The Fight Never Ends

[Yevheniy Kharchenko]

Yev was stood awkwardly waiting outside a muggle restaurant, shifting his weight between his feet and trying to figure out if his awkwardness at that moment was just his fault for being extremely early or Jeremy's fault for not also being early. Yevheniy didn't usually get nervous about things, much less dates, but this was their third real date, not that Yev was keeping track or anything, and he was nervous, he actually liked Jeremy. He was not the usual type of guy which he went out with, he was older, a professional and slightly more grounded that Yev was. It wasn't the most obvious match, Yev could drink to that, Yev was everything that Jeremy was not, though he looked older Yev had recently graduated Durmstrang, he wasn't looking for permanent job, he had no idea what he wanted to do, and he was not ground, Yev rushed into situations, rushed into fights, rushed into most things if it even just a little required his attention, he was reckless. Yev had liked Jeremy from their first, if slightly strange meeting, but somehow it worked, Yev kept odd hours as did he, but they managed to make it work between them. He found that worked better for them, he thought it was just nice to not have to bend his entire timetable of days around trying to find the best times to meet him, it was just easy because they both kept odd hours. Yev was stood outside the restaurant which he had picked out, after a suggestion from his father who had told him to at least try something muggle, which had taken a lot of persuading, but Yev hoped he would like it, it wasn't at all like Yev was trying to impress his date. It was one of the few times they were meeting at a time that actually be considered dinner time.

Yev had left a fake name in the table booking, despite the amount of time he had spent in New Zealand now, and how much his own english was improving, it was just easier to use his mother's name when booking things, watching people stumble over Kharchenko was fun, but he didn't want to do that today, so he'd used his mother's name instead, not like she would either know or mind. Yev had made a slight effort for this, instead of being in his usual casual attire he'd dressed just a little smart. He had given his blonde hair a little brush and had worked hard during the days before it to avoid getting into any fights, which had been a real struggle for the teen who was constantly fighting, but to make an effort for Jeremy he would do this. They were in the beginning of whatever their relationship was becoming and Yev actually quite liked him, and he liked the idea of having a stress release that wasn't just alcohol. He checked the time on his watch and looked around him, muttering under his breath about why being early was never a good idea. His hands were fidgeting slightly, he just barely keeping his nerves under wraps. He needed this to go well, he was a use once kind of guy normally, but Jeremy was a little different he actually enjoyed the man's company. Yev glanced out towards the distant road, and prayed he'd turn up soon, Yev wanted to stop standing awkwardly outside and he didn't like the idea of meeting Jeremy in the restaurant.
​

 

[Jeremy Thorne]

"Quit looking at yourself, Thorne" Jeremy muttered to himself as he checked himself out in the mirror one final time. The Healer had promised himself that he was going to take things casually, and for the most part, his type A personality had complied. He and Yev were only a couple of dates into whatever this was, and Jeremy could feel that fragile shell of 'casual' he'd tried to create threatening to crack. Jeremy rubbed the stubble that he'd allowed to grow in and stared at his reflection, wondering if he had enough time to shave. A glance at the time told him that he didn't, but he still had to force himself away from the mirror and into his living room where his wand and the address they'd agreed to meet at rested on the table. It was a muggle address, that much he was sure of from the street name. An interesting choice, Jeremy had noted at the time. He had many friends who were either muggle born or muggle enthusiasts, so it made no difference to him. He had a casual interest in muggle things and even owned a cell phone that worked sporadically.

Picking up the items from his table, Jeremy left quickly. He didn't want to be late and knew that if he remained in his home any longer, he'd end up shaving which would cost him valuable time. Yev had been quite accommodating of his crazy schedule, though Jeremy suspected Yev kept crazy hours by choice. Apparating was going to be tricky, but Jeremy didn't know how else to get to their meeting spot. He closed his eyes and hoped for the best, a loud crack sounding as he apparated into the darkness of an alley that Yev had told him about. Exiting quickly, Jeremy was glad to see his date just up the block. He was terrible at navigating and would have been lost for hours had he apparated blocks away. Striding up to the man, Jeremy hoped he wasn't under dressed. He'd gone with a pair of slacks and a dress shirt and a pair of shoes that he was sure he'd overpaid for in a muggle shop, leaving the jacket and tie that he'd read male muggles often wore to dinner at home. Jeremy stopped in front of Yev, happy to see the guy's face was free of any obvious bruising. "I see you've been on your best behavior, Mr. Kharchenko. You look great." Jeremy stated by way of greeting, stumbling over the last name, but still ending with a smile. It was good to see Yev.

