Warning: Coarse language
Timeline: Warrior.
Note: Lyrics are from "Something You Don't Know" by Black Lab
Something You Don't Know
Something inside
Trying to eat its way out from of the middle
From the back of your mind
It kills you
This was not how he saw his night going, not even close. When he said what he did, he wasn't talking about him. Or at least, he didn't think he was. Taking the fun where you can get it, the whole 'right in front of you face' comment, it was just a coincidence. The offer was also platonic, but he also knew that she didn't shoot. What he didn't expect was the way his body reacted to hers, the way his hand moulded to hers as he helped her hold the arrow.
In those moments, it was like everything disappeared around them, the innocent offer with it as he told her when to 'let go.' The figurative sense of that phrase surrounded their lives, and his answer, while true, seemed to hold a different meaning the moment she released the arrow and let it fly.
It was a perfect bullseye and she turned around, understandably satisfied, but there was a switch that went off with both of them once she looked at him with that smile. It was something that was hard to come by these days, not that he could blame her. A genuine smile wasn't the easiest thing for him either. They were both people that had gone through a lot of shit in the past year.
They were searching for who they were, as the person they thought they were caught a bit of a snag when the Doomsday debacle happened. Oliver remembered the nights he punished himself in fights clubs, drinking binges. It was Chloe who pulled him out of it, not through words but through a rather crazy experiment. However, she did it because she knew words weren't going to do it. In the end, she knew who he was; probably better than Oliver knew himself in that moment.
There was definitely still some soul-searching on Chloe's part, for while guilt was all that he carried, she held onto a lot more. Jimmy was someone Oliver was just getting to know, but Chloe had known him for years, enough to marry him, even if it didn't work out. As for Davis, well, he was someone Oliver never really got to know, but apparently he had a softer side that he saved for Chloe. The girl that was so used to being overlooked suddenly had two sets of eyes looking towards her. And then they take each other out, a plot far from the ideal love triangle seen in teen dramas and romance novels.
She was damaged, far from her normal self, but when he looked at her, he didn't see that. Oliver saw Chloe, the woman who pulled him up, reminded Oliver of his responsibilities. Tess had tried, but nothing was genuine or more than temporary. Lois had called him out on his crap, but it didn't stick. Even trying to get her back was a desperate attempt at regaining what he lost. However, the Oliver who was with Lois was long gone. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't get him back, and oddly enough, Oliver was fine with that now.
Lois didn't know what he did and if she ever did, Oliver doubted that she would ever forgive him. With Chloe, while the forgiveness was never spoken, she seemed willing to overlook at least some of his faults. Maybe because she had been there, but even the night Oliver accused her of killing Sebastian Kane, it didn't stick in his head. Even if she did, and it wasn't Brainiac, her intentions were in the right place, no matter the action. It was a pretty bad thing to have in common, but it made talking with her easier than most people.
It wasn't just that action that made him think that they saw the world in the same way. They may have disagreed about Davis, but with her willingness to help the team, Oliver could see it. Her determination to make things right, her determination to make everything right, it was the strength that Oliver knew all too well in Chloe.
But in that moment, there wasn't any of that in her expression. In front of him, he could see the lost woman still finding her ground, yet enough curiosity in her eyes as they stood within inches of each other.
Her eyes fluttered, but she didn't back away. Lifting his hand towards her face, Oliver wasn't quite sure what he was doing. However, he wasn't the only one as Chloe leaned up right before his fingers touched her cheek. It was a meeting of the minds probably as she kissed him, and Chloe wasn't doing this half-way either.
There should have been a voice in the back of his head, letting him know to back away, or reminding him that she would back away. It never came, not once. Instead, he acted naturally, and she seemed more than willing to follow suit. From the table, the couch, the console, to eventually the floor.
Which lead to this moment of Oliver slipping his body away from hers as he noticed that morning had arrived. Looking across the room, it was easy to notice the sun shining in Watchtower through the recently replaced window that the bird brain tossed him through.
You don't want anyone to know how important they are to you, so you act like a jackass.
Okay, so maybe Carter was right about one thing. Letting people in wasn't the easiest, at least, not in the sincerest use of the term. There were people in Oliver's life, but the ones who actually knew him, he wasn't sure if they actually existed.
But those words sunk in, which is why he came to Watchtower a while back, offering a night out for whoever happened to be there. Trying to make amends to the people who had helped pull his own head out of his ass. He knew that Chloe would be there, if nothing else, as she was the brains behind the whole thing. Although he wasn't opposed to having John there, as he was probably the only reason she came at all.
It was nice, having dinner without an agenda or pre-text, even if it was interrupted by John's police work, leaving Oliver and Chloe by themselves to find their way home. Deciding the night was warm enough to walk back instead of taking a cab, he was reminded of how they reminisced over their encounter with the Justice Society, of how she teased him about lying when she treated his wounds through said-trip through the window.
It was safe to say that a completely different reason brought them to that table not long ago, as his pants and his boxers lay inches from the table legs.
As he put them back on, Oliver peered back at her, still sleeping peacefully on the floor. Her figure was covered by the blanket Oliver had grabbed when he felt her shiver in the night. Part of him wondered why he didn't leave then, or why he didn't at least put her on the couch to sleep.
But he stayed, relishing the moment. It had been too long since he had felt a genuine sense of human contact and there was something about keeping Chloe's body close to his. Oliver couldn't explain what it was; however, it was the only explanation as to why he was still here.
Seeing her scattered undergarments, Oliver picked them up, trying to make things as easy for Chloe as possible. Her skirt wasn't too far away either, so he placed them down on the table, knowing their shirts were closer to where this all began. Next were the folders that were knocked off, as Oliver didn't know Chloe's organization system, so he picked up what he could, trying to keep things together.
