Tell Me Something Good 1/1
Title: Tell Me Something Good
Author: ihearttvsnark
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Smallville
Pairing: Chloe Sullivan-Queen and Oliver Queen
Banner (and credit for story idea): geek_or_unique
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 4,857
Summary: All Oliver wants is a little quality time with his wife. But Chloe has a Bridezilla on her hands, who needs constant attention and Oliver is more than a little frustrated by the situation.
Warnings: This is a companion piece to Somebody Told Me, but it can be read as a standalone as well. It’s mostly canon with a few tweaks and takes place between Fortune and Dominion.
Tell Me Something Good
Oliver nodded along, only half-listening as Tess went over the latest stock reports. Things were back on track with the company since she’d managed to get rid of alternate universe Lionel, but they still needed to tread carefully with the Luthor Corp. board. Too many of them were loyal to the Luthor name and they had been quick to side with a man they thought was back from the dead, despite witnessing the real Lionel fall to his death. The Queen Industries board members weren’t happy with Oliver’s decision to hold onto Luthor Corp. either and they were watching every deal closely. It was annoying, but Oliver knew he and Tess would be able to get everyone past it eventually.
He discretely glanced at the clock in the corner of the computer screen. It was almost five which meant he needed to wrap this up. Oliver had made it a point to leave the office on time every day ever since Chloe had reminded him that there were much more important things than work. Oliver couldn’t help smiling when he thought about his wife coming into his office and commanding his attention.
His mind drifted back to that morning and the afternoon that had followed once they’d gone back to the penthouse. Oliver chewed on the inside of his cheek as he wondered if Chloe was home yet. She’d impressed her boss enough already to get switched to the day shift which meant they always got to see each other after work and have dinner together before Oliver went on patrol. He was definitely looking forward to that quality time tonight.
“Oliver.” Tess’s impatient voice brought him out of his thoughts and he glanced at the monitor. Tess was arching an eyebrow at him, a knowing smirk on her face. “I take it there’s somewhere you’d rather be,” she commented.
“There is,” Oliver confirmed. “Was there anything else we need to go over or are we done here?” he asked. Oliver didn’t bother apologizing or making excuses for his behavior. Tess knew him well enough to know where his head was at.
“Not really,” Tess replied as she glanced down at the papers in front of her. “I have some things to do at Watchtower so I need to get out of here. Say hello to your wife for me,” she added.
“Will do,” Oliver said. He disconnected the video feed and closed his email without bothering to see if there were any new messages. He grabbed his keys and cell phone and walked out of the office, pausing long enough to tell his assistant that she should head home for the night before he made his way to the elevator.
It took less than fifteen minutes to make the drive from his office to the penthouse in the center of the city. Oliver was smiling to himself as he stood in the elevator, his eyes watching the numbers impatiently as it ascended to the top floor. He loosened his tie as the doors opened and he crossed the threshold into the apartment. “Honey, I’m home!” he called loudly.
“I’m in the living room, dear,” Chloe called back without missing a beat.
Oliver’s grin widened as he walked down the hall. “Hey Gorgeous, did you…” His question died in his throat when he saw Chloe sitting on the floor surrounded by what had to be hundreds of square pieces of paper. Oliver moved into the room to get a closer look and saw they were invitation samples. “Are we having a party?” he asked, confused as he watched Chloe lift two samples for a side by side comparison.
“No, Lois and Clark are getting married in a few weeks and Lois decided she hates the invitations that she already had printed out and she wants me to pick out a new one for her.” Chloe frowned at the two in her hand and then leaned over to place both of them in her ‘rejected’ pile. She picked up two more samples. “How was your day?” she asked, her attention on the invitation.
Oliver frowned. This wasn’t exactly the evening he’d been hoping for. “It was a day. Nothing exciting,” he said as he knelt down on the carpet to try and get Chloe’s attention. “Can’t you just pick one and call it a day?” he asked as he shifted to look at the ones she was holding. “Those look the same.”
