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After Mike’s parents passed away, he and his grandma had boxes upon boxes of their belongings cluttering the house, a staunch reminder of their loss and whilst the majority of their items were donated, Mike kept a box full of his most sentimental items, the ones that reminded him of his parents most. One of the items in the box, alongside his mother’s favourite perfume, was a polaroid camera his father insisted on carrying everywhere, documenting each and every moment of their life.
He wouldn’t know how much comfort Mike took in the collection of polaroid pictures he had left behind in the months, even years after their death.
Over the years, with Mike moving from apartment to apartment, the box ended up shoved in the back of his wardrobe, heavy on his mind but too much for him to fully unpack.
However, since starting at Pearson Hardman, Mike had had time to relax, even if it was only a little, the worry of anyone finding out he wasn’t a real lawyer hanging over him like a dark cloud. Therefore, he’d taken time to go through the box, once again discovering the camera.
As he sat on his couch, he thought back fondly on the polaroid picture of his mother that his father kept tucked in his wallet. Mike remembered how he thumbed over the picture, through the plastic film of his dad’s worn wallet, taking in every curve and smile on her face, even after they had passed, thinking about how his father’s love for her transcended death itself, physically manifested through the picture.
Mike vowed to himself to carry on what had been his father’s slightly annoying habit of documenting everything in an attempt to keep a part of his family alive.
—
The first time Harvey caught Mike using the polaroid, they were working at the firm, in his office. Harvey had been looking over a case file Mike had just handed him, when he heard a shutter go off.
He looked up at the sound, eyes narrowing at Mike, noticing the clearly old polaroid camera in his hands, fingers lifting off the button, eagerly looking at the photo that was being ejected.
“What do you think you’re doing?” questioned Harvey, raising an eyebrow at Mike.
Mike simply placed the photo face down, allowing it to develop, rocking back and forth of his heels as he waited.
In the absence of a reply, Harvey spoke again.
“You know it’s not the 1980s anymore, smartphones exist.”
Mike simply waved him off, before turning around the polaroid excitedly showing Harvey the picture of him. Harvey’s eyes stayed focused on the joy clear as day on Mike’s face, even as he tucked the photo away, a fond smile growing in his face, unbeknownst to him.
-
The second time Harvey noticed Mike carrying the old camera around was at a work dinner party organised by Louis.
Harvey watched as Mike ushered Rachel and Donna together, the two of them smiling, amused at his antics, before pulling out his camera and taking a picture of them, grinning hard at the polaroid. Harvey shook his head affectionately, staring for a couple seconds longer than appropriate, before getting pulled into a conversation with Louis.
Later that evening, Harvey spotted Mike out on the balcony, leant against the railing and fiddling with something, facing away from the glass doors from which Harvey entered.
“Hey.” Harvey said, hoping not to startle Mike too much.
Mike looked back, jerking slightly, clearly not expecting anyone to find him. He recovered quickly, shooting a smile at Harvey before replying.
“Hi.”
As Harvey walked over to Mike, copying his stance, leaning against the railings of the balcony, looking out at the darkening sky, he noticed that Mike had in fact been fiddling with his camera.
“Noticed you brought your camera here as well.” Harvey stated, taking in how Mike’s cheeks were slightly rosy from being out in the cold clearly for far longer than Harvey had thought.
Mike looked down as if he hadn’t realised he had been fiddling with it and Harvey stared at the way his eyelashes fanned across his cheeks, Mike’s pale face almost glowing in the moonlight.
“Yeah I- I thought it’d be nice to have some photos of people at work. Keepsakes.” Mike paused, pressing his lips together, as if contemplating whether he should carry on talking, “I like having photographs to look back on. Things can change but I’ll always have these.”
Harvey nodded in response, knowing how keeping his fake law degree a secret was weighing heavily on Mike’s mind, especially as he got closer to people at work, his guilt becoming almost too much to handle. Harvey was contemplating on offering some words of comfort when they were both startled by an associate walking into the balcony, looking for a place to smoke, clearly not noticing the two of them already there till it was too late.
Harvey stepped away from Mike, just now noticing how close he’d gotten to Mike as they had been speaking, a little too close to brush it off as colleagues.
Not wanting to draw further attention to them, Harvey nodded at Mike before reluctantly making his way back to where everyone was mingling.
