BTVS: Closet Series (6/?)
Title: Sometimes a Spade is a Spade
Series: Closet
Author: Vashti
Fandom: Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Character(s): Xander, Oz, Buffy
Rating: PG
Summary: There's a lot of talking, but not as much listening.
Length: ~1,250 words
Prompt: fanfic100 prompt 001 - Beginnings; alphabetasoup - A is for Allurement
Disclaimer: I don't know you. You don't know me. Let's keep it that way.
Dedication: All the people who keep asking for more :)
Notes: The series meanders on in its own odd way. Please note that this is unbeta'd. Feel free to spot-beta :)
Sometimes a Spade is a Spade
by Vashti
“Hey.”
“Hey.”
“Oz, you ever notice we say ‘Hey’ a lot?”
“Not really.”
“ ‘Not really’ we don’t say ‘hey’ a lot, or ‘not really’ you never noticed.”
“Oh we say it a lot.”
“Ah ha.”
“Just never thought about it much.”
“Oh.”
“ ‘Hey’ being on of those standard friendly kind of greetings.”
“Yeah, well…it was one of those pondery kind of thoughts that just, y’know, sideswipe you mid-thought.
“I know those.”
“Oz, my friend, you are the king of those.”
“Yeah?”
“In your own laconic way? Oh yeah.”
“Henh. Compliment.”
“All compliment, my friend. All compliment. What bad things could be said about the Oz-inator?”
Oz’s eyebrows furrowed as he gave his friend a look.
Xander stuffed his hands in his pockets. “Sooo, that’s a no to the ‘Oz-inator’?”
“Pretty much. I’d thought about Ozymandius, though.”
“Really? Isn’t that all…classic literature-y?”
“Classic poetry, actually.”
“That’s pretty heavy.”
“Eh.”
“Might work better as a band name.”
“Thought of that, too.”
“But then you’d have to ditch Devon.”
“Think so? Why?”
“No way Devon’s gonna front a band named after someone else.”
Oz frowned. “Dude, he’s not that bad.”
“Maybe not, but he will be if thinks that he won’t get the babes due the lead singer.”
“Hmm. Point.”
The muscles around Xander’s eyes jumped as he saw someone or something of interest. His eyes moved beyond Oz, caught on something in the distance.
Oz twisted on his heels.
“Hey!” Xander waved enthusiastically. “Buffy over here!”
The petite blond spotted them and returned the wave. She hurried toward them. “Hey!”
“Hey.”
Shaking his head, Xander said, “Y’know you just can’t get an enthusiastic greeting out of this guy.”
Buffy frowned. “Sure you can.”
“Yeah? How?”
“Offer him free food or a free pass to pass to Giles’ old vinyl collection.”
Xander looked at his friend. “What she say true?”
A small laugh escaped Oz.
“Buffster!”
Grinning, Buffy tipped an imaginary hat. “Just doin’ m’job. Hey, I need to talk to Oz for a minute? It’s not, like, personal or anything, but it is a little detail oriented and I just want to make sure-”
Xander waved her explanations away. “No problem, Buff. I found out the hard way that if I’ve got some major splainin’ to do with one of the guys at the site that I need to get away from the action. Make sure he knows what I’m talking about and, heck, that I know what I’m talking.”
“Thanks, Xander! You hanging around campus?”
“Uh…” He glanced at his watch and then at Oz who was watching the exchange with the same rapt attention he would have used if they were talking to him. “You still want to get together later, man?”
“Absolutely. Gotta plan the party for Doug.”
“Right! Right! Jeez louise…I’m glad one of us remembered.” Xander stepped forward to give Buffy a quick hug. “Later, Oz.”
“Yup.”
“Doug?”
“One of the guys working for Xander,” Oz replied. “At the site. He’s getting married. Me, Xander and one of the other guys are planning the bachelor party.”
Buffy waved her hands. “I don’t want to know.” She started walking off the path and toward the big trees at one corner of the quad. “Though I bet his fiancée does.”
Oz bumped her arm. “You don’t trust us?”
