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Chloe had been hearing rumors about this place for a while now, she had mostly started to notice the ads in the Ledger, that didn’t make much sense at all. As far as the general population knew, this was just some bar in the middle of nowhere, between Smallville and Grandville. But she always knew there was more to it.
When she was getting her oil change was when she really got a better idea of what this place was, two of the guys there, one of which seemed to have trouble walking, were talking about the fights they had seen and apparently been in the previous night. Apparently they had missed the first rule of fight club.
It had taken her a little more work to find the exact location, but she had managed. She parked as far back as she could since her bright red car didn’t exactly fit the crowd and thanks to the cold weather, she had enough layers to hopefully hide her recorder and camera well enough as she made her way inside.
The bar itself was nearly empty, but there were loud sounds coming from underground. Once she located the stairs and pushed her way through the masses, she managed to see the center of the room, where a massive guy seemed to be going after a much smaller one, but with her height, she was going to get a lot closer to make sense of what was happening.
He managed to dodge the guy’s fists more than once, but he’d gotten distracted by the crowd momentarily and the other man had gotten the advantage, sending a painful punch straight to his already-bruised ribcage. It was his second fight of the night, his eighth in a week. The punch sent him hard to the ground, momentarily knocking the wind out of him.
Just as she stepped up to the cage, the smaller guy hit the ground inches from where her feet now were. She stared down at him and there was something familiar about him, something that it only took her a second to pick up on. “Oliver?” She gasped, lowering herself to the ground as much as she could to take a better look at him.
He lifted his head at the sound of his name spoken from a familiar voice, stomach clenching when he caught sight of her. “Not a good time,” he told her, wondering what the hell she was doing there at all. He started to get up when the other man landed a hard kick to his back, dropping him down once again. Fuck that hurt.
Chloe winced, her eyes widening, “get out of there!” She urged him, looking up at the other man.
Except that wasn’t how the cage fight worked. He shook his head just a little, gritting his teeth and forcing himself to his feet. He eyed the other man, who was smirking at him, a little too cocky and self-satisfied. He moved quickly, landing a hard punch to the man’s stomach.
Before Chloe knew what she was doing, she was pushing her way through the crowd again, going around the room, trying to find the entrance before Oliver got himself killed.
“Your little girlfriend coming to try and rescue you from getting your ass kicked?” the man taunted, swinging at him again and missing.
“Might want to pay more attention,” Oliver answered, hitting him in the ribs, and watching as he hit the ground this time.
She stilled when the crowd roared, standing on her tiptoes to be able to see, momentarily relieved that Oliver seemed to be the one standing this time. She kept on walking, spotting a mostly empty but guarded area ahead, she knew that was where she needed to go.
When the other man got up this time, there was rage in his eyes and Oliver clenched his fists a little harder.
“You need to get him out of there,” Chloe said, grabbing the arm of a massive, bouncer looking man.
The man scoffed. “He’s got another minute and fifteen seconds,” he informed her before turning his attention back to the fight.
“He’s a minor,” she told him, stepping forward to get in front of him as much as she could, “do you have any idea what will happen to you guys if he dies in there?”
“Do you have any idea what will happen to him if I try and pull him out of there before his fight’s up? The crowd will finish him off.”
She stared up at the man, then at the crowd of drunk, angry men and her stomach dropped, one guy seemed better than a hundred plus. Swallowing hard, she turned to look at the fight again, he had about another minute left.
The bigger man he was fighting barrelled toward him and he barely managed to move out of the way, watching as the guy hit the side of the cage. Maybe if he could just avoid him for a few seconds...
Chloe held her breath when she saw the man starting toward Oliver again, the look on his face was one of the scariest things she’d ever seen.
He forced himself to take a deep breath, wincing as the man slammed him back against the cage, arm to Oliver’s throat. It wasn’t the first time he’d had that move used against him, but normally the guy was a little closer to his size.
She held onto the side of the cage, her eyes wide as she watched, “move, Oliver!” She called even if it was useless. She knew he couldn’t just stand there.
He gritted his teeth, but forced the rest of his body to relax, which went against every instinct he had. The second the man let up just a little, he shoved him forward hard, punching him in the jaw. He’d be in trouble for that later, but he knew chokeholds weren’t allowed, either. One dirty moved deserved a second as far as he was concerned. The buzzer went off loudly, and he let out a heavy breath.
