Hold On

"Mike what did you do?" Harvey panted.

Mike turned around to face the man who gave him the world and answered curtly, "Do you honestly want me to answer that question?"

"Mike!" Harvey yelled, heart threatening to beat out of his chest.

thump

no no no

thump thump

This cannot be happening.

thump thump thump

This is a nightmare that he must wake up from soon.

"Well if you must know, nothing yet since you so rudely interrupted me" Mike barked back at him.

"One hour Mike, you've made it through this mess of a trial, how can one last measly hour eat at you so badly that you're willing to gamble your freedom?" Harvey didn't recognise his own voice.

"Cut the bullshit Harvey, you spent the last five years teaching me how to read people and we both know I'm a spectacular learner" he jabbed a finger in Harvey's chest and continued in a low growl, "We were both in that courtroom before that jury and even you the mighty Specter can't stand there and promise me they're going to rule in my favor".

With a sharp intake of air, he turned on his heels reaching for the elevator call button.

Harvey immediately and desperately grabbed Mike's wrist.

"Don't do this please Mike" to me goes unsaid, he whispered sounding entirely too defeated.

"And what, let you take the punch? Because I know for sure once the reality of the situation kicked in, you were going to hand yourself over to Gibbs and I'm not letting you go to jail for a crime you didn't commit"

Mike turned around then to face him once again and sighed, "You don't get to sacrifice yourself anymore than you already have. Not this time,no"

"There has to be another way Mike, remember when a gun is pointed at you-"

"Yeah yeah I know Harvey, You do any one of a hundred and forty six other things" Mike sighed with exasperation.

Harvey squeezed his wrist tighter hoping to god the imploration in that simple gesture gets him to understand.

Unfortunately for him, Mike shook his head almost surreptitiously and said a little out of breath, "Yeah well I'm tired Harvey, tired of running, tired of putting the ones I care about in danger. We always knew this day would come, the day of retribution" Mike smiled sadly and took a deep, shaky but determined breath before continuing " This is the day Harvey, and I am ending this once and for all."

The determination in Mike's voice was the proverbial straw that broke the camel's back because tears were pouring down Harvey's face before his brain could catch up with the situation to stop him from embarrassing himself crying like a child amongst throngs of people in a courthouse.

Suddenly everything was moving in slow motion and blood was rushing in Harvey's ears. Distantly he felt an arm snake around his shoulders steering him away from the goddamned elevator. One step, two steps, three, couple more and he was standing in the middle of an empty courtroom with an armful of Mike Ross silently and steadily breathing in the crook of his neck. The breathing slowly anchored the wildly beating heart in his chest; that's when he heard a voice which must be his own because it was calling Mike's name who pulled away from Harvey's embrace just the tiniest bit.

Blue eyes glassy and glistening, nose a bit pink, cheeks even more so. Mike murmured shaking his head  "I'm sorry Harvey, I know this is hard for you to get through your thick skull" he chuckled "but I care about you enough to at least not let you risk everything you've worked for in your life just for a tiny chance that a fraud might walk away scot free of his crimes"