Chapter Text
It's been a quiet few weeks. Too quiet, Harvey realizes, like they're tempting fate. And then, mere moments later, he feels like he was expecting it when Donna strides into his office and announces, "Jessica wants to see you both right away."
Harvey and Mike are sitting at his table, elbow deep in paperwork as they work on a merger (ugh, so boring). At Donna's proclamation they both look at each other and simultaneously demand, "What did you do?"
Donna actually laughs out loud. Mike is grinning at him, and he can tell the younger man is about two seconds away from saying Jinx!. So he stops the childish behavior before it occurs, giving Mike a stern look and telling him, "Don't even think about it," which somehow makes Mike grin even more.
With an eye-roll Harvey stands, grabbing his jacket from the back of his chair and putting it on. Mike follows his lead, as always, and they head out to Jessica's office.
"So, do you actually know what this is about?" Mike asks, and Harvey can hear the anxiety lacing his words.
"No," Harvey admits, and glancing at Mike he can see his face fall. "I'm sure it's nothing," he adds, trying to alleviate Mike's fears. "Probably just a new case or something."
Things have been going well lately. So maybe it's just denial speaking, but Harvey can't even consider another reason for the summons. Mike's first instinct whenever something unexpected happens is to worry about someone finding out their secret. But they've kept that same secret for over two years. Harvey refuses to believe someone could've found out now.
But then they approach Jessica's office, and Harvey pulls Mike up short, hand hooking around his elbow. Jessica isn't alone in there. There are two men, strangers, standing next to her. They give off an official vibe, just from the way they stand and the cut of their suits. And suddenly he's not so sure anymore.
Mike has seen them now, and has clearly reached the same conclusion. He inches closer to Harvey, panic clear across his face.
"Mike, it's okay, look at me," he says. He knows he needs Mike to be calm and rational if they have any chance of lying their way through this. His poker face is shit, and it won't matter what Harvey says about Mike's qualifications if the whole time Mike is standing beside him, giving everything away. "Just follow my lead, okay? Whatever happens."
Mike nods numbly, and Harvey squeezes his upper arm briefly before leading the way into the office.
"Jessica," he says as he walks in. "How can we help you?" he adds easily, without a care in the world.
"Harvey, Mike, this is Edward Beker and Adrian Burrows. They've just brought some very disturbing information about Mike to me."
Harvey can feel Mike stiffen beside him. He doesn't know how he's going to explain Mike's lack of law degree. All he knows is he will go down fighting. "Jessica-"
"Is it true, Mike," Jessica says, completely ignoring Harvey, "that you are not, in fact, an American citizen but are living and working here illegally?"
Harvey can't help it. He groans, hand covering his face, while Mike splutters beside him. He can't believe that with everything they know about each other, Mike has somehow managed to forget to tell him this not at all insignificant detail about himself. But he composes himself quickly, putting a hand to Mike's back, silently communicating to stop talking before he says something even more stupid.
"Yes, Jessica, it's true," he says, hoping that they'll all believe that he always knew, that his brief moment of disbelief was from being caught out and not because he actually didn’t know. "And Mike and I have discussed many times his need to get naturalized. I'm sure you can appreciate how that can be put on the backburner when you work the hours we work."
"A busy work life does not exempt you from breaking the law," Beker says, and his voice is as bland and monotone as Harvey had imagined.
"Agreed," Harvey says, not wanting to anger him. "But gentleman, it's all moot anyway, because Mike and I are getting married."
You could hear a pin drop in the silence that follows. Burrows and Beker remain stony faced with hints of disbelief, Jessica is looking at him like he has actually gone insane, and Mike is just staring at him, mouth open in shock.
"A fake marriage is no solution to this problem," Burrows says.
"Who says it's fake?" Harvey counters.
"Given Mike and Jessica's reaction, I'd say it's obvious."
"Well, Jessica didn't even know we were dating. Pearson Hardman has rules about fraternization, which we've obviously broken. And as for Mike," he says, turning to face his associate. Mike finally manages to close his mouth, looks a bit calmer with Harvey's gaze heavy with his. When Mike schools his features he turns back to the Immigration officers. "We'd agreed to keep our relationship secret, even after we got married. Like I said, fraternization. Plus the fact that it's nobody's goddamn business, and he's probably just shocked I broke our number one rule." He turns back to Mike and says softly, "Sorry, baby."
Harvey looks back to Burrows and Beker, completely calm, like they can't touch him now. He wants to add a sarcastic anything else? but figures now is not the time to push his luck.
"For the record," Beker says, pulling a business card from his jacket pocket, "I don't believe any of this. But if this is your stance, so be it." He scribbles on the back of the card and hands it to Harvey. "Just know that if we discover you're lying there will be consequences. Severe consequences. We expect you both there on Wednesday to begin the verification of this so-called relationship."
Harvey takes the card with a nod.
"We'll also need you to complete some preliminary paperwork and have it returned within twenty four hours."
"Not a problem," Harvey says, reaching into his suit jacket pocket and pulling out his own business card. "Email it to me and we'll send it back as soon as possible."
Burrows pockets the card, and with one last disbelieving scowl the men silently leave the room. The three of them stand silent until they're certain the exiting officers are out of ear shot. As soon as Jessica's sure they're alone she steps towards Harvey, exclaiming, "Are you insane, Harvey?"
"Not that I'm aware," he says. He keeps the bravado up, because he doesn’t want to show weakness, even to Jessica. But now that the moment's over, the weight of the situation they've found themselves in feels heavy on his shoulders. He looks to Mike - because he can't not - to find Mike already looking at him, his expression a mixture of surprise and awe. A sudden clarity comes over him. He's already lied for Mike before, every damn day in fact. He wouldn’t take any of those days back, and he's never regretted the decision to hire Mike. He's always protected Mike. He's just doing it in a different way now. "Are you implying that the two of us being in a relationship is tantamount to insanity?"
"You are not in a relationship," she says, like the whole idea is ludicrous.
"Pretty sure I just admitted otherwise," he replies. It’s obvious those immigration bastards will use any evidence they can get to prove their relationship isn't legitimate (which it isn't, but that's not the point), so he needs everyone to believe the lie. No one, not even their closest family or friends, can know the truth, otherwise this all unravels and they get fined or arrested or, worst of all, deported.
Harvey keeps Jessica's gaze, until she turns her attention to Mike. "Can you give us a minute, Mike?"
Mike looks completely out of his depth as he looks between them, not sure whether to stay or go. Harvey gives him a subtle nod, and Mike still looks dazed when he leaves, closing the door behind him.
"Harvey," Jessica says, and she sounds much gentler now. "I'm just trying to understand. I know you've covered for him before, that you like him, that he's your friend. But this ... do you know what will happen to you if the truth is discovered?"
"You mean that my partner will be allowed to remain in the country and continue helping you make a lot of money?"
And Jessica just looks at him for a beat before laughing. He's seen that expression before. It's her I give up fighting, and am just going to sit back and watch this play out look. "Fine," she says. "For the record, I'm not sure I believe you either. But you've made your bed and now you're going to have to sleep in it. Literally."
She's grinning when she returns to her desk, and he takes the dismissal for what it is, leaving her office with a nod.
Mike doesn't know what else to do, so he just heads back to Harvey's office and paces the floor.
His mind is spinning with it. He'd tried to tell Harvey so many times. It was literally the only secret he had left. But every time he went to say the words, he couldn't bear the idea of seeing that disappointed look on his face. That face was the worst, and Mike would do everything in his power to not be on the receiving end of it. Even if that meant lying about his past.
Only he somehow got found out, and even more incredibly, Harvey had lied directly to the fucking government about their relationship to keep him here. His mind is spinning with the idea, overwhelming and confusing as it is, when Harvey returns to the office.
"Harvey-" Mike says urgently, but the older man holds up a hand to silence him.
"Not here," he murmurs, and Mike glances out of the office to see Donna looking in at them curiously. Mike nods in understanding, and Harvey heads to his desk. "Meet me downstairs in five. We're done for the day."
