WHO WOULD'VE KNOWN that Mazikeen, an alleged demon, was actually a big fan of spooning — not Izzy, that was for sure, but she was pleasantly surprised to wake up with the scarcely shorter woman's arm around her waist, legs melted together underneath the warm covers, Thor asleep on top of their feet. The piercing guitar solo of her ringtone, however, made Izzy groan as she rose from within the stack of pillows they had sunk into, and with a few haphazard slams onto the nightstand, she managed to grab the vibrating phone.

"Uh, yes?", her groggy morning voice pulled Maze from her slumber as well, a smile appearing on the demon's face as Izzy rubbed her eyes and rested on her elbow. The other side of the line was inaudible to Maze, but she did enjoy listening to Izzy's voice as the latter questioned the reason behind the call, then fell into a state of surprise while asking if the woman on the line was absolutely certain, and then proceeded to thank her repeatedly — whatever was going on, ended with Izzy laughing breathlessly and fist-bumping the air, and right before Maze could open her eyes and ask what had happened, the redhead grabbed one of the fluffy pillows and hit her in the face with it.

"I just got the best news, oh my God, I made a break in the case, I actually did it — I did some police work and I actually figured it out, oh my God, I need to call Dan", Isadora rambled happily, her gushing and giggling earning a bark from Thor who had lifted his head as well. Wiping away the hair that had escaped her ponytail and hugging the pillow slammed onto her face, Maze smiled up at Izzy, who didn't stop bouncing on the mattress until the bounty hunter took her hand, effectively causing her to freeze.

"I'm proud of you, babe. Always knew you were an A+ cop", Mazikeen praised, using her free hand to invite her closer with a wiggle of her finger, and unable to resist, Izzy didn't let her widening grin to stop her from crouching down and giving Maze's lips a deep kiss. With the dark-haired woman's hand crawling to the back of Isadora's head to hold her close, Izzy threatened to topple over and roll on top of her, but at last second, she pulled away and pressed her index finger to Mazikeen's parting mouth, still clearly desperate for more.

With a teasing smile, Izzy drew herself away, not even sure how she had the strength to do so. "I'm gonna call Dan", she began, fingertips trailing down Maze's arm, "then I'm gonna brush my teeth", eyes meeting hers, "and then I'm gonna give you a lot more of this, but until then, you can have Thor." In an instant, Mazikeen's mischievous smirk was fading away, and Izzy couldn't stop herself from giggling as she gently swooped an arm around Thor and hoisted the dog onto her lap, the sight of Maze lifting her arms and cluelessly staring at the excited Cocker Spaniel one that she was going to cherish for a long time.

She was happy to feel the heavy weight of the trial wash away, although she knew that Chloe was going to need a lot more comfort and time to cope with the loss, but for today, Izzy was going to revel in her own little victory and hope that it was a sign of better times coming their way.

—————

DESPITE IZZY'S INITIAL enthusiasm, the day had turned out to be quite emotional and a wonderful reminder of what truly mattered — for Izzy, it was her family, and after spending hours watching Benjamin unravel because of his, she was returning home with arms wide and desperate to cling onto her mom. Benji's story was not hers to tell, which was why she didn't elaborate on the tears that threatened to tip over as she hugged Diane tight, a little more grateful for her every day but especially today, her heart aching for her best friend. But on top of the added appreciation for the oldest Holt, the events behind them also caused Spencer to set residence in her thoughts once more, and even with tomorrow's work looming ahead, Izzy ended up staying up, wracking her mind about it. Benji's situation should have been enough to give her the push she needed, encourage her to give him a call or send a message, yet she still refused, afraid of the reaction her attempts to reach out would get.

But even if another night passed by with her and Spencer apart, he was very present in her mind, the possibilities running in circles as she finally fell asleep.

She paid the price of staying up as soon as the next day arrived, the hot weather outside seeming somehow wearier than usual, her eyes heavy and body demanding coffee with every movement. Although the LAPD didn't require her presence until noon, the responsibilities of the day were undoubtedly taking a toll on the exhausted deputy, and the truth sneaked out with the yawn she struggled to hide while entering the precinct. Stuck in the routines she so relied on, Izzy tossed her cap on Dan's desk, followed by the bag she had gotten used to carrying around before her gaze wandered to the group of people gathered by one of the big screens in the room. And only seconds later, she noticed Ella gesturing for her to join, and while recognizing Lucifer, Chloe and Dan in the group as well, Izzy finished her second coffee and strode over to her co-workers.

