aimeelicious | Oz/Xander part 4

This story remains untitled, but I think I have an idea of what to call it. Hopefully it will be named within the next few installments. Still no need for much of a rating either, R for language I guess, but it appears to be headed into eventual smut territory. As stated before, I'll be sure to note when that happens so those of you (anyone?) sensitive to NC-17 material are forewarned.

Thanks again to

entrenous88 for her generous pimpage of this story!

Previous chapters can be found here.

He was being watched. The prickly feeling, honed on the Hellmouth, woke him up and alerted him to the presence of another person in the room. That, and the fact that he was all scrunched up in a really uncomfortable position. Slowly he opened his eye and found Paddy staring at him from the recliner chair. Looking around, Xander noticed the television was now showing what appeared to be an anime cartoon, although it was still muted, and the sun was shining brightly through the living room windows. He wondered what time it was, but felt grateful to have gotten dreamless sleep regardless of how much. Sitting up awkwardly, he let his gaze rest on the boy again, who apparently found Xander much more interesting that Digimon. He couldn't imagine why.

"You snore funny."

Xander scowled. Being insulted first thing in the morning was not his idea of fun, and the only one he'd let get away with it was Spike. Spike. Another memory best left untouched. Paddy grinned unrepentantly and followed up.

"Ozzer snores too, but you're louder. What happened to your face?"

An innocent question but Xander's insides turned hot instantly and his hand flew up to cover the offending flesh. "Accident," he mumbled, definitely not prepared to explain slayers, vampires and the First Evil to a happily clueless twelve-year-old. Where was Oz, dammit? His prayers were answered almost too easily as a gravelly voice came from the other side of the room.

"Stop bothering Xander, Pad, and get some breakfast. New cereal is on the counter."

Paddy jumped up and bolted into the kitchen, his happy voice at the discovery of sugary goodness only slightly muffled by distance. Oz propped himself on the wide arm of the couch and grinned wryly at the ruckus.

"Don't buy him that crap often. Thinks it's a treat but he doesn't realize he'll just have to go to the dentist more often if he keeps eating it at every meal."

Xander was not awake enough for soul-jarring questions from children and unexpected Oz humor. He needed his room and his clothes and most importantly his patch before he could start really sorting out what he was doing here and why. Calling Willow was high on that priority list too, but first things first.

"Just gonna shower," he called over his shoulder, getting up and making his escape quickly down the hall to the relative safely of the guest bath. The vision of Oz, in boxers and a t-shirt and haloed by the sunlight like some kind of strange iconic beauty had to be banished from his mind. Immediately if not sooner.

Once under the hot spray though, Xander found himself unable to steer his thoughts away from these unusual circumstances, and his even more unusual host. Oz was no odder now than he'd been in high school, if anything he seemed to be on a crooked path to some kind of normality, but seeing him in this new, more mundane context was still unsettling. Which reminded him that he hadn't inquired about the wolf status. How was Oz taking care of a child with that danger looming on the horizon, no pun intended, every month?

He automatically rinsed his hair of conditioner, washing himself and ignoring the slight interest of his dick in some extra-curricular activity. No way was Xander going to masturbate in a house that contained both a keen-sensed pseudo-friend and a too-curious kid. Although he had to admit the idea was tempting, with his odd reactions to Oz foremost in his mind, and the almost urgent need to just shut it all off. God, his brain was on overload, he hadn't spent this much time internally pondering in months. In fact, it was an activity he avoided, choosing to just live his life and not contemplate the bigger picture. There had been enough of that before.

Then out of nowhere, an epiphany, as all of Willow's subtle remarks and furrowed-brow glances came back to him in a rush. She had sent him on this mission out of misguided concern for his welfare. It occurred to Xander that he should have seen it coming, but he ignored his best friend's worry just as successfully as everyone else's...so well, in fact, that he hadn't been the least bit suspicious about this questionable need for the long-absent Oz to return to the fold. And for him to handle said need personally.

