Smell

Perfume is a disguise. Since the middle ages, we have worn masks of fruit and flowers in order to conceal from ourselves the meaty essence of our humanity. ~Tom Robins

~~o0o~~

The sense of smell, or olfaction, is the special sense through which smells (or odors) are perceived. The sense of smell has many functions, including detecting hazards, and pheromones, and plays a role in taste.

~~o0o~~

The smell of Parker's skin, her hair. Hardison had known those scents from before he was a wolf. But those scents were pale in comparison to what he could detect now. Not only could he smell a richer quality to the scents he had known before, but now he was learning new scents that he'd never known before. Dopamine, Serotonin, and Oxytocin, were words he'd known the definitions to but now he knew what they smelled like.

He could smell the pheromones and hormones left from their love making the night before and he could smell Parker on his skin. And while the scent of Parker was something he always hoped to wake up to, it was usually better when the scent was coming from her, because that meant she was still cuddled into his side. Parker had obviously gotten up before him, which was an unusual occurrence. With a deep breath he stretched and then relaxed into the bed for a moment before throwing the covers off.

He got out of bed and gathered clothes before heading for the shower. He turned the water on and for a second was caught by the scent. He'd never really thought of water as having a scent before. It made him think of an old corny movie where one character said to the other. 'We have to go this way. The water can't be far from here I can smell it.' He'd written that off as Hollywood garbage but now he could smell the water and the soaps and the cleaners. Everything had a scent and they all vied for his undivided attention.

After his shower he went to get his watch from the top of the dresser and he accidentally bumped Parker's perfume off the top. He'd caught it before it could fall all the way to the carpet and he steadied the little bottle back into its spot. Parker's perfume had been one of the first things he'd changed after he'd become a wolf. He'd thought Eliot was pulling his leg when he said her old perfume smelled like formaldehyde, but he was right, it stank. Eliot had put him in touch with the company that he ordered his cologne and aftershave from. It was a company owned and run by werewolves. They'd had an entire line of women's products and he'd found a jasmine scent to replace Parker's old perfume with.

As he headed downstairs he was hit with a barrage of scents. The plant in the corner of the room smelled of green growing things, dirt, and water. The furniture carried a mix of scents that he couldn't quite decipher yet. The cleaners that Eliot used in the kitchen mostly smelled of lemon but there were a few chemicals he could detect that he didn't have a name for. He could smell the complex group of scents that was Eliot; made up of the man himself, the detergent and softener of his clothes, the leather of boots and belt, shampoo, and cologne. He could smell the eggs and bacon, oil, salt and pepper from the food. For a moment he stood on the stairs until he'd sorted through the scents and pushed the ones he didn't need into the background of his awareness.

"Still gettin' dizzy from the smells?" Eliot asked as Hardison slid onto one of the stools at the island counter.

"Yep, but it's getting better. I've been working on what you told me about pushing things to the background so that it isn't so overwhelming." It hadn't been a whole month since he was turned but he felt like he was starting to get the hang of things.

He reached for a slice of crispy bacon and just before he could grasp his prize, Eliot's wooden spoon struck his knuckles. Hardison whined sounding distinctly like his wolf. He was a little embarrassed over the sound but his wolf seemed to come to the fore whenever he was caught by surprise.

"It's almost ready. You can wait a couple more minutes." Eliot flashed yellow eyes at him but Hardison didn't feel a push in the bonds.

"Where's Parker?"

"We've got a game for you." Eliot quirked a half a smile while he plated the eggs. "Hide and seek but werewolf style."

"How's that different from regular hide and seek?"

"You're going to follow her scent trail in order to find her."

Hardison raised an eyebrow. "Okay." He went to the cupboard and got out a couple of plates and glasses and took them to the table. "So why are we playing this game? I mean I kinda get it. But how often am I going to need to track somebody outside of a computer?"

Eliot shrugged. "I don't know if you'll ever need it to track someone but this can be a useful skill for all kinds of things. It's like scenting emotions or weapons or even bad food. They all have their uses and are more or less useful depending on the situation."

"So is Parker already hiding? I wouldn't think she'd want to miss breakfast." Hardison carried the plate of bacon to the table.

"She wanted the head start."

"The pub ain't that big. Just how much of a head start did the girl need?"

"She's not hiding here. She's somewhere in the city." Eliot could feel as well as smell Hardison's nervousness at the thought of tracking Parker through the city. "Look, you can do this. You been spendin' way too much time here. You haven't even been down to your office in the pub for at least a week."

