(Untitled)

[schrodingersbot]

Perceptor finishes repleacing the last of the tools he and Cureall used to repair Blaze's weaponry with a soft sigh. He pauses for a moment to peek through the doorway into his office, pleased to see Cureall finally offline. He is still concerned about her, however. Though she was hiding it well, he could still sense her tension as they worked. He

Comments

[big_bang_mech]

Wheeljack leaves Perceptor to his work for several hours, before deciding the scientist has been hunched over the console long enough and he needed a break.

"C'mon, Percy," Wheeljack urged. "Let's go get some energon and refocus."

[schrodingersbot]

So intent on his work is he, that Perceptor barely registers the request at first. After a moment, as the latest line of code flashes by, he glances over at Wheeljack.

"Ah... I am adequately fueled," he replies absently. Used to long hours when he is deeply engrossed in a project, Perceptor is still quite alert and intent on his work. A subroutine informs him that his energy levels are sufficient to keep him operational at acceptable efficiency levels for at least another thirty six hours before he will be forced to seek recharge. "Do not wait for me. I am fine for the moment."

[big_bang_mech]

Wheeljack sighs, shaking his head. "Percy, I need a break. Staring at all of this code is making my CPU ache. Let's take a break, please?"

[schrodingersbot]

Perceptor blinks as his fingers still on the console. Wheeljack has always been one of the very few beings that he feels free to be wholly himself around. The engineer quite easily keeps up with even Perceptor's most technical explanations and discussions, despite the plain-talking outward appearance. It is because of that, that Perceptor sometimes forgets the basic fundamental differences between them.

Perceptor is quite used to extended periods of inactivity as he makes detailed observations, often of incredibly miniscule experimental bodies. He can be content with staring at a screen or a circuit or even a molecule for hours on end without pause, before moving on to the next observational subject for another lengthy stint. Though he prides himself in his ability to fairly well hold his own in most situations, Perceptor is not, by design or intent, a truly physical being

[big_bang_mech]

Wheeljack smiles, glad that Percy is starting to see it his way. "When I get stuck on a problem, I like to take breaks a lot to regroup," he explains, taking Perceptor by the hand and hauling him away for a walk and a little energon. "It helps me see different sides to go at the problem from. I wonder if maybe we're going at this from the wrong angle."

He smiles a little as he hauls Percy to the mess hall for energon, and he wonders absently if they still call it the mess hall now, or if the old nickname has faded into the past like so many of their friends. "A little energon helps me think, too. Ratchet and I did our best troubleshooting over a couple mugs of energon."

[schrodingersbot]

"Yes, I recall," Perceptor agrees with a sad little smile of his own. He'd watched them often enough, under guise of going over some datapad or another. He'd been involved in a few of those discussions, in fact, however he was just as content to sit back out of the way where they wouldn't notice him and observe them.

Before he can allow himself to dwell on that, and possibly affect Wheeljack's mood, he turns his thoughts back towards their work. "I am begining to suspect that we may be forced to wait for the individual to contact Spike again. Perhaps by comparing data-sets, we may find an anomaly that could indicate a potential origin. Or perhaps we will be fortunate enough to catch the actual signal as it is being broadcast. I have nearly exhausted all other avenues of investigation, for the moment," he admits with a frustrated sigh.

[big_bang_mech]

"Like I said, this looks easier on TV," Wheeljack agrees amicably, getting them both some energon and sitting them down in a corner booth, away from the other Autobots.

"It's a guarantee that they'll contact him again, for ransom," he reasons. "So we just have to make sure we're listening and they don't know, right? Which is easy enough, since Metroplex can tap the call without them being the wiser, and we can trace it from there. I think at this point, we just need to wait."

A peculiar sparkle comes to Wheeljack's optics. "I know what we can do to pass the time," he says wickedly.

[schrodingersbot]

"I believe it will be more involved than a simple tap and trace, as you put it," Perceptor observes as he accepts his energon. "After all, we already have that at our disposal on the initial contact. Perhaps a more proactive sensor net, shielded amidst an algorithmic logic gate would yield us the data we require."

In typical Perceptor fashion, he does not take defeat gracefully, nor does he find it easy to put down a problem before it is solved. His stubbornness can be quite daunting at times. Not to mention frustrating.

He totally misses Wheeljack's tone as he continues processing further ideas. "Oh? What do you suggest?" he asks before tipping back another slug of energon.

[big_bang_mech]

Wheeljack leans forward and whispers in Perceptor's audio several ideas, all of which involve the two of them, some high-grade, and a few little "toys" from Ratchet's crate of stuff.

[schrodingersbot]

Perceptor's optics are quite wide and more than a little glazed as he listens to Wheeljack. The engineer comes perilously close to receiving a surprised shower of energon, however Perceptor manages to choke it all down in a rather uncomfortable lump. He can't quite tell if that buzzing he is seeing/hearing/feeling/tasting is the result of the too-large gulp of energon slamming his systems, or his spark doing internal acrobatics.

Primus help him, but he is so sorely tempted. He can only imagine what Cureall's reaction would be to finding them playing, newly bonded or not, while her Daniel is still missing and possibly hurt or worse, not to mention what Rodimus would say, to say nothing of Spike and Carly, and, oh Primus he does not need this temptation right now, damn you Wheeljack! He swallows hard to clear his vocalizer, even has his oh-so-helpful processor begins flashing through vivid mental images.

"'Jack... we still... have work to... do..." he replies weakly. "And I made a promise... not to overindulge in high-grade... anymore

[big_bang_mech]

Wheeljack sobers up a little, nodding. "Okay, Percy. We'll play later, though. With us so recently bonded, we need to bond quite often, to stabilize the bond." He smiles at that thought. "Tonight, work to do or not, we're bonding." He says it in that tone that invites no argument, only compliance.

[schrodingersbot]

Perceptor nods meekly, optics still glazed, CPU still treating him to an all too detailed parade of mental imagery. He knows that it is the right thing to do - to delay until a reasonable rest cycle - however that doesn't stop him from being deeply disappointed.

[big_bang_mech]

Wheeljack pats his leg gently. "Sorry, shouldn't have gotten you all excited," he apologizes. "I'm just excited about finally having you in my life."

He lapses into silence, wanting to comfort his new mate but not sure how to go about it.

[schrodingersbot]

Perceptor offers him an almost shy smile. He is not used to feeling these emotions, not this strongly, and not with any real hope of having them reciprocated. He feels a little lost, still, by the very sensation of being found. It's dizzying.

The guilt isn't helping, either. He truly cares for Daniel and Spike and Carly. He wishes that there was more he could do to assist, to fix everything. But there is also that part of him that is very frightened. He's spent so long wistfully watching from the outside, then mourning, only to have Wheeljack impossibly returned to him, and more. His spark keeps whispering to him to make the most of every moment before his mate is taken away from him.

He compromises by scooting a little closer. "As am I," he replies, before glancing down at his mug. "I... promised not to overindulge anymore. I, ahem, did not promise to give it up entirely."

[big_bang_mech]

Wheeljack smiles and leans over to nuzzle Perceptor's neck. "I'll make sure you don't get drunk," he promises. He shifts to wrap an arm around the scientist's waist, and just rests his cheek against Perceptor's shoulder for a while. "I love you, Percy. We'll get this figured out, and then we'll have some fun."

[schrodingersbot]

Perceptor sighs contentedly. "I look forward to that," he replies in a low, thick whisper, as he wraps an arm around Wheeljack in return. "Very much."