TRIGGER WARNING. ROBO-BODY HORROR
Sunlight warmed dark black and purple metal. Away from the Northern Hemisphere they cut through the sky, down to the South where energon mines ready for draining lay. The engine roared with power and rattled the framework of the ship. Inside the rattle was so small and consistent it soon was not felt, an afterthought for the people onboard. The giant mechanical forms towered above most trees. Though there were no trees here, no organic life. There was only person and body on that ship that wasn't of machine, wasn't of metal and wires. She laid in her bed, a California King that was covered in makeshift blankets and pillows. Despite her constantly rolling and tossing and turning. The blankets were tucked up around her. She was always warm when she awoke. She woke up slowly, the familiar smell of her deodorants and colognes all mixed together hung over the bed. Her eyes were blurry, cold purples and blues filled her vision. There was no companion in the room with her. She sat up slowly, the blanket sitting on her stomach.
In the same way a wet blanket weighed on your arm, the sleep was warm and weighed down on her. Eyelids felt tired, her shoulders felt tired, her hand and knee joints felt stiff and didn't move as much as they should. Sitting there for a moment, there was enjoyment in this quiet moment. The darkness at the corners of the room were like waves leaking into rock pools. Cold, warping as you look at it and ever changing. Eyes playing tricks on you.
The computer was off and there was a noticeable lack of warmth because of that. She rubbed at her arm, the bare skin was cold to the touch. The skin under the short sleeve was not any better. She didn't want to get up, to face the cold metal floors on her bare soles. She lifted up her leg and scratched her ankle. She looked at her electric clock… 6 am. She frowned. Her body was getting used to these early mornings but her mind never would. She whimpered as she stretched. Joints popped as her arms went above her head. She didn't even look as one of the doors hissed open. She was used to it now.
Megatron strutted into the room, he seemed surprised to see her awake and alert. That expression soon changed into a soft smile.
"Good morning Pet."
"Mornin' Baketsu-same."
The morning routines began. Breakfast first, now with the addition of the T.V they enjoyed watching the news. Megatron had the luxury of having his food pre-made. The refrigeration unit had a white glow that came from the open door. Megatron rooted through it for a few moments before pulling a cube out from the back. It steamed ever so slightly from the cold, it was glowing a bright blue too. He got to sit back on the couch and pick at the pieces. He popped the torn off parts into his maw and watched Miko work on making her breakfast. She mixed up granola and fruit together, she grabbed the large bucket of yoghurt she had and dumped some of it in. She mixed it all together and walked to the edge of the desk. A clawed servo was extended towards her and she graciously stepped on. She was brought over to and dropped at the coffee table, or was it energon table? She was shown how to use the remote and soon she began to abuse her power.
Miko had it set on morning shows, though that never ceased the conversation. They talked at length about a few things, the plans for the day, Miko's soon return to school the next day, her tests that were coming up, her next break from school and what she would do inbetween school days. Once the cereal bowl and the energon bowl were empty and put away into their respective cleaning area, the two walked to their respective doors. Megatron stopped outside his door, he waited for Miko to grab her towels and clean clothes. She perked up as she noticed this when she turned back to him.
"You good? You can go ahead." She gestured to the door. Megatron snorted and looked back at the door. He went quiet as he smiled. He stayed there, Miko scooped up her socks. She checked it was the right pair, she also checked if her slippers were at the door. She slipped off the ones she wore around the ship, to the ones she wore inside the bathroom. She smiled down at the pink flip-flops, they had stars on the end.
"No. We are in sync today. I'd rather stay with you." Megatron admitted. Miko snorted as she covered her mouth with her hand. He shrugged as he smiled down at her. She gestured and he nodded. Into the bathroom they went.
One stripped of armour and the other stripped of clothing. Warm steam soon filled the room, it all clouded together and drifted onto the ceiling. The showers were quiet, they lacked chatter. These were the few moments of quiet, reflection and thought. To each, they had their own and similar thoughts. Miko was wondering if she should go dune bashing with Breakdown, maybe drag racing with Knockout? She could always go shooting off into the stars with Megatron, do a lap around the moon. Then it came to her. Costume designing. She had her new haircut, she had her scars. She had a new look, and a new outlook. She could do that with any of them or all of them. Hell, even Airachnid could join in. She giggled in excitement and glanced at Megatron.