Soon after the last pile was picked up, Oliver heard some rustling behind him, so he turned and saw Chloe raise her head from the floor. He thought about saying something more when his eyes met hers, but he settled with, "Morning."
She returned the smile that he gave her, standing up with the blanket around her body. "Morning." Wincing as she took a couple steps forward, she was still digesting in her head that the events of the past night actually happened. Adjusting her hair with one hand, Chloe tried to make it look presentable, even if felt pointless after a couple of seconds. Looking across the room at Oliver, he still looked amazing. While her bed-head was likely in full-force, Oliver still managed to look like he stepped out of a magazine. Some people just have all the luck.
Seeing the way Oliver had laid out her clothing, Chloe dropped the blanket and picked up with bra, catching his surprised expression out of the corner of her eye. She was tempted to chuckle at it; after all, he had already seen everything there was to see.
Her bra clasped, Chloe lifted her underwear, ripped beyond repair. A quick sigh and she moved her skirt up her legs as she could pull off one day without underwear. She moved her hands to zip it up, but she found someone beat her to it.
One palm placed just slightly above her butt, the other hand taking the zipper in two fingers, working up to the top, Oliver wasn't sure what made him determine that was necessary. However, she didn't fight him on it, nor toss a snarky comment. Instead, her breath hitched and she held her place, even as he lifted his hands from her body.
Moving to stand next to her, Oliver, now fully dressed, put her shirt down in front of her. "Do we need to talk?" What happened between them was completely unexpected, but Oliver was pretty sure that he couldn't plainly ignore what happened. As odd as it was to admit, it was the best he had felt in a long time.
"Last night," Chloe replied, slipping her shirt over her head, "was a night of fun." She straightened out the material, taking in her appearance from the only perspective she had. Satisfied until she fixed her make-up, Chloe looked back up at Oliver. "A one-time thing."
That was his suggestion after all, as Chloe's 'fun' schedule was incredibly backed up due to Zod's unfolding plans for the planet. One night was about all the time she had for something like this. The idea of a social life was nice, but that went out the window when her date turned out to be half her age. Almost being thrown off the top of a building didn't help, but that was practically status quo in her relationship world anyway.
Looking up at him, Oliver gave her a shrug, almost as if he expected that answer. "Okay."
Chloe grinned back as she headed towards the main console, powering up what would be another long day of work. She listened as Oliver put his shoes on, the sounds of his footsteps walking away. Before he could leave, Chloe blurted, "And Oliver?" The sounds stopped, but Chloe didn't turn around. Instead her head dipped slightly. "Thanks."
~0~
This was crazy. Patrolling had gone smoothly, but where the midnight oil was on most nights, Chloe suddenly felt that she wanted something else. Coffee wasn't maintaining her focus, nothing was. So she did something crazy, she went outside, hoping fresh air would convince her otherwise. It didn't help either, so she ventured on, knowing there was only one solution for this.
True, there may have been some discomfort with Oliver's voice in her ear, as even his breath brought up flashes of the night before, of how he made her come more times than she thought was possible in that time period.
Letting go, it was an interesting phrase, and he was an excellent person to be around when Chloe decided to do just that.
If anyone can relate, it's me. I get it.
He really did. In fact, it was a concept they shared a little too well. And he got that she just needed a night of fun. A few moments to stop thinking and just pretend that her life wasn't completely fucked up.
Forget Davis and Jimmy. Forget Clark declaring his own death certificate. Forget the crappy mistakes she knew better not to make in the past. Emotions had been clouding her judgement so much lately that she hardly recognized herself. Even now, she didn't recognize herself much either.
But did Oliver judge her for that? No, because he had been there and unlike everyone telling her how to live her life, he didn't fault her for it. Sure, that wasn't completely fair to everyone else, as they had the best intentions, and technically she did take Lois' advice. Chloe just never thought it would feel that good.
The man's reputation was what it was, Chloe wasn't denying it, and the man was completely and utterly built. However, the expectations she had were blown out of the water. She wasn't sure if it was because they were still two incredibly damaged people that didn't hold back because they knew each other's baggage. She didn't even know if she made him feel anything because of how clouded her mind was from the moment their lips collided.
But she didn't care. Chloe just wanted to feel that again, that freeing, likely reckless abandon. So she closed the elevator gate the rest of the way, knowing they had already bid each other goodnight, but Chloe knew she couldn't ignore this anymore.
It didn't mean anything, just the old saying of scratching backs, of releasing the drama for a little while as they experienced the closest thing to normalcy they knew. The best part was that there was no way Oliver would want more from her, so it would be the perfect arrangement.
She stepped out of the elevator, only managing to get a couple steps before she heard his voice in the dark. "Chloe? Is everything okay?"
Trying to subtly lick her lips as she took in his appearance, as Oliver was only wearing a pair of sweatpants. "No one," she said, taking off her coat and letting it fall to the floor before moving to the buttons of her shirt. "And I mean no one, can know."
There's something you don't know, something you don't know
I'll go wherever you go
~End~
Sera's Scribbles: This came out of nowhere, and was not part of the plan (I actually thought I would never write a Warrior piece (besides a really crappy drabble)), but after the response on my upcoming fics post on LJ, it was clear there was interest in this series, so this little prequel will set you up for what's ahead. That and I wanted to write something to this song.
Look for "Passion Leaves a Trace" sometime in the new year. It's a while, I know, but with Christmas ahead, I can't promise anything sooner.
Also, I know people have opinions of how and when things changed for Oliver and Chloe, for this series' sake, I ask you bear with this interpretation so this fits the song(s). I'm trying to make this as canon as possible, but I know there's going to be gaps somewhere. I also wrote this in two days... so I'm probably rushing it, but I wanted to post something before I go MIA for at least the next week.