Fanfic: Dinner Date
Title- Dinner Date
Fandom- Suits
Ship- Harvey/Mike
Rating- NC-17
Genre- first-time, angst, romance, slash
Warnings- unbetaed
Wordcount- 8,600
Disclaimer- I do not own Suits
Summary- Mike is skipping meals. Harvey is concerned.
A/N- written for a prompt here at suitsmemesuitsmeme: So in the beginning of the series we obviously see Mike being strapped for cash so much so that I'm guessing he gave up things so his grandmother could get care. The thing I am thinking of is food (skipping meals, raman noodles anyone?) which could explain why he's so skinny. So I'd love to see a fic where Harvey and maybe Donna (Because she's a BAMF) notice this. At first they think he's skipping lunch because he's working and then they notice it's becoming a more regular thing. Or that he only eats when someone else is buying. They put the pieces together. And take action of course.
Mike stared at the banking statements, hospital bills, and other papers that were spread out over his kitchen table. In the middle of the mess, directly in front of him, was the paycheck he’d gotten at the end of the month from Pearson Hardman. It was a plain check on yellow-tan paper, but to Mike it was almost golden. With this check he’d be able to start paying off the accumulated hospital bills, the rent he’d been promising for months, the electricity, phone, and cable bills he owed the building manager. It wasn’t enough to cover all his debts, of course, especially not considering the cost of just getting the job -the new suits, the flights to and from Harvard- but it was enough to keep him from going further into debt, and to start pulling him out of it.
Mike had been on a careful budget for the past couple years. All of the money he could spare went towards his grandmother’s care. He had spent the absolute minimum on his own bills, just enough to keep from getting kicked out, and the few dollars that were left had gone to basic things like food. He’d stopped buying new clothes and worn his old ones until they fell apart, quite literally in some cases. He bought just enough food to keep from starving. He lived off of Raman noodles, eggs, and frozen vegetables. More than once, when there had been a long time between his odd jobs, Mike had humbled himself to stand in line at the soup kitchen, and repaid the favor by volunteering there on weekends. Mike looked forward to the day when he would no longer be volunteering out of guilt.
But today wasn’t that day.
The check Mike had gotten wasn’t enough to pay all of his bills. It would take another couple months before he was out of the red, several before he could buy himself some nicer clothes for outside of work and start looking for a new apartment. Until that happened, he would still need to live like this, wearing his old clothes until they fell apart and patching them when he could, eating the cheapest foods money could buy and sometimes looking for handouts. His money had to go where it was most needed. He had been living like this for years. What was a few more months?
Mike sighed as he put away the bills and his checkbook. In the morning he would deposit his paycheck and start sending out his bill payments. For now, though, the soup kitchen a few blocks away was having a fried chicken night, and that was something Mike could never afford on his own.
* * *
Harvey leaned against the wall, watching the associates’ cubicles intently. He had been keeping track of their movements all morning, and every associate had taken their lunch break, whether out of the office, in the break room, or even at their desk. All of them, that was, except Mike.
Harvey had first noticed this behavior a few weeks ago, when he and Mike had had a heavy caseload and he had been checking by Mike’s desk every few minutes to see how much work he’d finished. At that time, he’d seen that Mike rarely stopped work to eat, but he’d brushed it off as the result of the pressure he was under to get his briefs done.
As time passed and their work load became lighter, however, Harvey had noticed that Mike still worked through lunch. He’d thought that the younger lawyer was trying to get ahead on his work, but he noticed that when Rachel or one of the other associates asked Mike to go with them to lunch and offered to buy, Mike took them up on the offer.
The only conclusion that made sense to Harvey was that Mike was trying to avoid paying for food. It worried him.
Harvey had known when he hired Mike how desperate the other man was for money, the bills he had to pay for his grandmother’s care. Harvey hadn’t realized, though, just how much debt Mike could have gotten into after dropping out of school. He hadn’t even considered the fact that the $25,000 check he’d given Mike for his grandmother’s transfer to a full care facility, the “signing bonus” he’d promised, would only cover the latest in a long list of expenses Mike hadn’t been able to pay for himself. The check from Harvey and Mike’s latest paycheck hadn’t been enough to magically pull Mike into the black. They hadn’t been enough to allow him to leave behind his previous lifestyle of scrimping and saving and sacrificing to get by.
Harvey couldn’t help but feel guilty, as he watched Mike working diligently while the other associates leisurely returned from their lunch breaks. He wondered how many days Mike had sat at that desk while his stomach growled, and ignored it because he couldn’t afford to buy himself lunch, while Harvey had no idea it was happening. Mike was his associate. His responsibility. He should have known. And he had to make it right.
Harvey pushed off from the wall and went over to Mike’s cubicle. Mike glanced up from his work and smiled. “What’s up, Harvey? I’m almost done with this.”
“Don’t worry about it,” Harvey assured him. “Shepard switched our meeting time.”
“Switched the meeting time?” Mike repeated, setting down his pen. “When is it now?”
“In just a few minutes,” Harvey said, and saw Mike’s eyes widen in surprise. Harvey continued before Mike could ask any questions. “It’s a lunch meeting. We’ll meet him at a restaurant and eat while we work. Pearson Hardman will cover the cost. Did you have lunch plans?”
“Well, no, but…”
“Come on,” Harvey said casually, and turned to leave. “We need to go now. Don’t worry about those briefs.”
Mike hesitated for a moment before scooping his briefs into a drawer on his desk and hurrying after Harvey. Harvey smiled as Mike caught up to him at the elevator, already asking about the meeting. Harvey had known that Mike wouldn’t accept charity, wouldn’t let Harvey pay for his meals without some reason for doing so. Harvey had called their client, Mr. Shepard, to change the meeting time, so that he would have an excuse for making sure Mike ate a good lunch. He was only hoping he could keep both Mike and Shepard from asking about it while they ate.
* * *
Mike couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt this full. The Italian restaurant he and Harvey had met their client at served incredibly large portions, enough for him to fill his stomach and still take some home for dinner. Mike smiled as he thought of the food in his pantry that he could save by eating restaurant leftovers.
The only thing that concerned Mike was that the waitress had packed his leftovers and Harvey’s in the same takeout box. He wasn’t sure if Harvey wanted them or not, or if he even remembered Mike had them. Mike looked guiltily down at the takeout box in his hands. Both sets of leftovers could mean dinner for four nights. And anyway, Harvey had more than enough money to feed himself, and probably tons of food at home. He didn’t need these leftovers. Mike did.
But they belonged to Harvey, and Mike couldn’t just take them. He sighed and stood up as he saw Harvey heading toward the elevator, on his way out of the office for the night. “Harvey,” Mike called to him, and Harvey stopped by his cubicle, a curious look on his face. “Do you want your leftovers from lunch?” Mike asked, pointing to the takeout box.
“No,” Harvey said, in a tone that said they would just be an inconvenience sitting in his refrigerator, “You can keep those, if you want them.”
“Okay,” Mike said, perhaps a little too eagerly. He couldn’t keep the goofy smile from his lips when he thought of all the meals he could make from this. Harvey probably thought it was strange that he was so grateful over some restaurant leftovers; there was an odd expression on his face, one Mike couldn’t quite read.
Harvey bid him a somewhat awkward goodnight, and turned back to the elevator. Mike returned it with a little too much enthusiasm. He was thinking how many dinners he could make out of these leftovers if he stretched them as far as he could. Harvey might have just given him a week’s worth of dinners for free.
* * *
Harvey frowned as he turned away from Mike. The grateful expression on his associate’s face sent a knife of guilt straight to his heart. He couldn’t believe he hadn’t noticed earlier that Mike was skipping meals. He couldn’t believe he’d let his associate, his responsibility, go hungry for so long when he was under Harvey’s care. Harvey was more certain than ever that he had to do whatever he could to make sure Mike was well-fed. He resolved, as he glanced back at his associate from inside the elevator, that he would never let Mike go hungry again.
After that, Harvey made a habit of scheduling meetings with clients over lunch, so their meals would be covered by company money. He watched what Mike ate; made sure he wouldn’t be going back to the office hungry. He always tried to go someplace he knew served a great deal of food, so that Mike would have enough for dinner as well. When Jessica confronted him about it, asking why he was trying to get so many free meals all of the sudden, Harvey started paying for the meetings out of his own pocket.
He started bringing in pastries and muffins in the morning, and leaving them on the table in his office. He made it clear to Mike that they were for everyone who wanted them, and clear to everyone else that they were only for Mike. Donna smirked knowingly at him whenever she helped herself to a muffin, and Harvey always scowled back at her. She knew exactly what Harvey was doing, and she approved. Donna had expressed her worry about Mike’s eating habits to Harvey, and was glad to hear he already planned on doing something about it. Of course, that didn’t stop her mocking him with the fact that he “so obviously cared about Mike.”
After several weeks of making up excuses to meet clients at lunch, their workload increased to the point that Harvey had to stay later than usual. He started bringing work with him to restaurants, or eating at the office. It wasn’t until Donna suggested he combine his lunch breaks with work-related discussions with Mike that he realized the extra work might be the perfect excuse to start giving Mike more meals a week.
“Mike,” Harvey said as he stopped by the younger man’s cubicle. Mike looked up at him, then glanced back down at his papers, then did it again, like he was trying to talk to Harvey and read his briefs at the same time. Harvey huffed in annoyance and leaned over the wall to put a hand over the paper in front of Mike, obstructing his view. Mike stared down at his hand.
“I need to talk with you about the Andrews deposition,” Harvey said, which finally got Mike’s attention and made his eyes focus on Harvey’s face and stay there.
“Okay,” Mike said. “What did you want to say?”
“Come with me,” Harvey ordered. “It’s past noon, and I’m starving. We can talk about it over lunch.” Harvey turned and walked away, and Mike hesitated before grabbing his briefs and following.
* * *
Although Mike tried to focus on the Andrews deposition, he knew he and Harvey didn’t get much work done over lunch. He was too busy enjoying the food, and wondering at the fact that he was essentially on a lunch date with Harvey. As casual as he tried to be, Mike was honored that Harvey wanted to spend time with him. He had been so excited when Harvey started taking him to meetings, particularly the lunch meetings with potential clients, when they tried to charm them with good food and witty conversation. He was glad that Harvey considered him good enough to help win clients, and good enough that Harvey would actually want to take him along as a representation of Harvey.
But this was different from the meetings with clients. This wasn’t one of the lavish restaurants they went to in order to impress other people. It was beautiful and expensive, yes, but it was also smaller, more intimate, and if it hadn’t been for the papers across the table and the occasional talk of work it might have felt like an actual date.
