You've only been on Earth for a few weeks.

The city hasn't quite become "your own" yet. The roads are unfamiliar. The sky is too open. The air is strangely light.

But today, the base is quiet.

Optimus watches the horizon from the upper platform. Ratchet grumbles somewhere near the terminals, though even his tone is softer today. Bulkhead and Bumblebee argue about which trees are "the most epic."

And Sari...

"DID YOU SEE THAT?!" Her voice echoes throughout the warehouse.

You follow her outside. And you freeze.

The ground is no longer gray.

Where only recently lay the last of the snow, greenery is now poking through. Thin blades of grass. Delicate shoots. Trees that seemed dead are now covered in light, almost translucent foliage.

The air smells of damp soil. And flowers. Small. Fragile. But stubborn.

Sari twirls between the flowerbeds outside the base, pointing at everything.

"That's called a sakura! And that's a magnolia! And that's just a weed, but still beautiful!"

You can't help but smile.

"The Earth knows how to surprise," a voice says quietly nearby.

You turn. Prowl stands a little to the side.

His optics aren't scanning for threats. Not analyzing trajectories. He's... looking.

Really.

The wind gently brushes his antennae. Petals—tiny, almost weightless—fall onto his shoulders.

He doesn't shake them off.

"Is this a temporary phenomenon?" he asks quietly.

"Spring? Yes. It passes."

"Then it's more valuable than permanence."

You look at him.

He takes a step forward. Stops next to a blossoming tree. A petal falls right into his palm. He carefully brings it closer to his optics.

"The organic structure is extremely fragile... and yet resistant to cycles of renewal," he quietly analyzes.

You laugh.

"You're delighted."

He turns his head towards you.

Pause.

"Right."

That sounds honest. Not loud. But sincere.

Bulkhead, of course, is already taking pictures of everything. Bumblebee plays cheerful tunes from his speakers. Sari tries to explain to Optimus that "in spring you have to have a picnic."

"A picnic?" Optimus asks.

"Yes! That's when you sit on the grass eat something, talk and save nothing!"

Ratchet snorts.

"Saving nothing?" Questionable activity.

You move a little further, to where the grass gently sways.

Prowl follows you.

"You feel it too?" you ask.

"What exactly?"

"Silence. But not empty. Living."

He closes his optics for a split second.

A wind passes through the branches. Leaves rustle. Somewhere in the distance, human laughter can be heard.

"The earth is healing quickly," he says quietly. "It's... impressive."

You lower yourself onto the grass. It's soft. Resilient.

He looks at you for a second... and then sits down next to you. It's unusual for him—just sitting. No meditation.No calculations. Without waiting for an attack.

"Do you like it?" you ask.

He looks at the trees.

At the light filtering through the leaves.

"There wasn't such a spectrum of color on Cybertron."

You bow your head slightly.

"Do you miss it?"

"Yes." Honestly.

Then a pause.

"But this…” He slowly turns his gaze to the petal that fell on your shoulder. “This isn’t a replacement. This is a new experience.”

You carefully remove the petal and place it in his palm.

“Then remember this.”

He doesn’t squeeze his fingers. He simply holds it.

“You’ve changed too since coming here,” he says quietly.

“For the better?”

“You’ve become lighter.”

You smile.

“It’s because of the sun.”

“Or because of the lack of immediate threat of destruction.”

“Prowl.”

“What?”

You gently nudge him with your shoulder. He doesn’t resist.

Sari suddenly runs up to you, breathing heavily:

“HEY! I’ve decided! We all have to make a ‘spring promise’!”

"Spring... what?" Bulkhead asks cautiously from afar.

"A promise! Like... what do you want to try this spring!"

Bumblebee plays an inspiring tune. Then, Prowl raises his head and says:

"I want to study all kinds of flowering trees on Earth."