Mike was up early, and stole a shower and started a pot of coffee, before he realized it was inappropriate to feed a twelve year old coffee for breakfast, so he made some eggs and toast since Harvey's refrigerator and pantry didn't really suit anything else. Mike was yawning around his cup of coffee when Hunter came into the room, still dressed down and not quite ready for the day. Mike could at least approve of making sure he didn't get his suit dirty.
"Now, remember, the interview today is just as much about you as it is the school. You want to pick somewhere you'll enjoy."
"Yeah right," Hunter answered, grumbling around his eggs.
Mike didn't like his answer, and frowned. "It is. I picked these schools based on excellent academic rankings, you pick based on what you think is best for you."
Harvey - interrupting by his mere presence - came into the room and started to pour himself a cup of coffee. He was dressed, but only in tie, vest, shirt, and pants, his jacket obviously still somewhere else. He didn't say anything at first, just put in a touch of creamer and then took a sip. Hunter didn't answer Mike's reassurance, just went back to his food.
"When are you getting back to the office, today? Louis is hounding me to loan you out for the Pinewood briefs."
Of course, Mike was handholding Harvey's kid through his mother's death and the selection of a private school and all Harvey cared about was loaning him out to Louis who worked him like a dog - or a pony, he supposed. "Our last interview should wrap up around 2:30. I'll take Hunter home and come back to the office. Three, 3:30." Mike glanced over to find Hunter very pointedly ignoring both of them. Mike had never been a fan of being talked about while he wasn't in the room. "Is that alright, Hunter?"
"You don't ask, you tell. You're an authority figure, not a kindergarten teacher. We're not building consensus." And then he left.
Mike sighed. This fake co-parenting thing worked much better when Harvey didn't countermand him in front of the kid. "What you want out of a school is important to me, and Harvey has given me... power of attorney on this." It was hilarious, most days Harvey acted as though Mike couldn't wipe his own ass without instructions.
Their first interview was an unmitigated disaster. They took one look at Hunter and his date of birth and sent him packing, no twelve year olds allowed. Mike could have kicked himself for not really checking, but Hunter seemed to be taking the rejection in stride. If he was anything like Harvey, he'd just take it as reason to fight back harder next time. Mike picked them up a coffee for him and a hot chocolate for Hunter to pass the time.
Their second interview - Addison Prep - was far more suited. They took one look at Hunter, assumed he was brilliant, they talked about Hunter's goals for the new year, and then took him to take a few achievement tests while Mike talked with the Headmaster.
"So, Mr. Ross. What is your relationship with Mr. Davis? We like to get a feel for the adults in our students' lives."
For a moment Mike felt like a terrible, incredible fraud, and then he realized he wasn't; with Harvey checking out from Hunter's life, Mike might be all the kid had for a while. "I'm Harvey's Associate. If Hunter is sick, has any problems, or so forth, I'll be his first line of contact and primary guardian." Which Mike had told Harvey he wasn't going to do, but he was a sap and a sucker, obviously. He just couldn't leave Hunter hanging like that.
"You will need a letter from Mr. Specter to that effect. We are... very understanding of... alternative parenting arrangements here at Addison Preparatory. But we require the guardians be allowed to make medical or legal decisions on the child's behalf."
Mike frowned for a moment, and then he realized what the Headmaster was implying, and then Mike was vaguely embarrassed on both his own and Harvey's behalf before he finally coughed. "The letter will be no problem. Please send a form letter to my corporate email, Pearson Hardman." Mike pulled out his business card and handed it across the desk, and suddenly having the very immediate realization that he had just been assigned the duties of 'mom' in the eyes of the Headmaster. Fine, he'd just go for broke. "Harvey and I have a... very close relationship. He trusts me with Hunter implicitly."
The Headmaster didn't even blanch, which honestly surprised him. Apparently they were fairly tolerant. Go them. "And how long have you been Mr. Specter's... Associate?"
