Chapter Text
At first, it was fun. The heat, the jokes about cutting his Christmas sweaters into crop tops, and boasting in the group chat about getting the perfect tan in December. But Sirius Black was no longer having fun. Not at all. Actually, as he tried to escape from the dark room, he couldn't remember ever being this stressed in his whole life. He felt as if he was in a maze, trying to imagine a map of the room to avoid all the furniture. Whether it was because of his stress and lack of sleep or the little time he had spent in the room, he couldn't handle gaining some bruises as he reached for the light switch. When the light finally filled the room, the whole hotel had probably been awakened because of his shouting. He didn't give a shit.
His cell phone read 4:32 a.m., followed by a long series of missed alarms an hour and a half ago, a meticulously planned schedule, completely ruined now. Anything he had forgotten to pack would be a Christmas gift for the next guest. There was no time for a last look at the room. The only thing Sirius was able to do was take his suitcase and his passport into his backpack.
As he carried his things through the door, Sirius cursed his stupid mania of always asking for the highest hotel room. There was a good thing for the views, but right now, it was just an obstacle keeping him away from the main door. As a result, he was now waiting for the elevator instead of running out the door like a movie scene.
Anyway, the desperation Sirius felt while waiting for the elevator was nothing compared to the murderous instincts that ran through his body when the movement suddenly stopped, and the doors opened slowly on the tenth floor.
Sirius was about to swear loudly. There was a man on the other side of the elevator picking up his package from the floor, and Sirius was about to shout at him all the Spanish insults he had learned in the past weeks. But just as he was trying to remember the right pronunciation for a very good one he had learned the other night from a taxi driver, the word got stuck, and his mouth suddenly became very dry.
“Y desde ahí nos vamos para la casa de Tonks para que Teddy pueda ver a sus abuelos y… sí mamá vos también sos su abuela pero… claro sí, pero ellos se van de viaje para fin de año y arreglamos así y… pero qué te importa eso a vos? Te estoy diciendo que no quiero que Teddy deje de ver a sus abuelos solo porque… mirá, guardate tus comentarios mejor, no pegué un ojo en toda la noche y no quiero discutir contigo ahora sí?... Te aviso cuando esté en viaje sí?... Bueno, mandale saludos también… Yo también ma… nos vemos… chau, chau.”
The other man cut off the phone, but kept murmuring in a low voice. Sirius couldn't even catch half of his words, partly because his Spanish academy —which he had graduated from with very good grades, muchas gracias — had turned out to be not very useful in everyday conversations, but also because he was too stunned by what he was seeing. All of a sudden, a cargo truck hit him right in the chest, and he wasn't able to get a single coherent thought.
The first thing Sirius noticed was his height. The man was tall. Significantly tall, even considering he was hunched over himself —a position that, as natural as it seemed, was probably his usual way of standing up— a posture that shouldn't be so attractive at all.
After that first one, Sirius couldn't count the revelations that started falling into his mind like lightning in a torrential storm.
Golden curls.
Glasses.
Long arms.
Bright eyes.
Mullet.
A single moon earring.
Sharp jaw.
Big nos…
“¡LA CONCHA DE LA LORA! ¡¿QUÉ MIERDA TE PASA?!”
“I'm sorry! I mean… Lo siento? I… Yo no ha… no hablo españolo”
The handsome man was now cornered against one of the elevator walls. The expression on his face was absolute horror, and Sirius was suddenly very conscious of his own appearance. In the rush to leave his room, he hadn't been able to even wash his face, let alone change his pajamas or cover the deep dark circles around his eyes after his few hours of sleep. And now he was standing in an elevator corner looking straight to a complete stranger— to make it worse, a very attractive stranger— whom he couldn't communicate with. He probably seemed pretty creepy right now. Sirius didn't need to know Spanish to understand that. Luckily, everything would end soon, when the elevator finally came to the ground fl…
BOOM
Sirius stumbled and had to hold onto the handrail tightly when the elevator suddenly stopped with a loud, sharp sound, immediately followed by a deep silence that flooded the space. Sirius couldn't react immediately. He had to take a memento to look at the floor and try to make sense of the tragic reality, desperately trying to find a better explanation for the situation.
