Chapter 20
Nathan
Resistance bands, a rope ladder, and three lightweight mats. Just enough equipment for an initial session. Nathan slings his kitbag over his shoulders and leaves the house.
He’s still not entirely sure it’s a good idea to train Will and Jon, but Jon asked.
It wasn’t clear whether he was joking or not, the obvious sarcasm his younger self preferred mellowed into something far more subtle.
If he was joking, then the joke’s on him.
Nathan isn’t going to let him get away with a half-hearted session, even if they did stay out a little too late, drinking cocktails after dinner.
It was fun, hanging out with the Savea brothers.
The affection between them is clear, their banter teasing in a way that almost makes Nathan long for a sibling.
There were moments when Jon’s banter went too far for Will, his eyes rolling back in his skull with well-worn frustration.
A few of his jokes were directed at Nathan, or rather more accurately at Nathan and Will’s relationship, if you can even call a relationship where you don’t kiss a relationship at all.
Nathan had been a little surprised that Will told his brother about his Gift. The concept of a family so close that they’d willingly share their secrets is alien to him, another thing about the Saveas he’ll never truly understand.
A chilly breeze whips through the park, dragging cold fingers over his cheeks as he strides towards the wooden pergola at the centre of the vast space.
It doesn’t provide much cover from the elements, but they’ll be dry if it starts to rain.
Luckily it’s empty, caught in the dead space between early morning workouts and lunchtime sessions, affording him plenty of space to lay out his equipment.
Satisfied with the setup, Nathan unscrews the cap from his flask and drinks carefully, savouring the bitterness as it blazes warmth down into his stomach.
Two figures appear on the horizon, resolving slowly into focus as they draw near.
The taller figure is dressed all in black—hardly a surprise—and the other wears grey sweats with fluorescent yellow trainers. A matching sweatband slashes a jarring line across short curly hair, incongruous enough that Nathan wonders if it’s part of some long-discarded costume.
“Morning. Regretting this yet?” Nathan grins at them both, his smile softening as his eyes connect with Will’s. What he wouldn’t give for a simple hello kiss. “What’s up with the sweatband?”
“I asked the same question, and apparently he just had it hanging around at home.” Will rolls his eyes, glancing at his brother with affectionate exasperation. “Sleep well, Nate?”
“Yeah. Head was a little fuzzy when I woke up, but nothing a shower and coffee couldn’t fix. You?”
“I slept really well.”
“Yeah, because you paced yourself like the lightweight you are.” Jon punches his brother’s shoulder.
Will’s eyes find Nathan’s, a knowing glance passing between them. He clears his throat hastily. “Okay, before we get started, have either of you had a PT session before? Do sports, or go to the gym?”
Will nods, his expression serious. “I go to the gym when I have time.”
“I don’t. Get my exercise in other ways, if you know what I mean.” Jon’s eye flickers shut in an exaggerated wink.
“Well, if you ever wanna start, I can get you a friends and family discount at my gym. Both of you. Let’s start with some stretches.”
He leads them through a basic set, noting what’s easy and where they grimace with effort. Jon’s arms are a little weak, unsurprising for someone with a strong kinetic Gift, and Will’s lower back seems strangely tight for someone who’s on their feet all day.
He pulls sequences of exercises together in his head as he guides them, mentally disregarding the resistance bands.
“Alright. We’ll do a few basic strength-building exercises, nothing too fancy. If you decide you want to keep going after today we’ll work up to more. Crunches first, I’ll show you how to do them properly, and then I want you on your backs on the mats.”
“Oooh, he wants you on your back,” Jon titters.
“Thirty crunches for you. Watch your form, I will make you do them again. Will, you can do fifteen.”
“Hey, that’s not fair!”
Will snickers. He watches closely as Nathan talks them through his actions, his eyes roving not so subtly over Nathan's body.
Nathan lets his sweatshirt ride up a little bit, blood heating as Will’s gaze snaps to his abs. Will starts his fifteen crunches a moment later, his long-sleeve T-shirt also riding up in a staggering coincidence.
Luckily Jon’s too busy grumbling to notice.
“Good! Squats next. Then push-ups.”
The Saveas work diligently through the exercises, Jon’s sharp tongue silenced by hard work. Will labours silently, shooting Nathan shy smiles whenever he receives praise and somehow making squats look flirty.
“Take a breath, hydrate.” Nathan leads the way, grabbing his water bottle and drinking deeply. Jon follows suit, but Will just stands there, looking like he missed something. “You didn’t bring water?”
