Work Text:
He's been going over the numbers for hours, hasn't slept since he walked out of Jessica's office and took the elevator down to the ground floor, box of his belongings in his hands. Hasn't slept since walking out of Pearson Hardman for the last time more than twelve hours ago.
According to his current calculations - fueled by Red Bull and late night desperation that bled quickly into morning - and the balance of his checking account, Mike has maybe three months until he's evicted from his apartment, four if he stops paying for water and power.
Shit.
He can probably take the LSATs for a few people, and that might help float him a little longer, but he already knows it won't be nearly enough to sustain him for longer than that. And it isn't a viable long-term solution, anyway.
At least Grammy's care is paid through the end of the year. So that's something. A weight off.
His phone rings. He ignores it, lets it go to voicemail.
Mike had been surprised when he was summoned into Jessica's office late last night. Surprised and unnerved. Turns out, he had every reason to be. What he'd long worried would happen, what Harvey had assured him time and again never would? He could see the truth of it, written plainly on her face.
She knew.
Mike sighed, sank down into a chair in front of her desk.
In a way, it was a relief, not having to hide it anymore.
She stared down at him, made him feel once more like she always had, like he was nine years old and sitting in the principal's office, waiting to be punished for pushing Eli Forsman off the swings.
"You've put the company in a serious position."
"I know."
"Do you?" He looked up but couldn't bear to meet her eyes for more than a second. "Do you understand the position you and Harvey have put this company in?"
His head snapped up. "Harvey didn't know anything about it."
She'd lifted an eyebrow, a sharp slice of disbelief taking shape in her expression.
"He didn't."
He owed Harvey this, at least, for taking a chance in the first place, for holding out a hand and pulling Mike up and out of a life he'd been trying to leave behind for years.
She paced in front of her windows, looked out at the city lights.
"I'm not going to fire you."
"You're not?"
He'd leaned forward in his chair, hopeful, until she turned and he caught her expression.
It suddenly made sense why she'd chosen to do this at night, when they were the only people left in the building, when there would be no one there to see him pack up his things and leave his badge behind.
It was as much for his sake as it was for the company's.
"You want me to quit." He'd nodded. Stood. Pulled his badge out of his pocket and slid it onto her desk. "Okay."
He walked across the office, stopped when he reached her door. "I'm sorry. It was never my intention to hurt anyone."
He hadn't waited for a response, hadn't wanted to ask anything else from her. Just walked out the door and down the darkened hallway.
The phone rings again. He picks it up, declines the call. Turns off the ringer.
He pulls out a new sheet of paper, starts making a list of things he can sell.
• TV
• DVD player
• DVDs
• Books
• A one of a kind Joyful Doll
Those might buy him another month, if he's lucky.
He leans forward, braces his elbows on his knees, closes his eyes and threads his fingers into his hair.
It's not enough.
There's a pounding on the door. Mike stays where he is, wills the person on the other side to go away.
"Mike? Mike, open the door."
Mike stays where he is.
"Mike, open the damn door."
He stares down at the words and numbers on the papers in front of him until they shift and blur, listens to Harvey pound on his door and call his name, wonders how long he has before one of his neighbors calls the cops.
The pounding stops.
Mike drops his hands, looks up, sees Harvey standing in his open doorway staring at him, his mouth a grim line, tendrils of hair breaking free, keys clenched in his hand.
He walks over, drops them on the coffee table. Mike looks up at him, resigned. He aches. "Donna?"
"Donna."
It would figure.
"What are you doing here, Harvey?"
He takes a few steps closer. "You wouldn't answer the phone."
"Yeah."
"Jessica pulled me into her office this morning."
Mike nods.
"Idiot." Mike looks up at the soft, almost gentle reproach to find Harvey standing a hair away, looking down at him. "Idiot."
Harvey leans forward, cups his hand around Mike's neck, kisses him hard. When he pulls back he leans his forehead against Mike's, breathes hard through his nose. "Idiot."
Mike closes his eyes, leans into Harvey.
"Idiot."
Mike sighs.
"Did you really think she'd believe you?"
"It was worth a shot."
Harvey sits, squeezes the back of Mike's neck. Mike keeps his eyes closed, breathes in Harvey, wills this to not be a dream.
"I quit."
Mike's eyes fly open. "Harvey-"
"My choice."
Harvey eyes the papers on the table, the empty cans on the floor. He toes off his shoes, pulls off his suit coat and rolls up his sleeves. Then he leans back on the sofa, pulling Mike down with him. Mike stares at the papers on the table with his cheek on Harvey's chest, lets his arm dangle off the couch, closes his eyes again when Harvey leaves a kiss in his hair.
"Nothing's going to happen to you."
{fin}