A/N: Hold onto your hats, all... PS, I'm writing out the plot for the prequel. Thoughts?
"Harvey, please, I need you to listen to me!"
"Listen to you? You know when I would've listened to you? That night."
"You're not going to show up to court tomorrow." Jessica's expression was dark, everything inside of Mike curled up and cowered away.
"I can't do that to him." He managed, somehow holding her stare.
She pulled herself up higher, peering down her nose at him. Was that a smirk toying at the edges of her lips? "Don't show up, Mike, or don't come back at all."
"What are you saying?"
"I'm saying if you want to keep your job, you're not going to help Harvey win this case."
Everything that was recoiling before was back with a furious vengeance. "I will not betray him like that." His voice was icy, sizing up her own.
"Oh yes you will." Her eyes seemed to hypnotise him. How could he deny her? She left no room to think. "You may work for Harvey, but Harvey works for me, and if I say you go, you go. No matter what Harvey says. And this time, if he says he'll leave if you do, I'll let him go."
What? Harvey would never... How could he?
"Harvey please!" Don't walk away from me...
"You had enough?"
"No." Harvey had to listen to him. He didn't know what he would do if Harvey walked away now...
"Excuse me?" He turned around, all domineering and dangerous.
"No, you haven't, so I haven't. You haven't said whatever it is you need to say to forgive me. So go ahead. Rip me to shreds." I can take it. He waited. "Go ahead! I can take it!"
"Go." He snarled, turning on his heel again. Mike followed him.
"Harvey, I'm sorry alright! Jessica threatened me!" And you...
"I don't care. Anyone comes at you with any threat at all, you come to me. I don't care if it's the goddamn Queen of England, you tell me! You tell me! You tell me everything! That's what goddamn loyalty is!" He was in his face now, inches away. Mike could feel the heat radiating off of him in his anger.
he was frozen; begging himself to say something, to do something, but he was frozen. Every aspect of his being was paralysed. Was it fear? No... Shock? He couldn't tell. All he knew, was that he'd hurt Harvey, and it couldn't be fixed. Not this time. Right when they were so close... Say something! But then Harvey was walking away, and Mike was still there, frozen, glued to the spot. The world kept moving on around him. Cars drove by in the streets, pedestrians wandered passed him, and everything that was Mike stood still. Was he breathing? He took an extra deep breath just to be sure. Was his heart still beating? Surely it was... Ah yes, there was the unstable beating of his heart, going to slow and too fast all at the same time. It was breaking. Or was it already broken... How could it possibly break any further?
There was one more thing he could think to do.
The office was empty, a few of the lights turned off. It gave it an eerie, but also very calm feel. Mike sat at his desk, working through a stack of papers that probably weighed twice as much as he did. He was going to show Harvey what loyalty is. He was going to do everything for him, and he was going to sit at that desk until it was done. Except... he'd have to drop by the file room... where he left his phone...
Blatantly frustrated, he pushed his chair back loudly and stalked towards the file room. The door hit the wall with a loud cracking sound as he burst through it, jumping away from him and his hostility. If it weren't an inanimate object, it would be running for the hills.
He twisted his way through the room to the table he was sure he left the damned phone on, and was most confound by this surprise. After all, it was very late...
"Problem?"
Oh. Wow. "Rachel... I didn't expect anyone to be here this late."
She rolled her eyes, turning back to the box of files she was going through. After hearing Mike curse and jostle around, she turned back towards him. "Seriously, Mike, is there an issue?"
Funny... he didn't think they were on speaking terms yet... Was everyone mad at him? "I can't find my phone." He tried to keep his voice level. He didn't need to take this out on her.
Her smirk stopped him short in his tracks. "I put that on your desk hours ago, Mike. I found it in here this morning."
Did his emotions just freeze or did he actually feel better? Rachel was speaking to him. Nicely. Was she not angry anymore? The thought made his heart squeeze. "Thank you," he smiled, a true, genuine smile. She seemed completely taken aback by this response; her mouth fell open but no words came out. He made his move quickly. "How are you, Rachel?"
She seemed to come back to her senses. "Great, I've got a hot date tomorrow, and Donna and I are going shopping." She gave him an impish wink and turned back to her box.
Mike looked down, smiling a self deprecating smile. "What's his name?"
"Mark."
"Mark? Mark the associate, Mark?"
She seemed to barely pay him attention as she responded, bored sounding. "No, Mark who works for the New York Times, Mark." Her eyes scanned over a page, she seemed to find it quite satisfying.
"Oh. Does he have a hot sister?" He teased, wagging his eyebrows suggestively.
A giggle escaped her lips that she had no chance of suppressing. She hated herself for it. "Oh please, Mike, I know better than to set any poor soul up with you." She recovered, almost feeling guilty about the emotional slap she'd just dealt him.
He ignored the sting. "I'm a catch and you know it."
She didn't ignore it. "I don't know if I would call it that..."
