Metroville (5/12)
Mar. 30th, 2012 01:54 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
serafina19Author: ![[info]](https://serafina19.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif?v=89.2)
serafina19
Title: Metroville
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Pleasantville-meets-Chlollie, only instead of an old television repairman... it's Zatanna who gives Chloe and Oliver the two-toned treatment in order for them to realize their budding feelings for each other. Based on a Chlollieween prompt byyhrcmg.
Timeline: Season 8 AU starting after Hex, samples events from Odyssey.
Thanks to:![[info]](https://serafina19.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif?v=91)
alxnhnt22 for the banner.
Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4
Part 5
Walking out of the movie theatre, Oliver and Chloe quickly took their leave from the very content couple that was Clark and Lois. The town was small, so they knew they wouldn’t be alone for long, but after awhile, space was golden.
At least, it was a beautiful night, not that Oliver or Chloe had seen otherwise. It also helped that they didn’t have to really look over their shoulders as they walked around. The only worry was their word choice, as the last thing they wanted was to draw suspicion, but otherwise they could act more or less naturally.
Turning the corner, and knowing that Lois and Clark were out of earshot, Oliver broke the silence as he brought his arm back to his side. He had to admit that he didn’t mind draping it around Chloe’s shoulders, but more than anything, he wanted her to be comfortable. “Well... that wasn’t a complete disaster.”
Chloe nodded. “I admit, I expected worse.”
The entire time Lois had been hounding Chloe to relax and what not, so when Chloe finally relaxed on her cousin’s terms, Lois backed off. The double date was a little awkward initially, but as time went on, Chloe and Oliver both caught on, and had to admit, she did have fun.
It started at the bowling alley, a quick game where Oliver bailed Chloe out in the couples match-up. She sat back with Clark as Oliver and Lois competed, just like clockwork. That gave Chloe her first real chance to talk with Clark alone. He was the same, as his personality worked perfectly here, but it was killing Chloe to ask him if he could do anything special. She held back, for now, but what bothered her during that time was actually Oliver.
He kept looking back every couple of minutes, giving her a slight smile, acting like everything was okay. It wasn’t like Jimmy, or any guy in her life who assumed a jealous stance when it came to Clark, because Oliver and her were just friends. But it still felt like he was looking after her, making sure Clark wouldn’t hurt her, even here. She was a big girl, long over the silly crush she had, and actually quite happy for Clark and Lois here. Why couldn’t he see that?
Chloe was able to push those feelings aside as they continued walking, but Oliver had caught the souring expression. Something was wrong, and he wasn’t about to finish the night like this. He looked up and noticed the Kent’s soda shoppe coming up, and figured, if nothing else, a little sugar would pick up her mood. “Want a milkshake?”
Chloe smiled, remembering the fun times they’ve had there so far, but she shook her head. “Ollie, you don’t have to.”
“Okay,” Oliver said as he grabbed her hand, waited a second, and then walked her towards the soda shoppe. “Now I’m doing it anyway.”
She could have just said no, and Oliver would have kept walking, with no problem. If she didn’t want to talk about it, Oliver would respect her privacy. But Chloe had this tendency that no one had to do anything for her, and it absolutely baffled Oliver that she didn’t think that she deserved more.
Chloe soon picked up her pace, showing Oliver that he didn’t have to drag her there; Lois did that enough. Besides, seeing the Kents like this was really nice.
The bell on the door chimed as always, but the place was relatively empty, unlike most of the times they had visited it in the past. Granted, it was getting kind of late.
Martha Kent said hello as they came inside. “How was the movie?”
“Not bad,” Chloe lied, as the movie wasn’t exactly her taste. “But the highlight was watching Lois and Oliver go at it at the bowling alley.”
“Some things never change I see?”
“I can’t help it if she keeps score,” Oliver rationalized, as apparently Lois and him had been pretty competitive, even as kids in this town.
