Prompt #18 by sarymary715: "Precanon: Donna and Harvey are separately headed to their respective families for Christmas. All flights are suddenly canceled due to weather, and in order to try to get the next flight out they both decide to stay at the airport all night, unbeknownst to each other. Early into the evening they run into each other and as the night unfolds, somehow, they end up confessing their feelings and getting together…whatever way you choose. (It would be awesome if you fast forward at the end to a few years later when they are married with or without kids and traveling via airport at Christmas again…and they reminisce or relive some part of their past airport experience)"


"Attention all passengers of United Airlines flight number UA 1956, please come to the service desk for an important announcement regarding your flight. Thank you."

Harvey huffs, holding his phone mid-flip on his thigh, and gathers every last ounce of courage and patience he has to stand up from his bench and make his way to the service desk. He can practically bet what this "important announcement" will be, and annoyance starts to beat even more strongly inside of him. It is just his luck that now that he finally made peace with his family, with this being only the second Christmas he would be spending with them in over twenty years, it would be impossible to get out of New York.

As he walks over, he scowls at the seven billion people swarming around him at the airport and braces for the worst. If push comes to shove, he can survive spending Christmas at home alone, it's what he was used to doing for decades, after all. But this year he just... really didn't want to. For starters, because Marcus' divorce hit his brother hard, and he wants to be there to support him, especially since the kids are meant to spend Christmas Eve with Katie. And a second, almost just as important reason, is because his developments with his mother, his brother's failed marriage and everything that happened in the past year have made him realize he doesn't want to be alone anymore. He wants a family, in whatever form that may be, and Christmas seems like an especially meaningful moment for that.

Once he reaches the desk, already as sour as they come, he is greeted by a stocky woman in her 60s with blonde hair and a name tag that reads "Shirley". The woman is almost drowning amidst all the other passengers, and he sullenly wonders how well this woman could fare against all of these customers combined if it came to it.

"Good evening, everyone!" the woman announces cheerfully, clearly out of tune with her audience. "There has been a mishap. Due to blizzards upstate, some routes had to be reworked and your flight was unfortunately canceled." Harvey feels a vein pulse dangerously on his temple as he grinds his teeth; around him, a choir of groans and complaints erupts.

"However!" Shirley continues a little stridently, her professional veneer clearly cracking under all this pressure, "There might be vacancies on another flight early tomorrow morning on a first come, first serve basis. We ask all passengers interested in the swap to form a line right here so we can take down names for pre-reservations. Definitive check will only be confirmed tomorrow morning at 5 a.m., however, so we recommend you get here early to ensure a spot. For those not interested, we will be offering full refunds for this flight's tickets."

Huh. Harvey quirks a brow, processing the information. Obviously it's not great to have his plans forcibly changed, but he chose to go on the 23rd instead of the 24th exactly in order to avoid the possibility of any mishaps ruining his Christmas, so he supposes it's not too bad to go tomorrow morning instead, especially if the flight leaves at 6 a.m.

The only question is whether he should head home and come back in the morning, or if he should just stay here. It's nearing 10 p.m. and, with the snow, he imagines it will take him well over an hour to reach his condo. Plus, he would have to be here before 5 a.m. to make sure he manages to snag a spot at the new flight, because there's no way he's missing Christmas with his family now that they're finally on good terms.

As he stands in line to sign up for the swap, he decides it's better to just stay there and nap in the Amex lounge than to go through the hassle of going home. He'll just have to survive the next seven hours and then he'll be in Boston.

...

Donna jiggles her leg, checks the gate and flight number on the screen and then fishes out her place ticket to confirm whether she's in the right place. She is, of course - she doesn't really think there could be two flights leaving to Connecticut at the same time by the same airline. But anxiety is flaring up inside of her and she still prefers to be safe than sorry.

There is no mistaking the situation, though: there is probably something wrong with her flight.

She usually takes the train home for Christmas, much easier and more reliable, but with the merger at the firm and lease renewal discussions and a million other things, she forgot to book a ticket earlier and they were sold out by the time she tried to buy one, so plane it was.

Except it seems not even this is going to work out, as she sees the flashing red "To be announced" notice on the screen.

Eventually, her nerves get the best of her and she approaches the closest American Airlines employee.

"Hi, there seems to be a problem with my flight, could you tell me what's happening, please?" Donna requests anxiously, resisting the urge to tap her fingers on the counter.

"Of course," the employee - Matt, apparently - replies amicably. He taps away at his computer, asks for her name and ticket number, and then grimaces a little. "Right. It seems this flight has been overbooked. You've been transferred to another flight tomorrow at 3 p.m."

