Reunited Paths: A Father's Journey (Harvey Specter ff)

The Morning After

The digital clock flipped its display from 6:29 to 6:30 am. The morning sunlight filtered through the curtains, casting a warm glow across Mike's new room. He woke up, absorbing the view of the light hitting objects around his room, making everything seem almost magical in the early morning haze. He ran a hand across his face, feeling the roughness of his skin, and began to stretch out his limbs, trying to shake off the remnants of sleep.

The room was still unfamiliar, and he couldn't help but think about how different it felt compared to his old room in Brooklyn. The walls here were bare, lacking the posters and personal touches that had made his previous space uniquely his own. He sighed deeply, the weight of the changes settling on his shoulders as he
prepared to face another day in this new place.

He sat up, on the edge of the bed taking everything in. He let out a sigh and smiled at himself, recalling the talk he had with Harvey last night. It felt like they were finally able to find some sort of common footing. Mike hoped that it would translate to a better understanding between both of them. He knew that things wouldn't get better overnight but he hoped that the conversation with Harvey would bring forth a different dynamic between them.

He got out of bed and walked over to the bathroom to get ready for the first Monday without his mom. After brushing his teeth and washing his face, he took a moment to look at himself in the mirror, feeling a mix of excitement and nerves. He gave himself a half shrug, "I hope today goes well," he whispered just loud enough for himself to hear. He then went back to his room and carefully picked out his solid black shirt, that he paired it with his comfy grey skinny jeans and his only white Nikes. He was trying to blend in the background as much as possible. He didn't like the idea of being the new kid. People would ask him questions and he wasn't really ready for a school full of teens and pre-teens knowing his entire life story. He had a hard time at his old school explaining why Harvey wasn't around, he couldn't imagine the difficulties at this new school.

Satisfied with his outfit, he grabbed his backpack, knowing that he had everything he needed for the day—his notebooks and a handful of pencils. He would have to get the textbooks from the school library when he got there. With his eidetic memory, he never had to worry about forgetting anything, but the notebooks would help him blend in, even if he didn't need to write anything down. He slung the backpack over one shoulder and headed out to the kitchen for breakfast. The soft hum of the refrigerator greeted him as he walked in, making the morning feel a little more comforting.

The kitchen was quiet and filled with the same soft morning light. Mike thought Harvey would be out there already, maybe drinking a coffee or reading some case files. He glanced at the clock on the stove—it was 7:15 a.m. He shrugged and decided to fix himself some breakfast.

He looked around the kitchen, trying to find anything for breakfast. Harvey had to have some breakfast lying around. Mike quietly opened and closed the fridge and several cabinets trying to find something to eat. It wasn't long before he found the single box of cheerios on top of the fridge. He stood on his tip-toes, trying to get the box down, and after several attempts, he succeeded.

Mike poured the Cheerios into a bowl, the sound of the cereal hitting the ceramic bowl echoing softly in the quiet kitchen. He quietly walked to get the milk from the fridge, he unscrewed the cap and poured just the right amount over the cereal. He added a spoon from the drawer and made his way over to the kitchen table, which was still littered with his mom's legal papers.

Holding the bowl in one hand, Mike stacked the papers somewhat neatly making just enough space for his bowl. He sunk into the chair, putting the bowl down and placed his elbows on the table, getting ready to take his first bite. The familiar crunch brought a small sense of satisfaction, even though it wasn't his preferred cereal, his mom had bought Cheerios for him plenty of times.