Author's Note: I promised two, right? Well. I'm awesome, and you get them. I still have no idea how long this story is going to be, but um, potentially a lot longer than anybody guessed. Even me. This was supposed to be a oneshot, you guys. What am I doing? Tell me I'm not totally insane, please.
Harvey did see Mike on Monday morning, for about two minutes when Mike came in to inform him that Louis had requested (really, requested?) help on a case, and Mike wanted to help, and would Harvey be okay with that?
Well of course Harvey was okay with that, if Louis was desperate enough to actually going around requesting things. And, yes, Michael, Harvey does know how to function without an associate, he did it for years remember?
Harvey functioned fine. He went to meetings, and wrote emails, and generally intimidated the life out of people until they did what he wanted. And it took Donna three whole days to storm into his office.
"Harvey, what the hell?" she dropped a sandwich on his desk before parking herself on the couch and staring at him expectantly.
"Looks like lunch," Harvey commented dryly. She rolled her eyes.
"It is lunch. For you because I haven't seen you eat lunch all week. And you know that's not what I'm talking about, I'm talking about all the weird that's happening all over you lately," Donna made a vague circular gesture in the direction of his face.
"I wasn't aware you kept such careful track of my eating habits. How am I doing on Weight Watchers points for the week, Donna?" Harvey sniped at her, eyeing the sandwich disdainfully.
Donna just smiled at him.
"Just like the awkward teenage boy you really are inside, Harvey, you are always hungry. Now stop avoiding my question and tell me what's going on with you, and what it's got to do with Mike," Donna demanded. Harvey pinched the bridge of his nose before unwrapping the sandwich and taking a massive bite. Harvey Specter: Master of Deflection.
"You are insufferable sometimes," Donna growled as she got to her feet.
"But I'm eating, aren't you happy now?" Harvey asked through a mouthful of chicken salad. It was actually a pretty good sandwich.
"Oh, shut up, Harvey."
Louis really did need help. He had mostly requested the help, or at least commanded it less nasally than usual, and so what if Mike had jumped at the chance to stay out of Harvey's hair for a week or two? He needed processing time.
So four days later when Donna came marching up to his desk with her warface on, Mike couldn't fathom why he was in trouble.
"What did you do?" she demanded over the wall of his cubicle.
"I don't know what you're referring to, Donna," Mike mumbled to his desk. He really didn't know. He didn't know where the guilt in his stomach was coming from either.
"To Harvey," she clarified, lowering her voice.
"Nothing!" Mike protested sharply, too loud. One or two heads in the bullpen turned towards them, making Donna grit her teeth.
"You're buying me a cup of coffee. Let's go."
She strode towards the elevators and Mike had no choice but to follow. The ride to the lobby was silent, and Donna waited impatiently as Mike bought two cups of coffee from the vendor across the street. She took one without thanking him.
"So what did you do?" Donna picked up right where she left off, just as Mike took a large swallow of overheated coffee.
"Nothing!" he spluttered again, "Really, Donna, I didn't. I didn't do anything."
"You didn't do anything to make Harvey spend the last month staring at you like you're the theory of everything. You expect me to believe that?" Donna chortled.
"He doesn't," Mike muttered, overly interested in his coffee.
"You still have a terrible poker face," Donna remarked, and Mike wrinkled his nose.
"All right. So fine, he's been looking at me funny lately. It's not a big deal. It's weird, but I have no idea what's going on in that giant, egotistical brain of his," Mike admitted, and it was the truth. He just wasn't also going to mention the other thing, because it wasn't going to clarify anything, and she would get all 'Donna' about it.
"I trust you boys to figure out your own problems most of the time, but I've let it go on long enough. Get it settled, Mike, whatever it takes." Donna got up and walked away before he could argue further. Sometimes he wondered if she stole Harvey's moves, or if Harvey stole hers.
Mike finished his coffee slowly before heading back into the building. Steeling himself, he knocked on Harvey's door. Harvey glanced up, stone faced, and waved him in.
Mike didn't step all the way inside, opting instead to stick his head in the door.
"We're having dinner tonight," Mike informed him carefully, searching for a tone that allowed no argument, but didn't sound like an order.
"Are we?" Harvey quirked an eyebrow. Mike nodded determinedly. Harvey surveyed him, gaze flicking up and down Mike's lean frame.
"All right. Swing by here when you're ready to go. No later than 8," Harvey replied genially, and returned to his laptop.
"All right." Mike repeated, and then hurried away from Harvey's door. He caught the small, approving smile on Donna's face as he went.
Mike led the way this time, but they still ended up trotting down a set of decrepit concrete stairs and underneath a neon sign.
It was busier, being more of the appropriate dinner hour, but Gina saw them through the crowd and beckoned them on as she strode up to the booth in the corner.
"Sorry folks, we need the table." Gina wasn't sorry, they'd been sitting there sipping drinks half an hour after finishing their food in the middle of the dinner rush. She got some dirty looks, but the group of loud twenty something's got up to leave.
"Some asshole put us on Yelp. We've been crawling with hipsters ever since. Can we sue?" she asked Harvey hopefully as she wiped down the table.
"Maybe. I'll have a strongly worded cease and desist letter sent. Next time be more careful about who you let in here," Harvey advised in his most lawyerly way. Gina smirked at him as she whipped a pen and pad out of her apron.
"Gee, Harv, thanks!" she snorted, "Beers?"
"Definitely." It was the first word Mike had gotten in edgewise, and it made Gina look at him a little cockeyed.
"Yeah," she nodded at Mike, something shrewd in her expression, "I'll be right back."
"So," Harvey ignored the menu and looked at Mike steadily, "why-"
"Ssh, Mike held up a hand, "I'm deciding." He poured over the laminated sheet in his hand, lips twisted with indecision.
"You know what it says," Harvey pointed out, making Mike roll his eyes.
"That doesn't make it any easier to decide what I want to try next," Mike explained, "Not everybody likes to have a 'usual.'"
"I know what I like," Harvey countered.
"So there's no way you could ever like another thing, past all the things you already know you like. There is simply no more room for new enjoyment in anything," Mike mocked. Harvey appraised him for a moment.
"What can I say," Harvey's eyes flashed dangerously for a split second, "I'm loyal."
"Beers, boys. Whaddya want to eat, kid?" Gina appeared at the table, placing their drinks down and looking at Mike inquiringly. Mike gulped, and stabbed his finger down onto the menu without looking.
"Fish and chips?" he offered, and she nodded without comment, scribbling. She started to walk away, and Harvey spoke up.
"Skip the fries."
"Got it." Gina was gone.
"Why are we here?" Harvey pounced the second she vanished, and Mike looked at him a little balefully.
"You kissed me."
"You pushed me away, and gave me a lecture. Point taken."
"Harvey," Mike's eyes slid away and there was something about the way his teeth caught his lower lip that was almost wistful.
"What?" Harvey challenged, and all of a sudden Mike put his serious face on.
"I think we should sleep together."
Harvey choked on his beer.