Chapter Text
Chloe watched the numbers on the elevator and the closer they got to the top the more nervous she was. The plane ride had been quiet, but not as tense as the last day and a half with Oliver. They talked a little, but were mostly lost in their own thoughts.
The elevator chimed opening up to the hallway, but Chloe couldn't seem to make herself move forward. It had been a year since she'd been to Watchtower and just being in the room flooded her with memories she'd missed desperately over the past few months.
She bit her lower lip and peeked out of the elevator towards the double doors. She glanced at Oliver and hesitated. "I think I changed my mind." She said letting her voice trail off.
Oliver glanced at her and he could see how nervous she was. He reached down and took her hand, holding it tightly in his as he gently tugged her forward and out of the elevator. "It's going to be fine, Chloe. I'm right here," he reminded her.
Chloe glanced from Oliver's hand to his face and swallowed hard. She nodded squeezing his hand lightly as she let him tug her out of the elevator and down the hall. She took a deep breath as Oliver pushed the doors open and kept close to his side as they walked into the room.
Oliver could practically feel the anxiety pouring out of her and he wished there was more that he could do to help her. He'd called the guys and let them know that he was coming to town and they should meet him at Watchtower, but all he'd told them was that he had good news for a change. There was no easy way to tell anyone that Chloe was back from the dead. As they walked into the room, he spotted Victor behind the computer, furiously typing. "Vic," he called as he tightened his grip on Chloe.
"Hey Ollie, I just need a second," Victor replied. He was in the middle of a complicated coding issue with the latest surveillance system he was testing out. "I'm surprised you came back here so fast. I figured you'd at least wait until winter," he joked as he continued typing. He switched the screen and glanced up, his jaw falling open as his eyes widened almost comically. "Chloe?!"
Chloe sent Victor a meek smile not sure how to take his exclamation. Oliver had been ecstatic to see her until he found out what she had done and she imagined it would be much the same with the rest of the team. "Hey Vic," she said softly, "Long time no see," she joked lightly a hint of nervousness still lingering on her face.
Victor was momentarily too stunned to do anything other than stare. He glanced from Chloe to Oliver and back again. "You're really here?" He grinned as he hurried over and pulled her into a hug. "I don't know how you're here, but it's so good to see you," he said.
Chloe chuckled and hugged him back, "It's really good to see you too." She said as she hugged him back. She opened her mouth to ask him how he was when the sound of Bart's voice traveled through the room.
"What's going on down there, you guys are--" His sentence cut off when his gaze landed on Chloe. His eyes widened and he was in front of her in seconds. "Holy crap, Chloelicious?" he asked before shoving at Victor. "Move tin man, I want a hug stop hogging her." He said as he sped from side to side.
Chloe chuckled as Victor moved back and she hugged Bart. "Hey Bart," she said as he glanced at Oliver.
"I don't know how you brought her back from the dead Bossman and I don't care, I'm just glad you're back." He said this time addressing Chloe.
"How did this happen?" Victor asked as he glanced between Chloe and Oliver. "Were you being held all this time? Your car..." Victor's voice trailed off, confusion on his face. Everything had indicated that Chloe had died when her car blew up, but she was standing in front of them. "I can't believe you're okay," he said as he nudged Bart aside so he could hug her again.
"Maybe we should wait for AC," Oliver suggested. "There's no reason Chloe needs to tell the story three times," he said. Oliver could see both men were confused and he couldn't really blame them for that, but he didn't want to make Chloe repeat herself. He knew she was dreading telling them the truth.
AC took that moment to walk in. “What’s the emergency?” He called out, “I was just about to head out for a rally in, holy hell….Chloe?” He asked as his jaw dropping open. “But you,” he paused and glanced at the guys, “She’s, I…Chloe!” He rushed forward knocking Bart and Victor out of the way as he hugged her. “You’re alive!” He said as he lifted her off the ground slightly.
Chloe let out a startled noise and Bart chuckled. “We have to celebrate, we should go out Bossman, but first you gotta tell us what happened.” He said waiting for AC to let her down. When he did Chloe pursed her lips.
She glanced at Oliver before taking a deep breath and looking back at the guys. “It started with AC getting hurt,” she said before launching into her story about the threats and faking her own death and then helping them with information when she could. When Chloe was finally done telling them everything she paused and waited for their reaction.
