Sorry for the delay in posting, but there was absolutely no internet where I was until about an hour ago...But this one's a long chapter, so I hope it was worth the wait. Thanks again to all those who reviewed! I'm trying to get back to all of you, but as I said-no internet and such! Enjoy!
It had been almost three months since he'd acquired Oscar when Harvey finally saw Mike again.
He'd managed, for the most part, to forget about the pyschic, despite the images that flooded his brain every time he saw his dog. There were still the occasional awkward dreams of the kid, but he'd mostly managed to disperse those as well. And if anyone noticed that his most recent bed partners were anything but blonde-haired and blue-eyed, well, no one said anything, least of all Harvey himself.
Work had been especially trying the past few months, and Harvey had finally worked through a particularly large case load that ended with the firm getting over a million dollars in pay out. Considering that it had taken Harvey quite a bit of effort to win the case, Jessica seemed to take pity on him.
She had given him a pro bono assignment, which he hated, of course, but made it very clear that this would be a reprieve. And Harvey wasn't one to look a gift horse in the mouth; well, he was actually, but not when said gift horse was Jessica Pearson.
So he found himself calling and arranging a meeting with his newest client, the city zoo's tiger exhibit expert.
Friday came all too quickly, and Harvey arrived in a poor mood, having had to skip his morning coffee to get to the zoo before the rush. He was now waiting irritably in the vicinity of the tiger exhibit at the zoo café. Around him swarmed people of all shapes and sizes. Harvey resolved to never wear this suit again—it was definitely unclean after that woman (or man—Harvey wasn't quite sure) had bumped into him. God only knew what diseases these people carried on them. Not to mention all the animals.
"Harvey Specter?" said a voice that was laced with false cheeriness. Harvey could hear the depression and anxiety beneath it. He turned to find a young zoo worker wearing the uniform T-shirt and khaki pants.
"Jason Pullman, I presume?" he asked, attempting to sound polite and inviting. He'd thought he would be older.
Jason nodded nervously and they shook hands, Harvey wishing he'd brought that bottle of hand sanitizer from Donna's stash.
"Thanks so much for coming. Makena and I are really grateful."
"Makena?" Harvey asked confusedly. He certainly would have remembered that name being in the case file.
"Oh, that's our tiger's name. It means happiness, apparently."
Harvey resisted the urge to roll his eyes at this whole thing. For some reason, a stray thought of blue eyes made him feel guilty for wanting to. Instead, he said, "Why don't you tell me the current problem and show me the exhibit?"
Jason nodded and led Harvey in what he hoped was the direction of the tiger exhibit. "Right. Well, the investor who's funding the exhibit is threatening to pull their funding. We have a contract with them that says they can't, but they're claiming it's not valid since Makena has been sick lately, and the contract only holds if the tiger featured isn't in danger of dying."
"Is it in danger of dying?"
Jason shook his head roughly. "No! She'd been sick for a bit, but then she got better. Except…well, she hasn't been eating lately. No one can figure out why, and someone's been spreading rumors all yesterday that we have plans to put Makena to sleep! Those rumors aren't true! We'd never do something like that!"
"Not to mention it's illegal," Harvey added. Tigers were protected by the Endangered Species Act. "Your investor is probably trying to cause trouble in the hopes that you won't be able to prevent him from pulling his funding. Don't worry, it won't seriously affect your case now that you have me."
Jason threw Harvey a strange look of awe and suspicion. "Well, I'm glad you're here then. But if it doesn't affect the legal aspect, it does hurt the zoo. Today we've gotten dozens of protestors standing outside the exhibit, shouting about how we're mistreating our animals! The bad press alone is enough to put the zoo in trouble with its other investors! We've already gotten threats about the polar bear exhibit."
"I'll have someone take care of it," Harvey promised.
Jason sighed in relief. "Thank you, Mr. Specter. But, until you do, please ignore the swarm of PETA supporters wreaking havoc up ahead."
Harvey decided he liked this Jason Pullman fellow and realized that the man's warnings weren't unfounded as they neared the tiger area.
There were hoards of people shouting and passing out papers, accosting innocent zoo visitors, and waving signs. He wondered why security hadn't handled them yet.
"We're a little short staffed right now, what with the economy and all," Jason explained, and Harvey began to notice two security guards attempting to confiscate the signs of the protestors. They looked like they had their hands full.
