Chapter Text
Roger had been right to wake up early, this flea market was perfect for him. He was searching for diamonds in the rough that he could resell at Kensington. This flea market was real vide grenier as most people had put in the bare *bare* minimal effort. They had literally just taken all of the junk in their dead relatives houses and pumped it on the street in the hopes to make some spare change.
Roger had been searching through dusty remains of an an attic when he found it under a false panel in an old wooden trunk. It had been covered in a thick obscuring layer of dust. It was shaped like a very fancy perfume bottle complete with a stopper. Roger had swiped it with a finger to reveal the beautiful colorful mosaic glass underneath. Acting casually he covered the cleared spot, exposing only the dull brown flask to the buyer and got it for five pence.
Roger placed it in his bag and more or less forgot about it until he got to the flat he shares with Deaky and Brian and was emptying his pack. He uses wet paper towels to remove the thick layer of dust before carefully wiping it down with the same rag and product they use for the mirrors.
Revealed was a beautiful bottle covered in persian looking geometric mosaics. The bottle's main colors are red and purple extenuated with gold. The bottle is simply gorgeous and Roger wonders if it isn't actually worth some considerable money although he is more tempted to keep it.
He carefully cleans around the stopper before easing it out, concerned there might be some internal damage. He also keeps it pointing away from him lest there be something long since rottened inside, which is a good thing for as soon as he removes the stopper thick black smoke pours out.
Roger is astonished at how much smoke was seemingly able to fit into the bottle, but that's nothing compare to the surprise which makes him nearly drop the bottle as a being takes shape from the smoke. It's a face, a man's face, with a distinguished nose, sharp jawline and two glittering black horns. More and more of the being appeared. A neck wrapped with beaded necklaces, a human looking torso with chest hair, arms wrapped with bracelets and delicate fingers tipped with long black nails. What he is, is beautiful.
Roger sits in complete shock, jaw on the floor, staring at the half of the being floating from amidst the smoke. "I am Mercury. He who sole is closest to the sun," He speaks in a beautiful lilting voice with a British accent- because he was speaking the Queen's English! Roger is maybe focusing on the wrong thing but this was all so much he had to keep hold of reality somehow. "Three wishes I can grant you Master," Mercury said acquiescently as he bowed to him.
"What." It was supposed to be a question. This was all just so much. Roger righted himself on the couch, smoothed down his clothing and ran a hand through his hair. He cleared his throat, "Are you- You can grant wishes? Are you a genie?"
"A genie?" Mercury tilts his head as though he must listen to the translation of the word. "I am a genie."
"Oh, okay alright. Wishes... okay um, can I wish for anything I want?"
"You can not wish for more wishes nor for other genies nor means to find genies," Mercury answers instantly and then thinks about it, "You can not wish genies into being nor transform someone into a genie." He stops and sucks on his upper lip, Roger had noticed his prominent teeth. Mercury stays silence as to the fact that Master can wish himself a genie as Master only asked for the limitations on wishes.
Roger thinks about it for a moment, "Can I wish that the rules regarding wishes would be different?"
Mercury shakes his head, his new Master is apparently rather clever. "Smart and beautiful even before my magic," Mercury says coily.
Roger blushes but doesn't look away, it's definitely not first time he's been called beautiful but it's not usually by gorgeous half-naked people. "I- I don't know what I want yet. Can I - I assume there is a ceremonial official way of demanding wishes?"
"You need say: Now I wish."
"Okay, so I'm going to think about this," Roger paces around their living room. He's always wanted a lot in life, always been very ambitious. He's always wanted to be famous, rich and successful. Now it seems all of that is being served on a silver platter. And then of course there is the question of does Roger even just want it given to him? If he doesn't strive and work hard to be the best than he isn't really the best. A hollow victory, a throne of pyrite.
Roger is also concerned that there is a catch. He grew up with Cornish tales of Faes and there is always a catch, a trick. Faes are renounce for tricking people with their carefully spoken words. If Roger carelessly wishes to be rich, Mercury could make gold bars appear and crush him. If he wishes to be famous Mercury could make him renounce as a criminal. If he wishes for success... there are so many ways that could go wrong.
