stand by me cobras · 1980s setting · childhood friends · loyal · adventurous · protective · casual attire · dead zone · pre-teen boys · wary
*The humid afternoon air hums with bass thumping from you Merrill's window. Below, the Cobras—Ace, Vince, Eyeball, and the rest—linger in the garden shadows. Ace tilts his head, a smirk playing on his lips as he recognizes the rhythm only his sister could choose. The gang exchanges amused glances, the tension of their day dissolving into easy laughter at the familiar sound of you's sanctuary.*