#GENUINELY though imagine this as a mike who is IN a relationship with harvey

[marvey-sideblog]

"You knew how I felt about him."

This is Mike to Rachel after they're divorced. When Mike and Harvey are now running Specter Ross, and in a relationship together. Because Mike has felt for Harvey all this time.

If you even care

[kiwigreenflame]

It’s been a while since the Top 10 religion and comics installments, and I’ve been meaning to post a number of other comics that didn’t make it into that list but are still worth mentioning in passing. No commentary on these apart from the official blurbs. As always, YMMV reading these.

Testament

Creators: Douglas Rushkoff & Liam Sharp Publisher: Vertigo (DC Comics) Date: 2006-2008

From the imagination of best-selling author Douglas Rushkoff, one of the most iconoclastic and acclaimed minds of our era, comes a graphic novel series that exposes the “real” Bible as it was actually written, and reveals how its mythic tales are repeated today. Grad student Jake Stern leads an underground band of renegades that uses any means necessary to combat the frightening threats to freedom that permeate the world. They employ technology, alchemy, media hacking and mysticism to fight a modern threat that has its roots in ancient stories destined to recur in the modern age.

Chosen (American Jesus)

Creators: Mark Millar & Peter Gross Publisher: Image Comics Date: 2009

From the writer of the Universal hit, Wanted, comes his next graphic novel on the way to becoming a feature film! American Jesus Volume 1: Chosen follows a twelve-year-old boy who suddenly discovers he’s returned as Jesus Christ. He can turn water into wine, make the crippled walk, and, perhaps, even raise the dead! How will he deal with the destiny to lead the world in a conflict thousands of years in the making?

The 99

Creators: Naif Al-Mutawa Publisher: Teshkeel Comics Date: 2007-2014

Young heroes gain superhuman abilities when they bond with 99 powerful gemstones. These Noor Stones were forged from the destruction of ancient Baghdad to preserve the wisdom of the ages, and were lost for centuries, but they are being found, one-by-one…

Vampirella Strikes

Creators: Tom Sniegoski & Johnny D. Publisher: Dynamite Entertainment Date: 2013

For years, the raven-haired heroine Vampirella has hunted the world’s supernatural threats, all the while fighting back her own bloodthirsty nature. After a night out in Boston leads to particularly brutal violence, she seeks comfort in her Brownstone home… but discovers the most unexpected surprise of all. Angels have been sent to her by God — and they come asking for help! Enter Janus, a former soldier in the legion of Heaven, who skirts the line between the damned and divine. Only a fallen angel can navigate Vampirella through the seedy, demon-run underworld, where she hopes to find the source of an addictive, body-altering drug derived from archangel blood. Will Vampirella’s mission redeem her… or will she uncover secrets so shocking that their discovery will damn her forever?

Loaded Bible: Jesus vs. Vampires

Creators: Tim Seeley, Nate Bellegarde & Mark Englert Publisher: Image Comics Date: 2006-2008

In the near future, nuclear Holy War has decimated North America and humanity’s last stronghold is the dome metropolis of New Vatican City. When vampires attack, the Church turns to a clone of Jesus Christ Himself to protect them! But all is not as it seems for the Test Tube Messiah, as he’s drawn into a web of betrayal, bloodshed, and seduction!

The Sisterhood

Creators: Christopher Golden, Tom Sniegoski, Wellinton Alves, & Andrew Dalhouse. Publisher: Archaia (BOOM! Studies imprint) Date: 2008

The Order of the Holy Sepulchre is an elite group of specially trained nuns, the world’s most powerful exorcists. But they don’t just get rid of the demons they exorcise…the Sisters draw the demons into themselves, using their own bodies as cages of flesh. If they die a natural death, the demons die with them, small pieces of the world’s evil gone forever. But if the Sisters should dies violently…the demons are released into the world again!

Now someone has sent assassins to kill the oldest of the sisters, releasing the captive demons out into the world. Eden Parish is assigned the task of discovering who is behind this massacre, and why. In her journey she will uncover dark secrets about the Order, and about their enemies. And the real reason behind all this murder.

Blankets

Creators: Craig Thompson Publisher: Top Shelf Productions Date: 2003

Blankets is the story of a young man coming of age and finding the confidence to express his creative voice. Craig Thompson’s poignant graphic memoir plays out against the backdrop of a Midwestern winterscape: finely-hewn linework draws together a portrait of small town life, a rigorously fundamentalist Christian childhood, and a lonely, emotionally mixed-up adolescence.

Under an engulfing blanket of snow, Craig and Raina fall in love at winter church camp, revealing to one another their struggles with faith and their dreams of escape. Over time though, their personal demons resurface and their relationship falls apart. It’s a universal story, and Thompson’s vibrant brushstrokes and unique page designs make the familiar heartbreaking all over again.

This groundbreaking graphic novel, winner of two Eisner and three Harvey Awards, is an eloquent portrait of adolescent yearning; first love (and first heartache); faith in crisis; and the process of moving beyond all of that. Beautifully rendered in pen and ink, Thompson has created a love story that lasts.

