log, ongoing

[ananticlimax.livejournal.com]

When; monday morning
Rating; pg-13 possibly
Characters; willow rosenberg [awillowywitch] + daniel osbourne [ananticlimax] (plus anyone else possibly relevant later)
Summary; Oz just happened to arrive in the City on a really unfortunate day. He shipped himself off to Angel and Wesley and etc's place to be restrained. The morning after, Oz and Willow need to have a Serious Talk about her relationship status with Tara.
Log;

Oz wakes up cold, on the ground, naked as per usual. He's gotten used to the feeling. A key he wouldn't have been able to use as the wolf unlocks his shackles, and he stands and rubs at his limbs, stretching and wincing at the pop of one of his shoulders back into place before getting dressed again.

Willow is supposed to meet him. He lingers, uncertain, confused by all of the mixed messages from various people throughout the day, including Willow herself. It's confusing for Oz, not least because only twenty-four hours ago for him, he and Willow had brought their relationship to a higher level. A more intimate one. He slides his shirt over his head with a quiet sigh, more of a puff of air than anything. Tara's name won't leave his mind-- a woman he's never met. It's just one more thing to overwhelm him within the last twenty-four hours, whether it shows on his face or not.

Comments

[ananticlimax.livejournal.com]

Oz stops walking abruptly, pausing in the road on the way away from the large estate-like property that apparently Angel had inherited. Giving Willow a dubious look, hands shoved into his pockets, the corner of his lip turns up, wryly and expectantly.

"If hobbits are real, does that mean that somewhere I'm fictional?"

[awillowywitch.livejournal.com]

Willow tilts her head to one side. "Well, you'll have to ask the residents about that one," she says slowly. "Or Buffy. She has DVDs."

She shakes her head, grinning, before continuing down the road.

[ananticlimax.livejournal.com]

Oz starts following Willow again for a short period, curiosity satisfied, before belatedly:

"What's a DVD, Willow?"

[awillowywitch.livejournal.com]

...wait. Willow frowns at him, uncomprehending. Then realises. "Oh! Right. Past. Future. My miss."

She thinks on it. "It's the next step up from a video?"

[ananticlimax.livejournal.com]

"I can work with that."

He speeds ahead of her slightly, so that he can look back over his shoulder, his expression its usual combination of sobriety and anything but.

"Are you sure you're okay with this? I don't want to insult you by pretending we're not having issues. But I think this is okay."

[awillowywitch.livejournal.com]

"I'm okay with this," she responds almost immediately. "I think... I think this helps work out the issues. And I like it better than being avoidy."

After him being such a big part of her life, she thinks - there was always a part of her missing him. And while he's here in the City, them avoiding each other would only make things worse. Willow can cope with this, the not-avoiding and the baby steps.

[ananticlimax.livejournal.com]

"It does help work out issues. Because being avoidy has a tendency to produce the effect of avoiding working out issues."

He shrugs his shoulders, bowing his head a little again. He's certain a part of him will always be uncomfortable with Tara-- he knows exactly what part it is, too. The one that comes out three times a month --but Willow, at least, he can salvage some kind of relationship with wholly. Even if it's not the one he arrived prepared to be in.

"So...do you like it here okay?"

[awillowywitch.livejournal.com]

"And the avoidance of working out issues just leads to badness on both sides, hence this is leading to not-badness, which is good."

And that's her opinion, and pretty much how it's going to stay. She frowns a little at the next question. "Yeah, I've met a lot of really nice people here. And I'm glad to know them. Curses are sucky, and there are some... issues with my magic that aren't so good to deal with here. But for the most part, good."

[ananticlimax.livejournal.com]

"Curses? Definitely sucky. I have previous first-hand experience."

Assuredly it's more of a nonchalant joke to Oz than it is Willow at this point; Oz doesn't know what's in store for himself. Still, her frown makes his eyebrows knit together at the center, just slightly.

"For the most part good is good for the most part."

[awillowywitch.livejournal.com]

"It's... a little different when you can switch genders or be in a horror movie, or... well, vampire Willow made a return once. As me, sort of. It was bad. Faith smacked me with a board and I bit her."

That was the very condensed version without the bitchiness or the drama, anyway. And really just a point of contention as to why curses were very really not of the good.

"It is. Being able to deal is a plus. It's hard to say whether here or back home is more relaxing, though. I think they're tied."

[ananticlimax.livejournal.com]

For a few moments, Oz's face gets a far-away look to it; it's obvious that he's deeply considering these comments about horror movies and gender switching and skanky vampire Willow. He nods his head before replying.

"People turn into rats at home. And there are tentacles. They're probably tied."