He was using a brush attached to the wall to scrub his back. He looked like a large metallic bear. He grunted as he stretched his neck as it was drowned in suds. Miko had long decided that he had no thoughts in his head when he showered. He just turned off his ever busy mind and enjoyed a more primal activity. Bathing, itching and soaking himself. He would sit there for some time. In an almost meditating state of mind, he would sit or stand there. Once he was done with his back, he'd turn and face up to the water. He'd sometimes stroke his sides, Miko noticed, he'd stroke his hips and waist with the tips of his thumb servos. He'd ghost his knuckles along the purple. She wondered if it comforted him, if it was like when people would rub their hands together or play with their hair. She just let him, she never asked him. Even her ignorance didn't cloud her mind enough to not know what was intrusive and what was not. She had just gained enough trust to wash with him, to see him without cannon or armour.
They both reached and grabbed their shampoo and oil. Two bottles, one pink and one grey metal, were picked up from a low shelf. One was scented like strawberries and cream, the other smelled like a garage. One was creamy and white, the other was oil and so was black. Miko started to shampoo her hair and Megatron rubbed the oil into his joints. There were purrs from his engines and Miko hummed to herself as she worked the shampoo in. Eventually they finished, winced out the shampoo and oil. They started to dry. The human used fluffy towels. She wrapped herself in the warmth, wrapping some around her head. She looked back at Megatron who had walked over to a small glass box. A massive fan of warm air was above him. She began changing as Megatron was blasted with the hot air. He was quickly dry and done, he started to reattach the armour to his protoform. Miko fluffed up her hair and beamed up at him as he walked over to her. He laid out his servo and onto it she clambered.
Such was the tradition, such was the way they lived. They lived together and lived happily. Now she sat on his shoulder, now they walked out of the apartment and down the hall. Together they went, and together they stayed.
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He felt like scrap. Knockout rubbed at his chest. He had a quiet work shift today, he was glad for this. He was glad because he felt like scrap. Breakdown was out and about, doing check-ups on different areas on the ship. He was glad his conjunx couldn't see him like this, it'd break the larger mech's spark. He walked over to the control panel and slowly typed in. His optics were blurry and he felt dizzy. He didn't know of any Cybertronian illness that showed these symptoms. Off the top of his head, a fever that killed half of Nebulaic 48 had very similar symptoms. He watched the medical table slowly lower, it all folded against the wall to make room for other things. Once he made sure it was clicked in, he laid down. He groaned in pleasure. It was amazing really, how much you weighed. Those small pedes, and he only had two.
He just laid there, letting his internal diagnostics run their course. Nothing wrong with his legs or any of his limbs. His shoulders and hips were fine, actually top performing. He always kept his body in peak condition. His helm was fine, his audio receptors, his optics, his visual receivers, his derma, his oral lining, they were all fine. He frowned as he looked at the ceiling. The lights were burning his optics slightly, his helm was pounding. He hurt so badly and he could have just sobbed, laid there and cried. He wanted the pain to end. Then a warning came up.
… Something was wrong with his spark chamber. His mind went blank from terror. Had he damaged it in a way? He searched his memories, recalling every other movement. Was it when he and Breakdown were cuddling? Was it when he got punched by the wrecker? When the Prime ripped his door off? He sat up, leaning on one arm. He closed his optics as he tried to calm himself. He needed to decide the best course of action. He stood and walked to the med-bay door, he locked it. He wanted to be alone, undisturbed. He didn't want some Vehicon walking in and seeing his spark. Only one person was allowed to see his spark and that was his Breakdown!
He grabbed his mirror from a shelf. He propped it up using the console screen. He made sure it was facing his chest. He stood there, in the quiet and alone. He was all alone. He could be finding a virus in his spark and he was alone. He was all alone, and he was scared. He was terrified.
His claws were shaking, his servos just tapped along his chestplate. He looked at the ground. How would he tell Breakdown if it was bad? How would he tell him he was leaving him alone… He had to consciously force his body to open up the chest plate. The armour went back and slid under some of his plating. A grey tunnel sat in his chest, wiring ran along it and towards the centre. It all funnelled together towards where the bright glowing orb was. It was a turquoise in colour, it swirled and glowed. It shuddered and hummed ever so softly, in its own frequency. Only two people could hear its song. Himself and Breakdown. Him and his conjunx endura. He frowned, he knew what his spark looked like. Of course he did. There was something odd.
