Notes: From my recent travels, driving from Halifax, Nova Scotia back to the Ottawa Valley in Ontario, this fic is based on a real place. In Hillsvale, NS there is Merlin's Auto Savage and the attached Magic Wand Car Wash. It was too perfect to pass up. Plus, I feel this is a "how Canadian can you possibly make it" challenge. Just a warning: this was written in the car, midway through Quebec, and is unbeta'd. Originally posted in my livejournal account (oflittleuse).
It was officially the middle of nowhere. After two days of driving, his leg cramping up twice, Arthur had finally put the busy Ontario 401 highway, the French rolling hills of Quebec and the endless trees of New Brunswick behind him. With the flat river beds of red mud, rolling out to the Bay of Fundy in the distance Arthur had crossed into Nova Scotia. His Iphone was dead and lay in the seat next to him. It had given up after navigating through the disaster zone that was Montreal.
Before his errant employee had disappeared off the face of the planet Arthur had been content never knowing that Hillsvale existed. Now, he had circled back into Windsor four times over the past two hours. Each time he was proudly reminded by the faded sign that this was the birthplace to hockey.
As he passed fishing trolleys and small farms, Arthur felt like a foreigner in his own country. If he hadn't been so mad at Merlin, he might feel slightly bad about how out of place Merlin had seemed when he first arrived in Pendragon Industries in downtown Toronto. Arthur had grown up in the city. He had been born in Etobicoke, went to the University of Toronto at Trinity College, eventually moved to a swank downtown apartment where the city lights poured through his expansive windows. It wasn't that Arthur hadn't travelled. He had been to France and Mexico, even studied for a year in the UK. Arthur had even travelled to Barrie for an interview. This though, this was like stepping into another world.
For one, people seemed to smile and wave at him. He didn't know anyone here, why the hell were they waving? The lady behind the deli counter when he had finally stopped and asked for directions, had not only given him her own map, but had offered to drive him to Merlin herself.
Finally in the bend in the bumpy road, he saw it. The large sign which looked older than Merlin himself proclaimed "Merlin's Auto Savage". It had a wizard hat on it. Arthur was not impressed. The entire building was dirty looking, as if somehow the grease had engraved itself into each crack and crevice. The thought of Merlin, with his signature hipster scarf and button down shirt working in a place like this was just wrong. Merlin belonged with Arthur.
"Merlin!" Arthur yelled, as he slammed his car door. His legs felt stiff and locked beneath him from so much driving. "I expect you out here right now!"
The large caw of a crow that flew out from the pile of tires beside him caused Arthur to jump.
"Shit!" He swore, seeing nothing more than a flurry of feathers. "MERLIN!"
"Arthur?" Standing in oil covered overalls, and a slightly scruffy look which looked positively delicious on him, Merlin stood staring at him in complete shock. "What are you doing here?"
"Looking for my employee," Arthur snapped, glad his sunglasses allowed him to slowly rove over the lightly muscled arms. "Since apparently they don't seem to arrive to work on time."
"What?" Merlin asked, walking toward him, wiping his hands on the dirtiest rag Arthur had ever seen.
"You think you can just disappear, drop off a note that says "I'm sorry" and you can waltz off to the middle of nowhere?" Arthur yelled.
"I resigned," Merlin mumbled, still looking slightly dazed.
"Actually, in order to resign you need to hand in written notice two weeks in advance," Arthur said. "You can't sleep with me and just take off and think it's a resignation."
"I didn't …" Merlin couldn't even finish the sentence. "Why are you here?"
"To bring you back to Toronto, back into civilization. You give me no warning. Do you know how many phone calls I need to answer now? I get no work done. My coffee always tastes all wrong and there is a pile of paper a mile high on your desk, just waiting for you." Arthur explained angrily. "So you are getting in my car and you are driving us back because I hate driving and I just drove for twenty hours!"
"You drove?"
"I drove."
"To get me?"
"Because you decided to pull a Houdini on me."
"You drove to get me?"
Feeling a bit flustered, Arthur crossed his arms and tried to shrug nonchalantly.
"You said it was a mistake," Merlin muttered. "You said us sleeping together was a mistake."
"Of course it was a mistake," Arthur sighed. "You're my assistant. We need to work together every day. You are constantly doing everything wrong, and you have no social skills. We have nothing in common. I have taste and class; while you have an Auto Savage shop named after you that your dad owns that you like to hide in when things get serious."
"I'm not hiding," Merlin snapped. "What was I supposed to think when you say that? I thought you wanted me gone."
"This is ridiculous," Arthur muttered, striding across the gravel parking lot. Merlin took a step back as he approached, but Arthur didn't stop. Grabbing Merlin's head fiercely, Arthur kissed him. With barely the whisper of lips, Merlin kissed back. Pulling away, Arthur's hands lightened to cup Merlin's cheeks. "I never want you gone. If I had I wouldn't have driven here because I couldn't wait for a week to get a flight. I wouldn't have survived the Montreal death trap, or put up with easily the most boring highway in existence in New Brunswick. I certainly wouldn't have tried to understand French signs or visited Windsor four times. This might be the biggest mistake ever, but I want to make it."
"I do too," Merlin smiled, leaning down to kiss him once more.
The sound of a rather pointed cough behind them caused them to break apart. Balinor stood smiling slightly at the two blushing boys in front of him.
"I'm just finished closing up," he said. "Perhaps you boys might find somewhere else to talk?"
"Right, sorry dad," Merlin said, grabbing Arthur's hand and pulling him back towards the car. Whispering to Arthur, Merlin asked, "Where are you staying?"
"I don't have a place yet, we could head to your place."
"I'm staying with my parents."
"I've past the same Tim Horton's four times in Windsor," Arthur said as they waved to Balinor driving away, "but as much as I would kill for a double double right now, I was hoping for something a bit more private."
"The Magic Wand!" Merlin blurted out.
"What?"
"It's the car wash we have attached. No one uses it. It's pretty private, for, you know."
"Are you going to show me your wand Merlin?"
"Shut up."
"Perhaps we should see which wand is bigger."
"Arthur seriously."
"I bet your magic with my wand."
"You think you're so clever."