 

[Yevheniy Kharchenko]

Yev thankfully found that he hadn't had to wait that much longer, he had feared that Jeremy would run late and Yev would be standing outside for a while to come. He was just very glad that this was not actually winter, or just glad it wasn't winter and that they weren't currently in Ukraine. Under those circumstances he would've definitely just waited inside and preferably by a fire of some sort. He spotted Jeremy emerge on to the street he was on, the little alleyway to apparate on to had been found after Yev had scouted the place out, trying to find out how good it was and to find obviously a safe place for himself and Jeremy to apparate to considering this was a muggle area. He smiled as Jeremy approached him, and greeted him in a friendly manner, referencing the fact that Yev was bruise-less. Yev just laughed, at both that and Jeremy's attempt at Yev's second name, "Sometimes I win, Thorne," he returned, pronouncing the Thorne a little like Zorne. He was obviously still having some difficulties with the language, he had obviously tried to be a little more clear when he spoke to people, it was funny that he'd once been as fluent in English as he was in Ukrainian, not so much any more.

Yevheniy motioned towards the door of the restaurant but then obviously made it so that he would walk in front and deal with the staff, which meant it didn't take long until Yev was motioning for Jeremy to follow him to the table they were being lead to. Yev took a seat at the said table and thanked the hostess, before settling himself, the place itself wasn't a particularly fancy restaurant somewhere in between fancy and overly casual. It had a wide ranging menu, so, he was sure that Jeremy would find something he liked, though of course so early in the relationship Yev had no idea what kind of things he really liked, or preferred over other things. Yev grinned slightly at him before opening the menu, and giving it a quick read through though he wasn't paying attention to any of it. He was trying to figure out how best to start conversation, he wasn't sure how to, he wasn't always the best at it really, and Yev would argue he just wasn't drunk enough yet to be good at it. Instead of letting the silence continue he just glanced up from the menu to look at Jeremy, "Bet this beats hospital cafeteria food," Yev joked, of course he didn't really know how the food was, but in his own experience it was always pretty bad, he figured it a good place to start, "Better I am assuming than whatever muck I would attempt to cook, that is for sure."
​

 

[Jeremy Thorne]

Jeremy was pretty sure that this was the most dressed up he'd seen Yev, and he was certainly liking what he was seeing. It was nice to see a different side of the guy, and even nicer to see the effort he'd obviously put forth for tonight. Once again, Jeremy's thoughts drifted to the slight beard he was growing and he wished that he had taken the time to shave. Jeremy followed Yev's lead, looking around at the restaurant that the man had chosen for them for the evening. Jeremy had been to a few muggle restaurants and this one was quite similar to others he'd been to, in appearance anyway. Taking a seat across from Yev, Jeremy followed suit, thanking the hostess for giving them menus. Jeremy's mother had always impressed the importance of manners onto the guy, and he was glad to see that Yev had learned similarly. So far, Yev had been nothing but surprise after surprise, and Jeremy was thoroughly enjoying getting to know the guy. The Ukrainian guy was much more than just a fighter, and Jeremy knew that he had only just begun to delve into the many layers that made the man. He glanced down at the menu, studying it. There was a lot that he liked so he wasn't too worried about finding something.

Glancing across the table as Yev spoke, Jeremy nodded in agreement. "Easily" he replied with a grin, "though I don't think it's that hard to beat the food at the hospital." Jeremy usually brought a sandwich or whatever leftovers he had from dinner the night before. He'd been trying to learn how to cook, but he was still very much an amateur in that department. Meals were always hit or miss when he made them. "Or anything I'd make. Never let me cook for you" Jeremy chuckled in response, the laughter reaching his blue eyes. This was easy, almost as easy as conversation had been with Henri. That had to mean that Jeremy was getting better at this sort of thing. Or Yev was really good at small talk. "Unless you like grilled cheese. Then, I'm your guy" he added, pointing at himself as if this was something to be quite proud of. Jeremy knew that it wasn't that impressive.

 

[Yevheniy Kharchenko]

Yev rarely really made the effort he needed to look cleaned up, he was very much the kind of person who would leave the dirt in his nails until the end of the day even if he had things to do. He picked clothes by the way they smelled and the amount of blood on them more than anything else, Yev wasn't the kind of guy who kept on top of all of his washing, he didn't really feel like he should have to when there was fun to be had else where, so considering he had made an effort for this was quite something. His friends, the few with whom he'd come to New Zealand with all had their questions about what Yevheniy might be doing that meant he was making such an effort, though none of them had quite realised that it was for someone else, much less a guy, despite them being friends Yev kept many things close to his chest. Yev smiled with ease at Jeremy as he took the menu, this would simpler he thought that any of the other dates he'd been on with others, things with Jeremy were simpler, they at this stage were easier. It was still early in their relationship and it was good to get to know him which was what he was looking to do, though Yev knew he might not be as forth coming in his answers.

