Work Text:
When Harvey arrives home, he doesn’t immediately sense anything is unusual.
Mike is already there, dressed in sweatpants and stirring something on top of the stove.
Of course, Harvey remembers. The slightly drunken New Year’s resolution of eating less takeout.
“Look at us. It’s February and we’re still eating real food.” Mike says, as if he read Harvey’s mind. He opens the refrigerator and grabs some Parmesan cheese.
“Whole Foods premade pasta?” Harvey unknots his tie and slides off his suit jacket, discarding both items on the side.
“Uhh, it’s not premade, I resent that. Some components may have originated in a packet.” Mike says in a lofty tone, stirring the pan again.
Harvey smirks and walks up, sliding an arm round him and kissing him on the temple. “Look at you, all domesticated.”
“I’m very domesticated actually, always have been. It’s you that needs training.” Mike says, leaning back atomically into the touch.
“Hey, I cook.” Harvey says immediately. “I have kitchen… things?” He gestures vaguely.
“Utensils.”
“Yeah, I have those, and I use them.”
“Sure thing, Gordon Ramsay.” Mike grins.
Harvey swats him lightly on the ass before disappearing into the bedroom, hiding a grin. He strips out of his suit and sighs in relief as he shrugs on an old t-shirt and a pair of sweatpants that have definitely seen better days.
Five minutes later, Mike is calling and they sit down at the kitchen island with two steaming bowls of pasta.
Harvey captures him round the waist and Mike smiles, leaning in for a kiss.
“Thank you for dinner.” Harvey says, smoothing Mike’s flyaway hair back.
“You’re welcome, and… think of all the money we’re saving.” Mike says, sliding into the seat next to him. “Vacation fund.”
Harvey makes a noncommittal noise. Unfortunately, with clients like his, a real vacation is more of a passing thought than a reality these days.
“We could totally go somewhere at the end of the year.” Mike continues, picking up his fork and beginning to devour his food.
“For how long?” Harvey says. “Both of us gone for over a week? The place would fall apart.”
Mike laughs. “You gotta have a week, come on, it’s not worth it otherwise.”
“Depends on how far we go.”
“Uh, well, I’m not staying in a hotel in New York, if that’s what you’re insinuating.”
Harvey smirks. “No? What about The Chilton?”
“You’re a real comedian, Harvey.” Mike points his fork at him. “No.”
“Not even if I book us the honeymoon suite?” Harvey teases.
Mike laughs, chewing on some pasta before replying. “What, you wanna recreate the best day of your life? The moment fate and destiny collided-“
“Enough.” Harvey cuts in, but he’s also smiling. “We don’t need a do-over of that disastrous interview.”
“Disastrous for who? You hired me.” Mike says, smiling even wider now. “You got yourself an associate, plus extras.”
“Extras?” Harvey looks at him pointedly. “Using my shower? Taking up half my bed? Doubling the grocery bill?”
Mike shovels in another enormous mouthful of pasta. “This clever brain needs sustenance, Harvey.”
Harvey raises an eyebrow. “Of course it does.”
They finish dinner - which, Harvey has to admit, was delicious indeed. He stacks the dishwasher and watches as Mike tidies up the apartment a little before disappearing and… reappearing with his laptop.
“Don’t worry, it’s not work and I’m not online shopping with your credit card. Yet.” Mike says, wandering over and setting the laptop on the coffee table.
“Yet? You bought a new pair of sneakers last week.” Harvey says, also walking over. He frowns in confusion as Mike pulls out some kind of cable and plugs it into the side of the TV. “What the hell are you doing?”
Mike grins. “I have prepared… something. A presentation.”
Harvey sits slowly, suspicion on his face.
Mike plugs the cable into the laptop, clicks some buttons and… The TV switches over to something.
“What the hell is that?” Harvey frowns.
An offensively bright screen flashes up with a photo of a tropical beach and the words “Mike and Harvey’s 2013 Vacation Destinations.”
In rainbow WordArt.
Completed with some animated palm trees. Glittery ones.
Harvey stares. “Mike.”
