"You were gone when I woke up this morning."
Mike stops pacing in front of the windows in Harvey’s office, looks over at him as he adjusts the stack of files in his arms.
"Yeah, sorry." The apology is genuine, if rushed and distracted. "I didn’t have a clean suit at your place, and I still had all this work to do on the Berkman contract because he wants it today, even though it’s Christmas Eve, so I just came right over.” He makes a whip cracking sound and flips open the top file in his hands, resumes pacing. “Mush, associate! Mush!”
"You could’ve worn one of mine."
Mike steals a quick glance at him. “No, I couldn’t.”
And Harvey nods to himself because they both know that’s true. Harvey’s suits are just a little too big; they fit just a little wrong. And more than that, they aren’t Mike’s. Everyone would know he was wearing Harvey’s suit, and Jessica was very clear when they revealed their relationship to her: “Keep it out of the office”.
And they have. Harvey is very good at keeping both parts of his life separate, and surprisingly, once the drama exited his life and Harvey entered it, Mike has been good at it too.
But lately Harvey’s felt like that arrangement just leaves a lot to be desired. He’ll never be the type to make out with Mike in the conference room, but doesn’t want to have to hide it either.
This morning Harvey woke up alone, in an empty apartment, because the man he loves still leaves most of his clothes, most of his life, in a place in Brooklyn he pays the rent for, but barely ever sees. There’s always somewhere he can go if they fight, if they have problems, and it’s too easy. It feels like Mike constantly has one foot out the door, even while he’s lying in Harvey’s bed.
Which is the other part of the problem.
Mike’s place is Mike’s place and Harvey’s place is Harvey’s place, and that doesn’t work anymore. Not for Harvey.
What he wants is a life so entangled with Mike’s, so messy, they could never be extracted from each other.
He pulls the small box out of his pocket, holds it out in front of Mike. Mike comes to a stop, sets the files down, and looks at Harvey as he takes the box from him.
"Merry Christmas, Mike."