SOME KIND OF HEAVEN ↝ Mazikeen

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TWO WEEKS AFTER the particularly horrendous couple of days, things were fading back to normal — or at least, as normal as they could be. Wherever Izzy stood with Maze, it felt like solid ground, as they were spending more and more time together and being more honest and open with one another. And even if Izzy had shared her struggles to sleep soundly through the night and the obsessive symptom-searching for all the possible diseases after every sneeze and cough, she had been more than happy to return to work too. Admittedly, the meltdown she had had in the precinct upon facing Lucifer after finding out the truth was weighing her heart down, but with Dan assigning a handful of smaller crimes for her to solve, and no one else seemingly doubting her skills either, it seemed like the chaos around them had finally settled down.

Ironically, her biggest worry at the moment happened to be Dan himself — the usually mellow guy who rarely caused trouble for her, was now earning extra attention from Izzy with his lack of input at work and the added pudding cups to a point where his health had to be reeling. Something had upset him, and Isadora wasn't quite sure if it was about Charlotte or Benjamin — the latter Izzy could still understand, because she, too, had had a few sleepless nights in wondering where he was and if he was doing okay. But, as long as he had Lucifer, things couldn't be so bad.

"Hey", Ella snapped her fingers behind Izzy, who instantly jumped on the chair she had seated herself on, eyes quickly turning from Dan's desk to the scientist whose lab the women had taken over. Chloe had received a new case regarding a murdered rock star, and as Ella dug through the evidence, Izzy was determined to finish the paperwork for the mugging she had handled earlier the day — the only problem was, she kept zoning out, right in the middle of Ella's rambles. "You're doing it again. Are you thinking about Maze?", the Lopez broke into a mischievous grin, her dorky goggles resting on top of her forehead as she took off her gloves and pushed aside the microscope on her desk.

With a sheepish huff, Izzy turned back to the neatly organized files in front of her and cocked an eyebrow. "Well, now I am", she chuckled, gaze briefly meeting Ella's as she did. While jumping into a relationship still seemed absolutely terrifying, taking slower steps with Mazikeen hadn't been awful at all, and that much was evident from the blissful smile that crept to Isadora's lips without her even noticing — the reaction merely the mention of her name caused.

"Things must be good, huh?", Ella sighed adoringly, her heart full of support for whatever was to become of them. And Izzy wasn't only happy to feel her enthusiasm, but glad to nod with honesty — things were good, and while undoubtedly their relationship was going to be realistic with its flaws, she was convinced that the worst was over, and for now, there was only good to come.

"Yeah", Izzy rested her jaw on the back of her hand as she beamed up at Ella, "I've had a lot on my mind lately and Maze's really been there for me through it all", making the forensic scientist smile too. It didn't take a detective notice how deeply Maze and Izzy cared about one another, even if they didn't always say it out loud. But, before they could dive into the conversation in the middle of work, Isadora's curious stare wandered to the outside of the lab, where Dan was silently investigating some files, all by his lonesome. "Hey, you know what's up with him?", Izzy frowned, worried eyes finding Ella again, only to catch the dark-haired woman eyeing him as well. It was evident that Dan wasn't himself, and although Izzy hadn't been back for many days yet, Ella had never taken a similar break, giving her the opportunity to witness the slow downhill of his mood on a daily basis.