I don't want to come back.

Chapter 18.

Mike sighed with ease as he sat down on the park bench, Mr. Collins beside him. He looked up at the sky, closing his eyes, as he listened to the world around him and felt the cool breeze on his face. He could hear the leaves whispering in the wind and he felt himself relaxing. As he soaked in the sun he couldn't help but feel content. All that was missing was a nice warm coffee in his hand, but since the cart had been missing from its normal spot he figured the moment was still just as amazing without it. He was only pulled out of the moment when something blocked out the light that was filtering in through his closed eyelids.

As he slowly opened his eyes he felt his breath taken away. Standing before him was Harvey, wearing a suit that fit him perfectly and a tie, not just any tie, but an electric blue skinny tie, that somehow made his deep brown eyes all the more breath taking. Mike just stared up at him in a trance until the man in question extended an arm, offering the coffee in his hand to Mike. Mike's arm moved on auto pilot accepting the hot beverage, never taking his eyes off of Harvey's face.

That was when Mike became aware of an odd silence that he couldn't place, something that had been missing since he sat down. As Harvey stared down at him, still not saying a word, it came to Mike what was missing, the sound of the children playing. Mike tore his eyes away from Harvey to see where all the kids had gone, and to his surprise they were lined up behind Harvey, all looking toward Mike, and before he could even ask himself what was going on they started singing You Are My Sunshine, with what Mike offhandedly noticed was slightly altered lyrics. He looked back up at Harvey, wondering what was happening, but before he could even think to ask a question Harvey had grabbed his free hand, pulling him onto his feet, not letting of the hand once he was.

As Mike looked back into Harvey's eyes, the other man finally spoke. He spoke in the softest and most gentle voice Mike had ever heard come from him, "Mike, if there is anything I have come to realise over the last few months, hell, over the last few years, it's that I need you in my life. I don't feel like the day has started until I've seen your smiling face, or that anything has been accomplished in a day until I've heard you laugh. The day's not even worth it unless I've gotten to see you." Harvey took a step closer as he moved his free hand to hold Mike's cheek. "You have always been more than an associate to me. You are half of the only family I have, and since I met you, the only reason I want to get up in the morning."

Mike could hear Harvey fighting back tears, and could see as a sad smile spread across the older man's face. "When I lost you from my life because of my own stupid pride I thought I'd never forgive myself, and I'm still not sure I ever will, because I pushed away the person that means the most to me in this world, and worse still, I hurt that person, I hurt you. I made you think you screwed up when I was the only one that made any mistakes. I let you think I didn't care, when in reality, there is no one I care more about." Harvey took a deep breath before adding, "There is no one I love more."

Mike opened his mouth to say something, anything, but his mind was blank. When a few moments had passed Harvey spoke again. "I promise you that I will spend the rest of my life trying to make it up to you, trying to make you understand how much you truly mean to me. I won't be happy again until I've gained your forgiveness, until I've gotten you to stop hating me."

At that Mike found his words again, as he quietly whispered, "I've never hated you Harvey, I never could hate you." It made a small smile cross his face when he saw a flicker of hope cross Harvey's. "The only reason what happened hurt was because of how much I cared for you," Mike swallowed before continuing, "Harvey, because of how much I loved you."

The smile the spread across not only Harvey's face, but his eyes as well, had Mike grinning up at Harvey with tears of joy in his eyes. He had never thought in a million years his boss would return his feelings or that he would even truly care. Hearing the man say it, and in front of others, was like being told, well, that the person you love loves you back. There was no greater thing Mike could hear than that.

Harvey leaned down toward Mike, leaving only a breaths distance between them, before Mike closed the space. The first kiss was soft and gentle, and when they pulled apart both men where ginning. Harvey wasted no time in closing the space again, this time putting all the passion he could into the kiss, and Mike was doing the same, deepening the kiss. They only pulled apart when they could no longer deny the oxygen their lungs needed, but kept their foreheads pressed together.

They looked up when they realized there where clapping children around them, as well as a clapping Mr. Collins. Mike turned his smile on his friend as he playfully accused, "You had something to do with this, didn't you?" Mr. Collins simply sent him a grin that reached from ear to ear as he continued to clap. Although he had no strong emotion for Harvey, nothing made him happier than seeing such a deserving man as Mike happy in the arms of the person he loved. Mr. Collins mentally patted himself on the back as he told himself he had done some good.

Mike tuned back toward Harvey and gave the man a tight hug, reassuring himself that this was real, and Harvey did the same. Mike closed his eyes from shear happiness, only opening them when he heard a very familiar cat call and laughed as he saw Donna striding up to them.

She was quickly giving Mike a tight Mama bear hug that he had missed over that last few months. As they pulled back he was surprised to see tears in her eyes. She saw the concern and assured him, "I've just been waiting so long for you two to realize all you need to be happy is each other. Nothing warms my heart more than two idiots overcoming their own stupidity." Mike smiled with amusement at Donna as Harvey laughed gently, putting an arm around Mike's waist. He then used his free hand to whistle, and to Mike's surprise he saw the missing coffee cart rolling up to them.

After sending Mike a smile that said "I'm about to do something awesome" he yelled out, "Free coffee and hot chocolate for everybody!" The kids around them cheered as they raced toward the cart and Mike smiled up at Harvey before the older man whispered in his ear, "I have to make sure you are constantly reminded why you put up with my crap." Mike laughed as he kissed Harvey on the cheek. He no longer felt confused where it came to Harvey. He was now confidant he was good enough for Harvey in Harvey's eyes. He no longer felt like his mind was fighting itself, if anything, his mind had never felt clearer, and Harvey no longer felt like he was missing out on a family, he no longer felt sad looking around the park at all the couples and children, at all the families.