"So just like that? You're going to give up?"

"Tell me why I shouldn't, Harvey!" Mike was fuming; really, he didn't think he'd ever been so angry in his life. "You obviously don't want me here; I don't know why I signed that damned thing in the first place." He spat out bitterly.

"Yeah, I don't think you do either. I think you have no idea what you want. You had a foot out the door before you even got here this morning."

"Good thing, too."

"Listen, you're mad, I get it. This job is what you've always wanted, so I'm going to give you the benefit of the doubt and assume that you can handle it. So go home, get your head on straight, and if you're here in the morning I'll know I still have an associate."

He didn't make it two steps towards the elevators when he heard something that probably wasn't meant to be heard. "It's not the only thing I always wanted."

Harvey turned around, knowing full well what the kid meant and not being able to help feeling guilty over it. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"I don't go where I'm not wanted."

The lawyer grabbed him before he could turn around, stepping closer to him with a tight grip on his arm. "I want you here." He muttered, ignoring the way the last word came a beat too late, and thanking the heavens that Mike let it go as well.

Mike sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Let's just go back upstairs then."

"No, not if I'm going to have to watch you mope all day. Go home, rest up, and come back in the morning. I won't dock your pay."

SUITS

"Puppy gone already?" Donna asked with a smirk, eyes barely flitting up from her desk when her boss passed her into the office. When she was ignored, she decided to follow him in, not liking being out of the loop. "Give me all the gory details." She commanded. "You were only gone for five minutes; you couldn't have banged him yet."

His eyes went wide, "Donna!" Normally he wasn't so shocked at his assistants self-amusing bluntness.

"Harvey, your life is like a soap opera."

He rolled his eyes, reorganizing the papers Mike had dropped. "Go give these to whatever associate won't ruin them." She rolled her eyes in return, but did as she was told – only to come back moments later.

"Now tell me."

"Tell you what?"

"Everything. You only gave me the Harvey Specter run through; I want all the ooey gooey emotional bullshit now."

"How do you know there is any?"

"You had an extra shot of espresso in your coffee this morning which means you were extra tired, which means you were up late last night or up early this morning or both. I know you got home before one last night because that's when you called me, so you must have gotten up early. The only reason you would do that was because you couldn't sleep – and you're not feeling guilty over anything so it must be nerves which you sure as hell don't get over work – and you're wearing that special smell that you use when you're trying to impress someone. Mike is the only one new to impress unless you've decided to ask Louis out," she winked dramatically at his horrified glare "Not to mention you'd never stick your neck out for someone you don't care about and you clearly care about this kid. So what is it?" Her words surprised neither of them.

Slumping in his chair, Harvey ran a hand across his mouth, deciding now was as bad a time as ever, and that having the fiery redhead on his side was a blessing in disguise. "It was years ago. Mike was in college. I had just made junior partner." He stole a moment while his friend arranged herself eloquently in one of the chairs in front of him, patient but expecting face trained on his. "We met at a bar."

"Of course." Her expression was that of mild annoyance.

"I wasn't trying to pick him up." He snapped, and then reeled himself back in, knowing it wasn't her he was mad at. "I was out with a friend, just catching up."

"A girl friend?"

"An old high school baseball friend," he corrected, irritated. "Half of the college was there. All of the pre-law kids; it was the day after exams I think. Anyway, they were all partying, except for this one kid."

"Mike."

Harvey nodded. "He was sitting with this guy Trevor, and while Trevor was hitting on two girls at once, Mike was nose first in a law textbook. Real law. Harvard level. Not college." He began idly fidgeting with a pen on his desk, spinning it between his fingers. "So of course, as soon as Trevor walked away from him, I went over to see what he was doing. It looked like he was just flipping the pages, and I thought I was just making fun of him when I asked if he was having trouble with something. As it turned out, he was reading. Well... looking. He was just glancing at the pages and memorising them. It was amazing. We got to talking; he would recite things for me, and answered everything I asked him perfectly – about the law, codes, bi-laws, specific cases... It was amazing." His was lost in other time, eyes partly glazed over, watching a memory with the same awe that he must have had when he had first experienced it. "He told me he was going to Harvard after, and I gave him my card. I told him that when he was done, he was going to come work for me."

Donna was grinning madly. "And then?"

"And then we kept in touch."

"Kept in touch or kept in touch?" She smirked suggestively.

