Star Darlings; the Other 12

The More Boring Chapter (My Imagination's Dry)

"He's recovering rather quickly." One of the nurses said to Piper. "He needs alone time for now."

"Thank you," Piper said. "When can I see him?"

"When he wants to." The other nurse said. "We have to go now; one of us will check in on him every few hours."

"Bye," Piper said as they head off.

Piper stood before the door to the infirmary, just receiving how Nicholas is doing. He'd survived and was recovering well due to the ingenious ideas of Hector: drop him in a bin full of water and push it to the freezer. He recovered in less than a day. Now he's just sore, tired, and his limbs still hurt.

Captain Callista approached Piper from behind, stopping before the infirmary door. "He's ok, isn't he?"

"He's out of the danger zone, but he's sore, tired, and hurting."

"Pretty good results considering parts of his body nearly got melted off."

"All thanks to Hector; the ice water idea was ingenious."

"Agreed." Callista turned to Piper. "Also, are you dating my nephew?"

"Uh..."

"Don't be embarrassed." Callista patted her on the back. "I've known you two are going to start dating ever since you came to me to rescue him at Siren Island."

Piper flushed. "You're not uncomfortable with me dating your nephew?"

"I'm glad you are; everyone needs someone in their life," Callista said. "Did the nurse say we can see him?"

"It's not recommended, but we can go see him."

"Ok; I'll go visit him later," Callista said. "I still have some work to do, etc... I don't have time right now."

"I'll see you again," Piper said as Callista headed off.

Piper peeked her head into where Nicholas was resting. He was lying on his bed, eyes gazing at the ceiling. He was wearing a t-shirt, his arms peppered with lighter spots where he was reformed by the water in the freezer idea. His face was normal, though like on his arms, his face peppered with lighter patches that weren't fully healed by the icy water. What hurt Piper was the lost look in his eyes, as if he was still in the torture room. It didn't look like Nicholas. He always had that sharp, alert look in his eyes

"Nicholas?" Piper asked.

His gaze snapped to Piper, and his eyes brightened. "Piper." He said, sitting up. Piper sat down beside him, reaching forward to grab his hands. "So, what sea winds blew you here?"

"Do you not want me to be here?" Piper asked, raising an eyebrow. "I can always-"

"No, I want you here," Nicholas said. "It's lonely sitting around waiting for the ice to wield into me-- literally."

"Does it still hurt?" Piper asked, touching one of the patches on his face.

"A bit," Nicholas admitted. "But it's fine now."

Piper moved her thumb under his left eye. "I just can't believe they'll put you in that room and... laugh at you as you're tortured. I hate them."

"It's understandable," Nicholas said, lying down on his back again. "I wasn't... the most liked person in the Skylars. I raided their outposts multiple times, destroying their supply trains, and participating in assassinations on their leaders doesn't help."

"But that doesn't explain to you they... do that." Piper objected, moving closer to keep her hand on his face. "You don't deserve this, no matter how many bad things you did."