Donna's heart drops. "What?! And you simply weren't going to say anything?"

Matt grimaces again. "I think the staff is a bit overwhelmed at the moment. But yeah, that's all the information I have here."

"But I can't wait until then," Donna replies hurriedly. She'd scheduled lunch with her cousins tomorrow, cousins she hasn't seen in years and who won't attend her parents' Christmas Eve dinner, and she doesn't want to miss out on seeing them because of a stupid airline's mistake.

"Well, we have another flight leaving at 7 a.m., the passengers from your current flight that got transferred to tomorrow got randomly reassigned between the 7 a.m. and the 3 p.m. options. You can always try to talk to other passengers and see if someone agrees to swap with you," the guy shrugs, trying to be sympathetic, but Donna wants to strangle him.

"And if no one does?"

"I'm sorry, ma'am, that's the best I can offer you right now, but I can check with my supervisor and have an answer for you in the next hour."

Donna huffs, extremely annoyed, and shakes her head at the utter incompetence. She loves Christmas, and getting to go home to her family is one of her favorite things and something she eagerly awaits every year, especially since she became COO and has had even less free time to visit her parents, so for something to throw a wrench into that is pretty upsetting.

She takes her carry-on and starts making the rounds, asking the people waiting for her flight whether they'd be willing to swap. Everyone she meets is either lucky enough to still be on for this flight, also stuck with her on the 4 p.m. one, or unwilling or unable to swap.

She speaks to about fifteen people before her frustration boils dangerously close to a meltdown and she decides to take a break before she starts screaming at strangers. Maybe dropping her luggage at the Amex lounge storage and going for a leisurely walk might help clear her head a bit.

...

"Donna?"

Harvey has been sitting in the lounge for about twenty minutes, checking out his latest e-mails, when a flash of red in his peripheral catches his attention.

She turns instantly. "Harvey, hey!"

He walks over to her, completely surprised by this turn of events. "What are you doing here?"

"Well, I was supposed to be getting on my flight to Connecticut but unfortunately it's overbooked," she smiles defeatedly, readjusting her grip on the carry-on handle.

"Shit, that sucks, I'm sorry," he frowns, genuinely feeling for her because he knows how much Donna loves Christmas.

"Yeah," she tips her head, "They reassigned me to another flight at 4 p.m. tomorrow but I'm trying to see if I can get on an earlier one. How about you? I thought your flight was supposed to have left already as well?"

It doesn't surprise him that Donna would know his flight time even after she's stopped being his secretary, and he smirks a little at that. "Yeah, mine got canceled too, I got a new one for tomorrow morning."

"Ugh, I'm sorry," she grimaces sympathetically, "Will that mess up your Christmas plans?"

"Not really, I was pretty lucky," he shrugs, trying not to be insensitive.

"Well, I'm glad at least one of us is going to be able to get home on time," she commiserates playfully before a lounge staff member comes to collect her bag.

"You wanna sit down for a second and have a glass of something to unwind? I think they just restocked the food," Harvey offers, pointing his thumb behind him, feeling like that's the least he can do to help cheer Donna up.

"That's actually not a bad idea," she grins, though it comes out tired, and he clears the way for her, hoping warm dinner and some wine can lift her spirit.

They get some appetizers and a bowl of pasta and sit down at an empty table. They start by catching each other up on the latest work developments, then move on to their respective families, with Harvey telling her about Marcus and the kids and Donna telling him about her parents and the cousins she's hoping to still be able to have lunch with tomorrow. He is beyond relieved to have gotten a sense of normalcy back in his relationship with Donna; he missed her terribly when they were distant, and by far the best thing about this year has been them managing to reconnect and allow each other closer again. It's something he hopes never to lose ever again.

They move on to news from Mike and Rachel and Seattle, and Donna is thankfully looking more relaxed. Even though her problem has yet to be fixed, he's glad he's managing to take her mind off of it for a moment, because she was looking pretty distressed when he first saw her.

He excuses himself to get some dessert and makes his way to the buffet. Once he gets there, he finds a blonde woman clearly overwhelmed as she rocks a crying baby in her arms and attempts to serve a scoop of ice cream into a bowl as a young girl tugs agitatedly on her pant leg and begs for the ice cream again and again.

"Need some help?" Harvey offers, taking pity on the woman when the dollop of ice cream slides right down onto the counter instead of the bowl she was aiming for.

"Oh God, please," the woman pleads, letting him take the scoop as she tries to make her baby settle down. "Sorry about this, it is way past their bedtime and it gets impossible to handle them when they're like this."

