Aug 29 - Oz/Jess
Aug 29 - Oz/Jess
Author: mmooch
Chapter Summary: **Part of the 2016 LiveJournal’s Twisted Shorts FaD** challenge. Jess learns he can’t out-cool Oz.
Crossover: Gilmore Girls
Rating: FR-13.
Word count: 1503
Challenge: for the livejournal 2016 August Fic-a-Day Challenge.
Timeline: season 4 BtVS; season 2 GG, during episode 5
Disclaimer: BtVS/AtS characters belong to Joss Whedon/Mutant Enemy. Gilmore Girls belong to the WB, et al. I claim no rights to any copyrighted material. Please do not copy or take this story without my permission.
Bytes and Kill-o-Bytes Café(s)
Oz sat on a chair near his cash register, playing his guitar. This town was definitely different. Most places that had a hangout for teens would be packed at least until midnight, but Stars Hollow? It’s like there’s a curfew or something keeping them in their houses after 8 pm. Now granted, Sunnydale could have used something similar, but since there was no undead nightlife around, that excuse didn’t fly here. Of course, maybe the curfew made the town unappealing to vamps. He’d have to think about that…maybe.
But first he wanted to master this chord.
A knock on the glass door distracted him from his playing. A kid that could only be Luke’s nephew was standing there, looking inside. “Hey, you open?” he asked through the glass.
Oz waved him in, then went back to his guitar. He’d wait until Jess started the conversation before getting involved.
“So what’s this place doing in a town like Pleasantville?” Jess asked snarkily. He actually liked the interior of the store. It wasn’t like a Candyland game threw up like the rest of the town, although he’d go a little further in the cool factor himself.
Knowing a little about Jess’ upbringing - or lack thereof - and why he was with Luke, Oz guessed that he had the younger man sorta figured out. Hurt, but trying not to show it. Desperately needing somebody to trust, but with so many years of basically being on his own, unable to figure out how to do it. The part Oz didn’t know yet was Jess’ potential. Was he smart enough to make something of himself or was he just marking time until he ended up in prison?
“People need the internet, even the ones clinging to the past,” Oz replied with his usual sense of calm.
Jess evaluated the guy in front of him; something was off about him. “You can’t be from this place,” he concluded.
“Nope,” Oz confirmed with a shake of the head. “Broke down last year and your uncle gave me a job cooking for him. A couple of my programs sold, so I bought this place a few months ago. Once you get over the Happy Days vibe, Stars Hollow isn’t so bad…apart from the lack of nighttime entertainment,” he admitted.
“Ahh, so you know who I am. Are you going to give me a speech about how you understand me and that I’m lucky to have Luke take me in?” Jess all but snarled. He just got away from that at Lorelai’s house and really didn’t feel like a second act.
“I’ll admit that I think you’re lucky because it’s better than living on the streets, but no, I don’t know you well enough to understand you…yet. I’ve know people who’ve had it better than you and have managed to screw up their perfect lives and I’ve known people who’ve had it worse than you and didn’t have a chip on their shoulder, yet managed to make their lives better. And a bunch of other people all over the spectrum.
“You made a choice to come here,” Oz said, holding up his hand to stop Jess’ protest. “I know your mom put you on the bus, but you’re 17; nothing was stopping you from getting off and going a different direction. That tells me that deep down, part of you wants to give this a chance. Luke sucks with kids, but he does care about you. Try not to make him regret it. Lecture over.”
“What’s your story?” Jess asked in a much less sarcastic tone (some people might have even considered it friendly).
Feeling that it might help Luke and Jess to give Jess a younger male to relate to, Oz decided to open up as much as he could without spilling the supernatural beans. “Grew up in a crazy town in California. Not crazy like Stars Hollow, but crazy like violence and disappearances. Saw a girl, saw her again a couple more times before I knew I had to meet her. Finally got the chance to talk to her and got shot in the arm.