“You, sure.” Then she stopped. “Maybe.” She frowned. “I don’t know.”
Oz chuckled. “We’re being good. Doug’s not the kinda guy who would appreciate a typical bachelor’s party.”
“Uh huh.” But she started walking again.
“So. Buffy.”
“Yeah.” She glanced at him. “Oz.”
“You wanted to talk to me.”
“Yeah. Yeah, I did. Um…” But she kept her thoughts to herself until they were under the shade of the trees. She started worrying her hands. “This is a little more awkward than I’d thought it’d be.”
Oz’s eyebrows drew together. “Really? I’ve never thought of myself as intimidating. Maybe back in my black hair, Sharpie-pen-as-nail-polish days. But I’ve been feeling more colors-of-the-rainbow than my inner dastardly-”
Buffy’s lips were suddenly on his, and they were warm and soft and sweetly sticky from some candy she must have had earlier. Her fingers were hot on his face, pulsing with the blood under her skin. He could hear her heart racing. Or was that his heart?
His fingers wound through her hair. Buffy wasn’t going to be happy that he’d messed up her twisty up-do but Oz didn’t really care-
“He-llo! Earth to Oz?”
“Huh? I-” Oz shook his head.
Shaking her head, Buffy said, “If you were Xander randomly zoning out on me, I wouldn’t be surprised.”
Oz coughed. He scratched the nape of his neck. “Sorry, Buffy. Just…had a moment.”
She snorted. Did you ever, it seemed to say. “So I take it you didn’t hear anything I said.”
“Um…”
“Right, because this wasn’t awkward enough before,” Buffy muttered, tugging at the loops on the belt of her denim jacket.
Okay, he’d heard that. Sooo… Hmm.
“Look, I talked to Willow and she thought that you’d be cool about it, but if it’s not something you want to do…”
“Buffy, I’m really sorry-”
“I knew it!”
“-but I have no idea what you’re talking about. I’m not just blowing you off.”
The cloud over Buffy’s face cleared. “Really?”
Oz smiled. “I do sometimes zone out, Buff.”
“I don’t think of you as a zoner, Oz.”
He shrugged. “Happens. So…what am I not blowing you off about?”
“Um, a photo shoot. Thing. I’m taking that photography class and I need to take pictures of a live subject. No more still lifes and scenery for me. And I thought maybe-”
“Sure.”
“-I could, like, take pictures of you and your band. That is if you guys are playing again now that you’re back home. I mean-”
“Sure.”
“-if you don’t mind, and all. Sure?”
Oz shrugged. “Yeah. Sure. Gotta make sure the guys are okay with it, but I don’t think they’ll mind. Well Skylar might not like it-”
“Uh, one of the singers?”
“The girl. She likes singing during practice but isn’t into the spotlight. Kyle’s a closet diva, though. We’re still in contract negotiations with his people about a dressing room.”
Buffy’s eyebrows rose. “He’s got people?”
“No. That’s why we’re still negotiating.”
She grinned.
“Buffy, you wouldn’t happen to have had a lollipop recently, would you?”
“Yeah? Why? Is my tongue green?”
Huh. “No reason. So, uh, our next gig is in a couple of days. You’re gonna come with Willow?”
“I didn’t think Willow was still going to the gigs.”
Oz shrugged. “From what I heard she went a couple of times while I was in Tibet but, yeah, no real Willow-spottings since I’ve been home.”
“I’m sure it had nothing to do with trying to eat her girlfriend,” Buffy said, brushing it away with a hand.
Oz coughed. “Yeah. Uh, so…how ‘bout I pick you up? I’ll call you tonight. Let you know when exactly it is we’re playing again and we can work out a time to meet up? You can get some pre-show stuff. Y’know, Norm messing around with the sticks, Kyle and Skylar arguing, Lexie throwing paper balls at them. Fun stuff.
Buffy’s grin returned. “That sounds so great.” Taking one big step forward, she threw her arms around Oz’s neck. “Thank you so much, Oz.” She stepped back. “You are a total lifesaver.”
She smelled like Sour Apple. “No problem.”
