Pairing: Harvey Specter/Mike Ross

Other characters: Donna, Louis Litt

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters.

Warning: none

Author's note: Written for the first weekly challenge on LJ suits_meme. The prompt was 'Donna's blackmail material.'

'Where on earth does he keep the stapler? He obviously doesn't use it much if it's this difficult to find it.' Donna was busy in Harvey's office, going through his desk drawers. All she wanted to do was borrow a stapler but it wasn't an easy task as she had expected.

'Wait a second. This isn't Harvey's. And, he never keeps a tie in here.' She looked at a skinny tie lying in the bottom drawer. She remembered how Mike had wandered around yesterday, looking for his tie that he had taken off before heading down to the dusty file room.

'So here it is. But what is it doing in here? Harvey's trying to teach him a lesson on how to be responsible for his tie's safety?'

"What are you trying to find? My darkest secret?" Harvey joked as he walked inside the office. He had come back from the men's room to find his favorite devil rummage through his drawers.

"Well, I was trying to locate your stapler but I found something much more interesting."

"Like what?" Harvey walked up to his desk.

"Like Mike's tie." Donna held up the tie so that Harvey could see it.

"That's not his tie." Harvey shoved his hands in his pockets.

"Yes, it is."

"No, it's not."

"I have proof."

Harvey raised his eyebrows. "Just because it's skinny doesn't mean it's Mike's."

"But it says 'Mike' on the back."

"You're bluffing." Harvey laughed. His secretary was good.

"No, I'm not."

"You're trying to make me believe that Mike wrote his name on his tie? That's ridiculous even for him."

"Look for yourself." Donna tossed the tie into Harvey's hands.

Harvey turned it over and indeed, the idiot had written down his name on the white label of the tie. "He can't be serious…"

Donna couldn't help but laugh. Harvey's face told her that he had never seen anything like it before. "He's smarter than we thought, Harvey. He knew that someone might steal his tie."

"I didn't steal it."

"Really? So it just miraculously found its way into your drawer?"

"You're mocking me."

"No, I'm just asking you. I thought you hated his skinny ties."

"Of course I hate them. I absolutely loathe them. I wanted to keep him from wearing the worst one he had."

"Harvey, you're the one who taught me that unnecessary emphasis could mean that one is not telling the truth."

"What are you trying to say?" Harvey had his game face on. Why was Donna making such a fuss about a useless tie?

"I think you're keeping his tie for an entirely different reason."

"Such as?" Harvey dared her.

"You want to keep it as a reminder of Mike. Or if you're planning to return it, you want to be his hero."

"You don't know what you're talking about."

"Really?" Donna's eyes were sharp.

"Really. So get out and find someone else to play with." Harvey walked around the desk to sit but Donna wouldn't move.

"I need to borrow your stapler, Harvey. And, I think I just got my hands on some tasty blackmail material." She wore a devilish smile.

"You of all people should know that nobody lives to blackmail Harvey Specter." Harvey pulled out the stapler from another drawer.

"Ah! So you admit it's blackmail material!"

"I didn't say that. I was just pointing out how utterly ridiculous your idea was."

"So you don't mind if I tell him that you're the one who has his tie."

Harvey glared at her. "What do you want?"

Donna's smile only got broader. "Hmm, let's see. There are so many things I want that I simply cannot choose."

Harvey put the tie back in the drawer and crossed his arms. He should've taken the tie home yesterday but he had gone home straight from a client meeting.

"Oh, you could take Mike and me out for dinner tonight."

"And?"

"And, tell me all the filthy details about the night you entertained him."

"I never entertained him."

"But you will! Soon!" Donna spoke excitedly.

Harvey let out a long sigh. He couldn't believe that he was being blackmailed by none other than his own secretary.

"If I refuse?"

"Then I'm going to tell Mike that you dream about his skinny ties every night and that I found one of them hidden in your drawer. You know you'll never hear the end of it."

Donna was right. There was no way that Mike would let him live it down.

"Fine. Dinner at seven. But there won't be any kind of entertainment any time soon so you can forget about your second request."