She let out a breath too, relieved at the noise and as the bouncer guy she was talking to earlier reached to open the door for the cage.
“You’re gonna pay for that,” the other man muttered to Oliver as he shoved past him, wiping his bloody nose with the back of his hand.
Oliver didn’t answer, simply followed him out of the cage.
Chloe stepped up to his side the second he was out, “what the hell do you think you’re doing?” She asked, trying to be angry but mostly, she was terrified of what could have happened to him.
“What the hell are you doing here?” he demanded, his voice quiet as the crowd around them cheered.
“Nevermind that,” she said, hesitating before reaching for his arm, “you need to get to a hospital.”
“Hell no,” he said, looking at her like she’d lost her mind.
“Oliver, you're hurt!” She told him, “you could have internal injuries, you must have at least a broken bone.”
“Shhh,” he hissed, taking her by the arm and leading her out of the crowd and up the stairs.
She went with him, mostly because she was eager to get him out of there, but she didn’t stop when they reached the bar, she made her way outside instead, hoping the cold would clear his mind some.
“What are you doing here?” he asked, letting go of her as soon as they were out on the sidewalk.
“I came here for a story,” she said, her jaw tight, “found you instead.”
“Yeah, well, drop the idea, because doing a story on this could get you killed,” he said sharply, glaring at her.
“Oh so you have a problem with me getting killed?” She asked, arching her eyebrows, “but if you die, that’s okay, right?”
He rolled his eyes. “Yeah, that’s right,” he responded.
“Why the hell are you doing this, Oliver? Why would you get into something like that?”
“I don’t want to be featured in your story, but thanks anyway,” he told her, turning away from her.
Her eyes widened and she grabbed his arm once more, not caring if she hurt him this time, “you think I’m going to let you get back in there?”
“People don’t let me do things, Chloe. If I want to do something, I do it. Remember?”
“I’m not people, Oliver, and either I take you back to the mansion or I follow you back there. If you go back into the bar, the cops will be here in less than ten minutes.”
Despite his annoyance, some small part of him was relieved. His body ached and he wanted to shower and go to bed. He glared at her a moment longer, then looked away. ”Fine,” he bit out, pulling his arm out of her grasp and making his way toward his car.
Chloe watched him to make sure he was really heading to his car, then rushed to hers, even though her legs were much shorter and her car was parked farther away, she guessed she’d still get there before him, considering he seemed to be walking slowly, probably because he was in pain.
True to her word, when he glanced in the rearview mirror, he saw her following behind him in her car. And every time he looked, she was still there. He still wanted to know why she was so upset that he’d been there, considering how much she hated him. They hadn’t talked in, quite literally, weeks. Since Lionel had demoted her dad because of him.
The good thing about the Smallville roads at this time of the night was that there was no one around and considering she had no idea what he had taken that night, if anything, it was much safer this way.
It took a little over a half hour to reach the mansion and when they did, he parked his car in the driveway, climbing out and reaching into the backseat, quickly pulling his shirt on over his head, pausing when he saw her pull into the driveway and park right behind him.
She considered for a moment before getting out of the car, she had come this far anyway, might as well check on him once more, “think you can go in okay?” She asked as she approached him.
“I think I can manage,” he answered.
Chloe nodded, crossing her arms over her chest as she watched him, “are you sure you don’t need a doctor?”
“I don’t go to doctors,” he informed her, arching his eyebrows.
She rolled her eyes at that, “right so if you don’t show up at school tomorrow I should send you one instead.”
“Why would you do that?” Oliver challenged.
“Because you won’t go to one?” She frowned at his tone.
He smirked, shaking his head and shutting his car door. “Goodnight,” he said, turning and heading toward the front door.
“Hey Oliver?” She called, glaring at him.
He stopped, but didn’t turn around to face her.
“Don’t bother going back there.” She said when he stopped, then got back in her car and left quickly.
Oliver rolled his eyes at that, not turning to watch her go, just heading inside the mansion. She didn’t get to tell him what to do.
* * *
Two days later, Oliver made his way into biology class, barely paying attention to the teacher as he sat still beside Chloe, his jaw tight with tension. And just his luck, they were going to do a lab assignment, which meant he was actually going to have to talk to her. Great.
He got up from his seat, grabbing himself a pair of goggles. “So, you must be pretty proud of yourself, right, Nellie?”
