“I went outside to the loading dock and Fat Marley was reading this magazine article about how to tell if your husband is gay,” Michael said. “Like, ‘He kisses the best man instead of you’ and ‘He buys flowers and arranges them.’ Everyone was laughing like it was the most hysterical shit they’d ever heard.”

“You really ought to talk to H.R. about her,” Debbie said, pissed off to hear of Michael’s homophobic co-worker’s hijinks. “Hell, you’re an assistant manager, you could discipline her.”

Brian looked over at Justin sitting next to him, making a face as if saying “This is so fucking boring.” Justin patted his knee under the table.

“Then everyone would wonder why I was disciplining her, and then…” Michael said, shaking his head.

“Stop being such a scared little pussy, Mikey,” Brian said to him before taking another sip of Pino.

“Excuse me?” Michael said, his eyes wide.

“You need to sack up and tell Fat Marley, ‘I take it up the ass, Sweetheart, deal with it. So what if you’re gay? What the fuck difference does it make to any of those assholes at the Q?”

Justin bit his lips, trying not to laugh.

“The kid’s right,” Vic said, smiling at the blond.

Brian smiled back. Vic had always been one of his favorite people, almost like a father figure.

“Justin is out at school,” Justin said proudly, although it had actually been Brian that came out for him just a few hours prior.

“I keep telling you Honey, you just have to be brave and tell them,” Debbie said to her son.

Michael looked around the table, feeling like everyone was ganging up on him. “If I did that, they could fire me, or worse, I’ll be an assistant manager for the rest of my life!”

Justin groaned before scooting his chair back, feeling very full after a huge piece of lasagna, garlic bread, and salad. “I need a cigarette. Want to join me?”

Brian picked up his and Justin’s plates. “You go ahead outside. I was going to do the dishes.”

“You’re our guest, you don’t need to do that,” Debbie said.

“No, I’m used to cleaning up after dinner,” Brian said.

Brian always did the dishes after eating at Debbie’s house, to pay her back for feeding him so well. He had been coming over to the Notovny home for dinner for the past fifteen years, so he hadn’t been considered a “guest” there since Reagan was in office.

Michael, however, never volunteered to do the dishes. He had already made his way over to the couch and picked up the remote.

“Well, alright, thank you. You’re such a sweet boy,” Debbie said before going to join Michael in the living room.

Vic stayed behind in the kitchen to put the leftovers away.

“What are you majoring in?” Vic asked Brian, believing that he was Justin, whom he had just met that evening.

“Hmm?” Brian asked as he rinsed the plates.

“It’s called conversation,” the older gay man said.

Brian smirked, remembering that he was supposed to be Justin. “Oh… uh, I’m only in high school, I don’t have a major. I like art though, so maybe I’ll do that in college.”

“Have you applied to any art schools?”

Brian had no idea what Justin’s college plans might have been, never having discussed that with him.

“Um… yeah,” he guessed, wanting to change the subject. “So, how are you feeling, Vic?”

The older man looked at him curiously. “What do you mean?”

“Brian told me you’ve been sick,” Brian said, although he hadn’t actually told Justin about Vic’s AIDS diagnosis and hospitalization earlier in the year.

“I’ve been doing okay, thanks for asking. I’m surprised you even asked since usually you young boys never talk to anyone over forty unless you have to.”

Brian just looked over at him with what he hoped was an innocent smile.

“My sister says that you and Brian are getting pretty serious. How did that happen? Brian is usually only serious about fucking as many different guys as possible.”

Brian chuckled uncomfortably while he waited for the sink to fill with soapy water. “Well, we met a few days ago and just… clicked, you know? I saw him, he saw me…”

“Where did this little meeting happen, at Babylon?”

“Yeah,” Brian lied.

“I didn’t know they had kiddie memberships.”

Brian chuckled again. “Actually, it was just outside of Babylon. I was standing out on the sidewalk and he walked over to me. He took me back to his loft and fucked the shit out of me all night.”

