While 'Uninvited' and 'Crazy' are still undergoing the planning and mapping out of the chapters, I figured it was time for something a little less serious, a little less dark in tone. In a way, you could technically call it a sequel to the one-shot "Power of a Smile" I wrote a while back, as the idea's been bouncing around in my head ever since I wrote the piece. Obviously, the titled is spoofed off of a very popular book series and movie I find absolutely adorable, hopefully everyone will enjoy the silliness that will ensue. As always, any and all feedback is loved and brings a smile to my face, and any kind of flame ends up keeping me warm at night.
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There were an awful lot of rules when it came to Psychics.
Some of them, Red could see and understand the logic behind. After all, casinos and other places that had games based primarily around the concept of luck and skill became kind of pointless when you were able to predict the future or read someone's mind. Depending on the type of psychic ability, it was also a bad idea to take one to any place that was said to be haunted, as anything from possession to spontaneous exorcisms to a blast of psychic power that sent a good intentioned actor flying across the room, usually wound up spoiling the mood and atmosphere. Having one play the stock market was also considered illegal, though how many people actually followed that law was something that Sabrina had expressed a dubious opinion on in the form of, 'What do you think insider trading is?'
To be fair, he hadn't really managed to find a good counter argument to that.
Other rules didn't make as much sense, even after they were patiently explained to him. The whole 'any information about a crime gathered by a psychic is unable to used in a court of law' thing, for example. If a Psychic could see, no pun intended, the events that had occurred or knew when someone was lying and was guilty, why not use that information and get the bad guys locked away for good? Same with Psychics being banned from holding any high level authority positions in the majority of the career fields, particularly involving the government and political areas. Red figured a Psychic would have been the best kind of important figure head for a country, or even a city, as they would have the means necessary to know what needed to be done and how.
The more rules, restrictions and regulations that Red learned about, as Sabrina took the time to explain them to him, the more the sixteen year old found himself believing that there was a serious vendetta against people with Psychic powers and that they had been oppressed for far too long. He swore they were being micromanaged, probably spied on and kept under such heavy surveillance that they probably weren't even allowed to travel to other countries out of fear that they'd become spies or something equally treacherous like that.
It was about a week and a half after he'd vented that little opinion to the beautiful Gym Leader he was dating, and he still hadn't quite forgiven her for laughing herself almost sick in response.
There were rules for every relationship, she'd told him, and it was the same set of rules that non-Psychic relationships had, with some additional ones that applied only when dating a Psychic. In a rare display of mischief, she had teasingly told him that he should write a 'how-to' guide when it came to dating Psychics using the experiences in their own relationship and release it to help others who might fantasize about being with a Psychic, but needed a strong reality check.
For a while, Red had taken the joke as it was intended to be; a joke. But, as time went on, he found himself more and more tempted to do just that, particularly as the months went by and the 'abnormal' experiences in their relationship rose in number. Two nights after one such incident resolved itself with Sabrina's assistance, the two of them were enjoying a much needed moment alone between the two of them when he brought it back up.
"...I think I'm g-gonna do i-it." While not gone, constant work and encouragement from Sabrina had helped the self-conscious boy regain more control over the stammer that had nearly rendered him voluntarily mute. His eyes remained on his book, unfocused as they were as he raced through his own thoughts and began trying to form the right words to say in advance- and hopefully not stumble over them.
Sabrina's finger rose, the corner of the page she'd been reading dog-earring itself as the tome shut. Her glasses, something she'd informed him no one had ever seen other than immediate family, removed themselves and folded neatly back on the nightstand on her side of the bed. "You are going to do what, exactly?" She asked calmly, turning to give him her undivided attention. Even with their work on his stammer, it was still rather infrequent that Red would choose to actually speak out loud most days, as he preferred the intimacy that telepathy offered. As a result, whenever the boy did choose to speak, the older woman had a tendency to pay close and immediate attention.
He'd kinda forgotten just how intense and unnerving her undivided attention could be. Squirming a little in bed, he ran a hand through his thick dark hair and slowly, carefully replied. "W-Write that book we talked about." Only one stutter that time, maybe he could make it through a whole sentence without doing it. "That one, you know, about how to date a Psychic, or what to expect when dating one." Victory! He grinned, looking and feeling triumphant at his success. The warmth and soft acknowledgment of his accomplishment through the telepathic bond he often requested she keep with him was more than enough praise for him.