Hardison could smell and feel Eliot's concern. "Don't worry about me. I just been busy that's all."

It wasn't quite a lie but Eliot knew it wasn't the truth either. "Dammit Hardison. Parker is worried, I'm worried, the kitchen staff is worried. You've got plenty of control over your wolf now so there is no reason to hide up here."

"I'm not hiding."

"Really? 'Cause that's what it looks like." Eliot glanced at him while he poured his orange juice. "Listen, I'm not going to let anything happen. You've got control now you just need to use it." Eliot dug into his plate of eggs.

"I'm not scared to go outside." Hardison grumbled.

Eliot took several slices of bacon.

"After everything that's happened there's nothing wrong with taking a little break."

Eliot drank his orange juice.

"It's not like we've had a job or somethin'. So what's it matter if I'm enjoying a little binge watching?"

Eliot set his dishes in the sink and cleared the table, including Hardison's plate and glass which weren't quite empty. "Come on. Grab your coat." Eliot headed for the door.

Hardison heard Eliot pause on the stairs about halfway down.

"Hardison don't make me make it an order."

Hardison yanked his coat off the hook by the door and stomped his way after Eliot.

~~o0o~~

The morning was crisp with a definite nip to the air. Hardison pulled his coat on as he stood next to Eliot on the loading dock. "If I bring the wolf forward I don't really need the jacket."

"Yah but you need to pass for human and most folks aren't going to wander around in the cold without a jacket."

Hardison stood there waiting. He realized that without the wolf it was too cold to just stand around. "Now what?"

"I'm waiting on you. You're tracking Parker. I'm just following you." Eliot tugged at a coat sleeve.

Hardison reached for his bond with Parker. His pack-bond to her made it clear how she was feeling and that she was okay, but his mate-bond to her was so much more intense and always let him know where she was. When he sorted through the strange connections he now had. He could find her in those connections and he felt the comfort of his mate-bond to her but it was different.

"Parker is controlling your bond. You won't be able to find her that way." Eliot smirked and hopped off the dock. "Come on. Let's get this going."

With a barely concealed growl Hardison followed Eliot to the mouth of the alley that opened onto NW Northrup St.

"Which way?" Eliot blew into his cupped hands before putting them back in his pockets.

Hardison closed his eye and inhaled through his nose. His eyes popped open and he started to gag.

Eliot chuckled. "Push that scent to the back."

"Good lord." Hardison's eyes watered and he fanned a hand in front of his face. He tried again and put a fist to his mouth. "I can't tell."

"Okay walk to the corner and try again."

"What was that?" Hardison choked back the urge to gag.

"Vomit, dead cat, and dog crap." Eliot smirked as he followed Hardison.

At the corner Hardison tried again. This time he picked up a myriad of scents: car exhaust, plants, rain, a lot of different people, chewed gum, and Parker. He walked a little farther down the street and felt Eliot's hand on his arm.

"Whoa, don't want you walking into things or off the curb. I know it's easier to follow the smell with your eyes closed because you can concentrate on that scent but you can't do that out here."

Hardison smirked. "I didn't even notice I was doin' that. I just got so caught up in it."

"Yep. Scents'll catch you that way sometimes."

They continued to walk down the street and turned onto NW Lovejoy St. They'd gone several blocks when they got to the parking lot near the post office. Hardison paused and turned in a circle. "I lost her."

"Okay. So what now?"

Hardison stared at him.

"What made you lose her trail?"

"Too many other scents. There's just too much here." Hardison couldn't hide his frustration.

"So you can back track or you can guess which way she might have gone and try to pick up her scent farther on." Eliot pushed a little calmness through their bond. "You can't tell me that this is harder than the photoshop thingy you taught me."

"That was practically just cut and paste man." Hardison shook out his shoulders and looked around the street to see if he found anything that might give a hint to where Parker had gone.

"And this is just following a trail. Parker isn't even trying to hide from you right now."

Hardison frowned and with a grunt he stalked further down the street.

"What's got you annoyed now?" Eliot kept pace.

"The fact that you think this is easy when I'm having a hard time with it, and the part where I can't even hide that it annoys me 'cause you can tell what I'm feeling." He shoved his hands in his pockets.

"I ain't doin' this as a punishment." Eliot put a hand on Hardison's arm. "I can tell what you're feelin' and that's why I'm worried. I don't want you to give up doing things because the werewolf stuff is overwhelming. I know the smells from the kitchen were too much and that was why you started avoiding the kitchen. And the smells from all the customers was freaking you out, so you started avoiding the front of the restaurant too. Since then you've practically been living like a hermit."

