Author's Note: I realized when I went to put this in a seperate document to post it that I'm a chapter ahead of myself. I write everything in one big document and then separate it to post. I thought I had nine chapters finished. I don't. This is all I've got right now and that's weird, because I like to write one chapter along before I post anything. Too bad. I felt like posting, so I am. It does mean that I have to write like a fiend tomorrow, or I'll feel weird about stuff. Like my shoes are on the wrong feet.
Who knows. Enjoy.
The fact that I don't own Suits (Don't sue me) is such a waste.
"Your couch blows."
Harvey's voice sounded through Mike's apartment in the semidarkness of New York City at 1 a.m. Mike grunted from the his bed.
"I thought sitting on it was bad. I will be sending you my chiropractic bill."
"Harvey," Mike moaned, "I have to get up for work in four hours. Would you please shut up and go to sleep? You've got the body of a Greek statue and better health insurance than a U.S. Senator. I'm sure you can handle one night on a crappy couch."
"All those statues have such tiny-"
"Harvey, I swear to God if you don't shut up, I will smother you."
"You are so thickheaded sometimes that if I didn't know you were a genius I'd have your brain examined. I am trying to get you to offer to share the bed." The quarter of a bottle of scotch, and then the six pack Harvey had blown through not too long after arriving at Mike's apartment were making Harvey chatty.
"Yeah, Harvey, you're a real master of subtly right now. I'm aware of what you're sloppily attempting to do, and I'm pretending not to understand so you'll take the hint that I think it's a shitty idea," Mike answered, finding that talking to Harvey's disembodied voice in the dark was much, much easier than looking Harvey in the eye and telling him no. Which of course Harvey must have realized, because steady footsteps padded across the floor and stopped at the edge of his bed. Against his better judgment, Mike cracked one eye and peered sleepily up at Harvey. The faint glow of streetlights through the window made him look pale, maybe even something a little like delicate. The lighting definitely didn't do anything for the puffy, swollen look around Harvey's deep brown eyes.
"...Fine," Mike acquiesced before Harvey could say another stupid thing they'd both pretend he hadn't in the morning. Harvey slid onto the bed beside him, sprawling out on his back with one forearm thrown over his eyes.
"Thanks," Harvey mumbled and twitched his leg, knocking a knee against Mike's thigh. Mike ignored it, and was drifting on the edge of sleep when Harvey shifted, rolling in towards the middle of the bed and resting a hand at the center of Mike's back.
Mike's brain was fully aware that he should pull away, perhaps get up and go sleep on the couch himself. His spine disagreed, and he felt himself curl into the warm skin of Harvey's palm. Harvey's fingers slid up to his shoulder and tugged him onto his back. Mike's head swam, he was so goddamn tired and Harvey's fingers had splayed themselves around the back his neck, thumb rubbing lazy circles just behind his ear. The gentle movement made his eyes slide closed again, head lolling to one side. For one blindingly naïve second, he wanted nothing more than to fall asleep there and wake up with Harvey still cradling the nape of his neck. Mike pushed the thought away, knowing full well the vulnerability he sensed now would be gone before the sun rose. Harvey would be redressed and sipping crap coffee in the kitchen forming a battle plan before Mike was even coherent enough to mourn the loss of the body in his bed.
Harvey nestled himself closer and Mike's hand slid restlessly up the hard plane of Harvey's abdomen. Harvey's lips brushed against his ear and Mike heard himself make a small shuddering sound.
"We had an agreement," he protested halfheartedly as Harvey slipped a leg over him, one knee on either side his hips and a pair of large hands pressed flat and heavy into his chest.
"I'm amending it." Harvey's lips trailed along his neck and Mike made a noise somewhere between a huff and a groan. The lips paused somewhere in the vicinity of his Adam's apple.
"Tell me to stop."
Mike knew he should. One and done, that was how it was supposed to be. One night for them to be stupid and use each other for whatever convoluted reasons they'd convinced themselves were reasonable. One time for Harvey to think about when he found his gaze settling on Mike when he knew it shouldn't be. One time for Mike to play back in his head when he caught Harvey staring and wanted nothing more than to grab that ludicrously overpriced tie and yank him over the desk. But Harvey's hands were roaming over him like static, leaving a buzzing trail behind and interfering with Mike's vocal chords.
