Nathan was in mid-pace and mid-vent when Peter appeared and abruptly changed their surroundings, but being teleported straight into the air wasn't exactly new. Unexpected and disorienting for the unexpectedness of it right now, yes, so it took Nathan several seconds of free fall to shift his mind and take in his surroundings. Desert, not ocean, which didn't meant controlled decent for an ocean plunge, it meant flying. For several more after that, he let them fall, waiting for the point Peter would break off form him and they'd both go racing in whatever direction Peter would label the end point of the flight race.
But Peter wasn't pulling up. He still had a hold of Nathan, but he was just falling, they were both just falling. He wasn't trying to fly. Why the fuck was Peter not pulling up?
Well in enough time to stop from hitting the ground, but still without the boundaries of making Nathan's heart race, he grabbed Peter instead and pulled them both out of the freefall, shooting straight up until he'd reached a height he was comfortable with, and then held the position with a controlled hover.
What the hell was that? he demanded, nearly shaking Peter as he caught his breath. It hadn't been a joke or the usual attempt to let off steam, that much he could tell by the underlying emotions of it, so what had it been?