alas, i cannot swim | zeke

[Elijah Theron Fleming]

only dust settles.

summer, 2026

THE HEAT HAD POURED IN TENFOLD AND THE rehab centre was drenched in pickled, humid sunshine. It was a great time to be caring for the creatures, and Eli found himself almost cheery at times. Taking an embarrassing amount of pride at getting down in the dirt and monitoring the behaviours of the newly introduced puffskein's in their poffle. He'd even offered to help muck out, which he never did without explicit direction.

There was mud on his overalls, and a scratchy notebook tucked into his front pocket, a muggle pen behind one ear. The sticky heat made his hair erratically curly, and he'd taken to pushing it behind his ears as he worked. Even going so far as to unzip his working overall and tying the top around his waist when afternoon baked him down to the bones. He was filled with restless energy, hopping over fences and working at an almost frenzied pace until he'd been permitted by his Master to go for his lunch.

"What time is it?!" He'd asked him, reaching as if to grab the older man and shake him. He had not appeared impressed, but Eli's mood was unflappable as he was told gruffly, "Well, it's 12:30, boy!" Eli had taken off at a run then, his boots sending up a scatter of gravel as he yelled a shallow apology over his shoulder as he sprinted out of view. He took the pathway out of the rehab centre, the wards cooling his overheated skin as he did.

Eli slowed only when he had to squint over the rippling heat, a hand tented over his forehead as he searched the distance for a familiar silhouette. The truth was, Eli had lost touch with a lot of his friends after graduation. He'd even lost touch with Cordie, though she had eventually crashed back into his life without ceremony. But, as Eli had left for his apprenticeship, and shamefully failed to boot, he had been afraid of facing a lot of his old friends. He'd had such big dreams, and so little to show for it. Sending the owl to Zeke had been something of an olive branch, and he had been desperately excited ever since he had received his affirming reply.

"Zeke!" Eli yelled between two cupped hands, spying the boy in the great distance. The silhouette taking the one winding path down from the village, towards the centre. "Zeke! It's me!" He yelled again, pointing at himself as he began walking at a sharp pace, speeding up with every step he took. "Eli!" He reminded him, as if he hadn't invited his friend to catch up with him at the centre. As if there was anybody else Zeke would expect to greet him when he got there. Eli was running again, gangly limbs peddling madly, arms waving above his head in a ridiculous display of enthusiasm. His boots skidded on the dirt as he stopped before him, wrapping huis arms around his old friends arms and torso, and promptly lifting him off his feet in a bear hug. 

@ezekiel

NEVERLAND at ADOXOGRAPHY 2.0!

[Deleted]

Summer 2026

Losing touch with so many of the people he had gone to school with hadn't been Zeke's intention, but Magical Interpol training wasn't a walk in the park. He had known that going into it, of course, or he wouldn't have done it, but he guessed that he had been a bit optimistic about how much free time he would have to hang out with people as though they were still at Ilvermorny or Hogwarts together and not working adults. In hindsight, he probably could have taken school a little less seriously than he had, but it had gotten him to where he was. He didn't regret that, even though he looked forward to getting to see his family again besides just on a video call every once in a while. Things were tough, but what had happened at Hogwarts put back into perspective that he couldn't get time back with people who mattered to him. Replying to Eli's owl asking him if they could meet for lunch had been a no-brainer.

"Zeke!" He heard Eli the first time and turned his head in the other young man's direction, though Eli must not have thought that he had heard him. "Zeke! It's me! Eli!"

Zeke chuckled at how eager Eli appeared—and how totally different he looked in his overalls. (He also considered himself lucky that he didn't have to dress like that for his Magical Interpol work… Maybe if he had to go undercover as a farmer or something someday…) He wasn't dressed formally himself; he had the day off and was visiting the Magical Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre, so there wasn't much point in wearing anything that he didn't mind getting dirty. Jeans and a tee it was.

"Hey, man!" Zeke beamed as Eli wrapped him in a tight hug, and he was surprised to find that Eli had enough muscle on him to lift him off the ground. "You been working out?" he asked as he hugged Eli back, partially teasing him but also impressed.

Elijah Theron Fleming

[Elijah Theron Fleming]

only dust settles.

summer, 2026

SETTING HIS OLD FRIEND BACK ON SOLID ground, Eli leaned backwards into an easy belly laugh. Erratic with childish joy as he answered Zeke by lifting his arms and curling them dramatically. "You see these biceps?" He told his friend, winking exaggeratedly and turning his wrist like a pro. "Been curling feed bags, and Abraxan foals on my lunch breaks." He grunted with the effort, his arms as lanky and thinly muscular as ever.

Relaxing with a snicker, Eli turned and slung an easy arm around Zeke's shoulder. He walked them back down the path he had come, far more sedate than his previous, sprinting gait. The sun hot on their backs as they strolled. "Man, when I tell you you're about to have the time of your life." He swept his free arm in a half circle in front of him. "I mean it, this place is like something right out a dream." Sure, it wasn't all petting and hand feeding. Eli had had his fair share of hard days at the reservation, but the sun was shining, his old friend was by his side - nothing could dampen his mood.

