Work Text:
Harvey had been attracting needy clients lately. He wasn’t sure if it was some sort of scent he was giving off and they were pursuing him like how a wolf tracks its prey, but it meant he had a lot of work trips planned.
Now these trips didn’t include ‘I need you here because this can’t be done over a video call’ meetings, but all of them seemed to have an air of ‘I would just like to see you in person for 53 minutes’ meetings with a side of lunch. These days just screamed this could have been an email, but he reminded himself that this was part of the “joy” of professional services.
Normally he’d be able to make these a day trip: get a morning flight, meet with his client, grab a longer-than-desired, schmooze-heavy lunch with them, head back to the airport, and grab one of the last flights that night to get home in time to sleep in his own bed.
A younger Harvey never used to have an issue with a work trip. In fact, they were often a decent excuse to break from his usual routine in the city. They let him shake up the restaurant he’d have dinner at or the bar he’d order two fingers of Macallan 18 from.
But this was before he became the most stereotypical “family man” one could imagine. He could never imagine not working — being a lawyer was his calling — but he’d learned in recent years that being a dad was his purpose. He felt that even more strongly since moving back to the East Coast to team back up with Louis.
Somehow Louis was landing seemingly normal clients who were more than happy to see him and his giant teeth on their computer screens. Harvey, on the other hand, had these clients that just had to see him in person.
Harvey had to keep reminding himself, though, that if they wanted to pay him a thousand dollars an hour to be a glorified babysitter and eat lunch with them a few random times a quarter, he would be an absolute idiot to say no. Work was work, and if these same needy clients that clung to him like a baby monkey to their mother on Monday allowed him to spend Thursday afternoon with his wife and son at the zoo, or the park, or at home on the couch watching Sesame Street together, he couldn’t complain too much.
This week included another one of those pointless meeting trips. The bad part was, there were only two flights in and out each day, and there was no way he could land, do what he needed to do with his client, and get back to the airport in two and a half hours to get the second flight of the day, so this would have to become an overnighter.
That morning looked like practically any other: an early alarm for him just as the sun started to think about illuminating the sky, with enough time for a run, a quick shower, and to get mostly dressed for the day before he was in dad mode.
As he secured his second cufflink, he heard a door open down the hall and a little yawn. Right on time. He quickly hurried out of his room, making sure to close the door behind him before saying good morning to his little man and directing him towards the stairs before the toddler woke up his mother.
It was Tuesday, which meant it was scrambled egg, peanut butter toast, and apple juice for breakfast day. But every day was indeed scrambled egg, peanut butter toast, and apple juice day for the picky two-and-a-half-year-old.
With two full bellies for the Specter men, it was time for Harvey to get his boy ready for the day. Teeth were brushed, his hair was combed, clothes were picked out and put on, and his bed was made. The little boy was being extra cooperative this morning, which meant they had some time to have a few minutes to play just the two of them.
As they made their way back down to the living room that often felt like it had turned into the second playroom, Harvey quickly poured himself a cup of coffee while his son pulled out a few favorite construction vehicles for them to play with. As Harvey joined him on the floor, footsteps were heard upstairs.
The boy quickly turned his head towards his father, freezing with his eyes wide and a slow smile appearing on his face. The footsteps grew louder and started on the stairs as a hushed “Mommy!” sounded out of the little boy, and his truck was immediately placed in his father’s lap. He rushed towards the stairs to greet his mother at the bottom of them as she picked him up and attacked his round cheeks with kisses.
Harvey glanced at his watch — 8:24. He had to head to the airport in a few minutes and knew this was his opportunity to gather the rest of his things to make his departure a bit easier. Rising from the floor, hot coffee he only got to enjoy one sip of still in hand, he walked over to his wife and son. Harvey gave her a quick good morning kiss as their son rested his head on her shoulder and nestled his face into her neck.
Harvey handed Donna the coffee and headed upstairs to put his tie and shoes on and grab his suit jacket and suitcase.
As he reappeared downstairs in the living room after putting his suitcase and jacket in the car, he found the view in front of him in the living room was similar to what Donna had found just a few minutes before: his son on the floor surrounded by construction vehicles, his partner sitting on the floor next to him, back against the oversized ottoman with coffee in hand, overseeing the scene their son was narrating aloud regarding his trucks and the workmen that went along with them.
Walking over towards his wife and approaching her from behind, he bent down slightly to graze his knuckles across her cheek. She leaned her head back on the ottoman to meet his eyes.
“I think I better get going” he said. “The last thing I need to do is miss this flight and drag this trip out longer than it already is.”
“That’s definitely not what we want,” she replied with a smile.
