A sharp knock on his door woke him up in the morning. He thought he might have imagined it, but it was repeated a few minutes later. Grumbling, Arthur shuffled in his bed and called out,

"Merlin. Because of you I am on forced leave. I would really appreciate it if you at least let me enjoy the rare chance of sleeping in. Go away."

"Arthur." Uther's voice called out from outside, making Arthur sit bolt upright in his bed.

"Father?" Arthur asked incredulously, while pushing the covers aside and getting up.

"Have you seen the time? Do respectable young men sleep till this late these days?" Uther's tone was dripping with disapproval.

Arthur rushed into the bathroom, hastily brushed his teeth and splashed some water on his face, and then opened his closet and wore the first t-shirt and jeans he could find. There was a knock on his door again, followed by an angry call of "Arthur". Hastily, he unlocked the door and jerked it open, apology on the tip of his tongue.

And stopped in his tracks.

There was no sign of Uther. Instead Merlin hovered, with his hand poised to knock on the door, eyes wide when he saw the look on Arthur's face, blinking innocently.

"So you are finally awake. About time." He spoke in Uther's voice unapologetically, and when Arthur just stared, his face crumpled into one of pure mirth, and he bent his head forward, messy hair covering his face and started laughing.

"Oh my God, the look on your face when you opened the door." He said, while gasping for breath. With effort he looked up at Arthur, blue eyes full of tears of hilarity, and quickly looked away, wheezing.

"What the hell did you think you were doing?" Arthur still could not believe he had been tricked so badly.

"Waking you up apparently. I was bored. But honestly, the panic on your face when you thought your father was outside... It's the funniest thing I had ever seen." His breathless guffaws had calmed down a bit but he still chuckled every now and then, especially every time when he glanced up at Arthur's face.

Arthur waited for righteous fury to come, but to his frustration he only managed to feel a little bit embarrassed, and a lot fond of the absolutely childish centuries old warlock in front of him. He just smacked Merlin on his head, which made him make a pouty face and rub his head, while looking at Arthur accusingly.

"That was not what I meant by knocking."

Merlin stuck out his tongue at him at that- so mature!

"Also, please, for the love of all that's important to you... Never imitate my father again."

"Why? I thought I made a pretty great Uther."

"And that's a sentence I never thought I would ever hear, and would've liked to keep it that way." Arthur shuddered, "anyways, what was so important that you had to wake me up for it?"

"Nothing. I was just bored."

"You were... Of course. He was bored. That's why he woke me up the one time I actually could sleep in. Of course."

"Who are you talking to Arthur? There is only me here."

"Whatever." Arthur shook his head, and went to the kitchen to turn on the coffee maker. He was awake already, so it was about time to get ready for the day.

Merlin hovered behind him, a ball of endless energy. Arthur put two bread slices in the toaster and turned on the stove to make himself some scrambled eggs. Behind him, Merlin let out a startled gasp.

"What?" Arthur asked irritably.

"You can cook?"

"Yes Merlin. It is basic survival skill. Why won't I be able to?"

"I don't know. You just seem like the sort that would make other people prepare meals for you. I guessed you would be very particular too, complaining if someone put one microgram salt extra in your food and stuff."

"What lesson does that teach you then?"

"That even entitled spoiled prats can cook in the 21st centuries?"

"No, that's not it."

"Is it something insulting about my intellect?"

"You bet it is."

"I am sorry Arthur. Apparently I should know better than to make assumptions, or even think at all for that matter." Merlin said in a monotone, kind of like when a teacher makes a student repeat after her that I promise I will not steal my class fellow's pencil again.

"See, you can learn."

"And you can cook." Merlin still sounded amazed, "I bet what you make is practically inedible."

"It would still be better than whatever poison you must concoct when allowed near a stove." Arthur retorted.

"I... I have no idea."

"You can't cook?"

"Don't know. If I ever did, I don't remember it anymore."