Oliver kept his face as neutral as possible. He knew the guys looked to him for leadership and guidance more often than not, but he did not want to sway their opinions on this. Once again, he could practically feel how nervous Chloe was, but he knew this was something she needed to do on her own.
"Wow," Victor said quietly. That was a lot to take in, but he supposed it made sense. He glanced at Oliver and recognized his carefully constructed poker face. If Victor had to guess, he would say the other man was probably hurt and upset, but he also knew Oliver wasn't going to vocalize that in front of the team. Victor turned back to Chloe. "I'm sorry you had to go through all of that, but it's good to have you back. You are back, right?" he asked.
Chloe smiled and nodded, “I’m back, for good.” she said as she held Victor’s gaze for a moment before Bart cleared his throat to get her attention. She glanced in his direction and he smiled.
“So where exactly were you all this time?” He asked curious. He was glad to have Chloe back and he knew Oliver was probably pretty happy about it too, but he couldn’t help being nosy.
Chloe hesitated, “All over really. I stayed in California for a while then the surrounding states and then Kansas she glanced briefly at Oliver out of the corner of her eye. She had never been that far from him, but she didn’t say that.
“We’re glad you’re back Chloe,” AC said when she finished speaking. “It wasn’t the same without you. Does this mean you guys are moving back home?” He asked a grin on his face as he glanced between Oliver and Chloe not noticing the way she shifted as uncertainty flittered across her face.
"We'll see," Oliver replied. "I'm tied to Metropolis for the time being with some business stuff at Queen Industries, but things are sort of up in the air at the moment," he said. Oliver figured that was a good enough answer for the time being. The guys seemed receptive to Chloe being back and there was no reason to bring the mood down because of his issues.
Bart arched an eyebrow, “Well then why doesn’t Chloe come back here and you can handle your business stuff and meet us out here,” he said lightly.
AC nodded, “We miss you walking us through patrol, plus Watchtower has no snacks,” he said and Bart snorted and nudged the other man. AC nudged him back.
Chloe unconsciously shifted towards Oliver, not liking the idea of coming back to Star City without him. She’d already spent a year away; she didn’t want to add any time to that. She hesitated before speaking, “I don’t know if that’s the best idea,” she said letting her voice trail off.
"Chloe is staying with me," Oliver told him, his voice firm, making it clear there was no room for discussion on the matter. "We might be back here sooner rather than later, depending on a few factors. But things will work the same way they did before once Chloe is ready to go back to work," he said. They had traveled in the past for missions or for business reasons and she'd handled Watchtower duties remotely. If she decided to stay in Metropolis, Oliver figured they could just do that again.
Chloe relaxed beside Oliver and nodded. "Ollie is right. I can absolutely walk you guys through patrol and stuff from wherever we are." She said with a small smile.
Bart pouted, "That's not fair," he said and sent Oliver a playful glare. "Why do you get to hog her?" He asked jokingly. AC chuckled at Bart's words and shook his head.
Oliver simply raised an eyebrow at the younger man, not bothering to respond to his comment. "So what's been going on the past few days?" he asked, "Anything we need to know about?"
Victor shook his head. He wasn't surprised that Chloe was going to stay with Oliver. After the past year, he'd be surprised if Oliver ever let Chloe out of his sight again. "Things have been quiet. I'm still logging all the stuff from the takedown and working on a few possibilities, but nothing concrete yet," he said.
AC nodded in agreement. "It's been slow, which is why I was heading out to a rally." He commented. Bart just grunted in agreement.
Chloe tilted her head to the side and glanced at Victor. "If you need any help with that, I'm around." She said with a small smile. She missed helping with team stuff and was glad Oliver was still letting her help.
"I might just take you up on that," Victor said. "I'll send you some specs for the things I've been working on," he offered. "Or Ollie could just bring you up to speed," he suggested.
Oliver nodded. "I can do that, but you should send the specs too so Chloe has all the information." Some of the tension he'd been holding onto was starting to ease as they fell into their old routines. It almost felt like things were on their way back to being normal.
Bart zipped around the room appearing next to Oliver and then Victor and then back. "Now that we've got out of the way, how about some celebrating?" he asked with a grin. "Because I'm starving."
AC rolled his eyes, "You're always starving."
