The Art of the Unexpected (1/1)
Title: The Art of the Unexpected
Rating: FRT
Characters/Pairings: Mike/Harvey: Donna
Words: ~6800
Spoilers: none
Warnings: Minor food!kink
Summary: Also known as: 5 Times Harvey Kissed Mike Unexpectedly (and 1 Time Mike Kissed Him)
“You really shouldn't put that much cream in your coffee.” Harvey said seriously, glancing over at Mike who relaxed back into the seat with a grin. Harvey couldn't help but smile slightly, the taste of coffee lingering in his mouth.
Disclaimer: I don't own Mike, Harvey or any of the other characters or show content - kudos goes to USA network.
A/N: This started as a ~3000 word fic, but the boys weren't happy with that, so here we are. Initially just something a bit cracky and fluffy, but ended up a little bit steamy. I hope you like it!
((This hasn't been beta'd or proofed for Britishisms, so any issues are entirely my fault!))
X-posted to my AO3
---
The Art of the Unexpected
1.
The first time he did it, Harvey wasn't entirely sure what had driven him - apart from the sole, almost all consuming thought that it would be a good idea.
It was maybe three weeks after they'd first had sex. It had been a kind of implosion one night at Harvey's condo. He'd called Mike late after a critical breakthrough and they'd worked for hours on solidifying and consolidating the loop hole and it just... happened. And then it had happened again. Five times.
Harvey would have been concerned but for the fact that Mike was good in bed - really good - and he was amusing in the morning. His company had become a stable part of Harvey's life and if he now spent the majority of his time with his associate, was that really a problem?
He'd just left the building as was heading across the courtyard to where Ray and Mike were waiting. Mike had his bag slung across him, looking promisingly full of the document he was supposed to have been checking for their client and he was sipping at one of his stupid, cream laden coffees.
“I hope you have the Patton briefs ready.” It was nine in the morning an he'd only given Mike the morning so far to read through and acquaint himself with the account. Mike had already dug out a series of files, holding them out in greeting and sipping his coffee again.
“I also read through the histories and credentials of the board members who're going to be there. A few things turned up that could be pretty interesting if there're any objections to Patton's expansion plans.” Harvey raised an eyebrow slightly and nodded approvingly. Apparently two hours had been more than enough time for him. Even after a year, Harvey was determined to try and catch him out on the little things.
“Good.” He brushed past him to Ray, holding out a CD. “No surprises today, just something simple.”
“Of course.” Ray nodded, took the disc and handed him the paper tucked under his arm. Harvey smiled back and got into the back seat smoothly, rolling his eyes a little as Mike scrambled in on the other side. He somehow managed to not spill any of the coffee he was holding and took a long mouthful of it.
The music started up gently, just something easy, and Harvey couldn't help but find his attention drifting over to Mike.
“Who do you think our main target will be when it comes to objections?” Mike looked over at that, his coffee cup lowering a little as he thought.
“Probably the VP. He has the second largest share in the private sector of the company and the expansion plans would diminish the importance of the private shares.” Harvey nodded. He'd definitely done his homework. “If he tries to block the proposal, then we can bring up this.”
Mike pulled out another file and Harvey took it, flicking through the various sheets of numbers and bank accounts. Mike spoke again. “It's a pretty strange paper-trail. It's not related to the business as far as I can tell, but I'm ninety-nine percent sure that he doesn't want it exposed.”
“This is good stuff.” Harvey flicked to another page and glanced up, Mike sipping his coffee again. The smell of the rich drink was starting to fill the car and Harvey was very aware of the way Mike's throat moved as he swallowed. He found himself with a sudden, unexplainable interest in the taste of the drink.
He'd stolen enough of Mike's coffees to know exactly how he took it, but this was a new thing and before he really had a chance to tell himself it was a bad idea, he hooked a hand around the back of Mike's neck and pulled him into a kiss.
It was long, deep and filled with the dark, creamy taste of the coffee Mike had just swallowed. Mike had frozen for a moment, caught off guard, but he pressed forwards, turning the kiss into something that was getting dangerously playful for so early in the day.
Harvey forced himself to pull back, to take a breath as much as anything, but he kept his hand securely around Mike's neck as he watched him for a long moment. Mike quirked an eyebrow, a questioning expression on his face. Before he could voice his confusion, Harvey pulled his hand away, straightened himself up and smoothed himself out.
“You really shouldn't put that much cream in your coffee.” Harvey said seriously, glancing over at Mike who relaxed back into the seat with a grin. Harvey couldn't help but smile slightly, the taste of coffee lingering in his mouth.
-
2.
Mike had spent several days feeling like his insides were turning inside-out. It was probably just a bug, maybe something he'd eaten, but he realised that sitting on the couch in Harvey's office, arms wrapped around his stomach, was probably not the wisest thing he'd ever done. But then again, his insides were feeling very strange.
“When was the last time you had a proper meal?” He looked up from the file he was reading and saw Donna leaning against the door frame. She was fixing him with a look that told him she was deeply unamused, almost daring him to lie to her.
“Uhhh.” Mike looked away, unwinding him arms and straightening up a little. He rubbed his palms slowly along his thighs and looked back at the low table which was currently holding an empty Red Bull and a half drunk cup of coffee.
“And don't even attempt to tell me that sugar coated crap you eat for breakfast is a meal.” Donna pushed away and strode over to stand in front of him, hands on her hips. Mike resolutely stared at his coffee. A silence began to stretch out between them and Mike was just about to try and defend himself when she spoke again. “Go home, Puppy. I'm sending Harvey straight back out after his meeting and you'll only make him stay longer with some new work problem.”
“But Harvey--”
“-- is none of your concern.” She smiled, but it was one of those smiles that told Mike she could take him down with barely a flutter of her eyelids. Mike paused for a moment before scrambling to get all the files together, bundling them into his arms and getting to his feet. He was halfway to the door when Donna spoke again. “If I find out you didn't have a well rounded meal for dinner, I will make your life very uncomfortable.”
Mike practically ran back to his desk and shoved things into his bag for the evening. There was no-one else in the associates pen and the majority of the offices were dark. It seemed, as ever, that it was only Harvey, Donna and himself left on the floor. He sighed, rubbed his neck and promptly left the building.
When he got home, he finished off a couple of the left-overs in his fridge and fell asleep on-top of the bed clothes. When he woke, six hours later, he had just enough time to shower and change into a new suit before he was heading back to work. The whole journey in, he focussed on the Red Bulls waiting in his desk and the coffee machine in the kitchen.
He stepped out of the elevator and felt like he was homing in on his desk, dropping into his seat and pulling open the top drawer in one fluid motion. The only jarring aspect about it was the fact that there was no Red Bull to be found, just several bottles of fruit juice and a post-it with a winking smiley face on it.
Leaving his drawer open, he went to the kitchen, only to find another smiley face staring up at him from the coffee machine. He looked in the fridge to find all the open coffee grounds were gone and the same could be said for all the cupboards. There wasn't a single caffeinated item in sight and, on a second inspection, all the convenience food that was normally stashed away was absent as well.
Mike frowned for a moment before realisation clicked in his head, making him hit it against the wall a little more forcefully than was necessary. It was still early, way earlier than any of the other associates would think to come in. The only other person who would think to be in the office this early was the person he was certain had confiscated his first caffeine hit of the day.
“Good morning, Donna.” He stopped by her desk, smiling pleasantly as Donna sipped her coffee whilst reading something on the computer.
“Good morning, Mike. Have a good night?” She smiled back, a little dangerously and Mike paused for a moment before replying.
“I did. I had a good meal and caught up on some sleep.” Mike raised his chin a little.
“That's good to hear.” She looked back at her computer.
“So--” He began again after a moment, only to be cut off as if he hadn't said a word.
“Oh, I brought you some breakfast.” She looked up again, with a grin this time, putting a large tub of fruit salad and a pot of aspirin on the raised level between them. She placed a fork beside them. Mike glared at her, only mildly conscious of how inadvisable that was, but Donna just carried on smiling before he reluctantly took the items and went back to his desk.
