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This is NOT part of Soulverse, just a short oneshot that woudn't leave me alone.
I have headcanoned that Miko is epileptic for a few years but I have never really explored it until now. In my mind it's the reason that she's so rebellious because she has spent her whole life being somewhat suffocated by the adults in her life.
Disclaimer: For the Japanese dialogue between Miko and Optimus, I used Google Translate. I am sorry if it is not accurate.
Trigger warnings: Description of epileptic seizure and general discussion of epilepsy.
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Bored.
If there was one word that Miko Nakadai could use for her current mood; it would be bored.
Her characteristic space buns drooped, almost as if in synchronisation with her deflated state of being.
The algebra homework sat in front of her on the upturned wooden crate that she and the other kids had filched from Agent Fowler to use as a desk and general dumping ground. Her pen sat next to it, mocking her.
She turned away from the offending piece of paper, her delicate features turning downwards in an annoyed scowl.
When am I ever gonna use fragging quadratic equations?! She thought irately to herself, absent-mindedly fiddling with the little character figures that were attached to her belt.
It sucked being at the base when hardly anybody else was there.
Raf was in Mexico on a family holiday to visit yet more members of his very large family. Jack and Arcee were out on some famous bikers' road whilst Bulkhead and Bumblebee were out on a fresh energon scouting trip.
Only the stoic Autobot leader remained on the base. Even the grumpy old medic had been called out to run some boring errand with Agent Fowler.
Miko sighed and pressed her slim fingers to her temples, moving them in small circles to try and massage away the headache that was slowly making itself known.
She allowed herself a quick glance at her watch. 11:17am. She groaned inwardly at the thought of the long day that was stretched out in front of her.
She didn't want to go home, as nice as her host parents were, they were just a little too…enthusiastic. Constantly worried about how she was feeling, if she was comfortable enough, if she had remembered to take her medication.
Although she knew that they meant well and that their concern came from a place of genuine care and concern, she couldn't help but feel incredibly suffocated by it all. This then, in turn, led her to push them away and rebel against the rules that they had set out for her.
It was only until Agent Fowler had spoken to them personally and informed them that she was interning at a state funded 'robotics' lab, taking part in a juvenile apprenticeship for communication, that they had backed off a little bit.
She shook herself out of her reverie, not allowing herself to ruminate too much.
Miko was a cheerful and happy-go-lucky person by nature, but she was prone to bouts of 'ailments of the soul', as her father had called them back home.
His sagely voice came into her mind at that moment, like a wind blowing across a long-forgotten meadow.
My daughter, when you have these ailments of your soul, do not shy away from them. Learn to embrace them and live with and through them. The cherry blossom cannot bloom without the rain, can it? The same applies to us, Miko-chan. Our souls cannot grow to love and cherish without a little rain from time to time.
Miko smiled at the thought of her father. He was a small man who loved to dote on his daughter as well as their two purebred Persian cats, Chi-Chi and Ding-Dong.
At the thought of Chi-Chi, a sad smile ghosted across Miko's lips. She was the more intuitive out of the two felines that resided in the Nakadai household, and Miko often woke with the soft weight of Chi-Chi on her feet.
The white cat would also approach her, meowing loudly when she was about to….
Miko shook her head at herself, pushing the thought away and shoving it in a mental drawer to be dealt with later.
She got up off the worn sofa. It had looked ready for the scrapyard when Miko had first met the 'bots back close to two years ago, but now it looked well and truly past it. It was so comfortable though that she couldn't bear the thought of parting with it. She was sure that Jack and Raf would agree with her.
And if someone does say anything about getting rid of it…I'll just get Bulkhead to hide it somewhere on base!
Stretching lightly, Miko approached the service elevator that would take her up to the very top of the missile silo.
Pressing the button, she examined her nails while she waited for her ride to arrive, half-heartedly wondering what colour she would paint them next.
A beep alerted her to the lift's arrival, and she walked in through the double sliding doors, hitting the 'ascend' button with a lazy and well-practiced nudge of her hip.
The strange residual sensation of her stomach dropping barely registered in her mind as the lift began to take her upwards.
It wasn't really that different to being picked up and carried by Bulkhead, she thought.
