emmajane14 | fic: take your time cause you're up against space (2/?) (Reply)

Title: take your time cause you’re up against space (2/?)

Rating: G

Fandom/Pairing: Suits, Harvey/Mike

Summary: The first time Mike Ross officially meets Harvey Specter, it’s two days after the older man has woken up from his coma.

The first time Mike Ross officially meets Harvey Specter, it’s two days after the older man has woken up from his coma. Mike had been lucky enough to find Harvey asleep when he’d come in to collect the garbage on Wednesday. He’d been so thankful to find Harvey asleep on Wednesday that he’d pressed his back against the door and took a deep breath.

Maybe he could do this. Maybe he could just avoid Harvey and pretend that this man who nothing about him also meant nothing to him. Maybe he could just creep in and out of room 2453 every day without notice. Who pays attention to the janitor?

But when Mike slips in room 2453 on Thursday, Harvey is sitting up in bed, awake and reading a paper.

Maybe he can’t do this.

“Did you know that the assistant district attorney is going to…”Harvey trails off when he sees Mike staring at him. Clearly he wasn’t expecting the janitor.

“I’m sorry, I should’ve knocked. I just need to take out your trash.” He actually needs to do more cleaning than that but he wants to make this as quick and painless as possible.

“Mike right?” Harvey smiles at him and Mike wants to melt. Melting is unacceptable behavior for a grown man though, so he collects himself before nodding.

“Yes, I’m Mike but…we don’t…”

“You said the other day that we don’t know each other. But why do I feel like I know you then?” Harvey looks frustrated and Mike thinks that Harvey is so much more than anything Mike could have ever imagined.

“We never—“ Harvey cuts him off early and looks exasperated.

“Yes, yes, I know that we’ve never met. But why do I know your voice?”

Mike doesn’t know why he doesn’t tell him. How do you explain to someone that the only reason they recognize you voice is because you spent almost every afternoon spilling all your secrets to their unconscious body?

So he doesn’t explain, “I don’t know.”

“Well in that case,” He holds his hand and Mike takes a moment to realize that he means to shake Mike’s hand.

They shake hand and exchange names and Mike can only wish that this was the same Harvey who knew him. Who listened and listened and even if he was just there, it always felt like he was there.

But then the moment is over and Mike goes back to collecting the garbage. He doesn’t even notice that he’s humming to himself until Harvey points it out.

“Do you always hum while you work?” Harvey looks inquisitive and Mike isn’t sure what to make of that.

“I don’t know. I guess so, I never really noticed.”

Harvey leaves it at that and Mike is immensely thankful.

Mike is finished in Harvey’s room as quickly as possible and escapes before Harvey can attempt to make more small talk.

Mike stops to talk to Maria and Lucy before heading out and instead stumbles upon them gossiping about Harvey.

“Oh hey Mike, I guess you just be glad to see that your room 2453 is awake.” Maria is smiling playfully at him. She’s always been the more gossipy of the two nurses usually working during Mike’s shift.

“He’s not my room.”

“Mike, honey you used to spend hours in there after your shift every day.” It’s Lucy this time and he really doesn’t need them ganging up on him right now.

“Well he’s awake, and…I don’t know him.” Mike flounders and feels utterly ridiculous.

“So get to know him! He’s awake now, there’s no reason not to get to know him!”

“I heard he’s a lawyer…” Maria practically whispers it conspiratorially and it’s just insane.

“And gorgeous. Don’t forget gorgeous!”

“If you two think he’s so great, than why don’t you go after him?” Mike really wishes this conversation would just end already. Normally he loves catching up with the two nurses, but this is one topic that is a little too fresh to be discussed.

“Oh no, no,” both women throw their hands up in protest, “as much as I’m sure we’d both love to get our hands on him, you saw him first. It’s only fair.”

Somehow, Mike manages to muddle through the rest of the conversation before he’s out of the hospital and on the street, finding that even in the bustle of Manhattan’s subways, he can breathe a little easier.

---

It’s Mike’s grandmother who first explains things to him. They’re sitting across from each other, playing cards in her retirement home when she first brings it up.

“It’s called loss you know.” Mike looks up from his cards in surprise.

“What?”

“I’m sure it’s hard to understand and even harder to go through, but it’s times you at least realized what it is.”

“What are you talking about, Gram?” There are times like this when Mike feels more like a little kid than ever before.

“This business with the man from the hospital,” Gram gives him a stern look so he stops trying to avoid it.

“Sure, okay, that man from the hospital is awake. But I’m not grieving. How could I have lost someone I never knew.”

Mike thinks that if he repeats it enough times, maybe his brain will start to finally understand it. I don’t know Harvey. Harvey doesn’t know me.

Gram raises her eyebrows. It was only a matter of time before he told Gram everything.

“You had someone in your life,” Mike goes to protest but Gram’s hand is up to stop him before he can even start, “regardless of the situation, you had someone to talk to, someone you thought you knew. Someone that was important to you. Now they’re gone. Of course you’re grieving.”

I don’t know Harvey. Harvey doesn’t know me.

Mike can’t really argue with that. So he doesn’t.

So the next time Mike goes into work at the hospital, he tries a little harder. Tries to be nicer to Lucy and Maria. He spends more time playing with Kate and Ellie and more time with Mr. Cady and Mrs. Santos. Mike even manages to smile at Harvey when he cleans his room.

At least it’s progress.

I don’t know Harvey. Harvey doesn’t know me.

Chapter Three

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A/N: No idea why this chapter came out so angsty but I didn’t want this to just be “Harvey wakes up from coma and he falls madly in love with Mike. THE END.” That’s not how life happens so that’s not how I’m going to write it. So sorry if anyone is unhappy with the direction this is going in. I don’t seem to have much control of it anymore. I’m just letting it go where it goes…