Title: Bewitched, Bothered & Bewildered

Author: CJ

Rating: PG

Disclaimer: Even though I wish it was all mine, it isn't.

Fandom & Pairing/Characters: Buffy the Vampire Slayer - Buffy/Oz

Summary: Oz searches for Buffy the rat with unexpected results.

Notes: My first Buffy/Oz fic and my first BtVS fic in a very, very long time so please be somewhat gentle. This is also a one shot, so there will be no continuation.

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The basement was dark as Oz looked around, flashlight clasped securely in his hand while trying to be alert for both Buffy the rat and any major nasties that could jump out and eat him. He wasn't big with the whole being killed thing, it just didn't feel right.

There was a rustle of movement and he could see a figure stand up so he shifted the flashlight and found himself staring directly at... wow, naked Buffy. She glanced down as he glanced up and he quickly raised the light away from her and turned it off, praying his ears weren't doing that annoying red thing.

Buffy wrapped her arms around herself to try and cover up and managed a smile at the guitarist.

"Hi, Oz!"

"Hi."

His familiar stoicism was only a slight comfort at suddenly being naked in front of him and she swallowed. "I seem to be having a slight case of nudity here."

"But you're not a rat," he told her. "So call it an upside."

Oz had carefully kept his eyes trained on hers for the duration of the short conversation, but no amount of thinking about his sweet Willow was going to keep his teenage boy eyes looking up for much longer. Buffy seemed to sense this and nervously shifted from one foot to the other.

"You think maybe you could get me some clothing?"

"Yes, I can! Just, uh... don't go anywhere."

He headed back towards the stairs that had led him here and ran up them two at a time, idly wondering if he should've left the flashlight with her. She was a slayer though, so any creepy crawlies wouldn't stand a chance against her. And the whole being naked thing would surely give the evil demons a distraction while she kicked their asses, so maybe it was a win/win situation.

Buffy was naked.

Oz shook his head and tried to clear away the unwanted thoughts, almost running straight into a door. He finally made it to the library and looked around for whatever she'd been wearing. There was a puddle of black silk on the floor and he picked it up, his werewolf senses immediately honing in on her scent.

Had she really only being wearing this? He looked around and tried to find anything else with her scent on it but the search was useless. She must've come to the school wearing only the short coat, something that was incredibly daring.

She was still exactly where he'd left her when he got back and she smiled gratefully when he held up the robe.

"It was all I could find," he said apologetically, carefully stepping close enough so that she could take it from him.

"As long as it covers all parts of my body that could be ogled, I'm totally okay with it." She slipped it on and tied it at the front, stepping out in front of him. "Thank you."

He nodded and waved the flashlight at the stairs leading up. "We should go."

They both went to walk at the same time and accidentally bumped into each other. With her catlike reflexes, Buff managed to grab onto his shoulders and keep them both steady but found herself pressed closer to him, their eyes level as they held each others gazes.

"I'm sorry," she said quietly.

Oz shrugged, half confused at her apology and half dazed at her touch. "There's nothing to be sorry for."

"Yes there is."

Before he could react, or even think, her lips were pressed against his. They were soft and warm against his own, applying just the right amount of pressure as her palm slipped up to cup the back of his neck.

And then as sudden as it had begun, it was over, and Oz blinked a little before once again waving the flashlight at the stairs as though nothing had happened.

"We should go," he repeated.

Buffy nodded and they walked up the stairs and out into the bright lights of the school. She stopped him while he was midway through closing the door with a hand on his shoulder, her grip a little tighter and more painful than it had been earlier.

"If you ever tell anybody about what just happened, I can and will kill you."

Oz swallowed and looked at her. "I don't doubt that."

"Good, glad that's settled."

She walked on down the hall and he turned back to the door, closing it slowly. Guilt had begun to take hold of his body, painfully so, and if it wasn't for the incredibly vivid memory of her lips on his then he could write it off as a really odd daydream. He had to admit that there were a lot of really odd daydreams to his name.

"Buff, wait up!" She paused, allowing him to jog over to her, and looked at him expectantly. "What was with that?"

"That kissing thing?"

He nodded. "Yeah."

Buffy flushed a little, smiling weakly. "I was under a wacky love spell, right? Yeah, well, it made me an even bigger ball of hormones than usual which gave me bad tingles and you're both cute and you saw me naked so… had to relieve some of the tingles."

"Oh, okay. So the tingles are gone now?"

"Gone to a far away world of tingles where they will be happy and nowhere near me, yes. Oh and I'm sorry. That you were my victim, I mean," she added as an afterthought.

"It's a bit of a blur, I'll have forgotten by tomorrow."

Which was a lie, but Oz was so good at remaining expressionless that the comment passed without a second glance from Buffy, who was busy fiddling with her coat to make sure it didn't suddenly open. She nodded absently and looked up at him when they reached the library.

"You should wait for Giles and the others to tell him that the rat is happily back to normal. I need to go home and be a little less naked in public," she told him. "I'll see you later?"

"Sure. See you."

And then she was gone, and he was left alone with his uncharacteristically rambling thoughts about hot blonde girls and black silk. This was bad, he thought to himself. Every time he saw her now all he would think about would be her lips on his. Yet the more he thought about it and the more he dragged the memories back to replay it grew on him.

He liked kissing Buffy. He liked kissing her a lot, and might even want to do it again someday.

Oh this was very bad.

END