The Extraordinary League of Caffinated Substances 2
Title: The Extraordinary League Of Caffinated Substances
Authors: Solo and Jude
Email: Miss_Incognito4@live.co.uk
Rating: PG
Category: Humour
Content: Chloe/Oliver
Summary: Chloe likes her men like she likes her coffee.
Disclaimer: We own nixies.
Distribution: Here, there, everywhere.
Notes: Hope everyone finds this chapter as funny as they did the first chapter.
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Chloe was never honestly intimidated by anything or anyone, but when she had a roomful of people with superpowers staring at her and expecting an answer? She swallowed nervously and tugged on her shirt collar.
"Well?" Ollie asked, genuinely curious to know.
"I..."
She looked from Green Arrow, to Batman, to Hawkman, Impulse, Stargirl, Aquaman, Cyborg, and thanked God J'onn wasn't here to join in the fun.
The same thought hit every single one at the same time and the same wicked smile appeared on each face bar Courtney's.
For once in their lives, they had Watchtower cornered.
In a battle of wits, none of them could win if it was one-on-one, but hey. Safety in numbers.
Still, it seemed as though no-one was daring to go up against her.
"You don't have to be nervous, Tower," Ollie said, the genuine tone falling into something patronising and irritating. "We won't hurt you... Right?"
She so deserved this since making him out to be nuts.
Sensing the shift of power, all the others nodded.
"We wouldn't hurt you, Chloe," A.C said, crossed his arms in a way that enhanced the muscles brought on by years of swimming.
"Damn you," she hissed to Ollie, who smiled oh so innocently.
"Not at all," the voice was not that of Bruce, but that of the Bat.
The sound of something being thrown and caught made her turn around to see Bart over in the kitchen, each hand holding a jar of coffee.
"We wouldn't hurt you, but nothing was said about these..." and she watched, horrified, as he began a rather clumsy juggle.
"I'll get him for you," Courtney spoke up.
All the men groaned. Trust a girl to stick up for another girl.
"Yes, please," Bart stopped juggling, only to find Carter right in front of his face.
"I like all of you," Chloe said honestly. "A.C is perfect when I'm in the mood for something with a little kick," and she looked at Bruce. "You've even said how much you liked A.C when you had him after that boring press conference last week."
A.C had a wary expression on his face. "Dude, when you say liked..."
Bruce was not one to let discomfort slide. "I'd very much enjoy you again," and then smirked at the visible blanching that came his way.
"And Victor, you enjoyed Ollie when you had lunch yesterday. Remember how well the nutty aroma complimented the spicy tomato pasta we had?"
Victor nodded. "She doesn't keep peanut butter and it hit the spot."
"And Bart, you remember how much you liked Carter after your last trip to Mexico?"
Carter narrowed his eyes at the boy in front of him. "You did?"
Bart rapidly nodded. "Dark and smokey goes well with traditional burritos."
"Hmm..."
"So you see," Chloe stated with a large smile. "The coffees are just like you. Each one with its own special qualities."
As she'd been speaking, Oliver had watched her movements and had practically heard the cogs working overtime. She was smart and very, very quick, but to turn it around and use them to do it? Genius.
He'd show no mercy.
"We've established that each particular flavour has own unique power, so to speak," he began and smirked. "I believe your favourite was questioned."
Green eyes promised vengeance. He knew her far too well.
Once again the center of attention, Chloe realised she'd been caught and sighed loudly. "Alright, alright. My favourite is none of you."
"What?"
Chloe glanced at the owner of the hurt voice. "I'm sorry, Courtney, but strawberry milkshakes isn't my thing."
"It's my thing," Bart took his chance and received another smack on the back of his head.
"Strawberry milkshakes are for, you know, cheeseburgers and fries when us girls have that..."
Courtney finished. "Ditch The Diet Day!"
Chloe nodded. "They're a treat, something you have when life and diets can go straight to hell."
"What about zest?" A.C asked, his lips slightly pouted. "Zest is good."
"And fruit is healthy," Victor added. "You can't go wrong with fruit."
A.C glared at his buddy. "Dude, I covered fruit with the zest."
"Your zest doesn't have my balance."
"I know, cos if it did, I'd be worried."
"Are you dissing my balance?"
A.C reached over and poked Victor on the shoulder, making him stumble. "You don't need my help."
Not to be outdone, Victor poked back and when A.C raised his finger again, Ollie whistled. "Guys, is it possible to act your age?"
"He started it!"
The billionaire sighed. "I guess so."
Carter snorted. "Now you know how I feel dealing with you on a regular basis."
Chloe squeezed the bridge of her nose. "Can we just finish in peace, please? I'd like to get this over with..."
"I bet you would," Bart accused from right behind her. "You wouldn't be in the spotlight and get away with naming us coffees and not having a favourite." He shook his head in shame. "That's low, Chloe. Real low and it hurts."
