IZZY WOULD HAVE liked to claim that when she and Lucifer arrived at Chloe's place, she kept her composure and remained calm, but truth be told, as soon as the door was opened by Maze — dressed in a tight, short maid dress, no less — her heart dropped through the floor and she desperately tried to wipe her clammy hands against her thighs. Whereas Lucifer casually greeted her with, "Oh, it's you", and then strode past her, Izzy was left frozen at the doorway, her lips parted as if she intended to say something but her mind ran blank as she stared at Maze, both amazed and intimidated. It was a lot like when they had first met, except that by now, that little spark of attraction had developed into an uncharted mess of desire and affection, the wish to get to know her thoroughly and be more than just the fumbling, awkward dork who could barely get a word out.
"Hey", Maze acknowledged her curtly, but in the demon's books, just looking at her was more than she allowed most, so to actually nod at Izzy and step aside to let her in...
"Hi", Isadora breathed out, "I, uh, I came to work on the case", the words tumbled out of her mouth as some kind of excuse for her presence — evidently, she was worried that Maze wanted nothing to do with her, and before she could see the dark-haired woman's reaction or rejection, she had dived indoors and hurried over to Chloe and Lucifer.
But, it turned out that the deputy wasn't who Mazikeen had a bone to pick with today. As soon as Maze had joined them by the kitchen counter, she was already fuming, "Thanks to you, I lost my friend", through gritted teeth, glaring at Lucifer who was instantly puzzled by the choice of words — Maze had friends? Looking up from the file she had grabbed to make herself appear busy, Izzy wasn't quite sure if she wanted to feel upset that Maze hadn't turned to her at a time like this, or worry over Linda, who had to be the friend in question. And, as soon as Lucifer had questioned who the demon was talking about, she had bitterly added, "the Doctor", no doubt referring to Dr. Martin.
By now, Izzy was more or less invested in their conversation and she put down the file in her hands to turn to Lucifer, unsure what he had done but Maze was rather boldly pointing the finger at him — forcing Izzy to wonder if he was truly the reason Linda had been so... terrified. "I stopped by her office today. She wouldn't even open the door", Isadora frowned, not even realizing she had spoken until they had directed their attention to her — excluding Chloe, who continued to relentlessly search for leads.
"And there we have it, ladies, my wake of destruction!", Lucifer loudly announced, walking around the house while presenting himself with open arms, "anyone else you need harmed? Hm?"
Isadora wanted to fight back, insist that he had been through plenty and deserved a break, but when Chloe told him to quit it and help with the case, she turned to Mazikeen, instead. "You know, you could have talked to me about Linda. Or, anything, really", she made her point simple and short, not trying to overwhelm her too much, but the weak purse of lips that Maze offered as a substitute of a smile indicated that even still, she had no intentions to pour out her heart. Maybe Izzy didn't even need that, she just needed her to cooperate and share what was on her mind — even if it would hurt Izzy, she just wanted to understand, instead of being left alone with her unreliable calculations and anxious thoughts.
Disappointed yet again, Izzy looked back to Chloe then, though she remained painfully aware of how close Maze was to her, her strong arm almost grazing Isadora's own and the thrilling scent instilled in her dark waves lingering in the air. She tried her best to ignore it, focusing solely on the detective, and then Lucifer, who interjected with his own opinion of the case — Joe Fields was still an odd addition to the equation because apparently, he had smiled at Chloe, which would have made no sense if he was truly innocent. "You sure it wasn't like a sad smile? Like a silent apology, or something?", Izzy tried to offer different perspectives, but Chloe was already digging through the papers, shaking her head.
"He wouldn't smile at me. The—the prints that Ella found on the van, they gave us Rodney Lam, but there were other prints. They just cleared as prison personnel, like Deputy Warden Perry Smith", Chloe explained, and at this, Izzy finally snapped out of her own thoughts and perked up at the potential suspect — indeed, why would the warden be a part of the transport? Unless, of course, he was there to murder the guy he had given a false sense of freedom. And that also meant that Perry Smith was the same guy who had orchestrated the murder of John Decker, and that made Izzy gulp in discomfort, yet also some kind of hope of finally catching the real bad guy.
