You Get Me (1/1)
Author: serafina19
Title: You Get Me
Summary: Oliver returns to Watchtower after spending some time away in Star City. Unfortunately for him, Chloe isn't exactly happy to see him.
Rating: PG
Sera’s Scribbles: So this was supposed to be up... about a year ago. This is a Chlollified version of this Veronica Mars scene, but that being said, the relationship dynamics are very different between the two couples, hence the obvious changes. Even though I have done stories during this timeline (post-Charade, pre-Sacrifice), it was the timeline that made the most sense.
You Get Me
Chloe stopped typing when she heard Watchtower announce his presence in the elevator. She knew that she should be happy to see him, but instead, she felt herself biting her lip to hold back her frustration.
The doors opened, and Chloe waited for his casual greeting, but it never came. Instead, he approached Chloe from behind, wrapped his arms around her so that his hands rested on her stomach. Leaning his head closer, Oliver whispered in her ear, “I missed you.”
Chloe breathed shakily, trying to ignore how her body accepted the contact so easily. But after she closed her eyes, she was reminded of how she couldn’t just let this go. “You mind telling me why you had someone tail me?”
Oliver's mouth gaped open, not expecting Chloe to call him on this so quickly, but the woman was Watchtower after all. “I knew that I was going to be away and I needed to make sure you were safe.” Her getting kidnapped by Checkmate was a too close of a call to relive, and he figured that he couldn’t play this too safely.
But Chloe disagreed as she pried herself away from him. “Oliver, all this time, I've been freaking out because I kept thinking that, despite John’s efforts, Checkmate was tracking me again.”
Everywhere she walked; there was the repeated clacking of footsteps behind her. Chloe had been followed enough times to know the signs to look out for. The following distance, the unassuming persona and so on. So Chloe decided to do something about it, ready to taze the guy until he backed off. But a missed punch meant that he got the jump on her, and to Chloe’s surprise, he just told her to calm down, right before he said that Oliver hired him.
The only thing that saved Oliver was the fact he was out of town, or else Chloe would have burst into whatever meeting or scenario he was in and given him a piece of her mind. She could have called Clark to give her a lift across the country, but she really didn’t want to deal with him either. It was clear that Clark didn’t like her arrangement with Oliver, and that was fine, but Chloe had enough to worry about without trying to convince Clark when she really didn’t have to.
So that meant she had a couple days to cool off until Oliver came back to Metropolis, hence the calmer approach. However, Chloe could feel her anger returning slowly, and Oliver wasn't exactly helping his case.
“Why do you think I hired someone to protect you?”
“What about the threat of Watchtower being compromised? Or that your double identity could be splashed across tomorrow’s Daily Planet?” The whole thing was stupid in her mind, because Oliver had Bart on speed dial, and last Chloe checked, he would have jumped at the opportunity to keep an eye on her. Not that Chloe needed a babysitter, but Bart was miles better than the option Oliver pursued. “You could have the guys check up on me, but no, you hire an outsider and risk everything we’ve built!”
Oliver had thought of that, but Chloe would have been just as mad, and she would have figured it out sooner. Furthermore, Oliver wasn’t an idiot, he made sure to outline very strict guidelines for the guy he hired. But he knew if he told Chloe that, she would only get more frustrated. “Look, you can angry with me all you want, but I won’t give you what you’re looking for. I’m not sorry.”
Chloe scoffed before she rolled her eyes. The man was stubborn, and she wasn’t expecting an apology, but there was one thing that made this whole thing worse. “Why did you stop trusting me?”
Eyes widening, Oliver couldn’t believe that Chloe would even suggest that. “I never -”
Completely ignoring Oliver, she added, “Because you know who I am Oliver, probably better than anyone else. You know I hate it when people think I can’t take care of myself. I’ve had to deal with Clark doing it for years and I thought you were differ-”
“You know who I am,” Oliver fired back, not caring that he interrupted her, nor that it came out a lot more aggressive than intended. “Chloe, you know that I worry about the people I care about, willing to do anything in my power to protect them.”
Chloe blinked at his outburst, concepts that she knew all too well. Slowly, Chloe moved her gaze away from Oliver, hearing him add, “I can’t always swoop in and save the day, I can’t get to you in the blink of an eye.”
His tone touched something inside of her, as the anger was gone in his voice, replaced by genuine... care. “I know,” was all she could manage to whisper. In a group of superheroes, her and Oliver, well, they were the ‘normal’ ones, and while Oliver was never fazed by the differences, it appeared that he did sometimes notice the so-called ‘inadequacies’ that came with being human.
Oliver stared down at his hands, palms up in front of him. He could feel the strain in the muscles, but eventually he pulled the fingers back to make a fist. “Then you know that it’s nothing personal." Letting a smile slip, Oliver said with a lighter tone, "I’m human... which automatically means that I’m not like Clark.” Then he paused to ensure that his eyes met hers. “But you’re right Chloe, I do know who you are. I get you.”
He knew the risk he was taking here, using the word choice she had used at the McDougal Inn, but Oliver knew it would be worth it. It got Chloe’s attention, and Oliver was more than willing to show how much he meant it.
Taking a step towards her, Oliver noticed that Chloe wasn't moving away from him, so he kept coming until he was inches away from her. “I get that you’re going to put yourself out there, in the line of fire, no matter what anyone else says. It’s why there were strict limits on your... bodyguard.”
Seeing her wanting to interrupt, Oliver held a finger over her mouth to silence her. “No, it does not make what I did better, but I’m not going to apologize for it either. You may not like my methods, but I only do it because I care about you. Just like you put a camera in my belt buckle because you cared about me. With any luck... you still do.”
She had closed her eyes upon hearing the belt buckle mention, as Chloe knew that one day, admitting that to Oliver would backfire on her. That time seemed to be today. But that didn’t stop Chloe from practically croaking, “I do,” causing her to place her hand on her throat afterwards. He was right, and despite everything, she did still care about Oliver.
After hearing those two little words, Oliver smiled again, hoping that they were through the worst of this conversation. “So you think you let this one slide if I call him off?”
Chloe almost didn’t hear Oliver, as she was thinking about all the things that she had done to Oliver that he had forgiven her for. It was more than just the belt buckle, as there was everything associated with Davis, along with the embezzled funds that he had busted her for not that long ago.
But the words did register, and while it wasn't quite what Chloe wanted to hear, it was a sign that Oliver was listening to her. That was more than she got with a lot of people. “I could live with that.”
Grateful for the calm nature of her voice, Oliver said, “And I guess we both have to start being more honest with each other.”
Nodding, Chloe said, “That’s a good idea,” before walking around Oliver to continue her work.
It wasn’t the reaction Oliver was hoping for, as he meant it when he said that he missed Chloe. But this would have to do. They seemed to be on better terms now, and Oliver had every intention of being honest with her, with the exception of one particular piece of information.
Then again, not even Oliver knew he was in love with Chloe Sullivan.
~End~