Chlollie Fanfic: Beauty in the Breakdown IV - Letting Go, Part 6
Chlollie update in the House!!!
Thought this would be a nice way to kick off Chloe’s return to the show (even though I shan’t be watching).
Somebody (can’t remember who) wanted to know what Oliver was thinking, well...this is it. In fact, it’s all Oliver’s thoughts here; there’s only three lines of dialogue in the entire chapter. Weird.
Anyway, enjoy!
Title: Beauty in the Breakdown IV - Falling In
Author: BabyDee
Pairing: Chlollie
Rating: NC-17, this chapter PG-13
Warnings: None (well, a lot of Ollie introspection and barely any dialogue!)
Timeline: Season 9; an expansion of Chlollie post-Warrior
Disclaimer: All characters belong to the CW & DC comics.
Series Summary: With Oliver by her side, Chloe learns to let go, find peace, and fall in love.
Story Summary: The bond between Oliver and Chloe continues to deepen.
Feedback: …oh, definitely! J
Written for sxymami0909, based on my favourite song on the Chlollie playlist she sent me. J
Awesome banner by ellashy.
Falling In, Part 1
Falling In, Part 2
Falling In, Part 3
Falling In, Part 4
Falling In, Part 5
Beauty in the Breakdown IV
Falling In
Every time I see your face
My heart takes off on a high-speed chase, now
Don’t be scared, it’s only love
Baby, that we’re falling in…
- Falling In, by Lifehouse
Part 6
Oliver awoke slowly and reached for the bedside lamp. Soft light flooded the room, and he carefully cracked one eye open to squint at the bedside clock.
2:00am.
He took a deep breath and sat up carefully, so as not to wake the sleeping woman by his side, and headed to the bathroom. A slight smile lifted his lips at the sight of their discarded clothing in the corner of the shower, and his body warmed as he remembered just how they’d got there.
He picked them up and squeezed out the excess water before putting each item in the sink and hand-washing them one by one, then giving them all a thorough rinse. Satisfied, he hung the items on the heating rails and then returned to the stall for a quick shower, standing under the warm water as it soothed his aching muscles. Alone, he was able to take stock of all he and Chloe had achieved today.
As he’d hoped, she was getting more and more comfortable with him, discussing personal things that mere weeks ago she would never have considered sharing with him. And she’d been genuinely interested to learn more about his own background, causing her to see him with new eyes, as it were.
But best of all, she’d enjoyed herself; they both had. And he’d gotten her smiling again, her face lighting up the way it had done the first time she’d laid eyes on him in person. Never in his wildest dreams did he think they would ever get together; in his mind’s eye, she had been Clark’s, and the younger man had certainly been possessive of her for as long as he’d known them.
But from all indications, Chloe’s romantic feelings for Clark were a thing of the past, as were any ones he’d once had for her cousin. Which was a huge relief to him, because the last thing he wanted was to be the Rebound Guy. Fortunately, he had a sneaky feeling she was genuinely fond of him, too; but he didn’t want her questioning her feelings for him too closely just yet, because she had a tendency to be overly cerebral about emotional matters.
Oliver washed his hair and sighed. It was incredibly unfair of him to expect Chloe not to think too deeply about their budding relationship when he’d done nothing but that since the moment he first touched her. Ever since he put that bow in her hands, she’d been the only thing dominating his thoughts.
Funny, how these things happened, he thought wryly. At the start of all this, his main intention had been to get an emotionally fractured Chloe back to a good place, the way she’d done with him after his alcohol-fuelled bender. She’d been completely selfless and giving even when she hardly had anything to give, and as he’d reached for her hand across the table outside the coffee shop and said thank you, he’d realised just how much he’d genuinely come to care for her. What he hadn’t expected was that he’d develop such an attachment to her; so much so that his primary directive was now to keep a smile on her face at all times.
She affected him deeply, and he was happy that she now knew that. He could see just how liberating it had been for her to realise just how much he wanted her, and how desirable she really was. To hear her talk of her insecurities earlier had been heartbreaking.
He frowned a little as he rinsed himself off. It was hard to be annoyed with a young man who had died saving Chloe’s life, but if Jimmy were still alive, he’d have had a few terse words with him about how careless utterances could very easily damage one’s self esteem.
