Pairing: Richie 'Eyeball' Chambers x New Cobra Reader
Summary: You and Eyeball aren't exactly close, but he watches, he notices, and he looks out for you in small, quiet ways.
I Never Meant For You To Fix Yourself
You weren’t entirely sure how you ended up hanging out with the Cobras, but it had been at least 5 months since you had started. Most of your days started parked in Ace’s driveway, hanging out, and they ended at Irby’s, drinking with the group or sitting in the back of a car, blasting loud music and joyriding through the town.
It was different from what you were used to, but it had the added benefit of being untouchable. No one ever gave you shit after you started hanging out with Ace and the guys. For some reason, they kept you around and kept the sexism to a minimum in your presence. Of course they still talked about their conquests, complained about frigid bitches and the likes, but they mostly didn't talk down to you and any pet names were used in jest and not to be patronizing.
You had learned the ins and outs of being friends with them rather quickly. They provided freedom; you could play mailbox baseball or vandalize a building, and they would be right there with you. You could tease them to an extent as long as you could handle whatever they said back, though you kept that to a minimum with Ace.
You liked Ace, really, you did. But he could be a rather scary dude when he wanted to be. The biggest thing you learned was to never get into any car if Ace was the one behind the wheel. Charlie and Billy had told plenty of stories, and you had seen it with your own eyes. If you valued your life, you only got into a car if it was driven by Vince, Charlie, Billy, or even Eyeball. Eyeball could also be reckless, but you trusted your life with him more than with Ace.
“Better get in the car quick or we’re leaving you behind.” Ace’s voice snapped you out of whatever daze you had been stuck in, commanding as ever. You rolled your eyes, watching him slide into the driver's seat of the convertible, Eyeball already hopping over the door of the car to be in the passenger's seat.
You turned to see Vince getting behind the wheel of the Champion, deciding to ride with them. Your stomach twisted as you saw Fuzzy, Charlie, and Billy already piled in the back, and Jackie firmly seated in the passenger seat. You could hear your blood pump, the sound echoing in your head as you realized Ace’s car was the only free option.
Billy looked at you apologetically, but there was no way he’d ever offer to switch with you; he valued his life a bit too much for that. Charlie didn’t even meet your eyes, just kept his gaze trained on his knees. You sneered slightly, feeling a bit bitter.
“Come on, man–” Eyeball groaned slightly, drawing your attention back to the convertible. “Fucking move. I wanna drive”
You watched, quiet. Everyone knew you didn’t like to be in a car when Ace was driving; you were sure of that. Eyeball knew for damn sure. They went back and forth for a minute before Ace rolled his eyes, switching to the passenger's seat. He didn't care enough to assert his authority over this. You approached hesitantly, eyes trained on Eyeball as he got behind the wheel, sipping a beer and not even sparing you a glance. Still, better than Ace, you thought as you hopped into the back seat, not bothering to buckle up.
You’d have buckled if Ace were driving.
The drive to Irby’s was mostly quiet, Ace and Eyeball passing a beer bottle back and forth as Eyeball drove maybe a bit faster than the speed limit allowed. By the time you got there, Vince and the others were already inside, waiting at a pool table and laughing about one thing or another. Ace joined them immediately, pushing Charlie to the side and taking his pool cue.
You glanced up at Eyeball, who was watching them play and working on his drink. “Thank you.” The words hung there uncomfortably, ignored in favor of the cigarette pack he was fishing from his pocket with intense concentration. He handed you a single smoke, maybe to acknowledge your words, or maybe so you wouldn’t keep speaking.. You were fine with either, placing it between your lips and accepting when he offered you a light.
The air in the pool house was hot and thick with smoke, but you had grown used to the atmosphere. At that point, you had almost grown to enjoy it, even in these bouts of sickening quiet. You and Eyeball were rarely alone together, despite the fact that you did enjoy his company. A beat of silence passed, and he finally glanced down at you.
