Chapter 1
Disclaimer: I do not own anything. Everything belongs to their rightful owners and I am not making any profit from this.
AN1: So, I should be doing my Law School readings, but after the season 6 final I felt the need to write something, hope you enjoy. It's just a one-shot, let me know what you think.
Having comforted Louis for a little while Rachel has left, as Donna took over, and gone in search of Mike, and honestly she knows exactly where to find him.
As she approaches Harvey's office from the direction of the associates bullpen, Rachel sees Mike in Harvey's office just as she suspected she would. Noticing Harvey walking up to Mike Rachel hangs back a little bit, out of their sight, but so that she can still watch, and watches as they shake hands, clearly having just made some kind of deal.
For a while, much longer than a usual handshake, Mike and Harvey, just hold the handshake, and honestly in Rachel's opinion it passed shaking hands and has gone into holding hands territory. Finally, long after the handshake started Mike uses the hand to pull Harvey in for an embrace, and as the two hug Rachel can't help but notice that they both look more relaxed than she has ever seen them, they look at peace, and seem to fit together perfectly.
Even though it is a perfectly innocent embrace Rachel just can't watch anymore so she turns and walks away, heading back into the associates bullpen where she is quite surprised to find Jessica.
"Jessica? I thought you left?" Rachel notes as she sees her.
"I just wanted to have another look around." Jessica admits, and as she does she takes notice of the look on Rachel's face, "Are you okay?" she asks curious.
"I'm fine." Rachel says, not overly sure that she is lying.
"Rachel…" Jessica says, walking towards Rachel, it being clear that she knows Rachel is lying.
"I think I just realised something, or maybe I finally let myself realises." Rachel admits.
"Would you like to talk about it?" Jessica asks, kindly.
"No, but thanks." Rachel says, sounding grateful, "I'm glad you're even if it's just for a little while, and not just because you helped Mike."
"Like I said, I wouldn't have missed this." Jessica admits, "I know you accepted Louis's job offer, and your Dad offered you a job too, but I want you to know if you ever need fresh sight there will always be a place for you in Chicago with me." Jessica assures Rachel.
"Thank you, Jessica." Rachel says, sincerely.
A couple of hours later Rachel and Mike finally arrive back home.
"I can't believe it, it's finally happened. I'm in The Bar." Mike says, looking amazed, "I'm a lawyer."
"Yeah, you are." Rachel says, trying to sound enthusiastic, though she isn't sure if she succeeded or failed.
"Are you alright? You've been quiet." Mike notes, wondering what is going on.
"I'm fine." Rachel once again lies.
"Are you? Because you don't seem like it." Mike comments, not being able to think that even though Rachel helped Harvey, she isn't happy that she is in The Bar, "I thought you'd be happy."
"I am, Mike. I'm so happy that you're a lawyer now." Rachel says, meaning that.
"Then what's wrong?" Mike asks, as he can tell something is.
"Nothing." Rachel lies, "I'm going to head to bed. It's been a long day." She says, heading towards the bedroom.
"Rachel wait, what's going on?" Mike asks, not understanding why something would be wrong.
"It's nothing." Rachel once more says, as she doesn't want to ruin the night for Mike after the incredible good news he got early.
"It's clearly not, what's going on?" Mike asks, pushing because he knows something is wrong, and needs to know what.
Hearing the question Rachel knows she could keep avoiding, and put the conversation off until the morning, but she also knows that she can't put it off forever, and Mike is clearly not going to let her get away with avoiding answering for much longer.
"Are you in love with Harvey?" Rachel asks, turning to look directly at Mike, deciding to bite the bullet and just ask.
"What?" Mike asks, shocked as that is the last thing he was expecting.
"I saw you and Harvey in Harvey's office, saw the way you were when you thought no one was looking, and I saw the way you looked at each other, and everything just fell into place." Rachel reveals.
"What are you talking about?" Mike asks, "We shook hands, we hugged, that was it." he says, there being a small part of him that doesn't completely believe that, though he would never admit that.
"It wasn't it, and I think you know that." Rachel tells him, "I haven't let myself see it, but there's more been more between you two, there always has been." She realises, "You went to jail for him, and when you were in jail Harvey was falling apart, there was nothing he wasn't going to do to get you out, same to get you into the bar."
"He's my friend." Mike says.
"Can you honestly tell me that that's all he is to you?" Rachel asks, interested, "If you can, I won't bring it up again."
"I…." Mike starts to say, but finds himself stuttering, and unable to get the words out.
"You can't can you?" Rachel asks, her eyes filling with tears as even though she was expecting it, it doesn't make it any easier to hear.
"I'm so sorry, Rachel." Mike says, not being able to say anything else, as he knows he can't say he doesn't love Harvey.
"You don't have to apologise." Rachel says, giving Mike a kind smile, as she knows that he can't control the way he feels.
