A.N! Just to confirm something a lot of people have been wondering! Dante is roughly a tiny bit younger than Harvey, but definitely older than Mike. So yeah. :) And just a quick question before we begin! Team Harvey or Team Dante? (That might spur some debate...just wondering, is all.)
(Frankly, I didn't expect Dante's character to get so...popular? lol, he was originally supposed to just be in that first chapter to make Mike look good and impress the senior partners and Jessica! So yeah, I didn't give it much thought when writing his character!)
So I'd like to know how many of you even like Dante? To those of you who don't, don't worry! Mike is all Harveys'! I can't picture Mike with anyone else that isn't Harvey, honestly! Dante is just a flirty friend (bromance FTW!)-because all the associates are douche-baggies and Mike needs a friend :o!
I do apologize to those of you who like Dante so much you want the three of em to end up together (I pictured it just now and it would be delectably awesome o.o) but I might write an alternate story (or something...?) wherein Harvey, Mike, and Dante possibly hook up(just for you guys ;D)?
But yeah, this story itself is JUST Harvey/Mike!
Anyway! My new beta! She's awesome! :D Hope you all enjoy this chapter! Sorry for the long wait.
Chapter Five.
Two days later Mike wished he could see what he looked like in the mirror.
That morning he'd gotten dressed, with Harvey's reluctant help, for work, had run his hands through his hair once or twice, hoping it looked somewhat normal and fumbled around the room for his shoes for a minute or two before Harvey had led him downstairs.
As Mike felt his way around for the handle of the car Ray stepped in and opened the door helping Mike in so that he didn't hit his head on the way. "Thanks Ray." Mike muttered, embarrassed that he couldn't even do that on his own. He felt Harvey sink into the seat next to his and relaxed slightly. "What do you expect me to do in the office?" Mike wondered out loud. "In case you haven't noticed I'm kind of blind in both eyes." he deadpanned.
Harvey glared at his associate, a habit instilled in him already, despite knowing the kid couldn't see a thing.
"Stop looking at me like that." Mike complained.
Harvey gawked. "What? I-how'd you-"
"I can feel your eyes burning holes into my skull." Mike grinned cheekily as Ray pulled up to the firm.
Mike had been let out of the hospital late last night with instructions to rest for two weeks to the stitches on his abdomen from the surgery heal. He'd also been required to wear a white bandage over his eyes and wrapped around his head to protect his unseeing irises until the inflammation went down and he could see again. "I bet I look like a mummy." Mike had whined to Harvey last night, when he'd dragged him to his condo. Mike wasn't allowed to be home alone unsupervised until his sight returned to him after all.
"C'mon Princess, we've got work to do." Harvey helped Mike out of the car and tugged on his sleeve, leading him up the stairs of the building carefully. Ray stood by the car for a moment longer than he usually did, biting his lip in worry, as he watched his boss handle the young associate.
"Careful with him Harvey." he muttered under his breath, before taking one finally glance at the pair and getting back into the limo.
To say that the bullpen got a little quiet upon his entrance was an understatement. Rumors on just how Mike gotten to his current state had spread like wild fire over the last two days, ever since the banquet, amongst the associates.
"They're staring." Mike sighed under his breath.
Harvey raised a brow. "Stop doing that."
"What?"
"That thing; you're creeping me out. You're blind. At least act like it." Harvey looked around; they were indeed staring.
As they approached Harvey's office Donna got up and out from behind her desk to plant a big hug on Mike, who startled a little, until he realized it was Donna. The familiarity of her scent was comforting. "Whoever did this to you is going to pay in blood." She feigned a saccharine smile for the onlookers, but only Harvey and Mike heard the underlying threat in her voice. "You poor thing you!" She went on, mother-henning the young associate; fixing his hair, straightening his tie, buttoning his suit jacket.
"Why did you bring him to the office? He should be at home, resting. Being nursed back to health!" She chastised Harvey. "He just went through surgery! I bet you feel like crap, don't you?" she addressed Mike, hugging him close to her chest as if he were an orphaned puppy. "And you," Donna went back to glaring daggers at her boss. "Be more considerate; if I hear one little complaint come out of Michael's mouth today, your ass is mine. Got that?" She pecked Mike's forehead before sitting back pristinely into her comfortable leather chair and getting to work, not paying one bit of attention to the two men she'd just left speechless.
Harvey quickly led Mike into his office, hoping not to spur Donna's wrath on himself-nobody wanted that-and sat him down on his couch. Mike swatted Harvey's hands away. "Eidetic memory, Harvey, I know where everything is; I can manage." He assured the older man. "So, what do you want me to do?"
"Learn to read braille?" Harvey jested, as he organized some papers on his desk.
