Plus Ca Change (plus c'est la meme chose)
Author Brutti ma buoni
Title Plus Ça Change (plus c'est la même chose)
Rating PG
Characters Oz, ensemble, Spike/Buffy
Words 1000
Prompt A very literal take on 'Everybody has a better job, apart from…'
Setting Post series
Ten Years On, flaunts the banner. Ten Years On from Graduation Day and the Giant Snake Mayor Who Only Killed A Statistically Insignificant Proportion of the Graduating Class and Their Families, it should probably mention, but the committee seem to have foregone that part. Or perhaps it's that there's so much else that could be added (Assuming You Don't Count Those Who Never Made It To Graduation, In Which Case Statistical Significance Is More Than Achieved, Especially Counting Everyone Who Died Since Including the Ones That Went Down With the Entire City of Sunnydale Four Years After).
Oz, pondering, is starting to grasp why the committee went with non-specific.
He really didn't intend to attend, but fate seemed determined to place him in southern California at the relevant time, and there are people he's not sorry to see. The committee have done pretty well, considering the large-scale destruction of school records in both snake and town-collapse episodes. Pretty much the people he knows are alive are here.
The surviving portions of Dingoes, for a start, though they seem disturbingly corporate now. Harmony Kendall, previously one of his least favourite classmates, is going through an interesting vampire transformation thing where she's both evil and friendly, which makes conversations with her at least 65% more interesting. She works in LA, obviously. Some law firm. Seems well. Tucker Wells, surprisingly sane, and even more surprisingly present, considering this is commemorating the graduation class he aimed the hell beasts at, not so much his own. Tucker works for the Parks Service now. Apparently the time outdoors has 'cleared his head'. Which is cautiously good news. Freddie actually made it into journalism, though he skipped out and now runs a vicious critical blog excoriating celebrity culture, sponsored by three major movie studios. He looks obnoxiously happy on it.
Of the Scoobies, Oz spots Xander first. Looking good, which is no great surprise. Oz has loosely been in touch with Xander a while, since a werewolf thing in '07 needed some external consultancy. He seems well. A little suit-wearing and smug for Oz's taste, but this whole quartermaster thing seems like Xander's found his place.
Then he gets just a whiff, just a hint of Willow. He closes his eyes. Lets it waft over and past. There's no there, there. Not anymore. It's just Willow. Eyes open, and she's there. A little cautious, but he smiles, and she hugs him tight. "Oz! It's so good to see you!" The girl at her side looks cautious, but not unfriendly. Oz doesn't wolf out, and caution starts to turn into social interaction.
He always kind of thought Willow would stay with Buffy, but no. "That magicks - it just got too powerful. I'm better doing other things. Software development. I dabble with Wicca these days." She makes a cute little Willow-face, on the word dabble, and he remembers kissing her for the first time. Sex, with Willow, precisely ten years ago. How sweet she was.
The unknown girl elbows Willow while smiling through her teeth. It's possible Oz failed to keep his external cool, just then. "Sorry, sweetie - you have to meet Kennedy, Oz. She's a leading Slayer, in the Council. So I'm not totally out of the loop. Just, peripheral. Loop adjacent." She babbles. Kennedy smiles a smile that seems to involve more teeth than necessary, and Oz nods, pretends to spot someone he knows, and leaves the past behind.
Unexpectedly, the pathway between him and the beverage table is occupied by someone he does, in fact, know. Buffy Summers, large as life and just as unexpected. "Buffy. Unexpected." It's weak, but it's the best Oz can do in the face of an unforeseen radiant cheerleader turned world saviour.
She smiles, beams even. "Yeah. I know. I missed out on most of our class events."
"Or saved the class during them," Oz points out. Then, quickly, "So does that mean-"
"Nope." She grins. "Here for the fun of it. Seemed like the time." She's wearing something a little like that prom dress. Thin and pale pink, and doing good things for her.
"Are you well? All good?" Oz tries the usual queries, and she pings questions back at him, establishes that the whole guru thing is working well for him, and it's only later that he realises what a dumb question it was to ask, "And work? What are you doing these days?"
She freezes, a little, and he flashes back to the whole careers thing. Oh. Yes. "Slaying. Saving the world. Killing stuff. Dying. You know the drill."
"Huh." He flails, internally. "Sounds… essential." Sounds identical to when they last spoke, honestly. Sacred duty must really bind. What's next on the list of tactless reunion questions… You and Angel, still together? But he knows the answer to that one, so it becomes, "You seeing anyone?"
"Yes, actually. You probably remember him. I mean, there aren't that many vampires from Sunnydale still around-"
"You're still with Angel?" Oz very nearly makes an expression there. It's startling.
"Wash your mouth out," comes a voice that actually is familiar, from behind Oz, and he whirls around, cursing the relaxation that means he doesn't carry his own stake anymore.
It's not a very aggressive voice, admittedly. "Buff, you've got to protect me. Harm keeps trying to do tender remembrance at me. Can't you get territorial on her? Hello dog boy. You keeping well?"
Spike. Spike and Buffy. That's… that really is unexpected. And disturbing. Though she looks happy. So does he, which is more disturbing still. "Got some crappy wine cooler stuff, nothing better to be had. Might as well dance, don't you think, Slayer?"
"Okay. Nice talking to you, Oz," and Buffy the Vampire Slayer walks onto the dance floor in the arms of her vampire lover. Again. Just as if ten years hadn't passed. Even if it's a very different vampire this time. Even if she looks happier, these days.