Yevheniy laughed lightly as his words, his experience of hospital food had not been great, "My father would always send me out to bring him food so he wouldn't have to eat hospital food," Yevheniy agreed with a smile, at least that was one similarities between countries it seemed. He couldn't help but laugh along with him about the fact that he too was awful at cooking, it seemed that they had that in common. He frowned slightly at the thing he could cook, "Grilled cheese?" his tone was questioning slightly, taking a moment to try to figure out if this was the same thing that he remembered it being, "I haven't had one of those in years," Yevheniy chuckled lightly, his mother had made it for him as a child, but when he'd moved permanently to Ukraine he hadn't really had it since, he'd had things like like it, but never it, "I might just you up on offer for nostalgia's sake," Yev smiled at him. He glanced down at the menu, before realising that he should probably ask him what he wanted to drink, if he was a wine man or something else, "What do you want to drink, wine, beer, something stronger?" He asked him, Yevheniy usually drank beer with dinner, but he was taking his drinking cues from Jeremy today.
​

 

[Jeremy Thorne]

Jeremy was already thinking about the best way to explain what a grilled cheese was when Yev seemed to figure it out. He smiled, "You got it." Jeremy knew that he could make that much without messing up. That he'd literally just invited Yev over to his home and offered to cook for him was not lost on the Healer. Although he might appear calm and collected on the outside, inside he was quite nervous. Jeremy hadn't had anyone over that he was interested in since Henri, and even that had been complicated. He'd been friends with Henri for a while before, like a flip being switched, he'd realized that he was interested in the guy. Jeremy had long since known his sexuality, though he'd fought admitting it for a long while. Henri had finally convinced him to give it, and him, a shot. This was different. Jeremy had no previous friendship with Yev to build from. They'd only met once and for a short time before Jeremy had, in a quick spur of the moment that he would later blame on being sleepy, asked Yev out for breakfast. Things had progressed since then. "Beer's fine with me" Jeremy replied after a moment of glancing at the menu. He wasn't terribly familiar with muggle alcohol and didn't know how strong any of it was. The Healer figured he should probably keep his wits about him anyway.

"So, how have you been keeping busy, Yev?" Jeremy asked, placing the menu on the table. The guy always had interesting stories, some of which were about fights he'd been in which Jeremy found more amusing than he knew he should. Some of his stories were even more fascinating though. And those were the stories that made Jeremy fascinated in the man behind them. That, and his looks. Unlike Henri's perfect model looks, Yev had a toughness about him that for some strange reason reminded him of the States. It was the oddest thing really.

 

[Yevheniy Kharchenko]

Yevheniy was relieved when Jeremy said beer, while good with his alcohol he would've been at a loss with wine. He flanked down a waitress and ordered two beer, Corona because that was good easy to drink beer. He looked back at Jeremy and smiled at his question, Yev had definitely been keeping busy, he was training with the other Elementalists, under the guidance of just one. It kept him fairly busy, but it wasn't like he was about to tell Jeremy that, it wasn't the kind of thing he ever imagined he would ever talk about, it didn't matter whom the person might be. His father didn't even know, he knew that Yev had slightly stronger views about the place of muggles and muggle borns in the world of magic, but not idea that Yev would ever act upon them. He smirked at Jeremy, "In many ways," Yevheniy started unsure as to what to say, aside from the Elementalist stuff he was doing, mostly Yev was just going around with his friends getting pretty drunk and making bad life decisions, so instead of lingering on the thought of that, he launched into telling Jeremy the short story of the other night, that involved out of date yoghurt, inflatable kangaroos, scaling fences and ended with some guy thinking Yev was making a move on his girlfriend and the inevitable fight which followed,

"I wasn't even remotely interested in her, she was just all over me, she thought I was Russian mob, and wanted to live on dangerous side of life with lots of money, be my wife or some sh1t, no matter how much I told her I was Ukrainian and not a mobster but she kept insisting I was Russian mob," Yevheniy chuckled lightly, he found the story pretty funny, it had a few fairly disgusting moments, and Yev had always disliked how people thought he was Russian, the accent was of course deceivingly Russian and he was sure his father's family had close links with the country, but he was Ukrainian, he'd given up American citizenship to become Ukrainian. He shook his head slightly, "But what about you, any gruesome cases?" he asked, since Jeremy worked, from what Yev gathered he worked mostly in the emergency room and he was sure that of all the area's of the hospital to work in that would be one of the more interesting ones, he was sure plenty of strange stuff passed through his life, he was sure it was also far more interesting that Yev's stories of drunken bar fights. He didn't really know why Jeremy seemed interested in his stories, he didn't think he was that interesting, or worth listening to at all, aside from perhaps drunkenly when with his other friends.
​

 

[Jeremy Thorne]

Jeremy wasn't disappointed. The story that Yevheniy launched into was definitely one of his more amusing ones. Inevitably, it ended in a fight. Jeremy chuckled as he gave a nod to the waitress who'd returned with their drinks. His attention, however, was still totally on Yev and this story. "She wanted you bad" Jeremy stated, a smirk on his face and a quick wink to his date. That seemed to be fairly common from what he was learning about Yev. Whether it was that they wanted to beat him up or they wanted to be with him, everyone seemed to want a piece of the guy. It was a charisma that intrigued the Healer. Lifting his drink up, Jeremy waited for Yev to clink their glasses together before he took a large gulp. It was refreshing going down his throat, and he grinned before setting the glass down on the table.