Ah, well. At least he’d made good in the end.
Oliver shut off the water, dried himself off and returned to the bedroom to slip on a vest and a pair of shorts, and then he made his way to the living room. He paused and stared for a second, and then his face broke out into a huge grin.
It looked like there’d been a snowstorm in the den, he thought with amusement as he stared at the powdery white landscape. He and Chloe had pretty much trashed the apartment that had taken them almost an entire day to clean, but it had been totally worth it to hear her laughing again.
And that was why he didn’t want her thinking, he admitted to himself as he wiped the powder down from the surfaces. Because once she started thinking about them, she wouldn’t stop until she’d thought her way out of his bed, out of his arms and out of his life. And he couldn’t let that happen; not now.
The longer he could keep her distracted, the greater chance there was of her getting used to having him around - and the harder it would be for her to convince herself to leave him. He wanted her to want him - all of him, and not just for the occasional erotic encounter. The intensity of the feelings that he had developed for her in the short time they’d been intimate had come as a shock to him, yes - but not as a worry. If he could just get her to a point where she felt something more, something deeper, they could be on the verge of something really beautiful. He felt sure of it, deep down in his bones.
But not surprisingly, Chloe being Chloe wanted to talk. And in a few hours, this could all be coming to a close.
He sighed and closed the bedroom door before vacuuming up the rest of the powder on the carpeted areas. Soon the place was looking spic and span again, save for the dirty dishes in the sink which he decided were too few to fire up the dishwasher for.
As he hand-washed the plates, he decided he might as well just hope for the best whilst preparing for the worst. Once Chloe woke up, she’d want to get everything out in the open and put a lid on it as quick and painlessly as possible.
He could picture it now: These last couple of weeks have been wonderful, Ollie, and I’m so grateful for everything you’ve done for me…but it’s time that things got back to normal, and the sooner, the better.
His jaw hardened at the thought, and he clenched his fist hard. A faint pain stung his palm, startling him, and he let go of the knife he’d been washing.
Oliver sighed as he regarded the faint line of blood on his hand. Great. Maybe he should take his own advice and stop thinking, he pondered with a touch of irony. Best to stick to the original plan, and keep her focused on her feelings instead. It had worked so far.
The apartment was now as clean as he was ever going to get it, so he returned to the bathroom to put some antiseptic and a bandage on his injured hand. Once he was done, he went back into the bedroom, where Chloe was snuggled beneath his sheets.
His heart softened at the sight of her sleeping contentedly in his bed, and he couldn’t help but smile even as he frowned with worry. He wasn’t ready to end this, not by a long shot. He wanted her by his side for always, needed her like he needed air. And now that he’d admitted as much to himself, he knew he couldn’t bear to let her go, but if that was what she wanted, he’d have no choice. How on earth was he going to be able to function if she decided to say goodbye?
There was only one thing for it.
Stall, he thought wisely. Stall, stall, and stall again. If she got used to having him around, she wouldn’t be inclined to throw him away. Gradually, he’d reel her in.
And he knew just what to use as bait.
***
Five minutes later, and the odds were greatly stacked in his favour, and Oliver grinned smugly at the items on the nightstand. She definitely wouldn’t be thinking about talking once she caught sight of those. And he’d be sure to find other ways to distract her if, by some miracle, that didn’t work.
She stirred then and reached out for him, a small frown marring her brow as her hand encountered empty space. “Ollie?” she murmured sleepily.
Oliver sighed deeply and smiled. Even in her sleep, her subconscious was aware of him, was reaching out for him.
Quietly he crossed to her side and got into bed, covering her with the sheets and tucking them around her naked form so that she stayed warm.
“I’m here, babe,” he whispered softly, wrapping his arms around her. “For as long as you want me, I’m here.”
“Mmm…” she smiled, her palm resting on his chest almost possessively as she worked one leg between his thighs. A few minutes later her breathing slowed as she fell asleep again. He stroked her hair and hand, resolving in his heart and mind to do whatever it took to keep her by his side.
He just prayed that deep down, she wanted to be there, too.
***
Chapter 7…