Work Text:
The girl had been there all afternoon.
Isabelle had first spotted her when she and Alec had walked into the mall, intent on finding gifts for their parents; she’d been standing right in front of the doors, a bright smile on her flushed face and adorable elf ears framing her face.
Alec had mentioned how grateful he was that they’d never had to take a job as Christmas workers at a shopping mall, but Isabelle had been far too distracted by how pretty the elf was. Not that she’d told her brother that. He had enough reason to tease her as it was; the last thing she wanted was for him to realise that redheads with cute eyes and freckles were exactly her type. He’d try to set her up at every occasion, and she did not need that kind of constant embarrassment.
However, she’d found it increasingly harder not to let her gaze stray to the red-haired girl as they’d passed her once, then twice, then thrice as they shopped. Alec hadn’t commented on it yet, but Izzy knew it was only a matter of time. He’d been too focused on Magnus’ gift to pay attention to his surroundings, but now that his boyfriend’s Christmas present had been found, Izzy knew she was in trouble.
She gave him thirty seconds to-
“Is it just me, or have you been eyeing the elf from the mall entrance?” Alec smirked, glancing between the girl and Isabelle a few times with raised eyebrows. “You know I’m not one to judge but… really? She’s an elf, Isabelle.”
“I highly doubt that those ears are real, Alexander,” Izzy rolled her eyes. “And I haven’t been eyeing anyone. I just find it curious that we’ve already crossed paths with her three times. We’ve only been here for a little over an hour, and this mall is very big.”
“Are you implying that we have a stalker?” Alec mock-whispered, chuckling when Isabelle nudged his ribs hard. “I’m kidding! But just so we’re clear, I don’t buy your excuse at all. You think she’s pretty, don’t you?”
“Only a fool would say no to that,” Izzy pointed out. “Well, fools and gay men, maybe. Although even you should be able to see how beautiful she is, elf ears and all.”
“So you do have a thing for elves,” Alec cackled, dodging Izzy’s second nudge expertly. “Seriously, if you think she’s that cute, maybe you should just go talk to her. I’m sure she’s dying for a break from whatever tedious job she has today. I know I would be if I had to deal with so many people in so little time.”
“That’s because you don’t know how to act around people,” Izzy piped up with a grin, ignoring her brother’s responding glare. “And as great as your plan sounds, I’m not sure she’d be half as happy as you seem to think she would be. The last thing I would want after trying to sell candy canes for hours is for someone to accost me and distract me from my job.”
“She’s selling candy canes?” Alec’s eyes lit up. “Izzy, you’ve got to talk to her. Maybe if you flirt enough, you can get a few free treats. I promise I’ll come save you if she looks like she’s about to kill you.”
“I don’t even like candy canes,” Izzy frowned. “They taste terrible.”
“First of all, that’s a bold statement to make around me and you know it,” Alec raised his eyebrows, looking distinctly unimpressed. Izzy had to bite back a laugh at how serious he looked, wishing she had a camera at hand to take a picture for Magnus. “Secondly, the candy canes won’t be for you. Lastly and most importantly, you don’t need to like candy canes; you already like the girl who’s selling them.”
“I don’t-” Isabelle cut herself off as Alec levelled her with the most disbelieving look she’d ever seen.
So maybe he had a point. The redhead was prettier than any woman Izzy had ever met, and she seemed too sweet and happy not to be kind, and she was just right there, looking like she was trying her best not to let the smile drop from her face. Isabelle was a strong woman most of the time, but when it came to adorable girls? Yeah, she’d been screwed from the start.
“I’m not getting you any candy canes,” she announced loudly as she strode away from Alec and headed straight for the mall worker.
The ginger girl had stepped away from the sea of people, propping herself against a shop wall and half heartedly twirling a candy cane between her fingers. The smile hadn’t vanished from her features, but it looked far softer and tired than it had a few moments earlier; not that Izzy could blame her, given how exhausting her job had to be.
