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The sky was painted in shades of amber and violet. It was one of those crisp evenings where Earth seemed so at peace. Birds gently rested within their trees, admiring the view with two other beings.
Nitro Zeus sat on the edge of a hill where the ocean lingered. And Cogman rested comfortably on Nitro Zeus’s shoulder.
And neither of them spoke for a while. Silence was something they had learned to not fill centuries ago.
Eventually, Nitro Zeus let out a sigh.
“Man…” He shook his head.
“This planet never stops showin’ off.”
Cogman would’ve smiled if he could’ve.
“I’ve had centuries to observe its sunsets. They have yet to become repetitive, Nitro.”
Nitro Zeus scoffed playfully.
“Of course you’d say somethin’ fancy.”
“I see you haven’t gotten used to it.”
Cogman laughed gently.
“You ever think about the first time we met, Cog?”
Cogman’s grip tightened on Nitro Zeus’s shoulder.
“Frequently, Nitro.”
“You were about three seconds away from rippin’ my head off.”
“Not wrong.”
Nitro Zeus barked out a laugh.
“Your ass was attemptin’ murder!”
“Damn right I was.” Cogman giggled back.
Nitro Zeus leaned back against the cliff.
“I remember lookin’ at you thinkin’… dang.”
Cogman immediately turned to Nitro Zeus.
“Dang?”
“Yea. I saw this tiny butler bot with glowin’ eyes, lookin’ at me like I was already dead!”
“I imagine I was.”
“You definitely did!”
Nitro Zeus voice softened.
“But then… you stopped.”
And in that moment, Cogman’s expression softened too. He wasn’t looking at Nitro Zeus anymore.
He was remembering another evening and another battlefield.
“Nitro… I remember what you asked me… you asked me if I was alright. Nobody had ever asked me that.”
Nitro’s optic relaxed onto the smaller mech.
“They asked what I could do. Never if I was alright.”
Nitro looked back into the sunset.
“I looked at you and…”
He shrugged.
“You looked so tired.”
Cogman slightly tensed up, as though Nitro Zeus had hit a soft spot.
“I was.”
“You still are sometimes, Cog.”
Nitro would’ve also smiled if he could’ve.
“I spent years tryna become Shockwave.”
Nitro Zeus shook his head.
“Biggest mistake I ever made. I figured if I talked like him…”
He held back a laugh as he deepened his voice.
“Illogical.”
Both of them busted out into laughter together.
“Not your best impression.”
“I know Cog, I know.”
They both continued to laugh, and when it died down, Nitro sighed.
“I thought I’d fit in if I became him.”
The following evening, the sky was now a soft coral, along with the two silhouettes.
Cogman once again occupied his custom place upon Nitro Zeus’s shoulder. It was his tradition.
“Nitro?”
“Mhm?”
“There’s something I’ve wished to ask you.”
Nitro gently giggled.
“That’s dangerous.”
Cogman folded his hands together.
“When we first met… you spoke about Shockwave.”
“Oh…” Nitro’s expression saddened.
“I sure did.”
“And you’ve never spoken of him since.”
“Nothin’ much to tell.”
Cogman fully turned his body to face Nitro Zeus.
“Nitro, I’ve learned that when there’s ‘nothing much to tell’, there is usually quite a great deal.”
“Yeah yeah, you great at this emotional stuff.”
Nitro awkwardly adjusted his posture at being called out.
“I wanted to be like him, Cog. He was brilliant. The smartest ‘con I’d ever met. He never doubted himself.”
Nitro Zeus shrugged.
“Thought maybe I’d finally matter if I became like him.”
Cogman listened as he was once listened to. No interruptions or solutions, just attention.
“Followed him around… definitely annoyed the scrap outta him.”
Cogman continued to look at the horizon.
“Even tried usin’ big words.”
Both laughed at how stupid that sounded. But Nitro Zeus’s laugh died off first, quickly.
“One day, I asked him… if I was good enough. He looked at me. Didn’t even hesitate.”
Nitro Zeus took in a shaky breath.
“You are too full of kindness and eagerness. And you are not a scientist.” Nitro Zeus repeated, not even bothering to imitate the Decepticon who saw lower than him.
Cogman looked at his friend. Not at the loud former Decepticon. Not the present Autobot who had remained with Cogman on Earth.
Just, Nitro Zeus.
“I understand, Nitro.”