It could be a culture shock —a pretty literal one— and maybe elevators in Argentina stopped that way, but Sirius had already used this same elevator many times in the past week, and it had never been like this. It could also be a prank from a local TV show; it would be a really cruel joke, but Sirius would accept it if that meant this metal piece of shit started moving again at this exact moment. The dream theory was quickly discarded with a sharp pinch that hurt more than it should be, because of the sunburn spreading across his arm. So, there was only one option left to consider.
The elevator was broken.
Sirius was locked in a broken elevator on December 23, running to a plane he was already late for. Trapped with a gorgeous man he couldn't talk to, looking like he just came out of a cheap horror movie. Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant.
Apparently, the other man had already come to the same conclusion, judging by the angry monologue he was interpreting. One that had started low and paused, but was now characterized by shouts and exclamations. Sirius didn't need to understand the language to get the idea that he was very angry with the situation.
Sirius supported him, and soon he started adding his own shouts to the general level of insults in two different languages. Pretty soon, they both decided to move from words to action, and Sirius started pressing all the buttons at the same time while the other man tried to force the door to get open. Neither of them had get any success.
The other man seemed to increase his shouting volume, and Sirius considered his own shouts unnecessary, as only the man's shouts were enough to wake up the entire neighborhood.
That was one of the things that had surprised Sirius the most as soon as he arrived in Buenos Aires. The people here scream. Really loudly, all the time, and not always for a reasonable reason. It's not necessarily aggressive, it's like their common voice level is considerably louder than the rest of the world. When he commented on this with Lily, she just laughed and called him a posh boy, insisting that it was an elite custom to speak in whispers, as if the other person wasn't worth enough to waste your words on.
And, well, Sirius was conscious that he still had some mental things to destroy before finally considering himself free from his family's shit, but this was another thing. The first day he spent here, he took three pills for his headache, and none of them worked. Sometimes, he believed that Buenos Aires was the concert of a rock band. Right now, the band was only integrated by the drummer he was locked with, who was now using every surface as his personal instrument.
There had already been some minutes of Sirius looking everywhere for anything that looked even slightly like an emergency button, throwing occasional screams and waiting for someone to hear them, when he looked at his phone and the whole world fell over his shoulders.
His flight would leave in 42 minutes, from an airport that was thirty minutes away, not counting the Latin American traffic Sirius had learned to hate in the time he spent here. And it was not just any day, it was December 23. It was senseless. He had probably already lost it since the moment he woke up.
He was trapped in Christmas in a country he didn't know, away from his family, and he would miss Harry's first Christmas. Suddenly, the man —whose screams had not decreased even a little in intensity— didn't seem as handsome as he had seemed a minute ago. Actually, he was quite annoying, and he didn't seem to care that there was another person with ears by his side while he let his howls out at all.
Suddenly there was a lump in his throat, and he couldn't handle it when the frustration tears started rolling from his eyes, neither the pathetic whimper he let go just by thinking about the stupid gifts he had wrapped the night before. Gifts that would definitely not be on the Christmas tree at the right time.
His effort to hold back the sound of his crying was probably not working very well, because when Sirius raised his gaze, surprised by the sudden silence, the other man was looking at him with an expression that mixed amazement and pity in the most ugly way possible. It was a face that only made his frustration rise even more, and without even noticing, he found himself seated on the floor and hugging his knees, as he hid his face as best as he could from the other man.
He wanted to disappear. He wanted the ground —or the elevator itself— to swallow him up. He wanted the stuffed dog he had gotten for Harry to come to life and get eaten by him, so his suffering would finally end. He felt like a kid, the petulant kid he had worked so hard not to be; complaining and throwing a tantrum with a stranger because it wasn't fair.
Sirius wanted the elevator to finally break completely and plummet, or at least he wanted the man in front of him to not be as handsome, so Sirius wouldn't feel as ridiculous with his ridiculous pajamas, and crying like an ashamed little boy, and he wanted…
Sirius felt the man sit beside him as he started looking for something inside his backpack. A few moments passed until Sirius finally had to put his shame aside and blink a couple of times to remove the tears when he felt something touching his leg insistently.