“Yeah well–” He grumbled, speaking out of the corner of his mouth while he smoked. “Ace finds out you don't wanna be there when he drives.. he’ll be pissed.” His explanation made sense, but the tone of his voice made it read like a warning. Like he was saying ‘next time don’t be so obvious, I won't save your ass again.'
You only scoffed. “Pretty sure you're the only one who wants to be in a car with him behind the wheel.” You grumbled, snatching his beer out of his hand and finishing the last sip. He didn't stop you, his brows only lifting slightly.
Another beat of silence hit.
“The others don't stare like a deer in headlights when it's time to go, do they?” He eventually replied, looking unimpressed by your excuse as he went to the bar counter for a new beer.
You rolled your eyes at him, bitterly thinking to yourself. The only reason they didn't complain or stare was because there was the perfect amount of them to fit in the other car..
When Eyeball returned, he held two beers, placing one in your hand without acknowledging it. Despite how little you interacted, he bought most of your beers and you bummed most of your cigarettes from him.
“Don't matter, a ride to this dump ain't worth my shitty life.” You stated simply, popping the top off the bottle and taking a sip. You never really did back down.
He sighed slightly, running a hand through his hair. “He ain't fun when he's mad ya know–” he started, his bad eyelid jittering a bit more than normal. Like an anxious tell. “You've never seen him at his worst.”
“What's he gonna do? Kill me? He'd do that anyway, the way he is behind the wheel.” You chuckled, leaning back against the wall. Eyeball frowned deeply, leaning back as well and matching your posture.
“He ain't gonna kill you but.. we might stop hanging around you if he thinks you're too much trouble.. He already kind of thinks that.” That was a fact you had been unaware of, and the soft tone of Eyeball's voice caught you slightly off guard. You knew Ace wasn't your biggest fan out of the Cobras, but you didn't think he disliked you to that degree.
“If you're afraid, just keep it to yourself from now on.. He'll notice eventually if I keep offering to drive.” He sighed, the sound deep and heavy. And you couldn't figure out why he had stepped in at all. Out of the boys, he was the one who usually tried not to piss Ace off.
You nodded, not sure what this talk truly meant. “So why do you idiots hang around me if Ace thinks I'm too much trouble?” The question was a big one, though you couldn't have known that while asking it.
“Some of us like having you around, doesn't need to be more to it than that.” He shrugged, finishing his cigarette and flicking the butt to the ground. It wasn't clear if he meant himself or not.
Before you could question him further, he pushed off the wall and walked over to the pool table.
You followed, a foot behind him with your head down. Of course you knew you could be argumentative and dickish but the same could be said about the others. You couldn't help but wonder if it only bothered Ace because you were a woman.
You wondered if that even mattered.
Things were quieter that night, as you tried to process everything that you had been told. You didn't stand in the back of the convertible, yelling and laughing at the guys in the back of the Champion while they drove. You didn't take up the offer for a game of mailbox baseball, and when Charlie tried to get you to go night swimming with them, you just declined, sitting on the shore and watching the stars instead.
You weren't trying to exclude yourself, but you couldn't figure out what would and wouldn't piss Ace off. If he thought you were too much trouble to keep around, you wanted to change that. Not for him, of course, but for the others, so you could keep hanging around them.
Charlie and Billy both noticed, giving you looks all night and whispering to each other. They never asked about it though, never came up to check on you. You weren't sure you had expected them to.
When the time came to drive back from the lake, Ace got behind the wheel once more, waving off Eyeball's offers to drive this time around. You took a deep breath, steadying yourself and getting into the back seat without a complaint. You buckled, crossed your fingers, and just tried to breathe through it.
The drive had been, just as expected, fucking terrifying. Ace must have enjoyed freaking you out to some degree.. Anytime you remotely calmed down, he would swerve harshly, almost going off the road and making you grip the seat belt in terror. He drove in the wrong lane, treating it like a game of chicken and not listening when Eyeball rolled his eyes and told him to fall back.
