Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“Welcome back to Knot Your Omega, the podcast where we come together to learn why the K is silent. My guest today is Mike Ross, the famous promega activist responsible for the landmark case that abolished the Omega Tax in the US. Welcome, Mike!”

Mike smiled into the microphone. Yes, it was a podcast, but so what? Everyone in the promega space listened to this. He could make an effort to sound friendly for once. “Hi. It is such an honor to be here, I am a huge fan.”

It had been years in the making. Doing PR work had been low on Mike’s to-do list after their Supreme Court win, with all the change in his life in the shape of an Alpha-boyfriend only a select few knew about and returning to law school. Well, admittedly, avoiding media attention had only been semi-successful. Once every slow news day, a fresh gossip journalist was back on his case, sniffing for some scandalous details or regurgitating old rumors around his and Harvey’s relationship they tried to pass off as news. So boring.

With every interview request Mike had denied, the world had moved on a little more. It was only for his love of Rachel he got back in the ring and take a victory round for and mobilize some of their old friends.

“Likewise!” The host exclaimed. She said that to all her guests, but Mike still chose to believe there was a spark of sincerity in there. She was a suppressed Omega, after all. He had made that a bell of a lot cheaper. “It’s been two years since your historic win. Lots happened since then.”

“Yeah.” Mike rubbed his hands together to encourage the blood to keep flowing through them. How was it still this cold in his apartment? He had actually turned the radiator on this morning, regardless of the outrageously high energy cost. The perk of having a rich boyfriend normally meant he had a place he could seek refuge in on the unbearably cold days—but Harvey had some kind of informal meeting with Jessica at his place tonight that Mike did not care to be in the way of, and the hills of snow and icy roads were all but inviting to bike across the city, so Harvey had to suck it up and come to him whenever he was done. 

Besides, Mike was paying for this apartment; he should actually spend some time in it. That would be a hell of a lot nicer if the air would actually do him the favor of warming up already.

“Be honest. Do you still feel a little smug when you buy suppressants for a third of their previous price?”

Great question. Mike chuckled. “Oh, yes. Especially when there are any Alphas in the pharmacy throwing a hissy fit because let me tell you, they are not over it yet.” He hadn’t cared about Alpha’s feelings three years ago, and he still didn’t. Seventy bucks for two cycles' worth of suppressants was an absolute steal. If it were up to him, suppressants would be free, along with all other healthcare services, but it wasn’t, and the price increase on rut suppressants seemed not to be enough to radicalize Alphas against the healthcare system, so they simply had to cope with it.

“Unlike you, you have very much moved on. Barely a few months after the ruling, you made history again, as the first Omega to be admitted to a previously no-Omega law school, Columbia Law.”

That, too, Alphas were not over yet…

Columbia had very little room to argue with the court order allowing his attendance, but boy, did they try. If it hadn’t been for Harvey advocating on his behalf and giving an in-person testimony to the great legal understanding he had demonstrated throughout their case, that could have easily turned into another lawsuit. Unfortunately, even connections to one of the most respected attorneys in the game couldn’t stop the disapproving side eye and mumbled judgments about Mike having sued his way in.

“Yes. Well, the first official Omega. Once upon a time, I attended Harvard Law pretending to be a Beta, and apparently, I wasn’t the only one who had that idea. Since it’s become public that I bulldozed my way into Columbia, so many Omegas who graduated as Betas have reached out to me and shared their story that they too have lied about their gender and how trapped they feel to keep pretending in their professional lives. It’s been such an honor to connect with them and even see some of them go public with the truth. That really underscores that Omegas can and always could do everything Alphas and Betas can do. We have actually been everywhere all along, and now we get to be loud about it.”

“And you are no longer the only one either.”

“That’s right.” Three more had sued their way in the way Mike did the year below him, and finally, Columbia had caved and reserved five spots for Omegas on their own volition the year after. And they were no longer the only school either: essentially every top ten college had been ordered to admit at least a handful of Omegas. “We are still very much the minority, and that does show up in the language used and the restrictions that are in place around campus. All of us are required to be on suppressants when Alphas aren’t, because our scent could distract them, yet no one cares if we get distracted by them.”

“Because you should be grateful to be there in the first place?”

“Pretty much. There is still a long way to go to truly end the segregation of schools, but we are progressing into the right direction. Uchicago Law has announced they will be reserving ten spots for Omegas next year, other schools are following suit. I have full faith in the next generation to continue fighting that battle and keep opening doors that too many are still trying to slam in our face.”

“Much like yourself. You wasted no time getting in the legal game.”

Well, yes, but Mike did cheat. Most people didn’t have the luxury of their closest people being lawyers already or a Supreme Court win under their belt. The promega community had really come out of the weeds, trusting him as a mere student to handle their cases. Some as much as demanded it. He would never forget the day—was it really a year ago already? Time flew by—when he picked Harvey up from the office to go to lunch and Jessica had intercepted them by the elevator. She had two Omega clients in her office requiring legal support to build their start-up, and they wanted Harvey and him.

Of course, she had tried to make it out to be this great opportunity to get his required pro bono hours; unfortunately for her, Mike had done more than enough already, and the going rate for an associate was 350 an hour. Fair was fair.

Being back in Harvey’s office to work had been special in so many ways, loaded with memories of how he had slowly fallen in love with him. It had been harder than ever to keep his hands to himself now he had full license to touch Harvey whenever he pleased, but they had done a decent enough job in his book to not be explicit. Flying under the radar in an office where everyone had opinions on them had never been a real option to begin with. Harvey, of course, had stayed on as the official representation for that start-up while Mike bowed out once it was up and running, but for every meeting, every celebration of a milestone, Mike got an invitation too; it never failed to make him giddy.

“Everyone in law school is required to do pro bono work with a certified lawyer who supervises, so I’m not unique to hit the ground running, but I am very fortunate to have gotten the opportunities I did,” Mike settled on. Some—most—details were just for him and Harvey.

“It’s hard to talk about your legal successes without one name in particular coming up. Harvey Specter.”

Mike held his breath to keep the sigh from escaping. Was it really that hard, though? Much as they made a great team, Harvey was hardly the only lawyer Mike worked with. In fact, most of the pro bono work he had done was with Rachel at her firm, not Harvey’s. Giving one interview without Harvey’s name popping up seemed to be too much to ask for, though.

“I guess so.”

“Your relationship status has caused a lot of stir.”

“Still does,” Mike mumbled. Less so, but once in a while, people did recognize them on the street, or new pictures of them that 'definitely proved their relationship' would pop up on social media and subsequently in the gossip papers.

“Don’t worry, I’m not gonna ask you to confirm or deny anything, I can imagine you must be sick of that.”

Oh, good.

…Was he hallucinating, or were his fingertips turning blue? Mike rubbed his hands together to get the blood flowing, squeezed them between his thighs. Stupid unreliable heating.

“But I do wonder why you haven’t made any comments on it. It seems like there’s a lot of effort involved in keeping it vague that feels deliberate.”

Credit where credit was due, at least that was an original question.

“Eh, yeah, it is deliberate. We noticed pretty much the moment the rumors started flying that many people suddenly paid attention to the promega movement who never engaged with it before. That was at the stage when we wanted public attention to get as many Omegas as possible to sign on to our class action suit, and the press basically provided us with free marketing because every publication mentioned it. So he and I kind of had this realization of, we could shoot this down completely and make sure no one talks about us ever again, or we just let people draw their own conclusion. If looking for clues or confirmation that we are whatever they think we are is what gets them to care and listen, why not take advantage of that?”

“So you’re baiting people.”

A chuckle escaped Mike, his breath hot against the cold skin of his face. “I mean, basically. Come for the wannabe romance, stay for the activism.”

Shocking how that was still working to this day. People’s tireless… support was as flattering as it was creepy. “But first and foremost, the reason we aren’t explicit about the nature of our relationship is that it’s no one else’s business. We are both way too stubborn to be pressured into talking about our private lives. The more people push, the less I am interested in making a statement of any kind. Besides, that would just derail the conversation from the actual promega issues we care to talk to the public about.”

“I love that for you. It’s so important to center the cause.”

“Absolutely.” Little did they know their five minutes in the spotlight had lasted a little longer than that, but oh well.

“There was one moment of publicity in particular that you two shared quite recently that reignited the public’s interest in you. The Promega of the Year award.”

“Oh God…” Mike pinched the bridge of his nose. A shudder went down his spine when his just warmed up finger were met with cold skin.

“Was that real?”

“Yes! Okay, so what happened was, the committee for that award chose Harvey to be the Promega of the Year for his work on our class action case. And once he got the letter, he called me and said, I just got this award, and I have no idea why.”

Mike could still hear the appalled confusion in his voice when he had declared, “Why would I get this? I am an Alpha,” which, fair point, but he had done a lot for Omegas in his firm and the whole country in the span of a year. Something that, when pointed out, Harvey only scoffed at.

“They should honor you for that, not me. I only followed your lead.”

Again, not untrue. He’d like to think an Omega-led committee would have dismantled their alpha-centric indoctrination, but… “Did they explain their choice?”

“Something about being an exceptional role model to other Alphas.”

“There you go then.” It was rare for an Alpha to be actively promega toward other Alphas, Mike supposed. Too many milked the promega label while only preaching promega theory at Omegas, as if Omegas weren’t the experts of their own oppression.

“Do you agree with this?” Harvey had asked with a level of offense as if he had been snubbed rather than honored.

“I don’t know. I do think you aren’t underserving, babe. You have done a lot.” On principle, an Alpha being selected over an Omega who had done more for longer didn’t sit right with Mike. Harvey being honored, on the other hand…

“I just stopped being an ignorant dick.”

“Exactly. A lot.”

“Hm,” Harvey had grumbled before declaring he had to think about it. The Harvey Mike had first met wouldn’t have hesitated to accept any praise, much less question an award. The fact that this Harvey did was proof of just how worthy he was of it. The thought still magicked a smile on Mike’s face. He was so lucky that the mate the universe had chosen for him was a genuinely good person capable of that much growth.

“Anyway, after like two days, Harvey decided he’d accept the honor and he said, 'they wanna do a sort of ceremony to hand him the certificate and live stream it, will you be there? Just in case anything feels weird or wrong to you so I can back out', and I said, 'yes, of course'. Jump to two weeks later. I raced to Harvey’s office literally right after class to make it sort of on time, so I looked like absolute shit when I arrived, but I thought, it’s not about me, it’s about Harvey.”

“Right,” the host chuckled.

“Yeah, except wrong, because that knothead decided that was the perfect moment to make a stance and decline the award in front of like, a couple hundred viewers with no heads-up to anyone and dragged me into it.”

Mike still wasn’t sure who had been more shocked, the people from the committee or himself, when Harvey announced that the award had no business going to an Alpha. Probably Mike, though, especially when Harvey’s eyes found his with that glint of cheeky justice that promised no good seconds before it happened.

Harvey barely had taken one step toward him and Mike had already uttered a hundred nos, but it didn’t stop Harvey from planting the award into Mike’s arms and proudly declared: “I wouldn’t be half the person I am today without the work of promegas such as Mike Ross. He and the rest of his organization deserve this honor, for a lifelong commitment to make this world a better place and starting the class action in the first place.”

And Mike couldn’t even kiss him after! No, he had stood flabbergasted as Harvey applauded him and all the cameras suddenly centered on him too and Mike was left stuttering, scrambling for words to form a bullshit speech of no award being needed for doing the right thing.

Naturally, the internet had gone wild—one half obsessed over this ‘grand gesture of love’ and saw it as further proof (they were correct), the other threw a hissy fit, claiming the whole thing had been staged in a pitiful attempt for them to stay relevant. Mike hadn’t anticipated he’d prefer the shipping discourse over the scrutiny and mistrust, but every day was a learning day.

“I know people accused us of that being a publicity stunt, but I swear to God, I had no idea. I know I am not good enough of an actor to even try and fake that reaction. That whole thing was one hundred percent a Harvey Specter special.” He could laugh about it now, but man, Harvey had a lot of sucking up to do the days after for jumping that on him.

Fortunately, Harvey was excellent at sucking.

“But, on the bright side, most people didn’t know there was such a thing as a Promega of the Year award, and now they do!” the host said cheerfully. Uh huh.

“Sure. I just love when videos of us go viral and educate the masses.” He especially loved the uptick of paparazzi suddenly hiding out in front of the Promegas United headquarters as if they were the Obamas on a diplomatic mission and not just two random people going about their day.

“Do you still have the certificate?”

“Oh, yeah!” Mike had earned it by withstanding the public humiliation. “They couldn't take that away after that gesture. It’s hanging in my apartment, still with Harvey’s name on.”

“I suppose it serves as a beautiful example of how much lower the bar is for an Alpha to receive praise than it is for the rest of us. And I’m not saying that he didn’t deserve it—”

“No, but that is exactly it, and that is what Harvey was so conscious of, too. No one expects an Alpha to care because they don’t have to, so when they do, it’s suddenly prize-worthy. I think it goes to show how incredibly prone to alpha-centric thinking promega spaces still are that we are focusing on promega Alphas rather than on uplifting each other's hard work. And yes, in a way, it is nice that attaching Harvey’s name to something is guaranteed to draw attention, but it also shouldn’t be necessary. I love that he took the opportunity to call that bias out when he did, I just wish he would have told me to dress better,” Mike chuckled. That was the problem with dating an Alpha who loved him unconditionally—Harvey still found him attractive even in the most slobbish clothes. Another way he had grown. Who would have thought Harvey Specter could ever forgive a poor outfit choice?

A cold air ached in his lungs. He swore he could see his own breath. Ugh, he kind of wished he had more of his slobbish outfits here to bundle up in. Maybe a hat, too. Several heated blankets like the one he had at Harvey’s place… outside the window, hundreds of snowflakes clouded the view.

“So. You abolished the Omega tax. You are about to graduate from law school. What’s next for you?”

Finally, the reason he was here. “Us from Promegas United have teamed up with the anti-sexual violence organization RAINN to create a bill we aim to propose to Congress, an effort led by the brilliant lawyer Rachel Zane who I adore and love so much. The bill seeks to expand the legal options on how to prosecute people who are charged with an act of sexual violence. Basically, right now, too often, trials are reduced to a he-said-she-said situation, and the presumption of innocence sees many rapists go free. But statistics prove that most people who commit sex crimes are serial offenders, and yet, previous misbehaviors and abusive tendencies are, as of now, not permitted as evidence in court in most states. We aim to change that.”

“Interesting, okay! So what kind of evidence would that include that is currently being dismissed?”

“Eh, patterns of behavior, essentially. Say someone has been fired from a job for sexual harassment, or spewed gendered hate online, or even has been reported for harassment before yet didn’t get convicted because of lack of evidence, these are all past offenses that can speak to a person’s motives and capabilities to commit a sex crime. At this moment in time, most assault and rape trials go like this: the victim brings forward allegations, the legal and sometimes PR team of the accused completely destroy their character and discredit their credibility while lifting up the accused as an outstanding member of society who would never hurt anyone, and the victims suffer through even more pain. By taking patterns of past behavior into account, the victim’s voice will be strengthened.”

“I assume it could help the accused too if they actually are innocent? Since so many Alphas live in fear of being falsely accused of rape.”

Ah, yes. Alphas and their fears. Since being falsely accused ruined their lives, as proven by the convicted rapist being elected president. Twice.

“Sure. If they truly are good people who never hurt anyone, patterns of their past behavior can help them prove that too. I mean, in my experience, Alphas who are overtly worried about being falsely accused wouldn’t really have such evidence in their favor, but, yes. The point is to create a fairer trial that looks at more than just one singular instance of crime as though it happened in a vacuum when that simply isn’t the case.”

So many more people might finally get justice. Rachel might have gotten justice. It wouldn’t fill all the gaps in the justice system, but anything was better than the shockingly low conviction rate of abusers they had now.

“So if any listeners want to support your bill, how would they do that?”

“Everyone can help by putting pressure on your local representatives. We need a member of congress to sponsor the bill, the more the merrier. Plus, once the bill will be presented at the house of representatives and the senate, we need a majority vote there too. So spread the word. Tell everyone why this matters, and not just for Omegas. Everyone can become a victim, and everyone deserves a fair trial and to get justice.”

The tip of his nose burned from the cold, his lungs felt coated in ice. He swore the apartment just got ten degrees colder once again. He clung to his smile, but even explaining the flaws in the current legal landscape that made it possible for people to get away with their heinous crimes, which never failed to get his blood boiling, wasn’t enough to heat him up.

He couldn’t be more grateful for when she finally wrapped-up the interview and slammed the laptop shut with a trembling hand. No amount of walking around truly helped, he even jumped on the spot, breathed into his hands. It was about as effective as throwing hot water into a blizzard. The radiator was ice cold under his touch. The snowflakes were as big as his fists, fell so rapidly, so mercilessly, all he could see was white.

No heating, in the middle of a snowstorm.

Shit.

***

Cold. It crept into Harvey’s core, had the goosebumps spread on his arms despite his apartment being heated to its usual, perfect sixty-nine degrees. That could only mean one thing: Mike was on his way, and judging by the stiffness in Harvey’s fingers, the prickle in their very tips, he did not choose to be smart and take a taxi. So much for Harvey’s promise to come to his apartment tonight to save Mike the trip through the snow.

“Something the matter?” Jessica asked, eyeing up Harvey stretching through his fingers to get his body to realize he was, in fact, in a warm apartment and there was no need to give him Mike’s frostbite.

He hopped to his feet and walked toward the kitchen. “No. Keep talking.”

It was rare enough that she came for a home visit. Actually, she hadn’t done that in years, but some subjects were a little too touchy to discuss in the office where everyone could see—and hear—them; Louis trying to bulldoze his way into becoming a name partner made the cut.

“I was done. What do you think? Should we do it?”

“Three names on the wall are a lot.” Harvey fished Mike’s favorite mug out of the cabinet (it looked identical to the others, minus a tiny piece chipped off at the bottom, but who was he to question the things that brought Mike joy), wordlessly held it up in front of Jessica.

“I’ll have something stronger.”

“Coming right up.” But freezing Omegas came first, and this one felt like he could really use a boiling hot, black coffee. The coffee machine roared up as it ground the beans. He also filled a glass with whiskey for Jessica, which he placed in front of her on the living room table.

“I can’t ignore Louis’s work forever. He is a piece of work, but he is also doing more billables than half m employees combined. He’s more dedicated to the firm than most too, including you.”

“That’s because he has no life…” Harvey mumbled. To this day, he hadn’t stopped giving Mike evils every time he came by the firm. If Mike were any less of a man and hadn't grown amused by Louise's weird antagonism, the conflict would have long escalated.

“He’s turned a blind eye to a lot of dodgy things you’ve done.”

“Yes, and he definitely has never used them to extort favors from me like the selfless person that he is.” Blackmail was in Louis’s DNA, much like mudding and cats were. “What does he have on you to consider this?”

“Nothing. But he did threaten to quit.”

“A devastating loss we couldn’t possibly make up for.”

“Harvey. Be serious.”

“What makes you think I was being sarcastic?” He positioned himself right by the door to the hallway and held out the steaming mug. In 3… 2… 1…

“What on earth are you doing?” Jessica chastised, just as the key turned in the lock; a snow-covered Mike dragged a path of mud in (Harvey needed to remember to tip the poor cleaning staff), the melting snow dropped off his winter coat in drops and clumps. The tip of his nose was fiery red, his hair was wet despite the hat he pulled off it. And still, his eyes shone brighter than the sun when they met his.

He gasped when he clocked the mug hovering in front of him. “Oooh. I love you so much.” Whether he was speaking to the coffee or to him, Harvey didn’t know; both seemed likely. Mike mindlessly tossed his gloves to the floor, clutched at the hot ceramic. His hands were shaking so much, some coffee spilled over the edge; Mike didn’t even flinch when it crashed into his skin.

“You okay?” Harvey asked as he picked up the soaking-wet gloves and put them on the heater in the hallway to dry.

“Living the dream, can’t you see?” Harvey helped him out of his massive coat so he didn't have to put the coffee down, suppressed the urge to press a kiss on his head when he got the chance.

“Thank you…” Mike’s ice-cold hand burned on Harvey’s cheek, he leaned in… Harvey indicated with his eyes to the couch. With the hint of a frown, Mike followed his gaze—and immediately dropped his hand. “Oh. Hi.”

“Hello,” Jessica said with that I-knew-it smile Harvey so hated.

“I’m sorry, I thought you might be done by now.”

“That's okay.” Saved Harvey a trip. Mike’s studio was… fine. When it had Mike squeezed into it. But it didn’t compete with the condo’s comfort. “Jessica, you remember Mike?”

The question was rhetorical—she had a strange obsession with him. Whenever Mike was around, Harvey caught her watching them, yet never approaching them except for that one time she was springing a case on them. For years now, Harvey had waited for her to ask the question, make a comment about Mike revealing what she thought of him, anything; at this point, it felt like a game, and whoever acknowledged Mike’s presence around Harvey first would lose it.

“Of course. You look… wet.”