Wow, Mike as not going to be able to take his title seriously from now on. That could be a problem. "Five months. I know, short time, but sometimes you just know." Mike was saved from further gay-insinuating small talk by Hunter returning and giving him a completely obtrusive thumbs up. "If you'd also email me the enrollment forms. You'll have our answer by the end of the day."
Mike, Hunter, and the Headmaster, headed out toward the entrance to the school. The walk and talk was comfortable, going over the school grounds, athletics, extracurriculars, and other information. Hunter was obviously paying attention, trying to get a feel for the place as well. Mike was glad he was taking this seriously, perhaps the chance to get into high school in some more appropriate material would be just the thing he needed to help him deal with his mother's death. Mike knew it would have done him a world of good, if only to get away from Trevor; just after his parents died was when he started to get into the worst of his own bad life choices. Trevor's bad habits immediately became Mike's bad habits and Mike did not want that to happen to Harvey's kid.
He and Hunter finally powwowed over lunch. "You seem excited about Addison."
"You and Harvey are really going to let me go to a high school?" Hunter didn't seem to believe it, but Mike was more than ready to allow it and... well Harvey currently didn't care. Even if Harvey wouldn't actively say it, he was definitely a 'do it, and then fuck forgiveness because you did the right thing' type.
"I'll make it happen for you, Hunter." That he could promise, because he was not letting Harvey - or Hunter - down on this one. "Now let's talk pros and cons so you can weight your last option for school."
There was no contest, by the end of the day, Hunter wanted to go to Addison Prep, Mike wanted him to be happy, the school had an excellent academic reputation, and there it went. Mike dropped Hunter off at Harvey's, made sure he was set for the afternoon, and then headed into work. He called the Headmaster at Addison, said they intended Hunter to enroll, filled out the kid's forms, the emergency contact forms, the waivers, the authorizations, and everything else under the sun. Mike had it memorized back to front by the time he rolled into Harvey's office a little after four.
"I proofed the briefs for Louis, he's happy - or as happy as Louis gets." Mike pulled out his folder. "Pull out your signing hand, we've got enrollment papers."
Harvey didn't even ask, just pulled out a pen and uncapped it. Mike set down the first piece of paper. "Obscenely large check for enrollment fees, tuition, activity fee." Harvey at least glanced at that, and didn't even arch an eyebrow at the amount. He signed. "Enrollment agreement. Pretty standard." Another signature. "Liability waiver if Hunter participates in sports." Harvey signed. "Permission for me to sell Hunter's kidneys on the black market should the need arise in the course of school."
Harvey did not sign, but instead looked up at him and gave him a 'don't mess with me, Mike' look.
"It's a form so I can tell them to send him to the hospital, treat him, and so on. It's a limited power of attorney and they won't let me pick him up or deliver him to school without it." Harvey signed. "Guardian contact form. Sign under section (b)."
"Why not section (a)?"
"Because if you sign under section (a) they call you first, if you sign under section (b) they call me first." Harvey signed under section (b). "Also, Addison Prep now thinks we're gay and I'm Hunter's step-father."
"What?" Harvey actually leaned in and looked at the contact form. "It lists you here as a... non-relative, parental approved guardian. That doesn't imply gay step-dads."
Mike just rolled his eyes. "Because it's so normal for a lawyer to have his Associate go to a school interview, and then sign himself up as a primary emergency guardian and contact."
"So you're saying it's not your fault that they inferred that you're my gay lover?" Harvey shot back.
"No, it's your fault. Which sucks, because Hunter's math teacher... mmm!" Actually the woman had been pretty fine, and the Headmaster had introduced Mike as Hunter's 'alternate parental guardian', which apparently was code for 'gay boyfriends' at the school. Mike didn't even really want to know how that had come about. Mike took all the paperwork and slid it back into his folder, finally folding it up and hugging it loosely to his chest.
"Wait, Addison Prep is a high school. Hunter is twelve." Harvey made a gesture that Mike took to mean 'give me the paperwork back' and Mike ignored it, instead tucking the folder under his arm.
