In Front of Me (1/1)
Author: serafina19
Title: In Front of Me
Timeline: Nine months after “Warrior,” but AU from that episode.
Rating: PG-13
Dedication: This is a very belated birthday fic for scout09.
In Front of Me
Every now and then, they needed this. A night to relax, a night to remember that taking care of themselves was just as much as important as everyone else.
The guys took to it especially well, Dinah too when she was in town, but Chloe was usually another matter. Most nights, they'd have to pry her from Watchtower, but tonight, it seemed her walls were slowly coming down. So as they settled at a local sports bar, she was engaged in a darts match with Victor and Dinah, while Bart and AC were playing video games.
That meant the silent observer role fell to Oliver tonight, but he didn't seem to mind. However, that opinion wasn't shared by Chloe, as she eventually came by with two drinks. "What's up with you tonight?"
Oliver tipped the drink back for a sip. "Nothing."
But Chloe wasn’t buying it. "You sure? You're oddly quiet and I haven't seen you hit on any girl in this place."
He scoffed. "You know that's not my life anymore." Heck, it wasn’t even his cover story anymore. Since Lois, Oliver realized that maybe there was a chance to have something more in his life and that it was about time that he made his normal reputation a bit more solid.
Only Chloe took his comment in a completely different direction. "So you and Dinah are back on?" It made sense to her, as he tended to tone down the playboy when his needs were getting taken care of.
Holding back a cough, Oliver swallowed carefully. "You knew about that?"
"Part of the job description," she replied before she shrugged. "Well, maybe not technically, but considering recent events, I don't think I have to defend it."
After a nod, he watched as her attention went away from him, so he decided to answer her question. "We're not, by the way."
That was probably for the best. Relationships between teammates would likely make things messier and Chloe had worked too hard only to lose it when things fell apart between them. Unfortunately, it didn’t take long for Chloe’s mind to wander, as one more person came to mind when it came to that analogy.
"Ollie... no." He appeared to have no idea what she was talking about, but Chloe wouldn’t let him play dumb. "You can’t seriously think that you and Lois are a good idea after everything that happened between you two."
His eyes widened. "You're kidding right? We're more likely to happen than that."
Never had Chloe been grateful that he wasn’t looking at her. Despite her best restraint, her body had practically shook upon hearing that. She took a deep breath and ensured her voice was calm. "Really?"
It seemed to work, as Oliver looked up at her, but his expression hadn’t changed. "Clark has to pull his head out of his ass, but that's inevitable." Which was good, because it allowed Oliver to accept the closure he got from Lois.
"True," Chloe replied, glad to see that he had moved on. For as much as she loved Lois and Oliver, together, they weren’t the best combination. It also made things easier for Lois and Clark, who seemed to be finally coming together based on the texts Chloe was getting tonight.
Clark had offered to get Lois some drinks after their shift, and all night Chloe had gotten silly texts from her cousin. It was a different look for Lois, but she was happy. That was enough to get Chloe to smile at her phone when the latest one came in.
It didn’t last long though, as she could feel Oliver still staring at her. “What?” she asked, as she couldn’t read this expression.
Oliver leaned back in his chair, surprised that she didn’t call him on something. “I’m trying to figure out if you’ve put two-and-two together yet."
She put away her phone, her eyes narrowing as she felt her posture stiffen. “I don’t follow.”
"Think about it, Sullivan." He could see her thinking back over their conversation when her cheeks turned the slightest amount of pink. His smirk widened. “There it is.”
Chloe pursed her lips, glancing down and taking a needed reprieve through a sip of her drink. “Seriously Ollie, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Uh uh, nice try.” He pushed his chair closer to her, recognizing that her façade was more intact now. "Your naive act won’t work on me. I know you too well."
Even if that was true, Chloe knew this was a rocky conversation to start and she wasn’t going to give in so easily. “This conversation would be a lot easier if you just said your point.”
Again, Oliver moved his chair so that he was now sitting next to her. Leaning in, he whispered, “This conversation wouldn’t happen if I just came out with my point.”
When he immediately backed away, Chloe realized that maybe there was a chance that this could go in her favour. There was also a chance that this was a trap, but Chloe couldn’t back down now. Her silence or avoidance tactics would do more damage than good. "Try me.”
He tried not to smile, as he loved the spark in her voice. Grabbing his drink, he took a sip and looked towards the group. "I've thought about it, about us,” he said, turning his head back towards her. “It isn't as shocking as you think."
Chloe nodded. "Noted."
Her casual response was expected and he let her enjoy her victory for a few minutes. She really was beautiful when she let herself relax, which wasn’t as often as Oliver would like. He knew that this conversation could complicate things, but he was tired of waiting.
“You ever think about that night?" he asked. It was a simple question on paper, but this one had a lot of meaning.
Chloe knew which night he was talking about, but what she didn't get was why he was bringing up now. "A few times, I guess."
"Really?"
It was her turn to scoff. "I doubt anyone really forgets a night like that, not to mention the context. I remember it for what it was."
Typical Chloe, he thought, but he bit it back to prevent saying it aloud. "Interesting."
She nodded in response, hoping that was the end, but Chloe wasn’t going to be that lucky. He continued to watch her as she swirled her drink and acted like he never asked. As usual, he saw through her tells, the nerves that lay beneath the surface. "I've been thinking about it a lot lately."
Having enough, she slammed her glass on the table. "Oliver, stop."
"Why?" It was probably wrong that he was glad that he hit a nerve. The banter was cute, but he was past that with Chloe. He wanted something real, but he knew he had a fight in front of him when he saw her roll her eyes.
After all, she thought the answer to his question was obvious. "It was a long time ago and nothing good can come from discussing it."
"I disagree," Oliver countered, surprising her. "Admit it, we kind of have the epic angle here. Lives lost, bloodshed, yet we're closer than ever."
"That’s a bit of an understatement,” she said. While he meant well, and he was right, that shouldn’t be a fundamental part of any relationship. “Plus, I don't think any relationship should be that complicated." She had seen plenty of examples that confirmed that statement. Heck, plenty of her own.
"Maybe," he replied. "But the world seems to be in a good place, you're a lot happier, at least I think so." She gave him a small smile, so he added, "And I’m… better than I used to be."
Chloe swallowed hard, knowing he was alluding to his time in the figurative gutter. It took a lot to pull him out, even more for him to remember the hero he was. That was something that she didn’t regret at all, something she couldn’t completely say about the night in question. "So your answer to that is to mess with it?"
That was a possibility, that was probably why he had waited, but the longer he tried to fight it, the less reasons why not crossed his mind. "Thinking back, I’m pretty sure that night was a sign. I can’t help but think that all this time, I’ve been missing out on something."
He went quiet, so his words started to sink in. As much as Chloe didn’t want him to know that she thought he had a point, she knew that her face said otherwise. It didn’t help that he had started to lean in again. Now, she wasn't thinking about the crowd around them, or how there should be alarm bells going off. Pushing her legs together, she thought about that night, his words tonight.
He whispered her name as his mouth hovered over hers, but she was still as she fought conflicting emotions. Opening her mouth, she considered giving in, but upon smelling the alcohol on his breath, sense won over.
"Oliver,” she said as her head turned away. “You're not even going to remember this in the morning.” She got up from her chair and added, “I'm going to get you a cab."