He put them to one side and promptly forgot about them. That was, he forgot about them until about an hour later when he head was pounding from a lack of caffeine and his stomach was beginning to complain. It was almost with relief that he got a text from Harvey ordering him to his office.
Mike grabbed the files as he finished up with them and, as a side thought, grabbed the fruit salad and aspirin. He made his way over to Harvey, ignoring the knowing look on Donna's face as he breezed past her.
He dumped the files in front of Harvey and took a seat on the couch, opening up the tupperware lid and spearing a piece of melon. He shoved four or five pieces of fruit in his mouth as Harvey read through the file he'd brought.
“Mike, are you eating fruit salad in my office?” Mike looked up from the food, a piece of apple halfway to his mouth. He frowned slightly, trying to work out if that was a trick question before nodding slowly. Harvey pursed his lips and put the file down.
He turned his chair to face him and beckoned him over with a finger. Mike chewed a few times and forced down his mouthful as he moved over to the desk. Harvey's expression was completely unreadable. He edged towards him cautiously until he was standing beside the desk.
When Harvey reached out and tugged him down by his tie, it was a miracle he didn't topple forwards and ruin what turned out to be a rather spectacular kiss. Harvey's tongue delved into his mouth , his lips firm and a hand moving to his bicep to hold him in place.
Just like the time in the car, Mike took a moment to respond, but when he came to it was with full force and he pressed forwards, giving as god as he got. He heard Harvey groan underneath him and pull away with a wrench. Mike panted slightly, Harvey still gripping tightly to his arm.
“You don't like melon.” Harvey said finally, his voice a little rough around the edges. Mike smirked a little, straightening up as Harvey let go of his tie.
“Precisely why I ate it in one go.” He smoothed down his tie and shrugged at the look Harvey shot him. “What? I was hungry.”
-
3.
The third time Harvey was taken by the seemingly irrational need to kiss Mike was almost half a year after the first time and four months after the fruit salad incident. In the time that had passed, things between them had become substantially more involved.
They were now, for want of a better word, dating. In so much as they had dinner every few nights and Mike stayed over at Harvey's most weekends. Harvey tried not to dwell on the thought that he hadn't even glanced in the direction of another person since those first few times. Instead, he tried to focus on the fact that Mike was never boring.
They got on pretty well, their personalities clashing and complimenting in just the right places. He kept Harvey on his toes and was easy on the eyes to boot. There were days that he got so infuriated with Mike's differing point of view that he would leave the office brusquely with a few clipped words, anger simmering at the knowing look he would get from Donna and the cool indifference from Mike. The evening would inevitably end with him calling Mike and one or the other of them getting a cab across town.
There hadn't been a day like that for a few weeks now - not that they were a regular occurrence in the first place - but Harvey had slowly become aware of a kind of low level contentment in his life. It was most notable on evenings in with Mike or on days like today, lazy Sundays with the sports channel on and take-out scattered across the coffee table.
“All I'm saying is that if they pulled a few games, or even the series, then all the enthusiasm would come back when they won the next time and people like you wouldn't be so insufferable.” Mike shrugged, grabbed another slice of pizza and got to his feet. Harvey stared at him incredulously as he headed into the kitchen area, pulling open the fridge.
“Aside from the fact that that is both unethical and illegal?” He replied. The commercials had started rolling behind him and he twisted on the couch to look at Mike properly. He just shrugged and popped the cap off his beer.
“They could bench some of the better players and get in some of the really bad ones or something.” Mike hopped up onto the counter and Harvey got up, moving over to him and pinning him in place with a hand on either side of his hips.
“That might be the single most idiotic suggestion you've ever made.” He raised his eyebrows slightly but Mike just ripped another mouthful of pizza off the slice in his hand.
“My point still stands.” He spoke around the food and Harvey winced, noticing the satisfied smirk a moment too late. He pursed his lips and shook his head slightly. “You've got to admit, it gets a bit boring watching them win over and over and over.”
“I never get bored of seeing the Yankees win.” He met Mike's challenging gaze for a moment before surging forwards, catching Mike off guard and kissing him hard.
The taste of cheese and pizza sauce filled his mouth and he dove in further, Mike finally returning the fervour with an angry bite to his lip that made him pull back. Harvey grinned at the stunned look still lingering on Mike's face and leaned in again, licking the sauce from the corners of Mike's mouth with hot, open-mouthed kisses.
When he was satisfied, he pulled back completely, pulled Mike's fresh beer free of his grip and went back to the couch, swigging it. He was just in time for the game to come back on.
-
4.
Mike yawned until his jaw clicked, linking his fingers and stretching his arms up and over his head. He felt his whole body curl backwards and groaned happily as the tension in his muscles ebbed away. He'd just finished a long few hours hunched over a stack of documents on his desk and was beginning to contemplate a way to sneak out an hour early when Harvey strolled towards him, whistling sharply for his attention and motioning him to follow as he passed by.
Mike sighed and rubbed his eyes before collecting up the files and dropping them off with Donna as he followed Harvey into his office.
“We've got dinner with Clive Schleck and his VP in about two hours.” Harvey picked up a thick file from his desk and tossed it in Mike's general direction. He caught it - just. “You need to read and memorise all the briefs and billings we've drawn up for them since we entered into out retainer agreement.”
“Two hours?” Mike flicked open the top file. It looked like pretty dense stuff.
“More like one and a half.” Harvey sat down and raised his eyebrows expectantly. Mike looked from Harvey to the files and back.
Without bothering to ask, Mike slumped down onto the couch, files on the table in front of him and pulled the top one towards him. He sat back and flipped it open, pointedly ignoring the look of wry amusement on Harvey's face and the vague itching of his continued gaze.
He finished his reading with five minutes to spare and he sat back, watching Harvey calmly as he worked on something on his laptop. He watched as Harvey grew more and more aware of him before finally shutting down whatever he was working on and turning to him.
“Got it?” He stood up, swinging his jacket on and buttoning it up.
“Ready and waiting.” Mike mock saluted and got to his feet, doing his best to straighten his shirt and tie.
He let Harvey guide him out of the office with a subtle hand to the small of his back and he did his best to keep up conversation, but all he could think about was getting dinner over with and crashing. Hard. He needed sleep and the week was starting to take its toll. He stayed focus on the fact that it was Friday.
Ray got them to the restaurant across town ten minutes before the clients would turn up and they were shown to their table. It was a smart, upmarket kind of place with deep red silks and authentic gilt furniture. It was one of those places that Mike avoided whenever possible. He did his best to stifle a sigh and answered Harvey's questions as best he could.
“Schleck's a good guy. He runs his company fairly and has a good attitude towards most of their policies. The VP, Henry Wright, is a stickler for detail and a hard man to impress.” Harvey said, checking his watch. “I don't see there being any problems. They're both good judges of character.”
“So this is another 'look at his brain, this is what you're paying for' meeting?” Mike raised his eyebrows slightly and he saw something in Harvey's expression soften a little.
“You could put it that way,” He shrugged, “or you could think about it as a valuable chance to make a good impression on clients whose account you might one day be in charge of.”
“I think I prefer your description.” He smiled and glanced up as two newcomers were directed to their table.
They both stood and shook hands, Harvey doing all the talking and Mike content to sit back. He'd long ago realised that things just went smoothly when he stopped worrying about being misrepresented and let Harvey lay the ground work. He often marvelled at how long it had taken him to grasp the concept.
He dutifully recited facts and figures form the files he'd read a few hours earlier, filling in the gaps between courses with different paragraphs and clauses from the various contracts and meetings. He could tell they were impressed not from their expressions, but from Harvey's. He had that look in his eye that told him he was particularly pleased with what he was doing.
When the food was finished and everything paid for, they all shook hands again - this time Mike before Harvey - and the clients left first. Harvey signed off the bill and they went outside to where Ray was waiting for them.
“You did a good job in there. I've not seen Wright that impressed at a first meeting before.” Harvey looked over at him in the back of the car and Mike smirked.
“I defy anyone to not be impressed with my brain.” He laughed and Harvey grinned, turning to look out the window. Mike glanced out of his side and watched as the began to pass various food vendors at the edge of Central Park. He was suddenly very aware of how small the portions had been at dinner. “Hang on - Ray, can you stop for a second?”