Jon mutters something about his brother not usually being too thirsty, which Nathan studiously ignores.
“Here.”
Will takes the bottle gratefully. Nathan watches as his throat bobs, lips wrapped around the spout in a way that almost looks…
He shakes his head. Professional. He’s got to be professional.
Jon wipes his mouth with the back of his hand. “How’d you get into personal training anyway? I thought you were destined to toil at the old man’s?”
“Yeah, I did for a while. Got into fitness and then decided to make a career of it.” Nathan accepts his bottle from Will, careful not to let their fingers brush. “We’d best get back to it.”
Jon frowns, ignoring the hint. “Must have walked away from a nice setup. Your dad pays a tidy wage, especially for the strong ones. You’re what, a seven?”
“Eight,” Nathan mumbles, bending to stash his bottle. He roots around in his backpack, buying time to control the expression on his face.
Jon lets out a low whistle. “Ah yeah. Must have been some good money. Why’d you leave? Couldn’t have been because you wanted to take a pay cut teaching people how to do squats properly.”
“Look, it just… I just didn’t want to work for him anymore, okay?” Nathan straightens, looking Jon defiantly in the eyes as he feels his cheeks heat, residual rage and betrayal rising beneath his skin.
Ancient history. It’s ancient history. He made the right call.
Will steps a little closer. “Can I have the water again, Nate?”
“Sure.” The fight drains out of him just as quickly as it flooded in. He turns back to his bag, grateful for the diversion.
“Leave it, alright?” Will murmurs.
“What? I’m not doing anything.”
“Just leave it.”
Nathan turns around, handing Will the bottle.
“Thanks.” Will’s eyes follow him as he saunters casually over to the rope ladder, straightening it minutely on the cold ground.
Nathan clears his throat, determined to press on.
“Alright then. We’re gonna do some circuits now, get that blood pumping.
First, fifteen sit-ups. Then run to that tree and back.
Then fifteen push-ups. Then I want you to run along the ladder, feet in the holes, keep your weight on your toes.
Finally, fifteen squats and then you start again. Got it?”
The Savea brothers gape at him. He grins back. “Don’t worry, you get breaks. Thirty-second breather between each activity.”
“Thirty seconds?” Jon screeches, staring at the rope ladder in horror.
“Five circuits each and we’ll call it a day. Deal?”
They both make it through, in the end. They’re both pink and sweaty, but they make it through, and in his excitement Nathan nearly forgets himself, switching a fist bump for an awkward shoulder pat, Will’s T-shirt hot and damp beneath his palm.
Jon offers to buy him a coffee, but Nathan declines. As much as he’d like an excuse to spend more time with Will, who’s to say Jon won’t start asking questions again?
They part ways with a warm smile and a careful hug, ignoring Jon’s exasperated “just kiss already for fuck’s sake”.
An hour later and Nathan’s at the gym, freshly showered and working with another client, a paying one this time. The day passes quickly, busy enough that he doesn’t get as much as a moment to look at his phone.
When he finally does, at home and lying on his bed after another shower and the biggest bowl of pasta ever, there’s a message from Will, asking if he’s okay.
He takes a moment to sit up, countering the threat of double chins before he video calls.
Will answers immediately, lounging on his sofa with Sausage perched on his shoulder. “Hey.”
“Sorry I didn’t get back to you earlier.”
“It’s alright.” Will lifts a mug to his lips, taking a slow sip. “I’m sorry about Jon. He can be a real arse sometimes.”
“It’s fine. Thanks for telling him off.”
“No problem. How was the rest of your day?”
“It was good. Trained a couple clients, taught a class, worked out myself. I ate like a starving bear when I got home, though.”
“Oh yeah? Boil some rice?”
Nathan laughs, the amusement on Will’s face igniting a warm glow in his chest. “Nah. Boiled some pasta. Sorry to disappoint.”
“You’re never disappointing.”
They sit quietly for a moment, just gazing at each other. Will’s face might be scaled down on the screen in front of him, but Nathan can see the curiosity etched into his expression regardless.
He sighs, steeling himself for a conversation he knows is inevitable. “You want to know what happened?”
“I’ll admit I’m curious. You got so defensive…” Will shrugs, brushing a stand of curly hair behind his ear. “But it’s up to you. I’m not going to push you.”
Memories come flooding back, crashing into him like a tsunami. Good thing the past six months have earned him plenty of practice standing tall against the waves.
“I left my dad’s company because I found out what happened to my mum.”
Will frowns, learning forward to place his mug carefully on the coffee table before him. “Your mum? What do you mean?”