“We fell in love and she cheated on me with her best friend - guy best friend. We made up and I ended up cheating on her several months after that with another musician chick. I left to get my head on straight and when I went back to her, found her with another girl. I left again for good and ended up here. During all that, our lives were in danger a couple dozen times and we managed to survive, even when a couple friends tried to kill us - at different times, of course. Oh, and I was in a band called ‘Dingoes Ate My Baby’,” Oz finished, feeling slightly out of breath. He didn’t know how Buffy and Willow could do that.
“Seriously, man?” Jess asked in astonishment. Even New York wasn’t that dangerous.
“Yep,” Oz replied, knowing what Jess meant but deliberately pretending not to, “I played lead guitar.”
“Does Luke know all this?”
Oz shrugged. “Never came up.”
Jess looked suspicious. “Why did you tell me, then?”
“You know, I’m not really sure why. I think at first it was to make you feel like I was somebody you could talk to if you couldn’t talk to Luke. But I’ve never unloaded it before, and I guess I needed to.”
“Well, I hope you don’t expect me to share my life story now,” Jess snapped half-heartedly.
“Nope, but I am going to offer you a job,” Oz said, surprising the teen.
“What?”
“Eventually, you’re going to do something to piss Luke off and as part of your punishment, he’ll make you work in the diner. Don’t get me wrong, I like the diner, but I don’t think you would. If you’re already working here, he’ll leave that alone…Unless I’m wrong and you do want to work there,” Oz finished with a smirk.
Jess sighed in resignation, “Fine, what do I have to do?”
They talked for another half hour or so before Luke walked by in a bad mood. Oz glanced at Luke, then at Jess, then asked, “What’d you do?”
“What makes you think it was something I did?” Jess demanded.
Oz just stared at him with a raised eyebrow.
“So I might have mouthed off to his girlfriend a little when she tried to get all Oprah on me and took off from a dinner at her house with her daughter and friends,” Jess admitted.
“Girlfriend?” Oz asked in confusion. “Do you mean Lorelai? They aren’t dating, although the town has bets on how long it will be before they do.”
“Whatever,” Jess said dismissively. “It annoyed me that she was trying to bond over our supposed shared experiences and I let her know it.”
“Probably wasn’t the smartest thing,” Oz started.
“Hey, she should have kept her nose out of my business!” Jess defended himself.
“…for Lorelai to do,” Oz finished as if Jess hadn’t interrupted him. “She means well, but she doesn’t understand that she doesn’t know everything. Some people actually have worse lives than her.” He liked her, but felt that she was too nosy at times. She need to learn to keep out of other people’s business. “Well, you should get back to Luke’s before he freaks. See you tomorrow afternoon.”
-----------------
The next night, Jess came storming in a couple hours after his shift ended and slammed his coat into a chair.
Oz stood there quietly, waiting for an explanation.
“You called it, he wants me to work in the diner. I left before telling him I worked here.”
“Not even a week? Man, that’s actually kind of impressive,” Oz said. He honestly thought it would take a month or so before things came to a boil.
“Do you know he pushed me in the lake after school?” Jess demanded.
“Stealing from Taylor and making Luke deal with him is a pretty good way to get pushed in the lake. Small town gossip means that when you act up, everyone knows it before sundown,” Oz warned.
“And that school! What a bunch of freaks!” Jess continued his rant.
“Why don’t you take your GED?” Oz asked. “I kinda get the impression you don’t fit into the normal school thing, but based on our conversations last night and today, you’re smart…I think. Why not take the test and get rid of that hassle?” He was afraid he was overstepping his boundaries…like seriously overstepping them, but some of the obscure things Jess said reminded him of himself and knowing that he didn’t like the pace of high school - and only put up with it for Willow - he thought the same might be true of Jess.
For a second, Jess looked moderately excited, then said, “Luke would never allow it. Another one of his demands tonight was that I graduate high school.”
“Maybe if you prove you can be responsible, he’ll consider it,” Oz suggested.
A/N: I do love Lorelai, but in re-watching this episode for the chapter, I kinda wanted to smack her.
