Chapter Text
After months of planning, dozens of arguments about flowers or cake, here they were, on the morning of their wedding day. They didn’t respect tradition and spent their last night together as an unmarried couple watching Star Trek while eating popcorn before making love passionately.
At 9am, Jimmy was there to pick up Mike to take him to the Chilton hotel. Even if they had spent their last night before their wedding together, they decided that they should get ready separately. Mostly because they both knew that it would probably end up with the both of them having sex all over the place instead of actually dressing up.
10 minutes after Mike had left, Louis arrived holding the brand-new suit Harvey was supposed to wear for the ceremony – he had picked it up on his way over at Rene’s – and his own best man suit he would change into after they came back from the appointment they had this morning. They drank coffee and Louis tried to make him relax by telling him some firm gossips. Then they were on their way. Louis had a town car with a driver waiting for them. Their first and only appointment was at a fancy Manhattan barber shop. The appointment took them more than two hours.
Facial treatment, haircut, hair styling and shaving. Louis drank coffee while reading the Wall Street Journal, waiting for him. After that, they went for a quick lunch before going back to the condo so the both of them could get changed. Harvey dressed up in the bedroom while Louis got changed in the guest room. Harvey displayed the new three-piece suit on the bed. Rene had outdone himself. It was made of charcoal grey wool with a light grey double-breasted vest. The tie was charcoal as well and he would wear a crisp white shirt with brand new cufflinks he had bought for the occasion.
He had put the trousers and shirt on when he let his mind wander like some stupid teenager. What if Mike got cold feet? What if he decided that marrying him was not what he wanted? Harvey felt a familiar and unpleasant feeling take over him and he had to sit down. His head was spinning and he felt nauseous. He tried to breath in deeply, to calm himself. He knew he was being irrational. But still… Mike could do better than a divorced 52 years old with greying hair. He could really do better than him.
Louis, God bless him, felt probably something was wrong. He knocked before entering the room and Harvey could hear the concern in his voice when he asked what was wrong. He heard him make his way around the bed to stand in front of him before crouching and looking at him with a friendly smile.
“Please don’t tell me you are having cold feet.”
Harvey shook his head negatively before asking:
“But what if Mike is? What if he doesn’t want me anymore?”
“Harvey, that boy is head over heel for you. He has been since I have known him. You and Mike it’s the biggest love story I have witness in my life. After my steamy marriage to Sheila of course, not even you two can beat that.”
That last sentence made Harvey smile. The Shazs-Litt marriage was quite something yes. Louis moved away from him and handed him the tie that was ready on the bed.
“Come on Closer, hurry up or we will be late. And Mike will kick my ass because I didn’t bring you on time.”
In the car, on the way to the Chilton hotel, Harvey couldn’t help himself to play with his engagement ring, the one Mike had bought for him a few days after Harvey had proposed. Mike had said that it was unfair he’d be the only one wearing an engagement ring, that people should see that Harvey belonged as much to Mike as Mike to him. Even if at work only Forsyth and their secretaries knew about their relationship. Still, it mattered to Mike so Harvey wore it gladly, proudly.
“Louis, the rings…”
“Are in my pocket. Don’t worry.”
The car dropped them in front of the main entrance where their wedding planner, Melissa, was waiting for him to take him to suite 2005 where the ceremony would take place before moving to one of the reception rooms for the dinner and party afterward. Suite 2005 was where everything started. It was where Mike had dropped a briefcase full of weed in front of him all those years ago. It was perfect for them to get married there, to go full circle. Melissa was saying something about flowers but Harvey didn’t listen. His entire mind was focused on not having a meltdown and Louis saw that because he was the one who answered to Melissa. At some point she pinned that small boutonniere to his lapel that she pulled from God’s know where.
They stopped in front of Suite 2005. It was planned that him and Mike would walk down the aisle together. Louis wished him luck before going in while Melissa was texting. After a moment she said:
“Mr Ross will be there in a minute. Do you want me to wait with you?”
