It was fast becoming a tradition after long days spent training at the base of Mount Silver. They took turns cooking dinner, though Karen's culinary adventures usually resulted in blackened disasters that Will smiled and ate anyway, just because he liked the little smiles she gave him when he told her how amazing it tasted. They followed it with dessert and drinks—black coffee for her, hot chocolate for him—and then, they nestled together on the couch with their board game of the evening.
The activity was normally a peaceful one, though Karen's temper had caused more than one game of Sorry! to go downhill fast. Tonight, though, was different than all the rest. It was Will's turn to pick the game, and he'd finally convinced his wife to try something new, something she'd waved off as 'boring' and 'too easy.'
Oh yes, tonight would definitely be a different story. Tonight, they played Jenga.
A small eternity passed before Will grasped a block near the bottom and carefully wriggled it out of place. The tower wobbled once, twice, then swayed back to center; he plopped his piece at the top, then smiled proudly to himself and sank back against the couch. Karen released the breath she'd been holding, and a strangled sound of disapproval came sputtering out of her.
Will paused mid-stretch and stared at his wife. "What?"
"You're cheating!" she cried. The architecture was sketchy at best. Karen was pretty sure it was worthy of condemnation. Pieces jutted out here and there, while others stood where they surely shouldn't. Blocks were missing in places that were crucial to the integrity of the structure. In fact, the whole thing should have toppled over by now, but it stood ever strong, mocking the dark-type trainer with sheer impossibility. She glared at her husband with a scrunched up face, searching his features for any sort of psychic shenanigans. His face betrayed nothing, but Karen knew better. "You're using your powers!"
"What?" he sounded incredulous. Hurt, even. "I am not!"
"There's no way!" Karen gestured madly at the lopsided pillar of blocks, "There are no laws in physics that allow for THAT!"
"Arceus, Karen, you just can't stand that I'm better than you at something!"
"No, I can't stand that you're cheating!"
"Stop being such a sore loser."
"Stop being such a cheat!" She waved one of her dainty hands in front of his face—a feeble attempt to shake his concentration—and his good eye followed her fingers idly. The blocks remained constant in their perilous state, and the little smirk on Will's face widened to a full-fledged grin. Karen sighed in frustration.
"See?" he mused in a singsong voice. He captured her hand with one of his and guided it to his lips. He squeezed it gently and ghosted a kiss to her knuckles. "Now, my love, it's your turn."
Karen glared at Will, jerking her hand away from his. He was already using his powers for evil; she wouldn't let him mesmerize her with pet names and acts of affection. "Will you just—just STOP!"
"I'm not doing anything that warrants stopping, so…"
"You're doing something!" Karen shot back. But what? Her sky-colored eyes darted between her husband and his Espeon. The psychic-type lay balled in the empty space of Will's other side, her head rested lightly on his leg. Her purple eyes were wide and alert, and she watched the wooden massacre unfurling on the coffee table in what Karen perceived to be intrigue.
She grinned brightly as it dawned on her. Of course he had one of his Pokémon doing his dirty work for him! Now, she just had to break her concentration somehow…
"Karina! Come here, baby girl!" Karen's voice was a notch higher than normal, her words smoothed together in the kind of tone a mother would use to fawn over her infant. The Espeon's long ears twitched a couple of times before she sprung up, prancing over her master's lap to plop herself in between his wife's legs. Karen's smile fell. The blocks still stood firm, every one of them taunting her as Karina nudged her hand impatiently, surely wondering why she was beckoned if not for attention.
"I named her after you," Will laughed, "so she's obviously a perfect angel." Karen hit his shoulder with her palm—half to punish him for his jest, half out of hope that the jerking motion would make him lose focus. Still nothing. "It's your turn," he reminded her.
"I know that!"
"Then go."
"Not until you admit that you're cheating!" Karen buried her face in her hands and sighed deeply, scowling at the blocks from between her fingers as if they had grossly betrayed her trust.
"What are you doing now?"
"Thinking."
"You know it's going to fall on you," Will grinned. Karen glowered at him; he was as innocent as a Meowth with a mouth full of Pidgey feathers.
"No, I know if you weren't cheating it would have fallen on you about five minutes ago," Karen mumbled, crossing her arms over her chest.
There had to be something she could do, something to bring his psychic facade crashing down with that stupid wooden tower. For a long moment Karen considered just slapping the blocks down with brute force; she doubted he was putting too much energy into holding the thing up, and she could probably break it easily. But no, there had to be something more satisfying…
She kissed him. Hard. Karen pressed a hand against his upper thigh and hooked her other arm around his neck. Their chests were pushed together; she could feel his rising and falling rather rapidly against hers, his heart thudding with surprise and excitement. Her tongue flirted with the part of his lips and he gasped softly, granting her entrance. His taste flooded her mouth, sweetened by flavors of chocolate and cinnamon. She felt his hands braid in her hair, cementing their closeness. Three years together and still the feeling of his mouth on hers made Karen's head spin, and in the ensuing spiral of love and passion she almost forgot about Jenga.
Almost.
The sound of wood crashing sharply against glass broke the couple apart as the tower came crumbling down in 54 rectangles of lies. Will, still gasping, hung his head in shame; Karen smiled widely and threw her hands towards the ceiling in victory.
"I KNEW IT!"