“Sure thing.” He met Mike's eye in the mirror and Mike suspected he understood.
“Why?” Harvey frowned, looking round at him sharply.
“I want some doughnuts.” Mike shrugged and got out of the car, heading straight to the cart. He ordered a box of plain glazed rings and was just about to hand the money over when he found himself nudged out of the way by a firm elbow to the side.
“Don't say I never treat you.” Harvey shot him a sideways look and steered him back. Mike smiled and pulled out a doughnut, shoving half of it into his mouth and sighing happily. Even after all this time eating fancy foods, nothing really beat something deep fried and carby.
They'd just reached the car and Mike was fully expecting Harvey to head round to the other side when he pulled him round sharply and kissed him, right out in public. Mike was hit by the double shock of just having swallowed and the realisation that people might see them, before he kissed back enough for Harvey to know he returned the sentiment.
Harvey sucked his bottom lip in gently, licking away the glazing residue and pulling back with a smirk. Mike huffed gently as Harvey turned and got into the car before following him. He caught Ray's eye again and smiled. He leaned forwards with his box, Ray turning around slightly.
“Doughnut?” He asked. Harvey laughed gently from his seat and Ray paused for the briefest of moments before grinning and accepting.
-
5.
The beginnings of winter were seeping into the New York weather. There was a chill that was starting to make cycling to and from work more than a little uncomfortable for Mike. There had been a few times where Harvey had caught him wringing and rubbing his hands as he got started on work for the day.
After the fifth time, he met Mike down in the lobby, taking hold of his hands as the elevator doors closed. He held them tight, huffed hot breath on them and rubbed slow circles over Mike's skin until they stopped feeling like metal gauntlets.
As the temperature continued to slip closer to freezing, Harvey made something of a habit out of meeting him in the morning - that was to say, meeting him on the mornings where they didn't arrive together. It was now pretty much routine for Mike to stay at the weekends and one or two nights during the week. A few weeks earlier, when Mike hadn't stopped over, Ray had said something on the Monday morning. It was just a passing comment, but it had made Harvey stop and consider what was going on.
It was nearly a year since their casual, after hours thing had started and Harvey was beginning to realise that he was more invested in it than he'd ever intended to be. They were dating, that much was obvious, they just hadn't verbalised it. They had a mutual agreement, it seemed, not to state the obvious.
It was just logical that Mike had a drawer of his own in Harvey's dresser and a section of the walk in wardrobe for a small collection of suits. It made sense that Harvey's shopping list now included Mike's favourite cereal and regular purchases of Red Bull. It was common courtesy that he was put on the 'All Access Personnel' list for Harvey's building.
But now the weather had changed and Mike was still insisting on cycling to work, Harvey wasn't so sure that there wasn't another step for them on the horizon. He didn't like seeing the blue tinge to Mike's fingers and the rough, dry skin on his cheeks or the stiff, reluctant look to his movements. He would argue that it made Mike look like he'd been sleeping rough and was entirely unprofessional, but Mike and Donna - even Jessica, who he was pretty sure had worked out what was going on months ago - knew better than that. Harvey just didn't like seeing Mike like that.
When Mike had arrived that morning, he'd been shaking all over, hands driven deep into his pockets to hide the effects of his long ride to work. Harvey had taken a risk and pulled him close in the elevator, rubbing his arm and his back, keeping his head tucked under his chin. Fortunately it had been early, so no-one had interrupted them. A quick, firm kiss and they left the safety of the elevator, heading to Harvey's office.
The majority of their morning was taken up by a very long and very tedious board meeting for one of the firms highest paying clients. He'd spent more time than he felt comfortable with thinking about Mike and how cold he'd been, making a variety of mental notes to confiscate his bike. Whilst his attention had drifted in and out of the discussions, he'd paid enough attention to make sure the clients averted several serious breaches of contract and to notice Mike diverting them from a potentially horrific lawsuit.
All said and done, the meeting had been a success. He'd stood up, buttoned his jacket and shaken hands with each of the board members as they passed. He'd smiled and made small talk as they passed and he'd been helpless to ignore the pride creeping into his expression as they commented on how impressive Mike had been.
It didn't help that Mike had stood there beside him with his most charming smile and a hidden smirk the entire time.
When the last of them had left, Harvey directed Mike straight out of the building, stopping at his office only to let Donna know they were off. When they got to the street, Ray was already waiting for them.
“I'm feeling like Japanese food, I think, Ray.” Harvey settled back, taking hold of Mike's hand absently as they pulled out into traffic.
“Can we take a fun case next? That was boring.” Mike sighed, slumped in the seat and head resting back against the headrest. Harvey glanced over at him.
“I've got a meeting with Jessica and you've got the Mason briefs to proof. Other hand.” Harvey let go of the hand he was holding and waited for Mike to give him the other one.
“You're boring.” He dropped his hand into Harvey's in mock petulance, but Harvey caught a brief quirk of his lips. “You do realise we're at the same body temperature now, right?”
Harvey shrugged and starting running his thumb across the palm of Mike's hand. “I can stop?”
“No.” Mike replied quickly, head jerking up to meet his eyes and Harvey smiled. “No, you're good.”
He sat back and the rest of the trip passed in a comfortable silence. When they reached the restaurant, they were seated in a secluded corner. Their drinks were delivered and orders taken within a few minutes of being seated and Harvey could feel himself relax completely.
“You're looking in a pretty good mood. How're those emotions working for you?” Mike sipped at his coke, watching him closely.
“We had a successful meeting, you impressed some pretty important clients and I have a good feeling about the Yankees game tomorrow.” He shrugged and sipped his water in return, looking away briefly to avoid Mike's smirk.
“Still, you're relaxed in the middle of a work day. This is a new entry for the Encyclopaedia Specter.” He looked back at Mike.
“You have an encyclopaedia on me?” Harvey raised his eyebrows and Mike laughed.
“No, that'd be a complete waste of my time.” He shook his head slightly and Harvey did his best to look offended. “It's far more interesting to see what you feel like throwing my way at any given time.”
Harvey cocked an eyebrow and found himself nodding his approval. They sat in silence for a while longer, only to find it broken a few minutes later by the sound of Mike's phone. He jumped and Harvey bit back a smirk as he scrambled to pull it free.
“Damn, it's my landlord.” Mike grimaced and hit accept, holding the phone up to his ear. Harvey watched his reactions through his facial expression, noting each shift and the generally resigned tone of voice he was using.
Their meals arrived whilst he was still talking and Harvey thanked the waiter with a short but polite smile.
“Yeah, okay, thanks. Yeah, I can find somewhere else. Thanks, Simon. Yeah, you too.” He dropped his phone on the table with a sigh and rubbed his eyes for a moment before straightening up and picking up his spoon. The huge bowl of steaming noodle soup in front of him seemed to instantly clear his mood
“Bad news?” Harvey leaned forwards slightly, starting on his own curry.
“Yeah, some pipes have burst in my building and pretty much everything's out.” Harvey waited for Mike to shovel down a good couple of mouthfuls, watching him expectantly. Mike glanced up and Harvey rolled his eyes at the look of confusion. “Oh, right! Can I stay with you for a few days?”
He'd already shovelled another mouthful of noodles and broth down before Harvey had had a chance to reply. He shook his head slightly and put his chopsticks down. He leaned further forwards and tugged Mike towards him by his tie, taking him sharply by surprise. He pushed his advantage and kissed him hard, tasting the salty, spicy soup in his mouth.
It lasted for a long, hot moment before Mike pulled back a little, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.
“I'm taking it that's a 'yes'.” He sat back and Harvey smiled in reply, picking up his chopsticks and taking another bite of chicken.
-
(+1)
It was a little under a week since the pipes in Mike's building had burst and much to his surprise, he'd found that actually living with Harvey was not all that different from what they'd been doing for the last few months.
It was good, in fact. Mike found he had a better routine, waking when Harvey did and having an hour to to himself every morning. It was during that hour on the third morning, as he was pouring himself a cup of coffee and waiting for his toast to pop up, that he realised something.