She arched her eyebrows and glanced over at him, “I have no idea what you’re talking about,” she said after getting her own goggles. She figured he’d figure out it was her pretty quickly, but she saw no problems with giving him a hard time.
He snorted at that. “Sure you don’t. I mean, you’ve always struck me as being pretty ignorant,” he said sarcastically.
Chloe smirked and rolled her eyes at that, “I’d say I’m sorry to take away your entertainment, but I’m not.”
“What a shock,” he responded, lighting the Bunson burner at their table.
“Guess you’re gonna have to find another way to beat people up.”
“Guess so.” He poured one of the chemicals into another jar.
She reached for two others and mixed them together as the instructions said. “So why were you going there anyway?”
“That’s not really any of your business,” Oliver answered bluntly, not looking at her.
She rolled her eyes at that and shook her head, “you really can’t decide what you are, can you?”
“Maybe you’re just annoyed that I don’t fit into this neat little mental picture you have of me,” he told her.
“You definitely don’t,” she nodded, “I mean, how can someone who helps the school geeks against bullies be such a huge asshole?” She said, shaking her head in mock confusion.
Oliver paused at that, jaw tightening a little. “I don’t know. Maybe the same way a smart, pretty girl who’s caught the attention of more than one guy in this school pines after the only guy in school she doesn’t have a shot with?”
Chloe glared at him at that, then shook her head, her stomach clenching, “yep, I think your asshole column is winning by far.”
“Then maybe you should leave me the hell alone and butt out of my life,” he suggested, ignoring the guilt that was already tugging at him.
“It may be hard for someone like you to understand this, but the world does not revolve around you, Oliver. My life certainly doesn’t. Running into you is just an unfortunate side effect of living in a small town.” She whispered sharply.
“Oh, believe me. I know,” he answered, setting the jar atop the Bunson burner, not looking at her. “But don’t worry. I’ll be gone before you know it.”
Her eyes narrowed a little at that as she glanced at him, “is that your master plan, then? Get kicked out by Lionel?” She asked in fake amusement.
“Or cause him to have a stroke. Whichever comes first. Doesn’t really matter to me.” He shrugged.
“You really think he’s stupid enough not to be on to you?” Chloe shook her head, smirking a little, “I definitely gave you way too much credit.”
“I love it when people underestimate me,” he told her with a smirk of his own. “But that’s okay, because I gave you way too much credit, too. I guess that makes us even.”
“I guess we are.” She told him, reaching for the mix and pulling it off the fire when the timer went off.
He prepped the other jar in silence, setting it down in the middle of their lab table wordlessly. She took it without looking at him, mixing the contents slowly then reaching for the directions once more. Oliver took his goggles off and set them down on the table. Chloe sat back on her chair and waited as the mixture cooled down, focusing on her book to ignore him.
“This is the most boring lab yet,” he announced loudly, drawing the attention of most of the class.
She rolled her eyes and shook her head. “Obnoxious," she muttered loud enough for him to hear.
“I trust you’re finished with your project, Mr. Queen?” Mr. Fisher asked from the front of the class.
He smirked at Chloe’s muttered word and glanced at her sideways. “Hey, be sure and write an article about how I’ve lost my mind,” he said, reaching out and picking up the jar of chemicals before dumping it on his arm. “I think I am,” he answered Mr. Fisher.
“What are you doing?” She gasped, standing up to avoid the dripping liquid.
“Rising to the challenge,” he told her with a shrug, ignoring the burning sensation on his arm as several gasps rose through the class and Mr. Fisher quickly moved toward him. “I guess I should just be heading to the principal’s office now. Don’t worry, everybody. We’re on a first name basis,” he announced, setting the jar back down once more and heading for the door.
“After you go see the nurse,” Mr. Fisher said, his eyes wide as he followed Oliver out the door.
Chloe just stared, her eyes wide as she watched him go, shaking her head as she looked down at the lab table again in disbelief.
“Crazy,” someone muttered, receiving nods of agreement from many of the other class members.
“Pretending to be, anyway,” she muttered to herself, pursing her lips together. If he kept this up, he would get himself killed before Lionel kicked him out.
* * *
Chloe was still trying to figure out what Oliver was doing by the time she got back to the Torch after classes were done for the day. And why Lionel was putting up with him all this time. She knew if Lex had a say in it at all, Oliver would be long gone, so why did the elder Luthor want him around, besides to torture Lex?