He very slowly, he very carefully fished his claws into his spark chamber. He shuddered in disgust as he felt something smooth and wet floating beside his spark. He gagged as he winced. He slowly curled his claws around it. He winced as a sharp pain stabbed into his arm. He had run his claws a little too close to his spark. He shuddered in regret. He took a few moments and slowly pulled his claw away. A silent scream of agony escaped him. It felt like his helm was imploding on himself. It came from the back of his helm, it felt like someone was digging their claws in and tearing into his plate. They tore apart his wiring, snapping it from pressure. He groaned something animalistic, like a zombie who had no other way of talking. He stumbled as his mind went blank from pain. His servo just went slash and he fell onto his knees. He stayed there for what seemed to be an eternity. He slowly regained himself.
He blinked as he looked around. His optics were blurry, perhaps he had damaged his visual receivers. He looked around in confusion. He had forgotten what he was doing. He slowly stood back up. He stood back up, then he felt it in his servo. It was wet, an oddly smooth substance. He lifted up his servo weakly, he couldn't feel his elbow. He slowly, groggily looked over at the substance in his servo.
Blood and bone…
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Miko sat there, in the crook of his neck. It wasn't the comfiest in the way that a plush seat would be, in the way your bed would be, in the way the embrace of your older sibling. Yet it comforted Miko in a way she found hard to describe in words. The sturdiness of the protoform purple, the cold grey metal that kept her alert, the purr of his spark pulsing and engine. The warmth from his cables of the neck, the rumble that coursed up from his vocaliser before he spoke. She had not noticed it at first, she'd jump in surprise and curl up into a ball like a frightened hedgehog. Then she noticed a rumble, it'd come from the back of his neck. Then almost like lightning as it shot up into his maw and came out like thunder. So she was always braced and ready.
She was looking through magazines of clothes on the datapad, putting together outfits. She frowned as she looked at one of the outfits. She decided that she liked it and saved it to the folder. She felt the rumble and…
"Pet?" She smiled at the nickname. She crawled away from his neck and propped herself up onto his shoulder spike. He turned his helm to look down at her. His smile was warm and slightly cocky. His lips were curled up at one end in the usual fashion they were.
"Yeah? Whatcha need?" She placed the datapad on her lap as she sat on her pech. He tilted his helm down to her. He cocked his helm back and spoke, "Want to go on a flight?" She jumped up in joy. It had been an age since they went for a flight, just the two of them. Going wherever. She tilted her head as she thought of a place they could go to.
"... Wanna go to… Like a Mountain range? Close quarters flight test?" She clapped her hands together, pressing her palms tight as she gestured a flying motion. Her hands duck and dove, waving wildly through the air as she made a 'wooosh' noise. Megatron watched her, an amused chortle escaping him. He picked her up and wrapped his claws around her, she just let him. She had no reason to struggle. He held her in his palm and turned to Soundwave.
"Soundwave! I'm going out with Miko, if Starscream or Airachnid ask for me. Tell them to mind their own business." He grunted as he began to walk to the door. Miko snorted, but she took out her datapad and waved it in Soundwave's direction.
"Hey! Wave-man!? Can you pick these up for me?" A tendril shot out from his back. He didn't move bar that. The tendril picked up the datapad and then just slid back to him. Miko held her hand in the air for a moment. She shuddered from the creepiness of the mech, she recoiled and pushed her back against Megatron's thumb. He chortled as he walked out to the hall.
Miko hummed in delight as she watched the halls go past. She was in warmer gear today, the area they were in was cold. She had her hoodie that was six times too big for her, ripped jeans that were too baggy and old trainers she used to have for volleyball training. Her hair was fluffy, sticking out like a porcupine. Megatron grunted, she stopped humming and looked back at him.