"We'll see about that! I'll let the puppy know!" Donna practically ran out with the stapler. It was an exciting day at the office.

"How wonderful this is! Wouldn't you agree, Mike? A dinner date with our boss." Donna smiled at Mike who was sitting next to her in the booth.

"Yeah, I honestly don't know what I did. It must've been something you did." Mike said in a small voice while Harvey made a face at Donna.

"It's not a date." Harvey clarified.

"Aww, but Mike and I would like to think that it was! Isn't that true, Mike?"

"Uh, sure." Mike wasn't sure what he was supposed to say. Donna looked as if she was high and Harvey looked as if he was plotting to commit a perfect murder.

'Let's stay out of it and eat.' He decided and kept his mouth busy with his chicken salad.

"Hey, Mike, I have a theory about that lost tie of yours." Donna captured both of the guys' attention.

"What kind of a theory?" Mike asked, wondering how good Donna's detective work was. It certainly wasn't pleasant to lose his favorite tie.

"I think a secret admirer of yours took it as a souvenir." Donna said, ignoring Harvey's lethal glare.

"Hahaha… I'm sorry, Donna, but I don't have a secret admirer." Mike laughed it off as he took a sip of his lemonade.

"How can you be so sure?" Donna asked while smiling sweetly at Harvey.

"Because nobody likes me in the office except for you guys and Rachel. Harvey hates my ties and Rachel doesn't seem to care about them. So unless you're my secret admirer, your theory can't be right." Mike explained with ease.

"People can change their opinions, you know." Donna was glad that Harvey was gentleman enough to not kick her under the table.

"I really don't think Rachel has a thing for my ties, sorry." Mike looked at Donna with an apologetic face.

"I agree." Donna nodded and asked, "Would you mind it if a secret admirer actually took it?"

Mike chuckled. "Not at all. I'm so lonely these days that I'd trade the tie for a hot night with that poor man or woman."

Harvey slightly choked on his wine while Donna bit her lower lip to stop herself from bursting into an inelegant fit of laughter.

"Are you okay, Harvey?" Mike asked with a worried look on his face.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Harvey cleared his throat.

"Perhaps the wine's a bit too strong for you."

Donna smiled warmly at Mike. He always had an opinion on everything that happened to Harvey.

"The wine is fine. These kinds of things just happen." Harvey focused on the risotto in front of him.

"Of course they do." Donna's tone was malicious.

Mike looked up from his steak. It was happening again; Donna was high and Harvey was plotting a murder. "Um, am I missing something?"

"No." Harvey answered.

"Yes." Donna answered at the same time.

"Okay…" Mike looked back and forth between the two. "Difference in opinion is considered healthy. No need to fight or kill anyone..."

Now both pairs of eyes were aimed at him. "Okay… I'll just dig into my steak. No need to worry about me."

Donna winked promisingly at Harvey, happy to have planted a small idea in Mike's head. Harvey just made a grumpy sound and took charge of his risotto. Apparently, that was the only thing that he could truly be in charge of.

The next morning, Mike found a note on his desk as soon as he came to work. He opened the folded note and read it. It was neatly typed: Forgive me for taking something from you. I suppose it's only fair for you to have something of mine as well. Look in the top drawer.

'Oh my god, Donna was right! I do have a secret admirer!' Mike gasped. He had always wanted a secret admirer.

He put the note back on the desk and sat in his chair to open the drawer. Inside, there was a pair of black shoelaces.

'Okay… not the most romantic object in the world but I guess he's worried that I would know who he is right away if he left me something else.' Mike's heart pounded in his chest. He really couldn't think of anyone who could be doing all this.

'Hmm… Should I ask around? See if anyone saw who left these in my cubicle?' But he decided against it. He didn't want to spoil the mystery.

He sniffed at the men's shoelaces and noticed that they had been close to expensive leather. He normally wouldn't know what expensive leather smelled like, but Harvey had once lectured him about how shoes made a difference in a lawyer's appearance and he had had the pleasure of smelling expensive leather and cheap leather alternately.

