Prompt #41 by littlepaulsen: "Pre-canon Darvey, after tot Harvey wants to kiss her Donna again but he's following her rules. They have a no PDA rule at the office but Harvey learns a mistletoe breaks both rules and sneaks it in everywhere with him (it could be post canon, so no following Donna's rules is required ️)"

Harvey stands in the doorway of his office, swirling the eggnog around his cup, as he watches the festive spectacle in the firm unfold. He would have preferred a Macallan 18, but his lovely redheaded secretary had pushed the cup of eggnog in his hands before he even had a chance to go to the bar. Harvey let his eyes wander around the foyer of the firm, filled with people mingling together, the place looked like a Christmas decor bomb had exploded all over, yet it still had a classy touch to represent the image of their prestige firm, especially with the beautifully decorated, huge Christmastree in the corner. While taking a sip, he thinks back to the talk with Jessica, who had forced him to attend, claiming he had to entertain his clients otherwise her wrath would fall upon him. He had grumbled something nasty anti-christmassy under his breath when she declared the news to him, but once he saw how much Donna was invested in the planning and saw her decorating said tree just days prior, the party didn't seem half as bad of an idea anymore. She was also there, gliding through all the mingling guests as if she owned the place, and his eyes couldn't help but follow her in that body hugging black and copper shiny dress. Ever since 'the other time' his mind is instantly filled with flashbacks of his hands on her, her pressed against him and most of all their kisses. Every kind of them, lust filled, hectic, on their necks and slow, sensual and soft on their lips. His body fills with warmth and yet a shiver runs through him, as he tries to shake it out of himself.

"Get yourself together." he mumbles to himself and visibly loosens his stance. With a last gulp he makes his way over to the foyer, just briefly stopping at the entrance doors to let some people pass.

"Harvey!" Louis' voice echoes over the white noise of people talking. The frantic waving lets Harvey unmistakably identify said colleague in the crowd, seeing how he tries to get closer to him.

"Louis." Harvey nods in greeting.

"Isn't it beautiful? So sparkly and christmassy." Louis gushes.

"You're jewish, Louis."

"Doesn't mean I cannot appreciate Donna's talent for creating this glorious atmosphere." his colleague counters.

"Okay, you're right about that…it's Donna after all." Harvey agrees and lets his eyes wander around the room again, searching for that familiar red hair, disappointed when he cannot spot her among the crowd as his colleague had interrupted his eyes trailing her.

"I heard my name with a compliment from Harvey." Her melodic voice sounds from behind him, he quickly turns around trying his hardest not to stumble and act like an idiot. But ever since they had that night together, he just cannot help himself and become one.

"Donna." He breathes her name.

"Harvey." There is a subtle smirk sitting on her lips, as she is staring up in his eyes and he swears he could get lost in her. He's trying to think of something witty to say, to enhance her smirk, maybe even seduce a laugh out of her, but life had a different plan.

"Louis." Their colleague adds his own name in the mix, clearly interrupting a moment he has not taken any notice in. "Now that we greeted one another, the next order of business, we need to find our clients' desires to fulfill their wishes." And just like that Harvey's mind escapes into his own desires, how he would rather have Louis go away and have his way with Donna right then and there. A hand loops itself around his arm, his body acting on his own and immediately offers his arm as she glides into his side.

"Good idea, Louis," Donna agrees, "why don't we split up and start on the other side of the foyer and you begin here." Louis has barely any time to nod agreeingly, when Donna pulls Harvey away, her body shaking with chuckles she tries to suppress.

"He really needs to work on his wording." She laughs.

"I don't know how he manages to survive any hearing, if that's something that spills out of him so seriously but yet so ambiguous." Harvey agrees, chuckling, leading Donna through the party to the other end of the foyer. He had originally wanted to go to the bar and finally get something real to drink, however, his eyes had caught something green hanging from the ceiling on the other end of the foyer. Suddenly his vivid memories had a possibility of becoming true again and, in his personal opinion, would not collide with Donna's rule of never speaking about it and doing it again, a loophole in their unofficial contract. And just like that his heart is beating a little faster in his chest, he feels like running a race and there is an excitement in him, he had not felt for a while. Like a man on a mission he weasels his way to the mistletoe and while he reaches his destination, all courage which led him to this exact moment had suddenly vanished. There he stood, with Donna still looped around his arm, under the mistletoe that could make his wildest dreams come true and what did he do? Nothing. Maybe Donna would notice herself, that they were standing underneath it? But minutes seemed to pass, her rambling on about something a client told her earlier while mingling. He registered her talking, caught the occasional word, replied accordingly with a small "hmm", "oh" and "really?" that kept her talking, yet all he could focus on were her lips moving. Where was the damn christmas miracle when you needed it, weren't all fairytales somehow filled with magical moments and happy endings? Why wasn't it happening for him, or well them, right now at this moment? Probably because you have to make a move, his inner voice told him.

"Harvey? Are you okay?" His thoughts get interrupted by the redhead playing the main role in his imaginary scenarios.

