Which one do I buy? Jace wondered, staring at the rack of clothes in complete bewilderment. There were tons of colors and styles and lengths… How do girls do this?
"Shadowhunter?" Magnus asked, seeing Jace. The golden boy grimaced as Magnus laughed loudly. "Well, well. What's going on here?"
"I'm buying a dress," Jace said, instantly regretting the choice of words.
"So I see. I didn't have you figured for a cross-dresser, but to each his own." The warlock was clearly enjoying this. Jace balled his hands into fists, wishing that he'd brought along a seraph blade.
"It's not for me." He spoke through gritted teeth. "It's for Cassidee."
"That makes sense. All is right with the world once more." Magnus appraised the dresses with interest, thumbing through them slowly. "What's her favorite color?"
"Pink," Jace replied, proud that he knew the answer. Quickly, Magnus selected a handful of dresses.
"Now, which is your favorite?"
"Why does that matter? It's not for me." Magnus rolled his eyes with a dramatic sigh.
"Allow me to rephrase. Which dress would you like to see Cassidee wearing?" Jace eyed them, his eyebrows slightly furrowed in concentration. Finally, he selected a dress. "Good choice. You have surprisingly good taste, for a boy who wears black and leather all the time. So what's this for?"
"Remember the dance party we had last summer?" Jace asked. Magnus nodded. "Dress up and be at Cassidee's house at nine." With that, Jace took the dress to the checkout line, leaving Magnus to stare at his back in confusion.
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Knock, knock, knock.
"Who goes there?" Cassidee shouted with a smile, setting aside her book.
"Baron Hotschaft von Hugenstein," Jace's voice said in reply, making Cassidee laugh. She leapt off the couch and ran towards the door, throwing it open. Instantly, Jace bent into a perfect bow. Cassidee gaped. He was wearing a white button-down with black slacks and a black bowtie. When he straightened up, his mouth was twisted into his endearingly crooked smile.
"What on earth…" Cassidee asked in a whisper. Jace handed her a few bags.
"Go get dressed and come into the backyard," He said, kissing her cheek. "I'll be waiting."
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"What's taking them so long?" Alec grumbled, looking uncomfortable as Magnus toyed with his hair, trying to style it. Magnus shrugged, and Jace just glanced up at Cassidee's window. Already, there were icicle lights strung in the trees, a few candles scattered around, and silver glitter strewn in the grass. The screen and console had been set up, ready to be played.
"Okay, here we are!" Isabelle announced, throwing open the sliding glass door. All the boys—including Simon, Isabelle's date—turned to look at the two girls.
Isabelle was stunning. Her dress was solid black, short in the front and long in the back, fierce and feminine at the same time. She'd let her hair flow freely in gentle curls. Her heels were sky-high, as usual, and the swirling pattern of Marks on her skin was dizzyingly beautiful. With her lips stained deep red, she looked like a warrior goddess.
Cassidee was the exact opposite. Her hair was pinned in a loose bun, a few stray strands flying about her face. Her dress was short, with a pale pink skirt and a sequined top. A fabric flower bloomed over her ribcage. She wore silvery heels, not as high as Isabelle's, but high enough to give her an extra two inches in height. As opposed to Isabelle, Cassidee resembled a fairy princess, lovely and sweet.
"Shall we dance?" Jace asked, coming over to her and taking her hand in his. Cassidee nodded enthusiastically, and their night began.
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Their first song was slow and easy, entitled 'Something Stupid'. Jace and Cassidee moved together perfectly, along with Alec and Magnus, Simon and Isabelle. It was a simple task to dance that song in high heels; the ease didn't last long.
"Which one's next?" Jace asked, flicking through the song selection.
"'Pump It'!" Isabelle shrieked, clicking the song. As the first few moves came and went, Jace shot Cassidee an apologetic grimace; it was hard to do in normal shoes, let alone heels. But Cassidee simply gave him a thumbs-up and continued to dance like a professional.
"All right, I'm done," Alec panted after the end of the song, slouching onto the ground tiredly.
"Me too, for a while," Magnus agreed. Simon nodded as well. Jace opened his mouth to protest, but Cassidee stopped him.
"Don't worry about them. Let's dance." She gave him a thousand-watt smile, selecting 'Promiscuous' and kicking off her shoes. Jace grinned.
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"It's freaky," Simon noted, watching Jace and Cassidee dance together. Isabelle punched him lightly in the arm.
"Why's it freaky? They're just dancing," Magnus said.
"I mean, they move like they've been practicing for months," Simon elaborated. It was true: Jace and Cassidee danced better than the in-game characters. They were almost always on the beat, doing the moves with near-perfection. And they didn't just dance with preciseness, they danced with feeling. Cassidee had a huge smile on her face, her cheeks pink with exertion. Jace seemed to be enjoying himself as well, although he would swear every now and again when he did a dance move incorrectly. "And since when did Jace smile that much? He actually looks like a decent human being."
"He's got a point," Alec spoke up, surprising everyone. "I've known Jace my whole life, and he was never like this. Sure, he flirted with the girls, but he never set up a pseudo-prom for them."
"That's true," Isabelle agreed. "He really loves her. Anyone could see it." And see it they did. It was in every one of Jace's smirks, all of Cassidee's giggles, and it shone brightly through their dancing.
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"Why did you do this?" Cassidee asked in the early hours of the morning, staring up at the still-starry sky. They had long since finished dancing. The other teens had already left. Jace and Cassidee were lying in the glittering grass, simply reveling in each other's company.
"Because you missed your prom," Jace said as if it were obvious. They turned to face each other. Jace's golden eyes blazed in the dark. "I know you were looking forward to it, even if you say it was no big deal. And I'm sorry you couldn't go. It was my fault."
"No, no," Cassidee insisted. "There was a demon problem. You couldn't help that." She gave him a small smile. "Besides, if I had to choose between prom and tonight, I'd take tonight any day. It was so much fun. And you were so handsome." She reached out and ran a hand through his curls.
"Nothing could compare to you," Jace declared in a murmur, sliding closer until he could wrap her in his arms. He planted a kiss on her lips, tasting her vanilla lip gloss. "Nothing ever will."
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Whoa. So OOC, so fluffy, so cliché that it's utterly ridiculous, but tons of fun to write!
On a different note, I've posted links to Cassidee's and Isabelle's dresses on my profile page. Check them out if you're interested!
Also, if you haven't played Just Dance in formal clothes, I highly advise it. It's tons of fun :D