Chapter Text
Saturday morning, Harvey arrives with a bouquet of pink long-stemmed tulips. He unexpectedly meets Katarina and Rachel in the lobby.
“Harvey?” It’s Rachel call out to him. Her grin was knowing and borderline disrespectful if she were in the office. But, as it was, stuck in the middle of Mike’s apartment lobby, it was a safe zone. They were in non-professional capacities. He couldn’t reprimand her even if he wanted to.
Beside her, Katarina give a friendly smile. “Mr. Specter,” the blonde greets. They have not exactly made amends over the misunderstanding during Christmas. They haven’t had to since Harvey tends to work with Mike, and Mike alone, while Katarina was rotating from one senior partner to another. She was currently under Louis, working with him on a financial claims case.
“Rachel, Katrina,” Harvey gives a curt nod. There was a slight flush on his cheeks which he tried to hide behind the flora. “What are you doing here? I believe that plan was for us, ehrm Mike, to bring the kids to your apartment?” A twinge of jealousy filled his gut at the thought that he wasn’t the only one who can come and go to Mike’s apartment.
Rachel shrugs, amused by his possessiveness. “We were in the neighborhood for breakfast and thought that the twins might like to come.” She grinned wider as she eyes the flowers, making Harvey’s mouth twitch. “Besides, you should probably be thankful since we’re getting giving you an hour more of alone time with Mike. Win-win, isn’t it?”
“Fine,” Harvey gripes, sour-faced. It embarrassed him more than he would admit aloud being caught pink-handed with a bouquet of tulips. He had initially planned on surprising Mike, Jaime, and Raphy by taking them out to breakfast before they went to Katrina’s condo. But now, those plans were down the drain. Together, the three of them walk to Mike’s door surrounded by a tense silence.
“Harvey—” Mike says in surprise when he sees the pairs standing behind his boyfriend. “Ehrm, Rachel, Katrina…?” He shifts awkwardly to his boxer with the hem of his shirt, blushing at the large bouquet of flowers are unceremoniously shoved to his hand. He’s torn between wanting to kiss Harvey stupid at the chick-flick moment or hide because somebody else witnessed their chick-click moment. He goes for the first one, kissing Harvey chastely on the cheek before ushering them inside.
“Come in, come in,” he gestures to the apartment, “Jaime and Raphy are in the bath, ehrm, bubble bath. It was the only way to get them up this early. I wasn’t expecting you…” he looks from Harvey to Rachel and Katrina, “or both of you. What’s with the surprise?” He manages not to choke on his words. The open layout of the apartment lets him half-hide in the alcove of his kitchen to find a place to put the flowers. Harvey wordlessly follows.
Rachel and Katrina repeat what they told Harvey.
“Oh,” Mike tries not to let his disappointment show. Behind him, Harvey grabs a dusty wine bottle from underneath the sink, rinsing it out before handing it to him. “Here.” The word is nearly inaudible if not said right beside Mike’s ear. A shudder travels through his spine.
At seeing Harvey, the urge to go out for breakfast immediately rose but it deflated when he saw the two women. There is no way that they could all go to breakfast together—not with the fragile unspoken truce between his boyfriend and Katrina. He dries his hands on a towel after potting the flowers.
“I should… I should get dressed and go get them.” When they nod, he turns to Harvey in a whisper. “Sorry, I didn’t know. Can you…” Harvey brushes two fingers over his wrists and nods, the action hidden by the counter top. “Go,” the older man says, “I’ll entertain the women. Get dressed in something comfortable for outdoor weather. I don’t want you catching a cold before tomorrow.”
Mike ducks his head, refusing to look in Rachel and Katrina’s direction when he goes to the hall. Meanwhile, Harvey switches on his charm. “Would you ladies care for refreshments?”
***
The Ross trio emerge from their bedrooms twenty minutes later, looking and smelling fresh. To Mike’s surprise, all his guests were sitting around the Island top with half-empty glasses of water on the counter. For a second or two, Jaime and Raphy fight with themselves about who to call onto first. Lucky for them, Harvey takes the initiative by going round the counter and opening his arms. The twins fly into his embrace, nearly tackling him on the ground.
“Harvey!” The pair squeal in delight.
Behind them, Mike is all smiles as he goes to take Harvey’s place behind the counter.
“They love him, don’t they?” Rachel muses, eyes meeting Mike’s at the top of her glass.
“And he loves them.” Katrina add, hiding her smile.
Mike rubs the towel over his still-damp hair, pausing with it draped over his head. “Yeah,” he breathes out, watching as the interaction between his children and Harvey. His heart flutters at the sight. Two months ago, he thought he could never have this—his two separately worlds blending seamlessly into one—but now he did, and he has no words to describe how he feels.
Harvey laughs at catches them with little effort. He’s grown used to them tackling him at every opportunity they get and rarely catch him off guard. “Good morning. I heard that you little monsters made flooded the bathroom again, didn’t you? Your poor daddy has to clean it all up.” Squeezing them as they part. The twins’ faces are adorably guilty.
