First 'Lucifer' fanfic - I have just binge watched the show and love the Maze/Lucifer dynamic. It's clear that there is a lot of emotion and history there…
One shot for now but considering expanding it, please let me know what you think - reviews are much appreciated! (Thank you in advance!)
Inspired by Stand Atlantic's song Lavender Bones.
Disclaimer - I own zilch.
Lavender Bones
A bead of cold water drew a neat line down the side of her neck, the ice cube between her fingers clashing against the warmth of her skin. The numbing effect was working perfectly on her bruised cheek but the same could not be said for the other scrapes that littered the rest of her body. Maze had stood in front of the mirror and studied every injury - each mark a sign of her vulnerability - as if she was just a mere mortal. The thought had made her feel nauseous and unsteady on her feet. She leant back against the sofa in Lucifer's living room with little idea about how or why she found her way there. After seeing Linda she had wandered the streets aimlessly attracting looks from strangers because of her bloodied and disheveled state. There was no place that felt like home in LA since she had chosen to actively alienate everyone in her life. Maze had felt a wave of relief to find an empty apartment a part of her not wanting to see Lucifer at all. Their relationship had grown into a large tentacled creature that lived in her head whenever she saw him.
He had not reached out to her since their last fight. There was no demand that she return to Lux or instruction to simply give him a call back. There was no note to let her know that she had misunderstood him and his clumsy attempt at grappling with all too human feelings. She could imagine him shrugging off her absence from his life without a second thought - after all she was a grown demon able to take care of herself. A small, needy voice had been urging her to have expectations that the Devil would one day put her at the centre of his life had been nothing but disappointed. "Maze Day" - they would have called it. On that day he'd remember her favourite ice-cream flavour, ask her about the emotions she had been struggling with and give her his jacket on the walk home if it was cold. Scratch that just one text checking in on her would have been enough - four letters if he used text speak 'R U OK?'. For a man who constantly surrounded himself with women how little he understood them had only registered now. Or perhaps he did not see her as a woman but who she had been in hell.
She had always been his to take and put aside whenever he saw it fitting but after eons the final straw had finally been reached. When she had gone to him in her moment of weakness his attention had still been on his own selfish desires, on Chloe. From the moment Lucifer had met the detective Maze had lost him in a way she had never considered to be possible. She saw love reflected in his eyes which looked drastically different than the way he had ever looked at her. Maze had stood aside and watched him soften from the slightly slump in his shoulders to the obsessive debates on whether the two of them had been destined to be together because of his father. All of that time they had known each other, they had been close but it hadn't compared to this almost stranger that had been placed in his way on purpose. It was the green eyed monster she had recreated for many hell-loops before but this time it was sitting on her shoulder. Maze didn't know whether she wanted Lucifer to love her, be her best friend or simply to take her home.
The elevator doors gave a satisfying ding as they opened onto the penthouse - these days it could have been anyone walking up to grab some of the top shelf booze Lucifer hide from the general public. Their social circle had expanded quite a bit in recent years. Never before had she considered interacting with a child. Maze didn't look up sliding down hoping to disappear before she was confronted by which ever friendly chatty Cathy had walked through the doors. "Ah Maze, you've returned." Lucifer's voice filled her ears freezing her to the spot. "Ready to apologize-" He paused stopping himself from making a cruel remark when confronted with Maze's battered state. With what seemed like one swift movement he was perched on the seat beside her. "What happened to you?" There was concern that she had not expected as he took the ice out of her hand to examine the black eye she had caught from one of Peirce's people. "I didn't know where else to go." She cleared her throat pulling away from his touch. "I'll leave." Her legs had turned to jelly as she tried to pull herself up falling back again in a slump.
"Don't be silly. Sit." Lucifer stood up his height towering over her as he straightened his waist coat and jacket as if attending a formal meeting. It was a force of habit amongst many others that she could list if asked to. She studied his human form in detail from the stubble creeping up his cheek bones, the ring he always wore and the perfectly chosen shoes as if it had been a lifetime since she had seen him. The sudden clam in voice indicated that he had forgiven her or at least chosen to move past the argument that had sparked the rift between them. It was a routine by this point. They had gotten impossibly good at hurting each other - they knew every button to push, every scar to reopen. In the end it didn't matter because whether Lucifer saw it or not - they were bound together. He returned to her with two tumblers full of scotch a one with ice and Maze couldn't help but recall how much she had longed for him to pour her a drink not that long ago.
There was a pause while they watched each other like predator and prey before one made a move. Neither could figure out which was which. Maze had proven herself more than capable of Lucifer's undoing and all it took was a few words for him to tear her down from whatever comfort she had about being herself. The twisted nature of their relationship had not mattered until they had come to LA and been amongst the land of self help and self actualisation. She had watched the way people cared for each other quickly comparing it to what had been the most significant personal relationship she had. Lucifer had been more than just a boss. Out here she was alone (bar him) away from everything she knew, learning about the the very things she had used to torment people in Hell. Human life was crashing in. Lucifer lifted an ice cube from the glass pressing it against the bruise on her jaw. It was a white flag, an indication that the tiff they were having didn't matter in the grand scheme of things. An invisible weight pulling her down forcing her to remain in his presence.
"I'm sorry." The words were a mere whisper but they were sitting close enough for Lucifer to hear. He didn't say anything not looking up from the deceptive flecks of dried blood across her skin - the admission not phasing him. Or at least he had no intention of letting her see that it mattered that she had used her words to apologize for what he was sure was the first time. It was unlike him - the normal response would have been to mock her or make fun of her sincerity. The lack of response encouraged Maze to keep talking, the words coming out in a hushed tone that gave a nod to fear or embarrassment. "Since we've been here, since you met Chloe… I've felt like I've lost you. We don't talk anymore, you never tell me anything. I was hurt...I lashed out." It was at this point that Lucifer made eye contact with her. He could make her wilt with just a look and he knew it.
"Mazikeen. You could never lose me." The way Lucifer said her full name sent a shiver down her spine. He cupped her face in his hands forcing her to continue studying him and the depth of feelings in his eyes. It was funny how strange the physical intimacy felt when they'd had sex thousands of times. They had never placed any value but fun in it, it was just a game. Here he was close enough she could see his breath rise and every freckle. She wanted to turn away from him just incase he saw something in in the way she looked at him that they would have to confront. Maze was loyal, dedicated, willing to follow his orders… in love with him. Why would he love you? A question that had plagued her since she had learnt about all of the ways humans would get tangled with up each other. They were too similar - she reflected all of the dark parts of him so he kept her at an emotional arm's length. (Or that was what Linda would have said if she were to confide in her feelings for Lucifer.) Maze had felt an incredible connection to Amenadiel - the sex had been fantastic but her feelings for his brother were all too different. She needed him.
"Yeah right." She snorted pulling away - self preservation was a natural response to a threat. Lucifer's hands remained on her body sliding down to her shoulders pulling her closer to him. He pressed a kiss against her forehead, a tender touch that was all too foreign between them. "You're never going to lose me, Mazikeen."