The topic of conversation wandered, and Mike found himself telling Harvey about the things he had done in college, the clubs he’d joined, the friends he’d made, and all of the ridiculous things they’d done while drunk or high. He told Harvey in more detail how he had gotten kicked out, and how he’d managed over the years before he met Harvey. Mike told him about the part-time jobs he’d had, everything from cab driver to daycare provider. Harvey listened and nodded, occasionally mentioning something from his own college days, or from the time he had spent working part-time when he was younger.
Then Mike mentioned the bills he’d had to pay, and how hard it had been to pay for food and clothes. He hadn’t meant to say it; it had been a slip of the tongue, and he immediately felt guilty. He couldn’t be complaining about his financial situation to the person who was single-handedly responsible for giving him a new job that would soon have him out of debt. Mike saw the way Harvey’s eyes narrowed when he said it, and he resisted the urge to cover his mouth in embarrassment. He didn’t want Harvey to think he was ungrateful.
After a minute the conversation started up again, this time quickly going back to the Andrews deposition. The flow of words between them was stilted, more difficult than before. Mike was disappointed. He had ruined a chance to get closer to Harvey, to learn more about the man he admired and respected and maybe even had a slight crush on, just because he’d slipped up and talked about his bills.
They quickly finished their talk about the upcoming deposition, and left the restaurant shortly thereafter. Mike noticed that Harvey declined when the waiter offered them separate boxes. He couldn’t help but wonder if Harvey was insisting Mike take all the leftovers because of what Mike had said about having trouble paying for food. Mike didn’t want Harvey to think he was ungrateful, but he also didn’t want Harvey to pity him. He would never gain Harvey’s respect, never make him proud that he’d chosen Mike, if Harvey pitied him.
Harvey must have really taken notice of what Mike had casually said about his bills, because he took Mike along on working lunches more and more frequently after that. Even when their workload lightened, Harvey still kept inviting Mike along with him to lunch. Mike worried that Harvey felt sorry for him, was concerned about him. As much as Mike liked the idea of Harvey caring about him, he didn’t want his boss to think he was in danger of passing out from hunger in the office, or something. He didn’t want Harvey to think he couldn’t take care of himself. Mike had been on his own for years. He wasn’t helpless or incompetent. He knew how to make ends meet.
So Mike started bringing a packed lunch in to work. Even though it meant he would have less to eat of dinner, maybe even have to skip dinner altogether, Mike didn’t want Harvey to worry. He didn’t want Harvey to know just how bad his financial situation was.
Mike ate his packed lunch early, before Harvey stopped by to ask him to another “working lunch.” When Harvey brought him to the restaurant, he politely declined a menu and only asked for water, assuring both Harvey and the waitress that he’d already eaten. Mike knew that if Harvey really was making sure he got fed, he probably wouldn’t just take his word for it. Harvey would be watching him, making sure he ate lunch. So Mike kept bringing in his packed lunch to keep up appearances.
Oddly enough, Harvey didn’t stop asking him to lunch. Even after two weeks of packed lunches, more than enough to assure Harvey that Mike could feed himself, Harvey still asked Mike to accompany him to the restaurant. Mike could only think of two explanations for that: either Harvey really did have important business to discuss with him, which was unlikely considering very little work-related talk actually happened during their lunches; or Harvey just wanted Mike’s company, and had this whole time.
Mike couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed when he realized that Harvey must not have taken any notice at all of what Mike had said about the bills. Harvey must not have noticed he was skipping lunches at the office. Harvey hadn’t cared enough to watch him closely, or hadn’t cared enough to do something about it. That made it seem very unlikely that Harvey was inviting him along for his company. Why want Mike around if he didn’t care about him? It hurt Mike to think that Harvey only saw him as a subordinate, an asset, and the lunches were and had always been purely for work purposes.
On the other hand, they had hardly spoken about work when Harvey first started asking him to lunch, and now there was barely any pretense of working. Their meals together were becoming more casual, becoming less and less like working lunches and more and more like the dates Mike had fantasized they were in the beginning. The only possible explanation for Harvey asking Mike to accompany him when he didn’t even intend to talk about work was because he wanted to spend time with him.
So Mike worried and fretted and thought himself in circles, trying to figure out Harvey’s motivation for asking him. Meanwhile, he became more and more comfortable in Harvey’s presence, got to know him on a more personal level, and learned and shared things that would probably never be discussed in a typical employer-employee relationship. He could no longer believe that Harvey didn’t want to spend time with him, no matter how distant he was in the office. But Mike still wasn’t sure if Harvey actually cared.
Then Harvey surprised him by saying something that proved beyond a doubt that he cared very much.
* * *
Harvey couldn’t help but feel a little nervous as he and Mike took their seats at the restaurant. It was just another lunch together, not a working lunch but a friendly one. Almost a lunch date.
They had been going to lunch together every day for almost a month, and in that time the tone of their meals had changed greatly. Harvey had ceased to keep up any pretense of bringing Mike along for work. Instead they talked about themselves, their lives, and a conversation that started out being about what baseball teams they followed could end up being about their childhood dreams and aspirations, the things they regretted not doing when they had the chance and the things they still wanted to do before it was too late.
Harvey had told Mike things about himself that he’d never told anyone. It made him realize just how close he’d become to Mike, just how important Mike had become to him. Harvey cared. He wasn’t even ashamed to admit that he cared. Mike had become so much more than just his associate, and Harvey could hardly imagine a world in which he and Mike didn’t spend their lunch breaks talking about everything, from the asinine to the intimate. And he certainly didn’t want to live in a world like that.
But in spite of all that, Harvey hadn’t seen the true breadth of his feelings for Mike on his own. It had taken Donna interfering for him to realize that the attraction he’d stamped down at their very first meeting and the closeness that had developed since he started taking Mike to lunch had morphed into something greater.
Harvey returned to his office after another lunch with Mike in a good mood. He complemented the paralegals and associates he met in the hallway, exchanged friendly barbs with Louis, and even promised Jessica he would take on an extra pro bono case, all before he got back to his office. Donna looked up and saw the easy-going smile on his face, not even a smirk, and she smiled up at him like a cat who had somehow removed a canary from a cage and left it locked.
“Donna!” Harvey greeted cheerfully. “That’s a frightening expression you have. What’ve you been up to?”
“I made you dinner reservations for Friday night,” Donna said with a smirk. Harvey’s smile fell.
“I didn’t ask for any dinner reservations.”
“Oh, but you’ll need them,” she replied, her serious tone undermined by her dancing eyes. “I don’t think Mike’s they type of boy to give it up without at least getting dinner first.”
Harvey gaped at her, unable to form a coherent response. His first instinct was to deny it, but even as he opened his mouth to say that he was in no way interested in Mike, he realized that it would be a lie. He was interested in Mike, and had been ever since they met. But the fiery attraction he’d tried to lock away had somehow melded with the budding concern and compassion, to form something more tender but no less powerful. He was in love with Mike. He had been for a while.
But all the same, asking Mike to dinner would be completely inappropriate. They worked together, and to put his feelings out there would most likely mean rejection, which would damage their working relationship irreparably. Not only that, but as much as rejection would hurt Harvey, he knew it would also hurt Mike if Harvey were to ruin their growing friendship with his own selfishness. He couldn’t lay his feelings on Mike, couldn’t ask the other man to be responsible for his heart. He couldn’t make Mike feel like the bad guy for rejecting Harvey, and he couldn’t let Mike pretend to return his feelings when he didn’t. There was no outcome in which telling an unwilling Mike about his feelings would be a good thing, for either of them.
But then, Donna knew that. She knew that they both cared for each other, and worked well together, and she knew Harvey couldn’t jeopardize those things by telling Mike he loved him when Mike didn’t feel the same. Donna was observant. She had known about Mike’s food issues, and Harvey’s feelings. She wouldn’t have suggested this if she didn’t think Mike would respond positively. And Harvey trusted Donna’s judgment in everything.
Donna smirked up at him as he considered it, and Harvey knew she had read all of his thoughts in his eyes and knew exactly what had gone through his head. So he didn’t need to give any explanation when he closed his open mouth, cleared his throat, and said, “Thank you.”
Donna grinned victoriously. “You’re welcome,” she replied smugly as Harvey went into his office.
Donna had told Harvey about the reservations on Wednesday after lunch, and now it was Friday. He’d managed to psych himself out of asking Mike to dinner yesterday, and gotten a lecture from Donna for his trouble. Now it was Friday, the day of the reservations, and his last chance to ask Mike to dinner.
Harvey fidgeted with the edge of his menu as he looked it over. He couldn’t believe he was this nervous. He was Harvey fucking Specter, the best closer in the city! He never hesitated to go after what he wanted, never worried about what happened when he failed. But of all the beautiful people he’d charmed into his bed, he’d never been this invested in the outcome. He’d never known it would hurt this much if they said no.
Mike finished looking over the menu and smiled over at Harvey, but the smile fell when he noticed his nervousness. “Something wrong, Harvey?” Mike asked, concerned.
“No, nothing’s wrong,” Harvey said. Mike’s eyes narrowed in suspicion, but Harvey was saved from further prying by the arrival of the waiter, and Mike seemed to have forgotten by the time they’d placed their order.
They were waiting for the bill to be returned by the time Harvey finally decided that he was acting like a coward, and he needed to ask soon. He would never hear the end of it from Donna if he let this chance slip by, and if he was honest, he wanted to ask. He knew there was a chance of Mike saying no, but if Donna had pushed him to do this then there was an even greater chance of him saying yes. Harvey wanted to take Mike to dinner.
“What are you doing tonight?” Harvey asked, trying to sound casual.
“Not much,” Mike replied with a shrug. “Why? Do you need me to work late?”
“It’s not that,” Harvey replied. “I’ve got a reservation at a restaurant tonight, and I was wondering if you’d accompany me.”
“Is this some kind of work thing? Like, dinner with a client?” Mike asked.
“No, it’s not like that.”
“Is it some kind of party or something? A social function?” Harvey could tell Mike was probably imagining some huge, lavish charity ball or something of the sort, and he frowned. How much clearer could he be that this didn’t have to do with work?
“No, Mike, it’s not a public event.”
“Is it-”
“Michael,” Harvey snapped, to get his attention, and Mike sopped mid-sentence and stared at him with wide eyes. Harvey’s tone softened when he continued, to one of fond annoyance. “I’m trying to ask you out on a date.”
Mike stared at him with an expression of shock, but Harvey could see the glint of hope in his eyes. He smiled over at the younger man. “So, what’s your answer, Mike?”