The package was small and square. It seemed to be like a cookie or some type of snack. Sirius kind of recognized it from seeing something similar in some stores, though it had never caught his attention enough to buy it. Actually, his enthusiasm about trying new things and getting to know a new culture had ended pretty quickly when his boss thought it would be really funny to make him try a weird bitter drink with hot water that made him feel like he was boiling inside. It had been really hard to hide his disgust as he tried not to lose his job. He had definitely had enough.
But the man was insisting, and it really was senseless to discuss, right? They couldn't understand each other, and it seemed like they would be trapped here for some time. So Sirius forced a smile while he ran a hand over his face in a way that definitely didn't do anything to fix how he looked and took the package the man was offering him, finally facing his expectant look. Actually, the man was looking at Sirius's face and the package in his hand, just like a dog waiting for his favorite ball to be thrown. It was extremely adorable for a man who looked so rude a minute ago, and Sirius didn't have the strength to resist him. He let out a resigned snort and finally opened the snack.
The smell was instantaneous, all chocolate and sweet, and tracked Sirius like a charm, so much that he buried his nose inside the package, the saliva already accumulating in his mouth. For a moment, he felt like he was getting lost in memories that definitely didn't exist, because he was sure he had never smelled that specific thing before. Anyway, he was quickly pulled out of his daydream when a voice sounded beside him.
“Eat. You'll feel better.”
Sirius's eyes widened at the man and his jaw dropped dangerously, considering the amount of saliva that had accumulated in his mouth. He tried to talk, but he practically drowned before he was able to make any sound. He tried to answer again, but he was cruelly assaulted by a coughing attack that made him bend over himself for a moment while he tried to recover from it.
“Do you want water?”
He sounded concerned, and Sirius raised a thumb while his cough started to calm down, only to be replaced by a light but surprised laugh.
“You speak English?!”
The man seemed surprised for a moment, but a mock smile started to appear on his face.
“Please don't tell me you are one of those who think that only people who are born in the United States are able to know English.”
Sirius felt a blush slowly cover his face, but he decided to ignore it and not to miss the opportunity.
“No, but I see they didn't teach much about accents here. Do you really think I'm from the United States, mate ?”
The accent was enormously exaggerated, and it would have made the shame grow on him at any other moment, but the handsome man was laughing a little bit louder now, and his own ego felt magically fixed.
“By the way, I'm Sirius.”
“Remus.”
It was a bit awkward to shake hands sitting so close, but they did it anyway, and Sirius thought he felt the oxytocin running though his body at the contact, or maybe it was just the side effects of being locked up, his oxygen failing. Either way, Sirius would die a happy man.
There were a few moments of quiet silence, which Sirius spent repeating Remus in his mind until he felt someone push his arm again.
“I’d get offended if you don't at least pretend to try it, you know?”
It could have been a rude comment, but Remus had a side smile that did things to Sirius. He tried to hide the effect it was having on him, forcing a ridiculous grin or something, but he must look really pathetic. Seeing he had no other option, he finally reached into the package to take out what was inside.
It could be called a cookie, but it was far too tall for that. It looked more like a mini birthday cake. It was covered in chocolate, and some of it was now melted on his hands, leaving them so sticky that he couldn't stop the disgusted expression that appeared on his face. Suddenly, it didn't look so appetizing, and he turned his head toward Remus with a suffering, pleading look.
“Don't worry, I have tissues in my backpack.” Remus laughed, gesturing with his head for Sirius to finally eat the little cake.
Sirius brought the thing to his mouth without taking his eyes off Remus's face, trying to hear that laugh again as he made the most ridiculous faces he could think of. But he quickly got distracted by the taste in his mouth.
The chocolate was pretty much melted, and it was far sweeter than the disgusting 90% cacao bar he had once stolen from James, when the idiot made him wake up at 6:00 a.m. for morning training.
This one was delicious. Definitely. Sirius took another bite, feeling a softer texture than a cookie. He turned his head at Remus, giving him an approving nod, and already thinking about leaving the rest, but his acting stopped when his mouth got in touch with a different taste, and his pupils dilated like a cat watching a prey.
