Genie: The Final Chapter
I'm sorry it's taken me so long to finish my Genie!Eroica series. I've been stressed and distracted this past week, so the first draft came out crummy. It required intensive betaing, for which I am deeply indebted to grey_bard, ink_n_imp, and mprice. In fact, quite a few lines of the dialogue in this last chapter were provided by them, because my brain refused to get the voices right. Thank you three!
Klaus had scarcely had time to put his briefcase on his desk when he received word from the Chief: a matter in Berlin required his immediate presence. He departed at once, relieved that he could delay dealing with his genie's effusions of gratitude at least one day. He fully expected that by the time he returned, Schloss Eberbach would be transformed into a palace of ridiculous luxury which he would have to yell at his genie to take away. He also gloomily predicted a ten-course banquet, and who knew what else.
As he spent the afternoon and evening running around Berlin, tracking down contacts and meeting with informants, he also felt guiltily glad that Lawrence had exhausted Eroica so much. Not a thing happened that day to make him suspect that an unhelpfully helpful genie was on his trail.
By the time he had finished the day's business, it was too late and he too tired to make the trip back home. He checked into the first hotel with a vacancy that he found, a cheap and dismal place right next to a store where he was able to buy some junk food. Of course he rarely inflicted junk food on himself, but he hadn't had time for dinner and it would take the edge off his appetite so that he could get to sleep.
Once inside his room, he dropped the bag of sodium, carbohydrates and preservatives on the small table and sank into the rickety chair. The room was dingy, the mattress worn and the blankets threadbare, but he had spent enough nights in worse places to appreciate simply having a roof and a locked door.
He had bent to take off his shoes - his feet were killing him - when Eroica materialized before him.
"Not now, Eroica, I'm tired."
Eroica said nothing, only knelt to remove his shoes. Too tired to argue, Klaus leaned back in the chair. Normally he resisted this little service that the genie liked to perform, though he gathered it had been a widespread custom in Eroica's long-ago youth. Tonight he let Eroica take off his shoes and massage his feet.
The genie looked around the dreary room, his fingers still working on Klaus's feet. "This place *cannot* be restful," he decreed. Before Klaus could even brace himself, the sagging bed became a firm mattress with clean, fragrant sheets.
Well, that meant that at least his back wouldn't ache tomorrow. Klaus made no objection.
Next, Eroica regarded the walls with narrowed eyes and pursed lips. "Why is it always beige?" He bobbed his head and the dingy walls were suddenly oak-paneled, and the chair Klaus was sitting in became sturdy and well-upholstered.
Eroica rose and Klaus flexed his feet, which felt better already. The genie sauntered to the table and gave the junk food a withering look. "Dinner, Master?"
Klaus shrugged. "What do you expect at this hour?"
"Oh, perhaps some roasted fish, and fried potatoes, and beer." The genie bobbed his head, and it all appeared on the table.
Once more, the Major could find no objection to this. The smell alone invigorated him. "Thank you," he said, moving the chair closer to the table. As he began, it occurred to him that it was the first time he had ever actually thanked Eroica for anything. Most of the time, he was trying to make the genie take back his gifts.
Eroica seated himself cross-legged on the bed, a happy smile on his face as he watched Klaus eat.
"I did not interfere with your work today, Master," the genie told him with a proud smile.
The Major looked at him thoughtfully. It was a long moment before he spoke. "Today has been... uneventful. No spontaneously appearing evidence, no mysterious informants." He popped the last bite of fish into his mouth. "And no ridiculous magical interruptions."
Eroica's smile had disappeared. He watched his master, silent.
"I'm not going to lock you in a safe the way Lawrence did!" the Major announced fiercely.
The genie could only look at him with enormous eyes.
Klaus's shoulders slumped. "I would never."
The silence stretched before Eroica spoke quietly. "I did not expect you to take me back from Lawrence. I thought you would be glad to be rid of me."
The Major snorted. "Eroica, if I wanted to be rid of you, your bottle would be long gone."
Eroica bit his lip. "Did you miss me, Master?"
"It was quiet without you around." The words were not especially complimentary, but his tone did not imply that it had been a good kind of quiet. Eroica smiled.
"I missed you terribly, Master. Every minute."
The Major was quiet as he ate the last of the potatoes. "You didn't like belonging to Lawrence," he began.
"No, Master."
"You didn't… get infatuated with him."
"Of course not, Master! I am in love with *you*!"
Another long pause while the Major occupied himself with finishing his beer. "I always thought that, ehm… feeling attached to whoever had the bottle, was just part of being a genie."
It took a moment for Eroica to understand. "You mean you thought I would be in love with any man who happened to be my master?"
"Yes."
"And that it had nothing to do with you?"
"Yes."
Eroica smiled at him radiantly. "I have never fallen in love with any of my masters. Only you."
The Major looked back at his now-empty plate, but his flush was just slightly visible.
"Do you mean to say that for all of these years, you have not availed yourself of a beautiful and willing odalisque-in-a-bottle because you were too honorable to take advantage of a geas?"
"How could I?"
"But you did want me? All along?"
Klaus's flush deepened. "I am not made of *actual* iron."
Eroica bobbed his head, and an instant later the table had vanished and Eroica was standing in its place. Before Klaus could do more than give a start, the genie was in his lap, arms twining around his neck, lips pressed against his.
Klaus returned the kiss wholeheartedly, the first time ever that he hadn't resisted Eroica's unceasing overtures. He tangled the fingers of one hand in the genie's mane of yellow curls and with the other arm held him close. For a long time their lips moved together. When they parted, Klaus reluctantly moved back.
"You are certain this is not some genie thing?" he demanded. At Eroica's grin, he went on insistently, "Don't think you can - If you lie to me about this..."
