Bombardment

[Henri Keto]

It had been a few months since Henri had been back in New Zealand . After he had broken it off with Jeremy, though he wasn't exactly sure they had been dating in the first place, he went to travel around with his agency for a while. He hadn't worked exclusively for one agency since he was younger and now that his mother had signed him to one, it was like his life was no longer his own. He was travelling from one place to another constantly, it was a nightmare. Secretly though, Henri really enjoyed it. He had no visions of settling down any time soon. The diet was a pain in the ass, yeah, but he would get used to it in time and that was all that mattered really. The simple life be damned, he had more important things to do. Taking one last selfie with his supermodel friend, Henri waved her goodbye and left the studio. Though his cardigan was technically for women, it had been too nice to pass up and it fit him really well. He had not been disinclined to take it at all. Why sacrifice his own happiness for the acceptance of society? Well, no one really cared anyway, but still, he liked this cardigan and he was going to wear it, society be damned, and rules could scoot over too. He hadn't realised how much he had missed New Zealand. He hoped that Kellin was doing okay. He had kind of up and left without giving any notice after all.

The sky was super clear and there was but one cloud in the sky as Henri walked along the Harbour. It was really nice this time of day. There had been a time, not too long ago when Henri had never thought he would miss a place like this. At the time he had been homesick and missing the snow and cold weather. Now that he had discovered the wonder of summer clothes, he was all too happy to stay exactly where he was for the remainder of his life. He would be quite happy to just dig in and stay put, though he would keep his modelling career. He didn't have an apartment here anymore though, he'd sold it when he thought he wouldn't be back, now he was staying in a group with a couple of the other models. It was a bit weird, but nothing he couldn't handle. Though if that b*tch Tabitha didn't stop stealing his products, someone was losing a tooth and it wasn't going to be him. Smiling at the thought, Henri stopped walking and leaned out over the railing. The smell of the salty air was refreshing and he had to wonder why anyone would want to live in the country. This here, this was real air. He stayed like that and just thought about the wonders of the world. Travelling was something he'd never thought he would become accustomed too. He still got sick, but he recovered much faster these days. It was a thrill for him now.
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[Jeremy Thorne]

Slowing to a jog, Jeremy began cooling down from his long run. These runs had become an almost daily occurrence, a distraction from the hectic life that the man led. When he ran, the only thing that he had to focus on was his feet and his breathing. And not crashing into pedestrians. It was easy enough to manage. The man had taken almost a week off, having gone to the United States to visit his family there. His time in Maine had been brief, though far more pleasant than Jeremy had expected. His sister had been on vacation with her fiancé, so he had been spared talk of her wedding. And, his mother hadn’t annoyed him much, though she of course brought up talk about whether Jeremy was seeing anyone. As he had done on numerous occasions, Jeremy had dodged the question, choosing to keep his mother as far out of the loop on his life as he could. It wasn’t that she wasn’t supportive. It was just that she was too pushy, always asking Jeremy when he was going to settle down and meet someone. Jeremy still couldn’t believe that this was the same woman who had always put pressure on her children to be academically perfect. He supposed that now that she had succeeded in that, she figured she’d succeed in getting them both married up if she only nagged them enough. Jeremy’s visit with his father had been much, much more pleasant. The two men had spent several long days on the beach just lying in the sand near each other. There wasn’t much in the way of conversation between them, which might have seemed odd to anyone who wasn’t them. And, at least Jeremy’s dad didn’t nag him about marriage or children. On the whole, Jeremy had arrived home in a much more relaxed state than he’d left. All of the aches and pains that came with long hours and little sleep had gone away. And with another few days before he’d have to return to work, Jeremy had done little except run and eat. He had plans to head to Australia to watch a friend play in the game, and then he’d be back to work.

