Switching Places Chapter (3/5)

Banner By: Kyra_and_Co

Chapter Two: The Switch

Chapter 3
‘The Dupe’



Oliver was angry. No scratch that, he was pissed. It was late afternoon and he’d spent the last three and a half hours attempting to gain some semblance of control over Clark’s powers. Instead, he’d crushed two of Watchtower’s monitors, broke the bathroom sink, and almost incinerated his girlfriend…twice.

Clark stood towards the corner, scowl on his face and Oliver couldn’t ever remember his own reflection looking so unattractive before. “Focus Oliver, it isn’t that hard!” He glared at the other man in the room, sarcasm dripping from his voice. “Says the alien who has lived with these powers since he was a teenager!”

Chloe closed her eyes briefly and counted to ten. The past few hours all the two of them were doing was fighting and it was driving her nuts. She could hear them starting up again and finally she turned, and shouted catching not only them off guard, but Emil too.

“Would the two of you cut it out! You’re acting like two five year olds and it’s starting to grate on my nerves.” She motioned to Oliver. “All you’ve done since you came here is complain and Clark all you’ve done is judge. You seem to forget what it was like when you started developing these powers one at a time and didn’t know how to use them.”

She placed a hand on the computer console and took a deep breath to calm her voice. “The two of you are driving me crazy…how are Emil and I supposed to work on creating a cure to the biochemical agent we found when I can barely hear myself think?”

They glanced at each other before their eyes shifted back to her looking properly chastised. Oliver walked towards her reaching out to caress her face and was startled when she slapped his hand away. A look of hurt crossed his face as he spoke, “What was that for?”

She poked him, “Stop trying to touch me while you’re in his body…its weird the two of you need to control the urge to reach out and touch us…think of this as show and tell. You can look, but don’t touch.” She glanced at a smirking Clark and pointed at him.

“The same goes for you. It’s completely unnerving watching Oliver touch my cousin even if it’s not really him doing it.” Clark made a face but nodded. “Noted.” Chloe shifted and bent down to grab a print out, her skirt tightening over her ass as she did so and when she stood back up Oliver’s eyes were on her, a hint of red glowing in the background as he ran a tongue over his lips.

Her eyes widened as he cringed and then she yelped shifting out of the way as a stream of fire took out another monitor. He closed his eyes and swore taking a few minutes to calm down before opening them again. Chloe was laying on the floor glancing up at him in disbelief.

She wasn’t sure whether to be angry or completely flattered. That was the fourth time his heat vision had gone berserk since he’d gotten there a little over there hours ago. He held out a hand for her and she took it as he pulled her up, she spoke eyebrow raised.

“What exactly turned you on the time…really Oliver…” He sighed and looked down, “I’m sorry…but it’s not my fault, it’s yours…thank god I don’t usually have superpowers or I’d be burning down Watchtower every time we’re in the same room together.”

Her face softened at his admission and she grinned, her voice light. “Even though that sounds entirely too creepy coming from Clark’s mouth it’s still one of the sweetest things you’ve ever said to me.” He grinned and winked at her before heading back towards Clark.

She watched as they started practicing again before spinning on her heel and turning towards Emil. He smiled at her and she returned it before motioning to the microscope and slides. “So, what’s the damage? Do we know what we’re dealing with yet?”

Emil shook his head. “Not entirely. I mean we know what it does…or what it was created to do, but we don’t know why or who made it. But more importantly we don’t know how it was made. There seems to be a unique quality to the formula and I can’t figure it out, which means I need the original antidote…the one that was created with the gas.”

Chloe frowned slightly. “How do we know there was an antidote created?” Emil shrugged as he started to pack away some of his things. “That’s just how things are done. When you create a new formula, virus, chemical toxin etc. there’s always an accompanying antidote for the ‘just in case’ scenario.”

She nodded and moved over to the computer. She brought up one of the windows and started typing as she spoke. “So basically we just need to find the person who created the gas and my guess is it’s whoever was running that old 33.1 lab. I’ll look into it and see if I can find the person responsible so I can have the bobsy twins over there grab the antidote.”

Emil laughed lightly and nodded. “Sounds good, keep me informed of your progress.” She nodded as he grabbed the last of his things and headed towards the double doors. He stopped on his way saying goodbye to Oliver and Clark before disappearing out into the hallway.

Chloe pulled out her phone and pressed Lois’s speed dial number before lifting the phone and balancing it between her ear and shoulder so she could keep typing. The line picked up, the sound of rustling coming through the phone before Lois spoke.

“Hey cuz, are Tweetle Dee and Tweetle Dumb with you? Cause I can’t find my imposter Clark anywhere. He disappeared and never came back.” Chloe smirked letting out a low chuckle.

“Yeah, they’re with me. Emil and I were able to sort of figure out what happened last night…Oliver was out on patrol and he was sprayed with this weird gas…when he came by I was giving Clark some intel for that new article you two are working on and I think somehow the gas rubbed off on Clark.”