He thought he heard Remus snort, but he didn't give a shit. He was too focused on taking another bite, letting out a frankly embarrassing sound as he closed his eyes and threw his head back.
“What is this?!”
“Do you like it?” Remus had a satisfied smile on his face, and Sirius enjoyed it for just a moment before taking another bite, suddenly disappointed about the thing being so small.
“Shit. Do I like it? This is fucking delicious! What is it?”
“Ummm… it is called alfajor. I… I don't think it has a name in English. It's chocolate, and it's filled with dulce de leche . I don't think there's a translation for that either. It's made with milk and sugar, a kind of caramel I suppose…”
“I'm about to get all those words tattooed right here.” Sirius pointed to one of the few parts of his arm that was not already covered in ink. He didn't miss the fact that Remus's eyes lingered a little longer longer than necessary on his skin.
Sirius kept that information for later. Right now, he was too busy looking at the last piece he had left, trying not to pout. Remus seemed to notice, as a laugh escaped his lips.
“I don't think I have any more of those, but I promise to buy a couple of my favorites as long as we get out of here.”
Sirius considered offering it to Remus, but his fingerprints were all over it, and it seemed rude to give it back now, so he took that last piece into his mouth and took the tissue Remus had previously wet a little to clean his hands.
“I'm sorry.” He mumbled, the shame starting to creep back in as the euphoria from the food began to fade, reminding him why he was sad in the first place.
“Don't be.” Remus shrugged as he picked up the tissues again, handing Sirius the water bottle before putting it back in his backpack when Sirius shook his head. “It's a stressful time for everyone, right?” Remus sighed, leaning back against the wall beside him. Now that his legs were stretched out, Sirius was once again surprised by his height, seeing how he had to bend his knees to fit into the small space.
“You can't imagine. Isn't there an emergency number or something?”.
“That button over there, actually.” Remus said, tilting his head toward one of the many buttons Sirius had pressed without mercy minutes ago. “I don't think anyone's around right now to fix this thing, but someone will eventually want to use the elevator, right?”
“I suppose.”
A tired whisper escaped Sirius as he grabbed his phone and opened his chat with James.
Padfoot
hi, don't think I 'll make it in time for Christmas, I ' m sorry. ttyl.
He didn't wait for an answer, lacking the energy to deal with everything he knew James would say. He put his phone down and turned at Remus, catching him as he quickly turned his head away, as he wouldn't be reading over his shoulder all the time.
Adorable . That was the word that popped into Sirius's mind, and he quickly dismissed it.
“Is it bad if I ask if you're from here?” Sirius asked, a bit unsure.
“Ha! No, not at all. I'm actually from Córdoba”. he noticed Remus' voice change slightly when he said that last word, probably because of the language switch. Sirius loved it. “It's a province here.”
“Cough-doh-ba” Sirius tried to imitate the way Remus said it, and even he could tell how terrible it was. But Remus didn't laugh at him. In fact, a gentle smile appeared on his face, his eyes narrowing and shining at the same time, and… shit… dimples. Well, Sirius was definitely lost. “Is it far from here ?” Sirius consciously stopped himself from pronouncing Buenos Aires.
“More or less… Like 700 kilometers, I think. It's been a while since I went there, but my mother's family lives there, so I'm going for Christmas.”
There was a slightly awkward silence as the Christmas subject came back over Sirius' mind, but he tried to ignore it.
“What about you?” Remus asked.
“What about me?” Sirius startled a little, lost in his thoughts.
“Well… I suppose you are from England, right?” Sirius nodded, assuming there was no way to avoid the subject.
“London. I'm also trying to go there for Christmas but, well, it's a little farther than 700 kilometers, right?” A self-deprecating laugh escaped him, an unsuccessfully attempt to relieve the tension. It didn't work, and Remus's expression fell radically at his answer. It wasn't pity, but there was definitely some kind of sadness that hadn't been there before.
“That… sucks? Is that the word?”
Sirius couldn't help but laugh.
