Eddie explains the whole battle vest process and history to Steve one night when they’re hanging out, Robin passed out somewhere in the house because it’s nearly three in the morning and they should ALL be asleep, but it’s always worth the exhaustion the next day to get to talk with Eddie alone.
Steve hangs onto every word, asking questions about the patches he’s seen on Eddie’s and if he wants to add more and which ones would he add if he could find them and Eddie answers them all because Steve is showing interest in his interests so how could he not?
He doesn’t think about it the next day or any of the days after
Until Christmas morning, the first Christmas after Vecna, the first one that they all agreed they should spend together even if they don’t give gifts.
But Steve gives everyone a package, all the same size, all the same wrapping paper, just labeled with first names to know who gets what. Even Eddie gets one.
He tells them all to open them at the same time.
And they all just stare at what they’re holding in their laps.
Eddie tells himself not to cry as he looks at his own gift and then everyone else’s.
They’re battle vests. Everyone’s is personalized for what they like, patches and pins special to the things they care about regardless of how “metal” it is.
It’s not until five minutes later they all realize that they all have one button on the front that’s the same. Its just a pin in the shape of a party hat. It’s funny. Confusing, but funny.
And then Steve explains that he thought it was a good way to show that they’re all part of this group, all part of the party, whether they’ve been around since day one or just joined this year.
Of course everyone loves it, loves that Steve put this effort into their gifts.
Nobody notices that Eddie’s vest has an even more special button, clearly handmade.
It says ‘property of s.h.’ And Eddie keeps it to wear forever, including on his tux when they can finally get married
3K notes
·
View notes
𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐎𝐍𝐄 — 𝐀𝐖𝐅𝐂
## leah williamson & awfc x american!reader !!
contains alcohol consumption, flirting, helpless bisexuals.
prologue - series masterlist - account masterlist
1.3k words
'yellow' is a pulsating hub of energy by this time of night, the air thick with the mingling scents of sweat, alcohol, and perfume. neon lights flash in rhythm with the beats of the music, drowning out any attempts at conversation. the bodies writhing on the crowded dance floor move in a synchronized frenzy. behind the bar, a flurry of bartenders frantically mix drinks, their shouts barely audible over the pulsating bass. laughter and shouts from the dancefloor, which you can only assume is a sticky mess of spilt alcohol, blend into a chaotic blur around you.
you watch from your seat at the friends in the crowd of bodies. any other night, you would probably be on the dancefloor too, surrounded by your increasingly drunk pals - butchering a whitey houston classic and finding it absolutely hilarious. but tonight, you sat tucked away from the chaos at the bar, the heat from the room causing the back of your thighs to stick to your seat.
the music pulsed through you, though from your position you felt detached from the room and its inhabitants. watching on from afar as your friends seemed to thrive in the group of sweaty bodies, whereas you were too consumed with the way your clothes hugged your figure a little too tight and your back ached from perching on the uncomfortable stool.
you lived in a small town, so you recognised a lot of the faces that littered the dancefloor ahead of you. some from highschool, others from college - a few who were friends of friends. you gave the crowd a once over, the straw sat in your glass no longer a vessel for your drink; instead now being contorted between your teeth in an attempt to busy your mind. then you spotted her, across the room.
her hair was pale, it cascaded down her shoulders in a tumble of curls. she was laughing, her head thrown back and a bottle of beer clutched in one hand. she was surrounded by who you can only assume are her friends, their bodies swaying to the music as they shouted over one another in a mildly-drunken exchange. something about the way she moved, the way she held herself, had your eyes locked on her with no hope of tearing them away. it was as if she were a part of the club, as if she belonged there.
you felt a strange pull towards her, your heart thumping behind your ribs as you studied her body, her movement. in the pit of your stomach raged an inexplicable desire to be near her, though intimidation enjoyed the game and filled your brain with examples of the worst possible scenario - you, alone, an intrusion to her group and her night.
there was a slight possibility you were staring, and as if she could sense your gaze, she glanced up and across the room - eyes meeting your own. there was a flicker of recognition when you could see her face as a whole - the lights changing and flashing weren't helping, but a spark of curiosity had already stolen your attention. no longer focused on the room, the world around you seemed to disappear and for a moment it was just the two of you. then, just as quickly she turned away and back to her group, laughter resuming.