As the conversation turned towards his job, Jeremy almost shook his head. Then he paused and pulled his seat in a little closer to the table they were sharing. "Actually, yea. There was one a couple of days ago" Jeremy began, his elbows on the table as he launched into a story about a person who had been brought into the hospital under a curse of sorts. He sat back as he relayed the story in between sips of beer, describing the effects of the curse, which had left the man badly scarred. Leaning forward, Jeremy finished in a hushed tone. "The crazy part is that the guy didn't even know the people who had attacked him. He said they kept calling him a...a mudblood and then he was hit with that curse from behind as he tried to run" Jeremy finished. He shook his head as he sat back. "The cowards." Before he could continue, their waitress showed up to take their orders. Jeremy quickly placed his, pushing the menu in her direction as he waited for her to finish up with Yev. "Not as fun as your story, huh?" Jeremy gave Yev a small half-smile.

 

[Yevheniy Kharchenko]

Yev shrugged at him, he had known that she'd been interested in him, but it didn't make him interested in her, or ever. He had dated quite enthusiastically while back home, he hadn't felt the need to be tied down, or even identify himself as anything other than just someone who looked for fun. Jeremy was the first he was really considering actually pursuing something long term, even if it wasn't serious which considering Yev's age wasn't something he really want. He smiled at him and lifted his own drink and they clinked the glasses, Yev resisted the urge to just down it in one, beer was something he drank pretty often, and he found the taste fairly pleasing, he liked it. He took a small sip of his drink, "Did you know that until 2011, in Russia, beer was considered a soft drink, you could buy it as easily as you could buy apple juice," Yev told him with a smile, just as he launched into a story of his work. It was always fun to hear about other people's experience of what they were doing Yev liked being able to find out things about others slowly through what they told him. Yevheniy smile as he took another drink letting Jeremy continue.

The story itself was a strange one that was for sure, he had to keep his face neutral as the man talked of this person who'd been attacked surely because of his mudblood status, which Yev honestly thought was right, mudbloods were filth. He didn't have any patience for mudbloods, while he wasn't a huge fan of muggles he didn't mind them as much as he hated, no despised mudbloods. It had brought him joy that he'd gone to durmstrang instead of some other school, where he would've had to interact with mudbloods, he hadn't had to at Durmstrang. It made him think that in terms of blood status view's Jeremy's was perhaps more accepted that Yev's. It wasn't like Yev would ever admit what he actually spent his sober time doing to Jeremy, so instead of what his reaction with the other Elementalists would be he pushed away his smirk and attempted to look as sympathetic as he could, although before he could say anything, a waitress interrupted them, and Yev quickly gave his order, before turning his attention back to her. Yev shrugged as his words, he had enjoyed the story, it was good to know that some mudblood had gotten what he should've, "Is man alright now?" Yev didn't know why the man hadn't fought back, he expected as much from mudbloods, but still he would hope they might, "Did he say why he didn't fight back? I know I would've, can't let people get away with being so disrespectful," he questioned, though he assumed that most people would run, where Yev would just jump straight into the fight. In his mind he could only think that if mudbloods stood up for themselves, fought back then perhaps they wouldn't have so many problems, not that it would solve how Yevheniy felt towards them.
​

Sorry, this is pretty terrible.

 

[Jeremy Thorne]

Jeremy nodded his head as he took another sip of beer. “Yea, he seemed alright when we moved him out of the emergency room” he replied. One of the parts of his job that had taken getting used to was the whole not knowing how people ended up. Jeremy did his job with them while in the emergency room, but once his shift was over or the person got moved to another ward, his part was done. By the time he came back to the work, there was usually a new group of patients to take care of. Knowing that, it was a wonder that he and Yev had developed any sort of relationship. Jeremy had never done anything like that before, and even thinking back on it now, he wasn’t entirely sure why he’d invited the guy out to breakfast that day. It wasn’t something he’d typically do. Then again, Yev wasn’t the typical type of person he’d go for. “Of course you’d fight back” Jeremy rolled his eyes, a smirk appearing on his lips as he placed his glass down again. He’d already finished a good amount, Yev’s small fact about it being considered a soft drink ringing true with him. Jeremy had hoped to keep himself to a limit, but he knew that would be more and more difficult to stick to as the night wore on.

“These are strange times though” he added with a shrug. The Daily Prophet still had numerous stories about Harley Aria, the woman who’d murdered Nicolas King. An Auror. When that had happened, Jeremy had been gripped with fear for his father, a high-ranking Auror in the United States. If there were people crazy enough to attack Aurors, no one was safe, especially not muggleborns. The Healer lowered his voice again, though the restaurant’s noise was just loud enough that it drowned out conversations at other tables. “I’m surprised he didn’t just try to apparate out. I’d have taken my chances at being splinched over how he came into the emergency room” he continued with a shake of his head. “But, onto better topics…what is your opinion of quidditch?” Jeremy asked as casually as he could. His answer could be a deal-breaker in whatever this was turning into.

