#saying that mike and harvey are always going to find a way back to each other.

[katierosefun]

something i enjoy about suits is that these mike and harvey are literally drawn to each other because they both love a good adrenaline rush. like, mike was the one who talked harvey into giving him a job despite having zero qualifications other than his insane memory, and yet harvey already had at least 75% made up when he shook mike's hand. harvey talks about how life is like this and he likes living like this, and mike talks about how he got kicked out of a life that he's been chasing ever since. they're both scrambling after some kind of insane life and mike will say that he wants to help people (and he does! i think he really does!), but he's also the insane guy who tells himself he's helping people by also lying his way into the system in the first place. he's a guy who likes to bend the rules to get at his larger goals, and harvey's the guy who sees most rules as gentle suggestions more than anything else, so long as he just wins. they're both insane! they feed into each other's insanity! mike can play coy and pretend he'll leave harvey eventually, but then harvey wheedles his way back into mike's life with another offer or plan or suggestion and mike will go "no, harvey, i like my peaceful life right now" and then an episode later be like "nvm. what are we doing now". i'm sick to the stomach because they're literally always going to be like this. they aren't escaping each other because they recognize each other for the insane high they both want. they're literally obsessed with each other

[band--psycho]

Harvey Specter x Reader- Revelations

I just wanted to say a quick thank you for all the Harvey specter love on my tumblr, it really means a lot! 💛

Thank you to @justah0pelessr0mantic for requesting this story!

I hope you all enjoy this! 💛

(If anyone wants to be tagged in more Harvey stories let me know in the comments or fill out a tag list form which you can find on my masterlist)

“He’s late,” Y/n mumbled, not with annoyance or frustration in her voice but with an anxiety Harvey knew she was feeling; not only from her voice but by the way her legs were bouncing slightly under the table.

“Sweetheart, relax,” Harvey hummed, turning towards her, placing one of his hands on her back and the other on her thigh that was closest to him, in an attempt to stop the anxious tapping. 

“He’s usually late to most things,” he joked, in another attempt to ease her anxiety, as his thumb rubbed small circles onto her back. 

He knew why she was so anxious, tonight was a big night…and although he was trying his best not to let it show, he was nervous too. 

“Maybe we should leave before he gets here?” Y/n suggested turning slightly so that her eyes met Harvey’s. 

“We can’t, baby,” he answered softly; with a sympathetic smile. 

“I know, I know,” she sighed, knowing that Harvey was right. 

She knew they had to tell Mike; she wanted to, she really did. 

She was just worried about his reaction; Mike had always been protective over her, ever since they were kids, Harvey knew that. 

Neither of them had meant to keep their relationship a secret for this long, at first it made sense, neither of them wanted to make things difficult or complicated for Mike if their relationship didn’t work out. 

There had been times before they had planned to tell Mike…but something always came up, an urgent court case or business at the firm. 

Y/n was brought back to her senses when she could no longer feel Harvey’s comforting touch on her back or thigh. 

“I love you,” he whispered under his breath as Y/n's eyes fixed on her brother who was walking towards their table, a confused look evident on his face.

“Y/n?” He asked, his eyebrows narrowing as he sat down opposite the two of them, “what are you doing here?”

At the moment it was as though every word Y/n had ever learned just vanished from her brain; she couldn’t think of a single thing to say to Mike. 

“We…” Harvey began, taking a breath before he intertwined Y/n's fingers with his on the table, “we wanted to talk to you.”

Mike's eyes darted between Harvet and Y/n for a few seconds, before he glanced down at their hands and back up at the two of them.  

“How long?” Mike asked; his tone surprisingly calmer than Y/n had expected.

“Nearly…nearly two years,” she stuttered out; bracing herself for the moment she’d feared the most. 

But Mike said nothing; he just looked at the two of them and smiled, “I’m glad you finally told me.”

“You knew?” Y/n said a little louder than she’d intended to, the shock overwhelming her, however it did end up making some of the nearby diners glance in their direction for a few moments; not that she cared all that much.

“You know I’ve been able to tell when you’re lying to me since you were five,” Mike pointed out; he’d known for a while that Y/n and Harvey had been seeing each other, granted they’d hid it well, for half a year he was completely unaware they were together; he knew she was keeping something from him. 

He just didn’t know what.

And then he saw them together at a coffee shop; they were just talking and laughing and it was then that something clicked. 

The way they looked at each other in that coffee shop was enough for him to know that something was going on between them. 

From that moment on little things that he probably never would’ve noticed became so much clearer. 

He was angry for a while; not because they were together, but because they'd kept this a secret from him; but then he saw how happy his little sister was and he didn’t want to interfere with that. 

“And you’re okay with it?” Y/n continued to question; the tone of her voice expressing the fear of what his answer would be. 

“I would’ve said something by now if i wasn’t,” Mike answered simply; giving Y/n a reassuring smile as she let out a sigh of relief, instantly relaxing into her chair; as Mike turned his attention to Harvey. 

“But if you hurt her, I will have to kill you.”

“I would expect nothing less,” Harvey agreed, another chuckle lacing his voice as he too felt a weight lifted from his shoulders. 

But still one thing lingered…one thing that they hadn’t shared with Mike. 

One thing that made Harveys small smile falter. 

“We…have something else to tell you,” Harvey began, glancing at Y/n before looking back at Mike. 

“I asked Y/n to marry me…”

Harvey was always quite spontaneous and he hadn’t planned to ask Y/n without telling Mike about their relationship first; but he just felt like the time was right and he didn’t want to waste another second without her knowing that, that’s why he asked. 

The words lingered in the air for a few moments as Mike processed what he’d just heard. 

“Well at least you didn’t wait a year and a half to tell me that,” he stated; his eyes going back to Y/n; “I take it you said yes?”

She hadn’t. 

Not yet. 

She couldn’t. 

She couldn’t have said yes to Harveys proposal until Mike knew…that’s why she was so nervous about his reaction; because she wanted to marry Harvey.

“I haven’t given him an answer yet,” Y/n corrected; giving Harveys hand a small squeeze, “I wanted you to know about us before I said yes.”

“Well…I guess I should congratulate you on your engagement.” 

Y/n practically jumped out of her seat to hug her brother; the excitement completely taking control of her body as a beaming smile grew on her lips.

“Thank you,” she whispered in his ear as he reciprocated her hug. 

“I think you should turn around,” he whispered back, his eyes looking at Harvey, who was now down on one knee, holding open a black box in his hands. 

A small gasp left Y/ns lips as she saw the sight in front of her.

Harvey. On one knee. With the most gorgeous ring she’d ever seen in her life.

“Y/n Y/l/n, will you marry me?” 

The word yes came out of her mouth faster than she could even process it; it was such a surreal experience. 

One minute she saw Harvey down on one knee as now she was wrapped in his arms, she was so lost in his embrace that she could barely even register the applause the other diners in the restaurant were giving.

[rvspecter]

ramble about each of ur suits ships for as long as u can (might result in a novel)

omg sweet anon asking about all my ships <3

ok so first i don't ship something because i want to see two ppl get married i don't do that. i'll ship it because i find it interesting/sexy etc

LET'S START WITH THE SEXIEST

jessica/harvey

-everyone sleeping on this ship makes me so mad. like they are so sexy!?!?!?!?!?? even when they banter they are sexy. THEY ARE TOTALLY FLIRTING?!??!?! anyways i particularly like when they fight for dominance which is basically every scene with them. oh and i like how she's taller than him in heels and how she stares him down like he's breakfast. SO WHY ISN'T THERE MORE FIC!??!? what i need is for someone to help me establish their backstory. like i know they fucked in a bathroom stall on the 53rd floor but i'm not sure when. was it when harvey was working in the mailroom? i feel like they are the hardest ship to write for actually and make believable. BUT I KNOW THEY FUCKED!!!!!

mike/harvey

-mike legit has harvey wrapped around his finger. if that boy said “hire me as a lawyer even tho ive only finished high school and then offer to go to prison for me when im found out” harvey would be like “how high”. i don't think anyone can argue that harvey loves mike

but to me marvey is an unrequited love story. idk what to say. mike doesn't love harvey. sometimes i don't even think mike likes harvey as a friend. that's how soured by s6+ i was. mike treated harvey like shit and harvey kept coming back for more. it was actually painful to watch. i read marvey and usually the stories i find believable r the ones where mike leaves with rachel and GROWS UP (even tho he's a 30 yr old man at the start of the show) and everyone's wounds have had time to heal. i can buy marvey getting together then. what i don't find believable are stories where mike is pining for harvey!?!??! i don't know what show that is. the guy literally couldn't get away from harvey fast enough. he gets out of jail and almost immediately fucks off to seattle with his wife and doesn't even tell harvey about it like??

when i first got into the fandom side of suits i really liked the romanticized version of marvey where they wud do ANYTHING for each other. but when i watch the show - this only goes in one direction

donna/harvey

-this is this ship i was rooting for when i watched the show the first time. the thing about them is their history and emotional connection. to me they are a single entity. they r partners and they have always been partners. u don't even get to talk to harvey without going thru donna - she is literally the physical border between him and the outside world

i love how they protect each other. harvey has never let anything bad happen to donna. it's a fact. he'd do anything to protect her and we see that. but here's the thing about their relationship - it's mutual. donna does INSANE THINGS for harvey like KEEP A DOCUMENT THAT SHE STOLE FOR OVER A DECADE ON THE OFF CHANCE THAT SOMEONE GOES AFTER HARVEY FOR CAMERON'S CRIMES. they wud do anything for each other and they both know it

i also love how highly they think of each other. we always see donna defending harvey. she defends him because she thinks he's a good person ("because ur worthy"). she's one of few ppl on the show who does. most ppl think of him as a dick and that group includes mike

the way harvey views donna is almost worshipful. he thinks she can do no wrong. “donna doesn’t make mistakes.” he trusts her completely. she's his compass. every success he has is a shared success. “we made partner.” he doesn’t even think he can be himself without her. and don’t get me started on how debilitating her moving 3 doors down the hall was for him

anyways tldr their relationship is a two way street. they love each other and they both know it. and i'm not talking about after they finally get together (let's not talk about s9). i'm talking about before. because even if they didn't know the other person wanted to be with them - they knew they loved them and would do anything for them

MIGHT AS WELL GO THROUGH ALL MY SHIPS

scottie/harvey

-s1 version of them was so fun! i wanted this to have been a long term friends with benefits type thing. when they became a couple i didn't like it because it was always her sacrificing stuff for him and not the other way around

sean cahill/harvey

THIS SHIP NEEDS MORE FIC. i was just thinking about them. sean tells harvey 'I MOVED HEAVEN AND EARTH FOR YOU ONCE BEFORE AND NOW THE WELL IS DRY' like sean was totally IN LOVE WITH HARVEY. it's crazy how much he did for him actually. like what did sean get out of it??!?!?!?!??! anyways they totally fucked while mike was in prison

travis tanner/harvey

they way i see them is travis is obsessed with harvey's hair and hands and generally thinks he's just a pretty girl he wants to get with. harvey is like eww no but also we know harvey likes fucking the competition. so i think they fuck on and off, after or before cases and it's very kinky because travis is a total freak in the sheets

LAST BUT NOT LEAST

cameron dennis/harvey

plz see this fic for details

[penwieldingdreamer]

Caring Makes You Weak - Part 2

Summary: Harvey Specter, best closer in New York City and Senior Partner at Pearson Hardman, the man most females in the city want, yet he himself doesn’t want commitment, because caring makes one weak. Enter Elle Howard, a woman he met a long time ago. Will she be the one to break down his walls and make him care?

Thanks again for beta'ing @fortheloveoffanfic

Warnings: Light cursing, an evil stepmother(?)

Words: 1544

Hardman was gone, the merger with Zane pushed away again but now Jessica wanted to merge with Edward Darby and Harvey wanted - needed to stop it one way or another.

And now the one person he'd had worked very hard to forget about waltzed back into his life because his associate had taken her case. He was never the committing type and he should have never agreed to help Mike with that pro Bono. It wasn't even his case to begin with, so what had changed?

Staring out his windows he thought back to the first time he had met her. How could one woman rattle his brain like that? First Dana Scott, then Zoe Lawford and now…now there was Elle Howard.

Harvey had met her while out celebrating a big win with Jessica and Louis. When he walked up to the bar, she stood there, the fabric of her dress tight around her curves as she waited for her drink.

"Can I get you a drink?" he asked, leaning one arm onto the bar while he looked the redhead up and down.

She turned a smile on her lips and a drink in her hand. "I believe I'm still good, thank you."

"Well, why don't we move on to the next one?" Harvey smirked at her, holding out his hand for introductions. "I'm Harvey Specter."

Rolling her eyes, she emptied her drink and grabbed the clutch laying on the bar top. "And I'm not interested." The redhead nodded her head and moved to walk around him.

The warmth in his belly was replaced by a coldness as if someone had doused him with ice water. It had been some time since a woman had brushed him off with not being interested but he clearly was and he needed to get to know her. "Please, just let me buy you a drink." he said, his hand lightly holding onto her arm.

Sighing, the redhead turned, her blue-green eyes narrowing in on the lawyer. "You don't like a woman saying no, do you?"

"I always win them over, so I'd say you should take my offer." Harvey told her, nodding at Louis and Jessica, who just left the bar.

Moving closer to him, the woman smiled, her eyes shining with mirth. "Well in that case, I expect you to work your magic to win this case Mister Lawyer."

"How did you know I'm a lawyer?" Harvey asked astonished, not that he could have hidden his job in a bar full of businessmen.

The redhead smirked, leaning over to whisper in his ear. "It's not so hard to figure out, to be honest. So I'm looking forward to when you've won that case, too."

"Harvey!"

Blinking, the dark haired lawyer turned to face his associate. "What you got, Mike?"

"I've been calling you five minutes straight." the dark blond said, a smile on his face as Donna laughed at her cubicle. "What's got you so occupied?"

Shaking his head, Harvey held out his hand to look over the files. "Did you find some dirt on Tanner we can use?"

"Ah, not yet." Mike scratched the back of his neck, watching his boss carefully. "I wanted to ask Louis to help me with the financials, something doesn't seem right."

"Then get to it, I got something else to take care of." he got up from his chair, buttoning his jacket before he left his office. "I'll be back later, keep my schedule clear."

Donna and Mike looked after their boss before they faced each other. "What just happened?"

"I have no idea Junior, but he's been in a mood ever since you got back from Elle Howard last Friday." the secretary said, taking a sip from the latte Mike had brought her at lunch.

Once outside on the street level, Harvey waited for Ray to drive up. He needed to get a clear answer to the questions circling around his head. The black Lexus stopped in front of him and his driver got out, opening the door for him. "Where to, Harvey?"

"To the past." he sighed, giving his driver the address. The Indian man nodded his head, started the music and drove off.

"You want to talk about it, boss?" Ray had known his employer for nearly three years now and in all that time nothing had rattled him like the case he took on with Mike Ross. Harvey shook his head, watching the city fly by as the car made its way out of Manhattan and over to Williamsburg.

"Elle!"

Elle had to get the cries of her kids out of her head, so she decided to go grocery shopping and enjoy the walk over to the store not far from her apartment. Just when she got back, the redhead saw a black car parked on the street in front of her door. Sighing, she tightened her grip on the bags and ignored the sound of a car door opening.

She would recognize that voice anywhere. "What can I help you with, Harvey? Is there something good happening with the case?"

"Mike is still looking into it, but actually I'm here because I need to ask you something." the lawyer said moving closer to her. "Why did you really leave those years ago?"

Elle knew what he was getting into and she still had her secrets, things she couldn't have told him then and would definitely not tell him now. "You know it didn't work out for us."

"You still believe that?" he argued, pushing one hand into the pockets of his suit pants, clenching it with all his might. "I know that isn't the reason why, so stop that bullshit and tell me what made you rethink everything."

Shaking her head, the redhead walked around him, moving swiftly to the entrance of the apartment building she shared with Mike, but Harvey was faster. His hand held onto her arm, tight enough to stop her, but loose enough to not hurt her. Elle blinked her light eyes at the lawyer as she tried to form words without spilling what she had longed to tell him all those years ago. "We both wanted different things and you know it."

"Is that why you suddenly up and left New York? I asked Lucille and she told me you went to Boston. You didn't even think that you could have talked to me?"

Pulling away from him, she opened her mouth to answer him, but there was no sound coming out. Elle needed to get her head straightened out before she could really talk to Harvey and just when she knew what she would tell him, her phone rang again. The redhead pulled it out of her jeans' back pocket showing Charlie's name on the display. "I'm sorry, I have to take this."

"Mum" he sniffled and Elle immediately felt tears come to her own eyes. "Please come and get us. I hate it here."

She could hear his cries and the lawyer in front of her was totally forgotten. "Charlie, baby, what's going on?"

"I want to come back to you. I hate Sarah and she doesn't even want us there. She's mean to Izzy and me. Please, mommy, come and take us home."

Clasping a hand to her lips, Elle fought the urge to break down when she listened to her sweet boy cry because of her ex husband's new wife. "I'm sorry, sweetie, but I can't come and take you home. You know that we still have to wait a bit."

"No! I wanna go home now. Izzy doesn't like it here, too." the young mother could hear her youngest crying next to her son and she knew she had to put an end to it.

Closing her eyes, Elle took a deep breath. "Charlie listen to me, I'm going to come over and we'll talk, okay."

"Okay, I guess." She knew her son wasn't satisfied with her answer, but there was no way she was giving Travis more power over her, than he already had.

Harvey had listened to the conversation and was trying to come up with possible scenarios to fight against Tanner, just so he didn't have to listen to the kids crying for their mother. "I'm coming with you, Tanner isn't going to be happy with you showing up at his house."