"How good of you to do basic math." Mike fiddled with the folder again, tapping his fingers against it. "I enrolled him in high school because he was bored in middle school. Do I need to tell you what happens to bored geniuses who aren't intellectually challenged by school?"
Harvey didn't even need to think about it, he snapped back an answer just a moment later. "They smoke pot with their asshole best friends and almost commit drug trafficking?"
Mike might not have been quite that blunt, but the analysis was pretty on the nose, so he held up his finger and nodded.
"... Good idea with the high school." Harvey finally closed his eyes, took a breath. "Thank you."
"Have your shit together, yet?" Harvey's frown was all the answer Mike needed. "Harvey you just... be there. What's the real problem? Living proof you didn't close a deal you really wanted to?"
Harvey got up from his chair; for a moment Mike expected him to shoo him out of the office, but instead he just went to stand at the glass window and stare out over the city. "I'm over Naomi; that's not the issue. I never wanted kids, and if I was going to have kids it was going to be with someone who would take care of all the... crap."
"Those emotions you don't have?" Mike asked. "You don't know what to do with them? Look, you... gave Hunter to me because you didn't know what the hell to do with him. That should mean something like you trust me implicitly, but mostly it means you didn't want to deal with him. So... tonight... talk to him."
"He is a small child," Harvey answered. "It will be only slightly worse than trying to explain to you why getting emotionally attached to your clients is a bad call."
Mike glanced over at Harvey, tried to figure out if Harvey was being dense, stupid, or intentionally hurtful, but it seemed that Harvey might understand how to manipulate emotions, but he really wasn't able to figure them out how to actually have them. "Your son's mother just died. She was shot as part of her damn job. He is never, ever going to get to see her again. She is never going to tuck him in, or kiss him on the head, or tell him not to eat all the Cheetos before bed. And when he realizes that, when it really, really sinks in that this isn't just a really annoying vacation to see the guy with the slick hair who doesn't like him, he is going to break."
Harvey's jaw twitched slightly, but Mike just continued to power through.
"And what he does, if he's going to jump a train back to Washington or take up with some assholes who shove coke up their nose or any other lousy coping mechanism under the sun is on you. If you're lucky, he'll come to me." Mike just couldn't figure this out anymore. Harvey was hardly an open book for him, but it wasn't usually this hard to tell what he was thinking. "Are you going to tell me what about this is so shocking that you can't do your damn job?"
Harvey glanced over to Donna's desk, where she was sitting, carefully plugging away at whatever work she was pretending to do. "Donna, not to be disturbed, and stop listening." The instruction was was only accompanied by a soft click. A few moments later he sat down. Mike had expected him to maybe take the chair, a silent 'keep away' tactic, but Harvey sat on the couch facing the window to the city. "My mother cheated on my father constantly growing up, every week another casual boyfriend. We didn't even know until she decided to leave him."
Mike very politely ignored saying that Harvey's personal decisions on that front weren't exactly blameless. He knew Harvey spent more than enough time chasing skirts and sleeping with them. Instead of mentioning any of that, Mike stayed silent.
"I hated her, still do." Harvey pressed his palms to his knees, maybe thinking, maybe considering what to say, but he finally nodded. "I keep thinking that Hunter must hate me, too."
"Hunter doesn't know you, Harvey." Mike could see Harvey flinch, maybe even a twitch. "You're just a guy in a suit who pawned him off the second you had a chance." Mike wasn't certain he wanted to let Harvey off the hook, but as much as Harvey was driving him crazy, he didn't want to shoot him in the foot that bad. "I told him you put me on your most important cases."
"That's an overstatement," Harvey said, smirking.
Mike couldn't even find it in himself to be upset. That was just Harvey being Harvey. "So you're worried he'll hate you for not loving his mother?"
No answer. Mike decided to read that as a maybe.
"Hunter doesn't need his mother to have been your one true love, people get divorced all the time." Mike wasn't certain what Hunter did need to know, but that wasn't the most important thing. "He needs to know you didn't know about him and that you wouldn't have rejected him if you'd had the chance."
