Salvation. With chloeas.

[olliequeen]

It was past Midnight.

He'd spent hours on the balcony of the Ace of Clubs after Clark had left, staring over the city blankly but not really seeing it.

He only had one drink, and it hadn't been nearly strong enough for what his body was craving. The short night had been the longest amount of time he'd been sober in weeks. Since the day of Jimmy Olsen's funeral.

Thoughts of Jimmy had made him think of the one person he'd done his best to avoid. The one person who'd been hurt most by everything that had happened. Whose life had been utterly wrecked. Shutting his eyes against his thoughts hadn't made them go away and he'd sucked in a breath, trying to steel himself against the pain.

Now as he stood on the doorstep of what he knew was called, quite appropriately, the Watchtower, he rubbed a hand over his face, his stomach in knots.

He'd faced Lois. He'd faced Clark.

He'd even faced Tess.

And he'd pushed all of them away, some more subtlely than others.

But this?

He wasn't sure he was ready to do this. But he had to. He owed it to her. He owed a lot of people a lot of things, but no one as much as her.

Reaching out, he knocked loudly.

And waited.

Terrified.

Comments

[dl-greenarrow.livejournal.com]

Oliver's arms tightened around her a little as he held her like a lifeline. Like his only chance at salvation. Because somewhere in the back of his mind, he knew that was true.

[chloeas.livejournal.com]

She held on to him back, unconsciously rubbing a hand soothingly over his back, she had never seen Oliver like that before, never seen him so broken or so open, she had never seen him cry before and to know what he was in so much pain that he didn't even care she was seeing him like that was what worried her the most.

[dl-greenarrow.livejournal.com]

"I don't know what I'm doing anymore," he murmured. "I've screwed things up so bad I don't know how I can come back from it." It had all started with killing Lex.

No.

It had started before then. When he'd found out that Lionel Luthor had murdered his parents. Something inside of him had grown dark and cold and empty. One bad action had led to a string of even worse actions and even inaction. And now, he didn't know if he could be redeemed. He wasn't sure there was anything within him left worth redemption.

[chloeas.livejournal.com]

"You can." Chloe said reflexively, she had been surprised when she first spoke, but she was glad he had, if they talked, if she made him understand that he wasn't going to simply be allowed to try and disappear inside himself, then maybe he wouldn't try to run away again.

She pulled her head back and looked up at him, but didn't let go of him, "but not alone, Oliver, you need help and you need time, but eventually, we will figure something out."

[dl-greenarrow.livejournal.com]

"I'm so tired, Chloe," he murmured, raking a hand through his hair wearily, his eyes drifting shut. He felt like he'd aged twenty years in the last three months. He was so tired he didn't even realize what he was saying.

[chloeas.livejournal.com]

It felt like every time he said something, her heart broke a little more, he did look exhausted, weary, like he couldn't deal with anything right now, "okay," she said before slowly pulling away, but reaching for his hand and bringing him with her as she stepped towards the couch, "we don't have to talk about anything tonight, but you're staying here with me."