✽﹒PRESENT

Shi hadn't wanted to reveal it this way. Tears streaming down hir face, scream ripping hir throat raw, shi had focused all of hir energy and power on the bot in front of hir, who's sparkbeat was slowing much too quickly. Electricity crackled from the palms of hir hands into the alien metal of Optimus' chassis. Optimus, who had taken a shot meant for hir. Optimus, who had coughed up spurts of energon as he told hir to run. Optimus, the love of hir life.

The resounding shockwave expanded far beyound the two of them, stunning and knocking back even the bravest of decepticons who dared to try and get close. Sam, who had only arrived on the battlefield moments ago, had his eyes the size of saucers and the gun in his hand drop to the ground. The remaining N.E.S.T. forces had seemed to forget their mission, staring at the scene in a mix of awe and terror.

Fae were not human. Not anymore.

As Optimus sputtered back to life, spark jumping in his chassis and vents gasping for air, Azalea shakily backed off. He seemed to peace together what had happened, what with a quick glance at the scorch marks on the groun and the discolored paint around his spark. It didn't even shake him. He stood in front of Azalea protectively, lowly stating any ill intent towards faer would be an attack on him as well.

The humans were quick to back off after that. But there was still this air of distrust and fear in the air. Fear of the unknown, from the others, fear of their fear, from Azalea. Zhey beckoned Optimus to lift zhem, speaking to him lowly. He took one look back at the humans, before giving the order to roll out.

And that was the last time since then that the group has been seen.

They went into hiding. Optimus had insisted that if the humans feared Azalea for what shi could not control, what was stopping them from fearing and taking action against them for their mere existence on this planet. It was a grim outlook, but a realistic one. Azalea had told them time and time again they didn't need to bring hir with them. And time again they reassured hir that no bot gets left behind. The shi was family to them.

Shi had cried. Mourning the loss of the life shi never got to live, and mourning the childhood shi never got to experience. But shi also was grateful. Grateful for these stupid fucking 'bot's for dropping into hir life and turning it upside down.

Fae were 20 now. Fae had celebrated faer birthday with the bots by going stargazing, and spent the night cuddled up in the field with Optimus' holoform. Fae had told him time and time again that he didn't need to use the form for faer, as fae loved him no matter what shape he took. He assured faer that any way to get closer to faer and feel the softness of faer skin on his he would take without hesitation.

The state of the world is fucked, the humans are scrambling trying to coordinate attacks against the decepticons now with their main line of defense missing, the decepticons are floundering to track the autobots they had been on the trail of for months as they seemed to have just completely dropped off the grid, and the two were still at war.

But here, in this little pocket of the universe? Everything was ok. It was calm. It was all shi could ever ask for.