Martha laughed before she remarked, “You both keep score, trust me Oliver.”
He shrugged, as he could only provide what he knew. It wouldn’t surprise him in the slightest if he matched Lois’ competitive streak. “Well, we’ll have two chocolate milkshakes when you have a minute.”
“And some fries,” Chloe added just as Martha was turning away. She got off her stool to head towards their booth when she noticed Oliver’s expression. “What? I’m hungry.”
Oliver just grinned as he followed behind Chloe. They got caught up in conversation for a couple minutes before Jonathan Kent brought out their food, getting the quick recap for himself. But as he was leaving, Oliver dared to steal the first fry, which didn’t sit well with Chloe as she slapped his hand, causing him to drop it.
“I paid,” Oliver said.
Chloe countered as she picked up the fry for herself, “I ordered,” happily depositing the fry into her mouth.
Glad to see her spirits up, Oliver asked, “So how was it talking to Clark?”
He knew that they hadn’t exactly had a chance to talk, and honestly, he wanted to see Chloe’s reactions to the slight differences in Clark. There wasn’t much, except the switcheroo in best friend land, something that still boggled Oliver’s mind, but he didn’t exactly tell Chloe that was the case. Chloe definitely had a harder time getting adjusted to the world, and him filling in the blanks wouldn’t help her. She needed context, which is something Oliver couldn’t give. Besides, he didn’t want to expose the fact that Clark was overbearing to him instead of her, Oliver just figured that he’d let her enjoy the freedom.
But when he saw Chloe’s expression fall, Oliver knew he had done something wrong.
Initially, Chloe had bit her tongue after the question, but she managed to sound rather calm when she said, “Cut the crap Ollie and ask what you really want to.”
“I was genuinely wondering how it was for you to talk with alt-Clark,” Oliver immediately replied, not sure where this came from. And then it hit him.
During the bowling game, Oliver would look back at them, glad to see a positive interaction between the two. Since Chloe came back from Black Creek, there was almost constant animosity between the two friends. He knew he had been caught a couple times, as Chloe met his eyes on more than one occasion, but Oliver never figured she’d pick up an actual motive behind it.
So he met her eyes and asked, “What should I be asking?” knowing there was definitely a reason for that comment.
Except now Chloe felt a little guilty. She had overreacted to the whole thing, and now it had backfired in her face. She felt her face warm up as she sipped her milkshake quietly. “Nothing.”
It wasn’t nothing, but with that single word, Oliver was able to put together the pieces. Reaching out, Oliver placed his fingertips over her hand on the table. “Whatever there might still be with you and Clark, and I’m not even saying there is something, but I don’t think there is... it’s none of my business.”
“I know,” Chloe replied, but for some reason it felt good to hear it from someone else, instead of her words always being questioned. “You’re my friend, and you... get what’s going on in my life.” Realizing that Oliver knew that, she rolled her eyes, but as she looked up, she noticed the intense look in his eyes. Chloe realized that this wasn’t exactly the time for this conversation, but while there were no distractions, she wanted to get this off her chest.
“I’ve been thinking with this whole thing, and... I’m wondering of whether I ever explained it... Clark, you guys, my life, properly to Jimmy.” Her screwed up social life was no secret, and it was being shoved down her throat via her cousin. Something told Chloe that if Zatanna ever met Lois, they would get along quite well. Or constantly argue, Chloe wasn’t really sure of the difference.
But Chloe had tried, even considered getting married, except to this day, she doubted where her and Jimmy really stood. “Is it true? That he looked for me?”
Chloe didn’t have to elaborate, as Oliver knew she was relating to her disappearance at Black Creek. “Yeah,” he replied honestly, but not with optimism. “But he gave up on you.” Oliver didn’t like saying it, but he really thought Chloe had moved forward from that. “I liked Jimmy, but no offence, that alone shows that your relationship had an expiration date.”