It was the same basic action and feeling…just with someone who was at least eight times her height and God knows how many times her weight.
If there was one thing that she was definitely certain of, it was that she trusted Bulkhead a hell of a lot more than a glorified pulley machine that was only held up by a flimsy chain.
When she emerged into the warm sunlight, goosepimples erupted on her arms and on the back of her neck, causing the fine hairs located there to stand on end.
Miko loved the feeling of the sun on her skin.
Back in Tokyo, although it would get very hot (sometimes unbearably so), Miko felt that the residents never got the true benefit of the sun's light, broken up as it was by all the smog and pollution of the major metropolis.
Out here in the wide-open space of the Nevada desert, it was a different matter entirely.
The sunlight seemed to permeate through her skin, penetrating her pores and warming her very bones.
She approached the cairn of rocks that was Cliffjumper's memorial and brushed a gentle hand across the topmost stone.
"Hey Cliffjumper, how are you doing today?"
Although she had never met the red Autobot with the horns, she felt as if she knew him through the stories that Arcee told with such passion and fond remembrances.
She loved watching the femme's optics as they glazed over, lost in the memories of the story she was telling, bringing her old partner back to life even if only for a few minutes.
It was a talent that few possessed, but one that Arcee was highly adept at, and wielded with quiet modesty.
Miko lowered herself to sit on the very edge of the silo, her legs dangling over the side. She swung them gently to and fro, enjoying the slight breeze that was always around up here; the perfect solution to keep her from getting too hot.
Most of the time.
Leaning back on her hands, she tried to swallow down the metallic taste that was in her mouth and shut her eyes against the onslaught of the headache that she knew was on the way.
She tipped her head back, exposing her throat to the sun and just sat like that for a few minutes, enjoying the silence and the occasional call of the predatorial birds that stalked the plateau of the desert spread out beneath her.
When she'd come to the top of the silo for the first time, she had been rather taken aback and somewhat…weary of the desert that seemed to spread out for as far as the eye could see.
Miko was used to skyscrapers that towered above her and busy crowds of people. Not these wide, open expanses where seemingly anything could happen.
It was unnerving, but she'd grown to admire it…from a distance.
She didn't mind being out and about in an open space with Bulkhead, because he was so much bigger than she was, and she felt totally safe as a result.
On her own? Not so much.
An irritating feeling of anxiety was pressing itself against her consciousness, demanding that she feel its threatening presence.
She took a big breath in, trying to overcome it, but the metallic taste in her mouth suddenly multiplied tenfold and the headache finally burst through her mental walls and attacked her skull with a devastating ferocity.
It was too much for her small body to bear, and she surrendered into the safe embrace of the black abyss that wrapped itself around her.
.o
Optimus Prime stood quietly at his work-station, intently studying the data pad he held in his hands.
He was taking advantage of a rare, quiet moment on the base. His Autobots were all elsewhere undertaking duties or pursuing recreational activities.
Decepticon chatter was at a low for the time being and the only other person on the base with him was the rambunctious Miko Nakadai.
Optimus replaced the data pad in its dock and stretched his stiff joints, his sonorous baritone rumbling deeply in involuntary satisfaction.
He clapped a hand to cover his mouth, surprised at the sound that had escaped his vocoder.
He made a concerted effort to keep his emotions and actions well within check when he was on the base and around his Autobots and the three children. After all, he was a Prime and had to lead by example. His soldiers needed to know that they could come to him with any concerns and also be safe in the knowledge that they could request his ear at any time.
A rumbling Optimus Prime certainly did not fit into that pretext.
He found his thoughts straying from his Autobots to their three young charges and in particular, Miko.
She was a unique young woman and Optimus found himself genuinely fond of the young female.
Of course, he was fond of all the children for various different reasons, but he found his thoughts visited Miko more than Jack and Rafael.
He thought of the strange customs of Earth and how the humans seemed to be so governed by them.
He thought back to when he had first arrived on Earth and how awestricken he'd been about the concept of gender.
He, theoretically being a genderless alien, had found it rather difficult to reconcile himself with the idea.
Nonetheless, the scholar within him had gotten to work and Optimus had spent long nights researching the Internet about the subject of gender. He'd been surprised and humbled by what he had uncovered.