"What's all this?", her index finger waved at the screen with a strange guy's face plastered all over it, and after crossing her arms over her chest, Izzy turned to Chloe who took the opportunity to shed some light on their situation.

"Uh, this was our latest suspect in the case, but turns out, he was actually on the run, believes he has a target on his back. He told us that this guy Burt is looking for a package that went missing on a flight, and since we're sure Burt is the killer, we need someone to act as the stewardess from the flight to lure him out, so, that's the next step", the detective explained, exchanging looks with Dan and Lucifer before turning back to Izzy. "And I already asked Maze, and she agreed to join the case", Chloe added, and none of them missed the choked sound Izzy made at the unexpected news or the incredulous blink she directed at them.

"Cool", was all she managed to stammer out, not sure whether to be nervous or excited about Mazikeen helping them out — God only knew that she was up for any extra time with the woman, but when it came to doing her job, while Maze was going to strut around looking like a stewardess... "Very cool", Izzy added for good measure, making Lucifer grin at the silent chaos erupting within her.

Clapping his hands together, Dan took the lead next. "Okay, we need eyes and ears at the bar with Maze. I could do it", he offered, but he had barely finished his sentence when Ella had butted in, trying to appear innocent as she hugged her tablet, but the coy smirk didn't cover much.

"You could take Izzy with you. She's a good cop, I know you all agree", the scientist suggested, and already nodding in agreement, Chloe seemed to deem it a good idea — she did deserve the chance to prove herself, another opportunity to shine on a case, but all Izzy could think about was all the ways she could screw it up, again. So far, she didn't have the greatest track record in proving her worth to the rest of them.

"What? Oh. Oh. What? Are you sure?", the redhead was fumbling in a matter of seconds, and when Chloe nodded to confirm that she could do it, Izzy pursed her lips into an awkward smile. "Okay, yeah. Happy to. Whatever you need", she flicked both thumbs up but made sure to narrow her eyes at Ella, who merely beamed in satisfaction. Of course, Izzy wanted to be professional and succeed at what she was tasked with, but the former failures were piling anxiety on her outrageously quick heart, especially now that she was going to be with Maze.

Thankfully, Dan was going to be there, and his rational side made sure to come out even there and then. "What if the guy gets the wrong idea from the two of you and doesn't approach?", he reminded, all of them well aware of the sparks that threatened to fly between Izzy and Maze every chance they got, and albeit he had a point, the woman was quickly defending both of them.

"Oh, pfft, we could just be friends—", she began, but immediately, all four of them turned to her with doubtful looks, making Izzy roll her eyes, "and besides, Maze swings both ways so I'm sure she can pull it off. Gay isn't the only option, you know. She can handle it."

Happy to hear the plan working out already, Chloe grabbed her jacket from the nearby chair, ready to head out. "Okay, then. It's a plan. I'll call Maze and then we can all head out to the hotel, there's a bar downstairs and Izzy and Dan will keep us updated there. Let's go", she instructed, and as the group separated from one another and prepared for take-off, Isadora tried to be the voice of reason inside her own head.

Sure, Maze could handle it, but could Izzy?

—————

"PEACOCK HAS LANDED." Although those were Dan's exact words, Izzy felt like a lot of things had landed — her heart on the verge of slamming through the floor, for one, her palms sweaty for two more or less equally knee-buckling reasons. Not only was she granted a huge opportunity career-wise, one step closer to a promotion and ensuring the name Holt was one to remember, but there she sat, knee jumping up and down as she eyed Mazikeen, dressed in a red stewardess outfit. The skirt she had on was unfairly short and when Maze had mentioned that if they were strangers, one of them would surely be hitting on her, Izzy had gotten a heart-wrenchingly tempting feel of her smooth thigh and the delicious tickle of the demon's long nails against her own skin. But, she tried to stay in the moment and keep her eyes on the prize, even if it was hard to believe the true treasure wasn't the drop-dead gorgeous woman next to her, lips just as threateningly red as the hat on her dark hair.