Hardison shrugged.

"This is supposed to be fun." Eliot smiled. "Find your bonds to Parker. Can you feel how excited she is?"

Hardison gave him a small smile and nodded.

"Alright then." He clapped Hardison on the shoulder. "Let's go and find your girl."

Eventually Hardison found Parker's scent on the railing of the Broadway Bridge. He smiled and started to follow her scent across the bridge.

"Where did you find her scent?"

Hardison looked confused. "On the railing. Why?"

"What does that tell you?" Eliot saw the annoyed look on Hardison's face before he felt the irritation in the bonds. "Was she just walking past there? Did she lean against the railing? Put her hand on it? How did her scent get there?"

Hardison nodded. "I don't know exactly. She could have touched it or leaned on it I guess. The scent was up on the railing and concentrated. What I'm following now is lower down… kinda fuzzy?" He felt Eliot's approval through the bonds.

"Perfect. That's really great man." Eliot smiled and followed Hardison across the bridge.

On the other side of the bridge they followed Parker's trail as it wandered past a school, through the parking lot and into a couple of other parking lots. She had passed the Portland Water Bureau and turned left and a half a block later she turned right on Interstate Ave.

"Do you know where she's going?"

"I know the end point. I have no idea how she's getting there."

Three blocks later Hardison was derailed again at the corner of Mississippi Ave. "Oh wow!" Hardison clapped a hand over his face. "I can't… I can't smell anything else now." He looked like he might be sick.

"It's the pot shop on the corner." Eliot grimaced.

"I know sometimes you kinda smell skunk around some pot shops but this… this is…" Hardison swallowed hard trying not to be sick.

"You haven't passed by a pot shop since you been a wolf." Eliot commented.

"And I hope I never do again." Hardison looked around the intersection. "Now what? Just pick a direction like before?"

Eliot nodded while he held his breath.

Hardison crossed the street and hurried down the block following Interstate Ave. When they were within sight of N. Russell St. Eliot put a hand on his arm to slow him down.

"Here." He fished a small plastic baggie out of his coat pocket. "Sniff this first and then try to find Parker again."

Hardison took a tentative sniff near the bag. "Coffee. Oh that is so much better."

"Alright. Let's get to the corner and see if you can find her scent there."

After a few minutes of wandering from one side of the intersection to another Hardison sighed and turned to Eliot. "I can't find her anywhere here. Did I miss her?" He looked around the intersection again. "I'm not even asking for a hint. But can you at least tell me if you scented her anywhere in this intersection?"

"No I haven't. I'm pretty sure she didn't come this way." Eliot looked down Russell St. and back down Interstate Ave. "Let's head down Russell back to Mississippi. If we don't find her there we'll have to backtrack."

Hardison started down the street. "Do you think she knew I wouldn't be able to follow her through that?" He couldn't help the slight wolf whine but he tried to cover it with a cough to clear his throat.

"She's Parker." Eliot shrugged. "I don't know whether she picked that as a place to try an' lose us or if it just doesn't smell that bad to her." Eliot felt the twist in Hardison's emotions over the thought of Parker losing them on purpose. "Hey, this is a game. That's all this is. If Parker picked that stench to cover her tracks I'm sure it's because she has faith that you'll figure this out."

As they got closer to Mississippi Eliot saw Hardison wrinkle his nose. "Don't worry the pot smell shouldn't be too bad the wind is blowing it the other direction."

"Could you smell anything besides skunk in the middle of all that?" Hardison pointed down the street.

"No. That was pretty overwhelming."

There was a poster for a lost dog taped to the pole on the corner of Russell and Mississippi. "Parker touched this." Hardison touched the same spot.

It didn't take long for him to resume the trail and they followed Parker down Mississippi as the street wound it's way north toward I-5. Mississippi took a couple of turns as it navigated the understructure of the overpass. It had turned north again and Hardison continued to follow. Her path took a turn onto N Cook St. and a block later she crossed the street and went up Albina Ave and made a right onto Fremont. They'd barely turned the corner onto Fremont when Hardison lost her trail again.

"Dammit." He turned in a circle.

"It's not gone." Eliot smiled.

"Okay." Hardison looked uncertain and closed his eyes as he took a deep breath. He pointed in the direction that he caught Parker's scent.

"That's what I'm smelling too." Eliot patted Hardison on the back.