What he needs is to be clever and careful about this, and the smartest person he knows is Brian. "I'm gonna-," Roger isn't sure how to explain to a genie what a telephone call is. How long exactly was he even in that lamp? "Sorry I've been so rude, this has all been so much. I just- I didn't even believe in magic. I'm Roger Taylor, this is my flat that I share with my-" Do genies have the concept of homophobia? Best not to risk it, "Bandmates. Can I offer you something to drink or to eat? I don't know how long you've been in that bottle or what that's like. I don't know if you'd rather return to it while I figure out what I'm going to wish for or if you'd especially prefer not to return, whatever you want man." 'If you even are a man being a genie and having no lower body,' Roger tackfully doesn't add on to his ramblings.
Mercury blinks slowly folding his hands in front of himself as though he is bashful. "That would- Yes, thank you. I have been a long time in my bottle and I would prefer to stay out of my bottle. I can ingest food and beverages. I would love to taste what is new or nice in the mortal realm."
Roger bobs his head as he turns to the kitchen, "We should have soda. I don't know if you'll like it but it is very different. We also have tea and we might have grenadine syrup. Do you have a preference or would any do?"
"I'd like to try them all if possible," Mercury says eagerly from right behind Roger. Roger spins around to see Mercury whole person-shaped, wearing only a white wrap around skirt.
Roger looks him up and down. Like this he looks completely like a human but for the horns. A rather attractive human in fact. Roger can't help but to notice Mercury's finely toned body, flawless skin and a dusting of dark hair including trailing from his belly button to- "I should call Brian," Roger says looking away but still his brain can't help but to consider that if Mercury is eager for food after such a long time in his bottle, he might be down for some pleasure and happiness that doesn't come from a wish.
Roger picks up the phone and dials up the university and its library extension. He waits on the phone line is long enough that Roger can put on a kettle and get out the needed glasses and mugs as he waits. This isn't the first time his has talked to the delightful librarian Ms. Barker that minds the phone line. Mercury appears curious by the tingy voice coming from the other end. Roger moves the receiver a little away from his ear so Mercury can listen in as he enjoys flirting with Ms. Baker even though Brian assures Roger she's at least eighty and wrinkled like a raisin. Roger just teases his boyfriend by saying, 'Don't you want me to still love and flirt with you when you are old and wrinkled?' It's a strategy that works very well and makes Brian blush and get flustered. Ms. Barker, there is no Mr. Baker, promises to go and pry Brian from his studying nook for he is needed at home.
"Don't imagine you have a preference for how strong you want it?" Roger says out of politeness once he's hung up the phone about the syrup-to-water ratio.
"Oh, I tend to love strong liquors," Mercury says excitedly as he puts his hand in the fridge and touches the cold items inside.
"This isn't an alcohol. This is a fruit concentrate that is served diluted with water but hold on we might have some vodka or some rum, I'm afraid we don't have anything nice or fancy like wine or champagne. Champagne is great though, I bet you'd love it," Roger says as he continues to rummage for everything that is needed.
He puts everything on a tray intending for them to go and eat on the terrasse when he turns and remembers what Mercury looks like. "Can you- Can you appear like a human?"
"I can easily appear like a animal but not a human. I'm sorry I cannot conceal my nature from this Brian."
Roger furrows his brow, "No, no I plan on telling Brian I just thought you might like to go outside and look at the city, I'm sure the City of London looks quite different." He brings the tray instead to the kitchen table laying everything out in front of Mercury.
Mercury looks longingly out the windows, "You can take me later?" He says with hope and longing, "I can be any animal, I don't know what animal you would have in such a house. Surely not a cow," He says touching his horns.
"Yeah, no cows. But works for me. Dogs are common but it'd probably be easier to carry you if you were a cat."
"I have hidden before as a snake in a pocket," Mercury offers. Roger imagines a snake with the same red, purple and golden scales as the bottle and imagines the sight to be beautiful.
In front of Mercury Roger has an open bottle of Coca-cola, only a little bit of Grenadine with the water pitcher so that he might discover his own pleasures, a bottle of vodka, a bottle of gin and a bottle of rum. For foods Roger has brought biscuits, crackers, cherry tomatoes and crisps, they don't really have anything special in their kitchen.
"I think I should maybe call Deaky too. He doesn't get off of work until four and yet- I think maybe he'd like to know-" The kettle whistling cuts him off. "Enjoy that, I'll fetch you your tea."
Roger says as he goes to collect and comes back with the tray again. This time it has the cup and saucer with the steeping tea, their sugar bowl, creamer, honey and lemon. He is then in a perfect position to watch Mercury sip the soda before spitting it out.
Roger laughs and laughs as he collapses into the nearby chair. He wipes his eyes, "I'm sorry. Are you okay?" But obviously Mercury is okay as he is taking another more cautious sip.
