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Acrimony
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Summary: Harvey is angry about a client he didn't want to take and Mike doesn't know when to stop trying to help. He provokes Harvey into doing something he's going to regret.
Rating: PG-13 for some violence
Disclaimer: I do not own Suits. If I did this foolish Rachel-or-Jenny question wouldn't be an issue – the answer would be Harvey
Chapter Count: 1/3, next chapter to come!
Note: This was written for a prompt on the Suits Meme. Everyone should head over there and start prompting, and more importantly, filling!
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Chapter One: A Failure to Read the Signs
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It wasn't so much that Mike was trying to piss Harvey off, really. It was just that Harvey was obviously angry after the meeting with the client and Mike, already barred from the 'adult table' for the entire case thus far, was sick of stepping around on egg shells trying not to upset Harvey.
He kept waiting, the entire time from the point when Jessica had gently yet firmly forced Harvey to take the case. Harvey didn't want to, but it wasn't a pro bono and it wasn't one of Jessica's ex-husbands (as far as Mike knew). He'd already discreetly asked if it was one of the cases that Harvey had done for Cameron, but he'd been sarcastically glared at in Harvey's typical way, a way which said 'No, you moron' so Mike was really out of options.
The fact was that Mike could only really help if he knew what was going on. Sure, he was doing the best work he could trying to lighten the load on Harvey, but that didn't seem like enough for the man who had essentially given him his life, a life that he loved.
It had been a pretty innocuous question, too. Mike had been working late reading through the contracts for the merger they were handling for the case and Harvey had shown up at the office after his meeting in a bar with the client. Mike had dropped off the finally completed files and had seen that Harvey looked off. Maybe a little drunk and definitely a little pissed. No one else was around, so maybe it would be finally a good time to talk. So Mike had asked, "How did the meeting with the client go?"
He'd asked that sort of question about a hundred times before, so he really was unprepared for the venom with which Harvey used to tell him to go home.
"Okay, so not good, I'm guessing. Did we lose the client?" Mike asked.
"Wouldn't that be a fucking dream?" Harvey muttered under his breath. The profanity kind of surprised Mike, as Harvey usually didn't stoop to such easy insults. He generally preferred his verbal evisceration to have more flair.
Mike was understandably dumbstruck for a second. "So, um, I take it this is someone you already know?"
Harvey glanced up at him from whatever he'd been half-reading half-glaring at on his desk. "Didn't I tell you to go home? What are you waiting for?"
"A discussion about the case? An answer?" Mike responded, getting a little annoyed.
"Aww, does the puppy not feel important enough?" Harvey taunted, standing and pulling at his tie to take it off. With all of the skinny tie jibes Mike got, he'd been doing a little research into what was acceptable and that tie that Harvey was manhandling cost more than Mike's bike had. If that wasn't a sign to retreat, Mike didn't know what was.
He'd never been good at following obvious signs when they concerned his own safety.
"The puppy is sick of being treated like an idiot. You think I can't see how twisted up this case has you?" Mike answered, "How about you tell me what's going on so we can fix this and move on?"
"Yeah, no." Harvey said, "You have no idea what you're talking about –"
"Because you won't tell me!" Mike cut in, probably a little foolishly as interrupting was always a good way to annoy Harvey.
Sure enough, he got leveled with a glare that actually made him step back. Harvey's voice went quiet, "You have no idea what you're talking about," He repeated, "And you have no idea how much this isn't your business."
"So?" Mike shot back, "Half of the things in my life that you've jumped in on haven't been your business. Hasn't stopped you. And guess what Harvey? I can't even be mad at you for it because you've always helped. Why not turn it around and see how it goes?"
"No." Harvey said again as he dropped his tie on a chair and went to pour himself another scotch from the sidebar.
Mike watched him and curled up a lip in disgust, "Yeah, drink more. That'll help."
"It will, thanks." Harvey returned sarcastically. "You gone yet?"
"Tell you what, I'll go home and I'll take the client's name with me. I'll see what a couple of hours on google can turn up, huh? Find where you guys intersect? It's gotta happen at some point, right?" Mike said, his voice purposefully bright.
Harvey was in his face in a second. "You do that and you don't have to bother coming in tomorrow."
"Wow, that bad huh? Alexis Kellison, right? That could go either way, so I'll have a lot of possibilities to work through." Mike said, pushing Harvey away from him. "Let's start easy? Opposing counsel that beat you?"
Harvey didn't react.
"Old professor that failed you? Someone you worked for? Ex-girlfriend?" Mike listed off, watching as Harvey's muscles tensed, "Ex-girlfriend?" He repeated,
"Shut up, Mike." Harvey snarled, taking another liberal sip from the scotch.
"Ex-girlfriend that broke up with you?" Mike pushed in further, waiting for Harvey to finally give in and tell him. Harvey turned away and started to walk towards the window. Mike grabbed his arm and tugged, intent on making the older man face him, "Marri-"
He'd been about to ask if Alexis Kellison was married, but he didn't get the chance. When Mike tugged Harvey around, the other man had done it easy enough, had whirled around on him, actually.
He didn't even see the fist coming. He did see the floor though, as it came flying up to meet him after he spun in place and started falling.
Luckily, he didn't get to see or feel that impact. His vision flared out and all he knew was the explosion of pain brought on by his mentor's fist.
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Reviews are love! More to come!