"Do you sing?" The innocent question made her go silent. It had never occurred to her. She never sang in front of the Autobots, she never sang in front of her host parents. It was a thing she was oddly shy about. She would shout and scream with all her heart. But… Singing was a different thing. She sang during recitals, her father and mother wanted her to try to pursue it. Become a classical singer, playing piano and singing for audiences of upper class, dusty stuck-up nerds. So she never really sang, it was better to hide it then to deal with the attention it gave.
But now someone else, someone new, someone different, completely new and different was asking. She took a moment to consider who was asking exactly. Deciding she trusted him not to be weird about her singing, unlike anyone else, not to be weird.
"Yeah, I can… Kinda." She admitted. She wasn't sure how to talk about it without it sounding like she was bragging, "I don't a lot of the time but… I don't mind singing." She looked back at him. He tilted his helm as he listened. There was a moment of quiet, a silent pause between the two. Miko could feel her heart squeeze itself tight from anxiety. She shifted uncomfortably, it felt like she was being scrutinised. Then he spoke.
"Could you sing for me?" He seemed to breathe the request out as naturally as she breathed air. She felt her heart flutter, like a butterfly drying its wings for the first time. Her heart fluttered and fluttered and fluttered.
Then it took off.
Her heart shot off, it flew up to her face. Her face warmed, the colour of the butterflies wings came onto her cheeks. The softest pink, the deep red that kissed her cheek bones. Her shoulders lifted yet dipped down like wings mid-beat. Then they rose up, like a quick beat of wings, she shot up.
"Yeah! I- I can, whatcha wanna hear!?" She held her fists to her chest, she beamed up at him. Her eyes were alight, like a bonfire they blazed. She watched Megatron chortle. He lifted her up close. His red eyes glowed, colouring her clothing and skin a shade redder then they already were. She swore she could feel his sparkbeat even through his palms.
"Soon, my pet. Sing for me soon. That shall be my payment for the gifts I give you." He explained. Miko blinked. She never thought of it like that. She thought of his payment, her singing was good enough, was that good? She looked down at his palm. She was getting more and more flustered. His laughter at her actions did not help. She just faintly smiled azs he lowered her back down.
"Thanks, you… You know how to make a girl feel good about herself."
"I pride myself on it!"
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His servos were trembling as he ran around the med-bay. He needed it out, he wanted it out. He needed it out, he wanted it out. He had the door locked still. He felt sick, his chest felt like a bottle of water. It sloshed and swirled through his body. His weight swayed and shifted with it. He stumbled from side to side. His knees felt weak, they gave every so often. Like an ocean, dark and bottomless, his illness went. It crashed, it swirled and bubbled. It moved up and down his frame like waves going from coast to coast.
He needed it out, he wanted it out. He fell to his knees, gripping the edge of one of his cabinets. He clawed the paint, white streaks being left behind. His paint was a secondary concern right now. He yanked some of the drawers open, throwing things behind him in a desperate search for his items. He groaned as he doubled over for a moment. Was the sickness in his helm or was it real? The bone shards were on the floor beside him, his servos were smeared in the blood. He pulled out the final draw. He heard the draw snap, it fell out of the drawer. It clattered against the ground, metal smashing against metal. He winced as some of it scraped against his knee. He shook his helm and kept searching.
He needed it out, he wanted it out. He grabbed his scalpel. He stood, his entire body was quivering. He was slowly becoming vacant of any idea but a need to rid himself of the illness. It twisted inside of him, like vines curled up a wall. It dug its roots into his frame. He shuddered and heaved. He wobbled his way to the medical table. He sat on the very edge, too impatient to go any further. The illness was curled into his pedes. Like cement filling a mould. He pressed his knees togethers, he scraped his servos against his chest plates. He needed to get to it- How did he? Any image, any information he had seemed to disappear. He couldn't remember any of his studies, he couldn't remember any of his work.
Knockout whimpered as he gripped the edge of the armour and just started to pull. He could feel the strain on his chest, something similar to when a human would stretch their limbs just a little too far.
