Usually, Harvey goes to the gym in the early mornings. He likes waking up and immediately getting his blood pumping. It makes him ready for long days at the office. With adrenaline still buzzing in his blood he can handle just about anything. An added bonus of working out during the mornings, is that he can spend his nights with Donna. And there is nothing he loves more than spending time with her.
Sometimes, however, there is no time in the mornings. Days in court always need a little extra preparation, and Mike tends to plan meetings earlier than Harvey would like. On those days, he makes his way to the gym when he's done at work. Especially after long, hard days in court he needs to blow off some steam. Other times, Donna has plans for dinner or drinks with Rachel or new friends she has made in their short time in Seattle. And rather than spending his nights alone, he goes to the gym while she is away, so he can spend his mornings with her instead.
This week has been hard. It's Thursday, but Harvey hasn't seen the inside of the gym all week. He managed to squeeze in a run on Tuesday morning, but he hasn't exercised any more than that. He gets restless, his body filled with excess energy. And Donna noticed – of course – so after dinner tonight she sent him to the gym, suggesting he'd try boxing to unwind. He had disagreed, he always prefers to be with her, but she had shaken her head. She had forced a smile and only then he saw the exhaustion written on her face. This week, she has been working even longer hours than he has, and neither of them is used to those never-ending days anymore.
So Harvey had gone to the gym and done exactly as she suggested. Now he is tired and aching all over, but in a good way – mostly. He pushes open the door to their apartment and quietly steps inside. The lights are off and it's quiet, just as he had expected. After Donna told him to go, he told her to go to bed, and he is glad she listened to him.
Donna lies on her back, listening to Harvey as he gets ready for bed. She had woken up when he got home, not because he was noisy doing so, but because somehow she always awakens on the rare occasions he gets back when she is already asleep. She doesn't get up, she's not sure if she's able to. She is in that easy, warm state between sleeping and being awake and she prefers for it to stay that way. With her eyes closed, she hears Harvey undress before going over to the bathroom. He brushes his teeth, dropping something at some point. The clang of whatever object he dropped against the sink startles her a little, but she stays in bed, waiting for him.
Harvey slides under the covers, and immediately Donna scoots over to him. He faintly smiles as he leans towards her. He presses his lips against her hair, "hey," he murmurs, "I thought you were sleeping." "I was," she tiredly replies. He chuckles softly, realizing she is still more asleep than awake. He twists and turns a little until he is comfortable. "What're you doing?" Donna mutters. He carefully wraps an arm around her, "nothing… Go to sleep. I love you." He pulls her a little closer and feels her nestling against him, "love you too." She breathes as she's drifting off again.
When the alarm goes off the next morning, Donna sleepily fumbles to quiet it. Then she reaches over to the other side of the bed, but there's only empty space where Harvey is supposed to be. She opens her eyes and spots him in front of the wardrobe, already wearing pants, but his shirt still unbuttoned. He makes his way back towards the bed and smiles at her when he lowers himself down, supporting himself with his left arm and reaching his right hand to cup her cheek. "Good morning," he leans in to kiss her softly, "how did you sleep? Are you feeling better?" He gently inquires. She runs her fingers through his hair, "I'm good," she smiles, "you're up early."
Donna didn't ask a question, but she made a statement in the unique way that makes him feel like he needs to answer anyway. He nods, brushing his fingers over her cheek, "couldn't sleep, and now I've got time to make you breakfast." His words make her smile, which is exactly what his intention was. "So," he leans in to kiss her again, "how about you take a shower, and when you're done I'll have freshly brewed coffee and maybe some pancakes for you."
"That sounds nice," Donna smiles. She quickly kisses Harvey and then she gets up. He follows her with his eyes as she makes her way to the bathroom. When he hears the water running, he gets up as well, buttoning his shirt and putting on his tie before getting into the kitchen.
After a quick shower, a slightly longer moment of deliberation on which dress to wear and some time in front of the mirror to apply makeup and fix her hair, Donna walks towards the kitchen. She's not wearing her heels yet, and her bare feet paddle across the hardwood floor almost soundlessly, giving her a chance to observe Harvey before he notices her. He's wearing an apron to protect his clean clothes and he's just putting pancakes onto a plate. She sneaks up behind him and wraps her arms around his waist, "hey," she smiles.
Harvey turns around and wraps his left arm around Donna, "that was fast. I should offer to cook you breakfast more often," he grins, as he slowly drapes his right arm around her waist as well. Donna smiles at that. She unties the apron behind Harvey's back and smooths her hands over his chest. His tie is a little off, and she straightens and tightens it a little, "perfect," she stands on her tiptoes and kisses him quickly, "now, it's time for pancakes."
After breakfast, Donna and Harvey make their way to the firm and then go their separate ways. Donna walks towards her office, Harvey walks on to the conference room, where he has an early meeting. She follows him with her eyes, watching as he shrugs on his jacket, fumbling to button it up using his left hand. Her brow furrows a little; that's weird for a right-handed guy. He has been acting a little strange all morning. Sweet, but he's a little off and she wonders what's going on with him.
