76 – What Are We?

After finishing his dinner his father went straight to bed without even telling them goodnight.

They weren't sure if it was because he was aware of their relationship and biding his time or that he was simply too exhausted to care about talking with them.

Dave definitely didn't care either way. He smirked watching his exhausted looking father. 'It must be hard dealing with no results after all that work. No... worse... he is still weakening despite all of his hard work. On the contrary, all that hard work might actually be exacerbating things as his body cannibalizes his muscles just to keep up with the workouts he is used to performing due to his former ability,' he thought smugly.

=Monday Morning, Home=

Dave woke up with Jackie still laying on his chest with her chest rising and falling slowly He gently brushed his fingers through her hair.

Her eyes fluttered open. The moment she saw him a smile spread over her lips.

"Good morning," he said softly.

Her eyes closed lazily. "Mmmm... you too," she mumbled.

After a few moments her smile seemed to falter a little. She seemed like she wanted to say something, but hesitated.

He smiled encouragingly as he continued gently running his hand through her hair. "What is it?" He asked.

She nodded slightly. "I was just wondering... what are we?" She asked, her voice barely a whisper.

He smirked, his hand wrapped around her lower back pulling her closer against him. He looked down into her eyes.

"Isn't it clear? You're mine," he said with a hint of possessiveness in his tone.

She blushed.

She looked up at him with a little concern. "What about... you know... our situation?" She asked hesitantly.

He placed his free hand on her cheek. "I'll take care of it. Just give me a little more time. I already have a job now and a client so some money will be coming in which is part of my preparations," he said.

She closed her eyes leaning into his hand and slowly nodded with a hum. "Ok... I'll trust you," she said.

After quickly doing his morning workout which she watched with a glint in her eyes from the bed he left the room to take his morning shower.

=Wednesday Afternoon, Sports Gym, Café=

The first half of the week had been rather uneventful since he was no longer an apprentice, but still only had one customer and no appointments during the weekend.

Instead he focused on further training both his body and brushing up on his fighting skills at the two gyms and spending time with Jackie. Out of all women he was involved with she was the one he spent the most time with by far. Although he liked Kate too, but it was hard to keep his hands of Jackie when she was always there at home waiting and ready for him. It just meant he didn't have as much time to spend with Kate though he made sure to keep contact with her through text messages and calls even when he couldn't spend time with her in person.

Dave was waiting in the café drinking a protein shake because it was a relatively cheap and easy way to supplement his nutrients to fuel his ever growing physique. The wall between the café and the main hall of the gym had a windows all along it which he was using to people watch while waiting for Sophia to finish getting ready for their true first session.

Sophia eventually walked out of the women's changing room with her hair tied back and wearing her gym clothes.

Dave smiled playfully. "Are you sure you even need my help?" He said jokingly.

She smiled. "Aww... thank you," she said.

He quickly downed what was left of the protein shake. "Ahhh... ready?" He asked.

"I am if you are," she said.

He guided her through the set of exercises he had planned for her. He had spent the few days since their introduction refining his workout plan for her based on her desires and the results of their first session.

Unfortunately he wasn't able to progress their relationship into a more romantic direction, but just improving their relationship as instructor and client was a good start.

=Saturday, Martial Gym=

Don blocked one of Dave's punches. The glove making a loud smacking sound as it struck the training pad.

He quickly shifted the pad and Dave adjusted his footing accordingly sending another fast jab at the target.

Don straightened up with a smile. "Good. You've been improving much more than I expected," he said.

Dave lowered his gloves with a soft smile his breathing elevated from the intense training. "I would hope so with all the hours I have been practicing," he said.

Don shook his head. "Even still. It's only been two weeks. How many hours could you have practiced? You're a little monster," he said with a chuckle.

Dave shrugged. "Maybe it's natural talent?" He offered.

'Not that there is anything natural about my talent,' he though to himself.

Don smiled. "Whatever it is if you keep up this way you could go pro," he said.

Dave shook his head. "No, this is just a hobby and meant for self-defense," he said quickly.

With it being something so entwined with his father's identity on the one hand it could be a small form of revenge to outdo his father in his own specialty. At the same time it would be achieving everything his father wanted from him in the first place and potentially add to his legacy by having a son exceed at the same thing. Dave didn't want to get too involved in that world nor did he want to possibly make his father proud. Any desire for such things had long been killed by his father.

Don sighed. He raised the pad. "Such a shame. Let me know if you change your mind. Now it's time for round two," he said.