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It's been a very long day.
That's about the only thought Ruby is capable of as she drops onto the sofa, immediately curling into Regina's side. The former Evil Queen welcomes her into her arms with a contented sigh, long fingers sinking into her hair and carding through it absently.
The fire crackles merrily across from them, a steady soundtrack throughout most of their day, warm and soft and so terribly inviting that Ruby already feels the lure of oblivion calling her name. There's still so much to do before she allows sleep to claim her, a sink full of dishes left to clean and a floor to search for forgotten scraps of wrapping paper, but it's an undeniably tempting offer all the same.
Ruby blinks lazily at the dancing flames, loosing a soft hum into the crook of Regina's neck.
Regina chuckles at the sound, scratching idly at her wife's scalp. "Tired, dear?" she teases lightly, as if her own voice and body don't betray her own exhaustion. As if she, too, hadn't been roused from sleep by the stampede of little feet on hardwood and the joyous chorus of their children determined to welcome Christmas to the Mills-Lucas manor practically before sunrise.
"Something like that," Ruby drawls, pressing a kiss to soft skin before leisurely tracing the elegant column of her throat to the sharp line of her jaw, only to fall into eyes nearly as dark but twice as soulful as the oncoming night. "Is it bedtime yet?" she asks, voice pitched far lower than it had been a moment ago. She is tired, still, but some things are far more important than sleep.
Regina chuckles again, the sound deliciously throaty and as rich and smooth as the darkest chocolate. She shivers beneath the unspoken implication. "Not just yet, I'm afraid."
It's only the genuine note of regret in her words that keeps Ruby from whining. So she sighs, instead, nuzzling closer. She doesn't understand how Regina does it, how she's still so poised and put together, when Ruby - even with the boundless energy of the wolf running through her veins - feels like she's on the verge of collapse. If she didn't know Regina as well as she does, she'd say it was magic. The truth is far simpler than that, though; it's just Regina.
"I guess we should get to it then, huh?" she offers.
"Mmm, I suppose we should," Regina agrees though, like Ruby, she makes no move to rise, to remove herself from the cozy little nest they've built around them.
Ruby can't fault her for it. Tiredness isn't the only reason she's reluctant to move, to take the final steps required to put the day behind them. She also wants to linger, here, to bask a little in the joy that seems to reverberate alongside her every molecule. If she closes her eyes, she can still hear Henry and the girls laughing, see the joy on their faces as they'd herded them down the stairs and towards the mountain of presents stacked beneath the Christmas tree. See the slight disappointment, entirely overpowered by simmering excitement, as Regina coaxed them all into the kitchen with the promise of breakfast.
She takes a slow breath in and then out, letting the scent of cocoa and peppermint lead her where it wills. Hidden behind her lids, she watches as Henry takes point on the floor, diligently passing presents to his little sisters without a thought for his own. Sees the way Cassie bounces on her knees, wholly unable to keep still. Smiles to herself at the way Bree handles each gift with a quiet sort of reverence. Laughs as Ari all but tackles Regina off the sofa when she tears paper aside to reveal a new set of tack for her horse.
"Something funny, dear?" Regina asks, urging her eyes to open.
"Just thinking about today," she says, glancing up at her. "It was a good day."
"Yes." Her lips curl upward and settle into a soft smile. "It certainly was."
Ruby lets out a happy little sigh, pressing a kiss to the underside of Regina's jaw before she pulls away just enough to meet her wife's eyes properly for what feels like the first time all day. She's so beautiful like this. Don't mistake her; Regina is beautiful all the time, every day, every minute. But now, with her expression soft and her eyes overflowing with warmth, quietly basking in the love and joy of a day devoted to their children, to their family, the one they built together despite heartache, heartbreak, and countless mistakes, here, now, she is resplendent.
Gods, she's so lucky. She hopes she never forgets that. Honestly, she doesn't think she'd survive it if she did.
"What're you smiling at, wolf?" Regina asks, eyes ever-so-slightly narrowed.
Ruby's smile, the one she didn't even know she had, widens. "Just thinking about how much I love you, that's all."
And she watches, as fascinated now as she was the first time, as a soft blush settles across the sharp line of Regina's cheekbones. "Flattery will get you nowhere, dear," she drawls, eyes glinting dangerously in the half-light.
Ruby's smile shifts, stretches, even as she moves in, not stopping until she's hovering over the woman she loves, until she can feel the ghost of her breath against her own mouth. "Well, if it's all the same to you, your majesty," she begins roughly, "I think I'm good right here."
And as she leans in and Regina rises to meet her, slowly but surely closing the distance between them, Ruby knows that just might be the truest thing she's ever said.