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

Letters of Understanding

Harvey padded his way to the kitchen, opening the fridge. He wasn't sure when he went to the grocery store last. He didn't really cook meals aside from once or twice a month when he didn't overwork himself, or have client dinners. He opened the fridge and saw a half empty carton of milk for his coffee, a quarter loaf of bread, a block of cheddar cheese and some leftover takeout. He grabbed the takeout and smelled it before making a face to himself and tossing it out.

As he stood in front of the open fridge, his eyes scanning the sparse contents. He felt a pang of frustration and guilt. "I guess I can whip up a grilled cheese", he said mostly to himself. He mindlessly took out the pan and turned the stove on. He applied butter to slices of bread and shredded the cheese. He assembled the sandwiches and waited for the pan to heat up before placing the sandwiches inside to crisp up and the cheese to melt.

He wondered if Mike had any food allergies. The thought gnawed at him as he flipped the sandwiches. He didn't exactly need to know for this meal, but it was something important he should have already known. What kind of dad doesn't know if his son has allergies. Harvey felt like a failure. He made a mental note to ask Mike about it later, he would start cooking more homemade meals and the last thing he needed is accidentally trigger an allergic reaction.
He subconsciously placed them on a plate and called out, "Mike, dinner's ready!"

Mike walked in, raising an eyebrow at the sight of the grilled cheese. "Grilled cheese, huh?"

Harvey shrugged, a small grin on his face. "Hey, it's a classic. And it's just the beginning."

Mike took a bite and nodded appreciatively. "Not bad, Harvey. Not bad at all. I expected worse."
Harvey let out a small laugh, "Is that right? I do know how to cook, you know! I might not be the best but I can hold my own."

Mike smirked, "Well, I guess we'll see about that. What's next on the menu, Chef Harvey?"

As they ate together, they talked nonstop about everything from school to their favorite movies, laughing and sharing stories as the grilled cheese disappeared from their plates.

Harvey reached for the plates, stacking them on top of each other before making his way to the sink. He started washing them and placing them on the drying rack.

Mike looked over at Harvey, a curious expression on his face. "Hey, Harvey, when can we set up the iPod? You said after lunch, but if you tell me where your laptop is, I can get started!"

Harvey smiled and nodded. "Sure thing, Mike. My laptop is on the desk in my room. Feel free to get started, and I'll join you in a bit to help out."

Mike bounced out of the dining chair, eager to grab Harvey's laptop. He all but ran to Harvey's room, glancing around the room, taking in the decor. He saw the laptop, and hurriedly grab it returning to the dining room table. He flipped open the laptop, asking Harvey for the password.

Harvey looked up, having finished doing the dishes. He grinned, "the password is 'imtheman', no caps and no spaces."

Mike laughed wholeheartedly. "Harvey, 'imtheman' as your laptop password? That's classic!" He typed in the password, still chuckling.

Seconds later, the screen loaded all of the apps and documents that Harvey had previously open. Mike, trying to be mindful of Harvey's belongings, minimized everything. "Alright, now let's get to setting up that iPod," he said, focusing on the task at hand.

He plugged the iPod in and waited for the setup process to begin. "I'm excited to see how this iPod works," Mike said, eagerly anticipating the next steps. The iPod started the first process of syncing. The screen displayed Time Remaining : 15 minutes followed by a status bar.