Twist of Fate 15/18
Mar. 25th, 2011 05:19 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
luminare91Title: Twist of Fate
Summary: Oliver finds himself at Smallville High were he meets Chloe and discovers the world of Meta-humans. But will his newfound happiness be threatened by the presence of an old enemy?
Rating: PG-13 (Mostly for mild language and violence in later chapters, I don't see it going any further, but if it does, the rating will change accordingly)
Warning: This is mostly AU. I plan to work in as much from the series as I can, but the timeline is completely mine and character ages have been changed as I see fit. Oliver's only a year older than Chloe in this. She already knows about Clark's powers. And Lois is living with Chloe.
Relationships: Chlollie, Clois (just a teeny, tiny bit)
Previous Chapters: Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4, Chapter 5, Chapter 6, Chapter 7, Chapter 8, Chapter 9, Chapter 10, Chapter 11, Chapter 12, Chapter 13, Chapter 14
Banner by![[info]](https://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif?v=2)
552158
Author’s Note: I have a slight warning. This might be a little OOC compared to the TV portrayal of Oliver especially. I went out on a limb a little here because I’m guessing about what he would have been like as a teenager under these circumstances. I don’t want to give away too much here, but please keep an open mind when it comes to this chapter. I tried to be as true to the character as I could.
Chapter 15
Chloe dropped her towel on the counter and padded softly out of the bathroom and down the hall. She paused and leaned against the door to the living room, admiring the view.
Oliver was stretched out across the couch. His hair was still damp from the shower he’d taken and he was dressed only in a pair of sweatpants. There was a burn on his chest from the first time Veronica had hit him, but it had already faded and no longer looked so raw. Chloe bit her lip. He didn’t often go around shirtless, and she suspected it was because he was trying to take things slow and didn’t want to make it more difficult on either of them, but when he did, she definitely admired the view. Stretched out like he was, even with the burn, Oliver was definitely yummy.
He was flipping idly through the channels, waiting for Chloe to get out of the shower. Clark had dropped them off at his place without even asking if she wanted to go home, something for which Oliver was extremely grateful. After everything that had happened, being away from Chloe while he was stuck in Star City and then having to watch her being dragged away and everything else that had happened with Veronica, he didn’t think he could handle another night without her.
They hadn’t taken that step in their relationship by any means. Oliver was being very careful to take to take their relationship slow. After so much time having meaningless flings that were all about sex, that was the last thing he wanted his relationship with Chloe to be about. He was waiting until he was sure they were both ready before he even let himself think about her like that. But late nights hanging out or researching had led to falling asleep together more than once and Oliver had found that sleeping beside Chloe gave him a sense of safety and belonging. Just being around her in general was like that. After that day, he desperately needed that.
Smiling softly, Chloe pushed herself off the wall and walked over to the back of the sofa. She leaned down and pressed a kiss to his temple. Oliver started slightly and she pulled back grinning.
“Hey handsome,” she whispered.
He reached up and rested a hand against her cheek. “You going to stand there, or are you going to join me?”
“There’s no room for me,” she pouted.
Oliver rolled his eyes. Sitting up slightly, he grabbed her arm and easily pulled her over the back of the couch, onto his body. She giggled, slapping his chest lightly as she struggled to pull free. But his arms around her were too strong.
“That was so not cool,” she grumbled.
“I think it had it’s benefits.”
She cocked an eyebrow and looked at him. “Oh really?”
Threading a hand through her hair, Oliver brought her lips just short of his. “Definitely.”
Closing the distance, he captured her lips softly. He sat up and moved them back against the arm of the chair so that he was leaning against it. Chloe automatically shifted to sit across his laps with her legs draped over the edge of the couch. Oliver gently brushed his lips against her again, this time a little more firmly. Their lips moved together naturally and easily.
Chloe moved her hands to his shoulders and gently traced his lips with her tongue. A shudder rippled through Oliver’s body. Parting her lips with his, he sought entrance to her mouth and their tongues met in a fiery dance. Chloe pressed herself closer to Oliver and shifted on his lap so that she was straddling him. He suppressed a moan at the movement. His heart was racing in his chest.
This wasn’t the first time the two of them had gotten heated. They were a couple of teenagers after all. But this time, it wasn’t like anything before. After everything that had happened, being tortured and attacked by a crazy meteor freak, being apart, fearing that they’d never see each other again, there was a charge beneath their kisses that hadn’t been there before.
Oliver slid a hand up her side, pulling his mouth from hers and instead looking intently into her eyes. The way she looked at him was incredible. He never got tired of it. In some ways, it reminded him of the way his parents had looked at him before they died. It made him feel like he could actually do something important.