A Contract with God and other Tenement Stories

Creator: Will Eisner Date: 1978

This semi-autobiographical work captures with pen and ink the drama of the city and its all-too-human inhabitants. Set in the same Bronx neighborhood as later works Dropsie Avenue and A Life Force, the four stories that comprise the book – “A Contract With God”,”The Street Singer”, “The Super” and “Cookalein” – examine the world of immigrant life in New York City in the 1930s with a unique look at the emotion and character of its denizens.

Warrior Nun Areala

Creator: Ben Dunn Publisher: Antarctic Press Date: 1994-2002

Follows the exploits of Sister Shannon Masters who is part of a militant Catholic organisation, the Order of the Cruciform Sword, who protect Church and world from supernatural threats. Plays fast and loose with things Catholic the series still manages to portray characters with genuine faith, humility and the odd bit of theology.

The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse

Creator: Michael Mendheim; Mike Kennedy; Sean Jaffe; & Simon Bisley Publisher: Titan Comics Date: 2014

Raised by the ancient Order of Solomon, Adam Cahill is one of a rare handful of highly trained warriors bound by bloodline to guard the Seven Holy Seals that contain the End of Days.

But ageless forces have conspired towards a prophetic event foretold by numerous cultures and multiple religions… and when that cryptic date arrives, they strike against the order without mercy!

The Lone and Level Sands

Creator: A. David Lewis and mpMann Publisher: Archaia (Imprint of BOOM! Studios) Date: 2005

Pharaoh Ramses II hasn’t seen his long-lost cousin Moses in nearly forty years. Yet while pressed by the Hittites to the North and construction delays in the South, Ramses must make time for this ancient desert rascal, the long-ago mystery he represents, and the impossible demands of an alien deity. Drawing on the Bible, the Qur’an, and historical sources, writer A. David Lewis (Mortal Coils) and artist Marvin Perry Mann (Arcana Jayne) present a retelling of the Book of Exodus through the eyes of the man who is either its greatest leader or its worst villain: a man trying to rule wisely, love his family well, and deal justly in the face of a divine wrath.

Some New Kind of Slaughter, or Lost in the Flood (and How We Found Home Again)

Creator: mpMann & A. David Lewis Publisher: Archaia (Imprint of BOOM! Studios) Date: 2009

If there is one constant throughout most of Earth’s historical nations, cultures, and religions, it is the threat and the destruction of the Great Flood. In the wake of the recent Indian tsunami, Hurricane Katrina, and alarm over global warming, the award-winning creators of The Lone and Level Sands return to plumb the depths of the world’s great myths with this graphic novel exploring how this legendary fear may be more relevant now than ever before. Like Noah, sea-bound Ziusudra and other heroes across time must strive against the coming Floods and the baffling will of the gods.

Judas

Creator: Jeff Loveness & Jakub Rebelka Publisher: BOOM! Studios Date: 2009

Judas Iscariot journeys through life and death, grappling with his place in “The Greatest Story Ever Told,” and how much of his part was preordained. In a religion built on redemption and forgiveness, one man had to sacrifice himself for everyone…and it wasn’t Jesus.

Kismet: Man of Faith

Creator: A. David Lewis; Noel Tuazon; Rob Croonenborghs; Taylor Esposito; & Tyler Chin-Tanner Publisher: A Wave Blue World Date: 2018

Punching Nazis used to be more than a meme. In 1944, it was a vocation. And no one put his gloved fist in the faces of more fascists than the Man of Fate, the Algerian Operative, our man in Occupied France — Kismet.

Then, he disappeared. Gone without a trace…until now.

Back from beyond, Kismet finds a new world of gay rights, quantum physics, and computer technology along with the old evils of bigotry, greed, and ignorance at a crossroads. Twenty-first-century America needs more than a superhero. It needs an ally.

Religion and Comics – Wrap Up It's been a while since the Top 10 religion and comics installments, and I've been meaning to post a number of other comics that didn't make it into that list but are still worth mentioning in passing.

[sarahraffertysource]

When it was first reported late last year that Meghan Markle and Patrick J. Adams would be leaving Suits after its seventh season, it was hard to imagine how the show would go on. Having already lost Jessica Pearson (Gina Torres) a season earlier, fans of the long-running USA drama had genuine reason for concern given how pivotal the show’s ensemble has always been to its appeal.

But the introduction of Katherine Heigl as Samantha Wheeler, a ballsy and uncompromising attorney unafraid to tell Harvey Specter to “kiss her ass,” has thrown an intriguing new spanner into the works. Samantha’s presence shakes up the status quo at the newly-renamed Zane Specter Litt, while fan-favorite relationships like Harvey and Donna remain as pivotal as ever.

BAZAAR.com visited the show’s Toronto set last month, and spoke with Gabriel Macht, Sarah Rafferty, and Katherine Heigl about what to expect from the new era, and how it’s felt to continue the show without Adams and Markle. Here are eight things to know about the eighth season.

1) Harvey is missing Mike a lot.

But arguably not as much as Gabriel Macht is missing Patrick J. Adams. “I didn’t really know how overwhelming it would be for me,” Macht admits, “because we really started together. The show started as a two-hander and became an ensemble—which I’m very grateful for—but Patrick and I would bounce ideas off of each other, and Patrick always comes with such integrity and intelligence that he was very much my partner in this journey.” The actors are good friends in real life, and when Macht admitted to him how daunting it felt to do the show without him, “his response was ‘any time you want to talk, I’m a phone call away.’ So that was very touching, and I take solace in the fact that he’s there for me, but it’s definitely been a void.”