It was Vic’s turn to laugh. “Yeah, that sounds like Brian.”

Justin came back inside and walked over to the sink. “Do you want some help?”

“No, I think me and your cute little boyfriend have got it covered,” Vic said.

Justin gave Brian a kiss on his cheek before he joined the others in front of the TV.

“Wow, he didn’t even correct me,” Vic remarked. “That kid has never had a boyfriend in his life, let alone shacked up with someone. What’s so special about you?”

Brian smiled nervously, wondering how he was ever going to bounce back from this after he and Justin finally got their own bodies back, whenever the hell that would be. This whole debacle was really fucking up his well-known “no repeats” policy.

“Well… it’s a really weird thing,” Brian said as he vigorously scrubbed a plate with a scouring pad, searching his brain for something brilliant to say that would make even a bit of sense. “Uh… he… uh… I think he’s just getting tired of the game, you know? He’s fucked nearly every fuckable guy in this city. He’s going to be thirty next year, which is damned near dead in the eyes of a fag. I think he’s afraid of being the old guy at the club who nobody wants and realizing that he should have hung up his dancing shoes long ago. You can’t dine on your looks for the rest of your life because gravity is a heartless bitch. He’s…”

Brian eyed Vic, noticing that the older man was staring at him intently, his mouth open slightly.

“What?” Brian asked.

“You know, that’s almost exactly what I said to Brian when he asked me why I was moving in with my ex Roberto before I found out he was cheating on me. He couldn’t believe I would give it all up for one man when I could have any man I wanted. I’ve never told that to anyone else, about my insecurities.”

Brian smiled, knowing that he’d heard that line of garbage somewhere before. “Huh.”

Vic stepped closer to him, to where they were shoulder to shoulder. “How the hell could this have happened?” he whispered.

“What… uh, what do you mean?” Brian asked.

“You can’t fool me, kid, I know you all too well,” the older man said, looking deep into his eyes.

Brian could only look back at him.

“Brian?” Vic whispered.

Brian opened his mouth to say something - what, he wasn’t quite sure - when he was interrupted by Justin.

“I said no, Michael! Jesus...” Justin said, clearly annoyed by whatever the man had been asking of him.

Brian rinsed his hands and dried them with a dishtowel. “Uh, Brian, are you ready to go?”

“Yeah, past ready,” Justin said in an impatient tone.

Brian put his hand on Vic’s shoulder and gave it a little squeeze. “Don’t tell anyone, okay?”

Vic answered with a small nod.

Brian and Justin put on their jackets, bid farewell to Debbie, and walked outside to the Jeep.

“What was that all about?” Brian asked after they were in the car, Justin behind the wheel.

“He kept asking me if I’d go to Woody’s with him for a drink, just me, not you,” Justin said, clearly peeved at Brian’s friend.

“Would you go to Woody’s with me?” Brian asked. “I mean, I know it’s a school night, but…”

Justin smiled. “Just one drink. You have a test tomorrow in French.”

“Oh, fuck me,” Brian said, since he didn’t speak French despite it being his favorite type of kiss.

“We’ll cram when we get back to your place.”

“That’s not the kind of ‘cramming’ I prefer, Sunshine,” Brian cracked.

The two men got a fairly private table in a corner. Justin had gotten a Sam Adams Light for himself and Brian.

“So, Vic and I were talking while we were cleaning up in the kitchen,” Brian began to say.

“He seems like a cool old guy,” Justin remarked.

“Yeah, he is,’ Brian said. “He’s always seemed to understand me like no one else, mostly because I’m a lot like him, how he was back when he was my age. I guess I shouldn’t be too surprised that… that he knows.”

“Knows what?” Justin asked innocently.

“He knows… about you and me, our little predicament.”