“We’re sorry,” they say at the same time with puppy dog eyes.
“Does that mean—” Jaime mumbles.
“—no breakfast with us?” Raphy finishes.
“Your Aunt Katrina and Rachel are bringing you out to breakfast.” Harvey pats their head apologetically but it only makes the twin’s frowns deepen. Clearly, it isn’t the answer they wanted to hear. “Why the long faces?” he fakes naivety, “Don’t you like your Aunt Katrina and her friend Rachel? They told me that they were going to take you out for waffles. You like pancakes, right?”
“No,” Raphy shakes his head, “I dun want no pancakes. I like your pancakes better. Right, Jaime?”
The elder twin glances at the three adults by the counter before hiding his face and answering, “Harvey’s pancakes are the best. We like Harvey best.”
Harvey loses his breath for a second. Pride swells up in his chest. He’s only known Jaime and Raphy for a few months but in those short months he’s grown to love the like his own children—if he ever had any. He used to stay away from women with baggage. The last time he felt like this was with Zoe and her niece Oliva. Back then, he almost chased her to DC. He is thankful that he didn’t, or else he would not have had a chance to feel this. Looking at the twins, he could not imagine thinking of them as anything remotely close to baggage; they were a blessing.
“Harvey,” the cool touch of Mike’s hand on his cheek brings him back to reality. He glances up to see Mike gently smiling at him like he was the best thing in the world.
“Jaime and Raphy are begging to have breakfast with all four of us. I suppose we can squeeze that in before we, you know, go to our…” Mike stops, belatedly realizing that this was their first official date as a couple. Harvey sees it in his eyes and turns his cheek to kiss the inside of Mike’s wrist.
“I believe the word is date, rookie. Or should I return the Vonnegut I got you for Christmas and trade it in for a 20th century dictionary, completely New Yorker slang edition?”
Mike laughs, flicking a finger on his cheek. “Get off the floor or you’ll spend the entire day complaining about your knees, old man.”
***
Breakfast is in a small family own diner two blocks away from the apartment. It’s a cozy well-lit establishment that looks straight out of the fifties. According to the signage, it was established shortly after world war two and a couple of celebrity diners are displayed on the wall. They sit on a six-person round table in the middle of the dining area; Harvey, Mike, Jaime, Katrina, Rachel, and Raphy.
True to their word, the twins do not order pancakes but gets waffles instead. Mike orders a Bacon Cheeseburger Deluxe, Harvey orders a Turkey Reuben with a side of Onion Rings, Rachel orders Chicken Pot Pie, and Katrina orders Pastrami Hash and Two Fried Eggs.
“What?” Katrina asks when her plate of carbohydrates arrive. The kids are happily digging into their food while Rachel, Mike and Harvey give her weird looks. “Is there something on my face?”
“No, no,” Mike shakes his head, “I kind of expected you to order a salad, that’s all.”
She shoots him a glare. “This isn’t the first time we’ve eaten in a diner, Mike.”
“I know,” he shrugs, “but last time was brunch.
“That’s sexist, Mike.” Katrina huffs and flick a bit of condensation from her glass to him. She misses and the water falls on Harvey’s bicep instead, darkening the grey fabric. “Shi—zzlesticks,” she blushes more because from the ugly inexistent word rather than the water stains, “I’m sorry, Mr. Specter, sir, I didn’t mean to, I…”
“Harvey,” Harvey cuts her off, with a bit of gruffness. He had not intended it to sound to aloof. He was caught off-guard by, well, everything about today. He reigns in his jealousy and tries again. “Really, Katrina,” he says in a much gentler manner, “It’s alright and do call me Harvey when we’re… in family events. I don’t want to confuse the twins with something as petty as titles and honorifics.” He turns around, not waiting for her answer, and engages Jaime in conversation.
“Oh—okay,” she stammers, “Thank you.” Harvey’s sharp tongue was from last Christmas was still stuck in her mind but she pushes it away. She sees that he is trying to be friendlier with her, perhaps more for the kids than her own merit. A part of her doesn’t understand his reasoning. She never meant any claim on Mike or the children—she was just making up for her sister’s mistakes.
“Hey,” Rachel whispers, jostling her side, “You okay?”
Katrina nods mutely. “I don’t understand why Mr. Sp—Harvey doesn’t like me.”
Rachel entwines their hands on the table before leaning close to her ear. “Harvey’s always been a bit territorial over Mike. Trust me, I tried dating Mike, remember?” She suddenly shuts her mouth when she sees Mike glancing suspiciously in their direction. “I’ll tell you about it later.”
“You two better not be gossiping about me,” Mike warns with a stern look from the middle of his conversation with Jaime. It holds only half the effect because his mouth was covered in flour breading from the onion rings. Rachel and Katrina giggle.
“Excuse you, we have more to talk about than you, mister.”