Knowing You

Category: S9 Darvey fluff with a tiny bit of hurt/comfort

Summary: Now they're in a relationship, Harvey takes a step forward with Donna, expressing his concern when he sees her putting the firm above her own needs.

...


...

Harvey stands in the doorway, staying silent as he watches Donna staring out the window of her office. He can see her reflection, and for a moment he thinks she might meet his gaze, but wherever her mind is, it doesn't seem conscious of his presence.

Clearing his throat, he knocks softly on the glass. It wouldn't be the first time he's startled her out of her thoughts this week. But, her vacancy is replaced by a content smile rather than surprise.

"Hey. Ready to go?"

He scratches the back of his neck awkwardly. "Can we talk?" It isn't just her zoning out that's been troubling him. There are other things he's noticed that he wants to bring up. Unfortunately, he's never been very good at serving up what's on his mind. Which is evident when her smile flickers.

"Of course."

He brushes his nose, something he does when he's nervous, and the action makes her uneasy as she sits down at her desk, motioning at the chair opposite her. He takes a seat, and she tries to relax. When they first got together, they hit a few speed bumps. But things have been great between them. So, she can't imagine there's anything too sinister waiting in the wings. "What is it you want to talk about?"

"You, actually."

She frowns, looking confused, and he is as well. Something's off. Nothing he can pinpoint exactly. By no stretch would he call her depressed or unhappy, and maybe he's overacting. But the last time his gut was unsettled, he discovered she was trying to deal with her Faye related problems alone. "I wanted to make sure you're okay."

Reading his odd behavior as concern, she's completely perplexed, but relieved. There's nothing wrong, aside from him thinking there could be, and she grins. "I'm fine, Harvey. Unless you know of a reason I shouldn't be?"

Her teasing smirk reassures him. Almost. It's not that he doesn't trust her, but he has been fooled by her acting in the past. "You've been sleeping a lot lately."

She snorts. "You've been keeping me up a lot lately."

"Tuesday and Thursday you skipped yoga."

"Which we more than made up for."

"You still haven't called your mother back."

"Can you blame me?"

"And the chocolate cheesecake from Aux Merveilleux de Fred has been sitting in the fridge for two nights. Two nights, Donna."

His emphasis on her favorite desert lasting more than an hour isn't lost on her. Sinking back, she takes his concern into consideration. She has been more tired recently. Exhausted, if she's honest. And she has been letting a few things slip, especially forgetting about cheesecake. "Huh. Maybe you have a point. Wait, you didn't throw it out, did you?"

"You think I have a death wish?" He clasps his hands together in his lap with a sigh, right back at square one. Not sure if she's genuinely surprised or deflecting him with easy banter. Either way, he has to start pulling at some threads if he's going to find out. "I thought maybe something had happened with Fayve."

"Nothing beyond the usual."

He bows his head in contemplation, and his sudden mention of Faye makes her realize why he isn't taking her assurance at face value. She kept him in the dark and glossed over a real apology. It's not fair to blame him for second guessing her.

Pushing up from her seat, she moves around the desk, leaning sheepishly in front of him. "I should have told you what was happening when Faye went after my vote. I let you down, and I'm sorry."

He glances up, and she chews the inside of her lip, still getting used to her everyday mistakes falling under his radar now. She's managed to hide her vulnerability in order to protect him. And she's guessing he got the wrong idea the last time he confronted her. "When I said I'd try to share more, I meant about the way I'm feeling. I'm not going to keep anything else from you, Harvey. You've proved I don't have to."

Her fingers wind around his hand, and she takes a deep breath. He is right about her not acting like herself, even if it's taken her until now to realize it. "Just to be safe, I'll make an appointment with my doctor tomorrow, okay?"

Even though her lack of energy is still troubling him, he feels a weight lift off his shoulders. He was afraid she was having difficulty opening up. But as someone who's spent years with ironclad locks around his heart, he wouldn't have judged her for needing time. "You could never let me down, Donna."

His lips skim her knuckles and she smirks. "Not even by shredding an important memo?"

Chucking softly, he tugs her forward, his palms landing at her waist. "Oh, so we're joking about that now?"

"Too soon?"

Around that time was when she told him she loved him like a family member, and he can't help but tease. "We should probably talk about the way you love your cousins. I don't think those relationships are healthy."

"Shut up."

She slaps his arm with a grin.

"Come on, let's go home."

...


...

The next morning Harvey is doing his best to distract himself while Donna is at the doctors, and failing miserably, until she finally appears in his office. Trying to channel his anxiety, he clutches the pen in his hand, the plastic splitting and biting his skin. "Hey. How'd it go?"

"You were right. They ran some tests, and I have mild anemia. That's why I've been so tired."

She stops at the edge of his desk, and any other time he would be smug, but he casually tosses the pen into his bin, overcome with relief.

"I need to take some supplements, but my energy levels should be back up in a couple of weeks."

Sitting on the flat surface, she stares at him curiously, and he relaxes his shoulders, shrugging. "What?"

She shakes her head. "I didn't notice anything was wrong. How did you?"

This time, he loosens the tension from his body with a proud smile. "Because I'm an amazing boyfriend who pays attention."

"And so humble about it, too."

"Well, twelve years has given me a head start on what to look for." He palms her knee with a gentle squeeze. "Like how you worry and forget to pay attention to your own needs. We'll find a way to deal with Faye, Donna."

"Before or after she burns this place to the ground?"

He raises an eyebrow, and she can see his point. Maybe she has been obsessing a little too much over the She-Devil. Embarrassed by his silent communication, her cheeks tickle pink as she covers his hand. Every day she's woken up in arms, he's managed to surprise her. And just when she thinks her heart might burst from all his sensitivity, more manages to sneak in. "Thank you, Harvey."

He smiles. "For what?"

"Knowing me better than I know myself."

She ghosts her lips over his mouth with a quick parting kiss, and he leans back, trailing her hips out of the room with a grin.

In some ways she's even more of a mystery since they got together. She's exceeded his expectations of what a healthy and happy relationship should look like.

They're not perfect, but they fit perfectly.

And he's loving every second of unraveling the mystery.