Gently running her hand along the side of his face, Chloe gazed down at him and wondered what she’d done to be so happy. Sure she’d been captured and tortured, but the way Oliver looked at her, made Chloe feel like she was worth noticing. She’d always felt so invisible before, in the shadow of her loudmouthed cousin and even Clark. Oliver made her feel like she was bathed in light. She was always the center of his attention, no matter what was going on. He made her feel wanted, which was something she hadn’t felt in that way in a long time. She pressed her lips back to his, suddenly desperate to prove just how much she felt for him.
A jolt ran through Oliver, as strong as one of Veronica’s blasts, but far more wonderful. He pressed his back more firmly against the arm of the sofa and dragged Chloe closer. The movement cause Chloe to inadvertently grind against him.
Oliver’s eyes flew open and he pulled away, putting as much space between them as he could before things went too far.
Chloe frowned. “What’s wrong?” she asked, panting slightly.
“Nothing,” Oliver whispered, running a hand through her hair and smiling tenderly. “I just don’t want things to go too far.”
“Oh. Sorry.” Blushing furiously from her neck to her hairline, she tried to pull away and move off of his lap, but he tightened his grip on her.
“That’s not what I meant,” he said quickly. “Chloe, it’s not that I don’t want to. I do. Really I do. You have no idea how much I want to. You’re so beautiful and...” he trailed off, clearly unable to articulate what he thought. After struggling for words for several moments, he sighed and moved on. “But I don’t want it to happen because of what just happened with Veronica. I don’t want it to happen because we were afraid that we would never see each other again. If we’re going to sleep together, I want it to be because we’re ready, because we want to make it happen for no other reason than that we want each other.”
Running a hand through his hair in agitation, he looked at her with agonized eyes. “I have screwed up so much of my life because of sex, I don’t want to take that chance with you. I mean, I do. I want to have that with you, I just don’t want it to ruin our relationship because we aren’t ready. I already came so close to losing you tonight. Sex for me has always been so mindless and anonymous. Most of the time I don’t even talk to the girls I...and I don’t want that to happen with you and...God! I should just really shut up, shouldn’t I?”
Chloe laughed and pressed her lips to his briefly. “Have I mentioned that you’re amazing?”
“Even after what I just said?” he asked incredulously.
“Because of what you just said. I’m not ready either, I would never think that you don’t want me that way. When we’re ready, we’ll know and we’ll take that next step. Right now, it’s just enough for me to have you, here with me. That’s all I need.”
Oliver grinned and shook his head. “And you think I’m amazing. Personally, I think you are.”
“Maybe we could agree that we are mutually amazing,” she suggested.
“I think I like that plan.”
“Good.” Chloe snuggled against Oliver’s chest and let her eyes drift shut.
He chuckled and moved down the sofa a bit so that they were both more comfortable. “Tired?” he murmured.
“Exhausted,” she moaned. “But happy.”
Pulling her closer, he pressed his face against her hair. “Me too. I’m so glad you’re all right. There were a few minutes here and there when I thought we wouldn’t make it,” he admitted.
Chloe looked up and cupped his face in her hands. “Hey. Everything turned out all right, so don’t you dare think that way.”
“It was a close call,” he said softly. “I’m not about to ignore that or forget. It was like losing my parents all over again, but this time, it was my fault. And I’m not talking about Lex or Veronica. I was almost too late, Chloe. I was laying there on the floor and I didn’t think I was going to be able to stand up and pull that fire alarm. Knowing that I could lose you like that, it scared me.”
“It scared me too,” Chloe whispered. “We’ve had some close calls before, but nothing like this. I can still remember how...” She chewed her lip for a moment before going on. “How empty you were when we first met and I was so afraid that you would be like that again because of me. Being dead is easy compared to feeling that. And when I saw you get hit by that last blast...”
She shuddered and turned her eyes away. “I thought I’d gotten you killed,” she whispered.
“I knew the risks I was taking. It’s not your fault,” he said firmly.
Chloe glared at him. “I know. Stop interrupting.”
He eyed her warily, but said nothing and gestured for her to go on.
“I know it’s not my fault. But I don’t know what I’d do if I lost you like that. It scared me. A lot. But it’s over,” she said forcefully. “Veronica is locked up in Belle Reeve by now, the story will be in the papers so the whole town will know what she did, minus the electrical powers of course, and we are together, in one piece, which is a small miracle if you think about it. Please, stop thinking about what happened. Don’t let it color our relationship. If you dwell on this like you are, then Veronica will win, because it’ll destroy us.”
Sighing sadly, Chloe stood, ducking out of Oliver’s arms and moved to the kitchen. The evening definitely wasn’t going the way she had hoped. It wasn’t that she didn’t understand what Oliver was saying and where he was coming from. She just didn’t want it to define their relationship in the future. She didn’t want Veronica to win that like.
Oliver jumped up, his stomach dropping and her words ringing in his ears.
“Chloe,” he called, following her into the kitchen. She was standing in front of the counter, her hands braced on the granite, tension radiating from her shoulders. Without hesitating, he closed the distance between them and wrapped his arms around her waist. She automatically relaxed into him. The iron band that had constricted around his heart eased.
