AN: I absolutely love movies from the eighties/ninties, and I watched The Goonies for the first time yesterday. While I was watching it all I could think of was adorable little Ellis going on an adventure with all his L4D buddies. [Also, I went through the whole movie not noticing what "One Eyed Willy" was implying. I only thought "Oh, he's a pirate with one eye". No. Not the case.] So, seeing as I had no internet where I was at [or a computer], I typed this all up on my iPod in about a day. While this is the first fic I've posted, it's not the first one I've written.
Warnings: Age Change, Slightly AU, Posible Shonen Ai in Future [all very fluffy stuff], Rating may go up to T [but you have to be seventeen to but L4D/L4D2, soooo...]
Disclaimer: I do not own Left 4 Dead and in no way am I profiting from this or intending to slander Valve's good name.
Ellis stared out the recently cleaned windows of his mother's car, lighly kicking his tiny work boots. He watched as the smaller one story houses turned into more elaborate two and three story houses. Ellis' eyes lit up, his mouth split into a huge grin, exposing the gaps between his little teeth. It was summer vacation for nine year old Ellis, and his mom was taking him to see his friend Rochelle. Well, she was going to see her friend from high school who just happened to have a doughter that was friends with Ellis. They stayed at their house for a few weeks in the summer each year, because as a single mom, Ellis' mom needed a break now and again.
Ellis was always happy to see Rochelle, not that he didn't see her at school, she just didn't really pay him any mind. She was ten, and hung out with other ten year olds.
Like Zoey, who was always with eleven year old Louis and twelve year old Francis. Louis was shy, and hadn't many friends his own age, so he had found a friend in the ever social Zoey. Francis, on the other hand, was a bully who only started hanging out with Zoey after a failed attempt to steal Louis' lunch money. He ended up collapsed on the ground, holding his aching groin while she kicked him in the side yelling at him for being a "stupid meany face". He never messed with Louis again. Not physically, anyway.
When the car had parked in front of a light purple two story house Ellis bolted out to see his friend. He slowed to a stop a few feet in front of her when he noticed she wasn't as excited to see him. In fact, she looked like she was on the brink of tears. Her eyes were glassy and had pink edges, her hair was in many small braids with colorful beads but seemed dull. She had her arms crossed and was staring down at her pink sandals. Ellis' mom walked over to Rochelle's and hugged her tightly, the later returning it thankfuly. They walked in the house in scilence while Ellis grabbed his rolling Spider Man suit case and Rochelle remained in her place on the porch. He pulled the suit case behind him untill he stood on the step in front of her, unsure as to why it was so tense in the house, but knowing his friend was upset. He hugged her tightly, much like his mother had just done moments before, but Rochelle wriggled and pushed out of his embrace. Ellis was shocked and a little hurt, but just picked up his suitcase and tugged it inside after Rochelle.
The next day, Ellis and Rochelle were out side. Ellis was kicking a soft colorful ball against the wall of the house, Rochelle was playing with a plastic doll house that folded out. At this point, Ellis had noticed Rochelle's dad wasn't in the house and had decided not to say anything, as he had been through the same thing. They both looked up as a car roared by at ridiculas speeds, shortly fallowed by two large moving trucks. The car pulled into a driveway to a white three story house as a man in a brown suit pulled a 'FOR SALE' sign out of the lawn. Ellis looked over at Rochelle who was still staring at the car with dull, uninterested eyes.
"Hey." Rochelle turned slightly to look at Ellis. "Ya' wanna go check it out, Ro?"
"...No, El. I think I'll stay."
"...I'll give you a ride in the Jimmy Gibbs Jr Jr."
"...Okay."
Ellis smiled brightly, he grabbed a plastic blue wagon covered in stickers with "Jimmy Gibbs Jr Jr" written on the side in sharpie. He opened the little plastic door and bowed in a gentlemanly manner. Rochelle giggled and stepped into the wagon, yelling to her mom to let her know they were going. Ellis trotted ahead, pulling the Jimmy Gibbs Jr Jr and Rochelle at a slow pace. She tucked a loose braid behind her ear with a small smile. She hoped these next few weeks would last forever, that she would never have to move.
About a week ago, Rochelle's father told her and her mother that he was leaving them for another woman. A younger woman, but not a more beautiful woman. In fact, Rochelle thought she resembled a bull frog. She hated him for leaving them for that bull frog of a woman, but hated him more for making them have to move. Without his income there was almost no way they could afford to keep living there. Sure, there would be child support, but that would never cover it. Rochelle would have to leave the park and the tree house and and her friends. She'd have to leave Ellis and Zoey and everyone, and she hated him most for that.