Always hungry for more knowledge, Optimus had begun to examine the stereotypical gender roles that many human customs seemed to be deeply steeped in and made the observation that Miko Nakadai did definitely not fit into the 'damsel in distress' type that was often cast upon young women who spent most of their free time with male friends.
Her willingness to run blindly into danger for the sake and protection of her companion in Bulkhead was inspiring.
Although he would never dare voice this thought aloud for fear of causing offence, Optimus never ceased to be amazed at the way all the children, but Miko in particular would throw themselves into harm's way with no regard for their own safety.
He had seen, with his own optics, Miko charge at Megatron and scream at him, with no trace of fear in her strong voice.
She, a tiny human, had defied Megatron, the leader of the Decepticons with no worry or sense of self-preservation.
It was truly remarkable.
Yet, there was a tender side that was kept hidden.
Deep beneath her show of bravado and extrovert temperament, there was a vulnerability to Miko that she did not like to show. Optimus had quietly observed this when Bulkhead had been injured by the Insecticon known as Hardshell.
A distant whirring sound stirred him from his deep thoughts, and he turned to exit his private quarters, heading in the direction of the main communications room.
He trod slowly and carefully, suddenly self-conscious of the sound his footfalls made on the concrete floor.
How must this feel and sound to the humans? They are so small…and we are titans upon their planet.
He shook his head as if to shake the thoughts away.
He was surprised to see that the main hangar was empty.
He surmised that the whirring sound he had heard only seconds ago must have been the elevator that the humans used to go to the top of the silo.
Optimus turned and pushed the request button to call the freight elevator down.
Once he ascended to the top of the silo, he immediately cast his azure optics downwards and scanned the ground for Miko.
Alarm rose in him, causing his neural clusters to increase in sensitivity.
Miko lay on the floor, her eyes rolled into the back of her head.
Her limbs convulsed in stiff, jerky movements, first going rigid before flopping to the ground, only to jerk up rigidly again.
Optimus rushed over to the young human and fell to his knees before gently sliding his palm underneath her slender body and moving her onto her side. He used his thumb as a buffer between her head and the hard ground, bringing his free hand down to cup loosely around her, so as to stop her from inadvertently hurting herself.
Fear painted a cold line through his circuitry, although he was somewhat calmed by the cardiac reading he had just taken from her.
Though beating fast, her heart was not in danger of arrest.
Countless seconds went by as he helplessly watched the tiny girl stiffen and loosen.
A thin line of saliva ran down from the corner of her mouth, and he gently used the tip of his little finger to wipe it from her exhausted looking face.
At last, the convulsions ceased, and she went completely limp in his palm, a soft groaning sound escaping from between her clenched teeth.
He carefully drew her up against his chest, bringing his other hand beneath the one that held her for additional support.
She pushed herself weakly to her knees, her hands trembling and white-knuckled with the effort.
Her black and pink hair sat in rumpled disarray around her petite face, framing her bloodshot eyes and pale skin.
She rubbed at her eyes before looking up at Optimus, a frightened expression on her suddenly child-like features.
"Koko wa doko? Where am I?" She asked in her native Japanese.
Optimus lowered his visage closer to her and responded in kind. "Wakai hito o osorenaide kudasai, anata wa anzendesu. Do not fear young one, you are safe."
Understanding dawned on Miko's face.
"Scrap," she mumbled, switching back to English.
"Miko," Optimus rumbled from above her, "do you require medical attention?" As he spoke, he raised her to his face so that he could look her directly in the eye.
She shook her head, leaning heavily back against his curled fingers. "No, no. I'm fine. I know that must have looked scary to you, but don't worry. It's happened before and it will happen again. I knew it was coming, I just tried to ignore it and hope it would go away.
Now that the emergency seemed to be over, Optimus rearranged his seated position on the ground.
He stretched out one long leg in front of him, bringing the other one up into a bent position.
He carefully transferred Miko from his palm to sit on his knee, keeping one hand cupped firmly behind her.
"Is this comfortable for you Miko? I can change it if you wish, but I am hesitant to put you down for the moment…just in case you were to fall and injure yourself."
She waved his concern away with a lazy flick of her wrist.