"Here's the exhibit," Jason said, pointing at what looked like a very impressive display of a large grassy area and pond, removed from their level by a moat and a large drop, and with a very large, very orange Malayan tiger. She looked tired and was simply lying lazily in the sun.
"Looks like a nice set-up, as far as zoos go," Harvey offered politely. Though he certainly wouldn't want to be confined to such a small area with people gawking at him all day. He avoided drawing the conclusion that his office equated to just such an area with its glass walls that allowed the jealous junior partners and associates to gaze in on him in awe.
"Yeah, but I'm worried about her," Jason said, nervously leaning over the exhibit wall as he peered down at the tiger. "She hasn't moved all day. And her food is still just sitting there. Why won't she eat anything?"
Harvey noticed a large slab of meat sitting in what looked like a large plastic dish off to the side. It was indeed untouched and the tiger didn't even look interested.
Harvey stumbled forward as he was rudely shoved by someone walking past them. He noticed it was one of the protestors who was now starting up a chant about saving the animals, and he involuntarily scanned the growing crowd behind them.
His eyes slid past a group of people who looked like they were simply trying to see past the nut jobs to get a look at the tiger, when Harvey thought he saw a familiar face. He forced his gaze to return to that spot and found himself looking at a completely uncomfortable-looking Mike.
He wasn't aware of what he was doing until he'd already gotten a firm grasp around Mike's wrist and had tugged him over to their spot by the exhibit railing.
"Mr. Specter?" Mike asked in disbelief. Harvey noticed the kid's eyes were squinting in pain, like he had a headache, and he looked somewhat sweaty and pale. He hoped the kid wasn't contagious.
"Friend of yours?" Jason asked disinterestedly as he continued to peer down worriedly at the tiger.
"Sort of," Harvey said, as Mike harshly said, "No."
Jason turned to look at them in confusion.
"He's an animal psychic," Harvey offered.
Mike snorted. "Oh please, since when did you believe that?"
"I never said I did. I was simply stating your…'profession'."
"You know, I can hear the quotes around that," Mike glared at Harvey and turned to leave, but Harvey snagged his wrist again, and this time he didn't let go.
Jason was giving Mike a skeptical look. "Well, we don't really invest in that sort of hocus pocus. No offense, sir."
"He's good with cats," Harvey said hastily.
Mike gave him a surprised and wary look.
Jason sighed. "Very well, why not? What's the worst that could happen? Oh right, I'd get fired."
Harvey raised his eyebrow at Jason. "I'll represent you in court if it comes to that."
"I need to be closer," Mike interrupted impatiently. "And since I doubt that's possible, I'll just be on my way." He attempted to slip from Harvey's grasp, but failed to do more than twist his wrist into a painful muscle cramp. Harvey dug his fingers in and looked expectantly at Jason.
"Oh fine! Geez! Follow me," the man said and led them to the rear of the exhibit and beyond the 'Employees Only' sign.
They were still behind the bars and a fence, but they were only ten feet from where Makena was lying.
"Okay, make it quick. I really could get fired for this," Jason urged them.
Mike shook his hand angrily from Harvey's grip and turned to stare at the tiger.
"Hey, Makena. What's up?" Mike said, as though he was talking to an old friend. Harvey rolled his eyes and Jason stared worriedly at the both of them. "I know, I'm sorry I haven't been to see you lately. You know how it is here for me." There was a pause and Mike tilted his head like he was listening intently. "Really," he said, concern lingering in his voice.
"He's talking to himself," Jason whispered irritated to Harvey.
"He does that," Harvey supplied. "He did fix my cat, though."
"You don't strike me as the type to believe in these kinds of things, Mr. Specter."
"I don't," Harvey stated matter-of-factly. "But whether or not he actually spoke with Stuart, he still got him to behave. Good enough for me."
Jason gave a shrug and they resumed listening to Mike's one-sided conversation.
Harvey found himself staring at the way Mike's jeans seemed to hang perfectly off his lithe form. He resisted actually staring at his ass, but he did notice the way Mike was shaking slightly. He looked absolutely terrible, like he had the flu or something.
"I know how you feel, but trust me, it won't fix anything." Another brief pause. "I know from experience, Makena. You trust me, right?"
Harvey and Jason shared an eyeroll.
"Then if you really do, you'll take my advice. C'mon, I know you're hungry."
