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Mike is a fucking puzzle for Harvey.
It's just, Mike is seriously the nicest person Harvey ever encountered. Louis is an asshole to him, right? But, he rarely gets mad at him. He usually just do what Louis told him, and then complain it to Harvey ("But, don't do anything to Louis, okay? This is my own battle!") Harvey thinks Louis literally just want Mike to explode and do something stupid but he keeps on getting the opposite that Louis already gave up. He just gave up because Mike didn't gave him the satisfaction of being mad at Louis. Even Donna mentions to him once or twice that Mike is too soft, and Donna doesn't comment on anything if she's not worried about it... well, maybe, him.
Jessica isn't immune to Mike's niceness. She even told Harvey to tell Mike to tone it down, but not really, because the coffee that Mike keeps on giving Jessica is actually the bomb. (Her words, not his.) and apparently, the coffee is homemade. Ray even told a story about Mike that he once helped Ray about something that Harvey can't recall what because his mind is stuck into the fact that Mike Ross can literally win the Best Human Being Award.
It's ridiculous that Harvey might explode any minute now.
They're walking to the path of New York, like the Goddamn lawyers they are when Mike stops in his tracks and stares at something -- someone, Mike is staring at a homeless man -- with his puppy dog eyes that Harvey only sees when Mike is looking through pictures of cats in his cubicle. ("Don't mention it, Harvey. I swear to God.")
"Are you fucking kidding me," Harvey flats out.
"But, Harv -- Harvey, that's a homeless man. He might not even eaten breakfast,"
"So did we," Harvey counters.
Mike just gives him the death glare. "That's different. We had a choice, he doesn't."
"So, what do we do, then? We're due in court, and you're making us late because of your --" fucking niceness that I shouldn't find adorable -- see? Adorable wasn't even a word in my vocabulary! -- "shenanigans," he says instead.
Mike huffs and breathes proudly. "There's a bakery across the street, I'm going to buy bread, okay? I promise we won't be late,"
"You're --" Harvey wants to say something rude, an insult, just something that will make him feel like he's not endeared with this motherfucker but nothing comes out. "Fine," he grumbles.
Mike smiles sweetly and drags him to the bakery.
The bakery smells like... well, bread. But, there's also coffee and tea somewhere and Harvey feels his stomach roar. Mike looks at him, smug and Harvey just glares at him. Mike shrugs and orders a bread that Harvey hasn't heard of.
Harvey is not staring, okay? He's just, well, looking. Mike is not so hard to look at, alright. He's... cute, (oh my, God. Don't mention that he said that) with his puppy eyes and tan and muscular body... Isn't it weird that he said muscular and body about Mike? Oh, God. This isn't happening.
Is he... developing a crush to Mike right now? Really? Really, fate, destiny or God? Mike, really?
"Mister," Harvey doesn't notice that there's a little girl besides Mike because he's having a crisis. It's an emergency.
"Hello, little girl." Mike greets, of course he is. Of course, he's good with kids too because he's secretly wants to be the reason of Harvey's death. "What can I do for you?"
The little girl smiles sweetly at Mike and tugs his clothes for Mike to come down and gets on her level. Mike does, because that's what Mike does, right? Being so nice to people? And then the little girl kisses Mike's cheek. "I'm Nicole, Mister. And you are?"
"Mike," Mike answers.
"Hi, Sir. Mike, can I ask for a favor?" the girl asks.
"Of course,"
"I have a homework in school and I need your help!"
Harvey can't see him because Mike is facing the girl and not him but he knows that Mike is smiling so big, probably, because he's helping and there's a kid, Jesus Christ. The whole world hates him right now.
"Alright, baby girl. What can I do?"
"I need you to prove that hugs can be the reason of World Peace!" the little girl answers excitedly.
Harvey couldn't help himself. Kids and their innocence. He rolls his eyes and snorts then he feels somebody slaps his thighs. "What the --"
"Not a word, Harvey."
Harvey frowns at Mike and about to say something like, you don't know me when a woman in her mid 30's probably, walks towards them and touches Nicole.
"I'm sorry, was she bothering you?"
Harvey is about to say yes when Mike glares at him so he closes his lips and let Mike do the talking.
"Not at all," Mike answers because of course he would. "But, she did say something about homework?"
"Oh, yes." the woman giggles. Giggles! Is she flirting with Mike? "Her teacher asks about what people should do fulfill world peace and that's what she answered. But, they need prove you know, that it can be."
"It totally can!" Mike exclaims. "I mean, hugs are all about love and that. How about I help her?" Mike offers and Harvey groans.
"Mike --" he starts but Mike just hushes him.
"What should I do?" he asks.
"Uh..." the woman blinks. "Well, you can hug people and tell us the results? So we can put it in Nicole's homework notebook?"