Once she had taken the first few steps, Chloe tried not to sprint out the door. When she got outside, she silently swore to herself. What the hell was she thinking, letting herself get that close to him? That was an awful idea, heck, it was an awful idea that night, but she thought that was all behind them.
Fortunately, it wasn’t long before she was able to hail a cab, and the driver even agreed to wait for her to come back with Oliver. Only when she went back inside, he wasn’t at the table.
Biting her lip, Chloe looked around, not seeing him, and not wanting to take the chance of running into a team member and explain herself. So she went back outside and took the cab herself, ignoring the regret that was slowly coming to the surface. Something told her that she needed a cold shower tonight.
~0~
If there was one thing that Oliver knew this morning, it was that this headache felt unearned. Then again, he knew it wasn’t due to more typical reasons, but rather because he had made a huge mistake.
Walking to his kitchen, he took note of the blonde woman there, drinking the last of her coffee.
“Hey sleepyhead,” Dinah said, straightening out of her hair after putting her glass down. “Regret that last beer yet?”
“Doubt it,” Oliver replied, walking over to the sink to get a glass of water anyway. While there was plenty to regret about last night, when it came to drinking, he had a lot worse nights.
“Right,” Dinah said, remembering the state he was in on some of the nights they had spent together. “I forget that you have a ridiculous alcohol tolerance.”
Tipping his water glass towards her, Oliver grinned. “Lots of practice.”
Dinah walked next to him, intent on washing her coffee mug. Feeling the water against her skin, she peered up to him. “Thanks for letting me crash here last night.”
“No problem,” Oliver said with a smile. It was what his place was for, especially with Dinah. “You ever consider buying your own place here?”
She understood that question, as that was how they started their casual fling last year. Spend enough time with a billionaire playboy behind closed doors and hormones inevitably affect things. Granted, their relationship had fizzled as fast as it had started, but Oliver and her had managed to stay professional. She likely had her day job to thank for that.
So she shrugged as she put away her mug. “With how much I travel, I don’t think so.” Even if she couldn’t stay here, there were always other options and she wasn’t opposed to a hotel room if needed.
Watching her approach her bags, Oliver asked, “Where’s the next stop?”
“Chicago.”
He nodded. “Need anything else?”
“No, but you could probably use a shower.” Seeing him on the brink of laughter, she smiled. “I appreciate everything else though. It was different, but…”
“Things change,” he finished.
She pursed her lips as she took a quick look around the room. “For the better.” It was hard to admit initially, as she thought they really clicked, but the truth was that there wasn’t much room for compromise in their dynamic.
Plus, she wasn’t blind. She was keeping him company, but she knew how much his relationship changed with Chloe after the Roulette stunt. That was something she couldn’t compete with, a level of understanding that she didn’t share.
Oliver broke the silence between them. “When are you going to be back?”
She shrugged. “Depends on a few things, but I should be able to patrol next weekend.”
“Great,” Oliver replied, glad that they were able to get through the awkwardness of their past. “When’s your flight?”
“Not for a few hours. You mind if I chill here until then?”
“Make yourself at home.” Finishing his water, he turned towards the kitchen. “But I think I’ll have that shower.”
Dinah called out, “It may not hurt to have some more shut-eye either. I swear, Bart must make up for the rest of us hardly sleeping.” She rolled her eyes before adding, “Or at least the combination of you and Chloe.”
Oliver had turned his head enough to see that she immediately regretted mentioning Chloe’s name. He had to give Dinah credit, she could have given him heck about last night. Instead, she kept it casual. “I’ll think about it,” he said.
Watching him go, Dinah sighed as she grabbed her laptop from one of her bags. She had every intention of getting work done, but that changed when she heard Oliver’s elevator activate. Whoever was coming up had his access code, so she braced herself for who was on the other side. She hadn’t guessed that it would be Chloe.
“Hi,” Dinah said, hoping that her smile would hide the humour she saw in this situation.
Chloe didn’t disappoint, as the moment that they locked eyes, her expression fell and her head dipped. “Dinah, hey.”
Closing her mouth to a smirk, Dinah looked over her shoulder. “Oliver’s just in the shower. Should be out in a few minutes.”
“How did he seem this morning?”
“A little hung over,” Dinah replied as she zipped her bag back up with the laptop inside. There was no way she was staying here much longer now. “But far from the worst I’ve seen him. Why?”
With a shrug, Chloe clutched the strap of her bag. “No reason.”
Dinah was tempted to call Chloe on that piece of bullshit, but decided on a different tactic. “Then why are you here at eight in the morning?” Because that sent enough of a message, something that both women knew.
Still, Chloe tried to hide from it. “He asked for a favour for Queen Industries,” she said, putting her bag down on her desk. Dinah had to admit, she was impressed, as Chloe set up her laptop without a care in the world. That was the Chloe the team had gotten used to for a long time, but this time, it wasn’t genuine.
“Right, well, while you’re sorting out that favour… I’ve got a flight to catch.” It wouldn’t be the first time Dinah would kill time at the airport and besides, maybe this meant that these two could finally get their act together.
But as she walked past Chloe, Dinah spotted apprehension in her teammate’s eyes. She sighed before looking towards the other woman. “You knew about us last year… didn’t you?” Chloe swallowed hard, not much of a tell, but enough. “That’s what I thought.”
Chloe turned her head, knowing what Dinah was talking about, but not wanting to reveal more than she had to. “Why do you ask?”
Dinah smiled. “Because I’m going to do you a favour and not tell the team what I saw between you and Oliver last night.” She braced for whichever reaction Chloe had for that, which was more casual than she thought. It included a familiar sigh, but once her expression settled, Dinah could see her disappointment. That’s why she added, “And let you know that last night… wasn’t like that. Check out my usual guest room if you don’t believe me.”
She wanted to see Chloe’s reaction to that too, but instead, she decided to leave before she said too much. Her work here was done.
That left Chloe standing alone in the main room, confused as hell. When she got in the cab last night, she had every intention of going home, but instead she stopped by Watchtower. In her head, it was so she could avoid the inevitable Lois encounter, or possibly worse if her date with Clark went well. Unfortunately, Watchtower had less reprieve than she thought.
Because that was the place that started all this confusion. One night of vulnerability, of utter stupidity, of… inexplicable freedom. Honest conversation, strong booze, good company, one bullseye, returning smiles and then everything changed.
That morning after, she made the same mistake that she did last night. Chloe knew Oliver, she knew the hero he was, the good person he strived to be, yet she couldn’t shake his past when it came to women.
It wasn’t like his playboy stance was a problem, although if it was, it was because she didn’t fit the type. The problem was that they were both workaholics, and they had terrible luck in this department. Still, she came here this morning to get their stories straight, to ensure that they didn’t have issues in front of the team. Now, knowing what Dinah knew, the idea seemed wrong.
Her hand closed the laptop and she paused as she looked around. Did she really want this now? She could hardly bear the silence, so could she handle when he came in the room? Her answer almost came immediately, so she packed up her computer and headed towards the elevator.
It almost worked.
The moment she heard the floor creak behind her, Chloe whirled around and there he was. Fortunately for her, Oliver had gotten dressed, as he buttoned up his jacket when he stepped in the room. "Dinah left?"
"Yeah," she said with a smile. “She mentioned that she had a flight to catch.”
Oliver grinned hard to keep himself from chuckling. The woman knew exactly what she was doing, and he had a feeling that Chloe knew that too. "You too?"
