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bafflement · 1 year

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Deaged Oz AU - Shopping [extended]

Oz snarled up at Qrow in frustration, the latter snickering in amusement.

"It isn't funny, Qrow! You said the dye you gave me would be temporary!"

"It is, Oz. The red washed out. Mostly." Qrow, to give him his due, really was trying to stop laughing. Not that that was easy when Oz's normally silvery hair had a definite pink tint, like candyfloss from a local fair.

"It's PINK, Qrow. Just... tell me it will wear off, at least?"

"Well, yeah. Probably. If nothing else, it'll grow out. I'm sorry, Oz, you know I'd never do that to you deliberately."

"Then why did you tell me it was brown to start with?" Oz asked, sounding grumpy.

"Because I thought it was?" Qrow sounded defensive. "They're very similar shades."

"Please don't do that, Qrow? For what you did to my hair, I am allowed to be angry with you. In fact..."

"Aww, don't be like that little Oz! It's adorable!" Nora cooed. Oz turned to glare at her hotly.

"You're not helping, miss Valkyrie, not to mention that comment was highly inappropriate. I was your headmaster a few short months ago."

"And now you're not! You're just a cute little boy that needs a hug!"

"Miss Valkyrie. Desist. Now."

"Hmm. No. I don't think I will. You're too serious for a little boy!"

Oz sighed in frustration, turning to look at the others in the room who seemed to be mostly holding in their own laughter at his hair. Only Oscar really met his eyes, though, looking sympathetic.

"At least they won't recognise you with that hair? Especially dressed like we are?"

"... that's a good point, Oscar, thank you. Qrow, we'll need your scroll."

"Wait? What? Why would you need my... Oz, what are you up to?"

"Oscar raised a good point. Neither one of us is dressed for a long trip, but we will probably have to make several. I'm not too sure the clothes we are attired in will last that long. Besides, I need to find a more economical way of shading my eyes from the light."

Qrow sobered at that. "Of course. I'm sorry, Oz, I forgot. I thought the goggles we found were helping, at least?"

"A little bit, but not really enough. The headaches have been steadily getting worse over the last few months, so I should probably fix the issue in question."

"And I assume ya want me to pay for this?"

"Also the clothes, yes. For Oscar and I both. It's really the least you could do considering I have no idea just how long I might have to live with the consequences of that hair dye."

Qrow groaned, but held out his scroll anyway. "Try not to bankrupt me, you two."

"Qrow, I know how much you make, there's no way we could do that even if that was the intention and it isn't. We just need a few things."

"A few things. Right. New outfits and a pair of glasses?"

"About the size of things, yes. At least we should hopefully both be more comfortable? Besides, this way it will be easier later on, we won't need to stop again for awhile. We'll be in Haven for at least a few weeks, it is the perfect opportunity."

"I already said yes, pocket sized. Go, both of you. Be careful!"

"P...pocket sized?" Ruby interjected, voice shaking with amusement.

"Oscar's a pipsqueak, Oz is even smaller. He needed a smaller nickname..."

Scowling, Oz led Oscar out into the street. He didn't really wish to hear the rest of that conversation, he suspected.

The first few shops they passed were general stores, but they ended up in the clothing district soon enough, helped by the fact that Oz was not unfamiliar with this city. The further they walked, the more noticeable his limp became, but the wooden sheath that held Long Memory was more than up to the job of supporting his weight. Besides, it all helped with the image of a pair of harmless boys out doing some shopping. Haven wasn't somewhere that they were particularly likely to be attacked, especially not in this district, but he kept alert anyway, trying not to wince at the brighter shafts of light.

Oscar darted into one of the shops, pulling Oz along with him, going to stare at the racks of orange themed clothing. Oz sighed and started looking around himself. He knew what he would have wanted to dress in, but he also knew that a fully green outfit probably wasn't a good idea, so he was rather torn...

A gentle cough sounded behind him and he span, eyes wide, to meet the gaze of a motherly looking shop assistant.

"Hello, dearie. Having a few problems?"

"Perhaps. I'm not too sure what sort of clothing style I should be buying. My brother's over there..." He gestured towards an Oscar who was happily engrossed in his own clothing selection. "He seems to know but I'm... uncertain."

"That's just fine dearie. That's what they pay me for, to help! Although, aren't you two a little young to be out by yourselves, where exactly are your parents?"

Oz let himself blush, looking down and biting his lip. If it was possible, the shop assistants eyes softened even further.

"Never mind, then. Tell me, do you at least know the sort of colors you're after?"

"Well, I quite like green..."

"Oh no, child. Or not predominantly, not with that hair! Soft golds or white, perhaps, but green would look just ghastly against that pink."

Oz groaned. "The hair was an... accident. It isn't meant to be that color. I have been informed that it will wear off, but I'm uncertain as to when."

"Best to tone with it until it fades. Your brother appears to be gravitating towards oranges and reds, why not go with a similar color scheme. Similar, not identical, though. What works for him would just wash you out. Hmm... I think I might know something. Wait here for a minute, please."