Fin[ite]
Read previous chapters here.
Series: Closet
Author: Vashti
Fandom: Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Character(s): Xander, Oz, Buffy
Rating: PG
Summary: There's a lot of talking, but not as much listening.
Length: ~1,250 words
Prompt: fanfic100 prompt 001 - Beginnings; alphabetasoup - A is for Allurement
Disclaimer: I don't know you. You don't know me. Let's keep it that way.
Dedication: All the people who keep asking for more :)
Notes: The series meanders on in its own odd way. Please note that this is unbeta'd. Feel free to spot-beta :)
Sometimes a Spade is a Spade
by Vashti
“Hey.”
“Hey.”
“Oz, you ever notice we say ‘Hey’ a lot?”
“Not really.”
“ ‘Not really’ we don’t say ‘hey’ a lot, or ‘not really’ you never noticed.”
“Oh we say it a lot.”
“Ah ha.”
“Just never thought about it much.”
“Oh.”
“ ‘Hey’ being on of those standard friendly kind of greetings.”
“Yeah, well…it was one of those pondery kind of thoughts that just, y’know, sideswipe you mid-thought.
“I know those.”
“Oz, my friend, you are the king of those.”
“Yeah?”
“In your own laconic way? Oh yeah.”
“Henh. Compliment.”
“All compliment, my friend. All compliment. What bad things could be said about the Oz-inator?”
Oz’s eyebrows furrowed as he gave his friend a look.
Xander stuffed his hands in his pockets. “Sooo, that’s a no to the ‘Oz-inator’?”
“Pretty much. I’d thought about Ozymandius, though.”
“Really? Isn’t that all…classic literature-y?”
“Classic poetry, actually.”
“That’s pretty heavy.”
“Eh.”
“Might work better as a band name.”
“Thought of that, too.”
“But then you’d have to ditch Devon.”
“Think so? Why?”
“No way Devon’s gonna front a band named after someone else.”
Oz frowned. “Dude, he’s not that bad.”
“Maybe not, but he will be if thinks that he won’t get the babes due the lead singer.”
“Hmm. Point.”
The muscles around Xander’s eyes jumped as he saw someone or something of interest. His eyes moved beyond Oz, caught on something in the distance.
Oz twisted on his heels.
“Hey!” Xander waved enthusiastically. “Buffy over here!”
The petite blond spotted them and returned the wave. She hurried toward them. “Hey!”
“Hey.”
Shaking his head, Xander said, “Y’know you just can’t get an enthusiastic greeting out of this guy.”
Buffy frowned. “Sure you can.”
“Yeah? How?”
“Offer him free food or a free pass to pass to Giles’ old vinyl collection.”
Xander looked at his friend. “What she say true?”
A small laugh escaped Oz.
“Buffster!”
Grinning, Buffy tipped an imaginary hat. “Just doin’ m’job. Hey, I need to talk to Oz for a minute? It’s not, like, personal or anything, but it is a little detail oriented and I just want to make sure-”
Xander waved her explanations away. “No problem, Buff. I found out the hard way that if I’ve got some major splainin’ to do with one of the guys at the site that I need to get away from the action. Make sure he knows what I’m talking about and, heck, that I know what I’m talking.”
“Thanks, Xander! You hanging around campus?”
“Uh…” He glanced at his watch and then at Oz who was watching the exchange with the same rapt attention he would have used if they were talking to him. “You still want to get together later, man?”
“Absolutely. Gotta plan the party for Doug.”
“Right! Right! Jeez louise…I’m glad one of us remembered.” Xander stepped forward to give Buffy a quick hug. “Later, Oz.”
“Yup.”
“Doug?”
“One of the guys working for Xander,” Oz replied. “At the site. He’s getting married. Me, Xander and one of the other guys are planning the bachelor party.”
Buffy waved her hands. “I don’t want to know.” She started walking off the path and toward the big trees at one corner of the quad. “Though I bet his fiancée does.”
Oz bumped her arm. “You don’t trust us?”
“You, sure.” Then she stopped. “Maybe.” She frowned. “I don’t know.”
