Archive of Our Own ^beta

Merton knew better. He knew he should have learned his lesson when Becky accidentally unleashed that Genie and ended up as Tommy's girlfriend long enough to find out what it was like to kiss the most popular guy in school. Of course she didn't remember any of it, but that didn't really make Merton feel any better, because the fact was that the genie should have been his. The kiss should have been his, and there was no power on Earth strong enough to make him forget what it would feel like if Tommy finally kissed him.

Not that that was going to happen on its own, which was exactly why Merton couldn't pass up this opportunity. He had a feeling it was all a big hoax anyway, because there was no way that someone actually had a real live Djinn just lying around collecting dust. He was pretty sure Djinn didn't even exist, at least not outside of The Arabian Nights. Okay, and he'd seen Wishmaster, but he wasn't about to start believing in movie monsters just because his best friend happened to be a werewolf.

Then again, he'd met zombies, made out with a vampire, and even proven the existence of the Sandman, so he was willing to take a chance that Fong wasn't pulling a fast one on him. He was sort of trustworthy, after all; he'd cured Merton when Medusa turned him to stone, anyway, and he'd made good on his deal with Tommy when he fought the Cyclops. So Merton had emptied his bank account of all his birthday savings, hit his parents up for an advance on his allowance, and even sold his limited edition copy of The Book of the Sacred Magic on eBay to come up with the money.

It took every penny he had, and when he got home and opened the small, satin-lined box he couldn't help feeling a little disappointed. He wasn't sure what he'd been expecting, but the small gold bottle wasn't it. It didn't look much like the traditional genie bottles people thought of when they thought about Aladdin and his magic lamp; it didn't even look much like the bottle Becky's genie had come in. It looked like one of those incense burners they sold at the candle shop in the mall, really, and he was starting to think that maybe Fong was getting some kind of revenge for the fact that Tommy hadn't paid for the antidote that saved Merton's life.

He wasn't even sure why he'd spent so much money on something that was probably a hoax. He'd told himself more than once that it was a dumb idea, but every time he tried to forget about it he'd remember the way Tommy looked at Becky when he was under the genie's spell. Knowing what that would feel like – even just for a few seconds – was worth the money he'd paid for the bottle; it was worth everything he owned if he could get Tommy to look at him that way.

He took a deep breath and lifted the bottle carefully out of the box, setting it down on his desk and frowning at it. Maybe he shouldn't open it on his desk; after all, if there really was a Djinn in there he didn't really want it landing on top of his PC. He could put it on the floor, but that seemed disrespectful somehow. The last thing he needed was an angry Djinn on his hands, especially if all the stories he'd read about them on the internet were true. There was the table by his bed, but the last genie had made a big mess and he didn't really want supernatural shrapnel all over his covers.

In the end he decided the desk was his best option, but just to be safe he shut down his computer and made sure his history term paper was safely tucked in a drawer before he held his breath and reached for the bottle stopper. His fingers shook slightly as he eased the bottle open and took a few quick steps backwards, bracing himself for…nothing.

He sighed and picked up the bottle, shaking it before he held it up and tried to peer into the tiny opening. For a second he thought he could hear something rattling around in there, but when nothing happened he set it down again and slumped dejectedly into his chair. "Just great," he muttered to no one in particular. "It just figures I spent my life savings on an empty bottle, and Becky gets a whole genie without even trying."

A minute ticked by, then another, but no amount of staring menacingly at the bottle seemed to have an affect. He was about to pick it up again when he heard the door at the top of the stairs open, then his mother stuck her head into the lair. "Merton, dinner."

"I'm not hungry."

"I didn't ask you if you were hungry," she answered, disappearing from his line of vision again. He heard her voice carry back down the stairs as she walked away from his room, her tone telling him not to bother arguing. "Upstairs on the double, mister. We eat dinner as a family whether your friends think it's cool or not."

He rolled his eyes but didn't bother explaining that his friends had nothing to do with it; he'd heard her give that lecture to Becky enough times to know there was no getting out of it. He could pretend to be sick, but then he ran the risk of her forcing him into bed with a wet washcloth and a cup of chicken broth or something equally disgusting. Being fussed over by his mother wasn't high on his list of ways to spend the evening, so he stood up and turned toward the stairs. Halfway there he remembered that he'd left the Djinn bottle out in plain sight, so he crossed back to his desk and picked it up again.

He wasn't sure why he felt the need to hide it, but the thought of Becky coming downstairs and finding a way to unlock its powers purely by accident made the hair on the back of his neck stand up. She wasn't stealing three more wishes from him, no matter what he had to do to stop her. The thought sent a cold shiver straight down his spine, and he frowned down at the bottle clutched in his hand. Now he knew he was losing it, because it felt warmer than it had a moment…

"Merton! Now."

His mother's voice interrupted his train of thought, and he shook himself before he looked down at the bottle again. It hadn't changed at all from the moment he took it out of its box; it was probably just wishful thinking, he told himself, dropping it in the wastebasket next to his desk before he headed upstairs for dinner.

~

He spent most of dinner trying not to think about the tiny gold bottle sitting in his wastebasket. He wasn't sure why, but every few minutes he'd get the urge to get up and go back downstairs to see if it was still there. It wasn't like the bottle was going to sprout legs and walk off on its own, though, so there was no reason for him to worry about it. Still, by the time he'd helped clear the dishes and made his escape back to the lair his heart was beating a little faster than normal.

He pushed the door open and practically ran down the stairs, crossing to his desk in record time and looking down into the wastebasket. The bottle was still lying there on its side exactly where he'd left it. An exasperated sigh escaped his throat as he leaned over and picked it up, but when he looked more closely at it he realized the top was gone.

"Must have fallen off," he muttered to himself, digging through the papers in his wastebasket for a sign of the top. At least if he had the whole thing he could put it on eBay and maybe make a little of his money back, he reasoned as he dug a little more frantically through the trash. Before long he'd emptied the contents of the wastebasket on his floor, but there was no sign of the top of the bottle anywhere. And it appeared that the bottle could sprout legs and walk off after all – well, the top of the bottle, anyway – because there was no other explanation for its disappearance.

Just as he was about to run upstairs and accuse Becky of sneaking into his room and taking it he heard a noise behind him. "Becky, I've told you a million times to knock…"

He trailed off as soon as he saw what the source of the noise was. Standing in front of him, holding the missing bottle top in its outstretched palm, was…something. Blood pounded against his ears as he stared at the creature, stealing his ability to speak or even form coherent thoughts. And he really should have been used to seeing weird things by now, but there was something about this…thing that he could only assume was the Djinn.

It was tall – well over six feet – with long, dark hair pulled into a braid that hung over one shoulder. It definitely looked male, although Merton had a feeling it had just taken a human form so it wouldn't scare him to death on first sight. He hadn't been able to find much information at all about Djinns online, but the few people that claimed to have seen one never talked about what they looked like. He knew one thing for sure, though; everyone that dealt with a Djinn was expected to give something in return, and if they didn't hold up their part of the bargain they paid for it.

"You're real. I mean you're here. I mean…how'd you get here?" Merton stammered, inching a little closer to the Djinn with each word. He wasn't sure what it was about the figure standing in front of him, but as soon as he'd laid eyes on the Djinn he was overcome with a want he'd never felt before.

"I am Dantalion. You have summoned me from the space between the worlds. For that I will grant you three wishes. But in return I will ask something of you. If you accept your wishes you must fulfill my request without question. Do you accept this contract?"

Merton's head echoed with the low, soothing voice, almost as though the Djinn was speaking directly into his mind. He shook his head to try to get his focus back, but as soon as he looked at the Djinn again the overwhelming want came rushing right back. "I…I mean…how did you get here? I threw that stupid bottle away."

"Do you wish to know how I was summoned?" the Djinn asked, a smile that could only be described as predatory tugging at one corner of his mouth. His lips, Merton noticed for the first time, were almost a grotesque shade of red, and his teeth were startlingly white against them.

"No, I mean I don't…wait a second," Merton said, frowning and turning away from the Djinn. As soon as he turned his back some of the aching need ebbed away, and the weight that had been pressing down on his chest let up a little. He was almost sure the Djinn was trying to trick him, but it was so hard to focus when he was looking into those dark eyes. It had to be some trick they used to cheat people out of their wishes, but he was way too smart to fall for that.

Merton swallowed a smirk and turned back to the Djinn again, focusing on his chest instead of his face. "No, I don't want to know how you were summoned. The point is you're here, right? That's all that matters."

The Djinn didn't answer, but it didn't look that happy about being outsmarted either. Merton grinned and looked back down at its chest again, making sure not to hold eye contact long enough to let it confuse him. "So if I agree to this…contract...what do I have to do? I mean what do I have that you could possibly want? I'm not trading places with you, so you can forget that right now. The last genie that came around tried that trick on my sister, and it didn't work."

