened them again, he caught sight of himself in the mirror. His face was pale and sweaty, cheeks flushed while his lips were turning blue. He was suffocating, even ripping open the top of his shirt did nothing to help. Mike gasped frantically; his inhaler was buried somewhere in his bag…or maybe in his desk…or maybe at home? Fuck. Wherever it was, he knew he wouldn't be able to make it in time. His limbs didn't seem to want to work anyways. He was going to die alone in a law firm bathroom with no one knowing and Harvey hating him. Please god let someone come in.
~+S+~
Five minutes after Mike left, Harvey was loathing himself even more. Why the hell did he say those things? Especially the part about his grandmother; that was low and really unnecessary. Stupid. He wasn't one to say sorry, but Mike deserved it after all the shit he's been through recently. And he hasn't exactly been making it better. Harvey stopped pacing and walked out of his office. Where to look fir-
"Bathroom," Donna said without looking up. "And it better be a damn good apology."
Harvey didn't say a word, only nodding and heading in the direction of his destination. How was he going to do this? He hated apologizing; he was never any good at it. Just say sorry; buy him dinner or drinks. It'll be simple…hopefully. When he got to the door, Harvey took a deep breath and pushed it open. Here goes nothing.
"Mike-" but that's all he was able to get out, because the second he stepped in, he heard a weird noise and upon rounding the corner, he found the blonde bent over the sink, knuckles white as he gripped the counter. His tie was on the floor, his shirt unbuttoned halfway, and he was coughing and gasping. Harvey's heart dropped to the ground in fear. What the hell was going on? Panic attack? Vomiting? Choking? Crying? Well, he wasn't going to get answers just standing here.
"Mike, what's wrong?"
The younger man turned to him, utter terror in his eyes and blue tinge to his lips. He wasn't getting oxygen.
"H-Har…" was the only thing Mike could wheeze out.
Harvey stepped forward and placed his hands on his associate's shoulders. "Talk to me, kid, tell me what's…oh shit."
Mike's legs began to fold underneath him and Harvey managed to quickly grab one arm and wrap his own around the kid's back so they could carefully go down to the floor together. "Mike! Dammit." He propped the man against the wall and pat his cheek as his eyes started fluttering. "Mike, stay with me. What's wrong." Tell me, please. He hated feeling so goddamn helpless.
The blonde just gasped, but weakly pointed to his throat.
"Are you choking?"
Mike shook his head and Harvey swore. What the hell was going on?
"A-A…" Mike managed to gasp out.
Harvey frowned. Allergies? Allergic reaction? Wait…a lightbulb suddenly went off in his brain. He knew what this was; one of his best friend's in college had it.
"Asthma? Are you having an asthma attack?"
Mike nodded, his wheezing becoming more pronounced. But at least Harvey had an answer…since when did the kid have asthma? And why hadn't he said anything to him?
"Alright, where's your inhaler?" The lawyer asked frantically.
Mike only responded with a choked gasp, eyes closing slowly.
"No!" Harvey grabbed the blonde's shoulders and shook him roughly. "Hey, don't do that. Where is it, Mike. Come on stay with me." He still got no response. "Fuck." Mike was barely conscious; how long had been like this? He just left his office less than five minutes ago. The man began to slump against the wall and Harvey knew he didn't have much time. He quickly called 911, giving them his location before hanging up and calling Donna. Mike's inhaler had to be around here somewhere. The kid wasn't that stupid…right?
"Donna!" He shouted before the woman could speak. "I need you to go to Mike's desk and find his inhaler…now!"
"Inhaler? What-"
He didn't have time for this. "He's having an asthma attack and…he can't breathe. I need you to find that inhaler and bring it to the bathroom. And hurry…please." He ended the call and brought his attention back to his associate. "Come on, Mike, come on." He cupped the man's cheek, stroking it with his thumb. "Stay with me."
The blonde's eyelids suddenly peeled open, eyes dull and glassy. He stared at Harvey listlessly, struggling to take in oxygen.
"Mike?" This was really scaring him.
