Disclaimer: I do not own Merlin or any other recognisable characters or setting within this story. I make no profit, and claim no credit to anything but the plot line and wording. No copyright infringement is intended.

A/N: This was written after an original idea I had, which will comprise the second piece of my two-shot. It is slash, and it is a modern AU, where Arthur is teaching Merlin to drive. The woman in the red car, is supposed to be Nimueh, but her appearance can be mistaken for Morgana, as I have been told. I hope you like it, its been sitting on my laptop for ages now, evolving into a multi-chapter story and then back into a one-shot and not finally, the finished product! =) Please review, I haven't posted anything for a long time, and it'd be a lovely surprise since my final year of high school has just started its last term. Thanks much, Ange.

Hero

"Okay, now gently put your foot on the accelerator until you hit the speed limit, and we want to turn right up here, so don't forget to indicate," Merlin nodded as Arthur gave his instructions and barely restrained himself from commenting on how much of a prat he was when it was excessively clear that Merlin already knew how to at the very least start the car; they had only been doing this for, hmmm, six months now, "Merlin! I said gently!"

"Sorry," Merlin gave a tight lipped smile that was obviously straining to hold in a laugh and Arthur narrowed his eyes, "I do know a little bit about what I'm doing you know."

"I am very well aware of your capabilities," Arthur let off coolly as he glanced out of the rear view mirror and looked at the empty road behind them, "I just want you to be careful since you haven't driven for a couple of months and are a bit out of practice."

The blonde almost moved to slap himself as the words came out of his mouth and Merlin got that soppy look on his face that seemed to only appear at a moment in time where one of them was being a complete… girl, talking about something usually off limits like romance or fluffy toys or whatever girls generally talked about, "I mean, it is you we're talking about, and with your level of competence at making something like… toast for example, me letting you at a machine that has the potential to kill ten people milling about on a footpath in one go is a slightly risky move."

Merlin pouted and Arthur restrained the urge to slap himself across the face yet again, settling instead for lightly rubbing the bridge of his nose with his fingers and then turning to face the sulky brunette, "and also I'd have a great deal of grief waiting for me if anything ever happened to you, so lets get this drive started shall we? I'm still having trouble figuring out why you didn't go through all this when you were younger; isn't twenty three a little bit old to be learning how to drive?"

"It isn't," Merlin's face now sported a rather large grin and Arthur despite himself was finding it hard not to smile himself, "lots of people don't learn how to drive at all, let alone when they're teenagers. I'm not just a hopeless case here."

Arthur felt Merlin jump slightly as his hand gripped lightly at his cheek and turned the smaller man to look at him, mindful that the ignition had been turned off after they were safely back against the curb, "I never said you were hopeless."

"Ye–," Arthur rolled his eyes and silenced Merlin with a kiss, pulling back to look into his eyes for a moment before motioning to the road before them.

"So, you gently place your foot on the accelerator and pull away from the curb, and I mean it, don't forget to indicate, this isn't a forgiving road we're turning onto."

"It was this morning by the way," Merlin smiled as he saw Arthur glance at him in confusion from the corner of his eye as he pretended to fiddle with something on the radio, "you said I was a hopeless wreck when it came to making toast, right after you caught me trying to stick something in the toaster to get it out."

The brunette took Arthur's long suffering sigh as a sign to commence the driving lesson, pulling the car out onto the road and then quickening to the limit before indicating and slowing again on approaching the corner where they were supposed to turn.

"Just continue down here until you get to Abbott, then we want to turn and continue on to Langley," Arthur supplied as they drifted lazily along at the limit, "unless you want to head out more into the quieter areas, then turn right again up here."

Merlin followed Arthur's pointing finger to a small turn off and gave the appropriate signals, turning down the small road and then winding along it until it opened out a bit more, "not comfortable enough in the city, yet?"

"You're just still off about the toast," Merlin smiled satisfactorily to himself as he did a quick check behind him to see a red car coming up quickly from behind, "personally, I like mine a bit well done."

Arthur scoffed, "Well that's all well and good for you, but I prefer mine edible."

Merlin checked the rear view mirror again and furrowed his eyebrows at the red car; if it was travelling the limit it shouldn't have been heading towards them so fast – the speed limit had dropped as they turned off the main road.

"He's coming on awful quick," Arthur commented himself as he sat up a little and twisted around the head rest of his chair to get a better look, "pull of the road a little bit to let them through if they get any closer, just stick close to the side for the minute."

Merlin nodded his head mutely and pulled to the side of the road, continuing to drive along at the limit as the red car sped closer towards them, "Arthur?"

"Don't worry," the blonde's tone was serious as he kept watch on the red car and turned only momentarily towards Merlin, "stick to the side and you'll be fine; it looks like they're going to pass, just keep your eye on it."

Merlin nodded again and focused on the road as the red car came towards them, seeming to want to overtake them as it pulled up along side. Within a split second Arthur could see the woman driving twist her face into panic as she struggled to apply the handbrake and keep the car steady at the same time, dark brown locks framing her face in long curly strands that complimented her crystal blue eyes and pink painted lips as she tried in vain to slow down.

With one final twist it seemed she had engaged the handbrake, but the car swerved deftly towards them and caused Merlin to violently jerk the wheel, making their own car shift dangerously as Arthur struggled to find the handbrake himself.