"So you want me to lie."
Mike knew Harvey hadn't know about him, so that left the second clause. "You really wouldn't have loved him and supported him if Naomi said yes twelve years ago?"
"Probably not. I was a new associate at Pearson Hardman, who has time for kids?"
Mike gave Harvey his very best 'you have got to be shitting me' face.
"Fine. Fine. I would have gotten him a Yankee's uniform onesy with 'Specter' embroidered on the back. Happy?" Mike was, and even though he knew it was courting disaster he couldn't quite help but smirk at the declaration. Harvey Specter, closet power-dad in the making. "I would have... done something."
"Harvey, I know you're a bit... work, play, emotions." Mike made the requisite hand gestures to indicate the relative priorities, which put Harvey's emotions very low on the list. "but you have to tell him that. Your anxiety is going to be even more obvious, he's going to pick up on it, and he's going to resent you for it."
"I'm not anxious, and he shouldn't come to me. I hired you to take care of my minutia."
Mike rolled his eyes. "Comparative size of the effort you made to actually become a father notwithstanding, a kid is not a minutia. You ready? Here you go: Harvey Specter treatment." Mike stood up, sweeping his jacket back with the fists he placed on his hips. "Here's what you're gonna do: you're going to go home tonight, you're going to take your kid out to dinner for pizza, you're going to tell him the PG version of why you never married his mother. You're going to tell him that you would have made an effort, and that as much as this was a surprise you're going to make the effort from now on. Finally, you tell him you sort of suck at emotions, so if he needs a shoulder that's why you have me."
Harvey took a long, slow breath in, and then out. "Fine."
"Fine?" Mike was honestly shocked. "I expect results, Harvey, none of this unemotional dicking around you're so fond of. This habit of you not giving a shit is really going to stunt your kid's emotional growth."
Harvey snorted, thankfully amused and not annoyed by Mike's declaration that so closely mirrored Harvey's usual complaints about Mike. "Get the hell out of here before I decide you're more trouble than you're worth."
Mike turned to leave.
"Wait, Mike." Mike waited. "He's smart?"
"Well he's no me, but yeah, he's pretty damn smart."
"So he's an idiot," Harvey answered, smirking again. "Mike... thanks."
Mike shoved his hands in his pockets and then shrugged, not quite certain what to do with the thanks. "I'll be at your condo at 6:30 tomorrow morning to pick up Hunter for his first day. Tell him he needs to wear a suit, he'll have his uniform to change in tomorrow and you want him to look nice."
"I don't want him to look like an idiot."
"No, you want him to look nice." When Mike thought the instruction might have finally sunk in, he turned and walked out of the office, leaving a confused Harvey in his wake, much to his own amusement.
Donna grabbed his arm as he breezed by her desk. "Did you break him?"
Mike glanced over his shoulder and saw Harvey, back to him, staring out the windows of his office, hands on his hips, obviously thinking. "Probably just a little. Nothing he can't handle. Can I ask you something?" Donna didn't object, which in Donna-speak was at least a slight approval. "Why didn't he dump Hunter on you?"
"What, because I'm a woman and therefore have a genetic predisposition to understanding small booger factories?" Donna did not sound pleased, which was really mostly an edge, but Mike could tell.
"No, because he's known you for over twenty times longer than me. I could have sold him for drugs and Harvey probably wouldn't have noticed for a week." Not that he would do that, but his point still stood. Anything Harvey thought he knew about Mike, he knew two dozen times better for Donna. "But he didn't ask because you hate kids. Got it."
"I don't hate kids, they are just small and annoying."
Answer telegraphed and received, Mike went back to his desk, shaking his head as he went. No wonder Harvey and Donna worked so well together, they had particularly complimentary damages. He wasn't sure what that made him, but he didn't care. He was the guy who was going to help Hunter get used to the weirdness that was having Harvey Specter in your life.