Donna is working when he sneaks in.
"Louis and I have been going over a plan of attack" Mike says, leaning on her doorframe in a way she thinks is supposed to be casual but he is too nervous to pull off.
"That's comforting," Donna notes ironically, "Come in."
Mike smiles sympathetically and pushes himself away from the glass, walking towards her desk. He doesn't sit, but buries his hands in his pockets and bites the inside of his cheek anxiously, pondering if coming here had been a good idea at all.
"I think you and Harvey need to talk" he says, after a while "About what may come up during your deposition."
"What do you mean?"
"We knew Louis would need to get personal and…"He drifts, trying to find the kindest words "And now we know things we didn't when we had the first mock trial."
Donna frowns "What kind of thing?" she asks, unsure.
"Like that fact that you and Harvey were involved once."
She's caught off guard by that, "Mike, we were never-"
"You slept together" he deadpans, suddenly more concerned about the outcome of this trial than he is about her sensibilities right this moment, "And if you're asked point blank about it that's how it will sound."
"Mike, that was years after Clifford Danner's case."
"He won't ask when and you know it, and even just establishing that it's happened will weaken your testimony."
"Malik doesn't know we-"
"Are you sure?" Mike interrupts, and looks at her with too much focus. Donna shifts uncomfortably in her chair "Are you sure you and Harvey never acted in way that might reasonably lead to that conclusion while you were working at the DA's office?"
Donna remembers too much flirting, too many drinks, laughter, light touches and late nights where the two of them were always the last to leave.
"He might not-"
"He will," Mike says, growing impossibly more serious "Malik has it out for Harvey and if he can go after him on a bullshit charge, we have to assume he will do whatever he can, use whatever he has, to prove Harvey's guilty of something he didn't do." He looks at her and there is an apology there, but they don't really have the time to spare her in this, so she looks away "Donna… I know you and Harvey have been through a lot; more than I know about, but it will be so much worse for both of you if Louis, or Malik or anyone, goes after your history together and you're not in the same page about what your answers will be."
He waits for her reaction, a second, two, but she is too stunned or too tired of being put on the spot by this to give him anything.
"I'm sorry," Mike says after too much silence passes between them "I don't want to see either of you get hurt."
Donna nods, she understands the reason in what he's suggesting but she is already hurt, somehow more so than in the last decade of this mess. She turns her chair slightly towards the window to avoid Mike's stare and takes a deeper breath trying to find the right thing to say, then figures nothing about this is right.
"I guess we were naïve to think we'd never have to talk about it." She speaks with a certain finality, "Is that all?"
He nods but doesn't move to leave, instead shifts his weight nervously from one leg to the other summoning the guts to ask what comes next.
"Donna-" He starts hesitantly "Why didn't you?"
She frowns, "Didn't what?"
"Try."
Donna sighs and forces herself to look back at him, "Harvey and I don't wanna be together." She says simply.
There is a beat of silence and then he has the audacity to scoff. Her eyebrows shoot up in surprise.
"I'm sorry, I find that hard to believe," he says, gaining confidence "There is no way it's never crossed your mind in twelve years, or his"
"I'm not saying it hasn't, Mike. I'm saying it wouldn't have worked"
He leans back, rolls his eyes "Bullshit, you're both too scared."
Donna stands then, smoothing down the creases on her dress and leans against her desk to confront him at his height "I think you're out of line."
"Maybe I am, but I'm tired of watching you two be miserable because you can't touch the subject with a ten foot pole. It will hurt this trial and it will hurt you for another decade if neither of you do something about it."
"I think it's time you leave," she says coldly, staring him down with authority.
Mike falters, looking away to gather himself and nods, "I'm going," he agrees, but again doesn't move to do so and looks at her more pointedly than he had so far "Tell Harvey how you feel" he adds at last, with earnest.
"Leave" she reiterates.
This time he does.