“Well, we’ve been talking about a vacation.” Mike says in an obvious tone. “So I thought I’d do some research, you know, what I do best.”
“Research.” Harvey repeats. “Why do I get the feeling this is going to be more than research?”
“It’s just options, okay.” Mike says. He settles back into Harvey’s side and Harvey lifts his arm out of habit, drawing Mike closer.
“Alright.” he says, mouth twitching. “Go ahead.”
Mike clicks the laptop and-
The second slide shows The Hamptons in bold writing, accompanied by a beautiful photo of the coastline.
“Okay.” Mike says in a serious tone, as if this is the Supreme Court. Two lists of writing appear either side of the slide. “The pros are amazing beaches, luxurious accommodation, not too far from home and fancy as fuck restaurants.”
Harvey, albeit it a little stunned by this sudden development, nods in agreement.
“Oh, and it meets your ridiculously high standards.”
“My standards are not ridiculous.”
“Harvey, you have hand towels no one is actually allowed to use… as a towel.”
“So? They’re decorative.”
Mike snorts. “Anyway… cons. Overpriced, one could argue. Gets super crowded, and the weather is a little unpredictable, especially if we’re not going in summer.”
“True.” Harvey says.
Mike tilts his head up so their eyes meet. “Are you enjoying this?”
“Mike, I’m thrilled, truly.” Harvey responds in his best monotone voice, and Mike laughs, clicking the button again.
The next screen shows a spectacular lake with a dramatic mountain backdrop and the words Lake Como.
“Alright, now we’re talking.” Mike grins, tucking himself closer under Harvey’s arms.
“Lake Como? Ten plus hours on a plane?” Harvey says in disbelief.
“It’s so beautiful! Just look!" Mike says, clicking the laptop so the pros and cons pop up. “Alright. Pros are… it’s, like, unrivalled scenery. Magical.”
Harvey nods in agreement.
“It’s got history, architecture - you know how much I love that stuff. Plus, it’s not far from Milan, so he could totally go there as well.” Mike says. “More culture.”
“We could.” Harvey says, turning and pressing a kiss to Mike’s head.
“Cons? Well, it’s hella expensive, probably hella busy.” Mike sighs. “And yeah, a long ass flight.”
He studies the photo of Lake Como for a few more seconds before clicking onto the next slide.
Costa Rica is written at the top, accompanied by a photo of a stunning-looking beach with clear waters.
Harvey raises an eyebrow. “Alright, now we are talking.”
Mike grins. “Pros… uhh, hello? The jungle! Animals, exotic birds! It’s super quiet and has beautiful beaches. And monkeys. I wanna see monkeys."
Harvey nods.
“Cons? Expensive, a bit more challenging travel-wise, and… bugs. A ton of 'em.” Mike shrugs. “I think your grumpy ass might get annoyed with mosquitoes.”
Harvey has to agree. “I’m not paying thousands of dollars to be eaten and bitten by freakishly huge bugs.”
Mike laughs, shifting against Harvey and leaning into him further. “Still enjoying this?"
“Honestly? The presentation itself isn’t half bad. But that rainbow WordArt was a crime.” Harvey quips.
“Hilarious. Alright, last one…” Mike says.
The screen changes, and this time a photo appears of a Caribbean island. St Kitts & Nevis.
“Pros? Quiet beaches, rainforest walks, you can visit St Kitts and Nevis, which are totally different.” Mike says. “Cons? Expensive again… oh my god, let’s just accept it’s all expensive, okay? It’s also kinda difficult again travel-wise, not the easiest place to get to. But I totally think the place is worth it, Harvey, it's-"
He launches into an explanation of the local culture, the people, the sightseeing.
Harvey nods slowly, studying the photo on the screen as he listens. He can’t lie, the thought of endless sandy beaches, sunshine, and Mike all to himself is very appealing.
“Now.” Mike concludes his speech a minute later and clicks the laptop. The TV screen changes to a plain black background with the words Thoughts? Questions? Opinions?
He turns to Harvey expectantly.
Harvey blinks.
“Well?” Mike prompts. “What did you think?”
