We're excited to announce that the moving into of your new home is complete! All of your items have automatically been moved into it. Enjoy your new home! - The Cotes Department of Housing
Lorene felt his phone buzz in his belt pouch. He pulled it out, looked at the notification. Right on time. He was just walking down the street on the way to Reinite's townhouse.
Their townhouse. That he now lived in. With her. Together.
The least weird thing about this whole thing was that it was a townhouse, although that was a very non-zero amount of weird. He was a Prince, who lived in a Royal Keep that was half palace, half fortress; he always expected his future partner(s) to come live with him. Him and the army of people who helped the royal family run the country--plus the, you know. Actual army who protected them. But, nope. It was just him and Reinite, in a little townhouse in Cotes.
(Cotes! He fucking LOVED this Ward! Everything about it reminded him of Asgard, of home--from the majytech rail, to the fae folk, to the sparks of magic behind every leaf and flower. He spent time there because he liked to. What a stroke of luck that Reinite had been assigned housing here!)
The most weird thing about this whole thing...was that Reinite had asked him to move in with her. Before the whole moon fiasco, of course, but now...now was a quiet enough moment that he could actually act. And so, Lorene had put in the transfer paperwork.
There were still things unspoken between them. Several things. Too many things. Things they needed to hash out--one way or another. Whether it ended in constructive conflict or in conflict conflict, neither of them was the type of person who functioned well when things remained unspoken for too long. But, one way or another, right now they didn't have any roommate, and that in and of itself was a blessing.
They were going to wind up screaming at each other. For them, it was just a natural part of the healing process. Thank every god who gave a shit and every Spirit with any amount of power that they wouldn't have to suffer the embarrassment of roommates witnessing all of that. Nor having to sit through having a quiet dinner afterward.
Between all the things between them left unsaid that were left over from home, to the first and second ball they attended together, to the incident with the Mists, to the incident at Skullrender, to the whole bullshit with the fucking Moon...they had a lot to talk about. A lot.
But Lorene was no coward. Anxious? Absolutely. Possessed of terrible coping mechanisms? You bet. But a coward? Not even a little bit.
So he took a deep breath, squared his shoulders--and right as he raised his knuckles to knock on the door, it opened.
"Fucking finally." There stood Reinite Roux, all legs and heels and wrath and beauty. She seized the front of Lorene's shirt and, without preamble, dragged him bodily inside.
Another thing Lorene was not was a fool. (Also, he had chosen all of this, and chosen well.) So, like a wise man, he (happily) let this happen without resistance.