He felt himself getting angry as he roughly dried off and secured the towel around his waist. Yeah, they were best friends but she had a lot of nerve sending him out here on an unnecessary quest for his own good.

Xander stomped back to the guest room, thankful the hallway was deserted this time, and got dressed, pulling clean clothes randomly from his duffel bag and stuffing the dirty ones in. Well, one night in Oregon, spent half-sleepless, was plenty. He was going to head back to Ohio and return to his average existence as soon as possible. A place where he could choose when to let the weirdness in and keep it out, where most everyone except Willow (and boy was she going to hear about this) left him alone, and above all where there were no questions he felt compelled to answer. Once the patch was on and he was sure nothing had been left behind, Xander was ready to go. Now he just had to finagle his way past Oz. He had a feeling it wouldn't be easy.

*************************

He was right. An hour later, neither Xander or his bag had managed to get out of the house. Instead, he was playing some crazy Lord of the Rings card game with unfathomable rules on the kitchen table, Paddy explaining somewhat disjointedly how it worked and Oz looking on with what appeared to be amusement. Xander had no idea how his path from the guest room to the car had detoured into this.

Interrupting Paddy's third and still confusing attempt at describing the Free People's turn, Xander said, not unkindly, "Why don't I give in and let Oz play, ok? I've got a long drive ahead of me." He stood up and gestured at the man next to him to take the chair by the cards.

Oz stood as well but made no move to sit again. "Xander," he said. And then just looked, his eyes clear but his stance intended to convey a message. Xander was pretty sure it was one that involved him not leaving, which wasn't an option. He picked up his bag and made for the door, only to find Oz in the way. They did a little dance until it was clear Oz wasn't budging, and Xander got exasperated.

"What the hell! I'm here for no reason, you can't make me stay!"

"I promised Willow," was the unsatisfactory reply.

"Yeah, well Willow lied to get me here, which makes all subsequent deals null and void as far as I'm concerned. Come on man, I just want to go home," Xander pleaded, beginning to wonder if he could take Oz on and knowing instantly that he'd get his butt kicked. Nevermind the fact that watching them fight would be bad for Paddy, who was observing their encounter with avid interest.

"Is it so bad, being here?" Oz countered. Xander paused, and then nodded definitively. No question, his mind had been working overtime since he arrived and all it had done was make him tired and confused. Tilting his head in the kid's direction, he looked at Oz hopefully. The master of non-verbal communication did not disappoint, as Oz turned around and said quietly, "Pad, why don't you go read in your room for a bit. Just because you have off from school today doesn't mean you shouldn't learn something. Leave the cards and we can play more later if you want."

After Paddy exacted an additional promise that Oz would grill burgers for dinner, the boy departed with surprisingly little protest, leaving the two adults alone. Xander was amazed at Oz's continued parental prowess, but did not hesitate further and stated his case.

"Look, I figured out this morning why Willow sent me here. She's been saying stuff I should have paid more attention to, about me being depressed and not enjoying life." Xander sighed. "She just doesn't understand, things are how I want them to be. Simple, straight-forward...no apocalypses to worry about, nobody to lose." He stopped, a little shocked at the truth of his own words.

"Keeping people at a distance is no way to live. I should know." Oz was right in front of him then, his gaze unavoidable, and Xander was reminded of how he'd looked earlier in the sun. Warm and strong and all kinds of other unmentionable things. He was startled out of his musing by the feel of the other man's arms around him and he reflexively returned the embrace, suddenly wondering how long it had been since he'd hugged someone. And why it felt so wrong when Oz moved away, since just last night he couldn't escape the other man's touch fast enough.

"Stay, Xander." It wasn't an order, but it wasn't a request either. Xander wasn't sure what it was. Regardless, the voice saying his name was compelling and he found himself ready to agree.

"Ok," he said, still recovering from the sensation of Oz's smaller but solid frame pressing against him, however briefly. It had felt good, better than anything he'd felt in what might have been forever. He wanted that again. Strange, but maybe it was enough of a reason not to go back to Ohio today.