Mike nods, almost more surprised at Harvey ending the work day at one pm on a Monday afternoon than he is about everything else that's happening. He heads back to his own desk, shuts down his computer, grabs his belongings and goes to meet Harvey downstairs. Ray is already there, so Mike heads straight over to the car, smiling in greeting. Harvey isn't here yet, so they chat amiably until Harvey arrives a few minutes later.
"My place, Ray," Harvey says when they are all in the car, and Ray nods as he pulls the car into the traffic.
"Harvey-" Mike tries again, but is once more stopped from further speech, this time by a curt shake of the head.
"Not yet," Harvey says, and Mike gives up, watching the city fly by his car window as they make the familiar drive up Broadway to Harvey's apartment.
The drive just gives him more time to get lost in his confusion. He can't figure out Harvey's game plan. Obviously he isn't actually going to marry Mike in order to keep him in the country. But he can't figure out what other purpose the bluff serves. And then there's his growing anxiety over the inevitable conversation they’re bound to have about how Mike's been lying to him this whole time. He mentally prepares himself for The Look of Disappointment.
When they arrive at the building they ride up the elevator in silence. Mike has given up trying to start the conversation, and Harvey is clearly in no hurry, so Mike just waits for him to make the first move.
Harvey lets them both in, and Mike makes a beeline for the couch, stripping off his suit jacket and tie as he moves across the room. He tosses the articles onto the nearby wingback and collapses onto the couch. He can hear Harvey in the kitchen, talking on his landline and ordering them lunch (a burger for Mike and a steak for Harvey) to be delivered to them from a restaurant down the street.
When Harvey finally comes and sits beside him on the couch Mike can't remain silent anymore. "So are we finally going to talk about how you basically just proposed marriage to me?"
And Harvey, incredibly, laughs. He sinks back into the couch, turns his head to look at Mike. "Proposal implies that there was a question that was answered. I'm not sure what you call what happened today."
They lapse back into silence, and despite the utter surrealism of the situation and that Mike was fully anticipating there would be heated words and recriminations, it's still a comfortable silence. There's no anger or judgement, just a quiet acceptance.
"I am sorry, you know," Mike says softly, because he is. If he'd known that this would be the outcome of his silence, he would've told Harvey the day they met.
"Why did you never tell me?" Harvey asks, and Mike's stomach lurches. Harvey doesn't sound angry, he sounds hurt.
"Because I didn't know how. You'd already risked everything by hiring someone with no degree. I couldn't tell you that I wasn't actually a citizen on top of that. I mean, I know this is going to sound stupid, but I've lived here for ten years. I forget sometimes that I'm actually Canadian. And when I did remember I thought about telling you but I could never gather the courage."
"If only you had," Harvey sighs. "Maybe we wouldn't be in this situation now."
"So, what exactly is the plan?" Mike asks, sitting straighter, the quiet intimacy of the previous moment broken with reality crashing through. Harvey is looking at him like he doesn't understand the question, so Mike makes a vague gesture with his hands when he says, "How are we going to fix this?"
Harvey sits up, looking tense now that he knows what Mike is asking. He avoids his eyes, and when Mike realizes the meaning of his silence, he blanches.
"No, Harvey, absolutely not."
"There's no other choice."
"There has to be. I will not force you to marry me just to keep me in the country."
"You're not forcing, I'm offering."
Mike stands from the couch, takes a few steps away. He doesn’t know how it is that he's the angry one in this situation. Because Harvey was the one who was lied to, the one who’s giving up his personal life just to save his employee... why isn't he pissed off?
"Harvey," Mike says after taking a few moments to try and calm down. "You know I appreciate everything you've done for me these last couple of years. You changed my life and I'd do anything to repay that. Which is why I can't let you do this. I can't make you give up your life, just for me. I won't ... bind you to me."
"There's no alternative," Harvey says with a sigh, standing and leaving the room.
Harvey doesn’t mean to abandon Mike in his living room, but he needs some space, to breathe, to think. Because the truth is, he hadn't really thought this through. In the heat of the moment, standing there in Jessica's office, someone threatening to take Mike away, he did the first thing that came to mind. And maybe there were other options they could've explored had he not jumped in feet first with the marriage idea, but he did, and there's no going back from that now.
It honestly didn't occur to him what this would mean for his life. Granted, they could give it a year and quietly divorce and be done with it. But the idea revolted. The reason he had never married before was because he took it very seriously, and didn't want to become another statistic. He wanted his marriage to last. His parents' hadn't, his brother's hadn't, and he didn't want to go through the pain he witnessed in them.
But his and Mike's divorce wouldn't be like that. It was just an agreement. There were no feelings, no hearts to be broken; it was just what needed to be done to save Mike. And he might bitch and moan about it sometimes, but he always did whatever needed to be done to save Mike.
The sound of the doorbell pulls him from the safety of his bedroom. He'd forgotten about the lunch delivery, and he heads to the front door, surprised to see Mike already there, paying for their meals. He'd expected Mike to flee. But he didn't. He's still here.
There is caution in Mike's eyes when their gazes meet, but then they busy themselves with the food, Mike pulling the containers out of the bag while Harvey grabs plates from the kitchen. Mike grabs some glasses and pours them both a drink of water, and they move easily around each other. It's a habit now, the routine developed over many a late night working in the condo.
Their food is dished up and they sit opposite each other at the dining table. But they don't eat. The air around them is tense, unresolved, and Harvey hates it.
"If we're going to do this, it has to look real. No one can know the truth, not our families or friends or colleagues. We can never tell anyone," Harvey says.
"Okay," Mike says on a deep exhale. "If you ever want to tap out, you tell me straight away. I won't do this if you aren't one hundred percent sure."
"Okay," Harvey agrees.
They spend the afternoon creating the back story of Harvey and Mike, secretly loved-up couple. The paperwork from Immigration has come through, so they start there. The first thing the form demands is their names and contact info, which brings up the immediate problem of the fact that they are still living apart despite claiming to be engaged. There's no way they could claim to be living together when a quick check will confirm they each hold leases in their own names, so they decide that though they still officially live apart they spend pretty much every night together anyway, sometimes at Mike's but most of the time at Harvey's.
The first actual question on the form asks when the relationship commenced, and it's a good place to start creating their history. The questions on the form are pretty bare bones, so once that's complete they take it to the next level. They create romantic anecdotes, dates that never happened, figure out how they got together and who proposed to whom. They decide who does all the cooking and cleaning and dry cleaning runs (and actually end up fighting over their hypothetical chores until Mike agrees to take on the cleaning as long as Harvey always cooks).
There's no need to ask questions about each other's lives, because they already know each others' favorite foods and music and movies. The only area that's slightly lacking is each other's romantic history, so they leave that for last.
Mike puts the laptop aside, saying, "I refuse to make notes on our romantic past."
Harvey laughs, nodding in agreement. "You wanna go first?"
Mike really doesn't, but he doesn’t want Harvey to know that either. "Well, there's not much to tell to be honest. My first girlfriend was Tess. We grew up together, had all those first milestones together that teenagers have. But she moved away at the end of high school, and I never saw her again. I came to America not long after, but obviously didn't really know anyone. So my next relationship was when I was twenty one. Her name was Emilie and we met at a coffee shop. We were together for nearly a year, but she started her post-grad study and we kinda grew apart. There was Gabrielle, but that relationship didn't last too long when I discovered she'd been seeing someone else the whole time. You know about Jenny, so that's it."
Harvey groans something that sounds like, "Oh God, you're not even gay." At Mike's enquiring look he laughs and says, "We're getting married and you aren't even gay. This is insane."
"Hey, this was your idea remember, just tell me if you want out." Harvey rolls his eyes at him, which makes Mike smile. "And yeah, okay, I've never been with a guy. I'm not gay, but I'm not exactly straight either. I'm ... I'm trying to come up with a less offensive term than bi-curious. I've never been with a guy, but that doesn't mean I've never thought about it before either."
"The Kinsey Scale is your friend, Mike. You should look it up sometime," Harvey says, standing from the couch and heading to the kitchen. Mike briefly glances at the laptop beside him and wonders if he'd have time to do a quick google before Harvey comes back, but decides against it.