Chloe chuckled, her heart warming. "You guys have no idea how much I missed you," she said with a grin glad that the team didn't seem upset with her. If only it had been that easy with Oliver. But she understood why it wasn't.
"I suppose I can buy you guys lunch, but don't think this is going to become a habit," Oliver warned. "We're going to order pizza," he added quickly before they could start in on their demands. He knew how they would just argue about food for a half hour otherwise. "I'll place the order." He motioned toward the hallway and headed in that direction to get away from the noise. He had to admit, it was nice being back with the team, even if they were already getting on his nerves.
______
Chloe shifted in her sleep her body thrashing slightly. He was chasing her again. Her breathing was heavy as she ran down the empty street, fear filling her entire body. Her legs burned as she pushed herself further trying to get away from him but he was everywhere. She turned the corner and she was no longer on the street but in a corridor. She knew this corridor. A lump formed in her throat and she glanced behind herself.
He was gaining on her. She turned back and slammed right into two guards. They wore head to toe black fatigues and she screamed, struggling in their arms as they dragged her towards the room with the metal table. “No, please no…no more. Let me go….” Her mind screamed for Clark knowing he had some kind of power and wishing, praying he was looking for her.
“Please…please,” They strapped her down and she saw him in the doorway eyes cold, grin on his lips. “I hate you,” she shouted, “You don’t have to do this,” A different tactic, but it never worked just like the rest. Sometimes it only made the pain worse. Chloe’s face screwed up in pain as she jerked against the sheets, sweat marring her brow as her screams echoed down the hallway while she was in the midst of her nightmare.
Oliver shot up in bed when he heard Chloe screaming and he quickly pushed the covers aside and rushed down the hall. He went into the guest room, his heart leaping into his chest when he saw her thrashing back and forth in her bed, screaming, as tears rolled down her face. Oliver went to her side, sitting down on the bed as he gripped her shoulders and shook her gently. "Chloe, wake up," he said. "Chloe, I need you to wake up and look at me. Chloe," he said again.
“NO!” She shouted as her hand came out and knocked into him, her eyes shooting open at the pressure she felt on her shoulders as she gasped. Chloe gripped Oliver tightly her eyes taking a minute to adjust to the darkness in the room. She sucked in several sharp breaths as she tried to get her breathing under control. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” she repeated, her tone holding a hint of breathlessness to it.
"Shh, it's okay," Oliver said as he shifted closer to her, running his hand over her arms as he saw the wild look in her eyes. "Everything is okay. You were just having a nightmare," he told her quietly. Oliver tightened his grip on her, his other hand going to her face to brush her hair back. "You're safe, Chloe."
Oliver’s voice broke through the haze and she gripped him tightly. “Ollie,” she said before swallowing hard and leaning into him. It had been a long time since she’d woken up to anyone in the middle of a nightmare. For the past year she’d been on her own and every time she woke up it took hours to calm herself down enough to go back to sleep. One time the manager of one of the motels she stayed at even banged on her door to find out what was going on. It hadn’t been pretty.
"I'm right here, Chloe," Oliver said. He wrapped both his arms around her, shifting a little to pull her even closer. He could hear the fear that was still in her voice and he gently stroked his hand over her head. "No one is going to hurt you, I promise. I'm not going to let anything happen to you," he assured her.
Chloe wrapped her arms around him and held on to him. “I missed you so much,” she whispered as she let the tears fall. It took her a few minutes to calm down, but when she finally did she shifted back and held his gaze, her breathing more regulated now. “I didn’t mean to cry all over you,” she commented quietly. “I’m sorry I woke you,” she said as she let her hand trail down his back.
"Don't apologize," Oliver replied. He brushed his hand over her face, wiping away her tears. "Did you have a lot of nightmares while you were gone?" he asked. Oliver hated the idea of her being scared and alone, especially since he imagined that things were probably a lot harder for her when she was on the road and trying to stay hidden.
Chloe hesitated. She didn’t want to lie to him, but she also didn’t want him to worry too much. She was torn. “A few,” she said softly as she leaned into his touch. She was quiet for a second. “It was hard without you,” she whispered as she ran a hand down his arm. She watched him for a minute before biting her lip. “Will you stay with me?” She asked softly, “It’s okay to say no if you’d rather not…I would understand.”