“I know,” Chloe agreed, a hint of frustration in her voice. She added those to the pile as well and finally looked at Oliver. “Most of these look the same, just like the floral samples looked the same and the tablecloths looked the same and the chairs.” She sent her husband an exasperated look. “But Lois is my cousin and this is her wedding so I need to help her.”
“It’s too bad everyone can’t get married in a magic champagne fueled haze,” Oliver teased, attempting to make her smile as he leaned in and kissed her. “Do you want some help?” he offered.
Chloe shook her head. “I have a system going and I love you too much to subject you to this particular brand of torture.” She kissed him again. “But I will be done by the time you get back from patrol and then I’m all yours. Wake me when you get home,” she said.
“Deal,” Oliver agreed. “I’ll be in the training room for awhile.” Oliver got to his feet as Chloe turned her attention back to the invitations, a familiar look of concentration on her face. He headed down the hall, not exactly thrilled with the idea of spending a few hours training instead of having quality time with his wife, but Oliver knew how important Lois was to Chloe. He hoped patrol would be easy later because he was already looking forward to getting back home to his wife.
***
Oliver got his wish. After a routine patrol, he let himself back into the penthouse a little after one. He stripped off his gear and made his way down the hall to the master bedroom in his boxer briefs. Chloe had left the blinds open so the moonlight streamed in from the balcony, bathing the room in a soft glow. He crawled into bed, propping himself up on his arm as he looked at his sleeping wife.
She hadn’t stirred since he’d come in and Oliver hesitated to wake her up. He knew how hard Chloe worked, but he also knew she valued their time together as much as he did and she had asked him to wake her when he got home. Oliver shifted so he was leaning over her and brushed her hair back from her forehead. He pressed his lips against her skin and then moved down, kissing the tip of her nose and finally covering her mouth with his.
Chloe returned the kiss, one of her hands reaching out to wrap around his bicep. Her eyes fluttered open and she smiled at him as she stroked his arm. “How was patrol?” she asked sleepily.
“Easy,” Oliver replied. He leaned down to kiss her again as he ran his hand along the side of her body. “Did you find an invitation?” He toyed with the strap of her camisole, pushing it down her shoulder and trailing his mouth over her soft skin.
Chloe nodded as she hooked her leg around his waist, pulling his body flush against hers. “That’s enough small talk,” she teased as she pressed a kiss to the curve of his jaw. “I missed you.”
Oliver grinned. “I missed you too.” He kissed her again, slowly deepening it, his tongue teasing hers as his hand moved to the hem of her camisole. He pushed it up over her stomach, caressing her newly bared skin as she arched beneath him.
The sound of a phone vibrating loudly against the nightstand pierced through the quiet room. Oliver pulled back, breathing hard as Chloe shifted to reach for the phone. She groaned when she saw her cousin’s name on the screen. “Lois, do you know what time it is?” she answered, sending Oliver an apologetic look and holding up her finger, indicating it would just be a minute.
Sighing, Oliver moved to his side of the bed, flipping onto his back as he listened to Chloe reassuring Lois that the flowers were the right flowers. Judging by her tone, Oliver had a feeling the call was going to last for longer than a minute.
***
Friday afternoon, Oliver left work an hour earlier than usual. He’d made dinner reservations at one of his favorite restaurants and then he was taking Chloe to a concert in the park. Oliver had been looking forward to it all week and he knew Chloe was too. It was the first chance they’d had in awhile to get out and enjoy the city without having to worry about work or the greater good or anything except enjoying themselves.
He was already grinning when he stepped off the elevator and made his way into the living room. “Chloe, your favorite husband is home,” he called. “Are you ready to go?”
“Just a minute, Oliver,” Chloe’s muffled voice replied from the bedroom. “I’m just finishing up with my second favorite husband.”
