Days went by easily as Harvey and Mike both got ready for their con. Mike read all the law books and online material that Harvey gave him while Harvey read Neal Caffrey and Bobby Singer's notes (on Mike and genies respectively) and got updates from Donna on the status of the works of the specialists that Dante knew.

"It's not a con." Harvey made it clear one evening.

"But it is! And, there's no point denying it to me, Harvey. We're in this together! Oh, don't you think it's hilarious that I got to serve two con men as masters?" Mike giggled as he played with his yellow highlighter on Harvey's couch.

"It's not a con and it's most definitely not hilarious." Harvey gave his genie a pointed look from the other end of the couch and went back reading Caffrey's notes. He was glad that Caffrey had kept detailed notes about the three years that he had spent with Mike but he couldn't help the disappointment that kept resurfacing in his mind; Caffrey was the one who had helped the genie adapt to the new era, not him.

"Hey, since you haven't made your second wish yet, I think you should ask for a better sense of humor." The genie suggested sincerely after noticing that Harvey wasn't laughing at all.

"There's nothing wrong with my sense of humor, Mike."

"You know what they say, Harvey. Accepting that you have a problem is the first step of solving the problem."

Harvey snorted and read a passage from the notes: In the early morning, his eyes bear the color of a kingfisher's wings. I consider the color of my eyes quite extraordinarily beautiful but you haven't seen blue eyes until you've seen his.

'How modest.' Harvey shook his head. But then, he should have expected the notorious con man to have a gigantic ego to pull off those fancy cons.

Then he wondered what a kingfisher looked like. 'Don't those types of birds all look the same?' He figured that he might as well ask Mike who was pretty much a windy encyclopedia that knew how to speak.

"Mike, do you know anything about the color of a kingfisher's wings?"

"You mean from the turquoise family?" Mike looked up from his ninth law book of the day.

"Show-off." Harvey closed the notebook and put it down on the coffee table with more force than necessary. Why did Caffrey and Mike have to know so much about colors and birds?

"Hey, you're the one who asked. You'll just have to accept that I have a wider range of vocabulary than you." Mike calmly turned the page of his book.

"What's with you and accepting today?" Harvey raised his eyebrow.

"What's with you and not accepting?"

"Smartass."

"Hey, you like me that way. How many times do I have to remind you that as a genie, it's my job to please you?"

"You always have to get the last word, don't you?"

"Just because you're my master doesn't mean you always get to win."

"I wasn't aware that this was a competition."

"I thought everything was a competition with you! That's why you're so pissed off that Neal got to me first!"

"That's a lousy accusation that has no grounds, puppy." Harvey bit his tongue but it was too late. The chance of his tongue slipping was as low as the chance of seeing Halley's Comet but it had happened.

"What did you just call me?"

Mike sounded surprised rather than disgusted so Harvey decided to go with the truth. Besides, it wasn't like he could come up with another word that sounded similar to 'puppy' in two seconds. "I called you puppy. You have a problem with it?"

"Why would you call me that?" Mike was curious.

"I don't know. You have puppy eyes, I guess." Harvey shrugged his shoulders. He hoped that Mike wouldn't make a big deal out of it. It was an honest mistake. He surely didn't think that the genie looked adorable like a puppy.

"Hmm, so it has absolutely nothing to do with me looking adorable or the big possessive monster inside you?" Mike grinned. He had obviously recovered from the initial shock.

"There's no monster inside me, Mike. I'm human inside and out." Harvey answered with his tongue in cheek while making a mental note to go through the genie expert's notes to see if some genies could read people's minds.

"Oh, Harvey, it was a figurative way of speech but I guess it was too difficult for you. Let me try again. It has nothing to do with me calling you master and making you proud that you own something so sweet like me?"

"Mike, you are many things but sweet isn't one of them. Who are you kidding?"

"Then does it have something to do with role playing? I call you master, you call me puppy, and I crawl towards you and bark?"

"What? What kind of a person do you think I am?"

"Well, I know what kind of a person you are but people tend to change in bed. How am I supposed to know what you like when we've never been in bed together?"

"You don't need to know what I like in bed, genius. I'm hiring you for your brain, not for your body."

"I know that but what if you can have both? You can't rape the willing, you know." Mike winked playfully.

Harvey swallowed a moan and spoke in a stern tone, "I told you I don't sleep with people I work with."

