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The sound of music faded as the lights in the room turned from a mixture of pink and blue to light snowy mountains. Bright, too bright for Percy’s liking, even though he should have gotten used to it by now. His eyes turned away from the view of nowadays America to the man resting his head on the Porter’s legs.

How peaceful he looked dead.

There was no fear, no pain. It was just… calm. 

'Administering shock. Please stand clear’

There were many times where Percy was tempted to lean down and kiss those cold lips; even now he still thinks of it, to feel them as life suddenly pulses through the man beneath him. But he doesn’t. 

The three minutes of wandering the beach were over and done with, at least, they were for the next 21 minutes. Now Percy was gazing back at pure blue eyes. Somehow, he thought, they must be portals to the beach, because they reminded him of the waves, the calm current of what beaches were before all this. And when he wasn’t seeing that, he looked back at the reflection of himself in the man’s glasses; angry, stormy seas. It upset him, to an extent, to know their beaches could never be one. Heartman was way above him. 

His Ka was pure even when his Ha was broken.

“Humans…” the Porter began, placing his hand on the side of Heartman’s face, a sad smile creeping on his lips. “We’re such fragile machines”

“We certainly are.”

Percy didn’t like to think of himself as a pessimist, but he knew for a fact he wasn’t an optimist. He saw the man under his gaze, and saw the single most perfect human being in existence. But he knew that wasn’t true, it was to him, but it wasn’t a fact. Heartman’s heart, no matter how good, can only hold itself together for 21 minutes before it malfunctions and falls apart.

No matter how much he loved Heartman, even if he were able to carry all the love in the universe, it still wouldn’t be enough to fix the scientist’s heart. He was a broken machine. Love can’t fix him. Nothing can. 

But he was perfect. 

Maybe because parts of him were compatible with Percy, pieces of him that were nothing but empty holes in the porter’s chest for the longest time, holes he never even knew were there until he was patched up. In return, Percy would try his best to give Heartman pieces of himself to fill in the broken parts as well… even if he can’t fix his heart. 

Life is fleeting, if this was the lesson he was meant to learn from loving the other man, then he understood that now. 

In 16 minutes, Heartman’s heart will stop. 

So Percy takes one of his headphones and hands it to Heartman. They listen to music, and they talk, and they laugh like those will be the last 12 minutes they’ll ever have together. 

And in the remaining 8 minutes they discuss movies while they lazily dance around the padded room, making sure not to knock over any of the paintings or fossils. And they sing together to songs they both like.

It’s all so trivial and yet Percy wouldn’t have it any other way. 

He knows he’ll only be without Heartman for three minutes, but still he holds him close as the lights dim. He prefers it this way. 

“Please proceed to a safe area”

Heartman rests on the couch with his head on Percy’s leg, and he gestures wildly as he tries to explain to the Porter the history of some art piece he saw years ago in a gallery but Percy only cared because it was Heartman talking. He wasn’t good with this sort of stuff, he was better at connecting his fist to some MULE’s face till his knuckles bled, and then some more if he was feeling extra. 

But right now, at this moment, he was calm… maybe even happy. 

1 minute 

Heartman closed his eyes and smiled, it was contagious because Percy felt himself smile too. 

“Mind putting on something more suited for my departure?" 

Percy chuckled. "Sure, funeral music it is then.”

Then their beaches met as Percy found himself looking down at blue eyes once more. “See you very soon.”

The Porter nodded because he didn’t trust his tongue at that moment. And as Heartman closed his eyes again, Percy leaned down, watching the storm on his beach fade and then become completely silent when he pressed his lips to Heartman’s forehead… At that moment, there was nothing but peace, and all seemed right with the world.

Then there was the flatline.