GABRIEL DIDN'T SLEEP WELL that night. Isabel told him to sleep on the couch as punishment, and being so stiff and tired, he didn't protest. He needed a bed, and he didn't want to make anything worse. So, he woke up the next day with a kink in his back and more exhaustion than he went to bed with.

He got ready and went to work. Isabel didn't come out of the room and disturb him; one of the perks of being a housewife meant that she could do what she wanted, whenever she wanted. Gabriel resented her for that. The sun was already out, Autumn making the days shorter but more of a bore. He drove to work, got dressed in his uniform, leaving his wedding ring and other belongings in his locker, and met up with the captain for his morning drills with the rest of the crew. Nathaniel waved him an excited greeting as he made eye contact with Gabriel. He reciprocated and got stuck into the drill with the rest of the firefighters.

Thank God it was a mental stimulation drill. Gabriel didn't think he would have made it through a full physical drill; his back was aching. He was made to screw a bag of nuts onto bolts and told to arrange the bolts in size order. It took a little while, but by the first dozen he was nimble, and completed the task well before the others. The captain admired that about Gabriel. He was a gifted person that made his job of being a firefighter so much easier.

Once the drills were done with, an incident happened. The sirens rang, and the crew went to the scene in the firetruck. There was an accident; a T-bone collision at a nearby intersection. The roads needed to be closed and the two cars needed to be secured and checked for fuel leakage. One of the drivers was trapped.

They arrived on the scene. The captain instructed Gabriel to check the cars for hazards and to make sure they wouldn't move, while the others secured the area and redirected traffic. Police soon arrived on the scene, as well as paramedics.

He checked under the cars for leakage; none. He secured the cars. The captain instructed Gabriel to move the other passengers to a safe zone; Nathaniel was instructed with assessing the trapped passenger.

His leg was crushed. It was a miracle he didn't die.

The Captain took control of the roads, redirecting traffic with the aid of another firefighter. Nathaniel, with the help of machinery from the fire engine, cut the car door off and helped the EMT's stabilise the survivor. There was so much blood and flesh; Gabriel could see anxiety paint Nathaniel's face from the safe zone.

Once stabilised, the EMT's loaded the survivor onto the ambulance. The other driver was told that they may have a concussion from the airbag and was also taken in the ambulance. Both drivers incapacitated, the police called in tow trucks to remove the vehicles.

Once the cars were taken and the people were driven to a hospital, there wasn't much left to do for the fire-fighters. The crew went back to the station.

#

"Christ, how did you have time to get fast food?" Gabriel asked Nathaniel, who pulled a paper bag out of the fridge. "Wouldn't it be all gross and greasy now that it's cold?"

"I bought it before I got here this morning, and yes, the microwave will make it taste good. After what just happened, a burger sounds bloody good."

"The fire station has a psychologist if you need it. Don't forget that."

Nathaniel nodded, waving a dismissing hand. "I'll be right for now. Might go after work. All I wanna do is eat right now."

He heated his food up and sat next to Gabriel, digging straight into his KFC Zinger Burger. Gabriel, fork in hand, stabbed at his Caesar salad, watching in disgust.

"You're gonna get fat if you have that every day. Won't make your physical exam any easier."

Nathaniel shrugged. "I'll be fine. I gym regularly. I'll keep in shape."

Gabriel smirked to himself. "Sure. But, in the long run when you do jobs like you did today every day for weeks, you will get too tired to gym regularly. It's better to just eat healthy."

"Want to bet? See whose lifestyle is better?"

Gabriel, finishing off the last of his salad, arched an eyebrow. "...I'm game. What is it?"

"You and me. Treadmills in the on-site gym. Whoever can outrun and outlast the other, must eat whatever the winner wants them to eat. The loser has to pay for it."

Gabriel snorted. "Free meal and I get to prove I'm right? Count me in. Let's go."

#

After getting changed into their gym clothes, Gabriel and Nathaniel walked to the gym. The room was spacious, filled with all sorts of exercising paraphernalia, yoga mats, and mirrors for gym rats to flex at. Much to their luck, nobody was using the treadmills. As Nathaniel inspected one of the treadmills, Gabriel took a moment to gaze at him. His gym singlet clung around his frame, Gabriel's eyes trailing from his broad shoulders down the small of his back to the curve of his ass. Those shorts he was wearing were doing him no favours in hiding his taut, muscly thighs, covered in a thin layer of hair.

Mmph. Built like a rugby player.