That was the plan, even though it looked stupid now. The truth was that she wasn’t as ready for this conversation as she thought. "She mentioned that you're nursing a bad hangover. I figured that I'd come back when you feel better."
As she turned around, Oliver said, "No, I'm glad you're here. I think we need to talk."
Chloe paused, trying to hide her hard swallow. She had been wrong. Not only would he remember, but he would also push the issue. "That's really not necessary,” she said, turning back towards him. “We all say things that we regret." He smirked, taking a step forward. "It never happened, just... like... that night." She hated that her words began to fumble, but it was hard to stand her ground while he continued to approach her.
"But the only regret I have is letting you slip away,” he said. For while she thought that the alcohol made him say things that he regretted, it provided the subtlest of pushes to tell her what he had been avoiding for so long. "So what's the excuse this time, Sullivan?”
It didn’t take long for Chloe to take a step back. “You can’t just do this. We can’t just… go there again.” A lot of what happened that night was a fluke, a combination of her vulnerability and a night off from his recovery from a downward spiral.
Oliver smirked as he watched her panic. “I know,” he said, noticing how her head popped up. “That’s why I said we needed to talk.”
She shook her head, hating that she let him trap her like this. Nonetheless, she relented. “Why now?”
“Does it matter?” he asked. “Because I haven’t overthought this like you have.”
“I haven’t overthought this,” Chloe said, aware that he wouldn’t believe her and her last question didn’t help her case. “I just don’t think you’ve thought it through enough.”
“So almost a year isn’t enough?” Seeing her about to interject, Oliver held a finger up. “Right, not the point. What’s your solution then? Fight it? Ignore it? Because I’m not sure I can do that.”
She scoffed. “You seemed to be doing fine before last night.” Before then, they never talked about it, they just kept going and their friendship continued to thrive. Nothing out of the ordinary seemed to happen, which was why this confused her so much.
“Really? Because you’re the only person who believes that.” Last night alone was an indication. “I’m pretty sure I gave Dinah hell for teasing me about disappearing when you went to get the cab. Not to mention her thoughts about my staring at you while you played darts.”
And she wasn’t the only one. He had gotten a few comments from other team members, but Oliver knew why he was waiting because she was the only oblivious one.
What he didn’t know was that Chloe wanted to believe him. Everything in his voice implied he was serious, not to mention the look in his eyes. But it wasn’t that easy for her. “I think I would have noticed that.”
He shook his head, knowing if she had, this would not be happening. “Look Chloe, I know that losing Jimmy was tough, and I thought maybe if I didn’t push it, then things would happen naturally. But then you boxed me out for almost a month.”
She probably saw it as things going back to their natural state, but Oliver wanted to talk about it. He wanted to see if he was alone in this, and all she could give him was a clear sign was that she wasn’t ready. Then things started getting better.
“You asked me why now,” he said. “Chloe, I think there is a chance that this would work and I don’t want to waste it.”
Chloe bit the inside of her lip. Go figure the moment she had given up on this facet on her life, she had found someone who would fight for her. “I wish it was that easy for me,” she said, hating the way that the hope in his eyes faded. “I want to look at you and see anything other than a bad ending.”
That was all they knew after all, so Oliver knew that he had to knock those walls down to have a chance. “Correct me if I’m wrong. In Clark you saw a humble farmboy, Jimmy was a safe guy who normalized your life, Davis a harmless connection.” He could see he was losing her, so he switched gears. “In Tess I saw a genuine person who wanted to save the world. I thought Lois and I were meant to be. Both were mistakes.”
She saw him finish his point with a smile, trying to find humour in their failures, but again, it wasn’t that easy. “At least yours don’t include two dead bodies.”
Oliver rolled his eyes, bringing his hand to his forehead. Of course she would jump to that conclusion. “That wasn’t my point.”
“Then what is?” She stretched her arms out, letting out some of her frustration. “We’re capable of being wrong, so what’s to say you’re right now? Because that Lois phase… it extends a little further than your break-up.” Chloe had heard about the date they went on last year, the one where he surprised Lois and genuinely wanted to get back together.
While he knew it was only a matter of time before this came up, Oliver was slightly amused by the way Chloe talked about it. “That was pure desperation. Grasping at something familiar. Trying to find hope in someone who fought for me. Take your pick.”
Except she didn’t do that. “I fought for you Oliver.” She hadn’t anticipated saying that out loud, and she wanted to take the words back, but with one glance at him, she knew that he had heard her.
“You did… more than anyone else on the team. I can’t thank you enough for that.” For what seemed to be a crazy stunt was exactly what he needed to stop living with a death wish. That day at Metro Coffee Stop, he would never forget it. “But I couldn’t thank you in that way. Even if I had a chance with you then, I was too blind to see it.”
He had a point. It wasn’t something that either of them saw coming. “One night of fun shouldn’t change your mind that much,” Chloe said.
He didn’t see it that way. “In all the time I had known you, we never had a moment like that.” Once it happened, Oliver couldn’t unsee it, as he almost started to question why it took him so long to realize that he had feelings for Chloe. “I respected your wishes when it was clear that all that was to you was one night, but I never forgot about it.”
Although it turned out that he had done too good of a job in being subtle. He never anticipated that she would never recognize the signs, but now that she was standing here, Oliver had hope that she was putting the pieces together.
“And if time was what you needed to figure this out, Chloe, you wouldn’t be standing here right now, so how you tell me why you’re really here?” There was no pressing mission, she wasn’t running tech work for him and based on her mood yesterday, there didn’t appear to be a personal emergency.
Still she said nothing, so Oliver cut to the chase. “Because if last night really meant nothing, you’d tell me when I arrived at Watchtower, not scurrying away after Dinah probably told you that she knew that I almost kissed you last night. And you almost let me.”
Chloe could feel her breathing slow down, but instead of backing away, or thinking about it too much, she told him the truth. “I didn’t forget about it either.”
“What?”
Again, it felt like this crazy back and forth conversation. It was one that they needed, except she came here wanting to tell him that it couldn’t happen. Then she saw Dinah and it felt like everything changed. She thought about their conversation last night again, and that led to now, an admission she had no intention of disclosing before.
“I mean, you knew that, but I…” Shaking her head, Chloe closed her eyes. “Oh who am I kidding? You’re right.”
Because while she saw a bad ending, she also saw the good in things changing between her and Oliver. She knew how well they knew each other and the good he brought to her life.
Only he wasn’t sure how to address this. “About what exactly?”
“Almost all of it.” She didn’t realize just how much until now, but now it felt like everything was on the surface. “I didn’t ignore you because I wanted it to be a one night thing. It was because you scared me. You still do.”
On paper, he was everything she could want in a partner, but she had long past the point when she thought that she actually got to enjoy that. “You know everything about me, the dark places I’ve gone to, the shreds of life that I held onto and you were still okay with that. I didn’t want to lose that, so I pushed the friendship angle because I was too afraid that the physical nature would fizzle out, the emotional crap with it.”
His expression fell, as she had more than enough evidence of that particular behavior from him. However, he liked to think that he had grown since then. “C’mon Chloe, you know me better than that.”
Lifting her hand, Chloe pointed her finger towards him. “I also know that old habits die hard with you. Figured this would be one of them.” Opening her hand, she stopped him from interjecting. “Not me, just… tendencies with women.” His eyes remained the same, so she rolled hers. “Wow, I’m just digging a bigger hole aren’t I?”