"But I don't work for you yet! A kiss isn't enough anymore! Not that I get any kisses these days..." Mike didn't feel any shame at asking for more. It wasn't his fault that he kept getting gorgeous masters.

Harvey ran his fingers through his hair and sighed. "I can't imagine this is a typical genie-master conversation, Mike. I won't call you puppy again so will you drop it?"

"But I didn't mind it. I just wanted to know why you liked it."

"I never said I liked it."

"But you obviously like it."

Harvey groaned. "Do me a favor and let's never speak about this again, okay? I have enough stuff to deal with already." He tried his best not to picture his soon-to-be associate lying naked on his bed. Cold showers were already a part of his daily routine; he didn't want to increase the number and end up getting sick.

"Is that a wish?"

"No, it's not. And, would you stop asking me that? I'll let you know in a very clear manner if I want to make a wish! Are we clear?"

"Yes, we are. There's no need to raise your voice though. Perhaps you should ask for a better control over your emotions."

"Would you stop giving out stupid suggestions too?"

"They're not stupid and hey, was that a wish? You sounded very clear."

"Mike!"

Mike put his hands on his belly and enjoyed a good laugh. Harvey still wasn't sure what a kingfisher looked like but he had to admit that the smiling eyes of the creature in front of him looked quite extraordinary.

A couple of days later, Mike had suddenly become a person who had twenty-three years of life on paper. With the pictures that Harvey had taken, the fake-life specialist had inserted Mike in various pictures with the help of the special software that could recreate a person's face at all ages. Mike had been in the Boy Scout in elementary school, had lost his parents in a car accident in middle school, and had been on the wrestling team in high school. He had gone to Harvard Law on a full scholarship and had graduated last summer.

He had no family left since his grandmother had passed away last autumn with a severe case of pneumonia and he had just moved to New York City to look for a job. Having been in the same car as his late parents, he had been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and had recently moved in with his childhood friend and neighbor Harvey Specter because his condition had become much worse in the past few weeks.

"This is a load of crap." Harvey voiced his opinion on the matter even though he had nobody but himself to blame. He was the one who had told Jessica that his new associate had people issues.

"Ah, I'm so sad that my imaginary parents left me in this cruel world with none other than you, Harvey. Boo hoo hoo…" Harvey could tell that Mike was quite enjoying his fake past.

"You're supposed to feel sad, Mike. If we're going to pull this off, you need to remember that."

"But I don't know what it feels like to have a family member die on you! The closest I've had to a family was William." Mike thought about his first master William Shakespeare.

Harvey stopped stirring the onion soup and looked at Mike who was sitting on the kitchen counter. "You don't have a family?"

"No, Harvey. Genies are created, not born. Didn't it say in all those notes that you've been reading? And, did you honestly think that someone as awesome as me could've been born? Pfft." Then Mike grinned. "Hey, did you notice that I just sounded like a narcissistic bastard like you? It's horrible for my character but I guess it's good to understand your master so well."

"Oh, Donna has no idea what she's making me go through." Harvey mumbled to himself as he went back stirring his dinner.

"Speaking of Donna, when do I get to meet her?" Mike asked, feeling that he would be safe as long as Harvey stayed by his side.

"When you're ready. And, I don't think you're ready yet so let's focus on this soup for now, okay?"

"Okay." Mike could tell that Harvey didn't think it was safe to introduce him to another person yet so he decided not to push it. "Is there anything I can do to help? The soup smells wonderful." He was supposed to help his master after all.

"Yeah, you can bring out two bowls from the cupboard."

"Two? Are you expecting company tonight? Ooh, let me guess. You're horny but you refuse to sleep with me so you found a boy that looks close enough to me." Mike gloated at his brilliant deduction but felt a little bit jealous.

"No, genius. The other bowl is for you. I figured that I'd be generous and let you taste my terrific onion soup."

"Your terrible onion soup?"

"I can't believe that someone made the mistake of creating you." Harvey kept his tone light so that Mike wouldn't get hurt.

"Did you just say that it was a miracle? Yes, I agree that it's quite incredible. See? I did it again. I managed to sound like you." Mike chuckled.

"Remind me to get you a hearing aid tomorrow, will you?"

"I don't know, Harvey. If I end up eating your soup, I think you should get me other types of medical assistance."

Harvey laughed as he poured the warm soup in both of the bowls. He didn't know what other people came home to but he doubted that anyone came home to such a unique creature.