Oz chuckled. “We’re being good. Doug’s not the kinda guy who would appreciate a typical bachelor’s party.”
“Uh huh.” But she started walking again.
“So. Buffy.”
“Yeah.” She glanced at him. “Oz.”
“You wanted to talk to me.”
“Yeah. Yeah, I did. Um…” But she kept her thoughts to herself until they were under the shade of the trees. She started worrying her hands. “This is a little more awkward than I’d thought it’d be.”
Oz’s eyebrows drew together. “Really? I’ve never thought of myself as intimidating. Maybe back in my black hair, Sharpie-pen-as-nail-polish days. But I’ve been feeling more colors-of-the-rainbow than my inner dastardly-”
Buffy’s lips were suddenly on his, and they were warm and soft and sweetly sticky from some candy she must have had earlier. Her fingers were hot on his face, pulsing with the blood under her skin. He could hear her heart racing. Or was that his heart?
His fingers wound through her hair. Buffy wasn’t going to be happy that he’d messed up her twisty up-do but Oz didn’t really care-
“He-llo! Earth to Oz?”
“Huh? I-” Oz shook his head.
Shaking her head, Buffy said, “If you were Xander randomly zoning out on me, I wouldn’t be surprised.”
Oz coughed. He scratched the nape of his neck. “Sorry, Buffy. Just…had a moment.”
She snorted. Did you ever, it seemed to say. “So I take it you didn’t hear anything I said.”
“Um…”
“Right, because this wasn’t awkward enough before,” Buffy muttered, tugging at the loops on the belt of her denim jacket.
Okay, he’d heard that. Sooo… Hmm.
“Look, I talked to Willow and she thought that you’d be cool about it, but if it’s not something you want to do…”
“Buffy, I’m really sorry-”
“I knew it!”
“-but I have no idea what you’re talking about. I’m not just blowing you off.”
The cloud over Buffy’s face cleared. “Really?”
Oz smiled. “I do sometimes zone out, Buff.”
“I don’t think of you as a zoner, Oz.”
He shrugged. “Happens. So…what am I not blowing you off about?”
“Um, a photo shoot. Thing. I’m taking that photography class and I need to take pictures of a live subject. No more still lifes and scenery for me. And I thought maybe-”
“Sure.”
“-I could, like, take pictures of you and your band. That is if you guys are playing again now that you’re back home. I mean-”
“Sure.”
“-if you don’t mind, and all. Sure?”
Oz shrugged. “Yeah. Sure. Gotta make sure the guys are okay with it, but I don’t think they’ll mind. Well Skylar might not like it-”
“Uh, one of the singers?”
“The girl. She likes singing during practice but isn’t into the spotlight. Kyle’s a closet diva, though. We’re still in contract negotiations with his people about a dressing room.”
Buffy’s eyebrows rose. “He’s got people?”
“No. That’s why we’re still negotiating.”
She grinned.
“Buffy, you wouldn’t happen to have had a lollipop recently, would you?”
“Yeah? Why? Is my tongue green?”
Huh. “No reason. So, uh, our next gig is in a couple of days. You’re gonna come with Willow?”
“I didn’t think Willow was still going to the gigs.”
Oz shrugged. “From what I heard she went a couple of times while I was in Tibet but, yeah, no real Willow-spottings since I’ve been home.”
“I’m sure it had nothing to do with trying to eat her girlfriend,” Buffy said, brushing it away with a hand.
Oz coughed. “Yeah. Uh, so…how ‘bout I pick you up? I’ll call you tonight. Let you know when exactly it is we’re playing again and we can work out a time to meet up? You can get some pre-show stuff. Y’know, Norm messing around with the sticks, Kyle and Skylar arguing, Lexie throwing paper balls at them. Fun stuff.
Buffy’s grin returned. “That sounds so great.” Taking one big step forward, she threw her arms around Oz’s neck. “Thank you so much, Oz.” She stepped back. “You are a total lifesaver.”
She smelled like Sour Apple. “No problem.”
Fin[ite]
Read previous chapters here.