A/N: This is the last chapter! I realize it's kind of rushed and blah. I had had a bit more planned for this, but I really didn't know how to work it in without it seeming unnecessary. So I just started writing what I could and it brought me to the end. I hope you enjoyed the rest of it a little.

Chapter 5 - Late Night Activities (Posted 22 December 2011)

"Another late night?" Harvey asked as Mike stumbled into the room around three in the morning.

"Yeah." Mike said grumpily. "What of it?"

Harvey squinted in the dark. He couldn't see him, but he could sense that something was wrong. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah... I'm... fine, I think."

"You think?" Harvey quickly hopped out of his bed and flicked the lights on. He saw Mike swaying as he tried to dress in his pajamas. "What's wrong with you?"

"Nothing." Mike shakes his head excessively. "Just leave me alone."

"Are you drunk?"

"Drunk, high, what's the difference? It's not like you care."

Harvey grabbed Mike's arm both to steady him and hold on to something himself lest he lose his grip on reality. "What did you say?"

"Oops..."

"Don't you 'oops' me, Mike. Tell me you didn't just say what I thought you said."

"Harvey, it's not that bad..."

"Not that bad?" Harvey was furious. "What did you use?"

"Just pot, no big deal."

"No big deal, sure. Except that it's illegal. Or did you miss that in your studies, Mr. Pre-Law?"

"Shut up, Harvey," Mike said timidly.

"Not to mention that it's a goddam waste, Mike. Even if you didn't have a superhuman brain, that stuff is no good! Who gave it to you?"

"Trevor."

"Wow, big surprise there. Is tonight the first time you smoked?"

Mike shook his head, too unstable to try and form any words.

Harvey stilled himself and took some deep breaths in an effort to calm himself. "What happened to trying to prove me wrong about him?"

"It went down the shitter when he kissed me and offered me a blunt, that's what happened."

"...He what?"

"He kissed me." Mike repeated. "And told me that no matter how hard I was trying to hide it, he could tell I was gay, and that there was no use even attempting to cover it up."

"But, you're not..."

"But I am." Mike whispered, falling to his knees with his head on his bed. He cried into his arms on the sheets.

"Mike..." Harvey stepped forward, wanting to comfort him but not sure how. He never hated anyone more than he hated himself in that moment for not being able to take care of his best friend.

"That's why I took the blunt, Harvey. I couldn't take it anymore. This whole charade... I've been lying to myself, hoping it would go away. But it won't. I'm stuck like this. That's why it bothered me so much in school, because as desperate as I was to appear otherwise, everyone could see the truth. And you know how I remember things, I just... even though we're graduated, they don't stop mocking me. In my head, in my dreams... So I smoked the weed Trevor offered me, and it made me forget for a little while. And once I remembered, I realized how disappointed you would be in me, and that hurt like a fucking bullet to the chest and so how did I fix it?"

"More pot." Harvey guessed in a soft voice.

"More pot," Mike confirmed with a squeak. "He asked me to room with him, you know. He asked me to request a room change. And I thought about it too. I figured I'd disappointed you, and then when you found out why, you'd be disgusted."

"You're wrong." Harvey said, something inside him forcing him to join Mike on his knees and place a hand on Mike's shoulder. "I'm not disgusted. I told you, you are my best friend. I may not care about anyone, but you're not just anyone. You're Mike."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Mike half-turned to face him.

"I didn't want it to happen like this... but..." Harvey made a snap decision to push forward and connected his lips to Mike's. He was a little unsure at first, afraid of how Mike would react. But within seconds their lips were moving against each other. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I thought you'd hate me." Mike said, shocked.

"What made you think that?"

"I... I don't know..."

"Mike, I didn't want you to find out this way and maybe I should have told you sooner but I wasn't ready... and I'm sorry."

"For what? What weren't you ready for?" Mike couldn't stop the tiny tears that formed in the corners of his eyes.

"To tell you that I've been in love with you since the moment I saw you. That the second I saw you, I was enraged at the bully beating you up. And I devoted my life to protecting you, and I've been trying so hard to make you see that no matter how much it seems like no one cares about you, Ido. I'm sorry I've done such a horrible job. And I'm sorry that while all this time I've been trying to protect you from everyone else, you've been trying to protect me from yourself."

"You don't love me, Harvey," Mike tried to push him away, but Harvey only held him tighter.

"Yes, I do." Harvey promised. "I'm just not good at saying it. Or showing it for that matter. I still don't know if I'm ready but it's obvious you need me and frankly I don't care if I'm ready or not. All that matters is that you know I'm here for you. Unconditionally."

"You can't love me. It doesn't make any sense..."

"How does it not make sense? You're the only person I spend any time with, you're the only person I make sacrifices for, and you're the only person I've let into my life. I love you, and I..."

"It doesn't make sense because I love you too." he whispered, sniffing. "Things like this don't happen to me, Harvey. I realized I was never going to be with you a long time ago."

Harvey's hold around Mike tightened even further. "But you can be with me," he breathed into Mike's ear. "I should have seen it. I know you better than anyone. I was just so busy trying to protect you and hide my own feelings... God, Mike, I'm so sorry." He leaned in and kissed Mike again, feeling Mike's arms around his neck and tasting his tears in their kiss.

"I'm sorry, Harvey."

"You have nothing to be sorry for."

"I'm sorry I'm not as strong as you."

"I never asked you to be. I did my best to be strong enough for the both of us."

"You really... feel like that about me?"

"Have I ever lied to you?"

Mike shook his head. "No."

"There's your answer, then." Harvey kissed him a few more times before standing them up.

"But I still don't understand... what could possibly make you love me? I..."

"You still don't realize how special you are, do you? You are the most amazing person I've ever met. So open and gentle... the exact opposite of me. We balance each other out, Mike. You're the light to my darkness, the sweet to my salty. And I'm going to make you see that if it's the last thing I do."

"I don't deserve you."

"Yeah, you deserve a hundred times better. But I love you, and as much as I'd like to be the Prince Charming who'll let you be with whoever you want as long as you're happy, I can't be that guy. You'remine. And I don't care how far we go, as long as I've got you with me."

Mike chuckled through his tears. "And you said you weren't good at these kinds of things," he jibed.

Harvey gave a breathy laugh before hugging Mike closer. "Just so we're clear, no more pot."

"I promise."

"And no more Trevor."

"I swear."

Harvey pushed Mike down onto his bed, kissing him as he climbed on top of him. "So, how many times did Trevor kiss you?"

"A few."

Harvey gave an angry growl. "Did he touch you?"

Mike gulped. "He might have."

Another snarl passed through Harvey's lips. "Did you sleep with him?"

"No." Mike said quietly. "He tried, but... I told him I wasn't ready."

Harvey's lips released Mike's as he pulled back slightly to look at him. "Are you ready now?"

"Not for him."

This earned a little smirk from Harvey. "What about for me?"

"I've been ready for you for five years."