Chapter Text
When all was said and done, things had gone relatively smoothly.
Well. As smoothly as the lab’s security system going off randomly and triggering dozens of crisscrossing lasers to fill the space between the two scientists and the security system shut off could go.
At least Brainstorm had been able to warn Perceptor that it wasn’t just a regular laser grid but one that utilized actual deadly lasers before his lab partner could get scorched. Though it had really been a near thing, and only Brainstorm bodily wrapping his arms around Perceptor’s middle and yanking him back had saved his fingertips from melting right off.
Maybe upgrading the lasers without mentioning it to Perceptor had been a bit of an oversight.
And alright, yes, yes, the placement of the shut off was definitely an oversight.
But once it had been determined that they would have to help each other maneuver through the grid, they worked together to find the safest path through.
(Ok fine, Perceptor plotted the safest path and Brainstorm just double-checked his work before agreeing.)
And it had gone smoothly. They used each other for balance and spotting as they moved over and under and between lasers, slowly and carefully making it through. Perceptor saved Brainstorm’s wings a total of eight times before Brainstorm had to save Perceptor from having the end of his scope sliced clean off by a laser he had misjudged the height of.
But it was fine. It was going hunky dory.
Until Brainstorm slipped on some green ooze that had spilled when a laser had cut right through the glass that had contained it. And took Perceptor down with him.
They were fortunate that neither of them were hit too bad. Brainstorm could feel where he had lost a chunk of kibble off his arm and Perceptor seemed whole.
Perceptor was also sprawled over his front, pinning Brainstorm to the floor, and oh wow.
Oh no.
“Are you alright?”
“Fine,” Brainstorm squeaked out. When Perceptor lifted his helm to look at his face, looking rather unconvinced and so fragging close, Brainstorm cleared his vocalizer of static and managed, “Just lost a bit off my arm. No biggie. Ratchet owed me a favor anyway.”
“There is no possible way that’s true.”
“You can still see where my arm is smoking.”
“No. That in the net sum of favors owed between you and Ratchet, you’re the one who’s owed.”
“Fair enough. You see a way out of this?”
Perceptor looked around as carefully as he could while Brainstorm did the same.
“Send me your visual data and access to your optics,” Perceptor said as Brainstorm already felt the wireless nudge against his visual systems. “I have an idea, but I’ll need your continued perspective to see if it’s achievable and if it is to then successfully pursue it.”
“Ok,” Brainstorm managed around where his spark had jumped into his intake.
It wasn’t a full joining of systems. It wasn’t anywhere close to the same neighborhood as a system interface. It wasn’t unusual for professional partners to share singular systems to obtain direct access to a second perspective.
But Brainstorm had to lock his joints to keep from shuddering as Perceptor took control of his optics.
“Thank you. Now… hm. Yes. Alright.” Perceptor’s arms shifted from where they had been pressed to Brainstorm’s chest, moving until his elbows were braced on either side of Brainstorm’s helm, and his legs moved to part around Brainstorm’s and shift up to bracket his hips, and his face was still so close, and it took every fiber of Brainstorm’s willpower to not rip control back from Perceptor so he could look at his face, at his mouth—
“I’m going to kick my legs up and will need you to catch and hold my waist at an eighty-five degree angle from the floor while I further shift myself into the necessary position to finish this maneuver. Can you do that?”
Brainstorm’s servos twitched at his sides as he nodded.
“Yeah. Yep. Definitely.”
“Good. On three.”
Even with the countdown, the huff of Perceptor’s ex-vent against Brainstorm’s face and his grunt against Brainstorm’s audial caught him off guard and it was a near thing as his servos darted up to grasp Perceptor’s slim waist. But nevertheless he did, holding Perceptor’s weight above him, and wow. Scrap. Perceptor had such good control of his painfully well-built frame.
It wasn’t fair that Perceptor was focusing his optics on the lasers around Perceptor and not the arch of his back that had to be gorgeous.
“Do you think you could lift me a bit higher so I can get onto my servos?”
“Yep, yep, for sure, yep. Not totally sure how long I can hold you after that though since I wasn’t exactly built for strength.”
“Understood. On the first three I need you to lift, and on the second three you can let go. Can you manage—”
“Yeah, just go, I’m starting to lose my grip.”
“One, two, three—”
Brainstorm was the one to grunt this time as he pushed his frame to lift Perceptor further. Perceptor’s servos slapped down to the floor, his elbows bent and audibly clicking as his arms prepared for something.
And that’s when Brainstorm’s processor finally managed to finish an inquiry.
“Wait. What’re you even doing?”
And Perceptor actually redirected Brainstorm’s optics to his face – so close! – and smirked at him.
“Three.”
Brainstorm’s servos went lax, and Perceptor’s elbows bent deeper for a moment, bringing his lips close enough that Brainstorm would swear they had brushed together.
And then like a spring, Perceptor was pushing up and up and off the floor, his frame flipping over backwards and perfectly slipping between deadly lasers like it was easy, before finally landing in a crouch.
There was no denying it.
Brainstorm was fragging wet behind his panels
All he could do was lay there, helm tipped back as he watched Perceptor crawl under the last couple lasers before standing in front of the security system shut off, already typing away like it was a perfectly normal day.
Fragging Wreckers.