The Marvey Chronicles [23/31]

[flamyshine]

Title: The Marvey Chronicles
Pairing: Harvey Specter/Mike Ross
Other characters: Louis Litt, Donna Paulsen, Seth Keller, Aaron
Rating: PG-13
Word count: 4,032
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters.
Warning: none
Summary: The Pearson-Hardman employees fangirl over Harvey/Mike.


It was a beautiful Saturday afternoon at the Rockefeller Center ice rink. Everyone seemed to be having a great time on the ice but there was one guy who couldn’t bring himself to get on the ice to begin with.

“Mike, you’re the one who wanted to come out here.” Harvey pointed it out in case the genius had forgotten. They had enjoyed a light lunch near Harvey’s condo and had come out on their first outdoor date.

“I know, I know. Maybe there was something in the pasta. My foot isn’t cooperating.” Mike checked his laces on the skates once again just to be sure.

“Yeah, I’m sure there was something in the pasta.” Harvey couldn’t help his sarcastic tone.

“Hey, do you know how sharp these blades are?” Mike pointed at the bottom of his skates. “If you fall and someone skates right through you, they can cut right through your fingers!” Mike had always wanted to try skating but he had never got the chance. However now that he was actually wearing skates, he was getting cold feet. (Well, literally cold feet as well.)

“Neither of us needs that information, Mike. I don’t slip on ice and you won’t either.”

“How can you be sure? It can happen pretty quickly!”

“Because I’ll be there to catch you. I promised that I’d teach you how to skate, didn’t I? Now as if you may have noticed, when Harvey Specter teaches you something, you’re bound to learn it quickly and well.”

“Wow, I see we’re feeling very modest today.” Mike grinned.

“I’m just telling you what’s exactly going to happen.”

“Yes, I do see a crystal ball in your hands.”

Harvey tapped the tip of Mike’s nose with his gloved hand. He wasn’t going to let their first date turn into a disaster.

“You should know that you’re lucky to be dating the best closer in the city.” Harvey stretched his arms.

“Yes, thank you, Harvey, but I already got the modest memo earlier.” Mike didn’t want to keep acting like a smartass but the nervousness was getting to him.

“You’re welcome.” And, with those words, Harvey wrapped his arms around Mike’s waist and lifted him off the ground.

“Harvey! What are you doing?” Mike held on to Harvey’s arms.

“What do you think I’m doing?” Harvey took a few steps to the entrance of the ice rink.

“But I’m perfectly capable of walking on my own! You can put me down!” Mike could see people giving him weird glances. They were probably wondering why a grown man needed so much help to get on the ice.

“Well, apparently you’re not. And, people are going to stop looking at you if you stop screaming, Mike.” Harvey put down his boyfriend on the ice and held out his hand.

“You’re not going to let go of me, right?” Mike asked as he clutched Harvey’s hand.

Harvey chuckled. “Do you want it written on your gloves? I won’t let go of your hand, Mike. Haven’t you learned anything from the team-bonding exercises yesterday? You have to trust me.”

“I trust you.” Mike answered immediately.

“Good. Let’s give it a try then.”

Harvey started to skate slowly, enjoying how the ice felt under his feet. He hadn’t been on the ice in years. The last time that he had skated was when Scotty had wanted to celebrate her maintaining the top position in class.

“Oops!” Mike’s left foot slipped but Harvey caught him in time.

“Thanks.”

“You’re welcome.” Harvey gave Mike’s arm an affectionate squeeze and resumed skating. There were a lot of people in the rink but they still managed to secure enough space to skate freely. (Mike thought that it was only possible thanks to Harvey’s scary glares.)

“Hey, now that we’re going stable, I think I’ll stop wearing those acupressure sandals.” Mike studied Harvey’s face as they slowly made a left turn.

“What does that have to do with us? You’re an associate. You can’t just disobey the company rules.”

“But they’re your rules! You came up with those purely for your own pleasure!”

“I’m hurt, Mike. You don’t think I’m concerned about your health.” Harvey gave his best performance but Mike wasn’t having any of it.

