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Maze stared at her reflection across the whiskey glass. No menacing glare. The sadistic smile absent. Instead, she cowered upon noticing the confused pout as she thought about her eventful and agonizingly long night of bad dates. She couldn’t stand the cowardly boys who shuddered at her stories in hell, the women who whined about previous exes, or the deadpan ones who thought she was lying in order to impress them. It was impossible to find a balance between pride and secrecy. Even without a soul, she couldn’t find a single date that made her believe she could grow one.
Until...Eve.
She dug her fingers into her unkempt hair, after the endless ache inside her head towards the end of the night. Since when did she feel simple pain? Human-like pain. Maybe it wasn’t the strain of her hair-bun. This one spread across her chest.
Maze took another swig from her glass, but the alcohol couldn’t sway the image of Eve’s smile inside her mind. It made her feel warm. Not the scorching fire sizzling in hell warm, but one that offered an embrace that she somehow felt obliged to accept. How sincere Eve seemed. Desperate to help Maze realise that just because of a few bad encounters doesn’t mean she’s worthless. She’s yet to find the one . Someone that makes her feel like home.
So why...did she feel like home after spending an evening with her ?
She figured out something. Lucifer, Chloe, Amenidiel, Linda...her main ties, they were a family that she cared for, loved with all of her heart, but they had their independent lives and other desires. But Eve? There was something about her that Maze wanted..or desired for so much longer. Her company wasn’t just something to fill the loneliness in her heart, it was something she would desire long-term. Like a relationship.
Maze sighed as she finished the glass. She knew it was impossible. Eve said herself, she’s ridiculously in love with Lucifer. As tempting as it was to be a homewrecker, Maze didn’t want to feel like an option. She wants someone to want her only .
Maybe this was just another phase, like Rivers. She’d have to sweep...whatever this was...under the rug and move on. Find someone who prioritised her, who trusts her the most, and sees an actual future with. And single, especially.
But, nobody ever understood her as much as Eve did.
She sntached the glass to pour another drink, hopefully to numb the throbbing in her head and somehow her heart. However, a knock at the door made her pause. Maze gulped down the remains, slammed the glass down - not aggressive enough to break another and trigger Linda’s fragile human emotions.
It was the First Woman herself, who flinched as the door swung open. She stood on the doorstep, arms slung around herself as her red dress wasn’t enough to keep the chill away. For one of the best party girls to exist, the fire in her eyes were extinguished. However, Eve tried her best to force a smile for Maze.
“Hey,” she mumbled. A crack in her voice.
The ache subsided from her head to Maze’s heart.
“Eve…” Maze finally said, in a soft voice she’d reserve for Trixie. “What are you...why are you…”
Eve inhaled, eyes widening. She took a step back. “If this isn’t a good time, I can-”
“Wait,” Maze grabbed her hand. She cleared her throat, realising that might’ve been a little too forward. The grip on Eve’s hand, however, remained. “You can come in. But, uh...Linda isn’t here.”
She managed a chuckle, quite weak. Eve shook her head and replied, “I’m not entirely sure I need therapy right now. Just a friend.”
The ache squeezes her entire chest. Maze broadens her shoulders. Keep it together.
Maze clears her throat. Her voice hollow. “Right, uh...everything okay?”
Eve pursed her lips, finding that eye-contact with the wooden floor eased her nerves. Or inevitably to bawl her eyes out...for about ten minutes minimum . A tear rolled down her cheek as she murmured, “He ended it.”
Something cruel lifted the weight from Maze’s chest. It’s unfair to think thank god. Yet, she’s brought back to Eve struggling to keep a strong expression. Her lips pouted as more tears streamed down her face.
“Hey, don’t…” Maze struggled to speak, especially as her heart shattered into shards at the sight of Eve compressing tears over a jackass. She held out her arms, “c’mon, it’s okay-“
Without hesitation, Eve fell into her arms. She clung onto Maze like her comfort was the only thing that stabilised her tears. She buried her into Maze’s jacket. Although the leather wasn’t cheap, Maze didn’t seem to care as she let her hands rest along Eve’s back. Caressing slowly, with comfort and complete panic because what if she can hear my chest going through the fucking roof at the wrong time right now.
Saving herself from potential humiliation, Maze drew back a little. Her hands hovering over Eve’s back still. “We can, uh...do you wanna talk about it?” she gestured towards the couch in the living area.
Eve nodded, following Maze down the steps after shutting the door behind her. She sighed down at her red dress, wishing she spared herself the time to at least change into something comfier. “Could I be a bother?” she tittered, “Have you got anything I could change into?”
Maze bit back her tongue, almost letting you’re never a bother slip from her lips. Instead, she blurted out, “ Mmmohyeahsure ,” and tripped up the corner of the couch. She glanced back at Eve, who covered her mouth to hide a giggle. Maze laughed, a little too goofy for her own good, before striding to her room and punching herself in the arm. So much for keeping it together. Human emotions, they suck.
