YOU'RE GONNA GO FAR, KID.

"jazz. sounds like something you'd say when you were trying to impress a girl and not something you would actually enjoy." but he wasn't judging him, that's for sure. after all, he had a bunch of things he liked that would turn most away. the more time that the two of them spent together, the more promising all of this was. he missed his family and while atlas was an unexpected member, he was a welcomed one. "feel free to bring jazz with you when you come over to mine."

His lip quirked upwards in amusement. Curiosity already gleaming in his dark eyes. "A friend?" He asked, brows raising briefly. "You know, that's the best way for a relationship to form. Because you already enjoy their company–platonically. Alright, let's see, well I'm perhaps not the best to advise on this, I may need to get back to you on that one. But... I'd say you have to trust your instincts. You know what I mean, mate? They say actions speak louder than words. How 'bout you tell me a bit about this...friend. Do they act any differently when you're together now than prior to?"

he'd heard that. eddie, himself, preferred to be close to whoever he may or may not date. sure, he'd never managed to fall for anyone or feel anything toward anyone until now and he was trying to figure out how to grasp all of this. "i...don't know. i've been avoiding him since it happened. i kind of panicked and i don't know if he wants to see me again or if he hates me because of what happened..." he was definitely beating himself up over it, even when he didn't have to.

eddie he felt nauseous as he thought about facing donnie and genuinely asking him out. what if he ended up ruining their friendship? that is the absolute last thing that he wanted. donnie was such an important part of his life. taking a deep breath, she nodded in response. "so," he started, "we always have a good time together and i really have fun with you on halloween, so i was thinking...we could grab dinner or something...as more than friends...?" he cleared his throat, "do i sound totally lame?"

eddie didn't know how cute he actually was but it was relieving to know that he could open up to someone about what happened. he trusted zuri and he knew that she wouldn't go around talking about what it was that had happened. "i have no doubt about that. i'll definitely be tipsy after another one of these." he pointed to the glass and took in a deep breath, "i kissed donnie..." he trailed off, peering up from his glass and over at the other woman.

There's a lot of words that one can use to describe Miles Bellingham–smooth is not particularly high on the list of what comes to mind. Which was what had his brow quirking upwards at Eddie's revelation. He remained leaning against the wall next to his friend, though his head turned in order to allow his gaze to rest on him and study his face. "Wow," he began, his head canting slightly, "like–as in feelings for someone?" Always one for technicalities. "I think if it's something you're contemplating this way then you should make a move. What sort of move? Okay, just ask this person to hang out. Ask 'em out for dinner or something fun they like to do?"

eddie assumed that anyone even remotely attractive was smooth. smoother than he was, anyways. he'd never even been on a date so he didn't know how to get through any of this. "yeah, yeah. feelings for someone." he pursed his lips and glanced down at his hands, ones that were pulling at his skin in an anxious manner. "what if, you know, i'm already really close to this person and i don't want to ruin our friendship? i mean, how do i know they feel the same way."

he thought about his options. eddie thought that all of them sounded pretty terrifying and he knew that he would scream no matter the trail he chose. a puff of air escaped his lips, "jason doesn't run, so let's go for the friday the 13th one so that i feel like i can escape properly, if need be." eddie paused for a moment and glanced over at him once more, "you really like all this spooky stuff, don't you? i don't know how you deal with it."

"Oh yeah?" Jemma had seen videos of special events at a zoo but couldn't recall ever seeing one from the Wilmington zoo. Maybe they kept a record somewhere and she made a mental note to check their socials, even though she could also ask the source himself. "Are you planning anything exciting for the upcoming holidays, too?" She mused, finding the whole idea of pulling in animals in the celebrations kind of funny yet she was the one to spoil her own dog last Christmas, so she probably shouldn't judge. "Speaking of it, do you have plans of your own? Because if you don't, maybe we can figure something fun together."

he did what he could to both take care of the animals and make them happy in a way that would help him keep a solid relationship with them all. "i may. who knows, maybe i'll wrap their food bin in christmas ribbon and throw some treats in there. i'm sure they'd appreciate a treat, even if they're unaware of the upcoming holidays." he paused, pursing his lips as he realized that maybe jemma was talking about his own plans outside of the zoo. "oh, uh, i don't know. my brother's here, so i might do something with him but there's no telling what the plan is. isn't your family here?"