"How are you, anyways?" He reached over and pinched the front of Zeke's casual t-shirt with interest. "No suit and tie?" His eyes crinkled at the corners in jest. Zeke had been Eli's good friend at Ilvermorny, and then Hogwarts. They had lost touch out in the real world, but Eli wouldn't be daunted by something as trivial as physical distance. He was just as invested in Zeke's life as he had been before, and he'd known they had differing tastes for career paths. Zeke was smart, scary smart, and Eli liked to get his hands dirty. "You like it?" He asked him hopefully. 

@ezekiel

NEVERLAND at ADOXOGRAPHY 2.0!

[Deleted]

Summer 2026

"You see these biceps?" Eli asked him, flaunting the muscles that he seemed to have developed overnight. He hadn't become a bodybuilder, but he wasn't weak, either. "Been curling feed bags, and Abraxan foals on my lunch breaks."

Zeke wasn't sure if Eli was kidding about the foals. (The feed bags, sure, because those things were definitely heavy.) Still, Eli had made some impressive progress. "Maybe I should start volunteering here on my days off," he considered—and not entirely kidding about that, either.

Eli tossed an arm around his shoulder and walked with him back in the direction he'd come. "Man, when I tell you you're about to have the time of your life." He was trying to sell the place like it was a resort. "I mean it," he added, "this place is like something right out a dream."

Chuckling, Zeke shook his head. Here was Eli, a real farm boy, despite being from Los Angeles, of all places. Being from Georgia, people probably would have expected that more from him, Zeke guessed. Yet Eli was the one looking like he was going to ask about tending the rabbits.

"How are you, anyways?" Eli then asked him. "No suit and tie?"

Again, Zeke laughed. He wasn't about to show up to the wildlife rehabilitation center looking like the stereotypical Magical Interpol staff member or like some sort of FBI agent in the No-Maj world.

"You like it?"

Zeke nodded. "It's good, yeah." Even with all of the Elaine Dupree mess, it had been okay; it came with the territory. "I'm glad I didn't just go back to the US and join MACUSA like I was gonna," he said. "Don't get me wrong, though. It is work, but that's why we have training before they let us handle any of the big stuff for real."

Elijah Theron Fleming

[Elijah Theron Fleming]

only dust settles.

summer, 2026

GUIDING ZEKE TOWARDS THE ENTRANCE OF THE reservation, Eli felt light on his feet. The sun warming his neck and his friend huffing beside him as they walked in tandem, arm slung easily over his shoulder. It was like old times, Eli liked the nostalgia of it. "Do it!" He exclaimed, releasing Zeke slightly to lean back and catch his peripheral. "Seriously, we're always looking for hands, and I could speak my senior." Head bobbing enthusiastically. "It'd be funny to see you get your hands a bit dirty," He wiggled his brows at Zeke and shook him happily before turning back.

Nodding thoughtfully, Eli listened as Zeke spoke of his Very Important Ministry Job. It was something that had never appealed to him, but seemed well suited for his friend. "I'm glad you stayed to, you know." He told him, squeezing his shoulder as the dirt and gravel scuffed under their feet. "What kind of training is it?" He asked, though they were just about at the entrance by this point and Eli turned distractedly. 

There was a great big wooden fence at the entrance, the wards rippling coolly as they passed through them to reveal the collection of paddocks and outbuildings arranged around the reservations moving signs. Eli didn't bother with opening the fence, letting go of Zeke momentarily to jog forward and leap over it with a bit of showing flair. Bracing himself with one hand as he threw his lanky body across it and turned to beckon Zeke forward. "C'mon, Minister Man!" He crowed daringly. "Show me some of that training!" And he stood back, hands outstretched and grinning madly.  

@ezekiel

NEVERLAND at ADOXOGRAPHY 2.0!

[Deleted]

Summer 2026

Zeke followed along as Eli led him in the direction of the center's entrance. Understandably, Eli was also quick to agree that he should volunteer there when he wasn't in training. His supervisor was always looking for additional hands, he said, and it would be funny to see him get his hands dirty.

It was definitely a thought, and Zeke knew that it would be a break from the stresses of his training routine. Besides, it would be better than just lounging around and doing nothing. He'd be putting in work that would keep him fit and on top of things—just in relation to magical creatures and not policing.

Eli also asked about his training and what it entailed. "It's not super different from Auror training, but there's more of an—I don't know—international focus. Like, they want to make sure that we're proficient in another language in case we have to work somewhere else." Knowing American English and not just British English didn't make the cut there, unfortunately. "So I'm trying to learn Spanish, even though I haven't done anything with it since I was in No-Maj school." It would be a useful skill to have, though, even in the United States, so he couldn't complain about it too much.

Instead of opening the wooden fence that led to the Magical Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre, Eli leapt over it. He then pressured him to do the same, ostensibly so he could show off his training.

"Alright, alright," Zeke agreed, glad that Eli had already stood back so he wouldn't get hurt. After another moment, Zeke proceeded to hop the fence, clearing it with ease and shooting a grin to Eli.

Elijah Theron Fleming