Then, if you were there, you'd feel the vibrations of small plucks. Like guitar strings, or like pieces of plastic that were stretched just a little too far. There was a snap, when what was plucked was pulled too far. Blue, glowing liquid dripped down his chest as he kept pulling. The wires he tore fell out with it. He kept pulling, pulling and pulling. He didn't register the pain of it all. The blue, it poured at more and more as the wires became folds of metal. Like fabric it bent, it crumpled and it reached out. He groaned as the fabric finally tore away, like a dam, bursting from the river. Blue water, it gushed from the river, now free to flow. He gasped, his entire frame shuddering. He could see one more stick in the dam. The damn holoform upgrade. He grabbed the wires that connect the two main parts of it. Slowly, slowly he tore it off.
The final string was plucked.
He wanted it out, he needed it out.
He didn't scream, he just held the upgrade in his servos. He just quivered as he laid there. His back was weak, a crash echoed throughout the empty med-bay. His optics flickered.
Knockout felt better, he didn't feel as sick. In fact, he felt empty. He felt so very, wonderfully empty. He whimpered in euphoria as he sat back, his head lulling and his faceplate looking up. He stared at the bright light, like a glistening snow sun. It was almost blinding. He wondered where Breakdown was. He got it out, he had it out. He was no longer sick, he was no longer full. More and more he got empty, He placed a hand on his stomach area. He cradled himself and was so tempted to rock himself. Yet, all he found himself doing was lying down and letting his tiredness take over. His helm swayed gently.
His optic flickered again. The river flowed and flowed, out of him, out of the faucet, out of the rivermouth. The dam was no longer there to stop the beautiful blue water. Blue it was, blue, crystal blue. He went to lift his arm, yet it did not move. He frowned as he tried again, and nothing happened. He was really paralysed, he soon came to realise. He just watched his limbs slowly go slack. The tips of his pedes fell down to the side. His fingers curled outwards, his servos going slack. He whimpered as he blinked. His optics flickered, this time his sight flickered too.
That was when he heard crashing, the door slowly denting inwards
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The blue sky stretched wide above them. Slowly they flew, slow as they could ever think of going. They were low to the ground, ghosting along grass fields. On top of the metallic steed she sat. Her steed was spikey, plane shaped and could talk, but a steed it was. Well, he was. He was Megatron. She sat just ahead of his helm, his dark red optics were no longer alight as he flew. His mouth didn't move as he spoke, but it instead echoed from beneath her.
"Are you cold?" He called. Miko giggled, she looked back at his unmoving helm. They tilted ever so slightly, heading further away from the mountains they once screeched across. Her toes curled as a wind gust caused a slight shudder. She looked up at the sky, fluffy clouds floated gently across the blue.
"No, you're not going that fast," She had the jacket zipped all the way up. She smiled as they went even again, "But it's fun like this. I like flying outside." She perked up as he chortled. He started to tilt again. She watched in curiosity, trying to figure out his game plan. Then she heard the rushing water, Miko snapped her head forward. She stared in horror as a waterfall neared her. She cried out and tried to run away, but it was pointless. The waterfall consumed her as Megatron passed through it. She was frozen, the water was so, so fucking cold. She was stuck in the position she was in. Her hands half tensed against her chest, she just stared ahead. She half registered his cackling.
She was in shock. The shock soon subsided and she joined into his cackling. They flew away from the waterfall. Megatron slowed, he slowed down until he stopped and landed softly on the grass meadow. Miko clambered to the side and slid down the spikes, once she hit the ground, Megatron transformed. He sat down in the grass beside her.
"Now are you cold?" He teased, which prompted a response for her to stick her tongue out at him. He snorted and copied. Miko blinked in response as she saw a… Tongue? It had the vague shape of one. Yet it was oddly spiked, like a cat's tongue. There was an odd dip in the middle. It was sharp at the tip, with wires on the bottom, lining all the way down. It was dark purple in colour. When he pulled it back, he had to open his mouth. His tongue split into three, each part disappearing into its own section. The middle part even goes to the top of his mouth. He realised she was staring. Miko mouthed something in Japanese, she clambered onto his thigh. Trying to get a better look. He tilted his head, an eyebrow raised as he watched her.
"You guys have tongues?"