Still lost in thought, she made her way into the office, pausing when she saw Lana, of all people standing there, “Lana, hey,” she greeted, frowning a little in surprise.
She rose to her feet, looking at Chloe with concern. “Hi. I heard what happened in biology, so I stopped by to make sure you were okay.”
“Who needs a newspaper when word travels that fast in this school, right?” She said with an awkward smile, “yeah, I’m fine, he managed to only get it on himself,” she nodded as she set her things down on her desk.
“Well, I’m glad you’re okay.” She looked down for a moment. “The new talk is that he’s lost his mind.”
“Yeah, that’s what he wants people to believe,” Chloe said, rolling her eyes.
“But you don’t think so?” she asked, glancing up at her.
“I know so,” she told Lana, sighing a little, “he’s trying to get Lionel to kick him out.”
“Oh.” She winced at that. “Well, Lionel’s never really seemed to be the most...warm parental figure,” she said carefully.
“No,” she agreed, pursing her lips together, “which makes me wonder why he’s putting up with Oliver. Obviously it’s not because he cares.”
Lana frowned. “You think he’s keeping Oliver around to...what, then? I mean, it’s not like the Luthors need his money.”
Chloe considered that for a moment, “not the money,” she frowned, “but Queen Industries owns half of California... LuthorCorp doesn’t have much on the West coast.”
She cocked her head to the side. “So you think he wants Oliver’s parents’ company?”
“I hadn’t thought about it...” she admitted, “but it makes sense.”
Lana frowned deeply. “So basically no matter what Oliver does, as long as Lionel wants Queen Industries, he’s stuck here.”
“If this theory is right,” Chloe nodded, chewing inside her mouth as she considered it.
“Poor Oliver,” she murmured, looking sad.
“Well, he’s still an idiot,” she told Lana, then moved to sit down on the couch, “but his life does suck.”
“I agree, he’s not acting very smart, but...” She looked at Chloe. “He has to be incredibly lonely.”
“I know,” Chloe said, shaking her head a little, “but he’s not even trying to fix that.”
“Maybe he doesn’t know how.”
“He seemed like he did though,” she said, sitting up, “I mean, we were hanging out... before. He was fine then.”
“So what changed?” Lana shook her head a little.
Chloe remained quiet for a moment, her face falling a little, “I got mad at him, because of everything that happened with my dad. I guess we didn’t talk after that.” Not until the day she found him in the cage fight, but Lana didn’t need to know about that.
“Oh.” Her face fell a little, too. “Well, he could have tried to make other friends.”
“Yeah,” she agreed, taking a deep breath, “I mean, the other cheerleaders don’t seem to hate him.”
“No, but...most of them are pretty shallow. They probably want to hang out with him because they think he’ll buy them things.” She paused. “And let’s face it, he’s not exactly hard on the eyes.”
She glanced at Lana, her stomach dropping a little at that as she ignored her last comment, “I guess that’s not exactly the type of friends he needs.”
Lana smiled sadly and moved to sit down on the sofa beside her. “No, not really,” she agreed. “But it’s kind of concerning that he’s doing things like dumping chemicals on himself in the middle of class and not seeming to care about it at all.”
“I know,” Chloe agreed, nodding a little, “and picking fights and not caring if he’s getting hurt.”
“It’s a bad combination,” she said quietly. “Do you think he’d ever consider doing something worse?”
“I have no idea,” she said, knowing the answer, “I also don’t know how to help. I mean, he can’t stand me.”
Lana drew in a deep breath, then reluctantly rose to her feet. “I guess there’s really nothing we can do.”
Chloe frowned at that, looking up at Lana, “maybe you could talk to him,” even as she suggested it, her stomach clenched at the thought of Lana being anywhere near Oliver.
“Oh, Chloe, I don’t know.” Her eyes were wide. “I mean, I’ve barely spoken two words to the guy the entire time he’s been here. I mean, if you can’t talk to him, maybe he’s just...” She shook her head a little.
“He’s just what?” She asked, frowning.
“A lost cause,” she admitted sadly, heading for the door.
Chloe stared after Lana, still frowning. She believed Oliver was a complete idiot, but he was also lonely and by the looks of it, completely desperate. But she didn’t believe he was a lost cause at all.