"I can do that on my own, I know Travis." Elle tried to argue with the lawyer but from the look he shot her, she knew she'd have to fight him tooth and nails. "I don't need your help to make sure my kids are fine."

Shaking his head, he took a step back from her. "It's either me or I'm sending Mike to Tanner's house and you know it's not going to be pretty." Harvey held up his phone, ready to dial his associate so he could make sure nothing was going wrong and would destroy the case.

"Okay." the redhead muttered, lowering her head in defeat, she trusted Mike, but not around her ex-husband, he could be petty and it would end up in bloodshed if something went wrong. Rolling her blue eyes, she nodded, albeit reluctantly. "Fine. But at least let me get the shopping inside."

[getnight]

So, hi, here is the part of my big fic about sons of Mike&Rachel and Harvey&Donna. It's just a little piece. Actually, Chris and Tyler (their sons) are my Original characters, but... I like them) And, yeah, we haven't Marvey at Canon, so i did their children in love. They are cute, I think🌚 Soooo... Maybe you'll be interested. Yeah.

Christopher caught up with Tyler in a few seconds, yanking off his hood and grabbing him lightly by the neck with his forearm. The boy flinched, leaned back and tried to pull his arm away, and when he failed, he tried to fall with his attacker to the side of the road. At that moment, Chris let go.

— Hey, Tyle, take it easy. This is me, — He steadied Tyler from falling and stood beside him, brushing him off.

— You... why did you do that? — Tyler frowned, pulling the headphones out of his ears and pinching a lollipop to his cheek.

— Why are you so cute? You're a formidable genius, but you love lollipops and you frown like you're five instead of fifteen.

— I'm not cute, keep your high energy endorphins with yourself, — Tyler pulled up his hood, turned around, and was about to continue walking when Chris literally dived in front of him, blocking the way.

They faced each other. Chris was literally a centimeter taller, but he had rather broad shoulders, which made him look much bigger than Tyler.

— Hey,— Christopher whispered.

— What? — Tyler replied.

Chris smiled fondly as he pulled back his hood.

— That's better. I love your hair, — he hesitated for a second, then gently took Tyler's hand, the other gently pulling the candy out of Ross' mouth and tugging at his wrist, pulling him into a soft, chaste kiss that Tyler happily responded to. Christopher's other hand went to the back of the boy's head, and he felt long fingers on his waist. When they finally parted, Chris said:

— Good morning, Tyle, — and he smiled sincerely, expecting something like that in return: "Don't call me that”.

— Good morning, Topha, — and the kind of smile that only Tyler Harvey Ross could give. Sincere and pure. The one that no one but those closest to her had ever seen. The one that opened the veil of a brilliant, sullen guy.

The nickname "Topha" seemed strange to Chris. It was indeed a derivative of his name, Christopher, but how Tyler came up with it... no one ever found out. Parents said that as a child, baby Ross could not pronounce Chris ' full name and called him "Topha". And so it turned out. Since then, Tyler only calls his boyfriend that when no one is looking.

Tyler pulled the hood up again. His clothes were no different from what he always wore. Black ripped jeans, a huge black hoodie, and... something had changed that day.

— I'm not going to ask about the paint stain, or what wall you painted on the way here, but do I really see your badge? — Chris stared at the rainbow-colored iron circle attached to the left side of Tyler's chest.

— Exactly one year, three hundred and sixty five days, eight thousand seven hundred and sixty-six hours, five million two hundred and fifty-six thousand minutes ago, I first realized that I was in love with you, — Tyler said calmly.

Christopher choked and blushed. No, no, no, no. Damn, why is he so bad with emotions?

— I'm sorry, I… — Specter whispered, and suddenly felt a warm hand on his cheek.

Tyler looked at him, not affectionately, not solicitously, just calmly.

— It's all right. I know we'll be working on your emotional range, — he said.

— God, — Chris suddenly smiled, — How do you do that? How can you so easily talk about your feelings and understand them, but absolutely not be able to communicate with people? — he abruptly hoisted the thin Tyler onto his shoulder, running ahead of him down the road.

At first there were attempts to resist and shouts that they would be seen, but then the guy just hung on Chris ' back.

— You took my lollipop, by the way, — he mumbled.

— Is that the only thing that bothers you? Christopher laughed.

— No, the fact that you laugh for some reason means that you experience joy, happiness, euphoria, fun or…

The schoolhouse loomed up ahead, and Chris lowered his boyfriend to the ground.

— Here, just shut up, highactivity sociopath, — he said, handing Tyler a lollipop he'd taken from his backpack. Yes, he always had such a supply. It was the most important thing in his things. What Chris checked every day before he left for school. Ever since he had the pocket money. That is, from the age of nine.

Tyler's face lit up with a childlike smile, and he took the candy, opened it, put it in his mouth, and said through it:

— You can't blame my love of Sherlock.

— I'm not blameing.

Tyler's entire room was covered with posters, quote sheets, DVD boxes taped to tape, and other decorations. By the way, the love of watching movies on DVD was instilled in Tyler by Chris ' father.

Christopher never disapproved of posters and things like that, no. Conversely. He thought it was extremely cute. In his room, despite the fact that he had both favorite movies and favorite bands, there was not a single poster. Somehow, he had never been attracted to such a way of designing a room.

A couple in love walked towards the school, holding hands. Tyler, who was always more open with Chris, chatted about how he'd tried to curl his hair again over the weekend, which he did often, and he liked it. Chris, always a sociable bully-athlete in front of everyone and a little modest, relaxed and allowing himself to revel in his mind, not strength, and the mind of the person he talks to, in front of Tyler, listened carefully to his boyfriend, once saying that he wanted to make Tyler's curls himself one day.

Closer to the school, they uncoupled their hands. At school, they are just childhood best friends, close brothers. There may be rumors that will quickly reach the teachers, and from them to the parents. Both Chris and Tyler agreed to hide it from the families at all costs. They didn't know what the reaction and consequences would be, so the longer their relationship was kept secret, the better.

— I have literature, — Tyler said, pulling his hood up again and searching for something in his backpack.

— Math, — Chris said.

— Here. I drew it yesterday. Will you watch it? Tyler waved his hand, closed his backpack, and walked away, putting in his headphones.

Christopher hated painting, drawing, and galleries. But there was one exception. The exception who bore the name was Tyler Harvey Ross. His boyfriend was an incredible artist, he drew a lot of different sketches, gradually a whole pile formed in his desk drawer. These drawings were never shown to anyone other than Chris. Moreover, Specter suspected that even he did not know all of Tyler's works.

— Chris! — a voice called out.

Christopher turned.

— Let's go to class, buddy — said the guy who flew up.

— Where are you going in such a hurry, Jim? Christopher chuckled.

Jim was one of the guys on the football team.

Jim ruffled Chris ' red hair.

— Come on.

They entered the classroom,where there were already quite a few people. Christopher walked past a girl who was eating grapes and brazenly stole one of the berries.

—Thank you, — he chuckled.

The girl said nothing. Everyone is used to it. Chris Specter is a real badass.

The teacher appeared and the bell rang.

When everyone had calmed down, and the rowdy teammates and friends were deep in math, a topic that he and Tyler had gone through with Uncle Mike a year ago, Chris pulled out a drawing, unfolding it.

It was their portrait. Him and Tyler. Just a sketch, not even painted, but Christopher just couldn't look away. The two of them were standing on the pavement of New York City, high-rise buildings behind them, and a car was driving in the foreground. Chris was hanging up the Topha Coffee sign on the stairs. The building he hung it on says "Open," and there are all kinds of cakes and other desserts in the windows. Inside, there are a couple of tables and a counter. On the sides of the picture are depicted tree branches with birds. Tylee himself was standing a little apart from his boyfriend, his index finger outstretched, apparently instructing him on how to hang up the sign. Tyler's self-portrait was perfect. It was the coal-black hair with the little curls, the ice-blue eyes (the eyes of both of them were the only color spots in the drawing), the thick eyebrows, the lean body hidden under a large apron that Chris found charming, wide nose and sharp cheekbones.

Christopher seemed to be busy with the sign, and Tyler was busy with putting it up, but their eyes were only on each other. And there was life in those eyes, real life. Frozen, yes. But it's real. Perhaps such a picture was their dream. Chris wanted to move to New York, and Tyler wanted to open his own cozy little coffee shop with his paintings hanging on the walls.

A couple of times Specter asked his boyfriend if his genius mind would not be bored in such a routine. Tiley just smiled and shook his head. Then Chris realized that the teenager himself did not know. He wants a simple quiet happiness, but at the same time not to lose his mind and genius. He's afraid of society, shuns it, finds it boring and disturbing, but he wants to see people smile when they drink his freshly made coffee or try a piece of that apple pie that Edith Ross, Tyler's great-grandmother, then Uncle Mike, and now Tyler himself, baked. He rushes around, not knowing where to put himself and what to do.

Maybe they should just finish school first and enjoy their youth. And then… Then they will definitely come up with how it will be. They will tell their parents about their relationship, go to university, and who knows what will happen next. We'll see. That was Chris ' opinion.

The bell rang in the hallway, dismissing all the students for recess. Christopher carefully folded the drawing and put it in his pocket. They'll meet at dinner, they always do. And this day will be no exception.

That's what Christopher thought as he walked out of the math room with his friends in his arms. But perhaps this day will be something that will soon change their entire lives and views on her, their family and each other.

[statusquoergo]

hey, to balance the angst how about marvey 16 :) and hopefully you find your muse again, thank you

To uh, balance the angst, you say? I can certainly…see how you would expect this prompt to elicit something…steamy, probably, but…uh. Well. I’m sorry about this. But it’s a happy ending, I promise!

Oh! Also, this is the last of these prompts that I received, and I want to thank everyone again for sending them to me! This series has been a lot of fun to write!

Things you said with no space between us

[Read on AO3]

They sentence him to two years in prison. The prosecutors tell him it could’ve been worse, the judge tells him he should be grateful; he knows they’re right. Mike doesn’t complain.

Harvey does. Harvey does, and Rachel does. They argue at his hearing, and Rachel wants to appeal, but there’s no real standing for that, and it’ll be tossed before it gets to a higher court. She knows it will. Mike knows it too, and he doesn’t complain. It’s all been building to this, after all, everything they’ve done up to now. Everything they’ve gotten away with that they shouldn’t have.

Rachel tries to visit him on his very first day, but she’s not on his visitation list, and they turn her away with a weary sort of irritation and not much sympathy. They start the registration process immediately after she gets back to New York, she and Harvey do, and it’s supposed to be easy, but these things always seem to take more time than they should, somehow. They do what they can.

Mike doesn’t complain. It takes a little more than three weeks, the whole process from start to finish, but Mike waits.

Not much else to do these days.

---

Mike walks into the visitation room with a smile on his face that brightens as he nears the plexiglass, that widens as he sits on the rickety stool in front of the long table and reaches across himself to pick up the telephone in his non-dominant hand so that he can press it to the unbruised side of his face.

“Hi,” he says. “Thanks for coming.”

On the other side of the glass, Rachel raises her hand to her mouth, and Harvey picks up the telephone.

“Mike,” he says. “What happened?”

Mike sits on his free hand to keep from touching his face.

“Oh this?” He raises his eyebrows like this is some kind of joke, because come on now, what a silly question that is. “I met some guy in here named Frank Gallo, I don’t think he likes me very much.”

Harvey’s face pales, and Rachel raises her other hand to cover her mouth, too.

“I put him away for racketeering,” Harvey says. “What the hell is he doing here?”

Mike grins. “Search me.”

Harvey frowns.

“I’m going to tell the warden,” he says. Rachel looks at him with some alarm, dropping her hands to the table, and Mike’s smile vanishes at once.

“Don’t do that.”

Harvey shakes his head. “I’m going to tell him,” he repeats. “I’m going to tell him the whole story.”

“Harvey.” Mike points at his mottled skin. “Harvey, if you tell the warden, Gallo is going to find out, and this’ll be nothing compared to what he’s gonna do to me.”

Harvey’s knuckles turn white as he clutches the phone, pressing it to his ear, and Rachel looks between them, their one-sided conversation, and bites her lip.

These visits have a time limit, don’t they? They must, surely.

Mike smiles wide.

“So tell me about the firm.”

Harvey lowers his head, tapping his nail against the plastic receiver. After a moment, Rachel begins to cry.

Mike looks away.

---

Prison happens on a learning curve.

After that first meeting, the one that left him feeling so hollow and cold, and so angry at himself for feeling that way, for being ungrateful, for being an entitled piece of shit— After that first meeting, Rachel promised to come visit him every day, even if she had to come alone, even if she didn’t have any news to bring him, even if there was no reason for her to be there. It was a stupid thing to promise, and she shouldn’t have done it, but she did, and Mike should have known better, and he should have warned her, but he didn’t, and that’s two hours now that she’s wasted driving out here, and two more she’ll waste driving back.

“It’s a points system,” his cellmate Kevin explains. “Beginning of the month you get twelve points, and every visit costs one. Two on weekends and holidays. Then next month you start over.”

Mike crosses his arms over his chest and tucks himself into the corner of his threadbare mattress, the matching blanket wadded up between his lower back and the dirty wall.

“That’s stupid,” he says.

“Yeah,” Kevin says. “What’re you gonna do.”

Not a goddamn thing.

---

“Mike, you’re bleeding.”

Mike touches his lip gently, curving his wrist to hide the swelling around the joint as Harvey narrows his eyes.

“What happened?”

Mike smiles and tries not to wince when it pulls at the split.

“Gallo and I got in a little argument in the day room,” he says. “Guess I’m still not used to the pecking order around here.”

I hope I die before I figure it out. I hope that day is too far away for me to see it clearly. I hope I never learn how to live here, I hope I never learn how to make this place my home.

Harvey’s shoulders sag forward, his furrowed brow drawing his eyes down to the cracked paint and scratched aluminum holding up the plexiglass pane between them.

“Hey,” Mike says, rapping his knuckles against the window. “I’m fine.”

“No banging on the glass,” a guard rumbles behind him.

Mike winces, and Harvey presses his lips together tight.

“I tried to get you leave,” he says clumsily, forcing the words out one by one. “The warden owes me a favor, I thought— I thought he might go for it.”

“‘Leave’?” Mike repeats. “Harvey, I’m not in the army.”

Fighting for my life every minute of every day, I can see how you would make that mistake.

Harvey smiles, even though it wasn’t funny. He knows it wasn’t. Mike does, too.

“I tried,” he says anyway. “I thought he’d let you out for a day, or, or a couple of hours, I wanted to take you home, just for a little while, so you could see Rachel. So you could talk, I… I thought it might help.”

I thought it might help to give you a taste of everything you’ve lost. I thought it might make you happy for a minute or two.

Mike smiles again, pulling at the split.

“Tell her I said hi,” he says.

Tell her I understand why she’s stopped coming here. Tell her I forgive her. Tell her everything’s going to be okay.

Tell her I’ll always love her, and for both our sakes, I hope we never see each other again.

Harvey kneads his finger into the corner of his eye.

“Jesus Christ.”

Mike presses his palm to the plexiglass.

“Harvey. Harvey, Harvey, hey, stop it.”

Harvey laughs into his chest, and Mike bites his bloody lip.

“You! Hands off the glass!”

Mike flinches. Maybe he will get used to it, sooner or later, maybe it’ll all become second nature before too long.

Not today.

---

Harvey isn’t the only one who cares about him. About what happens to him, about how he’s doing. About whether he lives or dies. Mike knows he isn’t. Even Harvey tells him as much, all the time, reminding him that he’s got people out there waiting for him, that he’ll be welcomed back at the firm with open arms when he gets out, that people ask about him sometimes, how he’s holding up and things. Harvey doesn’t have some kind of monopoly on giving him time and attention. Mike knows.

When he trudges out into the visitor’s room, when he picks up the phone and looks through the plexiglass, when Donna picks up the other receiver and looks back at him with a sad little smile on her face, he thinks maybe instead of sitting here, having some kind of conversation, maybe he’s going to go back to his cell and throw up.

“Hi Mike,” she says.

He swallows.

“Where’s Harvey?”

“Harvey’s fine.”

Mike narrows his eyes. That’s not what I asked.

“Where is he?”

Donna looks at him steadily, holding her shoulders back too tight.

“He’s in the hospital.”

So you’re a fucking liar, then. You lied to me.

“That doesn’t sound ‘fine.’”

No, no. Don’t be mean, Michael. It’s good of her to come and tell you in person.

“He has a stomach ulcer,” Donna says. “He’s going to be fine.”

Mike scowls.

“He doesn’t sound fine.”

Donna shakes her head.

“He is,” she says. “He will be. He needs to make sure he takes care of himself, that’s all. They gave him antibiotics, and he just needs some rest. He wanted me to come tell you what happened, he didn’t want you to worry.”

He’s looking out for you in your time of need. He only wants what’s best for you. He’s doing everything he can to help you. He’s working himself to death for you. Don’t worry about it. Everything is going to be fine.

Mike tangles the telephone cord in his fist and pulls it taut.

“God dammit,” he mutters.

Donna’s face goes sort of flat.

“How are you doing?” she asks after a minute.

Mike bangs his elbow on the edge of the table when he reaches to touch his black eye.

Oh, that’s right. These things happen, I suppose. There’s so much to keep track of, I forget about this and that.

“Don’t tell Harvey,” he says.

She sighs a sad little sigh.

Don’t worry about a thing.

---

Harvey shouldn’t be here. Harvey has a stomach ulcer, and he needs to rest. He should be at home, he should be in bed taking a nap, he should be curled up on the couch with a bowl of soup, he should be taking his antibiotics and relaxing and getting better.