"Don't worry, I was close to a tantrum myself an hour ago," he replies good-naturely. "Want me to bring this to your table?" he offers once he eyes her picking up a plate of fruit in addition to the kids and the bowl he's golding.

"That would be great, thank you," the woman smiles gratefully and leads the way. He follows her, helping her set everything down once they reach the table, and asks her if she needs anything else.

"No, thank you, you were a life-saver," the woman thanks him again. "My husband is already in Connecticut waiting for us and this trip should have been easy enough but it's quickly turning into a nightmare."

At the mention of Donna's destination, Harvey quirks a brow. "Connecticut? So you were on the overbooked flight?"

"Yeah," the woman rearranges the baby in her arms, "I bought that ticket specifically thinking about their nap hours, and now I have to wait here with them until 7 a.m. because it's just too many logistics to go back home with the two of them and come back again just a few hours from now."

"Listen, I don't know if it would help, but my friend was on the same flight as you and she got reassigned to the 4 p.m. flight. Would you maybe like to swap places with her? She's looking to get on the 7 a.m. one but no one's been willing to swap so far. That way you'd have enough time to go home and get some sleep before coming back," Harvey offers without even thinking, hoping the woman will say yes so he can give Donna some good news.

The woman checks her watch. "I... Actually, I think that might work. Let me just call my husband."

Harvey hangs back as she talks on the phone, hoping she'll say yes, and when she looks at him and nods he can't help but fist-bump the air a little bit.

"Okay, we're good to go," she tells him when she hangs up, "Can't believe I'll finally be able to get out of here and get these two into a proper bed."

"Great! Let me bring her over," he tells her, then hurries back to where Donna was sitting.

"Hey, what took you so long?" she lifts her brows when he reaches her.

"I found someone who's willing to swap flights with you," he tells her triumphantly, not even bothering to hide the proud tone to his voice even though he didn't really do much.

"Really?!" Donna perks up instantly.

"Really. Come on, I'll take you to her so you can iron it out," he nods towards the woman and Donna instantly gets up, trailing after him.

From then on, the swap is pretty simple: Harvey and Donna help the woman shepherd the kids towards the nearest service desk and they process the change in a minute and then it's all done, Donna is feeling a million pounds lighter and the woman is thrilled to be able to go home and come back at a more reasonable hour.

"So, what now?" Harvey asks her once they reach the lounge again.

"I guess I go home?" she asks dubiously, checking her watch to see it's already half past eleven.

"Or...," he buries his hands in his pockets, suddenly feeling a little bashful, "You could stay here, wait it out. I'm staying too. We could have a little pre-Christmas celebration."

"I'm not sure I can handle all-nighters anymore, Harvey," Donna chuckles, though it's good-natured.

"We can nap in here later," he suggests. "It's not like you're going to get that much sleep if you go home anyway."

Donna checks her watch again, doing the math. There's not much traffic right now, but it would still take her about an hour to get home. She'd need to be here before 6 a.m. tomorrow, meaning she'd have to leave before 5 a.m., and wake up at 4.30 at most, which would leave her... less than four hours of sleep. And a lot of trouble.

The prospect of a night spent awake at the airport is a daunting one, but the alternative isn't much better, and at least this way she'd have company. And, truth be told, she misses Harvey. They have been better at spending time together lately, but all the months of veiled distance haven't been entirely offset yet.

So, "Alright," she says, "I'll stay."

Harvey instantly breaks into a triumphant grin and his eyes sparkle with mischief and that alone is already enough to assure her she made the right choice.

The first thing they do is hit the stores that are still open, both eager for a change of scene after having spent a considerable amount of time in the lounge. The shops will close soon, leaving them only with newsstands, and that's not something either one of them is looking forward to. Donna and Harvey have been out shopping together countless times, and even though they haven't done that in years, it's as familiar as slipping on a well-worn pair of shoes.

Chanel, Saint Laurent, BOSS, one by one they make the rounds, trying things on, making faces at each other and being a level of silly they might be embarrassed about if they weren't deliriously tired after a full day of work and hours of stress due to their canceled flight plans. They at least have the good sense to distribute handsome tips for the staff they nearly harass at each store.

"What d'you think of this, darling?" Donna asks him in a surprisingly passing British accent that has him struggling not to laugh as she holds out a trench coat from Burberry.

"It's gorgeous, dear!" Harvey answers affectedly, and her eyes bug out comically at his response, her lips pressing together to keep pretense.

"What the hell was that?!" she asks him around a loud laugh once they leave the store.

"What the hell was that? I was following your lead!" he practically wheezes, laughing so hard his belly is shaking.