“Yes,” Mike said in a whisper, then cleared his throat. “Uh, yes. Yes, I’d love to go to dinner with you, Harvey.”
“Good,” Harvey replied, reaching out to touch Mike’s hand. He could feel the younger man’s skin shiver under his touch. “Out reservations are for nine. I can pick you up at your apartment.”
Mike nodded mutely, his eyes on Harvey’s hand laying over his. Harvey rubbed his thumb across Mike’s hand gently and heard him gasp. Then the moment was broken when the waiter returned with Harvey’s credit card, and they both hesitantly dropped their hands. They returned to the office together, and parted ways reluctantly at Mike’s cubicle. Both of them were looking forward to that night.
* * *
Mike shifted nervously in the back of Harvey’s car, and adjusted his tie for the second time in the last five minutes. He had worn his best suit, wanting to look good for Harvey, but he wondered now if it was too… work-like, for a date.
“Stop that,” Harvey said, exasperated. Mike’s hand froze on his tie, and he swallowed and blushed. Harvey reached up and grabbed his hand, gently lowering it from Mike’s tie to rest on their touching thighs, holding Mike’s hand in his. Mike could barely breathe.
The car stopped and they exited. Harvey took Mike’s hand to help him out of the car, and held the door open for him as they walked in. He was being a gentleman, something Mike probably should have expected, though it surprised him all the same. His heart was beating double-time in his chest as they walked in and the hostess looked them over before showing them to their seats. He half expected someone to comment on the fact that two men were going to dinner together, but no one did. Mike supposed Harvey was too intimidating for anyone to try that.
Once they were seated and had placed their orders, Mike started to calm down. He and Harvey spoke a little, and although it was somewhat awkward and hesitant at first it quickly warmed to a comfortable flow of dialogue. After a glass of wine, Mike was feeling much more relaxed. He and Harvey exchanged witticisms and complements, and gentle touches both above the table and under it. Mike’s entire face flushed bright pink when he felt Harvey’s ankle brush against his and Harvey caught his eye.
The dinner was half way through before Mike even thought to ask about something that had been bothering him. “Harvey,” he said, and his date looked up from the last few bites of his expensive steak. “What made you start taking me to lunch?”
Harvey looked surprised for a moment, then he smiled. “Mike, I’m taking you on a date and you’re asking why I’ve been spending more time with you lately. I’d say that’s pretty self-explanatory.”
Mike nodded, reassured, before he stopped to think that Harvey hadn’t really answered the question. Harvey was a lawyer. He knew exactly what his words meant and what they implied, and he knew how to dodge questions he didn’t want to answer.
“That’s not an answer,” Mike said with a frown. Harvey’s smile fell and he gazed back at Mike without speaking. “You felt sorry for me, didn’t you? You felt sorry for me because you knew I was skipping lunch!” Mike’s voice started to rise as he became angrier. He couldn’t believe he’d let Harvey do this, let him string Mike along out of pity. He felt humiliated.
Mike was about to stand up and walk away when Harvey grabbed his wrist. Mike glared at him, expecting Harvey to say something about not making a scene, but what Harvey said next made him pause. “I knew you were skipping lunch, yes,” Harvey said. “And I wanted to fix it, I wanted to take care of you. You’re my responsibility.”
Mike opened his mouth to snarl a response, but Harvey cut him off. “At least, that’s why I thought I was doing it when I started. But the more time passed, the more time I spent with you, I realized that I do care.” Harvey’s hand on Mike’s wrist slipped down to hold and squeeze his hand, and Harvey looked into his eyes intensely. “I care about you, Mike. I didn’t want you to go hungry; I wanted to help. But I knew you’d be too proud to let me do that, so I made up excuses. It was dishonest, and I apologize.”
Apologize. Harvey was apologizing.
Mike’s anger slowly fizzled out, and he settled back in his seat. He hung his head and stared down at his plate. “I can take care of myself,” Mike mumbled defensively.
“I’m sure you can,” Harvey assured him gently. “I just don’t want you to have to.” Mike nodded, keeping his eyes turned away. He couldn’t help but feel guilty for his outburst. He knew Harvey was just concerned about him, and it was good to know that Harvey cared. Mike shouldn’t be so quick to bite the hand that fed him, both figuratively and literally.
“Just tell me one thing,” Mike said, looking up at Harvey hopefully. “Tell me you didn’t ask me to dinner because you were worried about my eating habits.”
Harvey’s eyes widened in surprise, then softened. He squeezed Mike’s hand. “Of course not. I wouldn’t have done that to you.” Harvey leaned across the table and whispered into Mike’s ear, “I really do love you, Mike. I wouldn’t have done this if I didn’t.”
Mike could feel Harvey’s breath against the side of his neck, and it made him shiver almost as much as the words did. “I love you too,” he whispered in return. Harvey’s cheek brushed against his as he started to pull away, but Mike suddenly felt a rush of panic at the thought of Harvey moving away from him, even as short a distance as across the table. He reached up and put one hand on the back of Harvey’s neck to hold him in place. Harvey stilled for a moment under his touch, then pulled back just enough to look Mike in the eyes and kiss him. Their lips met gently, tenderly, and it was better than Mike could have imagined.
When Mike tried to deepen the kiss, Harvey pulled back and retreated across the table, leaving Mike gazing into his dark eyes. “We’re in public, Mike,” Harvey reminded him, his soft voice rough with arousal, and Mike felt a blush rise in his cheeks. He’d forgotten that. “But we can continue this in private,” Harvey added with a smirk. Mike gulped as he watched Harvey signal the waiter for the check. As much as he’d been looking forward to this dinner date, suddenly he couldn’t get out of the restaurant fast enough.
Mike raced ahead of Harvey to the town car, his excitement barely contained. Harvey, walking slowly behind him, was making an effort to look more composed, but Mike could see a quickness in his step that gave him away.
“Take us home, Ray,” Harvey told his driver casually as he settled into the back seat. Ray looked at them through the rearview mirror, and although Mike could only see his eyes he knew the man must have been smirking. The divider between the front and back seats rolled up, giving them privacy. Mike immediately shifted closer to Harvey, pressing himself against the other man’s side. Harvey’s arm wrapped around his shoulders, but he made no move to do more. Mike refused to accept that. He leaned close to kiss Harvey’s cheek and jaw and neck, chaste little kisses quickly morphing into open-mouthed licks and nibbles.
Harvey’s attempt at propriety crumbled. He wrapped his arms around Mike and pulled the younger man into his lap, kissing him passionately on the lips. Mike settled himself with a leg on either side of Harvey’s, pressing himself closer against his body. The kiss was less gentle than their first, but Mike could feel the same tenderness in it as Harvey’s hands cradled his face, fingers brushing lightly over his cheeks. Mike took advantage of the added height from sitting on Harvey’s lap to try to dominate the kiss. Harvey seemed amused by that, and didn’t make much of an effort to fight back as Mike’s tongue slipped into his mouth. Mike moaned against Harvey’s lips, enjoying being in control, although he knew it was only temporary.
They separated for air and Mike gazed back into Harvey’s eyes. They were dark with lust, the gentle drown a thin circle around the widened black. Harvey’s hair was mussed where Mike’s fingers had tangled in it, the usually slicked-back locks now sticking up randomly. His cheeks were flushed and his mouth open as he panted. Mike’s breath hitched in his throat at the sight.
They came together again, Harvey taking control of the kiss this time. Mike shifted closer, grinding their hips together, and moaned into Harvey’s mouth at the feeling. One of Harvey’s hands was on the back of his neck, holding him in place as they kissed. The other slipped behind Mike to pull his shirt tail from his pants and slide under it. Mike shivered as he felt Harvey’s fingers caressing the tender skin of his back.
A sudden car horn startled them both from the kiss, making them spring apart. The town car had come to a stop, and Harvey glanced out the window and confirmed, “We’re here.” They separated reluctantly, sparing a moment to straighten their clothes and hair before stepping out of the car and going inside, still getting odd looks from the door man and receptionist. Mike’s pants felt a little tight, and he adjusted them awkwardly as they waited for the elevator. They managed to keep their hands off of one another as they rode up to the penthouse, both aware of the camera in the corner of the elevator. As soon as they got inside Harvey’s condo, however, there was no holding back.
Harvey pressed Mike up against the closed door, working his hands under Mike’s suit jacket to push it off of his shoulders even as he attacked Mike’s mouth with his. Mike wrestled the jacket off, needing to free his hands so he could touch Harvey too. It was tossed haphazardly to the side, and immediately forgotten.
Mike’s fingers fumbled with the buttons of Harvey’s jacket. He didn’t bother taking it off once it was undone, but instead went to work on the vest underneath it, mentally cursing the number of layers he had to work through to touch skin. Another reason three-piece suits were ridiculous.
As Mike worked on Harvey’s clothes, one of Harvey’s hands lifted Mike’s leg to rest over Harvey’s hip. Mike gasped against Harvey’s lips as their hips ground together. He could feel even through the layers of clothing that Harvey was just as hard as he was. His fingers faltered on the buttons of Harvey’s shirt as Harvey rocked his hips against Mike’s while his mouth moved to kiss and nibble a spot just behind Mike’s ear. A shudder rolled through Mike’s body and he moaned out loud. When he was able to collect his thoughts, he forced his fingers to start working again, redoubling his efforts to undress Harvey.
Finally when the buttons were all undone, Harvey separated himself from Mike long enough to remove the jacket, vest, and shirt. Mike looked him up and down, gazing appreciatively at his body. Harvey noticed and smirked back at him. “Shall we move this to the bedroom?”
“I think that’d be more comfortable,” Mike agreed breathlessly. He tried to smirk in return, but he knew it was a little shaky. Harvey slid an arm around Mike and began pulling him towards the bedroom. It was slow progress, as they stopped to press one another up against every hard surface they encountered, stripping off their clothing as they went. Finally they managed to reach the bedroom and the bed itself. Both were down to their boxers when Harvey fell onto the bed, pulling Mike on top of him without letting their kiss break.
Mike pulled away from Harvey to gasp a breath. He put his hands on Harvey’s chest and pushed himself up into a sitting position, grinding his hips down on Harvey’s, feeling Harvey’s cock against his ass. Harvey ran his hands down Mike’s sides to stop on his hips, trying to hold him in place. Mike smirked and rolled his hips again, enjoying the soft moan Harvey made at the movement. He gazed down at Harvey, taking in the tousled hair, kiss-reddened lips, strong arms gripping Mike’s hips, bare chest with a light trail of hair leading down to-
“Enjoying the view?” Harvey asked, breaking Mike from his examination. His eyes shot p to Harvey’s face, and he saw that the older lawyer had a hand tucked casually behind his head and was smirking at Mike with one eyebrow raised.
