A/N: This is my first Suits fic, so bear with me — please let me know your thoughts! :)
The Talk
"Did you fail to inform me of something?"
Harvey's voice makes her look up from the paperwork — he's leaning against the doorway, arms crossed, and a light smile on his face. It's something that she should be used to by now, but still causes a flutter in her stomach. She smiles too; she can't help it.
"I may be good, but I would have never been able to hide something like this," she jokes. It's late, the firm is mostly empty, her office is mostly dark save for the lamp on her desk, and it's usually during this time of the day that he'll come over — or she will go to his office — and they'll talk about the evening plans and if they're able to leave yet.
This time, however, his eyes are on the stroller next to her desk. A very much not empty stroller.
"First visit to the firm and the kid's already under your supervision," Harvey says, making his way inside her office. His voice is soft, and she glances at the baby to make sure he's still asleep.
Donna arches her eyebrows. "Well, I am the most capable person in this firm."
But Harvey scrunches his face. "I'm pretty sure his father is around here somewhere."
She gives him a pointed glance. "Did I stutter?"
He laughs and shakes his head, walking around her desk, hands in pockets; she goes back to her paperwork, keeping an eye out for him, like she always does, like she has been doing for over a decade. She doesn't have to look up to know he's watching the baby, then his eyes move to the skyline, and he keeps his gaze there even when one of his hands leave his pocket so that his thumb can trace her jaw, just for a moment, the split of a second. They've spent so many years not touching that she still treasures these short, silly moments. She knows he does too.
So she smiles to herself, knows he knows she's smiling, and knows he's settled with his back to her, admiring the view from her office even though his corner office had a much better one.
"So," Harvey starts after a minute or two — the only noises in the room are from her papers and pen and the occasional moving of one cute newborn. "Where's the father of the year and why did he dump his kid on you?"
She can't help but smile at his words, but she recovers soon.
"He didn't dump his kid on me, I offered," Donna says. "And he's with Katrina, in the kitchen. She promised a cake and prunies."
"Louis would never say no to that," Harvey retorts.
"Oh, but he would, because the noise would surely wake Oscar, and we want him asleep, apparently," she smirks. "The sacrifices one must make to be a parent."
"First mudding and now prunies," Harvey snickers, coming to lean against her desk. "He's losing it, isn't he?"
Donna looks up to him very seriously, and tries her best not to smile but it's impossible not to.
"You have no idea."
"I like the kid already," Harvey announces. Donna leans back on her chair, letting go of the pen. "You wanna have a drink?"
She lightly shakes her head. "Go ahead. One of us must stay sober for the baby."
Harvey shrugs, making himself at home as he pours himself a drink; with the baby she's currently looking after, he probably figures they'll be here for a while. She closes her files and turns off her laptop in the meantime, sparing a glance at her — boyfriend? partner? significant other? — while she's at it. He looks relaxed, mostly, but she knows something's eating him up.
"Everything alright with the Kurtzman case?" she asks softly, her attention wavering to Oscar, who's moving his little legs in the stroller. Still asleep, but not for long. Not quite a month old yet. Driving Louis crazy since day one.
Harvey nods, takes a sip of the scotch and goes back to his position against her desk. "Yeah, we got him to take the deal."
She organizes her desk and puts her things in her bag, glancing at her phone while she's at it. There's a message from her mom that she'll reply to later.
"Do you remember that penthouse we looked at last week?"
This causes Donna to look up.
"The one you said had too many bedrooms?" she asks, just to be sure, although she knows what he's talking about. He gives her a look — he knows exactly what she's doing. "Uh huh."
"Well, maybe four and a half isn't too many," he mentions, too casually. Donna sits back on her chair, holding back a smirk. "I mean, your parents could visit… and my family."
"All of them at the same time? Unlikely." Donna let out a laugh. "Plus you really liked the other one with a garage elevator."
"And you hated it."
"It's an elevator for a car. We have nothing to compensate it for," she jokes. "Plus, you'd need a lot more than one elevator since you have almost as many cars as balls."
