Harvey has been happy. Truly, actually happy. It's like everything fell into place once they managed to push Faye out. Louis became managing partner again, Samantha got her job back, everything was settled with Mike. Harvey was finally breathing again, and it had a completely unexpected positive impact on their quality of life.
They have been going on more dates, sleeping in more often, he's taken her to Boston twice in as many months. He's been happy and Donna feels absolutely, utterly relieved.
Even silly things, things he never used to do, things she would never even be able to picture him doing, have been more often incorporated into their routines. He's been cooking more, and reading, and going to music festivals. He agreed to go with her to Sleep No More, which was a surprise in itself, and he always, always holds her hand when they go out now.
It's these types of things that have been going on lately that make her less susceptible to being thrown by his spontaneous outbursts. Like when they're eating dinner one night at his place and he suddenly gets up, puts on one of his father's records and pulls her up for a dance.
They spin around in his living room, making up dance routines and laughing. It's completely unlike him, unlike the old him. Maybe this is just the new him.
A few more songs go by and suddenly he pulls away, goes to the record player. She watches him rifle through his collection until he finds what he's looking for, a nondescript black cover. He puts the record on and it whizzes as he makes his way back to her.
Suddenly, a grave guitar begins. A few chords she doesn't immediately recognize, a different rhythm. She frowns up at him as he takes her in his arms, trying to figure out what could be going on. He just looks at her, face peaceful, calm.
Then Johnny Cash's voice comes on and a smile blooms stupidly on her lips. She likes country music. He doesn't, at all. And even if this song is not traditional country, it's still a far cry from what he usually listens to. And with the plain cover she's convinced he got this because of her. She grins and shakes her head at him, and he pulls her closer.
Donna brings her hand to the back of his neck, lets her cheek touch his, breathes him in. They sway slowly to the song and she feels so full, so filled with light.
His arm wraps more firmly around her waist and he kisses her temple. He's not usually very physical and she doesn't mind it, but she loves it whenever he has these moments. These moments where she's reminded that this is them now, that they can. So many years of holding back, of keeping herself from touching him at all costs.
They've left that behind and never looked back.
Cash is going on about first times and this feels just like that to her. The first times with him feel genuinely new and she's so grateful for that. It makes the time lost feel less relevant, like they can still rediscover themselves and each other and look forward to a lot of things together.
The music starts to die down and it's a mix of longing with the certainty that they'll have many more moments like these to come. He keeps swaying them in silence and she thinks he must have gotten this record made because no other song comes on, it was just that one. She doesn't mind, though, doesn't really need any music.
Suddenly, so quietly she can barely hear it at first, he whispers, "Marry me."
She tenses, her heart starts hammering in her chest and she knows he can feel it from how close they are. "What happened to 'You know we're gonna be together forever'?" she quips, stalls, just until she can get herself back in check.
He shrugs and she shakes a little with the motion. "Thought I'd give it another go. I'm still pretty sure I wouldn't be able to pull off your perfect proposal, but I figured I could probably do a little bit better than last time."
She chuckles silently and it hits her that they're still side by side, which feels like a stupid way to be standing when one's being proposed to. So she pulls away a little to look at him, to study him.
"What are you up to?" she narrows her eyes mock-skeptically. He mirrors her attitude, brows rising in challenge, "Why would I be up to something?"
"Because if I remember correctly, last time we talked about this you were all for no labels or whatever," she quirks a brow at him, fully aware she's using her know-it-all tone.
He purses his lips and tips his head to the side, "Yeah, well. I feel like recent events have granted me a reset."
She searches his eyes for that familiar sparkle from when he's joking around but all she finds is earnest. Her face softens and she's honest-to-God surprised. "You're serious about this?" she asks quietly, amusedly.
He chuckles breathily and pokes her side, "Just answer already."
Donna bites her lip, regards him and this whole situation. Never in a million years...
But that doesn't matter. What matters is from now on.
She leans in against his ear and whispers, "Yes". He smiles against her cheek and guides her to his lips. They kiss, and this feels so much like home she can barely breathe.
"For the record," she says, practically against his lips, "This is the perfect proposal." Harvey kisses her again, now slightly more clumsily because he's grinning and soon she's grinning too and this is totally the perfect proposal.
In their haste to tell people, they'll forget about the ring completely. They'll make love on his kitchen counter, still giggly, and then make love again in the shower. She'll clean things up as he puts the food away, and he'll go on and on about labels and terminology and last names like he can't stop.
He'll present the ring to her once she's snug under the covers and as he tells her the story behind it, the story of his mother, she'll love him more than she ever has.
They'll get married on a spring Saturday and it'll be tiny, nothing like anyone would expect from Harvey Specter and Donna Paulsen. Anyone who doesn't know them, at least. It'll just be her family, his, Mike, Rachel, Jessica and their friends from the firm, a small ceremony followed by a fancy dinner. The table will be big enough to sit everyone, but just small enough that they can all be close, and talk and laugh together.
They'll keep dancing in their living room, and riding to work together, and maintaining their weekly dates with no office talk allowed.
They'll keep being them and she'll know that this is, really, all she ever wanted.
A/N: Fun fact: this was the last fic I wrote and posted before Suits ended :) It was one of the two ways I thought the show could end (though I never actually pictured a proposal in the last ep, this would have been placed after the show). Thanks for reading!