Chapter IV--- The Beach

Cosmo sat on a beach towel he POOFed up, motioning for Norm to join him.

Norm sat beside Cosmo, looking at him curiously. "So… Trouble in 'Happy-Married-Land'?" He asked.

The fairy shrugged. "Something like that. Me and Wanda have been arguing a lot lately. Not like when she calls me a moron, but actual married fighting. And I'm sure it's worrying Timmy and Poof…"

"Any reason why?"

Cosmo shrugged. "I don't really know. We've never had any problems like this…"

Norm sighed. Why did the genie care if Cosmo was having problems with Wanda? He didn't like either one of them and they didn't like him. He shook his head in frustration. "I know it's not your cup of tea, but have you thought about what you want to wish for?"

"I don't know… I didn't let you out because I wanted the wishes… I just wanted someone to talk to…" Cosmo turned to the genie, green eyes shining. "What would you wish for, Norm?"

The genie was startled by this question. "Um… Well… No one ever asked before…" He looked at Cosmo, who was smiling expectantly. Norm sighed. "Aside from the obvious 'free-from-the-lamp-forever' thing, I'm not sure. I just want to be free to do what I want, when I want."

"Well, I'd be happy to help you, but…" Cosmo looked at his feet. "You know I can't… I wanna help, but…"

Norm patted Cosmo on the back. "Hey, no worries. It's fine."

Cosmo looked up at Norm and frowned, suddenly noticing the height difference. He raised his wand and POOFed to a form roughly a foot shorter than the genie. Aside from the height, nothing about his appearance changed.

Norm looked at Cosmo in confusion.

"Being shorter than you was getting on my nerves. So, why not make myself taller?"

The genie stifled a laugh. "I guess."

Cosmo stood. "Well, we have a beach house we can stay in. You coming?"

Norm nodded and followed Cosmo. The beach was glowing. Well, the ocean was, anyway. Oceans had a funny way of doing that at sunset. Norm always found it peaceful to be at the beach when the sun was going down. It was, ironically, magical.

Cosmo walked up to an old beach house. Norm shuddered. It was kind of eerie... He followed Cosmo up the stairs and leaned back against the banister and waited. Cosmo reached out a pale hand (well, pale by Norm's definition, anyway) and opened the door. Cosmo stepped back and let Norm go in first.

It was dark. Duh. No one lives here. Norm GONGed some lights into the dreary place. He crossed his arms and watched Cosmo walk in, closing the door behind him.

"Creepy, huh? I guess it should be; this place is never used. I used to come here all the time." Cosmo grinned.

Norm nodded in agreement. "So, what are the sleeping arrangements?"

Cosmo placed a finger to his lips in thought. "Well, there's one bed and a couch. Since you were in that horrible lamp for so long, you can take the bed. Okay?" Cosmo resumed his sweet smile.

Norm blushed. "Uh... Great... Thanks... But, you're my master, you take the more comfortable sleeping spot."

"No, you take the bed. It's fine."

Norm wasn't used to someone being nice to him. He started suspecting Cosmo of taking pity on him. Norm wasn't having that. "You take the bed."

Cosmo frowned. Then he looked down, a faint blush on his face. "Well... We could share the bed..."

Norm stared blankly at Cosmo for a moment. "Did you seriously just suggest that?"

The fairy nodded. Norm sighed. "Well, I guess that solution would cease this argument, now, wouldn't it?" Cosmo shrugged in response and walked towards the bedroom. Norm followed.

Cosmo sat down on the bed. He grinned. "I forgot that this bed was so comfy!" He fell back onto the pillows. He groaned in comfort.

Norm sat beside him. The bed was pretty comfortable. He watched Cosmo pull the blankets down and crawl under them. The genie couldn't help but smile. Cosmo was just infectious that way. He could make anyone smile. Norm felt comfortable around this fairy. But, only around Cosmo. Norm had to wonder why. It had never been like that before. So, why now? Norm pulled back the blankets on his side and turned his back to the already-sleeping Cosmo. He closed his eyes and tried to ignore a faint pounding in his chest.

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"Ahh... Oh, Norm..."

What a sweet sound. Such a pure, innocent voice.

"Yes... There..."

It was familiar.

"Nngh..."

Wait. No. It couldn't be.

"Ah!"

Fuck. It was.

"Norm!"

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Norm bolted upright. "What the hell?" He murmured. He was dreaming about shagging Cosmo? What was wrong with him? He ran a hand through his sweaty locks and glanced over at Cosmo, who didn't seem to notice Norm's sudden movement. He sighed. Cosmo was married. And a guy. Why was he having these thoughts? "It's okay, Norm, just calm down. You just haven't gotten laid in a while and sharing a bed isn't helping. That's all it is. Nothing else." Giving himself a nod to show that he had successfully convinced himself that this was the case, Norm decided to go back to sleep. He laid back on the bed and stared at the ceiling.

Something warm pressed against him. Norm looked down at Cosmo, who had rolled over seeking more warmth. Norm groaned. This certainly was helping matters either. With a sigh, Norm gave up. He placed a hand on Cosmo's shoulder and eventually drifted into sleep once more.