"I am not a common genie," the Djinn said, and Merton was almost sure he could hear disdain in its voice. It was hard to tell when it was echoing inside his head, but he stole a glance at its face and sure enough, it looked pretty disgusted. "Stupid creatures, always trying to escape their bounds. The Djinn are far more powerful, mortal. You chose wisely to summon me instead; I can grant wishes beyond your wildest imagination."

"Well if I can't imagine it, how would you be able to grant it?"

Merton had a feeling that was the wrong question to ask when the Djinn waved its hand impatiently and made the bottle top it had been holding disappear in a flash of smoke. "I grow weary of questions, mortal. Do you choose to accept your wishes?"

"Okay, okay," Merton muttered, taking an involuntary step backwards. He'd heard that Djinns weren't the most patient creatures ever, but he wasn't sure if they were allowed to kill people without it being wished for. He wasn't stupid enough to take a chance, though, so he took a deep breath and concentrated on the wording of his first wish. "Alright. My first wish. I wish my best friend Tommy Dawkins wanted me."

"Done." He saw another flash of white on red as the Djinn's lips twisted into a cruel smile, and a moment later he was standing in his room alone.

~

Half an hour passed with no sign of the Djinn. Merton called out as loud as he dared with his entire family right upstairs; he even went outside and looked around a little, and finally he looked into the empty bottle again. It was no use, though; it was just gone, and he hadn't gotten his wish yet. Then again, it was possible that these things took time, and maybe the next time he saw Tommy he'd get his wish. Just the thought of Tommy wanting him as much as he wanted Tommy…he felt a familiar want creep over him, different than the way he'd felt when the Djinn was around, but just as strong.

He was so lost in thought that he didn't hear the door to the lair open, and he practically jumped out of his own skin when a hand landed on his shoulder. "Whoa, relax, Merton, it's just me."

If his heart hadn't already been pounding against his ribcage the sound of Tommy's voice would have been enough to make his pulse race. He turned slowly to face the other boy, his pale cheeks flushed as he took in Tommy's appearance. "Tommy? What are you…"

That was as far as he got before Tommy reached out and pulled him forward. He braced himself for the inevitable kiss, but Tommy's mouth never found his. Instead he buried his face in the side of Merton's neck and breathed in deeply before turning to whisper in Merton's ear. "Merton, there's something I gotta tell you."

"I know," Merton said, and he hoped to God he did, because if he was wrong he was about to throw away the best friendship he was ever going to have. But there was no way he was misreading the way Tommy was holding onto him, or the way his mouth was moving against Merton's neck. "Tommy, look at me."

When their eyes met he saw Tommy's confusion and uncertainty melt away into the same want Merton had felt for months now. He'd wanted Tommy since long before they became friends, but he'd never thought this moment would come. In his wildest dreams he'd never expected Tommy to want him back, and not even the knowledge that it was because of a wish was enough to make him stop. He slid one hand into Tommy's hair, tilting his head just a little before he pulled the other boy forward for a kiss.

It started off soft, but as soon as Tommy realized what was happening it turned demanding. Tommy's tongue teased Merton's lips open, his hands leaving Merton's back to slide under his shirt. Merton had always assumed Tommy was a virgin; he dated occasionally, sure, but most of his relationships ended before they really started. Anyway, that was the kind of thing guys told their friends, at least in all the movies Merton had ever seen. So if Tommy had slept with Lori or Stacy or any of his handful of other part-time girlfriends he would have mentioned it, wouldn't he?

His hands spoke of experience, though, and suddenly Merton was a little nervous about what they were doing. When he'd wished for Tommy to want him he'd only been thinking in general terms; a little kissing, maybe, holding hands at the movies and hanging out together on the weekend instead of looking for girls, but that didn't feel like all Tommy had in mind. For someone with such bad luck in the dating department Tommy sure moved fast, and when Merton felt a hand slide under the waistband of his jeans he knew things were getting out of hand way too fast. He flattened his palms against Tommy's chest and pushed with all his might – which wasn't much considering the solid wall of muscle under his hands – but it was enough to get Tommy's attention.

"What?" Tommy gasped, his lips red and swollen and his pupils dilated and if Merton wasn't mistaken, a little yellow around the edges.

"Nothing," Merton answered, swallowing the questions he wanted to ask about how and why and what had made Tommy suddenly change his mind. He knew all those answers better than Tommy did, after all, and even if Tommy could give him an answer it wouldn't be the truth. "I just…this is all a little sudden. Maybe we should just…"

He trailed off when Tommy leaned forward and ran his tongue along the shell of Merton's ear, sending a shiver down his spine that he couldn't quite suppress. "You want me, don't you?" Tommy breathed against his ear.

"God, Tommy, you have no idea," Merton answered, turning unconsciously into the other boy's touch.

Tommy pulled back far enough to grin at him before he leaned forward again, pressing his lips to Merton's for a firm kiss. "Then what's the problem?"

"There's no problem. I was just wondering why you decided to come over tonight."

"I wanted to see you," Tommy answered, breathing the words again Merton's neck and making it hard for him to think. "I couldn't stand it anymore, Merton. I'm tired of pretending."

He wanted to believe that Tommy really meant it, that he'd been thinking about Merton all this time the same way Merton had been thinking about him. He knew it wasn't true, but he'd thought that if he could just get a taste of what it would feel like to be wanted by Tommy that it would be enough. Now he knew how Tommy kissed and he knew what Tommy's hands and mouth felt like against his skin. He knew everything Becky had forgotten about her brief romance with Tommy and then some, and it had barely been five minutes since Tommy walked into the lair.

It should have been enough; it was exactly what he'd spent most of his adolescence wishing for, but he couldn't make himself forget that it wasn't real. None of it was real, and it was entirely possible that when Tommy woke up in the morning he wouldn't remember a single thing about tonight. Merton had no idea how long wishes lasted, if they were permanent or if he was supposed to make a time frame part of his wish. He hadn't thought this out carefully enough, and now that Tommy was right here in front of him thinking was getting more challenging every second.

"Tommy, stop," he gasped when he felt a hand dip below the waistband of his jeans for the second time.

As soon as he said it Tommy tensed and let go of him, his hands leaving Merton's skin as he stepped out of the other boy's grasp. "I thought you wanted this."

"I do. I mean I thought I did. It's all happening so fast."

"Fast? Merton, we've been hanging out all year." Tommy's frustration was obvious; it showed on his face and in his voice, and Merton had seen enough of the wolf to know that Tommy wasn't always in charge when he wanted something.

"Yeah, but I didn't think you'd ever…shouldn't we talk about this? I mean kissing is good, but the rest…tomorrow's a school day."

It had to be the dumbest thing he'd ever said, but he wasn't sure Tommy had even heard him. He didn't look like he was listening very hard, anyway. A second ago he'd looked more frustrated than Merton had ever seen him, but now he was sizing Merton up as though he was a particularly juicy piece of fried chicken. "I know you already finished all your homework, buddy. You told me so right after school."

Merton felt the hot blush creeping into his cheeks, but he ignored it and hoped that Tommy wouldn't notice. He hadn't thought Tommy was listening to him after school; he'd just assumed the other boy was preoccupied with football stats or whatever he thought about when he wasn't fighting bad guys. He had no idea that Tommy actually paid attention to him when he was babbling about schoolwork.

"You know, you're pretty cute when you blush like that."

Okay, that was not helping, just like Tommy's grin and his proximity weren't helping. How was he supposed to think straight when his gorgeous best friend looked like he was thinking about swallowing him whole? "My parents are right upstairs."

He glanced unconsciously in the direction of the stairs as he spoke, but as it turned out taking his eyes off Tommy was a bad idea. As soon as his back was turned Tommy moved again, one hand landing on Merton's hip and the other finding its way back under Merton's shirt.

"They never come down here," Tommy pointed out. He was right; for the most part Merton's parents left him alone to do whatever he felt like. He was pretty sure having sex with his best friend wasn't on the list of things they expected him to be up to, though. If they thought there was any chance of that happening they probably wouldn't have let him have internet access in his room, let alone leave him alone with Tommy all the time.

"Seriously, Tommy, shouldn't we slow down a little?"

A frustrated sigh escaped Tommy's throat, warming Merton's neck and sending a fresh shiver down his spine. "Merton, come on," Tommy moaned against his ear, "if I wanted somebody to play hard to get with me I'd still be going out with Lori."

As soon as he heard those words his heart sank, every hope he'd had that Tommy felt the same way he did disappearing. "So you're only coming on to me because you think I'll put out?"

"Well it's not the only reason," Tommy said. He let Merton pull away from him, grinning sheepishly at the other boy's expression. "Come on, don't look at me like that. You just said you wanted me, so what's the big deal?"

For a long time Merton just stared at Tommy, willing himself to believe that he'd just imagined those words coming out of his best friend's mouth. This wasn't the way he'd imagined this going, not in all the scenarios he'd come up with over the past few months. And he should have known this would happen, because Genies always tried to trick people with their wishes, and Djinns probably weren't any different. He wanted Tommy, but he didn't want him like this. The person standing in front of him looked like Tommy, he sounded like Tommy and even smelled like him, but the things he was saying weren't the kind of things Tommy would say. At least Merton didn't think they were.

