When they got to the firm (several hours early, no thanks to Mike), Harvey went straight to his office, wanting nothing more than to get to work and not think about the blond or his amazing cooking skills and his paradoxical inability to cook bacon. He especially didn't want to think about the way he'd looked, sleeping adorably on the couch, curled up in Harvey's old clothes.

"You're early," Donna said, the suspicion clear in her voice.

Harvey peered up at her, his face a poor mask of disinterest.

"You smell like burned bacon." She wrinkled her nose before staring discerningly at his suit. "That's one of your wider ties—which you only wear when you want to emphasize your dislike for Mike's skinny ones, you both came here together in a taxi instead of calling Ray, and Mike's wearing one of your suits—which he came in with, which would imply he put it on before he got to work. Oh my God, did he stay over last night?" she asked in an excited rush.

Harvey glared at her. "Before you jump to any wild conclusions, his apartment—"

"—burned down in a fire, I know," she said all-knowingly.

Harvey stared at her curiously. "How do you know these things?"

"I think the more appropriate question is how wouldn't I know these things."

Harvey gave her an imperious stare. "Are we done here? Because I would like to get some actual work done now."

"Liar," she quipped. "By the way, Louis is on his way here."

"Well, get rid of him."

"Too late," she smiled, and ducked out of the office. As she settled back at her desk, Harvey could see Louis approaching.

"Don't think I don't know you did that on purpose," Harvey muttered to the intercom in annoyance.

"Did what?" Louis asked, looking suddenly nervous.

Harvey barely restrained his urge to roll his eyes. "I think you know. Now get out before I tell Jessica," he lied, not having a clue what it was Louis was afraid he knew.

The man opened his mouth, finger raised in retort, before saying, "Well—" and promptly turning on his heel. As he marched out the door, Harvey laughed to himself. Louis was so easy to play.

...

It was already late in the afternoon when Mike walked in and it was obvious there was something on his mind. He stood in front of Harvey's desk, shifting from one foot to the other. Harvey seemed determined to ignore him. Mike cleared his throat. Still nothing.

"Eh, Harvey.."

Harvey looked up from the file he was reading. "Now what?"

"Well, I wondered if I, well I don't really have a place to sleep yet..."

Harvey threw the folder on his desk and leaned back in his chair. He looked at Mike with a blank expression on his face. "I'll make this very easy for you. No."

"But I..."

"What part of 'no' is beyond your grasp Mike?"

Mike couldn't stand it when Harvey acted like this. The fact that he didn't want him around was already bad enough but why did he have to be so adamant about it. It made him feel inferior. Sometimes he just wanted to wipe that self righteous smile off Harvey's face. Maybe he could kiss it off. The thought just jumped up in his mind...

Before he could come up with a clever answer, Louis walked in.

He stood there, arms crossed in front of him. "Mike, I can clearly see what is going on here."

Harvey turned his chair towards Louis and raised an eyebrow. He didn't say anything. Anticipation over what was about to come was written all over his face.

"Here at Pearson Hardman we take care of our own. Some senior partners seem to be unwilling to make a sacrifice. But as you know, I always take care of my herd. That is why I have decided you will stay at my house. I will of course expect you to behave and to live by my rules."

Harvey was struggling to keep a straight face. The expression on Mike's face could only be described as sheer panic and was absolutely priceless.

Mike saw Donna duck behind her desk. She apparently found some self control on the floor because she got up from her chair and walked in. This was too good not to enjoy up close and personal.

Louis looked very pleased with himself. "So, you can pack your bag and report to my office in 15 minutes."

Mike had no idea how to handle this. He just knew he would rather sleep in a cardboard box than in a house where there was a very real possibility he would run into Louis naked.

Donna gave Mike a warm smile. "Seems like your problem just got solved, Mike. Isn't that nice."
Then she turned to Louis. "I am sure Jessica will appreciate this very much, Louis."

Harvey picked up the folder from his desk again. "Well now we have that out of the way, you and Louis can both leave my office."

Mike looked at Harvey in bewilderment. "No, I... I can't, I.." He wanted to scream. There was no way he was gonna stay at Louis's place.

Louis, very pleased with himself, turned around and walked away strutting like a peacock.

When he turned the corner, Donna and Harvey both looked at Mike.

Harvey made a shooing motion. "Why are you still here? You heard the man. Go get your bag."

"You're so lucky, Mike," Donna said with a satanic smile. "Maybe you'll even get to listen to his opera collection."

It was obvious that they both considered Mike's upcoming nightmare to be very entertaining.

Mike dropped numbly into a chair. "Oh God, how am I going to deal with this? If I turn him down he will be so offended. But there is no way I am going to stay there. I'd rather sleep on a park bench." He buried his face in his hands and moaned.

