Some may call Miko reckless. Even he had to reluctantly agree she doesn't think things through more times than not. That's how he's never surprised to come back to base and hear another story or be shown another picture. Miko always has a new picture, it was a fact. The concept of Miko sneaking off after the bots is almost normal. She almost dies many times, but still makes it out unscathed. She has the luck of the devil only a few in the world have.
She was also something he wasn't.
Raf wasn't brave.
Often he was terrified.
He feels more at home behind a screen or beating Bee at video games. A normal child in most ways besides his brain. He was smart. He knew he was very smart which made his family proud.
Raf was the child his parents had the brightest hopes for. They pushed him to study and build a life, one full of fewer hardships than they experienced. To get out of the small town of Jasper, be someone. They often forget they were conversing with a child, a preteen in high school often bullied and outdated because of those smarts.
Aspects only recently changed. The Autobots brought that change. He wasn't just his family's hope. He wasn't just the school's weird kid. He was a human child, smart but allowed to have fun and make mistakes. He wasn't perfect by any standards. He followed Miko on one of her adventures as well. He was still growing.
He just couldn't understand how he was considered so special when there were people like Jack and Miko in the world.
They were only a little older than him but they weren't petrified. He felt like a coward compared to the stronger teens. They managed to hold their ground and be themselves.
Miko's energetic personality. Jack's protectiveness and worry. True to themselves and still brave in the face of death. If they could, they would fight with the bots. Miko was obvious with her willingness to fight for just the sake of fighting and family.
Jack would fight to protect, to save those close to him from danger. He was noble and kind to many, but he has his normal teenage moments just like Miko.
Opening his locker he transfers his required books into it. A tap on his shoulder shocked him from his internal analysis.
"Dude, you need to pay better attention to your surroundings! What if I was Vince? He totally would have gotten the drop on you then!" Miko's animated gestures emphasized her point.
"If you were Vince, Miko, then he wouldn't just tap a shoulder to get Rafs attention." Jack's deeper voice carried from behind Miko. The older boy was staying back, body tense and eye scanning the hall. Raf has noticed these gestures as Jacks' habit. He wasn't sure if it was from the bots or before, but the dark-haired boy was hardly startled. He felt safe next to Jack because he was so guarded. A natural guardian.
The click of his locker door stopped Mikos ranting at Jack over what Vince would or wouldn't do. Raf often thought they acted more childish than he did sometimes. That aspect of his friends never fails to cheer him up.
"So you guys ready for lunch?" He asked, making his way to the lunchroom.
"Well, Yah. Lunch is the best! No teachers, No lectures." Miko slid into step right next to him, arms resting behind her head, previous childish conversation was forgotten. "Plus it means half the days over, then it's bot time!" Miko's energetic fist-pumping showed her eagerness, not like he was any better though. He was equally ready to hang out with the Autobots. The anticipation filled him just like every day.
"Well you are going to have to enjoy 'bot time' without me, work is calling," Jack responded, pulling up on his other side. He had his signature small smile and hands deep in pockets. Sharp blue eyes still scanning the halls around them.
"Well too bad for you, more for us! Right Raf?" Miko's expectant face greeted his eyes when he turned his head.
"Uh, I think I will be good to go, my mom doesn't expect me home till later, but probably won't be at the base." He admitted.
"Awe, why not? We still have that video game championship to finish since Bulk took me to that monster truck rally yesterday?" She questioned, sidestepping a student coming from the cafeteria.
"I promised Bee we would spend time racing RC cars, and you know how Ratchets is about them in the base." He said, wincing at that memory. That was a long rant about parts being stuck in between plating and how hard it is to get them out. Hours of his life spent on knowing bots can get splinters just like them. He did learn a new weakness of bots though; RC car splinters. Things you learn in his life, most are useless, but humorous nonetheless.
"Oh well, then I guess me and Bulk will rewatch last night's rally." She said before booking it to their normal table. The unsuspecting table was one of the few in a corner. Since it was pushed into a corner it had only half as many seats so most didn't sit there. However, for their group of three, it matches flawlessly.
While Miko went to buy lunch he and Jack headed over weaving past students. Raf was often thankful for Jacks' height, he made the perfect plow. Jack still being new also causes others to steer clear. Small town schools don't prefer new kids. Then there were the rumors. Too many to list and half were created thanks to their contact with the Autobots. Students often left Jack alone, everyone but Vince.
Slipping off his bag he sat on the worn bench, Jack sliding in on his left closer to the wall, his normal spot. Raf took the chance to study with his friend. Raf found Jack strange. He was strange from the moment they met in Math, Jack's paint-splattered body sitting next to him. He later found out Miko was the one to give him that makeover.
Without the paint Jack was tall. Most people were tall to him, but for a 16-year-old boy, he was one of the tallest in 10th grade. That wasn't the only thing that made him think Jack was tall. Jack had a subtle presence. It was one of strength and confidence that others often overlook. Jack thrives in the face of adversity, tall and brave when most would crumble. Something Raf admires greatly. It is also something that Jack seems to suppress.
When they get into situations with the bots, Jack takes charge and becomes another person. One that has solutions, but at school... It's like night and day. He becomes invisible to others, slinking past others akin to a ghost. One thing is for sure, Jack has perfected being unnoticeable. Raf often wonders if the school wasn't told of Jacks' arrival, would they even notice he was there.
"Missed me!?" Questioned the Japanese girl, plopping down on his right. The loud bang of her tray disturbed both boys.
"Do you always have to be so loud?" Question Jack as he lifted his head from the textbook previously absorbing his attention. Jack must have realized he wasn't going to be able to finish his reading, so he closed it. Raf only smiles. This has become the norm. Jack would read before Miko comes then they would banter.
Coming from a large family, people often assume Raf was close with his siblings. Reality is much harsher. Being the youngest he was often forgotten. The age gap is too large. With all his siblings out of high school, he never had much in common.
Hanging out with Jack and Miko has opened his eyes. This was how siblings act. They yell, get mad and fight, but they care just as much. They help one another and do victory dances once they beat you at a game. They banter over silly subjects and don't care about personal space.
As Raf watched their fight escalate he just sat in the middle, like the norm, absorbing his misfit human part of his new family. A family he made. One he would do anything to keep, even be courageous when he never was.