'Okay, so it's someone who can afford luxurious shoes. And, if he gave me his shoelaces, there's a good chance that he keeps an extra pair of shoes in the office. Oh, and I guess I can take off Jeffrey from the list since it's a pair.' He thought about the poor paralegal who had injured his foot.

Mike was glad that he had the whole Pearson-Hardman employee list in his head. 'It has to be one of the partners or those who come from money. Harvey owns something like this so the person has to be very rich.'

The list shortened immediately but it didn't help much.

'Let's think. Why did this guy leave the note on the desk and the shoelaces in the drawer? He could've just left both on the desk. Does it mean that he's familiar with my cubicle? People don't usually open other people's drawers.'

Then Mike shook his head firmly. 'No, no. That can't be it. The one who comes to see me the most is Louis!'

He had never really counted but he was pretty sure that Louis came to his cubicle more often than Harvey.

'Oh, how I wish it was Harvey.' Mike daydreamed about Harvey taking him into his strong arms, kissing him with the intention of driving him wild, and undressing him in half a minute.

'Do I want to go check if it's really not Louis? Oh god, I feel sick.' Mike forced his stomach to behave and left his cubicle. He wouldn't be able to get any work done unless he knew for sure that Louis wasn't his admirer.

"Uh, Louis, do you have a minute? Norma told me that I could come in." Mike poked his head into the junior partner's office.

"Yes. Come in, Mike. Harvey's not here to help you?" Louis cackled victoriously.

"No, it's not about work. I was actually curious about your awesome shoes." Mike felt stupid but he didn't have a better idea.

"My shoes! The ones I'm wearing right now or the ones I keep in the closet?" Louis stood up and showed off his shoes.

"Not these. The other ones." Mike said as he spotted shoelaces in the ones that Louis was wearing.

"Ah, you have excellent taste." Louis opened the mini-closet and took out his extra pair of shoes. "These are made by Italy's most…"

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Louis. Harvey just texted me to get my ass in his office. But thanks for showing me those shoes. They're great!" Mike hurried out of the office, relieved that he could still enjoy having a secret admirer.

"Donna? Did you leave your area in the past ten minutes?" Harvey asked through the intercom.

"Why do you ask? I don't get any privacy?"

"I'm asking because if you left to pee, Louis might've sneaked in."

Harvey had gone to see Jessica only to come back and find out that someone had taken the shoelaces off his shoes. Ever since a stupid junior partner (who surprisingly wasn't Louis) had made the mistake of walking into her office with muddy shoes, Jessica had been adamant that everyone put on slippers before stepping into her office.

"What's the problem, Harvey? Louis pulled a prank on you?"

"You can say that. I need a pair of shoes." Harvey answered with a frown.

"Don't you keep an extra pair at the office?"

"I usually do but I gave them to Ray yesterday to get them polished. I haven't got them back yet."

"You're lucky that I know someone who keeps an extra pair of shoelaces at his desk."

"You mean shoes, not shoelaces." Harvey corrected her.

"Nope, shoelaces."

"Who keeps shoelaces at his desk?" Harvey asked incredulously.

"Our favorite biking boy!"

"Mike?" Harvey laughed.

"Yes. He's worried that his shoelaces might get caught in his wheels and get cut off."

Harvey made an approving sound. "So he did take my advice on shoes seriously. Good boy."

Donna smiled into the intercom. "He's busy in the copy room so you'll have to go fetch them yourself." Mike always helped her out when she asked.

"What about you? Are you busy too?"

"Harvey, I'm always busy, haven't you noticed?"

"Fine. I'll get them myself."

Harvey headed towards Mike's cubicle, dragging his manly slippers. He opened the top drawer of the desk without much thought. That was where people usually looked first.

'Here they are.' Harvey took out the shoelaces and was about to close the drawer when he realized that they were his own. He sat in Mike's seat and observed them carefully. There was no doubt that the shoelaces were made by Gucci.

'Out of all the things he could do, why would he mess with my shoes?' Harvey knew that Mike had a childish side but it didn't feel like something that Mike would do. He had been so sure that it was Louis until a few minutes ago.