you felt a mixture of emotions, disappointment and uncertainty - twisted and twined with a wicked kind of curiosity which had you gravitating towards her. the group around her looked to be having if not a better time than her and for a second, you considered leaving. returning back to your best friend's house and wallowing in your loneliness. but the illogical part of you - driven by the small amount of alcohol coursing through your bloodstream, urged you forward. you brought your glass to your lips and tossed the remaining liquid into the back of your throat, wincing slightly at the burn across your tongue. a little liquid courage never hurt no one.
you weaved your way through the crowd, spotting your friends in the centre - b-lining straight for olivia, who had her back pressed against some random she had met and a nearly-melted frozen margarita in her hand. she smiled when she finally saw you in front of her and pulled you in towards her ear - making it easier to hear you over the noise.
"can you be wing-woman? or are you busy?" you teased, head gesturing towards the figure behind her frame.
"i can always be wing-woman!" she shouted back, arms outstretching in glee. "where is he?" she added, looking behind you at the other bodies around.
"she," you shouted, smirking slightly "is over there!" you pointed, picking the woman from early out of the crowd. you saw olivia's eyes sparkle in the strobe lights, her smile pinching below her eyes and her tongue poking between her teeth - excited by the challenge.
your first mistake was assuming a very drunk olivia was a good choice of wing-woman. your second mistake was letting her out of your sight for two seconds. by the time you found her again, your fears seemed to have been confirmed when you spotted her beside the one person you hoped she would not be near.
the colour drained from your face and your heart rattled in your ears, embarrassment pricking at your psyche when you saw her point at you across the floor - leading the mysterious blonde straight to you, your eyes meeting for a second time tonight. do you run? do you hide? do you start praying for the earth to open and swallow the entire city into its firey pits?
you watched liv's hand flap in the air, encouraging you to journey towards them. what did you have to lose? so you did, running a hand through your tangled hair and pushing it off your shoulders - too aware of the extra set of eyes watching you. when you made it to the pair, now separated from the earlier group, you couldn't help but apologise.
"i am so sorry, liv-" before you could continue you saw liv's lips begin to move,
"this, is y/n! y/n is hot!" a drunken olivia shouted in a meek attempt of humour as she dragged you in, her arm slung around your shoulder awkwardly. "y/n, this is leah. leah is british." she paused. "and hot!"
there was that embarrassment.
"mingle!" she finally added, releasing you from her grasp and pushing you gently closer towards the woman you now knew as leah. with that as her parting word, she seemed to drawn back into the atmosphere - gone in seconds and leaving you to deal with the situation at hand. a situation? is it a situation?
this close she seemed more beautiful than before, if that was even possible. your senses and nerves had reached a fever pitch, unable to focus on anything other than the bright blue eyes fixed on your features - you were sure you could see a small but amused smirk spread across her lips at the sight of your very visible nerves.
"i am so sorry," you began, head tucking above her shoulder to closer access her ear. her perfume flooded your senses, the sweet smell of vanilla dancing through the air and blessing your nose. "liv is-"
"very drunk."
"a lot.."
the pair of you shared a laugh, the moment frozen and the rest of the room fading into the background once more as you moved to inject your hand into the space between you.
"i'm y/n,"
she met your hand with her own, and you mentally laughed at the presence of a watch tan line peaking out from beneath the sleeve of her jacket. "leah," firm shake, easy on the eyes and what an accent. your nerve endings were on fire. her hands were soft, a few rings littering her slender fingers.
you were too focused on her hand, still interlocked with yours when her voice graced you once more - her breath carressing the exposed skin of your neck. "remind me to thank olivia later," she pulled away to look at you again and the confusion on your face must've been conceivable even in the low light because she let out a breathy laugh and returned to her previous position
"for introducing me to the most beautiful woman in here,"
next chapter
i hope you enjoy guys! first chapter - lets see how many we can do - im so excited for this. love always - RG x
434 notes
·
View notes