"Call what that?"
"You. A catch."
"Ouch?"
"Oh please."
She was communicating with him. Passive aggressively maybe, but communicating all the same. He took a chance. Stepping up behind her, he softened his voice. "I'm sorry I hurt you, Rachel."
She tensed in front of him. "If you were sorry, you wouldn't keep doing it."
What? No! He grabbed her arm and turned her around to face him. "Rachel, I can't tell you because I don't want to hurt you."
"But you are hurting me!" She shook him off. "Why can't you just tell me?"
"Because I've lost everything!" He suddenly snapped, shouting at her. "I've lost my parents, Trevor, Harvey, probably my job, and I'm not ready to lose you!"
The world stopped. Again. Oh shit. Did he really just say that? No, it wasn't possible. Could he have said it? Yeah. By the way she was staring at him, he totally had. Woops...
Well here goes nothing... "I'm a fraud."
Her eyes widened, suddenly she looked positively guarded. "What?" She ground out, jaw flexing.
"I never went to Harvard."
He paused, letting the words sink in. He'd take as long as she – hey! She slapped him. Hard.
"Rachel!" She slapped him again, harder this time. He was completely stunned by her outburst. "Rachel I-" and when her hand came up a third time, he was ready. He grabbed it out of the air. "Rachel! Enough!"
Her expression turned from angry, to pained in a nanosecond. She pulled away from him, escaping towards the door, but he caught her wrist. Aggressively, he pulled her back. She couldn't leave. She was all he had left. She stared up at him, doe eyes wide and afraid. No, not afraid... Worried? It looked almost as if... Damn it, he didn't care. Her eyes were red, glossy with unshed tears, her lip trembled, and she looked absolutely heartbreaking. Was that his fault? He had to change that. How could he change that? Oh. That's how. His body seemed to be reacting without his mind's permission. Suddenly, they were kissing. Who'd kissed who?
He walked her back into one of the shelves, wrapping his arms fast around her waist and pulling her to him, eliciting a soft whimper from her lips. She turned around, still kissing him, allowing him to unzip her dress before she turned back, fingers winding through his hair. He pulled her leg up around his waist, pushing her back further until she was pressed between the cold metal of the shelves and his warm body.
Breaking the kiss, they stared at each other, each begging a silent question. And then they're mouths were together again.
SUITS
"Hi."
"Hi."
"So."
"So..."
Well this is awkward.
"Funny running into you here."
"In the file room?" Her amused, yet disbelieving smile gave him hope.
"Well, yeah, I mean-" oh no. He caught the shy.
So had she.
They stared at each other for... how long? And then his lips were on hers, and she was back up against the shelves again. She groaned into his mouth, tugging at the collar of his dress shirt. His hands had already begun their downward descent when she pulled them up, turning her head away.
"Mike-" she gasped, trying to escape the onslaught of open mouthed kisses that were heating her neck so deliciously. "Mike. File room." She panted, earning a moan from him as his continued his kisses down and across her collar bone.
"I know." He murmured, not understanding what she was saying.
"Mike, stop." She barely managed to sound convincing, but he listened anyway.
He took a step back, looking more than vulnerable, relaxing only when he saw her shy smile.
"We're at work." She whispered, suddenly grinning mischievously.
He raised an eyebrow. "Sounds hot." His mouth came down on hers again, gently this time, and she kissed him back softly. "I have a question."
"Ruin the moment..." the muttered, though the humor was evident in her voice.
"Do you have plans for dinner tonight?"
SUITS
"Yes, you can take time off to visit your sister." Harvey said lamely, not bothering to look up at the obviously-up-to-something red read sitting in front of him.
"Who says I want time off?"
She's been sitting there, dramatically pouting all afternoon. What's more is she hadn't said a word, only gave over the top sighs once in awhile.
"Do you not want time off?" He raised a humored brow at her, smiling cheekily.
She gave him an are-you-dumb look that he pointedly ignored, and shifted in her seat. "I miss Mike."
Harvey rolled his eyes, exasperated. "Donna. We've been over this." He began, cutting her off when she made to reply. "Mike's just down the hall, go visit him." His badly feigned innocence played insult to her obvious concern.
"It's not the same and you know it." He ignored her. Moments passed. "How's Scotty?"
"Why are you asking me this?"
"I'm just making conversation," she played the same innocent card that he did – only better. Not that he didn't see through it.
"No you're not, you're prying."
"It's what I do." She flipped her hair behind her shoulder, impressed with herself. He didn't show it, but he was smiling on the inside.
"Ok, let me rephrase. Why do you care?"
"I don't."
"Then why are you asking?"
"Like I said, I care."
He rolled his eyes again, flipping the page of a contract. "Don't you have a job to do? You could at least let me do mine."
"How is that coming along by the way? Lots of extra work to do now that Mike's gone?"
