Fic: The Great Red K Caper (A Chlollieween Story 8/10)
A/N - I am trying my best to get the rest of this uploaded today, but my Internet seems to be slower on weekends - no idea why, but there you go. I've had had a lot going on at school, so I don't have much time to try and post from there. Anyway, as long as I can get LJ to accept posts of around 1,500 words each, this will be 10 parts. I'm playing with the idea of an epilogue or a one/shot that follows this AU, but it's not written yet so no promises. I'll start trying to post the next part of Wild Side today too, but right now I can't get the banner to load. Happy reading!
Part Eight
Chloe was very conscious of all the female eyes on Oliver as they walked into the crowded loft apartment where Ryan’s friend, Noah, was hosting the cuddle party. He wasn’t in costume, which made him stand out from the rest of the men in attendance, and more importantly, he looked damn good in jeans, a dark blue button down shirt, and his black leather jacket. But then he always looked good no matter what he was wearing, and there would always be women waiting in the wings, eager to take whatever he was offering.
It was the reason she’d convinced herself that she imagined Oliver’s enthusiastic response to the kiss all those months ago. She’d told herself that for him it had been a role to play, a way out of their dangerous predicament. And if he had responded physically, well - he was still a man, and men couldn’t always control that sort of thing.
For her though, the moment in the library had been a rather shocking epiphany. The fact that she harbored an attraction to Oliver wasn’t surprising - he was rich, powerful, easy on the eyes, and he was a hero on a mission to save the world. Add to that his bad boy streak and his cocky attitude, and who could blame her for acknowledging an attraction? She’d felt it from the moment she laid eyes on him in Clark’s barn. nbsp; But she’d never felt anything like what she felt when she kissed him, not even with Clark at the height of her schoolgirl crush.
Frankly, it had been scary. There had been an intensity to that moment and the way he had touched her - desperately, as if he were feeling all the same emotions she was and then some. Standing in the bathroom later, trying to get herself back under control, she’d told herself to rein in her runaway imagination and any ideas that Oliver Queen wanted Chloe Sullivan. Because the hero falling for the sidekick only happened in fairy tales and movies, and she refused to waste time pining like she’d done for so long with Clark.
So she’d donned her metaphorical armor and finished the evening on Oliver’s arm, and when Oliver didn’t bring it up on the drive back to meet the team at the Clocktower, she’d assumed she was right. Then he’d been called back to Star City on QI business. Feeling a bit guilty, Chloe had jumped at Jimmy’s suggestion that they live together after she graduated. They had already moved into the apartment by the time Oliver returned, and again she told herself she was only imagining that he’d been bothered by that information when it came out during a League meeting.
But she definitely hadn’t imagined the way he’d kissed her today at the hospital, nor had she imagined the things he’d said to her there and later at her apartment. Regardless, she was still trying to wrap her brain around the fact that Oliver wanted her, that he wanted to be with her. And if he was ready to tell Lois and Clark about it then he must actually be serious. She was sure he meant it when he said he cared about her because he would never play with her emotions for the hell of it.
So, he wanted her. But for how long? Because Oliver Queen never stayed in one place for long, and he was constantly being linked to heiresses, actresses and supermodels in entertainment news. She couldn’t compete with that, and she had no doubt that the gossip columnists would rather viciously point that out if they went public. And it wasn’t so much that she cared what other people thought, it was more that she was afraid she’d forever be waiting for the other shoe to drop.
As if he sensed the doom and gloom her thoughts were mired in, Oliver squeezed her hand and pulled her in closer as they moved through the room looking for Clark and the team. He smiled down at her, his hand moving down to squeeze her hip gently. “You okay?”
Chloe smiled, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes. “I’m fine.”
Oliver shook his head and pulled her over to stand by one of the large windows. “I don’t think so. You’ve got the same look on your face right now that you had when you walked out of the bathroom five months ago determined to ignore the fact that when you kissed me, we both felt something. Just talk to me - tell me what you’re thinking.”
Her gaze slid away from his for a moment. “I was just wondering how long you were going to be in Metropolis.”
Oliver’s eyes searched hers. “Chloe, I thought you knew I was staying in Metropolis indefinitely. I mean, I’ll have business trips back to Star City every month; there’s no avoiding that. But I decided months ago to stay here. That’s actually the reason I was gone for so long on that business trip five months ago - I was trying to get everything squared away at the Star City office.”
“Wait, you decided this after… after what happened with us?” Her brows drew together. “But that night you never said a word that led me to believe that kiss meant anything.”
“In my defense, you kind of blindsided me,” he replied. “It took me a few days to process it, and then I had to leave on business. But I couldn’t stop thinking about you, and so I decided that I wanted to stick around Metropolis. I was planning to talk to you when I got back and try to find out where your head was at. There were obvious complications, like Jimmy - I knew you were dating, but it didn’t seem all that serious until I got back and you were living together.”