After that they were quiet for some time, and Arthur worked in the kitchen, quickly making him some breakfast and putting it on the counter. He then sat down on the stool and looked properly at Merlin.

"You sure you don't eat?"

"Yep. Imagine it yourself: if I ate something, where do you think it would come out from?"

"Ew. I am eating Merlin. And that's an image I don't want in my head. Ever. Argh."

"You did ask for it." Merlin, the bastard, did not look slightest bit ashamed. "Any way, I have to say it's very sweet of you to keep asking. Very few of my previous masters ever thought about it."

"Hmm, about that- I have been meaning to ask you. How were your previous masters?"

"Oh you know. Some were okay. Most were absolutely dull, and asked for the same usual things. Money, power, more money, and girls. It was always the girls. The witch never sold me to a woman in all these centuries... I have no idea why that's so. I think I would've liked a female master."

"Kinky." Arthur commented.

"Oh stuff it. Anyway, as I said, most of the time I barely had time to even know the person before they asked for three things and were done."

"You mean to say you never annoyed the hell out of them by refusing them things?"

"Oh sometimes I did. Especially when they asked me for unmentionable evils. I don't do murder or love spells. But I did one better. Magic is all about wordings, and these men weren't exactly bright. Let's just say they regretted giving me orders of violence."

"I guess I should be glad you didn't fix my teeth. Maybe you would've decided fixing them means removing them from my person all together."

"Now there's an idea." Merlin said, a grin suddenly splitting his face.

"Okay so what about the some that weren't okay?"

"That's it. Some were not okay."

"Come on Merlin... Don't you want to talk about it?"

"Not really. Those weren't good times. I was not kidding about being burned in fire, and locked in chests for decades. Some were kind too though. One time, I have no idea what got into the witch and I ended up in the middle of an absolute clusterfuck."

"Oh that sounds interesting."

"It really wasn't. Trust me. For once, a really poor street urchin-from freaking Arab of all places- owned me, and he was seriously messed up in his head, didn't believe in working towards anything. It's a good thing he got me; otherwise he would've ended up dead in the corner of the street before he turned 25. He made me make him a prince to court a princess he fancied, went all elaborate with the castle and the money. She got married, but he had me transport her to his palace every night after her wedding and then made her forget all about it. It was fucked up. But then the princess willingly sold me to another mage, who also had the hots for her, and then it was basically just the battle of who has the bigger dick. I swear, they were both dicks. They didn't need to compare it at all. I have never been able to obey anyone the witch herself had not sold me to personally, so it was very confusing, going back and forth between two absolutely self absorbed bastards."

While Merlin was rambling, Arthur's eyes grew wider and wider, his half eaten breakfast lay forgotten. He didn't realize he had stopped breathing until he gasped, and then promptly started choking. Merlin flew towards him, and put a hand on his back rubbing it up and down, and asked concernedly,

"Arthur! Arthur you alright?"

In between the coughing and the choking, Arthur had started chortling as well, and when Merlin realized that he backed away from him, offended.

"I tell you my whole life's sob story and you laugh at me. Well done proving what an arse you are Sire." Merlin pouted.

"Sorry," Arthur said in between his bursts of laughter. "Sorry! I am not laughing at you." Another chuckle escaped him," Or maybe I am. I can't explain this. You need to see it for yourself. Wait right here, I will be right back." Arthur said, and he left his unfinished breakfast on the counter, and grabbed his apartment elevator key, moving towards the door.

At the door he stopped once again and looked at Merlin, saying, "Don't go anywhere."

"Where do you think I can go?" Merlin rolled his eyes.

"I don't know. Didn't you say you were one of the most powerful sorcerers of all time? Doesn't hurt to be careful." Arthur quipped happily, and turned around. The last he saw of Merlin was him playing with his bracelets again, with a rueful smile.