"I thought this would be…I don't know, different."

"Different? What, you expected me to bring you flowers or something? Ask you out on a date?" Tommy laughed at the idea, but it wasn't Tommy's usual laugh. It sounded more mocking than Merton would have ever expected Tommy to be capable of, and if they hadn't been standing in his bedroom Merton knew he would have turned and run rather than watch Tommy laughing at him. "You know that's never gonna happen, Merton. I'm captain of the team, I can't date a guy."

Maybe he should have known that this would happen, but he'd always thought that Tommy was different from the other guys at school. Sure, he cared a lot more about football than Merton ever would and he missed being normal enough to try to shake the werewolf every chance he got, but when it came down to something like this Merton thought he'd be different. He hadn't really expected Tommy to come out to the whole school, but he hadn't expected him to be so cruel about it either.

"Look, this was a bad idea," Tommy said when Merton didn't answer. He took a few steps toward the door, his eyes never leaving Merton as he backed away. "I thought you'd be cool with it, but if you're gonna make it into a big thing…just forget I came over, okay?"

Forget – how was he supposed to forget something like this? Tommy had kissed him; more than that, Tommy had been working hard on getting him to do a lot more than kiss just a few minutes ago. Merton opened his mouth to ask how he was just supposed to forget almost having the one thing he'd always wanted, but by the time he found the words Tommy was already gone. He flinched at the sound of the door slamming, part of him tempted to go after Tommy and beg him to come back.

He still had some pride, though; at least he wanted to believe he did, and there was no way he was going to go running after Tommy only to be laughed at again. There was no way of knowing if they'd still be friends in the morning, no way to tell if Tommy would even remember any of what had happened between them. And it was all because of a stupid wish that had turned out completely wrong in spite of his efforts to outsmart the Djinn.

~

The last place Merton wanted to be was Pleasantville High. He could still feel Tommy's lips on his even after an entire night of trying to erase the memory from his mind, and he knew it was just going to be worse when he saw Tommy again. So far he'd managed to avoid the other boy, mostly by staying as far away from their lockers as he could get. He couldn't avoid the classes he and Tommy shared, though, at least not without earning himself a few black marks on his attendance record. So when History class finally rolled around he slipped in just before the bell rang and hoped Tommy wouldn't turn around and notice he was there.

Maybe he should have realized that having a best friend with an extremely sensitive sense of smell meant he couldn't sneak up on Tommy. Or maybe it was his super-sensitive hearing that tipped Tommy off to the moment that Merton finally took his seat; either way, as soon as he sat down he found himself staring warily not at the back of Tommy's head, but at a familiar pair of green eyes.

"Where've you been?" Tommy asked, leaning practically out of his chair in an effort to get a little closer to Merton. "I thought maybe you didn't come to school today. I've been looking everywhere for you."

He'd known it was going to be awkward seeing Tommy after what happened the night before, but he hadn't expected Tommy to act like everything was normal. Unless he didn't remember anything, which meant that Merton didn't have to worry about Tommy deciding he didn't need a friend like Merton anymore. And he knew he should be relieved that they didn't have to talk about what happened, but he couldn't help feeling a little disappointed. "You…uh…you didn't come over last night, did you?"

Tommy's mouth twisted into a cute little frown and he shook his head, his expression clearly stating that he thought Merton might be losing it. "No. I had practice and then I went to Lori's to work on our science project. Why? Did I forget I was supposed to meet you or something?"

"No." Heat crept into his cheeks and he hoped that Tommy wouldn't catch him blushing; he was already looking at Merton like he was losing it, the last thing he needed to do was give him more reasons to think his best friend was going crazy. "Forget it."

He could tell Tommy wanted to ask more questions, but before he got a chance their teacher walked into the room and cleared her throat to get their attention. Tommy gave Merton one last suspicious look before he turned around, but he didn't even bother trying to pretend he was listening to their teacher. Throughout the entire class he kept stealing glances over his shoulder at Merton, alternating between frowning suspiciously and looking at Merton the way his mother did when she thought he might be coming down with something.

Normally he'd use all Tommy's backwards glances to fuel his fantasy that his best friend might be harboring some feelings for him after all, but after last night he couldn't even let himself think about it. It was hard enough having to spend an entire hour staring at the back of Tommy's head now that he knew what it felt like to kiss his best friend; fantasizing about what could have happened if he hadn't stopped them would just get him into trouble.

He'd spent the whole night lying awake obsessing about it, alternating between wondering what had gotten into Tommy and wondering what had possessed him to stop the other boy. He still hadn't come up with an answer to that question. Sure, it had all been a little overwhelming, but he couldn't deny that he wanted something to happen between them. But he'd never expected Tommy to be so enthusiastic, almost as though he wasn't planning to take no for an answer.

Kissing Tommy felt different than he'd expected it to; in fact, nearly everything about the few confusing minutes they'd been together last night had been different than he'd expected. Only according to Tommy they hadn't seen each other at all last night, which meant it hadn't really happened. Still, Merton remembered it as vividly as though it had just happened a minute ago, and no matter what he did he couldn't shake the memory.

He gave up all hope of concentrating on the American Revolution; it took all the energy he had to focus on not staring too obviously at the back of Tommy's head, especially when the other boy kept turning around to look at him. Merton wasn't sure what the rest of the kids in class thought was going on between them, but if Tommy had thought of that he didn't seem to care. After last night Merton expected him to be a lot more careful about the way he acted in front of other people, but if last night hadn't actually happened then maybe Tommy didn't even realize how constantly stealing glances at his male best friend looked to everyone else in the class.

And that was the most frustrating thing of all, because he had no idea what was real and what was just his imagination. He hadn't seen the Djinn since before Tommy showed up, so it was entirely possible that he'd fallen asleep and dreamed up the entire thing. His imagination had always been vivid, but he was pretty sure he shouldn't remember quite so clearly what it felt like to kiss Tommy if it hadn't actually happened. By the time class was over he'd managed to confuse himself even more, and when he felt an arm slide around his shoulders he flinched at the contact.

"You sure you're okay?" Tommy asked, hurt flashing in his eyes as he let go of Merton.

"Yeah, Tommy, I'm fine." Merton shrugged out of the other boy's reach and stepped into the hallway, ignoring the guilt that flooded him when he remembered the confused look marring Tommy's features. He didn't like lying to Tommy, but he couldn't tell him what was on his mind. Not this time, and especially not if he wanted Tommy to keep being his friend.

Ever since the Djinn first appeared in his room part of Merton had been regretting his decision to buy the bottle from Fong, especially now that he'd seen the affect it was having on his friendship with Tommy. There was no way things could ever go back to the way they were, not now that he knew for sure what he was missing. Kissing Tommy was supposed to answer questions, not give him a whole new set of questions to obsess over. And he hadn't even seen the Djinn since the night before, so he had no way of knowing when he'd show up again.

They were halfway to their lockers when Merton saw him again; at first he thought he was imagining things, but even after he blinked a few times the Djinn was still there. Merton looked around the crowded hallway, but no one else seemed to have noticed the Djinn floating at the end of the hall. He was just sort of hovering there, watching Merton as he slowly made his way closer.

"Uh…I forgot something in class," Merton said. He tried to look at Tommy, but he couldn't tear his gaze away from the Djinn.

"I'll go with you," Tommy offered.

"No," Merton answered too quickly, wincing at the sound of his own voice. He managed to look away from the Djinn, smiling apologetically at his best friend. "I'll explain later," he mumbled before he turned and disappeared into the crowd.

He could feel the Djinn's eyes on him as he made his way toward the boys' restroom, but he managed not to turn around and look over his shoulder. The desire to turn and look at the Djinn again was almost overwhelming, and it was all he could do to push open the bathroom door and walk inside without looking back. The door swung shut behind him, but he didn't even register the sound. His attention was focused completely on the Djinn standing in the center of the otherwise empty room.

"How…what…?" Merton stammered, but it was hard to focus long enough to form a coherent thought while the Djinn was staring at him. The same want he'd felt the night before washed over him, and even though he was sure it was some kind of magic, it was almost impossible to resist.

"It is time for your second wish."

The Djinn's voice vibrated in his head again, the warm, dark sound washing over him and making it hard to breathe. Merton shook his head to try to regain a little control, but whatever spell the Djinn was using was a lot more powerful than anything Merton had ever felt before.

"Make your wish."

"I…I…" Merton stopped and squeezed his eyes shut tight, concentrating on the sound of his own breathing until he could think again. "My first wish didn't turn out so great."

"Your wish was granted. The outcome is not my concern."

It took Merton another minute to recover from the sound of the Djinn's voice, but finally he managed to come up with a coherent answer. "You didn't tell me there was a time limit on my wishes."