“Look. I’m willing to keep suffering in Rachel’s yoga class because she told me that I had potential but I’m done with those obnoxious sandals.”

To emphasize just how serious he was, Mike let go of Harvey’s hand and eagerly skated forward until his useless left foot hit the ice in a wrong angle and made him land flat on his ass.

“Ow…” Mike rubbed his ass and was immediately reminded of the new activity that he and Harvey had tried out last night.

“That should teach you a lesson.” Harvey smoothly skated towards his boyfriend and smirked at the pink flush that spread across his cheeks.

‘Oh god, falling on my ass isn’t supposed to be this hot.’ Mike tried to stop thinking about the delightful spanking session. An ice rink wasn’t the best place to get aroused.

“Give me your hands. Let’s get you back on your feet before it gets embarrassing.” Harvey offered his hands while Mike wondered if Harvey was talking about him sitting on the ice or getting a hard-on.

Mike shot up from the ground and came face to face with Harvey. He wondered what his boss thought about public display of affection outside the office. Since their lips were only a couple of inches apart, he wanted to kiss him but if it wasn’t allowed, he didn’t want to push it and ruin their date. Thankfully, Mike didn’t need to think too much. Harvey swiftly pressed his lips against Mike and skated away.

‘Okay, that was kind of romantic.’ Mike let a small giggle leave his body. The air was refreshing, the music was energizing, and his boyfriend was skating elegantly like the Swiss figure skater Stephane Lambiel.

“Let me teach you so you won’t get spanked by the ice again.” Harvey stopped right behind Mike and whispered in a low voice, “I’m the only one who gets to spank you, puppy.”

Mike shivered and nodded.

“Good. Spread your arms so you can keep your balance and let’s push slowly.” Harvey grabbed Mike’s waist from behind and guided him forward.

Mike did as he was told. Perhaps if he learned how to skate properly, he and Harvey could do one of those romantic figure skating routines for beginners. Just the thought of doing something artistic with Harvey made him giddy.

“Stop checking out the cute guys and focus, will you?” Harvey noticed the giddiness even though he couldn’t see Mike’s face.

“I didn’t check out any cute guys! Wait. How do you even know there are cute guys here?” Mike turned around and narrowed his eyes at Harvey.

“Don’t worry. I only have eyes for the one in front of me.” Harvey kissed Mike’s forehead right below his winter hat.

“I hope so because you already paid for the ‘pack and move’ service! I’m moving in with you tomorrow whether you like it or not!” Mike’s dramatic tone made Harvey laugh.

Then Harvey did something that Mike had never expected him to do. He pulled out his cell phone from his jacket pocket and took a picture of himself kissing Mike on the lips.

“Aww, Harvey…” Mike loved how affectionate his boyfriend was. It made him happy that Harvey wanted to keep a picture of their date. He had a feeling that Harvey had a whole lot of untapped romanticism hidden inside him and that he was the only one who had access to it.

As Mike skated forward again with one of Harvey’s hands firmly around his waist, Harvey texted Louis the picture that he had just taken. He knew that Louis would delete it as soon as he checked his phone. Harvey wished that he could see Louis spontaneously combust or burst into tears and go back to his planet. It would surely be a sight to behold.

‘Hmm, from what I’ve seen yesterday, he might have a higher tolerance than I think.’ Harvey pondered for a moment before he decided to gather more combustible material.

“I love you, Mike.” Harvey spoke after he had hit the recording button on his phone. He could make his boyfriend happy and destroy his most annoying opponent with a simple truth; it was a win-win situation.

“Love you too, Harvey.” Mike responded with dreamy eyes.

“We’re going to live happily ever after while Louis burns in flames. But make no mistake, Mike, even the flames don’t like him.”

Mike laughed into the cool air and Harvey hit the stop button. He didn’t want to think about Louis on a date so he turned off his phone and gave his full attention to Mike.

