author's notes:
i just want some good ole family fluff in my life, okay? forgive me

like this story? leave a comment & favorite/follow/bookmark...it inspires me to write.
this fic will update whenever i feel like it, because i already have a rigorous schedule for my other fic (which you should check out.)
crossposted to ao3 under the username "wrightworth."
oh yeah, this story is also unbeta'd. sorry if you're not used to my raw writing, oof.
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"Mike, get into the godda- god dang car," Harvey scolds his son, picking him up and carrying him to the black Mercedes parked by the curb. His son protests, but Harvey is far stronger than a small child and he moves him without much issue.

"Ray," the brunet calls to his driver, looking around with some distress- before finding the man sitting off to the side, relaxing, "can you put Mike in the car? I need to go back and get our stuff. Stay with him." He places his son on the sidewalk by his driver before rushing back into the building.

It was Harvey's first day as a single father, in fact, it was his first day as a single man in seven years. Finally, he mustered up the courage to leave his broken marriage, and now he was a sad, single corporate lawyer with a four-year-old son. What's more, just to make the situation even harder, Harvey didn't have the time to watch his son; in order to allow for the kid to have a great life, he had to work. So, his ex-wife, Paula, arranged for their son to stay at La Garderie, a daycare on the outskirts of New York City, during the day.

Reaching the thirty-second floor, Harvey enters his penthouse's PIN and the elevator doors open to a luxurious living room. Quickly, he runs inside his home and grabs Michael's backpack, lunchbox, and a briefcase before dashing back into the lift, right before the doors close.

As he stands in the elevator and it descends, he inspects the retrieved goods and realizes his briefcase is a little light. Confused, he puts down his son's belongings and unlocks the briefcase, only to realize that he had grabbed his old one- the one he lets Michael play with when he wants to play "lawyer."

"Shit," Harvey mutters underneath his breath, staring at the drawing left inside of the briefcase: a scribble which looks somewhat like him.

Sitting in the car next to his son, who was playing Candy Crush on his phone, Harvey lays his head against the headrest and closes his eyes. He's exhausted- he was up all night trying to figure out the optimal lunch for a four-year-old and filling out some court files.

He considers for a moment that he should just give up and hire a nanny; it was only the first day and he was having so many goddamn problems. Unfortunately, giving up so easily would make him look weak- and he didn't need his ex-wife thinking he couldn't handle his son. Harvey sighs and turns his head to look at his son, who giggles happily when he makes a five-in-a-row match. With a soft smile, the lawyer thinks to himself that, even if it's hard, it's worth the time he gets to spend with his son.

Finally, after what seems like hours- despite it only being one- the two were at the school. It was a nice establishment, La Garderie had little flowers painted on the bricks of the building and a lot of playground equipment. Despite their marriage falling apart, Harvey knew that Paula had good taste, and she seemed to have chosen the right place for their son.

He unbuckles Mike and grabs his phone, sliding it into his back pocket. Then, he picks up his son and his belongings before carrying him off into the school. It was a bit early, about thirty minutes before classes began, but Harvey wanted to get to Mike's class before anyone else. He needed to make a good impression on his son's teacher, just in case he would need to call in a favor one day. Maybe he'd have an emergency at work or Mike needed to have his pants changed after a potty incident- whatever the case was, Harvey knew it was always a great idea to be on someone's good side.

The father and son duo enters the building, and Harvey tries to use his memory to find his way to his son's classroom. Paula had said two rights...three lefts…

Ah. After a little bit of maneuvering, he found himself at the classroom which had "MS. PAULSEN" on it. That was Mike's class. The door was closed, but the lights were on, so Harvey knocked and heard a "Come in!"

When he enters the classroom, he's expecting an older woman, probably in her late 50s, but he's surprised to see a woman who looks his age. Her red hair catches his eye immediately, and he had to be honest- she was rather breathtaking. He smiles and puts Mike down, who instantly runs towards the colorful blocks placed on a playmat.

"Good morning," the woman says, approaching him with an extended hand. He shakes it and replies back, a little nervous. He feels like a schoolboy.

"M-morning," he sputters- he's been out of the dating game for far too long, "I'm Harvey. Harvey Specter. Mike's dad." He looks over the woman's shoulder to see his son organizing the blocks by color and stacking them. What a smart kid.

"Oh, yes—Doctor Agard told me you'd be taking Mike to school," she nods, "I'm Donna Paulsen, or, as Mike'll be calling me- Miss Paulsen."

He winces at the mention of Paula; it's just a little too soon. He stopped loving her long ago, but it still hurts because the divorce was so recent. He felt like a failure of a father, having to split his son up between two households. Even if the statistics were high- a lot of couples got divorced, he still felt some sort of shame in his stomach knowing that his son wouldn't see his mom as often as he used to. Mike still asked from time to time, and each time it was difficult to answer.

Shaking off his guilt, he smiles and tries to hide his uncertainty. It's certainly embarrassing to have a mid-life crisis in front of someone, but it's definitely worse if the person is your son's teacher.

"I'll be picking him up too, but I might be late some days. I come from Midtown, so it may take a while," Harvey murmurs, with a small, apologetic bow of the head. "Will that be fine?"

The redhead laughs, a quiet giggle- and Harvey likes it, it's light and pleasant to listen to. Something he'd like to hear more often. "It'll have to be fine," she teases, "I can't just leave Mike here alone."

He wants to continue joking and ask her questions, mostly about herself and less about Mike's wellbeing at La Garderie- because he's pretty sure that, with a woman in charge like Donna, he'll be okay- but another woman comes in with her two children...twins. Donna drops her eyes from his and goes to attend to her other students. It's a damn shame, really.

Awkwardly, Harvey doesn't know what to do with himself. He's just left staring at Donna, hoping she'll come back. However, he's well aware that he isn't the only parent for her to talk to, so he knows it's time to go. The lawyer goes over to his son and gives him a hug and a kiss on the forehead to signify his departure.

He'll leave it be for now, but he knows he's coming back later to learn about Miss Paulsen.