Gellert is starting to get frustrated when he decides to try a different strategy. He cleans Newt up, heals his injuries with gentle hands, and gives him time to rest. He tries not to laugh at the distrustful, anxious looks Newt gives him – he’ll understand before too long.
Then he drags Percival out of his cell. It’s been a while since Gellert played with him – the thrill went out of it when he realized the man wasn’t much more than a broken body anymore. But it turns out he has one last purpose left to serve.
He spends a while softening Percival up, getting him nicely bruised and bloody before bringing Newt in. One look at his shocked face and Gellert knows he has him. He explains the rules – he’s going to torture Percival for a while, and Newt gets to watch. Then he’ll give Newt a choice; willingly submit to him and join the cause, or ask Gellert to please keep torturing Percival for a while longer. The catch is that Gellert can tell if Newt is lying, and if he asks to join without truly meaning it he’ll prolong the next torture session even more. Maybe he also promises permenant damage to Percival if Newt refuses to answer, so there’s no opting out of the game.
He caresses Newt’s cheek with a hand still wet with Percival’s blood and promises, gives his solemn word, that no further harm will come to Newt. All the pain that would have been his, Gellert will give to Percival instead. So just remember, Newt – if you hadn’t resisted, this wouldn’t be happening to him.
@vindsie how about a Percival who is broken, but aware enough to recognize Newt? He begs Newt not to try to save him because it’s too late, Gellert has already won against him and Percival can’t recover. He knows he’s broken and it isn’t worth Newt throwing himself away for the wreck of a man he knows he’s become.
But Newt can never accept that. He won’t give up on Percival and listening to his screams and whimpers is killing him as surely as if Gellert drove a knife through his chest. He’s just not the kind of person who can let someone else suffer.
And the worst part is that Percival knows that. Even as he writhes on the floor, even when the pain takes him beyond the ability to speak, he knows Newt will break for him. Gellert will win again and all Percival can do is twitch and cry, torn between pleading for Newt to hold out and, in the part of his mind that just wants the pain to stop, hoping that it happens soon so that this can end.