Five occasions over the past year, five separate times when Harvey had chosen to kiss him under slightly surreal circumstances. Five times where he'd been happily enjoying his food or a drink and Harvey had just gone and interrupted it all with his perfect mouth. He'd almost dropped the coffee pot when the pieces had clicked into place.
It should've been gross, really, but instead he found the idea of it strangely hot. There was something about that intimacy and the blurring of boundaries that Mike couldn't help but respect. So as he sipped his coffee and munched through his toast, he'd begun to formulate a plan, something that would make sure it was Harvey who was caught off guard this time.
He waited until the end of the week. They had a couple of big cases that would be closed and there were no compulsory drinks or parties to be attended for either of them. With a little help from Donna, Mike managed to get away from work around six, giving him time to pick up a few things on his way back without Harvey knowing.
He got a text containing a lone question mark as he left the shop around the corner from Harvey's building and he replied in kind and dropped it, ignored, into his jacket as he reached the building and rode the regular elevator up to Harvey's floor. He had maybe half an hour before Harvey left the firm for the day.
He dumped the groceries in the kitchen and loosened his tie slightly. He shrugged his jacket off and slung it over the breakfast bar before rolling up his sleeves and pulling out the large bar of organic, dark chocolate that Harvey was partial to. He ripped the paper off and broke it into shards in a bowl, sliding it into the microwave and sucking at the trails of bittersweet chocolate that had melted onto his skin as he'd snapped the bar up. Making sure the chocolate was melted, he kicked off his shoes and got himself a beer whilst he waited.
The smell of the molten chocolate had permeated the open plan living area and it took the vast majority of his self-control not to start eating it. When Harvey arrived - in the glass elevator, of course - Mike saw the intrigue in his expression as he recognised the new scent.
Mike put his empty bottle on the counter and crossed the space to stop Harvey from going any further. He reached out and slid his fingers down Harvey's tie with a half grin.
“How do you feel about this tie?” He asked, moving closer and starting to work the knot at Harvey's throat free. Harvey raised an eyebrow.
“It's nice.” He replied, a smirk curling his mouth at the corners, and Mike interpreted that to mean 'Rene picked it out and I trust his judgement, but I'm not going to cry over it.'
Mike pulled the dark grey silk free slowly, enjoying the sound of it sliding through Harvey's collar. He leaned in and kissed him, slow and hard, setting the tone. It wasn't too hard to do. He pressed forwards, backing Harvey against and down onto the couch. He pulled back, Harvey trying to follow, but a hand to the chest stopped him and he met Mike's eye with a challenge. Mike grinned and slid the tie over Harvey's eyes, settling it in place and knotting it securely.
“Not that I'm complaining, but care to tell me what this is all about?” Mike watched him adjust the set of his shoulders and tilt his chin up, recognising the defensive behaviour. He smiled and leaned down, kissing him again. He ran his fingers along his jaw and down his neck, waiting for some of the tension to seep out.
“Relax.” He replied, pulling back and heading back into the kitchen. He glanced back to see Harvey shifting slightly in his seat. Even without a full facial expression, he was managing to exude nonchalance bordering on disdain.
Mike rolled his eyes and retrieved the bowl from the microwave, getting another and filling it with the freshly washed grapes and strawberries he'd picked up. He was slightly alarmed at the presence of the fruits in the middle of winter, but they tasted good so he didn't complain. Instead, he took the bowls back to the couch, placing them on the seat next to Harvey.
Taking his time, he settled himself across Harvey's lap, knees pressed to his thighs and Harvey pressing back, the muscles flexing under his perfectly tailored pants. He leaned over and picked up the bowl of chocolate. He dipped his thumb in and sucked it clean, watching the muscles in Harvey's jaw tighten slightly and his head tilt back presumably from the sounds he was making.
He dipped it in again, just the pad, and ran it over Harvey's lips. His mouth opened at the touch and his tongue flicked out and over his lip and Mike's thumb, his lips closing around it as he laved it clean. Mike bit back a groan at the sensation and gently extricated himself.
He reached out for a grape this time, large and firm. He he dipped it down into the chocolate and rolled it carefully, taking his time before pressing it to Harvey's lips. They opened almost immediately and sucked, rolling it to the right instinctively as he bit down.
Mike leant down and kissed him again, his mouth flooding with the sharp-sweet juice of the grape and the rich-velvet of the chocolate. It covered his his taste buds and he sighed against Harvey's mouth, understanding entirely. They stayed there for a long moment until he felt Harvey smirking against his mouth. He'd managed to gain far too much control of the situation for Mike's liking.
He dipped two more grapes, one for each of them, and sat back to just observe the way Harvey's bared throat worked as he swallowed and savoured the taste. Mike fed him a few more, Harvey nipping his fingers when he could. He was running his hands slowly up Mike's thighs, keeping a loose hold on his hips, pressing them gently towards him.
Mike stuck his first two fingers into the chocolate and pressed them into Harvey's mouth, hearing the hitch in his breath as he used his tongue to make sure there was no trace left. It ran over and over Mike's skin, curling around the pads and between his fingers, his lips tightening to hold him in place. Mike pressed his thumb to his chin, pulling his jaw open and his hand free, earning himself a disapproving purse of Harvey's lips.
“Play nice, Harvey.” He said smoothly, noting with satisfaction the Harvey struggled not to retort. Instead, he began to work free the back of Mike's shirt until he could smooth his palms across Mike's skin.
“You're not exactly playing by the rules.” Harvey said finally, pulling Mike tighter to him. Mike laughed gently.
“And doesn't that just make you squirm.” Mike pressed a hot, open mouthed kiss to his neck and this time, Harvey didn't manage to stop the soft groan that escaped him. His fingers flexed in Mike's skin.
Mike ignored his impatience and reached for a strawberry, pulling the stalk away sharply and coating it liberally. This time, he put it in his own mouth, letting the cocoa spread across his tongue before leaning back down, his free hand cupping Harvey's jaw as he kissed him hard, pushing the chocolate and strawberry across.
Harvey bit down on it and the juice burst into Mike's mouth and over his lips. He felt some run against his thumb on Harvey's chin and he barely suppressed a shudder at the sensation. He could feel Harvey's hands moving up his back, on top of his shirt, to his shoulders and down his arms. His hands sought out the loosely held bowl. His other hand moved up to pull the tie off his head.
Mike pulled away reluctantly, not bothering to hide just how much he wanted Harvey when he met his eyes. Harvey's pupils were blown, his already dark eyes black in the low lighting, and Mike was fairly sure he was in a similar state of disarray himself. He slid his hands over the lapels of Harvey's jacket, palms flat against his chest. Harvey's free hand gripped the back of his neck.
From the corner of his vision, Mike saw Harvey dip his thumb into the cooling chocolate. He brought it up to Mike's lips, fingers curling under his jaw. Chocolate smeared down his bottom lip as Harvey pulled his hand away and he caught it in his teeth instinctively, licking it cleaning and biting at the flesh as Harvey licked the remainder from his thumb. Their eyes stayed locked.
“If you've got eighty percent Peruvian dark chocolate on my shirt, you're buying me a new one.” Harvey said calmly, fingers kneading gently at the base of Mike's skull.
“Well it's a good job I've got an eye for detail.” Mike straightened up and did his best to look serious. Harvey leaned forwards, almost imperceptibly, his hands moving to get a firm grip on his ass. Mike snaked his arms around Harvey's neck.
Harvey smirked, nosing gently against Mike's lips, hovering at a frustratingly short distance. Mike felt himself coiling up, so ready to have Harvey's hands and mouth all over him. He surged forwards and kissed him hard, bruising, biting at his bottom lip and pulling a low groan of lust from the older man. He clung tight as Harvey's hands got a better grip around his thighs and he somehow pushed forwards and up so he was standing, Mike held tight against him. He wrapped his legs around Harvey's middle, feet locked together. He dug in his heels pointedly, earning a particularly sharp bite to his tongue.
Harvey still tasted of chocolate with hints of sharp fruit juice and Mike couldn't heave wanted him more in that moment if he'd tried.
---
Fin x.
If you would like, there is the option of a smutty epilogue to this that may or may not include more chocolate, more strawberries and a whole load of sex!