She watched him tense. She'd learned from the best; hit where it hurts. "In case you haven't noticed, Donna, there are plenty of other adequate associates out there to get the job done."
"Oh really."
"I haven't fallen behind yet, have I?" His grin was tight, an ugly attempt at masking his anger. At least he had some self control.
"No, because Mike's been doing all your work." She pointed out, tapping her perfectly glossed nails on the desk as if to further her point. The table was in fact, as solid as the facts.
"What? No I gave it to-" His confusion turned into annoyance. "Donna, make sure Mike doesn't touch my cases."
"Why not, Harvey? He's trying to make it up to you!"
"Who's side are you on?" He growled, pushing out of his chair and walking away from his desk.
"Yours!" She followed him. "I am so sick and tired of you fighting like hell for everything that happens in here, and for nothing that happens in here!" She brought her hands to her chest as she said this, eyes boring into his. Could he possibly understand? Or would he just shut down like always. How many ways could she put it? She shook her head sadly. "It's been over a week, Harvey. Talk to him."
SUITS
"Up top," hands came up, and with practiced fluidity, Mike and Louis' hands clapped together above their heads. "Ayoo!"
"Well, there it is." Louis grinned, pouring two glasses of scotch. "Another case solved by Mouis."
"Mouis..?" He carefully accepted the drink handed to him.
"Yeah, Mike and Louis. We can change it if you like. Honestly, it was the best sounding name I could think of."
"Right..."
"But congratulations, Mike. You might just be the best associate New York has ever seen. Aside from me of course," he teased, lighthearted. It was nice to be appreciated, and Mike never took it for granted.
"Cheers to that." He smiled, accepting the oddness that was his new boss and clanking their glasses together.
He managed to get out of the office by quarter to eleven. It was a chilly night, but nothing he couldn't handle. Quickly, he shot Rachel a text.
"Watch where you're going!" A voice snapped him out of his happy reverie, and he looked up to apologize to the man he must have bumped into, but was met with a fist hitting just beneath his eye.
He stumbled back, feet betraying him and he fell to the ground. "Hey, hey!" He protested, putting his hands up to defend himself against further attack.
"Are you Mike Ross?"
A chill went through him. "No."
"Bullshit! You're the guy dating Rachel, am I wrong?"
"Yes." What the hell was going on? Suddenly he was being dragged up by the collar and thrust against the wall of the office building.
"You'd better stay the hell away from her, ya here?" He brought his knee up and slammed it hard into Mike's gut, releasing him so he could fall painfully to the ground. A heap of gasping. Before he was through, he kicked him once hard in the ribs. "Watch yourself."
What the hell?
Somehow, he managed to get himself home on his bike. How? He had no idea. He barely registered anything through the pain as he made his way up to his apartment. He grabbed all the ice he could from the freezer and dropped heavily onto the couch. Everything hurt. He groaned, feeling every breath sharply in his ribs. He was confident that nothing was broken though. No need for a doctor. Although, he could have definitely gone for some weed right about then. But the bitter after taste of Harvey's anger was still present in his system, and he knew he couldn't even if he tried. He had it bad.
He woke up in the morning after a very uncomfortable sleep, still on the couch. His shirt was soaked from all the melted ice, and the sun was half blinding him as it came in through the windows. What time was it?
"Oh, shit." He muttered, throwing himself up off the couch a little too quickly, and taking a moment to brace himself. Somehow, he made it to work with minutes to spare.
"What happened to you?" Donna was leaving the file room as he was passing it on his way to Louis' office.
"Nothing, I-" She grabbed his arm, pulling him back around to face her.
"Mike, this is serious. What happened?" Her face was filled with concern.
"It's nothing, Donna. I'm fine. Promise." He tried to sound reassuring, but she was having none of it.
"Come on."
"Where are we going?"
"Harvey's office."
"Donna, I have a job to get to."
"Yeah well," she didn't finish her sentence, only dragged him not so gently towards his ex-boss. She pushed him through the doors, and he not so gracefully landed in front of the man's desk, staring at him like a deer in the headlights. Thank you, Donna...
"What happened to you?"
"Nothing, Harvey, I'm fine."
"No you're not," Harvey stood up, leaning across his desk. "And when I find whoever did this, they're not going to be either."
"Harvey-"
"What happened, Mike?" His teeth were clenched tightly together and his shoulders were tense. Mike knew better than to argue.
"It's just some guy... He's been bugging me for a while now but it's nothing I can't handle."
"Clearly." He muttered, gesturing for the kid to take a seat.
"Really, I need to go see Louis..."
Harvey tensed further but otherwise ignored him, taking his seat back.
Mike sighed. "He's never bothered me in person... It's just some guy who has a thing for Rachel and doesn't like that we're..." Oh shit. Did Harvey know? The look the lawyer was giving him gave him a clear answer.
"Go home."
"What?"
"Go. Home. Mike." He ground out, seething.
Dazed, Mike complied.