Oh I come from a land

From a faraway place

Where the caravan camels roam

Where they cut off your ear /where it's flat and immense

If they don't like your face /and the heat is intense

It's barbaric, but hey-it's home!

When the wind's at your back

And the sun's from the west

And the sand in the glass is right

Come on down,

Stop on by

Hop a carpet and fly

To another Arabian night!

Arabian nights

Like Arabian days

More often than not

Are hotter than hot

In a lot of good ways

Arabian nights

'Neath Arabian moons

A fool off his guard

Could fall and fall hard

Out there on the dunes.

Arthur couldn't help staring at Merlin's face. It was too damn expressive. How was he ever able to hide emotions, or lie? Because the way Arthur saw it, Merlin would probably be as bad at lying as he is at obeying. Everything about him: the twitching of his lips, the widening of his eyes, the little adorable frowns and the wrinkling of nose, even his ears, and the way they sometimes got darker in color or folded in, gave away what he was thinking.

Right now, Arthur was sure Merlin was torn between feeling outraged, embarrassed and reluctantly amused. Every now and then when something ridiculous happened, Merlin would snap his head towards Arthur and gape, his mouth opening and closing, as if he couldn't decide what words to choose to describe how betrayed he was feeling.

After leaving Merlin, Arthur had gone to the nearest shop that sold DVDs, and bought the 1992 movie Aladdin, and rushed back as soon as possible. He had been unable to contain his excitement about making Merlin watch the movie.

The warlock had been very skeptical about it, especially because Arthur didn't even tell him the name of the movie or what it was about, but had humored Arthur, and settled down on the sofa - "I don't need to sit Arthur!" "Do as you're told Merlin. For once."- While Arthur made instant popcorns in the microwave. This deserved to be watched properly- Arthur had claimed.

And it so was. The look of horror on Merlin's face when the Genie first came out of the lamp with all the fanfare and the "Ten thousand years will give you such a crick in the neck", with his mouth open, unblinking eyes and the way he looked at Arthur like he was wondering if he was having a nightmare, were awesome. Arthur had to pause the movie and laugh, and laugh and laugh some more, until Merlin threw a cushion at him, still speechless. Arthur remembered seeing this movie when he was a child but this time, he wasn't seeing the movie. He was seeing Merlin see the movie, and it was a hundred times more fun.

When the last scene ended, and the credits started playing, Arthur turned off the TV, and leaned back on the couch, waiting for Merlin's reaction. Merlin sat frozen for a few minutes, not even blinking, and then suddenly right in front of Arthur's eyes, he became smoke and went into the magical lamp.

"Come on Merlin, don't be like that." Arthur complained, and received no answer, so he bent forward and started stroking the lamp lying on the table in front of him.

"Come now, that wasn't so bad was it."

"Not bad. NOT BAD?" Merlin's voice came from inside the lamp, all squeaky, and then just Merlin's head came out of the lamp, startling Arthur and making him back away from the table as far as the couch would allow, "They made me blue."

"Okay one, don't do that! Either go completely inside the lamp, or come all out. This is freaking me out. Second, blue? That's what you take offense on?"

Merlin just increased his head size and didn't come out of the lamp or hide inside, like Arthur had requested, which was not surprising at all. It would've been surprising if Merlin had actually listened. "Why? Don't you like it? That's what the lamp Genie always did? Be ridiculous and creepy, and BLUE."

"Seriously. What's with the color? Blue is as good as green. Why does it matter?" Arthur's curiosity was piqued.

Finally, Merlin came out of the lamp, normal sized, slumping in the sofa, a lot like Arthur was, and folded both of his arms across his chest , looking straight ahead, sulking.

"Green is me. It's the color of my magic. It's the color of nature, of growth and spring. Of rebirth and renewal. It's the color of life. I have always been green, felt green, ever since I can remember. Blue is just... blue." Merlin pouted through his entire rambling.