2) But Mike remains a strong presence in Harvey’s world.

Early on in the season, there’ll be a storyline that highlights just how deeply Harvey was shaped by his protege. “Mike has always been all about pro bono cases, and Harvey takes a pro bono case,” Macht says, “and Donna points out that this is his way of trying to keep Mike’s spirit alive. I think Harvey understands that, and acknowledges that, and he also understands that he is not Mike. Harvey’s always been aggressive and manipulative, but he also has a heart of gold.”

3) Alex (Dulé Hill) and his prickly friendship with Harvey will help to mitigate the loss of Mike.

“That does fill [the void] a little bit,” Macht said. “But it is a different relationship. Harvey and Alex do have history, but they’re also in a place where Harvey is managing partner and Alex really wants to be name partner, and much as Harvey wants to give it to him, it’s too soon. You will definitely see some of that banter, some of that wit and sparring, with Alex and also with Robert [Zane].”

4) Samantha is filling the void left by Meghan Markle’s Rachel—but not in the way you might expect.

Robert (Wendell Pierce) is more integral to the firm than ever before, but he’s also dealing with the new absence of his daughter. In the season premiere, he brings in Samantha as his right-hand woman, and per Heigl, their relationship is very much that of a surrogate father and daughter. “Robert is the only person that she truly respects enough to, not acquiesce to him, but listen to him,” she explains. “They have a really important, powerful connection that’s based on her love and respect for this man. She believes him to be somebody in her corner, and that matters to her a lot, because she hasn’t had that very much in her life.

Samantha’s relationship with Robert also allows her to let down her guard. “We shot a scene yesterday that I loved, where Sam comes to Robert very much like he’s her father, and she’s being a little petulant in trying to get her way, and it’s so great because it’s the only time you see her being less than in charge,” Heigl adds. While there was never a direct intention for Samantha to replace Rachel in that way, it just worked out. “You do feel the absence of that relationship [between Robert and Rachel], so this is in some way filling a void,“ Heigl says.

5) Harvey and Samantha’s relationship isn’t so much love-hate as straight-up hate.

And the initial tension and distrust between these two won’t ease up much, at least early on. “She’s a real foil for him because she’s a lot like him,” Heigl says. “She has that similar confidence, a similar cockiness, a similar wit, and I think Harvey’s biggest issue with her is whether or not she’s loyal to him and the firm.”

And while many shows would have immediately started to play up sexual tension between the two, that’s not necessarily in the cards here. “I don’t think the first instinct is ‘let’s throw them together romantically.’ I have no idea whether they will or not, but it’s fun to come into it like that’s not what these people are thinking. They’re not distracted by that right now. They’re very focused on what they want, and that might develop into something or it might just develop into a mutual respect—or a mutual loathing!”

6) Samantha may not be what she seems.

While this is arguably true of everybody in Suits to some degree, Macht hinted that Samantha’s account of her own backstory isn’t necessarily to be trusted. “She’s disrupting the status quo, and you don’t quite know if she’s on your side or against you. She becomes a villain in a way, but she might be redeemable, and in many ways she’s like the flip side to Harvey. We’re going to learn that they come from the same place, and that they’re both outsiders—or at least that’s what she claims. I think she says what people want to hear.” Hmmm…

7) Gender politics will play a slightly more prominent role in the show.

Sarah Rafferty revealed that Donna’s recent “lean in” moment, where she finally decided to go after what she wanted at work, and ultimately earned the COO title, came directly out of a tearful conversation she had with showrunner Aaron Korsh after the election of Donald Trump. “I said, ‘we have to do something. We have to take Donna on a journey.’ We needed to consciously make a statement, and shine a light on a woman’s story.”

Even though Korsh generally avoids making any overt statements with the show, Rafferty adds, “I said, ‘I know that you don’t feel you’re making a statement, but we must acknowledge that a statement is being received, whether you’re making it or not.’” Having received countless messages from female fans who have been inspired and empowered by watching Donna, Rafferty knows this matters. And in Season 8, Donna’s dynamic with Samantha allows for even more exploration of women’s working lives. “I’m about to shoot a scene with Kathrine in episode 809 where we, as two formidable women, both acknowledge that we’re having a gendered conversation, and dealing with some gender programming,” Rafferty revealed. “I appreciate that Suits is doing that in Season 8. It’s time.”

8) Rafferty has a very specific dream storyline in mind for Donna.

In last year’s midseason finale, Donna was torn apart on the stand by a lawyer who was hellbent on proving that she got to where she is by sleeping with Harvey. It was a painful sequence that also served as a reminder of why it’ll be so hard for these two to ever make it work: should they ever get together, Donna will be more vulnerable than ever to these types of attacks on her, and she knows it. “I want that to happen, actually,” Rafferty said when asked about this potential future. “That’s a storyline I want to follow in 2018. Everything that she’s worked for, all her superpowers, all of her unique potential, I want all of it to hang in the balance because of sexism, and because of [her relationship with Harvey]. I want a full arc where that threatens everything Donna has built, and Donna ends up potentially saving herself.” We are here for this storyline, for the record.

