All the Little Things and the Big One
He was wow.
He made her lose it. For once, her brain failed her. And it was all because a mix of genetics, charm and some gym time. He humbled her with a smile. Sure, she borderline schemed him. But the fact remained that in those few moments, he robbed her of her thoughts. She felt like just another fan girl. Her fingers twitch with the barely concealed urge to twirl her hair. She was so not that girl but Oliver brought on this truly unexpected reaction. It was strangely intimate for the guy that was dating her cousin.
There were rarely ever parting words.
Sometimes she thought that day in the barn when he shook Clark’s hand, he knew that they were going to be talking soon. There was no need for a goodbye because he was always planning on talking to her.
Over the years, he remained her life.
Oliver had a knack for being there. Sometimes, he stubbornly held his place. Sometimes he fought for that inch that Chloe would not willingly concede. More often than not, he forged ahead. He dared the world to make way because he was coming through with fire in his eyes. In the business world, he made waves with a power suit, self-deprecating jokes and very quiet changes to save the world. In his other world, their world, he aimed true with a precision arrow and green leather.
She knew his secret. He let her.
She walked into his apartment and with one sentence rocked his world. The more she talked, the shakier his foundation felt. She knew about Clark. She knew about him. She knew about Bart, Victor and AC. This blonde, the baby cousin of her very bash girlfriend held the keys to the proverbial kingdom and turned it down. She offered intel and no more. Oliver was even more jealous of Clark in that moment. To have someone to trust. It was invaluable in the life that they had chosen. Clark would always have someone in his corner. He offered her a monitor and an earpiece. He didn’t know the protocol for sidekicks but she was in this anyways. With so little time to prepare, his team could use the extra help. And if this took her one step closer to being in his corner too, then that was just a bonus.
They disagreed.
They were two smart, capable people. It was rare that someone who stand up against the great Oliver Queen. And Chloe was used to formulating the plan and Clark carrying it out. Between Chloe and Oliver, there were many strategic meetings. Oliver entertained her words but he never let go of the reigns. After several arguments on different missions, Chloe started to see a pattern. Oliver always saw something in the mission that she didn’t, couldn’t see because he never let her. She called him on it stating that she couldn’t be their eyes without everything he knew. He answered with a phase of it being for her own safety. She didn’t talk to him for weeks. And he never did apologize. One day he told her to undergo her very own mission. He offered her a chance to part of the team in a very real way.
Later, the fights hurt.
When they got to know each other, there were cutting words in their fights. The problem was that they knew each other so well. It was easy to strike exactly where it hurt. He called her on her being a bad guy. Late one night, he got a message from her. It said simply ‘you can do better.’ Somewhere along the lines, they exposed themselves to the raw hurt that comes from a verbal attack from the person who actually knows you.
When he kissed her, all he felt was her soft, soft skin.
It was something he noticed periodically throughout their relationship. She never did much with her face. A hair clip here. A crazy necklace there. And always a crazy shoe but her face was usually bare. In the early years, he found it endearing. Chloe had that girl-next-door quality. She was easy to look at any time of the day from dressed to the nines for an event to early morning. In fact, he found that he enjoyed those quick video conferences that they went through when he was half way across the globe with the boys. There was something insanely adorable about seeing her fresh from her bed talking about the best way to destroy a multimillion dollar facility.
When their relationship morphed into a more intimate one, he touched that skin for himself. The dip of her collarbone, the jut of her hip, the curve of her cheek and all those places in between were his playground. And suddenly the lack of make up took a very adult turn from adorable to downright sexy. That untouched skin became a sweet reward for the hard times. It was also a welcome departure from his norm. He was used to a fine layer of makeup coming with him after touching woman. At the time it felt like a badge of honour. He was marked by that woman. But when he touched Chloe, all he felt was smooth skin. He rubbed his fingers together, remembering only the feel of her cheek and no more. It felt achingly intimate. Their moments were just for them.
Sometimes he looked back fondly at that weekend escape.
Not the banshee part nor the part where Clark saw Chloe naked. Despite those experiences, that trip had moments that he never wanted to forget. Openly holding her, thinking about her as the little Mrs. and yes all the sexy times that were had in that bed, it left him with a warm glow. But there was a moment that Oliver encountered “Lois”. She said something along the lines of “not waiting to capture a woman’s heart”. At the time, he didn’t think twice about it. He went with her to find Chloe genuinely concerned about her wellbeing (which was later proved rightly so. That woman could find trouble anywhere.) Looking back, it felt like one of the first real steps in their relationship. No, he never felt like his relationship with Chloe was as simple as she made out to be. But winning her heart was much more than he thinking at the time. That unconscious decision was his clue in that he was deeper than he thought. And if he was honest with himself, he never wanted to get out.
He chose her.
He waited. He loved. Sometimes it was more than she thought she deserved. He said he loved her. But as she lay in wait aching for him, she never knew what he would do to cope with the trade. Yes, she let him know that she was still alive but the terms were limited. And she could not help but remember the Oliver he was before. His coping mechanism was booze and women, usually mixed together in a kaleidoscope of intoxication. She waited for the news to come of the return of the playboy billionaire. But instead she got the news of the identity of Green Arrow. In some ways, this was a thousand times worse but in others it was so much better.
The big thing was that there was never going to be anyone else.
A week ago he thought he lost her again. It didn’t seem fair to him that the powers that be would give him such little time with her again. Later, he realized the rest of his life still wouldn’t be enough time with her.
A week ago she took the title of girlfriend. Now she was taking another identity that she knew would stick, the title of Mrs. Queen.
They were married. In it for the long haul. Forever.
A/N: So I have been spending some time in other fandoms lately. And while I enjoyed a fresh couple I can’t stop chanting in my head “my OTP is CANON” repeatedly. I don’t think that’s what those writers really wanted. So I wanted to celebrate our OTP with this ode to their long term relationship from waaaaaaay back to that day in the farm to a happy ever after in Star City.
Anyhoot I hope you guys liked it. I wrote it over the day so I don’t know if it is a little choppy. Let me know what you think! Gift Fics as always!
Ok now seriously I’m going to do some homework. I am a bad student.