Enchanted Jacket, a smallville fanfic

Disclaimer: I don't own anything. Everything belongs to their respective owners.
Prompt: "Challenge in a can" provided by Lali_Lewicki - words: Chloe - enchanted - jacket

A/N: This one started as a drabble (just the first part of it), but some people ask me to continue it. Sorry in advance for any English mistakes, not my first language. This is my first attempt to write an one-shot.

Enchanted Jacket

Oliver was beginning to think that had something wrong with that green leather jacket that Chloe was wearing today. He got that feeling every time she was wearing it, was like she had some kind of magnetism that pulled him towards her. First he just couldn´t take his eyes off her. It was disturbing because by now he knew her very well, all her mannerisms and movements that she did when she was getting close to break into some new information or when she was far from it. How she bites her lips when she is thinking hard or concerned about something.

Every time seemed to get harder to control himself to not get any closer to her. In the beginning he was close as he´s always been, but lately he just had to get an excuse to get closer to her when she was wearing that jacket.

He was starting to think that jacket was enchanted or something, because his reaction was not normal. So he decided to investigate about the jacket better.

"Hey, I´ve been meaning to ask you. Where did you get this jacket? By the way, I love the color."

Chloe blushed a little. "Imagined that. Who would know?"

Oliver smirked.

"Well, it was a friend´s gift."

"Which friend, if you don´t mind me asking?" That was smooth, Oliver – he thought.

"Why would you like to know? It´s a woman jacket, Oliver. Tights are not enough anymore?"

"Ouch. You wound me , professor. I´ve just happened to love this tone of green."

"Aham. It was Zatanna´s, she said it was for ruining my birthday last year"

"Hm. Are you sure it is only a plain jacket? You´ve never felt anything different while wearing it?"

"No, that I´m aware of it, why?" she asked raising her eyebrow, as she always did when she was getting suspicious.

"Just asking… Anyway I think it looks really good on you" He said it getting a little closer to her.

Chloe was starting to feel a little uncomfortable with his proximity, so she gave a step to the side, pretending to go get something on the desk´s drawer.

Oliver took the hint and gave a step back, looking at his watch. "Uh, sorry. I gotta go."

As soon as he left Watchtower he picked his cell phone and called Zatanna.

"Hey, Zee. Oliver here"

"Hi, what can I do for you?"

"Can´t a friend just call you?"

"A friend, yes. But you only call me when you want something. Just spill it out!"

"Err, I want to know if the jacket that you give Chloe is just a plain jacket?"

"Yeah, I would not make any kind of magic randomly. Why the interest?"

"Hm, I´ve been… ."

"What? Can you speak slowly?"

"Because every time she is wearing it, I´ve got a kind of a magnetism feeling, like it´s pulling me towards her."

"Hm. That´s all?"

"Yep, pretty much. I think this pull get´s stronger each time"

"I see"

"What?"

"I think you are just attracted to Chloe, stud."

Oliver gulped. "What? No way! She´s a friend, she´s Watchtower!"

"So?"

"Must be a mistake. It has to be magic, because it only happens when she is wearing that damn green leather jacket."

"Okay… You sure?"

"Never mind. Thanks, anyway. Bye" He hanged up without waiting for her answer.

The following day, Oliver went to Watchtower and Chloe wasn´t wearing that jacket, but he still couldn´t take his eyes off her and his need to get closer to her remained. He started to think maybe Zatanna was right and he was in fact attracted to Chloe. In that case, he would definitely have to discover if she could be drawn to him too. Now he had a new mission, how to pull her towards him too. Oh boy, that´s not going to be an easy task. – He thought.

Part 2 - Oliver´s POV

After the new found truth about his feelings towards the one and only Chloe Sullivan, Oliver decided that he had a new mission: discover if Chloe was attracted to him as much as he was to her.

This was a first in the life of this billionaire playboy, who have girls falling over his feet like flies, to actually have to work for it. It´s a totally new perspective. Wow, what happened to him? He knew that his usual charm wouldn't work on Chloe. If he would say something is that he was quite sure she was immune to that. She always treated him as equal as any other member of the league. If he went too strong, she would probably go running for the door and out of his life. That, he definitely couldn't let it happen. Until now, he had no idea how this tiny, feisty, smart, blonde got to his heart without even knowing. Very sneaky at her part. For him, the only solution was to find a totally new approach.

What he would have to do? So he´s started making a mental list. Every strategy that he had about how to charm a woman and try to elevate it a notch. Or maybe he would change completely his approach to a woman to make it work on her. Maybe that could work. Who listened to his thoughts would probably think that Oliver Queen was losing his touch. But Chloe Sullivan was no ordinary woman. In fact, he ´s never met anyone like her, who he admired more than anyone.

