Hi! I know I have some unfinished stories, and I am still working on them, but I've hit a muse wall. I've begun watching Suits again, for like the third time, and I really felt like writing some sick Mike. So, I've decided to do an ongoing story where I write a collection of hurt or sick Mike stories whenever the muse strikes, but I am also happy to take any prompts! For now, I hope you enjoy this story I based on "Enough is Enough". However, I decided to make it so that Mike is still living in his old apartment and he's not dating Rachel to keep the story more focused on him and Harvey. I do like Rachel and Mike though so I'm not opposed to writing them together in the future. Now, enough rambling. On to the story!
Mike sat up sharply from where he had been hunched over the desk, grasping his stomach with his hand as a cramp shot through him. For the past three nights he had been working non-stop to get the work that Louis demanded done. That had left him with long nights in the office with only a few hours of sleep in the hard library chairs, the only thing fuelling him an endless supply of coffee and frozen dinners. He had thought he could finally get some sleep last night, but then Jessica had shown up in his office just as he was about to head home and slapped the partner agreement on him.
Mike had worked throughout the night, not even able to get a few hours of sleep and it was really catching up to him now. He could barely see straight; the words on the page floating lazily in front of him as his brain struggled to function on no rest.
Another cramp shot through him, causing Mike to gasp and hunch further over the chair. This time, however, it was followed by an intense wave of nausea that had Mike stumbling out of the chair towards the men's bathroom down the hall.
Mike crashed into the stall, not even bothering to make sure the door was shut behind him before he lurched forward with a gag. He knelt in front of the bowl, knuckles gripped so tightly on the rim they were white as he gagged again, this time with a productive heave that had the last cup of coffee he had finished only 20 minutes before resurfacing. He gasped at the burn, the acidity of the coffee adding to the burn of the bile as it clung to his throat. It caused him to gag again, harder than before as he threw up the meager dinner he had made sometime in the night, a frozen meal he hadn't even bothered to check what it was before he threw into the microwave.
Each heave brought up more of his stomach contents until he was dry heaving, barely staying upright as his body rebelled against the treatment of the past few days. He was heaving so hard that he didn't even notice the hand on his back or the soft rumble of a voice until his body had finally calmed and he fell back onto the floor. The only thing keeping him upright was the mysterious presence behind him.
"Jeez kid. Puke any harder and your stomach would have joined the mix."
He felt the presence move behind him before the toilet flushed, causing Mike to jerk in surprise.
"Easy," the voice murmured, uncharacteristically soft, before a wet napkin was placed in one of his hands.
"Harvey?" he croaked; voice hoarse from the vomiting. He opened his eyes to look, but the light was too bright and spiked the headache that was slowly building to a steady pound behind his eyes, so he shut them again, pressing the cool towel over his face and sighing at the relief that it brought.
"Who else? Now you want to tell me why I found my associate puking his guts up in the office bathroom at 7 in the morning?"
"I'm fine," he mumbled, feeling anything but. He wasn't about to grovel to Harvey though. He was an adult; he could suck it up for now until he could crash back home and get some much-needed rest.
"Right," Harvey replied, sarcasm heavy in his tone, "because people who are fine throw up and look whiter than the floor tiles."
Mike sucked in a deep breath and was relieved to find that the nausea had gone away, for that moment at least, and that if he opened his eyes slowly, the headache that initially blasted through his head would fade to just a dull thump as they adjusted.
Moving slowly, Mike got up off the floor and stumbled to the sink, not missing Harvey's concerned glance as he wavered from the head rush as he stood.
He rinsed his mouth thoroughly before leaning against the bathroom's granite counter, eyeing Harvey through the mirror.
"I'll be fine Harvey. My body is just out of whack. With all the work Louis has been giving me I haven't been sleeping or eating properly. All I need is a good night's rest and I'll be back to normal."
Harvey stared at him for a moment, taking in Mike's haggard appearance before he walked over and placed a hand on the associate's shoulder.
"Well, that rest is going to start now. I'm sending you home."
Mike frowned. Did he really look that bad? Why was Harvey being so nice about this? The Harvey he knew would normally have told him to suck it up and drink some Pepto Bismol so he could get back to work. He was about to question Harvey when a new presence entered the bathroom, cutting his words off before they even left his mouth.
"Sending who home?" The voice demanded, cold and unwavering.
Harvey turned to face the voice, his lips pressed in a firm line. "I'm sending Mike home, Louis. He's sick."
Louis' lip turned up in a sneer as is cold eyes searched over Mike's face. "I don't goddamn care if he has the bubonic plague. Frauds don't get sick days since they just make everything up anyway. Who's to say he's not playing this up to get out of all the work I'm giving him? Finally cracking Mike?"