 

[Yevheniy Kharchenko]

In reality Yevheniy wasn't so concerned about how the man was, he was trying to make it look as though he was. The former durmstrang didn't care if the man lived or died, but he could tell that Jeremy did, and since he hardly wanted to be the one to ruin this, whatever this was, he was opting to try to appear concerned and caring about it. In his mind it only confirmed how feeble and silly both muggles and muggleborns were, not fighting back, running away. He didn't think he would be able to look at himself in the mirror if he ever did that. Yev was reckless and careless, he had always said he'd likely go down swinging more than in any other way. The man raised the beer to his lips and took a long drink smirking as he did so, "If you charge at someone, nine times out of ten they sh1t their pants," he told him the smirk still lingering on his face, he of course would always fight back, and that was probably just him. Ever since joining the Scitorari he had known things like this, these conversations about muggleborns and muggles would come up, as Yev had decided to not really tell very many about it, he had opted to keep his views, largely to himself.

"I should teach you to fight, healer," he chuckled lightly, but it was good natured, "Panic and fear make it difficult to see straight," he said with a shrug agreeing in a way to what he'd said, the man not opting to escape in some manner that was magical reaffirmed the idiocy he thought of letting muggleborns learn magic but he agreed that if he'd been that person in that situation and his instinct wasn't to fight the one that followed would be to apparate away. At the next topic Yevheniy couldn't help but laugh, "I don't play much, but I do enjoy watching it a lot," he smiled, "I used to be big fan of Sweetwater All-Stars, went to almost all their games as child" he smiled thinking of the games he'd gone to as a young child in the time he'd still lived in America, although now he stumbled over the team name his S's sounding more like Z's. "Now, I support Vratsa Vultures, they fly so well," He smiled, quidditch wasn't something he had as much time for now as he once did, but it didn't diminish his enjoyment of it, "What about you?"
​

 

[Jeremy Thorne]

Jeremy let out a small chuckle at Yev's comment. The guy was probably right, and it wasn't hard to believe that he knew it because he'd tried it before. Jeremy had heard quite a few stories from the guy about fights he'd been in and injuries he'd received. In fact, that's how they had met in the first place. Lifting his drink back to his lips, Jeremy finished off his first beer just as Yev offered to teach him to fight. The Healer smiled at the thought of being taught how to fight. He was in his mid-twenties and could count on one hand the number of fist fights he'd been in. There'd been the one back when he'd been in school with that Slytherin guy, one after he'd been hanging out with Faxen, and another when he'd gone out with some Healer buddies. Jeremy had done little in those fights, certainly nothing that he'd brag about to Yev. He'd been so drunk during the last fight he'd been in that he'd ended up the worse for wear in that one, needing to get treatment for a cut right on his eyebrow. He still had the scar. "I'm decent at dueling, but I've never been much of a fighter otherwise" Jeremy admitted with a shrug. He could imagine himself in a room with Yev, trying to learn to fight. It was a ridiculous thought. There were definitely more fun things he could think to do.

Jeremy was glad when the subject moved to quidditch, but Yev shocked him right away. "The All Stars?" he asked, a look of disgust on his face. "The Finches are clearly the better American team" he declared smugly. Anyone listening would have thought that he had been a member of the team at any point in his life. "The Vultures are good" he agreed. They had crushed their last few teams. "I still support the Finches, but these days I go to more Warriors games." Time had kept the man from going to the United States to see a game. "And I have a pair of tickets to a game. Warriors against the Thunderers" he explained eagerly. "Waaay up top. My boss gave 'em to me. I was going to invite you, but I think I have to re-think things with you being an All Stars fan and all" he stated, shaking his head in mock disgust.

Out of Character:

Sorry for the delay.

 

[Yevheniy Kharchenko]

The former durmstrang student had never played for any team, he had never done more than watch it, and had never had much interest in playing it, his father had always said he was too hot-headed for any role on any team. He did however enjoy talking about it, it was different from the conversations about bar fights, those filthy mudbloods or anything of that kind. He smiled with ease and then shook his head at him, "I'm not so sure, the Finches think they are all that, their chaser line up right now is weak," he didn't keep as up to date with quidditch as he once had, and much less since he was so far from the games now here in New Zealand, the ones he did want to watch were back in his home, he didn't know what teams were best in New Zealand yet. He despite the fact that he didn't really do much with his days still was too busy to know all of the teams within New Zealand. He finished off the last of his beer and then couldn't help but chuckle at the almost not invitation, "You should still invite me," he told him with a smirk.