She grabbed some tacky patterned pants, an old white shirt that Maze unwillingly kept from an old lover, and a comfy white cardigan - something Linda offered her as a housewarming gift. Cradling the clothes, Maze returned to the living room to find Eve perched on the arm of the couch. She rolled her eyes and handed the clothes to her.
“You can sit down,” Maze smirked, “it’s not gonna bite.”
Eve smiled a little. “Sorry, just all over the place. And everyone’s gotta favoured spot, don’t wanna take yours.”
Maze shrugged. “You could shove me off my favoured spot, I wouldn’t care. Sit wherever.”
“Alright, I guess I’ll just have to sit in your lap,” Eve giggled. She gestured to a room that seemed to be a bathroom, heading inside to get changed.
She didn’t give Maze a chance to respond, as the demon stood frozen upon Eve’s words. It’s just a joke, stupid butterflies.
The glass she meant to originally refill, she topped with pink gin. Linda had her difference in preference, but Maze didn’t entirely mind - alcohol was alcohol. She turned back to face Eve, who’d finally changed and headed straight back to the couch again. Although she’d sunk into the corner, hair spread out over her shoulders and ringlets down her back, Maze couldn’t help but notice how cute she looked.
Cute? Fuck sake, get a grip, this isn’t those riduculous adolescent years called high school.
Swallowing to rid the dryness in her throat, Maze took a seat next to her and offered the glass. “Hope you’re not a water person like Linda.”
Eve hoisted herself up, sighed and took the glass. “Oh, thank you, I need this.”
She downed it whole, placed the glass back onto the coffee table, and sunk her face into her palms. Maze, on the other hand, couldn’t stop staring at her leg that’d been grazing against hers for a few seconds now. She took a deep breath, brushing back a few strands of hair from her face.
“So...you wanna talk about it?” Maze asked.
Eve sighed, running her fingers through her hair and resting them across the back of her head. “I just...don’t know where it all came from. Like, I know he’s been acting strange lately, and I should’ve taken it more seriously.”
Maze listened, keeping her gaze upon her expression. Eve’s forced smile, fighting against her quivering lip. A rose struggling within a storm.
Eve continued, “When I went back earlier, I tried to reason with him, y’know? Communication is key in a relationship, so I told him all about how you made me feel awesome, and I should be treated much better.”
Somehow, Maze found her heartbeat creep into her throat. A little tug at her lips as she listened to Eve’s words. She really did deserve better. The First Woman wasn’t just the Devil’s play toy, the sex, kisses, and affection he didn’t deserve. At least, not from Eve. He knew it would always be Chloe. Selfish bastard .
“And what did he say?” Maze raised her brows.
Eve shrugged. “That’s what I don’t understand. He agreed with me, said that I deserve someone that likes me for who I am, someone who I don’t have to change myself for so they can like me.”
Maze’s lips parted. Shit, don’t make me realise something that’s just gonna fuck with my head . “I mean...he has a point.”
Eve pouted. “But...I thought that was him . He was the one that liked me for who I am.”
Maze hesitated for a second, but finally lay her hand over Eve’s. “It’s not something you’ll want to hear, but perhaps you were...you liked the thought of who he was in the garden ages ago. He’s changed now, his wants and needs...sex is still a priority, but they’ve gotten more specific.”
Apparently Eve found Maze’s hand comforting, as she let their fingers interweave. Eve bit her lip, staring ahead. She wanted to accept the truth, but damn, how could someone be different? Whilst she battled with the truth as well as the confusion of why Lucifer would even want to hurt her feelings, Maze hoped that Eve wouldn’t notice how her hand began to quiver.
Eve sniffled, clenching her eyes shut. “I just...thought I was finally loved for once.”
Maze’s lips parted. Oh, only she could let you are loved slip from her tongue. It’d be unfair. Not now. Maybe never. Perhaps she’ll have to just bottle up these feelings until she can go back to her cold-blooded ways.
An idea sprang into her head. Whenever Linda felt down, she’d self-pamper. Something to distract her mind. Maze patted the top of Eve’s palm before she rose from the couch and headed towards Linda’s room. She returned with a roll of kitchen paper and a bottle of nail polish.
“I kinda suck at comforting, y’know,” Maze scoffed, “but hopefully this helps.”
She gazed at Eve’s hand for a few seconds, before holding it once again. Her thumb grazed Eve’s palm, which made her hum slightly. “A demon is gonna paint my nails?”
Maze glanced back up at Eve, pouting slightly.
Eve smiled. “That’s better than a night at Lux.”
They soon sat together, silent, save for the old ticking clock. Maze wouldn’t look back up. She wondered if Eve thought about her the way she sat there, daydreaming too. If she gazed at Maze too, thinking about how soft her hands were. How tempting her lips seemed. There wasn’t a smidge of awkwardness in this silence. More like Eve enjoyed the tranquility after an absolute thunderstorm of a night.
Maze soon cleared her throat, finished with the painting. “Uh, hopefully that’s good enough for you.”
Eve smirked at her hands, picking at the mistrodden parts around her nails. She leaned in and kissed Maze’s cheek. “They’re perfect, and we match!”