As if his body was answering the question, much to Mike's dismay, wave of dizziness crashed over him and he felt himself wobble, saved only by Harvey as he placed a supporting arm behind his back.
"Oh, come on, Louis. It's clear that he's not faking it. I was in here while he was throwing up not even 5 minutes ago. So, get off your high horse and get out of the way so I can take Mike home."
Harvey made a move toward the door, his arm gently guiding Mike along, but Louis moved to block them, a mocking grin on his face.
"He's not going anywhere. My ceremony is about to begin and if your little associate isn't there, he's going to have more problems than a little stomachache."
With that, Louis turned on his heels and marched out of the bathroom.
Harvey, still gripping Mike, turned to look at him, the uncharacteristic concern still etched on his face.
"Forget Louis, I'll take you home myself."
Mike shook his head and immediately regretted it when the world turned upside down. He felt Harvey's grip tighten as his knees threatened to buckle, but he gathered the rest of his strength and willed his body to stay upright.
"No, it's fine. You can't miss this. Louis would find a way to retaliate, and Jessica would kill you for making things worse with him because of me- again. He wants me at the stupid party, I'll be there. I can go home after."
Harvey didn't say anything about the fact that Mike was now willing to go home whereas he was adamant he was fine before, and Mike was glad. The truth was that he was feeling worse by the second and the nausea was already starting to slowly creep back in. Spending the day in bed sounded like the best thing in the world at the moment.
Somehow Harvey managed to get him out of the bathroom and down the hall to the elevators without Mike passing out or throwing up all over the polished floors. He knew that people were staring, the fact that Harvey still had his arm around him and was guiding him down the hall like he was an old lady trying to cross the street was most likely a sight to behold. But all Mike cared about was focusing on getting one foot in front of the other.
They joined the gathering crowd of people, Harvey positioning them at the back near the secretary's desk as he pointedly toed a small garbage can from under the desk closer to where they were standing.
Seeing that Mike was watching him Harvey said, "What? You're looking a little green around the gills there kid. Thought we should have a plan B, so you don't throw up all over the floors in front of everyone, especially Jessica."
Mike wrinkled his nose at the thought and wrapped an arm around his stomach. He was feeling increasingly nauseous, but as long as this didn't take too long, he was sure he could hold out.
"I'll be fine," he heard himself say, repeating his words from earlier. Harvey just raised an eyebrow but remained silent.
A few minutes later the rest of the crowd had arrived along with Jessica. As everyone got situated, crowding into the space in front of the name plaques, Donna walked over to join the two of them. As soon as she got close, Mike could see the concern on her face.
"What's wrong with the puppy?", she asked Harvey.
"He's sick. I found him throwing up in the bathroom when I got here early for this stupid show of Louis' ego."
Donna tsked, studying Mike closely. "He does look terrible. I've never seen someone so pale. Why aren't you going home Mike?"
She looked to Harvey, her eyes accusing him even though she didn't say anything.
"Don't look at me," Harvey said, angling his chin to where Louis was standing at the front of the crown, a satisfied grin on his face, "Louis made a bullshit threat if Mike didn't come. I was going to take him home anyway, but the pup insisted on staying."
"I'm fine," Mike repeated, although each time he said it he felt worse than before, his body slowly betraying him.
Harvey gave Mike a reassuring arm squeeze before he told Donna, "He's not. I'm taking him home after this. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go make some bullshit up myself."
With that, he went to join Jessica at the front to welcome their newest name partner.
Donna stayed with Mike, keeping a careful eye on him.
"Why does Harvey care?" Mike asked softly, not able to understand why his boss was being so compassionate, so un-Harvey like.
Donna turned to face him; her eyebrows raised. "You really have to ask me that?"
"It's not like he's shown a lot of concern in the past. I would have thought he would tell me to suck it up and keep working."
"Mike, Harvey is a lot of things, but cold-hearted is not one of them, no matter how hard he tries to make everyone believe that. Harvey cares about you, just like he cares about everyone that's close to him. And this is just between you and me, but you remind him of his brother. He'd never admit that, but I can see it in his eyes when he looks at you."
Mike felt a warmth spread through his chest. He hadn't realized that Harvey saw him that way, like a younger brother.
"I didn't know," was all he said, still struggling to take in the new information about his boss.
"Well, you know Harvey. He's not a man of many words, but just know that he does care Mike, even if it doesn't seem like it sometimes."
Mike nodded and gave Donna a small smile. She returned the gesture and fell back beside him, just as the ceremony started.