Justin’s mouth dropped open. “He knows about… that…”

Brian nodded. “He won’t tell anyone. Who the fuck would believe him, anyway? Hell, I wouldn’t believe it if it wasn’t happening to me. I guess he’s watched enough episodes of Bewitched and I Dream of Jeannie that he’s pretty open-minded with magical shit.”

“Does he know how this could have happened or what we need to do to switch back?”

“No, I guess he didn’t watch that episode.”

“Well, us having sex last night wasn’t enough,” Justin said. “We know this probably happened originally because we both wished at the same time to be a different age, and then we wished to be our original ages but that didn’t work. Maybe we do have to fall in love.”

Brian scoffed. “There you go with that shit again.”

“Do you have any other ideas?”

“No, but I’m more likely to wake up tomorrow morning with a vagina than to fall in love.”

“You could have been switched with anyone, so why, out of all the people on this planet, was it with me?” Justin asked.

Brian shrugged. “Bad luck?”

Justin stood up from his chair. “Fuck you.”

Brian followed Justin out the door. He continued to follow him down the street, away from where he’d parked the Jeep.

“You’re going the wrong way,” Brian said a few feet behind him.

He realized a moment later that Justin was walking toward Mysterious Marilyn's magic shop.

Justin pushed the door to the shop open, Brian coming in behind him a moment later. Marilyn was sitting behind the counter reading from a large book.

“Ah, good evening gentleman,” the drag queen said. “I’m not surprised to see you back here.”

“Let me do the talking,” Justin said to Brian. “You’ll just piss her off again.”

Brian crossed his arms over his chest and kept his mouth shut.

“Look, uh…” Justin said, realizing that he hadn’t planned on what he was going to say to Marilyn when he saw her. “First off, I’d like to apologize for myself and my friend for anything we may have said or done to have offended you the last time we were here.”

Brian snorted, a bit disgusted at the polite words spewing out of his body’s mouth.

“Secondly… um…”

Marilyn closed her big book and sat it aside to make room on her countertop. “Come here, Sweetie.”

Justin walked closer to her, motioning for Brian to stand beside him.

Marilyn then looked at Brian. “Give me your left hand.”

Brian slowly put his hand out. Marilyn turned it over so she could see his palm.

“Okay,” Marilyn said as she examined Justin’s real hand. “You see this line here, Justin?”

“I never told you my name,” Justin said.

Both men looked at the line on Justin’s hand that Marilyn was tracing with her index finger.

“That’s your heart line. Yours is long and curvy, which means that you freely express your emotions and feelings. Your head line is very sloped and curved, meaning you’re creative. Your life line is also curvy, meaning you have lots of energy.”

Justin nodded his head, agreeing with all of that.

“Let me see your left hand,” she said to Justin, meaning Brian’s hand.

Justin held his hand out, palm up.

“Oy,” Marilyn said, shaking her head as she examined Brian’s hand. “Brian, your heart line is broken in several places, meaning you’ve experienced emotional trauma. Your head line is fairly straight, meaning you’re a realistic thinker. Your life line is straight and close to the edge of your palm, meaning you are cautious when it comes to relationships.”

Brian scoffed. “Palm reading is bullshit.”

“Are you saying that none of that is true?” Marilyn asked.

Justin looked at him for an answer.

“I…” Brian said. “Well, what does all of that gobbly-gook mean?”

“It means that you need him,” Marilyn answered confidently. “You need to grab on tight and never let go.”

Brian curled his lip. “I don’t need anyone.”

Justin sighed at Brian’s resistance. “How much do we owe you?”

“Hang on,” Marilyn said as she pulled a deck of tarot cards out from under the counter. “How about I give you the two-for-one special since he still isn’t convinced?”

Justin nodded. “Yes, please.”

“How much was it for one?” Brian asked.

Marilyn ignored him as she shuffled her deck. She spread out the cards face down on the counter.

“Pick six cards,” she said to Brian.

He sighed impatiently but did as she asked.

Marilyn pulled the six cards he chose and revealed the first one.