She, too, had shed the LAPD jacket and was making an effort to blend in, even with her rosy cheeks giving away the jitters building up in the pit of her stomach. Thankfully, as Izzy sipped on one of the vodkas Maze had ordered to keep herself awake and alert, the latter turned her attention to Dan.

"I think I just figured out what's wrong with you", she declared proudly, making Dan scoff in doubt.

"Oh, yeah? And what would that be, Maze?", he decided to play along, nonetheless, but the humor in his voice dried off rather quickly as the woman insisted on owning up to what he did. Suddenly interested, Izzy lowered the glass and peeked from behind Maze's shoulder, eyes glued to Dan, whose face drained of color and eyes widened with worry and fear of being exposed. However, his attempts to silence the woman were in vain, as Mazikeen simply ignored what he said.

"Self-worth comes from within, Dan", she continued to lecture, offering some very wise advice Izzy guessed she had heard from Linda — it was a fair point though, relying on others for validation wasn't a good move, and while that was a lesson Izzy was yet to learn fully, it didn't stop her from inserting herself into the conversation.

"Seems like something's really bothering you, dude", she tilted her head to the side, and nodding towards Izzy, Maze agreed wholeheartedly. And for someone who just established the fact that she should only depend on herself for confidence, Izzy sure melted at the attention she got from the fake flight attendant.

"Don't say another word", Dan hissed through gritted teeth, his eyes meeting Maze's fierily, while Izzy slowly pulled back and grabbed her glass again, figuring that with not much of the drink left, leaving it unfinished would have been foolish.

However, taking that last gulp turned out to be a mistake, because as soon as she had done so, Maze scoffed, "Why? So what if you slept with Charlotte Richards?", causing Izzy to choke on the olive she nearly swallowed by accident. Coughing to regain her breath, the woman's eyes darted back to Dan, who sighed out in relief — as if he had expected something worse, only for his former lover to be brought up instead. Izzy, on the other hand, didn't need any more reminders of the unholy night they had spent together.

The two continued to bicker, clearly some unresolved disagreements between them, but as they all finished their drinks, Izzy concentrated on looking around, on alert for anything suspicious. As much as she would have liked to get sucked into the moment, she wanted to do her job well far more, and that was why she blocked out the juicy conversation and sneakily let her stare roam the surroundings. And, it ended up working for her, because soon enough she spotted someone new walking in, a man rather attentive at the three of them, so quickly, Izzy was clearing her throat and getting up.

"Someone just entered the bar, a guy, seems awfully interested in Maze", she murmured into the mic attached to her, and as Chloe approved of the intel, Izzy took Dan's hand and started to lead him away. "Come on, honey, you've had plenty to drink for tonight and we both know that after too many you fall asleep before you even let me take my dress off", she smirked smugly, interlocking their fingers and earning a glare from Dan, who could only go with the flow and follow Isadora to a more secluded spot to watch the situation unfold.

Not much later, Maze was leading Burt to a hotel room, no doubt to give him a good beating for what he had done, and as Izzy and Dan sat at one of the tables and listened on, the latter took the silence as a chance to speak up. "Hey", he whispered over to Isadora, who flinched slightly and wiped the falling curls from her face while turning to the man, only to end up smiling at the serious look on his face.

"Yeah, yeah, it wasn't necessary to loudly bring up your inability to please your fake fiancé, but—", she began, but shaking his head, Dan stopped, his hand landing on top of hers.

"No, I just... I just wanted to thank you, for the whole Benji thing. It couldn't have been easy, seriously not for him but I put a lot on you too. So, thanks. You really are a good friend and a good cop", the man squeezed her fingers gently, and heart lifting at the kind words, Izzy thanked him quietly — maybe she wasn't supposed to wait for others to give her some kind of a purpose, but damn it, if reassurance and appreciation didn't feel good.

Reaching over the table to pinch his cheek, Izzy grinned then. "Why thank you, sugar pie. I can't wait to stand in front of the church with you, man and wife, just what marriage is all about, someone with no boobs to take care of me for the rest of my life", she gushed, making Dan laugh with her best impersonation of a straight person, and just as Izzy was about to chuckle with him, they heard a loud bang through their earpieces, followed by Burt groaning and crying out.