Reaching the more crowded area of Obsidian Harbour, Jeremy leaned heavily against the rails, sweat dripping from his forehead as he sucked in one ragged breath after another while he looked towards the ocean. He continued to look at the water, his breathing slowing to match the push and pull of the tide as it gently lapped against the harbour’s walls. This was true contentment, Jeremy thought to himself, a pleasant smile on his face. Pulling off his shirt, Jeremy used it to wipe the sweat from his forehead before pulling it quickly back on. Leaning against the railing, Jeremy glanced over and spotted a fellow runner, someone he only knew because they seemed to run the same route day in and day out. He nodded his head to the guy. Just as he was going to turn his head to gaze back out at the ocean once more, Jeremy spotted Henri. His heart kicked up a notch as if he’d started running once more. Things had ended oddly for the two of them. Well, they would have if things had really gotten started. After some reflection and several days away from Henri, Jeremy realized that he hadn’t been sure. He still wasn’t. Jeremy paused, thinking about just going back to what he was doing. He wasn’t sure if Henri would care, or if he’d even notice him standing there. That would have been the easy thing to do, and Jeremy would have liked easy. The former Ravenclaw knew that he wouldn’t be happy about doing that though. The indecision would kill him as would the questions that would inevitably follow him if he walked away. If he went up to Henri and the conversation went poorly, he’d have questions too. But, he was certain there would be fewer of them. Jeremy strode over to where Henri was standing with purpose. His mind was warring with him, wanting him to turn around with increasing alarm as he took every step. Finally, he crossed the point of no return, the point when Henri would definitely notice him if he didn’t say anything. “Hey” Jeremy called out, one of the simplest yet most complicated way to start a conversation. “I thought that was you from over there” he gestured over his shoulder with his thumb, a nervous smile crossing his face.

 

[Henri Keto]

The slow movement of the waves reminded Henri of the life he was missing here. Travelling was not something you could do slowly. For seventeen years of his life, Henri had lived in the slow paced, snow covered fields of Kemi, Finland. It was a big deal when Kellin had asked him to run away. He had never really thought of it as running before, merely relocating, but, considering he had not yet been home, could he really call it relocating. He'd wanted to get away from everything his parents stood for and yet, he'd fallen into the same pattern anyway. Running from what he knew and taking up the quick-paced associations of a career in modelling. His mother had been pushing him towards it for so long that he didn't even think about it anymore, he'd simply taken it up and not even bothered wondering what it would entail. Still, the benefits of a fast paced life style were very exciting and though he was often exhausted these days, he loved modelling and he loved the camera and it loved him. Every one was incredibly vain and b*tchy, but, it was home, it felt right. Though, if that b*tch didn't return his things he was definitely going to be heading to the supervisors because he would not tolerate this behaviour. He liked lying even less than he liked b*tchy people. Though he had to admit the atmosphere made for interesting competition, he just didn't know how long he could continue to live with those girls, women, whatever they were.

Henri's mind was wandering, thinking about his mother, the way he had left things with Kellin, Alyss and even Jeremy was in there in increments. He hadn't quite gotten to the point of missing this place before, but now that he was back, he realised that he really had missed it. The way the place smelled, the sounds, the people. It was all so lively. Though Milan and Paris were much the same he rarely got to see any of it due to the extremely tight leash that the director kept them on. It was a shame though, he would have liked to see more of those places. Henri was disturbed from his thoughts by a voice he'd not heard since he first left New Zealand. He looked over his shoulder, a slight smile on his face. He didn't really know how Jeremy felt about him and though he really liked Jeremy, he didn't want him to think that he wanted to try again or that he didn't want to try again. They had never really been dating before, it wasn't something Henri was really into and long relationships were not his thing, but he'd been comfortable with Jeremy, maybe that was the problem? "Hello, Gorgeous." Henri pulled back from leaning over the railing and instead turned to face Jeremy, leaning his back against it instead. "Are you just going to stand all the way over there? I don't bi- um..." Well, he shook his head. "I'm not going to attack you. How have you been?"
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[Jeremy Thorne]

Jeremy's mind was so full of thoughts that he couldn't focus on any one thing as he waited for Henri to turn. When he did, it was with that half smile that Jeremy had grown used to seeing. It was the same smile that he'd seen in several wizarding magazine centerfolds. A smile that felt comfortable to him. "Hello, Gorgeous." Jeremy felt his face heat up at the words as the model turned so that they were facing each other. The Healer remained rooted in his position, at least until Henri continued. Jeremy's eyebrow rose. He'd heard Henri's stories before and knew enough to chuckle when the model stopped himself, self-awareness finally catching up. This was how things had always been between them. Easy. Comfortable. Too comfortable at times, but Jeremy had never really minded that. He'd liked how easily they had become friends, finding common ground despite their many, many differences. Jeremy had appreciated their differences too. He was too quiet and too serious, and it was usually friends like Henri who reminded him that he was still young and that it was ok to have fun. Jeremy took a few steps closer and leaned his arm against the railing. He wasn't too close to Henri though and with good reason. "This is as close as I should probably get. I just finished a run" he explained. Sweat drenched his navy blue tee, making it darker in some spots. Jeremy hoped he didn't smell too horrible. If he had his wand with him, he would have taken care of that.