First he needed to get her attention off those damn computers. So he decided that his first step would become a much closer friend to her, so he would get to know her better. And she would know him better too.

At first, every time he was in Metropolis he arranged an excuse to drop by Watchtower. Sometimes brining coffee for a little break or taking some food and joining her. When he wasn't there, he would phone her, at least once a day. Sometimes just to make some small talk. He´s actually missed her, seeing her, listening to her voice. At the beginning Chloe seemed to be bothered with that, but lately she hasn´t seemed to care. In fact when he couldn´t call her, she would call him, to check upon him and see if he was ok. It was nice to have somebody that worried about him. That was a first in his life too.

Oliver was thinking that he was progressing. Baby steps were better than nothing. But sometimes he thought he should try to speed it up a little, but he was afraid that if he did so, he would scare her away. He could not let this happen, because he was too hang up on her by now. It was not only attraction, he was definitely falling for her, in a way he never thought he could.

He definitely became a constant fixture in her life. Slowly it was turning into a routine. Whenever he was in town, he would drop by Watchtower in the morning taking her favorite coffee and sometimes they even would go have breakfast together. When she didn't end up sleeping in his penthouse, because it was too late to go back to Smallville. Then lunch time, every time he could. And for dinner, he usually used as excuse to make her leave work where they would talk about everything, from work to life issues. Leaving some JLA things aside.

By his perspective, things seemed to be heading towards his goal. That was how it looked like until his last mission. When he got himself badly injured and that almost took his life. While he was at hospital everything seemed ok. She stayed by his side the whole time, working Watchtower from her laptop. After his release, he had to bed rest for a couple of weeks, so she stayed with him to help out. He was getting so used to have her there by his side everyday. After his full recovery, things seem to go sour. What hell had happened? She seemed to retract herself from him. It was worrying him. She wasn´t answering his call like she used to and most of times he would only receive a simple message as an answer. After so much progress and getting used to her by his side, he just could not let this happen, let her slip through his finger like this. So he did the first thing that come to his mind. She was a friend and since they were always so sincere with each other, it was time to have a very serious talk, so he left his penthouse and headed to Watchtower.

As soon as he arrived at Watchtower, he saw she was working like mad at some computers. Something was up.

"Hey, everything ok?" He looked at her concerned.

"Hey. Just a sec." while she was typing furiously on the keyboard and biting her inferior lip.

Oliver waited by her side for some minutes. When she finally finished it and turned towards him.

"What´s up?"She asked, looking at him suspiciously.

"Everything ok, here?"He asked looking around the Watchtower, concerned that something might be up.

"Now it is, just testing the new security system." She said giving him a little smile.

"Is it ok?" He asked raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah, thanks to Queen Industries technology." She said giving a reassuring smile.

"I´m glad I could help." He smiled back at her.

"So?"

"Just dropping by since I haven´t seen you since I was released from bed rest. I miss my best friend" He said putting his hands over her shoulders.

"Oh, I´m sorry, but since I was staying with you, Watchtower work was left a little behind, I had to make it work on 100% again." She said, not looking into his eyes, trying to be casual.

"That´s ok, but I miss our brunch, sometimes lunch and dinner, especially our conversations."

"Sorry, for being a bad friend, Ollie." She was trying to avoid his eyes.

"That´s not it, you seem distant lately."

"How so?" She asked trying to evade his eyes.

"You don´t even call me back these days, not even to have the little small talks we used to everyday before my accident."

"I'm really sorry" she said turning back to the computer.

Knowing her, Oliver knew she was avoiding eye contact. Something was really up. So he tried to turn her towards him.

"You know you can tell me anything, professor?" He told her, lifting her chin up with his hand.

"Yeah, I do."

"It doesn´t look like it. What is really bothering you? I know you, remember, best friend here! I can read as well as you can me"

"I don´t want to talk about it now." She said, trying to go back to the computers.

"Come on, Chloe. You are getting me worried here." He said getting close to her and making her look at him, lifting her chin again.

Chloe darted her eyes again, taking a deep breath, in order to get some strength it looked like."I think our relationship has changed."

"Of course it did, we are not only work buddies. You are my best friend…" He stopped before he said what she really meant to him.

"I know, but that´s not what I mean."

"So what do you mean?" He said looking deeper into her eyes. Please let me in, don´t shut me out, he thought.

"I think after the accident something started to take some shape in a much unexpected way."

"What do you mean?"

"I think I don´t see you as my best friend?