"Oh… Yes, the energon extractor. It is just an extension of my throat, it helps catch thicker energon, shredding it." He gestured as he explained Miko paused. So, their 'tongues' worked like human teeth? Cybertronian were still aliens, she had to remind herself. So of course their biology would be a little… Weird to her. She nodded and sat down, water dribbled off of her and onto his thigh. She took off her jacket, finding that her shirt had been soaked too. She remembered her Grandmother, getting out of wet clothes was the best thing you could do. Get out, as fast you could. Unless you wanted a cold. She sighed and stripped off her shirt, she was glad to find her bra was still mostly dry. She kicked off her shoes and started to take off her socks. She snapped her head around as Megatron picked up her shirt. She shouted, but he just ignored her and placed her wet clothing on a rock beside them. They sat on the flat, dry stone in the sun. She blinked, okay then, that works. She threw her socks at his servo. He snorted and put them on the stone.
"They'll be dry enough in the ho- Miko!" He shouted as she kicked her trousers off. He averted his optics as she handed her trousers to him.
"You're the one that dunked me under a waterfall! I can't stay in wet clothes or I'll get a cold again." She explained. He sighed. Nodding, he admitted defeat and looked down at her. She grabbed locks of her hair, short it was, but she still ringed out water where she could. He leaned back, watching the area around them. Miko noticed that he never seemed able to relax. He always looked ready for an attack, always seemed like that there were threats only he could see. She wished she could somehow make him feel safe enough that he could relax, make him feel safe in the way she felt with him. She always felt safe with him. He defended her, he comforted her and he accompanied her. She sighed as she looked away, she gazed down at fields of flowers and long grass.
"Hey, hey Megatron?" She called. He perked up as he turned to look at her. He frowned. She turned as his chest transformed, his subspace popping outwards. She watched as he took out the blanket. The Blanket. The one he had retrieved her the first time he had taken her away. She stared, he had… Kept it with him? How had she not noticed it before? She had spent hours in his subspace while they flew! Yet there it was, the first time she had seen it since that night. She giggled as he dropped it on her. She wrapped it around herself. She had forgotten how warm it was, she forgot how comfy it was. She wrapped it over her shoulders, it covered her entire body.
"Thanks dude, can you lie on your back?" She stood up. You could only see her feet below the blanket. She walked up towards him. He looked at her curious, but he complied. He grunted as he felt her start to climb up. He realised quickly what was happening, he scooped her up and dropped her onto his chestplate. She smiled as she sat on his insignia.
"And once again, thank you." She laid down, watching the sky with him. He placed his servos on his midsection, just watching the clouds move.
"You wanted to cloud watch with me?"
"I wanted you to relax for once dude." She admitted. She moved her head to look at him. He snorted as he closed his optics. She could feel his chest rumble as they laid there. She closed her eyes, she swore she could hear his sparkbeat. She crossed her arms behind her head, deciding that wasn't comfortable enough, she rolled onto her stomach and rested the side of her head on her forearms instead. She blinked, it was getting harder to get her eyes to open.
"Hey, Megatron?" She called. He looked up at her, his expression was warm but he did not smile. Yet she knew, she knew this was his kind of way of smiling. He cupped his servo over her.
"Are you proud of me?" She knew it was an odd question, she looked down at the grey chestplate, "Like, do you think letting me into the Decepticon's was a good idea?" A rumble shot up from his chest. She looked up, startled by him. His servo lowered itself, the embrace putting pressure down on her back. She squeaked as she stared at him.
"I have many regrets, my dear pet, but you becoming my companion shall never be one. Watching you blossom into your true self. Watching you be so unapologetically you, it is spectacular. Your colourful hair is one of my favourites." He admitted. Miko blushed as she hugged the insignia she sat on. He chuckled, as he ran a digit down her back.
"I'm glad you're the one that found me, you and the others are the most 'human' things I've had during this." She explained. He laughed once again. She giggled as she felt the vibrations from his laughter. That woke her up. He laid his helm back, he closed his optics as his chuckles slowly faded. She sat up a little.
"You charm me dear, you charm me." He admitted. He stroked her back with his index servo. She hummed at the feeling, the humble comfort of the simple gesture. She sighed as she thought and imagined about the outfits that were waiting for her at the ship. She kicked her legs as she imagined how she'd look. Megatron frowned suddenly.
"Hold on pet. I have a call to take." He explained. She made an 'ooh' noise and just watched. She heard nothing but his expression changes worried her. He looked at her and nodded.