Harvey returns soon enough, bottle of red and two glasses in hand. They've spent the afternoon here in Harvey's condo, drawing a timeline of their relationship, and the sun has set, signalling the beginning of alcohol times.
"So what about you?" Mike asks as Harvey pours. "If you've been gay this whole time then I'm seriously confused by all the women I've seen you with the last two years."
"Gay, no. Bisexual, yes," Harvey says simply before taking a sip of his drink.
Mike feels a rush of surprise, but as the information sinks in he doesn't know why he hadn't figured it out earlier. Looking back on it, the signs were definitely there. He feels a stab of pain that Harvey had never told him this before now, but given his secret that was exposed today, he figures he doesn't have a leg to stand on.
"Okay, so tell me all the gory details." At Harvey's look Mike realizes how that must've sounded and hastily adds, "I mean your relationships, tell me about all your relationships," and they're both laughing now.
"Well, there's even less to tell than you. I've had two official relationships – Caitlin Hughes and Zach Jones. Both lasted less than six months. I've had a couple of near relationships, with Scottie and Zoe, but apart from that it's all been casual flings and one night stands."
Mike had always known that Harvey had commitment issues, but hearing it laid out in such terms was overwhelming. Really for the first time he saw the scale of what Harvey was doing for him.
"You've never been in a relationship longer than six months, and you're marrying me," Mike says, a rush of affection for this man running through his veins. Harvey was making the biggest commitment of his life, and he was making it to Mike.
And Harvey smiles, says, "Well how could I turn down your amazingly eloquent and romantic proposal?"
Harvey takes Mike out for a late dinner, and despite the fact they've eaten together dozens upon dozens of times, for the first time he actually has to remind himself that it isn't a date.
Because it feels like a date. They aren't talking about work like usual. They don't talk about their fake back-story (which is maybe slightly paranoid but Harvey figures better safe than sorry), they just enjoy each other's company as the two friends they are. And if Harvey is slightly more tactile than normal, well, he figures it's just something to get used to. There is laughter and teasing and it's almost enough to make him forget everything else that's going on.
There is an awkward moment at the end of the night when they hail a cab and Harvey realizes he has no idea what happens next. But he figures there's been enough fake relationship drama for today, so he hugs Mike and says, "See you tomorrow."
Mike nods, gives him a small smile, and slides into the cab, alone.
Work is as normal as ever the next day. Donna doesn't even ask about their abrupt departure, assuming it was case related, and Harvey doesn't dissuade her of this notion. He avoids Jessica as best as he's able, and when Mike turns up in his doorway at around ten and asks if he can work in his office, Harvey lets him.
They have a meeting scheduled in the afternoon as part of the merger they're working on, and though it was supposed to be held at Pearson Hardman, in the spirit of avoiding Jessica he gets Donna to contact opposing council and change the meeting to their offices. Mike has been antsy all day and Harvey thinks it will be good to get him out of the office.
After the meeting (it's a slam dunk, of course) they grab some hot dogs and meander down the street and Harvey reluctantly says, "So we should probably talk about how this is going to work."
"You mean our non-relationship?" Mike asks, but there's a hint of a smile there.
"Yeah," Harvey says, returning it. "We told them no one knew the truth about us, so we need to act like we're together while hiding the fact that we're together."
Mike looks at him for a moment before he deadpans, "I have no idea what that means."
Harvey laughs. "It means we need to be together more outside of the office, in case the Immigration agents are watching, but not too much that it raises the suspicions of our co-workers."
Mike is silent for a few moments before declaring, "I still don't know how that works."
Harvey rolls his eyes, but it's accompanied by a smile which lessens the impact. "It means we have dinner in public a few nights a week. It means you stay at my place, even if we go into work separately. It means we hang out together on the weekends."
Mike nods. "We have to date."
Harvey nods in agreement, and there doesn't seem to be much to say after that.
The rest of the work day is the same as normal, with the possible exception of Mike taking up residence in his office ("Saving me from the douche associates in the bullpen is the best engagement gift ever"). Jessica doesn't come and see them, Donna raises an eyebrow in question at Mike's presence but says nothing, and everything else is fairly typical.
At the end of the day there's less hesitation than the previous evening. They leave at the same time, and catch a cab to Mike's place. He helps Mike pack up some belongings (well, Mike packs everything, Harvey just provides a running commentary of mainly disparaging remarks and attempts to misplace a few of the most offending items) before they return to Harvey's condo.
Mike looks slightly ill at ease, and it's not an expression Harvey's used to seeing on Mike, not here. Because for all Mike gives him crap about his one percent lifestyle, he (not so) secretly loves Harvey's condo and turns up here uninvited more often than invited. He hovers in the front entranceway and Harvey suddenly realizes the reason for Mike's unease.
He doesn’t know where he's going to be sleeping.
"Come on, Mike," he murmurs gently, leading Mike to the seldom used guest room. Mike smiles in gratitude, and Harvey leaves him to unpack.
Mike's leg bounces up and down, a physical manifestation of the nerves flooding through his body, and only stops when Harvey puts a hand on his thigh.
"It's okay," Harvey whispers. Mike turns to look at him, and when he says, "We've got this."
Harvey seems so certain that Mike has little choice but to believe him. Mike nods, and Harvey gives his thigh a quick squeeze before he lets go.
After a near torturous wait of five minutes, Beker and Burrows finally enter the room and sit opposite them. They're each carrying manila folders and Mike wonders at their contents. What could they possibly have discovered about their relationship in two days?
"Mr. Specter, Mr. Ross, good morning," Beker says, and Harvey and Mike just nod in reply. "Normally when we have questions in regards to a couple's legitimacy we ask for certain types of evidence, but given your work relationship and your assertion that you've kept your relationship secret from everyone and that you aren't living together, these avenues aren't really appropriate. So for now here's how it's going to work - we're going to talk to you both together, and then we are going to separate you and talk to you individually. After that we'll regroup and decide how best to proceed depending on how your interviews progress. Any questions?"
Harvey and Mike both shake their heads, so Beker and Burrows open their folders, uncap their pens ready to take notes.
"Good. Okay, Mike, tell us about how you got together."
Mike takes a deep breath. "It was about a year ago. We'd had a meeting with Deloitte, at Rockefeller Center, where Harvey let me take the lead on a deposition. I thought I was ready, and Harvey," at this point Mike looks to the older man, smiles softly, "he believed in me." Harvey returns his smile, and Mike looks back to Beker. "But it didn't go well. I made a big mistake, and while Harvey was trying to clean up my mess I fled the room. I just needed some air, and made my way up to the observation deck. I was still stewing over my rookie error when Harvey found me. I-" Mike laughs, seemingly lost in the memory of a moment that never actually happened, "I rambled. A lot. I apologized profusely for disappointing Harvey and promised to never do it again and told him how stupid I felt for asking that question and I think just to shut me up, he kissed me. I didn't see it coming," Mike glances briefly at Harvey, thinking about Harvey telling them they were getting married, uses the memory to visibly show his surprise at the turn of events, "but that didn't stop me from responding. We've been together ever since."
Burrows keeps making notes as Beker asks, "Harvey, tell us about how you got engaged."
Harvey clears his throat, sits up straighter. "It was two months ago. We were supposed to go out to see The Book of Mormon but we got caught up with a client and missed the first half so just skipped it completely and went back to my place. We downloaded Wedding Crashers, because for some reason I've yet to discern, Mike is obsessed with Owen Wilson-"
"Hey," Mike objects. "Don't put this all on me, you know you've seen Behind Enemy Lines like a dozen times."
"That's different," Harvey tells him, like he's explaining it to a small child. "That movie is gritty and full of awesome action, not idiot douches trying to get into hot women's pants."
"I could so make a comment about your wild youth here but I'll restrain myself," Mike grins and Harvey rolls his eyes at him, but there's a hint of a smile there too. Then suddenly Mike remembers where they are, can feel Beker and Burrows staring at them, and he coughs guiltily, looking away.
"Anyway, we were watching the movie and about halfway through, Mike turned to me and said-"
"Would you ever think about marrying me," Mike murmurs.
