intendance | IC ➛ Voicemail

Observation, observation!

[...]

Can't an observation be a compliment?

... S-Sometimes, but did I ever say it was a compliment!?

[This...is really, really hard to listen to. He sounds so sad, so upset, and it's her fault this time. Well, technically it's Haven's, but nonetheless it was the fact that she was gone that wiped the smile off of his face, and that was the last thing she ever wanted to see happen.

She'd only ever wanted to make him as happy as he could possibly be.

When she responds, it's with a wobbly smile, but she thinks he deserves to see her face, to see that she's fine and alive and back.]

Oz...? Hey, Oz, um...

[A weak smile.]

I'm back...!

[Yeah, that's...not even scratching the surface of what she just listened to...but it's all she can think of to start it.]

You didn't have to! I inferred that much!

So thanks again, Zohra!

... Gah! You really annoy me, you know that!?

[anyone who observed Oz recently would notice nothing wrong with him. he seemed exactly the same, cheerful and attentive when called for, thoughtful and practical when asked questions. the things he usually did he kept on doing. the people he usually talked to he kept on visiting. The walls he's tried not to build slowly grew piece by piece despite his best efforts, because the people who could tear it down were no longer around him. All of his guilt and sadness he internalized because Oz was afraid. He was afraid of being vulnerable in a place that preyed on vulnerability, because in the end, what could Oz do? What strength did he have?]

[It had always been the others he drew strength from. Gilbert, who had accepted him, Alice, who had stayed the same despite everything thrown against her, Break, who made it clear that he'd do anything to protect Sharon, Sharon, who told Oz she'd support him, Reim, the unquestionable figure of stability that Oz sorely needed, elliot, whose strength Oz still wished he had too]

[but oz by himself couldn't do anything. he didn't have the strength to]

[he had to, for ada and leo's sakes, for the people he still cared for, but Morgan's absence seemed to eat him up in a way the others hadn't. 'I feel as though something might just drop out of the gaping hole in my chest, and I...just can't seem to get over it.' So hearing her voice now and seeing her face again like this shocks Oz into silence. And it'd help him realize something too, if he could think beyond one thought at this very moment]

-- Where?

[he's always thought the cellphones were the coolest things ever, but seeing someone's picture on a screen like this is absolutely not enough in this very moment]

[the expression on his face is of but relief and something conflicted, because Oz letting out his feelings is something that has never come easy to him, and he's afraid if he does, he won't be able to properly stop]

[He asks immediately, and--well, he's not smiling. In a way, Morgan's grateful. He's not pretending to her, and she would have known something was off anyway, but...he's not. And she knows something's wrong. (It's her fault, and she has to fix this.)

Her smile wobbles, but she closes her eyes and takes a slow deep breath, and knows for a fact that she's ready to see Oz. It's funny--she can't remember where she was, or for how long, or what happened there. She can't remember, so it's not like she suffered alone like Oz...but she still fancies that somehow, while she was in storage or wherever they're dragged to, that she missed him.

Even if she didn't remember him, she'd miss Oz, huh...?]

I'm by the stairs... I was looking at them and they've pretty impressive, huh...? [Her tone is wondering, and it's really not about the stairs.] ... I'll get to see you soon, right, Oz? [Because if that's not why he was asking, she'll find him.]

[yes, he wants to say, yes, yes. Even if a part of him is too scared to, that when he sees Morgan, he'll realize just how long he's been thinking about her. what can he even do? Can he promise her that he'll never let that happen again?

['You won't be. You won't be able to do anything - nothing at all.']

[he closes his eyes and nods sharply. this wasn't how he wanted things to go, he wanted to welcome her back with a smile or did he? had he even let himself think about Morgan coming back? Or had he tried his best not to think about it all, in order to protect himself if it didn't happen? either way.]

[he needs to see her in person.]

...I'll be there. [he says, calmly, but he's picking up the pace when he walks out of the house, and then he's just full-on sprinting, pushing and stumbling against people and gardens and rocks in his path -- because he can do this much at least, run to her.]

[inhales, exhales, sucks in a deep breath as he comes to a ragged stop, he can't see her but he's too winded to look properly, but he can't wait long enough to catch his own break so he opens his mouth to shout]

-- Morgan!!

[She hears him.

And when she hears him, and sees him, that's when she realizes just how much she really missed him. It's a weird sort of pang in her heart, a funny feeling that she'd never felt before, but seeing him like this, and experiencing his upset message just a few moments before, she reacts automatically, pressing a hand to her chest as if to calm her head.

