Ten months out from the wedding, Ruby's lease finally expires. Most of her stuff has been at Emma's house for months and paying rent on an apartment she barely uses has been a pain in the ass. She and Emma load the last of her things onto the U-Haul and look at Ruby's now ex-front door.
"This was the first place I ever had that was just mine. I earned it, you know?" Ruby's voice wobbles a little and Emma pretends not to notice. She wraps her arm around Ruby's shoulders and squeezes once, briefly.
"You really did," She agrees.
Ruby sniffles quietly. "Bye, house." She lifts one hand in farewell and climbs into the truck.
Emma gets in the other side and grabs Ruby's keys, the red crystal wolf dangling down, from the dashboard. Trying not to let Ruby see, she removes the key to her own house – their house, now – that's Ruby's had for months. She slips it into her pocket and smiles innocently at Ruby as they drive back.
Ruby parks the truck and Emma tosses her keys over and busies herself pretending to tie her shoelace as Ruby goes to the door. She sees Ruby search for the key and jumps out.
"Babe, where's my key?" Ruby asks, sounding tired.
Emma smiles. "I thought we should do this right," she answers, "since it's official now." She presents the key, now with a blood red ribbon, matching the wolf, tied through it in a bow.
"Welcome home, Ruby Lucas."
Ruby stares at the key and then at her; Her eyes well up a little. Emma knows that Ruby likes to mark big events and they hadn't really been able to do that up to now. Ruby hadn't officially moved in, she'd just kind of migrated over in some kind of domestic osmosis, but this is a milestone Emma can make a fuss over. Ruby reaches out to take the key and slips it into her pocket, looking at Emma with that expression that is just hers; that only she can put on Ruby's face. Ruby's arms go around her waist and she leans up to kiss Emma.
"You are amazing," Ruby whispers against her lips, "How did you know I needed that?"
"I love you," Emma replies. Ruby smiles and kisses her again.
It takes until almost midnight to finish bringing the last of the stuff in from the truck. Ruby moves the truck off the road and Emma makes a pot of green tea. She's developed a grudging tolerance for the stuff since starting to date Ruby and she'd never admit it, but it does sound appealing after a long day. Ruby comes in through the back door and takes her mug gratefully. They sit together in warm silence, broken only by the faint sound of Goose's panting from the other room.
"Hey Emma," Ruby says finally.
"Mmm?"
"We live together."
Emma smiles. "We do."
"We're getting married," Ruby says, sounding faintly awed.
"We are," Emma confirms, rubbing her finger over the clean cut ruby on Ruby's engagement ring. She's never been more proud of anything she's done than that ring, even though it was only for irony.
"I didn't know a person could be so happy," Ruby whispers gutturally. Feeling the effect she has on Emma, as she crashes their lips together forcefully, pushing her against one of the new walls, of their new house.