Harvey looks at him with a small smile, clearly proud of this particular outburst, and Mike's apparent soft recollection of this special moment between them. "And I said I'd do more than think about it, I'd say yes if he asked."
Mike can't seem to tear his gaze from Harvey's. The moment feels heavy, charged in a way he's never experienced. He doesn't even think about it, just reaches over and briefly squeezes Harvey's hand before returning his attention to the suits across the table.
"Mike, why have you and Harvey chosen to keep your relationship concealed? And is that a decision that was mutually agreed upon?"
"If it wasn't mutually agreed upon, believe me, it wouldn't be happening. And as for the why, there are many reasons. The most obvious of course is that Harvey is my boss and the workplace guidelines at Pearson Hardman explicitly forbid relationships between employees of different ranks. And I don't think either of us wanted to be subjected to the office gossip our relationship would produce, nor have any question of favoritism raised. Because when we're at work, our personal relationship doesn't factor in at all." Since they didn't actually have a personal relationship, Mike couldn't help but think this was the truest statement he’d made so far, but he quickly dismissed the thought for fear of it showing on his face. "Also, for me personally, I'd never been with a guy before, and I wasn't ready to deal with that in a public capacity."
Burrows looks intrigued by this. "You'd never been in a gay relationship before?" he asks, and Mike can practically see the alarm bells going off in his head.
Mike shrugs, like he doesn't have a care in the world. "What can I say? I fell in love with the person, not the gender."
Mike chances a look at Harvey. The older man is looking at him with an expression he has never seen before. If he was an objective outsider he would categorize the look being of unabashed affection, and he hopes that Beker and Burrows make the same conclusion. He gives Harvey a tentative smile, tries to communicate that he thinks things are going well, and Harvey returns it.
Mike's feeling pretty good about how things are going, until he looks back to see Beker and Burrows whispering together. They both turn and Beker says, "I think it's time for the individual interviews."
"Okay, Mr. Specter, I'm going to ask you some questions of an intimate nature. As we stated previously, we can't use our normal methods to verify your relationship so I'm going to ask you things you would only know if you and Mr. Ross are indeed in a romantic relationship. We'll also be asking you to answer questions about yourself so we can match them to Mike's answers."
"I understand," Harvey says evenly, hoping they'd covered all the mundane day to day stuff when he and Mike created their back-story.
"Who cooks?"
"I do. Mike will claim he's terrible at it, so he makes me do it. He's not, he just likes my cooking better."
"Which side of the bed do you sleep on?"
"I'm on the right and Mike's on the left."
"What did you and Mike give each other for Christmas?"
A moment of panic overcomes Harvey. They hadn't thought about Christmas. They did however make up ideas for the last birthday present they gave each other, and hoping Mike makes the same decision he does to use this answer he says, "I gave Mike a first edition of Fantastic Mr Fox, he bought me flying lessons."
"Where will your wedding be held?"
"Don't know, haven’t had time to plan it yet."
"What are your favorite movies?"
"Mine is Mississippi Burning, Mike's is Clue."
"What did you do last night?"
"Mike needed some clean clothes, so we went to his place to grab some before heading back to mine for dinner and a movie. Star Trek," Harvey adds, before Burrows can ask.
"Who gets up first in the morning?"
"Definitely me."
"Are you planning on having children?"
"We haven’t really discussed it yet," Harvey says, thinking back to that brainstorming session. "I'm open to the idea, and I think Mike will be too."
"What did you do for New Year's Eve last year?"
"We had dinner with some friends and then headed home to watch the ball drop."
"Have you met any of Mike's family?"
Harvey looks away, saddened to say, "He doesn't have any."
"Where did you go on your last vacation together?"
"We haven't gone on vacation together yet. But I'm going to visit my family next week and Mike's coming with me."
Burrows is asking his next question, but Harvey can't hear it, his ears ringing from the words that just left his mouth. Why the fuck did he say that? Yes, he had plans to go upstate, but with everything that's happened the last few days he just hadn't gotten around to calling his father to cancel. He doesn’t know why he said they were both going. Maybe it was because the previous question trigged something in him, the need to give Mike some semblance of family, but he's said it now, it's on the record and never to be taken back.
"I'm sorry, what?" Harvey asks blankly when Burrows continues to stare at him expectantly.
"What did you do for your first date?"
Harvey swallows, tries to get his head back in the game. "We went to dinner and then a midnight show at Comedy Cellar."
"What color are your bed sheets?"
Harvey thinks back to his trip to Mike's, glad he can give the correct answer. Mike hasn't seen Harvey's though, so the only thing he can think of is saying the color of the sheets in the guest room, since they're the only ones they've both seen. "Mike's are white and mine are grey."
"Do either of you have tattoos?"
"No."
"When did you know you'd fallen in love with Mike?"
That's a question Harvey didn't see coming. He shifts uncomfortably in his chair and replies, "I don't see how that's relevant."
Burrows puts his pen down, levels him with a hard stare. "It's relevant because I say it is. It's relevant because I can tell you're hiding something and I want to find out what that is. It's relevant because when I spoke to your co-workers about your relationship-"
"You did what?" Harvey exclaims. "That is a gross invasion of privacy. I told you no one knew about our relationship and I don't appreciate you outing us to our co-workers."
"Mr. Specter, if we find out that you've lied about the true nature of your relationship, then Mike will be deported and you will be jailed. I think your co-workers' opinions of you should be the least of your worries. And when I asked," Burrow consults his file for a moment, " Louis Litt and Donna Paulsen, they both said they had no idea that you were involved. Though admittedly Mr. Litt did say that although he had no prior knowledge of this relationship, he is nevertheless unsurprised to hear of it."
Harvey has no reply to that, too stunned over Louis' blasé acceptance of his and Mike's relationship. But it didn't seem like Burrows was even waiting for a response anyway, because he continued with, "I don't know if this means your relationship is real, or if you've gotten your colleagues to lie for you. But I do know something isn't right here, and I will find out what it is. So, when did you know you'd fallen in love with Mike?"
"Why do I need to answer? Mike doesn’t know, so it's not like you can verify the answer with him."
"I'm only going to ask one more time, Mr. Specter. If you refuse to answer I will end this process right now. When did you know you'd fallen in love with Mike?"
Harvey sighs. "A few months after we started working together, I found out that my old boss betrayed me. He buried evidence on some of my cases, the worst one being an innocent eighteen year old kid incorrectly sent to jail for murder. I knew I had to do whatever it took to set things right. And Mike, not only was he there for me at every step, he actually stopped me from crossing the line, from doing something I'd later regret. He went above and beyond, helped solved problems that even I couldn't. If you asked him I'm sure he'd tell you he was doing it for our client, and I'm sure he was. But that wasn't what it felt like to me. Mike doesn’t know, but I fell in love with him before we even got together."
Mike waits, each second that ticks by increasing his anxiety. He can't help but worry that something's gone wrong, that there's a reason Harvey's interview is taking longer than his, that maybe they've caught him in a lie and everything will come crumbling down around them.
He closes his eyes briefly, silently promising himself that if something's gone wrong he'll do anything and everything in his power to keep Harvey out of trouble. He doesn't deserve this, and Mike refuses to let him take the fall.
Thankfully the man himself emerges not long later, Burrows trailing behind. He looks as exhausted as Mike feels, and Mike doesn't even stop to think about it, just immediately stands and hastens to Harvey's side, wraps his fingers around his hand. If Harvey's surprised by this action he doesn't show it, just squeezes his hand in reply, Mike thinks in gratitude.
"What happens now?" Mike asks Burrows, because Harvey seems incapable of speech. Something happened in that room. Mike doesn’t know what, but it's thrown him for a loop. He just hopes it was nothing they can't overcome.
"We'll compare your answers and do some more investigating," Burrows advises. "You'll need to come in again for another meeting. Will you be back from your trip upstate by the 23rd?"
Upstate? Mike thinks, but Harvey is already nodding.
"Okay, we'll see you at one o'clock on the 23rd."
