chapter warnings

no spoilers, cheating/affairs

Snow covered the ground and Harvey couldn't make the trip home from Donna's house. Although they were neighbors in the past, they now lived a thirty-minute bike ride apart. Donna's parents had separated in '89, because of her father's poor investment choices. He gambled with his investments, throwing away their life's savings. The rest of the Paulsens took the fall for his shortcomings. Donna's mother moved her family to the other side of town, and her father moved to Connecticut, far, far away from the rest of them. Luckily, the distance between Harvey's house and Donna's didn't stop him from biking over at least once a week. Unfortunately, it was the same stroke of luck that prevented him from going home tonight.

He had tried to bike home for about three minutes before realizing that the ice made his bike's wheels slide. Harvey turned back and made his way to the Paulsens'. Once he was at the door, he stuffed his freezing fingers in his pockets trying to find the house key. After the horrible divorce, the Specter boys took care of Mrs. Paulsen's new home and Donna while Mrs. Specter whisked Donna's mom off for a much-needed vacation. The key was given to him permanently- as a reminder of Mrs. Paulsen's thanks and the fact that he would always be welcomed in their home.

Once he found the key, he grinned in satisfaction as he unlocked the door. He took off his snow-soaked socks and shoes, gently placing them on the rug so he would not wet the floor, and went into the kitchen. Mrs. Paulsen was there, mixing a bowl of brownie batter, surprised to see that Harvey had returned.

"Not going home, I take it?" she asked.

"Yeah," Harvey murmured, embarrassed, "Do you mind if I sleep in the spare room?"

Mrs. Paulsen smiled warmly, "Of course. It's hardly a spare- it's practically yours."

"Yeah, I guess it is. Thanks for letting me keep my stuff here."

"It's no problem, Harvey. Don't forget to call your mother before you go to sleep, so she won't be worried."

He nodded and made his way upstairs to change his clothes.

Harvey stayed over at the Paulsens' a lot, not always because he had trouble with the weather, but because it was always better at the Paulsens'. His father was rarely home; he was always recording with his jazz group. At this moment, he was off in New York City making a new album about love at first sight. He was calling it Lily, after his wife. As for Harvey's mother, she was always out and about. She would go to concerts, parties, and practically any event if it meant that she wouldn't be home- she wasn't much of a homebody. Marcus, Harvey's younger brother, was always out with friends just like their mom. Harvey was left alone almost every night. The Paulsen household was different- it was welcoming and friendly. Even if it was only Donna and Jennifer- Donna's mom, they always treated Harvey as their own. Donna would watch the latest show Harvey was obsessed with quoting while Mrs. Paulsen would help him with his homework. It felt like the Paulsens were his real family at times. They filled the empty house with compassion and care.

After changing into his pajamas, which were baggy sweatpants and an old baseball t-shirt, he headed over to Donna's room. The redhead's door was closed, but Harvey could hear her reciting her lines through the door. Donna jumped in surprise when he opened the door without announcing himself. It was like she had seen a ghost.

Her eyes wide, like a deer in the headlights, and her eyebrows raised in confusion, she asked, "What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be biking yourself home?"

"It's way too cold for that," Harvey sassily rebuked, as he entered the threshold of the redhead's room. She kept her room in pristine condition, save for the thousands of playbills hanging on the walls.

She scoffed, "So? I don't want to see your dumb face for the rest of the night."

"Too bad, 'cause this dumb face is sleeping over," he grinned.

The redhead laughed and placed her script on her dresser. She knew that if he was sleeping over, that meant she was "forced" to spend more time with him. She grabbed her Yankees' pullover- something Harvey had gotten her when Mr. Specter finally had the time to take the two of them and Marcus down to the ballpark- and put it on as she left her room.

"Are we watching TV?" she asked, shoving Harvey out of her room as she shut the door. Her room was the only Harvey-free place in the world, she couldn't have him ruining her sanctuary.

"Duh."

"What's on tonight?"

"Star Trek. New episode," he beamed. Star Trek was his latest fixation.

The two made their way back downstairs, and the smell of brownies filled their noses. Making eye contact, they nodded and headed to the kitchen without an exchange of words. They didn't need to verbalize their desire for Jennifer's baked goodies.

Already sitting on the counter was a plateful of brownies. Donna snatched the edge pieces before Harvey could even set his eyes on them. All of his life, Donna always took the best parts of Mrs. Paulsen's snacks, and he was left with the sad pieces.

After taking his disappointing share, Harvey flopped down onto the couch beside Donna with a soft thud and yanked the remote from her. Although she protested, he shushed her as he surfed the channels until he found Star Trek. The two watched the episode and a few reruns of Full House before calling it a night. Then, eventually, redhead's eyes began to droop, and she leaned on Harvey for support. Fortunately for her, the brunet knew she would prefer to sleep on her bed, so he woke her up and forced her to go to bed.

The two said their goodnights as Donna made her way back up to her bedroom while Harvey went to the kitchen and called his mother on her cellphone.

"Hi Jen, what's up?" Lily asked, as she picked up the phone. A call from the Paulsen landline generally meant that Donna's mom wanted to chat.