Mike picks up the phone.

“What the hell is wrong with you?”

Harvey smiles.

“Hello to you, too.”

“Harvey.”

Harvey rests his hand on his lapel, a little too close to his heart. “I’m okay,” he says. “These things happen all the time, it’s no big deal.”

That’s a lie. You’re a fucking liar, you’re fucking lying to me. You’re lying to me to make me feel better, you’re lying to me because you don’t want me to feel useless even though I am, even though I know it, and so do you.

Mike clenches his fist in his lap and accidentally pinches a bit of skin between his fingers.

Hands off the glass, you little shit.

“Harvey,” he says, “why did you come?”

Harvey shrugs.

“I couldn’t leave you here all alone.”

Of course you could. Of course you should.

“Thank you,” he says anyway. “Thanks.”

You shouldn’t have done it, though. You shouldn’t have made this mistake. I hate that you’re making yourself sick over me, I hate that you’re putting me first. I hate myself for being grateful that you’re here.

Harvey smiles.

---

Fresh air hits different when it’s not blowing through a chain link fence.

Mike steps out through the prison door and takes a deep breath. Has the sun always been this bright? Has the light always felt so warm, the wind so soft through his hair? This big, wild stretch of nothing, of nobody, of the whole world spread out before him to go wherever he wants, do whatever he wants, be…whoever he is. This whole life stretching out before him, just waiting for him to take it.

“Hey.”

Nothing and nobody except for you and me.

He opens his eyes, narrowed against the glare, and there’s Harvey, standing in the parking lot. There’s Harvey, waiting for him to come through the gate. There’s Harvey, waiting to drive him home.

Harvey, who’s always been there.

And now it’s over, and there he is.

And here we are.

“You look good.”

You fucking liar.

Mike walks through the gate, out into the parking lot, and grabs Harvey as tight as he can and doesn’t let go.

After all this time, all these days and weeks and months, all we have is this. For a moment, for now, all I want is this.

Harvey lifts his arms and wraps them around Mike’s shoulders, and holds on. He holds on when Mike tucks his chin into the crook of his neck, and he holds on when Mike’s breath shudders like he might start crying, and he holds on when the tears almost fall, and he holds on when they don’t.

This is what I’ve been missing.

Mike presses in close and holds on tight, and Harvey doesn’t let him go.

“Mike,” Harvey murmurs. “I’m so proud of you.”

Mike grabs Harvey’s coat in his fist and presses his face against his shoulder, and Harvey rubs his hand down Mike’s back.

“You did good.”

Mike sniffles, and Harvey sighs into his hair.

“I’ve got you.”

And I always, always will.

[yerwizardharry]

a little buddie ficlet idea stolen from a mike and harvey fic called ‘A Condition of Happiness’ by eadunne2. if you ship marvey go read that because it’s far superior to what I’ve written. i’m not a fic writer - nor do i intend to be - so pls don’t be too harsh. enjoy!

~

“Hey, I was drinking that!”

Eddie hides his grin behind the mug and moves to sit at the table occupied by Chim and Hen, who are both chuckling at Buck’s disgruntled expression.

“I don’t know why you still bother protesting Buck”, Bobby comments as he’s passing through the kitchen, “he does it every single morning.”

“Yeah, I’m sorry Buckaroo, but I think it might be time to accept defeat. Not that you ever put up much of a fight anyway. Wonder why that is.” Hen agrees, smirking.

Buck darts forward attempting to steal the last piece of bacon off the side of her plate but instead stumbles towards the floor and has to catch himself on the table before he winds up with yet another concussion. He whips around just in time to see Chimney retract his leg back underneath the table, an expression of innocence etched upon his face.

“Hey!” Buck yells, turning to grab a cushion from the couch and lobbing it towards Chim and Hen in retaliation.

“Every morning…” Bobby mutters, moving to intercept childish fight that’s about to take place.

Eddie just smiles, content to sit back and watch the chaos unfold. He takes a large gulp of Bucks coffee and sighs happily. It’s perfect as always - sugary sweet with only a splash of milk.

~

A few months later, with their days off coinciding and Chris at his Abeulas, Buck and Eddie are enjoying a rare, adults only, movie night. They’re both sat on the couch, shoulders pressed together and eyes on the tv when they hear a key in the lock. Maddie bustles into Bucks apartment dropping a bunch of his things on the kitchen island, ranting about not wanting piles of her baby brothers belongings cluttering up her and Chims new house. Buck and Eddie, both exhausted from four night shifts in a row, are too sleepy and comfortable pressed against each other to be paying too much attention.

“I’ve got to get back. Chims cooking dinner but no more forgetting all your stuff at my place okay baby bro?”, Maddie says fondly, ruffling Bucks hair and earning a slap on the arm for her trouble. Eddie chuckles at them both. Maddie flashes him a smile before turning to leave. On her way towards the front door, Maddie swipes Buck’s coffee mug and takes a quick sip.

“Gross!”, she splutters, "Buck why the hell is that so sweet? I know for a fact that we both prefer our coffee as black and strong as possible.”

Buck freezes, his mouth opening and closing, gaze shifting guiltily between his sister and Eddie.

“I...It’s not-I like any kind of coffee Mads, c'mon.”

Maddie rolls her eyes, exasperated. “Buck. You spent an entire car journey the other day trying to convince Chim that black coffee is superior and, i quote, any other type doesn’t even deserve to be called coffee . I distinctly remember because i considered driving right off the road just to put us all out of our misery.”

“Very funny Mads. Feel free to leave at any time.”

Maddie looks towards Eddie for support but finds the other man has his eyes trained on Buck, seemingly lost in though. She looks back towards her brother who has begun to fidget uncomfortably in the ensuing silence, gaze landing everywhere except his best friend.

Fighting down a laugh, Maddie sends her brother a wink and moves once more towards the front door.

“I’ll leave you boys to it.”

The sound of the door clicking shut echoes through the silent apartment.

Buck tenses.

~

"Look, I don’t really like-"

“But whenever I steal your-"

“-sweet coffee-"

“-why would you do that?"

A series of emotions flicker across Bucks face, like he’s thinking of laughing it off or making an excuse but in the end he turns to stare out of the window, shoulders slumped, hand rubbing absently over the left side of his chest.

“It’s a condition of happiness”, Buck sighs faintly. “Y’know. Heinlein.”

Eddie shifts towards Buck on the couch, brow furrowed in confusion. “What? Strangers in a Strange Land? Buck-“

Buck curls in on himself defensively. “F-forget it. Lets just pretend this conversation never happened. It’s dumb. Hey! Would you look at the time, it’s been hours. You should probably go pick up Chris from Abuela’s-“

But Eddie isn’t paying attention to Bucks rambling because it’s finally clicked and his mouth drops open in shock.

“Love is that condition in which the happiness of another person is essential to your own”, Eddie recites softly.

Buck sucks in a sharp breath and blushes all the way up to the tips of his ears. He’s a deer in headlights. Chest rising and falling rapidly and wide blue eyes unable to look anywhere except Eddies softening face. As the silence stretches on, Buck squeezes his eyes shut and braces for rejection. For the possibility that he’s about to lose, not only his best friend, but also an amazing kid he’s come to love as his own, all because of one stupid slip of the tongue.

Eddie’s heart breaks and swells simultaneously. He can’t believe he’s going to get this. This beautiful, kind man who cares more than anyone he’s ever met and wears his every emotion for all to see. Eddie brings a hand up to cup Buck’s face in his palm, thumb wiping away a stray tear. Bucks’s eyes flutter open.

“Evan, in those interactions, it isn’t the coffee that makes me happy.”

“No?” Buck whispers hopefully.

Eddie smiles tenderly and lifts his other hand to card through Buck’s hair, tugging him closer until their faces are just inches apart.

“No.” Eddie purrs, breath fanning across Bucks already tingling lips. He watches, mesmerised, as Bucks tongue flicks across the lower one.

“Eddie, please.”

After years of straining, the dam breaks. Eddie yanks Buck across the remaining distance, crashing their lips together. Buck whimpers desperately and crawls onto Eddies lap, hands roaming frantically across his body unwilling to settle in one place. Kissing Eddie is passion and fire and everything that’s described in those trashy romance novels Buck knows Eddie loves but vehemently denies ever having read. But most importantly it feels like finally coming home.

Eddie’s thumbs trace soothing circles on buck’s waist as their kisses begin to slow and with one last kiss to buck’s nose Eddie pulls back. Once he gets a clear look at bucks face though, Eddies blissful expression immediately melts into one of alarm.

“Querido? Why are you crying?”

Buck just smiles brightly and brushes a finger across Eddie’s cheekbone.

“I’m happy.”

Eddie lifts Bucks finger from his face and presses a kiss to the back of his hand.

“Well that’s lucky. Because it’s a condition of happiness for me too."

[fullrangeofemotions]

Cafe Ophelia: Coffee Shop AU Part 2

Welp, here is part 2. Donna finds closure, gets more friends, flirts with all the ladies, and Laira and Hal finally meet. Guy is still no where to be found. Next part, though, I SWEAR. To all you who read this, once again, thank you for putting up with me.

-------

Donna tilted her head back, basking in the warmth of the sun. The winter air was crisper than she remembered it being. After a moment of steeling herself, she squared her shoulders and found herself slipping back into the old Donna.

There was no hesitation as she made her way up the steps and into the court. She kept her hands in her pockets, rushing up the remaining steps as an officer on his way out held the door open for her. She smiled in thanks, giving him a nod before slipping into the, thankfully, warm lobby. Donna made her way down the hallway, not quite dreading being there yet but also not quite comfortable. It was not hard to spot Arianne, leaning against one of the columns, a phone pressed to her ear. Donna raised her hand and offered a wave, letting Ari know that she was there but Donna did not wish to cut Ari’s conversation short. Not when she had people to see. She moved farther down the hallway until she saw a familiar face. Rachel turned around, brightening when she saw Donna, her arms opening as she rushed at her old friend. Donna squeezed Rachel into a tight hug, not bothering to let go until the sound of someone clearing their throat forced them to step back from each other.

Donna turned her head and smiled, moving to pull Mike into a hug as well. She felt him hug her just as tightly, “you did not have to come,” she heard him whisper against her ear. She knew he was not talking about the subpoena, for that was out of her hands. Donna pulled back after a long moment, her gaze taking his face in, noticing the dark circles around his eyes. Donna turned to look at Rachel and saw the same tiredness on her face. She pulled the both into a hug, needing to feel them in her arms one more time, to remind herself that they were there.

“How come no one told me we were hugging?”

A familiar voice cut in, making Donna pull away and whirl around. It was all it took for Louis to move in and hug her tightly; she ignored the sniffling coming from him, not surprised by his emotional response. Donna rather missed it. She looked over his shoulder at Jessica, who offered a small smile.

“I missed you too Louis,” she muttered, patting his back until finally pulled away, wiping at his eyes.

“Donna.”

That voice had Donna tensing, her defenses coming up immediately. Still, her smile remained in place as she turned her head to look at Harvey. There was a fragility to his gaze, almost as if he had seen a ghost and for a second, Donna wanted to do anything in her power to make it go away. After all, she had spent more than a decade taking care of him….

-

“Donna and I have a long history, mostly, of me getting her out of trouble,” Arianne started, before stopping to take a quick sip of her wine, “hmm, she has the quickest hands I have ever seen. Anyone in New York who ever lost a watch? Probably my girl’s doing.”

Donna rolled her eyes, “first of all, I had a hobby and I was good at it, second of all, no court ever prove I stole anything,” she defended herself, plucking out one of the breadsticks to dip into the olive oil before taking a bite. Those years felt like a century ago, when was the last time she tried to lift something? Donna paused, alright, she still sometimes lifted or slipped papers, but it was usually at the behest of Harvey or Jessica. It had only been something she did because she could, because she had been good at it.

“It seems that you two make quite a pair, hmm?” Laira chuckled as she swirled her wine around her glass before taking her time sipping at her wine, lipstick staining the rim. Donna and Ari shared a look, both of them looking thoughtful before shrugging at the same time.

“Yes, well, Donna stopped being fun when she got with that second-rate lawyer of hers,” Arianne commented, voice light and airy but there was no hiding her disdain. Donna was not surprised for her friend had never hidden how much she disliked Harvey. Arianne had every right to dislike that man and to resent Donna as well. (Except, Arianne didn’t resent her at all. She just hated him.) Ever since she started to work for Harvey, her time with Ari, and the Martell’s as a whole was cut down.  She had not meant to, but Donna had gotten busy, and then Harvey made no effort to disguise that he was not a fan of the Martells. Although, they did not technically handle the same kinds of cases, they ran paths enough for Harvey to know that there was no beating them.

It was a well-known fact that, regardless of how much Donna loved Harvey (because she had loved him, part of her still did) her friendship with Arianne would win out. Harvey had to have known that. He would never dare to ask her to choose. Neither had Arianne.

“The one in the newspapers, I take it?”

Donna looked over at Laira, surprised for a second before turning to look at Arianne. “This trial is in the newspapers?” she hissed, dreading this even more now than she had already been. “What did you expect? That man doesn’t know how to do anything without you there holding his hand,” Arianne muttered under her breath before taking a bite of her lasagna. Donna glanced down at her plate, no longer hungry as she thought about the firm, about her name, being in the papers. This was not how she wanted to get her name in the papers.

“Hmm, and you are here to testify for the trial?”

Donna looked back at Laira, not seeing any kind of condemnation or judgement. She took a moment to gather her thoughts before letting out a soft sigh, “had no choice, it would be a huge fault for the prosecution to not call the legal secretary in to testify. After all, what kind of secretary worth her worth would not know what transpired in those offices?” Donna did not regret it, her knowledge, all the cover up. She had told Jessica once, why she had done it…Mike was good for Harvey. He shook everything up, changed everyone and Donna knew they were all better for it.

“You were more than a legal secretary, you helped run that place,” Arianne cut in, pointing her fork at Donna, who only picked up her glass of wine. She was more than that, Donna had believed it, still believed it…she knew it, so why was she doubting herself? The silence was telling enough. “You will not sacrifice yourself for them, for him. Not this time,” the words were spit out, startling Donna out of her stupor, words of defense slipping out of her mouth before she could help it. It was what Donna always did, defend him, because she knew him, she understood him, “he has never asked-“

“Bullshit.” Arianne glared at Donna, forgetting where they were, who they were with in that moment, all she felt was righteous anger, “he has always expected you to give everything up for him and you do, you always do. You sacrifice yourself for him every fucking single time.”

Donna hated her in that moment, because she was right. Arianne was right and Donna hated it. Donna had been defined by her relationship with Harvey and Donna had allowed it. Even now, after everything, Donna was still fretting, still willing to give it all up for him. “I would do the same for you,” Donna answered, because that was true too. Donna was selfish in so many things, but never when it came to those she loved.

“I know, but unlike him, I would never ask you to.”

Silence fell upon them after that, Donna lowered her gaze back down to her food. Arianne continued to eat her lasagna. It was not until Laira cleared her throat that the two even remembered she was there. Donna was horrified but she hid it away, focusing instead of trying to eat her pasta.

“From what I read in the papers,” Donna tensed, wondering what Laira was going to say, “you will be here for a couple of days Donna. There is an exclusive show of next Winter’s collection being held tomorrow, I can add you to the list if you wish to attend the event.”

Donna looked up at Laira, surprised that after what she had just witnessed that was what she would say. Slowly a smile bloomed upon her lips and Donna laughed, tension sliding off her shoulders.

“I would love that.”

-

“Harvey…” Donna took in the haggard appearance, trying not to worry but failing, “you look tired.” She didn’t notice the way the others moved away, too focused on trying to understand how she felt about the man before her. She had spent twelve years by his side….

“You look like you always do,” he stated, voice soft, softer than she had ever heard from him. At least, when it came to her. Even softer than the night he gave her so much hope. He was not one to give compliments, and when he did, not to her. Her life had truly been full of disappointment, all coming from him…

“Do you miss me?” she asked him, the words out of her mouth before she could stop them. She did not regret them, because she had to know. She had been courageous that night in his office, breaking whatever was between them. Donna knew now that she could live without him, that she was someone without him, that she was better without him. She knew it now.

“I once told you, I could not be me without you…I meant it…”

Those words caught her by surprise. She remembered that day, when he came for her, brought her back. He was so good at reeling her back in, keeping her waiting for him to be ready. But Donna had not wanted to be needed, what good did that do? She had wanted him to choose her, to want her, to know that he would choose her over everything.

“You said you needed me, but I wanted you to want me, to choose me. I made myself be comfortable with the co-dependency, with being your security blanket….but I know now that I wanted to be loved.”

She stared at him as she said this, as she told him her truth. The failure was from both keeping quiet in fear. She did not push, did not try for more but neither had he. There was pain in his eyes, anguish that urged her to try and make him feel better, but she didn’t. She could not. There was no taking back those words, she wouldn’t silence herself anymore. There was also something else there, an understanding, a clarity.

“I will always care for you, Harvey. Always. Perhaps one day, you’ll care for yourself,” she reached out and squeezed his arm, surprised when he reached up and took her hand in his, giving it a slight squeeze.

“Sorry, not sorry,” Ari cut in abruptly, pushing herself between the two of them and forcing Harvey to drop Donna’s hand, stepping back.

“Martell.” “Specter.”

Thankfully, before Arianne got into trouble for punching the man, they were called inside. Donna locked her arm with Ari’s and began to drag her into the courtroom, offering Harvey a parting smile. She had said her piece, had spoken her feelings to him and she felt…better. It did not suddenly heal the disappointment and heartbreak, because those were years of putting herself last…but Donna would work on it. All she had to do was get through testifying.

