THE SITUATION WAS growing increasingly threatening, with Lucifer still without a heartbeat and Linda attempting to resuscitate him with panic flowing steadily through her own veins. Izzy had messaged Benji, well-aware that if this was to be Lucifer Morningstar's end for good, he would have wanted to be there, even with all the pain — he loved him, and she respected that. Charlotte had shown up too, and while Isadora wasn't all too fond of her, she was somewhat relieved at her arrival — in a moment like this, everything useful had to be taken advantage of, and that was why she hardly protested when Mazikeen grabbed the defibrillator and sent Charlotte after her son before she had even had the time to unbutton her shirt. The fleeting courage had passed, however, and the demon was back in Izzy's arms, neither of them stable enough to worry about the unspoken tension between them.
Izzy had never felt this kind of coldness in the pit of her stomach, such weight that nearly dragged her down too. Being in danger was very different from watching a loved one be in danger, and even though she knew Diane had faced many life-threatening situations, she had never seen those — now, though, she could see the life drain from Lucifer, his eyes unresponsive as they stared into nothingness. Somehow, each second felt far too quick for her liking, yet at the same time, they lingered around, like a slow-motion she couldn't snap out of despite the relentless alarms ringing in her aching head. And still, the silence was deafening, the only sounds being the powering-up machine that Linda clung onto and the heavy breaths that mixed with their heartbroken sniffles. And even with all the people in the room, including Charlotte, whose stiff corpse was splayed across the floor, it felt empty.
The only beacon of safety was Maze by her side, but this time, Izzy was the one doing the protecting and defending, her arm draped across the bounty hunter's shoulders while she held her close.
Just when Isadora thought it couldn't possibly get worse, the door into the room opened once more and even before turning around, she knew Benji had finally made it. But when she did glance in his direction, the dread that filled him was evident on his horrified features, and as he froze by the doorway and watched the man he loved, on his deathbed, whatever was left of Izzy's heart got torn apart. Yet, no one dared to speak up, she only offered an apologetic shake of her head when Benjamin turned to her, as if he was waiting for her to have a solution, like she always did — he could always rely on Izzy, but this time, she was just as hopeless as the rest of them.
Stepping over Charlotte, Benji scrambled over to Lucifer and took his hands in his own, quiet weeps and begs to keep on fighting replacing the silence within the four walls as he held onto him. Without even realizing, Izzy's arm tightened around Maze, who certainly paid attention to the affectionate squeeze — but instead of smirking up at her, or saying something usual for her like she would have in any other situation, Mazikeen simply reached out to touch the hand resting on her shoulder and softly grasped Izzy's fingers.
The moment felt endless, each second an inch more horrifying than the previous, and the waves of emotion were slowly but surely drowning Izzy. Somewhere, deep inside, she was still holding out hope for something better than this, knowing that Lucifer's demise would paralyze her with grief — and guilt, too. They had more or less made up after she had lashed out on him, but things could have ended so much better than the note she left their relationship on, and the idea of never getting to truly apologize or hear another snarky comment from him was too much to handle. She wasn't sure when she had started crying so shamelessly, but the soft hiccup that she failed to hide startled even herself, wobbling lips tasting the bitterness of her tears.
But once more, it was proven to her that it was never too late, never wrong to have hope, even in an utterly impossible moment. After all, their whole situation should have been impossible, yet she couldn't hold back a shaky exhale in complete relief when Linda's one last attempt finally worked and the shock of the defibrillator brought Lucifer back with a gasp. Subconsciously, the redhead squeezed Mazikeen, who was just as amazed to see Lucifer's eyes fly wide open while his body softly landed from the arch he instinctively lifted into and hauled air into his lungs.
A relieved cry broke free from Izzy's lips, and when she couldn't hug Lucifer, who was unsteadily hopping to both feet and stumbling towards the exit with Benjamin at his heel, her arms wrapped around Maze. Surprisingly, the latter was beyond willing to melt into the embrace, both of them laughing in disbelief and holding one another tighter than ever, pure, raw emotion driving them to each other. Concluding from the way Lucifer was quickly heading out, he had located the professor in the deep depths of Hell, and while that reminded Izzy of Chloe's poor state, she now had unwavering faith that everything was going to be okay. Lucifer had defied death, and if that didn't prove just how determined and strong he was, what would?
Isadora only understood to let go of Maze, when the brunette helped Linda revive Charlotte too, and with her, there was hardly any trouble — the Goddess jumped back to life in a matter of seconds, and as her disoriented gaze wandered around the room, Izzy pursed her lips together and hoped that she saw things in a new perspective now, too. She really didn't want to have enemies, but it was difficult to avoid that when one person embodied things she was against, defied all her beliefs and opinions. However, there was a person who was the opposite of that — a person who truly understood Izzy, and who earned the same respect from her.
"Hey, Benny, you okay?", Mazikeen's voice was the first thing to split the thick tension in the room, and almost flinching at her strong but calm tone, Izzy instantly turned to find the woman reaching out to Benjamin. The sight made her smile, even more so when Benji responded with a smile and let the momentary confidence encourage him to hug Maze — she didn't submit to it without a squirm, but the last pieces of Izzy's heart were successfully put together when she eventually gave up.
"What, no hugs for me?", Izzy eventually intervened with an adorable pout on her lips, and unable to stop a chuckle, Benjamin let go of Maze simply to pull the redhead into a loving hug. "I thought so too", the deputy mumbled into his shoulder while he held her tightly in his strong arms. The two had bonded quickly, even if they hadn't known one another for too long, but their friendship, pure and affectionate, showed that time defined nothing. They had liked each other since they first met, and Benjamin was certain that no matter what, that would never change.
And Izzy felt the same way, her heart soaring for the man in the most platonic way possible, full of love and care for the unexpected friend she had found in him. Perhaps it blinded her, though, unable to read the tight hold Benjamin had on her, not understanding that he was saying something silently — something other than a thank you.
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