They turned in at a small laundromat. The guy behind the counter eyed them as they came in. "Your name Alec?" He looked at Hardison.

"Yes."

He slid two quarters across the counter. "Cute blonde was in here earlier. She said I should keep an eye out for two guys fitting your description." He frowned like he still wasn't sure they were the right ones. He tilted his head toward a small loft above the washing machines. "She said you should try to beat her high score."

"Thanks." Hardison took the quarters and went up the steep stairs with Eliot following him. Pushing the scents of detergent, softener, dirty clothes, and people to the side. He found her scent and followed it to a pinball game.

Eliot snorted when he saw the game. The game was decorated in bright reds and dark blues and featured a snarling werewolf with glowing eyes. Looking at the scoreboard they could see the high score belonged to Pretzels.

"That's my girl." Hardison smiled and put in the quarters.

Eliot stood by and watched as Hardison's score continued to climb. Just when it was about to pass Parker's Hardison's fingers slipped on the buttons and the ball rolled into the return and the game was over leaving Hardison in second place. Eliot was pretty sure the slip was on purpose but he didn't say anything as he watched Hardison enter the name Geek Baby for the name of the second highest score.

Hardison fished his phone out of his pocket and set it up to take a selfie with the game in the background. At the last second he threw an arm around Eliot and drug him into the picture.

Eliot rolled his eyes and went back down the stairs. He slid a dollar across the counter and told the guy behind it thanks.

Hardison met him out front after he'd sent the picture to Parker. "Alright. I take it we're not done yet?"

"Not even close. I don't know what Parker was up to going this way."

Hardison paced back and forth in front of the laundromat but didn't find anything new. "I'm not finding what direction she went. I want to try across the street."

Eliot remained silent and followed Hardison's lead.

Hardison took them three more blocks up Albina Ave. He stopped at Failing St. "She was here but the scent is stronger. Does that mean it's fresher like she might be close by?"

"Sometimes if a scent is stronger it means those things but this time I think it means she was here more than once." Eliot waited but Hardison didn't move. "Which way do you think she went from this spot?"

Hardison's initial steps were tentative but when there wasn't any comment from Eliot he picked up his pace a little. The path took them back to Mississippi St. and up a half a block.

Hardison paused. "Gross did someone…"

"Pee on the wall? Yes they did." Eliot wrinkled his nose. "Walk past it and you'll probably pick up parker's scent again."

"There was something… odd about the scent back there." Hardison put his hands in his pockets and hunched his shoulders as they walked.

"Urine…and other things… carry a lot of information about a person or animal. I'm sure you could look it up and tell me the names of all the chemicals or whatever. But that's why you might have had the urge to inhale deeper or smell it again even though it's gross. It was a complex scent. Some foods are that way too. It's not just that a particular dish smells good it's that your brain is trying to figure out each of the smaller scents that make up the overall smell."

"I don't know what's worse; that you linked piss and food or that after that now I'm hungry."

"We'll find some place soon and get something to eat." Eliot checked his watch. It was a little early for lunch but he wouldn't mind getting something to eat either.

A little further down the street Hardison stopped in front of a bar and in haled deeply. His stomach growled loudly.

"Let's go in and get something to eat. We'll pick up her trail again after lunch." Eliot opened the door and left Hardison to follow. At the bar they saw the spark of recognition on the bartenders face.

"Been wondering when I'd see you boys." The bartender was a middle aged woman with heavy mascara and short spiky white hair. She turned her phone so that they could see the picture Hardison had sent Parker from the laundromat. "Been holdin' a booth for ya over there." She pointed. "Seat yourselves and I'll have the food right out."

As they made their way toward the booth a man bumped roughly into Hardison. Eliot put a finger on Hardison's arm. He'd noticed the way that Hardison had focused in on the man. And the flash of anger was bright in the bonds. "Stop." The word was quiet and Eliot didn't put any force behind it.

Hardison shuddered. "See. This is why I don't need to be here."

"You did fine. You didn't lose control and I didn't have to give you an order so that's really good." Eliot gave Hardison's arm a squeeze. "Don't be so afraid of messing up. You've got more control than you're giving yourself credit for."

A few minutes later the bartender was carrying a tray of food and two drinks their way. As she passed the bar a song came on over the speakers.

Hardison laughed and Eliot groaned as the first bouncing notes of Werewolves of London played. The bartender served the food Parker had ordered for them including a drink for each of them. She told them the drinks were called Werewolf Bites.

