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Clary got on her tiptoes to reach for the flour on the top shelf and exchanged smiles with Izzy who already mixed the cookie dough in her hands. Clary poured flour on top of the counter and Izzy started rolling out the dough with a rolling pin.
“We could cut the cookies in more Christmassy shapes. What do you think?” Clary asked, starting to clean around and putting away the ingredients they wouldn’t need anymore.
“I actually have cookie cutters. Bottom drawer next to the oven,” Izzy answered and washed her hands so she could tie her hair in a messy bun. Clary quickly found them and grabbed the bag, putting the cutters on the counter. She picked the Christmas themed ones and handed them to her girlfriend.
“I was thinking about inviting everyone over for dinner tomorrow. Are you free?” Izzy asked and picked the cutter in the shape of a tree.
“Yeah, my shift ends at 4. Maybe I can come over sooner and help you?” She grabbed the gingerbread man cutter and stood next to Izzy helping her cutting the dough with the different shapes.
“Sounds good.” Izzy smiled and Clary left a kiss on her cheek, making Izzy giggle. Clary’s heart skipped a beat to the pure and lovely sound Izzy made in response to her simple gesture of affection.
“You have flour on your cheek,” Clary pointed out after putting the first batch in the oven. Izzy just smiled and tried to clean her face. “It’s still there. Can I…?” She chuckled and took a step closer to Izzy.
“Sure.” Clary cleaned her cheek and kissed the tip of her nose.
“Much better.” She grinned and went back to cutting the cookie dough in different shapes including trees, stars, mistletoes, boots, and gingerbread men. There was icing of different colors and lots of sprinkles on the counter, and they started decorating the cookies that were already cold while another batch was in the oven.
Christmas music played softly through the house and when they finished coloring the cookies, Izzy held her waist bringing Clary closer to her. Izzy grabbed her hand above her head making Clary turn on the spot. Clary’s head fell back with laughter and Izzy chuckled. They starting dancing slowly while they waited for the fourth batch of cookies to be ready.
As they danced, Clary felt an overwhelming feeling in her chest that she couldn’t quite figure out what it was, but it felt wonderful. The one thing she was certain of was that looking into Izzy’s big brown eyes full of warmth and kindness, and holding millions of galaxies in them, was like coming home. She felt like home.
Maybe it was too soon to feel this way already but Clary couldn’t help it as she saw Izzy singing out loud to the lyrics of “Last Christmas”, holding the rolling pin that now served as a microphone. Clary laughed and sang along with her.
They kept dancing around the kitchen between laughs and stolen kisses from time to time and when a calmer song started playing Clary held her close, with Izzy’s arms wrapped around her shoulders as they swayed to the melody of an acoustic version of “I’ll Be Home For Christmas”.
“I love you,” Izzy whispered after a few moments of silence with the music being the only thing filling the quietness. Clary’s eyes widened and her heart started beating faster. “Um, sorry. I’m… sorry.” She apologized nervously when she realized the words that had left her mouth.
They still hadn’t shared those words out loud, but Clary knew she felt the same way about Izzy. Well, she knew it the moment she saw Isabelle for the first time and she smiled so widely when she introduced herself that the smile reached her warm dark eyes, softening her features.
“No. Don’t apologize.” A smile made its way to Clary’s lips as she felt herself relax. “Never apologize for saying what you feel.” Izzy nodded with a smile.
“I love you, too. Just in case you’re wondering.” Clary giggled and her girlfriend’s grin grew wider.
“Thank God,” she sighed dramatically and Clary laughed at her before connecting their lips in a calm and sweet kiss.
The oven timer went off indicating that the cookies were done and they smiled at each other before Izzy took the tray off the oven.
Clary grabbed the green icing, pouring a little on a cookie in the shape of a tree. She decorated it with some sprinkles and when she was satisfied with how it looked, she put it next to Izzy’s already finished boot.
“What happened with that one?” Izzy asked looking at Clary’s gingerbread man and chuckled. Clary was a great artist but that poor gingerbread man cookie was definitely not her best work.