"Uh. Hey mom, it's Harvey. I'm not coming home tonight."

"Oh, Harvey," his mother seemed to say with disappointment, "That's good. I was worried you were going to bike home in the cold. Marcus is at John's house tonight."

"What about you? Are you home?" he asked, curious if she had gone out for the night. It wouldn't be surprising if she had.

"Yeah. I'm not going home tonight either. See you in the morning?"

"I don't think I'll be home til later. I want to hang out with Donna some more."

"If you must, dear. See you in the afternoon, then."

"Okay," he said, as he took a glance out the window. It was still snowing. "Stay warm."

"Will do. You too. Good night, Harvey."

"Night."

As he went to hang up the phone, he swore he heard a male voice say "You done baby?"

He shrugged it off. It could've been the TV.

Snow plows rolled down the streets, clearing the roads and waking him up. Rolling over, he groaned as he opened his eyes. At first, he was confused by his surroundings, but quickly recalled that he had stayed the night at Donna's. He took a look at the clock; it was half-past seven. Usually, he would wake up at six, but he supposed that Mrs. Paulsen's brownies gave him a restful sleep. They truly tasted like a piece of heaven.

Harvey took a peek out of the window, noticing that the streets were clear and no more snow was falling. Even though he had said he would go home later in the day, he felt that he had overstayed his visit. He slipped out, after leaving a note on the kitchen counter giving Mrs. Paulsen his thanks.

After a cold and terrible thirty minutes, Harvey, with sweat freezing to his forehead, made it home. Before he even made it to the driveway, he noticed that there was a car pulled up to the front of his house. It was a nice car- an old, red Mustang. He didn't think much of it; sometimes cars would pull over in the neighborhood in order to check their maps or ask to use the telephone. However, as Harvey biked past it, he realized that no one was in the car. Whoever was in the car had wandered off somewhere.

Now, Harvey watched a lot of movies- too many, Mrs. Paulsen and his own mother said so- but this was peculiar even for reality. I could be the inspiration for Home Alone 2, he thought to himself. Why else would a vacant car be outside of his house? Harvey was home alone all the time, and obviously people didn't leave their cars unattended unless they were planning on scouting out a house to rob. Especially a nice Mustang like that one.

Harvey put down his bike on the side of his house as he snooped around the perimeter. If the neighbors were to look out of their windows, they would see a boy tiptoeing around the corner of the Specter household. If a parked car was weird, this was definitely stranger.

He stepped closer to the kitchen window, trying to get a view of the inside of the house without showing himself to anyone who might be inside. He saw his mother leaning over the counter, with her dress hiked up and scrunched at her chest as a man fucked her. Her eyes were shut in pleasure, and her lips moved as if she was calling out something. Luckily, through the glass, Harvey couldn't hear.

A nauseating feeling washed over the boy as a hand raised to his mouth, in an attempt to push back the bile that formed in his throat. He turned away, with his other hand gripping his stomach. He couldn't believe his eyes.
What the fuck?, he thought to himself, leaning back on the side of the house. He slid down slowly, before he finally sat on the wet, snowy grass. His pants got soaked, but he could hardly feel the frost due to the sickness which overcame him.

In a twisted curiosity, Harvey turned himself onto his knees and looked into the window once more. With a closer look, he recognized the man.

Bobby?

Harvey sat back down on the grass and shook his head frantically. At first, he thought he was seeing things, but with his second glance, it was pretty clear what was happening. Connecting the dots was particularly easy from there.

The car belonged to Bobby.

Bobby was a man that Harvey was familiar with. He was a family friend- his father's close friend, in fact. It definitely was not something he was expecting from Bobby, who seemed like such a nice man.

But his eyes weren't deceiving him. It was Bobby who was bending his mother over the kitchen counter in his house- in the Specter house.

The same kitchen counter that he and Marcus ate breakfast every morning. The same place where his father talked happily with his mother, exchanging "I love you"s, and sharing cake every time he came home from a trip.

She betrayed him. She betrayed his father. She betrayed the family.

How could she do this? How can she wake up and live with herself?

Harvey was not a naïve little boy- he was sixteen now- but his father had definitely been fooled. His father believed in love at first sight, soulmates, and the sanctimony of marriage. And yet, the woman he married was fucking another man under his nose. In his own home. It was vile, and Harvey felt like he was going to vomit.

What was he supposed to do? Interrupt them?

Donna's. I'm going to Donna's.

Immediately after what he witnessed, Harvey biked to Donna's house. It was his only place to go, for his home was ruined by his mother. He grabbed the shovel from the Paulsens' garage and began shoveling their driveway. Anything to get his mind off of that scene.

"Oh, hello. I don't remember hiring anyone to clean the driveway today," Donna laughed as she stood at the steps of her house. She was still in the pajamas that Harvey saw her in last night. At least one of them was relaxed.

Harvey rolled his eyes and said, "I do one thing out of the goodness of my heart and I'm attacked for it. Figures. What's that in your hands?"

"Well, for your services, I bear gifts," she declared dramatically, raising two cups of hot chocolate with marshmallows.