The speeches, while in reality didn't last that long, seemed to take forever to Mike. He could have sagged to the floor then and there in relief when they were over and the clapping took over, but his day only got infinitely worse instead.
As the champagne was being passed around, Louis addressed the group again.
"I just wanted to say thank you to everyone for coming to this new tradition. The warm welcome has been amazing. I just wanted to take this moment, however, to shed some light on another person in the office. Mike Ross, would you join me up here?"
Mike froze at his name, staring at Louis like a deer in headlights. The man had what appeared to be a genuine smile on his face, but Mike could see through it, see the mask of cold fury beneath it.
He looked at Harvey and his boss looked just as worried. There was nothing he could do. Everyone in the crowd was looking at him expectantly. If he didn't go up it would arouse suspicion.
Mike pushed off the wall and walked a few feet up to the front, the floor seeming to slant dangerously beneath his feet. Everyone's face had become a blur, the office around them a myriad of colours and shapes as his heart pounded in his head. Cold sweat trickled down his back as he took his place next to Louis.
As soon as he was there, Louis shoved a glass of champagne in his hand and turned back to the crowd.
"Mike Ross is one of my hardest working associates. I know we're here to celebrate me, but I wanted to take a moment to shine the light on him and all of his hard work. So, if you'll oblige, here's a toast to an up-and-coming member of this firm."
He raised his glass and the rest of the crowd followed, taking a large swig of their champagne.
Louis eyed Mike, eyes pure fire as he said, low enough that only Mike could hear him, "drink Mike, it's rude to ignore a toast, especially one given by a name partner."
Mike gulped, feeling the urge to vomit just looking at the bubbly liquid. But Louis held his gaze and Mike knew if he didn't drink it, Louis would find some other way to torture him.
He raised the glass to his lips and took the smallest sip he possibly could, the few drops that hit his tongue instantly making him gag. Louis' smile only deepened.
"You have to drink it all. Don't you know it's bad luck not to drink all of the toast?"
This was, of course, a complete lie. Mike knew that Louis was just making it up to torture him, to get him to drink the alcohol his body was desperately trying to tell him was a bad idea. But surrounded by everyone, he had no choice.
He heard Harvey say something to Jessica as he raised the glass back up to his lips and vaguely heard her commanding voice talk to the crowd that then began to disperse as he tipped his head back and drained the glass in one gulp, holding his breath to try and mask the taste. If he breathed, he would get the full experience and he knew that there would be no stopping his body from rejecting what he had just consumed.
Mike stumbled back and saw through bleary eyes that they were now alone. The only people remaining by the elevators were him, Harvey, Donna Louis, and Jessica.
The glass held loosely in his fingers was taken away, presumably by Harvey, before a hand was placed on his back again.
"Breathe Mike," Harvey commanded, already starting to lead him back toward the secretary's desk behind them.
Mike took in a shuddering breath and gagged harder than he had all morning. The sweet perfumey taste of the champagne coated his tongue along with the bitter undertones of the alcohol. He could feel the burn in his stomach, the angry twists it was making under his palm.
He gagged again and he knew that the next time it happened he would be bringing up the offensive liquid. Thankfully, Harvey knew this too and pushed him faster to the desk, toward the garbage can that he had located before.
Mike lunged for it, knees crashing hard into the hard tile floor as he heaved, throwing up for the second time that morning.
Harvey kept a hand on his back, even rubbing soothing circles as he waited for Mike to be done. Unfortunately for Mike, his body was intent on punishing him. He heaved again, bringing up another wave of sour champagne before his body was wracked again with dry heaves. The only thing in his system had been the champagne and with that gone, there was nothing else left to give.
He knelt there for what felt like forever, but was only a few minutes, as his body tried to turn itself inside out. His stomach muscles screamed in agony with each empty heave, his throat burning from the effort. Finally, the spasms stopped, leaving Mike panting over the garbage as he fought to catch his breath.
Harvey handed Mike a paper cup of water, from wherever he had made it materialize from, and Mike swished it in his mouth before he spit it into the trash can and placed the cup on the floor.
Harvey eased Mike to the floor and moved the bin away before he marched over to where Louis and Jessica were standing, Jessica's face pinched in anger while Louis' face was set in a blank stare.
Donna came to kneel by Mike's hunched form, her hand rubbing across his back in a soothing like Harvey had done before.
Mike would have been embarrassed for having just thrown up in front of everyone, let alone Jessica, but he was too tired and miserable to care. He could barely keep his eyes open as he watched the confrontation that played out.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Harvey demanded as he got in Louis' face, towering over the shorter man.
