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“The things you make me do, Clary,” Isabelle murmurs to herself as she stares in the mirror fixing her Velma costume Clary had picked out. Her costume consists of an orange turtleneck sweater, a short red pleated skirt, orange thigh high socks, red platform heels and a brown wig styled into a bob that had given Isabelle so much trouble she’d nearly given up.
Ever since Clary’s memories had returned, things had been weird for the poor shadowhunter. Things with Jace were never the same for Clary and things with Simon had ended not long after Clary had been ripped from their world, neither in any place for a relationship. So Clary came back the girls leaned on each other, spending most of their time together. Isabelle helped with training Clary to become a shadowhunter again and she was doing well. Isabelle hadn’t realized just how much she’d missed the red-head until she was back in her life. On one night when they’d been curled up in bed together having a sleepover in Clary’s room, Isabelle had asked about her life in the mundane world again.
“I don’t really miss it,” she’d said with a sigh, but then she turned around in the bed, facing Isabelle. “Actually, I miss holidays, birthdays, Christmas and Halloween. God, I miss Halloween Isabelle!”
So when the end of October rolled around, Isabelle made it her mission to give Clary the Halloween night she missed so much. She easily found out about Halloween events, but most were club events and dances, and that didn’t seem like what Clary was talking about. Then she saw it, a Halloween event in the city. According to the flyer, there would be mazes, hayrides, haunted houses, something called street theatre and food from local farmers. Isabelle ripped the flyer off the pole and brought the event up to Clary, shoving the paper at her friend. Clary’s eyes widened in excitement and she squealed out a yes and hugged Isabelle tightly, thanking her.
“We’re going to have to dress up!” She gasped. “Don’t worry, I’ll think of the perfect costumes for us Iz!”
Which is how Isabelle ended up dressed like Velma.
There’s a knock at her door, then the door swings open.
“Iz, are you ready? We should be lea-” Clary stops when she sees Isabelle, she looks her up and down then smiles softly “You look amazing Iz, the prettiest Velma I’ve ever seen.”
If Isabelle doesn’t hear a word Clary says, she’s too busy staring at Clary in her Daphne costume. She wears a purple long-sleeved dress that ends mid-thigh; it hugs Clary’s body beautifully and makes it hard for Isabelle not to stare at her. On her legs are pink tights, and lavender heels that match the lavender trim on her dress, and a green scarf around her neck that matches the green headband.
“Shall we go?” Clary asks again, pulling Isabelle away from her staring
She flushes and nods, following Clary out the door and from the institute.
They take the subway. According to Clary, it’s the fastest way to get where they’re going. Once they’re off the trains, it’s easy to find their way between all the signs saying ‘Fright Night This way’ and the groups of people all in costumes headed in one direction.
“Where do you want to start?” Isabelle asks after they’ve bought their tickets.
“The corn maze!”
The corn maze is easy for two shadowhunters. With the training they have, they easily find the exits, only hitting a deadend once, much to the many lost mundanes dismay. Then they go to the live performances where they watch a spooky play about a witch and then a man who shares spooky legends about the area.
“What a load a of bullshit,” Isabelle whispers to Clary
“I thought all the stories were true?”
“Not those”
Finally, it’s time for the haunted house. The haunted house sits at the far end of the park. It’s surrounded by trees, making it look isolated. From the outside it looks normal, just a small brick house that needs some updating, but then as they get close they see the broken, boarded-up windows, the do not enter signs, and the odd sound coming from it. Beside the house is a graveyard with broken headstones and hope that appear to have hands coming out of it. Then they pass a barn. The girls can hear screams and the sound of a chainsaw from it.
Once a small group of people arrive, they’re led through the front door with an ominous warning of ‘we’ll see you soon if you survive’. The foyer is dim candle sconces, the only thing lighting it.
“Welcome to my home”
The girls turn toward the eerie voice and it belongs to an old woman with blood-soaked hands and a butcher’s knife in one hand. The girls turn down the hallway; the walls are lined with pictures of people Isabelle swears are following her as she walks. Then, as they from nowhere, people with disfigured faces jump out scaring both girls, making them scream.
They continue through the house, following the arrows, and they’re led to a kitchen. The kitchen is covered in blood, and women dressed in black gowns cutting what look like various body parts on the counters and throw them in a large bubbling cauldron in the middle of the room with wicked smiles on their faces.
“Are you staying for dinner?”
“Or are you dessert?” Another says raising her knife.