“Yeah,” Mike huffed. His throat bopped. The silence couldn’t have lasted longer than a heartbeat, but it was loaded with a buzzing tension thickening the air that made Harvey desperate to pull Mike close, shield him from the discomfort…

“I'm sorry, I don't mean to be rude, but I am frozen to the bone and I am only here to thaw up in Harvey's bath,” Mike declared and, after extending a sweet smile to Harvey, sped away to the bathroom, the mug never far away from his face.

Harvey smiled. Mike being comfortable naked around him was one thing, and definitely not a small honor—him trusting Harvey enough to get naked in his apartment when another Alpha was here, that was on another level altogether. Hell, that beat the first time Rachel had taken her scarf off around him.

“So he is your Omega. I knew it,” Jessica declared.

“No, he is his own person. He just chooses to spend time here.” Harvey sank into the corner of the couch, one arm on the backrest.

“I don't understand your relationship.” Shocking how the basic principle I don’t own the man I love just because he loves me back boggled the mind of such a smart person.

“I don’t understand your relationship to Louis either, or why you entertain his demand.”

“He’s doesn’t have a key to my apartment. Or ever used my bathtub.”

Harvey’s nose cringed up. He could have done without the mental image of Jessica and Louis getting naked… A shudder went through him, shook him through his very core. No. Gross. He needed a better thought—Mike getting into his bathtub. His soft skin sticking to the porcelain, the bubbles barely covering his bare body, his knee poking out above the surface… Was it hot in here, or had Mike simply stopped freezing? This conversation seemed moot when he could be there rather than here.

“Look, if you want to add another name to the wall, I won’t stop you, as long as I don’t have to babysit him.”

“You seriously won’t acknowledge what just happened with that Omega?”

Harvey sipped his drink, let the whiskey sit on his tongue for all the sweet, spicy flavors to unfold. It was that, or a lecture why reducing Mike to his gender was awfully belittling since he was a whole person with an uncountable number of lovable traits, way beyond his ability to take a knot and pop out babies.

Jessica huffed. “Wow.”

“So, Louis. What’s it gonna be?”

It took another ten minutes of an altogether one-sided conversation that proved Jessica had long made up her mind, and this ‘discussion’ was a courtesy call at best. Harvey resigned himself to the fact that soon, his name would be the delicious center of a strangely matched sandwich. It was easy when he could feel the hot water embracing Mike… Whether Jessica thought this meeting had come to its natural end or whether she knew him well enough to guess there was someplace he’d rather be, either way, she quickly bid her goodbye.

Harvey quickly locked the door before he jogged to the bathroom. The door was unlocked. Mike was neck-deep submerged in an avalanche of bubbles; his eyes opened into slits when Harvey entered, along with that loving smile Harvey was privileged to see a lot of.

“Hi.” Harvey sat on the edge of the bathtub; warm water soaked through the bottom of his pants. Mike’s warm, pruney hand found his immediately.

“Hey.”

“How's the thawing going? Need some extra heat?”

“I could do with that...” Mike purred.

Slowly, unhurried, Harvey peeled himself out of his dress shirt, stepped out of his pants. Mike’s lower lip was trapped behind his front teeth; he sat up, spread his legs for Harvey to scoot between, an invitation too good to resist. Harvey supported himself with one hand next to Mike’s shoulders as he lowered himself down, chest to chest; five fingers slid into Harvey’s hair. Finally, their lips met in the long overdue kiss.

Mike locked his legs behind Harvey’s lower back. “Sorry for crashing your meeting. I was really desperate.”

“It was very informal.” Harvey traced his lips over the familiar soft skin of Mike’s cheek. “She was looking for my consent to make Louis the third name partner.”

“Oh god.” Mike’s voice was heavy on the appalment. “Why?”

“Blackmail.”

Mike chuckled as if that couldn’t possibly be real; apparently, he still had more faith in Louis than Harvey had realized.

“What had you turn into a block of ice?”

Mike’s head fell backward against the tub with a groan. “The boiler in my building is broken and I realized too late. I had to do the whole interview in the freezing cold.”

“And you came all the way here to warm up?” Eight miles through the snow, when Rachel had a bathtub too and lived barely five minutes away from Mike?

“Why wouldn’t I? Your bath is the best.”

That simple, huh? Harvey didn’t have a competition with Rachel for Mike’s time or anything, it was nothing that high school—but to be chosen in moments like this did fill Harvey with a special warmth only Mike could effuse in him. Not the one of winning, but one of being wanted by such a special person.

“Especially with you in it…” Harvey muttered, tracing lips over Mike’s cheek, to his neck to leave a series of soft kisses on his skin.

“You flirt.”

Proudly so. It never failed to amuse Mike, and everything that entertained him delighted Harvey.

“My landlord said it will take a few weeks to get it fixed, at least two…” Oh. Such treacherous living conditions were unacceptable.

“Guess that means you need a place to stay…” Harvey’s hand traced up his side, over the dips of his ribs.

“It does…”

“My apartment is much bigger than Rachel's...” He couldn’t provide the same quality of home-cooked meals, but he did have a vast catalogue of restaurants in the area that Mike loved.

“Are you pitching yourself?” Mike chuckled. How could he not, when he had the ultimate chance of having Mike around all the time? Well, he wasn’t exactly a rare guest, but this level of commitment without a second home to flee to was new for them. One that could prove that the second home was superfluous in the first place, maybe…

“Yes. Stay with me.”

“Well, there is a lot of my stuff here, so...”

“Exactly! Please?”

Smiling, Mike stroked through his hair, drew tender circles with his fingernails. “Babe, I'm literally counting on it.”

A warm feeling hugged Harvey’s heart, even more comforting than the hot water around them. What a privilege to be Mike’s first choice, to have his trust, his love…

“I’ll make it worth it…”

He lightly nipped at Mike’s neck, sucked the sensitive skin between his teeth; Mike’s legs around him tightened, his hand in Harvey’s hair kept him right by his neck.

“Lucky me…” Mike’s voice was little more than a breath. Somewhere on the floor, Harvey’s phone was buzzing—he was too busy licking and kissing along Mike’s racing pulse to care.

Chapter Text

Who else is he baiting?! Promega activist admits to exploiting public interest in relationship to Alpha lawyer extraordinaire Harvey Specter for attention

by Grace Evans

Underneath was the most unflattering picture of Mike biting into a loaded bagel—which no one could do gracefully— with its contents spilling into the bag. Cream cheese was smeared at the corner of his mouth.

In a recent interview with the podcast Knot Your Omega, Mike Ross, best known for pushing his radical promega views and suspected romance with lawyer Harvey Specter, admitted he exploits public interest in the pair to spread his agenda.

After making himself the face of the, by now, infamous Promegas United v Stevenson & Stevenson Supreme Court case that caused the rapid increase of the cost of rut-suppressants, he now has latched onto the next project bound to make waves: the proposal of a bill, spearheaded (for now) by fellow promega activist Rachel Zane, which has the stated intent to make it possible to use past incidents in cases of sexual assault.

Ever received a parking ticket? Careful, Alphas. Soon, it might be all the proof Ross and his entourage need to strengthen bogus claims.

Mike's eyes rolled painfully far into the back of his head. He swore he could see his brain. So now he was leading Harvey on, huh? Oh, and Rachel too, as if their friendship hadn’t been well documented long before she even applied to law school. God, one interview and the rats came out to play… the press really was out of new talking points. He locked the screen and tossed Harvey’s tablet to the other end of the couch. He should have guessed their relationship would once again be the only takeaway from trying to promote Rachel’s work.

Good thing Harvey enjoyed being taken advantage of, or else Mike would have to get lunch by himself at Columbia, and literally why would he do that if he had a handsome man waiting to be picked up?  

The security guard greeted him with a nod and a friendly smile, waving him through to the elevator without a question. Good guy, Frank. Once in a while, they had temps subbing who thought they had something to prove and questioned every single person without ID trying to access the offices, insisting on proof of appointment; nothing a phone call to Donna couldn’t sort out, but annoying nonetheless. To this day, Mike wasn’t sure what she had said, but he’d never forget just how pale the Alpha had gone, stuttering a “y-y-yes ma’am” before waving Mike through with an apology.

A Beta man was busy attaching the new metal letters to the wall, right next to Harvey’s name. Pearson Specter Litt was awfully cumbersome, but if they insisted. Louis, for his part, was overseeing the process, preening like an Alpha, his chest puffed out like a particularly proud bird when he clocked Mike. Mike barely succeeded in hiding his amusement in his coffee cup. Harvey was in for such an annoying time because no way Louis wouldn’t go on an ego-induced power trip over this. The stories would be magnificent.

“You see that?” Louis grinned, every single one of his thirty-two teeth on full display. Oh, so many snarky comments to choose from and too little time. He was supposed to meet Harvey two minutes ago. There had been a time when Harvey had been so eager to see him, he’d beat Mike to their meeting point every single time without fail; now, he was still happy to see Mike, but the enthusiasm didn’t win out over his sense of duty most times. That, or he was just used to Mike running ten minutes late wherever he went. Jokes on him for forgetting Mike was staying with him and the commute was a whole lot shorter now.

“I do. Congrats on the promotion,” Mike settled on lest he’d be accused of picking fights with colleagues (again). Louis was insufferable enough by himself without Mike antagonizing him further.

Louis’s huge hand clasped Mike’s shoulder. “This is what happens when you work hard. Take notes.” Ah, yes, because if there was one thing Mike needed, it was a lesson in ambition, by Louis no less.

“I thought this is what happens when you have dirt on the managing partner, but sure.”

Louis’s smile turned into a scowl. And they called Omegas sensitive... “I really wish I didn’t know what he was seeing in you.”

Aw, so he did see what Harvey saw? That was the nicest thing he had ever said to Mike. Still, Mike wouldn’t be caught confirming their relationship to Louis of all people, so he freed himself from his clutch and followed the corridor to Harvey’s office. No one was particularly surprised to see him here anymore, active case or not. He had no doubt most people had their, probably correct, assumptions, but at least they had developed the sense of not bringing them up to him or Harvey.

Besides, everyone who outright assumed he and Harvey were a match was a compliment in its own right. Harvey was awesome. He was smart and funny and caring and people were in awe of him, even Louis, much as he tried to deny it. Sometimes, even Mike was wondering why Harvey put up with being dragged to promega events virtually every other week, or having his meetings interrupted, or not being able to as much as hold Mike’s hand in public without people losing their minds—

“Woahza, what an Omega…” Mike halted midstep. Who, him? No way. People here knew better than to thirst over Mike so openly. No one had dared it in two years, the odd stare or flirty wink aside that Mike could brush off as an act of confusion; by far the greatest advantage of all the speculations regarding him and Harvey was how little Alphas still hit on him, so this was an unpleasant throwback to his early visits.

“Shut up,” another voice growled. Thomas, the partner who once had shamed Mike for not wanting to have a bad-faith discussion about promegaism in the executive kitchen, since had taken every promega workshop Harvey had organized and taken them to heart in ways few others did. “We don’t speak about Omegas like that. Mike is a good person, he deserves respect.”

Mike bit back his smile. Well done, Thomas. This was the energy Mike cared to see around here. The Harvey Specter effect.

“Hold on. Mike? As in, Mike Ross?”

Oh, great. Fan or critic, time to find out… Mike glanced over his shoulder—straight into the flabbergasted, aged face of that suppressant-stealing prick he hadn’t seen in ten years. Mike squared his shoulders, tight with tension. “Neil.”

The years since Harvard had not been kind to him. The frown lines were carved into his face, the bald circle on his head begged for the remaining hair to be shaved off when he couldn’t be much older than Mike.

“Hey, man,” he beamed, not a shred of self-awareness in sight. “How have you been? You’re a lawyer after all now, huh?”

Mike crossed his arms in front of his chest; the coffee cup burned against his upper arm, but he had a point to make. “Not yet. Thanks to you and your friends.”

“Oh, yeah,” Neil chuckled. “That was crazy.”

Uh huh. Crazy. Just in a very different way than Neil still seemed to think.

“What happened?” Thomas asked.

“Oh, nothing. Just a little prank that got blown out of proportion.”

“If stealing my suppressants, forcing me into heat, and outing me as an Omega in front of the entirety of Harvard Law which got me expelled for being a distraction can count as a prank,” Mike deadpanned.

Thomas’s jaw dropped. At least one of the Alphas recognized how fucked up that crazy truly was. “Oh, shit. You’re done, bro.”

“That was years ago. Surely, we all moved past this, right?” Neil lightly boxed Mike’s shoulder as if they were old friends. Mike didn’t do him the favor of faking politeness.

“You need to apologize,” Thomas said. “Beg, really, if you care to keep your job.”

“My job?” Neil huffed. “Why?”

“Because Harvey Specter is not the forgiving type.”

The corner of Mike’s mouth twitched up against his will. Was the fear of Harvey the ideal reason to care about righting that wrong? No. But… the power that came with being associated with him, people’s knowledge that Mike was under his protection and no one better mess with him, that wasn’t awful.

“What’s he got to do with anything?”

If the stronger-growing musky scent was any indication, they were about to find out. Sometimes, life just worked out beautifully. Harvey might not always be early anymore, but he sure had great timing whenever Mike needed him. Mike leaned his head back seconds before the gentle touch of a hand appeared on his back.

“You took your time.” Harvey said, smiled even, way too soft for the office setting and the fact that they had celebrated a good morning less than six hours ago.

“I got distracted by your new employee. Have you two met yet?”

“I don’t believe so.” Chances were, Harvey wouldn’t remember even if they did, but Mike would take it.

“Let me do the honors. Neil, this is your boss. Harvey, this is Neil. One of the guys who stole my suppressants back at Harvard.”

Harvey’s face fell as though he had just been slapped; the corner of his nose lifted in the hint of a snarl.

“And he was just about to apologize for that,” Thomas said, nudging Neil with his shoulder. Nothing like a coerced apology to snack on before lunch.

“Right! Right. I am really sorry for my childish actions back then. I had no idea they’d kick you out, I swear! I was in favor of you staying, ask anyone.”

“I can imagine why.” Harvey’s voice was dry as sand, a hint of a growl coloring each word. Mike suppressed the urge to hug and soothe him.

What happened back then was far from okay, and he saw no indication that Neil was less of a dick now, but he had passed the unconscious bias test Harvey made mandatory for employment. And besides, things back then could have gone a lot worse. He and his buddies could have not let Mike leave… Far be it from Mike to praise an Alpha for not being a rapist, but he didn’t need to get the guy fired either, in case he had grown up.

“Thank you,” Mike said. “I guess being kicked out of Harvard wasn’t the worst thing that ever happened. It did put me on a much better path. Which is not to your credit, but it does mean I can forgive you.”

Harvey, however, eyed him up with an intensity that had even Mike shudder. Hot. “Thin ice. We treat Omegas with respect around here, got it? I better not catch you slipping into old habits.”

Neil visibly gulped, rushing to nod his agreement. They’d see if he stuck to it. The thought wasn’t nearly as scary as it used to be, now that Mike knew he had people in his corner here who would believe him if something happened; that certainty was the biggest gift Harvey had ever given him, and Harvey was all but stingy with them.

“Anyway.” Mike hummed and strutted past them, back to the elevator. Harvey fell into step next to him.

“You okay?”

“No. I’m starving. My partner promised me lunch.”

“He’d never break a promise like that.”

Mike would hope so, or why else would he put up with made-up headlines and weird Alphas from the past?

The down button of the elevator lit up under Mike’s finger. “So. How insufferable has Louis been today since his promotion was confirmed?”

“Not more than usual, which says a lot.”

“On the bright side, he might have reached his limit on being annoying.”

“I wish,” Harvey chuckled. “He did say this weird thing about me and him being in a strained relationship. I told him to break up with me, but I thought you should know.”

“Why? Do I have to be concerned, or do you want credit for not cheating on me with Louis?” Mike grinned.

“Yes. Not knotting him right then and there was a huge sacrifice you ought to be grateful for.”

What an image. Louis bent over Harvey’s desk, pants down… Ugh. the cringe went through Mike's whole body. He let his hand slip into Harvey’s behind the closed elevator doors. It wasn’t much, but every second they could steal without prying eyes still had his stomach tingle with vivacious butterflies. He had expected they’d fade eventually, but two years down the line, they were alive and well. That was the magic of Harvey. Mike hoped they’d never settle down.

---

Thank you i’m so sorry I know youre busy!!

Jesus. Leave it to Rachel to be apologetic about a simple favor as if her quest for getting new legislation established wasn’t ten times more important than anything Mike had going on in his life right now. She had a full-time job to juggle, Mike only had a class on acquisitions and mergers to attend. He could handle prepping her current pro bono on top of that.

For the millionth time its my pleasure!! Whatever I can do to help ❤️

Maybe in another couple of years of friendship, the message would sink in.

His seat in every lecture hall was always strategically two-thirds up, toward the aisle. Statistically the seat most out of any lecturer’s eyesight that allowed him to focus on other work without being caught and called on—he was getting enough side glances from his fellow students without showing off in class too. Quietly dominating in exams and having people wonder how the hell the Omega was topping the rankings was the safer strategy. All Mike wanted was to graduate without physical damage. That shouldn’t be impossible. The hardest part was going up the stairs without slipping and making a fool of himself, but thankfully, Mike had managed so far.

The file was already sitting in his inbox; Rachel was nothing if not efficient. Some housing issue because a greedy landlord—surprise, surprise—was trying to bully his long-standing tenants out of his building to be able to hike up the rent. It was sad how predictable capitalism was. These kinds of cases were some of the most common that the steadily-growing civil rights firm Rachel worked handled; much as Harvey looked down upon housing court, preventing discrimination in all areas of people’s lives was an important stepping stone toward becoming a well-respected civil and human rights lawyer—

A loud thud echoed through the lecture hall. Mike’s eyes snapped up—oh, hell no.

“Everyone sit down,” the low voice of Robert Zane thundered. For fuck’s sake. So much for wanting to be left in peace.

“You got to be kidding me…” Mike mumbled to himself. Several heads in front of him turned back. What a way to find out he couldn’t whisper.

“Another Alpha you’re fucking?” Jeremy Sanders leaned in from the seat behind Mike. It should have been a joke, except it never was. Jeremy’s ego was bigger than that of most Alpha partners of Harvey’s firm; at least they had a reason to be cocky with an established career and money in the bank and all. Jeremy was a mid-twenties know-it-all who had correctly assessed that they did not play in the same league, however gravely overestimated on what end he was.

Mike pressed his lips shut. Engaging had never helped, but man, if he got stomach ulcers from swallowing all the comments throwing themselves against his lips, begging them to open, he knew who to sue to cover the bill.

“Professor Orfani is sick, she asked me to cover for her.” Robert continued. Mike sank lower in his seat, praying his laptop would hide him. This was what he got for listening to Harvey. ‘No, don’t completely dismiss corporate classes, it’s important to know how the system you fight against works,’ blah. Why did everything out of his perfect mouth sound so damn convincing? The seat better not have lost its invisibility spell.

He tried to tune out Robert’s, frankly, boring talk about acquisition guidelines and relevant laws and focus on Rachel’s complaint against the landlord; he scanned the lines for mistakes, extracted the information he needed to fill out the trial order…

“That’s not what’s on the board,” Jeremy practically screamed behind him. Ugh. How hard was it to mind his own business? Mike angled his laptop down and aside.

“Ooh. Secretive much. Is it some media-training, because you clearly need that.” He needed it?

“Can you shut up?” Mike snapped. He did not need advice from Jeremy fucking Sanders. He needed nothing from him, as a matter of fact.  Jeremy would go on to work at his daddy’s oil corporation and make this world even worse, and Mike had no time for any of it until they faced each other in a court of law because Mike was suing his company for all they got.

“Is there an issue?” Robert’s voice thundered. His dark eyes that lacked the warmth Mike so loved about Rachel’s pierced through him with the disdain of a man who blamed him for Rachel’s choice to go beyond her dad’s footsteps and actually affect change.

“Mike is doing other work and is distracting us with his typing,” Jeremy said. What the fuck? What was this, kindergarten? “I thought his kind was only tolerated as long as he doesn’t distract Alphas?”

Mike’s right eye twitched. His kind. Oh, if only he could show off just how much more distracting he could get. The typing was nothing compared to the verbal violence he could inflict—

“Mr. Ross,” Robert said. Great. “Am I boring you that you need to distract yourself? Or is this too challenging for you?”

The huff escaped Mike before he remembered this was not the Zane family house, and he ought to be professional. But really, Robert should know better than to insult him so. “No.”

“Explain to the rest of us what we understand under Synergy gains.”

“It’s the collective benefit that two companies achieve when they merge or form strategic alliances. They come in different forms to enhance various aspects of business performance, such as revenue growth, cost reduction, and other financial leverage.” Yeah, Mike had read the syllabus. Choke on it.

Robert’s face was expressionless more often than not, but now, Mike chose to interpret the deadpan as speechlessness.

“Keep the noise to a minimum. You don’t wanna cause any more headlines.”