Again, not the brightest thing to say, but that wasn’t what Chloe needed to hear. It had been months since she had come back, and Oliver looked at her, realizing that fallout might have been a contributing factor to her reclusiveness. Granted, Oliver never expected the words she’d say next.
“Except I thought about saying yes.”
He had an idea of what that meant, but Oliver’s mouth gaped open initially, before double-checking. “To what?”
Chloe couldn’t believe it, Oliver looked dumbfounded over something she thought was obvious. “Jimmy proposed.”
It was the answer Oliver expected, but he wasn’t expecting that turn in the conversation. Oliver was still fairly new in town, but from the sounds of things, Chloe and Jimmy were shaky at best. From what he saw, the foundation clearly had cracks, but Oliver was the last person to suggest to someone what they should do with their social life, considering his stellar past.
For now, all he could ask was, “When?”
“Right before Black Creek, literally.” She narrowed her eyes before adding, “He never said...?”
Oliver shook his head. Sure, he wasn’t exactly tight with Chloe’s ex, but he figured a development like this would have been mentioned at some point. “I had no idea.”
Chloe could understand that, after all, she never mentioned it either. All this time, Chloe figured that people were just trying to be nice about the whole thing, when in fact, no one had a clue. “He never got an answer from me because I was being dragged away from the Department of Domestic Security... or so I thought.”
Dipping her fry into the ketchup, she stared at the consequence and then dropped it down. It was twisted, but all she could see was blood. The memory of how Clark almost died, and suddenly, Chloe couldn’t help. “I don’t what it is about my life. The moment I think I have it all figured out, the world reminds me otherwise.”
Suddenly feeling less hungry, Chloe pushed the fries further from her. “The worst part is... once I see it, I wonder how I didn’t see it before.” She let out a sigh as she slouched down at her seat in the booth. “You’re right, Jimmy and I... it probably would have gotten worse if we’d seen it through but I was too blinded by the normalcy he gave me to realize that.”
“Then you...” Chloe added as she pointed at Oliver, but she scoffed soon after, not really sure where she was going with that comment, so she switched directions, “I don’t know why you even bother giving me Watchtower.”
“Just stop right there,” Oliver said plainly. Manoeuvring his fingers to grab her hand, Oliver pulled Chloe up, so she sat upright in her seat. He could see the surprise in Chloe’s eyes as he moved her, but Oliver wanted to say this to her face, to remind her of their situation. “Zatanna said from the start that we both need to learn something, so how much do you want to bet that it’s the same thing?”
They were in this together, and sure, between the two of them, there was plenty of baggage, but there was no need to go down this road anymore. He could see that he had Chloe’s attention now, so Oliver added, “So stop blaming yourself for things you can’t change anymore.”
Chloe took in what he said, knowing how right he probably was, but for some reason, she couldn’t quite do what he asked right away. “She could just be trying to be nice by giving me company.”
Oliver rolled his eyes, not caring if Chloe saw it. “Nah, I doubt that.” His hand still encased in hers, Oliver squeezed it gently, trying to reassure her that, “Your life isn’t as messed up as you claim it to be. Having problems is what makes us human, normal even.”
That got Chloe to take her turn to roll her eyes. “Oh come on Ollie, what could possibly be wrong with your life?”
With a scoff, Oliver replied with another question. “You’re not seriously asking that are you?”
That was all Chloe needed to see how off she was right now. All Oliver was trying to do was cheer her up, and she responds by giving him an ignorant comment. So she replies with a convincing, “No.”
She sees Oliver opening his mouth to say something, but she cuts him off by adding, “That comment was uncalled for. I’m sorry.”
Of all people, Chloe knew exactly all of the problems Oliver faced. Losing his parents at a young age, being painted as a person he wasn’t, and often being underestimated by the people he worked with, whether it was Clark or QI employees. After being photographed by so many tabloids and newspapers, the world thought that they understood Oliver Queen, but they had no idea. In fact, they weren’t even close to understanding him.