"You were supposed to be my husband, not my gay best friend in his 50s!" Donna swats at his arm, still grinning.

"Oh, really?" he retorts, challenge clear in his voice, and before she can answer he's tugging her by the elbow and practically dragging her into Bulgari. "How about some diamonds, honey?" he announces rather loudly, in a way that is entirely conspicuous, but clearly the clerk buys it because she perks up and walks over to them. "You see, we're celebrating our 13th anniversary and I'm trying to decide what to give her," he tells the clerk conspiratorially.

"Oh my, aren't you a lucky girl," the clerk - a lanky blonde with straight hair - tells her enthusiastically, with a discreet once-over at Harvey that tells Donna exactly how lucky she thinks she is.

Donna flashes her a brilliant smile and peruses the displays, looking for the most extravagant thing she can find. "Oh, what do you think about this, honey?" she picks up a ring with a diamond the size of a tennis ball and slips it on.

"You want another one?" he fakes outrage.

"Need I remind you you never actually bought me an engagement ring?" she ribs him playfully, her brow quirking up, and he purses his lips and rolls his eyes at her in a way that's so familiar it almost feels like they've had this exact conversation a million times before. The thought tugs at her heartstrings a little but she ignores it, moving on to the earring stand.

"Ohh, what about this?" she picks out a gorgeous cascade earring with some green-ish rocks and holds it up to her ear.

"Goes with your eyes," Harvey tells her theatrically as he steps closer.

"Oh, really?" she beams at him, amused, and bats her eyelashes playfully.

Funnily enough, his face softens and his grin turns more genuine. "Yeah, actually."

Donna softens too in return, tipping her head a little at his comment and feeling the corner of her mouth tug as she tries to stop her smile from spreading too much. They hold each other's gaze for a moment, exchanging an unexpected amount of warmth, before Donna snaps out of it and sets the earring down, wary of giving the leggy clerk too much hope.

"No, honey, I think I want shoes this year," she declares imperatively and Harvey makes a show of rolling his eyes, leaving the clerk with a charming smile and some bills in their tip jar.

After a while they ditch the boutiques and sit down at a sports bar, ordering chicken wings and some beer, something they've never actually done before in all their years together.

"So, you're going to Boston," Donna says without preamble, propping her hands on the table.

"I am," Harvey smiles a little, still not entirely used to that new reality.

"This is, what, the second time already?"

"Second time, yeah."

Donna fixes him with a look that almost seems like awe, then smiles. "I'm really happy for you, Harvey."

"Thanks," his smile turns bashful and he looks down, needing a moment. "It's.. Yeah, it's really different, But it's good."

"I bet Marcus and your mom are thrilled that you've been going."

"They are," he chuckles, "My mom called me three times already this week to double-check what desserts I wanted." This - having family, people who take care of him and dote on him - is not something he's every really had. At least not from anyone aside from Donna.

Since he made peace with his mom, and especially since he went to Boston to help Marcus with his divorce, it's become increasingly clear to him that Donna has truly been his family all these years. She was right last year, she can't replace his brother and his mother, can't really play their parts because that's not her role, but it's also true that she's been supporting him unconditionally, even through their highs and lows, and having his back and looking out for him since the day they met, quite literally.

It's not something he's ever doubted or not known, but he thinks it had never held quite as much significance as it does now that he's been allowing himself to think more about the role of family in his life and what he wants for the future.

"That's sweet," Donna grins. "Are the kids going to be there too?"

"Only for Christmas Day," he explains, "They're having dinner with Katie's family tomorrow, which has been... rough on Marcus."

"I'm sorry," Donna grimaces. "How have you been about all that, by the way? We haven't really talked about it since you came back from Boston."

Harvey sighs. "It's weird. I can't say Katie and I were ever really close, but we always got along, and Marcus has always been crazy about her, still is. I know he messed up, and I don't blame her for leaving, it's just... I don't know, weird to think of my family falling apart just when it had gotten back together again."

"I'm really sorry, Harvey," she repeats softly.

"It is what it is," he shrugs, no longer as tormented by it as he once was. "I guess it just... made me realize how much family really means to me. Not just, you know, my actual family, but the concept in general. I'd never really given it much thought because of everything that happened with my mom, and you know Marcus and I had our rough patches, so for a long time it was just my dad, and after he died... But, I don't know, seeing what Marcus and Katie had, and even seeing Louis and Sheila try for a baby, if you can believe it," Harvey rolls his eyes at this, "It just... I don't know, it seems meaningful. As out of character as that may sound coming from me." He finishes off with a self-deprecating smile, feeling suddenly self-conscious from the admission.