"Thank you Airachnid, I'll tell her." He tilted his head as he groaned. Miko sat up, making sure the blanket covered her. He cupped his servo around her as he sat up. He smiled at her as he shook his helm.
"Knockout is sick," He started. Miko's eyes widened, he held up his other servo. Miko took a deep breath at the sign to wait, "But he is fine. He is alive, he is healthy and he's well taken care of. Soundwave has found malware on the holoform technology, so it seems a virus has gone to him. But he is healthy and fine." He explained. Miko nodded. She took deep breaths and calmed herself. He was fine, Knockout was fine. Megatron watched her for a moment. He placed her beside her clothing. She touched them and quickly found it all dry. She started to redress as Megatron stretched.
"Also. Your clothing has arrived. They let Knockout review it all, and he is very excited about the wardrobe change."
She turned and stared up at him. He chuckled as she watched her squeal in excitement. She ran over to him, jumping up and down.
"Let's go dude! School starts in two days and I need to have an outfit ready!" He laughed and scooped her up. He was glad that Soundwave had rushed the closet acquisition. It would distract and comfort Miko while they got Knockout back on his pedes.
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People were staring and she loved it. Large, ten inch boots made her tower over the others. Her mullet was freshly washed, conditioned and fluffy up by the hair dryer. It framed her head so wonderfully, it made her earrings easy to see. Dark purple love hearts dangled from silver chains. The darkest purple made her hair look even brighter pink. The love hearts did give her an edge of cuteness and innocence that made the look not too harsh. A grey tank top sagged off her chest, it was loose and comfy. On the front of it was Kuromi, the goth Hello Kitty character. The tank-top was tucked into her belt. The black, spiked belt held up her baggy, grey, ripped jeans. They sagged and almost tried to get away from her skin by the way it fell. Her boots were high on her calf. They were black and made of fake leather. There were spikes on the straps that went across the front, though there was a zip at the side so she didn't need to worry about the straps or shoelaces. She had her energon crystal sitting on her chest. It was in the metal coil, it glowed slightly but no one would notice unless they inspected closer.
For once, she didn't care about people seeing her scarred arm. In fact, the tank-top showed them off at the fullest. People stared at her, staring mostly at her arm. It was obvious that she had missed a good chunk of this semester because of what happened. No one knew she had left. The only thing people knew was that one day she was chirpy with Jackson Darby and Rafael Esquivel, the next she was alone. Her arm was full of scars, and she herself was a lot more aggressive.
She had her earbuds in, the pink wire trailed down her front, to a pocket on her left. Her ears were filled with heavy metal, the guitar and screaming vocals leaked out to the outside world. She bobbed her head to the drums. Her backpack hung off her back and bounced with every step she took. She was loud, with every boot stomp, with her appearance and with her colours. She perked up as she saw Raf, he was taking out books from his locker. A part of her wanted to stop and say hello. She frowned, but then she might run into Jack. She decided what she was going to do.
"Hey! Raf dude!" She called, she took out her earbuds and stopped just beside him. He perked up as he saw her. She could see his eyes widen as he took in her appearance. He held his books against his chest. He adjusted his glasses as he looked her up and down.
"Woah, Miko. I like the new haircut, where did you get all this stuff!?" He tilted his head as he examined her fashion. She smiled as she posed for him while giggling. She actually had to crouch to be eye-level with him. The boots were a pain as much as they were a blessing. It had been a few weeks since she saw him last, she felt like the rift between her and the Autobots had grown a lot as every day passed.
"Soundwave got it for me, he's really cool with this kind of thing." She explained with glee. Rafael nodded, he paused as he noticed the energon crystal. He gently poked it and examined it. Miko snickered as she held it up for him to see, even tilting it slowly from side to side. He looked at her in surprise.
"How did you get a energon crystal!?" He whispered. She looked back. Making sure a certain Jackson Darby Prime did not appear. Once she saw that the coast was clear, she leaned in.
"Megatron gave it to me, it was one of my first days there. It's super pretty ain't it?" She smiled as she stood back up. She slung the bag over her back. He blinked in surprise. He considered her answers.