Makena, who hadn't moved a muscle since this entire conversation had started, now swung her head over to stare at the untouched meat. Harvey saw Jason frown in disbelief and surprise as he worked out how that had to be a coincidence. It still amazed Harvey the tricks this kid seemed able to pull.
But all three of them—Harvey, Jason, and the tiger—were startled from their thoughts by Mike's knees hitting the cement with a sickening smack. The kid was gripping the bars of the gate and breathing heavily, but he was still staring intently at the tiger. Makena had not only shifted her gaze to rest on Mike, but she was now standing, Harvey noticed in awe.
He took a step towards the partially collapsed man as Jason went off to fetch help or a first aid kit, or water. Harvey wasn't sure. All he cared about was that Mike didn't look good, and since he preferred to see the kid's good looks, this was unacceptable.
But Mike waved a hand back at Harvey, halting his step towards the psychic.
"I don't have much longer, girl. Please? For me?"
And Harvey witnessed the tiger stare at Mike for a second more before walking over to the dish and munching on the meat there. He turned to see a gaping Jason watching the scene next to him, water bottle and damp towel in his hand.
"How did…" he trailed off.
"Told you he's good with cats," Harvey said, proud for a reason he couldn't fathom. It wasn't like Mike in any way reflected Harvey. He wasn't even associated with him in the slightest. But Harvey couldn't help the emotions swirling inside him as he looked at Mike's work. After so long without the kid, he was finding it even harder to not think of the possibilities.
Mike hung his head against the bars, making them ring out as his skull hit the metal. Jason shook himself and handed Mike the water bottle.
But Mike didn't move. Harvey snatched the towel and bottle and knelt down beside Mike.
The kid had his eyes closed, scrunched tightly in pain, and he didn't move when Harvey placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Mike?" he called softly.
Mike's eyes snapped open and he stared into Harvey's for what felt like forever before ripping the water bottle from Harvey's hands.
He struggled to his feet after a few sips of the cool beverage and Harvey sneaked the towel around Mike's neck. The shudder it caused sent shivers through Harvey and he bit back the sudden urge to further familiarize himself with Mike's neck. His mouth was suddenly very dry.
"Thanks, um. I think she'll eat from now on. She's just lonely. She says she's worried that you and Holly don't care about her anymore because she never sees you," Mike muttered, shrugging from Harvey's reach.
Jason gaped for a minute. "Holly? That's because…How did you…?"
Mike gave a little smile and then proceeded to make his way towards the exit.
"I'll call you with updates on your case, Mr. Pullman. Thanks for meeting me on such short notice," Harvey said, quickly shaking a dazed Jason's hand and then following Mike out of the area.
He caught up to the kid at the flamingo pen.
"Mike," he called, turning the kid around with a hand on the shoulder.
Mike looked utterly exhausted, like he was going to pass out any second. "I…I don't have time or energy enough to argue with you today, Mr. Specter. That's three times now I did something for you without being paid, and I really can't afford to be in here any longer." With that he turned to leave.
Harvey grabbed his wrist and gave a gentle tug. Mike stumbled, but stayed standing.
"I kept the damned dog," Harvey muttered in the desperate hope it would keep Mike still for more than a second.
Mike stared disbelievingly at Harvey. "You're lying."
Harvey shook his head. "Stuart liked him too much."
Mike stared a few seconds more before pulling the corners of his enticing mouth up into a small smile.
Harvey smiled back and for a second it was perfect.
Until Mike winced in pain and threw his hands up to his head, stumbling a few steps.
"I'm fine," he said as Harvey tried to steady him.
Harvey snorted. "Yeah, right. I don't have to be a fake psychic to tell you're lying, kid. You're terrible at it."
Mike pushed angrily at Harvey in the hopes of fending him off, Harvey assumed. "I just…I need to get out of here. I can't take any more," he pleaded, and Harvey realized that Mike wasn't trying to shove him away, but trying to find a handhold amongst Harvey's three-piece suit.
"Okay, kid. Let's go," he said, throwing an arm around Mike's shoulders and herding them out into the zoo parking lot.
"We're out," Harvey announced.
Mike mumbled something incoherent, and Harvey shook him a little, asked him to repeat it. "W'na sit."
Harvey smiled down at Mike in concern and affection. He hailed his waiting car and gently lowered Mike into the backseat. He tried to ignore the bubbly feeling welling up inside him as the blonde laid his head on Harvey's shoulder as they drove off.