'Besides, if it's a prank, is he really stupid enough to hide them in the top drawer?' Something just didn't add up.

'Is it possible that he's keeping my shoelaces for the same reason I'm keeping his tie? Did he find out that I have his tie? Did Donna break the deal and talk?'

Harvey stopped his mind from drifting away. He could do all the thinking in the comfort of his office. For now, he had to find Mike's shoelaces and get out of the cubicle. Of course he could simply wait for his associate to come back and confront him, but he was curious to see what Mike had in mind. So he put the shoelaces back where he had found them and looked inside Mike's messenger bag. If Mike was worried about his shoelaces getting caught in his bike, it was likely that he kept them in his bag.

'There.' Harvey pulled them out and managed to leave the associates' area just before Mike came back.

'Hmm, was Harvey here? I think I can smell the faint scent of his cologne.' Mike knew that Harvey's cologne could smell quite strong in the morning.

'Oh well, I have to give these to Donna anyway. I'll ask her if Harvey needed me.' He arranged the copies in order and went to see Donna.

"Hey, these are what you've asked for." Mike put down the copies on her desk.

"Thank you, Mike! I would've done it myself if I wasn't so incredibly busy. You're a life saver!" Donna looked up at him with twinkling eyes.

"It's nothing. Did Harvey need me for anything?" Mike asked as he glanced at his boss through the glass. Harvey was talking on the phone while leisurely walking around and Mike couldn't help but feel disappointed that he was wearing shoes with shoelaces.

"No, Mike. He didn't ask for you. Thanks for the copies again." Donna took a good look at the sad puppy face. She would have to accelerate the plan with Ray's help.

"You're welcome." Mike smiled a little and turned around before facing Donna again.

"I know this is going to sound weird and maybe even stalkerish, but do you happen to know if Harvey changed into his second pair of shoes this morning?" He asked hopefully because Donna always knew everything that happened in Harvey's office.

"I'm not sure, Mike. I've been too busy since the minute I sat at my desk, sorry." Donna quickly apologized and got back to her frenzied typing.

"Oh, okay." Mike thought about marching into the office and asking Harvey if he was the one who left him shoelaces but he knew how ridiculous it sounded.

'By the way, what are the odds that Harvey's my secret admirer?'

He dropped his head and went back to his cubicle, thinking that his admirer was probably nobody awesome. He had no idea why it hurt so much to know that he was just an associate in Harvey's eyes. He had been doing fine before the shoelaces had showed up, but now that he had enjoyed a tiny bit of hope it was almost impossible to deal with the fall.

A couple of days had passed and Harvey was confused. He had expected some kind of a reaction from Mike but no matter how often he called him into his office, the genius didn't say or ask anything stupid. He thought about returning the shoelaces but it seemed like Mike didn't even notice that they were missing.

'I guess I can rule out the prank scenario.' He had even considered the possibility of Louis taking his shoelaces and framing Mike but the junior partner hadn't said anything suspicious either. So he crossed out the word 'prank' on his mental list and moved on.

'Let's say that we're both keeping each other's stuff for the same reason. Then what is he waiting for? Did he forget that he took my shoelaces? Is he waiting for me to make a move? Doesn't he know that if I make a move, it'll look like I'm taking advantage of him? I'm his boss!' Harvey groaned as he sank deeper into his chair.

He had wanted Mike for weeks and all he had managed to do was claim a tie. He was spending a good time with the tie at home but it was nothing like having the whole thing.

'I've been giving him suggestive looks for weeks already! Is he blind? I thought I had expressive eyes! Is he not interested in me? But how is that possible? Everyone likes me! Even Louis!' Harvey groaned once more.

"Harvey, I'm heading out. In case you forgot how to tell the time, it's time for you to go home too." Donna's voice came through the intercom.

"You're right. It's time to go home." Harvey glanced at the clock on the wall.

"Have a wonderful Friday night! I hope the fun continues throughout the weekend!" Donna said cheerfully.

