August 21 - The Wolf's Snout
Twisted Shorts August Fic-a-Day Challenge - Day 21
Title: The Wolf’s Snout
Author: hermione2be
Rating: PG/FR13/K+
Crossover: BtVS/Psych
Disclaimer: I do not own any of BtVS/Angel or Psych people, places, or ideas. This fiction is done simply for pleasure and I receive no profit.
Summary: Oz finds something familiar during a gig.
Notes: Follows “Moving On”
Seasons: Post “Becoming”/ Season 1
Characters: Buffy, Oz, Devon, Sam, Shawn, Gus
Word Count: 975
Oz sniffed the air as something familiar caught his attention. He was standing at the loading dock of the music club unloading the van with his band.
“What’s up man?” Devon asked.
“Thought I recognized someone,” he replied.
“Dude,” Sam said, “Willow is not here.”
Oz cringed. His bandmates knew a little too much about that particular issue. Willow and he had been slowly drifting apart after the events of the previous spring. But Angel coming back from Hell had been the nail in their relationship.
Being the one who re-souled him, Willow had felt responsible, Oz had understood that. But slowly she had become more involved in the relationship with the souled vampire than with him. Then, sick of being ignored and placed second, he had sat Willow down and calmly laid out his feelings. The breakup had been mutual and easy.
Except the empty time had left him listless. Faith and Giles had kept him in the group, keeping him from harming anyone during the full moon. They had also kept him updated on what was going on. To everyone who wasn’t a Scooby, it had slowly become clear why they had broken up.
“It’s not Willow,” he said. “Just someone I knew.”
“Whatever, just focus,” Devon told him.
Oz shook his head and hauled more equipment in.
88888888
A break came midway through the set. Oz left the stage to grab a couple of drinks. Even among all the bodies he identified the smell again. It made his werewolf standup and take notice. Distracted, he moved across the club to where a man was sitting in a booth. He was black, dressed in a nice red shirt and slacks.
Oz inhaled on his way past. There it was again, a scent his wolf was certain belonged to a Slayer.
“Is there a girl here?” Oz asked, looking at anyone approaching.
“No,” the man said.
But something demanded Oz get to the bottom of it. He inhaled again, focusing on the scent.
88888888
Oz paused along the street as he picked up the scent he had been looking for. He was standing in front of an office with ‘Psych’ on the front glass window. He walked closer, hearing voices inside.
“Beth,” a male voice said. “We just want to know what your mom wrote.”
“It’s none of your business,” a woman snapped. “The attempts at violating my privacy will result in my kicking your ass, Shawn.”
Oz knew that voice. He hadn’t heard it in over a year, but it was easy to identify.
“And what the hell, Gus?” she continued. “You’re supposed to keep him from doing this.”
“I objected,” Gus said, identifying him as the man from the club. “But he waited until I went out tonight before breaking in.”
Oz knocked on the door.
“Come in!” three voices shouted.
He opened the door to find the man from the club - Gus - and another man along with a woman he recognized.
“Oz?” the woman breathed in surprise.
“As in Wizard of?” Shawn asked.
“He’s the guitarist from the club I went to tonight,” Gus told them.
Buffy stepped forward and hugged him. It was a bit tight but nothing his wolf couldn’t stand. “I go by Beth,” she whispered. “They don’t know about Sunnydale.”
He nodded in her grasp.
She released him. “What are you doing here?”
“Band,” he replied.
“Glad that is still going well for you,” she said. “I’m sorry about Willow.”
He frowned at her.
“Angel was here a few weeks ago,” Shawn supplied.
“Oz, this is Shawn and Gus. One’s a friend, the other is a criminal I plan on bludgeoning to death.”
“Gus has done some really shameful things of late,” Shawn said.
Gus glared. “You’re the one she plans on using for a practice dummy.”
“Clearly I’m the friend, Gus, and you are the criminal.”
“Being black doesn’t make me a criminal,” Gus snapped.
“This has nothing to do with race,” Shawn replied. “This has to do with the shiftiness of your eyes.”
“Mind your own business, Shawn,” Buffy snapped. “Come on, Oz. Are you up for a walk?”
He shrugged. “Sure.”
They exited the building and started down the street.
“You left,” he stated evenly.
Buffy sighed. “I know. It was…” She closed her eyes, trying to force back tears he could smell. “As much as I regret the way it happened, I’ve never been happier. I came straight here, I met Henry. I got my GED and worked and now I own a small self-defense studio.”
“There was another, after you.”
“I heard. She died preventing an apocalypse.”
He nodded as they continued along. Faith had been Buffy’s opposite in most ways, but they had both been invested in keeping the Scoobies alive.
“Are you going to college?” she asked.
“No.”
“Just going to travel and do music?”
“Yeah.”
“Parents must be thrilled.”
Oz gave a sardonic smile in response.
“How did you find me?”
He pointed to his nose. “At the docks behind the club, then on your friend.”
“I was chasing down a lead on a shriek demon near the waterfront this afternoon. And I gave Gus a hug earlier, or more correctly he gave me one. Now I realize he was using it to distract me while he tried to gesture-talk Shawn out of invading my privacy at my studio.”
He raised an eyebrow.
“It’s complicated,” she said. “But it’s mine. And I chose it.”
Oz nodded.
“How long you in town?”
“Leave tomorrow. Show in Ventura.”
“I’m glad. What are you doing about the full moon?”
He shrugged. “I figure I’ll end up in Sunnydale.”
Buffy pulled him to a stop. “I’m sorry. Maybe we can find some sane werewolves to take you in around the world, when you guys tour.”