Louis initially gawked but then he steeled his face, ready to defend his actions, but Harvey cut in.
"No, I don't want to hear another word from you."
He turned his gaze to Jessica instead. "Mike's sick. I caught him throwing up earlier and I was going to take him home, but Louis found out and strong armed him into coming to this stupid ceremony. And not only that, knowing Mike was sick he forced him to do that bullshit toast in front of everyone knowing damn well what would happen. If Mike didn't look like he was about to pass out right now, I'd kick Louis' ass here and now, but I'm not going to do that. Instead, I'm going to take Mike home like I should have done in the first place."
Jessica turned her gaze to Louis, her anger contained but visible in her eyes. "I knew you were willing to go to some low places Louis, but I never imagined you would stoop this far. What the hell is wrong with you? Baiting a sick person into not only attending your little ego-boosting party, but then making them purposefully sick. I know you think you have leverage but rest assured that you will pay for this and all the other dirty tricks you've been playing lately."
Louis, once again, moved to retort, but Jessica cut him off, just as Harvey had. "Not another word. You will go to your office and await whatever punishment I deem fit. In the meantime, I don't want to see your face anywhere around the office. Do you understand?"
Louis glared, eyeing her for a moment before he gave a curt nod and hurried down the hall, not even glancing at Mike as he passed.
Harvey, satisfied that Jessica would handle things, walked back over to Mike, and helped him to his feet, steadying him as his knees actually did buckle this time, almost sending them both crashing to the floor.
"Easy, Mike. Let's get you home and then you can pass out, okay?"
He didn't wait for a reply before he set them walking toward the elevator, only pausing to look at Jessica's waiting stare.
"I'll handle Louis. Take care of the kid. You can have the rest of the day off. Feel better Mike." And with that, she too was walking down the hall, leaving just Harvey, Mike, and Donna.
Harvey pressed the elevator button before he turned to Donna. "Donna? Call Ray and-"
"Already done," she said as she showed him the phone clasped in her hand. "I did it as soon as Louis called Mike up for that toast."
Harvey smiled at her as the elevator doors opened with a soft whirl. "Thanks Donna."
"Of course. Now go take care of the puppy so he can get back and kick Louis ass."
They successfully made it down and out of the building to where Ray waited outside. Harvey helped Mike into the car, seating him in Harvey's usual spot since it was the side closest to the curb and made sure that he was situated before he walked around and took his own seat on the other side.
Ray, without a word since Donna had already informed him of what was going on, pulled out into traffic and started their journey home.
Mike, fighting the still lingering nausea as the car rushed through the streets, was so focused on not vomiting all over Ray's leather interior that he hadn't realized they had stopped, nor the fact that Harvey had even gotten out of the car until a hand was on his shoulder.
"Come on kid, let's get you upstairs."
Mike let Harvey guide him out of the car, his body too tired to do anything else. It was only when they stopped in front of a set of sparkling elevators that Mike raised his head.
"This isn't my place", he mumbled, squinting at his surroundings. The expansive lobby was bright and clean, decorated with white marble and luxurious chandeliers. Nothing like his worn-down building.
The elevator doors opened, and Harvey guided them in.
"No shit Sherlock. You think I was about to dump you in that cesspool of an apartment while you're sick? You probably contracted whatever this is from that dump."
"Not all of us have millions in the bank Harvey."
Harvey chuckled. "If you were a better lawyer, you would," he replied, but Mike knew he was only joking.
They stepped off the elevator and made their way into Harvey's apartment. Mike went to stumble for the couch, ready to face plant into its soft cushions and sleep for a week, but Harvey pulled him away.
"Why'd you do that?" Mike whined, his tone way more childish than he had intended, but he felt like crap and wanted nothing more than to be able to lay down.
"I'm not letting you sleep on the couch while you're sick. You need proper rest. You can take my bed."
Mike paused, genuinely shocked. "So, Harvey Specter has a heart after all. Who would have thought?"
Harvey shot him a glare as he helped him sit on the bed. "No, the faster you recover, the quicker I get my associate back. Don't forget I'm going to have to pick up the slack while you're out. As soon as you're better I'm throwing you right back into the deep end."
Mike rolled his eyes and regretted it as his head spun. He went to slump back onto the bed when Harvey once again ruined his plans.
"Hey, no sleeping yet kid."
Mike shot Harvey the harshest glare he could muster at the moment which must not have been that harsh since Harvey only laughed.
"Relax. I just want to get you into something comfier than a suit to sleep in. Unless you want to go to bed with your dress shoes still on?"