Mike smirked back. “Definitely.”
Harvey laughed softly. “Well, I think it’d be a lot better without the fabric in the way,” he replied as one of his hands slipped down the back of Mike’s boxers to grip his ass. Mike shuddered at the feeling, his hips unconsciously rolling in shallow thrusts, down against Harvey’s cock, up against his hand.
“I think you’re right,” Mike said when he could manage words. The blood in his brain was quickly rushing south, and it was becoming increasingly difficult to form coherent thoughts. He almost resented Harvey for being so calm and in control.
“I’m always right,” Harvey replied, and Mike laughed but nodded in agreement. Harvey’s hands came up to wrap around Mike’s shoulders, pulling him down against Harvey’s chest before he rolled them over so that Mike was on his back with Harvey on top of him. Mike gasped in surprise, but the noise was lost as Harvey kissed him again.
The kiss broke and Harvey pulled back from Mike to undress completely. Mike watched eagerly as the fabric was removed and all of Harvey was revealed to him. He reached out immediately to take Harvey’s cock in his hand, enjoying the feel of the velvety skin as he gave it a few experimental strokes, trying to figure out what Harvey liked.
Harvey’s hand on his wrist made Mike still. He looked up at Harvey questioningly. The other man was looking past him, and as Mike watched Harvey lean towards the night stand by the bed, pull open the draw, and take out a condom and lube. Mike grinned as Harvey settled back on the bed with him, both of them now lying on their sides. “Those better be there because you were planning on taking me home tonight. I don’t like to share.”
“Neither do I,” Harvey replied with a smirk. “And you won’t have to.” Mike grinned up at Harvey as the other man’s hand tangled in his hair, pulling him close for a kiss. Their lips met again, more tenderly that before. Harvey cradled Mike’s face as he kissed him gently, lovingly. Mike whimpered into the kiss. No one had ever been so tender with him in bed.
Harvey pulled back to gaze into Mike’s eyes. “Are you sure about this?” he asked solemnly.
“Would I be here if I wasn’t?” Mike asked with a grin, but when Harvey’s expression remained serious he replied soberly, “I’m sure, Harvey. You’re not pressuring me into anything. This is what I want.”
“Have you done this before?” Harvey asked. One of his hands in Mike’s hair trailed down his back to brush over his ass, leaving no question what he was referring to.
Mike nodded, a blush spreading across his cheeks. “Trevor and I messed around a few times, and there were a couple guys when I was in college.”
Harvey nodded and leaned in to kiss Mike again. His hand that had been on Mike’s ass pulled the boxers down his long legs and let them drop to the floor, then moved back up to stroke over the sensitive skin of Mike’s lower back just above his ass. Mike moaned into the kiss. He reached back with his free hand and moved Harvey’s hand lower, and felt him laugh breathlessly against Mike’s lips. “Demanding,” he said amusedly.
“Damn right,” Mike murmured back, and felt Harvey laugh in response.
Mike’s hand on Harvey’s cock resumed its stroking. He felt the hard flesh twitch in his hand and Harvey groan against his neck. Harvey licked and nipped along Mike’s jaw line and below his ear, making Mike moan and shift his hips forward to rub against Harvey’s. He nipped sharply at a spot on Mike’s neck, drawing a gasp from him, before licking and sucking the mark, intent upon leaving a bruise. Harvey’s hand on Mike’s hip moved to his dick, giving it a few fast strokes before moving back to his ass. He caressed the soft skin before brushing over Mike’s hole, rubbing in light circles without pressing in. Mike whimpered and clung to Harvey’s shoulders with his free hand.
“Lie back,” Harvey ordered, and Mike complied with only a little reluctance for letting go of Harvey’s cock. He stretched out on his stomach with his arms folded under his head and his legs spread apart for Harvey. The older man knelt between his legs and opened the bottle of lube, rubbing some between his fingers to warm it before pressing a slicked finger between Mike’s cheeks to rest over his hole.
Mike shivered at the feeling, forcing his tense muscles to relax. He felt Harvey push forward slowly, opening Mike up with one finger to start. Mike shifted his hips back on Harvey’s finger, trying to show his lover that he was ready for more. It had been a while since Mike had done this, but he wanted to be with Harvey, and he didn’t want to wait.
Harvey added a second finger, stopping when he felt Mike tense up a bit at the stretch. “Don’t stop,” Mike panted against the bedspread, fisting his fingers in the fabric. He breathed a sigh of relief when Harvey pressed forward again, slow thrusts to get him used to the feeling. Mike gasped as Harvey’s fingers brushed over the spot that made his body hum with pleasure. He thrust back on Harvey’s fingers, but a hand on his hip forced him to still. A few more thrusts with two fingers, brushing against that spot each time, and Harvey was adding a third.
Mike whined and pressed back, fighting Harvey’s hand on his hip as he tried to pull the fingers deeper. He loved the stretch, the feel of Harvey’s fingers inside of him, the jolt of pleasure that ran through his body when they brushed over his prostate. “Harvey,” Mike panted. “More. Please!”
“Shhh,” Harvey hummed against the back of Mike’s neck, and Mike gasped at the rumbled of Harvey’s deep voice through his body. He felt the fingers sliding out and Harvey drawing back from him. Mike rolled over onto his back. He wanted to be facing Harvey for this.
Mike watched lustfully as Harvey fumbled with the condom wrapped, finally tearing it open with his teeth. Mike snatched it from him and rolled it on, stroking Harvey slowly through the plastic and feeling the older man’s hips rock towards his hand. He picked up the lube from where it have been abandoned on the bedspread and squeezed some out onto his fingers, quickly stroking it over Harvey’s cock.
Harvey put a hand on Mike’s shoulder and pressed him gently down against the bed. He moved over Mike, and the younger man raised a leg to wrap around Harvey’s hips. Mike’s eyes fluttered shut as he felt Harvey’s cock pressing against his hole, slowly pushing in. His arms wrapped around Harvey’s shoulders, one hand burying in his hair, as he felt Harvey filling him. Harvey’s lips found his, coaxing Mike’s mouth open and twining his tongue with Mikes.
Mike groaned into Harvey’s mouth as he began to thrust, shallow and slow at first, making sure Mike was ready. Mike wanted to tell him there was no need for that, and he should just get on with it, but Harvey’s mouth on his kept him from speaking, and he wasn’t sure he could have strung together a coherent sentence anyway.
Mike whimpered against Harvey’s lips as he sped up, moving harder and deeper, brushing against the spot that made Mike see stars with each movement. He tore his mouth from Harvey’s to kiss and nip along his jawline and down his neck, wanting to leave a mark to match the one Harvey had given him earlier. Mike moaned against the skin as one of Harvey’s hands brushed over his chest, gently pinching a nipple. The hand moved lower, caressing the sensitive skin of Mike’s abdomen in a way that might have made him giggle under other circumstances. It ran over Mike’s hip bone, making him shiver, before finally wrapping around his cock and stroking slowly.
Mike gripped Harvey’s shoulder tightly as he moved his lips back to the other man’s. Their mouths clashed together, lips slipping, teeth sliding. Mike whimpered desperately as Harvey licked across the roof of his mouth. Every thrust and every stroke was pushing him closer and closer to the edge. This had been a long time coming, and he knew he couldn’t last very long.
Mike’s body tensed up as he felt his climax begin to hit. He tore his mouth from Harvey’s and gasped out the older man’s name before breaking off in a low moan. Waves of pleasure rolled through his body, and he thrust desperately between Harvey’s dick and his hand. He felt Harvey shudder above him, his thrusts becoming erratic, before he moaned out Mike’s name against his neck. He bit down on the soft skin just above Mike’s collar bone, but Mike couldn’t register any pain from it. There was only pleasure.
As Mike began to float back to reality and the white spots faded from his vision, he drew in a slow, shaky breath. He felt Harvey shudder and slide out of him before easing himself down on top of Mike. Mike sighed softly and snuggled up to Harvey. He was still floating in the hazy afterglow, and didn’t want to do anything to break it. Harvey kissed Mike’s cheek gently, and Mike cracked open one eye and smiled at him. “Love you,” he murmured.
Harvey smiled tenderly. “You too,” he whispered back, his voice rough. He shifted off of Mike, lying on his side, and pulled off the condom and tossed it into a nearby trashcan. Mike stretched with a contented sigh and settled back against Harvey’s chest.
“I’m assuming I can stay the night?” he asked with a little smile.
“I’d say that’s a safe bet,” Harvey replied, kissing the top of Mike’s head. “I’ll make you breakfast in the morning.”
“Ah, see, I knew this was all a ploy to get me to eat right,” Mike said playfully.
“Hm, yes. And sleeping with you was just a necessary sacrifice,” Harvey replied, a teasing glint in his eyes. Mike gave him a tired shove and laughed. “In all seriousness,” Harvey said, and kissed his lips again, “if you’ll stay for a second round after breakfast, I’ll make you lunch, too.”
“If I stay all weekend, will you feed me every meal?” Mike asked.
“And snacks twice a day,” Harvey said with a smile. Mike shook his head at the ridiculousness of it. Harvey’s arm tightened around him in a hug. “Really, though, Mike,” he said, his tone genuinely serious, “I don’t want to see you go hungry. I love you, and if you’ll let me, I want to take care of you. This isn’t out of guilt.”
“I know.” Mike sighed, thinking back to his initial reaction when he’d first though Harvey was taking car of him out of pity, how angry he had been. “I guess I’m too proud for my own good sometimes.”
“Pride can get you in trouble,” Harvey agreed knowingly.
“I’m sure you’re speaking from experience,” Mike said with a grin. Harvey laughed softly but didn’t answer. “I love you,” Mike sighed as he settled back down beside Harvey. “And I’ll let you take care of me, because I know you love me.”
“I do love you,” Harvey replied. He kissed Mike softly on the lips and then reached down to pull a blanket over them. Mike snuggled up against him with a contented sigh and closed his eyes, thinking to himself that he now had all the more reason to be grateful to Harvey. The man had given him everything he needed, from a job, to food, to love, and Mike was incredibly grateful. But he knew Harvey would never act like Mike owed him anything, and that was what allowed him to trust this man, and to love him so completely. Harvey, for all he said he didn’t care, had given Mike everything and asked nothing more than hard work and mutual love in return. Mike couldn’t have been happier with the way his life had turned out since he met Harvey.
Mike looked up and saw Harvey smiling tenderly down at him. He smiled in return and kissed him lightly, before closing his eyes and allowing sleep to claim him, and small smile still on his lips.