It only took a few more days for Mike to get ready to work as Harvey's associate. Mike's fake résumé had been sent to the Pearson-Hardman human resources department and Mike had passed his drug test, thanks to Harvey's doorman who was loyal enough to cooperate without asking any questions. (It was a good thing that Harvey had helped him get a decent divorce attorney.)

The specialist that knew how to build secret compartments had worked on Harvey's office during the night and now Harvey was proud to say that (not that he could actually talk to anyone about it) he owned a secret cabinet behind the record shelves. Donna suggested that he should get a superhero costume tailored by Rene and hang it above the cabinet to fill the space, but Harvey didn't want to think about anything that wasn't related to his genie's safety. He felt that one small mistake could bring unthinkable consequences and he wanted to do his best to keep Mike safe. Mike seemed as if he trusted him whole-heartedly and he wasn't going to screw up and betray that trust. Then he got an idea. He knew what he wanted for his second wish.

"Mike, I want to make my second wish." Harvey nudged the yawning genie when he came home late that night.

"Really? That was fast." Mike felt more awake, surprised by the turn of events. Harvey had told him that he didn't have any wishes at first and yet he had already made one and was asking for another one so soon.

'But this means that he'll have only one wish left. And, after he makes his last wish, I won't get to see him again unless he sets me free.' Mike's face fell as he took a seat next to Harvey on the bed. He had just started to grow fond of his master.

"Is something wrong, puppy?" Harvey pretended as if his tongue had slipped again but he had used the term of endearment deliberately, hoping to get the truth out of Mike.

"No, I was just taken aback that you came up with a second wish so soon."

"And, that bothers you?"

Mike looked even more surprised at Harvey's question.

"You know what I do for a living, Mike. I read people. I suppose I'm not too bad at reading genies either. I wonder if they give out certificates for such things. It should look great on my résumé, don't you think?" Harvey tried to lighten the mood.

Mike chuckled and Harvey found himself enjoying the sound. It was quite serene; like the sound of a drop of sunshine tickling the surface of a lake.

'Gosh, I'm turning into something that I absolutely refuse to be.' Harvey groaned inwardly and rubbed the side of his face.

"So what's the wish?" Mike put on a bright face for his master.

"No. I asked you first. Why does it bother you that I'm making my second wish so soon? Are you getting attached to me? Don't worry. You're clearly not the first."

"Wow, you surely know how to talk to a guy. Well, I'm happy to inform you that whatever I've felt for you up until now has melted faster than a snowman in a boiling furnace."

"Wow, who knew you were quite the poet? But then you should've learned a few things from Shakespeare." Harvey joked as he studied the genie's face.

"Just tell me what your wish is." Mike didn't feel comfortable discussing his feelings with Harvey. He hadn't expected himself to fall for his master harder and harder with each new day. He had been in love with his previous master too but it had taken months and right now, he honestly couldn't remember whether Neal had moles on his face. Harvey's sizeable moles must have dug themselves into his memory room and kicked out the memory of Neal.

"I want you to be safe, Mike. That's my wish." Harvey waited patiently until he got Mike's attention again. "I know that the lamp wouldn't allow the wrong people to reach you, but there's always an exception to the rule and given how you had ended up in the hands of a highly wanted criminal, well, you see my point."

"But Neal wasn't that type of…" Mike hurried to defend his former master but Harvey made a gesture with his hand and lips to order him to silence.

Mike closed his mouth for a second before opening it again. "There's a slight problem with your wish, Harvey."

"You can't make it happen?"

"It's not that. Your wish has already been taken care of."

"Are you saying that Caffrey made the same wish?" Harvey didn't know if he felt relief or even more jealousy towards the guy who annoyed him to no end.

"Yes."

"I see. That's very nice of him." Harvey had to admit it. The guy might have been too cocky to not ask for eternal freedom but he must have cared deeply about Mike. He could see it all over his notes and this was just another confirmation of his affection.

"So do you have another wish? Or can I go back to bed?" Mike yawned, feeling tired. He was going to start working for Harvey tomorrow so he had pushed himself to squeeze one more law book into his day.

"How comfortable is your bed? Is it better than mine?"

"Harvey, I'm really sleepy. Do you mind if we do this whole bed comparing thing in the morning?"

"Answer me, Mike."

