Big Bend (g/t)

Friends (and more?)

Easton's Pov

I stifled a yawn as I glanced at the time on my phone. It wasn't terribly late, but I still hadn't adjusted to the conparitively shorter human nights. I was beginning to think I never would. I heard a familiar buzz at the door - the human door, of course. I raised an eyebrow. John didn't use the doorbell, plus, he was already here. I couldn't think of anyone else who would be coming by unannounced.

Maybe Zoey would? I felt my heart skip a beat at that thought, and pushed it from my mind. Might as well put the mystery to rest, I thought, going to the door that was my size and opening it. It only took a fraction of a second to spot the three small figures by the door, and as soon as I did, a wide smile spread across my face.

"Easton! Hi!! It's been forever!" Larissa called, waving. I knelt down to be relatively closer to them.

"What are you guys doing here? I didn't think you were arriving until tomorrow?" Not that I minded - it had been years since I had seen Larissa, Kyle, or Ruby in person.

"We wanted to surprise you!" Kyle responded. "So...surprise!"

"The IMA agent you work with - John - helped us plan it," Ruby added.

If I could have seen my own expression, I was pretty sure it would have been equal parts surprise and excitement.

"Well, it worked. Surprising me, I mean. You guys look great - how have things been? How was the trip?" I realized I was rambling, but getting myself to stop was a harder task.

"The trip was good," Ruby said. "Uneventful, which I guess is how you want travel."

"Yeah, no portals to other planets or anything," Kyle added, referencing how I'd met them back on my home planet after they'd fallen through a portal.

"That's probably for the best," I said, laughing softly. "Do you guys want to come in? I'm sure travel was tiring even if it was uneventful - there's a human sized elevator behind that door that takes you up to my desk, basically, and then there's walkways too, or I can pick you up. Oh, and any luggage you have, of course!" I glanced over at the duffel bag that sat beside Ruby.

"Well, I kind of want to try the elevator - that sounds pretty cool," Larissa said. She looked between Kyle and Ruby. Kyle nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, that works for me."

"I'll go with Easton," Ruby said. I vaguely recalled her mentioning a fear of elevators at several years prior, and wondered if that played a role in her decision.

"Cool." I lowered my hand to the ground a few feet in front of Ruby, opening my mouth to begin my normal spiel, then stopped. "I usually do this whole monologue with tourists about staying in the middle of my hand and stuff, but I guess you know the drill."

"Don't fall to my death?" Ruby asked. Despite knowing it was a joke, the thought of that still made me cringe.

"Sorry," she added, picking up on my unease. "Maybe not the best joke."

"No, it's fine - just, not a fun thought," I said with a nervous laugh. Not a fun thought was putting it lightly. I was 100% sure I'd never forgive myself if any human - let alone a close friend - was hurt because of me. Let alone killed. I cleared my throat, trying to get my mind off of that track. "Did you want me to take the bags too?"

"If you wouldn't mind, we'd appreciate it," Larissa said.

"Not at all," I responded. John was waiting on the table near the human walkway when I returned inside. He smiled upon seeing the three humans, Ruby in my hand and Larissa and Kyle stepping out of the elevator.