"It needs to be tomorrow, daddy!" Nicole adds. Daddy? Oh my god. Did that girl implied -- no, just, fuck no. Also, fuck you, little girl for putting that Mike can be a daddy and have children. Because, fuck. Harvey is dead inside.
"He's not your daddy, Nics." the woman tells her daughter -- damn straight -- and then she looks at Mike. "I'm sorry,"
"That's fine," Mike waves his hand dismissively and offers it to the woman. "I'm Mike, and I promise to hug people as much as I can today so I can give you the result."
"I'm Grace," the woman takes his hand -- and wow, can they stop? -- "And we'll be expecting?"
"Sure, maybe we should, um, meet here too? Right? So, I can give it to you?"
"Of course," the woman says, a little too fond in Harvey's opinion. "And maybe I could repay you with bread,"
Mike laughs softly and then takes his hand away. He takes the bread that he ordered and drags Harvey. "We need to go, we're due in court."
Grace smiles and nods at them and waves goodbye.
"Are you serious about what you said to them?"
Mike looks at Harvey and answers, "Yes,"
"You'd hug people?" Harvey asks.
Mike shrugs.
"You'd seriously do that?" Harvey asks, shocked.
Mike nods. "Of course, I would." he answers seriously. He looks at Harvey in the most dramatic way possible and adds as an afterthought. "For science,"
Harvey thinks that they're going to the court right away when Mike runs towards the homeless man and offers the bread he bought.
Because of course he would. Because Mike is a puzzle that constantly changing and Harvey wants to solve him.
*
5. Donna
Donna doesn't like hugs, Harvey thinks. He rarely see Donna hugs people, because just like him, Donna has this thing about personal space. He remembers that Donna punched a guy in the face because he suddenly touched Donna. That's why Harvey couldn't see Donna hugging people.
That's why it's a shock to his system when Mike offers Donna a coffee and she looks at it with fond eyes and suddenly hugs Mike for all she's worth. It's weird and new and unfamiliar, and just plain weird that Harvey couldn't pinpoint what's wrong with it. Because come on, it's coffee. Just a fucking coffee, and God damn it, Donna, stop hogging Mike!
When Mike left with a smile in his face, and Donna goes back to her cubicle with a coffee in her hand, he goes to her and asks, "Did you just hug Mike?"
"He bought me coffee, Harvey." Donna answers, too dreamy. "With a whip cream on and milk, I mean, who wouldn't hug him?"
"Donna," Harvey protests. "It's just coffee?"
"So?" Donna raises her eyebrow. "And it's just a hug, Harvey. Don't be jealous!"
"I'm not jealous,"
"Sure, you're not." Donna snorts. "Just wait and see until you see Mike hugs people and come back to me again."
And then Harvey pictures it. Mike with other people, hugging and their faces is in Mike's neck and their taking Mike's scent in and their body press together and that kind of, really, much rubs Harvey in a wrong way.
"Fuck,"
Donna smirks and drinks her coffee. "Oh, trust me. I know."
4. Rachel
Harvey shouldn't have seen it. It's just, he needs Mike to do the papers right away when he opens the door to the stock room and sees Mike wraps his arms around Rachel, and Rachel buries her face to Mike's neck.
Harvey clears his throat and the both of them jump.
"Uh... Harvey --" Mike starts.
"I need the papers now, Mike."
"Uh, yes. of course. I will do that. Now. Bye, Rachel." he says and then he walks away towards the stockroom.
Harvey raises an eyebrow at Rachel and then she blushes.
"It's not what it looks like," Rachel says.
"I'm not asking,"
"No, but your face is." Rachel sighs. "He said he missed me, like missed me as a friend. Like hanging out but not -- you know what I mean." she fixes her dress. "He doesn't like me anymore, I -- hug him because I want him to know I feel the same -- I couldn't -- I don't have words,"
"You don't have to explain,"
Rachel smiles at him, sadly and then says, "Mike would beg to differ,"
He's about to ask what she meant but she's already walking out the door.
3. Louis
Harvey is inside his office but he can Louis screaming at Mike about something. He doesn't even want to know what it is but he needs to stop yelling at Mike. So, he stands up walks towards his door when the screaming stops abruptly and Harvey sees Mike hugging Louis.
It's... ridiculous, weird. Scary. He doesn't know. He wants it to end, though.
"What's happening here?" he asks, loudly and clearly.
Louis pushes Mike away a little and glares at Harvey. "None of your business, Specter." then he looks at Mike. "Doesn't mean I'm not pissed at you about the --" he sighs and rubs his face. "Oh, just get out."
Mike raises his eyebrows towards Harvey and runs away.
"Who knew you would be so soft about hugging?" It's sarcasm of course.
"Out of the two of us, shouldn't you be the one who knows the answer to that?" Louis asks back. "Wait, Mike hasn't hugged you yet?"