Several people in the room ‘ooh’ed. The intrusive stares burned on his skin; he felt like a dart board, getting assaulted with endless tiny arrows puncturing him. Clearly, Mike wasn’t the only one who had forgotten to be professional. Mike would be damned to break his promise to Rachel now, not for any judgment around him and definitely not to bow to Robert Zane’s authority, so he pulled the laptop closer to shield his screen from prying eyes and kept typing. He pointedly ignored the cocky scent Jeremy spread all over the room, spiking through the cocktail of pheromones the unsuppressed Alphas—easily half the room—had them marinate in.

The three hours felt longer than the last academic year combined. Time had the nasty habit of slowing down whenever Mike needed it to pass quickly so he could stop wasting time worrying about being perceived and do the work he wanted to do. Robert couldn’t speak the magic words of “class adjourned” quickly enough; Mike was out of his seat in an instant, shimmying past the slower students down the stairs—

“Mike,” Robert said, no, demanded. Which by itself was plenty of reason for Mike to keep going, pretend he didn’t hear, and trust none of this mattered anymore by the next time they saw each other.

…If only he didn’t have the high ground right now. The Zanes had a strained family dynamic, but Rachel was the closest thing to a sore spot Robert had. Mike strutted to the desk. “For your information, I was helping out Rachel, and if you have a problem with that, I don’t care.”

“I’ve tried really hard not to care about any of your publicity stunts.”

Mike’s face turned into a grimace. “My stunts?” He wasn’t doing anything! The gossip vultures just took a throwaway line and turned it into a huge deal.

“Leave my daughter’s name out of your bids for attention.”

Someone laughed behind him—Mike snapped his head around. Too many amused, clearly eavesdropping faces stared back at him.

“I’m not asking for attention.” He had no control over what the media wrote about him, much less how they involved Rachel in it. Between the two of them, Mike was the only one who could claim he always had Rachel’s best interests at heart.

“Could have fooled me.”

Mike huffed. This was rich. “The only reason I’ve taken advantage of the attention I involuntarily get was to help out Rachel, on her request, which you might know if you ever talked to her. But I suppose being supportive has always been a foreign concept to you.” He readjusted the strap of his bag over his shoulder and, with the most poisonous smile he could summon, left Robert to stew in his resentment.

Mike’s phone was in his hand before he knew it, his thumb automatically moved to Harvey’s name on top of his frequent call list before his brain overrode the muscle memory and readjusted course for Rachel’s name instead.

“So you let his daughter fuck you too? Anyone here who doesn’t get it?” Jeremy grinned, arms crossed, and built himself up right in Mike’s path. His two Alpha buddies flanked either side like the world’s most ragtag bodyguards.

“You mean, other than you?” Mike went to circle around them; Jeremy stepped right back in front of him.

“Are you offering? Cuz no thanks. I already got a bitch.”

Mike’s nails bit into the palm of his hand, hot rage rushed to his head. Oh, that poor Omega who had to endure such horrific company. “I hope they bite your knot off.”

Again, Jeremy jumped in his way when Mike tried to get by with that wider-growing, shit-eating grin because clearly, everything an Omega said was a joke to him—god, Mike needed to calm down. No Alpha was allowed to get under his skin like this. All because of that damn unsuppressed testosterone on this campus, he was sure. This time, he let their shoulders collide and strutted on anyway.

At least there was an antidote to all this blugh, in the form of the call button next to Rachel’s name. The best way to kill time before his next class. And God, it was good to hear her voice. He found a wooden bench on the quieter side of campus, under a tree bordering a patch of lawn, and drew the knees against his chest.

He and Rachel had been seeing too little of each other recently. Even their ritualistic Thursday night sleepover had taken a hit under the growing workload for both of them with late classes and work emergencies and PU meetings that ran so late, their hangout was reduced to just sleep. Staying with Harvey didn’t help either; the distance between their apartments was too great for spontaneous drop-ins. More than once, Mike had hinted she should move to Manhattan, too, but she had only laughed about that.

It would be the dream for the three of them to find a new place together so his favorite people were always around… Selfish, yes, which was why Mike never brought it up. It wouldn’t work out, anyway. Rachel and Harvey both loved having their own spaces too much; Mike’s privilege to be welcome in both wasn’t something he underestimated. It was nothing but a silly fantasy when life got too busy to juggle it all, anyway, a sign he needed some quality time with his people. Something neither he nor Rachel failed to vow they wanted to make happen.

Being an adult with responsibilities sucked.  Mike had all he ever wanted, and he barely had time to enjoy it all to the extent he wanted to, but well. He was privileged, still.

“Hang on,” Rachel said after so long, Mike had gone through his entire water bottle to combat the speech-induced dryness in his mouth, “Gotta find my suppressants.”

Mike frowned. “Isn’t it early for that?” She always took them in the evening, the sweet spot between when she was supposed to finish work and the earliest usual PU engagement to minimize chances of forgetting.

“No. It’s just past six.”

What?! He ripped the phone away from his ear. Under the layer of moisture covering the screen, the clock confirmed what he had feared—with the reminder to take his own suppressants from two hours ago.

“Shit!” He rummaged through his bag until he found the box with the Ω on top. And no water fountain around… Swallowing it dry it was. Mike forced the tiny pill down, his throat scratching. Ugh.

“Thanks for the reminder. Let’s hope they still work.” The recommended time window was no more than ninety minutes before or after the usual time, but close enough. Not like his body could tell time.

“Just get an implant already! You keep forgetting to take your pills.” That was an exaggeration. In the past three years, he only had two accidental heats. Besides.

“Implants cost a fortune.”

“Your rich mate gave you a credit card to his accounts.”

“And I don’t abuse it!” As a rule, but especially for those things. Harvey wouldn’t be opposed, of course not, he knew better than to police Mike’s choices like that, but, well. Much as he claimed heat sex was overrated, he had still very much enjoyed it the last times. Mike didn’t want to deny him the chance to benefit from his scattered mind once in a while, least of all make him pay for that loss of privilege.

Since he had very much missed the start of his evening class, Mike decided there was no point showing up half an hour late and went home instead. Harvey’s apartment—or rather, their apartment for the time being—was comfortably pre-heated already, like a warm hug that welcomed him home. The actual embrace Mike was after was still at work, unfortunately, so he did the second-best thing and put on one of Harvey’s hoodies before he wrapped himself in a blanket that had Harvey’s pheromones all over it. Mike drew a deep breath, allowed the earthy scent to calm every cell in his body; the best cure to an annoying day full of annoying people there was.

If only he could exist like this forever, away from rooms full of Alphas laughing at him. It would make life a whole lot easier, much more enjoyable, if only he could work from this couch and be treated to the feeling of Harvey being in his way home; it was like water for the budding flowers inside of Mike that grew and blossomed when Harvey walked through the door. Mike had a whole garden worth of them around his heart. They were the most precious thing he owned.

“You’re home early.” Harvey said, looking like a god with that damn smile Mike was obsessed with.

“I skipped class.” Mike reached his arms out, a silent plea not to make him move but to join him instead. Harvey, ever so obliging, squeezed in behind Mike and wrapped his arms tightly around his chest. Home. Mike allowed the soft purr to color his breath, cranked his head back to kiss Harvey hello.

“What are you working on?” Harvey squinted at the screen. Mike waited. And waited. No moment of realization came. Knew it.

“Honey, you need reading glasses.”

“No, I don’t.”

How was he still denying it? Every day, Donna sent Mike pictures of him holding documents embarrassingly far away or squinting his eyes to make out words on the screen.

“There’s no shame in it! You’d look so hot.” Those big, slightly rounded glasses that would perfectly complement his square bone structure… Now there was an image that would sustain him whenever other Alphas tried to square up to him.

“Are you okay?” Harvey asked, too softly to be a casual inquisition.

Mike sighed. “Aside from being accused of seeking attention all day? Rachel’s dad was a guest lecturer.”

“Oh. How did that go?”

“He accused me of dragging Rachel's name through the mud. Me! She couldn’t believe it either. And of course, he had to do in front of half my corporate class, and they ate that up like fucking candy…”

Harvey nuzzled his neck, leaving a trail of soft kisses along his pulse that had Mike shiver. The budding rage simmered down, breathing got easier again. “Something I can do?”

“Hmm. You could buy up every gossip paper in this country and shut them down?” It was a pipe dream, but oh, wasn’t it sweet…

“I wish. But who cares what they say?”

“I wished it was less people. The lecture was boring, anyway. All I need to know about corporate law I got right here.” He pressed a kiss on Harvey’s forehead, on top of that big, beautifully smart brain.

“Are you sure?”

“About your skillset? Yes. Witnessed it firsthand several times.”

“About not going corporate yourself,” Harvey purred. Oh, come on. That had never been a serious conversation between them. Since Mike had the privilege of a mate wealthy and generous enough to support them both, he ought to use it to pursue the idealist paths of law that too many others couldn’t afford to go down, even if their hearts were in the right place.

“Yes,”

“I would make you head of pro bonos in no time.”

So he shouldn’t just go corporate, but go corporate for Harvey?  Nice try. “First of all, there is no such thing, and second of all, it would take several years for you to justify putting me in charge of anything. Years I don’t care to spend sucking up to rich people. Your associates work like a hundred hours per week, I wouldn’t have time for anything else.” He already barely did.

“But you’d have money of your own you invest in promega causes. You can set boundaries in the business worlds, break through the glass ceiling, change the industry. That would do good in many important ways too.”

“It does do good. And you’re doing a great job of it.” The fruits of his labor were sweet indeed. The financial troubles Pearson Specter had found itself in had been quickly resolved, the more word spread it was a safe place for Omegas. There were a lot of rich widows who had retained them, just like Harvey had predicted. 

Harvey hummed; his nose traced along Mike’s scent glands. “But you’re so hot when you’re working…”

So that was what this was about, huh? Mike chuckled. “You can always join me in human rights.”

“It’s too late for me, I’m afraid.”

“Plenty of old people change their career trajectory.”

Harvey scoffed. “Wow. Thanks, baby, really.”

“My pleasure. Anytime.”

“I was going to make you dinner, but I guess I’m too old and brittle to stand for that long…”

“Oh, shut up,” Mike chuckled. “Go be a good housewife while daddy’s working.”

“Hey, that’s my line!”

“I dare you to say that to me.”

With how brightly the cheeky glint in Harvey’s eyes glowed, Mike half-expected he would—but the smile remained tight-lipped. He only blessed Mike with another kiss before he regrettably shimmied out from under him.

“Thank you I love you,” Mike called after him, the words slurring into one.

“Uh huh,” Harvey gave back, just exaggerated enough that Mike could feel the love.

The sizzling sounds and smell of paprika and herbs lured Mike out of his nest after all, just to hug Harvey from behind and watch him at work. The one time they had tried being cute and cooking together had ended in a screwed-up meal, plenty of passive-aggressive remarks, and a ruined night, so they were not doing that again.

Fortunately, one of them had picked up some culinary skills and learned not to completely despise cooking. The three recipes Rachel had taught Mike were enough for the rare occasion he was in charge of food, but Harvey developed a great feel for the right amount of heat, time, and spices to the point that he could throw something together and it turned out decent more often than not. And for Mike, he did it mostly without complaining. Mike had gotten so lucky. Dating someone with enough money that made takeout a viable option most days was a true blessing, but being loved so much to be treated to home-cooked meals anyway was out of this world.

The least he could do was handle the washing up, aka setting everything neatly into the dishwasher except for Harvey’s special pan that allegedly wouldn’t survive such conditions and required a hand scrub. Just when Mike pulled the plug on the dirty water and dried his arms, Harvey started pawing at him from behind, nibbling his ear lobe, rubbing up to Mike. The hardening bulk pressed into his butt… A wave of heat flooded his lower body. Mike’s eyes fluttered shut, he leaned into the sweet caresses.

“No knots tonight. I don’t know if I took my suppressants on time enough.”

“Hmm. I could do with a heat…” Harvey’s voice was barely more than a filthy whisper that rumbled through Mike. He sucked at Mike’s pulse, lighting a fire of desire with the flick of his tongue. Well, if he said it like that…

“Could you now?” Mike grinned. Thankfully, Harvey's sinful lips went back to caressing his neck instead of saying any more seductive things that would have made Mike go off his suppressants on purpose. A bad idea, given his exams were just around the corner, but for a mate like this... Harvey’s hands glided around Mike’s hips, skillfully unbuttoning his pants. Someone was impatient.

Harvey tugged the fabric down; the warm air hit Mike’s freshly exposed skin. Grinning, he supported himself with his forearms on the kitchen counter, pushed his hips back; two large hands massaged his butt, parting it. Harvey’s tongue dived in with no hesitation despite the meal they just had. Mike moaned freely, threw his head back. The sweetest dessert there was. He was lucky to have such a considerate Alpha taking care of him, always spoiling him first before taking a piece for himself.

And when the next day, Mike woke without any inner restlessness, no stirrings of an inner heat he couldn’t get rid of, that dodged bullet allowed him to climb on top of Harvey and remind him just how much he appreciated him too.

Chapter Text

“A distraction in class”—Why the experiment of desegrated schools puts out Alphas at a disadvantage   

by Trent Yake 

Mike’s picture underneath, mid-sentence with an altogether goofy looking face, photoshopped in front of the Columbia Law building.  

He shouldn’t bother with this bullshit. Not right before he had to head to class. But his fellow students wouldn’t have the same hesitations. Clearly, they didn’t, talking to the press like this—Mike so blamed Robert Zane for planting that idea of a bad headline in their minds—and if there was anything at all in there that Mike needed to prepare himself for… Well, a quick glance was only smart. An act of self-preservation… 

For three semesters now, the experiment of allowing Omegas into Alpha- and Beta-centered schools has been implemented, with growing numbers of Omegas joining the ranks. Many of them expressed feeling out of place and othered—and things don’t look better for the Alpha-side of the campus either.   

“No one ever thinks of us,” a student at the prestigious Columbia Law School expressed. “We came here, and we pay a lot of money, to get an excellent education. Instead, we were forced to become part of an experiment we did not consent to participating in.”   

An opinion that was far from solitary. Many more were craving an opportunity to voice the concerns the school’s administration has consistently dismissed.   

“It is hard sometimes,” another student admitted. “It’s like we don’t even matter, all eyes are on the handful of Omegas who can barely keep up. They ask questions slowing everyone down. Some of them even sit directly under the air conditioning too, so their scent gets everywhere.”   

“Omegas absolutely are a distraction in class,” their friend confirmed. “And when they catch you looking at them, they cry wolf and pretend like they are being violated. Why would they put themselves in a room full of Alphas if they didn’t want the attention?”   

The dean of Columbia Law, however, still insists the experiment has been a huge success so far, and claims overall student performance has not gone down since the Omegas’ attendance. She goes on to stare that no incident had forced them thus far to reconsider the “prosperous prospect” of fully gender-mixed school in the future.   

Rare win for the dean… Mike sighed, shook his head as he closed the article. None of this was news. Fun, though, how it has ignored the fact that hundreds of Omegas who graduated as Betas had somehow managed to be not distracting at all, so these ‘concerns’ were nothing but thinly veiled omegaphobia.  God, Alphas were so desperate to be the victim... it would be funny if it wasn’t so pathetic.  

--- 

Harvey’s condo had become a home to Mike quicker than he had realized back when their relationship had just begun. Granted, it had changed somewhat since the first time Mike had come here, impromptu and suddenly anxious about being alone with an Alpha; the cold, plain walls were adorned with pictures of them and their friends that Mike had insisted on hanging up, just like the fairly lights that made nights together infinitely cozier. The pillows stopped being perfectly straightened out, at least when Mike was around; little cracks of imperfection eased up the sterile image. Character, Mike called it. Harvey had plenty of that, after all, it would be a shame for that to not reflect on his apartment. 

Being here was so natural, such a huge part of his life—which made it even funnier that Rachel still walked on eggshells. Had she been around at least thirty times in the last years, even sleeping over several times? Yes. Had she been told every single time to make herself at home? Yes. Was she getting a little wide-eyed and self-conscious anyway? Hell, yes.  

“Are you sure Harvey won’t mind if I use his kitchen?” She asked for the fifth time in thirty minutes when the first had been superfluous already since Mike had explicitly invited her here to do just that (as a response to Rachel’s offer to make dinner for them all, obviously—regardless of what the press claimed, he did not, in fact, exploit her friendship. Most of the time).  

“I’m sure he’ll write you a thank-you note for saving us the trouble of cooking for ourselves.”  

“You’re sure or you know? He’s not blinded by love for me. What if I damage something?” 

Oh, please. Harvey’s kitchen had withstood a lot. The man had invested in quality and looks. Besides: “He might very well be in love with your cooking.” In fact, Harvey would love it even more now that it was fresh and not warmed-up leftovers she brought over. “And he knows that’s what’s mine is yours, and right now, this is mine. Therefore, it’s yours too. It’s not like you’re gonna burn the whole building down.” 

It was lasagna, not an indoor barbecue.  

“It is a nice kitchen…” Rachel muttered, nibbling at her lower lip while her finger glided over the marble tops. Oh, Jesus Christ. Mike did not have Harvey’s housekeeper buy all the ingredients Rachel requested to schlep them to Brooklyn now, so he pulled up Harvey’s contact on his phone.  

Can you tell Rachel she is welcome to cook in your kitchen?   

She doesn’t believe me  

He had barely locked he screen when Rachel’s buzzed. Her frown faded in favor of her are-you-serious expression. “Why did Harvey just text me ‘please use my kitchen’?”  

“Because he knows what’s good for him.” And because he knew just how hot efficiency was... 

Thanks ♥️♥️♥️

Be home in an hour you’re about to have the best lasagna of your life   

Why, is it served on you?   

Oh, he thought he was so smooth. 

Depends  

Do you want me to get severe second degree burns?  

🤷🏼

Uh huh. As if. A quiet voice in Mike’s brain egged him on to try it, but no hospital in the country paid their staff enough for him to be comfortable subjecting them to Harvey’s worry-induced fury if anything ever happened to Mike. Even if the anything was his own joke.  

“Well, I guess since you haven’t destroyed the apartment yet, neither will I.”  

“That’s the spirit! Can I do something to help?”  

“Absolutely. You can sit there,” she pointed at the bar stool in front of the kitchen island counter, “and look pretty.”  

“Oh, I’m great at that. I practice all the time for Harvey.” Mike hopped up onto the counter.

Watching Rachel cook was a special treat; it was the one place she didn’t overthink or worry or doubted herself. She was in charge, unapologetically and full of joy, following her instincts. More than once Mike had wondered how law school had won over culinary school—the answer was that she didn’t want to be rushed and pressured in a professional kitchen environment and lose the peace she found in creating something delicious. Mike respected that a lot.

Even on her worst days, cooking cheered her up (and saved Mike’s butt several times from starvation), so the thoughtful expression plastered on her face was somewhat unprecedented. How in her head about breaking something could she be? She couldn’t seriously think Harvey had any reservations about this, them two had a friendship of their own that had been a real treat to watch blossom.

Yes, in the beginning, Mike had a little convincing to do along the lines of no, I promise it won’t be awkward to get all of them to hangout together, but he had never been wrong about that—on the contrary, before he knew it, Rachel and Harvey had inside jokes of their own (all about Mike; thankfully, bullying was his love language). More and more, Rachel had felt comfortable discussing sensitive subjects in front of Harvey too, when Harvey would never have held it against them to be asked to leave. How was speaking about family drama and triggering run-ins with Alphas less of a big deal than using his knives, pans, and oven?   

“Seriously, stop worrying.”  

“Mhhm.” A hot gust hit Mike in the face when she opened the oven door, placing the casserole dish inside. “There’s just… something I’ve been meaning to tell you about.”  

Oh. Wait, was that why she had suddenly decided to treat them to dinner? Mike had assumed this was a pick-me-up because of his frozen apartment. “What happened?”  

“Well.” Rachel fidgeted with her fingers, watching herself with too great interest. “I received a call. Two days ago. From Congresswoman Paulin. She said that she wants to sponsor our bill.”  

Mike blinked. “The Bad-Acts bill?”  

Rachel nodded, her lips sucked between her teeth. But that was amazing news!

“Oh my God!” Their bill would proceed to congress! Mike slid off the counter and right into Rachel’s arms. “Congrats, Rach! I can’t believe you didn’t tell me immediately.” How could she have worried about that?

“There were a few things I needed to sort out…” Her arms around him loosened.  

“Like what?” 

“Well, Congresswoman Paulin, Amelia, she… kind of invited me to join her in DC and lobby for our bill myself.”  

Mike’s jaw dropped all the way to the floor. How awesome was that? With Rachel on the case, there was no way this could go wrong. Screw the law, with such an intro into national politics, she might very well be on her way to become their first Black Omega president. “Rachel! That’s huge! I am so proud of you!”  

“Yeah?” she asked breathlessly. 

“Of course!!” He squeezed her tight; the strawberry scent of her hair tickled his nose. Finally, Rachel reciprocated the hug like he knew her to. God, first the Supreme Court, now Congress… Promegas would run the world at some point. Rachel would show these stuffy old Alphas with cobwebs around their seats what she was made of. She’d sell the hell out of that bill and give hope to every victim that justice was out there, that no one had to go through what she went through. Her story could change the world in just a few months— 

A few months. More, maybe. Congress was notoriously slow about hearing bills. To gain enough sponsors was one thing, but if she stayed to convince the senate… or even the house… His throat tightened; he failed to swallow against it. “Does that mean you’re leaving?”  

