Chapter Text
When Harvey awoke on Sunday morning, Mike was sleeping soundly beside him and Harvey could hear soft babbles from the baby monitor. Lifting his head from the pillow, he rubbed his eyes wearily.
“Dad, dad, dad,” Georgia was chanting. She didn’t sound upset, but when Harvey looked at the time, it was just after five in the morning- early for her to be awake, and considering how quiet and clingy Georgia typically was upon waking, Harvey figured she must have been awake for a little while already.
Without thinking about it too much, Harvey slipped from the bed without waking Mike and tentatively crept over to Georgia’s room. When she noticed him entering the room, Georgia froze for a moment, which made Harvey freeze in turn. After a beat or two, Georgia offered him a smile and stretched her tiny hands towards him as she stood up in her crib.
“Arvey,” she said. “Up.”
“Good morning, Miss G,” Harvey said softly, obediently scooping her up. “You’re up early.”
“Dada?” she asked, craning her head towards the door.
“Daddy’s still sleeping,” Harvey replied. There was a distinct smell drifting to his nose that he suspected was why Georgia was awake so early. Harvey didn’t feel ready to attempt his first diaper change though. “How about we go see him, huh?”
Georgia nodded. As Harvey turned, his eyes caught the panda picture that hung on the wall; the one that he’d noticed the first time he’d ever seen Georgia’s room and immediately was drawn to every time since. Of course Mike treasured nothing above the random gift his grandmother had given him, enough to keep it in his daughter’s room, so Georgia would know the great-grandmother she’d never meet. It was why Harvey loved him.
Harvey carried Georgia back to Mike’s room, placing Georgia on the bed gently. She immediately crawled over to Mike, gently patting Mike’s cheek until he stirred. When his eyes opened and he blinked at her sleepily, Georgia beamed at him.
“Hi, Dada,” she said.
“Hi, Monkey,” Mike said hoarsely, sounding more confused than anything else. He smoothed a hand over Georgia’s curls as his gaze found Harvey, his brow creasing. “What time is it?”
“Five-fifteen,” Harvey replied and Mike groaned slightly. “I think she’s been awake for a while. I can smell a possible reason why.”
Mike’s brow creased deeper for a moment until suddenly he wrinkled his nose. “Yep, that’d do it,” he agreed, reluctantly pushing himself up in bed and rubbing at his face. “You stink,” he informed Georgia solemnly.
She frowned the same way Mike had a moment ago. “You stink,” she replied, and Harvey snorted.
“I don’t think so,” Mike said firmly. “Let’s get you changed, stinkybutt.”
He slid out of bed and picked up Georgia, carrying her over to the corner to the bedroom that held a changing table and stash of supplies exactly for this purpose- because there was no corner of Mike’s house that didn’t have Georgia’s mark on it somehow. Harvey took that opportunity to use the bathroom, and even with the door shut he could hear Mike’s exclamation a moment later of,
“Jesus Christ, Georgia Lou. What did you eat last night?”
Followed by Georgia’s mad giggles, which made Harvey smile.
“That was disgusting,” Mike was saying to her as Harvey returned to the bedroom a minute later, cleaning her up. “Top five worst diapers of your life, easy. I hope you’re proud of yourself, kiddo.”
Georgia was still giggling, laughing breathlessly as Mike tickled her lightly.
“Here,” Mike said lightly, scooping her up once he’d finished changing her. “You take her while I dispose of the crime scene.”
“You’re being overdramatic,” Harvey rolled his eyes, taking Georgia from him.
“I’m going to remind you of this when you change her next stinky diaper,” Mike informed him and then left the room.
And somehow, that thought made Harvey smile.
When Mike returned, he crawled back into bed tiredly. Georgia looked over him, pointing towards the little TV opposite the foot of the bed.
“Toons?” she asked.
“Okay,” Mike agreed. He set up the Chromecast to play Looney Tunes for her, and Georgia happily curled up against his chest to watch. Over her head, Mike turned his head on the pillow to look at Harvey, his eyes soft.
Harvey smiled softly, shuffling closer to him on the bed and reaching behind Georgia to gently caress Mike’s hair. Neither of them said anything, and while Georgia was transfixed on Bugs and Daffy, Harvey and Mike just stared at one another. Slowly, Mike’s blinks became slower and his eyes stayed shut longer. By the time it was six-thirty, Mike and Georgia had both fallen asleep with the cartoons still playing. Harvey turned the volume down a little, but let them play on. He wished he could stay in this moment forever, but he’d promised Marcus he’d be in Boston in time to have brunch with him and the kids before Marcus had to take them back to Katie, which meant he had to leave by eight at the latest.
