Work Text:
Okay, now y'all have to promise not to kill me for posting this, k? :)
Border Hopping
by R'rain
"Are you going to tell me where we're going, Chief?" asked Jim impatiently from the passenger seat of the Expedition. He couldn't believe Blair had talked him into letting him drive. Again.
"North," he replied, grinning.
"North," repeated Jim rolling his eyes. "At this rate you'll have us in Canada by lunchtime."
"That *was* the plan," he said calmly, keeping his eyes on the road and deliberately not looking at Jim.
"Chief," said Jim, keeping his voice very even, "*why* are we going to Canada?"
"It's the first of July, man!"
"Yeah, and?"
"God, Jim, can you stop being an Ugly American for about two seconds--"
"Hey!"
"--and think about it? July first. Canada Day. Dominion Day. Picnics. Fireworks. Music. Celebration. Ringing any bells yet?"
Jim just looked at him. "Canada Day?"
"You seriously don't know that it's Canada Day today? Man, are *you* clueless."
"How am *I* supposed to know about holidays up in Canada? Or in finland or Australia or Kenya or anywhere else in the world?"
Blair just shook his head. "I spend all this time travelling abroad, trying to dispel the myth of the ignorant American pig, and here you are the very embodiment of it! Unbelievable."
"Well, are you going to tell me?"
Blair frowned. "Tell you what?"
"Tell me what Canada Day is."
Blair gaped at him for a moment, then shut his mouth and shook his head in dismay. "It celebrates Confederation, Jim. The day Canada became a country."
Jim nodded. "So why do *you* know so much about it?"
"Naomi used to take me up there whenever she could instead of taking me to Fourth of July celebrations down here."
"Why the hell would she do that?"
"She didn't approve of holidays that glorified war and violence."
"Well that's just silly!"
Blair looked at him. "I happen to agree with her."
Jim sat silently for a moment. "I'm sorry," he said finally. "I didn't realize it was that important to you." He reached out and put a hand on the steering wheel over Blair's. "But...the Fourth of July is just as important to me. Can we observe that too?"
Blair thought about it. "I think that's fair," he said. "Besides, I can never get enough fireworks. I think that's why Naomi started taking me to Canada Day celebrations in the first place." JIm squeezed his hand, then moved his own hand to Blair's knee.
"I love you," he whispered.
"I love you too," said Blair, and continued to make his was for the border.
Email the author with comments.
Use your browser's back feature to return to your story selections or start a new search.