The throaty moan Mike loosed when Harvey kissed the hollow of his throat while awaiting his answer was all the encouragement Harvey needed.
Mike was alone when he woke up. He could hear Harvey in the kitchen, though, and he would've laughed if he weren't feeling so idiotic.
"I can hear you thinking," Harvey's voice sounded from the other room, "Stop it. Get up, take a shower, and get dressed. We can talk about why, with a combined IQ of over 300, we make such stupid decisions after we're finished crushing Tanner."
Mike let out a choked laugh, and in the kitchen the tension in Harvey's shoulders loosened slightly.
"You know it's not an even 150/150 split, right?" Mike asked as he shuffled through the apartment to the bathroom without bothering to pull his pajama pants on. Harvey focused intently on the copy of the Times he'd spread out on Mike's counter.
"Yeah, yeah. I get it. Just another reason you'll always be Q and I'll always be Bond."
"Still, better than looking cleverer than you are," Mike retorted and ducked into the bathroom.
"Well, he certainly left with his tail between his legs!" Harvey called through the closed door.
Harvey's dreams of crushing Tanner were put to bed the minute he stepped into his office and found Jessica waiting for him.
"I know what you're thinking about, Harvey," she informed him without preamble, "And I am here to remind you that in this situation, you are the client. Remember when we talked about that?"
"Yes," Harvey admitted grudgingly, trying to keep his eyes away from the empty desk outside his office.
"So I'm going to take care of that dirty water idiot, and you're going to continue doing your job."
It wasn't a question, but Harvey knew he was supposed to answer.
"I'm not a child, Jessica," he grumbled at her. She just looked at him.
"Yes, I understand," he added, sinking into a seat behind his desk.
"Good. The temp agency is sending someone over later this morning. I told them the standard is essentially impossible to meet, but they're doing their best. I expect you'll want to hold interviews sometime-"
"No." Harvey couldn't help himself but interrupt, "I don't want a temp. I'll find a replacement when necessary. Until then I'll handle it."
"Harvey, you need an assistant. Your schedule is a full time job; if you're managing it you'll never get any actual lawyering done," Jessica argued, rising from her seat on his couch.
"Jessica," Harvey looked at her flatly, "I know it had to be done. But Donna's been gone less than twelve hours and I'm not just going to throw some undergrad too stupid to get an internship at her desk because they can type a hundred words a minute. I'll find someone else eventually and until then, it's not really any of your business who handles my schedule."
Jessica considered reminding him that anything going on inside her firm was, in fact, completely her business. The look on his face as his eyes wandered to the empty desk gave her pause.
"All right, Harvey, but if you start missing meetings-"
"Am I a first year associate or a Senior Partner, Jessica? When in my life have I ever missed a meeting?" Harvey snapped, and Jessica got to her feet.
"It's been a rough week, so I'm going to give you a little leeway. But I want you to remember exactly whose name comes first on the door, Harvey. Then give a little thought to the names that don't appear at all."
She swept out of his office. Harvey sat back in his chair and rubbed a hand over his eyes.
"Uh, Harvey?"
It occurred to him that without Donna to play gatekeeper, Mike was going to be popping in and out of the office a lot more.
"Yes?" Harvey replied with exaggerated patience.
"There's a bunch of files about the Zing! case on my desk, but-"
"Get to work on them. Jessica just graciously reminded me that I'm actually not allowed to do anything about Tanner." Harvey could feel a headache brewing behind his right eye.
"Well, you can't, but I-"
"You won't earn Jessica Pearson's appreciation by sticking your nose into one of her cases. Especially not this one," Harvey cut him off, and then sighed.
"I'm not happy about it either, all right? But this is what we're going to have to do."
"Yeah, all right," Mike reached for the door and then paused, "She'll win, Harvey."
For a split second a jaded, bone deep exhaustion passed over Harvey's features.
"She better."