SOME KIND OF HEAVEN ↝ Mazikeen

↳ THIRTY-EIGHT

But for now, she was allowed this one moment of peace, the missed feeling of contentment, the trust that the worst was behind them.

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     A SMILE WAS persistently stretching Izzy's lips as she stood outside Chloe's room and followed through the large window how the woman reunited with her daughter and Benjamin — a truly heartwarming sight now that Isadora knew that the antidote had worked, and Detective Decker was already on the path towards recovery. It wasn't going to be a light road to go down, but at least she had survived, and that very fact was enough to keep Izzy happy as she kept watch in the hallway. She, too, had stopped by to give the woman a hug and praise her for being so incredibly strong, but when it came to family, Izzy didn't hesitate to step aside.

And, she wasn't alone, either.

Her attention from Chloe only trailed elsewhere when a firm hand landed on her shoulder and still radiating, Izzy faced Dan who mirrored the smile despite keeping his eyes on his ex-wife, as well. They didn't speak, not for a while, they merely stood by each other's side with devout support through thick and thin, but when minutes had passed, he couldn't resist shaking his head in disbelief. "I have no idea what Lucifer did to pull this off, but I gotta say, that guy... he can be a pain in the ass but he always comes through", he laughed quietly, and quirking an eyebrow, Izzy wanted to tease him of the fondness he never admitted to having for Lucifer, but they both knew their relationship wasn't just annoyance and frustration.

With a mischievous smile dancing on her lips, Izzy shrugged. "He went through Hell to make it happen. I don't think he'd like to hear this, but he... he is a hero", she nodded at Dan, who finally turned to her with a surprised look, yet he didn't try to argue. She knew that the man had had his issues with seeing himself as the good person he really was, but Izzy, for one, knew the truth by now — he may have been a punisher of the bad, the former ruler of a sinister kingdom, but there was not an evil bone in his body. Flaws, sure, a bad side to balance out the good, but in the end, rooting for him was always the smart option.

But there was no denying the surprise that flooded Izzy's system when she heard the man speak up from behind her. "Oh, by all means", Lucifer's grin was the first thing she noticed when she twirled around, "I'm all ears." As if he hadn't just gone through death, he was beaming with a genuine smile, a new, shiny suit hugging his tall body and his hair swooped back up — and if Izzy had just paid attention, she could have noticed that he had fixed his eyeliner too, but instead of staring up at his eyes, the woman headed straight for his chest with arms wide open. Whether or not Lucifer wanted it, Isadora didn't hesitate to pull him into a hug, strong arms enveloping him into an almost painful embrace while her chest reverberated with a relieved laugh.

"You huge idiot", Izzy pressed her cheek against his shoulder and closed her eyes, holding him close as she exhaled heavily. "I really thought you were a goner, and I just couldn't stop thinking about all the things I forgot to say. I'm sorry. You are amazing. Thank you. No matter what you think, you are caring and good and we are all so very lucky to know you", the words escaped her mouth as she squeezed Lucifer, who, at first, writhed against the hug but eventually gave in. Softly, his hands landed on Izzy's back and he carefully leaned his head against hers, and they could both just feel Dan's stare, but this was beyond that — they could have very easily been having this moment with Lucifer in the morgue.

Smiling, Lucifer gently pushed Izzy away when he deemed the moment was getting out of hand. "Thank you", he nodded curtly, still remaining close to her as his deep eyes met hers, "I believe the same goes for you and your incomparable loyalty", and already blushing, Izzy glanced down at her feet.

However, when she looked back up with the intention to thank him, her eyes found Mazikeen standing on the other side of the hallway, nervously fidgeting around — the reason was unclear until her intent gaze met Izzy's, and the latter's heart took a leap at the realization that she was waiting for her. She didn't blame her, there was much to talk about, and they had just searched for comfort in one another's arms. It had only been a matter of time before that would be brought up, and knowing full well that she couldn't run from it, or her, forever, Izzy inhaled deeply and directed both Dan and Lucifer a soft smile.

"I'll see you guys later. And, uh, Chloe too", she nodded at Daniel, before giving Lucifer's arm a gentle graze. With that, she was exiting the situation, heart beating obnoxiously loudly as she approached Maze, who couldn't help but smile even if the look on her face was something of uncertain. Izzy wasn't used to seeing her so vulnerable, but when you mixed the events of the day with the fact that her attempts to open up had led into Isadora rejecting her brutally, it wasn't that strange — it was, however, heartbreaking, and if a soul-torturing demon from Hell could be this upset, then Izzy knew that she owed her at least a chance.

"Hi", she breathed out when she finally stood in front of Maze, both of them keeping their distance but it was impossible to not acknowledge the desire to get a little closer. Mazikeen smiled at her softly as a greeting, and certain that she didn't want to drive her away anymore, Izzy took the lead, even if she lacked the courage. But she had the yearning. "Do you wanna get a drink with me?", Isadora blurted out bravely, the quiet hospital seeming even more so as her words hung between them, her hazel eyes cautiously flickering up to Maze who seemed rather taken aback by the question.

But she wasn't against it, at all. "Yeah", Mazikeen stammered out quickly, as if she was afraid Izzy would change her mind if she didn't, and when the redhead took a step towards the exit, she was following right behind. Admittedly, Isadora was still a little on the fence about everything, but she wanted to understand, and after everything they had been through, Maze deserved an opportunity to help her do that.

So, as they walked outside, Izzy faced her fears, and took the brunette's hand, the sudden contact making them both flinch but slowly melt into the touch. And even if they remained silent, the two of them knew exactly how much they had missed it.

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benji hugging maze + izzy hugging lucifer??? parallels??? i think yes

in all honesty i miss benjamin and writing benjamin so much that this chapter couldn't have come at a better time, i'm super desperate for any opportunities to further connect these two fics even in the smallest ways (':

anyway, i know these two chapters have been really lucifer-centric, even though you'd easily assume it would be chloe-centric due to her actually being poisoned — and now that i'm writing this i realize that it would have been a good road to go down too. yet, here we are, but in my defense, i really love izzy and lucifer's friendship. i hope that you guys liked it, even if there wasn't that many chloe / izzy scenes xx