Title : All we'd ever need
Pairing : Clark Kent/Oliver Queen
Genre : Angst, Romance
Rating : PG-13
Warning : m/m sex, slash
Summary : They broke up but sometimes, some decisions are just bad calls.
Disclaimer : I do not own the characters, I'm not doing it for profit or anything
Spoilers : None, still set in the Smallville universe, sort of an AR
Word Count : ~2100
A/N : I started writing this about a week ago when I was in the mood for something angsty, after my last fluff fic. It took me quite some time, I have to admit that all the Clois goodness on the show made it pretty hard for me to write Collie...am I the only one? This sort of started out as a songfic based on Lady Antebellum's All We'd Ever Need--which you should listen to, it's a great song--and then I took it from there. Anywho, hope you like it :)

His friends think he's moving on—which he is actually trying to do as a matter of fact. He goes on dates; Chloe even sets him up with some of her friends. But it never goes beyond the first date. The truth is he's not that strong.
It might be because Clark still stares at his photograph from time to time, the one he keeps in his wallet, or the ones he keeps in his apartment, scattered all around the floor of his bedroom. Or it might be because he still sleeps in the shirt he left. But nobody knows it but him.
Every day, he wipes his tears away as he thinks about him, as he sees pictures of him with a different woman at every important event. He might've been the one that left, but it hurt nonetheless; it hurt so bad he was afraid he would never move on.
In retrospect, Clark should've known better, it was his own damn fault if he fell for someone way out of his league, someone who didn't love him as much as Clark loved them. Which is why it is utterly pathetic how Clark is still so hung up on him, trying desperately to forget him when he obviously can't.

And here he is, waiting for him to do an interview, his heart beating so fast he regrets drinking coffee this morning. Lois offered assisting him, but he declined, saying he'd be able to do it, that he was over him, that he could be professional. Besides, the editor in chief specifically requested Clark to get the job done. Nevertheless, truth be told, Clark's scared to face him again, to be close to him, alone and defenseless.
The door suddenly opens, stirring him out of his thoughts, and here he is.

Oliver Queen.

He's nervous. It's been six months, but he still can't get Clark out of his mind. And nobody knows it but him. He hasn't seen Clark ever since they broke up, not that the idea never popped up in his head—it only did every single second of the last few months—and good Lord does Clark look good. In person. Because as handsome as Clark is in the many photographs of them together that he'd sworn he'd get rid of, it is nothing compared to the real thing.

"Hey ba—" Oliver stops himself just in time, his tongue almost betraying him and calling Clark 'baby' as it was used to, "Clark."

"Oliver," Clark nodded, barely bothering standing up to offer a handshake.

"What are you doing, Clark?" Oliver asks, glaring at the outstretched hand before him. Instead of shaking it, he goes for a hug but Clark backs away and quickly sits down to look at his notes. It breaks Oliver's heart a little bit more to see his former boyfriend acting so cold and…formal. Granted, they weren't in the best of terms at the moment, seeing how they hadn't spoken ever since the breakup but Oliver had hoped they were at least past these formalities. Damn handshakes.

"Listen, Clark, I wanted to talk to you—"

"Shall we get started?" Clark cuts him off loud and clear, almost as though to draw the attention of other people outside of the room. Right, the interview. Clark thinks this meeting is all about an interview Oliver's supposed to give about his company; when in actuality he requested this meeting just as an opportunity to see Clark. Their eyes finally meet as Clark looks up to him, the sunrays filtering through the curtains in the room turning the beautiful green eyes a different shade Oliver had never seen before, which is completely mesmerizing getting him lost in them. There are sparks flying all around, Oliver's heart speeding up dangerously as they hold still like this for a moment. Eventually, Clark turns his gaze away and clears his throat awkwardly.

"So, about Queen Industries' project regarding the transition of its facilities to more sustainable energies—"

"There's no interview, Clark," Oliver admits after taking a deep breath. He couldn't pretend for twenty minutes to give an interview he had absolutely no interest in just to be in Clark's presence. He wanted more, he wanted forever with Clark. Clark who is currently sending him death threats through his glares.

"Well then, if you don't mind, I have actual work to do."

He should have known. He's wasting his time here, so Clark gets up and moves to leave the office but Oliver grabs his arm gently, stopping him dead in his tracks and leaving them standing side by side.

"Wait, please," Oliver's voice is barely audible.

"What do you want, Oliver?"

"I…I just wanted to talk," Oliver replies, his hand still gripping Clark's arm, their shoulders barely brushing against one another as Clark feels Oliver shaking lightly beside him.

"You didn't have to trick me into this—"

"You wouldn't return any of my calls," Oliver interrupts harshly, his words cold and bitter.

Clark turns his head to his right but is taken aback by Oliver's hands cupping his face, Oliver's body pressing his against the nearby wall, Oliver's lips on his, Oliver's cologne invading his senses. He's taken aback by Oliver entirely.

He couldn't help himself. Clark was here, beautiful and free for the taking. He missed Clark, he missed this, and when they collide together, he is entirely sure of this, them. Unfortunately, as abruptly as he started it, Clark stops it.

"Oliver—"

"I'm in love with you," Oliver drops the bomb—it's not like he had anything else to lose now. His heart was already shattered, six months ago, in so many pieces it is impossible to fix it.

"Oliver," Clark tries again and takes a deep breath, "What the hell are you doing?"