It had been a while since he'd been to a game and was really looking forward to this one just possibly. He continued smirking, "I'm sure I could be swayed into liking the Finches," he told him, leaning in slightly, "And I'll make it worth your while, if you invite me," the teen smirked again at this man, clearly implying what he was sure Jeremy would pick up on. Yevheniy's smirk became a grin as he leaned away, motioning for a near by waiter to bring them more beer, "My father used to take me to games when we lived in America, he's big fan. My first game was Russia versus Ukraine in a European friendly, I was five at the time," he remembered with ease smiling at the man he was sitting with, "Everyone got so drunk, my father was so drunk his father had to get us, I think Ukraine lost, but I fell in love with the game. Just the atmosphere, the way the crowd jumped, my father remembers none of it," he chuckled lightly, "What was your first game? if you can remember it,"
​

 

[Jeremy Thorne]

"Should I now?" Jeremy smirked at the guy seated across the table from him. The Healer had planned to invite Yev all along, but it was fun to make him think he wasn't invited. Jeremy had found himself trying to think of ways to spend more and more time with the guy, and he was glad that they seemed to have a mutual interest. Although conversation between them had remained interesting, it was usually about their many differences. As Yev continued to plead his case for being invited, Jeremy found himself grinning stupidly. He hadn't been sure what to expect this evening, but so far he was thoroughly enjoying himself. Yev's suggestion was very intriguing to the older man. Jeremy leaned slightly closer as well. "I can't wait to see what you have in mind" he spoke softly across the table, his blue eyes looking right into Yev's blue ones.

Sitting back slowly, Jeremy listened to the guy speak about his first game. The Healer had to think back for a moment before he could answer. He'd been to so many games. His father was just as big of a quidditch fan as he was and they had attended games together often. The Healer nodded his head, fond memories filling his head. "I completely agree. There's nothing like a quidditch game" he spoke. "My first game was...let me think" he started slowly, still thinking, " Oh! I know. It was in Canada. Hammers against the Finches. I was 4 or 5 and the game lasted almost a whole day. My mom was pissed at my dad because he fed me popcorn and pumpkin pasties for dinner" Jeremy chuckled. " I think I fell asleep for most of it, but my dad woke me up just in time to watch Alden nosedive and catch the snitch right behind the Hammers' Keeper's ear. It was amazing."

 

[Yevheniy Kharchenko]

Yev wanted to spend more time with Jeremy in a slightly different capacity, and he knew he could make it worth his while, Yev liked having a good time, and he knew what it usually took to have a memorable time, and was sure that he could show Jeremy a good time too, or well above anything else he could try, and the teen was sure that he was perfectly capable of showing Jeremy a good time. He smirked at his words, almost trying to promise in a smile that he would make it the best kind of time. It was definitely interesting to hear about Jeremy's first game in comparison to his own, Yev remember his game as being alive with energy, as being flowing with beer and being taken home by his grandfather, this was definitely different to that. He remembered the wave of emotions during every throw and every slight movement on the field, the tears of the men who had surrounded him, he hadn't or even wouldn't have been able to sleep, but each to their own, and the nose dive at the end of Jeremy's first game didn't really compare to the catching of the snitch in his game.

"That sounds incredible," he said, unable to really mask the kind of awe a person felt towards that kind of thing when it happened, he realised through that and through the other man's still slight accent that he was in fact American, "So you are American?" he asked with a small smile, of course Yev had once been an american, but he had given up the citizenship a while after moving back to Ukraine with his dad, he missed certain elements of it, and he missed not the beaches he used to live next to, but Yevheniy preferred living with his father than with his mother, so it had been pretty obvious to him that he should live with him. He didn't regret his decision either, he missed elements of America but not enough that he wanted to move back really, "Did you move to New Zealand for school, or for some other reason?" he didn't want to dig too deep in, but he felt like it didn't hurt to ask, and it would be interesting to find out a little more about this man, after all he was interest in just being physical but Yev didn't mind the idea of getting to him slightly too.
​

 

[Jeremy Thorne]

Jeremy stared at Yev for a second. He thought it was obvious he was American. But, he had been told before, by people he had known for years, that he no longer had the Yankee accent he'd once had. It was still there on some words, but mostly he could mask it. Unless he was drunk. He'd spent so much time in New Zealand now that it had begun to negate his years in the United States. And the only slang he knew was Kiwi slang, which he barely used anyway. With a nod, Jeremy confirmed that he was American. "Yea, I grew up in New England" he began, exaggerating his accent ever so slightly. "Not Boston, but I wasn't too far from there." Jeremy had fond memories of fishing and climbing trees and trips to a wizarding village near Cape Cod.

The former Ravenclaw nodded as the waitress placed their food in front of them. He picked up a fry. "For school. My parents worked and traveled a lot so they weren't keen on my sister and I staying in the States for school. She went to Scotland, and I ended up here. Then after my parent's divorce, I moved with my dad to Florida. And that never really felt like home. So, New Zealand was the closest to feeling like home and I just stuck around." Jeremy didn't think he'd ever revealed anything so personal to Yev before. Sure, they spoke about their day and their lives, but never anything looking at the people they'd been and why they were the people they were today. It was a bit unnerving to him. Here, he'd been just hoping to explore a certain side of himself, find out if Henri was just a fluke, a one off sort of thing. And now, he was getting much closer to Yev than he was sure he was comfortable with. "You told me you went to Durmstrang, right? Is it true that they teach dark arts there?" he asked, still skeptical despite the number of years he'd heard that about the school.