Mike thought about the bed that he was sitting on and the bed that he had back home. "Yours is better. Happy now?"

"Good. Then drop the suit and get under the covers so I can turn off the lights."

"What? You want me to sleep here?"

"Well, I need my associate to give me his best and that means he needs a good night's sleep." Harvey took off his T-shirt and sweatpants and climbed under the covers in his boxers as Mike stood up.

The genie floated over Harvey to see if he was joking. He didn't know if it was a good idea to sleep in his master's bed when he was starting to have strong feelings for him.

"Problem, puppy?" Harvey moved the lamp from the floor to the foot of the bed and patted the other side of his bed.

"Uh, don't you think it's kind of inappropriate?" Mike scratched the back of his head.

"Don't worry, Mike. I promise I won't grope you while you're passed out. I hope genies don't drool though."

"I don't drool! And, if your hands come anywhere near my ass, I'm going to sue you for sexual harassment in the workplace."

Harvey laughed. "Thinking like a lawyer already? Good boy."

Mike swallowed hard at the last words and turned around to get undressed. He knew that Harvey had seen him only wearing a fig leaf around his crotch but he still felt shy and a little bit hot.

"We should really get you out of the lamp someday." Harvey noted as Mike joined him wearing the briefs that Harvey had bought him and turned off the lights.

Mike went rigid for a moment, fearing that day. He didn't want to become mortal or go back to his place forever and never see Harvey again. Thankfully, drowsiness overrode all fear and concerns and he was soon yawning profusely.

"Good night, puppy." Harvey couldn't stop himself from calling him 'puppy' again. The word rolled off his tongue so deliciously and it was getting addictive.

"Good night, master." Mike sounded relaxed and a little bit happy and that was all Harvey needed to hear to let go of his conscious mind.

The next morning, Harvey had just finished giving instructions to Mike on the phone when Louis rushed into his office, taking advantage of the fact that Donna wasn't in her area.

"Harvey, I hear you're working with a new associate." Louis put his hands on his waist and Harvey wondered if his colleague was trying to look imposing. He just looked extra stupid.

"That's correct."

"Well, where is he?"

"I'm afraid that information's well above your clearance level, Louis. You're only a junior partner."

"But Harvey, you know that I supervise all the associates on this floor. I need to see him."

"No, you don't. You already have enough associates to drive crazy. You don't need another victim."

Louis frowned, looking confused. "Why are you being so protective? The rumor says that he's some kind of a genius. Are you worried that he might become my pony of the year?"

Harvey snorted so hard that he was sure that the whole floor just heard him. "I hate to break it to you, Louis, but nobody likes to get picked for your 'Pony of the year', especially not my associate."

"Why not? He hasn't even met me yet. If he's such a genius, he'd probably appreciate all the appreciation I'm willing to give him."

Harvey didn't bother to respond so Louis tried to get his attention back by messing with his records.

"Louis, didn't I tell you not to touch anything in my office?" Louis wasn't standing close to the right one that gave access to the secret compartment but Harvey still felt the need to lecture him. It never hurt to be safe.

"I was just appreciating your collection, Harvey."

"I don't care. Stop covering my office with your germs and go back to yours."

Louis glared at his coworker before he turned around and took a few steps towards the door.

"You know, whoever he is, I feel for your associate. Can you imagine taking orders from yourself all day, five days a week? Talk about horror."

"At least I don't give him the pony speech. Talk about trauma."

Louis grumbled before finally leaving Harvey alone. He had wanted to go for the counterpunch but Donna was back.

"What did he want?" Donna asked through the intercom. "I think I should get a scarecrow that looks like me for when I leave my spot."

"He wanted to find out about my new associate." Harvey asked with a little concern in his voice. He hoped that Louis wouldn't poke his nose too much into Mike's business.

"Don't worry. I'll keep a close eye on him and let you know if there are any alarming signs."

"Thanks, Donna. I wouldn't know what to do without you." Harvey meant every word of it.

"You're welcome." Then she looked around to see if the coast was clear and whispered, "Just remember that I'm looking forward to meeting him, Harvey."

"Duly noted." Harvey smiled at Donna's excitement and wondered if Mike was doing all right at his condo alone.

'Oh well, it can't hurt to check on him again. As his boss, I'm obligated to look out for him.' Harvey justified himself as he picked up his phone once more. It wasn't like he wanted to hear Mike's voice or anything.