-

Donna walked up the steps of the MET, surprised that the event would be taking place within the walls of the institution. The exclusivity was emphasized by the lack of crowds, no red-carpet, no big lines. She was still surprised at how easily she was led in; her name had been clearly printed upon the list which also had a picture of her to go with it. It spoke of just how exclusive this event was. Donna walked down the hallway; her navy-blue clutch held within her right hand as she took in the sights. She had forgotten what it was like to visit the MET, an institution she could admit she missed.

“Right this way Ms. Paulsen,” the sudden voice startled her, but she quickly smiled (despite wondering how the attendant had known who she was). About more than half of the chairs were filled up, while the rest of the guests were mingling by the bar. The dress-code was thankfully not over the top which meant that Donna’s strapless dark green gown fit right in.

Not in the mood for a drink, Donna turned to the attendant, “is there a specific seating arrangement?” she asked, wanting to ensure that she did not accidentally take the seat of someone important.  “You have a seat reserved Ms. Paulsen, right at the front,” he smiled and pointed to the seat right next to the runway. “Thank you,” she responded, hiding her surprise that she had been given such a seat. “Would you like a drink Ma’am?” the attendant asked her but she shook her head, “not at the moment, thank you….” Donna glanced at the nametag, “Josh.”

It was not the first event of this kind that she had been to, but it had been a while. She slid upon the chair that had been designated for her, one leg crossed over the other, as she let herself people watch. “Sorry,” a breathless voice cut in as the seat next to her was taken. Donna turned her head and was surprised to see a face that almost looked familiar. Where had she seen it? Ah. “You are Daenerys,” Donna spoke up, pleased that she could remember that fact, her hand coming up for the woman to shake. Daenerys brightened up, smile stretching from ear to ear, blonde-almost platinum- hair framed her pixie like face. If Donna thought that Laira had fine chiseled cheeks, they were nothing compared to Daenery’s smaller yet more pointed features. “I’m Donna,” she continued, sure that Laira’s sister had no idea who the random woman sitting there was. Or perhaps she did if she read the newspaper.

“Did I not see you in a Shakespeare production not too long ago,” the woman asked and suddenly Donna froze, her breath hitching. Donna had forgotten that had been something Donna had done. The feeling of being on stage suddenly came up and Donna let out a breathless laugh, nodding, “The Merchant of Venice, are you a Shakespeare fan?” she couldn’t hep asking, it was not everyday she found someone that shared her love for theater, and more specifically, Shakespeare.

“Cannot say I am a fan, but I do enjoy theater. Went with my partner, he was adamant that he needed to go. Something about needing to see one specific actress….”

It dawned on her in that moment exactly who Daenerys was talking about, suddenly remembering that one of Laira’s sisters was dating Arianne’s uncle. “Oberyn never mentioned that he was there,” she blurted out, surprised that she had not known or that he had not once mentioned it to her.

“Wait, how did he find out?” she asked, still remembering the terror of failing that kept her from sharing the news with anyone. Donna had not wanted to risk choking on stage in front of people she knew.

“You were fantastic,” Daenerys beamed, reaching over and squeezing Donna’s arm, surprising her with how tactile she was. As Donna slipped into retelling all the craziness of putting on a Shakespeare play, she found her passion returning, remembering why she had loved it so much in the first place.

“Are you planning on being in any future productions?”

The questioned stumped Donna, the answer was no, at least it should be no. “I would love to, but first have to make sure that my coffeeshop doesn’t go under. Perhaps once I’m better established, I’ll think about doing another play or two.”

Conversation came to an end after that, for the show started.

-

Donna stood up in one swift motion as she was called to the stand. She placed her hand on the bible and vowed to tell the truth and nothing but the truth so help her God. Donna felt the eyes of everyone upon her and it almost reminded her about how it felt to be on stage. Had she not always wanted to be the center of attention? She let her eyes wander over to where Harvey sat, but she was quickly pulled away as the questions began.

The confirmation of her name was easy enough, but then the real questions began, and she met Arianne’s gaze.

“I take the fifth.”

She stared at the lawyer before her, her gaze and tone steady as she repeated the same answer to every single question. It was her right.

-

“Rest assure I will find my way to California and visit that shop of yours,” Arianne muttered as she pulled Donna into a tight hug.

“You better,” Donna huffed, hugging her friend back just as tightly. She could never thank her friend enough for bailing her out every single time. “Tell me about any cute boys you see,” Ari added as they finally parted ways. Donna rolled her eyes, but she laughed.

Donna was still trying to heal from her last…. whatever Harvey had been to her….there was no time for cute boys.

“Oh! You already have a cute boy!” Ari waggled her eyebrows as she motioned to Donna’s buzzing phone. Hal’s name was flashing at her and Donna wrinkled her nose at the thought.

“No, Hal is an annoyance,” she stated, although she was sure she did not manage to hide her fondness like she wanted.

“Are you going to jail?” where the first words out of his mouth.

Donna snorted at the question, because of course that was the first thing the man asked. Still, Donna could hear the worry in his tone. “Good morning to you too,” she started as she cradled her phone between her ear and shoulder, leaving her hands free to fold her clothes and tucked them back into her suitcase. All while trying to ignore Arianne who was pretending to be helping.

“Of course not, I told you I don’t look good in orange,” she huffed, humming softly as she forced her clothes down, wondering why suddenly it felt like she had brought a lot of clothes with her.

“Are you okay?” the question came after a long minute of silence and Donna smiled at it.

“I think I’m ready to go back home,” she answered, the first time she called California her home.

“Good, Helen misses you.”

“I miss her too.”

Arianne looked at her with a raised eyebrow, “Nope, he is not uncomfortable to look at…..but…not my type. I think….he is my first Californian friend….” She admitted to Arianne who immediately softened, “I’m glad. Well, maybe he is Laira’s type. She needs a cute boy in her life too.”

Donna laughed because of course, “Ari, never change.”

-

Being back in her shop was a bit strange but also a welcomed relief. She felt good. Donna busied herself with getting everything dusted and ready for the crazy morning. She hoped her customers had not forgotten her and gone somewhere else.

But, like clockwork, as she flipped her signed at six in the morning, her first customer walked in already telling her they were glad she was back.

-

Donna plopped down on the sand, part of her regretting this because it was freezing but she also missed it. The sounds of the crashing waves were soothing and scent of the salt in the breeze felt like home.

“Oh, hey,” a voice cut into her thoughts, startling her slightly. She turned her head to look at the jogger, the one with the platinum hair. For a second, Donna thought back on Arianne’s comment about a cute boy….it had been a time since Donna had been with a cute girl. The woman before her was beautiful, with crystal blue eyes and platinum hair that contrasted with her tan skin. Then she remembered the woman’s partner, the boyfriend who was usually by her side.

“By yourself this time?” Donna smiled, because she was definitely not ready to get out there and be thinking about romance. Friendships, though, now that she knew that California was where she wanted to be, were welcomed.

“My partner got caught up at work, you know how it is.” The words were clipped but not rude, it was the accent but Donna couldn’t put a name to it.

Donna smiled wide, “I definitely do, I have been there and been that person many times,” she answered causing the woman to laugh. “I’m Tora,” she stuck her hand out and Donna took it, “I’m Donna,” she said, trying to hide her surprise at how cold Tora’s hand was. The woman smiled apologetically, “sorry, I always happen to be colder than most.”  

“Well, should start heading back, see you tomorrow,” Tora called out as she began to jog away, leaving Donna to stare at her.

That was a strange encounter, she thought. She wasn’t actually expecting to see Donna again, was she? She shook her head and decided to not think too hard about it. Donna was sure to see Tora and her boyfriend around again, they clearly lived in the area and so did she.

-

Her phone rang and the name had her rolling her eyes.

“What? Its five in morning on a Sunday, you better be dying,” she growled into the phone but of course Hal was unfazed. God, he reminded her of herself and wasn’t that annoying. She still did not remember when she had given him her phone number. How did he get it? She could not have possibly given it to him. Then again, Helen might have asked and Donna found it hard to say no to her.

“How fast can you get to Ferris Air?” “For the last time, I’m not getting into a plane with you,” she grumbled, because if he woke her up for this she really was going to kill him, “look, you have not flown until you’ve gotten into a plane with me but not why I’m calling. Last minute call from the CEO about last minute meeting with our biggest investors.”

“Who, the general of the armed forces?” Donna huffed out, already feeling her sleep fading away. “Yes.”

“Why do I need to be there?” because why did any of this have to do with Donna? She didn’t work at Ferris Air. “We need coffee…….”

She hung up. Donna was not a catering service. The phone rang continuously for five minutes.

“If I do this, you will owe me big time,” she stated as she answered the phone, hoping he could feel her murder intent through the phone.

The drive to Ferris Air was not a long one which explained why Hal was able to show up at her shop and still make it to work. She was quite impressed with his work, he was good at what he did, but she would not be telling him that. After all, she was showing up for him at five in the morning on a Sunday, if that didn’t say she was fond of him, nothing ever would.

She waited until the guards checked that she was meant to be there before she drove in and towards were, she hoped was the office building and where she was meant to be. She hummed as she took her little cart from her truck and began to pile the boxes of coffee inside, placing the boxes of pastries on top of those, precariously making her way to the entrance. The guard that stood there was, thankfully, a kind soul and offered to help her take it to the meeting room. The meeting room looked exactly like how she expected it to. She still could not believe she was in an office she did not even worked at, bringing her signature coffee. She really was insane.

“Oh, thank God, coffee, can you pour me some? With two sugars and creamer, sweetheart?”

Donna froze, before slowly exhaling and deciding to ignore the man. After all, she did not work there, and she refused to interact with anyone. “I know you heard me.”

“Are you speaking to me?” she asked, her tone dripping with boredom as she finished laying out the pastries on two platters.  “No one else is here sweetheart, just the two of us.”

Donna rolled her eyes and turned around, completely unamused with some cheap suit wannabe. “My name is not sweetheart, and clearly you have two working arms and two working feet,” she told him, one eyebrow raised, happy to watch the man scowl at her. “I can get you fired,” the man spit-out and Donna wondered, were these really the type of people Hal worked with?

“To bad for you, I don’t work here,” she told him, picking up her bag and readying to leave. She had done as she was asked, the coffee and pastries were ready for this meeting.

“Do you know-“

“Look, I don’t care who you are. Your suit is clearly from a sale, the jacket is too big for you, at least get it tailored. The hair shows you are trying too hard. Perhaps if you did your job instead of coaster on other people you might get the promotion you clearly think you deserve,” she told him, steel in her tone. Donna might have had to put up with men talking down to a lowly legal secretary, but Donna was her own boss and she would not let some asshole talk down to her.

“What the did you just say to me?” the man stood up and took a threatening step towards her.

“I hope I am not interrupting,” a smooth voice cut in and Donna watched with pleasure as the man paled as if he had seen a ghost. Clearly, the boss had arrived. Donna turned her gaze over to the doorway, recognizing the face of Carol Ferris, current CEO of Ferris Air. She looked quite intimidating in the photo used for her Wikipedia page, but there was nothing like seeing her fury directed to the annoying man.

“Ma’am, I did not realize you were there,” the man stammered out, all wide eyed and Donna couldn’t help but grin.

“Clearly,” the woman’s tone was clipped, it reminded Donna of Jessica. Carol’s gaze moved over to Donna, the anger replaced by curiosity, “Ms. Ferris, I’m from Café Ophelia, delivering the coffee and pastries that were ordered,” she stated, motioning to the goods she had brought with her.

“You are a life-saver, most shops are not open this early in the morning,” the woman stated, moving over to the table to pick up a coffee cup. “Well, I’m a fairly new shop, must get business where I can,” Donna answered quite honestly, figuring she had nothing to lose. There was a flash of recognition, “I see.”

“It was nice to meet you, Ms. Ferris,” Donna stated and meant it. There was something about meeting strong, independent, gorgeous women.  “Not you,” she then stated as she looked over to the asshole, giving him a sweet smile because they both knew that he would be in trouble come Monday morning.

Perhaps Donna would not kill Hal for waking her up and forcing her to show up at his job. He was on thin ice though.

-

“You are on thin ice,” she told him early Monday morning as he came in for his usual morning coffee, “and don’t try flattering those eyelashes at me, you know how it freaks me out.” She told him, but she was already smiling.

“So this is where you get that coffee,” a voice cut in, startling both Hal and Donna.

“Carol?” “Ms. Ferris?”

“That’s me,” the woman smiled, this time it reached her eyes and it made her look kind in a way that the photos online never did.

“You never told her about my shop? You are supposed to be helping me advertise, what kind of friend are you?” Donna huffed as she glanced at Hal, before smiling wide at the CEO and his boss. “I know just the blend for a busy CEO,” she stated confidently before turning around and quickly moving to create a blend for Carol.

“Let her work her magic, she tends to always be right about whatever she makes,” Hal offered, lifting his cup up to his lips. Carol looked at him for a long moment, her smile turning slightly sly, “you here a lot then?”

Hal wrinkled his nose, “it is nothing like that-“ “definitely not like that,” Donna reiterated as she turned back around, a cup in hand. “Rest assure that I’m single and free, in case you were wondering,” Donna added with a wink as she pushed the cup forward towards Carol.

“Don’t,” Hal said at the same time that Carol laughed, returning Donna’s wink.

“See, this is exactly why I never said anything,” Hal said with a huff, while Donna only flipped her hair behind her shoulder. She was teasing but a part of her would say no to a gorgeous woman asking her out either.

Donna and Carol shared a look and Donna knew it was going to be a good week.

-

The redhead glanced at her calendar and then froze because she realized winter was upon them…but it was almost the holidays. How did that happen? she wondered. Had she really moved to California around February? A full year was just around the corner. Oh God, Christmas shopping, she thought.

“Did I come in at the wrong time?” a teasing voice cut into her thoughts and Donna was turning with a big grin. “Laira! It is never a wrong time for you. I would drop everything for you, I’m sure you know this by now,” she told the woman, slipping some innuendo into her words, waggling her eyebrows, pleased at being rewarded with a soft chuckle.

“Are you here for a business meeting? Putting a runway show?” she asked as she quickly moved into making a chrysanthemum tea this time around, sure that Laira would enjoy it.

“Actually, been working on opening a boutique here,” Laira answered, her gaze flitting over the pastries currently on display. “You mean I’ll get to bask in your presence more often?” Donna let out a dramatic gasp, while Laira tried to hide her smile at Donna’s playfulness. “Is this your way of asking me out, because you must know I’ll say yes,” Donna continued to tease, turning around to offer Laira up the cup of tea.

“Oh? I remember you professing your love to Ari not too long ago,” Laira stated, tone completely serious but Donna could see the spark of amusement in her eyes.

“My heart is big enough for the both you,” she responded but suddenly the door burst open and a tiny little ballerina came running in.

“Miss Donna! Uncle Hal says that The Nutcracker is not actually that good, tell him he is wrong,” Helen called out, clearly horrified that her uncle would say such a thing. And then, it dawned on Helen that they were not alone. She turned her head to the side and up, eyes widening, “you are so pretty. Are you a princess?” came her whispered question, making Laira smile wide, but before she could reply Hal came stumbling in.

“it is the same thing every single….” Hal began to grumble but lost his train of thought the moment he caught sight of Laira.

And Donna would never forget that moment as Hal completely lost all brain function at the sight of Laira. Donna was going to have to call Ari and tell her about this.  

[austennerdita2533]

ooh can you do those same top three questions but for suits and tvd :)

Sure can, nonnie! xx

*Just as a general disclaimer for anyone else who happens to read this: my ship preferences are what they are. I’m simply stating my opinion/preference and am in no way encouraging hate or fights. Discussion is always welcome, of course, but happy vibes here only!

*2020 sucks enough as it is without bringing ship drama into it, you know?

TVD

Top 3 seasons:

-1, 2, and 3 without an ounce of hesitation. This was when the show was at its peak in storytelling, characterization, ship development, magic/mythology etc.

Top 3 romantic ships:

-Klaroline. One of my highest echelon ships for reasons I do not need to enumerate; however, I will say what I love about them most is they challenge as well as complement each other in beautifully rich, convoluted ways. Their back and forth is ridiculously entertaining, too!

-Kalijah. They have spice, and angst, and forbidden love, and 500+ years of cat-and-mouse chasing and I will be over here bitter about them for eternity! 

-Forwood. *excuse me while I cry over “until we find a way” for a few hours* These two went through so much to be together! Their progressive arc in s2-s3 is still one of my favorites.

*I’m Swiss neutral when it comes to Stelena and Delena, I vacillate between both ships at different times so they’re not included in my top 3. I’m an anomalous TVD shipper, a true outlier, what can I say?

Top 3 platonic ships:

-Klelijah. Klaus and Elijah have an incredibly dense, fraught brotherly dynamic. Something about their ancient ties and 1,000-year bond is gripping. There’s so much spoken and unspoken subtext between them. So many unresolved “somethings.” Plus, it’s no secret that I adore the Originals and all they add to the TVD-verse.

-Klebekah. Klaus and Rebekah sparkle, they sizzle, any time they’re on-screen together. Just the sheer depth of feeling and betrayal and angst they emanate is so entertaining to watch. Don’t get me started on the whole “I loved you more than anyone and you didn’t even care” scene because I get emotional.

-Defan. Stefan and Damon are another complex sibling relationship on the show. Throw into the mix that they find themselves in love with same woman, not once, but twice, and whew! I love the flashbacks we get of them throughout history as well.