"I feel like I do." Mike admits, "I do love you Rachel, I just …."
"Love him too." Rachel finishes, Mike nods, and the two of them drift into a very awkward silence.
It only takes a couple of minutes before the silence gets too unbearable to handle,
"What happens now?" Mike asks, it being the first thing he can think off, as he needs to break the silence.
"I'm going to stay with my parents." Rachel reveals.
"Rachel…" Mike starts to say, but Rachel cuts him off, and honestly Mike is glad as he isn't overly sure where he was going to go with that sentence.
"There's nothing you can say, Mike. I not going to ask you to make a choice, because I wouldn't do that to you, and I know the answer." Rachel admits, as she is very sure that if she asked Mike to choose between her and Harvey his choice wouldn't be her, as she takes a step towards Mike, "I do love you Mike, and we'll still be friends, but I can't be with you when you're in love someone else, especially when you love him more." Rachel says, before taking off the ring and placing it in Mike's hand, "It's not fair to me, or you…. Or Harvey" Rachel says, before leaving, and as Rachel leaves Mike just watches her go, as he does he thinks he should say something to stop her, but he realises he can't she was right, so he just watches her walk out.
Having stayed at the office a while, after everyone else left, as there were a couple of things Harvey wanted to do, he is finally arriving home.
Having taken off his jacket and tie Harvey walks over to his drinks cart and pours himself a drink, just as he takes the first drink there is a knock on the door.
Wondering who it could possibly be Harvey puts his drink down on the bench, and goes to answer the door. To his surprise, and joy, Harvey finds Mike on the other side, and it only takes him a few seconds to realise something is wrong.
"Mike? What's wrong?" Harvey asks, as he steps aside and lets Mike into his apartment.
"Rachel left me." Mike reveals, his voice full of pain, as he walks into the apartment.
"WHAT?" Harvey asks, sounding shocked, "Why? What happened?" he asks, honestly being completely confused as he really wasn't expecting that.
"I need a drink." Mike says, purposely avoiding answering the question.
"Sure, off course." Harvey says, heading to the drink carts to pour Mike a drink, "Here, drink, talk." Harvey says, as he hands Mike the drink, and after taking the drink Mike downs the entire thing in one mouthful, and Harvey refills it, and Mike drinks it in one mouthful again, "Talk, what happened?" Harvey asks, not refiling Mike's glass on purpose.
"We got home, and I could tell something was bothering Rachel." Mike admits, as he walks over to one of the armchairs and sits down, "I didn't get it I mean, I'm finally a lawyer, the very thing I always wanted, I thought she'd be happy." Mike admits.
"She wasn't?" Harvey asks, confused, as that doesn't sound like Rachel, as he walks over and sits down too.
"No, she was, but there was something else." Mike admits honestly not sure how to say what he is going to say next, but he wants to, he has to, "She…." Mike starts to say, before tailing off.
"Mike?" Harvey asks, after Mike doesn't finish his sentence, wondering what the hell happened.
"I thought everything was going to be great." Mike says, standing up, "I'm finally a lawyer, and I'm going to help and win, and everything I've wanted, because you were right." Mike says, as he paces back and forth, "I do love winning, I do love beating the best, but I also want to help people." Mike says, continuing to pace.
"I know." Harvey says, as he too stands up, "What happened tonight?" Harvey asks, and Mike just continues to pace back and forth, "Mike?"
"Rachel asked me if I was in love with you." Mike reveals, to Harvey's complete shock.
"Why…." Harvey starts to ask.
"I told her I was." Mike says, before Harvey can finish his question.
"What?" Harvey asks, as he feels his heart skip a beat, as he long ago accepted that Mike would never return his feelings.
"I guess technically I didn't deny it, but that's because I couldn't." Mike reveals, "I …: "
"Don't finish that sentence." Harvey requests, as considering its Mike, he wouldn't be able to handle hearing Mike say what he thinks he is about to say, and then have him take it back later, "You're hurting, Rachel Left…. Don't say something you'll regret tomorrow." Harvey says, and as he does Mike realises something he's been oblivious to for way to long, and so, without thinking it though, Mike moves and before Harvey even realises what is going on he kisses him.
At first Harvey tenses, and Mike worries that he made a horrible mistaken, but after a second Harvey returns the kiss, passionately, and Mike feels Harvey wrap his arms around him, pulling him in close.
Finally, after what feels like an eternity to both of them, Harvey and Mike break apart, and rest their heads on each other's foreheads.
"I'll never regret us, I never have, never will." Mike reveals, meaning that completely, "I love you, Harvey."
"I love you too." Harvey says, meaning that completely, and for the first time he doesn't have trouble saying those words, before kissing Mike once more.
As Mike and Harvey kiss, and move closer together, both feel, for the first time ever, that everything is alright in the world, that they are finally where they both belong, and everything is going to be okay because they have each other.