The moment his eyes flutter open they catch upon the morning sun beaming through the white, creamy netted curtains of Donna's chic yet elegant apartment and he admires the way it blankets her pale, smooth skin leaving it emanating an incandescent, godlike radiance. Despite only having been here twice - the other time and now - he realises this is something he'll never grow tired of.
His eyes absentmindedly trace the freckle-covered skin at her shoulder and he's got the sudden urge to reach out and touch her to make sure this is real - that she is real and here with him - but her face is masked with a tranquility and peacefulness that he hasn't seen for a while and as she breathes softly against his neck he decides to let her sleep.
There's a tingling numbness travelling down his arm from his left shoulder and his slow attempt to move is unsuccessful but the frown on his face falls as quickly as it appears when he realises the reason. Her head is resting on his shoulder with his arm naturally placed around her shoulders and coming to rest on the soft curve of her small waist. Her left hand remains intertwined - even through sleep - with his right hand and is placed on his chest directly above the soft, rhythmic beat of his heart. Their legs wrapped around each other in ways where one wouldn't be able to distinguish where one of them ended and the other began.
Somewhere along the lines of watching her sleep he comes to the welcome realisation that whilst for the past thirteen years he's always considered the firm to be someplace he's belonged, with her safely enveloped in his arms, he's finally home.
His first thought in the morning has always been of the firm but despite its rocky, uncertain state after Hardman's unwelcome resurfacing he hasn't once thought of it and he discovers he couldn't find an ounce of care. All he knows is that he never wants to leave the nest of solace, comfort and warmth he finds just simply being in her presence and he places a soft yet lingering kiss against her temple.
He notices she's beginning to awaken before she even stirs by the way her breathing shifts unevenly against his skin and his soft grip on her waist tightens slightly as he pulls her flush against him.
He can barely decipher her mumbled "hey" as she buries herself in the gap between his shoulder and his arm in an attempt to wane off the blazing intensity of the sun against her face, and he lets out a carefree chuckle before returning her greeting with a "good morning" of his own coupled with another gentle, chaste kiss against her forehead.
Harvey effortlessly turns onto his side whilst making no effort to entangle himself from her. There is a smile that is plastered threefold on his face and the way his eyes never once leaves hers warms the deepest corners of her heart. The way her skins flusters as he tucks the loose auburn curl behind her ear and traces the back of his hand down her jaw makes her delirious and leaves her effectively wanting more.
She's never seen this side of him and her mind instantly flashes back in a sleep induced effort to understand how ended up here, together. Suddenly, she's grabbing at the bedsheets and gripping them at chest level as she sits up and her face falls, no longer etched with the serene smile from mere moments ago. Her reaction surprises him and that's when Harvey sits up too, leaning against the headboard as he, on auto, softly clasps her hand as a source of comfort. She's scared and he's working his mind with a newfound curiosity as to why.
"Hey, you okay?", Harvey asks as he notices her face fall. There is a tear threatening to spill at the corner of her eye and before it can fall Harvey reaches up cup her cheek and brushes her flushed cheek with the soft pad of his thumb.
"Donna?", he breathes out softly but questioningly as his voice breaks at the fact that she's crying and thats amongst the few things that his heart painfully cannot take. His protectiveness towards Donna is always quick to kick in when she's hurt and his mind flashes to Stephen Huntley and he swears he can almost feel the pulsing sting of the broken lip from the punch he'd thrown back as retaliation. But this time he finds that he cannot for the sake of him discern what could be wrong and his face contorts into a look of concern.
"Im sorry Harvey, I'm so sorry". He's confused and he hopes his face is silently pleading with her to offer an explanation as to why she's apologising when he woke up this morning feeling as if he was drowning in a constant state of pure and unadulterated bliss.
"You almost lost everything because of me and I-", before she can even formulate her next words, his lips descend upon hers and her tongue slides against his in a heavenly mesh of thirteen years of blanketed feelings of love, desire and affection.
He lets out a breathy "you're everything Donna, you always have been and you always will be" as his lips part hers. He keeps their foreheads connected in an attempt to keep her close to him as his hand runs through her soft red tresses and settles at the base of her neck.
"If anyone should be sorry it should be me for taking so goddamn long to see what everyone else has always seen. Heck we could have been married with a house in the Hamptons and two strawberry blonde children with a beautiful mix of your grace, warmth and compassion and just enough of me to drive you crazy." And with that she's stumped. She could swear she's forgotten how to breathe because when she glances up to look at him she's met with nothing but the confidence thats so uniquely his and not a single trace of doubt.
Donna chokes back a sob and lets out a chuckles as her face breaks out into a smile. This is how he loves her; relaxed, free and happy. Her hand reaches up to cup his distinct jaw and her thumb brushes against his light stubble as it lingers there and she lifts her lips to meet his.
"I'm in love with you Donna." His voice is quiet but the words make their mark and she closes her eyes, letting the surreality of the words wash over her. She kisses him softly again.
"I love you Harvey" she whispers against his lips and he responds by drawing her back against his chest as he settles back down against the pillows. They share a knowing look and no other words are needed.
He's all in and so is she.
Forever was inevitable.