"I'm pretty good. Been on vacation in the States" he added with a small shrug. Jeremy had never had a very busy life. He was too busy with work and didn't have the sort of job that took him to exotic places anyway. That was Henri, not him. Not that Jeremy minded. He liked his life and his job. "How have you been? I spotted you in a magazine the other day. It was a good shot of you" he stated, a smile crossing his face as he admitted to having seen Henri. He didn't think anything of the comment. Jeremy had never had trouble admitting that Henri was good looking. It was pretty obvious to anyone with eyes. Never mind that Jeremy had bought the magazine and kept the copy in his apartment. The waves continued to rush in and out near the Harbour. "What are you doing here?" he asked after a moment of silence. It had been months since they had last seen each other. Jeremy couldn't help but wondering if he would have found out that Henri was here if he hadn't come across him in this moment. With that thought, some of the unease that he'd been feeling when he first began walking over crept into him again. Jeremy hoped it didn't show, so he dropped his gaze to the waters.

 

[Henri Keto]

Henri had never really worried about talking to Jeremy. Usually he just said whatever was on his mind, it was okay to do so when the pair were together. Now, he was going to have to watch what he said. They were still friends though, right? Henri liked to think they were. He had up and just left, but, he still considered Jeremy to be his friend, despite it all. He smiled slightly when Jeremy reacted the way he always had to a compliment. Henri's traditional greetings still managed to make Jeremy blush and admittedly he was quite proud of that, though he would never say so. He shook his head as he thought about all the times he'd spoken just to see the blush, it seemed he hadn't even had to try this time. "Nice to see that you're receptive today." He mused. It was not every day that Henri made someone blush these days. Everyone was always wearing makeup, so it was hard to tell. Powders and liners and mixed shadows, they honestly drove him crazy and he was beginning to think that he would develop an allergic reaction to women if it kept up. He didn't know if it was possible, but who was he to tell his body what it could and couldn't do? It had always been there for it in the past, he needed to support it. Henri pouted slightly when Jeremy mentioned not wanting to get any closer. He then snorted though, because a little sweat was hardly a good excuse, but he was going to respect Jeremy's wishes, wow, that was a first. "Suit yourself, but you should know I smell absolutely divine." He winked at Jeremy and laughed at himself. Jeremy always made him feel so comfortable with everything. He hadn't realised that it was a feeling he would miss until he was feeling it again.

Henri's eyes widened as he heard that Jeremy had been on vacation in America. He grinned. "Really? Where abouts? Man, if I had known you were around I could have given you some freebies to see the show. Change your wardrobe? Who knew?" Henri had been there not long ago himself doing a couple of shows. He had only been in New York and Florida though, so he supposed that perhaps he wouldn't even have run into Jeremy anyway. Why had he left New Zealand again? Henri laughed when Jeremy said he'd seen him in a magazine spread. He wouldn't have thought Jeremy to be the type. "Glad they got my good side. Wait, was it the shirtless one? Because I hated that one..." Even as confident as Henri was, the topless shoots were the worst. He had to be so strict with his diet for weeks before hand and the exercise schedule was ridiculous. At least he could eat icecream afterwards though. "To be honest, I missed this place. Surprising I know. I never thought I would get homesick for somewhere other than Finland, but here we are I guess." Henri turned back to look at the water lapping against the harbours sides. "Are you still living at the same place?" A couple of times Henri had considered dropping by, but he figured that would be a bad idea and so he had decided against it. Besides, he was sure that Jeremy was busy with his work, as he was himself. Though getting away from the studio and sharing with those other models would have done him some wonders he was sure.
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[Jeremy Thorne]