Steeling herself for rejection, Izzy took a deep breath and closed the last few feet that separated her from the woman.
“Hi!” She announced as cheerfully and confidently as she could manage. The other woman startled slightly, her gaze snapping to Isabelle and her jaw dropping slightly as she finally spotted her. Izzy would be lying if she said she didn’t preen a little at the obvious awe in the redhead’s eyes.
“Um, hi?” The girl said after a moment of silence and a slightly awkward clearing of her throat. “I’m sorry, did you want a candy cane? I’m kind of on a break, not that my manager knows that, and I hardly get any of those on busy days, and I’m not exactly in character at the moment…”
“That’s fine,” Izzy assured her quickly, sending her what she hoped was a soothing smile. “I’m not here to buy anything. I just- Well, I noticed you when my brother and I first came in, and then you kept popping up near the shops we stopped at and it felt like too much of a pattern for it to be a coincidence. Besides, you’re very pretty.”
She blurted out the last words before her brain could catch up with her mouth, and she cursed internally at the stricken look on the girl’s face. Sometimes, she wished she could be a little smoother when it mattered. Sure, she could charm the pants off her parents’ clients, but what was that worth if she couldn’t even keep it together while introducing herself to a woman? No wonder she was still single.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to- That was completely inappropriate,” she added when the other girl didn’t say anything. “You must get hit on all the time by strangers and here I am doing the exact same thing, even though you told me you hardly got any breaks. I’m sorry, I’ll just...”
“I don’t mind,” the girl blushed brightly, glancing up at Izzy through her lashes. A sheepish smile tugged at her lips, and Isabelle almost melted on the spot. “I’m mostly approached by parents and kids, so I don’t get hit on even half as much as you seem to think I do. Besides, us elves have a signal in case we’re getting harassed.”
“You do?” Isabelle asked, impressed by the thought the mall had put into the wellbeing of their workers.
“Absolutely not,” the girl burst out laughing. “But my best friend works here too and I have him on speed dial. He also checks on me once in a while to make sure I haven’t gotten kidnapped or murdered or anything of the sort. I promise you I would be more than capable of sending you packing if I minded your presence.”
“Oh,” Izzy said softly. “So you mean to say that-”
“That I don’t mind your presence, yes,” the redhead snorted. “It’s not every day I get to talk to someone as beautiful as you. Do you happen to have a name, or am I going to have to refer to you as the ‘pretty brunette shopper I met at work one time’ for the rest of my life?”
“I don’t know, I think that title suits me quite well,” Isabelle grinned, holding her hand out for the other woman to shake. “I’m Isabelle, Izzy for short.”
“Clary,” the redhead answered, holding onto Izzy’s hand for a little longer than was probably appropriate. Not that Isabelle minded in the slightest. “Do you have anything to do with the man who’s been staring at us intensely for the last three minutes, or am I going to have to call security on a stalker?”
“Who are you- oh, yeah, that’s my brother,” Izzy rolled her eyes, waving at Alec briefly before turning back towards Clary. “I should probably get back to him actually, but is there any way I could get your number, maybe?”
Before she could even finish her question, Clary was slipping a sketchpad and pencil out of her shoulder bag, scribbling what Isabelle assumed was a number on a ripped up piece of paper before tying it to the candy cane she’d been playing with.
“Does this work?” She asked with a shy smile as she handed the candy cane to Izzy.
“Perfectly,” Isabelle breathed out. “It was a pleasure meeting you, Clary.”
“And you too, Izzy,” the redhead beamed. “Have a lovely afternoon!”
After such a wonderful interaction, Izzy didn’t doubt that her afternoon would be very lovely indeed. Maybe she would even force herself to enjoy the candy cane Clary had gifted her, if only out of respect. After all, she wouldn’t want to disappoint Clary by offering her present to someone else, no matter how excited Alec looked at the prospect of getting a candy cane.