Oliver looked across the table at Chloe, her face feeling more guilty by the second, and he realized that, while tonight was likely progress in a weird way, it was time to move the conversation in a different direction.
“Well, if you want to make it up to me,” Oliver started, as he risked going for the fries again, a grin slowly gracing his features, “I think we’re going to have to get some practice for the next couples bowling tourney.”
He knew to expect a reaction from Chloe, and he wasn’t disappointed by the narrowed eyes and raised eyebrow combination. But Oliver just shrugged, casually playing up the conversation change, trying to get her to smile again. “What? You were shooting gutters all night, and I’d be more than willing to give you tips.”
Chloe bit her tongue, holding back the laughter she wanted to let out. However, she couldn’t hold back the grin anymore, which help dissipate the nerves she had been feeling before. But with that, Chloe noticed Oliver still eating her fries again, and that simply wouldn’t do. So she hit his hand again, taking them back happily. “You’re impossible.”
Oliver’s grin widened upon seeing Chloe’s mood lightening up, “Yeah, but you’re still stuck with me.”
serafina19Title: Metroville
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Pleasantville-meets-Chlollie, only instead of an old television repairman... it's Zatanna who gives Chloe and Oliver the two-toned treatment in order for them to realize their budding feelings for each other. Based on a Chlollieween prompt by
yhrcmg.Timeline: Season 8 AU starting after Hex, samples events from Odyssey.
Thanks to:
alxnhnt22 for the banner.Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4
Part 5
Walking out of the movie theatre, Oliver and Chloe quickly took their leave from the very content couple that was Clark and Lois. The town was small, so they knew they wouldn’t be alone for long, but after awhile, space was golden.
At least, it was a beautiful night, not that Oliver or Chloe had seen otherwise. It also helped that they didn’t have to really look over their shoulders as they walked around. The only worry was their word choice, as the last thing they wanted was to draw suspicion, but otherwise they could act more or less naturally.
Turning the corner, and knowing that Lois and Clark were out of earshot, Oliver broke the silence as he brought his arm back to his side. He had to admit that he didn’t mind draping it around Chloe’s shoulders, but more than anything, he wanted her to be comfortable. “Well... that wasn’t a complete disaster.”
Chloe nodded. “I admit, I expected worse.”
The entire time Lois had been hounding Chloe to relax and what not, so when Chloe finally relaxed on her cousin’s terms, Lois backed off. The double date was a little awkward initially, but as time went on, Chloe and Oliver both caught on, and had to admit, she did have fun.
It started at the bowling alley, a quick game where Oliver bailed Chloe out in the couples match-up. She sat back with Clark as Oliver and Lois competed, just like clockwork. That gave Chloe her first real chance to talk with Clark alone. He was the same, as his personality worked perfectly here, but it was killing Chloe to ask him if he could do anything special. She held back, for now, but what bothered her during that time was actually Oliver.
He kept looking back every couple of minutes, giving her a slight smile, acting like everything was okay. It wasn’t like Jimmy, or any guy in her life who assumed a jealous stance when it came to Clark, because Oliver and her were just friends. But it still felt like he was looking after her, making sure Clark wouldn’t hurt her, even here. She was a big girl, long over the silly crush she had, and actually quite happy for Clark and Lois here. Why couldn’t he see that?
Chloe was able to push those feelings aside as they continued walking, but Oliver had caught the souring expression. Something was wrong, and he wasn’t about to finish the night like this. He looked up and noticed the Kent’s soda shoppe coming up, and figured, if nothing else, a little sugar would pick up her mood. “Want a milkshake?”
Chloe smiled, remembering the fun times they’ve had there so far, but she shook her head. “Ollie, you don’t have to.”
“Okay,” Oliver said as he grabbed her hand, waited a second, and then walked her towards the soda shoppe. “Now I’m doing it anyway.”
