What if… Brainy meets Winn when he returns to the DEO to talk with Mon-El about their recent dispute, and the Brainy teams up with the others to rescue Mary. From Winn's perspective. (Actual episode: "Schott through the heart")

Disclaimer: I do not own Supergirl, nor the references to Star Wars or Back to the Future.

One: Winn through the heart

She will be alright.

Won't she?

Even when he hadn't seen her in a while.

He accidentally lets the screwdriver fall. It hits the table and then slides down to the floor.

«Excellent, » he mumbles when he notices a shadow in the door frame.

«Oh, hey Brainy. What's up? »

He continues to undo the screw; he had been working on, not really getting to its core. This day really couldn't get any worse. First, he saw his dad on the news. Secondly, the news reported his death. Thirdly, the funeral. What a bombastic experience. And if that wasn't enough, an army of monkey robots tried to kill him not an hour ago.

«Brainy, » he lifts his head and realizes that Brainy has already left.

He hurries out of his lab and finds Brainy in the hallway.

«Brainy. Hey, wait. »

Great Scott, this man was fast.

Brainy stops. Winn successfully prevents a collision with the legionnaire. Viewing him from the side, Brainy intertwines his hands behind his back.

«You came to my lab, » Winn reminds him.

Brainy looks past him before he slowly nods. Then he starts walking again. There were these days he perfectly understood Brainy, and there were these days on which he couldn't. Winn decides to follow him. With Brainy speeding up, he finds it hard to keep up but arrives simultaneously in the control room in the end.

«Brainy, » Mon-El says, sounding a little surprised.

«Did something happen. »

Brainy turns and fiddles with his legion ring. Looking at Mon-El, he opens and then closes his mouth again. «We need to talk things out, » he then says.

Winn couldn't stop himself from smiling. You shouldn't laugh about your friends, but he had to grin. «You mean to talk something away. »

Brainy looks at him, blinks, then looks back at Mon-El.

«Brainy. »

Winn leans onto the desk. «If I didn't know better, I think he wants to apologize. »

Brainy closes his eyes. «Sprock. »

He and Brainy had much in common. They both were the brains of their troops, with them both understanding tech and computers much more than handling tough conversations with people, especially people about whom they cared a lot.

Imitating Winn, Brainy rests his back against the desk. «It was wrong that I didn't tell you about our true mission. You always call me your best friend; I still wonder about it, and when I saw these… two humans, ugh, talking it out, »

Winn shoots him a look. «Talk it away. »

«This time is already messing with my brain, » Brainy mumbles while he stares into the distance.

«I am sorry. Insensitive, » Brainy concluded a little out of context but from the heart.

His eyes find Mon-El again. «We, no, at least I should have told you. But I am techno-organic... »

He stops when Mon-El lays a hand on his shoulder.

«Simulations aren't always gold. »

Well, well. Some phrases actually made it to the future. Very cool.

«Obviously. »

It must have troubled Brainy a lot. Winn doesn't know what exactly; he could only guess, but it must have been nagging on Brainy for quite a long time by the tone of his recently spoken apology.

He could perfectly relate. It had been nagging on him, and it still does, that Mary left him alone when he was but a child.

Mary.

Mom.

She hadn't gone missing again, had she? She promised not to leave again. Did she break her promise? Again?

No.

Mary promised not to leave this time. And she sounded reliable.

He slows down his breath. «Guys, you haven't happened to run across my mom? I haven't seen her… »

Suddenly the projector behind him flashes brightly. A woman threatens to do something to his mother if he doesn't come to his father's factory.

Hadn't he been saying it could only get worse? It did get worse.

He, Mon-El, Kara, James, and Brainy had immediately left for the factory. Winn remembered that he had mentioned something like, they say I am like him, now I am like him. However, his mind currently works on a parallel basis.

They enter the factory only to find themselves in a dusty hallway with a plane flying toward them. «Down, » Winn calls just in time before the thing explodes.

When they got up again, Kara and Mon-El were already heading right. «Stay with Winn. » Mon-El addresses Brainy.

His Coluan friend looks after Mon-El, then he turns on his heels to look at Winn. Following a sudden intuition, Winn points at Brainy. «Think you can cut this place off of its energy? »

«No, » Brainy says, shortly after Winn had asked the question.