Eroica's eyes sparkled. "Is that an order, Master?"
"Yes! Don't touch me if you - unless you want to! I forbid it!"
"Your wish is my command, Master!"
And late into the night, it was.
Klaus had scarcely had time to put his briefcase on his desk when he received word from the Chief: a matter in Berlin required his immediate presence. He departed at once, relieved that he could delay dealing with his genie's effusions of gratitude at least one day. He fully expected that by the time he returned, Schloss Eberbach would be transformed into a palace of ridiculous luxury which he would have to yell at his genie to take away. He also gloomily predicted a ten-course banquet, and who knew what else.
As he spent the afternoon and evening running around Berlin, tracking down contacts and meeting with informants, he also felt guiltily glad that Lawrence had exhausted Eroica so much. Not a thing happened that day to make him suspect that an unhelpfully helpful genie was on his trail.
By the time he had finished the day's business, it was too late and he too tired to make the trip back home. He checked into the first hotel with a vacancy that he found, a cheap and dismal place right next to a store where he was able to buy some junk food. Of course he rarely inflicted junk food on himself, but he hadn't had time for dinner and it would take the edge off his appetite so that he could get to sleep.
Once inside his room, he dropped the bag of sodium, carbohydrates and preservatives on the small table and sank into the rickety chair. The room was dingy, the mattress worn and the blankets threadbare, but he had spent enough nights in worse places to appreciate simply having a roof and a locked door.
He had bent to take off his shoes - his feet were killing him - when Eroica materialized before him.
"Not now, Eroica, I'm tired."
Eroica said nothing, only knelt to remove his shoes. Too tired to argue, Klaus leaned back in the chair. Normally he resisted this little service that the genie liked to perform, though he gathered it had been a widespread custom in Eroica's long-ago youth. Tonight he let Eroica take off his shoes and massage his feet.
The genie looked around the dreary room, his fingers still working on Klaus's feet. "This place *cannot* be restful," he decreed. Before Klaus could even brace himself, the sagging bed became a firm mattress with clean, fragrant sheets.
Well, that meant that at least his back wouldn't ache tomorrow. Klaus made no objection.
Next, Eroica regarded the walls with narrowed eyes and pursed lips. "Why is it always beige?" He bobbed his head and the dingy walls were suddenly oak-paneled, and the chair Klaus was sitting in became sturdy and well-upholstered.
Eroica rose and Klaus flexed his feet, which felt better already. The genie sauntered to the table and gave the junk food a withering look. "Dinner, Master?"
Klaus shrugged. "What do you expect at this hour?"
"Oh, perhaps some roasted fish, and fried potatoes, and beer." The genie bobbed his head, and it all appeared on the table.
Once more, the Major could find no objection to this. The smell alone invigorated him. "Thank you," he said, moving the chair closer to the table. As he began, it occurred to him that it was the first time he had ever actually thanked Eroica for anything. Most of the time, he was trying to make the genie take back his gifts.
Eroica seated himself cross-legged on the bed, a happy smile on his face as he watched Klaus eat.
"I did not interfere with your work today, Master," the genie told him with a proud smile.
The Major looked at him thoughtfully. It was a long moment before he spoke. "Today has been... uneventful. No spontaneously appearing evidence, no mysterious informants." He popped the last bite of fish into his mouth. "And no ridiculous magical interruptions."
Eroica's smile had disappeared. He watched his master, silent.
"I'm not going to lock you in a safe the way Lawrence did!" the Major announced fiercely.
The genie could only look at him with enormous eyes.
Klaus's shoulders slumped. "I would never."
The silence stretched before Eroica spoke quietly. "I did not expect you to take me back from Lawrence. I thought you would be glad to be rid of me."
The Major snorted. "Eroica, if I wanted to be rid of you, your bottle would be long gone."
Eroica bit his lip. "Did you miss me, Master?"
"It was quiet without you around." The words were not especially complimentary, but his tone did not imply that it had been a good kind of quiet. Eroica smiled.
"I missed you terribly, Master. Every minute."
The Major was quiet as he ate the last of the potatoes. "You didn't like belonging to Lawrence," he began.
"No, Master."
"You didn't… get infatuated with him."
"Of course not, Master! I am in love with *you*!"
Another long pause while the Major occupied himself with finishing his beer. "I always thought that, ehm… feeling attached to whoever had the bottle, was just part of being a genie."
It took a moment for Eroica to understand. "You mean you thought I would be in love with any man who happened to be my master?"
"Yes."
"And that it had nothing to do with you?"
"Yes."
Eroica smiled at him radiantly. "I have never fallen in love with any of my masters. Only you."
The Major looked back at his now-empty plate, but his flush was just slightly visible.
"Do you mean to say that for all of these years, you have not availed yourself of a beautiful and willing odalisque-in-a-bottle because you were too honorable to take advantage of a geas?"
"How could I?"
"But you did want me? All along?"
Klaus's flush deepened. "I am not made of *actual* iron."
Eroica bobbed his head, and an instant later the table had vanished and Eroica was standing in its place. Before Klaus could do more than give a start, the genie was in his lap, arms twining around his neck, lips pressed against his.
Klaus returned the kiss wholeheartedly, the first time ever that he hadn't resisted Eroica's unceasing overtures. He tangled the fingers of one hand in the genie's mane of yellow curls and with the other arm held him close. For a long time their lips moved together. When they parted, Klaus reluctantly moved back.
"You are certain this is not some genie thing?" he demanded. At Eroica's grin, he went on insistently, "Don't think you can - If you lie to me about this..."
Eroica's eyes sparkled. "Is that an order, Master?"
"Yes! Don't touch me if you - unless you want to! I forbid it!"
"Your wish is my command, Master!"
And late into the night, it was.