"Already do." Mike replied, playing with one of the pillows on the couch. It probably had a higher thread count than his own sheets at home...
Harvey started. "You what? I was joking you know. I was going to have you do some consulting for some pro bono cases."
Mike shrugged. "I can read in braille if there's anything like that around here."
Harvey thought for a moment. "Yeah, there is. There's actually a small department in the building that deals with that. When did you learn to read in braille?"
"It was years ago. I'm multi-talented." Mike grinned. "You can close your mouth now; flies will get in."
Harvey rolled his eyes. "Wasn't open, Einstein."
"Yeah, okay." Mike smirked.
Two hours later Mike was settled into a new desk, in the department of translation. There were translators there for both foreign languages and sign language, as well, he was told by Harvey.
A lovely woman, in her late thirties, early forties, named Reina McCarthy, was a braille script translator. She introduced herself to Michael as soon as she heard there was a new temporary translator working alongside her. The two had hit it off immediately. "This is my eye dog, his name's Odis." She took Mike's hand and led it over to the top of the large canines head.
Mike had always loved dogs and relished the opportunity to be so close to one. The two conversed some more that first day and frankly didn't get any real work got done. "So I'm in the store with Odis here and my baby girl Layla, we're picking up the cake for her daddy's birthday, and the cashier, she takes out the cake, and very loudly and very slowly, she says, 'Do you want me to call someone for you?', and I'm a little taken aback, I'm thinking, I need someone with me to get a cake now?" Reina was saying, humor in her tone. Mike listened avidly, chuckling at her story.
"What'd you say?" he asked, curious, hand gently caressing the dog, its head on Mike's lap resting comfortably, while still keeping a keen eye on his beloved master as she revealed her tale.
"I took the cake, I show it to Layla and ask, 'Honest opinion, is it pretty?' She's a perfectionist, so the kid takes her time looking at the cake, finally, she replies 'Yeah Mommy, I think it's really pretty.' So I look back at the lady and I say, 'I've got all the help right here.' and the lady's just kind of nervous the rest of the time I'm paying, keeps talking to me like I can't hear or something."
"Didn't it drive you up a wall? The way she spoke to you?" Mike wondered out loud.
"Oh yeah, definitely, but you win some you lose some, ya' know? Some people just feel uncomfortable around the sightless; it's natural." She shrugged. "I've been blind all my life; it's really not that big a deal anymore. I've got a wonderful husband, a daughter I'd die for, a dog who'd die for me, and a good paying job at a huge law firm. If that's not living the life, tell me what is?" Reina smiled.
Mike smiled too. That really was the life. She was obviously happy, and Mike was glad that if anything came from this, it was that he'd gotten to meet Reina. He hadn't met anyone in the firm that was even remotely nice or liked him at all since the few months that he'd started working there, with the exception of Rachael-who was gone for the week. Donna was nice enough, but she was more Harvey's confidant than anything, and usually was too busy to pay much attention to him anyway.
Harvey was his boss; sure, they shared the occasional fist bump here and there and witty banter during cases, but Harvey didn't care about anyone, so he didn't count as a friend either. Louis...he didn't even need to get into specifics. Louis hated him as much as every other associate on the floor.
Outside of work he no longer had friends. Not any close ones, anyway. Trevor had been his best friend, Jenny a close second and he had never felt like a third wheel when the three hung out together. He missed that, having someone to call up to just talk or go out and get a few beers. It was depressing that the only contacts in his phone anymore consisted of work and his grandmothers' care center.
Today was a half day for Reina, who had received permission to take the rest of the day off to attend an important family event. She left right before lunch, hugging Mike goodbye warmly. "We'll talk more tomorrow, maybe get some actual work done?" she laughed. "I hope you get along fine here without me for today; I loved meeting you."
Mike smiled happily. "I'm sure I'll manage. It was great meeting you too Reina."
A few minutes after she and Odis were gone, though, Mike felt an odd emptiness settle in him, as he continued to diligently sort through files, typing down the words he was translating from the brail in the laptop on his desk.
Harvey sat at his large desk, not doing a single damn thing. Just staring at a blank screen on his computer, when a small box appeared on it with a shrill ding!
Big Red: Go!
Pro: Donna, IMing? Really? This is so high school.
Big Red: Which is why you have an account...
Pro: ...What do you want?
Big Red: I want you to go see how Mike is doing. I'm going crazy thinking about him. And I know you are, too. So GO!
Pro: I'm not going crazy thinking about Mike. I have better things to do. But I will go check on him. Only because it's lunchtime and the kid always skips lunch.
Big Red: Of course.
Pro: Really. I don't need a starved associate on my hands.