The Djinn's mouth twisted into a menacing grin, giving Merton another vaguely unsettling glimpse of impossibly white teeth. "Surely someone wise enough to summon a Djinn must already know his heart's desire."

"I already wished for Tommy and he got all weird on me," Merton answered. "Anyway, he doesn't remember any of it. What good is a wish if it only lasts a couple hours?"

"Then perhaps you should be more careful how you word your wishes," the Djinn said. "Now make your wish."

A shudder rolled through Merton at the Djinn's menacing tone; he wanted to resist, to turn around and run again. He knew it wouldn't do any good even if he did, though. The Djinn would follow him wherever he went, and Merton had a feeling that its patience would wear thin pretty quickly. He had no idea what would happen to him if he refused to make his next wish, but a small voice in the back of his head told him that he didn't want to find out.

"Alright, alright," he muttered, looking down at the floor so the Djinn couldn't confuse him with the intensity of his stare. "Just give me a second."

He wanted some time to get the wording of this wish perfect, so there wouldn't be any surprises like there were the last time. He had a feeling if Tommy were here he'd tell Merton not to waste his wish on something stupid like a crush; if Tommy had three wishes he'd probably wish for something like winning the state championship, or maybe finding a girlfriend that would stick around for more than a few weeks. But this was important to Merton, even if his best friend never understood why. He hated the fact that he had to trick Tommy into wanting him, but if this was the only way he could have what he wanted he'd take it.

"Okay, I've got it," he finally said, stealing a quick glance around him to make sure they were alone. Once he was sure he took a deep breath and looked up, steeling himself against the Djinn's hypnotic expression. "I wish Tommy Dawkins was my boyfriend, just like when he was Lori's boyfriend. Until I break up with him," he added quickly, hoping it wasn't too late to add an addendum to his wish.

The Djinn didn't argue with him or even look annoyed that Merton had remembered about the time issue; instead he just smiled that sickly smile that made Merton's insides twist. "Done," he said, the word echoing in Merton's skull as the Djinn disappeared.

~

Merton didn't see Tommy again until lunchtime. When he did finally catch up with the other boy his stomach did a back flip, and he had to stop himself from turning and heading right back in the opposite direction. If the Djinn had granted his second wish, Tommy was his boyfriend now. That meant that when Merton walked over to their usual table and sat down, Tommy might just lean over and kiss him right in front of Lori. Right in front of everyone. Then again, Tommy might not act any differently than he usually did, especially if he was still hung up on people finding out he was gay.

Only he wasn't gay; he was only acting this way because Merton had wished it, which meant he was making Tommy do something he didn't want to do. He should feel guilty about that. He did feel guilty about that. He just wasn't sure if he felt guilty enough about it to waste his last wish on letting Tommy go back to being just his friend.

Slowly he made his way across the cafeteria, dropping his books down on the table and sinking onto the bench next to Tommy. He wasn't sure what exactly he'd been hoping for, but he knew Tommy ignoring his presence wasn't it. Well, he didn't exactly ignore Merton; he slid one arm around the other boy's shoulders and pulled him a little closer, but he didn't even miss a beat in whatever he was telling Lori.

"…thinking maybe we should check it out. I mean nobody's got that many cats just hanging around their yard."

"Maybe she's just really into animals," Lori said. She glanced over at Merton and smiled, something about her expression setting him even more on edge than he already was. He wasn't sure what it was exactly about the way she'd smiled at him, but he knew he didn't like it. "Hey, Merton. Where's your lunch?"

"Not hungry," Merton answered. It was the truth; between Tommy and the Djinn his stomach was so tied up in knots that he couldn't even think about eating. "What are you guys talking about?"

"Tommy thinks one of his neighbors is some kind of freaky cat person or something. Personally, I think he's been watching too many Stephen King movies." She smirked at Tommy's expression and picked up her milk, watching the two of them over the edge of the carton as she took a drink.

"I didn't say she was a cat person. I just said she has an awful lot of cats hanging around her house. She could be a witch or something."

"Well she could be a cat person," Merton said. He felt his cheeks flush when they both turned to look at him; he wasn't even sure why he was blushing, he was used to them shooting down his theories. Half the time he turned out to be right and they ended up thanking him, so he didn't really mind the skeptical looks. Something about the way they were both staring at him made him a little uncomfortable, though, almost as though they were humoring a small child. "What? We've seen it before. Tommy, you remember that girl…what was her name…Carole. The one that could turn into a cat. It was before Lori transferred here."

"Carole? Merton, what the hell are you talking about? Are you okay?" Tommy asked, his expression shifting from confused to worried as he began examining Merton's face and neck for any obvious signs of injury.

"I'm fine," Merton answered, pushing Tommy's hands away. Okay, so Tommy didn't remember the foreign exchange student who turned out to be a Werecat. They'd run into a lot of monsters over the past year, he couldn't really expect Tommy to remember all of them. "Forget it. We'll go check out your neighbor after school. I can probably get an idea about what's going on if I can get a look at the inside of her house. We can pretend we're selling candy or something."

"No way," Tommy answered.

He sounded so serious that for a second Merton was tempted to agree without question, but he snapped out of it just in time. "Why not?"

"Because you might get hurt," Tommy answered, his voice taking on a placating quality. "Come on, Merton, you know how much I worry about you when you're in danger. Then I can't concentrate and I can't fight bad guys when I can't concentrate. It'll be safer for you back at the lair; maybe you can find some stuff online while Lori and I go check it out."

If he hadn't heard it with his own ears Merton never would have believed it, but there was no mistaking it: Tommy was actually patronizing him. More than that – he was treating Merton like a little kid, or like a doll that would shatter if he played too rough. He and Tommy were always in everything together, whether it was fighting monsters or just hanging out trying to think of something to do to alleviate the boredom. He'd seen Tommy brush off girlfriends before; it was one of the main reasons he'd always harbored a secret hope that Tommy might not be as straight as he acted. This was the first time Tommy had ever given him the brush-off, though, and Merton didn't like it one bit.

"Are you serious?" he asked before he could stop himself, glancing at Lori before he turned back to Tommy again. He watched them exchange a look over his head, and the fact that they seemed to be communicating about him without even talking made him want to throttle both of them. "Tommy, it's me. I'm always there for this stuff. I'm part of the team, remember?"

"Merton, come on. Remember what happened the last time?" Lori interjected, raising an eyebrow when Merton turned to glare in her direction. Her lips twisted into a smirk that made Merton's stomach clench, and he leaned subconsciously a little closer to Tommy. "Don't worry, I'll take good care of Tommy. You can have him back tomorrow all safe and sound."

"Tomorrow?" Merton asked, his cheeks flushing an even brighter shade of red when Tommy chuckled and leaned forward to plant a quick kiss on his lips.

"Yeah, we're gonna have to stake out her house. It'll probably take a few hours at least," Tommy said. "If it's not too late I'll call you when we're done."

With that they were right back to planning strategy for their stakeout, both of them oblivious to the fact that Merton's heart was about to explode. It was beating so hard that he was sure Tommy's sensitive hearing would have picked it up by now, but if the other boy noticed he didn't say anything. He was so caught up in his conversation with Lori that he barely noticed when Merton shrugged out of his grip and stood up. In fact, Merton was already a few feet from the table before he heard Tommy call his name. His heart leapt and he turned to look at the other boy, his knees wobbling a little when he caught sight of Tommy's bright grin.

"If you're going to get food could you bring me back a soda? Thanks," Tommy said, then he turned right back to Lori and picked up wherever he'd left off.

He thought about telling Tommy exactly what he could do with his soda, but he had a feeling it would be a lost cause. Instead he headed toward the exit, glancing over his shoulder once to see if either of them had noticed that he was leaving. They were still huddled together at the table, though, whispering plans back and forth. This couldn't be what it was like to be Tommy's boyfriend, could it? Sure, he'd broken a couple dates with Stacy and left one or two girls in the lurch to go somewhere with Merton, but that had always been over important monster stuff. Maybe he'd even done it to Lori a time or two, but Merton had never purposely tried to get between them, had he?

He'd definitely never acted the way Lori was acting right now, anyway. Still, it was obvious just from the few minutes he'd been sitting at the table that she wanted Tommy all to herself. He'd never pegged Lori for a boyfriend-stealer before, but he'd never been on the opposite side of the situation either. Maybe she would stoop to that kind of tactic if she was jealous enough, or if she thought she stood a chance with Tommy. And judging by the way Tommy had just ignored his so-called boyfriend, Merton wasn't entirely sure she was wrong.

~

"Hey, where'd you go at lunch?" Tommy asked when he caught up to Merton at their lockers that afternoon. "You said you were coming right back and then you never showed."

"No I didn't."

"What?"

"I never said I was coming back," Merton answered, turning his back to Tommy as he rolled his eyes. "I didn't say anything."

"Oh. Well where'd you go then?"