Ollie nodded his agreement. "I never expected you to be so cruel, Sidekick. I mean, don't we do everything you tell us?"
A.C and Victor caught on and equally nodded. "I always listen to you."
"What he said."
Ever the charmer, Bruce looked at the floor and heaved a sigh of sadness so great, it'd make a statue cry. "Without you, I'd still be fighting wars alone," he paused just long enough. "The war out there and the war in here."
It took everything Ollie had not to crack up at the Bat's words, but he managed. Bearly.
"I bring you flowers, Chloe," Bart said solemnly. "From all over the world."
Courtney rolled her eyes. "Bart, you bring me flowers from all over the world."
Carter's gaze darkened and he turned on the kid. "He does, does he?"
"My intentions are honorable."
Ollie frowned. Having people on his side might be a good thing, but another guy getting his woman flowers? What, did Allen think he never got her stuff like that? Cos he did. "I bring you flowers, too, Chloe."
She sighed affectionately. "They're lovely flowers."
Bart gasped. "And mine aren't? Mine come from the rainforest!"
"Yeah," A.C stared at him. "And you probably don't plant a replacement, either."
Bart had the decency to smile apologetically. "I'll go tomorrow and plant lots."
That meant a year from now, there was gonna be a news report about the startling amount of flowers sprouting up in the rainforest.
"Guys," Ollie halted that conversation before A.C had Bart as nature's very own Indiana Jones. "Aren't we forgetting something?"
Chloe tilted her head back and groaned at the ceiling. "Why me?"
"Why not?" Bruce asked.
"Because!"
"That's not an answer," Carter pointed out with a smirk.
She huffed. "Well, it'll have to do. Now if you don't mind, there's work to be done..."
Victor winked at Ollie. "You said it was time for a break and I haven't finished yet," to prove it, he shook his mug and took a very slow sip.
She glared. "Love you too, Vic."
Victor grinned. "I thought we keeping us a secret?"
Ollie coughed to cover up his snickers. Chloe hit the nail right on head when she said fruity. He turned to her. "Aw, Chlo... Isn't my rich and velvety nutty aroma not fruity enough for you?"
Bart sniggered. "Maybe she's just into double dipping."
Chloe and Ollie looked at him. "Double dipping what, Allen?"
He treated them both to his most innocent smile. "You know, double dipping? Maybe one doesn't do it for her."
Chloe felt all eyes on her again. "I can assure you that, no. I don't... Double dip and anyway," she looked at Bart. "What do you know about double dipping?"
He shrugged. "I double dip my cookies."
"Riiight," Ollie drawled. "And that's all you know about double dipping."
Bart nodded. "I don't know what double dipping you and Chloe are talking about, but I always meant cookies dipped twice."
Chloe and Ollie refused to look at each other as everyone stared at them.
A.C was the first to speak. "Dude," he stated with no little respect. "You the man."
Carter chuckled. "Experimenting is always for the very young."
"We weren't experimenting!" Ollie snapped, then quickly closed his mouth at the look on Chloe's face.
"Now we know the reason behind the nutty aroma," Bruce spoke through laughter.
Chloe felt her face burn. "There's no double dipping! Not with Ollie or with anyone for that matter!"
Bart looked oh so innocent. "Then how come my words got twisted?"
Chloe stamped her foot. "Ollie! Tell them there's no double dipping!"
Ollie grinned wickedly. "Of course there's no double dipping... Unless you count my cookies, of course."
Victor's expression was that of disgust. "Man, that's just something we did not need to know."
"No, it wasn't," Chloe half snarled. "Oliver Queen..."
"It's impossible to double dip cookies," Ollie stated helpfully.
Carter grunted out another chuckle. "If cookies are all you have to brag about, I'm not surprised you can't double dip."
Bruce shared a knowing grin with Carter. "We all know what happens to cookies when they've soaked up too much liquid."
Ollie scowled as every male in the room laughed. "My cookies are solid, thank you very much."
"Hey!" Chloe yelled, her face a shade of purple that had yet to be invented. "No more about me double dipping with Ollie's cookies and can we not call them cookies?"
"Sorry, 'Licious," Bart grinned without repent. "So you were saying about your favourite and how it's none of us?"
Carter turned on Chloe and crossed his arms. "What is your favourite?"
"Apart from none of us," Courtney added in genuine curiosity.
"I know what it is," Ollie bragged.
"What is it?" A.C asked and everyone looked to him for the answer.
"Triple espresso," Ollie grinned and waited for Chloe to confirm.
"Nope!"
"See?" His grin only faltered when her word sank in. "Say what?"
"While a triple espresso does the trick, it's not my drink of choice."
"How come you never told me?" Ollie asked, dismayed.
"Because your head is so far up your ass, all you can hear is your own flatulance?" Carter offered.
