Chapter Text
Oz wasn’t sure how many days he had been a lifeguard… he was too busy counting the days since that little… conversation. It had been just about a week. Sure, they were both lifeguarding it up, but they didn’t talk all that much. Oz couldn’t speak for Joy, but he was still kinda embarrassed. He wanted to make sure she was alright sitting next to a guy (who might very well be into her), in cute swimsuits all summer, you know?
He tried to keep the sneaky glances to a minimum, too. Mostly to reduce the risk of being caught red-handed. Although… today, Joy seemed different.
Her skin was just the faintest bit redder… and she kept herself out of the sunlight as much as possible. Even to the point where she bent her knees to keep her feet under the shade of the umbrella… and she didn’t look comfortable.
“Joy?” Oz asked, finally deciding to break the ice. “Are you alright?”
“Oh… Not entirely.” She sighed. “I haven’t put on any sunscreen today…”
“Really? Are you burning already?”
“I might as well be. I’m as pale as a ghost.” Joy remarked.
“I have extra!” Oz squawked without thinking. “Uh… I mean, you can have some, if you want.”
Joy paused. “Alright…”
Oz reached for his backpack, and dug around for his bottle of lotion. SPF 666… perfect for vampires, shadow people, and the incredibly pale. He turned back to pass the bottle to her, only to see Joy shimmying the straps of her swimsuit down her arms.
“Wh-what are you doing?” He stammered.
“I hate to admit it, but I’m not very flexible… could you put some on my back for me?”
Oz’s hands were sweating already… as was his forehead… and everything else. Still, he’d be a fool to pass up this opportunity. “O-okay.”
Oz shakily poured some sunscreen onto his hand, and paused before he laid hands on her.
… Her skin felt soft and smooth. Like a newborn baby’s bottom. Now that he thought of it, Oz never quite felt something this smooth… or, really ever touched a girl like this.
No time to drift off! He just focused on the lotion… yeah, that’s all that mattered. He just had to rub the sunblock on Joy’s beautiful bod and then he’d be done! Thankfully, Joy was also applying it to her legs and arms.
Oz was very careful with wear he placed his hands… he made sure to cover Joy’s back and shoulders with enough sunscreen, but was even more cautious not to overextend. He decided to pull away, after the sunscreen had left his hands. “Th-that should be enough.” He muttered, turning away before his face caught fire from his own blush.
Joy adjusted the straps back to her shoulders, and returned to her seat. “Thank you.” She nodded, keeping her own blush out of sight.
Every day, Oz thought it was getting easier to not stare at Joy… but now it was getting difficult again. I mean… she was just so… pretty . And single! Wait, no… no, this didn’t feel right. There was still so much grey area, so much uncertain… and that was kinda scary. One wrong move and she might never speak to him again.
No. Nothing was perfect. There was bound to be a little awkwardness here and there, right? It was okay for a relationship to get a little rocky now and then.
“Uhh… seems like a slow day… and it looks like it’s about to rain…” Oz pointed out. Sure enough, he was right. Dark grey clouds were slowly but surely approaching the beach. They just might close down the beach early because of it.
“Yes… it does.” Joy mused.
“If… if they do decide to close early… wanna come to my place?” Oz asked.
Joy didn’t answer right away. Shit. That was too forward!
“How about instead we get a late lunch?” Joy offered in return.
“Y-yeah… that sounds nice.” Oz stammered. He breathed a deep sigh of relief, but he still mentally cursed himself for suggesting something so bold. Although… it did seem like a good idea…
Just like Oz predicted, the rain clouds started rolling in, and the beach preemptively closed. Luckily, there were a couple of beachside eateries along. After the waterfront was closed off, and everyone changed out of the uniforms, Oz met up with Joy again outside the facilities. She sported a much more casual look… not the red swimsuit, and not the black leather and lace he usually saw her in, either. A tank top, black of course, and jeans, tattered at the knees. Oz had to admit… it looked good, but he assumed it was because he had only known her wearing two outfits up until how.
The shadow monster himself had brought his own casual wear, khaki shorts and a yellow T-shirt. Nothing he would call stylish … but just something comfortable and clean. He triple-checked his pockets… Yup, he still had cash on him. Now he didn’t have to worry about needing to borrow money from Joy. Talk about making a bad impression.
He followed the witch down to one of the pier-side restaurants; the Kraken Barrel. Oz never really thought about stopping by, but now was his chance to see what this place was really like.
And just stepping inside, Oz felt like his comfort zone ended at the entrance. The air smelled like beer and saltwater, and was filled with raucous laughter… it felt like stepping into a pirate’s den. Still, Joy continued on, and Oz didn’t want to stray too far. All of the booths and tables were packed, but the two managed to find some seats at the bar.
“This place seems… lively.” Joy mused.
“If that’s what you wanna call it…” Oz answered.
It didn’t take long before one of the barmaids appeared. “Can I get you lovelies something to drink?” Oz couldn’t quite pin down what kind of monster she was, but that purple hue in her eyes meant she probably wasn’t human.
“I’ll have a shaken martini.” Joy answered, giving the drink menu a cursory glance before handing it to Oz.
“Uh… Just cola for me.”