Jeremy hadn’t realized quite how much he’d missed Henri until he was right in front of him speaking with him.  The feeling hit him with a pang, but he kept an amused smile on his face because he didn’t want Henri to know how he truly felt.  His eyes, however, lost a little bit of the mirth they’d had just seconds before.  Quickly enough, he recovered.  It was hard not to when Henri was so…so him.  The Healer rolled his eyes at Henri’s oh-so-modest declaration of his smell.   “I bet you do, but I just went for a run and...I smell like it” he kidded back.  He nodded his head.   “Yea.  You’re not the only jetsetter. I took vacation. Suprising, right?” he smiled, his voice deep and strong as he leaned against the railing once more.   “I was in Maine for a bit and then I shot down to Florida to hang with my dad” he explained, surprised that Henri would have wanted to hang out with him in the States. It had been ages since they'd last spoken, and Jeremy had been respecting Henri's space. What else could he do? It wasn't like he'd been given a real reason for Henri's sudden departure from his life. It also wasn't like he'd sought out an answer. Jeremy had been content to just let it go. It meant that he didn't have to delve any more deeply into his feelings about...anything.

As Henri sought out more information about which shoot it was, Jeremy found himself blushing again. It had been a shirtless one, on a beach somewhere. And, Henri wasn't lying. It had been a very good shot of him. "That's the one" he admitted with a sheepish grin. While Henri continued talking, turning to face the waters, Jeremy found himself doing the same. He nodded his head. "I get it. New Zealand is way more home to me than Maine is now. I was only gone for a week and it felt like forever. You should think about getting a place around here " he stated easily. After his parents had divorced, New Zealand became home. "Yup. Same place" he replied. Jeremy had no plans on moving from his duplex, not for a long while anyway. "It's probably just as messy as it was last time you were there. I never have time to clean up much" he added with a small shrug. "Speaking of, I found a tank top of yours the other day if you want it back" he added casually.

 

[Henri Keto]

Henri shrugged at Jeremy and shook his head. Why eh would be so conscious of things like that was a mystery, though he supposed it did make some sense. Well, maybe not to Henri, who happened to always smell good, but perhaps generally people didn't like it. Henri nodded as he listened to Jeremy talk about where he had gone for his vacation. Henri had to wonder if they would have met up. If they'd run into each other on the streets of somewhere, would they have stopped to talk? Odds are that Henri would have been really busy, but would he have taken some time to just stop and chat? What he would and wouldn't do was not something he often had to think about over the past months, but as he was back home, well, his new home, he had been thinking a lot more about his own behaviour and it was quite literally driving him loopy. "Florida's a nice place. Great for tanning. Did you happen to go to Miami? That places has some of the most amazing beaches. Finland doesn't really have beaches, so I suppose I'm not exactly the best judge, but oh, that white sand, heaven." When he was off work, he'd wanted to go and see the Everglades, but had unfortunately contracted a bug and had to cancel. Evidently it had worked out in his favour, because two of the models had injured themselves and been unable to attend the final events. Henri knew himself too well to know he wouldn't have escaped injury. He would have been one to do something really stupid. "Did you see the Everglades? It's too bad I didn't know you were around, I was only there for a week, but it would have been nice to see a friendly face." There really wasn't such a thing as friendship in the modelling industry, not at this low level.

Henri laughed when Jeremy admitted to it being the topless shoot. "Ah, you looking out for me are you? Should've asked! Could of given you a private viewing." He winked and then continued, "seriously though, those shoots are the worst, you honestly have no idea, I mean, don't tell anyone I said that, but no-one looks like that in real life. It's so unrealistic. I really can't complain though, I get so much money out of it." Which he then tended to blow on presents for his family and Kellin's. Hearing Jeremy say that New Zealand was more his home then Maine, made Henri wonder what else they had in common. They'd known each other for a while before they got together, but Henri had never been fond of knowing someone. He knew Kellin too well, and they often made things difficult between them. If he thought about it, his lack of communication and his commitment issues tended to stem around the fact that he didn't like knowing someone intimately. It was good for a laugh, but if things looked to be getting serious, apparently he was on the first broom out of there. "I'm actually living in a flat with a bunch of other models at the moment. I do want to make it all permanent again, but... you know, sometimes things stand in the way. I need to figure out where I'm going." He laughed when Jeremy mentioned his own place. "I don't remember it begin too bad, well, until I tried to cook that is, because that was a disaster." Henri raised an eyebrow at Jeremy and smirked. "And you kept to all this time? Awe, Jeremy, how sweet. If I'd known you cared so much... well..." he didn't know how to finish that sentence and left it hanging for a moment, before getting his grove back. "I'd have left you with a lot more then just a tank top." A wink, and Henri was back into his flirty self again.
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Sorry, my bad