Then his eyes shut once more, and his chest stopped moving…he stopped breathing. Harvey's blood ran cold. "Mike. No…no, no, no. Mike!" He slapped the associate's cheek before his head leaned into Harvey's palm. "Mike, don't you dare do this to me." He felt for a pulse; it was weak and sluggish…he was dying. Mike was dying and the last thing he said to him was that he wasn't special because his grandmother died and that he should've fired him. God, where the hell was Donna with that-
"I'm here!" The woman's voice echoed in the linoleum room.
Finally. "Please tell me you have-"
"I couldn't find his, but Harold had one, thankfully." She passed him the device. "Oh my god, how did this happen?" She sniffed.
Harvey just shook his head. "Help me sit him up."
They got the blonde somewhat upright before Harvey snaked his arm around Mike's back, holding him tight. Donna held the younger man's jaw to keep his head straight in order for Harvey to shove the mouthpiece past Mike's dark blue lips and behind his teeth. Seeing the guy so limp…so unresponsive…it made Harvey sick to his stomach. After administering two puffs of the medicated air, the two waited for something to happen…but nothing did.
"Why isn't it working?" Harvey muttered, beginning to panic. Was he too late? "Come on, Mike." He did another two puffs. Still nothing. "Donna-"
"You called 911, right?" The woman said shakily.
"Yeah…fuck." What if he's-
Suddenly, Mike's body jerked, and he took in a huge gulp of air. His eyes wet and wide with fear and some color was starting to come back.
"Holy shit! Mike! It's okay, you're okay." Harvey sat him up and rubbed his back as he tried to desperately take in all the oxygen he lost.
"Breathe kid, breathe. Just relax. In and out." He could feel the blonde's hand tightly grip his arm, nails digging into his skin, but he didn't care. Mike was alive. "In and out."
"I'm gonna go see if the medics are here yet," Donna said, wiping the tears from her eyes. She brushed Mike's hair from his face before getting up and leaving the room. Harvey kept coaching Mike on breathing, letting the man sink against his chest. "There you go, just in and out. Jesus you scared the hell out of me." He glanced down and saw Mike looking up at him before his eyes rolled to the back of his head. Before Harvey could say anything, the medics burst in and took control. Time seemed to go by in a blur as he and Donna watched from the corner. Before they knew it, Mike was being loaded onto a gurney, an oxygen mask strapped over his face and rolled out. Harvey washed a hand down his face and sighed. Fuck.
7:15pm
Mike was staying overnight for observation and to make sure there wouldn't be another attack, but the doctor was confident he would be fine; just extremely exhausted and sore. The kid was still sleeping when Harvey and Donna were able to visit him, and his doctor said he might be that way all night. Harvey was fine with that though; he figured Mike would still hate him for what he said, but at least he could sit there for the next two hours and punish himself for being an asshole.
"Here," Donna said, passing Harvey a cup of coffee.
"Thanks."
"Still sleeping? Has he woken up at all?"
"No…god, if he doesn't curse me out when he sees me after what I said…"
"Will you blame him?"
Harvey ran his fingers through his hair. "No. He has every right to be pissed. What I said was uncalled for…especially the part about…Jesus. If he forgives me before the week ends, it'll be a miracle."
"He'll forgive you, Harvey. It'll take some time, but he will. You're the only family he has left…well, we are, but he thinks of you as a brother and he's still struggling. Remember how long it took you to get over your dad's death? His entire family is gone, Harvey, do you realize that? You have Marcus and as much as you hate her, your mother. He needs you so don't fuck it up."
Harvey pressed his lips together and nodded. When she put it like that, he really felt like shit. God dammit it; what kind of friend was he?
~+SUITS+~
Harvey knocked on Mike's apartment door the following night, hoping the kid would talk to him. The associate had been discharged this morning after being given the all clear, but he remembered everything and was still pretty upset by what Harvey had said to him. Sure, the older lawyer had saved his life, but maybe it wouldn't have needed saving if he hadn't worked the kid up. Donna ended up bringing Mike home, who was extremely sore and exhausted. She relayed to him that the blonde had fallen asleep the second he got into bed. That was seven hours ago; hopefully it was enough time to give the kid some space. After a few moments, the door finally opened and Mike- a pale, sleepy with bedhead and pillow creases version of Mike- stared back at him.