“Cute,” Oliver said as he walked to the wet bar and poured himself a glass of scotch. A few minutes later, he heard the sound of heels against the hardwood and turned to watch Chloe walk into the room. His eyes roamed over her appreciatively, taking in the dark blue dress she wore that he hadn’t seen before. “Wow, Sidekick,” he said as set down the glass and moved toward her. “You look gorgeous.”
She grinned even as her cheeks flushed with a hint of red. “You’re not so bad yourself, Mr. Queen.” Chloe wrapped her arms loosely around his neck and still had to stand on her toes, even with the four-inch heels, to press a lingering kiss to his lips. “Maybe if you’re good, I’ll let you take it off of me later,” she whispered.
“I’ll be on my best behavior.” Oliver kissed her again, drawing it out slowly as he slid his hand over her back, pulling her body closer to his. When the kiss broke, Oliver smiled at Chloe and wrapped his arm around her waist as he led her toward the elevator. They’d just reached the foyer when a gust of wind blew through the room and Clark appeared before them.
“Clark,” Oliver greeted him, arching an eyebrow at his friend. His visits had gotten a little too frequent for his taste lately, but Oliver knew Clark didn’t want to be there anymore than he wanted him there, so he refrained on making a sarcastic comment.
“Hey Oliver,” Clark said, sending him a sheepish look before he turned to Chloe. He could see that they were on their way out and he felt bad for what he was there to do. “I’m sorry to do this, but Lois needs you right away.”
“For what?” Chloe asked, glancing quickly at Oliver before she pulled her phone out of her purse. She didn’t see any messages so she turned her attention back to Clark. “I was on the phone with her for three hours today. What’s wrong?” she asked impatiently.
“I don’t know,” Clark admitted, exasperated. “She said it was an emergency, but she wouldn’t tell me anything. It’s not like it’s my wedding too or anything,” he grumbled. He’d tried to get Lois to let him help, but she’d just repeatedly asked him to get Chloe.
“No,” Oliver interjected. “It’s Friday night and I’ve barely seen my wife this week. No,” he said again when Clark opened his mouth. “Tell Lois that she has to wait until tomorrow.”
Clark sighed and if it was possible, his expression grew more pained. “She said you might say that and she told me to remind you that you both promised to help any way you could with the wedding and this counts. I’m sorry,” he added.
“Maybe it won’t take long,” Chloe said. She rubbed Oliver’s arm as she met his annoyed gaze. “You know Lois has been freaking out about simple things lately. I’ll try to fix whatever it is quickly and then come back here.”
Oliver shook his head. He knew he was being petulant, but he didn’t care. He took the phone from Chloe’s hand, found Lois’s name and pressed the button, bringing it to his ear. He was not giving up his night with Chloe without a fight.
“Chloe, why aren’t you here yet?” Lois answered. “Did Smallville get lost or did he stop to help people along the way. I told him not to.”
Clark sighed again, but Oliver ignored him and the fact that his super hearing was listening in. “Lois, it’s me. Chloe and I have plans tonight. Can’t whatever this is wait until tomorrow?” he asked, hoping he might be able to reason with her.
“No, Ollie, it can’t,” Lois replied. “We’re talking about my wedding and it’s going to be a disaster at this rate. Is that what you want? You’re supposed to be my friend. One of my best friends,” she reminded him.
Oliver pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to hold onto his temper. He’d never expected Lois to be the type to turn into a Bridezilla, but he realized he should have considering her tendency to run everything like a military operation. “Lois, you know I don’t want your wedding to be a disaster. But you can’t just send Clark to kidnap my wife whenever you feel like it.”
Lois made an indignant noise and Clark winced, taking a step back like he somehow expected her to come through the phone and blame him for Oliver’s outburst. “You mean like you kidnapped her and moved to California? Or how about the time you two got married without me?” she asked.