“Shush. Don’t mess with him. He’s a tough cookie.” Clary defended with a smile. “Maybe I can just eat it and we forget that it ever happened.” She smiled and grabbed the cookie.
“No, these cookies are for Santa,” Izzy joked.
“All six batches?” She asked and Izzy grinned.
“He might want to share it with his friends.” She shrugged.
“In that case, he won’t mind sharing it with his good friend Clarissa. Right?” Clary raised an eyebrow and smiled playfully. Izzy simply laughed and Clary took that as yes, taking a bite of the cookie. “Hm, it’s delicious. I knew it would be love at first bite.” She looked at the gingerbread man that no longer had a head. Izzy shook her head, laughing at her girlfriend and went back to decorating a star.
They finished decorating all the cookies that were cold and Izzy finally put the last batch in the oven. They couldn’t decorate the ones she took off so Clary sat on the counter and sighed, feeling already tired from all the baking, dancing and decorating. She moved her head to the rhythm of Jackson 5’s “Someday At Christmas”, getting lost in the song.
Izzy turned around and stood in front of Clary, a wide smile taking over her face. Clary smiled back and pulled her closer by wrapping her legs around her waist. Izzy raised her hand and Clary looked up, only to see a cookie in her hand.
“What are you doing?” Clary chuckled.
“This is a cookie. In a shape of a mistletoe,” Izzy leaned in getting closer to Clary’s face.
“Does that count?” She asked.
“Of course,” Izzy smiled with her hand still raised in the air.
“Well, in that case…” Clary laughed and held Izzy’s chin, smiling at her girlfriend before kissing her under the mistletoe cookie. She couldn’t help but smile between the kiss and Izzy found her lips again, deepening the kiss.
When they parted, Izzy grinned and handed the cookie to Clary.
“I thought you wanted to save the cookies for Santa,” Clary kidded accepting the cookie.
“I don’t really want to give the mistletoe ones. Those are just for us,” she said and wrapped her arms around her waist. Clary put her arms around Izzy’s shoulders and smiled down at her. Their lips met again in a simple but affectionate kiss.
She broke the cookie in two and gave Izzy the other half of the mistletoe.
“Do you want to stay over tonight? We could watch Christmas movies,” Izzy offered.
“And cuddle,” Clary said taking a bite of her cookie and Izzy smiled widely.
“Sure,” she laughed. “Maybe we could watch Home Alone, Elf… oh! And also The Nightmare Before Christmas.”
“What?” Clary frowned. “Why are we watching The Nightmare Before Christmas?”
“Because it’s a Christmas movie,” Izzy replied like it was the most obvious thing. “I love watching it during the Holidays.”
“I’m breaking up with you,” she tried to sound serious. “You can’t possibly think that movie is a Christmas one!” She gestured her arms around and took another bite of her half of the cookie.
“It’s right there in the title,” Izzy defended with wide eyes staring up at her.
“I can’t believe it, Iz.” Clary shook her head and laughed. “It’s a Halloween movie.” She stood by her opinion.
Izzy didn’t answer and simply grinned at her while chewing her last bite of the cookie.
“What?” Clary asked.
“You’re cute,” she said in a whisper and Clary felt a blush making its way to her cheeks. Izzy hugged her and Clary wasted no time in wrapping her legs around her waist once again when Izzy’s lips brushed on Clary’s, connecting them in a gentle kiss.
“Don’t you think that saying these things will make me forget that you think The Nightmare Before Christmas is a Christmas movie,” she chuckled when they broke the kiss.
“Uh-huh,” Izzy hummed with a playful smirk on her lips and kissed her cheek.
“I love you,” Clary murmured. It was only the second time she was saying those words out loud to Izzy and she already knew she would be saying it a lot because it was the truth. And it felt so right, especially when she could see the way Izzy’s face lights up to the sound of those words leaving Clary’s lips.
“I love you, too.” Clary grinned and pulled her close in a hug.
The timer went off, indicating that the last batch was done.
“The cookies are ready!” Izzy clapped her hands enthusiastically and stole a quick kiss from Clary before running to the oven, making Clary laugh. She jumped off the counter following Izzy and helped her decorating the rest of the cookies.