Brother from another mother

5 times Mike Ross realised he didn't have a dad

Mike's parents were dead. This was common knowledge. Maybe not to the other associates, and many of the partners and paralegals in the firm who only had fleeting moments of contact with him - but the people who mattered knew.

Rachel knew the only relative he talked about is his grandmother. She knew that he was quiet when the other associates were happily discussing their holidays, when all he was going to do was see his grandmother for a few hours before going to a bar.

Harvey knew he lived with his grandmother for most of his life. He knew he let Mike leave one day a year early for the kid to visit a cemetery. He knew Mike had lost his parents at 7. He didn't know how they died, and to be perfectly honest he didn't really know how to bring it up in conversation - and wasn't altogether sure he wanted to find out.

Donna knew.

Jessica now knew.

Jenny knew most of it.

Trevor knew everything.

You wouldn't really guess that he'd lost his parents young, unless he actually told you. Of course he was still influenced by their deaths, and of course they still affected him, but he saw no point in dragging his past into his new life.

However, there were some things that he had never really noticed had impacted on his life so much until recently.

Or - to be more precise - until someone actually gave a damn.

- 1 -

It was 7 in the morning and Mike been asleep for a whole hour on Harvey's couch - which was surprisingly uncomfortable considering how much the man had no doubt paid for it.

Harvey had called him round to find a discrepancy in some files that he had taken back with him - clearly thinking it wasn't his problem and that he shouldn't take them into work where Mike still was - that in fact, Mike should bike over to his in the middle of the night.

"Couldn't this have waited?" He had moaned. "Till an hour that humans actually recognise?"

All that had earned him was a glare, a short speech about having to work to get to the big leagues and then some files thrust in his hands. Harvey had worked until about 3 in the morning, before sighing and rubbing at his hair.

"I'm going to bed," Harvey told him.

"Does that mean I can too?" Mike ventured, looking forward to curling up in his own bed.

In response he was thrown a blanket and a gruff, "We're leaving at 8 in the morning," before Harvey left the room.

Trying to keep the wide grin off his face that meant 'Harvey Specter cares', Mike started looking through other files. He knew there was something; and was determined not to give up - if only because he wanted to show it to Harvey in the morning with a good dose of gloating.

Finally - finally he found what they were looking for, and almost immediately passed out sprawled on the couch, clutching the relevant page to his chest.

This was fine with him, until he was woken up an hour later by Harvey very graciously prodding him in the side on his way to his kitchen bar. Mike leapt out of sleep and fell onto the floor, still holding the page he had found.

"Are you always this graceful getting out of bed, or was I particularly blessed today?" Harvey asked, his eyebrow quirked as he watched Mike gather himself together.

"Hilarious," he mumbled, rubbing at his eyes before offering the paper. "Here," he said, waiting until Harvey took the proffered page before instantly homing in on his coffee machine.