"Me? Yes, of course, why?" He hastily replies, hoping his face is not too flushed. Before he can worry too much about her overanalyzing his every move, like she usually does, his wished upon miracle of sorts happened. Well if you could call Louis crashing into Harvey with quite a force, spiraling Harvey, still connected with Donna forward, closer together. And suddenly their foreheads lightly bumped together, eyes closed from the slight shock, his nose is brushing hers now and the room around them faded into a quiet background as all he feels is her breath on his lips. This was the push he needed, quite literally, to finally lean even more into Donna and capture her lips tentatively, testing the water. Seconds feel like minutes as he holds a frozen Donna in his arms, their lips still connected while slowly but surely a panic creeps through his veins. Before he can pull away and blurt out an excuse of being drunk, her lips move and capture his' anew, deepening their kiss. His arms move around her body, pulling her closer than before, when he was just preventing her from falling, now he can't hold her close enough to him. His senses work in overdrive as they try to comprehend every movement, her hands, previously squished between their bodies, having made their way up. One arm loosely looped around his neck as the other cradles his jawline to guide their kiss. They barely register Louis' shocked "OH MY GOD"'s and "I need a day"'s, only parting from one another to catch a quick breath.

Opening his eyes, he stares in her mesmerizing hazel eyes, which are questioning his earlier move now.

"One hell of a mistletoe." He murmurs, not having loosened his hold on her at all. The raised eyebrow he gets in reply was predictable. "Can't say I'm sorry, because that would be a lie." He adds in lieu of replying.

"Huh.." She cocks her head to the side, mustering him some more but finding now indications of a lie. It is the most honest he allows himself to be right now with himself and her. "Can't say I am either." She adds after some time, leaning up to her tiptoes and pecks him lightly. "Mistletoe…we don't want any bad luck now do we?" Donna winks at him and glides out of his grip and disappears out of sight. He would be devastated if that was how this evening ended for him, but somehow the mistletoe became his favorite place to be that evening and he seemed to happen to bump into Donna quite often while being underneath said mistletoe. And suddenly finding the loophole to break Donna's rule never felt so good.

—-

2023:

"Harvey, stop it." Donna chuckles, trying to focus on her makeup but Harvey's lips on her neck are driving her insane.

"Don't want to." He shrugs and goes straight for her neck again, changing between fluttery kisses behind her ear down to her neck and teeth grazing her delicate skin. His hands slide down her sides and pull her against his chest. "I can't help myself, especially since you decided we won't show any PDA at the party later. So I figured it's best to get my fix now."

"First of all, we both agreed on that, Mister." She turns around and raises her eyebrow. It feels like deja vu to him, back to that first kiss after the other time. Where he was not ready to commit. He knew he wanted her, more than words could describe, but emotionally he was not nearly as ready and committed as he was now. Donna sensed she lost Harvey just after her first sentence and searches his gaze.

"Just thinking about that mistletoe kiss." He replies. They had gotten so much better at reading one another now, that he knew what she was asking with eyes. "You looked at me, like you did just now. And back then I could just admit to wanting to kiss you, but not why I wanted to… now I know it's because I love you. Even though I think that mistletoe kiss was more lust than love." He muses, not afraid one bit to declare his feelings for his wife.

"It was." Donna agrees. "On both sides though." She adds with a sheepish grin.

"So much for your rule." He laughs.

"Some are meant to be broken." She shrugs with a smile. "And if i remember correctly you made quite a tradition of those mistletoe meetings." And she was right about that. Her parting peck on that first night had given him the green light and started a tradition of sorts. Every following Christmas party hosted by the office Harvey had attended, (fake) grumbling of needing to attend with Jessica, yet giddy if last year's moments repeated themselves. And they did repeat themself, Donna and Harvey found themselves underneath a mistletoe at every party at least once. They even made it underneath the green twig those years they were in relationships with other people even, as bad that may sound. Surely they would limit the encounter to once, only to make up for it during the years where none of them were taken. Each year trumping the record of how many times they would meet underneath.

"I still don't know why we should go with the no PDA rule and you know just as well as I do, that I only agreed because my mind was very much otherwise occupied when you asked." He squeezed her hips, no shame in calling her out for taking advantage of him.

"Just because we're married, doesn't mean we have to make out in front of the firm and its clients the whole time."

"It wouldn't be the whole time." He shrugs, but after her look at him sheepishly agrees. "Okay, maybe most of the time. But it doesn't matter, it's not our firm and clients anymore and we're just attending for our friends." He tries to argue.

"Who want to see and talk with us, not watch us smooch."

"Well, I beg to differ. Louis is going to have a field trip again."

"Harvey" She warns.

"Okay, fine.. no PDA." He quickly pecks her lips. "but just because I love you."

"I love you too." She cradles his jaw and pulls him back in a deeper kiss. "Now go and get ready." And that they did, for the annual Christmas party of Litt Wheeler Williams Bennett.

Needless to say, the previously agreed on 'No PDA rule' was thrown out of the window, when Harvey spotted one of many mistletoes throughout the foyer, making it his life mission to pull Donna underneath each and every mistletoe hanging in that office space. After a while she catches on with his plan and just goes with it.

"So much for 'No PDA'" He chuckles while they are dancing with the other couples on the small space.

"It's our tradition, can't suddenly stop now." She leans her head against his shoulder and he agrees with a soft "mhmm" and grazes his lips against her forehead in a small kiss. "Though I must admit, those mistletoes seem to have multiplied quite a bit…care to explain?"

"Louis must be into them." He says.

"Louis eh?"

"Well…maybe he asked me…and I may have underestimated the space, so the number escalated a bit."

"We've worked here over 12 years and you're telling me you forgot how big or small this office space is?" The smile can be heard in her voice

"Busted." He gives in, leaning down to kiss her softly. "But it's tradition to break the rules…so maybe I made a plan to do so after you convinced me of no PDA."

"Ever the lawyer." She chuckles at her husband's antics.

"You love it."

"I do." She sighs happily.