Oliver rolled his eyes. That was Lois’s new favorite argument every time she wanted something from one of them. “You were there Lois,” he reminded her for what felt like the millionth time since their friends had found out about their marriage. “It’s not our fault that you don’t remember. Or that we don’t remember,” he added, glancing at Chloe. She just shook her head and Oliver sighed loudly. “Come on, Lois,” he said, a hint of pleading in his tone.
“Ollie, you know I love you, but I’m sorry. This is nonnegotiable and it’s more important than whatever you had planned. Either come to Metropolis too or wait there, but I need my cousin now.”
The line went dead and Oliver just stared at the phone for a moment. “She hung up on me,” he said disbelievingly.
“Ollie, I’m sorry,” Chloe said. She shifted so she was standing in front of her husband. “I’ll do what I can to make this quick,” she promised.
“All right,” Oliver agreed, knowing he had no choice in the matter. He leaned down and kissed Chloe. “Hurry back,” he said as he handed her phone to her and nodded at Clark. The other man gave him an apologetic look and then the two were gone in a gust of wind.
Oliver sighed and pulled off his tie as he reached for his cell phone to cancel their dinner reservations. Despite Chloe’s assurances that she would do what she could to make it quick, the way his luck had been going lately, Oliver doubted he’d be getting his wife back anytime soon.
***
After another long day at the office, Oliver headed home, anxious to unwind and spend a little quality time with his wife before he needed to patrol. It had been raining on and off for the last few days and there had been a steady increase in crime because of it. Each night, he’d been out until one or two in the morning and he’d come home with more cuts and bruises than he cared to admit. The only good thing to come out of it was that he got to spend a few extra minutes with Chloe when she assessed his injuries and patched him up.
Oliver knew she still felt guilty about what had happened over the weekend. Once she’d managed to calm Lois down, Clark had been too busy dealing with emergencies to run Chloe back to Star City right away. She’d ended up staying in Smallville until late Saturday afternoon and then she’d had to work Sunday. Oliver had been in meetings Monday and Tuesday that had included dinner so the late night nursing sessions were all they’d had. He wasn’t sure how it was possible that he saw his board members more than his wife, but he definitely wasn’t okay with it.
The elevator doors opened and Oliver made his way down the hall to the living room. His eyes widened when he saw that every piece of furniture was littered with dresses. “What the hell?” he muttered. Chloe wasn’t the type to go on an insane shopping spree so he could only assume that these were dresses Lois wanted her to try on for the wedding.
“Chloe, do you need some help getting out of a dress? I’d be glad to offer my…” Oliver’s voice trailed off when he walked into their bedroom and found Lois sitting on the bed, surrounded by even more dresses.
She smirked when she met his gaze. “Sorry to disappoint you, Ollie, but you’re going to have to wait to do deprave things to my baby cousin until after I leave,” she quipped.
“Very funny,” Oliver replied, not the least bit amused. “Where is my wife and how many dresses did you order?” he asked when he spotted more piled on the chair near the balcony doors.
“Three stores worth,” Lois replied as she gestured toward the closed bathroom door. “You’d be amazed at how willing stores are to make last minute deliveries when they hear the dresses are for Mrs. Oliver Queen. Thanks for that,” she added.
Oliver rolled his eyes. “It’s nice that you only care about my marriage when it benefits you. Where was all this gratitude the other day when I wanted to spend some time with my wife?”
“It was an emergency and I told you that you could have come too. I’m sorry about Clark, but you know that happens,” Lois said, waving her hand dismissively like she thought he should be over it by now.
“Lois!”
Oliver and Lois both turned toward the now-open bathroom door where Chloe stood, wearing a bubble gum pink, floor-length dress. Since she wasn’t wearing shoes, she had to hold the hem up to keep from stepping on it. “Do you see now how terrible this dress is?” Chloe glared at her cousin before shifting her gaze to Oliver. “When did you get home?”
“A few minutes ago,” Oliver replied, noting the tension that was practically pouring off of her. He grabbed a dress from the bed and moved toward Chloe, gently pushing her back into the bathroom. “Let’s try this one instead,” he suggested, closing the door at his back. “Are you okay?” he asked Chloe.