The waitress got right to work, grabbing a clean glass and filling it with soda from the fountain. At the same time, she quelled any doubts Oz had about her monster-ness. A set of black tentacles lined with dark blue suckers rose up from behind the bar, and deftly started grabbing ingredients from the shelf. These limbs (who Oz quickly realized belonged to the barmaid) started making and shaking Joy’s martini, almost as if by second nature. Now that Oz thought about it… he recalled seeing such a monster on the beach before. Perhaps this was just her dayjob.
It wasn’t even a whole minute by the time she finished, with her tentacle pouring the martini straight from the canister to the glass.
“Do you know what you’d like to order?” She then asked, staring at the two with an eerie smile.
“Uh… we’ll need a moment.” Joy answered.
The… whatever she was slipped further down the bar to serve another customer, giving Oz a moment to see what kind of menu he was dealing with. It all seemed like seafood. Lobster rolls, clam chowder… would that waitress slap him if he said he wanted calamari?
“So? What do you think?” Joy asked.
“I dunno… I’ve never really gotten into seafood.” Oz answered. “I’ll think of something.”
His eyes scanned the menu a second time, but his mind was wandering. Was this… a date? The more he thought about it, the sweatier he got. He’d never been on a date before… was he doing it right?
Oh no. It was getting quiet again. Say something! Break the ice!
“You know, I’ve always kinda wondered…” He began. “If you’re a witch, does that mean you learned all your magic? Or is it something you were innately born with?”
Her eyes lit up, almost like she was excited to share. “I learned it.” Joy answered. “Faith, Hope and I attended Bogshorts Middle School for the Magically Gifted.”
“Really?” Oz asked. “Magic Middle School?”
“That’s right. I was actually High Honors in my grade. Abjurations and Warding was such an enriching experience.” She grinned.
“High Honors? That’s so cool!” Oz replied. He couldn’t help but smile back. He hadn’t really seen her so enthusiastic about anything before. And now that he noticed it, she had such a cute smile.
“I’m lucky to be a witch.” Joy mused. “But, I suppose fighting evil and saving the world is the price to pay. It’s worth it.”
“So, what can I get for you sweethearts?” The waitress asked after sneaking up on them.
“Uh! O-oh. J-just a shrimp platter for me.” Oz stammered, his face quickly flaring up after being caught off guard. He averted his eyes to Joy, who also seemed a little flustered.
“Fish ‘n’ Chips, thanks.” The witch answered.
The waitress sent a wink in their direction before heading off to another corner of the bar, leaving them alone again.
“What about you?” Joy asked.
“What… what about me?”
“Uhh… What was school like for you?” Oz just shifted in his seat, mumbling something Joy couldn’t hear. “Hey, if you’d rather not talk about it… it’s fine.”
“No. I mean… it’s only fair I do, right?” Oz asked with a nervous chuckle. “Well… Monster Middle School was pretty nice. I was just a shy kid, but I got decent grades. I wasn’t picked on as much as I used to… probably because I got taller. And the best part? I wasn’t so alone anymore.”
Joy didn’t respond. He was worried he might’ve overshared… he didn’t get too serious, did he?
“That’s…” Joy began, breaking the silence. “That’s good, that things got better for you.”
Another lengthy pause. Oz tried to think of something to lighten the mood again, but Joy kept talking. “I won’t lie… I’ve had it pretty good. Great parents, good grades, wonderful friends… but I never realized that others weren’t so lucky. Not everyone is happy right from the start, and I learned that the easy way.”
“I-it’s fine, I didn’t mean to make a big deal of it.” Oz quickly answered.
“I suppose what I’m getting at is: that’s the whole reason I joined the Coven. I wanted to help people less fortunate than me, plain and simple.”
“I… I can understand that.” Oz said warmly. “That’s really noble.”
Another smile returned to Joy’s face as she took another drink. A soft, appreciative smile. The waitress passed by them again, using her tentacles to place two plates in front of them. Oz didn’t feel like cutting a heartfelt moment short, but the pangs of hunger couldn’t be denied.
He hesitated to dig in, but after he had a few bites it was hard to stop. Joy ate alongside him, and the conversation fell quiet for a bit. It was hard to talk when you’re hungry.
“So…” Joy began, finishing her meal. “I’m sorry if this is too prying, but…”
Oz froze. The two of them had shared a lot about themselves in such a short time...
“Are you… seeing anyone?”
“M-me?” Oz stammered. “N-no… Do I look like someone who’d be dating anyone?”
“Why not?”
“N-nevermind.” He answered. “Just more middle-school angst, I guess.”
Joy went quiet for a while. Oz didn’t look back at her, only catching a glance at her thoughtful expression. “Well, for what it’s worth…” She began again. “I never got the chance, either.”
“Th-the chance? To date?” Oz asked.
“You could say that.” Joy mused. “It was only a few years ago that I got to know Liam… and Dmitri. But they say there’s a third time for everything.”
“R-right…”
Joy fished some money from her purse, sliding it on the counter to pay for her share of the bill. As she did so… she leaned in close to Oz’s ear. “And for the record… you do look nice in those trunks.”
Oz froze for a moment… what did she just say? He turned back to look, only to see her waving as she left. He stayed in place for a moment, still registering what happened. Did she just compliment him? Wait, no… that wasn’t just a passing remark. That was a flirt !
Oz pumped his fist as he silently celebrated. He had a chance . It might have been something he already had, but he knew . After paying for his meal with a generous tip, he left the pier feeling 10 feet tall.