"What are you talking about?" Harvey asked but Donna had already left her area.

He got up and gathered his belongings before walking out of his office. He swung by his favorite cubicle and saw that Mike looked miserable.

"Hey, you worked enough for the week. Go home and get some sleep." Harvey knew that he sounded too caring but it was getting tougher to control his tone in front of his associate.

"I think I will." Mike yawned and smiled. He was going to miss that handsome face over the weekend. "Have a nice weekend, Harvey."

"You too, puppy."

But Harvey didn't leave right away. He had to ask or he would be thinking about it all weekend. "Mike, did you find your tie?"

"No, I didn't. Donna was right. My secret admirer took it." Mike smiled bitterly. He had realized during these couple of days that he really wanted it to be Harvey.

"You really have a secret admirer?" Harvey was getting more confused.

"Yeah, he left me something that belonged to him." Mike didn't say that it was shoelaces. He didn't want to get laughed at. He thought that it was a sweet gesture of his 'not as awesome as Harvey' admirer but well, shoelaces were shoelaces.

"Like what?" Harvey was curious.

"I'm not at liberty to talk about it. Sorry, Harvey." Mike wanted to cry a little. It had now become crystal clear that Harvey was not the one behind the shoelaces.

"When did he leave you whatever he left you?" Harvey wanted to get to the bottom of this. He couldn't tolerate an admirer of his puppy.

"I don't want to talk about it."

"Is it something stupid?"

"Harvey, I said I don't want to talk about it and no, it's not something stupid. I actually think it was very nice of him."

Mike's tense tone gave Harvey all the information that he needed; his admirer had given him something stupid. All the pieces of the puzzle found their places in Harvey's head. He knew exactly who was responsible for this mess.

"Mike, your secret admirer, it's not anyone you think. It's…"

"How many times do I have to tell you that I don't want to talk about it? Why can't you just leave me alone and go home?" Mike shot up from his seat and Harvey had never seen him so upset.

"Okay." Harvey nodded and decided to back off for now. Now that he knew what was really going on, he could explain it to Mike later. As soon as he went home and took a shower, he was going to make the woman suffer.

Mike was walking out of the building as he thought about how silly it had been to wish that Harvey was the mystery man.

'I'm lonely like hell! Let's forget about Harvey and be nice to whoever this admirer is. He obviously likes me and the note sounded gentleman enough, so what could be so bad about him?' He consoled himself and dug into his messenger bag for the key to unlock his bike.

'Oh, don't tell me I lost it.' He almost put his head inside the bag until he found a folded note in one of the inside pockets.

Thump-thump.

Now that he was determined to stop wishing for a miracle and commit to the second-best plan, he felt excitement rise in his chest again.

'Thank God he didn't give up on me.' Mike thought as he read the note in a hurry: Forgive me once more for acting like a kleptomaniac. This time, I have nothing to offer in return but myself. You know where I live. I'll leave your key on the doorknob as a gesture of good faith.

Mike's brain got down to work. There couldn't be many people on the shortened list that he knew the exact address of.

'Oh no, this can't be good. There are only two people left. It's either Kyle or Harvey.' Mike remembered how Kyle had once shown him his driver's license, bragging about how handsome he looked in the picture.

'But really, can it be Kyle? I must be missing someone.' Mike double checked the list in his head but he couldn't think of anyone else. He didn't make a habit of reading coworkers' addresses.

'Please let it be Harvey…' He knew that it didn't make any sense but he didn't want to believe that Kyle admired him. So he flagged down a cab and gave the driver Harvey's address.

The doorman knew who he was so he got past the security without a problem. The elevator ride was torturous and Mike felt his heart race for no good reason.

'I'll leave your key on the doorknob.' He thought about the words from the note as he rushed out of the elevator.

Mike walked towards Harvey's door without looking up. He knew that there was a 99.9% chance that there was nothing on Harvey's doorknob but he couldn't tear his eyes off the floor and swallow the disappointment.

'This is insane. Be a man!' He told himself and took a deep breath. Then he slowly raised his gaze and checked the doorknob.