Merton was tempted to say something sarcastic about why it suddenly mattered so much to Tommy, but the truth was he didn't really feel like fighting. Ever since lunch he'd been trying to convince himself that they'd just gotten off on the wrong foot; as far as Tommy was concerned they'd been going out for awhile, after all, but Merton was just getting used to the idea. "Hey, Tommy?"

"Yeah?" Tommy glanced up from his own locker, and Merton cursed the fact that his best friend's grin could still make his knees weak.

"How long have we been going out?"

Tommy shook his head and turned back to his locker, digging a few books out of his locker before he looked at Merton again. "Don't even try tricking me into thinking I missed an anniversary or something. You're not coming tonight and that's final. It was bad enough last time."

Merton barely heard the rest of Tommy's speech because his brain was still stuck on the word 'anniversary'. That implied that they'd been dating for awhile, but that was impossible, unless the past year had completely changed when he made his second wish. As soon as the thought occurred to him he wondered why he hadn't realized it before; nothing he remembered about their friendship was necessarily true anymore, because dating Tommy meant that everything about them could have changed. Some things were still the same, like the monster hunting and their friendship with Lori, but it was possible that Tommy and Lori had never dated in this reality.

There was no way of finding out what was still part of their past and what wasn't, at least not without asking, and if he wasn't careful about what questions he asked Tommy was going to start to get suspicious. There were other ways to get information, though, and he was smart enough to work around a little thing like altered reality. "What happened last time wasn't that bad."

As soon as he said it Tommy stopped what he was doing and spun around to face him, his expression almost making Merton regret the fact that he'd said anything. He had no idea what happened the last time, but Tommy and Lori had mentioned it twice already and he figured this was the best way to get one of them to tell him what they were talking about. "Merton," Tommy said through gritted teeth, "you almost died. Getting turned to stone was one thing, but if Fong hadn't had the antidote to the poison…"

Tommy stopped talking abruptly and Merton was almost sure he was trying not to cry. He knew he should probably feel bad for nearly making Tommy cry in school of all places, but there was a small – okay, large – part of him that was thrilled at the other boy's reaction. The scene he remembered in Fong's was a lot less emotional; Tommy and Lori had tried to save his life, sure, but neither of them had acted particularly heartbroken when they thought he was dead.

But Medusa had frozen him over two months ago; loads of stuff had happened since then, and he'd been part of all of it. "But so much has happened since then – what about Mr. McGovern? And Cassandra – I sacrificed my chance to be a member of the undead for you."

"What the hell are you talking about? Seriously, Merton, you've been acting weird all day. Just go home and try not to get in any trouble, okay? I'll call you later."

Merton opened his mouth to argue, but before he managed to get the words out Tommy's mouth was pressed against his. For a second he was too shocked to kiss back, but at the insistent pressure of Tommy's lips he finally began to respond. His arms slid around the taller boy's waist, fists closing around the material of Tommy's shirt at the small of his back. This kiss was much more like what he'd always imagined whenever he thought about kissing Tommy; it wasn't anywhere near as frenzied as that first kiss in his bedroom, but there was a lot more behind it than the quick, placating peck Tommy had given him in the cafeteria.

Tommy's hands felt as perfect in his hair as he'd always suspected they would, strong and warm but gentle in a way that most people probably wouldn't think he was capable of. Merton had always known that there was a lot more to Tommy than just the star of the football team, though, and he'd always imagined that it would show in the way Tommy kissed. It turned out that he'd been right; the kiss was a mixture of gentle and needy with just enough intensity mixed in to make his whole body tingle with anticipation. His mind raced as he wondered exactly how far beyond kissing they'd already gone in this reality, but the thought was so confusing that finally he let it go in favor of focusing on memorizing the way kissing Tommy made him feel.

Just as he was getting used to the sensation of Tommy's lips moving against his the other boy tore his mouth away, letting go of Merton and reaching up absently to run the back of his hand over his own mouth. "There's Lori, I gotta go. See you later."

"Yeah, see you," Merton murmured, but Tommy was already halfway down the hall by the time he managed to get the words out. He watched Tommy fall into step next to Lori, jealousy surging up in him when his boyfriend slid his arm around Lori's shoulders. Neither of them looked back to see if he was watching, so he stared at their backs until they disappeared around a corner.

Once they were gone he fell back against his locker, letting out a frustrated sigh as it sank in that he'd just let Tommy order him to go home and stay out of trouble. Tommy didn't treat him like that; okay, sometimes he got a little annoyed with Merton, but all friends got sick of each other occasionally. It didn't mean anything – at least Merton didn't think it did. This, though – this was different, almost like Tommy thought of him as more of a burden than an equal.

No amount of kissing, not even amazing kisses like the one Lori had just interrupted, was worth Tommy thinking of him as a burden. Still, it had only been a few hours since Merton had found himself in the role of Tommy's boyfriend. Maybe he just had to give himself a little time to get used to the idea. Something didn't feel right about the whole thing, though, and he couldn't help wondering if this was how Lori felt when she was going out with Tommy and Merton was his best friend.

Normally he'd find a way to ask Lori without coming right out and saying it, but he had a feeling that when he'd made his wish he'd erased that whole part of their lives. It was hard to tell what was real and what wasn't anymore, but Lori was definitely different than the girl he remembered. All he knew for sure was that Tommy didn't trust him, and if he didn't have his best friend's trust he wasn't sure what good it would do him to be Tommy's boyfriend.

~

A few hours later Merton was waiting by the phone, getting more and more disgusted with himself with every minute that passed. He wasn't sure why he'd listened when Tommy told him to stay home; sure, Tommy would be mad if Merton went over to his house looking for him, but Tommy had been mad at him plenty of times before. Only Tommy wasn't the Tommy he knew anymore; the wish had changed him somehow, maybe not enough for anyone else to notice, but Merton could tell. It had changed Lori too, and maybe it had even changed him. He felt the same, but he couldn't really be sure of anything anymore.

He only knew one thing for sure; the Djinn would be back eventually, and he'd expect Merton to make his last wish. He had no idea what to wish for, especially after the way his last two wishes had turned out. Both times he'd gotten just what he asked for, but it hadn't been anything like he'd imagined it. If he'd known Tommy was the kind of boyfriend to take him totally for granted…but that wasn't the way Tommy was, Merton had seen him in action enough times to know that. He always had a good excuse for breaking dates, even if he couldn't always tell them what it was.

He'd never stopped to consider that becoming Tommy's boyfriend might mean he couldn't be Tommy's best friend anymore, and he wasn't sure if it was worth it. On the one hand there was the kissing – spectacular kissing, if this afternoon was any indication – but a few kisses here and there wouldn't make up for the fact that Tommy had someone else to spend all his time with now. He hadn't wanted to give up Tommy's friendship in exchange for becoming his boyfriend; that wasn't what he'd wished for at all, but it was exactly what he'd gotten.

None of the reading he'd done about Djinns mentioned whether or not there was a way to unwish something, and even if he wanted to go back to being just Tommy's friend, he was down to his last wish. It seemed like a waste to use it to put everything back the way it had been when he started, especially since he knew he was going to have to pay the Djinn back as soon as his last wish was made.

He could just break up with Tommy, but he had a feeling they wouldn't just go back to being friends if he did that. It was possible that Tommy would forget about being his boyfriend the same way he'd forgotten Merton's first wish, but that was a pretty big chance to take with the only real friend he'd ever had. He'd kind of hoped that he and Tommy would be friends forever, but he'd thrown that away the moment he'd wished for Tommy to be his boyfriend.

Before he could decide what to do he heard a noise from the other side of the room, and his heart leapt into his throat as he pushed himself up on his bed. He was half-hoping, half-terrified that Tommy had gotten tired of his stakeout and come over, but when he looked up he found himself face to face with the Djinn. "One wish left," it said, smiling that grim smile that made Merton's blood run cold. "What would you like? Knowledge? Riches? Unlimited power? I can give you whatever you desire."

Merton rolled his eyes and fell back against his pillows, ignoring the familiar pull at the center of his chest urging him to take whatever the Djinn offered. "Let me guess, if I wish for knowledge you'll fill my head with the complete history of traffic lights. Or maybe agriculture. I guess that could come in handy if I ever decided to go into farming, but I'm a little pale to be out in the sun all day, don't you think?"

"Your second wish has been granted. The outcome is not my…"

"I know, I know, it's not your concern," Merton interrupted, frustration making him forget to be afraid of what the creature standing over him could do to him. "Well it's my concern, and if you don't mind I'm not really in the mood to make any more wishes tonight."

"Very well," the Djinn said, his voice making Merton's temples ache a little. "I grant you one day to make your final wish."

"And if I don't…?" Merton began, but before he could finish his sentence the Djinn was already gone. A shiver ran down his spine and he wrapped his arms around his chest, suddenly cold in spite of the warm air in his room. There was no way of knowing what would happen if he refused, but he had a feeling that whatever it was wouldn't be pleasant.

