Elliot knew by this point to brace himself for Edenâs hugs. Truth be told, they were one of the things he loved most about coming home. Talking over screens and through texts was nice, but it couldnât beat a proper, in person hug from your best friend. He laughed as Eden stepped back and introduced their otter, and he reached out to scratch the otter lightly on the top of his head.
He shrugged as Eden said he should have said he was coming. âTruth be told, I⊠donât think I was fully sure I was coming until I stepped onto that plane, and maybe not even then,â he admitted. âOnly reason I even told Mom and Steve was so they wouldnât move the spare key without telling me,â he added, laughing. The offer of breakfast was greatly appreciated. âI dare not argue,â he replied.
He shrugged as Eden asked how he was. âOkay. Our last tour was amazing but, holy shit, did I crash hard after,â he said. âI think I slept for about twenty hours when I got home and was like a zombie for a week after.â He nodded as Eden asked about the album. âYeah, itâs in the early stages. Thatâs⊠actually why Iâm back. Iâm gonna spend a few weeks here, get some writing done, get some demos recorded. LA is great, but this felt like an album that should be written here, you know?â He said.
âHow about you? The Mystery Shack is still as weird and as overpriced as ever, right?â He asked with a grin.
Eden nodded back in response as Elliot said he wasnât even sure if he was gonna be coming back to town, which, honestly Eden couldnât blame him. Gravity Falls hadnât exactly felt like home in years, among countless reasons.
A small chuckle escaped their lips as Elliot went on to explain why he even told his mom and her fiance, which reminded them about the wedding. Eden had almost forgotten Elliot told them about it months ago.
At the mention of the bandâs tour, Eden gave another nod, they had kept up with everything through twitter and instagram. If they werenât at work, Eden was most likely stalking their friendsâ social media. Vicariously living through them, if they had to be honest, which was a bit pathetic, to admit that fact.
âI-I thought I re-remembered ri-right.â Eden chuckled a bit, keeping their eyes forward, away from Elliot. There was nothing more that Eden wanted, was to be able to look Elliot in the face, and truly be able to see him in person. But yet, the only way they even really had a proper way of knowing what he looked like, was through pictures and videos online. And while he was standing directly next to them, Eden couldnât look at him for barely a few seconds before having to look away. Eden didnât know what was worse, not being able to even look your friend in the eye when you spoke to them, or only being able to do so across a screen. Pathetic, honestly.
Eden shook their head at his question, a small chuckle escaping their lips before speaking, âAlways.â Eden retorted. âA-and of c-course, same w-with me.â Eden pointed at themself. âWeird a-as ev-ever.â Eden gently nudged Elliotâs arm for a moment, before looking up and realizing they were already at the diner, stepping up and opening the door, âA-age before bea-beauty-â they teased and gestured for Elliot to enter the diner.
Elliot smiled as Eden confirmed that things had hardly changed and that things were as weird as ever. âHonestly, I think Iâd be kinda disappointed at this point if it wasnât,â he admitted, laughing a little. He raised an eyebrow as Eden indicated for him to enter the diner first. âIâm younger than you, asshole,â he joked, but stepped inside.
âWhatever-â Eden playfully pushed him through the door and walked in after him. As it was still rather early and a Friday, not many people were out just yet. Which was a good thing. Meant less possible voices they could avoid today. Thank the gods.
There werenât that many people in the diner, and their usual booth was free. He slid into the booth. They hadnât been there that long when a familiar voice reached them. He glanced up and grinned as he saw Miles. He hadnât seen Miles in years, and it was good to see him again. He seemed to be doing well.
âThanks, dude. Good to see you,â he said, bumping Milesâ knuckle with his own.
They both took a seat at their usual booth they had been using for years. All the way back in high school, theyâd always sit in the back-most booth, beside the window. Rarely ever did the diner get so full, theyâd usually be left alone so they could talk openly and not be overheard by anyone they didnât want listening.
It was only a few minutes later that Eden heard a familiar voice, barely taking a glance to look at him. Eden didnât know why but whenever they looked at Miles, he was surrounded by shadows. It never sat right with them, and still didnât.
Eden glanced up quickly at Miles and gave a simple, âH-hi Miles.â before looking back down. Clearing their throat before taking a sip of water. Eden raised their eyebrows at that old childhood nickname for them. They honestly hated that one in particular the most. âIt-itâs good. The usual.â they gave a small shrug of their shoulders. âD-day off so, y-ya know...Hope y-youâre doing w-well.â they looked up at him for the briefest of moments, and immediately a chill went down their spine. Eden averted their gaze from Miles once more, and hoped that Elliot would get the hint to hopefully distract him.
After being friends for this long, Elliot hardly even noticed the fact that Eden couldnât quite meet anyoneâs gaze or even look them in the face any more. It was just another thing that made them âthemâ, as far as he was concerned. But when it came to Miles, even Elliot could tell that they seemed to be struggling to as much as glance at Miles. Not wanting an awkward silence to settle in and make Eden more uncomfortable than they already were, Elliot turned to look at Miles again.