'Oh my god!' There was a small black bag hanging from the doorknob.

Mike wasted no time to check if the key to his bike lock was inside the bag. Much to his surprise and joy, it was there.

"Ehehe… Oh, Harvey…" Unable to stop giggling, he pounded on Harvey's door. He didn't need to know what happened. He just needed to see Harvey.

Bang-bang-bang.

Harvey had barely put a towel around his waist when the rude visitor started to abuse his elegant door.

'It has to be Donna. If she has any sense of self-preservation, she would know that it's wise to come clean before I confront her.'

Bang-bang.

Harvey wore his scariest face and marched towards the door. He yanked the door open and glared at his visitor.

"Mike?" Harvey was stunned. "What are you do…" He couldn't finish his sentence as his mouth had to accommodate a hot mouth that was eager to know him better.

Harvey managed to close and even lock the door with Mike in his arms and realized that he was naked. The towel must have hit the floor at some point. It was obvious that Mike noticed too when he pulled back and checked him out from head to toe. Harvey had nothing to hide so he just stood there, looking proud. It was exciting to think that Mike was memorizing all the curves and muscles of his body.

Mike whistled, happy with what he saw. It looked like he was going to sleep with a God.

"I'm glad it's you, Harvey." Mike closed the distance between Harvey and him and kissed him again.

Harvey thought about explaining the whole thing but he saw an opportunity here. Why bother about the truth when he had an armful of warm puppy? Wasn't this what he had wanted all these weeks?

"I'm glad you figured it out in time." He said, even though he had no idea what had led Mike to his place.

"It really looks like I came here in time. There was no need for you to get dressed when I was going to undress you anyway." Mike chuckled as he pushed Harvey towards the bedroom. He had been here once and it didn't take a genius to figure out where the bedroom was.

"So you're absolutely fine with this?" Harvey asked as he let Mike push him on to the bed. He couldn't smell any alcohol on Mike's breath so he had to be sober.

"Harvey, you have to stop asking silly questions. It's killing the mood. The only question you need to ask is, do I want to top or bottom?"

Harvey was shocked. He had never bottomed in his life and he certainly didn't want to start now, even if it was with Mike.

"Ahaha, your face, Harvey. Hahaha… Don't worry. You can top and go all possessive on me. I'd like that." Mike winked as he put on a strip show for his admirer.

"You're teasing me." Harvey grumbled as he relaxed against the pillows. He couldn't help but swallow hard when Mike took off his last piece of clothing.

"I know. What are you going to do about that?" Mike climbed on the bed and crawled over to his boss. His voice was low and Harvey had never heard him purr like that. It seemed like his puppy turned into a cat with claws when he jumped in bed.

"I'll have to teach you a lesson or two." Harvey flipped them over as soon as Mike was in reach.

The long moan full of anticipation that left Mike's mouth took Harvey's breath away. He was relieved that Mike didn't have any real secret admirers. To think that someone might have gotten the chance to listen to him moan like this…

Harvey leaned down and kissed his associate roughly. He poured all his frustration and desire that had been accumulating inside him for the past weeks. He felt Mike squirm underneath him and moved his hands from Mike's face to his torso to offer him some kind of comfort.

"Harvey!..." Mike arched his back as Harvey's lips teased the side of his neck. He couldn't believe that he was on Harvey's bed, getting loved by the man of his dreams.

Bleep.

The sound of his cell phone caught Harvey's attention. It had to be Donna. He didn't want to leave Mike and check a stupid text message but his curiosity got the better of him.

"Excuse me. I'll be right back." Harvey kissed Mike on the nose and climbed out of bed.

He was right. The message was from the devil: I hope I'm not interrupting! Don't forget that I get to hear about all the filthy details! I can always check with Mike to see if you haven't deliberately missed a detail!

Harvey let out an animalistic growl that startled Mike. "What's wrong, Harvey?"

"Nothing. I just have to take care of some dirty business after I'm done claiming you in ten different ways."

Mike moaned with a very rosy face and that was all the invitation Harvey needed to get back to the object of his admiration.