Author: mmooch
Chapter Summary: **Part of the 2016 LiveJournal’s Twisted Shorts FaD** challenge. Jess learns he can’t out-cool Oz.
Crossover: Gilmore Girls
Rating: FR-13.
Word count: 1503
Challenge: for the livejournal 2016 August Fic-a-Day Challenge.
Timeline: season 4 BtVS; season 2 GG, during episode 5
Disclaimer: BtVS/AtS characters belong to Joss Whedon/Mutant Enemy. Gilmore Girls belong to the WB, et al. I claim no rights to any copyrighted material. Please do not copy or take this story without my permission.
Bytes and Kill-o-Bytes Café(s)
Oz sat on a chair near his cash register, playing his guitar. This town was definitely different. Most places that had a hangout for teens would be packed at least until midnight, but Stars Hollow? It’s like there’s a curfew or something keeping them in their houses after 8 pm. Now granted, Sunnydale could have used something similar, but since there was no undead nightlife around, that excuse didn’t fly here. Of course, maybe the curfew made the town unappealing to vamps. He’d have to think about that…maybe.
But first he wanted to master this chord.
A knock on the glass door distracted him from his playing. A kid that could only be Luke’s nephew was standing there, looking inside. “Hey, you open?” he asked through the glass.
Oz waved him in, then went back to his guitar. He’d wait until Jess started the conversation before getting involved.
“So what’s this place doing in a town like Pleasantville?” Jess asked snarkily. He actually liked the interior of the store. It wasn’t like a Candyland game threw up like the rest of the town, although he’d go a little further in the cool factor himself.
Knowing a little about Jess’ upbringing - or lack thereof - and why he was with Luke, Oz guessed that he had the younger man sorta figured out. Hurt, but trying not to show it. Desperately needing somebody to trust, but with so many years of basically being on his own, unable to figure out how to do it. The part Oz didn’t know yet was Jess’ potential. Was he smart enough to make something of himself or was he just marking time until he ended up in prison?
“People need the internet, even the ones clinging to the past,” Oz replied with his usual sense of calm.
Jess evaluated the guy in front of him; something was off about him. “You can’t be from this place,” he concluded.
“Nope,” Oz confirmed with a shake of the head. “Broke down last year and your uncle gave me a job cooking for him. A couple of my programs sold, so I bought this place a few months ago. Once you get over the Happy Days vibe, Stars Hollow isn’t so bad…apart from the lack of nighttime entertainment,” he admitted.
“Ahh, so you know who I am. Are you going to give me a speech about how you understand me and that I’m lucky to have Luke take me in?” Jess all but snarled. He just got away from that at Lorelai’s house and really didn’t feel like a second act.
“I’ll admit that I think you’re lucky because it’s better than living on the streets, but no, I don’t know you well enough to understand you…yet. I’ve know people who’ve had it better than you and have managed to screw up their perfect lives and I’ve known people who’ve had it worse than you and didn’t have a chip on their shoulder, yet managed to make their lives better. And a bunch of other people all over the spectrum.
“You made a choice to come here,” Oz said, holding up his hand to stop Jess’ protest. “I know your mom put you on the bus, but you’re 17; nothing was stopping you from getting off and going a different direction. That tells me that deep down, part of you wants to give this a chance. Luke sucks with kids, but he does care about you. Try not to make him regret it. Lecture over.”
“What’s your story?” Jess asked in a much less sarcastic tone (some people might have even considered it friendly).
Feeling that it might help Luke and Jess to give Jess a younger male to relate to, Oz decided to open up as much as he could without spilling the supernatural beans. “Grew up in a crazy town in California. Not crazy like Stars Hollow, but crazy like violence and disappearances. Saw a girl, saw her again a couple more times before I knew I had to meet her. Finally got the chance to talk to her and got shot in the arm.