"Very funny," he says, but he's smiling.
"We don't have to decide now. It's not like we're in any hurry," Donna tells him. "I mean, we've only checked a few so far."
"You said you liked that one best."
"I did not say that."
"Well, you inferred you liked that one best."
"And how did I do that?"
"Donna. I know you."
She gave him a side eyed look. "Isn't that my line?"
Whatever Harvey's about to retort dies on his lips when the distinct sound of a cry interrupt them; it's a small cry, but a cry nonetheless, and that always means the baby has awaken. Donna would have laughed out loud at the terrified expression on Harvey's face if she didn't think it would be insensitive to the baby.
She turns around on her chair, quickly reaching for the stroller because it's clear Harvey will have nothing to do with that while little Oscar Litt is crying.
"Hold your horses, Harvey," Donna jokes in a soft voice as she reaches for the baby. "Don't look too eager to hold him."
She doesn't have to look at him to know he's rolling his eyes; Oscar is moving his little legs and looks downright uncomfortable, but his eyes widen when she gets a hold of him, carefully supporting his head on the crook of her elbow and holding his body steadily. The baby is chubby and wide-eyed, with a crisp of blonde hair on top of his head. Donna thinks he'll grow to be a mix of Louis and Sheila; Harvey jokes that they'll have to wait until he has teeth to be sure.
"Hey, Oscar," she says softly. The baby isn't crying anymore, just looking at her. "Hey."
She offers him her free hand, and he takes hold of one of her fingers in a strong grip.
"I'd ask how you did that, but…"
"I'm Donna," she interrupts, and hears him snicker. Oscar has Louis' eyes, though. Donna likes that. "I'll have you know I have a few godchildren."
"Lisa's kid, right?" Harvey says after a moment, obviously trying to remember her friend's name. They're not really close nowadays — she'll give him a point for remembering.
"Yeah, and my cousin's two sons."
"Janet?"
"That's the one."
They spend a few minutes in silence; Oscar blinks, kicks his feet, remains awake but quiet. Donna moves her chair back and forth, just to make sure he won't cry again. The baby keeps his gaze on her, and she has no doubt he'll have her wrapped around his little finger soon enough. Until he becomes a little brat, anyway. He's Louis' child, after all, she thinks fondly.
"Louis already tried to arrange a marriage for the kid," Harvey comments, casually.
Too casually.
Donna looks up. "Did he now?"
"To our daughter," he says in the most annoying tone ever.
Donna lets out a laugh. "That's a little presumptuous, don't you think?"
"Which part?" Harvey finishes his drink and puts the glass next to the window, going back to his place against her desk. "The part where we don't have a child, let alone a daughter, or the part where he thinks I'll ever want to be associated to a Litt in that way?"
"You forgot one. We could have a son, or the daughter could not care for men," Donna offers.
"The son could also not care for women, if we think that way," Harvey retorts.
"Which brings us back to square one."
"Yeah. No Litts in our family," he jokes.
Donna frowns comically. "Our family?" her lips stretch into half a smile. "Did you fail to inform me of something?"
She supposes they look like a family to outsiders, like this — a baby in her arms, her body angled towards his, his leaning towards her, even if he's standing. There used to be such distance between them — not anymore.
His eyes crinkle when he smiles next. Donna thinks she might have fallen for him again in this instant.
"If I'm ever having a kid it's gonna be with you, Donna," he says, and she knows how much he means it.
They've been together for five months, and it's still early that statements like this burn deep down her core, and she has to stop the tears from flowing. It's still early, but it's also so right. It's been right for so long, that that's the only thing that counts.
It's not perfect. He never remembers the day they got together, but he remembers the day they met. Sometimes he'll let dirty dishes in the sink and he absolutely hates putting the clean dishes from the dishwasher back in place. He's always messing up her space and they both have so many clothes that she thinks they'll end up making one of those guest bedrooms an extension of their closet. He likes dogs and she's more of a cat person. He forgets to read his texts but he always brings her dessert, even when he's out with a client. They have, on more than one occasion, ran into an ex-lover of his while they're on a date. She thinks it should bother her more than it does but — she trusts him. She's always trusted him with her life, and now she's trusting him with her heart as well.