It really is something he never really considered before. It's not like he had ever actively ruled out getting married and having kids, but the idea always felt way too outlandish, and like something he would never really grow into. He wasn't against it, but he simply never saw himself as ever becoming willing to open up to someone enough to have that kind of relationship. He was mistrustful and cautious, afraid to give too much of himself away in case the person someday just decided to walk away with that part of him and he'd be left mangled and hollow.

But lately... It's hardly like he's yearning for a wife and kids, of course. But he wants to build something of his own. Something real, and human, something that isn't his name on a wall or his signature on a deal, something you can't put a price on. And even seeing Marcus and Katie split up, even being faced with how fragile these relationships can be, it still doesn't scare him as much as it used to. Marcus told him himself that, despite how awful things are right now and how much he regrets messing up, he would never take back any of the things he's lived through with Katie. His father had told him similarly after the divorce.

He's been wanting to feel that feeling, that idea of being permanently altered by someone, of having his life changed forever. It's not like he hasn't - Jessica, Mike, Louis, they have all changed his life, so have Scottie and Paula, and, of course, no one more than Donna. But he just... wants more.

Once he snaps out of his reverie, Donna is watching him with gentle eyes and a soft smile that make it look like she's glimpsing straight into his soul. "It doesn't sound out of character at all," she tells him, voice like honey, and it makes his stomach do a somersault. She's always known him so well, much better than he knows himself, and she's always believed in the absolute best of him. It doesn't surprise him that she would have known he wanted this before he himself found out.

He stares at her and feels his throat clog up suddenly, as if there are too many things inside of him that he wants to tell her and they're all rushing to get out at the same time to the point where they reach a standstill. She is so important to him, and he thinks she knows that but he doesn't think she knows quite how much, and he doesn't think he knows how to tell her quite how much either, and his brain is scrabbling to figure something out when the waiter comes back with their food and drinks and the moment is broken, probably for the better.

"How about you, what plans did this whole mess threaten?" he asks around a sip of beer.

"Well, there's the usual Christmas Eve dinner at my parents', of course, but I also have lunch plans with my cousins tomorrow. I haven't seen them in a while so I'm looking forward to it," she explains amicably.

"You really enjoy Christmas with your family, don't you?" he observes.

"I do. Though I'm already bracing for my aunts' questions about my dating life now that my sister got married yet again," she rolls her eyes and Harvey grins.

"I guess that's the one upside to being estranged from your family, no awkward questions," he comments good-naturedly.

"Ugh, tell me about it," she widens her eyes and shakes her head lightly.

Donna is a confident woman, proud of her choices and sure of her path, and she's not usually very bothered by her shortcomings. But the subject of dating has been a sore one ever since the whole Paula thing and she hasn't fully recovered yet. And for her sister, of all things, to be the reason the subject will surely be raised… It just doesn't feel great.

"How is that going, though? Have you been seeing anyone lately?" Harvey asks lightly, and it should bother her but it doesn't, because they're friends and they've talked about this plenty of times before.

"Not really, haven't been feeling up to it in a while," she shrugs matter-of-factly, not ashamed to confess it but not feeling the need to explain herself further either.

The truth is, her unforeseen outburst and the subsequent kids fucked her up. Her feelings were so complicated and hard to understand for so long, even before that, and then it was like that nuked the whole thing, blowing it completely out of proportion, and it became a snowball that swallowed her whole. And then, of course, there was Mike and Rachel's wedding, and the way Harvey and her spent half of it glued together on the dancefloor, both equally unwilling to leave each other's embrace.

It was a huge whiplash, going from nothing to catastrophe to almost heaven to nothing again, and she's been feeling a little dizzy ever since,

Harvey nods, "Yeah, me neither, to be honest, not since Paula." The name makes something inside of Donna sour, the way Harvey is mentioning her in such a grave, meaningful way. Despite everything that happened, she knows Harvey really cared about her, and it still stings a little to think about that. She's been trying to move past it, to put it all behind her, and she thinks she's mostly managed it, but the feelings of inadequacy and jealousy still creep up on her sometimes.

"That was… a fucking mess," he continues, oblivious to her internal turmoil and seeming almost lost in his own thoughts, "And it made me realize I was going about it all the wrong way. I was so eager to… I don't know, fill a hole in my life that I didn't really think things through. Don't think I'll be making that mistake again."

Donna is stunned into silence, staring dumbly at him as he swirls his beer absent-mindedly. She never, ever would have expected him to reach that sort of conclusion on his own, and she feels a quiet sort of pride for him for having been brave enough to examine himself of his own accord.