Evading his view, Brainy frowns. «I am not close enough, and the security is quite extraordinary for the 21st century; I haven't… managed. »

Winn makes out James' questioning look on his face on that last remark.

Right… He hasn't yet told James that Brainy and Mon-El dropped in on them from the 31st century; and would probably be going back to the future soon. He never got old of saying it. Yes. Mon-El had started this, but he had been learning from a pro. From him. He was that pro.

His eyes then found Brainy again; he was fiddling with his ring.

Wait.

He doesn't like that look. He doesn't like it, did he? «Brainy, are you trying to tell me…»

Oh, he had a bad feeling about this.

James catches scraps of his thought. «If she knows we're here…»

«We better keep going, » Winn finishes. At least they kindly said hello. Following James, Winn realizes that Brainy hasn't moved yet. «Buddy. »

Brainy hesitantly lifts his head. He opens and then closes his mouth. «It is not in my vocabulary, » Brainy explains.

«What does it mean? »

Ignoring Brainy's quizzical look, for now, Winn grabs his arm, dragging him along. His image inducer flickers off. Winn bumps into James when his friend abruptly stops.

An army of monkeys, similar to the one that had attacked them back the DEO, lines up in the corridor. «Go, I'll deal with them, » James had just finished saying it when all robots fell to the floor.

Winn and James look at Brainy. Brainy looks back without saying something.

«Nice fine-tuning. »

If only Brainy had shown up earlier. Would have made the first fight against these things a lot easier.

Crossing his arms, Brainy shrugs it off. James appreciatively nods in his direction when Brainy starts walking ahead.

«Yes, he's techno-organic, and from the future and a little bit of a drama queen sometimes, » Winn whispers, having understood the unspoken question.

James smiles. «I know someone to whom the description drama queen suits perfectly well either. » James raises one eyebrow sheepishly eyeing Winn. He dignifies it with played offendedness before following Brainy.

Having caught up, he mumbles, «You better turn that on again. »

He doesn't mind having a very cool alien as a very cool friend, but most people he'd come across don't share his opinion. That woman was no exclusion. Touching his forehead, Brainy activates his image inducer again. With Brainy and James at his left and right, Winn confronts their host, a woman he had never seen before. James lifts his shield while Brainy lets his eyes wander around the room.

«Finally, we're meeting young Schott. »

«Where's my mom? Who are you? » he returns.

The woman outflings a gun and directs it to his head.

«Put the weapon down, » James says from behind him. His mom was behind him.

«Your father taught me everything if I only promised him to implement his revenge. »

Holding his breath, Winn had to stop himself from flinching when she moved toward him.

«He was wrong. »

Winn couldn't move his head, but Brainy must have moved forward.

«I don't think so, » as to underline her words, she fires the gun but Winn ducks in time. The bullet hits James' shield. «He always pledged: Start slow, then bring it to a quick end. »

Slowly getting back to his feet, Winn meets her eyes with a frown. «No, I remember him repeating: Make it count. »

While saying it, the robot he had secretly activated; smashed the window into pieces and then hit the woman's head. Simultaneously Kara and Mon-El enter the room. Winn turns around and welcomes the hug his mother gives him.

«She's not dead, is she? » Brainy immediately shakes his head.

«Great Scott, » Winn mumbles.

A few hours later…

This evening Winn insisted on another karaoke night. And he had even successfully talked Mon-El into doing a song.

«He is terrible, » he whispers. Kara smiles.

«Beginner's mistake. » He shared the table with Kara, Alex, James, and Brainy.

Brainy had questioned the act of karaoke right from the beginning.

Having looked worriedly between him and Mon-El, Brainy had wanted to add something to his friend's defence but had stayed silent. However, when Mon-El had left, he had inclined his head. «You sing a song. In front of others. Despite minor changes of any success, » he had cited after Winn's deliberations. «And then you purposely expose yourself to criticism. »

«It is in all terms illogical, » he had finished.

The argument that it was fun hadn't counted for Brainy.

Brainy has witnessed all performances in silence since, his face betraying no emotion. Winn doubted that he could talk Brainy into a karaoke performance himself. He would most certainly lose that fight. His friend was a level twelve intelligence and had referred to him only as level one intelligence. It did still hurt. He was no level one... whatever intelligence. But anyway. He would most definitely lose that word fight.