She could have just said no, and Oliver would have kept walking, with no problem. If she didn’t want to talk about it, Oliver would respect her privacy. But Chloe had this tendency that no one had to do anything for her, and it absolutely baffled Oliver that she didn’t think that she deserved more.
Chloe soon picked up her pace, showing Oliver that he didn’t have to drag her there; Lois did that enough. Besides, seeing the Kents like this was really nice.
The bell on the door chimed as always, but the place was relatively empty, unlike most of the times they had visited it in the past. Granted, it was getting kind of late.
Martha Kent said hello as they came inside. “How was the movie?”
“Not bad,” Chloe lied, as the movie wasn’t exactly her taste. “But the highlight was watching Lois and Oliver go at it at the bowling alley.”
“Some things never change I see?”
“I can’t help it if she keeps score,” Oliver rationalized, as apparently Lois and him had been pretty competitive, even as kids in this town.
Martha laughed before she remarked, “You both keep score, trust me Oliver.”
He shrugged, as he could only provide what he knew. It wouldn’t surprise him in the slightest if he matched Lois’ competitive streak. “Well, we’ll have two chocolate milkshakes when you have a minute.”
“And some fries,” Chloe added just as Martha was turning away. She got off her stool to head towards their booth when she noticed Oliver’s expression. “What? I’m hungry.”
Oliver just grinned as he followed behind Chloe. They got caught up in conversation for a couple minutes before Jonathan Kent brought out their food, getting the quick recap for himself. But as he was leaving, Oliver dared to steal the first fry, which didn’t sit well with Chloe as she slapped his hand, causing him to drop it.
“I paid,” Oliver said.
Chloe countered as she picked up the fry for herself, “I ordered,” happily depositing the fry into her mouth.
Glad to see her spirits up, Oliver asked, “So how was it talking to Clark?”
He knew that they hadn’t exactly had a chance to talk, and honestly, he wanted to see Chloe’s reactions to the slight differences in Clark. There wasn’t much, except the switcheroo in best friend land, something that still boggled Oliver’s mind, but he didn’t exactly tell Chloe that was the case. Chloe definitely had a harder time getting adjusted to the world, and him filling in the blanks wouldn’t help her. She needed context, which is something Oliver couldn’t give. Besides, he didn’t want to expose the fact that Clark was overbearing to him instead of her, Oliver just figured that he’d let her enjoy the freedom.
But when he saw Chloe’s expression fall, Oliver knew he had done something wrong.
Initially, Chloe had bit her tongue after the question, but she managed to sound rather calm when she said, “Cut the crap Ollie and ask what you really want to.”
“I was genuinely wondering how it was for you to talk with alt-Clark,” Oliver immediately replied, not sure where this came from. And then it hit him.
During the bowling game, Oliver would look back at them, glad to see a positive interaction between the two. Since Chloe came back from Black Creek, there was almost constant animosity between the two friends. He knew he had been caught a couple times, as Chloe met his eyes on more than one occasion, but Oliver never figured she’d pick up an actual motive behind it.
So he met her eyes and asked, “What should I be asking?” knowing there was definitely a reason for that comment.
Except now Chloe felt a little guilty. She had overreacted to the whole thing, and now it had backfired in her face. She felt her face warm up as she sipped her milkshake quietly. “Nothing.”
It wasn’t nothing, but with that single word, Oliver was able to put together the pieces. Reaching out, Oliver placed his fingertips over her hand on the table. “Whatever there might still be with you and Clark, and I’m not even saying there is something, but I don’t think there is... it’s none of my business.”
“I know,” Chloe replied, but for some reason it felt good to hear it from someone else, instead of her words always being questioned. “You’re my friend, and you... get what’s going on in my life.” Realizing that Oliver knew that, she rolled her eyes, but as she looked up, she noticed the intense look in his eyes. Chloe realized that this wasn’t exactly the time for this conversation, but while there were no distractions, she wanted to get this off her chest.