“Of your presentation, or the vacation destinations?”
“Both. All.”
“Presentation? As I said, could use some work.” Harvey teases, combing his fingers through Mike’s hair as he speaks. “A little juvenile.”
“See, that’s funny because-“
“Yeah, you’re ten years my junior, we know.”
Mike laughs. “And the destinations?”
Harvey nods slowly. “I like Costa Rica. And maybe even Lake Como, it could work, even with a long flight."
“But not The Hamptons?” Mike says. He shifts a little more so he’s facing Harvey.
“Overpriced and a bit overhyped. Too many people.” Harvey shrugs. “It’s not calling to me.”
Mike takes in the words. “Italy would be a long ass flight.”
“It would for me, with you in my ear the entire time.”
“Uh, rude. You’d probably leave me in coach and go upgrade yourself to business class.” Mike sighs dramatically. “Just so you could get premium dining and eleven hours of silence.”
“Eleven? Don’t threaten me with a good time.”
“Do you want to go on vacation alone?”
“Oh, that’s an option?” Harvey smirks. He laughs as Mike makes a feeble attempt to get away and he sits back, pulling him half onto his lap. “Alright, I’m ready to be serious now.”
“You’re not funny at all.” Mike says, but he’s smiling underneath the pouting. “My love language is words of affirmation, as you should know.”
Harvey raises an eyebrow. “Alright. Mike, I enjoyed your sixth-grade presentation, truly. I’ll carefully consider all the options you’ve brought to the negotiation table.”
Mike narrows his eyes. “You do remember that I won’t forget this conversation?”
“I’ve learnt that over these two years.” Harvey chuckles. He shifts Mike closer and draws him in for a kiss. “I appreciate you took time off from paid work to create that.”
“And what about the rainbow Word Art?”
“Inspiring.”
“Hey, maybe my real career and life calling is in graphic design?”
“Stick to litigation.” Harvey says dryly.
Mike tips his head back and laughs. “But you’ll think about it?”
Harvey nods. He knows they’re overdue time away, downtime, time to breathe. “I’ll talk to Jessica, figure out when we can both have some time off.” He says quietly, brushing his thumb against Mike’s cheek. “We’ll go somewhere.”
His eyes flicker back to the TV. The way Mike probably spent a couple of hours putting it together, fully aware Harvey would tease him anyway.
“You mean it?” Mike says in a hopeful tone and Harvey looks back at him.
“Yeah.” He says, brushing his thumb against Mike’s temple. “I mean it.”
“Great, because I already started a little spreadsheet of flights, hotels, best time to travel-“
“Of course you did.”
“Hot shots never have a day off.” Mike shifts on the couch, pulling Harvey’s arm round him tighter and practically climbing into his lap.
“Neither do boyfriends with undiagnosed ADHD.” Harvey teases. He pulls Mike in and kisses him this time to shut him up and Mike laughs into it.
“I just have a lot of thoughts, Harvey.”
“I’m well aware, you choose to share ninety-six percent of them out loud.”
Mike hums. “So you’ll really talk to Jessica?”
“I promise.” Harvey affirms. “Now, can we watch Star Trek?”
“Oh my god. You prefer to see Captain Kirk’s face over mine, I get it.” Mike says, with a mock dramatic sigh. He slides off Harvey’s lap and disconnects his laptop, abandoning it on the side and resetting the TV.
With a few clicks of the buttons, Star Trek appears on the screen.
“Now we’re talking.” Harvey spreads his legs and gestures, and Mike is there instantly, fitting back against his chest like it’s his rightful place.
The familiar theme begins to play, and Harvey smiles, resting his chin lightly on Mike’s shoulder. “I mean what I said.” He murmurs. “We’ll figure out a vacation.”
“I know.” Mike says immediately. He settles back further against Harvey’s chest, eyes fixed on the screen.
As the opening credits roll, Harvey tightens his arms around Mike’s waist on reflex.
Whether it’s The Hamptons, Lake Como, Costa Rica, or St Kitts and Nevis...
He’s home when he’s with Mike.