˙ ˖ ✶ Eddie

eddie shook his head, "seriously, don't spoil it!" he practically whined. regardless of their friendship, he took comics pretty seriously and so, he would genuinely be upset if it was ruined for him, which seemed ridiculous. "i'll be finished before the weekend is over." he added in a reassuring tone. at the mention of food, he nodded in response, "i'm up to eat. what are you thinking?"

eddie knew that it probably was a sensitive subject and he almost wanted to kick himself in the ass at the fact that he brought it up in the first place. he just wanted to check in on her, attempt to be there for someone who'd been there for him whenever he needed it. "i'm sure you don't have anything to worry about." he spoke in an encouraging tone. he was sure that they would make it out of that. he wanted to believe that the legal team hadn't lied to her. "i'm not bad. i mean, i'm good. i don't have any complaints. i just, you know, have some things on my mind that i don't know how to deal with."

eddie wanted the other to feel as though he was putting an effort in too. this wasn't just a one sided thing and so he definitely wouldn't mind hosting. "i'm sure. as long as you promise not to judge me on my comic book collection." they were all organized alphabetically in his living room and so him, they were cool but he knew that to a lot of other people, they were lame. he nodded as the other went on, his eyes landing on the dog that seems to love atlas more than anything. "you've got yourself a deal. i'll make my famous soup next week. it's supposed to cool down and there's nothing like a homemade broccoli and cheddar soup."

eddie had never done anything like this before or even considered asking anyone out after what happened to him back in high school. he trusted that donnie wouldn't laugh in his face if he did decide to make this move. smoothing over his shirt in a nervous manner, eyes focused on the friend in front of him. "okay," he cleared his throat, his cheeks turning a bright red color. "wait, uhm, how do you think i should start? should i just go for it or?"

Donnie grinned back at Eddie, tilting his head to the side as he thought of what he wanted to answer. "Both. A nice picture needs a nice subject, don't you think?" Recently, things had been a little different between the two of them and Donnie wasn't really sure of what to think of it yet. He'd always liked Eddie. A friend like no other, his best friend. But he couldn't lie and say he didn't see him in a different light these days. "People only say that because I have long, luscious hair." He joked lightly, then nodding when the other mentioned cocktails. "Oh yeah, we'll have to walk home though, because we know neither of us can handle drinking those fruity drinks without feeling really drunk."

eddie couldn't help but to smile at the other's words. despite the two of them being such close friends, he had to admit that the compliment meant a lot to him. in fact, it made him feel some sort of way and he wasn't sure how to deal with those feelings quite yet or at all. he'd never felt this way before, at least not toward someone he was so close to. "that's alright. i think we can manage to make it home from here and if we can't then i guess we'll have to attempt to find an uber. tonight's supposed to be busy though so there's no telling how long waiting for one would take." he shrugged, "either way, first round's on me." he spoke, a smile on his face as he wrapped an arm around his best friend's shoulders and led them toward the drink stand before ordering the two of them the halloween themed drinks.

OPEN TO ALL

eddie was all for some down time with friends, especially with everything that had been on his mind as of lately. his problems weren't the same as zuri's. in fact, hers were more tragic than anything else. "it's just wine. though, i have to tell you. i'm a bit of a light weight and the last time i drank with a friend, i kissed him. you should keep your distance in that case because i don't want to mess anything else up."

"Beautiful!" Donnie replied back with a wide smile. "Not ridiculous, you're silly. You're not the one with a metal thing around your arm, please. Only Sebastian Stan could pull this shit off." He joked lightly and then went over to his best friend, a small smile on his face as he got ready to pose for a selfie with their coordinated costumes. "No offense, but Cece gets dibs on all our costumes. If you ever meet her, you'll understand why." Donnie nudged his shoulder against Eddie's and then turned his head to look at him when he felt their hands touching, taking a few seconds before he replied. Things felt different lately, they'd always been close, but this was a different type of closeness and Donnie hadn't really had time to unpack it yet. "Funnel cake and a big pretzel, please."

"beautiful? the picture or me?" eddie attempted to joke, a small laugh falling from his lips. he was only like this with donnie. he felt as though donnie was one of the only people that he could really be himself around and that's why he spent so much time with him. "that's not true. i'm convinced you could pretty much pull anything off." he replied with a chuckle, shaking his head at the man next to him. after the two of them managed to take a picture together, he looked away from the camera and back at his best friend. "noted. i guess i'll just have to wait and see, then." he had felt the energy between them shift and what it meant, he wasn't sure. all that he knew is that he looked forward to see him best friend, even more than usual, if that were even possible. "and maybe we can get one of those halloween cocktails with the eyeballs i've seen advertised around here. it's a fun color, so it has to be good right?"