You Never Had A Friend Like This

It was but the blink of an eye and the forest disappeared around them. There hadn't been time for even a word. The world around them had swirled so fast and now they stood on the sand, sea spreading were trees stood a moment before.

"Merlin! " Arthur's voice rang with anger as he spun around, "look at what you've done!"

"Me?" The servant asked, indignant. "I haven't done anything."

"You" he kept accusing, his eyes but small slits, "made a wish."

"I... what?"

Arthur sighed, his hand pinching the bridge of his nose as he wondered how on earth he had gotten stuck with the most idiotic servant to ever (dis)grace the world.

"That... woman on the forest "he said, his voice strained. "She was a genie, wasn't her?"

That gave the other man a pause. He scrunched his face in thought.

"She might have been. It would explain the odd clothes and the misplaced veil."

Arthur took a deep breath, gathering his patience.

"Tell me, Merlin, what do gennies do?"

"They grant wishes" he replied, stopping for a moment, in thought. "At least that's what the stories say, but according to Gildeas..." Merlin looked at Arthur suddenly, at loss. "How do you know about them? "

Arthur made a long suffering face before admitting.

"I had an Arabic nanny, once" he pressed his lips in annoyance, but since Merlin just kept looking at him, he continued. "She used to tell me bedtime stories about the lands she grew up in."

"Since when do you believe in bedtime stories?" Merlin asked, as if his whole life wasn't but the living version of one.

"About since the moment you tripped in a lamp and a woman wearing nothing but see through straps of cloth came out of it" he barked. "And then some idiot, like, I don't know, my servant decided to make wishes at it."

"I didn't make a wish " maintained Merlin, his face starting to grow red under the harsh sunlight. "I merely mentioned that if I could ask for anything, I'd ask for some time off and... oh."

"Exactly" agreed Arthur, gesturing around them "Oh" he repeated, mockingly.

Merlin seemed a bit more contrite at that.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to..."

"Then perhaps you shouldn't go around making wishes at gennies " Arthur's mood wasn't forgiving. They were in what appeared to be an island, no way out, no one else around. What would the hunting party do when they weren't found?

Arthur's short temper was quick to burst Merlin's as well.

"It was just a comment! How is thus my fault? I wouldn't have said it if you ever gave me time off."

Arthur shook his head, exasperated.

"Why, Merlin, this is the perfect moment to discuss your employment situation" he gave a long sigh. "As it ever occurred you that I don't get any time off either? "

"What?" Merlin's head did a sharp turn and he frowned. "What would you even need time off from? Being a clotpole? "

"I don't know, Merlin. Maybe from training the knights, organising patrols, controlling the finances, overseeing the defences..."

That gave Merlin a stop, as if he had never truly considered the extent of Arthur's functions in Camelot. The Prince was rarely idle, he had noticed, but never given it any deep thought.

"You get days off" he finally said, as if remembering something that would win the discussion for him. "You get to hunt."

Arthur looked at him, measuring the argument.

"I love hunting. I love being at the woods" he agreed, before holding up a finger. "But if I don't manage to find game, the kitchens are left without meat. I may love, as I love training, but it is still a chore - one I'm not fulfilling because you have decided to have a day off."

Merlin crossed his arms on his chest.

"Well, I'm sorry- this is not what I wanted" he pouted. "It's not as if I'd chose to have a day off with you ."

"What would you do if you had a day off?" Arthur asked, taking out his leather vest in the massive heat. "Spend it at the tavern?"

"No!" Merlin denied quickly, averting his eyes from Arthur undressing as if he didn't help him in and out of his clothes everyday (it must be a day off decency thing) before pausing to think. "To be honest, I have never really figured this part out."

Arthur snorted at that.

"Wonderful. Not only we are stranded in some God forsaken desert island with no way out, but also you have no plan on how you want to spend your day."

"Why do you think it's a desert island?"

Arthur shrugged. He figured it made sense.

"I'm merely hoping you didn't get us sent to a cannibal infested island to die, Merlin. Trying to be cheerful in the name of your day off."

Merlin's eyes bulged at that.

"I hadn't thought of that. "

"The things you haven't thought of would fill whole libraries" Arthur smirked at his offended expression. "Although in this case I am grateful. Running from cannibals isn't my idea of a fun day off."

"Do you just plan on spending the day here and hope for what? A miraculous rescue? "

Arthur leaned his head to both sides, as if considering.

"A rescue is unlikely" he announced. "So we might as well enjoy ourselves."

"And then what?" Merlin enquired, clearly creeped out by how accommodating the Prince was being all of a sudden.

"I'm hoping that by the time we wake up, we'll be back in the woods. "

Merlin frowned and spoke faintly.

"Is this likely? "

The prince shrugged once again.

"I don't know. I imagined that once your desire was granted, we'd be back. You tell me, you're supposed to be the expert on... this."

"Me?" Merlin squeaked. "What? Why would I..."

"I figured you'd be" Arthur said, his face amused. "With the whole..." he wiggled his fingers in a sign that couldn't mean anything other than magic before continuing "...thing you've got going on."

"What?" Merlin's voice was a screech, and made Arthur wince for a second before his infuriating smirk was back. "You know?" He was sputtering, eyes huge, cheeks red. It shouldn't be so adorable, but it was."How... when... what?"

"I might have suffered more than my fair share of blows to the head but I'm not stupid. You, on the other hand..."

"And... and.." Merlin's voice was small, awed. "Aren't you going to chop my head off?"

"Not bloody likely" Arthur puffed, but there was humour in his tone. "Who would fetch my clothes then? And fix my mail?" He shook his head, seeming both amused and exasperated. "You might be the worst servant of the five kingdoms, but you'd be amazed at how insufferable the rest of them are - and not nearly as easy on the eyes."

"What?" Merlin's voice completely disappeared.

"I just said I'm not going to murder you. Try to keep up."

Arthur took a special pleasure in seeing him blushing as he tried to voice his confusion.

"No... I mean, yes, thank you, but... What was that other thing you said?"

Arthur took a step forward, boldly stepping into his personal space and moving closer towards his face.

"I said you're easy on the eyes."

"Why would you say that?" Merlin whispered, but he didn't move back.

"Oh, Merlin... " he said, his voice soft. "What an idiot you are."

Arthur leaned in and kissed him, as if he had done it a million times before - but he hadn't and no matter how much he tried to play it cool, his heart was beating wildly and halting to a stop as Merlin threw his hands around him, kissing him back. It was heaven, and it was home, the place where he belonged. The world changed around them, unnoticed.

Both blinked, a bit confused as they parted to see the woods back around them. Arthur let out a small laugh at that, and kissed Merlin again.

"If I knew it was that easy, I'd have kissed you as soon as we got there!"

Merlin slapped him on the arm, half hurt, half amused.

"Was this just to see if you managed to get back?"

"Don't be stupid " Arthur muttered, with a new peck on the lips. "Although with you, that's asking for a lot..."

Merlin slapped him again, but he was laughing, and the sound of their joy spread through the forest as they came together again.

(Arthur never told Merlin that, in reality, it had been his unspoken wish that had been granted, in a roundabout way. He had won the argument and the warlock, and he intended to keep it that way).