“Well, I mean, I’ll have to do a lot of traveling back and forth for work, but my boss is fine with me working remotely when I can, so...” So she’d spend most of her time in DC. Oh God. A cold shiver shook through him inside out. Months without her here. Months without sleepovers and cuddles and home cooked meals and shared side eyes when Katrina was being ridiculous again and…  

Mike sniffled against the sudden stuffiness in his nose. “O-okay. So… you’re moving to DC. Wow.”  

“Only temporarily! But… yes. I can’t pass up on this opportunity.” She bit her lips together; her brown eyes grew round under her arched eyebrows.

“Of course not! This is awesome. I-i’m so happy for you,” he brought out. He was. He would be. More so if it didn’t mean… They had never gone more than, like, two weeks without seeing each other. How was Mike to cope without her a few blocks down the road? 

Rachel took his hands. “You could come with me!”  

Mike huffed. Yeah, right. The idea was nice, but he was hardly unattached from New York at the moment. “I wish. But I have to finish Law School, for real this time.”  

“You’re done with lectures in like a month! And then it’s just final exams you can travel back for. I’m leaving in two weeks, I mean. This could work. How amazing would it be to lobby a bill right out of law school? We’ve always dreamed of this!” The glow in Rachel’s eyes normally never failed to raise Mike’s spirits, but now, he felt as though he was sinking deeper the more excited she got. 

“Yeah…” They had dreamed of changing the world together, leaving their marks as the badass lawyer duo that uplifted Omegas and had Alphas tremble in their boots. Well, all but one, because Harvey wasn’t scared of equality (anymore). He always supported them. Hell, if Mike said he’d go to DC for a while, he’d support this too, at least outwardly. But… what name partner got months off work to frolic around DC? Most of Harvey’s clients were in New York, that would never work out. But to go without him… but to be without Rachel! But Harvey… 

The glee faded slowly from Rachel’s face. “What’s wrong?”  

“It’s just… Harvey isn’t going to get months off work, so going would mean...” Mike bit his lip; a metallic taste hit his tongue. He didn’t want to choose. He couldn’t. They were both his people. He’d be damned to not support Rachel on this when she had always supported him, unwaveringly. But to not be held by Harvey for months, only getting to see him once in a while… Mike’s heart ached at the thought. And he couldn’t leave Sam to be the only voice of reason at PU either! This was just... Bad timing.

Rachel’s smile faded. “Right. Of course. I didn’t think of that.” The heaviness in her voce hit Mike straight in the gut. 

“I’m sorry—” 

“That’s okay! It was a long shot…” 

“It’s not that I don’t want to! It’s just, our lives are here. Not just Harvey, but PU too and law school a-and…”  

“I know! I totally get it, really.” Rachel nodded, wiping her nose at the back of her hand. If it was okay, why did her eyes glaze over? Mike’s own prickled hotly in turn; his vision blurred a little more with every rapid blink. 

“But I’ll support you at every step. And I’ll see you all the time!”  

Rachel’s arm tightly wrapped around his neck; a hot tear soaked through his turtleneck. “Of course! We'll make it work.”  

“I really am sorry. I’ll miss you so much.”  

“I’ll be back all the time! You’ll be like whaaat I thought you moved to DC.”  

Mike nodded into her shoulder; he didn’t trust his voice to be steady right now.  

“And you’ll come visit too. Right?” 

“Of course! The train staff will know me by name in a few weeks.”  

“They better. I... I might miss your graduation though,” Rachel sniffled.  

A tear ran down Mike’s cheek; knuckling it away would mean to let go of Rachel, so he let it drop onto her shoulder. “Who cares? You’re doing something much more important.”  

Who cared about a stupid graduation ceremony anyway? She had been there for every other, actually important moment in his life. This would be fine. It would be… The sob clawed its way out of his throat with no warning. Rachel squeezed him so hard, breathing was hard, but Mike wouldn’t have it any other way. He clung to her for dear life for as long as he still could. Even when the front door fell into its lock, when footsteps approached, he hadn’t the strength to let go. His arms were shaking.  

“Jesus, who died?!” Harvey’s voice, even colored with horror, soothed through Mike like a warm, gentle wave. He wiped his tears away with the back of his hand, kept the other arm firmly around Rachel’s back when he turned toward Harvey.  

“Rachel i-is going to DC to lobby our bill.”  

Harvey’s frown got chased away by his eyebrows shooting up to his hairline; his face lit up with the relief of someone believing these were happy tears. The fool. “That’s fantastic! For how long?”  

“Too long,” Rachel muttered. “But we’ll talk every day!” 

“We better, or I’ll burn down all of congress and drag you back to New York,” Mike said darkly.

“Yeah, and we’ll go to prison together instead.” 

Mike nodded quickly, wiping her nose with the back of his hand. Time was running so quickly, he had blinked and suddenly two years had passed; it better not slow down now. Either way, a few months meant nothing in the grand scheme of years of friendship. A footnote, nothing else. One with a happy ending, he was sure of it—had to be, or what else was the point of sacrificing her now?   

“I-I’m gonna go check on the food.”  

Mike squeezed her into a hug one more time before letting her go; a feeling he had to get used to. Most of his adult life, she had been firmly by his side, and now… Having successful friends fucking sucked sometimes.  

He fled to the dining room, wiping away more of the hot wetness on his lashes. He felt Harvey behind him; still, he produced plates out of the cabinet to set the table. His perhaps last chance to commemorate Rachel’s hard work... Their last dinner together for the foreseeable future… perhaps ever, if she stayed in DC, if they lost touch... the sting in his heart shot through him like the arrow of a crossbow. He steadied himself on the table, squeezing his eyes shut.  

God. This was ridiculous. Why couldn’t his nervous system tell the difference between Rachel following a great opportunity for a few months and the death of his parents? 

Harvey’s arm circled Mike’s waist. He gently stroked over his hair. “Okay?”  

“Mhhm,” Mike made. No matter how hard he tried to swallow his sob, it still shook through him. He melted against Harvey’s chest, turned in his arm; his nose beelined for his scent glands. He drew a deep breath of everything was right in the world. And of course, Harvey steadied him, held him together like he always would. Why did he have to be such a good person? Couldn’t he be just a little shittier, give Mike any reason to want to go to get some space for a little while? 

“Oh, baby… She’s not gone yet. And she’ll be back before you know it.”  

Maybe that would be a consolation at some point, but right now… Mike was being selfish. He had no right to keep her here forever just because he didn’t want to choose between his people. 

“I know. I’ll just miss her so much…” 

“I know. But you still got me.”  

“Yeah…” And that was great and all, but… who would he share a tub of ice cream with while make fun of some shitty reality TV show? Harvey was too cynical for that. And he wasn’t in PU… even if Rachel joined virtually every week—and she might very well be otherwise occupied at least sometimes—Mike was without his greatest ally, his steady support. Sure, things had been fine recently, but… 

“Alright,” Harvey said dryly. “Knowing you two, you’ll still manage to see each other all the time.”  

Not all the time. It was already hard in the same city, and now… God, Mike needed to calm down. They still had a nice evening ahead, and he would not spend the next weeks crying when he could make an effort to spend time with her instead. He drew another breath of Harvey’s scent, all the way to his stomach, and pressed a quick kiss on those stupidly addictive scent glands.  

“I’ll invite her to spend the night, okay?”  

“I expected nothing less.”  

Smiling, Mike stroked over the soft skin of Harvey’s cheek. Once upon a time, Harvey had been weirded out by Rachel staying over. Something about not giving him a heads-up (a lie, they had) so Harvey was surprised to wake up and find Rachel in bed with them because ‘we have a guestroom, Mike’ and ‘why on earth would I assume this is what you meant when you said she’d be staying the night!’ as if he wouldn’t have sulked if Mike had abandoned him in bed to sleep in the spare room. Mike loved that Rachel’s presence here was nothing but welcomed at this point; it might have been a dealbreaker if not. 

Sure, the bed sharing  might be favor to him rather than something Harvey was genuinely thrilled by (a relief in its own way that he wasn’t one of those Alphas preening at having two Omegas in his bed), and that was precisely the kind of loving, supportive behavior that made it impossible for Mike to want to run to DC. Being treated well, being loved like this… it was as unfathomable as it was addictive.  

“Thank you. And hello.” Mike shifted to his toes to kiss him. “Tell me something good happened today.”  

“Hmm…” Harvey’s hands running down Mike’s side sent a soothing warmth through him. “How about this: Louis was bragging about his promotion to an opposing counsel he was hitting on, and she swiftly informed him how masturbatory it is to obsess over his name on a wall. I’ve never seen his face that red.” 

Yeah, that would do it. Mike chuckled despite all. “Oh, so she humbled both of you.”  

“How dare you. I never brag. My work speaks for itself.”  

“Sure.” The smile suddenly came easy. Mike dried his tears, buried his face in Harvey’s shoulder. At least he’d always have this… It didn’t stop him from hugging Rachel again when she walked in, but the tears stayed firmly behind his eyelids. Difficult to maintain, given that Rachel wanted opinions on different apartments she could sublet and the reality of her departure hit Mike once again. Being without her...

That was when Harvey drew a line in the sand and begged them to change the topic before they’d spend all night crying. Valid request, but damn hard to execute.  

Sure, the perfectly baked lasagna did help to process the bittersweet news, but every mention of the future was accompanied by the sting of the impending departure. Naturally, he couldn’t possibly be further than a foot away from Rachel for most of the night. They had to make the most out of the little time they had left. She must have felt the same, because it took no convincing her to stay over. In fact, it sounded like she had planned to, anyway. Wonderful to be on the same page. 

And since the evening was technically over once they were tucked into bed, Mike deemed Harvey’s gag order expired too.  

“Have you told your dad yet?” he asked quietly, his hand tightly intertwined with Rachel’s and resting on the pillow between. That would explain Robert’s sudden protectiveness over Rachel’s public image...

“I will, tomorrow. Not that he’ll care...” 

“He cared enough to threaten me.” Uncalled for as that was.

“I don’t know how much of that was for me and how much is against you.” She squeezed his hand as if that was a tough pill to swallow when it was merely stating a fact. He didn’t want to doubt that Robert loved her, but his disapproval of her choices was apparent every time they met. He simply didn’t want to understand Rachel or her promegaism. How anyone could know her and not be obsessed with her intelligence and dedication Mike simply could not fathom.  

“Well, either way, no one is prouder than me. I’ll just miss you so much.” 

“I’ll miss you!” She shuffled her head on top of Mike’s shoulder, and Mike pulled her as tight as possible, nuzzled her hair. A stray tear escaped from the corner of his eye, impossible to blink away 

“Jesus Christ,” Harvey grunted behind him, back turned to them as if he was trying really hard not to be a part of the conversation. “I swear you two make every movie scene of the Omega waving her mate off to war seem cold and emotionless, and you’re not even saying goodbye yet.”  

“And what about it?” Mike challenged.  

Whatever Harvey thought, he only expressed it with a sigh. These were the moments Mike was grateful to feel him, or else he might have mistaken it for annoyance rather than the tired resignation it was. Mike cranked his head around until his lips found Harvey’s shoulder.  

He might have to watch his soulfriend embark on a new adventure without him, but staying behind with this wonderful man was not a bad consolation price. 

***

The wistful look was becoming Mike’s constant companion in every quiet moment. Harvey wished he had a remedy for it, one that for longer than the moments of distractions he could provide him. Of course, Rachel leaving was always going to hit him hard—but how much worse would it get once she was gone? Was this a grieving-before-the-fact situation that would turn into acceptance soon enough? There was no precedent for this Harvey could draw on.  

At least he still got to see Mike at all. He wouldn’t have been surprised if he had simply gone and moved in with Rachel for the remaining weeks. Sure, they were even more conjoined than ever, but he did come home every night but Thursdays, their usual friend night, usually alone but always with a plan of when he would see Rachel the next. Today’s plan was to celebrate Rachel’s ‘last’ in person PU meeting by going for drinks after, before her departure Saturday morning.  

Harvey arrived at the entrance of the building just when he felt Mike coming down already; perfect timing. The downside was being robbed of a kiss hello, but Mike’s sweet smile, the glow in his eyes underneath the knitted, hot pink hat sent the same gentle warmth through Harvey’s chest; he was first out of the door, ahead of the entourage. 

“Hi.”  

“Hi yourself…” Mike’s voice was barely more than a hot breath fogging up the air, his gloved hand curled around Harvey’s arm, just above his elbow. His thumb drew circles over Harvey’s coat, still smiling. What were the odds that someone happened to walk by in this cold with a camera ready to capture a brief kiss…? 

“Oh my God. Keep it in your pants, guys,” Katrina bickered, and the sparkle in Mike’s eye was washed away by his eye roll. That was one way to help them keep their secret.

“Was kind of hoping you’d spring for a limo or something…” Jo mumbled under her breath, her arms tightly clutched around her chest. Seriously, a limo for a bar a walking distance away? 

“Jo!” Mike exclaimed, with his what-the-fuck look Harvey would never get enough of.  

“What, he does it for you!”  

“Very different situations. It’s three blocks, you’ll cope.” He caught Harvey’s eye while shaking his head. “See, this is what happens when you spoil them with a private jet.” 

Worth it. That private jet had been called for to commemorate the life-changing nature of their case, and more importantly, it had been a one time only event. Mike rejected that kind of lavishness. If Jo had developed a certain set of expectations over the last years, it was purely due to whatever Mike told her and the others about their date nights, and that, Harvey loved knowing.

“I like that they know I take care of you.” Mike deserved nothing less, and Harvey was grateful to be welcomed into their little group without any side eyes seizing him up and no more whispered threats that he better not mess Mike around. 

“I like it too,” Rachel hummed; her fingers glided between Mike’s, hands swinging between them. “Means we don’t have to kick your butt.” 

Oh, cute. The snort escaped Harvey against his better judgment; yes, Rachel was fierce, but she wasn’t exactly violent. Not to mention half his size. “You think you could?” 

“I could.” Sam announced, challenging smirk as always. Uh huh. They had been to the boxing ring several times. She was a decent fighter in the ring, but Harvey had always kept it friendly, so.  

“In your dreams.”  

“I don’t dream of you.” What a devastating blow he might never recover from that was.

“I do…” Mike purred quietly, briefly resting his cheek against Harvey’s shoulder. Such a tease… 

“Aww, you guys,” Harold swooned, the only one out of the PU bunch whom Harvey still caught staring dreamily at them whenever they had enough privacy to act like a couple. 

For three years, this had been his life; being surrounded by a bunch of bickering Omegas who loved each other but did their hardest to hide it from each other at times. No wonder he had been so bored before Mike marched into his life.  

The bar looked decent, and Katrina did not miss a chance to point out it had been her idea to come here every time someone said so. It was busy with chatting patrons in the highchairs in front of the counter, chatting over the jazz ambience. Glasses hung from the ceiling rack. The bar tenders put on a bottle-trick heavy show for every cocktail they mixed. They must have been airing this place out with scent neutralizers because the glaring lack of intrusive pheromones was a bliss Harvey rarely got treated to in public places. Lots of things could be said about Katrina—and humility wasn't one of them—but she did have taste. 

Mike volunteered them to get the first round of drinks to kick the night off while the others found a seat at the long, oval table in the back; a chance to be somewhat alone in a crowded room. 

Mike leaned against the counter; one knee bent, intruding into Harvey’s space, teasingly close without ever closing the distance. 

“How was the meeting?” Harvey asked as quietly as he could without risking the words getting lost.

“It was fun. We’re at our best when we have something to celebrate.” Good to hear the celebration had won over the mourning.  

“I’m glad they have faith in this plan, for once.” It wasn’t a sore spot, exactly, but Harvey wouldn’t forget how Jo and Katrina had made Mike feel when they lost their case at federal court.  

Mike smiled. “I guess winning over politicians is less of a reach than convincing some corporate Alpha lawyer to argue for Omegas’ constitutional rights.” 

“You know, I heard the guy did a good job on that.”  

“Meh. You’ve been lied to.” 

Wow. Just like that? “I know another liar.”  

“How dare you. I was gonna say you’ve been lied to because that guy did an excellent job on that, but now you’ll never know my validation ever again.”  

Uh huh. That was definitely a principled stance Mike would stick to for the rest of their lives. “However will I survive?” 

“Barely. You’re obsessed with me.” 

“Am I.”  

“You’re saying you’re not?” 

The bartender put the first couple of drinks in front of them; the perfect distraction to avoid Mike’s question, who gasped when Harvey turned to collect them.  

“Harvey!”  

“What?”

Mike’s puppy eyes had grown to twice their size. He was pouting. Now that was just unfair, he knew damn well how Harvey loved to kiss that away.

“Stop tempting me.”

“Or what?” 

That was funny since Mike was the one insisting on keeping their relationship a secret, and he'd be the one who'd hate to be caught making out with an Alpha—

A whiff of a familiar scent hit Harvey’s nose, stronger than the alcohol. 

“Well, well, well. If it isn’t my favorite not-couple,” Smash greeted, leaning elbow-first onto the counter next to them. He was still in a suit as if he had come straight from work, but his hair was too perfectly in place to not have had a touch up.  

“Smash! Hi,” Mike smiled, his great suffering seemingly forgotten. The Mike from three years ago would have clawed his eyes out before he’d believe that one day, he’d be genuinely happy to see one of Harvey’s Alpha friends; the Harvey from today enjoyed it more than he was willing to admit out loud.  

Granted, Smash was the only one who had earned that treatment. It wasn’t often Harvey still saw the old Harvard gang, bar some run ins at the gym or bigger celebrations. But the odd times Mike had come along to the latter, he had talked to Smash for ages, even was content to be left alone in a conversation with him.  

“You’re out on a not-date?” Smash pumped his eyebrows up. Funny. Harvey had never outright confirmed their relationship, but of course Smash and the others were smart enough to put one and one together. Well, that, and the fact that Smash had run into them while they had carelessly made out in a bathroom they thought had been locked, so that had destroyed any remaining ambiguity. 

“Yeah. With five others. We are one huge polycule.” Mike said wryly. Still, Smash nodded. 

“Neat.” 

“I couldn’t be more obviously joking.” 

“Hey, no shame, no judgment. As long as you’re happy.” 

Alright. “And what brings you here?” Harvey asked before that joke could go any further. 

“Me? Oh, I’m on a real date.”  

“Ooh. Who?” Mike’s eyes scanned the bar. Incredible how intrigued he sounded when he regularly claimed to feel sad for any Omega dating an Alpha. Admittedly, a statement that had taken a while for Harvey to learn not to take personally; yes, he could sort of acknowledge that Mike had a point and that every A/O relationship was somewhat toxic due to the systemic power imbalance between their genders, but Harvey did like to think they were the exception. As much of an exception as possible, anyhow.  

That belief didn’t stop Mike from leaning over the counter to get the best possible look at the blonde with a fringe, staring at her phone. Her long nails overshot her knuckles by at least two inches. “Cute. How’s it going?”  

“Honestly? Not too well. I think I will nip it in the butt soon.”  

“I’m sorry,” Harvey said.  

“It’s fine. Not meant to be. But hey, since you’re here. Could we talk through what might have gone wrong later?”  

Oh. They had never really done that before. Harvey didn’t promote himself as an expert. He had been in love with Mike long before they officially gone on a date, and vice versa; that hardly compared to what he presumed was a blind date with a stranger. “I don’t know—” 

“I’m talking to Mike.” 

Ah. Harvey pointedly ignored the sly grin and loud side-eye Mike sent his way. Come on, as if he had known that request was for him. He didn’t make a habit of giving dating advice to Alphas either.

“Sure. You’re welcome to come over, if you’re not scared of a group of promegas. As long as you don’t hit on any of my friends.” 

Yeah, the others would love a random Alpha crashing their evening… 

Smash pressed against the counter to grow taller, peek over Mike's head. “Not even the brunette one? She’s cute…”  

Oh oh.  

“Touch her, and I’ll rip your testicles off.” The sweetness of Mike's tone and smile was more dangerous than any Alpha’s growl.  

“He’s not kidding,” Harvey said. “Besides, that is your boss’s daughter.”  

Smash’s head jerked back. “Oh, damn. Zane? Seriously?”  

“Mhhm.”  

“Must be taking after her mother… Didn’t know his daughter was a promega.” 

Hardly a surprise. Harvey only knew snippets of what had gone wrong between Rachel and Robert, but he had heard her vent to Mike enough times to know their relationship was strained. 

“And she’s also my best friend and not interested in Alphas, so seriously, keep it on your pants.” 

“I hear you. Don’t worry about me, I'll behave. I’ll see you later.” With that, he grabbed his beer and a blue cocktail with orange umbrella sticking out and walked back to his table, leaving them to carry seven drinks between themselves.  