Pressing a kiss to the crook of her neck, he murmured, “I don’t want this to define our relationship. But it just happened. I’m still dealing with it. And I’m not going to lie to you. It’s going to be a while before I’m completely over it. I reserve the right to be ridiculously overprotective for the next few weeks. But I will get over this,” he promised, turning her around to look her in the eye. “I just need a little time get my head wrapped around the idea that I could lose you. I’ve lost everyone. My parents died, I pushed away anyone who might have cared about me or who I might of cared about, and I’m not going to let that happen to us. I just need a little time.”
“Ollie,” Chloe sighed. “Every conversation we’ve had since we got here has in someone way revolved around Veronica and what she did to us!”
“It happened less than two hours ago!” Oliver exclaimed. “I need you to understand that I thought I was going to lose you and it’s going to be a while before I stop freaking out about that. You’re the best thing to happen to me, as sappy and ridiculous as it sounds, it’s true.”
She sighed again and gently rested a hand on his chest. “I know it’s too early to be saying this, but I’m pretty sure I’m in love with you and you are not going to lose me without one hell of a fight.”
Oliver stilled at her words, his mouth falling open slightly, but she went on without noticing. “But if you keep worrying about what might happen, this is never going anywhere. I’ve spent years waiting, holding on to the things that happened, to the pain, to the ways I’ve been hurt. Between Clark never seeing me the way I used to see him and the meteor freaks who tried to kill me, I could have decided long ago to close myself off because of what might happen the next time I fell for someone and I was close to doing just that, but you came along and I risked it. If I’d let my past make my decisions like you’re doing, we’d never be together in the first place. And you let that fear make all your decisions...” she trailed off, shaking her head.
Oliver gaped at her. Had he heard her correctly? Had she said she loved him? He slipped a finger beneath her chin and tilted her head up so that he could see her eyes.
“I really do get what you're saying,” he whispered. “And I’m not going to let this hang over me for the rest of my life. I just need a few days.”
She nodded. “I get that. But please, promise me that you’ll talk to me, that you won’t brood over this? Veronica did enough to us without screwing everything up from Belle Reeve.”
“Agreed.” Sliding his hand down to her hip, Oliver pulled Chloe closer and cocked his head. “So you’re pretty sure you love me, huh?”
Her face turned bright, tomato red, but she met his eyes. “I know it’s early. We’ve only been going out a few months and we’re both still in high school. But I’ve never felt like this before, nothing this intense by any means. I know what I feel, but I don’t expect you to feel the same way yet.”
“And yet,” Oliver chuckled, pressing a light kiss to her nose, “I’m pretty sure I love you too.”
A smile spread across Chloe’s face and she threw her arms around his neck. Oliver spun her around and carried her back into the living room, sitting on the sofa again.
“Does that qualify as our first real fight?” he asked, grinning cheekily.
“I guess,” Chloe laughed, curling up against his chest.
“Well, then, that wasn’t so bad.”
“It could definitely have been worse.”
“I don’t think I want to see worse.”
“Me neither.”
“So what do you want to tonight?”
Chloe looked up at him and smiled sheepishly. “Honestly? I kinda just want to sleep.”
“That sounds like a really good idea,” Oliver admitted.
“But,” Chloe continued, looking even more sheepish, “I’m not sure that I’m ready to be alone.”
He chuckled and stood, lifting her easily. “I think I can solve that problem.”
She cocked an eyebrow, but she said nothing and burrowed into his shoulder, wrapping her arms more securely about his neck. Oliver pressed his cheek into her hair as he walked down the hall.
Chloe looked up when she heard a door open and realized that they were standing in his bedroom. She looked up at him. “Really?” she asked incredulously.
She could have sworn she saw a blush creep into his cheeks. “We both know I don’t expect anything, but I’m not ready to be alone either and sleeping on the couch, despite the many times we’ve done it, isn’t all the comfortable. I just thought--”
Chloe cut of his ramble with her lips on his. “I was just kidding, Ollie,” she said when she pulled back. “It’s really sweet of you to offer and I am happy to accept you as my living security blanket tonight.”
“Glad I could be of use,” he joked, walking over to the bed.
He lowered her gently onto the mattress, then walked across the room and flipped of the light. Chloe crawled beneath the covers. Rolling onto her side, she tucked one hand beneath the pillow. Oliver slid in beside her, facing her. He wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her closer, tucking her in beneath his chin. Chloe sighed gently, resting her face against his heartbeat, allowing the sound to lull her to sleep.
------------------------------
Oliver woke slowly the next morning to the feel of warm sunlight on his face and a body pressed against his. He smiled in his half-sleep and pulled her closer. Chloe mumbled something in her slumber. She rolled over and draped her arm cross Oliver’s chest, resting her hand against his neck.