Fandom- Suits
Ship- Harvey/Mike
Rating- NC-17
Genre- first-time, angst, romance, slash
Warnings- unbetaed
Wordcount- 8,600
Disclaimer- I do not own Suits
Summary- Mike is skipping meals. Harvey is concerned.
A/N- written for a prompt here at suitsmemesuitsmeme: So in the beginning of the series we obviously see Mike being strapped for cash so much so that I'm guessing he gave up things so his grandmother could get care. The thing I am thinking of is food (skipping meals, raman noodles anyone?) which could explain why he's so skinny. So I'd love to see a fic where Harvey and maybe Donna (Because she's a BAMF) notice this. At first they think he's skipping lunch because he's working and then they notice it's becoming a more regular thing. Or that he only eats when someone else is buying. They put the pieces together. And take action of course.
Mike stared at the banking statements, hospital bills, and other papers that were spread out over his kitchen table. In the middle of the mess, directly in front of him, was the paycheck he’d gotten at the end of the month from Pearson Hardman. It was a plain check on yellow-tan paper, but to Mike it was almost golden. With this check he’d be able to start paying off the accumulated hospital bills, the rent he’d been promising for months, the electricity, phone, and cable bills he owed the building manager. It wasn’t enough to cover all his debts, of course, especially not considering the cost of just getting the job -the new suits, the flights to and from Harvard- but it was enough to keep him from going further into debt, and to start pulling him out of it.
Mike had been on a careful budget for the past couple years. All of the money he could spare went towards his grandmother’s care. He had spent the absolute minimum on his own bills, just enough to keep from getting kicked out, and the few dollars that were left had gone to basic things like food. He’d stopped buying new clothes and worn his old ones until they fell apart, quite literally in some cases. He bought just enough food to keep from starving. He lived off of Raman noodles, eggs, and frozen vegetables. More than once, when there had been a long time between his odd jobs, Mike had humbled himself to stand in line at the soup kitchen, and repaid the favor by volunteering there on weekends. Mike looked forward to the day when he would no longer be volunteering out of guilt.
But today wasn’t that day.
The check Mike had gotten wasn’t enough to pay all of his bills. It would take another couple months before he was out of the red, several before he could buy himself some nicer clothes for outside of work and start looking for a new apartment. Until that happened, he would still need to live like this, wearing his old clothes until they fell apart and patching them when he could, eating the cheapest foods money could buy and sometimes looking for handouts. His money had to go where it was most needed. He had been living like this for years. What was a few more months?
Mike sighed as he put away the bills and his checkbook. In the morning he would deposit his paycheck and start sending out his bill payments. For now, though, the soup kitchen a few blocks away was having a fried chicken night, and that was something Mike could never afford on his own.
* * *
Harvey leaned against the wall, watching the associates’ cubicles intently. He had been keeping track of their movements all morning, and every associate had taken their lunch break, whether out of the office, in the break room, or even at their desk. All of them, that was, except Mike.
Harvey had first noticed this behavior a few weeks ago, when he and Mike had had a heavy caseload and he had been checking by Mike’s desk every few minutes to see how much work he’d finished. At that time, he’d seen that Mike rarely stopped work to eat, but he’d brushed it off as the result of the pressure he was under to get his briefs done.
As time passed and their work load became lighter, however, Harvey had noticed that Mike still worked through lunch. He’d thought that the younger lawyer was trying to get ahead on his work, but he noticed that when Rachel or one of the other associates asked Mike to go with them to lunch and offered to buy, Mike took them up on the offer.
The only conclusion that made sense to Harvey was that Mike was trying to avoid paying for food. It worried him.
Harvey had known when he hired Mike how desperate the other man was for money, the bills he had to pay for his grandmother’s care. Harvey hadn’t realized, though, just how much debt Mike could have gotten into after dropping out of school. He hadn’t even considered the fact that the $25,000 check he’d given Mike for his grandmother’s transfer to a full care facility, the “signing bonus” he’d promised, would only cover the latest in a long list of expenses Mike hadn’t been able to pay for himself. The check from Harvey and Mike’s latest paycheck hadn’t been enough to magically pull Mike into the black. They hadn’t been enough to allow him to leave behind his previous lifestyle of scrimping and saving and sacrificing to get by.
Harvey couldn’t help but feel guilty, as he watched Mike working diligently while the other associates leisurely returned from their lunch breaks. He wondered how many days Mike had sat at that desk while his stomach growled, and ignored it because he couldn’t afford to buy himself lunch, while Harvey had no idea it was happening. Mike was his associate. His responsibility. He should have known. And he had to make it right.
Harvey pushed off from the wall and went over to Mike’s cubicle. Mike glanced up from his work and smiled. “What’s up, Harvey? I’m almost done with this.”
“Don’t worry about it,” Harvey assured him. “Shepard switched our meeting time.”
“Switched the meeting time?” Mike repeated, setting down his pen. “When is it now?”
“In just a few minutes,” Harvey said, and saw Mike’s eyes widen in surprise. Harvey continued before Mike could ask any questions. “It’s a lunch meeting. We’ll meet him at a restaurant and eat while we work. Pearson Hardman will cover the cost. Did you have lunch plans?”
“Well, no, but…”
“Come on,” Harvey said casually, and turned to leave. “We need to go now. Don’t worry about those briefs.”
Mike hesitated for a moment before scooping his briefs into a drawer on his desk and hurrying after Harvey. Harvey smiled as Mike caught up to him at the elevator, already asking about the meeting. Harvey had known that Mike wouldn’t accept charity, wouldn’t let Harvey pay for his meals without some reason for doing so. Harvey had called their client, Mr. Shepard, to change the meeting time, so that he would have an excuse for making sure Mike ate a good lunch. He was only hoping he could keep both Mike and Shepard from asking about it while they ate.
* * *
Mike couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt this full. The Italian restaurant he and Harvey had met their client at served incredibly large portions, enough for him to fill his stomach and still take some home for dinner. Mike smiled as he thought of the food in his pantry that he could save by eating restaurant leftovers.
The only thing that concerned Mike was that the waitress had packed his leftovers and Harvey’s in the same takeout box. He wasn’t sure if Harvey wanted them or not, or if he even remembered Mike had them. Mike looked guiltily down at the takeout box in his hands. Both sets of leftovers could mean dinner for four nights. And anyway, Harvey had more than enough money to feed himself, and probably tons of food at home. He didn’t need these leftovers. Mike did.
But they belonged to Harvey, and Mike couldn’t just take them. He sighed and stood up as he saw Harvey heading toward the elevator, on his way out of the office for the night. “Harvey,” Mike called to him, and Harvey stopped by his cubicle, a curious look on his face. “Do you want your leftovers from lunch?” Mike asked, pointing to the takeout box.
“No,” Harvey said, in a tone that said they would just be an inconvenience sitting in his refrigerator, “You can keep those, if you want them.”
“Okay,” Mike said, perhaps a little too eagerly. He couldn’t keep the goofy smile from his lips when he thought of all the meals he could make from this. Harvey probably thought it was strange that he was so grateful over some restaurant leftovers; there was an odd expression on his face, one Mike couldn’t quite read.
Harvey bid him a somewhat awkward goodnight, and turned back to the elevator. Mike returned it with a little too much enthusiasm. He was thinking how many dinners he could make out of these leftovers if he stretched them as far as he could. Harvey might have just given him a week’s worth of dinners for free.
* * *
Harvey frowned as he turned away from Mike. The grateful expression on his associate’s face sent a knife of guilt straight to his heart. He couldn’t believe he hadn’t noticed earlier that Mike was skipping meals. He couldn’t believe he’d let his associate, his responsibility, go hungry for so long when he was under Harvey’s care. Harvey was more certain than ever that he had to do whatever he could to make sure Mike was well-fed. He resolved, as he glanced back at his associate from inside the elevator, that he would never let Mike go hungry again.
After that, Harvey made a habit of scheduling meetings with clients over lunch, so their meals would be covered by company money. He watched what Mike ate; made sure he wouldn’t be going back to the office hungry. He always tried to go someplace he knew served a great deal of food, so that Mike would have enough for dinner as well. When Jessica confronted him about it, asking why he was trying to get so many free meals all of the sudden, Harvey started paying for the meetings out of his own pocket.
He started bringing in pastries and muffins in the morning, and leaving them on the table in his office. He made it clear to Mike that they were for everyone who wanted them, and clear to everyone else that they were only for Mike. Donna smirked knowingly at him whenever she helped herself to a muffin, and Harvey always scowled back at her. She knew exactly what Harvey was doing, and she approved. Donna had expressed her worry about Mike’s eating habits to Harvey, and was glad to hear he already planned on doing something about it. Of course, that didn’t stop her mocking him with the fact that he “so obviously cared about Mike.”
After several weeks of making up excuses to meet clients at lunch, their workload increased to the point that Harvey had to stay later than usual. He started bringing work with him to restaurants, or eating at the office. It wasn’t until Donna suggested he combine his lunch breaks with work-related discussions with Mike that he realized the extra work might be the perfect excuse to start giving Mike more meals a week.
“Mike,” Harvey said as he stopped by the younger man’s cubicle. Mike looked up at him, then glanced back down at his papers, then did it again, like he was trying to talk to Harvey and read his briefs at the same time. Harvey huffed in annoyance and leaned over the wall to put a hand over the paper in front of Mike, obstructing his view. Mike stared down at his hand.
“I need to talk with you about the Andrews deposition,” Harvey said, which finally got Mike’s attention and made his eyes focus on Harvey’s face and stay there.
“Okay,” Mike said. “What did you want to say?”
“Come with me,” Harvey ordered. “It’s past noon, and I’m starving. We can talk about it over lunch.” Harvey turned and walked away, and Mike hesitated before grabbing his briefs and following.
* * *
Although Mike tried to focus on the Andrews deposition, he knew he and Harvey didn’t get much work done over lunch. He was too busy enjoying the food, and wondering at the fact that he was essentially on a lunch date with Harvey. As casual as he tried to be, Mike was honored that Harvey wanted to spend time with him. He had been so excited when Harvey started taking him to meetings, particularly the lunch meetings with potential clients, when they tried to charm them with good food and witty conversation. He was glad that Harvey considered him good enough to help win clients, and good enough that Harvey would actually want to take him along as a representation of Harvey.
But this was different from the meetings with clients. This wasn’t one of the lavish restaurants they went to in order to impress other people. It was beautiful and expensive, yes, but it was also smaller, more intimate, and if it hadn’t been for the papers across the table and the occasional talk of work it might have felt like an actual date.