Maybe, but there was something that mattered more to him. “At least you’re being honest with me.” This was the most she had let herself talk about this with him, and he didn’t want to discourage it.
“Well, I can’t lie about this anymore, because you would see right through me.” He had proved that much this morning. “You said something last night, about it being a sign. We were still pretty fragile then, so honestly, the best I could have given you was to keep the physical part going.” She chuckled before adding, “Either way, you probably would have worn me down, but in hindsight, I wished I had done that. Something tells me that would have been easier.”
Oliver took a step towards her. “Maybe, but you focused on bringing in the team closer together.” He grinned at a few memories over the last few months. “If I didn’t have the back-up at Earth station, things could have gotten ugly.”
Another night Chloe remembered all too well. There had been an unforeseen attack at Earth station the night Zod launched his plan, so Oliver went to patch up the satellites. If she hadn’t sent Bart in for back-up, they might have been underprepared for the emergence of their next enemy.
They may have lost Oliver that night.
Shaking herself from that thought, Chloe said, “Things still aren’t easy. There are plenty of threats out there.”
Not thinking about any possible consequences, he put his hand on her shoulder. “Which is why it’s important that you’re out there, convincing other heroes to join the fight.” He let out a quiet chuckle upon seeing her grin. “I never thought you’d be able to convince Bruce of anything like joining a team. Diana’s a great addition too.”
Her grin widened. “Bruce is a lot less stubborn than you think.” Feeling her confidence come back, her eyes moved up to meet his. “He actually reminds me of another billionaire I know.”
“Bite your tongue,” Oliver said. “Unless you meant Lex, then I might be inclined to partially agree with you.”
Chloe shrugged. “He’s your friend. Just because you two have a pissing contest about who has the better toys… which he has a pretty good argument…”
She had expected some sort of comment, but instead of saying anything, Chloe felt him grab her arm and pull her closer to him. “Take that back.”
Her mouth gaped a little, as this kind of proximity was different from the casual way he comforted her before. Or maybe it was something she was trying to get used to, because even though she had patched him up before, this was different. Wasn’t it?
For once, Chloe attempted to not overthink it. “He has a cave and a custom made car.”
Oliver leaned in to say, “We have a satellite and an uncrackable database.”
“We?” Chloe asked, her head tilting slightly.
“I buy it, you run it,” he said with a smirk, relieved to see her smile in response. “Team remember?”
“Well, you’re not in it alone. We’re a team right?”
A better memory from before Oliver went to Earth station. At that moment, she was skeptical they could stop this attack, but this time, when the chips were down, it was Oliver that stood up and told her that they could do it. Just like she had told him that he always had the hero in his heart. “We are, aren’t we?”
He nodded. “I figure the term fits because we’ve seen each other at our best and worst.”
“I’ll give you that one.” The further she looked back, Chloe was also reminded of her days stuck in virtual reality and the relentless way Oliver pulled her back to the real world. “I never could have gotten through this past year without you.”
There was a lot of shit that had happened for them individually and together. Things got crazy dark, but somehow, together, they had managed to find some light.
Heck, Oliver knew that his year would have been dramatically different if Chloe had given up on him. “I wouldn’t be standing here without you,” he said, reminded of how he almost threw his life away.
Chloe laughed as she reached forward to grab the edge of his jacket. “Truest thing you’ve said all morning.” Before she could stop herself, she felt herself relax in his proximity. Because despite the tough days, with him, things felt like they were going to be okay. She grinned as she moved her fingers against the lapels.
“It’s more natural than you think, isn’t it?”
Her fingers stopped moving, but her hands remained where they were. Initially, she thought he was using their friendly banter to prove his point, but the longer she stood there, she knew that tricks wouldn’t help his case.
So she merely grinned as she continued to stare ahead. “You really are serious.”
He exhaled loudly, taking her response as a positive sign. Hoping not to push his luck too far, he reached forward to tuck her hair behind her ear. “You really think I would attempt this conversation if I wasn’t?”
The contact threw her off initially, but in letting him do it, she allowed herself to appreciate how it felt to let go again. “At this point, nothing surprises me anymore.” The last twelve hours alone had taken her in a completely different direction, but she was forgetting the potential regrets and the mistakes that she had seen with this path.
Still, that didn’t mean her brain shut off. They may be on the same page right now, but they still needed to talk. “Well, you’re the one who’s thought about this. How would it work?”
When she looked up at him, for the first time all morning, Oliver had a feeling that maybe this would all work out. “One day at a time. Like normal people.”
“Normal?”
It was a valid question, as the word wasn’t exactly one that applied to their lives often. “Our jobs may not be, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t an inch of us that is normal.”
“And if it does fail miserably?” Because she had to ask that question. He had to have an answer for this after all.
He did, but it was much simpler than she anticipated. “Then we’ll find our way back. We’re more than capable.” He wanted to tell her more, tell her it would be easy, but he didn’t have that particular ability and he knew better than to lie to Chloe. More importantly, that wasn’t the part of the relationship that he wanted to focus on. “But that’s not my preference.”
Chloe nodded slowly, taking in the situation she was in. His hands resting on her back and the top of her ear, his face close to hers. It felt… nice.
In this moment, she knew it was time to throw caution into the wind. It had dictated too much of her life already. “Right now,” she said, “that’s something we agree on.”
“Yeah?”
Watching the way his eyes widened in surprise before his cocky stare came back, Chloe grinned. “You can’t be that surprised.”
“With you, I never really know.”
“Now that, I don’t believe.” This whole morning it felt like he could read her like a book, but the more she thought about it, she realized that she couldn’t blame him. It wasn’t her fighting him, she was fighting her own demons.
When she stepped forward, Oliver knew that they had been here before. It hadn’t worked out too often in his favour before, but this time, her face held a completely different expression. He followed suit, his eyes watching her lips. “Last chance to back away Sullivan.”
“No way,” she said, taking his jacket and bringing him close, their lips about to collide when they heard the elevator activate.
Oliver sighed as he dipped his head. “Damnit Hal.”
Chloe turned her head towards the elevator and then back towards Oliver. “Hal, as in Green Lantern, Hal.”
“Apparently you wore him down last time you visited.” Seeing her mouth open, he was quick to inform her why he never told her before. “It was supposed to be a surprise. Then again, he is early.”
Or late, depending on the definition. He was supposed to meet up with the team last night, but he said he wouldn’t be able to come until tonight. Apparently nothing about last night went according to script. Not that he completely minded now.
Chloe smiled. “I’m just glad that he’s on-board.” She always knew that Bruce would be a challenge, but Oliver’s eccentric pilot friend turned out to be harder than she thought. Then again, he never saw himself as a team player either and he already had an intergalactic team to deal with.
“For the record,” Oliver said, not wanting to lose the progress they had made today. “We’re not done this conversation.”
“I actually think we are,” Chloe replied, noting the confusion on his face. “I mean, I was going to insist that we pick things off where we left them last night, or now, but if you disagree…”
That seemed to be all he needed, as for a few seconds, Oliver completely forgot about the elevator and kissed Chloe, glad to feel her reciprocate. It had taken longer for them to get to this point than he thought, but the result was everything he wanted and more.
As they pulled away, they grinned at each other, not even hearing Hal enter the room.
Of course, that didn’t stop him from smiling at the sight in front of him. “It’s about damn time.”
~End~
Sera's Scribbles: In other news, looking to update TTP soon. Life's been busier than expected lately, but I've been putting the final touches on the chapter this week.