*Gotta give shoutouts to my other favorite, though moderately less well-developed, brotps here: Carenzo, Katholine, Rebekoline, and Baroline. *chef’s kiss*

Top 3 characters:

-Caroline Forbes

-Klaus Mikaelson

-Katherine Pierce

Top 3 plotlines you’d change/erase if you could:

-THE BABY PLOTS ! ! ! BOTH OF THEM!!!!!!!!! (I’m talking Klaus/Haley and their tribrid baby and Caroline’s surrogacy/pregnancy with the Gemini twins.) I apologize for my overemphasized caps + exclamation points here, but I loathe these storylines with every fiber of my being. I can’t help it. More often than not, I like to pretend they don’t exist lololol.

-How they handled the beginning of Stefan and Caroline’s romantic relationship was...icky. Like, while Liz was dying? Really? Then she turns off her humanity because he “rejects” her. Again, REALLY? I have major issues with the overall portrayal of them as a couple - particularly with the relationship imbalances as well as the insecurities they heightened instead of tamped out in each other - but the inception of it all is what kills me. Especially because I am a huge proponent of friends-to-lovers ships...and the writers really dropped the ball with them, imo. I’m a multishipper at heart so the disappointment I harbor is PALATABLE. 

-The Cure storyline and the Travelers storyline. Didn’t like either of them. They have equal “could’ve been loads better” billing.

Top 3 episodes you’d take to a deserted island:

-3x14, Dangerous Liaisons. LISTEN. This is my favorite episode of the entire series. There’s a ball, there’s blood-tinged champagne, there’s duplicity and romance and drama. All the Mikaelsons are under the same roof, for crying out loud! It’s gold!

-2x07, Masquerade. This one because of my girl, Katherine Pierce, the biggest, baddest bitch of all. She’s a saucy little minx the entire masquerade only to end up locked in the tomb. I just...love it.

-The Klaroliner in me is screaming 4x23, Graduation because being on a deserted island without having access to Klaus’s iconic “however long it takes” declaration would be insupportable. However, a case could be made for either 3x20, Do Not Go Gentle because I am trash for the decade dances, and that one’s my favorite, OR 3x22, The Departed because that is one hell of a season finale!

Suits

Top 3 seasons:

-Season 2. Mike’s secret out of the bag? Them all working together to fight against the merger? Donna shredding evidence to protect Harvey? Daniel fucking Hardman? *thumbs up*

-Season 5. FIREWORKS. Donna’s working for Louis, Harvey’s in therapy, Mike gets arrested/goes on trial, Zane family drama. Exquisite stuff

-Season 3 or Season 1. Don’t make me choose between them, please. 🙏🏻

Top 3 romantic ships:

-Darvey. I mean, OBVIOUSLY. These two idiots had me from the pilot. I knew the moment Donna said “I also took care of that. we’ve been married for the last 7 years” that I was on the precipice of falling into another long, beautiful, up-to-their-chins-in-pining, slow sloooooow burn ships. Granted, I didn’t think it’d take 8 seasons for them to get together lololol but I don’t regret a damn thing!

-Mike and Rachel. They’re adorable together, they truly love each other. Also, can we talk about how they’re a steady couple for most-ish of the show?  They have drama, sure, but they work through most of it together. As a unit. THAT’S A BIG DEAL. It’s like going through the canon drive thru and actually getting (most) of what you ordered.

-Louis and Sheila. This is a couple who makes me laugh uproariously AND feel all the emotions. I mean, will I ever forget Louis dropping to one knee in the hospital with his ass cheeks hanging out? NO. Will I ever get over Shelia’s pregnant feet being too fat to fit into her Cinderella glass slippers? NOT ON YOUR LIFE. Will I blubber like an emo sap whenever they finally reconcile/get their happy ending? YOU BETTER BELIEVE IT.

Top 3 platonic ships:

-Mike and Harvey. They have a connection from the beginning but I love seeing how much they rub off on one another, how much deeper their bond grows over the course of the show. Their movie references are always a delight, too. *cries: it’s so beautiful*

-Donna and Louis. Their relationship is so important to me. Like?!?!?!? They have so many fantastic one-on-one moments together - some that make your sides ache with laughter, others that prick your eyes with emotion and tears. Even though it kills me when Donna leaves Harvey to work for Louis, I can’t help but love it too because he fanboys all over her. GIVE DONNA ALL THE LOVE AND APPRECIATION SHE DESERVES. 

-Harvey and Louis because they have a formative and/or impactful dynamic. They mostly respect each other but there’s a lot of animosity between them. Makes for such good TV!

Top 3 characters:

-Donna Paulsen aka Fashion Goddess of NYC (can I have all of her outfits? for real) and the Reigning Queen of Sass (who also happens to be the reigning queen of my heart as well). The entire firm would have fallen into collapse without her, FULL STOP.

-Harvey Specter. I have a penchant for stoic, inscrutable, emotionally constipated, on-the-borderline-of-asshole characters and boy did I hit the jackpot with this one! 

-This one was hard, but I’m going to go with Louis Litt because his character evolution is amazing! He’s so unlikable at times, what with his competitive streak and anger/jealousy issues, but then there’s this whole other side to him that’s sensitive and vulnerable and sweet. You can’t help but root for him, you know? (Even when you want to punch him right in the nose lol.)

Top 3 plotlines you’d change/erase if you could:

-Harvey giving Paula the credit for why he reconciled with his mother, when it was actually because of Donna. They retcon/fix this in the narrative in s9 but it still bugs me in the moment. I can’t let it go. So sue me.

-Pearson Hardman’s “Harvard Only” hiring law. Not only is it ridiculous and discriminatory but no way in hell would you even be able to implement such a thing in today’s world. Nor should you be able to do so. Diversity is important!

-I wasn’t crazy about the Mike prison storyline but, at the same time, he had to serve out penance for the whole fraud business??? So yeah.

Top 3 episodes you’d take to a deserted island:

-2x07, Sucker Punch. THE MOCK TRIAL, AHHHHHHH. Louis grills Donna about Harvey within an inch of her life. I can hear his inflection during his stream of “do you love Harvey Specter, do you love Harvey Specter” in my head. It is so effing tense in that conference room, I DIE. 

3x06, The Other Time. I am all about this flashback episode, okay? It opens Pandora’s box on all things past!Darvey and also shows us how Mike gets thrown out of school.

-8x16, Harvey. If you think I’d willingly retreat to a deserted island without having access to that Darvey love epiphany/love actualization scene then you are kidding yourself! I still blast “Love is Mystical” on full volume just to daydream about that swooping-through-the-apartment-door smooch sometimes. *fans self*

[bellamygateoldblog]

there's a new ask game going around! what are your fav ships of the decade?!

: I’m picky about ships, I’ll be honest. I do enjoy a great many, but it takes a lot to leave an impression. To have found their way onto this list (of possibly the highest regard) these each have that something special. They’ve made my heart do things, made me pause scenes to compose myself, made me wanna bang my head against a wall, etc.

SO I only have a handful to offer here, but I appreciate you giving me this oppurtunity to fawn over these royal pairings.

Chuck and Blair | Gossip Girl

My most recent devistation, the freshest pick from the list. The scene that marked the very beginnings of their romantic relationship caught me totally by surprise, but most definitely sparked an intriuge deep inside me. Two wrongs make a twisted right.

They’re just so entertaining to me. They’re passionate, sexy and intense, but often have extremely sweet and emotional scenes, domestic-like moments, banter, and they work towards, against, and with the other in an always-twisting partnership.

MMm the way their relationship changes, grows and expands, how it thrives and suffers under different physical conditions but also due to the ever-changing internal emotional climate of each character involved is *chef’s kiss* delicious. Emotionally they’re rarely in the same place at the same time, but when they are there’s a balance and calm. They’re incredibly complicated and yet shockingly simple at the same time. It kept me on my toes. It annoyed me. They’re two characters with deeply-rooted issues and challenges, flaws that need to be dissected, an understanding of themselves and of the world that needs to be reached before they can fully and wholely be brought together as two people rather than two incomplete ideas. I just find there to be so much content to them. They could never be boring. They come back home. To each other, every time. And regardless of however much they still need to work on themselves, they love the other, still, intensely, and sometimes to a harmful degree. And I do also.

There’s so much allure in their chemistry, and they evolve so much throughout the show they’re basically unrecognisable by the end, as people and partners. In this show these characters were ‘falling in love’ with a new person or back in love with an ex every 3-5 working days, but Chuck and Blair, they were a constant. Of course I clinged to it when everything else is so uncertain and fleeting. I find both of these characters to be the most facinating, nuanced characters on the entire show*- throw these two at each other and there’s fireworks in good and not so good very bad ways. I think it’s quite clear why i’d become consumed with such a ship.

*for the sake of my own sanity I choose to ignore the clumsy and irresponsible retcon of Blair’s character somewhere at the end of season four, which was worsened and complicated further in five… i mean GG season five gave me the same ugly feeling as T100 season six. Blair and Bellamy were both major casualities…sometimes denial is your best friend.

Nick and Sabrina | tcaos

These two. The absolute JOY i feel when i think of them…i can’t even explain it. During part one I was indifferent towards the pair- I found them vaguely intriguing mostly because Harvey/Sabrina was a snooze-fest and I found Nick to be a lot spicier and more compelling as a character- but come part two and cue me *falling in love* in the most unexpected ways. Now I’m attached and fully prepared to have my heart broken.

In my experience, the best ships are those that come out of nowhere and sweep you off your feet. Suddenly you’re anticipating more content of them together, and without ever having a hand in it at all you found a new love. This is them. Nick is so gentle with and about Sabrina, completely defying everything it means to be a ‘bad boy’ type in the process, as is she with him.

SO going on a tangent but it’s eventually relevant- to my delight, the writers have avoided falling into The Good Protagonist hole with Sabrina. She’s got flaws. A lot. She fucks up. A lot. She’s special, it’s at the core of her character, but she’s not placed upon a narrative pedestal. Which means she doesn’t come across as being more than him at any point. And, while a lot of writing of f/m couples have remnants of misogyny, whether intentional or not, it’s like…completely absent here. Which means he doesn’t ever come across as more than her, either! He’s written as protective without treating her like a delicate passive in her own life. He’s shown valuing her needs and supporting her ambitions rather than challenging or questioning them. They are equals in every sense of the word and that makes them so easy to root for. He goes to the bottom of the ocean for her- just in the middle of an episode, it’s no biggie, he’s just- “hey babe” when he gets back. And they are both prepared to walk into literal hell for eachother.

There’s such a deep respect between them, emotional vulnerability and expression, there’s communication, there’s supporting and belonging. SHE TAUGHT HIM HOW TO LOVE. They are so well matched and at no point did I feel like there was something missing in them. UGH part three cannot come soon enough- i’m all like: *FRAGILE, please handle with care*.

Eliott and Lucas | Skam France

Evak, and any variation of them, needs no explanation as to why it’s so iconic. It just is. I can’t put a finger on what exactly it is about them I’m so fond of, i’ve never been able to, but they give me heart ache. I think these two might be my favourite version of Isak and Even as characters so, naturally, so is their relationship. I cherish the ships that have a certain intensity to them. And I’m a romantic. I choose Elu.

Will and Mike | Stranger Things

This is the softest ship I’ve ever had. My liking of it developed so subtly that I didn’t even notice it until…well, now. From season three. I’m not as giddy for this one as I am for the others on this list, but they popped into my head when I read the question so that‘s a sign I probably subconsiously wanna include them.

The friendship between Will and Mike is just so pure and sweet, and as much as i adore their dynamic exactly as it is, taking this into romantic territory could actually work and I might be surprised by it, but I also wouldn’t be surprised at all. There’s just something about the way Mike is with Will that I love so much. Mike is the one there to comfort him whenever something goes wrong, Mike is his best friend. Despite them both belonging to a group with two other boys they seem closest. And if the implications of Will’s sexuality do eventually lead to him being canonically gay, i say why not? Why not go there? Let’s add another one to the Finn Wolfhard gay character cinematic universe.

[i-am-fran]

My thoughts after ep 9.09

My thoughts on season 9 of #Suits ahead of the series finale:

So today I saw 9.09 and I think now is the right time to write a little piece about my thoughts and wishes and expectations. Why now? During the past 2 or 3 episode I have realized that I have very mixed feelings about this season. Before I start I’d like to remind you that this is how I feel about this seasons. There may be things you you agree with, other’S you don’t. I’d like to hear about them, but please be polite - it’s just an opinion. Also: While many things might sound negative, I still took the time to think and write about them. That’ how invested I am in this show. I wouldn’t bother doing that for a show I don’t enjoy watching. The thing is: The more I like a character, the harder I judge how they are developed. No hard feelings.

First, I have to admit that I had very high expectations after 8.16. I did not particularly like season 8, not because Mike and Rachel left and not because of the introduction of Alex and Samantha (who I think were both very refreshing additions to the cast), but because I felt that Harvey and Donna in particular seemed to be stuck in some kind of limbo in regards to character development for the first 14 episodes. The Kessler romance that somewhat triggered the “Darvey” romance felt rushed in the end of season 8, even though I had wanted for this to happen for so long.

9.01 started so promising and I really enjoyed the introduction of Faye. I loved the fun moments with Louis being Louis, just the way they happened in the early seasons. All in all, Louis is the one character I am most pleased with in regards to character and storyline. Everything seems seamlessly consistent with him.

Harvey I also really can’t complain about. His character development has stretched over the entirety of nine seasons and it is natural that now things are slowly winding down.

The character development I am most unhappy about is Donna. It seems to me that all season her sole purpose was to serve Harvey coffee. There were some sweet moments with Louis and some confrontations with Faye and the other partners, but let’s face it: The only storyline that she really had next to being Harvey’s sidekick was her Dad and Faye being unhappy about her relationship with Harvey, which was one of the subplots of “Cairo”. It reminded me a little of the early seasons when Donna barely had any other purpose than being Harvey’s know-it-all secretary, but not in a good way. It felt like Alex, Katrina and even Esther had more significant plots this season, though they were similar in their length regarding screen time.

However this isn’t the first time I am unhappy with Donna’s character development. Despite Donna being my favorite Suits character -hands down-  I’m still super irked about her unrealistic leap from secretary to COO. As a woman in a business where most my co-workers are men I hate to see when TV gets women’s hopes up in how this could happen. To me, it feels like Donna slept her way to her position without actually sleeping with her boss. The circumstances are -in my eyes- the same, which is why I hate it. This isn’t gender equality, because no secretary, be it male or female does get promoted to COO without taking a few more steps in between. This only happens in fairytales.  Donna has no qualification to be COO at all and I would have felt much differently about the situation if the plot would have been Donna taking her seed money to go to business school. Or some twist in the story with Donna revealing her MBA certificate saying “Actually, those Pilates classes I allegedly take every Friday afternoon were college courses. Here’s my degree. Promote me.” And the worst of it all: Donna changed. The way she spoke to people changed, the way she dressed changed and in the end she was a Jessica/Donna hybrid I could hardy recognize as the quirky secretary she used to be. For me part of her charm was the amount of power she had by just “working from Harvey’s desk”. But I’m rambling- this ship sailed long ago.

Back to season 9. I had hope, now that she was in a relationship with Harvey, we would get a more domestic side of her, get a glimpse of her private life. What’s with that reveal of an older sister that was neither here or there or in any way relevant to the plot? I don’t know about you, but Donna always gave me this ‘only-child’ vibe. Which is probably why her sister was explained away as “much older”. However, why did they cast a woman who is only 11 years older than Sarah Rafferty as her mom? While I think season 9 Donna is probably several years younger than Sarah because the seasons only appear to be spanning around 6 months or so (considering how long Sheila was pregnant, the time it took Rachel to get her postgraduate degree and so on) and one could argue that Donna’s mom is therefore some years older than the actress who portrays her it would still be the case that Donna’s mom had her in her early twenties at the latest. When would she have had a much older sister? At 16? Unnecessary plot hole/irregularity. Kudos however for explaining away how Donna’s parents seemed to be married when Harvey let them stay at his condo once, then were seemingly separated during the “god-awful dinner party” (some people argue it must have been Donna’s “loser” boyfriend, but why would have Harvey been there in that case?). Clarification finally came: They were separated but got back together. Brownie points for plot consistency.

Some casual outfits made an appearance, which was an important first step, but they still felt a little forced. I mean, what’s the thing in American TV shows to have the woman wearing PJs with perfectly coiffed hair, fake lashes and full make-up? In the season 2 scenes where Harvey and Mike visited Donna after she was fired she was not only dressed casually, her face and hair were noticeably dressed down as well. I would have liked that a lot to make it more realistic. And the jammies disappeared after episode 1. There are several morning scenes with Harvey and Donna were both are already fully dressed for work (apart from Donna being barefoot at some times (jeez, if I wore those heels I’d be barefoot the second I’d enter the apartment). I think it made those scenes more sterile and less domestic despite the sweet dialogues. I think I would have liked it better, if there was a little more slouching, touching, maybe a TV running, or one of them sitting on the crumpled bed. Less superhero, more normal, that’s what I would have liked. And what’s with the no-touching anyways? I would have understood if it was only the office scenes, because I do believe neither of the character’s to be big on PDA, especially at work. But at home? Politely sitting next to each other, no leaning in, no touching, no hugging. Just talking. Like old times. I would have liked to see more of them being a couple. Sure, there were some pretty intense romantic scenes like in Mike’s apartment and with Lily and the painting, but the small moments that surrounded those big Darvey scenes were pretty underwhelming. Well, at least Harvey’s bathrobe made an appearance in 9.09 so there is still hopes for some normalcy in 9.10. It’s not an issue of screen time. Even as a Darvey shipper I was aware s9 would not turn into the “Darvey show”, it’s the content of some of the small scenes that disappointed me. Okay, no more Donna or Darvey bashing. Did I mention I’m actually a Darvey shipper?