“I don't know what word you were going for, but I definitely agree. This sucks.” There was a little pause before he realized how that might sound. “I mean… I didn't mean it like… You don't suck. Like… It's just that…”
“Sirius.” Shit. He loved how his name sounded in Remus's mouth. “You don't have to explain anything to me. I get it. Iit is not a good time to be away from your family.”
“I suppose.”
“But you can get another ticket, right?”
“I can't, actually. I'm sorry, I don't want to be a pessimist, but I bought the ticket a while ago, and they already told me it was one of the last ones. All of the flights are full so close to Christmas.” He felt he was ruining the funny mood, but he couldn't handle it. He was trying so hard not to think about Harry, the conversation he would have to have with James after this, or just about how much he missed everyone. It was amazing he hadn't broken into tears for a second time yet.
“Hey, everything is going to be okay.”
Sirius didn't respond. He just covered his face with his hands, taking deep breaths to calm himself down. After a moment, Remus's voice came again, this time saying something in Spanish. Sirius didn't even try to understand.
“Muchas gracias Cas de verdad… sí te espero… manejá con cuidado por favor… yo también corazón… chau.”
Curiosity finally won out over his shame, and Sirius raised his head to find Remus was already looking at him with that same wide smile.
“Problem solved! I have a friend who lives nearby, so she's coming to find someone who can help us. What time is your flight?”
“It leaves in…” Sirius checked his phone again, ignoring James's messages, already piling up in his notifications. “Ha! Shit. Well, I already missed it, it took off ten minutes ago”. He couldn't handle a bitter laugh while the optimism on Remus' face began to collapse.
“Fuck. I'm really sorry Sirius”.
“God, don't be. You did nothing wrong.” He paused, forcing himself to quickly recover from the effects of his name sounded in Remus's voice. “Unless you're actually an undercover host for a Christmas prank show” the happiness was slowly coming back to Remus's face at his comment. Sirius felt really proud of himself.
“Fuck. You caught me. Please don't make them fired me. Oh great English lord!” Remus cried, dramatically throwing a hand to his forehead, as if he were part of a bad Greek tragedy.
“I feel like I could make a joke about colonialism and all the gold we stole, but it seems like we're going to be trapped here for a while, and I don't want it to be uncomfortable if you don't find it funny.”
“Ha! It's okay, but if you offend me, there will be no food for you.” Remus rummaged in his backpage again and Sirius's mouth watered at the mere thought. “Also, Spanish were the ones who colonized us. You guys were a problem when… well… yeah you're right, we better ignore history for a while.” He let a little laugh out after he faced Sirius with a guilty look. “No more alfajores , I'm sorry.”
Sirius responded with a dramatic pout, though, at this point, he didn't actually care about the food that much. In this moment, he was more focused on how Remus' arm was touching his, every molecule in his body on high alert. It took him a big effort not to immediately wrap all his body around Remus.
The heat, the sweat, the heavy air; nothing of that matter because he was in contact with Remus. Both of his arms were sticky because of the sweat, and that didn't matter either.
They fell into a comfortable silence as Remus pulled out his phone and Sirius took the opportunity to study him more closely. He took his time to notice the little details, like the freckles on his face, how long his eyelashes were and how they act as a perfect frame for his eyes, whit little golden flecks Sirius hadn't seen before. He looked at the moon earring he had noticed earlier, and he realized there were more holes running though his ear. Sirius wondered what kind of piercings Remus would wear, and he firmly decided that they had to be golden, probably bars.
“Sirius?”
“Mmh?” Sirius smiled to himself at the fortune of hearing him saying his name again, his eyes closing in contentment.
“My friend is on her way. She will find someone to help us.”
“Mmh… okay… that sounds good.”
Maybe it was because of his lack of sleep, or the heat was getting so bad that he was now getting dehydrated. Or maybe he was just emotionally exhausted. Wherever it was, Sirius felt his eyelids grow heavier with every blink. Sirius did nothing to stop them. Why would he? The idea of a nap sounded really good; especially when the elevator walls seemed to have softened by magic, judging by the pillow he found when he let his head fall to the side and let sleep take him.