On Monday morning, Louis was wearing a face of a true warrior as he marched into the office. He was wearing earphones under the earmuffs - a double protection system- as he bravely headed towards his office. Of course he could take the other route that didn’t include the associates’ area but he liked to think that he was strong enough to go through this. He had also wanted to wear blinkers so that he would only see what he needed to see but apparently they didn’t make those things for human beings.

‘All heroes get tortured by lowly souls. It’s just fate.’ With an opera singer performing solemnly in his ears, Louis took step after step with great difficulty.

“Good morning, Mr. Litt. What’s wrong with your legs?” Aaron asked, pointing at the junior partner’s legs but Louis couldn’t hear what he was saying. So he answered, “Charcoal!”

Aaron walked away, giving him a strange look but Louis dismissed it as jealousy over his perfectly tailored pants.

Even in the middle of such agony, Louis noticed that Mike’s cubicle was empty just like Norma had told him before she left last week. ‘Great. Now I have to get through Harvey to give him some of my work.’

Making a sound of disapproval with his nose, he dodged the coaster with Mike’s face on it that Gregory was showing off but couldn’t look away in time as Harold wiped his forehead with a Harvey handkerchief.

‘Oh Jesus, is he serious? It’s December! There’s nothing to wipe off other than his utter ridiculousness of spending money this firm has gratefully given him on such an outrageous product!’

Louis started to move quickly as he realized that all the Marveyness in the air was making him sick. He put two fingers on the side of his neck to check his pulse as he bulldozed through the battlefield. Even with the music numbing his ears, he was having a strange sense of déjà vu. The only thing different from last Friday was the scenery in front of his office. It was the long-awaited secretary swap week and Donna was sitting in Norma’s area, looking as beautiful as ever.

‘Ah, every hero has a lady that helps him get through all the obstacles. When the door slams shut, God indeed leaves a window open.’ He smiled at the red-haired woman and approached her desk.

“Oh my god, since when did Goddesses start to grace our humble office with their presence?” Louis shielded his face against the blinding beauty of his new secretary.

“Good morning, Louis. There’s no need to try too hard and make me feel nauseous. You know I’ll be back with Harvey in a week.”

“Oh, but you see, that can be arranged if you’d like to get some… let’s say proper treatment. It’s something that you rightfully deserve but Harvey wouldn’t give you that, would he? Unlike that ungrateful bas… man, I know just how much you contribute to this firm. I actually pay attention to your efforts, Donna. When you got sick and missed work, I could totally see how it affected everyone’s work.”

“You lurking around in front of your own office affects my work, Louis.”

“See? That’s the spirit. You refuse to have a friendly chat even with your boss when you’re on the job. That’s why I admire you. That’s what all the other employees should learn from you.”

“Go inside your office right now, boss, or I’ll make you work during lunch time.” Donna looked up and gave her new boss a pointed look. She ignored the shudder that seemed to run through the man’s body and got back to work. She already missed Harvey’s pleasant and slightly flirtatious greetings.

‘Nah, he’s been acting like a brat. It’s great that I get to spend some time away from him. Hopefully he would’ve come back to his senses when I get back.’

Donna wondered if Lana would be able to deal with Harvey for a week without bursting into tears. She thought that Lana would probably feel like Harvey’s a very tough boss, compared to Lex who was completely in love with her.

‘Hmm, should I be worried that she might get too attached to Harvey? Once you get to know him, there’s really nobody like him.’ Donna thought about all the times that Harvey had been kind and considerate. He even had a great sense of humor which made her laugh when she was no easy laugher. He obviously had great taste in people too if Mike and herself were any indications.

‘She’s going back to Lex, no matter what.’ Donna had no doubt that Harvey wouldn’t want to spend another second with another secretary if he could have her back. Harvey was loyal like that.

‘Oh, Harvey…’ Donna’s thoughts were brutally cut off by the beep on the intercom. Apparently Louis had something left to say.

“What is it?” Donna asked as she pressed the button.

“Donna, if you need anything, anything at all, feel free to let me know anytime. Okay?”

“Thank you, Louis. Since you asked, I really need you to stop bothering me so I can do my job.” Donna could hear Louis’ pleasant laughter through the intercom and wondered what she had done to deserve such punishment.