Chloe was pretty sure the story was believable, by now she was a master at covering for Clark when it came to hero type problems. Lois frowned as she leaned back in her seat, propping her heeled feet up on her desk.

“So what, your saying this gas caused them to switch bodies? Is that even possible?” Chloe shrugged as she glanced at the log from last night’s recon gone wrong mission, while continuing her conversation with Lois. “I think after everything we’ve seen we can’t really rule anything out. Plus there’s no other explanation…the last thing Ollie did before he went to bed was patrol.”

Lois smirked as she twirled a pen in her hands, “You sure about that cuz? 'Cause I’m pretty sure the last thing he did before he went to bed was short and blonde.” Chloe flushed and cleared her throat. “Now really isn’t a good time to discuss that Lois…”

The brunette rolled her eyes, “Please if it was up to you it would be something we never talked about…just tell me one thing…Ollie and I never really got to the main event while we were seeing each other…so, is sex with Oliver Queen really all it’s cracked up to be?”

“Lois!” Chloe’s face brightened before speaking softly, “Yes, okay now I have to go…” Lois dropped her feet to the floor and spoke quickly. “Wait! I need you to send Clark here…well Oliver…We have an event to cover for the Planet that I couldn’t get us out of…”

She sighed, “Okay, I’ll send him over…good bye Lois.” She hung up the phone without waiting for a reply when there was a loud grunt and a boom that shook the room. She turned in Clark and Oliver’s direction startled and arched an eyebrow.

Clark looked confused as he stared at his body on the ground. “How did I knock you down?” Oliver turned away from Chloe and glanced at Clark with a smirk. “I just figured out how to use your super hearing…I was distracted.”

He turned back to Chloe and winked, his amused voice traveling over to her. “Good to know I measure up to the standards Sidekick…” She closed her eyes and shook her head in embarrassment. It figured he’d learn how to use the super hearing in the middle of that conversation.

Clark snorted. “You two are ridiculous…can we get on with this already?” Chloe’s eyes flew open and she pointed to Oliver. “No time…you need to get back to the Planet. Apparently Clark and Lois have some kind of event to cover and she couldn’t reschedule.”

Clark’s eyes widened, a hint of panic in his voice, “Oh god…the couple’s game show…it’s a promotional event for some new company and since Lois and I are together they paid for us to go and compete.” Oliver rolled his eyes from the ground. “That’s one of the stupidest things I’ve ever heard…I’m not going.”

Clark glared at the man in front of him as he pushed himself into a standing position and wiped the dust off his suit. Clark clenched his teeth as he spoke. “You have to go. Some of us don’t own our own companies Oliver…if I don’t show up not only will it make Lois look bad, but I could get fired!”

Chloe rested her arms over her chest and nodded. “He’s right Ollie, you need to go.” He pouted slightly and sighed. “Fine…but what about my conference call with my VP from China? I doubt Clark is up on his Mandarin…”

Clark shook his head, “Uh no, I’m not…just reschedule it.” Oliver glared at the man in his body, crossing his arms over his chest. “It doesn’t work that way Clark…this meeting is important. We’re merging with a company out there and I need to go over a few things with my VP out there before it happens.”

Clark opened his mouth, but Chloe cut him off. “Are you talking about the Sato Technology company?” Oliver glanced at his girlfriend and nodded. “Yes.” She moved away from the computers and towards them as she pursed her lips. “Has anything changed since the last time you told me about it?”

Oliver arched an eyebrow, “No…you were actually listening when I told you about the merger over Thai last week?” Chloe frowned. “You always listen to me when I talk, what would make you think you have any less of my attention when you talk to me?”

He shook his head and smiled. “Sorry…I know the business end of my job is boring…I mean even I get bored…I just…I’ve never had anyone who cared enough to listen I guess…” He trailed off scratching the back of his head sheepishly and the frown left Chloe’s face.

“Well…you do now.” She cleared her throat and glanced at Clark who was standing there watching them closely. “I’ll guide you through the meeting with his VP and the Sato Technology CEO…it’ll be fine. Now Ollie go…just run there, but don’t let anyone see you got it?”

He nodded and gave her a grin moving over to give her a kiss goodbye. She held a hand against his chest. “You keep forgetting…as long as you’re in that body ten foot distance at all times.” He frowned and then glared over his shoulder at Clark. “I hate you…seriously…this is all your fault.”

Clark’s eyes widened in indignation. “Are you kidding? I didn’t even want to go on the stupid recon mission…I told you there was nothing there, but no…you just had to check.” Oliver rolled his eyes. “Yeah 'cause that’s what we do…it’s not like Victor knew there weren’t people there…”

Clark grumbled as Chloe pressed a hand to her temple. She didn’t know how much longer she could handle their constant bickering. Before either one of them could say another thing she spoke loudly. “Goodbye Oliver…”

His shoulders deflated and he gave Clark one last glare before disappearing, a gust of wind filling the room behind him. Chloe moved back towards the computers as Clark made his way over to her. She could feel him behind her and her body automatically responded to the proximity of his body.