Chloe didn’t miss the slight bitterness in his tone. “I didn’t do that to hurt you, Ollie. I think I felt guilty. And we both realized it was a mistake pretty quickly.” She was silent for a moment before continuing. “I can’t believe you made that kind of decision after one kiss, and… I guess I’m a little worried that I won’t live up to whatever it is you’re expecting from me. I mean, the types of women you usually date are nothing like me.”
“Wow - you really don’t see yourself very clearly, do you? Chloe, I haven’t been with anyone since that night. I haven’t wanted anyone else - not even after I found out you and Jimmy moved in together.”
She stared at him. He couldn’t be serious. “You’re saying you’ve been celibate for five months?”
Oliver winced. “Geez, try not to sound so shocked. I have been known to keep it in my pants for longer than a week at a time no matter what the tabloids like to say about me.”
“No, I mean… obviously I know you’re not the player they like to make you out to be,” she hurried to explain. “But that makes it sound like you were waiting for me, and you never said anything, and… why? Why didn’t you say anything?”
“Like what? First you were with Jimmy - making a move while you were living with him would’ve made me the bad guy. Then he moved out, and trust me, I thought about it. But I didn’t want it to end up being a rebound situation either. And then the more time that passed, the more I started thinking maybe I should just try to let it go. Clearly that didn’t work though.”
Chloe stepped closer and put her arms around his waist, standing on tiptoe to press her lips gently to his jaw. He turned his head and their lips met in a slow kiss that left them both breathless. She pressed against him and kissed him one last time before pulling back. “I’m sorry I’m such a doubter.”
“And I’m sorry I didn’t just talk to you about this a long time ago,” he said.
“For two people who talk as much as we do, we don’t always communicate very well,” she commented ruefully, shaking her head. She drew in a quick breath when he turned her to the wall and kissed her, pressing against her in a way that left no doubt as to his attraction. She lifted her hands to his shoulders, sliding her fingers into his hair as she arched into him.
His brown eyes seemed darker, more dangerous when he pulled back to look at her. “I swear to you that I am completely serious about this Chloe. I’ve had five months to think about it, and that’s about five months longer than I’ve ever thought about being with anyone - I’m usually more of a doer than a thinker. And if you’re worried about the tabloids then we can try to keep it out of the public eye for a while, but I want to tell Lois, Clark and the team. I refuse to hide it like it’s something to be ashamed of.”
Chloe nodded. “Let’s just take it a day at a time, okay?” She leaned up and kissed him one last time before she slipped around him and tugged him away from the wall. “Now let’s go find the guys and try to put this story to bed. Then later, if you’re a very good boy, I might let you put me to bed.” She grinned at him.
He smirked and shook his head, allowing her to pull him forward. “I like the way you think, Sullivan.”
Part Eight
Chloe was very conscious of all the female eyes on Oliver as they walked into the crowded loft apartment where Ryan’s friend, Noah, was hosting the cuddle party. He wasn’t in costume, which made him stand out from the rest of the men in attendance, and more importantly, he looked damn good in jeans, a dark blue button down shirt, and his black leather jacket. But then he always looked good no matter what he was wearing, and there would always be women waiting in the wings, eager to take whatever he was offering.
It was the reason she’d convinced herself that she imagined Oliver’s enthusiastic response to the kiss all those months ago. She’d told herself that for him it had been a role to play, a way out of their dangerous predicament. And if he had responded physically, well - he was still a man, and men couldn’t always control that sort of thing.
For her though, the moment in the library had been a rather shocking epiphany. The fact that she harbored an attraction to Oliver wasn’t surprising - he was rich, powerful, easy on the eyes, and he was a hero on a mission to save the world. Add to that his bad boy streak and his cocky attitude, and who could blame her for acknowledging an attraction? She’d felt it from the moment she laid eyes on him in Clark’s barn. nbsp; But she’d never felt anything like what she felt when she kissed him, not even with Clark at the height of her schoolgirl crush.
Frankly, it had been scary. There had been an intensity to that moment and the way he had touched her - desperately, as if he were feeling all the same emotions she was and then some. Standing in the bathroom later, trying to get herself back under control, she’d told herself to rein in her runaway imagination and any ideas that Oliver Queen wanted Chloe Sullivan. Because the hero falling for the sidekick only happened in fairy tales and movies, and she refused to waste time pining like she’d done for so long with Clark.
So she’d donned her metaphorical armor and finished the evening on Oliver’s arm, and when Oliver didn’t bring it up on the drive back to meet the team at the Clocktower, she’d assumed she was right. Then he’d been called back to Star City on QI business. Feeling a bit guilty, Chloe had jumped at Jimmy’s suggestion that they live together after she graduated. They had already moved into the apartment by the time Oliver returned, and again she told herself she was only imagining that he’d been bothered by that information when it came out during a League meeting.