“Oh, you and I are going to make an excellent team, Donna. I eagerly look forward to saving lives with you.”

Donna wanted to point out that he was a lawyer, not a surgeon but it seemed pointless. She had seen out of the corner of her eyes that Louis had two more pictures of himself displayed in his office. If the sad man needed to believe that he saved lives to get through every day, she would have to let him.

‘Hmm, I wonder what Harvey’s doing right now. He’s the only one who probably saves lives around here. I remember he and Mike got this big case that needs Lex and Seth’s help.’ Donna tapped her fingers on the desk impatiently before deciding to debrief Lana twice a day on what Harvey Specter did all day.

An hour later, Harvey was getting coffee in the partners’ kitchen with a smile on his face. He had spent a meaningful weekend with Mike that had brought them closer and Mike had moved in with him without any complications. He hadn’t shared his space with another person in a very long time but Mike had been spending most of his evenings at his place and Harvey found out that Mike was not an intrusive presence.

‘At least I have plenty of space if I ever feel like it’s too much.’ Harvey told himself and got another mug for his boyfriend when he heard footsteps of a lunatic get closer and closer. The door to the kitchen closed and the lunatic addressed him in a serious voice, “Harvey.”

“Louis?” Harvey looked at his colleague in mock shock. “What happened? You came back from the dead? You didn’t like it down there? Or wasn’t Mike and my love strong enough to finish you in the first place? It’s my bad. I should’ve known better. After all, cockroaches never go down easily. Do you know why they die when you cut their heads off?”

“Duh, because you’ve cut their heads off.”

“No. It’s because they can’t get any nutrition.”

“Gosh, that’s disgusting.”

“My thoughts exactly.” Harvey grinned as he added another spoon of sugar in Mike’s coffee.

Louis dismissed Harvey’s accusations as a part of his daily routine and got straight down to business. “Harvey, I know you and I have had our differences in the past but I think we’re mature enough to give each other advice when it really matters.”

“You think I put too much sugar in Mike’s coffee?” Harvey tried to keep his face straight but the creases around his eyes gave it away.

“Harvey, I’m serious.” Louis crossed his arms across his chest and glared at his rival. He would never admit it out loud but it seemed like love was making Harvey’s face look even better. He hadn’t even thought that it was possible.

“What are you trying to say, Louis? Or did you just want to ogle me exclusively? Unlike you, I don’t do favoritism. I have to give that chance to the whole firm. You know about my fan club, right?”

“It’s not your fan club, Harvey. I bet 90% of the members are Mike’s fans.”

“Do you want me to tell you all about the Harvey merchandises they make? It’s a pretty impressive product line, I must say.”

“Oh god no. I’ve seen more than enough of those.” Louis shuddered in disgust. “I just came by to tell you that you should think twice before getting married. Have you never heard of the saying ‘Marriage is the end of a man’s life.’ or ‘Marriage is death to a love affair.’?”

“Louis, are you trying to look out for me? Please don’t do that. It gives me the creeps.”

“Can you be serious for a second? You can’t get married!”

“I know you’ve been busy entertaining abusive women but Mike and I can get married if we want to. We happen to live in New York! Oh, and the book that you so subtly left on Mike’s desk? I gave it to Bob on the twentieth floor.”

“Why would you do that? You can’t confiscate Mike’s belongings just because you’re his boss.”

“You mean boyfriend.”

“No, I mean boss.”

“But I’m his boyfriend too.”

Louis growled and rubbed his arms to make the goose bumps go away. “Oh, you should know that I gave the sickening material to Jessica.”

“You ran to Mommy with it? Why would you do that?”

“Why do you think? So you’d stop harassing me.”

“But you always have fun when I harass you. You get off on pain and humiliation, don’t you?”

Louis huffed and puffed. “What is wrong with you? That’s sick!”

“Well, it’s your kink, not mine.”

“Uh, sorry, am I interrupting? I can come back later if that’s the case.” Lex felt the need to ask as the first word that he heard when he came through the door was ‘kink’.