"I'm sorry again about all that, by the way," he tells her sheepishly, looking up at her from beneath his lashes, and Donna feels herself blush a little.

"I… It's okay," she mutters.

"I should never have let it get that far," he goes on, and, though his voice is quiet, his tone is fervent.

"It's okay, Harvey, you were… trying your best," Donna replies, and she means it. She's always known he never meant to hurt her, that's why she forgave him so quickly.

He watches her quietly for a moment before his lips curl up timidly, and it feels like a page is finally and definitively being turned.

They move on to friendlier topics after that, trading anecdotes from the olden days and watching the people around them, making up background stories for them.

Once they're done, they decide to take a stroll through the newsstands. They argue playfully over what the best candy is, do dramatic readings of some of the books on display, Harvey even insists on draping Donna in every single I-Heart-New-York merch available at one of the stores. It's light-hearted and fun and they laugh in a way that feels almost too simple for them and their history, but then again, they have always been the best at drawing easy laughter out of each other.

It feels a bit as if they're existing in a bubble and the whole world has ceased to exist. There's lots of people still at the airport, but somehow everywhere they go is empty and it's just them, laughing and feeling close. Harvey can barely remember what the rest of this day was like, as if his whole life has started and ended right here, in this quiet airport, with only Donna by his side.

As much as he was annoyed by his flight being canceled and as excited as he is about seeing his family, there's a part of him that wants to freeze time and stay in this moment forever, just the two of them, no other concerns in the world.

He realizes, as Donna tries on different and outlandish sunglasses, that this is not the first time he's felt this way around her. Actually, come to think of it, he's felt this way around her countless times. Late nights at work with files strewn around them and his father's music playing, Del Posto dinners with candlelight and wine for a change, breakfasts and shopping trips as they played hooky. Donna has always had an extraordinary talent for making him forget the world.

And she just… makes him feel so good about himself. It's no wonder he went so many years not having that many close friends other than her. She's fun, and smart, and exciting, and she brings a lightness to his days that he hasn't yet found with anyone else. He has missed her, he realizes, and his heart clenches a little at the fact that, come 5 a.m., they'll each go their separate ways and then they'll be back at work, where their time together has been way too scarce for his taste.

At the last stand, they buy some Skittles and sit down next to a closed Dunkin' Donuts, and Donna just grins at him, chin resting on her hand, while he meticulously separates the purple and orange ones for her as he knows she likes.

"You do know they're all the same, right?" he shoots her a sly glance.

"Of course they're not, have you never seen the packaging?" she flips the packaging over and taps the little pictures of fruits.

"That's just to win over influenceable customers like you," he smirks teasingly.

Donna scoffs theatrically, "Out of all the things you could see me as, gullible is not one I would have expected."

Harvey laughs, "Let's say 'trusting', then."

She scowls at him playfully, but unravels into a grin again once he pushes the napkin with her preferred flavors towards her.

As she pops one after the other into her mouth, he sneakily steals all the yellow ones and eats them all at once.

"See?! I knew you knew they're not all the same!" she points at him accusingly, laughter clear in her tone, and Harvey grins triumphantly.

"I don't know why I put up with you," she mock-complains, shaking her head disapprovingly.

"I think if anyone puts up with anyone here, it's me with you," he narrows his eyes skeptically.

"Hm, having buyer's remorse? I think it's too late to return me now," she teases with a smirk, and Harvey's smile turns genuine.

"I wouldn't if I could," he says affectionately, and Donna's cheeks burn, causing her to smile bashfully and look down at the table.

He's been so... weird all night. She's always loved Harvey in a good mood, and they've been having a pretty good spell since Mike and Rachel's wedding, but even then he's not usually this affectionate or open. It's not like anything too outlandish has happened, exactly, but the way he's been looking at her, the jokes that have been coming so easily, even his deeper admissions about wanting a family of his own... It's like this is an evolved, more mature version of Harvey, one that has shed his usual harder exterior, one that's more genuine.

And he seems pretty willing to let her see it.

There's a part of her that's desperately trying to hang onto reason, to convince herself none of this means anything, at least not anything related to them. This part of her hates him a little for his unusual behavior, because it just makes it all the much harder to temper down the treacherous hope that always bubbles up inside of her whenever it feels, however unrealistically, like they might be about to finally cross that last line that's been so staunchly separating them from what they could have all these years.

The truth is, she's gotten better at not holding on to any expectations nor holding out for a magical change of heart on Harvey's side. Like it or not, he'll likely never be willing to try for more, either because he's too afraid or because he really doesn't see her like that, and she has made peace with that. She's living her life, doing what she wants, and she's saving herself every heartbreak she can. But, at the end of the day, she still can't fully say she wouldn't drop all of it in a second if Harvey asked her to. And that's also something she has made peace with.