~

By the time Merton got to school the next morning he wasn't sure what bothered him more; the wish still hanging over his head, or the fact that Tommy had never called him last night. When he got to their lockers Tommy was already there, and when Merton stopped next to him he looked up and grinned. "Hey."

Merton glanced over at him without answering, but Tommy had already gone back to arranging his books for the day. He ignored the surge of some emotion he couldn't quite name and turned back to his own locker, hoping Tommy wouldn't notice the fact that his fingers were trembling a little. "So how'd it go last night?"

"What?" Tommy asked, frowning as he glanced over at Merton. As soon as their eyes met realization dawned on him, and he let out a small laugh and turned away again. "Oh, that. Yeah, it turns out she's just running some kind of cat rescue. Keeping them from being put to sleep at the pound. After we figured out there was nothing going on we just went to the Hungry Bucket."

"Oh." Merton had no idea how he was supposed to respond to that; if Tommy was really this inconsiderate he wouldn't put up with it, would he? "So you couldn't call and tell me that last night?"

Tommy let out a heavy sigh and closed his locker, turning to lean one shoulder against it as he watched Merton pull books out of his own locker. "I just forgot, Merton, okay? It's no big deal, we just hung out for awhile and then went home."

There was no way Tommy could be like this all the time. There was no way Merton would put up with it. Merton tried to remember a time when Tommy had blown off plans with a girlfriend to hang out with him; there was a time or two Lori had gotten jealous about the amount of time they spent together, and he'd definitely blown Stacy off a few times. At the time it hadn't seemed like that big a deal, though, at least not to Merton. Now that he knew how it felt he couldn't help feeling a little guilty, but it didn't seem to bother Tommy.

Maybe he'd worded his wish wrong again; he'd wished for Tommy to be his boyfriend the same way he'd been Lori's boyfriend, and if the last part counted that wouldn't change until he broke up with Tommy. Only he wasn't sure what breaking up with him would do to their friendship. Still, Tommy had stayed friends with Lori after they broke up, and if he was treating Merton exactly the same way he'd treated Lori, maybe that part would be the same too.

"Tommy, I think we need to talk about our relationship."

"What about it?" Tommy asked, his forehead furrowing in a mixture of confusion and what Merton could only guess was worry.

And he never thought he'd be doing this, but he wasn't sure what else to do. He could wish for things to go back to normal, but there was no telling what he'd get stuck with if he didn't get the words exactly right. If the reality he was used to wasn't the one that was considered 'normal' he'd be stuck with whatever 'normal' was, and he wasn't sure he could handle that. He could barely handle living out Lori's relationship with Tommy; at least now he understood why she'd broken up with him in the first place, but he wasn't sure he wanted to spend the rest of his life being Tommy's ex-boyfriend.

It was settled, then; breaking up with Tommy was his only option, and he had twelve hours to figure out exactly how to word his last wish to make everything perfect. The only question now was whether he wanted Tommy back as his best friend, or if he wanted to try one more time to make him into the perfect boyfriend. For now he had to find the right words to tell Tommy they weren't working out without ruining their friendship, though, which wasn't exactly easy considering he'd never actually had to let someone down gently before.

"You know how I feel about you," he began, but Tommy wasn't listening to him anymore. He was staring at something just over Merton's shoulder, and Merton felt a cold chill run down his spine as he turned and caught sight of the Djinn.

"Who is that?" Tommy asked, his voice low and deceptively calm. Merton could feel the tension radiating off his friend, and he knew the wolf was already sensing danger.

"Nobody. I mean I don't know," Merton answered, slamming his locker shut before he turned and grabbed the other boy's arm. "Come on, let's find someplace else to talk."

When Tommy didn't move Merton tugged on his arm again, but he knew it was no use. Tommy was still staring resolutely ahead, his eyes narrowing a little further with every passing second. "Do you know that guy?" he asked, an edge creeping into his voice that Merton had only heard often enough to know he should be worried. "Is that why you want to talk about us?"

If he wasn't so worried about Tommy trying to take on an ancient Arabic deity he would have thought the jealousy routine was kind of cute, but he'd seen Tommy jealous and he knew that was the worst thing that could happen right now. Starting a fight with a Djinn couldn't possibly be a good idea; Tommy was strong, but he was no match for the kind of magic the Djinn had already displayed.

"Of course not, Tommy," Merton answered, although it wasn't entirely true. The Djinn had everything to do with what was going on between them, but Merton wasn't going to tell Tommy that if he didn't have to. "Just forget him. Let's go."

Finally Tommy let Merton pull him away from the lockers, but they'd barely rounded the corner of the hallway when the Djinn appeared at the far end of the hall. "Shit," Merton muttered, wincing as a jolt of pain shot through his temples. He'd felt a similar ache the night before and he had a feeling the Djinn had something to do with it, but he had no idea how to counteract that kind of magic.

"Merton, what the hell is that thing?" Tommy asked, shaking his arm out of Merton's grip as the Djinn floated a little closer to them. None of the other students seemed to be able to see it, but they were starting to notice the way Tommy was staring into space as though he'd just seen a ghost.

"I'll tell you in…here," he said, his gaze finally landing on an empty classroom. He pushed Tommy as hard as he could in the direction of the open door, managing to move the taller boy a few inches. It was enough to get Tommy's attention, though, and he glanced in the direction of the classroom and nodded. Merton swallowed a sigh and let Tommy lead him into the empty room, stealing one last glance over his shoulder. The Djinn was already gone, though, and Merton could only pray he wasn't already in the classroom.

"Okay," Tommy said once they'd stepped out of the stream of students in the hallway. "We're alone. Now what the hell was that thing?"

Merton glanced nervously around the room, half expecting the Djinn to appear any second. When he didn't see anything unusual he turned back to Tommy, his heart skipping a beat at the other boy's suspicious expression. "It was a Djinn."

"A what?"

"They're like Genies, only not as friendly," Merton explained. He sighed at Tommy's blank expression and looked around again, his heart pounding against his rib cage as he braced himself for the sudden appearance of the Djinn. The last thing he needed was to have to explain his wishes to Tommy; it was bad enough that he'd seen the Djinn in the first place, he didn't need to know why Merton had summoned it. "They grant wishes. Then in return you do something for them."

"Where'd it come from?"

"I don't know, somewhere in the Middle East, I guess."

Tommy rolled his eyes and took a step forward, his hands landing on Merton's shoulders. "No, Merton. I meant why is it following you around? It is following you, isn't it?"

"I sort of…summoned it," Merton admitted, heat creeping into his cheeks at the look on Tommy's face. "I didn't know it was going to be so creepy. I mean they're just supposed to grant wishes. I knew they tried to trick you out of getting your wishes, but I thought I could handle it."

"What'd you wish for?"

"That's not important," Merton answered quickly, hoping Tommy wouldn't notice the way his blush deepened. "The point is it's waiting for me to make my third wish, and it's not very patient."

"So you make your last wish and it goes away?"

"Yes and no," he said, stealing a quick glance over his shoulder to make sure the Djinn wasn't hovering near the doorway. "I have to do something for it, only I don't know what, and I get the feeling I'm not going to like it."

"Wait, you wished for something without finding out what you were going to have to do? Merton, are you crazy? What if it wants to switch places with you or something? I'm not…with that thing."

Merton rolled his eyes and shrugged out of Tommy's grip, taking a few steps backwards. "That's just great. I'm the one that's being stalked by a mythical creature and you're worried about your love life."

"Hey, I'm not the one that summoned it," Tommy shot back. "I think you should tell me what you wished for. It might be the only way we can get rid of it."

"What difference does it make? It's not like knowing my wishes can undo them," Merton pointed out. "I can't just wish that I'd never wished anything; it doesn't work that way. Besides, if I make my last wish then I have to do what it wants."

"Well isn't there a way to kill it?"

Merton shrugged and looked down at the floor between them, suddenly feeling like the biggest idiot in the world. "Not that I know of. There's not much literature out there about Djinns."

"Jesus, Merton," Tommy said, his voice letting Merton know just how disappointed he was in the other boy. "I don't get it. I mean I thought you were pretty happy; what did you want so bad that you had to summon some Genie?"

"Djinn."

"Whatever. Stop avoiding the question."

Merton glanced up sharply at that, his heart sinking at the disappointment in Tommy's eyes. It was one thing to hear it in his voice, but seeing it made Merton feel like he'd just stabbed his best friend in the chest. "I just…it's hard to explain. I didn't even think it would work."

"Merton, come on. If you didn't want it to work you wouldn't have bothered. What was so important that you had to wish for it?"

He couldn't tell Tommy the truth. If he did he'd lose not only his one shot at being Tommy's boyfriend, but he'd lose his best friend too. There was no way Tommy would understand why Merton had done it, especially when he realized that Merton had changed all their lives just to get what he wanted. But if he didn't tell Tommy he was going to lose him anyway, because the Djinn was probably going to kill him.

"If you don't want to tell me I bet I could get it out of that thing in the hallway."