“It’s fine. Louis was just trying to overshare with me, talking about his twisted kinks.” Harvey answered with a mischievous glint in his eyes.

“But those were your twisted theories!” Sometimes Louis couldn’t believe what went through his rival’s head. Perhaps he wasn’t that brilliant after all.

Harvey ignored the reddening creature and told Lex, “When you’re ready, get your associate and come to my office. Mike and I are ready to go over the case with you.”

“Okay, we’ll be there in ten minutes.”

“What case are you working on?” Louis had to ask. He was always curious about Harvey’s cases. He believed that the more he knew about his rival, the more advantage he could get over him. And, if it was a case that he could handle better, he was going to go straight to Jessica and fix things for the sake of this firm.

“I thought we went over this already, Louis. But since your memory seems to be deteriorating, let me remind you that it’s a case that doesn’t involve junior partners.”

Harvey exchanged nods with Lex and left with two mugs of coffee, ignoring Louis’ frustrated roar. He had never heard that cockroaches liked to roar but you always got to learn something new each day.

Mike was happily working in his new nest while Harvey was on the phone. It was certainly not the first time that he was listening to his boss handling clients on the phone but it felt different, belonging in Harvey’s office with his voice filling the room like a soft piece of music. He laughed quietly when Harvey made funny jokes and paid attention when Harvey smoothed the ruffled feathers of the clients.

‘This is even nicer than I imagined.’ Mike sipped his coffee and turned to his right to admire the view of the city. His desk was in the corner of the two windows and he loved how he got some natural light to work with.

Mike was appreciating his situation with a smile on his face when he suddenly got pulled up by his tie. His eyes shot up to see what was happening and the last thing that he saw before his eyes closed shut was Harvey’s grinning face coming closer and closer.

“A little warning, please?” Mike demanded after Harvey kissed him rather playfully.

“Where’s the fun in that? Plus, we don’t have much time. Lana will be back any minute.” Harvey leaned down again.

“Do you mind her seeing us? I’m pretty sure she’s not homophobic.” Mike voiced his opinion between light kisses.

“That’s not the problem. I don’t want her to think that I can be more interested in my associate than in my work.”

“Ah, very professional.” Mike grabbed Harvey’s arm and squeezed in one more kiss before Lana came back.

As he walked back to his desk, Harvey saw that Lex and Seth had joined Lana in her area. He observed the interactions among the three people that constituted Team Lex. It was like watching a soap opera; Seth only had eyes for Lex who only had eyes for Lana who… well, Harvey wasn’t too sure whom the woman wanted. Even with excellent people-reading skills, women could be very tricky to read.

“Lex, I’ll have to start billing you if you waste another minute of mine.” He announced through the intercom to save the face of his fellow senior partner. At this rate, Lex was going to throw himself at his secretary’s feet.

As Lex and his associate walked into the office and took a seat on the couch, Mike noticed how puffy Seth’s eyes were.

“What happened?” He asked, wondering if someone as kind as Lex was capable of making a grown man cry. But then he was one of the best sharks in the city so he probably was.

“It’s none of your business.” Seth hissed but it was loud enough to get the senior partners’ attention. Both men’s stares were so scary that Mike hoped Seth wouldn’t wet his pants. Harvey would have to change his couch and charge him if that happened and Mike didn’t want to know how much it would cost.

“Miss Pearson talked to me about unwanted sexual advances in the workplace.” Seth started talking with a slightly pale face. “She told me that if she hears another word about it, she’ll send me to the mail room and make sure that Lex files a restraining order against me.”

Now everyone’s eyes were on Mike.

“Oh… I’m sorry to hear that.”

Then he realized that Seth wasn’t the victim here. “Uh, well, just try to be careful.”

Seth sighed and added, “She wasn’t in a good mood because Benjamin had insisted that he had suffered an industrial accident.”

Now everyone’s eyes went to Harvey who shrugged his shoulders. “Don’t look at me. I didn’t do anything. It’s not my fault if he had a mental break down on his own.”

Nobody said anything for his own sake but everyone had no doubt that Harvey was the one to blame.