Stop hurting, heart--he's right there, isn't he?

So she moves, running towards him even as he stops, eyes wide. For once, she's not smiling, eyes wide instead, because this...this is something important, so important it makes her heart hurt. As soon as she sees him, she doesn't hesitate. She runs, and reaches out to him, arms extended, because so long as he looks this sad, and her chest feels this tight, then she wants to fix it...and maybe being able to wrap her arms around him will do just that.]

Oz--

[And it's upon seeing him, okay and whole and so very present, that her smile comes back in full force, even as she does fling her arms around him, moving on instinct.

It's funny.

No matter what, when she sees him, it never fails to make her happy and bring a smile to her face. And that's...a sort of magic that she definitely doesn't want to give up--not ever. So it's happy, a contented sigh more than anything, as she repeats herself--]

...Oz.

Never change, Zohra, okay?

[That's her answer--yeah, she totally knows.

And then she hangs up.

OH.......... last word goes to morgan this time.]

[hugs are good because once initiated Oz will never let go... his embrace is a bit tight, as if he's trying to make sure she's really here and back and with him and that he's not alone. accept everything, even if it's pain and sadness, accept the fact that people will leave him, accept the fact that Morgan had disappeared and gone to storage or wherever Haven took the people he cared for, because that way he'd be able to selfishly protect his own feelings.]

[but feeling Morgan's heart beat, the warmth from her body, and hearing her voice makes him realize that he hadn't accepted it at all. instead, quietly, admitting something he's kept to himself for so long not only with morgan but with everyone]

...I was scared.

[She hesitates at that. He's being honest with her, and she's so, so glad for that. But she is admittedly sad to know that she frightened him and made him sad.

Ultimately, she just clutches a little tighter, then, and presses her cheek against his chest. She can hear his heartbeat too--so like this, maybe it's fine after all. Oz is still here, so... she can still make him happy.]

...I'm sorry. [She doesn't apologize very often, and not for very serious things, but this, she thinks, needs one. Because--] I never want to ever leave you alone...ever! I promise.

[his fingers tighten around her, because he didn't want to hear this apology. or he did, but not from her. Morgan wasn't the one who needed to apologize. He shakes his head quickly, fingers brushing her chin so he can see her properly --]

It's not your fault. I know that. I just... I just didn't know what to do. How to help you... But when you were gone, I -- [his other hand joins his first, slipping around to frame her face properly]

I was scared I'd never see you again -- because I -- I've never even told you how much I care about you, Morgan... And it would have been too late if you never came back -- [and his eyes are shining with sad bunny tears...]

[and so many people love him and he's never ever expressed his genuine gratitude for it, gilbert and alice and sharon, elliot and reim and break for caring]

And I don't know what I would have done. [morgan's important to him, morgan's so very important to him, she's become a part of him that he's come to depend on, she's one of the few things that make Haven bearable]

[She tilts her head with the fingers at her chin, so she's looking up at him full in the face. They're close like this, but at the moment she's not thinking about that--because there are tears in his eyes, and then his hands are cupping her face, and so she relaxes into that touch.

It's Oz, after all. And even if he's still so sad, she can't deny that there's a flutter in her chest when he talks about how important she is to him, and even if this conversation is so very sad, she ends up smiling at him.

Because honestly--]

That's okay, Oz...! It's okay to be scared of that, but I'm back now, and I'm never going to go away for long. [It's okay because that didn't happen.]

So right now you don't have to worry about that! [Her arms, still around him, squeeze a little tighter.] Because I'm right here, and so are you, so....I'm really, really happy!

[no, he doesn't deserve this... but for once in his life Oz is not thinking about what he deserves and doesn't deserve, he just lets the words wash over him. the sound of morgan's voice, the feeling when she embraces him, the fact that someone like her can smile at him, can be happy because of him.]

[he closes his eyes, not all the way. they sort of flutter half shut while his eyelashes get stuck to his tears, then he leans in so slowly that at first it doesn't even seem as if he's moving but he is. somehow. miraculously.]

