A/N: I know this concept is also being done (beautifully) by Jess (takeyourside), but I had the majority of this written before I knew that, so hopefully you don't mind reading two versions of the same theme. Much thanks to Elle (mieh) for looking through this for me.
Donna's eyes fluttered open as she slowly returned to consciousness. The arm around her waist was an unfamiliar but not unwelcome weight. She shifted around in the bed to find him already awake and smiling down at her. Unable to keep her own lips from turning upward, she raised a hand to caress the side of his face, as if confirming that this was real, that she didn't dream the events of last night.
"Good morning," he mumbled eventually, his voice croaky and deep from sleep.
"You're really here," she returned in amazement, still not quite able to believe she was waking up in his arms.
"Mmm, where I'm supposed to be," he agreed, before leaning in to press his lips to hers.
...
"Because I think you're worthy," she insisted, willing him to hear what she was really saying. "And I don't want to lose you," she added through teary eyes.
Harvey was taken aback by her bluntness. This wasn't what they did. They usually communicated in riddles and subtext, if at all, but they were never this honest about their feelings. However, somewhere in the back of his mind, he knew he came here so she would convince him not to cut a deal, and she was doing a hell of a job.
"I'm scared, Donna." If honesty was on the menu tonight, he might as well take full advantage.
Donna got up from her seat and made her way over to him, resting a hand on the side of his face as she whispered, "I know, Harvey. I'm scared too. But I wish you had as much faith in yourself as I do."
What was she doing? The bluntness was one thing but they never touched, and for good reason. The warmth of her hand against his cheeks was doing something to his insides that his emotional state wasn't fit to fight. A moment passed as they stared at each other, the rest of the world fading as they allowed themselves to melt into whatever was happening between them.
"I love that you have that much faith in me," he breathed.
"You… love?" she asked, half hopeful, half preparing to get her heart broken.
Harvey didn't allow himself a second to think about it. Despite popular belief, he knew himself well enough to know why he always backed out of these conversations, but tonight felt different. Tonight, with everything on the line, this risk didn't seem as scary as usual. It certainly wasn't as scary as the risk he was prepared to take the next morning, and so he let his heart win the battle for once.
"Love," he whispered, as he drew her down towards him, their faces inches apart as she waited to make sure he would follow through with this. When he finally pressed his lips to hers, his stomach dropped in the best way possible, and he cursed himself for holding back for so long. Her lips moved so perfectly against his, the feeling of her nails gently scratching the nape of his neck almost euphoric and how could he have been such an idiot? How had he convinced himself that having her in his life purely as a colleague and a friend was worth sacrificing this?
"Donna," he spoke between kisses. "I want to take you to bed."
"Mmm, I think it's about time you asked me."
….
They kissed for a few moments, his mouth soft against hers and juxtaposed by the scratchiness of his stubble, their hands exploring how perfectly their bodies fit together, both relishing in the freedom of not having to hide their feelings anymore.
Reluctantly, Harvey pulled back, not wanting to be the bad guy but needing to remind them of how they ended up here, of what needed to be done today.
"As much as I would love to stay here all day with you, we should really get up because I need to get to the courthouse."
Donna sighed, settling back into the mattress for a second before nodding and steeling herself for what was to come.
"Stay for a coffee first?" she asked.
"Well, who am I to say no to a coffee from you?" he joked, getting off the bed to search for the clothes they had abandoned somewhere the night before.
Donna watched him move around her bedroom in awe. Before last night, she had long since accepted the fact that she would always have to love him from a distance. When he wasn't able to tell her how he loved her all those months ago, she had distanced herself from him to give herself the time to put the broken pieces of her heart back together. Once she was over the initial agony his words - or lack thereof - caused, she realised that it was easier to have him in her life at arms length than to not have him at all, that she wasn't really whole without him, and so they began to tiptoe around the tentative remains of their friendship. However, she hadn't let herself dream of the situation in front of her in a long time.
…
Harvey hummed into the first sip of the coffee she had presented him with. The bitterness of the hot liquid complemented the dash of vanilla so perfectly, quite like the woman in front of him complemented him. He watched as she cradled a cup in both her hands, long hair hiding her face as she dipped her head to taste the drink. She was so beautiful like this, fresh faced with her baby pink, silky robe wrapped around her body, not completely awake before the caffeine kicks in. He found himself longing to start every day like this for the rest of his life.
"I really should go if I want to make it to the courthouse on time," he spoke up, setting his mug on the counter and moving closer to her.
As he approached, she freed up her hands so she could wrap them around his waist. She leaned in for a chaste kiss before framing his face with her hands to ensure she had his full attention.
"Remember what I told you last night," she began. "Have faith in yourself, and have faith in Mike. I believe that the two of you are worthy of being found innocent. And when it's all over, come find me at the firm and we can celebrate this whole mess being over."
He closed his eyes, leaning his forehead against hers and taking a second to draw some strength from her.
