SOME KIND OF HEAVEN ↝ Mazikeen

↳ THIRTY-TWO

        With a nod, however, she confirmed that she was still following. "Yeah. That was why you told Dan that self-worth comes from within, right? It's a good lesson. And, yes, you are awesome", Isadora flashed a tender smile, her whole face lighting up with kindness and soft dimples appearing on her cheeks — a sight that encouraged Maze to go on.

       "Yeah, so, there's something I've wanted to tell you for a while. Or, well, I have told you, but I know that humans tend to not take it seriously, so, now that I've reached this... whole new level of confidence, I want to show you. Because you mean a lot to me. And I want to know all of you, so in return, I think you should know all of me too", the demon offered a cryptic explanation, and although she was puzzled, Izzy continued to nod. The nervous fiddle of her fingers gave away the building concern though, making it obvious that she wasn't really sure how to feel. While she loved hearing that Maze cared about her, she didn't know what to expect anymore, leaving her in a state of confusion and uncertainty.

       "Okay. Yeah, anything", Izzy approved quietly, hoping that Mazikeen wouldn't back down now, and concluding from the straightening posture and breathless laugh, she was doing the very opposite and preparing for something.

        After tossing the red cap on top of her loose curls away, Maze rubbed her clammy palms against her thighs, not used to this oddly human feeling whirring in her stomach. However, she knew what she wanted, so with a careful smile, she looked over to Izzy and made one last request. "Can you close your eyes?", Mazikeen blurted out, her voice regaining its strength as she stood strong and brave, and reminded herself that this was about her — alright, it was about Izzy too, but she needed to own it, channel her self-worth, believe in herself.

        Izzy was unsure what she was signing up for, but that didn't stop her from slowly closing her eyes and leaning on the counter more, ears open and awake as she waited for a permission to open up again. The small whoosh that echoed in the club made her grip the edge of the bar, but she tried to remain calm and keep in mind that this was only Maze, and she trusted her and she loved her. All of her.

        Then again, she was yet to see the truly bad.

       "You can look now", Maze's voice startled her after what felt like eons, but in reality was barely seconds, yet Izzy wasn't quite sure if she had the courage to do as told. She didn't realize how her hands were shaking, but she did feel the anxious race of her heart all the way to her throat, and even without knowing what to expect, the very same feeling she had described for Mazikeen only moments ago was swallowing her entire soul and being. But, aware that she couldn't just stand there with closed eyes for the rest of the night, Izzy exhaled shakily and opened her eyes, repeating the words you can do this to herself silently.

       At first, she could only see Maze, and a relieved smile was quick to creep to her lips. But when the blur in her eyes faded away and the bright illumination of the lights around them softened, her stare fixated on the left side of her face — mutilated, burned and tortured. The other side was still just as beautiful and flawless as Izzy was used to, all smooth skin and complete with the red lipstick, but the left part of her lips became chapped and revealed her teeth in a sad grimace. Her cheek was hollowed out, and the color nearly matched her dark hair, whereas the eye sunken in the charred flesh swam with the hues of a thousand galaxies, yet it was just as haunting and lifeless as the rest of her disfigured form.

       A shaky gasp filled whatever room Izzy had left for words, and stumbling, she took a step back, legs weak and heart thudding so hard in her chest she feared it was going to jump out at any given moment. She had been intimidated by Maze before, but for the first time ever, she was truly scared, her stomach churning and her skin ablaze as she backed into one of the tables. The sharp pain in her back was nothing compared to the crack in her heart, though she couldn't quite read the latter — she wasn't sure if she felt betrayed or terrified or sorrowful. What she did know, was that she couldn't breathe and the burn in her eyes failed to turn into actual tears, which left her simply gasping and staring at Maze, speechless and paralyzed.

        But when Mazikeen actually took a step towards her from behind the bar, Izzy jumped and the chair she subconsciously relied on toppled over, leaving the redhead stumbling back on the stairs leading to the dance floor. "Maze", she finally breathed out, confusion lining her voice until it turned into heartbreak, "Maze? Is—is that your face? Is this a prank? Are you—who did this to you? Why—how?", though she wasn't certain if the grief was for the clearly tortured woman, or for herself. She had been so blind, so naive, and she had let this person, or whatever she was, in her life. In her home. Around Diane.

        Maze turned around, and when she finally met Izzy's horrified stare again, her face was back to normal, like nothing had ever happened, but the seemingly perfect facade no longer fooled Isadora. All she could see was the burned parts of her, the ruined and the dirty and she could not handle it. Which Mazikeen noticed. "Hey, Izzy, breathe. You're—you're actually taking it really well, but just... don't panic, okay?", the demon tried, but her words were merely a blur in Izzy's ears when it all came together.

        Like a wave, the realization knocked her over, a tear finally rolling out of her eye as she leaned on the railing and trembled. "It's—you're—it's real, isn't it? You're a demon and— oh my God, Lucifer is... How is this possible? How can you—you can't, and he can't, he can't", the words tumbled out of her mouth as she shook her head and buried her face in her shaking hands. "Amenadiel, Charlotte... The blade Lucifer was talking about. Lucifer, the actual Devil", Izzy rambled, not making much sense but she was trying to cope, trying to fit it all in her throbbing head.

        "Hey", Maze stepped closer again, but as soon as her fingertips grazed Izzy's wrist, the woman was flinching and stepping back, hands lifted in the air. "Calm down, we can talk about this. I'll tell you anything you want to know, okay? I promise, I'm not gonna hurt you, I would never. And Lucifer — he doesn't hurt people, he just punishes the evil. You're not evil, your friends are not evil, you're all safe, okay? Izzy—", the brunette continued with sadness visible on her face, but for once, Isadora was unable to feel sympathy or regret or love. For once, she was scared and unwilling to cooperate and keep the peace.

        Instead, she stormed past Maze, trying to avoid contact at all costs. "No, no, I can't do this, I can't. I—I have to go", the deputy stuttered, not even turning to look at Mazikeen as she leaped up the stairs, her only desire to go home and make sure Diane was okay, and that whatever had been between her and Maze, her and Lucifer, would cease to exist.

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okay, i'm curious so i have to ask: how did you think izzy would react? because when you're writing a lucifer fic, usually at some point the oc finds out so there are so many opportunities, and i'd love to hear what you guys thought would happen (: honestly, i planned this from the very beginning, i have so many lucifer fics but none of them had this kind of reaction so this was fun to try!

also, i just knew i had to use this gif because she is actually saying "mercedes, god, your face" but it could totally pass as "is that your face" sjsjsjdks

as always, feedback would be much appreciated, thank you for reading! ❤️