"No worries big guy. I'm not gonna complain if you wanna hang on to me for a minute. Kinda dizzy right now."
Optimus frowned in concern.
Miko noticed. "Don't worry. It's normal after a seizure. Give me ten minutes or so and I will be okay. I'll need to sleep but I will be fine."
Never one to beat around the bush, Optimus spoke up. "In that case, Miko, may I ask you a question?"
Miko met his gaze, some colour already coming back to her pale cheeks. "You already did, but sure, you can ask me another one."
Optimus awarded her with one of his rare smiles, and she gave him a weak grin in return.
"What was that you just experienced? Forgive my ignorance, but you said it was normal and that it has happened before, but I have never witnessed another human go through what you have just gone through."
Miko sighed and readjusted herself on his knee, leaning back against his curled hand and letting her legs stretch out on the surprisingly comfortable surface.
"I have a condition called 'Juvenile Myoclonic Epilepsy'. Basically, it means that I can have fits or seizures at any given time. There are things that make having a seizure more likely, like me not having enough sleep, missing my medication, some strobe lighting. I've not had a seizure for about a month, but I could feel this coming on this morning.
"Epilepsy is a sudden burst of electrical activity in the brain that causes seizures or fits – what you just saw me have. I have three types of seizures: myoclonic, tonic-clonic and absence seizures. I don't have rescue medication because I recover quite quickly, although I do need to sleep afterwards, because they kinda knock me out.
"So…yeah, that's basically it. That's all of me."
Optimus studied the young woman carefully, watching for any signs of distress or fear.
He found none.
"Well, Miko, would you allow me to do one thing this afternoon?"
Her eyes narrowed in suspicion. "What's that big guy?"
He smiled gently at her, offering her his palm. When she faltered slightly, he very very gently plucked her up between the finger and thumb of his free hand and deposited her onto his broad palm.
"Dude! Your hand is like a king-size bed compared to Bulk's!"
Optimus appraised her through curious optics as he observed the rush of blood to her cheeks.
"Erhh…sorry big guy if that came off as rude. You just have really big hands…but I suppose you would, being the biggest 'bot and all that…"
He uttered a low chuckle and rose slowly to his feet, being extremely careful not to jostle Miko even the tiniest bit.
She was a feather weight on his palm, and there was a light, fluttering and tickling sensation as her tiny hands explored his for something to hold on to.
She settled on his forefinger and poked her head out between that digit and the one next door.
"Woahhh, you're so tall dude! This is really high."
He watched in mild amusement as she withdrew her head and tightened her grip on his finger. "Anyway," she continued, "what did you want me to let you do?"
Optimus pressed the descend button in the freight elevator.
"Would you allow me to keep an optic on you for the remainder of the day? You can also have a recharge; my private quarters are equipped with a bed that would be suitable for such an undertaking."
Miko nodded, strangely quiet. "Hey, lemme up there for a sec," she said, motioning to his face.
He obliged her out of pure curiosity, wondering what she wanted to do that needed to be in such close proximity to his face.
He felt his Spark skip a beat when her tiny hands pressed on either side of his facial plating, followed by a strange but not altogether unpleasant sensation of a soft, tiny pressure that was applied just above his lip plates.
Miko drew back, settling herself to sit back down in his vast palm.
He realised what she had done.
She had kissed him. Just a simple peck.
"I umm…just wanted to say thank you, for…looking after me."
Optimus surprised himself by dipping his head forward and returned her tender affection, planting a gentle, metallic kiss on the top of her head.
"It was my pleasure Miko, I just want to make sure that you are safe and comfortable."
He suddenly realised that the lift had reached the ground level of the silo, and he hurriedly stepped out.
Miko turned around in his palm to regard him through her shy, hazel eyes.
"Umm, Optimus? Can we keep what happened up there between us for now? I'm not sure if I am ready for everybody to know yet…about my epilepsy."
Optimus felt his Spark go out to the young female. "Of course, Miko. If that is what you want, then that is what shall happen. Just do me one favour though; tell me when you think a seizure is coming on?"
"Deal," she said with a fervent grin, leaning back against the wall of his curled fingers.
And like that, the Autobot leader carried the young girl into the bowels of the base, each humbly surprised at the new sense of camaraderie that had formed between them.