[frivoloussuits]

Not Just a Great Lawyer

At the tender age of 21 Harvey Specter storms into the Chilton Hotel, prepared to do battle. His weapons of choice are a well-tailored suit and a briefcase full of cat hair.

Word count: ~3k Rating: G Relationships: Gen

Written for @suits100​, prompt 85-- “Role reversal: lawyer!Mike and dropout!Harvey.”

Mike Ross, Pearson-Hardman’s newest senior partner, is mildly bored by his associate interviews.

It’s not that he expected anyone to match him for sheer intellect, but there are other sorts of genius, other qualities that can catch his interest, and these cookie-cutter Harvard kids haven’t got any of them. He toys with the idea of asking Norma to screen them and kick the least promising out but hasn’t got the heart to actually do it, so he resigns himself to another six unremarkable interviews.

And if he starts replaying movies in his head every time a candidate starts reciting an obviously rehearsed answer-- seriously, Mike recognizes one word for word from a years-old Glassdoor thread-- who would blame him?

The second-to-last slot of the day is empty, so Mike busies himself into one of his current cases. He’s half-way through scanning a patent specification when there’s a knock on the door.

“Rick Sorkin?”

“Actually”—the door opens, and a man swaggers in—“I’m Harvey Specter, and I’m . . . You’re not Louis.”

Mike’s new to Pearson-Hardman’s office politics, but he never imagined someone would be upset to find him in a room instead of Louis Litt. Still, Harvey’s smirk is fading right in front of his eyes. Mike looks him up and down-- he looks young, more like a college kid than a graduate of law school, yet he’s dressed in the smartest suit Mike’s seen today, his hair carefully slicked back, a briefcase in his hand.

“No, I’m Mike Ross. I know Louis is typically in charge of hiring junior lawyers and staff, but since these are interviews for my personal associate I asked to handle them myself.” He frowns for a moment, trying to identify why he knows Harvey’s name. “You’re not in my stack of resumes, though.”

“No, I’m not.” There’s something sharp in how he says it, though his expression has turned utterly impassive. “I’m sorry I bothered you, Mr. Ross. I’ll show myself out.”

As he turns to go, Mike remembers. “You’re from the mailroom, aren’t you?”

“Hang on--” Harvey whips back around with widened eyes-- “the memory trick’s real?”

Mike stares for a moment and then bursts out laughing. “You sure you can’t stay for a couple minutes? I suspect you’re the most interesting visitor I’ve had all day.”

He offers his hand. Harvey considers it for a moment, shrugs, and advances to take it. The moment they touch, the latches on Harvey’s briefcase give out, dropping papers, photographs, and a baggie of cat hair around their feet.

Harvey doesn’t look down, doesn’t even blink. He just keeps his eyes on Mike’s and sighs, “I think I just proved it.”

“This is a solid case,” Mike remarks, poring over the affidavits and transcripts and other evidence that Harvey has arranged on the Chilton desk, “And it shows that he’s opened the firm to multiple workplace harassment suits. How come Jessica hasn’t squashed this behavior?”

“Because nobody tells her,” Harvey answers. “Harold and the other victims of Mr. Litt are understandably terrified of all the upper-level management in the firm, they’d never report anything he does. The reason they talked to me is that I’m basically the polar opposite of upper-level management.”

Mike touches a record, complete with pictures and a bag of the offending material, of Harold Gunderson’s ER visit following a near-fatal allergic reaction to cat hair, and he murmurs, “This kid could have died.”

“Yep. Everyone knows Louis is out of control, but nobody’s actually put together a case.”

“Except you.”

“Well, Louis would say a guy from the mailroom is nobody. Only thing he uses me for is being a fake associate.”

Mike blinks and looks up at Harvey. “What do you mean?”

“He planted me with the first-year associates when they started work, had me pretend to slack off on my assignments, and then he fake-fired me to scare the rest of them straight.”

“Jesus!”

“At least I got a good deal out of it,” he snorts. “He bought me this suit so I’d look the part, just before he reminded me that this was the closest I'll ever get to being a real lawyer."

Harvey says this matter-of-factly, as if it doesn’t phase him, but Mike still winces. “Why’d you go to the trouble of investigating him? This can’t have been easy to put together.”

“Would you believe it was out of the goodness of my heart?”

“Not for a second.”

"Why-- because I tried to approach Louis with the case?"

"Yep. If you just wanted him to change his ways, you probably would have gone straight to Jessica, and you definitely wouldn’t have tried so hard to make sure all your key evidence could be admitted in court.”

"To be fair,” Harvey says, “I was actually going to ask him to stop nearly killing his coworkers."

"Maybe, but that wasn't your main goal. You were going to blackmail Louis into giving you something else." Mike narrows his eyes as he figures it out. "A job. What position, though? Legal Document Services, secretary, librarian . . .”

“Paralegal.”

“Do you have official credentials? A degree in Paralegal Studies?"

"Didn't finish college. What I do have, though, is the ability to interview even reluctant witnesses, and organize evidence, and figure out strategy, and find precedent,” he says, pointing to papers on the desk that demonstrate each skill. "I've also gotten pulled onto doc review before-- long story, and I don’t think I can legally tell you most of it-- and I got last year's summer associate to pawn off frankly staggering amounts of his workload onto me."

"That’s fairly impressive experience, for someone supposedly confined to the mailroom.”

