The first time Harvey sees the tattoo, it is a complete accident.

The other junior associate spills a hot paper cup of coffee onto Mike after "accidentally" bumping into hum, and Harvey doesn't know how much of an accident it was, but he runs after Mike to try and help him before dealing with that issue.

He grabs Mike's overnight bag from the bottom "file cabinet" in his desk before running into the bathroom as some of the paralegals and secretaries stare at him with a mixture of curiosity and amusement. Harvey thinks about all those people on the street who see someone being hurt and don't respond to the threat, just stand there hoping that someone else will act for them and save the victim. Or maybe hoping that they'll get to witness a tragedy to tell their friends all about- he's not sure which is worse.

Harvey acts. He opens the bathroom door to find Mike still inefficiently trying to rip off his shirt, cursing at the still-hot coffee scalding his chest. Harvey drops the bag, quickly unbuttoning Mike's shirt as Mike stares at him with a mixture of thanks and a pleading look that Harvey is pretty sure means "please, no."

But Harvey doesn't have time to honor requests, so he acts. After peeling off Mike's button up, he pulls his cotton v-necked undershirt up over his head and his brain just stops.

ACT, he tells himself, grabbing a wad of paper towels and soaking them, squeezing them out on the scalded skin and repeating the process as they dry off. Mike looks like he wants to escape, and both the floor and his pants are getting wet.

After a minute, he says "I'm going to get the first aid kit. Lock the door behind me."

Mike doesn't say a word, but he nods.

After Harvey coats the scalded area with vaseline and wraps Mike up with gauze and helps him put on his new and wrinkled shirt and a pair of jeans, he stares at him like he's not sure what to say.

Mike fills the silence. "Thanks. I guess this makes today casual Friday."

Harvey thinks of the marks underneath Mike's shirt, ink and healing flesh. "Trevor doesn't own you anymore."

Mike walks out, vowing to never let Harvey speak about this again.

The second time is when he barges in to Mike's crappy little apartment because Mike slept through his alarm and if they don't get to court in ten minutes, Harvey is pretty sure he'll have to kill Mike in his sleep.

The black ink and fading pink lines are there for the world to see. Harvey shouts to wake Mike up, and Mike scrambles to cover himself when he realizes that someone else is in his home.

After they win their case, Harvey takes Mike out to a celebratory dinner and tells him that he wants Mike to be rid of that thing. Mike is uncertain, but Harvey gets him to agree to an appointment.

Six months later, most of it is gone. Harvey can still see a ghost of it on Mike's skin, but a casual observer would never notice it. The day Mike finishes his removal treatments, he excitedly shows up at Harvey's apartment to show him the results.

Harvey smiles as Mike unbuttons his shirt and pulls it down, hanging around his back and elbows. "Was it worth it?"

Mike shrugs, throws off his shirt, and pulls a black marker out of his pocket. "I'm not Trevor's anymore at all."