Maze had gone to work, that much was obvious from the loud cracks and pops filling their ears, and Izzy almost felt bad for snickering at the desperate cries Burt was shamelessly yelling out. But once she remembered that this was a murderer they were dealing with, she forgot her usual sympathy. Or, well, it was supposed to be the murderer.

"No, no, no! My name's Jim, some guy gave me a C-note, told me to sit next to you and say I was Burt", the man begged for his life, and suddenly devoid of laughter and jokes, Izzy came to the realization that the real killer had slipped away, and Maze was attacking an innocent guy. Turning to Dan, who was figuring out the same thing, the woman shot up from the violently screeching chair and both cops headed for the hotel room, guns out and Chloe joining them in the hallway.

With Detective Decker in the lead, the three of them stormed the room, only to find Maze twisting Jim's arms, a curious gleam in her eyes. "Can I keep him?", she inquired innocently, only for the man squirming beneath her to beg for them to get her off, that she was insane, and that didn't sit well with Izzy who lowered her weapon and lifted an eyebrow.

"I'd say she's passionate, but whatever floats your boat, dude. The guy who paid you, did you see where he went?", she gave Jim's leg a soft kick, and still grunting, he tried to lift his head and turn to the cops, only for Mazikeen to twist his arm even tighter to keep him in place.

"I don't know. He saw some tall guy with dark hair in a suit and took off", he insisted, and quickly recognizing the description, Izzy turned to Chloe, who was way ahead of her.

"That's Lucifer. Okay, we're gonna go look for Burt, you call for back-up and get a full statement from him", the detective pointed at Isadora, whose face lit up at the extra responsibility and trust, and with a firm nod, she promised to do just that. It was a slow process, but she was creating a name for herself as a cop, and knowing that respected detectives like Chloe trusted her with more and more tasks, more important things to deal with, felt like floating on a cloud.

Holstering her gun, Izzy sighed and twirled around once more, unable to hide a smile when she saw the pride shining on Maze's face. "Pretty sure you can let him go now", the deputy pointed out, and shrugging, Mazikeen merely gestured towards the empty space still left on the mattress.

"Or you could join the fun."

With a laugh, Izzy was hasty to disagree, eyes rolling around as she encouraged Maze to get off of poor Jim. "Trust me, my days of sharing beds with men ended a long time ago", she joked, earning a snort from the bounty hunter, who couldn't very well argue with that logic.

Reluctantly, Maze let go of Jim, who groaned in relief and didn't even bother getting up or making a run for it — a smart move on his part, since the demon would certainly have no problem catching him again and breaking the other arm next. But, Izzy was simply impressed with her fierce dedication to the job, or truthfully, even more tempted now that another shared trait had popped up, but instead of bringing that up, she called the situation in and requested back-up for whatever was about to go down. She could only hope that Lucifer would survive unharmed, but knowing the man, the worst scenario would only involve his dapper suit in the line of fire.

As the two women then proceeded to watch over the bruised and battered fall guy for Burt and wait for the additional officers to arrive on the scene, Mazikeen was the first one to open her mouth, surprisingly with a hint of wariness.

"Do you want to get a drink at Lux after this? I think Lucifer is closing the club soon anyway so it could be just the two of us, and... I want to show you something", the ever-so stunning woman wondered cautiously, her unsure tone waking something in Izzy, yet she ended up smiling and agreeing happily. How could she say no to those doe eyes, those sinfully long legs, those flawlessly painted lips that twisted into a similar, satisfied smile?

"Yeah", Izzy let her thumb brush over Maze's defined cheekbone, "that sounds fun", although she had had already enough with the one vodka — but Mazikeen's company, on the other hand, was one addictive that she would never say no to.

Or, so she thought, anyway.

»»»

ohhhhh man things are about to ESCALATE™, i am so excited about the next chapter, i've been planning it ever since i wrote light me up so it's been a long time coming

speaking of light me up, i know i brushed past the whole situation with benji reaaally quickly and vaguely, but that's because it would have included a major spoiler for light me up. sooo (shameless self-promo), if you want to know what they were up to, you can always check that book out (:

anyway, not to be dramatic but... look at the shirt in the gif and then

what a coincidence 👀👀👀