Drop a comment if you're interested =)
Rating: FRT
Characters/Pairings: Mike/Harvey: Donna
Words: ~6800
Spoilers: none
Warnings: Minor food!kink
Summary: Also known as: 5 Times Harvey Kissed Mike Unexpectedly (and 1 Time Mike Kissed Him)
“You really shouldn't put that much cream in your coffee.” Harvey said seriously, glancing over at Mike who relaxed back into the seat with a grin. Harvey couldn't help but smile slightly, the taste of coffee lingering in his mouth.
Disclaimer: I don't own Mike, Harvey or any of the other characters or show content - kudos goes to USA network.
A/N: This started as a ~3000 word fic, but the boys weren't happy with that, so here we are. Initially just something a bit cracky and fluffy, but ended up a little bit steamy. I hope you like it!
((This hasn't been beta'd or proofed for Britishisms, so any issues are entirely my fault!))
X-posted to my AO3
---
The Art of the Unexpected
1.
The first time he did it, Harvey wasn't entirely sure what had driven him - apart from the sole, almost all consuming thought that it would be a good idea.
It was maybe three weeks after they'd first had sex. It had been a kind of implosion one night at Harvey's condo. He'd called Mike late after a critical breakthrough and they'd worked for hours on solidifying and consolidating the loop hole and it just... happened. And then it had happened again. Five times.
Harvey would have been concerned but for the fact that Mike was good in bed - really good - and he was amusing in the morning. His company had become a stable part of Harvey's life and if he now spent the majority of his time with his associate, was that really a problem?
He'd just left the building as was heading across the courtyard to where Ray and Mike were waiting. Mike had his bag slung across him, looking promisingly full of the document he was supposed to have been checking for their client and he was sipping at one of his stupid, cream laden coffees.
“I hope you have the Patton briefs ready.” It was nine in the morning an he'd only given Mike the morning so far to read through and acquaint himself with the account. Mike had already dug out a series of files, holding them out in greeting and sipping his coffee again.
“I also read through the histories and credentials of the board members who're going to be there. A few things turned up that could be pretty interesting if there're any objections to Patton's expansion plans.” Harvey raised an eyebrow slightly and nodded approvingly. Apparently two hours had been more than enough time for him. Even after a year, Harvey was determined to try and catch him out on the little things.
“Good.” He brushed past him to Ray, holding out a CD. “No surprises today, just something simple.”
“Of course.” Ray nodded, took the disc and handed him the paper tucked under his arm. Harvey smiled back and got into the back seat smoothly, rolling his eyes a little as Mike scrambled in on the other side. He somehow managed to not spill any of the coffee he was holding and took a long mouthful of it.
The music started up gently, just something easy, and Harvey couldn't help but find his attention drifting over to Mike.
“Who do you think our main target will be when it comes to objections?” Mike looked over at that, his coffee cup lowering a little as he thought.
“Probably the VP. He has the second largest share in the private sector of the company and the expansion plans would diminish the importance of the private shares.” Harvey nodded. He'd definitely done his homework. “If he tries to block the proposal, then we can bring up this.”
Mike pulled out another file and Harvey took it, flicking through the various sheets of numbers and bank accounts. Mike spoke again. “It's a pretty strange paper-trail. It's not related to the business as far as I can tell, but I'm ninety-nine percent sure that he doesn't want it exposed.”
“This is good stuff.” Harvey flicked to another page and glanced up, Mike sipping his coffee again. The smell of the rich drink was starting to fill the car and Harvey was very aware of the way Mike's throat moved as he swallowed. He found himself with a sudden, unexplainable interest in the taste of the drink.
He'd stolen enough of Mike's coffees to know exactly how he took it, but this was a new thing and before he really had a chance to tell himself it was a bad idea, he hooked a hand around the back of Mike's neck and pulled him into a kiss.
It was long, deep and filled with the dark, creamy taste of the coffee Mike had just swallowed. Mike had frozen for a moment, caught off guard, but he pressed forwards, turning the kiss into something that was getting dangerously playful for so early in the day.
Harvey forced himself to pull back, to take a breath as much as anything, but he kept his hand securely around Mike's neck as he watched him for a long moment. Mike quirked an eyebrow, a questioning expression on his face. Before he could voice his confusion, Harvey pulled his hand away, straightened himself up and smoothed himself out.
“You really shouldn't put that much cream in your coffee.” Harvey said seriously, glancing over at Mike who relaxed back into the seat with a grin. Harvey couldn't help but smile slightly, the taste of coffee lingering in his mouth.
-
2.
Mike had spent several days feeling like his insides were turning inside-out. It was probably just a bug, maybe something he'd eaten, but he realised that sitting on the couch in Harvey's office, arms wrapped around his stomach, was probably not the wisest thing he'd ever done. But then again, his insides were feeling very strange.
“When was the last time you had a proper meal?” He looked up from the file he was reading and saw Donna leaning against the door frame. She was fixing him with a look that told him she was deeply unamused, almost daring him to lie to her.
“Uhhh.” Mike looked away, unwinding him arms and straightening up a little. He rubbed his palms slowly along his thighs and looked back at the low table which was currently holding an empty Red Bull and a half drunk cup of coffee.
“And don't even attempt to tell me that sugar coated crap you eat for breakfast is a meal.” Donna pushed away and strode over to stand in front of him, hands on her hips. Mike resolutely stared at his coffee. A silence began to stretch out between them and Mike was just about to try and defend himself when she spoke again. “Go home, Puppy. I'm sending Harvey straight back out after his meeting and you'll only make him stay longer with some new work problem.”
“But Harvey--”
“-- is none of your concern.” She smiled, but it was one of those smiles that told Mike she could take him down with barely a flutter of her eyelids. Mike paused for a moment before scrambling to get all the files together, bundling them into his arms and getting to his feet. He was halfway to the door when Donna spoke again. “If I find out you didn't have a well rounded meal for dinner, I will make your life very uncomfortable.”
Mike practically ran back to his desk and shoved things into his bag for the evening. There was no-one else in the associates pen and the majority of the offices were dark. It seemed, as ever, that it was only Harvey, Donna and himself left on the floor. He sighed, rubbed his neck and promptly left the building.
When he got home, he finished off a couple of the left-overs in his fridge and fell asleep on-top of the bed clothes. When he woke, six hours later, he had just enough time to shower and change into a new suit before he was heading back to work. The whole journey in, he focussed on the Red Bulls waiting in his desk and the coffee machine in the kitchen.
He stepped out of the elevator and felt like he was homing in on his desk, dropping into his seat and pulling open the top drawer in one fluid motion. The only jarring aspect about it was the fact that there was no Red Bull to be found, just several bottles of fruit juice and a post-it with a winking smiley face on it.
Leaving his drawer open, he went to the kitchen, only to find another smiley face staring up at him from the coffee machine. He looked in the fridge to find all the open coffee grounds were gone and the same could be said for all the cupboards. There wasn't a single caffeinated item in sight and, on a second inspection, all the convenience food that was normally stashed away was absent as well.
Mike frowned for a moment before realisation clicked in his head, making him hit it against the wall a little more forcefully than was necessary. It was still early, way earlier than any of the other associates would think to come in. The only other person who would think to be in the office this early was the person he was certain had confiscated his first caffeine hit of the day.
“Good morning, Donna.” He stopped by her desk, smiling pleasantly as Donna sipped her coffee whilst reading something on the computer.
“Good morning, Mike. Have a good night?” She smiled back, a little dangerously and Mike paused for a moment before replying.
“I did. I had a good meal and caught up on some sleep.” Mike raised his chin a little.
“That's good to hear.” She looked back at her computer.
“So--” He began again after a moment, only to be cut off as if he hadn't said a word.
“Oh, I brought you some breakfast.” She looked up again, with a grin this time, putting a large tub of fruit salad and a pot of aspirin on the raised level between them. She placed a fork beside them. Mike glared at her, only mildly conscious of how inadvisable that was, but Donna just carried on smiling before he reluctantly took the items and went back to his desk.
He put them to one side and promptly forgot about them. That was, he forgot about them until about an hour later when he head was pounding from a lack of caffeine and his stomach was beginning to complain. It was almost with relief that he got a text from Harvey ordering him to his office.