 

[Yevheniy Kharchenko]

Listening to where he was from, Yev couldn't help but smile at it, it was funny to him, when he had first met him, he'd assumed that the man had just been a New Zealander, since he had some issues with the accent in the beginning, since he'd spent so long outside of an english speaking country, that it had been just ever so slightly difficult to pick up the accent, but the more time he had spent with Jeremy and it had struck in his head that that was the accent he was hearing, and it was almost a nice little part of this man. He leaned back in his chair and then allowed the waitress to place the food in front of him, taking another drink of his beer before beginning to eat. Just listening along to what he was saying was interesting enough, his parents, like Jeremy's had also divorced, and he, like Jeremy had opted to move in with his father rather than his mother, although Yev's move included moving half way across the world to his father's country of origin and then giving up all roots back to America by choice. He didn't say any of that, and he was glad that the information didn't then mean a return of the question to him, and that Jeremy did not ask how long Yev had lived in Ukraine.

The question he did ask, made a small smirk reach his face, he kept his gaze at his plate and took a few bits of the food, thinking about how funny it was this was Durmstrang's reputation, the Dark Arts. If only Jeremy knew about Yev did in his spare time, how much he enjoyed the dark arts, how much he liked it all. How much he enjoyed being able to just feel that much power and never have to worry about someone telling him not to do something, "I went to durmstrang," he nodded looking back up at Jeremy, the smirk still on his face, "We didn't do much Defence Against the Dark Arts," which was his way of implying that they did something else, something that was basically the dark arts. He wondered what kind of things Jeremy had heard about durmstrang, what kind of things were talked about when it came to that school, "Durmstrang believes in wide education, they believe in making sure we are prepared," he told Jeremy as a way of almost justifying learning the dark arts, not saying that the dark arts had been his favourite class of the school. He took a sip of his beer, "Did you ever think about going to Durmstrang, or was Hogwarts New Zealand always for you?"
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[Jeremy Thorne]

Jeremy noticed the smirk that appeared on Yev’s face at his question. He took a bite of his food, wondering what the smirk was for. He didn’t say anything, but instead just waited for a reply. Jeremy had heard all sort of things about Durmstrang. The most common things were that they all studied Dark Arts and that the school was much more known to produce dark wizards than any of the other wizarding schools. Jeremy had never really known anyone from there. Yev’s response caused Jeremy to raise his eyebrows, but his mouth was too full to respond easily. It was pretty clear to Jeremy that his date was answering yes without specifically saying so. The Healer finished his bite and opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off as Yev continued. Jeremy took another bite as he listened. He didn’t ask it, but he was curious as to what exactly the school was preparing its students for. Surely, learning the dark arts could only prepare you for one thing – using dark arts.

“I don’t really remember thinking about any school besides Hogwarts New Zealand. I was just really sure I didn’t want to go to Hogwarts Scotland because my sister was going there and we never really got along” Jeremy replied with a shrug. His sister was someone that he could only handle in small doses. “I don’t know how well I would’ve done in Durmstrang anyway.” Jeremy didn’t think that the academics would have been a challenge. He was a Ravenclaw, after all, and his intellect was one of his better traits. But, he wasn’t sure how he would have felt about being around people who enjoyed the Dark Arts, and he didn’t think they would have liked him much either. Not with his dad being a fairly high-ranked Auror in the United States. “My dad would’ve been pretty disappointed too” Jeremy added without tacking on what his father did for a living. Jeremy’s father was difficult to please in the best of times. He was sure that his father would have disowned him had he chosen to go to that school.

 

[Yevheniy Kharchenko]

It was strange to be asked questions about Durmstrang, Yev had attended Hogwarts New Zealand for a semester before transferring out to Durmstrang, it had been his mother's choice for him to go to Hogwarts where as he had wanted durmstrang, but it meant he had some idea about the school and education he had received versus his own. Yev preferred Durmstrang, he hadn't enjoyed being at school, since to him it was just pointless time, but he had liked learning about the other sides of magic, the stuff he'd done at hogwarts had been mundanely boring and durmstrang right from the beginning had been interesting, but he chose not to add anything else, since it wasn't like he wanted Jeremy to pick on his extra-curricular activities, on what he did other than getting drunk and ending up in bar fights with people he couldn't beat. He really didn't want the man to know about that, since this was fun and different and he didn't want to mix the two very opposite worlds, after all, he was all about presenting a certain side of himself to his date. Yev took a long sip of his beer as Jeremy began to answer his question about Hogwarts. Wondering if perhaps the boy had had a good experience in school, which he assumed yes.