Her musing is interrupted by a huge, un-ladylike yawn that has Harvey checking his watch.

"We still have a couple of hours before we need to go to our gate, we should go back to the lounge to see if we can get some rest, it's probably going to be quiet in there right now," he suggests and she nods in agreement.

They make their way back and sit down side by side on a couple of armchairs in the corner. Donna is clearly exhausted, and she rearranges herself in her seat for a while, sliding down and tucking her feet beneath herself to get comfortable, and then she closes her eyes and tries to sleep.

The last thing Harvey notices before he drifts off as well is Donna's head lolling to the side and coming to rest on his shoulder.

...

Harvey wakes up to the buzz of his phone in his pocket, signaling the alarm he set up before they slept. He has about half an hour before he needs to be at his gate, and he should probably wake Donna up so they can eat something before saying goodbye.

He looks to his side and finds her still nestled comfortably on his shoulder, having tucked herself even further into him. His chest tightens at the thought of separating from her. It's only been a few hours, and he's pretty sure his current nostalgia is als being influenced by lack of sleep and general exhaustion, but talking and joking around with her, pretending to be married, just being themselves and basking in their intimate, familiar dynamic has been surprisingly amazing.

He doesn't want to say goodbye and go their separate ways. He doesn't want to be away from her. In fact, he thinks he never wants to be away from her again.

He's been circling around the idea that he wants something more with Donna for months now, but the timing never seemed right, at first because he wasn't sure that he wasn't just upset about Mike leaving, and then the merger took up all of his time and energy, and then he just felt like the moment had passed. He's sure he feels something for her, something that isn't just friendship, but he doesn't fully know if it's that, and he's afraid he's going to be rubbish at it anyway. He just doesn't want to fuck it up, but after Paula and after almost losing her and after getting his brother through a divorce and forgiving and being forgiven by him mom, he doesn't know what fucking up looks like anymore.

"Hey. Donna," he whispers, gently shrugging the shoulder she's sleeping on until she frowns, blinks a few times and opens her eyes blearily. "We should get going soon."

Her cheeks tinge pink as soon as she realizes she's been leaning on him and she straightens up, though her embarrassment is quickly cut short by a yawn. "Good, I'm too old for this," she croaks out, voice hoarse, and rubs her eyes as Harvey snickers.

They move quietly in the name of efficiency and due to residual sleepiness, getting some breakfast at the lounge buffet and buying a cup of coffee each to go. Every step he takes towards their gates feels heavier, as if he's walking the plank, which is a very nonsensical feeling for something that should be positive - he's getting closer and closer to seeing his family and taking a shower and being done with airports and his wrinkled clothes. But it's not positive, because in a matter of a few minutes this bubble will burst and any proximity he managed to harness with Donna this last night will be lost forever.

As luck would have it, their respective gates are right in front of each other, which at least helps push back their separation a bit more. They sit down together, with Donna checking her phone, and Harvey is so anxious his leg won't stop bouncing. The easiest way would be to just say nothing and hang in there for thirty minutes and then he'll get on that plane and this whole night will be behind him, but the thought alone makes him nauseous and gives him flashbacks to when she left him for Louis even though the situations have nothing in common.

He thinks of Marcus, of his mom, of the kids, of Mike and Rachel and Louis and Sheila and their potential child and it all feels incredibly urgent even though he doesn't know exactly what is urgent, but he just feels an intense and irrational need to do something. The clock is ticking and every second lost feels suffocating and at some point he decides to just throw caution to the wind, takes a breath and calls her name before he can change his mind.

"Hm?" she drops her phone into her purse and looks at him.

"You know what I was saying before? About family and stuff?" he asks quickly, staring down at his hands for fear of seeing her face and losing his nerve. When he sees her nod out of the corner of his eye, he goes on. "Well, I've been thinking about that, about building something - not, not necessarily kids or whatever, but, you know, something. I just- I don't know, I want something more, you know? Something lasting that isn't just the law." God, he's really rambling now. "And I- I don't know exactly what that would look like, but I think I want it - I definitely want it. And... the only person I can see myself having that with is you."

The silence that follows is excruciating, and he chances a sideways look, finding Donna's shell shocked expression almost like the one she gave him when he first told her he loved her.

"Harvey, wh- what exactly are you saying?" she asks, cautious and confused and maybe also thinking he might need an intervention.

