So! This is my first attempt at writing a story for Suits... Ever since I've started watching the show, I've been hooked on Harvey and Donna. This piece doesn't take place in any specific part of the story. I hope you all enjoy it, feedback is always much appreciated.
Special thanks to my friend Oh Moneypenny for helping me out with beta work, you were amazing! And thanks to Mafer, who got me hooked on Suits!
When the rain is blowing in your face
And the whole world is on your case
I could offer you a warm embrace
To make you feel my love…
Harvey blinked repeatedly, trying to make tired eyes focus on the piece of paper in front of him. He had been working late for three nights in a row now and it was nearly half past midnight. He was massaging his temples when his eyes caught sight of a cascade of red just outside his office door, startling him. Realizing it was just Donna, he came back to reality, relaxing again.
After so many years, Harvey wasn't really surprised to see her there at such late hour; but her sense of loyalty and companionship still filled him with pride and adoration. He had made the right choice. They both had. Years before, when they had decided to overcome whatever went on between them and focus solely on the work, he hadn't imagined in his wildest dreams that it would work out so perfectly. Donna was like his better half, the one person who could understand him and support him, even when she disagreed with him.
She deserved a new Marni bag, Harvey decided, no, she deserved two. A discrete grin formed on Harvey's lips, possibly for the first time that day. He was feeling a little down: after long weeks of hard work, he had finally won on a big multi-million dollar case, but all the way through he couldn't help but feel like he was robbing an innocent family of their inheritance. A very wealthy man had made some very bad choices, and because of it and the company Harvey had represented, his wife and three children wouldn't have a single penny in their bank accounts the next morning.
That kind of situation was part of the job, and over the years, Harvey had learned how to get used to them. He had also mastered the art of shielding himself against them and it made him comfortable to think that nothing could get to him and destroy the wall he had so carefully built. He was a heartless, ruthless closer, the best New York City had ever seen, and if that cost his sensibility and a bit of his humanity, he thought it was a fair price to pay. He also didn't care one bit about how that made him look to other people, because only he and he alone knew how hard he had worked to get to where he was.
Harvey got up and poured a measure of single malt whisky in two glasses just as she entered his office. It was the third glass he was going to have that night, and he felt like sharing some of it.
"Right on time," He teased, handing the extra glass to her, "As always."
"Twelve years later and you still try to get me drunk every time you get the chance," Donna replied, handing him a few files that needed his signature.
Harvey took them to his desk and began scanning them while Donna made herself comfortable on his couch. They sat quietly for a while, both enjoying the taste of the whisky Harvey had opened especially for that night.
"How long ago did Mike go home?" Harvey asked casually, "Did he get to finish the research on the Skylab case?"
"How would I know?" Donna frowned, drinking from her glass, "And he went home about two hours ago."
"You're Donna, you know everything," Harvey quoted and she laughed.
"He did finish it, yes."
The sound of her laughter made Harvey turn his head up and look at her. He always felt happy when she laughed, but the scene had been repeating itself for so many years now that he barely noticed how it made him feel anymore.
"Ok, so we're done," Harvey closed the folder on his desk, "Can you call me a cab? I sent Ray home hours ago. I can drop you off on the way if you want." He wanted to get out of the office and forget about the day he had had as soon as possible.
Donna went to her cubicle to do as she was told, and Harvey took out his cell phone to check the hour. Next to the digital clock, he noticed the date too.
"Oh shit," He said out lout.
It was Donna's birthday! It had been her birthday for the past hour, but he had completely forgotten. Usually, on her birthdays, he made sure there was a present waiting for her on her desk when she arrived in the morning, and occasionally, when work allowed, they went out to dinner together. Harvey had never treated it as a big deal, because Donna wasn't that kind of person either and usually, just the fact he remembered was good enough for her. But having completely forgotten, it made him feel guilty. It was almost 1 am on a Friday and he couldn't take her anywhere and pretend he had planned it all along. He also couldn't just pretend he didn't remember it because he wasn't going to see her the next morning.
"Are you just going to stand there all night?" Donna's head popped in his office, "I need to get some sleep. Come on, let's go"
Donna knew something was up when she noticed how serious he looked, with a frown on his forehead, looking distant. Harvey was usually inexpressive and very reserved, and she knew him too well for his own sake.
"What's on your mind?" She asked, entering his office.
"I forgot something," He answered honestly.
"This case really got to you, didn't it?" She sat down, giving him room to talk, "Wanna talk about it?"
Harvey looked at her with absolute aversion.
"Clearly not," She read the answer on his face, "I should have guessed."
"Can we just have another glass?" He pointed to the bottle of whisky and before she could reply, he poured himself another glass and emptied half of it with just one sip.