"I'm telling you that I love you," Oliver replies, almost shuddering out of anxiety. He steps closer to Clark, taking his hands in his, caressing the soft skin with his thumbs. "I should've been chasing you, I was a fool to let you go."

"Ollie, I—"

"Give me another chance," Oliver's pleading now, his vision is getting blurry all of a sudden and he doesn't even try to hold back his tears. His hopes are rising up after hearing Clark calling him Ollie again. "I'm a mess without you, you're all I need."

"Oliver, why now?" Clark doesn't understand. So many nights he's prayed for Oliver to say those words and now that his prayers are answered, he can't believe it. He didn't break up with Oliver over nothing; he had his own reasons. And as far as he knows, his reasons back then are still reasons now.

"I realized that I should've said all those things long ago, I've kept them for me because I was afraid, it was new and going so fast—I was falling fast for you, it had never happened to me before so I wanted to be careful," Oliver explains, his voice fueled by despair and hope all at once.

"We're over, we have been over for half a year," Clark babbles nervously, trying not so subtly to turn the conversation to a different point and attempts to take back his hands, but Oliver holds on tight. He can't give up on Clark now, he let his defenses down, he can't go back on his words so he might as well go all the way through. He thinks about what to say next but Clark speaks up first: "You made it clear you didn't want to see or talk to me ever again."

"You dumped me Clark, I loved you but you dumped me anyway," Oliver wants to be angry, wants to yell his lungs out right now. Clark left him and he never even truly understood why his boyfriend had given up on him in the first place.

"How could I know when you never told me anything? How could I know I wasn't just a temporary fling?" Clark retorts and regrets immediately what comes out of his mouth.

"How can you even say that?" Oliver purses his lips, furrowing his brows and wiping his tears quickly. "You, of all people, should know that all the women, the hookups, it's all a façade! It's not me, but if you can't see that, well then, maybe I was wrong about you, Clark, and maybe this was a bad idea after all—" he nearly chokes on his words, knowing that he didn't mean the last ones, because he knows Clark is the one for him and it never even occurred to him that a life with Clark could be a bad idea. Before he knows it, Clark is embracing him, Clark's strong arms holding his shoulders and waist and pressing their bodies together, effectively interrupting his rant.

It kills him to see Oliver so vulnerable and seemingly on the verge of a breakdown, so it's not entirely Clark's fault if he can't resist taking the blond in his arms, running his hand through Oliver's soft hair and nuzzling up against his neck. He missed Oliver so much, this moment, right here and right now with him makes him want to forget the reasons why they broke up—why he broke up with Oliver.

But he just can't, can he? No, he can't do this. Sooner or later he's going to get his heart broken. He knows it, it was the first thought he had the first time he woke up in bed beside Oliver and watched him sleep. He doesn't want to see the day when Oliver realizes that he could do better than a mere reporter at the Daily Planet; that Clark isn't worth his time. Oliver is popular and could have his pick among the myriads of women—and men, for that matter—throwing themselves at him. It shouldn't be difficult to find someone better than him, it's simple statistics.

Nevertheless, he knows that he loves Oliver, and Oliver's right here in his arms, reciprocating his love. Clark wants to believe it's true, wants to believe he truly is whom Oliver wants. And perhaps this could be enough, him loving Oliver and Oliver loving him, perhaps this is all they'd ever need.

"I love you too, never stopped loving you, couldn't stop even if I wanted," Clark murmurs and feels Oliver melting in his arms, heaving a long sigh of what he guesses is relief, followed by muffled sobs. They stand here for God knows how long, and only when Clark looks up does he notice the many people gathered outside of the office watching them through the glass window. "Come on, people are watching us, let's go get coffee and maybe—"

"Come home with me, Clark," Oliver says, tightening his arms around Clark.

"Ollie, I can't, I'm literally at work right now and I'm supposed to be working," Clark says softly, so that people won't hear anymore than they already did about their personal lives. Oliver stepped back, not letting go of his hands and nodded, exhaling a long puff of breath.

"Right, so, uh, I'll talk to your boss and we'll figure something out, okay?" Oliver whispers, leaning his forehead against Clark's.

"Don't, I can't accept being favored over my colleagues like this, especially for personal reasons," Clark counters, and pulls away from Oliver. He needs time to think about all this, and work is the perfect distraction. "Maybe we can go grab some dinner tonight?" he offers instead.

"Of course," Oliver smiles briefly, "It's a date then."

"Uh, sure, I'll see you tonight then," Clark smiles back, guiding Oliver back to the door, his hand pressing gently against the blond's lower back. Before he leaves the room, Oliver turns around one last time to kiss Clark, and lets out a chuckle, a bright smile lightening up his features. He seems truly happy, as though finally at peace and it somehow spreads through Clark as well.

When Oliver's gone, Clark sits back and sighs, a little bit lost. He doesn't know if he can do this. But he wants it, wants Oliver. Lois doesn't let him one moment of respite and barges in the office, sitting down next to him and taking his hands in hers.

"Hey, Smallville, you alright?" she asks soothingly, and somehow, he's grateful to have her. "It seemed pretty intense."

"Yeah, I think so," Clark replies. He actually has no idea how he feels right now, it all happened so fast. But all things considered, he should get better from now on, with his life, with Oliver. They're going to get through this, they love each other and this time, it'll work. They will work. At least he damn well hopes it will, he just cannot stand having heartbreaks anymore.