Mike grabbed the files as he finished up with them and, as a side thought, grabbed the fruit salad and aspirin. He made his way over to Harvey, ignoring the knowing look on Donna's face as he breezed past her.
He dumped the files in front of Harvey and took a seat on the couch, opening up the tupperware lid and spearing a piece of melon. He shoved four or five pieces of fruit in his mouth as Harvey read through the file he'd brought.
“Mike, are you eating fruit salad in my office?” Mike looked up from the food, a piece of apple halfway to his mouth. He frowned slightly, trying to work out if that was a trick question before nodding slowly. Harvey pursed his lips and put the file down.
He turned his chair to face him and beckoned him over with a finger. Mike chewed a few times and forced down his mouthful as he moved over to the desk. Harvey's expression was completely unreadable. He edged towards him cautiously until he was standing beside the desk.
When Harvey reached out and tugged him down by his tie, it was a miracle he didn't topple forwards and ruin what turned out to be a rather spectacular kiss. Harvey's tongue delved into his mouth , his lips firm and a hand moving to his bicep to hold him in place.
Just like the time in the car, Mike took a moment to respond, but when he came to it was with full force and he pressed forwards, giving as god as he got. He heard Harvey groan underneath him and pull away with a wrench. Mike panted slightly, Harvey still gripping tightly to his arm.
“You don't like melon.” Harvey said finally, his voice a little rough around the edges. Mike smirked a little, straightening up as Harvey let go of his tie.
“Precisely why I ate it in one go.” He smoothed down his tie and shrugged at the look Harvey shot him. “What? I was hungry.”
-
3.
The third time Harvey was taken by the seemingly irrational need to kiss Mike was almost half a year after the first time and four months after the fruit salad incident. In the time that had passed, things between them had become substantially more involved.
They were now, for want of a better word, dating. In so much as they had dinner every few nights and Mike stayed over at Harvey's most weekends. Harvey tried not to dwell on the thought that he hadn't even glanced in the direction of another person since those first few times. Instead, he tried to focus on the fact that Mike was never boring.
They got on pretty well, their personalities clashing and complimenting in just the right places. He kept Harvey on his toes and was easy on the eyes to boot. There were days that he got so infuriated with Mike's differing point of view that he would leave the office brusquely with a few clipped words, anger simmering at the knowing look he would get from Donna and the cool indifference from Mike. The evening would inevitably end with him calling Mike and one or the other of them getting a cab across town.
There hadn't been a day like that for a few weeks now - not that they were a regular occurrence in the first place - but Harvey had slowly become aware of a kind of low level contentment in his life. It was most notable on evenings in with Mike or on days like today, lazy Sundays with the sports channel on and take-out scattered across the coffee table.
“All I'm saying is that if they pulled a few games, or even the series, then all the enthusiasm would come back when they won the next time and people like you wouldn't be so insufferable.” Mike shrugged, grabbed another slice of pizza and got to his feet. Harvey stared at him incredulously as he headed into the kitchen area, pulling open the fridge.
“Aside from the fact that that is both unethical and illegal?” He replied. The commercials had started rolling behind him and he twisted on the couch to look at Mike properly. He just shrugged and popped the cap off his beer.
“They could bench some of the better players and get in some of the really bad ones or something.” Mike hopped up onto the counter and Harvey got up, moving over to him and pinning him in place with a hand on either side of his hips.
“That might be the single most idiotic suggestion you've ever made.” He raised his eyebrows slightly but Mike just ripped another mouthful of pizza off the slice in his hand.
“My point still stands.” He spoke around the food and Harvey winced, noticing the satisfied smirk a moment too late. He pursed his lips and shook his head slightly. “You've got to admit, it gets a bit boring watching them win over and over and over.”
“I never get bored of seeing the Yankees win.” He met Mike's challenging gaze for a moment before surging forwards, catching Mike off guard and kissing him hard.
The taste of cheese and pizza sauce filled his mouth and he dove in further, Mike finally returning the fervour with an angry bite to his lip that made him pull back. Harvey grinned at the stunned look still lingering on Mike's face and leaned in again, licking the sauce from the corners of Mike's mouth with hot, open-mouthed kisses.
When he was satisfied, he pulled back completely, pulled Mike's fresh beer free of his grip and went back to the couch, swigging it. He was just in time for the game to come back on.
-
4.
Mike yawned until his jaw clicked, linking his fingers and stretching his arms up and over his head. He felt his whole body curl backwards and groaned happily as the tension in his muscles ebbed away. He'd just finished a long few hours hunched over a stack of documents on his desk and was beginning to contemplate a way to sneak out an hour early when Harvey strolled towards him, whistling sharply for his attention and motioning him to follow as he passed by.
Mike sighed and rubbed his eyes before collecting up the files and dropping them off with Donna as he followed Harvey into his office.
“We've got dinner with Clive Schleck and his VP in about two hours.” Harvey picked up a thick file from his desk and tossed it in Mike's general direction. He caught it - just. “You need to read and memorise all the briefs and billings we've drawn up for them since we entered into out retainer agreement.”
“Two hours?” Mike flicked open the top file. It looked like pretty dense stuff.
“More like one and a half.” Harvey sat down and raised his eyebrows expectantly. Mike looked from Harvey to the files and back.
Without bothering to ask, Mike slumped down onto the couch, files on the table in front of him and pulled the top one towards him. He sat back and flipped it open, pointedly ignoring the look of wry amusement on Harvey's face and the vague itching of his continued gaze.
He finished his reading with five minutes to spare and he sat back, watching Harvey calmly as he worked on something on his laptop. He watched as Harvey grew more and more aware of him before finally shutting down whatever he was working on and turning to him.
“Got it?” He stood up, swinging his jacket on and buttoning it up.
“Ready and waiting.” Mike mock saluted and got to his feet, doing his best to straighten his shirt and tie.
He let Harvey guide him out of the office with a subtle hand to the small of his back and he did his best to keep up conversation, but all he could think about was getting dinner over with and crashing. Hard. He needed sleep and the week was starting to take its toll. He stayed focus on the fact that it was Friday.
Ray got them to the restaurant across town ten minutes before the clients would turn up and they were shown to their table. It was a smart, upmarket kind of place with deep red silks and authentic gilt furniture. It was one of those places that Mike avoided whenever possible. He did his best to stifle a sigh and answered Harvey's questions as best he could.
“Schleck's a good guy. He runs his company fairly and has a good attitude towards most of their policies. The VP, Henry Wright, is a stickler for detail and a hard man to impress.” Harvey said, checking his watch. “I don't see there being any problems. They're both good judges of character.”
“So this is another 'look at his brain, this is what you're paying for' meeting?” Mike raised his eyebrows slightly and he saw something in Harvey's expression soften a little.
“You could put it that way,” He shrugged, “or you could think about it as a valuable chance to make a good impression on clients whose account you might one day be in charge of.”
“I think I prefer your description.” He smiled and glanced up as two newcomers were directed to their table.
They both stood and shook hands, Harvey doing all the talking and Mike content to sit back. He'd long ago realised that things just went smoothly when he stopped worrying about being misrepresented and let Harvey lay the ground work. He often marvelled at how long it had taken him to grasp the concept.
He dutifully recited facts and figures form the files he'd read a few hours earlier, filling in the gaps between courses with different paragraphs and clauses from the various contracts and meetings. He could tell they were impressed not from their expressions, but from Harvey's. He had that look in his eye that told him he was particularly pleased with what he was doing.
When the food was finished and everything paid for, they all shook hands again - this time Mike before Harvey - and the clients left first. Harvey signed off the bill and they went outside to where Ray was waiting for them.
“You did a good job in there. I've not seen Wright that impressed at a first meeting before.” Harvey looked over at him in the back of the car and Mike smirked.
“I defy anyone to not be impressed with my brain.” He laughed and Harvey grinned, turning to look out the window. Mike glanced out of his side and watched as the began to pass various food vendors at the edge of Central Park. He was suddenly very aware of how small the portions had been at dinner. “Hang on - Ray, can you stop for a second?”