The topic of conversation wandered, and Mike found himself telling Harvey about the things he had done in college, the clubs he’d joined, the friends he’d made, and all of the ridiculous things they’d done while drunk or high. He told Harvey in more detail how he had gotten kicked out, and how he’d managed over the years before he met Harvey. Mike told him about the part-time jobs he’d had, everything from cab driver to daycare provider. Harvey listened and nodded, occasionally mentioning something from his own college days, or from the time he had spent working part-time when he was younger.
Then Mike mentioned the bills he’d had to pay, and how hard it had been to pay for food and clothes. He hadn’t meant to say it; it had been a slip of the tongue, and he immediately felt guilty. He couldn’t be complaining about his financial situation to the person who was single-handedly responsible for giving him a new job that would soon have him out of debt. Mike saw the way Harvey’s eyes narrowed when he said it, and he resisted the urge to cover his mouth in embarrassment. He didn’t want Harvey to think he was ungrateful.
After a minute the conversation started up again, this time quickly going back to the Andrews deposition. The flow of words between them was stilted, more difficult than before. Mike was disappointed. He had ruined a chance to get closer to Harvey, to learn more about the man he admired and respected and maybe even had a slight crush on, just because he’d slipped up and talked about his bills.
They quickly finished their talk about the upcoming deposition, and left the restaurant shortly thereafter. Mike noticed that Harvey declined when the waiter offered them separate boxes. He couldn’t help but wonder if Harvey was insisting Mike take all the leftovers because of what Mike had said about having trouble paying for food. Mike didn’t want Harvey to think he was ungrateful, but he also didn’t want Harvey to pity him. He would never gain Harvey’s respect, never make him proud that he’d chosen Mike, if Harvey pitied him.
Harvey must have really taken notice of what Mike had casually said about his bills, because he took Mike along on working lunches more and more frequently after that. Even when their workload lightened, Harvey still kept inviting Mike along with him to lunch. Mike worried that Harvey felt sorry for him, was concerned about him. As much as Mike liked the idea of Harvey caring about him, he didn’t want his boss to think he was in danger of passing out from hunger in the office, or something. He didn’t want Harvey to think he couldn’t take care of himself. Mike had been on his own for years. He wasn’t helpless or incompetent. He knew how to make ends meet.
So Mike started bringing a packed lunch in to work. Even though it meant he would have less to eat of dinner, maybe even have to skip dinner altogether, Mike didn’t want Harvey to worry. He didn’t want Harvey to know just how bad his financial situation was.
Mike ate his packed lunch early, before Harvey stopped by to ask him to another “working lunch.” When Harvey brought him to the restaurant, he politely declined a menu and only asked for water, assuring both Harvey and the waitress that he’d already eaten. Mike knew that if Harvey really was making sure he got fed, he probably wouldn’t just take his word for it. Harvey would be watching him, making sure he ate lunch. So Mike kept bringing in his packed lunch to keep up appearances.
Oddly enough, Harvey didn’t stop asking him to lunch. Even after two weeks of packed lunches, more than enough to assure Harvey that Mike could feed himself, Harvey still asked Mike to accompany him to the restaurant. Mike could only think of two explanations for that: either Harvey really did have important business to discuss with him, which was unlikely considering very little work-related talk actually happened during their lunches; or Harvey just wanted Mike’s company, and had this whole time.
Mike couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed when he realized that Harvey must not have taken any notice at all of what Mike had said about the bills. Harvey must not have noticed he was skipping lunches at the office. Harvey hadn’t cared enough to watch him closely, or hadn’t cared enough to do something about it. That made it seem very unlikely that Harvey was inviting him along for his company. Why want Mike around if he didn’t care about him? It hurt Mike to think that Harvey only saw him as a subordinate, an asset, and the lunches were and had always been purely for work purposes.
On the other hand, they had hardly spoken about work when Harvey first started asking him to lunch, and now there was barely any pretense of working. Their meals together were becoming more casual, becoming less and less like working lunches and more and more like the dates Mike had fantasized they were in the beginning. The only possible explanation for Harvey asking Mike to accompany him when he didn’t even intend to talk about work was because he wanted to spend time with him.
So Mike worried and fretted and thought himself in circles, trying to figure out Harvey’s motivation for asking him. Meanwhile, he became more and more comfortable in Harvey’s presence, got to know him on a more personal level, and learned and shared things that would probably never be discussed in a typical employer-employee relationship. He could no longer believe that Harvey didn’t want to spend time with him, no matter how distant he was in the office. But Mike still wasn’t sure if Harvey actually cared.
Then Harvey surprised him by saying something that proved beyond a doubt that he cared very much.
* * *
Harvey couldn’t help but feel a little nervous as he and Mike took their seats at the restaurant. It was just another lunch together, not a working lunch but a friendly one. Almost a lunch date.
They had been going to lunch together every day for almost a month, and in that time the tone of their meals had changed greatly. Harvey had ceased to keep up any pretense of bringing Mike along for work. Instead they talked about themselves, their lives, and a conversation that started out being about what baseball teams they followed could end up being about their childhood dreams and aspirations, the things they regretted not doing when they had the chance and the things they still wanted to do before it was too late.
Harvey had told Mike things about himself that he’d never told anyone. It made him realize just how close he’d become to Mike, just how important Mike had become to him. Harvey cared. He wasn’t even ashamed to admit that he cared. Mike had become so much more than just his associate, and Harvey could hardly imagine a world in which he and Mike didn’t spend their lunch breaks talking about everything, from the asinine to the intimate. And he certainly didn’t want to live in a world like that.
But in spite of all that, Harvey hadn’t seen the true breadth of his feelings for Mike on his own. It had taken Donna interfering for him to realize that the attraction he’d stamped down at their very first meeting and the closeness that had developed since he started taking Mike to lunch had morphed into something greater.
Harvey returned to his office after another lunch with Mike in a good mood. He complemented the paralegals and associates he met in the hallway, exchanged friendly barbs with Louis, and even promised Jessica he would take on an extra pro bono case, all before he got back to his office. Donna looked up and saw the easy-going smile on his face, not even a smirk, and she smiled up at him like a cat who had somehow removed a canary from a cage and left it locked.
“Donna!” Harvey greeted cheerfully. “That’s a frightening expression you have. What’ve you been up to?”
“I made you dinner reservations for Friday night,” Donna said with a smirk. Harvey’s smile fell.
“I didn’t ask for any dinner reservations.”
“Oh, but you’ll need them,” she replied, her serious tone undermined by her dancing eyes. “I don’t think Mike’s they type of boy to give it up without at least getting dinner first.”
Harvey gaped at her, unable to form a coherent response. His first instinct was to deny it, but even as he opened his mouth to say that he was in no way interested in Mike, he realized that it would be a lie. He was interested in Mike, and had been ever since they met. But the fiery attraction he’d tried to lock away had somehow melded with the budding concern and compassion, to form something more tender but no less powerful. He was in love with Mike. He had been for a while.
But all the same, asking Mike to dinner would be completely inappropriate. They worked together, and to put his feelings out there would most likely mean rejection, which would damage their working relationship irreparably. Not only that, but as much as rejection would hurt Harvey, he knew it would also hurt Mike if Harvey were to ruin their growing friendship with his own selfishness. He couldn’t lay his feelings on Mike, couldn’t ask the other man to be responsible for his heart. He couldn’t make Mike feel like the bad guy for rejecting Harvey, and he couldn’t let Mike pretend to return his feelings when he didn’t. There was no outcome in which telling an unwilling Mike about his feelings would be a good thing, for either of them.
But then, Donna knew that. She knew that they both cared for each other, and worked well together, and she knew Harvey couldn’t jeopardize those things by telling Mike he loved him when Mike didn’t feel the same. Donna was observant. She had known about Mike’s food issues, and Harvey’s feelings. She wouldn’t have suggested this if she didn’t think Mike would respond positively. And Harvey trusted Donna’s judgment in everything.
Donna smirked up at him as he considered it, and Harvey knew she had read all of his thoughts in his eyes and knew exactly what had gone through his head. So he didn’t need to give any explanation when he closed his open mouth, cleared his throat, and said, “Thank you.”
Donna grinned victoriously. “You’re welcome,” she replied smugly as Harvey went into his office.
Donna had told Harvey about the reservations on Wednesday after lunch, and now it was Friday. He’d managed to psych himself out of asking Mike to dinner yesterday, and gotten a lecture from Donna for his trouble. Now it was Friday, the day of the reservations, and his last chance to ask Mike to dinner.
Harvey fidgeted with the edge of his menu as he looked it over. He couldn’t believe he was this nervous. He was Harvey fucking Specter, the best closer in the city! He never hesitated to go after what he wanted, never worried about what happened when he failed. But of all the beautiful people he’d charmed into his bed, he’d never been this invested in the outcome. He’d never known it would hurt this much if they said no.
Mike finished looking over the menu and smiled over at Harvey, but the smile fell when he noticed his nervousness. “Something wrong, Harvey?” Mike asked, concerned.
“No, nothing’s wrong,” Harvey said. Mike’s eyes narrowed in suspicion, but Harvey was saved from further prying by the arrival of the waiter, and Mike seemed to have forgotten by the time they’d placed their order.
They were waiting for the bill to be returned by the time Harvey finally decided that he was acting like a coward, and he needed to ask soon. He would never hear the end of it from Donna if he let this chance slip by, and if he was honest, he wanted to ask. He knew there was a chance of Mike saying no, but if Donna had pushed him to do this then there was an even greater chance of him saying yes. Harvey wanted to take Mike to dinner.
“What are you doing tonight?” Harvey asked, trying to sound casual.
“Not much,” Mike replied with a shrug. “Why? Do you need me to work late?”
“It’s not that,” Harvey replied. “I’ve got a reservation at a restaurant tonight, and I was wondering if you’d accompany me.”
“Is this some kind of work thing? Like, dinner with a client?” Mike asked.
“No, it’s not like that.”
“Is it some kind of party or something? A social function?” Harvey could tell Mike was probably imagining some huge, lavish charity ball or something of the sort, and he frowned. How much clearer could he be that this didn’t have to do with work?
“No, Mike, it’s not a public event.”
“Is it-”
“Michael,” Harvey snapped, to get his attention, and Mike sopped mid-sentence and stared at him with wide eyes. Harvey’s tone softened when he continued, to one of fond annoyance. “I’m trying to ask you out on a date.”
Mike stared at him with an expression of shock, but Harvey could see the glint of hope in his eyes. He smiled over at the younger man. “So, what’s your answer, Mike?”
