The first thing Grayson became aware of was the sterile scent of antiseptic. His eyelids felt so heavy that opening them took a lot of effort. Looking at the ceiling, the white walls, and the medical equipment, it seemed that he was in a hospital.

Grayson attempted to piece together the fragmented memories swimming through his consciousness.

The starship... the star pirates... And then—

Nothing.

There’s nothing again.

His silver eyes, sharp even in his disoriented state, swept across the room. Slumped in the chair beside his bed was Neville Hope. He was folded into the uncomfortable hospital chair.

His hazel-brown hair was disheveled, falling across his forehead in messy waves, his nerd glasses perched on his nose. The small red mole under the corner of his right eye stood out against his pale complexion.

He looked exhausted.

But Grayson found himself unable to look away.

How long had he been sitting there? How long had he been unconscious?

He flexed his fingers and found something different. His body felt a lot lighter than before.

Had they found a cure?

Grayson closed his eyes and turned his attention to his spiritual realm. The familiar darkness greeted him, but something was different. The black substance seemed... a lot less than usual. Not entirely gone, but significantly less.

It made him curious.

A soft whimper drew his attention back to the present.

Neville moved, his expression twisting in distress as he muttered something he didn’t catch. His hand twitched, reaching for something that existed only in his dreams. Before Grayson could fully process what he was doing, his own hand moved to cover Neville’s.

The touch was addicting.

Neville’s skin was cool against his palm, soft in a way that hid the strength that Grayson saw when they were fighting against the star pirates before. The faint scent of the ocean drifted toward him, which always seemed to soothe him in a way.

Then, Neville’s eyes snapped open.

For a moment, neither of them moved.

Neville stared at Grayson and blinked a couple of times.

○●○●

Grayson propped himself up slightly against the pillows, his silver eyes fixed on Neville. He had an unreadable expression on his face as he continued to stare at him. 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

How long had he been watching?

Neville deliberately stretched naturally towards Grayson and said, "You’re awake."

Grayson pushed himself up further, waving away Neville’s instinctive move to help.

"How long was I out?" His voice was rough but steady.

"Three days in the life pod," Neville reported automatically. "Another eight hours here."

Grayson processed this with a slow nod, his gaze never leaving Neville’s face. Being the subject of such attention from Grayson made him conscious of whether he had missed dying some parts of his hair. Still, Neville resisted the urge to check his hair, to adjust his glasses, to do anything that might draw attention to any part of him.

"Bryan?" Grayson asked.

"In another hospital. He woke up earlier than you."

Another nod. A pause that stretched just long enough to become uncomfortable.

"And you?"

Neville blinked, caught off guard.

"Me?" The word came out more surprised than he had intended. "I’m fine. A little tired, but nothing serious."

Grayson’s eyes narrowed slightly, as if he didn’t quite believe what he said. But before he could push further, Neville quickly said.

"How are you feeling? Any pain? Dizziness?"

"It’s fine," Grayson replied with the same flat certainty.

Neville’s eye twitched.

He forgot that asking a patient about their own condition was clearly a waste of time. Especially a patient as stubborn as Grayson, that only by loosing a limb would only say that he wasn’t fine.

Neville promptly pressed the button to call a nurse or doctor on duty. "Dr. Miranda should take a look at you. I’ll let Julius know you’re awake."

He stepped toward the door, cracking it open to find Julius exactly where he had expected him to be.

Their eyes met, and Neville said, "He’s awake."

Julius nodded once and pulled out his light brain, presumably to send the necessary messages.

Neville turned back into the room, and Grayson was watching him again.

"Is there anything you want?" Neville asked, moving back toward the bed. "Water? The doctors should be here soon, but if you need—"

"Some food, maybe."

The request was so unexpectedly normal that Neville almost laughed.

"Wait a second," Neville said, already turning toward the door. He caught Julius’s attention before he could disappear down the hallway. "Is there a kitchen nearby? Somewhere I could prepare something?"

"There’s a small private kitchen. Far end of the aisle, past the third intersection." Julius replied casually.

"Thank you."

Neville ducked back into the room. Grayson slightly raised an eyebrow.

"I’ll be back shortly," Neville said. "The doctors should arrive before I return, but if you need anything—"

"I’m fine with anything."

Neville blinked a couple of times before nodding and fleeing to the kitchen.

○●○●

Grayson swung his legs over the edge of the bed just as the door opened to reveal Julius.

"Sir." Julius moved forward immediately, one hand extended as though to catch Grayson should he topple. "Let me assist you."

"I’m not an invalid." Grayson’s tone was dry but not unkind.

"With all due respect, sir, we almost lost you in space."

"Is that my problem?"

Julius’s jaw tightened at Grayson’s words.

"Your vitals kept fluctuating, your spiritual realm was in chaos," Julius explained.

"So?" Grayson tilted his head as if he didn’t care as long as he was alive and breathing in the present.

Julius couldn’t help but purse his lips.

Grayson saw that Julius had nothing more to say and stood up. "I need a few minutes, and then you’re going to tell me everything that happened while I was out."

"I’ll be right outside." Julius nodded, stepping back to allow Grayson to pass through while remaining close enough to intervene if necessary.

The hospital bathroom was small but functional.

Grayson locked the door behind him and approached the mirror. His reflection stared back at him, looking tired like every other patient, but in good spirits. He turned, craning his neck to see the back of his neck in the mirror.

It’s still there.