Chlollie Fanfic: Slingshot, Chapter 1
Hola, chiquitas! J
I know I’ve been quiet on LJ whilst I’ve been on holiday, but I should be back in full swing in a couple of weeks. Till then, I’ll be out having fun in the sun. I have loads of fics to catch up on, especially those from phoenixnz, lilmoochie and mari2anne. I haven’t forgotten you, peeps!
Speaking of fic, here’s a young Chlollie story as a gift for the awesome laurelnola’s birthday. It’s my first foray into Chlollie, and I hope I did it justice. Sorry to keep you waiting so long! *hugs*
I fully intended to write some pretty fluffy oneshot, but like everything else I’ve written it just took on a life of its own and became something else, something quite dark. I think it served the story, though. It'll likely run no longer than three or four chapters. Hey, who coughed and said 'bullsh!t'? :(
Enjoy. Here’s hoping you had a fantastic birthday, laurelnola!
ETA: Icon by the ever-talented tehzo . Many thanks!
Edited again: Fic title renamed 'Slingshot' so as not to confuse the masses . Sorry, they call them catapults where I live! :)
Edited yet again 15.01.11: geek_or_unique made this awesome banner for me on request! Isn't she the best? Thanks, Juliete!
Title: Slingshot
Author: BabyDee
Pairing: Chlollie, Oneshot
Rating: PG
Warnings: None
Timeline: A few years after the meteor shower
Disclaimer: All characters belong to the CW & DC comics.
Summary: Young Ollie comes to the gallant rescue of a young fair maiden. She rescues him right back.
Feedback: …is better than money. J
Chapter 1
Oliver Queen sat on the bench at the bottom of the Dragon’s Lair, waiting for his friends Geoffrey and Alden to finish their ride. His expression was harder than one would expect to find on a twelve-year-old boy; it was the visage one encountered on the face of a child who had been forced to grow up too soon.
Occasionally he lifted his blond head and glanced around at the screaming revellers with barely veiled disinterest. Once upon a time, he’d have been excited and happy about a day away from the humdrum routine of Excelsior Prep, but excited and happy no longer registered in his emotions. Not since the day nonna had brought him the terrible news that had shattered his entire world nearly two years ago.
“Oliver, you have to be strong, caro mio,” she’d said, tears in her eyes. And he’d felt his heart suddenly go hollow and his whole body turn to stone as he realised that what she was going to tell him would alter his life forever.
Everything had changed after that. In many ways, he was still waiting for his Mom and Dad to walk through the door, even though he knew they never would.
Nonna had been wonderful. She made him his favourite pizza from her family’s secret recipe, treated him to real Italian ice-cream and even found a really funny Robin Hood movie for him to watch. But nothing made him smile. He didn’t think he’d ever smile again. He didn’t even feel alive anymore.
Almost unconsciously, he slid his right hand into his trouser pocket where he kept the slingshot his dad had got him when he was nine. He had been going fishing with his dad one weekend, and had attempted to pack his bow and arrows into an overnight case. Dad had laughed and told him that he’d have to give his favourite sport a break for the next few days, but that he had something else which would fit in his pocket. He’d disappeared and returned a few minutes later with a slingshot and some stones, and over the course of the weekend had shown him how to use it. As with the bow, Oliver had been a natural with the slingshot, and had caught the fish to prove it.
His eyes softened as he remembered the time in his life when things were normal. He’d give anything to have those times back.
The Dragon’s Lair thundered along the tracks and swept skyward in a death-defying loop, making the occupants of the carriages shriek in adrenaline-fuelled excitement. Irritated, Oliver got up and walked away from the joyful noises. Alden and Geoffrey would have to do without him when they were ready to sneak back into school, because he didn’t want to hang around here any longer.
He followed a path till he got to a quiet clearing in a wooded area. There was a boat shed on the edge of the clearing, and he could see that the path led to a dirt road on which a red car was parked.
Oliver went and stood on the other side of the shed, out of view of any possible curious onlookers. Scowling, he dug his hands into his left pocket and pulled out a pack of cigarettes.
He’d never smoked before, but he’d seen some of the bigger boys at school smoking behind the stables, and they’d seemed to be enjoying themselves. He’d managed to score some smokes from Trigger, the resident bad boy, with the usual ‘if you get caught, you’re on your own’ disclaimer, and had bided his time and waited for the perfect opportunity to try them out. This time was as good as any, he decided.
He opened the box and slid one of the cigarettes out. He stared at it long and hard, feeling slightly guilty. The guilt increased when he dipped his hand into his right pocket for some matches, and felt the rough wood of his dad’s slingshot. He knew his parents would disapprove of what he was about to do if they were here.
But then, he thought defiantly as he slipped the cigarette between his lips, they weren’t here. And they never would be, not anymore.
Calmly he took a match out of the box and struck it, then cupped his hand around the flame and brought it to his lips.
“Stop it,” he heard a fierce voice growl.
Startled, he shook the match out and stuffed the cigarette back in his pocket. Had someone seen him? He listened intently, and heard footsteps crunching round the other side of the shed.
Then he heard something else; the sound of a child whimpering.
“I told you, shut up!” hissed the voice again, and this time his curiosity got the better of him. Peering carefully around the shed, he saw a man in a brown baseball cap and a long coat struggling with a little girl under one arm, carrying her as if she were a stack of newspapers.
She was probably crying because she didn’t want to leave the fair, he thought. Still, something didn’t feel right. The hairs on the back of his neck prickled and every cell in his body went on red alert.
He heard the child mumble again and saw her kicking her little legs furiously, and the man shook her sharply.
“You make one more sound, and I will kill you,” he snarled. “Now keep it shut.”
Ollie stared aghast. Oh, God. He wasn’t her father at all. He was abducting her.
***
Chapter 2…