"I fail to understand what advantage in combat this will provide me with."
"Duh! You'll look so awesome it will distract your enemies, Mags," Miko explained, adding a few more strokes with the pink-dipped brush along the underside of one of the metal claws.
"It's Ultra Magnus, cadet," the blue mech corrected the human girl indignantly. He narrowed his optics when she seemed to wave it off.
Huffing, he pointed out: "It is highly unlikely the Decepticons will take notice of this amendment during the heat of battle."
The girl tilted her head. "Okay, probably yeah, but still you'll look a hundred times cooler beating the cons' faces off!"
Miko switched the pink brush for the blue one. She'd picked colors that fit nicely with the stoic autobot's original color scheme, deciding for pink, yellow, and a similar blue. Ultra Magnus hadn't objected to her choices.
"And," she continued, "you bet that once I'm done you'll be the most fabulous 'bot on Team Prime."
Ultra Magnus raised an optic ridge.
"My appearance has no agency in regards to my combat efficiency."
"C'mon, Mags, don't be such a joykiller. Everyone wants to look awesome kicking 'con ass!"
"It's Ultra Magnus, and I would strongly advise against using such foul language."
"Whatever you say, sir," Miko said cheerily in a mock salute.
Hmm.
The brisk autobot eyed the careful work of the human native, and he had to admit the strokes of the brushes left a pleasant tingling sensation on the metal.
That only served to remind him that the metal was not of his servo, but of the claw-like substitute.
His mood was not improving.
"You okay, Mags?" There was concern in the human's voice.
Curious. "It's Ultra Magnus, Miko."
Movement of the brush slowed at the absent reply, the features of the girl's face gone soft. "Is it difficult to get used to?"
The large mech shifted his optics to the human, and gave a non-committal grunt.
Miko picked up the pace with the brush again, angling between the claws to get a better reach to paint the sides. "Sorry if it is a sensitive subject."
Hmm. "Your apology is accepted."
The girl gave him a sheepish smile.
He didn't know why exactly, but he felt compelled to indulge her.
"It has… proven a challenge," Ultra Magnus admitted. "I'm not yet used to its limited mobility."
The teenage girl gave him an encouraging smile. "You're gonna get the hang of it, Magnus. I know it." The confidence that she displayed had the blue-and-red mech slightly surprised.
He did feel he was close to 'getting the hang of it', and it frustrated him. It'd taken too long already getting accustomed to the its dexterity, the remaining issue being a few chinks in the mechanism that still prevented him from being cleared by Ratchet for active duty. Confined to the base for three missions so far, his gears had begun to itch with apprehension.
The rest of the Autobots had left through the ground bridge for a mission at an approximation of 10 minutes when Miko had walked up to him and requested his permission to give his claw a 'makeover'. He'd had to search the humans' internet for the term.
Thinking back, it prompted him to voice a question he'd yet to reach a suitable answer for.
"May I ask a question, cadet?"
"Sure thing, Mags."
Ultra Magnus decided to ignore the nickname for now.
"Why were you insistent on providing a color scheme to my… claw?"
Miko paused briefly to switch for yellow before resuming. "Well, I like to paint. I haven't painted anything in a while."
Ultra Magnus' gaze didn't waver, expecting more.
The small human seemed to sense it, stopping completely in her painting before glancing tentatively up at Ultra Magnus.
"But also… you looked kinda bummed after the others went on the mission." She fiddled with the brush. "I thought maybe I could cheer you up, or something."
"And by painting my claw, it is meant to achieve that objective?"
She shrugged. "Well you don't seem like a music or dune-bashing type. That's what I try to cheer up Bulkhead with when he's feeling down."
"I thought some spicy colors could do, 'cause I mean, if you have to use a prosthetic it should be a cool-looking one, right?" She gave him a small grin.
The mech blanched slightly at the human's thoughtfulness, running him mystified in his processor.
Ultra Magnus' time on Earth was considerably shorter than that of the other Autobots on Team Prime, and he'd yet to learn to a greater extent of the planet and its natives, rarely even interacting with the ones frequently at the base. However, the small wrecker—Magnus had taken Wheeljack's cue on integrating the human into the team after Scotland—had as of late approached him more, considerably so since he was off the active roster. She was genuine in her cause, if a bit naive to the harsh realities of war.
But, he realized, this wasn't about physical effectiveness on the battlefield or enhanced appearance. Rather, an action seemingly meant to combat the psychological issues that arose from those harsh realities, prompted by her concern for his well-being.
It was Miko's intention behind her action that was significant in this matter, not the action per se.
Perhaps, it was relevant to the concept of being a family to which he was still grasping at the outlines of. A hitch of warm energy briefly passed through his spark.
"I see," he said, feeling some earlier tension leave him.
Miko's smile only grew wider. She tapped a finger against the metal. "I hope it's okay if I add different patterns on each claw, sir."
Ultra Magnus didn't find it in him to deny the littlest wrecker of the suggestion.
"I believe your expertise surpasses that of mine in this matter, cadet, and I don't have a personal preference," he replied. "Other than for each pattern to be consistent, of course," he added after a moment.
"Aye-aye, sir." Miko saluted in good humor. "Now, hold still."
Bright blue optics followed every stroke of the soft brushes on the metal, its delicate touch leaving behind a tracing of pink, yellow, or blue. The Japanese teenager switched between the three colors regularly for ten minutes in silent concentration.
"What is the approximate amount of time this will take?"
"Trying to concentrate here, Mags."
"My apologies. And do I need to remind you yet again that my name is Ultra Magnus, not 'Mags'."
"Shhh."
"How the scrap did Miko even convince the Commander to let her give it a paint job?" Smokescreen wondered out loud.
Every bot except for Optimus had been wide-eyed upon their return to base to see the new colorful look Ultra Magnus' claw was sporting. Bright colors of pink, yellow, and blue coating the entire thing, not to mention in different patterns on each claw as well as on its base.
Bulkhead scoffed. "Have you met Miko? She's anything if not persistent, and doesn't back down easily when her mind's set on something." There was fondness in his voice.
"No, I know what Miko's like, but. It's Ultra Magnus," the young Autobot stated in disbelief.
"I know, kid," the green and round wrecker sighed. "I don't know how she does it either."