"It- I do not think it is the taste but rather-" Mercury holds the bottle up to his face and looks intently at it, "The bubbles?"
Roger nods, "Could be if you've never had anything like that." He's now more sure than ever that Mercury will like champagne. "Sodas get their bubbles from being carbonated. There's also sparkling water, which is just carbonated water. Sodas are all sugary delicious drinks."
"Sugar? Mmmm," Mercury smacks his lips as he savors the taste. "When I last roamed the Earth I was told that sugar was expensive, only for nobility to consume."
Roger blinks, that was a long time ago, "Well that use to be true. It was because the nobility in questioned lived far away and so most of the cost came from the transport and shipping of it. That's why during the war Britain didn't have any because we were cut off from the warm climate where it grew."
"I thank you for explaining this to me," Mercury answers genuinely, batting his dark lashes at Roger who is again painfully aware of exactly how much of Mercury's skin is showing.
"I should call Deaky," Roger blurts. "Brian's smart, real clever but like book smart while Deaky might be a bit more wise, like street smart. It's best not to make an decisions unilaterally. He doesn't get off of work until the afternoon but-" Roger babbles until he clicks his mouth shut as Mercury watches him cooly sipping the soda. "So you enjoy that," Roger, like some lame loser, shoots finger-guns in parting as he escapes to the kitchen. He bangs his head against a cupboard, what's even wrong with him.
He picks up the phone and easily dials the number for the little electronic repair shop Deaky works at. Deaky answers with a ruff voice, "Hello, this is Barty's Repair Shop," that makes Roger think Deaky's been chain smoking, which he does on boring days at the shop.
"Hi Deaks it's me, so I... Well it'd be best if you came home soon. Nothing's wrong!" Roger reassured him. "It's just- So I called Brian and he's going to be here really shortly. I just-" He clears his throat awkwardly, how to make skeptical down-to-earth-John believe. "There is a special circumstance and I have been offered a rather... considerable opportunity -nothing illegal- and I don't want to mess it up. I want to maximize this chance, which means group decisions. So it'd be best if you could come home."
Deaky makes a noncommittal noise, "Christ Roger, what on Earth did you do? I thought you were only supposed to go to that flea market. What, did you find a chest of dubloons?" Roger laughs very nervously. Deaky just sighs, "Alright. It's really quiet this weekend, must be the nice weather has everyone out and about instead of fucking up their gadgets. I'll see if I can't close up early. I can't promise anything though so don't like - Don't fuck it all up." Deaky sighs again before hanging up on his boyfriends love declarations.
"Okay, okay," Roger says running a hand through his hair. He returns to the kitchen table to see Mercury carefully running the spoon through the sugar and watching the tiny crystals form mounds.
Mercury looks up with an excitable smile, "You just have a bowl of sugar and you are not wealthy?"
"Yeah, sugar is common and affordable nowadays," Roger settles back down to see that seemingly everything has been sampled. "So what do you think of these foods and drinks?"
Mercury smiles broadly before covering it up with his hand, "They are wonderful, thank you so much for showing them to me Master."
Roger flinches, "Please don't call me that. Please do call me Roger. There are no more masters nowadays, nor slaves. It's illegal." He shutters, "And abhorrent. Laws were passed, well not just laws but also rights, human rights, that all people were to be equal, well not literally equal-equal but that they couldn't have more rights than another person. For example there are no more slaves and like everyone can own land," Roger rambles with the first example that comes to mind.
"No more slaves," Mercury whispers as he runs his hands under his bracelets and over his wrists, there are what appear to be large black tattoos, Roger realises they are shackles fused to his skin. "You are- You are a slave to the bottle?" Roger says disheartenedly.
Mercury nods meekly, still looking at his wrists. "It is the way of all genies, to be a genie is to be enslaved. To a flask and to their master."
"I- I am your master? Until I command my three wishes?"
Mercury nods, looks up at Roger, "By opening the bottle I have become yours. Once I've granted you three wishes my bottle and me will vanish to a lost place until someone else finds us."
Thinking about all of this is hurting Roger's heart. "Let's go out!" Roger jumps out of his chair "You said you wanted to see the city?"
"Yes," Mercury jumps too.
"Mmm. Better than the terrasse though, if you can take an animal form we might as well go out on the streets." Roger grabs his coat, wallet and keys as Mercury following eagerly behind.
That is when Brian walks through the door. He looks down Mercury's body in surprise and appreciation at all that lovely body on display before blushing and politely looking at his face where Brian is startled to find the horns.