“Sure thing.” He met Mike's eye in the mirror and Mike suspected he understood.
“Why?” Harvey frowned, looking round at him sharply.
“I want some doughnuts.” Mike shrugged and got out of the car, heading straight to the cart. He ordered a box of plain glazed rings and was just about to hand the money over when he found himself nudged out of the way by a firm elbow to the side.
“Don't say I never treat you.” Harvey shot him a sideways look and steered him back. Mike smiled and pulled out a doughnut, shoving half of it into his mouth and sighing happily. Even after all this time eating fancy foods, nothing really beat something deep fried and carby.
They'd just reached the car and Mike was fully expecting Harvey to head round to the other side when he pulled him round sharply and kissed him, right out in public. Mike was hit by the double shock of just having swallowed and the realisation that people might see them, before he kissed back enough for Harvey to know he returned the sentiment.
Harvey sucked his bottom lip in gently, licking away the glazing residue and pulling back with a smirk. Mike huffed gently as Harvey turned and got into the car before following him. He caught Ray's eye again and smiled. He leaned forwards with his box, Ray turning around slightly.
“Doughnut?” He asked. Harvey laughed gently from his seat and Ray paused for the briefest of moments before grinning and accepting.
-
5.
The beginnings of winter were seeping into the New York weather. There was a chill that was starting to make cycling to and from work more than a little uncomfortable for Mike. There had been a few times where Harvey had caught him wringing and rubbing his hands as he got started on work for the day.
After the fifth time, he met Mike down in the lobby, taking hold of his hands as the elevator doors closed. He held them tight, huffed hot breath on them and rubbed slow circles over Mike's skin until they stopped feeling like metal gauntlets.
As the temperature continued to slip closer to freezing, Harvey made something of a habit out of meeting him in the morning - that was to say, meeting him on the mornings where they didn't arrive together. It was now pretty much routine for Mike to stay at the weekends and one or two nights during the week. A few weeks earlier, when Mike hadn't stopped over, Ray had said something on the Monday morning. It was just a passing comment, but it had made Harvey stop and consider what was going on.
It was nearly a year since their casual, after hours thing had started and Harvey was beginning to realise that he was more invested in it than he'd ever intended to be. They were dating, that much was obvious, they just hadn't verbalised it. They had a mutual agreement, it seemed, not to state the obvious.
It was just logical that Mike had a drawer of his own in Harvey's dresser and a section of the walk in wardrobe for a small collection of suits. It made sense that Harvey's shopping list now included Mike's favourite cereal and regular purchases of Red Bull. It was common courtesy that he was put on the 'All Access Personnel' list for Harvey's building.
But now the weather had changed and Mike was still insisting on cycling to work, Harvey wasn't so sure that there wasn't another step for them on the horizon. He didn't like seeing the blue tinge to Mike's fingers and the rough, dry skin on his cheeks or the stiff, reluctant look to his movements. He would argue that it made Mike look like he'd been sleeping rough and was entirely unprofessional, but Mike and Donna - even Jessica, who he was pretty sure had worked out what was going on months ago - knew better than that. Harvey just didn't like seeing Mike like that.
When Mike had arrived that morning, he'd been shaking all over, hands driven deep into his pockets to hide the effects of his long ride to work. Harvey had taken a risk and pulled him close in the elevator, rubbing his arm and his back, keeping his head tucked under his chin. Fortunately it had been early, so no-one had interrupted them. A quick, firm kiss and they left the safety of the elevator, heading to Harvey's office.
The majority of their morning was taken up by a very long and very tedious board meeting for one of the firms highest paying clients. He'd spent more time than he felt comfortable with thinking about Mike and how cold he'd been, making a variety of mental notes to confiscate his bike. Whilst his attention had drifted in and out of the discussions, he'd paid enough attention to make sure the clients averted several serious breaches of contract and to notice Mike diverting them from a potentially horrific lawsuit.
All said and done, the meeting had been a success. He'd stood up, buttoned his jacket and shaken hands with each of the board members as they passed. He'd smiled and made small talk as they passed and he'd been helpless to ignore the pride creeping into his expression as they commented on how impressive Mike had been.
It didn't help that Mike had stood there beside him with his most charming smile and a hidden smirk the entire time.
When the last of them had left, Harvey directed Mike straight out of the building, stopping at his office only to let Donna know they were off. When they got to the street, Ray was already waiting for them.
“I'm feeling like Japanese food, I think, Ray.” Harvey settled back, taking hold of Mike's hand absently as they pulled out into traffic.
“Can we take a fun case next? That was boring.” Mike sighed, slumped in the seat and head resting back against the headrest. Harvey glanced over at him.
“I've got a meeting with Jessica and you've got the Mason briefs to proof. Other hand.” Harvey let go of the hand he was holding and waited for Mike to give him the other one.
“You're boring.” He dropped his hand into Harvey's in mock petulance, but Harvey caught a brief quirk of his lips. “You do realise we're at the same body temperature now, right?”
Harvey shrugged and starting running his thumb across the palm of Mike's hand. “I can stop?”
“No.” Mike replied quickly, head jerking up to meet his eyes and Harvey smiled. “No, you're good.”
He sat back and the rest of the trip passed in a comfortable silence. When they reached the restaurant, they were seated in a secluded corner. Their drinks were delivered and orders taken within a few minutes of being seated and Harvey could feel himself relax completely.
“You're looking in a pretty good mood. How're those emotions working for you?” Mike sipped at his coke, watching him closely.
“We had a successful meeting, you impressed some pretty important clients and I have a good feeling about the Yankees game tomorrow.” He shrugged and sipped his water in return, looking away briefly to avoid Mike's smirk.
“Still, you're relaxed in the middle of a work day. This is a new entry for the Encyclopaedia Specter.” He looked back at Mike.
“You have an encyclopaedia on me?” Harvey raised his eyebrows and Mike laughed.
“No, that'd be a complete waste of my time.” He shook his head slightly and Harvey did his best to look offended. “It's far more interesting to see what you feel like throwing my way at any given time.”
Harvey cocked an eyebrow and found himself nodding his approval. They sat in silence for a while longer, only to find it broken a few minutes later by the sound of Mike's phone. He jumped and Harvey bit back a smirk as he scrambled to pull it free.
“Damn, it's my landlord.” Mike grimaced and hit accept, holding the phone up to his ear. Harvey watched his reactions through his facial expression, noting each shift and the generally resigned tone of voice he was using.
Their meals arrived whilst he was still talking and Harvey thanked the waiter with a short but polite smile.
“Yeah, okay, thanks. Yeah, I can find somewhere else. Thanks, Simon. Yeah, you too.” He dropped his phone on the table with a sigh and rubbed his eyes for a moment before straightening up and picking up his spoon. The huge bowl of steaming noodle soup in front of him seemed to instantly clear his mood
“Bad news?” Harvey leaned forwards slightly, starting on his own curry.
“Yeah, some pipes have burst in my building and pretty much everything's out.” Harvey waited for Mike to shovel down a good couple of mouthfuls, watching him expectantly. Mike glanced up and Harvey rolled his eyes at the look of confusion. “Oh, right! Can I stay with you for a few days?”
He'd already shovelled another mouthful of noodles and broth down before Harvey had had a chance to reply. He shook his head slightly and put his chopsticks down. He leaned further forwards and tugged Mike towards him by his tie, taking him sharply by surprise. He pushed his advantage and kissed him hard, tasting the salty, spicy soup in his mouth.
It lasted for a long, hot moment before Mike pulled back a little, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.
“I'm taking it that's a 'yes'.” He sat back and Harvey smiled in reply, picking up his chopsticks and taking another bite of chicken.
-
(+1)
It was a little under a week since the pipes in Mike's building had burst and much to his surprise, he'd found that actually living with Harvey was not all that different from what they'd been doing for the last few months.
It was good, in fact. Mike found he had a better routine, waking when Harvey did and having an hour to to himself every morning. It was during that hour on the third morning, as he was pouring himself a cup of coffee and waiting for his toast to pop up, that he realised something.
