The phone rang twice before that voice that had burned itself into Mike's memory with ferocity finally came through the receiver. "Hello, Mike."

The first time he tried to reply, nothing happened. The words caught in his throat. He took a deep breath and cleared his throat. "Hey, Harvey..."

There was silence on the other line.

"Did you need something?" The harsh tone hurt, not that Mike didn't know he deserved it.

He sighed. "I just..."

He waited. "Just what?" His voice was softer now, condescension gone.

"He lied to me."

"I know."

A beat. "How could you possibly know that?"

He could almost hear the annoyed eye roll through the phone. "Did you expect me to think he did anything right by you? After everything I watched him to do you in the past?"

Mike's tongue ticked against the top of his mouth, agitated by his current situation. "He told me he'd stop."

Harvey breathed the words, conceding to the slightest bit of emotion for the man who was once so dear to him. "I know."

"I feel stuck."

Another sigh. Clearly Harvey was thinking that had Mike not walked away from him, he would have been in a much better place – and Mike knew it too. "You're not stuck, Mike. You just have some choices to make."

The laugh that followed was humorless, nearly hysterical. "Decisions? Decisions like leave Trevor? I made that mistake once when I left you, Harvey. I'm not going to make that mistake again."

"You never did tell me why."

Silence. "Does it matter now?" The question was so quiet; innocent and small. "No matter what the reason was, I can't fix it."

Hurt by the denial of an explanation – one that he'd been wishing for for years now – Harvey shut it off; shut off all the feelings he'd let himself feel for the man on the other end of the line. "You're right. You can't. So go, deal for Trevor and go to prison."

"Harvey I didn't want to hurt you."

"Oh, you didn't hurt me Mike, you betrayed me. I was angry but I'm over it now. No need to waste my energy on the likes of you."

"Harvey please-"

"What do you want, Mike?"

Harvey could have sworn he heard a slight sniffle come through the phone, but he let it go, deciding he didn't care. And why should he? He hadn't done anything wrong.

"I'm sorry..." He whispered. Harvey didn't answer. "I've always regretted what I did, but when I left the hotel yesterday... I've never felt so lost, Harvey." Still nothing. "And then I told Trevor what happened and we fought about it and he's making me deal for him again even though he ran me straight into the cops, and god, Harvey, I know I screwed up. I know I that everything I've ever done was wrong, and I'm sorry."

Harvey waited to see if the younger man would continue. He didn't. "Done babbling?"

The headshake was almost audible as Mike wrought his hands through his hair, tugging painfully and the blond mess. "I won't bother you again. Just know that I'm sorry." The line was dead for quite some time before Harvey lowered the phone from his ear. Hating himself – whether it was for letting Mike think he was alone or not wanting him to feel that way he wasn't sure – he typed out, Don't do the deal. We'll talk soon, and pressed send, returning to his bed for a long night of little sleep.

SUITS

The rest of the week was filled with very little communication between the two, a text here, a text there, nothing to special; but it kept Mike out of trouble and for that Harvey was pleased. He felt a strange sort of pride in him to know that Mike would so readily do what he said.

When are we going to talk?

Soon.

The replies were always vague, dry. He gave next to nothing and was repaid by blind trust.

Still clean?

Ha, ha, very funny. I'll have you know I have the black eye to prove it.

Harvey's stomach had given an uncomfortable lurch when he read this, knowing exactly what had happened. The same thing that always happened. Trevor.

Tonight.

Tonight?

We'll talk tonight.

Come over, Trevor won't be here.

Goddamn it. He was living with him? It just kept getting better and better...

For a second he wondered to what extent their relationship was, but quickly brushed the thought off. Whatever it was, they wouldn't be talking at all for much longer.