Title: A Love Story Observed (1 of 1)
Author: Paola
Disclaimer: A Love Story Observed is based on characters and situations that belong to Aaron Korsh and USA Network. No money is being made, and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.
Considerations: Similarities to other stories/events/passages are purely coincidental unless otherwise cited. References to real company/ies, historical figure/s, and other personality/ies, dead or alive, are purely fictional. Beliefs and points of view found in the story do not necessarily reflect those of the author's.
Rating: T
Warning: Slash. AU.
A Love Story Observed
It's Donna who falls in love with Mike first. She's the one who Mike inadvertently impresses at the beginning with his cop excuse – which would be later on proven isn't actually an excuse – and she's the one who sends him to Harvey.
Mike is Donna's discovery, no matter how much Harvey might argue down the road. She's the one who gives Harvey the wink after all. And Mike Ross, the clueless puppy, has absolutely no idea of his effect on people.
So Donna proceeds as she has always done, and Mike is equal parts afraid and in awe of her. He brings her sweet caffeinated drinks, makes sure he greets her first thing in the morning like he thinks the sun rises and sets with her, and – bless his heart – he probably actually really does.
With her keen observation skills and her mad instinct, she easily knows when Louis' interest is finally snagged by Mike, albeit without the puppy's knowledge. Despite his genius brain and attention to detail, Mike is really clueless about these things. It doesn't matter though, because Donna knows.
Donna doesn't believe that it's merely an excuse to annoy Harvey every time Louis tries to steal Mike. Oh no. It's entertaining to watch Louis flounder, then scold Mike to cover up because the Junior Partner, no matter his claims of greatness, is just as clueless.
It's around this time that Donna notices that Durant douche paying poor Mike more attention than is necessary. He's as subtle as Louis, really, and Donna can spot his infatuation from a mile away. It's why he can't keep to himself and always has to antagonize Mike. They're like kindergarteners, the two of them, pulling at Mike's pigtails, and Mike Ross, the poor soul, doesn't understand why.
Jessica doesn't necessarily fall in love with Mike, Donna observes. But she does notice that she's interested a tiny morsel because Jessica is like the prey that plays with her food. And she does play with Mike, yanks his chain and keeps him on his toes.
When it's time for Rachel to be the one whose head turns when Mike passes by, Donna isn't at all surprised. That girl loves puzzles and Mike is one big puzzle with a secret she's unconsciously trying to understand. Donna watches their flirtation, sure that its effect is more serious on Rachel than it is on Mike, who most likely is soaking it up after being neglected by society in his early adulthood. It's all very textbook, she thinks.
From her perch just right outside Harvey's office, she can see everything happening in the halls of Pearson-Hardman, and she observes all these little interactions and how people start falling in love with Mike. Even Ben from IT has been snared, unable to resist the charm of an outright bribe in the form of bacon.
Mike gains confidence from all these, but still never too confident to stop worshiping at Donna's altar with foamy, overpriced beverages and puppy smiles. She loves him for it.
When Harvey looks confused after an encounter with Mike, that's when Donna knows that the mighty has fallen. But it takes a while for Harvey to stop looking confused, the tiny knot in his brow a dead giveaway to Donna even when the rest of the floor remains clueless about Harvey's plight.
In the meantime, she lets it brew, enjoys the confusion, the wayward fights over Mike's attention that no one in the firm would own up to, and sits back to watch the show unfold before her sharp eyes. Maybe sometimes she even has a hand in the controlled chaos around Mike, but she'll never tell.
Donna can pinpoint the exact time that Harvey figures it out. It's not even a life-changing case, nothing like the sort that brings Jessica breathing down Harvey's neck, which in turn brings Harvey breathing down Mike's neck and forgetting that he may just be a little bit in love with his associate – not that Harvey was aware beforehand.
It's been a really simple case of wrongful termination, and as Donna sees through Harvey's glass office, Mike makes a joke and Harvey, instead of being sarcastic, just gives a small smile. A small smile that hurriedly turns into a look of alarm as soon as Mike turns away to read a file.
While Donna has always made Harvey's life easy, she can't help but stand back and be amused by the near constant tick in Harvey's jaw that signals his internal panic attack. A panic attack brought about by feelings he probably can't name. Poor Harvey. Donna will let him stew for a bit, she decides.
But as usual, Harvey rallies and he rallies hard because the next time Donna spies an interaction between Harvey and Mike, Harvey is all kinds of calm while Mike is trying hard to control his breathing, jittery, redolent of the strung out kid who barged into her interviews a long time ago. Now there's a development.
Mike is never remiss in his regular trips to her desk to hand over her morning caffeine, but now Dona notices how he lingers as his eyes stray towards Harvey's office. This goes on for a while, emotions so clearly painted on the puppy's face when Harvey is not in his office. But when she spies Mike's very visible swallow when Harvey does his usual to assure an asshole client over the phone, she knows that Mike has finally fallen, too.
A couple of days after, the shit hits the fan. The firm is beset by a lawsuit that threatens their reputation. Par for the course, really, but it also takes Donna away from her pastime because she needs to be more than her usual Donna to keep people sane and on the straight – though a bit crooked in some patches – path.
When the dust settles, Donna sighs in relief and out of the corner of her eye, she glimpses her two boys in whispers, standing closer than normal. Harvey's hand around Mike's wrist lingers a second longer before the blonde nods and Harvey lets go. Donna has to be blind not to see Mike's huge grin after that.
She picks up the phone just as Harvey gets closer, and she can't help the smirk that steals across her red lips.
"What?" Harvey asks, a little cagily. Donna probably looks like the cat that got the cream.
"Oh nothing!" She may have also singsonged that one, earning a suspicious glare from Harvey as he enters his office.
Donna allows herself a small chuckle before she swivels her chair, flips her hair over her shoulder, and dials his favorite sushi place to make a reservation. He'll thank her for it later.
Fin.