"I can stay," Oliver said. He kept his arms around her as he shifted on the bed so he was leaning against the headboard and he pulled Chloe close to him. "I'm sorry you had to go through that alone, Chloe. I'm sorry about all of this. I should have done a better job keeping you safe," he admitted quietly. Oliver knew she was going to tell him that it wasn't his fault, but he also knew that it was. She should have been able to count on him and not have had to risk her life to keep him safe.
Chloe shifted slightly so she was pressed against his side, her body finally relaxing into him. “You need to stop apologizing,” she said softly. “It’s my fault I went through it alone and you always do an amazing job of protecting me…for once I needed to protect you.” She admitted quietly. “I’m not sure you know how much you mean to me. The thought of something bad happening to you…it would crush me Ollie.” Her voice was soft as her grip tightened on him.
“I literally couldn’t bare it, but the more I’m here with you, the more I’m starting to realize there might have been a different way to handle the situation.” She told him quietly as she let her hand fall to his chest.
Oliver raised an eyebrow at that; surprised that Chloe would admit that she might not have made the best choice. His grip on her automatically tightened, but he was quiet for a few minutes as he tried to gather his thoughts. "I don't think you realize how much you mean to me either, Chloe. I went through hell this past year because I felt like I should have died too because I didn't know how to go on without you. I didn't want to," he told her. "Honestly, I'm not sure I would have if it hadn't been for my need to find the people who took you from me," he added, knowing how easy it would have been for him to fall into a downward spiral.
"I know you were trying to protect me and I understand that because I would do anything to protect you, but part of the reason all of this hurt so much is we're supposed to be a team. Us and the guys, but more than that, you and me. It's always been us, Chloe. I wish you would have come to me instead of running away, but I know why you did it." Oliver knew they couldn't change the past and he needed to accept it and move on.
"I miscalculated," she admitted. Chloe hadn't realized just how strong her feelings for Oliver were at the time. She hadn't realized how miserable she would be without him. The more time she spent with him now that she was back the more she realized, that while she had made the best decision she could at the time, the one that made the most sense to keep him safe because that had been her only priority.
"We are a team and from here on out all decisions I make will be with you Oliver," she tilted her head up so she could meet his gaze so he knew she was serious. Chloe slid her hand down until it rested against his stomach. "I don't want to lose you again," she whispered.
His muscles clenched beneath her touch as something completely unexpected moved through him. Oliver swallowed hard and immediately pushed the feeling aside, blaming it on lack of sleep. "You won't lose me, Chloe," he told her as he brushed his hand over her cheek. "I promise."
Chloe leaned into his touch and nodded. She held his gaze and shifted, "Will you stay in here tonight?" She asked softly. It wasn't uncommon for her and Oliver to occasionally share a bed when she had a nightmare or when they fell asleep watching movies. Sometimes he'd sleep above the covers other times he would just stay until she fell asleep. But tonight it felt different, she felt different.
"I'll stay with you," Oliver said. He felt like there was something different in the air between them, but he couldn't figure out what it was. Or maybe he didn't want to figure out what it was, he thought before he once again pushed it aside. He shifted onto his side, stretching out next to her. "Get some sleep, Sidekick," he said quietly.
Chloe hesitated, "Ollie," she said his name softly and turned on her side. "Would it be okay if I came over there?" She whispered.
"Yeah," Oliver replied without hesitation. He waited for her to move closer and he wrapped his arms around her again, settling her body against his. It wasn't the first time he'd held her by any means, but once again, there was something different about it.
Chloe pressed herself into him and let her eyes flutter shut as her body finally relaxed. "Thanks for being here," she said softly, "Night Ollie."
______
It was just after one in the morning when Oliver landed on the balcony, cut his zip line and quickly made his way back into the penthouse. Patrol had been brutal for some reason and he'd stopped more muggings, carjackings and other crimes in one night than he had in the past two weeks. He wasn't sure if there was something in the water or what, but he didn't like it. He walked through the dark penthouse, opened the door to his equipment room and started pulling off the pieces of his uniform, his muscles stiff from all the lingering tension. Oliver placed everything in its rightful spot and pulled on a pair of sweatpants.
He stepped out of the room, closing the door behind him and turned to head for his room when he collided hard with Chloe. Oliver reached out to steady her, catching her before she lost her balance. "Are you okay? I didn't see you," he apologized quickly.