It was the most amazing feeling, laying there with her and Oliver was reluctant to wake up. But now that he was beginning to, he was aware of the various aches and pains that were the result of Veronica’s assault and it was enough to drive him back to wakefulness. That didn’t mean he was against laying there and pretending he was asleep.
“I know you’re awake,” Chloe murmured. She looked up at him blearily.
Oliver grinned. “Can’t get anything past you, can I?”
“Nope. What time is it?”
“No clue.”
“Are you going to look?”
“Do I have to?”
Chloe poked him in the ribs. “You’re the one facing the clock.”
“Play fair,” Oliver admonished, cracking an eye open to glance at the clock. “It’s noon.”
Chloe groaned. “I can’t believe we slept that late.”
“Noon isn’t late,” he laughed. “Six is late. Noon is typical morning after stuff.”
“Did you just compare this to a one night stand?” she asked, raising her head and narrowing her eyes at him.
Oliver rolled his eyes and twisted toward her, tickling her ribs. “I was thinking more along the lines of the morning after a passionate night of love making between two people who are madly in love.”
“Mhmm. Because that is totally what happened between us,” she scoffed.
“Well it’s definitely in our future,” he murmured, pressing a kiss to her collar bone. “And we might as well get as much practice as possible.”
“This is practice?”
“In my book, yes.”
“I’d like to read that book,” Chloe joked.
His eyes smoldered and Oliver pressed a searing kiss to her lips. “Any time,” he whispered.
Chloe smiled softly. “Thanks.”
“No need. I’m just glad I have someone to share everything with.”
“Ditto.”
Pecking her lips again, Oliver rolled back and looked down at her. The sight of her, laying on his bed, her hair tousled and her eyes still slightly glazed with sleep, dressed in the shirt and gym shorts he’d loaned her the night before, caused his heart to constrict with happiness.
Running a hand through her hair, he murmured. “What are your plans for spring break?”
Chloe sighed. “I really don’t have any. There was a meteor freak on the lose, Lois is off with the general, and I wasn’t sure if you were coming back in time. I pretty much figured I’d spend most of my time researching or hanging with out Clark
“However,” she added with a sly grin. “Now that said meteor freak is in Belle Reeve, I seem to have a lot of free time on my hands. Any suggestions, Romeo?”
“It just so happens that I have quite a bit of free time, too. What do you say we spend it together?” Oliver bent down and pressed a kiss to her forehead. Chloe sighed happily and burrowed closer to him.
“Sounds perfect.”
“That’s what I wanted to hear.”
Chloe smiled softly and felt sleep begin to claim her again. But just before she succumbed, she murmured, “I love you, Ollie.”
His heart constricted. It was the first time she’d really said it, without any qualifiers, and it was the first time anyone had said that to him since his parents died and he’d actually believed they meant it. Feeling happier and more content than he had in over a decade, Oliver pressed a kiss to Chloe’s hair and whispered, “I love you, too.”
Author’s Note: So I know this chapter was really intense. Again, I apologize if Oliver seemed a little OOC. If he does here, then he will in the next couple of chapters as well. Adult Oliver would probably handle the situation a lot better, but I’m not writing adult Oliver. I’m writing teenage Oliver and I think that, especially considering Chloe is the first person he’s gotten close to in my AU that the whole ordeal with Veronica would be really hard on him. If you do think this is OOC, please let me know so that I can try to fix it in the next chapter. I want to be as true to the character as possible while conveying the emotions necessary for my fic. I welcome any feedback, especially on this. Thanks for reading and again, reviews are like mana in the desert. The more the better.
Chapter 16
Summary: Oliver finds himself at Smallville High were he meets Chloe and discovers the world of Meta-humans. But will his newfound happiness be threatened by the presence of an old enemy?
Rating: PG-13 (Mostly for mild language and violence in later chapters, I don't see it going any further, but if it does, the rating will change accordingly)
Warning: This is mostly AU. I plan to work in as much from the series as I can, but the timeline is completely mine and character ages have been changed as I see fit. Oliver's only a year older than Chloe in this. She already knows about Clark's powers. And Lois is living with Chloe.
Relationships: Chlollie, Clois (just a teeny, tiny bit)
Previous Chapters: Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4, Chapter 5, Chapter 6, Chapter 7, Chapter 8, Chapter 9, Chapter 10, Chapter 11, Chapter 12, Chapter 13, Chapter 14
Banner by
552158 Author’s Note: I have a slight warning. This might be a little OOC compared to the TV portrayal of Oliver especially. I went out on a limb a little here because I’m guessing about what he would have been like as a teenager under these circumstances. I don’t want to give away too much here, but please keep an open mind when it comes to this chapter. I tried to be as true to the character as I could.
Chapter 15
Chloe dropped her towel on the counter and padded softly out of the bathroom and down the hall. She paused and leaned against the door to the living room, admiring the view.