He sighs, accepting that he'll need to give her more to go on, and looks at her fully. "You've... always been my family, Donna. I think I've just finally realized that I don't want that to be just at work anymore," he tells her quietly, shyly, like a schoolboy admitting to a crush instead of a grown-ass man talking to the woman he's known for over a decade and who is the closest person in his life.

Donna stares at him, slack-jawed and frozen, her eyes blinking more than can be considered normal. She feels as if a bucket of ice has been dumped on her head, her brain short-circuited and focused solely on survival, her nerve-endings and muscles and limbs frozen in shock.

Harvey did say he'd been thinking about having a family and whatnot, but she never in a million years expected that to escalate to this quite this quickly. She doesn't know where the hell this is coming from, whether it's a reaction to something (though to what exactly, she couldn't say) or if he's just freaking delirious with exhaustion, but she feels incapable of even processing what he just said.

"Harvey...," she trails off, still at a loss for words.

He wrings his hands a little. "Look, I know this was a lot to unload on you like this, it's just I've been thinking about saying something for weeks but never knew how, and spending this time with you felt really nice and made me even more sure, but in about fifteen minutes we'll each be going to our actual families and, I don't know, I just felt like I had to say something before I missed yet another chance. You don't have to say anything back."

He's been thinking about saying something for weeks?! So this is not just a spur of the moment thing, she thinks, which is a bit terrifying but also reassuring. "I just... I think I just need a minute," she mumbles, eyes still wide.

"Of course," he says somewhat dejectedly, and turns back to his lap, twiddling his thumbs.

Donna takes a moment to just breathe and make sense of everything he just said. She's his family. He wants more than work. He's been wanting to say something for weeks. He wants something lasting. With her.

It's all a jumbled mess, and much less than you'd need for a proper, clear and mature admission of feelings, but, with a bit of Harvey whispering and some sheer dumb hope, she knows what he means.

"Have you really been thinking about this for weeks?" she asks after a while.

Harvey nods, still not looking at her. "More like months, really."

"And you're absolutely sure you want to try?" she asks again, tone a bit more secure yet still guarded.

He nods again. "Though it's very likely that I'll do something at some point that will ruin everything."

He's not wrong, to be honest, but, right this second, she finds she doesn't really care all that much, as long as he's trying.

Donna takes another second in silence, wracking her brains for other defenses she could put up or questions she could ask to investigate his intentions, but the part of her that's been hoping this whole time for Harvey to do something exactly like this is raging inside of her, and she decides to give in to it.

"Okay," she half-whispers, then lets out a surprised puff of laughter. Harvey looks at her sideways, uncertain, but her laughter grows until she's fully grinning at this idiot, wonderful man in front of her.

"Yeah?" he asks, eyes wide as he sits up properly.

"Yeah," she grins and nods, beaming at him.

He lets out an incredulous laugh and leans in, kissing her clumsily, his palm cupping her cheek. They part for a second to grin at each other and themselves, then lean in again to kiss each other soundly.

When they finally pull back, they're both breathless and blushing.

"Listen," Harvey says, still a bit shyly, "I know it's sudden, and I don't wanna get in the way of you spending time with your family, but... What do you say you come to Boston tomorrow to have lunch with us? I can send a car service to pick you up."

Donna's breath hitches and her eyes well up at how nervous and genuine he sounds, and at the fact that he just asked her to spend Christmas with his family. It's not something she ever imagined she'd experience, for more reasons than one, and she swears her heart could burst inside her chest from how happy it makes her.

"You really want me there?" she asks, in awe.

"Nothing I'd want more," he presses his lips together, quiet but sure.

She takes a breath, letting his words sink. "In that case, I have another idea. How about I call my cousins and see if they're free for lunch on Tuesday, and we both go to Boston right now instead?"

His eyes light up instantly, though he's clearly trying to control his excitement. "Are you sure? I don't want to disrupt your plans."

She smiles tenderly, "I'm sure. My parents won't mind, my whole family will be there, and they'll be happy once I tell them the reason behind it. Besides, maybe we can use that car service you mentioned to go to Connecticut together tomorrow." She bites the inside of her lip nervously, fully aware they've just taken a bunch of huge steps in a row, but the prospect is much more exciting than scary.

"Okay, yeah, let's do that, then," Harvey flashes her a brilliant smile and she melts, leaning in to kiss him again.

It turns out that, due to the cancellation, Harvey's flight has a few spare seats left and it's easy enough to get Donna a last-minute ticket. She calls her parents and her cousins and, with a small amount of rearranging, everyone is fine with her not getting to Hartford today. And, as their plane to Boston takes of and Donna and Harvey share a meaningful look, their hands locked between them, she feels like their flights getting canceled is the best thing that's ever happened to her.