"Fine."
Chloe watched, gaping as he walked away. The computer beeped, signaling that it was finished its search, but she still stared to where he disappeared. "Oliver!" Nothing, no sound at all. "You aren't mad at me are you?!" Footsteps could be heard again, then the emerged, this time bow in hand. It smoothly unfolded before her as he strode forward.
"Come on." He nodded to where the tower opened up onto the balcony. When she didn't budge he reached out as he passed her and grabbed her arm.
Chloe barely had time to catch herself as he yanked her off the stool and pulled her behind him. "I was joking!"
"Maybe, but I have a feeling you meant it." Oliver kicked open the door, ignored her gasp, and pulled her out into the crisp Metropolis air.
"Oliver I know that you can shoot the bow. You probably wouldn't have made it this far if you couldn't." But he wouldn't be deterred.
"But you seem to think the only way I can hit a target is with some fancy toy right? Something worth thousands of dollars that any dumb ass could make a shot with." They stopped at the ledge and he finally released her. As he expected she looked slightly affronted as she planted her hands on her hips.
"Now you're putting words in my mouth, plus your being an ass!!!"
At this point Oliver chose to ignore her comment as he was still burning up over her previous challenge. "This isn't a fancy piece of work." Oliver held up the bow and turned it over for her inspection. "It's good, but it was only made for convenience. It was one of my first bows as the Green Arrow."
Chloe sighed and raised an eyebrow at him. "This is ridiculous."
"That remains to be seen." Oliver grabbed her wrist and pulled her against his side so that she was facing him. "Pick something."
"How about your stupid thick head." He turned to her and sighed with exasperation. . "No, I will not pick anything."
"Have it your way." Oliver squinted slightly, surveying the night sky. He set his arrows on the ledge, keeping only one in his hand, and pointed ahead. "That sign, the blue and yellow one with that ugly guy on it."
"He isn't ugly." Chloe tilted her head and smiled at the half clothed man. She felt her body yanked hard and she looked down to find his finger looped through her belt loop. When she looked back up at him his face was much closer.
"Yes he is." He expected her to shove him back and tell him to stop being an idiot. Instead she only nodded with wide eyes. Finally, he'd found someway to shut her up.
As his hand dropped away she shuddered and looked back at the sign, forgetting about the man on it.
"I'm going to hit his right eye."
Momentarily she forgot about what just happened and scoffed. "No your not. Not only is it really small, but to far away. You could kill someone if you miss. Plus I can't even see that far to be sure you did!"
"I can hit it, I won't kill anyone, and here." Oliver reached into his pocket and pulled out his Green Arrow glasses.
Chloe frowned and took them from him, knowing they would be able to enhance her eye sight as soon as she put them on. "Fine." For the first time she began to doubt her earlier assumption that the man alone couldn't do it. For some reason she always assumed that it was his fancy hardware that allowed him to be so good. She should have known better then to question his skills.
Oliver smirked down at her and pulled back on his bow, taking aim at the sign that had been grating on his nerves since it was put up. Her body pressed closer and he glanced over at her, momentarily distracted. "Don't do that."
"What?" She looked around in confusion and then back up at him.
"Get that close, it's distracting." He shook his head and took aim again.
"So you're telling me that when the Green Arrow goes out he shoots his bow under the best scenarios?" He turned back to her with a frown. She only grinned.
"No, but when he does go out Watchtower is behind her computer as she should be, not pressing her body against him." She seemed slightly taken aback by his blunt statement. He'd regret it later, but for the moment he took some pleasure at her shock, and at least it got her to move back. "Now watch."
Chloe nodded and pulled back slightly, her mind no longer on his bow and arrow skills, but his rather obvious flirting. As his hand pulled back she focused on him again and barely noticed him release the arrow as it went whizzing through the air. She grabbed for the glasses but he pushed them down.
"Wait." Oliver grabbed another arrow. "Why don't we put one through that other eye?"
Chloe didn't even have time to open her mouth before the arrow was off. This time he didn't stop her as she raised the glasses to her face. The strange green screen of his glasses zoomed in on the direction she looked and to her displeasure she found two arrows, each dead center the models eyes. Chloe pulled the glasses off and sighed. Of course she'd have to admit that she was wrong. As she turned to him and opened her mouth he pressed a finger against it.
"Not yet." Oliver grabbed the other arrow, a pleased smile spreading over his face. "Turn around." She opened her mouth but he waved her off. "Just turn around."
Chloe frowned but followed his orders. Just as she had done so his body pressed against the back of hers. She stepped forward in surprise, putting herself against the ledge, but his hand pressed against her stomach and pulled her back against him.
"Trust me." When she didn't pull away he dropped the hand that rested against her stomach and wrapped it around the one that hung at her waist.
Chloe's body was still against him and she watched in horror as he pulled her hand up and wrapped it around the bow, his remaining over hers. "Oliver, no I-."
"Shhhh." Holding her hand and bow in left hand, he reached down for her other.