Merton's stomach turned at the thought of Tommy asking the Djinn what he'd wished for. He'd never thought to ask if there was some kind of confidentiality agreement built into their contract; he hadn't thought any of this through, because he'd been too busy imagining what it would be like to have Tommy all to himself. Only he'd had more of Tommy before they were dating than he did now, and it was too late to go back and learn to be happy with what he'd had.

"I can't tell you."

He knew even before he said the words that it would never be good enough, but he wasn't prepared for the hurt and disappointment in Tommy's eyes. Part of him wanted to confess the whole truth right then – anything to get Tommy to stop looking at him that way – but there was another part of him that was furious at Tommy for expecting Merton to tell him everything when Tommy was too busy running off with Lori even to pick up the phone and call him.

"Fine," Tommy said, his eyes never leaving Merton as he backed toward the door. "I'll just go ask your Genie."

"He doesn't like it when you…" Merton began, but before he could finish his sentence Tommy was already gone. "…call him that," he finished feebly, his heart twisting in his chest at the thought of Tommy tracking down the Djinn. There was nothing he could do to stop the other boy, though, not without confessing everything. All he could do now was find the Djinn before Tommy did and make his third wish; he'd have to deal with the consequences, but it was better than Tommy finding out how Merton had betrayed their friendship.

He marshaled his limbs into action and headed back into the hallway, but by the time he pushed his way through the crowd there was no sign of Tommy or the Djinn. "Okay, don't panic," he muttered under his breath, glancing toward their lockers in the vain hope that Tommy had gone back for his books.

There was no sign of his best friend, but out of the corner of his eye he thought he saw something hovering near the corner before it disappeared. It had to be the Djinn; there was nothing else in the school the floated, unless his wish had changed even more than he suspected it had. Still, it was as good a place to start looking as any, so he wove his way through the crush of students and headed in the direction the Djinn had disappeared.

~

Merton hadn't been able to find either Tommy or the Djinn before first period, and all through class it was all he could do to stay in his seat. When the bell finally rang he was the first one out the door, ignoring the startled protests of the students he'd pushed out of his way. He breathed a sigh of relief when he caught sight of Tommy coming out of his own class, but as soon as their eyes met Tommy whispered something to Lori and they turned and walked in the other direction.

His heart sank when he realized Tommy was avoiding him, but the important thing was that he was safe. And he was going to stay that way if Merton had anything to say about it; the only problem was tracking down the Djinn when he didn't seem to want to be found. There was one thing Merton was almost sure would draw him out, but he had to find someplace to be alone first. He couldn't just start talking to himself in the middle of the hallway, not unless he really wanted the whole school to think he was crazy. If everything went according to plan it wouldn't matter, but he wasn't sure how much everyone would remember if his last wish didn't work.

Then again, if his last wish didn't work it might not matter what anyone thought of him, but he wasn't going to worry about that now. If he started thinking about consequences he'd never be able to go through with it, and this was the only chance he had to keep Tommy from finding out the truth. When he turned the corner there was no sign of the Djinn, but the crowd was starting to thin out and he knew from experience that it was easier to search for a supernatural creature when he wasn't surrounded by high school kids.

The bell rang but he ignored it, moving against the flow of traffic in the direction of the gym. He had no idea if there was a class in there this period, but it was worth looking before he gave up and went back in the other direction. He was almost to the gym when he caught something dark move out of the corner of his eye, and he turned in time to see the Djinn sink back into the darkness beneath a set of stairs.

As soon as he saw the creature he wasn't sure if he could go through with this; his throat was suddenly parched and his limbs felt like they were made of Jell-o, but there was a familiar pull in his chest drawing him closer and closer to the stairs. "I…I've been looking for you," he stammered, not quite meeting the Djinn's gaze.

"It is time for your third wish," the Djinn said, his voice making Merton's head ache slightly.

"I figured," Merton muttered, reaching up to rub at the dull pain in his temples. "You still haven't told me what you want from me."

"First, you wish."

Merton wasn't really surprised that the Djinn had avoided the question, but he knew he couldn't make the Djinn tell him unless he wished for the answer. That was exactly what the Djinn wanted – for Merton to waste his last wish so that he could do whatever he wanted. Merton wasn't that stupid, though; he just hoped he didn't make the wrong wish and throw away his only chance to set things right.

"Can I use my last wish to unwish something?"

"You cannot wish me away, mortal. Wishes cannot be used to harm or banish a Djinn."

He knew he should be grateful to get a straight answer for once, but the longer Merton stood in front of the Djinn the harder it was to focus on what he was supposed to be doing. He knew there was something he should be able to figure out, but he could feel his last wish tugging at him, willing him to wish for something like money or power or even unlimited knowledge. "What happens if I don't make my last wish?" he asked, his voice wavering a little under the nearly overwhelming urge to get it over with.

The Djinn didn't answer; instead it waved its hand, and a moment later Tommy was standing in front of Merton. He just had time to open his mouth to ask what was going on, but instead of a question he let out a sharp cry and sank to his knees. He gripped his head in one hand, his eyes squeezed shut against what had to be overwhelming pain.

"What are you doing to him?" Merton gasped, crossing to Tommy's side and dropping to his knees next to the other boy. He reached out to try to take some of the pain away, but Tommy winced and moved out of his touch as though Merton's fingers had burned him.

"I gave you your heart's desire," the Djinn said. "He can just as easily be taken away."

"Okay, okay," Merton muttered, his heart pounding against his ears as he watched Tommy double over. "Alright, I'll make the stupid wish. Just stop hurting him."

The Djinn waved its hand again and almost instantly the pain began to drain out of Tommy's features, his eyes slowly opening to focus on Merton. "Tommy? Are you okay?" Merton asked, reaching out tentatively to touch Tommy's shoulder.

"Yeah, I think so," Tommy answered, stealing a wary glance at the Djinn. "Merton, what's going on?"

"I told you, he wants me to make my last wish." Merton swallowed a rush of guilt and pulled his hand away from the other boy, praying that making his last wish wouldn't mean he'd never see Tommy again. "It's okay, Tommy, I got myself into this. I have to finish it."

"But he said he gave you your heart's desire. Was he…Merton, did he mean me?"

"Yeah," Merton admitted. "Look, Tommy, I can explain…"

"Wait a second." Tommy shook his head as though he was trying to make sense of what was going on, but Merton wasn't sure how he was going to do that when Merton couldn't even figure it out. "But how could he mean me? We were already together before he showed up."

"Look, Tommy, it's not important," Merton said. "As soon as I make my wish everything will go back to normal. I hope."

"Normal? What are you talking about, Merton?"

He could hear the edge that crept into Tommy's voice, and he knew the other boy was already suspicious. It couldn't really hurt to tell him the truth now, especially when he was planning to set everything right again. Tommy would probably hate him for a few minutes, but it would be over before either of them had a chance to worry about it.

"Look, this isn't normal, Tommy. None of this is real. Until a couple days ago we were just best friends, then I bought the Djinn from Fong and wished that you wanted me. Only that didn't work out very well, so I tried again and…well, this is wish number two."

He gestured vaguely between them, his heart skipping a beat when the meaning behind his words finally sank into Tommy's head. "You mean…you mean this is all because of a wish? But that's impossible. I've been crazy about you forever, Merton."

And God, he'd waited a long time to hear that; he'd waited so long to hear those words that even knowing they weren't true didn't lessen the effect they had on him. All he wanted to do was pull Tommy close and kiss him again, just one last time before he set everything right. He couldn't even do that, though, because Tommy was already freaked out and Merton had a feeling he wasn't in the mood to indulge any sudden urges. "No, you haven't, Tommy. It's just the wish that made you think that. It changed our whole timeline somehow – it erased the few weeks you went out with Lori, made you forget all about Stacy…"

"Who's Stacy?"

"Exactly," Merton answered, letting out a weary sigh. "I'm sorry, Tommy. I know I shouldn't have done it, but I didn't think it would turn out like this."

"You mean you didn't think I'd ever know." Tommy's features twisted into a bitter scowl, his eyes tinged with yellow as he stared back at Merton. "Jesus, Merton…and Lori? That doesn't even make any sense. She's a girl."

"Yeah, well, you used to like girls," Merton answered, shrugging helplessly at the other boy's vaguely disgusted expression. "At least you always acted like you liked girls. You were never very good at relationships, but I figured it was because of the whole wolf thing. It's hard to concentrate when the whole town's hunting for you."

He could tell by Tommy's expression that he was just making things worse, but he had to keep trying to make the other boy understand. It was the only chance he had at salvaging their friendship, and if they were stuck in this reality he at least wanted Tommy as a friend. And wasn't it just his luck that he'd get them stuck in a reality where Tommy was gay, but he wouldn't have anything to do with Merton. "I did it because I…"

"No," Tommy interrupted, pushing himself back to his feet again. "Don't say it, Merton. It doesn't mean anything. You said it yourself, none of this is even real."