He doesn't shake their hands, just turns and walks back to his office. Mike turns to Harvey, concern and confusion shining like a beacon, but Harvey just shakes his head tersely, putting a hand to his back and steering him out of the building.
"Are you okay?" Mike asks as soon as they're outside, away from prying ears.
"Yeah," Harvey replies, and he seems to be better the further they get away from the building. By tacit agreement they start walking back to Pearson Hardman. It's probably too far to walk, but Mike doesn't care. They need this time, this space to decompress before they have to go back and be badass lawyers again. "You?"
"Fine," Mike assures him with a nod. "I think Beker believed me. I mean, we won't know until they compare our answers, but assuming we didn't make any major mistakes we might just get through this."
At which point they'll have to get married, but Mike's stomach lurches every time he thinks about getting married to Harvey, so he tries not to.
"Do you remember all your answers?" Harvey asks, and Mike can't help it, giving him a look. Harvey laughs, says, "Forget I asked. Okay, let's compare."
So they go through all the questions they were asked. Their answers all match, except for the bed sheets answer, where Mike said they were both white. Because Mike had no idea about what color Harvey's sheets were, and figured Harvey would stick with the only one they knew, which was Mike's.
"Well, all in all it could've been a lot worse. I mean, if they bring up the discrepancy we can just say that they were grey, but have faded so much they look white. It'll be fine."
Mike nods, and they continue walking together in silence. A silence it turns out is short lived when Harvey asks, "So that was the last question they asked you? The toothbrush one?"
There is something about the way he's asking, tentative yet significant, and Mike replies, "Yeah. Why? Did they ask you something else?"
Harvey shakes his head, but he also won't look at Mike. And he knows Harvey too well now, knows he's hiding something. He pulls on Harvey's elbow, makes him stop and look at him. "What did they say?" Mike asks, scared of the answer but even more afraid of not knowing.
Harvey looks at him, sighs, and says, "It's nothing. He was just trying to get a rise out of me by asking something inappropriate."
"You know, lying to me as your subordinate is one thing, but as your fiancé, just know that shit ain't gonna fly no more," Mike says, grinning.
Harvey laughs, his eyes crinkling with mirth. "Noted."
They continue their stroll, and then Mike remembers what Burrow had said as they'd left. "Um, so, Harvey. Upstate?"
Harvey groans, like he'd completely forgotten and didn't want to be reminded. "I may have accidentally told them we were going upstate to meet my family next week."
"What?" Mike exclaims, completely thrown.
"My family, we don't get to see each other a lot. Well, I don't get to see them a lot. So at this time every year we commit to being together, whether it's at someone's house or on vacation or whatever. It's basically a fortnight of mandatory bonding time, but I was still going to cancel given everything that's going on," Harvey waves an arm between them, like Mike didn't already know what 'everything' meant. "I don't know why, but when he asked if we'd taken any vacations together I said we hadn't but that we were going upstate next week."
Mike lets the information roll around in his head for a bit. He can understand how it happened. Being in that interview room as they were practically interrogated, he gets how even someone as in control as Harvey could have been weakened by the moment. And he just looks so guilty, like he's sorry for putting them in this position.
And yet, all Mike can think about is them spending some time together away from work, about finally meeting Harvey's family. When he gets over the initial shock he realizes he's not annoyed, he's excited.
"So this means I'll finally get some vacation time?" Mike grins." Awesome."
Harvey smiles shyly, like he can't quite believe Mike's reaction. "And an all expense paid trip out of the city."
"You're the best fiancé ever."
Harvey practically beams. "Don't I know it?"
"So, do you need help picking out china patterns, or have you got that covered?" Donna asks as she walks into his office.
Harvey doesn't even look up from his laptop. "We're all good, thanks."
He can see Donna sit at the desk opposite him, and attempts to ignore her for as long as possible. This turns out to last for less than ten seconds, when Donna announces, "I always knew something was going on with you two."
Harvey's head snaps up at that. He wants to object, to protest that nothing's ever happened between them. But then he remembers that this is a good thing, that he needs the people closest to them to believe the lie, that objecting that nothing's going on with someone he's about to marry is counterproductive. But he's still confused by her statement.
"How did you know?" he can't help but ask.
"Oh please. You think I'm going to miss the way the two of you look at each other. It's like you don't even know me, Harvey," she adds, standing to exit the office. He watches her go, still reeling, and when she turns back he takes a quick breath, tries to school his look into one of wearied indifference. "I'm happy for you. For both of you. And your secret's safe with me."
He nods in gratitude and Donna returns to her desk. Left alone with his thoughts he tries to return to his work, but his brain refuses to cooperate. All he can think about is Mike, the man he’ll apparently do anything for without a second thought. The man who fits into every aspect of his life like he was made for it. The man who waltzed into his life with nothing but a sharp mind and bright smile, and now Harvey can't picture his own life without Mike in it anymore.
But Harvey needs to stop thinking about that, now more than ever. Things are complicated enough, were complicated enough before the whole fake marriage plan came into play. He doesn't need feelings he wasn’t even sure how to define messing things up any more than they already are.
So Harvey makes himself concentrate on work. He gets Donna to forward some work to Mike so he doesn't actually have to see the younger man and keeps his head down, works through the afternoon without a break, actually does some of the more menial tasks he would normally delegate to Donna and Mike just to keep the momentum going. He just needs some space, is scared that just being in the same room as Mike might crack his already fragile armor. He doesn’t need that. He needs to keep things between the two of them the same as they've always been. Because he and Mike, they're going to be in each other's lives for a long time now. He'd always known that would be the case, that even if they no longer worked together that they'd always be friends and remain in each other's lives, but this is different. And he doesn't want to make this harder or more complicated than it needs to be, for either of them.
As such, when evening rolls around he's more exhausted than he can remember being in a long time. Mike enters his office around eight, and he stops in the middle of the room and plaintively asks, "Can we go home now?"
Any plans he had to try and compartmentalize himself from the situation crumble to ash as soon as he hears that word. Home. It sits warm in his stomach, and he can't help the way his lips quirk upwards. Mike returns the smile, and Harvey stands and begins packing up.
The weird thing about hanging out with Harvey at his place is that it's not weird at all.
Mike loves his own apartment, loves having a space that's just his, likes having sole control of the TV remote and the ability to come and go as he pleases. And being at Harvey's is different. He and Harvey argue over what to watch, and the kitchen, which is actually quite large, feels really cramped when the two of them move around it as they cook dinner, and the sheer space of the condo gives him some kind of reverse claustrophobia after the years in his tiny apartment.
But despite their relationship thus far being predominately confined to a work context, and despite the potential for awkwardness over their nonexistent romantic relationship, it feels more normal than Mike was expecting. There's no tentativeness, from either of them. Mike treats Harvey's place like it's his home, and Harvey openly welcomes it.
All afternoon Mike was planning on asking Harvey about why he was shutting him out today. Mike knew something was wrong because they've been working together for two years, and Harvey hasn't given him work through Donna once in the last fifteen months, so Harvey was clearly avoiding him. Harvey had seemed fine when they returned from their Immigration interview this morning, so he honestly had no idea what the problem was. But figuring they needed to keep up the whole 'pretending to be hiding a fake relationship' façade, he thought it was just easier to wait until they were home to discuss it. But Harvey's been so content and relaxed since they walked through the door, Mike can't bring himself to ask.
So after they eat and Harvey wins the TV argument (which is a surprise to exactly no one), Mike settles on the couch as Harvey queues up the pilot episode of Battlestar Galactica (because he'd insisted, "I'm not sure I can be engaged to someone who has never seen this piece of tele-visual majesty."). Mike doesn't bother fighting, only insists that Harvey makes him popcorn to go with it, which the older man does without complaint. And when it's over Mike admits to a beaming Harvey, "Okay, you're right, it's totally amazing."
They watch the next couple of episodes, Mike asking questions and Harvey steadfastly refusing to answer any. When they get to the end of the disc Mike wants to keep going, but Harvey refuses.
"Come on, some of us need our beauty sleep. We can keep watching tomorrow night."