“No, I’ll be all right. Thank you. For everything.”
The woman had been a real miracle worker, planning a New York wedding with Mike and Harvey being in Seattle. Mike had gone through the preparations of a wedding so he knew most things. But Harvey was quite clueless on some levels.
As soon as Mike made his appearance at the end of the corridor, Harvey thought his heart would burst out of his chest. Mike’s outfit was less sophisticated than his own. A simple two-piece suit with a blue skinny tie that went with his eyes. Harvey could recognize Rene’s work. The suit was simple in appearance but it was probably the most expensive thing he had seen Mike in. He saw Mike stop when he noticed him and Jimmy, his best man, had to get him moving but pulling him by the arm. Jimmy quickly entered the suite and left the two men alone, standing a few feet from each other, in silence. Mike broke that silence first by exclaiming:
“You look magnificent. God… You are really gorgeous.”
“You are not so bad yourself.”
They exchanged a smile. Then Mike went in for a hug. They had agreed on no kiss before the ceremony. Well, Mike had insisted. So a hug was alright. Then they stood there, holding hands, looking at each other. Mike’s boutonniere was similar to Harvey’s one but not exactly the same, smaller, with a hint of blue that matched his eyes and that Harvey’s didn’t have.
“My god, I am so lucky to marry you,” whispered Mike. “You should see yourself. You look stunning. Is that a new haircut?”
“Yep… Appreciate it?”
“Yes, I do. You look just delightful. I feel really underdressed next to you.”
They just stood there for a moment, holding their hands before nodded to each other and making their way into the room. It was the room they had met but it had changed so much. Instead of the desk behind which Harvey had sat to do his interviews, was standing Judge Reynolds, a former Harvard classmate of Harvey’s who had accepted to perform the ceremony. Gone was the couch and various furniture, replaced by chairs for the guests to sit on and flowers. It was a different décor but the same room. And that was what mattered. It made the story full circle.
On the front row, one side was taken by his brother, Katie and their kids while the other was Jessica with Jeff being her plus one. Alex was there with Rosalie and their children; Samantha was with Katrina – apparently those two had a thing going on according to Louis – that associate Mike liked for some unknow reason – Harold – was there as well and Louis’s family, Sheila pregnant with a second child and little Lucy Litt, Benjamin and his girlfriend, and finally Gretchen with her date. The only people missing from their New York Life were Rachel and Donna, for obvious reasons. You don’t invite your ex-wives to your wedding. A small crowd of about 20 people gathered there to celebrate their union.
Finally, when they were in front of the judge together.
“Good afternoon. First, I’d like to begin by welcome you all in the name of both the grooms to witness their commitment to each other.”
The speech was short, some sentences about love and commitment that he really didn’t listen to because he was too focused on Mike.
Mike was the first of them to tell his vows. Clearly a mistake because God, he managed to make him cry, something he would deny of course. He didn’t cry, he had a thing in his eye. So tears of happiness but also smiles because of course Mike managed to make him smile. Thankfully Mike didn’t mention the briefcase of weed he had dropped in front of Harvey when they met.
All that to say that he was an emotional mess when his turn came to say his own vows. He didn’t even know how he managed to let out the words, to remember that speech he had been writing for weeks now. He also noticed that he managed to make Mike cry and he smiled gently when he whispered just for Harvey to hear:
“You soppy bastard.”
He heard Marcus whisper something along the words ‘old fool’ when he finished his speech. Then Judge Reynolds asked the famous question:
“Will you Michael James Ross take Harvey Reginald Specter to be your lawfully wedded husband, to love him, comfort him, honor and protect him, and forsaking all others, be faithful to him so long as you both shall live?”
“I do.”
Harvey shivered when Mike slipped the platinum band on his left finger. While Judge Reynolds asked him the question, Louis discretely slipped the ring to him.