Her brow furrowed a little. "It was a joke," she said slowly. "nothing more than that." Like Red, and many other individuals she had reluctantly come to get to know more intimately than she had felt comfortable knowing, Sabrina had her own little insecurities that had a tendency to rear up when she least expected it. Looking at the tall, powerful woman, one wouldn't have thought that she would have been entirely too self-conscious about something like a sense of humor. But, as it turned out, Sabrina often had trouble when it came to actually making something sound like the joke it was supposed to be, rather than a statement or actual opinion.
Which, on more than one occasion, had lead to one of those interesting circumstances that they had endured and worked through together.
He beamed at her, switching back to his preferred method of communication, as it would take less time to explain than if he were having to concentrate on speaking slowly enough that he didn't trip over his words all the time. :No, no, I know it was a joke. But, I thought about it a lot more, and I think I like the idea of writing it. It's something we can do together!: Red's eyes shone with excitement, cheeks flushed as he waited for some sign that she had caught on to his energy and was going to be excited about it too. :Think about it, there's probably lots of guys, and maybe girls too, who want to know what the do's and don'ts are when it comes to dating a Psychic. And we can even include some of the stuff you use in your lectures at the school too, that way people know what your rules are.:
"Not all relationships are the same as ours, Red," Sabrina objected softly, though her expression and emotional part of their link was flavored with interest and contemplation. She was considering it, and that alone meant he'd caught her interest with something he had said. "there is no guarantee that anything in that book would be... beneficial to another couple attempting such a relationship." As usual, she had chosen her own words very carefully, blunt and leaning heavily on the side of logic whereas he had a tendency to run on excitement and whatever sounded like a good idea.
:So? If it'll help someone out even just a little bit, don't you think it's worth trying?: He persisted, turning over on his side to look at her with his head propped against his palm. She was thinking, so he'd let her think for a little bit. In a pink tank top with a pair of white silky pajama pants, she'd left her hair tied up from her shower and still faintly smelled of the soap she'd used. As a result, she was gorgeous, as usual, but even more so because she was off her guard with him, for the most part anyway. Her expression was softer, as were her eyes and the corners of her mouth, even if they were curved in a frown of deep thinking.
"You are thinking rather loudly," the black haired woman told him dryly, returning her attention from the book cover she'd turned to study while going through the many different thoughts and ideas she might have had about the book. "I hope you realize that flattery and compliments about my appearance, as well as my preference in bathing supplies, will do nothing to curry my favor on this matter."
Red grinned cheekily, sliding over from his side of the bed and leaned up. :What about... if I do this?: He titled his head to the side and leaned forward just enough to kiss her. Withdrawing after few moments, he looked up at her from beneath eyelashes that supermodels paid an exorbitant amount of money to imitate. :Does that do anything?: The look she gave him as she reached back to remove the claw clip from her hair was answer enough, though it certainly helped that she reached for him as the long mass of dark, silky hair tumbled over her shoulders.
:I'll take that as a yes, then.: He thought at her, unable to keep a smug trace out of his voice as he kissed her shoulder a little over an hour later. She was snuggled against him, his arm around her and her head pillowed against his shoulder. All was right in the world, pleasantly warm and his mind was drifting off toward a sleep he knew would be good. He knew Pikachu and the Espeons were snuggled up with Alakazam somewhere in the apartment, unless they were up to some sort of no good outside again. A scarlet eye opened a little, giving him the impression of a very lazy glare on her end as it closed again, the Psychic Gym Leader only snuggling a little closer in response, apparently too comfortable and sated at the moment to bother retaliating. Yeah, he'ddefinitely won this time. Red gave himself a mental congratulatory pat on the back and closed his eyes, preparing to have a great night's sleep with Sabrina at his side.
Just as he'd drifted off to sleep, something cold, heavy and completely unexpected dropped on top of his face to shake him out of sleep. A pillow. A heavy pillow at that. One that felt like it'd been sitting on top of Mount Silver in the middle of the night. It was that freaking cold! Red stared at it, blinking and squinting in the near pitch black darkness of the room. His thumb found the small series of 'x's that formed his name on the opening of the pillow case and stopped halfway through. He hadn't... but there was no way that... Green hadn't packed...
:Who was it that won, exactly?: Sabrina asked, eyes still closed and with a perfectly self-satisfied little smile on her face.