Oliver was stretched out across the couch. His hair was still damp from the shower he’d taken and he was dressed only in a pair of sweatpants. There was a burn on his chest from the first time Veronica had hit him, but it had already faded and no longer looked so raw. Chloe bit her lip. He didn’t often go around shirtless, and she suspected it was because he was trying to take things slow and didn’t want to make it more difficult on either of them, but when he did, she definitely admired the view. Stretched out like he was, even with the burn, Oliver was definitely yummy.
He was flipping idly through the channels, waiting for Chloe to get out of the shower. Clark had dropped them off at his place without even asking if she wanted to go home, something for which Oliver was extremely grateful. After everything that had happened, being away from Chloe while he was stuck in Star City and then having to watch her being dragged away and everything else that had happened with Veronica, he didn’t think he could handle another night without her.
They hadn’t taken that step in their relationship by any means. Oliver was being very careful to take to take their relationship slow. After so much time having meaningless flings that were all about sex, that was the last thing he wanted his relationship with Chloe to be about. He was waiting until he was sure they were both ready before he even let himself think about her like that. But late nights hanging out or researching had led to falling asleep together more than once and Oliver had found that sleeping beside Chloe gave him a sense of safety and belonging. Just being around her in general was like that. After that day, he desperately needed that.
Smiling softly, Chloe pushed herself off the wall and walked over to the back of the sofa. She leaned down and pressed a kiss to his temple. Oliver started slightly and she pulled back grinning.
“Hey handsome,” she whispered.
He reached up and rested a hand against her cheek. “You going to stand there, or are you going to join me?”
“There’s no room for me,” she pouted.
Oliver rolled his eyes. Sitting up slightly, he grabbed her arm and easily pulled her over the back of the couch, onto his body. She giggled, slapping his chest lightly as she struggled to pull free. But his arms around her were too strong.
“That was so not cool,” she grumbled.
“I think it had it’s benefits.”
She cocked an eyebrow and looked at him. “Oh really?”
Threading a hand through her hair, Oliver brought her lips just short of his. “Definitely.”
Closing the distance, he captured her lips softly. He sat up and moved them back against the arm of the chair so that he was leaning against it. Chloe automatically shifted to sit across his laps with her legs draped over the edge of the couch. Oliver gently brushed his lips against her again, this time a little more firmly. Their lips moved together naturally and easily.
Chloe moved her hands to his shoulders and gently traced his lips with her tongue. A shudder rippled through Oliver’s body. Parting her lips with his, he sought entrance to her mouth and their tongues met in a fiery dance. Chloe pressed herself closer to Oliver and shifted on his lap so that she was straddling him. He suppressed a moan at the movement. His heart was racing in his chest.
This wasn’t the first time the two of them had gotten heated. They were a couple of teenagers after all. But this time, it wasn’t like anything before. After everything that had happened, being tortured and attacked by a crazy meteor freak, being apart, fearing that they’d never see each other again, there was a charge beneath their kisses that hadn’t been there before.
Oliver slid a hand up her side, pulling his mouth from hers and instead looking intently into her eyes. The way she looked at him was incredible. He never got tired of it. In some ways, it reminded him of the way his parents had looked at him before they died. It made him feel like he could actually do something important.
Gently running her hand along the side of his face, Chloe gazed down at him and wondered what she’d done to be so happy. Sure she’d been captured and tortured, but the way Oliver looked at her, made Chloe feel like she was worth noticing. She’d always felt so invisible before, in the shadow of her loudmouthed cousin and even Clark. Oliver made her feel like she was bathed in light. She was always the center of his attention, no matter what was going on. He made her feel wanted, which was something she hadn’t felt in that way in a long time. She pressed her lips back to his, suddenly desperate to prove just how much she felt for him.
A jolt ran through Oliver, as strong as one of Veronica’s blasts, but far more wonderful. He pressed his back more firmly against the arm of the sofa and dragged Chloe closer. The movement cause Chloe to inadvertently grind against him.
Oliver’s eyes flew open and he pulled away, putting as much space between them as he could before things went too far.
Chloe frowned. “What’s wrong?” she asked, panting slightly.
“Nothing,” Oliver whispered, running a hand through her hair and smiling tenderly. “I just don’t want things to go too far.”
“Oh. Sorry.” Blushing furiously from her neck to her hairline, she tried to pull away and move off of his lap, but he tightened his grip on her.
“That’s not what I meant,” he said quickly. “Chloe, it’s not that I don’t want to. I do. Really I do. You have no idea how much I want to. You’re so beautiful and...” he trailed off, clearly unable to articulate what he thought. After struggling for words for several moments, he sighed and moved on. “But I don’t want it to happen because of what just happened with Veronica. I don’t want it to happen because we were afraid that we would never see each other again. If we’re going to sleep together, I want it to be because we’re ready, because we want to make it happen for no other reason than that we want each other.”