“Will you Harvey Reginald Specter take Michael James Ross to be your lawfully wedded husband, to love him, comfort him, honor and protect him, and forsaking all others, be faithful to him so long as you both shall live?”
“I do.”
His hand was shaking when he slipped carefully the ring onto Mike’s finger, making him officially his husband and also his, in every way possible.
“Before these witnesses, you have pledged to be joined in marriage. You have sealed this pledge with your wedding rings. By the authority vested in me by the State of New York, I now pronounce you married.”
Cheers erupted as they pulled each other into a kiss. He put his hands on Mike’s waist, holding him steady as Mike was cupping his face. The both of them had to control themselves not to get too passionate. The both of them were passionate people after all. So Harvey gently pulled away and whispered:
“Tonight…”
Mike nodded, knowing they had the honeymoon suite of the Chilton hotel and that the both of them had planned to have a good use of it. And after that, they had a whole month of vacation, including 10 days in a private beach villa in Bora Bora.
As they walked up the aisle, the other way, this time as a married couple, their guests cheered them on. Husbands, they were husbands.
They stepped out of suite 2005 as their wedding planner was inviting the guests to move to one of the reception rooms downstairs for the rest of the wedding. Then Melissa joined them, saying that the shooting of their official wedding pictures would take place in the nearby Central Park.
When the happy couple saw the flowers on the trees, they both knew they had made the right choice by choosing to have a spring wedding. The photographer was trying to make them pose. Mike played the game gladly but Harvey wasn’t really into it. So Mike helped him relax, whispering jokes to his ear to help him relax.
They came back to the Chilton almost two hours later and they were welcomed by more applause by their guests as they entered the reception room. They were a bit more people at the reception than at the wedding ceremony, some of their former New York clients, the best ones, some more people from Pearson Specter Litt, people from the clinic, even Travis Tanner with his new wife – a former Swedish model pregnant with their first child –. The numbers of guests went from 20 at the ceremony to 50 at the reception. They had capped the number at 50, saying it was quite enough. 50 adults of course. Kids were in one of the suites of the Chilton being taken care off by a pair of very expensive nannies to allow their parents to relax and drink freely. The newlyweds mingled among the guests, people congratulating them. Pictures were taken. The chamber orchestra they had booked to play background music during the cocktail and dinner was giving a relaxing mood to the whole ordeal.
As dinner was about to be served and guests were asked to find their table, Marcus took Harvey aside. He handed a glass of scotch to his big brother and they raised glasses in silence, to the memories of the people that didn’t make it to this day.
“Dad would have liked him,” commented Marcus.
“You don’t have…”
“Harvey, he would have liked him. Mike is perfect for you. And I’m sorry I behaved like an arsehole when you told me.”
“You really don’t have to…”
“Yes I do. Mike makes you happy. He really does. I have never seen you like this. You are glowing, it’s freaking me out! So, again I am sorry. I behaved like a shitty brother.”
Harvey pulled Marcus into a hug, thankful. He didn’t know he needed to hear those words but he did apparently. Even after Marcus had apologized, he still had trouble forgetting his first reaction after he had told him he was dating a man. But now things were alright.
As they were seated during dinner, Mike asked him what Marcus wanted but Harvey just kissed him softly on the lips. He didn’t want to talk about that right now. It wasn’t the place. He wanted just to enjoy the night with his new husband.
The dinner was served with an entrée made of a hot smoked salmon salad with some fancy dressing. Mike had picked it, Harvey had just nodded at the time. As the plates were getting empty and they were nearing the main course, Jimmy, Mike’s best man who was sitting on Mike’s side with his fiancée, was handed a mic. Oh god… Time for the best men speeches! He so wasn’t ready for this.
“As you all know and as I have testified under oath, Mike and I supposedly met at Harvard Law.”
A small laugh could be heard coming from some guests but if looks could kill, Jimmy would have been struck dead in a second by Jessica Pearson’s gaze.