Mike reluctantly consents, and after bidding each other goodnight, Mike heads to the guest room and readies for bed. Only, he can't help but wonder if this is still a guest room or whether he can claim it as his own. And he realizes that he and Harvey never really talked about what was going to happen next. Everything happened so fast, they didn't really stop to make a plan for everything going forward, just focused on meeting each challenge as it arose. But the Immigration thing is dealt with for now and he and Harvey are heading off for a vacation next week (which makes him equally anxious and excited whenever he thinks about it), but still they haven't really talked about what happens after that.
And suddenly Mike can't wait, needs to know where this is heading. Fear of the unknown suddenly floods through him, and it's not that he's scared of what new twists and turns this whole situation with Immigration will take, it’s that all of a sudden he's terrified that by not planning ahead, not thinking about what comes next, that all of this will end. Because as ridiculous as it sounds, despite all the stresses, the last couple of days have been kind of amazing. He feels closer to Harvey than ever before, and it's not just the proximity of him sleeping in the next bedroom over. From the moment they met, Mike basically tried to cajole any affection he could from the older man. Which is kinda weird, now that he thinks about it. Strange that he was so insistent and demanding of Harvey's attention and affection from the beginning. But now that he has it, even if it's not completely real, he doesn’t want to lose it.
So after changing into his pajamas Mike tentatively walks across the hallway and softly knocks on Harvey's bedroom door. Harvey's call for him to come in is immediate, and when Mike opens the door he sees Harvey sitting up in bed, leaning back against the headboard, his lap covered by a thick blanket. He has an open book in his hands, which he puts aside to ask, "Everything okay?".
Mike nods, slowly moving into the room. Without knowing what else to do he tentatively sits on the edge of Harvey's bed, just by his feet. Harvey regards him patiently as Mike tries to figure out what to say.
"So, we've never really talked about how this is going to work. Long term, that is. Like, when do we start officially living together? When do we get married? Are we allowed to see other people after the wedding? Do we ever tell people at work about our relationship?"
The questions just tumble out of Mike's mouth, and he finds himself getting more and more worked up the longer he talks. He's self aware enough to realize that this is reality sinking in, and he probably would've kept babbling had Harvey not sat up and stopped the rambling with a hand to his arm.
Mike sucks in a deep breath, and Harvey crosses his legs and shifts a bit closer to Mike, his fingertips trailing lightly up and down his arm in a soothing motion. Seeing Harvey sitting there, right there, having Mike babble at the foot of his bed and Harvey being nothing but concerned for him, he realizes that despite the fact that this whole thing was Harvey's idea, the entire time Mike's been waiting for him to back out, to realize that this was a mistake. And weirdly it's the two of them sitting here in Harvey's bedroom, no sound other than their breathing, that makes him realize that Harvey's not going to. He's never going to walk away from this.
"We're really getting married," Mike breathes, kinda wondrous, looking Harvey right in the eyes and still expecting to see fear or uncertainty.
But Harvey simply smiles, his hand increasing its pressure just slightly, and says, "We're really getting married."
Harvey has woken, availed himself of his building's gym facilities for three quarters of an hour, showered, dressed in his suit and has begun eating his cooked breakfast by the time Mike strolls out into the living area, still clad in his pajamas.
"Morning," Mike mumbles, running a hand through messy bed hair before he starts digging around the pantry. He looks at the selection and then pulls a face at Harvey. "Why is everything in here so damn healthy?" he practically moans.
Harvey laughs, says, "Well, you can do the shopping next and get whatever sugary junk you want. Even though as your partner I feel like it's my duty to point out that that shit will kill you."
Mike smiles shyly before returning to the pantry and pulling out a bran cereal and preparing himself breakfast. They eat in silence, standing in the middle of the kitchen, but it's not awkward. It feels normal. It feels easy.
When Mike's finished eating he puts his bowl into the sink and says, "I can be ready in twenty. Will you wait for me?"
Harvey is so distracted by the tentatively hopeful tone in Mike's voice he almost forgets to answer. But then he nods, and Mike flees to his bedroom to ready for the day.
They leave half an hour later, and when Ray sees them exit the building he hops from the car out into the crisp morning air to greet them both. He makes no comment about Mike's presence, but Harvey doesn't think he imagines the subtle wink Ray drops him before he slides into the warm car.
The drive to work is easy, and when they arrive at Pearson Hardman Mike turns to him but before he can even ask Harvey says, "Yes, you can come work in my office today."
"Thank you," Mike breathes, briefly squeezing Harvey's arm before hurrying to his desk to get his things.
Harvey's just settled in by the time Mike returns. He moves straight to the table in the corner of the office and sets everything up, plugs in his laptop and organizes the files exactly how he wants them. Harvey watches on bemused, and when Mike finally has everything exactly where he wants it, Harvey drawls, "Ready now?" Mike just grins in return.
The rest of the day goes along easily enough. Harvey is even able to forget the drama of the last few days once or twice. Things between him and Mike are good, the best they've been since this whole thing started. Maybe even better than they've ever been. He thinks perhaps yesterday was some kind of turning point, where they both realized that this was happening, that it was real, and with that acknowledgement came an acceptance that allowed them to move forward, to settle into these new circumstances, to be comfortable with each other again now that they're both on the same page.
It's getting late, and Harvey thinks it might nearly be time to head home, when Jessica walks into his office. She stops short when she sees Mike. The table is practically covered in Mike's work, and there are a couple of empty Red Bull cans on his desk, so it's glaringly obvious that Mike's been there all day. Jessica turns her gaze to Harvey for a moment, and he's surprised by the depth of her annoyance. Then she turns and walks back out without a word.
"Shit," Harvey murmurs, running a hand over his face. He looks across to Mike. The younger man looks guilty, apologetic, but this isn't his fault, and Harvey tells him as much. "It's not about you, Mike. This is about me and Jessica."
"It is my fault," Mike says weakly, and Harvey shakes his head before he can proceed further with that train of thought.
"No, it's really not."
Harvey realizes his tactic of avoidance with Jessica has essentially backfired, that by ignoring her for the last few days he's made things worse. This wasn't his intention. He only wanted some space for him and Mike to acclimate to their new circumstances. And yeah, part of it was preservation, because he didn't want to deal with her lectures over what he did. But it was also about protecting Jessica too, because the less she knows the better.
Harvey sighs, suddenly feeling much older than his years. "You should head home," Harvey tells Mike. "I'll deal with Jessica and meet you there."
Mike nods. "You hungry? I could make us some dinner..."
Harvey smiles, somehow incredibly feeling better already. "That'd be great. I'll see you at home."
Mike nods at him before he walks out of the office. He finds Jessica in her office, sitting on the couch, clearly deep in thought. He taps lightly on the glass door before he enters, closing the door behind him before joining Jessica on the couch.
He waits in silence. He knows she'll speak whenever she's ready. And she's pissed at him, so she's probably going to drag this out as long as possible just to make him squirm.
"No matter which way I look at this," Jessica says at last, looking up to face him for the first time, "no matter how I try and rationalize it, I just don't understand, Harvey. My gut tells me that you're lying about your relationship with Mike, that you're just doing this to protect him. I mean, I'd be lying if I said I've never wondered if your relationship wasn't one hundred percent professional, but even so I still can't quite believe it. And if you are lying, are you willing to see this through to the end, to lie to the American government and risk everything for Mike? But then when I look at it from the other angle, where you aren't lying about your relationship, then that means that before this week you were lying to me, every day, for months, years. So either you were lying to me then or you're lying to me now. Which is it?"
And the thing is, Harvey loves Jessica. She saved him from a life he didn’t want, helped make him the man he is today. Everything he has he owes to her, and through some bizarre twist of fate that also includes Mike. She's his family, and nothing about this situation is okay. He doesn't like lying to her, doesn't like shutting her out of his life. But he refuses to burden her with this, and when the choices are lying to her versus getting her to lie for him, it's an easy decision to make.
"I didn't know how to tell you," he admits softly. "This thing with Mike and me, it's real and it's important. But it also took me completely by surprise, and I was scared of it ending, didn't want to jinx anything by telling anyone else. It felt safe, the two of us in our own little bubble where no one could find or hurt us. And when I realized that we were going to last, I still couldn’t tell you. The rules here are strict, and with good reason. I didn't want to be put in a situation where Mike and I could be forced apart because we make a great team, do a lot of good work, earn you a lot of money. I didn't want to risk that."