Still, he delayed getting ready to leave for as long as he could. Neither Mike nor Georgia stirred as Harvey dressed and finished packing his things, and finally Harvey rounded the bed to sit by Mike’s hip and gently woke him.
“I need to get going,” he said reluctantly.
Mike’s face fell slightly, but he simply nodded. “I’ll walk you out,” he said, making to get up.
Harvey shook his head, halting his movements by placing a hand on his chest. “Don’t,” he said quietly. He wanted to leave them like this, soft and cosy, curled up with Bugs Bunny playing quietly in the background. This was the image he wanted to have of them until he came back.
“I’ll drive up on Friday night,” he promised.
Mike’s face softened. “Harvey, you’ve been gone for a week and a half. Things are going to be nuts when you get back to the office. You don’t need to drive for six hours after that,” he protested.
Harvey leaned down and kissed him softly. “I’ll see you on Friday night,” he said firmly.
Mike craned his neck up to kiss Harvey again, and after a moment, Harvey felt him hesitantly open his mouth slightly, his breath shakily wafting over Harvey’s lips. Harvey’s heart skipped a beat, but he didn’t falter in reaching out to cup Mike’s cheek in a hand and gently deepen the kiss. Mike melted against him, and Harvey shifted without breaking the kiss, slowly guiding Mike down to sink back into his pillows.
Mike’s hand wrapped around Harvey’s bicep tightly, keeping him close- as if Harvey needed the encouragement. He was conscious of Georgia asleep beside Mike, so he didn’t deepen the kiss as much as he’d like, but he still got a good taste of Mike’s mouth before he had to break away. Mike’s cheeks were pink when Harvey pulled back and his eyes were so blue that Harvey’s chest ached.
“I’ll see you on Friday night,” he murmured against Mike’s lips and he just nodded this time.
“Text me when you get home?” Mike asked softly.
Harvey swallowed, and nodded. “I will. I love you.”
“I love you,” Mike whispered.
He arrived at the Boston diner he and Marcus had arranged to meet at a little after ten-thirty. Marcus was already there with Haley and Isaac, but they hadn’t ordered yet.
“We only got here five minutes ago,” Marcus reassured him.
“Good. What are we having?” Harvey asked the kids.
Harvey could feel Marcus watching him closely the whole time he ate, but he ignored his brother. He focused on the kids instead, asking them about school and what they were reading and watching at the moment, trying to mentally file it all away. After the kids had eaten their fill of pancakes- Harvey’s treat- they wandered over to a nearby parkground to play for a bit.
“Alright, what is it?” Harvey finally asked once the kids had run off to play, sick of Marcus staring at him.
“How’s Mike and Georgia?” Marcus asked instead of answering.
“On the mend,” Harvey said, his eyes on Haley and Isaac rather than Marcus. “Mike’s going to keep G home for another week and not go into the office, but they’re both feeling much better.”
“Good.”
Harvey couldn’t resist pulling out his phone and showing Marcus a few of the photos taken from the past week- including the one of Mike and Georgia curled up together in the hospital. Marcus smirked at Harvey, shaking his head faintly.
“Jesus, look at you. I haven’t seen you this smitten since you dated Andie Hathaway in high school.”
Harvey instinctively opened his mouth to protest that he wasn’t smitten, but then he couldn’t really think of a good argument to deny it. “God, Andie Hathaway. I wonder what happened to her?” he mused.
Andie had been his first ‘real’ girlfriend in his sophomore year of high school.. He’d liked her for months before getting up the nerve to ask her out, and they’d dated for ten months. She’d been the girl he’d lost his virginity to, and then Harvey had found out about his mother. He couldn’t tell anyone about it, and so after a few weeks of him being secretive, shattered and angry, Andie had ended it. In hindsight, Harvey didn’t blame her.
“She’s a realtor in Wisconsin, married with three kids.”
Marcus shrugged when Harvey quirked an eyebrow at him. “I’m friends with her brother on Instagram. Stop deflecting, we’re talking about you being totally whipped by Mike.”
Harvey rolled his eyes. “Every time it gets harder to leave,” he admitted. “Georgia grows so much so quickly.”
“Kids do that,” Marcus nodded wisely, smiling towards where Hayley and Isaac were playing.