She fit her fingers in between Maze’s, giggly and oblivious to the demon’s constant panic. Eve then used her free hand, which she waved about to dry their paint, to cover a small yawn.
Maze smiled. “Tired, mi’lady?”
Eve scoffed, squeezing Maze’s hand. “I’m a party girl. The best , in fact. I’m never tired.”
Instead, Maze offered a smile - genuine, actually, which she thought was gross but welcoming. “I mean, it’s quite late.”
Eve cocked a brow. “One in the morning is late to you?”
Maze chuckled, pushing a strand of hair away from her face. “It’s been quite a long day for both of us.”
It seemed obvious she couldn’t sleep - the thoughts and insecurities clouded her vision with tears. Yet, Eve struggled to contain another yawn that demanded some decent rest. She scoffed at herself, glancing awkwardly at Maze. “I suppose I could try.”
“Good. Uh, my room’s just that one next to the bathroom,” Maze pursed her lips into a smile, doing that awkward hand-clap since how the fuck can I just look normal . She pointed at the couch, “If you need anything, I’ll just be here.”
Eve tilted her head slightly. “You’re not gonna sleep with me?”
Somehow, Maze choked on air.
Eve smirked, “Sleep next to me.”
“Ah, yes, of course. I mean...I don’t mind if you want some space after everything.”
“I’d prefer cuddles instead.”
Maze felt that lump inside her throat. “Oh, well, I’m not much of a cuddler...but I can make an exception.”
Eve grinned, fiddling with the sleeves of the cardigan. “Good. You’re gonna be converted by the best cuddler in town.”
Maze laughed in response, but she sounded quite awkward. No, nervous. Really fucking terrified. Or maybe excitement? Ugh, so many emotions .
They both retreated to Maze’s room. Eve’s eyes darted around, smirking as she noticed all her weaponry as decorations. She spotted a pinboard also; the majority covered by a large world map. She traced her finger over all the little pins.
“Are these all the places you’ve been?” Eve asked, turning to face her.
Maze, who took advantage of Eve’s distraction to get changed, rushed for her pajama shirt to cover herself. “I-yeah, all my bounties are quite the runners.”
Eve giggled and turned back, respecting her privacy. “I’d love to travel the world one day.”
Slipping into some comfortable pants, Maze smiled as Eve admired the map. An urge desired to hug her from behind, trail kisses around her neck…
She cleared her throat. No, don’t fall in a trap. “I mean, you could always join me one day.”
“Really?” Eve’s eyes lit up, turning to see Maze join her. “Even with one of your super awesome weapons?”
Maze shrugged, giving her a wink. “Perhaps I’ll teach you how to use my blades.”
Eve giggled, rolling on the balls of her feet. She collapsed onto Maze’s bed, sighing to herself. “Man, I almost forgot that…” the smile then vanished, “Luce…”
Shaking her head, Maze sat next to her with a hand on Eve’s shoulder. “Don’t waste your breath on him.”
Eve sighed, nodding even though she wanted nothing more than to disagree.
At least she’s stopped crying, Maze thought, I’m gonna fucking kill him.
“The sooner we sleep, the sooner I can kick his ass,” Maze growled, collapsing onto her pillow. She found tranquility in carving her blades in his smug face, indulged in throwing her mace directly at his head that his mojo would simply disappear.
Until Eve slipped into the sheets, and without warning drew ever so close to Maze. She pressed a kiss on her cheek, whispered, “Night...and thank you for this,” before nuzzling her head against Maze’s shoulder.
Maze lay there, frozen, staring at the ceiling light that somehow managed to mock her pounding heart. She gazed down at Eve. Strands of hair tickled her chin as she watched Eve fall into slumber. That sickly swirl paraded in her stomach again, and she couldn’t help it as Eve’s soft snores played like music to her ears.
What is this? Maze thought, chewing hard on her lip.
So this is love.
Light filtered through the shutters, spreading across Maze’s slumped form like they were prison bars.
For once in her life, these feelings...they weren’t comparable to the flaming bowels of hell. Maybe the loneliness reflected the repetitive pathways that would cross the nightmares of the guilty. Her nightmare being unrequited love.
But this feeling...she felt like she visited the Garden of Eden. The sunshine in Eve’s smile; the tranquility as they spent more time together. Eve’s first home, whose presence made the archdemon finally feel like home.
Yet, she curled up in the bed, alone. Her fingers weren’t curling around the hem of Maze’s shirt for comfort. The soft breaths were replaced by the patter of rain. She wondered if Eve thought about her too, alone in her own bed.
Maze sniffled once, feeling the burn inside her eyes. She clenched then shut. No, no, no. Please don’t. Yet, as the first tear escaped, the rest followed. However, she couldn’t sob like Eve did against her chest. No, instead she buried her face into the pillow. She bit down on her lip to compress her voice, drawing blood. Screams waiting to be released. But she couldn’t. Not when Linda and Amendaiel had their tiny human to care for already. They didn’t need an emotional demon to cradle.
Yet, this only made her feel lonelier. Maybe some people did care for her, but was she really a priority to anyone? Was she ever?
Will she ever be?