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Title: In Front of Me
Timeline: Nine months after “Warrior,” but AU from that episode.
Rating: PG-13
Dedication: This is a very belated birthday fic for scout09.
In Front of Me
Every now and then, they needed this. A night to relax, a night to remember that taking care of themselves was just as much as important as everyone else.
The guys took to it especially well, Dinah too when she was in town, but Chloe was usually another matter. Most nights, they'd have to pry her from Watchtower, but tonight, it seemed her walls were slowly coming down. So as they settled at a local sports bar, she was engaged in a darts match with Victor and Dinah, while Bart and AC were playing video games.
That meant the silent observer role fell to Oliver tonight, but he didn't seem to mind. However, that opinion wasn't shared by Chloe, as she eventually came by with two drinks. "What's up with you tonight?"
Oliver tipped the drink back for a sip. "Nothing."
But Chloe wasn’t buying it. "You sure? You're oddly quiet and I haven't seen you hit on any girl in this place."
He scoffed. "You know that's not my life anymore." Heck, it wasn’t even his cover story anymore. Since Lois, Oliver realized that maybe there was a chance to have something more in his life and that it was about time that he made his normal reputation a bit more solid.
Only Chloe took his comment in a completely different direction. "So you and Dinah are back on?" It made sense to her, as he tended to tone down the playboy when his needs were getting taken care of.
Holding back a cough, Oliver swallowed carefully. "You knew about that?"
"Part of the job description," she replied before she shrugged. "Well, maybe not technically, but considering recent events, I don't think I have to defend it."
After a nod, he watched as her attention went away from him, so he decided to answer her question. "We're not, by the way."
That was probably for the best. Relationships between teammates would likely make things messier and Chloe had worked too hard only to lose it when things fell apart between them. Unfortunately, it didn’t take long for Chloe’s mind to wander, as one more person came to mind when it came to that analogy.
"Ollie... no." He appeared to have no idea what she was talking about, but Chloe wouldn’t let him play dumb. "You can’t seriously think that you and Lois are a good idea after everything that happened between you two."
His eyes widened. "You're kidding right? We're more likely to happen than that."
Never had Chloe been grateful that he wasn’t looking at her. Despite her best restraint, her body had practically shook upon hearing that. She took a deep breath and ensured her voice was calm. "Really?"
It seemed to work, as Oliver looked up at her, but his expression hadn’t changed. "Clark has to pull his head out of his ass, but that's inevitable." Which was good, because it allowed Oliver to accept the closure he got from Lois.
"True," Chloe replied, glad to see that he had moved on. For as much as she loved Lois and Oliver, together, they weren’t the best combination. It also made things easier for Lois and Clark, who seemed to be finally coming together based on the texts Chloe was getting tonight.
Clark had offered to get Lois some drinks after their shift, and all night Chloe had gotten silly texts from her cousin. It was a different look for Lois, but she was happy. That was enough to get Chloe to smile at her phone when the latest one came in.
It didn’t last long though, as she could feel Oliver still staring at her. “What?” she asked, as she couldn’t read this expression.
Oliver leaned back in his chair, surprised that she didn’t call him on something. “I’m trying to figure out if you’ve put two-and-two together yet."
She put away her phone, her eyes narrowing as she felt her posture stiffen. “I don’t follow.”
"Think about it, Sullivan." He could see her thinking back over their conversation when her cheeks turned the slightest amount of pink. His smirk widened. “There it is.”
Chloe pursed her lips, glancing down and taking a needed reprieve through a sip of her drink. “Seriously Ollie, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Uh uh, nice try.” He pushed his chair closer to her, recognizing that her façade was more intact now. "Your naive act won’t work on me. I know you too well."
Even if that was true, Chloe knew this was a rocky conversation to start and she wasn’t going to give in so easily. “This conversation would be a lot easier if you just said your point.”
Again, Oliver moved his chair so that he was now sitting next to her. Leaning in, he whispered, “This conversation wouldn’t happen if I just came out with my point.”
When he immediately backed away, Chloe realized that maybe there was a chance that this could go in her favour. There was also a chance that this was a trap, but Chloe couldn’t back down now. Her silence or avoidance tactics would do more damage than good. "Try me.”
He tried not to smile, as he loved the spark in her voice. Grabbing his drink, he took a sip and looked towards the group. "I've thought about it, about us,” he said, turning his head back towards her. “It isn't as shocking as you think."
Chloe nodded. "Noted."
Her casual response was expected and he let her enjoy her victory for a few minutes. She really was beautiful when she let herself relax, which wasn’t as often as Oliver would like. He knew that this conversation could complicate things, but he was tired of waiting.
“You ever think about that night?" he asked. It was a simple question on paper, but this one had a lot of meaning.
Chloe knew which night he was talking about, but what she didn't get was why he was bringing up now. "A few times, I guess."
"Really?"
It was her turn to scoff. "I doubt anyone really forgets a night like that, not to mention the context. I remember it for what it was."
Typical Chloe, he thought, but he bit it back to prevent saying it aloud. "Interesting."
She nodded in response, hoping that was the end, but Chloe wasn’t going to be that lucky. He continued to watch her as she swirled her drink and acted like he never asked. As usual, he saw through her tells, the nerves that lay beneath the surface. "I've been thinking about it a lot lately."
Having enough, she slammed her glass on the table. "Oliver, stop."
"Why?" It was probably wrong that he was glad that he hit a nerve. The banter was cute, but he was past that with Chloe. He wanted something real, but he knew he had a fight in front of him when he saw her roll her eyes.
After all, she thought the answer to his question was obvious. "It was a long time ago and nothing good can come from discussing it."
"I disagree," Oliver countered, surprising her. "Admit it, we kind of have the epic angle here. Lives lost, bloodshed, yet we're closer than ever."
"That’s a bit of an understatement,” she said. While he meant well, and he was right, that shouldn’t be a fundamental part of any relationship. “Plus, I don't think any relationship should be that complicated." She had seen plenty of examples that confirmed that statement. Heck, plenty of her own.
"Maybe," he replied. "But the world seems to be in a good place, you're a lot happier, at least I think so." She gave him a small smile, so he added, "And I’m… better than I used to be."
Chloe swallowed hard, knowing he was alluding to his time in the figurative gutter. It took a lot to pull him out, even more for him to remember the hero he was. That was something that she didn’t regret at all, something she couldn’t completely say about the night in question. "So your answer to that is to mess with it?"
That was a possibility, that was probably why he had waited, but the longer he tried to fight it, the less reasons why not crossed his mind. "Thinking back, I’m pretty sure that night was a sign. I can’t help but think that all this time, I’ve been missing out on something."
He went quiet, so his words started to sink in. As much as Chloe didn’t want him to know that she thought he had a point, she knew that her face said otherwise. It didn’t help that he had started to lean in again. Now, she wasn't thinking about the crowd around them, or how there should be alarm bells going off. Pushing her legs together, she thought about that night, his words tonight.
He whispered her name as his mouth hovered over hers, but she was still as she fought conflicting emotions. Opening her mouth, she considered giving in, but upon smelling the alcohol on his breath, sense won over.
"Oliver,” she said as her head turned away. “You're not even going to remember this in the morning.” She got up from her chair and added, “I'm going to get you a cab."
Once she had taken the first few steps, Chloe tried not to sprint out the door. When she got outside, she silently swore to herself. What the hell was she thinking, letting herself get that close to him? That was an awful idea, heck, it was an awful idea that night, but she thought that was all behind them.