"Wow, I love you," Harvey remarked as he accepted the drink.

"I know," she joked, as she took a sip of her drink.

The two talked for a few more minutes before making their way to Donna's steps. They sat there, looking at the neighborhood before them, as well as Donna's half-cleared driveway.

The redhead smirked as she glanced over at her best friend, "You know, if you're going to clear our road for us, the least you can do is finish it."

"I didn't really want to in the first place, maybe I'll let you finish."

"Then why do it in the first place? You're an idiot, Harvey," Donna teased. She punched his shoulder gently, and he rolled his eyes.

He wondered if he should tell her. After all, Donna was his best friend. However, he felt as if he was standing at the edge of a cliff. If he admitted that his mother was an indecent, disgusting woman who let another man touch her, Harvey would be accepting defeat- he would rather hold a secret in than ruin his family. By never admitting or telling anybody about what he had seen, he would be stepping away from the brink. He remained silent.

"I just needed to get away from the house," he responded, with no emotion in his voice. He was building a wall between them. With every word, a brick was set down.

Donna looked into Harvey's eyes; they were sullen. She could tell he was hiding something from her. "So you biked thirty minutes from your house back to mine? There's definitely something wrong," she demanded, "What is it?"

"Nothing," he coldly replied.

"Really, Harvey? Because, if you wanted to spend time with me, you could just come in the house. You don't really have to do-" she gestured to the tossed-aside shovel, "all this."

"It's nothing," he snapped, "It's nothing, Donna! Can't I just do one nice thing without being interrogated? Stop prying when nothing's there."

He shook his head, frustrated. He hated when Donna got in his head, trying to look too closely. Usually, he would give her the time of day, but now was not the time. There was a wall protecting Harvey, and he would do anything to keep her from finding out.

With a sigh, he got up, indicating that the conversation was over. The brunet handed the empty mug back to Donna and nodded his thanks, before picking up his shovel. He would finish this and then return home.

Donna placed the empty mugs into the kitchen sink and began to rinse them. Occasionally, she would take a glance out the window to watch Harvey shovel the snow. Although the kindness wasn't surprising, the action was. Harvey hated shoveling the snow; the two used to rock-paper-scissors to determine who would clean each other's driveway when they were neighbors.

It was obvious that there was something going on, but Donna knew it was not her place to say something. She would have pressed more, but he had stood up-interrupting her train of thought- and rudely shoved the mug back into her hand. That was a sign that Harvey would be a baby and refuse to communicate like a proper human being. Eventually, she would force it out of him, but she knew now was not the time to.

There was no way around it.

She cheated on dad. No, she's cheating on dad.

Harvey laid in bed at home, as he listened to Wham! on his record player. It was way too happy for the occasion, but the rest of his records were downstairs in his dad's office. Going downstairs would mean that he would have to see his mother, that vile witch.

How could she live with herself? The moment Harvey saw, he was plagued with a weight on his shoulders which would not leave, no matter how hard he tried to forget. His mother had defiled their home, her marriage, and their family. What hurt the most was that she didn't have the courage to tell her husband that she no longer loved him.

Although he wanted to tell Donna everything as they sat on the steps, he knew he couldn't. Donna was his confidant; they told each other everything. She was the first person to find out that he had made the varsity baseball team as a starter. He was the first person to know that she scored a role as a second-tier character, despite only being a sophomore, in the spring play at school.

Unfortunately, this was between his mother and father. She had no business in knowing it. Hell, Harvey wish he didn't know either. Maybe his father knew and he supported it.

Okay, it's dad that we're talking about.

Mr. Specter would never accept an affair, and telling him would destroy him. It was ironic, Harvey thought, because his father was making an album about finding his true love. And yet, that same "true love" was sleeping with another man.

AUTHOR NOTES
Oops. This chapter was a bit long (2,900-ish words). I got a bit excited writing the whole thing. Exploring characters are so much fun, especially when you relate a lot to them. The chapters DO get longer from here on out, but hopefully you guys don't mind too much. If the length is too much, let me know. I can split them up!
(Consequently, that means you're going to have these stories drag out a whoooooole lot longer! I'm not posting more than 2x a month!)

I finished season 6 and now I'm on S7. I don't hate the dynamic that Harvey has with Dr. Asgard, but I also know that I'm not going to enjoy writing that crap when it comes around to it. Maybe this fic should just be canon divergent after a point just so I can avoid writing Paula's character. Or I should suck it up. Well, we'll cross that bridge when I get there. I'm currently working on another story as well, and you can check out previews for it on my Twitter- link in the bio! Okay, okay, back to the normal descriptions. My tangent was longer than usual this week, sorry!

Leave a review if you liked this chapter! Any and all comments are appreciated, especially criticism. It motivates me to work harder!

This fanfiction updates twice a month (no set day, it just updates twice a month).
Follow my Twitter ( nidavellir_) in order to get regular updates on my projects and upcoming stories. Also my fangirling.
The story is also uploaded to AO3 under the username "wrightworth."

TITLE INSPIRATION
Somebody Else by The 1975

CREDITS
Editor: Claire
My Muse, Motivator, Majesty: Sarah