JUST THE TWO OF US: Harlan And Cyrus

14: The Sleepless Night

After a few minutes passed and Harlan pulled himself together but still looked devastated. Luna picked up the food that was supposed to be for Cyrus up off the ground. The group walked out of the stable and back into the house. On the way out, Harlan grabbed the pillow Cyrus slept on and hugged it as they moved. He smelled the pillow and could still feel Cyrus. He wished he figured out better how to tap into others' abilities so he could smell better. Maybe he’d go bug Luna about that later tonight.

With everything that has happened tonight, no one had the energy to talk about Phoebe or whatever the hell was going on. Garrett offered to take Everett and Blake back to their places, so they left. They would try to solve the world's problems another day.

“I’ll be back in a little bit.” Garrett said as he walked out the door. “You guys good for a while?”

“Yeah, we’ll be fine.” Luna said while giving a worried look over to Harlan.

“I’ll be fine.” Harlan said.

“Okay.” Garrett said, closing the door behind him.

Neither twin said anything for a while after he left. Harlan sat on the sofa holding the pillow, looking down at the floor clearly deep in thought. Luna has never seen him like this. She didn’t know what to do. Luna moved to sit down in an armchair adjacent to Harlan but didn’t say anything. He looked so alone.

“Hey…” Luna started.

Harlan just hummed.

“I’m sorry about what happened to Cyrus.” She continued.

Harlan looked up from the floor but didn’t say anything.

“He really meant that much to you?” Luna asked.

“I guess so.” Harlan finally answered.

Harlan didn’t talk to Luna much about things, but he felt like he always could. That’s one of the things he loved about her. She always wanted a closer relationship with him, but he felt like he didn’t want to disappoint her. Harlan’s hookups, for example.

Luna knew about them, but he never talked about it because she always gave him a disapproving look. But she could always tell when he comes home with someone else's smell all over him. And Harlan knew that.

“I’m sure you can go and visit him.” Luna said.

“I don’t know if I could.” Harlan said. “I don’t know if I can handle seeing him in custody.”

“Fair.” Luna said.

She wanted to say more, to have a conversation, but she didn’t know what to say. Luna stood up from the armchair and moved to sit next to him on the sofa. She put her arm around him and looked at the pillow.

“It smells like him.” Harlan said.

Luna sat there and concentrated. The pack didn’t know how to share abilities, but she was going to try. She looked at the pillow intensely. Harlan looked up to see her brow furrowed, and he knew what she was trying to do.

“Luna, thanks, but you don’t…” Harlan started.

But then his sense of smell deepened. It almost startled him. Harlan could smell Luna’s hair shampoo. He could smell the bread crumbs someone must’ve left on the kitchen counter. This was a whole new world. But most importantly, he could smell Cyrus better. Harlan brought the pillow up to his face and breathed in. The scent of chlorine from the pool, lingering smell of mushrooms, mahogany cologne, and what must be Cyrus’s natural aroma filled Harlan's nose. It was comforting and nostalgic. He truly missed him.

The bonding didn’t last long because Luna lost focus, but Harlan was satisfied. He did feel a little better. He thanked her and gave her a hug before bringing the pillow up to his room. Harlan got ready for bed and, once under the covers, pulled the pillow into him. He was so worried. His thoughts kept him up much longer than he intended. Harlan didn’t sleep much that night.