Work Text:
Much as he was loathe to admit it, Milo had come to find Eden's bedroom-turned-studio cozy.
Make no mistake, he still thought himself the superior creative, and graphic arts the superior medium, but even he could acknowledge the charm they had brought to the space. It was at the very least an interesting change from the stark black and white of his own room, and he found himself knocking on their door more and more often on days when he had stared at his drawing tablet so long he couldn't form coherent thoughts.
Milo wasn't used to easy friendships. But Eden's quiet declaration of their new status as friends after their 5th conversation had been the simplest moment this unwanted adventure had provided him thus far. He still viewed them as a rival in spite of those words, their ideals just lay in too disparate of places and he had something to prove, but in the quiet moments, away from the eyes of their classmates, he was willing to let himself have this. A friend. A quiet companion. A safe place to breathe.
And so here he was again, sitting on the floor with his back against Eden's bed, fingers idly tying knots in a length of yarn he had been handed. Eden had attempted to teach him how to make friendship bracelets, and he had learned quickly, but had just as quickly grown bored of the repetitive counting. Now he let his head loll over, slightly sleepy in the dim silence, watching Eden's hands work, quick and steady. Milo felt his mouth quirk up in a grin, Eden's way of moving reminding him so much of their pet bird Gennie that he couldn't help but start chuckling to himself.
Eden looked up at the sound and, curious as to what had made him laugh, cocked their head to one side in silent question, making them look even more like their beloved pet. Milo couldn’t hold it in any longer, erupting into wholly uncharacteristic giggles and sliding sideways to lay fully on the floor, clutching his stomach.
"What is so funny?" Eden was up on their knees now, hovering over Milo with that confused look still on their face.
"Sorry, I'm not laughing at you I promise, you just looked so-" He almost choked on the word cute, unsure of where it had bubbled up from, and had to pivot at the last second. "-so much like Gennie. You have the same colors and everything."
"Oh." A slow, small smile crept across their face, a rare commodity from Eden. "I like that. I love Gennie, so I like that I resemble her."
A moment passed, they returned to their original places on the floor, and then Eden spoke again.
"You remind me of a ferret Milo. I like ferrets a lot."
He laughed again. It seemed that Eden had made him laugh more in the past few days than he had in the months before meeting them.
"Thanks Eden. I like you a lot too."
-
The next time Milo came to visit Eden's studio he was presented with his very own friendship bracelet. It would take an army to convince him to take it off.