"He's our guy", Chloe grabbed her keys, "let's go."
As Lucifer began to argue that perhaps Dan would be more helpful, and Chloe insisted that she needed her partner on this, Izzy stood up from the chair but twirled around to look over to Maze one last time. The demon met her gaze, but that was enough to render Isadora speechless, and instead of offering some consoling words or even waving goodbye, she just shut her open mouth and clenched her jaw before turning on her heel. Maze had had her opportunity to answer, and she hadn't, and right now, Izzy's priority was doing her job and catching the criminal. The deep sea of emotions could drown her later.
—————
MUCH TO THEIR dismay, Dan had faced Chloe, Lucifer, and Isadora at the yard of the prison with bad news — the warden had gotten away just before the LAPD's arrival, meaning that the detective's father's killer was still walking free. But, they were closing in on him, and that was what Izzy tried to convince Chloe of as they were walking back to the house, with Lucifer trailing behind them.
"I feel like a failure", the blonde confessed with a heavy sigh, and Lucifer was already disagreeing, just as Izzy was, both of them shaking their heads in utter disbelief.
"We'll catch the guy, okay? You will. You're so close, and whatever you need, you know the whole department's got your back, especially us", Izzy had thrown her arm over Chloe's shoulders, using it to draw calming circles on the woman's bicep while squeezing her close to herself. As they toppled closer to the front door of her apartment, shared with Maze and Trixie, the latter of which was staying the night with Dan, Lucifer chuckled from behind them.
"Yes, precisely as Izzy said. And now that your offspring's with Dan, I suggest you crack open a bottle of wine, or three", he added his own piece of advice to the mix, and with a careful smile, Chloe started to dig out her keys while Izzy dropped her hold on the detective and stepped over to Lucifer, the two of them exuding support for their friend.
"Thanks, Lucifer. You too, Izzy. You know, you didn't need to come back all this way. Your mom had a pretty long day too, I wouldn't blame you if you ran back to her arms right about now", Chloe pointed out, sneakily trying to insist that she didn't need the company or the hovering, but it barely worked on either of them. However, Isadora had other intentions too.
Blushing slightly, the deputy shrugged, hoping that the moonlight wouldn't give away the redness of her cheeks, or the small twitch of a smile threatening to bloom on her soft lips. "I know, and I will, but I wanted to make sure you got home safe. And, I was kinda hoping to see Maze. Uh, a friend told me that I shouldn't be discouraged even if she seems kinda off, so... I'm gonna talk to her", Izzy let out a breath she didn't even realize she had been holding in, and when her eyes gave a glance to Lucifer, she found the man smiling down at her carefully.
With a nod, Chloe began to unlock the door. "Okay, that sounds—", she started, but her words were cut off by the pained groans that were definitely coming from inside, alarming both of the cops to drawing out their guns. Izzy's smile was wiped away and her relaxed stance turned into a statue-like posture, her attention wholly on the door that she surrounded with Chloe, while Lucifer was silently tasked to push it open.
At the detective's mark, Lucifer opened the door and granted access to Chloe and Izzy, both of the women storming into the room with weapons up, but as soon as they had entered the house, Lucifer was breaking into laughter. "Bravo, Maze!", he cheered on the demonic woman, dressed in her more typical clothes once again as she sat with her legs thrown over Perry Smith's lap, the warden bound to a chair with tape over his mouth. Lowering her weapon hesitantly, Izzy looked over to Chloe as if to ask her what they should do, but the woman was caught up in the moment, struggling to even ask Mazikeen how she had succeeded while holstering her gun.
"I was bored. Had nothing to do", Maze shrugged, jumping up from her own chair while circling the man like a predator, "so I tracked down the scumbag myself. It just... felt right", putting a definitive end to her job hunting. With... bounty hunting.