Harvey studied them too, his brow creasing. “How do you do it?”
“Do what?”
“Mom.”
Marcus stiffened and he turned to Harvey. “Come on, Harv-”
“No, hear me out,” Harvey requested, holding up a hand.
Marcus eyed him and then nodded tentatively.
Harvey took a deep breath. They didn’t talk about Lily- as an unspoken rule between them. And Harvey wasn’t sure if they’d ever had a civil conversation about her and Marcus’s decision to keep her in his life.
“I love Georgia so much, and she’s not mine in any capacity,” Harvey began. “Watching her grow and become her own person is incredible, but every time I see something in her that is just pure Mike, it kills me with how much I love her. Because I love Mike more than anything, so seeing his mannerisms and habits in her is amazing. And because I love Mike, and because I love seeing him in Georgia; the idea of doing anything to hurt either of them… I can’t stand the thought of it. Which means that I have no fucking idea how Mom could look at Dad, or us, and still do what she did. If she loved us even half as much as I love Mike and Georgia.”
Marcus nodded slowly, looking away from Harvey and back to the kids. “I get it,” he said quietly. “I do. And it wasn’t something I really thought about until Haley was born,” he admitted.
He sighed deeply and then shrugged. “It’s not that simple, Harv. No one is perfect- I’m sure as hell not. Otherwise Katie and I would probably still be together. But I remember all the good times with Mom- her at our baseball games, or making those three-cheese grilled cheeses she did- remember? And she’d cut them into shapes with cookie cutters? And those are all things that I want my kids to have with their grandmother.”
Harvey set his jaw.
“I don’t condone what she did,” Marcus continued quietly. “But I can’t stop loving her- she’s my mom. So I chose to forgive her to keep her in my life, and the life of my kids.”
He kicked at a rock on the ground and sighed again. “She always asks about you, you know.”
“I don’t want her to know about Mike and Georgia,” Harvey said immediately. “I don’t want her anywhere near them.”
Marcus gave him a pitying look. “What if you and Mike get married one day? Have more kids? I have to keep them a secret from her? Or will you cut me out too?”
“Of course not,” Harvey said immediately, and then made a face. He really didn’t want his mother to ever meet Mike or Georgia. He wouldn’t risk her hurting them, and he sure as hell didn’t want her husband playing grandfather to her. If he and Mike ever got to the stage where Harvey could claim Georgia as his own, he wanted to share stories about his father, not Bobby.
He sighed reluctantly. “I don’t want them to meet her,” he said again. “But… you don’t have to keep them a secret. Just don’t… announce it.”
Marcus sighed. “Okay,” he agreed. “I will wait until Mom explicitly asks if you’re in love with a man who is a single father to a little girl before I confirm this. Alright?”
Harvey rolled his eyes, but his mouth twitched. “Fine,” he said.
Marcus shook his head, but he was smiling faintly. “How is it going with you and Mike anyway?” he asked.
Harvey smiled softly. “Good.”
“Good? Really? That’s all I’m getting?” Marcus demanded.
Harvey chuckled slightly. “He kissed me this morning before I left.”
Marcus did not look impressed. “You’ve been going up there for almost three months now, and you’re telling me this is the first time you’ve kissed?”
“Not like this,” Harvey said and Marcus’s face cleared in understanding.
“Ah. You mean he kissed you. Tongue?”
“Okay, we’re not actually in tenth grade,” Harvey complained, and Marcus grinned.
“That’s a yes.”
Harvey shook his head. “He told me that he loves me,” he said quietly.
Marcus’s smile softened. “Good. I’m happy for you, Harv.”
Harvey was happy too. Mostly.
He made a final detour before returning to Manhattan once he’d said goodbye to Marcus and the kids, promising to visit again soon. It was almost mid-afternoon when he arrived at his father’s grave, and Harvey let out a breath as he squatted down before the headstone.
“Hi, Dad,” he said quietly. “Sorry I’m a little late this year. But I have a good reason- we found Mike. He’s in Maine, and he has the most precious little girl you’ve ever met. Don’t tell Marcus, but she’s way more adorable than his kids. And smart- although her father’s a genius, so I guess that’s no surprise.”
Harvey took a deep breath, exhaling slowly. “I know how much I missed you as a kid when you were out on the road. Sometimes I hated you for leaving. But now I know something about how it felt for you; because it fucking kills me every time I have to say goodbye to them again. Georgia… she’s not mine. But she’s a piece of Mike, and I’m so goddamn in love with him. And I miss you so much, because I know that you’d love them both too.”