As he spoke, Yevheniy just ate quietly nodding along and shrugging when the man said that he wouldn't have fitted in the school, "As long as you aren't muggleborn, school would be fine with you," he wondered what Jeremy's father did. It was funny, since Yev knew he had disappointed his father in not becoming a healer like he had done, and his father would be disappointed if he found out about what Yev was really doing in New Zealand. It wasn't like his father was pro-muggle or pro-muggleborns but he had always wandered Yev against doing things like what he was actually doing, "Is that not what first sons are for? To disappoint their fathers, and then still do better," he gave his date a small smirk as he said this, "I for one know that I have disappointed my father, but we just drink and he doesn't care so much," The teen shrugged slightly, "I am his only child, he would rather drink with me than cast me out, why be dramatic when there is vodka to knock back," him and his father ever since Yev had hit legal age drank together, it always made things feel better their relationship had improved greatly since they could just drink.
​

 

[Jeremy Thorne]

Jeremy listened to Yev as he spoke about disappointing their fathers. That was a bit of understatement. The Healer had worked hard to meet his parents' expectations academically. He'd been sorted into Ravenclaw, just like his sister. He'd worked to become a prefect and then Head Boy, and he'd been accepted as a Healer straight out of school. Academically, they had no room to be disappointed. He had a career that was every bit as prestigious as their own. Jeremy's father had even said as much when they had last met up. Socially, it was another story. Jeremy always dreaded the part of going home that involved his parents asking him what his girlfriend was like, who her parents were, what she did for a living. Glancing up at Yev, Jeremy gave the man a bitter smile that he probably wouldn't understand. The Healer wondered what his parents would make of this if he showed up home with the guy on his arm. "Here's to disappointing our parents and not giving a damn" Jeremy stated, holding up his beer to clink glasses before taking a big gulp. Jeremy continued eating in silence for a few moments. It wasn't uncomfortable either. "Your dad sounds like a pretty cool guy" the Healer added after a few moments.

Out of Character:

Feel free to jump ahead if you'd like. Sorry this took so long.

 

[Yevheniy Kharchenko]

The dinner continued in a similar manner, they talked about this that and the other, Yevheniy fielding questions away from his past-times, and all too soon, the meal was finished, and they were getting ready to leave, having taken care of the bill. Yev knew the man would probably expect them to just go home, but, for the recent Durmstrang graduate the night was still very young and he only had a few drinks in him, he was intending to do far more with the evening, that was really Jeremy permitting, if the man decided he wanted to go home, then Yev would respect that, but if he was interested in doing something a little different there were plenty of things that Yevheniy had learned about the little areas of the muggle city they were currently in. He smirked at the man, "Interested in doing something more?" he asked him, as he began to walk out the restaurant, glancing round at him to be sure the other man was following him. Taking a deep breath of the cool night air and grinning slightly, there was so much they could do, this was when Yevheniy thrived, he turned to face him, holding out his arms, "The night belongs to the young like ourselves," he felt in his jacket pocket and pulled out a small hip flask, he opened it up and took a small drink, and with the way he shivered afterwards showed it was clearly not water, "What do you say Jeremy? You want to try things on my side of life,"
​

 

[Jeremy Thorne]

Conversation flowed easily for the rest of their dinner. Even though the two men were quite different from each other in many ways, they were alike in several others. Jeremy couldn't remember the last time he'd had such an enjoyable date. The Healer followed closely behind Yev as they exited the restaurant. As soon as the question was posed to continue the night, Jeremy found himself nodding his head. "Sure." The man wasn't ready for the night to end. It wasn't terribly late and even if it was, Jeremy was used to going without sleep. As Yev took a drink of something far stronger than what they'd been having inside, Jeremy leaned against the wall. The cool night air brushed his hair back, and he listened to his date as he spoke. It was a dare, an obvious one. Jeremy knew that he was probably ill equipped to live Yev's lifestyle. But for a night? Jeremy thought he could manage at least that. Taking the flask from Yev's hands, Jeremy took a bigger gulp than he should have. The liquid burned his throat so badly that he was coughing slightly as he handed it back. "Wow. That is gross" he chuckled when he'd caught his breath. Already, his insides were warming up. "Yea, I'm game" he added as he rubbed his hands together. Jeremy had no idea what he was getting himself into. His only hope was that it wouldn't end with him in jail. He'd managed to avoid that particular milestone and hoped to not have it happen tonight.

 

[Yevheniy Kharchenko]

The former durmstrang student was definitely pleased when Jeremy seemed to agree to coming with him, on what Yev was hoping would a night of first's for Jeremy. They led different lives, ran in different circles, and now that he'd done the formal thing, now, Yev was interested in showing this man his side of life. Grinning as he took as sip of the liquid from his hip flask Yevheniy couldn't help but grin at him, "It'll taste better with every drink," he told him, with a smirk, implying that this one drink was just the beginning. When he agreed to it, Yevheniy took back the hip flask and then smirked, leaning forward and taking Jeremy by the hand and beginning to walk backwards, towards where Yev was thinking this night could really begin, "Don't worry doctor, I will look after you this time round,"

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End

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