Fortunately, it wasn’t long before she was able to hail a cab, and the driver even agreed to wait for her to come back with Oliver. Only when she went back inside, he wasn’t at the table.
Biting her lip, Chloe looked around, not seeing him, and not wanting to take the chance of running into a team member and explain herself. So she went back outside and took the cab herself, ignoring the regret that was slowly coming to the surface. Something told her that she needed a cold shower tonight.
~0~
If there was one thing that Oliver knew this morning, it was that this headache felt unearned. Then again, he knew it wasn’t due to more typical reasons, but rather because he had made a huge mistake.
Walking to his kitchen, he took note of the blonde woman there, drinking the last of her coffee.
“Hey sleepyhead,” Dinah said, straightening out of her hair after putting her glass down. “Regret that last beer yet?”
“Doubt it,” Oliver replied, walking over to the sink to get a glass of water anyway. While there was plenty to regret about last night, when it came to drinking, he had a lot worse nights.
“Right,” Dinah said, remembering the state he was in on some of the nights they had spent together. “I forget that you have a ridiculous alcohol tolerance.”
Tipping his water glass towards her, Oliver grinned. “Lots of practice.”
Dinah walked next to him, intent on washing her coffee mug. Feeling the water against her skin, she peered up to him. “Thanks for letting me crash here last night.”
“No problem,” Oliver said with a smile. It was what his place was for, especially with Dinah. “You ever consider buying your own place here?”
She understood that question, as that was how they started their casual fling last year. Spend enough time with a billionaire playboy behind closed doors and hormones inevitably affect things. Granted, their relationship had fizzled as fast as it had started, but Oliver and her had managed to stay professional. She likely had her day job to thank for that.
So she shrugged as she put away her mug. “With how much I travel, I don’t think so.” Even if she couldn’t stay here, there were always other options and she wasn’t opposed to a hotel room if needed.
Watching her approach her bags, Oliver asked, “Where’s the next stop?”
“Chicago.”
He nodded. “Need anything else?”
“No, but you could probably use a shower.” Seeing him on the brink of laughter, she smiled. “I appreciate everything else though. It was different, but…”
“Things change,” he finished.
She pursed her lips as she took a quick look around the room. “For the better.” It was hard to admit initially, as she thought they really clicked, but the truth was that there wasn’t much room for compromise in their dynamic.
Plus, she wasn’t blind. She was keeping him company, but she knew how much his relationship changed with Chloe after the Roulette stunt. That was something she couldn’t compete with, a level of understanding that she didn’t share.
Oliver broke the silence between them. “When are you going to be back?”
She shrugged. “Depends on a few things, but I should be able to patrol next weekend.”
“Great,” Oliver replied, glad that they were able to get through the awkwardness of their past. “When’s your flight?”
“Not for a few hours. You mind if I chill here until then?”
“Make yourself at home.” Finishing his water, he turned towards the kitchen. “But I think I’ll have that shower.”
Dinah called out, “It may not hurt to have some more shut-eye either. I swear, Bart must make up for the rest of us hardly sleeping.” She rolled her eyes before adding, “Or at least the combination of you and Chloe.”
Oliver had turned his head enough to see that she immediately regretted mentioning Chloe’s name. He had to give Dinah credit, she could have given him heck about last night. Instead, she kept it casual. “I’ll think about it,” he said.
Watching him go, Dinah sighed as she grabbed her laptop from one of her bags. She had every intention of getting work done, but that changed when she heard Oliver’s elevator activate. Whoever was coming up had his access code, so she braced herself for who was on the other side. She hadn’t guessed that it would be Chloe.
“Hi,” Dinah said, hoping that her smile would hide the humour she saw in this situation.
Chloe didn’t disappoint, as the moment that they locked eyes, her expression fell and her head dipped. “Dinah, hey.”
Closing her mouth to a smirk, Dinah looked over her shoulder. “Oliver’s just in the shower. Should be out in a few minutes.”
“How did he seem this morning?”
“A little hung over,” Dinah replied as she zipped her bag back up with the laptop inside. There was no way she was staying here much longer now. “But far from the worst I’ve seen him. Why?”
With a shrug, Chloe clutched the strap of her bag. “No reason.”
Dinah was tempted to call Chloe on that piece of bullshit, but decided on a different tactic. “Then why are you here at eight in the morning?” Because that sent enough of a message, something that both women knew.
Still, Chloe tried to hide from it. “He asked for a favour for Queen Industries,” she said, putting her bag down on her desk. Dinah had to admit, she was impressed, as Chloe set up her laptop without a care in the world. That was the Chloe the team had gotten used to for a long time, but this time, it wasn’t genuine.
“Right, well, while you’re sorting out that favour… I’ve got a flight to catch.” It wouldn’t be the first time Dinah would kill time at the airport and besides, maybe this meant that these two could finally get their act together.
But as she walked past Chloe, Dinah spotted apprehension in her teammate’s eyes. She sighed before looking towards the other woman. “You knew about us last year… didn’t you?” Chloe swallowed hard, not much of a tell, but enough. “That’s what I thought.”
Chloe turned her head, knowing what Dinah was talking about, but not wanting to reveal more than she had to. “Why do you ask?”
Dinah smiled. “Because I’m going to do you a favour and not tell the team what I saw between you and Oliver last night.” She braced for whichever reaction Chloe had for that, which was more casual than she thought. It included a familiar sigh, but once her expression settled, Dinah could see her disappointment. That’s why she added, “And let you know that last night… wasn’t like that. Check out my usual guest room if you don’t believe me.”
She wanted to see Chloe’s reaction to that too, but instead, she decided to leave before she said too much. Her work here was done.
That left Chloe standing alone in the main room, confused as hell. When she got in the cab last night, she had every intention of going home, but instead she stopped by Watchtower. In her head, it was so she could avoid the inevitable Lois encounter, or possibly worse if her date with Clark went well. Unfortunately, Watchtower had less reprieve than she thought.
Because that was the place that started all this confusion. One night of vulnerability, of utter stupidity, of… inexplicable freedom. Honest conversation, strong booze, good company, one bullseye, returning smiles and then everything changed.
That morning after, she made the same mistake that she did last night. Chloe knew Oliver, she knew the hero he was, the good person he strived to be, yet she couldn’t shake his past when it came to women.
It wasn’t like his playboy stance was a problem, although if it was, it was because she didn’t fit the type. The problem was that they were both workaholics, and they had terrible luck in this department. Still, she came here this morning to get their stories straight, to ensure that they didn’t have issues in front of the team. Now, knowing what Dinah knew, the idea seemed wrong.
Her hand closed the laptop and she paused as she looked around. Did she really want this now? She could hardly bear the silence, so could she handle when he came in the room? Her answer almost came immediately, so she packed up her computer and headed towards the elevator.
It almost worked.
The moment she heard the floor creak behind her, Chloe whirled around and there he was. Fortunately for her, Oliver had gotten dressed, as he buttoned up his jacket when he stepped in the room. "Dinah left?"
"Yeah," she said with a smile. “She mentioned that she had a flight to catch.”
Oliver grinned hard to keep himself from chuckling. The woman knew exactly what she was doing, and he had a feeling that Chloe knew that too. "You too?"