“Yes,” Mike said in a whisper, then cleared his throat. “Uh, yes. Yes, I’d love to go to dinner with you, Harvey.”
“Good,” Harvey replied, reaching out to touch Mike’s hand. He could feel the younger man’s skin shiver under his touch. “Out reservations are for nine. I can pick you up at your apartment.”
Mike nodded mutely, his eyes on Harvey’s hand laying over his. Harvey rubbed his thumb across Mike’s hand gently and heard him gasp. Then the moment was broken when the waiter returned with Harvey’s credit card, and they both hesitantly dropped their hands. They returned to the office together, and parted ways reluctantly at Mike’s cubicle. Both of them were looking forward to that night.
* * *
Mike shifted nervously in the back of Harvey’s car, and adjusted his tie for the second time in the last five minutes. He had worn his best suit, wanting to look good for Harvey, but he wondered now if it was too… work-like, for a date.
“Stop that,” Harvey said, exasperated. Mike’s hand froze on his tie, and he swallowed and blushed. Harvey reached up and grabbed his hand, gently lowering it from Mike’s tie to rest on their touching thighs, holding Mike’s hand in his. Mike could barely breathe.
The car stopped and they exited. Harvey took Mike’s hand to help him out of the car, and held the door open for him as they walked in. He was being a gentleman, something Mike probably should have expected, though it surprised him all the same. His heart was beating double-time in his chest as they walked in and the hostess looked them over before showing them to their seats. He half expected someone to comment on the fact that two men were going to dinner together, but no one did. Mike supposed Harvey was too intimidating for anyone to try that.
Once they were seated and had placed their orders, Mike started to calm down. He and Harvey spoke a little, and although it was somewhat awkward and hesitant at first it quickly warmed to a comfortable flow of dialogue. After a glass of wine, Mike was feeling much more relaxed. He and Harvey exchanged witticisms and complements, and gentle touches both above the table and under it. Mike’s entire face flushed bright pink when he felt Harvey’s ankle brush against his and Harvey caught his eye.
The dinner was half way through before Mike even thought to ask about something that had been bothering him. “Harvey,” he said, and his date looked up from the last few bites of his expensive steak. “What made you start taking me to lunch?”
Harvey looked surprised for a moment, then he smiled. “Mike, I’m taking you on a date and you’re asking why I’ve been spending more time with you lately. I’d say that’s pretty self-explanatory.”
Mike nodded, reassured, before he stopped to think that Harvey hadn’t really answered the question. Harvey was a lawyer. He knew exactly what his words meant and what they implied, and he knew how to dodge questions he didn’t want to answer.
“That’s not an answer,” Mike said with a frown. Harvey’s smile fell and he gazed back at Mike without speaking. “You felt sorry for me, didn’t you? You felt sorry for me because you knew I was skipping lunch!” Mike’s voice started to rise as he became angrier. He couldn’t believe he’d let Harvey do this, let him string Mike along out of pity. He felt humiliated.
Mike was about to stand up and walk away when Harvey grabbed his wrist. Mike glared at him, expecting Harvey to say something about not making a scene, but what Harvey said next made him pause. “I knew you were skipping lunch, yes,” Harvey said. “And I wanted to fix it, I wanted to take care of you. You’re my responsibility.”
Mike opened his mouth to snarl a response, but Harvey cut him off. “At least, that’s why I thought I was doing it when I started. But the more time passed, the more time I spent with you, I realized that I do care.” Harvey’s hand on Mike’s wrist slipped down to hold and squeeze his hand, and Harvey looked into his eyes intensely. “I care about you, Mike. I didn’t want you to go hungry; I wanted to help. But I knew you’d be too proud to let me do that, so I made up excuses. It was dishonest, and I apologize.”
Apologize. Harvey was apologizing.
Mike’s anger slowly fizzled out, and he settled back in his seat. He hung his head and stared down at his plate. “I can take care of myself,” Mike mumbled defensively.
“I’m sure you can,” Harvey assured him gently. “I just don’t want you to have to.” Mike nodded, keeping his eyes turned away. He couldn’t help but feel guilty for his outburst. He knew Harvey was just concerned about him, and it was good to know that Harvey cared. Mike shouldn’t be so quick to bite the hand that fed him, both figuratively and literally.
“Just tell me one thing,” Mike said, looking up at Harvey hopefully. “Tell me you didn’t ask me to dinner because you were worried about my eating habits.”
Harvey’s eyes widened in surprise, then softened. He squeezed Mike’s hand. “Of course not. I wouldn’t have done that to you.” Harvey leaned across the table and whispered into Mike’s ear, “I really do love you, Mike. I wouldn’t have done this if I didn’t.”
Mike could feel Harvey’s breath against the side of his neck, and it made him shiver almost as much as the words did. “I love you too,” he whispered in return. Harvey’s cheek brushed against his as he started to pull away, but Mike suddenly felt a rush of panic at the thought of Harvey moving away from him, even as short a distance as across the table. He reached up and put one hand on the back of Harvey’s neck to hold him in place. Harvey stilled for a moment under his touch, then pulled back just enough to look Mike in the eyes and kiss him. Their lips met gently, tenderly, and it was better than Mike could have imagined.
When Mike tried to deepen the kiss, Harvey pulled back and retreated across the table, leaving Mike gazing into his dark eyes. “We’re in public, Mike,” Harvey reminded him, his soft voice rough with arousal, and Mike felt a blush rise in his cheeks. He’d forgotten that. “But we can continue this in private,” Harvey added with a smirk. Mike gulped as he watched Harvey signal the waiter for the check. As much as he’d been looking forward to this dinner date, suddenly he couldn’t get out of the restaurant fast enough.
Mike raced ahead of Harvey to the town car, his excitement barely contained. Harvey, walking slowly behind him, was making an effort to look more composed, but Mike could see a quickness in his step that gave him away.
“Take us home, Ray,” Harvey told his driver casually as he settled into the back seat. Ray looked at them through the rearview mirror, and although Mike could only see his eyes he knew the man must have been smirking. The divider between the front and back seats rolled up, giving them privacy. Mike immediately shifted closer to Harvey, pressing himself against the other man’s side. Harvey’s arm wrapped around his shoulders, but he made no move to do more. Mike refused to accept that. He leaned close to kiss Harvey’s cheek and jaw and neck, chaste little kisses quickly morphing into open-mouthed licks and nibbles.
Harvey’s attempt at propriety crumbled. He wrapped his arms around Mike and pulled the younger man into his lap, kissing him passionately on the lips. Mike settled himself with a leg on either side of Harvey’s, pressing himself closer against his body. The kiss was less gentle than their first, but Mike could feel the same tenderness in it as Harvey’s hands cradled his face, fingers brushing lightly over his cheeks. Mike took advantage of the added height from sitting on Harvey’s lap to try to dominate the kiss. Harvey seemed amused by that, and didn’t make much of an effort to fight back as Mike’s tongue slipped into his mouth. Mike moaned against Harvey’s lips, enjoying being in control, although he knew it was only temporary.
They separated for air and Mike gazed back into Harvey’s eyes. They were dark with lust, the gentle drown a thin circle around the widened black. Harvey’s hair was mussed where Mike’s fingers had tangled in it, the usually slicked-back locks now sticking up randomly. His cheeks were flushed and his mouth open as he panted. Mike’s breath hitched in his throat at the sight.
They came together again, Harvey taking control of the kiss this time. Mike shifted closer, grinding their hips together, and moaned into Harvey’s mouth at the feeling. One of Harvey’s hands was on the back of his neck, holding him in place as they kissed. The other slipped behind Mike to pull his shirt tail from his pants and slide under it. Mike shivered as he felt Harvey’s fingers caressing the tender skin of his back.
A sudden car horn startled them both from the kiss, making them spring apart. The town car had come to a stop, and Harvey glanced out the window and confirmed, “We’re here.” They separated reluctantly, sparing a moment to straighten their clothes and hair before stepping out of the car and going inside, still getting odd looks from the door man and receptionist. Mike’s pants felt a little tight, and he adjusted them awkwardly as they waited for the elevator. They managed to keep their hands off of one another as they rode up to the penthouse, both aware of the camera in the corner of the elevator. As soon as they got inside Harvey’s condo, however, there was no holding back.
Harvey pressed Mike up against the closed door, working his hands under Mike’s suit jacket to push it off of his shoulders even as he attacked Mike’s mouth with his. Mike wrestled the jacket off, needing to free his hands so he could touch Harvey too. It was tossed haphazardly to the side, and immediately forgotten.
Mike’s fingers fumbled with the buttons of Harvey’s jacket. He didn’t bother taking it off once it was undone, but instead went to work on the vest underneath it, mentally cursing the number of layers he had to work through to touch skin. Another reason three-piece suits were ridiculous.
As Mike worked on Harvey’s clothes, one of Harvey’s hands lifted Mike’s leg to rest over Harvey’s hip. Mike gasped against Harvey’s lips as their hips ground together. He could feel even through the layers of clothing that Harvey was just as hard as he was. His fingers faltered on the buttons of Harvey’s shirt as Harvey rocked his hips against Mike’s while his mouth moved to kiss and nibble a spot just behind Mike’s ear. A shudder rolled through Mike’s body and he moaned out loud. When he was able to collect his thoughts, he forced his fingers to start working again, redoubling his efforts to undress Harvey.
Finally when the buttons were all undone, Harvey separated himself from Mike long enough to remove the jacket, vest, and shirt. Mike looked him up and down, gazing appreciatively at his body. Harvey noticed and smirked back at him. “Shall we move this to the bedroom?”
“I think that’d be more comfortable,” Mike agreed breathlessly. He tried to smirk in return, but he knew it was a little shaky. Harvey slid an arm around Mike and began pulling him towards the bedroom. It was slow progress, as they stopped to press one another up against every hard surface they encountered, stripping off their clothing as they went. Finally they managed to reach the bedroom and the bed itself. Both were down to their boxers when Harvey fell onto the bed, pulling Mike on top of him without letting their kiss break.
Mike pulled away from Harvey to gasp a breath. He put his hands on Harvey’s chest and pushed himself up into a sitting position, grinding his hips down on Harvey’s, feeling Harvey’s cock against his ass. Harvey ran his hands down Mike’s sides to stop on his hips, trying to hold him in place. Mike smirked and rolled his hips again, enjoying the soft moan Harvey made at the movement. He gazed down at Harvey, taking in the tousled hair, kiss-reddened lips, strong arms gripping Mike’s hips, bare chest with a light trail of hair leading down to-
“Enjoying the view?” Harvey asked, breaking Mike from his examination. His eyes shot p to Harvey’s face, and he saw that the older lawyer had a hand tucked casually behind his head and was smirking at Mike with one eyebrow raised.