God, he was so gone for Mike.
-
The third time Harvey was faced with the camera, it was actually Donna who was holding it.
Harvey was sat at his desk, looking up at Mike, as he walked into his office, clearing his throat as he did.
“Good lawyer, bad lawyer baby, worked like a charm.” Mike said, holding out a closed fist for Harvey to bump his own against as Harvey looked down at Mike’s fist with a questioning expression.
“Come on, you know you want it.” Mike teased as Harvey fist bumped him, unable to hide his growing smile, amused by Mike’s antics.
“There it is.” Mike said, in an almost teasing tone.
At the sound of a shutter, both Harvey and Mike looked up, slightly startled by the sound, to see Donna with the polaroid camera, smiling at them gleefully.
Mike walked by Donna, grabbing the camera and trying to get the photo she was holding in between her fingertips; however, Donna quickly pulled her hand back, leveling him with a look. Mike shook his head and walked away.
Donna walked over to Harvey with a knowing look on her face
“Thought you might want this.” Donna said, winking at Harvey as she placed the polaroid on the desk.
Harvey stared at her with an inquisitive look in his eyes before looking down at the polaroid, as Donna walked out of his office. His heart clenched as he looked at the polaroid, looking at the blatant adoration on his own face as he looked at Mike, who was looking down at him, mid-conversation, a similar grin on his face.
He looked over at Donna at her desk, who was looking away at her own computer, a little thrown off by how well she’d read him but not really surprised.
After all, she is Donna.
Feeling sure he had no eyes on him, he pocketed the polaroid. It’s not like anyone was going to find out.
—
In the months since Mike first took the picture of Harvey, he spotted Mike using the camera sporadically, often popping up in moments that didn’t seem particularly significant to Harvey, but it appeared to provide a kind of joy to Mike.
Harvey didn’t exactly understand it, until Grammy came to the firm.
Mike walks out of Harvey’s office, Harvey following right behind him when he abruptly stops at the sight of his grandmother standing in the bullpen, chatting to Rachel. Harvey just about stops himself from walking into Mike, hand on Mike’s lower back for just a second before he walks over to his grandmother, pulling her into a hug. Harvey watches them speak for a few seconds, before redirecting himself to the breakroom, allowing them to chat for a bit before he and Mike had to attend a meeting.
A few minutes later, Harvey walks out, walking towards the bullpen just as he sees Mike pulling out the old camera from his desk at the bullpen to take a picture of Grammy with Rachel. As he moves closer, he overhears Grammy speak.
“Your father’s camera, I haven’t seen that in a while” Grammy says, a wistful smile on her face, eyes full of love and grief.
Mike gave a soft smile, eyes darting over to Harvey briefly, before shrugging and replying, “Figured I’d keep his tradition going.”
—
Over the months of Mike and Harvey working together, it became harder and harder for them to deny and hide their growing affection towards each other. Limits were pushed and tested with every casual touch between the two, every late night spent together at the office and finally the thread snapped.
It was one of those late nights at the office, firm nearly empty aside from the two of them and a couple associates lingering in the bullpen, Mike and Harvey working together in Harvey’s office.
Mike stood up near the couch explaining how he’d found a loophole in a case, gesticulating wildly, Harvey lost in looking at Mike, rather than listening.
“Harvey?”
Harvey’s eyes snapped up to Mike’s questioning look on his face. He coughed into his fist, looking away, before asking Mike to repeat what he was saying, in an attempt to dissuade any tension.
Mike looked at him incredulously, before going back to talking about the case, somehow moving closer as he sat back down next to him, leaning over the case files on the table in front of him. Harvey turned slightly to look at Mike speaking, feeling the way his breath was fanning his neck as Mike spoke.
Harvey didn't really know what possessed him to kiss Mike at that moment, maybe it was too late, Harvey slightly sleep deprived from working on the case, maybe it was the whiskey.
Maybe he’d just been wanting to kiss him all this time.
Harvey pulled back, looking at Mike’s shocked expression, unsure, for once, as to what to do. Mike quickly fixed his expression as Harvey began to move away. He got up, walking after Harvey, grabbing his arm and pulling Harvey back into him.
“Do it again. Kiss me.” Mike whispered, eyes darting from Harvey’s lips to his eyes.