“I’ve done a hell of a lot more in this firm than my job title would suggest,” Harvey declares, voice warm with pride. “Unfortunately, nobody rational is going to willingly hire a paralegal who didn’t finish college, so I figured I needed the blackmail to give Louis a kick in the pants.”

“And what if Louis heard this entire case, and then he just fired you anyway? Would you have threatened Jessica next?”

“I like being alive too much to try that,” he replies immediately. A few moments later, he adds, “I like Jessica too much, too. I’d have just turned the evidence over to her in the hopes that she’d somehow be impressed enough to hire me, and if not I’d go . . . and move on.”

There’s something earnest in his eyes as he says it, as he claims that he’d never actually make good on his bluff and sue the firm, and Mike wants to believe him. Still, he knows Harvey might only be backing down from that possibility because his master plan’s going awry right now.

“I’m glad to hear that,” Mike says, internally flinching as he takes a hard line, “because I’m not going to let you blackmail Jessica. Hell, I’m not going to even let you go back and blackmail Louis, though I do intend to let Jessica know of the complaints against him so she can deal with them. If you go against the firm to advance your own career, I can and will bury your suit and then bankrupt you with a countersuit.”

“You just said I had a solid case--” Harvey protests.

“--against most lawyers, sure, it’s solid. I’ve already found six, no, seven ways to tear it apart.”

“What openings did I leave?”

“I’m not telling you.”

“You could just be bluffing.”

“You’ve heard about me, my ‘memory trick,’ as you called it. When it comes to sheer legal prowess, I don’t need to bluff.  And let’s just say the fact that you’ve explicitly put this forward for personal gain doesn’t do you any favors.”

Harvey doesn’t stumble or cower as Mike expected. Instead, he leans forward, apparently intrigued by the challenge. “If you’re going to turn Louis in, can I at least present the evidence to Jessica myself and ask for a job?”

Mike opens his mouth to answer that he doesn’t know, he doesn’t know what the hell you’re supposed to do in a situation like this, but then he notices at the clock. “It’s 4:02, where’s my actual interviewee?”

“Oh, about that . . .” Harvey shifts in his seat, trying to put on a guilty expression and not quite succeeding. “I met with him earlier this morning and paid him not to show up.”

“What?” Mike splutters.

“I figured I might need the extra time with Louis, and anyway it’s not like Rick Sorkin was going to get the job.”

“Why-- why would you possibly think that?”

“Well, if his GPA didn’t disqualify him, the fact that he settled for half of what I was willing to pay should.”

He says it so straightforwardly that Mike bursts out laughing. “I can’t believe I just heard that.”

“I can’t believe I walked into a fake job interview with a briefcase full of cat hair,” Harvey smirks, “yet here we are.”

Mike looks at him, takes a deep breath, and then shakes his head. “Really though, what am I missing here?”

“What do you mean?”

"You're obviously smart, motivated, good with people-- maybe too good-- and the fact that you're in the mailroom suggests you're also detail-oriented and well-organized."

"So how does someone like me end up a deadbeat dropout?"

“I was going to phrase it more delicately,” he grimaces, “but yeah.”

Harvey's jaw tightens, like Mike’s genuinely caught him off-guard for the first time. "Look, I wanna get places on the strength of my skill and intellect, not because I have a good sob story."

"You sure about that? I've been told I'm a pushover for sob stories."

"Oh, yeah, you are. You actually cared about Harold Gunderson, which is not something anyone else in this city has managed.”

"I especially like sob stories where people face despair and horror and pain and come out on top. I like stories about the human spirit--” he pauses-- “and something tells me you've got an awful lot of spirit."

Harvey watches him for a second. "Tragic backstory it is, then. I'll give you the short version. My dad died last year, when I was twenty."

Though Mike doesn't say anything, something softens in his eyes, and all of the sudden the words come more easily to Harvey. "I was just starting my junior year of college, on a partial scholarship, and there was just enough money to make things work. Then my little brother got diagnosed with cancer." Something gives in Harvey’s poker face, and his frustration bleeds through as he continues, "The insurance premiums shot up, but we have to pay them somehow. My mom's an art teacher, we can't afford it on her salary, so I needed to get more money immediately. I dropped out, started working in the mailroom. Not what I wanted out of life, but I'm not going to sacrifice Marcus just for some degree."

"Can you explain to me how the paralegal job fits into this?" Mike asks, gently as he can.

"I can't pay all my bills on the mailroom job for much longer. Either I get something better here, or I quit and work retail and wait tables 16 hours a day.” When Mike raises an eyebrow, he adds, “Anything’s possible with enough Red Bull.”

“So you want the paralegal job primarily for the money?”

"Pearson-Hardman does pay its paralegals pretty damn well, but that’s not the main appeal.” Harvey takes a deep breath before admitting, “I ended up working here in the first place because I wanted to be a lawyer."

"Wanted or want?"

"Want." He straightens up and raises his chin as he says it, no doubt or hesitation in his voice.

There’s a moment of silence.

Then Mike remarks,  "Did you know I'm admitted to practice in nine jurisdictions? New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, California, all four New York district courts and the second circuit. I’m also a member of the patent bar, but I can never decide how to count that."

He sees Harvey’s initial confusion at the subject change, and then he sees that confusion morph into amazement. “Whoa-- why?”