Izzy couldn't help but smile a little, both proud and impressed of Maze, who happily presented her target to Chloe. The detective was quick to take out her phone, but before she could call it in, Lucifer was stepping in. "No, hold on, Detective. You have a choice to make here", he noted, and as Mazikeen emphasized the possibility of punishment, Chloe hesitated with making the call — meanwhile, Isadora was standing aside, speechless and unsure what to do. She wouldn't misuse the power she had as a cop, and she trusted Chloe wouldn't either, but when the blonde suddenly took out her gun and pointed it at Perry after tearing the tape on his mouth, she was reminded of the gravity of the situation. In this very moment, Chloe was more than just a homicide detective, she was a woman whose father had been murdered by the very same man tied in front of her, and yet she was holding it together exceptionally well.
Well, except for the gun she was pointing at Smith.
"Chloe—", Izzy tried, but ended up swallowing her words, not sure what she could even say to get through to her — this wasn't her place to tell her what to do. She knew what was right and what was wrong, all Izzy could do was have faith that she'd make the right decision. This wasn't her father's murderer. She couldn't pretend to know what Chloe was feeling like.
With a shuddering breath, Chloe put down the gun, tears sliding down her cheeks, and as she hid the weapon, Izzy felt a dam of relief break within her chest, earning a heavy exhale from her. She knew Chloe wasn't stupid, no, she was strong, and that was yet again proved as she stared Perry Smith in the eyes, ignoring the man's pleas, promises that he could get her anything she wanted.
"All I want is for you to know that John Decker's kid got you."
After Perry Smith had been taken away, and the night was ending with Lucifer returning to his club and Chloe sneaking away to take a hot, long shower with a glass of red wine, Izzy was left standing alone in the foyer of the Decker residence. Well, almost alone.
"So, bounty hunting, huh?", the redhead tried to create a conversation with Maze, who had been promised a check from the LAPD as payment for her hard work, and more or less officially, she too had a part to play in the precinct, now. In a way, Izzy found it wonderful — even with the lack of time spent with Mazikeen as of late, she had picked up on the fact that she didn't really feel like she belonged anywhere. She didn't want to be just Lucifer's friend, and now, she was creating her own life, own career, with her own people and that warmed Isadora's heart.
But, Maze was still unresponsive, simply sending a, "Huh, yeah", at Izzy's way, while twirling her own glass of wine and sitting by the kitchen counter. And Izzy, well, she had been fair and patient, she had given her space and time, but right now, she just wanted answers. She wanted to know where she had gone wrong, and why wasn't she allowed to make it right. She had been recommended to take care of herself too, and that was what she told herself — she wasn't being selfish, she just didn't need to be so blindly selfless either.
"That's it?", Izzy sighed, twisting her fingers as she approached Maze, eyes cast downwards, waiting for the surge of confidence to take place in her racing heart. "I'm trying, Maze. We were friends, you can't say that there was something—and, maybe it was something more, too. But now you just... completely shut me out. I know I said I wanted to take things slow, but I mean, I didn't ask for... this. This coldness. This anger that you seem to have developed for me and I just—I just want to know what happened? Why won't you even look at me anymore?", she ranted, for the first time in a long, long time letting her feelings go without further thought or worry. She always spent every day so organized, sticking to a certain routine, keeping her emotions in check, but here she was now, forgetting all about her anxiety and fears and just walking towards Maze with honest, pleading eyes but a stern posture. She wasn't messing around, and maybe she wasn't angry either, but she was upset and she deserved to be something else for a change.
With a scoff, Maze was grabbing her glass and standing up from her chair. "That was then. This is different", she announced bluntly, before making an attempt to flee the room and the situation, but Izzy was having none of it, and the rush of bravery that coursed through her veins made her grab Mazikeen's wrist. And rest assured, the list of people who dared to do that, who even lived after doing that, was not very long, explaining the fiery glare that took place behind the demon's impossibly deep eyes. But at this point, Izzy forgot to be intimidated.
"That's what you said about our friendship too. And it's killing me, so just... stop running, and be honest with me for a second. If you don't want to see me again—well, I'm not totally fine with that, but I have boundaries and I have respect so I'll let go, but just give me something, Maze", she begged, holding onto her wrist until she was convinced that she wouldn't run away. "I know, trust me, I know that talking about feelings isn't always nice or it isn't your thing or whatever but I deserve to know", Izzy ran her hands along her face, her fingers getting stuck in her red knots, until she dropped them by her side and just stared at Mazikeen in despair, the frustration on her face slowly turning into anguish.