Running a hand through his hair in agitation, he looked at her with agonized eyes. “I have screwed up so much of my life because of sex, I don’t want to take that chance with you. I mean, I do. I want to have that with you, I just don’t want it to ruin our relationship because we aren’t ready. I already came so close to losing you tonight. Sex for me has always been so mindless and anonymous. Most of the time I don’t even talk to the girls I...and I don’t want that to happen with you and...God! I should just really shut up, shouldn’t I?”
Chloe laughed and pressed her lips to his briefly. “Have I mentioned that you’re amazing?”
“Even after what I just said?” he asked incredulously.
“Because of what you just said. I’m not ready either, I would never think that you don’t want me that way. When we’re ready, we’ll know and we’ll take that next step. Right now, it’s just enough for me to have you, here with me. That’s all I need.”
Oliver grinned and shook his head. “And you think I’m amazing. Personally, I think you are.”
“Maybe we could agree that we are mutually amazing,” she suggested.
“I think I like that plan.”
“Good.” Chloe snuggled against Oliver’s chest and let her eyes drift shut.
He chuckled and moved down the sofa a bit so that they were both more comfortable. “Tired?” he murmured.
“Exhausted,” she moaned. “But happy.”
Pulling her closer, he pressed his face against her hair. “Me too. I’m so glad you’re all right. There were a few minutes here and there when I thought we wouldn’t make it,” he admitted.
Chloe looked up and cupped his face in her hands. “Hey. Everything turned out all right, so don’t you dare think that way.”
“It was a close call,” he said softly. “I’m not about to ignore that or forget. It was like losing my parents all over again, but this time, it was my fault. And I’m not talking about Lex or Veronica. I was almost too late, Chloe. I was laying there on the floor and I didn’t think I was going to be able to stand up and pull that fire alarm. Knowing that I could lose you like that, it scared me.”
“It scared me too,” Chloe whispered. “We’ve had some close calls before, but nothing like this. I can still remember how...” She chewed her lip for a moment before going on. “How empty you were when we first met and I was so afraid that you would be like that again because of me. Being dead is easy compared to feeling that. And when I saw you get hit by that last blast...”
She shuddered and turned her eyes away. “I thought I’d gotten you killed,” she whispered.
“I knew the risks I was taking. It’s not your fault,” he said firmly.
Chloe glared at him. “I know. Stop interrupting.”
He eyed her warily, but said nothing and gestured for her to go on.
“I know it’s not my fault. But I don’t know what I’d do if I lost you like that. It scared me. A lot. But it’s over,” she said forcefully. “Veronica is locked up in Belle Reeve by now, the story will be in the papers so the whole town will know what she did, minus the electrical powers of course, and we are together, in one piece, which is a small miracle if you think about it. Please, stop thinking about what happened. Don’t let it color our relationship. If you dwell on this like you are, then Veronica will win, because it’ll destroy us.”
Sighing sadly, Chloe stood, ducking out of Oliver’s arms and moved to the kitchen. The evening definitely wasn’t going the way she had hoped. It wasn’t that she didn’t understand what Oliver was saying and where he was coming from. She just didn’t want it to define their relationship in the future. She didn’t want Veronica to win that like.
Oliver jumped up, his stomach dropping and her words ringing in his ears.
“Chloe,” he called, following her into the kitchen. She was standing in front of the counter, her hands braced on the granite, tension radiating from her shoulders. Without hesitating, he closed the distance between them and wrapped his arms around her waist. She automatically relaxed into him. The iron band that had constricted around his heart eased.
Pressing a kiss to the crook of her neck, he murmured, “I don’t want this to define our relationship. But it just happened. I’m still dealing with it. And I’m not going to lie to you. It’s going to be a while before I’m completely over it. I reserve the right to be ridiculously overprotective for the next few weeks. But I will get over this,” he promised, turning her around to look her in the eye. “I just need a little time get my head wrapped around the idea that I could lose you. I’ve lost everyone. My parents died, I pushed away anyone who might have cared about me or who I might of cared about, and I’m not going to let that happen to us. I just need a little time.”
“Ollie,” Chloe sighed. “Every conversation we’ve had since we got here has in someone way revolved around Veronica and what she did to us!”
“It happened less than two hours ago!” Oliver exclaimed. “I need you to understand that I thought I was going to lose you and it’s going to be a while before I stop freaking out about that. You’re the best thing to happen to me, as sappy and ridiculous as it sounds, it’s true.”
She sighed again and gently rested a hand on his chest. “I know it’s too early to be saying this, but I’m pretty sure I’m in love with you and you are not going to lose me without one hell of a fight.”
Oliver stilled at her words, his mouth falling open slightly, but she went on without noticing. “But if you keep worrying about what might happen, this is never going anywhere. I’ve spent years waiting, holding on to the things that happened, to the pain, to the ways I’ve been hurt. Between Clark never seeing me the way I used to see him and the meteor freaks who tried to kill me, I could have decided long ago to close myself off because of what might happen the next time I fell for someone and I was close to doing just that, but you came along and I risked it. If I’d let my past make my decisions like you’re doing, we’d never be together in the first place. And you let that fear make all your decisions...” she trailed off, shaking her head.