But she pushed those thoughts from her mind as they aproached the white house. Ellis looked both ways about a thousand times before racing across, even though there weren't any cars. In the front lawn a grown man in a white suit was talking casually with a young woman, next to the man stood a young boy. He was well dressed in black pants and a blue dress shirt, a black vest over top. His black hair hung loose, extending just past his jaw. Ellis and Rochelle couldn't help but look slightly shocked by how professional the two looked for a move. The boy glanced their way before turning fully and jogging toward them.
"Hey, what do you two think you're doing? You think you ownthe place? Huh? Do you? Get outta here before you try and put plastic flamingos in my lawn." The boy snarled, his face scrounched up in disgust. Clearly recognizing Ellis' financial situation by his patched overalls, the staps pushed off his shoulders, and his faded yellow shirt.
Rochelle stood up in the Jimmy Gibbs Jr Jr, anger clear in her face. "Who do you think you are? We have just as much right to the sidewalk as everyone!" At this, the boy smirked and pointed to their feet. Ellis and Rochelle both looked to see Ellis' feet were in the lawn, allong with the Jimmy Gibbs Jr Jr's front tires. Ellis mumbled an 'Oops' as he pushed them both back, making sure Rochelle had been seated again first.
"Well, Sorry to bother ya. We was just tryin' to make friends." Ellis said as he began turning the wagon around. "We'll be leavin' ya be now."
The boy raised a brow at this. "Really now, Overalls?"
Rochelle seemed to be the only one to notice, or at least care about, the nick name. Ellis continued on. "Yup. We thought we'd make nice with the nieghbor, but it seems you don't wanna make nice."
"You'll never make friends 'round here with an attitude like that." Rochelle spat as she flipped her hair off her shoulder, Ellis taking that as their cue to leave. They had barely made it past the boy's house when they heard him behind them, calling out for them to wait up.
When he cought up he gave them a gamblers smile, green eyes gleaming. "You know what? You guy's arn't so bad. I think I'll stick around."
"Well then," Ellis beamed and adjusted his hat. "I'm Ellis, but some people call me El. But I really prefer Ellis 'cuz El kinda sounds like a girls name. ...But you can call me El if you want to."
"I'm Rochelle. JustRochelle." She shot him a glare, still peeved at his earlier treatment.
The boy returned her glare with a smirk. He grabbed Ellis' hand, leaning down to give it a kiss. "I'm Nick. It's a pleasure to meet you, El."
They both looked at Ellis, Nick with a victorious smirk and Rochelle with a look of disbelief. Ellis just stood there, face blank, untill..."Is you one 'a them homos my mama told me 'bout?"
Nick's face fell, turning a ghostly white. Rochelle practically fell out the Jimmy Gibbs Jr Jr she was laughing so hard. Nick shook his head, trying to regain some composure. "How old are you, anyway? To know a word like that..."
Ellis just smiled "I'm nine and a quarter!"
"I just turned ten" Rochelle said between fits of giggles, face slightly pink.
Nick gave them a grin. "I'm eleven and a half."
Ellis tugged lightly on Nick's sleeve. "Hey, was that pretty lady back there your mama? You guy's don't look alike..." The young woman from before was tan with blonde hair, a great contrast to Nick's pale features and black hair.
"Naw, she's just some chick my dad's bangin'." Nick said with the smile of a buissness man.
"Bangin'? He ain't hurtin' her, is he?" Ellis said, clearly unsure of the meaning of the word.
"What? I donno. I mean, the guys in our family havebeen known for-" Rochelle slaped the back of his head before he could finish, glaring at him when he tried to start again. "Umn...never mind."
Ellis just blinked his innocent blue eyes, shifted his hat, and began tugging Rochelle along again. "Ah hope she's alright..." He mumbled. Nick snickered at that, earning him a punch in the arm.
They all went back to Rochelle's house where they kicked and tossed the colorful ball about. Eventually it had turned into a game of "Ellis in the middle", as the youngest of the three also happened to be the shortest. Rochelle's mom must have noticed the frustrated look on the young boy's face and called them in for lunch. When they entered, she asked about the extra boy.
"Mama, this is Nick. He just moved in." Rochelle smiled up at her mother. Nick fallowed in behind her with a smile and a hand shake. Ellis trotted in behind them, hugging the ball.
"Nick's a homo, mama!"
Nick looked about ready to punch the naive boy as Ellis' mother rolled with laughter and Rochelle's mom looked somewhat terrified. Ellis just stood there confused, not fully understanding what he'd said.
AN: So...yeah. Constructive Critism is welcome to help me improve. In fact, I encourage it. But don't just send me a review that says "this suckz i hate your storie", let me know why it sucks.
Also, what color are Ro's eyes? I thought blue, but I'm not sure...