She's waiting for the day where their sex life won't be as adventurous or exciting as it is now, though, but that day hasn't arrived yet.
Actually, scratch that. It'll always be exciting.
"Is this your way of having the talk with me?"
Harvey snickers. "Pretty sure you know all there is to know about the talk."
"Another kind of talk. You know, when you're in a relationship and there comes a point where you'll see if your plans regarding procreation match," she explains.
"I've never had that talk with anyone."
"No, you wouldn't have," Donna agrees. He appears a little offended, so she tries honesty. "Hey, if it makes you feel better, neither have I."
It's not a lie. Her relationships never lasted long enough to get to that point. Or she was just never invested enough to think of it.
"Well, do you want one of those?" Harvey asks, pointing to the baby. Again, too casually.
Donna shrugs, pretends to think about it, looks at baby Oscar. Just to keep Harvey on his toes.
"Yeah, I guess so," she says nonchalantly, looking up at him. She gives him a real smile then. "Yeah, if it's with you. I'd like one of these."
He smiles too, moving to rest his hands on the arms of her chair. She raises her head, he leans down; they meet in the middle.
It's a sweet kiss. Office appropriate, anyway. Appropriate for the baby in her arms, she thinks. She's still smiling when he pulls away.
"So… When?" Harvey asks, looking down at Oscar and then back at her.
"Hey, my biological clock may be ticking but I think we can afford to wait a few months," she says honestly. "Plus, you should be thinking of putting a ring on my finger before then."
"Who says I'm not thinking of that?"
"Not me. I know you're thinking of that."
"Me, making an honest woman out of you."
"More like the other way around. I've always been nothing but honest. You, on the other hand…"
"Saints, the both of us," he jokes, leaning down to kiss her again. "I want what you want, Donna. Or what you'll have. Even if it doesn't happen, I don't care."
"Who knew Harvey Specter could be so understanding?" she teases him, using her free hand to toy with his tie. A recent purchase, a grayish blue. He wears it when he's feeling confident. Goes great with the gray suit he's wearing. "I'll sure remember that if we end up having twins who won't sleep through the night."
"What, doesn't it run in your family?" Harvey asks. "God help me if we get a redhead."
"Nana was a redhead, my mom's a redhead, I'm a redhead," she lists. "I'd say you're in for a treat, Mister."
"Wouldn't have it any other way," he gives her neck a kiss.
A knock on the glass makes them pull apart, not all too used to feeling frisky in the middle of an office with glass walls all around them.
"You two done flirting in front of my son?" Louis asks, although his tone isn't mean.
"Never too early to give them some pointers," Harvey says.
Donna rolls her eyes. "Please, Harvey. This one will be a gentleman."
Louis gives Harvey a pointed glance. "That he will be. I can tell just by his eyes. Isn't he wise, Donna?"
Donna huffs. "I've… never seen a wiser baby than this one, that's for sure."
"See?" Louis smirks. Harvey tries hard not to roll his eyes. "So, did you do your Donna magic with him?"
"Yep," Donna says happily. "He cried a little but he just wanted a snuggle."
"Don't we all?" Harvey mumbles beside her as she passes the baby back to the stroller.
"I should go back to Sheila. She asked for two hours and it's been three already," Louis says.
Donna purses her lips. "I'm sure she's happy for the time off."
"Yeah. Sometimes when he starts crying he won't stop," Louis complains. He does look tired, but happy.
"A lot like you, then," Harvey comments.
Louis pointedly ignores him, looking back at Donna.
"Makes me want to visit you when that happens, since you always get him to stop."
"No, Louis," Donna says immediately.
"Maybe one of these nights?"
"Absolutely not," this time it's Harvey who replies.
"Well, when you have yours you can not count on me to help," he huffs at Harvey, then smiles at Donna. "Thanks for this, Donna."