"I don’t mind tests, and it's convenient to be admitted everywhere in this area. I took New York’s bar exam right out of law school, New Jersey’s exam wasn’t hard to pass a couple years later, and I was admitted into the Connecticut bar--”

“--on motion, because you already got in with New York,” Harvey finishes. “Why California, though?”

“California just looks nice on a resume."

"You took the California bar because it looks nice on a resume," he deadpans.

"Yep,” Mike says, smacking his lips on the “p” before murmuring, “I've been in good standing with them for . . . oh, five years, now."

He says it quietly, casually, but Harvey’s eyes widen. “Are you talking about what I think you’re talking about?”

“Depends. What do you think I’m talking about?”

“Division 1, Chapter 3, Rule 4.29 of the Admissions and Educational Standards of the California Bar.”

Their eyes meet, and suddenly Mike can’t repress a grin. “Per Rule 4.26, an aspiring lawyer can skip formal law school and instead enter the California bar by studying the law diligently and in good faith in a law office. Per Rule 4.29, Section B, the attorney with whom the applicant is studying must be admitted to the active practice of law in California and be in good standing for a minimum of five years.” He considers stopping there, but Harvey’s gazing at him like he’s walking on water and he decides to indulge and show off further. “He must also personally supervise the applicant at least five hours a week, examine the applicant at least once a month on study completed the previous month, and report to the committee on the number of hours the applicant studied each week, on the books and other materials studied, etc. etc.”

“You’d be willing to do that for me?”

“Hey, it wouldn’t just be hard on me,” Mike warns him. “This would be hard work. Long hours. Longer than usual when you throw in the studying, which I doubt either of us can count towards our billable hours targets, no matter how many loopholes we use.”

“You give me this chance,” Harvey replies, eyes bright and serious, “I will work to school those Harvard associates and be the best lawyer—law student—mentee you’ve ever seen.”

“You’d be a paralegal, my dedicated paralegal. If Jessica somehow approves this,” Mike says, pulling a face, “which somehow I really doubt . . .”

“Hey,” Harvey cuts in, “you’re a lateral hire, and an amazing one, too— I’ve seen the press releases. Jessica wants to show you off and keep you here, which means she wants to make you happy. Knowing Louis, she probably had to threaten to fire him to get you control of these interviews today, there’s no way he gave these up easily, and that already demonstrates that she’s giving you a lot of leeway.”

Mike furrows his brow. “I don’t want to take advantage of her—“

“So frame it as advantageous to her.”

“How do I do that?”

“First-year associates are utterly incompetent, you know that?”

“. . . I’m aware of this fact, yes.”

“Even the ones from Harvard, they by and large have no idea what they’re doing in a real corporate setting. I’m already better adjusted than a lot of them, with more applicable work experience, and that should make up for the fact that I’m not as familiar with law. All in all, you’re getting someone only slightly more useless than a first-year associate—“

“And at half the price, even when you account for my lost productivity.”

“Exactly. And if she still complains, just offer to take on some pro bono case as punishment.”

Mike squints at him, confused. “But . . . I like pro bono cases.”

Harvey just gapes back at him before groaning, “Please tell me you didn’t tell her that.”

“No, it hasn’t come up--”

“Good. Do tons of pro bono, but make her think you hate it and that you only do it to curry favour with her. She’ll love you forever.”

Mike leans back in his chair, chuckling. “Do you know why I’m hiring you?”

“I can make an educated guess.”

“Hit me.”

“You have two main reasons. First of all, I’m the only person you’ve talked today who hasn’t bored you out of your mind. Second, you love my sob story.”

“Both true—though how you manage to make the fact that I care about your family sound pathetic is beyond me—but there’s a third reason. I think you’re going to be a lawyer whether I help you or not.”

“That’s pretty unlikely—”

“Yeah, but you seem like someone who gets what he wants, hell with the odds.” Harvey smiles as he says it, and Mike knows he’s read him right. “And going by your investigation, and your deal with Rick Sorkin, and your advice on how to break this to Jessica, you’re going to be a great lawyer.”

He pauses, but for once the kid stays quiet, waiting.

“But,” Mike continues, “it seems to me like someone told you, at some point, that it’s not okay to deal kindly with people or to care. And so, for the public good, I think I should make sure that you become not just a great lawyer—“

“But a good one.”

“Yep. That’s why I don’t just want you strong-arming Jessica into letting you work for the firm, I want you working under me, and training to be as capable and ethical a lawyer as possible. That means, incidentally, that you’ll be assisting me on all my many, many pro bono cases.”

“I’m looking forward to it,” Harvey says. He doesn’t put much effort into disguising the sarcasm.

Mike just laughs. “Well then, I’m emailing the firm I just found my new assistant.”

[tattooedsiren]

breaking rules (harvey/mike) - for goddamnmikeross

Harvey’s first inkling wasn’t even really an inkling. It was more of a tilted head and a “Huh?” as he approached Jessica’s office to see Mike already in there. Jessica was at one end of the couch, Mike at the other, and they were smiling as they chatted. Harvey couldn’t see any files or paperwork, so he wasn’t sure what they were talking about. And if he didn’t know better he’d think it wasn’t work related.

But Harvey did know better, because what could Jessica and Mike possibly have to say to each other that wasn’t work related? So he walked into the office without a second thought.

