Big Bend (g/t)

Fangs

I had mostly stuck to trying to avoid Easton as much as possible after the last bonfire. As much as possible was still a good amount, given that we worked together. I was pretty sure Easton had picked up on my discomfort at this point too, as the giant seemed...extra cautious around me. And extra friendly, which was saying something, given that Easton seemed like the embodiment of friendliness already.
The effort he was putting into being less threatening probably would have been reassuring in any other situation. Heartwarming, even. As much as I tried, though, I couldn't shake off my discomfort around the giant. I had found myself slowly growing more at ease, at least during work. So when John invited me to another bonfire, I hadn't immediately turned the offer down.
I agreed to this - might as well make the best of it, I figured. And that was how I found myself sitting next to Angie, several feet closer to Easton than I would have preferred. The giant was laying on his stomach, his head resting on his arms. He wore a blue oversized sweater, something that I couldn't help but find ironic. It was always weird to remember that Easton wasn't actually a giant, at least in his own world. If anything, this world was abnormally small compared to his own.

"How was the talk earlier?" Angie asked.

"It was good," Easton replied. "Y'know, the usual though."

"Lots of tourists wanting pictures?" Angie guessed. He nodded, looking at the fire. Even laying down, he was still dwarfing the flames.

"Does that get tiring? Or annoying?" Angie asked.

"I mean, I get why they're curious," Easton said. "I probably would be too, if the tables were turned."

He looked over at me. "You had a program today too, didn't you?"

I was a little surprised he'd remembered that, or known at all. A talk about the wildlife in Big Bend was pretty easily overshadowed - no pun intended - by Easton's presence.

"Uh, yeah, I did," I replied, looking up at him with a tight smile.

"How'd it go?" Easton asked.

I shrugged. "Also the usual."

"Hope I'm not too late," Gus said genially, walking up to us. Annie, one of the seasonal interpretive rangers, was close behind him. I wasn't surprised to see her there; she'd had countless questions for Easton during work, and had probably jumped at the chance to ask more.

"No, not at all. John just went to get more firewood," Angie replied.

The night was actually going...well, despite my wariness of Easton. Fun, even. I found myself spending less time looking over at the giant at some point, and more time laughing with the group and roasting marshmallows. Gus was telling us about his time working in Yellowstone when he was much, much younger. Annie was continually eyeing Easton. If he noticed, he didn't say anything. He was resting his head on his arm, his eyes half closed. I wondered how long he had been up, given how tired he seemed.

"It's too bad you can't have s'mores with us," Angie lamented. Easton blinked his eyes fully open, smiling softly. He gave a small shrug.

"That's okay, I was never a big fan anyways," he said. And then he yawned. A casual enough gesture, but also one that immediately drew all of the humans' attention. Easton hurriedly covered his mouth, looking away.

"You do have fangs," I blurted before I could stop myself. I wasn't sure why it felt like such a shocking revelation, as Easton's commitment to smiling with his mouth closed had pretty much confirmed that Aphirials did in fact have sharp teeth. Razor sharp teeth, apparently, which was a feat considering they had looked to be easily the length of my arm.

"Sorry," Easton said, looking mortified.

"I think they're cool," Angie offered. "I always wanted fangs when I was a kid, to match Penelope."

Easton gave a forced smile, red painted across his cheeks. "Um, I should probably head to bed, I think."

Angie looked like she was going to say something, then just nodded. Easton slowly pulled himself up to his full height - after double checking with everyone several times. I managed to find the words to wish him a good night.

You knew he wasn't human, it's pretty fucking obvious. Why does this bother you so much? I told myself silently.

Probably because they're a reminder.

A reminder of several things. That Easton wasn't just not human in size, but also decidedly not human in species, or even from this dimension. That what he was was dangerous, by design. And, most chillingly, a reminder of what had happened years prior.

"You okay?" Angie asked, looking over at me. I never had had a good poker face.

"Uh, yeah. I kind of figured that particular rumor was true anyways," I said, trying to shrug it off.

"He seemed really embarrassed," Angie offered. I gave a quick nod. That was actually what I really couldn't understand about Easton. The contrast between what he was and who he acted like. It felt odd for a being that powerful to be worried about what a human thought, self conscious over his status as an outsider.

I'll admit, I'd wondered more than once whether or not it was all an act. As I had worked with Easton more, though, it seemed like he was genuinely just like that. A bit awkward, perpetually a little on edge, and trying to cover it with earnest friendliness. Somewhat of a pushover, even, which made absolutely no sense to me. He was taller than most buildings in the area, had practically perfect senses, and was nigh-invincible compared to humans. I would think even one of those would lend someone a pretty hefty amount of self confidence, and yet Easton had just looked like he wanted to die over simply yawning.

Despite my initial shock, the more I thought about Easton's response the more reassured I felt about the giant's character. He'd jumped right to apologizing, not excuses or defensiveness. And he'd left quickly, but still checked with all of the humans before moving. None of that seemed like the actions of someone who would cause any of us harm, I reasoned. And then I kept repeating that, hoping it would diminish the uneasiness that refused to release its grip on my stomach.