"You still should've told me," Jessica says, and Harvey feels the relief flood through him at her seeming to believe the lie. "We could've figured something out."
"I didn't want to put you in that position. Either you let us remain working together when you knew the truth, which wouldn't endear any of us to the other partners for the favoritism you would've shown me, or you split us up and reassign Mike to another partner or the associate pool. We wanted to keep working together. I'm not sorry I didn’t tell you the truth, but I am sorry I lied to you."
Jessica breathes out a quick laugh at Harvey's contradiction. She's used to his stubbornness now, his singular way of thinking, the way he attempts to placate her while still looking out for his own interests.
"Okay then," Jessica says, turning her body to face him and easing back into the couch. "Let's say I believe you."
"Do you?"
"Jury's still out. But for arguments sake, let's say that I do. Tell me. Tell me the truth about you."
"What do you mean?"
"Let's pretend there are no fraternization rules. Hell, let's pretend we don't even work together, that we're just two friends talking about our lives. Tell me about you and Mike the way you would if I wasn't your boss and you weren't worried about your jobs."
Harvey thinks about it for a moment. He could tell her the narrative they'd fabricated for Immigration. He's not worried about her trying to poke holes in his story like they were. He's more worried about what happens afterwards. "If I tell you-"
"Whatever you say doesn't leave this room," Jessica assures him, the voice not of his boss but his friend.
So Harvey tells her all the lies he knows so well that sometimes he has to remind himself that they didn't actually happen.
Mike's always been jealous of Harvey's near impeccable timing, but he pushes the thought aside as Harvey walks through the front door just as he's finishing up their dinner. Harvey greets him but continues walking to the bedroom, re-emerging in his casual clothes just as Mike is pouring the risotto into two bowls.
"How'd it go?" Mike asks, slightly tentative.
"Fine," Harvey replies dismissively, taking the bowl with a grateful smile and heading to the lounge.
Mike follows, worried, and when they settle into the couch Harvey says, "Wanna keep going with Battlestar?" He reaches for the remote before Mike even has a chance to answer, and so Mike stops him, reaching over and grasping his hand in his before he's taken hold of the object.
"Harvey," Mike says, voice slightly forceful. The older man looks over at him, and he looks slightly annoyed, but Mike won't let go. He keeps his fingers wrapped around Harvey's hand and says, "Talk to me. I know we're not actually involved or anything, but I'm still your friend. I care about you, and I can tell something's wrong. I know you're used to keeping everything to yourself, but you have me now. So please, talk to me."
He lets go at last, gives Harvey a moment of space. If he decides he still doesn’t want to talk, then fine, Mike will respect that. But he needs Harvey to know that he's here, for whatever he needs, whenever he needs it.
"Telling Jessica," Harvey says, his voice low, "lying to Jessica, it was harder than I thought it'd be. I don't regret it," he hastily adds, like he thinks Mike is about to apologize once again for getting them into this situation (and he's right, so Mike remains silent). "This is what needs to be done, and I'm okay with that. And it's not that we tell each other every aspect of our lives or anything. But I've never lied to her like this before."
"Apart from hiring me to begin with," Mike points out, and he means it in a joking way, wants to lighten the mood, but it doesn't work. His voice is too heavy, too overwhelmed with everything Harvey is doing for him.
"Mike, whatever happens, I'll never regret any of my decisions when it comes to you."
And he just sounds so earnest that Mike believes him. He really does. As much as he wants to offer Harvey the chance to get out of this, because he never wanted to compromise the relationships Harvey has had for the decades before they met, he can't do it. Maybe he's selfish, wanting Harvey like this, but he can't help it. So he ignores the feelings in favor of focusing on the knowledge that even if he offered an out to Harvey, that he would never take it. Harvey's in this for real. And so is Mike.
He wants to tell Harvey that he's sorry for complicating his relationship with Jessica. He wants to say that he's sorry for getting them into this situation. He wants to tell him how grateful he is, that he has Harvey in his life, that Harvey chose to do this for him. He wants to say how much it means to him that even after all this Harvey's still glad Mike came crashing into his hotel room that day.
But the words seem too small. He wants them to move forward, no uncertainty and no regrets. Whatever happens, whether this plan works or not, he wants to commit to it, commit to Harvey and everything he's doing for him.
So what he actually ends up saying is, "What are you doing this weekend?"
Harvey screws up his face at this seemingly random question. "Uh, nothing planned. Why?"
Mike bites his lower lip briefly, looks away as he asks, "I know we somehow keep getting sidetracked whenever the topic comes up, but I'm gonna have to move in here eventually, right? So I figure, why bother putting it off. If it's okay with you, I mean, I thought I might move in this weekend. Like officially."
Mike doesn’t know why he's so nervous asking for something that they both know is going to happen sooner or later. But it still feels like a massive step, and maybe he should've waited for Harvey to offer. But then Harvey smiles at him, and says, "Well, I guess our weekend's not free anymore."
It's surreal to think that at this time last week Harvey was sitting at the best table in one of the city's finest restaurants, opposite a beautiful woman with flowing dark hair and legs that went for days, because right now he's relaxing in a corner booth at a hole in the wall restaurant, eating really bad food, laughing his head off as his fiancé recounts the story of the night he and his girlfriend got busted skinny dipping by the cops, complete with the ridiculous story he came up with to explain just what in the hell they were doing there.
What a difference seven days makes.
It still feels a bit bizarre when he thinks about it, how much his life has changed in such a short amount of time. But Harvey is also self aware enough to know that he infinitely prefers this. As fun as it is spending the evening with a beautiful stranger, a whole world of possibilities open to him, this is so much better. Mike is one of the few people on Earth who really knows him. He's one of his best friends, one of the people that Harvey cares for more than he will ever admit, and it's better. Everything is better when you're with someone you know and trust, and Harvey knows that when presented with the choice of a night on the town with a hot date or a quiet night alone with Mike, he'll choose Mike without a moment's hesitation.
Mike insists on paying. He surprises Harvey with his vehemence, so Harvey lets him, heads outside to hail a cab in the fall rain while Mike settles the tab. When Mike climbs in beside him they head home and spend the rest of the evening going through another disc of Battlestar Gallactica.
Harvey normally keeps to his gym schedule, even on the weekend, but when Saturday morning rolls around and his alarm goes off he thinks fuck it and goes back to sleep. Which means, for the first time, Mike is actually up before him. Harvey stumbles out into the lounge to find Mike sitting at the table, eating breakfast and reading a newspaper while one of Harvey's records plays softly in the background.
Something in Harvey's chest hurts at the sight, but he tries his best to ignore it.
Mike smiles when he looks up and sees him. He tells Harvey to sit down, and for no other reason other than curiosity, he does. Mike disappears into the kitchen, and Harvey can see him move around the space, pouring a glass of juice and moving between the stove and toaster and refrigerator before returning to the table, placing a plate of scrambled eggs and English muffin in front of him.
"Thanks," Harvey says, surprised.
Mike shrugs, like it was no big deal that he made Harvey breakfast. "Big day. Gonna need lots of energy."
"So what's the plan?" Harvey asks, before he starts eating his breakfast.
Mike shrugs. "Figured we could just head to mine and just jump right in. I don't really have a lot of stuff, and a lot of it can be thrown because, let's face it, your stuff is much nicer than mine. I say we just pick a room each, decide what's staying and what's going, and dive right in."
A few hours later, when they are standing in the middle of Mike's apartment and deciding what is going to be kept and what's going to be thrown (or donated, as the case may be), Harvey realizes that Mike is looking at this long term. Not once has he mentioned putting his belongings into storage for when they eventually get divorced, for when this whole charade inevitably ends.
There are three possibilities that come to mind. Either he thinks a) they're going to be living together indefinitely, b) that when he moves out he'll just buy all new belongings, or c) he just hasn't thought it through at all.
