A/N: Hey there! Am I posting another ficlet that turned in a fic and it's just fluff smutty? Of course.
Special thanks to Dani (Dany87_ on twitter and Dani.r.87 here on ff) for being my beta on this and correcting my bad grammar and for always being so kind and loving to me
And just a little note before the fic: I'm not entirely sure about the arrangement of some things in their rooms, but if something doesn't match the rooms in the show, I hope you can ignore it so my fic can make sense :)
UPDATE: I have decided to leave this fic as the first chapter of a series of one-shots set from season 9 onwards.
The Other Side
Set during season 9
The first few nights had naturally been spent in Donna's apartment, without even needing to discuss it. The truth is, they didn't care too much about where they slept, as long as they were together and as entangled with each other as possible.
But after the first two weeks, Donna starts feeling a bit uneasy about it, so she asks Harvey why they haven't slept at his place yet. She fears that he might be worried about her invading his space, but his answer turns out to be much simpler than she expected. "I just wanna be with you. I don't care where. But yeah, it'd be nice to sleep at my place tonight," he tells her with a goofy smile on his face, which makes her smile in return.
With his meticulous personality, Harvey had everything perfectly organized. He prepared the only dish he knew how to make, and despite its simplicity, Donna showered him with praise.
Taking advantage of the warm New York night, they dined on pasta with a spicy sauce under the moonlight on the expansive balcony of Harvey's condo. Harvey had even placed candles on the table, which Donna found absolutely adorable. They then shared Donna's favorite chocolates, nestled in each other's arms, with her sitting on his lap. They relished in their closeness and the gentle night breeze.
Harvey opened a bottle of champagne, a gift from a client, and they toasted in silence, both knowing that they were toasting to a future together. To Donna's surprise, he played one of her favorite songs on his record-player and they danced together, holding each other on the balcony. And as expected, that embrace eventually led them to fall onto the couch and make love.
It appeared to be the perfect night, almost like a scene from a romantic comedy, until they reached the bedroom.
After using the bathroom (Harvey is still getting used to her spending over 20 minutes in the bathroom every night. How many creams can she use?), Donna was the first to slip into bed wearing a silk nightgown. She propped herself up with some pillows, covered her legs, and started replying to a few messages while she waited for Harvey to join her.
However, when Harvey eventually emerged from the bathroom, Donna expected him to immediately slip into bed with her. To her surprise, Harvey seemed preoccupied with other tasks. He went to get a glass of water, checked his phone in the kitchen, emptied the dishwasher, prepared his clothes for the next day, and aimlessly paced around the room without any apparent purpose.
"Are you coming?" Donna asks with a warm smile, sensing that Harvey's behavior is unusual. In her apartment, he would eagerly jump into her bed as soon as possible, but maybe this is just his routine in his own condo... Even though it's strange.
"Yeah, of course," he replies, unable to refuse her request, and lies down on the empty side of the bed.
Donna immediately sets her phone aside and turns to face him, placing her arm under the pillow. "Are you okay?" she asks, lightly stroking his arm with her fingertips.
"Yes, I am," he answers, and they both turn off the nightstand lights. Donna finds it odd that Harvey doesn't even come close to her when it's dark. Although they've had a particularly busy day and have just had sex, so she figures he must be tired. However, it still feels peculiar to her.
"Harvey," she murmurs.
"Yeah?" he mutters in response.
"What's going on?"
He smiles at her. "Nothing, Donna."
"Are you sure?" she asks, leaning in to kiss his shoulder.
"I am."
"So... why do I feel like something is happening?"
Harvey awkwardly giggles. "I'm fine, Donna," he reassures her, sliding his hand down her back. "I'm just tired. Were you expecting more intimacy again? I'm sorry."
"No, it's not that," she replies, gently stroking his neck with her fingers. "The time we spent on the couch was really enjoyable. I didn't even notice that you were tired."
He smiles proudly. "Don't roll your eyes," he teases, hearing her laughter. "You already did."
"Maybe..." she giggles. "Have a good night, Harvey."
"You too, Donna," he says, leaning down to place a tender kiss on her lips.
The two of them settle down to sleep, and silence hangs in the air for several minutes. Donna remains convinced that something is amiss, but she can't quite put her finger on it, which only adds to her frustration. She wants to ask Harvey again, but deep down, she knows she'll receive the same answer. If something is bothering him, he doesn't want to share it, and that mentally unsettles her.
Restlessness, however, is not limited to Donna's mind only—it plagues Harvey physically as well. He tosses and turns in bed, adjusting the sheet, flipping the pillow, and changing positions every minute.
"Alright," Donna sighs and sits up in bed. "Will you please tell me what's going on? Because no one will be able to fall asleep like this."