Mike smirked back. “Definitely.”
Harvey laughed softly. “Well, I think it’d be a lot better without the fabric in the way,” he replied as one of his hands slipped down the back of Mike’s boxers to grip his ass. Mike shuddered at the feeling, his hips unconsciously rolling in shallow thrusts, down against Harvey’s cock, up against his hand.
“I think you’re right,” Mike said when he could manage words. The blood in his brain was quickly rushing south, and it was becoming increasingly difficult to form coherent thoughts. He almost resented Harvey for being so calm and in control.
“I’m always right,” Harvey replied, and Mike laughed but nodded in agreement. Harvey’s hands came up to wrap around Mike’s shoulders, pulling him down against Harvey’s chest before he rolled them over so that Mike was on his back with Harvey on top of him. Mike gasped in surprise, but the noise was lost as Harvey kissed him again.
The kiss broke and Harvey pulled back from Mike to undress completely. Mike watched eagerly as the fabric was removed and all of Harvey was revealed to him. He reached out immediately to take Harvey’s cock in his hand, enjoying the feel of the velvety skin as he gave it a few experimental strokes, trying to figure out what Harvey liked.
Harvey’s hand on his wrist made Mike still. He looked up at Harvey questioningly. The other man was looking past him, and as Mike watched Harvey lean towards the night stand by the bed, pull open the draw, and take out a condom and lube. Mike grinned as Harvey settled back on the bed with him, both of them now lying on their sides. “Those better be there because you were planning on taking me home tonight. I don’t like to share.”
“Neither do I,” Harvey replied with a smirk. “And you won’t have to.” Mike grinned up at Harvey as the other man’s hand tangled in his hair, pulling him close for a kiss. Their lips met again, more tenderly that before. Harvey cradled Mike’s face as he kissed him gently, lovingly. Mike whimpered into the kiss. No one had ever been so tender with him in bed.
Harvey pulled back to gaze into Mike’s eyes. “Are you sure about this?” he asked solemnly.
“Would I be here if I wasn’t?” Mike asked with a grin, but when Harvey’s expression remained serious he replied soberly, “I’m sure, Harvey. You’re not pressuring me into anything. This is what I want.”
“Have you done this before?” Harvey asked. One of his hands in Mike’s hair trailed down his back to brush over his ass, leaving no question what he was referring to.
Mike nodded, a blush spreading across his cheeks. “Trevor and I messed around a few times, and there were a couple guys when I was in college.”
Harvey nodded and leaned in to kiss Mike again. His hand that had been on Mike’s ass pulled the boxers down his long legs and let them drop to the floor, then moved back up to stroke over the sensitive skin of Mike’s lower back just above his ass. Mike moaned into the kiss. He reached back with his free hand and moved Harvey’s hand lower, and felt him laugh breathlessly against Mike’s lips. “Demanding,” he said amusedly.
“Damn right,” Mike murmured back, and felt Harvey laugh in response.
Mike’s hand on Harvey’s cock resumed its stroking. He felt the hard flesh twitch in his hand and Harvey groan against his neck. Harvey licked and nipped along Mike’s jaw line and below his ear, making Mike moan and shift his hips forward to rub against Harvey’s. He nipped sharply at a spot on Mike’s neck, drawing a gasp from him, before licking and sucking the mark, intent upon leaving a bruise. Harvey’s hand on Mike’s hip moved to his dick, giving it a few fast strokes before moving back to his ass. He caressed the soft skin before brushing over Mike’s hole, rubbing in light circles without pressing in. Mike whimpered and clung to Harvey’s shoulders with his free hand.
“Lie back,” Harvey ordered, and Mike complied with only a little reluctance for letting go of Harvey’s cock. He stretched out on his stomach with his arms folded under his head and his legs spread apart for Harvey. The older man knelt between his legs and opened the bottle of lube, rubbing some between his fingers to warm it before pressing a slicked finger between Mike’s cheeks to rest over his hole.
Mike shivered at the feeling, forcing his tense muscles to relax. He felt Harvey push forward slowly, opening Mike up with one finger to start. Mike shifted his hips back on Harvey’s finger, trying to show his lover that he was ready for more. It had been a while since Mike had done this, but he wanted to be with Harvey, and he didn’t want to wait.
Harvey added a second finger, stopping when he felt Mike tense up a bit at the stretch. “Don’t stop,” Mike panted against the bedspread, fisting his fingers in the fabric. He breathed a sigh of relief when Harvey pressed forward again, slow thrusts to get him used to the feeling. Mike gasped as Harvey’s fingers brushed over the spot that made his body hum with pleasure. He thrust back on Harvey’s fingers, but a hand on his hip forced him to still. A few more thrusts with two fingers, brushing against that spot each time, and Harvey was adding a third.
Mike whined and pressed back, fighting Harvey’s hand on his hip as he tried to pull the fingers deeper. He loved the stretch, the feel of Harvey’s fingers inside of him, the jolt of pleasure that ran through his body when they brushed over his prostate. “Harvey,” Mike panted. “More. Please!”
“Shhh,” Harvey hummed against the back of Mike’s neck, and Mike gasped at the rumbled of Harvey’s deep voice through his body. He felt the fingers sliding out and Harvey drawing back from him. Mike rolled over onto his back. He wanted to be facing Harvey for this.
Mike watched lustfully as Harvey fumbled with the condom wrapped, finally tearing it open with his teeth. Mike snatched it from him and rolled it on, stroking Harvey slowly through the plastic and feeling the older man’s hips rock towards his hand. He picked up the lube from where it have been abandoned on the bedspread and squeezed some out onto his fingers, quickly stroking it over Harvey’s cock.
Harvey put a hand on Mike’s shoulder and pressed him gently down against the bed. He moved over Mike, and the younger man raised a leg to wrap around Harvey’s hips. Mike’s eyes fluttered shut as he felt Harvey’s cock pressing against his hole, slowly pushing in. His arms wrapped around Harvey’s shoulders, one hand burying in his hair, as he felt Harvey filling him. Harvey’s lips found his, coaxing Mike’s mouth open and twining his tongue with Mikes.
Mike groaned into Harvey’s mouth as he began to thrust, shallow and slow at first, making sure Mike was ready. Mike wanted to tell him there was no need for that, and he should just get on with it, but Harvey’s mouth on his kept him from speaking, and he wasn’t sure he could have strung together a coherent sentence anyway.
Mike whimpered against Harvey’s lips as he sped up, moving harder and deeper, brushing against the spot that made Mike see stars with each movement. He tore his mouth from Harvey’s to kiss and nip along his jawline and down his neck, wanting to leave a mark to match the one Harvey had given him earlier. Mike moaned against the skin as one of Harvey’s hands brushed over his chest, gently pinching a nipple. The hand moved lower, caressing the sensitive skin of Mike’s abdomen in a way that might have made him giggle under other circumstances. It ran over Mike’s hip bone, making him shiver, before finally wrapping around his cock and stroking slowly.
Mike gripped Harvey’s shoulder tightly as he moved his lips back to the other man’s. Their mouths clashed together, lips slipping, teeth sliding. Mike whimpered desperately as Harvey licked across the roof of his mouth. Every thrust and every stroke was pushing him closer and closer to the edge. This had been a long time coming, and he knew he couldn’t last very long.
Mike’s body tensed up as he felt his climax begin to hit. He tore his mouth from Harvey’s and gasped out the older man’s name before breaking off in a low moan. Waves of pleasure rolled through his body, and he thrust desperately between Harvey’s dick and his hand. He felt Harvey shudder above him, his thrusts becoming erratic, before he moaned out Mike’s name against his neck. He bit down on the soft skin just above Mike’s collar bone, but Mike couldn’t register any pain from it. There was only pleasure.
As Mike began to float back to reality and the white spots faded from his vision, he drew in a slow, shaky breath. He felt Harvey shudder and slide out of him before easing himself down on top of Mike. Mike sighed softly and snuggled up to Harvey. He was still floating in the hazy afterglow, and didn’t want to do anything to break it. Harvey kissed Mike’s cheek gently, and Mike cracked open one eye and smiled at him. “Love you,” he murmured.
Harvey smiled tenderly. “You too,” he whispered back, his voice rough. He shifted off of Mike, lying on his side, and pulled off the condom and tossed it into a nearby trashcan. Mike stretched with a contented sigh and settled back against Harvey’s chest.
“I’m assuming I can stay the night?” he asked with a little smile.
“I’d say that’s a safe bet,” Harvey replied, kissing the top of Mike’s head. “I’ll make you breakfast in the morning.”
“Ah, see, I knew this was all a ploy to get me to eat right,” Mike said playfully.
“Hm, yes. And sleeping with you was just a necessary sacrifice,” Harvey replied, a teasing glint in his eyes. Mike gave him a tired shove and laughed. “In all seriousness,” Harvey said, and kissed his lips again, “if you’ll stay for a second round after breakfast, I’ll make you lunch, too.”
“If I stay all weekend, will you feed me every meal?” Mike asked.
“And snacks twice a day,” Harvey said with a smile. Mike shook his head at the ridiculousness of it. Harvey’s arm tightened around him in a hug. “Really, though, Mike,” he said, his tone genuinely serious, “I don’t want to see you go hungry. I love you, and if you’ll let me, I want to take care of you. This isn’t out of guilt.”
“I know.” Mike sighed, thinking back to his initial reaction when he’d first though Harvey was taking car of him out of pity, how angry he had been. “I guess I’m too proud for my own good sometimes.”
“Pride can get you in trouble,” Harvey agreed knowingly.
“I’m sure you’re speaking from experience,” Mike said with a grin. Harvey laughed softly but didn’t answer. “I love you,” Mike sighed as he settled back down beside Harvey. “And I’ll let you take care of me, because I know you love me.”
“I do love you,” Harvey replied. He kissed Mike softly on the lips and then reached down to pull a blanket over them. Mike snuggled up against him with a contented sigh and closed his eyes, thinking to himself that he now had all the more reason to be grateful to Harvey. The man had given him everything he needed, from a job, to food, to love, and Mike was incredibly grateful. But he knew Harvey would never act like Mike owed him anything, and that was what allowed him to trust this man, and to love him so completely. Harvey, for all he said he didn’t care, had given Mike everything and asked nothing more than hard work and mutual love in return. Mike couldn’t have been happier with the way his life had turned out since he met Harvey.
Mike looked up and saw Harvey smiling tenderly down at him. He smiled in return and kissed him lightly, before closing his eyes and allowing sleep to claim him, and small smile still on his lips.