It happened without notice. It happened over late night discussions of law and precedent. It happened between morning coffee stolen straight from Mike's hand and lunches of stuffed crust pizza. It happened despite client meetings and new debates with Donna over why she should like him into Harvey's office. It happened slowly and hit him without warning. Somewhere in the busyness of his new life it had crept in unnoticed.

He hadn't expected to be sitting in Harvey's office drinking scotch and discussing their latest client only to realize he was staring at Harvey's eyes instead of actually listening to what he was saying.

"Mike."

"Sorry. Sorry," Mike replied upon realizing Harvey had apparently been trying to get his attention for a while now. "I just got distracted. The lack of sleep must be catching up." I'm tired. It has to be because I'm tired. His eyes went to Harvey's face and he found himself staring at his lips, wondering if they would taste like the expensive scotch Harvey had poured them earlier.

"Well if you can't handle it, maybe it's time to call it quits for tonight," Harvey returned with his usual snark. Mike didn't even bother to reply, too stunned by the new information about himself he was trying to process. He merely gathered his papers and his messenger bag and left Harvey's office without so much as a goodbye.

Mike didn't even remember his bike ride home. It was a wonder he made it back to his apartment in one piece. Instead he spent his ride thinking about Harvey. He wondered when he had gone from wanting to learn from Harvey to just wanting Harvey.

He pulled a Coke from his fridge and sat on his cluttered sofa. He knew what it all added up to; he had felt this feeling before. But it couldn't be it right? He was straight. he had never been attracted to another man before.

Maybe that's what made this so different, it was how he knew it was love. Love doesn't care who you think you are or your age or your race or whether you are both straight men. Love just crashes in to steal you heart and give it away to someone who may or may not crush it once they have it in their hands.

So, Mike was in love. There was no point debating it. He was in love with Harvey Specter, his boss, his mentor, the womanizing man who refused to admit emotions. Basically, Mike was screwed.

The next morning Mike woke with a clearer mind. He may or may not actually be in love with Harvey, but either way it didn't make a difference. This wasn't college. He wasn't just fooling around with Trevor in the name of experimenting anymore. He had to grow up and move on. Mike knew that in the cutthroat world he had recently stumbled into he would be required to put forward a professional face at all time.

He needed to find new pursuits. If he was in love with Harvey, then he needed to distract himself and if he were merely delirious night before he would still need something to distract himself. Mike had never been good at getting rid of ideas once they had wormed their way into his head. So instead of thinking about how much he would like to run his fingers through Harvey's hair to mess it up, Mike decided he needed to find a girlfriend.

By the time Mike had arrived at Pearson Hardman he had a spring in his step and had secured a date for Saturday night with the cute barista from his regular Starbucks, Aimee.

"What are you so happy about?" Donna asked when Mike headed for Harvey's office to drop off some of the paperwork he had read through the day before.

"Oh nothing much. Just got a date for tomorrow night with a beautiful girl," Mike said with a smile.

"Well good luck with that. I don't think I've heard you talk about any dates since Harvey hired you three months ago," Donna replied. "Go on in. He's got some work for you.

"Hey Mike. You get a good night's sleep or are you going to stare off into space again today?" Harvey greeted him as Mike walked into his office.

"Nah. I just got tired of hearing you voice. I mean you might be charming, but it's not going to work on me when all I want is some sleep."

"Ha ha ha," Harvey replies sarcastically. "I need you to read through the Coleman merger and make sure their lawyers aren't trying to screw our client over. I would do it, but I have to meet a client. Oh, and also, that's what I have you for."

"You don't have me quite yet," says Mike. It isn't until he's headed back to his cubicle that Mike realizes that he had unintentionally been flirting.

Saturday night found Mike out on a date with Aimee.

"... and he might try to deny it but I know he cares. At least enough that he paid for my rookie dinner and two suits from his personal tailor," said Mike as he walked Aimee to her door.

"You must really like this guy."

"What? Oh.. yeah. He's a great boss."

"No. I mean you seem to like him more than just as a boss. Or a friend for that matter."

"No!. But I'm on a date with you? Clearly I like women. I'm not gay. Or bisexual. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but I'm not. I just like women," Mike babbled in a rush.

"Mike," Aimee says in a tone that implied she is going to put him in his place. Mike shuffled nervously and avoided eye contact. "We've been out for about three hours, and you've been talking about Harvey for at least two hours of that time. I know more about Harvey than I do about you."

"But I..."

"It's okay. I know how scary it can be. My brother much have gone on dates with every girl he met for a month before he broke down and admitted he had a thing for his best friend. It took him another month before he told me and three months before he managed to ask Derek if there was any chance they could be more than just friends."

At that point Mike broke down into a sobbing emotional mess.