One more thing: Why is everyone in this show dying of heart attacks. I understand why Lily had to die in terms of the storyline. But a heart attack? What are the odds of both slim and fit parents dying untimely of a heart attack? Could the writers not think of other sudden causes of deaths? She could have an aneurysm, get hit by a car, been diagnosed with a fatal cancer without Harvey knowing and so on and so on. Also: In the very same episode Sutter also died: Cause: Heart attack! If that’s where the writer’s creativity is heading it’s probably best we are nearing the end. If this unfortunate accumulation of heart attack was created on purpose, I do not get the reason why. 

Another hope I had for s9: A Jessica cameo. My hope was for a small storyline that would be addressed in both Pearson and Suits in order to gain more attraction for the new show. Plus I love Jessica. With so many loose ends to tie up in 9.10 I doubt there will be time for a proper Jessica Pearson appearance other than being a guest to Louis wedding, if she appears at all. Can we please talk about the wedding? Why does Louis get a baby AND a wedding in one season? He was engaged twice before. Even Mike and Rachel technically had two wedding scenes (one in s5 and one in 7). At least it looks like we still get a Darvey proposal. While I agree with Sarah Rafferty that a big white wedding shouldn’t be the conclusion of her character, I had –albeit a small- hope that there would be unconventional quick nuptials somewhere around episode 6 or 7 instead of that almost proposal. Taking Harvey’s character development into context I would find that Harvey creating a family on his own more important than a Darvey wedding. We already know those two are endgame. And while I think another pregnancy would be cheesy and far too rushed in this short span of episodes I still hold out a little hope that there will be a moment shared between Harvey and Donna that alludes to the idea that they’ll go into the baby-making business soon. Maybe when Sheila goes into labour? Not sure that will als still happen in 9.10.

In order not to have to finish this little article on a  negative note: There are things I really really liked. Samantha’s storylines, Mike’s cameo in 9.09 (though he was such a douche in 9.05), the phone calls with Lily, the mock trial and Sheila’s change of heart about her career. Been glad we did not spend more than one ep on the Katrina/Brian romance. Thank you.

[nellie-elizabeth]

Suits: One Last Con (9x10)

Okay, so then what happens next is that Harvey and Donna move to Seattle, and they become closer than ever to Rachel and Mike. At least once a week, Harvey and Mike have a "guy's night" while Donna and Rachel have a "girl's night." And then, gradually, they realize they've ended up with the wrong people. So they all get divorced and then Donna and Rachel become a couple, and Mike and Harvey become a couple. Someone please tell me they're writing that fic.

Oh, sorry. Was I supposed to talk about the episode? Let's get to it.

Cons:

I predicted last week that this episode would be overcrowded, and I wasn't wrong, exactly. I'm grateful that the conflict with Faye was over before the midpoint, so we could have a nice long goodbye with all of the characters. But while I do enjoy that, I also must admit it doesn't make a lot of sense. Faye was a season-long threat, and she's dispatched a third of the way through the finale. It just goes to show that as interesting of a villain as she might have been in the beginning, she didn't really matter. She was a figurehead. She didn't really change anything about these people and their perspectives on their lives. It all felt pretty pointless in the end.

No matter how much fan service a finale has, there are always going to be things that get missed. For example, it seems strange to me that Jessica couldn't have made a cameo at Louis' wedding. She's working on another show for the same creators; how hard would it have been to get her in for a few minutes? And I hate that Alex was the one to go to Katrina. On the one hand, I get it. They needed to find something for Alex to do in this episode, because he's been a pointless character for several weeks. But Harvey and Katrina never get a moment of apology, and that really sucks.

I've talked a lot in these reviews about my issues with Donna and Harvey. It's not that they're painful to watch, or actively unpleasant. The actors do a good job. It's perfectly serviceable. But I think I've finally figured out one of the reasons why they never quite clicked for me as a couple. Harvey is always talking about how Donna knows him better than anyone. But this is what editors mean when they say "show, don't tell." Donna knows Harvey. We've seen it throughout the years. But how does she show that she knows him? Well, she has the supernatural ability to read his mind and predict his requirements whenever the plot requires it. And she acts like is mommy just as often as she acts like his girlfriend, guiding him through his emotions like an enabler.

But Harvey can say again and again that Donna is the one for him, and how well she gets him... and then we can see Mike in the same episode, showing that same thing, instead of telling it. I'm not even pushing for a romantic interpretation, necessarily. It's just that Mike comes in, and they have their quippy banter. They work together to take down Faye. They re-enact Mike's interview with Harvey but in reverse. They find excuses to touch each other. And in an episode that involved two weddings and a health scare, the single most emotional moment in the episode is when Harvey tries to leave Mike's apartment dramatically after telling Mike he's never stopped trusting him, and Mike says "no," like the very idea of Harvey losing his license is torture to him. They have the chemistry. They have the beating heart of this show, and that's been true from day one. It makes the romance between Harvey and Donna pale in comparison.

Also, in an episode that had to accomplish so many things, so quickly, it was odd to add in that little health scare for Sheila. Why did her pregnancy have to have complications? It felt like something to add just to make for some more drama, but we really didn't need that. I'm glad that mother and daughter were both okay.

Pros:

I was always going to rant and ramble a lot in this review, since it's the last one for the show. But just because I had a lot to say in the "cons" section doesn't mean there was nothing to enjoy here. Let's start with my girl Katrina.

As I said, I was irritated that she and Harvey didn't have an on-screen reconciliation. But I am so, so happy for her that she gets to be name partner! It's so refreshing to have a character arc on this show be about a woman choosing her career over her love life, and having that be an empowering and rewarding choice to make. I'm all about it. She gets to come back to the firm, newly powerful, and stand with Alex, Samantha, and Louis.

Samantha and Alex were both underutilized in this finale, but I get it. I'd rather focus on the longer-standing characters, too. And the show did a good job of making this episode the end of an era for Harvey and Donna, and yet also a new beginning for the others. The image of the new firm name on the wall was really lovely. I especially liked that Samantha acknowledged how crazy it was that they'd kept changing the name, and decided that they can't change it anymore for at least five years. But Litt Wheeler Williams Bennett will be stronger for Katrina's presence among them.

Louis has one of the best glow-ups in TV history. There were times over the years where I didn't think I'd be able to forgive him. I still selfishly hold a grudge for that time when he physically attacked Mike. But at the end of the day, he has actually grown as a person. This is a great example of show vs. tell, actually. We've seen it all season - Louis has been calmer. He gets angry or worked up about something, but he doesn't fly off the handle. When he tells his therapist that he's ready to have him as a friend and have him officiate the wedding, it doesn't feel like empty words. Louis might still need therapy in his life, but he has the tools now to know how to get himself the help he needs. It was so fun to see his "final form" as it were. And then we see it put to the test, as Sheila goes into labor during their wedding ceremony. You might expect him to freak out, but he's calm. He's planned for this, and he's there to be supportive for Sheila during this difficult time. Even while he's frantic for her and the baby in the hospital, he keeps a cool head and doesn't do anything he would later regret. Yay Louis! (ps - Louis learning that Donna and Harvey were leaving was more emotional for me than Harvey and Donna's wedding). (pps - that scene of Donna and Louis holding hands in the elevator gave me LIFE).

It was predictable that Harvey and Donna would step up and take advantage of the pre-arranged wedding - a lot of fans predicted this exact outcome. And while I've spoken extensively on my mixed feelings about their relationship, I can't deny the cuteness of the scene. We get that lovely proposal, with Harvey's mother's ring. We get Mike putting his arms around both of them, with his little quip about being unlicensed to officiate. We get Harvey and Mike gripping hands as Harvey leads Donna out for their first dance. It's all very cute, and I feel happy for the big Darvey fans out there. They totally deserve to see all of that happiness, even if I don't agree with the couple at its core. This is the inevitable conclusion, and it was done quite beautifully.

Will I ever be over how much Harvey and Mike love each other? I really don't think so. Let's talk about the best parts of the episode.

First of all, I already mentioned it above, but that scene at Mike's place was just golden. Mike walking in to find Harvey already there was great - they have always just barged in to each other's personal spaces and that's such a testament to the trust between them. And then you have Harvey telling Mike the truth, and telling him that he's going to have to go on the stand and risk getting disbarred. Mike's reaction is genuine panic, and then the two of them concoct a plan that will save the day. I just love the idea of Harvey going over there not to ask for Mike's help, but because he couldn't stand the thought of Mike thinking he didn't trust him. That's love, baby.

Then you've got the interview-in-reverse thing at the end. I could spend hours just squealing about the fact that Donna and Harvey are leaving the firm and moving to Seattle (my home town! woo!) to be with Mike and Rachel. Hey, maybe the four of them could all be in a poly relationship... but that's for fanfic to decide, I guess. Good finales need to come full circle, and also need to set the characters up for changing futures. This idea of Harvey moving to Seattle, of Mike being Harvey's boss, manages to do both. They are quippy and cute with each other, but also genuine. Harvey decides to leave the firm in order to take out Faye, but he also genuinely wants a fresh start. His life changed forever when Mike walked into his life, and I really do feel like that was the final message the show left me with, when the dust had settled.

So... yeah. I can't find it in myself to be a hardcore Darvey shipper. This finale was never going to cater to all of my needs. But at the end of the day, I was mighty pleased with several of the scenes, and I love where it left all of the characters, in terms of their careers and happiness. For this finale, I'll give a rating of...

7.5/10

For the show as a whole? Well, I hate to break it to anyone who's unaware of this, but Suits isn't that great of a show. It has a couple of really strong elements, but over the years its stories became repetitive, and there's quite a lot that doesn't actually make sense about these characters and their motivations. But I don't grade these shows based on objective quality. I grade them based on the elements that I enjoy most in a show. For years, whenever Suits came back on the air, it was one of the things I looked forward to most each week. I longed for every scrap of content between Harvey and Mike that I could possibly get. There are moments over the years that I have gone back and watched in a loop because of those two. I also liked the way the show deconstructed toxic masculinity, and had a feminist message that didn't feel like something out of an after school special. I had fun watching this show, and I will think of it fondly for years to come. The show over-all gets:

8/10

[jaawriter]

Inevitable - a Darvey fanfic

Disclaimer: I don’t own anything. If I did I would have more money. 

__________________

“Do you want to come in?”

“Not tonight.”

There is a question that she only just swallows back, that he saw on her face before she shut the door.

Not tonight. Which night then?

He can’t do that thing, that thing she does, where she conjures truth and meaning from seemingly nowhere - but he does know her as well as possibly anyone else, and it’s not clairvoyance but it could be. He knows what it means when she looks at him quietly, instead of spelling out the reality of what’s going on for him. He knows what she’s thinking when she gives that slight shake of her head, breaks eye contact, and then that pause, that silence. It’s the loudest quiet he ever feels, the loudness of her withdrawing from him because she knows if she says, out loud, what she feels and what she wants to say, she would break him - because as much as he knows her, she knows him.

She sees who he is. His fear, his clumsiness, his pretence. She sees all of it. She knows his bones and how they’re always primed, waiting for the next betrayal. She can predict the flashes of brilliance and greatness that peek out from time to time, when the chips are down and he finds himself in situations where the only thing that can happen is that who you really are punches through the noise. She knows the tension under his skin, knows he’s never truly relaxed, knows he’s waiting for the next one to leave.  Knows there’s a part of him that believes they all leave. That one day, she will leave.

She knows him. Knows him like nobody else in the world.

But he also knows every fibre of her, her radiance and light and goodness, all her fabric, seen and unseen, and it’s not really fair on either of them. Because he hates the idea of letting anyone else know her the way he does, hates the idea that anybody would know her fabric so well they could unravel it with a few words if they wanted. Like he does, sometimes. Like he did a few days ago, in public no less.

He almost winces at the memory. He’d been so ugly to her.

If anyone knows about selfish, it’s you.

Your judgement sucks.

She had messed up, and they both knew it. But so had he, more times than he could remember, and where she would guide him back to something resembling goodness, he was just… cruel.

If he was being less honest he would have called it an out of body experience, claimed he was out of control, that he only watched himself tear her to shreds. Except he wasn’t out of control. It was methodical, and calculated, and shitty.

He hates that he did it, that he turned that coldness, the icy soul of a closer on her, on purpose.  Because he doesn’t want anyone to hurt her. Because he doesn’t want to hurt her. But also because there’s a darkness in him he can’t quite cut out of him that whispers you can hold on to her. Because he’s fucked up and he is his mother’s son. And he knows that one day she will leave, but if it’s his fault she does, then he can still love her.

Piece of shit.  

“Harvey.”

He blinks, and he’s been staring at the painting in her hallway, and she’s leaning against the door, and he’s not sure if he’s been standing there for three seconds or three hours.

“Sorry,” he says, a slight shake of his head to bring him back to reality.

She studies him for a second, then reaches out, takes his hand, loosely tugs him towards her, and says, “Just come in. You need a drink.”

———

They’ve been sitting in tense silence for half an hour, matching each other shot for shot, chasing a bottle of whisky to the bottom.

Donna only keeps whisky in case he comes over.

The only other times he’s been here have always been gentle, caring, safe. Donna’s place is a refuge, a place of peace, where Donna and Harvey don’t pretend what they are or aren’t and they can just be together, laughing and unguarded in their not-quite-together and not-quite-single conversations. They flirt, they laugh, they play as close to the line as possible before Harvey shies away and calls Ray to pick him up, and goes home to collapse in his own empty bed, palming himself under the covers until visions of red hair dance behind his eyelids and he falls asleep with her name hidden in his mind.

Donna’s apartment is a refuge and a fantasy. But this, tonight, is not that. The air between them is heated and ready for a spark. He feels the pressure of it in his gut, wonders if she feels the same.

“You’re angry.” She’s the first to break the silence. It’s not a question.

He knocks back his glass in one gulp and pours another even as the burn down his throat makes him grimace. It’s heavily peated, he hates heavily peated, hates whisky you’re meant to sip when he just wants to inhale the whole bottle and disappear into the haze for a while. “I came in, I never said I’d talk about it, Donna.”

“You got put in a position to choose between myself and Paula.” Her words are careful and measured; she is trying hard to keep the peace. She feels the tinder box as well, then. He takes the tiniest amount of perverse pleasure in that. “I’m sorry. I wish that was different.” She takes a sip and he thinks he can taste her gathering her courage, and says the next into her glass. “Even if I don’t want to take back what I did, I’m sorry for what it’s caused, Harvey.”

“I said don’t want to talk about it,” he mumbles, raising his glass to his lips.

“Harvey -“

“You once asked me not to fall on my sword for Mike.” He interrupts her harshly, head snapping to pierce her eyes with his.

She can’t hold his gaze. “I know.”

“Well, you’re asking me to do that now and why the fuck is this different.” It’s not a question, not really, because they both know why.  

“Because that was about you having faith in yourself and this is about you having faith in me.”

“Bullshit.”

“I -“

“You really didn’t know about us. About me and Paula.”

A pause. “No.”

That word triggers off some absurd buried offence that he’s had locked away in his chest since she wrapped her arms and the taste of her around him, slid into his being and his dreams again. He’s not sure why he’s mad at her for this admission. Maybe one day she’ll explain it to him.

Fuck, he’s such an asshole, and chants don’t do it don’t do this to himself even as he launches off the couch, his palms spreading and his anger finding her - unrestrained, unfair, unsurprising.

“What the hell, Donna, how could you not know? You know everything! It’s what you said made you a good COO. It’s what you tell everyone. And you’re meant to know me, and you. Missed this.”

She looks up at him, battle wearied. “I don’t know everything, Harvey. I know you don’t like to think so, but I am actually human. I don’t think I wanted to know. Maybe the signs were there, but I ignored them.” She shakes her head, murmurs, “I think I wanted to be wrong.”

He’s not willing to have the tension in the room defused by her gentle admission. He wants a fight. It might be rage, or it might be the coil of desire sitting low in his belly that the whisky always seems to unleash in him, but whatever it is, he wants a fight. He’s going to get one, and he stabs his glass at the ground as he turns the force of his whatever the fuck he’s feeling on her.  

“So you wanted more, and you came after partner and asked me to put you above the firm, and you told me you could hold the firm together because you know people better than they know themselves, and you told me this wasn’t about us, but clearly there’s something more going on, Donna, because if it wasn’t about us, why the hell did you kiss me? And then after you put me in the position where you made me cheat on Paula, you made me choose between you and her! Everything was finally starting to work again after Jessica and you just yanked the rug out from under me. Did you even think about what that would do to me, Donna?”

Unfair this is so unfair you asshole

“I didn’t make you choose, Harvey.” She’s keeping her voice calm, but he can hear the waver underneath the words and he hates it. “I should never have kissed you and I’m sorry, I really am, but Paula gave you an ultimatum, not me.”

“And Paula wouldn’t have had to give you an ultimatum if you hadn’t done that. Face it, you fucked up, and now you’re blaming me for having to fix your shit!”

“Oh my god, Harvey, listen to yourself,” Donna finally snaps. She’s standing now as well, jabbing the glass of whisky at him like a weapon.  “You didn’t ‘fix’ anything. You ran, like you always do. Would you have ever done this to Mike? Snuck behind his back to get him a job and not had the balls to talk to him about before sending him out of the firm and his family because you found a girlfriend?” Harvey begins to open his mouth at that, and Donna raises her hand to stop him. “I know you care about her. I know she’s important to you. And I know it was me that put your relationship at risk. But Mike put us all at risk for years. You still never would have done that to him.”

“Are you kidding, I would have fired him.”