"Okay," he whispered. "I really, really hope you're right, Donna. Because if you're not? If Mike goes to prison? I don't think I'll ever be able to forgive myself."
"It won't come to that," she assured him, leaning up to press her lips to his once more. "Now, get out of my kitchen and go do what Harvey Specter does best."
A smile tugged at his lips as he turned towards the door, grabbing his jacket from the sofa on his way. When he reached the door he stopped, waiting for her to catch up with him before he left.
"I'll see you later?" he asked her approaching form.
"You'll see me later," she confirmed. "Keep me updated, okay?"
"Of course. And Donna? I want you to know how much last night meant to me. It wasn't just some… 'everything's going to shit, and you were there' kinda thing. This is real for me."
"I know, Harvey," she assured him. "We'll talk later. You need to go."
…
Arriving at the courthouse, Harvey spotted Mike and a very anguished looking Rachel deep in conversation at the other end of the hall. He couldn't make out what they were saying from this distance, but it was clear that they were disagreeing on something and he didn't have time for that this morning so he moved closer with the intention of intercepting the pair.
"Mike you can't do this to me. I won't ever be able to forgive you. Can't you please just wait for the jury to come back? We still have a chance."
As he approached, he could make out Rachel's tear stained cheeks and the panicked look in her eyes. She was clinging to the lapels of her fiancé's suit jacket as he desperately tried to calm her down.
"Rach, I'm guilty. Making a deal is our only shot. I don't want us to be apart longer than we have to just because I was too stubborn to do the smart thing here," Harvey could hear Mike plead with her.
Seeing the couple in such agony about this situation broke something in Harvey. They were about to have their lives ruined for something that was his goddamn fault. He knew what he was doing when he hired Mike, and he knew what he was doing each and every time he had Mike work a case under his name. Mike wanting to make a deal rendered everything Donna had said to him last night and this morning null in void. If they weren't waiting for a jury to come back, having faith wasn't an option, and Harvey knew what he had to do.
Without notifying his friends of his presence, he turned on his heel and made his way to Anita Gibbs' office.
…
"Harvey Specter, to what do I owe the pleasure?" Gibbs asked as he walked through her door moments later.
"I'm ready to make a deal," he told her, his throat bobbing as he nodded his head, as if confirming to himself that he was doing the right thing.
"About time," she scoffed. "If I had to guess, I'd say you just about beat your little sidekick to it."
….
Donna was at her desk when she spotted Mike frantically making his way to her later that morning.
"Mike, what happened?" she asked as she rose from her seat. "Did the jury come back? I asked Harvey to keep me updated but I haven't heard anything from anyone, and why does your face look like that? What's wrong?"
Mike was struggling to get the words out, unprepared to deal with Donna's reaction to what he was about to tell her, but equally knowing it was better coming from him rather than anyone else.
"Umm, why don't we uhh… come into Harvey's office with me. You might want to sit down for this," he suggested.
"Mike, you're really scaring me." She eyed him curiously as she moved in the direction of Harvey's office. Mike offered no response, simply following her and motioning for her to take a seat.
"This morning, I went to the courthouse. I was prepared to make a deal with Gibbs, but when I got there I…" He trailed off, sneaking a glance at Donna in hopes that she had already reached the right conclusion, that he wouldn't have to break his friend's heart with the words.
"When you got there, what, Mike?" she pressed, silently hoping he wasn't about to tell her what she thought he was.
"Harvey beat me to it, Donna. When I got there, he had already cut a deal. He has 72 hours to turn himself in."
Donna sat motionless for a moment as she let Mike's words wash over her. She hadn't let herself think about this possible outcome. Before Mike had shown up, she had thought that worst case scenario, Mike would be found guilty, they would all be distraught, she would do her absolute best to be there for Rachel, and they would all pull together to get him out as soon as possible. Harvey going to prison was… it was her worst nightmare coming true in and of itself, but Harvey going to prison after spending the night giving into his feelings for her the night before was just about enough for her to feel like her heart was being physically ripped out from her chest.
She barely noticed the tears escaping her eyes as she shook her head and let out a shaky, "No."
Opening her mouth seemingly broke down all the remaining defences she had, and she let the sobs course through her body. She felt as though her world was crumbling into pieces around her and there was nothing she could do to stop it. This morning she had convinced herself that everything was going to be okay. They would get Mike out of this mess, and they would celebrate and then Harvey would come home with her and they would begin their new normal. She couldn't believe that he would do this to her after everything they had been through. When was he ever going to stop breaking her heart?
"I'm really sorry, Donna," Mike's voice broke through her spiralling thoughts. "What can I do? Do you need some water? You want to go home?"
Donna looked up as she felt a wave of nausea overtake her. She gripped the edge of her seat, her heart pounding, her stomach churning and she could feel the sweat trickling down her temples and the back of her neck.
"Mike," she warned. "I think I'm gonna be sick."