“First we have the Hanged Man. He represents the need to give up something in order to move on. It represents a time of passage from one phase of your life to another.”

She looked knowingly at Brian before turning over the second card.

“Next we have the Emperor, who represents a man in your life from whom you seek acceptance, perhaps a partner or another significant man.”

Brian could feel Justin smiling next to him without even having to look at him.

“Next we have the Sun. This card represents your fears. You believe that things are too good to be true. Free yourself to enjoy things, Brian. The sun shining is a time for celebration.”

“Why have you been calling me ‘Sunshine?’” Justin asked.

Brian waved his hand as if his answer was insignificant. “It’s… it’s your smile. You smile wider than I ever do.”

Justin couldn’t help but smile, which made Brian turn away.

Marilyn flipped over the fourth card. “Next is the Hermit. You’re taking time to relax and reflect.”

“Technically, I’m on vacation,” Brian said before pointing at Justin. “Now he is on vacation and I’m forced to go to fucking high school for him.”

“Don’t make any hasty decisions, Brian. You need time to make the right decision for your life,” Marilyn added.

“How much time?” Justin asked. “You said the other day, ‘You two are going to spend a lot of time together.’ How much time?”

“I’m supposed to go back to work in less than two weeks,” Brian said.

Marilyn looked at the next card. “Oh, my. This card represents what you have working against you, the Hierophant. This means you’re struggling with everyone’s expectations of you.”

Brian held his breath for a moment because that was how he felt every second of his life. Nearly everyone expected him to behave a certain way. His boss and co-workers expected him to be brilliant; Michael, Emmett, Ted, and everyone on Liberty Avenue expected him to be a heartless shithead that fucked everything without remorse; and Lindsay expected him to be an open wallet and a good father, despite him having a less-than-stellar one himself.

“You are experiencing a challenge to the ‘you’ that everyone expects. You feel like you’re having to explain and defend yourself. What you should do is seek out the advice of someone who truly knows you and can give you guidance.”

Brian immediately thought of Vic, who now knew that he was walking around in the body of a teenage twink whom he was secretly struggling with his feelings about.

“Ultimately, you need to go your own way, Brian, not the way everyone wants you to go. Your last card, which represents the likely outcome of your life, is…” Marilyn said before flipping the card over. “The Fool. This is the time for you to realize your full potential, Brian. Look within yourself to go forward and experience new things.”

Justin liked the sound of all of that. “Cool. Okay, do me, let me choose some cards.”

Marilyn gathered up her cards and put them back where they came from. “Uh-uh, Sweetie. That’s all for this evening.”

Justin was a bit let down that he didn’t get to play with the tarot cards but still overall satisfied with what they’d learned that evening. “How much do we owe you?”

Marilyn looked between the two of them. “This one’s on the house. Enjoy the rest of your evening, gentleman.”

She then got up and disappeared behind the beaded curtains.

“But… but what are we supposed to do to switch back?” Justin called after her, but to no avail.

Justin jumped a bit as the bell above the door rang when Brian let himself out. Justin walked out onto the sidewalk after him.

“You know that’s a load of bullshit,” Brian said. “It’s all just totally random. I could go back in there, pick six more cards, and then she’ll tell me completely different things that will feel like they apply to my life, because it’s random shit that could apply to anyone.”

Justin didn’t argue with him as they walked back down the street to where they left the Jeep. “Once we get home, we need to spend at least an hour on my French.”

“No,” Brian said defiantly. “Once we get back to my loft, I’m going the fuck to sleep. You’re lucky I’m even going to your fucking school tomorrow. I’ll just have to randomly pick answers.”

Justin got into Brian’s Jeep and started the engine. “God, you’re going to flunk me during my senior year. I may not even graduate if I don’t get my body back before the end of this semester.”

“Everyone gets Senioritis, the teachers don’t expect you to do a fucking thing during your final year,” Brian snapped.