They each cut into a rare stake with fries and mixed veggies on the side. "So you didn't know about any of this?" Hardison asked as he savored his first bite.

"Nope. I told her to start off with an obvious trail and eventually work her way through a variety of places. I told her what time to make it to the end point and other than that it's all been up to her."

They'd been eating for several minutes when Eliot noticed Hardison fidgeting. "Is it the smells or the noise?"

"Both."

Eliot felt a hum of embarrassment coming from Hardison. "Hey," Eliot caught Hardison's attention. "You got nothin' ta be ashamed of. You're not even a month old. Give yourself some credit." Eliot swallowed a bite of steak. "Focus on one thing. Find a scent or a sound and concentrate on that. Try the scent of your steak and the sound of the squeaky ceiling fan." Eliot offered.

"Will it always be like this? Having to concentrate on little things just to get through a meal or whatever." Hardison did as instructed mostly and focused in on the scent of his steak and the sound of Eliot's heartbeat. He usually listened to the sound of Parker's heartbeat when things got to be too much.

"No. Probably not." Eliot took a sip of the drink that came with the meal. "The more you get involved with things the less you'll deal with sensory overload."

"It's not just sensory though." Hardison swallowed hard. "Like that guy back there." He tilted his head toward the guy that had bumped him earlier. "That shouldn't have been a big deal. Put it pissed me off and I wanted to do something about it. And then like the next minute I'm sad about something or excited or whatever. It's all just extremes and I don't know what to do with that."

Eliot nodded and finished his steak. "Yah, that's a tough one. Some of that, most of it probably, is that you are still very new. But the flash of emotions; the sudden highs, lows, and especially anger, are probably always going to be there. Wolves, real wolves, and to a lesser extent werewolves run on instinct. The guy that bumped you, he was in your space, in your territory. Instinct says to defend your territory and prove your dominance. But you are more than your instinct and this is part of controlling your wolf."

"I don't feel like I have much control." Hardison kept his eyes on his plate.

"But you do. I've watched you pass up opportunities to snap at the staff for doing something dumb. I know you've wanted to hit a few of the people that have come into the pub but so far I ain't havin' to bail you outa jail. So yah, someone bumps into you and it might piss you off, but you didn't act on it. You didn't stare down that guy back there or shove him back. You were in control. You'll find your own way to deal with things like that. You might learn to ignore it or avoid situations like that as much as possible." He shrugged.

Hardison took a deep breath and couldn't help noticing all the scents that came with it but he still let the habit of it bring him peace. "Thanks. It's good to know I'm not crazy. It's just felt like I been all over the map lately."

"That's part of what today's game is all about. Proving that you're in control of your instincts and your senses. So try to have fun with it but don't be too hard on yourself if some of it ticks you off or whatever." Eliot finished the last of his drink with a frown.

After their meal they headed back out on the street. Eliot leaned against the building's front while he waited on Hardison to find Parker's trail. After a few minutes Hardison moved across the street. Eliot felt the spike of joy when Hardison figured it out and he moved across the street to follow.

Parker had backtracked like they'd guessed she had but on the opposite side of the street. Eventually they came to a baseball field that Parker had felt the need to circle. She'd moved on and continued down the street until she'd reached Williams Ave. She'd turned south and after five blocks she turned east on Fargo. She'd taken that street to Irving Park. Once she was in the park Hardison determined that she'd climbed at least two trees on her way north through the park. Her trail seemed to disappear on the north side of the park.

Eliot stood back and watched Hardison pace for a few minutes. Eliot could feel Hardison's anxiety levels rise. "What's wrong?"

"That's just it. I don't know what's wrong. I don't know why I can't find her. I think I'm screwing this up and I'm pretty sure you already knew that." Hardison frowned.

"Calm down." Eliot stepped out of the park and onto the sidewalk with Hardison.

"That's the thing. I'm not sure I can." Hardison rubbed his fist over his stomach.

Eliot had noticed Hardison make that same motion whenever he was struggling with his wolf. "Do you want me to help or do you want to work on it yourself?"

Hardison sighed. "Help."

"Hardison, calm down." Eliot didn't have to put much power behind the words but it was enough that he could feel Hardison's wolf settle under the authority of his Alpha. "Alright. What's going on here?"

"Her scent is strong on the bench and near the curb but after that it just disappears."

Eliot nodded. "Let me try." Taking a deep breath he started covering the same area that Hardison had. "You're right." He leaned against a post while he thought.

