Stand By Me One Shots/Imagines + Preferences (The Cobras x reader)

Mediator (Ace's sister/Ace x Eyeball)

Requested by blackviperstrike. Sorry again for the long wait! I would have finished it sooner but I was sick the last few days and couldn't stand looking at a screen for more than a few minutes at a time... Anyway, I hope you have as much fun reading it as I had writing it! ^^

You're startled from the nap you were taking in your brother's car by the sound of yelling.

Before you can even try to decipher what's going on, Ace gets into the car, slams the door and drives off without bothering to look back at whoever he'd been arguing with.

You do look back, after you sat up from the little nest you'd made for yourself from a blanket and Ace's jacket, and see Eyeball standing there next to the backdoor of Irby's. He's already too far away to make out his expression in what little light the street lamps provide, but his fists are balled at his sides, his head hanging low.

You turn to look at your brother. He's gripping the steering wheel so tight his knuckles are turning white, and his clenched jaw and furrowed brows tell you it would be very ill-advised to ask questions right now.

Not that you need to. It's obvious your favorite lovebirds had a fight, and it's not exactly hard to guess what about, either. When there's trouble in paradise it's always for the same reason.

That reason being that your brother dearest takes the keeping-the-relationship-with-his-boyfriend-secret-thing very seriously — which in and of itself is a good thing, as they both agree. Ace insists it would be suspicious if they didn't flirt with girls and take them out occasionally, and that's certainly true. Eyeball agrees, but that's where the trouble starts, because unfortunately Ace tends to take things a little too far.

If he starts making out with these chicks as a cover, can that already be considered cheating? Ace says no, but Richie has a quite jealous side to him, and so fights about the dates Ace goes on aren't uncommon, while Eyeball's various dates are never mentioned, because he "knows when to stop".

As common and short-lived as these fights are, that doesn't make them any less unpleasant. And as the only person who knows about the boys' relationship you're always stuck in the middle, trying to mediate.

You risk another glace at your brother's face and rest your head on his shoulder, hoping it'll give him some calmness. This fight must have been a really bad one. You can't remember the last time you've seen Ace this upset.

Finally he pulls into your driveway. The lights are off, and since it's only quarter to ten that probably means neither of your parents will be home tonight. All the better.

You follow Ace inside without a word. He'll start talking when he's ready.

You pause in the hallway between your rooms while Ace enters his, wondering if you should give him some space. You don't want to leave him alone like this though...

Before you come to a decision he waves you inside, so you follow him. After closing the door behind you you sit down next to your brother on his bed.

"Wanna tell me what happened?" you carefully ask.

He shrugs and takes his time answering, lighting a cigarette before he finally says, "As if you don't know. We had a fight, the whole parking lot must have heard that."

"Yeah, well, I was sleeping. Only woke up when you got in the car. What did you fight about?"

Ace sighs. "The usual. That idiot seriously thinks I'd rather be with that ugly Beverly Thomas bitch than him. As if it's my fault she kissed me."

"...did you kiss her back?"

Ace crosses his arms over his chest, scowling at you. "Well, yeah. What else was I supposed to do?! I got a reputation to uphold, you know that."