Colour Me Happy Ch. 01

This is the story of Stephen who can see peoples emotional state as a colour. It's a very slow burn in the first chapter or two while I set up the premise. But stay with me because things will move quickly very soon. All character that have a sexual encounter are over 18 years of age.

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Ch 1.

I can remember the day I discovered my gift. It's funny really, I did not miraculously wake up one day and discover I could do things that other people couldn't. Rather it was the day I became aware that other people could not do the things I could do. It was a long time ago now.

For as long as I can remember I could see other people's thoughts and feelings. It's not like I can see a video footage, hear dialogue, for see text or anything a visceral as that. I see colours. When people are angry, sad, in discomfort, or hungry I see a colour. It's like seeing someone's facial expression you just know they are angry, right. There is just some level of body language people can't hide. Well, my colours are just like that, only on steroids.

My name is Stephen, I have a sister Jenifer who is five years younger than me. I had a pretty ordinary suburban upbringing. Dad worked, mom stayed at home. Jenifer and I always got along despite our age difference. From the time she was born we always had a closeness. I always knew when she needed changing, was hungry, or sick, and I always knew what she needed, even before mom did. To me it was obvious, when she was crying, I could see her colours, and tell what she needed. I didn't immediately get it, I guess it's a lot like learning to talk. I could see the colours, then mom would do something, change her, feed her, or just hold her and sometimes the colours would change. Over time I learned that certain colours needed specific remedies. Mom would be dancing around trying to calm Jen down, I would take one look and say "Mom, Jen is hungry, are you blind or something!" Well I turns out she was, and not only that, it seems pretty much everyone else is too. Everyone is colour blind except for me. Well as least that's what I call it. Colour blind. Not the visual colour like a red or green traffic light, but colour blind nonetheless.

Mom would turn to me whenever she needed help with Jen, and Jen basically got conditioned to know that when I showed up, whatever the problem, it would be resolved. Kids are smart like that. That probably accounts for why Jen and I are so close. Mom would brag to her friends that I was some sort of baby whisperer. I hated that attention, and it didn't earn me any new friends either. It's terrible seeing that cold colour of hatred whenever you walked into a room. For the most part the other kids weren't overtly mean to me. One or two were bullies, but I guess most kids would put up with a bully or two in their lifetime. It was like I was stealing the other kid's mom and they really hated that. I learned pretty quickly to keep my thoughts to myself, get things wrong more often than not, and after a while things reverted back to normal. Mom just put it down to that certain connection some siblings have, and that was fine with me.

Here is the thing though; I can't see my own colours. So apart from the everyday things that happen, my colour vocabulary was pretty limited. Sure I can see the colour, but without a stimulus which makes the colour more intense, or fades the colour, I don't know what it means. It's like watching the news in foreign language without any graphics. Without context no matter how long you listen to it, you will never understand.

As I grew up, I added a few new items to my vocabulary. As a teen in college it's handy to know who likes you and who doesn't. Something not always obvious to other people.

The day my journey really started though was when I was spending time with my one best friend, Peter. I've known him since we were kids and he is one of the good guys. He's big, but pretty uncoordinated, so never made it to any of the sports teams at school. On this particular day were headed down to the mall to get a new shirt for him, and some shoes for me. We had a party that night, and we really wanted to look our best. You never know what might happen. Although we were both virgins, we were still hopeful.

We headed over to the bus stop and on the way a bunch of kids a few years younger than us picking on some unfortunate girl. She held her hands to her face crying. The mean girls (every town has them) were pushing her around and calling her a bitch (amongst other things). All the while the mean girls boy friends were urging them on to greater levels of bullying.

Peter couldn't stand watching and not acting, so he waltzes right over and scares off the group. It was only then that the girl moved her hands from her face and I recognised her. It was the younger Winston girl who lives 5 or 6 doors up from my place. Amy Winston was our age and this was her sister Rebecca. Rebecca was is a looker but her sister Amy was smoking hot. Amy occupied a different orbit to us, completely out of our league, and while we went to the same school and lived not far from one another we rarely said more than a shy hello. Rebecca thanked us, and used her cell phone to call her dad to get a ride home. We waited with her at the bus station until he came and then we went on our own way.