That was the plan, even though it looked stupid now. The truth was that she wasn’t as ready for this conversation as she thought. "She mentioned that you're nursing a bad hangover. I figured that I'd come back when you feel better."
As she turned around, Oliver said, "No, I'm glad you're here. I think we need to talk."
Chloe paused, trying to hide her hard swallow. She had been wrong. Not only would he remember, but he would also push the issue. "That's really not necessary,” she said, turning back towards him. “We all say things that we regret." He smirked, taking a step forward. "It never happened, just... like... that night." She hated that her words began to fumble, but it was hard to stand her ground while he continued to approach her.
"But the only regret I have is letting you slip away,” he said. For while she thought that the alcohol made him say things that he regretted, it provided the subtlest of pushes to tell her what he had been avoiding for so long. "So what's the excuse this time, Sullivan?”
It didn’t take long for Chloe to take a step back. “You can’t just do this. We can’t just… go there again.” A lot of what happened that night was a fluke, a combination of her vulnerability and a night off from his recovery from a downward spiral.
Oliver smirked as he watched her panic. “I know,” he said, noticing how her head popped up. “That’s why I said we needed to talk.”
She shook her head, hating that she let him trap her like this. Nonetheless, she relented. “Why now?”
“Does it matter?” he asked. “Because I haven’t overthought this like you have.”
“I haven’t overthought this,” Chloe said, aware that he wouldn’t believe her and her last question didn’t help her case. “I just don’t think you’ve thought it through enough.”
“So almost a year isn’t enough?” Seeing her about to interject, Oliver held a finger up. “Right, not the point. What’s your solution then? Fight it? Ignore it? Because I’m not sure I can do that.”
She scoffed. “You seemed to be doing fine before last night.” Before then, they never talked about it, they just kept going and their friendship continued to thrive. Nothing out of the ordinary seemed to happen, which was why this confused her so much.
“Really? Because you’re the only person who believes that.” Last night alone was an indication. “I’m pretty sure I gave Dinah hell for teasing me about disappearing when you went to get the cab. Not to mention her thoughts about my staring at you while you played darts.”
And she wasn’t the only one. He had gotten a few comments from other team members, but Oliver knew why he was waiting because she was the only oblivious one.
What he didn’t know was that Chloe wanted to believe him. Everything in his voice implied he was serious, not to mention the look in his eyes. But it wasn’t that easy for her. “I think I would have noticed that.”
He shook his head, knowing if she had, this would not be happening. “Look Chloe, I know that losing Jimmy was tough, and I thought maybe if I didn’t push it, then things would happen naturally. But then you boxed me out for almost a month.”
She probably saw it as things going back to their natural state, but Oliver wanted to talk about it. He wanted to see if he was alone in this, and all she could give him was a clear sign was that she wasn’t ready. Then things started getting better.
“You asked me why now,” he said. “Chloe, I think there is a chance that this would work and I don’t want to waste it.”
Chloe bit the inside of her lip. Go figure the moment she had given up on this facet on her life, she had found someone who would fight for her. “I wish it was that easy for me,” she said, hating the way that the hope in his eyes faded. “I want to look at you and see anything other than a bad ending.”
That was all they knew after all, so Oliver knew that he had to knock those walls down to have a chance. “Correct me if I’m wrong. In Clark you saw a humble farmboy, Jimmy was a safe guy who normalized your life, Davis a harmless connection.” He could see he was losing her, so he switched gears. “In Tess I saw a genuine person who wanted to save the world. I thought Lois and I were meant to be. Both were mistakes.”
She saw him finish his point with a smile, trying to find humour in their failures, but again, it wasn’t that easy. “At least yours don’t include two dead bodies.”
Oliver rolled his eyes, bringing his hand to his forehead. Of course she would jump to that conclusion. “That wasn’t my point.”
“Then what is?” She stretched her arms out, letting out some of her frustration. “We’re capable of being wrong, so what’s to say you’re right now? Because that Lois phase… it extends a little further than your break-up.” Chloe had heard about the date they went on last year, the one where he surprised Lois and genuinely wanted to get back together.
While he knew it was only a matter of time before this came up, Oliver was slightly amused by the way Chloe talked about it. “That was pure desperation. Grasping at something familiar. Trying to find hope in someone who fought for me. Take your pick.”
Except she didn’t do that. “I fought for you Oliver.” She hadn’t anticipated saying that out loud, and she wanted to take the words back, but with one glance at him, she knew that he had heard her.
“You did… more than anyone else on the team. I can’t thank you enough for that.” For what seemed to be a crazy stunt was exactly what he needed to stop living with a death wish. That day at Metro Coffee Stop, he would never forget it. “But I couldn’t thank you in that way. Even if I had a chance with you then, I was too blind to see it.”
He had a point. It wasn’t something that either of them saw coming. “One night of fun shouldn’t change your mind that much,” Chloe said.
He didn’t see it that way. “In all the time I had known you, we never had a moment like that.” Once it happened, Oliver couldn’t unsee it, as he almost started to question why it took him so long to realize that he had feelings for Chloe. “I respected your wishes when it was clear that all that was to you was one night, but I never forgot about it.”
Although it turned out that he had done too good of a job in being subtle. He never anticipated that she would never recognize the signs, but now that she was standing here, Oliver had hope that she was putting the pieces together.
“And if time was what you needed to figure this out, Chloe, you wouldn’t be standing here right now, so how you tell me why you’re really here?” There was no pressing mission, she wasn’t running tech work for him and based on her mood yesterday, there didn’t appear to be a personal emergency.
Still she said nothing, so Oliver cut to the chase. “Because if last night really meant nothing, you’d tell me when I arrived at Watchtower, not scurrying away after Dinah probably told you that she knew that I almost kissed you last night. And you almost let me.”
Chloe could feel her breathing slow down, but instead of backing away, or thinking about it too much, she told him the truth. “I didn’t forget about it either.”
“What?”
Again, it felt like this crazy back and forth conversation. It was one that they needed, except she came here wanting to tell him that it couldn’t happen. Then she saw Dinah and it felt like everything changed. She thought about their conversation last night again, and that led to now, an admission she had no intention of disclosing before.
“I mean, you knew that, but I…” Shaking her head, Chloe closed her eyes. “Oh who am I kidding? You’re right.”
Because while she saw a bad ending, she also saw the good in things changing between her and Oliver. She knew how well they knew each other and the good he brought to her life.
Only he wasn’t sure how to address this. “About what exactly?”
“Almost all of it.” She didn’t realize just how much until now, but now it felt like everything was on the surface. “I didn’t ignore you because I wanted it to be a one night thing. It was because you scared me. You still do.”
On paper, he was everything she could want in a partner, but she had long past the point when she thought that she actually got to enjoy that. “You know everything about me, the dark places I’ve gone to, the shreds of life that I held onto and you were still okay with that. I didn’t want to lose that, so I pushed the friendship angle because I was too afraid that the physical nature would fizzle out, the emotional crap with it.”
His expression fell, as she had more than enough evidence of that particular behavior from him. However, he liked to think that he had grown since then. “C’mon Chloe, you know me better than that.”
Lifting her hand, Chloe pointed her finger towards him. “I also know that old habits die hard with you. Figured this would be one of them.” Opening her hand, she stopped him from interjecting. “Not me, just… tendencies with women.” His eyes remained the same, so she rolled hers. “Wow, I’m just digging a bigger hole aren’t I?”