During the day, Donna walks by Harvey's office a little more frequently than she usually does. A few times she pops in, other times she just walks past, looking through the open door to check in on him. To anyone else, he seems to be working just like any other day; typing away on his laptop, pacing his office making phone calls and meeting with Mike and Rachel to discuss cases. But Donna knows him better than anyone else and she knows something is not right.
Donna knows that even though Harvey uses his laptop when necessary, he prefers to use pen and paper, something she hasn't seen him do all day. And she knows that when he paces his office, it's never just pacing. He's always doing something else, holding something else. But not today, his right arm hanging limply by his side as he walks back and forth. And when he walks through the halls to get to a meeting, his hands are stuffed in his pockets, keeping his arms still.
"Harvey?" Near the end of the afternoon, Donna softly knocks on the door of his office, "do you have a second?" She asks when he looks up. He nods, after a second of hesitation, "what can I do for you?" She walks towards his desk, leaning against the edge of it as she looks at him, "that's what I wanted to ask you." She meets his eyes and he frowns, "you walked into my office, right?" He questions. "Yes, Harvey," she faintly smiles, "I wanted to check in on you. Are you okay?" She tilts her head slightly to the left, keeping her eyes on his.
"I'm fine," Harvey straightens a little. Donna immediately recognizes the move as the end of the conversation, and she slowly pushes up from the desk. She's even more sure he isn't okay, because this move is always accompanied by crossing his arms over his chest. Always, but not this time. But she decides not to push it, because pushing Harvey only makes him more defensive. "Okay," she forces a smile instead, "I'll finish a few things up, I'll be back later."
As Donna walks back towards her office, she pieces the bits of information she gathered today together. She had a feeling this morning that something wasn't right, but it has taken her all day to figure out what exactly wasn't right. However, now, she knows. Dropping something in the bathroom, tossing and turning to get comfortable in bed, getting up early but not buttoning his shirt yet, his slightly off tie, the hug with only his left arm, his left-handed button fumbling, the typing and pacing and keeping his hand in his pocket. His right shoulder got hurt boxing last night.
An hour and a half later, Donna wanders into Harvey's office again. She has finished her work and she's curious to see if he's ready to come home with her. He doesn't notice her at first, so she just stops and looks at him for a second. He has shrugged his jacket off, but he is still engrossed into whatever he is working on. He types a few words, this time only using his left hand – awkwardly fumbling over the keys.
Harvey looks up when Donna places a glass of water and two pills in front of him. "What's that?" She steps behind him, carefully resting her hands on his shoulders, "painkillers. Take them, Harvey." Her voice is soft, but it's definitely an order. He doesn't like people telling him what to do, but she's different and he gladly obliges. Next, her hands slide over his shoulders to his chest and she unbuttons the top two buttons of his shirt. Before he can call her out on inappropriate behavior at the office, she stops unbuttoning and instead slides her hands under his shirt, over his right shoulder. She starts off with gently stroking his warm skin, but slowly puts more pressure on it, using her fingers to tentatively poke at the muscles.
When Harvey lets out a soft groan, Donna knows she has hit the right spot. She focusses all her attention on his shoulder, on trying to relax the tense muscle and relieve some of his pain. He lets her, eventually leaning back in his chair. "Why didn't you say something?" Donna asks. Her question makes him sit a little straighter again. He reaches his left hand up and grabs her wrist, tugging at it softly. She stops massaging his shoulder and leans against his desk again, curiously looking at him.
Harvey rubs his thumb over the soft skin of Donna's forearm, "it's not that bad, it'll pass," he softly says, avoiding her gaze. She sighs and pulls her arm back, "still… you hid it from me, why?" The words are an accusation, but her voice is light. He meets her eyes, and sighs, "honestly? I don't know," he admits, "I didn't want you to worry…" She reaches for his hand again, "and you didn't want to be seen as weak?" She guesses. He lowers his eyes, "yeah," he murmurs, "it's not that bad," he says again, "I didn't want to make a big deal."
As soon as the words leave his mouth, Harvey knows it's stupid. By hiding it and avoiding Donna, he made it a big deal. And he knows she would never see him as weak for something like this. But hiding pain and vulnerability is deeply ingrained in his personality and that doesn't change overnight. "I'm glad you know," he looks up again and lightly smiles, "and I can't believe I was stupid enough to think I could hide something from you." She chuckles lightly, "you're an idiot."
The weight of the heavy day drops from Harvey's shoulders now that he is comfortably sitting with his wife. And his actual shoulder hurts a lot less after the painkillers and her gentle touches. He stands from his chair and pulls her against his chest. "I love you so much," he whispers as he buries his face against her neck. She slips her arms around his waist and clings onto him, "I love you too, even when you're a stubborn idiot." She tells him, a soft smirk on her face.
