Oh, golly—I hope I'm not repeating something I already told you.
SPOILERS FOR "NEW TRACKS" IF YOU HAVEN'T READ IT (they're not spoilers if you have, obviously): The scene where Nick walks in on Stephen's hydrotherapy and sees his scars? That went through several incarnations before it made its way onto the page. I originally imagined it happening later in Stephen's recovery, in the Ark locker room, where Nick is being nosy and Stephen finally has enough and basically flashes him to show off his scars. My idea was that Stephen would be doing it in an exasperated, not quite spiteful way, not expecting Nick's reaction—and that poor Nick would, of course, see the scars and be far more horrified than Stephen expected. I couldn't get a handle on the scene that way, though. Sometimes, I felt like Stephen was being too nasty. Mostly, though, Nick wouldn't stop hyperventilating, and I couldn't get him out of the scene to recover. I needed to separate the boys, to give each of them time to process, so I ended up setting that scene where someone could send Nick away.
Otherwise, it probably would have gone into the third fic, which still exists only in my head (but may some day exist outside, and if it does, you'll be the second to know, after Brilliant Husband). I think it works better where I put it in the series; it's still part of the healing process, and it needs to happen well before Stephen's back in a position where he's well enough to be in the locker room.
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SPOILERS FOR "NEW TRACKS" IF YOU HAVEN'T READ IT (they're not spoilers if you have, obviously):
The scene where Nick walks in on Stephen's hydrotherapy and sees his scars? That went through several incarnations before it made its way onto the page. I originally imagined it happening later in Stephen's recovery, in the Ark locker room, where Nick is being nosy and Stephen finally has enough and basically flashes him to show off his scars. My idea was that Stephen would be doing it in an exasperated, not quite spiteful way, not expecting Nick's reaction—and that poor Nick would, of course, see the scars and be far more horrified than Stephen expected. I couldn't get a handle on the scene that way, though. Sometimes, I felt like Stephen was being too nasty. Mostly, though, Nick wouldn't stop hyperventilating, and I couldn't get him out of the scene to recover. I needed to separate the boys, to give each of them time to process, so I ended up setting that scene where someone could send Nick away.
Otherwise, it probably would have gone into the third fic, which still exists only in my head (but may some day exist outside, and if it does, you'll be the second to know, after Brilliant Husband). I think it works better where I put it in the series; it's still part of the healing process, and it needs to happen well before Stephen's back in a position where he's well enough to be in the locker room.