"What?" Asked Ollie, frowning his forehead in concern. Now, I´ve lost her. She´s going to run from my life any minute now. OMG, I´m starting to sound like a girl.

"That didn´t come out right. I mean, I already had my share of suffering one sided love for a lifetime, I don´t really need another, so I think would be best if we don't act as friends, maybe we should stick to work buddies for now on." She said trying to get some distance between them, but Ollie didn´t allowed it, holding booth of her arms in his hands.

"What? Chloe, I can´t let that happen. You are my best friend, I can´t lose you. And I don´t see what is the real problem here. Since I´m pretty sure I feel the same way about you, if not more." Thank God, she is feeling it too, he thought barely hiding a smile.

"What?" She said looking a little lost. As she haven´t heard it right.

"Exactly what you heard, Chloe. I´m in love with you for a while now. I was just waiting for an opportunity to say it out loud without the risk of having you running towards the door." He smiled at her, putting his hands over her arms again.

"Are you serious?"She asked like she wasn´t believing at her ears.

He tried to reassure her brushing his hands one her arms up and down.

"Of course I´m. I´ve never thought this day would come" Getting close to her, he dip his head, kissing her on her lips.

Chloe froze at the beginning, like she was trying to absolve what was really happening there. Then she let it go, and started to kiss him back. Now , that´s more likely. She is kissing me back. Finally! He thought.

After some time, they stopped to breath. But stayed very close to each other, looking into each other eyes, pressing forehead to forehead.

Breathing heavily, she asked: "Since when?"

"I don´t know exactly, but I did. And you?"

"I don´t know either. I think it was your very good aim and patience towards me."

"I would wait for you as long as I needed too, if the end result was this." He kissed her again.

"What do say about lunch, Professor?"

"Sure."

"I got tell you, I´ve never worked so hard to get a woman."

"Hm, who said that you got me? How can you be so sure if it was not the other way around?" Grinning at him.

He smiled at her, thinking that he really didn´t care about it, taking her hand and heading towards the Watchtower door.

"For me, it doesn´t matter, I got you now, don´t I?" He smiled at her.

She smiled back at him.

"Since when you got smarter than me?" She said raising her eyebrow.

"I think it´s your influence, tower." Pulling her to a very passionate kiss.

Part 3 - Chloe´s POV

Things between Oliver and her started to change the day he decided to ask her about the green leather jacket that Zatanna had given her. Then suddenly, he became too present in her life. In the beginning he would drop by Watchtower every time he was in town. After some time, he started to call her when he wasn´t there. At the beginning she thought it was odd, how often he called her, but lately it kind become a routine, so when he didn't call, she would to see if he was okay. She kept saying to herself it was only a friendly concern.

Sometimes he would just call to make some small talk. She knew that his life was kind lonely, so she didn´t mind. Actually, she kind like it, to have some human contact not work related besides Lois. She loves Lois, but sometimes she is not the best person to talk to. Oliver seemed to understand her in a way no one else seems to. In the last few months, Oliver has become a fix in her day to day basis. She was getting too accustomed to it, to this routine. Talking to him every day and going out to eat, playing with each other. It was really great. It was like she finally got a life outside work. He was a great company and a great friend. Who would ever thought that Oliver Queen, the billionaire playboy, would become her friend. In fact, if somebody had ever told her that Oliver Queen would become her best friend some years ago, she would probably laugh at their face, calling them crazy. But in just a few years, things have been changing between them. First he was his cousin´s boyfriend, then Clark´s friend and from that to her ally. From ally to friend was just a small step, but lately he was becoming more than that, her best friend. And she was afraid it was becoming much more than that.

Everything seemed good, having her best friend in Oliver. But things took a turn when she realized that they were heading to more than friends, at least from her part. It happened during one of the JLA missions, Oliver got badly injured and almost died. He end up in hospital for days and she stayed beside him the whole time. And after his release, he needed some bed rest, so she stayed with him every day until he was released from that too.

That was when loud alarm bells started to resonate in her mind: "here I go again falling for a friend. I think I will never learn. Stupid, stupid heart! Why have big brains if it won't work for a simple problem like this?" She thought. One sided love as long as she had for Clark is more than enough for a life time, she really doesn´t need another one.

So when he was finally out of the bed rest, she went running to Watchtower to concentrate in some work, then maybe her stupid heart would stop making summer salts whenever he looked at her with those beautiful brown eyes. She needed to avoid him. Maybe she would not suffer as much like this. Just distance herself from the heartache.

Her plan to avoid seemed to work for a week, but then Oliver started to call her more frequently, but she didn´t call him back soon, just sent him a message saying that she was occupied with some heavy duty on Watchtower, since she had been away from it for so long.

