Visions, touches, feeling and the real thing.
"How could you leave me ?" Oliver drunkenly asked an empty room. He was angry, hurt and bitter. He was all alone in Watchtower, he was sitting against the couch. The floor was covered in alcohol bottles. "You were my Sidekick." He put the whisky to his lips and drank, savored the taste. "I mean what's a hero without his sidekick ?" He slurred. "Nothing, that's me, now, nothing !" He shouted to himself and then he tried to stand. But, he tripped over his own two feet and smacked his head on the table on the way down. Everything went black and blood leaked out of the gash on his head.
Chloe gasped as she ran into Watchtower. She shouldn't be here, he wasn't safe with her here. But, apparently he wasn't safe by himself, either. Her nose scrunched at the smell of alcohol and, and… blood. Her heart jumped into her throat and she fell on her knees next to him. She saw blood on his head and ran to the kitchen and ran back with a cloth and pressed it down, she checked for a pulse and was relieved to find it, slow and a little weak. But, it was there. God, what was she doing here, here of all places. He was ready for her, but she couldn't not yet. So, she would stupidly indulge herself in these little times. She checked his head wound and blinked her eyes to clear her tears. She thanked god that it had stopped bleeding and didn't look serious.
She saw the alcohol bottles scattered everywhere and frowned. "Oh, Ollie, what did I do to you." She asked, guiltily. She walked to the kitchen counter where she kept a first aid kit. She brought it back over to Ollie and kissed his forehead. A watery smile graced her face when he let out a sleepy little noise and instinctively threw an arm out. She winced when it smacked hard against the floor. He seemed to be waking up and she couldn't have him see her, not when she just had to walk out again. She had to get him back to sleep and she remembered exactly how. Hopefully, he wasn't awake enough to notice her touch. She took a breath and gently dragged her fingers through his hair. Her nails scraped softly, an almost tickling touch against his scalp. They drag slowly, twisting every so often. She remembers nights like this, not the alcohol or the blood or the watchtower. But, the nights that they would actually be a normal couple. That they would cuddle, Oliver Queen a cuddler, she never would have figured. But, he was and he was a big, sappy romantic.
Her eyes lit up as he smiled at the touch and seemed to drift back off. Just, like that he was her big sappy romantic, again. The guy that cuddled and snored and denied it heavily in the morning when she joked about it. The guy who liked to watch romantic comedies with her and didn't laugh when she laid out snacks like popcorn and gummy bears and cookies. But, all she could do was laugh when he brought gummy worms with a smile and an argument that Gummy worms were a lot better than bears because you could close them between your teeth and pull and pull until they snapped. She had giggled as she had watched him do exactly that. They had watched movie after movie and then after the last one, they just snacked and talked. It hadn't been until 6, that they had both crashed. Tangled together amongst a mess of spilled gummies, crushed cookies and empty popcorn bowls with just the kernels left.
She didn't realize that her fingers were still going through his hair, that tears were marking their way down her face. Then, she thanks god, that she had long ago discovered waterproof mascara. So, that on top of everything she wouldn't have raccoon face. She relished the soft touch of his hair, and as her hand drifted to his face, the smooth feel of his skin. She had to get him off the floor. She could play off her being here as a drunken stupor if he woke up. Which, he hopefully wouldn't, she had to be careful, she shouldn't even be here in the first place. She thanked god that the couch was very close and that all she had to do was practically lift him up, easier said than done, and then lay him down. She slid him gently and then bit her lip. He was going to wake up if she lifted him, but she couldn't leave him on the floor. She gently lifted his shoulders and awkwardly positioned them against the couch and then did the same with his legs and finally he was on the couch. Chloe walked to the bedroom an grabbed the big comforter and came back. She draped Oliver in it and was tucking it in.
The petite blonde heard a groan and froze. Her green eyes went wide when his brown ones opened slowly. She should move, get out of here. This was a stupid idea, what in the world made her think this was okay. That she could show up, let him possibly see her, and then leave him again. That's right, it was telling her that this was okay, it wasn't and she was just being selfish. "Ch..Chl..Chloe." Oliver stuttered. He sat up slowly and scrambled to sit against the armrest. She was kneeling in front of the couch, her hands were frozen where they had been tucking in the blanket. "Chloe, it's you. It's really you." He said, a careful smile working it's way onto his lips and he launched for her. His arms wrapped tightly around her and she almost melted. She wanted so badly to sink into his embrace and to let them hold each other, but that couldn't happen not yet. His arms were so tight around her and he was shaking and she knew he could feel her hesitance, he always could.
She wanted to cry, when he buried his head in her neck and rubbed his hands up and down her back. He wouldn't let her leave, not again, but she had too. Chloe had to leave him, to be able to truly be there he needed her, she had to leave now. She grabbed a syringe from her pocket and uncapped it gently with her teeth. "Ollie, I love you and I'll be back." She said and then poked the sedative quickly into the side of his neck. He ripped away from her and his eyes flashed. So many emotions and she couldn't stand them, they were pulling her heart in every direction. "No, sidekick, please." He shook his head. "You can't do this to me, again." She reached out to cup his cheek, She kissed him quickly. "Please, don't leave me." He yawned and shook his head against the tug of sleep. "I love you." He said and she kissed him again. "Come on, Archer. I love you too. I just can't be back yet. But, I'll will be back and I'll still love you, always will." She blinked back her tears and watched his brown eyes fight the sedative. "Sleep, Archer. I love you." Chloe whispered, a tear rolled down her cheek and he yanked her close again. His arms gripping her tightly and refusing to let go. "No, you finally admitted you loved me, I opened up to you and you'd said you'd never leave." He said, buried his face in her neck. She felt warm tears leak down the side of her neck. More tears rolled down her cheeks.
"I'm not letting you go again." His grip loosened involuntarily and yawns interrupted his words. "No way in hell, not again." He said and then he went limp against her. She let herself rest in his embrace for just a minute and then slid out of it. Small sobs escaped from her every so often as she tucked him in. Readjusted the pillow and caressed his face. She kissed all over his face and held him close for a minute. Then, she stood, fixed her face. Her eyes steeled with a cool resolve and she ran out of there as fast than when she ran in.