Stuff100: Smell Like Home
Apr. 11th, 2012 09:14 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
lb_leeSmell Like Home
Prompt: Smell
Word Count: 751
Summary: They say that smell evokes the most powerful memories
Notes: Takes place after ‘When There’s a Will, There’s A Where,’ when Raige is a freshman in college.
Raige is in one of the many VU computer labs, putting the finishing touches on a paper about the Civil War, when the girl next to him leans over and asks, “What’s that you’re wearing?”
Raige looks down at his faded T-shirt. He can’t fathom why anyone would be interested in it, but— “Oh, it’s just an old Latin competition, my school competed a few years back—”
“No, I meant,” and she’s leaning closer now, close enough that it’s a little awkward, with her brow furrowed like she’s trying to hear something barely audible, “…is that… after shave?”
Raige blinks. “Uh, I don’t wear any.” He wonders if the girl is subtly trying to tell him that his deodorant’s failed, and whether he can check without being obvious about it.
But the girl must catch the look on his face, because she goes, “No, no, I didn’t mean… it’s good is all, and I was wondering where you’d gotten it. I’ve never smelled anything like it.” She leans in, inhales, then catches herself and giggles nervously. “I’m sorry, I know I’m being weird, I’ve just got to know, what is it, shampoo or something? It smells kind of herbal…”
“Oh!” And Raige rubs his face and laughs out of embarrassment. “It’s my girlfriend—I mean, the smell of my girlfriend—her workplace, I mean.” Smooth. “She’s a—she works with herbs and stuff a lot, and so…” He holds up his hands, feeling his cheeks burn.
The girl’s face falls. “Oh. I guess that means, uh, I can’t really buy it.”
Raige tugs at his forelock. “Well, if you like, I could ask her for some, she probably has spare…”
“No, no, that’s okay.”
“You sure? Because you know, it’s no big deal, she’s got tons…”
But the girl, looking as flustered as he feels, squeaks, “No, really, it’s fine, thanks anyway.” And she swipes up her books and scuttles off.
Well. That was… different. And when Raige gets a chance, he goes into the restroom, pulls his shirt up to his nose and inhales. Wearing it so long, he hadn’t noticed, but like this, it hits hard, the scent of medicinal plants, some minty, some tangy, mingling to smell like green and sunshine, adventures and laughter…
Raige hastily drops his shirt and finishes his Civil War paper in half the time he planned for. He knows he ought to shower off, or at least change his clothes, but things keep coming up to distract him, piano practice and music theory class and pictures of kittens on the Internet. One way or another, he manages to procrastinate until he meets Thomas for dinner, and the moment he sits down, Thomas grins knowingly at him and says, “Spent the night at M.D.’s place, huh?”
Raige grimaces. “Okay, that’s it, I really need to shower after this. You’re the second person now to mention it.”
Thomas raises his hands. “Relax, man, I didn’t say it was bad. Could be way worse, you could smell like me after work, all mulch and Ever-Gro. At least M.D. smells like something good for you.”
“Yes. Yes she does.”
“What, did someone complain or something?”
“No, no,” and Raige recounts the events in the computer lab. “Weird, huh?”
Thomas raises an eyebrow at him over the table. “Dude, she was hitting on you.”
“What? Really? Nah…”
“I never said she was doing it well. Man, maybe I ought to hang out with M.D. after work more often, see if that gets me girls…”
“Please don’t. It’s distracting enough on her; if you both start smelling like that, I’ll turn into a complete basket case.”
Thomas laughs. “Careful around those New Agey shops, the incense might give you ideas…”
“She doesn’t smell like incense. It’s sharper. Cleaner.”
“Man, you have the weirdest turn-ons, I swear.”
“You really think that girl was hitting on me?”
Thomas shakes his head. “Sometimes it blows my mind that someone clueless as you managed to get yourself two people to date.” He drinks.
Raige smiles. “It’s my raw masculine energy.” And Thomas nearly chokes on his drink.
Raige doesn’t return to his dorm room until late. He slips in to avoid waking his roommate, who has classes at eight, and navigates to bed in the dark. As he strips off his shirt, he pauses to smell the herbs still clinging to it. Now, lingering underneath, is a hint of Thomas’s aftershave.
Raige shoves the shirt under his pillow and falls asleep smiling.
