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Perceptor sighs and rests his head on Brainstorm’s shoulder.
“As much as I appreciate you helping me decide to go to Rung, it seems now that you really should have taken your own advice.”
Brainstorm laughs a little hollowly. “Yeah, I guess. Figures that we’re only having this conversation when I’m sitting in cell.”
“Your trial will be over soon enough. You’ll see.” Perceptor glances up at Brainstorm’s face, hidden behind his mask but still so easily readable. “Why didn’t you go to Rung?”
Braisntorm shrugs and looks away. “I don’t know. I figured I was doing okay. I had goals. Or...I had a goal. I wasn’t stuck in my habsuite. I was talking to mechs. Figured that meant I couldn’t be doing too badly. Guess I didn’t really think it all the way through. Rung would probably say something about unhealthy coping mechanisms or something.” He laughs again.
Perceptor doesn’t laugh. “Do you think he’d be right if he said that?”
“I don’t know. Probably. I mean, the plan didn’t work out so well.” Brainstorm’s wings droop.
“I understand why you did it, though, or at least I believe that I do. If I thought that there was a way I could have fixed all of this, if I could have stopped Overlord’s creation, or even just his placement on the Lost Light...” Perceptor trails off. “At any rate, I understand.”
Brainstorm shifts uncomfortably. “Yeah. I wish I could’ve actually done it. Pulled that trigger.”
“If what Rewind had described is to be believed, it still would have ended poorly for the vast majority of us, and you likely wouldn’t have been created,” Perceptor offers in an attempt at comfort.
“Yeah, not being created isn’t really ideal, but it seemed like a pretty low price to pay if I could save everyone else,” Brainstorm shrugs.
“Your calculations were faulty.” Perceptor elbows him.
“What calculations were faulty? The machine worked exactly as it was meant to! Or it did until you tampered with it,” Brainstorm gently elbows him back.
“No, the machine was genius. The errors came when you calculated the cost of this plan. There is no plan that you could have devised where I would have considered your loss acceptable.” Perceptor looks up at Brainstorm. “Not one.”
Brainstorm stares at Perceptor for a long moment, his wings twitching in a way that Perceptor doesn’t recognize. Perceptor holds his gaze steadily. He’s telling the truth and Brainstorm needs to know it.
“Primus, Percy.” Brainstorm sounds painfully raw and exposed and Perceptor doesn’t know what to do with this. He shifts and for a moment Perceptor is sure that he’s said something wrong, that Brainstorm is going to ask him to leave. Before he can open his mouth to object, to apologize, to say something that can attempt to make things right, Brainstorm is facing him, cupping Perceptor’s face in his hands and resting their foreheads together. “You have no idea now much it means to hear you say that to me.”
“It’s true,” Perceptor says. He has to keep his voice low, like if he speaks too loudly it’ll shatter whatever is happening here. “I wouldn’t lie about that.”
“I know you wouldn’t.” Brainstorm sounds very small and very delicate. “I want what you’re offering, Perceptor. I want you. I want to be with you, but I can’t right now. Not yet.” He pulls back and the loss of Brainstorm’s warmth is sharp and painful.
“I understand,” Perceptor has to struggle not to lean after him. “Take care of yourself. I’m not going anywhere.” He lets himself be jostled as Brainstorm settles back the way he had been, back against the wall and Perceptor tucked in against his side.
“Thanks, Percy,” Brainstorm says quietly once they’re resettled. “Hey, so I’m not allowed to have comms in here. Could I ask you a favor?”
“Anything,” Perceptor replies with hesitation.
“Can you ask Rung to come here so I can talk to him?” Brainstorm’s wings are twitching with anxiety.
“Yes, absolutely. I’ll go see him as soon as I leave here.”
“And...can you stay while I talk to him? At least for the first time?” Brainstorm presses on. Perceptor rests his head more comfortably against Brainstorm’s shoulder.
“Yes. I can stay as long as you need,” Perceptor promises, and is rewarded with Brainstorm visibly relaxing.
“Thank you, Percy.”
“Of course.”