Harvey ran a hand over his face. “I wish you were here. Because I know you’d tell me if this was insane. Because sometimes it feels insane- the idea that I could help raise her. Be a part of… but the moment Donna told me about her, I don’t think I had any other choice. She’s Mike’s, and I love every piece of him. I want every piece of him. I just… I wish you were here to give me advice.”
Naturally, no advice was forthcoming from his father’s grave. Harvey looked up at the sky, thinking of not only his father but of Mike’s parents, his grandmother, Grace. Everyone he’d lost.
“I hope you’ve gotten to meet Grace… I wish I could have. Just to thank her for taking care of him when I couldn’t. To promise her that I’m not going to let either of them go- ever,” Harvey vowed fiercely.
Harvey finally got back to his condo in the late afternoon and just stood in the living room for a moment, staring at his furniture. It was so damn quiet. There wasn’t even much traffic noise drifting up from the street. Mike’s home was never quiet. Even when Georgia was sleeping, there was usually the quiet hum of the washing machine or dryer; the sound of Georgia’s breathing or white noise from the baby monitor; the quiet padding of Maple’s paws as she trotted through the house; the murmur from the TV or a podcast or music because Mike needed background noise. Harvey’s carefully chosen, stylish and modern furniture now just seemed harsh and cold. Harvey didn’t even have any personal photographs up anywhere in the condo. It truly hit Harvey in that moment then. This wasn’t a home. His home was three hundred miles away. His home was Mike and Georgia.
Harvey sighed and unpacked his bag after texting Mike that he was home safely. He inspected his kitchen, screwed up his face and ordered sushi. He half-heartedly checked his work emails, not really expecting to find anything. Donna had handled most of it while he was gone and had texted him if there was something really important that he needed to deal with. There wasn’t much in his inbox, but there was an email from Jessica, telling him to be in her office at nine am sharp the next morning. Harvey grimaced. This would be fun.
Mike had replied to Harvey’s text with a single heart emoji, but that was all. Harvey wasn’t surprised, figuring he was occupied with Georgia. So when his phone began to ring at a little before half-past seven with a FaceTime call from Mike, Harvey was simultaneously delighted, confused and a little concerned given that he knew this was Georgia’s bed time. He hastily pushed aside his half-empty plate and answered the call, holding up the phone and holding his breath while it connected and then Mike came into view. From the background, Harvey could tell that he was sitting in the rocking chair in Georgia’s room and Georgia herself was sitting on his lap, bottle of milk in her hands.
“Hey,” Harvey said softly, his lips curving into a smile.
“Hey,” Mike replied brightly. “Miss G wanted to say goodnight. Right, Georgie?”
Georgia smiled at him. “Arvey,” she said, reaching towards the screen so that all Harvey could see was a close up of her fingers before Mike gently pulled her hand down.
Harvey’s heart ached. “Hi, kiddo,” he said gently. “What did you guys do today?”
“We had a playdate with Auntie Allie and Nova, didn’t we?” Mike asked Georgia. “Auntie Allie used surprise free baby-sitting as an exchange to get Daddy to bake blondies for her co-workers’ birthday tomorrow.”
Harvey snorted and Georgia giggled. “How’d they turn out?”
Mike shrugged. “Okay, I think? It’s been a while since I’ve made them.”
Mike looked into the camera and smiled faintly. “We miss you.”
Well that was just a knife to Harvey’s heart. “I miss you too,” he said quietly.
Mike pressed his lips to Georgia’s head. “Well, Georgie’s picked out her story for tonight, so we’re going to read. G, do you want to say goodnight to Harvey?”
Georgia pulled her bottle out of her mouth with a small gasp, offering Harvey a milky smile. “Night, Arvey,” she said. “Love you.”
The enunciation may not have been exact, but there was no mistaking the words for anything else.
“Goodnight, honey,” Harvey said softly. “I love you too.”
Mike smiled at him sweetly. “I’ll call you back once she’s asleep?”
Harvey nodded. “I’ll be here,” he promised. “Sweet dreams, G.”
Mike whispered something to Georgia that Harvey couldn’t hear and then Georgia blew him a kiss. Mike ended the call before Harvey could react and as the app asked him to rate the quality of the call, Harvey dropped the phone to the table and ran a shaking hand over his face.
Friday couldn’t come soon enough.