Their fifth video got over forty million views in five days. In celebration, Chuck and Meg spent their Thursday night in Chuck’s treehouse, where they ordered pizza, listened to Led Zeppelin’s discography, and made out.

Chuck found himself on his back, on the cot, with Meg’s lithe body pressed over his, her face an inch above his, their lips touching, and all he could think was, finally. After three years of fantasies, of growing closer, their orbits had finally collided.

“Your presents,” Meg said, pulling away. She stood and walked to her backpack, which sat near the door. She reached inside and pulled out three gifts, each of them wrapped in green tissue paper and tied with a purple ribbon. "Did you think I'd forget your birthday?"

In truth, Chuck had forgotten his own birthday. Without parents, he didn't have much use for an occasion like that.

“Huh,” Chuck said. "I guess it is my birthday."

In his opinion, a kiss was present enough, but he thought he’d like whatever she got him. She handed him the first gift; it was square-shaped and record-sized. There was a purple envelope taped to one side. He pulled it away and slid his finger under the flap.

“To the most inventive guy around,” Chuck read, and he opened it. “Happy birthday." He looked over at Meg. "This is sweet! You shouldn’t have.”

“You didn’t even see what it is yet!” Meg said. “Open it.”

Chuck tore away the paper on the gift to reveal the Pink Floyd album ‘The Dark Side of the Moon.’

“Look at this!” he said, holding it up. “You think this would’ve been my first album, but I don't have this one yet. How’d you know?”

Meg smiled. Her teeth were crooked, but they gave her character. “You’ve got it now,” she said. “Put it on.”

Chuck ripped open the album’s plastic covering, pulled out the record, and set it on the platter. “If I die from the awesomeness, take care of Monster for me,” he said as he pressed the play button. The tonearm swung over to meet the record.

“Open this next,” Meg said, handing him the second gift as the thump thump heartbeat of ‘Speak to Me’ began. The package was about the size of a ring box. Chuck untied the ribbon and tore away the paper.

“You got me a box!” he said. “You’re the best, Meg. Really.”

“Stop being a jerk,” Meg said. “Open it.”

Chuck opened the box. Inside, he found a single white pill, white as chalk and no bigger than his pinky nail.

"What's this?" he said.

Meg plucked the pill from the box and held it up before him. "Have you ever wondered how I'm able to sink every shot I've ever fired?" she asked.

Chuck shrugged as a sinking feeling settled over him. "I guess I figured you practiced."

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Meg nodded. "I do practice. But it's more than that." She raised the pill higher. "This is my secret. You know all my others, and you're almost as strong as me now, so you might as well know this one. I found five of these in a basement during one of my first missions. I'd gone in to bust up a trafficking operation, but the house had been abandoned. There were just these. At first, I thought they were drugs--you know, like ecstasy or static. But there were notes with the pills, and they said the pills were magic. That they could grant powers to whoever took them."

Chuck saw where this was going. "Don't tell me you tried one."

"Of course I did! And you know what? They were magic." With her left hand, she pulled a dart from her pocket. "It was the strangest sensation. When I took the pill, I could feel a... presence or something. Magic. I heard a voice that guided me to choose a skill. It offered me one of half a dozen choices. I thought I was tripping out, so I picked one called Deadshot because it sounded badass. Then I... fell asleep. When I woke up, I was covered in this gross liquid, like syrup, except it smelled terrible. Also, I could do this."

Chuck was distracted by the dart. "What... how was that just in your pocket?" he asked.

Meg ignored him. Instead, she turned to face the opposite wall of the treehouse. She closed one eye and bit the tip of her tongue between her teeth. "Iron Man," she said, referring to the poster of the superhero that Chuck had taped to the wall. "Left side of the mask, where Tony Stark's pupil would be if he weren't wearing a mask."

A moment later, the dart sprouted from the exact spot Meg had called. It was an impressive shot--and made even more impressive when Chuck realized she'd thrown it with her offhand.

"See?" Meg said. "Magic. I tried to take another pill, but nothing happened, so I think it only works on each person once."

Impressive or not, Chuck didn't believe in magic. He was a man of science. But even if he had, he wasn't willing to take a strange pill Meg had found in the basement of an abandoned house. At least, not until he tested it. "I'll... consider it," he said, plucking the pill from her fingers and setting it on his desk. He didn't know what to make of Meg's story, but he'd think about it later. "What's the final gift?"

Meg looked disappointed. "Fine. Don't gain superpowers," she said. "But don't throw that out. After this one, I only have two left, and I think a time will come when you'll need it." She handed him the final gift.

Chuck opened it and found... a pen. At least, it looked like a pen. It was about four inches long, black save for a clear section in the middle. Oh my gosh, he thought. Is this a sex toy? He looked at Meg. She stared back, her mouth parted slightly. The tip of her pink tongue darted out to moisten her upper lip. Or was that his imagination? Adrenaline shot through his stomach.

“You know what this is?” Meg said.

"No?" Chuck whispered.

Meg plucked the pen from his fingers. “It's a vaporizer.”

Chuck exhaled slowly. “Yeah, that’s what I thought it was."

“I think you inhale through this end,” Meg brought the pen to her lips. As she inhaled, a ring of lights at the pen's tip turned white. “That’s right,” she said. “And the guy at the store told me that the starter pack came with two vapors.” She pointed to the box. "I thought they'd help you chill out."

Inside the box were two glass containers, each about the size of a peanut. Chuck took one out and held it to the light; it was filled with red liquid. He set it down and pulled out other, which contained a green liquid.

"They're supposed to help me relax?" Chuck said. "Why would I need that?"

“Lol.” Meg rolled her eyes. “The guy at the store said this was the best brand. Dr. Wunder’s Magical Medicinal Vapors. The different colors do different things.” She lifted the red cartridge. “This one helps you chill out. The green heightens your sense of touch.”

Chuck swallowed. “I guess… I guess I’ll try them later,” he said.

Meg cocked her head and smiled at him. “Why not try them now?”

Chuck blushed even more furiously. “You know, because, uh—”

Meg pushed him onto his back and straddled his legs. She shrugged off her black fleece sweater and pulled out her elastic hair tie, letting her lush brown hair cascade down her shoulders.

“Happy birthday,” she said, as one of her hands drifted down to the zipper of his pants. “I hope you remember this one forever.”