Even if only 56% of people Oz started high school with are still alive to see them.
***
Title Plus Ça Change (plus c'est la même chose)
Rating PG
Characters Oz, ensemble, Spike/Buffy
Words 1000
Prompt A very literal take on 'Everybody has a better job, apart from…'
Setting Post series
Ten Years On, flaunts the banner. Ten Years On from Graduation Day and the Giant Snake Mayor Who Only Killed A Statistically Insignificant Proportion of the Graduating Class and Their Families, it should probably mention, but the committee seem to have foregone that part. Or perhaps it's that there's so much else that could be added (Assuming You Don't Count Those Who Never Made It To Graduation, In Which Case Statistical Significance Is More Than Achieved, Especially Counting Everyone Who Died Since Including the Ones That Went Down With the Entire City of Sunnydale Four Years After).
Oz, pondering, is starting to grasp why the committee went with non-specific.
He really didn't intend to attend, but fate seemed determined to place him in southern California at the relevant time, and there are people he's not sorry to see. The committee have done pretty well, considering the large-scale destruction of school records in both snake and town-collapse episodes. Pretty much the people he knows are alive are here.
The surviving portions of Dingoes, for a start, though they seem disturbingly corporate now. Harmony Kendall, previously one of his least favourite classmates, is going through an interesting vampire transformation thing where she's both evil and friendly, which makes conversations with her at least 65% more interesting. She works in LA, obviously. Some law firm. Seems well. Tucker Wells, surprisingly sane, and even more surprisingly present, considering this is commemorating the graduation class he aimed the hell beasts at, not so much his own. Tucker works for the Parks Service now. Apparently the time outdoors has 'cleared his head'. Which is cautiously good news. Freddie actually made it into journalism, though he skipped out and now runs a vicious critical blog excoriating celebrity culture, sponsored by three major movie studios. He looks obnoxiously happy on it.
Of the Scoobies, Oz spots Xander first. Looking good, which is no great surprise. Oz has loosely been in touch with Xander a while, since a werewolf thing in '07 needed some external consultancy. He seems well. A little suit-wearing and smug for Oz's taste, but this whole quartermaster thing seems like Xander's found his place.
Then he gets just a whiff, just a hint of Willow. He closes his eyes. Lets it waft over and past. There's no there, there. Not anymore. It's just Willow. Eyes open, and she's there. A little cautious, but he smiles, and she hugs him tight. "Oz! It's so good to see you!" The girl at her side looks cautious, but not unfriendly. Oz doesn't wolf out, and caution starts to turn into social interaction.
He always kind of thought Willow would stay with Buffy, but no. "That magicks - it just got too powerful. I'm better doing other things. Software development. I dabble with Wicca these days." She makes a cute little Willow-face, on the word dabble, and he remembers kissing her for the first time. Sex, with Willow, precisely ten years ago. How sweet she was.
The unknown girl elbows Willow while smiling through her teeth. It's possible Oz failed to keep his external cool, just then. "Sorry, sweetie - you have to meet Kennedy, Oz. She's a leading Slayer, in the Council. So I'm not totally out of the loop. Just, peripheral. Loop adjacent." She babbles. Kennedy smiles a smile that seems to involve more teeth than necessary, and Oz nods, pretends to spot someone he knows, and leaves the past behind.
Unexpectedly, the pathway between him and the beverage table is occupied by someone he does, in fact, know. Buffy Summers, large as life and just as unexpected. "Buffy. Unexpected." It's weak, but it's the best Oz can do in the face of an unforeseen radiant cheerleader turned world saviour.
She smiles, beams even. "Yeah. I know. I missed out on most of our class events."
"Or saved the class during them," Oz points out. Then, quickly, "So does that mean-"
"Nope." She grins. "Here for the fun of it. Seemed like the time." She's wearing something a little like that prom dress. Thin and pale pink, and doing good things for her.
"Are you well? All good?" Oz tries the usual queries, and she pings questions back at him, establishes that the whole guru thing is working well for him, and it's only later that he realises what a dumb question it was to ask, "And work? What are you doing these days?"
She freezes, a little, and he flashes back to the whole careers thing. Oh. Yes. "Slaying. Saving the world. Killing stuff. Dying. You know the drill."
"Huh." He flails, internally. "Sounds… essential." Sounds identical to when they last spoke, honestly. Sacred duty must really bind. What's next on the list of tactless reunion questions… You and Angel, still together? But he knows the answer to that one, so it becomes, "You seeing anyone?"
"Yes, actually. You probably remember him. I mean, there aren't that many vampires from Sunnydale still around-"
"You're still with Angel?" Oz very nearly makes an expression there. It's startling.
"Wash your mouth out," comes a voice that actually is familiar, from behind Oz, and he whirls around, cursing the relaxation that means he doesn't carry his own stake anymore.
It's not a very aggressive voice, admittedly. "Buff, you've got to protect me. Harm keeps trying to do tender remembrance at me. Can't you get territorial on her? Hello dog boy. You keeping well?"
Spike. Spike and Buffy. That's… that really is unexpected. And disturbing. Though she looks happy. So does he, which is more disturbing still. "Got some crappy wine cooler stuff, nothing better to be had. Might as well dance, don't you think, Slayer?"
"Okay. Nice talking to you, Oz," and Buffy the Vampire Slayer walks onto the dance floor in the arms of her vampire lover. Again. Just as if ten years hadn't passed. Even if it's a very different vampire this time. Even if she looks happier, these days.
Even if only 56% of people Oz started high school with are still alive to see them.
***