âSo, dude, itâs been a while. What are you up to these days?â He asked.
He shrugged as Eden said he should have said he was coming. âTruth be told, I⊠donât think I was fully sure I was coming until I stepped onto that plane, and maybe not even then,â he admitted. âOnly reason I even told Mom and Steve was so they wouldnât move the spare key without telling me,â he added, laughing. The offer of breakfast was greatly appreciated. âI dare not argue,â he replied.
He shrugged as Eden asked how he was. âOkay. Our last tour was amazing but, holy shit, did I crash hard after,â he said. âI think I slept for about twenty hours when I got home and was like a zombie for a week after.â He nodded as Eden asked about the album. âYeah, itâs in the early stages. Thatâs⊠actually why Iâm back. Iâm gonna spend a few weeks here, get some writing done, get some demos recorded. LA is great, but this felt like an album that should be written here, you know?â He said.
âHow about you? The Mystery Shack is still as weird and as overpriced as ever, right?â He asked with a grin.
Eden nodded back in response as Elliot said he wasnât even sure if he was gonna be coming back to town, which, honestly Eden couldnât blame him. Gravity Falls hadnât exactly felt like home in years, among countless reasons.
A small chuckle escaped their lips as Elliot went on to explain why he even told his mom and her fiance, which reminded them about the wedding. Eden had almost forgotten Elliot told them about it months ago.
At the mention of the bandâs tour, Eden gave another nod, they had kept up with everything through twitter and instagram. If they werenât at work, Eden was most likely stalking their friendsâ social media. Vicariously living through them, if they had to be honest, which was a bit pathetic, to admit that fact.
âI-I thought I re-remembered ri-right.â Eden chuckled a bit, keeping their eyes forward, away from Elliot. There was nothing more that Eden wanted, was to be able to look Elliot in the face, and truly be able to see him in person. But yet, the only way they even really had a proper way of knowing what he looked like, was through pictures and videos online. And while he was standing directly next to them, Eden couldnât look at him for barely a few seconds before having to look away. Eden didnât know what was worse, not being able to even look your friend in the eye when you spoke to them, or only being able to do so across a screen. Pathetic, honestly.
Eden shook their head at his question, a small chuckle escaping their lips before speaking, âAlways.â Eden retorted. âA-and of c-course, same w-with me.â Eden pointed at themself. âWeird a-as ev-ever.â Eden gently nudged Elliotâs arm for a moment, before looking up and realizing they were already at the diner, stepping up and opening the door, âA-age before bea-beauty-â they teased and gestured for Elliot to enter the diner.
Elliot smiled as Eden confirmed that things had hardly changed and that things were as weird as ever. âHonestly, I think Iâd be kinda disappointed at this point if it wasnât,â he admitted, laughing a little. He raised an eyebrow as Eden indicated for him to enter the diner first. âIâm younger than you, asshole,â he joked, but stepped inside.
âWhatever-â Eden playfully pushed him through the door and walked in after him. As it was still rather early and a Friday, not many people were out just yet. Which was a good thing. Meant less possible voices they could avoid today. Thank the gods.
There werenât that many people in the diner, and their usual booth was free. He slid into the booth. They hadnât been there that long when a familiar voice reached them. He glanced up and grinned as he saw Miles. He hadnât seen Miles in years, and it was good to see him again. He seemed to be doing well.
âThanks, dude. Good to see you,â he said, bumping Milesâ knuckle with his own.
They both took a seat at their usual booth they had been using for years. All the way back in high school, theyâd always sit in the back-most booth, beside the window. Rarely ever did the diner get so full, theyâd usually be left alone so they could talk openly and not be overheard by anyone they didnât want listening.
It was only a few minutes later that Eden heard a familiar voice, barely taking a glance to look at him. Eden didnât know why but whenever they looked at Miles, he was surrounded by shadows. It never sat right with them, and still didnât.
Eden glanced up quickly at Miles and gave a simple, âH-hi Miles.â before looking back down. Clearing their throat before taking a sip of water. Eden raised their eyebrows at that old childhood nickname for them. They honestly hated that one in particular the most. âIt-itâs good. The usual.â they gave a small shrug of their shoulders. âD-day off so, y-ya know...Hope y-youâre doing w-well.â they looked up at him for the briefest of moments, and immediately a chill went down their spine. Eden averted their gaze from Miles once more, and hoped that Elliot would get the hint to hopefully distract him.
After being friends for this long, Elliot hardly even noticed the fact that Eden couldnât quite meet anyoneâs gaze or even look them in the face any more. It was just another thing that made them âthemâ, as far as he was concerned. But when it came to Miles, even Elliot could tell that they seemed to be struggling to as much as glance at Miles. Not wanting an awkward silence to settle in and make Eden more uncomfortable than they already were, Elliot turned to look at Miles again.
âSo, dude, itâs been a while. What are you up to these days?â He asked.