One More Moment. With chloeas.

[olliequeen]

Oliver knocked softly on the door to Chloe's new apartment. Once the power had returned the night before, they had finally managed to get out of the elevator and used his phone to call Bart. Sure enough, the younger man had sped to Metropolis before Chloe had even hung up the phone, and between the three of them, had all of her things moved out and her bed put together before Midnight.

He hadn't slept once he'd arrived back at the clock tower. Instead, he'd gone out patrolling. It had been awhile since the last time he'd patrolled Metropolis. It was different from Star City in a lot of ways. More dangerous in some ways and less in others. After all, Metropolis had the Red-Blue Blur looking after it, as well. Still. It was a hell of a big city for one man to look after alone. Sure, Clark was capable of it. But Oliver didn't like feeling useless. And if he helped make the place even a little bit safer for its occupants, than it was worth it.

When he arrived mid-morning the next day, he hadn't slept in nearly twenty four hours. He was used to the lack of sleep anyway. He held the small gift behind his back as he waited for her to answer her door.

Comments

[chloeas.livejournal.com]

She blinked and looked down at what he was pulling out of his pocket, recognizing the letter immediately since she had hand-written it.

With her heart beating faster, she shifted nervously and held her breath, "yeah?"

[dl-greenarrow.livejournal.com]

He nodded a little and slowly moved so he was standing with her in the kitchen. "It's something I need to say and I'm hoping you'll hear me out." His voice was soft.

[chloeas.livejournal.com]

She looked up at him and unconsciously crossed her arms in front of her chest defensively, even as she held his gaze, "okay."

[dl-greenarrow.livejournal.com]

He took in her defensive posture and stepped closer to her. "You said your dad told you about two kinds of girls and how you had wanted to be the kind a guy grows into and not out of." Oliver held her gaze. "You are that girl," he said quietly. "And I know that because I grew into you, Chloe." His voice was very soft. "I wasn't looking for it to happen, but now I don't know how I missed it. You're beautiful, and smart, and sexy, and fun to be with."

He paused. "I don't fall easily, and I don't fall often. And if you made me fall in love with you..." He watched her. "The right guy for you is out there." He swallowed hard, his chest tightening. "It might not be Clark Kent or Jimmy Olsen. But you shouldn't give up because they're too blind to see you."

He lifted a hand and touched her cheek. "Because I do. And I won't be the only one." Oliver closed his eyes for a moment. "So don't think you're not enough or you're not perfect the way you are, because you are an incredible woman, Chloe." He leaned down and kissed her lips, a soft, chaste kiss.

Then he pulled away, his eyes stinging. "I should get back. I need to pack and uh, get ready for the flight."

[chloeas.livejournal.com]

She stared at him in shock, her eyes wide as she listened, and the more he talked, the harder it was for her to keep herself from tearing up.

Those things he was trying to tell her, they would have been hard to hear no matter who it was coming from, but the fact that he was the one saying them made this harder. Because she wanted nothing more than to believe him the way he believed those things were true.

"Wait," she told him and stepped forward before she could stop herself. She didn't know what to say or do, but she didn't want him to leave.

[dl-greenarrow.livejournal.com]

He forced himself to take a deep breath, not sure why she was stopping him. If it was to yell at him or thank him. He swallowed hard, bracing himself silently.

[chloeas.livejournal.com]

She just stared at him for a long moment, her mind going over his words and she couldn't think straight. She hadn't expect him to say those things, she never expected him to be so straight-forward about any of it.

After a long moment she looked down and shook her head slightly, "I can't," she told him quietly. She wanted to tell him she was sorry and that she wanted to believe what he was saying, but she couldn't give them both hope and put them through something that she knew it would end.

And she had almost lost him once, now that she might have his friendship back, she wanted at least that much.

Chloe mumbled something quietly and shook her head, still looking down.

[dl-greenarrow.livejournal.com]

"I know," he whispered, his chest tightening again. "I'm not the right guy. But that doesn't mean you won't find the right one. Just...don't forget that." He drew in a breath and let it out slowly.

"Anyway. I should get going. I'll uh--I'll email you."

[chloeas.livejournal.com]

Chloe tightened her arms around herself and although her vision was blurry, she lifted her head to look at him, her jaw tight as she tried to stop herself from full on crying and nodded slightly.

[dl-greenarrow.livejournal.com]

"Take care of yourself," he whispered, sliding his hands into his pockets and slowly heading out of the kitchen and toward the front door.