"Um, hey sorry did I wake you?"
Mike shook his head, rubbing his face. "No. I had gotten up to go to the bathroom when you knocked."
Harvey grimaced inwardly. The blonde's voice was rough, and it sounded painful. He rubbed the back of his neck. "Can I come in?"
Mike looked at him warily before nodding and letting the older lawyer come in. He turned on the light before taking a seat at the small table, Harvey still standing. They stayed in awkward silence until Mike cleared his throat.
"Do you want something to drink?"
Harvey smirked. "I should be asking you that. Your voice…"
Mike shrugged. "It's nothing. You should've seen me after my first asthma attack."
Harvey chuckled, but he didn't even want to imagine. Last night had been bad enough. He shoved his hands in his pockets before sitting on the arm of the couch across from Mike.
"Listen, kid, I, uh…I'm sorry. What I said about you…and your grandmother, it was low. It was the stupidest thing that came out of my mouth. The second it did, I hated myself. None of it was true; even if I was angry, I never should've said that. I knew you were having a hard time because of your grandmother dying. I hope you can forgive me."
Mike remained silent and Harvey continued. "But I'm also a little annoyed…well really annoyed that you didn't tell me that you had asthma in the first place."
The blonde sighed. "I'm sorry I…I haven't had one in three years. It was probably the worst one I've had since my first. I don't even use my inhaler that much, only sometimes when I get anxiety after riding in heavy traffic. I'm sorry I didn't say anything."
Harvey sighed. "I would say it's okay, but you scared the hell out of me, kid. I felt so helpless…I hated not knowing what was going on. When I saw you in the bathroom…I was terrified. You could've died…had I not followed you…I don't even want to think about it. It was bad enough Donna couldn't find your inhaler. From now on, you're always gonna have one on you and an extra one at your desk, no exceptions."
Mike rolled his eyes but smiled. "Nice to know you care." Then he frowned. "Wait, you said you couldn't find my inhaler, I must've left it here, but how-"
"Harold's."
Mike groaned. "Great."
"Yeah, real great, because if he didn't have one, you'd be dead. So, I hope you get him a gift basket or something."
"And what about you?"
"What do you mean?"
"Harvey…you saved my life. Like I said, I remember everything. It's hazy, but I remember seeing you come into the bathroom…asking me questions and then everything went black for a bit. Next thing I know, you're trying to help me breathe. I can only assume that it was you. You're right, if you hadn't followed me…" he shuddered, not wanting to think about it. "Thank you."
Harvey pressed his lips together and smirked before he got up and pat Mike's shoulder. "You're welcome, kid. So, how are you feeling?"
"A little better. Still kind of tired though. I forgot how much these attacks suck all the energy out of you." He rubbed his eyes and yawned. "Not to mention it feels like someone took sandpaper to my lungs."
Harvey sighed. "Well, take as long as you need to recover, kid. I bet overworking yourself and stress contributed to your flare-up. I'm sorry I didn't see until it was too late." He now realized Mike had barely had any down time. From his grandmother dying, to getting beat up, to getting blackmailed by Jessica and fired by him and then spending two weeks trying to gain his trust back, when did the kid take time for himself?
The blonde smiled tiredly. "It's okay, it's over now."
The older lawyer squeezed the side of Mike's neck before walking towards the door. "If you're feeling up to it tomorrow, I can come by with some breakfast. I doubt you have anything edible in that fridge of yours."
Mike snorted and got up from the chair, walking into his room. "Good night, Harvey."
Harvey grinned before opening the door. "Night, kid." Once he stepped out into the hallway, a ten-pound weight lifted from his chest and he could finally breathe. And he wasn't going to tell Mike, but he planned on getting an inhaler to put in his own desk just in case. There was no way he was going to let himself be unprepared again. Not when it involved Mike.
End.
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