Chloe glanced up and smile, "Yeah I'm okay, no worries--" She paused when she got a good look at him and frowned. "Are you okay?" She asked as she ran a hand over his naked chest cataloging the bruises there "Rough night?" She'd been awake waiting for him to come home not wanting to head to bed until she knew he was alright.
"I'm fine," Oliver replied quickly, all too aware that her hand was on his bare skin. He wasn't sure what his problem was, but ever since the night Chloe had asked her to stay with him, he felt like he was very aware each and every time she touched him. He wasn't complaining, but he also wasn't sure what to make of the fact that his skin was warm beneath her hand. "It was a busy night, but nothing I couldn't handle. What are you doing up?" he asked.
Chloe arched an eyebrow at his quick answer, but let it go and nodded before pulling her hand away. "I couldn't sleep." She said softly. "Plus its possible I wanted to make sure you got home okay," she said with a small smile.
Oliver returned her smile. "Thanks for the concern, but I'm here in one piece. Mostly," he said as he glanced down at the bruises on his chest.
"I'm glad," she said lightly, "I like you in one piece." She teased as she shifted on her feet. Chloe glanced around and motioned towards the stairs, "Are you heading to bed?" She asked softly, not wanting to keep him up and yet at the same time not wanting to let him leave.
Waking up in Oliver arms the other morning had been more than just pleasant. It had been amazing. She had been content. It was something she didn't feel normally, but Oliver always changed that.
Oliver shook his head. "I'm beat, but I know if I try to go to bed now, my brain won't rest," he said. His adrenaline levels still needed to calm down. "I'm actually kind of hungry so I think I'll heat up some of that leftover Chinese food and watch a movie or something." He reached out and tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. "You're welcome to join me if you want."
Chloe's heartbeat picked up speed and she unconsciously shifted closer to him as her face brightened. "That sounds like a good plan Hero." Her words were soft and she reached forward letting her hand rest on his chest again. "Why don't I go heat up the food and you can pick out the movie?" She said as she tilted her head to the side. "I know, you're shocked I'm letting you pick the movie." She teased.
"Hey, there's a first time for everything," Oliver said with a wink. He nodded toward the living room. "I'll meet you in there." He made his way down the hallway, pausing beside the DVD case to find a movie. He grabbed The Hangover, since it was their usual go to movie and placed it in the DVD player, cuing it up to the beginning as he took a seat on the couch. His body was still a little sore, but he relaxed against the leather while he waited for Chloe.
It didn't take Chloe long to put two plates together and heat them up. She made her way towards the living room glad that things between her and Oliver were finally starting the thaw out. She had missed him more than she cared to admit and maybe just maybe if he could forgive her they could move forward. Together.
She stepped into the living room and held out a plate to Oliver. She frowned slightly when he winced. "You're pretty sore," she commented as she sat down next to him. "Maybe if you play you're cards right Hero, I'll massage some of those knots out for you when you're done eating," she teased as she folded her legs under her and leaned against the couch winking at him as humor dancer in her eyes.
"I would gladly pay you a small fortune for that," Oliver replied. He hit the button to start the movie, but kept the volume low, knowing they wouldn't be paying attention anyway. "Thanks for taking care of that food," he added as he picked up the egg roll on his plate and took a bite.
They ate quietly for a few minutes, the movie playing in front of them. Oliver had lost track of the number of times they'd done this over the years; had leftovers and watched movies when he came back wound too tight after patrol or when Chloe didn't want to sleep because she had too many nightmares. When she'd been gone, he'd thought about nights like this and wished he hadn't taken them for granted.
"Jeez if microwaving left over Chinese makes you happy I might keep you," She joked as she twirled some lo mein around on her fork and ate it. "And for the record because I like you, I won't charge you a small fortune...maybe just a couple of thousand," she teased as she ate another bite full of food. Chloe had forgotten just how much she had missed nights like these.
"That's so very generous," Oliver deadpanned as he arched an eyebrow at her. "I might even have to give you a break on your rent. Oh, wait..." He gave her a look and shook his head, but he couldn't seem to stop himself from smiling.
Chloe chuckled. "It seems silly to pay rent. That would be like recycling money. You pay me, I get the money and then pay you for rent?" She asked and rolled her eyes good naturedly as she leaned forward and put her plate down. It turned out she wasn't as hungry as she thought she was.