"... You're really loving being there, aren't you?" He said it with an air of astonishment. His eyes stared at her, scanning her expression. Miko smiled and looked down flustered. Love, such a strong word. Yet she knew it was the correct word. She did love the Nemesis, she loved the crew, she loved the large halls, the training hall that Megatron had her run laps around, she loved the bridge that always seemed alive, she loved the quiet med-bay, she loved the flight deck and its coldness, she loved the large windows, she loved her little corner, she loved the small apartment and of course, she loved Megatron.
"I honestly couldn't be anywhere else." She admitted. Rafael looked at the ground. She could see some sadness. She knew that he waited for the day she'd return to the Autobot base. But the idea of returning made her feel sick. She didn't want to go back to living in the shadow of the other two. She flicked her hair away from her eyes and smiled down at him.
"If you want, I can pull some strings and you can come to visit." She laughed at his reaction. He almost jumped back, his eyes wide and his mouth agape. He adjusted his glasses as he looked around in a panic. She snickered as she took a step back and scruffed up his hair.
"I'm kidding dude, don't worry." She started to walk down the hall. Rafael decided to follow even though his classes were the other way down the hall. The other students stared at Miko and so also stared at her companion. The two looked like different versions, the furthest points of the spectrum finally meeting together. She smiled down at him, but frowned as she heard muttering. She looked to see some girls looking at Rafael and her. She grimaced but that soon turned into a smirk.
She stuck her tongue at them, pulling her eyelid and cheek down with her digit. Akanbe, that was the name for it back home. She had tried to teach the digit to Megatron, but with no eyelid to pull down it was hard. The girls just reeled back from disgust, the unknown gesture was obscene to them. They turned away and talked amongst themselves. Rafael watched in surprise as he looked at her.
"... I wouldn't mind checking up on you, just to clear Bee's head." He added. Miko smirked as she patted him on the back.
"You'll be treated like a ki-" She was cut off as Rafael fell to the ground. She helped him up quickly. He whimpered in pain. Miko snapped her head up to Vince's smug grin as he stood over the two. She stood Rafael up and pushed him behind her. He held onto her shirt end and she placed a hand on his head.
"What do you want, Vince?" She snapped. A part of her did fear the bully, she remembered him throwing a different kid across the hood of his car. Then again, she knew who was waiting for her at the end of the school day. She knew just how protective he was. The glaring red optics in the grimaced iron face was a clear image in her mind. Vincent dropped from the Nemesis and splattered like paint from impact was equally clear. Then again, no… She could fight her own battles. She was supposedly a Mini-Megs, yeah? So she should act like it.
Vincent snorted as he looked her up and down. Like he was sizing her up. She growled as he spoke.
"What's with the new freak look? Getting ready for the circus?" He tilted his head. She snorted as she looked at him. Crossing her arms.
"Nah, just getting ready to beat your ass." She snarked. She stood straight, keeping her shoulders level. Not raised or lowered. She needed to be calm. She needed to be ready to beat him.
He puffed out his chest and sized himself up to her. Yet she didn't falter. She didn't react. She watched his expression change like this. He wasn't used to getting to this point. She could see his mind short circuit. She smiled up at him as she took a step forward.
"Go and run, little boy, run far away." She could hear Megatron's voice echo through her head. She could hear his snarl and growl. Vincent raised his fist. But he looked behind her and walked away very suddenly. Miko glanced back to see the English teacher marching down the hall. She eyed Miko as she passed by and seemed to chase Vincent. Miko felt herself deflate. She half laughed as she turned to Rafael. He walked back to her with a smile.
"Sorry, I went to go get Mrs. Harris, but it seems you had things handled." They continued to walk down the hall. Others stared at Miko and she found herself taking pride in it.
"It's fine dude. Come on, don't want to spoil your attendance record." She pushed him forward. He laughed as they trailed together. Miko had never felt so much like herself before… She felt so good. She felt at home in her skin, in her clothes and hair.
She was a Decepticon, she supposed. So she had to be sure of herself. Having King 'Con as her hype man or well mech, it was a great benefit to one's ego. She hopped and skipped down the hall, she was full of joy. Of euphoria.
She found herself enjoying this new saga in her life. She was herself, unforgivably she was herself. She made people stare, she made people gawk. She loved it. She loved it all. This was metal, this was punk, this was rebel and this was being a Decepticon.
She made people stare and she fucking loved it.
