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Perceptor staggered into his quarters, prepared for one or both of the twins to be waiting for him, the way they always did after a battle. He had been offended by the gesture at first, thinking they were implying that he was not strong enough to survive on his own or that he needed to be fussed over like a weaker framed mech—and he was old, but he was not weak. As he had gotten to know them and grown more attached to them, he began to understand that it was more than that. Sunstreaker and Sideswipe fussed over him because they didn’t know any other way to show they cared.
It was a gesture that, once he saw it for what it was, touched him deeply.
Sunstreaker looked up from the series of scratches he was filling in on his armor. “You look awful.”
“So do you.” The scientist made his way across the room to his berth and sat on it heavily. “You and your brother sustained no major damages?”
“No, but the labs are slagged.” The golden twin stood and crossed the small distance between them. “What about you? I know you weren’t there when the Decepticons hit us, but all of the high profile areas got it this time.”
“I was with Prowl on the command deck.” Perceptor lifted an arm, offering the younger mech an embrace. Sunstreaker settled into it, for once not putting on a show of letting Perceptor hold him just because the scientist wanted a hug. When he felt the warrior’s plating trembling slightly under his hand, the older mech put his other arm around him in a proper hug and held him tightly. “We both escaped with minor injuries, though the Decepticons abducted several of our mechs. No one knows why.”
“You were limping,” Sunstreaker pointed out.
“It’s nothing.” The scientist smoothed a hand over the warrior’s helm. “Old damage aggravated by the battle.”
“Let me see. Sideswipe and I know more than a little about fixing up old damage.” The golden twin untangled himself from Perceptor’s embrace.
“Sunstreaker, I appreciate your concern,” Perceptor gave him a small smile, “But this damage is older than you and your brother. I doubt there is much you can do after so many vorns.”
“If nothing else, I can make it hurt less.” Sunstreaker scowled at his refusal. “Even if I couldn’t save your labs or your projects or your research. I can at least help you.”
“Oh, Sunstreaker.” Despite the hard tone the golden twin had tried to use, Perceptor heard the underlying note of defeat. “Losing the lab was not your fault.”
“It was. We should have tried harder. We couldn’t even manage to save a stupid scanner.” Carefully, Sunstreaker manipulated his limbs, moving the scientist around until he was lying on the berth in a position that suited his criteria. “It’s your hip joint again, right?”
“Yes, it is.” The older mech reached out and placed a comforting hand on the younger mech’s shoulder. Sunstreaker flinched at the touch. “And no, it was not your fault. You saved the things that mattered. The members of the science team are all accounted for, and none with injuries more serious than a damaged joint or two. Everything that was lost was simply material items with no real value.”
“How can you, of all mechs, say that? You valued all that stuff more than anyone else on the team.” The warrior’s nimble fingers began digging into the plating above Perceptor’s hip joint, looking for the catch that would release it and allow access to his internal components.
“Because, the things that truly matter are still present. Projects can be restarted and research can be duplicated. Living sparks cannot be replaced.” He grabbed Sunstreaker’s hand, stalling the mech’s work for a moment. “This war has taught me many things, the most important of which is that the mechs we care about—the ones we love—are priceless and worth more than all the research and all the scientific theories in all the universe combined.”
The golden twin didn’t answer. His gaze was fixed on a point somewhere near the center of Perceptor’s abdominal plating, but his hand tightened around the scientist’s.
“You and your brother saved the things that mattered today,” he repeated. “And then you made sure to bring yourselves home to me, as well.”
Sunstreaker’s posture wilted, and he sunk down until his head was resting against Perceptor’s abdominal plates. “Why are you so understanding when everyone else would be angry?”
“Because, especially in this instance, anger serves no purpose but to make us both upset over something that doesn’t matter.” The scientist moved his free hand to the back of the warrior’s head and stroked the gold plating gently. “And it’s difficult to be angry when I’m so very proud of you.”
“Proud?” The confusion was evident in the younger mech’s tone.
“Yes, proud.” Perceptor smiled, even though Sunstreaker couldn’t see it from his position. “More proud than I could be if I had built you myself.”
He wasn’t quite certain, Sunstreaker was still resting at an awkward angle after all, but he thought he saw the warrior’s lip components quirk up into a tiny smile.
-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-
Sometime later, long after Sunstreaker had untangled the cables and smoothed off the rough edges in his hip joint and dropped into recharge curled up beside him, Sideswipe snuck quietly into the room. Perceptor gave the silver twin a smile when he saw him and help up an arm in a welcoming gesture. Sideswipe took the gesture as an invitation to join them on the berth and cuddled up against Perceptor’s open side. The scientist wasn’t at all surprised at the fact that he didn’t mind; the twins had long ago stolen their way into his spark.
Sideswipe gave him a tired smile after he was comfortable and then dropped into recharge as quickly as if someone had flipped a switch. Perceptor watched the younger mech for a long time. Then he pulled both of the twins as close as he could and prayed that he would always be able to give them this comfort when they needed it.