Merton could tell that Tommy was about to storm away and leave him alone with the Djinn, but before he got more than a foot away the Djinn waved its hand and Tommy let out another sharp cry.

"Enough," the Djinn said, releasing Tommy suddenly and with enough force to knock him back onto the floor. "Make your wish."

"Let him go first," Merton shot back, but he regretted the words as soon as they escaped his throat. The Djinn needed him to finish his wishes, but it didn't have any use for Tommy. It would kill Tommy without a second thought, and there was no way Merton could live with getting his best friend killed.

"Can't you just use your last wish to make it go away?" Tommy asked, his gaze locked on the Djinn hovering a few feet away.

"It doesn't work that way," Merton answered, his heart sinking a little more with each passing second. He had no idea what to do; before Tommy showed up it had all seemed clear, but he didn't want Tommy to get caught up in whatever was going to happen to him after he made his last wish. Merton knew his best friend well enough to know that Tommy would try to save him with brute force if he had to, and that would only get them both killed. "Didn't you ever see Wishmaster? You can't wish it out of existence or make it kill itself or anything like that."

"Isn't that a movie?" Tommy whispered, tearing his gaze away from the Djinn long enough to cast a skeptical glance at Merton.

"Most movies have a basis in legend, and legends usually have a basis in fact," Merton answered. He ignored the way Tommy's eyes rolled and glanced at the Djinn again. "It's true. And anyway, there's not a lot more information about Djinns out there than what's in the movie."

"Fine, so how'd they get rid of it in the movie?" Tommy asked.

It took Merton a moment to process the sound of the other boy's voice; when he'd looked up at the Djinn their eyes had locked, and he was suddenly overwhelmed with the same want he'd felt just before he made his first two wishes. It was even harder to resist this time than it had been before, and it wasn't until Tommy reached up and turned Merton's face toward his own that the spell was broken. "Merton, what's the matter?"

"N-nothing," Merton answered, his voice wavering as he tried to shake off the last affects of the spell. "The girl in the movie used her last wish to cancel out the first two. She wished something had never happened, and it trapped the Djinn in a statue again."

"Well can't you just do that?" Tommy asked, letting out an impatient sigh when Merton frowned at him. "Merton, come on, snap out of it."

"I don't know. I mean it's just a movie," he answered, stealing another wary glance at the Djinn.

As soon as he looked away Tommy grasped his chin again, stopping him just before he made eye contact with the creature again. "It's worth a shot, isn't it?" Tommy asked. "You just said most movies have a basis in fact, right? Do you have a better plan?"

"No," Merton admitted. It seemed too easy to actually work, but if it broke some Djinn rule he'd still have his last wish and he might still be able to save Tommy. He took a deep breath and leaned forward, pressing his lips to Tommy's for a brief but firm kiss. When he pulled back again his cheeks were blazing, but he steeled himself against the pounding of his heart and looked up at the Djinn. "Okay, I'm ready."

The Djinn nodded, its lips twisting into that same sickly grin that made Merton wish he'd never…no, it was way too easy. There was no way the solution could be that simple, but if Tommy was right it was exactly the third wish he needed to make. "I wish I'd never bought that bottle from Fong."

For a moment he was almost sure it hadn't worked, then the Djinn and Tommy both began to fade. He opened his mouth to call Tommy's name, but no sound would come out. His limbs felt like they were moving in slow motion, and by the time he managed to reach one arm toward the other boy the entire scene had faded into a blinding white light. His head spun and he felt the ground slide out from under him, then he was falling backwards into nothing.

He woke with a start, his whole body jerking with the sudden switch to total alertness. Everything was still vivid in his mind; the Djinn, the wishes, even the few kisses he'd shared with Tommy. He wasn't standing under a stairway at school anymore, though; he was sitting behind his desk in his own bedroom, his arms folded on his keyboard and one side of his face sore from where it had been pressed against his desk.

Before he had a chance to get his bearings the door at the top of the stairs opened, and his mother stuck her head into his room. "Merton, dinner."

"I'm not hungry," he mumbled, blinking against the light shining in the doorway as he tried to focus on her.

"I didn't ask you if you were hungry," she answered, disappearing from his line of vision again. He heard her voice carry back down the stairs as she walked away from his room, her tone telling him not to bother arguing. "Upstairs on the double, mister. We eat dinner as a family whether your friends think it's cool or not."

An overwhelming sense of déjà vu washed over him, and he frowned and reached for the cordless phone next to his computer. He dialed Tommy's number and waited while the line connected, drumming his fingers impatiently against the top of his desk.

"Hello?"

"Tommy?" Merton said, gripping the phone a little more tightly as the other boy's voice filled his ear. "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, of course," Tommy answered. Merton could hear the confused frown in the other boy's voice, and he wasn't sure whether to laugh or cry at the fact that everything really was back to normal. "Why? Did something happen?"

"No, everything's fine, I just had a crazy dream," Merton answered. He couldn't believe how relieved he was just to hear the sound of Tommy's voice; he had no idea whether or not the whole thing had been a dream, but as long as everything was back to normal he wasn't going to try to figure it out.

"Merton! Now," his mother called from upstairs, and he frowned as he realized she wasn't going to give up.

"I have to go, my mother's freaking out," he said, suddenly reluctant to hang up the phone.

"Yeah, okay." Tommy's voice sounded warm and so achingly familiar that Merton had to swallow hard against a sudden tightness in his chest. "You can tell me all about your dream tomorrow, okay, buddy?"

"It doesn't matter, it was just a dream," Merton answered. "I'll see you tomorrow, Tommy."

He hung up the phone and stood up, taking another minute to look around his room and make sure nothing was out of place before he went upstairs for dinner. Part of him was convinced that it really had been a vivid dream, but there was a tiny voice at the back of his mind that wouldn't let him believe it. He'd seen the Djinn and felt its power, seen what it did to Tommy and Lori. Then there was the kiss – he remembered that, and he was pretty sure there was nothing in the world that could ever make him forget it. It was over now, though, and he had Tommy back. That was all that mattered, even if Tommy never kissed him like that again.

~

By the next morning the memories had faded enough that Merton could almost believe they were a dream. Still, there was one last thing nagging at him, and he knew it wasn't going to go away until he found out the truth one way or the other. There was only one way to do that, so he tracked Lori down at her locker the next morning and waited until the hallway was mostly empty before he caught her attention.

"Can I ask you something?"

She let out an exasperated sigh and glanced over her shoulder as the last of the other students disappeared into their classrooms. "Make it quick, would you? I'm gonna be late for English."

"I know, it'll just take a second," Merton said, swallowing against the nervous tension balling at the pit of his stomach. He stole a quick glance at her, but her impatient scowl didn't do anything to settle his nerves so he shifted his gaze to the floor between them. "I was just wondering…you know when you broke up with Tommy?"

"That was months ago, Merton. What about it?" she snapped, defensiveness creeping into her voice. And that was interesting, because Merton had always assumed she was okay with the whole 'just friends' thing.

"I was just wondering…I mean that was because you wanted to be part of the team, right? It didn't have anything to do with the way Tommy acted when you were going out?"

He stole another glance at her, looking up just in time to catch her rolling her eyes. "Merton, are you asking me if Tommy was a decent boyfriend?"

"No…I mean…well, yeah." He was sure he was blushing harder than he'd ever blushed before, but he'd come this far and he wasn't about to back down now. "I was just wondering if it had anything to do with…well, with me."

A resigned sigh escaped her throat, but she leaned a little closer to him and lowered her voice. "I was wondering if you were ever gonna notice. I mean it's pretty obvious who he'd rather spend his time with."

His heart leapt into his throat at the words he'd been hoping to hear; he wanted to pinch himself to make sure he wasn't dreaming again, but if he was he wasn't sure he wanted to wake up this time. "It wasn't obvious to me."

"Figures. What is it with guys? You're all totally dense." She tried to look angry, but he could tell she was trying not to smile. Maybe she'd had enough time to get over the resentment, or maybe it just didn't bother her that much. Either way she was being a lot cooler about it than he would have been. "If it makes you feel any better, I don't think he knows yet. But he'll figure it out eventually. Maybe you should give him a little shove or something."

"Yeah, maybe. Thanks, Lori."

"Don't mention it." Her grin faded as quickly as it appeared, and she straightened up and pointed a menacing finger at him. "Seriously, don't mention this to him. If he finds out I told you I'll make sure you wish you were never born."

He winced at the word 'wish', some of the color draining out of his face at the memory of the few days that had never really happened. "He won't, I promise."

"Good." She granted him another smile and brushed past him, glancing over her shoulder one last time to shake her head and laugh before she turned into her classroom. He wasn't sure how long he stood there after she walked away, but by the time he realized he was staring into space he was late for class. He couldn't make himself care, though; he didn't care about anything except the fact that Tommy wanted him, even if Tommy didn't know it yet. Maybe it wasn't as dramatic as any of his wishes had been, but it was a start.