So there she was at Watchtower, working like mad on her keyboard trying to update the security system from Watchtower, when Oliver decided to enter the room.

Great, she thought, just what I needed right now, pretending to not see him. So he decided to talk:

"Hey, everything ok?" He asked looking concerned.

"Hey. Just a sec." while she was typing furiously on the keyboard.

Oliver waited for some minutes. When she finally finished it, she got some courage and turned towards him.

"What´s up?"

"Everything ok here?" He looked worried.

"Now it is, just testing the new security system." She said, trying to give him a reassuring smile.

"Is it ok?"He asked raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah, thanks to Queen Industries technology" She said trying to be casual.

"I´m glad I could help." He said giving her his famous smile.

He and that damn smile. Couldn´t he just stop smiling for a second. Must remember why she was avoiding him, trying to get a grip, she asked: "So?"

"Just dropping by since I haven´t seen you since I was released from bed rest. I miss my best friend" It was her impression, or he seemed a little bit shy now… Why is he putting his hands on my arms? Just answer him already.

"Oh, I´m sorry, but since I was staying with you, Watchtower work was left a little behind, I had to make it work on 100% again." She said, not looking into his eyes, trying to be casual.

"That´s ok, but I miss our brunch, lunch and dinner, especially our conversations." He said looking kind hopeful at her.

Yeah me too… No! I can´t, she thought. "Sorry, for being a bad friend."

"That´s not it, you seem to be distant later." He said staring at her.

Trying to pretend that she didn´t know what he was talking about: "How so?"

"You don´t even call me back these days, not even to have little small talks as we used to everyday before my accident."

"I'm really sorry" she said turning back to the computer, trying to avoid his eyes.

As soon as she turned her back towards him, she felt his hands, turning her back to face him again.

"You know you can tell me anything, professor? He said, lifting her chin.

Don´t get so close. He smells really good... stop it! Back to the conversation.

"Yeah, I do." Remember to breath, Chloe.

"It doesn´t look like it. What is really bothering you? I know you, remember, best friend here! I can read you as well you can me!" He said lifting her chin up.

How I miss his friendly touches… Get a grip girl. "I don´t want to talk about it now."

"Come on, Chloe. You are getting me worried here."

Chloe darted her eyes again, taking a deep breath, in order to get some strength. Here it goes. It's now or never. "I think our relationship has changed."

"Of course it did, we are not only work buddies. You are my best friend…" He stops it suddenly. It felt like he would say something more.

That´s not like him at all, is he nervous? "I know, but that´s not what I mean."

"So what do you mean?" He asked looking very concerned.

How can I put into words. "I think after the accident something started to take some shape in a very unexpected way."

"What do you mean?

"I think I don´t see you as my best friend? Ops, that´s not it…

"What?" Oliver looked at her stoned.

"What? Chloe, I can´t let that happen. You are my best friend, I can´t lose you. And I don´t see what is the real problem here. Since I´m pretty sure I feel the same way about you, if not more." He said it, barely hiding a smile and looking intensely at her eyes.

Did I just hear that? "What?" Now, she is the one with a stoned face, for sure.

"Exactly what you heard, Chloe. I´m in love with you for a while now. I was just waiting for an opportunity to say it out loud without the risk of you run away through the door. He smiled at her, put his hands over her arms again, brushing them lightly.

"Are you serious?"

"Of course I´m. I´ve never thought this day would come" Getting close to her, he dip his head, stealing a kiss from her.

Oh my god, is this happening? I´m not dreaming am I? She froze at the beginning, like she was trying to absolve what was really happening there. What hell? She thought. Then she let it go, and started to kiss him back.

After some time, they stopped to breath. But stayed very close to each other, looking into each other eyes, pressing forehead to forehead.

Breathing heavily, she asked: "since when?"

"I don´t know exactly, but I did. And you?" He said smiling at her.

"I don´t know either. I think it was your great aim and patience towards me." She answered teasing him with a sassy smile.

"I would wait for you as long as I needed too, if the end result was this." He kissed her again. "What do say about lunch, now?"

"Sure."

"I got tell you, I´ve never worked so hard to get a woman." He said staring at her like she was everything to him at that moment.

"Hm who said that you got me? How can you be sure if it was not the other way around?" Grinning at him.

He smiled at her, taking her hand and heading towards the Watchtower door.

"For me, it doesn´t matter, I got you now, don´t I?" He said it raising an eyebrow and smirking.

She smiled back at him.

"Since when you got smarter than me?"

"I think it´s your influence, tower." Pulling her to a very passionate kiss.

The end