“The part that many here can testify to is that we worked in the bullpen at Pearson Hardman together. So, I believe, it is time to share with you some pictures from the glorious day of Mike Ross, junior associate.”
Harvey grinned when he saw the lights getting turned off and a projector being turned on. He turned toward Mike who drank some wine, getting ready for a very unpleasant moment. The first picture was one of Mike sitting in his cubicle, taken probably during his first weeks at Pearson Hardman. Then there was a second picture of Mike in his cubicle but this time sleeping, drooling on his desk.
“As you can see, Mike worked very hard. More proofs of that.”
The next few pictures were of a similar nature. Harvey took Mike’s hand to comfort him during the humiliation. Well, he knew Louis had prepared something so he did that, hoping that when his turn would come, Mike would comfort him in return.
“Sometimes, we lowly associates would get visited by a particular senior partner. Now we know why.”
The next picture was one of Harvey in the bullpen, leaning over the partition of Mike’s cubicle to speak to him. The two men’s faces were close. Very close. Some ‘oooh’s could be heard coming from the guests. At the time, he had considered all this just bantering and some friendly, casual, flirting. But seeing the picture, he couldn’t help himself to wonder how many people thought otherwise.
“Sometimes Mike wouldn’t be there so actually us associates were blessed of having Harvey waiting for him at his desk.”
The next picture was of only Harvey half-sitting on Mike’s desk, looking at his watch with a pissed face, probably because Mike wasn’t where he was supposed to be.
“As you see, we were really blessed in seeing those two interact before they even knew they were in love. Took them quite some time…”
The next few pictures were of Harvey and Mike together in Mike’s cubicle, some of them laughing, others in moments that Harvey had considered being mentor-mentee banter but now he could see it was more.
“As you can notice, in some of those pictures, Mike’s suits look better than in other. Because apparently spending time with Harvey gave him some fashion sense. Not much, but enough for him to catch Harvey at some point and be able to marry him. Frankly, some of us wonder how that happened. Anyway, junior associate Mike Ross was quite different from Mike Ross, managing partner. We all remember Mike’s transport of choice.”
Picture of his old bike popped on the screen.
“His questionable choices of accessories.”
Picture of his messenger bag.
“And his eagerness to please.”
The next picture shook Harvey to the core this time. It was another cubicle picture. He could see himself from the back and Mike was clearly ogling him as he was walking away, leaving the bullpen. He looked at Mike and grinned when he saw his flushed face.
“Ok… That was the last picture.”
The projector was turned off and lights went slowly back on. Jimmy looked at Mike:
“All of that to say that, as spokesperson from your former fellow associates and for your pretend Harvard classmates, I want to say congratulation and also, we saw it coming. You guys were always heading toward this. I wish you both the best and many years of happiness together.”
Jimmy took his glass and raised it:
“To Mike and Harvey.”
The guest imitated him and then everybody clapped. Mike stood up and hugged his best man. Jimmy then went to shake Harvey’s hand before taking back his place at the table. Dinner proceeded but Harvey couldn’t help himself to wonder what the hell Louis had planned. Knowing the man, he could expect the best and the worst. At the same time.
The main course was served, some lamp sticks with a broccoli purée and a side of asparagus and that was when the speech of the second best man was announced. Harvey looked at Louis, watched him stand up and take the mic he was being handed.
“When Harvey asked me to be his best man for his second, and I hope last, wedding, I have to admit that I felt really touched. And I took the task with all the seriousness it deserved. More seriousness that idiot deserves probably. Many people know Harvey and I go way back, from our associate years. We started together in the bullpen, when he didn’t have a secretary or an associate to buy his hair gel for him. Yep, I still don’t believe you buy it yourself and don’t try to convince me you do. I thought at first about sharing some embarrassing stories about Harvey. His brother even volunteered some pictures for it.”
Harvey glared at Marcus who grinned at him, raising his glass slightly.
