Closed One Step Closer

[Jasper Night]

Jasper had been terrified to ask Nell to the ball, but he'd done it and now he was glad. Though he was also still mildly terrified. Things between them had been strange lately, and he wondered if Nell had picked up on it as well. Jasper had to admit to himself he liked Nell as more than a friend, his feelings for her had grown stronger before he even realized it. A part of him even wondered if she had been the reason he'd been reluctant to make things official with Lily, though he didn't want to think about that right now. He could only hope Lily wouldn't see them together, it might hurt her.

Even though it was customary at these events, Jasper had never been quite comfortable wearing suits. They always looked slightly off on him too, but he could hope Nell wouldn't mind. He was trying to fix his bowtie, which seemed to be determined to be slightly crooked no matter what Jasper did. He fumbled with it as he waited, hoping to have it fixed before Nell appeared. It wasn't exactly a smooth entrance.

 

[Nell Night]

It had been a long time since Nell had actually found herself nervous about a date. Over the last year flirting had become nearly second-nature to her, dates were just.... hanging out, but with more kissing. None of it had felt like a big deal. It wouldn't be accurate to say she didn't know why this date with Jasper felt different, but it did. She hadn't been able to stop fidgeting with her makeup and dress the whole time she was getting ready, and now that she had left her dorm for good, part of her wanted to go back, to run and hide.

But no, she was here. There was no point pretending she didn't have feelings for Jasper, and it was clear those feelings weren't going to go away. It was hard not to dwell on everything with Selene, the betrayal and pain she had felt, but she couldn't hide from relationships forever because of one bad breakup. She knew that. But knowing something and feeling it were two very different things, and she had to fight the urge to run as she made her way down to meet Jasper. And then, there he was, messing with his bow tie, and something lifted from Nell's shoulders. Everything was just.... easy with Jasper. Right. She grinned as she approached, reaching over and batting his hands away. "Let me fix it." Nell smiled, straightening the tie carefully. "Look at you, all fancy. Since when do you own a suit?"

 

[Jasper Night]

Jasper's heart started beating faster at the sight of Nell and a goofy grin appeared on his face as she moved over and started to fix his bowtie. She was so cute. "Of course I look all fancy." He said, mock-offended. "It's a ball." He grinned slightly. "I have been wearing suits to the yule ball for years, you just haven't been paying attention." He told her, frowning down at her and shaking his head as if disappointed. "But the bow tie is new." He admitted though he guessed that had been pretty obvious already.

 

[Nell Night]

Jasper's goofy smile was hopelessly endearing, and Nell couldn't suppress a goofy grin of her own in return. She giggled softly at his protests, straightening the tie and smoothing it down carefully. "Well, you look very dashing." She said, aiming for her usual confidence but missing the mark by a fairly long shot. Nell cleared her throat, pretending everything was Fine, and firmly linked her arm in with Jasper's, trying not to think too much. "Let's go then, before everyone else uses up all the dancing." She joked, heading into the Great Hall with Jasper.

 

[Jasper Night]

The grin Nell gave him was absolutely adorable, and he was a little sad when Nell finished fixing his tie. He almost wished he could mess it up again so she would do it again. But as she linked arms with him, he forgot that thought quickly. "Right." He said with a laugh. "So I guess you want to start with dancing?" He asked, feeling a little nervous at that idea., but a little excited too.

 

[Nell Night]

The mention of dancing made Nell's heart do a quick skip - the last time she had danced with Jasper they had kissed, and she hadn't been able to get him out of her head since. She couldn't help the grin that spread across her face as she nodded, leading Jasper towards the dancefloor. "Dancing sounds perfect." Nell smiled, leading Jasper into the throng and beginning to sway to the music. It was easy to forget all her worries when she was here with Jasper, and Nell knew this was the day to stop hiding from the fear of history repeating.

 

[Jasper Night]

Jasper followed Nell into the Great Hall, heading to the dance floor with her. It was easy enough to start moving to the music, though he kept a slight, awkward distance between them. He wasn't sure if Nell wanted to dance all close, like they had last time. They had kissed that time, what if she didn't want that to happen again? Jasper's wasn't sure what to do with his hands if he wasn't putting them on Nell's waist, so he tried to improvise and come up with a few new dance moves.

 

[Nell Night]

Nell had been excited to dance with Jasper, but once they got out onto the floor that excitement dried up fairly quickly. She had thought they would dance close like their last date, easy kissing distance, but Jasper... whatever he was doing, it made him look vaguely like a chicken trying to warn people about a nearby fire. It was funny, definitely, and a giggle escaped her freely, but it wasn't what Nell had expected. She refused to dwell on what this might mean though, determinedly not thinking about the possibility that Jasper had changed his mind, or only ever intended this date as platonic. Her favourite thing about Jasper had always been goofing around with him, so it felt natural to just join in his goofy moves, laughing as she danced around with him like a giraffe trying to limbo.

 

[Jasper Night]

Jasper knew he was doing horribly at dancing and glanced at Nell in a panic but then saw that she was laughing. Nell joined him in his weird dance, adding even more ridiculous moves. Jasper watched her for a moment and then burst out laughing, his dancing coming to a stop as he giggled helplessly. "You look ridiculous!"