Rachel was lodged between Sam and Harold who animatedly recounted her greatest hits at PU and how ‘young and naïve’ they were when they first met. Mike had mentioned once that when Harold first joined, he had a huge crush on Rachel, running after her and begging to be of assistance to her; this was the first time Harvey could imagine what that must have looked like. No wonder it had triggered Sam’s protective instincts. Especially since Harvey doubted Rachel had indulged him as much then as she did now.  

That did leave Mike to take the seat on the bench opposite her, and the only spot left was next to him. What a shame.

Mike’s hand slid onto his thigh immediately, lightly resting on the inside of Harvey’s knee. Harvey wrapped his own loosely around Mike’s wrist, but only after arranging his folded coat next to him to shield their touch from prying eyes. In another world, he could have kissed Mike’s shoulder, could have scented his hair or at least risk looking at him for more than a few seconds without fear of them becoming yet another headline… Discretion was a small price to pay in exchange for Mike’s company, of course. He had never been one for PDA anyway, before he met Mike. But looking around the bar, seeing couples of all gender dynamics allowed to just be, big smiles and lingering touches and all, he couldn’t help but feel the sting that there was a different set of rules for them.  

Smash did come over barely ten minutes later, sliding onto the remaining bench space with a drink in hand and a sigh so profound, it was clear he needed another one. The conversation ceased as all eyes darted to him. Called it. 

“Guys, this is Harvey’s friend Smash who just had a terrible date,” Mike announced. 

Katrina rolled her eyes and went back to her conversation with Jo, Harold made a face as if it made perfect sense for one of Harvey’s friends to wordlessly join them, no questions required. Looked like there were some upsides to being surrounded by people who knew Mike—and at this point, Harvey too—well enough to not question things anymore.  

“I don’t know what it was.” Smash sighed again. “It was going so well, and then… bam. Dryer than the Sahara Desert.”  

“Hold up.” With that, Mike stood up as much as the screwed-to-the-floor table allowed and shimmied onto Harvey’s lap, squeezing over him to get by instead of just, oh, from top of Harvey’s head, ask.  

“Is this really the best way?” Harvey protested—just when Mike managed to free his leg and force himself between him and Smash, his back leaning against Harvey. For once, putting an arm on the backrest behind Mike wasn’t an excuse to be near him, but a genuine need lest it would get squashed into jelly. 

“Yes. Now shh. Talk me through what happened, Smash.” 

And suddenly, half the table was dissecting every single thing he recounted about the past few hours, every word, every interaction, the exact moment he felt the tides turning from decent to get-me-out-of-here-now. And when not a single one of the four promegas called out any red-flag-behavior but concluded that they simply hadn't clicked, Harvey couldn’t help but preen. A few years ago, that conversation would have gone very differently; Mike’s good influence on the lives of other people was palpable at every turn. How lucky Harvey was to witness it.

“These apps are a nightmare,” Smash said. “If only I had found a Kat back when dating was still easy, like John did.” 

“You can buy doormats at Target,” Mike mumbled.  

The snort escaped Harvey before he could think better of it. It definitely took the edge out of the “Mike!” that was supposed to be reprimanding. It might very well be the first time he reprimanded Mike for speaking ill of another Omega, likely the last. Though admittedly, this twist to their dynamic was both delightful and shocking.  

“What! Tell me I’m wrong.”  

“I thought you support Omega's rights and wrongs?” 

“I do! I don’t support them being pets of the Alphatocracy with enough internalized-omegaphobia to fill the Gran Canyon though. I mean, I’ve known that women for all of thirty seconds and she snarled at me to stay away from her Alpha, and it only went downhill from there. I’ve never been antagonized by another Omega like that for no perceivable reason. She desperately overestimated the market value of her Alpha.” 

Yeah, in retrospect, going to John’s birthday party had been a terrible idea. Harvey had, perhaps naively, thought that Mike might enjoy meeting his Omega mate, use his charm to make her aware of a few not-so-ideal aspects of their relationship. Mike had seemed excited about matching a face to the name too—but the moment Kat spotted them, in lieu of a hello, she had marked her territory like a possessive lioness. That was the moment Harvey had suggested they’d just turn around, but it had been too late; Mike was nothing if not eager to prove someone wrong.  

“You can be intimidating,” Harold said.  

“This was deeper than that. She was trying so hard to be perceived as the better Omega. It was embarrassing how she was constantly running around to appease her mate who showed zero respect for her, like the brainwashing goes deep. I didn’t even speak to either of them all night.”  

“Her Alpha probably told her you’re hitting on him for her to feel so threatened,” Sam said. Harvey felt the recoil of disgust echoing through Mike before he saw his grimace.  

“He does think you’re hot,” Smash said. 

“What?” It came out of his and Mike’s mouths like one voice combined in the horror of that jarringly casual revelation. Harvey couldn’t reasonably blame anyone for being attracted to Mike, but why the hell were they discussing Mike's hotness in the first place?  

“And immediately said he would never go for it! He respects Alpha code,” Smash added as if that made it better.  

“But not my utter lack of interest?!”  

“Of course he would. If you told him.”  

“Isn’t it obvious?? God, I feel dirty.” 

Despite the setting, Harvey let his fingers slide from the backrest to Mike’s shoulder and squeezed him lightly. This really wasn’t on him. Some Alphas just loved the idea of having a shot with everyone.

“This is who you leave me with,” Mike whined, reaching his hand out to Rachel who intertwined their fingers immediately.  

“You could still come with me.”  

Still? Hang on, was this something they had spoken about before?

Mike smiled apologetically enough that his answer was easily discerned. Harvey would know if Mike was planning to move to DC any time soon, so that left only one conclusion. Why had he turned her down? Harvey didn’t want him to leave, of course not. But he would graduate soon, and the bill was close to his heart too.

“Going where?” Smash asked.  

“DC. Rachel is going to lobby a bill that makes it easier for victims of sex crimes to get justice by allowing past actions to be permitted as evidence at court.” 

“Really? Wait, but aren’t you Robert Zane’s daughter?” 

Rachel cocked an eyebrow. “So?” 

“Just surprised. If I had daughter who was lobbying bills, I wouldn’t shut up about it.”  

“You’d think…” she muttered darkly.

Mike’s thumb stroked over the back of her hand. “Smash, since you’re feeling unlucky with Omegas, have you tried dating an Alpha?”  

Smash huffed. “No?” 

“Maybe it’s worth a shot. See if you find a better connection there.”  

“Huh. Can’t harm, I suppose.” Smash looked around himself. “She’s cute.” Harvey wasn’t sure who he was indicating his head at, nor was he sure if Mike knew, but Mike did nod.  

“Sure.” 

Smash downed the drink, heavily set the glass down as he stood up. “Wish me luck.” He beelined for a table with a group of three female Alphas, laughing and boozing. 

“Oh. That was easy.” Mike’s eyebrows sat high on his forehead. “I guess that’s why his name is Smash, huh?” 

Harvey snorted. Funny, but: “No. We call him Smash because in freshman year, he crashed into a table and smashed six hundred dollars’ worth of alcohol.”  

“Wait, seriously?” Mike whipped around so quickly, his elbow slammed into Harvey’s chest. “How did I not know that?”  

“You didn’t ask.” 

“I was scared to hear the answer! You should have told me it was nothing sexual.”  

“Should I have?” Last time Harvey checked, Mike had never shied away from asking questions and judging the answers. 

Mike melted against the backrest (and into Harvey’s arm, but Harvey wouldn’t mention it if Mike didn’t) with a “Hmpf.” Explain nicknames unasked, copy that. 

“Look at you being all buddied up with Harvey’s friends,” Katrina remarked. Harvey wished he could give that wry tone the benefit of the doubt of being a joke fallen flat, but they all knew better.  

“Eh. Smash is the only one I like. He’s genuinely making an effort to become a good person. The others only learned to shut up when Harvey is around, which I suppose is something, but…” 

“That’s hearsay,” Harvey said. He wouldn’t dare to stick his neck out for them, the evidence was too shaky for that, but for all they knew, John and Ronny were doing much better than they had before too. They were far from joining PU, but at least they didn’t blame Omegas for all that was wrong either anymore. 

“It’s promega instinct.” Because that was a real thing that every judge would accept as sufficient proof in court. Well, then again, that instinct hadn’t been wrong a lot, in fact, it had brought Mike to his doorstep, so Harvey knew better than to argue with it. On the contrary, he rested his temple against the back of Mike’s head, only briefly, for however long it took him to win against the urge to brush his lips over— 

Flash. Blinding, bright, too quick to move. What the fuck? Spots danced along Harvey’s vision. The figure of a man bolted out of the door. 

“Oh, come on! Why?” Mike whined. “We’re literally doing nothing!” Harvey felt the frustration in his tone deep in his soul. Except they had done something; the bare minimum of a touch, bordering on intimate despite its simplicity, and boom—they were exposed. From now on, public settings with some level of exclusivity and security it was then… This was getting tiresome.  

“It was probably just a fan excited to see you together,” Rachel tried. A fan that happened to run around with a professional grade camera? Sure, weirder things happened in New York, but it was hardly the most logical answer. Hopefully, even the gossip papers were above buying such a unspectacular photo that betrayed nothing—Harvey doubted it though. The press had spun ‘news’ out of less. Once, there had been a whole page dedicated to speculations why both of them had been spotted entering the same office building ten minutes apart from each other. The answer had been for work purposes, but not according to Page Six who accused them of staging dates at ‘unromantic spots’ to fly under the radar and faking a working relationship.  

But who knew, sitting with friends might be just too ordinary. At least Harvey would keep telling himself that before he’d lose his mind. 

“Well, only one thing to do.” Jo stood up and pulled her phone out of her pocket. “Kill the headline before it happens. You two, try not to look in love for once.”  

Mike grumbled something, but he did slide out from under Harvey’s arm to the edge of the bench, a respectable distance away. This was ridiculous. Jo waved down a waiter to take a picture of all of them, said they might as commemorate Rachel embarking on a new project with a post. In other words, provide a non-romantic context why they had been out together. There couldn’t be much overlay between PU's followers and people who would believe the rumors the press fabricated, but Harvey flashed his best smile anyway. The performance of normality was too well-rehearsed to not come easy.  

Mike remained on the edge of the bench until he could steal Harold’s seat next to Rachel and melt into her side instead. The safer option. Him cuddling his friend was deemed nothing but normal. Harvey wasn't sure he even had that privilege, not that he wanted to touch anyone but Mike.

The suggestion of a second location should have been a relief, a chance to lower their guards again in a more private place, like back at PU—except that the group settled on going to a fucking Karaoke bar. Harvey’s eardrums ached just thinking about it. “I’ll pass.” 

“No!” Rachel reached her hand out over the table. She must have confused him with Mike, because he did not need handholding, thank you. “Who else are we gonna sing Wannabe at?”  

“In a room full of strangers with phones? Sounds like a great idea.” Nothing kept them from embarrassing themselves in the safety of their home. They had done it before. …So why the hell was Mike giving him puppy eyes? 

“But it’s Rachel’s night.” Was that a hint of Omega voice coming through? Oh, that bastard. Harvey refused to say yes—he didn’t manage a no either, however, and Mike’s victorious grin was proof he knew him too well to be fooled by silence.  

And before he knew it, Harvey was squeezed into the corner of a booth once again, subjected to some girls drunkenly butchering Bonnie Tyler’s Total Eclipse of the Heart, screeching off key so loudly, the glasses were trembling. Good lord. The only upside was that the place required everyone to surrender their bags up front and had a no phone policy, so at least there was the hint of a safety blanket there.

Enough for Mike to stop caring. The alcohol flowed freely among the Omegas, the laughs grew freer, the inhibitions to sing along on the top of their lungs lowered, and Harvey, the designated driver, was in the middle of it all. An intoxicated Rachel slumped against his chest while Mike was getting drinks and blabbered on and on about this Beta girl who just sang an admittedly not terrible rendition of Like a Prayer and how cute she was and ‘Is she looking? Do you think she’s seen me? Is it cliché to buy her a drink? Uuugh, she’s so gorgeous, I want her to sit on my face! Do you think she’d want to?’ that Harvey had barely any answers for.  

Mike’s solution, once he returned with an extra round of shots ‘just because’, was to simply show Rachel off with a performance of their own.  

At least they had found a new eye contact victim for when they declared if you wanna be my lover you gotta get with my friends. Harvey was counting the wins as they came; not being put in display and—so far—not getting vomited on was all he had hoped to get out of the night. And look at that, as soon as they got off stage, laughing and in each other’s arms, the same Beta followed them to their table.  

“Are you the friend I gotta get with?” she asked Mike, though never looking away from Rachel.   

“Yes. Congrats, you passed. Now you may meet my gorgeous, amazing, super smart friend Rachel.” He dropped his arm from around her, took a step back as if to present her. 

“Hello gorgeous, amazing, super smart friend Rachel. I’m Lila,” she purred. Gotta hand it to Mike, he was a good wingman even while so drunk, he was swaying standing on the spot. Harvey pulled him back into the booth before he fell. Subtlety wasn’t his strength even when sober, but the huge thumbs up when Rachel left with the stranger sometime later was more exaggerated than he would have dared otherwise. Jesus. 

Well, with the guest of honor leaving, that was their cue to follow suit. Harvey could not take another drunkenly screamed Let It Go.   

He nudged Mike’s arm. “We should head out too.” 

Mike’s eyes grew round. “Aren’t you gonna sing me a love song?”  

“You’d hate that more than I would.”  

“Not true! I wanna be serenaded!” He flopped into Harvey’s side, grinning into his face. Alright, if they didn’t get out of here right now, Harvey would do something stupid like kiss him, and then neither of them would be able to stop.  

“Later. Come on, drunkface.”  

“Noo!”  

Harvey heaved him upright, maneuvered his arm around his back to force him to stand; Mike swayed so hard, Harvey had to keep his arm around his hips to steady him.

“Ohw,” Mike sighed defeated. He’d thank Harvey in the morning, if the hangover did overpower him.  

Harvey regretted asking if anyone else needed a ride home the moment the words came out of his mouth because Sam and Katrina’s hands shot up. Who lived on opposite ends of the city from each other. Wonderful.

The streets were somewhat empty at two AM to make the detour via Queens and Dumbo not any longer than needed be, but after the extra hour that took them, he finally got Mike through the door. The beautiful mix of their scents greeted them; it smelled like the only home Harvey ever cared to have. 

A body slammed into his back. Arms wrapped tightly around his neck, threatening to suffocate him, legs tried to find a grip around his hips. Jesus Christ. He grabbed Mike’s thighs, bounced to help him sit higher on his back; Mike only slumped forward some more, heavy and seemingly boneless.

“My sexy Alpha…” Mike’s hot breath on Harvey’s neck a harbinger for the soft lips that followed. His teeth ghosted Harvey’s ear lobe. “I’ll do nasty things to you.”  

Harvey chuckled. Sure. Not suffocating him would be a nice start. “You’re drunk.”  

“Not too drunk to show you a good time...”  

Well. What kind of partner would Harvey be if he denied Mike an opportunity to prove himself? He carried Mike to the bedroom and sat him down; Mike's feet had barely hit the ground, and he was already busy stripping his pants off him, dove for Harvey’s when his quest was successful. Eager.  

Harvey stepped out of the fabric willingly, climbed on top of Mike to free him of his shirt too. Mike hummed at every touch; his lips passionately claimed Harvey's with a messy drunkenness Harvey tasted on his tongue. He might have had it in him to complain, but Mike thrusted his hips up, rutting against Harvey. They could do so much better than that. Harvey ridded him of the last pieces of clothing; the sweet, sweet smell of milk-and-honey slick had his eyes roll into the back of his head. At three AM, there really was no room for foreplay.  

He pressed Mike’s knees into his chest, pushed inside of him slowly, indulgently; Mike bit his lip, but it was no use. The loud, unleashed moan still made its way out.  

“Fuck. You’re so awesome.” Mike hummed. “God, I feel sorry for the others.”  

“Who?” 

“Everyone. Because they’ll never have sex this good and they don’t even know what they’re missing.” 

The grin was too powerful to hold back. “Oh, yeah?” He pulsed forward, quick and fast; Mike’s fingers clawed into his hair.  

“Yeah,” he whispered breathlessly. “We’re the best at it.”  

No arguments there. “Tough burden to carry.”  

“Definitely hard.” Mike grinned; the pressure on Harvey’s dick intensified for a brief, glorious moment. This fucking tease.  

Mike was too drunk, Harvey too tired to drag it out—quick and dirty was plenty to prove once again why they deserved that title. The after was almost always better than the during, anyway; the proximity to Mike, being intertwined as closely as two people could be, was special in ways Harvey had no words for. It was a moment of respite, of peace, that was just for them. No reporters, no disruptions. Just two people unashamedly glowing at the formidable orgasm they shared, melting into one. Harvey used the opportunity to scatter a hundred kisses over Mike’s face, his neck, and got treated to that wonderful giggle in return, fading into a soft purr that gave Harvey goosebumps. 

How beautiful. His mate, purring freely as if there was nowhere else he’d rather be… The moment with Rachel earlier sneaked to the forefront of Harvey’s mind. Mike’s apologetic look, her clearly reiterated invitation…  

“Why are you not going with her?” Harvey whispered. 

The hint of a smile tugged the corner of Mike’s mouth upward. “Why do you think?” He pressed a soft, brief kiss on Harvey’s lips. The familiar, loving warmth flooded Harvey’s chest.  

“For the record, I wouldn’t stop you. I want you to be happy.” He knew exactly who he was in love with, knew, and loved, Mike’s dedication to Rachel, to their cause. He didn’t want to be the someone, that some thing, that held Mike back from living his dreams. 

“I know. And that’s why I can’t go.” He cupped Harvey’s cheek, glided his thumb over the bone. 

A truth so simple, and yet, Harvey felt like Mike had told him he loved him for the first time all over again. To be chosen, to be the priority of someone who cared about so many important things… it was beyond all the words Harvey's tired brain could summon.

He didn’t do serenading, refused to sing a cheap love song written by someone else to a man so one of the kind—but he did hum, low and only for Mike, stroking over his hair, his back until Mike’s breaths against his neck were deep and steady. Being able to hold him like this was everything. He’d be damned before he made Mike second guess his choice. 

Chapter Text

How many Alphas does he need?!

By Grace Evans

The photo was dark and blurry from the zoom, but Mike was still clearly identifiable, sitting between Harvey and Smash, Sam’s back in front, Rachel and the others—no doubt strategically—cut out. The description read Mike Ross surrounded by Alpha Trio. The paparazzi must have been there longer than they had realized. Right next to it, the picture Harvey had expected to see; Mike leaned against his side, Harvey’s nose buried in his hair. Again, no sign of the rest of the PU gang.

Pathetic.

Approaching footsteps echoed on the hardwood floor—Harvey quickly closed the article, made the notification disappear altogether. This nonsense was not worth worrying about, especially today when Mike’s composure already only hung on a thin string. As it was, Mike was already wiping the sneaky moisture from his eyes when he joined Harvey in the kitchen, dressed all in black like a widow in mourning. He wordlessly slung his arms around Harvey’s waist.

“I’ve never gone longer than a week without seeing her.”

Harvey squeezed him tight. “You’re going to visit her in two weeks.” Granted, Rachel’s broken-bond anniversary wasn’t the most light-hearted of occasions, but spending all day in bed together would do both of them good anyway.

“Exactly! That's too long!”

Fun breakfast ahead then. Harvey had offered to let them have their final best friend moment alone and say his goodbyes last night, which was when Mike informed him he was supposed to drive Rachel to the station, so he might as well join them and not wait in the car all morning like some chauffeur. Awfully kind of him.

Granted, it wasn’t quite the funeral atmosphere Harvey had feared; instead, it was closer to the nostalgia he imagined parents felt when they waved their pups off to a college two hundred miles away. They hugged and hugged, exchanging whispered declarations of love and promises to speak soon, followed by more hugging for the entire ride to the station and until the last possible second, when the announcement on the platform begged all passengers to board. Seeing Rachel walk through the gate and toward the train all by herself, dragging her outrageously huge suitcase behind her, sent a sting even through Harvey’s heart; a drop in the puddle of heartache he could sense brewing in Mike.

Mike’s shoulder shook with a choked sob begging for air; Harvey pulled him against his chest, cradled his head. If he saw a single damn camera, he’d smash it into pieces for daring to intrude. Nothing would stop him from comforting his mate, definitely not some insensitive people obsessed with them. Not even the buzzing of his phone with an incoming call.

Again.

And again.

Oh, for fuck’s sake. He pulled it out of his pocket enough to see the caller ID; Marcus. Ugh. Not now. Whatever it was, it wasn’t more important than Mike’s need for comfort. He barely had dragged the red button down, and it rang again. How hard was it to take a hint?

“Answer it,” Mike sniffed, knuckling a tear away.

“No.”

“Might be an emergency.”

Hm. Granted, it was odd how often Marcus had tried to get a hold of him the last two weeks… It might be good news. Maybe their dad was sick. That would offer a ray of sunshine on such a cloudy day. Never letting go of Mike, he lifted the phone to his ear. “Marcus.”