 

[Jeremy Thorne]

Jeremy nodded his head. “Yea, we went down to Miami for a night. That beach puts the beach near my dad’s house to shame” he agreed. Once again, Jeremy was surprised at the thought that Henri wouldn’t have minded if he had sought him out. Henri was in the sort of business where friends, true ones anyway, weren’t easy to come by. So, he supposed it did make sense. Whatever might have happened, whatever might have been with the two of them, they were friends first and, perhaps, foremost. At least, that’s what Jeremy thought anyway and then Henri would go off and do things like winking at him or flirting with him that would make him think otherwise. Henri was a confusing guy. Jeremy’s face reddened as he rushed to explain. “No. It was in the break room at St. Mungo’s…someone left it open to the page and I recognized you” he trailed off, realizing that he was rambling. The Healer’s eyebrow raised as Henri mentioned that no one looked like that. Jeremy had been to the beach with Henri before and was pretty sure that the picture in the magazine matched up with his memory. Not that he’d been thinking of Henri at the beach often. Or at all.

The conversation grew more awkward after that, though Jeremy had, thankfully, turned his face towards the harbor and the waves before it truly went awkward. That didn’t stop the smirk from growing on his face as Henri mentioned the one time Jeremy had let him cook in his apartment. It was French Toast? Or maybe waffles? Jeremy found that he could no longer remember what Henri had attempted to cook that day. In everything else that had happened, Jeremy had deemed it information not worthy of remembering. Squinting into the sun as he turned his head, his eyebrow quirked at Henri’s suggestion, Jeremy spoke. “Huh. Is that all it would’ve taken” he replied with a sarcasm not really characteristic for him. Jeremy shook his head. “To be honest, I didn’t really know it was there at all until recently. When I actually cleaned up” he admitted. The Healer shrugged. “So, if you ever need some time away from all of the pretties, feel free to stop by."

Out of Character:

Jeremy has not been cooperating. This is the best I'm going to get from him though.

 

[Henri Keto]

Henri had loved being at the beach, even back in Finland. Though the beaches from his home tended to basically just be stones and water, he couldn't deny the feeling of the water on his skin. Being at Miami beach however was something else entirely. He had to wonder if it hadn't been made by people to really get it into that extra category of beautiful. The feeling of hot sand and cool water was exhilarating and to be honest, the only reason that Henri had gone back to America repeatedly was because of the chance to find a beach he hadn't seen yet. "I adore beaches. They're basically the only reason I go to America." He said, pulling himself up onto the railing and sitting on it, swinging his legs out in front of him. He didn't get views like this normally and he really enjoyed it. He laughed slightly when Jeremy got defensive and realised that maybe Jeremy just wasn't interested anymore. He looked over at him and smiled. "If you want me to stop teasing, all you have to do is tell me." He wasn't normally the kind of person to be so open, but a lot had happened since he'd last seen Jeremy, he perhaps owed it to him to explain some things, though now really wasn't the time to do so.

Henri frowned as he heard the implications in Jeremy's voice. So this was all about his leaving? Henri had thought he'd made it clear that he wasn't ready for a full blown relationship. He had his career to think about, his family, so many things that would stand in the way of a relationship. Still, he supposed he did owe it to Jeremy to have maybe said something, instead of just disappearing one day. Henri looked over at Jeremy and was going to say something, but shook his head. It was probably too late anyway. Jeremy seemed to be in a good place now, there was no point dragging up the past. He did manage to laugh slightly when he was told he could drop by sometime. It was a nice gesture, but he wasn't sure that Jeremy actually meant it. They never did. "Sure, maybe I will." The conversation was getting stale now and Henri didn't like stale. He didn't really have anywhere to be, but maybe Jeremy did. "Um... look, so I don't want to hold you up or anything, if you need to be somewhere, I'd regret making you late."

I thought I had replied!
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