“Yeah, well, firing me would have at least taken a split second of courage, Harvey.” She wheels away from him, maybe because they’re too near to each other, too loud, too close to happening upon something sitting too close to the surface. She pours another drink and that bottle is a lot emptier than it should be considering the thin ice they’re both tap dancing across. He feels every inch of empty glass in the back of his throat and in the way the floor isn’t quite as rock solid as it should be.

“What the fuck did you just say to me?”

“I said you’re a coward, Harvey.” Her voice is wobbling but she looks at him, looks right into his soul, and her eyes are clear and furious. “You couldn’t fire me, because that would have meant actually making a decision for once, instead of manipulating people to get them to make your decisions for you.” He winces at that, because she’s right. Ever since Jessica left, he’s been veering wildly between making no decisions and making bad ones. He thought he’d been able to hide his panic. But, of course, he hadn’t really. Not from Donna.

But she’s still going, her voice gaining strength as she lays out in front of him everything he should have heard from her months ago. “You demand so much from me, Harvey. From all of us. But God forbid anybody puts you in a difficult position. You’ve always said loyalty is a two way street, but you’re letting your fear get the better of you. This isn’t you, Harvey. You used to be better than this.” She swallows and her voice breaks, just a little. “You used to be braver than this.”

She runs out of steam, and there’s a too-long silence between them. He’s out of breath, somehow, and he heaves for breath. She folds her arms and looks at his feet.

Well, goddamn it, if she wants courage she can have it.

“You know why I could never fire you, Donna,” he says. “You’re not Mike. You know you’re not Mike. Just like you know if it came down to it, it was never a choice for me. Not ever. Paula … I was never going to choose her. Because we… this -“ he waves his hand between them - “makes no sense half the time, and the other half of the time… Donna …”

She’s turned back to him now, her eyes wide. It’s so close, they’re so close to it, and she looks at him like she can’t quite believe it’s him, of all people, that’s going to say it.

“What?” she breaths.

At the same time all the fight goes out of her voice, all the fight goes out of his chest, and he lets out a breath he didn’t know he was holding onto. His glass drops to his side, sloshing whisky over his fingers, and something stings his eyes.

“God dammit Donna, I just…” And he knows, suddenly, why he’s never said it - there aren’t any words that fit. So he shakes his head, helpless, his arms spread out to his sides, and says “you’re everything,” and he barely gets the words out before her hands have wrapped around him under his suit jacket and she’s sliding her mouth over his in a kiss that jolts all the air out of his lungs.

He doesn’t even have a chance to consciously process this change of events as anger does a hard left turn into passion and his stomach flips. He drops his glass, his hands tangling up into her hair. She slides her tongue into his mouth, and he feels that deep in the core of his being.  The world spins, and it’s only partly the drink, and she tastes like whisky. She nudges his bottom lip with her own, sliding her tongue across his in that lazy, loose, half-drunk way he loves, and fuck. His stomach hollows out with want and he wraps his arms around her waist and pulls her tight against him. He can’t quite believe it; can’t quite believe they’d just agreed they didn’t want each other a couple of days ago, Donna telling him she didn’t feel anything - and here she’s kissing him like the world’s ending. He has shoes on and she’s barefoot and when she presses her body against his and wraps her arms around his neck to make up the height difference he thinks he might actually die.

His hands find their way up under her shirt and the touch of her skin under his hands makes his cock twitch. She’s beautiful and he feels like he can feel the colour of her skin, feel the light dusting of freckles up her back. He remembers. He’s fallen asleep more than once with his hand stretched out across a blank space in his bed where she was meant to be. Those nights always felt like regret, but he’s here now and so is she and she’s perfect. He drops his mouth to the gap where her neck and shoulder meet, tasting her, one hand scratching up to the base of her skull. His other hand skates across her waist, dipping into the waistband of her pants. He kisses sloppily up the side of her neck, over her ear, and she turns her head to capture his mouth with hers again, her hands tugging his shirt out of his waistband under his suit jacket so she can hook her fingers into his pants and pull him closer.

She presses her body against him, instinctively grinding her hips to his through their clothes, and a guttural moan escapes him. He mumbles “fuck” against her mouth, and he remembers she likes when he talks because she groans in response. He’s too overwhelmed to take control, which works for Donna as she walks him backwards towards her bed, one hand on his chest to guide him and the other deftly unbuttoning his shirt as she does.

By the time the back of his legs hit the bed and he falls back onto his ass, she has his shirt open under his suit jacket, his shoes off, his belt open and his pants unbuttoned and he thinks she might be a magician. She climbs onto the bed after him, straddles his lap, and kisses him in the way only she can - all at once slow, longing, urgent, sensual but sweet as fuck and how the hell does she do that anyway? He grabs her waist, pushes her shirt up and over her head, dropping it behind her. Her skin is flushed and warm under his fingers, and she’s not wearing a bra so he slides his hands over her breasts, massaging and then tweaking her nipples as she settles herself on top of his cock, rolling her hips against him through his pants. She has sensitive breasts, he remembers, and she moans into his mouth as he teases her nipples into taut buds. She feels amazing, and the sounds she makes fills his frame with something akin to awe. He doesn’t quite know what he’s managed to do to deserve this, having Donna under his hands, rubbing herself against him as he flicks and teases her nipples. She’s remembered too, though. Harvey’s never been too proud in bed - he’s not self conscious about showing women he’s with what he enjoys, and she’s not the only one that finds this maddening. So she drops her head to his chest, outlining his nipple with her tongue, circling lightly, teasing, before taking it into her mouth and sucking gently and holy shit. Harvey drops his forehead to the back of her head, trying to get his breathing under control, but that goes out the window when she palms his cock through his pants and he gasps her name.

He’s straining against his pants but can’t do anything about it as he’s holding onto Donna for dear life.  But Donna knows, she always knows, and quickly tugs his pants down past his thighs. In the same movement, she sheds her own pants, and climbs back over his body, pushing him, pressing his back into the mattress, and he gives in completely - he’s hers, all of him is hers, and nothing has meaning outside of her guidance and desire anymore. He lays back, pants on the floor somewhere, shirt and jacket open at the chest, and somewhere dimly he knows he must look utterly helpless, and he doesn’t care.

She follows him, covering his body with hers, covers her nipple with her mouth again, teeth teasing gently, and immediately takes him in her hand, stroking his length slowly. His head drops back and he moans towards the ceiling, tangling his hands through her hair. The feeling of her sucking on his nipple while she squeezes his head is too much and he has to focus hard to avoid embarrassing himself. Harvey runs one hand down her back blindly, nudging her body up further. As she brings her mouth to his, he runs his hands down her skin, sliding down her belly and to her pussy, and Donna must be as on edge as he is if that guttural ‘Harvey’ that escapes her lips is anything to go by. His fingers and thumb already slick from her, he finds her clit with two fingers and draws lazy circles over it. She huffs shallow breaths into his mouth and it’s messy and wanton and she’s gorgeous and how could he have ever wanted anything other than this, anything other than her.

And then she has him in hand, guiding the head of his cock to her entrance, taking a moment to rub the head of his cock over her clit. He holds her thigh, staring, lost, not just with how damn good she feels but how damn good she is. She is his better in every possible way and she has somehow found her way to him. It’s inconceivable, and when she sinks down on him, lights explode behind his eyes and everything in his world slots into place.

She sets the pace, slow and deliberate, rolling over him and pushing her hips against him, and he moans with every thrust and she almost looks smug about it. She’s gorgeous, utterly gorgeous, the dark tan of his hands contrasting with alabaster and freckles as he slides his fingers over her waist. “Harvey,” she says, mixing with his gasping recitation of her name, and she braces her hands against his chest and she strokes him in and out of her, feeling him stretch her out with each push.

It’s exquisite, its torture, it’s not quite making love and it’s not quite fucking, it’s unreal and it’s every dream he’s ever had about her wrapped up in one. She’s building, searching out her orgasm, speeding up, her thrusts needy and deep. He just hopes she finds it before he loses the last shreds of his own control. He can feel his cock stretching her with each movement and it’s too much. He slides one hand from her waist back to her clit, rubbing in tight circles in time with her thrusts, and Donna’s moans become guttural. “Fuck, Donna,” Harvey murmurs. “Holy fuck.”

She comes with a heaving sigh, her stomach muscles fluttering under his hands, and he’s right behind her, the unconscious squeezing of her orgasm wrapping around him, pushing him off the edge.

———

She’s still on top of him, a leg wrapped around his waist as she pushes her face into the crook of his neck and he can feel her smile against his skin, and he drifts, thinking that it wouldn’t be so bad to just stay here forever.

He wants to say I love you but that feels awfully like a cliche’d moment, something out of a movie, and quoting movies is not what he and Donna do.

“Well,” he murmurs instead.

“Well.”

He pushes a hand up into her hair. He thinks he maybe has a fixation with her hair. He’s okay with that.

“Hi.”

He smiles. “Hi.”

“Stay?”

He nods, and she holds him a little tighter.

end

[nobodyzhuman]

Prompt

Prompt:  Soulmates that think ALL the times they met was just a coincidence.

They didn’t give a fandom so I choose Suits. Mike/Harvey :) 

The first time Mike Ross met Harvey Specter he didn't even know the man's name. He wouldn't learn it until much later.

He was starving standing in line at a cheap but tasty food truck patiently waiting for his turn. He was already imagining the mile high pile of cheese and grease that would be his nachos when a commotion at the front of the line, just three people ahead of him, interrupted his daydream. He groaned. Please don’t let it hold up the line. He looked around the person in front of him to see the man inside the truck arguing with a very angry red faced man in line. He was to far away from them to hear the words but he got the impression he would be looking for lunch elsewhere.

He heard the man in front of him curse under his breath.

"You have got to be joking." The man said soundly just as frustrated as Mike felt.

"Think they'll fight?" He asked already thinking what the next closest food place was that he could afford. There was a snort from the man, which made Mike lookup, the man was looking at him brown intense eyes under a raised brow.

Mike swallowed at the look and the man smirked.

"I will bet they don't," the man said sounding amused.

Maybe it was because he was more interested in checking out the slightly older sexy as hell man. Who looked so hot in his dark grey suit and black tie but his mouth opened without much thought, "how much?"

He could the raised voices of the two men getting louder and the people in the line around him started looked awkward and uncomfortable. He was pretty sure the two men were about to come to blows.

The man in the suit eye balled him, looking him over from head to toe. Something in the darkening of the man's gaze froze him. And for a moment Mike couldn’t move, couldn’t  look away, but then the man smiled and that powerful feeling disappeared.

“20?” The man asked. There was something challenging in his eyes and a jolt ran through Mike. He had 20 bucks in his wallet, it was supposed to be for food but with how loud the men had gotten and the loud bang from the customer slamming his hand against the truck, he didn’t see how he could lose.

He grinned and nodded.

He had not expected the man to shoot him a smirk before walking off toward the two arguing men. Mike still couldn’t hear the words exchanged but he watched as the hot stranger talked to both men. Whatever he said calmed down the customer and had the man inside the truck nodding his head in some kind of agreement. He stood there astonished as the man inside the truck passed both the man he had a confrontation with and the hot suit guy their food.

When suit guy turned and started walking back towards him, Mike just pulled out his wallet. He had the twenty in his hand by the time the man stopped in front of him.

He wanted to be annoyed, he had after all just lost the last of his money for the day. But the man’s smirk was confident and sexy, two things that always drew Mike in. So he handed over his money without complained. He was about to ask what the man had said but the man’s phone went off. Suit guy gave him an apologetic look when he answered and then waved him off when it became clear that he wasn’t getting off the phone anytime soon.

Not that Mike had stayed around after that. The truck smelt amazing and wanted to get away from it before he remembered how hungry he was and that it was all his own fault for taking that stupid bet.

<break>

Harvey opened the door and held it open for his boss as she walked out after him. They were just finishing up a lunch meeting and truthfully he was ready to get back to the office. He jerked when he heard someone’s horn go off. It was long and drawn out meaning whoever it was, was being an asshole. He turned his head just in time a taxi clip the leg of a young man on a bike. The kid screamed out a pained curse and the taxi drove away.

Harvey almost turned and walked away. He wasn’t one to normally care about these kind of things but the kid looked up as he limped his bike toward the sidewalk .Harvey recognized him, it was the same young man from the food truck.

The kid was only a few feet away so he moved closer, “You’re bleeding.” It was the first thing to come to his mind. Not that the kid needed to be told, which is probably why the kid shot him a ‘no shit.’ look. Then his eyes widened as he recognized Harvey.

“It’s you.” the kid said then winced looking down at the damage to his leg. Harvey watched as the kid poked and prodded the hurt area. The younger man’s face even paled a bit, it spiked a worry shot through Harvey, something he wasn’t used too.

“You should get that checked out.” He said because the kid didn’t look okay and that was a lot of blood. The kid just waved him off.

“I’ve had worse. That asshole needs to learn to watch out around him.” He wanted to argue, he really did. But it wasn’t his place to tell the young man what to do.

“You sure?” he asked the kid looked up at him and smiled, “I’m sure.”

Then the kid’s watch beeped. Harvey watched as the kids shoulders dropped.

“I have to go,” he hopped on his bike, “It was nice seeing you again.”

“You too.” He said, unsure if there was anything else to say. The kid rode off leaving Harvey feeling empty or maybe like he was missing something. A throat clearing behind him had him turning around to see Jessica giving him a pensive look.

“Who was that?” She asked.

“Remember that food truck client I brought in a couple weeks ago?” He replied she nodded.

“That was the kid in line behind me.”

“You get his name?” she asked.

He cursed. “No.” Why hadn’t he thought to ask the young man his name? This was the second time that they had run into each other. It would have been the common or smart thing to do. But he hadn’t thought about it.

Jessica chuckled, “Maybe next time.” She said before taking his arm and stirring him back towards their waiting car.

<break>

The third time they didn’t even speak to each other. Harvey was sitting at a nice bar. The owner was new to the city, well off and had powerful friends.Jessica was trying to win him over as a client. So, her, Harvey, Donna, and Louis were sitting in a booth drinking their comped drinks., chatting the man up. He was bored and letting his eyes roam over the bar, thinking maybe he could find someone to flirt with, maybe even go home with, when his gaze met startled blue eyes. The young kid must have seen him first because Harvey had his full attention.

They sat there staring at each other for a second before he sent the kid a smile and took a sip of his drink. The young man grinned and took a drink from his glass. The kid tilted his head to the side when the dark haired man next to him said something, he mumbled something back but never took his eyes off Harvey.

“You going to talk to him?” Donna asked next to him. He looked at her out of the corner of his eyes, not wanting to fully look away from the kid.

“Don’t know what you’re talking about.” He said.

She snorted. “Sure you don’t, Harvey.”

“They’ve met before.” Jessica cut in. Harvey groaned and he saw the young man raised an eyebrow silently asking him about it. He shook his head. They exchanged wasn’t missed as both women laughed and the dark haired date?, turned his head to see what his companion was staring at.

“When?” He heard Donna whispered to Jessica, he zoned them out and watched as the man with the kid took the kid’s chin and pulled it to look at him. There was a quick conversation and Harvey saw the kid blush before his eyes roamed back over Harvey for a second. Then he turned his attention back to his date. Harvey didn’t like the dismissed feeling he got when the kid didn’t turn to look back at him again. He told himself it was stupid, the kid was obviously here with someone and of course that’s where his attention should be. But still he felt jealous, an emotion he wasn’t used too. He sighed and turned his attention back to his colleagues.

<break>

Mike was going to kill Trevor. What the hell had he been thinking? He tried not to panic as he walked away from the cops and aimed for the stairwell. He heard one of them asked if they thought he was the one they were looking for and hurried his steps. He was already down one section of stairs when he heard the door open and on of the men shout.

“Fuck.” He muttered as he tried to think of a way out. He remembered the sign about an interview in a nearby room. Taking a chance he headed at way.

He heard a woman call out a name when he entered the room panting. He looked up to see her annoyed gaze.

Something shifted in her look at she took him in, “Rick?” She said carefully.

He tilted his head, she gave a pointed look, “Rick Sorkin?” She said again. For some reason was sure she was telling him to say yes, so he did. She smiled and lead him into the next room.

His attention was still on the strange redhead when he heard someone else move inside the room. He turned and froze, it was hot suit guys. He swallowed, shit.

Why the hell was his luck this bad. He hadn’t stopped thinking about the guy in days, not since their weird flirting staring contest thing at the bar the other night. Travor had pointed out he was being way too obvious so he had turned away. Then he felt ridiculous, the guy was with his friends he probably didn’t want to deal with any actually flirting, hence why he hadn’t moved from his seat. Mike had left feeling frustrated and decided he would ask the man out the next time they met.

This was not what he had imagined that next meeting.  Him hiding from the cops with a briefcase for of weed.

“Umm hi?” He said nerves running wild inside him.

“You’re a lawyer?” Suit guy asked, not looking like he believed that.  

Mike shook his head, he didn’t want to lie to the man. It felt wrong.

“What are you doing here?” The man asked, looking him over.

“Ummm?” He bit his lip, how the hell did he answer that? Of course that’s when the fucking case fell open the contentions spilling out on the floor.

“Fuck.” He muttered. “I can explain!” He said quickly to the other man.

Who looked rather amused, “Please do.”  

So he did. He told the man about his grandmother about Trevor and how desperate he had been. To his surprise the man let him talk and when he was done offered to let him hide out until the police were gone. Relieved he fell back in his chair.

“What’s your name?” He asked and the man laughed.

“Harvey, Harvey Specter. You?” The man was grinning and it felt contagious so he grinned back, “Mike Ross.”

“How are the interviews going?”

Harvey rolled his eyes, “Idiots, all of them. I’m surprised any of them passed the bar.”

Mike shrugged, “It’s not that hard.” He said. Harvey gave him a questioning look.