Five occasions over the past year, five separate times when Harvey had chosen to kiss him under slightly surreal circumstances. Five times where he'd been happily enjoying his food or a drink and Harvey had just gone and interrupted it all with his perfect mouth. He'd almost dropped the coffee pot when the pieces had clicked into place.
It should've been gross, really, but instead he found the idea of it strangely hot. There was something about that intimacy and the blurring of boundaries that Mike couldn't help but respect. So as he sipped his coffee and munched through his toast, he'd begun to formulate a plan, something that would make sure it was Harvey who was caught off guard this time.
He waited until the end of the week. They had a couple of big cases that would be closed and there were no compulsory drinks or parties to be attended for either of them. With a little help from Donna, Mike managed to get away from work around six, giving him time to pick up a few things on his way back without Harvey knowing.
He got a text containing a lone question mark as he left the shop around the corner from Harvey's building and he replied in kind and dropped it, ignored, into his jacket as he reached the building and rode the regular elevator up to Harvey's floor. He had maybe half an hour before Harvey left the firm for the day.
He dumped the groceries in the kitchen and loosened his tie slightly. He shrugged his jacket off and slung it over the breakfast bar before rolling up his sleeves and pulling out the large bar of organic, dark chocolate that Harvey was partial to. He ripped the paper off and broke it into shards in a bowl, sliding it into the microwave and sucking at the trails of bittersweet chocolate that had melted onto his skin as he'd snapped the bar up. Making sure the chocolate was melted, he kicked off his shoes and got himself a beer whilst he waited.
The smell of the molten chocolate had permeated the open plan living area and it took the vast majority of his self-control not to start eating it. When Harvey arrived - in the glass elevator, of course - Mike saw the intrigue in his expression as he recognised the new scent.
Mike put his empty bottle on the counter and crossed the space to stop Harvey from going any further. He reached out and slid his fingers down Harvey's tie with a half grin.
“How do you feel about this tie?” He asked, moving closer and starting to work the knot at Harvey's throat free. Harvey raised an eyebrow.
“It's nice.” He replied, a smirk curling his mouth at the corners, and Mike interpreted that to mean 'Rene picked it out and I trust his judgement, but I'm not going to cry over it.'
Mike pulled the dark grey silk free slowly, enjoying the sound of it sliding through Harvey's collar. He leaned in and kissed him, slow and hard, setting the tone. It wasn't too hard to do. He pressed forwards, backing Harvey against and down onto the couch. He pulled back, Harvey trying to follow, but a hand to the chest stopped him and he met Mike's eye with a challenge. Mike grinned and slid the tie over Harvey's eyes, settling it in place and knotting it securely.
“Not that I'm complaining, but care to tell me what this is all about?” Mike watched him adjust the set of his shoulders and tilt his chin up, recognising the defensive behaviour. He smiled and leaned down, kissing him again. He ran his fingers along his jaw and down his neck, waiting for some of the tension to seep out.
“Relax.” He replied, pulling back and heading back into the kitchen. He glanced back to see Harvey shifting slightly in his seat. Even without a full facial expression, he was managing to exude nonchalance bordering on disdain.
Mike rolled his eyes and retrieved the bowl from the microwave, getting another and filling it with the freshly washed grapes and strawberries he'd picked up. He was slightly alarmed at the presence of the fruits in the middle of winter, but they tasted good so he didn't complain. Instead, he took the bowls back to the couch, placing them on the seat next to Harvey.
Taking his time, he settled himself across Harvey's lap, knees pressed to his thighs and Harvey pressing back, the muscles flexing under his perfectly tailored pants. He leaned over and picked up the bowl of chocolate. He dipped his thumb in and sucked it clean, watching the muscles in Harvey's jaw tighten slightly and his head tilt back presumably from the sounds he was making.
He dipped it in again, just the pad, and ran it over Harvey's lips. His mouth opened at the touch and his tongue flicked out and over his lip and Mike's thumb, his lips closing around it as he laved it clean. Mike bit back a groan at the sensation and gently extricated himself.
He reached out for a grape this time, large and firm. He he dipped it down into the chocolate and rolled it carefully, taking his time before pressing it to Harvey's lips. They opened almost immediately and sucked, rolling it to the right instinctively as he bit down.
Mike leant down and kissed him again, his mouth flooding with the sharp-sweet juice of the grape and the rich-velvet of the chocolate. It covered his his taste buds and he sighed against Harvey's mouth, understanding entirely. They stayed there for a long moment until he felt Harvey smirking against his mouth. He'd managed to gain far too much control of the situation for Mike's liking.
He dipped two more grapes, one for each of them, and sat back to just observe the way Harvey's bared throat worked as he swallowed and savoured the taste. Mike fed him a few more, Harvey nipping his fingers when he could. He was running his hands slowly up Mike's thighs, keeping a loose hold on his hips, pressing them gently towards him.
Mike stuck his first two fingers into the chocolate and pressed them into Harvey's mouth, hearing the hitch in his breath as he used his tongue to make sure there was no trace left. It ran over and over Mike's skin, curling around the pads and between his fingers, his lips tightening to hold him in place. Mike pressed his thumb to his chin, pulling his jaw open and his hand free, earning himself a disapproving purse of Harvey's lips.
“Play nice, Harvey.” He said smoothly, noting with satisfaction the Harvey struggled not to retort. Instead, he began to work free the back of Mike's shirt until he could smooth his palms across Mike's skin.
“You're not exactly playing by the rules.” Harvey said finally, pulling Mike tighter to him. Mike laughed gently.
“And doesn't that just make you squirm.” Mike pressed a hot, open mouthed kiss to his neck and this time, Harvey didn't manage to stop the soft groan that escaped him. His fingers flexed in Mike's skin.
Mike ignored his impatience and reached for a strawberry, pulling the stalk away sharply and coating it liberally. This time, he put it in his own mouth, letting the cocoa spread across his tongue before leaning back down, his free hand cupping Harvey's jaw as he kissed him hard, pushing the chocolate and strawberry across.
Harvey bit down on it and the juice burst into Mike's mouth and over his lips. He felt some run against his thumb on Harvey's chin and he barely suppressed a shudder at the sensation. He could feel Harvey's hands moving up his back, on top of his shirt, to his shoulders and down his arms. His hands sought out the loosely held bowl. His other hand moved up to pull the tie off his head.
Mike pulled away reluctantly, not bothering to hide just how much he wanted Harvey when he met his eyes. Harvey's pupils were blown, his already dark eyes black in the low lighting, and Mike was fairly sure he was in a similar state of disarray himself. He slid his hands over the lapels of Harvey's jacket, palms flat against his chest. Harvey's free hand gripped the back of his neck.
From the corner of his vision, Mike saw Harvey dip his thumb into the cooling chocolate. He brought it up to Mike's lips, fingers curling under his jaw. Chocolate smeared down his bottom lip as Harvey pulled his hand away and he caught it in his teeth instinctively, licking it cleaning and biting at the flesh as Harvey licked the remainder from his thumb. Their eyes stayed locked.
“If you've got eighty percent Peruvian dark chocolate on my shirt, you're buying me a new one.” Harvey said calmly, fingers kneading gently at the base of Mike's skull.
“Well it's a good job I've got an eye for detail.” Mike straightened up and did his best to look serious. Harvey leaned forwards, almost imperceptibly, his hands moving to get a firm grip on his ass. Mike snaked his arms around Harvey's neck.
Harvey smirked, nosing gently against Mike's lips, hovering at a frustratingly short distance. Mike felt himself coiling up, so ready to have Harvey's hands and mouth all over him. He surged forwards and kissed him hard, bruising, biting at his bottom lip and pulling a low groan of lust from the older man. He clung tight as Harvey's hands got a better grip around his thighs and he somehow pushed forwards and up so he was standing, Mike held tight against him. He wrapped his legs around Harvey's middle, feet locked together. He dug in his heels pointedly, earning a particularly sharp bite to his tongue.
Harvey still tasted of chocolate with hints of sharp fruit juice and Mike couldn't heave wanted him more in that moment if he'd tried.
---
Fin x.
If you would like, there is the option of a smutty epilogue to this that may or may not include more chocolate, more strawberries and a whole load of sex!
Drop a comment if you're interested =)