She motioned for him to angle his body. "I'm done eating," she said lightly as she shifted toward him. "Let's have that back of yours and see if we can't make you feel better."
"That seems like faulty logic," Oliver teased. He leaned forward and set his plate down on the table and then shifted so his back was turned to her. "But I suppose since I like having you around and you are offering to help me, I can live with it," he teased. They both knew that he'd never take money from her, even if he wasn't paying her salary.
Chloe shifted onto her knees behind him and slid her hand up his back, dragging her thumbs along his spine until she reached his shoulders. She pressed her hands into his shoulders kneading the muscles there as she moved her thumbs in circular motions.
Chloe leaned forward slightly letting her eyes drop to his shoulders taking in the expanse of skin in front of her. She swallowed hard using some of her body weight to knead the muscles there as she slipped another hand down his back. "How's that?" She asked softly as her hands continued to move against his skin.
"Good, really good," Oliver replied, his voice deeper than normal. It was probably too good. His heart was starting to beat fast again and it had nothing to do with adrenaline. He swallowed hard, closing his eyes for a moment and doing his best to relax under her touch and not think about how good it felt.
This was Chloe. She was his best friend, his sidekick; this wasn't the first time she'd had her hands on his bare skin. She'd cleaned his wounds before and she had given him massages in the past, but he'd never quite had this reaction to one. Oliver wanted to chalk it up to being overtired, but he was starting to think it was more than that and he didn't know what to do about it.
“Good,” she said as she let her hand trail the length of his back again before shifting it back to his shoulders and while the other worked the base of his neck. “You’re tense tonight,” she said her voice soft as she enjoyed the feel of his muscles moving beneath her palm. She had the strongest urge to brush her lips against the small bruise on his shoulder blade, but she knew it probably wasn’t appropriate.
Part of her was having a hard time caring. She leaned forward slightly so she could use more pressure and the front of her nightgown brushed against his back. “I was thinking maybe you and I could do something this weekend,” she said her tone light. “This is going to sound silly, but I really miss spending time with you Ollie,” her voice was near his ear now and she couldn’t help the way her heart skipped a beat at how close they were.
"I am a little tense," Oliver said. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly, doing his best not to think about how good her hands felt on his back. He turned a little so he could look at Chloe over his shoulder and he was surprised to see just how close she was to him. Oliver swallowed hard again, his eyes finding hers. "That sounds really nice, Chloe," he agreed. His voice was still huskier than usual and he was tempted to reach out and touch her, but he didn't think that would be right. "I've missed spending time with you too. More than I can say," he admitted, his eyes never leaving hers.
Chloe’s hand’s paused as she held his gaze. “Me too,” she told him as her heartbeat echoed in her ears. Her hand shifted and rested against his side. “What are you thinking about?” She asked her voice lower than normal as her fingers brushed against the skin of his side.
"You," Oliver admitted. He gave into the urge and reached out, cupping her cheek in his hand as he brushed his thumb over her chin. "I'm sorry," he told her. "I know I hurt you when you came back and I was angry with you. I shouldn't have reacted the way I did," he said.
Chloe’s expression softened and she shook her head even as she leaned into his touch. “You had every right to be upset, I hurt you too. I’m sorry,” she said repeating his words as she turned her head and pressed a light kiss to his palm not able to help herself. “But I’m never going to hurt you again.” She said softly as she held his gaze.
Oliver nodded. "You did," he agreed. "But I know you weren't trying to hurt me or to make things harder on me. I know you were trying to protect me, just like I'm always trying to protect you. I never want to lose you again, Chloe," he said as he leaned closer and pressed a kiss to her cheek, letting his lips linger against her skin.
Chloe’s eyes fluttered shut briefly as her heart thudded loudly against her chest. He was practically facing her now, his back against the couch once again as she kneeled beside him. “You won’t,” she said as she rested a hand against his chest. Her eyes opened and she watched him quietly for a minute, her thumb brushing the skin of his chest. “Ollie,” she said his name tumbling off her lips as a question.
He was having a hard time reading her or maybe he wasn't and she was thinking the same thing he was. Oliver watched her for a moment, noting that her eyes were wide, but they focused on his, her hand absently rubbing his chest. His hand was still on her cheek and he slid it into her hair, teasing the tresses around his fingers.