"Awe. You sensitive little green Genie." Arthur teased, which resulted in Merlin throwing him a sharp annoyed look. "I do get why they would use blue though. It's your eyes. They are hard to forget. If I were to choose a color other than green for you, it would be blue too." Arthur promptly regretted them as soon as the words left his mouth, but thankfully Merlin was busy having an existential crisis.

"I understand why they changed so much of what really happened. It was too messed up to be made into a fairy tale, and history is written from the winner's side, whatever. But why did they give me that weird beard, and the face? Why name me Genie? I don't understand. Ali knew me, so if he had to tell them my story, why make me so - so... unrecognizable." He sounded seriously confused.

"Unrecognizable is not the word I would use. I recognized you, didn't I?"

"That's because you are a Prat, and love making fun of me."

"True," Arthur shrugged, "So, Aladdin is real."

"Well Ali is. Except that he was an absolute bastard obsessed with marrying the Princess Yasmin, and with short cuts. He was nice to me though, so was Yasmin." Merlin sounded fond when he talked about them, and for a ridiculous moment, Arthur felt extremely jealous.

Tamping it down, Arthur commented, "You call him a bastard one moment, and nice the second. One would think you are confused."

"Well! What can I say? I have a weakness for bastards." He looked at Arthur as if making a point, and then continued, "Also he was a whole lot better than Jafar." Merlin shuddered, "I have had worse than Jafar, but he sticks around in my head as one of most twisted. Especially because he was also a mage, and was bound to understand what I felt like with my caged magic. It did not stop him from completely exploiting me, and leaving no wriggle room with his very specific phrasing. I hate it when they understand magic."

"Oh Jafar! I noticed that."

"Don't even start." Merlin warned.

"That was some pissing contest going on. Ali wasn't the only one comparing dicks with Jafar, was he?"

Merlin flushed and murmured a quiet "Shut up."

"Also, that was quite a crush you were harboring for Aladdin in the movie. Was that, winner-side-writes-the-history and all that thing too, or what?" Arthur teased.

"You are awful, you know that? Ali was just a friend. I have had very few of those in the years." Merlin responded, but the flush on his cheeks gave him away. Arthur could accept it was pretty unreasonable to be jealous of someone who had died a very long time ago by now, so he ignored the feeling and instead enjoyed the pleasure of making Merlin feel awkward.

After a few seconds, Merlin perked up and looked at Arthur with pure evil in his eyes though, "Speaking of, you want to tell me something?"

"Tell you what?"

"About Yasmin and your obsession with Guinevere. The resemblance is uncanny and I have seen the signs before. "

"I told you Merlin. I don't think about Gwen that way."

"Yeah. And Ali didn't think about Yasmin that way."

"Jesus Christ. You are like a stuck record. She is the wrong gender! Does that satisfy you?"

"Oh!"

"Yeah! Oh! If anything, Genie was my favorite character when I first saw the movie. Though, I have to say I like the real thing more. Less loud and obnoxious, same level of insolence and wit."

"Oh?" Merlin face and ears were a very dark shade of green now, and he looked at Arthur with his wide blue eyes, and for a few seconds Arthur's breath caught in his throat.

"Yes! Now stopped being an idiot alright?" Arthur ruffled Merlin's hair, causing him to squawk indignantly, and then left his hand across Merlin's shoulder, not quite hugging him, but feeling closer than he ever had before anyway.

"You realize one thing right?" Arthur asked after a while. Merlin had been staring into a distance all that time, still going over every scene of the movie Arthur supposed. This trauma would take a while to be properly processed.

"Hmm?" He answered distractedly.

"You totally can't complain when I call you Genie from now on. Because you are THE Genie. You can't say you aren't." Arthur replied in smug satisfaction.

"Well as long as you let me call you an Arse. Because you are one." Merlin smirked.

Arthur couldn't help throwing his head back and laughing. Yes, he did like the real thing more. A whole lot more.

A/N:All of you who leave kind reviews, please know you are very very loved. You make my day so much better and you should know that.