“Nah. You actually became who you wanted to be.” Nitro scoffed.
“No. I became who I stopped pretending not to be.”
Cogman sadly sighed.
“I spent seven hundred years believing I was valuable only when I was useful. I tried to become the perfect servant, the perfect weapon… and, even the perfect Cogman.”
Nitro Zeus took another shaky sigh as he took in Cogman’s words.
“I believed that if I fulfilled every expectation, somebody just might have told me I was enough.”
And again, Cogman would’ve smiled if he could’ve.
“But no one ever did. They simply kept giving me another role. And Nitro… look at me…”
Nitro Zeus’s optic dimmed as he slowly turned towards Cogman.
“You wanted Shockwave to tell you that you were enough.”
Nitro Zeus looked away.
“I guess.”
“But you know, Nitro…”
Silence followed, and Cogman let it last.
“I believed Shockwave was correct.”
“…What?”
“You are too kind. And thank goodness that the universe aligned for us to meet.”
A small laugh escaped Nitro Zeus.
“Nitro, I’ve met many brilliant minds. Shakespeare, Thomas, Cade… they all understood the world. But you understand people.”
Nitro Zeus’s optic dimmed even more.
“Nitro, please don’t spend another century believing that makes you less.”
“…You always know how to say stuff, Cog.”
“I’ve had a considerable amount of practice.”
“You make it really hard to stay cool.”
Cogman gently slapped Nitro Zeus’s shoulder.
“I certainly hope so.”
Nitro Zeus could feel the moisture gathering in his optic.
“You know…” he nudged Cogman with a finger.
“I’m kinda glad you didn’t rip my head off.”
Cogman leaned back into him.
“So am I.”
The colors of gold and crimson spread across the sky over Castle Folgan. And the two were in the same spot as usual. Nitro Zeus sat at the edge of the cliff, while Cogman sat at the edge of Nitro Zeus’s shoulder.
“We’re probably the weirdest Autobots, Cog.”
“Optimus would have to agree.”
“I mean, look at us.”
And then again, they both laughed over nothing. The sound echoed through the garden.
“Who woulda ever thought the Decepticon tryna imitate Shockwave and the emotionally unavailable butler would be best buds?”
“I am not emotionally unavailable!” Cogman scoffed.
“I was just… selectively expressive.”
“Buddy… that’s just the fanciest way to ever say somebody has bottled up their feelings.”
Nitro Zeus nudged him with his finger as he continued to laugh.
“But y’know what I think? I think we turned out okay.”
Cogman was quiet for a while before he scooted closer to Nitro Zeus.
“I believe we did.”
Nitro Zeus grabbed Cogman into his hand.
“You know, I’m so proud of you. You survived stuff nobody shoulda lived through. You kept choosin’ people, kindness… even when it was easier not to.”
Cogman’s optics softened.
“I’m rather proud of you as well.”
“Oh yeah?”
“You stopped attempting to become Shockwave.”
“Hell yeah, Cog. Best decision I ever made.”
“You became somebody more rewarding and lovely to be around.”
Nitro Zeus scratched the back to his helm.
“…Thanks.”
“And…” Cogman added with perfect seriousness.
“You finally developed acceptable taste in music.”
Nitro Zeus stared.
“You damn little butler.”
“I prefer ‘gentleman,’ Nitro.”
“You’re lucky you’re tiny.”
The last edge of sunlight disappeared.
And Nitro Zeus slowly extended a finger towards him.
The familiar gesture.
Without hesitation, Cogman wrapped himself around it. His face rested against the cool metal.
Nitro Zeus looked down.
“Nah. I think we can do better than that.”
Before Cogman asked what he meant, Nitro brought him in closer and closer.
“Oh dear...”
“You know it’s comin’.”
And there it was.
Nitro Zeus picked him up before tightly holding him to his chest. His enormous arms folded around the little Autobot with such care.
Cogman’s voice became muffled.
“This is highly undignified.”
“It sure is.”
And after a moment, Cogman stopped pretending to resist. His small arms wrapped around Nitro Zeus as much as they could.
“Thank you, Nitro.”
“For what?”
“For staying.”
“I wasn’t goin’ nowhere.”
Nitro Zeus and Cogman closed their optics together as they held onto each other.
The stars appeared one by one over Castle Folgan. For once, eternity did not feel like something they had to endure.
It was simply the sky above them.