“But today is not about roasting Harvey, it’s about love. And family…”
Mike leaned toward him and whispered in his ear:
“It’s so unfair, I had to get through some humiliating shit and you get praises.”
They exchanged a smile before Mike put his head on Harvey’s shoulder, listening to the speech with a small smile.
“When you arrived at the firm Mike, I thought you would be a mini-Harvey, some douche with an ego complex. And it probably showed by how I behaved with you at the time.”
Mike took a sip of wine, muttering loud enough for people at the main table to hear but nobody else:
“You had me drug tested me, you arsehole.”
Harvey smiled to that and squeezed Mike’s hand. Louis ignored the comment and continued:
“Then, we all saw what impact Mike had on you Harvey. He changed you. For the better. You two, you are unstoppable and we are all glad you found happiness together because that’s where you belong, the two of you, at each other’s side, as if you’ve always been there and always will.”
Louis raised his glass.
“To Harvey and Mike.”
At the end of the speech, he found himself rather emotional, almost tear-eyed when he hugged Louis and thanked him. The speech had been more touching than he had expected it to be but Louis had always a thing for words. Mike also hugged Louis and thanked him for the touching speech.
Dinner ended with the traditional cutting of the cake. Mike had insisted on it. And Harvey had to indulge to his every whim of course even if he didn’t really trust Mike Ross with a big knife. He could be so clumsy sometimes. The cake was two tier – enough for their rather small wedding – and was chocolate raspberry. It had a figurine of two grooms on top of it that they had paid probably too much for what it was.
When he held that knife with Mike, posing for the picture their photographer took, he couldn’t help himself to smile stupidly, even more so when Mike mentioned something about the knife looking quite sharp.
“Don’t you dare cutting yourself on this puppy,” whispered back to him Harvey, keeping his smile on for the picture.
When they feed each other a spoon of the cake, some cream stayed on the corner of Mike’s lips. He whipped it away with his thumb and an ‘oooh’ came from the guests. Mike kissed him softly after that. Normally, the whole situation would have made him rolled his eyes but on the day of his wedding he was allowed to be soapy and romantic as hell.
After the dinner part of the reception was over, everybody knew it was time for a night of dancing and drinking, the chamber orchestra was replaced by a DJ and it was time for their first dance as a married couple. Mike, not wanting to learn any difficult move, had asked for a slow dance. After much debate about the song, the couple had settled on “At Last” by Etta James
When the first notes of the song resonated, he took Mike’s hand and guided him on the dancefloor gently. He put his right hand on Mike’s waist and started to move with the music as Etta James started to sing. He could see Mike’s apprehension in his eyes.
“Focus on me puppy,” Harvey whispered. “I’m here.”
Mike nodded and moved in synch with him. He felt Mike’s hand on his back move slowly, stroking his back through the layers of clothing. When Mike went for a slow, gentle kiss, there were some applauses. The song changed for a more upbeat tune and people started to join them on the dancefloor. Mike quickly went from his laid-back mode to the over-excited puppy one.
Thanks to the rooms they had booked at the Chilton for them, their guests were able to take good use of the open bar. At some point, as he was watching Mike laughing with some of his old associate years friends, Travis Tanner approached him:
“When I heard you had left New-York for Seattle to work for the good guys, I couldn’t get why. Now, I do. I really do. That kid is really a miracle worker.”
“You were the first of us to find the right path, Tanner. Took me just the right person to show me what was really important.”
They raised their glasses, looking at each other in some form of respect formed after years of rivalry. Then Jessica came to see him, asking Mike’s permission first, for a dance with her former partner. She congratulated him while he made a swing on the dancefloor.
After a few hours of dancing and drinking, the two grooms were ready to call it a night. They needed to leave discreetly and Melissa noticed that. A minute later there was an announcement that the bar would be some closing. While the people scrambled to get some last drinks, the newlyweds used that chaos to exit by a small door.