“Finally! I’ve been calling you for weeks! Listen—”

“This is kind of a bad time. How about I’ll call—”

“Don’t you dare hang up on me. Stop fucking whatever Omega whore you’re with and help me—”

Harvey hung up. That was more than enough of him.

Mike’s jaw was hanging around his Adam's apple; at least the tears had stopped. “What the fuck?”

“Sorry you heard that. This is why I don’t talk to him.” That, and a lifetime of passive-aggressive conversations ending in shouting matches or tense silences, but the blatant omegaphobia hardly helped.

Mike shook his head and regrettably peeled himself out of Harvey’s arm. “Alphas...”

Harvey couldn’t agree more.

***

Constitutional Law was one of Mike’s favorite classes he had taken at Columbia.

Maybe it was because it was on Thursdays, and, once upon a time (last week), that meant getting to see Rachel after. And maybe, he loved the reminder of what he and Harvey had pulled off at the Supreme Court, being able to smirk and wallow in memories while everyone else talked about procedure and precedents and ways to interpret the amendments. Theory was nice and well, but Mike had lived through the process of accessing his constitutional rights. He didn’t love remembering how that night ended, but that week of wallowing in self-pity was nothing but a tiny mark on their relationship.

Today, basking in their past glory was extra easy, thanks to Professor Webber’s announcement that they would dissect a recent ruling all of them ought to have heard of: Promegas United v. Stevenson & Stevenson Pharmaceuticals. Mike’s eyes snapped up from his screen. He struggled to keep his smirk in check; it was the first time he welcomed the side glances and mumbled speculations in class. Even better, Webber came prepared with the audio recording of Harvey’s immaculate speech.

A dangerous tight rope—the last thing Mike could do in a room full of Alphas was to get the hots, and Harvey arguing promega talking points was his kryptonite. How could it not? Nothing beat a smart, kind man passionately taking a well-spoken stance for Omegas like the god of justice on a divine mission...

God, who racked up the heating? Mike peeled himself out of his hoodie and bunched it up on his lap. The perfect shield that allowed him pull out his phone without becoming a spectacle. Moments like these were why he had long replaced Harvey’s name with a simple string of three hearts in his contacts. Hiding in plain sight and all that.

We are listening to your SCOTUS testimony… No wonder I was so desperate for you after ❤️

How about now?

Well…

lets just say dont plan on getting any sleep tonight 😈😈

Noted ❤️

Think I remember most of it. I could refresh my memory…

Mike bit his lip. SCTOUS role play. Harvey could be the hot promega lawyer, and Mike was the evil corporation getting fucked… Pure lava shot into his lower body. He squeezed his legs together, crossed them by the ankles to keep the slick on the inside.

The audio paused in the middle of Harvey’s sentence. Oh, come on! It was just getting good!

“Mr. Sanders,” Webber said. “Summarize the counsel’s arguments thus far and tell me what strategy he’s been employing.”

And now it got even better. Mike leaned forward, watched Jeremy—three rows ahead in this class—stand up.

“He is arguing the fourteenth amendment of the constitution should covers Omega’s rights for equal-priced healthcare, which is, frankly, a ridiculous reach.”

Mike huffed. Was it now? And who was Jeremy to decide that?

“The Supreme Court disagreed,” Professor Webber said. Damn right.

“Equal protection under the law does not entitle anyone to preferential treatments. This sets a dangerous precedent that allows gender politics to interfere with the free market—”

“They already do.” Mike was on his feet before he realized he made the choice; Jeremy gave him nothing but a dismissive glance over his shoulder. Asshole. “There are hundreds of regulations on the market that are in place because companies took advantage of the lack of to bolster profits, even if it harms the consumers. This is no different, and proving that is why we won.”

“Who is ’we?’ Last time I checked, Harvey Specter argued the case,” Jeremy spat.

“Last time I checked, I was the one who came up with the plan and strategy in the first place. We worked as a team.”

“I’m sure that’s what Specter let you believe so he could fuck you, but this is the real world, sweetie, so. Grow up.”

Ooh—it swept over the room, people grinning, turning to Mike as if they waited for the next strike. Gladly. If Jeremy wanted to dance, let’s dance—

“Alright, that’s enough,” Professor Webber declared. “Mr. Sanders, since you feel strongly about being able to do a better job that Mr. Specter, why don’t you come down here and lead the argument against the case.”

“With pleasure.” Jeremy shuffled past the others in the row.

“Any volunteers for—” Mike’s hand was up before Webber had finished the question. “Why did I even bother? Come on down, Mr. Ross.”

Good. About time Jeremy learned why Mike was top of the ranking, and he was buried in the middle. He pushed past the knees of people too lazy to make room, jogged down the stairs. He had put up with a lot of Jeremy’s shit over the last years, all his comments about Mike being easy and sleeping his way into law school, but he would not sit here with a straight face and let Jeremy shit talk his and Harvey's most priced achievement.

“Print outs of arguments and precedents relating to the case are on the desk. Help yourselves.”

“I don’t need them,” Mike said, just when Jeremy reached out to the papers. His hand stalled for barely a breath before he pulled it back.

“Neither do I.”

Uh huh. Mike grinned. Stupid Alpha pride might finally be to his advantage. “You sure you can keep up?”

“My grandma could beat you, and she’s eighty-five and has dementia.”

“Shame you didn’t inherit her abilities.”

“Let’s keep it civil, boys,” Webber interjected. “Focus on your arguments. That’s all a good lawyer needs.”

Jeremy smirked. “That’s news for Mike. Try not to call me omegaphobic.”

“Don’t be omegaphobic then.” Like that was gonna happen.

Jeremy failed the challenge at the first hurdle—the opening argument. The angle he chose to go for was to differentiate heats and ruts since ‘heats were necessary for reproduction and a joy for Omegas’ whereas ruts ‘unnecessarily tortured Alphas in their intensity and removed them from fulfilling important functions in society’ hence rut suppressants were of greater societal value. Oh boy.

The ‘Omegas are nothing but a reproductive system’ rhetoric was as old as the Alphatocracy. Even Stevenson & Stevenson had had better arguments than that. It was so stupid, Mike barely knew where to begin to unpack everything that was wrong with that statement. Good thing that had never stopped him before. There was nothing Jeremy could throw his way that he hadn’t heard before. Mike had prepped Harvey fucking Specter—no law student fancying himself hot shit pulling ‘arguments’ out of his ass could possibly compare.

“Fortunately, the law doesn’t care about the reductive, inaccurate stereotypes you feel too comfortable sharing. The constitution clearly affords equal protections to all citizens. Omegas are entitled to the same autonomy as everyone else, which includes equal access, or lack of, for healthcare.” He listed every precedent they had used at their trial, quoted studies because between the two of them, he was the one who worked with facts—three in, and Jeremy’s eyes glazed over. No wonder he was set to work for his dad if his brain shut down this easily. He’d never cope with a real trial.

“Omegas were doing just fine before. If the price discrepancy hadn’t been justified, corporations wouldn’t have charged more for heat suppressants in the first place.”

Was the concept of change truly that foreign to him? Must be hard going through life like that, especially in the law world.

“By Mr. Sanders standards, no laws are needed at all then because everyone always just does what is right. Except they don’t, especially corporations that constantly push limits of legality with illegitimate practices. There is no denying the wellbeing of Omegas has not been a factor that was considered  all throughout our history, but the government’s previous failure to protect all its citizens cannot stand in the way of progress. That is why Equality Act was implemented, and the Supreme Court strengthened it with their decision that financial discrimination is unconstitutional.”

“Which, in turn, discriminates against pharmaceutical companies.”

“Oh, please. Holding corporations to the moral standard the constitution demands is not discrimination. It protects humans, not money.” Or was supposed to, anyway.

“So everyone should just sue corporations at a whim and force the market to be limited more and more until nothing is left of our economy, huh? Where does it end? This is a dangerous precedent that ought to be overturned before suppressants are no longer produced at all—”

“Every other country on this planet still has suppressants, and they are cheaper, if not free, everywhere but the US. If you had looked into this case before boldly questioning its legitimacy, you’d know that. You’d also have known that Harvey and I provided a thorough breakdown that Stevenson & Stevenson would still turn a profit even if the suppressants were as cheap as thirty bucks. Since they grossed an extra two billion dollars in the year after the ruling, clearly, we were right.”

“Nice try, but we just heard that the cost of suppressants was not broken down in the hearing—”

“It was an appeal hearing. All justices had access to the entire discovery from our original trial as well as the additional, evidentiary backup for every point Harvey raised in his speech, including the cost of ingredients that amply proved the greed and omegaphobic practices of jacking up prices. In fact, if you had paid any attention at all instead of being so busy trying to reduce me to being a dumb Omega, you might have stopped for one second to ask yourself this: Was my case really such a reach, or are you just too narrow minded to see what everyone else, including the Supreme Court, saw? And if so, what the hell are you doing in law school?”

Jeremy’s mouth hung open; no words came out. Oh, Mike had never liked him better. The blanket of deafening silence that heavied the air in the lecture hall was pierced with a single snort. Somewhere in the back, someone stifled a laugh. A rumble of chatter broke out, filled with laughter, and Mike got the pleasure of watching in real time how Jeremy’s ears were turning bright red. Mike allowed the smile to spread on his face.

“There you have it, Mr. Sanders,” Professor Webber said. “Don’t enter the ring if you’re not prepared for a fight. You both may take a seat.”

Gladly. But not without a final try-me glare designated for Jeremy only.

Professor Webber had the mercy to move on to other cases to dissect and save Mike from being subjected to another two hours of omegaphobic talking points. God knew Mike had heard enough of those in his life already.

When Webber finally ended the lecture, Mike was the first on his feet—except the students next to him did not share his rush and once again failed to take a hint. Biggest disadvantage to his seat choice, always getting trapped by the slowpokes around him. He tapped his foot waiting for them to clear away; Jeremy and his buddies were already at the exit, talking about something. Lingering.

Mike caught the eyes of one of his lackeys, who didn’t look away; not an accidental meet, then, but a pointed checking Mike out. Oh, fuck. Okay, opposite strategy it was: waiting them out.

Mike lifted his bag over his shoulder as slowly as humanly possible, sauntered down the stairs one at a time with no urgency whatsoever, at the back end of the stream of students that pushed Jeremy out the door too. Close call. His goldfish-like brain would have forgotten all about this by tomorrow, all Mike needed to do was to get lost in the safe passage of the crowd—

“Mr. Ross,” Webber said. Mike squeezed his eyes shut. Damnit. He wished he could pretend to missed that, wished he had people to hold on to who’d stick around with him—but being social was not the path he had chosen here, so he had no choice but to step out of the protective bubble by himself.

The chatter grew fainter, footsteps disappeared down the hall. At least the door remained clear…

“I admit, I have been wondering what on earth happened for Harvey of all people to switch course and argue civil rights in front of the highest court of the country when he had always been deadset on going corporate,” Webber said.

“Excuse me?”

“Harvard Law. Year above him, but we met at social engagements.”

Oh. “Right.” Mike shouldn’t be surprised. In fact, the only real surprise was no other professor had brought Harvey up to him when everyone in the New York law world knew him. Mike supposed he should be grateful Webber hadn’t brought it up in front of everyone.

“Is he still stubborn and convinced of his own superiority?” The way Webber smiled seemed awfully genuine. Like he truly was just a curious old acquaintance, not a reporter in disguise—god, Mike’s paranoia was getting out of hand. Hostile environment full of jerks or not, not everyone was out to get him.

“Yes. But not as much as me.”

“So I gather.” Webber sat on the edge of the desk, crossing his arms in front of his chest. “I figured the case would get you out of your shell. Glad I finally got my answer. If you can convince someone like Harvey to give a damn, sky’s the limit for you.”

So before this, he thought Mike sucked? “You thought I was just a pretty face too, huh? I’ll try not to be offended.”

“No. But people test well all the time, especially if they are well-connected. Doesn’t mean they have what it takes to make it. Look at your friend from earlier.”

Who, Jeremy? Ugh. “We’re not friends.” Hard to argue with the rest though. Mike forgot some people went through life easily, getting opportunities without having to work their asses off to get them…

“Besides, there is no denying Harvey always had a weakness for pretty faces. Especially young ones.”

And there it was. The familiar song and dance of someone trying to get Mike to admit he was sleeping with Harvey. “I don’t know what you mean. He represents people of all ages and looks.”

“Mhm. And all his other clients smell like him too, of course. I take it you must be working very closely on a new project with him.”

Ah. Webber really did know Harvey, if he remembered his scent well enough to recognize it on Mike… No one else ever commented on it. Those who were familiar with Harvey’s scent were close enough to know the truth, and the rest either didn’t know him or only ever saw Mike with Harvey, so naturally, his scent was around.

“That ould be a logical explanation .” Mike smiled.

“Tell him I said hi, will you?”

“I will. Should I see him.”

“Sure,” Webber chuckled. Alright, so he knew. Everyone had an opinion on them anyway; at least Webber had been pretty quiet about his so far. Good thing Mike was graduating soon and would get far away from all these people—until the next bunch in the shape of his future colleagues would speculate. How joyful the prospect of no peace was.

He left Webber to pack up and do whatever it was professors did after class. The hallway was mostly empty, soft light spilled from the windows above—right into Jeremy’s snarling face. Not a goldfish then. Shit. Mike tightened his scarf around his scent glands; his stomach felt like it had been cut open and loaded with rocks, weighing him down at every step.

“Another Alpha you’re fucking? How do you have time for them all?” Jeremy growled with a rough darkness that had the hairs on Mike's neck stand to attention.

No. Mike refused to be intimidated by an overgrown manchild. He did not come this far to back down in front of Alphas. With squared shoulders, he strutted past them. “Can you get new lines? These are getting dull.”

Three sets of footsteps followed him. “I don’t appreciate what you did in there. You tried to embarrass me.”

More like succeeded, thanks to Jeremy making it real easy. “Next time, use the notes. Or be smart enough to not challenge my work. Little piece of advice, Omegas don’t get handouts. If my case had been any less than perfect, it would have never gone through.”

“It only worked out because of your Alpha! You’re nothing but his pet regurgitating his arguments.”

“Uh huh.” If he seriously thought so, why was he wasting his time on Mike now? God, hopefully, he did believe Mike had an Alpha; the proximity to Harvey had been a much-appreciated shield Mike prayed still protected him even here.

“You’re only here because he bought your way in!”

“You must be thinking of your Alpha-daddy, because I have yet to see any legal smarts that offer another explanation—”

Five fingers curled around his wrist and yanked him backward. He crashed back-first into a wall; the impact knocked the air out of his lungs, his head pulsated where it had collided with concrete.

Jeremy stepped closer, crowded him with a frantic look in his eyes that had Mike freeze inside out. One friend on either side of him, all close enough to touch.

Mike gulped in a breath, willed them to return to their normal, steady speed. No need to panic. This was just a game. They wouldn't try anything. It was the middle of the day, there were people around. Professor Webber ought to come out any second…

“You,” Jeremy spat the word, “are nothing but a damn lapdog who’s forgotten his place. I’ll run the world someday, and you’ll beg to bring me coffee and suck my knot, bitch.”

The snort desperate to escape tightened his throat; swallowing it was a miracle. Oh, Jeremy didn’t know him at all. Mike lifted his chin defiantly. “I don’t beg.”

He pushed himself off the wall, aimed for the tiniest of gaps between Jeremy and his buddy—Jeremy pushed him back, pinned him against the wall with his forearm over Mike’s chest. Angry pheromones stank up the space between them like sulfur; Jeremy's nostrils flared. Fuck this guy. Mike smashed his hand palm-first forward, going for his nose—Jeremy caught his wrist and slammed it against the wall above Mike’s head.

“We’ll see about that. You like having your way with multiple Alphas, don’t you?” His dry lips smacked when they opened, his eggy breath hit Mike’s face. Jeremy’s tongue wetted his lower lip, pulled into that ridiculous grin. 

Mike struggled against his grip, tried to pull himself free, but the weight of Jeremy's body pinned him against the cold, hard concrete. A buzz went off in Mike's pocket, aggressively cutting through the silence. Oh, come on, not now! What if Jeremy stole his phone and—

Breathe. Think. Mike wasn’t afraid of him and his empty threats.  This was nothing but a power trip. And he’d be damned to indulge Jeremy’s ego. The moment he dared to harm Mike, Harvey would rip his head off. He had never failed Mike before. Yeah. There was no reason to be scared.

There was no reason to be scared…

Jeremy drew a deep breath, leaned in as if to scent Mike; his exhale assaulted Mike’s jaw, his fingers trailed along Mike's scarf, stroking it down. The air touched Mike's freshly exposed skin. Oh, fuck no. No chance in hell would those teeth come near him.Mike yanked his knee up; it missed the groin, but it did slam into Jeremy’s stomach.

He buckled over, his grip loosened; Mike pushed him off, squeezed past the goons too stunned to move, and ran. His legs protested the strain immediately, his messenger bag bounced up and down, the books and laptop inside crashing against Mike’s hip and thigh. His lungs ached; only around the corner, at the entrance of the library, he slowed down. Rapid thuds of heavy feet behind him—fuck it, this was the best chance he had. They wouldn't try anything as long as he was surrounded by staff. He speed-walked in, weaseled through sparsely stocked shelves of books, past students; one of the private study rooms was free, the kind that locked from the inside. Oh, thank God. He rushed inside, turned the key the moment Jeremy stepped into his line of sight again, still clutching his stomach. Yeah, try and kick in the door. There were easily a hundred other people around, and this school did not look kindly on vandalism. Mike was safe.

…For another forty minutes, when the room was reserved by someone else. How determined was Jeremy to get revenge? Please, let him have a life…

Bzzz. Bzzz. Bzzz. Ugh.

Incoming call from ❤️ ❤️ ❤️

Of course it was. With a shaky thumb, Mike hit the green button.

“Finally! What the hell happened?? Are you okay?” Harvey’s voice, normally so soothing, was now worked up, heavy with a concern that had Mike shiver.

“Why? What did you feel?”

“You felt terrified.”

Mike closed his eyes. Fuck. If Harvey felt him, that, across the city, it meant Jeremy must have been able to smell it too. And if he thought he had the upper hand… A dog with a bone didn’t drop it for no reason. If Jeremy thought he had gotten under Mike’s skin… What if he wasn’t all talk? Mike couldn’t fight off all of them! It was a miracle he had outrun them.

But—they would respect the authority of another Alpha… Oh, Mike hated that he had to do this. “This is really embarrassing.”

“Tell me,” Harvey growled.

“I'm in the library and... I can't leave.”

“What do you mean you can't leave? What happened?”

“I'm hiding in a study room because I might have pissed off a group of Alphas who are blocking the door and I don’t know what they'll do if I leave by myself. I really hate to ask this because I know you’re busy—”

“I'm on my way.” Keys clattered in the background. “I'll be there in thirty minutes, tops. Are you safe?”

Mike glanced out of the window in the door; they were still there. Lingering by the entrance. Not charging at him. Yet.

“Yeah. I mean, more people are around, I just… I’m probably just being paranoid, but…”

“You're not. Do you want to stay on the phone?”

Yes. Desperately. The bile was so high in his throat, he didn't know how much longer he could contain it. All he wanted was to be soothed by Harvey’s presence… but the library had a no phone policy, definitely a no talking one. Private room or not, if anyone claimed again to be bothered by him…

“It’s fine.” Mike forced his voice to be light. “I don’t want to risk being kicked out for talking. But... Can I call you if something changes?”

“Don't ask stupid questions.”

Mike smiled. “Thank you.” Quieter, turned away from the window, he added. “I love you.”

“I love you too. I’ll be right there.”

“I know.” He hung up, cradled his phone to his chest. Jeremy still hadn’t moved, leaned against a shelf with his buddies. That was good news.

Once Harvey got here though… People would consider it the confirmation that they were together, and who knew what reporter they’d tell it to, but right now, Mike couldn’t care about that. They’d do what they always did. Silently move on, not confirming nor denying anything, and pray the Alphas were too scared of what Harvey could do to test it.

Things might be easier if he had a mark on his neck. If everyone knew for a fact he had someone protecting him… not that the assumption had prevented Jeremy from acting out either. With that much internalized omegaphobia, he probably couldn’t fathom the kind of love Harvey had for him. The caring, non-possessive type. That was sad as much as it was dangerous—if Jeremy assumed Harvey didn’t care about him as more than a sex toy…

Mike rubbed his hands over his thighs to free them from sweat. He was being ridiculous. No Alpha was allowed to get under his skin like this.

If only Rachel were here… they could rage together so much better in person. They’d call Jeremy names, sigh a thousand “Alphas, am I right?” until the anger had faded away without plotting anyone’s murder. Harvey, however… If he heard what Jeremy had insinuated… He couldn’t find out. Not the full story. Mike had a duty to protect him too, even if it was from his own Alpha instincts that might send Jeremy to the hospital, if only that. The consequences of such rage wasn’t a stain on Harvey’s life that Mike could ever be okay being responsible for.