“I know how long it takes to put on a dress!” Lois shouted before Chloe had a chance to answer. “I’m going to get a glass of wine and I want to see the next dress when I get back. No funny business, Queen!” she added.
Oliver’s jaw clenched, but he managed to subdue the urge to shout back at her, focusing on Chloe instead. He could see that she was obviously upset. “What happened?” he asked.
“You mean besides this?” Chloe replied, gesturing to the monstrosity that she was wearing. “I was working on an article and Clark brought her here and disappeared without saying anything. The next thing I know, Frank is calling from downstairs to tell me the dresses are here. It took five people to bring them all in. I’ve already tried on twenty-three dresses, Ollie, twenty-three!” She wrapped her arms around his waist and buried her face in his chest.
“I’m sorry, Sidekick,” Oliver replied. He held her tight and couldn’t help feeling selfish for all the complaining he’d been doing. Chloe was the one who had to put up with Lois’s crazy demands and he was just making things more difficult by giving her a hard time for not spending more time with him. It wasn’t like Chloe was enjoying herself. “What can I do?” he asked.
“This,” Chloe replied as she tightened her grip on him. After a few minutes of being in his arms, she tilted her head up to look at him. “Also, please do whatever you can to make sure Lois doesn’t make me dress like candy.”
Oliver laughed even though he knew she was serious. “You’ve got it.” He kissed her slowly, letting his lips linger over hers as he ran his hand up her back and then pulled down the zipper on her dress. He handed her the one he’d grabbed on his way in. “Try this one and I’ll go talk some sense into Bridezilla.”
“My hero,” Chloe said as she took a step back from him and let the bubble gum dress pool at her feet. She stepped out of it and started to pull on the other dress when she noticed Oliver watching her, a familiar look in his eyes. “Ollie…”
“I know,” Oliver grumbled. “But I can’t help that my wife is hot.” He winked at her and then moved out of the bathroom. Lois was back and he scowled when he saw the knowing smirk on her face. “Shut up,” he said.
“That’s mature,” Lois replied. She patted the bed beside her. “Come sit with me and we can catch up. I know you miss me,” she added sweetly.
“Not as much as you’d think,” Oliver replied. But he did as she asked, figuring it would be better for Chloe if he didn’t pick another fight with Lois.
***
Since Chloe was working Saturday morning, Oliver spent some time training in his home gym. He went through his cardio routine, followed by weight training and yoga. Afterward, he grabbed his compound bow and practiced with that for an hour. It was almost two by the time he took a shower and changed into jeans and a white t-shirt. He made himself a sandwich and checked his messages, doing his best not to be disappointed when there wasn’t one from Chloe. Oliver figured she was probably busy at work. He was hoping she’d be home for dinner, but he wasn’t counting on it considering the way their luck had been lately.
Oliver finished eating, cleaned up the kitchen and then started down the hall toward his office. He had a few contracts to read and while it wasn’t his ideal way to spend a Saturday, it wasn’t like he had anything fun to do. He’d just taken a seat at his desk when his phone buzzed. Oliver smiled when he saw Chloe’s name on the ID. “Hey, how’s my favorite wife?”
“Pressed for time,” Chloe replied. “Ollie, can you do me a favor and see if I left my USB drive on the nightstand? I can’t find it.”
“Sure.” Oliver stood up and walked back down the hall toward their bedroom. “How’s your day?” he asked. Oliver walked into the bedroom and did a double take, a large grin crossing his face.
“Much better now,” Chloe replied from her spot on the bed. She ended the call and tossed the phone aside. “Never mind,” she teased. “I found what I was looking for.”
Oliver’s grin widened and set his phone down before he crossed the room and crawled onto the bed beside her. “How did you sneak in here without me knowing?” he asked. He hadn’t heard the elevator or any footsteps.