They were laughing, and Mike looked over his shoulder at Harvey’s entrance, still smiling. He looked back to Jessica and said, “I’ll leave you to it.” He then stood and walked out of the room without another word, as though the whole thing was totally normal.

*

Harvey and Mike were discussing trial strategy. Heatedly. Okay, let’s call a spade a spade: they were arguing, voices raised as they each tried to convince the other that they were right.

That was the thing about people as smart as Harvey and Mike: they always thought they were right, and were stubborn as hell about it.

Mike ran out of steam first. His face fell as he said, “Why don’t you trust me?”

That wasn’t it. Not at all. Harvey trusted Mike more than anyone in the world. But Mike’s idea, smart as it was, was extremely risky. And when Harvey Specter was calling an idea too risky, then you knew it was bad.

“Mike, you know that isn’t it. I trust you, beyond all others, and I admire your passion. But this could backfire on us so quickly and if he-”

“What’s going on in here?” Jessica demanded. They turned to find her walking into Harvey’s office. “I’ve had three separate calls about you two causing a scene.”

Harvey rolled his eyes. “I hardly think discussing trial prep is causing a scene.”

“With you two, anything is possible.”

For some reason that made Mike smile. And then he said, “It’s fine, Jessica. Harvey was just convincing me of the merits of his plan. That’s what we’re going with. It’s all good.”

“If you’re sure,” Jessica said, and her voice was impossibly soft, as though she was genuinely concerned that Harvey had been bullying Mike about it. Which made no sense, because not only would Harvey never do that (and Jessica knew it), but why was Jessica suddenly so concerned about Mike’s emotional well being?

Mike nodded. Jessica smiled at him before she turned to Harvey and said, “Be nice.”

Harvey could only gape at Jessica’s retreating back.

*

Harvey started to get suspicious when he saw Mike and Jessica outside of work together one morning.

He had an early meeting, and ordinarily would’ve gone straight to his client’s office, but he’d forgotten some paperwork on his desk so had to come into work first to collect it. As he was leaving the building he noticed Jessica’s car pulling up to the curb down the street. A minute later, as he stood by the side of the road, idling looking around while he waited for Ray, he looked back and saw not only Jessica but Mike enter the building. Together.

They looked chummy, both holding cups of coffee in their hands while they walked and talked. Whether they just happened to meet up in front of the building or they arrived together, Harvey couldn’t say. But what he did know was that something was going on. And he didn’t like it.

*

Harvey watched.

He’d never been a dismissive or unobservant man. You didn’t get to be the best closer in the city - not to mention a damn fine poker player - without being able to pick up on the little things. And yet, the more he made a point of looking for any sign of a changing relationship between Mike and Jessica, the more he couldn’t help but wonder if, when it came to certain people, he didn’t have a massive blindspot.

Because now that he was looking, he noticed all sorts of things. They were much more relaxed around each other than before. Harvey had seen Mike literally turn heel and flee when he saw Jessica approaching before, only now he not only remained in place but smiled warmly at her approach. With some careful yet seemingly nonchalant questioning Harvey discovered that Mike knew Jessica’s coffee order and her favorite breakfast food and even where she lived.

But the final straw, the one thing that convinced him that something was going on that he didn’t know about, came unexpectedly one Friday morning. Harvey and Jessica were sitting on the sofa in his office, strategizing about how to fix Louis’ latest mistake, when Mike walked in. In Mike’s defense, he didn’t just walk in and make himself at home. When he saw they were talking about something that didn’t concern him he turned to leave, but Jessica stopped him, saying they were just about done.

Jessica stood, looking down to Harvey and saying ominously, “Just fix it.”

Harvey nodded, his mind already racing with different ways he could put Louis in his place, to the point where he was so distracted he very nearly missed what happened next.

“I see the devil’s wearing Prada today,” Mike said to Jessica, smiling.

Harvey raised his eyebrows at Mike’s insolence. But Jessica didn’t seem mad or offended. If anything, she seemed amused. “I felt it only fitting. I’ll see you tonight. Don’t be late.”

Mike gasped in exaggerated offence. “When am I ever?”

Jessica just smiled at him as she left Harvey’s office, and Harvey could do nothing but stare after her retreating form, completely baffled.

When Mike looked back to Harvey he seemed genuinely confused by Harvey’s reaction. “What?”

Harvey wanted to demand Mike tell him what the hell was going on, but seeing Mike standing there looking at him like that he just couldn’t bring himself to. And to be honest, he was starting to worry something was going on that really shouldn’t be, and if that was the case it was probably better if he went to Jessica rather than Mike. So instead of demanding the answers he desperately needed Harvey shook his head and said, “Nothing.”

“Okay, well, do you wanna know what my awesome brain discovered while researching last night…”

*

Harvey wasn’t an idiot. He knew something was going on with Jessica and Mike. He just didn’t know what. Every scenario he imagined, every possible explanation he conjured, they all just felt wrong. So Harvey decided - he was just going to flat out ask Jessica. He was going to find out if she’s taking advantage of Mike, maybe remind her about the rules Pearson Hardman had against fraternization between ranks that she herself put in place. He’s going to shut this thing down once and for all.