"Ready to get absolutely owned, old man?" Nathaniel said. The man looked Gabriel up and down, obviously noticing Gabriel's stares. Gabriel sheepishly turned away, embarrassed.

"I'm only like, five years older than you."

Nathaniel feigned deafness. "Sorry? Did I just hear you needed a hip replacement? I'll call an ambulance."

They shared a laugh, breaking the awkward atmosphere from before. Gabriel walked to the treadmill, looking at the buttons. He hadn't done cardio in a while, mostly focusing on weight-training. This should be more than okay, though. He's got the stamina.

"Ready?" Nathaniel asked. Gabriel nodded.

They agreed to start on 4th speed. On a scale of 1-10, 4th was nothing more than a brisk walk, done easily by both firefighters.

"Come on, probie. I could do this all day."

Gabriel bumped it up to the 6th speed. Nathaniel did the same, laughing at the word probie. "Is that what they call me? Damn, rookie sounded better. Sounds like I'm some alien apparatus."

"You're a probationary fireman. Probie is more fitting. Anyway, are you starting to sweat? It's only 6th."

"This... is nothing!"

Nathaniel bumped it up to the 7th speed. Gabriel matched him.

The speed was now a medium jog, both men beginning to pant and sweat. Gabriel eased back on the taunts, focusing on his breathing. Nathaniel's breathing only got heavier and louder as the seconds ticked by. Gabriel's got this in the bag.

"8th?" Gabriel managed to say. Nathaniel could only do a thumbs up in response. The two increased the speed, and after a minute, Nathaniel tapped out, putting either foot on the sides of the treadmill. He caught his breath as Gabriel turned his machine off.

"You... won...." Nathaniel said between breaths. Gabriel, sweaty and only just managing to get his breathing under control, stood proudly, before sitting down and resting his legs.

"Guess who's getting one bomb ass garden salad next week."

"Garden?! You had Caesar this week, why do I get a garden one?"

"Well, you should have challenged me last week then, probie."

The two share a strained laugh. As Gabriel went to stand, Nathaniel reached for the hem of his shirt, peeling the fabric from his sweaty body. Gabriel stood, almost slack jawed as he looked at the other man, bare chest and arms rippling with muscle. It wasn't all muscle, though; he did have a bit of fat on him, but that only made him look sexier to Gabriel.

"Do you like my tats?" Nathaniel said, looking at Gabriel. To be frank, Gabriel didn't notice the tattoos right away. He was busy eyeing off Nathaniel's midriff, his pecks, his nipples. Good grief.

Nathaniel moved closer. "Got one on the side here, just a flower. It's for my dad. He passed away a few years ago; got this tattoo to remember him by. Then, got this other tat on my peck," he moved his chest closer to Gabriel's direct line of sight, "of a Magikarp. It's a Pokémon. How cool is it?"

Gabriel didn't know what to think. He was more of a Digimon fan, but he admired the creativity of the tattoo. It was of a fish, the Magikarp he assumed, chopped up and made into sushi.

"It's... nice."

"Thanks, I guess." Nathaniel grabbed his shirt and tossed it over his shoulder. "Y'know," Nathaniel said, eyes meeting Gabriel's, "since you're making me eat salad, maybe we should make this gymming thing a regular thing. What do you say? I can make sure I'm gonna pass my physical by staying in shape, and you can make sure you don't wither away from old age?"

Gabriel shook his head, chuckling. "I have my own physicals I need to pass as well. They're not just a probie thing. And, again, I'm not that old!"

"Sure, old man. Also, stop calling me probie," Nathaniel said, half-smiling. "It feels... demeaning."

Gabriel shook his head. "Nope. It is now your nickname. Probie. Good luck, because now I'm going to make sure I say it at every opportunity now. Probie."

Nathaniel shook his head. "I hate you."

Laughing, Gabriel stood up. "And, to answer your question, yes. Gymming together would be nice."

"Woohoo! Damn, first day I made you as a friend, and the second day we're now gym bros. This first week is going off without a hitch."

"Don't let it get to your head, probie."

Nathaniel grimaced, making Gabriel laugh. "Go shower. I'll meet you outside after."

"Yes, grandpa."

With that, Nathaniel left, walking towards the shower area. Gabriel watched, eyes lingering on his back muscles, his broad shoulders, his tousled hair. He sat down. Reality came back. Isabel came back into his mind. He put his head in his hands, guilt flowing through his veins.

He shouldn't be doing this with Nathaniel.

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