Prompt: Smell
Word Count: 751
Summary: They say that smell evokes the most powerful memories
Notes: Takes place after ‘When There’s a Will, There’s A Where,’ when Raige is a freshman in college.
Raige is in one of the many VU computer labs, putting the finishing touches on a paper about the Civil War, when the girl next to him leans over and asks, “What’s that you’re wearing?”
Raige looks down at his faded T-shirt. He can’t fathom why anyone would be interested in it, but— “Oh, it’s just an old Latin competition, my school competed a few years back—”
“No, I meant,” and she’s leaning closer now, close enough that it’s a little awkward, with her brow furrowed like she’s trying to hear something barely audible, “…is that… after shave?”
Raige blinks. “Uh, I don’t wear any.” He wonders if the girl is subtly trying to tell him that his deodorant’s failed, and whether he can check without being obvious about it.
But the girl must catch the look on his face, because she goes, “No, no, I didn’t mean… it’s good is all, and I was wondering where you’d gotten it. I’ve never smelled anything like it.” She leans in, inhales, then catches herself and giggles nervously. “I’m sorry, I know I’m being weird, I’ve just got to know, what is it, shampoo or something? It smells kind of herbal…”
“Oh!” And Raige rubs his face and laughs out of embarrassment. “It’s my girlfriend—I mean, the smell of my girlfriend—her workplace, I mean.” Smooth. “She’s a—she works with herbs and stuff a lot, and so…” He holds up his hands, feeling his cheeks burn.
The girl’s face falls. “Oh. I guess that means, uh, I can’t really buy it.”
Raige tugs at his forelock. “Well, if you like, I could ask her for some, she probably has spare…”
“No, no, that’s okay.”
“You sure? Because you know, it’s no big deal, she’s got tons…”
But the girl, looking as flustered as he feels, squeaks, “No, really, it’s fine, thanks anyway.” And she swipes up her books and scuttles off.
Well. That was… different. And when Raige gets a chance, he goes into the restroom, pulls his shirt up to his nose and inhales. Wearing it so long, he hadn’t noticed, but like this, it hits hard, the scent of medicinal plants, some minty, some tangy, mingling to smell like green and sunshine, adventures and laughter…
Raige hastily drops his shirt and finishes his Civil War paper in half the time he planned for. He knows he ought to shower off, or at least change his clothes, but things keep coming up to distract him, piano practice and music theory class and pictures of kittens on the Internet. One way or another, he manages to procrastinate until he meets Thomas for dinner, and the moment he sits down, Thomas grins knowingly at him and says, “Spent the night at M.D.’s place, huh?”
Raige grimaces. “Okay, that’s it, I really need to shower after this. You’re the second person now to mention it.”
Thomas raises his hands. “Relax, man, I didn’t say it was bad. Could be way worse, you could smell like me after work, all mulch and Ever-Gro. At least M.D. smells like something good for you.”
“Yes. Yes she does.”
“What, did someone complain or something?”
“No, no,” and Raige recounts the events in the computer lab. “Weird, huh?”
Thomas raises an eyebrow at him over the table. “Dude, she was hitting on you.”
“What? Really? Nah…”
“I never said she was doing it well. Man, maybe I ought to hang out with M.D. after work more often, see if that gets me girls…”
“Please don’t. It’s distracting enough on her; if you both start smelling like that, I’ll turn into a complete basket case.”
Thomas laughs. “Careful around those New Agey shops, the incense might give you ideas…”
“She doesn’t smell like incense. It’s sharper. Cleaner.”
“Man, you have the weirdest turn-ons, I swear.”
“You really think that girl was hitting on me?”
Thomas shakes his head. “Sometimes it blows my mind that someone clueless as you managed to get yourself two people to date.” He drinks.
Raige smiles. “It’s my raw masculine energy.” And Thomas nearly chokes on his drink.
Raige doesn’t return to his dorm room until late. He slips in to avoid waking his roommate, who has classes at eight, and navigates to bed in the dark. As he strips off his shirt, he pauses to smell the herbs still clinging to it. Now, lingering underneath, is a hint of Thomas’s aftershave.
Raige shoves the shirt under his pillow and falls asleep smiling.
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Date: 2014-05-08 04:28 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-05-08 06:21 pm (UTC)