Lostcauses Fic: Buenos Aires Hora Cero
It was such a pleasure to collaborate with the fabulously talented @seitsen-sarvi for @erurivacayzine. I've wanted to write a fic set in Buenos Aires forever and Marie's beautiful art captures the atmosphere perfectly 💕
Huge thanks to the mods for running this lovely project and for inviting us to contribute.
The tango holiday to Buenos Aires had been Marie’s idea. She had come home from a night out waxing lyrical about a couple of friends who had recently taken up tango.
“It sounds wonderful, Erwin. They said it revitalised their relationship, I’ve never seen them look so happy! We should try it, please can we, darling?”
Erwin had agreed without hesitation, suggesting they sign up for classes at the local community centre, but Marie being Marie, had set her heart on a tango holiday to Buenos Aires. Despite his misgivings about the extravagant cost and his ability to dance, Erwin had been only too happy to agree. Anything to make Marie happy, no?
In hindsight, he should have recognised it for what it was; a last-ditch attempt to salvage a flagging relationship that had been on the rocks for well over a year. When Marie finally announced she wanted to end the relationship a month later, Erwin was deeply hurt but he wasn’t entirely surprised. He wasn’t blind, he could see it wasn’t working, that they weren’t making each other happy. The intimacy they’d once shared was a distant memory, he was just too much of a coward to admit it. What did surprise him was the speed with which Marie announced her engagement after a whirlwind romance with his erstwhile friend Nile. Unfortunately by the time they split up it was too late to cancel the holiday. Erwin gallantly offered both tickets to Marie and Nile as an engagement gift but she had curtly informed him that they were far too busy planning the wedding, and besides, Nile had no interest in something as trivial as learning tango.
“What am I going to do with two tickets for a dance holiday in Argentina?” he moaned to Mike. “I don’t know the first thing about salsa.”
“Tango,” Nanaba corrected him.
“See? I don’t even know the difference.”
“You should go anyway,” Mike encouraged him. “Buenos Aires is an incredible city.”
“And tango is so passionate,” Nanaba chipped in brightly. “Who knows you might even meet your soulmate!”
“That last thing I want right now is another relationship,” Erwin winced.
“You should go, a change is as good as a rest and all that. You could do with taking your mind off…things,” Mike finished tactfully.
[Continue reading on AO3]