"You want your head to join mine?" Ollie snapped.
"Maybe it's not Chloe who's double dipped," Carter smirked.
"What's that supposed to mean, Tweetie?"
Carter shrugged. "If there's enough room up there for your head and mine, then..."
Ollie smirked. "That says more about you than it does about me."
Carter glared. "Child."
"O.A.P."
"Come say that to my face..."
Chloe was quick to intervene before bloodshed and violence happened. "Now, now, boys."
Victor nudged A.C. "And she says she doesn't double dip."
He quickly shut up when Chloe stared at him. "What was that, Cyborg?"
"Nothing, Tower. Nothing at all."
"Don't forget I can program you to be gay."
"You can do that?" Courtney asked, her wide eyes went from Chloe to Victor.
A.C, Bart, Bruce, Carter, and Ollie all looked at Chloe. "So that's the plan for April 1st."
"Don't you dare," Victor warned seriously. "I'll go to the papers about Ollie's dissolving cookies."
"Vic," Ollie seriously said. "It would be so worth it!"
"Not the way I'd tell it and don't forget," Victor glared at Chloe. "I can plug myself into Watchtower and start a pornado."
"You can get porn on Watchtower?" Bart asked as he looked at all the monitors.
"Nice going, Cyborg," A.C whacked his buddy upside the head.
"Yeah," Chloe arched a brow. "Thanks so much."
Victor smiled a smile of victory. "Your local homosexual terminator says you're welcome."
Chloe and Ollie pulled a face that simply made him grin all the more.
"As much as I admire Chloe," Bruce looked at the woman in question. "We're still none the wiser about your favourite."
Her expression clearly said I hate you, Wayne.
"Maybe she doesn't wanna tell us," Courtney said. "It's like you guys give us what we like for presents and if you know what she likes, she'll have a zillion of it."
"You know what's wrong with girls?" A.C said as he glared at Courtney. "They speak sense."
"As opposed to boys who think with their..."
"Courtney!"
"Sorry, Carter," and Courtney looked down in shame, but smiled when she saw Chloe's lips twitch.
"Hmm," Carter grunted, yet his own lips twitched. About time the girl started coming out of her shell.
"Another thing wrong with girls is they have brains and beauty," Bruce spoke up after he watched the silent conversation between Chloe and Courtney
"What's wrong with that?" Both women demanded.
"Nothing at all," he said in his most charming voice. "It's a very attractive combination and that is what's wrong."
Chloe rolled her eyes while Courtney blushed.
"Hey," Bart frowned at the Bat. "You can't do that."
Carter moved from Bart to stand beside Bruce and looked at the billionaire with a simple smile. "Hello."
Bart gave Bruce the thumbs up. Now he had a clear view of both ladies. "My life couldn't get any better."
"Wanna bet, Allen?" Ollie arched a brow. "I know a lovely place where you can get your kicks."
Carter gave the boy a warning. "I also know where he can get some kicks and it's not that far from where he is."
Ollie made a grand gesture. "Be my guest..."
Bart saluted them both as he went from where he was to the other side of the room before they could blink. "Catch me if you can."
Carter took a deep breath and Ollie spoke. "I'll trip him, you grab him."
"Agreed."
"I'll help you escape," Courtney smiled, then stuck her tongue out at her mentor.
"I blame you for this," Carter glared at Chloe.
"Why? What did I do?"
"Yeah," Ollie crossed his arms. "What did Chloe do?"
"Apart from teach her to ignore her manners?" Carter continued to glare.
"I did nothing of the sort!" Chloe exclaimed.
"Just like you didn't tell us your favourite?" Bruce smirked when she turned her female outrage on him.
Ollie laughed and shook his finger at Chloe. "You're too smart for your own good. Throwing us off topic and using us to do it? Tut tut."
"Alright, alright," Chloe said and threw her hands in the air in a sign of defeat. "My favourite is Senseo Brazil blend, which is soft and natural with delicious hints of caramel."
The room fell silent for a few moments before Bruce broke it. "I repeat," he said with a genuine smile. "A true conoisseur."
"I like that one, too," A.C added with a nod. "Chloe made it for me after my friend died."
Victor gave his buddy a sympathetic look. "Yeah, man, sorry about Strider. He was a good age?"
A.C nodded. "For a killer whale, yeah. That dude has a football team of kids, so not a total loss."
"Was that the drink you made me when I helped you put up the pictures here?" Courtney asked.
Chloe beamed at her and A.C. "Yes, it was."
"I liked it," and Chloe stood a bit straighter.
"So..." Courtney wondered aloud. "If the guys are coffees and the girls are milkshakes, what would you be?"
Chloe felt all eyes on her and she could hear the cogs ticking.
"Thanks, Courtney," she said sarcastically. "Thanks so much."