Chloe forced herself to breathe as he took her other hand and slid the smooth arrow between her fingers. "I-I can't." He brought her hand and arrow up to the bow and she watched in fear as he strung the bow with her hand and pulled back. His hands tightened around hers and Chloe found herself pressing back against him. "Ollie…" She'd do something stupid, like twitch and the arrow would kill somebody.
"Now Ms. Sullivan, that almost sounded like begging." He whispered into her ear and grinned. He lowered his head and pressed a kiss behind her ear. Her back pressed closer against him and he was sorely tempted to drop the bow. "Do you trust me?"
He could have asked her anything at that moment and she would have said yes. What the hell was he thinking forcing her to shoot a bow and seducing her at the same time? As angry as she should have been she just nodded. His hands tightened harder and she inhaled sharply as he pulled her hand back with the arrow in it.
"The top of the flag pole on that black building to your right." She nodded against him and after surveying his shot one more time and adjusting their aim he released the arrow.
The target wasn't far, not near as far as his earlier ones. So it wasn't hard to tell that the arrow was sticking strait out of the top of the flagpole. For a moment she grinned, but then she remembered the cocky bastard behind her. Chloe spun on her head and gave him a sharp push with both hands on his chest. "You are an idiot!"
"So let me get this strait. First I don't have any talent as an archer and now that I proved you wrong I'm an idiot. How else was I supposed to prove it to you?" He narrowed him eyes down at her and was partially angry with himself for not being able to win her over.
"Just drop it! But instead you got insulted!"
"Damn right! I didn't spend all this time to have the likes of you telling me I don't know what the hell I'm doing! I don't tell you that you suck at computers do I?!"
Chloe opened her mouth to say something, but then quickly shut it. He was right; she shouldn't have questioned his ability. So instead she launched onto something else. "And what was all of this about. You don't act like that with me!"
"Like what?" He asked innocently and set his bow to the side.
Chloe watched him cross his arms over his chest. "Don't play all innocent with me. All that flirting stuff."
"You're crazy," He'd made another attempt, if she was going to once against act like she didn't know what was going on then he wasn't going to acknowledge it. Without another thought he turned around and headed back into the tower. He didn't get far before something hit him hard on his arm. Oliver spun around and snatched the object, only realizing it was his bow once he had yanked it out of her hand. "What was that for?!"
Chloe frowned at his quick reflexes and her lack there of. At least she got one good hit in. "For being a spoiled, pompous, ass! You can't just keep doing that kind of stuff. I'm not stupid, I see it."
"Then you're an ignorant, selfish, tease." Oliver stepped forward and couldn't help but smirk at the affronted look on her face. "You walk around like you don't know what's going on, don't acknowledge anything I do, but continue to strut around like I'm not supposed to notice."
"I do not strut! And you're always in my personnel space, always touching me! Then you think it's funny when I tell you to quite it out. You don't have any respect for my space and act like I should welcome you being within a foot of me."
Oliver grabbed her wrist and pulled her closer. "You know when I'm watching you, and you don't care. In fact, I think sometimes you purposely go out of your way to make me notice you. So don't be surprised that I want you." She pulled her wrists back from him but he grabbed her other arm in his hand. "I'm tired of walking around you. I feel like I'm testing something out I can't even have. I'm not waiting." He'd tried walking away from her earlier with the intention of waiting for her as he always had, but as usual she was able to get him riled up like no one he knew "So either tell me to screw off finally or just give yourself to me."
"I-I." Lord knew that she'd known the whole time what he wanted, but he never came out right to say it which made it quite easy to ignore. But with him standing before her, demanding an answer, giving her an ultimatum, she was scared she'd lose him. "You don't have to make it sound so cave manish." But her voice held none of the conviction it had earlier, and he seemed to realize that because he smiled gently and relaxed his grip.
"I just want you to give in to what we both know is going on. Why do you want to waste more time?" Oliver released her wrist and brushed a loose piece of blond hair behind her ear. Her face turned into his hand and he cradled her cheek, his heart swelling as her defenses seemed to break down in front of him. "Don't you want me?" Her eyes met his, void of the fear and anger that they'd held earlier.
"Yes." His other hand wrapped around her waist and pulled her closer. But she placed her hand on his chest and held him back. "You're serious about this. I'm not going to waste time unless you mean it."
"Chloe, how many women do you think can wound my pride so easily that I'm shooting arrows half way across the city?" The corners of her mouth turned up, showing that she was pleased with herself.
"I didn't mean it." Chloe stepped closer and found herself pressed against him.
"I'm glad you did." Oliver lowered his head and brushed his lips over hers, but still not completely making contact. "You're going to stop pushing me away?"
It sounded like a questioned, but Chloe could hear the demand in his voice. "Yes." Her hips moved closer to his involuntarily, a hint of what her body wanted from him.
His hand tightened around her waist and pulled her flush against him, no longer willing to tease himself with her body. Oliver had waited to long for the feel of her. A light flashed out of the corner of his eyes and he glanced up just in enough time to see the male model on the advertising board disappear. Oliver smirked, taking pleasure in his part of removing the half naked model from his horizon. Just as Chloe turned her head to look behind her he caught her lips with his. Bows, arrows, half naked models, and egos forgotten, Chloe was the only thing he thought about.