“I guess I picked up some tricks from Green Arrow.” Chloe shifted her body into his lap, straddling his hips and resting her hands on his chest. “I wanted to surprise you,” she explained.
“You did,” Oliver confirmed. He squeezed her hip as he brought his other hand up to brush her hair back from her face. “I thought you had to work all day.”
“I finished early and I have it on good authority that Lois is extremely busy today and won’t be dealing with any wedding stuff, which means that I am all yours, Mr. Queen,” Chloe told him, her eyes bright as she leaned forward and pressed a kiss to the curve of his jaw.
“Thank God,” Oliver replied. He turned his head and covered her mouth with his, deepening the kiss until they were both breathless. “I was starting to think I needed to take a page out of your book and just show up and take my clothes off.”
Chloe arched an eyebrow and let her hand trail down to the hem of his shirt. “I wouldn’t complain if you did. In fact, I think it will be a requirement for the afternoon.” She tugged his shirt up and Oliver raised his arms to help her get it off.
“You know turnabout is fair play, Sidekick,” Oliver pointed out as he toyed with the top button of her blouse.
She scraped her nails gently over his stomach, grinning when she felt his muscles tighten beneath her touch. “In a minute, Romeo,” she teased, tugging his hand away from her shirt and holding it in hers. “First, I want to apologize. I know I haven’t been fair to you lately, Ollie. I’m sorry for letting Lois have so much of my time.”
“Chloe,” Oliver started, but she placed her finger over his lips and shook her head.
“I know what you’re going to say because you’re wonderful,” Chloe told him matter-of-factly. She removed her finger and kissed him again before pulling back and meeting his gaze. “But I also know this has been hard. I feel guilty that I’m not in Metropolis, especially since I was gone for all those months. Lois was so understanding when I came back. I’d been lying to her for years, Ollie, and she didn’t care about any of that.” Chloe swallowed hard, trying to blink back the tears that she couldn’t seem to stop from pooling in her eyes. “She welcomed me back like I’d never left and even though she gives us a hard time; I know she supports our choice to make a life here.”
Oliver nodded as he brushed away the tears from her eyes. “I know that, Chloe, and I know how much Lois means to you. Selfishly, I want to spend every waking moment with you, but I know that’s not realistic. No matter how many tantrums I’ve thrown over the past few weeks, I never blamed you, or even Lois, for you wanting to help her. I get it,” he assured her.
Chloe smiled. “Best husband ever,” she said as she rested her head against his chest. “I also feel bad because I made such a big deal about us being apart all the time when we first moved here and now I’m the one who’s always busy.” Chloe turned her head and pressed a kiss to his heartbeat, her lips lingering against her skin. “I guess we should just be happy that we can say our lives and our friends are never boring,” she teased.
“It wouldn’t kill them to be boring every once and awhile,” Oliver said. He tugged Chloe away from his chest so he could see her face. “You don’t have to feel guilty about wanting to be there for your cousin, Chloe. We’ve got the rest of our lives to spend together,” he reminded her as he brushed his finger over her rings.
Her smile widened as she looked down at their joined hands before looking back at him. “I love you, Ollie.”
“I love you too,” Oliver replied. He kissed her again, drawing it out as he tightened his grip on her hand. Oliver knew that their lives were always going to be hectic, but they were in this together and that was never going to change. He brushed his nose against hers, smiling as he reached for the button on her blouse again. “So about getting you naked…”
Chloe laughed as she leaned back so he could unbutton her shirt with ease. She shrugged it off and shifted closer to him, pressing intimately against him as she locked her arms around his neck once more. “I think we’re both still wearing too many clothes for what I have in mind.” She trailed her mouth up to his ear and bit him gently before soothing his earlobe with her tongue.
Oliver groaned, his eyes sliding shut as her lips moved down to his neck and he felt her nimble fingers undoing his belt. “I like where this is going,” he said. “Tell me more about what’s on your mind, Sidekick.”