That night we met up with a group of friends and headed to the party on the other side of town. We were all less than 21, but someone had managed to acquire a keg of beer and who were we to say no? Little did I know at the time that I would add a new word to my vocabulary that night and my life would be forever altered in a very good way.

The music was loud and people were dancing. I could see colours changing as kids milled about. It was then that I saw Amy Winston. Man was she hot, and dressed to kill, not that she needed it. She was hot in that girl next door kind of way, blond, cute, smart and really nice to everyone. As she moved around she catches Peter's eye. Now while every guy in the place wants her, Peter is completely and totally besotted. As Amy saunters and sashays over to us, Peter's smoky plume takes on a look akin to last eruption of mount Vesuvius. At the same time I see this little yellow spark that flickers to life in Amy pauses for a few seconds, then slowly recedes. She walks straight over to Peter leans in and kisses him on the cheek. First a look of bewilderment, then appreciation and finally "am I being set up" crosses Peter's face. Amy says thank you for helping out her sister and only then does Peter (and I) understand the unusual attention.

Peter may be a slow starter, but he's not a moron, and while he may have been initially thrown, he quickly recovered and began making conversation. Being the good wing man, I said I needed a drink and made myself scarce. Whilst I moved away and gave Peter some space, my curiosity got the better of me and I kept an eye on his progress. Every now and again that little yellow spark would light up, flicker for a second or two then fade. While it seemed Peter was doing well enough, it seemed like he had probably peaked. Amy looked like she was about to move on when a skinny guy running forwards, but looking backwards runs straight into Peter's back. The skinny kid tripped and hit the deck, drinks goes flying saturating Peter's new shirt with some sort red, sticky, mocktail.

At this point anyone could have forgiven Peter for totally losing it, but that's not Peter. He picks up the kid, dusts him off and tells him not to sweat it. Amy's yellow flicker turns into a more constant burn which catches my eye. I'm just thinking to myself, "well that's unusual," when the reason this kid was looking backwards catches up. Three guy's with obvious ill intent, grab the kid and are about to do some serious damage when Peter, steps up again, puts himself between the kid and his aggressors. These guys are having none of it, and one takes a swing. But Peter is a big dude, he puts a hand on this guy's chest and pushes forward. This guy is practically airborne before he lands flat on his back on the ground and winded. I can't say exactly what happened next because, what was this yellow glow around Amy turns into an intense pulse, which I can only describe as like looking into the sun. Next thing I know, the three guys have taken off.

Amy's yellow light is on, bright, constant. Not quite the nuclear explosion of 10 seconds ago, but pretty intense all the same. Things settle down, the kid disappears, the music returns and the crowd gets back to normal. Peter says he needs to do something about his sticky mess, and asks me to keep Amy company until he returns from the bathroom.

"Well, that was pretty intense," I say to Amy.

"It sure was, Peter is not one to just stand by and watch bad stuff happen is he?" Amy replied.

"No, it's not in his DNA. He's a big clumsy teddy bear, right up until some bully does his thing, then he's the HULK, then 5 minutes later he's that teddy bear again."

As I'm saying that the glow intensifies, then dissipates like I'm confirming what Amy already knows.

Minutes later Peter returns with a wet pink shirt. Amy grins from ear to ear, the light intensifies again as she notices Peter. She puts her arm through his, and says "You can't stay here like that, I only live around the corner, come over, and I'll put it through the wash and dry cycle for you."

Peter says, "well ok then."

I've had enough as well, so we all walk out together and start to make our way home. I bid Peter and Amy good night as we pass her house, and I go home.

The next day, Peter is around my place at like 10 in the morning, and mom sends him up to my room. I'm still in bed because, who knows what that 10am position on the clock means? I've certainly never seen it actually in action. Anyway, he can't wait to see me and one look at him tells me he is the cat that ate the canary.

"Well?" I say.

"Well what?" he replies.

I role my eyes, and start to turn over and feign going back to sleep and he says, "All right, all right. I'm not going into details but it was good".

"How good?" I ask.

"What can I say? She is hot and she is into me, I don't know why, but I'm not one to ask questions!"

Peter was light on details, I wanted to know more, I mean it's not every day one of your buds plays some serious tongue rugby with the cutest babe around. But more intriguingly, I'd learned something new last night, and further investigation was definitely warranted.

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