He forced a smile. “Maybe.”
Title: The Wolf’s Snout
Author: hermione2be
Rating: PG/FR13/K+
Crossover: BtVS/Psych
Disclaimer: I do not own any of BtVS/Angel or Psych people, places, or ideas. This fiction is done simply for pleasure and I receive no profit.
Summary: Oz finds something familiar during a gig.
Notes: Follows “Moving On”
Seasons: Post “Becoming”/ Season 1
Characters: Buffy, Oz, Devon, Sam, Shawn, Gus
Word Count: 975
Oz sniffed the air as something familiar caught his attention. He was standing at the loading dock of the music club unloading the van with his band.
“What’s up man?” Devon asked.
“Thought I recognized someone,” he replied.
“Dude,” Sam said, “Willow is not here.”
Oz cringed. His bandmates knew a little too much about that particular issue. Willow and he had been slowly drifting apart after the events of the previous spring. But Angel coming back from Hell had been the nail in their relationship.
Being the one who re-souled him, Willow had felt responsible, Oz had understood that. But slowly she had become more involved in the relationship with the souled vampire than with him. Then, sick of being ignored and placed second, he had sat Willow down and calmly laid out his feelings. The breakup had been mutual and easy.
Except the empty time had left him listless. Faith and Giles had kept him in the group, keeping him from harming anyone during the full moon. They had also kept him updated on what was going on. To everyone who wasn’t a Scooby, it had slowly become clear why they had broken up.
“It’s not Willow,” he said. “Just someone I knew.”
“Whatever, just focus,” Devon told him.
Oz shook his head and hauled more equipment in.
88888888
A break came midway through the set. Oz left the stage to grab a couple of drinks. Even among all the bodies he identified the smell again. It made his werewolf standup and take notice. Distracted, he moved across the club to where a man was sitting in a booth. He was black, dressed in a nice red shirt and slacks.
Oz inhaled on his way past. There it was again, a scent his wolf was certain belonged to a Slayer.
“Is there a girl here?” Oz asked, looking at anyone approaching.
“No,” the man said.
But something demanded Oz get to the bottom of it. He inhaled again, focusing on the scent.
88888888
Oz paused along the street as he picked up the scent he had been looking for. He was standing in front of an office with ‘Psych’ on the front glass window. He walked closer, hearing voices inside.
“Beth,” a male voice said. “We just want to know what your mom wrote.”
“It’s none of your business,” a woman snapped. “The attempts at violating my privacy will result in my kicking your ass, Shawn.”
Oz knew that voice. He hadn’t heard it in over a year, but it was easy to identify.
“And what the hell, Gus?” she continued. “You’re supposed to keep him from doing this.”
“I objected,” Gus said, identifying him as the man from the club. “But he waited until I went out tonight before breaking in.”
Oz knocked on the door.
“Come in!” three voices shouted.
He opened the door to find the man from the club - Gus - and another man along with a woman he recognized.
“Oz?” the woman breathed in surprise.
“As in Wizard of?” Shawn asked.
“He’s the guitarist from the club I went to tonight,” Gus told them.
Buffy stepped forward and hugged him. It was a bit tight but nothing his wolf couldn’t stand. “I go by Beth,” she whispered. “They don’t know about Sunnydale.”
He nodded in her grasp.
She released him. “What are you doing here?”
“Band,” he replied.
“Glad that is still going well for you,” she said. “I’m sorry about Willow.”
He frowned at her.
“Angel was here a few weeks ago,” Shawn supplied.
“Oz, this is Shawn and Gus. One’s a friend, the other is a criminal I plan on bludgeoning to death.”
“Gus has done some really shameful things of late,” Shawn said.
Gus glared. “You’re the one she plans on using for a practice dummy.”
“Clearly I’m the friend, Gus, and you are the criminal.”
“Being black doesn’t make me a criminal,” Gus snapped.
“This has nothing to do with race,” Shawn replied. “This has to do with the shiftiness of your eyes.”
“Mind your own business, Shawn,” Buffy snapped. “Come on, Oz. Are you up for a walk?”
He shrugged. “Sure.”
They exited the building and started down the street.
“You left,” he stated evenly.
Buffy sighed. “I know. It was…” She closed her eyes, trying to force back tears he could smell. “As much as I regret the way it happened, I’ve never been happier. I came straight here, I met Henry. I got my GED and worked and now I own a small self-defense studio.”
“There was another, after you.”
“I heard. She died preventing an apocalypse.”
He nodded as they continued along. Faith had been Buffy’s opposite in most ways, but they had both been invested in keeping the Scoobies alive.
“Are you going to college?” she asked.
“No.”
“Just going to travel and do music?”
“Yeah.”
“Parents must be thrilled.”
Oz gave a sardonic smile in response.
“How did you find me?”
He pointed to his nose. “At the docks behind the club, then on your friend.”
“I was chasing down a lead on a shriek demon near the waterfront this afternoon. And I gave Gus a hug earlier, or more correctly he gave me one. Now I realize he was using it to distract me while he tried to gesture-talk Shawn out of invading my privacy at my studio.”
He raised an eyebrow.
“It’s complicated,” she said. “But it’s mine. And I chose it.”
Oz nodded.
“How long you in town?”
“Leave tomorrow. Show in Ventura.”
“I’m glad. What are you doing about the full moon?”
He shrugged. “I figure I’ll end up in Sunnydale.”
Buffy pulled him to a stop. “I’m sorry. Maybe we can find some sane werewolves to take you in around the world, when you guys tour.”
He forced a smile. “Maybe.”