Deleted snippet from "Jim is a YouTube creeper and Pike rides his horse to work"
This is an expansion of the time that Pike's bag smelled like patchouli from this fic.
280 words, PG, mentions Winona
The regulation carrier bag is a constant, though some days it bulges more than others and, during the fall of Jim's second year, smells like patchouli for a week straight. Jim barely contains himself at that, forcibly silencing the rapid-fire interrogation that his mother used to chide him for.
He hated the disappointed tilt of her mouth so he quickly learned the boundaries of "personal" and how to step over them without being noticed: don't mention physical abnormalities unless in private and then with a tone of concern; lead an inquiry with a compliment; dangle the topic like bait and see if they bite; act dumber than you are. The last tactic would never work with Pike-Jim doesn't know how he'd feel if it did (scratch that, he knows, he'd feel more than he wants to admit)-and Pike isn't physically abnormal as far as Jim, going on his tragically limited experiential information, can tell, so he's left with compliments and bait.
"Your office smells nice today." He says it bluntly because Pike responds well to bluntness even if he oftens turns it into a laugh at Jim's expense.
Pike looks at him and pointedly doesn't answer. It's too late to try subtlety-not to mention Pike usually sees through it-so Jim holds his tongue until the scent fades, becoming more paranoid each day. Either the patchouli is related to some highly classified information or Pike is a sadistic bastard who enjoys torturing Jim with his own curiosity. Pike likes to torture Jim with many things. His sadism is a consistent motivation with varied expressions, something Jim became aware of when Pike supervised his conditioning training first year.
280 words, PG, mentions Winona
The regulation carrier bag is a constant, though some days it bulges more than others and, during the fall of Jim's second year, smells like patchouli for a week straight. Jim barely contains himself at that, forcibly silencing the rapid-fire interrogation that his mother used to chide him for.
He hated the disappointed tilt of her mouth so he quickly learned the boundaries of "personal" and how to step over them without being noticed: don't mention physical abnormalities unless in private and then with a tone of concern; lead an inquiry with a compliment; dangle the topic like bait and see if they bite; act dumber than you are. The last tactic would never work with Pike-Jim doesn't know how he'd feel if it did (scratch that, he knows, he'd feel more than he wants to admit)-and Pike isn't physically abnormal as far as Jim, going on his tragically limited experiential information, can tell, so he's left with compliments and bait.
"Your office smells nice today." He says it bluntly because Pike responds well to bluntness even if he oftens turns it into a laugh at Jim's expense.
Pike looks at him and pointedly doesn't answer. It's too late to try subtlety-not to mention Pike usually sees through it-so Jim holds his tongue until the scent fades, becoming more paranoid each day. Either the patchouli is related to some highly classified information or Pike is a sadistic bastard who enjoys torturing Jim with his own curiosity. Pike likes to torture Jim with many things. His sadism is a consistent motivation with varied expressions, something Jim became aware of when Pike supervised his conditioning training first year.