"I'm just feeling really overwhelmed," he snorts. Nonetheless, Harvey knows he won't be able to keep the truth from her much longer. Her expression tells him that much.
"Harvey, I know you. Besides, we've been sharing a bed for two weeks. You've felt overwhelmed before, but you didn't act like this. I'm tired too, and I wanna sleep, but I can't with you turning this bed into a seismic event."
"A seismic event?" he chuckles.
"Well, maybe that's an exaggeration," she laughs along. "But seriously, Harvey. What's going on?"
He sits up too. "Alright," he nervously scratches his nape.
Donna furrows her brow. "Is it something serious?"
"Quite the opposite. You're going to laugh."
"I'm more confused than before, Harvey."
Harvey laughs, feeling embarrassed. "It's just that I'm uncomfortable. It's not because of you, it's just that I'm used to sleeping on the other side, and I can't get comfortable here."
Donna bursts into laughter. He was right. She was going to laugh. "Why didn't you tell me, Harvey?"
He shrugs his shoulders. "We slept this way at your place, and I thought you preferred the left side."
Donna laughs even harder. "Actually, I always sleep on the right side." Her laughter becomes uncontrollable.
"Are you kidding me?" Harvey laughs along with her.
"No, it's just that at my place, we naturally started sleeping like this, and I thought you were comfortable with it. I didn't mind switching sides, so I did. I even cleared out the right-side drawer for you."
"It's unbelievable," he responds, still laughing.
"It never bothered you at my place."
"No, because the window is on the other side."
"So, your issue is the window?"
"Sorry, I'm just a creature of habit."
Donna rolls her eyes. "No, you're just a picky man."
"Excuse me, what did you just say?" he asks, sounding mock-offended.
"That you're an incredibly picky man. Come on, Harvey, I'm a neat person, but you have your ties organized by color gradient!"
"I'll quote a woman I know very well: 'I don't apologize for who I am,'" Donna laughs again. "And you, madam... your dresses are organized by brand. Don't think I haven't noticed."
"Yeah, I'm not about to start apologizing now for who I am either."
"I didn't say you should. I'm just saying, don't criticize what you do."
Donna rolls her eyes. "And instead of tossing and turning in bed, you could've just told me these things!"
He laughs. "Okay, you're right."
"Of course, I'm right, you idiot."
"I'll let that aggression slide," Harvey says, his tone filled with amusement. "So, shall we switch places?"
"Yes, because I wanna sleep," she yawns. Harvey says nothing and simply pulls her closer, wrapping his arms and legs around her, as he turns them both on the bed to switch positions. "We could have just stood up and walked," Donna says, laughing.
"And where's the fun in that?" he replies, laughing as well, before sweetly kissing her lips.
She sighs, resting her head on the pillow. "I don't know, but what I do know is that the next time something like this happens, you can just tell me."
"Okay, I will," he murmurs, running his fingers down her arm. "Are you comfortable there?"
"I am. First, your mattress is absolutely amazing. Second, I can adapt to any side of the bed, unlike some people," Donna says, teasingly. Harvey chuckles. "Third, you're right by my side. So yes, I'm comfortable." He smirks and brushes a lock of hair away from her face, tucking it behind her ear.
"Do you like my mattress?"
"It feels like sleeping on a cloud... well, if I forget about the number of women who have slept here before me," she says, but there's no trace of anger in her voice. She's simply teasing him.
"Do you know what sets you apart from all those other women?"
"What?"
"That you're the only woman I ever wanted to sleep here with," he says, his tone filled with sincerity.
Donna is overwhelmed by Harvey's words, her heart swelling with love and happiness. "Harvey," she murmurs, gently stroking his jaw with her fingers.
"What?" he murmurs, holding her hand in his.
"I'm so grateful to be here, in your bed and with you."
"I'm grateful too, Donna," he responds, pressing a sweet kiss to the palm of her hand.
"You still haven't answered me. Are you comfortable?"
"Like a baby," he replies with a smile. "I apologize for the switch. Rest now."
"Don't worry, I needed you to stop moving," she tells him with a soft laugh, playfully brushing her leg against his with her toes. "Sleep now."
"You too," he responds, and they both settle into silence for a few moments, finding their comfortable positions to sleep. Then he whispers, "Donna..."
"Hmm?" she purrs, enjoying the intimacy of the moment.
"I love you," he says softly, his words making her smile.
"I love you too," she murmurs, and they instinctively move a little closer until their feet gently touch under the covers.
The next morning, Donna is the first to wake up. It's not because of the alarm or the sunlight streaming in through the window. Donna opens her eyes to find Harvey's arm draped over her, resting just above her breasts, and one of his legs positioned on top of hers. She rubs her eyes, feeling a bit disoriented since it's the first time she has woken up in Harvey's place. Blinking a few times, she adjusts to the morning light.