Isabelle grabs Clary’s hand and runs out the open back door, pulling Clary behind her.
“Well, Isabelle pants as they make their way to the front of the house. I’m glad that’s over”
Clary giggles, “Yeah, some big, brave shadowhunter you are, we weren’t done with the house!!”
Isabelle is about to reply when suddenly they hear a chair saw. The girls turn their heads and scream when they see a man in a mask running towards them. Isabelle runs again with Clary’s hand in hers. Finally Isabelle sees the signs that say exit and speeds towards it.
“I’m never going to a haunted house with you again,” whines Isabelle as they finally make their way through the exit.
Clary squeezes her hand tighter, musical giggles falling from her lips as she pulls them away from the house.
“You had fun, admit it Izzy.” They sit on a bench together, hands still tangled together. “Although the man running at us with the chainsaw might have been a tad excessive..”
“A tad?” Isabelle exclaims with wide eyes. “Clary, that man is lucky my whip is underneath this sweater or he wouldn’t have head anymore.”
Clary giggles again, her head thrown back in laughter, her face flush from the chilly air. She’s beautiful. She lets go of Isabelle’s hand and leans her head on Isabelle’s shoulder, wrapping her arm around Isabelle’s waist and resting her other hand on her thigh. Isabelle’s thigh burns where Clary touches her skin. The smell of Clary’s fruity shampoo and her sweet perfume invades her nose, setting every nerve on fire. She pushes down the impulse to pull Clary into her lap and to pull the red-head in for a gentle kiss or even just tilt the other woman’s chin up. It would be so easy. Instead, she wraps her arm around Clary’s shoulder and rubs Clary’s bicep when she feels her shiver beneath her hand.
“Cold?”
Clary nods “I think the warming rune you put on me earlier is wearing off. Can we go?”
Isabelle squeezes Clary one more time, then moves out from under Clary and stands, taking Clary’s hand in hers once again. They make the trip back to the institute, walking to the subway and taking it with other mundanes most dressed in costumes of their own that Clary explains to Isabelle, whispering in her ear letting her warm breath tickle Isabelle’s neck making her shiver. When the women get off at their stop, they walk hand in hand to the institute in a comfortable silence, watching intoxicated mundanes make their way home with friends, their arms wrapped around each other, laughing, clearly having a good night.
The moment Isabelle steps on the institute ground, the light feeling she’s had all night with Clary is gone and the heaviness of the institute settles back in. Clary must feel it too because she drops Isabelle’s hand, she sighs and grabs the large wooden door, letting Isabelle in first. The institute is quiet, most shadowhunters either asleep or on patrol except for the few working the night shift. The shadowhunters that are awake stare at them as they pass, judgement written all over their faces over celebrating a mundane holiday and the outfits they’re wearing.
Once they’ve rounded the corner from the ops centre, Isabelle takes Clary’s again, smiling at the warmth filling her chest again. From the flush on Clary’s cheek, she thinks Clary feels the warmth too.
“Well, this is me,” Clarys says, standing in front of her room door. She clears her throat. “I had a good time. Thank you Iz for indulging me tonight.”
Isabelle smiles softly and squeezes her hand. “It wasn’t indulging you, I had fun.” She leans forward and tucks a stray hair behind her ear. “I always have fun with you.”
Isabelle suddenly realises how close they are. She hears Clary’s breath hit and suddenly the air is thick. She trails her hand from behind Clary’s ear and strokes Clary’s cheek with her thumb, cupping her jaw.
“Iz”
Then they’re kissing. Clary reaches up and pulls Isabelle’s wig off her head, throwing it to the side before pulling Isabelle against herself. Clary’s lips are soft and her lips taste like the lipstick she’s wearing and the candy they’d shared earlier that night. Her other hand trails up Clary’s side. She feels Clary shiver underneath her and she pulls away with a giggle.
“Sorry ticklish. Would you..would you want to do this again sometime? Clary asks, her voice suddenly quiet.
“There’s two Halloweens?”
Clary huffs a laugh “No, I meant..would you want to go out again with me?”
Isabelle nods “I’d love that.”
Clary smiles widely. “Okay, I’ll see you tomorrow I guess” She closes the distance between them again and kisses Isabelle gently. “Goodnight Isabelle.”
With that, Clary opens her bedroom door, steps inside and closes it behind her, leaving Isabelle standing alone in the hallway. Isabelle touches her lips, still tingling from their kisses, and smiles the rest of the walk to her bedroom. That night dreams of nothing but Clary and the future she hopes they’ll have.