Slowly, with a clenched jaw, Maze set down the wine glass, her arms crossing and shoulders lifting. "It's—complicated. I tried talking to Linda about it, but now, apparently I can't talk to her either", she muttered, and scoffing in exasperation, Izzy was taking a step back.
"Either? What's stopping you from talking to me? Really, you could have just called and I would've dropped everything. Get a drink, like we used to", she reminded, and as the memories came kicking in, Maze looked down, deliberately avoiding eye contact with Izzy. "So suddenly you just don't care?", the deputy lashed out once more, giving the final push to the temper Mazikeen had been trying to keep on a leash, but at last, she snapped and the unusual quietness finally faded away.
Throwing her crossed arms wide open, the woman made the room echo with her sarcastic laughter, the mocking chuckles bouncing off of the wall and making Izzy gulp. "Don't you get it? That's the problem! I'm not supposed to!", she seethed, and by now, Chloe had for sure heard their argument, but at least she had the decency to stay upstairs. And good, because as deafening silence landed in the living room, where they had suddenly ended up with their angry pacing, it was like someone had lit a match, bound to blow up the tension in the thick, hot air. The L.A nights had never felt more suffocating and heavy, and Izzy's mind had never been so filled with noise as Maze's words repeated on an endless loop there.
That was the problem. She wasn't supposed to care. So she did care. All this time, she had cared.
And never before had Izzy been so sure of what to do next, never before had time flown past by her so quickly, yet she could have sworn that the whole world slowed down as Maze's words hung in the air. Izzy's eyes flickered over her entire beautifully sculpted face, trailing over to her lips, and back to her eyes only to find Mazikeen's captivating gaze glancing at her lips as well. That was enough to convince Izzy to lunge forward, her hands reaching out and feet stumbling against one another. Maze was forced into motion as well, the feelings she was so bad at handling finally putting her into a sprint, meeting Izzy in the middle — yet it was ultimately the Holt who cupped Mazikeen's cheeks and crashed their lips together in a fiery collision that might as well be described with the classic cliché of fireworks.
With Maze attempting to cradle Isadora's face in her hands as well, they were bumping into each other in a way that was more uncomfortable than awkward, so without a second's hesitance, she dropped her hold and snaked her arms around the woman's waist and pulled her closer. Their noses brushed together but it wasn't even nearly enough to make it embarrassing for them — both had had clumsy kisses before, and this wasn't one of the sorts. This was desperate and electric, one that had been charging with tension ever since they had first met and now that they were finally standing there, skin to skin so tightly that Izzy's back curved just to be closer to her, there were no words to describe the vivid mixture of joy and desire they felt. Izzy could feel Maze's heartbeat thudding against her own chest, and she could hear her soft breaths, feel the warmth against her own skin. The deep kiss was a strangely satisfying contrast to how soft Mazikeen's lips actually were, the taste of wine still lingering on the tip of her tongue, and when Izzy finally pulled away, she was positively breathless.
Silence landed into the room again, but this time, it was more relieved than frustrated, and eventually, it made both of them laugh quietly while still remaining stuck in the heat of their connected bodies. Biting on her lip slightly, Izzy looked from below her long eyelashes, a honey-sweet smile on her lips as she admired Maze in all her beauty, only now noticing the different shades of brown in her ablaze eyes. This was what she had wanted, to be let close, and now, she didn't ever want to let go.
"Okay", Izzy breathed out, glancing down at her feet before turning back to Maze, who stared right back with the same intensity, a grin on her face as well. "So that's what you meant with different."
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this was honestly one of my favorite chapters to write, ohmygod i've been planning this moment since i first started this book and i think it was worth the build-up,, what do you guys think? i'd love to hear your thoughts (:
i'm super motivated to write this book right now, school unfortunately starts next week (ugh) so let's hope that won't kill the vibe, but i still have a lot of chapters pre-written just because i'm so excited omg
thank you for reading 💗💗 i truly appreciate all of your support x