Knowing Mike it's probably Option C, and Harvey knows he should bring this up, maybe put some of Mike's furniture into storage so he doesn't have to start all over again when he eventually moves out. But for some reason he can't bring himself to do it. The words get stuck on his tongue and all he can do is just nod when Mike points at the things he wants to bring back to Harvey's and help him pack up all his belongings, remaining mute the whole time.
Mike brings surprisingly little with him. His bike is stored in the garage below Harvey's building. The majority of his clothes fit into the closet in the guest room (Mike's room now, he supposes), with the small overflow making its way to Harvey's walk-in. His toiletries take up residence in the bathroom, separate from Harvey's in his own en suite. His DVDs and CDs mix in with Harvey's in the entertainment unit, his TV is mounted on the wall in his bedroom, some of his more sentimental belongings scatter themselves across the apartment – the most obvious being the panda picture which Harvey hangs in their kitchen – and that's pretty much it.
It only takes a day. Harvey pays out Mike's lease with his landlord while Mike is dealing with the movers. They drop the furniture and appliances they're donating to a charity not far from where Mike lived. Mike unpacks most of his belongings himself while Harvey prepares dinner, Harvey helping him when their dinner is cooking in the oven, and then it's done.
Mike has officially moved in.
It takes until mid afternoon for Mike to realize.
He looks over at Harvey, who is eased comfortably into the couch, feet on the coffee table, open bag of potato chips in his lap. A week ago he'd never seen Harvey like this, so relaxed and at ease with the world. It was clearly his most relaxed self, the version he left at home every day when he went into Pearson Hardman and assumed the mantle of Harvey Specter, badass lawyer and best damn closer in the city.
But the thing is, he must have a life of his own outside of Pearson Hardman. Mike knew that he did, that he went to events and bars and had a varied social (who are we kidding, sex) life. And yet, this whole week, he's been hanging with Mike. He hasn't seen him so much as text someone outside of work hours, and it occurs to Mike that maybe he's here just for him, that in any other circumstance Harvey wouldn't be spending this much time shut inside. And he doesn’t want to be a burden for Harvey, any more than he already is anyway. So when the episode they are currently watching ends Mike says, "If you have other things you'd rather be doing I'm totally fine."
Harvey turns to him, forehead crinkled with confusion. "What are you talking about?"
"Well, I figure you don’t normally spend your Sundays like this," Mike says, waving an arm to point out the junk food on the table and the blanket on their laps and the TV which is scrolling through the episode credits. "I can't imagine you've ever spent your entire Sunday mainlining a TV show before now. If you're doing this just because you think I want you to then you don't have to. I mean, not that I don't want you to hang out with me. Because I do. But if you'd rather be doing something else, you know, going out with friends or whatever it is you normally do, you don't have to stay just for me."
Mike really wants to just burrow under the covers and hide in embarrassment. He hated doing that, envied Harvey's perpetual elegance when Mike got tongue tied and lost for words more often than he cared to admit. He really needs to think before he opens his mouth to prevent saying stupid things just because he hadn't thought about how best to phrase his statement.
But Harvey doesn't look at him like he's an idiot. He doesn't seem at all annoyed by Mike's rambling. If anything it's like he finds his uncertainty endearing. And he says softly, "When have you ever known me to do anything I didn't want to do?" before turning his attention back to the television like the whole conversation never happened.
Mike lets the grin overtake his face, because Harvey's focused on the screen in front of them and can't see. He doesn't know why it means so much, that Harvey could be doing anything in the world and all he wants to do is hang with Mike. But he feels a warmth spread throughout his body and he settles deeper into the couch as the next episode starts up.
Gordon Specter lives in the quiet hamlet of Clinton Corners, which gives Mike the two hour drive (probably longer with the Columbus Day traffic) from Manhattan to grill Harvey about his family.
"Come on, Harvey," Mike whines when Harvey tries to ignore Mike's pestering. "I have to know something about your family other than their names. We're supposed to be together, remember. You're supposed to have spoken to me about them, several times, over the last year."
"I get that," Harvey tells him. "I just don't know where to start."
"Well, let's put it this way. I need more than 'my father's name is Gordon and he's a musician, and my brother's name is Nathaniel and he's a teacher'."
Harvey exhales slowly. It feels wrong to have this conversation here, sitting in the Lexus they rented which smells of leather and pine, driving up the Taconic with Mike's ridiculous music filtering throughout the car. But Mike's right. If they're going to sell this relationship he can't go into the situation blind.
"My dad's a sax player. He's amazing, and it's not just familial love saying that. He played with everyone, all the jazz greats. And they all loved him. He was on the road a lot when I was a kid, which obviously upset me at the time but I get now. He's the most understanding, protective, genial, intelligent man I think I've ever met."
"What about your mom?"
Harvey takes a moment to decide what to say. He doesn't want to go into all the gory details, so he just says, "They divorced when I was nineteen and Nate was fourteen. I haven't seen her since."
He keeps his eyes focused on the road, all the better to avoid Mike's surprised stare which still manages to burn into the side of his face. But Mike, despite Harvey's protests that he reads books and not people, can obviously sense Harvey's discomfort at the topic, so he doesn’t press his curiosity further.
"Okay, so tell me more about your brother."
"He lives just outside of Hudson, so we don't get to see each other as much as we'd like. He teaches high school English, so he's only really free during the school holidays, and since he's got kids of his own the only time we really see each other is during our annual catch up. But we email a lot, and Skype a bit so I can still see my nephew and niece."
"How old are his kids?"
"Owen is four and Maisie is nearly three."
"Is he married?"
"Divorced. It was finalized about a year ago now."
Mike stops his questions after that, and Harvey wants to revel in the silence but he's just suspicious of it. He quickly glances at Mike to see his expression is thoughtful.
Against his better judgement, Harvey asks, "What is it?"
"Nothing," Mike says, but Harvey sees through the lie.
"Mike?"
He can hear Mike sigh. "It's just, your parents and your brother are both divorced. I mean, I lost my parents when I was young, and that sucks, but at least I know that they were happy and loved each other. But your brother and your dad, they don't have that. It just makes me kinda sad."
Harvey keeps his eyes on the road. He won't say it, but it makes him sad too. He knows how much his father and brother had loved their wives, had seen them love so wholeheartedly, and still they couldn't make it work (admittedly for vastly different reasons). And now Harvey was going to become just like them, relegated to another divorce statistic.
Mike stops his questions after that, and Harvey's glad. The closer they inch towards his dad's home the more anxious he feels. He's not worried about his family and Mike not getting along. They'll love Mike, Harvey can almost guarantee it. But therein lies the problem. They're going to love him and be happy for Harvey and it's all a lie.
Harvey knows it's a necessary evil, that to save Mike (and himself, at this point) no one can know the truth. But his family has always been his safe place. They're the only people in the world he can be himself with, doesn't have to maintain the image he presents to the world back in Manhattan. And he feels like introducing Mike to his family, combining those two worlds, it's like tempting fate. He feels like he's walking down a road of no return, and he doesn't know what's going to happen but he can't help but brace himself anyway.
"Harvey?" Mike asks softly, after a near half hour of a not uncomfortable silence, and Harvey is secretly proud that he's managed to go this long before continuing with his questions.
"Yeah?"
"What have you told your family about me?"
Harvey's glad that he's driving, that he has something to keep his eyes focused away from Mike's face. He can't look at him, not when Mike sounds like that, tentative and hopeful and nervous all at once.
"I told them that I was bringing someone important home to meet everyone. I was hoping the sheer shock of such a statement would render Nate speechless, or that he'd be too busy flailing with excitement he wouldn't ask any questions, but unfortunately he immediately demanded to know who it was and how we met and all that crap. I literally said 'his name is Mike' and because I'd mentioned you before he realized who it was."
"You'd mentioned me before?" Mike says, and Harvey can hear him perking up.
"Of course. Who else am I going to complain to about my new idiot associate other than my brother?" Harvey says, but his smile softens the words.
"Did you tell them about the whole, you know, marriage thing?" Mike asks, eloquent as always.
But Harvey shakes his head. "Figured that would be a conversation best had in person."