And that kind of pissed him off. Because, yes, Mike hasn't and damn it, why? And second, what the fuck, how does Louis suddenly have the upper hand?
"Why would he hug me?" he says instead. At least there, he doesn't look like a pathetic loser who needs of a hug. (He's not pathetic, and not a loser. Just a person who needs a hug, preferably by Mike.)
"You don't know?" Louis asks. And that shocked Harvey, because Louis finally has an upper hand. But, he doesn't use it? He literally just --
"Don't know what?"
"Oh, no." Louis replies. "You're not going to hear it from me,"
He opens his mouth to say something when Louis slams his door closed.
Rude.
2. Jessica
"Harvey?" Jessica calls him, he sees her in the door. Harvey smiles at her and put down the paper he's reading.
"Yes?" he asks.
"Aren't you going home?"
"Not yet," he shakes his head. "How about you?"
"I'm about," she answers.
"Well," Harvey says. "Take care and be safe,"
"I will," she winks at him and closes his door. Then suddenly, he remembers that there's something that he wants to ask Jessica. So, he stands up and goes outside his office just to see Jessica laughing with Mike and then hugs him and kisses his cheek.
"Get my bag, will you?" Jessica asks Mike. "There's something I need to ask Harvey,"
Mike nods and walks away from Jessica. She turns around and sees Harvey, looking straight back at her.
"I just witnessed you... hug Mike, and show affection towards my associate?"
Jessica laughs and comments, "It's not like you're not doing the same thing,"
"What," he says. It's more of a statement rather than a question. Jessica doesn't answer, because Mike is already running back with her bag and then she pulls Mike again for a bag. She whispers something and Mike blushes.
She looks back at Harvey and winks... Again. She walks away with her clicking heels.
"What just happened?" Harvey asks.
Mike shrugs and goes to his cubicle.
It's a weird day.
1. Ray
"Hello, Mr. Specter. Have a good evening?" Ray asks him.
It's actually weird, he wants to say. But, he gathers not. So, he replies, "It was fine,"
"Can we wait a little longer?" Ray asks when Harvey slips inside the car.
"Why?"
"I'm waiting for Mike,"
"Why?"
Ray shrugs and answers, "I have no idea. He says it's important, though."
Harvey waves his hand around and says, "We'll wait for five minutes, if he's late, leave him." he closes the car door and waits.
After a minute, he sees Mike running towards the car and waves at Ray. Ray waves back, and then Mike offers a hug which Ray happily oblige to get. They wrap their arms around each other and stumbles a little bit. He hears giggles and laughter. Ray says something and Mike just nods. Mike hugs Ray for one last time then he walks away. Ray slides in the car.
"What was that?" Harvey asks.
Ray looks at him dead in the eye and answers, "A hug," then he drives the car.
+1
"You should come with me," Mike tells him while he sees Mike waving a paper around.
"What's that?" Harvey asks.
"Here's the proof of how the hug can be the reason for world peace!"
Harvey snorts and huffs.
"What's the matter?" Mike asks. "Shouldn't be like, proud or something? I did a thing!"
Harvey doesn't really want to ask and to sound pathetic but he really wants to know why Mike hasn't hugged him yet. Why, of all people, Harvey was left out to his little shenanigans? But, Mike is asking now. So, fuck it.
"Why didn't you hug me?" he asks.
"Huh?" Mike frowns. "What?"
"Why," he says. "didn't you hug me? You hugged everyone. Donna, Jessica, Ray, Rachel even Louis for pete's sake but not me?"
"Oh, um... That." Mike says.
"Yes, Mike." Harvey deadpans. "That,"
"Well, you see, um... Well, I... don't want to hug you." Harvey might have look like a kicked puppy because Mike suddenly flails his arms around and says, "Not like that! Of course, I -- I want to hug you, really, I do. It's just -- oh my God. I don't want our first physical connection just be out of this -- you know, I mean, I have a crush on you so --"
Wait, back up, back up. Rewind. Crush?
"You have a crush on me?" Harvey asks, his eyes widening.
"Did I say that?" Mike asks, Harvey nods. "Forget -- forget I said that!"
"No," Harvey says while standing up. "I won't forget that,"
"Don't fucking embarrassed me!"
"I'm not," Harvey laughs and then he pulls Mike towards him and he just looks like cute dog who's been scolded. "Hug me,"
Mike frowns, confused. "I don't get it --"
"Just hug me, Mike." Harvey commands. "Let's see if hugs really fix world peace,"
Mike slowly wraps his arms around Harvey, and buries his face in Harvey's neck. Harvey takes Mike's scent and it smells like coffee and cologne that Harvey hasn't heard of.
Okay, so maybe hugs won't fix world peace. Easily. But, it has potential. If everyone can feel what Harvey feels right now in Mike's arms, it's more than peaceful.
And somehow, that's enough for Harvey to believe.
*
FIN