“Are you sure?”
“I’ve never been more sure.”
—
In the months since they started dating, Mike and Harvey settled into a routine of spending mornings before work together, usually at Harvey’s but sometimes at Mike’s if he begs hard enough.
Mike was sitting at the dining table at his apartment, golden sunlight filtering through his slightly tattered curtains, bathing him in light as he sipped on his coffee. Harvey sat next to him, nursing his own cup, taking in his side profile, how soft he looked in the early mornings before they had to go to work. Well, just Harvey today, which is why Mike was lounging in his pajamas, instead of getting ready with him.
Spotting the polaroid camera on the table, Harvey discreetly grabbed it whilst Mike was looking away, taking his chance to take a candid picture of Mike, soft and at home in a way he was only ever around Harvey, even if the man didn’t know it.
Hearing the shutter go off, Mike looked over at Harvey, shaking his head at the role reversal. Mike reaches over and tries to grab the polaroid photo that Harvey had just taken but Harvey flicked his hand out of the way just in time, teasing smirk on his face, instead tucking it into his inner breast pocket of his blazer. Harvey leant closer to Mike, muttering a ‘better luck next time’ before pressing a chaste kiss against Mike’s lips as a goodbye.
Once Harvey left Mike’s apartment, he took the photo out, pulled out his wallet and tucked the photo into the empty plastic pocket inside, thumbing over the photo, before putting it back into his blazer pocket.
-
A couple months later, Harvey and Mike were at the office, Mike standing just behind Harvey, looking over his shoulder at Donna who was asking him for his company card. With a sigh, Harvey opened his wallet, grabbing the card and handing it over to Donna who grabbed it with a smile and walked over to her desk. Harvey walked back to his own desk, looking back at Mike who seemed slightly dumbfounded, almost frozen where he was standing.
“Mike?” Harvey questioned, prompting him to look up “You okay?”
Mike simply nodded his head in response, head jerking awkwardly.
“I’m just gonna grab my bag, we can head home after” Mike said, before practically running out of the office.
Once they got home, Mike busied himself in the living room as Harvey went off to shower, still confused at how slightly standoffish Mike had been with him in the car and once they got home too.
As soon as Mike heard the shower turn on, he walked into their room, going through the pockets of Harvey’s blazer, grabbing the sleek black wallet Mike had gifted him on his birthday, before they had even got together. With trembling hands, Mike opened the wallet, eyes widening as he confirmed what he’d seen at the office.
Harvey had the polaroid picture he had taken of Mike in his wallet.
Just like his father had of his mother.
Mike stood there, staring at the image in the wallet for a few minutes, heart heavy with love and loss, when Harvey walked in from the ensuite bathroom, still slightly wet from the shower, towel wrapped around his waist.
At the sight of Harvey, Mike dropped the wallet back onto the bed, striding over to Harvey, throwing his arms over his shoulders and pulling him into a hug. Harvey’s arms hovered at Mike’s sides for a second, before he pulled him in, rubbing his back softly. After a couple minutes, Mike pulled back slightly, prompting Harvey to cradle his face, wiping away a tear falling down his cheek, the crease between his eyebrows deepening, worry filling his body.
“What’s going on, Mike?” Harvey asked gently.
Mike shook his head slightly, as if trying to shake his emotions away, offering a shaky laugh, before replying.
“My dad, he used to have a polaroid of my mum in his wallet,” Mike said, voice sad but deeply fond, “After they passed, it stuck with me.”
Harvey’s eyes softened as Mike spoke, heart clenching at the thought of Mike, young and confused, left with only memories of his parents, his grandmother being the only family to turn to.
He pulled him in again, whispering a soft ‘I got you’ as he pressed a chaste kiss to Mike’s temple.
–
Over the years, Mike and Harvey accumulated many polaroids on Mike’s camera, slowly but surely detailing the way their relationship grew and changed over the years through numerous photo albums, from when they moved in together to their wedding day.
When they adopted their sons, Mike was able to pass on his habit of using his polaroid camera to them, who although were sometimes slightly annoyed by Mike documenting everything, grew to treasure the photo albums, the same way Mike did.
–
We took a polaroid, you signed your name upon it, I put it in my wallet, hoping I'd see your face again.