«And you two are coming from the future, » James asks.

Brainy nods, «Yes. »

«And you're half techno, half organic? »

Brainy nods. «Indeed. Half-computer, half-organic lifeform, all Coluan. And a level twelve intellect. »

Winn inclines his head to hide his smile. Brainy obviously will never not brag about his intellect level. Then he makes out his mother, who has just entered the bar.

«Guess who is doing a song now? »

Once he and Mary had given their karaoke debut with a song from A-ha; Winn returns to Brainy and James. While Brainy only views him, James hides a laugh.

«What? »

«Nothing. Fantastic performance, » returns his friend.

Winn rolls his eyes at that.

Philistines.

«Brainiac, I think I should tell you that he called you a drama queen earlier today, » James says and looks at Brainy.

«James, don't you spoil it. »

«You know what that means, » James continues mercilessly.

Brainy blinks. «Does it mean the same as 'buddy'? » he then asks.

«Drama queen means that a person is acting overly dramatic and often disdainful. But Winn is probably just teasing you, » Mon-El explains, appearing next to Brainy.

Appearing on his left, Kara then took Mon-El aside, Winn losing sight of them.

Brainy inclines his head. «I probably am. »

Winn bandies look with James. His friend laughs. «Why am I feeling bad now. »

James then lays a hand around his shoulder. Winn pulls a face.

«This will never not be funny. But, hey, you'll get over it, drama queen. »

Winn raises an eyebrow before he turns around to Brainy. «I hope you take it easy on me, buddy. »

Inclining his head, Brainy blinks.

Right.

How could he forget about that?

«Buddy means friend, » he explains.

Brainy lifts his head. «I am your friend?

«Of course, you're my friend, he immediately returns.

Brainy blinks again, and then to his surprise, Brainy moves forward to prod his side.

«Buddy. »

It did sound weird when Brainy said it.

Winn bit his lips to stop himself from smiling. Brainy had just opened up a bit; he doesn't want to ruin it. Brainy was a little weird sometimes. But weird in a good way. Squinting his eyes, he replies, You saw James and me doing this, don't you?

«This peculiar act of sentiment is new to me, » the legionnaire returns.

«Yes, I could see that. »

He could definitely see that.

«How do you normally show an act of sentiment? » he then asks.

Brainy offers him a hand. Winn takes it.

«That's it? »

«Emotions and affections of any kind had not been strictly evaded on Colu. » He blinks again. He and Brainy obviously both had a very lonely childhood.

Suddenly Brainy lifts his head. «Imra needs me. I have to leave. »

He had already left for the exit. Then stops in his tracks to look back at Winn. Brainy intertwines his hand behind him and leaves the bar without another word.

«Think he'll share some details about the future with us when I ask kindly and appeal to my post as director of CatCo? » James smiles at him while taking Brainy's seat.

«No, » Mon-El answers instead.

«Not even I would do that. It's simply too dangerous. »

Mon-El didn't get the joke. James was only joking.

«Winn. »

He turns around. «Kara. »

«Loveliest of all my friends in the world, I have to ask for a favour. »

Laughing at that, he returns, «Kara, astonishing and most incredible person in the whole universe, go on. »

«Interested in repairing Mon-El's suit? »

He nearly let his glass drop. Yes, of course. Yes, yes, yes.

As if Kara must have guessed his thoughts because she starts laughing before turning earnest while saying, «Great kid. Don't get cocky. »

She knew him too well.

«You know, sometimes I amaze even myself. » Now, both of them are laughing.

«Please, we need a Star Wars marathon again, » Kara says.

Oh yes, they did.

«And we should convince Brainy to join us. »

«Deal. »

It's just another world killer first.

Easy peasy.

A/N: I hope you liked the change of plot and I hope you liked the story. I tried to get as close as possible of how Brainy and Winn act with/ in the series. These two are the characters I relate to the most and Brainy has become my all-time-favourite. And because Brainy needs his Nia, and all of you who love Brainia as much as I do; I am preparing a collection only with those two. So, you might stay tuned.

Anyway, if you liked it, may leave a review. The writer always appreciates it.

And thank you for reading.

El mayarah.