“We fell in love and she cheated on me with her best friend - guy best friend. We made up and I ended up cheating on her several months after that with another musician chick. I left to get my head on straight and when I went back to her, found her with another girl. I left again for good and ended up here. During all that, our lives were in danger a couple dozen times and we managed to survive, even when a couple friends tried to kill us - at different times, of course. Oh, and I was in a band called ‘Dingoes Ate My Baby’,” Oz finished, feeling slightly out of breath. He didn’t know how Buffy and Willow could do that.
“Seriously, man?” Jess asked in astonishment. Even New York wasn’t that dangerous.
“Yep,” Oz replied, knowing what Jess meant but deliberately pretending not to, “I played lead guitar.”
“Does Luke know all this?”
Oz shrugged. “Never came up.”
Jess looked suspicious. “Why did you tell me, then?”
“You know, I’m not really sure why. I think at first it was to make you feel like I was somebody you could talk to if you couldn’t talk to Luke. But I’ve never unloaded it before, and I guess I needed to.”
“Well, I hope you don’t expect me to share my life story now,” Jess snapped half-heartedly.
“Nope, but I am going to offer you a job,” Oz said, surprising the teen.
“What?”
“Eventually, you’re going to do something to piss Luke off and as part of your punishment, he’ll make you work in the diner. Don’t get me wrong, I like the diner, but I don’t think you would. If you’re already working here, he’ll leave that alone…Unless I’m wrong and you do want to work there,” Oz finished with a smirk.
Jess sighed in resignation, “Fine, what do I have to do?”
They talked for another half hour or so before Luke walked by in a bad mood. Oz glanced at Luke, then at Jess, then asked, “What’d you do?”
“What makes you think it was something I did?” Jess demanded.
Oz just stared at him with a raised eyebrow.
“So I might have mouthed off to his girlfriend a little when she tried to get all Oprah on me and took off from a dinner at her house with her daughter and friends,” Jess admitted.
“Girlfriend?” Oz asked in confusion. “Do you mean Lorelai? They aren’t dating, although the town has bets on how long it will be before they do.”
“Whatever,” Jess said dismissively. “It annoyed me that she was trying to bond over our supposed shared experiences and I let her know it.”
“Probably wasn’t the smartest thing,” Oz started.
“Hey, she should have kept her nose out of my business!” Jess defended himself.
“…for Lorelai to do,” Oz finished as if Jess hadn’t interrupted him. “She means well, but she doesn’t understand that she doesn’t know everything. Some people actually have worse lives than her.” He liked her, but felt that she was too nosy at times. She need to learn to keep out of other people’s business. “Well, you should get back to Luke’s before he freaks. See you tomorrow afternoon.”
-----------------
The next night, Jess came storming in a couple hours after his shift ended and slammed his coat into a chair.
Oz stood there quietly, waiting for an explanation.
“You called it, he wants me to work in the diner. I left before telling him I worked here.”
“Not even a week? Man, that’s actually kind of impressive,” Oz said. He honestly thought it would take a month or so before things came to a boil.
“Do you know he pushed me in the lake after school?” Jess demanded.
“Stealing from Taylor and making Luke deal with him is a pretty good way to get pushed in the lake. Small town gossip means that when you act up, everyone knows it before sundown,” Oz warned.
“And that school! What a bunch of freaks!” Jess continued his rant.
“Why don’t you take your GED?” Oz asked. “I kinda get the impression you don’t fit into the normal school thing, but based on our conversations last night and today, you’re smart…I think. Why not take the test and get rid of that hassle?” He was afraid he was overstepping his boundaries…like seriously overstepping them, but some of the obscure things Jess said reminded him of himself and knowing that he didn’t like the pace of high school - and only put up with it for Willow - he thought the same might be true of Jess.
For a second, Jess looked moderately excited, then said, “Luke would never allow it. Another one of his demands tonight was that I graduate high school.”
“Maybe if you prove you can be responsible, he’ll consider it,” Oz suggested.
A/N: I do love Lorelai, but in re-watching this episode for the chapter, I kinda wanted to smack her.