Rey woke up to a bang.
Then another. A crash. The clatter of cutlery. Then—
"LET'S GOOOOO!"
Music was blasting. Not just music — a remix of salsa, dubstep, and what sounded like... goat bleats?
He jumped out of bed, heart racing. Beans wasn't next to him. That's what made him panic more than the noise.
Barefoot, hair a mess, Rey sprinted into the hallway—
—and stopped.
Dead.
His house was unrecognizable.
Books floated in midair, pages flipping to their own rhythm. Dishes whirled like UFOs. A teacup was orbiting the ceiling fan. The walls glowed faint blue. The air shimmered with glitter.
And right in the middle of the living room, dancing on the coffee table with no regard for gravity, was the genie.
Wearing LED sneakers and sunglasses that changed color every few seconds.
Beans sat on the back of the couch, tail twitching to the beat. A tiny glowing crown sat on her head. She looked… weirdly okay with everything.
"YOOOOO!" the genie yelled, spinning. "MY MAN! SLEEP WELL?"
Rey gaped. "WHAT IS HAPPENING?!"
The genie moonwalked in midair, pointed finger guns at the air, and shouted,"PARTY O'CLOCK! Beans requested Bad Bunny. I mixed it with Mongolian throat singing. You like?"
Beans let out a mrrrrp that sounded suspiciously approving.
A chair floated across the room with a wine bottle surfing on top of it. The windows flashed like a nightclub. The air smelled faintly of cinnamon and ozone.
Rey ducked as a saucepan flew past his head.
"STOP! What are you even doing?!"
The genie froze mid-dab. "Stretching. Loosening up. You left the lid cracked last night—soooo, open invite."
He slid off the table with all the grace of a ballet dancer made of smoke. Landed on nothing. Hovered, upside-down, sipping tea through a curly straw.
"Also," the genie added, "Beans was bored. I'm keeping the vibes alive."
Beans bopped her head in agreement, as a spoon twirled itself like a baton nearby.
Rey's eye twitched.
"You can't just burst out of your teapot and throw a house rave!"
"You'd be surprised what I can do."The genie did a little spin. Confetti exploded from nowhere. Beans chased it.
Rey moved to shut off the music. The speaker levitated out of reach.
"Genie. Enough."
The genie raised a glowing brow. "You sure? You looked tense. Thought this might loosen you up. You haven't danced in years."
Rey faltered. Just a beat.
"…That's not the point."
The genie sighed. "Fine. No more impromptu vibe sessions."
He raised his hand, snapped—everything stopped.
The lights dimmed. The objects floated back down. Beans blinked as her crown vanished. The music died in a soft chime.
And then the genie, grinning like a fox in a henhouse, floated backward toward the kitchen.
"But heads up, Rey-Rey..."He tapped the side of his temple. "You were thinking about your wish again last night. Just sayin'. I'm always listening."
With a swirl of smoke and sparkles, he disappeared into the teapot.
The silence was jarring.
Rey stood in the wreckage — shoes in the sink, glitter on the walls, Beans licking confetti off her paw like this was normal.
He exhaled slowly.
"I'm losing my mind."
Beans just yawned and curled up in the remains of the couch pillow, one paw still faintly glowing.