"I'm an idiot." Hardison muttered as he looked at the sign above Eliot's head.

Eliot looked up at the sign and chuckled. "You are the smartest man I've ever known."

They sat together on the bench while they waited for the bus. Eliot noticed that Hardison sat against him and he figured that Hardison's wolf was still needing the reassurance. Eliot felt a peace and happiness settle over him in response and knew his own wolf had been on edge following Hardison all day and not giving him orders or instruction when that was his own go to instinct. But like he'd told Hardison, it was all about controlling his instincts. He took comfort in his pack bonds and the touch of Hardison's shoulder against his own shoulder.

Hardison pulled his phone out and tapped at it until he had the information on the bus route. "We could start walking this route and see if we find where she got off."

"That would take hours and we don't have that kind of time." Eliot sighed. "How long till the next bus?"

Hardison noted the time on his phone. "Five minutes maybe."

In three minutes the bus rolled to a stop and the doors popped open with a hiss. Eliot inhaled and after a second Hardison did the same. Eliot glanced at Hardison with a raised eyebrow.

Hardison shook his head. Eliot smiled.

It was a half an hour until the next bus came. The doors popped open and Hardison inhaled deeply. He stood and Eliot followed him onto the bus. Hardison moved to the seat that Parker had sat in but Eliot redirected him to a seat closer to the center doors. They were the only ones on the bus so it was easy to get the seats he wanted.

At the next stop the bus doors popped open even though no one was getting on and Eliot and Hardison hadn't made a move for the door. They inhaled deeply but there was no hint of Parker. At the next stop they scented for her again but still nothing to indicate that she'd gotten off the bus there.

After the second stop the man driving the bus commented. "You know, there's plenty of air in here. No need for breathin' like there won't be any till the next stop."

Eliot moved to the front and struck up a conversation with the driver about weather and air quality and how important mass transit, and busses in particular, are to reducing the amount of exhaust in major cities.

Hardison checked for Parker's scent at each stop and eventually they'd traveled all the way back across the river. Across the N Steel Bridge and to the stop at Old Town Station. Hardison stood quickly and exited the bus.

"Looks like this is our stop."

"You have a nice day."

"You too Ernie." Eliot got off the bus and started following Hardison.

"The end point isn't the pub is it? 'Cause if you made me walk all over this city just to go back home, I ain't gonna be happy." Hardison groused as he started walking down NW Everett St.

"Nope. Ain't the pub. I told you, you gotta get out more." Eliot kept pace beside Hardison.

When they crossed the bridge that went over the 405 Hardison took an immediate right onto 16th Ave. Two more blocks and he took a left onto Glisan St.

They'd traveled nearly four blocks down Glisan St when Hardison stopped. "We're going to Julio's place aren't we?"

Eliot couldn't help the smile. "Pizza, beer, and a movie."

Hardison did a little dance and he felt his mate-bond bloom in his chest and the sure knowledge of where Parker was at came with it. They jogged the last few blocks because Hardison couldn't stand to wait any longer to find Parker.

Parker was standing out in front of Julio's place and he started to rush toward her. He realized that he couldn't move as fast as he wanted and with a glance over his shoulder he saw Eliot mouth the word human, and he knew Eliot must have used the bonds to slow him down. But that was okay because he had Parker in his arms by the time he'd figured it out. "I missed you so much today. Don't ever mess with our mate-bond like that again please." He'd been pushing down the hurt and the worry at not feeling her all day and it came rolling out of him as he pressed his face into her neck and inhaled the scent of her.

"I'm sorry. I didn't think it would hurt your feelings. I just wanted you to be able to enjoy the game. I didn't think it would be fun if you already had the answer to the puzzle." She wiggled around in his arms until she had his face between her hands. She rubbed the tip of her nose against his before she moved in to kiss him.

They heard a cough from the door of the building. "Portland is pretty liberal but I'm not sure how long you'll get away with that on the street." Julio teased.

Eliot shook his head and clapped Julio on the shoulder as he went inside.

Hardison pulled Parker into his side and turned to face Julio. "So what's the movie tonight?"

"The boy in the bubble." Julio smiled and held the door open.

"Okay. I guess I deserved that." Hardison leaned a little to the side so the he was surrounded by the scent of Parker's hair.

He thought about how the day went and noticed how much more relaxed Eliot and Parker were now and he knew that his heightened sense of smell would be a good thing and not something to be afraid of. He'd just needed a little help from his pack and his friends to get the hang of it.