Oliver gaped at her. Had he heard her correctly? Had she said she loved him? He slipped a finger beneath her chin and tilted her head up so that he could see her eyes.
“I really do get what you're saying,” he whispered. “And I’m not going to let this hang over me for the rest of my life. I just need a few days.”
She nodded. “I get that. But please, promise me that you’ll talk to me, that you won’t brood over this? Veronica did enough to us without screwing everything up from Belle Reeve.”
“Agreed.” Sliding his hand down to her hip, Oliver pulled Chloe closer and cocked his head. “So you’re pretty sure you love me, huh?”
Her face turned bright, tomato red, but she met his eyes. “I know it’s early. We’ve only been going out a few months and we’re both still in high school. But I’ve never felt like this before, nothing this intense by any means. I know what I feel, but I don’t expect you to feel the same way yet.”
“And yet,” Oliver chuckled, pressing a light kiss to her nose, “I’m pretty sure I love you too.”
A smile spread across Chloe’s face and she threw her arms around his neck. Oliver spun her around and carried her back into the living room, sitting on the sofa again.
“Does that qualify as our first real fight?” he asked, grinning cheekily.
“I guess,” Chloe laughed, curling up against his chest.
“Well, then, that wasn’t so bad.”
“It could definitely have been worse.”
“I don’t think I want to see worse.”
“Me neither.”
“So what do you want to tonight?”
Chloe looked up at him and smiled sheepishly. “Honestly? I kinda just want to sleep.”
“That sounds like a really good idea,” Oliver admitted.
“But,” Chloe continued, looking even more sheepish, “I’m not sure that I’m ready to be alone.”
He chuckled and stood, lifting her easily. “I think I can solve that problem.”
She cocked an eyebrow, but she said nothing and burrowed into his shoulder, wrapping her arms more securely about his neck. Oliver pressed his cheek into her hair as he walked down the hall.
Chloe looked up when she heard a door open and realized that they were standing in his bedroom. She looked up at him. “Really?” she asked incredulously.
She could have sworn she saw a blush creep into his cheeks. “We both know I don’t expect anything, but I’m not ready to be alone either and sleeping on the couch, despite the many times we’ve done it, isn’t all the comfortable. I just thought--”
Chloe cut of his ramble with her lips on his. “I was just kidding, Ollie,” she said when she pulled back. “It’s really sweet of you to offer and I am happy to accept you as my living security blanket tonight.”
“Glad I could be of use,” he joked, walking over to the bed.
He lowered her gently onto the mattress, then walked across the room and flipped of the light. Chloe crawled beneath the covers. Rolling onto her side, she tucked one hand beneath the pillow. Oliver slid in beside her, facing her. He wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her closer, tucking her in beneath his chin. Chloe sighed gently, resting her face against his heartbeat, allowing the sound to lull her to sleep.
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Oliver woke slowly the next morning to the feel of warm sunlight on his face and a body pressed against his. He smiled in his half-sleep and pulled her closer. Chloe mumbled something in her slumber. She rolled over and draped her arm cross Oliver’s chest, resting her hand against his neck.
It was the most amazing feeling, laying there with her and Oliver was reluctant to wake up. But now that he was beginning to, he was aware of the various aches and pains that were the result of Veronica’s assault and it was enough to drive him back to wakefulness. That didn’t mean he was against laying there and pretending he was asleep.
“I know you’re awake,” Chloe murmured. She looked up at him blearily.
Oliver grinned. “Can’t get anything past you, can I?”
“Nope. What time is it?”
“No clue.”
“Are you going to look?”
“Do I have to?”
Chloe poked him in the ribs. “You’re the one facing the clock.”
“Play fair,” Oliver admonished, cracking an eye open to glance at the clock. “It’s noon.”
Chloe groaned. “I can’t believe we slept that late.”
“Noon isn’t late,” he laughed. “Six is late. Noon is typical morning after stuff.”
“Did you just compare this to a one night stand?” she asked, raising her head and narrowing her eyes at him.
Oliver rolled his eyes and twisted toward her, tickling her ribs. “I was thinking more along the lines of the morning after a passionate night of love making between two people who are madly in love.”
“Mhmm. Because that is totally what happened between us,” she scoffed.
“Well it’s definitely in our future,” he murmured, pressing a kiss to her collar bone. “And we might as well get as much practice as possible.”
“This is practice?”
“In my book, yes.”
“I’d like to read that book,” Chloe joked.
His eyes smoldered and Oliver pressed a searing kiss to her lips. “Any time,” he whispered.
Chloe smiled softly. “Thanks.”
“No need. I’m just glad I have someone to share everything with.”
“Ditto.”
