Fallen face first into love
Title: Fallen face first into love
Pairing: Harvey Specter/Mike Ross
Rating: PG-13
Word count: 2,128
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters.
Warning: spoilers for 201
Summary: Mike confronts Harvey about his tricky job situation and gets more than a few answers.
Author’s note: Inspired by one of the season 2 sneak peek clips on youtube. I realize that this could look very silly once the premiere is aired but I had to get it out of my system XD
It happened while he was working on the couch with Harvey in his immaculate office. No matter how hard he tried to push it away, the thought that Harvey didn’t care enough about his job was getting bigger and bigger in his mind.
Trevor, who was supposed to be his best friend, had told Jessica that he hadn’t gone to any kind of law school and he had been terrified ever since she had summoned him to dinner. The dinner was scheduled for tomorrow but despite having voiced his concerns multiple times, Harvey hadn’t taken him seriously. A panic attack; that was what his boss had called it.
He had tried to convince himself that Harvey was right, that Jessica wouldn’t have bothered to invite him to dinner if she wanted to fire him straight away. But the idea of losing this dream job, losing this amazing connection he had with Harvey was making his head swim. Couldn’t Harvey show a little more compassion? Was it so difficult to understand his worries? Would he really throw him under the bus after what they had gone through? Was he so easily replaceable?
He couldn’t stand it anymore. It hurt too much. He thought that what he and Harvey shared was quite unique. As far as he was concerned, they had hit it off right away. That was why Harvey had not only spared him the misery of getting arrested but had also offered him a job, putting his own job at risk. What else could explain someone who claimed to care only about himself doing such a thing?
He didn’t know exactly what it was that he and Harvey had. Intense friendship? Bromance? Maybe a little more than that? What he knew though was that he wasn’t ready to throw it away. When he had first started, he had loved the job more than anything. But now, he valued his relationship with Harvey more than the legal work. So it really killed him inside that Harvey would brush off his concerns so carelessly when he couldn’t stop thinking about what would happen to them if he got fired.
Mike shut the file that he had been working on and shot off the couch, trying to blow off some steam. He started to pace around near the windows, hoping that it would help him clear his head.
“You’re kidding me.” Harvey gave his associate a disapproving glare. They were on a tight schedule. They didn’t have time for Mike’s cute, little tantrums.
“What?” Mike didn’t even look at Harvey’s direction and pushed his hands deep in his pockets.
“I’m fighting for your job and you’re going to screw up this merger?”
“Are you?” Mike stopped pacing and stared at his boss.
“Am I what?”
“Fighting for my job. Because if you’re not, this is going to be my last case and I’m not sure I want to go down fighting for the wrong side.”
Harvey felt a pang of sorrow at the thought of Mike giving him that little credit. He had to set the record straight. “What makes you think I’m not fighting for you?”
“Hmm, I don’t know. Your career,” Mike held his hand at his shoulder level. “My anything?” Then he dropped it to his waist level.
Harvey stood up and approached his bratty associate. “Oh, you’ve got a lot of nerve. You have no idea what I’ve been doing for you.”
“Maybe. But you and I both know you were going to fire me the other day, don’t we?” Mike held his head high. He had every right to confront his boss since he had thought that they were in this together. He had thought that this secret was what kept them close. There were even times when Mike was grateful for the secret because he could bond with Harvey in a way that he could never do with another person.
Harvey saw the disappointment and pain etched on Mike’s face. How had he found out that he had momentarily thought about letting him go? Did the kid lose sleep over it? Is that why he looked so tired today? Did he really believe that he wouldn’t fight for him?
‘Well, I suppose it’s about time.’ Harvey pulled his hands out of his pockets and took a few more steps. Actions spoke louder than words.
Mike backed away immediately, trying to guess what Harvey was up to. But there was not much space left behind him and he soon found himself sitting on the small space next to the window, knocking off some basketballs. He looked down instantly, checking if they were the balls that could take a little mistreatment but one of them weren’t.
Mike smiled apologetically and tried to get up to retrieve the ball. But Harvey took one last step and he had to spread his legs to keep their legs from touching. He had been doing his best to avoid all physical contact with his boss for the past days. He wasn’t going to end his record now. In case he got fired, he didn’t want to remember what it was like to have Harvey’s warm presence on his skin.
“Lift your chin.” Harvey ordered, paying no attention to the basketballs.
“What?” Mike didn’t understand what his boss wanted.
“Do you need to be told twice?”
Mike shook his head and lifted his chin cautiously. Did Harvey want him to look him in the eye? Was he about to get lectured?
The following action did not properly register in Mike’s brain. It seemed like Harvey had bent down, had grabbed his chin and was kissing him on the mouth. The firm lips against his own, the nimble tongue that was sweeping the roof of his mouth, and the soft moan that echoed in his ears... Was that all Harvey?
Before Mike could think of an appropriate course of action, Harvey was gone. Mike darted a glance outside the office and met Donna’s eyes that looked almost as surprised as his.