"But even if I was in love with Harvey, which I am not, he's straight. And even if he wasn't straight he wouldn't ever want me. I'm a screw up and ridiculous and he my boss for God's sake and oh God, even if he did want me he'd want to have sex and I don't know anything about gay sex. And he's going to find out I'm on love with him and fire me and I'm going to be jobless and broke again and my grandmother will have to go to a state hospital and..." Mike trails off breathing heavily with sobs and hyperventilating. "This is a panic attack! That's what being in love with Harvey Specter gets me! A panic attack!"

Aimee pulled him into her arms and guided him to sit down on the steps that lead into her apartment building.

"Shhhh. It's okay. Just breathe. It's going to be okay."

Mike just sat with his face pressing into her neck, his tears staining her blouse.

"Mike, it's okay. I know you're scared, but you're really smart. I know that you know better than that. It's okay to be in love. Harvey could grow to love you too. It's obvious he already cares a great deal for you. And I doubt he would fire you even if he did find out about you're feelings. And I don't care how sweet you are I am not telling you have to have sex with another man. If you want to learn read smut or watch porn, okay?"

Mike laughed at the reply to his big gay freak out.

"Thank you, Aimee. Just thank for being here for me. I don't have any friends right now, with the whole new life and new job thing. I didn't know people could be this nice in the city."

"Shhh. Just get it out. I'll gladly be your friend. I know how hard it can be to start a whole new life."

The two sat on the steps for an hour, discussing what Mike should do and making plans for a coffee date as friends for the following weekend.

By Monday morning Mike had read all about sexuality, workplace relationships, love, and even a few magazines, which tried to tell him how to win the man of his dreams. In this case, though, it didn't make him feel much better. Knowledge can only do so much to help with emotional matters. So while he obviously couldn't deny that, for some ridiculous reason, he was in love with Harvey, he wasn't going to let Harvey (or anyone else, for that matter) know, not if he could help it.

HMHM

"Have seen Mike Ross this week? Harvey's associate?"

"Yes. He's the funniest thing to watch - he can't act to save his life."

"I do love a good train wreck in the making."

"I heard the secretaries started a pool on how long it will take for Harvey to realize his associate is mooning over him."

"Want to place a bet on how long before Ross is fired for his intense eye-fucking?"

Mike tried to ignore the office gossip as he walked past the cubicles. He looked away when he thought he saw money changing hands and someone writing down bets in a little book. If his feelings were already office gossip, there was no doubt that Harvey had already figured it out for himself.

HMHM

Harvey was a smart man. He couldn't have been the best damn closer in the city if he didn't have a good head on his shoulders. So when Mike, having had a date over the weekend (according to Donna), showed up at the office on Monday and acted so fucking depressed, Harvey knew something was up.

"Donna, did Mike say anything about his grandmother when you saw him this morning?"

"No. Why don't you just ask him?"

"Because asking him would imply that I care."

"And asking me doesn't imply that?" Donna replied, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

"No, asking you just saves me the trouble of hearing about it for the next week."

"I'll dig around and see what I can find out about his grandmother."

"Thanks Donna."

HMHM

By Tuesday, Harvey knew that Mike's grandmother was doing fine in the private nursing home she was in, and Mike was just as weird around him as he had been on Monday. On Wednesday he caught Mike watching him forlornly for several minutes; Donna had commented on Mike checking out his ass several times. Thursday he knew that Mike had a crush on him.

His first response to that revelation was a warm fondness in his chest and a huge smile on his face, which he would deny vehemently. This was coupled with "Of course he likes me, I'm fucking gorgeous and talented." Men had hit on Harvey before; he had always figured that if you weren't hot enough to attract people of all sexualities, then you weren't hot. Unfortunately for those men, he was straight.

So he definitely couldn't find Mike attractive.

He preferred string-free sex and his personal freedom. He definitely didn't care about people and he didn't bring emotions into his relationships. Harvey was a bachelor through and through. He wasn't at all turned on by the thought of making out with Mike in his office late at night, the lights of the city reflecting in Mike's eyes as he kissed his way across Mike's jaw. That would be a thought too damn romantic and too damn gay to even enter his mind.

Wednesday night Harvey took home the waitress who served him dinner.

Chapter 5

HMHM

Harvey went out with woman after woman for the entire month after he realized Mike's feelings for him. Their relationship became strained as Harvey stopped talking to him about anything but work. He ignored the hurt puppy-dog look on Mike's face every time he deduced that Harvey had been with a new woman the night before.

HMHM

"I don't know, Grammy. I've never had these feelings before. I don't know how to be in unrequited love with a man. They don't write books for that. Or, at least, none that are helpful."

"Michael, it's going to be okay. You're just going through a rough time. It'd be a lot better if you slept at night."