"No problem, Louis. He's an angel," she adds, just because she loves seeing Louis so proud.
She and Harvey watch in silence as the partner leaves the office with the stroller. A lesser man would have avoided being seen in a law firm with a firm — not Louis. He thrived from it.
"You know he's gonna offer to babysit anyway, right?" Donna comments as she stands up and gets her bag. Harvey turns off her desk lamp.
"Oh, yeah," he nods. "You know we'll probably accept it, right?"
"Yep."
He keeps his hands in his pockets and she laces her arm with his as they walk side by side. A few associates are still around, and they pass by Samantha's office to see her focused on a case. Donna's happy she and Harvey don't have any work to bring home tonight.
They stop in front of the elevators and Harvey presses the button to go down.
"So… that penthouse," he starts again.
"Yes?"
"The one with four and a half bedrooms."
"Mmhmm."
"Might not be too many, after all."
"I hope you did not take my twins joke seriously."
"You really gotta work on your jokes, babe."
"You better not be expecting me to give birth to three children at my age, honey."
The elevator chims and the doors open. They go inside.
Harvey rolls his eyes. "I'll make an offer for the penthouse. We can renovate it, make one of the bedrooms an adjacent closet. You liked it so much, and I did like the view."
"It's definitely not your mancave, but I can see why you liked it."
"Not a mancave anymore."
"No."
They share a smile.
Donna runs a hand through her hair, stares at the doors in front of her.
"I'll handle the offer. Don't you worry about it."
He gives her a look.
"You've already made one, haven't you?"
She doesn't even bother pretending to be innocent. It won't work.
"Yep."
Harvey lets go of her arm to frown at her, though his eyes are twinkling.
"When?"
"The day after we saw it," Donna replies innocently.
"I had told you I didn't want it."
She shrugs. "I figured you'd change your mind."
"Wait a minute. Did you arrange for Louis to bring his baby to work today so we could have the talk?"
"I may have suggested it. No dirty intentions behind it. Sheila did need the time off, you know."
Harvey frowns. "How would you even know about that?"
She simply looks at him. Surely he knows the answer to that question. He rolls his eyes.
"Did you use Louis' baby to question me about babies?" Harvey crosses his arms.
The elevator chimes as they reach the ground floor. Donna gives him a smile before getting out.
"Technically, you're the one that questioned me."
"Jesus. Get out of my head, woman," he says as he goes after her. His tone is playful. He reaches for her hand. His palm is warm against hers, and she slows her pace so that they can walk side by side again.
"I couldn't get out even if I wanted to."
She means to joke about it, but his step falters ever so slightly and they stop in front of the revolving doors for a moment.
"No, you couldn't."
Their eyes lock, and she feels the deep understanding they have with each other. It's not always easy. But it's damn easier to be with him than to be without him.
She's had enough experience in that department to know she doesn't want to live it again.
"Come on," Harvey recovers first, fingers tightening against hers as they leave the building. Ray is waiting for them already, and Harvey opens the door for her, like he always does. He's still holding her hand and so she doesn't get in the car right away; instead, he sneaks a kiss against her lips. Too quickly. Eyes too intense afterwards.
"What was that for?" Donna asks.
Harvey smirks. "Can't a guy kiss his girl whenever he feels like it?"
"Keep calling me your girl and you're gonna get a lot more than a kiss," she teases him, and he's laughing as he lets go of her hand and allows her to get in the car.
She feels giddy as he gets in and tells Ray to stop by the shitty Thai place that she loves and he claims to hate but that she knows he actually enjoys it too. He and Ray strike up a conversation and Donna feels content to simply watch the city outside as they drive, Harvey's comforting hand on her knee and a heart light with love.
Perhaps this is the evening where he'll propose to her — she's known he's had the ring for at least three weeks and she's getting a little impatient at his hesitance. Not that she'd ever call him out on it. Especially not after the latest talk.
Well, maybe after she's wearing that magnificent rock on her finger she will tell him she already knew.
Just to keep him on his toes.