Maybe, but there was something that mattered more to him. “At least you’re being honest with me.” This was the most she had let herself talk about this with him, and he didn’t want to discourage it.
“Well, I can’t lie about this anymore, because you would see right through me.” He had proved that much this morning. “You said something last night, about it being a sign. We were still pretty fragile then, so honestly, the best I could have given you was to keep the physical part going.” She chuckled before adding, “Either way, you probably would have worn me down, but in hindsight, I wished I had done that. Something tells me that would have been easier.”
Oliver took a step towards her. “Maybe, but you focused on bringing in the team closer together.” He grinned at a few memories over the last few months. “If I didn’t have the back-up at Earth station, things could have gotten ugly.”
Another night Chloe remembered all too well. There had been an unforeseen attack at Earth station the night Zod launched his plan, so Oliver went to patch up the satellites. If she hadn’t sent Bart in for back-up, they might have been underprepared for the emergence of their next enemy.
They may have lost Oliver that night.
Shaking herself from that thought, Chloe said, “Things still aren’t easy. There are plenty of threats out there.”
Not thinking about any possible consequences, he put his hand on her shoulder. “Which is why it’s important that you’re out there, convincing other heroes to join the fight.” He let out a quiet chuckle upon seeing her grin. “I never thought you’d be able to convince Bruce of anything like joining a team. Diana’s a great addition too.”
Her grin widened. “Bruce is a lot less stubborn than you think.” Feeling her confidence come back, her eyes moved up to meet his. “He actually reminds me of another billionaire I know.”
“Bite your tongue,” Oliver said. “Unless you meant Lex, then I might be inclined to partially agree with you.”
Chloe shrugged. “He’s your friend. Just because you two have a pissing contest about who has the better toys… which he has a pretty good argument…”
She had expected some sort of comment, but instead of saying anything, Chloe felt him grab her arm and pull her closer to him. “Take that back.”
Her mouth gaped a little, as this kind of proximity was different from the casual way he comforted her before. Or maybe it was something she was trying to get used to, because even though she had patched him up before, this was different. Wasn’t it?
For once, Chloe attempted to not overthink it. “He has a cave and a custom made car.”
Oliver leaned in to say, “We have a satellite and an uncrackable database.”
“We?” Chloe asked, her head tilting slightly.
“I buy it, you run it,” he said with a smirk, relieved to see her smile in response. “Team remember?”
“Well, you’re not in it alone. We’re a team right?”
A better memory from before Oliver went to Earth station. At that moment, she was skeptical they could stop this attack, but this time, when the chips were down, it was Oliver that stood up and told her that they could do it. Just like she had told him that he always had the hero in his heart. “We are, aren’t we?”
He nodded. “I figure the term fits because we’ve seen each other at our best and worst.”
“I’ll give you that one.” The further she looked back, Chloe was also reminded of her days stuck in virtual reality and the relentless way Oliver pulled her back to the real world. “I never could have gotten through this past year without you.”
There was a lot of shit that had happened for them individually and together. Things got crazy dark, but somehow, together, they had managed to find some light.
Heck, Oliver knew that his year would have been dramatically different if Chloe had given up on him. “I wouldn’t be standing here without you,” he said, reminded of how he almost threw his life away.
Chloe laughed as she reached forward to grab the edge of his jacket. “Truest thing you’ve said all morning.” Before she could stop herself, she felt herself relax in his proximity. Because despite the tough days, with him, things felt like they were going to be okay. She grinned as she moved her fingers against the lapels.
“It’s more natural than you think, isn’t it?”
Her fingers stopped moving, but her hands remained where they were. Initially, she thought he was using their friendly banter to prove his point, but the longer she stood there, she knew that tricks wouldn’t help his case.
So she merely grinned as she continued to stare ahead. “You really are serious.”
He exhaled loudly, taking her response as a positive sign. Hoping not to push his luck too far, he reached forward to tuck her hair behind her ear. “You really think I would attempt this conversation if I wasn’t?”
The contact threw her off initially, but in letting him do it, she allowed herself to appreciate how it felt to let go again. “At this point, nothing surprises me anymore.” The last twelve hours alone had taken her in a completely different direction, but she was forgetting the potential regrets and the mistakes that she had seen with this path.
Still, that didn’t mean her brain shut off. They may be on the same page right now, but they still needed to talk. “Well, you’re the one who’s thought about this. How would it work?”
When she looked up at him, for the first time all morning, Oliver had a feeling that maybe this would all work out. “One day at a time. Like normal people.”
“Normal?”
It was a valid question, as the word wasn’t exactly one that applied to their lives often. “Our jobs may not be, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t an inch of us that is normal.”
“And if it does fail miserably?” Because she had to ask that question. He had to have an answer for this after all.
He did, but it was much simpler than she anticipated. “Then we’ll find our way back. We’re more than capable.” He wanted to tell her more, tell her it would be easy, but he didn’t have that particular ability and he knew better than to lie to Chloe. More importantly, that wasn’t the part of the relationship that he wanted to focus on. “But that’s not my preference.”
Chloe nodded slowly, taking in the situation she was in. His hands resting on her back and the top of her ear, his face close to hers. It felt… nice.
In this moment, she knew it was time to throw caution into the wind. It had dictated too much of her life already. “Right now,” she said, “that’s something we agree on.”
“Yeah?”
Watching the way his eyes widened in surprise before his cocky stare came back, Chloe grinned. “You can’t be that surprised.”
“With you, I never really know.”
“Now that, I don’t believe.” This whole morning it felt like he could read her like a book, but the more she thought about it, she realized that she couldn’t blame him. It wasn’t her fighting him, she was fighting her own demons.
When she stepped forward, Oliver knew that they had been here before. It hadn’t worked out too often in his favour before, but this time, her face held a completely different expression. He followed suit, his eyes watching her lips. “Last chance to back away Sullivan.”
“No way,” she said, taking his jacket and bringing him close, their lips about to collide when they heard the elevator activate.
Oliver sighed as he dipped his head. “Damnit Hal.”
Chloe turned her head towards the elevator and then back towards Oliver. “Hal, as in Green Lantern, Hal.”
“Apparently you wore him down last time you visited.” Seeing her mouth open, he was quick to inform her why he never told her before. “It was supposed to be a surprise. Then again, he is early.”
Or late, depending on the definition. He was supposed to meet up with the team last night, but he said he wouldn’t be able to come until tonight. Apparently nothing about last night went according to script. Not that he completely minded now.
Chloe smiled. “I’m just glad that he’s on-board.” She always knew that Bruce would be a challenge, but Oliver’s eccentric pilot friend turned out to be harder than she thought. Then again, he never saw himself as a team player either and he already had an intergalactic team to deal with.
“For the record,” Oliver said, not wanting to lose the progress they had made today. “We’re not done this conversation.”
“I actually think we are,” Chloe replied, noting the confusion on his face. “I mean, I was going to insist that we pick things off where we left them last night, or now, but if you disagree…”
That seemed to be all he needed, as for a few seconds, Oliver completely forgot about the elevator and kissed Chloe, glad to feel her reciprocate. It had taken longer for them to get to this point than he thought, but the result was everything he wanted and more.
As they pulled away, they grinned at each other, not even hearing Hal enter the room.
Of course, that didn’t stop him from smiling at the sight in front of him. “It’s about damn time.”
~End~
Sera's Scribbles: In other news, looking to update TTP soon. Life's been busier than expected lately, but I've been putting the final touches on the chapter this week.
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