Mike laughed, “I’ve passed it.” Brown eyes widened in surprise, “But you’re not a lawyer.” Harvey pointed out sounding confused by that fact.

So Mike told him about stealing that stupid test for Trevor and the dean’s daughter.

Harvey frowned at him as he talked, “This Trevor seems to get you into trouble often.”

Mike frowned back at him, “His my best friend.” He replied, feeling the need to defend his friend. Harvey just gave him a look, that said the lawyer thought he was an idiot.

There was a knock at the door. Harvey got up and opened it. He talked to the same red head from before he turned around, “Cops are gone.”  Mike was thrown. Not because the cops were gone but because the redhead woman seemed to know what Harvey was talking about and didn’t seem bothered. She hadn’t been in the room when they talked about it. Yet somehow she had known and even came to let them know when the coast was clear.

The hell? He thought. Then he got to his feet, “Thank you.” He said to both of them, sticking his hand out to shake the man's hand, he was debating asking the man out when Harvey’s hand touched his. Skin to skin, it sent a shot through him and the world spun. It was just for a second and when it stopped he stood wide eyed staring at an equally surprised Harvey.

Soulmates.

His brain shouted at him. Everyone knew the stories but to actually find yours. It was rare. Ridiculous rare. And he had not met his once but now four times.

He swallowed, “Wow,” he whispered.

“Donna.” Harvey said in a clear demand.

“Telling the morons to beat it.” She said grinning, before disappearing closing the door behind her.

“You really passed the bar?” Harvey asked. Mike nodded, trying to figure out why the hell that was important right now, he was still holding his soulmates hand, well clinging to it. Because he didn’t want to let go. Harvey seemed to feel the same because he wrapped his fingers around his and pulled Mike back towards the desk.

“You’re hired.” Harvey said, shooting him a grin. “I’m messaging Jessica right now. Then I’m taking you somewhere we can talk. We will work out all the needed details later.” Mike overwhelmed just nodded his head.

He had a soulmate. Who was going to hire him as a lawyer, his dream job. His soulmate was sexy as hell, confident, and commanding. Which caused Mike’s heart to pound as he thought about sex with the man would be like. He took a deep breath and tightened his hold on his soulmates hand. Harvey shot him a smirk as he typed away at his computer. Mike got a happy feeling when he thought about what like with Harvey was going to be like.

[redgoldblue]

Honestly I really wanna write a Marvey Vegas AU where they’re both like semi-famous professional poker players but they work different places so they’ve both managed to become semi-famous without ever having met or played each other, each just knows vaguely of the other one as Their Major Competition. But then there’s like. a big poker marathon or something (as you may have guessed the major thing stopping me from writing this apart from my three other WIPs is my complete lack of knowledge about professional card playing) and they’re both keep winning their initial games (obviously) and they know eventually they’re gonna be playing each other and they start respectively freaking the fuck out because a) Ross/Specter is supposed to be really good and I mean I know I’m good but also let me start practicing literally every waking moment i have to win this or Donna/Rachel is never going to let me live it down and honestly more so because b) we keep passing each other in the halls because we’re both staying in the hotel it’s being run at and uhhhhhh he’s hot. How did I never know this. Why did no-one ever bother to inform me of this. Goddamnit.

So then it’s like the semifinals round and they’re finally facing each other and they’re both nervous as hell but also absolutely determined to win this but see here’s the thing - they play completely differently (which is basically canon anyway). Mike watches the cards and performs mathematical probability calculations instantaneously and honestly it’s a miracle he hasn’t been banned yet for counting cards - Harvey watches the people he’s playing against, figures out their tells as soon as looking at them, and, well - ‘plays the man, not the odds’. And they’re both really fucking good at what they do, and at playing defensively against their own tactics - Mike is very careful about revealing what cards he has by his moves, Harvey has The Poker Face To Die For and has eliminated all tells (or so he thinks) - but those are useless against each other. But the thing is, they’re equally useless, so they end up almost on a level playing field again, only both of them feel equally like they’re floundering and like this person is actually... a terrible player? I know exactly what cards they’ve got? But they also seem to know exactly what I have so what the fuck. But they come away from one round and realise what’s happening (or rather, their respective friends who’ve been watching do and tell them), so when they go back they’ve both tried to adjust, but are also ready to trash-talk the fuck out of each other as thinly disguised flirting. 

Harvey wins barely bc it’s a little bit easier to adjust your moves on short notice than to hide your subtle tells, and offers gloatingly to buy Mike a drink with the proceeds, which Mike agrees to because at least that way he’s getting some of his money back in the form of alcohol. Only then they start properly talking, about poker at first but then about music and movies and their friends and their Encounters With The Law and before they know it it’s 2am and they’re both drunk as hell and somehow it seems perfectly reasonable when Harvey ends up in Mike’s room and then in Mike’s bed and oh look at that in Mike. Don’t know how that happened. But then of course Harvey flees the next morning before Mike wakes up because it’s Harvey, and they studiously avoid each other for the next two days until uh-oh, someone’s been disqualified for cheating and guess who’s back in the tournament and determined to fucking thrash Harvey Specter that no-good gloating running still unnecessarily handsome bastard? That’s right it’s Mike ‘identified-his-tells’ Ross, and he’s ready to fight. Oh, and also? He’s been watching all the footage he can find of Specter’s past games and he’s identified a goddamn tell so take that. (Rachel has tried to suggest that perhaps he’s being a little... overly combative about this but he hasn’t listened.)

Mike wins this time, winning the tournament and forcing Harvey to descend from his emotional pedestal for a hot minute and notice that he was really passionate about rubbing it in his face but also there was an undercurrent of hurt in all those comments and oh shit now he’s guilty. No he doesn’t like that. Shit now he’s gotta apologise for running doesn’t he. (Donna in the background: YEs you fucking do! Louis next to her: she’s been saying this for three days!) So he finds Mike at the idk afterparty, suggests that maybe Mike should buy the drinks this time after cleaning him out, and sheepishly manages to apologise, leaving Mike sorta astounded both at the fact that he did and at how relieved it made him feel. Mike suggests that he could help Harvey with the memory/calculation stuff as a sorta peace offering, and in return Harvey says that while he was really much better this time, he still had one tell that cropped up a few times. There’s a little tic, just below his mouth, when he’s got a good card. Although, in the process of watching that, he also noticed he had very nice lips. Also now he’s pointing it out so his hand’s there and it’d be real easy to just move that to the side of his face and now they’re kissing in a decidedly public bar.

Anyway they become the Vegas Poker Power Couple and teach each other their styles and become basically invincible. Eventually they both do start being banned from places for counting cards and simultaneously agree that it was getting boring anyway they were too good but hey they’re rich now and didn’t you say you always wanted to go to law school? Wait, didn’t you say that? Well, hey, we’ve got nothing else to do with our piles of money so let’s go for it and we can set up a practice with our weirdly large number of friends already in the legal profession after sounds like a plan

[statusquoergo]

Part II

Louis takes a detour from the celebratory drinking to stop by Dr. Lipschitz’s office and ask him to officiate his wedding. (Since when is he ordained?)

Though he admits that he’ll almost certainly need more therapy in the future, he feels he’s made enormous progress and is “ready to have [Lipschitz] as a friend.” (Not that we couldn’t have figured this out during the whole Paula debacle in Season 7, but for what it’s worth, Suits does not know how psychiatry works. Patients don’t graduate to “friend status” and move up to the next tier of MD for harder therapy or more drugs or whatever; the relationship starts professional and that’s generally how it’s supposed to stay.) Lipschitz puts up a little token resistance and quickly capitulates, which is good news for Louis since the very next scene is his wedding, and if Lipschitz hadn’t agreed, I’m not sure they would’ve been able to find someone to fill in on such short notice.

So the wedding! Louis is predictably decked out in a morning coat and top hat, complete with walking stick, as he freaks out over the fact that Sheila’s sister, the only member of the wedding party other than Harvey, is nowhere to be found, but freaks out more over the fact that Harvey looks better than him, even though he’s wearing “just a regular tux.” Donna pops in to inform Louis that Harvey was trying to distract him to keep him from panicking when she tells him that Sheila’s sister is stuck on the LIE, but never fear, Donna’s filling in. What a convenient opportunity for Harvey and Donna to walk down the aisle so Harvey can casually warn her not to “get any ideas about [them] doing this anytime soon.” (Aren’t they already engaged?) Lipschitz’s ceremony is all about how perfect Louis and Sheila are for one another, naturally, but Sheila has to interrupt when her water breaks; fortunately, Louis “didn’t want to leave anything to chance” and has an ambulance on standby, so they rush the vows, exchange their rings, and hustle off to the hospital ASAP.

Despite the absence of a bride and groom, all the wedding guests decide to…hang out at the venue, not really doing anything. I’m not quite sure what they’re waiting for, but Mike swings by to ask Harvey if there’s been any word from Louis (Harvey doesn’t know, as he would “rather call anybody else about anything else”) and Donna clarifies that the guests are loitering about because “[they] all just don’t know what to do.” (Leave, maybe?) To overcome the weirdness of “[having] nothing to celebrate,” Harvey turns to Donna to declare that “whether [he] knew it or not, [he’s] wanted to marry [her] from the second he met [her],” so how about they get married “right here, right now.”

Seriously what is it with this show and couples insisting they’ve been absolutely perfect for one another right from the start? For one thing, it’s some kind of bullshit retconning, and for another, I don’t know about you, but I have a lot more respect for a couple that’s gone through some stuff together and actively fallen in love over time. The weird thing is that Mike and Rachel, at least, did seem to actually do that, more or less, but then they doubled back in the wedding vows with that whole “from the first second I met you, I knew I wanted to be here with you someday” thing; are couples in Suits-land not allowed to marry unless they’ve always been meant for each other? Is everyone repenting for the original sin of Harvey’s parents’ divorce?

Well, anyway, Donna blusters that their families aren’t here (including, I assume, that mysterious emotionally manipulative older sister of hers who was brought up once and never again) and she doesn’t have a dress and they don’t have rings, and Harvey says that they can do it again for their families but he’s “wasted too much time” and “[doesn’t] want to waste another second.” The dress she’s wearing now is actually quite pretty, and Harvey already has the ring his mother mailed him (and she “can find one for [him],” somehow, which she does, with zero explanation), so she agrees, and he announces to this group of mostly strangers that “[he and Donna] are getting married.” Mike would offer to officiate “but [he’s] not licensed, and [he] just [doesn’t] think they want to open up that can of worms again” and I think this horse has been beaten to death quite enough, so if we could just move along to any other form of humor, that would be great. (Although speaking of licenses, Harvey and Donna don’t have one, so I get that this is supposed to be spontaneous and romantic and everything, but as for that whole “I now pronounce you man and wife” bit… That’s really more wishful thinking than, like. Reality.)

Louis and Sheila finally arrive at the hospital only to learn that there aren’t any rooms available at the moment, but that’s fine because totally out of nowhere and after about three seconds of hands-off observation, the doctors have determined that “there are some complications” and they need Louis’s permission to get her into surgery absolutely right now. He gives it, of course, and man, if I thought this show went out of its way to manufacture tension before, this a whole new level. This is a new building altogether, this is an entire fucking tension estate.

Over a montage of Louis in distress (in a hospital that seems weirdly vacant to “[not] have any rooms at the moment”), Harvey, standing on the dais sans any form of wedding party whatsoever even though Mike is right there, makes a truly morbid little speech about loss and death before turning to Donna and telling her “[he] kept [his] feelings inside for so long because [he] was afraid. But when [he] finally got good news, that's when [he] knew [she was his] everything.” (Ignoring the repetition of that bullshit about keeping his true feelings inside, I would hardly call Robert’s disbarment “good news”; in fact, at the time, Harvey specifically said that “losing Robert kind of takes the charm off the victory” [s08e16].) Donna responds over another hospital montage by further contemplating on mortality, and the fact that people search for love from the moment they’re born, in a speech that sounds like it was written with Louis’s situation in mind a lot more than hers and Harvey’s and that wraps up just in time for a remarkably put-together doctor to show up in the (suspiciously empty) room Louis is pacing to inform him that “both mother and daughter are doing fine.” Well, I guess those complications weren’t too complicated after all, whatever the hell they were. Donna concludes her vows by telling Harvey that he makes her happy; in fact, “without [him, she’s] empty,” and like I get that they’re gunning it with the whole “meant to be together forever” angle, but for god’s sake, this isn’t a soulmate AU, these people need to be able to function on their own and they need to be free to have lives separate from one another.

For some reason, Lipschitz uses their full names in leading the vows, which isn’t a big deal but seems weird to me and kind of reinforces the fact that Lipschitz doesn’t exactly know them and might not be the best choice for their officiant; anyway as soon as that’s taken care of, Robert announces that “to add to the good news, [he] just heard from Louis” that “he’s the proud father of a beautiful baby girl.” I’m not sure whether to be more annoyed at Robert for checking his messages literally in the middle of the wedding or confused that he’s the one Louis chose to notify, but no matter; Donna and Harvey will go see Louis later, “but right now, [Harvey wants] to dance with [his] wife,” which they do as everyone else hangs around and watches this couple they probably don’t know and it’s totally not awkward at all.

Sheila’s “still in recovery,” but a nurse brings the baby out to whatever room Louis is chilling in just in time for Harvey and Donna to show up and congratulate him. Oh and incidentally they’re moving to Seattle to work with Mike and Rachel, which is how Harvey got rid of Faye. (Alright, not Iceland, but I was close.) Louis panics that Harvey’s “never wanted to play in the B leagues,” but Harvey, in a massively delayed response to Mike’s accusation that he’s lost himself, explains that “if there’s one thing Faye did for [him], it’s remind [him] of who [he is].” Specifically that he “[likes] crossing lines” and “playing in the grey,” and I’m not totally clear on how he did this, but apparently “Mike showed [him he wants] to do it for the good guys for a change.” Louis still isn’t ready to let them go, but Donna, who seems to have somehow gotten it into her head that this entire series has secretly been about Louis’s journey of self-discovery all along, says that while “[they’d] be there for as long as [he] needed [them, he doesn’t] need [them] anymore. And no matter where [they] are, [they’ll] always be [his] family.” They wrap it all up with a group hug, because apparently that’s a thing Harvey does now.

The next day, Samantha calls Robert to inform him that her new office is Faye’s old office, which is actually Robert’s old office; he congratulates her, and intentional or not, this really doubles down on the whole Samantha-as-Harvey parallel, being that Robert’s old office is actually Mike’s old office, which is actually Harvey’s old office. Then Louis comes in to ask her to “be [his] Harvey,” and she can’t do that but “[she] can be [his] Samantha,” so maybe it’s not so much Samantha-as-Harvey as it is Samantha replacing Harvey, which feels…less fun. She does make Louis promise not to change the firm’s name for at least five years, though, so I’ve gotta give her props for that. Then Donna finds Harvey looking out over the bullpen and contemplating that this is where it all started, but yes he’s sure he wants to go through with it, which is good “‘cause [his] new boss called” and he “wants to have a word.”

Alright, here we go. Mike is waiting in Harvey’s office, looking out the window in a very Harvey-esque pose as the man himself arrives to enquire as to what Mike is still doing there. Mike replies that though Harvey “may be moving to Seattle, [he doesn’t] have a job yet,” and if Mike doesn’t interview him, “how [is he] gonna know what [he’s] getting?” Harvey flubs the first line by saying that Mike is getting “a guy who doesn’t like to hang out with people that aren’t that bright” (rather than “a guy who likes to hang out” with such people), but they carry on with a very sweet recreation of the pilot interview, right up until the point that Harvey admits that if Mike quizzed him from the Barbri handbook, “[he] wouldn’t know a thing.” Though Harvey neglected to bring “a briefcase full of weed,” he does “know a guy,” and Mike hires him on the spot; Harvey turns down his invitation to “go see [the coffee cart guy] for old times’ sake,” but he promises to “school those Harvard douches, and become the best lawyer [Mike’s] ever seen,” and Mike will take that but “[he’s] got to lose the fat tie.” Though I’m furious that we were denied a hug in favor of a fist bump, this is still super cute, especially if I don’t dwell on what it means that even after all this time, Harvey remembers their very first conversation (almost) verbatim.

Tying up the last remaining loose ends, Louis, Alex, and Samantha summon Katrina to Louis’s office to offer her a name partnership because “if it weren’t for [her], none of [them] would be [there] right now,” and also the firm’s new name is already up on the wall and Louis “agreed not to change it again for five years” and “got [her] new business cards” so her refusal “would be a really big pain in the ass,” and I mean how does a person say no to a request like that?

Donna finds Harvey in his office and asks if he’s ready to go home, but he needs a little more time to reflect before the place gets packed up tomorrow; she starts to leave, but he calls her back to tell her that he “couldn’t have done any of this without [her].” “Any of what?” she asks, which sounds to me like fishing, but he obliges by replying: “Everything.” There you have it, Donna’s been the glue holding the team together all along. Anyway she meets Louis at the elevators and they ride down together holding hands, which, intentional or not, is a nice last little Lonna shout out.

The episode ends with a series of flashbacks presented in nothing even approaching chronological order, closing out with “Life is like this. And I like this” (Marvey), Mike walking out of Danbury as Rachel gets out of the car to meet him (Machel), and Harvey and Donna hooking up at the end of Season 8 (Darvey), so that’s a fairly respectful acknowledgment of the fanbase, if you look at it through the right lens. The very last shot is Harvey walking to the elevators, smashing to a title card that reads: “Dedicated to The Suits Family” (I don’t know about you, but I’m definitely the weird cousin), and…ta da! Congratulations, we made it to the end of the series!

Hooray!