He opened a book on the desk, steadied his cheek on his fist. No words sank in; he couldn’t even say what page he was on. All he focused on was feeling Harvey, how much more of him he felt the closer he came, no doubt defying traffic. His concern, confusion. Anger. Mike tried to meet it all with his relief and gratefulness, his love. If Harvey marched in here like the oncoming storm, it might scare Jeremy away, but for how long? At what cost? It would only affirm to them that Omegas were pathetic and couldn’t stand up for themselves. The fact that Mike had to call for rescue at all would stroke their ego…

He hated nothing more than being stuck in situations he couldn’t logic himself out of. All he could do was hold on. He couldn’t wait for law school to finally be over… what a lesson that was to not apply to jobs with Alpha majority. He was so tired of having that many of them around all the time with no respite…

Bzz bzz.

Coming in now.

Oh, thank God. And with fifteen minutes to spare. Mike pushed any mental image of Harvey driving like a maniac aside and shoved the book back into his bag. It was tempting to wait for Harvey to find him in here rather than step outside without protection—but then he might as well wear a I’m a scared little pup sign around his neck, and that satisfaction, he just couldn’t give Jeremy.

The bolt locking the door snapped back; tentatively, Mike pushed the door open. His heart was in his throat.

One of the goons elbowed Jeremy. A predatory grin spread on his face, he stood up, sending the chair backward. Nope. In quick steps, Mike took the long way through shelves, past the communal study area—Jeremy on the other side, like a hunter stalking his prey. They’d see who was the hunted… Mike rushed through the library doors, cut the corner. Jeremy’s shadow crept up behind him, an approaching threat about to catch up with him—

“There you are.” Harvey’s voice was a warm embrace, safe and comforting. He sauntered down the hall like there was no doubt he belonged there, hands in his pockets.

Jeremy halted past the corner; one of his goons crashed into him. Jeremy pushed him off, but stayed put. Not tackling Mike.

“I was hoping I'd find you here.”

“Oh, yeah?”

“Yes. I need your insight on a case. Working lunch?”

This wonderful man. Making excuses that made Mike look desirable, not pathetic. Whether the Alphas would buy it was a different story that Mike did not care to question until he had to.

“Sounds like an acceptable bribe.”

“I was hoping you’d say that.”  Harvey’s smile was bright, despite the restrained upset Mike felt stewing inside of him.

Mike had to remind himself to keep at least a shoulder-width between them, that falling into his arms would only bring on a different set of problems. He could sense Jeremy’s boring glare as it was, had to resist the urge to turn around to check he was still there. Maybe Jeremy would believe this was a coincidence. Maybe he would at least doubt whether Mike had truly run from him. Maybe he recognized this as an act of claiming territory by an Alpha he couldn’t win against. Either way, no one stopped them from leaving.

The light rain was a cooling relief, every drop grounding Mike a little more. He drew a deep breath of the fresh air, heavy with the smell of traffic.

“Thank you,” he whispered.

“Always.” The promise that would have been an exaggeration from anyone else, but from Harvey, he believed it no questions asked. The security that vow offered was enough for a part of Mike to settle down he hadn’t realized was still on edge.

Only when they were in the dry warmth of the car did Harvey say what Mike dreaded: “Tell me what happened.”

Lying wasn’t an option. Harvey would be able to tell immediately, for starters, not to mention that Mike didn’t want to lie. A detail too much, however, might be enough for Harvey to go back in there and Mike couldn’t allow that either. The line was fine and blurry, but Mike had no choice but to try and walk it.

“Eh. We were discussing our case in class, and this guy felt very confident in declaring that he didn’t think the ruling was legitimate, and I proved it wasn’t by arguing him against a wall and expose his stupidity. I guess that bruised his ego enough that he then felt the need to push me against a wall after.”

“…He pushed you against a wall?” Harvey’s voice dropped low, rough, barely more than a growl. Retreat, retreat. 

“I mean, I got away. He was just throwing a tantrum.”

“What did he say?”

“Nothing they were serious about.” Hopefully. Mike could not deal with the alternative.

“Mike.” It wasn’t quite an Alpha-command—Harvey knew better than to force him into anything—but the sharp edge had Mike jump in his seat regardless. So much for being vague.

“It was just a power play! He tried to scent me and I slammed my knee into his stomach, so I doubt he'll try that again. He gets off on the idea that I beg for him or something.”

A darkness Mike was afraid to identify rushed over Harvey’s face, narrowing his eyebrows above the razor-sharp, one wrong move and you’re done for glare. “For him to start or for him to stop?”

That was the question, wasn’t it? Mike wished he knew the answer with any certainty. He knew better than to think any Alpha wasn’t capable of the worst. Jeremy had enough money and entitlement to consider himself above the law. If the opportunity presented itself… Well, Mike simply had to make sure it wouldn’t. “Neither is gonna happen.”

“Does he know that?!”

Mike chewed on his lip. Well…

Harvey growled; his knuckles turned white against the black-leather steering wheel. “Oh, I really wanna kill that idiot.”

“Don’t.” Mike placed both hands on Harvey’s thigh, squeezed the soft, cotton fabric of the suit. “It would only make them the victims and get me kicked out. We are better than that.”

“We need to go to the dean and report them!”

“It would be my word against three of theirs. They’re not gonna admit I bruised their egos. This is bigger than just me, I can't risk them shutting the doors for Omegas again.”

“If they hurt you—”

“Then you’ll know immediately.” Sure, preventing it would be preferable, but if Mike ratted them out, the target on his back would only grow bigger. Worse, he might alienate everyone else who might step in now since he lacked definite proof. No, he had to handle this on his own, and trust that Harvey would avenge him, which was more than a lot of others had, so Mike wasn’t off that badly. “I won’t give them the chance, I promise. I’ll make sure I’m not alone on Campus again.”

“And I’ll make sure either myself or Donna are close by at any time. Or Sam.”

The thought of an Alpha following him around would have been funny if he didn’t know for a fact Harvey meant it.

“I adore you, you know that?” Mike pressed a kiss on his shoulder. “I don’t need an escort, or a bodyguard. He’ll cool down. And I’ll be a teacher’s pet the next few weeks. It’s nearly over. It’ll be fine.” If he kept telling himself that, surely, it would be. The worst thing that would happen this year was that he lost Rachel to DC.

And yet, that did nothing to reassure Harvey. Unfortunately, it was all Mike could say. Unless they could come up with a waterproof plan to kick Jeremy out that couldn’t be traced back to Mike in any way—oh, who was he kidding. He didn’t have the emotional resources to spare for such a battle. He’d simply be careful.

“I’ll kill him if he touches you.” The cold determination in Harvey’s tone should have been scary, but instead, it warmed Mike’s heart.

“Don’t say that or it will be considered premediated murder.”

“Only if you snitch on me.”

Mike pumped up his eyebrows. “Don’t risk finding out.”

At last, the hint of a smile tugged at Harvey’s mouth. Much better. Mike stroked along his thigh. “Are we actually going out for lunch? I thought you had a meeting about now.”

“Saira got it. She’s been watching me handle meetings or two years, about time she flies by herself. I just have to be back by four.” Now there was an upside to all this at last. Harvey’s associate had been desperate to prove herself for months now; it couldn’t be more obvious to Mike every time he visited, but Harvey was skilled in ignoring her. How nice that Mike’s petty drama was what got her the chance to handle the big-boy cases by herself. “You hungry?”

Good question. Mike placed a hand on his stomach; the bile had left a sour taste in his throat, his stomach still felt rock hard. “I’m a little nauseous, actually.” Surely just the aftermath of the confrontation. His body would catch up to Harvey being around any second now.

“Would food make it better or worse?”

“Feed me and find out.”

He didn’t need to say it twice. With Harvey, he never did. Nor did he have to spell out that he had enough of the outside world for now; Harvey stopped by their favorite Thai place without any question, merely pressed a kiss on Mike’s forehead and vowed a quick return, and before Mike knew it, he was curled into his favorite spot on the couch, cradling a takeout box. The smell was heavenly, but his throat closed up at the very thought of eating. He pushed a piece of cabbage around with his chopsticks, argued with his own body to please let him enjoy this.

“Still nauseous?” Harvey asked.

“It’ll pass.”

“Hmm.” Harvey leaned over to kiss the top of his head and disappeared into the kitchen. Probably to inconspicuously check in with Donna about how the case went so Mike wouldn’t feel bad about keeping him here... The security of Harvey always being there for him was beautiful, but the power of keeping him from important meetings didn’t quite feel like a privilege anymore. Well, if Harvey needed him, Mike would drop everything too, but that hadn't happened yet. Harvey had his life together, whereas Mike…

Sighing, he surrendered the food to the table. Relationships were strange, fantastical even. Mike couldn’t put in words the magic that tied them together beyond all reason. It had just happened, like everything with Harvey. There was so much to be grateful for; only a handful of people found such a natural connection with someone else, let alone the very best of Alphas. But that was not a sentiment Harvey could reciprocate without lying. They both knew Mike made his life harder, dragging him to events, distracting him from work, barely being able to give back a fraction of all he received from Harvey…

Would Harvey wake up one day and realize he had pulled the short stick?

“Here,” Harvey said; Mike hadn’t even realized he was right in front of him again. What was wrong with him today to be this scatterbrained?

Harvey held out a hot water bottle with the level of care as if he were cradling a newborn baby. “Might help.”

Just like that, he did that? “Aww.” Mike hugged it against his stomach; the heat burned through bis t-shirt into his skin, but the knot in his stomach eased in an instant. “I love you.”

“Whatever you need, you know that.”

“Anything…?” He took Harvey’s hand, pulled him closer, back down onto the cushion. He didn’t have much to offer to someone like Harvey, but he could give him some sugar after throwing such a spanner into his day.

Harvey climbed between his legs. “I thought you’re nauseous?”

“Yeah.” He pulled Harvey down until he was covered by him, the hot water bottle securely lodged between them. “And I want my favorite weighed blanket.” To prove it, he wrapped his legs around Harvey’s hips.

“I’m honored.” Harvey nuzzled his neck, kissed his cheek. Mike closed his eyes, arms tightly hooked around Harvey’s neck. He hated that he had to let him go back to work when the inside was so much safer, a much kinder place to be…

“Please don’t take any more risks…” Harvey whispered, yet the worry in his tone practically screamed what Harvey had grown too promega to say: Control your mouth before it gets you into more trouble. Unfortunately, Mike agreed. He had held back this far at Columbia, he had a few more weeks in him still. No more indulging professors trying to get him out of his shell. This was the reminder he had needed that law school wasn’t a safe place for people like him yet.

“I’ll get through the last few lectures without getting beaten up,” Mike promised.

“I’ll hold you to that.”

The perfect incentive. “I hope so. You know I hate it when you remind me you told me so.”

“At least one thing your stubbornness is good for.” He pressed a wet kiss on Mike’s cheek, grew heavier on top of Mike. Mike scented along his neck; the perfect remedy for just about anything.

“Do you really have to go back to work?”

“Yes,” Harvey said apologetically enough that Mike believed him that he’d rather not. Mike made a protesting noise, tightened his embrace. The world could have him back in another minute or two. Mike needed to be selfish just a little longer to reassure both of them he was fine.

Chapter Text

Forced to QUIT! Promega’s temper makes employees’ lives hell

By Grace Evans

Underneath, blurry photos of Mike and Harvey in Harvey’s car. Creepy.

The two paragraphs underneath went on and on about Harvey having a long, well-documented friendship with his driver (was it though? Ray was pretty camera shy), which the picture proved Mike had ruined and now, Harvey had to drive him himself since Mike considered himself ‘too good to drive himself.’ Holy Mother of reaches. This Grace Evans must have pulled several muscles trying to spin a story out of Harvey simply giving him a ride, but sure. Mike was an evil dictator, and Harvey was the poor Alpha who suffered his abuse… Was it just him, or were these articles becoming increasingly ludicrous and, worse, frequent? Like Mike didn’t have other things to worry about. He felt a headache coming on as it was; no matter how much he was sleeping recently, the fatigue sat in his bones all day anyway.

He dug two fingers into his temple to ease up the tension; his free thumb swiped across his screen.

hilarious

Ray and I literally are friends

Well, friendly acquaintances. They didn’t hang out or anything, but they did chat, sometimes grabbed coffee together while they waited for Harvey… They weren’t on bad terms, was the point.

Tell your Alpha he needs to stop simping so hard was Katrina’s response to the PU group chat. Simping?? They didn’t even look at each other in the picture!

Jo: Do you think you could get this Ray to make a statement in favor of your character

Mike furrowed his brow. Like that would help. What next? He'd be accused of having bribed him to give that statement? If they saw him in Ray’s backseat, the press would just find a new angle to spin it. Calling him spoiled or taking advantage of Harvey’s staff or whatever. No thanks.

Since when do we acknowledge rumors in the press

Jo: We don’t

Jo: Just don’t want the rumors to get worse if this guy does secretly hate you

If there was any chance Ray was behind these rumors, he would have fooled both him and Harvey for years. Not to mention that Harvey would fire him immediately if he was selling Mike out, and Mike doubted many people were as generous with their bonuses as Harvey was. Or with the free legal help they offered whenever Ray or someone in his family needed advice. No, he doubted Ray would go on record to trash-talk Mike, and Mike was not comfortable asking him to compromise his privacy and come forward about this stupid rumor either. If anyone thought Harvey giving him a ride was scandalous, they were looking for reasons to hate him anyway.

He doesn’t hate me!!

this might come as a surprise but I am not actually bullying Harvey’s staff

Rachel ❤️ ❤️ ❤️: Well

okay calling out omegaphobia in his COLLEAGUES does not count

Rachel ❤️ ❤️ ❤️: Sure it doesn’t😉

Jo: jfc you’re a PR nightmare

Harold: hey guys can we order pizza for the meeting I wont have time to get something before 😭😭

Mike pushed his phone back under his law book. That was enough of that. Not that the lecture offered a distraction.

Logically, he understood why Columbia required all of them to take a bar exam prep course. They had a reputation for getting almost everyone to pass on their first try, after all, but Mike would be so much more productive prepping in his own time. He had considered skipping it, get someone to sign in for him—problem with being the only Omega in his year was that pretty much everyone knew his face and name, including the professors, so mandatory did mean mandatory, even if it was a waste of his time.

Something light hit the back of his head; a crumpled piece of paper dropped to the floor. What the hell? Mike fought the urge to look around, acknowledge this happened in any way—thud. Another paper canonball, right against his cheek. And Jeremy’s too-wide grin in his periphery, sitting in the row behind him, three seats over. Were they back in fucking high school?

Jeremy lifted his hand again; this time, Mike swatted the paper ball away. Right against the shoulder of the girl in front of him, who immediately gave him evils that Mike passed on to Jeremy. And yet, Jeremy’s shoulders were shaking, tonelessly laughing at being a menace. Knotface.

“Something funny, Mr. Sanders?” the prof asked.

Jeremy cleared his throat. “No, ma’am. Nothing but a notion that some Omega could pass the bar exam.”

Mike bit his cheek so hard, he tasted blood. His fingers cramped around the desk. Do not engage, do not engage…

The prof cocked an eyebrow. “You mean, other than the six thousand Omegas who passed it last year? And the year before?”

The blood fled from Jeremy’s face. “I didn’t—I meant—”

“I know what you meant. Frankly, I don’t know what’s worse. This blatant demonstration of Omegaphobia of a future lawyer or your attempt to bully your classmate who earned his place here more so than most. If I hear such language in my classroom again, I’ll have to share my concerns with the ethics board.”

Mike squeezed his lips together to keep the laugh on the inside; the corners of his mouth did not obey, trying their hardest to push upward, forcing Mike to purse his lips too. Oh, the satisfaction of seeing Jeremy’s humbled face. Rare as it was, when an Alpha was an ally, they did not miss. Just like that, the bar prep had become Mike’s favorite class.

Honoring his promise to Harvey, he made an effort to squeeze himself into the bubble of students exiting at the same time as cover. Which was hard, since everyone on the stairs was so fucking slow—

“Called your Daddy for help, didn’t you?” Jeremy’s face was suddenly right by Mike’s ear; Mike flinched. Fucking asshole.

“I dare you to say that to his face.” There was only so much violence Mike cared to de-escalate before he simply had to let Harvey be an Alpha.

“Whore.”

“Coward. Leave me alone. Or you’ll see what happens when I actually ask for help.” He squeezed past the slowpoke, dragging his feet in front of him to put some space between them, and ended up next to a couple of Betas animatedly discussing their anxiety for the exam and ‘how are we supposed to remember all this?!’

“I know, right?” Mike butted in. Rude or not, he needed the cover. “My head is hurting already.” That wasn’t even a lie, not that the bar had much to do with it. Had he drunk enough water today? Probably not…

“Tell me about it!” The Beta gushed. Leslie, Mike was pretty sure. “Especially all the contract stuff is going right over my head.”

“Hey, I have this killer-outline from a friend who sat the exam three years ago. She has testing anxiety, so her prep is crazy thorough. If you’re interested?”

“Oh my God, yes! That would be amazing!”

In his periphery, Mike saw Jeremy and his buddies turning the opposite corner. Leaving without causing any more trouble. Good, so this worked. Even better, he got a free escort out of the building. Now he just needed to get all of Rachel’s outlines to make good on his end of the bargain. She had offered before, should be easy. Now that she knew about that incident with Jeremy, she sent them over within seconds too. She was the best. Mike missed her so much. The week until he trained out to DC to spend the weekend with her couldn’t pass quickly enough.

He stopped by CVS on his way home. The light spilling out underneath the door announced Harvey was there already. That was early for him. Mike found him in his home office, hunched over some paperwork. Squinting at it, finding awkward angles to be able to read the words. Stubborn. Mike couldn’t have gotten here at a better time.

“Honey, I’m home.”

Harvey gifted him a sweet smile. “And no one assaulted you. Well done.”

“What can I say, they got scared, seeing that my daddy was ready swoop in to save me.” Harvey grimaced as if he had just bitten into a particularly sour lemon. “Their words, not mine,” Mike chuckled. He pressed a kiss on Harvey’s hair, then swung his leg over his lap, lightly sitting on his knees. Making sure the tiny bag was secure in his grip and out of Harvey’s sight.

“Louis was a pain in my ass,” Harvey sighed.

“Rude. That’s my job.”

“Hate to say it, but he’s better at it. Kept trying to talk to me about finances and increasing office productivity with some ridiculous scheme of his, so I ran.”

“Hmm. Lucky me.” Mike pressed a kiss on his lips. Maybe he could entice Harvey to call it a day earlier than usual, have some quality time… Oh, starting with something sure to set the mood. “I have a gift for you.”

Harvey smiled. “Oh, yeah?”

“Close your eyes.”

Harvey did, but not until after he cocked a questioning eyebrow. Carefully, Mike pulled the reading glasses out of the paper bag, held them open to maneuver them in place. The arms had barely touched Harvey’s ears, and his eyes ripped open. He cranked his head back, swatted Mike’s hands away.

“Oh, hell no. Go away.”

“Try them, please! You’ll look so hot.”

“I’m already plenty hot.”

Far be it from Mike to argue with that. But why diminish that gift from god his face was by pulling ridiculous grimaces when trying to read anything? Nothing was sexier than a man who knew his limits and utilized the support available to him.

“Please? You wearing slutty little glasses is a fantasy of mine. And as the evil dictator who’s got you whipped, I command you try them.”

Harvey’s eyeroll was so hearty, almost only white was left of his eyes. He must have seen his brain. “Fine. For your sake, not mine.”

“Of course.” Mike approached again; this time, albeit with an expression that made clear he hated this, Harvey allowed him to push the blue glasses onto the bridge of his nose, and d a m n. Sexy academic in the house. Now Harvey needed a few gray streaks in his hair, and he’d be the ultimate silver fox thirst trap… Biting on the glasses’ tip, reciting a law or something… A hot flash tightened Mike’s lower stomach.  “Yeah, this is definitely working for me.”

“Uh huh.” With that, Harvey tried to remove them.

“No, wait! I had to guess on the prescription strength, so. Read this.” He grabbed a paper from behind him and held it under Harvey’s nose. And look at that—he only had to hold it a normal distance away, barely a squint in sight. Mike was a genius who was always right. “See! Much easier.”

Harvey grumbled something under his breath; Mike only made out the word ‘old,’ but that was plenty to guess the ridiculous, unreasonable rest.

“Plenty of young people need reading glasses too, honey.”

“You don’t.”

Very mature argument from a prestigious lawyer and former prosecutor. “I’ll get glasses if you’re into that.”

“But you don’t need them.”

“I’ll tell people I do.”

“I’d know the truth.”

Mike sighed. Well, he had tried. “There’s no pleasing you sometimes. I like them, but suit yourself.”  After a last kiss on Harvey’s cheek, he got off his lap. Harvey shimmied the chair closer to the desk again; grumpy, and yet, still very much wearing the glasses. Mike would consider that a win. For both of them, really… He leaned against the door frame, watched a stray hair fall onto Harvey’s forehead. Sexy, disgruntled academic… Oh, it would be so hot if he were to do a guest lecture at Columbia. Better than Robert fucking Zane. Showing off his knowledge, annoyed by everyone except Mike… Shame detention wasn’t a thing in law school…

A faint banging on the door pulled Mike out of the fantasy and made him sigh. Good things never lasted, apparently. “I’ll get it.”