"Harvey…" she murmurs, gently playing with the short hair on his nape. "Hey, Harvey…" she continues to speak softly, but he doesn't respond, just purrs in his sleep. "Harvey, you're crushing me." She complains, feeling a bit uncomfortable. "Please, just move a little." She adds, shaking him gently to wake him up.
"What?" he mumbles, fast asleep.
"You're crushing me," Donna says as he lifts himself up a bit on his elbow. He thinks his elbow is on the mattress, but he's actually jabbing it into one of her breasts. "Harvey!" she complains again.
"I'm sorry," he says, realizing what's going on and moving quickly.
She squeezes her eyes shut, taking a deep breath now that she can. "The scandal you made so you could sleep on that side... Only to end up sleeping on my side and on top of me?"
Harvey giggles. "I'm attracted to you even when I'm asleep."
Donna giggles too. "You'll have to somehow make it up to me for waking me up like this."
"Yeah?" he murmurs, sliding his hand under her nightgown, trailing his fingers from her thighs to her abdomen.
"Is that all you think about?"
"Making love to you? Yeah," Harvey answers, nodding repeatedly.
She smirks. "And which side of the bed do you wanna do it on?"
Harvey laughs and swiftly climbs on top of her. "I don't care which side. I just wanna be on top of you."
"That's good because, at this time of day, I don't have the energy to be on top of you." She giggles.
He chuckles. "Yes, I've discovered that in the past two weeks." He says, seeking her lips with his.
"So, you sleep on the left side and you're the one doing the hard work during morning sex?" she says amidst the kiss.
"Yeah, that's me," he says with a smile. As his hand slides up her thigh, Donna fully accepts him into her mouth, and their tongues start dancing together.
Harvey slides Donna's nightgown up her upper body, removing it, and then, with a deliberate slowness that occasionally tests Donna's patience, he showers her entire body with kisses. He starts on her face, tracing a path down her neck and throat, reaching her collarbone, shoulders, arms, and hands. His lips then find their place on her breasts, lavishing kisses upon every inch. Harvey's kisses continue down her abdomen, lingering over her thighs, lower belly, and hip bones. It's as if the areas still covered by fabric are deemed off-limits. Just as Donna is about to voice her protest, Harvey slips his fingers beneath her underwear, sliding it down her legs and finally discarding her panties. He positions himself on his stomach between her legs, delivering a cascade of kisses to her core. The kisses evolve into gentle licks and soft bites, causing Donna to forget any lingering traces of annoyance from being awakened in such a manner. He persists until he pushes her to her limits, and she collapses onto the mattress, exhausted, reveling in the pleasurable aftershocks, while he resumes covering her entire body with kisses.
The sight of having Donna Paulsen in such a vulnerable position is more than enough to make him aroused. He swiftly removes his underwear and once again positions himself on top of her. He is still clad only in a black T-shirt, which she eagerly pulls off him. She wraps her legs around his hips, while he enters her with the help of his hand, filling her completely as he collapses on top of her.
"I see you don't mind me crushing you now, huh?" he teases her, planting kisses along the side of her neck.
Donna laughs and playfully kicks him on the butt with her heel. "Shut up. You still owe me something for waking up crushed under you."
"I just gave you something that seemed more than enough," he hums in her ear, beginning to move his hips against hers. "Harvey, Harvey," he gasps, mimicking the high-pitched tone Donna always has when she orgasms, and Donna can't help but burst into laughter.
"Moron!" she exclaims, digging her nails into his back.
"Was it bad?" he asks, lifting himself up slightly to increase the pace and to gaze at her. "Because you seemed to be enjoying it."
"It was good," she purrs, using her foot to push him until he fills her completely once again. "But I want another one."
"Okay, I guess I can do that," he replies.
"I'm sure you can," she moans, feeling her back involuntarily arch at his movements, as he slides in and out of her. "And shut up now," she says, placing her index finger on his lips, observing that mischievous smile. "Because if you brag about it, you'll owe me one more and we're already running late."
"I can give you another one in the shower, you know?" he murmurs, relishing being inside her.
She growls and pulls him towards her lips. "Start with this one," she demands, kissing him, effectively silencing him and urging him to truly make love to her.
The second orgasm proves to be even more intense than the first. Amidst the intoxicating haze of pleasure, Donna realizes she doesn't mind sleeping on the other side of the bed or being awakened by him crushing her. They have finally reached the other side of the long journey they had to traverse to be together, and that's all that matters to her. Being with Harvey.
You know I'd be very happy to read what you think about this :)