Big Red: Yeah. Okay. ;)
Pro: ...I have no words. A winky face? I'm going to go now.
Big Red: :)
As Harvey walked out of his office he tried not to let his assistant see the smirk on his face.
She grinned. "Oh, Harvey." Donna muttered, as she sipped on her latte.
The translation department room was rather empty by the time Harvey peeked his head in. A handful of people were still there, but they were all clearly getting ready to go to lunch, a couple tossing weary glances toward the 'new guy'. "Mike," Harvey tapped on his shoulder, to get his attention.
Mike looked up so fast Harvey was surprised the kid didn't snap his neck. "Harvey?"
"No, it's Houdini." He retorted. "Get up, it's time for a lunch break and Donna doesn't want you to starve on my watch."
Ten minutes later the two were sitting outside a small caffe across the street from Pearson Hardman. Mike was munching happily on his cheeseburger, while Harvey stared in disgusted fascination. "How does someone so skinny eat something so atrocious? That thing is the size of your head." He commented.
Mike rolled his eyes underneath the heavy bandaging. "Prissy," he said, mouth full, just to make a point.
"Gross." Harvey shook his head, taking a napkin from the dispenser, leaning over the table, and wiping the sauce from Mikes chin in one swipe. "This is why people think you're twelve, I swear. That and your clothes are always trying to swallow you whole. Donna keeps saying you've lost weight since you started working for me, I think she's right. You should eat more." Harvey ranted.
Mike grinned. "You care."
"Not even a little." was Harvey's' instant reply. "So how was your first day so far? Make any friends?" he mocked.
"I did, actually. This woman named Reina, she's blind and she has a dog named Odis." Mike told him enthusiastically. "How's the office without me? I bet you miss me."
"Again, not even a little." Harvey smirked. "It's so much quieter in there without you suddenly barging in and plopping your ass on my couch at random times of the day."
"I'll take that as a very long 'yes', then." Mike decided.
"I've been meaning to ask," Harvey digressed. "How is it that you know braille, again?"
Mike shrugged. "I learned it as a kid."
"I didn't ask when, I want to know why. Not many people learn to read braille unless it's a necessity, as far as I know."
"I was blind temporarily before this, too." Mike admitted, and Harvey was glad for the first time in two days his associate couldn't see, because it meant he couldn't see the look of shock on his face.
"When? How?"
"I was six, I was blinded for a couple of months after my parents accidents and everyone thought it was permanent, so I ended up learning to read braille." Mike explained, very to-the-point, head down, pretending to stare at the half-finished food on his plate despite the bandaging over his unseeing eyes.
Harvey sat there for a moment, letting it all sink in. Thinking how horrible it must have been to wake up two days ago and realize you were blind-it must have brought up memories of his prior run in with the disability. It was probably why he didn't freak out the way Harvey thought he should have; Mike had been through it before. And right after his parents had both died in that car accident too...
But Harvey wasn't sentimental. He didn't care about others. He didn't do emotions.
But damn if the kid didn't get to him sometimes.
"Want some ice cream?" Harvey asked abruptly. It was what had cheered him up as a kid. Although, Mike wasn't exactly a kid anymore-but he sure as hell looked it with those bandages wrapped over his eyes and around his head, and that too-big half-eaten cheeseburger on his plate.
Mike was left gaping for a minute. "What? Ice cream?"
"It's hot out. I thought you liked ice cream. Everyone does." Harvey said very matter of factly.
Mike smiled. "Except the lactose intolerant."
"Which you're not. And that last statement? Blatant lie. My last girlfriend was lactose intolerant and she loved the stuff." Harvey motioned the waiter over and ordered two vanilla milk-shakes after getting an approving nod from the blond man seated across from him.
Mike sipped on his vanilla milk shake through a crazy straw once it had arrived. It was like heaven was melting in his mouth, but for some reason, that last comment Harvey had made kept replaying in his head. My last girlfriend... You had to know someone a while to be able to reminisce about them the way Harvey just had, right? No one night fling just right off the bat admitted they were lactose intolerant to a random stranger they'd decided to sleep with. As he finished up his shake, he had to wonder why the hell it bothered him so much anyway.
Harvey's' personal life was of no matter to him, right? Even if he was staying at the guys condo until his vision had returned. Everything that had been going through his head relentlessly until then just kind of flew out the window when on their way back; Harvey held his hand in a very discrete fashion, right after Mike nearly tripped on the sidewalk.
He fell into step with his mentor, hands clasped together as they walked back to Pearson Hardman.
A.N. Reviewing would be nice! (so do it...click the review button...it doesn't bite...I hope.) Thanks for reading. :)