The banging grew louder, never pausing. Jesus. What could be so urgent? He opened the door; the fist of a man was right at his chest height, hanging in the space between. Tall, ash-blonde hair kind of like Harvey’s, except with thick stubble around his thin lips; the frown line carved above his brown eyes that seemed awfully familiar. “Who the hell are you? Where’s Harvey?”

Intense demand from the guy who had come to them. “I’m me. Who are you?”

“I'm Marcus. Harvey's brother.”

Oh. Mike crossed his arms in front of his chest, pushed his shoulders back. He should come up with an excuse why he was here, pretend to leave. Harvey clearly hadn’t told Marcus about them, which was as good a sign as any that he didn’t trust him with that information.

...Except Mike refused to lie in his own home, much less to affirm the omegaphobic narrative he had witnessed on the phone the other day. “Right. I'm Mike. Harvey's Omega whore he likes to fuck.”

Marcus’s eyes widened. Oh, good, at least he knew what a fucked up thing to say that was. Mike grabbed his scarf from its hanger by the door—smelling like the student body of Columbia, but that only suppressed his scent in a different way—and tightly wrapped it around his neck as he strode to the living room.

The door closed behind him, a hesitant step followed.

“Who was it?” Harvey shouted.

“Your brother.”

“What??” A loud bang—must have been Harvey’s thighs hitting wood. He appeared at the door a second later, just when Marcus turned the corner, his mouth ajar.

“Marcus. What are you doing here?”

Marcus’s eyes narrowed. “Since when do you wear glasses?”

Harvey ripped them off his nose. Ohw. Bye, sexy academic Harvey. “What are you doing here?”

“I told you we needed to talk ages ago.”

“Yes, but...”

“No but. I wouldn’t have come if it wasn’t important. Please?”

The plea sounded odd, almost uncomfortable, like Marcus had tried it on for size for the first time and didn’t know how to feel about it. It certainly disarmed Harvey enough that Mike could see the walls crumble around him.

“Have a seat.” He pointed to the armchair Marcus sank into. Harvey’s hand slithered around Mike’s back, landed on his hip just to pull him down onto the couch with him. Oh, okay. Apparently, Mike was a part of this now.

“It's a private matter,” Marcus said.

“If you want my help, you can say it in front of Mike.” The gentle squeeze was as much of a plea as Marcus’s words. Mike didn’t know much about his family history, but the broad strokes had painted a grim picture; if Harvey didn’t want to face it by himself, that was all too understandable. And so, Mike sank into his side. There was no community without discomfort.

“Not like a whore such as myself could possible keep up with you big, smart Alphas,” Mike said. Harvey snorted. Oh, good, that could have gone either way. Namely, the way Marcus took it, rolling his eyes and groaning. Mike was less concerned about that.

“Fine. I'm sorry that I've offended you. It wasn't personal, I didn't know Harvey was serious about courting an Omega.”

“Even if he weren't, why are you calling the Omega names for him being a player?”

“Hey!” Harvey protested. Oh, anyone who lost count of all the sexual partners he had in his adult life did not get to complain about this.

“You know what you were. I still love you.”

“Mhhm,” Harvey made, with just enough of a smile that proved he meant it.

“Huh. Should have known you'd never do easy...” Marcus mumbled. Mike would take that as a compliment.

“No. I do fun and challenging and rewarding.” He pulled Mike a little closer. God, he loved this man. “So what's so urgent?”

And Marcus told the tale of the incredible injustice that had befallen him—aka, his long-standing mate having decided to leave him for, of course, no reason whatsoever, and now wanted to be considered for the trial of the bond-severing study Mike had been following for years. The results it had yielded so far were incredibly promising, enough that their method was expected to be FDA-approved by the end of the year.

Marcus, however, instead of doing his own research, insisted this was some kind of elaborate revenge plot designed to torture him and Alphas everywhere. Typical. Always thinking the world revolved around them. The facts seemed pretty black and white: he and his mate had essentially separated already, so the question wasn’t if they broke their bond, but how. And he wanted Harvey’s help to make sure it happened ‘naturally.’ Idiot.

“The study is the best shot Omegas have right now. If you don't agree to partake, the rejection syndrome might kill your mate,” Mike warned. Marcus of all people should know that, given the long-term consequences of a severed bond had caused their mother’s heart failure. Was that not a sore spot for him the way it was for Harvey?

“This therapy might kill me!”

“No, it won't. It did remarkably well in all trials so far and has been nothing but perfectly safe at every stage. You'll hurt because your mate leaves you, but it doesn't cause any damage breaking a bond a different way wouldn't also cause.” Matter of fact, Rachel had said she would have preferred the few hours of extreme discomfort the hormone treatment caused than deal with the unbearable pain of feeling like something was being ripped out of her for days, weeks, even.

Marcus crossed his arms in front of his chest like a stubborn toddler being told no for the first time. “Well, I'm not willing to risk it. I don't want her to leave me.”

“That's not your call to make,” Harvey said. “You're trying to trap her in a bond. That’s not okay, much less has any legal standing. It's not the sixties anymore.”

“Bonds are meant to last forever! She chose me—”

“What did you do for her to unchoose you?” Mike asked. There had to be a reason, no matter how desperately Marcus was clinging to the victim card here. But Marcus looked through him as if Mike wasn’t there.

“Are you gonna sit there and let him talk to me like this?”

“He makes good points,” Harvey said matter-of-factly.

“You really care more about his opinions than what I say?”

Harvey huffed. “You have no idea who this is, do you?”

“Should I?” He regarded Mike with unjustified disdain in his eyes. Omegaphobia aside, there was a strange comfort in hearing that the gossip about him and Harvey was limited to New York and had not made it to the Boston mainstream news yet. Or Marcus just didn't stay informed, also a very real possibility.

“Mike is one of the leading Omega rights activists in the state. His organization helped fund the method Katie wants to use.”

“More like you did,” Mike reminded him. That half a million-dollar donation remained the single biggest contribution the research group had received. The few thousand dollars PU could spare to donate was nothing in comparison.

“Same difference.”

Maybe so. Harvey was basically a part of PU, too, if not officially a member.

Marcus’s eyes darted from Harvey to Mike and back to Harvey; Mike could hear the gears churn in his brain. “Wait. Is that why you’ve been doing all this omega work? So you can get laid?”

“No. I could get laid before. Wanting to get laid by Mike was only a small part of it.”

Mike swatted his arm. That was not the kind of thing they should joke about in front of someone who’d clearly take Harvey’s word for it!

“It's true!”

And that made it worse! Much as Mike loved being desired by Harvey now, the rhetoric that Harvey only wanted to get into his pants had done more harm than good. Yes, their bodies had immediately reacted to each other, but Mike chose not to consider what would have happened if not or else he’d get all depressed about Alphas only seeing sense when sex is on the line.

“How did you end up with him?” Marcus asked as if Mike’s company was a burden, not an honor. Rude.

“Against my will, mostly.”

“You know what,” Mike pushed himself out of Harvey’s embrace. “Sleep on the couch tonight, you dick.”

“I'm joking!”

“No, you're not. Not enough.”

But all Harvey did was pull Mike closer again, one arm around his shoulders, the other crossed over his lap. “I love you,” he muttered before leaving a soft kiss on Mike’s cheek.

“Against my will.”

“Can't help it.”

Yeah. Neither could Mike, for better or for worse. Harvey better make a habit out of wearing his slutty glasses to make up for this offense, though.

“Happy as I am for you that you found whatever this is,” Marcus vaguely gestured at the two of them, “Are you going to help me?”

“I'm not sure what you expect me to do here. You have to consent to having your bond severed with the hormone therapy.”

“She wants to sue me into it! A real ballbuster of a lawyer left a message for her on our answering machine. If that is who she hired, I need you to stop this from happening!”

Harvey shook his head. “Her lawsuit would only be successful in extreme circumstances when there is no safe alternative for her but to get away. Are there?”

“What are you asking?”

Wasn't it obvious?

“He's asking if you’re abusing your mate,” Mike supplied.

“No! I never harmed her or the pups!”

Mike blinked. “There's pups involved in this? You would let them witness their mother suffering through rejection syndrome because you're too scared to respect her wishes?” How selfish could one person be? If their mother had been around during his rejection, Marcus wouldn’t be so stupid now. Not a fate Mike normally wished on anyone, but man. What was wrong with Alphas??

“Look,” Harvey said. “I am sorry to hear about you and Katie, but I can't help you force her to stay. Even if you don't do the procedure, she will leave if she wants to. I can't stop that, nor would I.”

“I just want another chance.” Marcus buried his face in his hands.

“Have you tried couple therapy?” Harvey suggested. Mike shot him a side eye. What part of this arrogant display made him think their relationship deserved saving?

“She said no. She said no amount of counselling can undo me cheating on her.”

And there it was. Of course he had done something to fuck this up.

“You cheated on her??” Harvey spat the word. Mike could feel the disgust recoiling inside of him.

“My colleague went into heat! She had no one else around, was I supposed to turn her down?”

“You spent a heat with another Omega? And you're shocked Katie wants to leave you? You know what that does to a family!”

“It wasn't planned! She got her first flash when no one else was around, and she was rubbing up to me and I just helped her get it out of her system so I could take her home! ...and then she had another flash, what kind of monster would have left her? Have you ever had an Omega whining after you, begging you to stay?”

“Yes, actually,” Harvey said with every ounce of smug satisfaction he had earned that day. Mike had never been that grateful for Harvey being a decent, considerate person as he had been that morning during his heat, scared and confused, and disgusted with himself.

“Did you?”

“No. Because I knew it wasn't what he wanted.”

Mike pressed a kiss on his shoulder. Damn right. And he’d never forget it. Ironically, it had only made him want Harvey more.

“Congrats, you’re a better person than me, is that what you want to hear? The damage was already done.”

“So might as well enjoy the rest of it, huh?” Harvey snarled.

Marcus scoffed. “Oh, don't judge me.”

“I am,” Mike announced.

“Mike—” That was Harvey, but Mike shut him up with with his index finger stretched high.

“No, hang on. You've come all this way here knowing full well that Harvey has been doing Omega rights work for the past years and how he feels about cheating since that literally killed your guys' mother, and you're asking him to compromise all his morals to get you out of a tough spot you put yourself in because you screwed up your bond and are too scared to face the consequences? God, I pity your poor mate.”

Marcus’s earthy scent, subtle so far, peaked, lined with something sour, rotten—anger. Shockingly similar to how Harvey’s scented too, though a lot more unpleasant on Marcus.

“Don't get mad at him for speaking the truth.” The hint of a growl colored Harvey’s words.

“I didn't come here for a scolding.”

“Clearly, you need one,” Mike said. And earned the brush of lips over his temple.

“Settle down, baby.”

Hm. Mike did melt into Harvey’s side, but only because this was his brother, his choice. “I stand by it.”

“I know you do. Look, best I can do is talk to Katie. See how she feels, where there might be room for a compromise.”

“Fine. ...Your Omega isn't going, is he?”

So now Mike wasn’t welcome? Well, admittedly, much as he loved and supported Harvey,  he didn’t exactly crave to be involved in this. Not like he could possibly take a position in this situation that wasn’t dump his ass, and much as Katie deserved to hear that, he knew Harvey wouldn’t pressure her into staying either. So unless his presence mattered to Harvey—

“Someone has to water the plants.”

Mike raised his eyebrows. “We both know that someone isn't me.” He wasn’t a maid doing chores for Harvey. He had a well-paid housekeeper for that.

“I’ll go when you’re in DC, how about that?”

If he wanted to put himself in the line of fire...

“Sure. I’ll make sure we have a safe house ready, if this Katie needs a place to stay to go through rejection.”

“Hang on—”

“Sounds like a good idea,” Harvey cut Marcus off before he could protest.

“Whose side are you on?!”

“Yours. Have you ever seen an Omega going through rejection from their bonded mate?”

“How bad can it be?”

“God awful. I've witnessed it once and it changed my perspective on bonds forever. If you ever loved Katie, if you still do, you do not wish this on her. You'd want her to have all the help there is to get you out of her system.”

“What about me? I'll suffer too. No one ever thinks about the Alpha!”

“Because it's not as bad for us. You'll live. You'll recover. That's not guaranteed for Omegas.”

“It'll be easier for you too if you agree to the severing,” Mike said. “It'll be a shock to the system, and it’ll knock you out for a little while given that your hormonal balance will be essentially rebooted to get rid of Katie's traces in your body, but it'll happen much quicker and ultimately less painfully than without it. Like ripping off a band aid. Stings, but prolonging it doesn’t make it easier, only drags out a shit thing even more.”

Marcus crossed his arms in front of his chest. “That still sounds awful.” Spoken like a teenager. How much younger than Harvey was he? Couldn’t be loads, given this whole pup business and the deep lines around his eyes.

“Should have thought of that before you cheated.”

“I...” Marcus sighed. “The truth? I thought she'd forgive me. That we were stronger than that.”

Stronger. What he meant was, he thought she was submissive enough to bottle up her pain. Mike had never been this proud of a complete stranger for sticking to her guns and asserting a boundary for possibly the first time, judging by the intensity of this pity parade Marcus was throwing himself.

“Have you ever even asked her for forgiveness?”

“Yes. I've said sorry.”

“Okay, but did you actually ask her what she needs? What did you do to make it up to her?”

Marcus blinked at him like he had no idea what Mike was talking about. Oh, boy.

“Let me get this straight. You cheated on your mate, and all you gave her was some, I assume, whiney apology and half-assed proposal to go to therapy but you never actually tried to make things right? Yet she is the villain here?”

“What's there to make right? I can't undo it.”

“But you can show remorse. Did you cut contact to the colleague to prove to her it won’t happen again?”

“She works for me, I can't just fire her.” So not just a colleague, but an employee? This kept getting messier and messier… An Alpha who loved his power trip, wasn’t he?  

“Find her a different job away from you then, or limit contact. Actually spend time with your mate, redefine the boundaries of your relationship. You can't just expect her to be okay with it if you've done nothing to earn that.” He couldn’t expect her to be okay with it, period, and Mike hoped she wouldn’t be. But rejection syndrome was a horrible thing, and if there was any chance in hell she could forgive him, Marcus would be a fool not to explore it.

“I bought her a necklace,” Marcus offered up, like a kindergartner bragging to have ripped out their mother’s beloved flowers to gift them back to her on Mother’s Day. Did he seriously think Omegas were that shallow? That jewelry could mend a broken heart?

Mike shook his head. “Never mind. Clearly, the separation is for the best. My condolences for your poor mate. I'm done with this conversation.” Harvey let him stand up without trying to hold him back. Again, being the example of a genuinely good, boundary-respecting Alpha. Mike would be damned to let him forget it; maybe Marcus would benefit from seeing the pros that came with that…

He traced along Harvey’s jaw. “If you need me, I'll be very naked in your bed getting off on the knowledge that you know better.” They needed to start early if there was any chance Mike could forget he was related to such an alpha-hole before sleep. He felt Harvey’s eyes follow him as he walked to the bedroom, swung his hips just for him.

“A real ray of sunshine you got yourself there,” Marcus remarked.

“He's incredible. Smartest guy I ever met.”

Mike smiled, closing the door. Just like that, Harvey had earned himself that Mike made good on his statement. Harvey would protect him, should Marcus assume this invitation had included him.

Mike lay stomach-first onto the sheet, both arms hugging the pillow. The cotton hugged around his naked body as he melted into the memory foam; it didn’t take long for the voices in the living room to fade and the bedroom door to creak open.

“Your brother seems like a prick,” Mike mumbled into the silky pillow.

The mattress dipped under Harvey’s knee; his lips brushed down Mike’s lower spine. “Funny. He said the same about you...” He caressed Mike’s ass, ghosted his teeth over the skin before he sucked at it.

Mike hummed and pushed himself to his elbows, offering his arched back to Harvey’s lustful exploration. “Is he still here?”

“No. I told him I won't put him up. I wouldn't do that to you.” This, this was why Mike loved this man, Alpha and all. Mike was lucky to have him; shame for his sister-in-law that his brother hadn’t gotten a shred of Harvey’s care and integrity.

“What are you gonna do?”

“Right now? You…”

Mike smiled. That was the goal, but not what he meant. “I was talking about your brother...”

“Like I said, I'll go up to Boston for a day and speak to Katie.”

Hm. Honorable intentions, but what was there to say? I’m sorry my brother acted like a piece of shit but maybe give him another chance? It was Marcus’s bond, he should be responsible for fixing his own mess, or he wasn’t worthy of it.

“You really shouldn't make it right on his behalf.”

Sighing, Harvey crawled up; Mike turned onto his back underneath him, gliding his hands down his chest, opening buttons. “Knothead or not, he is my little brother. Maybe I can help him see the way like you helped me. Maybe he’ll earn a second chance too.”  

Cute. And extremely unrealistic. Yes, Harvey had been a positive influence on many Alphas at his firm, but most people didn’t run with promegaism the way he had. Mike definitely couldn’t see Marcus’s mind expanding in the same way, but… miracles did happen. Harvey had surprised him. If he had some level of faith that Marcus was capable of the same change, Mike wouldn’t ask him not to pursue that.

“I meant it. If she wants to run away from him, I'll put her up once my apartment is habitable again. Assuming I can stay here?”

“Like I'd let you go again.” Harvey buried his face in Mike’s neck; the hint of a five o’clock shadow scratched along his scent glands, and Mike hummed up a symphony. Harvey kissed his way down to his chest, teased his nipple, licked around his belly button…

“Harvey.” Mike cranked his head up to make eye contact. “Wear the glasses.”

“Seriously?”

Mike nodded, biting his lips. Harvey’s sigh was one of defeat. “You’re a weirdo, you know that?” And yet, he planted a kiss on Mike’s lips.

“I heard you love that about me.”

“Slanderous rumor.” And still, Harvey practically jogged out, returning within seconds with the blue glasses planted on his nose. His crinkled shirt open, his hair disheveled from Mike’s touch… The arousing heat had him dripping with slick. Mike grinned. Best forty bucks he had ever spent.

---

8 AM was decisively too early to deal with banging on his door. As if a 9 AM lecture wasn’t horrific enough, being expected to deal with humans before coffee (other than the approved few) was a crime against humanity, paralleled only by the massive headache Mike felt coming on at the consistent bang bang bang. No fucking manners.

Mid-yawn, Mike opened the door—to Marcus. Dressed in a fresh T-shirt, but the same dark pants as yesterday. “Oh. Harvey isn't here.”

“Where is he?” Marcus squeezed past him, strutted in as if it was him who lived here, since clearly, Mike’s word was not enough. Audacity must have been part of the genetic makeup of the Specter family, except it was hot and entertaining on Harvey—on Marcus, it was plain rude.

Mike wrapped the scarf around his neck, making sure his entire scent glands were covered. “At work. So.” Go away already. Mike forced a smile as he pointed at the hallway. Marcus watched him do it. And shoved his hands into his pocket, very much not walking.

“And you're here playing house.”

“I'm about to go myself, so. Leave.” Mike held the door out wider. It was physically impossible to be any clearer, and yet, Marcus sauntered into their living room, scanning the room as if he hadn’t been here all of twelve hours ago.

“How he is into this attitude is beyond me...”

“Since you're the expert on healthy relationships.”

Marcus whipped around. “You don't know him like I do.” Hands still in pockets, but shoulders squared, he came closer. Too close. Mike puffed out his chest; he didn’t yield to power-hungry Alphas. One of them needed a humbling, and it wasn’t him. “I don’t know what you think this is, or what you hope will happen, but he will never bond with you. And it's not personal, he'd never bond with anybody. Too much baggage from the past.”

Mike huffed. Oh, this was dangerous. Stupid comments like this only made him want to ask Harvey to come home right now to bond with him on the spot to prove Marcus wrong—If that didn’t mean proving another set of idiots right, the ones who waited for them to bond to scream I knew it! into their faces. It was tough being him. “You seriously think you know him better than I do? I have been with him nearly every day for three years. You have spoken to him maybe four times? In all those years? You might know the man he was, but I know his soul. And our relationship is none of your business.”

“He's my brother.” Like that changed anything. Last time Mike checked, he was the one with the psychic connection to Harvey.

“Congratulations. Leave or I will lock you inside.”

Marcus withstood his glare for only a few seconds before he, slowly, walked out. Mike slammed the door shut behind him, leaned against it back first. Pinched the bridge of his nose. What kind of injustice to the universe had he committed to be punished with cocky Alphas trying to intimidate him over and over again? Just because he wanted one in his life didn’t mean he had signed up for the subscription for all the rest of them, too!

His phone buzzed; he didn’t need to look to know it was Harvey checking up on him. It must be so annoying for him to constantly be distracted by Mike’s emotions.

What happened??? 

don't worry  ❤️

it was Marcus wasn't it

he came looking for you and left

nothing I couldn't handle

all good

It was.

It would be.

Yeah.