“I’ve been thinking with this whole thing, and... I’m wondering of whether I ever explained it... Clark, you guys, my life, properly to Jimmy.” Her screwed up social life was no secret, and it was being shoved down her throat via her cousin. Something told Chloe that if Zatanna ever met Lois, they would get along quite well. Or constantly argue, Chloe wasn’t really sure of the difference.
But Chloe had tried, even considered getting married, except to this day, she doubted where her and Jimmy really stood. “Is it true? That he looked for me?”
Chloe didn’t have to elaborate, as Oliver knew she was relating to her disappearance at Black Creek. “Yeah,” he replied honestly, but not with optimism. “But he gave up on you.” Oliver didn’t like saying it, but he really thought Chloe had moved forward from that. “I liked Jimmy, but no offence, that alone shows that your relationship had an expiration date.”
Again, not the brightest thing to say, but that wasn’t what Chloe needed to hear. It had been months since she had come back, and Oliver looked at her, realizing that fallout might have been a contributing factor to her reclusiveness. Granted, Oliver never expected the words she’d say next.
“Except I thought about saying yes.”
He had an idea of what that meant, but Oliver’s mouth gaped open initially, before double-checking. “To what?”
Chloe couldn’t believe it, Oliver looked dumbfounded over something she thought was obvious. “Jimmy proposed.”
It was the answer Oliver expected, but he wasn’t expecting that turn in the conversation. Oliver was still fairly new in town, but from the sounds of things, Chloe and Jimmy were shaky at best. From what he saw, the foundation clearly had cracks, but Oliver was the last person to suggest to someone what they should do with their social life, considering his stellar past.
For now, all he could ask was, “When?”
“Right before Black Creek, literally.” She narrowed her eyes before adding, “He never said...?”
Oliver shook his head. Sure, he wasn’t exactly tight with Chloe’s ex, but he figured a development like this would have been mentioned at some point. “I had no idea.”
Chloe could understand that, after all, she never mentioned it either. All this time, Chloe figured that people were just trying to be nice about the whole thing, when in fact, no one had a clue. “He never got an answer from me because I was being dragged away from the Department of Domestic Security... or so I thought.”
Dipping her fry into the ketchup, she stared at the consequence and then dropped it down. It was twisted, but all she could see was blood. The memory of how Clark almost died, and suddenly, Chloe couldn’t help. “I don’t what it is about my life. The moment I think I have it all figured out, the world reminds me otherwise.”
Suddenly feeling less hungry, Chloe pushed the fries further from her. “The worst part is... once I see it, I wonder how I didn’t see it before.” She let out a sigh as she slouched down at her seat in the booth. “You’re right, Jimmy and I... it probably would have gotten worse if we’d seen it through but I was too blinded by the normalcy he gave me to realize that.”
“Then you...” Chloe added as she pointed at Oliver, but she scoffed soon after, not really sure where she was going with that comment, so she switched directions, “I don’t know why you even bother giving me Watchtower.”
“Just stop right there,” Oliver said plainly. Manoeuvring his fingers to grab her hand, Oliver pulled Chloe up, so she sat upright in her seat. He could see the surprise in Chloe’s eyes as he moved her, but Oliver wanted to say this to her face, to remind her of their situation. “Zatanna said from the start that we both need to learn something, so how much do you want to bet that it’s the same thing?”
They were in this together, and sure, between the two of them, there was plenty of baggage, but there was no need to go down this road anymore. He could see that he had Chloe’s attention now, so Oliver added, “So stop blaming yourself for things you can’t change anymore.”
Chloe took in what he said, knowing how right he probably was, but for some reason, she couldn’t quite do what he asked right away. “She could just be trying to be nice by giving me company.”
Oliver rolled his eyes, not caring if Chloe saw it. “Nah, I doubt that.” His hand still encased in hers, Oliver squeezed it gently, trying to reassure her that, “Your life isn’t as messed up as you claim it to be. Having problems is what makes us human, normal even.”