Pecking her lips again, Oliver rolled back and looked down at her. The sight of her, laying on his bed, her hair tousled and her eyes still slightly glazed with sleep, dressed in the shirt and gym shorts he’d loaned her the night before, caused his heart to constrict with happiness.
Running a hand through her hair, he murmured. “What are your plans for spring break?”
Chloe sighed. “I really don’t have any. There was a meteor freak on the lose, Lois is off with the general, and I wasn’t sure if you were coming back in time. I pretty much figured I’d spend most of my time researching or hanging with out Clark
“However,” she added with a sly grin. “Now that said meteor freak is in Belle Reeve, I seem to have a lot of free time on my hands. Any suggestions, Romeo?”
“It just so happens that I have quite a bit of free time, too. What do you say we spend it together?” Oliver bent down and pressed a kiss to her forehead. Chloe sighed happily and burrowed closer to him.
“Sounds perfect.”
“That’s what I wanted to hear.”
Chloe smiled softly and felt sleep begin to claim her again. But just before she succumbed, she murmured, “I love you, Ollie.”
His heart constricted. It was the first time she’d really said it, without any qualifiers, and it was the first time anyone had said that to him since his parents died and he’d actually believed they meant it. Feeling happier and more content than he had in over a decade, Oliver pressed a kiss to Chloe’s hair and whispered, “I love you, too.”
Author’s Note: So I know this chapter was really intense. Again, I apologize if Oliver seemed a little OOC. If he does here, then he will in the next couple of chapters as well. Adult Oliver would probably handle the situation a lot better, but I’m not writing adult Oliver. I’m writing teenage Oliver and I think that, especially considering Chloe is the first person he’s gotten close to in my AU that the whole ordeal with Veronica would be really hard on him. If you do think this is OOC, please let me know so that I can try to fix it in the next chapter. I want to be as true to the character as possible while conveying the emotions necessary for my fic. I welcome any feedback, especially on this. Thanks for reading and again, reviews are like mana in the desert. The more the better.
Chapter 16
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Date: 2011-03-25 11:20 pm (UTC)awesome chapter cnt w8 for next update
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Date: 2011-03-26 12:03 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-03-26 01:11 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-03-25 11:26 pm (UTC)i really liked how you did oliver. it makes sense that he would be that freaked out, esp since this is teen oliver and it hasn't been that long since his parents and hes had no one else! your doing really good don't worry!!
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Date: 2011-03-26 12:01 am (UTC)I'm glad you liked it. I really was worried that I gone a little too far out on the limb. Thanks for the review and being honest with me!
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Date: 2011-03-26 12:16 am (UTC)I don't think Oliver's OOC actually. Even considering his age, his reaction feels very in-character for me. But I understand the insecurity... I do it all the time.
With Veronica out of the picture (for now? for good?)... I'm curious to see how you'll finish this up. Lex has almost been too quiet, which is never a good thing.
Great update!
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Date: 2011-03-28 10:25 pm (UTC)I have a tendency to overdue emotions, which was mostly what I was worried about. I'm glad that everyone seems to like what I've done. Thanks for the reassurance.
I don't think Veronica will be coming back. She's definitely locked up tight. As for Lex, you just have to wait and see... :)
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Date: 2011-03-26 06:41 am (UTC)G
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Date: 2011-03-28 10:26 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-03-26 08:25 pm (UTC)I think your oliver is perfect, he's just a teenager in this and not the man we're used to from canon, so you just keep up the good work..:))))
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Date: 2011-03-28 10:27 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-03-27 01:25 am (UTC)And awwww they said "I love you"
Looking forward to the next chapter :D
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Date: 2011-03-28 10:32 pm (UTC)I'm glad you like how I've handled Oliver's character. I was a little worried about it.
Thanks so much for the review and for sticking with me through this fic.
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Date: 2011-03-27 01:52 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-03-28 10:32 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-03-28 10:34 am (UTC)Now I loved the Veronica storyline but I'm very glad it's over and Chlollie are happy. I love that Chloe said 'I love you' and that Oliver reciprocated. I love that Veronica was placed in Belle Reeve and that Lex showed some guilt for his actions. I also love that Oliver wants to take their relationship slow and he wants sex to mean something :D
In total I love it and I think I'm going to stop rambling cause this could end up being a very looooooooong comment otherwise. Anyway those were some GREAT chapters and I can't wait to see where the next three take them :D
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Date: 2011-03-28 10:40 pm (UTC)Writing Veronica and what she did to Chloe and Oliver was hard. I felt sooo bad for being mean to them. But considering what it led up to, it was well worth it. It would have been the perfect place for smut, but since they fell into it so out of the blue on the show, I wanted to take it more slowly, especially since they were still in high school. Plus, I think it's just sweet.
I actually welcome rambling and longs comments, so no worries. Thanks so much for the review. I'll get the next chapter up as soon a I can!