Donna looked at him and she couldn't help but feel sorry. Just a little. She would have kissed a tarantula before ever setting foot in Louis's house, let alone sleep there. "I am sorry, kid, but you can't stay with me. I have this no-colleagues-in-my-house rule that I just can't break."

Mike looked up at Harvey with desperation on his face. "Please, Harvey. I'll do anything. Really. Anything. I don't care. But I'm begging you..." But Mike could see on Harvey's face that he was not going to give in.

…

Fifteen minutes later, Harvey was absently nibbling on his pen when Donna strode in. One look at her face and he knew exactly what she was going to say.

"No," Harvey asserted, staring pointedly at her.

She didn't speak, only looked at him with a stern expression. He had refused to waver in his decision, but as her eyebrow raised, he realized he'd already lost the battle.

"Fine!" he growled irritably. "Tell him to come back here."

She looked slightly more satisfied, but didn't leave to comply. "He left a minute ago. You go get him."

Harvey glared at her. "Are you implying that I'll have to go to Louis's houseto get Mike back?" He shuddered at the thought.

"You really want him to spend the night with Louis?" she asked rhetorically.

"He said he was okay with sleeping on a park bench. What do I care?"

"Harvey, he's wearing your suit, remember?"

The suit Harvey had lent him because he didn't have any others. And it was on its way to Louis's living quarters. Harvey started packing to leave immediately.

"Glad to see you care about something other than yourself, Harvey," Donna quipped.

He gave her a focused glare to show how much he cared about that statement. "Find another solution to Mike's problem. I don't care what it is, just so long as it's not my problem."

"Well, he does like sleeping on this couch," she said pensively.

He hurried out of the office after Mike and Louis, telling himself it was only because Donna would make his life miserable if he didn't. And his suit was in jeopardy. Although, he had to admit, it had looked rather nice on Mike (it just needed a few alterations, of course). And it had been nice to see the kid in something not bought at a thrift shop. And then there was the delicious breakfast Mike had made, barring the disastrous burnt but aromatic bacon.

And there was one last thing that poked at Harvey's mind. All day he'd been remembering Mike's back and the way he'd looked in Harvey's old Harvard shirt and sweatpants, and the feeling that he'd somehow belonged in the apartment.

Mike was in the middle of receiving strict instructions on how to make coffee when the doorbell rang. Louis looked surprised, if not shocked, by this apparently unfamiliar sound.

He walked to the front door only to return within a minute with a very annoyed look on his face. He nodded in the direction of the door. "It's for you."

Now it was Mike's turn to look bewildered. He put down the coffee cup and walked to the front door.

"Harvey?"

Harvey was standing outside. Mike wondered whether Louis hadn't invited him in or if Harvey had just refused to set foot in the house. Probably both. "What do you want?"

"I want you to come with me."

Mike couldn't help it, his heart made a little leap.

"Okay." He tried very hard to hide his excitement.

Harvey seemed to realize what he had just said and he immediately toned it down. "That is, I want my suit to come with me. And since you're wearing it..."

Harvey's words came crashing down on him. The sound of Mike's hope shattering was almost audible.

Mike miserably started to take off his jacket. "You know what, Harvey? I'll give you your suit. But I'm not coming. That will be a huge relief to you, no doubt. He took off his tie and started to unbutton his shirt. "I've had it with your condescending remarks. I lost my house in a fire. Sorry, okay? I am sorry that it is such an inconvenience for you."

Mike's bright blue eyes had turned an angry dark blue. "For your information, Louis gave me his corporate card. Said I could take a two-thousand dollar advance on my pay. And he had his driver take me to a store so I could buy some clothes."

He took off the shirt and started to unbutton his pants. "I know he doesn't do that because he's nice, but it is sure a hell of an improvement over you. He at least knows how to treat his workers with common decency. Something you might learn from. Personally I think it should put you to shame that Louis can master more respect for me than you can."

Now stripped down to his boxers, he offered Harvey his clothes. "Here, you can take your precious clothes home with you."

The look he gave Harvey before closing the door on him, was one of stark disappointment.

…

Harvey stood in the hallway of Louis's apartment building, which he begrudgingly had to admit was actually nice. It was so...Louis. And while it wasn't exactly to Harvey's tastes, he was certain that it wasn't to Mike's either.

He'd been sure that the damned kid would leap at the chance to leave Louis's frightening clutches, and maybe into Harvey's arms.

Instead, the only thing Harvey seemed to have recovered for his efforts was his suit. It had seemed important to save it back in the office, but now that it was no longer attached to Mike it didn't seem worth even holding it.

But he resisted the urge to throw the thing down angrily-Rene would kill him-and instead huffed his way out of the building. Apparently park benches weren't nicer than being with Louis.