That got Chloe to take her turn to roll her eyes. “Oh come on Ollie, what could possibly be wrong with your life?”
With a scoff, Oliver replied with another question. “You’re not seriously asking that are you?”
That was all Chloe needed to see how off she was right now. All Oliver was trying to do was cheer her up, and she responds by giving him an ignorant comment. So she replies with a convincing, “No.”
She sees Oliver opening his mouth to say something, but she cuts him off by adding, “That comment was uncalled for. I’m sorry.”
Of all people, Chloe knew exactly all of the problems Oliver faced. Losing his parents at a young age, being painted as a person he wasn’t, and often being underestimated by the people he worked with, whether it was Clark or QI employees. After being photographed by so many tabloids and newspapers, the world thought that they understood Oliver Queen, but they had no idea. In fact, they weren’t even close to understanding him.
Oliver looked across the table at Chloe, her face feeling more guilty by the second, and he realized that, while tonight was likely progress in a weird way, it was time to move the conversation in a different direction.
“Well, if you want to make it up to me,” Oliver started, as he risked going for the fries again, a grin slowly gracing his features, “I think we’re going to have to get some practice for the next couples bowling tourney.”
He knew to expect a reaction from Chloe, and he wasn’t disappointed by the narrowed eyes and raised eyebrow combination. But Oliver just shrugged, casually playing up the conversation change, trying to get her to smile again. “What? You were shooting gutters all night, and I’d be more than willing to give you tips.”
Chloe bit her tongue, holding back the laughter she wanted to let out. However, she couldn’t hold back the grin anymore, which help dissipate the nerves she had been feeling before. But with that, Chloe noticed Oliver still eating her fries again, and that simply wouldn’t do. So she hit his hand again, taking them back happily. “You’re impossible.”
Oliver’s grin widened upon seeing Chloe’s mood lightening up, “Yeah, but you’re still stuck with me.”
~0~
Chloe had tried every excuse in the book for why dresses weren’t working. It felt wrong to be doing this, to buy something for an event she wasn’t even going to. That is, if the world worked in her favour, which Chloe wasn’t one hundred percent sure would happen. After all, anything goes in Zatanna’s world.
At this point, she was just tired of trying on dresses, but Lois insisted after she found hers on the first try. “Lois, I look ridiculous.” What was also ridiculous was that Chloe was pretty sure that they’d run out of dresses soon. The store wasn’t that big. The consolation was that at least they wouldn't be leaving empty-handed. Lois had picked out an ensemble for her date with Oliver that Chloe didn't hate, so that was taken care of. But the fall formal dress felt like a lost cause.
Lois dragged Chloe out of the small changing room so she could see her better. “You look just fine. This is the fashion that going around these days.”
“Says who?” Chloe fired back, wondering how trends would be determined in a place like this.
Lois thought about it for a minute, but then she started laughing. “You know what? I have no idea.” She soon caught her composure and looked at her cousin again. “I can’t believe I’m going to say this... but you’re right.”
The dress didn’t fit her right at all, and Lois knew that the next size up or down wasn’t going to cut it. In fact, none of the dresses had that ‘it’ factor that would match her cousin’s personality and beauty. Even though Lois was hoping not to admit it to Chloe, none of the dresses had been right so far.
Surprised by her cousin’s admission and sudden silence, Chloe narrowed her eyes at Lois to give her a questioning look. “I am?”
Lois nodded as she turned her head back towards the store. There was a dress at the front window that much more her cousin’s style. It was a little out of her budget, but if it would better Chloe’s attitude, Lois could always talk to her boyfriend for the extra cash. After all, he'd be by to pick Chloe up any minute for their date anyway.
With a grin, Lois took a step back, “Oh yeah, I’ve got just the dress this time." Oliver was going to flip when he saw Chloe in this dress, Lois was sure of it.
Part 6