Sun
Storybrooke isn't exactly known for its sunny weather, so when a sudden heat wave hits in the middle of April, no one is really prepared for it. Except Ruby, it seems. The waitress wears shorts no matter the weather, so it should come as no surprise when she walks into the station, long legs barely covered by a pair of red shorts. "How can you even concentrate?" She asks, closing the folder Emma's barely paying attention to and perching on the edge of the desk. "I'm dying here."
"I have to finish this, Ruby," Emma looks up, and her train of thought screeches to a halt as Ruby tilts her head back slightly, lifting a bottle of water to her lips. She watches as a drop of water escapes, drips down Ruby's chin and neck, then along her collar bone.
"Like what you see, Sheriff?" Ruby teases. Emma glances up for all of a second before looking back down in time to see the tiny drop of water disappear under the (incredibly low) neckline of Ruby's shirt. It's like a scene out of a really good porn movie or something.
Thunder
"I never thought you'd be scared of storms," Emma comments, watching as Ruby eyes the windows every now and then.
"I'm not scared," Ruby pouts. She jumps when there's another clap of thunder and Emma gives her a look. "Okay, maybe a little bit."
As the dark sky outside lights up with a flash of lightning Ruby whimpers – and Emma has a split second to think of how cute and puppy-like she sounds before Ruby is in her lap, arms around her neck. "Ruby?" She tries, because they're in her office and there's absolutely no room for this. Ruby backs away all of two inches and Emma can see that she's crying. "Oh, Ruby," She reaches up to wipe the tears away, suddenly grateful that Ruby doesn't wear as much makeup anymore. "It's just a storm, baby."
"I've always hates them, for as long as I can remember. They're just so..." there's another loud rumble, and Ruby finishes the sentence with her face hidden against Emma's neck, "loud."
Fantasy
"You do realise that most people usually want me to take clothes off?" Ruby asks, buttoning up the shirt Emma gave her. "This is ridiculous, I look stupid."
"You don't," Emma laughs, tugging the collar up and looping a tie around Ruby's neck. "You actually look pretty cute."
Ruby huffs, annoyed. "I offered to do anything for you – anything you wanted me to do in the bedroom, your wildest fantasy – and you chose dressing me up in the Sheriff's uniform?"
"What can I say?" Emma adjusts the tie and steps back to admire how the younger woman looks in the uniform. "I'm easily pleased."
School
It happens when Ruby picks Henry up from school. Emma's swamped with work and Regina's been pulled into a last-minute council meeting, so Ruby offered to take him to the diner for a couple of hours. She spots him rushing out of the doors and he runs straight to her – no doubt hoping that she'll let him have ice cream (which she probably will, because his puppy-dog-eyes are exactly the same as Emma's, and she can't say no to those).
"Hey Ruby!" Henry glances over his shoulder and gives her an unconvincing smile. "Let's go."
"No, wait," Ruby grabs his arm, "what's wrong?" He shrugs, but then another voice cuts in.
"Hey, Mills!" It's one of the other students – Ruby feels like she should know his name, she's sure she's seen his dad leering at her before now – standing several feet away. "This your mom's new girlfriend?" It's such a simple question, but it's said with the kind of ignorantly hurtful tone that only a child could muster.
Henry looks up at her, eyes wide, and Ruby turns to the boy, scowl firmly in place. "Got a problem with that?"
The boy stammers as Ruby takes a step forward, but Henry grabs her hand. "Ruby? I don't think you're allowed to beat up ten year olds, even if Emma is Sheriff."
Ruby gives the kid one last look before turning back to Henry. "Right. Ice cream?"
Ink
Emma's hand trails along Ruby's back, smiling when Ruby giggles as her fingers trace around the edges of the black ink adorning her skin. "You're seriously playing into Henry's theories, y'know?"
"Theories?" Ruby looks up as best she can from where she's lying on her stomach on Emma's bed, with the blonde straddling her lower back.
"The Little Red Riding Hood thing," Emma's nails lightly scratch over the wolf tattoo taking up a fairly large part of Ruby's back. Ruby rolls over, somehow not throwing Emma off in the process.
"Does that make you the Big Bad Wolf?" She grins, biting her lip when Emma's nails continue to scratch along her skin.
"I guess so," Emma returns the smile, leaning with her hands either side of Ruby's head.
"Mm, what big teeth you have."
Emma chuckles and lowers herself down over Ruby. "I think I like where this is going.
Red
It's surprising, really, just how easy it is to make Emma blush. It doesn't take swearing like it would with Mary Margaret, or Ruby whispering just what she's going to do to her when they get home. It comes after that, when they're tangled together under sweaty sheets, Emma mumbling against Ruby's neck.
"What?" Ruby leans back slightly, eyes wide.
"Uh," Emma winces, mentally kicking herself. "Nothing."
"No, not nothing," Ruby grins, "did you just say 'I love you'?"
"I might have. I mean – I can't be held responsible for anything I say within forty seconds of an orgasm."
Ruby laughs at that, brushing Emma's hair away from her face to discover that the blonde's pale skin is now tinted red from her cheeks down to her neck. "You're blushing."
"It's warm in here," Emma tries to shrug it off, rolling over onto her side, back to Ruby.
Ruby rolls her eyes and lays an arm across Emma's middle, placing a kiss below her ear. "I love you too, stupid."
Boxes
"I'm going to miss you," Mary Margaret sniffs. Emma sighs and sits down next to her on the bed – her bed, still, at least for another minute or two.
"It's not like I'm leaving town – I'm practically moving down the street."
"I know, but," she sniffs again, "I'm being silly. It'll just be weird, not having you right here."
"I'm sure you'll be fine once David moves in."
"What?" Mary Margaret frowns.
"Oh, come on," Emma rolls her eyes. "With Kathryn moving in with Regina – and, yeah, yikes – it's only a matter of time."
That gets a laugh out of the other woman, finally. Ruby chooses that moment to appear, grinning.
"Ready to get these boxes in the car?" Emma nods and jumps up to her feet. She picks up a box, looking at the now rather bare bedroom.
"Is this what being a grownup feels like?"
The others laugh and Ruby gently nudges her shoulder. "Afraid so."
Gift
Emma can't really remember much of her actual birthday. She's twenty-nine now, which is just one step closer to thirty – and that's as good an excuse as any to get completely drunk, as far as she's concerned. She wakes up with a throbbing headache to find a glass of water and some aspirin beside the bed and makes a mental note to thank Ruby as she swallows the pills and downs the water. As if hearing her thoughts, Ruby enters the room.
"You are such a lightweight," she chuckles and Emma shushes her.
"Not so loud."
Ruby laughs again and sits on the edge of the bed. Emma notices a small box in her hand, wrapped – naturally – in red paper. "Can I give you your present now?"
"Later," Emma mumbles and grabs Ruby's arm, pulling the girl fully onto the bed. "More sleep first."