As much as he wanted to storm right over there and demand answers he waited until the following night, remembering Jessica’s comment about them having plans that night. But when he arrived late on Saturday evening and he knocked on Jessica’s apartment door it swung open to reveal someone who wasn’t Jessica on the other side.

It was Mike.

Harvey hadn’t prepared for this, and despite his renowned ability to think on his feet all the possible excuses he could have for being there somehow disintegrated before they became fully formed. He couldn’t have this conversation with Jessica while Mike was here, and Mike just standing there like answering the door at Jessica’s apartment was the most natural thing in the world really didn’t help either.

“Harvey,” Mike said brightly, “what are you doing here? Do you wanna come in?”

Harvey took a step backwards, shaking his head. “Sorry for interrupting,” he muttered.

Mike looked back over his shoulder for a moment before returning his attention to Harvey. “Harvey, it’s-”

But Harvey couldn’t listen, couldn’t hear anything other than the blood pounding in his ears, his whole body seemingly revolting against the sight before him. He shook his head again and turned tail, ignoring Mike’s voice as it called after him.

He made it to the end of the block before he felt someone’s fingers wrapping around his forearm, and he turned to see Mike standing there, breathless from having run after him.

“Harvey-”

“Is Jessica pressuring you?”

Mike seemed taken aback by the blunt non sequitur, staring at Harvey for a moment before he started laughing. “No, of course not, we-”

“Oh, so it’s mutual then? God, Mike, do you know how wrong this is?” he demanded, all the simmering rage he didn’t even know he had within him suddenly exploding.

Mike just looked at him for a moment. “Why is it wrong?” he asked haltingly.

Harvey didn’t actually have any reasons, none that he could articulate anyway. All he knew was this feeling deep in his soul that it was wrong.

Mike was raising an eyebrow, waiting, so Harvey said the first thing that came to mind. “Because she’s too old for you.”

“She isn’t that much older than you,” Mike pointed out, as though it was somehow relevant.

“And it’s against the rules.”

“Do you really care about that?”

Harvey tried to come up with another reason but his mind was completely blank. He tried, started several sentences that were abandoned after a couple of words when he realized he didn’t have anything to follow them up with, and after a few aborted attempts Mike took a step forward, putting his hands up to get Harvey to stop stuttering.

“Harvey, do not interrupt me this time, just let me explain, alright?”

Harvey reluctantly agreed, bracing himself to hear about how he and Jessica were working together late one night and how one thing lead to another and then…

“We aren’t sleeping together. We aren’t dating or in a relationship or anything like that, okay? We watch Meryl Streep movies together. That’s it.”

It took a few moments for Harvey to try and work out what Mike was talking about, because it sounded like he just said that they hang out and watch Meryl Streep movies together, and that couldn’t possibly be right.

“I’m sorry, what?”

“Remember when I helped Jessica on the VTIS lawsuit?” Harvey nodded, so Mike continued, “Well, we were working together in her office one night and I was reading through depositions and one of the employees names was Madeline Ashton. It was late, I’d had way too many Red Bulls, so without even thinking I just said, out loud, ‘My Ass! I can see my Ass!’ - because Madeline Ashton was the name of Meryl Streep’s character in-”

“Death Becomes Her,” Harvey supplied.

“Exactly,” Mike grinned. “Anyway, so I said the line, and without even blinking Jessica responded with ‘And there's something really wrong with your neck too’. So we started talking about the movie and how much we loved it, which other Meryl movies we loved and so on, and it sorta … somehow … evolved into us having movie nights to work our way through her entire back catalogue.”

It was the most ridiculous thing Harvey had ever heard in his entire life, but he also knew it was the truth. He felt suddenly stupid for imagining the worst, and he sheepishly admitted, “That is not what I was expecting.”

“I know,” Mike said, chuckling. “You thought we were having an affair or something. And you sounded kinda jealous about it actually.”

“I did not,” Harvey automatically exclaimed, but when Mike continued to look skeptically at him Harvey took a moment to really think about it - all of his confusing feelings, his ridiculous behavior - and he realized that they only really make sense if Mike was right, if he was jealous. “Okay, maybe I was a little jealous.”

Mike’s eyes widened, like he was surprised that Harvey admitted as much and didn’t want to scare him into taking it back. “Just to be clear,” he said, taking a small step forward, “it's not because you’re secretly in love with Jessica, is it?”

Harvey couldn’t stop the slow quirk of his lips into a smile even if he wanted to. “No.”

“So all those things you said, the reasons for not being able to have a relationship, did you mean them?”

“Yes, I meant them. And they’d apply just as much to you and me as they’d apply to you and Jessica.”

“Oh,” Mike said, deflated.

But then Harvey leaned forward and kissed him. Mike made a noise of surprise before getting with the program, wrapping his arms around Harvey’s shoulders and pressing their bodies together and shamelessly deepening the kiss. Harvey’s head spun, completely overwhelmed by how right it felt to have Mike like this. And even though he’d only just realized he’d wanted Mike in this way it still felt like he’d been waiting for this for a long time, his whole life actually.

When they finally broke apart, foreheads pressed together and breathing the same air, Harvey said, “Just because those reasons exist doesn’t mean I’m going to listen to them.”

Mike huffed out a laugh. “We’ve been breaking rules since the day we met. Why stop now, right?”

“Right,” Harvey agreed, kissing him again.