"But I know he knows how I feel. He's been picking up woman after woman, almost every night. It's like he's rubbing my face in the fact that he straight and he'll never love me." Mike's grandmother took his hand.

"Now you listen here. You're a smart boy. You're good at your job. You're not bad looking, either. Don't let this business with Harvey get you down. People only have that dramatic of a reaction when they're trying to hide something. And my guess would be that it's his feelings for you. Trust me. I've got the wisdom of age."

"Grammy, you always know what to say to make me smile again."

"Only because I love you, Michael. No matter what. And Harvey Specter loves you too. Now you head on back to work, honey, and bring that Aimee around sometime soon. She's a sweetheart and a good friend for you to have.

HMHM

Harvey managed to play the "Avoid and Ignore" game for two weeks after that. He did fine up until he saw the new mail boy flirting with Mike. When the little prick put his hands on Mike's bicep and complimented him with some cheesy pick up line, something in Harvey snapped.

"Get your hands off my associate right this minute."

"Harvey, what-"

"Shut up and go wait in my office," interrupted Harvey. Mike, having never seen him that upset, backed carefully away in the direction of Harvey's office. "Listen, you insignificant little bug. Mike is my associate. So keep your grabby hands to yourself and your mouth shut or I will have you brought up on harassment charges that look so bad you will never find another job." With that he left the cowering mail boy behind and swiftly walked to his office.

"Harvey, whatever I may have done to upset you, or not done, for that matter, there's no need for you to take it out on Dan. Really. And what did I do that's s-" Mike's rant was abruptly cut off by Harvey's mouth on his. Harvey grabbed Mike's shoulders and pushed him against one of the non-glass walls, his lips pushed harshly against Mike's.

"But you like wom-" Mike was once again cut off by another kiss. "You don't like m-" Another kiss.

"God, Mike, would you just shut up. I know you love me. And I kind of love you too. Now would you use that enormous brain of yours to catch up and just kiss me back already?" At the proclamation, Mike's lips met Harvey's in a desperate kiss. His mouth opened as Harvey's tongue slid against the seam of his lips, slick against him. Mike allowed him to thoroughly examine his mouth with his tongue.

"So you love me huh?"

"Shut up." This was said as Harvey's hand moved from Mike's shoulders to his ass, pulling their hips to meet in a slow grind.

"You know that it's the middle of a workday and your office has glass walls right?" said Jessica as she stepped into Harvey's office. The two men separated from their embrace, but stayed close together, hands almost brushing. "I got a call about you yelling at an employee in the middle of the office and came to chew you out, but here you are making out with your associate in your office. For some reason, I think these two things are related, but I'm also not really surprised."

"Jessica, I-"

"Save it. I'm happy for the both of you. Plus, I win the betting pool. Go on home for the day. You don't have any pressing engagements right now, so I give you my blessing. But tomorrow you are both signing statements that this is a consensual relationship, neither of you are being harassed or exploited, and that you will remain professional while at work. You're both just lucky we don't have fraternization rules here," Jessica stated, and then left Harvey's office before either of the men could get a word out.

"Did Jessica Pearson just give us her blessing?"

"I do believe she did. And the rest of the day off. No let's call my car and get out of here," said Harvey. Mike thought he was taking this whole thing surprisingly well, but allowed Harvey to lead him into a town car and then into his apartment.

Chapter 6

HMHM

"Can we talk about this for just a second please?" said Mike as Harvey started taking off his suit and vest.

"What's there to talk about?"

"Oh, I don't know. How about the fact that you've been hooking up with random women for the past month and a half, but now you're trying to tell me that you love me? Or the fact that you kissed me in your office? So now everyone we work with knows."

"Mi-"

"Or how about the fact that you don't do relationship or monogamy or caring about people? Or the fact that I've never been with a man before, besides making out in college and there's only so much information reading can give me. Oh, I know! How abou-" Mike was silenced once again as Harvey took his mouth with a kiss.

"I think this is my new favorite way to shut you up," Harvey said with a smirk as Mike blushed. "I know it seems sudden to you, and I'm sorry about the women, I truly am. I've been thinking about you ever since I realized. I tried to ignore it. I tried to pretend I didn't care, but I do. My life was changed the second that Donna winked at me."

"That doesn't make any sense." Harvey explained how he'd instructed her to wink if any of the guys replied to her hassling with a witty comment. "So that's why she let me in..."

"Yeah, and I've been falling for you ever since." Harvey kissed Mike again. This time it was sweeter and softer, enough to make Mike believe that maybe Harvey really did love him too.

"So we're really going to do this, huh? Attempt to have a relationship and work together?"

"Yes, and it's going to be fantastic. We're already an amazing pair. We can only get stronger."

"I really do love you."

"I love you, too, Mike Ross."