Mike kept the look on his face, but slowly started peeling the articles of his suit off. Harvey did have a point. He had slept in his suits way too often and each time he had woken up stiff and uncomfortable from their restrictive make.
Somehow, with whatever little energy he had, he managed to pull off his clothing until he was left in his boxers, feeling exposed and cold as the chilly air touched his bare skin.
Harvey returned a moment later, a pair of grey sweatpants and a black t-shirt in his arms. He frowned when he saw Mike shivering.
"You cold?" he asked as he walked over and placed a hand on Mike's forehead. Mike could only nod, too tired and miserable to respond.
Harvey's frown deepened as he removed his hand. "You're starting to run warm. Put these on while I get you some Tylenol."
He handed Mike the clothes and walked into the bathroom just down the hall from the bedroom.
Mike pulled the clothes on, sighing at the warmth they brought just as Harvey returned with the Tylenol and a glass of water.
"Drink all of this water. I don't want you getting dehydrated on top of everything else."
Too tired to argue, Mike popped the pill in his mouth and washed it down with the water. He paused for a moment, waiting to see how his stomach would react. When nothing happened, he handed Harvey back the cup and flopped down on the bed. He barely noticed as Harvey pulled the thick blanket over him, uttering a soft "sleep well, kid" as the darkness claimed him.
Mike didn't know how long it had been since he had passed out. It was early morning when they had gotten to Harvey's place and the sun was still out, so it could be any time in the afternoon. The thing that had woken him up, however, was more important at the moment.
Mike blinked his eyes open, his vision blurry as his heavy eyelids fought against him. He didn't have much time to ruminate on this as his stomach, the thing that had woken him up in the first place, cramped and bile shot up into his throat. With barely enough time to even roll over, Mike managed to get his head over the edge of the bed as his stomach heaved, the water he had drunk making an appearance all over the floor.
It took a second for him to realize the consequence of what had just happened. He had thrown up on Harvey's floor.
The thought, while it struck panic in his chest, was brushed aside as he heaved again, making more of a mess on the polished wood. He leaned over so that half his body was hanging off the bed, his legs stuck in the sheet. He heaved once more, bringing up a meager amount of bile before he coughed and breathed deeply, his stomach settling.
It was at this moment that Harvey stroud into the room. From his position on the floor, Mike could see that the man had changed into more casual clothes, a pair of dark blue jeans and a grey sweatshirt, but his face was blocked from his view.
Mike moved to apologize, embarrassment heating his cheeks as he tried to pull himself back on the bed, but Harvey only walked over and put his arms on Mike's shoulders, pulling him up until he was resting against the headboard.
"Harvey, I'm sorry. I'll clean it up. It just happened so fast, I couldn't-" he was cut off by Harvey's raised hand.
"I'm not mad, Mike. It was my fault. I should have placed a trashcan next to the bed."
Mike searched Harvey's face and relaxed when he saw that Harvey was telling the truth. The lawyer didn't look angry. In fact, he looked apologetic.
Mike cleared his throat, fidgeting nervously with his hands. "Still gross. I won't let you clean it up, it's my mess."
Harvey just quirked an eyebrow. "I don't even think you could get out of bed without falling on your ass, let alone have the dexterity to clean up your puke."
Mike wrinkled his nose, his cheeks heating further. The situation just made him feel so helpless. He was making Harvey of all people look after him like he was a child.
Harvey must have read the expression on Mike's face, as his face softened. "Listen, Mike, it's fine. I grew up with a brother, this isn't my first-time taking care of a sick kid. I may come off as heartless but I'm not about to let you clean up your own vomit while you look like death warmed over. Just focus on getting some more rest, okay? I got this."
Mike, genuinely touched by Harvey's words, could only nod, a lump in his throat. He hadn't been taken care of like this since he was a kid. His grandmother, after his parents had died, had taken up that role. But as he grew older, she aged as well, and he tried to become as independent as possible to lighten the burden on her. It felt good to be looked after again, not that he would ever admit that to Harvey.
"Thanks Harvey. For everything."
Harvey gave one of his rare smiles. "You're welcome, Mike. Now get some sleep."
Mike eased himself off the headboard and back onto Harvey's comfortable bed. It was like sleeping on a cloud. The plush feel of the mattress soothed his aching body and helped lull him back into sleep easily. In the distance, his mind close to the edge of sleep, he could hear Harvey moving around, gathering the supplies to clean up the mess. Mike couldn't help but smile softly knowing his boss cared. Harvey Specter had a heart after all.
Sorry if Harvey is OOC, I just love a soft Harvey. Hope you enjoyed! Leave any reviews with prompts if you have them and I'll do my best to get to them :)