She frowned before turning slightly and pushing him back. “You need to keep your distance…I’m serious. I don’t want you anywhere near me while you’re in Oliver’s body…” Clark frowned, but took a few steps back. “Sorry.” She nodded and turned back towards the computer.

This was all kinds of bad, she really hoped Lois was faring better with Oliver than she was with Clark. She needed to find the person behind this and fast. Chloe let out a small sigh as her fingers flew across the keyboard. It was going to be a long day.


______

Lois glanced at Oliver as he sat in the chair to her left. Clark’s body had that nervous ‘I’m hiding something’ expression on his face and she sighed. She thought Clark was slightly skittish on a normal day, but now with Oliver riding shot gun in his body he was even worse.

You would think the man who hosted events for hundreds of people and graced the covers of several magazines and newspapers wouldn’t be so gun shy when getting up in front of a small crowd of people. But he looked like he was about to lose his lunch.

She tilted her head in his direction and hissed quietly, “Stop it…you look constipated or something. Just answer the questions…it’s not that hard.” He sent a light glare her way, jaw clenched. “It is a big deal when you don’t know the answers.”

She let out a frustrated noise. “We went over as many answers as we could! And come on we dated for a few months don’t you remember anything?”

He winced slightly and made a face. “Not exactly…what? It was years ago Lois! And I didn’t exactly expect a quiz…” She opened her mouth right as the man running the game came over to them with a bright smile. “Ready love birds?”

Lois gave him a tight smile and chuckled lightly, “As ready as we’ll ever be…” He gave them a toothy smile and winked. “Perfect!” He turned towards the small crowd gathered at tables in front of the stage and spoke into his microphone.

“Hello all! It’s time to begin round three! Our next couple has been together for a little over a year and work together at Metropolis’s most prestigious newspaper, The Daily Planet! Give a round of applauds for Lois Lane and Clark Kent!”

There was a loud round of applause as Oliver attempted smiled while going over the random facts Lois had told him about right before they were pulled on stage. The man’s voice pulled him from his thoughts.

“The first question goes to Clark, earlier today we asked you’re girlfriend if you were to describe her in two words, what would those words be…let’s see if she got them right.” Oliver let out a nervous laugh as he glanced at Lois.

He had a distinct feeling that his two words to describe Lois and Clark’s two words differed greatly. He cleared his throat, “Well if I have to pick only two words to describe Lois I’d say…Ambitious and protective?”

He gave her a sideways glance as the man spoke, “Oh…half a point to team Kent-Lane…the two words she said you’d use to describe her were protective and resourceful.”

Oliver swore to himself. Thirty minutes later Lois was glaring at him and most people in the room were a mixture of confused and amused by his answers.

So far out of the nineteen questions that were asked he’d only gotten six right and he could see the brunette next to him silently fuming. Clark was going to kill him. The sound of the host’s voice once again pulled him from his thoughts. “This is the last question of the day Mr. Kent…and hopefully this answer will be enough to get you out of the dog house with your girl…” The people sitting in front of the stage chuckled and Oliver grimaced.

“We asked your girlfriend when the first time you noticed her was, this is a twenty point question…take your time.” Oliver swallowed heavily. Clark would undoubtedly say something completely sappy that would make the entire crowd ‘aww’, and so he’d give it his best shot and go with something incredibly cheesy.

“Well I’d have to say that even though we didn’t get together right away, I noticed there was something different about Lois from the first moment I met her…and so I guess you can say I’ve always noticed her.” He gave her what looked to be an adoring smile and then as expected the women in the crowd melted.

Lois smirked and Oliver turned towards the guy with the question. He arched an eyebrow and spoke, “Well…what did she say?” The guy laughed as he read from the card. “Clark will most likely say something sappy like he’s always noticed me, but the truth is he didn’t know I existed until his ex left town.”

Oliver smirked at Lois and they chuckled slightly as the audience laughed. The guy turned around to face the people sitting at the tables as he concluded the event. Oliver leaned towards Lois, voice low. “Can we get the hell out of here now?”

She nodded. “I’m gonna go with yeah…” They stood as the organizer of the game show motioned for the guests to give them one last round of applauds before leaving the stage. They waved and when they walked down the back steps his hand on her arm, he spoke quietly, fake smile plastered on his face. “You owe me.”

She snorted. “Don’t bet on it…we need to get back to the Planet so I can try to explain to our editor why you can’t even answer simple questions about your supposed girlfriend…and speaking of girlfriend…what exactly is going on with you and my cousin?”

They made their way down the hall and to the front door of the hotel where the event was being held. Oliver groaned it was going to be a long night.

Chapter Four: The Conversation