"I think you've had a bit too much already," She took the glass from his hand, "What's going on? You're not acting like yourself tonight."
Harvey couldn't tell her that, on the inside, he felt crushed. The look in that little boy's eye when his mother told him the decision from the court was something Harvey would never forget. The kid had just lost his dad, and then, everything his family had too. Harvey couldn't, wouldn't, forget it, because he was that little boy. Or had been. Once. And now, he was the guy that destroyed families, just like his own had been destroyed.
"Happy birthday."
Donna looked into his eyes, a discrete smile forming on the corner of her lips.
"I honestly hope this is not what you're beating yourself up about," She joked, trying to lighten up the atmosphere between them, "Thanks."
"I didn't get you anything…"
Donna knew that was his way of apologizing. She knew he had forgotten her birthday, which was unusual, but she also knew he had been too involved with his cases in the past weeks to think of anything else other than work, so she didn't take it personally.
"You'll have plenty of time to choose something carefully for me now," Donna smiled, "Something expensive."
Harvey looked at her and felt even worse. She was a great professional, and more than that, she was a great friend. He had forgotten her birthday and instead of acting all hurt and sensitive, something she knew he would despise, she was making jokes about it.
Donna waited for him to say something, but he didn't. She felt a bit awkward, because like her, Harvey always had a reply to everything. She had seen him hurt before, but whatever happened with that case, it had hit him hard. She just wanted to help him and get through to him, but she didn't know how.
"You deserve more than just something expensive," He stated, honestly.
Harvey took one step closer to her, but stopped. He was starting to let alcohol speak for him and make his decisions, and he held himself back before he did anything stupid.
"I feel really bad for not remembering," He stated the obvious.
Donna knew he felt really bad for other reasons too, but he didn't want to share it, and she wasn't going to push it. So she just stretched out her arm and caught his hand.
"I know," She whispered.
Before Harvey could digest the meaning of that gesture, she took one step closer and wrapped her arms around him.
Harvey's whole body stiffened. During all those years with Donna, they had touched several times, but never like this. When she passed him coffee or papers, their hands would occasionally touch, and he had even danced with her a few times at company events, but always keeping a safe distance. This wasn't like anything he had ever experienced before.
He held a lot of beautiful women in his arms, women he met at events, or picked up in bars. Their embraces were always filled with sexual motive and intensity, but Harvey couldn't remember the last time he had hugged someone out of comfort, or love. Or both. He wasn't sure he had ever done it.
He didn't dare to break the embrace. Slowly, he moved his hands up her waist, wrapping her in his arms too. Donna's head was in the crook of his neck and because of that, he could breathe her in, and feel the amazing smell of her hair. God, she felt so soft and smelled so good…
That was exactly why he had decided they couldn't be anything more than just colleagues, Harvey remembered. Donna was a threat, a threat to his security and the guarantee he would never have to feel vulnerable again.
He then felt Donna's hand running through his hair, at the same time, he felt her breathing was on his neck. Why did it have to be this hard? He had asked – no, he had told her that there could never be a 'we' between the two of them. She could never hear from his mouth what she really meant to him, because he had made a promise to himself years before that they would never be anything more than friends and co-workers, and he was sticking to his choice, no matter how painful it was.
"I know…" Donna's soft whisper hit him on the neck. She was trying to comfort him, Harvey realized. "I know."
She started to pull back, but Harvey didn't let her.
"We made the right choice." He said, more to himself than to her.
They stood there, wrapped in each other's arms for a few long seconds.
"You always do," Donna pulled her head back and rested her hand on his cheek. Even after so many years, it had hurt her too, Harvey realized.
He watched as she slowly moved in his direction and gently kissed him on the cheek. It was a quick, innocent kiss, but enough to make him have second thoughts.
"What was that?" He asked, numb by the effects of the whisky and the sudden, intimate contact with her.
"My birthday present," She replied and then finally let go. "But if you want to you're your executive assistant really happy, you could take me to dinner. I am starving."
"Donna, it's nearly 1 am."
"We're in New York," She reminded him, "You can figure something out."
Harvey smiled and she knew she had won. Suddenly, he didn't feel so crushed anymore.
"What?" She asked, finding it hard to stop the urge of smiling back to him.
"Nothing," Harvey pulled himself back together, but kept a smirk on his face.
Stretching out her hand for him to take it, she smiled once again. Harvey took her hand and followed her.
They didn't need words to tell each other how they felt. They had never needed to. After all, she was Donna.
She just knew.
I could make you happy, make your dreams come true
Nothing that I wouldn't do…
Go to the ends of the Earth for you
To make you feel my love,
To make you feel my love…
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