He rolled his eyes again. "I taught him everything there was to know about law, and he took in every word like and could recite it back like a prayer. Eventually he started helping me with my cases." He ignored the disapproving look from across the desk. "He was brilliant. Sometimes he caught things that I'd missed more than once." He shook his head as if it was happening right then – amazed. "One thing lead to another, and I let him closer than I should have." He tried not to notice the way her face fell, waiting for the final blow.

"He got too close..." She muttered.

"He left me."

Silence.

"Harvey, I'm sorry."

He didn't respond. He got up and poured two glasses of scotch, handing one to her and making his way over to the window, not once sparing her a glance. "It was a long time ago."

SUITS

"Where was that associate of yours today, Harvey?" Jessica asked as they both approached the elevators that night. "I was excited to meet the man that was finally good enough for the best goddamn closer in New York." She smirked, pressing the button.

"He was so eager to work he came in with a flu. Sent him home. He'll be back tomorrow."

She eyed him up and down suspiciously. "Since when do you care about the wellbeing of the associates? Scratch that. Since when do you care about the wellbeing of anyone?"

He sent her one of his award winning smiles before stepping into the elevator. "My, my, Ms. Pearson, what ever do you mean?" He put a hand over his heart, taking mock offense to her oh so true words.

She only laughed in response, letting their conversation slip to their cases as they made their way down fifty flights to the road. "Goodnight, Harvey." She called over her shoulder as she stepped into the back seat of a very expensive looking care.

"Goodnight, Jessica." He responded with a mischievous grin before stepping into his own black car, giving Ray a new address.

When he got to the door he wanted, he knocked three times, stepped back, and pulled himself up confidently.

"I wasn't expecting to see you here..." Mike said nervously as he opened the door wide enough for Harvey to walk through – he didn't.

"Put your jacket on, we're going out."

"Out where? It's nine o'clock."

"Oh sorry, I forgot it's past your bedtime." And with that he walked away, knowing that it would take mere seconds until he heard footsteps running after him.

"Where are we going?"

"You'll see." He didn't answer, knowing that was as good as it was going to get. "Oh, and Mike? If you're going to be working for me, you're going to ditch Trevor."

He stopped when the footsteps stopped behind him. Turning around, he was faced with a very guarded expression. "I told you, I'm not going to do that, Harvey."

"Yes you are. You know I'm right and you know he's bad for you. You'll get your own place before the end of the month."

"I'm not leaving him." He ground out. His plan was to continue, but he was suddenly pressed between the wall and his new boss, pressed completely against him. He swallowed audibly, trying to keep his eyes focused on the brown ones in front of him. Their faces were so close their noses were nearly touching.

"You're going to leave Trevor." Harvey told him, sounding much more confident than he felt. He pulled away, smirking to himself at the way the younger man shivered as he caught up again.

They didn't hail a cab; the place was in walking distance. By the time they were at the front door, Mike was flushed and his eyes had widened. "I didn't think I'd ever end up here again..."

Harvey took him by the upper arm and dragged him in, finding a booth in the crowded space, and taking off his jacket. "Hasn't changed much." He offered, calling over a waitress – who he couldn't help but notice was wearing practically nothing. They ordered their respective drinks, and left, Harvey winking at her like his usual playboy self before turning back to Mike – who was staring at his hands, a blush crawling up his neck. "You alright there, rookie?"

He smiled at his old nickname. "I guess I am a rookie again..."

"You never weren't."

Normally he would have been offended, but he could hear the slight tease in the man's voice, and when he looked up, it was fully present in his eyes. He quickly looked back down as he felt his blush deepen – and then even more so at his embarrassment from blushing. Harvey chuckled

"I think our tables gone. I think Trevor broke it in a bar fight..." He mused, looking around. "The one we met at, I mean."

"I know what you mean." He said almost too quietly, looking toward the corner as if he could see them sitting there all those years ago.

A moment passed, their drinks came, and slowly Mike's pride left him. "He left by the way." He said simply, twisting his glass in his hand, not looking up, before he downed it in one.

"What?" Harvey was shocked, eyes focused now, not bothering to hide his concern.

"When he saw my papers on the table... We fought it out. He left. I'm not surprised, he told me he would. I just..."

Harvey put his hand over his, guilt ripping through him again. With more genuine worry than he thought could exist in him, he whispered, "I'm sorry."

"No you're not. Don't pretend this isn't what you wanted." He hadn't expected telling him to hurt so bad. He slipped on his coat. "I'll see you in the morning." He muttered, leaving Harvey to his disquiet.