But she definitely hadn’t imagined the way he’d kissed her today at the hospital, nor had she imagined the things he’d said to her there and later at her apartment. Regardless, she was still trying to wrap her brain around the fact that Oliver wanted her, that he wanted to be with her. And if he was ready to tell Lois and Clark about it then he must actually be serious. She was sure he meant it when he said he cared about her because he would never play with her emotions for the hell of it.
So, he wanted her. But for how long? Because Oliver Queen never stayed in one place for long, and he was constantly being linked to heiresses, actresses and supermodels in entertainment news. She couldn’t compete with that, and she had no doubt that the gossip columnists would rather viciously point that out if they went public. And it wasn’t so much that she cared what other people thought, it was more that she was afraid she’d forever be waiting for the other shoe to drop.
As if he sensed the doom and gloom her thoughts were mired in, Oliver squeezed her hand and pulled her in closer as they moved through the room looking for Clark and the team. He smiled down at her, his hand moving down to squeeze her hip gently. “You okay?”
Chloe smiled, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes. “I’m fine.”
Oliver shook his head and pulled her over to stand by one of the large windows. “I don’t think so. You’ve got the same look on your face right now that you had when you walked out of the bathroom five months ago determined to ignore the fact that when you kissed me, we both felt something. Just talk to me - tell me what you’re thinking.”
Her gaze slid away from his for a moment. “I was just wondering how long you were going to be in Metropolis.”
Oliver’s eyes searched hers. “Chloe, I thought you knew I was staying in Metropolis indefinitely. I mean, I’ll have business trips back to Star City every month; there’s no avoiding that. But I decided months ago to stay here. That’s actually the reason I was gone for so long on that business trip five months ago - I was trying to get everything squared away at the Star City office.”
“Wait, you decided this after… after what happened with us?” Her brows drew together. “But that night you never said a word that led me to believe that kiss meant anything.”
“In my defense, you kind of blindsided me,” he replied. “It took me a few days to process it, and then I had to leave on business. But I couldn’t stop thinking about you, and so I decided that I wanted to stick around Metropolis. I was planning to talk to you when I got back and try to find out where your head was at. There were obvious complications, like Jimmy - I knew you were dating, but it didn’t seem all that serious until I got back and you were living together.”
Chloe didn’t miss the slight bitterness in his tone. “I didn’t do that to hurt you, Ollie. I think I felt guilty. And we both realized it was a mistake pretty quickly.” She was silent for a moment before continuing. “I can’t believe you made that kind of decision after one kiss, and… I guess I’m a little worried that I won’t live up to whatever it is you’re expecting from me. I mean, the types of women you usually date are nothing like me.”
“Wow - you really don’t see yourself very clearly, do you? Chloe, I haven’t been with anyone since that night. I haven’t wanted anyone else - not even after I found out you and Jimmy moved in together.”
She stared at him. He couldn’t be serious. “You’re saying you’ve been celibate for five months?”
Oliver winced. “Geez, try not to sound so shocked. I have been known to keep it in my pants for longer than a week at a time no matter what the tabloids like to say about me.”
“No, I mean… obviously I know you’re not the player they like to make you out to be,” she hurried to explain. “But that makes it sound like you were waiting for me, and you never said anything, and… why? Why didn’t you say anything?”
“Like what? First you were with Jimmy - making a move while you were living with him would’ve made me the bad guy. Then he moved out, and trust me, I thought about it. But I didn’t want it to end up being a rebound situation either. And then the more time that passed, the more I started thinking maybe I should just try to let it go. Clearly that didn’t work though.”
Chloe stepped closer and put her arms around his waist, standing on tiptoe to press her lips gently to his jaw. He turned his head and their lips met in a slow kiss that left them both breathless. She pressed against him and kissed him one last time before pulling back. “I’m sorry I’m such a doubter.”
“And I’m sorry I didn’t just talk to you about this a long time ago,” he said.
“For two people who talk as much as we do, we don’t always communicate very well,” she commented ruefully, shaking her head. She drew in a quick breath when he turned her to the wall and kissed her, pressing against her in a way that left no doubt as to his attraction. She lifted her hands to his shoulders, sliding her fingers into his hair as she arched into him.
His brown eyes seemed darker, more dangerous when he pulled back to look at her. “I swear to you that I am completely serious about this Chloe. I’ve had five months to think about it, and that’s about five months longer than I’ve ever thought about being with anyone - I’m usually more of a doer than a thinker. And if you’re worried about the tabloids then we can try to keep it out of the public eye for a while, but I want to tell Lois, Clark and the team. I refuse to hide it like it’s something to be ashamed of.”
Chloe nodded. “Let’s just take it a day at a time, okay?” She leaned up and kissed him one last time before she slipped around him and tugged him away from the wall. “Now let’s go find the guys and try to put this story to bed. Then later, if you’re a very good boy, I might let you put me to bed.” She grinned at him.
He smirked and shook his head, allowing her to pull him forward. “I like the way you think, Sullivan.”