He leaned down further, still behind her, and kissed her, saying, “Enjoy the day together. I’ll see you tomorrow,” as he started to stand up and move towards his son.
The toddler, still engrossed in his toys, noticed the movement and shifted his focus towards his father, who was now approaching him. Harvey’s hand grazed through his boy’s blond hair, tousling it a bit. He then crouched down and picked his son up, settling him in his arm on his side. He reached with his other hand to his mouth and pulled out his pacifier — something he shouldn’t have outside of his bedroom but Harvey was vulnerable to the last tangible reminder that his growing closer-to-three-year-old little boy wasn’t quite yet a big boy.
Harvey always used to sort of roll his eyes when people said their grown-up kids were still their babies. Now that he had a grown-up two-and-a-half-year-old himself, he couldn’t disagree with his past self more. Every time he looked into his boy’s eyes, all he could see was the few-day-old little baby with the chubbiest cheeks, the most perfect little button nose, the faintest dimple in his cheek, and the softest downy hair that turned him into a dad.
He gave him a squeeze and kissed him before asking, “Can you be a good boy? I know you’re such a big helper, so I’m counting on you taking good care of Mommy for me, okay?”
The toddler gave him a nod with a small smile and wrapped his arms around his father’s neck.
Harvey gave his son one more kiss to the top of his head, whispered, “I love you so much, bud.” into his ear, put the binky back in his mouth, and placed him back down on the floor standing up.
As he started towards the garage door, he turned to both of them, his son watching him. Donna’s head was turned to allow her eyes to dart between her husband and son while she leaned back, resting against the ottoman again. Harvey gave them one last, “I love you guys! Have fun today, and I’ll see you tomorrow!”
He watched his son approached his mother, hugging her head and snuggling his head against hers, almost in an effort to show his father that he was indeed going to uphold his promise to take care of his mom.
And with that, Harvey walked into the garage and started on his way towards the airport.
It had been a long day. But the flight was smooth, his client saw he was alive, a very long lunch was eaten, and some work was accomplished afterwards from the hotel.
Harvey had gotten back from dinner a bit ago, taken a quick shower to rinse the day away and got in his pajamas. It was still too early to go to bed, but he was tired. He sprawled across the couch in his room — a movie on the TV illuminated the otherwise darkness, but he was only half-watching as his mind was halfway across the country, thinking about his family.
He unlocked his phone and opened his texts with Donna.
“How was bedtime? I hope you gave him at least three extra kisses and an extra tight squeeze for me. I love and miss you both so, so much.” he typed.
He felt an almost immediate buzz in his palm. “It actually went amazingly well. No tears or complaining. I think our afternoon at the park tired him out more than he, or I, even realized.” his wife replied. Another quick buzz to his palm, and a photo appeared: a picture from the monitor looking straight down at his little bud from above his bed. His big boy bed. All that was exposed to the nighttime air of his room was his head resting atop his pillow as his comforter tucked up to his chin — just the way he insisted on it.
Harvey quickly tapped on the photo and zoomed in on his little face — that wonderful, adorable little face that always reflected such a wonder for the world. He let out a small sigh and allowed a smile to appear on his face. He texted back, “He just looks so cozy!!!” to Donna.
“He missed you a lot today. I did too.” she replied.
“It’s not a competition, but I can guarantee you I missed you both more. I can’t wait to see you tomorrow. ❤️” was his response.
He tapped back into the photo and just stared in amazement at the little boy who chose him to be his dad — his little bud who changed his life, turned it upside down, grew his heart far beyond the bounds of what he even thought possible, and shaped him into a version of himself he always wanted to be — even if he didn’t always know it.
Another buzz to his palm and a banner at the top of the screen appeared.
“I’m exhausted, and your daughter has been very active this evening. I think she was a fan of her big brother’s choice of buttered noodles and apple slices for dinner.” texted Donna.
He tapped back to his text thread with her as another message appeared.
“I’m going to take advantage of this king-sized bed without you and get an extra-long night’s sleep. I’m taking our boy out for pancakes in the morning and probably a stop at the Lego store to pick out a new set for being so good today on the way home. We’ll see you shortly after that.”
And another.
“I love you so much. Sleep well. ❤️”
Quickly, his fingers tapped out a reply.
“Sounds like a fun morning! I’ll plan to take him out for lunch and some boy time in the afternoon — you deserve some Donna time. Thank you for being so wonderful to us. All three of us.”
Immediately after hitting send on the first message, he typed out, “I love you 😘” and hit send once again. He locked his phone and turned his attention back to the movie on TV.
This certainly wasn’t how work trips used to look, but he wouldn’t change it for the world. How things had changed.