“What was that?” Mike licked his lips as he tried not to shiver at the fact that he could still feel Harvey’s taste on them.
“It was a kiss.” Harvey had returned to the couch and was circling a word in the file with his fountain pen.
“I mean, what was that for?” Mike took a brief moment to make sure that he hadn’t walked into one of his fantasies and that this was real life.
Harvey looked his associate square in the eye. “I’m tired of how you think I don’t care enough about you. I may have thought about firing you the other day but I didn’t go through with it, did I? There’s a big difference between thinking about something and actually doing it. Believe me, Mike, if they were the same thing, you would’ve been kissed weeks ago.”
Mike’s brain needed two full seconds to process the information. ‘Wait. What? He’s wanted to kiss me for weeks now? What’s been stopping him??’
Mike shook his head. That wasn’t the point. The point was that Harvey had probably been fighting for him and that he felt like he owed him an apology. Five minutes ago, he had paced around to contain his anger and now he was thinking about apologizing. Harvey definitely knew how to close a tricky situation.
“I’m sorry.” Mike tried his best to keep the sulky tone out of his voice.
“For what? Not kissing me back?” Harvey casually turned a page and underlined a phrase of interest.
Mike blinked his eyes. There was a lot of surprise in store for him today. He decided to go with an honest approach. They had successfully crossed the bromance line at this point. “I wanted to kiss you back, Harvey. I just wasn’t sure if it was really happening.”
Harvey looked at his associate before giving him a small nod. “Show me.”
“Show you what?”
“That you wanted to kiss me back.”
Mike would have laughed if Harvey hadn’t looked so serious. What had gotten into his boss today?
The short trip to the couch didn’t feel so short. Mike wondered if Harvey could hear his heart beating in a frantic rhythm. It was very unfair. He might be having that panic attack that Harvey had talked about, but Harvey looked so calm and composed. Mike felt a strong urge to level the playing field as he sat next to his mentor.
Did Harvey really want him to kiss him? Was this some kind of a twisted loyalty test or was he testing the waters for something better?
‘I guess there’s only one way to find out.’ Mike swallowed the nervousness before putting a shaky hand on Harvey’s shoulder. When Harvey didn’t move and kept his eyes on him, he allowed the hand to travel up to Harvey’s cheek.
‘This has to be the most gallant thing I’ve ever done!’ was the last thought that entered Mike’s mind before he squeezed his eyes shut and kissed his boss. He became bold as Harvey let him take the lead. He put his other hand on Harvey’s face as well and kissed him deeply.
Mike was almost shocked at how ecstatic he was feeling over a kiss. Whatever conflict and negative emotions that had existed between them had been blown away. Their bond only got stronger with every new breath they shared. It was beautiful.
“That’s the best you can do?” Harvey pulled back and picked up the pen again. But before he could read a full sentence, Mike bravely straddled his left leg and crushed their lips back together.
Harvey couldn’t keep the smile out of the kiss. Mike was throwing in every technique he knew, obviously fired up at his challenging tone. Mike was passionate, caring, and skillful. He had all three elements that one would look for in a lover.
Mike realized that he was pushing his boss into the couch but he couldn’t help it. The knowledge that he was kissing the great Harvey Specter in a place where anyone could see them was exhilarating. Harvey was kissing him back with confidence as if he was absolutely sure that this was the right thing to do. Mike knew that it wasn’t the right thing to do and that made the kiss even hotter.
Mike moaned loudly. Harvey’s hands were all over his arms and shoulders. He wished that he wasn’t wearing his jacket so that he could feel Harvey’s touches more closely. Apparently, Harvey had felt the same way since his jacket was pushed off his shoulders in one swift movement. But the action seemed to have reminded him where they were, since Mike was kissing the air one moment later.
The two stared at each other while trying to catch their breaths. Neither of them could believe what had happened. They had both thought about it for quite some time but they hadn’t expected to cross the line so naturally.
“What happens now?” Mike asked quietly. He glanced at the door, wondering if Harvey would tell him to get out. He was the one who had ended the kiss after all.
Harvey took a few seconds to regain control over his breathing and emotions that laughed at him mercilessly. “Now I keep fighting for your job and you don’t screw up my merger.”
Mike nodded. It sounded reasonable. “And?”
“And, you have dinner with me when the merger is over.”
Again, very reasonable. He could work with that. He just had one final question. “No kissing until then?”
Mike laughed at how his boss looked surprised. It looked like he had caught him off guard.
“Unexpected reaction?” He asked cheekily.
“I just didn’t think you were such a horny boy.”
Mike tried to look offended. “Don’t flatter yourself. Just because I want to kiss you doesn’t mean I want to get in your pants.”
“So you’re saying you don’t want to get in my pants?”
“Well, perhaps you could figure it out with one last kiss?” Mike offered a big, bright smile that Harvey couldn’t resist.
When his mentor leaned in for another kiss, Mike mentally gave himself a high-five. Oh yes, he was learning nicely how to close a tricky situation.