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4 am in Sanctuary and Nick was sitting onto of the tall structure that used to house people. The sun hadn't begun to rise just yet, so the synth sat, hands pressed against the old roofing and leaning back. The bot sighed as he watched the stars with tiredness in his old yellow eyes.
Suddenly the sounds of someone step-up up the ladder caused Nick to turn and look. Hancock made his way onto the roof, only to look up and see Nick.
"Hey, there Valentine, what are you up to?" The ghoul asked in a hushed tone as he stepped over.
Nick sighed softly "Just trying to enjoy the peace and quiet around here for once, instead of raiders attacking."
Hancock nodded, sitting down beside the detective. "It's nice. Mind if I join you?"
Nick sat up and pulled a packet of cigarettes and a lighter out of his pocket. He slides one of them between his lips and lit it. "Go right ahead."
Hancock laid back on the roof to get a better view of the sky above. There were few clouds to look at, but hundreds if not thousands of stars. The cold breeze blew through the settlement seemed to make the sky even clearer. The two sat in silence, just the low sounds of the wind passing by and the soft breathing from the settlers and Minutemen sleeping.
"Do you ever think about it?" John asked, black eyes still pointed towards the sky.
Nick looked back "Me?"
The ghoul smiled as he sat up and pushed the other's arm lightly. "Of course you, who else would I be talking to? The radroaches?"
The synth blew out a puff of smoke. There were a few moments of silence before he answered "I guess so. It must have been a lot calmer back then."
"Bet they didn't get nights like this usually, too many lights on." Hancock turned his gaze from Nick back up to the sky, raising a hand to point at the abundance of stars.
Nick shook his head "They probably didn't. But say they were out of the city and in the country, maybe in an open field, that's when they'd see the sky like this. However, probably there were, even more, stars but clearer and brighter. The stars have dimmed over the years, or maybe that's just because these old synth eyes are starting to wear out on me." He let out a soft chuckle.
Hancock listened, occasionally taking glances back at Valentine. Over time the stars faded out along with the moon. The sky grew with a stream of colors, purple, pink, and blue.
"But is sure is pretty ain't it? Even after all the bombs and shit that happens, we get to see this, every day."
Hancock chuckled "You're starting to sound like Codsworth with that."
Nick smiled, pushing Hancock on the arm in return. "You know, I'm still pretty happy to have you here."
"Yeah?"
"…Yeah."