[his thumb brushes her face lightly, and then his lips gently press against hers, tentatively, awkwardly because he's caught up in the moment but at the same time he's too aware of Morgan, he should let her back away!!! he should let her leave him, that's the mark of a true gentleman isn't it. his heart is a hummingbird, because he's kissing Morgan and he didn't even ask her first if she'd be okay with that--]

[She's watching him so closely and carefully, trying so hard to read his expression and figure out if her words are having any effect--if they're making any impact on him at all. She wants him to be happy, after all...but Oz is a tricky one, and by now, months and months later, she should know that well.

So she's not paying attention to his actions much until his thumb brushes her cheekbone, and then his lips are against hers, and (as she will certainly deny later), her big genius brain actually momentarily shorts out.

And then she realizes what's happening, and she smiles against his lips, because she's really been waiting so long for Oz to take the initiative, and now that he has, she's not letting him be hesitant about it at all. Instead, she flings her arms around his neck, making sure he stays close, and presses even closer.

Yeah. She's definitely okay with this one, Oz.]

[At first, Oz is totally caught up in the moment and he's pretty sure the air around them IS SPARKLING or whatever his romance novels say happens during a kiss...]

[and then he slowly starts growing more self-aware of what's happening... and his cheeks start growing hotter and hotter and he doesn't even know what to do, and when Morgan throws his arms around him, he lets out a little 'mmph' that sounds like a meep but it's not HE'S JUST SURPRISED]

[and a little afraid too, deep in his heart]

[but that's swept aside because he's not sure what to do with his hands right now and kissing is really nice when it's not when he's being traumatized into making a slave contract... but also he can't breathe anymore HOW DOES HE BREATH?? they NEVER TALKED ABOUT THAT IN HOLY KNIGHT]

[He starts to draw back finally, eyes still closed shut, just basking in the aftermath of what happened without going into a Victorian panic]

[.......his face turns red... he doesn't know... what... TO DO... HE CAN'T LOOK MORGAN IN THE FACE]

I -- I, um... [actually he's tempted to sit down and cover his face with his hands, but instead he just starts rapidly mumbling and blushing and nOT QUITE LOOKING AT MORGAN]

[Morgan's been kissed before...even if she doesn't really intend to tell Oz that, because it'd probably be a little cruel to let him know that he waited so long that her first kiss was stolen by someone else. REGARDLESS, the point is that she's experienced a kiss or two before, but...never like this.

This makes her pulse speed up and her stomach feel like it's full of butterflies. She's giddy, and even if there's plenty of color in her own cheeks, she's not letting go of Oz's neck. He pulls away a bit, but she's not going to let him get away entirely, clinging as she is.

And she laughs, cheerful and exuberant, because she's never been one to hide when things make her very, very happy, and this is one of those times. And then she beams up at him, catching her breath again (because, between the kiss and her laughter, she's rather breathless).]

That was really, really great!

[And then, without a hint of shame (despite the color in her cheeks)--]

Can we do that again?

[Morgan has no time for your Victorian morality SHE ENJOYED HERSELF.]

[dies]

[jk THEY'RE JUST SO CLOSE RIGHT NOW??? which is stupid because Oz just kissed her so you'd think he'd be okay with this but breathes HARD. but he finally manages to eke out a]

G-g-great...? I'm glad... [he really is, god... he was half afraid that he made it like some kind of nightmare fuel experience for her. also shit, that sounded really improper, but he really is glad that she liked it just as much as he did... even if she's not having a fit like him. because he's having a REALLY HAD TIME BEING AS HONEST AS SHE IS RIGHT NOW. how does she do it... ] I mean -- uh --

[and then his brain interprets her question]

A-a-again?! [he squeaks, very manfully]

IC ➛ Voicemail

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video; you're killing me here

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video; 1/2 gOOD

video; 2/2

video;

video; to acTION 1/2

action; shouts it from the rooftops

[1/2] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWoh-BekPCY

[2/2]

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GREAT MUSIC TO TAG TO

YOU GOT IT STUCK IN MY HEAD i'm returning the favor

1/2 !!! EVIL... for the music and THAT TAG

2/2 omfg i was gonn amake her kiss her in this tag but no... IT HAS TO BE juSt RIGHT

omg yaywon stop stringing along me and the peanut gallery!!!

READ THIS TAG TO SHOUJO MUSIC CAL

HOW ABOUT N'SYNC

teARin UP MY HEART WHEN i'M WITH YOUUUU 1/2

but when we're APART I FEEL IT TOOOO 2/2

anD NO MATTER WHAT I DO I FEEL THE PAIN

WITH OR WITHOUT YOUUU