Brother from another mother

"I'm in love with you, Mike Ross."

Mike kicks the blanket off and sits up on the couch, his official resignation on getting any sleep for the night. The couch is too uncomfortable for sleep, but that's where he's been the past two weeks. Things are bad between him and Rachel.

At the beginning of their relationship, they had made a promise to each other that they would never go to bed angry at each other. Then there would be a night that they would. And somehow it would turn into another night. And just like that, the promise faded away and they found that it was becoming a regular occurrence. The deafening silence between them becoming something they'd fall asleep to all too often.

And now they can't even stand to sleep in the same room as each other. They'd like to both say they don't know why they're so angry at each other all the time. Why they can't seem to stop fighting over little things; but the truth is they both know. Mike still resents Rachel for what happened with Logan, and Rachel still resents Mike for the shortcut he took to become a lawyer. They'll both never admit it.

Mike drags himself off of the couch and into the kitchen. He opens up the fridge and grabs a beer, pops the top off, and takes a swig as he makes his way back to the couch. He sets it on the coffee table in front of him and leans back on the couch.

Ever since he was last in New York he can't stop thinking about Harvey renting his apartment while he was gone. Not just renting it but renting it under a name that meant something to them. He never said he was coming back from Seattle. But Harvey kept it. He had made a joke, called him a softie. Because that's what they do. When anything starts to mean something, they say the words to take it back and make it mean nothing.

Fuck. He wishes he would have just asked why he did it.

Because now instead of one question, he has a million and one. Mike picks up his beer and takes a long swig from the bottle.

-----

Things continue to get worse between Rachel and Mike. They fight over everything. They fight over nothing.

"You've been miserable since you got here," she accuses him during one of their fights.

"I'm not miserable, I'm just stressed out."

"No, it's not that. You're only like this when you're here."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"You know what it means."

"No, I don't. What am I 'like' when I'm here?"

Rachel's shoulders sag. "You're not like this when you're around him."

Mike paces a few steps towards her. "Around who?"

"Harvey."

Mike doesn't know why but it feels like an accusation, one that he needs to deny even though he hasn't done anything wrong. "Harvey? What does Harvey have to do with any of this?"

"Just...forget it," Rachel sighs.

"Rachel."

"I'm tired, Mike, " she says, meaning it in more ways than one as she turns her back to him and walks towards the bedroom.

-----

Mike leaves Seattle with a suitcase and a backpack. He realizes halfway through his flight that he doesn't even have the key to his apartment, and his hopes of getting in rely on the hope that Harvey still has the other one. Once the plane lands he has the cab driver take him directly to the office.

Mike doesn't call Harvey to let him know he's coming, he just shows up in the doorway of Harvey's office. Harvey's on a phone call, but a smile spreads across his face the instant he notices him standing there. He gestures with one finger for Mike to hold on a minute.