These were all things that Charlie and Billy had warned you about, of course. But you could feel how targeted it was whenever you noticed Ace's eyes on you in the mirror, a small smirk playing on his lips. Like he was trying to psych you out and prove you weren't Cobra material.
You survived, though. You got home that night, you waved them off wordlessly, and you didn't let any fear show until you were alone in your room, breathing heavily. You weren't sure if you could keep this up, but you knew you wanted to prove Ace wrong.
The next morning came too soon, and you sat on your porch banister, legs hanging down off the edge as you waited on Billy and Charlie to come pick you up. You weren't entirely sure how they had been assigned the task of picking you up, but every day it was them without fail.
Or, it had been for the past 5 months.
It was a bit shocking when you saw Eyeball pull to a stop in front of your house, alone. You hopped down from your porch and slid into the passenger seat (a rare luxury in a gang of so many people). You looked over Eyeball’s face, curiosity piqued.
You tilted your head, just watching him drive for a moment. “Where's Billy and Charlie?” You couldn't help but ask.
He rolled his eyes at you, staying focused on the road. “Told ‘em I’d get you. That a problem?”
“No, of course not..” You raised both brows, a bit taken aback by the slightly defensive answer.
The drive was mostly quiet, and he didn't really take his eyes off the road till you got closer to Ace's.
“You were being weird last night.” He pointed out, his voice breaking through the silence. You shrugged halfheartedly, glancing out the window.
“Was trying not to piss Ace off, like you said”
He clicked his tongue, pulling to the side of the road and braking harshly. His eyes scanned you, making you feel just a bit judged. “I never said to be a boring bitch all night. I said don't hesitate to get in the car.”
Your brows furrowed, and you frowned, but you tried to keep yourself from overreacting. “What's it matter to you anyway?” You asked, keeping your tone even.
“You hang out with us cuz I like you being around. It's the only reason you're still around, but that doesn't matter if you're just gonna act like," His hand waved about as he tried to articulate. "like some damn ghost that follows us around, quiet and moody and shit.” He huffed.
You watched his face carefully, processing a lot at once. He was the one who liked having you around enough to keep you there. He noticed when you were acting differently, and if you were just going off his tone and expression, he hated it.
You couldn't help but snort, rolling your eyes.
“What, you hitting on me or something?” Was all you managed to force out, not knowing what else to say or do. He stared at you, looking maybe a bit annoyed at your words.
“Yeah, whatever. If that's how you're choosing to take it.” His voice was flat as he watched you, frowning.
“Not how this works, you're either hitting on me or you're not,” you groaned, hating answers like that. He knew you hated those answers.
He smirked slightly, shrugging his shoulders noncommittally. “It's up to interpretation.” With that, he pulled back onto the road.
You stared at him, eyes hard. You could feel your irritation grow as you watched him smile that smug smile. “For fucks sake, that's not the kinda thing tha-” you paused, eyes on his face again.
The moment you began arguing with him, he’d relaxed and stopped glaring. You came to the easy realization that he was baiting you into a petty argument. The heat rose to your face.
“You like my bitching that much huh?” You asked, voice low and almost insecure. Almost. You couldn't fathom the fact that he would rather you be your loud and obnoxious, and argumentative self.
“It's better.” He replied easily, smiling as he drove. “And for the record, I was not hitting on you. When I hit on you, it'll be obvious.”
You squinted your eyes at his words and crossed your arms over your chest. “When, huh?”
“Yeah, and?” He didn't meet your eyes, didn't say anything else. Just wordlessly pulled the car into Ace’s driveway..
You were much louder that day.
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This has been rotting in my drafts for months. I've wanted Eyeball Chambers carnally for a decade. My bitch ass watched Stand By Me two times a day as a kid for his few minutes of screen time. But I fear people dont want him how I want him, there for I hesitated on posting. But meh, I wanna empty my drafts so this and another Eyeball one shot will be dropping yay :D