"Chloe," he said, not sure what to do. His eyes dropped to her lips for a moment as everything inside of him screamed that he should kiss her, but Oliver knew that wasn't a good idea. They were friends and it was late and signals or wires or something were obviously getting crossed. But he made no move to put distance between them, continuing to play with her hair.
Chloe swallowed hard enjoying the feel of his hand in her hair. She saw his eyes drop and the action alone made her heart skip a beat. She wanted him to kiss her, it was something she’d been wanting since she got back, but she was having a hard time reading him and she wasn’t sure smacking one on him would work in her favor. “Stay with me tonight,” she whispered.
Those same warning bells were going off in his head, but Oliver didn't hesitate to answer her. "Okay," he agreed. "Do you want to go to bed now?" he asked. Neither of them were paying attention to the movie and what was left of the food was probably cold already.
Chloe shrugged, “If you’re tired,” she said her gaze never leaving his face. She brushed her hand across his stomach again her thumb brushing the bottom of his bruise. “Do you need anything for these?” She asked her gaze finally dropping to the light bruising on his chest as her hand continued to move across his skin.
Oliver shook his head, his muscles once again tensing beneath her gentle touch. "No, they don't really hurt," he said as he looked down, watching her hand move over him before he met her gaze once more. "Let's go upstairs," he said.
Chloe nodded as she shifted and pushed herself off the couch before turning to face him and sending him a light smile. She held out a hand to him and tilted her head to the side. “My bed or yours?” She asked the question and it sent a thrill through her body that once again made her heartbeat speed up.
He raised an eyebrow as he got up, taking her hand. "Why don't we switch it up for a change? You can sleep in my bed," Oliver said. He brushed his thumb over hers, his eyes never leaving her face. That electricity seemed to be crackling in the air between them again and he wasn't sure what it meant.
Chloe shifted closer to him, the feel of his thumb caressing hers sending warmth through her body. “I like that idea,” she told him softly, but didn’t move towards the stairs. She ran her free hand down his arm and bit her lip. “I know I’ve said this before, but Ollie,” she paused and held his gaze. “I really missed you,” Her hand moved down his chest again of its own accord. Chloe couldn’t seem to stop herself from touching him even though she knew she probably shouldn’t.
"I missed you too, Chloe," Oliver said. He took a step closer to her, leaving next to no space between them as he rested his hand on her hip, squeezing her gently through the silk she wore. "Thank you for coming home," he said quietly as he brought his other hand up to her cheek again, tilting her head back a little so she was looking at him.
“Metropolis isn’t home Ollie,” she said softly while holding his gaze. “You are,” she admitted quietly, not sure what had come over her. But she needed him to know that she hadn’t come back because she missed the team or the life, even though she had. She came back to him, sought him out. She could have easily gone back to Star City and to the team and had them call him home, but she didn’t. She went to Metropolis because that’s where he was and the whole time she was gone all she wanted was to be with him. “I came back to you.”
"I know you did," Oliver replied. Even though he'd been angry, he knew what it meant for her to come back to Metropolis after all these years. It had been a huge risk for her and she'd done it without hesitating because she'd wanted him to know that she was alive. It was the same reason she'd left Star City with him again. It was more than just them being a team. "Chloe..." His voice trailed off, his eyes once again drifting to her lips.
Chloe could see the uncertainty in his eyes. He wasn’t ready; at least she didn’t think he was. She honestly wasn’t sure. She knew what she wanted though, but she could wait. Chloe reached up and gripped the back of his neck lightly as she pushed herself onto her toes. She pressed her lips against the corner of his mouth, letting them linger there briefly. She pulled back her feet flattening on the floor again as she caught his gaze. “It’s late...Take me to bed?” she whispered as her hand rubbed against his chest gently.
He recognized the out that she was giving him and even though a large part of him thought he was being a coward, Oliver was going to take it. "Gladly," he said with a smile as he reached for her hand again and gently tugged her with him toward the stairs. Oliver was starting to see that things had changed for Chloe and he could admit they'd changed for him too. Or maybe the underlying feelings had always been there, just waiting to be acknowledged. But something was stopping him from doing just that and Oliver wasn't sure he was ready to figure out what that was.