Oz sighed and did as he was told. Oscar looked over and winked at him. He, at least, seemed to have an outfit, though what he wanted with that many belts was anyone's guess. The jacket he'd picked out for himself was a bright orange and red combination that he suspected only Oscar could really wear comfortably, but he was happy, which had been one of the main points of this trip.

The assistant came back, smiling brightly. She carried a simple white shirt, dark trousers and a long coat. Shaking it out, she offered it to Oz with a flourish. True to her earlier statement, it was mainly a soft golden hue, but there was dark green embroidery at the hems and trailing up the sleeves. Oz grinned, happily. Well, it looked like they both had clothing now.

"Thank you!"

"You're very welcome, young one. Would you need anything else?"

"Sweaters, maybe? I'm uncertain where we'll be travelling next, but there are quite a few of us and warmth is probably a good idea? We were told to buy the necessities after all."

The woman smirked knowingly and led him across to a pile of jumpers. "Pick out the ones you think will fit you and your friends the best. Be mindful of the sizes, though!"

"Yes ma'am." Oz murmured, one hand already stroking the edge of one of them, considering. By the time they had travelled far enough to need them, his hair would have either faded to its original hue or grown out. He could indulge his love for his favorite color here, at the very least. There was also a copper orange that would work for Oscar, a deep red for Ruby, dark blue for Jaune...

True to their word, they only bought clothing at the store, though the total was slightly more than they'd anticipated. Ah well, Qrow's accounts could easily stand the drain and by buying a warm woolen sweater for each member of their party, they might even be saving themselves some problems later on. They were probably going to need to travel to Atlas at some point after all, and everybody knew Atlas was very, very cold.

"Oscar? There's something I need to do for a few minutes, if that's alright with you?"

"Oh! Right, the goggles... sure. Want me to wait here, or?"

"Probably not the best idea to seperate. Luckily I think there should be somewhere near here that should be able to help?"

The man in the shop blinked as a pair of boys wandered in, the younger seemingly very focused on the far wall where the racks of glasses were displayed.

"May I help you two?" His voice was soft, yet carried strangely in the small, slightly dusty shop. Oscar shrugged, looking to Oz who sighed.

"Hello. Yes, I think I could probably use some assistance. I have a medical issue, my eyes tend to be overly sensitive to the light. I had some glasses but they... broke."

"Ah, right. Yes, I believe I should be able to help, young man. I assume the goggles you're wearing are less than ideal."

"Indeed. I..." Oz took them off, sighing. The man glanced briefly into each of his eyes before nodding to himself, obviously deep in thought.

"Yes, I think tinted lenses would help you best. Why not go and pick out a set of frames you think you'd like? Your companion may be able to help you there. Thankfully, tinting them will be easy enough to accomplish. Do you have anywhere else to be today, or would you rather wait until they have been completed?"

"I think waiting might be the better idea? I tend to get headaches the longer my eyes are unshielded, lately they've been happening with increasing frequency."

Oscar had moved to the back, scanning the frames.

"Hey, Tip? I think these might work." He held out a pair of rectangular silver frames that looked nothing like his last set. Oz nodded, the more differences there were between the two appearances, the harder it would be to realise the similarities.

"You might want to try them on, first, young one." The man suggested, gently.

Oz slipped them on and gazed into the mirror. The frames seemed to alter the shape of his face slightly, but he was pretty sure they suited him. He took them off again and nodded.

"These, please, sir."

"Of course. They should take half an hour to complete, so you can wait here or you can come back later. Up to you."

An hour or so later, they walked back towards the house they were staying in, both of them dressed in the new outfits, Oz's new glasses securely on his face. The headaches were unlikely to fade so soon, but he fancied he could already feel them helping.

"Qrow's going to murder us, isn't he?" Oscar asked, glancing at the bag with the multicolored sweater selection in it.

"He knew that this was likely to happen. He never thinks about contingency plans, but they'll be useful later on. Besides, this way we got something for everybody so nobody can complain that we got special treatment."

"Well we... kind of did?"

"Perhaps, perhaps not. We are now all on an even field clothing wise, at least."

When they got back, Qrow glanced up at them, happy that they at least seemed far more comfortable than they had done previously.

"Looking good, kids. Uh, what's in the bag?" He sounded suddenly suspicious.

"If you're right that Leo is... not acting under his own power anymore, we might have to make a detour to Atlas sooner rather than later. Atlas is very cold, though, and with the possible exception of Miss Schnee, we are none of us really prepared for it. Thus, a warm sweater for each of us. Just in case."

Qrow sighed but accepted it. The others, suddenly excited, crowded around the two boys, eager to get their hands on their new sweaters. Oz, grinning, passed them out, saving Qrow's until the very last.

"I got you one, too. As said, none of us are that used to the cold."

Qrow scowled down at the cheerful looking deep red jumper. It had a crow on it.

#deaged oz au #he smol #and angry #his hair is pink #and its qrows fault #the shopping trip #qrow made his hair pink #so qrow gets to pay for it #revenge is expensive #look at all these helpful people #they saw smol and went 'must protect'#ozpin protection squad

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